PMID- 28892021
TI  - Near-Infrared-Triggered Photodynamic Therapy toward Breast Cancer Cells Using
      Dendrimer-Functionalized Upconversion Nanoparticles.
AB  - Water-soluble upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) that exhibit significant
      ultraviolet, blue, and red emissions under 980-nm laser excitation were
      successfully synthesized for performing near infrared (NIR)-triggered
      photodynamic therapy (PDT). The lanthanide-doped UCNPs bearing oleate ligands
      were first exchanged by citrates to generate polyanionic surfaces and then
      sequentially encapsulated with NH2-terminated poly(amido amine) (PAMAM)
      dendrimers (G4) and chlorine6 (Ce6) using a layer-by-layer (LBL) absorption
      strategy. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirm
      that the hybrid UCNPs possess a polygonal morphology with an average dimension of
      16.0 +/- 2.1 nm and alpha-phase crystallinity. A simple calculation derived
      through thermogravimetric analysis revealed that one polycationic G4 dendrimer
      could be firmly accommodated by approximately 150 polyanionic citrates through
      multivalent interactions. Moreover, zeta potential measurements indicated that
      the LBL fabrication results in the hybrid nanoparticles with positively charged
      surfaces originated from these dendrimers, which assist the cellular uptake in
      biological specimens. The cytotoxic singlet oxygen based on the
      photosensitization of the adsorbed Ce6 through the upconversion emissions can be
      readily accumulated by increasing the irradiation time of the incident lasers.
      Compared with that of 660-nm lasers, NIR-laser excitation exhibits optimized in
      vitro PDT effects toward human breast cancer MCF-7 cells cultured in the
      tumorspheres, and less than 40% of cells survived under a low Ce6 dosage of 2.5 *
      10-7 M. Fluorescence microscopy analysis indicated that the NIR-driven PDT causes
      more effective destruction of the cells located inside spheres that exhibit
      significant cancer stem cell or progenitor cell properties. Moreover, an in vivo
      assessment based on immunohistochemical analysis for a 4T1 tumor-bearing mouse
      model confirmed the effective inhibition of cancer cell proliferation through
      cellular DNA damage by the expression of Ki67 and gammaH2AXser139 protein
      markers. Thus, the hybrid UCNPs are a promising NIR-triggered PDT module for
      cancer treatment.

PMID- 28892022
TI  - Preparation of Authigenic Pyrite from Methane-bearing Sediments for In Situ
      Sulfur Isotope Analysis Using SIMS.
AB  - Different sulfur isotope compositions of authigenic pyrite typically result from
      the sulfate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane (SO4-AOM) and organiclastic
      sulfate reduction (OSR) in marine sediments. However, unravelling the complex
      pyritization sequence is a challenge because of the coexistence of different
      sequentially formed pyrite phases. This manuscript describes a sample preparation
      procedure that enables the use of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) to
      obtain in situ delta34S values of various pyrite generations. This allows
      researchers to constrain how SO4-AOM affects pyritization in methane-bearing
      sediments. SIMS analysis revealed an extreme range in delta34S values, spanning
      from -41.6 to +114.80/00, which is much wider than the range of delta34S values
      obtained by the traditional bulk sulfur isotope analysis of the same samples.
      Pyrite in the shallow sediment mainly consists of 34S-depleted framboids,
      suggesting early diagenetic formation by OSR. Deeper in the sediment, more pyrite
      occurs as overgrowths and euhedral crystals, which display much higher SIMS
      delta34S values than the framboids. Such 34S-enriched pyrite is related to
      enhanced SO4-AOM at the sulfate-methane transition zone, postdating OSR. High
      resolution in situ SIMS sulfur isotope analyses allow for the reconstruction of
      the pyritization processes, which cannot be resolved by bulk sulfur isotope
      analysis.

PMID- 28892023
TI  - Experimental Protocol to Determine the Chloride Threshold Value for Corrosion in
      Samples Taken from Reinforced Concrete Structures.
AB  - The aging of reinforced concrete infrastructure in developed countries imposes an
      urgent need for methods to reliably assess the condition of these structures.
      Corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel is the most frequent cause for
      degradation. While it is well known that the ability of a structure to withstand
      corrosion depends strongly on factors such as the materials used or the age, it
      is common practice to rely on threshold values stipulated in standards or
      textbooks. These threshold values for corrosion initiation (Ccrit) are
      independent of the actual properties of a certain structure, which clearly limits
      the accuracy of condition assessments and service life predictions. The practice
      of using tabulated values can be traced to the lack of reliable methods to
      determine Ccrit on-site and in the laboratory. Here, an experimental protocol to
      determine Ccrit for individual engineering structures or structural members is
      presented. A number of reinforced concrete samples are taken from structures and
      laboratory corrosion testing is performed. The main advantage of this method is
      that it ensures real conditions concerning parameters that are well known to
      greatly influence Ccrit, such as the steel-concrete interface, which cannot be
      representatively mimicked in laboratory-produced samples. At the same time, the
      accelerated corrosion test in the laboratory permits the reliable determination
      of Ccrit prior to corrosion initiation on the tested structure; this is a major
      advantage over all common condition assessment methods that only permit
      estimating the conditions for corrosion after initiation, i.e., when the
      structure is already damaged. The protocol yields the statistical distribution of
      Ccrit for the tested structure. This serves as a basis for probabilistic
      prediction models for the remaining time to corrosion, which is needed for
      maintenance planning. This method can potentially be used in material testing of
      civil infrastructures, similar to established methods used for mechanical
      testing.

PMID- 28892024
TI  - Stereological Estimation of Dopaminergic Neuron Number in the Mouse Substantia
      Nigra Using the Optical Fractionator and Standard Microscopy Equipment.
AB  - In pre-clinical Parkinson's disease research, analysis of the nigrostriatal
      tract, including quantification of dopaminergic neuron loss within the substantia
      nigra, is essential. To estimate the total dopaminergic neuron number, unbiased
      stereology using the optical fractionator method is currently considered the gold
      standard. Because the theory behind the optical fractionator method is complex
      and because stereology is difficult to achieve without specialized equipment,
      several commercially available complete stereology systems that include the
      necessary software do exist, purely for cell counting reasons. Since purchasing a
      specialized stereology setup is not always feasible, for many reasons, this
      report describes a method for the stereological estimation of dopaminergic
      neuronal cell counts using standard microscopy equipment, including a light
      microscope, a motorized object table (x, y, z plane) with imaging software, and a
      computer for analysis. A step-by-step explanation is given on how to perform
      stereological quantification using the optical fractionator method, and pre
      programmed files for the calculation of estimated cell counts are provided. To
      assess the accuracy of this method, a comparison to data obtained from a
      commercially available stereology apparatus was performed. Comparable cell
      numbers were found using this protocol and the stereology device, thus
      demonstrating the precision of this protocol for unbiased stereology.

PMID- 28892025
TI  - A Novel Approach to Overcome Movement Artifact When Using a Laser Speckle
      Contrast Imaging System for Alternating Speeds of Blood Microcirculation.
AB  - The laser speckle contrast imager (LSCI) provides a powerful yet simple technique
      for measuring microcirculatory blood flow. Ideal for blood dynamic responses, the
      LSCI is used in the same way as a conventional Laser Doppler Imager (LDI).
      However, with a maximum skin depth of approximately 1 mm, the LSCI is designed to
      focus on mainly superficial blood flow. It is used to measure skin surface areas
      of up to 15 cm x 20 cm. The new technique introduced in this paper accounts for
      alternating speeds of microcirculations; i.e. both slow and fast flow flux
      measurement using the LSCI. The novel technique also overcomes LSCI's biggest
      shortcoming, which is high sensitivity to artifact movement. An adhesive opaque
      patch (AOP) is introduced for satisfactory recording of microcirculatory blood
      flow, by subtracting the LSCI signal from the AOP from the laser speckle skin
      signal. The optimal setting is also defined because the LSCI is most powerful
      when flux changes are measured relative to a reference baseline, with blood
      microcirculatory flux expressed as a percentage change from the baseline. These
      changes may be used for analyzing the status of the blood flow system.

PMID- 28892026
TI  - Purification of Viral DNA for the Identification of Associated Viral and Cellular
      Proteins.
AB  - The goal of this protocol is to isolate herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA
      from infected cells for the identification of associated viral and cellular
      proteins by mass spectrometry. Although proteins that interact with viral genomes
      play major roles in determining the outcome of infection, a comprehensive
      analysis of viral genome associated proteins was not previously feasible. Here we
      demonstrate a method that enables the direct purification of HSV-1 genomes from
      infected cells. Replicating viral DNA is selectively labeled with modified
      nucleotides that contain an alkyne functional group. Labeled DNA is then
      specifically and irreversibly tagged via the covalent attachment of biotin azide
      via a copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition or click reaction. Biotin
      tagged DNA is purified on streptavidin-coated beads and associated proteins are
      eluted and identified by mass spectrometry. This method enables the selective
      targeting and isolation of HSV-1 replication forks or whole genomes from complex
      biological environments. Furthermore, adaptation of this approach will allow for
      the investigation of various aspects of herpesviral infection, as well as the
      examination of the genomes of other DNA viruses.

PMID- 28892027
TI  - Novel Object Recognition Test for the Investigation of Learning and Memory in
      Mice.
AB  - The object recognition test (ORT) is a commonly used behavioral assay for the
      investigation of various aspects of learning and memory in mice. The ORT is
      fairly simple and can be completed over 3 days: habituation day, training day,
      and testing day. During training, the mouse is allowed to explore 2 identical
      objects. On test day, one of the training objects is replaced with a novel
      object. Because mice have an innate preference for novelty, if the mouse
      recognizes the familiar object, it will spend most of its time at the novel
      object. Due to this innate preference, there is no need for positive or negative
      reinforcement or long training schedules. Additionally, the ORT can also be
      modified for numerous applications. The retention interval can be shortened to
      examine short-term memory, or lengthened to probe long-term memory.
      Pharmacological intervention can be used at various times prior to training,
      after training, or prior to recall to investigate different phases of learning
      (i.e., acquisition, early or late consolidation, or recall). Overall, the ORT is
      a relatively low-stress, efficient test for memory in mice, and is appropriate
      for the detection of neuropsychological changes following pharmacological,
      biological, or genetic manipulations.

PMID- 28892028
TI  - Microfluidic Dry-spinning and Characterization of Regenerated Silk Fibroin
      Fibers.
AB  - The protocol demonstrates a method for mimicking the spinning process of
      silkworm. In the native spinning process, the contracting spinning duct enables
      the silk proteins to be compact and ordered by shearing and elongation forces.
      Here, a biomimetic microfluidic channel was designed to mimic the specific
      geometry of the spinning duct of the silkworm. Regenerated silk fibroin (RSF)
      spinning doped with high concentration, was extruded through the microchannel to
      dry-spin fibers at ambient temperature and pressure. In the post-treated process,
      the as-spun fibers were drawn and stored in ethanol aqueous solution. Synchrotron
      radiation wide-angle X-ray diffraction (SR-WAXD) technology was used to
      investigate the microstructure of single RSF fibers, which were fixed to a sample
      holder with the RSF fiber axis normal to the microbeam of the X-ray. The
      crystallinity, crystallite size, and crystalline orientation of the fiber were
      calculated from the WAXD data. The diffraction arcs near the equator of the two
      dimensional WAXD pattern indicate that the post-treated RSF fiber has a high
      orientation degree.

PMID- 28892029
TI  - Fabrication of Periodic Gold Nanocup Arrays Using Colloidal Lithography.
AB  - Within recent years, the field of plasmonics has exploded as researchers have
      demonstrated exciting applications related to chemical and optical sensing in
      combination with new nanofabrication techniques. A plasmon is a quantum of charge
      density oscillation that lends nanoscale metals such as gold and silver unique
      optical properties. In particular, gold and silver nanoparticles exhibit
      localized surface plasmon resonances-collective charge density oscillations on
      the surface of the nanoparticle-in the visible spectrum. Here, we focus on the
      fabrication of periodic arrays of anisotropic plasmonic nanostructures. These
      half-shell (or nanocup) structures can exhibit additional unique light-bending
      and polarization-dependent optical properties that simple isotropic
      nanostructures cannot. Researchers are interested in the fabrication of periodic
      arrays of nanocups for a wide variety of applications such as low-cost optical
      devices, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and tamper indication. We present a
      scalable technique based on colloidal lithography in which it is possible to
      easily fabricate large periodic arrays of nanocups using spin-coating and self
      assembled commercially available polymeric nanospheres. Electron microscopy and
      optical spectroscopy from the visible to near-infrared (near-IR) was performed to
      confirm successful nanocup fabrication. We conclude with a demonstration of the
      transfer of nanocups to a flexible, conformal adhesive film.

PMID- 28892030
TI  - Expedited Radiation Biodosimetry by Automated Dicentric Chromosome Identification
      (ADCI) and Dose Estimation.
AB  - Biological radiation dose can be estimated from dicentric chromosome frequencies
      in metaphase cells. Performing these cytogenetic dicentric chromosome assays is
      traditionally a manual, labor-intensive process not well suited to handle the
      volume of samples which may require examination in the wake of a mass casualty
      event. Automated Dicentric Chromosome Identifier and Dose Estimator (ADCI)
      software automates this process by examining sets of metaphase images using
      machine learning-based image processing techniques. The software selects
      appropriate images for analysis by removing unsuitable images, classifies each
      object as either a centromere-containing chromosome or non-chromosome, further
      distinguishes chromosomes as monocentric chromosomes (MCs) or dicentric
      chromosomes (DCs), determines DC frequency within a sample, and estimates
      biological radiation dose by comparing sample DC frequency with calibration
      curves computed using calibration samples. This protocol describes the usage of
      ADCI software. Typically, both calibration (known dose) and test (unknown dose)
      sets of metaphase images are imported to perform accurate dose estimation.
      Optimal images for analysis can be found automatically using preset image filters
      or can also be filtered through manual inspection. The software processes images
      within each sample and DC frequencies are computed at different levels of
      stringency for calling DCs, using a machine learning approach. Linear-quadratic
      calibration curves are generated based on DC frequencies in calibration samples
      exposed to known physical doses. Doses of test samples exposed to uncertain
      radiation levels are estimated from their DC frequencies using these calibration
      curves. Reports can be generated upon request and provide summary of results of
      one or more samples, of one or more calibration curves, or of dose estimation.

PMID- 28892031
TI  - Simple Elimination of Background Fluorescence in Formalin-Fixed Human Brain
      Tissue for Immunofluorescence Microscopy.
AB  - Immunofluorescence is a common method used to visualize subcellular compartments
      and to determine the localization of specific proteins within a tissue sample. A
      great hindrance to the acquisition of high quality immunofluorescence images is
      endogenous autofluorescence of the tissue caused by aging pigments such as
      lipofuscin or by common sample preparation processes such as aldehyde fixation.
      This protocol describes how background fluorescence can be greatly reduced
      through photobleaching using white phosphor light emitting diode (LED) arrays
      prior to treatment with fluorescent probes. The broad-spectrum emission of white
      phosphor LEDs allow for bleaching of fluorophores across a range of emission
      peaks. The photobleaching apparatus can be constructed from off-the-shelf
      components at very low cost and offers an accessible alternative to commercially
      available chemical quenchers. A photobleaching pre-treatment of the tissue
      followed by conventional immunofluorescence staining generates images free of
      background autofluorescence. Compared to established chemical quenchers which
      reduced probe as well as background signals, photobleaching treatment had no
      effect on probe fluorescence intensity while it effectively reduced background
      and lipofuscin fluorescence. Although photobleaching requires more time for pre
      treatment, higher intensity LED arrays may be used to reduce photobleaching time.
      This simple method can potentially be applied to a variety of tissues,
      particularly postmitotic tissues that accumulate lipofuscin such as the brain and
      cardiac or skeletal muscles.

PMID- 28892032
TI  - Semi-automated Analysis of Mouse Skeletal Muscle Morphology and Fiber-type
      Composition.
AB  - For years, distinctions between skeletal muscle fiber types were best visualized
      by myosin-ATPase staining. More recently, immunohistochemical staining of myosin
      heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms has emerged as a finer discriminator of fiber-type.
      Type I, type IIA, type IIX and type IIB fibers can now be identified with
      precision based on their MyHC profile; however, manual analysis of these data can
      be slow and down-right tedious. In this regard, rapid, accurate assessment of
      fiber-type composition and morphology is a very desirable tool. Here, we present
      a protocol for state-of-the-art immunohistochemical staining of MyHCs in frozen
      sections obtained from mouse hindlimb muscle in concert with a novel semi
      automated algorithm that accelerates analysis of fiber-type and fiber morphology.
      As expected, the soleus muscle displayed staining for type I and type IIA fibers,
      but not for type IIX or type IIB fibers. On the other hand, the tibialis anterior
      muscle was composed predominantly of type IIX and type IIB fibers, a small
      fraction of type IIA fibers and little or no type I fibers. Several image
      transformations were used to generate probability maps for the purpose of
      measuring different aspects of fiber morphology (i.e., cross-sectional area
      (CSA), maximal and minimal Feret diameter). The values obtained for these
      parameters were then compared with manually-obtained values. No significant
      differences were observed between either mode of analysis with regards to CSA,
      maximal or minimal Feret diameter (all p > 0.05), indicating the accuracy of our
      method. Thus, our immunostaining analysis protocol may be applied to the
      investigation of effects on muscle composition in many models of aging and
      myopathy.

PMID- 28892033
TI  - Ultrasound-guided Intracardiac Injection of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells to
      Increase Homing to the Intestine for Use in Murine Models of Experimental
      Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
AB  - Crohn's disease (CD) is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the small and
      large intestines. Murine and human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have
      immunosuppressive potential and have been shown to suppress inflammation in mouse
      models of intestinal inflammation, even though the route of administration can
      limit their homing and effectiveness 1,3,4,5. Local application of MSCs to
      colonic injury models has shown greater efficacy at ameliorating inflammation in
      the colon. However, there is paucity of data on techniques to enhance the
      localization of human bone marrow-derived MSCs (hMSCs) to the small intestine,
      the site of inflammation in the SAMP-1/YitFc (SAMP) model of experimental Crohn's
      disease. This work describes a novel technique for the ultrasound-guided
      intracardiac injection of hMSCs in SAMP mice, a well-characterized spontaneous
      model of chronic intestinal inflammation. Sex- and age-matched, inflammation-free
      AKR/J (AKR) mice were used as controls. To analyze the biodistribution and the
      localization, hMSCs were transduced with a lentivirus containing a triple
      reporter. The triple reporter consisted of firefly luciferase (fl), for
      bioluminescent imaging; monomeric red fluorescent protein (mrfp), for cell
      sorting; and truncated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (ttk), for positron
      emission tomography (PET) imaging. The results of this study show that 24 h after
      the intracardiac administration, hMSCs localize in the small intestine of SAMP
      mice as opposed to inflammation-free AKR mice. This novel, ultrasound-guided
      injection of hMSCs in the left ventricle of SAMP mice ensures a high success rate
      of cell delivery, allowing for the rapid recovery of mice with minimal morbidity
      and mortality. This technique could be a useful method for the enhanced
      localization of MSCs in other models of small-intestinal inflammation, such as
      TNFDeltaRE6. Future studies will determine if the increased localization of hMSCs
      by intra-arterial delivery can lead to increased therapeutic efficacy.

PMID- 28892034
TI  - Shifting Zebrafish Lethal Skeletal Mutant Penetrance by Progeny Testing.
AB  - Zebrafish mutant phenotypes are often incompletely penetrant, only manifesting in
      some mutants. Interesting phenotypes that inconsistently appear can be difficult
      to study, and can lead to confounding results. The protocol described here is a
      straightforward breeding paradigm to increase and decrease penetrance in lethal
      zebrafish skeletal mutants. Because lethal mutants cannot be selectively bred
      directly, the classic selective breeding strategy of progeny testing is employed.
      This method also includes protocols for Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP)
      genotyping zebrafish and staining larval zebrafish cartilage and bone. Applying
      the husbandry strategy described here can increase the penetrance of an
      interesting skeletal phenotype enabling more reproducible results in downstream
      applications. In addition, decreasing the mutant penetrance through this
      selective breeding strategy can reveal the developmental processes that most
      crucially require the function of the mutated gene. While the skeleton is
      specifically considered here, we propose that this methodology will be useful for
      all zebrafish mutant lines.

PMID- 28892035
TI  - Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in a Wide Range of Food Matrices using Hydride
      Generation - Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.
AB  - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) underlined in its Scientific Opinion on
      Arsenic in Food that in order to support a sound exposure assessment to inorganic
      arsenic through diet, information about distribution of arsenic species in
      various food types must be generated. A method, previously validated in a
      collaborative trial, has been applied to determine inorganic arsenic in a wide
      variety of food matrices, covering grains, mushrooms and food of marine origin
      (31 samples in total). The method is based on detection by flow injection-hydride
      generation-atomic absorption spectrometry of the iAs selectively extracted into
      chloroform after digestion of the proteins with concentrated HCl. The method is
      characterized by a limit of quantification of 10 ug/kg dry weight, which allowed
      quantification of inorganic arsenic in a large amount of food matrices.
      Information is provided about performance scores given to results obtained with
      this method and which were reported by different laboratories in several
      proficiency tests. The percentage of satisfactory results obtained with the
      discussed method is higher than that of the results obtained with other
      analytical approaches.

PMID- 28892036
TI  - An Integrated System to Remotely Trigger Intracellular Signal Transduction by
      Upconversion Nanoparticle-mediated Kinase Photoactivation.
AB  - Upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-mediated photoactivation is a new approach to
      remotely control bioeffectors with much less phototoxicity and with deeper tissue
      penetration. However, the existing instrumentation on the market is not readily
      compatible with upconversion application. Therefore, modifying the commercially
      available instrument is essential for this research. In this paper, we first
      illustrate the modifications of a conventional fluorimeter and fluorescence
      microscope to make them compatible for photon upconversion experiments. We then
      describe the synthesis of a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered caged protein kinase A
      catalytic subunit (PKA) immobilized on a UCNP complex. Parameters for
      microinjection and NIR photoactivation procedures are also reported. After the
      caged PKA-UCNP is microinjected into REF52 fibroblast cells, the NIR irradiation,
      which is significantly superior to conventional UV irradiation, efficiently
      triggers the PKA signal transduction pathway in living cells. In addition,
      positive and negative control experiments confirm that the PKA-induced pathway
      leading to the disintegration of stress fibers is specifically triggered by NIR
      irradiation. Thus, the use of protein-modified UCNP provides an innovative
      approach to remotely control light-modulated cellular experiments, in which
      direct exposure to UV light must be avoided.

PMID- 28892037
TI  - Induction and Micro-CT Imaging of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations in Mouse
      Model.
AB  - Mutations in the CCM1 (aka KRIT1), CCM2, or CCM3 (aka PDCD10) gene cause cerebral
      cavernous malformation (CCM) in humans. Mouse models of CCM disease have been
      established by tamoxifen induced deletion of Ccm genes in postnatal animals.
      These mouse models provide invaluable tools to investigate molecular mechanism
      and therapeutic approaches for CCM disease. An accurate and quantitative method
      to assess lesion burden and progression is essential to harness the full value of
      these animal models. Here, we demonstrate the induction of CCM disease in a mouse
      model and the use of the contrast enhanced X-ray micro computed tomography (micro
      CT) method to measure CCM lesion burden in mouse brains. At postnatal day 1 (P1),
      we used 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4HT) to activate Cre recombinase activity from the
      Cdh5-CreErt2 transgene to cleave the floxed allele of Ccm2. CCM lesions in mouse
      brains were analyzed at P8. For micro-CT, iodine based Lugol's solution was used
      to enhance contrast in brain tissue. We have optimized the scan parameters and
      utilized a voxel dimension of 9.5 um, which lead to a minimum feature size of
      approximately 25 um. This resolution is sufficient to measure CCM lesion volume
      and number globally and accurately, and provide high-quality 3-D mapping of CCM
      lesions in mouse brains. This method enhances the value of the established mouse
      models to study the molecular basis and potential therapies for CCM and other
      cerebrovascular diseases.

PMID- 28892038
TI  - Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons.
AB  - During endocytosis, fused synaptic vesicles are retrieved at nerve terminals,
      allowing for vesicle recycling and thus the maintenance of synaptic transmission
      during repetitive nerve firing. Impaired endocytosis in pathological conditions
      leads to decreases in synaptic strength and brain functions. Here, we describe
      methods used to measure synaptic vesicle endocytosis at the mammalian hippocampal
      synapse in neuronal culture. We monitored synaptic vesicle protein endocytosis by
      fusing a synaptic vesicular membrane protein, including synaptophysin and
      VAMP2/synaptobrevin, at the vesicular lumenal side, with pHluorin, a pH-sensitive
      green fluorescent protein that increases its fluorescence intensity as the pH
      increases. During exocytosis, vesicular lumen pH increases, whereas during
      endocytosis vesicular lumen pH is re-acidified. Thus, an increase of pHluorin
      fluorescence intensity indicates fusion, whereas a decrease indicates endocytosis
      of the labelled synaptic vesicle protein. In addition to using the pHluorin
      imaging method to record endocytosis, we monitored vesicular membrane endocytosis
      by electron microscopy (EM) measurements of Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) uptake
      by vesicles. Finally, we monitored the formation of nerve terminal membrane pits
      at various times after high potassium-induced depolarization. The time course of
      HRP uptake and membrane pit formation indicates the time course of endocytosis.

PMID- 28892039
TI  - Metabolites of flavonoid compounds preserve indices of endothelial cell nitric
      oxide bioavailability under glucotoxic conditions.
AB  - We hypothesized that metabolites of dietary flavonoids attenuate impairments in
      nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability evoked by glucotoxic conditions mimicking Type
      1 or 2 diabetes. To test this, human aortic endothelial cells were treated with
      either vehicle control, quercetin-3-O-glucoronide, piceatannol or 3-(3
      hydroxyphenyl)propionoic acid for 24 h. These are metabolites of quercetin,
      resveratrol and proanthocyanidin, respectively. Next, cells were exposed to
      control (5 mM) or high (25 mM) glucose conditions for 48 h, followed by insulin
      treatment (100 nM, 10 min) to stimulate NO production. In control glucose
      conditions NO production, phosphorylated to total endothelial nitric oxide
      synthase (p-eNOSser1177: eNOS), and phosphorylated to total Akt (p-AktSer473:
      Akt) were all increased by insulin stimulation. This response was abolished
      during high glucose conditions. Pretreatment of cells with flavonoid metabolites
      prior to high glucose challenge preserved insulin stimulated increases in NO
      production, p-AktSer473: Akt and p-eNOSSer1177: eNOS. These effects may be
      secondary to oxidative stress as pretreatment with all flavonoid metabolites
      prevented elevations in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in response to high
      glucose. These data support the hypothesis that beneficial effects of flavonoids
      on endothelial cell function in the context of glucotoxicity, at least in part,
      are secondary to their metabolites.

PMID- 28892040
TI  - Structure of a transcribing RNA polymerase II-DSIF complex reveals a multidentate
      DNA-RNA clamp.
AB  - During transcription, RNA polymerase II (Pol II) associates with the conserved
      elongation factor DSIF. DSIF renders the elongation complex stable and functions
      during Pol II pausing and RNA processing. We combined cryo-EM and X-ray
      crystallography to determine the structure of the mammalian Pol II-DSIF
      elongation complex at a nominal resolution of 3.4 A. Human DSIF has a modular
      structure with two domains forming a DNA clamp, two domains forming an RNA clamp,
      and one domain buttressing the RNA clamp. The clamps maintain the transcription
      bubble, position upstream DNA, and retain the RNA transcript in the exit tunnel.
      The mobile C-terminal region of DSIF is located near exiting RNA, where it can
      recruit factors for RNA processing. The structure provides insight into the roles
      of DSIF during mRNA synthesis.

PMID- 28892041
TI  - Guide-bound structures of an RNA-targeting A-cleaving CRISPR-Cas13a enzyme.
AB  - CRISPR adaptive immune systems protect bacteria from infections by deploying
      CRISPR RNA (crRNA)-guided enzymes to recognize and cut foreign nucleic acids.
      Type VI-A CRISPR-Cas systems include the Cas13a enzyme, an RNA-activated RNase
      capable of crRNA processing and single-stranded RNA degradation upon target
      transcript binding. Here we present the 2.0-A resolution crystal structure of a
      crRNA-bound Lachnospiraceae bacterium Cas13a (LbaCas13a), representing a recently
      discovered Cas13a enzyme subtype. This structure and accompanying biochemical
      experiments define the Cas13a catalytic residues that are directly responsible
      for crRNA maturation. In addition, the orientation of the foreign-derived target
      RNA-specifying sequence in the protein interior explains the conformational
      gating of Cas13a nuclease activation. These results describe how Cas13a enzymes
      generate functional crRNAs and how catalytic activity is blocked before target
      RNA recognition, with implications for both bacterial immunity and diagnostic
      applications.

PMID- 28892042
TI  - Structures of the human mitochondrial ribosome in native states of assembly.
AB  - Mammalian mitochondrial ribosomes (mitoribosomes) have less rRNA content and 36
      additional proteins compared with the evolutionarily related bacterial ribosome.
      These differences make the assembly of mitoribosomes more complex than the
      assembly of bacterial ribosomes, but the molecular details of mitoribosomal
      biogenesis remain elusive. Here, we report the structures of two late-stage
      assembly intermediates of the human mitoribosomal large subunit (mt-LSU) isolated
      from a native pool within a human cell line and solved by cryo-EM to ~3-A
      resolution. Comparison of the structures reveals insights into the timing of rRNA
      folding and protein incorporation during the final steps of ribosomal maturation
      and the evolutionary adaptations that are required to preserve biogenesis after
      the structural diversification of mitoribosomes. Furthermore, the structures
      redefine the ribosome silencing factor (RsfS) family as multifunctional
      biogenesis factors and identify two new assembly factors (L0R8F8 and mt-ACP) not
      previously implicated in mitoribosomal biogenesis.

PMID- 28892043
TI  - Loss of PRP4K drives anoikis resistance in part by dysregulation of epidermal
      growth factor receptor endosomal trafficking.
AB  - Anoikis acts as a critical barrier to metastasis by inducing cell death upon
      cancer cell detachment from the extracellular matrix (ECM), thereby preventing
      tumor cell dissemination to secondary sites. The induction of anoikis requires
      the lysosomal-mediated downregulation of epidermal growth factor receptors
      (EGFRs) leading to termination of pro-survival signaling. In this study, we
      demonstrate that depletion of pre-mRNA splicing factor 4 kinase (PRP4K; also
      known as PRPF4B) causes dysregulation of EGFR trafficking and anoikis resistance.
      We also report a novel cytoplasmic localization of PRP4K at the late endosome,
      and demonstrate both nuclear and cytoplasmic localization in breast, lung and
      ovarian cancer tissue. Mechanistically, depletion of PRP4K leads to reduced EGFR
      degradation following cell detachment from the ECM and correlates with increased
      TrkB, vimentin and Zeb1 expression. As a result, PRP4K loss promotes sustained
      growth factor signaling and increased cellular resistance to anoikis in vitro and
      in a novel zebrafish xenotransplantation model of anoikis sensitivity, as well as
      increased metastasis in a mouse model of ovarian cancer. Thus, PRP4K may serve as
      a potential biomarker of anoikis sensitivity in ovarian and other epithelial
      cancers.

PMID- 28892044
TI  - A novel mouse model of rhabdomyosarcoma underscores the dichotomy of MDM2-ALT1
      function in vivo.
AB  - Alternative splicing of the oncogene murine double minute 2 (MDM2) is induced in
      response to genotoxic stress. MDM2-ALT1, the major splice variant generated, is
      known to activate the p53 pathway and impede full-length MDM2's negative
      regulation of p53. Despite this perceptible tumor-suppressive role, MDM2-ALT1 is
      also associated with several cancers. Furthermore, expression of MDM2-ALT1 has
      been observed in aggressive metastatic disease in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma
      (RMS), irrespective of histological subtype. Therefore, we generated a transgenic
      MDM2-ALT1 mouse model that would allow us to investigate the effects of this
      splice variant on the progression of tumorigenesis. Here we show that when MDM2
      ALT1 is ubiquitously expressed in p53 null mice it leads to increased incidence
      of spindle cell sarcomas, including RMS. Our data provide evidence that
      constitutive MDM2-ALT1 expression is itself an oncogenic lesion that aggravates
      the tumorigenesis induced by p53 loss. On the contrary, when MDM2-ALT1 is
      expressed solely in B-cells in the presence of homozygous wild-type p53 it leads
      to significantly increased lymphomagenesis (56%) when compared with control mice
      (27%). However, this phenotype is observable only at later stages in life (?18
      months). Moreover, flow cytometric analyses for B-cell markers revealed an MDM2
      ALT1-associated decrease in the B-cell population of the spleens of these
      animals. Our data suggest that the B-cell loss is p53 dependent and is a response
      mounted to persistent MDM2-ALT1 expression in a wild-type p53 background.
      Overall, our findings highlight the importance of an MDM2 splice variant as a
      critical modifier of both p53-dependent and -independent tumorigenesis,
      underscoring the complexity of MDM2 posttranscriptional regulation in cancer.
      Furthermore, MDM2-ALT1-expressing p53 null mice represent a novel mouse model of
      fusion-negative RMS.

PMID- 28892045
TI  - MN1 overexpression is driven by loss of DNMT3B methylation activity in inv(16)
      pediatric AML.
AB  - In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), specific genomic aberrations induce aberrant
      methylation, thus directly influencing the transcriptional programing of leukemic
      cells. Therefore, therapies targeting epigenetic processes are advocated as a
      promising therapeutic tool for AML treatment. However, to develop new therapies,
      a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism(s) driving the epigenetic changes
      as a result of acquired genetic abnormalities is necessary. This understanding is
      still lacking. In this study, we performed genome-wide CpG-island methylation
      profiling on pediatric AML samples. Six differentially methylated genomic regions
      within two genes, discriminating inv(16)(p13;q22) from non-inv(16) pediatric AML
      samples, were identified. All six regions had a hypomethylated phenotype in
      inv(16) AML samples, and this was most prominent at the regions encompassing the
      meningioma (disrupted in balanced translocation) 1 (MN1) oncogene. MN1 expression
      primarily correlated with the methylation level of the 3' end of the MN1 exon-1
      locus. Decitabine treatment of different cell lines showed that induced loss of
      methylation at the MN1 locus can result in an increase of MN1 expression,
      indicating that MN1 expression is coregulated by DNA methylation. To investigate
      this methylation-associated mechanism, we determined the expression of DNA
      methyltransferases in inv(16) AML. We found that DNMT3B expression was
      significantly lower in inv(16) samples. Furthermore, DNMT3B expression correlated
      negatively with MN1 expression in pediatric AML samples. Importantly, depletion
      of DNMT3B impaired remethylation efficiency of the MN1 exon-1 locus in AML cells
      after decitabine exposure. These findings identify DNMT3B as an important
      coregulator of MN1 methylation. Taken together, this study shows that the
      methylation level of the MN1 exon-1 locus regulates MN1 expression levels in
      inv(16) pediatric AML. This methylation level is dependent on DNMT3B, thus
      suggesting a role for DNMT3B in leukemogenesis in inv(16) AML, through MN1
      methylation regulation.

PMID- 28892046
TI  - Targeting nuclear receptors in cancer-associated fibroblasts as concurrent
      therapy to inhibit development of chemoresistant tumors.
AB  - Most anticancer therapies to date focus on druggable features of tumor epithelia.
      Despite the increasing repertoire of treatment options, patient responses remain
      varied. Moreover, tumor resistance and relapse remain persistent clinical
      challenges. These observations imply an incomplete understanding of tumor
      heterogeneity. The tumor microenvironment is a major determinant of disease
      progression and therapy outcome. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the
      dominant cell type within the reactive stroma of tumors. They orchestrate
      paracrine pro-tumorigenic signaling with adjacent tumor cells, thus exacerbating
      the hallmarks of cancer and accelerating tumor malignancy. Although CAF-derived
      soluble factors have been investigated for tumor stroma-directed therapy, the
      underlying transcriptional programs that enable the oncogenic functions of CAFs
      remain poorly understood. Nuclear receptors (NRs), a large family of ligand
      responsive transcription factors, are pharmacologically viable targets for the
      suppression of CAF-facilitated oncogenesis. In this study, we defined the
      expression profiles of NRs in CAFs from clinical cutaneous squamous cell
      carcinoma (SCC) biopsies. We further identified a cluster of driver NRs in CAFs
      as important modifiers of CAF function with profound influence on cancer cell
      invasiveness, proliferation, drug resistance, energy metabolism and oxidative
      stress status. Importantly, guided by the NR profile of CAFs, retinoic acid
      receptor beta and androgen receptor antagonists were identified for concurrent
      therapy with cisplatin, resulting in the inhibition of chemoresistance in
      recurred SCC:CAF xenografts. Our work demonstrates that treatments targeting both
      the tumor epithelia and the surrounding CAFs can extend the efficacy of
      conventional chemotherapy.

PMID- 28892047
TI  - A system for detecting high impact-low frequency mutations in primary tumors and
      metastases.
AB  - Tumor complexity and intratumor heterogeneity contribute to subclonal diversity.
      Despite advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics,
      detecting rare mutations in primary tumors and metastases contributing to
      subclonal diversity is a challenge for precision genomics. Here, in order to
      identify rare mutations, we adapted a recently described epithelial reprograming
      assay for short-term propagation of epithelial cells from primary and metastatic
      tumors. Using this approach, we expanded minor clones and obtained epithelial
      cell-specific DNA/RNA for quantitative NGS analysis. Comparative Ampliseq
      Comprehensive Cancer Panel sequence analyses were performed on DNA from
      unprocessed breast tumor and tumor cells propagated from the same tumor. We
      identified previously uncharacterized mutations present only in the cultured
      tumor cells, a subset of which has been reported in brain metastatic but not
      primary breast tumors. In addition, whole-genome sequencing identified mutations
      enriched in liver metastases of various cancers, including Notch pathway
      mutations/chromosomal inversions in 5/5 liver metastases, irrespective of cancer
      types. Mutations/rearrangements in FHIT, involved in purine metabolism, were
      detected in 4/5 liver metastases, and the same four liver metastases shared
      mutations in 32 genes, including mutations of different HLA-DR family members
      affecting OX40 signaling pathway, which could impact the immune response to
      metastatic cells. Pathway analyses of all mutated genes in liver metastases
      showed aberrant tumor necrosis factor and transforming growth factor signaling in
      metastatic cells. Epigenetic regulators including KMT2C/MLL3 and ARID1B, which
      are mutated in >50% of hepatocellular carcinomas, were also mutated in liver
      metastases. Thus, irrespective of cancer types, organ-specific metastases may
      share common genomic aberrations. Since recent studies show independent evolution
      of primary tumors and metastases and in most cases mutation burden is higher in
      metastases than primary tumors, the method described here may allow early
      detection of subclonal somatic alterations associated with metastatic progression
      and potentially identify therapeutically actionable, metastasis-specific genomic
      aberrations.

PMID- 28892048
TI  - CDKN2B deletion is essential for pancreatic cancer development instead of
      unmeaningful co-deletion due to juxtaposition to CDKN2A.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest malignancies; however, the genetic
      events that lead to pancreatic carcinogenesis in adults remain unclear. In vivo
      models in which these genetic alterations occur in adult animals may more
      accurately reflect the features of human cancer. In this study, we demonstrate
      that inactivation of Cdkn2b (p15ink4b) is necessary for induction of pancreatic
      cancer by oncogenic KRASG12D expression and inactivation of Tp53 and Cdkn2a in
      adult mouse pancreatic ductal cells (P60 or older). KRASG12D overexpression in
      these cells activated transforming growth factor-beta signaling and expression of
      CDKN2B, which, along with CDKN2A, led to cellular senescence and protected cells
      from KRAS-mediated transformation via inhibition of retinoblastoma
      phosphorylation. These results show a critical role of CDKN2B inactivation in
      pancreatic carcinogenesis, and provide a useful adult animal model by genetic
      engineering via lentiviral delivery.

PMID- 28892049
TI  - Membrane Mucin Muc4 promotes blood cell association with tumor cells and mediates
      efficient metastasis in a mouse model of breast cancer.
AB  - Mucin-4 (Muc4) is a large cell surface glycoprotein implicated in the protection
      and lubrication of epithelial structures. Previous studies suggest that
      aberrantly expressed Muc4 can influence the adhesiveness, proliferation,
      viability and invasiveness of cultured tumor cells, as well as the growth rate
      and metastatic efficiency of xenografted tumors. Although it has been suggested
      that one of the major mechanisms by which Muc4 potentiates tumor progression is
      via its engagement of the ErbB2/HER2 receptor tyrosine kinase, other mechanisms
      exist and remain to be delineated. Moreover, the requirement for endogenous Muc4
      for tumor growth progression has not been previously explored in the context of
      gene ablation. To assess the contribution of endogenous Muc4 to mammary tumor
      growth properties, we first created a genetically engineered mouse line lacking
      functional Muc4 (Muc4ko), and then crossed these animals with the NDL (Neu
      DeLetion mutant) model of ErbB2-induced mammary tumorigenesis. We observed that
      Muc4ko animals are fertile and develop normally, and adult mice exhibit no overt
      tissue abnormalities. In tumor studies, we observed that although some markers of
      tumor growth such as vascularity and cyclin D1 expression are suppressed, primary
      mammary tumors from Muc4ko/NDL female mice exhibit similar latencies and growth
      rates as Muc4wt/NDL animals. However, the presence of lung metastases is markedly
      suppressed in Muc4ko/NDL mice. Interestingly, histological analysis of lung
      lesions from Muc4ko/NDL mice revealed a reduced association of disseminated cells
      with platelets and white blood cells. Moreover, isolated cells derived from
      Muc4ko/NDL tumors interact with fewer blood cells when injected directly into the
      vasculature or diluted into blood from wild type mice. We further observed that
      blood cells more efficiently promote the viability of non-adherent Muc4wt/NDL
      cells than Muc4ko/NDL cells. Together, our observations suggest that Muc4 may
      facilitate metastasis by promoting the association of circulating tumor cells
      with blood cells to augment tumor cell survival in circulation.

PMID- 28892051
TI  - A map of high-mobility molecular semiconductors.
AB  - The charge mobility of molecular semiconductors is limited by the large
      fluctuation of intermolecular transfer integrals, often referred to as off
      diagonal dynamic disorder, which causes transient localization of the carriers'
      eigenstates. Using a recently developed theoretical framework, we show here that
      the electronic structure of the molecular crystals determines its sensitivity to
      intermolecular fluctuations. We build a map of the transient localization lengths
      of high-mobility molecular semiconductors to identify what patterns of nearest
      neighbour transfer integrals in the two-dimensional (2D) high-mobility plane
      protect the semiconductor from the effect of dynamic disorder and yield larger
      mobility. Such a map helps rationalizing the transport properties of the whole
      family of molecular semiconductors and is also used to demonstrate why common
      textbook approaches fail in describing this important class of materials. These
      results can be used to rapidly screen many compounds and design new ones with
      optimal transport characteristics.

PMID- 28892050
TI  - Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) promotes EGF
      receptor signaling of oral squamous cell carcinoma metastasis via the complex N
      glycosylation.
AB  - Aberrant protein glycosylation could be a distinct surface-marker of cancer cells
      that influences cancer progression and metastasis because glycosylation can
      regulate membrane protein folding which alters receptor activation and changes
      epitope exposure for antibody (Ab) recognition. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related
      cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6), a glycophosphoinositol-anchored protein, is a
      heavily glycosylated tumor antigen. However, the clinical significance and
      biological effect of CEACAM6 glycosylation has not been addressed in cancers. We
      recently developed an anti-CEACAM6 Ab (TMU) from an immune llama library which
      can be engineered to a single-domain (sd)Ab or a heavy-chain (HC)Ab. The TMU HCAb
      specifically recognized glycosylated CEACAM6 compared to the conventional
      antibodies. Using the TMU HCAb, we found that glycosylated CEACAM6 was a tumor
      marker associated with recurrence in early-stage OSCC (oral squamous cell
      carcinoma) patients. CEACAM6 promoted OSCC cell invasion, migration, cytoskeletal
      rearrangement, and metastasis via interaction with epidermal growth factor (EGF)
      receptor (EGFR) and enhancing EGFR activation, clustering and intracellular
      signaling cascades. These functions were modulated by N
      acetylglucosaminyltransferase 5 (MGAT5) which mediated N-glycosylation at Asn256
      (N256) of CEACAM6. Finally, the TMU sdAb and HCAb treatment inhibited the
      migration, invasion and EGF-induced signaling in CEACAM6-overexpressing cells. In
      conclusion, the complex N-glycosylation of CEACAM6 is critical for EGFR signaling
      of OSCC invasion and metastasis. Targeting glycosylated CEACAM6 with the TMU sdAb
      or TMU HCAb could be a feasible therapy for OSCC.

PMID- 28892052
TI  - Cell mechanics: When tissues collide.

PMID- 28892053
TI  - Organic semiconductors: A map to find winners.

PMID- 28892055
TI  - Electrotunable nanoplasmonic liquid mirror.
AB  - Recently, there has been a drive to design and develop fully tunable
      metamaterials for applications ranging from new classes of sensors to superlenses
      among others. Although advances have been made, tuning and modulating the optical
      properties in real time remains a challenge. We report on the first realization
      of a reversible electrotunable liquid mirror based on voltage-controlled self
      assembly/disassembly of 16 nm plasmonic nanoparticles at the interface between
      two immiscible electrolyte solutions. We show that optical properties such as
      reflectivity and spectral position of the absorption band can be varied in situ
      within +/-0.5 V. This observed effect is in excellent agreement with theoretical
      calculations corresponding to the change in average interparticle spacing. This
      electrochemical fully tunable nanoplasmonic platform can be switched from a
      highly reflective 'mirror' to a transmissive 'window' and back again. This study
      opens a route towards realization of such platforms in future micro/nanoscale
      electrochemical cells, enabling the creation of tunable plasmonic metamaterials.

PMID- 28892054
TI  - Long-lived force patterns and deformation waves at repulsive epithelial
      boundaries.
AB  - For an organism to develop and maintain homeostasis, cell types with distinct
      functions must often be separated by physical boundaries. The formation and
      maintenance of such boundaries are commonly attributed to mechanisms restricted
      to the cells lining the boundary. Here we show that, besides these local
      subcellular mechanisms, the formation and maintenance of tissue boundaries
      involves long-lived, long-ranged mechanical events. Following contact between two
      epithelial monolayers expressing, respectively, EphB2 and its ligand ephrinB1,
      both monolayers exhibit oscillatory patterns of traction forces and intercellular
      stresses that tend to pull cell-matrix adhesions away from the boundary. With
      time, monolayers jam, accompanied by the emergence of deformation waves that
      propagate away from the boundary. This phenomenon is not specific to
      EphB2/ephrinB1 repulsion but is also present during the formation of boundaries
      with an inert interface and during fusion of homotypic epithelial layers. Our
      findings thus unveil a global physical mechanism that sustains tissue separation
      independently of the biochemical and mechanical features of the local tissue
      boundary.

PMID- 28892056
TI  - Observation of the spin Nernst effect.
AB  - The observation of the spin Hall effect triggered intense research on pure spin
      current transport. With the spin Hall effect, the spin Seebeck effect and the
      spin Peltier effect already observed, our picture of pure spin current transport
      is almost complete. The only missing piece is the spin Nernst (-Ettingshausen)
      effect, which so far has been discussed only on theoretical grounds. Here, we
      report the observation of the spin Nernst effect. By applying a longitudinal
      temperature gradient, we generate a pure transverse spin current in a Pt thin
      film. For readout, we exploit the magnetization-orientation-dependent spin
      transfer to an adjacent yttrium iron garnet layer, converting the spin Nernst
      current in Pt into a controlled change of the longitudinal and transverse
      thermopower voltage. Our experiments show that the spin Nernst and the spin Hall
      effect in Pt are of comparable magnitude, but differ in sign, as corroborated by
      first-principles calculations.

PMID- 28892057
TI  - Reactivations of emotional memory in the hippocampus-amygdala system during
      sleep.
AB  - The consolidation of context-dependent emotional memory requires communication
      between the hippocampus and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), but the mechanisms of
      this process are unknown. We recorded neuronal ensembles in the hippocampus and
      BLA while rats learned the location of an aversive air puff on a linear track, as
      well as during sleep before and after training. We found coordinated
      reactivations between the hippocampus and the BLA during non-REM sleep following
      training. These reactivations peaked during hippocampal sharp wave-ripples (SPW
      Rs) and involved a subgroup of BLA cells positively modulated during hippocampal
      SPW-Rs. Notably, reactivation was stronger for the hippocampus-BLA correlation
      patterns representing the run direction that involved the air puff than for the
      'safe' direction. These findings suggest that consolidation of contextual
      emotional memory occurs during ripple-reactivation of hippocampus-amygdala
      circuits.

PMID- 28892058
TI  - Glia-specific enhancers and chromatin structure regulate NFIA expression and
      glioma tumorigenesis.
AB  - Long-range enhancer interactions critically regulate gene expression, yet little
      is known about how their coordinated activities contribute to CNS development or
      how this may, in turn, relate to disease states. By examining the regulation of
      the transcription factor NFIA in the developing spinal cord, we identified long
      range enhancers that recapitulate NFIA expression across glial and neuronal
      lineages in vivo. Complementary genetic studies found that Sox9-Brn2 and Isl1
      Lhx3 regulate enhancer activity and NFIA expression in glial and neuronal
      populations. Chromatin conformation analysis revealed that these enhancers and
      transcription factors form distinct architectures within these lineages in the
      spinal cord. In glioma models, the glia-specific architecture is present in
      tumors, and these enhancers are required for NFIA expression and contribute to
      glioma formation. By delineating three-dimensional mechanisms of gene expression
      regulation, our studies identify lineage-specific chromatin architectures and
      associated enhancers that regulate cell fate and tumorigenesis in the CNS.

PMID- 28892059
TI  - A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies 17 new Parkinson's
      disease risk loci.
AB  - Common variant genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have, to date, identified
      >24 risk loci for Parkinson's disease (PD). To discover additional loci, we
      carried out a GWAS comparing 6,476 PD cases with 302,042 controls, followed by a
      meta-analysis with a recent study of over 13,000 PD cases and 95,000 controls at
      9,830 overlapping variants. We then tested 35 loci (P < 1 * 10-6) in a
      replication cohort of 5,851 cases and 5,866 controls. We identified 17 novel risk
      loci (P < 5 * 10-8) in a joint analysis of 26,035 cases and 403,190 controls. We
      used a neurocentric strategy to assign candidate risk genes to the loci. We
      identified protein-altering or cis-expression quantitative trait locus (cis-eQTL)
      variants in linkage disequilibrium with the index variant in 29 of the 41 PD
      loci. These results indicate a key role for autophagy and lysosomal biology in PD
      risk, and suggest potential new drug targets for PD.

PMID- 28892060
TI  - A functional genomics predictive network model identifies regulators of
      inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - A major challenge in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the integration of
      diverse IBD data sets to construct predictive models of IBD. We present a
      predictive model of the immune component of IBD that informs causal relationships
      among loci previously linked to IBD through genome-wide association studies
      (GWAS) using functional and regulatory annotations that relate to the cells,
      tissues, and pathophysiology of IBD. Our model consists of individual networks
      constructed using molecular data generated from intestinal samples isolated from
      three populations of patients with IBD at different stages of disease. We
      performed key driver analysis to identify genes predicted to modulate network
      regulatory states associated with IBD, prioritizing and prospectively validating
      12 of the top key drivers experimentally. This validated key driver set not only
      introduces new regulators of processes central to IBD but also provides the
      integrated circuits of genetic, molecular, and clinical traits that can be
      directly queried to interrogate and refine the regulatory framework defining IBD.

PMID- 28892061
TI  - Linkage disequilibrium-dependent architecture of human complex traits shows
      action of negative selection.
AB  - Recent work has hinted at the linkage disequilibrium (LD)-dependent architecture
      of human complex traits, where SNPs with low levels of LD (LLD) have larger per
      SNP heritability. Here we analyzed summary statistics from 56 complex traits
      (average N = 101,401) by extending stratified LD score regression to continuous
      annotations. We determined that SNPs with low LLD have significantly larger per
      SNP heritability and that roughly half of this effect can be explained by
      functional annotations negatively correlated with LLD, such as DNase I
      hypersensitivity sites (DHSs). The remaining signal is largely driven by our
      finding that more recent common variants tend to have lower LLD and to explain
      more heritability (P = 2.38 * 10-104); the youngest 20% of common SNPs explain
      3.9 times more heritability than the oldest 20%, consistent with the action of
      negative selection. We also inferred jointly significant effects of other LD
      related annotations and confirmed via forward simulations that they jointly
      predict deleterious effects.

PMID- 28892062
TI  - Genome-wide association study identifies 112 new loci for body mass index in the
      Japanese population.
AB  - Obesity is a risk factor for a wide variety of health problems. In a genome-wide
      association study (GWAS) of body mass index (BMI) in Japanese people (n =
      173,430), we found 85 loci significantly associated with obesity (P < 5.0 * 10
      8), of which 51 were previously unknown. We conducted trans-ancestral meta
      analyses by integrating these results with the results from a GWAS of Europeans
      and identified 61 additional new loci. In total, this study identifies 112 novel
      loci, doubling the number of previously known BMI-associated loci. By annotating
      associated variants with cell-type-specific regulatory marks, we found enrichment
      of variants in CD19+ cells. We also found significant genetic correlations
      between BMI and lymphocyte count (P = 6.46 * 10-5, rg = 0.18) and between BMI and
      multiple complex diseases. These findings provide genetic evidence that
      lymphocytes are relevant to body weight regulation and offer insights into the
      pathogenesis of obesity.

PMID- 28892063
TI  - Interpreting short tandem repeat variations in humans using mutational
      constraint.
AB  - Identifying regions of the genome that are depleted of mutations can distinguish
      potentially deleterious variants. Short tandem repeats (STRs), also known as
      microsatellites, are among the largest contributors of de novo mutations in
      humans. However, per-locus studies of STR mutations have been limited to highly
      ascertained panels of several dozen loci. Here we harnessed bioinformatics tools
      and a novel analytical framework to estimate mutation parameters for each STR in
      the human genome by correlating STR genotypes with local sequence heterozygosity.
      We applied our method to obtain robust estimates of the impact of local sequence
      features on mutation parameters and used these estimates to create a framework
      for measuring constraint at STRs by comparing observed versus expected mutation
      rates. Constraint scores identified known pathogenic variants with early-onset
      effects. Our metric will provide a valuable tool for prioritizing pathogenic STRs
      in medical genetics studies.

PMID- 28892064
TI  - A mouse model for embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes uncovers the
      therapeutic potential of Sonic-hedgehog inhibitors.
AB  - Embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes (ETMRs) have recently been described
      as a new entity of rare pediatric brain tumors with a fatal outcome. We show here
      that ETMRs are characterized by a parallel activation of Shh and Wnt signaling.
      Co-activation of these pathways in mouse neural precursors is sufficient to
      induce ETMR-like tumors in vivo that resemble their human counterparts on the
      basis of histology and global gene-expression analyses, and that point to apical
      radial glia cells as the possible tumor cell of origin. Overexpression of LIN28A,
      which is a hallmark of human ETMRs, augments Sonic-hedgehog (Shh) and Wnt
      signaling in these precursor cells through the downregulation of let7-miRNA, and
      LIN28A/let7a interaction with the Shh pathway was detected at the level of Gli
      mRNA. Finally, human ETMR cells that were transplanted into immunocompromised
      host mice were responsive to the SHH inhibitor arsenic trioxide (ATO). Our work
      provides a novel mouse model in which to study this tumor type, demonstrates the
      driving role of Wnt and Shh activation in the growth of ETMRs and proposes
      downstream inhibition of Shh signaling as a therapeutic option for patients with
      ETMRs.

PMID- 28892065
TI  - Regulatory T cells impede acute and long-term immunity to blood-stage malaria
      through CTLA-4.
AB  - Malaria, caused by the protozoan Plasmodium, is a devastating mosquito-borne
      disease with the potential to affect nearly half the world's population. Despite
      mounting substantial T and B cell responses, humans fail to efficiently control
      blood-stage malaria or develop sterilizing immunity to reinfections. Although
      forkhead box P3 (FOXP3)+CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells form a part of these
      responses, their influence remains disputed and their mode of action is unknown.
      Here we show that Treg cells expand in both humans and mice in blood-stage
      malaria and interfere with conventional T helper cell responses and follicular T
      helper (TFH)-B cell interactions in germinal centers. Mechanistically, Treg cells
      function in a critical temporal window to impede protective immunity through
      cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4). Targeting Treg cells or
      CTLA-4 in this precise window accelerated parasite clearance and generated
      species-transcending immunity to blood-stage malaria in mice. Our study uncovers
      a critical mechanism of immunosuppression associated with blood-stage malaria
      that delays parasite clearance and prevents development of potent adaptive
      immunity to reinfection. These data also reveal a temporally discrete and
      potentially therapeutically amenable functional role for Treg cells and CTLA-4 in
      limiting antimalarial immunity.

PMID- 28892066
TI  - Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on extinction of conditioned fear and post
      traumatic stress disorder symptoms in rats.
AB  - Exposure-based therapies help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
      to extinguish conditioned fear of trauma reminders. However, controlled
      laboratory studies indicate that PTSD patients do not extinguish conditioned fear
      as well as healthy controls, and exposure therapy has high failure and dropout
      rates. The present study examined whether vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) augments
      extinction of conditioned fear and attenuates PTSD-like symptoms in an animal
      model of PTSD. To model PTSD, rats were subjected to a single prolonged stress
      (SPS) protocol, which consisted of restraint, forced swim, loss of consciousness,
      and 1 week of social isolation. Like PTSD patients, rats subjected to SPS show
      impaired extinction of conditioned fear. The SPS procedure was followed, 1 week
      later, by auditory fear conditioning (AFC) and extinction. VNS or sham
      stimulation was administered during half of the extinction days, and was paired
      with presentations of the conditioned stimulus. One week after completion of
      extinction training, rats were given a battery of behavioral tests to assess
      anxiety, arousal and avoidance. Results indicated that rats given SPS 1 week
      prior to AFC (PTSD model) failed to extinguish the freezing response after eleven
      consecutive days of extinction. Administration of VNS reversed the extinction
      impairment and attenuated reinstatement of the conditioned fear response.
      Delivery of VNS during extinction also eliminated the PTSD-like symptoms, such as
      anxiety, hyperarousal and social avoidance for more than 1 week after VNS
      treatment. These results provide evidence that extinction paired with VNS
      treatment can lead to remission of fear and improvements in PTSD-like symptoms.
      Taken together, these findings suggest that VNS may be an effective adjunct to
      exposure therapy for the treatment of PTSD.

PMID- 28892067
TI  - Association of the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region genotype with
      lower bone mineral density.
AB  - The serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) of the serotonin
      transporter gene (SLC6A4) S allele is linked to pathogenesis of depression and
      slower response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs); depression
      and SSRIs are independently associated with bone loss. We aimed to determine
      whether 5-HTTLPR was associated with bone loss. This cross-sectional study
      included psychiatric patients with both 5-HTTLPR analysis and bone mineral
      density (BMD) assessment (hip and spine Z-scores if age <50 years and T-scores if
      ?50 years). BMD association with 5-HTTLPR was evaluated under models with
      additive allele effects and dominant S allele effects using linear regression
      models. Patients were stratified by age (<50 and ?50 years) and sex. Of 3016
      patients with 5-HTTLPR genotyping, 239 had BMD assessments. Among the younger
      patients, the S allele was associated with lower Z-scores at the hip (P=0.002,
      dominant S allele effects; P=0.004, additive allele effects) and spine (P=0.0006,
      dominant S allele effects; P=0.01, additive allele effects). In sex-stratified
      analyses, the association of the S allele with lower BMD in the younger patients
      was also significant in the subset of women (P?0.003 for both hip and spine BMD
      under the additive allele effect model). In the small group of men younger than
      50 years, the S allele was marginally associated with higher spine BMD (P=0.05).
      BMD T-scores were not associated with 5-HTTLPR genotypes in patients 50 years or
      older. The 5-HTTLPR variants may modify serotonin effects on bone with sex
      specific effects.

PMID- 28892068
TI  - Dysregulation of objectively assessed 24-hour motor activity patterns as a
      potential marker for bipolar I disorder: results of a community-based family
      study.
AB  - There has been a growing number of studies that have employed actigraphy to
      investigate differences in motor activity in mood disorders. In general, these
      studies have shown that people with bipolar disorders (BPDs) tend to exhibit
      greater variability and less daytime motor activity than controls. The goal of
      this study was to examine whether patterns of motor activity differ in euthymic
      individuals across the full range of mood disorder subtypes (Bipolar I (BPI),
      Bipolar II (BPII) and major depression (MDD)) compared with unaffected controls
      in a community-based family study of mood spectrum disorders. Minute-to-minute
      activity counts derived from actigraphy were collected over a 2-week period for
      each participant. Prospective assessments of the level, timing and day-to-day
      variability of physical activity measures were compared across diagnostic groups
      after controlling for a comprehensive list of potential confounding factors.
      After adjusting for the effects of age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and medication
      use, the BPI group had lower median activity intensity levels across the second
      half of the day and greater variability in the afternoon compared with controls.
      Those with a history of BPII had increased variability during the night time
      compared with controls, indicating poorer sleep quality. No differences were
      found in the average intensity, variability or timing of activity in comparisons
      between other mood disorder subgroups and controls. Findings confirm evidence
      from previous studies that BPI may be a manifestation of a rhythm disturbance
      that is most prominent during the second half of the day. The present study is
      the largest study to date that included the full range of mood disorder subgroups
      in a nonclinical sample that increases the generalizability of our findings to
      the general community. The manifestations of activity patterns outside of acute
      episodes add to the accumulating evidence that dysregulation of patterns of
      activity may constitute a potential biomarker for BPD.

PMID- 28892069
TI  - Reduction of plasma glutathione in psychosis associated with schizophrenia and
      bipolar disorder in translational psychiatry.
AB  - The establishment of mechanism-driven peripheral markers is important for
      translational psychiatry. Many groups, including ours, have addressed molecular
      alterations in peripheral tissues in association with symptomatic changes in
      major illnesses. Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of
      schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP) through studies of patient
      peripheral tissues and animal models. Although the relationship between
      peripheral changes and brain pathology remain elusive, oxidative stress may
      bridge such translational efforts. Nonetheless, the molecular substrates of
      oxidative stress are not well defined in mental conditions. Glutathione (GSH) is
      a non-enzymatic antioxidant that eliminates free radicals, and has been suggested
      to have a role in SZ. We performed a cross-sectional study of 48 healthy controls
      (CON), 52 SZ patients and 62 BP patients to compare the levels of peripheral GSH
      by a biochemical enzyme assay. We show a significant reduction of plasma GSH in
      both SZ and BP patients compared with CON. We evaluated possible influences of
      clinical characteristics on the level of GSH in SZ and BP. A decrease in GSH
      level correlated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total and
      positive scores for SZ and correlated with the PANSS general for BP. Taken
      together, we provide evidence that SZ and BP display a common molecular signature
      in the reduction of peripheral GSH in the psychosis dimension.

PMID- 28892070
TI  - Anterior cingulate cortex gamma-aminobutyric acid deficits in youth with
      depression.
AB  - Abnormally low gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels have been consistently
      reported in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Our group extended this
      finding to adolescents, and documented that GABA deficits were associated with
      anhedonia. Here we aimed to confirm our prior finding of decreased brain GABA in
      youth with depression and explore its associations with clinical variables. Forty
      four psychotropic medication-free youth with MDD and 36 healthy control (HC)
      participants (12-21 years) were studied. Participants represent a combined sample
      of 39 newly recruited youth (MDD=24) and 41 youth from our previously reported
      study (MDD=20). GABA levels and the combined resonances of glutamate and
      glutamine (Glx) were measured in vivo in the anterior cingulate cortex using
      proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Youth with depression exhibited
      significantly lower GABA levels than HC in both the newly reported (P=0.003) and
      the combined (P=0.003) samples. When depressed participants were classified based
      on the presence of anhedonia, only the anhedonic MDD subgroup showed reduced GABA
      levels compared to HC (P=0.002). While there were no associations between any
      clinical measures and GABA or Glx levels in the new sample, GABA was negatively
      correlated with only anhedonia severity in the combined MDD group. Furthermore,
      in the combined sample, hierarchical regression models showed that anhedonia, but
      not depression severity, anxiety or suicidality, contributed significant variance
      in GABA levels. This report solidifies the evidence for a GABA deficit early in
      the course of MDD, which correlates specifically with anhedonia in the disorder.

PMID- 28892071
TI  - A novel rare variant R292H in RTN4R affects growth cone formation and possibly
      contributes to schizophrenia susceptibility.
AB  - Reticulon 4 receptor (RTN4R) plays an essential role in regulating axonal
      regeneration and plasticity in the central nervous system through the activation
      of rho kinase, and is located within chromosome 22q11.2, a region that is known
      to be a hotspot for schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
      Recently, rare variants such as copy-number variants and single-nucleotide
      variants have been a focus of research because of their large effect size
      associated with increased susceptibility to SCZ and ASD and the possibility of
      elucidating the pathophysiology of mental disorder through functional analysis of
      the discovered rare variants. To discover rare variants with large effect size
      and to evaluate their role in the etiopathophysiology of SCZ and ASD, we
      sequenced the RTN4R coding exons with a sample comprising 370 SCZ and 192 ASD
      patients, and association analysis using a large number of unrelated individuals
      (1716 SCZ, 382 ASD and 4009 controls). Through this mutation screening, we
      discovered four rare (minor allele frequency <1%) missense mutations (R68H,
      D259N, R292H and V363M) of RTN4R. Among these discovered rare mutations, R292H
      was found to be significantly associated with SCZ (P=0.048). Furthermore, in
      vitro functional assays showed that the R292H mutation affected the formation of
      growth cones. This study strengthens the evidence for association between rare
      variants within RTN4R and SCZ, and may shed light on the molecular mechanisms
      underlying the neurodevelopmental disorder.

PMID- 28892072
TI  - Neuregulin signaling pathway in smoking behavior.
AB  - Understanding molecular processes that link comorbid traits such as addictions
      and mental disorders can provide novel therapeutic targets. Neuregulin signaling
      pathway (NSP) has previously been implicated in schizophrenia, a
      neurodevelopmental disorder with high comorbidity to smoking. Using a Finnish
      twin family sample, we have previously detected association between nicotine
      dependence and ERBB4 (a neuregulin receptor), and linkage for smoking initiation
      at the ERBB4 locus on 2q33. Further, Neuregulin3 has recently been shown to
      associate with nicotine withdrawal in a behavioral mouse model. In this study, we
      scrutinized association and linkage between 15 036 common, low frequency and rare
      genetic variants in 10 NSP genes and phenotypes encompassing smoking and alcohol
      use. Using the Finnish twin family sample (N=1998 from 740 families), we detected
      66 variants (representing 23 LD blocks) significantly associated (false discovery
      rate P<0.05) with smoking initiation, nicotine dependence and nicotine
      withdrawal. We comprehensively annotated the associated variants using expression
      (eQTL) and methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTL) analyses in a Finnish
      population sample. Among the 66 variants, we identified 25 eQTLs (in NRG1 and
      ERBB4), 22 meQTLs (in NRG3, ERBB4 and PSENEN), a missense variant in NRG1
      (rs113317778) and a splicing disruption variant in ERBB4 (rs13385826). Majority
      of the QTLs in blood were replicated in silico using publicly available
      databases, with additional QTLs observed in brain. In conclusion, our results
      support the involvement of NSP in smoking behavior but not in alcohol use and
      abuse, and disclose functional potential for 56 of the 66 associated single
      nucleotide polymorphism.

PMID- 28892074
TI  - Replacing reprogramming factors with antibodies selected from combinatorial
      antibody libraries.
AB  - The reprogramming of differentiated cells into induced pluripotent stem cells
      (iPSCs) is usually achieved by exogenous induction of transcription by factors
      acting in the nucleus. In contrast, during development, signaling pathways
      initiated at the membrane induce differentiation. The central idea of this study
      is to identify antibodies that can catalyze cellular de-differentiation and
      nuclear reprogramming by acting at the cell surface. We screen a lentiviral
      library encoding ~100 million secreted and membrane-bound single-chain antibodies
      and identify antibodies that can replace either Sox2 and Myc (c-Myc) or Oct4
      during reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts into iPSCs. We show that one
      Sox2-replacing antibody antagonizes the membrane-associated protein Basp1,
      thereby de-repressing nuclear factors WT1, Esrrb and Lin28a (Lin28) independent
      of Sox2. By manipulating this pathway, we identify three methods to generate
      iPSCs. Our results establish unbiased selection from autocrine combinatorial
      antibody libraries as a robust method to discover new biologics and uncover
      membrane-to-nucleus signaling pathways that regulate pluripotency and cell fate.

PMID- 28892073
TI  - Progress and roadblocks in the search for brain-based biomarkers of autism and
      attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - Children with neurodevelopmental disorders benefit most from early interventions
      and treatments. The development and validation of brain-based biomarkers to aid
      in objective diagnosis can facilitate this important clinical aim. The objective
      of this review is to provide an overview of current progress in the use of
      neuroimaging to identify brain-based biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), two prevalent
      neurodevelopmental disorders. We summarize empirical work that has laid the
      foundation for using neuroimaging to objectively quantify brain structure and
      function in ways that are beginning to be used in biomarker development, noting
      limitations of the data currently available. The most successful machine learning
      methods that have been developed and applied to date are discussed. Overall,
      there is increasing evidence that specific features (for example, functional
      connectivity, gray matter volume) of brain regions comprising the salience and
      default mode networks can be used to discriminate ASD from typical development.
      Brain regions contributing to successful discrimination of ADHD from typical
      development appear to be more widespread, however there is initial evidence that
      features derived from frontal and cerebellar regions are most informative for
      classification. The identification of brain-based biomarkers for ASD and ADHD
      could potentially assist in objective diagnosis, monitoring of treatment response
      and prediction of outcomes for children with these neurodevelopmental disorders.
      At present, however, the field has yet to identify reliable and reproducible
      biomarkers for these disorders, and must address issues related to clinical
      heterogeneity, methodological standardization and cross-site validation before
      further progress can be achieved.

PMID- 28892075
TI  - Analysis of somatic microsatellite indels identifies driver events in human
      tumors.
AB  - Microsatellites (MSs) are tracts of variable-length repeats of short DNA motifs
      that exhibit high rates of mutation in the form of insertions or deletions
      (indels) of the repeated motif. Despite their prevalence, the contribution of
      somatic MS indels to cancer has been largely unexplored, owing to difficulties in
      detecting them in short-read sequencing data. Here we present two tools:
      MSMuTect, for accurate detection of somatic MS indels, and MSMutSig, for
      identification of genes containing MS indels at a higher frequency than expected
      by chance. Applying MSMuTect to whole-exome data from 6,747 human tumors
      representing 20 tumor types, we identified >1,000 previously undescribed MS
      indels in cancer genes. Additionally, we demonstrate that the number and pattern
      of MS indels can accurately distinguish microsatellite-stable tumors from tumors
      with microsatellite instability, thus potentially improving classification of
      clinically relevant subgroups. Finally, we identified seven MS indel driver
      hotspots: four in known cancer genes (ACVR2A, RNF43, JAK1, and MSH3) and three in
      genes not previously implicated as cancer drivers (ESRP1, PRDM2, and DOCK3).

PMID- 28892076
TI  - Single-cell deep phenotyping of IgG-secreting cells for high-resolution immune
      monitoring.
AB  - Studies of the dynamics of the antibody-mediated immune response have been
      hampered by the absence of quantitative, high-throughput systems to analyze
      individual antibody-secreting cells. Here we describe a simple microfluidic
      system, DropMap, in which single cells are compartmentalized in tens of thousands
      of 40-pL droplets and analyzed in two-dimensional droplet arrays using a
      fluorescence relocation-based immunoassay. Using DropMap, we characterized
      antibody-secreting cells in mice immunized with tetanus toxoid (TT) over a 7-week
      protocol, simultaneously analyzing the secretion rate and affinity of IgG from
      over 0.5 million individual cells enriched from spleen and bone marrow.
      Immunization resulted in dramatic increases in the range of both single-cell
      secretion rates and affinities, which spanned at maximum 3 and 4 logs,
      respectively. We observed differences over time in dynamics of secretion rate and
      affinity within and between anatomical compartments. This system will not only
      enable immune monitoring and optimization of immunization and vaccination
      protocols but also potentiate antibody screening.

PMID- 28892077
TI  - Mapping the secrets of the antibody pool.

PMID- 28892078
TI  - Detection of dysregulated protein-association networks by high-throughput
      proteomics predicts cancer vulnerabilities.
AB  - The formation of protein complexes and the co-regulation of the cellular
      concentrations of proteins are essential mechanisms for cellular signaling and
      for maintaining homeostasis. Here we use isobaric-labeling multiplexed proteomics
      to analyze protein co-regulation and show that this allows the identification of
      protein-protein associations with high accuracy. We apply this 'interactome
      mapping by high-throughput quantitative proteome analysis' (IMAHP) method to a
      panel of 41 breast cancer cell lines and show that deviations of the observed
      protein co-regulations in specific cell lines from the consensus network affects
      cellular fitness. Furthermore, these aberrant interactions serve as biomarkers
      that predict the drug sensitivity of cell lines in screens across 195 drugs. We
      expect that IMAHP can be broadly used to gain insight into how changing
      landscapes of protein-protein associations affect the phenotype of biological
      systems.

PMID- 28892079
TI  - Retriever is a multiprotein complex for retromer-independent endosomal cargo
      recycling.
AB  - Following endocytosis into the endosomal network, integral membrane proteins
      undergo sorting for lysosomal degradation or are retrieved and recycled back to
      the cell surface. Here we describe the discovery of an ancient and conserved
      multiprotein complex that orchestrates cargo retrieval and recycling and,
      importantly, is biochemically and functionally distinct from the established
      retromer pathway. We have called this complex 'retriever'; it is a heterotrimer
      composed of DSCR3, C16orf62 and VPS29, and bears striking similarity to retromer.
      We establish that retriever associates with the cargo adaptor sorting nexin 17
      (SNX17) and couples to CCC (CCDC93, CCDC22, COMMD) and WASH complexes to prevent
      lysosomal degradation and promote cell surface recycling of alpha5beta1 integrin.
      Through quantitative proteomic analysis, we identify over 120 cell surface
      proteins, including numerous integrins, signalling receptors and solute
      transporters, that require SNX17-retriever to maintain their surface levels. Our
      identification of retriever establishes a major endosomal retrieval and recycling
      pathway.

PMID- 28892080
TI  - Differential effects on lung and bone metastasis of breast cancer by Wnt
      signalling inhibitor DKK1.
AB  - Metastatic cancer is a systemic disease, and metastasis determinants might elicit
      completely different effects in various target organs. Here we show that tumour
      secreted DKK1 is a serological marker of breast cancer metastasis organotropism
      and inhibits lung metastasis. DKK1 suppresses PTGS2-induced macrophage and
      neutrophil recruitment in lung metastases by antagonizing cancer cell non
      canonical WNT/PCP-RAC1-JNK signalling. In the lungs, DKK1 also inhibits WNT/Ca2+
      CaMKII-NF-kappaB signalling and suppresses LTBP1-mediated TGF-beta secretion of
      cancer cells. In contrast, DKK1 promotes breast-to-bone metastasis by regulating
      canonical WNT signalling of osteoblasts. Importantly, targeting canonical WNT may
      not be beneficial to treatment of metastatic cancer, while combinatory therapy
      against JNK and TGF-beta signalling effectively prevents metastasis to both the
      lungs and bone. Thus, DKK1 represents a class of Janus-faced molecules with
      dichotomous roles in organotropic metastasis, and our data provide a rationale
      for new anti-metastasis approaches.

PMID- 28892081
TI  - A20 promotes metastasis of aggressive basal-like breast cancers through multi
      monoubiquitylation of Snail1.
AB  - Although the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 is a key player in inflammation and
      autoimmunity, its role in cancer metastasis remains unknown. Here we show that
      A20 monoubiquitylates Snail1 at three lysine residues and thereby promotes
      metastasis of aggressive basal-like breast cancers. A20 is significantly
      upregulated in human basal-like breast cancers and its expression level is
      inversely correlated with metastasis-free patient survival. A20 facilitates TGF
      beta1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of breast cancer cells
      through multi-monoubiquitylation of Snail1. Monoubiquitylated Snail1 has reduced
      affinity for glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta), and is thus stabilized in
      the nucleus through decreased phosphorylation. Knockdown of A20 or overexpression
      of Snail1 with mutation of the monoubiquitylated lysine residues into arginine
      abolishes lung metastasis in mouse xenograft and orthotopic breast cancer models,
      indicating that A20 and monoubiquitylated Snail1 are required for metastasis. Our
      findings uncover an essential role of the A20-Snail1 axis in TGF-beta1-induced
      EMT and metastasis of basal-like breast cancers.

PMID- 28892082
TI  - Myofibril contraction and crosslinking drive nuclear movement to the periphery of
      skeletal muscle.
AB  - Nuclear movements are important for multiple cellular functions, and are driven
      by polarized forces generated by motor proteins and the cytoskeleton. During
      skeletal myofibre formation or regeneration, nuclei move from the centre to the
      periphery of the myofibre for proper muscle function. Centrally located nuclei
      are also found in different muscle disorders. Using theoretical and experimental
      approaches, we demonstrate that nuclear movement to the periphery of myofibres is
      mediated by centripetal forces around the nucleus. These forces arise from
      myofibril contraction and crosslinking that 'zip' around the nucleus in
      combination with tight regulation of nuclear stiffness by lamin A/C. In addition,
      an Arp2/3 complex containing Arpc5L together with gamma-actin is required to
      organize desmin to crosslink myofibrils for nuclear movement. Our work reveals
      that centripetal forces exerted by myofibrils squeeze the nucleus to the
      periphery of myofibres.

PMID- 28892083
TI  - Depression and anxiety following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a
      prospective population-based study in Germany.
AB  - In this prospective multicenter study, we investigated the course of depression
      and anxiety during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) until 5 years
      after transplantation adjusting for medical information. Patients were consulted
      before HSCT (n=239), at 3 months (n=150), 12 months (n=102) and 5 years (n=45)
      after HSCT. Depression and anxiety were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale (HADS). Detailed medical and demographic information was
      collected. Prevalence rates were compared with an age- and gender-matched control
      group drawn from a large representative sample (n=4110). The risk of depression
      before HSCT was lower for patients than for the control group (risk ratio (RR),
      0.56; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39/0.81). Prevalence rates of depression
      increased from 12 to 30% until 5 years post HSCT. Anxiety rates were most
      frequently increased before HSCT (29%, RR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.02/1.68) and then
      reached a stable level comparable to the background population (RR 0.83, 95% CI,
      0.56/1.22). This study confirms the low levels of depression in the short term
      after HSCT and identifies depression as a long-term effect. Furthermore, it
      confirms previous results of heightened anxiety before HSCT. Surveillance of
      symptoms of anxiety during the short-term phase of HSCT and of depression during
      the following years is crucial.

PMID- 28892084
TI  - Validation of the revised IPSS at transplant in patients with myelodysplastic
      syndrome/transformed acute myelogenous leukemia receiving allogeneic stem cell
      transplantation: a retrospective analysis of the EBMT chronic malignancies
      working party.
AB  - The International Prognostic Scoring System has been revised (IPSS-R) to predict
      prognosis of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes at diagnosis. To validate
      the use of the IPSS-R assessed before transplant rather than at diagnosis we
      performed a retrospective analysis of the EBMT database. A total of 579 patients
      had sufficient information available to calculate IPSS-R at transplant. Median
      overall survival (OS) from transplant was significantly different according to
      IPSS-R: very low 23.6 months, low 55.0 months, intermediate 19.7 months, high
      13.5 months, very high 7.8 months (P<0.001). In a multivariate Cox model the
      following parameters were significant risk factors for OS: IPSS-R, graft source,
      age and prior treatment. Median relapse free survival also showed significant
      differences according to IPSS-R: very low: 23.6 months, low: 24.8 months,
      intermediate 10.6 months, high 7.9 months, very high 5.5 months (P<0.001).
      Multivariate risk factors for relapse-free survival (RFS) were: IPSS-R, reduced
      intensity conditioning, graft source and prior treatment. A trend for an
      increased relapse incidence was noted for very high risk IPSS-R. We conclude that
      the IPSS-R at transplant is a useful prognostic score for predicting OS and RFS
      after transplantation, capturing both disease evolution and response to prior
      treatment before transplant.

PMID- 28892085
TI  - Circulating endothelial cell count: a reliable marker of endothelial damage in
      patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - The physio-pathologic interrelationships between endothelium and GvHD have been
      better elucidated and have led to definition of the entity 'endothelial GvHD' as
      an essential early phase prior to the clinical presentation of acute GvHD. Using
      the CellSearch system, we analyzed circulating endothelial cells (CEC) in 90
      allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) patients at the
      following time-points: T1 (pre-conditioning), T2 (pre-transplant), T3
      (engraftment), T4 (onset of GvHD) and T5 (1 week after steroid treatment).
      Although CEC changes in allo-HSCT represent a dynamic phenomenon influenced by
      many variables (that is, conditioning, immunosuppressive treatments, engraftment
      syndrome and infections), we showed that CEC peaks were constantly seen at onset
      of acute GvHD and invariably returned to pre-transplant values after treatment
      response. Since we showed that CEC changes during allo-HSCT has rapid kinetics
      that may be easily missed if blood samples are drawn at pre-fixed time-points, we
      rather suggest an 'on demand' evaluation of CEC counts right at onset of GvHD
      clinical symptoms to possibly help differentiate GvHD from other non-endothelial
      complications. We confirm that CEC changes are a suitable biomarker to monitor
      endothelial damage in patients undergoing allo-transplantation and hold the
      potential to become a useful tool to support GvHD diagnosis (ClinicalTrials.gov
      NCT02064972).

PMID- 28892086
TI  - Allogeneic stem cell transplantation and subsequent treatments as a comprehensive
      strategy for long-term survival of multiple myeloma patients.
AB  - We evaluated 71 patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic cell
      transplantation (allo-HCT) for multiple myeloma (MM). Forty-three patients (61%)
      received allo-HCT after the first line of therapy. Fifty-eight patients (82%) had
      chemosensitive disease at the time of allo-HCT. A HLA-matched related or
      unrelated donor was available for 68 patients (96%). Non-myeloablative or reduced
      intensity conditioning regimen and peripheral blood hematopoietic cells as a
      graft source were used in most patients. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV
      acute GVHD at day +100 and chronic GVHD at 5 years was 13% (95% CI 7-23%) and 35%
      (95% CI 24-46), respectively. Non-relapse mortality and relapse/progression
      incidence at 5 years were 12% (95% CI 5-23) and 65% (95% CI 49-76), respectively.
      With a median follow-up in survivors of 100 months (range 16-186), the 5-year PFS
      and OS were 39% (95% CI 27-52) and 60% (95% CI 55-77), respectively. On
      multivariate analysis: age >55 years was associated with both a reduced PFS (RR
      2.11, 95% CI 1.15-3.87) and OS (RR 5.53, 95% CI 2.22-13.76); chemorefractory
      disease at allo-HCT was associated with both reduced PFS (RR 3.09, 95% CI 1.37
      7.00) and OS (RR 3.19, 95% CI 1.23-8.22). At relapse, 24 patients (56%) received
      bortezomib, 28 (65%) lenalidomide, 11 (26%) pomalidomide, 16 (37%) donor
      lymphocytes infusion as part of salvage therapy after allo-HCT relapse. Median
      PFS from time of salvage treatment was 7 months (range 0-113 months) for
      bortezomib-based therapy, 14 months (range 0-79 months) for lenalidomide and 10
      months (range 1-28) for pomalidomide. Allo-HCT is a feasible and effective
      strategy in selected patients with MM and could be an effective platform for
      subsequent therapies.

PMID- 28892087
TI  - Durable remission with salvage decitabine and donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) for
      relapsed early T-cell precursor ALL.

PMID- 28892088
TI  - Pan-neuronal calcium imaging with cellular resolution in freely swimming
      zebrafish.
AB  - Calcium imaging with cellular resolution typically requires an animal to be
      tethered under a microscope, which substantially restricts the range of behaviors
      that can be studied. To expand the behavioral repertoire amenable to imaging, we
      have developed a tracking microscope that enables whole-brain calcium imaging
      with cellular resolution in freely swimming larval zebrafish. This microscope
      uses infrared imaging to track a target animal in a behavior arena. On the basis
      of the predicted trajectory of the animal, we applied optimal control theory to a
      motorized stage system to cancel brain motion in three dimensions. We combined
      this motion-cancellation system with differential illumination focal filtering, a
      variant of HiLo microscopy, which enabled us to image the brain of a freely
      swimming larval zebrafish for more than an hour. This work expands the repertoire
      of natural behaviors that can be studied with cellular-resolution calcium imaging
      to potentially include spatial navigation, social behavior, feeding and reward.

PMID- 28892089
TI  - CRISPR-Cas9-based photoactivatable transcription systems to induce neuronal
      differentiation.
AB  - Our improved CRISPR-Cas9-based photoactivatable transcription systems, CPTS2.0
      and Split-CPTS2.0, enable high blue-light-inducible activation of endogenous
      target genes in various human cell lines. We achieved reversible activation of
      target genes with CPTS2.0 and induced neuronal differentiation in induced
      pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by upregulating NEUROD1 with Split-CPTS2.0.

PMID- 28892090
TI  - Probing the roles of SUMOylation in cancer cell biology by using a selective SAE
      inhibitor.
AB  - Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) family proteins regulate target-protein
      functions by post-translational modification. However, a potent and selective
      inhibitor targeting the SUMO pathway has been lacking. Here we describe ML-792, a
      mechanism-based SUMO-activating enzyme (SAE) inhibitor with nanomolar potency in
      cellular assays. ML-792 selectively blocks SAE enzyme activity and total
      SUMOylation, thus decreasing cancer cell proliferation. Moreover, we found that
      induction of the MYC oncogene increased the ML-792-mediated viability effect in
      cancer cells, thus indicating a potential application of SAE inhibitors in
      treating MYC-amplified tumors. Using ML-792, we further explored the critical
      roles of SUMOylation in mitotic progression and chromosome segregation.
      Furthermore, expression of an SAE catalytic-subunit (UBA2) S95N M97T mutant
      rescued SUMOylation loss and the mitotic defect induced by ML-792, thus
      confirming the selectivity of ML-792. As a potent and selective SAE inhibitor, ML
      792 provides rapid loss of endogenously SUMOylated proteins, thereby facilitating
      novel insights into SUMO biology.

PMID- 28892091
TI  - Oxidative cyclization of prodigiosin by an alkylglycerol monooxygenase-like
      enzyme.
AB  - Prodiginines, which are tripyrrole alkaloids displaying a wide array of
      bioactivities, occur as linear and cyclic congeners. Identification of an
      unclustered biosynthetic gene led to the discovery of the enzyme responsible for
      catalyzing the regiospecific C-H activation and cyclization of prodigiosin to
      cycloprodigiosin in Pseudoalteromonas rubra. This enzyme is related to
      alkylglycerol monooxygenase and unrelated to RedG, the Rieske oxygenase that
      produces cyclized prodiginines in Streptomyces, implying convergent evolution.

PMID- 28892092
TI  - High concordance of a closed-system, RT-qPCR breast cancer assay for HER2 mRNA,
      compared to clinically determined immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ
      hybridization, and quantitative immunofluorescence.
AB  - Historically, mRNA measurements have been tested on several commercially
      available platforms, but none have gained broad acceptance for assessment of
      HER2. An mRNA measurement, as a continuous value, has the potential for use in
      adjudication of the equivocal category. Here we use a real-time quantitative
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay in a closed,
      single-use cartridge, automated system. Multiple cores (1 mm in diameter) were
      retrospectively collected from 80 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue
      blocks with invasive breast cancer seen by Yale Pathology Labs between 1998 and
      2011. Tissue cores were processed with a FFPE lysis kit to create lysates that
      were tested with the automated RT-qPCR assay. Results for IHC and FISH were
      extracted from the pathology reports and quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF)
      for each case was measured as previously described. Quality control testing
      showed that the GX platform RT-qPCR shows no case to case cross contamination on
      material from routine histology practices. Concordance between RT-qPCR and
      IHC/FISH was 91.25% (sensitivity=0.87; specificity=0.94; PPV=0.89; NPV=0.92)
      using a pre-defined delta Ct cut-off (dCt>=-1) for HER2. Concordance (OPA)
      between RT-qPCR and QIF was 94% (sensitivity=0.90; specificity=0.96; PPV=0.93;
      NPV=0.94) using dCt>=-1 and a previously defined cut-point for positivity by QIF.
      In conclusion, the closed system RT-qPCR assay shows >90% concordance with the
      ASCO/CAP HER2 IHC/FISH scoring. Additionally, the RT-qPCR assay is highly
      concordant (94%) with the continuous variable HER2 QIF assay, and may better
      reflect the true continuum of HER2 receptor status in invasive breast cancer.
      These initial results suggest that fast, closed system molecular assays may have
      future value for the adjudication of the ASCO/CAP HER2 equivocal category or
      possibly routine usage in time constrained or low resource settings.

PMID- 28892093
TI  - Rapid generation of Col7a1-/- mouse model of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis
      bullosa and partial rescue via immunosuppressive dermal mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a debilitating and
      ultimately lethal blistering disease caused by mutations to the Col7a1 gene.
      Development of novel cell therapies for the treatment of RDEB would be fostered
      by having immunodeficient mouse models able to accept human cell grafts; however,
      immunodeficient models of many genodermatoses such as RDEB are lacking. To
      overcome this limitation, we combined the clustered regularly interspaced short
      palindromic repeats and associated nuclease (CRISPR/Cas9) system with
      microinjection into NOD/SCID IL2rgammacnull (NSG) embryos to rapidly develop an
      immunodeficient Col7a1-/- mouse model of RDEB. Through dose optimization, we
      achieve F0 biallelic knockout efficiencies exceeding 80%, allowing us to quickly
      generate large numbers of RDEB NSG mice for experimental use. Using this
      strategy, we clearly demonstrate important strain-specific differences in RDEB
      pathology that could underlie discordant results observed between independent
      studies and establish the utility of this system in proof-of-concept human
      cellular transplantation experiments. Importantly, we uncover the ability of a
      recently identified skin resident immunomodulatory dermal mesenchymal stem cell
      marked by ABCB5 to reduce RDEB pathology and markedly extend the lifespan of RDEB
      NSG mice via reduced skin infiltration of inflammatory myeloid derivatives.

PMID- 28892095
TI  - Cholecystectomy as a risk factor of metabolic syndrome: from epidemiologic clues
      to biochemical mechanisms.
AB  - Cholecystectomy has long been regarded as a safe procedure with no deleterious
      influence on the body. However, recent studies provide clues that link
      cholecystectomy to a high risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS). In the present
      review, we describe the epidemiologic evidence that links cholecystectomy to
      MetS. Various components of MetS are investigated, including visceral obesity,
      dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, impaired fasting glucose, and insulin
      resistance. The possible mechanisms that associate cholecystectomy with MetS are
      discussed on the basis of experimental studies.

PMID- 28892094
TI  - Deletion of Pkd1 in renal stromal cells causes defects in the renal stromal
      compartment and progressive cystogenesis in the kidney.
AB  - Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), caused by PKD1 and PKD2
      gene mutations, is one of the most common genetic diseases, affecting up to 1 in
      500 people. Mutations of PKD1 account for over 85% of ADPKD cases. However,
      mechanisms of disease progression and explanations for the wide range in disease
      phenotype remain to be elucidated. Moreover, functional roles of PKD1 in the
      renal stromal compartment are poorly understood. In this work, we tested if Pkd1
      is essential for development and maintenance of the renal stromal compartment and
      if this role contributes to pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease using a
      novel tissue-specific knockout mouse model. We demonstrate that deletion of Pkd1
      from renal stromal cells using Foxd1-driven Cre causes a spectrum of defects in
      the stromal compartment, including excessive apoptosis/proliferation and
      extracellular matrix deficiency. Renal vasculature was also defective. Further,
      mutant mice showed epithelial changes and progressive cystogenesis in adulthood
      modeling human ADPKD. Altogether, we provide robust evidence to support
      indispensable roles for Pkd1 in development and maintenance of stromal cell
      derivatives by using a novel ADPKD model. Moreover, stromal compartment defects
      caused by Pkd1 deletion might serve as an important mechanism for pathogenesis of
      ADPKD.

PMID- 28892096
TI  - Development and characterization of cholangioids from normal and diseased human
      cholangiocytes as an in vitro model to study primary sclerosing cholangitis.
AB  - Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an incurable, fibroinflammatory biliary
      disease for which there is no effective pharmacotherapy. We recently reported
      cholangiocyte senescence as an important phenotype in PSC while others showed
      that portal macrophages accumulate in PSC. Unfortunately, our ability to explore
      cholangiocyte senescence and macrophage accumulation has been hampered by limited
      in vitro models. Thus, our aim was to develop and characterize a three
      dimensional (3D) model of normal and diseased bile ducts (cholangioids) starting
      with normal human cholangiocytes (NHC), senescent NHC (NHC-sen), and
      cholangiocytes from PSC patients. In 3D culture, NHCs formed spheroids of ~5000
      cells with a central lumen of ~150 MUm. By confocal microscopy and western blot,
      cholangioids retained expression of cholangiocyte proteins (cytokeratin 7/19) and
      markers of epithelial polarity (secretin receptor and GM130). Cholangioids are
      functionally active, and upon secretin stimulation, luminal size increased by
      ~80%. Cholangioids exposed to hydrogen peroxide exhibited cellular senescence and
      the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP; increased IL-6, p21, SA-beta
      Gal, yH2A.x and p16 expression). Furthermore, cholangioids derived from NHC-sen
      or PSC patients were smaller and had slower growth than the controls. When co
      cultured with THP-1 macrophages, the number of macrophages associated with NHC
      sen or PSC cholangioids was five- to seven-fold greater compared to co-culture
      with non-senescent NHC. We observed that NHC-sen and PSC cholangioids release
      greater number of extracellular vesicles (EVs) compared to controls. Moreover,
      conditioned media from NHC-sen cholangioids resulted in an ~2-fold increase in
      macrophage migration. In summary, we developed a method to generate normal and
      diseased cholangioids, characterized them morphologically and functionally,
      showed that they can be induced to senescence and SASP, and demonstrated both EV
      release and macrophage attraction. This novel model mimics several features of
      PSC, and thus will be useful for studying the pathogenesis of PSC and potentially
      identifying new therapeutic targets.

PMID- 28892097
TI  - Ligand-mediated cytoplasmic retention of the Ah receptor inhibits macrophage
      mediated acute inflammatory responses.
AB  - The Ah receptor (AHR) has been shown to exhibit both inflammatory and anti
      inflammatory activity in a context-specific manner. In vivo macrophage-driven
      acute inflammation models were utilized here to test whether the selective Ah
      receptor modulator 1-allyl-7-trifluoromethyl-1H-indazol-3-yl]-4-methoxyphenol
      (SGA360) would reduce inflammation. Exposure to SGA360 was capable of
      significantly inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated endotoxic shock in a
      mouse model, both in terms of lethality and attenuating inflammatory signaling in
      tissues. Topical exposure to SGA360 was also able to mitigate joint edema in a
      monosodium urate (MSU) crystal gout mouse model. Inhibition was dependent on the
      expression of the high-affinity allelic AHR variant in both acute inflammation
      models. Upon peritoneal MSU crystal exposure SGA360 pretreatment inhibited
      neutrophil and macrophage migration into the peritoneum. RNA-seq analysis
      revealed that SGA360 attenuated the expression of numerous inflammatory genes and
      genes known to be directly regulated by AHR in thioglycolate-elicited primary
      peritoneal macrophages treated with LPS. In addition, expression of the high
      affinity allelic AHR variant in cultured macrophages was necessary for SGA360
      mediated repression of inflammatory gene expression. Mechanistic studies revealed
      that SGA360 failed to induce nuclear translocation of the AHR and actually
      enhanced cytoplasmic localization. LPS treatment of macrophages enhanced the
      occupancy of the AHR and p65 to the Ptgs2 promoter, whereas SGA360 attenuated
      occupancy. AHR ligand activity was detected in peritoneal exudates isolated from
      MSU-treated mice, thus suggesting that the anti-inflammatory activity of SGA360
      is mediated at least in part through AHR antagonism of endogenous agonist
      activity. These results underscore an important role of the AHR in participating
      in acute inflammatory signaling and warrants further investigations into possible
      clinical applications.

PMID- 28892098
TI  - Correlation between E-cadherin interactions, survivin expression, and apoptosis
      in MDCK and ts-Src MDCK cell culture models.
AB  - Survivin, a member of inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family, is a
      multifunctional protein expressed in most cancers. In addition to inhibition of
      apoptosis, it regulates proliferation and promotes migration. Its presence and
      function in cells is strongly regulated via transcription factors, intracellular
      localization, and degradation. We analyzed the presence of survivin at protein
      level in various culture environments and under activation of Src tyrosine kinase
      in epithelial canine kidney MDCK cells in order to elucidate factors controlling
      survivin 'lifespan'. We used untransformed and temperature sensitive ts-Src MDCK
      cells as a model and forced them to grow in suspension (1D), in 2D on hard and
      soft surfaces and in soft 3D Matrigel environment with or without EGTA. In
      addition, we tested the effect of stressful conditions by cultivating the cells
      in the presence of an anti-cancer drug and a generator of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS), piperlongumine (PL) with or without an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine
      (NAC). We could confirm that inhibition of apoptosis and simultaneous
      downregulation of survivin in MDCK cells required both intact cell-cell
      junctions, trans-interactions of E-cadherin and soft 3D matrix environment. In ts
      Src-transformed MDCK cells, survivin was upregulated as soon as the cell-cell
      junctions were disintegrated. ROS generation with PL-induced cell death of ts-Src
      MDCK cells concomitantly with survivin downregulation. NAC rescued the ts-Src
      MDCK cells from ROS-induced apoptosis without upregulation of survivin resulting
      in a situation resembling untransformed MDCK cells in 3D environment and E
      cadherin delineating the lateral cell walls.

PMID- 28892099
TI  - Glomerular barrier behaves as an atomically precise bandpass filter in a sub
      nanometre regime.
AB  - The glomerular filtration barrier is known as a 'size cutoff' slit, which retains
      nanoparticles or proteins larger than 6-8 nm in the body and rapidly excretes
      smaller ones through the kidneys. However, in the sub-nanometre size regime, we
      have found that this barrier behaves as an atomically precise 'bandpass' filter
      to significantly slow down renal clearance of few-atom gold nanoclusters (AuNCs)
      with the same surface ligands but different sizes (Au18, Au15 and Au10-11).
      Compared to Au25 (~1.0 nm), just few-atom decreases in size result in four- to
      ninefold reductions in renal clearance efficiency in the early elimination stage,
      because the smaller AuNCs are more readily trapped by the glomerular glycocalyx
      than larger ones. This unique in vivo nano-bio interaction in the sub-nanometre
      regime also slows down the extravasation of sub-nanometre AuNCs from normal blood
      vessels and enhances their passive targeting to cancerous tissues through an
      enhanced permeability and retention effect. This discovery highlights the size
      precision in the body's response to nanoparticles and opens a new pathway to
      develop nanomedicines for many diseases associated with glycocalyx dysfunction.

PMID- 28892100
TI  - Kidney physiology: A size bandpass filter.

PMID- 28892101
TI  - Zero-power infrared digitizers based on plasmonically enhanced micromechanical
      photoswitches.
AB  - State-of-the-art sensors use active electronics to detect and discriminate light,
      sound, vibration and other signals. They consume power constantly, even when
      there is no relevant data to be detected, which limits their lifetime and results
      in high costs of deployment and maintenance for unattended sensor networks. Here
      we propose a device concept that fundamentally breaks this paradigm-the sensors
      remain dormant with near-zero power consumption until awakened by a specific
      physical signature associated with an event of interest. In particular, we
      demonstrate infrared digitizing sensors that consist of plasmonically enhanced
      micromechanical photoswitches (PMPs) that selectively harvest the impinging
      electromagnetic energy in design-defined spectral bands of interest, and use it
      to create mechanically a conducting channel between two electrical contacts,
      without the need for any additional power source. Our zero-power digitizing
      sensor prototypes produce a digitized output bit (that is, a large and sharp off
      to-on state transition with an on/off conductance ratio >1012 and subthreshold
      slope >9 dec nW-1) when exposed to infrared radiation in a specific narrow
      spectral band (~900 nm bandwidth in the mid-infrared) with the intensity above a
      power threshold of only ~500 nW, which is not achievable with any existing
      photoswitch technologies.

PMID- 28892102
TI  - Length-independent DNA packing into nanopore zero-mode waveguides for low-input
      DNA sequencing.
AB  - Compared with conventional methods, single-molecule real-time (SMRT) DNA
      sequencing exhibits longer read lengths than conventional methods, less GC bias,
      and the ability to read DNA base modifications. However, reading DNA sequence
      from sub-nanogram quantities is impractical owing to inefficient delivery of DNA
      molecules into the confines of zero-mode waveguides-zeptolitre optical cavities
      in which DNA sequencing proceeds. Here, we show that the efficiency of voltage
      induced DNA loading into waveguides equipped with nanopores at their floors is
      five orders of magnitude greater than existing methods. In addition, we find that
      DNA loading is nearly length-independent, unlike diffusive loading, which is
      biased towards shorter fragments. We demonstrate here loading and proof-of
      principle four-colour sequence readout of a polymerase-bound 20,000-base-pair
      long DNA template within seconds from a sub-nanogram input quantity, a step
      towards low-input DNA sequencing and mammalian epigenomic mapping of native DNA
      samples.

PMID- 28892103
TI  - Internet of things: Sensing without power.

PMID- 28892104
TI  - Synergistic anti-AML effects of the LSD1 inhibitor T-3775440 and the NEDD8
      activating enzyme inhibitor pevonedistat via transdifferentiation and DNA
      rereplication.
AB  - Lysine-specific demethylase 1A (LSD1, KDM1A) specifically demethylates di- and
      monomethylated histones H3K4 and K9, resulting in context-dependent
      transcriptional repression or activation. We previously identified an
      irreversible LSD1 inhibitor T-3775440, which exerts antileukemic activities in a
      subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines by inducing cell
      transdifferentiation. The NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor pevonedistat
      (MLN4924, TAK-924) is an investigational drug with antiproliferative activities
      in AML, and is also reported to induce cell differentiation. We therefore tested
      the combination of these two agents in AML models. The combination treatment
      resulted in synergistic growth inhibition of AML cells, accompanied by enhanced
      transdifferentiation of an erythroid leukemia lineage into granulomonocytic-like
      lineage cells. In addition, pevonedistat-induced rereplication stress during the
      S phase was greatly augmented by concomitant treatment with T-3775440, as
      reflected by the increased induction of apoptosis. We further demonstrated that
      the combination treatment was markedly effective in subcutaneous tumor xenograft
      models as well as in a disseminated model of AML, leading to tumor eradication or
      prolonged survival in T-3775440/pevonedistat cotreated mice. Our findings
      indicate the therapeutic potential of the combination of LSD1 inhibitors and
      pevonedistat for the treatment of AML.

PMID- 28892105
TI  - Letter to the Editor (May 17, 2017) concerning the paper "Impact of road traffic
      noise on sleep disturbances and attention disorders amongst school children
      living in Upper Silesian Industrial Zone, Poland".

PMID- 28892107
TI  - The effect of bisphenol A on growth, pigment composition and photosystem II
      activity of Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used chemical, that can potentially be toxic to
      plants. In this study we examined the toxicity of 5-50 mg/l of BPA on Arabidopsis
      thaliana. Additionally, the effects of 0.5-5 mg/l of BPA were examined after four
      weeks of development. BPA had no effect on the germination rate and the
      chlorophyll a/b ratio. The chlorophyll a and carotenoid content was significantly
      elevated in seedlings treated with 5 mg/l of BPA. In 4-week-old plants there was
      no change in the chlorophyll and carotenoid content and photosynthetic parameters
      (Fv/Fm, Fv/F0 and PI) were unaffected, which suggests no photoinhibition. No
      oxidative stress symptoms were observed. BPA significantly decreased leaf protein
      content. A low concentration of BPA seems to have no significant effect on A.
      thaliana flowering, but further investigation is needed. The results obtained
      indicate that a low concentration of BPA has no negative effect on the growth and
      development of A. thaliana.

PMID- 28892106
TI  - Biochemical characterization of a catalase from Vibrio vulnificus, a pathogen
      that causes gastroenteritis.
AB  - Vibrio vulnificus is a virulent human pathogen causing gastroenteritis and
      possibly life threatening septicemia in patients. Most V. vulnificus are catalase
      positive and can deactivate peroxides, thus allowing them to survive within the
      host. In the study presented here, a catalase from V. vulnificus (CAT-Vv) was
      purified to homogeneity after expression in Escherichia coli. The kinetics and
      function of CAT-Vv were examined. CAT-Vv catalyzed the reduction of H2O2 at an
      optimal pH of 7.5 and temperature of 35 degrees C. The Vmax and Km values were
      65.8+/-1.2 U/mg and 10.5+/-0.7 mM for H2O2, respectively. Mutational analysis
      suggests that amino acids involved in heme binding play a key role in the
      catalysis. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR revealed that in V. vulnificus,
      transcription of CAT-Vv was upregulated by low salinity, heat, and oxidative
      stresses. This research gives new clues to help inhibit the growth of, and
      infection by V. vulnificus.

PMID- 28892108
TI  - Solvation of apolar compounds in protic ionic liquids: the non-synergistic effect
      of electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds.
AB  - The solvation properties of protic ionic liquids such as alkylammonium salts are
      still virtually uncharacterized. Both electrostatic interactions between charged
      particles and hydrogen bond networks in a solvent are known to hinder the
      solubility of apolar species. Protic ionic liquids can be a priori expected to
      dissolve hydrocarbons worse than aprotic ionic liquids which do not form hydrogen
      bonds between the ions. We measured the limiting activity coefficients of several
      alkanes and alkylbenzenes in propylammonium and butylammonium nitrates at 298 K.
      Surprisingly, we observed the tendency of higher solubility than for the same
      compounds in aprotic ionic liquids with a similar molar volume. The calculations
      of the excess Gibbs free energies using test particle insertions into the
      snapshots of molecular dynamics trajectories reproduced lower values in protic
      rather than in aprotic ionic liquids for both methane molecules and hard sphere
      solutes. This can be explained by the favorable solvation of apolar species in
      the apolar domain of nanostructured PILs. For the first time, we point out at the
      essential difference between the solvation properties of two types of ionic
      liquids and prove that it arises from the cavity formation term.

PMID- 28892109
TI  - The effect of STM parameters on tip-enhanced Raman spectra.
AB  - In this work, we evaluate the dependence of tip-enhanced Raman (TER) spectra of a
      monolayer of thiophenol at a Au(111) electrode on the scanning tunneling
      microscope's tunneling current set-point and bias voltage parameters. We find an
      increase of the TER intensity upon set-point increase or bias decrease as
      expected from a gap-distance reduction. The relations obtained follow a
      theoretical model considering a simple gap-distance change when tuning the
      mentioned parameters. We find that the value of the bias voltage affects the TER
      intensity to a larger extent than the current set-point. Therefore it is
      advisable to work in a low-bias regime when aiming for ultrasensitive TER
      measurements.

PMID- 28892110
TI  - Hexabromocyclododecane and tetrabromobisphenol A in tree bark from different
      functional areas of Shanghai, China: levels and spatial distributions.
AB  - The concentrations and spatial distributions of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD)
      and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) were measured in tree bark from different
      functional areas of Shanghai. SigmaHBCDD (sum of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCDD)
      concentrations ranged from 1.2 * 102 to 6.6 * 103 ng g-1 lw (median 5.7 * 102 ng
      g-1 lw) and TBBPA concentrations ranged from 48 to 7.2 * 104 ng g-1 lw (median
      2.8 * 102 ng g-1 lw). The concentrations of SigmaHBCDD and TBBPA all followed the
      order of industrial areas > commercial areas > residential areas. The mean
      percentage of alpha-HBCDD in bark samples (44%) from Shanghai was higher than
      that in technical HBCDD products, but comparable with that in air. The
      concentrations of TBBPA and individual HBCDD diastereoisomers between industrial
      areas and commercial areas were correlated. Based on the concentrations of HBCDD
      in the bark, the corresponding atmospheric HBCDD concentrations were estimated.
      Compared with the published data for HBCDD in urban air, the estimated
      atmospheric HBCDD concentrations in Shanghai had a relatively high level, and
      more attention should be paid to the pollution status of HBCDD in Shanghai.

PMID- 28892113
TI  - Significantly improved charge collection and interface injection in 3D BiVO4
      based multilayered core-shell nanowire photocatalysts.
AB  - It is challenging to design a photocatalyst with high-efficiency light
      absorption, charge separation and even high-efficiency charge transfer. Here, we
      report a demonstration by utilizing a three-dimensional multilayered core-shell
      nanowire array (rGO-ITO@BiVO4) as the composite photocatalyst. The core-shell
      structure can shorten the length of charge transfer and enhance light absorption
      through multireflection. RGO with defects can work as the charge transfer medium
      to improve the hole injection from semiconductor to electrolyte. Associated with
      the above effects, the Co-pi electrocatalyst modified rGO-ITO@BiVO4 photocatalyst
      yields a photocurrent of about 6.0 mA cm-2 at 0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Transient-state
      surface photovoltage measurement shows that the rGO layer can prolong the
      lifetime of the photogenerated holes through pi-pi interactions, so that more
      holes can participate in the water oxidation reaction.

PMID- 28892116
TI  - Magnetism of the hypo-oxide state at the diffuse interface between the
      ferromagnet and antiferromagnet phases.
AB  - At the interface between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases, various spin
      configurations with a higher degrees of complexity than in the bulk states can be
      derived due to the diverse possible interface atomic structures, where coupling
      interactions among the constituting atoms can form in consistence with altered
      atomic configurations. The interface magnetic properties then depend on the
      collective behavior of such spin structures. In the present work, an extended
      interfacial configuration of a hypo-oxide state was prepared by establishing the
      gradient of oxygen concentration across the spatially diffuse interface region
      between ferromagnetic metallic and antiferromagnetic oxide phases at the
      nanometer scale. With these mixed ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic couplings
      among the atoms in the interfacial hypo- or sub-oxide state, novel magnetic
      behavior can be induced. We report here, for the first time, a significant
      increase of saturation magnetization with temperature over a broad temperature
      range, which is against the conventional expectation for any generally known
      magnetic materials. And the unusual temperature dependent behavior can be
      understood as the combined effects of competing ferromagnetic and
      antiferromagnetic couplings acting on atoms in and near the interface region.

PMID- 28892117
TI  - Cell Motility as Contrast Agent in Retinal Explant Imaging With Full-Field
      Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - Purpose: To use cell motility as a contrast agent in retinal explants. Methods:
      Macaque and mouse retinal explants were imaged with high resolution full field
      optical coherence tomography (FFOCT) and dynamic FFOCT, coupled with fluorescence
      imaging. Results: Static and dynamic FFOCT create complementary contrast from
      different structures within a cell. When imaging in vitro samples, static FFOCT
      detects steep refractive index gradients to reveal stationary structures
      including fibers, vessels, collagen, and cell contours, while dynamic FFOCT
      emphasizes metabolic activity of moving structures that are mainly intracellular,
      thus creating or enhancing contrast in cells that were previously hidden in
      noise. Dynamic FFOCT enables detection of most of the retinal cell types in the
      ganglion cell, inner and outer nuclear layers, where static FFOCT contrast is too
      low in relation to the noise background. Conclusions: Composite static and
      dynamic FFOCT provides a new kind of FFOCT image containing valuable information
      for imaging of retinal explants. It provides label-free en face images of living
      retinas, with a subcellular resolution. Dynamic FFOCT adds information about cell
      activity, which is of interest in longitudinal explant studies.

PMID- 28892118
TI  - Association of Trial Registration With Reporting of Primary Outcomes in Protocols
      and Publications.

PMID- 28892119
TI  - Prophylactic chemotherapy for hydatidiform mole to prevent gestational
      trophoblastic neoplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is an update of the original Cochrane Review published in
      Cochrane Library, Issue 10, 2012.Hydatidiform mole (HM), also called a molar
      pregnancy, is characterised by an overgrowth of foetal chorionic tissue within
      the uterus. HMs may be partial (PM) or complete (CM) depending on their gross
      appearance, histopathology and karyotype. PMs usually have a triploid karyotype,
      derived from maternal and paternal origins, whereas CMs are diploid and have
      paternal origins only. Most women with HM can be cured by evacuation of retained
      products of conception (ERPC) and their fertility preserved. However, in some
      women the growth persists and develops into gestational trophoblastic neoplasia
      (GTN), a malignant form of the disease that requires treatment with chemotherapy.
      CMs have a higher rate of malignant transformation than PMs. It may be possible
      to reduce the risk of GTN in women with HM by administering prophylactic
      chemotherapy (P-Chem). However, P-Chem given before or after evacuation of HM to
      prevent malignant sequelae remains controversial, as the risks and benefits of
      this practice are unclear. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety
      of P-Chem to prevent GTN in women with a molar pregnancy. To investigate whether
      any subgroup of women with HM may benefit more from P-Chem than others. SEARCH
      METHODS: For the original review we performed electronic searches in the Cochrane
      Gynaecological Cancer Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 2, 2012), MEDLINE (1946 to February week 4,
      2012) and Embase (1980 to 2012, week 9). We developed the search strategy using
      free text and MeSH. For this update we searched the Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 5, 2017), MEDLINE (February 2012 to June week
      1, 2017) and Embase (February 2012 to 2017, week 23). We also handsearched
      reference lists of relevant literature to identify additional studies and
      searched trial registries. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) of P-Chem for HM. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors
      independently assessed studies for inclusion in the review and extracted data
      using a specifically designed data collection form. Meta-analyses were performed
      by pooling data from individual trials using Review Manager 5 (RevMan 5) software
      in line with standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane methodology.
      MAIN RESULTS: The searches identified 161 records; after de-duplication and title
      and abstract screening 90 full-text articles were retrieved. From these we
      included three RCTs with a combined total of 613 participants. One study compared
      prophylactic dactinomycin to no prophylaxis (60 participants); the other two
      studies compared prophylactic methotrexate to no prophylaxis (420 and 133
      participants). All participants were diagnosed with CMs. We considered the latter
      two studies to be of poor methodological quality.P-Chem reduced the risk of GTN
      occurring in women following a CM (3 studies, 550 participants; risk ratio (RR)
      0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24 to 0.57; I2 = 0%; P < 0.00001; low
      quality evidence). However, owing to the poor quality (high risk of bias) of two
      of the included studies, we performed sensitivity analyses excluding these two
      studies. This left only one small study of high-risk women to contribute data for
      this primary outcome (59 participants; RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.73; P = 0.01);
      therefore we consider this evidence to be of low quality.The time to diagnosis
      was longer in the P-Chem group than the control group (2 studies, 33
      participants; mean difference (MD) 28.72, 95% CI 13.19 to 44.24; P = 0.0003; low
      quality evidence); and the P-Chem group required more courses to cure subsequent
      GTN (1 poor-quality study, 14 participants; MD 1.10, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.68; P =
      0.0002; very low quality evidence).There were insufficient data to perform meta
      analyses for toxicity, overall survival, drug resistance and reproductive
      outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: P-Chem may reduce the risk of progression to GTN
      in women with CMs who are at a high risk of malignant transformation; however,
      current evidence in favour of P-Chem is limited by the poor methodological
      quality and small size of the included studies. As P-Chem may increase drug
      resistance, delays treatment of GTN and may expose women toxic side effects, this
      practice cannot currently be recommended.

PMID- 28892120
TI  - Reply to: Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Pneumonia in Individuals with
      Dementia.

PMID- 28892121
TI  - Statins for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events and Mortality in Older
      Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether statin use for primary
      prevention is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events or mortality
      in older men. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Physicians' Health Study
      participants. PARTICIPANTS: 7,213 male physicians >=70 years without a history of
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). MEASUREMENTS: Multivariable propensity score for
      statin use with greedy matching (1:1) to minimize confounding by indication.
      RESULTS: Median baseline age was 77 (70-102), median follow-up was 7 years. Non
      users were matched to 1,130 statin users. Statin use was associated with an 18%
      lower risk of all-cause mortality, HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.69-0.98) and non-significant
      lower risk of CVD events, HR 0.86 (95% CI 0.70-1.06) and stroke, HR 0.70 (95% CI
      0.45-1.09). In subgroup analyses, results did not change according to age group
      at baseline (70-76 or >76 years) or functional status. There was a suggestion
      that those >76 at baseline did not benefit from statins for mortality, HR 1.14
      (95% CI 0.89-1.47), compared to those 70-76 at baseline, HR 0.83 (95% CI 0.61
      1.11); however the CIs overlap between the two groups, suggesting no difference.
      Statin users with elevated total cholesterol had fewer major CVD events than non
      users, HR 0.68 (95% CI 0.50-0.94) and HR 1.43 (95% CI 0.99-2.07)), respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Statin use was associated with a significant lower risk of mortality
      in older male physicians >=70 and a nonsignificant lower risk of CVD events.
      Results did not change in those who were >76 years at baseline or according to
      functional status. There was a suggestion that those with elevated total
      cholesterol may benefit. Further work is needed to determine which older
      individuals will benefit from statins as primary prevention.

PMID- 28892122
TI  - Effects of prenatal alcohol consumption on cognitive development and ADHD-related
      behaviour in primary-school age: a multilevel study based on meconium ethyl
      glucuronide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol intake during pregnancy is considered to be a risk factor for
      child development. Child biomarkers of intrauterine alcohol exposure have been
      rarely studied. We investigated whether a meconium alcohol metabolite (ethyl
      glucuronide, EtG) was associated with cognitive development, ADHD-related
      behaviour and neurophysiological markers of attention and executive control of
      children at primary-school age. METHODS: Mothers provided self-report on prenatal
      alcohol consumption during their 3rd trimester. Meconium samples were collected
      at birth. A total of 44 children with a meconium EtG above the detection limit
      (>=10 ng/g) and 44 nonexposed matched controls were compared. A second threshold
      (>=154 ng/g) was applied to study the dose effects. When children reached primary
      school age, mothers rated ADHD-related behaviour, child cognitive development was
      measured using an IQ test battery, and event-related potentials were recorded
      during a cued go/nogo task. RESULTS: Children in both EtG-positive groups
      allocated fewer attentional resources than controls to the go/nogo task (reduced
      P3 component in go-trials). Children with a meconium EtG above 154 ng/g were also
      found to have an IQ that was six points lower than the other groups. Within the
      EtG >= 154 ng/g group, there was a positive correlation between EtG value and
      ADHD-related behaviour. These significant effects were not observed in relation
      to the maternal self-report data. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between EtG and
      cognitive deficits, attentional resource capacity and ADHD-related behaviour
      could be documented with effects that were partially dose-dependent. In addition
      to maternal self-reports, this biomarker of intrauterine alcohol exposure may be
      considered as a predictor of child development.

PMID- 28892123
TI  - Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Pneumonia in Individuals with Dementia.

PMID- 28892124
TI  - Systematic optimization of L-tryptophan riboswitches for efficient monitoring of
      the metabolite in Escherichia coli.
AB  - Riboswitches form a class of genetically encoded sensor-regulators and are
      considered as promising tools for monitoring various metabolites. Functional
      parameters of a riboswitch, like dynamic or operational range, should be
      optimized before the riboswitch is implemented in a specific application for
      monitoring the target molecule efficiently. However, optimization of a riboswitch
      was not straightforward and required detailed studies owing to its complex
      sequence-function relationship. Here, we present three approaches for tuning and
      optimization of functional parameters of a riboswitch using an artificial L
      tryptophan riboswitch as an example. First, the constitutive expression level was
      adjusted to control the dynamic range of an L-tryptophan riboswitch. The dynamic
      range increased as the constitutive expression level increased. Then, the
      function of a riboswitch-encoded protein was utilized to connect the regulatory
      response of the riboswitch to another outcome for amplifying the dynamic range.
      Riboswitch-mediated control of the host cell growth enabled the amplification of
      the riboswitch response. Finally, L-tryptophan aptamers with different
      dissociation constants were employed to alter the operational range of the
      riboswitch. The dose-response curve was shifted towards higher L-tryptophan
      concentrations when an aptamer with higher dissociation constant was employed.
      All strategies were effective in modifying the distinct functional parameters of
      the L-tryptophan riboswitch, and they could be easily applied to optimization of
      other riboswitches owing to their simplicity.

PMID- 28892125
TI  - Novel spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia due to UFSP2 gene mutation.
AB  - Beukes hip dysplasia is an autosomal dominant disease which has to date been
      described only in a large South African family of Dutch origin. The patients
      presented with progressive epiphyseal dysplasia limited to femoral capital
      epiphysis and their height was not significantly reduced. A unique variant of the
      ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (Ufm1)-specific peptidase 2 (UFSP2) gene (c.868T>C) has
      been reported in all individuals from Beukes family with clinical and
      radiological diagnosis of Beukes hip dysplasia. Three individuals, propositus,
      mother, and grandmother, presented with short stature, joint pain, genu vara and
      a novel spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia involving epiphyses predominantly at
      hips, but also at knees, ankles, wrists and hands, associated with variable
      degrees of metaphysis and spine involvement. Exome sequencing allowed us to
      identify the heterozygous variant c.1277A>C of the UFSP2 gene, leading to the
      missense change p.D426A, in all 3 patients. This mutation is predicted as
      damaging and, similarly to the mutation originally described in the Beukes family
      (p. Y290H), directly affects one of the catalytic residues participating in the
      active site of the protein. This supports the novel notion that loss of catalytic
      UFSP2 activity, observed in association with different mutants and already
      experimentally proven in vitro, may have different clinical outcomes.

PMID- 28892126
TI  - Peer victimization predicts heightened inflammatory reactivity to social stress
      in cognitively vulnerable adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During adolescence, peer victimization is a potent type of social
      stressor that can confer enduring risk for poor mental and physical health. Given
      recent research implicating inflammation in promoting a variety of serious mental
      and physical health problems, this study examined the role that peer
      victimization and cognitive vulnerability (i.e. negative cognitive styles and
      hopelessness) play in shaping adolescents' pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to
      an acute social stressor. METHODS: Adolescent girls at risk for psychopathology
      (n = 157; Mage  = 14.73 years; SD = 1.38) were exposed to a laboratory-based
      social stressor before and after which we assessed salivary levels of three key
      pro-inflammatory cytokines - interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta),
      and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). RESULTS: As hypothesized,
      adolescents with greater peer victimization exposure exhibited greater increases
      in IL-6 and IL1-beta in response to the laboratory-based social stressor.
      Moreover, for all three cytokines individually, as well as for a combined latent
      factor of inflammation, peer victimization predicted enhanced inflammatory
      responding most strongly for adolescents with high levels of hopelessness.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal a biological pathway by which peer victimization
      may interact with cognitive vulnerability to influence health in adolescence.

PMID- 28892127
TI  - Parental Co-Construction of 5- to 13-Year-Olds' Global Self-Esteem Through
      Reminiscing About Past Events.
AB  - The current study explored parental processes associated with children's global
      self-esteem development. Eighty 5- to 13-year-olds and one of their parents
      provided qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires, open-ended
      questions, and a laboratory-based reminiscing task. Parents who included more
      explanations of emotions when writing about the lowest points in their lives were
      more likely to discuss explanations of emotions experienced in negative past
      events with their child, which was associated with child attachment security.
      Attachment was associated with concurrent self-esteem, which predicted relative
      increases in self-esteem 16 months later, on average. Finally, parent support
      also predicted residual increases in self-esteem. Findings extend prior research
      by including younger ages and uncovering a process by which two theoretically
      relevant parenting behaviors impact self-esteem development.

PMID- 28892128
TI  - Nursing Home Use Across The Spectrum of Cognitive Decline: Merging Mayo Clinic
      Study of Aging With CMS MDS Assessments.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Objective, complete estimates of nursing home (NH) use
      across the spectrum of cognitive decline are needed to help predict future care
      needs and inform economic models constructed to assess interventions to reduce
      care needs. DESIGN: Retrospective longitudinal study. SETTING: Olmsted County,
      MN. PARTICIPANTS: Mayo Clinic Study of Aging participants assessed as cognitively
      normal (CN), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), previously unrecognized dementia,
      or prevalent dementia (age = 70-89 years; N = 3,545). MEASUREMENTS: Participants
      were followed in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Minimum Data
      Set (MDS) NH records and in Rochester Epidemiology Project provider-linked
      medical records for 1-year after assessment of cognition for days of observation,
      NH use (yes/no), NH days, NH days/days of observation, and mortality. RESULTS: In
      the year after cognition was assessed, for persons categorized as CN, MCI,
      previously unrecognized dementia, and prevalent dementia respectively, the
      percentages who died were 1.0%, 2.6%, 4.2%, 21%; the percentages with any NH use
      were 3.8%, 8.7%, 19%, 40%; for persons with any NH use, median NH days were 27,
      38, 120, 305, and median percentages of NH days/days of observation were 7.8%,
      12%, 33%, 100%. The year after assessment, among persons with prevalent dementia
      and any NH use, >50% were a NH resident all days of observation. Pairwise
      comparisons revealed that each increase in cognitive impairment category
      exhibited significantly higher proportions with any NH use. One-year mortality
      was especially high for persons with prevalent dementia and any NH use (30% vs
      13% for those with no NH use); 58% of all deaths among persons with prevalent
      dementia occurred while a NH resident. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest reductions
      in NH use could result from quality alternatives to NH admission, both among
      persons with MCI and persons with dementia, together with suitable options for
      end-of-life care among persons with prevalent dementia.

PMID- 28892129
TI  - Invariant natural killer T-cell development and function with loss of microRNA
      155.
AB  - Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are adaptive T cells with innate-like
      characteristics including rapid cytokine production and a proliferative response
      to stimulation. Development of these cells in the thymus is dependent on
      expression of the microRNA (miRNA) processing enzyme Dicer, indicating that iNKT
      cells probably have distinct miRNA requirements for gene regulation during
      development. The miRNA miR-155 has previously been shown to have numerous roles
      in T cells, including regulation of proliferation and differentiation, and
      positive modulation of interferon-gamma expression. We examined the role of miR
      155 in the development and function of iNKT cells. Using germline-deficient miR
      155 mice, we showed that loss of miR-155 resulted in unchanged iNKT cell
      frequency and cell number. Although miR-155 was up-regulated in iNKT cells upon
      activation with alpha-galactosylceramide, loss of miR-155 did not affect cytokine
      production or proliferation by iNKT cells. Hence, cytokine production occurs in
      iNKT cells independently of miR-155 expression.

PMID- 28892130
TI  - Fibrinogen-like protein-2 causes deterioration in cardiac function in
      experimental autoimmune myocarditis rats through regulation of programmed death-1
      and inflammatory cytokines.
AB  - Programmed death-1 (PD-1) plays an important role in protecting against
      inflammation and myocyte damage in T-cell-mediated myocarditis. To understand
      whether fibrinogen-like protein-2 (FGL2) can affect the role of the PD-1/PD-L1
      pathway in experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM), we investigated cardiac
      function in EAM rats over-expressing FGL2. Over-expression of FGL2 significantly
      decreased PD-1 and deteriorated cardiac function in rats with autoimmune
      myocarditis. Histopathology revealed increased inflammatory cell infiltrate in
      EAM-FGL2 rats compared with the control groups (EAM, EAM-GFP and NC). Notably,
      transcription factor forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) and retinoic acid-related orphan
      receptor gammat (RORgammat) protein and mRNA levels were statistically (P < 0.05)
      increased in EAM rats. We also found that interferon-gamma, interleukin-6,
      interleukin-17 and brain natriuretic peptide levels were profoundly increased in
      serum of FGL2 over-expressing EAM rats. Hence, FGL2 plays an important role in
      the pathogenesis of autoimmune myocarditis that also involves the PD-1/PD-L1
      pathway. Our findings may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of
      immune-induced heart injury.

PMID- 28892131
TI  - Use of endoscopy to determine the resection margin during laparoscopic
      gastrectomy for cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It can be difficult to determine the transection line during totally
      laparoscopic surgery for early gastric cancer owing to lack of tactile feedback.
      This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the role of intraoperative
      endoscopy in determining the resection margin in totally laparoscopic
      gastrectomy. METHODS: Consecutive patients with histologically confirmed gastric
      cancer who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy between March 2012 and July 2015
      were eligible. Preoperative placement of marking clips and intraoperative
      endoscopy were performed to determine the resection margin. Frozen-section
      analyses were also performed to confirm the absence of cancer cells at the
      surgical margin. Success was defined as the proportion of specimens with all
      clips present and by the proportion of resections with a negative surgical margin
      following initial transection. RESULTS: Total laparoscopic gastrectomy with
      intraoperative endoscopy was performed in 522 patients; a total of 662 surgical
      margins were analysed. The overall success rate was 99.8 per cent (661 of 662
      margins). The success rate of achieving a negative surgical margin during the
      initial transection was 98.9 per cent (550 of 556 margins). CONCLUSION:
      Preoperative placement of marking clips and intraoperative endoscopy is helpful
      in the determination of a safe surgical margin in patients with gastric cancer
      who undergo laparoscopic gastrectomy.

PMID- 28892132
TI  - Nutritional and Nutraceutical Properties of Triticum dicoccum Wheat and Its
      Health Benefits: An Overview.
AB  - Triticum dicoccum wheat is one of the ancient wheat species and is gaining
      popularity due to its suggested health benefits as well as its suitability for
      organic farming. In some parts of the world, certain traditional foods prepared
      with dicoccum wheat are preferred due to their better taste, texture, and flavor.
      It is rich in bioactive compounds and its starch has been reported to have slow
      digestibility. However, content and composition of bioactive compounds is
      reported to vary depending on the geographical location, seasonal variations,
      varieties used, and the analytical methods followed. Therefore, in the present
      study, we report the food uses, digestibility of starch, nutritional and
      nutraceutical compositions of dicoccum wheat grown in different parts of the
      world, and also its health benefits in ameliorating diabetes and celiac disease.

PMID- 28892133
TI  - Statins for Primary Prevention in Older Adults: An Unresolved Conundrum.

PMID- 28892134
TI  - Inhibition analysis of inhibitors derived from lignocellulose pretreatment on the
      metabolic activity of Zymomonas mobilis biofilm and planktonic cells and the
      proteomic responses.
AB  - Lignocellulose pretreatment produces various toxic inhibitors that affect
      microbial growth, metabolism, and fermentation. Zymomonas mobilis is an
      ethanologenic microbe that has been demonstrated to have potential to be used in
      lignocellulose biorefineries for bioethanol production. Z. mobilis biofilm has
      previously exhibited high potential to enhance ethanol production by presenting a
      higher viable cell number and higher metabolic activity than planktonic cells or
      free cells when exposed to lignocellulosic hydrolysate containing toxic
      inhibitors. However, there has not yet been a systematic study on the tolerance
      level of Z. mobilis biofilm compared to planktonic cells against model toxic
      inhibitors derived from lignocellulosic material. We took the first insight into
      the concentration of toxic compound (formic acid, acetic acid, furfural, and 5
      HMF) required to reduce the metabolic activity of Z. mobilis biofilm and
      planktonic cells by 25% (IC25 ), 50% (IC50 ), 75% (IC75 ), and 100% (IC100 ). Z.
      mobilis strains ZM4 and TISTR 551 biofilm were two- to three fold more resistant
      to model toxic inhibitors than planktonic cells. Synergetic effects were found in
      the presence of formic acid, acetic acid, furfural, and 5-HMF. The IC25 of Z.
      mobilis ZM4 biofilm and TISTR 551 biofilm were 57 mm formic acid, 155 mm acetic
      acid, 37.5 mm furfural and 6.4 mm 5-HMF, and 225 mm formic acid, 291 mm acetic
      acid, 51 mm furfural and 41 mm 5-HMF, respectively. There was no significant
      difference found between proteomic analysis of the stress response to toxic
      inhibitors of Z. mobilis biofilm and planktonic cells on ZM4. However, TISTR 551
      biofilms exhibited two proteins (molecular chaperone DnaK and 50S ribosomal
      protein L2) that were up-regulated in the presence of toxic inhibitors. TISTR 551
      planktonic cells possessed two types of protein in the group of 30S ribosomal
      proteins and motility proteins that were up-regulated.

PMID- 28892136
TI  - Identification and measurement of dystonia in cerebral palsy.

PMID- 28892135
TI  - Metabolically active CD4+ T cells expressing Glut1 and OX40 preferentially harbor
      HIV during in vitro infection.
AB  - High glucose transporter 1 (Glut1) surface expression is associated with
      increased glycolytic activity in activated CD4+ T cells. Phosphatidylinositide 3
      kinases (PI3K) activation measured by p-Akt and OX40 is elevated in CD4+Glut1+ T
      cells from HIV+ subjects. TCR engagement of CD4+Glut1+ T cells from HIV+ subjects
      demonstrates hyperresponsive PI3K-mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. High
      basal Glut1 and OX40 on CD4+ T cells from combination antiretroviral therapy
      (cART)-treated HIV+ patients represent a sufficiently metabolically active state
      permissive for HIV infection in vitro without external stimuli. The majority of
      CD4+OX40+ T cells express Glut1, thus OX40 rather than Glut1 itself may
      facilitate HIV infection. Furthermore, infection of CD4+ T cells is limited by
      p110gamma PI3K inhibition. Modulating glucose metabolism may limit cellular
      activation and prevent residual HIV replication in 'virologically suppressed'
      cART-treated HIV+ persons.

PMID- 28892137
TI  - Medical treatment of dyskinetic cerebral palsy: translation into practice.

PMID- 28892138
TI  - Towards a geography of omnivory: Omnivores increase carnivory when sodium is
      limiting.
AB  - Towards understanding the geography of omnivory, we tested three hypotheses that
      predict the proportion of animal tissue consumed: the sodium limitation
      hypothesis predicts that omnivores increase animal consumption in Na-poor
      environments because Na bioaccumulates from plants to predators; thus,
      heterotrophs are Na-rich sources. The nitrogen limitation and habitat
      productivity hypotheses use the same logic to predict more animal consumption in
      N-poor and productive environments respectively. Omnivory is a common trophic
      strategy, but what determines the balance of plant and animal tissue omnivores
      consume is relatively unexplored. Most of what we know comes from single
      populations at local scales. Here we quantitatively test these three hypotheses
      at a large geographic scale and across 20 species of omnivorous ants. We tested
      each hypothesis using N stable isotopes (delta15 N) to quantify the degree of
      carnivory in ant populations in 20 forests that span 12 degrees  latitude from
      Georgia to Maine, USA. We used the difference in delta15 N between 20 ant
      conspecifics in 10 genera between two paired forests (10 pairs of 20 forests)
      that consisted of a coastal and inland forests on the same latitude to determine
      if the proportion of animal tissue consumed could be predicted based on Na, N or
      net primary productivity. Sodium gradients accounted for 18% of the variation in
      delta15 N, 45% if one outlier ant species was omitted. In contrast, the nitrogen
      limitation and habitat productivity hypotheses, which predict more animal
      consumption in N-poor and more productive environments respectively, failed to
      vary with delta15 N. Our results reveal a geography of omnivory driven in part by
      access to Na.

PMID- 28892139
TI  - Influence of Technological Treatments on the Functionality of Bifidobacterium
      lactis INL1, a Breast Milk-Derived Probiotic.
AB  - : The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of the technological
      processing on the functionality of the human breast milk probiotic strain
      Bifidobacterium lactis INL1. In vitro antagonistic activity of B. lactis INL1 was
      detected for Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. B. lactis INL1 was
      administered to mice as fresh (F), frozen (Z), spray-dried (S), or lyophilized
      (L) culture. Immune parameters (IgA, IL-10, and IFN-gamma) were determined and
      histological analysis was performed to assess functionality and protection
      capacity against Salmonella. In BALB/c mice, F and S cultures induced an increase
      in the number of IgA-producing cells in the small intestine and IL-10 levels were
      increased for L culture in the large intestine. In Swiss mice, B. lactis INL1
      increased secretory-IgA levels in the small intestine before and after Salmonella
      infection, both as F or dehydrated culture. Also, an attenuation of damage in the
      intestinal epithelium and less inflammatory infiltrates were observed in animals
      that received F and S cultures, whereas in liver only F showed some effect. The
      anti-inflammatory effect was confirmed in both tissues by myeloperoxidase
      activity and by IFN-gamma levels in the intestinal content. B. lactis INL1 showed
      inhibitory activity against pathogens and confirmed its probiotic potential in
      animal models. Technological processing of the probiotic strain affected its
      functionality. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This work provides evidence about the
      influence of technology on the functionality of probiotics, which may help
      probiotics and functional food manufacturers to take processing into
      consideration when assessing the functionality of new strains.

PMID- 28892140
TI  - Biofilm Formation and Its Relationship with the Molecular Characteristics of Food
      Related Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
AB  - : The capability to produce biofilm is an important persistence and dissemination
      mechanism of some foodborne bacteria. This paper investigates the relationship
      between some molecular characteristics (SCCmec, ST, spa-type, agr-type, cna,
      sarA, icaA, icaD, clfA, fnbA, fnbB, hla, hlb) of 22 food-related methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains and their ability to form biofilm
      on stainless steel and polystyrene. Five (22.7%, 5/22) strains were able to
      synthesize biofilm on polystyrene, and one of these (4.5%, 1/22) strains was also
      able to synthesize biofilm on stainless steel. The largest amount of biofilm was
      formed on polystyrene by 2 MRSA strains isolated from cows' milk, thus raising
      concern about the dairy industry. The majority of MRSA biofilm producers carried
      SCCmec type IVa, suggesting that the presence of SCCmecIVa and/or agr type III
      could be related to the ability to form biofilm. In conclusion, in order to
      achieve an acceptable level of food safety, Good Hygiene Practices should be
      strictly implemented along the food chain to reduce the risk of colonization and
      dissemination of MRSA biofilm-producing strains in the food industry. PRACTICAL
      APPLICATION: In this study, some assayed isolates of food-related MRSA
      demonstrated the capacity to form biofilm. Biofilm formation differed according
      to surface characteristics and MRSA strains. A relationship was observed between
      some molecular characteristics and the ability to form biofilms. Few studies have
      investigated the ability of MRSA to form biofilms, and the majority of these
      studies have investigated clinical aspects. This work was performed to
      investigate whether or not there is a difference between MRSA food isolates and
      MRSA clinical isolates in their ability to form biofilm. These initial findings
      could provide information that will contribute to a better understanding of these
      aspects.

PMID- 28892141
TI  - Novel insights on population and range edge dynamics using an unparalleled
      spatiotemporal record of species invasion.
AB  - Quantifying the complex spatial dynamics taking place at range edges is critical
      for understanding future distributions of species, yet very few systems have
      sufficient data or the spatial resolution to empirically test these dynamics.
      This paper reviews how data from a large-scale pest management programme have
      provided important contributions to the fields of population dynamics and
      invasion biology. The invasion of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is well
      documented from its introduction near Boston, Massachusetts USA in 1869 to its
      current extent of over 900,000 km2 in Eastern North America. Over the past two
      decades, the USDA Forest Service Slow the Spread (STS) programme for managing the
      future spread of gypsy moth has produced unrivalled spatiotemporal data across
      the invasion front. The STS programme annually deploys a grid of 60,000-100,000
      pheromone-baited traps, currently extending from Minnesota to North Carolina. The
      data from this programme have provided the foundation for investigations of
      complex population dynamics and the ability to examine ecological hypotheses
      previously untestable outside of theoretical venues, particularly regarding
      invasive spread and Allee effects. This system provides empirical data on the
      importance of long-distance dispersal and time-lags on population establishment
      and spatial spread. Studies showing high rates of spatiotemporal variation of the
      range edge, from rapid spread to border stasis and even retraction, highlight
      future opportunities to test mechanisms that influence both invasive and native
      species ranges. The STS trap data have also created a unique opportunity to study
      low-density population dynamics and quantify Allee effects with empirical data.
      Notable contributions include evidence for spatiotemporal variation in Allee
      effects, demonstrating empirical links between Allee effects and spatial spread,
      and testing mechanisms of population persistence and growth rates at range edges.
      There remain several outstanding questions in spatial ecology and population
      biology that can be tested within this system, such as the scaling of local
      ecological processes to large-scale dynamics across landscapes. The gypsy moth is
      an ideal model of how important ecological questions can be answered by thinking
      more broadly about monitoring data.

PMID- 28892142
TI  - Loneliness and friendships among eight-year-old children: time-trends over a 24
      year period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Loneliness in childhood has a wide range of negative consequences for
      well-being and mental health later in life. This study reports time-trends in
      children's loneliness and the association between children's loneliness and
      psychiatric symptoms over a 24-year period. METHODS: Information on 3,749 eight
      year-old Finnish-speaking children born in 1981, 1991, 1997, and 2004 was
      gathered at four time points from the area covered by Turku University Hospital
      in southwest Finland. The actual numbers of participants at these time points
      were 986 (1989), 891 (1999), 930 (2005), and 942 (2013), with participation rates
      of 86%-95%. The study design and methods were similar at every time point.
      Information on children's loneliness and friendships was obtained from the
      children and also parents and teachers evaluated how many friends children had
      and their psychiatric symptoms. RESULTS: Approximately 20% of the children
      reported loneliness at each time point, 5% always felt lonely, and 25% wished
      they had more friends. Conduct and emotional problems, and hyperactivity were
      independently associated with loneliness in the multiple-regression analysis. The
      strength of these associations remained at similar levels over the 24-year study
      period. Living in a nonnuclear family, parents with a lower level of vocational
      education, and negative life events among the girls in the study were all
      associated with loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: Loneliness was a common phenomenon in
      childhood, and no notable changes were found during the 24-year study period.
      Psychiatric symptoms were strongly associated with loneliness. It is important to
      pay attention to children's loneliness and make it an integral part of school
      health care. Further epidemiological research is needed.

PMID- 28892143
TI  - Rodent Test of Attention and Impulsivity: The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task.
AB  - The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is employed extensively to
      measure attention in rodents. The assay involves animals trained to respond to a
      brief, unpredictable visual stimulus presented in one of five locations. The
      effects of experimental manipulations on response speed and choice accuracy are
      measured, and each related to attentional performance. The 5-CSRTT is also used
      to measure motor impulsivity. Adapted from a human task, the 5-CSRTT can be
      employed with rodents or primates, highlighting its translational value. Another
      strength of this procedure is its adaptability to task modification. An example
      is the 5-choice continuous performance task, which has both target and non-target
      trial types. Overall, the 5-CSRTT has proven to be valuable for drug discovery
      efforts aimed at identifying new agents for the treatment of central nervous
      system disorders and for further understanding the neurobiological processes of
      attention and impulsivity. Its flexibility offers considerable scope to the
      experimenter, and in this respect the task continues to evolve. (c) 2017 by John
      Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28892144
TI  - Development and Applications of Patient-Derived Xenograft Models in Humanized
      Mice for Oncology and Immune-Oncology Drug Discovery.
AB  - With the recent approval of four novel immune oncology agents for the treatment
      of various cancers, the emerging power of this drug class has been substantiated.
      However, the full potential of such agents is yet to be realized, with only a
      fraction of the patient population responding to these drugs. A more advanced pre
      clinical and translational research platform may increase our understanding of
      the mechanisms associated with immune-mediated cancer cell death, thereby
      facilitating the design and development of more generally efficacious agents and
      drug regimens. Described in this report are the nuances, advantages, and
      limitations of such a research approach. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28892145
TI  - All-Optical Electrophysiology for Disease Modeling and Pharmacological
      Characterization of Neurons.
AB  - A key challenge for establishing a phenotypic screen for neuronal excitability is
      measurement of membrane potential changes with high throughput and accuracy. Most
      approaches for probing excitability rely on low-throughput, invasive methods or
      lack cell-specific information. These limitations stimulated the development of
      novel strategies for characterizing the electrical properties of cultured
      neurons. Among these was the development of optogenetic technologies (Optopatch)
      that allow for stimulation and recording of membrane voltage signals from
      cultured neurons with single-cell sensitivity and millisecond temporal
      resolution. Neuronal activity is elicited using blue light activation of the
      channelrhodopsin variant 'CheRiff'. Action potentials and synaptic signals are
      measured with 'QuasAr', a rapid and sensitive voltage-indicating protein with
      near-infrared fluorescence that scales proportionately with transmembrane
      potential. This integrated technology of optical stimulation and recording of
      electrical signals enables investigation of neuronal electrical function with
      unprecedented scale and precision. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28892146
TI  - Murine Retrovirally-Transduced Bone Marrow Engraftment Models of MLL-Fusion
      Driven Acute Myelogenous Leukemias (AML).
AB  - MLL-rearranged leukemia represents approximately 5% to 10% of adult acute
      myelogenous leukemia (AML) and nearly half of all infant/pediatric acute leukemia
      cases. These leukemias have a poor prognosis, and there are no approved
      therapeutic options. The rearrangement in the MLL gene leads to aberrant
      expression of MLL-fusion proteins. These are transforming in murine bone marrow
      and, in particular, on stem cells and myeloid progenitors derived from bone
      marrow or fetal liver. The commonality of the MLL fusions is the in-frame fusion
      of 8 to 11 N-terminal exons of MLL1 (KMT2a) with the C-terminus of a partner
      fusion gene. Currently, over 80 different fusion partners are known. The
      protocols detailed in this unit focus on bone marrow-derived models only, using
      one particular MLL fusion, MLL-AF9. These models have proven effective for drug
      screening to predict clinical response. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28892147
TI  - Carpal tunnel syndrome in mucopolysaccharidosis I: a registry-based cohort study.
AB  - AIM: To characterize carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in patients with
      mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I). METHOD: Data were included for patients with MPS
      I who had either nerve conduction examination that included a diagnosis of CTS or
      who had CTS release surgery. Although this represented a subset of patients with
      CTS in the MPS I Registry, the criteria were considered the most objective for
      data analysis. RESULTS: As of March 2016, 994 patients were categorized with
      either severe (Hurler syndrome) or attenuated (Hurler-Scheie or Scheie syndromes)
      MPS I. Among these, 291 had a CTS diagnosis based on abnormal nerve conduction
      (n=54) or release surgery (n=237). Median ages (minimum, maximum) at first CTS
      diagnosis were 5 years 2 months (10mo, 16y 2mo) and 9y 11mo (1y 8mo, 44y 1mo) for
      patients with severe and attenuated MPS I respectively. Most patients had their
      first CTS diagnosis after MPS I diagnosis (94%) and treatment (hematopoietic stem
      cell transplant and/or enzyme replacement therapy) (74%). For 11% of patients
      with attenuated disease, CTS diagnosis preceded MPS I diagnosis by a mean of 7
      years 6 months. INTERPRETATION: CTS is a rare complication in pediatric patients
      and should alert medical care providers to the potential diagnosis of MPS I.
      Significant delays exist between diagnosis of CTS and MPS I for patients with
      attenuated disease. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: There are significant delays in
      diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis I
      (MPS I). Enzyme replacement therapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplant do not
      prevent the development of CTS. Testing for CTS in patients with MPS I is
      recommended to prevent irreparable damage. CTS in pediatric patients should alert
      physicians to potential diagnosis of MPS I.

PMID- 28892148
TI  - mTOR mutations in Smith-Kingsmore syndrome: Four additional patients and a
      review.
AB  - Smith-Kingsmore syndrome (SKS) OMIM #616638, also known as MINDS syndrome (ORPHA
      457485), is a rare autosomal dominant disorder reported so far in 23 patients.
      SKS is characterized by intellectual disability,
      macrocephaly/hemi/megalencephaly, and seizures. It is also associated with a
      pattern of facial dysmorphology and other non-neurological features. Germline or
      mosaic mutations of the mTOR gene have been detected in all patients. The mTOR
      gene is a key regulator of cell growth, cell proliferation, protein synthesis and
      synaptic plasticity, and the mTOR pathway (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) is highly regulated and
      critical for cell survival and apoptosis. Mutations in different genes in this
      pathway result in known rare diseases implicated in hemi/megalencephaly with
      epilepsy, as the tuberous sclerosis complex caused by mutations in TSC1 and TSC2,
      or the PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS). We here present 4 new cases of
      SKS, review all clinical and molecular aspects of this disorder, as well as some
      characteristics of the patients with only brain mTOR somatic mutations.

PMID- 28892149
TI  - Raisins and Currants as Conventional Nutraceuticals in Italian Market: Natural
      Occurrence of Ochratoxin A.
AB  - The healthy consumers make a strong pressure to natural products that can prevent
      the chronic diseases and improve the general health status, and therefore an
      important aspect that have to be considered is the safe level of the
      nutraceuticals. This study reports the occurrence of Ochratoxin A (OTA) and
      associated fungal contamination in 35 samples of dried vine fruits imported in
      the European community potentially used for the development of new nutraceutical
      supplements. High pressure liquid chromatography analysis identified 18 samples
      as contaminated by OTA with an average level of 2.6 MUg/kg. OTA was measured in 4
      samples of currants (mean value of 6.6 MUg/kg) and 13 samples of raisins (mean
      value of 1.4 MUg/kg). In one sample of currants and one of raisins from Turkey
      OTA exceeded the limits set by European Commission of 10 MUg/kg, being
      contaminated with 12.61 and 15.99 MUg/kg, respectively. All the positive samples
      were confirmed by Orbitrap Q Exactive through their molecular weight and the
      corresponding fragmentation. The worldwide consumption of dried vine fruits
      contributed to OTA exposure in several group of consumers. In particular,
      considering the potential nutraceutical approach, this consumption may be
      represent a severe risk for healthy consumers that consider these products like
      healthy and salutistic for their contents in antioxidants, flavonoids, and
      polyphenols. Data reported in this study confirmed the need to regularly monitor
      mycotoxin levels in these food products and optimize the process of fruits drying
      in order to reduce the development of toxigenic molds.

PMID- 28892150
TI  - Hepatic inflammation caused by dysregulated bile acid synthesis is reversible by
      butyrate supplementation.
AB  - Dysregulated bile acid (BA) synthesis or reduced farnesoid X receptor (FXR)
      levels are found in patients having metabolic diseases, autoimmune hepatitis, and
      liver cirrhosis or cancer. The objective of this study was to establish the
      relationship between butyrate and dysregulated BA synthesis-induced hepatitis as
      well as the effect of butyrate in reversing the liver pathology. Wild-type (WT)
      and FXR knockout (KO) male mice were placed on a control (CD) or western diet
      (WD) for 15 months. In the presence or absence of butyrate supplementation, feces
      obtained from 15-month-old WD-fed FXR KO mice, which had severe hepatitis and
      liver tumors, were transplanted to 7-month-old WD-fed FXR KO for 3 months.
      Hepatic phenotypes, microbiota profile, and BA composition were analyzed.
      Butyrate-generating bacteria and colonic butyrate concentration were reduced due
      to FXR inactivation and further reduced by WD intake. In addition, WD-fed FXR KO
      male mice had the highest concentration of hepatic beta-muricholic acid (beta
      MCA) and bacteria-generated deoxycholic acid (DCA) accompanied by serious
      hepatitis. Moreover, dysregulated BA and reduced SCFA signaling co-existed in
      both human liver cancers and WD-fed FXR KO mice. Microbiota transplantation using
      butyrate-deficient feces derived from 15-month-old WD-fed FXR KO mice increased
      hepatic lymphocyte numbers as well as hepatic beta-MCA and DCA concentrations.
      Furthermore, butyrate supplementation reduced hepatic beta-MCA as well as DCA and
      eliminated hepatic lymphocyte infiltration. In conclusion, reduced butyrate
      contributes to the development of hepatitis in the FXR KO mouse model. In
      addition, butyrate reverses dysregulated BA synthesis and its associated
      hepatitis. Copyright (c) 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
      Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28892151
TI  - The genetic breakdown of sporophytic self-incompatibility in Tolpis coronopifolia
      (Asteraceae).
AB  - Angiosperm diversity has been shaped by mating system evolution, with the most
      common transition from outcrossing to self-fertilizing. To investigate the
      genetic basis of this transition, we performed crosses between two species
      endemic to the Canary Islands, the self-compatible (SC) species Tolpis
      coronopifolia and its self-incompatible (SI) relative Tolpis santosii. We scored
      self-compatibility as self-seed set of recombinant plants within two F2
      populations. To map and genetically characterize the breakdown of SI, we built a
      draft genome sequence of T. coronopifolia, genotyped F2 plants using multiplexed
      shotgun genotyping (MSG), and located MSG markers to the genome sequence. We
      identified a single quantitative trait locus (QTL) that explains nearly all
      variation in self-seed set in both F2 populations. To identify putative causal
      genetic variants within the QTL, we performed transcriptome sequencing on mature
      floral tissue from both SI and SC species, constructed a transcriptome for each
      species, and then located each predicted transcript to the T. coronopifolia
      genome sequence. We annotated each predicted gene within the QTL and found two
      strong candidates for SI breakdown. Each gene has a coding sequence
      insertion/deletion mutation within the SC species that produces a truncated
      protein. Homologs of each gene have been implicated in pollen development, pollen
      germination, and pollen tube growth in other species.

PMID- 28892152
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of chlortetracycline in maternal plasma and in fetal tissues
      following oral administration to pregnant ewes.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine if concentrations of chlortetracycline
      could be detected in fetal plasma or tissues after administering an oral dose of
      chlortetracycline (CTC; 500 mg/head/day) reported to be effective in controlling
      Campylobacter spp. abortions. Five pregnant ewes were administered 250 mg/head
      twice a day (total dose 500 mg/hd/d) for 7 days. On the beginning of day 7,
      intravenous catheters were surgically implanted or inserted into the fetus and
      dam. Plasma samples were collected from the ewe and fetus at various time points
      before and up to 36 hr after the last dose of CTC. All ewes were then sacrificed,
      and tissues were harvested from the fetus for drug analysis. Concentrations of
      CTC in maternal plasma were consistent with our previous study and below the
      minimum inhibitory concentration of Campylobacter abortion isolates.
      Concentrations of CTC were below the limit of detection in three of five fetal
      plasma samples and all of the placenta, amniotic fluid, and fetal stomach
      contents. Low concentrations were detectable in fetal kidney and liver,
      suggesting that CTC reaches the fetus, although at a variable and low ratio when
      compared to maternal concentrations.

PMID- 28892153
TI  - Effects of Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization and Hydrocolloids on
      Physicochemical and Storage Properties of Soymilk.
AB  - : This study investigated the efficacy of ultra-high pressure homogenization
      (UHPH) in the presence or absence of added hydrocolloids for enhancing a range of
      physic-chemical properties of soymilk-which are important for extending shelf
      life. Soymilk preparations containing different concentrations (0.01%, 0.02%, and
      0.05%, w/v) of 2 different hydrocolloids (kappa-carrageenan, kappa-C, and gum
      Arabic, GA) were subjected to 3 different levels of UHPH (70, 140, and 210 MPa)
      and stored in sterilized containers at 4  degrees C. Emulsion properties of the
      soymilk preparations were analyzed over a period of 5 weeks. The results showed
      that soymilk with 0.05% kappa-C had markedly improved storage properties, evident
      by significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced surface energy and absolute zeta potential
      values compared to the unhomogenized soymilk with no hydrocolloid (16% and 39%
      augmentations, respectively) at the 1st week of storage. This trend continued
      throughout the entire period of study. The soymilk containing 0.05% kappa-C also
      exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) lower (60%) mean globular particle size at the
      initial week compared to the latter ones and maintained the trend throughout the
      3rd week of storage. The study can potentially lead to a considerable economic
      benefit to the soymilk industry by providing valuable information to extend shelf
      life of soymilk. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Soymilk is one of the most important soy
      products, and as a beverage, it is rapidly gaining popularity in the Western
      markets. However, it tends to form precipitates during storage to affect quality
      of the product. This study used a 2-prong approach of ultra-high pressure
      homogenization and addition of hydrocolloids to prevent aggregation of soymilk
      particles and the retention of antioxidant capacity. The results showed
      enhancement of the quality of soymilk during storage. The techniques developed
      can be adopted by the food industry.

PMID- 28892154
TI  - Pharmacogenetics of opioid analgesics in dogs.
AB  - Genetic variation causes interindividual variability in drug absorption,
      distribution, metabolism and excretion. These pharmacokinetic processes will
      influence the observed efficacy and toxicity of a drug. Polymorphisms in the
      genes encoding the metabolizing enzymes, transport proteins and receptors have
      been linked to the inconsistency in responses to opioid treatment in humans and
      laboratory animals. Pharmacogenetics is relatively less developed field in
      veterinary medicine compared to significant advances in knowledge on genetic
      basis of variation in drug responses and clinical applications in human medicine.
      This review discusses the opioid drug metabolism and possible genetic
      polymorphism of metabolizing enzymes in dogs. Polymorphism of genes encoding
      opioid drug transporter proteins and its effect on opioid response and opioid
      receptor gene variants are also discussed. Due to the scarcity of studies
      reported on opioid pharmacogenetics in dogs, relevant studies in humans and
      rodents have also been discussed to indicate current trends and potential targets
      for research in dogs.

PMID- 28892155
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of tildipirosin in beagle dogs.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic profile of
      tildipirosin (TD) in 24 beagle dogs following intravenous (i.v.) and
      intramuscular (i.m.) administration, respectively, at 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg. Plasma
      samples at certain time points (0-14 days) were collected, and the concentrations
      of drug were quantified by UPLC-MS/MS. Plasma concentration-time data and
      relevant parameters were described by noncompartmental through WinNonlin 6.4
      software. After single i.m. injection at 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg body weight, mean
      maximum concentration (Cmax ) was 412.73 +/- 76.01, 1,051 +/- 323, and 1,061 +/-
      352 ng/ml, respectively. Mean time to reach Cmax was 0.36 +/- 0.2, 0.08 +/- 0.00,
      and 0.13 +/- 0.07 hr after i.m. injection at 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg, respectively. The
      mean value of T1/2lambdaz for i.m. administration at doses of 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg
      was 71.39 +/- 28.42, 91 .33 +/- 50.02, and 96.43 +/- 45.02 hr, respectively. The
      mean residence times were 63.81 +/- 10.96, 35.83 +/- 15.13, and 38.18 +/- 16.77
      hr for doses of 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg, respectively. These pharmacokinetic
      characteristics after i.m. administration indicated that TD could be rapidly
      distributed into tissues on account of the high lipid solubility and then
      released into plasma. In addition, the absolute bioavailability of 2 mg/kg after
      i.m. injection was 112%. No adverse effects were observed after i.v. and i.m.
      administration.

PMID- 28892157
TI  - Adaptability and specificity of inhibition processes in distractor-induced
      blindness.
AB  - In a rapid serial visual presentation task, inhibition processes cumulatively
      impair processing of a target possessing distractor properties. This phenomenon
      known as distractor-induced blindness-has thus far only been elicited using
      dynamic visual features, such as motion and orientation changes. In three ERP
      experiments, we used a visual object feature-color-to test for the adaptability
      and specificity of the effect. In Experiment I, participants responded to a color
      change (target) in the periphery whose onset was signaled by a central cue.
      Presentation of irrelevant color changes prior to the cue (distractors) led to
      reduced target detection, accompanied by a frontal ERP negativity that increased
      with increasing number of distractors, similar to the effects previously found
      for dynamic targets. This suggests that distractor-induced blindness is adaptable
      to color features. In Experiment II, the target consisted of coherent motion
      contrasting the color distractors. Correlates of distractor-induced blindness
      were found neither in the behavioral nor in the ERP data, indicating a feature
      specificity of the process. Experiment III confirmed the strict distinction
      between congruent and incongruent distractors: A single color distractor was
      embedded in a stream of motion distractors with the target consisting of a
      coherent motion. While behavioral performance was affected by the distractors,
      the color distractor did not elicit a frontal negativity. The experiments show
      that distractor-induced blindness is also triggered by visual stimuli
      predominantly processed in the ventral stream. The strict specificity of the
      central inhibition process also applies to these stimulus features.

PMID- 28892156
TI  - A Randomized, Controlled Trial Evaluating Polydextrose as a Fiber in a Wet and
      Dry Matrix on Glycemic Control.
AB  - Functional fibers can help Americans increase their fiber intake by incorporating
      extracted or synthesized fibers into food products. The United States Food and
      Drug Administration has recently proposed that "added" fibers must demonstrate a
      physiological health benefit, such as glucose control, to be included on the
      Nutrition Facts label as a dietary fiber. The objective of this study was to
      assess the effects of polydextrose (PDX), a water-soluble glucose polymer
      resistant to mammalian digestion, on postprandial glucose concentrations when
      added to relatively high moisture (beverage) versus low moisture (bar) food
      products. The study was designed as 2 parts with each being controlled,
      randomized, singe-blinded, cross-over trials. A total of 34 and 19 healthy
      subjects were asked to consume PDX in a beverage and bar, respectively. PDX was
      investigated at 0, 8, 12, and 16 g in the beverage and 0 and 12 g in the bar.
      Blood samples were collected before beverage/bar consumption and for 3 h
      thereafter to evaluate changes in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. The
      12 g PDX condition had significant impact on both outcomes as glucose was
      significantly increased in both matrices (P > 0.05) and insulin was increased in
      bar form only (P > 0.05). PDX was well tolerated at all dosages and matrices
      investigated. PDX did not lower postprandial glucose or insulin in either matrix
      at the doses provided; therefore, data do not support reporting PDX as a dietary
      fiber on the Nutrition Facts label under the current proposed rule using glycemic
      control as the endpoint for physiological benefit.

PMID- 28892158
TI  - Reduction of 4(5)-Methylimidazole Using Cookie Model Systems.
AB  - : The objective of this study was to determine the reduction of 4(5)
      methylimidazole (4-MI) under various baking conditions. For 4-MI analysis, an
      analytical method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed. The
      developed method was validated with linearity (r2 > 0.999), recovery (101% to
      103%, 3 levels), and precision (1.5% to 4.3%, 3 levels). Limits of detection and
      quantification were 18.5 and 56.0 MUg/kg, respectively. This method was used to
      monitor the level of 4-MI in 11 commercial cookies, which ranged from 71.5 to
      1254.8 MUg/kg. Time and temperature were modified in the cookie model system to
      reduce 4-MI. The largest reduction in 4-MI (56%) was achieved by baking at 140 
      degrees C for 8 min; however the cookies baked at this condition were not well
      accepted by consumers. With combination of consumer liking test result, baking
      cookies at 140  degrees C for 16 min is optimal for 4-MI reduction (28%
      reduction), while it has minimal impact on consumer acceptance. A strong
      correlation (r2 = 0.9981) was found between caramel colorant and 4-MI in the
      cookie model system. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: A consumer awareness toward toxicity
      of 4-MI has been arising, and method to reduce the levels of 4-MI in food
      products are being developed in many studies. Yet, these reduction studies in
      food model systems only focused on use of food additives for 4-MI reduction.
      Current study investigated the use of process modification on 4-MI reduction in
      cookie, and suggested that baking cookies longer at lower temperature, in turn,
      reduces the levels of 4-MI in cookies without compromising consumer acceptance.
      Finding from current study can practically aid bakery industry to ensure safety
      of bakery products without affecting consumer likings.

PMID- 28892159
TI  - Integrative models for joint analysis of shoot growth and branching patterns.
AB  - Plants exhibit dependences between shoot growth and branching that generate
      highly structured patterns. The characterization of the patterning mechanism is
      still an open issue because of the developmental processes involved with both
      succession of events (e.g. internode elongation, axillary shoot initiation and
      elongation) and complex dependences among neighbouring positions along the parent
      shoot. Statistical models called semi-Markov switching partitioned conditional
      generalized linear models were built on the basis of apple and pear tree
      datasets. In these models, the semi-Markov chain represents both the succession
      and lengths of branching zones, whereas the partitioned conditional generalized
      linear models represent the influence of parent shoot growth variables on
      axillary productions within each branching zone. Parent shoot growth variables
      were shown to influence specific developmental events. On this basis, the growth
      and branching patterns of two apple tree (Malus domestica) cultivars, as well as
      of pear trees (Pyrus spinosa) between two successive growing cycles, were
      compared. The proposed integrative statistical models were able to decipher the
      roles of successive developmental events in the growth and branching patterning
      mechanisms. These models could incorporate other parent shoot explanatory
      variables, such as the local curvature or the maximum growth rate of the leaf.

PMID- 28892160
TI  - Are litter decomposition and fire linked through plant species traits?
AB  - Contents 653 I. 654 II. 657 III. 659 IV. 661 V. 662 VI. 663 VII. 665 665
      References 665 SUMMARY: Biological decomposition and wildfire are connected
      carbon release pathways for dead plant material: slower litter decomposition
      leads to fuel accumulation. Are decomposition and surface fires also connected
      through plant community composition, via the species' traits? Our central concept
      involves two axes of trait variation related to decomposition and fire. The
      'plant economics spectrum' (PES) links biochemistry traits to the litter
      decomposability of different fine organs. The 'size and shape spectrum' (SSS)
      includes litter particle size and shape and their consequent effect on fuel bed
      structure, ventilation and flammability. Our literature synthesis revealed that
      PES-driven decomposability is largely decoupled from predominantly SSS-driven
      surface litter flammability across species; this finding needs empirical testing
      in various environmental settings. Under certain conditions, carbon release will
      be dominated by decomposition, while under other conditions litter fuel will
      accumulate and fire may dominate carbon release. Ecosystem-level feedbacks
      between decomposition and fire, for example via litter amounts, litter
      decomposition stage, community-level biotic interactions and altered environment,
      will influence the trait-driven effects on decomposition and fire. Yet, our
      conceptual framework, explicitly comparing the effects of two plant trait spectra
      on litter decomposition vs fire, provides a promising new research direction for
      better understanding and predicting Earth surface carbon dynamics.

PMID- 28892161
TI  - A gene is known by the company it keeps: enrichment of TNFAIP3 gene aberrations
      in MALT lymphomas expressing IGHV4-34 antigen receptors.
AB  - Associations between immunoglobulin (IG) receptors with distinctive immunogenetic
      features and particular gene mutations are a recurring theme in mature B-cell
      lymphomas. Relevant observations have been made in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
      (CLL), where gene mutations are distributed asymmetrically in cases bearing or
      not somatic hypermutations within the clonotypic immunoglobulin heavy chain
      variable region (IGHV) genes (e.g. TP53 mutations predominate in IG-unmutated
      CLL, whereas the opposite is seen for MYD88 mutations, enriched in IG-mutated
      CLL) and in subsets of cases with stereotyped IG (enrichment for SF3B1 mutations
      in CLL subset #2). Moreover, similar findings have been reported in splenic
      marginal-zone lymphoma, where KLF2 mutations are biased to cases expressing IGHV1
      2*04 IG receptors, and in hairy cell leukemia, where IGHV4-34-expressing cases
      display a low frequency of BRAF mutations but a high frequency of MAP2K1
      mutations. The list is now growing with the report of increased frequency of
      inactivating mutations in the TNFAIP3 gene in MALT lymphomas expressing IG
      receptors encoded by the IGHV4-34 gene, particularly of the ocular adnexa.
      Considering that TNFAIP3 encodes a negative regulator of NF-kappaB, this finding
      further highlights the importance of NF-kappaB pathway activation in the natural
      history of MALT lymphomas. Altogether, these findings allude to selection of
      genomic aberrations in lymphoma cases with distinctive immune signaling profiles
      linked to the expression of particular IG receptors. Copyright (c) 2017
      Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley &
      Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28892162
TI  - When does it pay off to prime for defense? A modeling analysis.
AB  - Plants can prepare for future herbivore attack through a process called priming.
      Primed plants respond more strongly and/or faster to insect attack succeeding the
      priming event than nonprimed plants, while the energetic costs of priming are
      relatively low. To better understand the evolution of priming, we developed a
      simulation model, partly parameterized for Brassica nigra plants, to explore how
      the fitness benefits of priming change when plants are grown in different biotic
      environments. Model simulations showed that herbivore dynamics (arrival
      probability, arrival time, and feeding rate) affect the optimal duration, the
      optimal investment and the fitness benefits of priming. Competition for light
      increases the indirect costs of priming, but may also result in a larger payoff
      when the nonprimed plant experiences substantial leaf losses. This modeling
      approach identified some important knowledge gaps: herbivore arrival rates on
      individual plants are rarely reported but they shape the optimal duration of
      priming, and it would pay off if the likelihood, severity and timing of the
      attack could be discerned from the priming cue, but it is unknown if plants can
      do so. In addition, the model generated some testable predictions, for example
      that the sensitivity to the priming cue decreases with plant age.

PMID- 28892163
TI  - Disparity, diversity, and duplications in the Caryophyllales.
AB  - The role played by whole genome duplication (WGD) in plant evolution is actively
      debated. WGDs have been associated with advantages such as superior colonization,
      various adaptations, and increased effective population size. However, the lack
      of a comprehensive mapping of WGDs within a major plant clade has led to
      uncertainty regarding the potential association of WGDs and higher
      diversification rates. Using seven chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal genes, we
      constructed a phylogeny of 5036 species of Caryophyllales, representing nearly
      half of the extant species. We phylogenetically mapped putative WGDs as
      identified from analyses on transcriptomic and genomic data and analyzed these in
      conjunction with shifts in climatic occupancy and lineage diversification rate.
      Thirteen putative WGDs and 27 diversification shifts could be mapped onto the
      phylogeny. Of these, four WGDs were concurrent with diversification shifts, with
      other diversification shifts occurring at more recent nodes than WGDs. Five WGDs
      were associated with shifts to colder climatic occupancy. While we find that many
      diversification shifts occur after WGDs, it is difficult to consider
      diversification and duplication to be tightly correlated. Our findings suggest
      that duplications may often occur along with shifts in either diversification
      rate, climatic occupancy, or rate of evolution.

PMID- 28892164
TI  - MCPIP1 attenuates the innate immune response to influenza A virus by suppressing
      RIG-I expression in lung epithelial cells.
AB  - The pattern recognition receptor retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)
      reportedly plays a key role in sensing influenza A virus (IAV) infection and
      activating type I interferon (IFN) response. MCP-1-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) can
      directly degrade cytokine mRNAs, such as IL-6, IL-12, IL-1beta, and IL-2, by
      functioning as an RNase. Here, we initially observed that MCPIP1 exhibited virus
      supportive functions later in the course of IAV infection in A549 cells, and
      negatively regulated IAV-induced RIG-I-dependent innate antiviral response.
      Exogenous overexpression of MCPIP1 suppressed the expression of RIG-I, whereas
      shRNA-mediated inhibition of endogenous MCPIP1 enhanced RIG-I expression. The
      results of experiments with actinomycin D and luciferase assay demonstrated that
      MCPIP1 reduced RIG-I expression through destabilizing its mRNA. Various mutants
      of functional domains of MCPIP1 further confirmed that the inhibitory effect of
      MCPIP1 on RIG-I expression required RNase activity but not deubiquitinase
      activity. Finally, the overexpression of several IAV proteins, which have the
      ability to inhibit the host IFN response at different levels, induced MCPIP1
      expression, especially non-structural protein 1 (NS1). Conclusively, these data
      demonstrate the MCPIP1 contributes to attenuate IAV-induced host antiviral
      response by suppressing RIG-I expression.

PMID- 28892165
TI  - Environment and host identity structure communities of green algal symbionts in
      lichens.
AB  - An understanding of how biotic interactions shape species' distributions is
      central to predicting host-symbiont responses under climate change. Switches to
      locally adapted algae have been proposed to be an adaptive strategy of lichen
      forming fungi to cope with environmental change. However, it is unclear how
      lichen photobionts respond to environmental gradients, and whether they play a
      role in determining the fungal host's upper and lower elevational limits. Deep
      coverage Illumina DNA metabarcoding was used to track changes in the community
      composition of Trebouxia algae associated with two phylogenetically closely
      related, but ecologically divergent fungal hosts along a steep altitudinal
      gradient in the Mediterranean region. We detected the presence of multiple
      Trebouxia species in the majority of thalli. Both altitude and host genetic
      identity were strong predictors of photobiont community assembly in these two
      species. The predominantly clonally dispersing fungus showed stronger altitudinal
      structuring of photobiont communities than the sexually reproducing host.
      Elevation ranges of the host were not limited by the lack of compatible
      photobionts. Our study sheds light on the processes guiding the formation and
      distribution of specific fungal-algal combinations in the lichen symbiosis. The
      effect of environmental filtering acting on both symbiotic partners appears to
      shape the distribution of lichens.

PMID- 28892166
TI  - Clinical patterns associated with the concurrent detection of anti-HBs and HBV
      DNA.
AB  - Simultaneous detection of anti-HBs and HBV DNA is a rare serological combination
      and has been described in acute and chronic HBV infection. To scrutinize viral
      and clinical patterns associated with concurrent detection of anti-HBs and HBV
      DNA. Simultaneous detection of anti-HBs and HBV DNA was observed in 64/1444
      (4.4%) patients treated for HBV infection at the University Hospital of Essen
      from 2006 to 2016 (8 with acute, 20 with reactivated, and 36 chronic HBV
      infection). Clinical data and laboratory parameters were analyzed. Regions of the
      small hepatitis B surface antigen (SHB) and the reverse transcriptase (RT) were
      sequenced using next generation sequencing (NGS). Among the 64 patients with
      detectable HBV DNA and anti-HBs, 17 were HBsAg negative (HBsAg[-]), and two had
      acute liver failure. Patients with acute HBV infection had fewer genotype
      specific amino acid substitutions in the SHB region than patients with
      reactivated HBV infection (4 [4.5] vs 9 [16.25], P = 0.043). However, we could
      observe a significantly higher number of mutations in the a-determinant region
      when comparing chronically infected patients to patients with acute infection (0
      [1] vs 1 [1], P = 0.044). The ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous mutations
      (Ka/Ks) was on average >1 for the SHB region and <1 for the RT region. The Ka/Ks
      ratio (>1) in the SHB region indicates that anti-HBs might have exerted selection
      pressure on the HBsAg. In three cases the diagnosis of acute HBV infection would
      have been at least delayed by only focusing on HBsAg testing.

PMID- 28892167
TI  - Effect of cadmium on kitl pre-mRNA alternative splicing in murine ovarian
      granulosa cells and its associated regulation by miRNAs.
AB  - In this study, we established an in vitro exposure model of murine ovarian
      granulosa cells to observe the effect of Cd on alternative splicing of the kitl
      pre-mRNA and subsequently to explore the role of kitl gene expression regulation
      related miRNAs through miRNA prediction, miRNA chip, bioinformatics and real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. Our results showed that the
      kitl1/kitl2 mRNA ratio was significantly different (P < 0.05) at different
      dosages and times. The miRNA chip analysis showed that the miRNA expression
      profiles for the Cd treatment were significantly changed, and the expression of
      29 miRNAs involved in alternative splicing of the kitl pre-mRNA was changed. The
      gene ontology analysis showed that the target gene functions of these 29 miRNAs
      were mainly enriched in the biological processes of cell metabolism regulation,
      post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA, interleukin-6-mediated signal
      transduction, cell cycle, cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. The
      pathway enrichment analysis showed that the target genes of the differentially
      expressed miRNAs were mainly enriched in the Ras signaling pathway, the Rap1
      signaling pathway, the Foxo signaling pathway, the Hippo signaling pathway, the
      MAPK signaling pathway and the carcinogenic pathway. Polymerase chain reaction
      verification results showed that compared to the control group, the variation
      trends in the expression of mmu-miR-27a-3p, mmu-miR-34b-5p, mmu-miR-297a-3p, mmu
      miR-129-5p and mmu-miR-107-3p in the 4 hour 10 MUm Cd treatment group were
      basically the same as that of the chip result. Our results indicate that Cd
      exposure can affect alternative splicing of the kitl pre-mRNA in ovarian
      granulosa cells, and miRNAs play regulatory roles in the alternative splicing of
      kitl.

PMID- 28892168
TI  - 'Where there is a will, there is a way': Belief in school meritocracy and the
      social-class achievement gap.
AB  - Meritocratic ideology can promote system justification and the perpetuation of
      inequalities. The present research tests whether priming merit in the school
      context enhances the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on school achievement.
      French fifth graders read a text priming either school merit or a neutral
      content, reported their French and mathematics self-efficacy as well as their
      belief in school meritocracy (BSM), and then took French and mathematics tests.
      Compared to the neutral condition, the merit prime condition increased the SES
      achievement gap. Self-efficacy and BSM were tested as two potential mediators of
      the effect. The results support a mediated moderation model in which belief in
      school meritocracy is the mechanism through which the merit prime increased the
      SES achievement gap.

PMID- 28892169
TI  - A global survey of alternative splicing in allopolyploid cotton: landscape,
      complexity and regulation.
AB  - Alternative splicing (AS) is a crucial regulatory mechanism in eukaryotes, which
      acts by greatly increasing transcriptome diversity. The extent and complexity of
      AS has been revealed in model plants using high-throughput next-generation
      sequencing. However, this technique is less effective in accurately identifying
      transcript isoforms in polyploid species because of the high sequence similarity
      between coexisting subgenomes. Here we characterize AS in the polyploid species
      cotton. Using Pacific Biosciences single-molecule long-read isoform sequencing
      (Iso-Seq), we developed an integrated pipeline for Iso-Seq transcriptome data
      analysis (https://github.com/Nextomics/pipeline-for-isoseq). We identified 176
      849 full-length transcript isoforms from 44 968 gene models and updated gene
      annotation. These data led us to identify 15 102 fibre-specific AS events and
      estimate that c. 51.4% of homoeologous genes produce divergent isoforms in each
      subgenome. We reveal that AS allows differential regulation of the same gene by
      miRNAs at the isoform level. We also show that nucleosome occupancy and DNA
      methylation play a role in defining exons at the chromatin level. This study
      provides new insights into the complexity and regulation of AS, and will enhance
      our understanding of AS in polyploid species. Our methodology for Iso-Seq data
      analysis will be a useful reference for the study of AS in other species.

PMID- 28892170
TI  - Application of Visible/Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in the Prediction of
      Azodicarbonamide in Wheat Flour.
AB  - : Azodicarbonamide is wildly used in flour industry as a flour gluten fortifier
      in many countries, but it was proved by some researches to be dangerous or
      unhealthy for people and not suitable to be added in flour. Applying a rapid,
      convenient, and noninvasive technique in food analytical procedure for the safety
      inspection has become an urgent need. This paper used Vis/NIR reflectance
      spectroscopy analysis technology, which is based on the physical property
      analysis to predict the concentration of azodicarbonamide in flour. Spectral data
      in range from 400 to 2498 nm were obtained by scanning 101 samples which were
      prepared using the stepwise dilution method. Furthermore, the combination of
      leave-one-out cross-validation and Mahalanobis distance method was used to
      eliminate abnormal spectral data, and correlation coefficient method was used to
      choose characteristic wavebands. Partial least squares, back propagation neural
      network, and radial basis function were used to establish prediction model
      separately. By comparing the prediction results between 3 models, the radial
      basis function model has the best prediction results whose correlation
      coefficients (R), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), and ratio of
      performance to deviation (RPD) reached 0.99996, 0.5467, and 116.5858,
      respectively. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Azodicarbonamide has been banned or limited
      in many countries. This paper proposes a method to predict azodicarbonamide
      concentrate in wheat flour, which will be used for a rapid, convenient, and
      noninvasive detection device.

PMID- 28892171
TI  - Systematic review with meta-analysis: breastfeeding and the risk of Crohn's
      disease and ulcerative colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding is a modifiable factor that may influence development
      of inflammatory bowel diseases. However, literature on this has been inconsistent
      and not accounted for heterogeneity in populations and exposure. AIM: To conduct
      a meta-analysis to examine the association between breastfeeding in infancy and
      risk of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: A systematic
      search of Medline/PubMed and Embase was performed for full text, English-language
      literature through November 2016. Studies were included if they described
      breastfeeding in infancy in patients with CD or UC, and healthy controls. Data
      were pooled using a random effects model for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 35
      studies were included in the final analysis, comprising 7536 individuals with CD,
      7353 with UC and 330 222 controls. Ever being breastfed was associated with a
      lower risk of CD (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.85) and UC (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.67-0.91).
      While this inverse association was observed in all ethnicity groups, the
      magnitude of protection was significantly greater among Asians (OR 0.31, 95% CI
      0.20-0.48) compared to Caucasians (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66-0.93; P = .0001) in CD.
      Breastfeeding duration showed a dose-dependent association, with strongest
      decrease in risk when breastfed for at least 12 months for CD (OR 0.20, 95% CI
      0.08-0.50) and UC (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.10-0.43) as compared to 3 or 6 months.
      CONCLUSION: Breastfeeding in infancy protects against the development of CD and
      ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 28892172
TI  - Evolutionary conservation of structure and function of the UVR8 photoreceptor
      from the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha and the moss Physcomitrella patens.
AB  - The ultraviolet-B (UV-B) photoreceptor UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) mediates
      photomorphogenic responses to UV-B in Arabidopsis through differential gene
      expression, but little is known about UVR8 in other species. Bryophyte lineages
      were the earliest diverging embryophytes, thus being the first plants facing the
      UV-B regime typical of land. We therefore examined whether liverwort and moss
      species have functional UVR8 proteins and whether they are regulated similarly to
      Arabidopsis UVR8. We examined the expression, dimer/monomer status, cellular
      localisation and function of Marchantia polymorpha and Physcomitrella patens UVR8
      in experiments with bryophyte tissue and expression of green fluorescent protein
      (GFP)-UVR8 fusions in Nicotiana leaves and transgenic Arabidopsis. P. patens
      expresses two UVR8 genes that encode functional proteins, whereas the single M.
      polymorpha UVR8 gene expresses two transcripts by alternative splicing that
      encode functional UVR8 variants. P. patens UVR8 proteins form dimers that
      monomerise and accumulate in the nucleus following UV-B exposure, similar to
      Arabidopsis UVR8, but M. polymorpha UVR8 has weaker dimers and the proteins
      appear more constitutively nuclear. We conclude that liverwort and moss species
      produce functional UVR8 proteins. Although there are differences in expression
      and regulation of P. patens and M. polymorpha UVR8, the mechanism of UVR8 action
      is strongly conserved in evolution.

PMID- 28892173
TI  - Prevalence and diversity of rotavirus A genotypes cirulating in Turkey during a 2
      year sentinel surveillance period, 2014-2016.
AB  - Human rotavirus A (RVA) is the main etiological agent of watery diarrhea among
      children under 5 years of age worldwide. The aims of this study were to
      investigate the prevalence and diversity of RVA genotypes circulating in Turkey
      during a 2-year sentinel surveillance study. A total of 1639 rotavirus antigen
      positive stool samples were obtained from children younger than 5 years of age
      hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. Rotavirus G and P genotypes were
      determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with
      consensus primers for the VP7 and VP4 genes, followed by semi-nested type
      specific multiplex PCR. Rotavirus RNA was detected in 1396 (85.3%) of the samples
      tested. The highest detection rate (38.2%) was obtained among children in the 0
      12 months age group, followed by children in the 13-24 months age group (36.2%).
      The most prevalent genotype was G1P[8] (24.6%) followed by G3P[8] (19.6%), G9P[8]
      (12.2%), G2P[4] (9.5%), G2P[8] (6.5%), and G4P[8] (4.8%). The proportions of
      uncommon and mixed genotypes were 21.5% and 1.14%, respectively. The large number
      of genotypes observed, including common, uncommon, and mixed types, indicates a
      high heterogeneity of RVA strains circulating in Turkey. The current study also
      exhibited dramatic fluctuations on the prevalences of the common genotypes, with
      increases in G3 and G1 and decreases in G9 and G2 from 2014-2016.

PMID- 28892174
TI  - A quantitative comparison of the electrical and anatomical definition of the
      pulmonary vein ostium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anatomically guided pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the cornerstone
      of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. However, the position where to confirm
      electrical isolation is ill-defined. The aim of the current study was to quantify
      the relationship between the anatomical and electrical definition of the
      pulmonary vein ostium. METHODS: We analyzed 20 patients with paroxysmal AF
      undergoing PVI using radiofrequency energy and an electroanatomical mapping
      system. The anatomical ostium was defined based on the geometry obtained from
      preprocedural magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. The electrical
      ostium was defined at the position with a far-field atrial signal preceding a
      sharp pulmonary vein (PV) signal without any isoelectric interval in between.
      RESULTS: The electrically defined ostia were 8.4 +/- 4.7 mm more distal in the PV
      compared to the anatomically defined ostia. The distances varied considerably
      between the four PVs and were 10.5 +/- 6.5 mm, 7.4 +/- 4.3 mm, 5.3 +/- 4.0 mm,
      and 8.3 +/- 3.4 mm for the left superior, left inferior, right superior, and
      right inferior PVs, respectively (P  =  0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The position of the
      electrical and anatomical ostium differs markedly. The site of the electrical
      ostium is variable within the PV but always more distal in the PV compared to the
      site of the anatomical ostium.

PMID- 28892175
TI  - (Almost) forgetting to care: an unanticipated source of empathy loss in
      clerkship.
AB  - CONTEXT: The erosion of empathy in medical students is well documented. Both the
      hidden curriculum associated with poor role modelling and a sense of burnout have
      been proposed as key factors, but the precise mechanisms by which this loss of
      empathy occurs have not been elaborated. OBJECTIVES: In the context of a course
      designed to help students manage the hidden curriculum, we collected data that
      raised questions about current conceptualisations of the aspects of medical
      training that lead to loss of empathy. METHODS: We held nine sessions in the
      first year of clinical clerkship, in which we asked students to bring to the
      group their experiences of the hidden curriculum for reflection. Course sessions
      were recorded, transcribed and qualitatively analysed, and themes were generated
      for further exploration. RESULTS: We identified an identity developmental
      trajectory in early clerkship in which students started with feelings of
      excitement, transitioned quickly to 'shock and awe', progressed into 'survival
      mode' and then passed into a stage of 'recovery'. Interestingly, in the early
      stages, students' sense of empathic virtuosity was reinforced. It was not until
      later, when students were more comfortable in their clinical role, that they
      reported their tendency to connect with the patient only as an afterthought to
      the encounter, or not at all, and needed to remind themselves to care.
      CONCLUSIONS: We offer new data for consideration with regard to medical students'
      loss of empathy during early clinical training that suggest it is the process of
      making patient care routine that shifts the patient from the status of an
      individual with suffering to the object of the work of being a physician.

PMID- 28892176
TI  - The Role of Gesture in Supporting Mental Representations: The Case of Mental
      Abacus Arithmetic.
AB  - People frequently gesture when problem-solving, particularly on tasks that
      require spatial transformation. Gesture often facilitates task performance by
      interacting with internal mental representations, but how this process works is
      not well understood. We investigated this question by exploring the case of
      mental abacus (MA), a technique in which users not only imagine moving beads on
      an abacus to compute sums, but also produce movements in gestures that accompany
      the calculations. Because the content of MA is transparent and readily
      manipulated, the task offers a unique window onto how gestures interface with
      mental representations. We find that the size and number of MA gestures reflect
      the length and difficulty of math problems. Also, by selectively interfering with
      aspects of gesture, we find that participants perform significantly worse on MA
      under motor interference, but that perceptual feedback is not critical for
      success on the task. We conclude that premotor processes involved in the planning
      of gestures are critical to mental representation in MA.

PMID- 28892177
TI  - Lasioglossins LLIII affect the morphogenesis of Candida albicans and reduces the
      duration of experimental vaginal candidiasis in mice.
AB  - Lasioglossins are a group of peptides with identified antimicrobial activity. The
      inhibitory effects of two synthetic lasioglossin derivatives, LLIII and D
      isomeric variant LLIII-D, on morphological changes in Candida albicans in vitro
      and the effect of local administration of LLIII during experimental murine
      candidiasis were investigated. C. albicans blastoconidia were grown in the
      presence of lasioglossin LLIII or LLIII-D at concentrations of 11.5 MUM and 21
      MUM, respectively, for 1, 2 and 3 days and their viability determined by flow
      cytometry using eosin Y staining. Morphological changes were examined by light
      and fluorescent microscopy. The Candida-inhibitory effect of daily intravaginal
      administration of 0.7 or 1.4 MUg of LLIII was assessed in mice with
      experimentally-induced vaginal candidiasis. LLIII and LLIII-D lasioglossins
      exhibited candidacidal activity in vitro (>76% after 24 hr and >84% after 48 hr
      of incubation). After 72 hr incubation of Candida with low concentration of
      lasioglossins, an increase in viability was detected, probably due to a Candida
      antimicrobial peptides evasion strategy. Furthermore, lasioglossins inhibited
      temperature-induced morphotype changes toward hyphae and pseudohyphae with
      sporadic occurrence of atypical cells with two or enlarged nuclei, suggesting
      interference with mitosis or cytokinesis. Local application of LLIII reduced the
      duration of experimental candidiasis with no evidence of adverse effects.
      Lasioglossin LLIII is a promising candidate for development as an antimicrobial
      drug for treating the vaginal candidiasis.

PMID- 28892178
TI  - Review article: the diagnostic approach and current management of chylous
      ascites.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chylous ascites is rare, accounting for less than 1% of cases. An
      appropriate and stepwise approach to its diagnosis and management is of key
      importance. AIM: To review the current diagnostic approach and management of
      chylous ascites. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using PubMed using
      the key words 'chylous', 'ascites', 'cirrhosis', 'pathophysiology', 'nutritional
      therapy', 'paracentesis", "transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt" and
      "TIPSS'. Only articles in English were included. RESULTS: Chylous ascites is
      caused by the traumatic or obstructive disruption of the lymphatic system that
      leads to extravasation of thoracic or intestinal lymph into the abdominal space
      and the accumulation of a milky fluid rich in triglycerides. The most common
      causes are malignancy, cirrhosis and trauma after abdominal surgery. This
      condition can lead to chyle depletion, which results in nutritional, immunologic
      and metabolic deficiencies. An ascitic triglyceride concentration above 200 mg/dL
      is consistent with chylous ascites. Treatment is based on management of the
      underlying cause and nutritional support. CONCLUSIONS: Chylous ascites is mostly
      due to malignancy and cirrhosis in adults, and congenital lymphatic disorders in
      children. Treatment with nutritional optimization and management of the
      underlying etiology are the cornerstones of therapy. When conservative measures
      fail, other interventions such as octreotide/somatostatin analogues, surgical
      ligation, embolization and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in
      patients with cirrhosis can be considered.

PMID- 28892179
TI  - Behavioural and electrophysiological responses of Triatoma dimidiata nymphs to
      conspecific faecal volatiles.
AB  - The behavioural and electrophysiological (electroantennography) responses of the
      first two instars of Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Latreille to
      fresh and dry faecal headspace volatile extracts from fifth instar conspecific
      nymphs and synthetic compounds were analysed in this study. Recently emerged
      nymphs (3-5 days) aggregated around filter paper impregnated with dry faeces and
      around filter paper impregnated with extracts from both fresh and dry faeces.
      Older first instars (10-15 days) and second instars aggregated around filter
      paper impregnated with fresh and dry faeces, and their respective headspace
      extracts. Dry faecal volatile extracts elicited the strongest antennal responses,
      followed by fresh faecal extracts. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis
      of dried faecal headspace volatiles demonstrated the presence of 12 compounds: 2
      ethyl-1-hexanol, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, n-octadecane, n-nonadecane, n-eicosane,
      n-heneicosane, n-tricosane, n-pentaeicosane, n-hexaeicosane, n-octaeicosane,
      nonanal, and 4-methyl quinazoline. In fresh faecal headspace extracts, only
      nonanal was clearly detected, although there were other trace compounds,
      including several unidentified sesquiterpenes. Four of the 11 compounds tested
      individually elicited aggregation behaviour at concentrations of 100 ng/uL and 1
      ug/uL. A blend containing these four components also mediated the aggregation of
      nymphs. These volatiles may be valuable for developing monitoring methods and
      designing sensitive strategies to detect and measure T. dimidiata infestation.

PMID- 28892180
TI  - Long-term exposure to bisphenol S damages the visual system and reduces the
      tracking capability of male zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - Bisphenol S (BPS) is widely detected in aquatic environments and in human bodies.
      BPS has reproductive and thyroid disrupting effects, but its effect on the visual
      system remains unknown. In the present study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to
      BPS at concentrations of 1, 10, 100 and 1000 MUg l-1 until 120 days post
      fertilization in a semistatic system, and the effect of BPS on the visual
      behavior was examined using the optokinetic response and the optomotor response
      tests in male zebrafish. The retinal histology, mRNA expression of photoreceptor
      opsin genes (zfrho, zfblue, zfgr1, zfred and zfuv) and apoptosis-related genes
      (bax and bcl-2) were also assessed. Long-term BPS exposure decreased the tracking
      capability of male zebrafish, consistent with structural damage to the retina.
      BPS induced different amounts of vacuoles in the retinal pigment epithelium, and
      1000 MUg l-1 BPS exposure decreased the length of the inner plexiform layer,
      ganglion cell layer and retina, and induced an irregular arrangement of
      photoreceptor cells. The expression levels of the opsin genes (zfred, zfgr1 and
      zfrho) were significantly elevated, indicating an enhanced spectral sensitivity
      to red, green and dim light to compensate for the reduction of the optomotor
      response. Together, the results showed for the first time that long-term exposure
      to BPS damaged the structure of male zebrafish retina and reduced their tracking
      capability.

PMID- 28892181
TI  - The impact of obesity and timely antiviral administration on severe influenza
      outcomes among hospitalized adults.
AB  - Obesity was identified as a risk factor for severe influenza during the 2009
      influenza A(H1N1)pandemic, but evidence of this association has been mixed since.
      Post-pandemic antiviral treatment guidelines may have increased antiviral
      treatment among obese individuals. A prospective study of adults hospitalized
      with laboratory-confirmed influenza in Detroit, Michigan in 2011-2012 and 2012
      2013 was conducted. Patient information was collected from interviews and medical
      chart abstraction. Obese (BMI >= 30) and non-obese (BMI < 30) participants were
      compared. Late antiviral treatment (>2 days from symptom onset), obesity (30 <=
      BMI < 40), and morbid obesity (BMI >= 40) were evaluated as predictors of lower
      respiratory tract disease (LRD), ICU admission, and length of stay (LOS) using
      logistic regression and inverse probability weighted models. Forty-eight
      participants were included in the study after exclusions and all patients
      received antiviral treatment. Participants who were obese were significantly more
      likely to have a cough and to take steroids than non-obese participants, and had
      a shorter time from hospital admission to antiviral treatment (median time from
      admission to treatment of 0 days for obese patients and 1 day for non-obese
      patients [P = 0.001]). In all models, late antiviral treatment was associated
      with increased odds of LRD (OR: 3.9 [1.1,15.9] in fully adjusted model). After
      adjustment for treatment timing, the odds of ICU admission (OR: 6.4 [0.8,58.2] to
      7.9 [0.9, 87.1]) and LRD (OR: 3.3 [0.5, 23.5] to 4.0 [0.6, 35.0]) associated with
      morbid obesity increased. Obese individuals were treated with antivirals earlier
      than others. Late antiviral treatment was associated with severe influenza in the
      hospital.

PMID- 28892182
TI  - Health-related quality of life in patients with lymphoedema - a cross-sectional
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lymphoedema may cause complex problems that can strongly influence
      patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The main purpose of this study
      was to investigate the impact of lymphoedema on HRQoL in patients with varying
      forms of lymphoedema. METHODS: The Lymphoedema Quality of Life Inventory (LyQLI),
      measuring three domains, physical, psychosocial and practical, and the Short Form
      36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36), measuring eight health domains, were sent
      to 200 lymphoedema patients. Out of those who answered both questionnaires, 88
      patients had lymphoedema secondary to cancer treatment and they additionally
      received the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-General (FACT-G). The
      relation between continuous variables and the three domains were analysed by
      Spearman's correlation coefficients, and Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyse
      categorical variables. RESULTS: Altogether 129 patients completed the LyQLI and
      SF-36 and 79 of them also completed FACT-G. Twenty per cent had a high mean score
      (>=2.0) in at least one domain of the LyQLI, thus having a low HRQoL. Lower HRQoL
      was found in the practical domain of LyQLI in patients with lower limb
      lymphoedema compared to patient with lymphoedema in upper limb or head/neck (p =
      0.002) and in patients working part-time compared to patients working full-time
      (p = 0.005). The impact on HRQoL tended to decrease with age, with a significant
      correlation in the psychosocial domain (rs = 0.194, p = 0.028). Compared with the
      general Swedish population, patients with lymphoedema scored significantly lower
      in general health (p = 0.006), vitality (p = 0.002) and social functioning (p =
      0.025) assessed by the SF-36. From a cancer-specific view, HRQoL was similar to
      other Swedish studies using the FACT-G. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that
      about 20% of the patients with lymphoedema had major impact on their HRQoL. More
      effort and research is needed to identify, understand and support groups of
      patients with severe lymphoedema-related problems.

PMID- 28892183
TI  - Histopathologic features of cutaneous leishmaniasis and use of CD1a staining for
      amastigotes in Old World and New World leishmaniasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Positive CD1a staining of Leishmania has been reported in Old World
      leishmaniasis, but the sensitivity of such staining for other Leishmania species
      is unknown. METHODS: A retrospective review was done on skin biopsies of proven
      cutaneous leishmaniasis based on histology, immunohistochemistry, culture and/or
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We assessed the pattern of inflammation present
      and assessed for CD1a (MTB1 clone) positivity in amastigotes. Patients without a
      clearly documented travel history to delineate Old vs New World leishmaniasis and
      cases without tissue for CD1a staining were excluded. RESULTS: Various patterns
      of granulomatous inflammation were observed including sarcoidal (31%), diffuse
      (25%), suppurative and granulomatous (25%), palisaded (13%) and lichenoid (6%).
      CD1a staining was positive in amastigotes in 9 of 16 cases (56%). Five of 7 (71%)
      cases of Old World disease were CD1a positive, while 4 of 9 cases (44%) of New
      World cases were positive. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple patterns of granulomatous
      inflammation occur in cutaneous leishmaniasis. Our results confirm CD1a (MTB1
      clone) can be a diagnostic adjunct to highlight amastigotes in biopsies of
      cutaneous leishmaniasis, with variable positivity in both Old World and New World
      forms of the disease. As 44% of cases were CD1a negative in our cohort, there are
      significant limitations to this screening approach.

PMID- 28892184
TI  - Systematic review with meta-analysis: the global recurrence rate of Helicobacter
      pylori.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Up-to-date information regarding the recurrence rate of Helicobacter
      pylori (H. pylori) after eradication therapy is not available. AIM: To evaluate
      the global recurrence rate following H. pylori eradication therapy and confirm
      its association with socioeconomic and sanitary conditions. METHODS: A systematic
      search of PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane library was performed to identify
      potentially relevant publications using the following keywords: "Helicobacter
      pylori" or "H. pylori" or "Hp" and "recurrence" or "recrudescence" or
      "reinfection" or "recurrent" or "recurred" or "re-infect*" or "relapse*."
      RESULTS: A total of 132 studies (53 934 patient-years) were analysed. Each study
      was weighted according to the duration of patient-years. The global annual
      recurrence, reinfection and recrudescence rate of H. pylori were 4.3% (95% CI, 4
      5), 3.1% (95% CI, 2-5) and 2.2% (95% CI, 1-3), respectively. The H. pylori
      recurrence rate was inversely related to the human development index (HDI) (ie,
      3.1% [95% CI, 2-4], 6.2% [95% CI, 4-8] and 10.9% [95% CI, 6-18] in countries with
      a very high, high and medium or low HDI) (P <.01) and directly related to H.
      pylori prevalence (10.9% [95% CI, 7-16], 3.7% [95% CI, 3-5], 3.4% [95% CI, 2-5]
      and 1.6% [95% CI, 0.5-3] in countries with a very high, high, medium or low local
      H. pylori prevalence) (P <.01). Global recurrence rates remained relatively
      stable between 1990s, 2000s and 2010s but varied across different regions (P
      <.05). CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori recurrence remains a problem closely associated
      with socioeconomic and sanitary conditions. Methods to reduce recurrence in
      developing countries are needed.

PMID- 28892185
TI  - Prevalence, comorbidities and mortality of toxic shock syndrome in children and
      adults in the USA.
AB  - Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a superantigen-mediated illness, is characterized by
      rash, hypotension and multi-organ dysfunction. Predictors of TSS and related
      morbidity and mortality are poorly defined. In this study, data on 61,959,084
      hospitalizations from the 2003-2012 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a 20% stratified
      sample of US hospitalizations, were analyzed and ICD-9-CM coding used to identify
      4491 hospitalizations with a diagnosis of TSS. Incidence, in-hospital mortality
      rate, comorbidities, length of stay and costs of care attributable to TSS were
      determined. In multivariate survey logistic regression models, TSS was associated
      with female sex (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.54 [1.48
      1.60]), younger age (0-17 years, 2.17 [2.06-2.29]; 40-59: 0.53 [0.50-0.56]; 60
      79: 0.28 [0.26-0.30]; 80+: 0.13 [0.11-0.14] compared with 18-39) and
      race/ethnicity (black, 0.63 [0.59-0.67]; Hispanic: 0.60 [0.56-0.64]; Asian, 1.11
      [1.00-1.11]; and other, 0.83 [0.75-0.92] compared with white). Patients with TSS
      had a three-fold greater cost of care (mean: $36,656 +/- 942) and length of stay
      (LOS) (mean: 10.65 +/- 0.23 days) than patients without TSS. Shared predictors of
      increased LOS and costs in patients with TSS were male sex; age 40-79 years;
      Black, Hispanic, Asian and other race/ethnicity; and more than one chronic
      condition. Predictors of in-hospital mortality included respiratory failure
      (13.66 [11.37-16.43]), liver disease/failure (3.36 [2.59-4.34]), chickenpox
      (91.26 [27.74-300.25]), coagulopathy (2.14 [1.85-2.48]), and higher age. In
      conclusion, there are significant racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and comorbid
      disparities in the incidence and mortality of TSS in adults and children in the
      USA.

PMID- 28892186
TI  - Investigating the impact of innate dexterity skills and visuospatial aptitude on
      the performance of baseline laparoscopic skills in veterinary students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if manual dexterity and visuospatial skills can be used
      to predict baseline laparoscopic surgery skills in veterinary students. STUDY
      DESIGN: Pilot study. METHODS: Veterinary students (n = 45) from years 1-4
      volunteered for this study. An hour-long electronic questionnaire was completed
      by participants. The first section was used to collect demographics and
      information about prior nonsurgical experiences. The second section included 3
      tests of visuospatial skills, including the Purdue Visualization of Rotations
      Test, Mental Rotations Test, and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test.
      Multiple tests were administered to assess innate dexterity, including the
      grooved pegboard test, indirect and direct zigzag tracking tests, and the
      3Dconnexion proficiency test. Each dexterity test was performed once with the
      left hand and once with the right hand. The order of task performance was
      randomized. Basic laparoscopic skills were assessed using the validated
      fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) peg transfer task. RESULTS: There was
      an association between left-handed grooved pegboard scores (95% CI -10046.36 to 
      1636.53, P-value = .008) and left-handed indirect zigzag tracking task (95% CI 
      35.78 to -8.20, P-value = .003) with FLS peg transfer scores. Individuals who
      reported playing videogames achieved higher scores on the FLS peg transfer task
      than those without videogame experience (95% CI 583.59 to 3509.97, P-value =
      .007). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that dexterity was a better
      predictor of baseline laparoscopic skills than visuospatial skills in veterinary
      students.

PMID- 28892187
TI  - Patient satisfaction with health care services at a national institute of
      ophthalmology.
AB  - Little is known about how patients in developing countries, such as Vietnam, are
      satisfied with eye care services. The purpose of this study was to assess the
      satisfaction with health services and its associated factors among patients
      attending a national institute of ophthalmology in Vietnam. In a cross-sectional
      study utilizing quantitative methods, 500 inpatients and their relatives
      attending a national institute of ophthalmology in Vietnam were approached for
      data collection. The results indicated that under 50% of the patients were
      satisfied with eye care services. However, when classified by level of
      satisfaction, only 6.8% were very satisfied with all domains of care. There was
      no significant difference in satisfaction by gender and income, while significant
      differences by department, residence, and education were found. Patients who were
      from rural areas, were better educated, and used the services of the glaucoma
      department, were more satisfied with eye care than those from urban areas, were
      less educated, and used the services of treatment-on-demand department.
      Multivariable regression detected 2 main factors, gender and location, associated
      with patient satisfaction. Patients who were female and came from rural and
      remote areas were more likely to be satisfied than patients who were male and
      living in urban areas. The study suggests that to continue to improve health care
      quality, it is important to eliminate differences in providing eye care services
      regardless of whether patients are male or female, and whether they come from a
      rural or urban area.

PMID- 28892188
TI  - Person-centred climate and psychometrical exploration of person-centredness and
      among patients not conveyed by the Ambulance Care Service.
AB  - BACKGROUND: What already is known is that as many as 50% of all Swedish Ambulance
      Care Service assignments are considered as non-emergency. Therefore, due to
      medical protocols and triage system, patients are refused conveyance to the
      Accident and Emergency Department by the Ambulance Care Service. AIM: The aim of
      this study was to psychometrically explore the construct validity of a possible
      dimension of person-centredness, developed from a previous published qualitative
      study in a nonemergency ambulance care context. A second aim was to explore
      patients' experiences of the person-centred climate and to explore possible
      relationship between it and person-centredness. DESIGN/METHODS: A retrospective,
      explorative, cross-sectional survey design with a convenience sample was
      employed. A total of 111 questionnaires were analysed using descriptive and
      comparative statistics. An explanatory factor analysis was also conducted.
      FINDINGS: A one-factor solution for the specific items possibly constructing
      person-centredness was found. The responses to the Person-centred Climate
      Questionnaire-Patient version (PCQ-P) revealed that the climate was received as
      highly person-centred. Relationships were found between the specific items
      possibly constructing person-centredness and PCQ-P. CONCLUSION: A highly valid
      construct of person-centredness exists within nonurgent Ambulance Care Service
      assignments comprising eight aspects of being taken seriously. The climate in
      which nonemergency ambulance care is provided has great potential to facilitate
      person-centredness by means of taking patients seriously. The psychosocial
      aspects of PCQ-P and person-centredness are somewhat related to each other.

PMID- 28892189
TI  - Sensitive community responses of microbiota to copper in sediment toxicity test.
AB  - Sediment contamination is widespread and can be toxic to aquatic ecosystems and
      impair human health. Despite their significant ecological function, meio- and
      microbiota in aquatic ecosystems have been poorly studied in conventional
      sediment ecotoxicity tests because of the difficulty in sample collecting and
      identification. In the present study, a novel DNA metabarcoding method was used
      to assess the effects of spiked copper (Cu) on benthic eukaryotic and prokaryotic
      communities in laboratory sediment toxicity tests with macroinvertebrates, the
      chironomid Chironomus tepperi and the amphipod Austrochiltonia subtenuis. In
      addition to the obvious toxic effects to experimental animals, microbiota
      (bacteria, protists, algae, and fungi) were significantly altered by spiked Cu in
      the sediments. The phylogenetic diversity of eukaryotic communities was decreased
      after spiked-Cu exposure. Even a low-spiked Cu treatment (125 mg/kg) altered
      structures of eukaryotic and prokaryotic communities in the amphipod experiment.
      The present study demonstrates that measuring microbiota communities will expand
      our understanding of the influences of contaminants on aquatic ecosystems.
      Particularly, the alterations of phylogenetic biodiversity of eukaryotic
      communities and the structure of sedimentary communities are sensitive indicators
      for sediment contamination, which can be incorporated in the monitoring and
      assessment of sediment quality. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:599-608. (c) 2017
      SETAC.

PMID- 28892190
TI  - Parasitemia due to Sarcocystis neurona-like infection in a clinically ill
      domestic cat.
AB  - An 8-year-old, 6-kg, male neutered Domestic Shorthair cat was presented to The
      Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center (OSU-VMC) for difficulty
      breathing. Physical examination and thoracic radiographs indicated pneumonia, a
      soft-tissue mass in the left caudal lung lobe, and diffuse pleural effusion. The
      effusion was classified as modified transudate. Rare extracellular elongated (~5
      7 MUm * 1-2 MUm) zoites with a central round to oval-shaped purple to deep purple
      vesicular nucleus with coarsely stippled chromatin and light blue cytoplasm were
      seen on a peripheral blood smear. Serum IgG and IgM were positive for Sarcocystis
      sp. antibodies and negative for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies, suggesting that the
      infection was acute rather than a recrudescence of prior infection. This organism
      was most consistent with either Sarcocystis neurona or Sarcocystis dasypi based
      on DNA sequence analysis of PCR products using COC ssRNA, ITS-1, snSAG2, and
      JNB25/JD396 primer sets. This is the first report to visualize by light
      microscopy circulating Sarcocystis sp. merozoites in the peripheral blood of a
      domestic cat. Therefore, Sarcocystis should be considered as a differential
      diagnosis in cats with suspected systemic protozoal infection.

PMID- 28892191
TI  - Psychometric evaluation of a motor control test battery of the craniofacial
      region.
AB  - The primary objective of this study was to determine the structural and known
      group validity as well as the inter-rater reliability of a test battery to
      evaluate the motor control of the craniofacial region. Seventy volunteers without
      TMD and 25 subjects with TMD (Axes I) per the DC/TMD were asked to execute a test
      battery consisting of eight tests. The tests were video-taped in the same
      sequence in a standardised manner. Two experienced physical therapists
      participated in this study as blinded assessors. We used exploratory factor
      analysis to identify the underlying component structure of the eight tests.
      Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), inter-rater reliability (intra-class
      correlation coefficient) and construct validity (ie, hypothesis testing-known
      group validity) (receiver operating curves) were also explored for the test
      battery. The structural validity showed the presence of one factor underlying the
      construct of the test battery. The internal consistency was excellent (0.90) as
      well as the inter-rater reliability. All values of reliability were close to 0.9
      or above indicating very high inter-rater reliability. The area under the curve
      (AUC) was 0.93 for rater 1 and 0.94 for rater two, respectively, indicating
      excellent discrimination between subjects with TMD and healthy controls. The
      results of the present study support the psychometric properties of test battery
      to measure motor control of the craniofacial region when evaluated through
      videotaping. This test battery could be used to differentiate between healthy
      subjects and subjects with musculoskeletal impairments in the cervical and oro
      facial regions. In addition, this test battery could be used to assess the
      effectiveness of management strategies in the craniofacial region.

PMID- 28892192
TI  - Estimating activity of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) using accelerometers.
AB  - Accelerometers have been used to study both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife,
      mainly for mammal and bird species. In terrestrial mammals, there is a bias
      toward ungulates and carnivores, with fewer studies on nonhuman primates. In this
      study, we tested the use of accelerometers for studying the activity of Japanese
      macaques (Macaca fuscata). We modeled the activity of a male and a female subject
      by matching continuous focal observations from video recordings to sensor
      parameters derived from collar-mounted accelerometers. Models achieved
      classification performance (AUC) of greater than 90% for both subjects, with
      similar results when subjects were cross-validated. Accelerometer-based estimates
      of activity had comparable accuracies to estimates from instantaneous sampling at
      1 min and 5 min intervals. We further demonstrated the use of model estimates for
      analyzing circadian rhythm and night time activity of M. fuscata. Our results add
      support to the feasibility of using accelerometers for studying activity of
      nonhuman primates. We discussed the limitations, benefits and potential
      applications of remote-sensing technology like accelerometers for advancing
      primalotogical studies.

PMID- 28892193
TI  - Direct Observations of the Formation and Redox-Mediator-Assisted Decomposition of
      Li2 O2 in a Liquid-Cell Li-O2 Microbattery by Scanning Transmission Electron
      Microscopy.
AB  - Operando scanning transmission electron microscopy observations of cathodic
      reactions in a liquid-cell Li-O2 microbattery in the presence of the redox
      mediator tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) in 1.0 m LiClO4 dissolved dimethyl sulfoxide
      electrolyte are reported. It is found that the TTF addition does not obviously
      affect the discharge reaction for the formation of a solid Li2 O2 phase. The
      coarsening of Li2 O2 nanoparticles occurs via both conventional Ostwald ripening
      and nonclassical crystallization by particle attachment. During charging, the
      oxidation reaction at significantly reduced charge potentials mainly takes place
      at Li2 O2 /electrolyte interfaces and has obvious correspondence with the
      oxidized TTF+ distributions in the electric fields of the charged electrode. This
      study provides direct evidence that TTF truly plays a role in promoting the
      decomposition of Li2 O2 as a soluble charge-transfer agent between the electrode
      and the Li2 O2 .

PMID- 28892195
TI  - Metal-Free Carbon Materials for CO2 Electrochemical Reduction.
AB  - The rapid increase of the CO2 concentration in the Earth's atmosphere has
      resulted in numerous environmental issues, such as global warming, ocean
      acidification, melting of the polar ice, rising sea level, and extinction of
      species. To search for suitable and capable catalytic systems for CO2 conversion,
      electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2 RR) holds great promise. Emerging
      heterogeneous carbon materials have been considered as promising metal-free
      electrocatalysts for the CO2 RR, owing to their abundant natural resources,
      tailorable porous structures, resistance to acids and bases, high-temperature
      stability, and environmental friendliness. They exhibit remarkable CO2 RR
      properties, including catalytic activity, long durability, and high selectivity.
      Here, various carbon materials (e.g., carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene,
      diamond, nanoporous carbon, and graphene dots) with heteroatom doping (e.g., N,
      S, and B) that can be used as metal-free catalysts for the CO2 RR are
      highlighted. Recent advances regarding the identification of active sites for the
      CO2 RR and the pathway of reduction of CO2 to the final product are
      comprehensively reviewed. Additionally, the emerging challenges and some
      perspectives on the development of heteroatom-doped carbon materials as metal
      free electrocatalysts for the CO2 RR are included.

PMID- 28892194
TI  - Roll-to-Roll Production of Transparent Silver-Nanofiber-Network Electrodes for
      Flexible Electrochromic Smart Windows.
AB  - Electrochromic smart windows (ECSWs) are considered as the most promising
      alternative to traditional dimming devices. However, the electrode technology in
      ECSWs remains stagnant, wherein inflexible indium tin oxide and fluorine-doped
      tin oxide are the main materials being used. Although various complicated
      production methods, such as high-temperature calcination and sputtering, have
      been reported, the mass production of flexible and transparent electrodes remains
      challenging. Here, a nonheated roll-to-roll process is developed for the
      continuous production of flexible, extralarge, and transparent silver nanofiber
      (AgNF) network electrodes. The optical and mechanical properties, as well as the
      electrical conductivity of these products (i.e., 12 Omega sq-1 at 95%
      transmittance) are comparable with those AgNF networks produced via high
      temperature sintering. Moreover, the as-prepared AgNF network is successfully
      assembled into an A4-sized ECSW with short switching time, good coloration
      efficiency, and flexibility.

PMID- 28892196
TI  - Effect of biomechanical stress on endogenous antioxidant networks in bovine
      articular cartilage.
AB  - Mechanosensitve pathways in chondrocytes are essential for maintaining articular
      cartilage homeostasis. Traumatic loading increases cartilage oxidation and causes
      cell death and osteoarthritis. However, sub-lethal doses of the pro-oxidant
      molecule tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) protects against loading-induced
      chondrocyte death. We hypothesized that compressive cyclic loading at moderate
      strains (<20%) causes sub-lethal cartilage oxidation that induces an adaptive
      increase in the endogenous antioxidant defense network. We tested this hypothesis
      by subjecting healthy bovine articular cartilage explants to in vitro static or
      cyclic (1 Hz) compressive loading at 50 kPa (15% strain, "physiologic") versus
      300 kPa (40% strain, "hyper-physiologic") for 12 h per day for 2 days. We also
      treated unloaded explants with 100 MUM tBHP for 12 h per day for 2 days to
      differentiate between biomechanical and chemical pro-oxidant stimulation. All
      loading conditions induced glutathione oxidation relative to unloaded controls,
      but only the 50 kPa cyclic loading condition increased total glutathione content
      (twofold). This increase was associated with a greater expression of glutamate
      cysteine ligase, the rate-limiting step in glutathione synthesis, compared to 300
      kPa cyclic loading. 50 kPa cyclic loading also increased the expression of
      superoxide dismutase-1 and peroxiredoxin-3. Like 50 kPa loading, tBHP treatment
      also increased total glutathione content. However, tBHP treatment and 50 kPa
      cyclic loading differed in their effect on the expression of genes regulating
      antioxidant defense and cartilage matrix synthesis and degradation. These
      findings suggest that glutathione metabolism is a mechanosensitive antioxidant
      defense pathway in chondrocytes and that intermittent pro-oxidant treatment alone
      is insufficient to account for all changes in mediators of cartilage homeostasis
      associated with cyclic loading. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published
      by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:760-769, 2018.

PMID- 28892197
TI  - Aspirin is an enhancing factor for food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis in
      children.

PMID- 28892198
TI  - Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Bearing Glyoxylic Aldehyde as
      Clickable Platform Towards Multivalent Conjugates.
AB  - The straightforward access to octafunctional "cubic" silsesquioxane platform
      grafter with pendant glyoxylic aldehydes is described. This clickable hybrid
      platform readily reacts with oxyamine or hydrazide compounds to provide,
      respectively, oxime and acylhydrazone conjugates, thereby offering a new and
      effective access from which one can elaborate multivalent systems for the
      targeting of biomolecules of interest.

PMID- 28892199
TI  - Photoredox Catalysis with Metal Complexes Made from Earth-Abundant Elements.
AB  - Photoredox chemistry with metal complexes as sensitizers and catalysts frequently
      relies on precious elements such as ruthenium or iridium. Over the past 5 years,
      important progress towards the use of complexes made from earth-abundant elements
      in photoredox catalysis has been made. This review summarizes the advances made
      with photoactive CrIII , FeII , CuI , ZnII , ZrIV , Mo0 , and UVI complexes in
      the context of synthetic organic photoredox chemistry using visible light as an
      energy input. Mechanistic considerations are combined with discussions of
      reaction types and scopes. Perspectives for the future of the field are discussed
      against the background of recent significant developments of new photoactive
      metal complexes made from earth-abundant elements.

PMID- 28892200
TI  - Shorter Exciton Lifetimes via an External Heavy-Atom Effect: Alleviating the
      Effects of Bimolecular Processes in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.
AB  - Multiexcited-state phenomena are believed to be the root cause of two exigent
      challenges in organic light-emitting diodes; namely, efficiency roll-off and
      degradation. The development of novel strategies to reduce exciton densities
      under heavy load is therefore highly desirable. Here, it is shown that triplet
      exciton lifetimes of thermally activated delayed-fluorescence-emitter molecules
      can be manipulated in the solid state by exploiting intermolecular interactions.
      The external heavy-atom effect of brominated host molecules leads to increased
      spin-orbit coupling, which in turn enhances intersystem crossing rates in the
      guest molecule. Wave function overlap between the host and the guest is confirmed
      by combined molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations.
      Shorter triplet exciton lifetimes are observed, while high photoluminescence
      quantum yields and essentially unaltered emission spectra are maintained. A
      change in the intersystem crossing rate ratio due to increased dielectric
      constants leads to almost 50% lower triplet exciton densities in the emissive
      layer in the steady state and results in an improved onset of the
      photoluminescence quantum yield roll-off at high excitation densities. Efficient
      organic light-emitting diodes with better roll-off behavior based on these novel
      hosts are fabricated, demonstrating the suitability of this concept for real
      world applications.

PMID- 28892201
TI  - Two BRM promoter polymorphisms predict poor survival in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Polymorphisms in the promoter of the BRM gene, a critical subunit of the
      chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex, have previously been implicated in risk and
      prognosis in Caucasian-predominant lung, head and neck, esophageal, and
      pancreatic cancers, and in hepatocellular cancers in Asians. We investigated the
      role of these polymorphisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk and prognosis.
      HCC cases were recruited in a comprehensive cancer center while the matched
      controls were recruited from family practice units from the same catchment area.
      For risk analyses, unconditional logistic regression analyses were performed in
      HCC patients and matched healthy controls. Overall survival analyses were
      performed using Cox proportional hazard models, Kaplan-Meier curves, and log-rank
      tests. In 266 HCC cases and 536 controls, no association between either BRM
      promoter polymorphism (BRM-741 or BRM-1321) and risk of HCC was identified (P >
      0.10 for all comparisons). There was significant worsening of overall survival as
      the number of variant alleles increased: BRM-741 per variant allele adjusted
      hazards ratio (aHR) 5.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.89-11.54 and BRM-1321
      per variant allele aHR 4.09, 95%CI 2.22-7.51. The effects of these two
      polymorphisms were at least additive, where individuals who were double
      homozygotes for the variant alleles had a 45-fold increase in risk of death when
      compared to those who were double wild-type for the two polymorphisms. Two BRM
      promoter polymorphisms were strongly associated with HCC prognosis but were not
      associated with increased HCC susceptibility. The association was strongest in
      double homozygotes for the allele variants.

PMID- 28892203
TI  - Intraflap anastomoses for separated bone and cutaneous pedicle vascular anomaly
      in a chimeric medial femoral condyle flap.

PMID- 28892202
TI  - Syringomyelia and Craniocervical Junction Abnormalities in Chihuahuas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) are widely
      reported in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Griffon Bruxellois dogs.
      Increasing evidence indicates that CM and SM also occur in other small and toy
      breed dogs, such as Chihuahuas. OBJECTIVES: To describe the presence of SM and
      craniocervical junction (CCJ) abnormalities in Chihuahuas and to evaluate the
      possible association of CCJ abnormalities with SM. To describe CM/SM-related
      clinical signs and neurologic deficits and to investigate the association of
      CM/SM-related clinical signs with signalment, SM, or CCJ abnormalities. ANIMALS:
      Fifty-three client-owned Chihuahuas. METHODS: Prospective study. Questionnaire
      analyses and physical and neurologic examinations were obtained before magnetic
      resonance and computed tomography imaging. Images were evaluated for the presence
      of SM, CM, and atlantooccipital overlapping. Additionally, medullary kinking,
      dorsal spinal cord compression, and their sum indices were calculated. RESULTS:
      Scratching was the most common CM/SM-related clinical sign and decreased postural
      reaction the most common neurologic deficit in 73 and 87% of dogs, respectively.
      Chiari-like malformation and SM were present in 100 and 38% of dogs,
      respectively. Syringomyelia was associated with the presence of CM/SM-related
      clinical signs (P = 0.034), and medullary kinking and sum indices were higher in
      dogs with clinical signs (P = 0.016 and P = 0.007, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND
      CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Syringomyelia and CCJ abnormalities are prevalent in
      Chihuahuas. Syringomyelia was an important factor for the presence of CM/SM
      related clinical signs, but many dogs suffered from similar clinical signs
      without being affected by SM, highlighting the clinical importance of CCJ
      abnormalities in Chihuahuas.

PMID- 28892204
TI  - Crude oil toxicity to fiddler crabs (Uca longisignalis and Uca panacea) from the
      northern Gulf of Mexico: Impacts on bioturbation, oxidative stress, and histology
      of the hepatopancreas.
AB  - The intensive drilling and extraction of fossil fuels in the Gulf of Mexico
      result in a considerable risk of oil spills impacting its coastal ecosystems.
      Impacts are more likely to be far-reaching if the oil affects ecosystem engineers
      like fiddler crabs, whose activities modify biogeochemical processes in the
      sediment. The present study investigated effects of oil on the fiddler crabs Uca
      longisignalis and Uca panacea, which are important as ecosystem engineers and as
      prey for a wide variety of species. The present study used mesocosms and
      microcosms to investigate the effects of crude oil on fiddler crab burrowing and
      to assess cellular and tissue damage by the oil. Fiddler crabs were exposed for
      periods of 5 or 10 d to oil concentrations up to 55 mg/cm2 on the sediment
      surface. Their burrowing was delayed, their burrows were smaller, and they
      transported less sediment in the presence of oil. The hepatopancreas had elevated
      levels of oxidative stress and a higher abundance of blister cells, which play a
      role in secretory processes. Interspecific differences were observed; most
      effects were strongest in U. panacea, though burrowing was more strongly affected
      in U. longisignalis. The present study demonstrates that crude oil is likely to
      impact fiddler crabs and many species that depend on them for their diet or for
      the ecological changes that result from their burrowing. Environ Toxicol Chem
      2018;37:491-500. (c) 2017 SETAC.

PMID- 28892205
TI  - Desoxycorticosterone Pivalate Duration of Action and Individualized Dosing
      Intervals in Dogs with Primary Hypoadrenocorticism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinicians alter dosing for desoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP) to
      mitigate costs, but this practice has not been critically evaluated in a
      prospective clinical trial. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The duration of action of DOCP
      is longer than 30 days in dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism (PH). ANIMALS: A
      total of 53 client-owned dogs with PH. Twenty-four dogs with newly diagnosed PH
      (Group 1) and 29 dogs with treated PH (Group 2). METHODS: Prospective,
      multicenter, clinical trial. For phase I, DOCP was administered and plasma sodium
      and potassium concentrations were measured until the dog developed hyponatremia
      or hyperkalemia at a planned evaluation, or displayed clinical signs with plasma
      electrolyte concentrations outside of the reference interval independent of a
      planned evaluation, thus defining DOCP duration of action. Plasma electrolyte
      concentrations then were assessed at the end of the individualized dosing
      interval (IDI; i.e., DOCP duration of action minus 7 days, phase II and at least
      3 months after concluding phase II, phase III). RESULTS: The duration of action
      of DOCP in dogs in phase I with naive PH (n = 24) ranged from 32 to 94 days
      (median, 62 days; 95% confidence interval [CI], 57, 65) and previously treated PH
      (n = 29) from 41 to 124 days (median, 67 days; CI, 56, 72). Overall, the final
      DOCP dosing interval for all dogs that completed phase II (n = 36) ranged from 38
      days to 90 days (median, 58 days; CI, 53, 61). No dog that completed phase III (n
      = 15) required reduction in the IDI. The DOCP duration of action, independent of
      group, was not significantly associated with several baseline variables. The
      median drug cost reduction using IDI was approximately 57.5% per year. CONCLUSION
      AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The duration of action of DOCP in dogs with PH is >30
      days, and plasma sodium and potassium concentrations can be maintained with an
      IDI >30 days long term.

PMID- 28892206
TI  - IL-33 and IgE stimulate mast cell production of IL-2 and regulatory T cell
      expansion in allergic dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that mast cells (MCs) suppress chronic
      allergic dermatitis in mice. The underlying mechanism involves MC-derived IL-2,
      which supports regulatory T cell (Treg) response at the site of inflammation.
      However, it is not clear what are the factors that drive MCs to produce IL-2.
      OBJECTIVE: To understand the mechanisms that lead to IL-2 production from MCs in
      chronic allergic dermatitis. METHODS: Isolated murine bone marrow-derived MCs
      (BMMCs) were incubated with various stimulators, and IL-2 production was assessed
      by RT-PCR and ELISA. The response of signalling pathways was evaluated by MAPK
      inhibitors and Western blot analysis. The effect of MC-IL-2 on Tregs was studied
      by incubation of splenic T cells with conditioned media obtained from activated
      BMMCs. Dermatitis was elicited by repeated exposures of mouse ears to oxazolone.
      MCs in mouse and human skin samples were evaluated by immunostaining. RESULTS:
      BMMCs released IL-2 in response to IL-33, and IL-2 production was further
      enhanced by concomitant FcepsilonRI activation. The effect of IL-33 was mediated
      by activation of the MAPK family members. IL-2 in conditioned media from IL-33
      and IgE-stimulated BMMCs led to considerable expansion of Tregs in vitro. IL-33
      levels were elevated in oxazolone-challenged ears along with increased numbers of
      IL-2-expressing MCs. Human skin with chronic inflammation also contained IL-2
      expressing MCs that colocalized with IL-33 staining in the dermis. CONCLUSIONS:
      IL-33, in collaboration with IgE, is critical for MC-IL-2 production in allergic
      skin disease, thus leading to Treg stimulation and suppression of allergic
      dermatitis.

PMID- 28892207
TI  - Topological Design of Ultrastrong and Highly Conductive Graphene Films.
AB  - Nacre-like graphene films are prepared by evaporation-induced assembly of
      graphene oxide dispersions containing small amounts of cellulose nanocrystal
      (CNC), followed by chemical reduction with hydroiodic acid. CNC induces the
      formation of wrinkles on graphene sheets, greatly enhancing the mechanical
      properties of the resultant graphene films. The graphene films deliver an
      ultrahigh tensile strength of 765 +/- 43 MPa (up to 800 MPa in some cases), a
      large failure strain of 6.22 +/- 0.19%, and a superior toughness of 15.64 +/-
      2.20 MJ m-3 , as well as a high electrical conductivity of 1105 +/- 17 S cm-1 .
      They have a great potential for applications in flexible electronics because of
      their combined excellent mechanical and electrical properties.

PMID- 28892208
TI  - Perspectives of oncology nurses and oncologists regarding barriers to working
      with patients from a minority background: Systemic issues and working with
      interpreters.
AB  - This study aimed to ascertain the systemic barriers encountered by oncology
      health professionals (HPs) working with patients from ethnic minorities to guide
      the development of a communication skills training programme. Twelve medical and
      five radiation oncologists and 21 oncology nurses were invited to participate in
      this qualitative study. Participants were interviewed individually or in a focus
      group about their experiences working with people from minority backgrounds. All
      interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. HPs encountered
      language and communication barriers in their interactions with patients and their
      families, which were perceived to impact negatively on the quality and amount of
      information and support provided. There was a shortage of, and poor processes for
      engaging, interpreters and some HPs were concerned about the accuracy of
      interpretation. HPs expressed a need for training in cultural awareness and
      communication skills with a preference for face-to-face delivery. A lack of
      funding, a culture of "learning on the job", and time constraints were systemic
      barriers to training. Oncologists and oncology nurses encounter complex
      challenges in clinical interactions with minority patients and their families,
      including difficulties working with interpreters. Formal training programmes
      targeted to the development of culturally competent communication skills are
      required.

PMID- 28892210
TI  - Myoma and myomectomy: Poor evidence concern in pregnancy.
AB  - AIM: Summarize the results of the many, but often underpowered, studies on
      pregnancy complicated by myoma or myomectomy. METHODS: Survey of the electronic
      PubMed database for the last two decades was conducted. We selected reviews, meta
      analyses, case series, case reports, clinical studies only with statistical
      analysis, and guidelines from scientific societies. RESULTS: Delaying
      childbearing leads to an increased incidence of pregnancy complicated by fibroids
      or previous myomectomy. Approximately 10-30% of pregnant women with myomas
      develop complications during gestation, at delivery and in puerperium.
      Submucosal, retroplacental, large and multiple myomas have a greater risk of
      complications. Cervical myomas, although rare, need careful management. The
      location and size of the fibroids should be assessed from the first trimester.
      Despite the increased risk of cesarean section, fibroids are not a
      contraindication to labor, unless they obstruct the birth canal or other
      obstetric conditions coexist. Myomectomy during pregnancy, in selected cases, is
      feasible and safe. Myomectomy cannot be considered a prophylactic measure prior
      to conception, but has to be individualized. Uterine rupture after myomectomy
      generally occurs in the third trimester or during labor and some associated risk
      factors have been identified. There is no consensus on the optimal interval
      between myomectomy and conception. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy in patients with
      fibroids or previous myomectomy should be considered as high risk, requiring a
      maternal-fetal medicine specialist. To date available literature is inconsistent
      on evidence-based management. Further research is needed for definitive
      recommendations.

PMID- 28892209
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Mycophenolic Acid after Intravenous Administration of
      Mycophenolate Mofetil to Healthy Cats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), the prodrug of mycophenolic acid (MPA),
      is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative immunosuppressant in feline
      medicine. Pharmacokinetic information is not available for cats. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of this study was to determine whether MMF is biotransformed into the
      active metabolite MPA and to evaluate the disposition of MPA after a 2-hour
      constant rate intravenous (IV) infusion of MMF in healthy cats. ANIMALS: Healthy
      cats (n = 6). METHODS: This was a prospective pilot study. All cats were
      administered MMF at 20 mg/kg every 12 hours over a 2-hour constant rate infusion
      for 1 day. The concentrations of MPA and its derivatives in blood were determined
      using a validated UHPLC-UV method. RESULTS: All cats biotransformed MMF into MPA.
      The mean AUC0-14 h ranged from 6 to 50 h*mg/L after IV dosing of MMF. Transient
      large bowel diarrhea was recorded in 2 of 6 cats after medication administration.
      CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The disposition of MPA in plasma was highly
      variable, which could result in high interindividual variability in the safety
      and efficacy of treatment with MMF in cats.

PMID- 28892211
TI  - Early menarche is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adulthood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the association between early
      menarche (<12 years) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in
      premenopausal women and to explore whether it is mediated by adult obesity and
      insulin resistance. METHODS: We analyzed data of premenopausal women, aged >=15
      years, from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007
      2009). We divided the women into three groups: early menarche, reference (12.00
      15.99 years), and late menarche. The presence of NAFLD was determined using
      hepatic steatosis index >36.0. RESULTS: Of the 4,387 women evaluated, 673 (15.4%)
      met the criteria for NAFLD. The prevalence of NAFLD was higher in both women with
      early and late menarche compared with the reference (early, 23.4%; reference,
      14.0%; late, 19.9%, P < 0.001). After adjustment of confounders including age,
      the OR for NAFLD in early menarche compared with the reference was 3.04 (95%CI:
      1.99-4.65). Further adjustment of mediators, such as central obesity or insulin
      resistance, attenuated the association to 1.91-2.17. There was no association,
      however, between late menarche and NAFLD after adjustment of confounders.
      CONCLUSIONS: Early menarche was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD in
      young and middle-aged premenopausal Korean women.

PMID- 28892212
TI  - Incidental appendectomy during mini incision post-partum sterilization (Chokchai
      technique): A prospective cross-sectional study.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to determine the success rate of incidental appendectomy during
      post-partum sterilization (PPS) using the Chokchai technique and to compare the
      postoperative morbidity between patients who underwent this procedure with those
      who underwent simple PPS. METHODS: Appendectomy during PPS was performed in 141
      patients from 1 May 2012 to 30 April 2014. The control group consisted of 182
      simple PPS patients. Primary outcomes were the success rate of the procedure and
      secondary outcomes were postoperative morbidity and complications. RESULTS: The
      success rate of this procedure was 98.6%. There was no statistically significant
      difference in intraoperative blood loss, hospital length of stay, or
      postoperative morbidity. Appendectomy added 7.5 min to the total procedure.
      Intravenous sedation requirements were 13.7% and 33.3% in the control and study
      groups, respectively. Pathologic evaluation of resected appendices revealed 15
      abnormalities (10.8%), including two cases of periappendicitis (1.4%).
      CONCLUSION: When carried out by experienced surgeons and with appropriate
      anesthesia, incidental appendectomy during PPS is safe. The Chokchai technique
      (approach through a small periumbilical incision) achieved a high success rate
      and resulted in minimal scar. Incidental appendectomy not only prevents any
      future appendicitis but also helps to detect periappendicitis and treat its
      primary cause. However, this is an option for only selected patients who are
      clearly informed about the possible risks and benefits of the procedure.

PMID- 28892213
TI  - Evaluation of longitudinal and radial left ventricular functions on 2-D and 3-D
      echocardiography before and after intravenous immunoglobulin in acute Kawasaki
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between left ventricular (LV) function and
      longitudinal or radial contraction has not yet been elucidated in acute Kawasaki
      disease (KD), especially before and after treatment with intravenous
      immunoglobulin (IVIG). METHODS: We studied 28 KD patients without coronary
      aneurysms (average age, 3.2 years). The LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), end
      systolic volume (LVESV), stroke volume (LVSV), and ejection fraction (LVEF) were
      assessed on 3-D echocardiography before IVIG, after IVIG, and in the convalescent
      phase. LV fractional shortening (LVFS) and the mitral annular plane systolic
      excursion (MAPSE) z-score were measured as surrogates for radial and longitudinal
      LV wall motions, respectively. Serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was also
      assessed as a heart failure indicator in acute KD patients. RESULTS: In all KD
      patients, LVEDV decreased in the acute phase with preservation of LVESV. Both
      LVSV and MAPSE z-score were lowest before IVIG and increased after IVIG. MAPSE z
      score was highly correlated with LVEF before and after IVIG treatment. Although
      there was a good correlation between logBNP and LVEF before IVIG, it was lost
      after IVIG. CONCLUSIONS: LVEDV decreased longitudinally during the acute phase of
      KD with preservation of LVESV, reducing both LVSV and LVEF. Serum BNP is a useful
      marker for evaluating LV function only prior to IVIG treatment.

PMID- 28892214
TI  - Parental decisions following prenatal diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidy in
      Hong Kong.
AB  - AIM: According to the published work, pregnancy termination rates due to prenatal
      diagnosis of fetal sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCA) vary widely. Some
      potentially modifiable and non-modifiable factors have been reported to be
      associated with parental decision. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of
      pregnancy termination for fetal SCA and the factors influencing parents'
      decisions in Hong Kong. METHODS: This was a 21-year retrospective cohort study of
      parents' decisions following prenatal diagnosis of SCA. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses for the association between demographic factors, prenatal
      factors, or counseling provided and decision-making were conducted. RESULTS: The
      study included 399 pregnancies with prenatal diagnosis of SCA and the overall
      termination rate was 55.6% (91.7%, 48.0%, 23.4%, 4.8%, and 22.7% for 45,X,
      47,XXY, 47,XXX, 47,XYY, and mosaicism, respectively). Pregnancies with ultrasound
      abnormalities were associated with higher termination rates than pregnancies with
      normal ultrasound findings (91.3% vs 28.3%, P < 0.0001). From multivariate
      regression analysis on 226 pregnancies with normal ultrasound examination, a
      higher likelihood to terminate was found in pregnancies affected by 45,X and
      47,XXY (adjusted odds ratio, 4.72, P < 0.0001). Increased maternal age and
      history of infertility were associated with lower likelihood to terminate
      (adjusted odds ratio, 0.9, P = 0.012; and 5.12, P = 0.038, respectively). The
      pregnancy termination rate declined over time. CONCLUSION: A significant
      correlation was found between the termination of SCA-affected pregnancy and the
      presence of fetal sonographic abnormalities, type of SCA, maternal age, and
      presence of infertility.

PMID- 28892215
TI  - Living with life-prolonging chemotherapy-control and meaning-making in the
      tension between life and death.
AB  - Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and immune therapy have made many
      cancers chronic, potential curable diseases rather than inevitably fatal, but the
      treatments are often both mentally and physically stressful even if the side
      effects varies. The right use of palliative chemotherapy is a complex issue and
      there are many aspects to take into consideration. The aim of the study was to
      gain insight into the illness narratives of cancer patients, from the day they
      suspected that something was wrong up to the present day where they are living
      with incurable cancer, undergoing life-prolonging chemotherapy. Thirteen
      narrators were included. They were all cancer patients on chemotherapy with the
      intention of prolonging life (informed by their oncologist) in an outpatient's
      clinic in Norway. Narrative analyse of their illness stories was applied. The
      main findings showed that the narrators considered their lives worth living in
      spite of the treatment. They seemed to take control and build a new life on "what
      was left after the storm," and described how they found meaning living in the
      tension between life and death.

PMID- 28892216
TI  - Delayed and localized pemphigus vulgaris after breast cancer radiotherapy.
AB  - Breast cancer treatment involving ionizing radiation causes characteristic
      radiation dermatitis in the majority of patients. The DNA damaging effects of
      radiation can rarely predispose to primary inflammatory dermatoses, such as
      pemphigus vulgaris. In such cases, the disease presents with all the hallmarks of
      the primary dermatosis, but the eruption is limited to the field of irradiation
      and is often amenable to treatment. In contrast, occurrence of generalized
      pemphigus vulgaris in this setting may mean cancer recurrence. The mechanism by
      which radiotherapy induces localized disease remains unknown, but there is likely
      a loss of self-tolerance which maybe coupled to antigen exposure.

PMID- 28892217
TI  - Squamous cell carcinoma antigen as a novel candidate marker for amniotic fluid
      embolism.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum squamous cell
      carcinoma (SCC) antigen for the diagnosis of amniotic fluid embolism (AFE).
      METHODS: Sera and information of 20 patients with AFE (autopsy-proven AFE, four
      cases; clinical AFE, 16 cases) were obtained from the Japan Amniotic Fluid
      Embolism Registration Center at Hamamatsu University School of Medicine. As
      controls, we included 74 gestational-age-matched healthy women who gave birth to
      healthy newborns during the period from December 2012 to January 2014. Receiver
      operator curves (ROC) were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of SCC
      levels for prediction of AFE. RESULTS: Serum SCC antigen levels in women with
      autopsy-proven AFE (112.0 +/- 169.4 ng/mL, P = 0.001) and clinical AFE (9.5 +/-
      10.3 ng/mL, P = 0.004) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls
      with normal delivery (4.4 +/- 2.2 ng/mL). On ROC analysis, the optimal cut-off
      value for SCC antigen levels was 7.15 ng/mL, for which the sensitivity and
      specificity for AFE prediction was 60.0% and 89.2%, respectively (area under the
      ROC, 0.785; 95% confidence interval, 0.663-0.908; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Serum
      SCC antigen may be a promising predictor of the entry of amniotic fluid into the
      maternal circulation, potentially serving as a candidate marker for noninvasive
      diagnosis of AFE.

PMID- 28892218
TI  - Quality of erections by age group in men with erectile dysfunction.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess erection quality with sildenafil vs
      placebo and adverse events (AEs) according to age (<=45, 46-55 and >=56 years) in
      997 men with erectile dysfunction (ED) using pooled data from four randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose trials. METHODS: The trials
      included 6- to 10-week treatment periods. The starting sildenafil dose was 50 mg,
      taken ~1 hour before sexual activity but not more than once daily, with
      subsequent adjustment to 100 or 25 mg based on efficacy and safety. Exclusion
      criteria included blood pressure <90/50 or >170/110 mmHg, taking nitrate therapy
      or nitric oxide donors, severe cardiac failure/unstable angina or recent stroke
      or myocardial infarction. Changes from baseline in Quality of Erection
      Questionnaire (QEQ), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and Erectile
      Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) scores were analysed.
      RESULTS: Improvements in QEQ scores with sildenafil vs placebo were significant
      (P<.0001) for the overall sample (33.7 sildenafil; 8.1 placebo) and each age
      group (<=45 years: 38.5 sildenafil, 13.9 placebo; 46-55 years: 34.9 sildenafil,
      5.8 placebo; >=56 years: 26.9 sildenafil, 4.9 placebo). IIEF Erectile Function
      domain (P<.0001), question 3 (achieving erection; P<.003), and question 4
      (maintaining erection; P<.001) scores also improved significantly for the overall
      sample and each age group. Treatment satisfaction was significantly greater
      (P<.0001) with sildenafil vs placebo for the overall sample and each age group.
      The most common AEs with sildenafil were headache, flushing and nasal congestion
      in all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sildenafil significantly improved erection
      quality across all age groups of men with ED. Efficacy improvements with
      sildenafil were consistent with the QEQ, IIEF, and EDITS. AEs were comparable
      across age groups. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT00159900, NCT00147628, NCT00301262,
      NCT00343200.

PMID- 28892220
TI  - Annual Report of the Committee on Gynecologic Oncology, Japan Society of
      Obstetrics and Gynecology: Patient Annual Report for 2014 and Treatment Annual
      Report for 2009.
AB  - The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology collects and analyzes annual data
      on gynecologic cancers from member institutions. We present the Patient Annual
      Report for 2014 and the Treatment Annual Report for 2009. Data on 7436 patients
      with cervical cancer, 9673 with endometrial cancer, 5924 with ovarian cancer, and
      1909 with ovarian borderline tumor for whom treatment was initiated in 2014 were
      summarized in the Patient Annual Report. Stage I accounted for 55.6%, stage II
      for 22.9%, stage III for 10.2%, and stage IV for 11.2% of all patients with
      cervical cancer. Stage I accounted for 72.3%, stage II for 6.0%, stage III for
      14.1%, and stage IV for 7.7% of all patients with endometrial cancer. Stage I
      accounted for 43.3%, stage II for 9.1%, stage III for 27.6%, and stage IV for
      7.2% of all patients with ovarian cancer. Data on the prognosis of 4126 patients
      with cervical cancer, 4613 with endometrial cancer, and 3205 with ovarian cancer
      for whom treatment was initiated in 2009 were analyzed in the Treatment Annual
      Report. Survival was analyzed by using the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test
      and the Wilcoxon test. The 5-year overall survival rates for patients with
      cervical cancer were 92.4% for stage I, 76.7% for stage II, 54.3% for stage III,
      and 25.2% for stage IV. The equivalent rates for patients with endometrial cancer
      were 94.6%, 89.4%, 78.3%, and 25.0%, respectively; and those for patients with
      ovarian cancer (surface epithelial-stromal tumors) were 90.5%, 78.8%, 46.0%, and
      25.1%, respectively.

PMID- 28892219
TI  - Offering non-invasive prenatal testing as part of routine clinical service. Can
      high levels of informed choice be maintained?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess rates of informed choice among women offered non-invasive
      prenatal testing (NIPT) for aneuploidy as part of routine clinical care. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional survey was conducted across 6 antenatal clinics in England.
      Women with a high risk (>=1/150) Down syndrome screening result were offered
      NIPT, invasive testing, or no further testing. Pretest counselling was delivered
      as part of routine care by the local maternity team. Women were given a
      questionnaire containing a measure of informed choice immediately after pretest
      counselling. RESULTS: In total, 220 of 247 women completed the questionnaire.
      Seventy-six percent were judged to have made an informed choice, a significant
      decline from our previous study (89.0% vs 75.6%; chi2 (2) = 20.2, P < .001). Of
      those making an uninformed choice, 46% had insufficient knowledge, 19% had not
      deliberated, and 13% had made a value-inconsistent decision. Multivariate
      analysis showed women who were highly educated (OR, 4.33; 95% CI, 1.08-17.36) or
      had had screening in a previous pregnancy (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.90-0.65) were
      significantly more likely to make an informed choice. CONCLUSIONS: The findings
      highlight the challenges of ensuring informed choice in routine prenatal care
      where NIPT is not discussed at multiple points, less time is available for
      counselling, and written consent is not required.

PMID- 28892221
TI  - A novel leadless, miniature implantable Tibial Nerve Neuromodulation System for
      the management of overactive bladder complaints.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overactive bladder is a chronic condition affecting lower urinary
      tract function that has a significant negative impact on QoL. OBJECTIVE:
      Evaluation of the BlueWind implantable tibial nerve system performance and safety
      in refractory OAB. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS INTERVENTION: A 6-month
      multi-center prospective intervention study. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: Objective assessment was done by voiding diary parameters including
      voids/day, volume voided/day, urgency assessment, leaking episodes/day, pads
      used/day, leak severity, and clinical success defined as a >=50% reduction in the
      number of leaks/day or number of voids/day or number of episodes with degree of
      urgency >2 or a return to <8 voids/day on a 3 Day diary. Subjective assessment
      was based on OAB-q including HRQL and symptom severity score. Safety was
      evaluated by adverse event (AE) analysis. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Thirty-four of
      the 36 implanted subjects completed the study. One subject withdrew voluntarily
      and one developed inflammation necessitating removal of the system. In the
      remaining subjects, 71% experienced clinical success at 6 months. Leaks/day, leak
      severity, and pad changes/day decreased significantly over time with 27.6% of
      urge incontinence subjects that became "dry." Voids/day, degree of urgency,
      volume/void, pads changed improved significantly. All quality of life aspects
      (concern, coping, sleep, and social) improved as well as symptom severity scores
      measured by the OAB-q. Adverse events included: implant site pain (13.9%),
      suspected infection (22.2%), and procedural wound complications (8.3%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The BlueWind implantable tibial nerve stimulator is a safe,
      minimally invasive system that affords OAB patients significant improvements.
      PATIENT SUMMARY: The performance and safety of the BlueWind RENOVATM implantable
      tibial nerve neuromodulator for OAB was tested. Our preliminary results
      demonstrate that the system has a low risk safety profile and may be considered
      an effective treatment option for OAB management.

PMID- 28892222
TI  - Oral challenge without skin tests in children with non-severe beta-lactam
      hypersensitivity: Time to change the paradigm?
AB  - Suspected allergy to penicillins and cephalosporins is very common in childhood.
      After a proper evaluation, allergy will be confirmed only in a small portion of
      them. Intradermal tests are usually part of the allergy workup, but they are
      painful for children and time-consuming, and their role has been debated. A
      systematic review found only two studies reporting a positive predictive value of
      skin tests in children of 36% and 33%, respectively, leading to a high rate of
      inaccurate diagnosis. Moreover, considering that skin tests are negative in more
      than 90%-95% of cases, an oral provocation test (OPT) is finally needed to
      confirm tolerance in most of these children. Positive OPT are rare, and even
      where children demonstrate reproducible signs on challenge, they rarely
      constitute immediate or serious symptoms. Therefore, OPT to the index antibiotic
      without skin tests are increasingly being considered an accepted procedure for
      children with a suspected mild non-immediate reaction related to a beta-lactam
      antibiotic. Furthermore, a recent research has taken the same approach including
      children with suspected mild immediate reactions, with similar safety and
      positive results. In light of recent evidence highlighted, it is now the time for
      large and multicentric studies to confirm that OPT with the index antibiotic,
      without skin tests, are safe and convenient for children with a history of a mild
      reaction with a beta-lactam antibiotic before it can be recommended in pediatric
      allergy guidelines.

PMID- 28892223
TI  - Dehydroepiandrosterone as a potential agent to slow down ovarian aging.
AB  - AIM: Ovarian aging, which leads to diminished ovarian reserve and decreased
      oocyte quality, is highly associated with poor reproductive outcomes. It has been
      suggested that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) might be able to temporarily slow
      down the aging process. This study attempted to investigate the clinical benefits
      of DHEA in older patients and the anti-senescence effect of DHEA on cumulus cells
      (CC) and human ovarian granulosa cells (HO23 cell line). METHODS: This
      prospective study enrolled 88 patients who underwent in vitro fertilization
      (IVF), including 30 younger patients (aged <= 37 years) and 58 older patients
      (aged > 37 years). Older patients were assigned to receive DHEA treatment or not
      prior to the IVF cycle. CC were obtained from all patients after oocyte retrieval
      and the HO23 granulosa cell line was used for in vitro studies. Senescence
      associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) was used as a biomarker of
      senescence. RESULTS: In older patients, following DHEA supplementation, a greater
      number of transferred embryos and a higher fertilization rate were observed
      compared with those in patients without DHEA supplementation. However, the
      clinical pregnancy rate was not significantly increased following DHEA
      supplementation. Additionally, treatment with DHEA resulted in significantly
      reduced SA-beta-gal staining in both CC and HO23 cells. CONCLUSION: DHEA
      supplementation ameliorated IVF outcomes but without a consequence on pregnancy
      rate in older patients and decreased SA-beta-gal activity in CC and HO23 cells,
      suggesting that DHEA might be used as a possible intervention to slow down
      ovarian aging.

PMID- 28892224
TI  - A case of metastatic lobular carcinoma with overexpression of Trop-2:
      Implications for the consideration of novel therapeutics.

PMID- 28892225
TI  - Expectant management of pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction
      without any evidence of placental dysfunction at term: Comparison with routine
      labor induction.
AB  - AIM: To assess the feasibility and practicality of expectant management for
      pregnancies with fetal growth restriction (FGR) at term without evidence of
      placental dysfunction. METHODS: We reviewed the records of pregnancies with an
      estimated fetal weight <= 1.5 SD below the mean at 37 weeks of gestation. We
      excluded elective cesarean deliveries and pregnancies that, at 37 weeks, were
      complicated by oligohydramnios, decreased fetal cerebroplacental ratio, or
      pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders. Prior to May 2013, we performed routine
      labor induction for FGR at term; after that time, we used routine expectant
      management. The rate of delivery by cesarean or instrumental assist and the rate
      of neonatal morbidity were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The gestational
      age at delivery and the neonatal birthweight were higher in the expectant
      management policy group (39+4 vs 38+1 weeks; 2405 vs 2205 g). The cesarean rate
      (7/77 vs 7/73) and the instrumental delivery rate (5/77 vs 6/73) did not differ.
      Neonatal hypoglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia were significantly less frequent
      (10/77 vs 21/73; 7/77 vs 20/73) in the expectant management policy group. Seven
      patients in the expectant management policy group underwent emergency cesarean
      delivery; five of these (71%) had required labor induction because of progression
      to oligohydramnios. CONCLUSIONS: Expectant management policy for FGR at term can
      reduce neonatal morbidity without increasing maternal risk or the cesarean rate.
      Caution should be used, however, during labor if oligohydramnios develops during
      expectant management.

PMID- 28892226
TI  - Letter to 'Silent uterine rupture occluded by intestinal adhesions following
      laparoscopic myomectomy: A case report': Do some remain permanently silent?

PMID- 28892227
TI  - Dynamic changes of QTc interval and prognostic significance in takotsubo (stress)
      cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolonged QT corrected (QTc) intervals are associated with adverse
      cardiovascular outcomes both in healthy and high-risk populations. Our objective
      was to evaluate the QTc intervals during a takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC)
      episodes and their potential prognostic role. HYPOTHESIS: Dynamic changes of QTc
      interval during hospitalization for TTC could be associated with outcome at
      follow-up. METHODS: Fifty-two consecutive patients hospitalized for TTC were
      enrolled. Twelve-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was performed within 3 h after
      admission and repeated after 3, 5, and 7 days. Patients were classified in 2
      groups: group 1 presented the maximal QTc interval length at admission and group
      2 developed maximal QTc interval length after admission. RESULTS: Mean admission
      QTc interval was 493 +/- 71 ms and mean QTc peak interval was 550 +/- 76 ms (P <
      0.001). Seventeen (33%) patients were included in group 1 and 35 (67%) patients
      in group 2. There were no differences for cardiovascular risk factors and in
      terms of ECG findings such as ST elevation, ST depression, and inverted T waves.
      Rates of adverse events during hospitalization among patients of group 1 and 2
      were different although not significantly (20% vs 6%, P = 0.22). After 647 days
      follow-up, patients of group 1 presented higher risk of cardiovascular
      rehospitalization (31% vs 6%, P = 0.013; log-rank, P < 0.01). At multivariate
      analysis, including age and gender, a prolonged QTc interval at admission was
      significantly associated with higher risk of rehospitalization at follow-up
      (hazard ratio: 1.07 every 10 ms, 95% confidence interval: 1.003-1.14, P = 0.04).
      CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged QTc intervals at admission during a TTC episode could be
      associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular rehospitalization at follow-up.
      Dynamic increase of QTc intervals after admission are characterized by a trend
      toward a better prognosis.

PMID- 28892228
TI  - Immediate nipple reconstruction in combination with implant reconstruction using
      dermal sling.
AB  - The inferior de-epithelialized dermal flap with implant is increasingly used for
      immediate breast reconstruction. We have adapted the technique to provide
      concurrent immediate nipple reconstruction by recruiting the triangle of skin
      above the excised nipple as a modified C-V flap. The safety and efficacy of this
      technique has been assessed in 15 patients, of which eight were bilateral and
      seven were unilateral cases. We suggest that this is a safe, reliable, and
      original technique for immediate nipple reconstruction in patients undergoing
      immediate breast reconstruction with an inferior dermal sling and implant.

PMID- 28892229
TI  - Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots Used for Boosting Light Harvesting in Organic
      Photovoltaics.
AB  - Although organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) have been investigated for more than
      two decades, the power conversion efficiencies of OPVs are much lower than those
      of inorganic or perovskite solar cells. One effective approach to improve the
      efficiency of OPVs is to introduce additives to enhance light harvesting as well
      as charge transportation in the devices. Here, black phosphorus quantum dots
      (BPQDs) are introduced in OPVs as an additive. By adding 0.055 wt % BPQDs
      relative to the polymer donors in the OPVs, the device efficiencies can be
      dramatically improved for more than 10 %. The weight percentage is much lower
      than that of any other additive used in OPVs before, which is mainly due to the
      two-dimentional structure as well as the strong broadband light absorption and
      scattering of the BPQDs. This work paves a way for using two-dimentional quantum
      dots in OPVs as a cost-effective approach to enhance device efficiencies.

PMID- 28892230
TI  - Effector-Triggered Self-Replication in Coupled Subsystems.
AB  - In living systems processes like genome duplication and cell division are
      carefully synchronized through subsystem coupling. If we are to create life de
      novo, similar control over essential processes such as self-replication need to
      be developed. Here we report that coupling two dynamic combinatorial subsystems,
      featuring two separate building blocks, enables effector-mediated control over
      self-replication. The subsystem based on the first building block shows only self
      replication, whereas that based on the second one is solely responsive toward a
      specific external effector molecule. Mixing the subsystems arrests replication
      until the effector molecule is added, resulting in the formation of a host
      effector complex and the liberation of the building block that subsequently
      engages in self-replication. The onset, rate and extent of self-replication is
      controlled by the amount of effector present.

PMID- 28892232
TI  - Visualization of Stereoselective Supramolecular Polymers by Chirality-Controlled
      Energy Transfer.
AB  - Chirality-driven self-sorting is envisaged to efficiently control functional
      properties in supramolecular materials. However, the challenge arises because of
      a lack of analytical methods to directly monitor the enantioselectivity of the
      resulting supramolecular assemblies. Presented herein are two fluorescent core
      substituted naphthalene-diimide-based donor and acceptor molecules with minimal
      structural mismatch and they comprise strong self-recognizing chiral motifs to
      determine the self-sorting process. As a consequence, stereoselective
      supramolecular polymerization with an unprecedented chirality control over energy
      transfer has been achieved. This chirality-controlled energy transfer has been
      further exploited as an efficient probe to visualize microscopically the
      chirality driven self-sorting.

PMID- 28892231
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of bacterial determinants of plant growth promotion and
      induced systemic resistance by Pseudomonas fluorescens.
AB  - Pseudomonas fluorescens strain SS101 (Pf.SS101) promotes growth of Arabidopsis
      thaliana, enhances greening and lateral root formation, and induces systemic
      resistance (ISR) against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato
      (Pst). Here, targeted and untargeted approaches were adopted to identify
      bacterial determinants and underlying mechanisms involved in plant growth
      promotion and ISR by Pf.SS101. Based on targeted analyses, no evidence was found
      for volatiles, lipopeptides and siderophores in plant growth promotion by
      Pf.SS101. Untargeted, genome-wide analyses of 7488 random transposon mutants of
      Pf.SS101 led to the identification of 21 mutants defective in both plant growth
      promotion and ISR. Many of these mutants, however, were auxotrophic and impaired
      in root colonization. Genetic analysis of three mutants followed by site-directed
      mutagenesis, genetic complementation and plant bioassays revealed the involvement
      of the phosphogluconate dehydratase gene edd, the response regulator gene colR
      and the adenylsulfate reductase gene cysH in both plant growth promotion and ISR.
      Subsequent comparative plant transcriptomics analyses strongly suggest that
      modulation of sulfur assimilation, auxin biosynthesis and transport, steroid
      biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in Arabidopsis are key mechanisms linked
      to growth promotion and ISR by Pf.SS101.

PMID- 28892233
TI  - Hyaluronic acid microneedle patch for the improvement of crow's feet wrinkles.
AB  - Hyaluronic acid (HA) has an immediate volumizing effect, due to its strong water
      binding potential, and stimulates fibroblasts, causing collagen synthesis, with
      short- and long-term effects on wrinkle improvement. We investigated the efficacy
      and safety of HA microneedle patches for crow's feet wrinkles. Using a randomized
      spilt-face design, we compared microneedle patches with a topical application
      containing the same active ingredients. We enrolled 34 Korean female subjects
      with mild to moderate crow's feet wrinkles. The wrinkle on each side of the
      subject's face was randomly assigned to a HA microneedle patch or HA essence
      application twice a week for 8 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated at weeks 2, 4, and
      8. Skin wrinkles were measured as average roughness using replica and PRIMOS.
      Skin elasticity was assessed using a cutometer. Two independent blinded
      dermatologists evaluated the changes after treatment using the global visual
      wrinkle assessment score. Subjects assessed wrinkles using the subject global
      assessment score. Skin wrinkles were significantly reduced and skin elasticity
      significantly increased in both groups, although improvement was greater in the
      patch group at week 8 after treatment. In the primary and cumulative skin
      irritation tests, the HA microneedle patch did not induce any skin irritation.
      The HA microneedle patch is more effective than the HA essence for wrinkle
      improvement and is a safe and convenient without skin irritation.

PMID- 28892234
TI  - Reactivity of a Dihydrodiborene with CO: Coordination, Insertion, Cleavage, and
      Spontaneous Formation of a Cyclic Alkyne.
AB  - Under a CO atmosphere, the dihydrodiborene [(cAAC)HB=BH(cAAC)] underwent
      coordination of CO concomitant with reversible hydrogen migration from boron to
      the carbene carbon atom, as well as reversible CO insertion into the B=B bond.
      Heating the CO adduct resulted in two unusual cAAC ring-expansion products, one
      presenting a B=C bond to a six-membered 1,2-azaborinane-3-ylidene, the other an
      unprecedented nine-membered cyclic alkyne resulting from reductive cleavage of CO
      and spontaneous formation of a C=C bond.

PMID- 28892235
TI  - Beclabuvir in combination with asunaprevir and daclatasvir for hepatitis C virus
      genotype 1 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Daclatasvir, asunaprevir (ASV), and beclabuvir (BCV) are direct-acting antivirals
      (DAAs) for patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection. This systematic
      review and meta-analysis investigating the efficacy and safety of this three-drug
      combination in HCV genotype 1 infection. Eleven electronic search engines were
      searched for relevant publications. Studies were screened for eligibility and
      data was extracted. The outcomes were pooled as event rate and risk ratio (RR).
      The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017054391). Among the included six
      studies, five studies were included for the meta-analysis (n = 1261). The three
      drug combination showed a high response rate in naive patients with sustained
      virologic response at week-12 posttreatment (SVR12 ) rate = 95.7% (95%CI [93.8
      97.1]) and no difference detected by adding ribavirin (RBV) (the pooled RR =
      0.98, 95%CI [0.90-1.08], P = 0.70) or comparing with interferon-experienced
      patients (RR = 1.02, 95%CI [0.98-1.07], P = 0.31) regardless the genotype 1
      subtypes or IL28B genotype. Treatment failure was minimal and showed no
      difference regarding the previous comparisons. Increasing the dose or the
      duration did not show a significant increase in the efficacy. In conclusion, this
      analysis showed high response rates in HCV genotype 1-infected patients treated
      with daclatasvir, ASV, and BCV irrespective of RBV use, prior interferon-based
      therapy, or restriction on non-cirrhotic patients, IL28B genotype, or baseline
      resistance-associated variants.

PMID- 28892236
TI  - Visualization instructions enhance preschoolers' spatial problem-solving.
AB  - This study explores whether verbal instructions to visualize an event can improve
      children's ability to make predictions about a difficult spatial problem. Three
      year-olds (N = 48) were introduced to two intertwined tubes, and prior to
      predicting how a ball would travel through a given tube, one group of children
      was told to imagine the ball rolling down the tube, one group was told an
      explicit rule about where the ball would land, and a third group was given no
      instructions. Children were prevented from interacting with the apparatus to
      investigate the effect of the different verbal instructions alone on their
      problem-solving. Children in the imagine condition made more correct predictions
      than both children who received no instructions and those who were told an
      explicit rule (but were not told to visualize). These results suggest that verbal
      instructions to imagine an event are enough to help children solve difficult
      spatial problems, likely by visualizing the outcome prior to making a prediction.
      Statement of Contribution What is already known on this subject? Preschoolers
      exhibit a gravity bias when predicting how objects will travel through several
      intertwined tubes (Hood, 1995, Cogn. Dev., 10, 577). Preschoolers can overcome
      this gravity bias when they are first told to look at (Bascandziev & Harris, ,
      Cogn. Dev., 25, 233) or visualize (Joh et al., 2011, Child Dev., 82, 744) the
      tubes. This work emphasized the role of visualization in improving children's
      ability to solve this difficult spatial problem. What does this study add?
      Previous work typically allowed children to interact directly with the apparatus
      during familiarization or while making predictions. Previous work did not
      consider whether a synergy between physical interaction and visualization
      instructions improved predictions. The current study shows that visualization
      instructions alone can improve children's ability to overcome the gravity bias.

PMID- 28892237
TI  - Partners of nulliparous women with severe fear of childbirth: A longitudinal
      study of psychological well-being.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the psychological status of partners of women
      with severe fear of childbirth (FOC). In this longitudinal study from Helsinki
      University Central Hospital, we investigated FOC, depression, and posttraumatic
      stress in the partners of women with severe FOC, and possible effects of group
      psychoeducation and mode of birth. METHODS: During pregnancy, 250 partners of
      nulliparous women with severe FOC participated, 93 in the intervention group and
      157 in the control group. At 3 months postpartum, 52 partners in the intervention
      group and 93 in the control group participated. Both the partners and the
      childbearing women filled in the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience
      Questionnaire and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale mid-pregnancy as well
      as 3 months postpartum, when they also filled in the Traumatic Event Scale.
      RESULTS: Partners of women with severe FOC reported less antenatal and postnatal
      FOC and fewer depressive symptoms than the childbearing women. No partner reached
      the threshold of severe FOC. No partner reported a possible posttraumatic stress
      disorder. Group psychoeducation with relaxation was not associated with better or
      worse psychological well-being of the partners. An emergency cesarean delivery
      was associated with a more fearful delivery experience in the partners.
      CONCLUSION: Partners of nulliparous women with severe FOC neither seem to suffer
      from severe FOC nor reported posttraumatic stress symptoms after childbirth. They
      reported better psychological well-being than the mothers both during pregnancy
      and after delivery. An unexpected cesarean may be a negative experience even for
      partners of childbearing women.

PMID- 28892238
TI  - Low-Temperature Reductive Aminolysis of Carbohydrates to Diamines and
      Aminoalcohols by Heterogeneous Catalysis.
AB  - Short amines, such as ethanolamines and ethylenediamines, are important compounds
      in today's bulk and fine chemicals industry. Unfortunately, current industrial
      manufacture of these chemicals relies on fossil resources and requires rigorous
      safety measures when handling explosive or toxic intermediates. Inspired by the
      elegant working mechanism of aldolase enzymes, a novel heterogeneously catalyzed
      process-reductive aminolysis-was developed for the efficient production of short
      amines from carbohydrates at low temperature. High-value bio-based amines
      containing a bio-derived C2 carbon backbone were synthesized in one step with
      yields up to 87 C%, in the absence of a solvent and at a temperature below 405 K.
      A wide variety of available primary and secondary alkyl- and alkanolamines can be
      reacted with the carbohydrate to form the corresponding C2-diamine. The presented
      reductive aminolysis is therefore a promising strategy for sustainable synthesis
      of short, acyclic, bio-based amines.

PMID- 28892239
TI  - Impact of physical activity on obesity and lipid profile of adults with
      intellectual disability.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study assessed overweight, obesity and lipid profiles in
      adults with intellectual disability and compared these metrics with their
      physical activity. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Basic somatic parameters, lipid profile
      and weekly physical activity were examined in 27 adults with moderate
      intellectual disability. Chi-square independence tests and Pearson's linear
      correlation coefficients were used. RESULTS: The participants had excess body
      mass, excess body fat and abdominal obesity. Very high positive correlations were
      shown between body mass index and both waist circumference and %fat. The lipid
      profiles were more favourable in the general population. Healthy levels of
      physical activity were observed in 8% of women and 26% of men. A high negative
      correlation was found between physical activity and body mass index. CONCLUSION:
      The study group was characterized by excess body mass and insufficient levels of
      physical activity. Body mass index and waist circumference are sufficient
      indicators for identifying obesity in adults with intellectual disability.

PMID- 28892240
TI  - Phylogenetic evidence for a Miocene origin of Mediterranean lineages: species
      diversity, reproductive traits and geographical isolation.
AB  - A review of 27 angiosperm clades (26 genera) of species-rich and species-poor
      plant groups of the Mediterranean floristic region was performed with
      phylogenetic and biological trait data. The emergent pattern is that a majority
      of Mediterranean plant clades split from their sister groups between the Miocene
      (23-5 Ma) and the Oligocene (34-23 Ma), far earlier than the onset of the
      Mediterranean climate (ca. 3.2 Ma). In addition, 12 of 14 clades of the species
      poor group have stem ages inferred for each clade in the Miocene or older, and
      six of 13 clades within the species-rich group show divergence of each stem clade
      within the Oligocene and/or Miocene. High levels of species diversity are related
      to an ancient (Paleocene-Miocene) origin and also to recent origin (Pliocene
      Pleistocene) followed by active speciation and even explosive radiations: some
      species and lineages diversified over a short period (Aquilegia, Cistus,
      Dianthus, Linaria sect. Supinae, Reseda). In the species-rich group, key
      reproductive characters were found to be significantly more important for species
      recognition than key vegetative characters in eight clades, but no difference was
      found in four clades, and vegetative characters were predominant in one clade
      (Saxifraga). Geographical differentiation is proposed as predominant over
      divergence driven by pollination ecology. We hypothesise an evolutionary process
      in which lineages adapted to pre-Mediterranean (pre-Pliocene) conditions in
      relatively small, xeric areas became strongly competitive and expanded as the
      Mediterranean climate became dominant (Pliocene-Quaternary) across the
      Mediterranean Basin.

PMID- 28892241
TI  - Seasonal variations in the profile of main phospholipids in Mytilus
      galloprovincialis mussels: A study by hydrophilic interaction liquid
      chromatography-electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry.
AB  - A systematic characterization of phosphatidylcholines and
      phosphatidylethanolamines in mussels of sp Mytilus galloprovincialis was
      performed by high-efficiency hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography
      combined with electrospray ionization and Fourier transform mass spectrometry
      (FTMS), based on a quadrupole-Orbitrap hybrid spectrometer. The FTMS/MS
      experiments under high collisional energy dissociation conditions, complemented
      by low-energy collisionally induced dissociation MSn (n = 2,3) experiments,
      performed in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer, were exploited for structural
      elucidation purposes. The described approach led to an unprecedented
      characterization of the mussel phospholipidome, with 185 phosphatidylcholines and
      131 phosphatidylethanolamines species recognized, distributed among diacylic,
      plasmanylic, and plasmenylic forms. This was the starting point for the
      evaluation of the effects of season (in particular, of sea temperature) on the
      profile of those phospholipids. To this aim, a set of mussel samples retrieved
      from commercial sources in different periods of the year was considered.
      Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation between samples
      collected in periods characterized by cold, intermediate, or warm sea
      temperatures, respectively. In particular, an enrichment in phospholipids
      containing unsaturated side chains was observed in mussels collected from cold
      seawaters (winter-early spring), thus confirming the general model previously
      elaborated to explain the adaptation of marine invertebrates, including some
      bivalve molluscs, to low temperatures. On the other hand, relevant levels of
      plasma(e)nylic and acylic phospholipids bearing either saturated or non-methylene
      interrupted side chains were found in mussels collected in warm seawaters
      (typical of summer and early autumn, at Italian latitudes). This finding opened
      interesting perspectives towards the development of strategies able to prevent
      global warming-related mussel losses in aquacultural plants.

PMID- 28892242
TI  - Opposing Phase-Segregation and Hydrogen-Bonding Forces in Supramolecular
      Polymers.
AB  - Phase segregation between different macromolecules and specific weak interactions
      are the basis of molecular organization in many biological systems, which are
      held together by attractive hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) and dissociated by phase
      segregation. We report significant changes in the association behavior of
      covalent H-bonds by the phase of attached polymer chains. Depending on the
      aggregation state, we observed either intact H-bonds despite segregation of the
      phases, or macrophase separation with a larger amount of H-bonding dissociation.

PMID- 28892243
TI  - Direct Observation of Hemithioindigo-Motor Unidirectionality.
AB  - Hemithioindigo molecular motors undergo very fast unidirectional rotation upon
      irradiation with visible light, which has prevented a complete analysis of their
      working mechanism. In this work, we have considerably slowed down their motion by
      using a new synthesis for sterically hindered motor derivatives. This method
      allowed the first observation of all four intermediate states populated during
      rotation. The exact order in which each isomeric state is formed under
      irradiation conditions was elucidated using low temperature 1 H NMR spectroscopy
      in conjunction with other analytical methods. At the same time, complete
      unidirectionality could also be directly shown. Access to slowly rotating
      hemithioindigo motors opens up a plethora of new applications for visible-light
      induced unidirectional motions, especially in areas such as catalysis, smart
      materials, and supramolecular chemistry.

PMID- 28892244
TI  - Gold(III) Alkyne Complexes: Bonding and Reaction Pathways.
AB  - The synthesis and characterization of hitherto hypothetical AuIII pi-alkyne
      complexes is reported. Bonding and stability depend strongly on the trans effect
      and steric factors. Bonding characteristics shed light on the reasons for the
      very different stabilities between the classical alkyne complexes of PtII and
      their drastically more reactive AuIII congeners. Lack of back-bonding facilitates
      alkyne slippage, which is energetically less costly for gold than for platinum
      and explains the propensity of gold to facilitate C-C bond formation.
      Cycloaddition followed by aryl migration and reductive deprotonation is presented
      as a new reaction sequence in gold chemistry.

PMID- 28892245
TI  - Size-resolved particle measurements of polybrominated diphenyl ethers indoors:
      Implications for sources and human exposure.
AB  - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardant polymer additives that
      are widely detected in outdoor and indoor environments. Release of PBDEs from
      consumer products leads to high concentrations indoors, but mechanisms of release
      are poorly understood. Although ingestion of dust is a well-studied indoor PBDE
      exposure route, the importance of inhalation exposure is uncertain. To address
      these unknowns, dust was collected from household vacuum cleaners, and suspended
      particulate matter was collected from the same homes in St. John's, Newfoundland,
      Canada, using a cascade impactor. Size-fractionated particulate matter samples
      (0.01-18 MUm diameter) were analyzed for PBDEs. The sum of PBDEs in all
      particulate matter ranged from 8.7 +/- 0.5 to 15.7 +/- 0.5 pg/m3 , with >50% of
      PBDE mass in respirable particulate matter (<1 MUm). Mass loadings as a function
      of particle size suggested that both abrasion and off-gassing led to the presence
      of PBDEs in particulate matter. Variability in the particulate matter mass
      loadings indicated that emission mechanisms were both product- and location
      dependent. Congener profiles in colocated vacuum dust and particulate matter
      samples were different, indicating that vacuum dust cannot accurately predict
      PBDE congeners in respirable particulate matter. A calculated lower limit
      inhalation exposure to PBDEs (0.19 ng/d) is lower than exposure via diet or
      ingestion of dust, although the different biochemical pathways for inhalation
      compared with ingestion may have different biological effects. The present study
      highlights the importance of contaminant analysis in size-fractionated
      particulate matter to assess human exposure via inhalation compared with
      traditional vacuum dust methods. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:481-490. (c) 2017
      SETAC.

PMID- 28892246
TI  - Novel hyperthermia applicator system allows adaptive treatment planning:
      Preliminary clinical results in tumour-bearing animals.
AB  - Hyperthermia (HT) as an adjuvant to radiation therapy (RT) is a multimodality
      treatment method to enhance therapeutic efficacy in different tumours. High
      demands are placed on the hardware and treatment planning software to guarantee
      adequately planned and applied HT treatments. The aim of this prospective study
      was to determine the effectiveness and safety of the novel HT system in tumour
      bearing dogs and cats in terms of local response and toxicity as well as to
      compare planned with actual achieved data during heating. A novel applicator with
      a flexible number of elements and integrated closed-loop temperature feedback
      control system, and a tool for patient-specific treatment planning were used in a
      combined thermoradiotherapy protocol. Good agreement between predictions from
      planning and clinical outcome was found in 7 of 8 cases. Effective HT treatments
      were planned and verified with the novel system and provided improved quality of
      life in all but 1 patient. This individualized treatment planning and controlled
      heat exposure allows adaptive, flexible and safe HT treatments in palliatively
      treated animal patients.

PMID- 28892247
TI  - Short-term results of self-expanding metal stents for acute malignant large bowel
      obstruction.
AB  - AIM: Self-expanding metal stents (SEMSs) can be used as a palliative treatment or
      to initially decompress colon prior to definitive surgery (as a so-called 'bridge
      to surgery'). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and
      safety of SEMS used as palliation and bridge to surgery for malignant large bowel
      obstruction. METHOD: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted from January
      2010 to December 2013 to identify patients undergoing stent placement for acute
      large bowel obstruction. Patients were included from four Danish colorectal
      centres. Outcomes identified included clinical success, 30-day mortality, stent
      related complications and surgery related complications. Furthermore, we analysed
      for predictive factors for successful stenting. Clinical success was defined as
      relief of obstructive symptoms, without the need of other additional surgical
      interventions during the hospital stay. RESULTS: SEMSs were inserted in 239
      patients for whom the indication was as a bridge to surgery in 112 patients (47%)
      and as palliation in 127 (53%) patients. Clinical success was achieved in 90
      patients (80.4%) in the bridge to surgery group and in 105 patients (82.8%) in
      the palliation group. The 30-day mortality rates in the two groups were 5.4% and
      11.8% for bridge to surgery and palliation respectively. A total of 17.8% of the
      patients in the bridge to surgery group had a stent related complication and in
      the palliation group it was 20.4%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that
      clinical failure is a predictive factor of 30-day mortality (OR 11.1, 95% CI: 4.1
      30.0). CONCLUSION: The use of a SEMS to relieve a malignant large bowel
      obstruction is generally an effective and safe method, but complications are seen
      in about 20% of patients. Further investigations are required to determine the
      role of SEMSs in the treatment of acute, malignant, large bowel obstruction.

PMID- 28892248
TI  - Colloidal Supercapattery: Redox Ions in Electrode and Electrolyte.
AB  - Redox chemistry is the cornerstone of various electrochemical energy conversion
      and storage systems, associated with ion diffusion process. To actualize both
      high energy and power density in energy storage devices, both multiple electron
      transfer reaction and fast ion diffusion occurred in one electrode material are
      prerequisite. The existence forms of redox ions can lead to different
      electrochemical thermodynamic and kinetic properties. Here, we introduce novel
      colloid system, which includes multiple varying ion forms, multi-interaction and
      abundant redox active sites. Unlike redox cations in solution and crystal
      materials, colloid system has specific reactivity-structure relationship. In the
      colloidal ionic electrode, the occurrence of multiple-electron redox reactions
      and fast ion diffusion leaded to ultrahigh specific capacitance and fast charge
      rate. The colloidal ionic supercapattery coupled with redox electrolyte provides
      a new potential technique for the comprehensive use of redox ions including
      cations and anions in electrode and electrolyte and a guiding design for the
      development of next-generation high performance energy storage devices.

PMID- 28892249
TI  - Mandatory reporting by doctors of medically unsafe drivers is unpopular and
      poorly adhered to: a survey of sleep physicians and electro-physicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical fitness to drive is one way governments control the issuing
      and renewal of driving licences, and some jurisdictions demand mandatory
      reporting (MR) of unsafe drivers by doctors. AIM: To determine the views,
      adherence rate and experiences of sleep physicians and electro-physicians with
      regards to South Australia's (SA) MR law. METHODS: Self-administered surveys were
      delivered by post and email to all SA Medical Board-registered sleep physicians
      (n = 49) and electro-physicians (n = 11). Twenty-nine sleep physicians and six
      electro-physicians returned surveys, giving a 61% response rate. RESULTS: Of the
      doctors, 8 agreed with MR, 19 thought reporting should be voluntary and 6 that
      doctors should never report. Four doctors had reported all reportable patients,
      five had never reported any and the rest inconsistently applied the law. MR
      affected doctors' relationships with their patients as follows: 28 had
      experienced abuse by patients, 25 suspected patients of doctor shopping and 33
      suspected patients of withholding information for fear of loss of licence. Only
      eight thought they were the most appropriate person to determine their patient's
      fitness to drive; 29 had not received any training with regards to making such
      determinations, yet, of these, 27 desired training. CONCLUSIONS: Widely disliked
      and causing deterioration of doctor-patient relationships, the MR law is ignored
      by some and inconsistently applied by most of the doctors surveyed. Further
      clinician and community education is required regardless of whether the law is
      abandoned, modified or left unchanged.

PMID- 28892250
TI  - Case report of apatinib mesylate treatment in rare advanced tracheal adenoid
      cystic carcinoma.
AB  - A 57-year-old man was admitted to our department 10 years ago, diagnosed with
      tracheal adenoid cystic carcinoma. After discontinuing chemotherapy and
      radiotherapy, the disease recurred in December 2016. Apatinib mesylate (500
      mg/day) was administered and computed tomography revealed that his symptoms were
      significantly relieved. Treatment with apatinib mesylate represents a novel
      method of treatment for tracheal adenoid cystic carcinoma.

PMID- 28892251
TI  - Genomes of rumen bacteria encode atypical pathways for fermenting hexoses to
      short-chain fatty acids.
AB  - Bacteria have been thought to follow only a few well-recognized biochemical
      pathways when fermenting glucose or other hexoses. These pathways have been
      chiseled in the stone of textbooks for decades, with most sources rendering them
      as they appear in the classic 1986 text by Gottschalk. Still, it is unclear how
      broadly these pathways apply, given that they were established and delineated
      biochemically with only a few model organisms. Here, we show that well-recognized
      pathways often cannot explain fermentation products formed by bacteria. In the
      most extensive analysis of its kind, we reconstructed pathways for glucose
      fermentation from genomes of 48 species and subspecies of bacteria from one
      environment (the rumen). In total, 44% of these bacteria had atypical pathways,
      including several that are completely unprecedented for bacteria or any organism.
      In detail, 8% of bacteria had an atypical pathway for acetate formation; 21% of
      bacteria had an atypical pathway for propionate or succinate formation; 6% of
      bacteria had an atypical pathway for butyrate formation and 33% of bacteria had
      an atypical or incomplete Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway. This study shows that
      reconstruction of metabolic pathways - a common goal of omics studies - could be
      incorrect if well-recognized pathways are used for reference. Furthermore, it
      calls for renewed efforts to delineate fermentation pathways biochemically.

PMID- 28892252
TI  - Clinical decision-making in managing changes in gastrointestinal function
      following cancer therapies: Is experience enough?
AB  - In patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, identical symptoms may occur
      for many different reasons. This prospective study assessed whether experienced
      clinicians can predict accurately the underlying diagnosis or diagnoses
      contributing to specific symptoms based on the history and physical examination.
      Three clinicians assessed 47 patients referred for management of troublesome GI
      symptoms identified after treatment for cancer. Investigations were requested
      following our comprehensive, peer-reviewed algorithm. The clinicians then
      recorded their predictions as to the results of those investigations. After each
      patient had completed all their investigations, had received optimal management
      and had been discharged from the clinic, the predicted diagnoses were compared to
      those made. The clinicians predicted 92 diagnoses (1.9 per patient). After
      investigation, a total of 168 unique diagnoses were identified (3.5 per patient).
      Of the 92 predicted diagnoses, 41 (43%) matched the diagnosis. Of the 168 actual
      diagnoses identified, only 24% matched the prediction. None of the clinicians
      predicted the correct combination of diagnoses contributing to bowel symptoms.
      Clinical acumen alone is inadequate at determining cause for symptoms in patients
      with GI symptoms developing after cancer therapy.

PMID- 28892254
TI  - Transcriptional regulation of ectoine catabolism in response to multiple
      metabolic and environmental cues.
AB  - Ectoine and hydroxyectoine are effective microbial osmostress protectants, but
      can also serve as versatile nutrients for bacteria. We have studied the genetic
      regulation of ectoine and hydroxyectoine import and catabolism in the marine
      Roseobacter species Ruegeria pomeroyi and identified three transcriptional
      regulators involved in these processes: the GabR/MocR-type repressor EnuR, the
      feast and famine-type regulator AsnC and the two-component system NtrYX. The
      corresponding genes are widely associated with ectoine and hydroxyectoine uptake
      and catabolic gene clusters (enuR, asnC), and with microorganisms predicted to
      consume ectoines (ntrYX). EnuR contains a covalently bound pyridoxal-5'-phosphate
      as a co-factor and the chemistry underlying the functioning of MocR/GabR-type
      regulators typically requires a system-specific low molecular mass effector
      molecule. Through ligand binding studies with purified EnuR, we identified N
      (alpha)-L-acetyl-2,4-diaminobutyric acid and L-2,4-diaminobutyric acid as
      inducers for EnuR that are generated through ectoine catabolism. AsnC/Lrp-type
      proteins can wrap DNA into nucleosome-like structures, and we found that the asnC
      gene was essential for use of ectoines as nutrients. Furthermore, we discovered
      through transposon mutagenesis that the NtrYX two-component system is required
      for their catabolism. Database searches suggest that our findings have important
      ramifications for an understanding of the molecular biology of most microbial
      consumers of ectoines.

PMID- 28892256
TI  - Possibility of quantitative T2-mapping MRI of cartilage near metal in high tibial
      osteotomy: A human cadaver study.
AB  - T2-mapping is a widely used quantitative MRI technique in osteoarthritis
      research. An important challenge for its application in the context of high
      tibial osteotomy (HTO) is the presence of metallic fixation devices. In this
      study, we evaluated the possibility of performing T2-mapping after a HTO, by
      assessing the extent of magnetic susceptibility artifacts and the influence on T2
      relaxation times caused by two commonly used fixation devices. T2-mapping with a
      3D fast spin-echo sequence at three Tesla was performed on 11 human cadaveric
      knee joints before and after implantation of a titanium plate and screws (n = 5)
      or cobalt chrome staples (n = 6). Mean T2 relaxation times were calculated in six
      cartilage regions, located in the distal and posterior cartilage of femoral
      condyles and the cartilage of tibial plateaus, both medially and laterally. T2
      relaxation times before and after the implantation were compared with paired t
      tests and Wilcoxon rank tests. Due to the extent of the magnetic susceptibility
      artifact, it was not possible to segment the knee cartilage and thus calculate T2
      relaxation times in the lateral weight-bearing femoral and tibial cartilage
      regions only in the cobalt chrome group. In all cartilage regions of the titanium
      implanted knees and those unaffected by artifacts due to cobalt chrome implants,
      T2 relaxation times did not significantly differ between the two scans. Our
      results suggest that accurate T2-mapping after a HTO procedure is possible in all
      areas after implantation of a titanium fixation device and in most areas after
      implantation of a cobalt chrome fixation device. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic Research
      Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1206-1212, 2018.

PMID- 28892255
TI  - Does cardiovascular risk vary according to the criteria for a diagnosis of
      polycystic ovary syndrome?
AB  - AIM: The risk of cardiovascular disease is higher in women with polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) compared to healthy individuals. Chronic inflammation, insulin
      resistance, hyperandrogenemia, hyperlipidemia and increased oxidative stress are
      known to have a role in the formation of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular
      disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate if cardiovascular risk varied
      according to different PCOS criteria, using carotid intima-media thickness
      (CIMT), which is an important marker of major cardiovascular events in the later
      stages of life. METHODS: The study group included 52 women aged 18-35 diagnosed
      with PCOS, and the control group comprised 45 age-matched healthy women. Body
      mass index, CIMT, fasting serum glucose and insulin levels and hormonal and lipid
      profiles were compared between the groups. RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference in CIMT levels between the groups. The CIMT levels in the PCOS group
      did not differ whether hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovary-like appearance on
      ultrasound or oligo/anovulation status were present or not. Furthermore, when all
      cases were divided into subgroups according to BMI values, the CIMT values were
      similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: Because PCOS and atherosclerosis both
      have a complex nature, it is likely that the evaluation of CIMT alone may not be
      sufficient to determine endothelial dysfunction in a reproductive age group.

PMID- 28892253
TI  - Host-microbe interaction in the gastrointestinal tract.
AB  - The gastrointestinal tract is a highly complex organ in which multiple dynamic
      physiological processes are tightly coordinated while interacting with a dense
      and extremely diverse microbial population. From establishment in early life,
      through to host-microbe symbiosis in adulthood, the gut microbiota plays a vital
      role in our development and health. The effect of the microbiota on gut
      development and physiology is highlighted by anatomical and functional changes in
      germ-free mice, affecting the gut epithelium, immune system and enteric nervous
      system. Microbial colonisation promotes competent innate and acquired mucosal
      immune systems, epithelial renewal, barrier integrity, and mucosal
      vascularisation and innervation. Interacting or shared signalling pathways across
      different physiological systems of the gut could explain how all these changes
      are coordinated during postnatal colonisation, or after the introduction of
      microbiota into germ-free models. The application of cell-based in-vitro
      experimental systems and mathematical modelling can shed light on the molecular
      and signalling pathways which regulate the development and maintenance of
      homeostasis in the gut and beyond.

PMID- 28892257
TI  - Candidate gene molecular markers as tools for analyzing genetic susceptibility to
      morbillivirus infection in stranded Cetaceans.
AB  - Morbilliviruses, such as Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) or Phocine distemper virus
      (PDV), represent a growing threat for marine mammals on both hemispheres. Because
      free-ranging animal populations strongly rely on natural resistance mechanisms,
      innate immunity-related genes and virus cell entry receptor genes may represent
      key factors involved in susceptibility to CeMV in Cetaceans. Using the next
      generation sequencing technology, we have sequenced 11 candidate genes in two
      model species, Stenella coeruleoalba and Phocoena phocoena. Suitable single
      nucleotide polymorphism markers of potential functional importance, located in
      genes coding for basigin (BSG, CD147), the signaling lymphocyte activating
      molecule (SLAMF1), the poliovirus-related receptor-4 (NECTIN4, PVRL4), toll-like
      receptors 3, 7, 8 (TLR3, TLR7, TLR8), natural resistance-associated macrophage
      protein (SLC11A1) and natural cytotoxicity triggering receptor 1 (NCR1), were
      identified in each model species, along with MHC-DQB haplotypes unique for each
      species. This set of molecular markers represents a potentially useful tool for
      studying host genetic variation and susceptibility to morbillivirus infection in
      Cetaceans as well as for studying functionally important genetic diversity of
      selected Cetacean populations.

PMID- 28892258
TI  - Sitagliptin and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass modulate insulin secretion via
      regulation of intra-islet PYY.
AB  - AIMS: The gut hormone peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) is critical for maintaining
      islet integrity and restoring islet function following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
      (RYGB). The expression of PYY and its receptors (NPYRs) in islets has been
      documented but not fully characterized. Modulation of islet PYY by the
      proteolytic enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) has not been investigated and
      the impact of DPP-IV inhibition on islet PYY function remains unexplored. Here we
      have addressed these gaps and their effects on glucose-stimulated insulin
      secretion (GSIS). We have also investigated changes in pancreatic PYY in diabetes
      and following RYGB. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and gene expression analysis
      were used to assess PYY, NPYRs and DPP-IV expression in rodent and human islets.
      DPP-IV activity inhibition was achieved by sitagliptin. Secretion studies were
      used to test PYY and the effects of sitagliptin on insulin release, and the
      involvement of GLP-1. Radioimmunoassays were used to measure hormone content in
      islets. RESULTS: PYY and DPP-IV localized in different cell types in islets while
      NPYR expression was confined to the beta-cells. Chronic PYY application enhanced
      GSIS in rodent and diabetic human islets. DPP-IV inhibition by sitagliptin
      potentiated GSIS; this was mediated by locally-produced PYY, and not GLP-1.
      Pancreatic PYY was markedly reduced in diabetes. RYGB strongly increased islet
      PYY content, but did not lead to full restoration of pancreatic GLP-1 levels.
      CONCLUSION: Local regulation of pancreatic PYY, rather than GLP-1, by DPP-IV
      inhibition or RYGB can directly modulate the insulin secretory response to
      glucose, indicating a novel role of pancreatic PYY in diabetes and weight-loss
      surgery.

PMID- 28892259
TI  - Cellulose production is coupled to sensing of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway
      via c-di-GMP production by the DgcQ protein of Escherichia coli.
AB  - Production of cellulose, a stress response-mediated process in enterobacteria, is
      modulated in Escherichia coli by the activity of the two pyrimidine nucleotide
      biosynthetic pathways, namely, the de novo biosynthetic pathway and the salvage
      pathway, which relies on the environmental availability of pyrimidine nitrogenous
      bases. We had previously reported that prevalence of the salvage over the de novo
      pathway triggers cellulose production via synthesis of the second messenger c-di
      GMP by the DgcQ (YedQ) diguanylate cyclase. In this work, we show that DgcQ
      enzymatic activity is enhanced by UTP, whilst being inhibited by N-carbamoyl
      aspartate, an intermediate of the de novo pathway. Thus, direct allosteric
      control by these ligands allows full DgcQ activity exclusively in cells actively
      synthesizing pyrimidine nucleotides via the salvage pathway. Inhibition of DgcQ
      activity by N-carbamoyl-aspartate appears to be favoured by protein-protein
      interaction between DgcQ and PyrB, a subunit of aspartate transcarbamylase, which
      synthesizes N-carbamoyl-aspartate. Our results suggest that availability of
      pyrimidine bases might be sensed, somehow paradoxically, as an environmental
      stress by E. coli. We hypothesize that this link might have evolved since stress
      events, leading to extensive DNA/RNA degradation or lysis of neighbouring cells,
      can result in increased pyrimidine concentrations and activation of the salvage
      pathway.

PMID- 28892260
TI  - Synthetic Poly(Vinylalcohol)-Based Membranes for Cartilage Surgery and Repair.
AB  - Cell-based therapies for cartilage repair are continually being developed to
      treat osteoarthritis. The cells are either introduced directly by intra-articular
      injection or via a cell-seeded matrix scaffold. Here, poly(vinylalcohol)-based
      membranes are developed to be used for mesenchymal stem cell implantation in
      cartilage repair procedures, having controllable physicochemical properties such
      as porosity, mechanical strength, and permeability, and a unique self-sealing
      property. The membranes possess a bilayer structure with a less porous layer
      providing mechanical strength and selective permeability, exhibit an elastic
      modulus of between 0.3 and 0.9 MPa, and are permeable to molecules <40 kDa, which
      is in the range of cartilage permeability. Three different peptide ligands with
      the sequences Ac-GCGYGRGDSPG, Ac-GCG(OPG)4REGOFG(OPG)4, and Ac-GCG(OPG)7,
      respectively, are conjugated to the membranes and subject to in vitro cell
      adhesion and differentiation assays. Col I/Col II gene expression ratios
      indicated that the collagen-mimetic peptide, Ac-GCG(OPG)7, best supported
      mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into the chondrogenic lineage. Although low
      retention of the membrane is observed in vivo in a rabbit knee model, results
      suggest that the membrane was able to facilitate mesenchymal stem cell
      implantation and differentiation to chondrocytes. These PVA-based membranes
      provide a feasible, synthetic, off-the-shelf material for the delivery of stem
      cells, and can be modified for other surgical applications.

PMID- 28892261
TI  - Fabrication of Trabecular Bone-Templated Tissue-Engineered Constructs by 3D
      Inkjet Printing.
AB  - 3D printing enables the creation of scaffolds with precisely controlled
      morphometric properties for multiple tissue types, including musculoskeletal
      tissues such as cartilage and bone. Computed tomography (CT) imaging has been
      combined with 3D printing to fabricate anatomically scaled patient-specific
      scaffolds for bone regeneration. However, anatomically scaled scaffolds typically
      lack sufficient resolution to recapitulate the <100 micrometer-scale trabecular
      architecture essential for investigating the cellular response to the
      morphometric properties of bone. In this study, it is hypothesized that the
      architecture of trabecular bone regulates osteoblast differentiation and
      mineralization. To test this hypothesis, human bone-templated 3D constructs are
      fabricated via a new micro-CT/3D inkjet printing process. It is shown that this
      process reproducibly fabricates bone-templated constructs that recapitulate the
      anatomic site-specific morphometric properties of trabecular bone. A significant
      correlation is observed between the structure model index (a morphometric
      parameter related to surface curvature) and the degree of mineralization of human
      mesenchymal stem cells, with more concave surfaces promoting more extensive
      osteoblast differentiation and mineralization compared to predominately convex
      surfaces. These findings highlight the significant effects of trabecular
      architecture on osteoblast function.

PMID- 28892262
TI  - Glycan Stimulation Enables Purification of Prostate Cancer Circulating Tumor
      Cells on PEDOT NanoVelcro Chips for RNA Biomarker Detection.
AB  - A glycan-stimulated and poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)s (PEDOT)-based
      nanomaterial platform is fabricated to purify circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from
      blood samples of prostate cancer (PCa) patients. This new platform, phenylboronic
      acid (PBA)-grafted PEDOT NanoVelcro, combines the 3D PEDOT nanosubstrate, which
      greatly enhances CTC capturing efficiency, with a poly(EDOT-PBA-co-EDOT-EG3)
      interfacial layer, which not only provides high specificity for CTC capture upon
      antibody conjugation but also enables competitive binding of sorbitol to gently
      release the captured cells. CTCs purified by this PEDOT NanoVelcro chip provide
      well-preserved RNA transcripts for the analysis of the expression level of
      several PCa-specific RNA biomarkers, which may provide clinical insights into the
      disease.

PMID- 28892264
TI  - Synthetic Nanosheets of Natural van der Waals Heterostructures.
AB  - Creation of new van der Waals heterostructures by stacking different two
      dimensional (2D) crystals on top of each other in a chosen sequence is the next
      challenge after the discovery of graphene, mono/few layer of h-BN, and transition
      metal dichalcogenides. However, chemical syntheses of van der Waals
      heterostructures are rarer than the physical preparation techniques. Herein, we
      demonstrate the kinetic stabilization of 2D ultrathin heterostructure (ca. 1.13
      2.35 nm thick) nanosheets of layered intergrowth SnBi2 Te4 , SnBi4 Te7 , and
      SnBi6 Te10 , which belong to the Snm Bi2n Te3n+m homologous series, by a simple
      solution based synthesis. Few-layer nanosheets exhibit ultralow lattice thermal
      conductivity (kappalat ) of 0.3-0.5 W m-1  K-1 and semiconducting electron
      transport properties with high carrier mobility.

PMID- 28892265
TI  - Effects of preemptive analgesia with flurbiprofen ester on lymphocytes and
      natural killer cells in patients undergoing esophagectomy: A randomized
      controlled pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumors may induce systemic immune dysfunction, which can be
      aggravated by surgery and anesthesia/analgesia. Data on the effect of
      flurbiprofen preemptive analgesia on immune dysfunction is limited. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the effect of flurbiprofen preemptive analgesia on
      lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells in patients undergoing thoracotomy and
      thoracoscopy radical esophagectomy, and to explore the analgesic methods suitable
      for tumor patients. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled pilot study of 89
      patients with esophageal cancer treated with surgery at the Henan Cancer Hospital
      between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016. The patients were divided into
      three groups: group 1, thoracotomy; group 2, thoracoscopy and laparoscopic
      surgery; and group 3, flurbiprofen, thoracoscopy, and laparoscopic surgery. CD3+,
      CD19+, NK, CD4+, and CD8+ cells in whole blood were measured by flow cytometry 30
      minutes before surgery (T0), at the end of the thoracic section of the procedure
      (T1), and at the end of the operation (T2). RESULTS: There were no significant
      differences in CD3+, CD19+, CD8+, NK, and CD4+ cells between the three groups or
      regarding the time points during the procedure (all P > 0.05). Thoracotomy and
      thoracoscopy surgery resulted in similar immunological outcomes. CONCLUSION:
      Flurbiprofen ester preemptive analgesia did not suppress the immune function in
      patients and could be a safe analgesic method for patients with esophageal cancer
      undergoing surgery.

PMID- 28892266
TI  - Cervical dilatation patterns of 'low-risk' women with spontaneous labour and
      normal perinatal outcomes: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The call for women-centred approaches to reduce labour interventions,
      particularly primary caesarean section, has renewed an interest in gaining a
      better understanding of natural labour progression. OBJECTIVE: To synthesise
      available data on the cervical dilatation patterns during spontaneous labour of
      'low-risk' women with normal perinatal outcomes. SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed, EMBASE,
      CINAHL, POPLINE, Global Health Library, and reference lists of eligible studies.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: Observational studies and other study designs. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors extracted data on: maternal characteristics;
      labour interventions; the duration of labour centimetre by centimetre; and the
      duration of labour from dilatation at admission through to 10 cm. We pooled data
      across studies using weighted medians and employed the Bootstrap-t method to
      generate the corresponding confidence bounds. MAIN RESULTS: Seven observational
      studies describing labour patterns for 99 971 women met our inclusion criteria.
      The median time to advance by 1 cm in nulliparous women was longer than 1 hour
      until a dilatation of 5 cm was reached, with markedly rapid progress after 6 cm.
      Similar labour progression patterns were observed in parous women. The 95th
      percentiles for both parity groups suggest that it was not uncommon for some
      women to reach 10 cm, despite dilatation rates that were much slower than the 1
      cm/hour threshold for most part of their first stage of labours. CONCLUSION: An
      expectation of a minimum cervical dilatation threshold of 1 cm/hour throughout
      the first stage of labour is unrealistic for most healthy nulliparous and parous
      women. Our findings call into question the universal application of clinical
      standards that are conceptually based on an expectation of linear labour progress
      in all women. FUNDING: UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of
      Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP),
      Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, and
      the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). TWEETABLE
      ABSTRACT: Cervical dilatation threshold of 1 cm/hour throughout labour is
      unrealistic for most women, regardless of parity.

PMID- 28892267
TI  - Reply to Costs of ALK, ROS1, EGFR, and KRAS testing in non-small cell lung
      cancer: About different strategies in France.

PMID- 28892263
TI  - Regulation of germ cell development by intercellular signaling in the mammalian
      ovarian follicle.
AB  - Prior to ovulation, the mammalian oocyte undergoes a process of differentiation
      within the ovarian follicle that confers on it the ability to give rise to an
      embryo. Differentiation comprises two phases-growth, during which the oocyte
      increases more than 100-fold in volume as it accumulates macromolecules and
      organelles that will sustain early embryogenesis; and meiotic maturation, during
      which the oocyte executes the first meiotic division and prepares for the second
      division. Entry of an oocyte into the growth phase appears to be triggered when
      the adjacent granulosa cells produce specific growth factors. As the oocyte
      grows, it elaborates a thick extracellular coat termed the zona pellucida.
      Nonetheless, cytoplasmic extensions of the adjacent granulosa cells, termed
      transzonal projections (TZPs), enable them to maintain contact-dependent
      communication with the oocyte. Through gap junctions located where the TZP tips
      meet the oocyte membrane, they provide the oocyte with products that sustain its
      metabolic activity and signals that regulate its differentiation. Conversely, the
      oocyte secretes diffusible growth factors that regulate proliferation and
      differentiation of the granulosa cells. Gap junction-permeable products of the
      granulosa cells prevent precocious initiation of meiotic maturation, and the gap
      junctions also enable oocyte maturation to begin in response to hormonal signals
      received by the granulosa cells. Development of the oocyte or the somatic
      compartment may also be regulated by extracellular vesicles newly identified in
      follicular fluid and at TZP tips, which could mediate intercellular transfer of
      macromolecules. Oocyte differentiation thus depends on continuous signaling
      interactions with the somatic cells of the follicle. WIREs Dev Biol 2018, 7:e294.
      doi: 10.1002/wdev.294 This article is categorized under: Gene Expression and
      Transcriptional Hierarchies > Cellular Differentiation Signaling Pathways > Cell
      Fate Signaling Early Embryonic Development > Gametogenesis.

PMID- 28892268
TI  - Decoupling the Effects of High Crystallinity and Surface Area on the
      Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting over beta-Ga2 O3 Nanoparticles by Chemical
      Vapor Synthesis.
AB  - Chemical vapor synthesis (CVS) is a unique method to prepare well-defined
      photocatalyst materials with both large specific surface area and a high degree
      of crystallinity. The obtained beta-Ga2 O3 nanoparticles were optimized for
      photocatalysis by reductive photodeposition of the Rh/CrOx co-catalyst system.
      The influence of the degree of crystallinity and the specific surface area on
      photocatalytic aqueous methanol reforming and overall water splitting (OWS) was
      investigated by synthesizing beta-Ga2 O3 samples in the temperature range from
      1000  degrees C to 1500  degrees C. With increasing temperature, the specific
      surface area and the microstrain were found to decrease, whereas the degree of
      crystallinity and the crystallite size increased. Whereas the photocatalyst with
      the highest specific surface area showed the highest aqueous methanol reforming
      activity, the highest OWS activity was that for the sample with an optimum ratio
      between high degree of crystallinity and specific surface area. Thus, it was
      possible to show that the facile aqueous methanol reforming and the demanding OWS
      have different requirements for high photocatalytic activity.

PMID- 28892269
TI  - Bacteria utilizing plant-derived carbon in the rhizosphere of Triticum aestivum
      change in different depths of an arable soil.
AB  - Root exudates shape microbial communities at the plant-soil interface. Here we
      compared bacterial communities that utilize plant-derived carbon in the
      rhizosphere of wheat in different soil depths, including topsoil, as well as two
      subsoil layers up to 1 m depth. The experiment was performed in a greenhouse
      using soil monoliths with intact soil structure taken from an agricultural field.
      To identify bacteria utilizing plant-derived carbon, 13 C-CO2 labelling of plants
      was performed for two weeks at the EC50 stage, followed by isopycnic density
      gradient centrifugation of extracted DNA from the rhizosphere combined with 16S
      rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing. Our findings suggest substantially different
      bacterial key players and interaction mechanisms between plants and bacteria
      utilizing plant-derived carbon in the rhizosphere of subsoils and topsoil. Among
      the three soil depths, clear differences were found in 13 C enrichment pattern
      across abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Whereas, OTUs linked to
      Proteobacteria were enriched in 13 C mainly in the topsoil, in both subsoil
      layers OTUs related to Cohnella, Paenibacillus, Flavobacterium showed a clear 13
      C signal, indicating an important, so far overseen role of Firmicutes and
      Bacteriodetes in the subsoil rhizosphere.

PMID- 28892270
TI  - Biomimetic Artificial Basilar Membranes for Next-Generation Cochlear Implants.
AB  - Patients with sensorineural hearing loss can recover their hearing using a
      cochlear implant (CI). However, there is a need to develop next-generation CIs to
      overcome the limitations of conventional CIs caused by extracorporeal devices.
      Recently, artificial basilar membranes (ABMs) are actively studied for next
      generation CIs. The ABM is an acoustic transducer that mimics the mechanical
      frequency selectivity of the BM and acoustic-to-electrical energy conversion of
      hair cells. This paper presents recent progress in biomimetic ABMs. First, the
      characteristics of frequency selectivity of the ABMs by the trapezoidal membrane
      and beam array are addressed. Second, to reflect the latest research of energy
      conversion technologies, ABMs using various piezoelectric materials and
      triboelectric-based ABMs are discussed. Third, in vivo evaluations of the ABMs in
      animal models are discussed according to the target position for implantation.
      Finally, future perspectives of ABM studies for the development of practical
      hearing devices are discussed.

PMID- 28892271
TI  - Potential drug-drug interactions and polypharmacy in institutionalized elderly
      patients in a public hospital in Brazil.
AB  - : WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Older individuals constitute an increasing
      proportion of the population, and therefore, are the major consumers of drugs.
      The elderly, especially those with mental disabilities, frequently develop
      chronic diseases and start using numerous drugs. Drug-drug interactions (DDIs)
      are a major clinical problem in the elderly population, and previous studies have
      focused only on antidepressants and others types of drugs used to treat mental
      health conditions. WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This study
      shows that in hospitalized elderly patients with mental disorders (aged 60-69
      years), polypharmacy (>=5 drugs) and the use of drugs that act on the
      cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems can lead to potential drug-drug
      interactions. Moreover, it was reported that the prevalence of drug-drug
      interactions in elderly patients with mental disorders was high during their
      hospitalization in a public hospital in Brazil. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR
      PRACTICE?: Nurses should know the factors associated with drug-drug interactions
      in hospitalized elderly patients with mental disorders to choose appropriate
      strategies for avoiding treatment failure and adverse events in patients.
      ABSTRACT: Introduction Despite the impact on patient safety and the fact that
      prevalence is higher in older patients, previous research did not analyse drug
      drug interactions (DDIs) in view of nursing care of elderly psychiatric patients.
      Aim To identify potential drug-drug interactions and polypharmacy in
      prescriptions of aged inpatients with psychiatric disorders and analyse
      associated factors. Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we
      analysed the medical records of institutionalized patients diagnosed with
      psychiatric disorders (n = 94), aged >60 years, and prescribed multiple
      medications. Drug prescriptions were checked at admission, midway through and the
      last prescription. Factors associated with DDI occurrence were assessed using
      multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results A DDI prevalence potential of
      67.0%, 74.5% and 80.8% occurred in patients at admission, midway through
      hospitalization and the last prescription, respectively. Most of the prescribed
      drugs were nervous system agents. A high percentage of serious and
      contraindicated potential DDIs occurred. Age between 60 and 69 years, use of
      cardiovascular and respiratory system drugs, and the number of medications
      contributed significantly to DDI. Implications for mental health nursing
      Knowledge on the factors associated with DDIs in patients with mental disorders
      can contribute to the improvement of effectiveness and safety of nursing care.

PMID- 28892272
TI  - Effect of cerebrospinal fluid shunt surgery on lower urinary tract dysfunction in
      idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.
AB  - AIMS: To examine the outcomes of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and
      urodynamic test results after cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt surgery in
      idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). METHODS: Records of 48 patients
      (33 men; 15 women), who met the definite iNPH criteria and underwent CSF shunt
      surgery, were retrospectively analyzed. LUTS and their impact on quality of life
      (QOL) were evaluated using an all-or-none questionnaire targeting four symptoms,
      the Overactive Bladder Symptoms Score (OABSS), and the QOL index. Urodynamic
      investigations included filling cystometry and pressure-flow studies performed
      before and after surgery. RESULTS: Forty-seven (98%) patients complained of LUTS,
      41 (87%) patients of whom experienced LUTS improvement after surgery. The OABSS
      and QOL index, which before surgery were 6.8 +/- 0.7 and 4.1 +/- 0.4,
      respectively, significantly decreased to 4.6 +/- 0.6 and 3.2 +/- 0.3,
      respectively, after surgery. The maximum cystometric capacity (174.9 +/- 13.3 mL
      to 222.4 +/- 14.7 mL) and bladder compliance (35.8 +/- 4.4 ml/cmH2 O to 52.1 +/-
      5.4 ml/cmH2 O) significantly increased after surgery. Detrusor overactivity,
      which was observed in 37 (77%) patients preoperatively, became undetectable in 7
      patients postoperatively. Voiding dysfunction (defined as maximum flow rate <10
      mL/s or post-void residual >100 mL) was observed in 29 (60%) patients, 22 (75%)
      of whom had detrusor underactivity before surgery. None of the voiding urodynamic
      parameters significantly improved postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: iNPH is often
      associated with LUTS and both storage and voiding dysfunctions. CSF shunt surgery
      improved LUTS and storage dysfunction, with limited effects on voiding
      dysfunction.

PMID- 28892273
TI  - Corrigendum to Hyatt (2015) "Specific default mode subnetworks support
      mentalizing as revealed through opposing network recruitment by social and
      semantic fMRI tasks".

PMID- 28892274
TI  - Biosynthesis and function of simple amides in Xenorhabdus doucetiae.
AB  - Xenorhabdus doucetiae, the bacterial symbiont of the entomopathogenic nematode
      Steinernema diaprepesi produces several different fatty acid amides. Their
      biosynthesis has been studied using a combination of analysis of gene deletions
      and promoter exchanges in X. doucetiae and heterologous expression of candidate
      genes in E. coli. While a decarboxylase is required for the formation of all
      observed phenylethylamides and tryptamides, the acyltransferase XrdE encoded in
      the xenorhabdin biosynthesis gene cluster is responsible for the formation of
      short chain acyl amides. Additionally, new, long-chain and cytotoxic acyl amides
      were identified in X. doucetiae infected insects and when X. doucetiae was grown
      in Galleria Instant Broth (GIB). When the bioactivity of selected amides was
      tested, a quorum sensing modulating activity was observed for the short chain
      acyl amides against the two different quorum sensing systems from Chromobacterium
      and Janthinobacterium.

PMID- 28892275
TI  - Selective Synthesis of Fluorine-Containing Cyclic beta-Amino Acid Scaffolds.
AB  - Fluorine-containing organic molecules have generated increasing impact in drug
      research over the past decade. Their preparation and development of novel
      synthetic methods towards new types of fluorinated molecules among them of beta
      amino acid derivatives has received large interest. Our research group have
      designed various highly selective and stereocontrolled methods for the
      construction of fluorine-containing cyclic beta-amino acid derivatives. The
      synthetic approaches developed for the synthesis of various pharmacologically
      interesting cyclic beta-amino acid derivatives as monomers with multiple
      stereogenic centers might be valuable protocols for the access of other classes
      of organic compounds.

PMID- 28892276
TI  - What makes rhizobia rhizosphere colonizers?

PMID- 28892277
TI  - Ungulates increase forest plant species richness to the benefit of non-forest
      specialists.
AB  - Large wild ungulates are a major biotic factor shaping plant communities. They
      influence species abundance and occurrence directly by herbivory and plant
      dispersal, or indirectly by modifying plant-plant interactions and through soil
      disturbance. In forest ecosystems, researchers' attention has been mainly focused
      on deer overabundance. Far less is known about the effects on understory plant
      dynamics and diversity of wild ungulates where their abundance is maintained at
      lower levels to mitigate impacts on tree regeneration. We used vegetation data
      collected over 10 years on 82 pairs of exclosure (excluding ungulates) and
      control plots located in a nation-wide forest monitoring network (Renecofor). We
      report the effects of ungulate exclusion on (i) plant species richness and
      ecological characteristics, (ii) and cover percentage of herbaceous and shrub
      layers. We also analyzed the response of these variables along gradients of
      ungulate abundance, based on hunting statistics, for wild boar (Sus scrofa), red
      deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Outside the exclosures,
      forest ungulates maintained higher species richness in the herbaceous layer
      (+15%), while the shrub layer was 17% less rich, and the plant communities became
      more light-demanding. Inside the exclosures, shrub cover increased, often to the
      benefit of bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.). Ungulates tend to favour ruderal,
      hemerobic, epizoochorous and non-forest species. Among plots, the magnitude of
      vegetation changes was proportional to deer abundance. We conclude that
      ungulates, through the control of the shrub layer, indirectly increase herbaceous
      plant species richness by increasing light reaching the ground. However, this
      increase is detrimental to the peculiarity of forest plant communities and
      contributes to a landscape-level biotic homogenization. Even at population
      density levels considered to be harmless for overall plant species richness,
      ungulates remain a conservation issue for plant community composition.

PMID- 28892278
TI  - Reflection on stroke deaths and end-of-life stroke care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The benefit of palliative care referral for severe stroke patients on
      end-of-life care pathway (EOLCP) is increasingly recognised. Palliative care
      provides assistance with symptom management and transition to end-of-life care.
      Advance care planning (ACP) may help accommodate patient/family expectations and
      guide management. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of all stroke deaths
      (2014-2015) at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Data examined included age,
      comorbidities, living arrangements, pre-existing ACP, palliative care referral
      rates and 'survival time'. RESULTS: In total, 123 patient (mean age +/- SD = 76
      +/- 13 years) deaths were identified from 1067 stroke admissions (11.5%
      mortality); 64 (52%) patients had ischaemic stroke and 59 (48%) intracerebral
      haemorrhage (ICH), and 40% suffered a prior stroke, and 43% required a carer at
      home or were in an aged care facility. Survival time from admission was
      significantly longer in patients with ischaemic stroke compared to intracerebral
      haemorrhage (median, interquartile range [IQR]: 9.5 [18] vs 2 [4] days, P <
      0.001). Only two patients had pre-existing ACP; 44% of patients were referred to
      palliative care and 41% were commenced on dedicated EOLCP. Palliative care
      referral was less likely in patients who died under neurosurgery. EOLCP were
      significantly less likely to be commenced in patients who underwent acute
      intervention or were not referred to palliative care. CONCLUSION: In this cohort,
      palliative care referral and EOLCP were commenced in less than 50% of patients,
      highlighting significant variations in clinical care. These data support the need
      to promote awareness of ACP, particularly in patients with prior stroke or
      significant comorbidities. This may help reduce potentially futile invasive
      investigations and treatment.

PMID- 28892279
TI  - The Role of Rubidium in Multiple-Cation-Based High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar
      Cells.
AB  - Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on cesium (Cs)- and rubidium (Rb)-containing
      perovskite films show highly reproducible performance; however, a fundamental
      understanding of these systems is still emerging. Herein, this study has
      systematically investigated the role of Cs and Rb cations in complete devices by
      examining the transport and recombination processes using current-voltage
      characteristics and impedance spectroscopy in the dark. As the credibility of
      these measurements depends on the performance of devices, this study has chosen
      two different PSCs, (MAFACs)Pb(IBr)3 (MA = CH3 NH3+ , FA = CH(NH2 )2+ ) and
      (MAFACsRb)Pb(IBr)3 , yielding impressive performances of 19.5% and 21.1%,
      respectively. From detailed studies, this study surmises that the confluence of
      the low trap-assisted charge-carrier recombination, low resistance offered to
      holes at the perovskite/2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9
      spirobifluorene interface with a low series resistance (Rs ), and low capacitance
      leads to the realization of higher performance when an extra Rb cation is
      incorporated into the absorber films. This study provides a thorough
      understanding of the impact of inorganic cations on the properties and
      performance of highly efficient devices, and also highlights new strategies to
      fabricate efficient multiple-cation-based PSCs.

PMID- 28892280
TI  - Costs of ALK, ROS1, EGFR, and KRAS testing in non-small cell lung cancer: About
      different strategies in France.

PMID- 28892281
TI  - Transgenerational and developmental plasticity at the molecular level: Lessons
      from Daphnia.
AB  - Listen to the news and you are bound to hear that researchers are increasingly
      interested in the biological manifestations of trauma that reverberate through
      the generations. Research in this area can be controversial in the public realm,
      provoking societal issues about personal responsibility (are we really born free
      or are we born with the burden of our ancestors' experience?). It is also a
      touchy subject within evolutionary biology because it provokes concerns about
      Lamarckianism and general scepticism about the importance of extra-genetic
      inheritance (Laland et al., ). Part of why the research in this area has been
      controversial is because it is difficult to study. For one, there is the problem
      of how long it takes to track changes across generations, making long-term, multi
      generational studies especially tricky in long-lived species. Moreover, there are
      presently very few (if any) known molecular mechanisms by which environmental
      effects can be incorporated into the genome and persist for multiple successive
      generations, casting doubt on their evolutionary repercussions. Fortunately, you
      only have to look in your local pond to find the creatures that are teaching us a
      great deal about how and why the experiences of parents are passed down to their
      offspring. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Hales et al. (Hales et al., )
      illustrate the power of Daphnia ("water fleas") for making headway in this field.

PMID- 28892282
TI  - Diabetic foot infection: Antibiotic therapy and good practice recommendations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Healthcare events related to diabetic foot disease carry a burden of
      morbidity, mortality and economic cost. Prompt identification of clinical
      infection with appropriate tissue sampling limits use of broad spectrum empirical
      antibiotics and improves antibiotic stewardship. Staphylococcus aureus remains
      the commonest infecting organism and high-dose flucloxacillin remains the
      empirical antibiotic of choice for antibiotic naive patients. Barriers to microbe
      specific treatment include: adequate tissue sampling, delays in culture results,
      drug allergies and the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms which can
      complicate the choice of targeted antibiotics. Even appropriate antibiotic
      treatment carries a risk of adverse events including the selection of resistant
      organisms. AIMS: Multidisciplinary clinical assessment of a diabetic foot
      infection is supported by the use of appropriate imaging modalities and deep
      tissue sampling, both of which are encouraged to enhance sampling accuracy.
      Narrow-spectrum, high dose, short duration antimicrobial therapy is ideal.
      Further clarity in these areas would be of benefit to clinicians involved in
      management of diabetic foot infections. METHODS: A combination of literature
      review with expert discussion was used to generate consensus on management of
      diabetic foot infection, with a specific focus on empirical antimicrobial
      therapy. RESULTS: Gram positive organisms represent the commonest pathogens in
      diabetic foot infection. However there are developing challenges in antimicrobial
      resistance and antibiotic availability. DISCUSSION: Recommendations for empirical
      therapy, including the choice of alternative oral agents and use of outpatient
      antibiotics would be of benefit to those involved in diabetic foot care.
      CONCLUSION: This paper provides advice on empirical antibiotic therapy that may
      be used as a framework for local guideline development to support clinicians in
      the management of diabetic foot infection.

PMID- 28892283
TI  - Kinetics of NH3 -oxidation, NO-turnover, N2 O-production and electron flow during
      oxygen depletion in model bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidisers.
AB  - Ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) are thought to emit more nitrous oxide (N2 O)
      than ammonia oxidising archaea (AOA), due to their higher N2 O yield under oxic
      conditions and denitrification in response to oxygen (O2 ) limitation. We
      determined the kinetics of growth and turnover of nitric oxide (NO) and N2 O at
      low cell densities of Nitrosomonas europaea (AOB) and Nitrosopumilus maritimus
      (AOA) during gradual depletion of TAN (NH3  + NH4+) and O2 . Half-saturation
      constants for O2 and TAN were similar to those determined by others, except for
      the half-saturation constant for ammonium in N. maritimus (0.2 mM), which is
      orders of magnitudes higher than previously reported. For both strains, cell
      specific rates of NO turnover and N2 O production reached maxima near O2 half
      saturation constant concentration (2-10 MUM O2 ) and decreased to zero in
      response to complete O2 -depletion. Modelling of the electron flow in N. europaea
      demonstrated low electron flow to denitrification (<=1.2% of the total electron
      flow), even at sub-micromolar O2 concentrations. The results corroborate current
      understanding of the role of NO in the metabolism of AOA and suggest that
      denitrification is inconsequential for the energy metabolism of AOB, but possibly
      important as a route for dissipation of electrons at high ammonium concentration.

PMID- 28892284
TI  - Logistical Challenges and Opportunities for Conducting Peer Nomination Research
      in Schools.
AB  - Although conducting psychological research within schools has always required
      effort, persistence, and the careful navigation of various interests, there is a
      consensus among child and adolescent researchers that, over the past 2 decades,
      it has become increasingly difficult to collect data within schools. In this
      chapter, we lay out common and consistent difficulties, frustrations, and
      obstacles that researchers face when attempting to conduct peer nomination
      research in schools. Many of these difficulties are faced not only by researchers
      conducting peer nominations but by any investigator attempting to do school-based
      research, and we discuss these issues more broadly. We also focus on the specific
      challenges associated with sociometric methods. We present suggestions and
      solutions for overcoming these issues and consider ways that researchers can give
      back to schools and establish long-term partnerships that benefit the students,
      teachers, and administrators of participating schools, as well as the researchers
      themselves. Such partnerships have the potential to make data collection easier
      and to open doors to new research opportunities.

PMID- 28892285
TI  - Computer-Based Methods for Collecting Peer Nomination Data: Utility, Practice,
      and Empirical Support.
AB  - New technologies have led to several major advances in psychological research
      over the past few decades. Peer nomination research is no exception. Thanks to
      these technological innovations, computerized data collection is becoming more
      common in peer nomination research. However, computer-based assessment is more
      than simply programming the questionnaire and asking respondents to fill it in on
      computers. In this chapter the advantages and challenges of computer-based
      assessments are discussed. In addition, a list of practical recommendations and
      considerations is provided to inform researchers on how computer-based methods
      can be applied to their own research. Although the focus is on the collection of
      peer nomination data in particular, many of the requirements, considerations, and
      implications are also relevant for those who consider the use of other
      sociometric assessment methods (e.g., paired comparisons, peer ratings, peer
      rankings) or computer-based assessments in general.

PMID- 28892286
TI  - Methodological Choices in Peer Nomination Research.
AB  - Although peer nomination measures have been used by researchers for nearly a
      century, common methodological practices and rules of thumb (e.g., which
      variables to measure; use of limited vs. unlimited nomination methods) have
      continued to develop in recent decades. At the same time, other key aspects of
      the basic nomination procedure (e.g., whether nonparticipants should be included
      as nominees, the consequences of pairing code numbers with names on rosters) are
      underdiscussed and understudied. Beyond providing a general introduction to peer
      nomination methods and their utility, the current article discusses the
      advantages and disadvantages of various methodological choices facing researchers
      who wish to use peer nomination methods, in addition to other considerations that
      researchers must make in collecting peer nomination data (e.g., establishing
      reliability and validity, maximizing participation rates, computerized
      assessments). This article provides recommendations for researchers based on
      empirical findings (where possible) and the typical practices used in the recent
      published literature.

PMID- 28892287
TI  - Introduction to the Special Issue: 20th-Century Origins and 21st-Century
      Developments of Peer Nomination Methodology.
AB  - This issue of New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development looks at
      current practices and recent advances in peer nomination methodology. Peer
      nominations provide a key method for assessing relationships, social status, and
      interpersonal behavior. This introductory article begins with a history of peer
      nomination methods, with a focus on the early origins of peer informant measures
      and the nature of Moreno's (1934) sociometric methodology (highlighting
      fundamental differences from the modern sociometric procedure). Next, the article
      addresses major changes that have occurred in peer nomination research over the
      course of the past 2 decades, including the recent focus on popularity and
      relational aggression, statistical advances, logistical challenges and
      innovations, and the changing conventions of the nomination procedure itself. The
      final section includes a brief overview of the articles included in this issue.

PMID- 28892288
TI  - The Current Status of Peer Assessment Techniques and Sociometric Methods.
AB  - Current issues in the use of peer assessment techniques and sociometric methods
      are discussed. Attention is paid to the contributions of the four articles in
      this volume. Together these contributions point to the continual level of change
      and progress in these techniques. They also show that the paradigm underlying
      these methods has been unchanged for decades. It is argued that this domain is
      ripe for a paradigm change that takes advantage of recent developments in
      statistical techniques and technology.

PMID- 28892289
TI  - The need to change from a phenomenological to a target engagement approach.

PMID- 28892290
TI  - Is microbial terroir related to geographic distance between vineyards?
AB  - While there are substantial studies suggesting that characteristics of wine are
      related to regional microbial community composition (microbial terroir), there
      has been little discussion about what factors affect variation in regional
      microbial community composition. In this study, we compared the microbial
      community composition of leaves and berries of a grape variety (Carmenere) from
      six different Chilean vineyards within 35 km of each other. In order to determine
      relationships between spatial proximity and microbial compositional
      dissimilarity, we sequenced amplicons of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)
      region for fungi and 16S rRNA gene for bacteria. Results showed that both the
      fungal and the bacterial community compositions of the studied vineyards
      differed, but this difference was much clearer in fungi than in bacteria. In
      addition, while bacterial community dissimilarity was not correlated with
      geographic distance, the leaf and berry fungal community dissimilarities between
      locations increased with geographic distance. This indicates that spatial
      processes play an important role in structuring the biogeographic pattern of
      grape-associated fungal communities at local scales, which might in turn
      contribute to the local identity of wine.

PMID- 28892291
TI  - Ectosymbiotic Endomicrobia - a transition stage towards intracellular symbionts?

PMID- 28892292
TI  - Dissemination and loss of a biofilm-related genomic island in marine
      Pseudoalteromonas mediated by integrative and conjugative elements.
AB  - Acquisition of genomic islands (GIs) plays a central role in the diversification
      and adaptation of bacteria. Some GIs can be mobilized in trans by integrative and
      conjugative elements (ICEs) or conjugative plasmids if the GIs carry specific
      transfer-related sequences. However, the transfer mechanism of GIs lacking such
      elements remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the transmissibility
      of a GI found in a coral-associated marine bacterium. This GI does not carry
      genes with transfer functions, but it carries four genes required for robust
      biofilm formation. Notably, this GI is inserted in the integration site for
      SXT/R391 ICEs. We demonstrated that acquisition of an SXT/R391 ICE results in
      either a tandem GI/ICE arrangement or the complete displacement of the GI. The GI
      displacement by the ICE greatly reduces biofilm formation. In contrast, the
      tandem integration of the ICE with the GI in cis allows the GI to hijack the
      transfer machinery of the ICE to excise, transfer and re-integrate into a new
      host. Collectively, our findings reveal that the integration of an ICE into a GI
      integration site enables rapid genome dynamics and a new mechanism by which
      SXT/R391 ICEs can augment genome plasticity.

PMID- 28892293
TI  - Phospholipase D and phosphatidic acid mediate heat stress induced secondary
      metabolism in Ganoderma lucidum.
AB  - Phospholipid-mediated signal transduction plays a key role in responses to
      environmental changes, but little is known about the role of phospholipid
      signalling in microorganisms. Heat stress (HS) is one of the most important
      environmental factors. Our previous study found that HS could induce the
      biosynthesis of the secondary metabolites, ganoderic acids (GA). Here, we
      performed a comprehensive mass spectrometry-based analysis to investigate HS
      induced lipid remodelling in Ganoderma lucidum. In particular, we observed a
      significant accumulation of phosphatidic acid (PA) on HS. Further genetic tests
      in which pld-silencing strains were constructed demonstrated that the
      accumulation of PA is dependent on HS-activated phospholipase D (PLD) hydrolysing
      phosphatidylethanolamine. Furthermore, we determined the role of PLD and PA in HS
      induced secondary metabolism in G. lucidum. Exogenous 1-butanol, which decreased
      PLD-mediated formation of PA, reverses the increased GA biosynthesis that was
      elicited by HS. The pld-silenced strains partly blocked HS-induced GA
      biosynthesis, and this block can be reversed by adding PA. Taken together, our
      results suggest that PLD and PA are involved in the regulation of HS-induced
      secondary metabolism in G. lucidum. Our findings provide key insights into how
      microorganisms respond to heat stress and then consequently accumulate secondary
      metabolites by phospholipid remodelling.

PMID- 28892294
TI  - Nuclease activity gives an edge to host-defense peptide piscidin 3 over piscidin
      1, rendering it more effective against persisters and biofilms.
AB  - Host-defense peptides (HDPs) feature evolution-tested potency against life
      threatening pathogens. While piscidin 1 (p1) and piscidin 3 (p3) are homologous
      and potent fish HDPs, only p1 is strongly membranolytic. Here, we hypothesize
      that another mechanism imparts p3 strong potency. We demonstrate that the N
      termini of both peptides coordinate Cu2+ and p3-Cu cleaves isolated DNA at a rate
      on par with free Cu2+ but significantly faster than p1-Cu. On planktonic
      bacteria, p1 is more antimicrobial but only p3 features copper-dependent DNA
      cleavage. On biofilms and persister cells, p3-Cu is more active than p1-Cu,
      commensurate with stronger peptide-induced DNA damage. Molecular dynamics and NMR
      show that more DNA-peptide interactions exist with p3 than p1, and the peptides
      adopt conformations simultaneously poised for metal- and DNA-binding. These
      results generate several important conclusions. First, homologous HDPs cannot be
      assumed to have identical mechanisms since p1 and p3 eradicate bacteria through
      distinct relative contributions of membrane and DNA-disruptive effects. Second,
      the nuclease and membrane activities of p1 and p3 show that naturally occurring
      HDPs can inflict not only physicochemical but also covalent damage. Third, strong
      nuclease activity is essential for biofilm and persister cell eradication, as
      shown by p3, the homolog more specific toward bacteria and more expressed in
      vascularized tissues. Fourth, p3 combines several physicochemical properties
      (e.g., Amino Terminal Copper and Nickel binding motif; numerous arginines;
      moderate hydrophobicity) that confer low membranolytic effects, robust copper
      scavenging capability, strong interactions with DNA, and fast nuclease activity.
      This new knowledge could help design novel therapeutics active against hard-to
      treat persister cells and biofilms.

PMID- 28892295
TI  - Transcriptome and proteome dynamics in chemostat culture reveal how Campylobacter
      jejuni modulates metabolism, stress responses and virulence factors upon changes
      in oxygen availability.
AB  - Campylobacter jejuni, the most frequent cause of food-borne bacterial
      gastroenteritis worldwide, is a microaerophile that has to survive high
      environmental oxygen tensions, adapt to oxygen limitation in the intestine and
      resist host oxidative attack. Here, oxygen-dependent changes in C. jejuni
      physiology were studied at constant growth rate using carbon (serine)-limited
      continuous chemostat cultures. We show that a perceived aerobiosis scale can be
      calibrated by the acetate excretion flux, which becomes zero when metabolism is
      fully aerobic (100% aerobiosis). Transcriptome changes in a downshift experiment
      from 150% to 40% aerobiosis revealed many novel oxygen-regulated genes and
      highlighted re-modelling of the electron transport chains. A label-free proteomic
      analysis showed that at 40% aerobiosis, many proteins involved in host
      colonisation (e.g., PorA, CadF, FlpA, CjkT) became more abundant. PorA abundance
      increased steeply below 100% aerobiosis. In contrast, several citric-acid cycle
      enzymes, the peptide transporter CstA, PEB1 aspartate/glutamate transporter,
      LutABC lactate dehydrogenase and PutA proline dehydrogenase became more abundant
      with increasing aerobiosis. We also observed a co-ordinated response of oxidative
      stress protection enzymes and Fe-S cluster biogenesis proteins above 100%
      aerobiosis. Our approaches reveal key virulence factors that respond to
      restricted oxygen availability and specific transporters and catabolic pathways
      activated with increasing aerobiosis.

PMID- 28892296
TI  - Tailored Approaches in Drug Development and Diagnostics: From Molecular Design to
      Biological Model Systems.
AB  - Approaches to increase the efficiency in developing drugs and diagnostics tools,
      including new drug delivery and diagnostic technologies, are needed for improved
      diagnosis and treatment of major diseases and health problems such as cancer,
      inflammatory diseases, chronic wounds, and antibiotic resistance. Development
      within several areas of research ranging from computational sciences, material
      sciences, bioengineering to biomedical sciences and bioimaging is needed to
      realize innovative drug development and diagnostic (DDD) approaches. Here, an
      overview of recent progresses within key areas that can provide customizable
      solutions to improve processes and the approaches taken within DDD is provided.
      Due to the broadness of the area, unfortunately all relevant aspects such as
      pharmacokinetics of bioactive molecules and delivery systems cannot be covered.
      Tailored approaches within (i) bioinformatics and computer-aided drug design,
      (ii) nanotechnology, (iii) novel materials and technologies for drug delivery and
      diagnostic systems, and (iv) disease models to predict safety and efficacy of
      medicines under development are focused on. Current developments and challenges
      ahead are discussed. The broad scope reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the
      field of DDD and aims to highlight the convergence of biological, pharmaceutical,
      and medical disciplines needed to meet the societal challenges of the 21st
      century.

PMID- 28892297
TI  - Urolithiasis is associated with an increased risk of stroke: a population-based 5
      year follow-up study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported an association between
      urolithiasis and cardiovascular disease. However, studies examining the risks of
      ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in patients with urolithiasis are limited. AIMS
      AND METHODS: By using a nationwide population database, we conducted a matched
      cohort study to investigate the association between urolithiasis and longitudinal
      risks of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. RESULTS: The urolithiasis and non
      urolithiasis cohorts included 12 979 and 64 895 patients respectively. Of these,
      728 (5.6%) and 2802 (4.3%) patients in the urolithiasis and non-urolithiasis
      cohorts, respectively, had a stroke during the 5-year follow-up period. The
      hazard ratio (HR) for stroke was 1.19 times higher (95% confidence interval [CI]
      = 1.10-1.29; P < 0.001) in the urolithiasis cohort than in the non-urolithiasis
      cohort after adjustment for potential confounders. The risk of both ischaemic
      (adjusted HR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.05-1.29) and haemorrhagic stroke (adjusted HR =
      1.30; 95% CI = 1.03-1.64) remained significant in the urolithiasis cohort.
      Furthermore, the risk of stroke was significant in both men (adjusted HR = 1.16;
      95% CI = 1.05-1.28) and women (adjusted HR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.10-1.45). Middle
      aged (40-59 years; adjusted HR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.10-1.45) and older (>=60 years;
      adjusted HR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.03-1.27) patients had a particularly high risk of
      stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The present study detected an increased risk of both
      ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in patients with urolithiasis, particularly in
      those older than 40 years.

PMID- 28892298
TI  - Impact of hysteroscopic surgery for isthmocele associated with cesarean scar
      syndrome.
AB  - AIM: Cesarean scar syndrome (CSS) is characterized by increased risk of
      postmenstrual abnormal uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea, and infertility, due to a
      post-cesarean scar defect known as an isthmocele. This study aimed to assess the
      impact of hysteroscopic surgery on isthmocele associated with CSS. METHODS:
      Eighteen patients with CSS were enrolled. Surgical methods included resection of
      the inferior edge and superficial cauterization of the isthmocele via
      hysteroscopic surgery. We evaluated the residual myometrial thickness and
      isthmocele volume using magnetic resonance imaging, before and after
      hysteroscopic surgery. RESULTS: All patients underwent surgery without any
      complications. The residual myometrium was thicker after hysteroscopic surgery
      (median: 2.1 mm and 4.2 mm, before and after surgery, respectively; P = 0.0001).
      Isthmocele volume was significantly reduced after hysteroscopic surgery (median:
      494.9 mm3 and 282.8 mm3 , before and after surgery, respectively; P = 0.0016).
      CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that hysteroscopic surgery is effective in
      increasing the residual myometrial thickness and reducing the size of isthmocele.

PMID- 28892299
TI  - Research progress on the relationship between zinc deficiency, related microRNAs,
      and esophageal carcinoma.
AB  - Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract
      with a high incidence in China. Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a key risk factor for the
      occurrence and development of EC and affects progression by regulating microRNA
      (miRNA, miR) expression. In addition, the dysregulation of miRNAs is accompanied
      by the dysregulation of their target genes in EC. In this paper, we review the
      potential molecular mechanisms between Zn deficiency and EC with the aim of
      providing new strategies and methods for early diagnosis, targeted therapy, and
      prognostic evaluation.

PMID- 28892300
TI  - Thermodynamically diverse syntrophic aromatic compound catabolism.
AB  - Specialized organotrophic Bacteria 'syntrophs' and methanogenic Archaea
      'methanogens' form a unique metabolic interaction to accomplish cooperative
      mineralization of organic compounds to CH4 and CO2 . Due to challenges in
      cultivation of syntrophs, mechanisms for how their organotrophic catabolism
      circumvents thermodynamic restrictions remain unclear. In this study, we
      investigate two communities hosting diverse syntrophic aromatic compound
      metabolizers (Syntrophus, Syntrophorhabdus, Pelotomaculum and an uncultivated
      Syntrophorhabdacaeae member) to uncover their catabolic diversity and
      flexibility. Although syntrophs have been generally presumed to metabolize
      aromatic compounds to acetate, CO2 , H2 and formate, combined metagenomics and
      metatranscriptomics show that uncultured syntrophs utilize unconventional
      alternative metabolic pathways in situ producing butyrate, cyclohexanecarboxylate
      and benzoate as catabolic byproducts. In addition, we also find parallel
      utilization of diverse H2 and formate generating pathways to facilitate
      interactions with partner methanogens. Based on thermodynamic calculations, these
      pathways may enable syntrophs to combat thermodynamic restrictions. In addition,
      when fed with specific substrates (i.e., benzoate, terephthalate or
      trimellitate), each syntroph population expresses different pathways, suggesting
      ecological diversification among syntrophs. These findings suggest we may be
      drastically underestimating the biochemical capabilities, strategies and
      diversity of syntrophic bacteria thriving at the thermodynamic limit.

PMID- 28892301
TI  - Deep nirS amplicon sequencing of San Francisco Bay sediments enables prediction
      of geography and environmental conditions from denitrifying community
      composition.
AB  - Denitrification is a dominant nitrogen loss process in the sediments of San
      Francisco Bay. In this study, we sought to understand the ecology of denitrifying
      bacteria by using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to survey the diversity of a
      denitrification functional gene, nirS (encoding cytchrome-cd1 nitrite reductase),
      along the salinity gradient of San Francisco Bay over the course of a year. We
      compared our dataset to a library of nirS sequences obtained previously from the
      same samples by standard PCR cloning and Sanger sequencing, and showed that both
      methods similarly demonstrated geography, salinity and, to a lesser extent,
      nitrogen, to be strong determinants of community composition. Furthermore, the
      depth afforded by NGS enabled novel techniques for measuring the association
      between environment and community composition. We used Random Forests modelling
      to demonstrate that the site and salinity of a sample could be predicted from its
      nirS sequences, and to identify indicator taxa associated with those
      environmental characteristics. This work contributes significantly to our
      understanding of the distribution and dynamics of denitrifying communities in San
      Francisco Bay, and provides valuable tools for the further study of this key N
      cycling guild in all estuarine systems.

PMID- 28892302
TI  - Cancer-Targeted Selenium Nanoparticles Sensitize Cancer Cells to Continuous gamma
      Radiation to Achieve Synergetic Chemo-Radiotherapy.
AB  - Cancer radiotherapy with 125 I seeds demonstrates higher long-term efficacy and
      fewer side effects than traditional X-ray radiotherapy owing to its low-dose and
      continuous radiation but is still limited by radioresistance in clinical
      applications. Therefore, the design and synthesis of sensitizers that could
      enhance the sensitivity of cancer cells to 125 I seeds is of great importance for
      future radiotherapy. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been found to exhibit
      high potential in cancer chemotherapy and as drug carriers. In this study, we
      found that, based on the Auger-electron effect and Compton effect of Se atoms,
      cancer-targeted SeNPs in combination with 125 I seeds achieve synergetic effects
      to inhibit cancer-cell growth and colony formation through the induction of cell
      apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Detailed studies on the action mechanisms reveal
      that the combined treatments effectively activate intracellular reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) overproduction to regulate p53-mediated DNA damage apoptotic
      signaling pathways and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation
      and to prevent the self-repair of cancer cells simultaneously. Taken together,
      the combination of SeNPs with 125 I seeds could be further exploited as a safe
      and effective strategy for next-generation cancer chemo-radiotherapy in clinical
      applications.

PMID- 28892303
TI  - Association between coffee consumption and risk of renal cell carcinoma: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in individuals who
      regularly drink coffee is controversial. Several antioxidant compounds in coffee
      have been proposed to reduce the risk of RCC, while the findings from several
      studies raise concerns regarding a potential increased risk of RCC with coffee
      consumption. AIM: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the association between
      coffee consumption and RCC. METHODS: A literature search was performed using
      MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception until
      December 2016. Studies that reported odd ratios or hazard ratios comparing the
      risk of RCC in individuals who consumed a significant amount of coffee (at least
      one cup of coffee per day) versus those who did not consume coffee were included.
      Pooled risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using a
      random-effect, generic inverse variance method. RESULTS: Twenty-two observational
      studies (16 case-control and 6 cohort studies) were included in our analysis to
      assess the association between RCC and coffee consumption. The pooled RR of RCC
      in individuals consuming coffee was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.89-1.11). Subgroup analyses
      stratified by gender showed pooled RRs of RCC of 1.15 (95% CI, 0.85-1.55) in
      females and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.72-1.04) in males. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      demonstrates no significant association between coffee consumption and RCC. Thus,
      coffee consumption is likely not a risk factor for RCC. Whether coffee
      consumption has a potential role in reduced risk of RCC, particularly in men,
      requires further investigations.

PMID- 28892304
TI  - Redefining the sponge-symbiont acquisition paradigm: sponge microbes exhibit
      chemotaxis towards host-derived compounds.
AB  - Marine sponges host stable and species-specific microbial symbionts that are
      thought to be acquired and maintained by the host through a combination of
      vertical transmission and filtration from the surrounding seawater. To assess
      whether the microbial symbionts also actively contribute to the establishment of
      these symbioses, we performed in situ experiments on Orpheus Island, Great
      Barrier Reef, to quantify the chemotactic responses of natural populations of
      seawater microorganisms towards cellular extracts of the reef sponge Rhopaloeides
      odorabile. Flow cytometry analysis revealed significant levels of microbial
      chemotaxis towards R. odorabile extracts and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing
      showed enrichment of 'sponge-specific' microbial phylotypes, including a cluster
      within the Gemmatimonadetes and another within the Actinobacteria. These findings
      infer a potential mechanism for how sponges can acquire bacterial symbionts from
      the surrounding environment and suggest an active role of the symbionts in
      finding their host.

PMID- 28892305
TI  - High-level resistance of Melissococcus plutonius clonal complex 3 strains to
      antimicrobial activity of royal jelly.
AB  - Melissococcus plutonius is the causative agent of European foulbrood of honey bee
      larvae. Among its three genetically distinct groups (CC3, CC12 and CC13), CC3
      strains have been suggested to be more virulent at the colony level. Honey bee
      larvae are fed royal or worker jellies by adult bees, and these jellies exhibit
      antimicrobial activity. Since M. plutonius orally infects larvae via brood food,
      we herein investigated the resistance of M. plutonius to the antimicrobial
      activity of royal jelly (RJ). The results obtained revealed that M. plutonius
      strains were more resistant to RJ and its component, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid,
      than the other species tested. Moreover, among the M. plutonius strains examined,
      CC3 strains exhibited the strongest resistance to antimicrobial activity; they
      temporarily proliferated and survived for a long period in 50% RJ-containing
      broth. However, resistance was not observed when freshly cultured bacteria were
      used, it was only detected after a preculture on agar media for five or more
      days, suggesting that, under certain conditions, CC3 strains change their
      physiological state to that which is advantageous for survival in brood food.
      This high-level RJ resistance of CC3 strains may contribute to their virulence in
      the field.

PMID- 28892306
TI  - Effect of locally tailored labour management guidelines on intrahospital
      stillbirths and birth asphyxia at the referral hospital of Zanzibar: a quasi
      experimental pre-post study (The PartoMa study).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effect of locally tailored labour management guidelines
      (PartoMa guidelines) on intrahospital stillbirths and birth asphyxia. DESIGN:
      Quasi-experimental pre-post study investigating the causal pathway through
      changes in clinical practice. SETTING: Tanzanian low-resource referral hospital,
      Mnazi Mmoja Hospital. POPULATION: Facility deliveries during baseline (1 October
      2014 until 31 January 2015) and the 9th to 12th intervention month (1 October
      2014 until 31 January 2015). METHODS: Birth outcome was extracted from all cases
      of labouring women during baseline (n = 3690) and intervention months (n = 3087).
      Background characteristics and quality of care were assessed in quasi-randomly
      selected subgroups (n = 283 and n = 264, respectively). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Stillbirths and neonates with 5-minute Apgar score <=5. RESULTS: Stillbirth rate
      fell from 59 to 39 per 1000 total births (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.53-0.82), and
      subanalyses suggest that this was primarily due to reduction in intrahospital
      stillbirths. Apgar scores between 1 and 5 fell from 52 to 28 per 1000 live births
      (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.41-0.69). Median time from last fetal heart assessment till
      delivery (or fetal death diagnosis) fell from 120 minutes (IQR 60-240) to 74
      minutes (IQR 30-130) (Mann-Whitney test for difference, P < 0.01). Oxytocin
      augmentation declined from 22% to 12% (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.37-0.81) and timely use
      improved. CONCLUSION: Although low human resources and substandard care remain
      major challenges, PartoMa guidelines were associated with improvements in care,
      leading to reductions in stillbirths and birth asphyxia. Findings furthermore
      emphasise the central role of improved fetal surveillance and restricted
      intrapartum oxytocin use in safety at birth. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: #PartoMa
      guidelines aided in reducing stillbirths and birth asphyxia at a Tanzanian low
      resource hospital PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: PartoMa guidelines help birth
      attendants in Tanzania to save lives Every year, 3 million babies die on the day
      of birth. The vast majority of these deaths occur in the poorest countries. If
      their mothers had received better care during birth, most babies would have
      survived. At Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, an East African referral hospital, the PartoMa
      study shows that use of locally developed guidelines helps birth attendants to
      deliver better quality of care, which has led to improved survival at birth. At
      the hospital studied, resources are scarce. Each birth attendant assists four to
      six birthing women simultaneously, and many have less than 1 year of professional
      experience. International guidelines are available, but they are often
      unachievable and seldom applied. The PartoMa guidelines were developed in close
      collaboration with the birth attendants and approved by seven international
      experts. The result is an 8-page pocket booklet providing locally achievable and
      simple decision support for care during birth. Use of the PartoMa guidelines
      began in February 2015. As the staff group frequently changes, quarterly seminars
      are conducted where birth attendants are welcomed after working hours to learn
      about the guidelines. The guidelines have been positively received, and seminar
      attendance remains high. Use of the PartoMa guidelines is associated with: A
      decrease by one-third in stillbirths (59 to 39 per 1000 total births) A nearly
      halving in the number of babies born in immediate poor medical condition (52 to
      28 per 1000 live births) The results presented here derive from a comparison of
      births before using the PartoMa guidelines and during the 9th-12th month of use.
      Such a 'before-after' study cannot exclude the possibility of other causes of
      better survival at birth. However, the improved survival is consistent with
      improved care during birth, which is in line with the PartoMa guidelines.

PMID- 28892307
TI  - Purification of polysaccharide from artificially cultivated Anoectochilus
      roxburghii (wall.) Lindl. by high-speed counter current chromatography and its
      antitumor activity.
AB  - To establish a systematic method for the extraction, purification,
      characterization and antitumor activity study of polysaccharide from artificially
      cultivated Anoectochilus roxburghii (wall.) Lindl. (AC-ARPS). High-speed counter
      current chromatography with two-phase aqueous systems was successfully applied to
      purify AC-ARPS after one-step separation. The purity of the AC-ARPS obtained by
      phenol/sulfuric acid method was 95.01%. The chemical structures of AC-ARPS were
      identified by a series of analytical methods including high-performance liquid
      chromatography and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. High-performance
      liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry indicated
      that AC-ARPS was mainly composed of mannose, ribose, glucose, galactose and
      arabinose with a molar ratio of 1.00:8.47:47.30:1.17:1.19. AC-ARPS is a
      homogeneous polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 25 681 Da. The antitumor
      effect of AC-ARPS was evaluated on lung cancer A549, osteosarcoma 143B, rat
      adrenal pheochromocytoma PC 12, breast cancer MCF-7, acute leukemia HL 60,
      chronic leukemia K562, colon cancer SW620, esophageal cancer OE 19, liver cancer
      HepG2, and neuroglioma U251 cells in vitro. AC-ARPS showed the best inhibitory
      effect on OE 19 cells, and the IC50 value was 5.67 +/- 0.831 MUmol/L.
      Fluorescence analysis and flow cytometry results showed that AC-ARPS induced
      apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest in OE 19 cells.

PMID- 28892308
TI  - Targeting epidermal growth factor receptor co-dependent signaling pathways in
      glioblastoma.
AB  - The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine
      kinase (RTK) that is critical for normal development and function. EGFR is also
      amplified or mutated in a variety of cancers including in nearly 60% of cases of
      the highly lethal brain cancer glioblastoma (GBM). EGFR amplification and
      mutation reprogram cellular metabolism and broadly alter gene transcription to
      drive tumor formation and progression, rendering EGFR as a compelling drug
      target. To date, brain tumor patients have yet to benefit from anti-EGFR therapy
      due in part to an inability to achieve sufficient intratumoral drug levels in the
      brain, cultivating adaptive mechanisms of resistance. Here, we review an
      alternative set of strategies for targeting EGFR-amplified GBMs, based on
      identifying and targeting tumor co-dependencies shaped both by aberrant EGFR
      signaling and the brain's unique biochemical environment. These approaches may
      include highly brain-penetrant drugs from non-cancer pipelines, expanding the
      pharmacopeia and providing promising new treatments. We review the molecular
      underpinnings of EGFR-activated co-dependencies in the brain and the promising
      new treatments based on this strategy. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2018, 10:e1398. doi:
      10.1002/wsbm.1398 This article is categorized under: Biological Mechanisms > Cell
      Signaling Laboratory Methods and Technologies > Genetic/Genomic Methods
      Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine > Translational Medicine.

PMID- 28892310
TI  - Genetic diversity of marine anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria as revealed by
      genomic and proteomic analyses of 'Candidatus Scalindua japonica'.
AB  - Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria affiliated with the genus
      'Candidatus Scalindua' are responsible for significant nitrogen loss in oceans,
      and thus their ecophysiology is of great interest. Here, we enriched a marine
      anammox bacterium, 'Ca. S. japonica' from a Hiroshima bay sediment in Japan, and
      comparative genomic and proteomic analyses of 'Ca. S. japonica' were conducted.
      Sequence of the 4.81-Mb genome containing 4019 coding regions of genes (CDSs)
      composed of 47 contigs was determined. In the proteome, 1762 out of 4019 CDSs in
      the 'Ca. S. japonica' genome were detected. Based on the genomic and proteomic
      data, the core anammox process and carbon fixation of 'Ca. S. japonica' were
      further investigated. Additionally, the present study provides the first detailed
      insights into the genetic background responsible for iron acquisition and
      menaquinone biosynthesis in anammox bacterial cells. Comparative analysis of the
      'Ca. Scalindua' genomes revealed that the 1502 genes found in the 'Ca. S.
      japonica' genome were not present in the 'Ca. S. profunda' and 'Ca. S. rubra'
      genomes, showing a high genomic diversity. This result may reflect a high
      phylogenetic diversity of the genus 'Ca. Scalindua'.

PMID- 28892309
TI  - Fundamental niche prediction of the pathogenic yeasts Cryptococcus neoformans and
      Cryptococcus gattii in Europe.
AB  - Fundamental niche prediction of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii
      in Europe is an important tool to understand where these pathogenic yeasts have a
      high probability to survive in the environment and therefore to identify the
      areas with high risk of infection. In this study, occurrence data for C.
      neoformans and C. gattii were compared by MaxEnt software with several
      bioclimatic conditions as well as with soil characteristics and land use. The
      results showed that C. gattii distribution can be predicted with high probability
      along the Mediterranean coast. The analysis of variables showed that its
      distribution is limited by low temperatures during the coldest season, and by
      heavy precipitations in the driest season. C. neoformans var. grubii is able to
      colonize the same areas of C. gattii but is more tolerant to cold winter
      temperatures and summer precipitations. In contrast, the C. neoformans var.
      neoformans map was completely different. The best conditions for its survival
      were displayed in sub-continental areas and not along the Mediterranean coasts.
      In conclusion, we produced for the first time detailed prediction maps of the
      species and varieties of the C. neoformans and C. gattii species complex in
      Europe and Mediterranean area.

PMID- 28892311
TI  - [How i treat a patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis].
AB  - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare disorder of unknown origin, which
      is associated with a high mortality and whose incidence has been increasing for
      several years. Nowadays there are two anti-fibrotic therapies (pirfenidone -
      nintedanib) known to reduce significantly the decline in respiratory function
      tests of patients suffering from this condition. The only curative therapeutic
      option remains the pulmonary transplantation whose accessibility remains limited.
      Pulmonary rehabilitation is also central in the treatment of patients. A major
      challenge for patients remains early and aggressive management to reduce as early
      as possible the evolution towards severe pulmonary fibrosis.

PMID- 28892312
TI  - [Case report : Emphysematous cystitis].
AB  - The emphysematous cystitis is a rare condition characterized by the presence of
      air in the wall and/or the bladder lumen. The clinical expression of this
      cystitis is variable. Some patients complain of abdominal pain or urinary
      symptoms. Other may present only pneumaturia or be totally asymptomatic. This
      condition is considered as potentially severe since it can lead to an
      emphysematous pyelonephritis with septicemia and septic shock. Peritonitis may
      also occur in case of necrosis and perforation of the bladder wall. However, this
      negative development can be avoided by a diagnosis and an early treatment, and
      the emphysematous cystitis become therefore of good prognosis. We are here
      stating the case of a patient with an emphysematous cystitis with symptoms of
      pneumaturia and lower urinary tract symptoms.

PMID- 28892313
TI  - [HIV cure : a realistic perspective ?]
AB  - More than 30 years after its discovery, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      continues to be a major global public health issue. Antiretroviral therapy
      increases survival and quality of life of HIV-infected patients but is not
      curative. Indeed, interruption of therapy invariably leads to the re-emergence of
      detectable viral replication, since HIV persists in extremely long-lived viral
      latent reservoirs. Those viral latent reservoirs constitute the major source of
      viral recovery following antiretroviral treatment interruption and are considered
      as the most important hurdle to HIV eradication. Multiple strategies aimed at
      targeting the HIV latent reservoirs are intensively being explored. We discuss
      here the most recent innovative works that will hopefully contribute to find a
      cure for HIV.

PMID- 28892314
TI  - [Use of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in preeclampsia : a monocentric retrospective
      analysis].
AB  - Soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) is an anti-angiogenic factor released
      in higher amounts in preeclampsia and implicated in endothelial dysfunction. sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio is used in the prediction of preeclampsia. An sFlt-1/PlGF ratio
      inferior to 38 predicts the short-term absence of preeclampsia. A ratio ? 85
      (early-onset PE) or ? 110 (late-onset of PE) could diagnose preeclampsia. In this
      study, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio has been measured in 183 patients. Sixty-seven
      preeclampsia have been diagnosed preeclamptic at delivery. The median sFlt-1/PlGF
      ratio was 100.3. The median ratio among women with preeclampsia (N=67) versus no
      preeclampsia (N=116) was 212.7 versus 35.4. In accordance with this analysis, an
      sFlt-1/PlGF ratio ? 38 has a sensibility of 95,5 % and a specificity of 73.3 %.
      The positive predictive value and the negative predictive value were 67.4 % and
      96.6 %, respectively. These results suggest that sFlt-1/PlGF ratio is helpful in
      the diagnosis of preeclampsia.

PMID- 28892315
TI  - [Which psychiatric symptoms must raise suspicion about a possible brain tumor ?]
AB  - Many case studies reported psychiatric symptoms during the months before a brain
      tumor (BT) is diagnosed. Unfortunately, these symptoms are rarely considered as a
      warning of an organic problem and patients are regularly misoriented towards
      psychiatric care. Knowing better what psychiatric symptoms look like in patients
      with a BT would help to diagnose it sooner, which would obviously benefit the
      patient. The present study aims to quantify the prevalence and further describe
      psychiatric symptoms occurring before a BT diagnosis. The presence of psychiatric
      manifestations was systematically investigated in 100 patients with a first
      diagnosis of BT. Overall, 85 % of the patients reported at least one psychiatric
      symptom present before the BT diagnosis, most often depressive ones. Somatic
      manifestations of depression (loss of energy, changes in appetite...) were more
      often reported than affective or cognitive ones (no negative thought content: no
      pessimism, no guilty feelings, no worthlessness...). The present research
      stresses the high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, especially depressive-like
      ones, occurring before a BT is diagnosed and provides a first description of
      these symptoms, as a basis of practical recommendations.

PMID- 28892316
TI  - [Epidemic of measles in the Verviers area (Belgium) : management and precautions
      at the reception in the emergency department].
AB  - Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. Transmission occurs from person to
      person through direct contact or by aerosolization of pharyngeal secretions. In
      the area of Verviers (Belgium), we were confronted to a group of patients with
      measles, a public health event with local concentration. In our hospital
      institution, our case index dates back to the beginning of February 2017 and the
      follow-up of the cases indicates an upward trajectory. Sorting measures and
      isolations of potential patients, extensive screening and vaccinations were
      undertaken and coordinated from an internal management unit. Numerous contacts
      have been made with the competent authorities. The limitation of a measles
      epidemic remains a public health problem that is difficult to manage optimally,
      and a limited number of nosocomial cases and infections of hospital staff could
      not be avoided.

PMID- 28892317
TI  - [Sleep bruxism : state of the art and management].
AB  - Although well studied since the 50's, bruxism remains a largely unknown
      pathology. Its origin is complex, mixing psychological as well as neurological,
      odontological and hypnic aspects. However, the few analyzes performed on this
      topic have allowed to set convincing etiopathological hypotheses, including
      central dysregulation of the dopaminergic system as well as of the neuro
      masticatory system. To avoid harmful consequences as headaches, temporomandibular
      disorders and premature dental scuffs / fractures, it is mandatory to diagnose
      bruxism as early as possible. For this purpose, and in addition to anamnestic and
      clinical data, the practitioner can confirm diagnosis with polysomnography,
      including electromyographic study of masticatory muscles and audiovisual
      recording. Some orthodontic, pharmacological and psychological solutions have
      already proved efficient. Nevertheless, a better knowledge of causative
      neurobiological mechanisms would allow to foresee etiology-based treatments.

PMID- 28892318
TI  - [Lipertance(r) The ASCOT single-pill combination has finally arrived].
AB  - The fixed association of atorvastatin, perindopril and amlodipine was recently
      launched by the firm SERVIER under the name of Lipertance(r). It is the first
      fixed association of a statin, an ACE inhibitor and a calcium blocker present on
      the Belgian market to handle the risk factors that are hypertension and
      dyslipidemia which can be used both in primary and secondary cardiovascular
      prevention. The interests of such a triple combined therapy are many in terms of
      morbimortality reduction, as observed in ASCOT trial. Besides these results, the
      association of these three agents gives probably a synergic effect, which would
      be more effective to protect both heart and vessels. Moreover, a fixed
      association will improve treatment compliance and adherence, which are generally
      quite poor in the management of cardiovascular risk factors. Lipertance(r) is
      available with three different doses : 20/5/5 mg, 20/10/5 mg and 40/10/10 mg,
      respectively for atorvastatin, perindopril and amlodipine. Contraindications and
      side effects are the same as each component of this association and are well
      known.

PMID- 28892320
TI  - Looking forward.

PMID- 28892321
TI  - Italian training program in Cameroon: A model for developing cultural competence.

PMID- 28892319
TI  - [Which antidiabetic agent in a patient with type 2 diabetes and heart failure ?]
AB  - Heart failure is raising an increasing interest in patients with type 2 diabetes.
      Indeed, they combine different risk factors for this complication and they have
      time to develop it because they survive longer due to a better prevention of
      atherothrombotic cardiovascular events. Beyond the classical therapy of heart
      failure, management should select the most suited glucose-lowering agents.
      Indeed, all do not have the same impact as some of them have proven their ability
      to reduce the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure whereas others are
      associated with an increased risk, either well proven or at least suspected. The
      aim of this clinical case is to discuss the use of glucose-lowering drugs in a
      patient with type 2 diabetes with or at risk to develop heart failure.

PMID- 28892322
TI  - Trauma care funding, scope of practice, and cancer prevention lead state
      legislative agendas.

PMID- 28892323
TI  - Health care leaders develop strategies for improving access to surgical care in
      Latin America.

PMID- 28892324
TI  - 2016 ACS Governors Survey: Will acute care surgery change the surgical landscape?

PMID- 28892325
TI  - American College of Surgeons 2017 statement on health care reform.

PMID- 28892326
TI  - Practice changes lower rates of transfusion, superficial SSI, and morbidity.

PMID- 28892327
TI  - Interventions to promote better conversations about initial treatment for
      prostate cancer.

PMID- 28892328
TI  - The Halifax Explosion and the unofficial birth of pediatric surgery.

PMID- 28892329
TI  - Leadership is crucial to establishing safety culture, reducing adverse events.

PMID- 28892330
TI  - I broke my neck: Femur fractures.

PMID- 28892348
TI  - Nitrogen and Fluorine-Codoped Porous Carbons as Efficient Metal-Free
      Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Fuel Cells.
AB  - The severe dependence of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells on
      platinum (Pt)-based catalysts greatly limits the process of their
      commercialization. Therefore, developing cost-reasonable non-precious-metal
      catalysts to replace Pt-based catalysts for ORR is an urgent task. Here, we use
      the composite of inexpensive polyaniline and superfine polytetrafluoroethylene
      powder as precursor to synthesize a metal-free N,F-codoped porous carbon catalyst
      (N,F-Carbon). Results indicate that the N,F-Carbon catalyst obtained at the
      optimized temperature 1000  degrees C exhibits almost the same onset (0.97 V vs
      RHE) and half-wave potential (0.84 V vs RHE) and better durability and higher
      crossover resistance in alkaline medium compared to commercial 20% Pt/C, which is
      attributed to the good dispersion of fluorine and nitrogen atoms in the carbon
      matrix, high specific surface area, and the synergistic effects of fluorine and
      nitrogen on the polarization of adjacent carbon atoms. This work provides a new
      strategy for in situ synthesis of N,F-codoped porous carbon as highly efficient
      metal-free electrocatalyst for ORR in fuel cells.

PMID- 28892347
TI  - Two Cooperative Glycosyltransferases Are Responsible for the Sugar Diversity of
      Saquayamycins Isolated from Streptomyces sp. KY 40-1.
AB  - Glycosyltransferases are key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of valuable
      natural products providing an excellent drug-tailoring tool. Herein, we report
      the identification of two cooperative glycosyltransferases from the sqn gene
      cluster directing the biosynthesis of saquayamycins in Streptomyces sp. KY40-1:
      SqnG1 and SqnG2. Gene inactivation of sqnG1 leads to 50-fold decrease in
      saquayamycin production, while inactivation of sqnG2 leads to complete production
      loss, suggesting that SqnG2 acts as dual O- and C-glycosyltransferase. Gene
      inactivation of a third putative glycosyltransferase-encoding gene, sqnG3, does
      not affect saquayamycin production in a major way, suggesting that SqnG3 has no
      or a supportive role in glycosylation. The data indicate that SqnG1 and SqnG2 are
      solely and possibly cooperatively responsible for the sugar diversity observed in
      saquayamycins 1-7. This is the first evidence of a glycosyltransferase system
      showing codependence to achieve dual O- and C-glycosyltransferase activity,
      utilizing NDP-activated d-olivose, l-rhodinose, as well as an unusual amino
      sugar, presumably 3,6-dideoxy-l-idosamine.

PMID- 28892349
TI  - Proton-Conducting La-Doped Ceria-Based Internal Reforming Layer for Direct
      Methane Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.
AB  - Performance degradation caused by carbon deposition substantially restricts the
      development of direct methane solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Here, an internal
      reforming layer composed of Ni supported on proton conducting La-doped ceria,
      such as La2Ce2O7 (LDC) and La1.95Sm0.05Ce2O7 (LSDC) is applied over conventional
      Ni-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-x (SDC) anodes for direct methane SOFCs. The proton conducting
      layer can adsorb water for internal reforming thus significantly improving the
      performance of the direct methane SOFCs. In situ Raman and FTIR results confirm
      the water adsorption capacity of LDC and LSDC. They also exhibit excellent phase
      stability in wet CO2 at 650  degrees C for 10 h, which ensures that the
      additional catalyst layer maintains structure stability during the internal
      reforming. In wet methane at 650  degrees C, the peak power density of the
      conventional cell is only 580 +/- 20 mW cm-2, and increases to 699 +/- 20 and 639
      +/- 20 mW cm-2 with the addition of Ni-LDC and -LSDC layers, respectively. For
      the stability test in wet methane at 650  degrees C and 0.2 A cm-2, the voltage
      of the conventional cell starts to drop dramatically in 10 h, while the Ni-LDC
      and -LSDC catalyst layers operate stably in 26 h under the identical conditions.
      These catalyst layers even show comparable stability in dry and wet methane in 26
      h, but for longer operation, the wet methane is still preferred for maintaining
      the stability of the cell.

PMID- 28892350
TI  - Side-Chain Effects on Energy-Level Modulation and Device Performance of Organic
      Semiconductor Acceptors in Organic Solar Cells.
AB  - Two new non-fullerene acceptors, IDTC and IDTO, were designed and synthesized for
      the application in organic solar cells (OSCs). Compared with IDTC, the
      introduction of electron-donating alkoxy groups of IDTO leads to a higher LUMO
      level with a slightly blue-shifted absorption. Using the polymer PBDB-T as donor
      and the two small molecules as acceptors in the conventional device structure,
      the IDTC-based OSC exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.35% with an
      open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.917 V, a short-circuit current density (JSC) of
      16.56 mA cm-2, and a fill factor (FF) of 61.61%. For the OSC based on IDTO, a
      higher PCE of 10.02% with a VOC of 0.943 V, a JSC of 16.25 mA cm-2, and an FF of
      65.41% are obtained. The more balanced MUe/MUh, evident aggregation, and phase
      separation contribute to the higher FF for the device based on IDTO. The
      increased JSC for the device based on PBDB-T:IDTC can be attributed to the red
      shifted and stronger absorption of the PBDB-T:IDTC blend film. These results
      indicate fine-tuning the electronic energy and absorption of non-fullerene
      acceptors is feasible to improve the performance of OSCs.

PMID- 28892351
TI  - Transparent Conducting Graphene Hybrid Films To Improve Electromagnetic
      Interference (EMI) Shielding Performance of Graphene.
AB  - Conducting graphene-based hybrids have attracted considerable attention in recent
      years for their scientific and technological significance in many applications.
      In this work, conductive graphene hybrid films, consisting of a metallic network
      fully encapsulated between monolayer graphene and quartz-glass substrate, were
      fabricated and characterized for their electromagnetic interference shielding
      capabilities. Experimental results show that by integration with a metallic
      network the sheet resistance of graphene was significantly suppressed from 813.27
      to 5.53 Omega/sq with an optical transmittance at 91%. Consequently, the
      microwave shielding effectiveness (SE) exceeded 23.60 dB at the Ku-band and 13.48
      dB at the Ka-band. The maximum SE value was 28.91 dB at 12 GHz. Compared with the
      SE of pristine monolayer graphene (3.46 dB), the SE of graphene hybrid film was
      enhanced by 25.45 dB (99.7% energy attenuation). At 94% optical transmittance,
      the sheet resistance was 20.67 Omega/sq and the maximum SE value was 20.86 dB at
      12 GHz. Our results show that hybrid graphene films incorporate both high
      conductivity and superior electromagnetic shielding comparable to existing ITO
      shielding modalities. The combination of high conductivity and shielding along
      with the materials' earth-abundant nature, and facile large-scale fabrication,
      make these graphene hybrid films highly attractive for transparent EMI shielding.

PMID- 28892352
TI  - High-Efficiency InGaN/GaN Quantum Well-Based Vertical Light-Emitting Diodes
      Fabricated on beta-Ga2O3 Substrate.
AB  - We demonstrate a state-of-the-art high-efficiency GaN-based vertical light
      emitting diode (VLED) grown on a transparent and conductive (-201)-oriented (beta
      Ga2O3) substrate, obtained using a straightforward growth process that does not
      require a high-cost lift-off technique or complex fabrication process. The high
      resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images confirm that
      we produced high quality upper layers, including a multiquantum well (MQW) grown
      on the masked beta-Ga2O3 substrate. STEM imaging also shows a well-defined MQW
      without InN diffusion into the barrier. Electroluminescence (EL) measurements at
      room temperature indicate that we achieved a very high internal quantum
      efficiency (IQE) of 78%; at lower temperatures, IQE reaches ~86%. The
      photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL analysis indicate that, at a high
      carrier injection density, the emission is dominated by radiative recombination
      with a negligible Auger effect; no quantum-confined Stark effect is observed. At
      low temperatures, no efficiency droop is observed at a high carrier injection
      density, indicating the superior VLED structure obtained without lift-off
      processing, which is cost-effective for large-scale devices.

PMID- 28892353
TI  - The Next Wave of Influenza Drugs.
AB  - Options for influenza therapy are currently limited to one class of drug, the
      neuraminidase inhibitors. Amidst concerns about drug resistance, much effort has
      been placed on the discovery of new drugs with distinct targets and mechanisms of
      action, with great success. There are now several candidates in late stage
      development which include small molecules targeting the three subunits of the
      viral polymerase complex and monoclonal antibodies targeting the hemagglutinin,
      as well as host-directed therapies. The availability of drugs with diverse
      mechanisms now opens the door to exploring combination therapies for influenza,
      and the range of administration routes presents more opportunities for treating
      hospitalized patients.

PMID- 28892354
TI  - Hydrophilic and Compressible Aerogel: A Novel Draw Agent in Forward Osmosis.
AB  - Forward osmosis (FO) technology is an efficient route to obtain purity water for
      drinking from wastewater or seawater. However, there are some challenges in draw
      solution to limit its application. We first introduce a novel sodium alginate
      graphene oxide (SA-GO) aerogel as draw agent for highly efficient FO process. The
      GO nanosheets covalently cross-linked to SA matrix to form a three-dimensional
      and highly porous aerogel to provide excellent water flux and operation
      stability, together with the property of compressibility served by SA-GO aerogel
      resulting in easy water production and regeneration process. When deionized water
      was used as the feed solution, the SA-GO aerogel exhibited a higher water flux
      (15.25 +/- 0.65 L m-2 h-1, abbreviated as LMH) than that of 1 mol L-1 NaCl (1 M),
      and there was no nonreverse osmosis phenomenon. The water fluxes were stabilized
      in the range of 5-6.5 LMH during recycle process of absorbing and releasing water
      as high as 100 times. It also had a great desalination capacity (water flux was
      7.49 +/- 0.61 LMH) with the seawater (Huanghai coast) as the feed solution.
      Moreover, the water production and regeneration process of the SA-GO aerogel can
      be rapidly and cost-effectively accomplished with low-strength mechanical
      compression (merely 1 kPa). The results present that the SA-GO aerogels as a
      promising, innovative draw agent can make the FO process simpler, more efficient,
      and lower energy consumption. It can be a potential material for hydration bags
      to fast and repeatable product fresh water from saline water or wastewater.

PMID- 28892355
TI  - Photolabile Hydrogels Responsive to Broad Spectrum Visible Light for Selective
      Cell Release.
AB  - We introduce an efficient method for the preparation of photolabile polymer
      linkers to be used in the fabrication of bioorthogonal and photodegradable
      hydrogels. The versatility of this synthesis strategy allows for incorporation of
      a series of chromophores responsive to addressable wavelengths of UV and broad
      spectrum visible light. Consequently, selective release of different cell types
      from composite hydrogels by user-defined timing can be achieved by irradiating
      the materials with different wavelengths of light.

PMID- 28892356
TI  - Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopic Study of the Potential Dependence
      of Germanene Growth on Au(111) at pH 9.0.
AB  - Germanene is a 2D material whose structure and properties are of great interest
      for integration with Si technology. Preparation of germanene experimentally
      remains a challenge because, unlike graphene, bulk germanene does not exist.
      Thus, germanene cannot be directly exfoliated and is mostly grown in ultrahigh
      vacuum. The present report uses electrodeposition in an aqueous HGeO3- solution
      at pH 9. Germanene deposition has been limited to 2-3 monolayers, thus greatly
      restricting many applicable characterization methods. The in situ technique of
      electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy was used to follow Ge deposition on
      Au(111) as a function of potential. Previous work by this group at pH 4.5
      suggested germanene growth, but no buffer was used, resulting in change in
      surface pH. The addition of borate buffer to create pH 9.0 solution has reduced
      hydrogen formation and stabilized the surface pH, allowing systematic
      characterization of germanene growth versus potential. Initial germanene
      nucleated at defects in the Au(111) herringbone (HB) reconstruction. Subsequent
      growth proceeded down the face-centered cubic troughs, slowly relaxing the HB.
      The resulting honeycomb (HC) structure displayed an average lattice constant of
      0.41 +/- 0.06 nm. Continued growth resulted in the addition of a second layer on
      top, formed initially by nucleating around small islands and subsequent lateral
      2D growth. Near atomic resolution of the germanene layers displayed small
      coherent domains, 2-3 nm, of the HC structure composed of six-membered rings.
      Domain walls were based on defective, five- and seven-membered rings, which
      resulted in small rotations between adjacent HC domains.

PMID- 28892358
TI  - Design and Fabrication of Highly Reducible PtCo Particles Supported on Graphene
      Coated ZnO.
AB  - Cobalt particles dispersed on an oxide support form the basis of many important
      heterogeneous catalysts. Strong interactions between cobalt and the support may
      lead to irreducible cobalt oxide formation, which is detrimental for the
      catalytic performance. Therefore, several strategies have been proposed to
      enhance cobalt reducibility, such as alloying with Pt or utilization of nonoxide
      supports. In this work, we fabricate bimetallic PtCo supported on graphene-coated
      ZnO with enhanced cobalt reducibility. By employing a model/planar catalyst
      formulation, we show that the surface reduction of cobalt oxide is substantially
      enhanced by the presence of the graphene support as compared to bare ZnO.
      Stimulated by these findings, we synthesized a realistic powder catalyst
      consisting of PtCo particles grafted on graphene-coated ZnO support. We found
      that the addition of graphene coating enhances the surface reducibility of
      cobalt, fully supporting the results obtained on the model system. Our study
      demonstrates that realistic catalysts with designed properties can be developed
      on the basis of insights gained from model catalytic formulation.

PMID- 28892359
TI  - Microporous Nanocomposite Enabled Microfluidic Biochip for Cardiac Biomarker
      Detection.
AB  - This paper demonstrates an ultrasensitive microfluidic biochip nanoengineered
      with microporous manganese-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for detection of
      cardiac biomarker, namely human cardiac troponin I. In this device, the troponin
      sensitive microfluidic electrode consisted of a thin layer of manganese-reduced
      graphene oxide (Mn3O4-RGO) nanocomposite material. This nanocomposite thin layer
      was formed on surface of a patterned indium tin oxide substrate after
      modification with 3-aminopropyletriethoxysilane and was assembled with a
      polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidic system. The nanoengineered microelectrode
      was functionalized with antibodies specific to cardiac troponin I. The uniformly
      distributed flower-shaped nanostructured manganese oxide (nMn3O4) onto RGO
      nanosheets offered large surface area for enhanced loading of antibody molecules
      and improved electrochemical reaction at the sensor surface. This microfluidic
      device showed an excellent sensitivity of log [87.58] kOmega/(ng mL-1)/cm2 for
      quantification of human cardiac troponin I (cTnI) molecules in a wide detection
      range of 0.008-20 ng/mL. This device was found to have high stability, high
      reproducibility, and minimal interference with other biomarkers cardiac troponin
      C and T, myoglobin, and B-type natriuretic peptide. These advantageous features
      of the Mn3O4-RGO nanocomposite, in conjunction with microfluidic integration,
      enabled a promising microfluidic biochip platform for point-of-care detection of
      cardiac troponin.

PMID- 28892357
TI  - Library Design-Facilitated High-Throughput Sequencing of Synthetic Peptide
      Libraries.
AB  - A methodology to achieve high-throughput de novo sequencing of synthetic peptide
      mixtures is reported. The approach leverages shotgun nanoliquid chromatography
      coupled with tandem mass spectrometry-based de novo sequencing of library
      mixtures (up to 2000 peptides) as well as automated data analysis protocols to
      filter away incorrect assignments, noise, and synthetic side-products. For
      increasing the confidence in the sequencing results, mass spectrometry-friendly
      library designs were developed that enabled unambiguous decoding of up to 600
      peptide sequences per hour while maintaining greater than 85% sequence
      identification rates in most cases. The reliability of the reported decoding
      strategy was additionally confirmed by matching fragmentation spectra for select
      authentic peptides identified from library sequencing samples. The methods
      reported here are directly applicable to screening techniques that yield mixtures
      of active compounds, including particle sorting of one-bead one-compound
      libraries and affinity enrichment of synthetic library mixtures performed in
      solution.

PMID- 28892360
TI  - In Vivo Imaging-Guided Photothermal/Photoacoustic Synergistic Therapy with
      Bioorthogonal Metabolic Glycoengineering-Activated Tumor Targeting Nanoparticles.
AB  - Developing multifunctional phototheranostics with nanoplatforms offers promising
      potential for effective eradication of malignant solid tumors. In this study, we
      develop a multifunctional phototheranostic by combining photothermal therapy
      (PTT) and photoacoustic therapy (PAT) based on a tumor-targeting nanoagent (DBCO
      ZnPc-LP). The nanoagent DBCO-ZnPc-LP was facilely prepared by self-assembling of
      a single lipophilic near-infrared (NIR) dye zinc(II)-phthalocyanine (ZnPc) with a
      lipid-poly(ethylene glycol) (LP) and following modified further with dibenzyl
      cyclootyne (DBCO) for introducing the two-step chemical tumor-targeting strategy
      based on metabolic glycoengineering and click chemistry. The as-prepared DBCO
      ZnPc-LP could not only convert NIR light into heat for effective thermal ablation
      but also induce a thermal-enhanced ultrasound shockwave boost to trigger
      substantially localized mechanical damage, achieving synergistic antitumor effect
      both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, DBCO-ZnPc-LP can be efficiently delivered
      into tumor cells and solid tumors after being injected intravenously via the two
      step tumor-targeting strategy. By integrating the targeting strategy,
      photoacoustic imaging, and the synergistic interaction between PTT and PAT, a
      solid tumor could be accurately positioned and thoroughly eradicated in vivo.
      Therefore, this multifunctional phototheranostic is believed to play an important
      role in future oncotherapy by the enhanced synergistic effect of PTT and PAT
      under the guidance of photoacoustic imaging.

PMID- 28892362
TI  - Direct, Precise Measurements of Isotopologue Abundance Ratios in CO2 Using
      Molecular Absorption Spectroscopy: Application to Delta17O.
AB  - We present an ultrasensitive absorption spectrometer based on a 30 Hz/s
      stability, sub-kHz line width laser source coupled to a high-stability cavity
      ring-down-spectroscopy setup. It provides direct and precise measurements of the
      isotopic ratios delta17O and delta18O in CO2. We demonstrate the first optical
      absorption measurements of 17O anomalies in CO2 with a precision better than 10
      ppm, matching the requirements for paleo-environmental applications. This
      illustrates how optical absorption methods have become a competitive alternative
      to state-of-the-art isotopic ratio mass spectrometry techniques.

PMID- 28892361
TI  - Immunopurification of Acetylcholinesterase from Red Blood Cells for Detection of
      Nerve Agent Exposure.
AB  - Nerve agents and organophosphorus pesticides make a covalent bond with the active
      site serine of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), resulting in inhibition of AChE
      activity and toxic symptoms. AChE in red blood cells (RBCs) serves as a surrogate
      for AChE in the nervous system. Mass spectrometry analysis of adducts on RBC AChE
      could provide evidence of exposure. Our goal was to develop a method of
      immunopurifying human RBC AChE in quantities adequate for detecting exposure by
      mass spectrometry. For this purpose, we immobilized 3 commercially available anti
      human acetylcholinesterase monoclonal antibodies (AE-1, AE-2, and HR2) plus 3 new
      monoclonal antibodies. The monoclonal antibodies were characterized for binding
      affinity, epitope mapping by pairing analysis, and nucleotide and amino acid
      sequences. AChE was solubilized from frozen RBCs with 1% (v/v) Triton X-100. A 16
      mL sample containing 5.8 MUg of RBC AChE was treated with a quantity of soman
      model compound that inhibited 50% of the AChE activity. Native and soman
      inhibited RBC AChE samples were immunopurified on antibody-Sepharose beads. The
      immunopurified RBC AChE was digested with pepsin and analyzed by liquid
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometry on a 6600 Triple-TOF mass spectrometer.
      The aged soman-modified PheGlyGluSerAlaGlyAlaAlaSer (FGESAGAAS) peptide was
      detected using a targeted analysis method. It was concluded that all 6 monoclonal
      antibodies could be used to immunopurify RBC AChE and that exposure to nerve
      agents could be detected as adducts on the active site serine of RBC AChE.

PMID- 28892363
TI  - Exploiting a "Beast" in Carbenoid Chemistry: Development of a Straightforward
      Direct Nucleophilic Fluoromethylation Strategy.
AB  - The first direct and straightforward nucleophilic fluoromethylation of organic
      compounds is reported. The tactic employs a "fleeting" lithium fluorocarbenoid
      (LiCH2F) generated from commercially available fluoroiodomethane. Precise
      reaction conditions were developed for the generation and synthetic exploitation
      of such a labile species. The versatility of the strategy is showcased in ca. 50
      examples involving a plethora of electrophiles. Highly valuable chemicals such as
      fluoroalcohols, fluoroamines, and fluoromethylated oxygenated heterocycles could
      be prepared in very good yields through a single synthetic operation. The
      scalability of the reaction and its application to complex molecular
      architectures (e.g., steroids) are documented.

PMID- 28892364
TI  - Bulky Surface Ligands Promote Surface Reactivities of [Ag141X12(S-Adm)40]3+ (X =
      Cl, Br, I) Nanoclusters: Models for Multiple-Twinned Nanoparticles.
AB  - Surface ligands play important roles in controlling the size and shape of metal
      nanoparticles and their surface properties. In this work, we demonstrate that the
      use of bulky thiolate ligands, along with halides, as the surface capping agent
      promotes the formation of plasmonic multiple-twinned Ag nanoparticles with high
      surface reactivities. The title nanocluster [Ag141X12(S-Adm)40]3+ (where X = Cl,
      Br, I; S-Adm = 1-adamantanethiolate) has a multiple-shell structure with an Ag71
      core protected by a shell of Ag70X12(S-Adm)40. The Ag71 core can be considered as
      20 frequency-two Ag10 tetrahedra fused together with a dislocation that resembles
      multiple-twinning in nanoparticles. The nanocluster has a strong plasmonic
      absorption band at 460 nm. Because of the bulkiness of S-Adm, the nanocluster has
      a low surface thiolate coverage and thus unusually high surface reactivities
      toward exchange reactions with different ligands, including halides,
      phenylacetylene and thiols. The cluster can be made water-soluble by metathesis
      with water-soluble thiols, thereby creating new functionalities for potential
      bioapplications.

PMID- 28892365
TI  - Recent Developments in Antimicrobial-Peptide-Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - The escalation of multidrug-resistant pathogens has created a dire need to
      develop novel ways of addressing this global therapeutic challenge. Because of
      their antimicrobial activities, the combination of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)
      and nanoparticles is a promising tool with which to kill drug-resistant
      pathogens. In recent years, several studies using AMP-nanoparticle conjugates,
      especially metallic nanoparticles, as potential antimicrobial agents against drug
      resistant pathogens have been published. Among these, antimicrobial-peptide
      conjugated gold nanoparticles (AMP-AuNPs) are particularly attractive because of
      the nontoxic nature of gold and the possibility of fine-tuning the AMP-NP
      conjugation chemistry. The following review discusses recent developments in the
      synthesis and antimicrobial activity studies of AMP-AuNPs. The classification of
      AMPs, their mechanisms of action, methods used for functionalizing AuNPs with
      AMPs, and the antimicrobial activities of the conjugates are discussed.

PMID- 28892366
TI  - Crystal Structure, Stability, and Physical Properties of Metastable Electron-Poor
      Narrow-Gap AlGe Semiconductor.
AB  - We report for the first time the full crystal structure, the electronic
      structure, the lattice dynamics, and the elastic constants of metastable
      monoclinic AlGe. In addition to ultrarapid cooling techniques such as melt
      spinning, we show the possibility of obtaining monoclinic AlGe by water-quenching
      in a quartz tube. Monoclinic AlGe and rhombohedral Al6Ge5 are competing phases
      with similar stability since they both begin to decompose above 230  degrees C.
      The crystal structure and electronic bonding of monoclinic AlGe are similar to
      those of ZnSb and comply with its 3.5 valence electrons per atom: besides
      classical two electron-two center Al-Ge and Ge-Ge covalent bonds, Al2Ge2
      parallelogram rings are formed by uncommon multicenter bonds. Monoclinic AlGe
      could be used in various applications since it is found theoretically to be an
      electron-poor semiconductor with a narrow indirect energy bandgap of about 0.5
      eV. The lattice dynamics calculations show the presence of low energy optical
      phonons, which should lead to a low thermal conductivity.

PMID- 28892367
TI  - Real-Time Food Authentication Using a Miniature Mass Spectrometer.
AB  - Food adulteration is a threat to public health and the economy. In order to
      determine food adulteration efficiently, rapid and easy-to-use on-site analytical
      methods are needed. In this study, a miniaturized mass spectrometer in
      combination with three ambient ionization methods was used for food
      authentication. The chemical fingerprints of three milk types, five fish species,
      and two coffee types were measured using electrospray ionization, desorption
      electrospray ionization, and low temperature plasma ionization. Minimum sample
      preparation was needed for the analysis of liquid and solid food samples. Mass
      spectrometric data was processed using the laboratory-built software MS food
      classifier, which allows for the definition of specific food profiles from
      reference data sets using multivariate statistical methods and the subsequent
      classification of unknown data. Applicability of the obtained mass spectrometric
      fingerprints for food authentication was evaluated using different data
      processing methods, leave-10%-out cross-validation, and real-time classification
      of new data. Classification accuracy of 100% was achieved for the differentiation
      of milk types and fish species, and a classification accuracy of 96.4% was
      achieved for coffee types in cross-validation experiments. Measurement of two
      milk mixtures yielded correct classification of >94%. For real-time
      classification, the accuracies were comparable. Functionality of the software
      program and its performance is described. Processing time for a reference data
      set and a newly acquired spectrum was found to be 12 s and 2 s, respectively.
      These proof-of-principle experiments show that the combination of a miniaturized
      mass spectrometer, ambient ionization, and statistical analysis is suitable for
      on-site real-time food authentication.

PMID- 28892369
TI  - Unveiling Adsorption Mechanisms of Organic Pollutants onto Carbon Nanomaterials
      by Density Functional Theory Computations and Linear Free Energy Relationship
      Modeling.
AB  - Predicting adsorption of organic pollutants onto carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) and
      understanding the adsorption mechanisms are of great importance to assess the
      environmental behavior and ecological risks of organic pollutants and CNMs. By
      means of density functional theory (DFT) computations, we investigated the
      adsorption of 38 organic molecules (aliphatic hydrocarbons, benzene and its
      derivatives, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) onto pristine graphene in both
      gaseous and aqueous phases. Polyparameter linear free energy relationships (pp
      LFERs) were developed, which can be employed to predict adsorption energies of
      aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons on graphene. Based on the pp-LFERs,
      contributions of different interactions to the overall adsorption were estimated.
      As suggested by the pp-LFERs, the gaseous adsorption energies are mainly governed
      by dispersion and electrostatic interactions, while the aqueous adsorption
      energies are mainly determined by dispersion and hydrophobic interactions. It was
      also revealed that curvature of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) exhibits
      more significant effects than the electronic properties (metallic or
      semiconducting) on gaseous adsorption energies, and graphene has stronger
      adsorption abilities than SWNTs. The developed models may pave a promising way
      for predicting adsorption of environmental chemicals onto CNMs with in silico
      techniques.

PMID- 28892368
TI  - Structure-Based Design and Synthesis of Apramycin-Paromomycin Analogues:
      Importance of the Configuration at the 6'-Position and Differences between the 6'
      Amino and Hydroxy Series.
AB  - The preparation of a series of four analogues of the aminoglycoside antibiotics
      neomycin and paromomycin is described in which ring I, involved in critical
      binding interactions with the ribosomal target, is replaced by an apramycin-like
      dioxabicyclo[4.4.0]octane system. The effect of this modification is to lock the
      hydroxymethyl side chain of the neomycin or paromomycin ring I, as part of the
      dioxabicyclooctane ring, into either the gauche-gauche or the gauche-trans
      conformation (respectively, axial or equatorial to the bicyclic system). The
      antiribosomal activity of these compounds is investigated with cell-free
      translation assays using both bacterial ribosomes and recombinant hybrid
      ribosomes carrying eukaryotic decoding A site cassettes. Compounds substituted
      with an equatorial hydroxyl or amino group in the newly formed ring are
      considerably more active than their axial diastereomers, lending strong support
      to crystallographically derived models of aminoglycoside-ribosome interactions.
      One such bicyclic compound carrying an equatorial hydroxyl group has activity
      equal to that of the parent yet displays better ribosomal selectivity, predictive
      of an enhanced therapeutic index. A paromomycin analog lacking the hydroxymethyl
      ring I side chain is considerably less active than the parent. Antibacterial
      activity against model Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria is reported for
      selected compounds, as is activity against ESKAPE pathogens and recombinant
      bacteria carrying specific resistance determinants. Analogues with a bicyclic
      ring I carrying equatorial amino or hydroxyl groups mimicking the bound side
      chains of neomycin and paromomycin, respectively, show excellent activity and, by
      virtue of their novel structure, retain this activity in strains that are
      insensitive to the parent compounds.

PMID- 28892370
TI  - Mass Spectrometry-Based Chemical Cartography of a Cardiac Parasitic Infection.
AB  - Trypanosoma cruzi parasites are the causative agents of Chagas disease, a leading
      infectious form of heart failure whose pathogenesis is still not fully
      characterized. In this work, we applied untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem
      mass spectrometry to heart sections from T. cruzi-infected and uninfected mice.
      We combined molecular networking and three-dimensional modeling to generate
      chemical cartographical heart models. This approach revealed for the first time
      preferential parasite localization to the base of the heart and regiospecific
      distributions of nucleoside derivatives and eicosanoids, which we correlated to
      tissue-damaging immune responses. We further detected novel cardiac chemical
      signatures related to the severity and ultimate outcome of the infection. These
      signatures included differential representation of higher- vs lower-molecular
      weight carnitine and phosphatidylcholine family members in specific cardiac
      regions of mice infected with lethal or nonlethal T. cruzi strains and doses.
      Overall, this work provides new insights into Chagas disease pathogenesis and
      presents an analytical chemistry approach that can be broadly applied to the
      study of host-microbe interactions.

PMID- 28892371
TI  - Synthetic Graphene Oxide Leaf for Solar Desalination with Zero Liquid Discharge.
AB  - Water vapor generation through sunlight harvesting and heat localization by
      carbon-based porous thin film materials holds great promise for sustainable,
      energy-efficient desalination and water treatment. However, the applicability of
      such materials in a high-salinity environment emphasizing zero-liquid-discharge
      brine disposal has not been studied. This paper reports the characterization and
      evaporation performance of a nature-inspired synthetic leaf made of graphene
      oxide (GO) thin film material, which exhibited broadband light absorption and
      excellent stability in high-salinity water. Under 0.82-sun illumination (825
      W/m2), a GO leaf floating on water generated steam at a rate of 1.1 L per m2 per
      hour (LMH) with a light-to-vapor energy conversion efficiency of 54%, while a GO
      leaf lifted above water in a tree-like configuration generated steam at a rate of
      2.0 LMH with an energy efficiency of 78%. The evaporation rate increased with
      increasing light intensity and decreased with increasing salinity. During a long
      term evaporation experiment with a 15 wt % NaCl solution, the GO leaf
      demonstrated stable performance despite gradual and eventually severe
      accumulation of salt crystals on the leaf surface. Furthermore, the GO leaf can
      be easily restored to its pristine condition by simply scraping off salt crystals
      from its surface and rinsing with water. Therefore, the robust high performance
      and relatively low fabrication cost of the synthetic GO leaf could potentially
      unlock a new generation of desalination technology that can be entirely solar
      powered and achieve zero liquid discharge.

PMID- 28892372
TI  - Transcriptomic Analysis of Thalidomide Challenged Chick Embryo Suggests Possible
      Link between Impaired Vasculogenesis and Defective Organogenesis.
AB  - Since the conception of thalidomide as a teratogen, approximately 30 hypotheses
      have been put forward to explain the developmental toxicity of the molecule.
      However, no systems biology approach has been taken to understand the phenomena
      yet. The proposed work was aimed to explore the mechanism of thalidomide toxicity
      in developing chick embryo in the context of transcriptomics by using genome wide
      RNA sequencing data. In this study, we challenged the developing embryo at the
      stage of blood island formations (HH8), which is the most vulnerable stage for
      thalidomide-induced deformities. We observed that thalidomide affected the early
      vasculogenesis through interfering with the blood island formation extending the
      effect to organogenesis. The transcriptome analyses of the embryos collected on
      sixth day of incubation showed that liver, eye, and blood tissue associated genes
      were down regulated due to thalidomide treatment. The conserved gene coexpression
      module also indicated that the genes involved in lens development were heavily
      affected. Further, the Gene Ontology analysis explored that the pathways of eye
      development, retinol metabolism, and cartilage development were dampened,
      consistent with the observed deformities of various organs. The study concludes
      that thalidomide exerts its toxic teratogenic effects through interfering with
      early extra-embryonic vasculogenesis and ultimately gives an erroneous
      transcriptomic pattern to organogenesis.

PMID- 28892373
TI  - Time-Resolved Luminescence Spectroelectrochemistry at Screen-Printed Electrodes:
      Following the Redox-Dependent Fluorescence of [Ru(bpy)3]2.
AB  - In this work, a compact instrument for time-resolved luminescence
      spectroelectrochemistry using low-cost disposable electrodes is reported. This
      instrument can be coupled with screen-printed electrodes via a specific cell and
      a reflection probe, which allows one to observe changes occurring at the
      electrode/solution interface. This approach allowed one to follow the
      fluorescence variation of electrofluorochromic species such as [Ru(bpy)3]2+ at
      screen-printed carbon electrodes. A strong correlation between the
      electrochemical processes and the fluorescence was found during potentiostatic or
      multipulsed amperometric measurements. A decrease of the fluorescence was
      observed when the [Ru(bpy)3]2+ was oxidized to [Ru(bpy)3]3+ and part of this
      fluorescence is recovered when [Ru(bpy)3]3+ was reduced to the initial species.
      Moreover, a significant increment of the fluorescence was found when the oxygen
      reduction reaction takes place, which also confirms its quenching effect.
      Finally, multipulsed amperometric detection was employed in order to obtain more
      information about the redox-dependent luminescence of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ finding a
      continuous quenching over time attributed to bleaching chlorine-based species.

PMID- 28892374
TI  - Phase Segregation in Cs-, Rb- and K-Doped Mixed-Cation (MA)x(FA)1-xPbI3 Hybrid
      Perovskites from Solid-State NMR.
AB  - Hybrid (organic-inorganic) multication lead halide perovskites hold promise for a
      new generation of easily processable solar cells. Best performing compositions to
      date are multiple-cation solid alloys of formamidinium (FA), methylammonium (MA),
      cesium, and rubidium lead halides which provide power conversion efficiencies up
      to around 22%. Here, we elucidate the atomic-level nature of Cs and Rb
      incorporation into the perovskite lattice of FA-based materials. We use 133Cs,
      87Rb, 39K, 13C, and 14N solid-state MAS NMR to probe microscopic composition of
      Cs-, Rb-, K-, MA-, and FA-containing phases in double-, triple-, and quadruple
      cation lead halides in bulk and in a thin film. Contrary to previous reports, we
      have found no proof of Rb or K incorporation into the 3D perovskite lattice in
      these systems. We also show that the structure of bulk mechanochemical
      perovskites bears close resemblance to that of thin films, making them a good
      benchmark for structural studies. These findings provide fundamental
      understanding of previously reported excellent photovoltaic parameters in these
      systems and their superior stability.

PMID- 28892375
TI  - Solvation Properties of the Actinide Ion Th(IV) in DMSO and DMSO:Water Mixtures
      through Polarizable Molecular Dynamics.
AB  - We have studied the solvation of Th4+ in water, in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and
      in their equimolar mixture by using molecular dynamics based on an Amoeba-derived
      polarizable force field. We have performed an extended structural analysis in
      order to provide a complete picture of the chemical-physical features of the
      interaction of Th4+ with the two solvents in their pure and mixed states. Through
      our simulations we found that, very likely, the first solvation shell in DMSO is
      not unlike the one found in pure water and contains 9 solvent molecules. The
      residence time of first shell of DMSO molecules is however much longer than the
      residence time of water. For the 1:1 mixture we present computational evidence
      that both water and DMSO participate in the solvation of Th4+ with a slight
      preference for the latter.

PMID- 28892376
TI  - Modifications to EPA Method 3060A to Improve Extraction of Cr(VI) from Chromium
      Ore Processing Residue-Contaminated Soils.
AB  - It has been shown that EPA Method 3060A does not adequately extract Cr(VI) from
      chromium ore processing residue (COPR). We modified various parameters of EPA
      3060A toward understanding the transformation of COPR minerals in the alkaline
      extraction and improving extraction of Cr(VI) from NIST SRM 2701, a standard COPR
      contaminated soil. Aluminum and Si were the major elements dissolved from NIST
      2701, and their concentrations in solution were correlated with Cr(VI). The
      extraction fluid leached additional Al and Si from the method-prescribed
      borosilicate glass vessels which appeared to suppress the release of Cr(VI). Use
      of polytetrafluoroethylene vessels and intensive grinding of NIST 2701 increased
      the amount of Cr(VI) extracted. These modifications, combined with an increased
      extraction fluid to sample ratio of >=900 mL g-1 and 48-h extraction time
      resulted in a maximum release of 1274 +/- 7 mg kg-1 Cr(VI). This is greater than
      the NIST 2701 certified value of 551 +/- 35 mg kg-1 but less than 3050 mg kg-1
      Cr(VI) previously estimated by X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy.
      Some of the increased Cr(VI) may have resulted from oxidation of Cr(III) released
      from brownmillerite which rapidly transformed during the extractions. Layered
      double hydroxides remained stable during extractions and represent a potential
      residence for unextracted Cr(VI).

PMID- 28892377
TI  - Bis(stibahousene).
AB  - Strained hydrocarbons constitute one of the most prominent classes of organic
      compounds. Among them, bicyclo[2.1.0]pentene ("housene") derivatives represent a
      highly challenging and very attractive class. Although organic housenes have been
      known for more than five decades, there are still very few of them containing
      heavier main group elements. In this paper, we report on the two housene-type
      structures, novel monomeric stibahousene and dimeric bis(stibahousene). The
      bonding natures of both compounds were approached from both experimental and
      computational directions to reveal their peculiar structural features.

PMID- 28892378
TI  - Synthesis of Defect Perovskites (He2-x?x)(CaZr)F6 by Inserting Helium into the
      Negative Thermal Expansion Material CaZrF6.
AB  - Defect perovskites (He2-x?x)(CaZr)F6 can be prepared by inserting helium into
      CaZrF6 at high pressure. They can be recovered to ambient pressure at low
      temperature. There are no prior examples of perovskites with noble gases on the A
      sites. The insertion of helium gas into CaZrF6 both elastically stiffens the
      material and reduces the magnitude of its negative thermal expansion. It also
      suppresses the onset of structural disorder, which is seen on compression in
      other media. Measurements of the gas released on warming to room temperature and
      Rietveld analyses of neutron diffraction data at low temperature indicate that
      exposure to helium gas at 500 MPa leads to a stoichiometry close to
      (He1?1)(CaZr)F6. Helium has a much higher solubility in CaZrF6 than silica glass
      or crystobalite. An analogue with composition (H2)2(CaZr)F6 would have a
      volumetric hydrogen storage capacity greater than current US DOE targets. We
      anticipate that other hybrid perovskites with small neutral molecules on the A
      site can also be prepared and that they will display a rich structural chemistry.

PMID- 28892379
TI  - Toroidal Condensates by Semiflexible Polymer Chains: Insights into Nucleation,
      Growth and Packing Defects.
AB  - Deciphering the principles of DNA condensation is important to understand
      problems such as genome packing and DNA compaction for delivery in gene therapy.
      DNA molecules condense into toroids and spindles upon the addition of multivalent
      ions. Nucleation of a loop in the semiflexible DNA chain is critical for both the
      toroid and spindle formation. To understand the structural differences in the
      nucleated loop, which cause bifurcation in the condensation pathways leading to
      toroid or spindle formation, we performed molecular dynamics simulations using a
      coarse-grained bead-spring polymer model. We find that the formation of a toroid
      or a spindle is correlated with the orientation of the chain segments close to
      the loop closure in the nucleated loop. Simulations show that toroids grow in
      size when spindles in solution interact with a pre-existing toroid and merge into
      it by spooling around the circumference of the toroid, forming multimolecular
      toroidal condensates. The merging of spindles with toroids is facile, indicating
      that this should be the dominant pathway through which the toroids grow in size.
      The Steinhardt bond order parameter analysis of the toroid cross section shows
      that the chains pack in a hexagonal fashion. In agreement with the experiments
      there are regions in the toroid with good hexagonal packing and also with
      considerable disorder. The disorder in packing is due to the defects, which are
      propagated during the growth of toroids. In addition to the well-known crossover
      defect, we have identified three other forms of defects, which perturb hexagonal
      packing. The new defects identified in the simulations are amenable to
      experimental verification.

PMID- 28892381
TI  - Low-Temperature Dynamics of Chain-Labeled Lipids in Ester- and Ether-Linked
      Phosphatidylcholine Membranes.
AB  - Continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and two-pulse echo
      detected spectra of chain-labeled lipids are used to study the dynamics of frozen
      lipid membranes over the temperature range 77-260 K. Bilayers of ester-linked
      dihexadecanoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with noninterdigitated chains and ether
      linked dihexadecyl phosphatidylcholine (DHPC) with interdigitated chains are
      considered. Rapid stochastic librations of small angular amplitude are found in
      both lipid matrices. In noninterdigitated DPPC bilayers, the mean-square angular
      amplitude, [Formula: see text], of the motion increases with temperature and it
      is larger close to the chain termini than close to the polar/apolar interface. In
      contrast, in interdigitated DHPC lamellae, [Formula: see text] is small and
      temperature and label-position independent at low temperature and increases
      steeply at high temperature. The rotational correlation time, tauc, of librations
      lies in the subnanosecond range for DPPC and in the nanosecond range for DHPC. In
      all membrane samples, the temperature dependence of [Formula: see text] resembles
      that of the mean-square atomic displacement revealed by neutron scattering and a
      dynamical transition is detected in the range 210-240 K. The results highlight
      the librational oscillations and the glass-like behavior in bilayer and
      interdigitated lipid membranes.

PMID- 28892382
TI  - Indirect Intersystem Crossing (S1 -> T3/T2 -> T1) Promoted by the Jahn-Teller
      Effect in Cycloparaphenylenes.
AB  - Vibronic-coupling effects play a key role for excited-state charge- and energy
      transfer processes in organic molecular systems. Here, we demonstrate how the
      Jahn-Teller effect in triplet excited states of highly symmetric
      cycloparaphenylenes triggers an indirect intersystem crossing deactivation
      pathway. Strong Jahn-Teller distortion in the doubly degenerate second excited
      triplet state (T2) brings the molecular system energetically close to the lowest
      triplet state (T1), thereby opening the possibility for an extremely rapid
      internal conversion. Quantum dynamics simulations reveal an initial T2 -> T1
      population decay within 50 fs. Experimental observation of size-dependent
      intersystem crossing rates of cycloparaphenylenes is explained based on the
      proposed S1 -> T3/T2 -> T1 mechanism.

PMID- 28892380
TI  - GNE-781, A Highly Advanced Potent and Selective Bromodomain Inhibitor of Cyclic
      Adenosine Monophosphate Response Element Binding Protein, Binding Protein (CBP).
AB  - Inhibition of the bromodomain of the transcriptional regulator CBP/P300 is an
      especially interesting new therapeutic approach in oncology. We recently
      disclosed in vivo chemical tool 1 (GNE-272) for the bromodomain of CBP that was
      moderately potent and selective over BRD4(1). In pursuit of a more potent and
      selective CBP inhibitor, we used structure-based design. Constraining the aniline
      of 1 into a tetrahydroquinoline motif maintained potency and increased
      selectivity 2-fold. Structure-activity relationship studies coupled with further
      structure-based design targeting the LPF shelf, BC loop, and KAc regions allowed
      us to significantly increase potency and selectivity, resulting in the
      identification of non-CNS penetrant 19 (GNE-781, TR-FRET IC50 = 0.94 nM, BRET
      IC50 = 6.2 nM; BRD4(1) IC50 = 5100 nMU) that maintained good in vivo PK
      properties in multiple species. Compound 19 displays antitumor activity in an AML
      tumor model and was also shown to decrease Foxp3 transcript levels in a dose
      dependent manner.

PMID- 28892383
TI  - O2(b1Sigmag+) Quenching by O2, CO2, H2O, and N2 at Temperatures of 300-800 K.
AB  - Rate constants for the removal of O2(b1Sigmag+) by collisions with O2, N2, CO2,
      and H2O have been determined over the temperature range from 297 to 800 K.
      O2(b1Sigmag+) was excited by pulses from a tunable dye laser, and the
      deactivation kinetics were followed by observing the temporal behavior of the
      b1Sigmag+-X3Sigmag- fluorescence. The removal rate constants for CO2, N2, and H2O
      were not strongly dependent on temperature and could be represented by the
      expressions kCO2 = (1.18 +/- 0.05) * 10-17 * T1.5 * exp[Formula: see text], kN2 =
      (8 +/- 0.3) * 10-20 * T1.5 * exp[Formula: see text], and kH2O = (1.27 +/- 0.08) *
      10-16 * T1.5 * exp[Formula: see text] cm3 molecule-1 s-1. Rate constants for
      O2(b1Sigmag+) removal by O2(X), being orders of magnitude lower, demonstrated a
      sharp increase with temperature, represented by the fitted expression kO2 = (7.4
      +/- 0.8) * 10-17 * T0.5 * exp[Formula: see text] cm3 molecule-1 s-1. All of the
      rate constants measured at room temperature were found to be in good agreement
      with previously reported values.

PMID- 28892384
TI  - Kinetics of Trifluoromethane Clathrate Hydrate Formation from CHF3 Gas and Ice
      Particles.
AB  - We report the formation kinetics of trifluoromethane clathrate hydrate (CH) from
      less than 75 MUm diameter ice particles and CHF3 gas. As previously observed for
      difluoromethane and propane hydrate formation, the initial stages of the reaction
      exhibit a strong negative correlation of the reaction rate with temperature,
      consistent with a negative activation energy of formation. The values obtained
      for trifluoromethane, ca. -6 kJ/mol (H2O), are similar to those for
      difluoromethane, even though the two molecules have different intermolecular
      interactions and sizes. The activation energy is lesser per mole of H2O, but
      greater per mole of guest molecule, than for propane hydrate, which has a
      different crystal structure. We propose a possible explanation for the negative
      activation barrier based on the stabilization of metastable structures at low
      temperature. A pronounced dependence of the formation kinetics on the gas flow
      rate into the cell is observed. At 253 K and a flow rate of 15 mmol/h, the stage
      II enclathration of trifluoromethane proceeds so quickly that the overpressure,
      the difference between the gas cell pressure and the hydrate vapor pressure, is
      only 0.06 MPa.

PMID- 28892385
TI  - Infrared-Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study of Neutral
      Methylamine Dimer.
AB  - The methylamine dimer, (CH3NH2)2, is a model system to study the CH3 and NH2
      spectral patterns in the neutral microsolvated systems relevant to chemical
      biology, atmospheric chemistry, and catalysis. We report infrared-vacuum
      ultraviolet spectroscopic measurements to probe the neutral (CH3NH2)2. Quantum
      chemical calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were performed
      to understand the observed spectral features. Experimental and theoretical
      results indicate the likely coexistence of both cis and trans structures. A
      salient feature of this work is that the peak widths are not significantly
      affected by the structural transformation and the fluctuation of hydrogen bond
      distance, allowing the stretching modes to be clearly resolved.

PMID- 28892386
TI  - Double-Mutated 5-Enol Pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate Synthase Protein Expressed in
      MZHG0JG Corn (Zea mays L.) Has No Impact on Toxicological Safety and Nutritional
      Composition.
AB  - MZHG0JG corn will offer growers the flexibility to alternate between herbicides
      with two different modes of action in their weed-management programs, helping to
      mitigate and manage the evolution of herbicide resistance in weed populations.
      The proteins conferring herbicide tolerence in MZHG0JG corn, double-mutated 5
      enol pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase protein (mEPSPS) and phosphinothricin
      acetyltransferase (PAT), as well as the MZHG0JG corn event, have been assessed by
      regulatory authorities globally and have been determined to be safe for humans,
      animals, and the environment. In addition to the safety data available for these
      proteins, further studies were conducted on MZHG0JG corn to assess levels of
      mEPSPS as compared to previously registered genetically modified (GM) corn. The
      results support the conclusion of no impact on toxicological safety or
      nutritional composition.

PMID- 28892387
TI  - Functionalized Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy bithiophene) Films for Tuning
      Electrochromic and Thermoelectric Properties.
AB  - Conductive thiophene-based polymers have garnered great attention for use in
      organic electron materials such as electrochromic and thermoelectric materials.
      However, they suffer from poor electron transport properties and long-term
      stability, leading to limited development eventually. Here, we proposed a
      strategy of functionalized thiophene-based polymers with oligo(ethylene glycol)
      or alkyl side chains and synthesized a series of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy
      bithiophene)s (PEDTs) to tune their electrochromic and thermoelectric properties.
      An alkyl group bearing electronic ability at the thiophene ring effectively
      achieved a large increase in the electrical conductivity with nearly invariable
      Seebeck coefficient, resulting in an enhancement by 1 order of magnitude for the
      thermoelectric power factor. Moreover, the electrochromic properties of
      functionalized PEDTs gained an effective improvement in the optical contrast and
      coloration efficiency as well as stability with multicolor changes between
      neutral and oxidized states. The functionalized PEDTs can be proposed as an
      alternative strategy to tune the electrochromic and thermoelectric properties for
      organic polymer materials.

PMID- 28892388
TI  - Novel Radiolabeled Vanilloid with Enhanced Specificity for Human Transient
      Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1).
AB  - Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) has emerged as a promising
      therapeutic target. While radiolabeled resiniferatoxin (RTX) has provided a
      powerful tool for characterization of vanilloid binding to TRPV1, TRPV1 shows 20
      fold weaker binding to the human TRPV1 than to the rodent TRPV1. We now describe
      a tritium radiolabeled synthetic vanilloid antagonist, 1-((2-(4-(methyl
      [3H])piperidin-1-yl-4-[3H])-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-3-yl)methyl)-3-(3-oxo-3,4
      dihydro-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-8-yl)urea ([3H]MPOU), that embodies improved
      absolute affinity for human TRPV1 and improved synthetic accessibility.

PMID- 28892389
TI  - Formation of Hydroxylamine in Low-Temperature Interstellar Model Ices.
AB  - We irradiated binary ice mixtures of ammonia (NH3) and oxygen (O2) ices at
      astrophysically relevant temperatures of 5.5 K with energetic electrons to mimic
      the energy transfer process that occurs in the track of galactic cosmic rays. By
      monitoring the newly formed molecules online and in situ utilizing Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy complemented by temperature-programmed desorption
      studies with single-photon photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry, the synthesis of hydroxylamine (NH2OH), water (H2O), hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2), nitrosyl hydride (HNO), and a series of nitrogen oxides (NO,
      N2O, NO2, N2O2, N2O3) was evident. The synthetic pathway of the newly formed
      species, along with their rate constants, is discussed exploiting the kinetic
      fitting of the coupled differential equations representing the decomposition
      steps in the irradiated ice mixtures. Our studies suggest the hydroxylamine is
      likely formed through an insertion mechanism of suprathermal oxygen into the
      nitrogen-hydrogen bond of ammonia at such low temperatures. An isotope-labeled
      experiment examining the electron-irradiated D3-ammonia-oxygen (ND3-O2) ices was
      also conducted, which confirmed our findings. This study provides clear, concise
      evidence of the formation of hydroxylamine by irradiation of interstellar
      analogue ices and can help explain the question how potential precursors to
      complex biorelevant molecules may form in the interstellar medium.

PMID- 28892390
TI  - Virtual Orbital Many-Body Expansions: A Possible Route towards the Full
      Configuration Interaction Limit.
AB  - It is demonstrated how full configuration interaction (FCI) results in extended
      basis sets may be obtained to within sub-kJ/mol accuracy by decomposing the
      energy in terms of many-body expansions in the virtual orbitals of the molecular
      system at hand. This extension of the FCI application range lends itself to two
      unique features of the current approach, namely, that the total energy
      calculation can be performed entirely within considerably reduced orbital
      subspaces and may be so by means of embarrassingly parallel programming.
      Facilitated by a rigorous and methodical screening protocol and further aided by
      expansion points different from the Hartree-Fock solution, all-electron numerical
      results are reported for H2O in polarized core-valence basis sets ranging from
      double-zeta (10 e, 28 o) to quadruple-zeta (10 e, 144 o) quality.

PMID- 28892391
TI  - Simple Enantioselective Syntheses of (2R,6R)-Hydroxynorketamine and Related
      Potential Rapid-Onset Antidepressants.
AB  - A novel strategy for accessing cyclic alpha-amino ketones enantioselectively has
      opened a simple synthetic route to the antidepressant (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine
      and numerous analogues. Mechanistically guided catalyst selection was essential
      in an initial olefin epoxidation step. In a second crucial step, the epoxide was
      subjected to a novel O -> N displacement that occurred with retention of
      configuration through the use of Al- or Ti-based azides, which promote epoxide
      activation and internal cis delivery of N3 to carbon.

PMID- 28892392
TI  - Analysis of the Nucleus-Independent Chemical Shifts of [10]Cyclophenacene: Is It
      an Aromatic or Antiaromatic Molecule?
AB  - [10]Cyclophenacene is an important synthetic target that shows a pair of nucleus
      independent chemical shift (NICS) values for the center of mass and six-membered
      rings typical of an aromatic species. This is found in contrast with the global
      paratropic current density induced by a magnetic field parallel to the main
      symmetry axis. This apparent contradiction has been analyzed by studying the
      tensor character of the magnetic response. It turns out that the molecule
      displays two characters, one paratropic (antiaromatic) and another one diatropic
      (aromatic), depending on the orientation of the inducing magnetic field. The
      paratropic response, which cannot be recognized from the NICS values, is
      associated with a well-defined destabilization of the belt closure, as witnessed
      by homodesmotic reactions. A scalar measure of magnetic aromaticity, the field
      independent current strength, has been introduced, which allows us to reach the
      conclusion that [10]cyclophenacene is indeed an aromatic molecule, although it is
      significantly affected by the paratropic response.

PMID- 28892393
TI  - Micrometer-Sized Magnesium Whitlockite Crystals in Micropetrosis of
      Bisphosphonate-Exposed Human Alveolar Bone.
AB  - Osteocytes are contained within spaces called lacunae and play a central role in
      bone remodelling. Administered frequently to prevent osteoporotic fractures,
      antiresorptive agents such as bisphosphonates suppress osteocyte apoptosis and
      may be localized within osteocyte lacunae. Bisphosphonates also reduce osteoclast
      viability and thereby hinder the repair of damaged tissue. Osteocyte lacunae
      contribute to toughening mechanisms. Following osteocyte apoptosis, the lacunar
      space undergoes mineralization, termed "micropetrosis". Hypermineralized lacunae
      are believed to increase bone fragility. Using nanoanalytical electron microscopy
      with complementary spectroscopic and crystallographic experiments, postapoptotic
      mineralization of osteocyte lacunae in bisphosphonate-exposed human bone was
      investigated. We report an unprecedented presence of ~80 nm to ~3 MUm wide,
      distinctly faceted, magnesium whitlockite [Ca18Mg2(HPO4)2(PO4)12] crystals and
      consequently altered local nanomechanical properties. These findings have broad
      implications on the role of therapeutic agents in driving biomineralization and
      shed new insights into a possible relationship between bisphosphonate exposure,
      availability of intracellular magnesium, and pathological calcification inside
      lacunae.

PMID- 28892394
TI  - Probing Elastic and Viscous Properties of Phospholipid Bilayers Using Neutron
      Spin Echo Spectroscopy.
AB  - The elastic and viscous properties of self-assembled amphiphilic membranes
      dictate the intricate hierarchy of their structure and dynamics ranging from the
      diffusion of individual molecules to the large-scale deformation of the membrane.
      We previously demonstrated that neutron spin echo spectroscopy measurements of
      model amphiphilic membranes can access the naturally occurring submicrosecond
      membrane motions, such as bending and thickness fluctuations. Here we show how
      the experimentally measured fluctuation parameters can be used to determine the
      inherent membrane properties and demonstrate how membrane viscosity and
      compressibility modulus are influenced by lipid composition in a series of simple
      phosphatidylcholine bilayers with different tail lengths as a function of
      temperature. This approach highlights the interdependence of the bilayer elastic
      and viscous properties and the collective membrane dynamics and opens new avenues
      to investigating the mechanical properties of more complex and biologically
      inspired systems.

PMID- 28892395
TI  - Influence of Sulfur on Acid-Mediated Enamide Formation.
AB  - The acid-mediated condensation of acetamide with butanal dimethylacetal and
      EtSCH2CH(OMe)2, followed by dehydration, was investigated by electronic structure
      calculations that supported the prediction that the Z-geometry would be favored
      in the product. The reaction was investigated experimentally using suitably
      functionalized cysteine building blocks. Some side reactions and optimization of
      reaction conditions are reported, en route to identifying a mild, inexpensive
      Lewis acid that achieves a reasonable yield of (Z)-thioenamide 21 with high
      stereoselectivity.

PMID- 28892396
TI  - Crystal Phase Quantum Well Emission with Digital Control.
AB  - One of the major challenges in the growth of quantum well and quantum dot
      heterostructures is the realization of atomically sharp interfaces. Nanowires
      provide a new opportunity to engineer the band structure as they facilitate the
      controlled switching of the crystal structure between the zinc-blende (ZB) and
      wurtzite (WZ) phases. Such a crystal phase switching results in the formation of
      crystal phase quantum wells (CPQWs) and quantum dots (CPQDs). For GaP CPQWs, the
      inherent electric fields due to the discontinuity of the spontaneous polarization
      at the WZ/ZB junctions lead to the confinement of both types of charge carriers
      at the opposite interfaces of the WZ/ZB/WZ structure. This confinement leads to a
      novel type of transition across a ZB flat plate barrier. Here, we show digital
      tuning of the visible emission of WZ/ZB/WZ CPQWs in a GaP nanowire by changing
      the thickness of the ZB barrier. The energy spacing between the sharp emission
      lines is uniform and is defined by the addition of single ZB monolayers. The
      controlled growth of identical quantum wells with atomically flat interfaces at
      predefined positions featuring digitally tunable discrete emission energies may
      provide a new route to further advance entangled photons in solid state quantum
      systems.

PMID- 28892397
TI  - Retraction of "Transition-Metal-Free C-CN/C-H Cross-Coupling: Effect of Cyano
      Group".

PMID- 28892398
TI  - Droplet Transport in a Nanochannel Coated by Hydrophobic Semiflexible Polymer
      Brushes: The Effect of Chain Stiffness.
AB  - We study the influence of chain stiffness on droplet flow in a nanochannel,
      coated with semiflexible hydrophobic polymers by means of nonequilibrium
      molecular dynamics simulations. The studied system is then a moving droplet in
      the slit channel, coexisting with its vapor and subjected to periodic boundary
      conditions in the flow direction. The polymer chains, grafted by the terminal
      bead to the confining walls, are described by a coarse-grained model that
      accounts for chain connectivity, excluded volume interactions and local chain
      stiffness. The rheological, frictional and dynamical properties of the brush are
      explored over a wide range of persistence lengths. We find a rich behavior of
      polymer conformations and concomitant changes in the friction properties over the
      wide range of studied polymer stiffnesses. A rapid decrease in the droplet
      velocity was observed as the rigidity of the chains is increased for polymers
      whose persistence length is smaller than their contour length. We find a strong
      relation between the internal dynamics of the brush and the droplet transport
      properties, which could be used to tailor flow properties by surface
      functionalization. The monomers of the brush layer, under the droplet, present a
      collective "treadmill belt" like dynamics which can only be present due the
      existence of grafted chains. We describe its changes in spatial extension upon
      variations of polymer stiffness, with bidimensional velocity and density
      profiles. The deformation of the polymer brushes due to the presence of the
      droplet is analyzed in detail. Lastly, the droplet-gas interaction is studied by
      varying the liquid to gas ratio, observing a 16% speed increase for droplets that
      flow close to each other, compared to a train of droplets that present a large
      gap between consecutive droplets.

PMID- 28892399
TI  - Intramolecular Electron Transfer in Frozen Solvents: Charge Transfer and Local
      Triplet States Population Dynamics Revealed by Dual Phosphorescence.
AB  - In frozen solvents at 77 K, ultrafast (<=250 fs) photoinduced intramolecular
      electron transfer (ET) in bichromophoric donor-acceptor ([D-A]) diarylmethane
      lactones produces a covalently linked radical ion pair, 1[D*+-A*-]. Steady state
      and time-resolved luminescence measurements reveal that 1[D*+-A*-] decays to
      charge-separated (3[D*+-A*-]) and donor-centered ([3D*-A]) triplets, which
      display dual phosphorescence. 3[D*+-A*-] and [3D*-A] are formed in parallel via
      two intersystem crossing mechanisms: spin orbit charge transfer (SOCT) and
      hyperfine coupling (HFC), with solvent dependent branching ratio. The solvent
      drives the D-A alignment during the freezing process to adapt to increasing
      solvent polarity, producing inhomogeneous ground-state population distribution
      with solvent-dependent D-A exchange interaction, which plays a key role in
      partitioning into SOCT and HFC mechanisms. In polar glasses, a third
      phosphorescence band appears due to dissociative back ET in 3[D*+-A*-] resulting
      in excited open ring biradical.

PMID- 28892400
TI  - Poly(vinyl methyl ether/maleic anhydride)-Doped PEG-PLA Nanoparticles for Oral
      Paclitaxel Delivery To Improve Bioadhesive Efficiency.
AB  - Bioadhesive nanoparticles based on poly(vinyl methyl ether/maleic anhydride)
      (PVMMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-b-poly(d,l-lactic acid) (mPEG-b
      PLA) were produced by the emulsification solvent evaporation method. Paclitaxel
      was utilized as the model drug, with an encapsulation efficiency of up to 90.2 +/
      4.0%. The nanoparticles were uniform and spherical in shape and exhibited a
      sustained drug release compared with Taxol. m-NPs also exhibited favorable
      bioadhesive efficiency at the same time. Coumarin 6 or DiR-loaded nanoparticles
      with/without PVMMA (C6-m-NPs/DiR-m-NPs or C6-p-NPs/DiR-p-NPs) were used for
      cellular uptake and intestinal adhesion experiments, respectively. C6-m-NPs were
      shown to enhance cellular uptake, and caveolae/lipid raft mediated endocytosis
      was the primary route for the uptake of the nanoparticles. Favorable bioadhesive
      efficiency led to prolonged retention in the intestine reflected by the
      fluorescence in isolated intestines ex vivo. In a ligated intestinal loops model,
      C6-m-NPs showed a clear advantage for transporting NPs across the mucus layer
      over C6-p-NPs and free C6. The apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) of PTX-m
      NPs through Caco-2/HT29 monolayers was 1.3- and 1.6-fold higher than PTX-p-NPs
      and Taxol, respectively, which was consistent with the AUC0-t of different PTX
      formulations after oral administration in rats. PTX-m-NPs also exhibited a more
      effective anticancer efficacy, with an IC50 of 0.2 +/- 1.4 MUg/mL for A549 cell
      lines, further demonstrating the advantage of bioadhesive nanoparticles. The
      bioadhesive nanoparticles m-NPs demonstrated both mucus permeation and epithelial
      absorption, and thus, this bioadhesive drug delivery system has the potential to
      improve the bioavailability of drugs that are insoluble in the gastrointestinal
      environment.

PMID- 28892401
TI  - Pulmonary Cryptococcus Presenting as a Solitary Pulmonary Nodule.

PMID- 28892402
TI  - Metformin: A Review of Characteristics, Properties, Analytical Methods and Impact
      in the Green Chemistry.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered a public health problem. The initial
      treatment consists of improving the lifestyle and making changes in the diet.
      When these changes are not enough, the use of medication becomes necessary. The
      metformin aims to reduce the hepatic production of glucose and is the preferred
      treatment for type 2. The objective is to survey the characteristics and
      properties of metformin, as well as hold a discussion on the existing analytical
      methods to green chemistry and their impacts for both the operator and the
      environment. For the survey, data searches were conducted by scientific papers in
      the literature as well as in official compendium. The characteristics and
      properties are shown, also, methods using liquid chromatography techniques,
      titration, absorption spectrophotometry in the ultraviolet and the infrared
      region. Most of the methods presented are not green chemistry oriented. It is
      necessary the awareness of everyone involved in the optimization of the methods
      applied through the implementation of green chemistry to determine the metformin.

PMID- 28892403
TI  - Plexiform Vasculopathy in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

PMID- 28892404
TI  - Mechanisms underlying metabolic disturbances associated with psychosis and
      antipsychotic drug treatment.
AB  - The increase in cardiovascular disease and reduced life expectancy in
      schizophrenia likely relate to an increased prevalence of metabolic disturbances.
      Such metabolic risk factors in schizophrenia may result from both symptom-related
      effects and aetiological factors. However, a major contributory factor is that of
      treatment with antipsychotic drugs. These drugs differ in effects on body weight;
      the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood and may vary between drugs,
      but may include actions at receptors associated with the hypothalamic control of
      food intake. Evidence supports 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C and dopamine D2
      receptor antagonism as well as antagonism at histamine H1 and muscarinic M3
      receptors. These M3 receptors may also mediate the effects of some drugs on
      glucose regulation. Several antipsychotics showing little propensity for weight
      gain, such as aripiprazole, have protective pharmacological mechanisms, rather
      than just the absence of a hyperphagic effect. In addition to drug differences,
      there is large individual variation in antipsychotic drug-induced weight gain.
      This pharmacogenetic association reflects genetic variation in several drug
      targets, including the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C, as well as genes involved
      in obesity and metabolic disturbances. Thus predictive genetic testing for drug
      induced weight gain would represents a first step towards personalised medicine
      addressing this severe and problematic iatrogenic disease.

PMID- 28892405
TI  - To screen or not to screen? Vitamin D deficiency in chronic mental illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of the current study was to examine the pathology test
      utilisation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) within an Australian inpatient
      psychiatric setting. METHOD: A retrospective audit of 300 random hospital files
      of those admitted as inpatients between Nov 2014 and Nov 2015 was undertaken.
      Data was quantitatively analysed and described. RESULTS: The number of inpatients
      who had a vitamin D determination during their admission was 37/300 (12.33%). The
      mean vitamin D level of those tested was 51.63 nmol/l. Of those that were tested,
      18/37 (48.6%) were mildly to moderately deficient. There was a statistically
      significant difference in age and length of stay between those that were and were
      not tested for vitamin D levels, p-value <0.001 and 0.017, respectively. In
      addition, a simple linear regression indicated a weak association between length
      of stay and vitamin D levels. CONCLUSION: This audit highlights vitamin D
      screening inadequacy. More research is recommended to establish tangible benefits
      of supplementation, while local practice provides valuable data for education and
      policy purposes.

PMID- 28892407
TI  - Nonparametric bootstrap technique for calibrating surgical SmartForceps: theory
      and application.
AB  - Knowledge of forces, exerted on the brain tissue during the performance of
      neurosurgical tasks, is critical for quality assurance, case rehearsal, and
      training purposes. Quantifying the interaction forces has been made possible by
      developing SmartForceps, a bipolar forceps retrofitted by a set of strain gauges.
      The forces are estimated using voltages read from strain gauges. We therefore
      need to quantify the force-voltage relationship to estimate the interaction
      forces during microsurgery. This problem has been addressed in the literature by
      following the physical and deterministic properties of the force-sensing strain
      gauges without obtaining the precision associated with each estimate. In this
      paper, we employ a probabilistic methodology by using a nonparametric Bootstrap
      approach to obtain both point and interval estimates of the applied forces at the
      tool tips, while the precision associated with each estimate is provided. To show
      proof-of-concept, the Bootstrap technique is employed to estimate unknown forces,
      and construct necessary confidence intervals using observed voltages in data sets
      that are measured from the performance of surgical tasks on a cadaveric brain.
      Results indicate that the Bootstrap technique is capable of estimating tool
      tissue interaction forces with acceptable level of accuracy compared to the
      linear regression technique under the normality assumption.

PMID- 28892406
TI  - Moving and stopping: Regulation of chromosome movement to promote meiotic
      chromosome pairing and synapsis.
AB  - Meiosis is a specialized cellular division occurring in organisms capable of
      sexual reproduction that leads to the formation of gametes containing half of the
      original chromosome number. During the earliest stage of meiosis, prophase I,
      pairing of homologous chromosomes is achieved in preparation for their proper
      distribution in the coming divisions. An important question is how do homologous
      chromosomes find each other and establish pairing interactions. Early studies
      demonstrated that chromosomes are dynamic in nature and move during this early
      stage of meiosis. More recently, there have been several studies across different
      models showing the conserved nature and importance of this chromosome movement,
      as well as the key components involved in chromosome movement. This review will
      cover these major findings and also introduce unexamined areas of regulation in
      meiotic prophase I chromosome movement.

PMID- 28892408
TI  - Variation in asthma care at hospital discharge by race/ethnicity groups.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While asthma disproportionately affects minorities, little is known
      about racial/ethnic differences in asthma care at hospital discharge. METHODS:
      Secondary data analysis of multicenter retrospective study using standardized
      medical record review. A random sample of patients aged 2-54 years, who were
      hospitalized for asthma at 25 hospitals from 2012 to 2013 was analyzed. We
      categorized patients into three race/ethnicity groups: non-Hispanic white (NHW),
      non-Hispanic black (NHB), and Hispanic. Multivariable logistic regression using
      generalized estimating equations was used to examine the relationship between
      race/ethnicity and the provision of guideline-concordant asthma care at hospital
      discharge including: the provision of asthma action plans, provision of new
      prescription of an inhaled corticosteroid, and referral to an asthma specialist.
      RESULTS: Nine hundred thirteen patients (39% children, 71% minorities)
      hospitalized for asthma were included. In adjusted models, NHB children were
      significantly less likely to receive a written asthma action plan (OR 0.48; 95%
      CI 0.31-0.76) than NHW children. In contrast, among adults, we found no
      statistically significant difference in the provision of asthma action plan.
      Additionally, we found no difference in the provision of a new inhaled
      corticosteroid prescription or referral to an asthma specialist among children or
      adults. CONCLUSIONS: NHB and Hispanic patients represent the majority of patients
      hospitalized for acute asthma in our cohort and were more likely than NHW
      patients to have increased markers of asthma severity. Despite this, the only
      significant racial/ethnic difference in asthma care at hospital discharge was
      among NHB children, who were less likely to receive a written asthma action plan
      .

PMID- 28892409
TI  - Changes in the Delivery of Veterans Affairs Cancer Care: Ensuring Delivery of
      Coordinated, Quality Cancer Care in a Time of Uncertainty.

PMID- 28892411
TI  - Repeated Measures Design with Generalized Linear Mixed Models for Randomized
      Controlled Trials, by Toshiro Tango.

PMID- 28892410
TI  - Ethics Never Left.

PMID- 28892412
TI  - Expert review on the VenaSeal(r) system for endovenous cyano-acrylate adhesive
      ablation of incompetent saphenous trunks in patients with varicose veins.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The treatment of incompetent truncal veins has been innovated by
      the introduction of minimally invasive non-thermal non-tumescent (NTNT)
      techniques. One of these consists of the use of cyanoacrylate glue to occlude the
      vein lumen by means of the VenaSeal device. Areas covered: This expert-review
      aims to evaluate NTNT ablation of incompetent saphenous trunks using the VenaSeal
      device. Expert commentary: Cyanoacrylate adhesive embolization of incompetent
      truncal veins using the VenaSeal device is a safe and efficacious innovative
      technique. Further studies are needed to evaluate anatomical and clinical
      outcomes at long term.

PMID- 28892413
TI  - Enhancing the 'real world' prediction of cardiovascular events and major bleeding
      with the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores using multiple biomarkers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF)-European guidelines suggest the use of
      biomarkers to stratify patients for stroke and bleeding risks. We investigated if
      a multibiomarker strategy improved the predictive performance of CHA2DS2-VASc and
      HAS-BLED in anticoagulated AF patients. METHODS: We included consecutive patients
      stabilized for six months on vitamin K antagonists (INRs 2.0-3.0). High
      sensitivity troponin T, NT-proBNP, interleukin-6, von Willebrand factor
      concentrations and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; using MDRD-4 formula) were
      quantified at baseline. Time in therapeutic range (TTR) was recorded at six
      months after inclusion. Patients were follow-up during a median of 2375 (IQR 1564
      2887) days and all adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: In 1361 patients,
      adding four blood biomarkers, TTR and MDRD-eGFR, the predictive value of CHA2DS2
      VASc increased significantly by c-index (0.63 vs. 0.65; p = .030) and IDI (0.85%;
      p < .001), but not by NRI (-2.82%; p < .001). The predictive value of HAS-BLED
      increased up to 1.34% by IDI (p < .001). Nevertheless, the overall predictive
      value remains modest (c-indexes approximately 0.65) and decision curve analyses
      found lower net benefit compared with the originals scores. CONCLUSIONS: Addition
      of biomarkers enhanced the predictive value of CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED,
      although the overall improvement was modest and the added predictive advantage
      over original scores was marginal. Key Messages Recent atrial fibrillation (AF)
      European guidelines for the first time suggest the use of biomarkers to stratify
      patients for stroke and bleeding risks, but their usefulness in real world for
      risk stratification is still questionable. In this cohort study involving 1361 AF
      patients optimally anticoagulated with vitamin K antagonists, adding high
      sensitivity troponin T, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, interleukin 6,
      von Willebrand factor, glomerular filtration rate (by the MDRD-4 formula) and
      time in therapeutic range, increased the predictive value of CHA2DS2-VASc for
      cardiovascular events, but not the predictive value of HAS-BLED for major
      bleeding. Reclassification analyses did not show improvement adding multiple
      biomarkers. Despite the improvement observed, the added predictive advantage is
      marginal and the clinical usefulness and net benefit over current clinical scores
      is lower.

PMID- 28892414
TI  - Efficacy of recombinant adenovirus expressing a fusion gene from GM-CSF and
      Epstein-Barr virus LMP2A in a mouse tumor model.
AB  - In this study, purified GM-CSF and LMP2A mRNAs were amplified by PCR. Then, the
      GM-CSF and LMP2A sequences were connected by the polypeptide linker (Gly4Ser)3
      using gene splicing by overlap extension. The constructed fusion gene GC2A was
      inserted into the adenovirus vector. Then the recombinant vector was introduced
      into HEK 293T cells by calcium phosphate transfection to package the adenovirus.
      The levels of antibodies against the GM-CSF and LMP2Afusion proteins were
      measured by ELISA, and the CTL activity of the mouse splenic lymphocytes was
      determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay. Immunotherapy of mouse
      tumor (EBV-positive epithelial tumor cell line (GT39)) tissues was performed, and
      their morphologies were assessed. Finally, the data of each group were analyzed
      using SPSS 11.5 statistical software. The recombinant adenovirus could replicate
      in HEK 293Tcells and induce humoral and cellular immune responses in the mice.
      The maximum dose resulted in an antibody titer of 18500 (184.5 +/- 8.7 pg/ml). At
      an effector: target ratio of 40:1, maximum specific lysis was observed which was
      approximately three times that detected in the control immunized mice. The tumor
      inhibition rate was approximately 76% compared with the control groups,
      indicating the presence of significant differences among the groups. Tumor
      infiltrating lymphocytes were detected by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The
      recombinant adenovirus induced humoral and cellular immune responses and
      inhibited tumor growth in mice. It provided a theoretical basis and candidate
      vaccine for further preclinical trials.

PMID- 28892416
TI  - Roman high and low avoidance rats differ in their response to chronic olanzapine
      treatment at the level of body weight regulation, glucose homeostasis, and
      cortico-mesolimbic gene expression.
AB  - Olanzapine, an antipsychotic agent mainly used for treating schizophrenia, is
      frequently associated with body weight gain and diabetes mellitus. Nonetheless,
      studies have shown that not every individual is equally susceptible to
      olanzapine's weight-gaining effect. Therefore, Roman high and low avoidance rat
      strains were examined on their responsiveness to olanzapine treatment. The Roman
      high avoidance rat shares many behavioral and physiological characteristics with
      human schizophrenia, such as increased central dopaminergic sensitivity, whereas
      the Roman low avoidance rat has been shown to be prone to diet-induced obesity
      and insulin resistance. The data revealed that only the Roman high avoidance rats
      are susceptible to olanzapine-induced weight gain and attenuated glucose
      tolerance. Here it is suggested that the specific olanzapine-induced weight gain
      in Roman high avoidance rats could be related to augmented dopaminergic
      sensitivity at baseline through increased expression of prefrontal cortex
      dopamine receptor D1 mRNA and nucleus accumbens dopamine receptor D2 mRNA
      expression. Regression analyses revealed that olanzapine-induced weight gain in
      the Roman high avoidance rat is above all related to increased prolactin levels,
      whereas changes in glucose homeostasis is best explained by differences in
      central dopaminergic receptor expressions between strains and treatment. Our data
      indicates that individual differences in dopaminergic receptor expression in the
      cortico-mesolimbic system are related to susceptibility to olanzapine-induced
      weight gain.

PMID- 28892415
TI  - Susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected host cells to phospho-MLKL
      driven necroptosis is dependent on cell type and presence of TNFalpha.
AB  - An important feature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis is the ability to
      control cell death in infected host cells, including inhibition of apoptosis and
      stimulation of necrosis. Recently an alternative form of programmed cell death,
      necroptosis, has been described where necrotic cell death is induced by apoptotic
      stimuli under conditions where apoptotic execution is inhibited. We show for the
      first time that M. tuberculosis and TNFalpha synergise to induce necroptosis in
      murine fibroblasts via RIPK1-dependent mechanisms and characterized by
      phosphorylation of Ser345 of the MLKL necroptosis death effector. However, in
      murine macrophages M. tuberculosis and TNFalpha induce non-necroptotic cell death
      that is RIPK1-dependent but independent of MLKL phosphorylation. Instead, M.
      tuberculosis-infected macrophages undergo RIPK3-dependent cell death which occurs
      both in the presence and absence of TNFalpha and involves the production of
      mitochondrial ROS. Immunocytochemical staining for MLKL phosphorylation further
      demonstrated the occurrence of necroptosis in vivo in murine M. tuberculosis
      granulomas. Phosphorylated-MLKL immunoreactivity was observed associated with the
      cytoplasm and nucleus of fusiform cells in M. tuberculosis lesions but not in
      proximal macrophages. Thus whereas pMLKL-driven necroptosis does not appear to be
      a feature of M. tuberculosis-infected macrophage cell death, it may contribute to
      TNFalpha-induced cytotoxicity of the lung stroma and therefore contribute to
      necrotic cavitation and bacterial dissemination.

PMID- 28892417
TI  - Green biologics: The algal chloroplast as a platform for making
      biopharmaceuticals.
AB  - Most commercial production of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins involves the
      use of mammalian cell lines, E. coli or yeast as the expression host. However,
      recent work has demonstrated the potential of eukaryotic microalgae as platforms
      for light-driven synthesis of such proteins. Expression in the algal chloroplast
      is particularly attractive since this organelle contains a minimal genome
      suitable for rapid engineering using synthetic biology approaches; with
      transgenes precisely targeted to specific genomic loci and amenable to high
      level, regulated and stable expression. Furthermore, proteins can be tightly
      contained and bio-encapsulated in the chloroplast allowing accumulation of
      proteins otherwise toxic to the host, and opening up possibilities for low-cost,
      oral delivery of biologics. In this commentary we illustrate the technology with
      recent examples of hormones, protein antibiotics and immunotoxins successfully
      produced in the algal chloroplast, and highlight possible future applications.

PMID- 28892418
TI  - Shared decision making and time to exacerbation in children with asthma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although shared decision making (SDM) is a promising approach for
      improving outcomes for patients with chronic diseases, no evidence currently
      supports the use of SDM to delay asthma exacerbations. We evaluated the impact of
      an SDM intervention implemented by providers in a real-world setting on time to
      exacerbation in children with asthma. METHODS: This study used a prospective
      cohort observed between 2011 and 2013 at five primary care practices that serve
      vulnerable populations (e.g., Medicaid and uninsured patients) in Charlotte, NC.
      Patients aged 2 to 17 receiving SDM were matched to those receiving usual care
      using propensity scores. Time to asthma exacerbation (asthma hospitalization,
      emergency department visit or oral steroid prescription in the outpatient
      setting) was compared between groups using Kaplan-Meier curves and conditional
      Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The cohort included 746 children, 60.5%
      male and 54.2% African American, with a mean age of 8.6 years. Of these, 625
      received usual care and 121 received SDM. The final analysis included 100 matched
      pairs of children. Kaplan-Meier curves showed longer exacerbation-free time for
      patients in the SDM intervention compared to those in usual care (p = 0.005). The
      difference in risk of experiencing an exacerbation was marginally significant
      between the two groups (HR = 0.56, 95% C.I. = 0.29-1.08, p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS:
      SDM was found to delay exacerbations among children with asthma. Clinicians
      should consider incorporating patient preferences in treatment decisions through
      SDM as a means for longer exacerbation-free time among children with poor asthma
      control.

PMID- 28892419
TI  - The Effect of a Backpack Hip Strap on Energy Expenditure While Walking.
AB  - Objective To examine the effect of backpack hip strap use on walking energy
      expenditure while carrying a loaded backpack. Background Previous studies have
      demonstrated that energy cost increases as the mass of the load carried
      increases. However, few investigations have focused on backpack carriage design.
      Methods Fifteen young, healthy, male subjects walked at a self-selected pace for
      10 minutes in two backpack loading conditions: with a hip strap (strapped) and
      without a hip strap (nonstrapped). Oxygen consumption (VO2), rating of perceived
      exertion (RPE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and heart rate (HR) were
      monitored throughout each 10-minute trial. Change scores from the 4th to 10th
      minute were calculated for each variable. A t test was used to evaluate the
      difference between conditions for each variable. Results The changes in VO2 (
      0.62 +/- 0.40 vs. 0.33 +/- 0.23, p = .04) and RPE (1 +/- 0.25 vs. 2 +/- 0.21, p <
      .01) from the 4th to the 10th minute were different for the strapped versus
      nonstrapped condition. There was no difference in the change in RER (0.04 +/-
      0.01 vs. 0.03 +/- 0.01, p > .05) or HR (3.53 +/- 0.93 vs. 4.07 +/- 1.39, p > .05)
      for the strapped versus unstrapped condition. Conclusions Wearing a hip strap
      reduced the energy expenditure and perceived exertion in as little as 10 minutes
      of walking compared to the nonstrapped condition. Future work should consider the
      effect of a hip strap on these variables while hiking for extended periods.
      Application Wearing a hip strap may increase the comfort and reduce the energy
      required of wearing a backpack. This is useful information for backpack
      designers, military personnel, and recreational hikers.

PMID- 28892420
TI  - Eating disorders: Insights from imaging and behavioral approaches to treatment.
AB  - Understanding factors that contribute to eating disorders, which affect 13% of
      females, is critical to developing effective prevention and treatment programs.
      In this paper, we summarize results from prospective studies that identified
      factors predicting onset and persistence of eating disorders and core symptom
      dimensions. Next, implications for intervention targets for prevention, and
      treatment interventions from the risk- and maintenance-factor findings are
      discussed. Third, given that evidence suggests eating disorders are highly
      heritable, implying biological risk and maintenance factors for eating disorders,
      we offer working hypotheses about biological factors that might contribute to
      eating disorders, based on extant risk factor findings, theory, and cross
      sectional studies. Finally, potentially fruitful directions for future research
      are presented. We suggest that it would be useful for experimental therapeutics
      trials to evaluate the effects of reducing the risk factors on future onset of
      eating pathology and on reducing maintenance factors on the risk for persistence
      of eating pathology, and encourage researchers to utilize prospective high-risk
      studies so that knowledge regarding potential intervention targets for prevention
      and treatment interventions for eating disorders can be advanced. Using the most
      rigorous research designs should help improve the efficacy of prevention and
      treatment interventions for eating disorders.

PMID- 28892421
TI  - Preliminary evaluation of a human laboratory model of impaired control over
      alcohol using intravenous alcohol self-administration.
AB  - Impaired control over alcohol is central to alcohol use disorder, but most
      research on impaired control is limited to self-report methods. This study
      applied intravenous alcohol self-administration to conduct a preliminary
      investigation of a novel human laboratory model of impaired control. Heavy
      episodic drinkers (ages 19-22 years) completed a two-hour intravenous alcohol
      self-administration session that involved an incentive to maintain breath alcohol
      concentration below 80 mg%. Impaired control was operationalized based on whether
      participants exceeded (impaired control positive; IC+) or adhered to (impaired
      control negative; IC-) the breath alcohol concentration limit, as well as the
      discrepancy between intended and actual peak breath alcohol concentration.
      Analyses of subjective processes revealed that IC+ participants tended to
      underestimate their peak breath alcohol concentration relative to IC-
      participants. Further, IC+ reported greater craving after an initial priming
      phase, and craving mediated the relationship between self-report impaired control
      and discrepancies between intended and actual breath alcohol concentration. IC+
      participants also showed stronger within-person associations between state
      changes in stimulation and momentary alcohol self-administration throughout the
      session. Laboratory impaired control indices demonstrated convergent validity
      with an established self-report measure of impaired control. These findings
      provide preliminary validation of a novel human laboratory model of impaired
      control in a sample of young heavy episodic drinkers, and offer insight into the
      role of subjective responses (craving, stimulation) in impaired control.

PMID- 28892423
TI  - Gastric Dilatation Associated with Gastric Colonization with Sarcina-Like
      Bacteria in a Cat with Chronic Enteritis.
AB  - An 11 yr old spayed female domestic longhair cat was presented for an acute onset
      of vomiting. Abdominal radiographs and ultrasound revealed severe gastric
      dilatation (GD) without evidence of gastric outflow obstruction. On
      esophagogastroduodenoscopy, the duodenal mucosa was mildly erythematous, and a
      moderate, diffuse, chronic enteritis was found by histological examination of
      duodenal biopsies. Large numbers of Sarcina-like bacteria without associated
      inflammation were present in gastric mucosal biopsies. To the authors' knowledge,
      this is the first report of GD associated with colonization by Sarcina-like
      bacteria in a cat. Gastric colonization by Sarcina-like bacteria should be
      suspected when cats are presented with acute onset of GD and vomiting.

PMID- 28892422
TI  - Clinicopathologic and Microbiologic Findings Associated with Emphysematous
      Cystitis in 27 Dogs.
AB  - This is a retrospective case series of 27 dogs with emphysematous cystitis.
      Medical records from two veterinary teaching hospitals from 1992 to 2014 were
      reviewed. The aims of the study were to determine imaging findings, common
      underlying disease processes, and prevalent bacterial species and their
      antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in dogs with emphysematous cystitis. The
      most common lower urinary tract sign was hematuria. Gas was detected in the wall
      and lumen of the urinary bladder in 14 of 27 dogs (51.9%), in only the wall of
      the bladder in 9 of 27 dogs (33%), and in only the lumen of the bladder in 4 of
      27 dogs (14.8%). Comorbid diseases were identified in all but one case. The most
      common comorbid disease processes were diabetes mellitus in 33% of dogs,
      neurologic disease in 26% of dogs, and adrenal disease in 19% of dogs. Bacterial
      isolates included Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae,
      Proteus mirabilis, Streptococcus spp., and Actinomyces spp. Enterococcus spp.
      were always isolated in mixed infections with gas-producing bacterial species.
      During the period of study, most isolates were predicted to be susceptible to
      beta-lactam drugs, but updated veterinary breakpoints suggest that
      fluoroquinolones or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole would be more appropriate
      choices for empiric therapy.

PMID- 28892424
TI  - An Unusual Case of Portal Hypertension Secondary to Primary Hypoplasia of the
      Portal Vein.
AB  - Primary hypoplasia of the portal vein with secondary portal hypertension and
      acquired portosystemic collateral circulation is infrequently reported in the
      veterinary literature. Diagnosis of this condition requires documentation of
      abnormal hepatocellular function, the lack of intrahepatic or extrahepatic
      macroscopic congenital portosystemic shunts, and liver histopathology
      demonstrating portal hypoperfusion in the absence of hepatic inflammation or
      nodular regeneration. Due to a perceived poor prognosis, many patients with this
      condition are euthanized; however, those that are spared can be medically
      managed, in some cases for years. This case report describes the diagnosis and
      management of a patient with primary hypoplasia of the portal vein and secondary
      portal hypertension that presented with the severe but typical clinical
      manifestations of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy, normal liver enzyme
      concentrations, and normal serum bile acid concentrations.

PMID- 28892425
TI  - Laparoscopic Resection of a Pancreatic beta Cell Tumor in a Dog.
AB  - Laparoscopic partial pancreatectomy has been performed in experimental canine
      studies and has been evaluated in human medicine but has not been reported in a
      clinical veterinary case. The authors present a 9 yr old field spaniel with
      weakness and hypoglycemia with insulin levels and Amended Insulin: Glucose Ratio
      results equivocal for a pancreatic insulinoma. Multiple abdominal ultrasounds did
      not detect the tumor, yet dual-phase computed tomographic angiography revealed
      the presence of a focal hypoattenuating nodule in the left lobe of the pancreas.
      A 3-port laparoscopic approach to the abdomen confirmed a 1.5-cm mass in the mid
      left limb of the pancreas, and resection of the mass was performed with a bipolar
      vessel-sealing device. The surgery was performed without complication, and the
      dog became normoglycemic within 4 hr following surgery. Final histopathology
      results revealed pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma of the beta cells.
      Recurrence of hypoglycemia was noted 18 mo postoperatively; however, repeat
      computed tomographic angiography did not reveal pancreatic abnormalities and fine
      needle aspirates of liver nodules did not suggest metastatic disease. Medical
      management was elected and the patient was euthanized 28 mo after surgery due to
      refractory hypoglycemic seizures.

PMID- 28892426
TI  - Agreement of Axillary and Auricular Temperature with Rectal Temperature in
      Systemically Healthy Dogs Undergoing Surgery.
AB  - Obtaining a patient's temperature is an important part of a patient's physical
      examination. As human medicine transitions to noninvasive temperature
      measurements, so does veterinary medicine. Historically, temperature measurement
      has been obtained from rectal readings; however, alternative methods, such as
      axillary and auricular temperatures, are increasing in popularity. The purpose of
      the study was to compare these alternative techniques to the gold standard of
      rectal temperature. Temperatures were obtained three ways for each patient:
      rectal, axillary, and auricular. Results indicated a positive linear relationship
      between rectal and axillary temperatures (bivariate correlation coefficient [r] =
      0.65, P < .001) and axillary and auricular temperatures (r = 0.55, P < .001).
      Agreement was strongest between rectal and auricular temperatures (r = 0.80, P <
      .001). The average discrepancy between axillary and rectal temperature was 1.2
      degrees C [2.1 degrees F] with the highest difference being 4.0 degrees C [7.3
      degrees F]. The average discrepancy between auricular and rectal temperature was
      0.6 degrees C [1.2 degrees F] with the highest difference being 2.2 degrees C
      [4.1 degrees F]. Despite auricular temperatures having stronger agreement, Bland
      Altman Limits of Agreement testing revealed that it was a poor predictor of
      rectal temperature. Based on these results, axillary and auricular temperatures
      should not be substituted for rectal temperature.

PMID- 28892427
TI  - Norwegian or Crusted Sarcoptic Mange in Two Leishmanial Dogs.
AB  - Norwegian or crusted scabies (N/CS) is a rare skin disease with very few cases
      reported in the dog or the cat. Two adult, stray dogs were admitted in our clinic
      with a generalized, multifocal to diffuse and nonpruritic dermatitis that was
      characterized by severe crusting, scaling, and ulceration. In both instances,
      leishmaniosis and N/CS were diagnosed by immunofluorescent antibody test
      serology, lymph node cytology, and skin scrapings in which high numbers of
      Sarcoptes mites were found. The combination of miticidal and antileishmanial
      treatment, supported by topical treatment and nutritional support, resulted in
      the complete resolution of the skin lesions and spectacular improvement of the
      body condition in both cases. Dog 1 eventually died from end-stage kidney disease
      attributed to leishmaniosis-associated glomerulonephritis, whereas the also
      proteinuric dog 2 remains clinically healthy. The manifestation of the rare type
      of N/CS in these dogs could be attributed to cell-mediated immunosuppression,
      which was most likely induced by leishmaniosis and malnutrition. The necessity of
      searching for leishmaniosis in those scabietic cases, especially in the endemic
      areas of leishmaniosis, is strongly recommended.

PMID- 28892428
TI  - Successful Surgical Correction of a Mesenteric Volvulus with Concurrent Foreign
      Body Obstruction in Two Puppies.
AB  - A 9 mo old female intact English mastiff (case 1) presented for anorexia and
      vomiting for 7 days. A 7 mo old male castrated American bulldog (case 2)
      presented for vomiting and anorexia for 2 days without diarrhea. Both dogs were
      diagnosed with mesenteric volvulus based on exploratory laparotomy, which also
      revealed an intestinal foreign body obstruction. Case 1 required critical care
      support during recovery but was ultimately discharged, whereas case 2 had an
      uncomplicated recovery. Both were reported to be back to normal 1 wk after
      surgery. Case 1 survived 3 mo and then died due to a colonic torsion diagnosed by
      exploratory laparotomy. Case 2 has been reported to be completely normal more
      than 18 mo after surgery. These two cases illustrate that mesenteric volvulus can
      be present with a several-day history of gastrointestinal signs and that shock
      may be absent on presentation. This is also the first published report of
      mesenteric volvulus with a concurrent foreign body obstruction.

PMID- 28892429
TI  - Adjuvant Doxorubicin with or without Metronomic Cyclophosphamide for Canine
      Splenic Hemangiosarcoma.
AB  - This retrospective study investigated the outcome of 33 dogs with splenic
      hemangiosarcoma treated with surgery followed by adjuvant dose-intensified
      doxorubicin (DOX) with or without low-dose metronomic cyclophosphamide (LDM-C)
      maintenance therapy. Among the 33 dogs, 18 dogs received LDM-C. Clinical stage
      was available for all dogs (5 stage I, 18 stage II, and 10 stage III). Nine dogs
      had macroscopic, and 24 dogs had microscopic disease at the start of DOX
      treatment. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were 125
      and 133 days, respectively. Clinical stage and tumor burden (microscopic versus
      macroscopic) at the start of chemotherapy was prognostic for PFS. No significant
      difference was observed in PFS or overall survival for the addition of LDM-C
      after a completed DOX protocol (P = .563 and P = .148, respectively). Based on
      the results of this retrospective study, the addition of LDM-C therapy as a
      maintenance regimen following a completed protocol of DOX adjuvant treatment of
      canine hemangiosarcoma may not improve outcome.

PMID- 28892430
TI  - Characterization of Pulmonary Metastases in Children With Hepatoblastoma Treated
      on Children's Oncology Group Protocol AHEP0731 (The Treatment of Children With
      All Stages of Hepatoblastoma): A Report From the Children's Oncology Group.
AB  - Purpose To determine whether the pattern of lung nodules in children with
      metastatic hepatoblastoma (HB) correlates with outcome. Methods Thirty-two
      patients with metastatic HB were enrolled on Children's Oncology Group Protocol
      AHEP0731 and treated with vincristine and irinotecan (VI). Responders to VI
      received two additional cycles of VI intermixed with six cycles of
      cisplatin/fluorouracil/vincristine/doxorubicin (C5VD), and nonresponders received
      six cycles of C5VD alone. Patients were imaged after every two cycles and at the
      conclusion of therapy. All computed tomography scans and pathology reports were
      centrally reviewed, and information was collected regarding lung nodule number,
      size, laterality, timing of resolution, and pulmonary surgery. Results Among the
      29 evaluable patients, only 31% met Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors
      (RECIST) for measurable metastatic disease. The presence of measurable disease by
      RECIST, the sum of nodule diameters greater than or equal to the cumulative
      cohort median size, bilateral disease, and >= 10 nodules were each associated
      with an increased risk for an event-free survival event ( P = .48, P = .08, P =
      .065, P = .03, respectively), with nodule number meeting statistical
      significance. Ten patients underwent pulmonary resection/metastasectomy at
      various time points, the benefit of which could not be determined because of
      small patient numbers. Conclusion Children with metastatic HB have a poor
      prognosis. Overall tumor burden may be an important prognostic factor for these
      patients. Lesions that fail to meet RECIST size criteria (ie, those < 10 mm) at
      diagnosis may contain viable tumor, whereas residual lesions at the end of
      therapy may constitute eradicated tumor/scar tissue. Patients may benefit from
      risk stratification on the basis of the burden of lung metastatic disease at
      diagnosis.

PMID- 28892431
TI  - Nintedanib Plus Pemetrexed/Cisplatin in Patients With Malignant Pleural
      Mesothelioma: Phase II Results From the Randomized, Placebo-Controlled LUME-Meso
      Trial.
AB  - Purpose LUME-Meso is a phase II/III randomized, double-blind trial designed to
      assess efficacy and safety of nintedanib plus chemotherapy as first-line
      treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Phase II results are reported
      here. Patients and Methods Chemotherapy-naive patients with unresectable,
      nonsarcomatoid MPM (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to
      1), stratified by histology (epithelioid or biphasic), were randomly assigned in
      a 1:1 ratio to up to six cycles of pemetrexed and cisplatin plus nintedanib (200
      mg twice daily) or placebo followed by nintedanib plus placebo monotherapy until
      progression. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Results
      Eighty-seven patients were randomly assigned. The median number of pemetrexed and
      cisplatin cycles was six; the median treatment duration for nintedanib was 7.8
      months and 5.3 months for placebo. Primary PFS favored nintedanib (hazard ratio
      [HR], 0.56; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.91; P = .017), which was confirmed in updated PFS
      analyses (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.87; P = .010). A trend toward improved
      overall survival also favored nintedanib (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.29; P =
      .319). Benefit was evident in epithelioid histology, with a median overall
      survival gain of 5.4 months (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.40 to 1.21; P = .197; median
      [nintedanib v placebo], 20.6 months v 15.2 months) and median PFS gain of 4.0
      months (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.82; P = .006; median [nintedanib v placebo],
      9.7 v 5.7 months). Neutropenia was the most frequent grade >= 3 adverse event
      (AE; nintedanib 43.2% v placebo 12.2%); rates of febrile neutropenia were low
      (4.5% in nintedanib group v 0% in placebo group). AEs leading to discontinuation
      were reported in 6.8% of those receiving nintedanib versus 17.1% of those in the
      placebo group. Conclusion Addition of nintedanib to pemetrexed plus cisplatin
      resulted in PFS improvement. AEs were manageable. The clinical benefit was
      evident in patients with epithelioid histology. The confirmatory phase III part
      of the study is ongoing.

PMID- 28892432
TI  - Patient-Clinician Communication: American Society of Clinical Oncology Consensus
      Guideline.
AB  - Purpose To provide guidance to oncology clinicians on how to use effective
      communication to optimize the patient-clinician relationship, patient and
      clinician well-being, and family well-being. Methods ASCO convened a
      multidisciplinary panel of medical oncology, psychiatry, nursing, hospice and
      palliative medicine, communication skills, health disparities, and advocacy
      experts to produce recommendations. Guideline development involved a systematic
      review of the literature and a formal consensus process. The systematic review
      focused on guidelines, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and randomized
      controlled trials published from 2006 through October 1, 2016. Results The
      systematic review included 47 publications. With the exception of clinician
      training in communication skills, evidence for many of the clinical questions was
      limited. Draft recommendations underwent two rounds of consensus voting before
      being finalized. Recommendations In addition to providing guidance regarding core
      communication skills and tasks that apply across the continuum of cancer care,
      recommendations address specific topics, such as discussion of goals of care and
      prognosis, treatment selection, end-of-life care, facilitating family involvement
      in care, and clinician training in communication skills. Recommendations are
      accompanied by suggested strategies for implementation. Additional information is
      available at www.asco.org/supportive-care-guidelines and
      www.asco.org/guidelineswiki .

PMID- 28892433
TI  - Effects of Education and Income on Treatment and Outcome in Patients With Acute
      Myeloid Leukemia in a Tax-Supported Health Care System: A National Population
      Based Cohort Study.
AB  - Purpose Previous US studies have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) affects
      survival in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, no large study has
      investigated the association between education or income and clinical
      characteristics, treatment, and outcome in AML. Methods To investigate the
      effects of education and income in a tax-supported health care system, we
      conducted a population-based study using individual-level SES and clinical data
      on all Danish patients with AML (2000 to 2014). We compared treatment intensity,
      allogeneic transplantation, and response rates by education and income level
      using logistic regression (odds ratios). We used Cox regression (hazard ratios
      [HRs]) to compare survival, adjusting for age, sex, SES, and clinical prognostic
      markers. Results Of 2,992 patients, 1,588 (53.1%) received intensive
      chemotherapy. Compared with low-education patients, highly educated patients more
      often received allogeneic transplantation (16.3% v 8.7%). In intensively treated
      patients younger than 60 years of age, increased mortality was observed in those
      with lower and medium education (1-year survival, 66.7%; adjusted HR, 1.47; 95%
      CI, 1.11 to 1.93; and 1-year survival, 67.6%; adjusted HR, 1.55; CI, 1.21 to
      1.98, respectively) compared with higher education (1-year survival, 76.9%). Over
      the study period, 5-year survival improvements were limited to high-education
      patients (from 39% to 58%), increasing the survival gap between groups. In older
      patients, low-education patients received less intensive therapy (30% v 48%;
      adjusted odds ratio, 0.65; CI, 0.44 to 0.98) compared with high-education
      patients; however, remission rates and survival were not affected in those
      intensively treated. Income was not associated with therapy intensity, likelihood
      of complete remission, or survival (high income: adjusted HR, 1.0; medium income:
      adjusted HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.82 to 1.12; low income: adjusted HR, 1.06; CI, .88
      to 1.27). Conclusion In a universal health care system, education level, but not
      income, affects transplantation rates and survival in younger patients with AML.
      Importantly, recent survival improvement has exclusively benefitted highly
      educated patients.

PMID- 28892434
TI  - Project Public Health Ready: History and Evolution of a Best Practice for Public
      Health Preparedness Planning.
AB  - We review the history and evolution of Project Public Health Ready and
      demonstrate why it is considered a best practice in public health preparedness
      planning. Previous articles on this program have described its impact on single
      health departments. We provide background information, review successes and
      challenges to date, and inform public health practitioners about a vetted tool
      for local public health planners to develop capacity and capability in all
      hazards planning and response.

PMID- 28892435
TI  - Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER): An Innovative
      Emergency Management Tool in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate how inclusion of the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention's Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER)
      as a tool in Public Health Preparedness Capabilities: National Standards for
      State and Local Planning can increase public health capacity for emergency
      response. METHODS: We reviewed all domestic CASPER activities (i.e., trainings
      and assessments) between fiscal years 2012 and 2016. Data from these CASPER
      activities were compared with respect to differences in geographic distribution,
      type, actions, efficacy, and usefulness of training. RESULTS: During the study
      period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted 24 domestic in
      person CASPER trainings for 1057 staff in 38 states. On average, there was a
      marked increase in knowledge of CASPER. Ninety-nine CASPERs were conducted in the
      United States, approximately half of which (53.5%) assessed preparedness; the
      others were categorized as response or recovery (27.2%) or were unrelated to a
      disaster (19.2%). CONCLUSIONS: CASPER trainings are successful in increasing
      disaster epidemiology skills. CASPER can be used by Public Health Emergency
      Preparedness program awardees to help build and sustain preparedness and response
      capabilities.

PMID- 28892436
TI  - A Conceptual Framework for the Evaluation of Emergency Risk Communications.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To articulate a conceptual framework in support of evaluation
      activities in emergency risk communications (ERC). METHODS: The framework
      proposed is based on a systematic review of the scientific literature (2001-2016)
      combined with data derived from a series of semistructured interviews with
      experts and practitioners in ERC, and it is designed to support local, national,
      and international public health organizations in implementing evaluation studies
      in ERC. RESULTS: We identified a list of ERC outcomes from the full-text review
      of 152 articles and categorized these into 3 groups, depending upon the level at
      which the outcome was measured: (1) information environment, (2) population, and
      (3) public health system. We analyzed interviewees' data from 18 interviews to
      identify practices and processes related to the effectiveness of ERC and included
      these as key structural components and processes in the developed evaluation
      framework. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers and public health practitioners interested in
      the evaluation of ERC can use the conceptual framework described in this article
      to guide the development of evaluation studies and methods for assessing
      communication outcomes related to public health emergencies.

PMID- 28892438
TI  - Evolution of Public Health Emergency Management From Preparedness to Response and
      Recovery: Introduction and Contents of the Volume.

PMID- 28892437
TI  - Public Health System Research in Public Health Emergency Preparedness in the
      United States (2009-2015): Actionable Knowledge Base.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2008, the Institute of Medicine released a letter report
      identifying 4 research priority areas for public health emergency preparedness in
      public health system research: (1) enhancing the usefulness of training, (2)
      improving timely emergency communications, (3) creating and maintaining
      sustainable response systems, and (4) generating effectiveness criteria and
      metrics. OBJECTIVES: To (1) identify and characterize public health system
      research in public health emergency preparedness produced in the United States
      from 2009 to 2015, (2) synthesize research findings and assess the level of
      confidence in these findings, and (3) describe the evolution of knowledge
      production in public health emergency preparedness system research. Search
      Methods and Selection Criteria. We reviewed and included the titles and abstracts
      of 1584 articles derived from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and gray literature databases that
      focused on the organizational or financial aspects of public health emergency
      preparedness activities and were grounded on empirical studies. DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: We included 156 articles. We appraised the quality of the studies
      according to the study design. We identified themes during article analysis and
      summarized overall findings by theme. We determined level of confidence in the
      findings with the GRADE-CERQual tool. MAIN RESULTS: Thirty-one studies provided
      evidence on how to enhance the usefulness of training. Results demonstrated the
      utility of drills and exercises to enhance decision-making capabilities and
      coordination across organizations, the benefit of cross-sector partnerships for
      successfully implementing training activities, and the value of integrating
      evaluation methods to support training improvement efforts. Thirty-six studies
      provided evidence on how to improve timely communications. Results supported the
      use of communication strategies that address differences in access to
      information, knowledge, attitudes, and practices across segments of the
      population as well as evidence on specific communication barriers experienced by
      public health and health care personnel. Forty-eight studies provided evidence on
      how to create and sustain preparedness systems. Results included how to build
      social capital across organizations and citizens and how to develop sustainable
      and useful planning efforts that maintain flexibility and rely on available
      medical data. Twenty-six studies provided evidence on the usefulness of
      measurement efforts, such as community and organizational needs assessments, and
      new methods to learn from the response to critical incidents. CONCLUSIONS: In the
      United States, the field of public health emergency preparedness system research
      has been supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the
      release of the 2008 Institute of Medicine letter report. The first definition of
      public health emergency preparedness appeared in 2007, and before 2008 there was
      a lack of research and empirical evidence across all 4 research areas identified
      by the Institute of Medicine. This field can be considered relatively new
      compared with other research areas in public health; for example, tobacco control
      research can rely on more than 70 years of knowledge production. However, this
      review demonstrates that, during the past 7 years, public health emergency
      preparedness system research has evolved from generic inquiry to the analysis of
      specific interventions with more empirical studies. Public Health Implications:
      The results of this review provide an evidence base for public health
      practitioners responsible for enhancing key components of preparedness and
      response such as communication, training, and planning efforts.

PMID- 28892439
TI  - A Child's Health Is the Public's Health: Progress and Gaps in Addressing
      Pediatric Needs in Public Health Emergencies.
AB  - Children are the most prevalent vulnerable population in US society and have
      unique needs during the response to and recovery from public health emergencies.
      The physiological, behavioral, developmental, social, and mental health
      differences of children require specific attention in preparedness efforts.
      Despite often being more severely affected in disasters, children's needs are
      historically underrepresented in preparedness. Since 2001, much progress has been
      made in addressing this disparity through better pediatric incorporation in
      preparedness planning from national to local levels. Innovative approaches,
      policies, and collaborations contribute to these advances. However, many gaps
      remain in the appropriate and proportional inclusion of children in planning for
      public health emergencies. Successful models of pediatric planning can be
      developed, evaluated, and widely disseminated to ensure that further progress can
      be achieved.

PMID- 28892440
TI  - Progress in Public Health Emergency Preparedness-United States, 2001-2016.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program's
      progress toward meeting public health preparedness capability standards in state,
      local, and territorial health departments. METHODS: All 62 PHEP awardees
      completed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's self-administered PHEP
      Impact Assessment as part of program review measuring public health preparedness
      capability before September 11, 2001 (9/11), and in 2014. We collected additional
      self-reported capability self-assessments from 2016. We analyzed trends in
      congressional funding for public health preparedness from 2001 to 2016. RESULTS:
      Before 9/11, most PHEP awardees reported limited preparedness capabilities, but
      considerable progress was reported by 2016. The number of jurisdictions reporting
      established capability functions within the countermeasures and mitigation domain
      had the largest increase, almost 200%, by 2014. However, more than 20% of
      jurisdictions still reported underdeveloped coordination between the health
      system and public health agencies in 2016. Challenges and barriers to building
      PHEP capabilities included lack of trained personnel, plans, and sustained
      resources. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable progress in public health preparedness
      capability was observed from before 9/11 to 2016. Support, sustainment, and
      advancement of public health preparedness capability is critical to ensure a
      strong public health infrastructure.

PMID- 28892441
TI  - Improvements in State and Local Planning for Mass Dispensing of Medical
      Countermeasures: The Technical Assistance Review Program, United States, 2007
      2014.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and describe outcomes of state and local medical
      countermeasure preparedness planning, which is critical to ensure rapid
      distribution and dispensing of a broad spectrum of life-saving medical assets
      during a public health emergency. METHODS: We used 2007 to 2014 state and local
      data collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Technical
      Assistance Review. We calculated descriptive statistics from 50 states and 72
      local Cities Readiness Initiative jurisdictions that participated in the
      Technical Assistance Review annually. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2014, the average
      overall Technical Assistance Review score increased by 13% for states and 41% for
      Cities Readiness Initiative jurisdictions. In 2014, nearly half of states
      achieved the maximum possible overall score (100), and 94% of local Cities
      Readiness Initiative jurisdictions achieved a score of 90 or more. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite challenges, effective and timely medical countermeasure distribution and
      dispensing is possible with appropriate planning, staff, and resources. However,
      vigilance in training, exercising, and improving plans from lessons learned in a
      sustained, coordinated way is critical to ensure continued public health
      preparedness success.

PMID- 28892442
TI  - From Anthrax to Zika: Fifteen Years of Public Health Emergency Preparedness.

PMID- 28892443
TI  - Promoting Community Preparedness and Resilience: A Latino Immigrant Community
      Driven Project Following Hurricane Sandy.
AB  - As community residents and recovery workers, Latino immigrants play important
      roles after disasters, yet are rarely included in preparedness planning. A
      community-university-labor union partnership created a demonstration project
      after Hurricane Sandy to strengthen connections to disaster preparedness systems
      to increase community resilience among Latino immigrant communities in New York
      and New Jersey. Building ongoing ties that connect workers and community-based
      organizations with local disaster preparedness systems provided mutual benefits
      to disaster planners and local immigrant communities, and also had an impact on
      national disaster-related initiatives.

PMID- 28892444
TI  - The Evolution of Public Health Emergency Management as a Field of Practice.
AB  - The health impacts of recent global infectious disease outbreaks and other
      disasters have demonstrated the importance of strengthening public health systems
      to better protect communities from naturally occurring and human-caused threats.
      Public health emergency management (PHEM) is an emergent field of practice that
      draws on specific sets of knowledge, techniques, and organizing principles
      necessary for the effective management of complex health events. We highlight how
      the nascent field of PHEM has evolved in recent years. We explore this
      development by first examining multiple sites of intersection between the fields
      of public health and emergency management. We then analyze 2 of the principal
      pillars on which PHEM was built: organizational and programmatic (i.e., industry)
      standards and the incident management system. This is followed by a sketch of the
      key domains, or functional areas, of PHEM and their application to the emergency
      management cycle. We conclude with some observations about PHEM in a global
      context and discuss how the field might continue to evolve.

PMID- 28892445
TI  - Applying the 15 Public Health Emergency Preparedness Capabilities to Support
      Large-Scale Tuberculosis Investigations in Complex Congregate Settings.
AB  - Public Health-Seattle and King County, a metropolitan health department in
      western Washington, experiences rates of tuberculosis (TB) that are 1.6 times
      higher than are state and national averages. The department's TB Control Program
      uses public health emergency management tools and capabilities sustained with
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant funding to manage large-scale
      complex case investigations. We have described 3 contact investigations in large
      congregate settings that the TB Control Program conducted in 2015 and 2016. The
      program managed the investigations using public health emergency management
      tools, with support from the Preparedness Program. The 3 investigations
      encompassed medical evaluation of more than 1600 people, used more than 100
      workers, identified nearly 30 individuals with latent TB infection, and prevented
      an estimated 3 cases of active disease. These incidents exemplify how investments
      in public health emergency preparedness can enhance health outcomes in
      traditional areas of public health.

PMID- 28892446
TI  - Funding Public Health Emergency Preparedness in the United States.
AB  - The historical precedents that support state and local leadership in preparedness
      for and response to disasters are in many ways at odds with the technical demands
      of preparedness and response for incidents affecting public health. New and
      revised laws and regulations, executive orders, policies, strategies, and plans
      developed in response to biological threats since 2001 address the role of the
      federal government in the response to public health emergencies. However,
      financial mechanisms for disaster response-especially those that wait for
      gubernatorial request before federal assistance can be provided-do not align with
      the need to prevent the spread of infectious agents or efficiently reduce the
      impact on public health. We review key US policies and funding mechanisms
      relevant to public health emergencies and clarify how policies, regulations, and
      resources affect coordinated responses.

PMID- 28892447
TI  - How Health Department Contextual Factors Affect Public Health Preparedness (PHP)
      and Perceptions of the 15 PHP Capabilities.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess how health department contextual factors influence
      perceptions of the 15 Public Health Preparedness Capabilities, developed by the
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide guidance on
      organizing preparedness activities. METHODS: We conducted an online survey and
      focus group between September 2015 and May 2016 with directors of preparedness
      programs in state, metropolitan, and territorial jurisdictions funded by CDC's
      Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement. The survey
      collected demographic information and data on contextual factors including
      leadership, partnerships, organizational structure, resources and structural
      capacity, and data and evaluation. RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent (48 of 62) of
      PHEP directors completed the survey and 8 participated in the focus group.
      Respondents were experienced directors (mean = 10.6 years), and 58% led 7 or more
      emergency responses. Leadership, partnerships, and access to fiscal and human
      resources were associated with perception and use of the capabilities.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite some deficiencies, PHEP awardees believe the capabilities
      provide useful guidance and a flexible framework for organizing their work.
      Contextual factors affect perceptions of the capabilities and possibly the
      effectiveness of their use. Public Health Implications. The capabilities can be
      used to address challenges in preparedness, including identifying evidence-based
      practices, developing performance measures, and improving responses.

PMID- 28892448
TI  - Primary Care Emergency Preparedness Network, New York City, 2015: Comparison of
      Member and Nonmember Sites.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess whether Primary Care Emergency Preparedness Network member
      sites reported indicators of preparedness for public health emergencies compared
      with nonmember sites. The network-a collaboration between government and New York
      City primary care associations-offers technical assistance to primary care sites
      to improve disaster preparedness and response. METHODS: In 2015, we administered
      an online questionnaire to sites regarding facility characteristics and
      preparedness indicators. We estimated differences between members and nonmembers
      with natural logarithm-linked binomial models. Open-ended assessments identified
      preparedness gaps. RESULTS: One hundred seven sites completed the survey (23.3%
      response rate); 47 (43.9%) were nonmembers and 60 (56.1%) were members. Members
      were more likely to have completed hazard vulnerability analysis (risk ratio [RR]
      = 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28, 2.93), to have identified essential
      services for continuity of operations (RR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.03, 1.86), to have
      memoranda of understanding with external partners (RR = 2.49; 95% CI = 1.42,
      4.36), and to have completed point-of-dispensing training (RR = 4.23; 95% CI =
      1.76, 10.14). Identified preparedness gaps were improved communication, resource
      availability, and train-the-trainer programs. Public Health Implications. Primary
      Care Emergency Preparedness Network membership is associated with improved public
      health emergency preparedness among primary care sites.

PMID- 28892449
TI  - Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace: The Flulapalooza Model for Mass
      Vaccination.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore whether an emergency preparedness structure is a feasible,
      efficient, and sustainable way for health care organizations to manage mass
      vaccination events. METHODS: We used the Hospital Incident Command System to
      conduct a 1-day annual mass influenza vaccination event at Vanderbilt University
      Medical Center over 5 successive years (2011-2015). Using continuous quality
      improvement principles, we assessed whether changes in layout, supply management,
      staffing, and documentation systems improved efficiency. RESULTS: A total of 66
      591 influenza vaccines were administered at 5 annual Flulapalooza events; 13 318
      vaccines per event on average. Changes to the physical layout, staffing mix, and
      documentation processes improved vaccination efficiency 74%, from approximately
      38 to 67 vaccines per hour per vaccinator, while reducing overall staffing needs
      by 38%. An unexpected finding was the role of social media in facilitating active
      engagement. CONCLUSIONS: Health care organizations can use a closed point-of
      dispensing model and Hospital Incident Command System to conduct mass vaccination
      events, and can adopt the "Flulapalooza method" as a best practice model to
      enhance efficiency.

PMID- 28892450
TI  - 2015 Pandemic Influenza Readiness Assessment Among US Public Health Emergency
      Preparedness Awardees.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess how US Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) awardees
      plan to respond to an influenza pandemic with vaccination. METHODS: The Centers
      for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Pandemic Influenza Readiness
      Assessment, an online survey sent to PHEP directors, to analyze, in part, the
      readiness of PHEP awardees to vaccinate 80% of the populations of their
      jurisdictions with 2 doses of pandemic influenza vaccine, separated by 21 days,
      within 16 weeks of vaccine availability. RESULTS: Thirty-eight of 60 (63.3%)
      awardees reported being able to vaccinate their populations within 16 weeks; 38
      (63.3%) planned to allocate more than 20% of their pandemic vaccine supply to
      points of dispensing (PODs). Thirty-four of 58 (58.6%) reported staffing as a
      challenge to vaccinating 80% of their populations; 28 of 60 (46.7%) reported
      preparedness workforce decreases, and 22 (36.7%) reported immunization workforce
      decreases between January 2012 and July 2015. CONCLUSIONS: Awardees relied on
      PODs to vaccinate segments of their jurisdictions despite workforce decreases.
      Planners must ensure readiness for POD sites to vaccinate, but should also
      leverage complementary sites and providers to augment public health response.

PMID- 28892451
TI  - Public Health Preparedness Funding: Key Programs and Trends From 2001 to 2017.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate trends in funding over the past 16 years for key federal
      public health preparedness and response programs at the US Department of Health
      and Human Services, to improve understanding of federal funding history in this
      area, and to provide context for future resource allocation decisions for public
      health preparedness. METHODS: In this 2017 analysis, we examined the funding
      history of key federal programs critical to public health preparedness by
      reviewing program budget data collected for our annual examination of federal
      funding for biodefense and health security programs since fiscal year (FY) 2001.
      RESULTS: State and local preparedness at the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention initially received $940 million in FY2002 and resulted in significant
      preparedness gains, but funding levels have since decreased by 31%. Similarly,
      the Hospital Preparedness Program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary
      for Preparedness and Response was funded at a high of $515 million in FY2003, but
      funding was reduced by 50%. Investments in medical countermeasure development and
      stockpiling remained relatively stable. CONCLUSIONS: The United States has made
      significant progress in preparing for disasters and advancing public health
      infrastructure. To enable continued advancement, federal funding commitments must
      be sustained.

PMID- 28892452
TI  - Science in Emergency Response at CDC: Structure and Functions.
AB  - Recent high-profile activations of the US Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention (CDC) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) include responses to the West
      African Ebola and Zika virus epidemics. Within the EOC, emergency responses are
      organized according to the Incident Management System, which provides a
      standardized structure and chain of command, regardless of whether the EOC
      activation occurs in response to an outbreak, natural disaster, or other type of
      public health emergency. By embedding key scientific roles, such as the associate
      director for science, and functions within a Scientific Response Section, the
      current CDC emergency response structure ensures that both urgent and important
      science issues receive needed attention. Key functions during emergency responses
      include internal coordination of scientific work, data management, information
      dissemination, and scientific publication. We describe a case example involving
      the ongoing Zika virus response that demonstrates how the scientific response
      structure can be used to rapidly produce high-quality science needed to answer
      urgent public health questions and guide policy. Within the context of emergency
      response, longer-term priorities at CDC include both streamlining administrative
      requirements and funding mechanisms for scientific research.

PMID- 28892453
TI  - Public Health Disasters: Be Prepared.

PMID- 28892454
TI  - Disease Staging and Prognosis in Smokers Using Deep Learning in Chest Computed
      Tomography.
AB  - RATIONALE: Deep learning is a powerful tool that may allow for improved outcome
      prediction. OBJECTIVES: To determine if deep learning, specifically convolutional
      neural network (CNN) analysis, could detect and stage chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) and predict acute respiratory disease (ARD) events and
      mortality in smokers. METHODS: A CNN was trained using computed tomography scans
      from 7,983 COPDGene participants and evaluated using 1,000 nonoverlapping
      COPDGene participants and 1,672 ECLIPSE participants. Logistic regression (C
      statistic and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test) was used to assess COPD diagnosis and ARD
      prediction. Cox regression (C index and the Greenwood-Nam-D'Agnostino test) was
      used to assess mortality. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In COPDGene, the C
      statistic for the detection of COPD was 0.856. A total of 51.1% of participants
      in COPDGene were accurately staged and 74.95% were within one stage. In ECLIPSE,
      29.4% were accurately staged and 74.6% were within one stage. In COPDGene and
      ECLIPSE, the C statistics for ARD events were 0.64 and 0.55, respectively, and
      the Hosmer-Lemeshow P values were 0.502 and 0.380, respectively, suggesting no
      evidence of poor calibration. In COPDGene and ECLIPSE, CNN predicted mortality
      with fair discrimination (C indices, 0.72 and 0.60, respectively), and without
      evidence of poor calibration (Greenwood-Nam-D'Agnostino P values, 0.307 and
      0.331, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A deep-learning approach that uses only
      computed tomography imaging data can identify those smokers who have COPD and
      predict who are most likely to have ARD events and those with the highest
      mortality. At a population level CNN analysis may be a powerful tool for risk
      assessment.

PMID- 28892455
TI  - Modeling specific antibody responses to natural immunization to predict a
      correlate of protection against infection before commencing a clinical vaccine
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical trials of vaccines for children to prevent acute otitis
      media (AOM) infections caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pneumonia (Spn) are
      in Phase I. The objective of this study was to use serum antibody measurements to
      pneumococcal purified protein candidate antigens that occurred after natural
      "immunization" to predict a correlate of protection response needed following an
      injectable vaccine against AOM in children. METHODS: 590 nasal and serum samples
      were collected from 129 healthy children at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 and 30-36 months
      of age and when the child developed AOM. Middle ear fluid to detect Spn was
      collected at every episode of AOM. Quantitative ELISA was used to determine serum
      IgG against 7 Spn vaccine antigens: PspA clade 3, PspA clade 5, PhtD, PhtE, LytB,
      PcpA and Ply. A correlate of protection (COP) was estimated by regressing AOM
      events against age adjusted antibody levels induced by nasopharyngeal
      colonization and AOM infections, using logistic regression and generalized
      estimating equation methods. RESULTS: A significant COP was found for Spn PhtD (p
      = 0.0015), PhtE (p = 0.00034), LytB (p = 0.004), PcpA (p = 0.002), and Ply (p =
      0.007) between higher antibody levels and reduced frequency of AOM. We estimated
      that a 2-fold higher antibody level in a child than the mean antibody level
      induced by NP colonization (after adjusting for subject age) to PhtD, LytB, PcpA,
      PhtE or Ply reduced the risk of AOM by 14-21%, a 4-fold higher level reduced it
      by 25-38% and a 10-fold higher level reduced it by 39-54%. CONCLUSION: We
      developed a model to predict the necessary level of serum antibody and fold
      higher above a threshold to PhtD, PhtE, LytB, PcpA and Ply that would correlate
      with a reduced likelihood of AOM in children age 6-24 months old if enrolled in a
      Phase III clinical efficacy trial.

PMID- 28892456
TI  - Nobiletin Attenuates the Inflammatory Response Through Heme Oxygenase-1 Induction
      in the Crosstalk Between Adipocytes and Macrophages.
AB  - Crosstalk between adipocytes and macrophages has been suggested to play a crucial
      role in metabolic disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2
      diabetes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nobiletin on
      the interaction between adipocytes and macrophages. The results showed that
      nobiletin significantly and dose-dependently inhibited the secretion of
      inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF
      alpha), and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, in a coculture of
      adipocytes and macrophages. The expression of adipogenic transcription factors,
      including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and
      CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha), in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells
      cocultured in transwell system was blocked by nobiletin. Nobiletin also
      downregulated the expression of inducible NO synthase in cocultured
      differentiated RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was
      significantly induced by nobiletin treatment in both cell types, and small
      interfering (si) RNA-mediated knockdown of HO-1 significantly recovered the
      inhibitory effects of nobiletin on the NO production in cocultured cells. These
      results suggest that nobiletin exerts anti-inflammatory effects on the crosstalk
      between adipocytes and macrophages by inducing HO-1. Nobiletin may have potential
      for the prevention of obesity-related metabolic diseases.

PMID- 28892457
TI  - Romosozumab or Alendronate for Fracture Prevention in Women with Osteoporosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Romosozumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to and inhibits
      sclerostin, increases bone formation, and decreases bone resorption. METHODS: We
      enrolled 4093 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and a fragility fracture and
      randomly assigned them in a 1:1 ratio to receive monthly subcutaneous romosozumab
      (210 mg) or weekly oral alendronate (70 mg) in a blinded fashion for 12 months,
      followed by open-label alendronate in both groups. The primary end points were
      the cumulative incidence of new vertebral fracture at 24 months and the
      cumulative incidence of clinical fracture (nonvertebral and symptomatic vertebral
      fracture) at the time of the primary analysis (after clinical fractures had been
      confirmed in >=330 patients). Secondary end points included the incidences of
      nonvertebral and hip fracture at the time of the primary analysis. Serious
      cardiovascular adverse events, osteonecrosis of the jaw, and atypical femoral
      fractures were adjudicated. RESULTS: Over a period of 24 months, a 48% lower risk
      of new vertebral fractures was observed in the romosozumab-to-alendronate group
      (6.2% [127 of 2046 patients]) than in the alendronate-to-alendronate group (11.9%
      [243 of 2047 patients]) (P<0.001). Clinical fractures occurred in 198 of 2046
      patients (9.7%) in the romosozumab-to-alendronate group versus 266 of 2047
      patients (13.0%) in the alendronate-to-alendronate group, representing a 27%
      lower risk with romosozumab (P<0.001). The risk of nonvertebral fractures was
      lower by 19% in the romosozumab-to-alendronate group than in the alendronate-to
      alendronate group (178 of 2046 patients [8.7%] vs. 217 of 2047 patients [10.6%];
      P=0.04), and the risk of hip fracture was lower by 38% (41 of 2046 patients
      [2.0%] vs. 66 of 2047 patients [3.2%]; P=0.02). Overall adverse events and
      serious adverse events were balanced between the two groups. During year 1,
      positively adjudicated serious cardiovascular adverse events were observed more
      often with romosozumab than with alendronate (50 of 2040 patients [2.5%] vs. 38
      of 2014 patients [1.9%]). During the open-label alendronate period, adjudicated
      events of osteonecrosis of the jaw (1 event each in the romosozumab-to
      alendronate and alendronate-to-alendronate groups) and atypical femoral fracture
      (2 events and 4 events, respectively) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In
      postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who were at high risk for fracture,
      romosozumab treatment for 12 months followed by alendronate resulted in a
      significantly lower risk of fracture than alendronate alone. (Funded by Amgen and
      others; ARCH ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01631214 .).

PMID- 28892459
TI  - Romosozumab - Promising or Practice Changing?

PMID- 28892460
TI  - Fatigue-related changes in technique emerge at different timescales during
      repetitive training.
AB  - Training consisting of numerous repetitions performed as closely as possible to
      ideal techniques is common in sports and every-day tasks. Little is known about
      fatigue-related technique changes that emerge at different timescales when
      repeating complex actions such as a karate front kick. Accordingly, 15 karatekas
      performed 600 kicks (1 pre-block and 9 blocks). The pre-block comprised 6 kicks
      (3 with each leg) at maximum intensity (K-100%). Each block comprised 60 kicks
      (10 with each leg) at 80% of their self-perceived maximum intensity (K-80%) plus
      6 K-100%. In between blocks, the participants rested for 90 seconds. Right leg
      kinematics (peak joint angles, peak joint angular velocities, peak joint linear
      resultant velocities, and time of occurrence of peaks) and kick duration
      corresponding to the K-80% were measured resulting in numerous variations with
      fatigue. At the timescale of tens of seconds, the changes involved variables that
      were related to velocity of execution (slowed down), while variables related to
      movement form were hardly affected. At the timescale of tens of minutes, the
      opposite results were observed. These findings challenge the long-standing
      rationale underlying repetitive training, suggesting instead that such
      involuntary variations in technique might play a crucial role in motor skill
      training.

PMID- 28892461
TI  - Satisfaction with assistive technology device in relation to the service delivery
      process-A systematic review.
AB  - The service delivery process (SDP) of assistive technology devices (ATDs) is
      attracting interest, as the provision of ATDs is critical for the independence
      and participation in society of individuals with disabilities. The purpose of the
      current study was to investigate what impact the SDP has on satisfaction with
      ATDs in individuals with disabilities in relation to everyday activities. A
      systematic literature review was conducted, which resulted in 53 articles
      included. The results showed that there are factors in almost all the different
      steps of the SDP that affect the satisfaction with of the devices, which can lead
      to underutilization and abandonment of ATDs. Only a few studies have been
      conducted with a design robust enough to generalize the results; therefore, more
      research is needed. Therefore, the conclusion is the SDP as a whole contributes
      to the satisfaction with and usability of ATDs in individuals with disability in
      relation to achieving the desired goals of participation in everyday activities,
      for the articles included must be deemed as moderate. A client-centred approach
      in the process is advocated, and was found to be an important factor for an
      effective SDP and satisfied users.

PMID- 28892458
TI  - Linearity, Bias, and Precision of Hepatic Proton Density Fat Fraction
      Measurements by Using MR Imaging: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Purpose To determine the linearity, bias, and precision of hepatic proton density
      fat fraction (PDFF) measurements by using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging across
      different field strengths, imager manufacturers, and reconstruction methods.
      Materials and Methods This meta-analysis was performed in accordance with
      Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A
      systematic literature search identified studies that evaluated the linearity
      and/or bias of hepatic PDFF measurements by using MR imaging (hereafter, MR
      imaging-PDFF) against PDFF measurements by using colocalized MR spectroscopy
      (hereafter, MR spectroscopy-PDFF) or the precision of MR imaging-PDFF. The
      quality of each study was evaluated by using the Quality Assessment of Studies of
      Diagnostic Accuracy 2 tool. De-identified original data sets from the selected
      studies were pooled. Linearity was evaluated by using linear regression between
      MR imaging-PDFF and MR spectroscopy-PDFF measurements. Bias, defined as the mean
      difference between MR imaging-PDFF and MR spectroscopy-PDFF measurements, was
      evaluated by using Bland-Altman analysis. Precision, defined as the agreement
      between repeated MR imaging-PDFF measurements, was evaluated by using a linear
      mixed-effects model, with field strength, imager manufacturer, reconstruction
      method, and region of interest as random effects. Results Twenty-three studies
      (1679 participants) were selected for linearity and bias analyses and 11 studies
      (425 participants) were selected for precision analyses. MR imaging-PDFF was
      linear with MR spectroscopy-PDFF (R2 = 0.96). Regression slope (0.97; P < .001)
      and mean Bland-Altman bias (-0.13%; 95% limits of agreement: -3.95%, 3.40%)
      indicated minimal underestimation by using MR imaging-PDFF. MR imaging-PDFF was
      precise at the region-of-interest level, with repeatability and reproducibility
      coefficients of 2.99% and 4.12%, respectively. Field strength, imager
      manufacturer, and reconstruction method each had minimal effects on
      reproducibility. Conclusion MR imaging-PDFF has excellent linearity, bias, and
      precision across different field strengths, imager manufacturers, and
      reconstruction methods. (c) RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available
      for this article. An earlier incorrect version of this article appeared online.
      This article was corrected on October 2, 2017.

PMID- 28892462
TI  - Cycling performance is superior for time-to-exhaustion versus time-trial in
      endurance laboratory tests.
AB  - Time-to-exhaustion (TTE) trials are used in a laboratory setting to measure
      endurance performance. However, there is some concern with their ecological
      validity compared with time-trials (TT). Consequently, we aimed to compare
      cycling performance in TTE and TT where the duration of the trials was matched.
      Seventeen trained male cyclists completed three TTE trials at 80, 100 and 105% of
      maximal aerobic power (MAP). On a subsequent visit they performed three TT over
      the same duration as the TTE. Participants were blinded to elapsed time, power
      output, cadence and heart rate (HR). Average TTE was 865 +/- 345 s, 165 +/- 98 s
      and 117 +/- 45 s for the 80, 100 and 105% trials respectively. Average power
      output was higher for TTE (294 +/- 44 W) compared to TT (282 +/- 43 W) at 80% MAP
      (P < 0.01), but not at 100 and 105% MAP (P > 0.05). There was no difference in
      cadence, HR, or RPE for any trial (P > 0.05). Critical power (CP) was also higher
      when derived from TTE compared to TT (P < 0.01). It is concluded that TTE results
      in a higher average power output compared to TT at 80% MAP. When determining CP,
      TTE rather than TT protocols appear superior.

PMID- 28892463
TI  - Effect of different velocity loss thresholds during a power-oriented resistance
      training program on the mechanical capacities of lower-body muscles.
AB  - This study compared the effects of two velocity loss thresholds during a power
      oriented resistance training program on the mechanical capacities of lower-body
      muscles. Twenty men were counterbalanced in two groups (VL10 and VL20) based on
      their maximum power capacity. Both groups used the same exercises, relative
      intensity and repetition volume, only differing in the velocity loss threshold of
      each set (VL10: 10% vs. VL20: 20%). Pre- and post-training assessments included
      an incremental loading test and a 15-m linear sprint to assess the force- and
      load-velocity relationships and athletic performance variables, respectively. No
      significant between-group differences (P > 0.05) were observed for the force
      velocity relationship parameters (ES range = 0.15-0.42), the MPV attained against
      different external loads (ES range = 0.02-0.18) or the 15-m sprint time (ES =
      0.09). A high between-participants variability was reported for the number of
      repetitions completed in each training set (CV = 30.3% for VL10 and 29.4% for
      VL20). These results suggest that both velocity loss thresholds induce similar
      changes on the lower-body function. The high and variable number of repetitions
      completed may compromise the velocity-based approach for prescribing and
      monitoring the repetition volume during a power-oriented resistance training
      program conducted with the countermovement jump exercise.

PMID- 28892465
TI  - Shifting memories.
AB  - A region of the brain called the putamen has a central role in procedural memory
      consolidation during sleep.

PMID- 28892464
TI  - Network-wide reorganization of procedural memory during NREM sleep revealed by
      fMRI.
AB  - Sleep is necessary for the optimal consolidation of newly acquired procedural
      memories. However, the mechanisms by which motor memory traces develop during
      sleep remain controversial in humans, as this process has been mainly
      investigated indirectly by comparing pre- and post-sleep conditions. Here, we
      used functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography during
      sleep following motor sequence learning to investigate how newly-formed memory
      traces evolve dynamically over time. We provide direct evidence for transient
      reactivation followed by downscaling of functional connectivity in a cortically
      dominant pattern formed during learning, as well as gradual reorganization of
      this representation toward a subcortically-dominant consolidated trace during non
      rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Importantly, the putamen functional connectivity
      within the consolidated network during NREM sleep was related to overnight
      behavioral gains. Our results demonstrate that NREM sleep is necessary for two
      complementary processes: the restoration and reorganization of newly-learned
      information during sleep, which underlie human motor memory consolidation.

PMID- 28892466
TI  - Malignant transformation of a tailgut cyst.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tailgut cyst are congenital cystic lesion arising from remnant of
      the embryological postnatal gut. Tailgut cyst are multinodular, uncapsulated and
      usually well-circumscribed. Presacral cysts are rare in adult and most of the
      lesions are benign. Malignant degeneration can occur, however is extremely rare.
      CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 74 years old woman with slow increase in
      size and malignant degeneration of a tailgut cyst. Five years before, during the
      follow up after mastectomy for cancer, she manifested rise of CA 19-9 tumor
      marker and a presacral cystic collection on thoraco-abdominal CT. She was
      followed with CT and MRI that showed that the cyst, with a solid component of the
      wall, was growing larger. After a five-year evolution, the cyst was resected. The
      histological examination on the solid component demonstrated intestinal
      adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: MRI ant TC can play essential role in the
      preoperative detection and characterization for the differential diagnosis,
      treatment strategies and evaluate neoplastic degeneration. Due to the risk of
      malignancy surgical resection must be performed after the diagnosis. Surgical
      therapy is mandatory when the cyst grow larger and a solid component is present.
      KEY WORDS: Presacral cyst, Retrorectal tumors, Tailgut cyst.

PMID- 28892467
TI  - A new approach to umbilical hernia repair: the circular suture technique for
      defects less than 2 cm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Umbilical hernia, unlike other abdominal wall hernias, occurs when
      the umbilical ring opens and expands. Its' symptoms and complications show
      similarities with other hernias. Although there are various repair techniques,
      there is not a standard technique yet. This paper investigated the outcomes of
      double layer circular suture technique as a new approach in the repair of
      umbilical hernia. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total number of 282 patients comprised
      of 102 males and 180 females with an age range of 18-89 whose umbilical hernias
      were repaired between 2002 and 2013, retrospectively studied in two groups group
      1 (circular suture technique) and group 2 (open primary suture). The subjects
      were investigated with regards to age, sex, body mass index (BMI), accompanying
      disease, anesthesia method, surgical complications, hospital stay, total costs,
      mortality and recurrence. RESULTS: The study participants were 282 patients with
      an age average of 49, 09 +/- 16, 62 including 182 patients in group 1
      (male/female ratio 76/106) and 100 patients in group 2 (26/74). There was a
      significant difference between the groups in terms of time and recurrence. During
      the follow-up period, 9 patients in group 1 (4.94%) and 16 patients in group 2
      (16%) had a recurrence. This result was statistically significant (p=0.014)
      CONCLUSION: We believe that the double layer circular suture technique is
      practical, inexpensive and effective in the repair of umbilical hernia defects,
      which are smaller than 2 cm diameter. Key words: Hernia, Repair, Umbilical
      hernia.

PMID- 28892468
TI  - Association Between Oxidative Stress and Peripheral Leukocyte Telomere Length in
      Patients with Premature Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is regarded as a potential marker of
      biological aging. Oxidative stress plays a major role in the rate of telomeric
      DNA loss. The aim of this study was to explore whether the LTL was shorter in
      Chinese patients with premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) than in non-CAD
      controls and to determine the relationship between oxidative stress and LTL
      shortening in this population. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients for coronary
      angiography were recruited. In total, 128 patients with PCAD and 128 non-CAD
      controls were enrolled. Samples of circulating leukocytes and plasma were
      collected. The mean LTL was measured using a polymerase chain reaction-based
      assay and expressed as the ratio of telomere repeat copies to single-copy gene
      (SCG) copies (T/S ratio). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and total
      antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were determined in plasma. RESULTS Both the T/S
      ratio (0.88+/-0.86 vs. 1.10+/-0.57, P=0.015) and telomere base pairs (4.97+/-1.37
      kb vs. 5.32+/-0.91 kb, P=0.015) were significantly shorter in the PCAD group than
      in non-CAD controls. The T-AOC levels of the PCAD group were significantly lower
      than those of the non-CAD controls (0.482 mM [0.279, 0.603 mM]) vs. 0.778 mM
      [0.421, 0.924 mM], P=0.000). The ratio of T-AOC to ROS in the PCAD patients was
      significantly decreased compared to that of the non-CAD controls (0.1026+/-0.
      1587 [Mm*ml/ng] vs. 0.1435+/-0.1946 [Mm*ml/ng], P=0.013). CONCLUSIONS The results
      point to a potential link between reduced LTLs in patients with PCAD and early
      onset of atherosclerosis. The decline in antioxidant capacity may play an
      important role in accelerating the attrition of telomeres in PCAD patients.

PMID- 28892469
TI  - De novo induction of intratumoral lymphoid structures and vessel normalization
      enhances immunotherapy in resistant tumors.
AB  - The tumor microenvironment confers profound resistance to anti-cancer
      immunotherapy. By targeting LIGHT, a member of the TNF superfamily of cytokines,
      to tumor vessels via a vascular targeting peptide (VTP), we developed a reagent
      with the dual ability to modulate the angiogenic vasculature and to induce
      tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs). LIGHT-VTP triggered the influx of endogenous
      T cells into autochthonous or syngeneic tumors, which are resistant to
      immunotherapy. LIGHT-VTP in combination with checkpoint inhibition generated a
      large number of intratumoral effector and memory T cells with ensuing survival
      benefits, while the addition of anti-tumor vaccination achieved maximal
      therapeutic efficacy. Thus, the combination treatments stimulated the trafficking
      of pre-existing endogenous effector T cells as well as their intratumoral
      activation and were more successful than current immunotherapies, which fail due
      to tumor-intrinsic resistance mechanisms.

PMID- 28892470
TI  - Different molecular complexes that mediate transcriptional induction and
      repression by FoxP3.
AB  - FoxP3 conditions the transcriptional signature and functional facets of
      regulatory T cells (Treg cells). Its mechanism of action, whether as an activator
      or a repressor, has remained unclear. Here, chromatin analysis showed that FoxP3
      bound active enhancer elements, not repressed chromatin, around loci over- or
      under-expressed in Treg cells. We evaluated the impact of a panel of FoxP3
      mutants on its transcriptional activity and interactions with DNA,
      transcriptional cofactors and chromatin. Computational integration, confirmed by
      biochemical interaction and size analyses, showed that FoxP3 existed in distinct
      multimolecular complexes. It was active and primarily an activator when complexed
      with the transcriptional factors RELA, IKZF2 and KAT5. In contrast, FoxP3 was
      inactive when complexed with the histone methyltransferase EZH2 and transcription
      factors YY1 and IKZF3. The latter complex partitioned to a peripheral region of
      the nucleus, as shown by super-resolution microscopy. Thus, FoxP3 acts in
      multimodal fashion to directly activate or repress transcription, in a context-
      and partner-dependent manner, to govern Treg cell phenotypes.

PMID- 28892472
TI  - Target product profiles for the diagnosis of Taenia solium taeniasis,
      neurocysticercosis and porcine cysticercosis.
AB  - Target Product Profiles (TPPs) are process tools providing product requirements
      to guide researchers, developers and manufacturers in their efforts to develop
      effective and useful products such as biologicals, drugs or diagnostics. During a
      WHO Stakeholders Meeting on Taenia solium diagnostics, several TPPs were
      initiated to address diagnostic needs for different stages in the parasite's
      transmission (taeniasis, human and porcine cysticercosis). Following the meeting,
      draft TPPs were completed and distributed for consultation to 100
      people/organizations, including experts in parasitology, human and pig
      cysticercosis, diagnostic researchers and manufacturers, international
      organizations working with neglected or zoonotic diseases, Ministries of Health
      and Ministries of Livestock in some of the endemic countries, WHO regional
      offices and other interested parties. There were 53 respondents. All comments and
      feedback received were considered and discussions were held with different
      experts according to their area of expertise. The comments were consolidated and
      final TPPs are presented here. They are considered to be live documents which are
      likely to undergo review and updating in the future when new knowledge and
      technologies become available.

PMID- 28892471
TI  - Dynamic regulation of T follicular regulatory cell responses by interleukin 2
      during influenza infection.
AB  - Interleukin 2 (IL-2) promotes Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cell responses, but
      inhibits T follicular helper (TFH) cell development. However, it is not clear how
      IL-2 affects T follicular regulatory (TFR) cells, a cell type with properties of
      both Treg and TFH cells. Using an influenza infection model, we found that high
      IL-2 concentrations at the peak of the infection prevented TFR cell development
      by a Blimp-1-dependent mechanism. However, once the immune response resolved,
      some Treg cells downregulated CD25, upregulated Bcl-6 and differentiated into TFR
      cells, which then migrated into the B cell follicles to prevent the expansion of
      self-reactive B cell clones. Thus, unlike its effects on conventional Treg cells,
      IL-2 inhibits TFR cell responses.

PMID- 28892473
TI  - A multi-center field study of two point-of-care tests for circulating Wuchereria
      bancrofti antigenemia in Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis uses point-of
      care tests for circulating filarial antigenemia (CFA) to map endemic areas and
      for monitoring and evaluating the success of mass drug administration (MDA)
      programs. We compared the performance of the reference BinaxNOW Filariasis card
      test (ICT, introduced in 1997) with the Alere Filariasis Test Strip (FTS,
      introduced in 2013) in 5 endemic study sites in Africa. METHODOLOGY: The tests
      were compared prior to MDA in two study sites (Congo and Cote d'Ivoire) and in
      three sites that had received MDA (DRC and 2 sites in Liberia). Data were
      analyzed with regard to % positivity, % agreement, and heterogeneity. Models
      evaluated potential effects of age, gender, and blood microfilaria (Mf) counts in
      individuals and effects of endemicity and history of MDA at the village level as
      potential factors linked to higher sensitivity of the FTS. Lastly, we assessed
      relationships between CFA scores and Mf in pre- and post-MDA settings. PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Paired test results were available for 3,682 individuals. Antigenemia
      rates were 8% and 22% higher by FTS than by ICT in pre-MDA and in post-MDA sites,
      respectively. FTS/ICT ratios were higher in areas with low infection rates. The
      probability of having microfilaremia was much higher in persons with CFA scores
      >1 in untreated areas. However, this was not true in post-MDA settings.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study has provided extensive new information on
      the performance of the FTS compared to ICT in Africa and it has confirmed the
      increased sensitivity of FTS reported in prior studies. Variability in FTS/ICT
      was related in part to endemicity level, history of MDA, and perhaps to the
      medications used for MDA. These results suggest that FTS should be superior to
      ICT for mapping, for transmission assessment surveys, and for post-MDA
      surveillance.

PMID- 28892474
TI  - Enhancing case definitions for surveillance of human monkeypox in the Democratic
      Republic of Congo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human monkeypox (MPX) occurs at appreciable rates in the Democratic
      Republic of Congo (DRC). Infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) has a
      similar presentation to that of MPX, and in areas where MPX is endemic these two
      illnesses are commonly mistaken. This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of
      two surveillance case definitions for MPX and specific clinical characteristics
      associated with laboratory-confirmed MPX cases. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
      Data from a cohort of suspect MPX cases (identified by surveillance over the
      course of a 42 month period during 2009-2014) from DRC were used; real-time PCR
      diagnostic test results were used to establish MPX and VZV diagnoses. A total of
      333 laboratory-confirmed MPX cases, 383 laboratory-confirmed VZV cases, and 36
      cases that were determined to not be either MPX or VZV were included in the
      analyses. Significant (p<0.05) differences between laboratory-confirmed MPX and
      VZV cases were noted for several signs/symptoms including key rash
      characteristics. Both surveillance case definitions had high sensitivity and low
      specificities for individuals that had suspected MPX virus infections. Using 12
      signs/symptoms with high sensitivity and/or specificity values, a receiver
      operator characteristic analysis showed that models for MPX cases that had the
      presence of 'fever before rash' plus at least 7 or 8 of the 12 signs/symptoms
      demonstrated a more balanced performance between sensitivity and specificity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory-confirmed MPX and VZV cases presented with many of the
      same signs and symptoms, and the analysis here emphasized the utility of
      including 12 specific signs/symptoms when investigating MPX cases. In order to
      document and detect endemic human MPX cases, a surveillance case definition with
      more specificity is needed for accurate case detection. In the absence of a more
      specific case definition, continued emphasis on confirmatory laboratory-based
      diagnostics is warranted.

PMID- 28892475
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of a national enterovirus 71 vaccination program in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has caused great morbidity, mortality,
      and use of health service in children younger than five years in China. Vaccines
      against EV71 have been proved effective and safe by recent phase 3 trials and are
      now available in China. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health
      impact and cost-effectiveness of a national EV71 vaccination program in China.
      METHODS: Using Microsoft Excel, a decision model was built to calculate the net
      clinical and economic outcomes of EV71 vaccination compared with no EV71
      vaccination in a birth cohort of 1,000,000 Chinese children followed for five
      years. Model parameters came from published epidemiology, clinical and cost data.
      RESULTS: In the base-case, vaccination would annually avert 37,872 cases of hand,
      foot and mouth disease (HFMD), 2,629 herpangina cases, 72,900 outpatient visits,
      6,363 admissions to hospital, 29 deaths, and 945 disability adjusted life years.
      The break-even price of the vaccine was $5.2/dose. When the price was less than
      $8.3 or $14.6/dose, the vaccination program would be highly cost-effective or
      cost-effective, respectively (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio less than or
      between one to three times China GDP per capita, respectively). In one-way
      sensitivity analyses, the HFMD incidence was the only influential parameter at
      the price of $5/dose. CONCLUSIONS: Within the price range of current routine
      vaccines paid by the government, a national EV71 vaccination program would be
      cost-saving or highly cost-effective to prevent EV71 related morbidity,
      mortality, and use of health service among children younger than five years in
      China. Policy makers should consider including EV71 vaccination as part of
      China's routine childhood immunization schedule.

PMID- 28892476
TI  - Induction of allopurinol resistance in Leishmania infantum isolated from dogs.
AB  - Resistance to allopurinol in zoonotic canine leishmaniasis has been recently
      shown to be associated with disease relapse in naturally-infected dogs. However,
      information regarding the formation of resistance and its dynamics is lacking.
      This study describes the successful in-vitro induction of allopurinol resistance
      in Leishmania infantum cultured under increasing drug pressure. Allopurinol
      susceptibility and growth rate of induced parasites were monitored over 23 weeks
      and parasite clones were tested at selected time points and compared to their
      parental lines, both as promastigotes and as amastigotes. Allopurinol resistance
      was formed in strains from two parasite stocks producing a 20-fold rise in IC50
      along three distinct growth phases. In addition, characteristic differential
      clustering of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) was found in drug sensitive
      and resistant parasite clones. Results confirm that genetic polymorphism, as well
      as clonal heterogeneity, contribute to in-vitro resistance to allopurinol, which
      is likely to occur in natural infection.

PMID- 28892478
TI  - Continuous robust sound event classification using time-frequency features and
      deep learning.
AB  - The automatic detection and recognition of sound events by computers is a
      requirement for a number of emerging sensing and human computer interaction
      technologies. Recent advances in this field have been achieved by machine
      learning classifiers working in conjunction with time-frequency feature
      representations. This combination has achieved excellent accuracy for
      classification of discrete sounds. The ability to recognise sounds under real
      world noisy conditions, called robust sound event classification, is an
      especially challenging task that has attracted recent research attention. Another
      aspect of real-word conditions is the classification of continuous, occluded or
      overlapping sounds, rather than classification of short isolated sound
      recordings. This paper addresses the classification of noise-corrupted, occluded,
      overlapped, continuous sound recordings. It first proposes a standard evaluation
      task for such sounds based upon a common existing method for evaluating isolated
      sound classification. It then benchmarks several high performing isolated sound
      classifiers to operate with continuous sound data by incorporating an energy
      based event detection front end. Results are reported for each tested system
      using the new task, to provide the first analysis of their performance for
      continuous sound event detection. In addition it proposes and evaluates a novel
      Bayesian-inspired front end for the segmentation and detection of continuous
      sound recordings prior to classification.

PMID- 28892477
TI  - Allosteric conformational change cascade in cytoplasmic dynein revealed by
      structure-based molecular simulations.
AB  - Cytoplasmic dynein is a giant ATP-driven molecular motor that proceeds to the
      minus end of the microtubule (MT). Dynein hydrolyzes ATP in a ring-like
      structure, containing 6 AAA+ (ATPases associated with diverse cellular
      activities) modules, which is ~15 nm away from the MT binding domain (MTBD). This
      architecture implies that long-distance allosteric couplings exist between the
      AAA+ ring and the MTBD in order for dynein to move on the MT, although little is
      known about the mechanisms involved. Here, we have performed comprehensive
      molecular simulations of the dynein motor domain based on pre- and post- power
      stroke structural information and in doing so we address the allosteric
      conformational changes that occur during the power-stroke and recovery-stroke
      processes. In the power-stroke process, the N-terminal linker movement was the
      prerequisite to the nucleotide-dependent AAA1 transition, from which a transition
      cascade propagated, on average, in a circular manner on the AAA+ ring until it
      reached the AAA6/C-terminal module. The recovery-stroke process was initiated by
      the transition of the AAA6/C-terminal, from which the transition cascade split
      into the two directions of the AAA+ ring, occurring both clockwise and anti
      clockwise. In both processes, the MTBD conformational change was regulated by the
      AAA4 module and the AAA5/Strut module.

PMID- 28892479
TI  - Towards Chagas disease elimination: Neonatal screening for congenital
      transmission in rural communities.
AB  - Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease that continues to affect
      populations living in extreme poverty in Latin America. After successful vector
      control programs, congenital transmission remains as a challenge to disease
      elimination. We used the PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model to develop strategies for
      neonatal screening of congenital Chagas disease in rural communities of
      Guatemala. These communities have persistent high triatomine infestations and low
      access to healthcare. We used mixed methods with multiple stakeholders to
      identify and address maternal-infant health behaviors through semi-structured
      interviews, participatory group meetings, archival reviews and a cross-sectional
      survey in high risk communities. From December 2015 to April 2016, we jointly
      developed a strategy to illustratively advertise newborn screening at the Health
      Center. The strategy included socioculturally appropriate promotional and
      educational material, in collaboration with midwives, nurses and nongovernmental
      organizations. By March 2016, eight of 228 (3.9%) pregnant women had been
      diagnosed with T. cruzi at the Health Center. Up to this date, no neonatal
      screening had been performed. By August 2016, seven of eight newborns born to
      Chagas seropositive women had been parasitologically screened at the Health
      Center, according to international standards. Thus, we implemented a successful
      community-based neonatal screening strategy to promote congenital Chagas disease
      healthcare in a rural setting. The success of the health promotion strategies
      developed will depend on local access to maternal-infant services, integration
      with detection of other congenital diseases and reliance on community
      participation in problem and solution definition.

PMID- 28892480
TI  - Estimating global, regional and national rotavirus deaths in children aged <5
      years: Current approaches, new analyses and proposed improvements.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhoeal mortality in children but
      there is considerable disagreement about how many deaths occur each year. METHODS
      AND FINDINGS: We compared CHERG, GBD and WHO/CDC estimates of age under 5 years
      (U5) rotavirus deaths at the global, regional and national level using a standard
      year (2013) and standard list of 186 countries. The global estimates were 157,398
      (CHERG), 122,322 (GBD) and 215,757 (WHO/CDC). The three groups used different
      methods: (i) to select data points for rotavirus-positive proportions; (ii) to
      extrapolate data points to individual countries; (iii) to account for rotavirus
      vaccine coverage; (iv) to convert rotavirus-positive proportions to rotavirus
      attributable fractions; and (v) to calculate uncertainty ranges. We conducted new
      analyses to inform future estimates. We found that acute watery diarrhoea was
      associated with 87% (95% CI 83-90%) of U5 diarrhoea hospitalisations based on
      data from 84 hospital sites in 9 countries, and 65% (95% CI 57-74%) of U5
      diarrhoea deaths based on verbal autopsy reports from 9 country sites. We
      reanalysed data from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) and found 44%
      (55% in Asia, and 32% in Africa) rotavirus-positivity among U5 acute watery
      diarrhoea hospitalisations, and 28% rotavirus-positivity among U5 acute watery
      diarrhoea deaths. 97% (95% CI 95-98%) of the U5 diarrhoea hospitalisations that
      tested positive for rotavirus were entirely attributable to rotavirus. For all
      clinical syndromes combined the rotavirus attributable fraction was 34% (95% CI
      31-36%). This increased by a factor of 1.08 (95% CI 1.02-1.14) when the GEMS
      results were reanalysed using a more sensitive molecular test. CONCLUSIONS: We
      developed consensus on seven proposals for improving the quality and transparency
      of future rotavirus mortality estimates.

PMID- 28892481
TI  - Cost-efficient vaccination protocols for network epidemiology.
AB  - We investigate methods to vaccinate contact networks-i.e. removing nodes in such
      a way that disease spreading is hindered as much as possible-with respect to
      their cost-efficiency. Any real implementation of such protocols would come with
      costs related both to the vaccination itself, and gathering of information about
      the network. Disregarding this, we argue, would lead to erroneous evaluation of
      vaccination protocols. We use the susceptible-infected-recovered model-the
      generic model for diseases making patients immune upon recovery-as our disease
      spreading scenario, and analyze outbreaks on both empirical and model networks.
      For different relative costs, different protocols dominate. For high vaccination
      costs and low costs of gathering information, the so-called acquaintance
      vaccination is the most cost efficient. For other parameter values, protocols
      designed for query-efficient identification of the network's largest degrees are
      most efficient.

PMID- 28892482
TI  - 'Spin' in published biomedical literature: A methodological systematic review.
AB  - In the scientific literature, spin refers to reporting practices that distort the
      interpretation of results and mislead readers so that results are viewed in a
      more favourable light. The presence of spin in biomedical research can negatively
      impact the development of further studies, clinical practice, and health
      policies. This systematic review aims to explore the nature and prevalence of
      spin in the biomedical literature. We searched MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, Embase,
      Scopus, and hand searched reference lists for all reports that included the
      measurement of spin in the biomedical literature for at least 1 outcome. Two
      independent coders extracted data on the characteristics of reports and their
      included studies and all spin-related outcomes. Results were grouped inductively
      into themes by spin-related outcome and are presented as a narrative synthesis.
      We used meta-analyses to analyse the association of spin with industry
      sponsorship of research. We included 35 reports, which investigated spin in
      clinical trials, observational studies, diagnostic accuracy studies, systematic
      reviews, and meta-analyses. The nature of spin varied according to study design.
      The highest (but also greatest) variability in the prevalence of spin was present
      in trials. Some of the common practices used to spin results included detracting
      from statistically nonsignificant results and inappropriately using causal
      language. Source of funding was hypothesised by a few authors to be a factor
      associated with spin; however, results were inconclusive, possibly due to the
      heterogeneity of the included papers. Further research is needed to assess the
      impact of spin on readers' decision-making. Editors and peer reviewers should be
      familiar with the prevalence and manifestations of spin in their area of research
      in order to ensure accurate interpretation and dissemination of research.

PMID- 28892483
TI  - Quality control methods for Aedes albopictus sterile male production.
AB  - The capacity of the released sterile males to survive, disperse, compete with
      wild males and inseminate wild females is an essential prerequisite to be
      evaluated in any area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programs including
      a sterile insect release method. Adequate quality control tests supported by
      standardized procedures need to be developed to measure these parameters and to
      identify and correct potential inappropriate rearing or handling methods
      affecting the overall male quality. In this study, we report results on the
      creation and validation of the first quality control devices designed to infer
      the survival and mating capacity of radio-sterilized Aedes albopictus males
      through the observation of their flight capacity under restricted conditions
      (flight organ device) and after stress treatment (aspirator device). Results
      obtained consistently indicate comparable flight capacity and quality parameters
      between untreated and 35 Gy irradiated males while a negative impact was observed
      with higher radiation doses at all observation time performed. The male flight
      capacity registered with the proposed quality control devices can be successfully
      employed, with different predictive capacities and response time, to infer the
      adult male quality. These simple and cost-effective tools provide a valuable
      method to detect and amend potentially sub-standard procedures in the sterile
      male production line and hence contribute to maintaining optimal quality and
      field performance of the mosquitoes being released.

PMID- 28892484
TI  - Six1 is essential for differentiation and patterning of the mammalian auditory
      sensory epithelium.
AB  - The organ of Corti in the cochlea is a two-cell layered epithelium: one cell
      layer of mechanosensory hair cells that align into one row of inner and three
      rows of outer hair cells interdigitated with one cell layer of underlying
      supporting cells along the entire length of the cochlear spiral. These two types
      of epithelial cells are derived from common precursors in the four- to five-cell
      layered primordium and acquire functionally important shapes during terminal
      differentiation through the thinning process and convergent extension. Here, we
      have examined the role of Six1 in the establishment of the auditory sensory
      epithelium. Our data show that prior to terminal differentiation of the precursor
      cells, deletion of Six1 leads to formation of only a few hair cells and defective
      patterning of the sensory epithelium. Previous studies have suggested that
      downregulation of Sox2 expression in differentiating hair cells must occur after
      Atoh1 mRNA activation in order to allow Atoh1 protein accumulation due to
      antagonistic effects between Atoh1 and Sox2. Our analysis indicates that
      downregulation of Sox2 in the differentiating hair cells depends on Six1
      activity. Furthermore, we found that Six1 is required for the maintenance of Fgf8
      expression and dynamic distribution of N-cadherin and E-cadherin in the organ of
      Corti during differentiation. Together, our analyses uncover essential roles of
      Six1 in hair cell differentiation and formation of the organ of Corti in the
      mammalian cochlea.

PMID- 28892485
TI  - Exploring the inhibition mechanism of adenylyl cyclase type 5 by n-terminal
      myristoylated Galphai1.
AB  - Adenylyl cyclase (AC) is an important messenger involved in G-protein-coupled
      receptor signal transduction pathways, which is a well-known target for drug
      development. AC is regulated by activated stimulatory (Galphas) and inhibitory
      (Galphai) G proteins in the cytosol. Although experimental studies have shown
      that these Galpha subunits can stimulate or inhibit AC's function in a non
      competitive way, it is not well understood what the difference is in their mode
      of action as both Galpha subunits appear structurally very similar in a non
      lipidated state. However, a significant difference between Galphas and Galphai is
      that while Galphas does not require any lipidation in order to stimulate AC, N
      terminal myristoylation is crucial for Galphai's inhibitory function as AC is not
      inhibited by non-myristoylated Galphai. At present, only the conformation of the
      complex including Galphas and AC has been resolved via X-ray crystallography.
      Therefore, understanding the interaction between Galphai and AC is important as
      it will provide more insight into the unknown mechanism of AC regulation. This
      study demonstrates via classical molecular dynamics simulations that the
      myristoylated Galphai1 structure is able to interact with apo adenylyl cyclase
      type 5 in a way that causes inhibition of the catalytic function of the enzyme,
      suggesting that Galpha lipidation could play a crucial role in AC regulation and
      in regulating G protein function by affecting Galphai's active conformation.

PMID- 28892486
TI  - Misattribution of musical arousal increases sexual attraction towards opposite
      sex faces in females.
AB  - Several theories about the origins of music have emphasized its biological and
      social functions, including in courtship. Music may act as a courtship display
      due to its capacity to vary in complexity and emotional content. Support for
      music's reproductive function comes from the recent finding that only women in
      the fertile phase of the reproductive cycle prefer composers of complex melodies
      to composers of simple ones as short-term sexual partners, which is also in line
      with the ovulatory shift hypothesis. However, the precise mechanisms by which
      music may influence sexual attraction are unknown, specifically how music may
      interact with visual attractiveness cues and affect perception and behaviour in
      both genders. Using a crossmodal priming paradigm, we examined whether listening
      to music influences ratings of facial attractiveness and dating desirability of
      opposite-sex faces. We also tested whether misattribution of arousal or
      pleasantness underlies these effects, and explored whether sex differences and
      menstrual cycle phase may be moderators. Our sample comprised 64 women in the
      fertile or infertile phase (no hormonal contraception use) and 32 men, carefully
      matched for mood, relationship status, and musical preferences. Musical primes
      (25 s) varied in arousal and pleasantness, and targets were photos of faces with
      neutral expressions (2 s). Group-wise analyses indicated that women, but not men,
      gave significantly higher ratings of facial attractiveness and dating
      desirability after having listened to music than in the silent control condition.
      High-arousing, complex music yielded the largest effects, suggesting that music
      may affect human courtship behaviour through induced arousal, which calls for
      further studies on the mechanisms by which music affects sexual attraction in
      real-life social contexts.

PMID- 28892487
TI  - Transcriptome sequencing and delimitation of sympatric Oscarella species (O.
      carmela and O. pearsei sp. nov) from California, USA.
AB  - The homoscleromorph sponge Oscarella carmela, first described from central
      California, USA is shown to represent two superficially similar but both
      morphologically and phylogenetically distinct species that are co-distributed. We
      here describe a new species as Oscarella pearsei, sp. nov. and re-describe
      Oscarella carmela; the original description was based upon material from both
      species. Further, we correct the identification of published
      genomic/transcriptomic resources that were originally attributed to O. carmela,
      and present new Illumina-sequenced transcriptome assemblies for each of these
      species, and the mitochondrial genome sequence for O. pearsei sp. nov. Using SSU
      and LSU ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial genome, we report the phylogenetic
      relationships of these species relative to other Oscarella species, and find
      strong support for the placement of O. pearsei sp. nov. in a distinct clade
      within genus Oscarella defined by the presence of spherulous cells that contain
      paracrystalline inclusions; O. carmela lacks this cell type. Oscarella pearsei
      sp. nov and O. carmela can be tentatively distinguished based upon gross
      morphological differences such as color, surface texture and extent of mucus
      production, but can be more reliably identified using mitochondrial and nuclear
      barcode sequencing, ultrastructural characteristics of cells in the mesohyl, and
      the morphology of the follicle epithelium which surrounds the developing embryo
      in reproductively active individuals.

PMID- 28892488
TI  - Self-fertility in Chromocrea spinulosa is a consequence of direct repeat-mediated
      loss of MAT1-2, subsequent imbalance of nuclei differing in mating type, and
      recognition between unlike nuclei in a common cytoplasm.
AB  - The filamentous fungus Chromocrea spinulosa (Trichoderma spinulosum) exhibits
      both self-fertile (homothallic) and self-sterile (heterothallic) sexual
      reproductive behavior. Self-fertile strains produce progeny cohorts that are 50%
      homothallic, 50% heterothallic. Heterothallic progeny can mate only with
      homothallic strains, and progeny also segregate 50% homothallic, 50%
      heterothallic. Sequencing of the mating type (MAT) region of homothallic and
      heterothallic strains revealed that both carry an intact MAT1-1 locus with three
      MAT1-1 genes (MAT1-1-1, MAT1-1-2, MAT1-1-3), as previously described for the
      Sordariomycete group of filamentous fungi. Homothallic strains, however, have a
      second version of MAT with the MAT1-2 locus genetically linked to MAT1-1. In this
      version, the MAT1-1-1 open reading frame is split into a large and small fragment
      and the truncated ends are bordered by 115bp direct repeats (DR). The MAT1-2-1
      gene and additional sequences are inserted between the repeats. To understand the
      mechanism whereby C. spinulosa can exhibit both homothallic and heterothallic
      behavior, we utilized molecular manipulation to delete one of the DRs from a
      homothallic strain and insert MAT1-2 into a heterothallic strain. Mating assays
      indicated that: i) the DRs are key to homothallic behavior, ii) looping out of
      MAT1-2-1 via intra-molecular homologous recombination between the DRs in self
      fertile strains results in two nuclear types in an individual (one carrying both
      MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 and one carrying MAT1-1 only), iii) self-fertility is achieved
      by inter-nuclear recognition between these two nuclear types before meiosis, iv)
      the two types of nuclei are in unequal proportion, v) having both an intact MAT1
      1-1 and MAT1-2-1 gene in a single nucleus is not sufficient for self-fertility,
      and vi) the large truncated MAT1-1-1 fragment is expressed. Comparisons with MAT
      regions of Trichoderma reesei and Trichoderma virens suggest that several
      crossovers between misaligned parental MAT chromosomes may have led to the MAT
      architecture of homothallic C. spinulosa.

PMID- 28892489
TI  - Funneled potential and flux landscapes dictate the stabilities of both the states
      and the flow: Fission yeast cell cycle.
AB  - Using fission yeast cell cycle as an example, we uncovered that the non
      equilibrium network dynamics and global properties are determined by two
      essential features: the potential landscape and the flux landscape. These two
      landscapes can be quantified through the decomposition of the dynamics into the
      detailed balance preserving part and detailed balance breaking non-equilibrium
      part. While the funneled potential landscape is often crucial for the stability
      of the single attractor networks, we have uncovered that the funneled flux
      landscape is crucial for the emergence and maintenance of the stable limit cycle
      oscillation flow. This provides a new interpretation of the origin for the limit
      cycle oscillations: There are many cycles and loops existed flowing through the
      state space and forming the flux landscapes, each cycle with a probability flux
      going through the loop. The limit cycle emerges when a loop stands out and
      carries significantly more probability flux than other loops. We explore how
      robustness ratio (RR) as the gap or steepness versus averaged variations or
      roughness of the landscape, quantifying the degrees of the funneling of the
      underlying potential and flux landscapes. We state that these two landscapes
      complement each other with one crucial for stabilities of states on the cycle and
      the other crucial for the stability of the flow along the cycle. The flux is
      directly related to the speed of the cell cycle. This allows us to identify the
      key factors and structure elements of the networks in determining the stability,
      speed and robustness of the fission yeast cell cycle oscillations. We see that
      the non-equilibriumness characterized by the degree of detailed balance breaking
      from the energy pump quantified by the flux is the cause of the energy
      dissipation for initiating and sustaining the replications essential for the
      origin and evolution of life. Regulating the cell cycle speed is crucial for
      designing the prevention and curing strategy of cancer.

PMID- 28892490
TI  - Development of risk reduction behavioral counseling for Ebola virus disease
      survivors enrolled in the Sierra Leone Ebola Virus Persistence Study, 2015-2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic,
      the public health community had concerns that sexual transmission of the Ebola
      virus (EBOV) from EVD survivors was a risk, due to EBOV persistence in body
      fluids of EVD survivors, particularly semen. The Sierra Leone Ebola Virus
      Persistence Study was initiated to investigate this risk by assessing EBOV
      persistence in numerous body fluids of EVD survivors and providing risk reduction
      counseling based on test results for semen, vaginal fluid, menstrual blood,
      urine, rectal fluid, sweat, tears, saliva, and breast milk. This publication
      describes implementation of the counseling protocol and the key lessons learned.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The Ebola Virus Persistence Risk Reduction
      Behavioral Counseling Protocol was developed from a framework used to prevent
      transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The framework
      helped to identify barriers to risk reduction and facilitated the development of
      a personalized risk-reduction plan, particularly around condom use and
      abstinence. Pre-test and post-test counseling sessions included risk reduction
      guidance, and post-test counseling was based on the participants' individual test
      results. The behavioral counseling protocol enabled study staff to translate the
      study's body fluid test results into individualized information for study
      participants. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The Ebola Virus Persistence Risk
      Reduction Behavioral Counseling Protocol provided guidance to mitigate the risk
      of EBOV transmission from EVD survivors. It has since been shared with and
      adapted by other EVD survivor body fluid testing programs and studies in Ebola
      affected countries.

PMID- 28892491
TI  - A map of protein dynamics during cell-cycle progression and cell-cycle exit.
AB  - The cell-cycle field has identified the core regulators that drive the cell
      cycle, but we do not have a clear map of the dynamics of these regulators during
      cell-cycle progression versus cell-cycle exit. Here we use single-cell time-lapse
      microscopy of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 (CDK2) activity followed by endpoint
      immunofluorescence and computational cell synchronization to determine the
      temporal dynamics of key cell-cycle proteins in asynchronously cycling human
      cells. We identify several unexpected patterns for core cell-cycle proteins in
      actively proliferating (CDK2-increasing) versus spontaneously quiescent (CDK2
      low) cells, including Cyclin D1, the levels of which we find to be higher in
      spontaneously quiescent versus proliferating cells. We also identify proteins
      with concentrations that steadily increase or decrease the longer cells are in
      quiescence, suggesting the existence of a continuum of quiescence depths. Our
      single-cell measurements thus provide a rich resource for the field by
      characterizing protein dynamics during proliferation versus quiescence.

PMID- 28892493
TI  - Control of multidimensional systems on complex network.
AB  - Multidimensional systems coupled via complex networks are widespread in nature
      and thus frequently invoked for a large plethora of interesting applications.
      From ecology to physics, individual entities in mutual interactions are grouped
      in families, homogeneous in kind. These latter interact selectively, through a
      sequence of self-consistently regulated steps, whose deeply rooted architecture
      is stored in the assigned matrix of connections. The asymptotic equilibrium
      eventually attained by the system, and its associated stability, can be assessed
      by employing standard nonlinear dynamics tools. For many practical applications,
      it is however important to externally drive the system towards a desired
      equilibrium, which is resilient, hence stable, to external perturbations. To this
      end we here consider a system made up of N interacting populations which evolve
      according to general rate equations, bearing attributes of universality. One
      species is added to the pool of interacting families and used as a dynamical
      controller to induce novel stable equilibria. Use can be made of the root locus
      method to shape the needed control, in terms of intrinsic reactivity and adopted
      protocol of injection. The proposed method is tested on both synthetic and real
      data, thus enabling to demonstrate its robustness and versatility.

PMID- 28892492
TI  - HIF-1alpha is a key regulator in potentiating suppressor activity and limiting
      the microbicidal capacity of MDSC-like cells during visceral leishmaniasis.
AB  - Leishmania donovani is known to induce myelopoiesis and to dramatically increase
      extramedullary myelopoiesis. This results in splenomegaly, which is then
      accompanied by disruption of the splenic microarchitecture, a chronic
      inflammatory environment, and immunosuppression. Chronically inflamed tissues are
      typically hypoxic. The role of hypoxia on myeloid cell functions during visceral
      leishmaniasis has not yet been studied. Here we show that L. donovani promotes
      the output from the bone marrow of monocytes with a regulatory phenotype that
      function as safe targets for the parasite. We also demonstrate that splenic
      myeloid cells acquire MDSC-like function in a HIF-1alpha-dependent manner. HIF
      1alpha is also involved in driving the polarization towards M2-like macrophages
      and rendering intermediate stage monocytes more susceptible to L. donovani
      infection. Our results suggest that HIF-1alpha is a major player in the
      establishment of chronic Leishmania infection and is crucial for enhancing
      immunosuppressive functions and lowering leishmanicidal capacity of myeloid
      cells.

PMID- 28892494
TI  - Infections by human gastrointestinal helminths are associated with changes in
      faecal microbiota diversity and composition.
AB  - Investigations of the impact that patent infections by soil-transmitted
      gastrointestinal nematode parasites exert on the composition of the host gut
      commensal flora are attracting growing interest by the scientific community.
      However, information collected to date varies across experiments, and further
      studies are needed to identify consistent relationships between parasites and
      commensal microbial species. Here, we explore the qualitative and quantitative
      differences between the microbial community profiles of cohorts of human
      volunteers from Sri Lanka with patent infection by one or more parasitic nematode
      species (H+), as well as that of uninfected subjects (H-) and of volunteers who
      had been subjected to regular prophylactic anthelmintic treatment (Ht). High
      throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, followed by bioinformatics
      and biostatistical analyses of sequence data revealed no significant differences
      in alpha diversity (Shannon) and richness between groups (P = 0.65, P = 0.13
      respectively); however, beta diversity was significantly increased in H+ and Ht
      when individually compared to H-volunteers (P = 0.04). Among others, bacteria of
      the families Verrucomicrobiaceae and Enterobacteriaceae showed a trend towards
      increased abundance in H+, whereas the Leuconostocaceae and Bacteroidaceae showed
      a relative increase in H- and Ht respectively. Our findings add valuable
      knowledge to the vast, and yet little explored, research field of parasite
      microbiota interactions and will provide a basis for the elucidation of the role
      such interactions play in pathogenic and immune-modulatory properties of
      parasitic nematodes in both human and animal hosts.

PMID- 28892496
TI  - Effectiveness of food supplements in increasing fat-free tissue accretion in
      children with moderate acute malnutrition: A randomised 2 * 2 * 3 factorial trial
      in Burkina Faso.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) are treated with
      lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) or corn-soy blend (CSB). We assessed the
      effectiveness of (a) matrix, i.e., LNS or CSB, (b) soy quality, i.e., soy isolate
      (SI) or dehulled soy (DS), and (c) percentage of total protein from dry skimmed
      milk, i.e., 0%, 20%, or 50%, in increasing fat-free tissue accretion. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: Between September 9, 2013, and August 29, 2014, a randomised 2 * 2 * 3
      factorial trial recruited 6- to 23-month-old children with MAM in Burkina Faso.
      The intervention comprised 12 weeks of food supplementation providing 500
      kcal/day as LNS or CSB, each containing SI or DS, and 0%, 20%, or 50% of protein
      from milk. Fat-free mass (FFM) was assessed by deuterium dilution technique. By
      dividing FFM by length squared, the primary outcome was expressed independent of
      length as FFM index (FFMI) accretion over 12 weeks. Other outcomes comprised
      recovery rate and additional anthropometric measures. Of 1,609 children, 4 died,
      61 were lost to follow-up, and 119 were transferred out due to supplementation
      being switched to non-experimental products. No children developed allergic
      reaction. At inclusion, 95% were breastfed, mean (SD) weight was 6.91 kg (0.93),
      with 83.5% (5.5) FFM. In the whole cohort, weight increased 0.90 kg (95% CI 0.88,
      0.93; p < 0.01) comprising 93.5% (95% CI 89.5, 97.3) FFM. As compared to children
      who received CSB, FFMI accretion was increased by 0.083 kg/m2 (95% CI 0.003,
      0.163; p = 0.042) in those who received LNS. In contrast, SI did not increase
      FFMI compared to DS (mean difference 0.038 kg/m2; 95% CI -0.041, 0.118; p =
      0.35), irrespective of matrix. Having 20% milk protein was associated with 0.097
      kg/m2 (95% CI -0.002, 0.196) greater FFMI accretion than having 0% milk protein,
      although this difference was not significant (p = 0.055), and there was no effect
      of 50% milk protein (0.049 kg/m2; 95% CI -0.047, 0.146; p = 0.32). There was no
      effect modification by season, admission criteria, or baseline FFMI, stunting,
      inflammation, or breastfeeding (p > 0.05). LNS compared to CSB resulted in 128 g
      (95% CI 67, 190; p < 0.01) greater weight gain if both contained SI, but there
      was no difference between LNS and CSB if both contained DS (mean difference 22 g;
      95% CI -40, 84; p = 0.49) (interaction p = 0.017). Accordingly, SI compared to DS
      increased weight by 89 g (95% CI 27, 150; p = 0.005) when combined with LNS, but
      not when combined with CSB. A limitation of this and other food supplementation
      trials is that it is not possible to collect reliable data on individual
      adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study, children with MAM mainly gain fat
      free tissue when rehabilitated. Nevertheless, LNS yields more fat-free tissue and
      higher recovery rates than CSB. Moreover, current LNSs with DS may be improved by
      shifting to SI. The role of milk relative to soy merits further research. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN42569496.

PMID- 28892495
TI  - Chlamydomonas DYX1C1/PF23 is essential for axonemal assembly and proper
      morphology of inner dynein arms.
AB  - Cytoplasmic assembly of ciliary dyneins, a process known as preassembly, requires
      numerous non-dynein proteins, but the identities and functions of these proteins
      are not fully elucidated. Here, we show that the classical Chlamydomonas motility
      mutant pf23 is defective in the Chlamydomonas homolog of DYX1C1. The pf23 mutant
      has a 494 bp deletion in the DYX1C1 gene and expresses a shorter DYX1C1 protein
      in the cytoplasm. Structural analyses, using cryo-ET, reveal that pf23 axonemes
      lack most of the inner dynein arms. Spectral counting confirms that DYX1C1 is
      essential for the assembly of the majority of ciliary inner dynein arms (IDA) as
      well as a fraction of the outer dynein arms (ODA). A C-terminal truncation of
      DYX1C1 shows a reduction in a subset of these ciliary IDAs. Sucrose gradients of
      cytoplasmic extracts show that preassembled ciliary dyneins are reduced compared
      to wild-type, which suggests an important role in dynein complex stability. The
      role of PF23/DYX1C1 remains unknown, but we suggest that DYX1C1 could provide a
      scaffold for macromolecular assembly.

PMID- 28892498
TI  - Comment on Rohrscheib et al. 2016 "Intensity of mutualism breakdown is determined
      by temperature not amplification of Wolbachia genes".

PMID- 28892497
TI  - Improved DOP-PCR (iDOP-PCR): A robust and simple WGA method for efficient
      amplification of low copy number genomic DNA.
AB  - Whole-genome amplification (WGA) techniques are used for non-specific
      amplification of low-copy number DNA, and especially for single-cell genome and
      transcriptome amplification. There are a number of WGA methods that have been
      developed over the years. One example is degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR
      (DOP-PCR), which is a very simple, fast and inexpensive WGA technique. Although
      DOP-PCR has been regarded as one of the pioneering methods for WGA, it only
      provides low genome coverage and a high allele dropout rate when compared to more
      modern techniques. Here we describe an improved DOP-PCR (iDOP-PCR). We have
      modified the classic DOP-PCR by using a new thermostable DNA polymerase (SD
      polymerase) with a strong strand-displacement activity and by adjustments in
      primers design. We compared iDOP-PCR, classic DOP-PCR and the well-established
      PicoPlex technique for whole genome amplification of both high- and low-copy
      number human genomic DNA. The amplified DNA libraries were evaluated by analysis
      of short tandem repeat genotypes and NGS data. In summary, iDOP-PCR provided a
      better quality of the amplified DNA libraries compared to the other WGA methods
      tested, especially when low amounts of genomic DNA were used as an input
      material.

PMID- 28892499
TI  - Effectiveness and economic assessment of routine larviciding for prevention of
      chikungunya and dengue in temperate urban settings in Europe.
AB  - In the last decades, several European countries where arboviral infections are
      not endemic have faced outbreaks of diseases such as chikungunya and dengue,
      initially introduced by infectious travellers from tropical endemic areas and
      then spread locally via mosquito bites. To keep in check the epidemiological
      risk, interventions targeted to control vector abundance can be implemented by
      local authorities. We assessed the epidemiological effectiveness and economic
      costs and benefits of routine larviciding in European towns with temperate
      climate, using a mathematical model of Aedes albopictus populations and viral
      transmission, calibrated on entomological surveillance data collected from ten
      municipalities in Northern Italy during 2014 and 2015.We found that routine
      larviciding of public catch basins can limit both the risk of autochthonous
      transmission and the size of potential epidemics. Ideal larvicide interventions
      should be timed in such a way to cover the month of July. Optimally timed
      larviciding can reduce locally transmitted cases of chikungunya by 20% - 33% for
      a single application (dengue: 18-22%) and up to 43% - 65% if treatment is
      repeated four times throughout the season (dengue: 31-51%). In larger
      municipalities (>35,000 inhabitants), the cost of comprehensive larviciding over
      the whole urban area overcomes potential health benefits related to preventing
      cases of disease, suggesting the adoption of more localized interventions.
      Small/medium sized towns with high mosquito abundance will likely have a positive
      cost-benefit balance. Involvement of private citizens in routine larviciding
      activities further reduces transmission risks but with disproportionate costs of
      intervention. International travels and the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases
      are increasing worldwide, exposing a growing number of European citizens to
      higher risks of potential outbreaks. Results from this study may support the
      planning and timing of interventions aimed to reduce the probability of
      autochthonous transmission as well as the nuisance for local populations living
      in temperate areas of Europe.

PMID- 28892500
TI  - Are attitudes toward peace and war the two sides of the same coin? Evidence to
      the contrary from a French validation of the Attitudes Toward Peace and War
      Scale.
AB  - Bizumic et al. (2013) have recently shown that attitudes towards peace and war
      reflect two distinct constructs rather than two poles of a single dimension. We
      present an attempt at validating the French version of their 16-item Attitudes
      toward Peace and War Scale (APWS) on five distinct (mainly Belgian) French
      speaking samples (total N = 808). Confirmatory factor and criterion validity
      analyses confirmed that attitudes toward peace and war, although negatively
      related, are distinct in terms of their antecedents and consequences. On the one
      hand, antecedents of attitudes toward peace included egalitarian ideological
      beliefs and empathic concern for others, and consequences included intentions to
      engage in pro-peace behaviors. On the other hand, antecedents of attitudes toward
      war included national identification and authoritarian ideological beliefs, and
      consequences included intentions to engage in pro-war behaviors. Furthermore,
      both attitudes toward peace and war were, respectively, negatively and positively
      related to (a right-wing) political orientation. Unexpectedly however, attitudes
      toward war were positively related to nonegalitarian ideological beliefs and were
      not related to personal distress. Scores on the translated scale were unrelated
      to socially desirable responding. In terms of known-groups validity, men had,
      respectively, more and less positive attitudes toward war and peace than women.
      Finally, based on exploratory factor analyses, the inclusion of some items for
      the factorial structure of the measure is questioned and a shortened form of the
      measure is validated. Overall, these findings are in line with Bizumic et al. and
      suggest that attitudes toward peace and war also reflect two distinct constructs
      in a French-speaking population.

PMID- 28892501
TI  - Implementation of a study to examine the persistence of Ebola virus in the body
      fluids of Ebola virus disease survivors in Sierra Leone: Methodology and lessons
      learned.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 2013-2016 West African Ebola virus disease epidemic was
      unprecedented in terms of the number of cases and survivors. Prior to this
      epidemic there was limited data available on the persistence of Ebola virus in
      survivors' body fluids and the potential risk of transmission, including sexual
      transmission. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Given the urgent need to determine
      the persistence of Ebola virus in survivors' body fluids, an observational cohort
      study was designed and implemented during the epidemic response operation in
      Sierra Leone. This publication describes study implementation methodology and the
      key lessons learned. Challenges encountered during implementation included
      unforeseen duration of follow-up, complexity of interpreting and communicating
      laboratory results to survivors, and the urgency of translating research findings
      into public health practice. Strong community engagement helped rapidly implement
      the study during the epidemic. The study was conducted in two phases. The first
      phase was initiated within five months of initial protocol discussions and
      assessed persistence of Ebola virus in semen of 100 adult men. The second phase
      assessed the persistence of virus in multiple body fluids (semen or vaginal
      fluid, menstrual blood, breast milk, and urine, rectal fluid, sweat, saliva,
      tears), of 120 men and 120 women. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Data from this study
      informed national and global guidelines in real time and demonstrated the need to
      implement semen testing programs among Ebola virus disease survivors. The lessons
      learned and study tools developed accelerated the implementation of such programs
      in Ebola virus disease affected countries, and also informed studies examining
      persistence of Zika virus. Research is a vital component of the public health
      response to an epidemic of a poorly characterized disease. Adequate resources
      should be rapidly made available to answer critical research questions, in order
      to better inform response efforts.

PMID- 28892502
TI  - Rapid and recent diversification patterns in Anseriformes birds: Inferred from
      molecular phylogeny and diversification analyses.
AB  - The Anseriformes is a well-known and widely distributed bird order, with more
      than 150 species in the world. This paper aims to revise the classification,
      determine the phylogenetic relationships and diversification patterns in
      Anseriformes by exploring the Cyt b, ND2, COI genes and the complete
      mitochondrial genomes (mito-genomes). Molecular phylogeny and genetic distance
      analyses suggest that the Dendrocygna species should be considered as an
      independent family, Dendrocygnidae, rather than a member of Anatidae. Molecular
      timescale analyses suggests that the ancestral diversification occurred during
      the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (58 ~ 50 Ma). Furthermore, diversification
      analyses showed that, after a long period of constant diversification, the median
      initial speciation rate was accelerated three times, and finally increased to
      approximately 0.3 sp/My. In the present study, both molecular phylogeny and
      diversification analyses results support that Anseriformes birds underwent rapid
      and recent diversification in their evolutionary history, especially in modern
      ducks, which show extreme diversification during the Plio-Pleistocene (~ 5.3 Ma).
      Therefore, our study support that the Plio-Pleistocene climate fluctuations are
      likely to have played a significant role in promoting the recent diversification
      for Anseriformes.

PMID- 28892503
TI  - Structural and functional correlates for language efficiency in auditory word
      processing.
AB  - This study aims to provide convergent understanding of the neural basis of
      auditory word processing efficiency using a multimodal imaging. We investigated
      the structural and functional correlates of word processing efficiency in healthy
      individuals. We acquired two structural imaging (T1-weighted imaging and
      diffusion tensor imaging) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during
      auditory word processing (phonological and semantic tasks). Our results showed
      that better phonological performance was predicted by the greater thalamus
      activity. In contrary, better semantic performance was associated with the less
      activation in the left posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG), supporting the
      neural efficiency hypothesis that better task performance requires less brain
      activation. Furthermore, our network analysis revealed the semantic network
      including the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (DLPFC) and pMTG was correlated with the semantic efficiency. Especially, this
      network acted as a neural efficient manner during auditory word processing.
      Structurally, DLPFC and cingulum contributed to the word processing efficiency.
      Also, the parietal cortex showed a significate association with the word
      processing efficiency. Our results demonstrated that two features of word
      processing efficiency, phonology and semantics, can be supported in different
      brain regions and, importantly, the way serving it in each region was different
      according to the feature of word processing. Our findings suggest that word
      processing efficiency can be achieved by in collaboration of multiple brain
      regions involved in language and general cognitive function structurally and
      functionally.

PMID- 28892504
TI  - Clinical impact of depression and anxiety in patients with idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although depression and anxiety represent significant yet treatable
      comorbidities in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), their impact
      on the clinical course and prognosis of IPF remain unclear. PURPOSE: We
      investigated the prevalence and clinical significance of depression and anxiety
      in patients with IPF. METHODS: The present study included a prospective cohort
      comprising 112 Korean patients with IPF who had completed the Hospital Anxiety
      and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. RESULTS: Symptoms of depression and
      anxiety were present in 25.9% and 21.4% of patients with IPF, respectively (HADS
      scores >=8). No significant differences in demographic data, age, sex, smoking
      status, Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (MMRC) scores, pulmonary
      function tests, or Gender-Age-Physiology Index for IPF were observed between
      patients with depression or anxiety and those without. However, in patients with
      anxiety, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores were significantly
      higher than those of patients without anxiety (40.5 versus 23.5; p = 0.003). The
      survival rate and total number of hospital admissions did not significantly
      differ between patients with depression/anxiety and those without. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our findings indicate that depression and anxiety are relatively common in
      patients with IPF. Although no significant differences were noted with regard to
      survival rate and hospitalization, the present study suggests that depression and
      anxiety significantly influence quality of life in patients with IPF.

PMID- 28892505
TI  - Frailty is associated with objectively assessed sedentary behaviour patterns in
      older adults: Evidence from the Toledo Study for Healthy Aging (TSHA).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the association of sedentary
      behaviour patterns with frailty in older people. SETTING: Clinical setting.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional, observational study. PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: A
      triaxial accelerometer was used in a subsample from the Toledo Study for Healthy
      Aging (519 participants, 67-97 years) to assess several sedentary behaviour
      patterns including sedentary time per day, the number and duration (min) of
      breaks in sedentary time per day, and the proportion of the day spent in
      sedentary bouts of 10 minutes or more. Frailty was assessed using the Frailty
      Trait Scale (FTS). Regression analysis was used to ascertain the associations
      between sedentary behaviour patterns and frailty. RESULTS: Sedentary time per day
      and the proportion of the day spent in sedentary bouts of 10 minutes or more,
      were positively associated with frailty in the study sample. Conversely, the time
      spent in breaks in sedentary time was negatively associated with frailty.
      CONCLUSION: In summary, breaking up sedentary time and time spent in sedentary
      behaviour are associated with frailty in older people.

PMID- 28892506
TI  - Does progestin-only contraceptive use after pregnancy affect recovery from pelvic
      girdle pain? A prospective population study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate associations of progestin-only contraceptives with
      persistent pelvic girdle pain 18 months after delivery. METHODS: Prospective
      population based cohort study during the years 2003-2011. We included 20,493
      women enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study who reported pelvic
      girdle pain in pregnancy week 30. Data were obtained by 3 self-administered
      questionnaires and the exposure was obtained by linkage to the Prescription
      Database of Norway. The outcome was pelvic girdle pain 18 months after delivery.
      RESULTS: Pelvic girdle pain 18 months after delivery was reported by 9.7%
      (957/9830) of women with dispense of a progestin-only contraceptive and by 10.5%
      (1114/10,663) of women without dispense (adjusted odds ratio 0.93; 95% CI 0.84
      1.02). In sub-analyses, long duration of exposure to a progestin intrauterine
      device or progestin-only oral contraceptives was associated with reduced odds of
      persistent pelvic girdle pain (Ptrend = 0.021 and Ptrend = 0.005). Conversely,
      long duration of exposure to progestin injections and/or a progestin implant was
      associated with modest increased odds of persistent pelvic girdle pain (Ptrend =
      0.046). Early timing of progestin-only contraceptive dispense following delivery
      (<=3 months) was not significantly associated with persistent pelvic girdle pain.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a small beneficial effect of progestin
      intrauterine devices and progestin-only oral contraceptives on recovery from
      pelvic girdle pain. We cannot completely rule out an opposing adverse effect of
      exposure to progestin injections and/or progestin implants. However, the modest
      increased odds of persistent pelvic girdle pain among these users could be a
      result of unmeasured confounding.

PMID- 28892509
TI  - Quantitative assessment of a data-limited recreational bonefish fishery using a
      time-series of fishing guides reports.
AB  - Recreational fisheries can be prone to severe declines, yet these fisheries,
      particularly catch-and-release, are often data-limited, constraining our ability
      to conduct stock assessments. A combination of catch and effort indices derived
      from fisheries-dependent data (FDD) gathered from fishing logbooks could be a
      powerful approach to inform these data gaps. This study demonstrates the utility
      of using different catch metrics such as indices of abundance, species richness
      associated with reported catch, and the success rate of targeted trips, to assess
      historical shifts in the trajectory of the data-limited bonefish (Albula vulpes)
      fishery in Florida Bay, an economically-important recreational fishery within the
      Caribbean Basin. We used FDD from fishing guide reports submitted to Everglades
      National Park to determine temporal patterns in the bonefish population over the
      past 35 years. These reports indicated a decline in recreational catches in
      Florida Bay since the late 1980s, with an accelerated decline starting in the
      late 1990s-early 2000s. Analyses showed an overall 42% reduction in bonefish
      catches. Trends in the proportion of positive trips (i.e., the probability of
      catching success) followed the declining catch patterns, suggesting major
      population changes starting in 1999-2000. As bonefish catches declined, species
      richness in bonefish trips increased by 34%, suggesting a decrease in bonefish
      abundance and/or shift in fishing effort (e.g., giving-up time, changes in
      preferred species). Results provide additional resolution to a pattern of decline
      for bonefish in South Florida and highlight the value of reconstructing time
      series for the development of hypotheses about the potential driving mechanisms
      of species decline. Further, the data-limited nature of most recreational
      fisheries, and the increase in a use of catch-and-release as a fisheries
      management strategy point to the need to develop further data integration tools
      to assess population trends and the sustainability of these fishery resources.

PMID- 28892508
TI  - Physical, psychological, sexual, and systemic abuse of children with disabilities
      in East Africa: Mapping the evidence.
AB  - Children with disabilities (CWDs) are at a higher risk of being maltreated than
      are typical children. The evidence base on the abuse of children with
      disabilities living in low- and middle-income countries is extremely limited but
      the problem is particularly acute in East Africa. We don't know the types of
      evidence that exist on this topic. This problem is compounded by the fact that
      key indicators of disability, such as reliable prevalence rates, are not
      available currently. This paper addresses this serious problem by mapping the
      existing evidence-base to document the coverage, patterns, and gaps in existing
      research on the abuse of children with disabilities in East Africa. An evidence
      map, following systematic review guidelines, was conducted and included a
      systematic search, transparent and structured data extraction, and critical
      appraisal. Health and social science databases (Medline, EMBASE, PsychInfo,
      Taylor&Francis, Web of Science, and SAGE) were systematically searched for
      relevant studies. A substantive grey literature search was also conducted. All
      empirical research on the abuse of CWDs in East Africa was eligible for
      inclusion: Data on abuse was systematically extracted and the research evidence,
      following critical appraisal, mapped according to the type of abuse and
      disability condition, highlighting gaps and patterns in the evidence-base. 6005
      studies were identified and screened, of which 177 received a full-text
      assessment. Of these, 41 studies matched the inclusion criteria. By mapping the
      available data and reports and systematically assessing their trustworthiness and
      relevance, we highlight significant gaps in the available evidence base. Clear
      patterns emerge that show a major data gap and lack of research on sexual abuse
      of children with disabilities and an identifiable lack of methodological quality
      in many relevant studies. These make the development of a concerted and targeted
      research effort to tackle the abuse of children with disabilities in East Africa
      extremely difficult. This needs to be addressed urgently if the abuse of children
      with disabilities is to be prioritised by the global health community.

PMID- 28892510
TI  - Structure-based design, synthesis and crystallization of 2-arylquinazolines as
      lipid pocket ligands of p38alpha MAPK.
AB  - In protein kinase research, identifying and addressing small molecule binding
      sites other than the highly conserved ATP-pocket are of intense interest because
      this line of investigation extends our understanding of kinase function beyond
      the catalytic phosphotransfer. Such alternative binding sites may be involved in
      altering the activation state through subtle conformational changes, control
      cellular enzyme localization, or in mediating and disrupting protein-protein
      interactions. Small organic molecules that target these less conserved regions
      might serve as tools for chemical biology research and to probe alternative
      strategies in targeting protein kinases in disease settings. Here, we present the
      structure-based design and synthesis of a focused library of 2-arylquinazoline
      derivatives to target the lipophilic C-terminal binding pocket in p38alpha MAPK,
      for which a clear biological function has yet to be identified. The interactions
      of the ligands with p38alpha MAPK was analyzed by SPR measurements and validated
      by protein X-ray crystallography.

PMID- 28892507
TI  - Extreme genome diversity in the hyper-prevalent parasitic eukaryote Blastocystis.
AB  - Blastocystis is the most prevalent eukaryotic microbe colonizing the human gut,
      infecting approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide. Although Blastocystis
      has been linked to intestinal disorders, its pathogenicity remains controversial
      because most carriers are asymptomatic. Here, the genome sequence of Blastocystis
      subtype (ST) 1 is presented and compared to previously published sequences for
      ST4 and ST7. Despite a conserved core of genes, there is unexpected diversity
      between these STs in terms of their genome sizes, guanine-cytosine (GC) content,
      intron numbers, and gene content. ST1 has 6,544 protein-coding genes, which is
      several hundred more than reported for ST4 and ST7. The percentage of proteins
      unique to each ST ranges from 6.2% to 20.5%, greatly exceeding the differences
      observed within parasite genera. Orthologous proteins also display extreme
      divergence in amino acid sequence identity between STs (i.e., 59%-61% median
      identity), on par with observations of the most distantly related species pairs
      of parasite genera. The STs also display substantial variation in gene family
      distributions and sizes, especially for protein kinase and protease gene
      families, which could reflect differences in virulence. It remains to be seen to
      what extent these inter-ST differences persist at the intra-ST level. A full 26%
      of genes in ST1 have stop codons that are created on the mRNA level by a novel
      polyadenylation mechanism found only in Blastocystis. Reconstructions of pathways
      and organellar systems revealed that ST1 has a relatively complete membrane
      trafficking system and a near-complete meiotic toolkit, possibly indicating a
      sexual cycle. Unlike some intestinal protistan parasites, Blastocystis ST1 has
      near-complete de novo pyrimidine, purine, and thiamine biosynthesis pathways and
      is unique amongst studied stramenopiles in being able to metabolize alpha-glucans
      rather than beta-glucans. It lacks all genes encoding heme-containing cytochrome
      P450 proteins. Predictions of the mitochondrion-related organelle (MRO) proteome
      reveal an expanded repertoire of functions, including lipid, cofactor, and
      vitamin biosynthesis, as well as proteins that may be involved in regulating
      mitochondrial morphology and MRO/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) interactions. In
      sharp contrast, genes for peroxisome-associated functions are absent, suggesting
      Blastocystis STs lack this organelle. Overall, this study provides an important
      window into the biology of Blastocystis, showcasing significant differences
      between STs that can guide future experimental investigations into differences in
      their virulence and clarifying the roles of these organisms in gut health and
      disease.

PMID- 28892512
TI  - Grape microbiome as a reliable and persistent signature of field origin and
      environmental conditions in Cannonau wine production.
AB  - Grape berries harbor a wide range of microbes originating from the vineyard
      environment, many of which are recognized for their role in the must fermentation
      process shaping wine quality. To better clarify the contribution of the
      microbiome of grape fruits during wine fermentation, we used high-throughput
      sequencing to identify bacterial and fungi communities associated with berries
      and musts of Cannonau. This is the most important cultivar-wine of Sardinia
      (Italy) where most vineyards are cultivated without phytochemical treatments.
      Results suggested that microbiomes of berries collected at four different
      localities share a core composition characterized by Enterobacteriales,
      Pseudomonadales, Bacillales, and Rhodospirillales. However, any area seems to
      enrich berries microbiome with peculiar microbial traits. For example, berries
      belonging to the biodynamic vineyards of Mamoiada were rich in Bacillales typical
      of manure (i.e. Lysinibacillus, Bacillus, and Sporosarcina), whereas in the
      Santadi locality, berries showed soil bacteria such as Pasteurellales and
      Bacteroidales as well as Rhodospirillales and Lactobacillales which are commonly
      involved in wine fermentation. In the case of fungi, the most abundant taxa were
      Dothioraceae, Pleosporaceae, and Saccharomycodaceae, and although the proportion
      of these families varied among localities, they occurred ubiquitously in all
      vineyards. During vinification processes performed at the same wine cellar under
      controlled conditions and without using any yeast starter, more than 50% of
      bacteria groups of berries reached musts, and each locality had its own private
      bacteria signature, even if Saccharomyces cerevisiae represented the most
      abundant fungal species. This work suggests that natural berries microbiome could
      be influenced by pedoclimatic and anthropologic conditions (e.g., farming
      management), and the fruits' microorganisms persist during the fermentation
      process. For these reasons, a reliable wine genotyping should include the entire
      holobiont (plant and all its symbionts), and bioprospecting activities on grape
      microbiota could lead to improved viticulture yields and wine quality.

PMID- 28892511
TI  - The equilibrium between antagonistic signaling pathways determines the number of
      synapses in Drosophila.
AB  - The number of synapses is a major determinant of behavior and many neural
      diseases exhibit deviations in that number. However, how signaling pathways
      control this number is still poorly understood. Using the Drosophila larval
      neuromuscular junction, we show here a PI3K-dependent pathway for synaptogenesis
      which is functionally connected with other previously known elements including
      the Wit receptor, its ligand Gbb, and the MAPkinases cascade. Based on epistasis
      assays, we determined the functional hierarchy within the pathway. Wit seems to
      trigger signaling through PI3K, and Ras85D also contributes to the initiation of
      synaptogenesis. However, contrary to other signaling pathways, PI3K does not
      require Ras85D binding in the context of synaptogenesis. In addition to the MAPK
      cascade, Bsk/JNK undergoes regulation by Puc and Ras85D which results in a narrow
      range of activity of this kinase to determine normalcy of synapse number. The
      transcriptional readout of the synaptogenesis pathway involves the Fos/Jun
      complex and the repressor Cic. In addition, we identified an antagonistic pathway
      that uses the transcription factors Mad and Medea and the microRNA bantam to down
      regulate key elements of the pro-synaptogenesis pathway. Like its counterpart,
      the anti-synaptogenesis signaling uses small GTPases and MAPKs including Ras64B,
      Ras-like-a, p38a and Licorne. Bantam downregulates the pro-synaptogenesis factors
      PI3K, Hiw, Ras85D and Bsk, but not AKT. AKT, however, can suppress Mad which, in
      conjunction with the reported suppression of Mad by Hiw, closes the mutual
      regulation between both pathways. Thus, the number of synapses seems to result
      from the balanced output from these two pathways.

PMID- 28892513
TI  - Placebo can enhance creativity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The placebo effect is usually studied in clinical settings for
      decreasing negative symptoms such as pain, depression and anxiety. There is
      interest in exploring the placebo effect also outside the clinic, for enhancing
      positive aspects of performance or cognition. Several studies indicate that
      placebo can enhance cognitive abilities including memory, implicit learning and
      general knowledge. Here, we ask whether placebo can enhance creativity, an
      important aspect of human cognition. METHODS: Subjects were randomly assigned to
      a control group who smelled and rated an odorant (n = 45), and a placebo group
      who were treated identically but were also told that the odorant increases
      creativity and reduces inhibitions (n = 45). Subjects completed a recently
      developed automated test for creativity, the creative foraging game (CFG), and a
      randomly chosen subset (n = 57) also completed two manual standardized creativity
      tests, the alternate uses test (AUT) and the Torrance test (TTCT). In all three
      tests, participants were asked to create as many original solutions and were
      scored for originality, flexibility and fluency. RESULTS: The placebo group
      showed higher originality than the control group both in the CFG (p<0.04, effect
      size = 0.5) and in the AUT (p<0.05, effect size = 0.4), but not in the Torrance
      test. The placebo group also found more shapes outside of the standard categories
      found by a set of 100 CFG players in a previous study, a feature termed out-of
      the-boxness (p<0.01, effect size = 0.6). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that
      placebo can enhance the originality aspect of creativity. This strengthens the
      view that placebo can be used not only to reduce negative clinical symptoms, but
      also to enhance positive aspects of cognition. Furthermore, we find that the
      impact of placebo on creativity can be tested by CFG, which can quantify multiple
      aspects of creative search without need for manual coding. This approach opens
      the way to explore the behavioral and neural mechanisms by which placebo might
      amplify creativity.

PMID- 28892514
TI  - L-thyroxine modifies nephrotoxicity by regulating the apoptotic pathway: The
      possible role of CD38/ADP-ribosyl cyclase-mediated calcium mobilization.
AB  - Thyroid hormones are well-established as a key regulator of many cellular
      metabolic pathways developed in various pathogeneses. Here, we dedicated the
      current work to investigate the role of thyroid hormone analogue (L-thyroxine, L
      TH) in regulating the renal cytotoxicity using in vivo and in vitro models. Swiss
      mice were exposed to gamma radiation (IRR, 6Gy) or treated with cisplatin (CIS,
      15 mg/kg, i.p.) for induction of nephrotoxicity. Remarkably, pretreatment with L
      TH (1MUg/kg) ameliorated the elevated kidney function biomarkers, oxidative
      stress and protected the renal tissue from the subsequent cellular damage.
      Likewise, L-TH inhibited the apoptotic cascade by down-regulating the extreme
      consumption of the cellular energy (ATP), the expression of caspase-3 and Bax,
      and the stimulation of cyclic ADP ribose (cADPR)/calcium mobilization. Moreover,
      incubation with L-TH (120nM/4h) significantly blocked the cytotoxicity of CIS on
      Vero cells and the depletion of NAD+ content as well as modified the ADP-ribose
      cyclase (CD38) enzymatic activity. High doses of L-TH (up to30 nM/4h) inversely
      increased the radiosensitivity of Vero cells towards IRR (up to 6Gy). On the
      other hand, L-TH did not interfere CIS-induced cytotoxicity of colorectal
      adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cell line. In conclusion, pretreatment with L-TH could be
      a promising protective approach to the renal cellular damage induced during
      either CIS or IRR therapy by regulating the unbalanced oxidative status, the
      expression of pro-apoptotic biomarkers via modulation of cADPR mediated-calcium
      mobilization.

PMID- 28892516
TI  - Heterogeneity and nonlinearity in consumers' preferences: An application to the
      olive oil shopping behavior in Chile.
AB  - In relatively unknown products, consumers use prices as a quality reference.
      Under such circumstances, the utility function can be non-negative for a specific
      price range and generate an inverted U-shaped function. The extra virgin olive
      oil market in Chile is a good example. Although domestic production and
      consumption have increased significantly in the last few years, consumer
      knowledge of this product is still limited. The objective of this study was to
      analyze Chilean consumer preferences and willingness to pay for extra virgin
      olive oil attributes. Consumers were segmented taking into account purchasing
      frequency. A Random Parameter Logit model was estimated for preference
      heterogeneity. Results indicate that the utility function is nonlinear allowing
      us to differentiate between two regimes. In the first regime, olive oil behaves
      as a conspicuous good, that is, higher utility is assigned to higher prices and
      consumers prefer foreign products in smaller containers. Under the second regime,
      Chilean olive oil in larger containers is preferred.

PMID- 28892515
TI  - Strong interferon-gamma mediated cellular immunity to scrub typhus demonstrated
      using a novel whole cell antigen ELISpot assay in rhesus macaques and humans.
AB  - Scrub typhus is a febrile infection caused by the obligate intracellular
      bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, which causes significant morbidity and
      mortality across the Asia-Pacific region. The control of this vector-borne
      disease is challenging due to humans being dead-end hosts, vertical maintenance
      of the pathogen in the vector itself, and a potentially large rodent reservoir of
      unclear significance, coupled with a lack of accurate diagnostic tests.
      Development of an effective vaccine is highly desirable. This however requires
      better characterization of the natural immune response of this neglected but
      important disease. Here we implement a novel IFN-gamma ELISpot assay as a tool
      for studying O. tsutsugamushi induced cellular immune responses in an
      experimental scrub typhus rhesus macaque model and human populations. Whole cell
      antigen for O. tsutsugamushi (OT-WCA) was prepared by heat inactivation of Karp
      strain bacteria. Rhesus macaques were infected intradermally with O.
      tsutsugamushi. Freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from
      infected (n = 10) and uninfected animals (n = 5) were stimulated with OT-WCA, and
      IFN-gamma secreting cells quantitated by ELISpot assay at five time points over
      28 days. PBMC were then assayed from people in a scrub typhus-endemic region of
      Thailand (n = 105) and responses compared to those from a partially exposed
      population in a non-endemic region (n = 14), and to a naive population in UK (n =
      12). Mean results at Day 0 prior to O. tsutsugamushi infection were 12 (95% CI 0
      25) and 15 (2-27) spot-forming cells (SFC)/106 PBMC for infected and control
      macaques respectively. Strong O. tsutsugamushi-specific IFN-gamma responses were
      seen post infection, with ELISpot responses 20-fold higher than baseline at Day 7
      (mean 235, 95% CI 200-270 SFC/106 PBMC), 105-fold higher at Day 14 (mean 1261,
      95% CI 1,097-1,425 SFC/106 PBMC), 125-fold higher at Day 21 (mean 1,498, 95% CI
      1,496-1,500 SFC/106 PBMC) and 118-fold higher at Day 28 (mean 1,416, 95% CI 1,306
      1,527 SFC/106 PBMC). No significant change was found in the control group at any
      time point compared to baseline. Humans from a scrub typhus endemic region of
      Thailand had mean responses of 189 (95% CI 88-290) SFC/106 PBMC compared to mean
      responses of 40 (95% CI 9-71) SFC/106 PBMC in people from a non-endemic region
      and 3 (95% CI 0-7) SFC/106 PBMC in naive controls. In summary, this highly
      sensitive assay will enable field immunogenicity studies and further
      characterization of the host response to O. tsutsugamushi, and provides a link
      between human and animal models to accelerate vaccine development.

PMID- 28892517
TI  - Naturally acquired antibody responses to more than 300 Plasmodium vivax proteins
      in three geographic regions.
AB  - Plasmodium vivax remains an important cause of malaria in South America and the
      Asia-Pacific. Naturally acquired antibody responses against multiple P. vivax
      proteins have been described in numerous countries, however, direct comparison of
      these responses has been difficult with different methodologies employed. We
      measured antibody responses against 307 P. vivax proteins at the time of P. vivax
      infection, and at 2-3 later time-points in three countries. We observed that
      seropositivity rates at the time of infection were highest in Thailand, followed
      by Brazil then PNG, reflecting the level of antigenic input. The majority of sero
      reactive antigens in all sites induced short-lived antibody responses with
      estimated half-lives of less than 6 months, although there was a trend towards
      longer-lived responses in PNG children. Despite these differences, IgG
      seropositivity rates, magnitude and longevity were highly and significantly rank
      correlated between the different regions, suggesting such features are reflective
      of the individual protein.

PMID- 28892518
TI  - Response to: Comment on Rohrscheib et al. 2016 "Intensity of mutualism breakdown
      is determined by temperature not amplification of Wolbachia genes".

PMID- 28892519
TI  - Convergent evolution involving dimeric and trimeric dUTPases in pathogenicity
      island mobilization.
AB  - The dUTPase (Dut) enzymes, encoded by almost all free-living organisms and some
      viruses, prevent the misincorporation of uracil into DNA. We previously proposed
      that trimeric Duts are regulatory proteins involved in different cellular
      processes; including the phage-mediated transfer of the Staphylococcus aureus
      pathogenicity island SaPIbov1. Recently, it has been shown that the structurally
      unrelated dimeric Dut encoded by phage phiNM1 is similarly able to mobilize
      SaPIbov1, suggesting dimeric Duts could also be regulatory proteins. How this is
      accomplished remains unsolved. Here, using in vivo, biochemical and structural
      approaches, we provide insights into the signaling mechanism used by the dimeric
      Duts to induce the SaPIbov1 cycle. As reported for the trimeric Duts, dimeric
      Duts contain an extremely variable region, here named domain VI, which is
      involved in the regulatory capacity of these enzymes. Remarkably, our results
      also show that the dimeric Dut signaling mechanism is modulated by dUTP, as with
      the trimeric Duts. Overall, our results demonstrate that although unrelated both
      in sequence and structure, dimeric and trimeric Duts control SaPI transfer by
      analogous mechanisms, representing a fascinating example of convergent evolution.
      This conserved mode of action highlights the biological significance of Duts as
      regulatory molecules.

PMID- 28892522
TI  - White Blood Cell Count in the Evaluation of the Febrile Infant: Time to Revisit
      the Dogma?

PMID- 28892523
TI  - A Much-Needed Corrective on Drug Development Costs.

PMID- 28892520
TI  - Knowledge and attitude towards Ebola and Marburg virus diseases in Uganda using
      quantitative and participatory epidemiology techniques.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uganda has reported five (5) Ebola virus disease outbreaks and three
      (3) Marburg virus disease outbreaks from 2000 to 2016. Peoples' knowledge and
      attitude towards Ebola and Marburg virus disease impact on control and prevention
      measures especially during outbreaks. We describe knowledge and attitude towards
      Ebola and Marburg virus outbreaks in two affected communities in Uganda to inform
      future outbreak responses and help in the design of health education and
      communication messages. METHODS: The study was a community survey done in
      Luweero, Ibanda and Kamwenge districts that have experienced outbreaks of Ebola
      and Marburg virus diseases. Quantitative data were collected using a structured
      questionnaire and triangulated with qualitative participatory epidemiology
      techniques to gain a communities' knowledge and attitude towards Ebola and
      Marburg virus disease. RESULTS: Out of 740 respondents, 48.5% (359/740) were
      categorized as being knowledgeable about Ebola and Marburg virus diseases,
      whereas 60.5% (448/740) were having a positive attitude towards control and
      prevention of Ebola and Marburg virus diseases. The mean knowledge and attitude
      percentage scores were 54.3 (SD = 23.5, 95%CI = 52.6-56.0) and 69.9 (SD = 16.9,
      95%CI = 68.9-71.1) respectively. People educated beyond primary school were more
      likely to be knowledgeable about Ebola and Marburg virus disease than those who
      did not attain any formal education (OR = 3.6, 95%CI = 2.1-6.1). Qualitative data
      revealed that communities describe Ebola and Marburg virus diseases as very
      severe diseases with no cure and they believe the diseases spread so fast.
      Respondents reported fear and stigma suffered by survivors, their families and
      the broader community due to these diseases. CONCLUSION: Communities in Uganda
      affected by filovirus outbreaks have moderate knowledge about these diseases and
      have a positive attitude towards practices to prevent and control Ebola and
      Marburg viral diseases. The public health sector should enhance this community
      knowledge gap to empower them more by supplying educational materials for
      epidemic preparedness in future using appropriate communication channels as
      proposed by the communities.

PMID- 28892524
TI  - Research and Development Spending to Bring a Single Cancer Drug to Market and
      Revenues After Approval.
AB  - Importance: A common justification for high cancer drug prices is the sizable
      research and development (R&D) outlay necessary to bring a drug to the US market.
      A recent estimate of R&D spending is $2.7 billion (2017 US dollars). However,
      this analysis lacks transparency and independent replication. Objective: To
      provide a contemporary estimate of R&D spending to develop cancer drugs. Design,
      Setting, and Participants: Analysis of US Securities and Exchange Commission
      filings for drug companies with no drugs on the US market that received approval
      by the US Food and Drug Administration for a cancer drug from January 1, 2006,
      through December 31, 2015. Cumulative R&D spending was estimated from initiation
      of drug development activity to date of approval. Earnings were also identified
      from the time of approval to the present. The study was conducted from December
      10, 2016, to March 2, 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Median R&D spending on
      cancer drug development. Results: Ten companies and drugs were included in this
      analysis. The 10 companies had a median time to develop a drug of 7.3 years
      (range, 5.8-15.2 years). Five drugs (50%) received accelerated approval from the
      US Food and Drug Administration, and 5 (50%) received regular approval. The
      median cost of drug development was $648.0 million (range, $157.3 million to
      $1950.8 million). The median cost was $757.4 million (range, $203.6 million to
      $2601.7 million) for a 7% per annum cost of capital (or opportunity costs) and
      $793.6 million (range, $219.1 million to $2827.1 million) for a 9% opportunity
      costs. With a median of 4.0 years (range, 0.8-8.8 years) since approval, the
      total revenue from sales of these 10 drugs since approval was $67.0 billion
      compared with total R&D spending of $7.2 billion ($9.1 billion, including 7%
      opportunity costs). Conclusions and Relevance: The cost to develop a cancer drug
      is $648.0 million, a figure significantly lower than prior estimates. The revenue
      since approval is substantial (median, $1658.4 million; range, $204.1 million to
      $22 275.0 million). This analysis provides a transparent estimate of R&D spending
      on cancer drugs and has implications for the current debate on drug pricing.

PMID- 28892525
TI  - Trends and Characteristics of US Medicare Spending on Repository Corticotropin.

PMID- 28892527
TI  - Association of Insurance Gains and Losses With Access to Prescription Drugs.

PMID- 28892521
TI  - A systems medicine approach for finding target proteins affecting treatment
      outcomes in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
AB  - Autoantibody profiling with a systems medicine approach can help identify
      critical dysregulated signaling pathways (SPs) in cancers. In this way,
      immunoglobulins G (IgG) purified from the serum samples of 92 healthy controls,
      10 pre-treated (PR) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients, and 20 NHL patients who
      underwent chemotherapy (PS) were screened with a phage-displayed random peptide
      library. Protein-protein interaction networks of the PR and PS groups were
      analyzed and visualized by Gephi. The results indicated AXIN2, SENP2, TOP2A,
      FZD6, NLK, HDAC2, HDAC1, and EHMT2, in addition to CAMK2A, PLCG1, PLCG2, GRM5,
      GRIN2B, GRIN2D, CACNA2D3, and SPTAN1 as hubs in 11 and 7 modules of PR and PS
      networks, respectively. PR- and PS-specific hubs were evaluated in the Kyoto
      Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Reactome databases. The PR-specific
      hubs were involved in Wnt SP, signaling by Notch1 in cancer, telomere
      maintenance, and transcriptional misregulation. In contrast, glutamate receptor
      SP, Fc receptor-related pathways, growth factors-related SPs, and Wnt SP were
      statistically significant enriched pathways, based on the pathway analysis of PS
      hubs. The results revealed that the most PR-specific proteins were associated
      with events involved in tumor development, while chemotherapy in the PS group was
      associated with side effects of drugs and/or cancer recurrence. As the findings
      demonstrated, PR- and PS-specific proteins in this study can be promising
      therapeutic targets in future studies.

PMID- 28892529
TI  - Nonoperative Treatment of Appendicitis.

PMID- 28892528
TI  - Determinants of Market Exclusivity for Prescription Drugs in the United States.
AB  - The high prices of brand-name prescription drugs are a growing source of
      controversy in the United States. Manufacturers of brand-name drugs can command
      high prices because they are protected from generic competition by two types of
      government-granted monopoly rights. The first are patents on the drugs that
      generally define the basic period of brand-name-only sales. The second is awarded
      at the time of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and usually defines
      the minimum time until a generic can be sold. The initial patents last for 20
      years and may be extended to account for time spent in clinical trials and
      regulatory review; other laws prevent approval of other manufacturers' versions
      of new drugs for about 6 to 7 years, and for new biologics for 12 years. Overall,
      most new drugs receive about 12 to 16 years of market exclusivity from both kinds
      of monopoly protection combined. We reviewed the peer-reviewed medical and health
      policy literature to identify studies that described the different types of
      patent protection and regulatory exclusivities that shield brand-name
      prescription drugs from competition and thus help to sustain high drug prices. We
      also identified potential policy reforms intended to modify exclusivity periods
      to address public health needs by balancing drug affordability and industry
      revenue. The goal of policy in this area should be to ensure that drug market
      exclusivity periods provide for fair return on investment but do not indefinitely
      block availability of lower-cost generic drugs.

PMID- 28892526
TI  - Rivaroxaban vs Warfarin Sodium in the Ultra-Early Period After Atrial
      Fibrillation-Related Mild Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - Importance: In atrial fibrillation (AF)-related acute ischemic stroke, the
      optimal oral anticoagulation strategy remains unclear. Objective: To test whether
      rivaroxaban or warfarin sodium is safer and more effective for preventing early
      recurrent stroke in patients with AF-related acute ischemic stroke. Design,
      Setting, and Participants: A randomized, multicenter, open-label, blinded end
      point evaluation, comparative phase 2 trial was conducted from April 28, 2014, to
      December 7, 2015, at 14 academic medical centers in South Korea among patients
      with mild AF-related stroke within the previous 5 days who were deemed suitable
      for early anticoagulation. Analysis was performed on a modified intent-to-treat
      basis. Interventions: Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive rivaroxaban, 10
      mg/d for 5 days followed by 15 or 20 mg/d, or warfarin with a target
      international normalized ratio of 2.0-3.0, for 4 weeks. Main Outcomes and
      Measures: The primary end point was the composite of new ischemic lesion or new
      intracranial hemorrhage seen on results of magnetic resonance imaging at 4 weeks.
      Primary analysis was performed in patients who received at least 1 dose of study
      medications and completed follow-up magnetic resonance imaging. Key secondary end
      points were individual components of the primary end point and hospitalization
      length. Results: Of 195 patients randomized, 183 individuals (76 women and 107
      men; mean [SD] age, 70.4 [10.4] years) completed magnetic resonance imaging
      follow-up and were included in the primary end point analysis. The rivaroxaban
      group (n = 95) and warfarin group (n = 88) showed no differences in the primary
      end point (47 [49.5%] vs 48 [54.5%]; relative risk, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.69-1.20; P =
      .49) or its individual components (new ischemic lesion: 28 [29.5%] vs 31 of 87
      [35.6%]; relative risk, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.54-1.26; P = .38; new intracranial
      hemorrhage: 30 [31.6%] vs 25 of 87 [28.7%]; relative risk, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.70
      1.71; P = .68). Each group had 1 clinical ischemic stroke, and all new
      intracranial hemorrhages were asymptomatic hemorrhagic transformations.
      Hospitalization length was reduced with rivaroxaban compared with warfarin
      (median, 4.0 days [interquartile range, 2.0-6.0 days] vs 6.0 days [interquartile
      range, 4.0-8.0]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In mild AF-related acute
      ischemic stroke, rivaroxaban and warfarin had comparable safety and efficacy.
      Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02042534.

PMID- 28892530
TI  - Nonoperative Treatment of Appendicitis-Reply.

PMID- 28892531
TI  - Deception in Schools-When Crisis Preparedness Efforts Go Too Far.

PMID- 28892532
TI  - Nonoperative Treatment of Appendicitis.

PMID- 28892534
TI  - Utility of Combining a Simulation-Based Method With a Lecture-Based Method for
      Fundoscopy Training in Neurology Residency.
AB  - Importance: Fundoscopic examination is an essential component of the neurologic
      examination. Competence in its performance is mandated as a required clinical
      skill for neurology residents by the American Council of Graduate Medical
      Education. Government and private insurance agencies require its performance and
      documentation for moderate- and high-level neurologic evaluations. Traditionally,
      assessment and teaching of this key clinical examination technique have been
      difficult in neurology residency training. Objective: To evaluate the utility of
      a simulation-based method and the traditional lecture-based method for assessment
      and teaching of fundoscopy to neurology residents. Design, Setting, and
      Participants: This study was a prospective, single-blinded, education research
      study of 48 neurology residents recruited from July 1, 2015, through June 30,
      2016, at a large neurology residency training program. Participants were equally
      divided into control and intervention groups after stratification by training
      year. Baseline and postintervention assessments were performed using
      questionnaire, survey, and fundoscopy simulators. Interventions: After baseline
      assessment, both groups initially received lecture-based training, which covered
      fundamental knowledge on the components of fundoscopy and key neurologic findings
      observed on fundoscopic examination. The intervention group additionally received
      simulation-based training, which consisted of an instructor-led, hands-on
      workshop that covered practical skills of performing fundoscopic examination and
      identifying neurologically relevant findings on another fundoscopy simulator.
      Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome measures were the
      postintervention changes in fundoscopy knowledge, skills, and total scores.
      Results: A total of 30 men and 18 women were equally distributed between the 2
      groups. The intervention group had significantly higher mean (SD) increases in
      skills (2.5 [2.3] vs 0.8 [1.8], P = .01) and total (9.3 [4.3] vs 5.3 [5.8], P =
      .02) scores compared with the control group. Knowledge scores (6.8 [3.3] vs 4.5
      [4.9], P = .11) increased nonsignificantly in both groups. Conclusions and
      Relevance: This study supports the use of a simulation-based method as a
      supplementary tool to the lecture-based method in the assessment and teaching of
      fundoscopic examination in neurology residency.

PMID- 28892535
TI  - Anticoagulation Timing for Atrial Fibrillation in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Time to
      Reopen Pandora's Box?

PMID- 28892533
TI  - Association of Guideline-Adherent Antibiotic Treatment With Readmission of
      Children With Sickle Cell Disease Hospitalized With Acute Chest Syndrome.
AB  - Importance: Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a common, serious complication of
      sickle cell disease (SCD) and a leading cause of hospitalization and death in
      both children and adults with SCD. Little is known about the effectiveness of
      guideline-recommended antibiotic regimens for the care of children hospitalized
      with ACS. Objectives: To use a large, national database to describe patterns of
      antibiotic use for children with SCD hospitalized for ACS and to determine
      whether receipt of guideline-adherent antibiotics was associated with lower
      readmission rates. Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective cohort study
      including 14 480 hospitalizations in 7178 children (age 0-22 years) with a
      discharge diagnosis of SCD and either ACS or pneumonia. Information was obtained
      from 41 children's hospitals submitting data to the Pediatric Health Information
      System from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2016. Exposures: National Heart,
      Lung, and Blood Institute guideline-adherent (macrolide with parenteral
      cephalosporin) vs non-guideline-adherent antibiotic regimens. Main Outcomes and
      Measures: Acute chest syndrome-related and all-cause 7- and 30-day readmissions.
      Results: Of the 14 480 hospitalizations, 6562 (45.3%) were in girls; median
      (interquartile range) age was 9 (4-14) years. Guideline-adherent antibiotics were
      provided in 10 654 of 14 480 hospitalizations for ACS (73.6%). Hospitalizations
      were most likely to include guideline-adherent antibiotics for children aged 5 to
      9 years (3230 of 4047 [79.8%]) and declined to the lowest level for children 19
      to 22 years (697 of 1088 [64.1%]). Between-hospital variation in antibiotic
      regimens was wide, with use of guideline-adherent antibiotics ranging from 24% to
      90%. Children treated with guideline-adherent antibiotics had lower 30-day ACS
      related (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% CI, 0.50-1.00) and all-cause (OR, 0.50; 95%
      CI, 0.39-0.64) readmission rates vs children who received other regimens
      (cephalosporin and macrolide vs neither drug class). Conclusions and Relevance:
      Current approaches to antibiotic treatment in children with ACS vary widely, but
      guideline-adherent therapy appears to result in fewer readmissions compared with
      non-guideline-adherent therapy. Efforts to increase the dissemination and
      implementation of SCD treatment guidelines are warranted as is comparative
      effectiveness research to strengthen the underlying evidence base.

PMID- 28892536
TI  - Notice of Retraction and Replacement: Colla et al. Association between Medicare
      accountable care organization implementation and spending among clinically
      vulnerable beneficiaries. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2016;176(8):1167-1175.

PMID- 28892540
TI  - New (Very High) Prices on Old Drugs.

PMID- 28892537
TI  - Accuracy of Complete Blood Cell Counts to Identify Febrile Infants 60 Days or
      Younger With Invasive Bacterial Infections.
AB  - Importance: Clinicians often risk stratify young febrile infants for invasive
      bacterial infections (IBIs), defined as bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis,
      using complete blood cell count parameters. Objective: To estimate the accuracy
      of individual complete blood cell count parameters to identify febrile infants
      with IBIs. Design, Setting, and Participants: Planned secondary analysis of a
      prospective observational cohort study comprising 26 emergency departments in the
      Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network from 2008 to 2013. We included
      febrile (>=38 degrees C), previously healthy, full-term infants younger than 60
      days for whom blood cultures were obtained. All infants had either cerebrospinal
      fluid cultures or 7-day follow-up. Main Outcomes and Measures: We tested the
      accuracy of the white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, and platelet
      count at commonly used thresholds for IBIs. We determined optimal thresholds
      using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: Of 4313 enrolled
      infants, 1340 (31%; 95% CI, 30% to 32%) were aged 0 to 28 days, 2412 were boys
      (56%), and 2471 were white (57%). Ninety-seven (2.2%; 95% CI, 1.8% to 2.7%) had
      IBIs. Sensitivities were low for common complete blood cell count parameter
      thresholds: white blood cell count less than 5000/uL, 10% (95% CI, 4% to 16%) (to
      convert to 109 per liter, multiply by 0.001); white blood cell count >=15 000/uL,
      27% (95% CI, 18% to 36%); absolute neutrophil count >=10 000/uL, 18% (95% CI, 10%
      to 25%) (to convert to  * 109 per liter, multiply by 0.001); and platelets <100 
      * 103/uL, 7% (95% CI, 2% to 12%) (to convert to * 109 per liter, multiply by 1).
      Optimal thresholds for white blood cell count (11 600/uL), absolute neutrophil
      count (4100/uL), and platelet count (362 * 103/uL) were identified in models that
      had areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.57 (95% CI,
      0.50-0.63), 0.70 (95% CI, 0.64-0.76), and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.55-0.67), respectively.
      Conclusions and Relevance: No complete blood cell count parameter at commonly
      used or optimal thresholds identified febrile infants 60 days or younger with
      IBIs with high accuracy. Better diagnostic tools are needed to risk stratify
      young febrile infants for IBIs.

PMID- 28892541
TI  - Possible Insufficiency of Generic Price Competition to Contain Prices for Orally
      Administered Anticancer Therapies.

PMID- 28892543
TI  - The Importance of an "Optimal" Night's Sleep for Children and "Secondhand and
      Thirdhand" Smoke Exposure.

PMID- 28892542
TI  - Nonoperative Treatment of Appendicitis-Reply.

PMID- 28892544
TI  - You Can Reduce Secondhand Smoke Exposure! Prescribing Nicotine Replacement in the
      Pediatrician's Office.
AB  - It is universally known that secondhand smoke is detrimental to children's
      health. There is emerging research about the negative effects of thirdhand smoke
      as well. Most pediatricians focus on the child's medical evaluation and
      treatment, without considering other family members as it impacts the child's
      health. Screening rates for secondhand smoke exposure are low to begin with, and
      when we find a family member who is smoking, most pediatricians feel comfortable
      counseling and referring, but many do not know how to prescribe nicotine
      replacement therapy (NRT). In offering a prescription for NRT, pediatricians can
      offer tangible, timely treatment to help the family get one step closer to being
      smoke-free. Additionally, families may see their pediatrician more frequently
      than their own adult physician, and pediatricians have a unique perspective on
      how smoking may affect the child's health, and can use this as a motivator for
      quitting. This article encourages pediatricians to screen for secondhand smoke
      exposure and prescribe NRT to their patient's family members. [Pediatr Ann.
      2017;46(9):e315-e318.].

PMID- 28892545
TI  - Pediatric Sleep Medicine.

PMID- 28892546
TI  - Insomnia in Infants and Young Children.
AB  - Sleep problems in infants and young children are common and often underdiagnosed.
      The potential negative outcomes that chronic disrupted sleep can have on a
      child's daytime functioning, as well as the adverse impact it can have on the
      family, are well known. There is considerable evidence to support the use of
      behavioral interventions to treat childhood insomnia. These strategies not only
      produce reliable and durable positive changes in sleep in most young children,
      but may also improve child and family well-being without negative effects on a
      child's social-emotional development. This article serves as a guide to help the
      pediatric provider identify, evaluate, and treat insomnia in infants and young
      children. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(9):e321-e326.].

PMID- 28892547
TI  - Non-Rapid Eye Movement Arousal Parasomnias in Children.
AB  - Parasomnia is a common pediatric sleep disorder that can cause parents or
      caregivers distress when experienced by their children. Based on the
      International Classification of Sleep Disorders, parasomnias can be divided into
      two subgroups: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnias and rapid eye movement
      (REM) parasomnias. REM sleep parasomnias include nightmares, REM behavior
      disorder, and sleep paralysis, whereas NREM sleep parasomnias include disorders
      of arousal such as confusional arousals, sleepwalking, sleep talking, night
      terrors, and sleep-related eating disorder. This review focuses on the
      epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the most common
      form of parasomnias-NREM arousal parasomnias. Additionally, this review aims to
      help clinicians distinguish NREM parasomnias from nocturnal frontal lobe
      seizures, as this distinction is important to avoid diagnostic delays and
      inappropriate medication exposure. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(9):e327-e331.].

PMID- 28892548
TI  - Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Asthma: Clinical Implications.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and asthma are common conditions in children with
      preventable long-term consequences. There is significant overlap in
      symptomatology and pathophysiology for pediatric OSA and asthma. Recent evidence
      supports clear associations between the two diseases; however, causality has not
      been demonstrated. Regardless, it is important to recognize the overlap and
      evaluate for the other condition when one is present. For example, in patients
      with severe OSA, clinical evaluation for asthma should be considered, including
      history for typical asthma symptoms and spirometry. For patients with severe or
      poorly controlled asthma, OSA should be considered as a complicating condition.
      Clinical history for OSA as well as pediatric sleep questionnaires may be helpful
      tools in evaluation of the child with severe asthma. To decrease long-term
      consequences from asthma and OSA in children, clinicians should consider the
      relationship between these two diseases. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(9):e332-e335.].

PMID- 28892549
TI  - Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea in High-Risk Populations: Clinical
      Implications.
AB  - Certain common medical conditions are associated with a higher risk of pediatric
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A lower threshold for screening is therefore
      indicated for such patient cohorts. In this article, we briefly discuss the high
      prevalence of OSA in children born prematurely, and in those with Down syndrome,
      craniofacial disorders, and neuromuscular disorders. Primary care providers
      should have an increased index of suspicion for OSA in these children,
      considering the neurocognitive disability that occurs in these high-risk groups
      when OSA is left untreated. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(9):e336-e339.].

PMID- 28892550
TI  - Adolescent Sleepiness: Causes and Consequences.
AB  - Insufficient sleep duration and poor sleep quality are common among adolescents.
      The multidimensional causes of insufficient sleep duration and poor sleep quality
      include biological, health-related, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The
      most common direct consequence of insufficient and/or poor sleep quality is
      excessive daytime sleepiness, which may contribute to poor academic performance,
      behavioral health problems, substance use, and drowsy driving. Evaluation of
      sleepiness includes a detailed sleep history and sleep diary, with
      polysomnography only required for the assessment of specific sleep disorders.
      Management involves encouraging healthy sleep practices such as having consistent
      bed and wake times, limiting caffeine and electronics at night before bed, and
      eliminating napping, in addition to treating any existing sleep or medical
      disorders. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(9):e340-e344.].

PMID- 28892551
TI  - Transforming the Pediatric Experience: The Story of Child Life.
AB  - During the past century, child life programming has evolved into a standard of
      care for children experiencing life's most challenging events. From pediatric
      outpatient clinics and dentists' offices to funeral homes and courtrooms,
      children are now being provided access to professionals that relieve the anxiety
      and fear associated with emotional and physical pain. Recognized by the American
      Academy of Pediatrics, child life specialists focus on the "strengths and sense
      of well-being of children while promoting their optimal development and
      minimizing the adverse effects of children's experiences in health care or other
      potentially stressful settings." Armed with a strong background in child
      development, child life specialists provide therapeutic play experiences and
      developmentally appropriate language to promote normalcy within an unknown and
      potentially stressful environment, procedural education and emotional support,
      coping and pain management techniques, and grief and bereavement support. Child
      life programming plays an integral role in addressing the psychosocial concerns
      across the health care continuum and should be included in all general pediatric
      provider settings as a standard of quality care for young patients. [Pediatr Ann.
      2017;46(9):e345-e351.].

PMID- 28892552
TI  - Effectiveness of Mental Health Simulation in Replacing Traditional Clinical Hours
      in Baccalaureate Nursing Education.
AB  - The purpose of the current study was to (a) determine whether baccalaureate
      nursing students receiving mental health simulation as a replacement for 25% of
      traditional clinical hours have equivalent or greater mental health knowledge and
      self-confidence compared to those who did not receive this simulation; and (b)
      explore students' perceptions of their mental health simulation compared to
      traditional clinical hours. An evidence-based practice pilot study was conducted
      using a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data demonstrated that students who
      received mental health simulation as a replacement for 25% of traditional
      clinical hours have equivalent mental health knowledge and self-confidence as
      those who did not receive the simulation. Qualitative data indicated students
      found the simulation helpful in learning how to manage patient behaviors. The
      current study provides substantial evidence that simulation can be used as a
      replacement for 25% of traditional clinical hours in mental health nursing.
      [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(11), 36-43.].

PMID- 28892553
TI  - Impulsivity and Sensation-Seeking Personality Traits as Predictors of Substance
      Use Among University Students.
AB  - The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between
      substance use and impulsivity and sensation-seeking personality traits among 655
      university students using a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational design. A
      significant correlation was found between students' impulsivity level scores and
      frequency of substance use (r = 0.11, p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found
      between frequency of substance use and sensation-seeking levels (r = 0.2, p <
      0.05), as well as impulsivity levels (r = 0.31, p < 0.01). Multiple linear
      regression analysis showed that the two predictors model was able to account for
      12.4% of variation in substance use. Impulsivity and sensation-seeking
      personality traits are significant predictors of substance use among university
      students. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(1), 57
      63.].

PMID- 28892554
TI  - Complementary and Integrative Health Practices for Depression.
AB  - The current article reviews selected complementary health approaches for the
      treatment of depressive symptoms. Complementary and integrative health (CIH)
      focuses on the whole person with the goal of optimal health-body, mind, and
      spirit. Patient use of integrative health practices and products is increasing;
      therefore, providers must understand these practices and products and be able to
      recommend or advise for or against their use based on research and guidelines.
      Difficulty with the current limitations of research on CIH practices is
      discussed, as these studies often may not have the same rigor or scientific
      weight as conventional treatment research. Although some individuals may use
      certain treatment options alone, such as massage therapy, meditation, and
      supplements to diet, the article discusses ways to combine CIH with allopathic
      care. Nurse practitioners should be open to considering complementary practices
      for health care and knowledgeable to guide patients in making safe health
      decisions. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(12),
      22-33.].

PMID- 28892555
TI  - Stigma of HIV Testing on Online HIV Forums: Self-Stigma and the Unspoken.
AB  - Most studies examining HIV-related content in web forums have revolved around the
      most frequently used terms in HIV-related messages and topics, as well as the
      supportive nature of those messages. The current study explored barriers that
      prevent individuals from seeking HIV testing (specifically stigma). The current
      study analyzed a total of 210 threads and 319 posts, yielding 13 threads that
      revealed how individuals self-stigmatize and expressed how the fear of being
      diagnosed prevented them from seeking HIV testing. Results suggest that forums or
      online communities may perpetuate subculture values that deviate from mainstream
      values. Another important finding is that there is a lack of HIV testing
      information in forums for adolescents, which may contribute to the trend of young
      individuals engaging in risky sexual behaviors not getting tested in a timely
      fashion. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(12), 34
      43.].

PMID- 28892557
TI  - The basis of differences in thermodynamic efficiency among skeletal muscles.
AB  - Muscles convert chemical free energy into mechanical work. The energy conversion
      occurs in 2 steps. First, free energy obtained from oxidation of metabolic
      substrates (DeltaGS ) is transferred to ATP and, second, free energy from ATP
      hydrolysis (DeltaGATP ) is converted into work by myosin cross-bridges. The
      fraction of DeltaGS transferred to ATP is called mitochondrial efficiency (etaM )
      and the fraction of DeltaGATP converted into work is called cross-bridge
      efficiency (etaCB ). Overall cross-bridge efficiency varies among muscles from
      ~20% and 35% and the analysis presented in the current studies shows that this
      variation is largely due to differences in etaCB whereas etaM is similar (~80%)
      in all the muscles assessed. There is an inverse, linear relationship between
      maximum normalised power output and etaCB ; that is, more efficient muscles tend
      to be less powerful than less efficient muscles. It is proposed that differences
      in cross-bridge efficiency reflect the extent to which cross-bridges traverse the
      force-length relationship for attached cross-bridges. In this framework, cross
      bridges from tortoise muscle (etaCB  = 45%) produce close to the maximum possible
      work a cross-bridge can perform in a single attachment cycle.

PMID- 28892556
TI  - Parenteral anticoagulation in ambulatory patients with cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anticoagulation may improve survival in patients with cancer through
      a speculated anti-tumour effect, in addition to the antithrombotic effect,
      although may increase the risk of bleeding. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy
      and safety of parenteral anticoagulants in ambulatory patients with cancer who,
      typically, are undergoing chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy or
      radiotherapy, but otherwise have no standard therapeutic or prophylactic
      indication for anticoagulation. SEARCH METHODS: A comprehensive search included
      (1) a major electronic search (February 2016) of the following databases:
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (2016, Issue 1), MEDLINE
      (1946 to February 2016; accessed via OVID) and Embase (1980 to February 2016;
      accessed via OVID); (2) handsearching of conference proceedings; (3) checking of
      references of included studies; (4) use of the 'related citation' feature in
      PubMed and (5) a search for ongoing studies in trial registries. As part of the
      living systematic review approach, we are running searches continually and we
      will incorporate new evidence rapidly after it is identified. This update of the
      systematic review is based on the findings of a literature search conducted on 14
      August, 2017. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing
      the benefits and harms of parenteral anticoagulation in ambulatory patients with
      cancer. Typically, these patients are undergoing chemotherapy, hormonal therapy,
      immunotherapy or radiotherapy, but otherwise have no standard therapeutic or
      prophylactic indication for anticoagulation. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Using
      a standardized form we extracted data in duplicate on study design, participants,
      interventions outcomes of interest, and risk of bias. Outcomes of interested
      included all-cause mortality, symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE),
      symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), major bleeding,
      minor bleeding, and quality of life. We assessed the certainty of evidence for
      each outcome using the GRADE approach (GRADE handbook). MAIN RESULTS: Of 6947
      identified citations, 18 RCTs fulfilled the eligibility criteria. These trials
      enrolled 9575 participants. Trial registries' searches identified nine registered
      but unpublished trials, two of which were labeled as 'ongoing trials'. In all
      included RCTs, the intervention consisted of heparin (either unfractionated
      heparin or low molecular weight heparin). Overall, heparin appears to have no
      effect on mortality at 12 months (risk ratio (RR) 0.98; 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 0.93 to 1.03; risk difference (RD) 10 fewer per 1000; 95% CI 35 fewer to 15
      more; moderate certainty of evidence) and mortality at 24 months (RR 0.99; 95% CI
      0.96 to 1.01; RD 8 fewer per 1000; 95% CI 31 fewer to 8 more; moderate certainty
      of evidence). Heparin therapy reduces the risk of symptomatic VTE (RR 0.56; 95%
      CI 0.47 to 0.68; RD 30 fewer per 1000; 95% CI 36 fewer to 22 fewer; high
      certainty of evidence), while it increases in the risks of major bleeding (RR
      1.30; 95% 0.94 to 1.79; RD 4 more per 1000; 95% CI 1 fewer to 11 more; moderate
      certainty of evidence) and minor bleeding (RR 1.70; 95% 1.13 to 2.55; RD 17 more
      per 1000; 95% CI 3 more to 37 more; high certainty of evidence). Results failed
      to confirm or to exclude a beneficial or detrimental effect of heparin on
      thrombocytopenia (RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.37 to 1.27; RD 33 fewer per 1000; 95% CI 66
      fewer to 28 more; moderate certainty of evidence); quality of life (moderate
      certainty of evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Heparin appears to have no effect
      on mortality at 12 months and 24 months. It reduces symptomatic VTE and likely
      increases major and minor bleeding. Future research should further investigate
      the survival benefit of different types of anticoagulants in patients with
      different types and stages of cancer. The decision for a patient with cancer to
      start heparin therapy should balance the benefits and downsides, and should
      integrate the patient's values and preferences.Editorial note:This is a living
      systematic review. Living systematic reviews offer a new approach to review
      updating in which the review is continually updated, incorporating relevant new
      evidence, as it becomes available. Please refer to the Cochrane Database of
      Systematic Reviews for the current status of this review.

PMID- 28892558
TI  - The ASK1 inhibitor selonsertib in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: A
      randomized, phase 2 trial.
AB  - : Inhibition of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1, a serine/threonine kinase,
      leads to improvement in inflammation and fibrosis in animal models of
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of
      selonsertib, a selective inhibitor of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1, alone
      or in combination with simtuzumab, in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
      and stage 2 or 3 liver fibrosis. In this multicenter phase 2 trial, 72 patients
      were randomized to receive 24 weeks of open-label treatment with either 6 or 18
      mg of selonsertib orally once daily with or without once-weekly injections of 125
      mg of simtuzumab or simtuzumab alone. The effect of treatment was assessed by
      paired pretreatment and posttreatment liver biopsies, magnetic resonance
      elastography, magnetic resonance imaging-estimated proton density fat fraction,
      quantitative collagen content, and noninvasive markers of liver injury. Due to
      the lack of effect of simtuzumab on histology or selonsertib pharmacokinetics,
      selonsertib groups with and without simtuzumab were pooled. After 24 weeks of
      treatment, the proportion of patients with a one or more stage reduction in
      fibrosis in the 18-mg selonsertib group was 13 of 30 (43%; 95% confidence
      interval, 26-63); in the 6-mg selonsertib group, 8 of 27 (30%; 95% confidence
      interval, 14-50); and in the simtuzumab-alone group, 2 of 10 (20%; 95% confidence
      interval, 3-56). Improvement in fibrosis was associated with reductions in liver
      stiffness on magnetic resonance elastography, collagen content and lobular
      inflammation on liver biopsy, as well as improvements in serum biomarkers of
      apoptosis and necrosis. There were no significant differences in adverse events
      between the treatment groups. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that selonsertib
      may reduce liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and stage
      2-3 fibrosis. (Hepatology 2017).

PMID- 28892559
TI  - Spirometry-adjusted fraction of exhaled nitric oxide increases accuracy for
      assessment of asthma control in children.
AB  - Spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide are two important complimentary tools to
      identify and assess asthma control in children. We aimed to determine the ability
      of a new suggested spirometry-adjusted fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (NO)
      index in doing that. A random sample of 1602 schoolchildren were screened by a
      health questionnaire, skin prick tests, spirometry with bronchodilation and
      exhaled NO. A total of 662 children were included with median (IQR) exhaled NO
      11(14) ppb. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves using exhaled NO
      equations from Malmberg, Kovesi and Buchvald, and spirometry-adjusted fraction of
      exhaled NO values were applied to identify asthmatic children and uncontrolled
      asthma. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves failed to identify
      asthmatic children (all AUC < 0.700). Spirometry-adjusted fraction of exhaled
      NO/FEV1 (AUC = 0.712; P = .010) and NO/FEF25%-75% (AUC = 0.735 P = .004) had a
      fair and increased ability to identify uncontrolled disease compared with exhaled
      NO (AUC = 0.707; P = .011) or the Malmberg equation (AUC = 0.701; P = .014).
      Sensitivity and specificity identifying non-controlled asthma were 59% and 81%,
      respectively, for the cut-off value of 9.7 ppb/L for exhaled NO/FEV1 , and 40%
      and 100% for 15.7 ppb/L/s for exhaled NO/FEF25%-75% . Exhaled NO did not allow to
      identify childhood asthma. Spirometry-adjusted fraction of exhaled NO performed
      better-assessing asthma control in children. Thus, although more validation
      studies are needed, we suggest its use in epidemiological studies to assess
      asthma control.

PMID- 28892561
TI  - Beta-2 receptor agonist exposure in the uterus associated with subsequent risk of
      childhood asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the beta-2 receptor agonist (B2RA) is occasionally
      prescribed in the prenatal period for women with preterm labor, few studies have
      referred to the long-term effects of intrauterine exposure to B2RA on fetus. We
      examined the association between intrauterine exposure to B2RA and asthma in the
      offspring. METHODS: We obtained data from a hospital-based birth cohort study
      conducted in Tokyo, Japan. The outcomes of interest were three indicators,
      consisting of current wheeze, current asthma, and ever asthma at 5 years of age,
      based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood
      questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association
      between intrauterine B2RA exposure and outcomes. To evaluate dose-dependent risk,
      we categorized children into three groups according to both the cumulative dose
      and duration (days) and conducted trend analysis. RESULTS: Of 1158 children, 94
      (8.1%) were exposed to B2RA in utero, and 191 (16.5%), 111 (9.6%), and 168
      (14.5%) children experienced current wheeze, current asthma, and ever asthma,
      respectively. After adjusting for confounders, we found an increased risk of
      current asthma caused by B2RA exposure with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.04 (95%
      confidence interval: 1.02-4.05). Trend analysis showed that B2RA exposure in
      utero was associated with a dose-dependent increased risk of current asthma in
      terms of both cumulative dose and duration (P values for trend were .015 and
      .017, respectively). These results were similar to those for other outcome
      measures. CONCLUSION: Exposure to B2RA in utero could be a risk for childhood
      asthma.

PMID- 28892560
TI  - Mutations of KIF14 cause primary microcephaly by impairing cytokinesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a rare condition
      characterized by a reduced cerebral cortex accompanied with intellectual
      disability. Mutations in 17 genes have been shown to cause this phenotype.
      Recently, mutations in CIT, encoding CRIK (citron rho-interacting kinase)-a
      component of the central spindle matrix-were added. We aimed at identifying novel
      MCPH-associated genes and exploring their functional role in pathogenesis.
      METHODS: Linkage analysis and whole exome sequencing were performed in
      consanguineous and nonconsanguineous MCPH families to identify disease-causing
      variants. Functional consequences were investigated by RNA studies and on the
      cellular level using immunofluorescence and microscopy. RESULTS: We identified
      homozygous mutations in KIF14 (NM_014875.2;c.263T>A;pLeu88*, c.2480_2482delTTG;
      p.Val827del, and c.4071G>A;p.Gln1357=) as the likely cause in 3 MCPH families.
      Furthermore, in a patient presenting with a severe form of primary microcephaly
      and short stature, we identified compound heterozygous missense mutations in
      KIF14 (NM_014875.2;c.2545C>G;p.His849Asp and c.3662G>T;p.Gly1221Val). Three of
      the 5 identified mutations impaired splicing, and 2 resulted in a truncated
      protein. Intriguingly, Kif14 knockout mice also showed primary microcephaly.
      Human kinesin-like protein KIF14, a microtubule motor protein, localizes at the
      midbody to finalize cytokinesis by interacting with CRIK. We found impaired
      localization of both KIF14 and CRIK at the midbody in patient-derived
      fibroblasts. Furthermore, we observed a large number of binucleated and apoptotic
      cells-signs of failed cytokinesis that we also observed in experimentally KIF14
      depleted cells. INTERPRETATION: Our data corroborate the role of an impaired
      cytokinesis in the etiology of primary and syndromic microcephaly, as has been
      proposed by recent findings on CIT mutations. Ann Neurol 2017;82:562-577.

PMID- 28892562
TI  - Triggering immunological memory against the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta to
      protect against colitis.
AB  - Infection with parasitic helminths can ameliorate the severity of concomitant
      inflammatory disease. To use the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, and to extend
      this concept by assessing whether triggering a memory response against the worm
      inhibits dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (DNBS)-induced colitis in Balb/c mice.
      Initial studies revealed that oral infection with 1, 3 or 5 H. diminuta
      cysticercoids 8 days before intrarectal administration of DNBS (3 mg) resulted in
      less severe inflammation and that infected mice displayed an increased propensity
      for T helper-2 immunity. A 1 mg dose of a PBS-soluble extract of the worm (HdAg)
      delivered intraperitoneally concomitant with DNBS was anticolitic as determined
      by macroscopic and histological disease scores 72 hour post-DNBS. Mice infected
      28 days previously had a memory response as determined by HdAg-evoked increases
      in interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10 from in vitro stimulated splenocytes and serum
      anti-H. diminuta IgG. Moreover, mice infected with 5 H. diminuta 28 days
      previously were protected from DNBS-induced colitis by secondary infection or 100
      MUg HdAg (ip.) at the time of DNBS treatment. An additional approach to managing
      inflammatory disease could be infection with H. diminuta followed by eliciting
      antiworm recall responses.

PMID- 28892563
TI  - Sensory evaluation and chemical analysis of exhaled and dermally emitted
      bioeffluents.
AB  - Conditions in which exhaled and dermally emitted bioeffluents could be sampled
      separately or together (whole-body emission) were created. Five lightly dressed
      males exhaled the air through a mask to another, identical chamber or without a
      mask to the chamber in which they were sitting; the outdoor air supply rate was
      the same in both chambers. The carbon dioxide concentration in the chamber with
      exhaled air was 2000 ppm. Chamber temperatures were 23 degrees C or 28 degrees C,
      and ozone was present or absent in the supply airflow. When dermally emitted
      bioeffluents were present, the perceived air quality (PAQ) was less acceptable,
      and the odor intensity was higher than when only exhaled bioeffluents were
      present. The presence or absence of exhaled bioeffluents in the unoccupied
      chamber made no significant difference to sensory assessments. At 28 degrees C
      and with ozone present, the odor intensity increased and the PAQ was less
      acceptable in the chambers with whole-body bioeffluents. The concentrations of
      nonanal, decanal, geranylacetone, and 6-MHO were higher when dermally emitted
      bioeffluents were present; they increased further when ozone was present. The
      concentration of squalene then decreased and increased again at 28 degrees C.
      Dermally emitted bioeffluents seem to play a major role in the sensory nuisance
      experienced when occupied volumes are inadequately ventilated.

PMID- 28892564
TI  - From the Editors.

PMID- 28892565
TI  - The yeasts of the genus Spathaspora: potential candidates for second-generation
      biofuel production.
AB  - Yeasts of the Spathaspora clade have the ability to convert d-xylose to ethanol
      and/or xylitol. This is an important trait, as these yeasts may be used to
      produce bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass or as a source of new d-xylose
      metabolism genes for recombinant industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
      The core group of the genus Spathaspora has 22 species, both formally described
      and not yet described. Other species, such as Sp. allomyrinae, Candida alai, C.
      insectamans, C. lyxosophila, C. sake, Sp. boniae and C. subhashii are weakly
      associated with this clade, based on LSU rRNA gene D1/D2 sequence analyses.
      Spathaspora passalidarum, Sp. arborariae, Sp. gorwiae and Sp. hagerdaliae produce
      mostly ethanol from d-xylose, whereas the remaining species within the
      Spathaspora clade already tested for this property may be considered xylitol
      producers. Among the d-xylose-fermenting Spathaspora species, Sp. passalidarum is
      the best ethanol producer, displaying high ethanol yields and productivities when
      cultured in media supplemented with this pentose under oxygen-limited or
      anaerobic conditions. The species also exhibits rapid d-xylose consumption and
      the ability to ferment glucose, xylose and cellobiose simultaneously. These
      characteristics suggest that Sp. passalidarum is a potential candidate for
      domestication and use in the fermentation of lignocellulosic materials. Copyright
      (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28892566
TI  - Brain-heart interactions reveal consciousness in noncommunicating patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We here aimed at characterizing heart-brain interactions in patients
      with disorders of consciousness. We tested how this information impacts data
      driven classification between unresponsive and minimally conscious patients.
      METHODS: A cohort of 127 patients in vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness
      syndrome (VS/UWS; n = 70) and minimally conscious state (MCS; n = 57) were
      presented with the local-global auditory oddball paradigm, which distinguishes 2
      levels of processing: short-term deviation of local auditory regularities and
      global long-term rule violations. In addition to previously validated markers of
      consciousness extracted from electroencephalograms (EEG), we computed autonomic
      cardiac markers, such as heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV), and cardiac
      cycle phase shifts triggered by the processing of the auditory stimuli. RESULTS:
      HR and HRV were similar in patients across groups. The cardiac cycle was not
      sensitive to the processing of local regularities in either the VS/UWS or MCS
      patients. In contrast, global regularities induced a phase shift of the cardiac
      cycle exclusively in the MCS group. The interval between the auditory stimulation
      and the following R peak was significantly shortened in MCS when the auditory
      rule was violated. When the information for the cardiac cycle modulations and
      other consciousness-related EEG markers were combined, single patient
      classification performance was enhanced compared to classification with solely
      EEG markers. INTERPRETATION: Our work shows a link between residual cognitive
      processing and the modulation of autonomic somatic markers. These results open a
      new window to evaluate patients with disorders of consciousness via the embodied
      paradigm, according to which body-brain functions contribute to a holistic
      approach to conscious processing. Ann Neurol 2017;82:578-591.

PMID- 28892567
TI  - Using omics to explore complications of kidney transplantation.
AB  - The importance of genetic and biochemical variation in renal transplant outcomes
      has been clear since the discovery of the HLA in the 1950s. Since that time,
      there have been huge advancements in both transplantation and omics. In recent
      years, there has seen an increased number of genome-, proteome- and transcriptome
      wide studies in the field of transplantation moving away from the earlier
      candidate gene/protein approaches. These areas have the potential to lead to the
      development of personalized treatment depending on individual molecular risk
      profiles. Here, we discuss recent progress and the current literature surrounding
      omics and renal transplant complications.

PMID- 28892568
TI  - Quantifying fine particle emission events from time-resolved measurements: Method
      description and application to 18 California low-income apartments.
AB  - PM2.5 exposure is associated with significant health risk. Exposures in homes
      derive from both outdoor and indoor sources, with emissions occurring primarily
      in discrete events. Data on emission event magnitudes and schedules are needed to
      support simulation-based studies of exposures and mitigations. This study applied
      an identification and characterization algorithm to quantify time-resolved PM2.5
      emission events from data collected during 224 days of monitoring in 18
      California apartments with low-income residents. We identified and characterized
      836 distinct events with median and mean values of 12 and 30 mg emitted mass, 16
      and 23 minutes emission duration, 37 and 103 mg/h emission rates, and pseudo
      first-order decay rates of 1.3 and 2.0/h. Mean event-averaged concentrations
      calculated using the determined event characteristics agreed to within 6% of
      measured values for 14 of the apartments. There were variations in event
      schedules and emitted mass across homes, with few events overnight and most
      emissions occurring during late afternoons and evenings. Event characteristics
      were similar during weekdays and weekends. Emitted mass was positively correlated
      with number of residents (Spearman coefficient, rho=.10), bedrooms (rho=.08),
      house volume (rho=.29), and indoor-outdoor CO2 difference (rho=.27). The event
      schedules can be used in probabilistic modeling of PM2.5 in low-income
      apartments.

PMID- 28892569
TI  - Serine racemase deficiency attenuates choroidal neovascularization and reduces
      nitric oxide and VEGF levels by retinal pigment epithelial cells.
AB  - Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is a leading cause of blindness in age-related
      macular degeneration. Production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and
      macrophage recruitment by retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) significantly
      contributes to the process of CNV in an experimental CNV model. Serine racemase
      (SR) is expressed in retinal neurons and glial cells, and its product, d-serine,
      is an endogenous co-agonist of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor. Activation of the
      receptor results in production of nitric oxide (. NO), a molecule that promotes
      retinal and choroidal neovascularization. These observations suggest possible
      roles of SR in CNV. With laser-injured CNV mice, we found that inactivation of SR
      coding gene (Srrnull ) significantly reduced CNV volume, neovascular density, and
      invading macrophages. We exploited the underlying mechanism in vivo and ex vivo.
      RPE from wild-type (WT) mice expressed SR. To explore the possible downstream
      target of SR inactivation, we showed that choroid/RPE homogenates extracted from
      laser-injured Srrnull mice contained less inducible nitric oxide synthase and
      decreased phospho-VEGFR2 compared to amounts in WT mice. In vitro, inflammation
      primed WT RPEs expressed more inducible NOS, produced more. NO and VEGF than did
      inflammation-primed Srrnull RPEs. When co-cultured with inflammation-primed
      Srrnull RPE, significantly fewer RF/6A-a cell line of choroidal endothelial cell,
      migrated to the opposite side of the insert membrane than did cells co-cultured
      with pre-treated WT RPE. Altogether, SR deficiency reduces RPE response to laser
      induced inflammatory stimuli, resulting in decreased production of a cascade of
      pro-angiogenic cytokines, including. NO and VEGF, and reduced macrophage
      recruitment, which contribute synergistically to attenuated angiogenesis.

PMID- 28892570
TI  - DNAJC12 and dopa-responsive nonprogressive parkinsonism.
AB  - Biallelic DNAJC12 mutations were described in children with
      hyperphenylalaninemia, neurodevelopmental delay, and dystonia. We identified
      DNAJC12 homozygous null variants (c.187A>T;p.K63* and c.79-2A>G;p.V27Wfs*14) in
      two kindreds with early-onset parkinsonism. Both probands had mild intellectual
      disability, mild nonprogressive, motor symptoms, sustained benefit from small
      dose of levodopa, and substantial worsening of symptoms after levodopa
      discontinuation. Neuropathology (Proband-A) revealed no alpha-synuclein
      pathology, and substantia nigra depigmentation with moderate cell loss. DNAJC12
      transcripts were reduced in both patients. Our results suggest that DNAJC12
      mutations (absent in 500 early-onset patients with Parkinson's disease) rarely
      cause dopa-responsive nonprogressive parkinsonism in adulthood, but broaden the
      clinical spectrum of DNAJC12 deficiency. Ann Neurol 2017;82:640-646.

PMID- 28892571
TI  - Regenerative immunology: the immunological reaction to biomaterials.
AB  - Regenerative medicine promises to meet two of the most urgent needs of modern
      organ transplantation, namely immunosuppression-free transplantation and an
      inexhaustible source of organs. Ideally, bioengineered organs would be
      manufactured from a patient's own biomaterials-both cells and the supporting
      scaffolding materials in which cells would be embedded and allowed to mature to
      eventually regenerate the organ in question. While some groups are focusing on
      the feasibility of this approach, few are focusing on the immunogenicity of the
      scaffolds that are being developed for organ bioengineering purposes. This review
      will succinctly discuss progress in the understanding of immunological
      characteristics and behavior of different scaffolds currently under development,
      with emphasis on the extracellular matrix scaffolds obtained decellularized
      animal or human organs which seem to provide the ideal template for
      bioengineering purposes.

PMID- 28892572
TI  - Deconstructing normal pressure hydrocephalus: Ventriculomegaly as early sign of
      neurodegeneration.
AB  - Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) remains both oversuspected on
      clinical grounds and underconfirmed when based on immediate and sustained
      response to cerebrospinal fluid diversion. Poor long-term postshunt benefits and
      findings of neurodegenerative pathology in most patients with adequate follow-up
      suggest that hydrocephalic disorders appearing in late adulthood may often result
      from initially unapparent parenchymal abnormalities. We critically review the NPH
      literature, highlighting the near universal lack of blinding and controls,
      absence of specific clinical, imaging, or pathological features, and ongoing
      dependence for diagnostic confirmation on variable cutoffs of gait response to
      bedside fluid-drainage testing. We also summarize our long-term institutional
      experience, in which postshunt benefits in patients with initial diagnosis of
      idiopathic NPH persist in only 32% of patients at 36 months, with known revised
      diagnosis in over 25% (Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and
      progressive supranuclear palsy). We postulate that previously reported NPH cases
      with "dual" pathology (ie, developing a "second" disorder) more likely represent
      ventriculomegalic presentations of selected neurodegenerative disorders in which
      benefits from shunting may be short-lived, with a consequently unfavorable risk
      benefit ratio. Ann Neurol 2017;82:503-513.

PMID- 28892573
TI  - Bicycling suppresses abnormal beta synchrony in the Parkinsonian basal ganglia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Freezing of gait is a poorly understood symptom of Parkinson disease,
      and can severely disrupt the locomotion of affected patients. However, bicycling
      ability remains surprisingly unaffected in most patients suffering from freezing,
      suggesting functional differences in the motor network. The purpose of this study
      was to characterize and contrast the oscillatory dynamics underlying bicycling
      and walking in the basal ganglia. METHODS: We present the first local field
      potential recordings directly comparing bicycling and walking in Parkinson
      disease patients with electrodes implanted in the subthalamic nuclei for deep
      brain stimulation. Low (13-22Hz) and high (23-35Hz) beta power changes were
      analyzed in 22 subthalamic nuclei from 13 Parkinson disease patients (57.5 +/-
      5.9 years old, 4 female). The study group consisted of 5 patients with and 8
      patients without freezing of gait. RESULTS: In patients without freezing of gait,
      both bicycling and walking led to a suppression of subthalamic beta power (13
      35Hz), and this suppression was stronger for bicycling. Freezers showed a similar
      pattern in general. Superimposed on this pattern, however, we observed a movement
      induced, narrowband power increase around 18Hz, which was evident even in the
      absence of freezing. INTERPRETATION: These results indicate that bicycling
      facilitates overall suppression of beta power. Furthermore, movement leads to
      exaggerated synchronization in the low beta band specifically within the basal
      ganglia of patients susceptible to freezing. Abnormal ~18Hz oscillations are
      implicated in the pathophysiology of freezing of gait, and suppressing them may
      form a key strategy in developing potential therapies. Ann Neurol 2017;82:592
      601.

PMID- 28892574
TI  - Identification of a novel interspecific hybrid yeast from a metagenomic
      spontaneously inoculated beer sample using Hi-C.
AB  - Interspecific hybridization is a common mechanism enabling genetic
      diversification and adaptation; however, the detection of hybrid species has been
      quite difficult. The identification of microbial hybrids is made even more
      complicated, as most environmental microbes are resistant to culturing and must
      be studied in their native mixed communities. We have previously adapted the
      chromosome conformation capture method Hi-C to the assembly of genomes from mixed
      populations. Here, we show the method's application in assembling genomes
      directly from an uncultured, mixed population from a spontaneously inoculated
      beer sample. Our assembly method has enabled us to de-convolute four bacterial
      and four yeast genomes from this sample, including a putative yeast hybrid.
      Downstream isolation and analysis of this hybrid confirmed its genome to consist
      of Pichia membranifaciens and that of another related, but undescribed, yeast.
      Our work shows that Hi-C-based metagenomic methods can overcome the limitation of
      traditional sequencing methods in studying complex mixtures of genomes. Copyright
      (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28892577
TI  - Development of a prediction model for severe wheat allergy.

PMID- 28892575
TI  - Effects of treating helminths during pregnancy and early childhood on risk of
      allergy-related outcomes: Follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helminth infections, common in low-income countries, may protect
      against allergy-related disease. Early exposure may be a key. In the Entebbe
      Mother and Baby Study, treating helminths during pregnancy resulted in increased
      eczema rates in early childhood. We followed the cohort to determine whether this
      translated to increased asthma rates at school age. METHODS: This randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, had three
      interventions. During pregnancy, women were randomized, simultaneously, to
      albendazole vs placebo and to praziquantel vs placebo. Their children were
      independently randomized to quarterly albendazole vs placebo from age 15 months
      to 5 years. We here report follow-up to age 9 years. Primary outcomes at 9 years
      were recent reported wheeze, skin prick test positivity (SPT) to common allergens
      and allergen-specific IgE positivity to dust mite or cockroach. Secondary
      outcomes were doctor-diagnosed asthma and eczema rates between 5 and 9 years,
      recent eczema, rhinitis and urticaria at 9 years, and SPT and IgE responses to
      individual allergens. RESULTS: 2507 pregnant women were enrolled; 1215 children
      were seen at age nine, of whom 1188 are included in this analysis. Reported
      wheeze was rare at 9 years (3.7%) while SPT positivity (25.0%) and IgE positivity
      (44.1%) were common. There was no evidence of a treatment effect for any of the
      three interventions on any of the primary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal and
      early-life treatment of helminths, in the absence of change in other exposures,
      is unlikely to increase the risk of atopic diseases later in childhood in this
      tropical, low-income setting.

PMID- 28892576
TI  - Pregnancy modulates the allergen-induced cytokine production differently in
      allergic and non-allergic women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The immunological environment during pregnancy may differ between
      allergic and non-allergic women. This study investigates the effect of maternal
      allergy on the allergen-induced cytokine and chemokine levels and whether
      pregnancy modulates these immune responses differently in allergic and non
      allergic women. METHODS: The birch-, cat-, phytohemagglutinin- and tetanus toxoid
      induced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, the
      T-helper 1 (Th1)-associated chemokine CXCL10 and the Th2-associated chemokine
      CCL17 levels were quantified in 20 women with allergic symptoms (sensitized, n =
      13) and 36 women without allergic symptoms (non-sensitized, n = 30) at
      gestational weeks 10-12, 15-16, 25, 35 and 2 and 12 months post-partum. RESULTS:
      Birch-, but not cat-induced, IL-5, IL-13 and CCL17 levels were increased during
      pregnancy as compared to post-partum in the sensitized women with allergic
      symptoms. In contrast, cat-, but not birch-induced, IL-5 and IL-13 levels were
      increased during pregnancy as compared to post-partum in the non-sensitized women
      without allergic symptoms. Furthermore, IFN-gamma secretion was increased in the
      first and decreased in the second and third trimesters in response to birch and
      decreased in the third trimester in response to cat as compared to post-partum in
      the non-sensitized women without allergic symptoms. Increased allergen-induced IL
      4, IL-5 and IL-13 levels were associated with allergic symptoms and
      sensitization. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy had a clear effect on the allergen-induced
      IL-5, IL-13, CCL17, IFN-gamma and CXCL10 production, with distinct enhanced Th2
      responses to birch in the allergic group and to cat in the non-allergic group.

PMID- 28892578
TI  - CO2 evasion from boreal lakes: Revised estimate, drivers of spatial variability,
      and future projections.
AB  - Lakes (including reservoirs) are an important component of the global carbon (C)
      cycle, as acknowledged by the fifth assessment report of the IPCC. In the context
      of lakes, the boreal region is disproportionately important contributing to 27%
      of the worldwide lake area, despite representing just 14% of global land surface
      area. In this study, we used a statistical approach to derive a prediction
      equation for the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2 ) in lakes as a function of lake
      area, terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP), and precipitation (r2  = .56),
      and to create the first high-resolution, circumboreal map (0.5 degrees ) of lake
      pCO2 . The map of pCO2 was combined with lake area from the recently published
      GLOWABO database and three different estimates of the gas transfer velocity k to
      produce a resulting map of CO2 evasion (FCO2 ). For the boreal region, we
      estimate an average, lake area weighted, pCO2 of 966 (678-1,325) MUatm and a
      total FCO2 of 189 (74-347) Tg C year-1 , and evaluate the corresponding
      uncertainties based on Monte Carlo simulation. Our estimate of FCO2 is
      approximately twofold greater than previous estimates, as a result of
      methodological and data source differences. We use our results along with
      published estimates of the other C fluxes through inland waters to derive a C
      budget for the boreal region, and find that FCO2 from lakes is the most
      significant flux of the land-ocean aquatic continuum, and of a similar magnitude
      as emissions from forest fires. Using the model and applying it to spatially
      resolved projections of terrestrial NPP and precipitation while keeping
      everything else constant, we predict a 107% increase in boreal lake FCO2 under
      emission scenario RCP8.5 by 2100. Our projections are largely driven by increases
      in terrestrial NPP over the same period, showing the very close connection
      between the terrestrial and aquatic C cycle.

PMID- 28892580
TI  - Correlation of quantitative parameters of magnetic resonance perfusion-weighted
      imaging with vascular endothelial growth factor, microvessel density and hypoxia
      inducible factor-1alpha in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Evaluation on
      radiosensitivity study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the correlation of parameters of magnetic resonance
      perfusion-weighted imaging (MR-PWI) with the expression of vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and
      microvessel density (MVD) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) so as to explore the
      value of predicting radiosensitivity. DESIGN: A prospective study. SETTING:
      Department of Head-and-neck radiotherapy in Hunan Cancer Hospital. PARTICIPANTS:
      Ninety-four patients of NPC were included between December 2013 and December
      2014. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The expression of VEGF, MVD and HIF-1alpha was
      studied by immunohistochemistry, and magnetic resonance perfusion-weighted
      imaging (MR-PWI) was performed before and after undergoing radiotherapy (20 Gy
      dose). Parameters of MR-PWI, volume of primary tumour and rate of tumour
      remission were measured and calculated. Patients with primary local tumour were
      then divided into completely response group (CR group) and partially response
      group (non-CR group) according to tumour regression condition. Relevant
      parameters were analysed by Spearman, and diagnostic efficiency of
      radiosensitivity was analysed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).
      RESULTS: The expression of VEGF was positively correlated with MVD (r = .322,P <
      .05), but the expression of HIF-1alpha was no significant correlations with VEGF
      and MVD. The expression VEGF was in positive correlation with fractional plasma
      volume (fpv) (r = .339, P = .05) before radiotherapy. There was a significant
      difference in the quantitative parameters of MR-PWI between CR group and non-CR
      group during the course of radiotherapy and at the end of radiotherapy treatment.
      The change of blood reflux constant (Deltakep20) and extravascular extracellular
      space volume fraction (DeltaVe20) before and after treatment was positively
      correlated with primary local tumour remission condition after 3 month treatment;
      Deltakep and DeltaVe were negatively correlated with primary local tumour
      remission condition after 3 months. Tumour regression rate was only positively
      correlated with Ve and the average volume of primary tumour after 2 week
      treatment (V1). ROC curve showed that R20 >= 65.69%, and was considered as a
      threshold to predict primary local tumour remission, with a sensitivity of 0.84
      and specificity of 0.69, and area under the curve was 0.819 (P = .000).
      CONCLUSIONS: The parameters of MR-PWI with the expression of VEGF, HIF-1alpha and
      MVD could be guidance for predicting radiosensitivity in NPC.

PMID- 28892579
TI  - Elevated expression of DeltaNp63 in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - This study aims to explore the expression level of DeltaNp63 in esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). To investigate the association between DeltaNp63
      (p40) expression and ESCC biology, we compared the levels of DeltaNp63 expression
      in normal and tumor tissues, with a specific focus on the diagnostic value of
      DeltaNp63 in ESCC. We analyzed 160 consecutive patients with ESCC who underwent
      surgical resection without neoadjuvant chemotherapy at Gunma University Hospital
      (Maebashi, Japan) between September 2000 and January 2010. The
      clinicopathological characteristics and survival of patients were subclassified
      based on the expression of DeltaNp63 as determined by immunohistochemistry,
      indicating that DeltaNp63 was highly expressed in 75.6% (121/160) of ESCC
      patients. Clinicopathological analysis of DeltaNp63 expression showed that
      DeltaNp63-positive tumors significantly correlated with two important clinical
      parameters: T factor (P = 0.0316) and venous invasion (P = 0.0195). The 5-year
      overall survival rates of advanced ESCC patients with positive and negative
      expression of DeltaNp63 were 35.6% and 71.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that the expression of DeltaNp63 was identified as an independent
      prognostic factor (P = 0.0049) in advanced ESCC. In line with this,
      DeltaNp63alpha-transduced ESCC cell lines increased tumor growth in a soft agar
      colony formation assay. We report here for the first time that DeltaNp63
      expression increases the oncogenic potential of ESCC and is an independent marker
      for predicting poor outcome in advanced ESCC. Our findings suggest that DeltaNp63
      could serve as a new diagnostic marker for ESCC and might be a relevant
      therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with this disease.

PMID- 28892581
TI  - Direct current stimulation modulates the excitability of the sensory and motor
      fibres in the human posterior tibial nerve, with a long-lasting effect on the H
      reflex.
AB  - Several studies demonstrated that transcutaneous direct current stimulation (DCS)
      may modulate central nervous system excitability. However, much less is known
      about how DC affects peripheral nerve fibres. We investigated the action of DCS
      on motor and sensory fibres of the human posterior tibial nerve, with
      supplementary analysis in acute experiments on rats. In forty human subjects,
      electric pulses at the popliteal fossa were used to elicit either M-waves or H
      reflexes in the Soleus, before (15 min), during (10 min) and after (30 min) DCS.
      Cathodal or anodal current (2 mA) was applied to the same nerve. Cathodal DCS
      significantly increased the H-reflex amplitude; the post-polarization effect
      lasted up to ~ 25 min after the termination of DCS. Anodal DCS instead
      significantly decreased the reflex amplitude for up to ~ 5 min after DCS end. DCS
      effects on M-wave showed the same polarity dependence but with considerably
      shorter after-effects, which never exceeded 5 min. DCS changed the excitability
      of both motor and sensory fibres. These effects and especially the long-lasting
      modulation of the H-reflex suggest a possible rehabilitative application of DCS
      that could be applied either to compensate an altered peripheral excitability or
      to modulate the afferent transmission to spinal and supraspinal structures. In
      animal experiments, DCS was applied, under anaesthesia, to either the exposed
      peroneus nerve or its Dorsal Root, and its effects closely resembled those found
      in human subjects. They validate therefore the use of the animal models for
      future investigations on the DCS mechanisms.

PMID- 28892582
TI  - Study on the tumor-induced angiogenesis using mathematical models.
AB  - We studied angiogenesis using mathematical models describing the dynamics of tip
      cells. We reviewed the basic ideas of angiogenesis models and its numerical
      simulation technique to produce realistic computer graphics images of sprouting
      angiogenesis. We examined the classical model of Anderson-Chaplain using
      fundamental concepts of mass transport and chemical reaction with ECM degradation
      included. We then constructed two types of numerical schemes, model-faithful and
      model-driven ones, where new techniques of numerical simulation are introduced,
      such as transient probability, particle velocity, and Boolean variables.

PMID- 28892583
TI  - Fluorescent Probe DCVJ Shows High Sensitivity for Characterization of Amyloid
      beta-Peptide Early in the Lag Phase.
AB  - The aggregation of intrinsically disordered and misfolded proteins in the form of
      oligomers and fibrils plays a crucial role in a number of neurological and
      neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, most probes and biophysical techniques
      that detect and characterize fibrils at high resolution fail to show sensitivity
      and binding for oligomers. Here, we show that 9-(dicyano-vinyl)julolidine (DCVJ),
      a class of molecular rotor, binds amyloid beta (Abeta) early aggregates, and we
      report the kinetics as well as packing of the oligomer formation. The binding of
      DCVJ to Abeta40 increased its emission intensity with time at 510 nm and produced
      a second excimer peak at 575 nm. However, DCVJ did not bind to the prefibrillar
      aggregates of Abeta42, which indicated that the oligomers formed by Abeta40 and
      Abeta42 were not the same. The F4C F19W mutant of Abeta40, which did not form
      fibrils, also bound DCVJ, but the emission spectral profile varied from that of
      the wild-type (WT). Atomic force microscopy images of WT Abeta40, the F4C F19W
      mutant, and Abeta42 oligomers displayed differences in size and shape, confirming
      the difference in their DCVJ spectra. The effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate
      (EGCG) on the reduction of Abeta42 fibrils was also observed with finer detail
      than with other techniques. The results of this study show that DCVJ detects
      early aggregates and provides valuable information regarding the oligomer
      kinetics, packing, and mechanism of formation.

PMID- 28892584
TI  - Evidence of Organic Luminescent Centers in Sol-Gel-Synthesized Yttrium Aluminum
      Borate Matrix Leading to Bright Visible Emission.
AB  - Yttrium aluminum borate (YAB) powders prepared by sol-gel process have been
      investigated to understand their photoluminescence (PL) mechanism. The amorphous
      YAB powders exhibit bright visible PL from blue emission for powders calcined at
      450  degrees C to broad white PL for higher calcination temperature. Thanks to 13
      C labelling, NMR and EPR studies show that propionic acid initially used to
      solubilize the yttrium nitrate is decomposed into aromatic molecules confined
      within the inorganic matrix. DTA-TG-MS analyses show around 2 wt % of carbogenic
      species. The PL broadening corresponds to the apparition of a new band at 550 nm,
      associated with the formation of aromatic species. Furthermore, pulsed ENDOR
      spectroscopy combined with DFT calculations enables us to ascribe EPR spectra to
      free radicals derived from small (2 to 3 rings) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAH). PAH molecules are thus at the origin of the PL as corroborated by slow
      afterglow decay and thermoluminescence experiments.

PMID- 28892585
TI  - Electron-Transfer and Hydride-Transfer Pathways in the Stoltz-Grubbs Reducing
      System (KOtBu/Et3 SiH).
AB  - Recent studies by Stoltz, Grubbs et al. have shown that triethylsilane and
      potassium tert-butoxide react to form a highly attractive and versatile system
      that shows (reversible) silylation of arenes and heteroarenes as well as
      reductive cleavage of C-O bonds in aryl ethers and C-S bonds in aryl thioethers.
      Their extensive mechanistic studies indicate a complex network of reactions with
      a number of possible intermediates and mechanisms, but their reactions likely
      feature silyl radicals undergoing addition reactions and SH 2 reactions. This
      paper focuses on the same system, but through computational and experimental
      studies, reports complementary facets of its chemistry based on a) single
      electron transfer (SET), and b) hydride delivery reactions to arenes.

PMID- 28892586
TI  - Introducing the new CoblationTM TurbinatorTM turbinate reduction wand: Our
      initial experience of twenty-two patients requiring surgery for nasal
      obstruction.

PMID- 28892587
TI  - Improved Biocompatibility of Black Phosphorus Nanosheets by Chemical
      Modification.
AB  - Black phosphorus nanosheets (BPs) show great potential for various applications
      including biomedicine, thus their potential side effects and corresponding
      improvement strategy deserve investigation. Here, in vitro and in vivo biological
      effects of BPs with and without titanium sulfonate ligand (TiL4 ) modification
      are investigated. Compared to bare BPs, BPs with TiL4 modification (TiL4 @BPs)
      can efficiently escape from macrophages uptake, and reduce cytotoxicity and
      proinflammation. The corresponding mechanisms are also discussed. These findings
      may not only guide the applications of BPs, but also propose an efficient
      strategy to further improve the biocompatibility of BPs.

PMID- 28892588
TI  - Remote Loading of Small-Molecule Therapeutics into Cholesterol-Enriched Cell
      Membrane-Derived Vesicles.
AB  - The increasing popularity of biomimetic design principles in nanomedicine has led
      to therapeutic platforms with enhanced performance and biocompatibility. This
      includes the use of naturally derived cell membranes, which can bestow
      nanocarriers with cell-specific functionalities. Herein, we report on a strategy
      enabling efficient encapsulation of drugs via remote loading into membrane
      vesicles derived from red blood cells. This is accomplished by supplementing the
      membrane with additional cholesterol, stabilizing the nanostructure and
      facilitating the retention of a pH gradient. We demonstrate the loading of two
      model drugs: the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin and the antibiotic vancomycin. The
      therapeutic implications of these natural, remote-loaded nanoformulations are
      studied both in vitro and in vivo using animal disease models. Ultimately, this
      approach could be used to design new biomimetic nanoformulations with higher
      efficacy and improved safety profiles.

PMID- 28892589
TI  - Single Turnover at Molecular Polymerization Catalysts Reveals Spatiotemporally
      Resolved Reactions.
AB  - Multiple active individual molecular ruthenium catalysts have been pinpointed
      within growing polynorbornene, thereby revealing information on the reaction
      dynamics and location that is unavailable through traditional ensemble
      experiments. This is the first single-turnover imaging of a molecular catalyst by
      fluorescence microscopy and allows detection of individual monomer reactions at
      an industrially important molecular ruthenium ring-opening metathesis
      polymerization (ROMP) catalyst under synthetically relevant conditions (e.g.
      unmodified industrial catalyst, ambient pressure, condensed phase, ca. 0.03 m
      monomer). These results further establish the key fundamentals of this imaging
      technique for characterizing the reactivity and location of active molecular
      catalysts even when they are the minor components.

PMID- 28892590
TI  - Surgeon-performed thyroid ultrasound-proving utility and credibility in selecting
      patients for fine needle aspiration according to the American thyroid association
      guidelines. A retrospective study of 500 patients.
AB  - DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Single academic centre.
      PARTICIPANTS: The data of all patients who underwent surgeon-performed ultrasound
      (SUS) between 7/2009 and 9/2012 were retrospectively reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: A correlation between sonographic features and a non-benign
      cytology?malignant pathology. RESULTS: Four hundred ninety-eight nodules were
      included. Solid texture, irregular margins, hypo-echogenicity and intranodular
      vascularity were significantly associated with malignancy when benign to non
      benign cytology was compared, and when compared to malignant pathology. Lack of
      suspicious features was significantly associated with benign lesions, with a
      negative predictive value of 94%. Except for taller than wider shape, malignancy
      odds ratio was significantly higher for known suspicious features, reaching 4.81
      for irregular borders (CI 2.42-9.55, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: SUS has proven to be
      a reliable and consistent tool to assess the thyroid nodule risk stratification.
      Surgeons should recognise the potential of this tool and its implementation.

PMID- 28892591
TI  - A Pilot Dose-Finding Study of Etanercept in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - A randomized, parallel-dose study assessed the pharmacokinetics (PK) and
      pharmacodynamics (PD) of etanercept in 61 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      who received doses from 10 mg once-weekly to 50 mg twice-weekly for 4 weeks.
      Empiric application of a maximal-effect (Emax ) model to pooled steady-state
      concentrations (Css ) and PD markers provided half-maximal-effect concentration
      estimates of 567, 573, 465, 87, and 159 ng/mL for change from baseline in number
      of swollen joints, number of painful joints, erythrocyte sedimentation rate,
      interleukin-6, and matrix metalloproteinase-3, respectively. Css >~2,000 ng/mL
      did not appear to offer additional benefit. It was concluded that the middle
      doses, 10 mg twice-weekly, 50 mg every 2 weeks, and 50 mg once-weekly, would
      provide Css in the target range of 500-2,000 ng/mL. The revised US Food and Drug
      Administration guideline for development of medicines for treatment of RA
      encourages a study design incorporating PK/PD assessment to inform later studies.

PMID- 28892592
TI  - Analysis of climate signals in the crop yield record of sub-Saharan Africa.
AB  - Food security and agriculture productivity assessments in sub-Saharan Africa
      (SSA) require a better understanding of how climate and other drivers influence
      regional crop yields. In this paper, our objective was to identify the climate
      signal in the realized yields of maize, sorghum, and groundnut in SSA. We
      explored the relation between crop yields and scale-compatible climate data for
      the 1962-2014 period using Random Forest, a diagnostic machine learning
      technique. We found that improved agricultural technology and country fixed
      effects are three times more important than climate variables for explaining
      changes in crop yields in SSA. We also found that increasing temperatures reduced
      yields for all three crops in the temperature range observed in SSA, while
      precipitation increased yields up to a level roughly matching crop
      evapotranspiration. Crop yields exhibited both linear and nonlinear responses to
      temperature and precipitation, respectively. For maize, technology steadily
      increased yields by about 1% (13 kg/ha) per year while increasing temperatures
      decreased yields by 0.8% (10 kg/ha) per  degrees C. This study demonstrates that
      although we should expect increases in future crop yields due to improving
      technology, the potential yields could be progressively reduced due to warmer and
      drier climates.

PMID- 28892593
TI  - Much more than prescribing a pill - Assessment and treatment of erectile
      dysfunction by the general practitioner.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction is a common but often neglected condition.
      Prevalence increases with age, but is not insignificant in younger men.
      OBJECTIVE: This article will broadly describe the epidemiology, classification
      and risk factors of erectile dysfunction. It will also discuss assessment and
      current treatment modalities, with a particular focus on the unique role of the
      general practitioner (GP). DISCUSSION: Erectile dysfunction may be classified as
      vasculogenic, neurogenic, endocrinological, drug-related, psychogenic or mixed.
      Commonly, erectile dysfunction is a cause of anxiety and even depression. Risk
      factors, such as smoking and hypertension, and reversible causes, such as
      hypogonadism or offending medications, should be addressed. At present, oral
      pharmacotherapy represents the first-line option for most patients with erectile
      dysfunction. It is of utmost importance to evaluate and treat comorbidities, such
      as depression, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, that often
      accompany erectile dysfunction. Patients will undoubtedly benefit from
      comprehensive management by a dedicated GP. Occasionally, referral to a
      urologist, psychologist or sexual health physician may be required.

PMID- 28892594
TI  - Male infertility - The other side of the equation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A male factor contributes to infertility in approximately 50% of
      couples who fail to conceive, causing significant psychosocial and marital
      stress. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the general practitioner's (GP's)
      evaluation of male infertility and indications for referral to a male infertility
      specialist, and gives an overview of the specialist management of male
      infertility. DISCUSSION: Male infertility can result from anatomical or genetic
      abnormalities, systemic or neurological diseases, infections, trauma, iatrogenic
      injury, gonadotoxins and development of sperm antibodies. When a couple fails to
      achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse, a
      screening evaluation of both partners is essential. For the male partner this
      includes history, physical examination, endocrine assessment and semen analysis.
      Several lifestyle and environmental factors can have a negative impact on male
      fertility, and the GP has a pivotal role in educating patients about modifiable
      factors.

PMID- 28892595
TI  - Urolithiasis - Ten things every general practitioner should know.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Upper urinary tract stones are a common problem in Australia, with an
      incidence of 0.13% per year, and a lifetime prevalence of up to 15% in males and
      8% in females. Many of these patients first present to general practitioners
      (GPs), so a thorough understanding of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of
      stone disease is an important part of any GP's arsenal. OBJECTIVE: In this
      article, we present evidence-based guidelines regarding urolithiasis, from
      diagnosis, through to conservative and operative management, and prevention, as a
      reference for GPs and other primary care physicians. DISCUSSION: The majority of
      urolithiasis cases can be conservatively managed. However, prior to conservative
      management, adequate imaging must be obtained and emergent conditions must be
      excluded. Conservative management should not be initiated without a plan in the
      event the management fails, and adequate analgesia and medical expulsive therapy
      should be prescribed. Should surgery be necessary, the majority of operations can
      be performed as minimally invasive day procedures.

PMID- 28892596
TI  - Peyronie's disease - Watch out for the bend.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peyronie's disease is a relatively common condition in urological
      practice, but is still poorly identified and understood in the wider medical
      community and by most of the public. Identifying the condition and appropriate
      referral for expert opinion can significantly lessen the physical and
      psychological effect on patients. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to
      provide general practitioners with a concise and updated review of Peyronie's
      disease, with the aim of helping them to provide appropriate advice to their
      patients. DISCUSSION: Peyronie's disease is an aberrant wound healing process
      culminating in excess scar formation in the penis, which may cause penile pain,
      shortening and curvature. It is often accompanied by erectile dysfunction, and
      can result in progressive and severe impairment of penetrative intercourse. The
      course of the disorder is divided into active inflammatory and chronic stable
      phases. Oral therapy is usually of limited efficacy, while penile traction may
      only be beneficial in motivated patients. Intralesional injections of collagenase
      were recently introduced as a non-surgical measure to decrease penile curvature.
      Surgery remains the most effective treatment for Peyronie's disease and is
      considered the gold standard.

PMID- 28892597
TI  - Adult male stress and urge urinary incontinence - A review of pathophysiology and
      treatment strategies for voiding dysfunction in men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Male urinary incontinence adversely affects health-related quality of
      life and is associated with significant psychosexual and financial burden. The
      two most common forms of male incontinence are stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
      and overactive bladder (OAB) with concomitant urge urinary incontinence (UUI).
      OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this article are to briefly review the current
      understandings of the pathophysiological mechanisms in SUI and OAB/UUI, and offer
      a set of practical, action-based recommendations and treatment strategies.
      DISCUSSION: The initial evaluation of male urinary incontinence usually occurs in
      general practice, and the basic work-up aims to identify reversible causes. First
      line treatment is conservative management, such as lifestyle interventions,
      pelvic floor muscle training with or without biofeedback, and bladder retraining.
      Treatment options include male slings and artificial urinary sphincter surgery
      for men with persistent SUI, and medical therapy, intravesical botulinum toxin,
      sacral neuromodulation or surgery in refractory cases for those with predominant
      OAB/UUI.

PMID- 28892598
TI  - Helping mothers with the emotional dysregulation of borderline personality
      disorder and their infants in primary care settings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Six per cent of patients who present to primary care have borderline
      personality disorder (BPD). Mothers with full or partial features of BPD, often
      undiagnosed and perhaps previously functioning adequately enough on the surface,
      may rapidly be-come emotionally dysregulated by the normal needs of an infant.
      Family and maternal functioning can rapidly destabilise. Management of patients
      with BPD in primary care may be challenging. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this
      article are to provide primary care practitioners with relevant information on
      current knowledge of BPD and its management when mothers with BPD are caregivers
      to an infant. DISCUSSION: Useful guidelines for general practitioners that can
      help women who are emotionally dysregulated with infants include: keeping the
      diagnosis in mind openly discussing BPD diagnosis where relevant providing
      psychoeducational material and ongoing support to the woman and her
      familyreferring to specialised services for BPD referring to standard maternal
      child health services and specialised .infant mental health services ongoing
      communication with other services and supervision for the practitioner.

PMID- 28892599
TI  - Occult syphilitic chancres in the rectum and oropharynx.

PMID- 28892600
TI  - The suspect - SIADH.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyponatraemia is one of the most commonly encountered electrolyte
      abnormalities in general practice. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone
      secretion (SIADH) is an important but under-recognised cause. OBJECTIVE: This
      article explores the presentation, investigation, diagnosis and management of
      SIADH. DISCUSSION: SIADH can occur secondary to medications, malignancy,
      pulmonary disease, or any disorder involving the central nervous system.
      Diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical euvolaemic state with low serum sodium
      and osmolality, raised urine sodium and osmolality, and exclusion of
      pseudohyponatraemia and diuretic use. Fluid restriction of 800-1200 mL/24 hours
      is the mainstay of treatment. Patients with severe hyponatraemia and symptoms of
      altered mental state or seizures should be admitted to hospital for monitoring of
      fluid restriction and consideration of hypertonic saline. A rapid increase in
      sodium levels can precipitate osmotic demyelination and, as such, the increase in
      serum sodium should not exceed 10 mmol/L in 24 hours or 18 mmol/L in 48 hours.

PMID- 28892601
TI  - Knowledge and practices of chronic hepatitis B virus testing by general
      practitioners in Victoria, Australia, 2014-15.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More than one-third of people living with chronic hepatitis B virus
      (HBV) in Australia have not been diagnosed. The aim of this study was to assess
      general practitioners' (GPs') knowledge and practices regarding chronic HBV
      diagnosis, and identify opportunities to improve testing rates. METHODS: A cross
      sectional survey was conducted with GPs working in Victoria, Australia.
      Statistically significant adjusted odds ratios for high knowledge, and ordering
      two or more HBV tests per week were calculated. RESULTS: Of 1000 GPs who were
      invited to participate, 232 completed the survey. Chronic HBV knowledge, use of
      interpreters, and awareness of HBV testing guidelines were low. Chronic HBV
      knowledge and testing were associated with age and graduation from a medical
      school outside Australia. Testing was also associated with gender. DISCUSSION:
      This study identified gaps in GPs' knowledge about chronic hepatitis. Several
      barriers to improving testing rates among at-risk populations were identified. We
      recommend revision of the guidelines for prevention in general practice, and
      educational activities to improve knowledge of at-risk populations for chronic
      HBV in Australia.

PMID- 28892602
TI  - Locating advance care planning facilitators in general practice increases
      consumer participation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) can positively affect end-of-life care
      experiences. However, uptake of ACP completion is low. The aim of this study was
      to investigate whether co-locating ACP facilitators in general practice increased
      participation METHODS: Barwon Health commenced promoting its ACP program in 2008.
      Trained ACP facilitators assisted consumers, which usually occurred in the
      program's community-based consulting rooms. From 2012 onwards, ACP facilitators
      were co-located with 18 general practices, where they assisted consumers at the
      point of care. RESULTS: Referrals to the program increased from 2008-11 (n =
      2520) to 2012-15 (n = 6847). Between 2012 and 2015, 48% of referrals to the
      program were from the 18 general practices with co-located ACP facilitators, and
      93% of these referrals resulted in ACPs completed, compared with 74% from
      practices without co-located facilitators and 55% from all other sources (P
      DISCUSSION: Co-locating ACP facilitators in general practice increased the number
      of referrals to the program and produced higher plan completion rates.

PMID- 28892603
TI  - Navigating the disparate Australian regulatory minefield of cosmetic therapy.

PMID- 28892604
TI  - Clinical Challenge.
AB  - Questions for this month's clinical challenge are based on articles in this
      issue. The clinical challenge is endorsed by the RACGP Quality Improvement and
      Continuing Professional Development (QI&CPD) program and has been allocated four
      Category 2 points (Activity ID: 109894). Answers to this clinical challenge are
      available immediately following successful completion online at
      http://gplearning.racgp.org.au. Clinical challenge quizzes may be completed at
      any time throughout the 2017-19 triennium; therefore, the previous months'
      answers are not published. Each of the questions or incomplete statements below
      is followed by four suggested answers or completions. Select the most appropriate
      statement as your answer.

PMID- 28892605
TI  - Inhibitors of the Diadenosine Tetraphosphate Phosphorylase Rv2613c of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - The intracellular concentration of diadenosine tetraphospate (Ap4A) increases
      upon exposure to stress conditions. Despite being discovered over 50 years ago,
      the cellular functions of Ap4A are still enigmatic. If and how the varied Ap4A is
      a signal and involved in the signaling pathways leading to an appropriate
      cellular response remain to be discovered. Because the turnover of Ap4A by Ap4A
      cleaving enzymes is rapid, small molecule inhibitors for these enzymes would
      provide tools for the more detailed study of the role of Ap4A. Here, we describe
      the development of a high-throughput screening assay based on a fluorogenic Ap4A
      substrate for the identification and optimization of small molecule inhibitors
      for Ap4A cleaving enzymes. As proof-of-concept we screened a library of over 42
      000 compounds toward their inhibitory activity against the Ap4A phosphorylase
      (Rv2613c) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). A sulfanylacrylonitril derivative
      with an IC50 of 260 +/- 50 nM in vitro was identified. Multiple derivatives were
      synthesized to further optimize their properties with respect to their in vitro
      IC50 values and their cytotoxicity against human cells (HeLa). In addition, we
      selected two hits to study their antimycobacterial activity against virulent Mtb
      to show that they might be candidates for further development of
      antimycobacterial agents against multidrug-resistant Mtb.

PMID- 28892606
TI  - CRISPR-Mediated Tagging of Endogenous Proteins with a Luminescent Peptide.
AB  - Intracellular signaling pathways are mediated by changes in protein abundance and
      post-translational modifications. A common approach for investigating signaling
      mechanisms and the effects induced by synthetic compounds is through
      overexpression of recombinant reporter genes. Genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9
      offers a means to better preserve native biology by appending reporters directly
      onto the endogenous genes. An optimal reporter for this purpose would be small to
      negligibly influence intracellular processes, be readily linked to the endogenous
      genes with minimal experimental effort, and be sensitive enough to detect low
      expressing proteins. HiBiT is a 1.3 kDa peptide (11 amino acids) capable of
      producing bright and quantitative luminescence through high affinity
      complementation (KD = 700 pM) with an 18 kDa subunit derived from NanoLuc
      (LgBiT). Using CRISPR/Cas9, we demonstrate that HiBiT can be rapidly and
      efficiently integrated into the genome to serve as a reporter tag for endogenous
      proteins. Without requiring clonal isolation of the edited cells, we were able to
      quantify changes in abundance of the hypoxia inducible factor 1A (HIF1alpha) and
      several of its downstream transcriptional targets in response to various stimuli.
      In combination with fluorescent antibodies, we further used HiBiT to directly
      correlate HIF1alpha levels with the hydroxyproline modification that mediates its
      degradation. These results demonstrate the ability to efficiently tag endogenous
      proteins with a small luminescent peptide, allowing sensitive quantitation of the
      response dynamics in their regulated expression and covalent modifications.

PMID- 28892607
TI  - Template-Free Synthesis of Highly Porous Boron Nitride: Insights into Pore
      Network Design and Impact on Gas Sorption.
AB  - Production of biocompatible and stable porous materials, e.g., boron nitride,
      exhibiting tunable and enhanced porosity is a prerequisite if they are to be
      employed to address challenges such as drug delivery, molecular separations, or
      catalysis. However, there is currently very limited understanding of the
      formation mechanisms of porous boron nitride and the parameters controlling its
      porosity, which ultimately prevents exploiting the material's full potential.
      Herein, we produce boron nitride with high and tunable surface area and
      micro/mesoporosity via a facile template-free method using multiple readily
      available N-containing precursors with different thermal decomposition patterns.
      The gases are gradually released, creating hierarchical pores, high surface areas
      (>1900 m2/g), and micropore volumes. We use 3D tomography techniques to
      reconstruct the pore structure, allowing direct visualization of the mesopore
      network. Additional imaging and analytical tools are employed to characterize the
      materials from the micro- down to the nanoscale. The CO2 uptake of the materials
      rivals or surpasses those of commercial benchmarks or other boron nitride
      materials reported to date (up to 4 times higher), even after pelletizing.
      Overall, the approach provides a scalable route to porous boron nitride
      production as well as fundamental insights into the material's formation, which
      can be used to design a variety of boron nitride structures.

PMID- 28892608
TI  - Electrode-Impregnable and Cross-Linkable Poly(ethylene oxide)-Poly(propylene
      oxide)-Poly(ethylene oxide) Triblock Polymer Electrolytes with High Ionic
      Conductivity and a Large Voltage Window for Flexible Solid-State Supercapacitors.
AB  - We present cross-linkable precursor-type gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) that
      have large ionic liquid uptake capability, can easily penetrate electrodes, have
      high ion conductivity, and are mechanically strong as high-performance, flexible
      all-solid-state supercapacitors (SC). Our polymer precursors feature a
      hydrophilic-hydrophobic poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene
      oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock main-chain structure and trifunctional silane end
      groups that can be multi-cross-linked with each other through a sol-gel process.
      The cross-linked solid-state electrolyte film with moderate IL content (200 wt %)
      shows a well-balanced combination of excellent ionic conductivity (5.0 * 10-3 S
      cm-1) and good mechanical stability (maximum strain = 194%). Moreover, our
      polymer electrolytes have various advantages including high thermal stability
      (decomposition temperature > 330  degrees C) and the capability to impregnate
      electrodes to form an excellent electrode-electrolyte interface due to the very
      low viscosity of the precursors. By assembling our GPE-impregnated electrodes and
      solid-state GPE film, we demonstrate an all-solid-state SC that can operate at 3
      V and provides an improved specific capacitance (112.3 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1),
      better rate capability (64% capacity retention until 20 A g-1), and excellent
      cycle stability (95% capacitance decay over 10 000 charge/discharge cycles)
      compared with those of a reference SC using a conventional PEO electrolyte.
      Finally, flexible SCs with a high energy density (22.6 W h kg-1 at 1 A g-1) and
      an excellent flexibility (>93% capacitance retention after 5000 bending cycles)
      can successfully be obtained.

PMID- 28892609
TI  - Molecular Engineering of Conjugated Polymers for Biocompatible Organic
      Nanoparticles with Highly Efficient Photoacoustic and Photothermal Performance in
      Cancer Theranostics.
AB  - Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CP NPs) are emerging candidates of "all-in-one"
      theranostic nanoplatforms with dual photoacoustic imaging (PA) and photothermal
      therapy (PTT) functions. So far, very limited molecular design guidelines have
      been developed for achieving CPs with highly efficient PA and PTT performance.
      Herein, by designing CP1, CP2, and CP3 using different electron acceptors (A) and
      a planar electron donor (D), we demonstrate how the D-A strength affects their
      absorption, emission, extinction coefficient, and ultimately PA and PTT
      performance. The resultant CP NPs have strong PA signals with high photothermal
      conversion efficiencies and excellent biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. The
      CP3 NPs show a high PA signal to background ratio of 47 in U87 tumor-bearing
      mice, which is superior to other reported PA/PTT theranostic agents. A very small
      IC50 value of 0.88 MUg/mL (CP3 NPs) was obtained for U87 glioma cell ablation
      under laser irradiation (808 nm, 0.8 W/cm2, 5 min). This study shows that CP NP
      based theranostic platforms are promising for future personalized nanomedicine.

PMID- 28892610
TI  - Catalysis and Inhibition in the Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 on Platinum in
      the Presence of Protonated Pyridine. New Insights into Mechanisms and Products.
AB  - In the framework of modern energy challenges, the reduction of CO2 into fuels
      calls for electrogenerated low-valent transition metal complexes catalysts
      designed with considerable ingenuity and sophistication. For this reason, the
      report that a molecule as simple as protonated pyridine (PyH+) could catalyze the
      formation of methanol from the reduction of CO2 on a platinum electrode triggered
      great interest and excitement. Further investigations revealed that no methanol
      is produced. It appears that CO2 is not really reduced but rather participates,
      on the basis of its aquation into carbonic acid, in hydrogen evolution. Actually,
      the situation is not that straightforward, as revealed by scrutinizing what
      happens at the platinum electrode surface. The present study confirms the lack of
      methanol formation upon bulk electrolysis of PyH+ solutions at Pt and provides a
      detailed account of the Faradaic yield for H2 production as a function of the
      electrode potential, but the main finding is that CO2 reduction is accompanied by
      a strong inhibition of the electrode process taking place when it is carried out
      in the presence of acids such as PyH+ and AcOH. Cyclic voltammetry and in situ
      infrared spectroscopy were closely combined to investigate and understand the
      nature and consequences of the inhibition process. Constant comparison between
      the two acids was required to decipher the course of the reaction owing to the
      fact that the IR responses are perturbed by PyH+ adsorption. It finally appears
      that inhibition is caused by the reduction of CO2 into CO, whose high affinity
      with platinum triggers the formation of a Pt-CO film that prevents the reaction
      process. Thus, a paradoxical situation develops in which the high affinity of Pt
      for CO helps to decrease the overpotential for the reduction of CO2 and therefore
      blocks the electrode, preventing the reaction process.

PMID- 28892611
TI  - Upconversion Nanoparticles/Hyaluronate-Rose Bengal Conjugate Complex for
      Noninvasive Photochemical Tissue Bonding.
AB  - The recent progress in photonic nanomaterials has contributed greatly to the
      development of photomedicines. However, the finite depth of light penetration is
      still a serious limitation, constraining their clinical applications. Here, we
      developed a poly(allylamine) (PAAm)-modified upconversion
      nanoparticle/hyaluronate-rose bengal (UCNP/PAAm/HA-RB) conjugate complex for
      photochemical bonding of deep tissue with near-infrared (NIR) light illumination.
      Compared to the conventional invasive treatment via suturing and stapling, the
      UCNP/PAAm/HA-RB conjugate complex could be noninvasively delivered into the deep
      tissue and accelerate the tissue bonding upon NIR light illumination. HA in the
      outer layer of the complex facilitated the penetration of RB into the collagen
      layer of the dermis. The NIR light triggered UCNP of NaYF4: Yb/Er (Y:Yb:Er =
      78:20:2) in the complex to illuminate visible green light under the skin tissue.
      The activated RB in the HA-RB conjugate by the green light induced radical
      formation for the cross-linking of incised collagen matrix. An in vitro light
      propagation test and collagen fibrillogenesis analysis, an in vivo animal tissue
      bonding test, and an ex vivo tensile strength test of dissected skin tissues
      confirmed the successful photochemical tissue bonding effect of the UCNP/PAAm/HA
      RB conjugate complex.

PMID- 28892612
TI  - Medium Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoate Copolymer Modified by Bacterial
      Cellulose for Medical Devices.
AB  - Medium chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mPHAs) are flexible elastomeric
      biopolymers with valuable properties for biomedical applications like artificial
      arteries and other medical implants. However, an environmentally friendly and
      high productivity process together with the tuning of the mechanical and
      biological properties of mPHAs are mandatory for this purpose. Here, for the
      first time, a melt processing technique was applied for the preparation of
      bionanocomposites starting from poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) and bacterial
      cellulose nanofibers (BC). The incorporation of only 3 wt % BC in PHO improved
      its thermal stability with 25  degrees C and reinforced it, increasing the
      Young's modulus with 76% and the tensile strength with 44%. The percolation
      threshold calculated with the aspect ratio of the fibers after melt processing
      was very low and close to 3 wt %. We showed that this bionanocomposite is able to
      preserve the ductile behavior during storage, no important aging being noted
      between 3 h and one month after compression-molding. Moreover, this study is the
      first to investigate the melt processability of PHO nanocomposite for tube
      extrusion. In addition, biocompatibility study showed no proinflammatory immune
      response and better cell adhesion for PHO/BC nanocomposite with 3 wt % BC and
      demonstrated the high feasibility of this bionanocomposite for in vivo
      application of tissue-engineered blood vessels.

PMID- 28892613
TI  - Electron Density Errors and Density-Driven Exchange-Correlation Energy Errors in
      Approximate Density Functional Calculations.
AB  - Since its formal introduction, density functional theory has achieved many
      successes in the fields of molecular and solid-state chemistry. According to its
      central theorems, the ground state of a many-electron system is fully described
      by its electron density, and the exact functional minimizes the energy at the
      exact electron density. For many years of density functional development, it was
      assumed that the improvements in the energy are accompanied by the improvements
      in the density, and the approximations approach the exact functional. In a recent
      analysis ( Medvedev et al. Science 2017 , 355 , 49 - 52 .), it has been pointed
      out for 14 first row (Be-Ne) atoms and cations with 2, 4, or 10 electrons that
      the nowadays popular flexible but physically less rigorous approximate density
      functionals may provide large errors in the calculated electron densities despite
      the accurate energies. Although far-reaching conclusions have been drawn in this
      work, the methodology used by the authors may need improvements. Most
      importantly, their benchmark set was biased toward small atomic cations with
      compressed, high electron densities. In our paper, we construct a molecular test
      set with chemically relevant densities and analyze the performance of several
      density functional approximations including the less-investigated double hybrids.
      We apply an intensive error measure for the density, its gradient, and its
      Laplacian and examine how the errors in the density propagate into the semilocal
      exchange-correlation energy. While we have confirmed the broad conclusions of
      Medvedev et al., our different way of analyzing the data has led to conclusions
      that differ in detail. Finally, seeking for a rationale behind the global hybrid
      or double hybrid methods from the density's point of view, we also analyze the
      role of the exact exchange and second-order perturbative correlation mixing in
      PBE-based global hybrid and double hybrid functional forms.

PMID- 28892614
TI  - Realization of Red Plasmon Shifts up to ~900 nm by AgPd-Tipping Elongated Au
      Nanocrystals.
AB  - The synthesis of metal nanostructures with plasmon wavelengths beyond ~1000 nm is
      strongly desired, especially for those with small sizes. Herein we report on a
      AgPd-tipping process on Au nanobipyramids with the resultant red plasmon shifts
      reaching up to ~900 nm. The large red plasmon shifts are ascribed to the
      deposition of the metal at the tips of Au nanobipyramids, which is verified by
      electrodynamic simulations. The method has been successfully applied to Au
      nanobipyramids and nanorods with different longitudinal dipolar plasmon
      wavelengths, demonstrating that the plasmon wavelengths of these Au nanocrystals
      can be extended to the entire near-infrared region. Pt can also induce the
      tipping on Au nanobipyramids and nanorods to realize red plasmon shifts,
      suggesting the generality of our approach. We have further shown that the metal
      tipped Au nanobipyramids possess a high photothermal conversion efficiency and
      good photothermal therapy performance. This study opens up a route to the
      construction of Au nanostructures with plasmon resonance in a broad spectral
      region for plasmon-enabled technological applications.

PMID- 28892615
TI  - Quantitative Proteomics Reveals the Regulatory Networks of Circular RNA CDR1as in
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.
AB  - Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of widespread endogenous RNAs, play crucial
      roles in diverse biological processes and are potential biomarkers in diverse
      human diseases and cancers. Cerebellar-degeneration-related protein 1 antisense
      RNA (CDR1as), an oncogenic circRNA, is involved in human tumorigenesis and is
      dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying CDR1as functions in HCC remain unclear. Here we explored the functions
      of CDR1as and searched for CDR1as-regulated proteins in HCC cells. A quantitative
      proteomics strategy was employed to globally identify CDR1as-regulated proteins
      in HCC cells. In total, we identified 330 differentially expressed proteins
      (DEPs) upon enhanced CDR1as expression in HepG2 cells, indicating that they could
      be proteins regulated by CDR1as. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that many DEPs
      were involved in cell proliferation and the cell cycle. Further functional
      studies of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) found that CDR1as exerts its
      effects on cell proliferation at least in part through the regulation of EGFR
      expression. We further confirmed that CDR1as could inhibit the expression of
      microRNA-7 (miR-7). EGFR is a validated target of miR-7; therefore, CDR1as may
      exert its function by regulating EGFR expression via targeting miR-7 in HCC
      cells. Taken together, we revealed novel functions and underlying mechanisms of
      CDR1as in HCC cells. This study serves as the first proteome-wide analysis of a
      circRNA-regulated protein in cells and provides a reliable and highly efficient
      method for globally identifying circRNA-regulated proteins.

PMID- 28892616
TI  - Chemoproteomics-Enabled Covalent Ligand Screening Reveals a Thioredoxin-Caspase 3
      Interaction Disruptor That Impairs Breast Cancer Pathogenicity.
AB  - Covalent ligand discovery is a promising strategy to develop small-molecule
      effectors against therapeutic targets. Recent studies have shown that
      dichlorotriazines are promising reactive scaffolds that preferentially react with
      lysines. Here, we have synthesized a series of dichlorotriazine-based covalent
      ligands and have screened this library to reveal small molecules that impair
      triple-negative breast cancer cell survival. Upon identifying a lead hit from
      this screen KEA1-97, we used activity-based protein profiling (ABPP)-based
      chemoproteomic platforms to identify that this compound targets lysine 72 of
      thioredoxin-a site previously shown to be important in protein interactions with
      caspase 3 to inhibit caspase 3 activity and suppress apoptosis. We show that KEA1
      97 disrupts the interaction of thioredoxin with caspase 3, activates caspases,
      and induces apoptosis without affecting thioredoxin activity. Moreover, KEA1-97
      impairs in vivo breast tumor xenograft growth. Our study showcases how the
      screening of covalent ligands can be coupled with ABPP platforms to identify
      unique anticancer lead and target pairs.

PMID- 28892617
TI  - Understanding of Electrochemical Mechanisms for CO2 Capture and Conversion into
      Hydrocarbon Fuels in Transition-Metal Carbides (MXenes).
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal (groups IV, V, VI) carbides (MXenes) with
      formulas M3C2 have been investigated as CO2 conversion catalysts with well
      resolved density functional theory calculations. While MXenes from the group IV
      to VI series have demonstrated an active behavior for the capture of CO2, the
      Cr3C2 and Mo3C2 MXenes exhibit the most promising CO2 to CH4 selective conversion
      capabilities. Our results predicted the formation of OCHO* and HOCO* radical
      species in the early hydrogenation steps through spontaneous reactions. This
      provides atomic level insights into the computer-aided screening for high
      performance catalysts and the understanding of electrochemical mechanisms for CO2
      reduction to energy-rich hydrocarbon fuels, which is of fundamental significance
      to elucidate the elementary steps for CO2 fixation.

PMID- 28892618
TI  - Consistent Integration of Experimental and Ab Initio Data into Effective Physical
      Models.
AB  - We describe and test theoretical principles for consistent integration of
      experimental and ab initio data from diverse sources into a single statistical
      mechanical model. The approach is based on the recently introduced concept of
      statistical distance between partition functions, uses a simple vector algebra
      formalism to describe measurement outcomes and coarse-graining operations, and
      takes advantage of thermodynamic perturbation expressions for fast exploration of
      the model parameter space. The methodology is demonstrated on a combination of
      thermodynamic, structural, spectroscopic, and imaging pseudoexperimental data
      along with ab initio-type trajectories, which are incorporated into models
      describing the behavior of a near-critical fluid, liquid water, thin-film mixed
      oxides, and binary alloys. We evaluate how different target data constrain the
      model parameters and how the uncertainty associated with incomplete target
      information and limited sampling of the system's phase space might influence the
      choice of optimal parameters.

PMID- 28892619
TI  - Thorium Metallacycle Facilitates Catalytic Alkyne Hydrophosphination.
AB  - The bis(NHC)borate-supported thorium-bis(mesitylphosphido) complex (1) undergoes
      reversible intramolecular C-H bond activation enabling the catalytic
      hydrophosphination of unactivated internal alkynes. Catalytic and stoichiometric
      experiments support a mechanism involving reactive Th-NHC metallacycle
      intermediates (Int and 2).

PMID- 28892620
TI  - Self-Assembly of Block Copolymer Chains To Promote the Dispersion of
      Nanoparticles in Polymer Nanocomposites.
AB  - In this paper we adopt molecular dynamics simulations to study the amphiphilic AB
      block copolymer (BCP) mediated nanoparticle (NP) dispersion in polymer
      nanocomposites (PNCs), with the A-block being compatible with the NPs and the B
      block being miscible with the polymer matrix. The effects of the number and
      components of BCP, as well as the interaction strength between A-block and NPs on
      the spatial organization of NPs, are explored. We find that the increase of the
      fraction of the A-block brings different dispersion effect to NPs than that of B
      block. We also find that the best dispersion state of the NPs occurs in the case
      of a moderate interaction strength between the A-block and the NPs. Meanwhile,
      the stress-strain behavior is probed. Our simulation results verify that adopting
      BCP is an effective way to adjust the dispersion of NPs in the polymer matrix,
      further to manipulate the mechanical properties.

PMID- 28892621
TI  - Adaptive Configuration Interaction for Computing Challenging Electronic Excited
      States with Tunable Accuracy.
AB  - We introduce and analyze various approaches for computing excited electronic
      states using our recently developed adaptive configuration interaction (ACI)
      method [ Schriber , J. B. and Evangelista , F. A. J. Chem. Phys. 2016 , 144 ,
      161106 ]. These ACI methods aim to describe multiple electronic states with equal
      accuracy, including challenging cases like multielectron, charge-transfer, and
      near-degenerate states. We develop both state-averaged and state-specific
      approaches to compute excited states whose absolute energy error can be tuned by
      a user-specified energy error threshold, sigma. State-averaged schemes are found
      to be more efficient in that they obtain all of the states simultaneously in one
      computation, but they lose some degree of statewise tunability. State-specific
      algorithms allow for direct control of the error of each state, though the states
      must be computed sequentially. We compare each method using methylene, LiF, and
      all-trans polyene benchmark data.

PMID- 28892622
TI  - Gold-Loaded Nanoporous Ferric Oxide Nanocubes with Peroxidase-Mimicking Activity
      for Electrocatalytic and Colorimetric Detection of Autoantibody.
AB  - The enzyme-mimicking activity of iron oxide based nanostructures has provided a
      significant advantage in developing advanced molecular sensors for biomedical and
      environmental applications. Herein, we introduce the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)
      like activity of gold-loaded nanoporous ferric oxide nanocubes (Au-NPFe2O3NC) for
      the development of a molecular sensor with enhanced electrocatalytic and
      colorimetric (naked eye) detection of autoantibodies. The results showed that Au
      NPFe2O3NC exhibits enhanced peroxidase-like activity toward the catalytic
      oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tertamethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H2O2 at room
      temperature (25  degrees C) and follows the typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics.
      The autoantibody sensor based on this intrinsic property of Au-NPFe2O3NC resulted
      in excellent detection sensitivity [limit of detection (LOD) = 0.08 U/mL] and
      reproducibility [percent relative standard deviation (% RSD) = <5% for n = 3] for
      analyzing p53-specific autoantibodies using electrochemical and colorimetric
      (naked eye) readouts. The clinical applicability of the sensor has been tested in
      detecting p53-specific autoantibody in plasma obtained from patients with
      epithelial ovarian cancer high-grade serous subtype (EOCHGS, number of samples =
      2) and controls (benign, number of samples = 2). As Au-NPFe2O3NC possess high
      peroxidase-like activity for the oxidation of TMB in the presence of H2O2 [TMB is
      a common chromogenic substrate for HRP in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
      (ELISAs)], we envisage that our assay could find a wide range of application in
      developing ELISA-based sensing approaches in the fields of medicine (i.e.,
      detection of other biomarkers the same as p53 autoantibody), biotechnology, and
      environmental sciences.

PMID- 28892623
TI  - Use of Crystal Structure Informatics for Defining the Conformational Space Needed
      for Predicting Crystal Structures of Pharmaceutical Molecules.
AB  - Determining the range of conformations that a flexible pharmaceutical-like
      molecule could plausibly adopt in a crystal structure is a key to successful
      crystal structure prediction (CSP) studies. We aim to use conformational
      information from the crystal structures in the Cambridge Structural Database
      (CSD) to facilitate this task. The conformations produced by the CSD Conformer
      Generator are reduced in number by considering the underlying rotamer
      distributions, an analysis of changes in molecular shape, and a minimal number of
      molecular ab initio calculations. This method is tested for five pharmaceutical
      like molecules where an extensive CSP study has already been performed. The CSD
      informatics-derived set of crystal structure searches generates almost all the
      low-energy crystal structures previously found, including all experimental
      structures. The workflow effectively combines information on individual torsion
      angles and then eliminates the combinations that are too high in energy to be
      found in the solid state, reducing the resources needed to cover the solid-state
      conformational space of a molecule. This provides insights into how the low
      energy solid-state and isolated-molecule conformations are related to the
      properties of the individual flexible torsion angles.

PMID- 28892624
TI  - In Situ Encapsulation of the Nanoscale Er2O3 Phase To Drastically Suppress
      Voltage Fading and Capacity Degradation of a Li- and Mn-Rich Layered Oxide
      Cathode for Lithium Ion Batteries.
AB  - A novel strategy of in situ precipitation and encapsulation of the Er2O3 phase on
      the Li(Li0.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mn0.54)O2 (LNCMO) cathode material for lithium ion
      batteries is proposed for the first time. The Er2O3 phase is precipitated from
      the bulk of the LNCMO material and encapsulated onto its entire surface during
      the calcining process. Electrochemicial performance is investigated by a
      galvanostatic charge and discharge test. The structure and morphology are
      characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning
      electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The
      results show that an about 10 nm Er2O3 layer is successfully encapsulated onto
      the entire surface of the LNCMO matrix material. This unique nanoscale Er2O3
      encapsulation can significantly prevent the LNCMO cathode material from being
      corroded by electrolytes and stabilize the crystal structure of the LNCMO cathode
      during cycling. Therefore, the prepared Er2O3-coated LNCMO composite exhibits
      excellent cycling performace and a high initial Coulombic efficiency.

PMID- 28892625
TI  - Platinum Binds Proteins in the Endoplasmic Reticulum of S. cerevisiae and Induces
      Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.
AB  - Pt(II)-based anticancer drugs are widely used in the treatment of a variety of
      cancers, but their clinical efficacy is hindered by undesirable side effects and
      resistance. While much research has focused on Pt(II) drug interactions with DNA,
      there is increasing interest in proteins as alternative targets and contributors
      to cytotoxic and resistance mechanisms. Here, we describe a chemical proteomic
      method for isolation and identification of cellular protein targets of platinum
      compounds using Pt(II) reagents that have been modified for participation in the
      1,3 dipolar cycloaddition "click" reaction. Using this method to visualize and
      enrich for targets, we identified 152 proteins in Pt(II)-treated Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae. Of interest was the identification of multiple proteins involved in
      the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, which has been proposed to be an
      important cytoplasmic mediator of apoptosis in response to cisplatin treatment.
      Consistent with possible direct targeting of this pathway, the ER stress response
      was confirmed to be induced in Pt(II)-treated yeast along with in vitro Pt(II)
      inhibition of one of the identified proteins, protein disulfide isomerase.

PMID- 28892627
TI  - The Sequence Dependence of Photoinduced Single Strand Break in 5-Bromo-2'
      deoxyuridine Labeled DNA Supports That Electron Transfer Is Responsible for the
      Damage.
AB  - The UVB irradiation of DNA labeled with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) leads to
      single-strand breaks (SSBs) as a major photochemical damage. Some time ago, we
      demonstrated that SSB is a secondary damage forming due to thermal dissociation
      of 2'-deoxyribonolactone generated photochemically in DNA labeled with BrdU. For
      the first time, we study here the variation of the yield of UVB generated SSBs
      with the alteration of 3'-neighbor nucleobase of electron donor (2'-deoxyguanine
      (dG)) and acceptor (excited BrdU) in double-stranded DNA. We showed that the
      experimental damage yields can be explained by the calculated ionization
      potentials of dG and electron affinities of excited BrdU via a kinetic scheme
      based on the Marcus model of electron transfer (ET). Hence, our studies on the
      sequence dependence of photochemical damage in DNA labeled with BrdU constitute a
      further argument that photochemically generated SSBs occur as a result of long
      range ET.

PMID- 28892626
TI  - Biomimetic Virulomics for Capture and Identification of Cell-Type Specific
      Effector Proteins.
AB  - An unmet challenge in the study of disease is to accurately streamline the
      identification of important virulence factors. Traditional, genetically driven
      approaches miss biologically relevant markers due to discordance between the
      genome and proteome. Here, we developed a nanotechnology-enabled affinity
      enrichment strategy coupled with multiplexed quantitative proteomics, namely
      Biomimetic Virulomics, for successful identification of cell-type specific
      effector proteins of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens. We highlight the
      power of Biomimetic Virulomics by capturing known virulence factors in a high
      throughput, cell-type guided fashion. Additionally, a comprehensive
      characterization of the membrane protein component of biomimetics utilized in
      this strategy is provided. Interfacing cell-derived nanomaterials with
      multiplexed quantitative proteomics allow for a specific targeting strategy of
      virulence factors that can be utilized for drug discovery against prominent human
      diseases.

PMID- 28892628
TI  - No Photon Wasted: An Efficient and Selective Singlet Oxygen Photosensitizing
      Protein.
AB  - Optogenetics has been, and will continue to be, a boon to mechanistic studies of
      cellular processes. Genetically encodable proteins that sensitize the production
      of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are expected to play an increasingly important
      role, particularly in elucidating mechanisms of temporally and spatially
      dependent cell signaling. However, a substantial challenge in developing such
      photosensitizing proteins has been to funnel the optical excitation energy into
      the initial selective production of only one ROS. Singlet molecular oxygen,
      O2(a1Deltag), is a ROS known to have a wide range of effects on cell function.
      Nevertheless, mechanistic details of singlet oxygen's behavior in a cell are
      lacking. On the basis of the rational optimization of a LOV-derived flavoprotein,
      we now report the development and photophysical characterization of a protein
      encased photosensitizer that efficiently and selectively produces singlet oxygen
      at the expense of other ROS, especially ROS that derive from photoinduced
      electron transfer reactions. These results set the stage for a plethora of new
      experiments to elucidate ROS-mediated events in cells.

PMID- 28892629
TI  - Development of (4-Cyanophenyl)glycine Derivatives as Reversible Inhibitors of
      Lysine Specific Demethylase 1.
AB  - Inhibition of lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) has been shown to induce the
      differentiation of leukemia stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
      Irreversible inhibitors developed from the nonspecific inhibitor tranylcypromine
      have entered clinical trials; however, the development of effective reversible
      inhibitors has proved more challenging. Herein, we describe our efforts to
      identify reversible inhibitors of LSD1 from a high throughput screen and
      subsequent in silico modeling approaches. From a single hit (12) validated by
      biochemical and biophysical assays, we describe our efforts to develop acyclic
      scaffold-hops from GSK-690 (1). A further scaffold modification to a (4
      cyanophenyl)glycinamide (e.g., 29a) led to the development of compound 32, with a
      Kd value of 32 nM and an EC50 value of 0.67 MUM in a surrogate cellular biomarker
      assay. Moreover, this derivative does not display the same level of hERG
      liability as observed with 1 and represents a promising lead for further
      development.

PMID- 28892630
TI  - Hamiltonian Monte Carlo with Constrained Molecular Dynamics as Gibbs Sampling.
AB  - Compared to fully flexible molecular dynamics, simulations of constrained systems
      can use larger time steps and focus kinetic energy on soft degrees of freedom.
      Achieving ergodic sampling from the Boltzmann distribution, however, has proven
      challenging. Using recent generalizations of the equipartition principle and
      Fixman potential, here we implement Hamiltonian Monte Carlo based on constrained
      molecular dynamics as a Gibbs sampling move. By mixing Hamiltonian Monte Carlo
      based on fully flexible and torsional dynamics, we are able to reproduce free
      energy landscapes of simple model systems and enhance sampling of macrocycles.

PMID- 28892631
TI  - Rhodium- and Non-Metal-Catalyzed Approaches for the Conversion of Isoxazol-5-ones
      to 2,3-Dihydro-6H-1,3-oxazin-6-ones.
AB  - Two approaches were developed for the conversion of isoxazol-5-ones to 2,3
      dihydro-6H-1,3-oxazin-6-ones. The first involves dirhodium-catalyzed reaction of
      aryl diazoacetates, leading to rhodium carbene intermediates that undergo
      insertion into the N-O bond of isoxazol-5-ones. The second approach involves
      conversion of the aryldiazoacetates to the corresponding tosylates, followed by
      reaction with the isoxazol-5-one in a metal-free one-pot procedure. These studies
      illustrate an alternative method to achieve a carbene-like transformation without
      requiring a metal catalyst.

PMID- 28892632
TI  - GaN Metalens for Pixel-Level Full-Color Routing at Visible Light.
AB  - Metasurface-based components are known to be one of the promising candidates for
      developing flat optical systems. However, their low working efficiency highly
      limits the use of such flat components for feasible applications. Although the
      introduction of the metallic mirror has been demonstrated to successfully enhance
      the efficiency, it is still somehow limited for imaging and sensing applications
      because they are only available for devices operating in a reflection fashion.
      Here, we demonstrate three individual GaN-based metalenses working in a
      transmission window with extremely high operation efficiency at visible light
      (87%, 91.6%, and 50.6% for blue, green, and red light, respectively). For the
      proof of concept, a multiplex color router with dielectric metalens, which is
      capable of guiding individual primary colors into different spatial positions, is
      experimentally verified based on the design of out-of-plane focusing metalens.
      Our approach with low-cost, semiconductor fabrication compatibility and high
      working efficiency characteristics offers a way for establishing a complete set
      of flat optical components for a wide range of applications such as compact
      imaging sensors, optical spectroscopy, and high-resolution lithography, just
      named a few.

PMID- 28892633
TI  - Regioselective and Enantioselective Intermolecular Buchner Ring Expansions in
      Flow.
AB  - The first example of a regioselective and enantioselective intermolecular Buchner
      ring expansion is reported using continuous flow. The practicality and scope of
      the reaction are greatly improved under flow conditions. Reactions of ethyl
      diazoacetate with symmetric and nonsymmetric arenes afford cycloheptatrienes in
      good yield and excellent regioselectivity. The first example of an asymmetric
      intermolecular Buchner reaction is demonstrated with disubstituted diazo esters
      in good to excellent enantioselectivity. The asymmetric reactions proceed with
      absolute regioselectivity to afford cycloheptatrienes with an all-carbon
      quaternary center.

PMID- 28892634
TI  - Transition-Metal-Free Reductive Coupling of 1,3-Butadienes with Aldehydes
      Catalyzed by Dibutyliodotin Hydride.
AB  - In this study, the Bu2SnIH-catalyzed direct coupling of 1,3-dienes with aldehydes
      was developed. This reaction could be suitable for coupling without the use of
      transition-metal catalysts. Many types of aldehydes were applied to this
      reaction. The addition of MeOH promoted the catalytic cycle.

PMID- 28892635
TI  - Ultrafast Silicon Photonics with Visible to Mid-Infrared Pumping of Silicon
      Nanocrystals.
AB  - Dynamic optical control of infrared (IR) transparency and refractive index is
      achieved using boron-doped silicon nanocrystals excited with mid-IR optical
      pulses. Unlike previous silicon-based optical switches, large changes in
      transmittance are achieved without a fabricated structure by exploiting strong
      light coupling of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) produced from
      free holes of p-type silicon nanocrystals. The choice of optical excitation
      wavelength allows for selectivity between hole heating and carrier generation
      through intraband or interband photoexcitation, respectively. Mid-IR optical
      pumping heats the free holes of p-Si nanocrystals to effective temperatures
      greater than 3500 K. Increases of the hole effective mass at high effective hole
      temperatures lead to a subpicosecond change of the dielectric function, resulting
      in a redshift of the LSPR, modulating mid-IR transmission by as much as 27%, and
      increasing the index of refraction by more than 0.1 in the mid-IR. Low hole heat
      capacity dictates subpicosecond hole cooling, substantially faster than carrier
      recombination, and negligible heating of the Si lattice, permitting mid-IR
      optical switching at terahertz repetition frequencies. Further, the energetic
      distribution of holes at high effective temperatures partially reverses the
      Burstein-Moss effect, permitting the modulation of transmittance at
      telecommunications wavelengths. The results presented here show that doped
      silicon, particularly in micro- or nanostructures, is a promising dynamic
      metamaterial for ultrafast IR photonics.

PMID- 28892636
TI  - Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydrogenation of beta-(Acylamino)acrylates:
      Synthesis of Chiral beta-Amino Acid Derivatives.
AB  - The nickel-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of beta-(acylamino)acrylates has
      been developed, affording chiral beta-amino acid derivatives with excellent
      yields (95-99% yield) and enantioselectivities (97-99% ee). With the Ni-Binapine
      system, high enantioselectivities (98-99% ee) have also been obtained in the
      hydrogenation of Z/E isomeric mixtures of beta-alkyl and beta-aryl beta
      (acylamino)acrylates. The synthesis of chiral beta-amino acid derivatives on a
      gram scale has also been achieved with 0.2 mol % catalyst loading.

PMID- 28892637
TI  - Functional Circuitry on Commercial Fabric via Textile-Compatible Nanoscale Film
      Coating Process for Fibertronics.
AB  - Fabric-based electronic textiles (e-textiles) are the fundamental components of
      wearable electronic systems, which can provide convenient hand-free access to
      computer and electronics applications. However, e-textile technologies presently
      face significant technical challenges. These challenges include difficulties of
      fabrication due to the delicate nature of the materials, and limited operating
      time, a consequence of the conventional normally on computing architecture, with
      volatile power-hungry electronic components, and modest battery storage. Here, we
      report a novel poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (pEGDMA)-textile memristive
      nonvolatile logic-in-memory circuit, enabling normally off computing, that can
      overcome those challenges. To form the metal electrode and resistive switching
      layer, strands of cotton yarn were coated with aluminum (Al) using a solution dip
      coating method, and the pEGDMA was conformally applied using an initiated
      chemical vapor deposition process. The intersection of two Al/pEGDMA coated yarns
      becomes a unit memristor in the lattice structure. The pEGDMA-Textile Memristor
      (ETM), a form of crossbar array, was interwoven using a grid of Al/pEGDMA coated
      yarns and untreated yarns. The former were employed in the active memristor and
      the latter suppressed cell-to-cell disturbance. We experimentally demonstrated
      for the first time that the basic Boolean functions, including a half adder as
      well as NOT, NOR, OR, AND, and NAND logic gates, are successfully implemented
      with the ETM crossbar array on a fabric substrate. This research may represent a
      breakthrough development for practical wearable and smart fibertronics.

PMID- 28892638
TI  - Ensemble Perception.
AB  - To understand visual consciousness, we must understand how the brain represents
      ensembles of objects at many levels of perceptual analysis. Ensemble perception
      refers to the visual system's ability to extract summary statistical information
      from groups of similar objects-often in a brief glance. It defines foundational
      limits on cognition, memory, and behavior. In this review, we provide an
      operational definition of ensemble perception and demonstrate that ensemble
      perception spans across multiple levels of visual analysis, incorporating both
      low-level visual features and high-level social information. Further, we
      investigate the functional usefulness of ensemble perception and its efficiency,
      and we consider possible physiological and cognitive mechanisms that underlie an
      individual's ability to make accurate and rapid assessments of crowds of objects.

PMID- 28892639
TI  - Genetic Networks in Plant Vascular Development.
AB  - Understanding the development of vascular tissues in plants is crucial because
      the evolution of vasculature enabled plants to thrive on land. Various systems
      and approaches have been used to advance our knowledge about the genetic
      regulation of vasculature development, from the scale of single genes to
      networks. In this review, we provide a perspective on the major approaches used
      in studying plant vascular development, and we cover the mechanisms and genetic
      networks underlying vascular tissue specification, patterning, and
      differentiation.

PMID- 28892640
TI  - Beneficial effects of rosiglitazone and losartan combination in diabetic rats.
AB  - Diabetes with vascular complication needs strict interventions to retard possible
      serious complications. This research estimated the possible interaction of
      rosiglitazone (RGN) with losartan (Los) in diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley
      rats were randomly divided into nondiabetic rats, diabetic rats, and diabetic
      rats that received RGN, Los, or a combination of RGN and Los. Measurement of
      serum glucose, vascular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, aortic lipid peroxide (malondialdehyde), glutathione, superoxide
      dismutase, and total nitrate/nitrite levels was done. Also, the effects of RGN on
      the relaxation created by acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside, contraction of
      isolated aortic rings provoked by phenylephrine and angiotensin II were
      determined. Results revealed that RGN or Los had a vasodilating effect to
      variable degrees indicated by enhanced effects on both acetylcholine-induced
      relaxation and the antagonistic effect on angiotensin II and phenylephrine
      stimulated contraction of diabetic aortas with significant amelioration in serum
      glucose, vascular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor
      alpha levels and aortic oxidant/antioxidant balance. Treatment of diabetic rats
      with a combination of RGN and Los produced a more pronounced effect on the
      measured parameters compared to the diabetic, RGN-, and Los-treated groups. These
      findings point out the beneficial effects of RGN and Los combination in diabetic
      rats.

PMID- 28892641
TI  - Independent assortment of GC gene polymorphism (rs2282679) and 25-hydroxyvitamin
      D levels in coronary artery disease.
AB  - Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a major public health burden. Emerging
      research has suggested an association between vitamin D insufficiency and CAD.
      Vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) is the primary vitamin D carrier and many of its
      genetic polymorphisms are able to induce the expression of proteins with
      different affinities for the vitamin, which in turn might affect its serum levels
      and CAD incidence. One hundred and twelve male patients, aged between 35 and 50
      years, with verified CAD and 109 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited.
      Genotyping was performed by the TaqMan allelic discrimination assay and plasma
      25(OH)D levels were assessed by HPLC-UV. Serum parathyroid hormone (s-PTH) and
      VDBP levels were measured using ELISA. s-25(OH)D levels in CAD patients were
      significantly lower than in the controls, whereas s-PTH levels were significantly
      higher in the CAD patients than in the controls. There was no significant
      difference in the distribution of GC genotypes among both groups. s-25(OH)D
      showed a weak inverse correlation with s-PTH levels. Serum levels of vitamin D
      and PTH are highly correlated with CAD incidence. However, the s-VDBP level is
      associated neither with disease outcome nor with vitamin D status. The GC gene
      variant has no effect on 25(OH)D levels.

PMID- 28892642
TI  - The distribution of active beta-glucosidase-producing microbial communities in
      composting.
AB  - The composting ecosystem is a suitable source for the discovery of novel
      microorganisms and secondary metabolites. Cellulose degradation is an important
      part of the global carbon cycle, and beta-glucosidases complete the final step of
      cellulose hydrolysis by converting cellobiose to glucose. This work analyzes the
      succession of beta-glucosidase-producing microbial communities that persist
      throughout cattle manure - rice straw composting, and evaluates their metabolic
      activities and community advantage during the various phases of composting.
      Fungal and bacterial beta-glucosidase genes belonging to glycoside hydrolase
      families 1 and 3 (GH1 and GH3) amplified from DNA were classified and gene
      abundance levels were analyzed. The major reservoirs of beta-glucosidase genes
      were the fungal phylum Ascomycota and the bacterial phyla Firmicutes,
      Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Deinococcus-Thermus. This indicates that a
      diverse microbial community utilizes cellobiose. The succession of dominant
      bacteria was also detected during composting. Firmicutes was the dominant
      bacteria in the thermophilic phase of composting; there was a shift to
      Actinomycetes in the maturing stage. Proteobacteria accounted for the highest
      proportions during the heating and thermophilic phases of composting. By
      contrast, the fungal phylum Ascomycota was a minor microbial community
      constituent in thermophilic phase of composting. Combined with the analysis of
      the temperature, cellulose degradation rate and the carboxymethyl cellulase and
      beta-glucosidase activities showed that the bacterial GH1 family beta-glucosidase
      genes make greater contribution in cellulose degradation at the later
      thermophilic stage of composting. In summary, even GH1 bacteria families beta
      glucosidase genes showing low abundance in DNA may be functionally important in
      the later thermophilic phase of composting. The results indicate that a complex
      community of bacteria and fungi expresses beta-glucosidases in compost. Several
      beta-glucosidase-producing bacteria and fungi identified in this study may
      represent potential indicators of composting in cellulose degradation.

PMID- 28892643
TI  - Comparison of the effects of IK,ACh, IKr, and INa block in conscious dogs with
      atrial fibrillation and on action potentials in remodeled atrial trabeculae.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and a
      major cause of morbidity and mortality. Traditional antiarrhythmic agents used
      for restoration of sinus rhythm have limited efficacy in long-term AF and they
      may possess ventricular proarrhythmic adverse effects, especially in patients
      with structural heart disease. The acetylcholine receptor-activated potassium
      channel (IK,ACh) represents an atrial selective target for future AF management.
      We investigated the effects of the IK,ACh blocker tertiapin-Q (TQ), a derivative
      of the honeybee toxin tertiapin, on chronic atrial tachypacing-induced AF in
      conscious dogs, without the influence of anesthetics that modulate a number of
      cardiac ion channels. Action potentials (APs) were recorded from right atrial
      trabeculae isolated from dogs with AF. TQ significantly and dose-dependently
      reduced AF incidence and AF episode duration, prolonged atrial effective
      refractory period, and prolonged AP duration. The reference drugs propafenone and
      dofetilide, both used in the clinical management of AF, exerted similar effects
      against AF in vivo. Dofetilide prolonged atrial AP duration, whereas propafenone
      increased atrial conduction time. TQ and propafenone did not affect the QT
      interval, whereas dofetilide prolonged the QT interval. Our results show that
      inhibition of IK,ACh may represent a novel, atrial-specific target for the
      management of AF in chronic AF.

PMID- 28892644
TI  - Specifically Penile-Vaginal Intercourse Frequency Is Associated With Better
      Relationship Satisfaction: A Commentary on Hicks, McNulty, Meltzer, and Olson
      (2016).

PMID- 28892645
TI  - Self-assembling Peptide P11-4 and Fluoride for Regenerating Enamel.
AB  - Regenerative medicine-based approaches for caries treatment focus on biomimetic
      remineralization of initial carious lesions as a minimal invasive therapy. In
      vitro, self-assembling peptide P11-4 enhances remineralization of early carious
      lesions. To investigate the safety and clinical efficacy of P11-4 for treatment
      of initial caries, a randomized controlled single-blind study was conducted on
      children aged >5 y with visible active early caries on erupting permanent molars.
      Subjects were randomized to either the test group (P11-4 + fluoride varnish) or
      control group (fluoride varnish alone). Caries were assessed at baseline and at 3
      and 6 mo posttreatment per laser fluorescence, a visual analog scale, the
      International Caries Detection and Assessment System, and Nyvad caries activity
      criteria. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed, and safety and clinical
      feasibility of the treatment approaches were assessed. Compared with the control
      group, the test group showed clinically and statistically significant improvement
      in all outcomes at 3 and 6 mo. The laser fluorescence readings (odds ratio = 3.5,
      P = 0.015) and visual analog scale scores (odds ratio = 7.9, P < .0001) were
      significantly lower for the test group, and they showed regression in the
      International Caries Detection and Assessment System caries index (odds ratio =
      5.1, P = 0.018) and conversion from active to inactive lesions according to Nyvad
      criteria (odds ratio = 12.2, P < 0.0001). No adverse events occurred. The
      biomimetic mineralization facilitated by P11-4 in combination with fluoride
      application is a simple, safe, and effective noninvasive treatment for early
      carious lesions that is superior to the presently used gold standard of fluoride
      alone. By regenerating enamel tissue and preventing lesion progression, this
      novel approach could change clinical dental practice from a restorative to a
      therapeutic approach. This could avoid additional loss of healthy hard tissue
      during invasive restorative treatments, potentially enabling longer tooth life
      and thereby lowering long-term health costs ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02724592).

PMID- 28892646
TI  - Protective effects of Mentha spicata against nicotine-induced toxicity in liver
      and erythrocytes of Wistar rats.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Mentha spicata
      supplementation against nicotine-induced oxidative damage in the liver and
      erythrocytes of Wistar rats. Bioactive substances were determined by liquid
      chromatography - electrospray ionization - tandem mass spectrometry analysis.
      Animals were divided into 4 groups of 6 rats each: a normal control group, a
      nicotine-treated group (1 mg/kg), a group receiving M. spicata extract (100
      mg/kg), and a group receiving both M. spicata extract (100 mg/kg) and nicotine (1
      mg/kg). Many phenolic acids were identified in the M. spicata aqueous extract.
      After 2 months of treatment, nicotine induced an increase in the level of white
      blood cells and a marked decrease in erythrocytes, hemoglobin, and haematocrit.
      Aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate
      dehydrogenase activities were also found to be higher in nicotine-treated group
      than those of the control group. Furthermore, nicotine-treated rats exhibited
      oxidative stress, as evidenced by a decrease in antioxidant enzymes activities
      and an increase in lipid peroxidation level in liver and erythrocytes.
      Interestingly, the oral administration of M. spicata extract by nicotine-treated
      rats alleviated such disturbances. M. spicata contained bioactive compounds that
      possess important antioxidant potential and protected liver and erythrocytes
      against nicotine-induced damage.

PMID- 28892647
TI  - miR-96 targets SOX6 and promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion of
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Recent research suggested that microRNA 96 (miR-96) might function as an oncogene
      in several types of cancers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to probe
      into the mechanism of miR-96 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. HCC tissues
      and non-tumorous tissues, HCC cell lines, and healthy cell lines were all
      involved in this study. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot
      were used to detect miR-96 and SOX6 mRNA and protein expressions. The direct
      regulation of miR96 on SOX6 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assays. Cell
      proliferation and growth were determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5
      diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay and colony formation assay. Wound healing
      and transwell assay were employed for migration and invasion analyses. Finally,
      SPSS 21.0 and GraphPad 7.0 were applied for statistical analyses. In HCC tissues,
      miR-96 was highly expressed while SOX6 was lowly expressed. The overexpression of
      miR-96 reversely inhibited the expression of SOX6, contributing to the promotion
      of the biological functions of HCC cells. miR-96 could promote cell
      proliferation, migration, and invasion in HCC by targeting SOX6.

PMID- 28892648
TI  - Long-Term Outcomes of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Either
      Synthetics With Remnant Preservation or Hamstring Autografts: A 10-Year
      Longitudinal Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal graft choice of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
      reconstruction remains controversial. PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes,
      especially the long-term cumulative failure rate, of ACL reconstruction using
      either synthetics with remnant preservation or hamstring autografts (4-strand
      semitendinosus and gracilis tendons). STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of
      evidence, 2. METHODS: A total of 133 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction
      (synthetics: n = 43; hamstring autografts: n = 90) between July 2004 and December
      2007 were included. Questionnaires (Tegner activity scale, Lysholm knee scale,
      and International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC] subjective form) were
      completed preoperatively and at 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years
      postoperatively. The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was
      additionally applied at 10 years' follow-up. The physical examination was based
      on the 2000 IKDC form. The manual maximum side-to-side difference (KT-1000
      arthrometer), single-hop test, thigh muscle atrophy, and joint degeneration
      (Kellgren and Lawrence classification) were evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier curve and
      log-rank test (Mantel-Cox, 95% CI) were used to compare graft survivorship.
      RESULTS: Ten years postoperatively, 111 patients were available, with 38 (88.4%)
      patients (mean age, 27.6 +/- 9.3 years; 28 men) with synthetics and 73 (81.1%)
      patients (mean age, 28.6 +/- 8.8 years; 64 men) with hamstring autografts. Among
      them, 104 patients (synthetics: n = 35 [81.4%]; hamstring autografts: n = 69
      [76.7%]) completed subjective evaluations, and 89 patients (synthetics: n = 30
      [69.8%]; hamstring autografts: n = 59 [65.6%]) completed objective evaluations.
      For hamstring autografts and synthetics, the cumulative failure rates were 8.2%
      and 7.9%, respectively, and the log-rank test demonstrated no significant
      difference between the 2 Kaplan-Meier survival curves ( P = .910). At 6 months
      postoperatively, for hamstring autografts and synthetics, the mean Lysholm score
      was 83.0 +/- 7.8 and 88.1 +/- 7.5, respectively ( P < .001); the mean IKDC score
      was 83.8 +/- 7.8 and 86.9 +/- 4.5, respectively ( P = .036); and the mean Tegner
      score was 3.7 +/- 1.1 and 5.0 +/- 1.5, respectively ( P < .001). At 1 year
      postoperatively, the mean Tegner score was 5.5 +/- 1.9 and 6.5 +/- 2.0,
      respectively ( P = .011). No statistically significant difference was observed on
      other subjective evaluation findings, physical examination findings (overall IKDC
      grade A: 45.8% of hamstring autografts, 50.0% of synthetics), side-to-side
      difference (1.5 +/- 1.5 mm for synthetics, 2.4 +/- 2.1 mm for hamstring
      autografts), single-hop test findings (grade A: 84.7% of hamstring autografts,
      93.3% of synthetics), grade A/B thigh muscle atrophy (88.1% of hamstring
      autografts, 93.3% of synthetics), ipsilateral radiographic osteoarthritis (55.9%
      of hamstring autografts, 50.0% of synthetics), and graft survivorship.
      CONCLUSION: In this prospective cohort study, primary ACL reconstruction using
      either synthetics with remnant preservation or hamstring autografts showed
      satisfactory outcomes, especially the long-term cumulative failure rate, at 10
      years postoperatively. Patient-reported outcomes suggested that symptom relief
      and restoration of function might occur earlier in those with synthetics.

PMID- 28892649
TI  - Expression of Phosphate Transporters during Dental Mineralization.
AB  - The importance of phosphate (Pi) as an essential component of hydroxyapatite
      crystals suggests a key role for membrane proteins controlling Pi uptake during
      mineralization in the tooth. To clarify the involvement of the currently known Pi
      transporters (Slc17a1, Slc34a1, Slc34a2, Slc34a3, Slc20a1, Slc20a2, and Xpr1)
      during tooth development and mineralization, we determined their spatiotemporal
      expression in murine tooth germs from embryonic day 14.5 to postnatal day 15 and
      in human dental samples from Nolla stages 6 to 9. Using real-time polymerase
      chain reaction, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and X-gal staining,
      we showed that the expression of Slc17a1, Slc34a1, and Slc34a3 in tooth germs
      from C57BL/6 mice were very low. In contrast, Slc34a2, Slc20a1, Slc20a2, and Xpr1
      were highly expressed, mostly during the postnatal stages. The expression of
      Slc20a2 was 2- to 10-fold higher than the other transporters. Comparable results
      were obtained in human tooth germs. In mice, Slc34a2 and Slc20a1 were
      predominantly expressed in ameloblasts but not odontoblasts, while Slc20a2 was
      detected neither in ameloblasts nor in odontoblasts. Rather, Slc20a2 was highly
      expressed in the stratum intermedium and the subodontoblastic cell layer.
      Although Slc20a2 knockout mice did not show enamel defects, mutant mice showed a
      disrupted dentin mineralization, displaying unmerged calcospherites at the
      mineralization front. This latter phenotypical finding raises the possibility
      that Slc20a2 may play an indirect role in regulating the extracellular Pi
      availability for mineralizing cells rather than a direct role in mediating Pi
      transport through mineralizing plasma cell membranes. By documenting the
      spatiotemporal expression of Pi transporters in the tooth, our data support the
      possibility that the currently known Pi transporters may be dispensable for the
      initiation of dental mineralization and may rather be involved later during the
      tooth mineralization scheme.

PMID- 28892650
TI  - The contribution of muscle, kidney, and splanchnic tissues to leucine
      transamination in humans.
AB  - The first steps of leucine utilization are reversible deamination to alpha
      ketoisocaproic acid (alpha-KIC) and irreversible oxidation. Recently, the
      regulatory role of leucine deamination over oxidation was underlined in rodents.
      Our aim was to measure leucine deamination and reamination in the whole body, in
      respect to previously determined rates across individual organs, in humans. By
      leucine and KIC isotope kinetics, we determined whole-body leucine deamination
      and reamination, and we compared these rates with those already reported across
      the sampled organs. As an in vivo counterpart of the "metabolon" concept, we
      analysed ratios between oxidation and either deamination or reamination. Leucine
      deamination to KIC was greater than KIC reamination to leucine in the whole body
      (p = 0.005), muscles (p = 0.005), and the splanchnic area (p = 0.025). These
      rates were not significantly different in the kidneys. Muscle accounted for ~60%
      and ~78%, the splanchnic bed for ~15% and ~15%, and the kidney for ~12% and ~18%,
      of whole-body leucine deamination and reamination rates, respectively. In the
      kidney, percent leucine oxidation over either deamination or reamination was >3
      fold greater than muscle and the splanchnic bed. Skeletal muscle contributes by
      the largest fraction of leucine deamination, reamination, and oxidation. However,
      in relative terms, the kidney plays a key role in leucine oxidation.

PMID- 28892651
TI  - Using Photo-Elicitation Methods to Understand Resilience Among Ultra-Poor Youth
      and Their Caregivers in Malawi.
AB  - Unconditional cash transfer programs are a form of structural intervention to
      address poverty, a "fundamental cause" of disease. Such programs increasingly aim
      to build resilience to sustain improved outcomes and provide a solid foundation
      for longer term transformations. As such, there is a need to understand what
      resilience means in specific contexts. The goal of this formative study was to
      explore local experiences of resilience and vulnerability among 11 youth
      caregiver dyads ( n = 22) who were beneficiaries of the Malawi Social Cash
      Transfer Program in Balaka district. We used a photo-elicitation approach
      informed by the participatory, visual methodology photovoice to guide the study
      and conducted an iterative content analysis using thematic coding of transcripts
      and photos. Participants took pictures of their daily struggles and shocks and
      participated in audio-recorded discussions to reflect on the photos using an
      adapted version of the SHOWeD method. We found that participants characterized
      resilience as a tireless process of using all available individual, family, and
      community resources at all times in pursuit of survival and well-being. In the
      context of daily struggles, resilience was an essential part of survival. Shocks,
      mostly health-related, were depicted through staged images candidly highlighting
      individual and environmental vulnerabilities. Community support was an essential
      component of resilience for both daily struggles and shocks. Using photo
      elicitation methods facilitated an intergenerational, community-driven reflection
      on the meaning of resilience and the multilevel determinants of health in a
      context of extreme poverty. Findings can inform the design of resilience-focused
      cash transfer programs to improve health equity.

PMID- 28892652
TI  - Oral Histories as Critical Qualitative Inquiry in Community Health Assessment.
AB  - Qualitative methods such as focus groups and interviews are common methodologies
      employed in participatory approaches to community health assessment to develop
      effective community health improvement plans. Oral histories are a rarely used
      form of qualitative inquiry that can enhance community health assessment in
      multiple ways. Oral histories center residents' lived experiences, which often
      reveal more complex social and health phenomena than conventional qualitative
      inquiry. This article examines an oral history research component of the Little
      Village Community Health Assessment, a collaborative research effort to promote
      health equity in an urban, Mexican ethnic enclave. We collected of 32 oral
      histories from residents to provide deeper, more grounded insight on community
      needs and assets. We initially used thematic data analysis. After analytic peer
      debriefings with the analysis team, we found the process inadvertently
      reductionist and instead opted for community listening events for participatory
      data analysis, knowledge translation, and dissemination of findings. Oral
      histories were most meaningful in their original audio form, adding to a holistic
      understanding of health by giving voice to complex problems while also naming and
      describing concepts that were culturally unique. Moreover, the oral histories
      collectively articulated a counternarrative that celebrated community cultural
      wealth and opposed the mainstream narrative of the community as deprived. We
      argue for the recognition and practice of oral histories as a more routine form
      of qualitative inquiry in community health assessment. In the pursuit of health
      equity and collaboratively working toward social justice, oral histories can push
      the boundaries of community health assessment research and practice.

PMID- 28892653
TI  - Saliva-Derived Commensal and Pathogenic Biofilms in a Human Gingiva Model.
AB  - In vitro models that closely mimic human host-microbiome interactions can be a
      powerful screening tool for antimicrobials and will hold great potential for drug
      validation and discovery. The aim of this study was to develop an organotypic
      oral mucosa model that could be exposed to in vitro cultured commensal and
      pathogenic biofilms in a standardized and scalable manner. The oral mucosa model
      consisted of a tissue-engineered human gingiva equivalent containing a
      multilayered differentiated gingiva epithelium (keratinocytes) grown on a
      collagen hydrogel, containing gingiva fibroblasts, which represented the lamina
      propria. Keratinocyte and fibroblast telomerase reverse transcriptase
      immortalized cell lines were used to overcome the limitations of isolating cells
      from small biopsies when scalable culture experiments were required. The oral
      biofilms were grown under defined conditions from human saliva to represent 3
      distinct phenotypes: commensal, gingivitis, and cariogenic. The in vitro grown
      biofilms contained physiologic numbers of bacterial species, averaging >70
      operational taxonomic units, including 20 differentiating operational taxonomic
      units. When the biofilms were applied topically to the gingiva equivalents for 24
      h, the gingiva epithelium increased its expression of elafin, a protease
      inhibitor and antimicrobial protein. This increased elafin expression was
      observed as a response to all 3 biofilm types, commensal as well as pathogenic
      (gingivitis and cariogenic). Biofilm exposure also increased secretion of the
      antimicrobial cytokine CCL20 and inflammatory cytokines IL-6, CXCL8, and CCL2
      from gingiva equivalents. This inflammatory response was far greater after
      commensal biofilm exposure than after pathogenic biofilm exposure. These results
      show that pathogenic oral biofilms have early immune evasion properties as
      compared with commensal oral biofilms. The novel host-microbiome model provides
      an ideal tool for future investigations of gingiva responses to commensal and
      pathogenic biofilms and for testing novel therapeutics.

PMID- 28892654
TI  - Single-Stage Cartilage Repair Using Platelet-Rich Fibrin Scaffolds With
      Autologous Cartilaginous Grafts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To avoid complicated procedures requiring in vitro chondrocyte
      expansion for cartilage repair, the development of a culture-free, 1-stage
      approach combining platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) and autologous cartilage grafts may
      be the solution. PURPOSE: To develop a feasible 1-step procedure to combine PRF
      and autologous cartilage grafts for articular chondral defects. STUDY DESIGN:
      Controlled laboratory study Methods: The chemotactic effects of PRF on
      chondrocytes harvested from the primary culture of rabbit cartilage were
      evaluated in vitro and ex vivo. The rabbit chondrocytes were cultured with
      different concentrations of PRF media and evaluated for their cell proliferation,
      chondrogenic gene expression, cell viability, and extracellular matrix synthesis
      abilities. For the in vivo study, the chondral defects were created on
      established animal models of rabbits. The gross anatomy, histology, and objective
      scores were evaluated to validate the treatment results. RESULTS: PRF improved
      the chemotaxis, proliferation, and viability of the cultured chondrocytes. The
      gene expression of the chondrogenic markers, including type II collagen and
      aggrecan, revealed that PRF induced the chondrogenic differentiation of cultured
      chondrocytes. PRF increased the formation and deposition of the cartilaginous
      matrix produced by cultured chondrocytes. The efficacy of PRF on cell viability
      was comparable with that of fetal bovine serum. In animal disease models,
      morphologic, histological, and objectively quantitative evaluation demonstrated
      that PRF combined with cartilage granules was feasible in facilitating chondral
      repair. CONCLUSION: PRF enhances the migration, proliferation, viability, and
      differentiation of chondrocytes, thus showing an appealing capacity for cartilage
      repair. The data altogether provide evidence to confirm the feasibility of 1
      stage, culture-free method of combining PRF and autologous cartilage graft for
      repairing articular chondral defects. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The single-stage,
      culture-free method of combining PRF and autologous cartilage is useful for
      repairing articular chondral defects. These advantages benefit clinical
      translation by simplifying and potentiating the efficacy of autologous cartilage
      transplantation.

PMID- 28892655
TI  - Bonding to CAD-CAM Composites: An Interfacial Fracture Toughness Approach.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the interfacial fracture toughness
      (IFT) of composite cement with dispersed filler (DF) versus polymer-infiltrated
      ceramic network (PICN) computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing
      (CAD-CAM) composite blocks after 2 different surface pretreatments using the
      notchless triangular prism (NTP) test. Two DFs (Cerasmart [CRT] and Lava Ultimate
      [LVA]), 2 PICNs (Enamic [ENA] and experimental PICN [EXP]), and e.max CAD lithium
      disilicate glass-ceramic (EMX, control) prism samples were bonded to their
      counterparts with Variolink Esthetic DC composite cement after either
      hydrofluoric acid etching (HF) or gritblasting (GR). Both procedures were
      followed by silanization. All samples ( n = 30 per group) were thermocycled
      (10,000 cycles) and tested for their IFT in a water bath at 36 degrees C.
      Moreover, representative samples from each group were subjected to a developed
      interfacial area ratio (Sdr) measurement by profilometry and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) characterization. EXP-HF gave the highest IFT (1.85 +/- 0.39
      MPa.m1/2), followed by EMX-HF and ENA-HF, while CRT-HF gave the lowest (0.15 +/-
      0.22 MPa.m1/2). PICNs gave significantly better results with HF, and DF showed
      better results with GR. A 2-way analysis of variance indicated that there were
      significantly higher IFT and Sdr for PICNs than for DF. A positive correlation (
      r2 = 0.872) was found between IFT and Sdr. SEM characterization showed the
      specific microstructure of the surface of etched PICNs, indicating the presence
      of a retentive polymer-based honeycomb structure. Etching of the typical double
      network microstructure of PICNs causes an important increase in the Sdr and IFT,
      while DF should be gritblasted. DF exhibited significantly lower Sdr and IFT
      values than PICNs. The present results show the important influence of the
      material class and surface texture, and consequently the micromechanical bond, on
      the adhesive interface performance of CAD-CAM composites.

PMID- 28892656
TI  - Plasma let-7i and miR-15a expression are associated with the effect of
      recombinant tissue plasminogen activator treatment in acute ischemic stroke
      patients.
AB  - : Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported as diagnosis biomarkers and
      predictors in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, how the expression of
      circulating miRNAs changes after recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA)
      treatment in AIS patients is still unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the
      expression of circulating miRNAs in AIS patients receiving rt-PA treatment and
      those not receiving it. METHODS: Blood samples were collected 24h after onset
      from 40 AIS patients receiving rt-PA treatment and 46 AIS patients (admission at
      8-24h of onset) not receiving rt-PA treatment. Thirty-nine age- and sex-matched
      healthy volunteers were used as the control group. We used miRNA microarrays to
      detect plasma miRNA expression and real-time PCR to verify miRNA expression.
      RESULTS: Compared to the non-rt-PA treatment group, the rt-PA treatment group
      showed 16 differentially expressed miRNAs. The change in the expression of let-7i
      and miR-15a was confirmed by real-time PCR. Compared to the heathy controls, the
      non-rt-PA group showed decreased let-7i expression and the rt-PA group showed a 4
      fold increased let-7i expression. The let-7i expression was also found to
      correlate with the National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score
      (rho=0.297, P=0.005). On the contrary, miR-15a expression decreased by 0.5-fold
      in the rt-PA group compared to that in the non-rt-PA group. CONCLUSION: The
      circulating miRNAs let-7i and miR-15a showed differential expression between AIS
      patients receiving thrombolysis treatment (rt-PA group) and those not receiving
      it (non-rt-PA group). Compared to the non-rt-PA group, the rt-PA group showed
      upregulation of let-7i and downregulation of miR-15a.

PMID- 28892658
TI  - Homozygous antithrombin deficiency type II causing neonatal thrombosis.
AB  - We report four children from different families with homozygous antithrombin (AT)
      deficiency type II affecting the heparin binding site (p.Leu131Phe mutation). All
      children had severe spontaneous venous and/or arterial thromboembolic events
      shortly after birth. This report intends to raise awareness among clinicians
      about this rare but severe condition. When thrombosis occurs in an otherwise
      healthy newborn, a severe congenital thrombophilic disorder should be considered.
      In homozygous AT deficiency type II, AT activity is typically reduced but may
      also be in the normal range, posing a diagnostic challenge. Rapid diagnosis is
      important to initiate appropriate therapy. Standard anticoagulation with heparin
      may prove ineffective in severe AT deficiency, requiring substitution of AT
      concentrate and early switch to alternative anticoagulants such as vitamin K
      antagonists.

PMID- 28892659
TI  - A new insight on the risky behavior of motorists at railway level crossings: An
      observational field study.
AB  - Accidents at railway level crossings (LXs) give rise to serious material and
      human damage. Particularly, collisions between trains and motorized vehicles are
      the most critical accidents occurring at LXs. It is worth noticing that
      violations committed by vehicle drivers are the primary cause of such accidents.
      The present study is a tentative to acquire a better understanding of risky
      behavior of vehicle drivers while crossing LXs during the closure cycle. Namely,
      risk analysis based on field measurement conducted at four automated LXs with two
      half barriers is performed. We focus on vehicle driver behavior during the LX
      closure cycle while distinguishing between different phases. In fact, the closure
      cycle is divided into three phases which are "Ph2 Red Flash and Siren", "Ph3
      Barriers Coming Down" and "Ph4 Barriers Down"; and vehicle driver behavior in
      each phase as time increases is scrutinized respectively. Particularly, zigzag
      scenarios are detected, using an original experimental setting that we have
      implemented, and analyzed in detail. The main findings based on the analysis
      demonstrate that the peak of violation rate in the morning is later than the
      actual rush hour in the morning; a distinct peak of the violation rate shows on
      Friday, while the violation rate on weekend is fairly low; the relative violation
      rate of vehicles with high speed decreases continuously as time advances from Ph2
      to Ph3 in the daytime; the violation rate during Ph4 decreases as Ph4 duration is
      prolonged, which contradicts a general speculation that a higher rate of zigzag
      violations would appear as the duration of Ph4 is extended. These findings open
      the way towards determining the impacting factors which have an important
      contribution to the vehicle driver decision-making in this context (e.g., traffic
      density, time schedule and phase duration). In addition, the outputs of the
      present study are conducive to identifying potential interventions to improve
      safety at LXs.

PMID- 28892660
TI  - Phytotoxic triterpene saponins from Bellis longifolia, an endemic plant of Crete.
AB  - In a study of 62 plant species of the Cretan flora for their phytotoxic activity,
      plants were extracted successively with CH2Cl2, MeOH and H2O. Phytotoxicity
      evaluation of the 240 extracts was performed against Lactuca sativa L. and
      Agrostis stolonifera L.. The MeOH extract of Bellis longifolia was the most
      phytotoxic. Bioassay-guided fractionation revealed that a fraction consisting
      mainly of saponins was the most effective. Separation of the saponins was
      performed using initially a step-gradient Centrifugal Partition Chromatography
      (CPC). Investigation of the active fraction led to the isolation and structure
      elucidation of three previously undescribed triterpene saponins, 3-O-beta-D
      fucopyranosyl polygalacic acid, 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)-beta-D
      fucopyranosyl polygalacic acid and 3-O-beta-D-fucopyranosyl-2alpha,3beta,23
      trihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid, which were present as the main phytotoxic
      compounds of the methanol extract. Two triterpenes, polygalacic acid and
      bellisonic acid and four kaempferol glucosides, as well as chlorogenic acid were
      also isolated. 3-O-beta-D-fucopyranosyl polygalacic acid and 3-O-beta-D
      fucopyranosyl-2alpha,3beta,23-trihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid had phytotoxic
      activity similar to some commercial herbicides (IC50 values of ca. 25 MUM)
      against duckweed (Lemna paucicostata).

PMID- 28892657
TI  - Evaluation of dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban target-specific assays in a
      multicenter French study.
AB  - : Dabigatran etexilate, rivaroxaban and apixaban (DOACs) are widely used and
      measurement of their concentration is desirable in certain clinical situations.
      Target-specific assays are available but limited information exists on their
      performance especially in their ability to accurately measure low and high
      concentrations. AIMS: To define, in a multicenter study, the precision and
      accuracy of DOAC measurements in daily practice. METHODS: 15 plasma samples
      (kindly provided by Hyphen-Biomed) spiked with 5 blinded concentrations of
      dabigatran, rivaroxaban or apixaban (targeted 0-40-100-250-500ng/mL, actual
      concentrations measured by HPLC-MS/MS), were sent to 30 haemostasis laboratories.
      DOAC concentration, PT and aPTT were measured once in each sample using local
      reagents. Interlaboratory precision was determined by its coefficient of
      variation (CV) and accuracy by its bias. RESULTS: 464 DOAC measurements were
      performed in the 30 laboratories using 4 dabigatran and 5 rivaroxaban/apixaban
      calibrated assays on 3 analysers. Inter-laboratory CVs were below 18% for
      concentrations >=100ng/mL, and higher for concentrations ~40ng/mL; biases were
      below 8% for all drugs and concentrations. In DOAC-free samples, concentrations
      were all below the lower limit of quantification except for one value
      (dabigatran: 35ng/mL). Depending on the concentrations, significant differences
      were found between reagents in rivaroxaban and apixaban concentration values. PT
      and aPTT ratios displayed a low sensitivity to apixaban. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest that calibrated DOAC assays allow the reliable measurement of a wide
      range of drug concentrations, even though improvement of their performances is
      necessary, especially for measuring low concentrations.

PMID- 28892661
TI  - Inhibition of c-REL using siRNA increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation
      in pre-B ALL blasts: Therapeutic implications.
AB  - The c-Rel transcription factor is a unique member of the NF-kB family that has a
      role in apoptosis, proliferation and cell survival. Overexpression of c-Rel is
      detected in many human B cell tumors, including B-cell leukemia and several
      cancers. The study aimed to investigate the effects of c-Rel siRNA on the
      proliferation and apoptosis of relapsed pre-B acute leukemia cells. The c-Rel
      siRNA was transfected into Leukemia cells using an Amaxa cell line Nucleofector
      kit L (Lonza). Quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot were done
      to measure the expression levels of mRNA and protein, respectively. The flow
      cytometry was used to analyze the effect of c-Rel siRNA on the apoptosis and
      proliferation of Leukemia cells. Observed c-Rel expression in the 5 pre-B Acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients were higher than the normal cells. The c
      Rel siRNA transfection significantly blocked the expression of c-Rel mRNA in a
      time-dependent manner, leading to a strong growth inhibition and enhanced
      apoptosis (P<0.05). Our results demonstrated that c-Rel plays a fundamental role
      in the survival. Therefore, c-Rel can be considered as an attractive target for
      gene therapy in ALL patients. Also siRNA-mediated silencing of this gene may be a
      novel strategy in ALL treatment.

PMID- 28892662
TI  - Livestock drivers' knowledge about dairy cow fitness for transport - A Danish
      questionnaire survey.
AB  - Dairy cows are transported by road to slaughter after their productive life. Cull
      cows are vulnerable to transport stress, and can only be transported when fit for
      the intended journey. However, the decision, as to whether a cow is fit is rather
      subjective and relies on the farmer and the livestock driver. Using a
      questionnaire survey, we aimed to describe knowledge about, and experiences with,
      dairy cow fitness for transport among Danish livestock drivers. During nine days
      of data collection at the three largest Danish cattle slaughterhouses, 66 drivers
      (55% of the national population of cattle drivers) answered a questionnaire
      (response rate: 97%). They were Danish males (mean age: 49years), of which 94%
      stated that they knew the rules regarding fitness for transport. More than half
      of the respondents said that physical conditions (light, space) before loading
      animals allowed proper assessment of fitness for transport, and 85% answered that
      time constraints were not a challenge for this. Thirty-five percent reported to
      be in doubt regarding fitness for transport of specific cows at least frequently,
      and given two specific questions on legislation concerning fitness for transport,
      only 52% of the respondents answered both correctly. The results add new
      knowledge about livestock drivers' approach to animal welfare. As drivers are
      held partly responsible for fitness for transport of animals sent to slaughter,
      and descriptions of fit/unfit are rather vague, livestock drivers seem to need
      additional education, training, assessment tools or feedback in order to optimize
      the welfare of animals to be transported.

PMID- 28892663
TI  - Hepatic transcriptome analysis of juvenile GIFT tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus),
      fed diets supplemented with different concentrations of resveratrol.
AB  - The GIFT (Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia) tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, is
      cultured widely for the production of freshwater fish in China. Streptococcosis,
      which is related to pathogenic infections, occurs frequently in juvenile and
      adult female GIFT individuals. Resveratrol (RES) has been used in feed to control
      these infections in freshwater tilapia. To address the effects of RES on tilapia,
      we used high-throughput RNA sequencing technology (RNA-Seq, HiSeq. 2500) to
      explore the global transcriptomic response and specific involvement of hepatic
      mRNA of juvenile O. niloticus fed with diets containing different concentrations
      of (0, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1g/kg) RES. A total of > 24,513,018 clean reads were
      generated and then assembled into 23,244 unigenes. The unigenes were annotated by
      comparing them against non-redundant protein sequence (Nr), non-redundant
      nucleotide (Nt), Swiss-Prot, Pfam, Gene Ontology database (GO), Clusters of
      Orthologous Groups (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)
      databases, and 12,578 unigenes were annotated to the GO database. A total of 1444
      (0.025g/kg RES), 1526 (0.05g/kg RES), and 3135 (0.1g/kg RES) genes were detected
      as significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs), when compared with the
      controls. A total of 6 (0.025 vs 0.05g/kg RES), 19 (0.025 vs 0.1g/kg RES), and
      124 (0.05 vs 0.1g/kg RES) genes were detected as significant DEGs. Six genes,
      including dnah7x1, sox4, fam46a, hsp90a, ddit4, and nmrk2, were associated with
      an immune response. These findings provide information on the innate immunity of
      GIFT and might contribute to the development of strategies for the effective
      management of diseases and long-term sustainability of O. niloticus culture.

PMID- 28892664
TI  - Piezoelectric nonlinear vibration focusing on the second-harmonic vibration mode.
AB  - Resonant piezoelectric devices are driven under high power condition. In such
      condition, a nonlinear piezoelectric vibration becomes apparent and this
      nonlinearity should be taken into account in the design procedure using the
      finite elemental method (FEM). The purpose of this study is to introduce the
      nonlinear parameter to the FEM and to establish the method for measuring the
      nonlinear parameter through evaluating a nonlinear model for a piezoelectric
      vibration. In a previous study about the nonlinear piezoelectric vibration, the
      third term was mainly focused on because the third mode vibration affects the
      fundamental vibration in the case of a simple bar-type transducer. On the other
      hand, we considered the second nonlinear parameter of the compliance to the
      piezoelectric constitutive equation. We observed that this parameter affects the
      vibration amplitude with each position and the velocity at the tip of the
      transducer with a double frequency at resonant. It was confirmed that two
      measured nonlinear parameters based on these two relationships were almost same.
      From these values, we concluded that the proposed model is reasonable.

PMID- 28892665
TI  - Difference in glycogen metabolism (glycogen synthesis and glycolysis) between
      normal and dysplastic/malignant oral epithelium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate a difference in glycogen
      metabolism (glycogen synthesis and glycolysis) between the iodine stained (normal
      non-keartinized) and the unstained (dysplasctic/malignant) oral epithelium.
      METHODS: Twenty-one frozen tissue samples of iodine-stained and unstained mucosal
      tissue were obtained from 21 OSCC patients. Serial frozen sections were cut and
      examined with the hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff methods and
      immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for Ki67, P53, molecules associated with
      glycogenesis (i.e., glycogen synthase (GS) and phospho-glycogen synthase (PGS)),
      and molecules associated with glycogenolysis (i.e., glycogen phosphorylase
      isoenzyme BB (GPBB) examine the glycogen metabolism in OSCC. Additionally, in
      vitro study, the expression levels of GS and GPBB in the cultured cells were
      analyzed by immunofluorescent staining, Western blot analysis, and the real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference in GS and PGS immunoactivity between iodine stained and unstained
      area. On the other hand, significantly greater GPBB immunoreactivity was observed
      in the basal and parabasal layers of iodine-unstained epithelium, where higher
      positivity for p53 and Ki67 was also showed. Additionally, western blot analysis,
      immunofluorescent staining, and real-time quantitative PCR revealed that the oral
      squamous cancer cells exhibited greater expression of GPBB than normal epithelial
      cells. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that GPBB expression, which
      resulted in up-regulation of glycogenolysis, is enhanced in oral
      dysplastic/malignant epithelium compared with non-keartinized normal epithelium,
      in spite of the fact that glycogenesis continues in both of them. Premalignant
      and malignant epithelial cells consume greater quantities of energy due to their
      increased proliferation, and hence, exhaust their glycogen stores, which
      resulting in negative stain reaction with iodine solution.

PMID- 28892666
TI  - Toward the lowest energy consumption and emission in biofuel production:
      combination of ideal reactors and robust hosts.
AB  - Rising feedstock costs, low crude oil prices, and other macroeconomic factors
      have threatened biofuel fermentation industries. Energy-efficient reactors, which
      provide controllable and stable biological environment, are important for the
      large-scale production of renewable and sustainable biofuels, and their
      optimization focus on the reduction of energy consumption and waste gas emission.
      The bioreactors could either be aerobic or anaerobic, and photobioreactors were
      developed for the culture of algae or microalgae. Due to the cost of producing
      large-volume bioreactors, various modeling strategies were developed for
      bioreactor design. The achievement of ideal biofuel reactor relies on not only
      the breakthrough of reactor design, but also the creation of super microbial
      factories with highest productivity and metabolic pathway flux.

PMID- 28892667
TI  - Bioprocess engineering for biohythane production from low-grade waste biomass:
      technical challenges towards scale up.
AB  - A concept of biohythane production by combining biohydrogen and biomethane
      together via two-stage anaerobic fermentation (TSAF) has been recently proposed
      and considered as a promising approach for sustainable hythane generation from
      waste biomass. The advantage of biohythane over traditional biogas are more
      environmentally benign, higher energy recovery and shorter fermentation time.
      However, many of current efforts to convert waste biomass into biohythane are
      still at the bench scale. The system bioprocess study and scale up for industrial
      application are indispensable. This paper outlines the general approach of
      biohythane by comparing with other biological processes. The technical challenges
      are highlighted towards scale up of biohythane system, including
      functionalization of biohydrogen-producing reactor, energy efficiency, and
      bioprocess engineering of TSAF.

PMID- 28892668
TI  - Understanding enzyme function evolution from a computational perspective.
AB  - In this review, we will explore recent computational approaches to understand
      enzyme evolution from the perspective of protein structure, dynamics and
      promiscuity. We will present quantitative methods to measure the size of
      evolutionary steps within a structural domain, allowing the correlation between
      change in substrate and domain structure to be assessed, and giving insights into
      the evolvability of different domains in terms of the number, types and sizes of
      evolutionary steps observed. These approaches will help to understand the
      evolution of new catalytic and non-catalytic functionality in response to
      environmental demands, showing potential to guide de novoenzyme design and
      directed evolution experiments.

PMID- 28892669
TI  - Development of a prediction model for long-term quality of life in critically ill
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We developed a prediction model for quality of life (QOL) 1 year after
      intensive care unit (ICU) discharge based upon data available at the first ICU
      day to improve decision-making. METHODS: The database of a 1-year prospective
      study concerning long-term outcome and QOL (assessed by EuroQol-5D) in critically
      ill adult patients consecutively admitted to the ICU of a university hospital was
      used. Cases with missing data were excluded. Utility indices at baseline (UIb)
      and at 1 year (UI1y) were surrogates for QOL. For 1-year non-survivors UI1y was
      set at zero. The grouped lasso technique selected the most important variables in
      the prediction model. R2 and adjusted R2 were calculated. RESULTS: 1831 of 1953
      cases (93.8%) were complete. UI1y depended significantly on: UIb (P<0.001); solid
      tumor (P<0.001); age (P<0.001); activity of daily living (P<0.001); imaging
      (P<0.001); APACHE II-score (P=0.001); >=80 years (P=0.001); mechanical
      ventilation (P=0.006); hematological patient (P=0.007); SOFA-score (P=0.008);
      tracheotomy (P=0.018); admission diagnosis surgical P<0.001 (versus medical); and
      comorbidity (P=0.049). Only baseline health status and surgical patients were
      positively associated with UI1y. R2 was 0.3875 and adjusted R2 0.3807.
      CONCLUSION: Although only 40% of variability in long-term QOL could be explained,
      this prediction model can be helpful in decision-making.

PMID- 28892670
TI  - The influence of sex and obesity on gait biomechanics in people with severe knee
      osteoarthritis scheduled for arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sex and body mass may influence knee biomechanics associated with
      poor total knee arthroplasty (TKA) outcomes for knee osteoarthritis (OA). This
      study aimed to determine if gait differed between men and women, and overweight
      and class I obese patients with severe knee OA awaiting TKA. METHODS: 34 patients
      with severe knee OA (average age 70.0 (SD 7.2) years, body mass index 30.3
      (4.1kg/m2)) were recruited from a TKA waiting list. Three-dimensional gait
      analysis was performed at self-selected walking speed. Comparisons were made
      between men and women, and overweight (body mass index (BMI) 25.0-29.9kg/m2) and
      class I obese (BMI 30.0-34.9kg/m2) participants. Biomechanical outcomes included
      absolute and body size-adjusted peak knee adduction moment (KAM), KAM impulse,
      peak knee flexion moment, as well as peak knee flexion and varus-valgus angles,
      peak varus-valgus thrust, and peak vertical ground reaction force (GRF).
      FINDINGS: Men had a higher absolute peak KAM, KAM impulse and peak GRF compared
      to women, and this sex-difference in frontal plane moments remained after
      adjusting for body size. However, when additionally adjusting for static knee
      alignment, differences disappeared. Knee biomechanics were similar between
      obesity groups after adjusting for the greater body weight of those with class I
      obesity. INTERPRETATION: Men had greater KAM and KAM impulse even after
      adjustment for body size; however adjustment for their more varus knees removed
      this difference. Obesity group did not influence knee joint kinematics or
      moments. This suggests sex- and obesity-differences in these variables may not be
      associated with TKA outcomes.

PMID- 28892671
TI  - Kinematic and kinetic gait deviations in males long after anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biomechanical deviations long (approx. 5years) after anterior
      cruciate ligament reconstruction have not been quantified in males, despite their
      distinct risk profile as compared to females. These deviations can indicate
      altered joint loading during chronic, repetitive motions. METHODS: Cross
      sectional study, comparing kinematic and kinetic variables between 15 male
      anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed patients and 15 healthy controls. During
      walking and running gait, measurements were taken of impact dynamics, knee and
      hip sagittal plane angles and moments, and knee varus angles and adduction
      moments. FINDINGS: Comparing affected limbs to control limbs, significantly lower
      maximum (P=0.001) and initial (P=0.003) loading rates were found during running,
      but not in walking. Hip angles were lower for affected limbs of patients compared
      to the control group (P=0.039) in walking, but not during running. Between-limb
      comparisons showed important differences in symmetry of the affected patients.
      Maximum force during running was higher in the unaffected limb (P=0.015), which
      was linked with a higher loading rate (P=0.008). Knee flexion angle was reduced
      by 2 degrees  on average for the affected limb during running (P=0.010), and both
      walking and running knee and hip moments showed differences. Knee varus angle
      showed a 1 degrees  difference during walking (P<0.001), but not during running.
      Knee adduction moment was significantly lower (more valgus) during both walking
      and running. INTERPRETATION: Male anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed
      patients demonstrate persistent, clinically important gait asymmetries and
      differences from healthy controls long after surgery in kinematics, kinetics, and
      impact biomechanics.

PMID- 28892672
TI  - Spiking neural P systems with multiple channels.
AB  - Spiking neural P systems (SNP systems, in short) are a class of distributed
      parallel computing systems inspired from the neurophysiological behavior of
      biological spiking neurons. In this paper, we investigate a new variant of SNP
      systems in which each neuron has one or more synaptic channels, called spiking
      neural P systems with multiple channels (SNP-MC systems, in short). The spiking
      rules with channel label are introduced to handle the firing mechanism of
      neurons, where the channel labels indicate synaptic channels of transmitting the
      generated spikes. The computation power of SNP-MC systems is investigated.
      Specifically, we prove that SNP-MC systems are Turing universal as both number
      generating and number accepting devices.

PMID- 28892673
TI  - Human papillomavirus knowledge and vaccine acceptability among adolescents in a
      Greek region.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was twofold: (1) develop an instrument to
      assess knowledge regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) and its vaccine and utilize
      this instrument to measure knowledge levels of Greek adolescents in Lyceum
      schools of Western Thessaloniki; and (2) examine the associations of the
      resultant knowledge measure scores with sociodemographic characteristics. STUDY
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey with complex sampling design. METHODS: A total of
      268 students of three Lyceum schools in Western Thessaloniki responded
      anonymously to a questionnaire during February-March 2013. The instrument was
      developed by literature review. Answers of respondents to individual questions
      were initially presented in terms of absolute and relative frequencies. Knowledge
      items were presented by gender along with appropriate chi-squared tests. Next,
      the development and validation of a knowledge score was pursued with Rasch
      analysis. Raw scores of dichotomous true/false items were converted to interval
      level adjusted student scores, and the reliability and validity of the model were
      assessed. Finally, the effect of sociodemographic variables on the knowledge
      measure was explored by multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Analysis of
      individual items documented low knowledge for both female and male students along
      with a limited role of doctors as information agents and little associated
      encouragement toward vaccination. Vaccine uptake was low with many young girls
      being largely unwilling to vaccinate in the future primarily due to the fear of
      side-effects and lack of information. Person location parameters (knowledge
      scores) were derived from a Rasch model with satisfactory reliability and
      validity. The resultant validated measure confirmed the low knowledge levels of
      Greek students. Nationality and birthplace seemed to affect knowledge level.
      CONCLUSIONS: Further improvement and validation of the knowledge measure used in
      this study can assist nationwide surveys in order to examine student knowledge
      regarding HPV and its vaccine. Our findings also stress the exacerbated need for
      effective nationwide educational campaigns aiming to inform adolescents about HPV
      and the associated vaccine. Appropriate incentives should also be given to
      physicians to increase their involvement. Parents and students should be
      thoroughly informed about the value of research similar to ours, in order to
      increase survey participation rates.

PMID- 28892674
TI  - Dengue fever again in Pakistan: are we going in the right direction?

PMID- 28892675
TI  - Alkynyl gold(I) complex triggers necroptosis via ROS generation in colorectal
      carcinoma cells.
AB  - Given the rise of apoptosis-resistant tumors, there exist a growing interest in
      developing new drugs capable of inducing different types of cell death to reduce
      colorectal cancer-related death rates. As apoptosis and necroptosis do not share
      cellular machinery, necroptosis induction may have a great therapeutic potential
      on those apoptosis-resistant cancers, despite the inflammatory effects associated
      with it. We have synthesized an alkynyl gold(I) complex [Au(CC-2-NC5H4)(PTA)]
      whose anticancer effect was tested on the colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cell
      line. With regard to its mechanism of action, this gold complex enters the
      mitochondria and disrupts its normal function, leading to an increase in ROS
      production, which triggers necroptosis. Necroptosis induction has been found
      dependent of TNF-alpha (Tumor necrosisfactor alpha) and TNFR1(Tumor
      necrosisfactor receptor 1) binding, RIP1(Receptor-Interacting Protein 1)
      activation and NF-kappaB (Nuclear Factor Kappa-Light-Chain-Enhancer of Activated
      B Cells) signaling. Moreover, the antitumor potential of [Au(CC-2-NC5H4)(PTA)]
      has also been confirmed on the 3D cancer model spheroid. Overall, the obtained
      data show firstly that gold complexes might have the ability of inducing
      necroptosis, and secondarily that our compound [Au(CC-2-NC5H4)(PTA)] is an
      interesting alternative to current chemotherapy drugs in cases of apoptosis
      resistance.

PMID- 28892676
TI  - A small-molecule acts as a 'roadblock' on DNA, hampering its fundamental
      processes.
AB  - DNA replication, RNA and protein synthesis are the most fundamental housekeeping
      processes involved in an organism's growth. Failure or dysregulation of these
      pathways are often deleterious to life. Therefore, selective inhibition of such
      processes can be crucial for the inhibition of the growth of any cell, including
      cancer cells, pathogenic bacteria or other deadly microbes. In the present study,
      a Zn2+ complex is shown to act as a roadblock of DNA. The Zn2+ complex inhibited
      DNA taq polymerase activity under the in vitro conditions of polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR). Under in vivo conditions, it readily crosses the cell wall of
      gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), leading to the reduction of RNA levels
      as well as protein content. Growth of pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus
      aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) was also significantly retarded. The Zn2+
      complex binds to the grooves of the DNA without inducing conformational changes
      or exhibiting chemical nuclease activity. To the best current knowledge, this is
      first coordination complex exhibiting a 'roadblock' property under both in vitro
      and in vivo conditions (show at all three levels - DNA, RNA and protein). The
      label-free approach used in this study may offer an alternative route towards
      fighting pathogenic bacteria or cancer cells by hampering fundamental cellular
      processes.

PMID- 28892677
TI  - Acidogenic digestion of food waste in a thermophilic leach bed reactor: Effect of
      pH and leachate recirculation rate on hydrolysis and volatile fatty acid
      production.
AB  - The effect of pH control (4, 5, 6, 7) on volatile fatty acids (VFA) production
      from food waste was investigated in a leach bed reactor (LBR) operated at 50
      degrees C. Stabilisation of pH at 7 resulted in hydrolysis yield of 530g soluble
      chemical oxygen demand (sCOD)/kg total volatile solids (TVS) added and VFA yield
      of 247gCOD/kg TVS added, which were highest among all pH tested. Butyric acid
      dominated the VFA mix (49-54%) at pH of 7 and 6, while acetate composed the
      primary VFA (41-56%) at pH of 4 and 5. A metabolic shift towards lactic acid
      production was observed at pH of 5. Improving leachate recirculation rate further
      improved the hydrolysis and degradation efficiency by 10-16% and the
      acidification yield to 340gCOD/kgTVS added. The butyric acid concentration of
      16.8g/L obtained at neutral pH conditions is among the highest reported in
      literature.

PMID- 28892678
TI  - Nutrients removal and recovery from saline wastewater by Spirulina platensis.
AB  - As an important alternative to alleviate the pressure of fresh water shortage,
      seawater application is facing a great challenge on the wastewater treatment due
      to the salinity brought from seawater. Spirulina platensis originated from salty
      lake was used to treat mixed synthetic toilet flushing wastewater of seawater
      with washing wastewater of freshwater. It was showed that 79.96% of TN (to
      15.69mg/L), 93.35% of TP (to 1.03mg/L) and 90.02% of CODCr (to 90.24mg/L) were
      removed with 0.76g/L of biomass production in the optimal ratio 7:3 of the above
      mixed synthetic wastewater. The performance was better than that of current
      strategy of seawater toilet flushing treatment. With the evaluation of nutrients
      uptake, biomass composition and microalgal aggregation, a model of nutrients
      recovery and metabolism of Spirulina platensis in saline wastewater treatment was
      proposed. It is provided a promising strategy for saline wastewater treatment
      with valuable biomass yield.

PMID- 28892679
TI  - Co-ensiling of straw with sugar beet leaves increases the methane yield from
      straw.
AB  - This study examined the effect of co-ensiling of wheat straw and sugar beet
      leaves on the biochemical methane potential (BMP) by both lab-scale and pilot
      scale co-ensiling. BMP was increased by co-ensiling, and the increase ranged from
      19 to 34% after 9months of co-ensiling in lab-scale and from 18 to 32% after
      6months of co-ensiling in pilot-scale. No effluent run-off was found through
      pilot-scale co-ensiling and there was a mass loss of only 0.1%. The study
      demonstrates that co-ensiling of straw and green biomass has potential as
      biological pretreatment and for avoiding effluent run-off from pure beet leave
      silage.

PMID- 28892680
TI  - Removal and recovery of acetic acid and two furans during sugar purification of
      simulated phenols-free biomass hydrolysates.
AB  - A cost-effective five-step sugar purification process involving simultaneous
      removal and recovery of fermentation inhibitors from biomass hydrolysates was
      first proposed here. Only the three separation steps (PB, PC and PD) in the
      process were investigated here. Furfural was selectively removed up to 98.4% from
      a simulated five-component hydrolysate in a cross-current three-stage extraction
      system with n-hexane. Most of acetic acid in a simulated four-component
      hydrolysate was selectively removed by emulsion liquid membrane, and it could be
      concentrated in the stripping solution up to 4.5 times its initial concentration
      in the feed solution. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural was selectively removed from a
      simulated three-component hydrolysate in batch and continuous fixed-bed column
      adsorption systems with L-493 adsorbent. Also, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could be
      concentrated to about 9 times its feed concentration in the continuous adsorption
      system through a fixed-bed column desorption experiment with aqueous ethanol
      solution. These results have shown that the proposed purification process was
      valid.

PMID- 28892681
TI  - Optimization of the yield of dark microaerobic production of hydrogen from
      lactate by Rhodopseudomonas palustris.
AB  - Hydrogen yields of dark fermentation are limited due to the need to also produce
      reduced side products, and photofermentation, an alternative, is limited by the
      need for light. A relatively new strategy, dark microaerobic fermentation, could
      potentially overcome both these constraints. Here, application of this strategy
      demonstrated for the first time significant hydrogen production from lactate by a
      single organism in the dark. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to
      optimize substrate and oxygen concentration as well as inoculum using both (1)
      regular batch and (2) O2 fed batch cultures. The highest hydrogen yield (HY) was
      observed under regular batch (1.4+/-0.1molH2/mollactate) and the highest hydrogen
      production (HP) (173.5umolH2) was achieved using O2 fed batch. This study has
      provided proof of principal for the ability of microaerobic fermentation to drive
      thermodynamically difficult reactions, such as the conversion of lactate to
      hydrogen.

PMID- 28892682
TI  - Enhancement of methanogenesis via direct interspecies electron transfer between
      Geobacteraceae and Methanosaetaceae conducted by granular activated carbon.
AB  - To understand how granular activated carbon (GAC) promotes methanogenesis, batch
      tests of CH4 production potential in anaerobic serum bottles with addition of GAC
      or not were conducted. Tests showed that GAC promoted methanogenesis remarkably,
      but the non-conductive zeolite did not. The qPCR demonstrated that the biomass on
      GAC contributed little to the promotion. High-throughput sequencing data implied
      that promotion was related with direct interspecies electron transfer between
      Geobacteraceae and Methanosaetaceae. According to the c-type cytochromes (c-Cyts)
      response to the supplement of GAC, it was speculated that GAC may play the role
      of c-Cyts' substitution. In the undefined cultures, the phenomenon that c-Cyts
      were repressed by GAC was first observed. This research provided new evidence to
      microbial mechanism of promoting methanogenesis via GAC.

PMID- 28892683
TI  - Promoting electron transfer to enhance anaerobic treatment of azo dye wastewater
      with adding Fe(OH)3.
AB  - In this study, Fe(OH)3 was dosed into anaerobic reactor (R1) to stimulate the
      electron transfer process during the decoloration treatment. As results
      indicated, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and decoloration efficiency
      were increased by 61.7% and 32.0% than that of the control reactor (R2),
      respectively. The cyclic-voltammetric analysis of the effluent demonstrated that
      the cycles of Fe(III)/Fe(II) and 1-imino-2-napthoquinone/1-amino-2-napthol
      (oxidative/reductive state of the decoloration intermediate product) had been
      established in R1. The concentration of cytochrome c and the conductivity of
      suspended sludge in R1 were also 3.2 and 2.1 times higher than that in R2. All
      experiments above indicated that the electron transfer process between substrates
      and azo bonds was accelerated efficiently. Furthermore, the abundance of iron
      reducing bacteria was higher than that of R2, indicating that dissimilatory iron
      reduction as a reason for the Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle played an important role in
      the anaerobic decoloration treatment.

PMID- 28892684
TI  - Mild-temperature dilute acid pretreatment for integration of first and second
      generation ethanol processes.
AB  - The use of hot-water (100 degrees C) from the 1st generation ethanol plants for
      mild-temperature lignocellulose pretreatment can possibly cut down the
      operational (energy) cost of 2nd generation ethanol process, in an integrated
      model. Dilute-sulfuric and -phosphoric acid pretreatment at 100 degrees C was
      carried out for wheat bran and whole-stillage fibers. Pretreatment time and acid
      type influenced the release of sugars from wheat bran, while acid-concentration
      was found significant for whole-stillage fibers. Pretreatment led up-to 300%
      improvement in the glucose yield compared to only-enzymatically treated
      substrates. The pretreated substrates were 191-344% and 115-300% richer in lignin
      and glucan, respectively. Fermentation using Neurospora intermedia, showed 81%
      and 91% ethanol yields from wheat bran and stillage-fibers, respectively. Sawdust
      proved to be a highly recalcitrant substrate for mild-temperature pretreatment
      with only 22% glucose yield. Both wheat bran and whole-stillage are potential
      substrates for pretreatment using waste heat from the 1st generation process for
      2nd generation ethanol.

PMID- 28892685
TI  - Using cow dung and spent coffee grounds to enhance the two-stage co-composting of
      green waste.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the effects of cow dung (CD) (at 0%,
      20%, and 35%) and/or spent coffee grounds (SCGs) (at 0%, 30%, and 45%) as
      amendments in the two-stage co-composting of green waste (GW); the percentages
      refer to grams of amendment per 100g of GW based on dry weights. The combined
      addition of CD and SCGs improved the conditions during co-composting and the
      quality of the compost product in terms of composting temperature; particle-size
      distribution; mechanical properties; nitrogen changes; low-molecular weight
      compounds; humic substances; the degradation of lignin, cellulose, and
      hemicellulose; enzyme activities; the contents of total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total
      phosphorus, and total potassium; and the toxicity to germinating seeds. The
      combined addition of 20% CD and 45% SCGs to GW resulted in the production of the
      highest quality compost product and did so in only 21days.

PMID- 28892686
TI  - Autotrophic and heterotrophic microalgae and cyanobacteria cultivation for food
      and feed: life cycle assessment.
AB  - The lack of protein sources in Europe could be reduced with onsite production of
      microalgae with autotrophic and heterotrophic systems, owing the confirmation of
      economic and environmental benefits. This study aimed at the life cycle
      assessment (LCA) of microalgae and cyanobacteria cultivation (Chlorella vulgaris
      and Arthrospira platensis) in autotrophic and heterotrophic conditions on a pilot
      industrial scale (in model conditions of Berlin, Germany) with further biomass
      processing for food and feed products. The comparison of analysis results with
      traditional benchmarks (protein concentrates) indicated higher environmental
      impact of microalgae protein powders. However high-moisture extrusion of
      heterotrophic cultivated C. vulgaris resulted in more environmentally sustainable
      product than pork and beef. Further optimization of production with Chlorella
      pyrenoidosa on hydrolyzed food waste could reduce environmental impact in 4.5
      times and create one of the most sustainable sources of proteins.

PMID- 28892687
TI  - Effects of carbon sources and COD/N ratio on N2O emissions in subsurface flow
      constructed wetlands.
AB  - A set of constructed wetlands under two different carbon sources, namely, glucose
      (CW) and sodium acetate (YW), was established at a laboratory scale with influent
      COD/N ratios of 20:1, 10:1, 7:1, 4:1, and 0 to analyze the influence of carbon
      supply on nitrous oxide emissions. Results showed that the glucose systems
      generated higher N2O emissions than those of the sodium acetate systems. The
      higher amount of N2O-releasing fluxes in the CWs than in the YWs was consistent
      with the higher NO2--N accumulation in the former than in the latter. Moreover,
      electron competition was tighter in the CWs and contributed to the incomplete
      denitrification with poor N2O production performance. Illumina MiSeq sequencing
      demonstrated that some denitrifying bacteria, such as Denitratisoma, Bacillus,
      and Zoogloea, were higher in the YWs than in the CWs. This result indicated that
      the carbon source is important in controlling N2O emissions in microbial
      communities.

PMID- 28892688
TI  - Maximizing cellulosic ethanol potentials by minimizing wastewater generation and
      energy consumption: Competing with corn ethanol.
AB  - Energy consumption and wastewater generation in cellulosic ethanol production are
      among the determinant factors on overall cost and technology penetration into
      fuel ethanol industry. This study analyzed the energy consumption and wastewater
      generation by the new biorefining process technology, dry acid pretreatment and
      biodetoxification (DryPB), as well as by the current mainstream technologies.
      DryPB minimizes the steam consumption to 8.63GJ and wastewater generation to
      7.71tons in the core steps of biorefining process for production of one metric
      ton of ethanol, close to 7.83GJ and 8.33tons in corn ethanol production,
      respectively. The relatively higher electricity consumption is compensated by
      large electricity surplus from lignin residue combustion. The minimum ethanol
      selling price (MESP) by DryPB is below $2/gal and falls into the range of corn
      ethanol production cost. The work indicates that the technical and economical gap
      between cellulosic ethanol and corn ethanol has been almost filled up.

PMID- 28892689
TI  - Feedwater pH affects phosphorus transformation during hydrothermal carbonization
      of sewage sludge.
AB  - In this study, the effect of feedwater pH (3-11) on phosphorus (P) transformation
      during the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge (SS) was
      investigated at a temperature range of 200-260 degrees C. The HTC significantly
      accumulated P in the hydrochar. Different feedwater pH stimulated the
      transformation of various forms of P. An acidic feedwater pH promoted the
      transformation of apatite phosphorus (AP) to non-apatite inorganic phosphorus
      (NAIP), and of organic P (OP) to inorganic P (IP). The NAIP tended to
      transformation to AP and a small part of the IP was transformed to OP when the SS
      was treated in a basic environment. The combination of three P analysis methods
      (chemical extractive fractionation, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and energy
      dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)) showed that metal cations (e.g. Al and Ca) and the
      pH played important roles in the transformation of different forms of P during
      the HTC of the SS.

PMID- 28892690
TI  - Synthesis of magnetic biochar from bamboo biomass to activate persulfate for the
      removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments.
AB  - This study developed a new and cost-effective method for the remediation of
      marine sediments contaminated with PAHs. Fe3O4 particles were synthesized as the
      active component, supported on bamboo biochar (BB) to form a composite catalyst
      (Fe3O4-BB). The effects of critical parameters, including the initial pH, sodium
      persulfate (PS) concentration, and dose of catalyst were investigated. The
      concentration of high-molecular-weight PAHs in sediments was much higher than
      that of low-molecular-weight PAHs; pyrene was an especially prominent marker of
      PAH contamination in sediments. Fe3O4-BB/PS exhibited a substantial improvement
      in PAH degradation efficiency (degradation rate: Fe3O4-BB/PS, 86%; PS, 14%) at a
      PS concentration of 1.7*10-5M, catalyst concentration of 3.33g/L, and pH of 3.0.
      The results of this study demonstrate that possible activation mechanisms include
      Fe2+-Fe3+ redox coupling and electron shuttling that mediates electron transfer
      of the BB oxygen functional groups, promoting the generation of SO4- in the Fe3O4
      BB/PS system.

PMID- 28892691
TI  - Combined pretreatment of electrolysis and ultra-sonication towards enhancing
      solubilization and methane production from mixed microalgae biomass.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of combination of pretreatment methods such as
      ultra-sonication and electrolysis for the minimum energy input to recover the
      maximal carbohydrate and solubilization (in terms of sCOD) from mixed microalgae
      biomass. The composition of the soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD), protein,
      carbohydrate revealed that the hydrolysis method had showed positive impact on
      the increasing quantity and thus enhanced methane yields. As a result, the
      combination of these 2 pretreatments showed the greatest yield of soluble protein
      and carbohydrate as 279 and 309mg/L, which is the recovery of nearly 85 and 90%
      in terms of total content of them. BMP tests showed peak methane production yield
      of 257mL/gVSadded, for the hydrolysate of combined pretreatment as compared to
      the control experiment of 138mL/gVS added.

PMID- 28892692
TI  - Evaluation of pilot-scale in-vessel composting for Hanwoo manure management.
AB  - The study investigated the effect of in-vessel composting process on Hanwoo
      manure in two different South Korea regions (Pyeongchang and Goechang) with
      sawdust using vertical cylindrical in-vessel bioreactor for 42days. The stability
      and quality of Hanwoo manure in both regions were improved and confirmed through
      the positive changes in physico-chemical and phytotoxic properties using
      different commercial seed crops. The pH and electrical conductivity (EC, ds/m) of
      composted manure in both regions were slightly increased. At the same time,
      carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio and ammonium nitrogen:nitrate nitrogen (NH4+-N:NO3-
      N) ratio decreased to 13.4-16.1 and 0.36-0.37, respectively. The germination
      index (GI, %) index was recorded in the range of 67.6-120.9%, which was greater
      than 50%, indicating phytotoxin-free compost. Although, composted manure values
      in Goechang region were better in significant parameters, overall results
      confirmed that the composting process could lead to complete maturation of the
      composted product in both regions.

PMID- 28892694
TI  - Effect of particle size reduction and ensiling fermentation on biogas formation
      and silage quality of wheat straw.
AB  - The effect of ensiling fermentation and mechanical pretreatment on the methane
      yield of lignocellulosic biomass was investigated in order to determine the
      optimum pretreatment conditions for biogas production. Wheat straw was treated
      using the following techniques: mechanical disintegration by chopping and
      extruder-grinding to particle sizes of 2.0 and 0.2cm, respectively, and ensiling
      by 30% and 45% total solids with addition of enzymatic, chemical and biological
      silage additives individually and in combination. The total and volatile solid
      content, biochemical methane potential and products of silage fermentation of 32
      variants were tested. The results indicate that the methane potential increased
      by 26% (from 179 to 244mLCH4g-1VS) by reducing particle size. The maximum methane
      potential of 275mLCH4g-1VS was obtained from silage with 30% total solids and
      extruder grinding. However, the effect of the addition of silage additives on the
      methane potential was limited.

PMID- 28892693
TI  - A modelling approach to study the fouling of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor for
      industrial wastewater treatment.
AB  - An Anaerobic Membrane BioReactors (AnMBR) model is presented in this paper based
      on the combination of a simple fouling model and the Anaerobic Model 2b (AM2b) to
      describe biological and membrane dynamic responses in an AnMBR. In order to
      enhance the model calibration and validation, Trans-Membrane Pressure (TMP),
      Total Suspended Solid (TSS), COD, Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) and methane
      production were measured. The model shows a satisfactory description of the
      experimental data with R2~0.9 for TMP data and R2~0.99 for biological parameters.
      This new model is also proposed as a numerical tool to predict the deposit mass
      composition of suspended solid and Soluble Microbial Products (SMP) on the
      membrane surface. The effect of SMP deposit on the TMP jump phenomenon is
      highlighted. This new approach offers interesting perspectives for fouling
      prediction and the on-line control of an AnMBR process.

PMID- 28892695
TI  - Synergistic combination of biomass torrefaction and co-gasification: Reactivity
      studies.
AB  - Two typical biomass feedstocks obtained from woody wastes and agricultural
      residues were torrefied or mildly pyrolized in a fixed-bed reactor. Effects of
      the torrefaction conditions on product distributions, compositional and energetic
      properties of the solid products, char gasification reactivity, and co
      gasification behavior between coal and torrefied solids were systematically
      investigated. Torrefaction pretreatment produced high quality bio-solids with not
      only increased energy density, but also concentrated alkali and alkaline earth
      metals (AAEM). As a consequence of greater retention of catalytic elements in the
      solid products, the chars derived from torrefied biomass exhibited a faster
      conversion than those derived from raw biomass during CO2 gasification.
      Furthermore, co-gasification of coal/torrefied biomass blends exhibited stronger
      synergy compared to the coal/raw biomass blends. The results and insights
      provided by this study filled a gap in understanding synergy during co
      gasification of coal and torrefied biomass.

PMID- 28892696
TI  - Variation in metals during wet oxidation of sewage sludge.
AB  - Sewage sludge is a significant by-product from wastewater treatment plants but is
      potentially hazardous due to its pathogenic or harmful contents, such as toxic
      metals. Subcritical water wet oxidation (SCWO) is one method of hydrothermal
      processing which has recently been used in research and industry for treating
      sludge. This study investigated the effect of SCWO on metals such as Al, Cu, Fe,
      and Zn in sludge, including the content of metals in the liquid or solid phase
      after SCWO and their stability distributions according to Tessier's method.
      During SCWO, most metals were significantly accumulated and stabilised in the
      solid phase with very limited leaching. The temperature was found to be the most
      significant factor for metals immobilisation, followed by reaction time, while pH
      had negligible effect. The optimal conditions of SCWO on metals were found at 240
      degrees C, 60min, pH 5 in this study.

PMID- 28892697
TI  - Water sorption in pretreated grasses as a predictor of enzymatic hydrolysis
      yields.
AB  - This work investigated the impact of two alkaline pretreatments, ammonia fiber
      expansion (AFEX) and alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) delignification performed
      over a range of conditions on the properties of corn stover and switchgrass.
      Changes in feedstock properties resulting from pretreatment were subsequently
      compared to enzymatic hydrolysis yields to examine the relationship between
      enzymatic hydrolysis and cell wall properties. The pretreatments function to
      increase enzymatic hydrolysis yields through different mechanisms; AFEX
      pretreatment through lignin relocalization and some xylan solubilization and AHP
      primarily through lignin solubilization. An important outcome of this work
      demonstrated that while changes in lignin content in AHP-delignified biomass
      could be clearly correlated to improved response to hydrolysis, compositional
      changes alone in AFEX-pretreated biomass could not explain differences in
      hydrolysis yields. We determined the water retention value, which characterizes
      the association of water with the cell wall of the pretreated biomass, can be
      used to predict hydrolysis yields for all pretreated biomass within this study.

PMID- 28892698
TI  - Modeling shear-sensitive dinoflagellate microalgae growth in bubble column
      photobioreactors.
AB  - The shear-sensitive dinoflagellate microalga Karlodinium veneficum was grown in a
      sparged bubble column photobioreactor. The influence of mass transfer and shear
      stress on cell growth and physiology (concentration of reactive oxygen species,
      membrane fluidity and photosynthetic efficiency) was studied, and a model
      describing cell growth in term of mass transfer and culture parameters (nozzle
      sparger diameter, air flow rate, and culture height) was developed. The results
      show that mass transfer limits cell growth at low air-flow rates, whereas the
      shear stress produced by the presence of bubbles is critically detrimental for
      air flow rates above 0.1vvm. The model developed in this paper adequately
      represents the growth of K. veneficum. Moreover, the parameters of the model
      indicate that bubble rupture is much more harmful for cells than bubble
      formation.

PMID- 28892699
TI  - Enhanced furfural production from raw corn stover employing a novel heterogeneous
      acid catalyst.
AB  - With the aim to enhance the direct conversion of raw corn stover into furfural, a
      promising approach was proposed employing a novel heterogeneous strong acid
      catalyst (SC-CaCt-700) in different solvents. The novel catalyst was
      characterized by elemental analysis, N2 adsorption-desorption, FT-IR, XPS, TEM
      and SEM. The developed catalytic system demonstrated superior efficacy for
      furfural production from raw corn stover. The effects of reaction temperature,
      residence time, catalyst loading, substrate concentration and solvent were
      investigated and optimized. 93% furfural yield was obtained from 150mg corn
      stover at 200 degrees C in 100min using 45mg catalyst in gamma-valerolactone
      (GVL). In comparison, 51.5% furfural yield was achieved in aqueous media under
      the same conditions (200 degrees C, 5h, and 45mg catalyst), which is of great
      industrial interest. Furfural was obtained from both hemicelluloses and cellulose
      in corn stover, which demonstrated a promising routine to make the full use of
      biomass.

PMID- 28892700
TI  - Modification of biochar derived from sawdust and its application in removal of
      tetracycline and copper from aqueous solution: Adsorption mechanism and
      modelling.
AB  - Highly efficient simultaneous removal of Cu(II) and tetracycline (TET) from
      aqueous solution was accomplished by iron and zinc doped sawdust biochar (Fe/Zn
      biochar). The mutual effects and inner mechanisms of their adsorption onto Fe/Zn
      biochar were systematically investigated via sole and binary systems, sorption
      isotherm and adsorption kinetics models. The liquid-film diffusion step might be
      the rate-limiting step for tetracycline, the interaction of Cu(II) was more
      likely controlled by both intra particle diffusion model and liquid film
      diffusion model. The fitting of experimental data with kinetic models, Temkin
      model indicates that the adsorption process of tetracycline and Cu(II) involve
      chemisorption, and physico-chemical adsorption, respectively. There exists site
      competition and enhancement of Cu(II) and tetracycline on the sorption to Fe/Zn
      biochar. The results of this study indicate that modification of biochar derived
      from sawdust shows great potential for simultaneous removal of Cu(II) and
      tetracycline from co-contaminated water.

PMID- 28892701
TI  - Co-cultivation of microalgae in aquaponic systems.
AB  - Aquaponics is a sustainable system for the future farming. In aquaponic systems,
      the nutrient-rich wastewater generated by the fish provides nutrients needed for
      vegetable growth. In the present study, the role of microalgae of Chlorella sp.
      in the floating-raft aquaponic system was evaluated for ammonia control. The
      yields of algal biomass, vegetable, and removal of the key nutrients from the
      systems were monitored during the operation of the aquaponic systems. When the
      systems were in full operation, the algae production was about 4.15+/
      0.19g/m2.day (dry basis) which is considered low because the growth conditions
      are primarily tailored to fish and vegetable production. However, it was found
      that algae had a positive effect on balancing pH drop caused by nitrifying
      bacteria, and the ammonia could be controlled by algae since algae prefer for
      ammonia nitrogen over nitrate nitrogen. The algae are more efficient for overall
      nitrogen removal than vegetables.

PMID- 28892702
TI  - Production of wax esters via microbial oil synthesis from food industry waste and
      by-product streams.
AB  - The production of wax esters using microbial oils was demonstrated in this study.
      Microbial oils produced from food waste and by-product streams by three
      oleaginous yeasts were converted into wax esters via enzymatic catalysis. Palm
      oil was initially used to evaluate the influence of temperature and enzyme
      activity on wax ester synthesis catalysed by Novozyme 435 and Lipozyme lipases
      using cetyl, oleyl and behenyl alcohols. The highest conversion yields (up to
      79.6%) were achieved using 4U/g of Novozyme 435 at 70 degrees C.
      Transesterification of microbial oils to behenyl and cetyl esters was achieved at
      conversion yields up to 87.3% and 69.1%, respectively. Novozyme 435 was
      efficiently reused for six and three cycles during palm esters and microbial
      esters synthesis, respectively. The physicochemical properties of microbial oil
      derived behenyl esters were comparable to natural waxes. Wax esters from
      microbial oils have potential applications in cosmetics, chemical and food
      industries.

PMID- 28892703
TI  - Xylooligosaccharides production by crude microbial enzymes from agricultural
      waste without prior treatment and their potential application as nutraceuticals.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus R1, on submerged fermentation using agricultural residues
      as carbon source produced extracellular xylanase (152IU/ml after 96h of
      incubation at 37 degrees C with constant shaking at 100rpm). A maximum yield of
      1gm% Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) mixture was obtained after 12h by enzymatic
      hydrolysis of xylan rich wheat husk without any prior pretreatment using the
      crude enzyme without any purification. HP-TLC data confirmed the presence of an
      array of XOS for its prebiotic properties by carrying out studies on ten standard
      probiotic cultures. Six of ten probiotic cultures were able to utilize XOS
      produced from agricultural wastes and showed remarkable growth in the media
      containing XOS as the sole source of carbon. XOS mixture also exhibited
      concentration dependent anti-oxidant activity. Thus, the results showed that XOS
      produced from agricultural residues have great prebiotic potential and good
      antioxidant activity; therefore, it can be used in food-related applications.

PMID- 28892704
TI  - Optimization of semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of sugarcane straw co
      digested with filter cake: Effects of macronutrients supplementation on
      conversion kinetics.
AB  - Anaerobic digestion of sugarcane straw co-digested with sugarcane filter cake was
      investigated with a special focus on macronutrients supplementation for an
      optimized conversion process. Experimental data from batch tests and a semi
      continuous experiment operated in different supplementation phases were used for
      modeling the conversion kinetics based on continuous stirred-tank reactors. The
      semi-continuous experiment showed an overall decrease in the performance along
      the inoculum washout from the reactors. By supplementing nitrogen alone or in
      combination to phosphorus and sulfur the specific methane production
      significantly increased (P<0.05) by 17% and 44%, respectively. Although the two
      pool one-step model has fitted well to the batch experimental data (R2>0.99), the
      use of the depicted kinetics did not provide a good estimation for process
      simulation of the semi-continuous process (in any supplementation phase),
      possibly due to the different feeding modes and inoculum source, activity and
      adaptation.

PMID- 28892705
TI  - Enhanced carboxylic acids production by decreasing hydrogen partial pressure
      during acidogenic fermentation of glucose.
AB  - In this study, the effect of reduced hydrogen partial pressure (PH2) on the
      generation of carboxylic acids from acidogenic fermentation of glucose was
      investigated. Three strategies were applied to reduce PH2: headspace removal
      (T1), CO2 sparging (T2) and H2:CO2 (80:20) sparging (T3). Results showed that the
      production of carboxylic acids in T1-T3 were 10.21, 11.64 and 12.71g/L,
      respectively, which were 1.04, 1.19 and 1.30-fold of that in the control (T4).
      The composition of carboxylic acids changed significantly in T3 with enhancement
      of homoacetogenesis, as more acetate and butyrate were produced comparing to the
      control. In addition, decreasing PH2 led to more carbon flow to carboxylic acids.
      Species of Clostridium became dominant in treatment T3, resulting in the shift of
      metabolic pathways. This study demonstrated that decreasing PH2 could increase
      the production of carboxylic acids, especially under the strategy of enhancing
      homoacetogenesis.

PMID- 28892706
TI  - Formulation of an optimized synergistic enzyme cocktail, HoloMix, for effective
      degradation of various pre-treated hardwoods.
AB  - In this study, two selected hardwoods were subjected to sodium chlorite
      delignification and steam explosion, and the impact of pre-treatments on
      synergistic enzymatic saccharification evaluated. A cellulolytic core-set,
      CelMix, and a xylanolytic core-set, XynMix, optimised for glucose and xylose
      release, respectively, were used to formulate HoloMix cocktail for optimal
      saccharification of various pre-treated hardwoods. For delignified biomass, the
      optimized HoloMix consisted of 75%:25% protein dosage, CelMix: XynMix, while for
      untreated and steam exploded biomass the HoloMix consisted of 93.75%:6.25%
      protein dosage. Saccharification by HoloMix (27.5mgprotein/gbiomass) for 24h
      achieved 70-100% sugar yields. Pre-treatment of the hardwoods (especially those
      with a higher proportion of lignin) with a laccase, improved saccharification by
      HoloMix. This study provided insights into enzymatic hydrolysis of various pre
      treated hardwood substrates and showed the same lignocellulolytic cocktail
      comparable to/if not better than commercial enzyme preparations can be used to
      efficiently hydrolyse different hardwood species.

PMID- 28892707
TI  - Steam explosion pretreatment improved the biomethanization of coffee husks.
AB  - This study evaluated the potential of energy generation using a combined heat and
      power co-generation system (CHP) from biogas produced during the anaerobic
      digestion of coffee husks (CH) pretreated with steam explosion. Pretreatment
      conditions assessed were time (1, 5, 15 and 60min) and temperature (120, 180 and
      210 degrees C). Polysaccharides solubilisation and biogas production were not
      correlated. While pretreatment with severities higher than 4 resulted in a
      highest solubilisation of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin; however, furans
      concentration in those cases hindered biomass biodegradation. Considering a CHP,
      all pretreatment conditions were worthwhile when compared to non-pretreated CH.
      The best condition was 120 degrees C for 60min, in which a 2.37 severity showed
      the highest methane yield (144.96NmLCH4gCOD-1) and electricity production
      (0.59kWhkgCH-1). However, even better results could be achieved using 120 degrees
      C for only 5min, which would lead to a larger amount of CH daily processed.

PMID- 28892708
TI  - Combustion characteristics and retention-emission of selenium during co-firing of
      torrefied biomass and its blends with high ash coal.
AB  - The combustion characteristics, kinetic analysis and selenium retention-emission
      behavior during co-combustion of high ash coal (HAC) with pine wood (PW) biomass
      and torrefied pine wood (TPW) were investigated through a combination of
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and laboratory-based circulating fluidized bed
      combustion experiment. Improved ignition behavior and thermal reactivity of HAC
      were observed through the addition of a suitable proportion of biomass and
      torrefied. During combustion of blends, higher values of relative enrichment
      factors in fly ash revealed the maximum content of condensing volatile selenium
      on fly ash particles, and depleted level in bottom ash. Selenium emission in
      blends decreased by the increasing ratio of both PW and TPW. Higher reductions in
      the total Se volatilization were found for HAC/TPW than individual HAC sample,
      recommending that TPW have the best potential of selenium retention. The
      interaction amongst selenium and fly ash particles may cause the retention of
      selenium.

PMID- 28892709
TI  - Nitrification by microalgal-bacterial consortia for ammonium removal in flat
      panel sequencing batch photo-bioreactors.
AB  - Ammonium removal from artificial wastewater by microalgal-bacterial consortia in
      a flat-panel reactor (FPR1) was compared with a microalgae-only flat-panel
      reactor (FPR2). The microalgal-bacterial consortia removed ammonium at higher
      rates (100+/-18mgNH4+-NL-1d-1) than the microalgae (44+/-16mgNH4+-NL-1d-1), after
      the system achieved a stable performance at a 2days hydraulic retention time.
      Nitrifiers present in the microalgae-bacteria consortia increased the ammonium
      removal: the ammonium removal rate by nitrifiers and by algae in FPR1 was,
      respectively, 50(+/-18) and 49(+/-22)mgNH4+-NL-1d-1. Apparently ammonium removal
      by algae was not significantly different between FPR1 and FPR2. The activity of
      the nitrifiers did not negatively affect the nitrogen uptake by algae, but
      improved the total ammonium removal rate of FPR1.

PMID- 28892710
TI  - Instability mechanisms and early warning indicators for mesophilic anaerobic
      digestion of vegetable waste.
AB  - In order to elucidate the instability mechanism, screen early warning indicators,
      and propose control measures, the mesophilic digestion of vegetable waste (VW)
      was carried out at organic loading rates (OLR) of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5g volatile
      solid (VS)/(Ld). The process parameters, including biogas components, volatile
      fatty acids (VFA), ammonia, pH, total alkalinity (TA), bicarbonate alkalinity
      (BA), and intermediate alkalinity (IA), were monitored every day. Digestion was
      inhibited at OLR of 1.5gVS/(Ld). The primary causes of instability are a high
      sugar and negligible ammonia content, in addition to the feed without effluent
      recirculation, which led to BA loss. The ratios of CH4/CO2, VFA/BA, propionate, n
      butyrate and iso-valerate were selected as early warning indicators. In order to
      maintain the digestion of VW at a high OLR, control measures including effluent
      recirculation and trace element addition are recommended.

PMID- 28892711
TI  - Improvement of hydrogen production from glucose by ferrous iron and biochar.
AB  - Effects of biochar (BC) and ferrous iron (Fe2+) additions on hydrogen (H2)
      production from glucose were investigated using batch experiment. The glucose
      with both BC and Fe2+ additions were incubated at 37 degrees C for H2 production.
      As compared with the control group (without BC and Fe2+ additions), the synergic
      effects of BC and Fe2+ make the lag phase time decease from 4.25 to 2.12h, and H2
      yield increase from 158.0 to 234.4ml/g glucose. Moreover, suitable concentrations
      of BC and Fe2+ serve to enhance volatile fatty acid generation during H2
      evolution. These results indicate that H2 production is improved by BC and Fe2+
      regulations, where synergic mechanisms are described as follows: BC acts as
      support carriers of anaerobes and system pH buffers, which promotes the biofilm
      formation and maintains suitable pH environment; Appropriate Fe2+ concentration
      can improve hydrogenase activity in H2 production.

PMID- 28892712
TI  - Relationship between serum total bilirubin levels and mortality in uremia
      patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis: A nationwide cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous studies show that serum bilirubin has potent
      antioxidant effect and is associated with protection from kidney damage and
      reduce cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to examine the
      association of serum total bilirubin level and mortality in uremia patients who
      underwent hemodialysis. METHODS: This is a nationwide retrospective long-term
      cohort study. Patients were registered in the Taiwan Renal Registry Data System
      (TWRDS) from 2005 to 2012. A total of 115,535 hemodialysis patients were surveyed
      and those with valid baseline total bilirubin (TB) data were enrolled. All-cause
      mortality was the primary outcome. RESULTS: A total of 47,650 hemodialysis
      patients followed for 27.6 +/- 12 months, were divided into 3 groups according to
      different baseline serum total bilirubin levels (0.1-0.3, 0.3-0.7, 0.7-1.2
      mg/dL). Mean age was 61.4 +/- 13.6 years, 50% were male, 13% were hepatitis B
      carriers, and 20% were hepatitis C carriers. Primary outcome was the 3-year
      mortality. The TB level 0.7-1.2 mg/dL group had high mortality, statistically
      significant hazard ratio of mortality was 1.14 (crude HR, 95% 1.07-1.20, p <
      0.01), and adjusted HR was 1.18 (model 1, 95% CI 1.11-1.25), 1.21 (model 2, 95%
      CI 1.14-1.29, p < 0.01), 1.44 (model 3, 95% CI 1.06-1.96, p < 0.01),
      respectively. Sensitivity test showed that after excluding 14,899 patients with
      hepatitis B or C, or abnormal liver function, the highest level of TB associated
      with higher significant mortality was still robust. CONCLUSIONS: In our study,
      high TB level is associated with mortality in uremia patients undergoing long
      term hemodialysis, but further studies of the different effects of unconjugated
      or conjugated bilirubin on hemodialysis patients are needed.

PMID- 28892713
TI  - Stearic acid at physiologic concentrations induces in vitro lipotoxicity in
      circulating angiogenic cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Saturated free fatty acids (SFAs) can induce lipotoxicity in
      different cells. No studies have investigated the effects of SFA in circulating
      angiogenic cells (CACs), which play a key role in endothelial repair processes.
      The aim of the study was to assess the effects of SFAs, specifically stearic acid
      (SA), on viability and function of CACs and to investigate potential underlying
      molecular mechanisms. METHODS: CACs were isolated from healthy subjects by
      established methods. CACs were incubated with BSA-complexed stearate (100 MUM) to
      assess the time course (from 8 to 24 h exposure) of the effects on viability and
      apoptosis (activation of caspases 3/7), angiogenic function (tube formation
      assay), pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and TNFalpha) gene
      expression (qPCR) and secretion (ELISA), activation of MAPK (JNK, p38 and Erk1/2)
      by Western blot and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress marker (CHOP, BIP, ATF4,
      XBP-1 and sXBP-1) gene expression by qPCR. RESULTS: Stearic acid activates
      effector caspases in CACs in a dose- and time-dependent manner. SA also impairs
      CAC function and increases pro-inflammatory molecule (IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1
      and TNFalpha) gene expression and secretion in CACs starting from 3 h of
      incubation. The activation of JNK by SA mediates pro-inflammatory response, but
      it may be not necessary for apoptosis. Moreover, SA induces the expression of ER
      stress markers across the three branches of the ER stress response. CONCLUSIONS:
      In humans, both function and viability of CACs are exquisitely vulnerable to
      physiologic concentrations of stearate; lipotoxic impairment of endothelial
      repair processes may be implicated in vascular damage caused by SFAs.

PMID- 28892714
TI  - Genetic and environmental influences on stability and change in baseline levels
      of C-reactive protein: A longitudinal twin study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cross-sectional twin and family studies report a moderate
      heritability of baseline levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), ranging from 0.10 to
      0.65 for different age ranges. Here, we investigated the stability and relative
      impact of genetic and environmental factors underlying serum levels of CRP, using
      a longitudinal classical twin design. METHODS: A maximum of 6201 female twins
      from the TwinsUK registry with up to three CRP measurements (i.e. visit 1 [V1],
      visit 2 [V2] and visit 3 [V3]) over a 10-year follow-up period were included in
      this study. Structural equation modeling was applied to dissect the observed
      phenotypic variance into its genetic and environmental components. To estimate
      the heritability of CRP as well as its genetic and environmental correlations
      across different time points, a trivariate model was used. RESULTS: Natural log
      (ln) CRP levels significantly increased from V1 to V2 (p=4.4 * 10-25) and between
      V1 and V3 (p=1.2 * 10-15), but not between V2 and V3. The median (IQR) follow-up
      time between V1 and V3 was 9.58 (8.00-10.46) years. Heritability estimates for
      CRP were around 50% and constant over time (0.46-0.52). Additionally, adjustment
      for BMI did not meaningfully change the heritability estimates (0.49-0.51). The
      genetic correlations between visits were significantly smaller than one, ranging
      from 0.66 to 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence for stable
      heritability estimates of CRP of around 50% with advancing age. However, between
      visit genetic correlations are significantly lower than 1, indicating emergence
      of new genetic effects on CRP levels with age.

PMID- 28892715
TI  - Upper body accelerations during walking are altered in adults with ACL
      reconstruction.
AB  - This study was designed to assess and compare the pattern of acceleration from
      the lower trunk, neck and head regions for individuals with reconstructed ACL
      compared to healthy controls during walking. Participants with unilateral ACL
      reconstruction and matched control persons participated in the study.
      Accelerations were collected using three triaxial accelerometers attached to the
      head, neck, and lower trunk. Measures of amplitude and signal regularity of the
      acceleration data were performed. Similarities were seen between both groups with
      regards to the general acceleration patterns in all three axes. However, the
      results also revealed that the individuals with ACL reconstruction had
      significantly greater peak power in the AP direction at higher frequencies,
      indicating a reduced ability to attenuate frequency signals. Further, the ACL
      group had a reduced ability to control head motion during gait, as indicated by
      reduced regularity in VT. Both groups demonstrated a similar pattern of gait
      related oscillations across the head, neck and trunk segments. However, adults
      with a reconstructed ACL demonstrated a reduced capacity to compensate for the
      higher frequency components of the gait signal, which may have led to a decline
      in head control. Overall, these findings indicate that previous damage to the ACL
      is not simply localized to the knee joint, but influences upper body control,
      too.

PMID- 28892716
TI  - Neuroscience step-down unit admission criteria for patients with intracerebral
      hemorrhage.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The goal of our study is to determine optimal criteria which can be
      used to avoid admission to neuroscience intensive care units for patients with
      intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective
      cohort study of 431 patients with primary ICH from January 2013 to the end of
      December 2015 and reviewed multiple admitting characteristics. Based on these
      needs, we tested the following step-down unit admission criteria: Supratentorial
      ICH, ICH volume <20 cc, no Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), systolic BP
      <200mmHg, no respiratory failure, GCS>=12. We classified 431 patients into two
      groups; 1-Patients who met step-down unit admission Criteria (71 patients). 2
      Patients who didn't meet the criteria (360 patients). RESULTS: In our patients,
      16.5% fulfilled the criteria. Length of stay in the ICU was 1.43days in step-down
      unit admission criteria patients. None of the patients who fulfilled the criteria
      were readmitted to the ICU, compared to 3 readmissions among the group of
      patients who did not fulfill the criteria (P=0.82). None of these patients
      required a neurosurgical procedure vs 47 patients (10.9%) in the other group
      (P=0.04). Among patients who met the criteria, 83.1% were discharged home or
      rehab RR 0.33 CI (0.19-0.55), (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: We propose that patients
      who fulfill step-down unit admission criteria can be safely monitored in stroke
      unit and they have no need for ICU admission. Further studies are needed to
      validate these criteria in a prospective manner.

PMID- 28892717
TI  - Predictors of hearing outcomes following low-dose stereotactic radiosurgery in
      patients with vestibular schwannomas: A retrospective cohort review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hearing deterioration is a major concern for hearing-preserved
      patients with vestibular schwannomas who are treated with stereotactic
      radiosurgery (SRS). Thus, determining which patients are more likely to have
      worse hearing outcomes following SRS may facilitate clinicians in deciding
      whether conservative policy should be applied in the interest of hearing
      preservation. This study aimed to define the predictors of hearing outcomes
      following SRS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 100
      patients who underwent low-dose SRS (12- to 13-Gy marginal dose) for vestibular
      schwannomas between January 2004 and January 2014. Clinical factors and hearing
      outcomes following radiosurgery were reviewed. RESULTS: All patients had
      serviceable hearing at diagnosis and prior to SRS. The median follow-up period
      was 6.5years (range, 3-10years). The hearing preservation rate in the first,
      third, and fifth year after radiosurgery was 89%, 68%, and 63%, respectively. A
      mean cochlear dose lower than 4Gy was a favorable predictor of hearing outcome.
      Maximal cochlear dose, patient age, pre-treatment pure-tone average, and imaging
      characteristics were not associated with post-treatment hearing preservation. Our
      study showed an accelerated rate of deterioration of serial pure-tone average in
      the first 3years, followed by a more gradual decline after radiosurgery.
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that cochlear dose constraint is the most crucial
      factor for hearing preservation. This study provides insight into the rate of
      hearing preservation and the pattern of hearing deterioration following
      radiosurgery and can help clinicians advise patients of hearing outcomes
      following SRS.

PMID- 28892718
TI  - Insight into the effects of modifying chromophores on the performance of
      quinoline-based dye-sensitized solar cells.
AB  - A series of organic dyes based on quinoline as an electron-deficient pi-linker,
      were designed and synthesized for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) application.
      These push-pull conjugated dyes, sharing same anchoring group with distinctive
      electron-rich donating groups such as N,N-diethyl (DEA-Q), 3,6-dimethoxy
      carbazole (CBZ-Q), bis(4-butoxyphenyl)amine (BPA-Q), were synthesized by Riley
      oxidation of CH3 followed by Knoevenagel condensation of the corresponding
      aldehyde precursors 2a-c with cyanoacrylic acid. The optical, electrochemical,
      theoretical calculation and photovoltaic properties with these three dyes were
      systematically investigated. Compared to DEA-Q and CBZ-Q, BPA-Q possesses better
      light harvesting properties with regard to extended conjugate length, red-shifted
      intramolecular charge transfer band absorption and broaden light-responsive IPCE
      spectrum, resulting in a greater short circuit photocurrent density output. BPA-Q
      also has improved open-circuit voltage due to the apparent large charge
      recombination resistance. Consequently, assembled with iodine redox electrolytes,
      the device with BPA-Q achieved the best overall conversion efficiency value of
      3.07% among three dyes under AM 1.5G standard conditions. This present
      investigation demonstrates the importance of various N-substituent chromophores
      in the prevalent D-pi-A type organic sensitizers for tuning the photovoltaic
      performance of their DSSCs.

PMID- 28892719
TI  - Spectroscopic and DFT investigation on the photo-chemical properties of a push
      pull chromophore: 4-Dimethylamino-4'-nitrostilbene.
AB  - 4-Dimethylamino-4'-nitrostilbene (DANS), a pi-conjugated push-pull molecule, has
      been investigated by means of a combined spectroscopic and computational
      approach. When the Raman excitation is close to the visible electronic transition
      of DANS, vibrational bands not belonging to DANS appear in the spectra,
      increasing with the laser power. These bands are observed at room temperature in
      the solid phase, but not at low temperature or in solution, and we interpret them
      as due to a thermally-activated photoreaction occurring under laser irradiation
      in the visible spectral region. Density-functional calculations correctly
      reproducing the electronic and vibrational spectra of DANS, describe the charge
      transfer process, indicate that an azo-derivative is the product of the
      photoreaction of DANS and provide a reasonable interpretation of this process.

PMID- 28892720
TI  - Physicians-in-training are not prepared to prescribe medical marijuana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While medical marijuana use is legal in more than half of U.S.
      states, evidence is limited about the preparation of physicians-in-training to
      prescribe medical marijuana. We asked whether current medical school and graduate
      medical educational training prepare physicians to prescribe medical marijuana.
      METHODS: We conducted a national survey of U.S. medical school curriculum deans,
      a similar survey of residents and fellows at Washington University in St. Louis,
      and a query of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Curriculum
      Inventory database for keywords associated with medical marijuana. RESULTS:
      Surveys were obtained from 101 curriculum deans, and 258 residents and fellows.
      145 schools were included in the curriculum search. The majority of deans (66.7%)
      reported that their graduates were not at all prepared to prescribe medical
      marijuana, and 25.0% reported that their graduates were not at all prepared to
      answer questions about medical marijuana. The vast majority of residents and
      fellows (89.5%) felt not at all prepared to prescribe medical marijuana, while
      35.3% felt not at all prepared to answer questions, and 84.9% reported receiving
      no education in medical school or residency on medical marijuana. Finally, only
      9% of medical school curriculums document in the AAMC Curriculum Inventory
      database content on medical marijuana. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights a
      fundamental mismatch between the state-level legalization of medical marijuana
      and the lack of preparation of physicians-in-training to prescribe it. With even
      more states on the cusp of legalizing medical marijuana, physician training
      should adapt to encompass this new reality of medical practice.

PMID- 28892722
TI  - Behavior of farmers in regard to erosion by water as reflected by their farming
      practices.
AB  - The interplay between natural site conditions and farming raises erosion by water
      above geological background levels. We examined the hypothesis that farmers take
      erosion into account in their farming decisions and switch to farming practices
      with lower erosion risk the higher the site-specific hazard becomes. Erosion
      since the last tillage was observed from aerial orthorectified photographs for
      8100 fields belonging to 1879 farmers distributed across Bavaria (South Germany)
      and it was modeled by the Universal Soil Loss Equation using highly detailed
      input data (e.g., digital terrain model with 5*5m2 resolution, rain data with
      1*1km2 and 5min resolution, crop and cropping method from annual field-specific
      data from incentive schemes). Observed and predicted soil loss correlated
      closely, demonstrating the accuracy of this method. The close correlation also
      indicted that the farmers could easily observe the degree of recent erosion on
      their fields, even without modelling. Farmers clearly did not consider erosion in
      their decisions. When natural risk increased, e.g. due to steeper slopes, they
      neither grew crops with lower erosion potential, nor reduced field size, nor used
      contouring. In addition, they did not compensate for the cultivation of crops
      with higher erosion potential by using conservation techniques like mulch tillage
      or contouring, or by reducing field size. Only subsidized measures, like mulch
      tillage or organic farming, were applied but only at the absolute minimum that
      was necessary to obtain subsidies. However, this did not achieve the reduction in
      erosion that would be possible if these measures had been fully applied. We
      conclude that subsidies may be an appropriate method of reducing erosion but the
      present weak supervision, which assumes that farmers themselves will take erosion
      into account and that subsidies are only needed to compensate for any
      disadvantages caused by erosion-reducing measures, is clearly not justified.

PMID- 28892723
TI  - Evaluation of a novel test design to determine uptake of chemicals by plant
      roots.
AB  - A new hydroponic study design to determine uptake of chemicals by plant roots was
      tested by (i) investigating uptake of [14C]-1,2,4-triazole by wheat plants in a
      ring test with ten laboratory organizations and (ii) studying uptake of ten other
      radiolabelled chemicals by potato, tomato or wheat plants in two laboratories.
      Replicate data from the ring test were used to calculate plant uptake factor
      (PUF) values (uptake into roots and shoots) and transpiration stream
      concentration factor (TSCF) values (uptake into shoots). Average PUF for 1,2,4
      triazole was 0.73 (n=39, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64, 0.82) and the
      corresponding TSCF value was 1.03 (n=49, 95% CI: 0.76, 1.3). Boxplots and
      subsequent classification tree analysis of PUF and TSCF values showed that
      potential outlier values were >1.38 and were observed for PUF replicates with low
      biomass increase (ratio of final to initial biomass <=1.739) and small initial
      biomass (<=1.55g) and for TSCF replicates with an increase in biomass of <0.67g
      over a period of eight days. Considering only valid replicate data, average
      values of PUF and TSCF were 0.65 (n=33, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.73) and 0.64 (n=39, 95%
      CI: 0.58, 0.70). The additional experiments with ten chemicals and three plant
      species showed that uptake was low for polar substances of high molecular weight
      (>=394g/mol) and that TSCF values increased with log Kow values of the tested
      chemicals ranging from -1.54 to 1.88 (polynomial equation with R2=0.64). A
      cluster analysis for three of the compounds that were tested on wheat and tomato
      indicated that the plant uptake was mainly determined by the substance. Overall,
      the findings show that the hydroponic study design allows for reliable
      quantification of plant uptake over a range of compound/crop combinations.

PMID- 28892725
TI  - Supporting graduate nurse transition to practice through a quality assurance
      feedback loop.
AB  - This mixed-method study focused on new graduate nurses and their transition to
      practice. Transition to practice can be a time of heightened stress and anxiety,
      leaving many new graduates disillusioned and dissatisfied with their work. The
      study explored how satisfaction levels with transition may improve during their
      first year, using a unique approach of a continuous quality assurance feedback
      loop. This assurance framework is utilised in hospitality, automotive and supply
      chain logistics and in health, primarily to monitor patient outcomes. However, an
      association with graduate nurse satisfaction has not been previously reported.
      Graduate nurses from two health services completed a short survey questionnaire
      every four weeks for 12 months. De-identified aggregated data was sent to health
      service management, giving them an opportunity to integrate the findings with the
      objective of potentially increasing graduate satisfaction ratings. Quantitative
      findings showed no statistical significance of graduate nurse satisfaction scores
      between health services, however, one health service consistently outperformed
      the other. Qualitative findings drawn from a seminar and interviews confirmed
      that one health service took a more proactive stance with the monthly reports,
      communicating the results to ward managers. Outcomes reflected a greater
      commitment of support and an overall increase of satisfaction scores.

PMID- 28892724
TI  - Effect of biochar amendment on compost organic matter composition following
      aerobic composting of manure.
AB  - Biochar, a material defined as charred organic matter applied in agriculture, is
      suggested as a beneficial additive and bulking agent in composting. Biochar
      addition to the composting feedstock was shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
      and nutrient leaching during the composting process, and to result in a
      fertilizer and plant growth medium that is superior to non-amended composts.
      However, the impact of biochar on the quality and carbon speciation of the
      organic matter in bulk compost has so far not been the focus of systematic
      analyses, although these parameters are key to determine the long-term stability
      and carbon sequestration potential of biochar-amended composts in soil. In this
      study, we used different spectroscopic techniques to compare the organic carbon
      speciation of manure compost amended with three different biochars. A non-biochar
      amended compost served as control. Based on Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR)
      and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy we did not observe any
      differences in carbon speciation of the bulk compost independent of biochar type,
      despite a change in the FTIR absorbance ratio 2925cm-1/1034cm-1, that is
      suggested as an indicator for compost maturity. Specific UV absorbance (SUVA) and
      emission-excitation matrixes (EEM) revealed minor differences in the extractable
      carbon fractions, which only accounted for ~2-3% of total organic carbon.
      Increased total organic carbon content of biochar-amended composts was only due
      to the addition of biochar-C and not enhanced preservation of compost feedstock
      C. Our results suggest that biochars do not alter the carbon speciation in
      compost organic matter under conditions optimized for aerobic decomposition of
      compost feedstock. Considering the effects of biochar on compost nutrient
      retention, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration,
      biochar addition during aerobic composting of manure might be an attractive
      strategy to produce a sustainable, slow release fertilizer.

PMID- 28892726
TI  - A safety culture training program enhanced the perceptions of patient safety
      culture of nurse managers.
AB  - Positive perceptions of patient safety culture are associated with lower rates of
      adverse events, but they have not been widely established in many health care
      organizations. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of a safety
      culture training program (SCTP) on enhancing the perceptions of patient safety in
      nurse managers. This was a quasi-experimental design. 83 nurse managers were
      recruited from five randomly selected 2nd level hospitals. Sixty-seven nurse
      managers received training under the educational SCTP. The Hospital Survey on
      Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and Chinese Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (C-SAQ)
      were administered just before and six months after the educational program. The
      data of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, patient falls, and unplanned
      extubations were collected. The total positive scores of HSPSC were significantly
      improved and four dimensions of C-SAQ significantly increased six months after
      SCTP. The rate of patient falls and rate of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers
      decreased significantly six months post SCTP. In conclusion, nurse manager
      participation in a SCTP can enhance the perceptions of patient safety and reduce
      the rates of adverse events. More rigorous trials with larger numbers of
      participants and a control group are needed to strengthen the conclusions.

PMID- 28892721
TI  - Glial and neuroinflammatory targets for treating substance use disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The plenary session at the 2016 Behavior, Biology and Chemistry:
      Translational Research in Addiction Conference focused on glia as potential
      players in the development, persistence and treatment of substance use disorders.
      Glia partake in various functions that are important for healthy brain activity.
      Drugs of abuse alter glial cell activity producing several perturbations in brain
      function that are thought to contribute to behavioral changes associated with
      substance use disorders. Consequently, drug-induced changes in glia-driven
      processes in the brain represent potential targets for pharmacotherapeutics
      treating substance use disorders. METHODS: Four speakers presented preclinical
      and clinical research illustrating the effects that glial modulators have on
      abuse-related behavioral effects of psychostimulants and opioids. This review
      highlights some of these findings and expands its focus to include other research
      focused on drug-induced glia abnormalities and glia-focused treatment approaches
      in substance use disorders. RESULTS: Preclinical findings show that drugs of
      abuse induce neuroinflammatory signals and disrupt glutamate homeostasis through
      their interaction with microglia and astrocytes. Preclinical and clinical studies
      testing the effects of glial modulators show general effectiveness in reducing
      behaviors associated with substance use disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The contribution
      of drug-induced glial activity continues to emerge as an intriguing target for
      substance use disorder treatments. Clinical investigations of glial modulators
      have yielded promising results on substance use measures and indicate that they
      are generally safe and well-tolerated. However, results have not been entirely
      positive and more questions remain for continued exploration in the development
      and testing of glial-directed treatments for substance use disorders.

PMID- 28892727
TI  - A review of simulation-enhanced, team-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation
      training for undergraduate students.
AB  - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation training is an essential element of clinical skill
      development for healthcare providers. The International Liaison Committee on
      Resuscitation has described issues related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and
      emergency cardiovascular care education. Educational interventions have been
      initiated to try to address these issues using a team-based approach and
      simulation technologies that offer a controlled, safe learning environment. The
      aim of the study is to review and synthesize published studies that address the
      primary question "What are the features and effectiveness of educational
      interventions related to simulation-enhanced, team-based cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation training?" We conducted a systematic review focused on educational
      interventions pertaining to cardiac arrest and emergencies that addressed this
      main question. The findings are presented together with a discussion of the
      effectiveness of various educational interventions. In conclusion, student
      attitudes toward interprofessional learning and simulation experiences were more
      positive. Research reports emphasized the importance of adherence to established
      guidelines, adopting a holistic approach to training, and that preliminary
      training, briefing, deliberate practices, and debriefing should help to overcome
      deficiencies in cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.

PMID- 28892728
TI  - 'Pre-Run, Re-Run': An innovative research capacity building exercise.
AB  - Within higher education it is ironic that experienced and novice researchers
      rarely take the opportunity to come together to share their research - whether
      these be to discuss findings, puzzles or developing projects. Within this paper,
      an innovative strategy building on these assumptions is described. It is
      entitled: 'Pre-run, Re-run' and is a learning community where specific processes
      are modelled by all to help build professional communication, collegial respect,
      and scholarship. Our evaluation showed that there is value in bringing together
      researchers especially when they have diverse profiles. Also, mixing experience
      with naivety, by inviting professors and junior staff to fraternize equally,
      offers the possibility for wide ranging discussion, as well as sharing a range of
      successful techniques, knowledge of the big picture and ways around obstacles
      that would otherwise be off-putting for novices. The less experienced perspective
      can equally be revitalizing because newcomers to scholarship often bring a fresh
      focus and enthusiasm and energy for practice. While this was a local innovation,
      which may not be generalizable to all settings, others hoping to bring together
      disciplines may benefit from utilizing the successful methods to build a
      productive, mixed research culture.

PMID- 28892730
TI  - Approaches to modelling radioactive contaminations in forests - Overview and
      guidance.
AB  - Modelling the radionuclide cycle in forests is important in case of contamination
      due to acute or chronic releases to the atmosphere and from underground waste
      repositories. This article describes the most important aspects to consider in
      forest model development. It intends to give an overview of the modelling
      approaches available and to provide guidance on how to address the quantification
      of radionuclide transport in forests. Furthermore, the most important gaps in
      modelling the radionuclide cycle in forests are discussed and suggestions are
      presented to address the variability of forest sites.

PMID- 28892731
TI  - A new integrated care pathway for ambulance attended severe hypoglycaemia in the
      East of England: The Eastern Academic Health Science Network (EAHSN) model.
AB  - AIMS: We developed a new clinical integrated pathway linking a regional Ambulance
      Trust with a severe hypoglycaemia (SH) prevention team. We present clinical data
      from the first 2000 emergency calls taken through this new clinical pathway in
      the East of England. METHODS: SH patients attended by Ambulance crew receive
      written information on SH avoidance, and are contacted for further education
      through a new regional SH prevention team. All patients are contacted unless they
      actively decline. RESULTS: Median age (IQR) was 67 (50-80) years, 23.6% of calls
      were for patients over 80years old, and patients more than 90years old were more
      common than 20-25year olds in this population. Most calls were for patients
      (84.9%) who were insulin treated, even those over 80years (75%). One - third of
      patients attended after a call were unconscious on attendance. 5.6% of patients
      in this call population had 3 or more ambulance call outs, and they generated
      17.6% of all calls. In total, 728 episodes (36.4%) were repeat calls. Insulin
      related events were clinically more severe than oral hypoglycaemic related
      events. Patients conveyed to hospitals (13.8%) were significantly older, with
      poorer recovery in biochemical hypoglycaemia after ambulance crew attendance.
      Only 19 (1%) opted out of further contact. Patients were contacted by the SH
      prevention team after a median 3 (0-6) days. The most common patient self -
      reported cause for their SH episode was related to perceived errors in insulin
      management (31.4%). CONCLUSIONS: This new clinical service is simple, acceptable
      to patients, and a translatable model for prevention of recurrent SH in this
      largely elderly insulin treated SH population.

PMID- 28892729
TI  - Immune mechanisms of food allergy and its prevention by early intervention.
AB  - The environmental factors driving the increase in food allergies are unclear and
      possibly involve dual exposure to allergens, microbiome-driven effects or other
      mechanisms. Until they can be better understood, early intervention aiming at
      establishing oral tolerance provides an effective way to decrease the window-of
      risk when children may develop allergic sensitisation to foods due to the absence
      of a protective immune response. Thus, the recent LEAP (Learning Early About
      Peanut allergy) and LEAP-On studies achieved a high level of peanut allergy
      prevention by early introduction of peanuts in the infants diet and conveyed more
      information regarding the evolution of IgE and IgG4 antibody responses to food
      antigens over time.

PMID- 28892732
TI  - Clinical significance of diabetes likely induced by statins: Evidence from a
      large population-based cohort.
AB  - AIM: To provide information on the extent to which type 2 diabetes more likely
      induced by statins affects the risk of macrovascular complications compared to
      diabetes unlikely induced by statins. METHODS: The 84,828 residents in the
      Italian Lombardy Region who were newly treated with statins between 2003 and 2005
      were followed from the index statin prescription until 2009 (step-1 follow-up) to
      identify those starting antidiabetic therapy. The proportion of days of follow-up
      covered by statins measured adherence with statins. Cohort members who
      experienced diabetes were 1:3 matched with those who did not developed diabetes
      for gender, age and previous adherence with statin treatment. The 3321 diabetic -
      non-diabetic sets, were followed from the initial antidiabetic therapy until 2012
      (step-2 follow-up) to estimate the hazard ratio (HR), and 95% Confidence Interval
      (CI), for macrovascular complications (proportional hazard models) associated
      with diabetes separately in each category of adherence with statins. RESULTS:
      During the step-1 follow-up, the risk of new-onset diabetes increased
      progressively with increasing adherence with statins. During the step-2 follow
      up, the risk of macrovascular complications associated with diabetes decreased
      progressively from 1.70 (1.18-2.44), 1.41 (1.17-1.70), 1.30 (1.07-1.57) until
      1.10 (0.40-2.80) as adherence with statins during the step-1 follow-up increased.
      CONCLUSIONS: Type 2 diabetes lost its association with increasing macrovascular
      risk when previous adherence with statins was very high, and thus the chance of
      its induction by the drug greater. Statin-dependent type 2 diabetes might be
      prognostically less adverse than diabetes unlikely induced by statins.

PMID- 28892733
TI  - Depression in chronic ketamine users: Sex differences and neural bases.
AB  - Chronic ketamine use leads to cognitive and affective deficits including
      depression. Here, we examined sex differences and neural bases of depression in
      chronic ketamine users. Compared to non-drug using healthy controls (HC),
      ketamine-using females but not males showed increased depression score as
      assessed by the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). We
      evaluated resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the subgenual anterior
      cingulate cortex (sgACC), a prefrontal structure consistently implicated in the
      pathogenesis of depression. Compared to HC, ketamine users (KU) did not
      demonstrate significant changes in sgACC connectivities at a corrected threshold.
      However, in KU, a linear regression against CES-D score showed less sgACC
      connectivity to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) with increasing depression
      severity. Examined separately, male and female KU showed higher sgACC
      connectivity to bilateral superior temporal gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal
      cortex (dmPFC), respectively, in correlation with depression. The linear
      correlation of sgACC-OFC and sgACC-dmPFC connectivity with depression was
      significantly different in slope between KU and HC. These findings highlighted
      changes in rsFC of the sgACC as associated with depression and sex differences in
      these changes in chronic ketamine users.

PMID- 28892735
TI  - Expression of the chemokine receptors CCR1 and CCR2B is up-regulated in
      peripheral blood B cells upon EBV infection and in established lymphoblastoid
      cell lines.
AB  - In immunocompetent individuals, EBV establishes in B cells an asymptomatic
      lifelong latent infection controlled by the immune system. Chemokine receptors
      regulate immune system function. CCR1 and CCR2 share protein sequence similarity
      and exert responses to multiple chemokines. The role of these receptors in B
      cells is largely unknown. We show that the mRNA and functional protein expression
      of CCR1 and CCR2 is induced in ex vivo B cells upon EBV infection and in
      established lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). The CCR1 and CCR2B ORF transcripts
      were determined in LCLs. In contrast, in both the EBV-negative and EBV-positive
      Burkitt lymphoma cell lines, neither the CCR1, CCR2A, and CCR2B ORF transcripts
      nor their corresponding proteins were detected. Our data suggest that CCR1/CCR2B
      could be involved in clearing EBV-infected latency III B cells in immunocompetent
      individuals via directing the migration of these cells and attracting the
      chemokines-expressing immune cells.

PMID- 28892736
TI  - Five distinct reassortants of H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses
      affected Japan during the winter of 2016-2017.
AB  - To elucidate the evolutionary pathway, we sequenced the entire genomes of 89 H5N6
      highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) isolated in Japan during
      winter 2016-2017 and 117 AIV/HPAIVs isolated in Japan and Russia. Phylogenetic
      analysis showed that at least 5 distinct genotypes of H5N6 HPAIVs affected
      poultry and wild birds during that period. Japanese H5N6 isolates shared a common
      genetic ancestor in 6 of 8 genomic segments, and the PA and NS genes demonstrated
      4 and 2 genetic origins, respectively. Six gene segments originated from a
      putative ancestral clade 2.3.4.4 H5N6 virus that was a possible genetic
      reassortant among Chinese clade 2.3.4.4 H5N6 HPAIVs. In addition, 2 NS clusters
      and a PA cluster in Japanese H5N6 HPAIVs originated from Chinese HPAIVs, whereas
      3 distinct AIV-derived PA clusters were evident. These results suggest that
      migratory birds were important in the spread and genetic diversification of clade
      2.3.4.4 H5 HPAIVs.

PMID- 28892737
TI  - Misdeed of the need: towards computational accounts of transition to addiction.
AB  - Drug addiction is a complex behavioral and neurobiological disorder which, in an
      emergent brain-circuit view, reflects a loss of prefrontal top-down control over
      subcortical circuits governing drug-seeking and drug-taking. We first review
      previous computational accounts of addiction, focusing on cocaine addiction and
      on prevalent dopamine-based positive-reinforcement and negative-reinforcement
      computational models. Then, we discuss a recent computational proposal that the
      progression to addiction is unlikely to result from a complete withdrawal of the
      goal-oriented decision system in favor the habitual one. Rather, the transition
      to addiction would arise from a drug-induced alteration in the structure of
      organismal needs which reorganizes the goal structure, ultimately favoring
      predominance of drug-oriented goals. Finally, we outline unmet challenges for
      future computational research on addiction.

PMID- 28892734
TI  - Acute change in anterior cingulate cortex GABA, but not glutamine/glutamate,
      mediates antidepressant response to citalopram.
AB  - Little is known about the acute effects of antidepressant treatments on brain
      glutamate and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) levels, and their association with
      clinical response. Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) we
      examined longitudinally the effects of citalopram on glutamine/glutamate ratios
      and GABA levels in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) of individuals
      with major depressive disorder (MDD). We acquired 1H-MRS scans at baseline and at
      days 3, 7, and 42 of citalopram treatment in nineteen unmedicated individuals
      with MDD. Ten age- and sex-matched non-depressed comparison individuals were
      scanned once. The association between 1) baseline metabolites and 2) change in
      metabolites from baseline to each time point and clinical response (change in
      Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score from baseline to day 42)
      was assessed by longitudinal regression analysis using generalized estimating
      equations. Contrary to our hypotheses, no significant associations emerged
      between glutamate metabolites and clinical response; however, greater increases
      (or smaller decreases) in pgACC GABA levels from baseline to days 3 and 7 of
      citalopram treatment were significantly associated with clinical response. These
      findings suggest that an acute change in GABA levels in pgACC predicts, and
      possibly mediates, later clinical response to citalopram treatment in individuals
      with MDD.

PMID- 28892738
TI  - Independent operation of implicit working memory under cognitive load.
AB  - Implicit working memory (WM) has been known to operate non-consciously and
      unintentionally. The current study investigated whether implicit WM is a discrete
      mechanism from explicit WM in terms of cognitive resource. To induce cognitive
      resource competition, we used a conjunction search task (Experiment 1) and
      imposed spatial WM load (Experiment 2a and 2b). Each trial was composed of a set
      of five consecutive search displays. The location of the first four displays
      appeared as per pre-determined patterns, but the fifth display could follow the
      same pattern or not. If implicit WM can extract the moving pattern of stimuli,
      response times for the fifth target would be faster when it followed the pattern
      compared to when it did not. Our results showed implicit WM can operate when
      participants are searching for the conjunction target and even while maintaining
      spatial WM information. These results suggest that implicit WM is independent
      from explicit spatial WM.

PMID- 28892739
TI  - Maturation of arousals during day and night in infants with non-smoking and
      smoking mothers.

PMID- 28892741
TI  - Effect of diet with omega-3 in basal brain electrical activity and during status
      epilepticus in rats.
AB  - Western diets are high in saturated fat and low in omega-3. Certain animals
      cannot produce omega-3 from their own lipids, making it necessary for it to be
      acquired from the diet. However, omega-3s are important components of the plasma
      membrane, and altering their proportions can promote physical and chemical
      alterations in the membranes, which may modify neuronal excitability. These
      alterations occur in healthy individuals, as well as in patients with epilepsy
      who are more sensitive to changes in brain electrical activity. This study
      evaluated the effect of a diet supplemented with omega-3 on the basal brain
      electrical activity both before and during status epilepticus in rats. To
      evaluate the brain electrical activity, we recorded electrocorticograms (ECoG) of
      animals both with and without omega-3 supplementation before and during status
      epilepticus induced by pilocarpine. Calculation of the average brain wave power
      by a power spectrum revealed that omega-3 supplementation reduced the average
      power of the delta wave by 20% and increased the average power of the beta wave
      by 45%. These effects were exacerbated when status epilepticus was induced in the
      animals supplemented with omega-3. The animals with and without omega-3
      supplementation exhibited increases in basal brain electrical activities during
      status epilepticus. The two groups showed hyperactivity, but no significant
      difference between them was noted. Even though the brain activity levels observed
      during status epilepticus were similar between the two groups, neuron damage to
      the animals supplemented with omega-3 was more slight, revealing the
      neuroprotective effect of the omega-3.

PMID- 28892740
TI  - Human OGG1 activity in nucleosomes is facilitated by transient unwrapping of DNA
      and is influenced by the local histone environment.
AB  - If unrepaired, damage to genomic DNA can cause mutations and/or be cytotoxic.
      Single base lesions are repaired via the base excision repair (BER) pathway. The
      first step in BER is the recognition and removal of the nucleobase lesion by a
      glycosylase enzyme. For example, human oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) is
      responsible for removal of the prototypic oxidatively damaged nucleobase, 8-oxo
      7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG). To date, most studies of glycosylases have used free
      duplex DNA substrates. However, cellular DNA is packaged as repeating nucleosome
      units, with 145 base pair segments of DNA wrapped around histone protein
      octamers. Previous studies revealed inhibition of hOGG1 at the nucleosome dyad
      axis and in the absence of chromatin remodelers. In this study, we reveal that
      even in the absence of chromatin remodelers or external cofactors, hOGG1 can
      initiate BER at positions off the dyad axis and that this activity is facilitated
      by spontaneous and transient unwrapping of DNA from the histones. Additionally,
      we find that solution accessibility as determined by hydroxyl radical
      footprinting is not fully predictive of glycosylase activity and that histone
      tails can suppress hOGG1 activity. We therefore suggest that local nuances in the
      nucleosome environment and histone-DNA interactions can impact glycosylase
      activity.

PMID- 28892742
TI  - Toxicity, teratogenicity and antibacterial activity of posterior salivary gland
      (PSG) toxin from the cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis (Ehrenberg, 1831).
AB  - Toxins from the posterior salivary gland (PSG) of cuttlefishes are known toxins
      with pronounced toxicity. In the present study, ionic peptide rich PSG toxin from
      the cuttlefish S. pharaonis was isolated by ion exchange chromatography and
      purified by Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC), with
      active fraction at a retention time of 26min. The net protein content of the PSG
      toxin was estimated to be 46.6mg at a proximate molecular weight of~50kDa.
      Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) of PSG toxin revealed the
      presence of alcoholic OH, primary NH, alkyl CH and conjugated CONH functional
      groups. Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and K2D analysis of the PSG toxin
      confirmed the presence of secondary structure with 36.77% alpha-helix,12.31% beta
      sheet and 50.92% random coil. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of the PSG toxin
      eluted amberlite IRA 900 Cl- resin showed surface abrasion and corrosive
      blebbing. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDX) analysis of PSG toxin
      treated resin revealed increase in nitrogen and sulphur content corresponding to
      amino acid composition. Teratogenicity of PSG toxin against Zebrafish embryo
      demonstrated developmental malformations and premature hatching at a maximum
      tolerated dose of 1.25MUM. The PSG toxin (50MUM) exhibited commendable inhibitory
      activity with pronounced zone of inhibition against gram E. coli (10mm) and K.
      pneumonia (10mm). The results strongly demonstrate the toxicity of the ionic
      peptide rich PSG toxin from S. pharaonis and its exploitation for its promise as
      a potential antibacterial agent of the future.

PMID- 28892743
TI  - Ion-macromolecule interactions studied with model polyurethanes.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: The solubility and self-assembly of macromolecules in solution can be
      tuned by the presence of different salts. Natural proteins have been long
      manipulated with the aid of salts, and natural silk is processed in the gland tip
      across a gradient of different salts which modifies its solubility. Hence, the
      comprehensive understanding of the role of ion-macromolecule interactions should
      pave the way towards a biomimetic processing of macromolecules. EXPERIMENTS: A
      model polyurethane catiomer (PU+) with high density of hydrogen donors and
      acceptors (similar to proteins) has been designed and synthesized in order to
      study ion-macromolecule interactions by means of dynamic light scattering (DLS),
      infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR). FINDINGS:
      The PU+ solubility in the presence of different salts exhibited a reversed anion
      Hofmeister series (i.e., the anion ability to precipitate the PU+ was F-<Cl-<Br
      <NO3-<CH3COO-<H2PO4-<H2CO3-<I-<ClO4-<SCN-). The ordering of this series was found
      to be predicted, for the first time, by the Born-Lande-Ephraim-Fajans-Bjerrum
      model used here to estimate the degree of macromolecule-ion pairing in water
      solution. This work also helps understanding the role of cations and anions
      nature on their interaction with macromolecules backbone.

PMID- 28892744
TI  - Chess therapy: A new approach to curing panic attack.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of playing cell phone chess game on treating
      panic attack. METHODS: The chess game on an android cell phone was played by the
      researcher who was affected by panic attack as a post-traumatic disorder
      immediately after or before feeling of the start of symptoms. The right level of
      difficulty, i.e., levels 2-4, was selected for optimal results. RESULTS: Playing
      chess game on the android cell phone prevented the manifestation of panic attack
      and led to the cure of this traumatic condition. CONCLUSION: Chess therapy with
      the right level of difficulty can be recommended as a very effective non
      pharmaceutical method for the successful treatment of panic attacks.

PMID- 28892745
TI  - Atypical neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS).

PMID- 28892746
TI  - Urban social exclusion and mental health of China's rural-urban migrants - A
      review and call for research.
AB  - China's internal rural-urban migrants experience social exclusion that may have
      significant mental health implications. This has historically been exacerbated by
      the hukou system. Echoing recent calls for interdisciplinary research on the
      interdependencies of urbanization and mental health, this review examines
      evidence of rural-urban migrants' mental health status in comparison with
      nonmigrants and its association with various dimensions of social exclusion. We
      found conflicting evidence on the mental health status of migrants in comparison
      with nonmigrants, but strong evidence that social exclusion is negatively
      associated with migrants' mental health: limited access to full labour rights and
      experience of social stigma, discrimination and inequity were the most
      significant factors. We discuss the limitations of current social epidemiological
      research and call for an attempt to use close-up, street-level ethnographic data
      on the daily experience of being a migrant in the mega-city, and describe our aim
      to produce a new sociological deep surveying instrument to understand migration,
      urban living, and mental health.

PMID- 28892747
TI  - Calcitonin gene-related peptide exerts anti-inflammatory property through
      regulating murine macrophages polarization in vitro.
AB  - Acute lung injury (ALI) is a condition resulting from direct or indirect lung
      injury associated with high mortality and morbidity. The phenotype of macrophages
      in lung contributes to the pathological progress of ALI. Calcitonin gene-related
      peptide (CGRP) is one of the most abundant neuropeptides in lung, and attenuates
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in rats. However, the exact effect of CGRP
      on the activation of macrophages remains unknown. Here we investigate the effect
      of CGRP on the macrophages activation and inflammation in murine macrophages in
      vitro. We found that LPS increased the expression of CGRP in a LPS-induced ALI
      murine model and LPS-stimulated murine macrophages. Although CGRP didn't alter
      the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (a marker of pro-inflammatory
      phenotype of macrophages, M1 macrophages) or Arginase 1 (Arg1, a marker of M2
      macrophages) in non-differentiated macrophages, CGRP significantly reduced the
      NLRP3 and pro-IL-1beta mRNA expression induced by LPS, as well as NLRP3 protein
      and IL-1beta secretion induced by LPS+ATP in macrophages in vitro. On the other
      hand, CGRP dramatically enhanced the Arg1 expression and activity induced by IL-4
      in the time- and dose-dependent manners. CGRP also promoted the expression of
      markers of M2 macrophages (IL-10, Fizz1 and Mrc1) induced by IL-4 in murine
      macrophages. These effects of CGRP were also observed in primary murine
      peritoneal macrophages. In addition, we found that CGRP regulated macrophages
      polarization partially through calmodulin, PKC and PKA pathways. Specifically,
      CGRP could inhibit the degradation of I-kappaB induced by LPS, and enhance the
      phosphorylation of STAT6 induced by IL-4 in macrophages. In conclusion, our
      results indicate that CGRP regulates macrophage polarization and inhibits
      inflammation in murine macrophages.

PMID- 28892748
TI  - Microsomal glutathione transferase 2 modulates LTC4 synthesis and ROS production
      in Apostichopus japonicus.
AB  - Microsomal glutathione transferase 2 (mGST2) is an integral membrane protein
      involved in detoxication of xenobiotics, and has also been suggested to catalyze
      the biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory mediator leukotriene C4 (LTC4) as homologous
      to LTC4 synthase (LTC4S) in mammals. In the present study, a novel mGST2 homology
      was identified from Apostichopus japonicus (designated as AjmGST2) by RACE
      approaches. The full-length cDNA of AjmGST2 was of 1917bp encoding a polypeptide
      of 161 amino acids residues. Multiple sequences alignment and phylogenetic
      analysis together supported that AjmGST2 belonged to a new member in invertebrate
      mGSTs family and close to mammalian LTC4S. Spatial expression analysis revealed
      that AjmGST2 was ubiquitously expressed in all examined tissues with the larger
      magnitude in intestine. AjmGST2 transcripts in coelomocytes were slightly induced
      post 6h challenge of pathogenic Vibrio splendidus and reached the peak expression
      at 48h. The increased expression profiles of AjmGST2 were also detected in
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposed primary coelomocytes. Consistently, LTC4
      contents were also induced by a 1.56-fold increase in the same condition.
      Functional assay further revealed that AjmGST2 might be functioned as LTC4S to
      promote LTC4 synthesis. AjmGST2 knock-down by specific siRNA significantly
      depressed LTC4 contents with 27.0% decrease at 24h. Meantime, ROS levels were
      elevated by 40.1% in vitro. All of these results indicated that AjmGST2 performed
      dual functions roles as LTC4S and ROS eliminator in sea cucumber immune response.

PMID- 28892749
TI  - Virtual screening of B-Raf kinase inhibitors: A combination of pharmacophore
      modelling, molecular docking, 3D-QSAR model and binding free energy calculation
      studies.
AB  - B-Raf kinase has been identified as an important target in recent cancer
      treatment. In order to discover structurally diverse and novel B-Raf inhibitors
      (BRIs), a virtual screening of BRIs against ZINC database was performed by using
      a combination of pharmacophore modelling, molecular docking, 3D-QSAR model and
      binding free energy (DeltaGbind) calculation studies in this work. After the
      virtual screening, six promising hit compounds were obtained, which were then
      tested for inhibitory activities of A375 cell lines. In the result, five hit
      compounds show good biological activities (IC50<50MUM). The present method of
      virtual screening can be applied to find structurally diverse inhibitors, and the
      obtained five structurally diverse compounds are expected to develop novel BRIs.

PMID- 28892750
TI  - Neuropathology and brain weight in traumatic-crush asphyxia.
AB  - : Traumatic (crush) asphyxia is a rare condition caused by severe compression of
      the chest and trunk leading to often extreme so-called asphyxial signs, including
      cyanosis in head and neck regions, multiple petechiae, and subconjunctival
      haemorrhage as well as neurological manifestations. AIMS: To investigate the
      neuropathology and brain weight in traumatic asphyxia caused by different
      accidents such as industrial accidents and road traffic collision. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Post mortem records of 20 cases of traumatic asphyxia (TA) resulting
      from different causes of which four brains are available for comprehensive
      neuropathological examination. The expected brain weights for given body height
      and associated 95% confidence range were calculated according to the following
      formula: baseline brain weight (BBW) + body height x rate (g/cm). The 95%
      confidence range was calculated by adding and subtracting the standard error (SE)
      x 1.96 (7-8). RESULTS: There was a trend for higher brain weight in the TA cohort
      but it was not significant (1494 g vs 1404 g, p = 0.1). The upper limits of the
      brain weight of 95% confidence was 1680 g vs 1660 g, p = 0.9. The
      neuropathological examination of four available brains from the TA cohort showed
      severe congestion of blood vessels, perivascular haemorrhages and occasional
      betaAPP deposits consistent with early axonal disruption. CONCLUSION: Brain
      examination is informative as part of investigation of TA. Developing ischaemic
      changes and an increase in brain weight are the most likely indicators of a
      prolonged period of patient's survival.

PMID- 28892751
TI  - Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) conjugates with doxorubicin for cancer therapy: In
      vitro and in vivo evaluation and direct comparison to poly[N-(2
      hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide] analogues.
AB  - We designed and synthesized a new delivery system for the anticancer drug
      doxorubicin based on a biocompatible hydrophilic poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)
      (PEtOx) carrier with linear architecture and narrow molar mass distribution. The
      drug is connected to the polymer backbone via an acid-sensitive hydrazone linker,
      which allows its triggered release in the tumor. The in vitro studies demonstrate
      successful cellular uptake of conjugates followed by release of the cytostatic
      cargo. In vivo experiments in EL4 lymphoma bearing mice revealed prolonged blood
      circulation, increased tumor accumulation and enhanced antitumor efficacy of the
      PEtOx conjugate having higher molecular weight (40 kDa) compared to the lower
      molecular weight (20 kDa) polymer. Finally, the in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer
      properties of the prepared PEtOx conjugates were critically compared with those
      of the analogous system based on the well-established PHPMA carrier. Despite the
      relatively slower intracellular uptake of PEtOx conjugates, resulting also in
      their lower cytotoxicity, there are no substantial differences in in vivo
      biodistribution and anti-cancer efficacy of both classes of polymer-Dox
      conjugates. Considering the synthetic advantages of poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)s,
      the presented study demonstrates their potential as a versatile alternative to
      well-known PEO- or PHPMA-based materials for construction of drug delivery
      systems.

PMID- 28892752
TI  - Graphene quantum dots suppress proinflammatory T cell responses via autophagy
      dependent induction of tolerogenic dendritic cells.
AB  - Graphene quantum dots (GQD) are atom-thick nanodimensional carbon sheets with
      excellent physico-chemical and biological properties, making them attractive for
      application in theranostics. However, their immunoregulatory properties are
      insufficiently investigated, especially in human primary immune cells. We found
      that non-toxic doses of GQD inhibit the production of proinflammatory and T
      helper (Th)1 cytokines, and augment the production of anti-inflammatory and Th2
      cytokines by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. While unable to affect T
      cells directly, GQD impaired the differentiation and functions of monocyte
      derived dendritic cells (DC), lowering their capacity to stimulate T cell
      proliferation, development of Th1 and Th17 cells, and T-cell mediated
      cytotoxicity. Additionally, GQD-treated DC potentiated Th2 polarization, and
      induced suppressive CD4+CD25highFoxp3+ regulatory T cells. After internalization
      in a dynamin-independent, cholesterol-dependent manner, GQD lowered the
      production of reactive oxygen species and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in
      DC. The activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was reduced by GQD,
      which correlated with the increase in transcription of autophagy genes and
      autophagic flux in DC. Genetic suppression of autophagy impaired the pro
      tolerogenic effects of GQD on DC. Our results suggest that GQD-triggered
      autophagy promotes tolerogenic functions in monocyte-derived DC, which could be
      beneficial in inflammatory T-cell mediated pathologies, but also harmful in GQD
      based anti-cancer therapy.

PMID- 28892753
TI  - The risk of coronary artery disease estimated non-invasively in patients with
      essential hypertension environmentally exposed to cigarette smoke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between environmental exposure of non-smokers to
      cigarette smoke and the coronary artery calcium scores has not been sufficiently
      documented. The aim of the study was to identify the relationship between
      environmental exposure to cigarette smoke and the risk of coronary artery disease
      (CAD) estimated non-invasively through measurement of coronary artery calcium
      score by computed tomography in patients with essential hypertension. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 67 patients with essential hypertension,
      non-smokers environmentally exposed to cigarette smoke (group A) and on 67
      patients with essential hypertension, non-smokers not exposed to cigarette smoke
      (group B), selected using the case to case. Environmental exposure to cigarette
      smoke was evaluated using a questionnaire. The risk of development of coronary
      artery disease was estimated non-invasively through measurement of coronary
      artery calcium score (CACS) by computed tomography. RESULTS: Group A was
      characterised by significantly higher CACS and left anterior descending (LADCS)
      calcium scores than group B. Compared to group B, group A had significantly
      higher percentage of patients with significant risk of CAD estimated on the basis
      of CACS values, and significantly lower percentage of patients with practically
      no risk of CAD estimated with the same method. Advanced age, peripheral artery
      diseases and environmental exposure to cigarette smoke are independent risk
      factors associated with increased CACS and LADCS values. In addition, higher BMI
      and hypercholesterolemia are independent risk factors for increased values of
      LADCS. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with essential hypertension environmental
      exposure to cigarette smoke may result in elevated risk of coronary artery
      disease estimated non-invasively through measurement of coronary artery calcium
      score by computed tomography.

PMID- 28892754
TI  - Metal based biologically active compounds: Design, synthesis, DNA binding and
      antidiabetic activity of 6-methyl-3-formyl chromone derived hydrazones and their
      metal (II) complexes.
AB  - Two chromone hydrazone ligands HL1 and HL2 were synthesized and characterized by
      elemental analyses, IR, 1H NMR &13C NMR, electronic absorption and mass spectra.
      The reactions of the chromone hydrazones with transition metals such as Ni, Cu,
      and Zn (II) salts of acetate afforded mononuclear metal complexes.
      Characterization and structure elucidation of the prepared chromone hydrazone
      metal (II) complexes were done by elemental, IR, electronic, EPR spectra and
      thermo gravimetric analyses as well as conductivity and magnetic susceptibility
      measurements. The spectroscopic data showed that the ligand acts as a mono basic
      bidentate with coordination sites are azomethine nitrogen and hydrazonic oxygen,
      and they exhibited distorted geometry. The biological studies involved
      antidiabetic activity i.e. enzyme inhibition of alpha-amylase and alpha
      glucosidase, Calf Thymus - DNA (CT-DNA) interaction and molecular docking.
      Potential capacity of synthesized compounds to inhibit the alpha-amylase and
      alpha-glucosidase activity was assayed whereas DNA interaction studies were
      carried out with the help UV-Vis absorption titration and viscosity method. The
      docking studies of chromone hydrazones show that they are minor groove binders.
      Complexes were found to be good DNA - intercalates. Chromone hydrazones and its
      transition metal complexes have shown comparable antidiabetic activity with a
      standard drug acarbose.

PMID- 28892755
TI  - Studies on the competitive binding of cleviprex and flavonoids to plasma protein
      by multi-spectroscopic methods: A prediction of food-drug interaction.
AB  - Cleviprex is a short-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist used as an
      antihypertensive drug. In this work, the binding characterization of cleviprex to
      human serum albumin (HSA) and the competitive binding to HSA between cleviprex
      and two flavonoids, baicalin and rutin, were studied using multi-spectroscopic
      techniques and molecular docking method. The fluorescence quenching of HSA by
      cleviprex was initiated by the formation of HSA-cleviprex complex, which was
      confirmed by UV-vis spectra measurements. The results of thermodynamic analysis
      and molecular docking revealed that the hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen
      bonding were the major acting forces in stabilizing HSA-cleviprex complex. The
      results of substitution experiments and molecular docking demonstrated that
      cleviprex was mainly situated within the site I of HSA. Baicalin and rutin could
      reduce the values of binding constant and enhance the values of binding distance
      of cleviprex binding to HSA because they bind to the same binding site. The
      results of synchronous fluorescence and CD spectra suggested that the binding
      reaction of cleviprex to HSA could give rise to the changes of protein
      conformation and the combined actions of cleviprex and flavonoids could cause
      further changes of HSA conformation. Consequently, the intakes of flavonoid-rich
      foods and beverages should be lessened under the treatment of cleviprex to avoid
      food-drug interactions.

PMID- 28892758
TI  - Seizure self-prediction: Myth or missed opportunity?
AB  - PURPOSE: Many patients report being able to predict their own seizures, and yet
      most seizures appear to strike out of the blue. This inherent contradiction makes
      the topic of seizure self-prediction controversial as well as difficult to study.
      Here we review the evidence for whether this ability exists, how many patients
      are capable of self-prediction and the nature of this capability, and whether
      this could provide a target for intervention. METHODS: Systematic searches of
      bibliographic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO through OVID were
      performed to identify relevant papers which were then screened by the study
      authors for inclusion in the study. 18 papers were selected for inclusion as the
      focus of this review. RESULTS: On the basis of two studies, between 17% and 41%
      of patients demonstrate a significantly greater than chance ability to predict an
      upcoming seizure in the following 12-h time window. This risk is correlated with
      self-reported anxiety, stress, sleep deprivation, mood and certain prodromal
      symptoms. However, there is no evidence for any subjective experience which
      directly heralds an imminent seizure. Thus, while patients may be aware of
      seizure risk, and have some ability to predict seizure occurrence over a wide
      time window, they are unable to subjectively recognise seizure onset in advance.
      CONCLUSION: Utilising subjectively acquired knowledge of seizure risk may provide
      a widely implementable tool for targeted intervention. The risk fluctuates over a
      time course appropriate for pharmacotherapy which may improve seizure control and
      the side-effect profile of anti-epileptic medication.

PMID- 28892757
TI  - 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol glucuronide exhibits acyl-migration
      isomers.
AB  - 11-nor-Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid glucuronide (THCCOOH
      glucuronide) is an 1-beta-O-acyl glucuronide which degrades not only to 11-nor-9
      carboxy-Delta9-THC (THCCOOH) but, additionally, to an isomer with a currently
      unknown structure. The present study was carried out to examine whether acyl
      glucuronide isomers are formed by acyl migration and if they are involved in
      formation of this isomer. THCCOOH-glucuronide was incubated in phosphate buffer
      (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C, 7days) and a variety of glucuronide cleavage procedures
      were performed. Samples of the incubation mixture and of different biological
      specimens from cannabis users were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total of six chromatographically separated isomeric
      acyl glucuronides were detected during incubation of THCCOOH-glucuronide
      reference substance. In biological specimens of cannabis users, two additional
      isomers were found. However, the main glucuronide present in human specimens was
      different from that of a commercially available reference substance. Both, the
      commercial and the authentic glucuronide were cleaved by beta-glucuronidases, the
      other formed isomers by alkaline hydrolysis only. Mass spectrometric
      investigations (i.e. product ion, precursor ion and neutral loss scans) confirmed
      identity. The THCCOOH isomer was detected in all authentic samples, but not in
      those after buffer incubation. By analyzing THCCOOH-glucuronide in authentic
      samples, it has to be taken into account that the authentic glucuronide is
      different from that of the commercial reference standard. THCCOOH-glucuronide
      undergoes acyl migration and some isomers occur to minor extents in biological
      specimens. Acyl migration does not lead to the formation of the THCCOOH isomer.

PMID- 28892756
TI  - Wildfire smoke exposure and human health: Significant gaps in research for a
      growing public health issue.
AB  - Understanding the effect of wildfire smoke exposure on human health represents a
      unique interdisciplinary challenge to the scientific community. Population health
      studies indicate that wildfire smoke is a risk to human health and increases the
      healthcare burden of smoke-impacted areas. However, wildfire smoke composition is
      complex and dynamic, making characterization and modeling difficult. Furthermore,
      current efforts to study the effect of wildfire smoke are limited by availability
      of air quality measures and inconsistent air quality reporting among researchers.
      To help address these issues, we conducted a substantive review of wildfire smoke
      effects on population health, wildfire smoke exposure in occupational health, and
      experimental wood smoke exposure. Our goal was to evaluate the current literature
      on wildfire smoke and highlight important gaps in research. In particular we
      emphasize long-term health effects of wildfire smoke, recovery following wildfire
      smoke exposure, and health consequences of exposure in children.

PMID- 28892759
TI  - Bioelectrochemical sulphate reduction on batch reactors: Effect of inoculum-type
      and applied potential on sulphate consumption and pH.
AB  - Microbial electrolysis batch reactor systems were studied employing different
      conditions, paying attention on the effect that biocathode potential has on pH
      and system performance, with the overall aim to distinguish sulphate reduction
      from H2 evolution. Inocula from pure strains (Desulfovibrio paquesii and
      Desulfobacter halotolerans) were compared to a natural source conditioned
      inoculum. The natural inoculum possess the potential for sulphate reduction on
      serum bottles experiments due to the activity of mutualistic bacteria
      (Sedimentibacter sp. and Bacteroides sp.) that assist sulphate-reducing bacterial
      cells (Desulfovibrio sp.) present in the consortium. Electrochemical batch
      reactors were monitored at two different potentials (graphite-bar cathodes poised
      at -900 and -400mV versus standard hydrogen electrode) in an attempt to isolate
      bioelectrochemical sulphate reduction from hydrogen evolution. At -900mV all
      inocula were able to reduce sulphate with the consortium demonstrating superior
      performance (SO42- consumption: 25.71gm-2day-1), despite the high alkalinisation
      of the media. At -400mV only the pure Desulfobacter halotolerans inoculated
      system was able to reduce sulphate (SO42- consumption: 17.47gm-2day-1) and, in
      this potential condition, pH elevation was less for all systems, confirming
      direct (or at least preferential) bioelectrochemical reduction of sulphate over
      H2 production.

PMID- 28892760
TI  - Effects of inter-synergistic mechanical interactions on the mechanical behaviour
      of activated spastic semitendinosus muscle of patients with cerebral palsy.
AB  - Previous physiological experiments and finite element modelling indicate that
      inter-synergistic epimuscular myofascial force transmission (EMFT) between co
      activated muscles has a potential to affect healthy muscle's contribution to
      joint moment and joint range of movement. This is quite relevant for patients
      with cerebral palsy (CP) since, amplitude of spastic muscle's force and the joint
      range of force exertion are central to the joint movement limitation. Stiffness
      of activated spastic muscle is also a determinant for pathological joint
      movement. However, assessments of effects of inter-synergistic EMFT on the
      mechanical behaviour of spastic muscle are lacking. Those assessments require
      measurement during surgery of activated spastic muscle's forces directly at its
      tendon and as a function of joint angle. Employing this methodology, the aim was
      to test the following study hypotheses: added activation of semimembranosus (SM)
      and gracilis (GRA) muscles of patients with CP changes (1) force, (2) stiffness
      and (3) joint range of force exertion of activated spastic semitendinosus (ST)
      due to inter-synergistic EMFT. Isometric spastic ST forces were measured
      intraoperatively (12 limbs of 7 patients (mean age 8 years 9 months) for knee
      angles from flexion (120 degrees ) to full extension (0 degrees ). Conditions I
      and II: spastic ST was activated alone, and simultaneously with its synergists SM
      and GRA muscles, respectively. Condition II did increase activated spastic ST's
      forces significantly (by 33.3%), but did not change its stiffness and joint range
      of force exertion, confirming only study hypothesis 1. Therefore, we conclude
      that inter-synergistic EMFT affects forces exerted at spastic ST tendon, but not
      other characteristics of its angle-force relationship.

PMID- 28892761
TI  - Ethyl glucuronide in keratinous matrices as biomarker of alcohol use: A
      correlation study between hair and nails.
AB  - To quantify alcohol use, objective, specific and sensitive long-term alcohol
      markers are necessary. Ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a direct metabolite of alcohol,
      accumulates in keratinous matrices such as hair and nails, and is a specific and
      sensitive long-term biomarker for the detection of chronic alcohol consumption.
      So far, research has primarily focused on the detection of EtG in hair, and
      studies on its measurement in nails are scarce. In this article, we assessed EtG
      concentrations in hair, finger- and toenails from the same individuals in order
      to evaluate the direct correlation between the matrices. To this end, a total
      amount of 45 hair, 41 fingernail, and 13 toenail samples were collected from
      patients treated for alcohol use disorders at two psychiatric centers in Belgium.
      Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Hair EtG
      concentrations ranged from <LLOQ to 1149pg/mg (median=164pg/mg, IQR [42; 283]).
      Fingernail EtG concentrations ranged from <LLOQ to 4090pg/mg (median=250pg/mg,
      IQR [74; 645]). Toenail EtG concentrations ranged from 127 to 3792pg/mg
      (median=687pg/mg, IQR [379; 1370]). EtG levels in hair and nails were
      significantly and positively correlated (p-values<0.001, r=0.70 and r=0.62,
      respectively). Higher concentrations were present in finger- and toenails
      compared to hair, which might be attributed to the slower growth rate of nails,
      resulting in increased accumulation of EtG. Hence, nail analysis may be
      interesting when low concentrations of EtG are expected, e.g. to discriminate
      between teetotalers and social drinkers. In addition, the current study proposes
      preliminary cut-off values for EtG concentrations in fingernails: >123pg/mg for
      chronic excessive alcohol consumption, 59-123pg/mg for moderate alcohol
      consumption, and <59pg/mg for alcohol abstinence. In light of these results,
      nails may be a useful alternative to hair samples for monitoring of long-term
      alcohol consumption, e.g., in cases where hair is not available. Further studies
      are needed to establish cut-off values for EtG levels in nails.

PMID- 28892762
TI  - Risk factors and symptoms associated with maternal and neonatal complications in
      women with uterine rupture. A 16 years multicentric experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality levels have been
      associated with uterine ruptures. The aims of our study were to determine risk
      factors and signs for maternal and fetal complications in patients with uterine
      rupture. STUDY DESIGN: retrospective, population-based study, in all Val d'Oise
      public obstetrics departments, France, between 2000 and 2015. All patients with
      uterine rupture were analyzed using medical records. To identify risk factors and
      signs for maternal and fetal complications, patients were divided into two groups
      according to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes or not, and compared. RESULTS:
      During the study period, 126 patients with complete uterine rupture were
      identified. In all, 74 (58.7%) had maternal and fetal complications, and these
      were more frequently observed in patients with unscarred uterus (N=18; p<0.001
      and OR 5.52, 95% CI 2.09-14.55), lateral injured uterus (N=21; p<0.001), after
      labour induction (N=21, p=0.01 and OR 3.69, 95% CI 1.22-13.53), and when a sudden
      onset of abdominal pain, in patients with previous successful epidural analgesia,
      occurred (75.9% vs 39.2%, p<0.001 and OR 4.88, 95% CI 1.9-12.13). CONCLUSION:
      Unscarred and lateral ruptures of uterus were associated with maternal vascular
      injuries, and higher maternal and fetal complications. Sudden onset of abdominal
      pain in woman with previous successful epidural analgesia might be predictive of
      complicated uterine rupture.

PMID- 28892763
TI  - Passion fruit by-product and fructooligosaccharides stimulate the growth and
      folate production by starter and probiotic cultures in fermented soymilk.
AB  - Two starter cultures (Streptococcus (St.) thermophilus ST-M6 and TA-40) and five
      probiotic strains (St. thermophilus TH-4, Lactobacillus (Lb.) acidophilus LA-5,
      Lb. rhamnosus LGG, Lb. fermentum PCC, and Lb. reuteri RC-14) were used to ferment
      different soymilk formulations supplemented with passion fruit by-product and/or
      fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) with the aim of increasing folate concentrations.
      Growth and folate production of individual strains were evaluated and the results
      used to select co-cultures. Both St. thermophilus ST-M6 and TH-4 were the best
      folate producers and were able to increase the folate content of all soymilk
      formulations when used alone or in co-culture with lactobacilli strains,
      especially in the presence of both passion fruit by-product and FOS. Thus,
      passion fruit by-product and FOS could be used as dietary ingredients to
      stimulate the folate production by selected bacterial strains during the
      fermentation of soymilk. It was also shown that vitamin production by
      microorganisms is strain-dependent and may also be influenced by nutritional and
      environmental conditions.

PMID- 28892764
TI  - A European multicientre study on the comparison of HBV viral loads between VERIS
      HBV assay and Roche COBAS(r) TAQMAN(r) HBV test, Abbott RealTime HBV assay,
      Siemens VERSANT HBV assay, and Qiagen artus HBV RG kit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B viral load testing is essential to treatment and
      monitoring decisions in patients with chronic Hepatitis B. Beckman Coulter has
      developed the VERIS HBV Assay (Veris) for use on the fully automated DxN VERIS
      Molecular Diagnostics System.1 OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical performance
      of the Veris HBV Assay at multiple EU laboratories STUDY DESIGN: Method
      comparison was performed with a total of 344 plasma specimens from HBV infected
      patients tested with Veris and COBAS(r) TaqMan(r) HBV Test (Cobas), 207 specimens
      tested with Veris and RealTime HBV Assay (RealTime), 86 specimens tested with
      Veris and VERSANT(r) HBV Assay (Versant), and 74 specimens tested with Veris and
      artus(r) HBV RG PCR kit (artus). RESULTS: Bland-Altman analysis showed average
      bias of -0.46 log10 IU/mL between Veris and Cobas, -0.46 log10IU/mL between Veris
      and RealTime, -0.36 log10IU/mL between Veris and Versant, and -0.12 log10IU/mL
      between Veris and artus. Bias was consistent across the assay range. Patient
      monitoring results using Veris demonstrated similar viral load trends over time
      to Cobas, RealTime, and artus. CONCLUSIONS: The VERIS HBV Assay demonstrated
      comparable clinical performance, with varying degrees of negative bias, compared
      to other currently marketed assays for HBV DNA monitoring. This negative bias
      should be taken into consideration if switching monitoring methods to Veris.

PMID- 28892765
TI  - The performance of Luminex ARIES(r) Flu A/B & RSV and Cepheid Xpert(r) Flu/RSV XC
      for the detection of influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus in
      prospective patient samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The demand for rapid, accurate viral testing has increased the number
      of assays available for the detection of viral pathogens. One of the newest FDA
      cleared platforms is the Luminex ARIES(r) Flu A/B & RSV, which is a fully
      automated, real-time PCR-based assay used for detection of influenza A, influenza
      B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). OBJECTIVES: We sought to compare the
      performance of Luminex ARIES(r) Flu A/B & RSV assay to the Cepheid Xpert(r)
      Flu/RSV XC assay for rapid Flu and RSV testing. STUDY DESIGN: A series of
      consecutive nasopharyngeal specimens received in the clinical microbiology
      laboratory during peak influenza season at a major academic center in Chicago,
      IL, were prospectively tested, using both the ARIES(r) Flu A/B & RSV and Xpert(r)
      Flu/RSV XC assays, side by side. Discrepant results were tested on the BioFire
      FilmArray(r) Respiratory Panel for resolution. RESULTS: A total of 143
      consecutive nasopharyngeal specimens, obtained from patients ranging from six
      months to ninety-three years in age were received between January 1st, 2017 and
      March 21st, 2017. There was 96.6% agreement between the two assays for detection
      influenza A, 100% agreement for detection influenza B and RSV, and 98.9%
      agreement for negative results. The Xpert(r) Flu/RSV XC performed with an average
      turn-around time of approximately 60min, compared to the ARIES(r) Flu A/B & RSV
      of approximately 120min. Both assays were equally easy to perform, with a similar
      amount of hands-on technologist time for each platform. CONCLUSIONS: Overall,
      these results indicate that both tests are comparable in terms of result
      agreement and technical ease-of-use. The Xpert(r) Flu/RSV XC assay did produce
      results with less turn-around-time, approximately 60min quicker than the ARIES(r)
      Flu A/B & RSV.

PMID- 28892766
TI  - The cognitive profile of myotonic dystrophy type 1: A systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the cognitive profile of patients with myotonic dystrophy
      type 1 (DM1) on the basis of a systematic review and meta-analysis of the
      literature. METHODS: Embase, Medline and PsycInfo were searched for studies
      reporting >=1 neuropsychological test in both DM1 patients and healthy controls.
      Search, data extraction and risk of bias analysis were independently performed by
      two authors to minimize error. Neuropsychological tests were categorized into 12
      cognitive domains and effect sizes (Hedges' g) were calculated for each domain
      and for tests administered in >=5 studies. RESULTS: DM1 participants demonstrated
      a significantly worse performance compared to controls in all cognitive domains.
      Effect sizes ranged from -.33 (small) for verbal memory to -1.01 (large) for
      visuospatial perception. Except for the domains global cognition, intelligence
      and social cognition, wide confidence intervals (CIs) were associated with
      moderate to marked statistical heterogeneity that necessitates careful
      interpretation of results. Out of the individual tests, the Rey-Osterrieth
      complex figure-copy (both non-verbal memory and visuoconstruction) showed
      consistent impairment with acceptable heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: In DM1 patients,
      cognitive deficits may include a variable combination of global cognitive
      impairment with involvement across different domains, including social cognition,
      memory and visuospatial functioning. Although DM1 is a heterogeneous disorder,
      our study shows that meta-analysis is feasible, contributes to the understanding
      of brain involvement and may direct bedside testing. The protocol for this study
      has been registered in PROSPERO (International prospective register of systematic
      reviews) under ID: 42016037415.

PMID- 28892767
TI  - Negative bias in expression-related mismatch negativity(MMN) in remitted late
      life depression: An event-related potential study.
AB  - Negative bias in cognition is closely associated with susceptibility to recurrent
      episodes of depression. Given the high recurrence rate of depression, previous
      studies have focused on the attentive level in late-life depression (LLD), but
      depression relapse is difficult to detect as a lower chief complaint in elderly
      people. Facial expression mismatch negativity (EMMN) is a tool that can measure
      cognitive bias in pre-attentive processing. In this study, we sought to explore
      the cognitive bias in pre-attentive emotional information processing in LLD.
      Thirty patients with remitted LLD and 30 non-depressed, age- and gender-matched
      normal controls (NC) were enrolled in this study. Automatic emotional processing
      was elicited by using an expression-related oddball paradigm in all participants.
      There were no significant differences in N170 amplitude and latency between
      remitted LLD and NC. Compared with NC subjects, patients with remitted LLD
      demonstrated an attenuated mean amplitude of positive and negative EMMN, whereas
      the mean amplitude of negative EMMN in remitted LLD was much larger than that of
      positive EMMN. Our findings suggest that although basic processing of facial
      expressions is intact in remitted LLD, automatic processing of facial expressions
      in remitted LLD is impaired with a negative bias in cognition. Further
      investigation of the contributions of negative bias in EMMN to susceptibility to
      recurrence of LLD is warranted.

PMID- 28892768
TI  - Advanced oxidation and disinfection processes for onsite net-zero greywater
      reuse: A review.
AB  - Net-zero greywater (NZGW) reuse, or nearly closed-loop recycle of greywater for
      all original uses, can recover both water and its attendant hot-water thermal
      energy, while avoiding the installation and maintenance of a separate greywater
      sewer in residential areas. Such a system, if portable, could also provide wash
      water for remote emergency health care units. However, such greywater reuse
      engenders human contact with the recycled water, and hence superior treatment.
      The purpose of this paper is to review processes applicable to the mineralization
      of organics, including control of oxidative byproducts such as bromate, and
      maintenance of disinfection consistent with potable reuse guidelines, in NZGW
      systems. Specifically, TiO2-UV, UV-hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide-ozone,
      ozone-UV advanced oxidation processes, and UV, ozone, hydrogen peroxide,
      filtration, and chlorine disinfection processes were reviewed for performance,
      energy demand, environmental impact, and operational simplicity. Based on the
      literature reviewed, peroxone is the most energy-efficient process for organics
      mineralization. However, in portable applications where delivery of chemicals to
      the site is a concern, the UV-ozone process appears promising, at higher energy
      demand. In either case, reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, or ED may be useful in
      controlling the bromide precursor in make-up water, and a minor side-stream of
      ozone may be used to prevent microbial regrowth in the treated water. Where
      energy is not paramount, UV-hydrogen peroxide and UV-TiO2 can be used to
      mineralize organics while avoiding bromate formation, but may require a secondary
      process to prevent microbial regrowth. Chlorine and ozone may be useful for
      maintenance of disinfection residual.

PMID- 28892769
TI  - Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances removal in a full-scale tropical
      constructed wetland system treating landfill leachate.
AB  - Landfill leachate is often an important source of emerging organic contaminants
      including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) requiring proper
      treatment to protect surface water and groundwater resources. This study
      investigated the occurrence of PFASs in the leachate of a capped landfill site in
      Singapore and the efficacy of PFASs removal during flow through a constructed
      wetland (CW) treatment system. The CW treatment system consists of equalization
      tank, aeration lagoons, sedimentation tank, reed beds and polishing ponds. Target
      compounds included 11 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) (7 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic
      acids (PFCAs) and 4 perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs)) and 7 PFAA precursors.
      Although total PFASs concentrations in the leachate varied widely (1269 to 7661
      ng/L) over the one-year sampling period, the PFASs composition remained
      relatively stable with PFCAs consistently being predominant (64.0 +/- 3.8%).
      Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) concentrations were highly correlated with total
      PFASs concentrations and could be an indicator for the release of PFASs from this
      landfill. The release of short-chain PFAAs strongly depended on precipitation
      whereas concentrations of the other PFASs appeared to be controlled by
      partitioning. Overall, the CW treatment system removed 61% of total PFASs and 50
      96% of individual PFASs. PFAAs were removed most efficiently in the reed bed (42
      49%), likely due to the combination of sorption to soils and sediments and plant
      uptake, whereas most of the PFAA precursors (i.e. 5:3 fluorotelomer carboxylate
      (5:3 acid), N-substituted perfluorooctane sulfonamides (N-MeFOSAA and N-EtFOSAA))
      were removed in the aeration lagoon (>55%) by biodegradation. The sedimentation
      tank and polishing ponds were relatively inefficient, with only 7% PFASs removal.

PMID- 28892770
TI  - New model of chlorine-wall reaction for simulating chlorine concentration in
      drinking water distribution systems.
AB  - Accurate modelling of chlorine concentrations throughout a drinking water system
      needs sound mathematical descriptions of decay mechanisms in bulk water and at
      pipe walls. Wall-reaction rates along pipelines in three different systems were
      calculated from differences between field chlorine profiles and accurately
      modelled bulk decay. Lined pipes with sufficiently large diameters (>500 mm) and
      higher chlorine concentrations (>0.5 mg/L) had negligible wall-decay rates,
      compared with bulk-decay rates. Further downstream, wall-reaction rate
      consistently increased (peaking around 0.15 mg/dm2/h) as chlorine concentration
      decreased, until mass-transport to the wall was controlling wall reaction. These
      results contradict wall-reaction models, including those incorporated in the
      EPANET software, which assume wall decay is of either zero-order (constant decay
      rate) or first-order (wall-decay rate reduces with chlorine concentration).
      Instead, results are consistent with facilitation of the wall reaction by biofilm
      activity, rather than surficial chemical reactions. A new model of wall reaction
      combines the effect of biofilm activity moderated by chlorine concentration and
      mass-transport limitation. This wall reaction model, with an accurate bulk
      chlorine decay model, is essential for sufficiently accurate prediction of
      chlorine residuals towards the end of distribution systems and therefore control
      of microbial contamination. Implementing this model in EPANET-MSX (or similar)
      software enables the accurate chlorine modelling required for improving
      disinfection strategies in drinking water networks. New insight into the effect
      of chlorine on biofilm can also assist in controlling biofilm to maintain
      chlorine residuals.

PMID- 28892771
TI  - Exclusive e-cigarette use predicts cigarette initiation among college students.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An increasing body of research indicates that use of electronic
      nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) predicts cigarette initiation. However, no
      studies examine if risk for cigarette initiation varies for exclusive ENDS users
      versus users of ENDS and other tobacco products. This study examined if: a)
      cigarette-naive young adults (i.e., never cigarette users) who ever used ENDS had
      a greater odds of initiating cigarettes than non-ENDS users over a 1.5year period
      and b) the odds of cigarette initiation was consistent across exclusive ENDS
      users and users of ENDS and at least one tobacco product. METHODS: Participants
      were 2558 cigarette-naive 18-25year old (M=19.71; SD=1.61) students from 24 Texas
      colleges who participated in a four-wave study, with six months between each
      wave. RESULTS: Overall, 11% of students reported cigarette initiation by wave 4.
      Of those, 20.1% were wave 1 ENDS users and 8.4% were non-ENDS users.
      Multivariable, multilevel discrete-time hazard models indicated that wave 1 ENDS
      use predicted subsequent cigarette initiation, over and above the significant
      effects of cigarette use susceptibility, family-of-origin tobacco use, friend
      cigarette use, and other tobacco use. Additional findings indicated that
      exclusive ENDS users had a greater odds than non-users of subsequent cigarette
      initiation. Among users of alternative tobacco products, ENDS users did not have
      a greater odds of initiation than non-ENDS users. CONCLUSION: Findings extend
      existing research by showing that ENDS use by young adults is a specific risk
      factor for later cigarette initiation and not an extension of a constellation of
      existing tobacco use behaviors.

PMID- 28892772
TI  - Multi-class of endocrine disrupting compounds in aquaculture ecosystems and
      health impacts in exposed biota.
AB  - Fishes are a major protein food source for humans, with a high economic value in
      the aquaculture industry. Because endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) have been
      introduced into aquatic ecosystems, the exposure of humans and animals that
      depend on aquatic foods, especially fishes, should be seriously considered. EDCs
      are emerging pollutants causing global concern because they can disrupt the
      endocrine system in aquatic organisms, mammals, and humans. These pollutants have
      been released into the environment through many sources, e.g., wastewater
      treatment plants, terrestrial run-off (industrial activities, pharmaceuticals,
      and household waste), and precipitation. The use of pharmaceuticals, pesticides,
      and fertilizers for maintaining and increasing fish health and growth also
      contributes to EDC pollution in the water body. Human and animal exposure to EDCs
      occurs via ingestion of contaminated matrices, especially aquatic foodstuffs.
      This paper aims to review human EDC exposure via fish consumption. In respect to
      the trace concentration of EDCs in fish, types of instrument and clean-up method
      are of great concerns.

PMID- 28892773
TI  - Assessment of toxicity of selenium and cadmium selenium quantum dots: A review.
AB  - This paper reviews the current understanding of the toxicity of selenium (Se) to
      terrestrial mammalian and aquatic organisms. Adverse biological effects occur in
      the case of Se deficiencies, associated with this element having essential
      biological functions and a narrow window between essentiality and toxicity.
      Several inorganic species of Se (-2, 0, +4, and +6) and organic species
      (monomethylated and dimethylated) have been reported in aquatic systems. The
      toxicity of Se in any given sample depends not only on its speciation and
      concentration, but also on the concomitant presence of other compounds that may
      have synergistic or antagonistic effects, affecting the target organism as well,
      usually spanning 2 or 3 orders of magnitude for inorganic Se species. In aquatic
      ecosystems, indirect toxic effects, linked to the trophic transfer of excess Se,
      are usually of much more concern than direct Se toxicity. Studies on the toxicity
      of selenium nanoparticles indicate the greater toxicity of chemically generated
      selenium nanoparticles relative to selenium oxyanions for fish and fish embryos
      while oxyanions of selenium have been found to be more highly toxic to rats as
      compared to nano-Se. Studies on polymer coated Cd/Se quantum dots suggest
      significant differences in toxicity of weathered vs. non-weathered QD's as well
      as a significant role for cadmium with respect to toxicity.

PMID- 28892774
TI  - Simultaneous leaching of arsenite, arsenate, selenite and selenate, and their
      migration in tunnel-excavated sedimentary rocks: II. Kinetic and reactive
      transport modeling.
AB  - Predicting the fates of arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) in natural geologic media
      like rocks and soils necessitates the understanding of how their various
      oxyanionic species behave and migrate under dynamic conditions. In this study,
      geochemical factors and processes crucial in the leaching and transport of
      arsenite (AsIII), arsenate (AsV), selenite (SeIV) and selenate (SeVI) in tunnel
      excavated rocks of marine origin were investigated using microscopic/extraction
      techniques, column experiments, dissolution-precipitation kinetics and one
      dimensional reactive transport modeling. The results showed that evaporite salts
      were important because aside from containing As and Se, they played crucial roles
      in the evolution of pH and concentrations of coexisting ions, both of which had
      strong effects on adsorption-desorption reactions of As and Se species with iron
      oxyhydroxide minerals/phases. The observed leaching trends of AsV, AsIII, SeIV
      and SeVI were satisfactorily simulated by one-dimensional reactive transport
      models, which predict that preferential adsorptions of AsV and SeIV were
      magnified by geochemical changes in the columns due to water flow. Moreover, our
      results showed that migrations of AsIII, SeIV and SeVI could be predicted
      adequately by 1D solute transport with simple activity-K'd approach, but surface
      complexation was more reliable to simulate adsorption-desorption behavior of AsV.

PMID- 28892775
TI  - Challenges and perspectives in the immunotherapy of Hodgkin lymphoma.
AB  - Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) was one of the first few cancers to be cured first with
      radiotherapy alone and then with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
      Around 80% of the patients with HL will be cured by first-line therapy. However,
      the ionising radiation not only produces cytotoxicity but also induces
      alterations in the microenvironment, and patients often struggle with the long
      term consequences of these treatments, such as cardiovascular disorders, lung
      diseases and secondary malignancies. Hence, it is essential to improve treatments
      while avoiding delayed side-effects. Immunotherapy is a promising new treatment
      option for Hodgkin lymphoma, and anti- programmed death-1 (PD1) agents have
      produced striking results in patients with relapsed or refractory disease. The
      microenvironment of Hodgkin lymphoma appears to be unique in the field of human
      disease: the malignant Reed-Sternberg cells only constitute 1% of the cells in
      the lymphoma, but they are surrounded by an extensive immune infiltrate. Reed
      Sternberg cells exhibit 9p24.1/PD-L1/PD-L2 copy number alterations and genetic
      rearrangements associated with programmed cell death ligand 1/ ligand 2 (PD-L1/2)
      overexpression, together with major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I) and
      major histocompatibility complex-II (MHC-II) downregulation (which may facilitate
      the tumour's immune evasion). Although HL may be a situation in which defective
      immune surveillance is restored by anti-PD1 therapy, it challenges our current
      explanation of how anti-PD1 agents work because MHC-I expression is required for
      CD8-T-cell-mediated tumour antigen recognition. Here, we review recent attempts
      to understand the defects in immune recognition in HL and to design an optimal
      evidence-based treatment for combination with anti-PD1.

PMID- 28892776
TI  - Clinical trial simulations in paediatric oncology: A feasibility study from the
      Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer Consortium.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Paediatric dose-finding studies are challenging to perform due to
      ethical reasons, the limited number of available patients and restricted number
      of blood samples. In certain cases, the adult pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure can
      be used as target for dose finding in paediatrics. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the performance of a paediatric phase I dose-finding clinical trial
      in silico. METHODS: Using an adult pharmacokinetic model, clinical trial
      simulations were performed to determine the power of a proposed clinical trial
      design. Power was defined as the fraction of 1000 trials with an area under the
      plasma concentration-time curve at steady-state (AUC0-24,SS) within +/-20% of the
      adult geometric mean AUC0-24,SS. Different scenarios were compared to optimise
      the design of the trial. To show the potential of this framework for similar
      compounds, the current simulation method was also evaluated with adult and
      paediatric data from literature on sunitinib. RESULTS: At the starting dose of
      300 mg/m2, the power of the trial design was 66.9%. Power did not improve by dose
      escalation to 350 mg/m2 (65.3%). Power increased to 78.9% with inclusion of 10
      patients per trial. Paediatric sunitinib PK data were adequately predicted from
      adult data with a mean prediction error of 1.80%. CONCLUSION: The performance of
      PK-based clinical trials in paediatrics can be predicted and optimised through PK
      modelling and simulation. Application of this approach enables clinical trials in
      paediatrics to be performed as efficiently as possible while protecting the child
      from unnecessary harm.

PMID- 28892777
TI  - Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer
      Research recommendations and colorectal cancer risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for
      Cancer Research (AICR) released in 2007 eight recommendations for cancer
      prevention on body fatness, diet and physical activity. Our aim is to evaluate
      the relation between adherence to these recommendations and colorectal cancer
      (CRC) risk. METHODS: We pooled data from two Italian case-control studies
      including overall 2419 patients with CRC and 4723 controls. Adherence to the
      WCRF/AICR guidelines was summarised through a score incorporating seven of the
      WCRF/AICR recommendations, with higher scores indicating higher adherence to the
      guidelines. Odds ratios (ORs) of colorectal cancer were estimated using multiple
      logistic regression models. RESULTS: Higher adherence to the WCRF/AICR
      recommendations was associated with a significantly reduced CRC risk (OR 0.67,
      95% confidence interval, CI, 0.56-0.80 for a score >=5 versus <3.5), with a
      significant trend of decreasing risk for increasing adherence (p < 0.001).
      Consistent results were found for colon (OR 0.67) and rectal cancer (OR 0.67).
      Inverse associations were observed with the diet-specific WCRF/AICR score (OR
      0.71, 95% CI, 0.61-0.84 for >=3.5 versus <2.5 points) and with specific
      recommendations on body fatness (OR 0.82, 95% CI, 0.70-0.97), physical activity
      (OR 0.86, 95% CI, 0.75-1.00), foods and drinks that promote weight gain (OR 0.70,
      95% CI, 0.56-0.89), foods of plant origin (OR 0.56, 95% CI, 0.42-0.76), limiting
      alcohol (OR 0.87, 95% CI, 0.77-0.99) and salt intake (OR 0.63, 95% CI, 0.48
      0.84). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that adherence to the WCRF/AICR
      recommendations is inversely related to CRC risk.

PMID- 28892779
TI  - A new method for measuring the contact angles from digital images of liquid
      drops.
AB  - The drop hitting a solid surface may be symmetric or asymmetric, which depends on
      the surface texture and external force orientations. The accurate measurement of
      the contact angle is of fundamental importance for the purpose of scientific
      research, while having a substantial role in a wide range of practical
      applications. This paper presents a new image processing based method, as a
      computational scheme to measure the inclination angle of apparent edge curves in
      digital images. The main concept of the scheme is the emulation of a moving
      goniometer mask coupled with a Gaussian weighted function, which does not require
      edge fitting with analytic curves for the angle calculation. The algorithm
      produces as follow: allocating the exact position of the contact points by Harris
      corner detector function, selecting a series of points on the drop boundary near
      the contact points, setting goniometric mask on each given point and calculating
      the angles, applying the Gaussian weighted average function on the calculated
      angles and measure the objective contact angle. The scheme is tested on several
      images from recent studies in the available literature. The comparison between
      analytical and calculated angles shows less than 1 degrees  difference.

PMID- 28892778
TI  - An increase in BAG-1 by PD-L1 confers resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitor in
      non-small cell lung cancer via persistent activation of ERK signalling.
AB  - High programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumour tissues was
      associated with poor outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) due to
      evasion of tumour immune surveillance. However, the role of PD-L1 in tumour
      invasion and resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatments is not
      fully understood. Here, we provide evidence to support the involvement of PD-L1
      expression in the invasiveness and TKI resistance in NSCLC cells by increased Bcl
      2-associated athanogene-1 (BAG-1) expression. The upregulation of BAG-1
      transcription by PD-L1 was verified by constructing the BAG-1 promoters using the
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and deletion mutations for luciferase reporter
      assays. The results indicated that C/EBPbeta phosphorylation by extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling was responsible for PD-L1-mediated BAG-1
      transcription. Mechanistically, the PD-L1-induced BAG-1 expression reciprocally
      increased PD-L1 expression due to persistent activation of ERK signalling, and it
      consequently conferred TKI resistance in NSCLC cells. The mechanistic action of
      this cell model was further confirmed by an animal model, affirming that PD-L1
      conferred tumour invasiveness and TKI resistance via persistent activation of ERK
      signalling by the PD-L1/BAG-1 axis. We therefore suggest a combination of an ERK
      inhibitor with a TKI as a potential strategy for conquering PD-L1-mediated tumour
      invasion and TKI resistance in NSCLC patients whose tumours harbour high PD
      L1/high BAG-1 expression.

PMID- 28892780
TI  - Natural diversity facilitates the discovery of conserved chemotherapeutic
      response mechanisms.
AB  - Organismal fitness depends on adaptation to complex niches where chemical
      compounds and pathogens are omnipresent. These stresses can lead to the fixation
      of alleles in both xenobiotic responses and proliferative signaling pathways that
      promote survival in these niches. However, both xenobiotic responses and
      proliferative pathways vary within and among species. For example, genetic
      differences can accumulate within populations because xenobiotic exposures are
      not constant and selection is variable. Additionally, neutral genetic variation
      can accumulate in conserved proliferative pathway genes because these systems are
      robust to genetic perturbations given their essential roles in normal cell-fate
      specification. For these reasons, sensitizing mutations or chemical perturbations
      can disrupt pathways and reveal cryptic variation. With this fundamental view of
      how organisms respond to cytotoxic compounds and cryptic variation in conserved
      signaling pathways, it is not surprising that human patients have highly variable
      responses to chemotherapeutic compounds. These different responses result in the
      low FDA-approval rates for chemotherapeutics and underscore the need for new
      approaches to understand these diseases and therapeutic interventions. Model
      organisms, especially the classic invertebrate systems of Caenorhabditis elegans
      and Drosophila melanogaster, can be used to combine studies of natural variation
      across populations with responses to both xenobiotic compounds and
      chemotherapeutics targeted to conserved proliferative signaling pathways.

PMID- 28892781
TI  - Family accommodation of anxiety symptoms in youth undergoing intensive multimodal
      treatment for anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder: Nature,
      clinical correlates, and treatment response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Family accommodation is associated with a range of clinical features
      including symptom severity, functional impairment, and treatment response.
      However, most previous studies in children and adolescents investigated family
      accommodation in samples of youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or
      anxiety disorders receiving non-intensive outpatient services. AIMS: In this
      study, we aimed to investigate family accommodation of anxiety symptoms in a
      sample of youth with clinical anxiety levels undergoing an intensive multimodal
      intervention for anxiety disorders or OCD. PROCEDURES: We first assessed the
      internal consistency of the Family Accommodation Scale - Anxiety (FASA). We next
      examined family accommodation presentation and correlates. RESULTS: The FASA
      showed high internal consistency for all subscales and total score, and good item
      and subscale correlations with the total score. All parents reported at least
      mild accommodation, and the mean levels of family accommodation were particularly
      high. Child age, anxiety severity, and comorbid depressive symptoms predicted
      baseline accommodation. However, the association between anxiety severity and
      family accommodation no longer remained significant after adding the other
      factors to the model. In addition, family accommodation partially mediated the
      relationship between anxiety severity and functional impairment. Finally, post
      treatment changes in family accommodation predicted changes in symptom severity
      and functional impairment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the FASA is an
      appropriate tool to assess family accommodation in intensive treatment samples.
      Further, they underline the importance of addressing family accommodation in this
      population given the particularly high levels of accommodating behaviors and the
      evidence for adverse outcomes associated with this feature.

PMID- 28892782
TI  - A nontoxic, photostable and high signal-to-noise ratio mitochondrial probe with
      mitochondrial membrane potential and viscosity detectivity.
AB  - Herein, we reported a yellow emission probe 1-methyl-4-(6-morpholino-1, 3-dioxo
      1H-benzo[de]isoquinolin-2(3H)-yl) pyridin-1-ium iodide which could specifically
      stain mitochondria in living immortalized and normal cells. In comparison to the
      common mitochondria tracker (Mitotracker Deep Red, MTDR), this probe was
      nontoxic, photostable and ultrahigh signal-to-noise ratio, which could real-time
      monitor mitochondria for a long time. Moreover, this probe also showed high
      sensitivity towards mitochondrial membrane potential and intramitochondrial
      viscosity change. Consequently, this probe was used for imaging mitochondria,
      detecting changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and intramitochondrial
      viscosity in physiological and pathological processes.

PMID- 28892783
TI  - Internal supravesical hernia repaired via the anterior approach alone: A case
      report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Internal supravesical hernia is one of the rarest types of inguinal
      hernia. The hernial orifice is surrounded by the transverse vesical fold, median
      umbilical fold, and medial umbilical fold. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 75-year-old
      male presented with lower abdominal pain and nausea. Plain abdominal CT showed
      that the bladder was suppressed by small bowel near the left internal inguinal
      ring. A part of the small bowel wall seemed to be inlaid, and so the patient was
      diagnosed with a strangulated left inguinal hernia. The hernia repair operation
      was performed via the anterior approach. There was no internal hernial sac found,
      but there was a walnut-sized mass in the properitoneal space. A diagnosis was
      made intraoperatively of internal supravesical hernia with strangulated small
      bowel. Small bowel resection and hernial orifice closure were performed.
      DISCUSSION: Although internal supravesical hernia can present with distinctive CT
      findings, preoperative diagnosis is extremely difficult. Internal supravesical
      hernia in previous reports has been repaired via open laparotomy or laparoscopic
      surgery; however, we successfully repaired this intraoperatively-diagnosed
      internal supravesical hernia by the anterior approach alone. CONCLUSION: The
      patient with internal supravesical hernia diagnosed intraoperatively could be
      treated via the anterior approach alone successfully. Depending on the situation,
      the anterior approach can be an option.

PMID- 28892784
TI  - Ileal angiodysplasia presentation as a bowel obstruction: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Angiodysplasia is a common vascular abnormality of the
      gastrointestinal tract, found in the elderly and most frequently revealed by
      gastrointestinal bleeding. We report an original case of ileal angiodysplasia in
      an 83-year-old woman presenting as a bowel obstruction. CASE PRESENTATION: An 83
      year-old woman with a medical history of chronic untreated anemia, presented with
      cardinal symptoms of bowel obstruction. Computed tomography revealed diffuse
      ileal wall thickening with multiple zones of stenosis, which were aggravated by
      an ileal perforation and associated with vascular abnormalities compatible with
      angiodysplasia. Surgery confirmed the imaging findings. A large resection
      importing one meter of ileum was performed. The pathology report of the resected
      specimen revealed ischemic lesions of ileum associated with ileal angiodysplasia.
      The postoperative period was marked by an acute dehydration in the patient who
      died 3 weeks after surgery. DISCUSSION: Angiodysplastic lesions develop with
      aging due to chronic low-grade intermittent obstruction of submucosal veins.
      These lesions are the result of increased contractility at the level of
      muscularis propria, leading to congestion of the capillaries and failure of pre
      capillary sphincters, resulting in the formation of small arteriovenous
      collaterals. The acquired arteriovenous malformation consisting of multiple
      shunts with rapid blood flow may result in inadequate oxygenation of a segment of
      the intestine and lead to ischemia and eventually wall thickening, stenosis and
      even perforation of the small bowel. CONCLUSION: Angiodysplasia should be kept in
      the back of one's mind as one of the causes of acute abdomen and bowel
      obstruction, especially in elderly people suffering from occult gastrointestinal
      bleeding.

PMID- 28892785
TI  - Parental gamma irradiation induces reprotoxic effects accompanied by genomic
      instability in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos.
AB  - Gamma radiation represents a potential health risk to aquatic and terrestrial
      biota, due to its ability to ionize atoms and molecules in living tissues. The
      effects of exposure to 60Co gamma radiation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) were
      studied during two sensitive life stages: gametogenesis (F0: 53 and 8.7mGy/h for
      27 days, total doses 31 and 5.2Gy) and embryogenesis (9.6mGy/h for 65h; total
      dose 0.62Gy). Progeny of F0 exposed to 53mGy/h showed 100% mortality occurring at
      the gastrulation stage corresponding to 8h post fertilization (hpf). Control and
      F0 fish exposed to 8.7mGy/h were used to create four lines in the first filial
      generation (F1): control, G line (irradiated during parental gametogenesis), E
      line (irradiated during embryogenesis) and GE line (irradiated during parental
      gametogenesis and embryogenesis). A statistically significant cumulative
      mortality of GE larva (9.3%) compared to controls was found at 96 hpf. E line
      embryos hatched significantly earlier compared to controls, G and GE (48-72 hpf).
      The deformity frequency was higher in G and GE, but not E line compared to
      controls at 72 hpf. One month after parental irradiation, the formation of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased in the G line, but did not
      significantly differ from controls one year after parental irradiation, while at
      the same time point it was significantly increased in the directly exposed E and
      GE lines from 60 to 120 hpf. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) was significantly increased
      in the G line one year after parental irradiation, while significant increase in
      DNA damage was detected in both the G and GE compared to controls and E line at
      72 hpf. Radiation-induced bystander effects, triggered by culture media from
      tissue explants and observed as influx of Ca2+ ions through the cellular membrane
      of the reporter cells, were significantly increased in 72 hpf G line progeny one
      month after irradiation of the parents. One year after parental irradiation, the
      bystander effects were increased in the E line compared to controls, but not in
      progeny of irradiated parents (G and GE lines). Overall, this study showed that
      irradiation of parents can result in multigenerational oxidative stress and
      genomic instability in irradiated (GE) and non-irradiated (G) progeny of
      irradiated parents, including increases in ROS formation, LPO, DNA damage and
      bystander effects. The results therefore highlight the necessity for multi- and
      transgenerational studies to assess the environmental impact of gamma radiation.

PMID- 28892786
TI  - Gestational diabetes mellitus and exposure to ambient air pollution and road
      traffic noise: A cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Road traffic is a main source of air pollution and noise. Both
      exposures have been associated with type 2 diabetes, but associations with
      gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been studied less. OBJECTIVES: We aimed
      to examine single and joint associations of exposure to air pollution and road
      traffic noise on GDM in a prospective cohort. METHODS: We identified GDM cases
      from self-reports and hospital records, using two different criteria, among
      72,745 singleton pregnancies (1997-2002) from the Danish National Birth Cohort.
      We modeled nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and noise from road traffic (Lden) exposure at
      all pregnancy addresses. RESULTS: According to the two diagnostic criteria: the
      Danish clinical guidelines, which was our main outcome, and the WHO standard
      during recruitment period, a total of 565 and 210 women, respectively, had GDM.
      For both exposures no risk was evident for the common Danish criterion of GDM. A
      10-MUg/m3 increase in NO2 exposure during first trimester was, however,
      associated with an increased risk of WHO-GDM (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.24; 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 1.49). The corresponding OR associated with a 10
      dB higher road traffic noise level was 1.15 (0.94 to 1.18). In mutually adjusted
      models the OR for NO2 remained similar 1.22 (0.98, 1.53) whereas that for road
      traffic noise decreased to 1.03 (0.80, 1.32). Significant associations were also
      observed for exposure averaged over the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and the full
      pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: No risk was evident for the common Danish criterion of
      GDM. NO2 was associated with higher risk for GDM according to the WHO criterion,
      which might be due to selection bias.

PMID- 28892787
TI  - Hepatoprotective effects of crocin on biochemical and histopathological
      alterations following acrylamide-induced liver injury in Wistar rats.
AB  - The objective of the present study is the treatment of oxidative damage caused by
      acrylamide induced oxidative stress in rats with the administration of a strong
      antioxidant, namely crocin. High acrylamide (AA) levels have genotoxic,
      carcinogenic and neurotoxic effects on living organisms. In the present study, 40
      Wistar rats were randomly divided into four equal groups. These groups were
      control, acrylamide (25mg/kg), crocin (50mg/kg), acrylamide+crocin (25mg/kg
      acrylamide and 50mg/kg crocin) groups. At the end of the application, biochemical
      and histological variations were examined in liver and blood samples. It was
      observed that acrylamide administration significantly decreased liver GSH and TAS
      levels when compared to the control group. On the contrary, it was also observed
      that AST, ALT, ALP, SOD and CAT activities and TOS and MDA levels increased as a
      result of acrylamide administration. Histopathological examinations demonstrated
      inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatocellular necrosis and hemorrhage areas in
      AA group liver sections. Furthermore, intracytoplasmic vacuolization was detected
      in hepatocytes. After crocin treatment, it was observed that GSH and TAS levels
      increased while AST, ALT, ALP, SOD and CAT activities and TOS and MDA levels
      decreased. Significant decreases were observed in inflammatory cell infiltration
      and vascular congestion in liver sections and intracytoplasmic vacuolization in
      hepatocytes after the crocin treatment, while no hepatocellular necrosis and
      hemorrhages were observed. In the present study, it was demonstrated that crocin
      treatment removed acrylamide induced liver damage due to the strong antioxidant
      properties of crocin.

PMID- 28892788
TI  - Triptolide suppresses growth and hormone secretion in murine pituitary
      corticotroph tumor cells via NF-kappaB signaling pathway.
AB  - Triptolide is a principal diterpene triepoxide from the Chinese medical plant
      Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f., whose extracts have been utilized in dealing
      with diverse diseases in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Recently,
      the antitumor effect of triptolide has been found in several pre-clinical
      neoplasm models, but its effect on pituitary corticotroph adenomas has not been
      investigated so far. In this study, we are aiming to figure out the antitumor
      effect of triptolide and address the underlying molecular mechanism in AtT20
      murine corticotroph cell line. Our results demonstrated that triptolide inhibited
      cell viability and colony number of AtT20 cells in a dose- and time-dependent
      pattern. Triptolide also suppressed proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) mRNA expression
      and extracellular adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion in AtT20 cells.
      Flow cytometry prompted that triptolide leaded to G2/M phase arrest, apoptosis
      program and mitochondrial membrane depolarization in AtT20 cells. Moreover, dose
      dependent activation of caspase-3 and decreased Bcl2/Bax proportion were observed
      after triptolide treatment. By western blot analysis we found that triptolide
      impeded phosphorylation of NF-kappaB p65 subunit and extracellular signal
      regulated kinase (ERK), along with reduction of cyclin D1, without any impact on
      other NF-kappaB related protein expression like total p65, p50, IkappaB-alpha, p
      IkappaB-alpha. Furthermore, the mouse xenograft model revealed the inhibition of
      tumor growth and hormone secretion after triptolide administration. Altogether
      this compound might be a potential pharmaceutical choice in managing Cushing's
      disease.

PMID- 28892789
TI  - Thymoquinone-rich fraction nanoemulsion (TQRFNE) decreases Abeta40 and Abeta42
      levels by modulating APP processing, up-regulating IDE and LRP1, and down
      regulating BACE1 and RAGE in response to high fat/cholesterol diet-induced rats.
AB  - Though the causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are yet to be understood, much
      evidence has suggested that excessive amyloid-beta (Abeta) accumulation due to
      abnormal amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) processing and Abeta metabolism are
      crucial processes towards AD pathogenesis. Hence, approaches aiming at APP
      processing and Abeta metabolism are currently being actively pursued for the
      management of AD. Studies suggest that high cholesterol and a high fat diet have
      harmful effects on cognitive function and may instigate the commencement of AD
      pathogenesis. Despite the neuropharmacological attributes of black cumin seed
      (Nigella sativa) extracts and its main active compound, thymoquinone (TQ),
      limited records are available in relation to AD research. Nanoemulsion (NE) is
      exploited as drug delivery systems due to their capacity of solubilising non
      polar active compounds and is widely examined for brain targeting. Herewith, the
      effects of thymoquinone-rich fraction nanoemulsion (TQRFNE), thymoquinone
      nanoemulsion (TQNE) and their counterparts' conventional emulsion in response to
      high fat/cholesterol diet (HFCD)-induced rats were investigated. Particularly,
      the Abeta generation; APP processing, beta-secretase 1 (BACE1), gamma-secretases
      of presenilin 1 (PSEN1) and presenilin 2 (PSEN2), Abeta degradation; insulin
      degrading enzyme (IDE), Abeta transportation; low density lipoprotein receptor
      related protein 1 (LRP1) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)
      were measured in brain tissues. TQRFNE reduced the brain Abeta fragment length 1
      40 and 1-42 (Abeta40 and Abeta42) levels, which would attenuate the AD
      pathogenesis. This reduction could be due to the modulation of beta- and gamma
      secretase enzyme activity, and the Abeta degradation and transportation in/out of
      the brain. The findings show the mechanistic actions of TQRFNE in response to
      high fat and high cholesterol diet associated to Abeta generation, degradation
      and transportation in the rat's brain tissue.

PMID- 28892790
TI  - YAP1-TEAD1-Glut1 axis dictates the oncogenic phenotypes of breast cancer cells by
      modulating glycolysis.
AB  - Altered energy metabolism is a universal property of most cancer cells. The Hippo
      signaling pathway and its principal downstream effector YAP1 are responsible for
      tissue homeostasis including organ size, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and
      differentiation. Dysregulation of the Hippo pathway leads to the activation of
      YAP1 and further culminates in the development of multiple human cancers. In this
      study, by loss-of-function assay, we demonstrated that YAP1 contributed to the
      glycolytic phenotype of breast cancer cells. Knockdown of YAP1 inhibited the
      extracellular acidification rates, glucose consumption, and lactate production of
      breast cancer cells. Moreover, YAP1 interacted with TEAD1, exerted their
      transcriptional control of the functional target, glucose transporter 1 (Glut1).
      Overexpression of Glut1 restored the inhibitory effects of YAP1 knockdown on
      glycolysis as demonstrated by glucose consumption and lactate production.
      Suppression of glycolysis by deprivation of glucose largely compromised the
      oncogenic roles of YAP1 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasive potential.
      Taken together, our data identify a novel role of YAP1-TEAD1 pathway in cancer
      energy metabolism.

PMID- 28892791
TI  - In vitro, In silico and In vivo Antitumor Activity of Crude Methanolic Extract of
      Tetilla dactyloidea (Carter, 1869) on DEN Induced HCC in a Rat Model.
AB  - Tetilla dactyloidea (Carter, 1869) is a marine sponge classified under
      Demospongia and recent studies have demonstrated that active constituents of
      Demospongia class have exhibited several potential medical applications. However,
      no preliminary pharmacological studies have been reported so far. The present
      investigation was carried out to evaluate the zoo-chemical status, antioxidant
      potential and anticancer activity of Crude Methanolic Extract of Tetilla
      dactyloidea (CMETD). Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) was induced in the liver of
      male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats by treating with diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Nodule
      incidence, body weight, liver marker enzymes, enzymatic and non-enzymatic
      antioxidant, phase I metabolizing and liver macromolecular damaging enzymes and
      immuno-histopathological changes were assessed in DEN and DEN+CMETD treated rats.
      Oral administration of CMETD at a dose of 400mg/kg body weight to DEN treated
      rats restored the above parameters to near normal levels compared to control. The
      biochemical results were consistent with histopathological observations
      suggesting marked hepatoprotective effect of CMETD in a dose dependent manner.
      The GCMS of CMETD analysis showed the presence of six compounds. In in silico
      analysis 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, 2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethyl ester ligand
      showed an effective binding energy of -7.1kcal/mol against Cox-2 receptor. The
      compounds showed desirable pharmacokinetic properties and significant molecular
      interactions with the HCC receptors. To conclude, our results clearly suggested
      that CMETD treatment prevented liver damage, protected the antioxidant defense
      system and possessed anti-carcinogenic potential in DEN induced hepatic
      carcinoma.

PMID- 28892792
TI  - Bamboo leaf extract ameliorates cardiac fibrosis possibly via alleviating
      inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that inflammatory process contributes to the
      pathogenesis of cardiac damage induced by diabetes mellitus. However, the
      underlying mechanisms and strategies to alleviate inflammatory injury in the
      diabetic heart are not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the
      potential role and related mechanism of bamboo leaf extract (BLE) on diabetes
      induced cardiac fibrosis in rats. Diabetes was induced by streptozocin (STZ) in
      rats, blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbAlc) were measured. Super
      oxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in rat heart
      homogenates were tested using special kits. Cardiac function was evaluated by
      echocardiography, and myocardial histology was detected by hematoxylin eosin (HE)
      staining and Masson's trichrome staining. Furthermore, expression of transforming
      growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Cleaved-cysteinyl
      aspartate-specific proteinase-3 (Cleaved-caspase-3), and the activity of nuclear
      factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) were examined by western blot analysis. From the data,
      we found that the BLE treatment inhibits oxidative stress and improved cardiac
      function in STZ-induced diabetic rats. BLE treatment significantly ameliorated
      diabetes-induced myocardial morphological changes and cardiac inflammation.
      Moreover, the protein levels of TGF-beta1, IL-6,Cleaved-caspase-3 and the nuclear
      transcription of NF-kappaB in the hearts were markedly reduced in diabetic rats
      result from BLE treatment. In conclusion, this study suggested that BLE
      ameliorates cardiac fibrosis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, and this
      protective effect possibly through inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress and
      apoptosis. BLE might serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of
      the cardiac fibrosis in diabetic patients.

PMID- 28892793
TI  - Homoisoflavonoids as potential antiangiogenic agents for retinal
      neovascularization.
AB  - A number of people worldwide have been suffering from ocular neovascularization
      that may be treated by a variety of drugs but these may possess adverse effects.
      Therefore, small antiangiogenic molecules with higher potency and lower toxic
      effects are intended. However, homoisoflavonoids of natural origin show the
      potential antiangiogenic effect in ocular neovascularization. These
      homoisoflavonoids are judged quantitatively in terms of statistical validation
      through multi-chemometric modeling approaches for the betterment and refinement
      of their structures required for higher antiangiogenic activity targeted to
      ocular neovascularization. These approaches may be utilized to design better
      antiangiogenic homoisoflavonoids.

PMID- 28892794
TI  - Corrigendum to "Decreased plasma adiponectin among male firefighters with
      symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder" [J. Affect. Disord. 221 (2017) 254
      258].

PMID- 28892795
TI  - Uniform dispersion of cobalt nanoparticles over nonporous TiO2 with low
      activation energy for magnesium sulfate recovery in a novel magnesia-based
      desulfurization process.
AB  - The forced oxidation of magnesium sulfite (MgSO3) aims to not only reclaim the by
      product in the magnesia desulfurization, but also lower the risk of secondary
      pollution. The non-porous titanium dioxide nanoparticle was used as a support to
      prepare the cobalt catalyst (Co-TiO2) in order to expedite the oxidation rate.
      This fabricated Co-TiO2 was characterized by inductively coupled plasma optical
      emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution
      transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy
      (EDS) to figure out its catalytic mechanism. The results revealed that the cobalt
      nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of the TiO2 in forms of
      Co3O4 and Co2O3. The kinetics of the MgSO3 oxidation catalyzed by the prepared Co
      TiO2 was investigated in a bubbling tank reactor, indicating that the oxidation
      rate was dependent on the catalyst concentration, oxygen partial pressure, pH
      value, and the reaction temperature. Compared with the reported porous catalyst
      (Co-CNTs), the activation energy with the Co-TiO2 (17.29kJmol-1) decreased by
      50.9%, resulting in a good catalytic performance in sulfite oxidation. The
      findings will help advance the industrial application of the novel magnesia
      desulfurization process.

PMID- 28892796
TI  - A solid composite microbial inoculant for the simultaneous removal of volatile
      organic sulfide compounds: Preparation, characterization, and its bioaugmentation
      of a biotrickling filter.
AB  - Volatile organic sulfide compounds (VOSCs) are usually resistant to
      biodegradation, thereby limiting the performance of traditional biotechnology
      dealing with waste gas containing such pollutants especially in mixture. In this
      study, a solid composite microbial inoculant (SCMI) was prepared to remove
      dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and propanethiol (PT). Given that the DMS degradation
      activity of Alcaligenes sp. SY1 is inducible and the PT-degradation activity of
      Pseudomonas putida S-1 is constitutive, different strategies are designed for
      cell cultivation to obtain high VOSC removal rates of SCMI. Compared with the
      microbial suspension, the prepared SCMI exhibited better storage stability at 4
      and 25 degrees C. Inoculation of the SCMI in biotrickling filters (BTFs) could
      effectively shorten the start-up period and enhance the removal performance.
      Microbial analysis by Illumina MiSeq indicated that Alcaligenes sp. SY1 and P.
      putida S-1 might be dominant and persistent among the microbial communities of
      the BTF during the operation.

PMID- 28892797
TI  - Study of the intensification of solar photo-Fenton degradation of carbamazepine
      with ferrioxalate complexes and ultrasound.
AB  - The intensification of the solar photo-Fenton system with ferrioxalate
      photoactive complexes and ultrasound applied to the mineralization of 15mg/L
      carbamazepine aqueous solution (CBZ) was evaluated. The experiments were carried
      out in a solar compound parabolic collector (CPC) pilot plant reactor coupled to
      an ultrasonic processor. The dynamic behavior of hydroxyl radicals generated
      under the different studied reaction systems was discussed. The initial
      concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous/oxalic acid and pH were found to
      be the most significant variables (32.79%, 25.98% and 26.04%, respectively).
      Under the selected optimal conditions ([H2O2]0=150mg/L;
      [Fe2+]0=2.5mg/L/[(COOH)2]0=12.1mg/L; pH=5) CBZ was fully degraded after 5min and
      80% of TOC was removed using a solar photo-Fenton system intensified with
      ferrioxalate (SPFF). However, no improvement in the mineralization using SPFF
      process combined with ultrasound was observed. More mild pH conditions could be
      used in the SPFF system if compared to the traditional photo-Fenton (pH 3) acidic
      systems. Finally, a possible reaction pathway for the mineralization of CBZ by
      the SPFF system was proposed and therein discussed.

PMID- 28892798
TI  - A novel method for the sequential removal and separation of multiple heavy metals
      from wastewater.
AB  - A novel method was developed and applied for the treatment of simulated
      wastewater containing multiple heavy metals. A sorbent of ZnS nanocrystals (NCs)
      was synthesized and showed extraordinary performance for the removal of Hg2+,
      Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+. The removal efficiencies of Hg2+, Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ were
      99.9%, 99.9%, 90.8% and 66.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, it was determined that
      solubility product (Ksp) of heavy metal sulfides was closely related to
      adsorption selectivity of various heavy metals on the sorbent. The removal
      efficiency of Hg2+ was higher than that of Cd2+, while the Ksp of HgS was lower
      than that of CdS. It indicated that preferential adsorption of heavy metals
      occurred when the Ksp of the heavy metal sulfide was lower. In addition, the
      differences in the Ksp of heavy metal sulfides allowed for the exchange of heavy
      metals, indicating the potential application for the sequential removal and
      separation of heavy metals from wastewater. According to the cumulative
      adsorption experimental results, multiple heavy metals were sequentially adsorbed
      and separated from the simulated wastewater in the order of the Ksp of their
      sulfides. This method holds the promise of sequentially removing and separating
      multiple heavy metals from wastewater.

PMID- 28892799
TI  - A small-scale experimental study on the initial burst and the heterogeneous
      evolution process before CO2 BLEVE.
AB  - The sudden rupture of a vessel containing liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) can
      generate a boiling liquid expanding vapor cloud explosion (BLEVE). The entire
      evolution process and mechanism of CO2 BLEVE has not been fully characterized,
      and its influencing factors have not been systematically examined. In this study,
      the ejection process and microphase change process in the vessel were recorded by
      a high-speed camera. Within 20ms, the pressure peaks surpassed the initial values
      and were considered to be the initiation of a sequence that generated a CO2 BLEVE
      under certain conditions. In addition, a critical relief caliber with a diameter
      of 8mm was observed under the initial burst pressures of 3 and 5MPa. This
      critical relief caliber is essential for risk control and management. About 52ms
      after the rupture, a heterogeneous nucleation center was formed in the liquefied
      CO2 in the vessel. Subsequent nucleation center extension and swelling generated
      another pressure peak. The pressure peak did not surpass the initial pressure
      value. However, this phenomenon did not eliminate any possible connections
      between the heterogeneous nucleation process and the CO2 BLEVE. If the conditions
      had been proper, the explosion could have happened.

PMID- 28892800
TI  - Polymeric nanoparticle constructs as devices for antibacterial therapy.
AB  - Diseases related to bacterial infections represent a relevant challenge for
      public health. Despite the success obtained with the conventional antibiotic
      therapies, indeed, new drawbacks have been identified. In addition to poor drugs
      solubility and stability, adverse side effects, and many other factors which
      together lead to a low patient compliance, the antibiotic resistance and the lack
      in the development of new antimicrobial agents are the main problems. On the
      basis of these considerations, the research interest is focused on the
      exploration of new strategies able to circumvent these drawbacks improving the
      efficacy of current antibiotics. In this context, nanosized systems, which allow
      to enhance both the pharmacokinetic profiles and the mechanism of action of
      drugs, play a key role.

PMID- 28892801
TI  - Minimally invasive probes for programmed microfluidic delivery of molecules in
      vivo.
AB  - Site-specific drug delivery carries many advantages of systemic administration,
      but is rarely used in the clinic. One limiting factor is the relative
      invasiveness of the technology to locally deliver compounds. Recent advances in
      materials science and electrical engineering allow for the development of
      ultraminiaturized microfluidic channels based on soft materials to create
      flexible probes capable of deep tissue targeting. A diverse set of mechanics,
      including micro-pumps and functional materials, used to deliver the drugs can be
      paired with wireless electronics for self-contained and programmable operation.
      These first iterations of minimally invasive fluid delivery devices foreshadow
      important advances needed for clinical translation.

PMID- 28892802
TI  - Regulation of cellulose synthesis in response to stress.
AB  - The cell wall is a complex polysaccharide network that provides stability and
      protection to the plant and is one of the first layers of biotic and abiotic
      stimuli perception. A controlled remodeling of the primary cell wall is essential
      for the plant to adapt its growth to environmental stresses. Cellulose, the main
      component of plant cell walls is synthesized by plasma membrane-localized
      cellulose synthases moving along cortical microtubule tracks. Recent advancements
      demonstrate a tight regulation of cellulose synthesis at the primary cell wall by
      phytohormone networks. Stress-induced perturbations at the cell wall that modify
      cellulose synthesis and microtubule arrangement activate similar phytohormone
      based stress response pathways. The integration of stress perception at the
      primary cell wall and downstream responses are likely to be tightly regulated by
      phytohormone signaling pathways in the context of cellulose synthesis and
      microtubule arrangement.

PMID- 28892803
TI  - Characterization of the key odorants of fennel essential oils of different
      regions using GC-MS and GC-O combined with partial least squares regression.
AB  - The key odorants and the aroma profile of six fennel essential oils from
      different regions were investigated by using gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC
      O), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and sensory evaluation. A total
      of 30 volatile compounds were determined by GC-O with aroma extract dilution
      analysis (AEDA) and the odor activity values (OAV) of them were calculated. Among
      these compounds, alpha-pinene, alpha-phellandrene, limonene, alpha-cubebene, beta
      caryophyllene, estragole, alpha-humulene, trans-anethole, delta-cadinene and p
      anisaldehyde contributed greatly to the aroma of fennel essential oil due to
      their high flavor dilution (FD) factors and high OAVs. The aroma of fennel
      essential oils was described by 7 sensory terms as spicy, woody, grassy, floral,
      musty, sweet and green, and was correlated to the key odorants by partial least
      squares regression (PLSR). It was showed that spicy, woody, grassy, musty and
      green attributes were covaried well with aroma compounds. In addition,
      hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to find out the similarities among
      different samples and the result indicated that three main groups were
      identified.

PMID- 28892804
TI  - Generation of a Potential Prognostic Matrix for Papillary Thyroid Cancer that
      Assesses Age, Tumor Size, Transforming Growth Factor-beta, and BRAFV600E
      Mutation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common differentiated
      thyroid cancer and is responsible for 80-90% of thyroid cancer cases. Despite
      typically excellent prognoses, these subclinical low-risk cancers are often
      treated aggressively by surgical thyroidectomy. Consequently, the objective of
      this study was to generate a prognostic matrix to be used prior to PTC
      intervention. METHODS: In this study, 80 PTC patients were assessed. Following
      adjustment for sex, logistic regression analysis showed that BRAFV600E mutation,
      transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) expression, age, and tumor size are
      risk factors that can affect tumor clinical stage (p < 0.05). Based on the
      results of this analysis, we generated a matrix that incorporated 4 variables:
      patient age, tumor size, BRAFV600E mutation, and TGF-beta expression. RESULTS: We
      observed that the corresponding area under curve was as high as 0.91. The
      sensitivity and specificity of the model were 94.74 and 83.61%, respectively.
      These values are significantly higher than those generated from single indexes.
      CONCLUSION: As a result of this analysis, it is hoped that the resultant matrix
      can be utilized during clinical diagnosis and treatment prior to thyroid nodule
      surgery.

PMID- 28892805
TI  - An Evaluation of the Central Nervous System Medication Use and Frailty among
      Residents of Aged Care Homes in Malaysia.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Old age and institutionalization in care homes are associated
      with increased use of risk medications affecting the central nervous system
      (CNS). This study evaluated medication utilization and appropriateness; and
      assessed frailty among residents of Malaysian aged care homes. METHODS: The
      subjects of this study included 202 elderly (>=65 years) residents of 17 aged
      care homes in suburban peninsular Malaysia. Frailty was measured using the
      Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) score and independence in daily living was
      measured as KATZ activity of daily living score. Medication appropriateness was
      assessed using the Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) and 2015 Beers'
      criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM). RESULTS: CNS medications
      constituted about 16% of the total, with an average of 0.8 +/- 1.1 medications
      per resident, which reduced to 0.5 +/- 0.8 medications after 3 months. Frailty
      (154/202) and polypharmacy (90/202) were highly prevalent in study subjects.
      Subjects on CNS medications had significantly higher GFI score (7.1 vs. 5.9; p =
      0.031), polypharmacy (57.8 vs. 35.3%; p = 0.002), number of PIMs (0.9 vs. 0.2; p
      = 0.001), and mean summed MAI score (3.6 vs. 2.6; p = 0.015) than subjects not on
      CNS medications. Medication number was also significantly correlated with GFI (r
      = 0.194; p = 0.006) and KATZ (r = 0.141; p = 0.046) scores. CONCLUSION: Frailty
      and polypharmacy were highly prevalent among aged care home subjects taking CNS
      medications. These findings support the notion that periodic regular medication
      review should improve the overall use of medications in elderly patients.

PMID- 28892806
TI  - A Novel Missense GLA Mutation (p.G35V) Detected in Hemodialysis Screening Leads
      to Severe Systemic Manifestations of Fabry Disease in Men and Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Fabry disease (FD), an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder,
      leads to accumulation of globotriaosylceramide. Screening in dialysis patients
      may identify genetic variants of unknown clinical significance. We aimed to
      characterize the pathogenicity of a novel GLA gene mutation identified during
      hemodialysis screening and the histologic findings of early Fabry nephropathy.
      METHODS: One out of 108 male hemodialysis patients screened for FD presented low
      alpha-galactosidase A activity. A novel missense mutation (p.G35V) in the GLA
      gene was detected. Family screening identified 11 additional cases (8 women).
      Clinical investigation was conducted in 10 patients (index case and 9 relatives).
      Pathogenicity of the new mutation was investigated by clinical and laboratory
      tests, cardiac and cranial magnetic resonance imaging, and kidney biopsy.
      RESULTS: Cardiac manifestations were detected in most patient from both genders,
      such as left ventricular hypertrophy and short PR interval. White matter lesion
      was present in 3 women. Pulvinar lesion of the thalamus and ischemic stroke were
      detected in male patients. Abnormal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and/or
      albuminuria were present in 5 patients (3 women). Renal biopsies (n = 7) revealed
      globotriaosylceramide deposits in different cell types and foot processes
      effacement in all patients, including women with normal albuminuria. Despite a
      normal GFR, tubulointerstitial fibrosis ranging from 5 to 20% was present in
      young women and men with normal or high albuminuria, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      The novel missense mutation p.G35V leads to severe systemic manifestations of FD
      in men and women. Kidney histological changes, including tubulointerstitial
      fibrosis, may predate albuminuria and GFR changes in adult women. Novel non
      invasive markers are required for early detection of Fabry nephropathy.

PMID- 28892807
TI  - Effectiveness of 2 Osteopathic Treatment Approaches on Pain, Pressure-Pain
      Threshold, and Disease Severity in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of osteopathic intervention (OI) and
      general osteopathic treatment (GOT) in individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome
      (FMS). METHODS: The trial was designed as a randomized controlled trial with 2
      osteopathic interventions and 1 untreated control group. The patients in the two
      osteopathic groups received 10 osteopathic treatments (OI or GOT) within a time
      period of 12 weeks. The control group did not receive any osteopathic treatment.
      The primary outcome was the average pain intensity (API) assessed by visual
      analog scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes were the pressure-pain threshold rated by
      means of a tender point score, and disease severity, assessed by the Fibromyalgia
      Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). RESULTS: 50 patients were randomized. The primary
      outcome parameter API decreased from 7.2 to 4.7 in the OI group, from 6.3 to 4.3
      in the GOT group, and increased slightly in the control group from 6.2 to 6.6.
      There were significant differences for the change in API between the OI group and
      the control group (VAS: 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12-4.52), and
      between the GOT group and the control group (VAS: 2.4, 95% CI = 0.65-4.11), but
      no significant differences between the OI group and the GOT group. There were no
      significant differences for the secondary outcome parameters between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: A series of osteopathic treatments might be beneficial for patients
      suffering from FMS.

PMID- 28892808
TI  - Safety and Feasibility of a Laparoscopy-Assisted Non-Anatomic Resection Technique
      for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Located at Right Posterior Segments in Cirrhotic
      Patients: A Case-Controlled Study with Propensity Score Matching.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the short- and long-term outcomes
      of laparoscopy-assisted resection for right posterior segment (LAR-RPS) with open
      resection (OR-RPS) performed by experienced hepatobiliary surgeons. METHODS: This
      was a prospective comparative nonrandomized study. RESULTS: The groups were
      comparable in terms of baseline demographics and clinicopathological data.
      Reduced operative time (254.88 +/- 78.56 vs. 347.95 +/- 82.56 min; p = 0.04) and
      estimated blood loss (477 +/- 756 vs. 712 +/- 836 mL; p = 0.03) were observed in
      LAR-RPS. Also, significant less duration of hospital stay (7.53 +/- 2.68 vs.
      12.57 +/- 3.21 days; p < 0.001) was associated with LAR-RPS compared to OR-RPS.
      Long-term oncologic outcomes were comparable in 2 groups, in terms of both the
      overall and disease-free survival rates (p = 0.450 and 0.463, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that laparoscopic-assisted resection is a safe
      and effective operative procedure in those cirrhotic patients with a lesion in
      the right posterior section of the liver. When compared to the open approach, the
      laparoscopic-assisted approach reduces operative time and blood loss, as well as
      the length of hospital stay.

PMID- 28892809
TI  - Increased Percentage of mo-MDSCs in Human Peripheral Blood May Be a Potential
      Indicator in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are heterogeneous cell
      groups that suppress T-cell responses in cancer patients and animal models. The
      objective of this study was to explore and evaluate the applicability of
      monocytic MDSCs (mo-MDSCs) in diagnosing breast cancer (BC). METHODS: In this
      study, we analyzed the percentage of mo-MDSCs in freshly isolated peripheral
      blood of patients with BC or benign tumors (BT) of the breast and healthy donors
      by flow cytometry. RESULTS: We found the percentage of mo-MDSCs to be 2.60 +/-
      0.95% in healthy donors, 2.94 +/- 0.82% in BT patients, and 3.89 +/- 1.35% in BC
      patients. The percentage of circulating mo-MDSCs was significantly increased in
      BC patients, and this was positively correlated with clinical stage. Receiver
      operating characteristic curve analysis showed 80.5% sensitivity, 61.3%
      specificity, and a 76.6% area under the curve, suggesting a medium clinical
      application value of mo-MDSCs in the diagnosis of BC. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggested that the percentage of circulating mo-MDSCs in human peripheral blood
      may be a potential indicator in the auxiliary diagnosis of BC.

PMID- 28892810
TI  - A spin transition mechanism for cooperative adsorption in metal-organic
      frameworks.
AB  - Cooperative binding, whereby an initial binding event facilitates the uptake of
      additional substrate molecules, is common in biological systems such as
      haemoglobin. It was recently shown that porous solids that exhibit cooperative
      binding have substantial energetic benefits over traditional adsorbents, but few
      guidelines currently exist for the design of such materials. In principle, metal
      organic frameworks that contain coordinatively unsaturated metal centres could
      act as both selective and cooperative adsorbents if guest binding at one site
      were to trigger an electronic transformation that subsequently altered the
      binding properties at neighbouring metal sites. Here we illustrate this concept
      through the selective adsorption of carbon monoxide (CO) in a series of metal
      organic frameworks featuring coordinatively unsaturated iron(ii) sites.
      Functioning via a mechanism by which neighbouring iron(ii) sites undergo a spin
      state transition above a threshold CO pressure, these materials exhibit large CO
      separation capacities with only small changes in temperature. The very low
      regeneration energies that result may enable more efficient Fischer-Tropsch
      conversions and extraction of CO from industrial waste feeds, which currently
      underutilize this versatile carbon synthon. The electronic basis for the
      cooperative adsorption demonstrated here could provide a general strategy for
      designing efficient and selective adsorbents suitable for various separations.

PMID- 28892811
TI  - Patterns of Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older
      Adults: A National Cohort Study.
AB  - Background: Excessive sedentary time is ubiquitous in Western societies. Previous
      studies have relied on self-reporting to evaluate the total volume of sedentary
      time as a prognostic risk factor for mortality and have not examined whether the
      manner in which sedentary time is accrued (in short or long bouts) carries
      prognostic relevance. Objective: To examine the association between objectively
      measured sedentary behavior (its total volume and accrual in prolonged,
      uninterrupted bouts) and all-cause mortality. Design: Prospective cohort study.
      Setting: Contiguous United States. Participants: 7985 black and white adults aged
      45 years or older. Measurements: Sedentary time was measured using a hip-mounted
      accelerometer. Prolonged, uninterrupted sedentariness was expressed as mean
      sedentary bout length. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated comparing quartiles 2
      through 4 to quartile 1 for each exposure (quartile cut points: 689.7, 746.5, and
      799.4 min/d for total sedentary time; 7.7, 9.6, and 12.4 min/bout for sedentary
      bout duration) in models that included moderate to vigorous physical activity.
      Results: Over a median follow-up of 4.0 years, 340 participants died. In
      multivariable-adjusted models, greater total sedentary time (HR, 1.22 [95% CI,
      0.74 to 2.02]; HR, 1.61 [CI, 0.99 to 2.63]; and HR, 2.63 [CI, 1.60 to 4.30]; P
      for trend < 0.001) and longer sedentary bout duration (HR, 1.03 [CI, 0.67 to
      1.60]; HR, 1.22 [CI, 0.80 to 1.85]; and HR, 1.96 [CI, 1.31 to 2.93]; P for trend
      < 0.001) were both associated with a higher risk for all-cause mortality.
      Evaluation of their joint association showed that participants classified as high
      for both sedentary characteristics (high sedentary time [>=12.5 h/d] and high
      bout duration [>=10 min/bout]) had the greatest risk for death. Limitation:
      Participants may not be representative of the general U.S. population.
      Conclusion: Both the total volume of sedentary time and its accrual in prolonged,
      uninterrupted bouts are associated with all-cause mortality, suggesting that
      physical activity guidelines should target reducing and interrupting sedentary
      time to reduce risk for death. Primary Funding Source: National Institutes of
      Health.

PMID- 28892812
TI  - One visual search, many memory searches: An eye-tracking investigation of hybrid
      search.
AB  - Suppose you go to the supermarket with a shopping list of 10 items held in
      memory. Your shopping expedition can be seen as a combination of visual search
      and memory search. This is known as "hybrid search." There is a growing interest
      in understanding how hybrid search tasks are accomplished. We used eye tracking
      to examine how manipulating the number of possible targets (the memory set size
      [MSS]) changes how observers (Os) search. We found that dwell time on each
      distractor increased with MSS, suggesting a memory search was being executed each
      time a new distractor was fixated. Meanwhile, although the rate of refixation
      increased with MSS, it was not nearly enough to suggest a strategy that involves
      repeatedly searching visual space for subgroups of the target set. These data
      provide a clear demonstration that hybrid search tasks are carried out via a "one
      visual search, many memory searches" heuristic in which Os examine items in the
      visual array once with a very low rate of refixations. For each item selected, Os
      activate a memory search that produces logarithmic response time increases with
      increased MSS. Furthermore, the percentage of distractors fixated was strongly
      modulated by the MSS: More items in the MSS led to a higher percentage of fixated
      distractors. Searching for more potential targets appears to significantly alter
      how Os approach the task, ultimately resulting in more eye movements and longer
      response times.

PMID- 28892813
TI  - Attentional modulation interacts with orientation anisotropies in contrast
      perception.
AB  - Orientation perception is not comparable across all orientations-a phenomenon
      commonly referred to as the oblique effect. Here, we first assessed the
      interaction between stimulus contrast and the oblique effect. Specifically, we
      examined whether the impairment in behavioral performance for oblique versus
      cardinal orientations is best explained by a contrast or a response gain
      modulation of the contrast psychometric function. Results revealed a robust
      oblique effect, whereby asymptotic performance for oblique orientations was
      substantially lower than for cardinal orientations, which we interpret as the
      result of multiplicative attenuation of contrast responses for oblique
      orientations. Next, we assessed how orientation anisotropies interact with
      attention by measuring psychometric functions for orientations under low or high
      attentional load. Interestingly, attentional load affects the performance for
      cardinal and oblique orientations differently: While it multiplicatively
      attenuates contrast psychometric functions for both cardinal and oblique
      orientation conditions, the magnitude of this effect is greater for the obliques.
      Thus, having less attentional resources available seems to impair the response
      for oblique orientations to a larger degree than for cardinal orientations.

PMID- 28892814
TI  - Mitigating the Mental and Physical Health Consequences of Hurricane Harvey.

PMID- 28892815
TI  - Trans Male Voice in the First Year of Testosterone Therapy: Make No Assumptions.
AB  - Purpose: The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine changes in gender
      related voice domain of pitch measured by fundamental frequency, function-related
      domains of vocal quality, range, and habitual pitch level and the self
      perceptions of transmasculine people during their first year of testosterone
      treatment. Method: Seven trans men received 2 voice assessments at baseline and 1
      assessment at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after starting treatment. Results: Vocal
      quality measures varied between and within participants but were generally within
      normal limits throughout the year. Mean fundamental frequency (MF0) during
      reading decreased, although to variable extents and rates. Phonation frequency
      range shifted down the scale, although it increased in some participants and
      decreased in others. Considering MF0 and phonation frequency range together in a
      measure of habitual pitch level revealed that the majority of participants spoke
      using an MF0 that was low within their range compared with cisgender norms.
      Although the trans men generally self-reported voice masculinization, it was not
      correlated with MF0, frequency range, or habitual pitch level at any time point
      or with MF0 note change from baseline to 1 year of testosterone treatment, but
      correlations should be interpreted with caution due to the heterogeneous
      responses of the 7 participants. Conclusion: In trans men, consideration of voice
      deepening in the context of objective and subjective measures of voice can reveal
      unique profiles and inform patient care.

PMID- 28892816
TI  - Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes: Synopsis of the 2017 American Diabetes Association
      Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.
AB  - Description: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) annually updates Standards
      of Medical Care in Diabetes to provide clinicians, patients, researchers, payers,
      and other interested parties with evidence-based recommendations for the
      diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes. Methods: For the 2017
      Standards of Care, the ADA Professional Practice Committee did MEDLINE searches
      from 1 January 2016 to November 2016 to add, clarify, or revise recommendations
      on the basis of new evidence. The committee rated the recommendations as A, B, or
      C, depending on the quality of evidence, or E for expert consensus or clinical
      experience. The Standards of Care were reviewed and approved by the Executive
      Committee of the ADA Board of Directors, which includes health care
      professionals, scientists, and laypersons. Feedback from the larger clinical
      community informed revisions. Recommendation: This synopsis focuses on
      recommendations from the 2017 Standards of Care about monitoring and
      pharmacologic approaches to glycemic management for type 1 diabetes.

PMID- 28892817
TI  - Distribution of Prescription Opioid Use Among Privately Insured Adults Without
      Cancer: United States, 2001 to 2013.

PMID- 28892818
TI  - Diagnostic Reasoning: An Endangered Competency in Internal Medicine Training.

PMID- 28892819
TI  - Input Subject Diversity Accelerates the Growth of Tense and Agreement: Indirect
      Benefits From a Parent-Implemented Intervention.
AB  - Purpose: This follow-up study examined whether a parent intervention that
      increased the diversity of lexical noun phrase subjects in parent input and
      accelerated children's sentence diversity (Hadley et al., 2017) had indirect
      benefits on tense/agreement (T/A) morphemes in parent input and children's
      spontaneous speech. Method: Differences in input variables related to T/A marking
      were compared for parents who received toy talk instruction and a quasi-control
      group: input informativeness and full is declaratives. Language growth on tense
      agreement productivity (TAP) was modeled for 38 children from language samples
      obtained at 21, 24, 27, and 30 months. Parent input properties following
      instruction and children's growth in lexical diversity and sentence diversity
      were examined as predictors of TAP growth. Results: Instruction increased parent
      use of full is declaratives (etap2 >= .25) but not input informativeness.
      Children's sentence diversity was also a significant time-varying predictor of
      TAP growth. Two input variables, lexical noun phrase subject diversity and full
      is declaratives, were also significant predictors, even after controlling for
      children's sentence diversity. Conclusions: These findings establish a link
      between children's sentence diversity and the development of T/A morphemes and
      provide evidence about characteristics of input that facilitate growth in this
      grammatical system.

PMID- 28892820
TI  - We Didn't Get Cold Feet.

PMID- 28892821
TI  - Readability Level of Spanish-Language Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in
      Audiology and Otolaryngology.
AB  - Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the readability level of the
      Spanish versions of several audiology- and otolaryngology-related patient
      reported outcome measures (PROMs) and include a readability analysis of 2
      translation approaches when available-the published version and a "functionalist"
      version-using a team-based collaborative approach including community members.
      Method: Readability levels were calculated using the Fry Graph adapted for
      Spanish, as well as the Fernandez-Huerta and the Spaulding formulae for several
      commonly used audiology- and otolaryngology-related PROMs. Results: Readability
      calculations agreed with previous studies analyzing audiology-related PROMs in
      English and demonstrated many Spanish-language PROMs were beyond the 5th grade
      reading level suggested for health-related materials written for the average
      population. In addition, the functionalist versions of the PROMs yielded lower
      grade-level (improved) readability levels than the published versions.
      Conclusion: Our results suggest many of the Spanish-language PROMs evaluated here
      are beyond the recommended readability levels and may be influenced by the
      approach to translation. Moreover, improved readability may be possible using a
      functionalist approach to translation. Future analysis of the suitability of
      outcome measures and the quality of their translations should move beyond
      readability and include an evaluation of the individual's comprehension of the
      written text.

PMID- 28892822
TI  - Audiometric Testing With Pulsed, Steady, and Warble Tones in Listeners With
      Tinnitus and Hearing Loss.
AB  - Purpose: This study evaluated the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's
      recommendation that audiometric testing for patients with tinnitus should use
      pulsed or warble tones. Using listeners with varied audiometric configurations
      and tinnitus statuses, we asked whether steady, pulsed, and warble tones yielded
      similar audiometric thresholds, and which tone type was preferred. Method:
      Audiometric thresholds (octave frequencies from 0.25-16 kHz) were measured using
      steady, pulsed, and warble tones in 61 listeners, who were divided into 4 groups
      on the basis of hearing and tinnitus status. Participants rated the appeal and
      difficulty of each tone type on a 1-5 scale and selected a preferred type.
      Results: For all groups, thresholds were lower for warble than for pulsed and
      steady tones, with the largest effects above 4 kHz. Appeal ratings did not differ
      across tone type, but the steady tone was rated as more difficult than the warble
      and pulsed tones. Participants generally preferred pulsed and warble tones.
      Conclusions: Pulsed tones provide advantages over steady and warble tones for
      patients regardless of hearing or tinnitus status. Although listeners preferred
      pulsed and warble tones to steady tones, pulsed tones are not susceptible to the
      effects of off-frequency listening, a consideration when testing listeners with
      sloping audiograms.

PMID- 28892823
TI  - Tracking Our Physical Inactivity and Progression to Death: Is This Evolutionary
      Stagnation?

PMID- 28892824
TI  - Resolvin D1 Increases Mucin Secretion in Cultured Rat Conjunctival Goblet Cells
      via Multiple Signaling Pathways.
AB  - Purpose: Goblet cells in the conjunctiva secrete mucin into the tear film
      protecting the ocular surface. The proresolution mediator resolvin D1 (RvD1)
      regulates mucin secretion to maintain homeostasis during physiological conditions
      and in addition, actively terminates inflammation. We determined the signaling
      mechanisms used by RvD1 in cultured rat conjunctival goblet cells to increase
      intracellular [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) and induce glycoconjugate secretion. Methods:
      Increase in [Ca2+]i were measured using fura 2/AM and glycoconjugate secretion
      determined using an enzyme-linked lectin assay with the lectin Ulex Europaeus
      Agglutinin 1. Signaling pathways activated by RvD1 were studied after goblet
      cells were pretreated with signaling pathway inhibitors before stimulation with
      RvD1. The results were compared with results when goblet cells were stimulated
      with RvD1 alone and percent inhibition calculated. Results: The increase in
      [Ca2+]i stimulated by RvD1 was blocked by inhibitors to phospholipases (PL-) -D, 
      C, -A2, protein kinase C (PKC), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2
      and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase (Ca2+/CamK). Glycoconjugate secretion was
      significantly inhibited by PLD, -C, -A2, ERK1/2 and Ca2+/CamK, but not PKC.
      Conclusions: We conclude that RvD1 increases glycoconjugate secretion from goblet
      cells via multiple signaling pathways including PLC, PLD, and PLA2, as well as
      their signaling components ERK1/2 and Ca2+/CamK to preserve the mucous layer and
      maintain homeostasis by protecting the eye from desiccating stress, allergens,
      and pathogens.

PMID- 28892826
TI  - Increased Mortality and Comorbidity Associated With Leber's Hereditary Optic
      Neuropathy: A Nationwide Cohort Study.
AB  - Purpose: Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrial genetic
      disease in which optic neuropathy is considered a key feature. Several other
      manifestations of LHON have been reported; however, only little is known of their
      incidence and the life expectancy in LHON patients. Methods: This study, based on
      Danish nationwide health registries, included 141 patients diagnosed with LHON
      and 297 unaffected family members in the maternal line. The incidence of
      comorbidities and mortality for patients with LHON and unaffected family members
      was compared with that in the general population. Results: Having LHON was
      associated with an almost 2-fold risk of mortality with a rate ratio (RR) of 1.95
      (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47-2.59; P < 0.001). The incidence of several
      diseases was increased for LHON patients, but not for family members. The
      incidence of stroke was 5.73 per 1000 patient-years for LHON patients compared to
      2.33 for the general population, and the RR was 2.38 (95% CI: 1.58-3.58; P <
      0.001). The incidence of demyelinating disorders was 2.24 compared to 0.21 for
      the general population; RR was 12.89 (95% CI: 6.70-24.77; P < 0.001). A 4-fold
      risk of dementia was seen for LHON patients (RR: 4.26, 95% CI: 1.91-9.48; P <
      0.001), incidence 1.45 for LHON and 0.37 for the general population. Moreover,
      LHON patients had an increased risk of epilepsy, atherosclerosis, nerve symptoms,
      neuropathy, and alcohol-related disorders. Conclusions: The manifestation of LHON
      was associated with increased mortality and increased incidence of several
      disorders including stroke, demyelinating disorder, dementia, and epilepsy.

PMID- 28892825
TI  - Associations Between Vitamin D Intake and Progression to Incident Advanced Age
      Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - Purpose: There is growing evidence of the importance of nutrition in age-related
      macular degeneration (AMD), but no prospective studies have explored the impact
      of vitamin D. We evaluated the association between vitamin D intake and
      progression to advanced AMD. Methods: Among 2146 participants (3965 eyes), 541
      (777 eyes) progressed from early or intermediate AMD to advanced disease (mean
      follow-up: 9.4 years) based on ocular imaging. Nutrients were log transformed and
      calorie adjusted. Survival analysis was used to assess associations between
      incident advanced disease and vitamin D intake. Neovascular disease (NV) and
      geographic atrophy (GA) were evaluated separately. Combined effects of dietary
      vitamin D and calcium were assessed based on high or low consumption of each
      nutrient. Results: There was a lower risk of progression to advanced AMD in the
      highest versus lowest quintile of dietary vitamin D intake after adjustment for
      demographic, behavioral, ocular, and nutritional factors (hazard ratio [HR]:
      0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43-0.83; P trend = 0.0007). Similar results
      were observed for NV (HR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.39-0.89; P trend = 0.005) but not GA
      (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.53-1.30; P trend = 0.35). A protective effect was observed
      for advanced AMD among participants with high vitamin D and low calcium compared
      to the group with low levels for each nutrient (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.50-0.88; P =
      0.005). When supplement use was considered, the effect was in the protective
      direction but was not significant. Conclusions: A diet rich in vitamin D may
      prevent or delay progression to advanced AMD, especially NV. Additional
      exploration is needed to elucidate the potential protective role of vitamin D and
      its contribution to reducing visual loss.

PMID- 28892827
TI  - Role of Microbiota in Strengthening Ocular Mucosal Barrier Function Through
      Secretory IgA.
AB  - Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate mechanisms controlling
      secretory IgA (SIgA) production, thereby ensuring maintenance of ocular surface
      health. Methods: To determine whether the presence of specific gut commensal
      species regulates SIgA levels and IgA transcripts in the eye-associated lymphoid
      tissues (EALT), specific-pathogen-free (SPF) Swiss Webster (SW) mice were treated
      with antibiotic cocktails, germ-free (GF) SW mice were reconstituted with diverse
      commensal gut microbiota, or monocolonized with gut-specific commensals.
      Proteomic profiling and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT
      PCR) were used to quantify SIgA and IgA levels. 16S rDNA sequencing was carried
      out to characterize commensal microbiota. Results: Commensal presence regulated
      ocular surface SIgA levels and mRNA IgA transcripts in EALT. Oral antibiotic
      cocktail intake significantly reduced gut commensal presence, while maintaining
      ocular surface commensal levels reduced SIgA and IgA transcripts in EALT.
      Analysis of gut microbial communities revealed that SPF SW mice carried abundant
      Bacteroides organisms when compared to SPF C57BL6/N mice, with B. acidifaciens
      being the most prominent species in SPF SW mice. Monocolonization of GF SW mice
      with B. acidifaciens, a strict gut anaerobe, resulted in significant increase of
      IgA transcripts in the EALT, implying generation of B-cell memory. Conclusions:
      These data illustrated a "gut-eye" axis of immune regulation. Exposure of the
      host to gut commensal species may serve as a priming signal to generate B-cell
      repertoires at sites different from the gut, such as EALT, thereby ensuring broad
      protection.

PMID- 28892828
TI  - Optic Nerve Sheath Distention as a Protective Mechanism Against the Visual
      Impairment and Intracranial Pressure Syndrome in Astronauts.

PMID- 28892829
TI  - Author Response: Optic Nerve Sheath Distention as a Protective Mechanism Against
      the Visual Impairment and Intracranial Pressure Syndrome in Astronauts.

PMID- 28892830
TI  - Duration of Sedentary Episodes Is Associated With Risk for Death.

PMID- 28892831
TI  - Recognizing Difference: Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Natural
      Contexts.

PMID- 28892832
TI  - Challenges and Opportunities in Reading Instruction for Children with Limited
      Speech.

PMID- 28892833
TI  - Using Digital Texts in Interactive Reading Activities for Children with Language
      Delays and Disorders: A Review of the Research Literature and Pilot Study.

PMID- 28892834
TI  - Model for Vocabulary Selection of Sensitive Topics: An Example from Pain-Related
      Vocabulary.

PMID- 28892835
TI  - When You Can't Touch a Touch Screen.

PMID- 28892836
TI  - Repurposing Consumer Products as a Gateway to Just-in-Time Communication.

PMID- 28892837
TI  - Family Leisure as a Context to Support Augmentative and Alternative Communication
      Intervention for Young Children with Complex Communication Needs.

PMID- 28892838
TI  - Preventing Abuse and Providing Access to Justice for Individuals with Complex
      Communication Needs: The Role of Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

PMID- 28892839
TI  - Impact of feedback on adenoma detection rates: Outcomes of quality improvement
      program.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Feedback has been shown to improve performance in colonoscopy
      including adenoma detection rate (ADR). The frequency at which feedback should be
      given is unknown. As part of a quality improvement program, we sought to measure
      the outcome of providing quarterly and monthly feedback on colonoscopy quality
      measures. METHODS: All screening colonoscopies performed at endoscopy unit at
      Mayo Clinic Arizona by gastroenterologists between October 2010 and December 2012
      were reviewed. Quality indicators, including ADR, were extracted for each
      individual endoscopist, and feedback was provided. The study period was divided
      into four distinct groups: pre-intervention that served as baseline, quarterly
      feedback, monthly feedback, and post-intervention. Based on ADR, endoscopists
      were grouped into "low detectors" (<= 25%), "average detectors" (26-35%), and
      "high detectors" (> 35%). RESULTS: A total of 3420 screening colonoscopies were
      performed during the study period (555 patients during pre-intervention, 1209
      patients during quarterly feedback, 599 during monthly feedback, and 1057 during
      the post-intervention period) by 16 gastroenterologists. The overall ADR for the
      group improved from 30.5% to 37.7% (P = 0.003). Compared with the pre
      interventional period, all quality indicators measured significantly improved
      during the monthly feedback and post-intervention periods but not in the
      quarterly feedback period. CONCLUSIONS: In our quality improvement program,
      monthly feedback significantly improved colonoscopy quality measures, including
      ADR, while quarterly feedback did not. The impact of the intervention was most
      prominent in the "low detectors" group. Results were durable up to 6 months
      following the intervention.

PMID- 28892840
TI  - Cadmium solubility and bioavailability in soils amended with acidic and neutral
      biochar.
AB  - This study was designed to investigate the effects of acidic and neutral biochars
      on solubility and bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) in soils with contrasting
      properties. Four Cd contaminated (50mg/kg) soils (EN: Entisol, AL: Andisol, VE:
      Vertisol, IN: Inceptisol) were amended with 5% acidic wood shaving biochar (WS,
      pH=3.25) and neutral chicken litter biochar (CL, pH=7.00). Following a 140-day
      incubation, the solubility and bioavailability/bioaccessibility of cadmium (Cd)
      were assessed. Results showed that both biochars had no effect on reducing
      soluble (pore water) and bioavailable (CaCl2 extractable) Cd for higher sorption
      capacity soils (AL, IN) while CL biochar reduced those in lower sorption capacity
      soils (EN, VE) by around 50%. Bioaccessibility of Cd to the human gastric phase
      (physiologically based extraction test (PBET) extractable) was not altered by the
      acidic WS biochar but reduced by neutral CL biochar by 18.8%, 29.7%, 18.0% and
      8.82% for soil AL, EN, IN and VE, respectively. Both biochars reduced soluble Cd
      under acidic conditions (toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP)
      extractable) significantly in all soils. Pore water pH was the governing factor
      of Cd solubility among soils. The reduction of Cd solubility and
      bioavailability/bioaccessibility by CL biochar may be due to surface complexation
      while the reduced mobility of Cd under acidic conditions (TCLP) by both biochars
      may result from the redistribution of Cd to less bioavailable soil solid
      fractions. Hence, if only leaching mitigation of Cd under acidic conditions is
      required, application of low pH biochars (e.g., WS biochar) may be valuable.

PMID- 28892841
TI  - Movement of traditional fecal indicator bacteria and source-tracking targets
      through septic drainfields.
AB  - The past three decades' data on outbreaks in the United States indicate that
      homes dependent on untreated groundwater (e.g. wells) for household drinking
      water that are also reliant on onsite treatment of household wastewater (e.g.
      septic systems) may be at greater risk for waterborne disease. While groundwater
      quality monitoring to protect public health has traditionally focused on the
      detection of fecal indicator bacteria, the application of emerging source
      tracking strategies may offer a more efficient means to identify pollution
      sources and effective means of remediation. This study compares the movement of
      common fecal indicator bacteria (E. coli and enterococci) with a chemical
      (optical brighteners, OB) and a molecular (Bacteroides HF183) source tracking
      (ST) target in small scale septic drainfield models in order to evaluate their
      potential utility in groundwater monitoring. Nine PVC column drainfield models
      received synchronized doses of primary-treated wastewater twice daily, with
      influent and effluent monitored bi-weekly over a 7-month period for all targets.
      Results indicate that E. coli and enterococci concentrations were strongly
      associated (Spearman's rank, p<0.05), and correlations between enterococci and
      optical brighteners were moderately strong. Bacteroides HF183 was significantly,
      but not strongly, associated with optical brighteners and both indicator bacteria
      (Point-biserial correlation, p<0.05), most likely due to its sporadic detection.
      Application of human ST marker monitoring in groundwaters at risk of
      contamination by human sewage is recommended, although consistent interpretation
      of results will rely on more detailed evaluation of HF183 incidence in source
      contamination waters.

PMID- 28892842
TI  - Influence of climatic and geographic factors on the spatial distribution of
      Qinghai spruce forests in the dryland Qilian Mountains of Northwest China.
AB  - The effect of climate variables (temperature and precipitation) on forest spatial
      distribution is more prominent in dryland high mountains, where forest
      distribution is inherently very sensitive to and strongly limited by the
      substantial spatial heterogeneity of site conditions. Thus, a more reliable
      prediction of forest distribution under changing environment depends upon an
      understanding of the joint influence of climatic and topographic factors and
      their thresholds. This study was conducted on Qinghai spruce forests as dominant
      tree species in the Qilian Mountains of northwest China. The spruce forest
      distribution was surveyed by remote sensing in Dayekou watershed and by field
      investigation in a nested smaller watershed. Analyses showed that mean annual air
      temperature and precipitation, which vary with elevation, are the key climatic
      factors determining forest distribution, but slope aspect also plays an essential
      role. The potential core distribution area of denser forests and potential
      distribution area including sparse forests are between the axes of elevation
      (2635.5-3302.5 and 2603.4-3325.8m a.s.l.) and slope aspect (-74.4-61.2 degrees 
      and -162.6-147.1 degrees  deviated from north). The corresponding threshold of
      mean annual air temperature at the upper elevation boundary is -2.59 and -2.73
      degrees C, while the threshold of mean annual precipitation at the lower
      elevation boundary is 378.1 and 372.3 mm, respectively. Using these thresholds
      and the elevation gradients of climatic factors, the shifting of elevation
      boundaries under climate change scenarios can be predicted. However, the forest
      distribution is also limited by a soil thickness of >=40cm; and by slope position
      of lower-, lower- and middle-, and entire-slope within the elevation ranges of
      <2800, 2800-2900, and >2900m a.s.l., respectively. This study showed that adding
      geographic factors will greatly improve the prediction of changes in forest
      distribution area in dryland mountains, in addition to the influence of climatic
      factors.

PMID- 28892843
TI  - EMD-regression for modelling multi-scale relationships, and application to
      weather-related cardiovascular mortality.
AB  - In a number of environmental studies, relationships between nat4ural processes
      are often assessed through regression analyses, using time series data. Such data
      are often multi-scale and non-stationary, leading to a poor accuracy of the
      resulting regression models and therefore to results with moderate reliability.
      To deal with this issue, the present paper introduces the EMD-regression
      methodology consisting in applying the empirical mode decomposition (EMD)
      algorithm on data series and then using the resulting components in regression
      models. The proposed methodology presents a number of advantages. First, it
      accounts of the issues of non-stationarity associated to the data series. Second,
      this approach acts as a scan for the relationship between a response variable and
      the predictors at different time scales, providing new insights about this
      relationship. To illustrate the proposed methodology it is applied to study the
      relationship between weather and cardiovascular mortality in Montreal, Canada.
      The results shed new knowledge concerning the studied relationship. For instance,
      they show that the humidity can cause excess mortality at the monthly time scale,
      which is a scale not visible in classical models. A comparison is also conducted
      with state of the art methods which are the generalized additive models and
      distributed lag models, both widely used in weather-related health studies. The
      comparison shows that EMD-regression achieves better prediction performances and
      provides more details than classical models concerning the relationship.

PMID- 28892844
TI  - Are optical indices good proxies of seasonal changes in carbon fluxes and stress
      related physiological status in a beech forest?
AB  - This study investigates the functionality of a Mediterranean-mountain beech
      forest in Central Italy using simultaneous determinations of optical
      measurements, carbon (C) fluxes, leaf eco-physiological and biochemical traits
      during two growing seasons (2014-2015). Meteorological variables showed
      significant differences between the two growing seasons, highlighting a heat
      stress coupled with a reduced water availability in mid-summer 2015. As a result,
      a different C sink capacity of the forest was observed between the two years of
      study, due to the differences in stressful conditions and the related plant
      physiological status. Spectral indices related to vegetation (VIs, classified in
      structural, chlorophyll and carotenoid indices) were computed at top canopy level
      and used to track CO2 fluxes and physiological changes. Optical indices related
      to structure (EVI 2, RDVI, DVI and MCARI 1) were found to better track Net
      Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) variations for 2014, while indices related to
      chlorophylls (SR red edge, CL red edge, MTCI and DR) provided better results for
      2015. This suggests that when environmental conditions are not limiting for
      forest sink capacity, structural parameters are more strictly connected to C
      uptake, while under stress conditions indices related to functional features
      (e.g., chlorophyll content) become more relevant. Chlorophyll indices calculated
      with red edge bands (SR red edge, NDVI red edge, DR, CL red edge) resulted to be
      highly correlated with leaf nitrogen content (R2>0.70), while weaker, although
      significant, correlations were found with chlorophyll content. Carotenoid indices
      (PRI and PSRI) were strongly correlated with both chlorophylls and carotenoids
      content, suggesting that these indices are good proxies of the shifting pigment
      composition related to changes in soil moisture, heat stress and senescence. Our
      work suggests the importance of integrating different methods as a successful
      approach to understand how changing climatic conditions in the Mediterranean
      mountain region will impact on forest conditions and functionality.

PMID- 28892845
TI  - An effective and comprehensive model for optimal rehabilitation of separate
      sanitary sewer systems.
AB  - In the field of rehabilitation of separate sanitary sewer systems, a large number
      of technical, environmental, and economic aspects are often relevant in the
      decision-making process, which may be modelled as a multi-objective optimization
      problem. Examples are those related with the operation and assessment of
      networks, optimization of structural, hydraulic, sanitary, and environmental
      performance, rehabilitation programmes, and execution works. In particular, the
      cost of investment, operation and maintenance needed to reduce or eliminate
      Infiltration from the underground water table and Inflows of storm water surface
      runoff (I/I) using rehabilitation techniques or related methods can be
      significantly lower than the cost of transporting and treating these flows
      throughout the lifespan of the systems or period studied. This paper presents a
      comprehensive I/I cost-benefit approach for rehabilitation that explicitly
      considers all elements of the systems and shows how the approximation is
      incorporated as an objective function in a general evolutionary multi-objective
      optimization model. It takes into account network performance and wastewater
      treatment costs, average values of several input variables, and rates that can
      reflect the adoption of different predictable or limiting scenarios. The approach
      can be used as a practical and fast tool to support decision-making in sewer
      network rehabilitation in any phase of a project. The fundamental aspects,
      modelling, implementation details and preliminary results of a two-objective
      optimization rehabilitation model using a genetic algorithm, with a second
      objective function related to the structural condition of the network and the
      service failure risk, are presented. The basic approach is applied to three real
      world cases studies of sanitary sewerage systems in Coimbra and the results show
      the simplicity, suitability, effectiveness, and usefulness of the approximation
      implemented and of the objective function proposed.

PMID- 28892846
TI  - Caffeine and paraxanthine in aquatic systems: Global exposure distributions and
      probabilistic risk assessment.
AB  - This study presents one of the most complete applications of probabilistic
      methodologies to the risk assessment of emerging contaminants. Perhaps the most
      data-rich of these compounds, caffeine, as well as its main metabolite
      (paraxanthine), were selected for this study. Information for a total of 29,132
      individual caffeine and 7442 paraxanthine samples was compiled, including samples
      where the compounds were not detected. The inclusion of non-detect samples (as
      censored data) in the estimation of environmental exposure distributions (EEDs)
      allowed for a realistic characterization of the global presence of these
      compounds in aquatic systems. EEDs were compared to species sensitivity
      distributions (SSDs), when possible, in order to calculate joint probability
      curves (JPCs) to describe the risk to aquatic organisms. This way, it was
      determined that unacceptable environmental risk (defined as 5% of the species
      being potentially exposed to concentrations able to cause effects in>5% of the
      cases) could be expected from chronic exposure to caffeine from effluent (28.4%
      of the cases), surface water (6.7% of the cases) and estuary water (5.4% of the
      cases). Probability of exceedance of acute predicted no-effect concentrations
      (PNECs) for paraxanthine were higher than 5% for all assessed matrices except for
      drinking water and ground water, however no experimental effects data was
      available for paraxanthine, resulting in a precautionary deterministic hazard
      assessment for this compound. Given the chemical similarities between both
      compounds, real effect thresholds, and thus risk, for paraxanthine, would be
      expected to be close to those observed for caffeine. Negligible Human health risk
      from exposure to caffeine via drinking or groundwater is expected from the
      compiled data.

PMID- 28892847
TI  - Relationship between maternal phthalate exposure and offspring size at birth.
AB  - Research findings on effects of prenatal phthalate exposure on fetal growth were
      inconsistent. Increasing evidence from animal studies has indicated a potential
      sex-specific effect of phthalates on fetal growth, but the current human data was
      limited. In this study, we aimed to estimate the relationships between maternal
      phthalate exposure and infant birth size. Six major phthalate metabolite levels
      of urine samples were measured among pregnant women (n=1002) from the Healthy
      Baby Cohort (HBC), China. The associations between urinary phthalate metabolites
      levels and birth size (birth weight, birth length, birth weight z-scores and
      ponderal index) were estimated using linear regression models. In boys, the ln
      transformed di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolite levels were significantly
      associated with increased birth weight and birth weight z-scores. Additionally,
      each ln-unit increase in mono-(2-ethyl-5-carbox-ypentyl) phthalate (MECPP) was
      associated with a 0.25kg/m3 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03, 0.47] increase
      in ponderal index in boys. However, we did not observe any significant
      association of maternal phthalate metabolite levels with any of the outcomes in
      girls. Our data suggested potential sex-specific associations of maternal
      phthalate exposure with increased birth weight and ponderal index, which were
      merely apparent in boys.

PMID- 28892848
TI  - Source dynamics of radiocesium-contaminated particulate matter deposited in an
      agricultural water reservoir after the Fukushima nuclear accident.
AB  - The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan resulted in the deposition of radiocesium
      over forested and rural landscapes northwest of the power plant. Although there
      have been several investigations into the dynamics of contaminated river
      sediment, less attention has been paid to the sources of deposited particulate
      matter in dams and reservoirs. In the Fukushima Prefecture, there are 10
      significant dams and over a 1000 reservoirs for both agricultural and surface
      water management. These reservoirs may have trapped a significant volume of
      radiocesium-contaminated sediment. Therefore, characterizing the sources of
      contaminated particulate matter is important for the ongoing management of
      contamination in the region. Accordingly, the composition of particulate matter
      deposited in the Mano Dam reservoir, approximately 40km northwest of the power
      plant, was investigated with the analyses and modelling of carbon and nitrogen
      stable isotope ratios (delta13C and delta15N), total organic carbon (TOC) and
      total nitrogen (TN) concentrations. Four sediment cores, with lengths ranging 29
      41cm, were sampled in the Mano Dam. Source samples from 46 forest soils, 28
      cultivated soils and 25 subsoils were used to determine the source contributions
      of particulate matter. Carbon and nitrogen parameters were analyzed on all
      samples and a concentration-dependent distribution modelling approach was used to
      apportion source contributions. Three of the four cores sampled in the Mano Dam
      reservoir had distinct radiocesium peaks representative of the initial post
      accident wash-off phase. Cultivated sources were responsible for 48+/-7% of the
      deposited fine particulate matter whereas forests were modelled to contribute
      27+/-6% and subsoil sources 25+/-4%. Ongoing decontamination of cultivated
      sources in the Fukushima region should result in a decrease of contaminated
      matter deposition in reservoirs.

PMID- 28892849
TI  - Characteristics of air pollution in different zones of Sichuan Basin, China.
AB  - Sichuan Basin, located in southwest China, has been ranked as the fourth of
      heavily air polluted regions in China partly due to its deep mountain-basin
      topography. However, spatial-temporal distribution of air pollution over the
      basin is still unclear due to the lack of monitoring data and poor knowledge.
      Since January 2015, six criteria air pollutants began to be monitored in 20
      cities across the basin. The measured data enable us to analyze the basin-wide
      spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of these air pollutants. Results
      revealed heavy air pollution in the bottom zone, medium in the slope zone, and
      light pollution in the edge zone of the Basin in terms of the altitudes of air
      quality monitoring stations across the Basin. The average concentrations of PM2.5
      and PM10 were 55.87MUg/m3 and 86.49MUg/m3 in the bottom, 33.76MUg/m3 and
      63.33MUg/m3 in the slope, and 19.71MUg/m3 and 35.06MUg/m3 in the edge,
      respectively. In the bottom and slope of the basin, high PM2.5 concentration
      events occurred most frequently in winter. While in summer, ozone became primary
      pollutant. Among the six air pollutants, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10
      decrease dramatically with increasing altitude which was fitted by a nonlinear
      relationship between particulate matter (PM) concentrations and altitude. This
      relationship was validated by extinction coefficient profiles from CALIPSO
      observations and EV-lidar data, and hence used to reflect vertical distribution
      of air PM concentrations. It has been found that the thickness of higher PM
      concentrations is less than 500m in the basin. In the bottom of the basin, PM
      concentrations exhibited stronger horizontal homogeneities as compared with those
      in the North China Plain and Yangtze River Delta. However, gaseous pollutants
      seemed not to show clear relationships between their concentrations and altitudes
      in the basin. Their horizontal homogeneities were less significant compared to
      PM.

PMID- 28892850
TI  - Evaluation of EOC removal processes during artificial recharge through a reactive
      barrier.
AB  - A reactive barrier that consisted of vegetable compost, iron oxide and clay was
      installed in an infiltration basin to enhance the removal of emerging organic
      compounds (EOCs) in the recharge water. First-order degradation rates and
      retardation factors were jointly estimated for 10 compounds using a multilayer
      reactive transport model, whose flow and conservative transport parameters were
      previously estimated using hydraulic head values and conservative tracer tests.
      Reactive transport parameters were automatically calibrated against the
      concentration of EOCs measured at nine monitoring points. The degradation rate of
      each compound was estimated for three zones defined according to the redox state,
      and retardation coefficients were estimated in two zones defined according to the
      organic matter content. The fastest degradation rates were obtained for the
      reactive barrier, and the estimated values were similar to or higher than those
      estimated in column and/or field experiments for most of the compounds (8/10).
      Estimated retardation coefficients in the reactive barrier were higher than in
      the rest of the aquifer in most cases (8/10) and higher than those values
      estimated in previous studies. Based on the results obtained in this study the
      reactive barrier seems to be able to enhance the removal of EOCs.

PMID- 28892851
TI  - A Phosphorous Flow Analysis in Spain.
AB  - Phosphorus (P) is a vital macronutrient required to improve the agricultural
      yields but its excessive use as a fertilizer has resulted in pollution of water
      bodies leading to eutrophication. With no reserves of phosphorus source in Spain,
      increased dependence on phosphorus in agriculture have not only increased
      dependence on imports but also has raised concerns on its future availability as
      a resource. A Phosphorous Flow Analysis (PFA) was conducted for Spain for the
      year 2012 focusing on the food production and consumption systems. The results
      obtained were finally compared with PFA at both country level and continent level
      (EU-27). To quantify food and non-food flows systems, country specific data were
      considered. The sectors covered were crop production (CP), animal production
      (AP), food processing (FP), non-food production (NF) and consumption (HC). The
      findings reveal that a total of 325kt P was imported by Spain in 2012; 66% of
      which was accumulated in markets stock of food and feed, fertilizers and non-food
      (91kt P) while 33% was lost to the environment through land-fill, losses to water
      bodies, land accumulation and incineration. The largest proportion of losses is
      associated with water bodies (44.7kt P) followed by agriculture and land
      accumulation (42.1kt P). Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) received around
      79.5kt P within wastewater, with 60% being removed in sewage sludge. The 31.7kt P
      discharged within final effluent represented the 71% of the total losses to water
      bodies. Around 69% of the sewage sludge was recycled to agriculture and 27% was
      sent directly to landfill including the ashes from incineration. Net accumulation
      was 1.84kg P/cap which was similar to values reported for the EU-27 average
      (2.5kg P/cap).

PMID- 28892852
TI  - Contribution of ship emissions to the concentration of PM2.5: A comprehensive
      study using AIS data and WRF/Chem model in Bohai Rim Region, China.
AB  - Compared with on-road vehicles, emission from ships is one of the least-regulated
      anthropogenic emission sources and non-negligible source of primary aerosols and
      gas-phase precursors of PM2.5. The Bohai Rim Region in China hosts dozens of
      large ports, two of which ranked among the top ten ports in the world. To
      determine the impact of ship emissions on the PM2.5 concentrations over this
      region, two parts of works have been conducted in this study. First, a detailed
      ship emission inventory with high spatiotemporal resolution was developed based
      on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. Then the WRF/Chem model was
      applied to modeling the impact of ship emissions by comparing two scenarios: with
      and without ship emissions. The results indicate that the total estimated ship
      emissions of SO2, NOX, PM10, PM2.5, CO, HC, and CO2 from Bohai Rim Region in 2014
      are 1.9*105, 2.9*105, 2.6*104, 2.4*104, 2.5*104, 1.2*104, and 1.3*107tonnes,
      respectively. The modeling results indicate that the annual PM2.5 concentrations
      increased by 5.9% on land areas of Bohai Rim Region (the continent within 115.2
      degrees E-124.3 degrees E and 36.1 degrees N-41.6 degrees N) due to ship
      emissions. The contributions show distinctive seasonal variations of
      contributions, presenting highest in summer (12.5%) followed by spring (6.9%) and
      autumn (3.3%), and lowest in winter (0.9%). The contribution reaches up to 10.7%
      along the shoreline and down to 1.0% 200km inland. After examining the statistics
      of the modeling results during heavy and non-heavy haze days in July, it was
      found that 6 out of 9 cities around the Bohai Rim Region were observed with
      higher contributions from ship emissions during heavy haze days compared with non
      heavy haze days. These results indicate that the impacts of ship emissions on the
      ambient PM2.5 are non-negligible, especially for heavy haze days for most coastal
      cities in the Bohai Rim Region.

PMID- 28892853
TI  - Tracking trace elements into complex coral reef trophic networks.
AB  - The integration, accumulation and transfer of trace elements across the main
      tropic levels of many food webs are poorly documented. This is notably the case
      for the complex trophic webs of coral reef ecosystems. Our results show that in
      the south-west lagoon of New Caledonia both abiotic (i.e. sediments) and biotic
      (i.e. primary producers, consumers and predators) compartments are contaminated
      by trace elements. However, our analyses revealed different contamination
      patterns from the sources of organic matter to the predators. The trophic levels
      involved in the sedimentary benthic food web (S-BFW, based on the sedimentary
      organic matter) and to a lesser extent in the reef benthic food web (R-BFW, based
      on algal turf) were mainly contaminated by trace elements that originate from
      mining activities like Ni and associated trace elements (Co, Cr, Fe, and Mn).
      Trace elements linked to agro-industrial (As, Hg, and Zn) and urban (Ag, Cd, Cu,
      Pb, Se, and V) activities were also integrated into the S-BFW, but preferentially
      into the R-BFW, and to a lesser extent into the detrital benthic food web (D-BFW,
      supplied by sea-grass plants). Most of the trace elements were biodiminished with
      increasing trophic levels along food webs. However, a marked biomagnification was
      observed for Hg, and suspected for Se and Zn. These results provide important
      baseline information to better interpret trace element contamination in the
      different organisms and trophic levels in a highly diversified coral reef lagoon.

PMID- 28892854
TI  - Tissue distribution and maternal transfer of persistent organic pollutants in
      Kentish Plovers (Charadrius alexandrines) from Cangzhou Wetland, Bohai Bay,
      China.
AB  - Several persistent organic pollutants, including polychlorinated dibenzo-p
      dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
      polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), were
      comprehensively investigated in the egg, muscle and liver samples of Kentish
      Plover (Charadrius alexandrines) collected from Cangzhou Wetland in western Bohai
      Bay, China. DDTs were the most abundant contaminants (35.4-9853ngg-1 lipid
      weight, lw), followed by HCHs, PCBs, PBDEs and HCB. PCDD/Fs exhibited the lowest
      concentrations in all tissues (8.74-4763pgg-1 lw). PCBs and PCDD/Fs were
      dominated by penta- and hexa-homologs, and PBDEs mostly consisted of the
      signature congeners of BDE formulations, such as BDE-209, -47, -153 and -99.
      Significant correlations were found between the lipid-normalized concentrations
      in muscle and liver (r: 0.37-0.90, p<0.05) and no significant differences
      (p<0.05), indicating the homogenous distribution of POPs in tissue lipids at
      steady state. The ratios of concentrations in muscle and liver (M/L) ranged from
      0.20 to 1.51, and higher ratios of M/L were found for those compounds with log
      Kow in the range of 6.5-7.0, suggesting the preferential accumulation of mid
      halogenated compounds in muscle. Significant correlations were generally observed
      between the concentrations in egg and the maternal tissue (p<0.05). The
      concentration ratios of egg to liver (E/L) were in the range of 0.10-1.24 except
      for p,p'-DDT (12.7), and compounds with log Kow of 6.5-7.0 exhibited higher E/L
      ratios, suggesting the selective maternal transfer of mid-halogenated compounds.

PMID- 28892855
TI  - Oxidizing capacity of the rural atmosphere in Hong Kong, Southern China.
AB  - Atmospheric oxidizing capacity (AOC), dominated by the hydroxyl radical (OH), is
      an important index of the self-cleaning capacity of atmosphere and plays a vital
      role in the tropospheric chemistry. To better understand the key processes
      governing the chemistry of rural atmosphere of southern China, we analyzed the
      oxidation capacity and radical chemistry at a regional background site in Hong
      Kong from 23 August to 22 December 2012, which covered the summer, autumn and
      winter seasons. A chemical box model built on the latest Master Chemical
      Mechanism (v3.3) was used to elucidate the OH reactivity and sources of ROX
      radicals (ROX=OH+HO2+RO2). The AOC showed a clear seasonal pattern with stronger
      intensity in late summer compared to autumn and winter. Reactions with NO2 (30%)
      and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) (31%) together dominated the OH
      loss in summer, while reactions with CO (38% in autumn and 39% in winter) and
      OVOCs (34% in autumn and 25% in winter) made larger contributions in autumn and
      winter. Photolysis of O3 (36%-47%) presented the major ROX source during all
      three seasons. The second largest ROx source was HONO photolysis (25%) in summer
      compared to HCHO photolysis in autumn (20%) and winter (21%). Besides, photolysis
      of other OVOCs was another important primary source of ROx radicals with average
      contributions of 14%, 13% and 20% for the summer, autumn and winter cases,
      respectively. Overall, the present study evaluates the oxidizing capacity of the
      rural atmosphere of South China and elucidates the varying characteristics of
      photochemical processes in different air masses.

PMID- 28892856
TI  - Leachate breakthrough mechanism and key pollutant indicator of municipal solid
      waste landfill barrier systems: Centrifuge and numerical modeling approach.
AB  - Groundwater pollution by leachate leakage is one of the most common environmental
      hazards associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites. However,
      landfill leachate contains a large variety of pollutants with widely different
      concentrations and biotoxicity. Thus, selecting leachate pollutant indicators and
      levels for identifying breakthrough of barrier systems are key factors in
      assessing their breakthrough times. This study investigated the transport
      behavior of leachate pollutants through landfill barrier systems using centrifuge
      tests and numerical modeling. The overall objective of this study is to
      investigate breakthrough mechanism to facilitate the establishment of a
      consistent pollutant threshold concentration for use as a groundwater pollution
      alert. The specific objective of the study is to identify which pollutant and
      breakthrough threshold concentration should be used as an indicator in the
      transport of multiple pollutants through a landfill barrier system. The threshold
      concentration from the Chinese groundwater quality standards was used in the
      analysis of the properties of leachates from many landfill sites in China. The
      time for the chemical oxygen demand (COD) to reach the breakthrough threshold
      concentration at the bottom of a 2m compacted clay liner was 1.51years according
      to centrifuge tests, and 1.81years according to numerical modeling. The COD
      breakthrough times for single and double composite liners were within the range
      of 16 and 36.58years. Of all the pollutants, COD was found to consistently reach
      the breakthrough threshold first. Therefore, COD can be selected as the key
      indicator for pollution alerts and used to assess the environmental risk posed by
      MSW landfill sites.

PMID- 28892857
TI  - A risk-based approach to cumulative effect assessments for marine management.
AB  - Marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by the cumulative effects of
      multiple human pressures. Cumulative effect assessments (CEAs) are needed to
      inform environmental policy and guide ecosystem-based management. Yet, CEAs are
      inherently complex and seldom linked to real-world management processes.
      Therefore we propose entrenching CEAs in a risk management process, comprising
      the steps of risk identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation. We provide
      guidance to operationalize a risk-based approach to CEAs by describing for each
      step guiding principles and desired outcomes, scientific challenges and practical
      solutions. We reviewed the treatment of uncertainty in CEAs and the contribution
      of different tools and data sources to the implementation of a risk based
      approach to CEAs. We show that a risk-based approach to CEAs decreases
      complexity, allows for the transparent treatment of uncertainty and streamlines
      the uptake of scientific outcomes into the science-policy interface. Hence, its
      adoption can help bridging the gap between science and decision-making in
      ecosystem-based management.

PMID- 28892858
TI  - Spatiotemporal evolution of the chlorophyll a trend in the North Atlantic Ocean.
AB  - Analyses of the chlorophyll a concentration (chla) from satellite ocean color
      products have suggested the decadal-scale variability of chla linked to the
      climate change. The decadal-scale variability in chla is both spatially and
      temporally non-uniform. We need to understand the spatiotemporal evolution of
      chla in decadal or multi-decadal timescales to better evaluate its linkage to
      climate variability. Here, the spatiotemporal evolution of the chla trend in the
      North Atlantic Ocean for the period 1997-2016 is analyzed using the
      multidimensional ensemble empirical mode decomposition method. We find that this
      variable trend signal of chla shows a dipole pattern between the subpolar gyre
      and along the Gulf Stream path, and propagation along the opposite direction of
      the North Atlantic Current. This propagation signal has an overlapping
      variability of approximately twenty years. Our findings suggest that the
      spatiotemporal evolution of chla during the two most recent decades is part of
      the multidecadal variations and possibly regulated by the changes of Atlantic
      Meridional Overturning Circulation, whereas the mechanisms of such evolution
      patterns still need to be explored.

PMID- 28892859
TI  - Assessment of flushing methods for the removal of heavy chlorinated compounds
      DNAPL in an alluvial aquifer.
AB  - Immiscible mobilization and foam flushing were assessed as low surfactant
      consuming technologies, for the enhanced recovery of dense non-aqueous phase
      liquid (DNAPL) residual at a site contaminated by heavy chlorinated compounds.
      Preliminary experiments in well-controlled conditions demonstrated the phenomena
      involved in these remediation technologies and their limitations. Furthermore, we
      characterized the technologies according to by their surfactant consumption (per
      kg of DNAPL recovered) and the final DNAPL saturation reached. Surfactant foam
      flushing (SFF) produced lower DNAPL saturation than immiscible mobilization,
      thanks to its higher viscosity. However, its efficiency is strongly correlated to
      the pressure gradient (?P) used during injection, and that is limited by risks of
      soil fracturing. The two technologies were tested in field cells (10m*10m*10m)
      delimited by cement/bentonite walls anchored in the clayey substratum. The
      deepest soil layer was the most contaminated. It was composed of silt-sandy soil
      and had an average hydraulic conductivity of 10-4ms-1. Field results show that we
      should now model flushing fluid propagation to design efficient set-ups for
      recovering the displaced DNAPL.

PMID- 28892860
TI  - Fine particles at a background site in Central France: Chemical compositions,
      seasonal variations and pollution events.
AB  - To expand our knowledge of regional fine particles in Central France (Centre-Val
      de Loire region), a field observation study of PM2.5 was carried out at Verneuil
      site (46.81467N, 2.61012E, 180m.a.s.l.) from 2011 to 2014. The mass
      concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs), organic carbon (OC),
      elemental carbon (EC) and biomass burning tracer (Levoglucosan) in PM2.5 were
      measured. Annual average PM2.5 mass concentrations were 11.8, 9.5, 12.6 and
      10.2MUg.m-3 in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively, three of four higher than
      the WHO guideline of 10MUg.m-3. Secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) and organic
      matter (OM) appeared to be the major components in PM2.5 in Verneuil,
      contributing 30.1-41.8% and 36.9-46.3%, respectively. Main chemical species were
      observed in the following order: winter>=spring>autumn>summer. Backward
      atmospheric trajectories were performed using Hysplit model and suggested that
      the PM2.5 pollutants caused by atmospheric transport were mainly originated from
      European inland, mainly east to north-east areas. During the observation period,
      five pollution events were reported and indicated that not only the polluted air
      masses from central Europe but also the biomass burning from East Europe
      significantly influenced the air quality in Verneuil site.

PMID- 28892861
TI  - Assessment of the hazard of nine (doped) lanthanides-based ceramic oxides to four
      aquatic species.
AB  - The risk of environmental pollution with rare earth oxides rises in line with
      increasing application of these compounds in different sectors. However, data on
      potential environmental hazard of lanthanides is scarce and concerns mostly Ce
      and Gd. In this work, the aquatic toxicity of eight doped lanthanide-based
      ceramic oxides (Ce0.9Gd0.1O2, LaFeO3, Gd0.97CoO3, LaCoO3, (La0.5Sr0.5)0.99MnO3,
      Ce0.8Pr0.2O2, (La0.6Sr0.4)0.95CoO3, LaNiO4) and one non-doped oxide (CeO2) with
      primary size from 23 to 590nm were evaluated in four short-term laboratory assays
      with freshwater crustaceans and duckweeds. Results showed no acute toxicity
      (EC50>100mg/L) or very low acute toxicity for most studied oxides. Observed
      toxicity was probably due to bioavailable fraction of dopant metals (Ni and Co)
      but in the case of aquatic plants, decrease of nutrient availability (complexing
      of phosphorus by lanthanides) was also presumed. Studied oxides/metals
      accumulated in the aquatic plant tissue and in the gut of crustaceans and thus
      may be further transferred via the aquatic food chain. Accumulation of metals in
      the duckweed Lemna minor may be recommended as a cost-effective screening
      bioassay for assessment of potential hazard of poorly soluble oxides to aquatic
      ecosystems.

PMID- 28892862
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of an iron-impregnated biochar for aqueous arsenic
      removal.
AB  - : The iron (Fe)-impregnated biochar (FBC), fabricated via thermal pyrolysis of
      corn straw treated with FeCl3, was investigated for the sorption characteristics
      and mechanisms of aqueous arsenate removal. Structural and morphological analysis
      showed that large quantity of iron oxide particles tightly grew within the porous
      matrix of biochar (BC) through iron-impregnation. Batch sorption experimental
      results showed that the composite, with larger surface area, more functional
      groups, and greater thermal stability, exhibited excellent As(V) adsorption
      efficiency of 6.80mg/g compared to 0.017mg/g for unmodified BC (a 400-fold
      increase). The adsorption kinetics data were fitted well by pseudo second-order
      model, and sorption isotherms of As(V) were simulated well by both Freundlich and
      Langmuir models. XRD and FTIR analysis suggested that electrostatic attraction
      and precipitation were dominant mechanisms for As(V) sorption. The As(V)-loaded
      FBC could be easily separated from the solution by a magnet at the end of the
      sorption experiment. The FBC showed excellent re-sorption capacity, which account
      for about 70% removal efficiency for the second and third reuse in As(V)
      sorption. Results from this study demonstrated the promise of FBC composite as an
      efficient, low-cost, environmentally friendly, and regenerable adsorbent for
      As(V) remediation. CAPSULE: FBC showed enhanced As(V) sorption capacity,
      excellent re-sorption capacity, and could be easily separated by a magnet.

PMID- 28892863
TI  - Mercury in wintering American black ducks (Anas rubripes) downstream from a point
      source on the lower Penobscot River, Maine, USA.
AB  - Waterfowl wintering along the lower Penobscot River, Maine continue to be exposed
      to elevated Hg concentrations from the HoltraChem chlor-alkali plant that
      operated along the river between 1967 and 2000. In American black ducks (Anas
      rubripes) total Hg in duck breast muscle increased with residence time on
      contaminated marshes, reaching means of 0.82+/-0.21MUg/g ww (wet weight) by the
      end of the fall hunting season, and prompting Maine to issue a human consumption
      advisory on duck breast muscle. Methyl Hg comprised over 99% of the total Hg in
      breast muscle. The ratio of Hg concentrations in blood and muscle were strongly
      correlated and approached 1:1 after extended residence times. Primary feather
      (P1) total Hg concentrations averaged 2.2+/-1.3MUg/g fw (fresh weight), verifying
      low Hg exposure during feather growth on distant breeding grounds the preceding
      summer. Mercury concentrations in black ducks, following winter residence along
      the lower Penobscot exceeded levels associated with reproductive toxicity. Carry
      over of Hg to summer breeding grounds may limit the subsequent reproductive
      success of black ducks.

PMID- 28892864
TI  - Multi-sensor satellite and in situ monitoring of phytoplankton development in a
      eutrophic-mesotrophic lake.
AB  - Phytoplankton indicated by its photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll-a is an
      important pointer on lake ecology and a regularly monitored parameter within the
      European Water Framework Directive. Along with eutrophication and global warming
      cyanobacteria gain increasing importance concerning human health aspects. Optical
      remote sensing may support both the monitoring of horizontal distribution of
      phytoplankton and cyanobacteria at the lake surface and the reduction of spatial
      uncertainties associated with limited water sample analyses. Temporal and spatial
      resolution of using only one satellite sensor, however, may constrain its
      information value. To discuss the advantages of a multi-sensor approach the
      sensor-independent, physically based model MIP (Modular Inversion and Processing
      System) was applied at Lake Kummerow, Germany, and lake surface chlorophyll-a was
      derived from 33 images of five different sensors (MODIS-Terra, MODIS-Aqua,
      Landsat 8, Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2A). Remotely sensed lake average chlorophyll-a
      concentration showed a reasonable development and varied between 2.3+/-0.4 and
      35.8+/-2.0mg.m-3 from July to October 2015. Match-ups between in situ and
      satellite chlorophyll-a revealed varying performances of Landsat 8 (RMSE: 3.6 and
      19.7mg.m-3), Landsat 7 (RMSE: 6.2mg.m-3), Sentinel-2A (RMSE: 5.1mg.m-3) and MODIS
      (RMSE: 12.8mg.m-3), whereas an in situ data uncertainty of 48% needs to be
      respected. The temporal development of an index on harmful algal blooms
      corresponded well with the cyanobacteria biomass development during summer
      months. Satellite chlorophyll-a maps allowed to follow spatial patterns of
      chlorophyll-a distribution during a phytoplankton bloom event. Wind conditions
      mainly explained spatial patterns. Integrating satellite chlorophyll-a into
      trophic state assessment resulted in different trophic classes. Our study
      endorsed a combined use of satellite and in situ chlorophyll-a data to alleviate
      weaknesses of both approaches and to better characterise and understand
      phytoplankton development in lakes.

PMID- 28892865
TI  - Size characterization of silver nanoparticles after separation from silver ions
      in environmental water using magnetic reduced graphene oxide.
AB  - This study involved the synthesis of magnetic reduced graphene oxide (M-rGO)
      using a co-precipitation method and examined its resultant adsorption properties
      for mixtures containing silver ions and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The results
      indicate that M-rGO preferentially adsorbs silver ions in mixtures containing
      AgNPs, enabling the size characterization of smaller AgNPs (<60nm) at ultra-trace
      concentration levels to be more attainable. The sorbents after adsorption could
      be easily recovered through an external magnet. The AgNPs retained in solution
      were characterized using single-particle ICPMS (SP-ICPMS). The adsorption
      behavior of silver ions on M-rGO was well fitted with the pseudo-second-order
      kinetic model and the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model, with the conclusion
      that the adsorption of silver ions occurred primarily through the chemical bond
      effect and the heterogeneous surface of the sorbent. Finally, the application of
      M-rGO with the approach developed herein to actual environmental water samples
      was successful.

PMID- 28892866
TI  - Removal of hazardous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from aqueous solutions
      by biosorbent based on chitin and lignin.
AB  - The use of chitin modified with kraft lignin as an effective sorbent of ibuprofen
      and acetaminophen is described for the first time. It was determined how the
      parameters (contact time, pH, mass of sorbent and temperature) influence the
      effectiveness of the adsorption process. The adsorption kinetics were calculated
      using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order (types 1-4) and intra-particle
      diffusion models, and thermodynamic parameters were determined. The experimental
      data better correspond to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model of type 1 in the
      case of both tested pharmaceuticals (r2=0.999). The negative values of DeltaH
      degrees  show the adsorption to be exothermic (-5.515kJ/mol and -5.161kJ/mol for
      ibuprofen and acetaminophen respectively). Adsorption isotherms, using Langmuir
      isotherms of types 1-4 and Freundlich model, were also determined. The
      experimental data better correspond to the Langmuir type 1 model in the case of
      ibuprofen, and to the Freundlich model in the case of acetaminophen. Desorption
      tests were carried out to confirm the possibility of reusing the chitin/lignin
      system. A mechanism of adsorption of ibuprofen and acetaminophen on the
      chitin/lignin system was also proposed.

PMID- 28892867
TI  - Land surface temperature as an indicator of the unsaturated zone thickness: A
      remote sensing approach in the Atacama Desert.
AB  - Land surface temperature (LST) seems to be related to the temperature of shallow
      aquifers and the unsaturated zone thickness (?Zuz). That relationship is valid
      when the study area fulfils certain characteristics: a) there should be no
      downward moisture fluxes in an unsaturated zone, b) the soil composition in terms
      of both, the different horizon materials and their corresponding thermal and
      hydraulic properties, must be as homogeneous and isotropic as possible, c) flat
      and regular topography, and d) steady state groundwater temperature with a
      spatially homogeneous temperature distribution. A night time Advanced Spaceborne
      Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image and temperature field
      measurements are used to test the validity of the relationship between LST and
      ?Zuz at the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is located in the Atacama Desert (Chile)
      and meets the above required conditions. The results indicate that there is a
      relation between the land surface temperature and the unsaturated zone thickness
      in the study area. Moreover, the field measurements of soil temperature indicate
      that shallow aquifers dampen both the daily and the seasonal amplitude of the
      temperature oscillation generated by the local climate conditions. Despite
      empirically observing the relationship between the LST and ?Zuz in the study
      zone, such a relationship cannot be applied to directly estimate ?Zuz using
      temperatures from nighttime thermal satellite images. To this end, it is
      necessary to consider the soil thermal properties, the soil surface roughness and
      the unseen water and moisture fluxes (e.g., capillarity and evaporation) that
      typically occur in the subsurface.

PMID- 28892868
TI  - Assessing the feasibility of integrating ecosystem-based with engineered water
      resource governance and management for water security in semi-arid landscapes: A
      case study in the Banas catchment, Rajasthan, India.
AB  - Much of the developing world and areas of the developed world suffer water
      vulnerability. Engineering solutions enable technically efficient extraction and
      diversion of water towards areas of demand but, without rebalancing resource
      regeneration, can generate multiple adverse ecological and human consequences.
      The Banas River, Rajasthan (India), has been extensively developed for water
      diversion, particularly from the Bisalpur Dam from which water is appropriated by
      powerful urban constituencies dispossessing local people. Coincidentally,
      abandonment of traditional management, including groundwater recharge practices,
      is leading to increasingly receding and contaminated groundwater. This creates
      linked vulnerabilities for rural communities, irrigation schemes, urban users,
      dependent ecosystems and the multiple ecosystem services that they provide,
      compounded by climate change and population growth. This paper addresses
      vulnerabilities created by fragmented policy measures between rural development,
      urban and irrigation water supply and downstream consequences for people and
      wildlife. Perpetuating narrowly technocentric approaches to resource exploitation
      is likely only to compound emerging problems. Alternatively, restoration or
      innovation of groundwater recharge practices, particularly in the upper
      catchment, can represent a proven, ecosystem-based approach to resource
      regeneration with linked beneficial socio-ecological benefits. Hybridising an
      ecosystem-based approach with engineered methods can simultaneously increase the
      security of rural livelihoods, piped urban and irrigation supplies, and the
      vitality of river ecosystems and their services to beneficiaries. A renewed
      policy focus on local-scale water recharge practices balancing water extraction
      technologies is consistent with emerging Rajasthani policies, particularly Jal
      Swavlamban Abhiyan ('water self-reliance mission'). Policy reform emphasising
      recharge can contribute to water security and yield socio-economic outcomes
      through a systemic understanding of how the water system functions, and by
      connecting goals and budgets across multiple, currently fragmented policy areas.
      The underpinning principles of this necessary paradigm shift are proven and have
      wider geographic relevance, though context-specific research is required to
      underpin robust policy and practical implementation.

PMID- 28892869
TI  - Structural analysis of the interaction between Jaburetox, an intrinsically
      disordered protein, and membrane models.
AB  - Jack bean urease is entomotoxic to insects with cathepsin-like digestive enzymes,
      and its toxicity is mainly caused by a polypeptide called Jaburetox (Jbtx),
      released by cathepsin-dependent hydrolysis of the enzyme. Jbtx is intrinsically
      disordered in aqueous solution, as shown by CD and NMR. Jbtx is able to alter the
      permeability of membranes, hinting to a role of Jbtx-membrane interaction as the
      basis for its toxicity. The present study addresses the structural aspects of
      this interaction by investigating the behaviour of Jbtx when in contact with
      membrane models, using nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism
      spectroscopies in the absence or presence of micelles, large unilamellar
      vesicles, and bicelles. Fluorescence microscopy was also used to detect protein
      insect membrane interaction. Significant differences were observed depending on
      the type of membrane model used. The interaction with negatively charged SDS
      micelles increases the secondary and tertiary structure content of the
      polypeptide, while, in the case of large unilamellar vesicles and bicelles,
      conformational changes were observed at the terminal regions, with no significant
      acquisition of secondary structure motifs. These results were interpreted as
      suggesting that the Jbtx-lipids interaction anchors the polypeptide to the
      cellular membrane through the terminal portions of the polypeptide and that,
      following this interaction, Jbtx undergoes conformational changes to achieve a
      more ordered structure that could facilitate its interaction with membrane-bound
      proteins. Consistently with this hypothesis, the presence of these membrane
      models decreases the ability of Jbtx to bind cellular membranes of insect nerve
      cord. The collected evidence from these studies implies that the biological
      activity of Jbtx is due to protein-phospholipid interactions.

PMID- 28892870
TI  - Effects of terminal capping on the fibrillation of short (L-Glu)n peptides.
AB  - Several homopolypeptides including poly-l-glutamic acid (PLGA) form amyloid-like
      fibrils under favorable physicochemical conditions. We have shown recently that
      even short uncapped (Glu)n peptides (for n>3) form fibrillar beta-aggregates
      which cross-seed with amyloid fibrils obtained from high molecular weight
      fractions of PLGA. Here we investigate effects of N-terminal acetylation and C
      terminal amidation on the amyloidogenic tendencies of (Glu)n peptides containing
      3, 4, and 5 residues. Our results based primarily on time-lapse FT-IR
      spectroscopy and AFM microscopy indicate that selective modifications of C
      termini (and, to a lesser degree, of N-termini) decrease capacity of tetra- and
      pentapeptides to form fibrils. On the other hand, peptides modified at both ends
      appear to form fibrils as fast as unmodified analogues. In fact, the double
      terminal modification enables fibrillation of (Glu)3 which is not fibrillogenic
      in the unmodified state. The AFM data suggests that the double capping results in
      the aggregates becoming more tape-like or acquiring noticeable tendencies to
      bend. According to seeding and cross-seeding experiments, there is a high degree
      of promiscuity between modified and unmodified peptides. Possible mechanisms
      explaining how amyloidogenic propensities of (Glu)n peptides are affected by
      terminal modifications have been discussed.

PMID- 28892871
TI  - Formulation by design approach for development of ultrafine self-nanoemulsifying
      systems of rosuvastatin calcium containing long-chain lipophiles for
      hyperlipidemia management.
AB  - The present work entails systematic development of liquid self-nanoemulsifying
      drug delivery systems (L-SNEDDS) of rosuvastatin calcium containing long-chain
      lipophiles using QbD-driven Formulation by Design (FbD) approach. Elements of
      quality target product profile (QTPP) were defined and critical material
      attributes (CQAs) earmarked. Excipient screening was performed for selecting a
      suitable long-chain lipophile along with a surfactant and a cosolvent. Maximal
      drug solubility was observed in Peceol (i.e., lipid), Tween 80 (i.e., surfactant)
      and Transcutol HP (i.e., cosolvent), which during pseudoternary phase titration
      study indicated maximal nanoemulsion region at 1:1 ratio of surfactant: cosolvent
      mixture. Risk analysis and factor screening study indicated selection of
      excipient levels as the critical material attributes (CMAs). D-optimal mixture
      design was used for systematic optimization of L-SNEDDS, which exhibited
      emulsification time of 131s, globule size <100nm and faster drug release rate
      >80% in 15min. Ex vivo permeability showed >70% permeation of drug across the rat
      intestine, while in situ perfusion study indicated up to 1.8 and 2.1-folds
      improvement in permeability and absorptivity parameters of the drug from
      optimized L-SNEDDS over the plain drug suspension. In vivo pharmacokinetic
      studies revealed 1.8- and 5.7-folds enhancement in AUC0-t and Cmax, and 0.33
      folds reduction in Tmax of drug from the optimized L-SNEDDS vis-a-vis the pure
      plain drug suspension. In vivo pharmacodynamic studies also indicated superior
      antihyperlipidemic activity of optimized L-SNEDDS in normalizing serum lipid
      levels. Overall, the research work construed significant role of long-chain
      lipophiles in enhancing biopharmaceutical attributes of the L-SNEDDS of
      rosuvastatin.

PMID- 28892872
TI  - Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles-based paclitaxel and etoposide combinations
      for the synergistic anticancer efficacy in osteosarcoma.
AB  - In this study, paclitaxel and etoposide-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles
      (PE-LPN) was successful prepared and evaluated for physicochemical and anticancer
      effect. Nanosized PE-LPN was obtained with a perfect spherical morphology. PE-LPN
      exhibited a controlled release of two drugs in a sequential manner. The
      nanoparticles exhibited a typical endocytosis-mediated cellular uptake in cancer
      cells. The ratiometric combination of paclitaxel (PTX) and etoposide (ETP) were
      significantly more cytotoxic than individual drugs. Importantly, superior
      cytotoxic effect was observed for dual-drug-loaded PE-LPN than cocktail
      combination at a much lower dose. Similarly, PE-LPN exhibited a significantly
      higher apoptosis of cancer cells (~45%) compared to that of any other groups with
      higher caspase-3 and -8 activity. Importantly, PE-LPN showed a remarkable tumor
      regression effect and exhibited a 2-fold superior efficacy than free drugs. PE
      LPN treated group showed significantly less Ki-67 positive cells (less than 25%)
      than PTX/ETP and single drug treated groups, suggesting less active cell
      proliferation and a considerably higher tumor growth inhibition effect. The
      results collectively showed that combination of drugs could greatly improve the
      therapeutic property of chemotherapeutic drugs. By combining ETP with PTX (a
      powerful anticancer drug) in a polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle system,
      therapeutic efficacy could be improved in osteosarcoma treatments.

PMID- 28892873
TI  - Combination of PCR and dual nanoparticles for detection of Plasmodium falciparum.
AB  - Highly reactive particle-based DNA amplification was developed for the detection
      of the Pfg377 gene from P. falciparum gametocytes using functional magnetic latex
      particles (MLPs) and quantum dots encapsulated polymer particles (QDs-PPs).
      Firstly, MLPs were prepared from the precipitation of iron oxide, polymerization
      using initiator, and adsorption of aminodextran (AMD) so as to provide amino
      functionalized MLPs. Furthermore, amino-containing polymer particles (PPs) were
      prepared by emulsifier-free polymerization and encapsulated with fluorescent
      quantum dots (QDs) for use as a signaling support. Subsequently, poly(maleic
      anhydride-alt-methyl vinyl ether) (PMAMVE) copolymer was effectively used for
      rapid and simple grafting of amino-modified DNA primers onto the surface of amino
      functionalized particles thereby providing a promising method for particle
      immobilization. Herein, primer-grafted particles were applied in the
      amplification of the Pfg377 gene using the PCR approach. After amplification, PCR
      products containing PMAMVE-grafted MLPs and QDs-PPs were separated using a magnet
      and examined via a fluorescence microscope. PMAMVE-grafted particles were not
      found to inhibit the PCR reaction while facilitating efficient fluorescent
      detection of the PCR product. Results showed high sensitivity and specificity for
      the detection of amplified Pfg377 gene within only a few steps. This procedure
      represents a novel improvement to the post-amplification analysis.

PMID- 28892874
TI  - Mortality from multiple sclerosis in British military personnel.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While analysing trends in occupational mortality in England and
      Wales, we noticed an unexpectedly elevated proportion of deaths from multiple
      sclerosis (MS) among men in the armed forces. AIMS: To document and explore
      possible explanations for the observed excess. METHODS: We analysed data on
      underlying cause of death and last full-time occupation for 3,688,916 deaths
      among men aged 20-74 years in England and Wales during 1979-2010, calculating
      proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) standardised for age. We compared PMRs for
      MS in the armed forces with those for each main social class, and in selected
      other occupations. We also compared PMRs for MS with those for motor neurone
      disease (MND). RESULTS: The overall PMR for MS in the armed forces during 1979
      2010 was 243 (95%CI 203-288). The excess was apparent in each of three separate
      decades of study (PMRs, ranging from 220 to 259), and across the entire age
      range. PMRs for MS were not elevated to the same extent in comparator
      occupations, nor in any of the main social classes. There was no parallel
      increase in PMRs for MND. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the high
      proportional mortality from MS in British military personnel is unlikely to have
      occurred by chance, or as an artefact of the method of investigation. However,
      the only military cohort study with published results on MS does not support an
      increased risk. It would be useful to analyse data on MS from other established
      military cohorts, to check for evidence of a hazard.

PMID- 28892875
TI  - Development of Parafollicular Cells and their Relationship with Developing
      Thyroid Follicles in Human Foetuses.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The parafollicular cells or clear (C) cells in man are part of
      neuroendocrine system under Amine Precursor Uptake and Decarboxylation (APUD)
      cells. Their role in adults has been reputable but in foetus is still unclear.
      AIM: The present study was a baseline study endeavouring to describe the
      chronological development of the parafollicular cells with particular focus on
      its correlation with developing human thyroid follicles. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The study was conducted on 10 aborted foetuses (14-28 weeks), procured from the
      Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi, India.
      Serial sections of foetal thyroid gland were generated, stained with haematoxylin
      and eosin, and immunohistochemistry using the anticalcitonin antibody and
      examined qualitatively. RESULTS: In our study, the parafollicular cells were seen
      as earlier as by 14th week. They became morphologically and functionally mature
      by 16th week of gestation. The parafollicular cells were getting organized from
      scattering to parafollicular location then to a more localized area, i.e.,
      intrafollicular along with the follicular development. As the follicles were
      enlarging, the intrafollicularly located parafollicular cells which was initially
      present in groups was getting displaced singly between the follicular cells in
      the same follicle. CONCLUSION: The sequential development pattern of the
      parafollicular cells in relation to developing thyroid follicles was established.
      This immunohistochemical study also concluded that the parafollicular cells might
      have higher character to play in the early gestational age such as regulation of
      ossification in the human foetus.

PMID- 28892876
TI  - Effect of Radiofrequency Radiation Emitted from 2G and 3G Cell Phone on
      Developing Liver of Chick Embryo - A Comparative Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The increasing scientific evidence of various health hazards on
      exposure of Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR) emitted from both the cell phones and
      base stations have caused significant media attention and public discussion in
      recent years. The mechanism of interaction of RF fields with developing tissues
      of children and fetuses may be different from that of adults due to their smaller
      physical size and variation in tissue electromagnetic properties. The present
      study may provide an insight into the basic mechanisms by which RF fields
      interact with developing tissues in an embryo. AIM: To evaluate the possible
      tissue and DNA damage in developing liver of chick embryo following chronic
      exposure to Ultra-High Frequency/Radiofrequency Radiation (UHF/RFR) emitted from
      2G and 3G cell phone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fertilized chick embryos were
      incubated in four groups. Group A-experimental group exposed to 2G radiation (60
      eggs), Group B- experimental group exposed to 3G radiation (60 eggs), Group C-
      sham exposed control group (60 eggs) and Group D- control group (48 eggs). On
      completion of scheduled duration, the embryos were collected and processed for
      routine histological studies to check structural changes in liver. The nuclear
      diameter and karyorrhexis changes of hepatocytes were analysed using oculometer
      and square reticule respectively. The liver procured from one batch of eggs from
      all the four groups was subjected to alkaline comet assay technique to assess DNA
      damage. The results were compared using one-way ANOVA test. RESULTS: In our
      study, the exposure of developing chick embryos to 2G and 3G cell phone
      radiations caused structural changes in liver in the form of dilated sinusoidal
      spaces with haemorrhage, increased vacuolations in cytoplasm, increased nuclear
      diameter and karyorrhexis and significantly increased DNA damage. CONCLUSION: The
      chronic exposure of chick embryo liver to RFR emitted from 2G and 3G cell phone
      resulted in various structural changes and DNA damage. The changes were more
      pronounced in 3G experimental group. Based on these findings it is necessary to
      create awareness among public about the possible ill effects of RFR exposure from
      cell phone.

PMID- 28892877
TI  - A Rare Presentation of Grossly Deformed Lungs in a Kyphoscoliotic Female Cadaver.

PMID- 28892878
TI  - Role of Anthropometric Measurements in Development of CVD and Stroke among T2DM
      in East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality have been associated with
      different variables of anthropometric measurements. AIM: To find out the
      association of anthropometric measurements in the development of Cardiovascular
      Disease (CVD) and stroke among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Three hundred subjects were included in the study out of which 100
      subjects were known type 2 diabetics with CVD or Stroke (Group 1), 100 subjects
      were type 2 diabetic patients (Group 2) and 100 subjects were normal and healthy
      (Group 3). Blood Pressure (BP), Body Mass Index (BMI) Neck Circumference (NC),
      Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c),
      high sensitive- C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), Malondialdehyde (MDA), Homocysteine
      (Hcy), microalbuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were
      compared between all three groups by using one-way ANOVA test, comparison between
      males and females by t-test and association was done by using Chi-square test.
      RESULTS: There were a significant difference in the means of anthropometric and
      biochemical parameters of the three groups (p<0.05). Diastolic BP, NC, WC, HC and
      homocysteine, are higher in T2DM obese patients than T2DM over weight and normal
      weight patients are statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean of levels
      systolic BP, Diastolic BP, hsCRP are higher in T2DM over weight patients than
      T2DM obese and normal weight patients are statistically significant (p<0.05).
      Association of physical activity, snoring and interrupted sleep with BMI was
      statistical significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Obesity and overweight in T2DM
      patients play important role in elevation of blood pressure and inflammation
      markers like hsCRP, homocysteine. Snoring and interrupted sleep also involved
      development of CVD and Stroke among T2 diabetes.

PMID- 28892879
TI  - Evaluation of Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Autoantibodies and C-Reactive
      Protein in Common Autoimmune Skin Diseases with and without Arthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptides (CCPs) are a well known
      diagnostic and prognostic noble marker for rheumatoid arthritis. C-Reactive
      Protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein whose level rises in response to
      inflammation. AIM: This study was undertaken to show the role of the two markers
      (anti-CCPs and CRP) in autoimmune skin disorder and their association with
      associated arthritis in these disorder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum anti-CCP
      antibodies and CRP was measured in 50 patients of autoimmune skin disease of
      which 28 were of psoriasis, 12 of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and 10 of
      Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV). These patients were categorised in two groups, with
      associated arthritis and without arthritis. The serum level of anti-CCP and CRP
      was correlated with the presence or absence of arthritis in these patients.
      Control group consists of 20 healthy subjects in which these two parameters were
      measured. RESULTS: Out of total of 50 patients, anti-CCP was raised in 36.37% of
      patients with associated arthritis and 12.82% of patients without arthritis
      whereas CRP was raised in 63.63% of patients with arthritis and 35.89% of
      patients without arthritis. Mean serum anti-CCP in patient with arthritis was
      15.78+/-13.94 U/ml and without arthritis was 7.56+/-7.68 U/ml with p=0.01 which
      was statistically significant. Mean serum CRP in arthritis was 21.11+/-15.51 mg/l
      and CRP without arthritis was 13.14+/-12.27 mg/l with p=0.07 which was
      statistically not significant. CONCLUSION: Although both anti-CCP and CRP are
      valuable markers for autoimmune skin disorder, anti-CCP seems to show significant
      association with arthritis.

PMID- 28892880
TI  - Elevation of Oxidative Stress and Decline in Endogenous Antioxidant Defense in
      Elderly Individuals with Hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is becoming an important medical and public health
      problem all over the world and is the most common disorder of ageing. There is a
      growing evidence of involvement of vascular oxidative stress in the development
      of hypertension from animal studies. However, studies on humans with
      hypertension, particularly in elderly are least and data remained controversial.
      Moreover, studies in elderly people with hypertension are scarce. AIM: To
      investigate the possible role of oxidative stress and antioxidant defense in the
      pathogenesis of hypertension in elderly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional
      study was conducted on elderly males (n=60) with newly diagnosed hypertension and
      with normal blood pressure. Oxidative stress and antioxidant status were
      evaluated by assessing the following parameters: plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA),
      and antioxidants: Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activity, reduced Glutathione (GSH),
      and vitamin C levels; and total Nitric Oxide concentration in plasma (NOx).
      Difference between groups was determined by using unpaired t-test/Mann-Whitney U
      test. Bivariate correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to
      determine the relationship between variables. RESULTS: A significant rise in
      plasma MDA (p-value=0.013) and lower levels of endogenous antioxidants: SOD (p
      value<=0.001) and GSH (p-value<=0.001) were observed in elderly individuals with
      hypertension when compared to healthy controls. Though not significant, there was
      a mean decrease in plasma NOx in hypertensive subjects than normotensive ones.
      While vitamin C showed no significant difference between two groups. Decrease in
      GSH (beta=-0.398; p-value=0.001) and SOD (beta=-0.423; p-value<=0.001) were the
      significant determinants of hypertension in elderly individuals. CONCLUSION:
      Above findings indicate that elevation in oxidative stress and decrease in
      endogenous antioxidant level may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension.
      However, it remains unclear whether oxidative stress causes or augments
      hypertension.

PMID- 28892881
TI  - Thyroid Hormone Levels in Chronic Alcoholic Liver Disease Patients Before and
      After Treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Alcoholic liver disease affects almost all aspects of the thyroid
      gland including the thyroid hormone levels and the thyroid gland size. The
      altered thyroid hormone levels in alcoholic liver disease may affect alcohol
      abstinence in withdrawal period by changing hormone milieu in brain, increasing
      withdrawal dysphoria and increasing craving. AIM: The aim of the present study
      was to assess and compare the levels of thyroid hormones- free T3, free T4,
      Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) in chronic
      alcoholic liver disease patients before and after treatment. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This study was conducted on 70 alcoholic liver disease patients. Two
      serum samples were taken from the patient once at the time of admission and the
      other at the time of discharge after atleast ten days of treatment. Serum free
      T3, free T4, TSH and GGT were assessed on auto analyzer Beckman Coulter.
      Statistical analysis is done by paired t-test and Pearson's Correlation test.
      RESULTS: In present study, serum GGT levels decreased significantly (before
      treatment-207.46+/-66.90 U/L; after treatment-78.47+/-19.71 U/L) and free T3
      levels increased significantly with treatment (before treatment-2.54+/-0.48
      pg/mL; after treatment-2.88+/-0.37 pg/mL). Free T4 levels are also increased with
      treatment (before treatment-0.78+/-0.19 ng/dL; after treatment-0.88+/-0.13 ng/dL)
      and TSH levels are not altered significantly with treatment (before treatment
      3.34+/-1.62 MUIU/mL; after treatment-3.32+/-1.51 MUIU/mL). Additionally, free T3
      showed a significant correlation with GGT before (p-value<0.001) and after
      treatment (p-value-0.003) and free T4 and TSH showed a significant correlation
      with GGT after treatment (free T4: p-value<0.001) (TSH: p-value <0.001) and a
      suggestive significance exists before treatment (free T4: p-value= 0.098) (TSH: p
      value=0.062). CONCLUSION: Thyroid hormones levels, particularly free T3 and free
      T4, need to be evaluated in chronic alcoholic liver disease patients. Free T3
      could be used as a marker of alcoholism and is very useful in assessing the
      treatment efficacy in chronic alcoholic liver disease. Also, assessing free
      thyroid hormones is necessary during the withdrawal and abstinent periods as
      decreased hormone levels may increase withdrawal effects and craving for alcohol.

PMID- 28892882
TI  - Circulating Protein Carbonyls, Antioxidant Enzymes and Related Trace Minerals
      among Preterms with Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Information about oxidative stress in preterms with Respiratory
      Distress Syndrome (RDS) is defective, so various researches in this area are
      required, which may open new roads in understanding the pathogenesis of the
      disease, hence provide additional helpful therapeutic approaches. AIM: To assess
      and compare the plasma level of protein carbonyls as a marker for oxidant status
      and the antioxidant enzymes; Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione
      Peroxidase (GPx) and the related trace minerals in the form of Copper (Cu), Zinc
      (Zn) and Selenium (Se) as markers for antioxidant status, in preterms with and
      without RDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study was
      conducted on fifty-seven preterm neonates (37 preterms with RDS and 20 preterms
      without RDS) admitted to neonatal intensive care unit of Qena University
      Hospitals after approval of the University Hospital Ethical Committee. Plasma
      protein carbonyls assay was done using commercially available ELISA assay kit.
      Plasma Cu, Zn, Se, erythrocyte SOD and GPx activities assays were done using
      commercially available colorimetric assay kits. RESULTS: Significant higher
      plasma levels of protein carbonyls and oxidant/antioxidants ratio (protein
      carbonyls/{SOD+GPx}) with significant lower plasma levels of Zn, Cu, Se,
      erythrocyte SOD and GPx activities were found in the preterms with RDS when
      compared with the preterms without RDS (p<0.001 for all measured markers for both
      groups). In terms of birth weights and gestational ages, they were negatively
      correlated with both plasma protein carbonyls and oxidant/antioxidants ratio and
      positively correlated with plasma copper, zinc, selenium, erythrocyte SOD and GPx
      activities in a statistically significant manner. Non-significant correlations
      were found between the measured oxidative stress markers and the severity of RDS.
      CONCLUSION: Oxidative stress may have a contributory role in the development of
      RDS among preterms. Lower birth weight and prematurity may increase the
      susceptibity to oxidative stress among such patients.

PMID- 28892883
TI  - A Case of Hyperargininaemia Presenting at Unusually Low Age.
AB  - Arginase or ARG1 gene deficiency is a Type V Urea Cycle Disorder (UCD)
      (catalysing the fifth reaction of urea cycle), associated with hyperammonaemia.
      Here, we discuss a rare case of a 13-month-old female, having Severe Acute
      Malnutrition (SAM) and failure to thrive, with serial high plasma ammonia, normal
      plasma lactate with high arginine and glutamine levels on Amino Acid Assay (AAA)
      which was performed on 1220 Agilent HPLC. She was admitted for about a month and
      eventually succumbed to her ailment after a month of discharge.

PMID- 28892884
TI  - Effect of Metaboreflex on Cardiovascular System in Subjects of Metabolic
      Syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Metaboreflex is a reflex in which muscle receptors send signals
      regarding metabolic (metabolites accumulation like lactic acid, potassium,
      adenosine) conditions of the muscles to nucleus tractus solitarius via afferent
      III and IV fibres to cause haemodynamic adjustments in order to regulate blood
      flow on the basis of the status of contracting muscle. Dysregulation in its
      mechanism in metabolic syndrome is demonstrated. AIM: To study the effect of
      metaboreflex by both isometric and rhythmic handgrip exercise on CVS parameters
      {Blood Pressure (BP), Cardiac Output (CO) and Systemic Vascular Resistance (SVR)}
      in subjects of metabolic syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 27
      subjects aged 25 to 45 years were enrolled after ethical clearance and proper
      consent. They were divided into: a) subjects without metabolic syndrome; and b)
      subjects with metabolic syndrome. Impedance cardiovasography was done to assess
      cardiac parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cardiac output,
      systemic vascular resistance). Pre-exercise parameters were assessed followed by
      isometric exercise and post-isometric exercise parameter measurement. Again after
      rest, rhythmic exercise was followed. Finally post exercise parameters were
      assessed. Student paired t-test for comparison between pre and post exercise
      parameters were done. RESULTS: Changes in diastolic BP following exercise were
      statistically significant in subjects without metabolic syndrome (p-value 0.01
      and 0.001 following isometric and rhythmic exercise respectively). In subjects
      with metabolic syndrome also these changes were significant, but to a lesser
      extent (p-value 0.1 and 0.01 respectively for isometric and rhythmic exercise).
      Changes in systolic BP following exercise were statistically significant in
      subjects without metabolic syndrome (p-value 0.001 and 0.001 following isometric
      and rhythmic exercise respectively). In subjects with metabolic syndrome also
      these changes were significant (p-value 0.01 and 0.001 respectively for isometric
      and rhythmic exercise). CONCLUSION: Diminished pressor response is found after
      exercise in subjects with metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 28892885
TI  - An Analysis into Metacognition and Family History of Diabetes Mellitus among
      First Year Medical Students.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Medical course requires immense effort by the students to deal with
      vast curriculum and hence, the need to adopt metacognitive skill to cope up.
      Diabetes mellitus has an impact on cognition. Metacognition, being a component of
      cognition, is likely to be affected by diabetes. Children of diabetic parents
      have demonstrated insulin resistance which may contribute to metacognitive
      dysfunction. Hence, it is important to focus into the link between family history
      of diabetes and metacognition. AIM: To evaluate the impact of family history
      (parents and grandparents) of diabetes mellitus on metacognition in medical
      students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a questionnaire based
      cross-sectional study. Hundred first year medical students were recruited and
      they filled the Metacognitive Awareness (MA) questionnaire along with the details
      of the family history of diabetes. The metacognitive awareness questionnaire
      evaluated MA, its components (metacognitive knowledge and regulation) and their
      subcomponents. Positive history of diabetes in parents and grandparents were
      taken into account. The participants were then divided into two groups: with
      family history of diabetes (n=73) and without family history of diabetes (n=27).
      The metacognitive awareness and its subcomponents between the two groups were
      analysed using Student t-test between the groups (with and without family
      history). Pearson correlation was done to analyse the association between
      metacognition and family history of diabetes. RESULTS: Metacognitive knowledge
      (global score) was significantly lower in group with family history of diabetes
      (10.25+/-3.01 vs 12.04+/-3.2, p-value<0.05) as was metacognitive regulation
      global score (7.08+/-1.83 vs 7.99+/-1.36, p-value<0.05). Declarative knowledge
      and information management showed significant difference. Metacognitive knowledge
      showed a significant negative correlation with family history of diabetes
      (correlation coefficient = -0.263, p-value<0.01). CONCLUSION: Students with
      family history of diabetes had reduced metacognitive awareness. The awareness
      that metacognitive dysfunction can occur in early age in individuals with family
      history of diabetes would help us to identify them and device strategies to delay
      or prevent metacognitive dysfunction.

PMID- 28892886
TI  - Statistical Comments on "Assessment of Musculoskeletal Strength and Levels of
      Fatigue During Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle in Young Adults".

PMID- 28892887
TI  - Active Surveillance of Health Care Associated Infections in Neurosurgical
      Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Health Care Associated Infections (HCAI) are frequent complications
      in neurosurgery. There is limited data available on the incidence and burden of
      HCAI in neurosurgical patients of Southeast Asian region. AIM: To identify
      various HCAIs, associated aetiological agents and their antimicrobial
      susceptibility pattern among the patients admitted in the neurosurgery unit.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational prospective study was carried out for
      three months duration on all neurosurgical patients admitted to a tertiary-care
      center. The site-specific nosocomial infection rates and device utilization
      ratios were calculated. Data on demographic profiles, invasive procedures, HCAI,
      isolated microorganisms and antimicrobial susceptibilities were recorded.
      Statistical analysis of all the variables was done. The association between
      categorical variables was assessed by Chi-square/Fisher-exact test. Continuous
      variables such as infected and non-infected were compared by Wilcoxon rank-sum
      test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: A total of
      330 patients with 4054 patient-days were analysed for HCAI. Twenty-two HCAIs were
      identified in 21 patients. The overall rate of HCAI was 6.67% and 5.42 per 1000
      patient-days. Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) was most common (71.4%) followed by
      Laboratory Confirmed Blood-Stream Infection (LCBI) (28.5%) and pneumonia (4.7%).
      No central line-associated blood stream infection was identified. Klebsiella
      pneumoniae and Escherichia coli were the most common organisms causing UTI and
      LCBI. All the isolates (100%) were found to be multidrug resistant. CONCLUSION:
      This study generates a baseline data for records of device-associated infection
      in neurocritical care patients, which will further help monitoring its trend of
      infection and antimicrobial resistance pattern. Moreover, it will help in the
      formulation of the antibiotic policy and the preventive measures which may reduce
      morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28892888
TI  - Role of Herbal Agents - Tea Tree Oil and Aloe vera as Cavity Disinfectant
      Adjuncts in Minimally Invasive Dentistry-An In vivo Comparative Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevention and control of caries necessitates the elimination
      of cariogenic bacteria and cavity disinfectants have proved to play a major role
      in achieving the goal. The use of phytotherapy is trending and many natural
      products have shown anti-microbial properties which can be used as cavity
      disinfectant in the field of dentistry. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare
      the efficacy of herbal antibacterial agents (Tea Tree Oil (TTO) and Aloe vera)
      with commercially available 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) as cavity disinfectant for use
      in minimally invasive dentistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included three
      test groups, Group I (2% chlorhexidine), Group II (tea tree oil), Group III (Aloe
      vera gel) with a control group (distilled water). Ten patients with atleast one
      tooth with an occlusal or occluso-proximal lesion suitable for Atraumatic
      Restorative Treatment (ART) were selected for each group, dentinal samples were
      collected using sterile spoon excavators at three stages from each tooth viz.,
      pre-excavation, post-excavation and post-disinfection of the cavities. These
      dentinal samples were subjected to microbiological analysis for Total Viable
      Count (TVC). The data collected were statistically analysed using ANOVA and
      Bonferroni post-hoc test. RESULTS: The results of present study showed that there
      was a statistically significant reduction in TVC when compared between pre and
      post excavation in all the groups (p<0.05) and post- excavation and post
      disinfection in all the test groups (p<0.05) (except control group). Post
      disinfection, 2% chlorhexidine showed highest reduction in TVC followed by 1% tea
      tree oil and aloe vera gel. CONCLUSION: Natural antibacterial agents like tea
      tree oil and aloe vera could be effectively used as cavity disinfectants which
      will help in minimizing secondary caries and rendering a long term restorative
      success.

PMID- 28892889
TI  - Fungal Rhinosinusitis: Microbiological and Histopathological Perspective.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: On the basis of histopathology Fungal Rhinosinusitis (FRS) is
      categorized into non-invasive (allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, fungal ball) and
      invasive (acute invasive, chronic invasive and granulomatous invasive fungal
      sinusitis). This differentiation helps to decide the treatment. Role of latest
      molecular methods such as PCR and conventional methods such as KOH microscopy and
      culture also needs to be evaluated. Therefore, in this study we planned to
      categorise fungal rhinosinusitis on the basis of histopathology and compare it
      with other methods such as PCR, culture and KOH microscopy. AIM: To analyse
      fungal rhinosinusitis cases by both histopathologically and microbiologically.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 76 clinically suspected fungal rhinosinusitis
      cases were included in the study. The tissue of suspected cases were processed
      and examined by KOH microscopy, histopathologically, culture and PCR.
      Histopathological examination was done by PAS, GMS and H&E stain. RESULTS: FRS
      was diagnosed in 37 (48.68%) cases out of 76 clinically suspected cases of FRS.
      In which 17 (22.3%) cases were positive by direct microscopy, 21 (27.6%) by
      culture, 27 (35.5%) by PCR and 14 (18.42%) by histopathology. Approximately 14
      cases of FRS were classified according to histopathology; 10 (71.3%) as non
      invasive FRS. Out of these 10, 9 (64.2%) were classified as AFRS and 1 (7.14%) as
      fungal ball. Only 4 cases (28.5%) were diagnosed with invasive FRS. Out of these
      4 cases, 2 (14.2%) were of chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, 1 (7.14%) was
      of granulomatous invasive fungal rhinosinusitis and 1 (7.14%) was of acute
      fulminant invasive fungal rhinosinusitis. Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis (AFRS)
      is the most common type of FRS. Aspergillus flavus was found to be the most
      common fungi causing FRS. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis should not be based on the single
      method. It should be done by both histopathological and microbiological methods,
      especially for those cases which are difficult to diagnose.

PMID- 28892890
TI  - Virulence Factors Detection in Aspergillus Isolates from Clinical and
      Environmental Samples.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pathogenesis of aspergillosis is dependent on various factors of
      the host (immune status) and virulence factors of the pathogen which could play a
      significant role in the pathogenesis of invasive aspergillosis. AIM: To study the
      virulence factors of Aspergillus species isolated from patient samples and
      environmental samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective and experimental
      study was carried out at Department of Microbiology, MGM Medical College and
      Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, from July 2014 to June 2015. For detection
      of virulence factors of Aspergillus species, total 750 samples were included in
      this study (350 from patients and 400 samples from environment). Patient samples
      and hospital environment samples were subjected to standard methods for screening
      of Biofilm, Lipase, alpha-amylase, proteinase, haemolysin, phospholipase and
      pectinase. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test and SPSS (Version
      17.0). RESULTS: American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) control of Aspergillus
      oryzae, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus brasiliensis showed production of all
      virulence factors. In patient samples maximum virulence factor was produced i.e.,
      alpha-amylase activity (89.74%) followed by proteinase activity (87.17%), biofilm
      production was (82.05%) haemolysin activity (79.48%), lipase activity (66.66%),
      pectinase activity and phospholipase activity (61.53%). In environment samples
      maximum virulence factor was produced i.e., proteinase activity (41.02%) followed
      by biofilm production was (38.46%), alpha-amylase activity (35.89%), haemolysin
      activity (33.33%), lipase activity (28.20%), phospholipase (25.64%) and pectinase
      activity (23.07%). The differences in patient and environment virulence factors
      were statistically significant (p-value <0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall the presence
      of virulence factors was found more in Aspergillus species isolated from patient
      samples then environmental samples. This could be due to invasiveness nature of
      Aspergilli. Aspergillusniger was common isolates from both patient and
      environmental samples. Our study highlights the possible transmission of
      Aspergilli from environment to patient. Detection of virulence factors of
      Aspergillus species help to differentiate between pathogenic and non-pathogenic
      Aspergilli. Presence of virulence factors confirmed pathogenicity of the
      isolates. It also helps the physicians to treat the patient when appropriate
      treatment is needed.

PMID- 28892891
TI  - Distribution of Class D Carbapenemase and Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase Genes
      among Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolated from Burn Wound and Ventilator Associated
      Pneumonia Infections.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Resistance to Acinetobacter baumannii is dramatically on the rise
      in Iran. Therefore, it is important to study resistance pattern among
      Acinetobacter isolates which is a common cause of nosocomial infections. AIM: To
      investigate antibiotic resistance patterns and the role of resistant genes and
      biofilm formation in the induction of resistance among Acinetobacter baumannii
      isolated from burn wound and ventilator associated pneumonia infections.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total 103 isolates such as 33 burn samples from Rasool
      Akram Hospital and 70 isolates from ventilated patients in Shahid Motahhari
      Hospital were identified with A. baumannii using biochemical method, and then
      identified to species level with PCR of gyrB and blaOXA-51 gene. Antibiotic
      sensitivity pattern for beta-lactam and carbapenem antibiotics was assessed using
      Agar disc diffusion test and E-test. The presence of different carbapenemase and
      metalo-beta-lactamase (blaOXA-51-like, gyrB, blaOXA-23-like, blaOXA-24-like,
      blaOXA-58, blaVEB, blaPER, blaGIM, blaSIM, blaIMP, blaVIM), extended-spectrum
      beta-lactamases (blaTEM, blaSHV) and two insertion sequences genes (ISaba1,
      IS1113) was assessed. Biofilm formation of all isolates was then assessed. Chi
      square analysis or Fisher's-exact tests were used for statistical analysis. A p
      value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Colistin was the
      most effective antimicrobial agents, although 10.7% (11/103) of the isolates were
      resistant. The high rate of resistance to meropenem (93.2%) and imipenem (90.3%)
      was determined. Also, with exception of ampicillin-sulbactam, surprisingly the
      resistant rate was 28.2%, the resistance to beta-lactam antibiotic was
      dramatically increased. Co-existence of two and three blaOXA genes was also
      determined. The blaOXA-58 was detected in only one isolate. The blaTEM and blaOXA
      23 was the most prevalent Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamases (ESBL) gene. All
      isolates were biofilm producers. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic resistance is increasing
      among A. baumannii isolates which is due to excessive use of antibiotics and also
      acquired resistant genes and biofilm production. Resistance to nearly all
      antimicrobial agents especially colistin as end choice for treatment of multiple
      drug resistance A. baumannii is a big concern.

PMID- 28892892
TI  - Antibiotic Screening of Urine Culture for Internal Quality Audit at Amrita
      Hospital, Kochi.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Urine antimicrobial activity is a seldom analysed laboratory test
      which greatly impacts the quantification of urine specimens. Presence of
      antimicrobial activity in the urine reduces the bacterial load in these
      specimens. Hence, the chances of erroneously reporting insignificant bacteriuria
      can be reduced on analysis of the antimicrobial activity in urine. AIM: The aim
      of the study was to measure the antimicrobial activity of urine samples obtained
      from patients in a tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100
      urine specimens were collected from the study group. Tests like wet mount, Gram
      staining and culture were performed. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was
      done on the bacteria isolated from each specimen. The urine specimens were
      reported as significant bacteriuria (>105 Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/ml) and
      insignificant bacteriuria (<105 CFU/ml - clean catch midstream urine; <102 CFU/ml
      - catheterized urine sample) according to the CFU/ml. Staphylococcus aureus
      ATCC(r) 25923TM and Escherichia coli ATCC(r) 25922TM were used to identify the
      presence of antimicrobial activity in the urine sample by Urine Anti-Bacterial
      substance Assay (UABA). McNemar test was used for statistical analysis using
      Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. RESULTS: On
      analysis of the antimicrobial activity of urine sample with the prior antibiotic
      history of the patients, 17 were true positives and 43 were true negatives.
      Twenty six of samples with UABA positivity were culture negative and 28 samples
      with UABA positivity were culture positive. Sensitivity and specificity of the
      test was 85% and 53.8% respectively. Accuracy of the test was 60%. The p-value of
      UABA was <0.001. Enterobacteriaceae was the most common bacterial family isolated
      from the urine specimens. A total of 85% patients responded to treatment.
      CONCLUSION: Presence of antimicrobial activity in urine has a great impact on the
      interpretation of urine culture reports. Identification of urine antimicrobial
      activity helps in evaluating the quantification of bacterial growth reported in
      urine culture. It facilitates speedy recovery of patients by early administration
      of antibiotics.

PMID- 28892893
TI  - Distribution of SCCmec Elements and Presence of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin in
      Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcusepidermidis Isolated from Clinical Samples in
      a University Hospital of Isfahan City, Iran.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) is considered as a major
      pathogen of nosocomial infections among immunosuppressed patients. AIM: The aim
      of this study was to identify the types of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec
      (SCCmec) and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) gene among clinical Methicillin
      Resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) isolates collected from Isfahan. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed from March 2014 to January 2015
      at a tertiary care hospital of Isfahan, Iran. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests
      of S. epidermidis isolates were performed by the disc diffusion method. All the
      strains were screened for methicillin resistance based on resistance to cefoxitin
      (30 MUg) disc and presence of mecA gene. Determination of SCCmec typing and PVL
      toxin gene were performed by PCR method. For categorical variables different
      groups were compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher exact test. A p-value of
      <0.05 was considered significant for all statistical tests. RESULTS: The
      frequency of MRSE was 53.8% according to the presence of mecA gene. The overall
      resistance rate was high with ciprofloxacin (81.4%). PCR analysis showed that 17%
      (12/70) of MRSE isolate carried the PVL gene and 43% (30/70) were SCCmec type I;
      11.4% (8/70) were type II; and 34.2% (24/70) were type IV, whereas, 11.4% (8/70)
      of the MRSE isolates could not be typed. CONCLUSION: SCCmec type I was the major
      type of SCCmec, which indicates an emergence of this SCCmec type in the studied
      medical centers. Increased prevalence of SCCmec types in community is cause of an
      increase in antibiotic resistance among microorganisms.

PMID- 28892895
TI  - Effectivity of Titanium Oxide Based Nano Particles on E. coli from Clinical
      Samples.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nanoparticles composed of Titanium Oxide (TiO2) are non toxic,
      durable, stable and have a high refractive index with a lot of scope in
      biomedical applications. Due to their antibacterial effects, they can be applied
      to inanimate objects like glass, metal and even biomedical implants. AIM: This
      study was conducted to assess the antibacterial effect of Titanium Oxide (TiO2)
      alone or with Silver (Ag) as an additive on Escherichia coli. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Escherichia coli isolates (n=25) sensitive to most of the drugs
      including first generation cephalosporins, ampicillin and amoxycillin from
      various samples like pus, urine, sputum and blood were placed onto the glass
      slides containing TiO2 annealed at 200 degrees C, 400 degrees C, TiO2 with 0.1%
      Ag as additive, TiO2 with 0.3% Ag, and TiO2 with 0.6% Ag as additive. Samples
      from this were inoculated at every hour onto sterile petri plates and observed
      for growth after overnight incubation at 37 degrees C. RESULTS: The organisms
      which were inoculated onto TiO2 annealed at 200 degrees C showed a slower
      reduction rate from >1 * 108 cfu/ml to <1 * 10 cfu/ml only after six hours of
      incubation in visible light. Complete absence of colony forming units was
      observed after eight hours of incubation. The samples treated with TiO2 at 400
      degrees C showed no growth after six hours of incubation itself. Samples treated
      with TiO2 with increasing gradations of silver as additives showed proportional
      reduction in the incubation time for the complete absence of colony forming
      units. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that pure titanium oxide has a high
      antibacterial effect on pathogenic samples of Escherichia coli from clinical
      isolates, which is further increased with the addition of increasing
      concentrations of silver.

PMID- 28892894
TI  - Low Rate of babA2 Genotype among Iranian Helicobacter pylori Clinical Isolates.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Blood Group Antigen-Binding Adhesion (babA), Outer Inflammatory
      Protein (oipA) and Sialic Acid-Binding Adhesin (sabA) as outer membrane proteins
      involved in Helicobacter pylori adherence to gastric mucosa have been suggested
      to have a role in the pathogenesis. AIM: To investigate the frequency of H.
      pylori isolates babA2, oipA and sabA genes in Iranian dyspeptic patients.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNAs were extracted from H. pylori -positive cultures
      taken from 100 different dyspeptic patients. Genotyping was performed by
      Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), using the specific primers for babA2, oipA and
      sabA genes. Chi square test was used to investigate association between
      variables, p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: All (100%)
      isolates possessed oipA and sabA genotypes, whereas babA2 was detected in 22% of
      isolates. There was no significant relationship between presence of genes with
      clinical outcome. The combined genotype oipA +/sabA +/ babA2- was correlated with
      gastritis. The rate of babA2 genotype in our isolates was lower than other
      Iranian reports. CONCLUSION: Frequency of babA2 genotype among H. pylori isolates
      from Southwest of Iran is considerably less than other regions of Iran. Due to
      heterogeneity of H. pylori strains in different geographic regions, further work
      will be needed to understand the role of these virulence genes in H. pylori
      pathogenesis and their possible association with disease outcome.

PMID- 28892896
TI  - Detection of Cytomegalovirus in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid from HIV-Positive
      Individuals with Community Acquired Pneumonia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia is one of the frequent viral
      pneumonia reported in persons with HIV infection. Knowledge of pulmonary CMV
      infection is important for deciding appropriate diagnostic strategies. However,
      there is scanty literature addressing the role of CMV aetiology among HIV
      positive individuals presenting with Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) using
      Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) samples from India. AIM: To detect CMV in BAL fluid
      from HIV-positive individuals presenting with CAP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study was conducted using 107 archival BAL samples collected from
      consecutive HIV-positive patients presenting with CAP as per the Indian Chest
      Society and National College of Chest Physicians guidelines at the Department of
      Chest and Tuberculosis, Sassoon General Hospitals, Pune, India. The samples were
      tested for CMV by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) targeting the IRL11 region at
      the National AIDS Research Institute, Pune. RESULTS: Of the 107 BAL samples
      tested, 8 (7.4 %) were positive for CMV, while CMV was the sole pathogen in 5
      (4.7%) cases. Co-infection with other pathogens was seen in 3 patients and
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pneumocystis jiroveci and Streptococcus pneumoniae
      were the co-pathogens. Five patients had fatal clinical outcome of which three
      had CMV as the sole pathogen. CONCLUSION: Ours is the first study to detect
      Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in bronchoalveolar lavage samples from HIV-positive
      individuals presenting with community acquired pneumonia from India and indicates
      the need for further multicentre studies to understand pulmonary CMV infection,
      which will eventually help in designing appropriate diagnostic strategies and
      therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 28892898
TI  - Atypical Presentation of Isolated Cerebral Aspergillosis in a Renal Allograft
      Recipient.
AB  - The immunosuppressive state in organ transplantation leads to infectious
      complications responsible for high mortality rate. Fungal infections account for
      5% of all infections in Renal Transplantation (RT) recipients. Aspergillus
      species are filamentous fungi frequently causing fungal infections in RT
      recipients. Lungs and paranasal sinuses are the usual portal of entry from where
      it disseminates to other organs. Here, we are reporting a case of 14-year-old boy
      with RT from mother's kidney, who had atypical presentation of isolated cerebral
      aspergillosis at 19 months post-transplant without identified portal of entry.
      Early diagnosis and prompt treatment saved the patient and the graft.

PMID- 28892897
TI  - Anaerobic Bacteria in Clinical Specimens - Frequent, But a Neglected Lot: A Five
      Year Experience at a Tertiary Care Hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anaerobic bacteria which constitute a significant proportion of the
      normal microbiota also cause variety of infections involving various anatomic
      sites. Considering the tedious culture techniques with longer turnaround time,
      anaerobic cultures are usually neglected by clinicians and microbiologists. AIM:
      To study the frequency of isolation of different anaerobic bacteria from various
      clinical specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study to analyse the
      frequency of isolation of different anaerobic bacteria, was conducted over a
      period of five years from 2011 to 2015 including various clinical specimens
      submitted to anaerobic division of Microbiology laboratory. Anaerobic bacteria
      were isolated and identified following standard bacteriological techniques.
      RESULTS: Pathogenic anaerobes (n=336) were isolated from 278 (12.48%) of overall
      2227 specimens processed with an average yield of 1.2 isolates. Anaerobes were
      isolated as polymicrobial flora with or without aerobic bacterial pathogens in
      159 (57.2%) patients. Anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli (140, 41.7%) were the
      predominant isolates. B. fragilis group (67, 19.9%) were the most commonly
      isolated anaerobic pathogens. Anaerobes were predominantly isolated from deep
      seated abscess (23.9%). CONCLUSION: Pathogenic anaerobes were isolated from
      various infection sites. Unless culture and susceptibility tests are performed as
      a routine, true magnitude of antimicrobial resistance among anaerobic pathogens
      will not be known. Knowledge of the distribution of these organisms may assist in
      the selection of appropriate empirical therapy for anaerobic infections.

PMID- 28892899
TI  - First Detection and Characterization of Streptococcus dentapri from Caries Active
      Subject.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mutans streptococci (MS) are a group of oral bacteria generally
      regarded as the principal agents in the pathogenesis of dental caries. AIM: The
      study aimed was characterize S. dentapri based on phylogenetic analysis and
      phenotypic methods from Caries Active Subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: While
      sequencing MS species which were isolated from 65 caries active subjects, one
      strain of S. dentapri was detected. Dental plaque samples were processed and
      cultured on mitis salivarius bacitracin agar. S. dentapri was characterized using
      phylogenetic analysis, colony morphology characterization and biotyping. RESULTS:
      Among the study population, one strain designated as H14 was identified as S.
      dentapri by 16S rDNA sequencing. Morphologically, S. dentapri could not
      differentiate from other species of MS. S. dentapri H14 demonstrated biotype II
      biochemical characteristics of MS. The phylogenetic analysis showed S. dentapri
      is closely related to S. macacae. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that S.
      dentapri can inhabit the human oral cavity and therefore further investigations
      are warranted to determine its role in caries.

PMID- 28892900
TI  - Immunohistochemical Expression of Caspase-3 in Psoriasis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a persistent chronic immune-mediated, relapsing,
      inflammatory and hyper proliferative skin disorder with genetic predisposition.
      Psoriasis can be considered as a T-cell mediated disease, with a complex role for
      a variety of cytokine interaction between keratinocytes and T-lymphocytes.
      Caspase-3 is an enzyme that plays a key role in apoptosis; it is a member of the
      family of cysteinyle aspartate specific proteases. AIM: To evaluate the
      expression of caspase-3 in Egyptian psoriasis patients and its role in apoptosis
      of keratinocytes. Also, to correlate this expression with the clinicopathological
      parameters in order to identify the possible hypothesized role of caspase-3 in
      the pathogenesis of psoriasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a case-control
      study conducted on patients suffering from chronic plaque psoriasis. A total of
      20 psoriasis patients and 10 controls were selected from outpatient clinic of
      Dermatology, Menoufia University Hospital, between the period of October 2014 and
      January 2016. From each patient and control, a punch biopsy was taken. Evaluation
      of H&E stained sections and caspase-3 expression was done using standard immunohi
      stochemical techniques. Non-parametric chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test,
      Kruskal Wallis test and Spearman's coefficient test were the statistical tests
      used. RESULTS: High caspase-3 H score was significantly in favour of psoriatic
      group in comparison with the control group. On the contrary, in the dermis,
      caspase-3 was significantly higher in skin adnexa while completely absent in the
      psoriatic group. Strong caspase-3 expression was significantly in favour of high
      PASI score, early onset lesions and lesions in the extremities. Significant
      positive correlation was found between caspase-3 percent and PASI score (r=
      +0.53, p-value=0.03). CONCLUSION: Caspase-3 over expression in the psoriatic
      lesion proposes a potential role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Positive
      correlation between the caspase-3 expression and the early onset psoriatic lesion
      located in the extremities implies a possible poor prognostic impact of caspase-3
      over expression.

PMID- 28892901
TI  - Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast: How Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Affects the Status
      of Estrogen Receptor, Progesterone Receptor and HER2/Neu-A Tertiary Care Centre
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Determination of Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR)
      and HER2/neu in primary Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) breast is the standard of
      care parameter for determining treatment options. Whether or not Neoadjuvant
      Chemotherapy (NAC) affects the receptor status is still an unanswered question.
      AIM: To compare immunohistochemical (IHC) profiles of ER, PR and HER2/neu in
      primary IDC breast before and after NAC to assess the subsequent effects on
      receptor status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty two patients diagnosed with
      primary IDC breast who had a previous breast core biopsy with complete IHC
      profile followed by NAC and Modified Radical Mastectomy (MRM) were included. For
      each case demographic and histologic data was collected, including age, grade,
      amount of necrosis post NAC and IHC panel for ER, PR and HER2/neu in core
      biopsies. The same IHC panel was applied on Post NAC MRM specimen. Pre- and post
      NAC IHC expression was compared. RESULTS: Patients ranged from 30 years to 75
      years in range. ER, PR and HER2/neu status of core biopsies and MRM specimen were
      compared and overall agreement was noted. Comparison for each receptor was done
      using McNemar's test and significance was calculated. There was no statistically
      significant difference in ER and Her2/neu expression between pre- and post-NAC
      specimens. However, a statistically significant loss of PR expression was noted
      between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Accurate determination of ER, PR and Her2/neu
      status in primary IDC breast is important to guide further treatment. Change in
      receptor status post NAC may warrant corresponding change in hormonal therapy.

PMID- 28892902
TI  - Effects of Different Contraceptive Methods on Cervico-Vaginal Cytology.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The vaginal flora of healthy adult women of reproductive age group
      constitutes predominantly Lactobacilli which inhibits the growth of other
      microorganisms (by maintaining acidic pH). The vaginal microflora is altered in
      favour of anaerobes in women using Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD).
      Also, it can cause morphologic changes in both squamous and endocervical columnar
      cells. Similarly, the prevalence of vaginal lactobacilli is reduced among women
      using diaphragm-spermicide or spermicide alone. AIM: To study the effects of
      different contraceptive methods on cervical cytology and vaginal flora. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Two years prospective study included 120 women of reproductive age
      group using barrier, tubal ligation, IUCDs, Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs) and
      injectable methods of contraception and a control group including 60 women not
      using any contraceptive. Cervical and vaginal smears were obtained. Cervical
      smears were reported using the Bethesda system and Gram stained vaginal smears
      were scored using Nugent scoring. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social
      Sciences) software for Windows Version 19.0 and test of significance applied was
      Chi-square test. RESULTS: The most common contraception used was barrier (68.3%)
      followed by tubal ligation (14.2%), IUCD (9.2%), OCPs (6.6%) and injectable
      (1.7%). The presenting complaints were pain lower abdomen (46.7%) followed by
      menstrual complaints (22.5%). Epithelium showed reactive changes (45%) followed
      by metaplasia (25%), koilocytotic change (5%), cytolytic effect (5%) and
      satellitosis (4.2%). Women showed normal flora in 51.7%, altered in 30% and
      bacterial vaginosis in 18.3%. CONCLUSION: Cervico-vaginal changes were more
      frequent in contraceptive users as compared to the control group.

PMID- 28892903
TI  - Immunohistochemical Study of MUC1 and MUC5AC Expression in Gall Bladder Lesions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Immunohistochemical (IHC) markers of mucin family are associated
      with various Gallbladder Lesions (GBLs). AIM: To study the distribution of GBL
      with respect to age and sex as well as to analyse the IHC profile of MUC1 and
      MUC5AC in GBLs and attempt correlation with clinical and histopathological
      findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted over a period of
      six years. A technique of manual tissue array was employed for cases subjected to
      IHC using MUC1 and MUC5AC. Results were statistically analysed using software
      program "The Primer of Biostatistics 5.0". RESULTS: A total of 629 GBL were
      encountered. Out of 605 of non-neoplastic lesions, 32 (5.29%) expressed MUC1
      while 515 (85.12%) cases expressed MUC5AC. Out of 24 cases of neoplastic GBL, 20
      cases (83.33%) showed positivity for MUC1 and 9 cases (37.5%) were positive for
      MUC5AC. The rate of MUC1 expression was significantly higher in Gall Bladder
      Cancer (GBC) {18GB carcinoma (ca) +3 Carcinoma In Situ (CIS)} (85.71%) than
      chronic cholecystitis (4.71%). The positive rate of MUC5AC expression was
      significantly lower in GBC (28.57%) than chronic cholecystitis (87.19%). The
      percentage of cases showing MUC1 expression increased as the severity of disease
      progressed from hyperplasia to CIS. The percentage of cases showing MUC5AC
      expression decreased as the severity of disease progressed from hyperplasia to
      CIS. CONCLUSION: In this study, 96.18% cases were non neoplastic GBL of which
      chronic cholecystitis (87.77%) was predominant. 3.81% of the GBL constituted for
      neoplastic lesions of which 75% were GBC. MUC1 showed higher rates of expression
      in neoplastic GBL. MUC5AC showed higher rates of expression in non neoplastic
      GBL. Expression of MUC1 and MUC5AC might be closely related to pathogenesis of
      neoplastic and non neoplastic GBL.

PMID- 28892904
TI  - Morphologic Spectrum of Duodenal Biopsies in Malabsorption: A Study from Southern
      India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Duodenal endoscopic biopsy is a common investigation for various
      non-neoplastic conditions. Malabsorption is a common indication for duodenal
      biopsy in our setting. AIM: Our study was undertaken to study the morphologic
      spectrum of non-neoplastic conditions of duodenum emphasizing on Intraepithelial
      Lymphocytes (IELs) and to have a clinico-pathologic correlation. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a prospective descriptive study. Duodenal biopsies from 101
      patients with symptoms of malabsorption were studied according to inclusion and
      exclusion criteria. Informed written consent was taken. Clinical, laboratory,
      endoscopic, and serological parameters were collected wherever available.
      Histomorphological parameters were studied on Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E)
      stained sections. Intraepithelial lymphocyte counts were done on CD3, CD4 and CD8
      Immunohistochemical (IHC) stained sections and correlated. RESULTS: We studied
      101 duodenal biopsies. Our spectrum included 16 patients of celiac disease (CD)
      (15.8%), 15 autoimmune duodenitis (14%), 13 nutritional deficiency associated
      duodenitis (12.8%), five infectious duodenitis (5%) and 41 patients of non
      specific duodenitis (40.6%) and 10.9% miscellaneous causes of duodenitis. Villous
      crypt architecture, IEL counts; villous tip IEL counts were statistically
      significant between CD and other disease groups. CONCLUSION: A constellation of
      clinical, serological, endoscopic and histopathologic features is essential in
      diagnosing CD and autoimmune duodenitis. Biopsy is also a useful tool in
      diagnosing infectious duodenitis that are missed in other investigations.

PMID- 28892905
TI  - An Immunohistochemical Study of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase and Epidermal Growth
      Factor Receptor Mutation in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related death.
      Targeted treatment for specific markers may help in reducing the cancer related
      morbidity and mortality. AIM: To study expression of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
      (ALK)and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) mutations in patients of Non
      Small Cell Lung Cancer NSCLC, that are the targets for specific ALK inhibitors
      and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total 69 cases of
      histologically diagnosed NSCLC were examined retrospectively for
      immunohistochemical expression of EGFR and ALK, along with positive control of
      normal placental tissue and anaplastic large cell lymphoma respectively. RESULTS:
      Of the NSCLC, Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) accounted for 71.0% and
      adenocarcinoma was 26.1%. ALK expression was seen in single case of 60-year-old
      female, non-smoker with adenocarcinoma histology. EGFR expression was seen in
      both SCC (59.18%) and adenocarcinoma in (77.78%) accounting for 63.77% of all
      cases. Both ALK and EGFR mutation were mutually exclusive. CONCLUSION: EGFR
      expression was seen in 63.77% of cases, highlighting the importance of its use in
      routine analysis, for targeted therapy and better treatment results. Although,
      ALK expression was seen in 1.45% of all cases, it is an important biomarker in
      targeted cancer therapy. Also, the mutually exclusive expression of these two
      markers need further studies to develop a diagnostic algorithm for NSCLC
      patients.

PMID- 28892906
TI  - Changes in Haematological Parameters in Newborns Born to Preeclamptic Mothers - A
      Case Control Study in a Rural Hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy is a physiological phenomenon. However, some women
      develop problems during pregnancy period, which puts both the mother's and the
      foetus health at risk. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are the type of the
      maternal diseases that can cause the most detrimental effects to the mother and
      foetus. AIMS: To determine the haematological parameters in neonates born to
      preeclamptic mothers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a prospective case control
      study carried out on neonates born to preeclamptic mothers in our institute from
      March 2016 to November 2016. All the haematological parameters of the neonates
      were recorded and analyzed using SPSS 22.0 version software. Mean, Standard
      deviation, minimum and maximum values were calculated for continuous variables.
      The difference between the two groups was compared using independent student 't'
      test. The p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS:
      About 120 mothers were included in the study out of which 60 were of study group
      and 60 of control group. Mean hemoglobin, PCV, red cell count, Mean Corpuscular
      Volume (MCV), reticulocyte count and nRBC were significantly increased p<0.001,
      whereas total leucocyte count, mean neutrophil count, absolute neutrophil count,
      lymphocyte count, platelet count were significantly decreased p<0.001 in babies
      born to preeclamptic mothers. No difference was found between the two groups in
      the Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin
      Concentration (MCHC) value p(>0.05). CONCLUSION: The babies born to preeclamptic
      mothers are more prone for development of prematurity, low birth weight,
      Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR), sepsis, neutropenia, leucopenia,
      thrombocytopenia, increased RBC count, nRBC and reticulocyte count. Early
      haematological screening helps to decrease morbidity, improve growth, development
      and survival of the baby.

PMID- 28892907
TI  - Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma of Female Urethra.
AB  - Primary malignancies of female urethra are infrequent, constituting a fraction of
      less than 1% of genitourinary malignancies. Primary clear-cell adenocarcinoma of
      the urethra, is even rarer, that histomorphologically resembles clear-cell
      carcinoma of the female genital tract, occurs predominantly in women and is
      associated with a relatively poor prognosis. The histogenesis of this rare
      urethral neoplasm has not been completely determined. Various hypotheses
      concerning the origin have been postulated, including (1) diverticular origin (2)
      mullerian origin (3), glandular differentiation of urothelium or urothelial
      carcinoma. Here, we report a case of 67-year-old female with obstructive urinary
      symptoms and pain in abdomen, diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of urethra.
      Immunohistochemistry (IHC) workup of the tumour was done to find the origin of
      the tumour.

PMID- 28892908
TI  - Cytological Diagnosis of an Uncommon High Grade Malignant Thyroid Tumour: A Case
      Report.
AB  - Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma (ATC) is a relatively uncommon highly malignant
      tumour originating from the follicular cells of thyroid gland having poor
      prognosis. It accounts for 2% to 5% of all thyroid carcinomas and patients
      typically present with a rapidly growing anterior neck mass with aggressive
      symptoms. A 53-year-old male presented with diffuse neck swelling measuring 8x6
      cm and right cervical lymph node measuring 2x2 cm since one month which was
      associated with dyspepsia and dyspnoea. Ultrasound and Contrast Enhanced Computed
      Tomography (CECT) neck revealed enlarged right lobe of thyroid and multiple
      enlarged cervical lymph nodes with soft tissue density nodules in bilateral
      lungs. Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) from the swelling revealed giant cell,
      spindle cell and squamoid pattern. Focal areas showed follicular epithelial cells
      arranged in repeated microfollicular pattern suggesting an underlying follicular
      neoplasm. FNAC smears from the lymph node also revealed similar findings. Based
      on the cytomorphological and radiological findings, final diagnosis of ATC
      probably arising from underlying follicular carcinoma with cervical lymph node
      and lung metastasis was given. FNAC leads to prompt and definitive diagnosis, so
      that therapy can be initiated as soon as possible for better outcome.
      Multimodality therapy (surgery, external beam radiation, and chemotherapy) is the
      mainstay of treatment.

PMID- 28892909
TI  - Chondroid Syringoma: Fine-needle Aspiration Cytology of a Rare Entity at an
      Unusual Site.
AB  - Chondroid syringoma, also known as benign mixed tumour of the skin, is a rare
      benign adnexal tumour. It is a biphasic tumour, composed of both epithelial and
      mesenchymal components and constitutes <0.01% of all primary skin tumours. It is
      mostly located in the head and neck region, followed by the hand, foot, axillary
      region, abdomen, penis, vulva and scrotum. The arm is a rare site of involvement.
      Making a correct diagnosis of chondroid syringoma is important to guide the
      clinician in optimal management. We present a case of chondroid syringoma on the
      left arm in a 37-year-old male. Fine-needle aspiration was performed and
      diagnosed as chondroid syringoma, which was confirmed on histopathology. This
      case highlights the importance of considering chondroid syringoma in the
      evaluation of subcutaneous swellings of the arm and the role of Fine-Needle
      Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing this uncommon tumour.

PMID- 28892910
TI  - Benign Fibrous Histiocytoma: An Uncommon Presentation.
AB  - Intracranial fibrous histiocytomas are rare; Benign Fibrous Histiocytoma (BFH)
      being uncommon than its malignant counterpart. BFH comprises fibroblasts and
      histiocytes without any nuclear pleomorphism or atypia. We present a case of a 42
      year-old male who had swelling over the occipital region for the past five years,
      which progressively increased in size. He developed headache, dizziness, and gait
      disturbance over the last six months. Computed tomographic scan revealed a
      posterior fossa space-occupying lesion. Fine-needle aspiration cytology from the
      swelling revealed spindled fibroblasts along with histiocytes and multinucleated
      giant cells. Later, histopathology showed presence of spindle-shaped cells in
      storiform pattern admixed with histiocytes and giant cells. The giant cells and
      histiocytes were immunopositive for CD68 and spindled cells were positive for
      vimentin, but immunonegative for CD34, epithelial membrane antigen, CD1a and
      S100. The final diagnosis was intracranial BFH. We present this case because of
      its extreme rarity and unusual location.

PMID- 28892911
TI  - Benign Beale Gland Hyperplasia Mimicking Malignant Biliary Obstruction.
AB  - Extrahepatic bile duct obstruction can be caused by various pathologies, most of
      them being malignant. Painless, progressive jaundice is the usual mode of
      presentation. We report a case of distal Common Bile Duct (CBD) obstruction due
      to a Benign Intramural Beale gland hyperplasia mimicking a periampullary
      carcinoma. Peribiliary glands (Beale Glands) are a group of seromucinous glands,
      normally seen within the fibromuscular wall and periductal connective tissue in
      the extrahepatic and large intrahepatic ducts and also in the neck of the Gall
      bladder. These glands drain into the bile duct lumen through small channels
      referred to as sacculi of Beale. Intramural Beale ducts are lobular aggregates of
      mucous glands that lie within the wall of the bile duct. Beale Gland hyperplasia
      is uncommon, and is rarely large enough to be visible macroscopically or with
      imaging as an incidental finding. There are no case reports of this rare entity.
      It is distinguished from well differentiated bile duct adenocarcinoma by the
      preservation of the lobular architecture, lack of cytological atypia and lack of
      perineural invasion. This case is reported for its rarity.

PMID- 28892912
TI  - Important Diagnostic Clues for Diagnosing Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma in
      Absence of Splenic Histology.
AB  - Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma (SMZL) is a rare B-cell neoplasm comprising less
      than 2% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. We hereby report a case of SMZL in a 66-year
      old female who presented with fever and massive splenomegaly. Peripheral blood
      smear examination showed atypical lymphoid cells showing variable cytoplasmic
      processes. Flowcytometric immunophenotyping of peripheral blood showed tumour
      cells which were found to be positive for CD19, CD79b and showing kappa light
      chain restriction along with lack of expression for CD5, CD10, CD23, CD103 and
      lambda. These findings were suggestive of B cell chronic lymphoproliferative
      disorder. Various differential diagnoses considered in this case were analysed by
      using different diagnostic clues to arrive at the diagnosis. Bone marrow
      examination and Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis showed tumour cells in
      nodular, interstitial and intrasinusoidal pattern of infiltration which were
      positive for CD20 and CD79b with kappa light chain restriction and lack of
      expression of CD5, CD10, CD23 and CD103 which further corroborated the
      flowcytometric immunophenotyping. The diagnosis of SMZL is arrived at by a
      combination of diagnostic clues like clinical features, peripheral smear
      findings, flowcytometric immunophenotyping, morphological and IHC findings in
      bone marrow biopsy. This case highlights the significance of flowcytometric
      immunophenotyping and bone marrow biopsy with immunohistochemistry to arrive at a
      diagnosis of SMZL even in absence of splenic histopathology.

PMID- 28892913
TI  - Candida Albicans Infection Masquerading as a Soft Tissue Tumour Diagnosed by Fine
      Needle Aspiration Cytology.
AB  - A 60-year-old male, diabetic presented with a soft tissue mass over the right
      forearm of 15 days duration. The swelling was 5 x 3 cm and a clinical diagnosis
      of neurofibroma was made. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) was done using
      standard technique. Smears showed predominantly suppurative inflammation, foreign
      body giant cells, granulomas and fungal hyphae. KOH mount, culture and germ tube
      test was positive. Final diagnosis of fungal granuloma was made. Fungal
      infections should be included in the differential diagnosis of a soft tissue mass
      lesion. All soft tissue suppurative inflammatory lesions should be diligently
      screened to look for pathogens if any. Diagnostics in medicine have taken a major
      leap with advent of molecular technologies. Despite this, simple old traditional
      methods like FNAC supplemented by other basic laboratory techniques like KOH
      mount and culture still form the cream of a diagnostic laboratory and can come as
      a savior for the pathologist, the clinicians and the patients.

PMID- 28892914
TI  - Primary Amyloidosis - In a Case with Normal Plasma Cell Counts.
AB  - Amyloidosis is a group of disease that is characterized by the deposition of
      extracellular abnormal proteinaceous material (amyloid), in various organs.
      Amyloidosis involving the liver is common and the radiological findings are often
      nonspecific. We present the case of a 40-year-old female who presented with
      abdominal pain. Ultrasound abdomen was reported as massive hepatomegaly with
      diffuse liver parenchymal disease. Bone marrow aspiration showed
      normomegaloblastic erythroid hyperplasia and plasma cells were within normal
      limits (5%). Also, amorphous, eosinophilic fragmented to smudgy material within
      the interstitium of cell trails was seen. Bone marrow biopsy and liver biopsy
      also showed similar kind of homogenous eosinophilic material. Both liver biopsy
      and bone marrow biopsy were subjected to special stains which confirmed the
      presence of amyloid. The patient did not have clinical or laboratory findings
      suggestive of any other organ involvement. Thus, we conclude that clinical and
      imaging presentations of amyloidosis are often nonspecific, hence biopsy is
      always required to confirm the diagnosis. Amyloid deposits on bone marrow
      aspiration are a rare occurrence and are often missed. It is an unusual sighting
      with very few studies mentioning its occurrence.

PMID- 28892915
TI  - Myeloid Sarcoma Presenting as Nasal and Orbital Mass: An Initial Manifestation of
      an Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
AB  - Myeloid sarcoma is an extramedullary manifestation of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and
      sometimes is the only indicator of the disease. The incidence varies between 3
      9.1% of acute leukaemia cases. The blast infiltration is seen most commonly in
      skin, lymph node, gastrointestinal tract, bone, soft tissue though can involve
      any body site usually as a solitary lesion and is rarely seen in nasal cavity. We
      present two cases of myeloid sarcoma presenting as a nasal mass in a six year old
      girl and other as orbital mass in 32-year-old as an initial manifestation of
      acute myeloid leukaemia. Histopathological examination along with
      immunohistochemistry clinched the diagnosis of myeloid sarcoma. Examination of
      bone marrow aspirate revealed blasts which fulfilled the criteria for acute
      leukaemia. These cases are usually misdiagnosed because often lymphoma and
      granulocytic sarcoma is not considered in initial list of differential diagnoses.
      These rare cases are being presented here as early recognition and diagnosis will
      ensure rapid treatment of the condition and improve the survival.

PMID- 28892916
TI  - Malignant Pilomatricoma: A Report of Two Cases and Review of Literature.
AB  - Malignant pilomatricoma is an extremely rare tumour arising from the hair
      follicle. About 80 known cases are reported in literature till date. Presented
      herewith are two cases of malignant pilomatricoma, occurring in young female
      patients, each with a different clinical presentation and outcome. It is
      important to be aware of this entity as malignant pilomatricoma, though,
      initially locally aggressive, can recur if incompletely excised and also can
      metastasize to lungs, bones and lymph nodes.

PMID- 28892917
TI  - Tubercular Thyroiditis as a Part of Disseminated Tuberculosis in a Young Male: A
      Rare Clinical Presentation.
AB  - Thyroid tuberculosis is uncommon even in countries like India where prevalence of
      tuberculosis is high. Bactericidal actions of colloid, excess iodine stores and
      high vascularity of the gland have been implicated for the very rare occurrence
      of thyroid tuberculosis. We present a case of a 16-year-old male with thyroid
      involvement as a part of disseminated tuberculosis. The clinical presentation of
      thyroid tuberculosis is varied and may be missed if not kept in the differential
      diagnosis of goitre. This case also highlights the role of fine needle aspiration
      cytology in management of goitre. It is an important diagnostic test as it avoids
      unnecessary surgical intervention.

PMID- 28892918
TI  - Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of Renal Pelvis with Abundant Heterologous Osteosarcomatous
      Element: A Case Report.
AB  - A 47-year-old male presented with haematuria and flank pain for two weeks.
      Ultrasonography and renal scan revealed a poorly functioning left kidney with
      multiple calculi. Simple nephrectomy was performed and the specimen revealed a
      mass in his renal pelvis which showed both carcinomatous and sarcomatous
      components on microscopy. The sarcomatous component consisted of diffuse
      pleomorphic osteoblasts with intervening lacy osteoid, giving an osteosarcoma
      like appearance. These areas of tumour were strongly positive for vimentin and
      osteopontin. The carcinomatous component was transitional cell carcinoma. Patchy
      areas of squamous cell carcinoma which were positive for pancytokeratin on
      immunostaining were also seen. Few weeks later, the patient presented with
      metastatic lesions in the sacrum. After nephrectomy, the patient underwent
      palliative radiotherapy of the spine followed by sunitinib therapy. A month
      later, there was recurrence at the site of surgery. The patient succumbed to his
      illness within five months of diagnosis. This report describes an extremely rare
      case of carcinoma, renal pelvis with predominantly osteosarcomatous areas.

PMID- 28892919
TI  - Plasma Exchange as a Therapeutic Modality in a Rare Case of Cryptogenic New Onset
      Refractory Status Epilepticus (NORSE).
AB  - Refractory Status Epilepticus (RSE) not responding to any therapy and not
      associated with any aetiology has been termed as New Onset Refractory Status
      Epilepticus (NORSE). Guidelines for optimal management of cryptogenic NORSE are
      not clearly defined so far in the literature. Other than common medication, use
      of high-dose steroids, IV immune globulins and plasma exchanges in NORSE of
      unknown aetiology have been scarcely described. Immunomodulatory therapy like
      plasmapheresis is based on the fact that a pathological substance exists in the
      plasma that contributes to the disease process and its symptoms, which gets
      removed. We report a case of young female patient diagnosed as NORSE who
      responded to treatment with plasma exchange after becoming refractory to
      antiepileptic therapy and treatment with anaesthetic agents for recurrent
      seizers.

PMID- 28892920
TI  - Solid Variant of Aneurysmal Bone Cyst Masquerading as Malignancy.
AB  - Solid Variant of Aneurysmal Bone Cyst (SVABC) is an uncommon neoplasm seen in
      young patients. The lesion presents clinically as well as on radiology like a
      malignant bone tumour. The aggressive features in most of the cases lead to a
      wrong diagnosis. Radiologically, it is expansile osteolytic with cortical breach
      being seen in many of the cases. We report two cases of SVABC which were
      misdiagnosed as malignant bone tumours. Both cases were seen in long bones.
      Radiologically both lesions were expansile, osteolytic, solid cystic, with
      destruction of cortex and were diagnosed as osteosarcomas. Both the cases were
      referred to us for further management and were subsequently diagnosed as SVABC.
      Being extremely rare these tumours have a high chance of getting misdiagnosed and
      knowledge of this entity along with close correlation with clinical, radiological
      and histopathological findings plays a critical role in accurately diagnosing
      this condition. An accurate diagnosis is of utmost importance as this changes the
      treatment drastically avoiding mutilating surgeries and unnecessary chemo
      radiotherapy.

PMID- 28892921
TI  - A Rare Case of Genital Malformation with Omphalocele, Exstrophy of Bladder,
      Imperforate Anus and Spinal Defect Complex-Autopsy Findings.
AB  - Omphalocele, Exstrophy of cloaca, Imperforate anus and Spinal defects (OEIS) is a
      severe manifestation of exstrophy-epispadias sequence with a combination of
      defects including OEIS. It results from improper closure of anterior abdominal
      wall and defective development of cloaca and urogenital septum due to defect in
      blastogenesis during the 4th week of gestation. Identification of this complex is
      important through foetal autopsy as this condition can recur in siblings.
      Prenatal diagnosis also helps to prevent foetal death with appropriate management
      in the less severe cases. In severe cases, termination of pregnancy is
      considered. A primigravida with 28 weeks of gestation had delivered a live baby
      with multiple congenital anomalies; baby died after 10 minutes. These anomalies
      were grouped under OEIS complex.

PMID- 28892922
TI  - Early T-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia/Lymphoma:
      Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Four Lymph Node Biopsies.

PMID- 28892923
TI  - Atorvastatin Induced Adverse Drug Reactions among South Indian Tamils.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Atorvastatin is the most widely used statin world-over. Although
      atorvastatin is beneficial in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,
      they are associated with Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) which are under-recognized
      as well as under-reported. There is no data on safety of atorvastatin in ethnic
      populations like South Indian Tamils and hence the need for this study. AIM: To
      report the Adverse Events (AEs) associated with atorvastatin use, their causality
      and severity in dyslipidemic south Indian Tamils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study was carried out on 304 dyslipidemic Tamils. Those on any
      lipid lowering therapy within one month before study enrolment, those with
      contraindications to statin therapy, hypothyroid patients, those with LDL
      cholesterol >250 mg/dL or serum triglycerides >400 mg/dL and patients who were on
      drugs which modulate Cytochrome P 450 3A4/5 (CYP3A4/5) activity were excluded
      from the study. Causality assessment for atorvastatin induced AEs were done using
      Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale criteria and severity assessment
      was done using Hartwig scale. AEs which were causally related to atorvastatin use
      were reported as ADRs. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty three AEs were noted among
      145 (47.7%) patients, during the course of first 45 days of atorvastatin therapy.
      AEs were probably due to atorvastatin in 11% of the patients and possibly due to
      atorvastatin in 89%. Most common ADRs were myalgia (41%), followed by nervous
      system ADRs (35.5%) and gastrointestinal ADRs (14%). CONCLUSION: Myalgia was the
      most common cause for atorvastatin discontinuation which might place these
      individuals at an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
      Measures to identify and address atorvastatin induced myalgia should be given
      priority.

PMID- 28892924
TI  - Comparison of Pioglitazone and Metformin Efficacy against Glucocorticoid Induced
      Atherosclerosis and Hepatic Steatosis in Insulin Resistant Rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Insulin Resistance is a major cause of Atherosclerosis (AS) and Non
      Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). These lipid alterations in blood vessels
      and liver may progress to cardiovascular abnormalities and cirrhosis
      respectively. Drugs like pioglitazone (PIO) and metformin (MET) are effective
      insulin sensitizers used in T2DM. But their efficacy and tolerability needs to be
      compared in IR associated abnormalities. AIM: To compare the efficacy of PIO and
      MET in glucocorticoid induced AS, Hepatic Steatosis (HS) and IR in albino rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Wistar albino rats were randomized into four groups
      (n=6). Group 1 (Normal control) rats consumed 2% gum acacia orally for 12 days.
      Group 2 {dexamethasone (DEX) control} rats were administered 2% gum acacia orally
      for 12 days and DEX (8 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p.) from 7th to 12th day
      during the study period. Group 3 and 4 (PIO and MET control) rats received oral
      administration of PIO (45 mg/kg) and MET (1000 mg/kg) for 12 days respectively.
      Both groups were treated with DEX (8 mg/kg/i.p.) from 7th to 12th day during the
      study period. On last day, fasting blood was collected and rats were sacrificed
      by cervical dislocation; aorta and liver tissues were isolated for the
      histopathological examination. Body weight, liver weight and liver volume were
      measured. Blood samples were processed for biochemical parameters. The data were
      analysed by One-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Scheffe's multiple
      comparison post-hoc test. The statistical significance was assumed at p<0.05.
      RESULTS: Our results established the possible role of DEX in the development of
      AS and HS. Histopathological examination of Group 2 rats treated with DEX showed
      a marked lipid accumulation in the aorta and liver. Administration of MET and PIO
      resulted in partial to complete restoration of DEX induced fatty changes in aorta
      and liver. Both drugs significantly (p<0.05) prevented the elevation of insulin,
      lipid, glucose levels, liver weight and liver volume in DEX treated rats. They
      had significantly (p<0.05) improved body weight and insulin sensitivity. However,
      PIO was highly significant (p<0.05) compared to MET in reducing DEX induced IR
      complications. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that PIO was more effective
      insulin sensitizer compared to MET in reducing AS, HS and IR induced by
      glucocorticoids.

PMID- 28892925
TI  - Impact of Antibiotic Stewardship Program on Prescribing Pattern of Antimicrobials
      in Patients of Medical Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rising concerns about antimicrobial resistance and inadequate
      development of effective new anti-infective drugs have stimulated universal
      efforts to strengthen infection-control interventions. Antimicrobial stewardship
      is a rational, systematic approach to promote the optimal selection, dosing, and
      duration of therapy for antimicrobial agents throughout the course of their use
      in order to improve the outcomes. AIM: Since in Shree Krishna Hospital (SKH),
      Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) was first implemented in 2013, this study
      was planned to assess any change in antimicrobial use before and after
      implementation of ASP and to study the rate and pattern of antimicrobial use in
      medical ICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12
      bedded medical intensive care unit, over a period of two years from October 2014
      to October 2016 at SKH. Permission was taken from Institutional Human Research
      Ethics Committee. Total 150 case files i.e., 75 from year 2012 and 75 from year
      2015 were retrieved from medical record section of the hospital. Appropriateness
      of prescriptions was decided on the basis of appropriateness of choice, dose,
      frequency and duration of antimicrobial agents. Data were analysed by using
      descriptive statistics. RESULTS: There were 68.67% males and the mean (+/-SD) age
      was 57.11 (+/-16.83) years. Majority of the patients were suffering from
      respiratory conditions. The most common group of drugs prescribed in MICU was
      beta-lactam antibiotics + beta-lactamase inhibitors during 2012 as well as 2015.
      Total 139 patients i.e., 69 (92%) patients in 2012 and 70 (93.33%) patients in
      2015 were given antimicrobial for therapeutic purpose. During the year 2015, 67
      (89.33%) antimicrobial prescriptions were adhering to antibiotic policy of SKH.
      Appropriateness of prescriptions had significantly improved in 2015 in MICU (p
      value=0.031). CONCLUSION: In-depth analysis of the study revealed a positive
      impact of ASP and antibiotic policy. Implementation of ASP in year 2013, brought
      an effective increase in the appropriate use of antimicrobials.

PMID- 28892926
TI  - Antidiabetic Activity of Aqueous Extract of Solanum nigrum Linn Berries in
      Alloxan Induced Diabetic Wistar Albino Rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Solanum nigrum Linn. is a common medicinal plant possessing a wide
      variety of pharmacological activity. Current treatment of diabetes mellitus has
      plenty of adverse effects necessitating the search of alternate drugs. AIM:
      Evaluation of antidiabetic effect of Aqueous Extract of Solanum Nigrum Linn
      Berries (AESNB) in alloxan induced diabetic Wistar rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      There were five groups (normal control, diabetic control, AESNB 200 mg/kg/day,
      ASENB 400 mg/kg/day and standard i.e., glimepride 0.1 mg/kg/day) with six animals
      in each group. Alloxan was used to induce diabetes in rats. The standard drug
      glimepride in the dose of 0.1 mg/kg/day and the test drug AESNB were given orally
      in the doses of 200 mg/kg/day and 400 mg/kg/day. The fasting blood glucose level
      was measured by glucometer on day 0, 1,7,14 and 21 after 12 hour. On 21st day
      after the blood glucose measurement all the animals were sacrificed and their
      pancreas were analysed histopathologically. The results were analysed
      statistically by using one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: Aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum
      Linn berries in the dose of 200 mg/kg/day produced significant blood glucose
      reduction (p<0.01) from day 7 and 400 mg/kg/day produced highly significant
      reduction in blood glucose from day 7 (p<0.001). The standard drug glimepride
      reduced the blood glucose as equal to normal on day 21 (p<0.001).
      Histopathological examination showed the regeneration of pancreatic beta cells in
      AESNB group. CONCLUSION: Aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum Linn berries possess
      antidiabetic activity.

PMID- 28892927
TI  - A Rare Instance of Levofloxacin Induced Myoclonus.
AB  - Levofloxacin is a widely used fluoroquinolone, mainly as a respiratory
      antimicrobial agent. It is employed as a second line therapeutic modality in
      pulmonary tuberculosis as well. The drug has been in use for ages, and is known
      to be both efficacious and safe. However, it is not free of adverse effects. The
      most dangerous ones are those involving the Central Nervous System (CNS).
      Although rare, levofloxacin can cause involuntary movements like chorea and
      myoclonus. Here by, we present a case of an elderly male patient who developed
      reversible myoclonus/chorea after a course of levofloxacin (which was initiated
      as part of his anti-tubercular therapy) following the development of peripheral
      neuropathy secondary to isoniazid.

PMID- 28892928
TI  - Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Activities of Topical Formulations of Pterocarpus
      Santalinus Powder in Rat Model of Chronic Inflammation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The incidence of arthritis is quite high and there is a need for
      the search of natural products to halt the progression of disease or provide
      symptomatic relief without significant adverse effects. AIM: This study aimed at
      evaluating the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of topical Pterocarpus
      santalinus in an animal model of chronic inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Albino rats of either sex were divided into five groups of six rats each (Group I
      - Control, Group II -Gel base, Group III -P. santalinus paste, Group IV -P.
      santalinus gel, Group V- Diclofenac gel). Chronic inflammation was induced on day
      0 by injecting 0.1 ml Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) in sub-plantar tissue of
      left hind paw of the rats. Topical treatment was started from day 12 till day 28.
      Body weight and paw volume (Plethysmometer) were assessed on day 0, 12 and 28.
      Pain assessment was done using Randall and Selitto paw withdrawal method. Data
      was analysed using GraphPad Prism version 5. Unpaired students t-test and ANOVA
      followed by Tukey's test was used for comparison among groups. RESULTS: Only
      topical P.santalinus gel significantly reduced the body weight (p=0.02) due to
      reduction in inflammatory oedema of the left limb. P. santalinus gel also showed
      significant reduction (p=0.03) in paw volume of rats compared to the other
      groups. There was significant reduction in pain threshold (gm/sec) due to chronic
      inflammation, with all the study drugs (p<0.05) but with P. santalinus gel, this
      reduction was less (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Gel showed significant anti
      inflammatory and mild analgesic activity on topical application in rat model of
      chronic inflammation.

PMID- 28892929
TI  - Connective Tissue Growth Factor Transgenic Mouse Develops Cardiac Hypertrophy,
      Lean Body Mass and Alopecia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF/CCN2) is one of the six
      members of cysteine-rich, heparin-binding proteins, secreted as modular protein
      and recognised to play a major function in cell processes such as adhesion,
      migration, proliferation and differentiation as well as chondrogenesis,
      skeletogenesis, angiogenesis and wound healing. The capacity of CTGF to interact
      with different growth factors lends an important role during early and late
      development, especially in the anterior region of the embryo. CTGF Knockout (KO)
      mice have several craniofacial defects and bone miss shaped due to an impairment
      of the vascular system development during chondrogenesis. AIM: The aim of the
      study was to establish an association between multiple modular functions of CTGF
      and the phenotype and cardiovascular functions in transgenic mouse. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Bicistronic cassette was constructed using pIRES expressing vector
      (Clontech, Palo Alto, CA). The construct harbours mouse cDNA in tandem with LacZ
      cDNA as a reporter gene under the control of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. The
      plasmid was linearised with NotI restriction enzyme, and 50 ng of linearised
      plasmid was injected into mouse pronucleus for the chimaera production.
      Immunohistochemical methods were used to assess the colocalisation renin and CTGF
      as well as morphology and rheology of the cardiovascular system. RESULTS: The
      chimeric mice were backcrossed against the wild-type C57BL/6 to generate
      hemizygous (F1) mouse. Most of the offsprings died as a result of respiratory
      distress and those that survived have low CTGF gene copy number, approximately 40
      molecules per mouse genome. The copy number assessment on the dead pups showed
      5*103 molecules per mouse genome explaining the threshold of the gene in terms of
      toxicity. Interestingly, the result of this cross showed 85% of the progenies to
      be positive deviating from Mendelian first law. All F2 progenies died excluding
      the possibility of establishing the CTGF transgenic mouse line, situation that
      compelled us to work at the level of hemizygosity. The histological
      characterisation of left ventricle shows cardiac hypertrophy together with
      decrease in body mass and alopecia, this compared to the wild type. The
      immunohistochemical staining of aorta root showed hyperplasia with increased
      expression and colocalisation of renin and CTGF demonstrating that CTGF may be
      involved in vascular tone control. CONCLUSION: Genetic engineering is a noble
      avenue to investigate the function of new or existing genes. Our data have shown
      that CTGF transgenic mouse has cardiac and aorta root hypertrophy and abnormal
      renin accumulation in aorta root as compared to the wild-type animals. The
      transgenic animals developed alopecia and lean body mass adding two new functions
      on pre-existing CTGF multiple functions.

PMID- 28892930
TI  - The Impact of Three-month Training Programme on Foot Care and Self-efficacy of
      Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patient's self-efficacy in disease management and foot care is
      considered as an important indicator in controlling the complications of
      diabetes. AIM: This study was aimed to determine the effect of three-month
      training programme on foot care and self-efficacy of patients with diabetic foot
      ulcers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 60
      patients with diabetic foot ulcers in Jiroft Imam Khomeini hospital from January
      2016 to May 2016. These patients were randomly divided into intervention and
      control groups (30 patients in each group). The research instrument was a
      questionnaire on demographic data, self-efficacy questions for patients with
      diabetes and a researcher made questionnaire of diabetic foot care. Training
      programmes for foot ulcers care and prevention of new ulcers formation and other
      aspects of the disease were implemented during three months in the test group.
      Data were analysed using descriptive and analytic statistical tests (Mann-Whitney
      U, paired t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient) by SPSS version 18.0
      software. RESULTS: The results showed statistically significant difference
      (p<0.001) in the score of self-efficacy between intervention group (182.25) and
      control group (93.56), and the foot care score was 47.43 in the intervention
      group and 30.18 in control group after the intervention. The average scores of
      self-efficacy and foot ulcers care significantly increased in the intervention
      group after training programme (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results showed that the
      implementation of training programme has been able to increase the self-efficacy
      of patients and the rate of their foot ulcers care and the prevention of new
      ulcers and effectively reduce the complications in diabetic patients.

PMID- 28892931
TI  - Effect of Environmental Intervention on the Consumption of Rice without Toxic
      Metals Based on the Health Belief Model and Ecological-Social Model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The effect of instructional models on the changing behaviour of
      consuming contaminated rice with toxic metals has not been investigated in Iran
      yet. AIM: To compare effect of Health Belief Model (HBM) and Ecological (ECO)
      social model on decreasing the consumption of rice contaminated with toxic
      metals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study aimed at implementing a six-month
      interventionist program among three groups (HBM, ECO and Control). The study
      population comprised of 240 women, aged 18 to 50. Questionnaires were distributed
      which consisted of demographic information, knowledge, constructs of the models,
      performance of rice consumption, and the manner of rice cooking. In HBM group
      participants were individually provided with instructions based on HBM. However,
      in ECO group participants received the instruction through social networks
      consisted of mothers, sisters, family members, and colleagues. RESULTS: The
      results of Wilcoxon test indicated improvements in people's diet including a
      significant increase in the number of women consuming rice without toxic metals,
      a significant reduction in the number of women consuming rice contaminated with
      toxic metals in both intervention groups. On the other hand, such an improvement
      was not observed in the control group. The results of repeated measures' analysis
      of variance suggested further improvement in healthy diet in ECO group rather
      than HBM group after the completion of the environmental intervention.
      CONCLUSION: Both methods of instructional intervention caused changes in the diet
      of people regarding the consumption of rice free from toxic metals and changes in
      the manner of cooking from Kateh (steaming rice) to Pilaw (draining rice).
      Development of social support had probably a more effective role on the
      improvement of people's diet.

PMID- 28892932
TI  - Comparison of Effect of Lavandula officinalis and Venlafaxine in Treating
      Depression: A Double Blind Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Major depressive disorder is a chronic disease which may be
      associated with other mental illnesses. Lavandula officinalis and venlafaxine,
      herbal and chemical drugs respectively, are used to treat depression. Despite
      pharmacotherapy, major depressive disorder has a complicated pattern of
      resistance and recurrence. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the effect
      of L. officinalis and venlafaxine in treating depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      For this study, 120 patients referred to the psychiatry clinic of the Shahrekord
      University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran, were randomly selected. The
      participants were randomly assigned to three groups: venlafaxine (Control Group),
      venlafaxine + L. officinalis (L. officinalis Group), and venlafaxine + placebo
      (Placebo Group). All the patients underwent treatment for six weeks. Depression
      test was administered to the three groups at different time intervals before the
      treatment, four weeks after the treatment and at completion of the treatment. The
      data were analysed by SPSS version17.0. RESULTS: Depression scores of all the
      groups decreased over time (p=0.001). The depression scores were significantly
      different between the control and L. officinalis groups (p=0.004), and the
      control and placebo groups (p=0.002), but were not significantly different
      between the L. officinalis and placebo groups (p=0.95). CONCLUSION: Adding L.
      officinalis or a placebo is equally effective in decreasing mean depression score
      and venlafaxine obviously decreased this score.

PMID- 28892933
TI  - Evaluation of the Relationship between Serum 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D and
      Hypertension in Hamadan, Iran-A Case Control Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the main reasons of
      fatality in the world. The role of vitamin D in developing hypertension has not
      been proved yet. Some studies have shown positive correlation between low serum
      vitamin D level and hypertension. Due to this fact, recognising hypertension risk
      factors such as potential impact of low serum vitamin D level seems to be
      required. AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate potential impact of serum
      vitamin D level on hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case-control study
      had 188 subjects including 55 cases suffering from hypertension and 133 controls
      with normal blood pressure in Hamadan, Iran. After taking the medical history and
      physical examination, 5 cc of their blood was taken to measure their serum 25
      Hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level through ELISA test. Data analysis was done by
      version 16.0 of SPSS software and used independent sample t-test and Chi-square
      test for related comparisons. RESULTS: Mean and standard deviation of serum
      25(OH)D level in patients suffering from hypertension was 13.10+/-9.7 ng/ml and
      in control group was 20.87+/-10.34 ng/ml. This variance was statistically
      significant (p<0.001). Mean serum 25(OH)D level in both case and control groups
      was measured after gender and age stratification. Mean serum 25(OH)D level in
      cases and controls was 13.12+/-11.4 ng/ml and 21.38+/-11.47 ng/ml in males
      (p=0.016) and 13.10+/-9.91 ng/ml and 19.19+/-10.55 ng/ml (p=0.004) in females,
      respectively. Mean serum 25(OH)D level in under 50-year-old was 10.82+/-8.73
      ng/ml and 20.07+/-11.17 ng/ml in cases and controls respectively (p<0.001). In
      over 50-year-old, there was no significant relationship between mean serum
      25(OH)D and blood pressure levels (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: According to this study,
      reverse relationship between serum 25(OH)D and blood pressure levels was seen.

PMID- 28892934
TI  - Why do Patients undergoing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Treatment Turn
      Defaulters? A Follow up Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Jamnagar, India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a progressive
      respiratory illness requiring long-term treatment, is a significant cause of
      morbidity, mortality and economic burden on the family as well as the country. In
      the tertiary health care facility where the study was carried out, it was
      observed that many COPD patients did not come for regular follow up. In these
      patients, treatment interruption may lead to increased morbidity and mortality.
      AIM: This study aimed to find out the reasons for defaulting follow up and
      treatment in COPD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients of COPD,
      attending TB Chest outpatient department during the study period (September 2012
      to February 2013), were classified into Group A, B, C, and D according to latest
      Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines. Data
      was collected on patient's sociodemographic profile, severity of disease and
      reasons for defaulting follow up and treatment using pre-tested semi-structured
      questionnaires, patient history and clinical examination. Data obtained were
      entered in Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and analysed using Chi-square test.
      RESULTS: The mean age of the 200 patients recruited was 59.3 years. A total of
      87% patients were male. Patients belonging to Group A, B, C and D were 11%,
      25.5%, 41.5% and 22% respectively. Overall, 32% patients were defaulters. Three
      main reasons for default were non-affordability for treatment expenses (39.07%),
      resolution of symptoms (26.56%), and too ill to come (18.75%). The associations
      between default rate and demographic variables like age and gender were found
      statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Default rate among COPD patients is
      significantly associated with GOLD Group A and D, patient's income and patient
      literacy level. Main reasons for default were non-affordability of treatment
      expenses, too ill to come and resolution of symptoms.

PMID- 28892935
TI  - Efficacy of Health Education using Facebook to Promote Healthy Lifestyle among
      Medical Students in Puducherry, India: A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increasing burden of overweight and obesity among young adults is
      mainly due to unhealthy lifestyle especially with respect to diet and physical
      activity. At the same time, younger generations are spending more time with
      social network sites. Therefore, this study was intended to explore the role of
      social networking sites in promoting healthy lifestyle. AIM: To measure the
      efficacy of health education using social networking sites in promoting healthy
      lifestyle among medical students in Puducherry, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      non-randomized controlled trial was conducted in a private medical college
      located in Puducherry. The study participants were overweight/obese individuals
      with (intervention arm) and without Facebook account (control arm). Following a
      baseline survey, both the groups received health education from dietician and
      physical trainer using Audiovisual (AV) aids. Intervention group received health
      education through Facebook in the forms of messages, pictures and videos for six
      weeks. Then, follow up survey was done to assess the change in dietary pattern,
      physical activity and body weight. Data of those who attended baseline,
      intervention and follow up surveys (23- control and 22- intervention) were
      analysed. Means and proportions were calculated. Paired t-test and Chi-square
      test were used to calculate the p-value. The p-value<0.05 was considered as
      statistically significant. RESULTS: Mean number of days of junk food intake per
      week was reduced in both control and intervention groups from 2.91 days/week and
      3.27 days/week at baseline to 2.65 days/week to two days/week at follow up
      respectively. A significant decrease in the Body Mass Index (BMI) (p<0.05) was
      found among the control group (baseline: 25.57, follow up: 25.15). No significant
      changes were found with respect to physical activity and intake of fruits and
      vegetables. CONCLUSION: Except for the decrease in junk food intake, use of
      Facebook as an effective tool to promote healthy lifestyle could not be proved
      with confidence.

PMID- 28892936
TI  - Hazards and Health Risks Encountered by Manual Sand Dredgers from Udupi, India: A
      Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Globalization and urbanization have resulted in an increased demand
      on sand dredging. Legal and environmental restrictions on automated dredging have
      led to a rise in manual technique. The working techniques and environment
      involved in manual sand dredging may expose the workers to multiple work related
      disorders. AIM: To determine the health risks and occupational hazards involved
      in manual sand dredging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An assessment schedule was
      developed and content was validated by five experts for the study. A cross
      sectional study was then conducted using this assessment schedule. Thirty manual
      sand dredgers were recruited from three randomly selected docks on Swarna
      riverbed in Udupi district, Karnataka, India. A detailed work and worksite
      assessments were conducted using systematic observation and close-ended
      questions. Work-related health risk evaluation included onsite-evaluation and
      self-reported health complains. RESULTS: The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain
      and discomfort was 93.34% with lower back (70%), shoulder (56.7%) and neck
      (46.7%) involvements being most common regions. Prevalence of sensory deficits at
      multiple site and ear pain was 66.6% and 76.6% respectively. All the workers
      recruited, complained of dermatological and ophthalmic involvements. Also, lack
      of health and safety measures like personal protective devices and security
      schemes were identified. CONCLUSION: This study shows a high prevalence of
      multiple work-related disorders and hazards involved in manual sand dredging, a
      highly demanding job in coastal Karnataka. Lack of health and safety measures
      were also identified.

PMID- 28892937
TI  - Association between Socioeconomic Status and Diabetes Mellitus: The National
      Socioeconomics Survey, 2010 and 2012.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is increasing, globally.
      However, studies on the association between Socioeconomic Status (SES) factors
      and DM have mostly been conducted in specific areas with rather small sample
      sizes or not with nationally representative samples. Their results have also been
      inconclusive regarding whether SES has any influence on DM or not. AIM: To
      determine the association between SES and DM in Thailand. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This study utilized the data from the National socioeconomics survey, a cross
      sectional study conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) in 2010 and
      2012. A total of 17,045 and 16,903 participants respectively who met the
      inclusion criteria were included in this study. The information was collected by
      face-to-face interview with structured questionnaires. Multilevel mixed-effects
      logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the potential
      socioeconomic factors associated with DM. RESULTS: The prevalence of DM was 3.70%
      (95% CI: 3.36 to 4.05) and 8.11% (95%CI: 6.25 to 9.74) in 2010 and 2012
      respectively and the prevalence of DM in 2012 was 1.36 times (95% CI: 1.25 to
      1.48) when compared with 2010. The multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression
      observed that odds of having DM were significantly higher among those who aged 55
      64 years old in 2010 and 65 years old or greater in 2012 (ORadj = 18.13; 95%CI:
      9.11 to 36.08, ORadj 31.69; 95%CI: 20.78 to 48.33, respectively), females (ORadj
      = 2.09; 95%CI: 1.66 to 2.62, ORadj = 1.77; 95%CI: 1.54 to 2.05, respectively),
      and had lower education attainment (ORadj = 5.87; 95%CI: 4.70 to 7.33, ORadj=
      1.22; 95%CI: 1.04 to 1.45, respectively) were also found to be associated with DM
      . CONCLUSION: The study indicated that SES has been associated with DM. Those
      with female gender, old age and low educational attainment were vulnerable to DM.

PMID- 28892938
TI  - Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy and its Associated Factors in a Rural Area of
      Villupuram District of Tamil Nadu, India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is limited information on prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy
      (DR) among diabetic subjects and its associated factors in a rural setting in
      developing countries including India. The information will be useful for
      initiating early screening strategies for this group in the community. AIM: To
      assess the prevalence and certain associated factors of DR among diabetic
      subjects in a rural area of Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross
      sectional study was conducted among 105 Type 2 diabetic subjects in Pakkam and
      Mandagapattu sub-center area of Kondur Primary Health Center in Villupuram
      district of Tamil Nadu, India. Data on associated factors which include
      sociodemographic factors, duration of disease, family history, and frequency of
      blood test, treatment regularity, hypertension, visual acuity and cataract were
      collected. Detailed eye examination including visual acuity, direct
      ophthalmoscope and Non Mydriatic Fundus Camera was done. Data was analysed by
      univariate analysis and described in proportion or percentages. RESULTS: The mean
      age of the study population was 56.69 years. About 47 (44.8%) of the subjects
      were more than 60 years of age followed by 44 subjects (41.9%) in age group 45-59
      years. Fundus examination in at least one eye was seen in 83 people (79.0%).
      Prevalence of DR in any eye and both the eye was 32.53% (27/83) and 31.58%
      (24/76) respectively. Severity of DR was moderate (51.9%) followed by mild
      (44.4%) and severe (3.7%). DR prevalence was more among >60 years age group
      (p=0.032) and lesser education level (p=0.057). There was no association of DR
      with duration of disease, family history of diabetes, treatment regularity,
      presence of hypertension, visual acuity and cataract (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      prevalence of DR was inferred to be high and further larger follow up studies
      will explore the role of associated factors and its quantification in the
      causation of DR.

PMID- 28892939
TI  - A Rare Case of Marcus Gunn Jaw Winking Phenomenon in a Community Health Setting.

PMID- 28892940
TI  - A Qualitative Study on Knowledge and Attitude towards Risk Factors, Early
      Identification and Intervention of Infant Hearing Loss among Puerperal Mothers- A
      Short Survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal active participation and their support are critical for
      the success of early hearing loss detection program. Erroneous maternal decisions
      may have large life long consequences on the infant's life. The mothers'
      knowledge and their attitudes towards infant hearing loss is the basis for their
      decisions. AIM: The present study was done to determine the mothers' knowledge
      and their attitude towards risk factors of infant hearing loss, its early
      identification and intervention and also awareness of effect of consanguinity on
      hearing loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional questionnaire survey
      study, a total of 100 mothers were interviewed using the questionnaire which
      consisted of three sections namely risk factors, early identification and early
      intervention of hearing loss. Chi-square test was used to establish relationship
      between consanguineous and non-consanguineous mother's responses to its effect on
      hearing loss. A p-value < 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Mothers'
      awareness was significantly high for visible causes (ear pain/discharge, head
      injury and slap to ear) of hearing loss. Positive attitude was seen for
      importance of screening programs and follow up testing. Moderate level of
      awareness was found on hazards of consanguinity and benefits of early
      identification. However, mothers were least aware of neonatal jaundice, NICU
      admission (>5 days), signs of late-onset and neural hearing loss, management of
      hearing loss, hearing aid fitting and therapy necessity, which might interfere in
      early detection and intervention of hearing loss. CONCLUSION: It is crucial to
      educate mothers on few risk factors and management of hearing loss to reduce its
      consequences.

PMID- 28892941
TI  - Cartilage Myringoplasty: An Ideal Grafting Technique for Complex Perforations.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tympanoplasty is one of routinely performed surgeries in ENT
      practice. Using cartilage-perichondrium composite graft in selective cases gives
      better outcome. AIM: To study the outcome and feasibility of cartilage
      perichondrium composite graft in repair of complex tympanic membrane
      perforations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional, intervention study was
      conducted at SSIMS and RC, Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital, Davangere, Karnataka,
      Southern India. Study sample consisted of 30 patients with chronic otitis media-
      tubo tympanic type in inactive stage. Patients were randomly selected and
      evaluated between January 2015 to June 2016. A detailed history, clinical
      examination, diagnostic nasal endoscopy, otoendoscopy were done for all patients
      preoperatively and postoperatively at three weeks, three months and six months.
      Audiological evaluation was done at six months postsurgery. Cartilage
      perichondrium composite graft from tragal and conchal cartilage was used for the
      repair of tympanic membrane in all the cases. The data were presented in
      proportions, percentages. RESULTS: Of 30 cases who underwent surgery, 24 patients
      (80%) had large central and subtotal perforations. Only one patient had a total
      perforation. The remnant tympanic membrane showed atrophic changes in 16 cases
      (53%) and sclerotic plaque was seen in 14 cases (46%). In our study, tragal
      cartilage was used in 17 and conchal cartilage in 13 cases. All the patients
      underwent type-1 tympanoplasty. Successful graft uptake was seen in 28 cases
      (93%) by six months. Two patients (7%) had a residual perforation at three months
      and in four cases (13%), the neotympanum showed anterior blunting by the end of
      six months. With respect to hearing, maximum air bone gap closure achieved in our
      study was 21db in one patient and minimum was 3db. Average air bone gap closure
      achieved was 10.1db. CONCLUSION: Cartilage-perichondrium composite graft can be
      considered a good choice in repair of tympanic membrane perforations with
      specific selective indications.

PMID- 28892942
TI  - Multifocal Presentation of a Laryngeal Disorder.
AB  - Multifocal presentation of a laryngeal disorder is very rare. We report a case of
      a 48-year-old man, who presented to our hospital with hoarse voice for two years.
      Stroboscopic evaluation followed by surgery was done and the specimens were sent
      for histopathological examination from three different anatomical sites of larynx
      which were diagnosed as one-benign lesion, second-benign lesion but ability of
      malignant transformation and the third-a malignancy.

PMID- 28892943
TI  - Reconstruction of Maxilla with Titanium Mesh and Fascia Lata - A Case Report.
AB  - Maxillary defect reconstruction has been a grave challenge which unfortunately
      has stopped many ENT surgeons from attempting maxillectomy due to the fear of
      reconstruction. With our technique of reconstructing the maxillary defect with
      titanium mesh and fascia lata, the need for microvascular assistance is obviated.
      Here we describe a revision case of ameloblastoma of maxilla in a 33-year-old
      female for which total maxillectomy with reconstruction was done without the aid
      of microvascular tissue transfer. The aim of this article is to encourage and
      alleviate the fear among the ENT surgeons, in attempting maxillectomy and its
      reconstruction for delivering an equally good aesthetic and functional outcome
      especially at the centres where the facility of plastic assistance is not readily
      available.

PMID- 28892944
TI  - Endoscopic Endonasal Approach of Blow Out Fracture Reduction- A Novel Technique.
AB  - Blunt trauma to orbit can lead to orbital blow out fracture. Computerized
      tomography of paranasal sinuses plays the main role in diagnosing it. Repairing
      the defect and restoring the orbital contents is a challenging task for the
      surgeon. Endoscopic endonasal approach in reduction of blow out fracture provides
      good cosmetic outcomes and grossly minimize surgical complications. We report a
      case of 18-year-old male presented with diplopia, restriction of eye movements
      and enophthalmos due to Road traffic accident. CT paranasal sinuses showed right
      side floor, medial orbital wall fracture with medial rectus muscle entrapment. We
      planned endoscopic endonasal approach to reduce the fracture and multilayered
      repair done using bone resected from choncha bullosa, fat and fascia lata.
      Patient relieved of symptoms post operatively without any complications.

PMID- 28892945
TI  - Pigmented Trichoblastoma of Nose: An Unusual Occurrence.
AB  - Nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn is a congenital tumour affecting the scalp and face.
      It is usually presented as a pigmented patch or plaque. It is a complex cutaneous
      hamartoma which involves pilosebaceous follicle, epidermis and adnexal
      structures. Tumours that arise from nevus sebaceous are basal cell carcinoma,
      syringocystadenoma papilliferum, trichoblastoma and hidradenoma. The progression
      and frequency of the tumour increase with the age. Here we present a case of
      pigmented trichoblastoma over the external nose. It was a case of an elderly
      woman presenting with a painless swelling over the external nose which was soft,
      non-tender and with well defined margins.

PMID- 28892946
TI  - Indian Perspectives on Graft Materials Used for Repair of Tympanic Membrane.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Repair of Tympanic Membrane (TM) is one of the most common
      surgeries performed by the otologists. Literature reveals that Indian surgeons
      have contributed substantially in the research on techniques and graft materials
      used for the repair of tympanic membrane, though no review has been written so
      far highlighting their contributions. AIM: To summarize and analyse the
      contributions of Indian authors who have used different graft materials for
      repair of TM and their studies listed in Medline search. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      literature review was conducted using a Medline search using keywords of
      'myringoplasty' and 'tympanoplasty' with 'India' on 30th June 2016. A total of
      243 articles were found listed onwards from year 1998. Out of these 50 articles
      in which type 1 tympanoplasty or myringoplasty was performed using different
      graft materials were selected. The content of each abstract was studied in order
      to identify studies related to topic. RESULTS: Authors have experimented with a
      variety of tissues as graft materials. Temporalis Fascia (TF) has been most
      widely used in 58.6% studies as graft material. The next popular graft is tragal
      perichondrium. The graft take up rates varied from 68.5% to 100%, while method of
      reporting of hearing gain in most studies was inconsistent amongst studies,
      though most studies have reported achievement of serviceable hearing of < 25 dB
      in most patients. CONCLUSION: TF was the most prefered material due to anatomic
      proximity, light material and strength. It was followed in popularity by tragal
      perichondrium and tragal cartilage. All graft materials have given satisfactory
      hearing results.

PMID- 28892947
TI  - Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) among
      Diabetic Patients in A Tertiary Eye Care Centre.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetic retinopathy is becoming an increasingly important cause of
      visual impairment in India. Many diabetic patients who come to our centre have
      undetected, advanced diabetic retinopathy. If diabetic retinopathy had been
      detected earlier in these patients, irreversible visual impairment could have
      been prevented. AIM: To document Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) patterns
      of diabetic patients regarding diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, to determine
      association between them, and to identify barriers to compliance with follow up
      and treatment regimes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a hospital-based, cross
      sectional study, conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology at Christian
      Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, over a six-month period from June
      2013 to November 2013. Two hundred and eighty eight diabetic patients, who
      fulfilled the eligibility criteria, were included in the study. KAP of patients
      was assessed using a 45-point, verbally administered questionnaire. Patients were
      placed in different categories, such as, 'good/ poor' knowledge,
      'positive/negative' attitude and 'good/poor' practice. Data were analysed using
      Chi-square test and binary logistic regression, as appropriate. The proportion of
      patients with 'good/poor' knowledge, 'positive/negative' attitude and 'good/poor'
      practice, and the association between KAP were studied. Barriers to compliance
      with follow up/treatment regimes were identified. RESULTS: Out of the 288
      patients in the study, 42% had good knowledge about diabetes, but only 4.5% had
      good knowledge about retinopathy. Good knowledge about diabetes was significantly
      associated with positive attitude towards diabetes and good practice patterns
      regarding retinopathy; awareness of retinopathy was also significantly associated
      with good practice. A total of 61.1% of patients did not have periodic eye
      examination; most common barrier identified was lack of awareness about the
      necessity for this (38.5%). CONCLUSION: Good knowledge about the disease was
      significantly associated with positive attitude and good practice patterns.
      Knowledge about diabetic retinopathy was poor among the patients in our study.
      Lack of awareness concerning the need for screening for retinopathy was a major
      barrier to regular screening. There is an urgent need to educate diabetic
      patients about this potentially blinding complication of diabetes.

PMID- 28892948
TI  - Microperimetry - A New Tool for Assessing Retinal Sensitivity in Macular
      Diseases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Macular disease is the leading cause of low vision in the Western
      world. Drusen and pigmentary irregularities are common among the rural Northern
      Indian population. The disease process leads to loss of central vision,
      metamorphopsia, macropsia or micropsia and colour vision defect. AIM: To study
      the retinal sensitivity changes in macular diseases using microperimetry.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was an observational study, conducted in the Department
      of Ophthalmology at a rural tertiary care hospital. This study was started from
      December 2014 until June 2016, in all patients with macular disease above the age
      of 20 years attending the outpatient department. Microperimetry was done for 84
      eyes of 52 patients with macular disease. Mean retinal Sensitivity (MS) and
      fixation stability was evaluated. The statistical analysis of mean retinal
      sensitivity, central 2 degrees  and 4 degrees  fixation was done by calculating
      the mean and standard deviation using 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The range
      of age was between 20-81 years. Majority were 32 males (62%) and 20 females
      (38%). Out of the 84 eyes studied, majority of the macular disease were Age
      Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) (50%). Rest 50% were other macular diseases.
      The mean retinal sensitivity (dB) shown by microperimetry was 10.83 in AMD, 9.12
      in Cystoid Macular Oedema (CME), 10.34 in Epiretinal Membrane (ERM), 10.74 in
      Pigment Epithelial Detachment (PED), 8.96 in Central Serous Chorioretinopathy
      (CSCR), 6.43 in macular dystrophy, 7.15 in Lamellar Hole (LMH), 9.8 in
      Pseudomacular Hole (PMH), 3 in geographic atrophy, 11.1 in macular
      telangiectasia, 5.6 in Berlin oedema, 12.3 in macular scar and 15.2 in
      haemorrhage in macula. The study showed 64% of the eyes had stable 2 degrees 
      central fixation, 35% had relatively unstable fixation and 1% had unstable
      fixation. No significant correlation between retinal sensitivity and retinal
      thickness in AMD was found. CONCLUSION: This study shows that microperimetry can
      be a useful tool for objective evaluation of macular function and progression of
      the disease.

PMID- 28892949
TI  - Corneal Collagen Cross-linking for Treatment of Bacterial and Herpetic Keratitis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Optimal management of infective keratitis is a formidable challenge
      and subject of ongoing studies. Recently, Collagen Cross-Linking (CXL) of the
      cornea has been considered to be a new effective therapeutic approach for
      resistant infectious keratitis. AIM: Aim of the study was to evaluate the
      effectiveness of CXL with Ultraviolet-A (UV-A) and riboflavin for treatment of
      the refractory bacterial and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) keratitis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this prospective interventional study, eight patients with diagnosis
      of infectious keratitis who were referred to Khalili Hospital eye emergency room,
      between 2014 and 2015 were included in the study. There were six patients with
      bacterial keratitis and two patients with HSV keratitis; they were resistant to
      conventional treatment and underwent CXL. Response to the treatment was
      considered as good if rapid epithelialization and rapid decrease in stromal
      infiltration occurred. RESULTS: Microbial culture in the bacterial keratitis
      group showed coagulase negative Staphylococcus in two patients, Staphylococcus
      aureus in one patient, mixed infection in one patient and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      in two patients. Good response and rapid epithelialization and resolution of
      stromal infiltration were seen in the four out of six eyes. Two patients showed
      no response and underwent penetrating keratoplasty for eradication of infection.
      Furthermore, one patient showed a good response to CXL in the HSV keratitis group
      and another patient had a relative response but recurrence occurred. CONCLUSION:
      Although, CXL seems promising in the treatment of patients with refractory
      bacterial keratitis, but in some cases, it is ineffective. CXL may be an
      alternative treatment for refractory cases of HSV keratitis but recurrence is
      possible.

PMID- 28892950
TI  - Riley-Day Syndrome in a Hispanic Infant of Non-Jewish Ashkenazi Descent.
AB  - Riley-Day syndrome is an autosomal recessive sensory and autonomic neuropathy.
      Patients present a lack of fungiform papilla, alacrima and usually feeding
      difficulties. It is present almost exclusively in Ashkenazi Jewish individuals
      and has a poor prognosis. We describe an unusual case of Riley-Day syndrome with
      pseudostrabismus in a non-Ashkenazi Jewish patient. A one-year-old female infant
      was referred for evaluation of strabismus, absence of fungiform papillae, feeding
      difficulty, gastroesophageal reflux and episodes of self-mutilation. Deep tendon
      reflexes were depressed, the blinking rate and corneal reflex were diminished as
      well and corneas were opaque due to corneal erosions. Reduced lacrimal production
      was confirmed by the Schirmer test. Eye drops were recommended every 2-3 hours
      for corneal erosion and the patient was referred to the genetics department for
      further diagnostic confirmation.

PMID- 28892951
TI  - Outcomes of Mechanically Ventilated Critically Ill Geriatric Patients in
      Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increase in life expectancy across the globe has led to rise in
      geriatric population. Geriatric population is now living longer and healthier.
      This rise in geriatric population has also led to increase in the geriatric
      ailments leading to increased number of geriatric patients requiring intensive
      care including mechanical ventilation. Data on outcomes of geriatric patients
      requiring mechanical ventilation from India is scarce. AIM: To study the profile
      and outcome of geriatric patients more than equal to 60 years requiring
      mechanical ventilation in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      data of all the geriatric patients, more than 60 years of age, admitted to ICU
      between January 2008 to August 2014 requiring mechanical ventilation for various
      reasons were extracted from the hospital records. Various reasons for
      ventilation, duration of ventilation/hospital stay, mortality and associated
      comorbidities were recorded and analysed. RESULTS: Total 140 geriatric patients
      were mechanically ventilated in the study period, out of which 43.5% (61/140)
      were above 70 years of age and 67.8% (95/140) were above 65 years of age. Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was the most common cause for mechanical
      ventilation constituting 20% of patients followed by severe sepsis (17.8%),
      cerebro-vascular accident (12.8%), post-surgical patients (12.8%) and Coronary
      Artery Disease (CAD) in 10%. In our study, 44.28% of the geriatric patients
      requiring mechanical ventilation in the ICU were successfully weaned off the
      ventilator. Early tracheostomy helped in weaning off from ventilator as 83.33%
      (5/6) of patients requiring tracheostomy could be weaned off the ventilator
      suggesting that tracheostomy may help in improving the outcome. Reintubation
      carried a very poor prognosis and increased mortality, as 80% (4/5) of the
      patients who were reintubated in our study could not survive. CONCLUSION: Our
      study revealed that in appropriate intensive care setting and with standard
      protocol based therapy for primary ailments, outcomes with mechanical ventilation
      in geriatric population can be comparable to outcomes in younger population.

PMID- 28892952
TI  - Correlation of Reciprocal Changes and QRS Amplitude in ECG to Left Ventricular
      Dysfunction, Wall Motion Score and Clinical Outcome in First Time ST Elevation
      Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Electrocardiogram (ECG) is the simplest tool for diagnosing ST
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). We can use a12 lead ECG for
      prognostication purposes also. AIM: The aim of the study was to find out the role
      of ECG as a prognostic marker in terms of clinical outcome and wall motion
      abnormality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a prospective study done in PSG
      Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, from
      January 2014 to September 2014. Patients aged above 18 years admitted with first
      episode of ST EMI as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited for
      the study. Presence of reciprocal changes and QRS amplitude was measured from
      ECG. Presence of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (LVD) and wall motion score were
      calculated from ECG along with clinical outcome during first follow up visit.
      Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. Probability was calculated
      using chi-square test, independent t-test and ANOVA analysis. RESULTS: A total of
      120 patients were recruited for the study of which six were excluded based on the
      exclusion criteria. Among 114 patients analysed, 55 had reciprocal changes; 38 of
      them developed LVD which was statistically significant (p=0.002). Of the 78
      patients with Anterior Wall Myocardial Infarction (AWMI), 35 had reciprocal
      changes; 15 (42.9%) of them had NYHA Class 1 symptoms, 14 (40%) had Class II and
      4 (11%) had class III symptoms at follow up. The association was statistically
      significant (p=0.001). Similar statistically significant association was found in
      patients with Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction (IWMI) who had reciprocal
      changes and NYHA symptoms at follow up (p=0.004). The mean wall motion score in
      patients with AWMI and reciprocal changes was 24.83 +/- 4.1; whereas, without
      reciprocal changes was 23.98 +/- 3.6; the association was not statistically
      significant. The mean QRS amplitude of all patients with LVD was 33.25 +/-16.34.
      The association between QRS amplitude and LVD was not statistically significant.
      The overall mean wall motion score was 24.86 +/- 3.91. The association between
      QRS amplitude and wall motion score was statistically significant (r value =
      0.210). The association between QRS amplitude and wall motion score was
      statistically significant when we analysed AWMI (r= -0.147, p=0.199) and IWMI (r=
      -0.359, p=0.031) separately. CONCLUSION: ECG can be used as a tool for
      prognostication in acute STEMI. The presence of reciprocal changes in the ECG can
      signify poorer outcome on follow up. Lower QRS amplitude can be used as a
      predictor of larger infarct.

PMID- 28892953
TI  - Effect of Cycling on Glycaemia, Blood Pressure, and Weight in Young Individuals
      with Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Aerobic exercise is associated with significant improvement in
      glycaemia and weight loss in Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Cycling, a form of aerobic
      exercise can benefit young (18 to <40 years) individuals with T2D. AIM: To assess
      effect of cycling on glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP) and
      weight over six months in young individuals with T2D. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      this retrospective, observational study, young (18 to <40 years) T2D patients who
      were being treated without insulin and not on more than two Oral Antidiabetic
      Drugs (OADs) were identified from a group of cyclists in a metro city from
      Northern India. These individuals were involved in a regular exercise program
      (cycling 25 km/day for at least five days a week). Participants with consecutive
      six months of cycling were selected and those involved in other forms of exercise
      were excluded. From their medical records, participants' weight, BP, and HbA1c
      levels were noted at baseline (i.e., before the start) and post-six months of
      cycling program and evaluated with appropriate statistics. RESULTS: From 26 cases
      identified with T2D, 20 participants were included in analysis. Mean age of
      participants was 35.6+/-2.6 years, five were <35 years and all of them were
      males. Cycling resulted in significant reduction in HbA1c% (mean change from
      baseline at six-month: -1.18, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.12, 1.24; p<0.001).
      Besides, systolic (-5.2, 95% CI -3.7, -6.6; p<0.001) and diastolic (-3.1, 95% CI 
      1.7, -4.5; p<0.001) BP and weight (kg) (-5.0, 95% CI -4.41, -5.58; p<0.001)
      showed significant reduction from baseline to six-months. Among two age groups
      (Age < 35 and >= 35 years), except for reduction of diastolic BP in age < 35
      years, significant reduction in all other parameters was evident in both age
      groups. CONCLUSION: Regular aerobic exercise in cycling form results in
      significant reduction in HbA1c, BP and weight. It should be promoted as an ideal
      method for exercise in young T2D cases to derive maximum benefits and to improve
      adherence to lifestyle intervention.

PMID- 28892954
TI  - Serum Free T3 to Free T4 Ratio as a Useful Indicator for Differentiating
      Destruction Induced Thyrotoxicosis from Graves' Disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thyrotoxicosis is a common disease encountered in Endocrine
      Outpatient Department (OPD). Two common causes of thyrotoxicosis are Destruction
      Induced Thyrotoxicosis (DIT) and Graves' Disease (GD). Differentiating DIT and GD
      based on clinical findings, is often not possible due to nonspecific symptoms.
      Thyroid scan is considered most reliable method for differentiating DIT and GD.
      AIM: To differentiate DIT and GD using the ratio of free triiodothyronine (fT3)
      and free thyroxine (fT4) thus avoiding thyroid technetium scan which is expensive
      and not accessible in developing countries like Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Patients attending Endocrine OPD with diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis at their first
      visit in which Thyroid technetium scan could be done were taken as sample. The
      study was conducted from mid-June 2016 to February 2017 and total 55 samples were
      taken. Only selected cases were taken where diagnostic dilemma was present.
      Report of Thyroid Function Test (TFT) of patient at their first visit and
      findings of thyroid scan were recorded. Ratio of freeT3 and freeT4 was obtained
      in each case. ROC curve was plotted and the cut off value for differentiation of
      DIT and GD was obtained. All data were analysed using SPSS software version 20.0.
      RESULTS: Mean ratio of fT3 to fT4 in GD and DIT was 0.395 and 0.287 respectively
      which was significant. On ROC analysis, cut off ratio for differentiating GD and
      DIT was 0.30 with sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 62.5%. CONCLUSION: It is
      recommended that thyroid scan can be avoided if ratio of fT3 and fT4 is less than
      0.3 and a diagnosis of DIT can be made.

PMID- 28892955
TI  - Frequent Occurrence of Faulty Practices, Misconceptions and Lack of Knowledge
      among Hypothyroid Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder with a reported
      prevalence of 4%-10%. Previous studies have reported significant gaps in the
      basic knowledge about the condition in hypothyroid patients. It has also been
      observed that faulty practices prevail among these patients. There is paucity of
      data on the assessment of knowledge and practices among treated hypothyroid
      patients. AIM: The present study was aims to assess the knowledge, awareness and
      practices in treated hypothyroid patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current
      cross-sectional study was conducted on 244 consecutive hypothyroid patients,
      attending the Endocrinology Outpatient Department (OPD). The patients were asked
      to fill a structured questionnaire pertaining to knowledge and practices about
      various aspects of hypothyroidism. RESULTS: Only two-thirds of the participants
      correctly identified thyroid as a gland and 41% were aware that hypothyroidism is
      caused due to decreased function of the thyroid gland. The most common symptom
      attributed to hypothyroidism was weight gain (139 responses). Nearly 45% of the
      patients believed alternative forms of medicine can be used for treatment of
      hypothyroidism. It was believed by 42% of the patients that hypothyroidism runs
      in the family and about 10% believed it could be transferred to their spouses.
      Only 33% of the patients gave one hour gap between levothyroxine and food intake.
      CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the lack of knowledge about basic aspects of
      hypothyroidism among the patients. In addition, there is a high prevalence of
      misconceptions and faulty practices. The study highlights the need for
      comprehensive patient education to improve therapeutic outcomes and compliance
      among hypothyroid patients.

PMID- 28892956
TI  - Short Term Efficacy and Safety of Insulin Glargine in Type 2 Diabetes
      Inadequately Controlled with Single or Two Oral Agents: A Prospective, Open Label
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Basal insulin is among the second line treatment options for Type 2
      Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Efficacy and safety of basal insulin in patients of
      T2DM, uncontrolled with Oral Antidiabetic Agents (OAAs) remains understudied in
      the Indian setting. AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of insulin glargine in
      patients with T2DM who have uncontrolled glycaemic levels despite single or two
      OAAs therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective, open label study, T2DM
      patients above 40 years of age, having inadequate glycaemic control [Glycosylated
      Haemoglobin (HbA1c) above 8% and/or fasting glucose level of 140 mg/dl and above]
      with single or two OAAs over three consecutive months were included. Dosing of
      insulin glargine was adjusted as per Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) and Post
      Prandial Blood Glucose (PPBG) levels. Patients were followed for 12 weeks and
      data was analysed by comparing 12th week findings to baseline values. RESULTS: In
      40 cases included in final analysis, mean age was 56.35 +/- 6.77 years, 52.5%
      were females and mean body mass index was 26.96 +/- 4.59 kg/m2. Compared to
      baseline, significant reduction in HbA1c, FBG and PPBG blood glucose (all p<0.05)
      was seen. HbA1c goal of < 7% was achieved in 37.5% cases. Systolic (p>0.05) and
      diastolic (p<0.05) blood pressures reduced at 12 weeks as compared to baseline.
      Increase in weight was modest with mean increase of 1.06 kg (p>0.05). Overall, 14
      symptomatic hypoglycaemia events were observed with none being severe.
      CONCLUSION: Short term administration of insulin glargine is effective in
      reducing glycaemia and is safe with lower rates of severe hypoglycaemia. It can
      be considered in patients with uncontrolled T2DM on mono- or two- OAAs treatment.

PMID- 28892957
TI  - Risk of GERD with Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and Bronchial Asthma - A
      Hospital based Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The rise in Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) prevalence
      appears to have coincided with a simultaneous increase in the prevalence of
      diabetes mellitus, hypertension and bronchial asthma amongst the Indian
      population. Despite being evaluated extensively for their role as a risk factor
      for GERD, till date this relationship has remained a debatable one. Moreover,
      literature available on such studies conducted within Indian population remains
      scarce. AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine the risk of developing
      GERD in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, hypertension and asthma in a
      Southern Indian population. The present retrospective, triple cohort and hospital
      based study was conducted by accessing the patient records from the medical
      records department of a tertiary care hospital in Southern India. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The patient's records were accessed from the year 2011 onwards. Relative
      Risk (RR) was calculated to determine the risk of development of GERD with every
      disease. Chi-square test was used to determine the statistical significance of
      the relationship between each disease and the development of GERD. A p-value of
      <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In view of the time
      constraints as well as the limitations of the inclusion and exclusion criteria,
      data pertaining to only 40, 71 and 53 patients in Cohort 1 (diabetics), 2
      (hypertensives) and 3 (bronchial asthmatics) respectively could be analyzed in
      the present study. The relative risk of GERD development was greater than 1 for
      patients belonging to Cohort 2 and 3, suggesting that the risk of GERD
      development is higher amongst hypertensives and asthmatics. Surprisingly, the
      diabetics (Cohort 1) were not associated with a high risk of GERD development.
      However, the relationship between any of the disease and GERD development was not
      statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The present study found an increased risk
      of GERD development amongst patients suffering from hypertension and bronchial
      asthma, but not with diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 28892958
TI  - Correlation of Serum Prolactin Level to Child Pugh Scoring System in Cirrhosis of
      Liver.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With the growing incidence of liver cirrhosis among Asians, the use
      of a biomarker such as prolactin, indicates the severity of the disease, its
      complications and serves as a tool for early intervention. AIM: To compare the
      efficacy of serum prolactin to the Child Pugh scoring system in cirrhosis of the
      liver and establish that serum prolactin is an early marker for complications of
      cirrhosis of the liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a comparative study on 60
      patients admitted to the Department of General Medicine, KIMS from June 2014 to
      November 2015. Patients above the age of 18 years, diagnosed to have cirrhosis of
      the liver were included in the study. Patients having conditions/medications
      known to elevate prolactin levels such as cranial surgery/irradiation, pituitary
      disease, chronic renal failure, drugs such as neuroleptics, metoclopramide,
      aldosterone antagonists, etc., were excluded. All the patients were subjected to
      the routine work up for chronic liver disease including serum prolactin levels at
      admission. RESULTS: In the present study, the most common cause of cirrhosis was
      found to be alcohol (73%). The complications of cirrhosis were portal
      hypertension in 50 (83.3%), oesophageal varices in 39 (65%) with upper GI bleed
      in 22 (36.7%) patients, hepatic encephalopathy in 15 (25%) patients. Serum
      prolactin levels were elevated in 73% of the patients with highest levels of
      serum prolactin (>35 ng/ml) seen in patients of Class 'C' Child Pugh. Elevated
      serum prolactin was found in 66.7% of the patients with oesophageal varices,
      90.9% patients with upper GI bleed and in all patients with hepatic
      encephalopathy (100%). CONCLUSION: Serum prolactin levels correlated with the
      Child Pugh score in predicting the severity of the disease. Patients with a
      higher serum prolactin at admission had a greater incidence of complications of
      cirrhosis. Hence, serum prolactin is an inexpensive, non invasive blood marker
      which may be used to estimate the severity and the complications of cirrhosis.

PMID- 28892959
TI  - Prevalence of Conventional Risk Factors and Evaluation of Baseline Indices Among
      Young and Elderly Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity and
      mortality worldwide, manifesting in a variety of clinical spectrums such as an
      asymptomatic disease or acute coronary syndrome. It has become highly prevalent
      in Southeast Asia, including Pakistan. There has been little work done on the
      prevalence of traditional risk factors in different age groups and genders and
      there is a dire need to gauge the importance of baseline indices in CAD patients.
      AIM: To determine the prevalence of conventional risk factors and evaluate the
      variations in lipid profiles, electrolyte levels and haematological indices among
      patients with CAD in different age groups and gender. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study was carried out in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi,
      Sindh, Pakistan from January to June 2016, among patients with CAD. We recorded
      the presence of conventional risk factors and baseline indices within the first
      24 hours of admission. Continuous variables were compared using Independent t
      test or Mann-Whitney test and categorical variables were compared using chi
      square or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The most frequent risk factor was
      dyslipidemia (91.2%), followed by hypertension (70.4%), diabetes (51.2%), family
      history of CAD (40.0%) and smoking (29.2%). Total of 98.4% of patients had at
      least one risk factor. Diabetes and hypertension were found to be common in
      females; whereas, smoking was predominantly present in males. Diabetes and
      dyslipidemia were mostly encountered in elderly patients. The most frequent lipid
      alteration was low levels of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). Cholesterol and HDL
      levels were found to be higher in females than males. Elderly patients had lower
      levels of HDL and higher levels of Cholesterol. The levels of haematological
      indices were found to be higher in males and younger patients. The median levels
      of serum sodium and potassium were found to be higher in elderly patients.
      CONCLUSION: Our study findings corroborate with the findings from previous
      studies regarding the significance of risk factors in causing cardiovascular
      pathology. Medical interventions and dietary control to improve body's lipid
      status would be indispensable in the prevention of CAD. Deranged electrolyte
      levels necessitate correction of body electrolyte parameters as an adjunct in
      prevention strategies.

PMID- 28892960
TI  - A Rare Case of Primary Calcific Pleural Tuberculosis - A Case Report.
AB  - Tuberculosis is a highly prevalent disease in India. It has a myriad of
      presentations. Usually pleural tuberculosis occur secondary to pulmonary
      tuberculosis which can manifest as pleural effusion leading to pleural
      calcification. Primary pleural calcification due to tuberculosis is an extremely
      rare manifestation of active tuberculosis. We present a case of a 21-year-old
      female presenting with fever, cough, weight loss and loss of appetite who was
      diagnosed to have pleural calcification due to primary tuberculosis. We highlight
      the need to keep primary pleural tuberculosis in mind with above symptoms
      suggestive of active tuberculosis even when there is no underlying lung
      pathology.

PMID- 28892961
TI  - Calcium on Mitral Valve: Decipher Aetiopathogenesis.
AB  - We hereby describe an unusual case of a 17-year-old female with severe mitral
      regurgitation secondary to heavily calcified immobile valve leaflets. Along with
      the mitral valve, corneas were also calcified, due to congenital systemic
      metabolic disorder, distal renal tubular acidosis. Histopathology proved that
      there was no intrinsic pathology of the mitral valve. Congenital distal renal
      tubular acidosis with normokalemia presenting with severe mitral and corneal
      calcification is not known. This case notes important clinical features and is
      thought to add to the existing knowledge regarding the disease. Patient succumbed
      to her illness during mitral valve surgery and genetic analysis was not done
      prior. This is the limitation of our reporting. In this modern era, specific
      clinical features are also important and of equal value to try and understand
      molecular and genetic basics of the diseases.

PMID- 28892962
TI  - Crigler Najjar Syndrome Type 2 (CNS Type 2): An Unwonted Cause of Jaundice in
      Adults.
AB  - Crigler Najjar Syndrome (CNS) Type 2 is an uncommon genetic disorder
      characterised by non-haemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. It is caused by
      mutations in the UGT1A1 gene which codes for the enzyme uridine diphosphate
      glucoronosyl transferase- 1, required for the conjugation and further excretion
      of bilirubin from the body. Affected individuals are usually asymptomatic apart
      from the jaundice and investigations reveal isolated indirect hyperbilirubinemia.
      It can be conveniently diagnosed by evaluating the response to phenobarbitone in
      terms of fall in bilirubin levels. Genetic testing of the UGT1A1 gene for
      mutations is the diagnostic clincher. However, case reports documenting the
      genetic mutational analysis are sparse. We report one such rare case.

PMID- 28892963
TI  - Autoimmune Hepatitis - Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Overlap Syndrome.
AB  - Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) are important
      immune mediated liver diseases. They are usually differentiated based on
      clinical, biochemical, serological and histological parameters. The presence of
      autoantibodies, clinical and serological findings can sometimes occur in
      different combinations leading to overlap syndromes, which is rare. Early
      recognition of such overlap syndromes is clinically significant from treatment
      point of view. Here, we report a case of AIH-PBC overlap syndrome with a brief
      review of literature on overlap syndromes.

PMID- 28892964
TI  - Dengue Haemorrhagic Encephalitis: Rare Case Report with Review of Literature.
AB  - Dengue is an endemic arboviral infection prevalent especially in tropical
      countries including Southern and Southeast Asia. Central Nervous System (CNS)
      involvement in dengue infection is uncommon. Haemorrhagic encephalitis is a rare
      presentation in dengue. This is a case of a 58-year-old male who presented with
      fever, petechial rash and altered sensorium. Dengue serology IgM was reactive and
      MRI brain was suggestive of haemorrhagic encephalitis. Patient was managed in
      Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but eventually succumbed to his illness. We report this
      fatal outcome of a common viral infection with unusual neurological presentation
      to propose an association between dengue and neurotropism and the need to look at
      dengue infection beyond its classical features.

PMID- 28892965
TI  - Dunbar Syndrome-A Rare Cause of Foregut Ischemia.
AB  - Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) is a condition that can result from an
      anatomical aberration. If the median arcuate ligament is located too inferiorly
      in relation to the celiac axis, it can impede circulation and lead to vascular
      compromise. Here, we present the case of a 63-year-old woman, who came to the
      hospital complaining of continuous epigastric pain and who was ultimately found
      to have MALS. Her epigastric pain could be the result of the ischemia caused by
      MALS that made it difficult for the duodenal ulcer to heal properly. This case
      report documents an unusual presentation of an already rare condition.

PMID- 28892966
TI  - Longitudinal Stent Deformation at Aneurysm Site: Flexibility at the Expense of
      Longitudinal Integrity.
AB  - Longitudinal stent deformation is a recently described complication of
      percutaneous coronary intervention. Novel stents with thin struts and reduced
      number of fixed links between cells improve flexibility and deliverability but in
      certain cases it may reduce longitudinal strength and thereby increase the risk
      of longitudinal deformation. Although longitudinal deformation of coronary stents
      is an infrequent finding, it requires clinical attention as it may lead to
      catastrophic clinical outcomes. We report a case of longitudinal deformation of
      coronary stent observed at our institution while treating ostial lesion and
      aneurysm of left anterior descending artery. Longitudinal deformation was
      identified during the procedure and treated with the deployment of another stent.
      Three-month follow-up of the patient was found satisfactory without any incidence
      of stent thrombosis.

PMID- 28892967
TI  - Bilateral Single System Orthotopic Ureterocele with Bilateral Multiple Calculi
      Presented with Retention of Urine - an Urological Emergency.
AB  - The ureterocele is an uncommon congenital anomaly of the lower ureter.
      Ureterocele with a single pelvicalyceal system, bilateral, and orthotopic variety
      is less common. Calculi within bilateral ureterocele are a rare occurrence. To
      the best of our knowledge, only a few similar cases have been reported in the
      literature. Among the all reported presentations of this type of ureterocele,
      presentation with Acute Urinary Retention (AUR) has not been described in the
      literature. We present a case of nine-year-old child having bilateral, single
      system orthotopic ureterocele with calculi in bilateral ureterocele and presented
      with AUR due to obstructive bulbar urethral calculus. The bilateral endoscopic
      incision was given and all four calculi were removed endoscopically through
      percutaneous route. Voiding cystourethrography after two years follow-up was non
      refluxing. The purpose of reporting this case is the rarity of the disease and to
      emphasize that delay in diagnosis and treatment of these cases may lead to
      complications such as recurrent urinary tract infection and renal failure.

PMID- 28892968
TI  - A Rare Case of Ileocecal Tuberculosis with Pulmonary Embolism and Deep Vein
      Thrombosis.
AB  - Venous thromboembolism in tuberculosis is not a well recognised entity. It is a
      less frequently reported complication of severe pulmonary tuberculosis. It is
      exceedingly rare when it complicates extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Here, we
      present a case of 22-year-old young female with abdominal tuberculosis
      complicated with reverse ileocecal intussusception, deep vein thrombosis and
      pulmonary embolism. An emergency vena cava filter was inserted prior to a limited
      right hemicolectomy. In this article, we discuss the rare association of venous
      thromboembolism with ileocecal tuberculosis.

PMID- 28892970
TI  - Primary Tuberculotic Osteomyelitis of Rib in a Child.
AB  - Although extremely rare, osteomyelitis has been reported in smaller bones like
      ribs. A 13-year-old male child presented with a one week history of chest wall
      swelling. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) of the lesion and initial
      bacterial culture could not find the aetiology of the lesion. He underwent
      surgical resection of entire sixth rib for osteomyelitis and was subsequently
      diagnosed to have tubercular osteomyelitis. Diagnosis and treatment of rib
      tuberculosis is both difficult and controversial. Rib tuberculosis is often not
      successfully treated by medical management alone and consequently needs surgery.

PMID- 28892969
TI  - Fistulating Richter's Hernia of Groin with Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection: A
      Lethal Combination.
AB  - Strangulation of groin hernia can result in significant morbidity and mortality.
      Spontaneous external fistulation following strangulation is rare and typically
      occurs with Richter's hernia. Spreading Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection (NSTI)
      secondary to Enterocutaneous Fistula (ECF) is an ominous sign, further worsening
      its prognosis. Early diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment is crucial to
      improve outcome. Herewith the authors are presenting a case of neglected inguinal
      hernia. It was complicated with ECF formation and rapidly spreading NSTI of
      flank. He underwent resection and anastomosis of the gangrenous bowel, anatomical
      repair of the hernia along with soft tissue debridement of flank region. This
      patient however succumbed to sepsis with multi organ dysfunction. Significant
      delay in seeking medical care led to dismal outcome.

PMID- 28892971
TI  - A Case Report of Largest Documented Multilocular Cystic Nephroma Removed by
      Thoracoabdominal Approach.
AB  - Large renal tumours are not uncommon in developing countries. Enhancing renal
      tumours are considered to be malignant unless proved otherwise and radical
      surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment of such tumours. A giant
      renal tumour, especially on right side, poses a big challenge for the operating
      team and requires a thoracoabdominal approach for successful excision. We report
      successful removal of the largest documented Multilocular Cystic Nephroma (MLCN,
      5.5 kg) from a 28-year-old female who presented with right abdomen lump since two
      years. The surgery was done through a 9th intercostal thoracoabdominal incision
      as the mass (31 x 19 x 19.6 cm) extended from right sub-diaphragmatic space up to
      the dome of the bladder. We discuss here the technique of removing such a huge
      renal mass and the challenges an operating surgeon may encounter.

PMID- 28892972
TI  - Renal Synovial Sarcoma in a Young Pregnant Lady: A Case Report and Clinico
      Pathological Profile.
AB  - Synovial sarcoma is a soft tissue neoplasm with clearly defined histologic,
      immunohistochemical and molecular features. These tumours usually arise in the
      extremities of young adults. Their occurrence in the kidney is extremely rare. A
      25-year-old pregnant lady in her first trimester was incidentally found to have a
      left renal mass on perinatal ultrasonography. MRI showed a well encapsulated,
      heterointense mass replacing the left kidney. Following medical termination of
      her pregnancy, a radical nephrectomy was performed. Histopathology revealed a
      primary synovial cell sarcoma of the kidney. Postoperatively, she received
      ifosfamide based adjuvant chemotherapy. This report highlights the challenges
      involved in the diagnosis of this extremely rare neoplasm. A high index of
      clinical suspicion, complimented by the use of immunohistochemistry and
      cytogenetics during histopathological analysis aide in the diagnosis. Aggressive
      management with a combination of complete surgical extirpation and chemotherapy
      gives the best results.

PMID- 28892973
TI  - Large Eccrine Acrospiroma of the Hand.
AB  - Eccrine acrospiroma are benign skin tumours of sweat duct origin. They usually
      present as small solid or cystic lesions which are confused clinically with other
      solid or cystic lesions. These are generally benign lesions with few reports of
      malignant transformation. Here, we report a case of a middle aged female
      presenting with a swelling of the dorsum of left first web space which was
      histopathologically diagnosed as an eccrine acrospiroma, which was managed with
      surgical excision and covered with a regional flap. This case is presented due to
      the large size of the lesion in the hand.

PMID- 28892974
TI  - Squamous Cell Carcinoma Penis in a Case of Urethral Stricture Due to Lichen
      Sclerosus Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans: A Case Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - Penile carcinoma is considered a delayed sequel of lichen sclerosus. It is
      important to recognize this not so uncommon complication in time as survival of
      patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) depends on early diagnosis and
      treatment. We describe a case of a 49-year-old male presenting with urethral
      stricture due to lichen sclerosus. He was treated for stricture disease and later
      on developed SCC penis after ten years of presentation.

PMID- 28892975
TI  - Caudal Regression Syndrome with Pressure Ulcers of the Foot: A Case Report.
AB  - Caudal Regression Syndrome (CRS) is a rare disorder which consists of
      abnormalities in the lumbosacral spine, rectum, urinary system and lower limbs.
      These abnormalities also include orthopaedic deformities, such as hip
      dislocation, knee-flexion contracture with popliteal webbing and talipes
      equinovarus. Because of the rarity of this condition, few medical personnel are
      aware of it. Here, we present a case of CRS in a 15-year-old girl with pressure
      ulcers on the lateral malleolus and plantar surface of the foot, which had come
      into contact with the wheelchair footrest. Although the foot ulcers healed after
      off-loading, the ulcer on the lateral malleolus did not heal with conservative
      treatment and was covered by a lateral supramalleolar flap after debridement.
      Stable coverage and good contours were present at 18 months postoperatively. CRS
      patients may have a risk factor for developing pressure ulcers of the foot due to
      the characteristic lower limb deformities and a loss of sensation. Preventive
      foot care measures such as off-loading devices combined with modern dressings
      should be applied as routine when the medical personnel is to attend such
      patients.

PMID- 28892977
TI  - External Drainage of Giant Infantile Choledochal Cyst before Definitive Repair:
      Is it Worth?
AB  - Infantile Choledochal Cysts (IFCC) usually present with jaundice, acholic stool
      and abdominal lump or abdominal distension. If the surgical intervention is
      delayed, they rapidly progress to liver fibrosis which is considered to be
      irreversible if progressed to cirrhosis. We present the data of four cases (aged
      one month to seven months) of IFCC presented with cholangitis managed in one
      surgical unit in last two years. In one case, cholangitis was treated with
      prolonged antibiotic course before definitive repair whereas in rest, external
      drainage of cyst was done in addition to intravenous antibiotic to treat
      cholangitis. All the infants had features of cholangitis at time of presentation.
      Total leucocyte count ranged from 18x1000/UL to 30.6x1000/UL. Total bilirubin
      level at presentation ranged from 8.2 mg/dl to 18 mg/dl and Prothrombin time
      (INR) ranged from 1.33 to 1.9. Hepatic fibrosis was observed in all cases but
      cirrhosis was observed in only one case. There was no mortality but one patient
      had postoperative complication with prolonged hospital stay. External drainage
      helps in early recovery from cholangitis and better optimization of liver
      function. It also delays further progression to liver fibrosis by relieving the
      biliary outflow obstruction while waiting for definitive repair.

PMID- 28892976
TI  - Diagnosis and Treatment of Duodenal Lipoma: A Systematic Review and a Case
      Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Duodenal lipoma is very rare with limited case reports present in
      literature. Owing to recent advances in endoscopy and modern imaging techniques,
      more cases are being diagnosed and treated. However, no systematic study of
      duodenal lipomas has been reported. AIM: To study the diagnosis and treatment of
      duodenal lipoma in a female patient and review the relative literatures to
      enhance the knowledge of it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search for
      'duodenal lipoma' was performed on PubMed. Papers published from 1948 to 2016 in
      the English language were identified. Each article was then read in detail and
      analysed for clinical data, imaging features, diagnosis and therapy. Also, we
      hereby present a case of upper gastrointestinal obstruction secondary to multiple
      duodenal lipomas in a 67-year-old woman. The patient underwent a limited bowel
      resection with an uneventful recovery. RESULTS: Literature review demonstrated 59
      cases of duodenal lipoma, which indicate that duodenal lipomas are rare to occur
      but commonly found in the second part. The peak of incidence seems to be around
      the fifth and seventh decade of life. Duodenal lipomas may present as
      gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, obstruction or upper abdominal
      fullness. CT, MRI, Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), endoscopy are highly accurate
      diagnostic tools. The disease could be managed by endoscopy or surgery.
      CONCLUSION: Our review of literature indicated duodenal lipoma is extremely rare.
      The symptoms are nonspecific and CT is the first choice for diagnosis. The
      treatment depends on the patient's condition as well as the size and position of
      the tumour.

PMID- 28892978
TI  - Maternal Outcomes Associated with Caesarean versus Vaginal Delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To choose the best mode of delivery (vaginal versus caesarean
      section) still remains a contentious issue. Caesarean section is a major
      abdominal surgery with its related medical, anesthetic and surgical
      complications. Maternal mortality and morbidity is higher in caesarean section
      compared with vaginal delivery. The most common causes of maternal mortality
      during caesarean section are due to anesthesia, bleeding and infection. AIM: The
      aim of this study was to determine the mode of delivery and maternal outcomes in
      Sanandaj's hospital, Iran, during one year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      population included all women who were admitted for delivery in Sanandaj's
      Hospital. Data collection instrument was a researcher made questionnaire. Data
      were entered into SPSS version 20.0 and analyzed using Chi-square test. Desired
      outcomes were entered into multiple logistic regression models. For estimating
      the parameters and increasing the level of significance we used bootstrap to
      generate 1000 samples. RESULTS: During the study, a total of 5984 deliveries were
      conducted in Sanandaj Hospital, of which 3423 (57.20%) were vaginal (vaginal,
      vaginal + episiotomy, instrumental delivery) and 2561 (42.80%) were caesarean
      section. The results showed a statistically significant association between
      delivery mode and demographic variables such as age, occupation and level of
      education; whereas, no significant association was found between place of
      residence and parity. CONCLUSION: The finding of this study showed that caesarean
      section delivery rate in Sanandaj was 42.80% in 2012-2013 which is higher than
      caesarean section rate recommended by WHO. Also, there was a relationship between
      mode of delivery and maternal outcomes.

PMID- 28892979
TI  - Efficacy of Foley's Catheter and the Effect of Histopathology, Age and
      Endometrial Thickness Relative to the Measured Outcomes in Menorrhagia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Menorrhagia adversely affects the quality of life. Hysterectomy is
      the definitive treatment for menorrhagia however, a number of conservative
      alternatives are available. AIM: Hysterectomy is the definitive treatment for
      menorrhagia however, a number of conservative alternatives are available. A
      thermal balloon is an effective but costly option. We used a Foley's catheter as
      an alternative to commercially available thermal balloons. If effective, it will
      provide a cheap alternative to the thermal balloon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      Foley's catheter was placed in the uterine cavity for 10 minutes using 0.9%
      saline. The measured outcomes were amenorrhea, eumenorrhea, oligomenorrhea or
      failure of the therapy. Endometrial thickness, age and endometrial biopsy results
      were also measured to determine if these variables had any effects on the
      outcome. RESULTS: Out of the total 42 participants, nearly half had amenorrhea
      (42.9%, n=18). Furthermore, 28.6% had oligomenorrhea (n=12) and 26.2% experienced
      eumenorrhea (n=11). Only one participant failed to respond (2.4%, n=1). There
      were no differences in outcomes between the different forms of histopathology.
      This means that thermal balloon therapy is effective in causing amenorrhea. No
      significant relationships existed between participants' measured outcomes and a
      model containing predictor variables (age and endometrial thickness), R=0.313,
      R2=0.098, p=0.141. CONCLUSION: A Foley's catheter is effective with reasonable
      measured outcomes in cases of menorrhagia.

PMID- 28892980
TI  - Evaluating the Efficacy of Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System and Danazol for
      Relief of Postoperative Pain in Endometriosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Endometriosis is an oestrogen-dependent disorder, manifests during
      reproductive years and is associated with pain and infertility. There is
      considerable debate about the effectiveness of various interventions for pain
      relief. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System (LNG
      IUS) and Danazol in postoperative pain relief for patients with endometriosis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hundred patients with diagnosis of endometriosis, who were
      treated laparoscopically, entered the study to receive either danazol (600 mg
      once daily) or LNG-IUS (inserted during immediate post operative period)
      postsurgery, for pain relief. Patients were analysed for pain relief according to
      VAS score and recurrence of disease using ultrasonography at third and sixth
      months of follow up. RESULTS: There were 50% patients in stage IV of
      endometriosis. Majority of them presented with complaint of infertility (49%) and
      pelvic pain (43%). It was observed that LNG-IUS was significantly more effective
      in relieving pain compared to danazol (65.2% vs 38.0%, p<0.05). Recurrence rate
      was significantly lower in LNG-IUS users compared to other group. CONCLUSION: LNG
      IUS was found to be more effective in relieving pain compared to danazol.

PMID- 28892981
TI  - Effect of Transdermal Nitroglycerine on Doppler Velocity Waveforms of the
      Uterine, Umbilical and Fetal Middle Cerebral Arteries in Patients with Chronic
      Placental Insufficiency: A Prospective RCT.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increase in Nitric Oxide (NO) may be important in vascular
      adaptation needed to accommodate increased uteroplacental blood flow as pregnancy
      advances. Hence, in certain conditions like Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH)
      and Fetal Growth Restriction (FGR), NO donors may play an effective role in
      increasing uteroplacental perfusion. Transdermal route appears to be a safe and
      effective route. AIM: To evaluate the effect of nitroglycerine patch on Doppler
      velocity waveforms of the uterine, umbilical and fetal middle cerebral arteries
      in patients with chronic placental insufficiency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on eighty
      consecutive pregnant women with FGR with or without PIH and having evidence of
      altered waveform velocimetry in uterine, umbilical and fetal middle cerebral
      artery. They were divided into two groups- study and control group. Transdermal
      nitroglycerine patch (10 mg per 24 hours) was applied in study group for three
      consecutive days. Changes in various Doppler indices were noted after three days
      of patch application and compared between the two groups. Analysis was carried
      out using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Studies) for Windows version 20.0
      and online GraphPad software (Prism 5 for Windows) version 5.01. RESULTS: A
      significant fall in the systolic and diastolic ratio (S/D), Pulsatility Index
      (PI) and Resistivity Index (RI) of the uterine (3.07+/-0.52, 1.04+/-0.14 and
      0.54+/-0.10 respectively, p<0.001) and umbilical artery (3.73+/-3.30, 1.18+/
      0.21and 0.64+/-0.07 respectively, p<0.001) was noted after three days of patch
      application. No such significant change was observed in the middle cerebral
      artery indices. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic approach of NO donor administration
      via transdermal route in pregnant patients with chronic placental insufficiency,
      apparently improved both maternal and fetoplacental haemodynamics, thus may help
      in improving perinatal outcome.

PMID- 28892982
TI  - Comparison of the Different Definition Criteria for the Diagnosis of Amniotic
      Fluid Embolism.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There are several sets of criteria for the diagnosis of Amniotic
      Fluid Embolism (AFE), but little is known about their degree of agreement. AIM:
      To evaluate the concordance of the Japan criteria for AFE in comparison with two
      definitions: the US AFE registration entry criteria (the US criteria) and UK
      Obstetric Surveillance System criteria for defining cases of amniotic fluid
      embolism (the UK criteria). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective observational
      study was conducted in which the AFE cases registered in the Obstetrical
      Gynaecological Society of Kinki District in Japan for the period of April 2005 to
      December 2012 have been analysed by the expert steering obstetric committee,
      organized by the members of the Obstetric Research group. Cohen's kappa
      coefficient was used to calculate the agreement among three clinical diagnoses.
      For inter-group comparison, the Pearson Chi-square test was used (for
      categorical) and Mann-Whitney test was used (for continuous variables). RESULTS:
      Among the 26 cases registered for this period, a total of 18 women were selected
      as having AFE according to the Japan criteria. Five women died (case fatality
      rate 27.8%). Agreement between the Japan criteria and the US and UK criteria was
      k = 0.453 and k = 0.538, respectively, reflecting moderate agreement. However,
      only 38.9% were given a diagnosis of AFE according to all three criteria. The
      factor that most often caused disagreement in diagnosis between the Japan
      criteria and the US criteria was "onset within 30 minutes postpartum". The UK
      criteria excluded "women with postpartum haemorrhage as the first presenting
      feature in whom there was no evidence of cardiorespiratory compromise". The case
      fatality rates in US and UK are higher than in Japan (50.0% and 38.5% vs 27.8%),
      but this did not result in a significant difference (p=0.497). CONCLUSION: The
      groups of subjects identified as having AFE by the Japan criteria had a medium
      agreement with the US (k=0.453) or UK criteria (k=0.538). These three definition
      criteria identified different subgroups of patients. Such disagreement has
      serious implications for research and treatment.

PMID- 28892983
TI  - Transient Thyrotoxicosis in Molar Pregnancy.
AB  - Molar pregnancy is one of the components of a broader spectrum of diseases known
      as Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD), presenting with amenorrhoea and
      irregular bleeding which may be rarely associated with passage of vesicles per
      vagina. However, it can rarely be associated with hyperthyroidism, which may be
      associated with clinical features of hyperthyroidism. The following is a report
      of a 20-year-old woman who presented with amenorrhea followed by irregular
      bleeding per vagina, thyromegaly and abnormal levels of thyroid hormones.
      Transvaginal ultrasound revealed features consistent with molar pregnancy. A
      suction evacuation was done following which serum levels of beta-hCG reduced and
      the levels of thyroid hormones also reduced. On follow up, six weeks later, beta
      hCG and thyroid hormones were within normal limits. The case and relevant
      literature are presented here.

PMID- 28892984
TI  - Thoracoscopic Diaphragmatic Plication for Eventration in Pregnant Woman: A Case
      Report.
AB  - Diaphragmatic eventration is an uncommon malady, underdiagnosed and often treated
      only in emergent situations. Eventration of the diaphragm is best treated by
      plication of diaphragm with or without meshplasty. Various studies have shown
      that thoracoscopic plication is as efficient as laparotomy or laparoscopic
      plication. We present here the report of thoracoscopic diaphragmatic plication
      for eventration performed in the third trimester of pregnancy in a 28-year-old
      woman who presented with acute respiratory distress. To our knowledge, we believe
      this to be the first published case in medical literature.

PMID- 28892985
TI  - Cellular Fibroma of Ovary Coexisting with Proliferative Endometrium Post
      Menopause: A Rare Presentation.
AB  - Ovarian fibromas are benign sex cord stromal tumours occurring in peri-menopausal
      and post-menopausal women. These tumours are composed of spindle fibroblastic
      cells producing collagen. They are almost always endocrine-inert and are rarely
      associated with hormone production. We report herein a case of a 60-year-old
      Indian woman presenting as post-menopausal bleeding. Imaging studies and
      endometrial biopsy revealed a right ovarian solid tumour coexisting with
      thickened proliferative endometrium, other causes of hyperoestrogenism being
      excluded in the woman. She underwent total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral
      salpingo-oophorectomy. Histopathology showed cellular fibroma of right ovary and
      proliferative endometrium with foci of hyperplasia without atypia.

PMID- 28892986
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy and Surgical Utility of MRI in Complicated Diabetic Foot.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetic foot complications pose a significant public health hazard
      and have negative effect on life quality. These complications are associated with
      increased risk of amputations and premature death. So focus is increasing on
      early treatment of complicated diabetic foot. AIM: To assess the diagnostic
      accuracy and surgical utility of MRI in complicated diabetic foot. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Thirty four complicated diabetic patients were evaluated prospectively.
      Initially x-ray was done and a provisional management plan was formulated. Later
      T1W, T2W and FSat sequences of the affected foot and ankle was carried out. The
      soft tissue, tendons and osseous apparatus were evaluated and subsequently
      compared with histopathological examination. Before and after MRI, change in
      management plan was marked. Previously operated cases with persistent ulcer of
      affected foot were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Twenty two males and 12
      females with mean age of 52+/-8.8 years were analysed. The sensitivity of MRI for
      tenosynovitis and osteomyelitis was 88% and 100% respectively. The specificity
      for the same was 100% and 90%. Of all 34 cases, MRI reshapes surgical planning in
      23.5% cases (8 patients). The difference between MRI and histopathological
      findings was evaluated statistically using Fisher-Z test and the proportion of
      difference between these two groups was not significant as values for
      tenosynovitis was Z=0.50 (p-value >0.05) and for osteomyelitis Z= 0.54 (p
      value>0.05). CONCLUSION: The result indicates that MRI is a sensitive and
      accurate imaging modality for evaluation of diabetic foot and for planning proper
      treatment and the MRI correlates significantly with the surgical finding.

PMID- 28892987
TI  - A Comparison of the Clinico-Radiological Outcomes with Proximal Femoral Nail
      (PFN) and Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation (PFNA) in Fixation of Unstable
      Intertrochanteric Fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Management of unstable intertrochanteric fractures poses challenges
      in terms of obtaining stable fixation and good postoperative outcomes. There is a
      paucity of clinical data comparing the commonly used Proximal Femoral Nail (PFN)
      and Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation (PFNA) implants, especially in relation to
      osteoporosis. AIM: To assess comparative performance of PFN and PFNA in the
      setting of osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients presenting with unstable
      intertrochanteric fractures (AO 31.A2 and 31.A3) were included and treated with
      either PFN or PFNA. Preoperative radiographs of normal side were used to grade
      osteoporosis by Singh's index. Grade 3 or less was considered significant.
      Postoperative radiographs were assessed for tip-apex distance, Cleveland index
      and quality of reduction. Patients were followed up for a minimum of nine months
      and any complications noted. Comparison of functional outcomes was done using the
      Harris Hip Score and Parker-Palmer mobility score at final follow up. Statistical
      analysis was done using the unpaired t-test/Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square
      test/Fisher's-exact test. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant.
      RESULTS: The study included 48 patients with unstable intertrochanteric
      fractures, of which 23 were treated with PFN and 25 with PFNA. Average age of PFN
      group was 60.78 years and of PFNA group was 74.12 years. In PFN group 8 patients
      (38.09%) and in PFNA group 13 patients (54.1%) had Singh's osteoporotic index of
      <= 3. The average Harris Hip Score was 75.37 and 78.85 in PFN and PFNA groups
      (p=0.54) respectively. From PFN and PFNA groups, 35% and 32% patients
      respectively were able to return to pre-injury mobility status as assessed by the
      Parker-Palmer mobility score (p=0.83). Out of eight implant related
      complications; seven were in patients treated with PFN (p=0.02). Among patients
      with Singh's grade <= 3, 3 (37.5%) in PFN group suffered from implant failure
      whereas all 13 patients in PFNA group had successful outcome (p=0.04).
      CONCLUSION: Although functional outcomes achieved with both implants are similar
      (p=0.83), number of implant related complications were fewer with PFNA (p=0.02),
      even in osteoporotic group (p=0.04). We recommend use of the PFNA in unstable
      fractures, especially in the elderly osteoporotic population.

PMID- 28892988
TI  - Treatment of Proximal Humerus Fractures using PHILOS Plate.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Treatment of proximal humerus fractures always holds a dilemma for
      the treating surgeon. AIM: To assess the functional outcome of proximal humerus
      fractures treated with Proximal Humerus Internal Locking System (PHILOS) plating.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty three consecutive patients were treated with PHILOS
      plating between August 2013 and August 2014. The inclusion criteria were
      skeletally matured patients with closed fracture proximal humerus with
      displacement >1 cm and varus angulation of >450. Severely comminuted fractures,
      open fractures and valgus impacted fractures were excluded from the study. The
      outcome was assessed using Neer's scoring system. RESULTS: The average age was
      54.3+/-5.8 years. As per the Neers classification system, there were 6 (11.32%) 1
      part, 19 (35.85%) 2-part, 17 (32.085) and 11 (20.75%) 3 and 4-part fracture
      respectively. Average surgical duration was 94+/-10.2 minutes. Radiological union
      was seen at 12+/-4.6 weeks. There were 2 (3.77%) cases of varus collapse. Three
      (5.66%) cases had screw back out, which was later revised and had a favourable
      outcome. As per the Neer's scoring system, 7 (13.21%) cases had excellent
      results, 37 (69.81%) had satisfactory, 6 (11.32%) had unsatisfactory while 3
      (05.66%) cases had poor outcomes. CONCLUSION: PHILOS plating has a good
      functional outcome. However, proper patient selection, thorough knowledge of the
      anatomy and biomechanical principles are the pre-requisites for a successful
      surgery.

PMID- 28892989
TI  - Blood Lead Levels in Children of Southwest Iran, Aged 2-6 Years and Associated
      Factors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lead is one of the toxic metals that can cause several
      complications in children. AIM: This study was conducted to determine Blood Lead
      Levels (BLLs) in healthy children and its association with individual and
      environmental factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive-analytical study
      was conducted on 262 healthy children aged 2-6 years in Shahrekord, Southwest
      Iran in 2013. After taking serum samples from the children, the checklists of
      effective environmental factors on lead toxicity were completed after
      interviewing the parents. BLLs were determined by ICP-MS. Data were analysed by
      descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square and ANOVA) in SPSS 16. RESULTS:
      BLLs ranged 0.4-52.8 (mean: 6.9+/-7.9) ng/ml. BLL was significantly associated
      with father's education level, house colour damage, canned food use and soil
      eating (p<0.05), but not with age, gender, economic status, proximity to factory
      and kohl use (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: BLL can cause serious health risks for
      children in Shahrekord and is associated with certain risk factors. It is
      necessary to screen for these risk factors.

PMID- 28892990
TI  - Prevalence of Acanthosis nigricans and Related Factors in Iranian Obese Children.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recognition of Acanthosis nigricans (AN) provides important
      opportunities for screening of obesity syndrome, dyslipidemia, hypertension and
      insulin resistance with diabetes mellitus 2. Considering the high prevalence of
      obesity among Iranian children, we designed this study to estimate the prevalence
      of AN and related laboratory factors in Iranian obese children. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Seventy-one obese children were enrolled in this study. Diagnosis of AN
      was done by clinical examination. Body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar,
      total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), alanine aminotransferase, aspartate
      aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, high- and low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, insulin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxin (fT4), calcium,
      phosphorus and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured with routine techniques.
      Collected data were compared between cases with AN and without AN. Independent t
      test was used for comparison of variables. RESULTS: Twenty-five of children were
      female (35.2%). Forty-eight children (67.6%) had AN. In 20 cases (28.2%),
      homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was <2.5 and in 51
      (71.8%), HOMA-IR was more than 2.5. Mean BMI, insulin, HOMA-IR, TG and AST levels
      were significantly higher in cases with AN. CONCLUSION: Obese children with AN
      are at risk of developing diabetes. Hence early identification of this feature
      and precise evaluation of children is recommended.

PMID- 28892991
TI  - Neisseria Meningitidis Causing Multiple Cerebral Abscesses in Early Neonatal
      Period: Case Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - Neisseria meningitidis is a rare cause of meningitis and septicemia in neonates.
      There are few published case reports of neonatal meningococcal meningitis
      complicated by subdural empyema, cerebral abscess and hydrocephalus. Few cases of
      neonatal meningococcal meningitis have been reported in the literature with none
      of them having the complication of multiple cerebral abscesses in early neonatal
      period (<seven days of life). We report a case of meningococcal meningitis with
      multiple cerebral abscesses which presented on fifth day of life and developed
      hydrocephalus at five weeks of life requiring a Ventriculo Peritoneal (VP) shunt.
      To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of neonatal
      meningococcal meningitis with multiple cerebral abscesses.

PMID- 28892992
TI  - Juvenile Hyaline Fibromatosis- A Rare Autosomal Recessive Disease.
AB  - Systemic hyalinosis is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. It may also
      be referred to as Fibromatosis hyalinica multiplex juvenilis and Murray-Puretic
      Drescher syndrome. A four and a half-year-old female child presented with
      multiple soft tissue swellings involving the nose, orbital ridges, ears, bony
      prominences of the ulna and tibia and the parietal and occipital prominence and
      had gum hypertrophy. The diagnosis of this rare condition was based upon
      clinicopathological correlation, wherein the histopathological examination of
      cutaneous lesions reveals accumulation of hyaline material with fibroblast in the
      dermis. A multidisciplinary approach helped in correct diagnosis, management and
      in providing counseling for the parents. The child's parents were counseled about
      the surgical excision of the lesion; however, the parents opted for non-surgical
      conservative management.

PMID- 28892993
TI  - Foetal Magnetic Resonance Images of Two Cases of Aicardi Syndrome.
AB  - Cerebral malformations are of fundamental importance in the clinical diagnosis of
      Aicardi Syndrome (AS). Some of these anomalies like callosal agenesis, cysts
      formation, posterior fossa anomalies and gross interhemispheric asymmetry are
      easily observed in the prenatal period with the use of foetal Magnetic Resonance
      Images (MRI). We present two cases of female newborns with cerebral MRI performed
      in the prenatal period and further diagnosed with AS. With the increase use of
      foetal MRI, AS will be easier suspected in the prenatal period in a female fetus
      with typical brain anomalies.

PMID- 28892994
TI  - Life Threatening Severe Hypernatraemic Dehydration in Neonates: A Report of Two
      Cases.
AB  - Hypernatraemic dehydration in neonates may lead to potentially lethal
      consequences like cerebral oedema, intracranial haemorrhage, hydrocephalus and
      gangrene. In the light of increase in the infants presenting with hypernatraemic
      dehydration, there is a definitive need to heighten the awareness and have a high
      degree of suspicion in diagnosis for this potentially lethal condition. We report
      two neonates of severe hypernatraemia with dehydration highlighting its diagnosis
      and management. Treatment of hypernatraemic dehydration involves correction of
      electrolyte imbalance by careful restoration of fluids and ensuring appropriate
      intake of calories. Promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding by careful
      breastfeeding assessment and including an early post partum follow up in the
      hospital protocol to detect any unusual weight loss in the newborn period plays a
      significant role in preventing this condition.

PMID- 28892995
TI  - Concurrent Acute Glomerulonephritis and Retropharyngeal Abscess in 10 Year Boy: A
      Case Report.
AB  - Postinfectious Glomerulonephritis (PIGN) usually follows 1-2 weeks after
      respiratory tract infection and 4-6 weeks after skin infection. Acute
      Glomerulonephritis (AGN) is uncommon with simultaneous severe throat infections.
      We describe a 10-year-old boy who was presented with high grade fever, dysphagia
      and tender swelling over left side of neck. Examination also revealed enlarged
      multiple cervical lymph nodes on the same side of neck. Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging (MRI) of soft tissue of neck revealed evidence of retropharyngeal
      abscess. The next day, he subsequently developed haematuria and oliguria with
      borderline raised blood pressure. His corresponding blood urea and serum
      antistreptolysin O (ASO) levels were raised with low C3 levels. He had a
      remarkable improvement on injectable broad spectrum antibiotics with complete
      resolution of fever and neck symptoms. At eight weeks follow up, complete
      resolution of microscopic haematuria with normal C3 levels was observed. The
      present case highlights a 10-year-old young boy with retropharyngeal abscess
      presenting with clinical and laboratory evidence of Poststreptococcal
      Glomerulonephritis (PSGN).

PMID- 28892996
TI  - Pelvic Mass Lesions in Females: Tissue Characterization Capability of MRI.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of adult female pelvis is a well
      established tool in the evaluation of utero-ovarian lesions and is often used to
      supplement ultrasonography. The need for diagnostic surgical intervention has
      largely been eclipsed with the advent of MRI, which has become the imaging
      modality of choice for characterization of pelvic masses. AIM: To assess the role
      of MRI in female pelvic mass lesions and to exploit the tissue characterization
      capability of MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study was
      done on all patients referred to Department of Radiodiagnosis, Krishna Hospital,
      Karad, for MRI pelvis with clinically suspected uterine and adnexal masses or
      with indeterminate diagnosis on ultrasonography. Study was conducted between
      September 2014 to August 2016 with a sample size of 100 patients. All patients
      were scanned using 1.5 Tesla Seimens Avanto (Tim+Dot) scanner with Body matrix
      coil Tim. Histopathology was taken as gold standard. Results on continuous
      measurements were presented on Mean+/-SD (Min-Max) and results on categorical
      measurements were presented in Number (%). RESULTS: Among 100 cases, on MRI, the
      maximum number of patients was having uterine lesions (48) followed by ovarian
      lesions (40), inconclusive adnexal/ovarian lesions (6), adnexal lesions (4). Two
      patients had normal findings. This correlated well with histopathology results,
      which showed the maximum number of patients were having uterine lesions (48)
      followed by ovarian lesions (41), adnexal lesions (5). Normal findings were
      observed in two patients. CONCLUSION: Due to excellent depiction of pelvic
      anatomy, non-invasiveness and absence of ionizing radiation, MRI is an excellent
      tool for assessment of utero-ovarian disorders, for detecting and
      characterization of various diseases, and staging patients with carcinomas where
      accurate diagnosis will make an impact on their surgical and medical management
      planning.

PMID- 28892997
TI  - Quantification of Liver Fat with mDIXON Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Comparison
      with the Computed Tomography and the Biopsy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Accurate, non-invasive method of fat estimation is a valuable test
      for evaluation of diseases with abnormal hepatic fat. AIM: To determine the
      accuracy of mDixon MR technique in assessment of liver fat over CT and to
      correlate the CT and MRI findings with biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      prospective observational study was conducted at Imaging Services of Narayana
      Multispeciality Hospital between March 2011- December 2012. Thirty patients who
      attended the clinic for non-hepatic complaints were included in the study.
      Patients with known liver disease, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, bleeding
      diathesis and claustrophobic patients were excluded from the study. Subjects
      underwent sonography, CT liver and MR examination of liver for fat estimation
      using mDixon protocol. Biopsy of the liver was performed either by image guidance
      or by direct biopsy. Liver Attenuation Index (LAI), fat estimation by MR methods
      were reviewed independently by two observers and compared with biopsy results.
      The statistical analysis was performed by SPSS. Pearson correlation was used to
      find the correlation between the left and right lobe of liver segments by CT and
      histological correlation. RESULTS: There was good correlation between the MR
      estimation of liver fat and histological grading. Majority (90%) of patients had
      fat content of less than 10%. Maximal fat content of 28% was observed in one
      patient. LAI values poorly correlated with the MRI and histological observations.
      CONCLUSION: MR estimation of the liver using mDixon technique yielded specific
      information about liver fat, correlated well with the histological grading.
      Technique is more accurate than CT, does not involve ionising radiation, hence
      recommended as method of choice.

PMID- 28892998
TI  - Role of Multi-Detector CT (MDCT) in Evaluation of Bowel Diseases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Multi-Detector Computed Tomography (MDCT) has revealed excellent
      results in various systems of the body. Its role in abdominal imaging for solid
      viscera has been proved beyond doubt. It is an emerging non invasive tool for
      evaluation of bowel diseases. AIM: To see the efficacy of MDCT in evaluation of
      various bowel diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out in the
      Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Batra Hospital and Medical Research
      Centre, Delhi, India. A total of 60 patients were enrolled in this study from
      March 2008 to June 2010 over a period of 24 months. All patients suspected to
      have inflammatory, obstructive, ischaemic and neoplastic diseases of small or
      large bowel disease were included in the study. The patients with past history of
      chronic renal failure, allergic reaction to contrast were excluded from the
      study. Comparison was made between CT findings with the operative findings,
      endoscopy, angiography or histopathology correlation whichever was relevant with
      case. All this data was compiled and statistically analysed. RESULTS: Out of 60
      patients 12 patients were diagnosed having appendicitis using axial, Multiplaner
      Reconstruction (MPR) and curved MPR images. The findings of appendicitis were
      confirmed on surgery and subsequent histopathology correlation. Inflammatory
      bowel diseases comprised of 28 cases out of which seven persons were diagnosed
      with intestinal Koch's disease. Four patients had idiopathic inflammatory bowel
      diseases. Rest of the 17 patients were reported to have findings of non-specific
      colitis and they responded well with antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSION: The
      sensitivity and specificity of MDCT in case of bowel obstruction clearly
      demonstrates not only the site of obstruction, but also reveal the cause of
      obstruction which includes intraluminal, intramural and extrinsic factors. CT
      scan categorizes the lesion to inflammatory or neoplastic to a greater accuracy.
      MDCT can also demonstrate the complications associated with obstruction like
      strangulation and perforation. CT is now considered a good tool in the evaluation
      of patients with suspected bowel obstruction, particularly in indeterminate
      clinical and conventional radiographic findings.

PMID- 28892999
TI  - Soft Tissue Foreign Body: Utility of High Resolution Ultrasonography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Minor percentage of wooden foreign bodies is radio-opaque. High
      Resolution Ultrasonography (HRUSG) though existing is sparsely used as a primary
      imaging modality for diagnosis and localization of retained foreign body. AIM: To
      evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of High Resolution Ultrasonography (HRUSG) in
      diagnoses and localization of retained foreign body. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      prospective study with registered 46 patients with history of foreign body injury
      which were initially imaged with conventional radiography was enrolled. Later
      patients were subjected for high resolution USG of the diseased part with a
      linear transducer. Surface marking was done for all subjects to assist the
      surgical exploration. Ultrasound findings were correlated with surgical
      exploration and histopathological findings. RESULTS: Out of 46 patients, forty
      one showed foreign body with foreign body inflammatory reaction in the form of
      abscess and/or granulation tissue on high resolution ultrasonography. No foreign
      body was detected in five patients but they showed focal hypoechogenicity which
      represented abscess and/or haematoma. On surgical exploration, two out of 41
      patients did not reveal foreign body where as rest were found to have foreign
      body with foreign body inflammatory reaction. Sensitivity and negative predictive
      value of the current study is 100%. CONCLUSION: High resolution USG is not only
      an efficient modality in diagnosing and localizing the foreign body in soft
      tissue, but can also be utilized for guiding the foreign body removal.

PMID- 28893000
TI  - Detection of Dental Pathologies in Routine Paranasal CT Scans: A Retrospective
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) is a widespread method for
      evaluating paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity in daily practice. The maxillary
      teeth are in field of view in a paranasal sinus CT scan and it is possible to
      detect dental pathologies with CT. AIM: To determine the incidence of maxillary
      teeth pathologies in routine paranasal sinus CT scans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective study was conducted. Consecutive 395 paranasal sinus CT scans were
      evaluated. All CT images were obtained with a 64 detector-CT. Patients with
      previous facial trauma, operation, invasive tumors and repeated exams were
      excluded. Detected findings were classified as "tooth loss, dental restorations
      or procedures and dental pathologies (carious lesions, dental developmental
      anomalies, periapical lesions and periodontal diseases). The proportion of
      findings was reported as simple percentiles. RESULTS: Three hundred and eighty
      four CT scans were included in the study. Dental restorations or procedures were
      determined in 129 (33.5%) patients. A total of 34 (8.8%) patients had normal
      teeth count and morphology. A total of 264 (64.3%) patients had at least one
      tooth loss. A total of 195 (51%) patients had at least one or more dental
      pathology. Number of dental carious lesions, dental developmental anomalies,
      periapical lesions and periodontal disease were 104 (27.0%), 78 (14.3%), 46
      (11.9%), 44 (11.4%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Dental pathologies were
      encountered in more than half of the patients. Detecting dental pathologies may
      prevent tooth loss and improve oral health. The radiologist should keep in mind
      dental pathologies while evaluating paranasal sinus CT in daily practice.

PMID- 28893001
TI  - Pulmonary Artery Obstruction Index and Right Ventricular Dysfunction Signs in
      Initial and Follow up Pulmonary Computed Tomography Angiography in Acute
      Pulmonary Embolism.
AB  - INTODUCTION: Acute Pulmonary Embolism (APE) increases the pressure of the
      pulmonary arterial system with resulting Right Ventricle Dysfunction (RVD). AIM:
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Pulmonary Artery
      Obstruction Index (PAOI) and signs of right heart dysfunction with computed
      tomography angiography in APE patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 72
      consecutive patients (mean age 64.1+/-16.9 years; 59.7% female) with APE who had
      initial echocardiography with computed tomography angiography. Among these 72
      patients, only 25 (34.7%) patients had follow up computed tomography angiography
      images and we evaluate right heart dysfunction with PAOI and Right Ventricle (RV)
      diameter. RESULTS: In 72 patients with APE, PAOI and RVD signs were significantly
      high. Twenty five of these 72 patients (34.7%) had follow up computed tomography
      angiography images and among those 25 patients, there was correlation between
      reduction of PAOI and RV diameter in follow up period. CONCLUSION: PAOI and RVD
      signs in initial computed tomography angiography and in follow up computed
      tomography angiography can be used in the management of Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
      patients.

PMID- 28893002
TI  - Interventional Angiography: Radiation Protection for the Examiner by using Lead
      free Gloves.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The radiation exposure to unprotected parts of the body requires
      special attention for the interventional radiologist. During angiographic
      procedures, hands are exposed to the direct X-ray beam and scattered radiation.
      AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the radiation exposure of examiners
      hand with the use of lead-free X-ray protective gloves in clinical practice in
      terms of shielding and sense of touch. The aim of the study was to evaluate the
      radiation exposure of examiners hand with the use of lead-free X-ray protective
      gloves in clinical practice in terms of shielding and sense of touch. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Phantom measurements were conducted in the direct X-ray beam and the
      area of scattered radiation with and without shielding. Examiner measurements
      were determined in interventional angiographies in clinical routine of the lower
      limb in antegrade puncture technique through the femoral artery. In 24 out of 50
      interventions, an elastic natural rubber latex glove with lead-free metal
      shielding against radiation was used. All measurements were performed with a
      direct dosimeter. After the intervention, an opinion of the examiner was
      requested for evaluation of the sense of touch. RESULTS: Phantom measurements;
      when using the protective glove in the direct X-ray beam, a significant increase
      of the Dose Area Product (DAP) (1084.2-1603.8 mGy*cm2; 67.6%; p<0.001) as well of
      the examiner's hand dose (143-221.8 MUSv; 64.5%; p<0.001) was observed. A
      significant reduction of the examiner's hand dose was verifiable for scattered
      radiation (1.76-0.75 MUSv; 42.6%; p<0.001). Examiner measurements; if protective
      gloves were used, a significant increase of the DAP (6183.2-10462.9 mGy*cm2;
      59.1%; p<0.05) and decrease of the average dose rate (0.76-0.43 mSv/h; 56.6%) for
      the entire procedure was determined. The tactile sensitivity was assessed as not
      restricted (18/24). CONCLUSION: The new generation of protective gloves is
      characterized by a shielding effect against X-ray scattered radiation, without
      restricting the sense of touch. A significant reduction in radiation doses to the
      examiner can be accomplished with these gloves in the area of scattered radiation
      only. If the gloves were used in the direct X-ray beam, especially while the
      artery puncture was performed, a significant increase of the dose values was
      observed.

PMID- 28893004
TI  - Subconjunctival Fat Prolapse: What Radiologists Need to Know?
AB  - Subconjunctival fat prolapse is a rare benign entity or disease presenting as fat
      containing epibulbar mass in lateral canthus region. Weakness of Tenon's capsule
      secondary to age, trauma or any surgery leads to herniation of intraconal fat.
      Radiologists should be aware of the condition and its imaging features. We report
      a case of 70-year-old obese man presenting with bilateral soft yellowish lateral
      canthal mass. Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
      showed typical imaging features of epibulbar fatty lesion in continuation with
      the intraconal fat.

PMID- 28893003
TI  - Spectrum of MRI Appearance of Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome in
      Primary Amenorrhea Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) synd-rome is a malformation
      in female genital tract due to interrupted embryonic development of para
      mesonephric ducts leading to uterine and proximal vagina aplasia or hypoplasia.
      AIM: To analyse the MRI findings in females suspected of MRKH syndrome in a
      primary amenorrhea workup. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      comprising of 11 patients of MRKH syndrome presented in a tertiary care centre
      from March 2016 to February 2017 evaluated in 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. RESULTS:
      Normal positioned small vestigial uterus demonstrated in two patients (18.2%) and
      complete uterine and proximal vaginal agenesis were noted in nine patients
      (81.8%). The mean volume of rudimentary right uterine bud was 2.26 mL +/-3.3 (SD)
      and left uterine bud was 1.27 mL+/-1.1 (SD). The mean volume of right ovary was
      4.74 mL+/-2.58 (SD) and left ovary was 4.65 mL+/-2.2 (SD). The mean developed
      vaginal length was 26.2 mm+/-6.34 (SD). CONCLUSION: The rudimentary uterine buds
      associated with MRKH syndrome always maintained caudal relationship with ovary.
      Ovaries or rudimentary uterine buds can be ectopic and should be recognized with
      MRI before undergoing fertility treatment. Following MRI diagnosis, surgery
      allows patients to have sexual function with possible attainment of reproduction
      after assisted reproduction technique or surrogacy.

PMID- 28893005
TI  - Pleural and Mediastinal Lipomatosis with Subpleural Fat as a Mimicker of Pleural
      Effusion- A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Subpleural and mediastinal lipomatosis are benign intrathoracic conditions
      discovered incidentally on plain chest radiographs. However, diagnosis is usually
      made by Computed Tomography (CT). A case of both mediastinal and pleural
      lipomatosis associated with use of steroids in a 58-year-old male patient
      presented with complaints of breathlessness and dry cough is discussed in this
      case report. Intially, pleural effusion and bilateral upper lobe patchy opacities
      were suspected as a cause of breathlessness on the basis of chest x-ray findings.
      For which, CT scan of chest was advised.

PMID- 28893006
TI  - Morel-Lavallee Lesion: Case Report with Review of Literature.
AB  - Morel-Lavallee lesions are closed degloving soft tissue injuries which occur
      because of trauma and in which the skin and subcutaneous tissue are separated
      from superficial fascia. This shear trauma results in creation of a potential
      space filled with serosanguinous fluid, blood and necrotic fat. We discuss a case
      of 52-year-old female with history of trauma one week back, who presented with a
      boggy swelling over the postero-lateral aspect of proximal forearm and distal
      arm. Local examination showed fluctuating fluid collection. MRI showed variable
      intensity fluid collection in a potential space between the subcutaneous tissue
      and deep fascia in arm and forearm. Percutaneous decompression and evacuation of
      the collection with systemic antibiotic therapy resulted in rapid improvement.

PMID- 28893007
TI  - MRI in Chemotherapy induced Leukoencephalopathy: Report of Two Cases and
      Radiologist's Perspective.
AB  - Leukoencephalopathy is a progressive white matter disease primarily caused due to
      myelin damage by a variety of factors. Chemotherapy for oncological treatment is
      an uncommon but important cause of potentially reversible leukoencephalopathy. In
      current radiological setting, conventional and diffusion weighted MRI play a
      significant role in early and accurate detection of this entity. We are hereby
      presenting MRI evaluation of two cases of methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil induced
      toxic leukoencephalopathy.

PMID- 28893008
TI  - Spontaneous Intra-Parenchymal Rupture of Craniopharyngioma - A Rare Phenomenon.
AB  - Craniopharyngioma is a relatively benign intracranial tumour that involves sellar
      and supra-sellar regions. Spontaneous rupture of craniopharyngioma into the sub
      arachnoid space or into the ventricles is a rare phenomenon and few cases are
      reported in literature. We hereby report a case of sellar-suprasellar
      craniopharyngioma with focal intra-parenchymal rupture into brain causing
      aggravation of headache in a 12-year-old female child. This complication is a
      relatively rare phenomenon, which requires attention for early intervention. This
      was managed by trans-nasal endoscopic trans-sphenoidal surgery. Usually rupture
      of craniopharyngioma causes chemical meningitis or it can be asymptomatic.
      Sometimes rupture can cause complete resolution of cyst and symptoms. In the
      present case, there was only focal rupture and it was into brain parenchyma
      causing brain oedema with aggravation of headache. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
      (MRI) in intra-parenchymal rupture of craniopharyngioma has been emphasized in
      this case report.

PMID- 28893009
TI  - Intracranial Aneurysms Involving Circle of Willis in a Child with Human
      Immunodeficiency Virus Associated Vasculitis- A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Intracranial Arterial Aneurysms (IAAs) are relatively rare in paediatric
      population and they account for at least 10%-15% of haemorrhagic strokes which
      occur during the first two decades of life. Here we present a unique and unusual
      case of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected child who presented with
      intracranial aneurysms with formation of collaterals and vasculopathy,
      demonstrating low viral count despite receiving adequate antiretroviral
      treatment. Intracranial vascular involvement, their complications and its
      incidence in these patients may become increasingly common as the management of
      human immunodeficiency virus infection continues to improve and afflicted
      patients survive for longer periods because of advancement in the antiretroviral
      treatment. Diagnosing aneurysm of cerebral circulation needs high degree of
      suspicion and correlation between clinical and radiological findings.

PMID- 28893010
TI  - Evaluation of the Potency of Kinetin on Radiation Induced Behavioural Changes in
      Swiss Albino Mice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: According to the various independent studies conducted, it is well
      evident fact that radiation induces oxidative stress in the living system. It is
      also proved that this oxidative stress will lead to the various behavioural
      changes such as anxiety and memory impairment. Kinetin is one of the important
      plant cytokine with anti-aging properties. However, very few studies were
      conducted to check its potential in ameliorating the behavioural changes induced
      by the ionizing radiation. AIM: This study was aimed to check the potential of
      kinetin in ameliorating the radiation induced behavioural changes in albino mice.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, survival analysis was performed using three
      different dose of kinetin intervention along with, one radiation control group
      and one normal control group (n=50). Based on the cumulative survival rate,
      single effective dose of kinetin was selected and used to evaluate the
      behavioural changes induced by radiation. The open field apparatus was used to
      evaluate the anxiety level (n=18, six in each group). Eight armed radial maze was
      used to evaluate the memory and learning ability in mice model. RESULTS: Survival
      study results suggest 100 mg/kg body weight of kinetin showed highest cumulative
      survival rate. Therefore, this dose was selected as an effective drug dose for
      further study. Analysis also showed 6 Gy whole body electron beam radiation had
      significantly increased anxiety level, increased duration to complete the task as
      well as mistakes done during the task. Further, kinetin intervention had
      significantly ameliorated the same. CONCLUSION: A 100 mg/kg body weight of
      kinetin intervention helps in reducing the anxiety and improves the learning
      ability in mice exposed to electron beam radiation.

PMID- 28893011
TI  - Entropy as an Indicator to Measure Depth of Anaesthesia for Laryngeal Mask Airway
      (LMA) Insertion during Sevoflurane and Propofol Anaesthesia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Assessment of the depth of anaesthesia is fundamental to the
      anaesthetic practice. Entropy measurement is an objective monitoring and is of
      two types- Response Entropy (RE) and State Entropy (SE) indicating analgesic and
      hypnotic levels during general anaesthesia. AIM: The aim of our study was to
      assess the depth of anaesthesia for LMA placement using entropy as a tool. The
      assessment of entropy as an indicator of depth of anaesthesia in the form of
      haemodynamic variations and success rate of LMA placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A prospective study was carried out after ethical committee approval in 100
      patients, aged 20-50 years, with ASA grade I and II of either gender undergoing
      elective surgery lasting less than two hours under general anaesthesia.
      Anaesthesia was induced with sevoflurane 2.5% and IV propofol at 6 ml/min until
      entropy value fell from baseline values to 30-40 and then LMA insertion was
      performed. SE and RE values were noted every 30 seconds for five minutes. Mean
      blood pressure and heart rate were recorded every minute after induction for 5
      minutes. RESULTS: There was a significant change in RE and SE values within 30
      seconds from start of induction. Desired values of RE (40.10+/-2.52) and SE
      (39.2+/-2.47) were achieved at 120 seconds to 150 seconds. Mean dose of propofol
      used during surgery was 86.5+/-3.5 mg and mean insertion time was 110+/-12
      seconds Patients in study group had a stable haemodynamics throughout the
      procedure, (p-value -0.8). CONCLUSION: Entropy is a reliable indicator to assess
      depth of anaesthesia for LMA placement during sevoflurane and propofol
      anaesthesia.

PMID- 28893012
TI  - Pattern of Self Prescribed Analgesic Use in a Rural Area of Delhi: Exploring the
      Potential Role of Internet.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Analgesics are the most common self prescribed drugs. Although
      considered to be relatively safe, side effects are often seen when these drugs
      are used for prolonged period, in high doses or used where contraindicated.
      Majority of the consumers are not aware of the side effects. These days ample
      amount of information is available on web, it is important to explore its role in
      educating the population regarding the safe use of self prescribed analgesics.
      AIM: To explore pattern of analgesic use, to identify population at risk of
      developing side effects related to analgesic use, awareness of side effects and
      potential role of internet to bring awareness about safe use of self prescribed
      analgesic drugs in a rural area of Delhi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross
      sectional survey based study was done on 500 adults in the age group of 18-65
      years of Madanpur Khadar area of South Delhi, India. Data collection was done by
      conducting visits to pharmacy shops from the people who were buying drugs without
      prescription and taking face to face interviews using a semi-structured
      questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive tests with
      Microsoft office excel 2007. RESULTS: Results of our study showed that among all
      the self prescribed analgesics paracetamol (57%) was used most frequently
      followed by aspirin and other NSAIDs. It was found that 9.6% of the consumers
      were having associated co-morbid illness, 11.4% were simultaneously taking other
      drugs and 15.2% were alcoholics. Majority (65.4%) of the buyers were not aware
      about any kind of side effects of the analgesics. Internet friendly consumers
      were found to be 44%. Ability to use internet and education level were found to
      be directly related (r=0.802). CONCLUSION: The pattern of analgesic consumption
      in the rural population of Delhi shows that a large number of consumers may be at
      risk of developing side effects of self prescribed analgesics. The awareness
      about the side effects is limited. A significant number of consumers are internet
      friendly. Hence, we recommend use of website/mobile apps as potential source of
      information in educating the population regarding the use of self prescribed
      analgesics.

PMID- 28893013
TI  - Effects of Intraperitoneal Local Anaesthetics Bupivacaine and Ropivacaine versus
      Placebo on Postoperative Pain after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomised
      Double Blind Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC) is the most frequently performed
      elective daycare surgery and provision of postoperative pain relief is of
      importance. After laparoscopic cholecystectomy shoulder and abdominal pain causes
      considerable distress. Visceral pain during coughing, respiration and
      mobilization increases morbidity, hospital stay and costs. AIM: To compare the
      analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneally instilled equipotent concentrations of
      bupivacaine and ropivacaine versus placebo in relieving postoperative pain after
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy when used as a part of multimodal analgesia.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomised, prospective, double blind, placebo
      controlled study, 90 ASA Class I or II patients were randomly divided into three
      groups of 30 each. Group S received intraperitoneal infiltration with 35 ml of
      0.9% normal saline, Group B with 35 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine and Group R with 35
      ml of 0.375% ropivacaine. All groups received standard general endotracheal
      anaesthesia and analgesia with IV paracetamol 15 mg/kg and diclofenac 1.5 mg/kg.
      Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score of analgesia at rest and on cough/movement,
      duration of analgesia, haemodynamic parameters, need for a rescue analgesic (IV
      tramadol 1 mg/kg) was recorded and adverse effects of procedure and drugs if any
      were monitored. Data was analysed with SPSS statistical software version 21.0.
      One way ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare continuous data
      across all three groups as appropriate. Subsequent analysis of continuous data
      between two groups was achieved by Tukey's post hoc test. Significance was
      accepted as p<0.05. RESULTS: The mean NRS was <5 till only four hours in Group S,
      till eight hours in Group B and till 16 hours in Group R. The duration of
      analgesia was 13.47+/-1.38 hours in Group R, 7.93+/-1.44 hours in Group B and
      4.47+/-0.86 hours in Group S. CONCLUSION: Intraperitoneal infiltration of LA
      significantly reduces pain intensity scores in the early postoperative period
      after LC surgery and helps in improving the postoperative recovery profile and
      outcome. This makes LC surgery more amenable to day care surgical setup.
      Ropivacaine (0.375%) is more efficacious, longer acting with a higher intensity
      of postoperative analgesia than bupivacaine (0.25%).

PMID- 28893014
TI  - Comparison of Continuous Femoral Nerve Block versus Local Infiltration Analgesia
      as a Postoperative Analgesia in Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Local infiltration of knee joint in arthroplasty, provide
      postoperative analgesia and preserves motor power of quadriceps, which helps in
      early mobilisation, as compared to femoral nerve block which paralyses vastus
      medialis. AIM: To compare the quality of postoperative analgesia provided by
      femoral nerve block and local infiltration in unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty
      (TKA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on 60 patients
      (25-65 years) of ASA I and II, which were randomly(using random number table)
      divided into two groups - Group 1-femoral nerve block (FNB) and Group 2-Local
      Infiltration Analgesia (LIA). Patients with chronic pain and on opioids were
      excluded. Numeric rating scale (primary objective), sedation score, nausea
      vomiting score and motor power were analysed. The results were analysed by
      parametric and nonparametric tests using SPSS software version 22. p<0.05 was
      considered significant. RESULTS: Pain relief was better in FNB Group (p-value
      <0.001) with less fentanyl demand (p-value <0.001), low sedation score (0.013,
      0.179, 0.018, 0.129, 0.287, 0.432) but associated with low muscle power grading
      (<0.001). CONCLUSION: FNB has better pain relief than LIA Group but range of
      motion was reduced in FNB Group grossly, effect on mobilisation remained
      comparable in both group.

PMID- 28893015
TI  - Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Unilateral Spinal Anaesthesia with
      Sequential Combined Spinal Epidural Anaesthesia for Lower Limb Orthopaedic
      Surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orthopaedic anaesthesia plan requires customi-zation as per
      patient's need for safe outcome. Sequential Combined Spinal Epidural Anaesthesia
      (Sequential CSEA) and Unilateral Single Shot Spinal anaesthesia (Unilateral SA),
      both have advantages over conventional spinal anaesthesia that they provide
      longer lasting block with less hypotension. AIM: To compare safety and efficacy
      of unilateral spinal anaesthesia with sequential combined spinal epidural
      anaesthesia for lower limb orthopaedic surgery . MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      prospective randomized study was conducted on sixty ASA I-III patients aged 18-
      65 years undergoing lower limb orthopaedic surgeries of approximately two hours
      duration. Sequential CSE group received spinal with 5 mg of 0.5 hyperbaric
      bupivacaine followed by incremental epidural top up of 2 cc of 0.5% isobaric
      bupivacaine to achieve and maintain T10 level. In unilateral SA group, unilateral
      spinal anaesthesia was given with 10 mg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine.
      Haemodynamic parameter, anaesthesia readiness time and block characteristics were
      recorded and results were analysed using unpaired Student's t-test. RESULTS:
      There was no failure of block, surgical anaesthesia with T10 sensory level and
      bromage score three motor block was achieved by all patients in both groups.
      Anaesthesia readiness time was less in unilateral SA (p<0.001) Incidences of
      hypotension (p-value 0.0059) and mean ephedrine dose were significantly less in
      sequential CSEA. Five patients of unilateral SA required supplementation with
      general anaesthesia. CONCLUSION: Thus, our study concludes that unilateral SA is
      a cost-effective and rapidly performed anaesthetic technique. Unilateral SA with
      10 mg bupivacaine and sequential CSEA with 5 mg spinal and incremental epidural
      top up, both provide good quality sensory and motor block for lower limb
      orthopaedic surgery but sequential CSEA provides significantly more stable
      haemodynamics with feasibility to prolong block. Thus sequential CSEA should be
      preferred over unilateral SA in high risk patients especially for major lower
      limb orthopaedic surgeries.

PMID- 28893016
TI  - Comparison of Intubating Conditions using Fentanyl plus Propofol Versus Fentanyl
      plus Midazolam during Fiberoptic Laryngoscopy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Awake nasal or oral flexible fiberoptic intubation is the airway
      management technique of choice in known or anticipated difficult airway, unstable
      cervical fracture, limited mouth opening (as in temporomandibular joint disease),
      mandibular-maxillary fixation and severe facial burns. Both optimal intubating
      condition and patient comfort are important for fiberoptic intubation. Optimal
      intubating conditions provided by an ideal sedation regimen would ensure
      haemodynamic stability, patient comfort, attenuation of airway reflexes and
      amnesia. AIM: To compare the intubating conditions using fentanyl plus propofol
      versus fentanyl plus midazolam during fiberoptic laryngoscopy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A prospective, comparative and randomized study was conducted on 60
      patients of either gender aged between 18 and 60 years belonging to the American
      Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade-I or II scheduled for elective surgery.
      Patients were randomly allocated into two groups of 30 each. In group I, patients
      received i.v. fentanyl 1 MUg/kg+ propofol 1 mg/kg to achieve an adequate level of
      sedation that is Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS) score of 3. In group II, patients
      received i.v. fentanyl 1 MUg/kg + midazolam 0.03 mg/kg to achieve RSS= score of
      3. Haemodynamic parameters (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure,
      mean arterial pressure), SpO2, EtCO2, total comfort scale values and patient's
      tolerance were assessed during preoxygenation, fiberscope insertion and
      endotracheal intubation. RESULTS: Fentanyl plus midazolam group showed better
      patient comfort and maintenance of oxygen saturation than fentanyl plus propofol
      group during fiberoptic intubation. CONCLUSION: Both fentanyl plus midazolam and
      fentanyl plus propofol regimes are suitable for fiberoptic intubation. Fentanyl
      plus midazolam appeared to offer better tolerance, preservation of an airway and
      spontaneous ventilation, while maintaining haemodynamic stability.

PMID- 28893017
TI  - A Comparative Study of Analgesic Effect of Intrathecal Nalbuphine and Fentanyl as
      Adjuvant in Lower Limb Orthopaedic Surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intrathecal opioids when added to local anaesthetics decrease their
      dosage and provide haemodynamic stability. Nalbuphine is an agonist-antagonist
      and acts on kappa receptors providing analgesia. AIM: The study aims to compare
      the analgesic efficacy of fentanyl with that of two doses of nalbuphine when used
      with injection bupivacaine heavy in spinal anaesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      randomised, double blinded, prospective study on 90 patients of ASA I and II
      undergoing lower limb orthopaedic surgery under subarachnoid block was done.
      Patients were randomly allocated into three groups (n=30). Each group received
      12.5 mg of 0.5% of injection bupivacaine heavy along with either 25 MUg of 0.5 ml
      fentanyl (Group F) or 0.8 mg of 0.5 ml nalbuphine (Group NL) or 1.6 mg of 0.5 ml
      nalbuphine (Group NH). Characteristics of sensory and motor blocks, haemodynamic
      changes, duration and quality of analgesia, adverse effects, sedation, VRS score
      and analgesic requirement were studied at different time interval
      intraoperatively and till 24 hours of block. RESULTS: The duration of analgesia
      (in minute) was 441+/-119.69 in NL Group, 450+/-103.38 in NH Group and 300.0+/
      88.53 in Group F (p=0.05). There was no significant difference regarding block
      characteristics and haemodynamic parameters. Total 24 hours analgesic requirement
      was titrated by analgesic score which was 2.25+/-0.7 (NH Group), 1.875+/-0.83 (NL
      Group) and 3.375+/-1.77 (F Group) p=0.0186 by ANOVA. The adverse effects of NL
      Group were least. CONCLUSION: There was no significant advantage of intrathecal
      fentanyl or 1.6 mg nalbuphine over low dose 0.8 mg nalbuphine.

PMID- 28893018
TI  - Changes in Gas Composition during Low Flow Anaesthesia without Nitrous Oxide.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Low flow anaesthesia utilising Oxygen (O2) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
      mixture carries a risk of hypoxia, but avoiding N2O results in increased
      analgesic and volatile anaesthetic agent requirement. AIM: This study attempted
      to find the lowest Fraction of inspired Oxygen (FiO2) levels achieved with a
      mixture of 300 mL/min each of O2 and medical air over two hours and to compare
      the overall analgesic requirement and cost while using similar flows of N2O and
      O2, respectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study was
      conducted between March 2015 and June 2016 at the Jawaharlal Institute of
      Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India. Patients of
      American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) Grade 1 and 2 undergoing surgery
      under general anaesthesia with an endotracheal tube were included in the study,
      in two groups of 40 each. In the initial ten minutes following induction of
      anaesthesia, both groups received high Fresh Gas Flows (FGF) of 3 L/min each
      (Group O: medical air and oxygen; Group N: N2O and oxygen), following which the
      FGF rates were reduced to 300 ml/min each. Any value of FiO2 lesser than 0.3
      during the duration of anaesthesia was considered to render the technique unsafe
      for clinical use. SPSS software version 20.0 was used to generate data and
      figures. RESULTS: The lowest FiO2 recorded was 0.33 in Group O and 0.3 in Group N
      which occurred at the end of two hours. Mean analgesic requirement was
      significantly higher in Group O compared to Group N (151.85 MUg, 124.85 MUg; p
      value=0.004) with a 62% increase in the cost incurred. CONCLUSION: The use of
      medical air and oxygen in flows of 300 ml/min each following initial high flows
      of 3 L/min appears to be a safe technique. However, this combination was
      associated with an increase in the cost of anaesthesia and in the need for
      additional intra-operative analgesia.

PMID- 28893019
TI  - Basic Principles of Obstetric Anesthesiology: A Crossword Puzzle.

PMID- 28893020
TI  - The Effect of Psychological Preparation on the Level of Anxiety before Upper
      Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anxiety is one of the problems in patients undergoing invasive
      procedures. One way to control anxiety is through psychological preparation. AIM:
      This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of psychological preparation on
      anxiety level in patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The present study consisted of 98 patients which were referred to
      Ahvaz Golestan Hospital for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. They were randomly
      (table of random numbers) divided into a control group and an experimental group.
      All of the participants filled out Spielberg State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
      (STAI). The experimental group was psychologically prepared for endoscopy (given
      information about endoscopy and behavioural intervention), and then both groups
      were asked to complete STAI again an hour before endoscopy. The collected data
      were analysed through Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Chi-square tests using
      SPSS 17.0. RESULTS: Before the intervention was carried out, there was no
      significant difference between the two groups in terms of the rate of state and
      trait anxiety (p>0.05). After the intervention, the rate of state and trait
      anxiety decreased significantly (p<0.05) in experimental group. CONCLUSION: In
      patients subjected to endoscopy, psychological preparation was effective in
      reducing their anxiety and thus this can be considered as an efficient method in
      decreasing anxiety.

PMID- 28893021
TI  - Prediction of the Dimensions of the Spiritual Well-Being of Students at
      Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran: The Roles of Demographic
      Variables.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Spiritual well-being is one of the aspects of well-being which
      organize the physical, psychological, and social aspects. Given the outstanding
      and unique roles of students in society, providing spiritual well-being as well
      as identifying and eliminating the negative factors affecting their mental well
      being are of the essence. AIM: The present study aimed to predict the dimensions
      of the spiritual well-being of students at Kermanshah University of Medical
      Sciences and to investigate the roles of demographic variables in this respect.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive and correlational study, the
      statistical population was comprised of 346 doctoral students in the for-profit
      Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceuticals in Kermanshah University of
      Medical Sciences in 2016. For data collection, an instrument comprising the
      demographic questions and the 20-item spiritual well-being scale by Paloutzian
      and Ellison (1982) was utilized. To analyze data, the descriptive (frequency
      distribution, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics
      (independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and chi-squared test) were employed in the
      SPSS Statistics Software Version 21.0. RESULTS: The results of the present study
      demonstrated that the spiritual well-being of students was average (71.86+/
      4.84), and of all demographic variables under study, only the variable of gender
      significantly correlated with the mean score of spiritual well-being. Also, the
      results revealed that the students' score of religious well-being measured higher
      than that of their existential well-being. However, a significant correlation was
      found between spiritual well-being and its dimensions. Also, the religious and
      existential well-being were found to be significantly related (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed the significance of
      addressing the issue of spirituality among the students of the for-profit Schools
      at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Therefore, it is recommended that
      appropriate plans be laid by the culture and education policy makers to promote
      the spiritual well-being of university students.

PMID- 28893022
TI  - Correlation of Vitamin D3 Levels and SCORAD Index in Atopic Dermatits: A Case
      Control Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory condition
      characterized clinically by pruritus and eczematous lesions. An inverse
      relationship has been suggested between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration
      and severity of atopic dermatitis. AIM: We carried out this controlled cross
      sectional study to evaluate the association between the serum vitamin D3 levels
      and SCORAD index. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, 40 patients with
      clinical diagnosis of AD based on UK diagnostic criteria were enrolled and 40
      patients with minor ailments like superficial bacterial, fungal or viral
      infections and not suffering from atopic dermatitis were taken as controls.
      Salient presentations were recorded in a pre-set proforma. Serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D levels were determined through Sandwich-ELISA technique. SCORAD
      (Scoring AD) index was used to evaluate the severity of the disease. RESULTS:
      Mean value of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in cases was 30.38 nmol/l whereas
      in controls, it was 53.46 nmol/l. The decrease in serum levels in cases was
      statistically highly significant (p-value <0.001). Mean+/-S.D of serum vitamin D
      levels in mild disease was 33.29+/-5.89 nmol/l, in moderate disease was 31.52+/
      6.04 nmol/l and in severe form of disease was 21.24+/-3.17nmol/l. The correlation
      between SCORAD and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels was also statistically
      significant. CONCLUSION: The data suggests an inverse relationship between serum
      levels of vitamin D3 and the SCORAD Index.

PMID- 28893023
TI  - Itolizumab in the Management of Psoriasis with Metabolic Syndrome.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory disease that has been associated
      with Metabolic Syndrome (MS), a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors mainly
      hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. A 49-year-old male
      patient presented with extensive plaque psoriasis from past 13 years. Past
      medications included methotrexate, PUVA therapy, topical immunosuppressants and
      corticosteroids. His baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score was
      39.8. The patient was screened and diagnosed with MS as per Alberti's Criteria
      (his waist circumference was 100 cm, blood pressure was 160/100 mmHg and High
      Density Lipoprotein (HDL) was 30 mg/dl). Considering severity of the disease, in
      this case we used anti-CD6 humanized monoclonal antibody Itolizumab (1.6 mg/kg
      body weight) to treat psoriasis and concurrent MS. The patient achieved PASI 50
      response in six months after treatment of 10 infusions of Itolizumab (First seven
      doses were given every fortnightly and the last three doses every month).
      Further, Itolizumab treatment was continued once every three months and PASI 75
      response was achieved at the end of 15 months. His PASI score increased to 30.7
      after 18 months. Contemplating link between psoriasis and MS due to possibility
      of overlapping inflammatory pathways, we instructed patient to reduce his weight
      and prescribed oral tablet metformin 500 mg twice a day. After losing 6 kg
      weight, his PASI score came down to 22.2 at the end of 21st month. This suggests
      that MS was a driving factor in worsening of his psoriasis. Psoriatic patients
      should be checked simultaneously for co-morbid disease conditions. The report
      indicates direct association of psoriasis and MS.

PMID- 28893024
TI  - Diagnostic Performance of Serum Human Epididymis Protein 4 in Endometrial
      Carcinoma: A Pilot Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Endometrial Cancer (EC) is a common female malignant disorder. To
      date, there are no specific tumour markers for EC that may be routinely used in
      clinical practice for diagnosis. AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of
      the serum Human Epididymis protein 4 (HE4) as biomarker for EC and to determine
      its association with clinicopathological variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      study population included 60 postmenopausal women with a diagnosis of EC and 60
      healthy postmenopausal female subjects (control group). Concentrations of serum
      HE4 and CA-125 in EC patients and control group were determined using Enzyme
      Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA). The value of serum HE4 and CA-125 for the
      diagnosis and prediction of stage, histology, myometrial invasion and lymph nodal
      metastasis was analysed. RESULTS: The mean serum HE4 and CA-125 levels were
      significantly higher in patients with EC than those with control group (p<0.05).
      Comparison for HE4 and CA-125 between different stages showed a statistically
      significant difference. Stage I EC patients with <50% myometrial invasion had a
      significantly lower mean serum HE4 value than patients with >50% myometrial
      invasion (p=0.007). Corresponding values of CA-125 showed a similar trend
      (p=0.023). There were significantly higher levels of HE4 and CA-125 in cases with
      lymph node involvement. The levels of serum HE4 and CA-125 were higher in the non
      endometroid histology, but the difference was not statistically significant. The
      Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis for EC and control group
      showed that HE4 had greater Area Under Curve (AUC) when compared with CA-125.
      Using ROC curve, a serum HE4 concentration of 69.8 pmol/l (AUC 0.974) and/or
      serum CA-125 level of 34.50 U/mL (AUC 0.714) was used to predict malignancy.
      Sensitivity of combined biomarkers showed no additional improvement in comparison
      to HE4 or CA-125 alone. CONCLUSION: Our results show that HE4 is a sensitive
      diagnostic serum marker for detection of EC patients, exhibiting a better
      diagnostic performance compared to CA-125. Good performance of HE4 in diagnosis
      of early stages EC indicates its usefulness as a prognostic marker and also to
      monitor therapy and detect early recurrence.

PMID- 28893025
TI  - Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Submandibular Salivary Gland: A Case Report.
AB  - Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma (PSCC) of submandibular salivary gland is a rare
      occurrence. Careful clinical and histopathological examination is must to
      diagnose it. The treatment protocol of this rare disease is not clearly defined.
      Though surgery is primary treatment, role of adjuvant treatment is not clear. A
      40-year-old male presented to us with asymptomatic upper neck swelling. Triple
      endoscopy, cross-sectional investigation and FNAC suggested primary squamous cell
      carcinoma of right submandibular salivary gland. He was treated with bilateral
      modified neck dissection and wide excision of sub mandibular gland with
      surrounding muscles. Post surgery, he had undergone interval chemotherapy
      followed by radiotherapy. The patient is still on regular follow up at an
      interval of three months without any evidence of disease recurrence. Though
      difficult to diagnose and treat this kind of rare variant of salivary neoplasms,
      awareness of the disease and aggressive treatment depending on histopathology
      report, can help patient to achieve health.

PMID- 28893026
TI  - Superior Vena Cava as Gateway to Heart: Metastatic Breast Carcinoma Causing Ball
      in a Loop Metastasis to Right Atrium.
AB  - Breast carcinoma is the most common invasive cancer in women worldwide. It
      metastasizes commonly to bone, lungs, regional lymph nodes and brain. Cardiac
      metastasis of lung and breast cancers is a known but rare complication of
      advanced disease with tumour metastasising to pericardium via the locoregional
      lymphatic system. Here we present a case of 59-year-old female presenting with
      right upper limb oedema, facial puffiness and features of Superior Vena Cava
      (SVC) syndrome 15 years after mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy
      for carcinoma of the right breast. Further evaluation revealed extensive thrombus
      invading the right internal jugular vein, subclavian vein, SVC with intraluminal
      extension into right atrium causing ball in a loop obstruction at tricuspid
      valve. Whole body Positron emission tomography scan confirmed the diagnosis of
      extensive metastatic disease and patient was managed on palliative therapy.
      Haematogenous spread and intraluminal growth of metastatic deposits from breast
      carcinoma 15 years ago is rare and clinical presentation as SVC obstruction has
      not been reported in our review of literature.

PMID- 28893027
TI  - Unusual Skin Carcinomas Induced by BRAF Inhibitor for Metastatic Melanoma: A Case
      Report.
AB  - The most frequently reported skin tumours during treatment with targeted
      therapies for BRAF (B type Rapidly Accelerated Fibrosarcoma kinase) mutated
      metastatic melanoma are squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Basal cell carcinomas
      (BCCs) have been described in such setting, but no cases of multiple and
      recurring tumours have been reported so far. A patient with a history of chronic
      sun exposure and more than 10 BCCs removed since 1998 started treatment with
      vemurafenib for BRAF mutated metastatic melanoma. Therapy was complicated by
      sporadic episodes of atrial fibrillation and by the development of recurrent,
      multiple and diffuse BCCs. So, vemurafenib was discontinued and dabrafenib and
      trametinib were started. Since then, only four BCCs occurred in the patient.
      Histopathological re-examination showed that most BCCs occurred under vemurafenib
      presented with squamous features. Such characteristic was significantly less
      evident before therapy start and in lesions removed under treatment with
      dabrafenib and trametinib. BRAF inhibition (BRAFi) without MEK inhibition induces
      mitogen activated kinases overactivation, with consequent skin toxicity and
      acquired drug resistance. The BCCs removed from our patient showed squamous
      features, more evident during vemurafenib monotherapy. Both the switch from
      vemurafenib to dabrafenib and the addition of MEK inhibitor (MEKi) might have
      reduced the incidence of BCCs and their squamous differentiation.

PMID- 28893028
TI  - Synovial Sarcoma of Palmar Aspect of Hand and Survival: A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Synovial sarcomas of the hand are extremely rare entities than most soft tissue
      sarcomas. The location at finger is further rarer than carpus of the hand.
      Synovial sarcoma of the hand/finger initially confused with many diagnoses such
      as myositis, haematoma, synovitis, tendonitis, bursitis, and other inflammatory
      lesions and therefore needs careful handling of the case with proper evaluation.
      We report a case of synovial sarcoma of the palmar surface of the right hand at
      interface of thumb and index finger in a 22-year-old female. The case was
      initially misdiagnosed as an abscess/haematoma of the finger 10 years back and
      treated with wide local excision. Synovial sarcoma was diagnosed on microscopic
      examination of excised specimen. Patient developed recurrent lesion twice
      locally. During first recurrence, the patient was treated with wide excision
      followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Second recurrence was with bony
      destruction at the same site and below elbow amputation was performed.

PMID- 28893029
TI  - POEMS Syndrome with Biclonal Gammopathy: A Rare Association.
AB  - Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, M protein and Skin changes (POEMS)
      syndrome is rare plasma cell dyscrasia with multisystem involvement. The name
      comes from the five characteristic features: Polyneuropathy, organomegaly,
      endocrinopathy, M protein and skin changes. The presence of biclonal M band is a
      rare manifestation. Here, we are describing the cases of a 60-year-old lady,
      presented with bilateral pedal oedema and pericardial effusion and peripheral
      neuropathy. She also had hepatosplenomegaly, hyperpigmented rash and
      hypothyroidism and hyperparathyroidism. The serum protein electrophoresis and the
      immunofixation electrophoresis revealed two distinct monoclonal bands,
      immunoglobulin IgG kappa and IgA lambda. There was a mild increase in plasma
      cells and sclerotic bone lesion in pelvis. The POEMS syndrome is generally
      associated with lambda light chain restriction. The presence of biclonal
      gammopathy involving kappa and lambda is a rare manifestation. The pathogenic or
      prognostic role of different paraprotein is not known. Further studies are
      required to delineate such effect.

PMID- 28893030
TI  - Implication of Posture Analysing Software to Evaluate the Postural Changes after
      Corrective Exercise Strategy on Subjects with Upper Body Dysfunction-A Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The postural adaptation is very common now a days in school going
      children, office desk oriented job, computer users and frequent mobile users, and
      in all major industrial workers. Several studies have documented a high incidence
      of postural abnormalities in a given population; however, methods of postural
      measurement were poorly defined. The implication of postural pro software to
      analyse the postural imbalance of upper body dysfunction is very rare and
      literature studies says that the kinematic changes in particular segment will
      produce pain/discomfort and thereby lesser productivity of subjects. AIM: To
      evaluate the postural changes in subjects with upper body dysfunction after a
      corrective exercise strategy using postural analysis software and pectoralis
      minor muscle length testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After explaining the
      procedure and benefits, informed consent was taken from the participating
      subjects (age 25-55 years). Subjects with upper body dysfunction were randomly
      allocated into two groups (each group 30 subjects). The Group-A received the
      corrective exercise strategy and Group-B received the conventional exercise for
      eight weeks of study duration (15 reps each exercise, total duration of 40 min;
      four days/week. Pre and Post posture analysis were analysed using posture pro
      software along with flexibility of pectoralis minor was assessed using ruler
      scale method. RESULTS: After interpretation of data, both the group showed the
      postural alteration and pectoralis minor muscle length changes, p-value (p<0.01)
      of both group showed highly significant changes. But comparing the both groups,
      the subjects who received the corrective exercise strategy shown more percentage
      of improvement in posture alteration (56.25%), pectoralis minor muscle length
      changes (68.69%) than the conventional exercise received subjects in posture
      alteration (24.86%) and pectoralis minor muscle length changes (21.9%).
      CONCLUSION: Altered postural changes and pectoralis minor muscle flexibility
      before and after the corrective exercise strategy evaluated by postural analysis
      software method shown to be a significant tool in clinical practice, which is
      easier and reproducible method.

PMID- 28893031
TI  - Estimation of Salivary Parameters among Autoimmune Thyroiditis Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Saliva is a complex secretion that protects and lubricates the oral
      cavity. Various systemic diseases and their treatment alter the salivary gland
      function; one such disease is Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD). AITD has been
      postulated to exert its hormonal influence on the salivary glands, leading to
      reduced salivary output. There's a paucity of literature, verifying the stated
      conjunction in human subjects. AIM: The aim was to investigate the salivary
      profile in AITD patients and its comparison with controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Descriptive cross-sectional comparative study was conducted using convenience
      sampling method for screening the presence of thyroid disorders. Two groups
      comprising of 30 patients in each group diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroiditis
      (n=30) and hyperthyroiditis (n=30) respectively and thirty healthy volunteers who
      were age and sex matched were included as controls. Saliva was collected and
      evaluated for Unstimulated Salivary Flow Rate (USSFR), pH and buffer capacity.
      ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test was performed to find the statistical significance
      and for pairwise comparison. RESULTS: Statistically significant difference was
      observed between autoimmune hypothyroiditis, autoimmune hyperthyroiditis and
      control group with respect to USSFR (p<0.007), pH (p<0.001) and buffer capacity
      (p<0.001). On pairwise comparisons statistically significant difference was
      observed between autoimmune hypothyroiditis and autoimmune hyperthyroiditis with
      respect to controls. CONCLUSION: We conclude that significant involvement of
      salivary glands may occur in cases of AITD. Our study showed significant
      reduction of sialometric values in AITD patients when compared to controls. A
      strong clinical suspicion of thyroid diseases should be considered when there is
      chronic hyposalivation; hence thyroid profile must also be done, if the known
      causes have been excluded.

PMID- 28893032
TI  - Antibacterial Activity of Freshly Prepared Ozonated Water and Chlorhexidine on
      Mutans Streptococcus When Used as an Oral Rinse - A Randomised Clinical Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dental caries is one of the most common causes of morbidity of the
      tooth. Attempts have been made to reduce the pathogen population size i.e.,
      Mutans Streptococci (MS) to demote the incidence of caries and increase the
      resistance of the tooth to cariogenic attack. AIM: To evaluate the antibacterial
      efficacy of freshly prepared ozonated water, in proposing it as an alternative
      mouth rinse on MS in comparison to Chlorhexidine (CHX). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Subjects with high caries incidence and MS counts more than 105 Colony Forming
      Unit (CFU) were selected and divided by block randomization into two groups of 23
      subjects each. The subjects were advised to use the respective mouth rinses under
      the operator surveillance, consecutively for 14 days. Stimulated salivary samples
      were collected from the subjects on the first day, 7th and 14th day to analyse
      the changes in MS counts during the course of use of oral rinses. The obtained
      data was tabulated and statistically analysed. RESULTS: Freshly prepared ozonated
      water showed a statistically significant reduction in MS counts after an interval
      of 7 days and 14 days when compared to CHX. CONCLUSION: Ozonated water when
      consecutively used as a mouth rinse resulted in a significant reduction of MS
      counts. Hence, it can be used as an alternative to chlorhexidine.

PMID- 28893033
TI  - Comparative Evaluation of Bioactive Glass Putty and Platelet Rich Fibrin in the
      Treatment of Human Periodontal Intrabony Defects: A Randomized Control Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) and bioactive glass putty have been
      shown to be effective in promoting reduction in probing depth, gain in clinical
      attachment, and defect fill in intrabony periodontal defects. The individual role
      played by bioactive glass putty in combination with PRF is yet to be elucidated.
      AIM: To compare the clinical effectiveness of the combination of PRF and
      bioactive glass putty and bioactive glass putty alone as regenerative techniques
      for intrabony defects in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten pairs of intrabony
      defects were surgically treated with PRF and bioactive glass putty (Test group)
      on one side or bioactive glass putty alone (Control group) on other side. The
      primary outcomes of the study included changes in probing depth; attachment level
      and bone fill of osseous defect. The clinical parameters were recorded at
      baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months. Radiographic assessment was done using standardized
      intraoral periapical radiographs. Differences between baseline and postoperative
      measurementsbetween the control and test groups were calculated using independent
      t-test. Comparisons were made within each group between baseline, 3 months, 6
      months and 9 months using the ANOVA test followed by Bonferroni test. RESULTS:
      The mean probing depth reduction was greater in the test group (bioactive glass
      putty and PRF) i.e., (3.2+/-2.3 mm) than in the control group (bioactive glass
      putty alone) i.e., (3.15+/-1.06 mm). The mean CAL gain was also greater in the
      test group (4.1+/-1.73 mm) as compared to the control group (3.15+/-1.06 mm), (p
      value<0.95). Furthermore significantly greater mean bone fill was found in the
      test group (7.1+/-1.37 mm) as compared to the control group (5.7 +/- 1.64 mm), (p
      value<0.043). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed both the groups
      bioactive glass putty alone (Control Group) and the combination of PRF and
      bioactive glass putty (Test Group) are effective in the treatment of intrabony
      defects. The bioactive glass putty appears to be a suitable vehicle to administer
      biologic substances like PRF and growth factors to induce the new bone
      regeneration.

PMID- 28893034
TI  - The Effect of Diabetes Mellitus Type I on Periodontal and Dental Status.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus type I is a chronic metabolic disease with an
      autoimmune origin. The initial manifestations mainly appear during childhood and
      its prevalence is on the rise in many countries. Some of the complications of
      diabetes mellitus are problems related to oro-dental structures and periodontal
      diseases. AIM: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship
      between diabetes mellitus type I and dental and periodontal status in Tehran,
      Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 50
      patients with diabetes mellitus type I who were under treatment in the Diabetic
      Patients' Center in Tehran and 50 healthy individuals who did not have diabetes,
      all recruited from schools. The subjects were divided into two age groups of 6-12
      and 13-18 years. In test group, HbA1c (glycosylated haemoglobin) level of the
      patients was collected from the medical records of Association of Diabetic
      Patients. To make sure that the control subjects did not suffer from diabetes
      mellitus, their blood glucose was measured with the Glucocard 01 blood glucose
      monitoring kit (GT-1920, Japan). The periodontal and dental status were assessed
      using dmft/DMFT (Decayed, Missing, Filled Permanent Teeth), GI (Gingival Index),
      PPD (Periodontal Pocket Depth), PI (Plaque Index) and CI (Calculus Index). The
      data obtained from each group were compared statistically using the Mann-Whitney
      test and Kruskal Wallis Test. RESULTS: There was increase in PPD, GI and DMFT
      values with aging, with no significant differences between the diabetic and non
      diabetic groups. PI and DMFT not only increased with aging but also were higher
      in both age groups in patients with diabetes compared to healthy subjects
      (p<0.05). GI was higher only in the 13-18 year age group in diabetic patients
      (p<0.01). There was no relation between the HbA1c (glycosylated haemoglobin)
      level, and periodontal indices (p<0.09). CONCLUSION: It appears that patients
      with diabetes mellitus type I are more susceptible to periodontal diseases and
      tooth loss and such problems might be aggravated with aging.

PMID- 28893035
TI  - Alexidine: a Safer and an Effective Root Canal Irrigant than Chlorhexidine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chlorhexidine (CHX) is generally used as the final irrigating
      solution in root canal therapy. Recent studies have reported that, toxic
      precipitates containing parachloroaniline (PCA) are formed when CHX reacts with
      sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). Whereas, Alexidine (ALX), a bisbiguanide
      disinfectant similar to CHX, has proven to form no precipitates with NaOCl. AIM:
      To compare antimicrobial activity of different concentrations of ALX with CHX
      individually and when combined with NaOCl against E. faecalis strains. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Different concentrations of ALX and CHX (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) were
      tested individually and when mixed with 2.5% NaOCl (1:1 ratio) using disc
      diffusion method against E. faecalis. After 24 hours incubation at 37 degrees C,
      zones of inhibition were measured for each solution. The results obtained were
      statistically analysed using one way ANOVA and Scheffe's post-hoc tests. The p
      value <0.001 was considered as highly significant. RESULTS: Regardless of the
      concentrations, ALX obtained the best results in comparison to CHX. There was no
      statistically significant difference between ALX + NaOCl and CHX + NaOCl
      mixtures. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that, the antimicrobial property
      of ALX against E. faecalis was found to be superior to CHX at same
      concentrations.

PMID- 28893036
TI  - Oral Candidal Carriage in Subjects with Pure Vegetarian and Mixed Dietary Habits.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Candida albicans being a part of the normal oral microbial flora is
      one of the most commonly isolated species from the oral cavity. Recent studies
      have shown a steady rise in the number of non C. albicans species, which are
      relatively resistant to common antifungal agents and are being recognized as
      potential pathogens. It is vital to ascertain the predisposing factors leading to
      such a shift in the oral candidal flora. AIM: To estimate the prevalence of
      candidal species among vegetarians and non-vegetarians. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Clinical data including age, gender, and diet preference of 238 participants were
      noted. Participants with a history of systemic disorders, oral prosthesis,
      salivary gland disorders and habits such as smoking, alcoholism, and tobacco
      usage were excluded from the study. The participants were asked to gargle a 10 ml
      solution of phosphate buffered saline for one minute before depositing the same
      in a sterile container. The samples were cultured using Hicrome agar media. Data
      analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS
      software) version 10.5 and differences between individual groups were tested by
      Chi-square test. RESULTS: Among 238 samples, 127 (53.3%) samples were positive
      for Candida. The candidal prevalence in vegetarians (68.5%) was higher than non
      vegetarians (40.7%). C. albicans was the most common species to be isolated in
      both vegetarians (35.1%) and non-vegetarians (39.2%). Candida glabrata and
      Candida tropicalis showed a higher prevalence in vegetarians (30.5% and 10.1%,
      respectively) in comparison to non-vegetarians (8.4% and 2.3%, respectively).
      Candida krusei was isolated only from vegetarians (4.6%). CONCLUSION: Results
      indicate that diet plays a major role in oral candidal prevalence and species
      specificity which in turn may predispose the vegetarians toward these pathogenic
      organisms.

PMID- 28893037
TI  - Periodontal Initial Radiological Findings of Genetically Predisposed Finnish
      Adolescents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Periodontitis is a multifactorial infectious disease of the
      supporting tissues of teeth in which bacterial, genetic and lifestyle factors
      such as smoking have an important role. AIM: The aim was to examine if Bleeding
      On Probing (BOP >= 20%) and >= 4 mm deep pockets correlated with any suspicion of
      initial radiological findings of periodontitis and bone loss. We also
      investigated whether any pro-inflammatory-related candidate Single Nucleotide
      Polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with any suspicion of radiological findings.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Altogether 47 generally healthy adolescent patients of one
      birth cohort had given their approval for their saliva samples to be used for DNA
      analysis. One participant was excluded after discrepant gender check. An oral
      radiologist analysed right and left bitewing radiographs of 47 patients. Clinical
      parameters such as BOP >= 20%, >= 4 mm pockets, Visible Plaque Index of all teeth
      (VPI%), as well as smoking habits were recorded. DNA was extracted and 71 SNPs
      from candidate genes for initial periodontitis were genotyped. The association
      between >= 4 mm pockets and BOP >= 20% with radiological findings and selected
      SNPs was modelled using logistic regression. RESULTS: Variants in Toll-Like
      Receptors 4 (TLR4) gene (rs498670) (OR=5.8, {CI95% 1.6-20.7}, p=0.02, FDR q
      value=0.13) and TNFSF11 gene (rs2277438, OR=0.3 {CI95% 0.1-0.9}, p=0.002, FDR q
      value=0.56) were associated with any suspicious radiological findings; however
      the significance vanished after False Discovery Rate analysis (FDR). The
      association between BOP >= 20% and any radiographic signs of periodontitis was
      found to be statistically significant, OR=1.6, CI 95% 1.0-2.4, p=0.04.
      CONCLUSION: Only TLR4 (rs498670) and TNFSF11 (rs2277438) genes were found to have
      a positive correlation with radiological findings suggestive of initial
      periodontitis after adjustment for smoking and visible plaque.

PMID- 28893038
TI  - New Vision for Improving the Oral Health Education of Visually Impaired Children-
      A Non Randomized Control Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Visually impaired people have poorer oral hygiene when compared to
      others. Therefore, there is a necessity for individual training by making
      awareness in oral care and plaque control so as to improve their oral hygiene.
      AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of oral health
      innovative educative method among visually impaired children of Bengaluru city of
      India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A non-randomized control trial was conducted among
      40 visually impaired individuals attending special school for blind. The study
      was conducted for a duration of six months. Baseline data regarding oral health
      knowledge, attitude and practices was obtained through a questionnaire in Braille
      and oral plaque assessment was done using Silness and Loe plaque index (1964).
      Music based brushing technique, cast models and an oral health education talk and
      booklet in Braille was delivered stressing on importance of oral health. The
      results of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) before and after health
      education were analysed using Chi-square test with SPSS version 22.0. RESULTS:
      The overall KAP was lower in the preintervention period among the visually
      impaired children with mean score of 6.98 while after the modified oral health
      education session, it was increased to a mean score of 14.68 which was
      statistically significant at p<0.001. There was a significant change in the oral
      plaque scores with 80% of the children having fair scores in the preintervention
      period to 30% in the postintervention period. CONCLUSION: This oral health
      education module showed good results which can be implemented to effectively
      increase the awareness about dental health.

PMID- 28893039
TI  - Risk of Psychiatric Morbidity in Patients with Tobacco Habits: A Cross-Sectional
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tobacco cessation is a challenging arena for healthcare
      professionals. Many patients seem to be unable to quit tobacco despite of knowing
      its ill-effects and several efforts. It has been speculated that patients'
      psychosocial status may be associated with his/her dependence on tobacco and
      there could be some amount of psychiatric morbidity associated with chronic and
      compulsive use of tobacco. However, very few studies have been conducted to
      explore this aspect of tobacco dependence. AIM: To assess psychiatric morbidity
      in tobacco users as compared to non-users of tobacco. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study included 200 patients reporting to a Dental College who
      consented to participate in the study. The study consisted of two groups; first
      consisting 100 tobacco users and another age and gender matched group of 100 non
      users of tobacco. Dependence to tobacco products amongst the study group was
      assessed using International classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) criteria.
      General Health Questionnaire - 28 (GHQ-28) was used to assess the psychological
      morbidity amongst both the groups. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 21.0
      version. Chi square test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to
      assess the difference in proportion and correlation between variables
      respectively. RESULTS: A 79% of tobacco users showed dependence on tobacco
      according to ICD-10 criteria. GHQ-28 scores analysis revealed that 61% of tobacco
      users with a score of 24 or above in contrast to only 17% of non-tobacco users.
      Tobacco users were observed to be 7.63 folds at a higher risk of developing
      psychiatric morbidity than non-users of tobacco (p-value< 0.001). CONCLUSION:
      There appears to be a significant risk of psychiatric morbidity prevalent amongst
      tobacco users. Hence, psychosocial counselling must be considered as a part of
      tobacco cessation strategy.

PMID- 28893040
TI  - Relationship between Parental Bonding and Tobacco Specific Practices as
      Predictors of Tobacco Usage in Adults.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Parents influence their child's conduct and adolescence hostility
      either directly or indirectly. Similarly children can acquire a particular
      behaviour by observing and intentionally imitating their parents in order to
      simply copy them without understanding the positive or negative outcome. AIM: To
      assess and compare the association between parental tobacco usage and parental
      bonding with participants tobacco usage habits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 adults. Information
      pertaining to demographics, parental bonding (using parental bonding index) and
      behavioural habits (e.g., smoking, alcohol) of both participants and their
      parents was collected with the use of a questionnaire-based interview. Tobacco
      usage was measured as categorical variable as ever chewer and never chewer. Chi
      square test, independent sample t-test, multinomial logistic regression and
      rotated factor loadings was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Majority of the
      participants were males with a mean age of 30.4+/-8.5 years. Tobacco use was
      prevalent among less educated males. Parental smokeless tobacco use, paternal
      alcohol and maternal paan chewing was significantly associated with participants
      adverse habits. Multinomial logistic regression showed a significant association
      between parental and participant's tobacco usage. Perceived parental bonding were
      also significantly associated with participant's tobacco usage habit. CONCLUSION:
      Parental bonding measures and tobacco usage was significantly associated with the
      participant's tobacco use. Hence, interventional and educational efforts to
      weaken intergenerational influences should target parents. In addition to
      parents, the smoking behaviour of adults should also be targeted for prevention
      efforts.

PMID- 28893041
TI  - Evaluation of Oral Health Status among 5-15-Year-old School Children in Shimoga
      City, Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral health is an integral part of general health. Dental problems
      can be avoided if identified at an early stage. There is no data on oral health
      status of school going children in Karnataka state's Shimoga city. AIM: To
      evaluate oral health status of school going children among 5-15-year-old in
      Shimoga city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among
      1458 government and private school children aged 5-6, 9-10 and 14-15 years.
      Dental caries (DMFT and deft Index), oral hygiene status (OHI-S Index) and dental
      fluorosis (Dean's Fluorosis Index) according to WHO diagnostic criteria (1997)
      were assessed. Data was evaluated using ANOVA and t-test by SPSS (IBM statistical
      software version 21.0.) at a level of 5% significance. RESULTS: The deft among 5
      6-year-old children was 3.36+/-3.511, deft and DMFT among 9-10-year-old was
      2.55+/-2.497 and 0.45+/-0.996 respectively and DMFT among 14-15-year-old was
      1.34+/-1.832. The caries prevalence among 5-6-year-old was 68.8%, 9-10-year-old
      was 77.2% and 14-15-year-old was 48.9% and overall prevalence of dental caries
      was 65.3% which was statistically significant. Among 9-10-year-old oral hygiene
      was good in 85.4%, fair in 13.5% and poor in 1% of school children and among 14
      15-year-old oral hygiene was good in 77.4%, fair in 22.2% and poor in 0.4%.
      Overall 81.7% of children had good oral hygiene. The prevalence of dental
      fluorosis was 14.5%. CONCLUSION: The children from government school were found
      to be less caries free than the private school children, but the difference was
      not significant. Oral hygiene status is found to be good among both the private
      and government school children. So the dental awareness is required among
      children of government school.

PMID- 28893042
TI  - Clinical Assessment of Various Obturating Techniques for Primary Teeth: A
      Comparative Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lifelong preservation of tooth in a healthy state is the ultimate
      goal of dentistry. Premature loss of primary teeth is common due to caries,
      dental trauma or other causes. As the primary teeth are the best space
      maintainers, teeth with infected pulps should be retained until exfoliation,
      whenever possible. AIM: The purpose of this in vivo study was to evaluate and
      compare the efficacy of different obturating methods used in primary teeth.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty one patients aged four to nine years with a total of
      60 teeth were selected. Out of the 60 teeth, 32 were primary mandibular first
      molars and 28 were primary mandibular second molars, the sample was randomly
      divided into three groups. Disposable syringe, lentulo spiral and past inject
      were used for obturation. Postoperative evaluation was done for; quality of canal
      obturation, presence of voids using postoperative radiographs following
      obturation of teeth. The data were analysed to assess the success rate of the
      three methods used for obturation using Chi-square test. RESULTS: Among the three
      groups of the study, past inject exhibited the maximum number of optimally filled
      canals. Maximum number of underfilled canals was found with lentulospiral, and
      the maximum number of overfilled canals was seen with disposable syringe. Least
      number of voids was observed in canals filled with the past inject technique and
      disposable syringe. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the most successful
      technique for obturation of primary teeth was past inject.

PMID- 28893043
TI  - Psychometric Utility in Determining Dental Organizational Attribute: A Cross
      Sectional Study in Ghaziabad, India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Psychometrics is the field of research involved with the objective
      measurement of finesse and intelligence, skills, temperament, personality traits,
      and educational success and technique of psychological measurement. Oral
      healthcare along with patient satisfaction and quality of care are main factors
      responsible for organizational attribute. Patient safety is relatively emerging
      domain which will result in improving patient's conditions without causing harm
      to them. AIM: To assess the psychometric behaviours as well as organization
      attribute with the help of modified version of Survey of Organizational
      Attributes for Primary Care (SOAPC) instrument among the dental care
      practitioners in Ghaziabad city, Uttar Pradesh, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study was conducted among 268 dental practitioner of Ghaziabad
      city to determine psychometric behaviours and organizational attributes using
      SOADC instrument. Data was analysed using SPSS software version 18.0 and was
      subjected to descriptive and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Of the 268 dental
      practitioner, only 249 completed questionnaires. In communication, 70.3% agreed
      that they have constructive work relationship with staff with an overall mean
      score of 3.54+/-0.15, whereas in the subscale decision making, stress/chaos and
      history of change, the mean score of 2.77+/-0.98, 2.56+/-0.80 and 3.25+/-0.21
      respectively were obtained. A statistical significant difference was noted
      between all the dimensions except stress/chaos and history of change (p<=0.05).
      CONCLUSION: SOADC can be used to assess psychometric behaviours and
      organizational attributes of dental care practice. Preference should be given to
      dentist's communication and reducing stress to enhance the service quality and
      improving safety of patient.

PMID- 28893044
TI  - Immuno-Histochemical and Quantitative Study of Melanocytes and Melanin Granules
      in Oral Epithelial Dysplasia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral Epithelial dysplasia (OED) is a potentially malignant disorder
      that is characterized by the presence of architectural and cytological changes.
      One of the prime factors responsible for the development of these lesions is the
      usage of tobacco. A variety of factors provide protective mechanism in order to
      prevent the effects of chemotoxic agents including tobacco products of which,
      melanin pigmentation is one of the vital elements. AIM: Role of melanocytes in
      progression of OED has remained unclear, so the present study was done to
      evaluate density of melanocyte and melanin granules in different grades of
      epithelial dysplasia and to correlate both findings with different grades of
      epithelial dysplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 60 OED cases, of
      which three histopathogical sections were prepared from each block. The sections
      were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Masson Fontana and Human Melanoma Black
      (HMB-45), an immunohistochemical stain. Quantification of melanin granules was
      evaluated under 40X magnification using arbitrary scale with micrometer square
      as, 0= Absence of melanin granules, 1= Rare and scattered melanin granules, 2=
      Dense but not aggregated melanin granules, 3= Dense and aggregated melanin
      granules. Density of melanocytes was evaluated under 10X magnification. Five
      consecutive fields were evaluated for melanocytes and melanin granules starting
      from the field of highest density. RESULTS: There was an insignificant increase
      in number of melanocytes and melanin granules in mild and moderate dysplasia
      compared to normal but significant reduction was observed in severe dysplasia.
      CONCLUSION: The decrease in number of melanocytes and melanin granules was
      proportional to severity of epithelial dysplasia. This could be due to chronic
      irritation by chemical products leading to death of melanocytes.

PMID- 28893045
TI  - Estimation of Serum Butyryl Cholinesterase in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral cancer is a major global threat to public health. It is one of
      the most common causes of mortality and morbidity in the modern era. Oral
      Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for over 90% of the malignancies
      involving the oral cavity. The enzyme- Butyryl Cholinesterase (BChE) is proposed
      to have a role in cell proliferation, cell adhesion, cell differentiation,
      apoptosis and tumorigenesis. Few studies have been conducted for understanding
      the significance of serum BChE as a biomarker in oral cancer patients; however
      literature available is insufficient to arrive at a conclusion. There is a need
      of a simple, rapid, convenient, inexpensive and reliable biomarker of oral
      cancer. So, the present study is an attempt to estimate the level of BChE in oral
      cancer, prior to definitive therapy. AIM: To estimate and compare the serum BChE
      levels in patients with OSCC with age and gender matched healthy controls.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised of 80 subjects, of which 40 biopsy
      proven OSCC patients of either sex were selected as cases and 40 healthy, age and
      gender matched subjects as controls. Estimation of serum BChE levels was done by
      colorimetric method using RANDOX RX Imola Auto-Analyzer. The statistical analysis
      between the OSCC group and the control group were done using unpaired t-test.
      Comparison between serum BChE levels and TNM stages of OSCC were done using
      Kruskal-Wallis Test. Comparison between serum BChE levels and histopathological
      grades of OSCC were done using Mann-Whitney U Test. RESULTS: There was
      statistically highly significant decrease in the mean serum BChE levels in the
      OSCC group compared to the control group (p<0.001). It was revealed that the
      serum BChE levels were further decreased in moderately differentiated squamous
      cell carcinoma than well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and the
      difference was statistically significant (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: The decrease in
      the serum BChE level demonstrates that it as a simple, rapid, convenient,
      inexpensive and reliable biomarker for oral cancer. Our findings support the
      concept of role of BChE in apoptosis, cell proliferation, differentiation and its
      related link in the pathophysiology of oral cancer.

PMID- 28893047
TI  - An Intervention Airing the Effect of Iranian Propolis on Epithelial Dysplasia of
      the Tongue: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since oral cancer is one of the causes of mortality, the use of
      materials or methods that can reduce cancer or prevent its progression has
      particular importance. AIM: Aim of the study was to evaluate the antitumor
      effects of Iranian propolis on dysplastic changes of oral mucosa in rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed on 28 Wistar male rats (aged 7-11
      weeks, 160+/-20 g). They were divided into four groups of seven rats. The Group 1
      received: 0.5% 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), the Group 2: 0.5% DMBA and
      100 mg/kg propolis, the Group 3: 0.5% DMBA and 200 mg/kg propolis, and the Group
      4: 0.5% DMBA and 400 mg/kg propolis. DMBA in all groups was administered
      topically (brush) and propolis was injected intraperitoneally. DMBA was brushed
      twice on the lingual dorsum three times a week for 20 weeks. Propolis injection
      just every other day and in the days after DMBA was administered for 20 weeks.
      Rats were sacrificed, and histological examinations were performed on tongue
      specimen. RESULTS: Propolis can reduce the degree of dysplasia in doses 100
      mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg compared to control (Group 1) (p=0.017, p=0.02,
      and p=0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed propolis
      can dose-dependently prevent DMBA-induced dysplasia of the oral mucosa in animal
      model.

PMID- 28893046
TI  - The Association between Cariogenic Factors and the Occurrence of Early Childhood
      Caries in Children from Salem District of India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Various aetiological factors for Early Childhood Caries (ECC) have
      been suggested in literature, but the role of each factor has been disputed in
      various studies. AIM: To evaluate the association between ECC and its related
      factors in children between three to six years of age, from rural, semi-urban and
      urban schools in the district of Salem (India). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      consisted of children between three to six years of age, selected randomly from
      schools in semi-urban, urban and rural schools at Salem. Questionnaire
      (comprising of the factors associated with ECC) and parental consent forms were
      sent to each of the parents of the school children. Filled questionnaires and
      parental consent forms were obtained from a total of 2771 children, out of which
      1771 were boys and 1000 were girls. Clinical examination for ECC was carried out
      according to the WHO criteria, by a single examiner and an assistant to eliminate
      inter-examiner variability. Statistical analysis was carried out using the
      student's independent t-test and ANOVA (one way analysis of variance). RESULTS:
      Out of a total of 2771 children examined, only 443 (315 boys and 128 girls)
      children were found to have ECC (16 %). Significant correlations were found
      between the occurrence of ECC and various factors like age of parents, number of
      siblings, on-demand breast feeding and bottle feeding habits and sweetened
      pacifier use. However, factors such as age and gender of the child, type of birth
      and duration of pregnancy, had no significant correlation with the occurrence of
      ECC. CONCLUSION: The need for educating parents on the ill effects of improper
      breast feeding and bottle feeding habits is important.

PMID- 28893049
TI  - Comparative Evaluation of the Efficacy of Bioactive Ceramic Composite Granules
      Alone and in Combination with Platelet Rich Fibrin in the Treatment of Mandibular
      Class II Furcation Defects: A Clinical and Radiographic Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Predictable closure of furcation defects with bone grafts, Guided
      Tissue Regeneration (GTR) and a combination of the two has remained an elusive
      goal so far. Hence, evaluation of biomimetic agents as candidate technologies for
      periodontal regeneration merit due consideration. In this study, Choukroun's
      Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF), a second generation platelet concentrate, is combined
      with bone graft to examine if the addition enhances the therapeutic potential of
      bone graft in the management of Class II furcation defects. AIM: To evaluate and
      compare the clinical effectiveness of Bioactive Ceramic Composite Granules (BCCG)
      alone and in combination with PRF in the treatment of mandibular Class II
      furcation defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty mandibular Class II furcation
      defects in 16 systemically healthy patients were randomly allocated to test and
      control groups. Test sites were treated with PRF and bone graft, while control
      sites were treated with BCCG alone. Soft tissue parameters (probing pocket depth
      and clinical attachment loss), hard tissue parameters (vertical and horizontal
      depth of furcation defects) and radiographic parameter (radiographic alveolar
      bone density) were measured at baseline and six months post surgery. Statistical
      analysis was performed using Wilcoxon signed rank test for intragroup comparison
      of parameters and Mann-Whitney U test for intergroup comparison. RESULTS:
      Statistically significant improvement was observed in the test group compared to
      the control group with respect to all the measured parameters. However, complete
      furcation closure was not observed at any of the treated sites. CONCLUSION:
      Adjunctive use of PRF with bone graft may be a more effective treatment modality
      in the management of mandibular Class II furcation defects when compared to bone
      graft alone.

PMID- 28893048
TI  - Effect of Sugar-Free and Regular Toothpaste on Salivary Glucose and pH among Type
      2 Diabetes- A Randomized Crossover Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases of mankind having
      general as well as oral health manifestations. Also, there is an increase of
      salivary glucose level in diabetic, inducing saccharolytic bacteria in saliva
      which can have adverse effects on oral tissue. AIM: To assess and compare the
      effect of sugar-free toothpaste on salivary glucose and pH among Type 2 diabetic
      and non-diabetic individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled
      crossover study was carried out on 30 Type 2 diabetic (Group A) and 45 non
      diabetic (Group B) subjects. In first half of study, subjects in Group A and
      Group B were intervened with sugar-free and regular toothpaste respectively.
      Salivary glucose and pH was assessed before and after brushing at interval of one
      week for a period of four weeks. In second half, toothpastes were switched over
      between the groups, after sufficient washout period. Salivary glucose and pH were
      assessed again in the same manner for both the groups. The data was subjected to
      paired t-test and unpaired t-test for intragroup and intergroup comparison
      respectively. RESULTS: Salivary glucose level was significantly reduced and
      salivary pH was increased significantly (p<0.001) in both groups with sugar free
      toothpaste when compared to regular toothpaste. CONCLUSION: Sugar free toothpaste
      showed beneficial effect on salivary glucose level and salivary pH level on
      diabetes and non-diabetes population.

PMID- 28893050
TI  - "Quirky Bulb" On the Lower Jaw: An Organizing Haematoma.
AB  - Organizing Haematoma is a rare, non/neoplastic benign lesion with locally
      destructive behaviour that may mimic a malignancy. Usually symptoms do not occur,
      while the lesion remains localized. An Organized Haematoma is an encapsulated
      blood clot undergoing neovascularization and fibrosis. It has also been referred
      to as a hemophilic pseudotumour and/or a haematoma like tumour, which is rarely
      found in the head and neck region. Other reported cases have been related to
      trauma or an underlying haemangioma. However, most of the cases have no
      identifiable underlying pathology, trauma or systemic disease. We are reporting
      an unusual presentation of Organizing Haematoma over the edentulous mandible.

PMID- 28893051
TI  - Permanent Maxillary Central Incisor with Dilacerated Crown and Root and C-Shaped
      Root Canal.
AB  - Dilaceration is a rare disturbance in traumatised permanent teeth, which
      constitutes about 3% of the injuries to developing teeth. It usually occurs as a
      result of trauma to the deciduous predecessors and results in non axial
      displacement of the already formed hard tissue portion of the developing crown.
      Endodontic treatment of such teeth presents a challenge to clinicians, and
      careful management is required to successfully address the root canal anatomy and
      other possible variations. The C-shaped canal configuration is most frequently
      seen in mandibular second molars, but this variation may also occur in mandibular
      first molars, mandibular third molars, maxillary molars, mandibular first
      premolars, and even in maxillary lateral incisors, with rare reports of such
      variations occurring in the maxillary central incisors. Diagnosis, endodontic
      access cavity preparation, root canal preparation and filling might be
      complicated by the presence of dilacerations and C-shaped canals. This paper is
      an attempt to provide details of an unusual case of crown and root dilacerations
      and a C-shaped canal in the maxillary central incisor, successfully managed by
      using Self-Adjusting File (SAF) system.

PMID- 28893052
TI  - Palatogram: A Guide to Customised, Functional Palatal Contour.
AB  - The prime requisite of a sound and holistic prosthodontic rehabilitation from
      both the patient's and clinician's perspective is to be able to satiate the
      yardsticks of function, retention, aesthetics and comfort to the fullest. It is
      thereby astoundingly hard to digest that speech being an indispensably
      significant function of the complete denture prosthesis, is often seen upon as
      heedless and inconsiderate by the patient. Adaptability in speech pronunciation
      of complete denture prosthesis is a subjective phenomenon; cannot be predicted to
      entirety. To diagnose and verify speech difficulties in a complete denture
      patient who finds it relatively difficult to affirm to new palatal contours of
      prostheses, we require some simple clinical aids. Palatogram is a fairly simple,
      yet highly efficacious technique of assessment and verification of palatal
      contours, so as to improve and correct the existent speech deficiencies of
      affected sounds. In the present case report, readily available food colour in
      spray form was employed to produce and investigate inadequacies of various
      sounds. This case report highlights palatogram as an easy clinical technique that
      helps to correct, often delinquent speech difficulties, pertaining to the palatal
      contours of complete denture prosthesis.

PMID- 28893053
TI  - Denovo High Grade Salivary Duct Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of
      Literature.
AB  - Salivary Duct Carcinoma (SDC) is a distinctive and clinically aggressive
      adenocarcinoma of salivary origin. It arises from the ductal epithelium,
      predominantly occurring in the major salivary glands, especially the parotid
      gland. Here, we report a case of an extensive salivary gland pathology involving
      the right side of face, possibly arising from the parotid gland in a 25-year-old
      male patient. On routine histopathology, the tumour mass revealed a papillary
      pattern of neoplastic ductal epithelial cells showing comedo-like-central
      necrosis. Immunohistochemical staining showed tumour cells in the infiltrative
      component to be diffusely immunopositive for cytokeratin-7 and Her-2, confirming
      the diagnosis of SDC. This paper presents a case report on salivary duct
      carcinoma and highlights a review on histological variants of salivary duct
      carcinoma.

PMID- 28893054
TI  - Effect of Methylphenidate on Orthodontic Tooth Movement and Histological Features
      of Bone Tissue in Rats: An Experimental Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant drug, which is commonly used
      by children and teenagers. This age group receives most orthodontic treatment.
      Effect of this drug on tooth movement is unknown. AIM: The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the effect of methylphenidate on orthodontic tooth movement and
      histological features of bone tissue in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two
      Wistar rats (male) were selected and divided to three groups, randomly (n=14).
      The control group (Group 1) received no drug, the experimental Group 2 received a
      constant dose of methylphenidate daily for 14 days while the experimental Group 3
      received increasing doses of methylphenidate daily. To exert force, a NiTi coil
      spring was placed between the maxillary right first molar and the maxillary right
      central incisor. At the end of the study period, the amount of tooth movement was
      measured and then the rats were sacrificed for histological analysis of bone
      tissue. Differences between the experimental groups were analysed using Kruskal
      wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: No significant differences were found
      in the amount of orthodontic tooth movement or osteoclasts and lacunae, between
      the experimental groups (p>0.05). Mann-Whitney U analysis showed significant
      differences in the depth of resorption lacuna between Group 2 and 3 (p=0.037).
      CONCLUSION: Methylphenidate has no significant effect on orthodontic tooth
      movement or histological features of bone tissue in rats.

PMID- 28893055
TI  - Induction with Varied Histological Patterns in Adenomatoid Odontogenic Tumour.

PMID- 28893056
TI  - Hyalinizing Clear Cell Carcinoma of Maxilla.

PMID- 28893057
TI  - Coincidental Finding of Twin Dentigerous Cyst in an Achondroplasia Patient.

PMID- 28893058
TI  - Serratia marcescens infection or hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy in neonates: Is
      magnetic resonance imaging a problem-solving tool?

PMID- 28893059
TI  - Dosimetric advantages and clinical outcomes of simultaneous integrated boost
      intensity-modulated radiotherapy for anal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the dosimetric difference
      between simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT)
      and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), and the clinical outcomes
      of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) chemoradiotherapy featuring SIB-IMRT.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included ten patients with ASCC who underwent
      chemoradiotherapy using SIB-IMRT with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C. SIB-IMRT
      delivered 54 Gy to each primary tumor plus metastatic lymph nodes and 45 Gy to
      regional lymph nodes, in 30 fractions. Four patients received additional boosts
      to the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes; the median total dose was 54 Gy
      (range, 54 to 60 Gy). We additionally created 3DCRT plans following the Radiation
      Therapy Oncology Group 9811 protocol to allow dosimetric comparisons with SIB
      IMRT. Locoregional control, overall survival, and toxicity were calculated for
      the clinical outcome evaluation. RESULTS: Compared to 3DCRT, SIB-IMRT
      significantly reduced doses to the external genitalia, bladder, and intestine,
      delivering the doses to target and elective nodal region. At a median follow-up
      time of 46 months, 3-year locoregional control and overall survival rates were
      88.9% and 100%, respectively. Acute toxicities were treated conservatively. All
      patients completed radiotherapy with brief interruptions (range, 0 to 2 days). No
      patient experienced >=grade 3 late toxicity during the follow-up period.
      CONCLUSION: The dosimetric advantages of SIB-IMRT appeared to reduce the toxicity
      of chemoradiotherapy for ASCC achieving high locoregional control in the extended
      period.

PMID- 28893060
TI  - Clinical significance of the lymph node ratio in N1 breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the
      lymph node ratio (LNR), which was defined as the proportion of involved nodes of
      all dissected nodes, in pN1 breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with pN1 breast cancer (N
      = 144) treated at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu, Korea
      between 2001 and 2010. The median age was 46 years (range, 27 to 66 years). The
      LNR was 0.01-0.15 (low LNR) in 130 patients and >0.15 (high LNR) in 14 patients.
      Sixty-five patients (45.1%) had T1 tumors, 74 (51.4%) had T2 tumors, and 5 (3.5%)
      had T3 tumors. Eighty-eight patients (61.1%) underwent total mastectomy and 56
      (38.9%) underwent partial mastectomy. Fifty-nine patients (41.0%) underwent
      radiotherapy and 12 (8.3%) underwent regional radiotherapy. The median follow-up
      period was 65 months. RESULTS: The 5- and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS)
      rates were 92.7% and 82.4%, respectively. Univariate analyses revealed that high
      LNR (p = 0.004), total mastectomy (p = 0.006), no local radiotherapy (p = 0.036),
      and stage T2 or T3 (p = 0.010) were associated with worse DFS. In multivariable
      analysis, only high LNR (p = 0.015) was associated with worse DFS. CONCLUSION:
      High LNR is an independent prognostic factor in pN1 breast cancer and could be an
      indication for adjuvant radiotherapy in these patients.

PMID- 28893061
TI  - Factors affecting the validity of the oscillometric Ankle Brachial Index to
      detect peripheral arterial disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of oscillometric Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) to diagnose
      peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has raised concern, especially due to a lack of
      agreement and sensitivity. This study aimed to evaluate those factors affecting
      the validity of oscillometric ABI in comparison to Doppler ABI to detect PAD.
      METHODS: Through univariate and multivariate linear regression, we studied those
      factors affecting the differences between oscillometric and Doppler ABI; through
      univariate and multivariate logistic regression we analyzed the false negative
      rate of oscillometric ABI to detect PAD. RESULTS: We analyzed 197 consecutive
      subjects (394 legs) from two settings: Primary Care and Vascular Service. The
      means of oscillometric ABI and Doppler ABI were 1.094 (95% CI: 0.843-1.345) and
      1.073 (95% CI: 0.769-1.374) (P<0.001), respectively. In men, covariates
      explaining the differences between oscillometric and Doppler ABI were Doppler
      ankle blood pressure (beta=-0.610, P<0.001), ankle circumference (beta=0.176,
      P=0.004) and oscillometric brachial blood pressure (beta=0.136, P=0.037); in
      women, those were weight (beta=0.351, P<0.001) and Doppler ankle blood pressure
      (beta=-0.318, P<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of oscillometric ABI to
      detect PAD were 80.6% and 97.4%, respectively, and covariates explaining the rate
      of false negatives in PAD population were setting (Exp(beta)=17.21, P=0.009) and
      tobacco (packs/year) (Exp(beta)=1.049, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Although some
      factors influencing the lack of agreement between oscillometric and Doppler ABI
      were identified, the correction of oscillometric ABI seems impractical, since
      Doppler is needed, the bias is not always uniformly distributed and its clinical
      relevance is small. According to sensitivity, borderline oscillometric ABI in
      Primary Care settings and smokers suggest PAD.

PMID- 28893062
TI  - Dopamine-Triggered One-Step Polymerization and Codeposition of Acrylate Monomers
      for Functional Coatings.
AB  - Surface modification has been well recognized as a promising strategy to design
      and exploit diversified functional materials. However, conventional modification
      strategies usually suffer from complicated manufacture procedures and lack of
      universality. Herein, a facile, robust, and versatile approach is proposed to
      achieve the surface functionalization using dopamine and acrylate monomers via a
      one-step polymerization and codeposition process. The gel permeation
      chromatography, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, liquid chromatography-mass
      spectrometry, and UV-visible spectra results indicate that dopamine possesses the
      capability of triggering the polymerization of acrylate monomers into high
      molecular-weight products, and the inherent adhesive ability of polydopamine can
      assist the polymerized products to deposit on various substrates. Besides,
      protein-resistant, antibacterial, and cell adhesion-resistant surfaces can be
      easily fabricated via the finely designed integration of corresponding acrylate
      monomers into the codeposition systems. This approach of in situ polymerization
      and codeposition significantly simplifies the fabrication process and provides
      more manifold choices for surface modification, which will open a new door for
      broadening the applications of polydopamine-based coatings.

PMID- 28893063
TI  - Multistep Heterogeneous Nucleation in Binary Mixtures of Charged Colloidal
      Spheres.
AB  - Nucleation plays a decisive role in determining the crystal structure and size
      distribution; however, understanding of the fundamentals of nucleation is quite
      limited. In particular, it is unclear whether a nucleus forms spontaneously from
      solution via a single- or multiple-step process. Here we show how a binary
      mixture of charged colloidal spheres nucleates heterogeneously on a flat
      substrate by means of Bragg microscopy, laser diffraction, and laser microscopy.
      In contrast with the conventional one-step and two-step nucleation mechanisms, a
      novel pathway of multistep heterogeneous nucleation under certain experimental
      conditions is highlighted by four steps: initial homogeneous fluid ->
      prenucleation clusters -> preordered prenucleation clusters -> intermediate
      ordered phase -> final crystal. It is expected that the obtained results would be
      helpful in rationalizing the rich phase behavior exhibited by the binary mixture
      systems and in developing better and broadly applicable nucleation models as well
      as in designing defect-free single-crystal alloys.

PMID- 28893064
TI  - Aqueous RAFT Synthesis of Glycopolymers for Determination of Saccharide Structure
      and Concentration Effects on Amyloid beta Aggregation.
AB  - GM1 ganglioside is known to promote amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide aggregation in
      Alzheimer's disease. The roles of the individual saccharides and their
      distribution in this process are not understood. Acrylamide-based glycomonomers
      with either beta-d-glucose or beta-d-galactose pendant groups were synthesized to
      mimic the stereochemistry of saccharides present in GM1 and characterized via 1H
      NMR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Glycopolymers of different
      molecular weights were synthesized by aqueous reversible addition-fragmentation
      chain transfer (aRAFT) polymerization and characterized by NMR and GPC. The
      polymers were used as models to investigate the effects of molecular weight and
      saccharide unit type on Abeta aggregation via thioflavin-T fluorescence and PAGE.
      High molecular weight (~350 DP) glucose-containing glycopolymers had a profound
      effect on Abeta aggregation, promoting formation of soluble oligomers of Abeta
      and limiting fibril production, while the other glycopolymers and negative
      control had little effect on the Abeta propagation process.

PMID- 28893065
TI  - Cloning and Transplantation of the Mesoplasma florum Genome.
AB  - Cloning and transplantation of bacterial genomes is a powerful method for the
      creation of engineered microorganisms. However, much remains to be understood
      about the molecular mechanisms and limitations of this approach. We report the
      whole-genome cloning of Mesoplasma florum in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and use
      this model to investigate the impact of a bacterial chromosome in yeast cells.
      Our results indicate that the cloned M. florum genome is subjected to weak
      transcriptional activity, and causes no significant impact on yeast growth. We
      also report that the M. florum genome can be transplanted into Mycoplasma
      capricolum without any negative impact from the putative restriction enzyme
      encoding gene mfl307. Using whole-genome sequencing, we observed that a small
      number of mutations appeared in all M. florum transplants. Mutations also arose,
      albeit at a lower frequency, when the M. capricolum genome was transplanted into
      M. capricolum recipient cells. These observations suggest that genome
      transplantation is mutagenic, and that this phenomenon is magnified by the use of
      genome donor and recipient cell belonging to different species. No difference in
      efficiency was detected after three successive rounds of genome transplantation,
      suggesting that the observed mutations were not selected during the procedure.
      Taken together, our results provide a more accurate picture of the events taking
      place during bacterial genome cloning and transplantation.

PMID- 28893066
TI  - Sizing Down a Supramolecular Gel into Micro- and Nanoparticles.
AB  - A low molecular weight gelator with a fluorescent 1,8-naphthalimide unit forms
      micro- and nanoparticles in aqueous media. Slow addition of a DMSO solution of
      the gelator into water affords either a self-assembled fibrillar network, sheaf
      like microparticles, or nanoparticles depending to the concentration used in the
      experiment. The micro- and nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light
      scattering (DLS), electron microscopy, and fluorescence measurements. In an
      initial assay of particle loading, Rose Bengal and Rhodamine 123 were shown to be
      incorporated in the particles. Light-promoted singlet oxygen generation
      capabilities of Rose Bengal were modulated by its incorporation in the particles.
      Additionally, the particles were found to promote the transport of Rhodamine 123
      into human lung carcinoma live cells. These results indicate that nanoparticles
      arising from low molecular weight gelators may represent a new type of
      nanocarriers, being a potential alternative to polymeric nanogels used in
      nanomedicine.

PMID- 28893067
TI  - Gate-Voltage-Controlled Threading DNA into Transistor Nanopores.
AB  - We present a simple method for DNA translocation driven by applying AC voltages,
      such as square and sawtooth waves, on an embedded thin film as a gate electrode
      inside of a dielectric nanopore, without applying a conventional bias voltage
      externally across the pore membrane. Square waveforms on a gate can drive a
      single DNA molecule into a nanopore, which often returns from the pore, causing
      an oscillation across the membrane. An optimized sawtooth-like negative voltage
      pulse on the gate can thread a fraction of a DNA molecule into a pore after a
      single pulse. This trapped DNA molecule continues to finish its translocation
      slowly through the pore. The DNA's slow speed was comparable to previous findings
      of the escaping DNA speed from a nanopore estimated by the Smoluchowski equation
      with excluded-volume interactions of a long-chain molecule and electrophoresis by
      extremely low electric fields. This simple scheme, controlling DNA molecules only
      by gate potential modulation at a nanopore, will provide an additional method to
      thread, translocate, or oscillate a single biomolecule at a gated nanopore.

PMID- 28893068
TI  - Wetting and Coalescence of Drops of Self-Healing Agents on Electrospun Nanofiber
      Mats.
AB  - Here we study experimentally the behavior of liquid healing agents released in
      vascular core-shell nanofiber mats used in self-healing engineered materials. It
      is shown that wettability-driven spreading of liquid drops is accompanied by the
      imbibition into the nanofiber matrix, and its laws deviate from those known for
      spreading on an intact surface. We also explore coalescence of the released drops
      on nanofiber mats, in particular, coalescence of drops of resin monomer and cure
      important for self-healing. The coalescence process is also affected by the
      imbibition into the pores of an underlying nanofiber mat. A theoretical model is
      developed to account for the imbibition effect on drop coalescence.

PMID- 28893069
TI  - Silicone Oil Swelling Slippery Surfaces Based on Mussel-Inspired Magnetic
      Nanoparticles with Multiple Self-Healing Mechanisms.
AB  - In this work, a novel substrate building block, magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles
      armed with dopamine molecules were developed via mussel-inspired metal
      coordination bonds. Combined with glycidyl methacrylate, polydimethylsiloxane
      propyl ether methacrylate, and diethylenetriamine, the original silicone oil
      swelling slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) were first prepared by
      reversible coordinate bonds and strong covalent bonds cross-linking process. The
      matrix mechanical characteristics and surface physicochemical properties were
      systematically investigated. Results showed that the mechanical property of
      copolymer matrix and surface wettability of SLIPS can be remarkably recovered,
      which were due to the synergistic interactions of magnetic nanoparticles'
      intrinsic photothermal effect, reversible Fe-catechol coordination, and diffused
      lubricating liquid. After irradiating with sunlamp for 2 h and sequentially
      healing for 10 h under ambient conditions, the crack almost disappeared under
      optical microscopy with 78.25% healing efficiency (HEf) of toughness, and surface
      slippery was completely retrieved to water droplets. The efficient self-heal of
      copolymer matrix (66.5% HEf after eighth cutting-healing cycle) and recovering of
      slipperiness (SA < 5 degrees  and 5 degrees  < SA < 17 degrees  after fourth and
      eighth cutting-centrifuging-healing cycles, respectively) would extend longevity
      of SLIPS when subjected to multiple damages. Moreover, the prepared SLIPS
      displayed superb self-cleaning and liquid-repellent properties to a wide range of
      particulate contaminants and fluids.

PMID- 28893070
TI  - Astrocyte spreading and migration on aggrecan-laminin dot gradients.
AB  - The surface concentration gradient of two extracellular matrix (ECM)
      macromolecules was developed to study the migratory and morphological responses
      of astrocytes to molecular cues typically found in the central nervous system
      injury environment. The gradient, prepared using microcontact printing, was
      composed of randomly positioned micrometer-sized dots of aggrecan (AGG) printed
      on a substrate uniformly coated with laminin (LN). AGG dots were printed in an
      increasing number along the 1000 MUm long and 50 MUm wide gradient area which had
      on each end either a full surface coverage of AGG or LN. Each dot gradient was
      surrounded by a 100 MUm-wide uniform field of AGG printed over laminin. Seeded
      astrocytes were found to predominantly attach to LN regions on the gradient.
      Cellular extensions of these cells were longer than the similar processes for
      cells seeded on uniform substrates of AGG or LN serving as controls. Astrocyte
      extensions were the largest and spanned a distance of 150 MUm when the cells were
      attached to the mixed AGG+LN patches on the gradient. As evidenced by their
      increased area and perimeter, the cells extended processes in a stellate fashion
      upon initial attachment and maintained extensions when seeded in AGG+LN regions
      but not on uniform laminin controls. The cells migrated short distances, ~20-35
      MUm, over 24 h and in doing so preferentially shifted from AGG areas to higher LN
      surface coverage regions. The results indicated that presenting mixed ECM cues
      caused astrocytes to sample larger areas of the substrate and made the cells to
      preferentially relocate to a more permissive ECM region.

PMID- 28893071
TI  - A model of collaboration for the implementation of problem-based learning in
      nursing education in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The idea of collaboration between key stakeholders in nursing
      education for the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) may have far
      reaching implications for the institutions and students. MAIN OBJECTIVE: To
      develop a model of collaboration to facilitate the implementation of PBL in
      nursing education. METHODOLOGY: An exploratory sequential design was used.
      Qualitative data were collected from purposively recruited nurse educators from
      three universities in South Africa offering PBL and nurse managers from all the
      three hospitals in North West Province where PBL students are placed for clinical
      learning. A questionnaire was used to obtain data from respondents who were
      conveniently recruited. Model development, concept analysis, construction of
      relationships, description and evaluation were followed. RESULTS: This model has
      six elements: higher education and nursing education (context), institutions
      initiating PBL, clinical services, colleges affiliated to PBL universities,
      students and healthcare users (recipients), champions in PBL (agents), effective
      implementation of PBL (terminus), collaboration (process) and commitment,
      communication, trust and respect (dynamics). CONCLUSION: Collaboration in
      implementing PBL can be a functional reality in the delivery of quality
      educational experiences and has far-reaching implications for the institutions
      and students. The implementation of the model in South African nursing education
      institutions may be necessary for the light of the revision of the
      preregistration qualifications. RECOMMENDATIONS: Managerial commitment, training
      of collaborators on PBL and collaboration skills, memorandum of agreement,
      monitoring and evaluation are critical. More research is required to pilot the
      model and evaluate collaboration in implementing PBL at different levels of
      operations.

PMID- 28893072
TI  - Through the eyes of the student: Best practices in clinical facilitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical facilitation is an essential part of the undergraduate
      nursing curriculum. A number of studies address the issue of clinical
      facilitation in South Africa, but there remains a lack of knowledge and
      understanding regarding what students perceive as best practice in clinical
      facilitation of their learning. OBJECTIVE: To determine what type of clinical
      facilitation undergraduate students believe should be offered by clinical
      facilitators (nurse educators, professional nurses and clinical preceptors) in
      the clinical area in order to best facilitate their learning. METHOD: A
      qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted. Purposive sampling
      was performed to select nursing students from the second, third and fourth year
      of studies from a selected nursing education institution in Johannesburg. The
      sampling resulted in one focus group for each level of nursing, namely second,
      third and fourth year nursing students. Interviews were digitally recorded and
      transcribed verbatim, thematic data analysis was used and trustworthiness was
      ensured by applying credibility, dependability, confirmability and
      transferability. MAIN FINDINGS: The data revealed that participants
      differentiated between best practices in clinical facilitation in the clinical
      skills laboratory and clinical learning environment. In the clinical skills
      laboratory, pre-contact preparation, demonstration technique and optimising group
      learning were identified as best practices. In the clinical learning environment,
      a need for standardisation of procedures in simulation and practice, the
      allocation and support for students also emerged. CONCLUSION: There is a need for
      all nurses involved in undergraduate nursing education to reflect on how they
      approach clinical facilitation, in both clinical skills laboratory and clinical
      learning environment. There is also a need to improve consistency in clinical
      practices between the nursing education institution and the clinical learning
      environment so as to support students' adaptation to clinical practice.

PMID- 28893073
TI  - Challenges faced by caregivers of children on antiretroviral therapy at Mutale
      Municipality selected healthcare facilities, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children depend solely on caregivers who can be either parents or
      guardians for drug administration to enhance adherence to antiretroviral
      treatment (ART), which might pose any number of challenges. PURPOSE: The purpose
      of this study was to explore and describe the challenges faced by caregivers of
      children on ART at Mutale Municipality, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD: The research design was qualitative, explorative,
      descriptive and contextual in nature. The population consisted of 16 caregivers
      who were 18 years of age and above, and mentally capable, irrespective of
      educational qualifications, caring for children aged between 0 and 15 years who
      were on ART between April 2013 and October 2014. Non-probability, purposive
      sampling was used to select the 16 caregivers. Required permission, approval and
      ethical clearance were obtained from the University of Venda Higher Degree
      Committee, Limpopo Provincial Health Department and relevant institutions. An in
      depth, individual, unstructured interview method was used to collect data. One
      central question was asked: 'What are the challenges you experience when caring
      for a child on antiretroviral treatment?' Subsequent questions were based on the
      participants' responses to the central question. Qualitative data were analysed
      by means of Tesch's open-coding method. RESULTS: The findings of this study
      revealed that participants, that is, caregivers of children on ART, experienced
      financial burdens because of transport costs needed to comply with follow-up
      dates and insufficient of money for food, clothing the child in need of care,
      pocket money for lunch boxes during school hours and time lost while waiting for
      consultations. Participants reported some level of stigmatisation against
      children on ART by family members, especially the husbands or in-laws of the
      secondary caregivers. Many primary and secondary caregivers seemed to have given
      up seeking support from government and community structures. CONCLUSION: The
      conclusions drawn from this research are that caregivers hardly receive any
      support from family members or the community. Fear of disclosing the HIV-positive
      status of children resulted in the delay of financial support from the
      government, thus leading to serious financial burden on the caregivers.

PMID- 28893074
TI  - The perceptions of midwives regarding audit and feedback on the use of the
      partogram at Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Audit and feedback is regarded as the cornerstone of clinical
      teaching to guarantee good practice and to correct poor performance. Feedback
      given to health professionals assists in narrowing the gap between the actual and
      the desired information. The findings of the research study on perceptions of
      midwives on audit and feedback highlighted aspects that needed improvement to
      address challenges on the use and documentation of the partogram. OBJECTIVES: The
      objectives of this article were to explore and describe the perceptions of
      midwives on auditing of the partogram by health professionals and to explore and
      describe the perceptions of midwives on the feedback that was given after audit
      was done. METHOD: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted
      to answer the two research objectives. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews
      were conducted with 17 midwives who were working in the labour wards of three
      hospitals. Eight steps of qualitative data analysis as indicated by Tesch were
      used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The findings revealed that auditing and
      feedback is sometimes done by midwives themselves, midwives' managers and
      district managers. Audit is done monthly or on a daily basis and sometimes
      inconsistently because of shortage of staff. Challenges indicated were lack of
      knowledge on the use of the partogram and lack of encouragement and praise when
      documentation was done correctly and that emphasis was mostly placed on negative
      aspects. CONCLUSION: The findings revealed that auditing and feedback and in
      service education is done at the three hospitals, although challenges such as
      inconsistency in auditing because of shortage of staff, lack of knowledge on
      partogram use and on principles of giving feedback were highlighted.

PMID- 28893075
TI  - Classroom acoustics as a consideration for inclusive education in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It can hardly be disputed that a school environment should be
      conducive or, at the very least, not prohibitive to effective learning. The
      provision of fair, equal and barrier-free access to education is referred to as
      inclusive education. South Africa supports a policy of inclusive schooling,
      striving to accommodate all children, including those with disabilities, in
      mainstream schools. This article sets out to prove that noise control in
      classrooms is a relevant, yet neglected, aspect of inclusive classroom design in
      South Africa and requires specific attention. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this
      study are to: (1) establish the impact that noise has on learners with sensory,
      language or learning impairments; (2) establish the preferred listening
      conditions for these learners by examining prior research and guidelines
      available in other countries; and (3) outline the current South African
      regulations pertaining to classroom acoustics and assess them against the
      preferred listening environment. METHOD: This research was conducted as a
      systematic review with reference to the South African context. Local and
      international research and guidelines were used as references, providing an
      overview and evaluation of data concerning noise and learning. RESULTS: Noise is
      disadvantageous for learners, particularly those with sensory, language or
      learning impairments. Research and international guidelines show that the ideal
      ambient level is 30 dBA - 35 dBA, allowing the achievement of an ideal signal-to
      noise ratio (SNR) of +15 dB, and the ideal reverberation time is 0.4 s - 0.6 s.
      Various South African regulations discussed are inconsistent regarding ambient
      noise level (ranging from 35 dBA - 50 dBA) and say little about reverberation
      time for classrooms. CONCLUSION: South African regulations regarding classroom
      acoustics require revision to ensure inclusion of all learners with disabilities.
      The current status does not enforce barrier-free environments in mainstream
      schools for children with sensory, language or learning impairments.

PMID- 28893076
TI  - Seroprevalence and risk factors for <i>Coxiella burnetii</i>, the causative agent
      of Q fever in the dromedary camel (<i>Camelus dromedarius</i>) population in
      Algeria.
AB  - Query (Q) fever is a globally distributed zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella
      burnetii, a bacterial agent for which ruminants are the most prevalent natural
      reservoir. Data regarding Q fever infection in camels in Algeria are limited.
      Therefore, a survey to detect seroprevalence of C. burnetii antibodies was
      conducted among healthy camel populations in a vast area in southeastern Algeria
      to determine distribution of the Q fever causative organism and to identify risk
      factors associated with infection. Between January and March 2016, blood samples
      were collected from 184 camels and serum samples were subsequently analysed using
      a commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit. At the time of blood
      collection, a questionnaire investigating 13 potential predisposing factors
      associated with C. burnetii seropositivity was completed for every dromedary
      camel and herd. Results were analysed by a chi-square (chi2) test and
      multivariate logistic regression. The seroprevalence of C. burnetii at the animal
      level was 71.2% (95% CI: 65.2-78.3) and 85.3% (95% CI: 72.8-97.8) at the herd
      level. At the animal level, differences in seroprevalence were observed because
      of herd size, animal age, animal sex, presence of ticks and contact with other
      herds. A multivariable logistic regression model identified three main risk
      factors associated with individual seropositivity: (1) age class > 11 years (OR =
      8.81, 95% CI: 2.55-30.41), (2) herd size > 50 head (OR = 4.46, 95% CI: 1.01
      19.59) and (3) infestation with ticks (OR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). This study of
      seroprevalence of C. burnetii infection in camels in Algeria revealed a high
      seroprevalence of Q fever in camel populations in southeastern Algeria and
      provided strong evidence that Q fever represents an economic, public health and
      veterinary concern. Appropriate measures should be taken to prevent the spread of
      C. burnetii and to reduce the risk of Q fever in farm animals and humans in this
      agro-ecologically and strategically important region of North Africa.

PMID- 28893077
TI  - Economic burden of malaria on rural households in Gwanda district, Zimbabwe.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria is a serious public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa and
      is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. AIM: To estimate the economic
      burden of malaria in rural households. SETTING: The study was conducted in Gwanda
      district of Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe. A total of five malarious wards and
      all their households were selected for the study frame, out of which 80
      households were chosen using clinic records. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of
      secondary data and a cross-sectional household survey were conducted to estimate
      the household economic burden of malaria. Eighty households from five rural wards
      were identified from the health facility malaria registers and followed up. A
      household was eligible for inclusion if there had been at least one reported
      malaria case during the period of 2013-2015. Interviewer administered
      questionnaires were used to collect household data on economic costs of malaria.
      RESULTS: Our findings showed that households spent an average of $3.22 and $56.60
      for managing an uncomplicated and a complicated malaria episode respectively. A
      household lost an average of eight productive working days per each malaria
      episode resulting in an average loss of 24% of the monthly household income. An
      estimated 35%, mostly poorer households suffered catastrophic health
      expenditures. CONCLUSION: Malaria imposes significant economic burdens
      particularly on the poorer and vulnerable households. Although there are no user
      fees at rural clinics, households incur other costs to manage a malaria patient.
      These costs are far worse for complicated cases.

PMID- 28893078
TI  - Assessing home-based rehabilitation within the development of an integrated model
      of care for people living with HIV in a resource-poor community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People living with HIV (PLHIV) are living longer lives but are at a
      greater risk of developing disability. South Africa has the largest
      antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme in the world, shifting HIV from a deadly
      to a chronic disease. The integration of rehabilitation into chronic care is
      therefore now crucial to ensure the highest quality of life of PLHIV. AIM: To
      describe how a home-based rehabilitation (HBR) programme adhered to the
      fundamental principles of a theoretical model of integrated care developed for
      the study setting in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. METHOD: The process and results
      from the HBR programme were assessed in relation to the model of care to
      ascertain which principles of the model were addressed with the HBR programme and
      which elements require further investigation. RESULTS: The HBR programme was able
      to apply a number of principles such as evidence-based practice, task shifting to
      lay personnel, enabling patient-centred care and maximising function and
      independence of PLHIV. Other elements such as the adoption of a multidisciplinary
      approach, training on the use of disability screening tools and the use of
      evidence to influence policy development were more difficult to implement.
      CONCLUSION: It is possible to implement elements of the integrated model of care.
      Further research is needed to understand how principles that require further
      training and collaboration with other stakeholders can be implemented. The
      results of this study provide additional evidence towards understanding the
      feasibility of the theoretical model and what is required to adjust and test the
      full model.

PMID- 28893079
TI  - Diagnostic comparison of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
      International Obesity Task Force criteria for obesity classification in South
      African children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was designed to estimate overweight and obesity in school
      children by using contrasting definitions recommended by the Centers for Disease
      Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF).
      METHOD: The sample size consisted of 1361 learners (n = 678 boys; n = 683 girls)
      aged 9-13 years who were randomly selected from Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces
      of South Africa. A cross-sectional and descriptive design was used to measure the
      children's anthropometric characteristics. Based on height and weight
      measurements, the children's body mass index (BMI) was calculated and used to
      classify them as underweight, overweight and obese. Percentage body fat was
      calculated from the sum of two skinfolds (i.e. triceps and subscapular). Age
      specific BMI, percentage body fat and sum of skinfolds were examined for the boys
      and girls. RESULTS: A higher prevalence of overweight and obesity was found in
      boys and girls when the CDC BMI categories were used. In contrast, the IOTF BMI
      classifications indicated a strong prevalence of underweight among the children.
      CONCLUSION: In contrast to the IOTF index that yielded a greater occurrence of
      underweight among South African children, the CDC criteria indicated a higher
      prevalence of obesity and overweight among the same children. Future large-scale
      surveillance studies are needed to determine the appropriateness of different
      definitions in order to establish a more reliable indicator for estimating
      overweight and obesity in South African children.

PMID- 28893080
TI  - Core competencies of radiographers working in rural hospitals of KwaZulu-Natal,
      South Africa.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rural radiographers require, over and above traditional
      radiographic expertise, additional competencies which to a certain degree are
      unique however not limited to rural practice. Previous studies, however, have
      focused more attention primarily on other rural health professionals such as
      doctors and nurses leaving a research need in this field. This article focuses on
      the additional competencies that may be required for rural radiographers. AIM: To
      investigate and identify additional core competencies required by radiographers
      working in rural hospitals of KwaZulu-Natal in order to propose a continuous
      professional development strategy aimed at rural radiographers. METHODS: An
      exploratory sequential design was utilised with qualitative (Phase I) and
      quantitative (Phase II) strands involving seven participants and 109 respondents,
      respectively. Only radiographers working in rural KwaZulu-Natal hospitals were
      included in the study. The four major themes and categories identified in Phase I
      were used to develop data collection instrument for Phase II of the study.
      RESULTS: Collectively, the results revealed that there were a number of
      additional core competencies such as, but not limited to, teamwork, ability to do
      basic obstetric ultrasound scans, leadership, management and reporting on plain
      radiographs, all of which are required by rural radiographers. In 2014 when these
      competencies were checked against a single curriculum, it was found that majority
      of them were either partially covered or not at all covered. CONCLUSION: The
      study provides additional information on context specific core competencies and,
      therefore, may act as a catalyst to influence the future of radiographers working
      in rural areas of South Africa.

PMID- 28893082
TI  - Relation Between TRCA Complication Rates and Peak ACT Levels Stratified According
      to the BMI Tertiles.
AB  - We evaluated the efficacy and safety of the fixed dose of 5000 IU unfractionated
      heparin (UFH) represented as peak activated clotting time (ACT) according to the
      body mass index (BMI) tertiles in patients undergoing diagnostic transradial
      coronary angiography (TRCA). A total of 422 patients were included in the present
      study, 84 in the normal weight group, 218 in the overweight group, and the 120 in
      the grades 1 and 2 obesity groups. Radial artery occlusion (RAO) was observed in
      29 (6.8%) patients and the hematoma was observed in 43 (10.1%) patients. The rate
      of RAO and hematoma did not differ across the BMI tertiles ( P = .749 and P =
      .066). Also, peak ACT and procedure duration did not differ between the study
      groups ( P = .703 and P = .999). The only independent predictor of hematoma was
      sheath/radial artery diameter ( P = .011) and the independent predictors for RAO
      were peak ACT, sheath/radial artery diameter, and procedure duration ( P = .001,
      P = .028, and P < .001, respectively). In conclusion, a fixed dose of 5000 IU UFH
      is safe and effective regardless of the BMI in diagnostic TRCA procedure.

PMID- 28893081
TI  - Paired box 7 (Pax7) gene: molecular characterisation, polymorphism and its
      association with growth performance in goose (Anser cygnoides).
AB  - 1. Paired box (Pax7) gene is a member of the paired box family and plays a
      critical role in animal growth and muscle development. However, the molecular
      characterisation of the goose Pax7 gene is unknown. 2. The open-reading frame of
      goose Pax7 is composed of 1509 bp, which encodes a protein of 503 amino acids and
      shares high homology with Pax7 of other birds. 3. Ten single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms were identified in the genomic DNA sequence, 8 located in the
      intron region and two located in the exon region. 4. Association analysis showed
      the C122T locus was significantly associated with the body weight of Zhedong
      White geese in week 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. 5. It was concluded that the goose Pax7
      gene may be an important candidate gene for goose growth traits and marker
      assisted selection.

PMID- 28893083
TI  - Tissue engineering of urethra: Systematic review of recent literature.
AB  - The purpose of this article was to perform a systematic review of the recent
      literature on urethral tissue engineering. A total of 31 articles describing the
      use of tissue engineering for urethra reconstruction were included. The obtained
      results were discussed in three groups: cells, scaffolds, and clinical results of
      urethral reconstructions using these components. Stem cells of different origin
      were used in many experimental studies, but only autologous urothelial cells,
      fibroblasts, and keratinocytes were applied in clinical trials. Natural and
      synthetic scaffolds were studied in the context of urethral tissue engineering.
      The main advantage of synthetic ones is the fact that they can be obtained in
      unlimited amount and modified by different techniques, but scaffolds of natural
      origin normally contain chemical groups and bioactive proteins which increase the
      cell attachment and may promote the cell proliferation and differentiation. The
      most promising are smart scaffolds delivering different bioactive molecules or
      those that can be tubularized. In two clinical trials, only onlay-fashioned
      transplants were used for urethral reconstruction. However, the very promising
      results were obtained from animal studies where tubularized scaffolds, both non
      seeded and cell-seeded, were applied. Impact statement The main goal of this
      article was to perform a systematic review of the recent literature on urethral
      tissue engineering. It summarizes the most recent information about cells, seeded
      or non-seeded scaffolds and clinical application with respect to regeneration of
      urethra.

PMID- 28893084
TI  - Fatty acid is a potential agent for bone tissue induction: In vitro and in vivo
      approach.
AB  - Our hypothesis was to investigate the fatty acid potential as a bone induction
      factor. In vitro and in vivo studies were performed to evaluate this approach.
      Oleic acid was used in a 0.5 wt.% concentration. Polycaprolactone was used as the
      polymeric matrix by combining solvent-casting and particulate-leaching
      techniques, with a final porosity of 70 wt.%, investigated by SEM images. Contact
      angle measurements were produced to investigate the influence of oleic acid on
      polycaprolactone chains. Cell culture was performed using adipocyte-derived stem
      cells to evaluate biocompatibility and bioactivity properties. In addition, in
      vivo studies were performed to evaluate the induction potential of oleic acid
      addition. Adipocyte-derived stem cells were used to provide differentiation after
      21 days of culture. Likewise, information were obtained with in vivo data and
      cellular invagination was observed on both scaffolds (polycaprolactone and
      polycaprolactone /oleic acid); interestingly, the scaffold with oleic acid
      addition demonstrated that cellular migrations are not related to the surrounding
      tissue, indicating bioactive potential. Our hypothesis is that fatty acid may be
      used as a potential induction factor for bone tissue engineering. The study's
      findings indicate oleic acid as a possible agent for bone induction, according to
      data on cell differentiation, proliferation, and migration. Impact statement The
      biomaterial combined in this study on bone regeneration is innovative and shows
      promising results in the treatment of bone lesions. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and
      oleic acid have been studied separately. In this research, we combined
      biomaterials to assess the stimulus and the speed of bone healing.

PMID- 28893085
TI  - Worksite Health Promotion for Low-Wage Workers: A Scoping Literature Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine: (1) What research has been done on health promotion
      interventions for low-wage workers and (2) what factors are associated with
      effective low-wage workers' health promotion programs. DATA SOURCE: This review
      includes articles from PubMed and PsychINFO published in or before July 2016.
      Study Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: The search yielded 130 unique articles, 35
      met the inclusion criteria: (1) being conducted in the United States, (2)
      including an intervention or empirical data around health promotion among adult
      low-wage workers, and (3) measuring changes in low-wage worker health. DATA
      EXTRACTION: Central features of the selected studies were extracted, including
      the theoretical foundation; study design; health promotion intervention content
      and delivery format; intervention-targeted outcomes; sample characteristics; and
      work, occupational, and industry characteristics. DATA ANALYSIS: Consistent with
      a scoping review, we used a descriptive, content analysis approach to analyze
      extracted data. All authors agreed upon emergent themes and 2 authors
      independently coded data extracted from each article. RESULTS: The results
      suggest that the research on low-wage workers' health promotion is limited, but
      increasing, and that low-wage workers have limited access to and utilization of
      worksite health promotion programs. CONCLUSION: Workplace health promotion
      programs could have a positive effect on low-wage workers, but more work is
      needed to understand how to expand access, what drives participation, and which
      delivery mechanisms are most effective.

PMID- 28893086
TI  - Older African American Homeless-Experienced Smokers' Attitudes Toward Tobacco
      Control Policies-Results from the HOPE HOME Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine attitudes toward tobacco control policies among older African
      American homeless-experienced smokers. APPROACH: A qualitative study. SETTING:
      Oakland, California. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-two African American older homeless
      experienced smokers who were part of a longitudinal study on health and health
      related outcomes (Health Outcomes of People Experiencing Homelessness in Older
      Middle Age Study). METHOD: We conducted in-depth, semistructured interviews with
      each participant to explore beliefs and attitudes toward tobacco use and
      cessation, barriers to smoking cessation, and attitudes toward current tobacco
      control strategies including raising cigarette prices, smoke-free policies, and
      graphic warning labels. We used a grounded theory approach to analyze the
      transcripts. RESULTS: Community social norms supportive of cigarette smoking and
      co-use of tobacco with other illicit substances were strong motivators of
      initiation and maintenance of tobacco use. Self-reported barriers to cessation
      included nicotine dependence, the experience of being homeless, fatalistic
      attitudes toward smoking cessation, substance use, and exposure to tobacco
      industry marketing. While participants were cognizant of current tobacco control
      policies and interventions for cessation, they felt that they were not specific
      enough for African Americans experiencing homelessness. Participants expressed
      strong support for strategies that de-normalized tobacco use and advertised the
      harmful effects of tobacco. CONCLUSION: Older African American homeless
      experienced smokers face significant barriers to smoking cessation. Interventions
      that advertise the harmful effects of tobacco may be effective in stimulating
      smoking cessation among this population.

PMID- 28893087
TI  - Protocol Modification of Apixaban for the Secondary Prevention of Thrombosis
      Among Patients With Antiphospholipid Syndrome Study.

PMID- 28893088
TI  - Double-locus lymphoplasmacytic aortitis.
AB  - Thoracic aortic aneurysm is an indication for major cardiovascular operative
      procedures. The etiology is usually hypertension and/or atherosclerotic disease;
      reaching a certain diameter often results in acute aortic syndrome.
      Immunoglobulin G4-related aortitis, characterized by lymphoplasmacytic vascular
      tunica media induration without well-defined underlying infectious or autoimmune
      systemic causes, is uncommon. Histological similarity to immunoglobulin G4
      disease in other organs suggests that this aortitis might be a manifestation of
      systemic pathology. We describe a case of double-locus lymphoplasmacytic aortitis
      in a 72-year-old man who had the incidental finding of intramural hematoma on
      elective thoracic computed tomography as part of a respiratory work-up.

PMID- 28893089
TI  - Investigation of the solvent-dependent photolysis of a nonnucleoside reverse
      transcriptase inhibitor, antiviral agent efavirenz.
AB  - This study sought to investigate the solvent-dependency on the photolysis of
      efavirenz to gain insight into the photoprocesses involved. The primary
      mechanisms were firstly the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (i.e.
      phototautomerization), which generated the imidic acid phototautomer observed as
      [M-H]- quasimolecular ion at m/z 314.0070 in the high-performance liquid
      chromatography-electrospray ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry in the
      negative mode. Secondly, the photoinduced alpha-cleavage with the loss of a
      carbonyl group occurred (i.e. photodecarbonylation) to form the photoproduct at
      m/z 286.0395. The ultraviolet-visible spectra illustrated a large, hyperchromic,
      and slight bathochromic effect in both the pi->pi* and n->pi* electronic
      transitions. The largest bathochromic effect was prevalent in the chloroform
      solvent, i.e. chloroform (pi* = 0.58; beta = 0.00; alpha = 0.44) > methanol (pi*
      = 0.60; beta = 0.66; alpha = 0.98) > acetonitrile (pi* = 0.75; beta = 0.40; alpha
      = 0.19). This is due to the significant interaction of the amino group with the
      excited carbonyl moiety which is attributed to intramolecular
      phototautomerization resulting in a larger energy shift of the electronic state.
      A plausible explanation is due to the hydrogen bond donor ability of the polar
      methanol and nonpolar chloroform solvents, which stabilized the polarized imidic
      acid phototautomer by means of hydrogen bonding interactions, as opposed to the
      aprotic acetonitrile which exhibits no hydrogen bonding interactions. The study
      would form the basis for further photolytic analyses and syntheses to generate a
      plethora of novel photoproducts with anti-HIV activity based on the biologically
      active benzoxazinone framework of efavirenz.

PMID- 28893090
TI  - An in-depth review of chemical angiogenesis inhibitors for treating
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent and severe
      complication of cirrhosis. Most HCC patients initially present with or progress
      to advanced stage disease and require systemic treatment. As hypervascularization
      is a major characteristic of HCC, antiangiogenic drugs have been tested. Areas
      covered: In this review, we summarize data on the use of drugs targeting the
      angiogenesis. Despite many trials, in 2017 only 3 drugs, all antiangiogenic, have
      demonstrated efficacy in first (sorafenib, lenvatinib) or second line
      (regorafenib) treatment of advanced HCC. The heterogeneous mechanisms of action
      and the major reasons for failure of most trials are discussed. An English
      language, abstract-based literature review was performed by a PubMed-based
      strategy. Expert opinion: Currently all trials based on purely antiangiogenic
      compounds (bevacizumab, linifanib, brivanib and ramucirumab) or drugs with strong
      antiangiogenic properties (sunitinib) have failed (increased toxicity, minor
      efficacy and/or flaws in trial design); sorafenib, lenvatinib and regorafenib are
      multityrosine kinase inhibitors and their efficacy can be partly related to
      another mechanism of action. We need to better refine future trials design
      (randomized phase 2, good stratification factors and marker-enriched patient
      selection) in order to progress toward customized treatment, perhaps in
      association with immunotherapy.

PMID- 28893091
TI  - Lutein Induces Autophagy via Beclin-1 Upregulation in IEC-6 Rat Intestinal
      Epithelial Cells.
AB  - Lutein is a carotenoid with anti-oxidant properties. Autophagy, an evolutionarily
      conserved catabolic cellular pathway for coping with stress conditions, is
      responsive to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and degrades damaged organelles. We
      previously demonstrated that lutein can induce anti-oxidant enzymes to relieve
      methotrexate-induced ROS stress. We therefore hypothesized that lutein, which
      activates ROS-scavenging enzymes, can also induce autophagy for cell survival. In
      this study, we demonstrated that lutein treatment attenuated the reduction in
      cell viability caused by H2O2. Lutein dose-dependently induced the processing of
      microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3)-II, an autophagy marker
      protein, and accumulation of LC3-positive puncta in rat intestinal IEC-6 cells.
      Furthermore, (a) direct observation of autophagosome formation through
      transmission electron microscopy, (b) upregulation of autophagy-related genes
      including ATG4A, ATG5, ATG7, ATG12, and beclin-1 (BENC1), and (c) increased
      BECN1/Bcl-2 ratio confirmed the induction of autophagy by lutein. The results
      revealed that bafilomycin-A1-induced inhibition of autophagy reduced cell
      viability and increased apoptosis in lutein-treated cells, indicating a
      protective role of lutein-induced autophagy. Lutein treatment also activated
      adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase
      (JNK), and p-38, but had no effects on the induction of extracellular signal
      related kinase or inhibition of mTOR; however, the inhibition of activated AMPK,
      JNK, or p-38 did not attenuate lutein-induced autophagy. Finally, increased BECN1
      expression levels were detected in lutein-treated cells, and BECN1 knockdown
      abolished autophagy induction. These results suggest that lutein-induced
      autophagy was mediated by the upregulation of BECN1 in IEC-6 cells. We are the
      first to demonstrate that lutein induces autophagy. Elevated autophagy in lutein
      treated IEC-6 cells may have a protective role against various stresses, and this
      warrants further investigation.

PMID- 28893092
TI  - Salvianolic Acid A, a Component of Salvia miltiorrhiza, Attenuates Endothelial
      Mesenchymal Transition of HPAECs Induced by Hypoxia.
AB  - Salvianolic acid A (SAA), a polyphenols acid, is a bioactive ingredient from a
      traditional Chinese medicine called Dan shen (Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge).
      According to previous studies, it was shown to have various effects such as anti
      oxidative stress, antidiabetic complications and antipulmonary hypertension. This
      study aimed to investigate the effect of SAA on pulmonary arterial endothelial
      mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) induced by hypoxia and the underlying mechanisms.
      Primary cultured human pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (HPAECs) were exposed
      to 1% O2 for 48[Formula: see text]h with or without SAA treatment. SAA treatment
      improved the morphology of HPAECs and inhibited the cytoskeleton remodeling. A
      total of 3[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M SAA reduced migration distances
      from 262.2[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m to 198.4[Formula: see
      text][Formula: see text]m at 24[Formula: see text]h and 344.8[Formula: see
      text][Formula: see text]m to 109.3[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m at
      48[Formula: see text]h. It was observed that the production of ROS in cells was
      significantly reduced by the treatment of 3[Formula: see text][Formula: see
      text]M SAA. Meanwhile, SAA alleviated the loss of CD31 and slightly inhibited the
      expression of [Formula: see text]-SMA. The mechanisms study shows that SAA
      treatment increased the phosphorylation levels of Smad1/5, but inhibited that of
      Smad2/3. Furthermore, SAA attenuated the phosphorylation levels of ERK and
      Cofilin, which were enhanced by hypoxia. Based on these results, our study
      indicated that SAA treatment can protect HPAECs from endoMT induced by hypoxia,
      which may perform via the inhibition on ROS production and further through the
      downstream effectors of BMPRs or TGF[Formula: see text]R including Smads, ERK and
      ROCK/cofilin pathways.

PMID- 28893093
TI  - Practical approach to the treatment of NSAID hypersensitivity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most
      frequently involved in drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHR). NSAIDs are
      prescribed for different processes and some NSAIDs can be obtained over the
      counter. Areas covered: We analyse the practical approaches for managing and
      treating NSAID-DHR considering the five major groups of entities recognised,
      divided into two categories: those responding to strong COX-1 inhibitors and
      possibly weak COX-1 or selective COX-2 inhibitors named cross-intolerant (CI),
      and those induced by a single drug or drug group with good tolerance to strong
      COX-1 inhibitors, known as allergic reactions (SR). An analysis of the recent
      literature indicates that two approaches can be followed for CI: to give acetyl
      salicylic acid to confirm NSAID hypersensitivity or to give alternative drugs to
      provide a solution for the treatment of pain, fever, inflammation or other
      conditions. Desensitisation approaches have been undertaken, but mainly for CI
      cases with respiratory airway involvement and they are very rarely used for CI
      with cutaneous involvement or SR. Expert commentary: DHR to NSAIDs are now
      recognised as one of the most important problems in the evaluation and management
      of drug allergy. Because no diagnostic tests exist, important resources are
      needed to evaluate these patients.

PMID- 28893094
TI  - Retrograde magnetic internal lengthening nail for acute femoral deformity
      correction and limb lengthening.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Precice magnetic internal lengthening intramedullary nail is
      being used with great success in femur lengthening and deformity correction with
      a retrograde approach. Areas Covered: Our personal history of limb lengthening
      and the Precice nail will be reviewed. Several technical aspects are discussed
      including design updates, pre operative planning, selection of nail length, the
      use of blocking screws and intra operative temporary external fixation, osteotomy
      practice, post operative management, and cost analysis. Expert Commentary: The
      phenomenal bone healing ability for the retrograde Precice nail after femoral
      osteotomy for lengthening, even after acute deformity correction, is recognized
      throughout the growing body of scientific publications on this topic. The few
      failures that have occurred appear to be attributable to excessive loading of the
      femur and implant during a vulnerable time of bone healing. Further studies with
      more uniform outcome criteria need to be conducted to better standardize user's
      experiences. The higher one time cost of the implant is offset by the reduced
      number of surgeries needed when compared with the gold standard of lengthening
      over-nail-technique, and we suspect that patients return to work sooner due to
      the ability to wear normal clothing and the reduction in pain throughout the
      entire lengthening process.

PMID- 28893095
TI  - Efficacy of antidepressants: bias in randomized clinical trials and related
      issues.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Countless antidepressant randomized trials were conducted and
      showed statistically significant benefits of selective serotonin reuptake
      inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) over
      placebo. Meanwhile, critics are increasing regarding the efficacy of
      antidepressants in the treatment of MDD because at least a proportion of clinical
      trials could be hampered by various biases. In contrast, number of failed trials
      is increasing in the recent years which have made developing psychiatric
      medications progressively more time-consuming and expensive. Areas covered:
      Biases and related issues in clinical trials for antidepressants can be
      identified as an important common contributing factor to the two paradoxical
      phenomenon. This review identifies possible biases that can occur before, during,
      and after clinical trials of antidepressant. Expert commentary: Recent studies
      not only may over-estimate efficacy of antidepressants, but also may exaggerate
      placebo response because of various biases. Sponsorship and publication biases
      have been one of the targets of the criticism and ethical debate. Thus,
      initiating new trend of research by re-organizing academic-industry partnership
      will be the most important task in the next five years.

PMID- 28893097
TI  - Factor validation and Rasch analysis of the individual recovery outcomes counter.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The individual recovery outcomes counter is a 12-item personal
      recovery self-assessment tool for adults with mental health problems. Although
      widely used across Scotland, limited research into its psychometric properties
      has been conducted. We tested its' measurement properties to ascertain the
      suitability of the tool for continued use in its' present form. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Anonymised data from the assessments of 1743 adults using mental health
      services in Scotland were subject to tests based on principles of Rasch
      measurement theory, principal components analysis and confirmatory factor
      analysis. RESULTS: Rasch analysis revealed that the six-point response structure
      of the individual recovery outcomes counter (I.ROC) was problematic. Re-scoring
      on a four-point scale revealed well-ordered items that measure a single, recovery
      related construct, and has acceptable fit statistics. Confirmatory factor
      analysis supported this. Scale items covered around 75% of the recovery
      continuum; those individuals least far along the continuum were least well
      addressed. CONCLUSIONS: A modified tool worked well for many, but not all,
      service users. The study suggests specific developments are required if the I.ROC
      is to maximise its' utility for service users and provide meaningful data for
      service providers. Implications for Rehabilitation Agencies and services working
      with people with mental health problems aim to help them with their recovery. The
      individual recovery outcomes counter has been developed and is used widely in
      Scotland to help service users track their progress to recovery. Using a large
      sample of routinely collected data we have demonstrated that a number of
      modifications are needed if the tool is to adequately measure recovery. This will
      involve consideration of the scoring system, item content and inclusion, and
      theoretical basis of the tool.

PMID- 28893096
TI  - Assessing genetic risk of hypertension at an early age: future research
      directions.

PMID- 28893098
TI  - Chemical sensing of Benzo[a]pyrene using Corchorus depressus fluorescent
      flavonoids.
AB  - Plant phytochemicals, such as flavonoids are in use for the development of
      optical biosensor. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), is a pervasive environmental and
      dietary carcinogen. A fluorescent assay is developed using plant isolated
      flavonoid for the detection of B[a]P. High content saponins are excluded from the
      flavonoid-containing methanolic extract of Corchorus depressus by implying
      reduction of silver ions by saponins resulting in formation of silver
      nanoparticles. Isolated plant flavonoids are used to develop a
      spectrofluorometric assay for the detection of B[a]P. Decrease in the flavonoid
      fluorescence intensity by B[a]P is found to be based on both static and dynamic
      quenching. Specificity of the assay for B[a]P was tested for other carcinogens
      belonging to different classes of compounds. Flavonoids-mediated sensing can be
      implied for the development of new generation of nanoparticle-based biosensors
      that can be more sensitive and less susceptible to external factors, such as
      temperature and humidity.

PMID- 28893099
TI  - Obinutuzumab for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and other B-cell
      lymphoproliferative disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chemoimmunotherapeutic regimens using the anti-CD20 antibody
      rituximab improved significantly the survival rates in various B-cell
      lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs), including chronic lymphocytic leukemia
      (CLL). The next-generation CD20 antibody obinutuzumab represents an addition to
      the drug armamentarium used for the therapeutic management of patients with LPDs.
      Areas covered: Herein, the authors discuss the biochemical and conformational
      engineering of obinutuzumab to increase antibody-dependent cell-mediated
      cytotoxicity and direct cell death. They also describe the available preclinical
      data on obinutuzumab's role in B-cell LPDs. Furthermore, the authors summarize
      the Phase I and II clinical trials of obinutuzumab, focusing on the main
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic characteristics, the most common clinically
      significant adverse events, dose optimization, and clinical outcomes of patients
      with CLL and other B-cell LPDs treated with obinutuzumab as monotherapy or in
      combination with other agents. To put these data in perspective, the use of
      obinutuzumab is compared with that of rituximab in CLL and other B-cell LPDs.
      Expert opinion: Clinical trials have demonstrated that obinutuzumab is well
      tolerated. The novel mechanism of action of obinutuzumab is associated with
      significant efficacy in CLL and other B-cell LPDs. Ongoing clinical trials are
      expected to determine the optimal use of obinutuzumab in these diseases.

PMID- 28893101
TI  - Improving Hepatitis C Identification: Technology Alone Is Not the Answer.
AB  - An estimated 3 to 5 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis C
      virus (HCV), and approximately 75% of those persons were born between 1945 and
      1965 (the so-called baby boomer generation). Because of the largely asymptomatic
      nature of HCV, up to 50% of those infected are unaware of their disease. Risk
      based testing has been largely ineffective. Based on prevalence data, the Centers
      for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations recommend a onetime
      HCV antibody test for all baby boomers. However, uptake of this recommendation
      requires significant changes in clinical practice for already busy primary care
      clinicians. We studied the effectiveness of a quality improvement initiative
      based on continuous audit and feedback combined with education for improving
      testing in alignment with guidelines; the control group was a cohort of
      clinicians whose only reminder was an institution-wide electronic health record
      prompt. Our data show improved testing rates among all clinician groups, but more
      significant improvement occurred among providers who received continuous feedback
      about their clinical performance coupled with education.

PMID- 28893100
TI  - One new 1,4-napthoquinone derivative from the roots of Juglans mandshurica.
AB  - A new 1,4-napthoquinone derivative, namely (S)-(-)-3-(8-hydroxy-1,4-dioxo-1,4
      dihydro-naphthalen-2-yl)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-propionic acid methyl
      ester (1), was isolated from the roots of Juglans mandshurica Maxim. The
      structure was identified based on HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic methods.

PMID- 28893102
TI  - Imaging and imagining chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Uruguayans
      draw their lungs.
AB  - PURPOSE: This anthropological study investigated what people imagined chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease to look like in their lungs, what may be
      influencing these images and how this imagery shapes embodiment. METHOD:
      Employing graphic elicitation, in one of multiple ethnographic interviews,
      participants were asked to draw their lungs: "If we could look inside your chest
      now, what would we see?" Lung drawings and accompanying narratives and fieldnotes
      from 14 participants were analyzed for themes and patterns. RESULTS: The theme of
      "imaging/imagining" emerged and three distinct patterns within this theme were
      identified: the microscope perspective, the X-ray perspective and the reduced
      pulmonary capacity perspective. These patterns demonstrate how embodiment can be
      shaped by an integration and reinterpretation of the medical images that form
      part of everyday clinic visits and pulmonary rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Medical
      technology and images impact patients' embodiment. Understanding this is
      important for rehabilitation practitioners who work in a challenging space
      created by potentially conflicting medical narratives: on the one hand, chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease is incurable permanent damage, and on the other,
      improvement is possible through rehabilitation. Drawing could be integrated into
      pulmonary rehabilitation and may help identify perceptions of the body that could
      hinder the rehabilitation process. Implications for rehabilitation Drawings, when
      combined with interviews, can lead to a deeper and more complex understanding of
      patients' perspectives and embodiment. Rehabilitation practitioners should be
      concerned with how patients embody the medical technology and imagery they are
      exposed to as part of the educational component of pulmonary rehabilitation and
      healthcare generally. Asking patients to visualize their illness through drawing
      may help pulmonary rehabilitation practitioners identify perceptions of the body
      which could hinder the patient's ability to reap the full benefit of their
      treatment.

PMID- 28893103
TI  - What's next for chronobiology and drug discovery.

PMID- 28893104
TI  - Ripasudil hydrochloride hydrate: targeting Rho kinase in the treatment of
      glaucoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Among the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering drugs used in a
      clinical setting, Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitors lower IOP by a unique mechanism,
      namely the depolymerization of intracellular actin in the conventional outflow
      tissues: the trabecular meshwork (TM) and Schlemm's canal (SC). Furthermore, ROCK
      inhibitors suppress the production of extracellular matrix by TM cells, which
      represents a potential alternative method of lowering IOP. Considering that
      conventional outflow is a dominant pathway in humans, IOP-lowering ROCK
      inhibitors, delivered in conjunction with other drugs, may be able to treat the
      glaucomatous eye. Areas covered: Ripasudil hydrochloride hydrate is the first
      ROCK inhibitor approved for clinical use in Japan (and worldwide) against
      glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The efficacy of ripasudil, as monotherapy and
      as an adjunctive medication to prostaglandin analogs and/or adrenergic beta
      receptor antagonists, has been confirmed in clinical trials. Expert opinion:
      Considering the unique ROCK-inhibiting mechanism by which ripasudil lowers IOP
      via its actions on TM and SC endothelial cells, it may be an ideal adjunctive
      medication for treating glaucoma in the clinic.

PMID- 28893105
TI  - Essential oil composition of aerial parts of Micromeria persica Boiss. from
      Western of Shiraz, Iran.
AB  - Micromeria persica Boiss. is medicinal and aromatic plant, belonging to the
      Lamiaceae family. The chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) from
      aerial parts of M. persica were extracted using hydro-distillation method and
      analysed using GC and GC-MS. Fifty-two compounds were identified in the EOs of
      aerial parts of M. persica. The main chemical compositions were n-hexadecanoic
      acid (14.9%), thymol (9.5%), linoleic acid (8.0%), carvacrol (5.6%), (E)
      nerolidol (5.5%), linolenic acid (5.5%), alpha-cadinol (2.7%), linalool (2.7%),
      borneol (2.6%), caryophyllene oxide (2.3%) and pulegone (2.0%). Presence of
      borneol, thymol, carvacrol and pulegone suggests the potential of this plant as a
      flavouring source in the food industry, being used in perfumery and cosmetics
      industry, vitamin E synthesis and exhibit strong fungicidal, antibacterial and
      antimicrobial activities.

PMID- 28893106
TI  - 22G versus 25G biopsy needles for EUS-guided tissue sampling of solid pancreatic
      masses: a randomized controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: No comparative study of 22-gauge biopsy needles (PC22) and
      25-gauge biopsy needles (PC25) has been conducted. We prospectively compared the
      diagnostic accuracy of PC22 and PC25 in patients with pancreatic and
      peripancreatic solid masses. METHODS: We conducted a randomized noninferiority
      clinical study from January 2013 to May 2014 at Samsung Medical Center. A
      cytological and histological specimen of each pass was analyzed separately by an
      experienced pathologist. The primary outcome was to assess the diagnostic
      accuracy using the PC22 or PC25. Secondary outcomes included the optimal number
      of passes for adequate diagnosis, core specimen yield, sample adequacy, and
      complication rates. RESULTS: Diagnostic accuracy of combining cytology with
      histology in three cumulative passes was 97.1% (100/103) for the PC22 and 91.3%
      (94/103) for the PC25 group. Thus, noninferiority of PC25 to PC22 was not shown
      with a 10% noninferiority margin (difference, -5.8%; 95% CI, -12.1 to -0.5%). In
      a pairwise comparison with each needle type, two passes was non-inferior to three
      passes in the PC22 (96.1% vs. 97.1%; difference, -0.97%; 95% CI -6.63 to 4.69%)
      but noninferiority of two passes to three passes was not shown in the PC25 group
      (87.4% vs. 91.3%; difference, -3.88%; 95% CI, -13.5 to 5.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Non
      inferiority of PC25 to PC22 diagnostic accuracy was not observed for solid
      pancreatic or peripancreatic masses without on-site cytology. PC22 may be a more
      ideal device because only two PC22 needle passes was sufficient to establish an
      adequate diagnosis, whereas PC25 required three or more needle passes.

PMID- 28893107
TI  - Applying proteomics to diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease.

PMID- 28893108
TI  - Comparative efficacy evaluation of catheter intraperitoneal chemotherapy,
      normothermic and hyperthermic chemoperfusion in a rat model of ascitic ovarian
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The choice of an optimal administration route for intraperitoneal
      (IP) chemotherapy and a suitable chemotherapeutic regime in the treatment of
      ovarian cancer remains a controversy. We investigated survival outcomes according
      to catheter intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CIPC), normothermic and hyperthermic
      chemoperfusion (NIPEC and HIPEC) with cytostatic drugs dioxadet and cisplatin in
      rats with transplantable ascitic ovarian cancer. METHODS: Ascitic liquid
      containing 1 * 107 tumour cells was inoculated to female Wistar rats and 48 hours
      after rats received dioxadet and cisplatin at the maximum tolerated doses.
      Dioxadet at doses 1.5, 30 and 15 mg/kg and cisplatin at doses 4, 40 and 20 mg/kg
      body weight were administered for CIPC, NIPEC and HIPEC, respectively. Rats in
      the control groups received physiological saline and CIPC with physiological
      saline was regarded as the untreated control. The antitumor activity of the drugs
      was evaluated as an increase in average life expectancy (ALE). Analysis of the
      data was based primarily on Bayesian statistics and included Kaplan-Meier method,
      log-rank test and hazard ratio (HR) estimation. RESULTS: Compared to the
      untreated control CIPC, NIPEC and HIPEC with dioxadet significantly increased ALE
      by 101316, 61524 and 1.71735 days, whereas with cisplatin by 61013, 122437 and 
      13523 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Dioxadet and cisplatin show similar
      efficacy in the CIPC route. Compared with CIPC IP chemotherapy by chemoperfusions
      is more effective for both the drugs. Dioxadet in HIPEC showed highest survival
      benefit whereas largest effect during NIPEC is achieved with cisplatin.

PMID- 28893109
TI  - Microbial growth yield estimates from thermodynamics and its importance for
      degradation of pesticides and formation of biogenic non-extractable residues.
AB  - In biodegradation studies with isotope-labelled pesticides, fractions of non
      extractable residues (NER) remain, but their nature and composition is rarely
      known, leading to uncertainty about their risk. Microbial growth leads to
      incorporation of carbon into the microbial mass, resulting in biogenic NER.
      Formation of microbial mass can be estimated from the microbial growth yield, but
      experimental data is rare. Instead, we suggest using prediction methods for the
      theoretical yield based on thermodynamics. Recently, we presented the Microbial
      Turnover to Biomass (MTB) method that needs a minimum of input data. We have
      estimated the growth yield of 40 organic chemicals (31 pesticides) using the MTB
      and two existing methods. The results were compared to experimental values, and
      the sensitivity of the methods was assessed. The MTB method performed best for
      pesticides. Having the theoretical yield and using the released CO2 as a measure
      for microbial activity, we predicted a range for the formation of biogenic NER.
      For the majority of the pesticides, a considerable fraction of the NER was
      estimated to be biogenic. This novel approach provides a theoretical foundation
      applicable to the evaluation and prediction of biogenic NER formation during
      pesticide degradation experiments, and may also be employed for the
      interpretation of NER data from regulatory studies.

PMID- 28893110
TI  - Radioimmunotherapy for delivery of cytotoxic radioisotopes: current status and
      challenges.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with monoclonal antibodies and their
      fragments labelled with radionuclides emitting alpha -particles, beta-particles
      or Auger electrons have been used for many years in the development of anticancer
      strategies. While RIT has resulted in approved radiopharmaceuticals for the
      treatment of hematological malignancies, its use in solid tumors still remains
      challenging. Areas covered: In this review, we discuss the exciting progress
      towards elucidating the potential of current and novel radioimmunoconjugates and
      address the challenges for translation into clinical practice. Expert opinion:
      There are still technical and logistical challenges associated with the use of
      RIT in routine clinical practice, including development of novel and more
      specific targeting moieties, broader access alpha to alpha-emitters and better
      tailoring of pre-targeting approaches. Moreover, improved understanding of the
      heterogeneous nature of solid tumors and the critical role of tumor
      microenvironments will help to optimize clinical response to RIT by delivering
      sufficient radiation doses to even more radioresistant tumor cells.

PMID- 28893111
TI  - Using tablet-based technology to deliver time-efficient ototoxicity monitoring.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this article is to highlight mobile technology that is not
      yet standard of care but could be considered for use in an ototoxicity monitoring
      programme (OMP) as an adjunct to traditional audiometric testing. Current
      guidelines for ototoxicity monitoring include extensive test protocols performed
      by an audiologist in an audiometric booth. This approach is comprehensive, but it
      may be taxing for patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses and cost
      prohibitive if it requires serial clinical appointments. With the use of mobile
      technology, testing outside of the confines of the audiometric booth may be
      possible, which could create more efficient and less burdensome OMPs. DESIGN: A
      non-systematic review of new OMP technology was performed. Experts were canvassed
      regarding the impact of new technology on OMPs. STUDY SAMPLE: OMP devices and
      technologies that are commercially available and discussed in the literature.
      RESULTS: The benefits and limitations of portable, tablet-based technology that
      can be deployed for efficient ototoxicity monitoring are discussed. CONCLUSIONS:
      New mobile technology has the potential to influence the development and
      implementation of OMPs and lower barriers to patient access by providing time
      efficient, portable and self-administered testing options for use in the clinic
      and in the patient's home.

PMID- 28893113
TI  - An empirical Bayes method for robust variance estimation in detecting DEGs using
      microarray data.
AB  - The microarray technology is widely used to identify the differentially expressed
      genes due to its high throughput capability. The number of replicated microarray
      chips in each group is usually not abundant. It is an efficient way to borrow
      information across different genes to improve the parameter estimation which
      suffers from the limited sample size. In this paper, we use a hierarchical model
      to describe the dispersion of gene expression profiles and model the variance
      through the gene expression level via a link function. A heuristic algorithm is
      proposed to estimate the hyper-parameters and link function. The differentially
      expressed genes are identified using a multiple testing procedure. Compared to
      SAM and LIMMA, our proposed method shows a significant superiority in term of
      detection power as the false discovery rate being controlled.

PMID- 28893112
TI  - Evaluation of an Intimate Partner Violence Training for Home Visitors Using the
      Theory of Planned Behavior.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health issue with
      recent intervention focus by home visiting programs with at-risk families in the
      United States. Home visitors are typically required to assess IPV but feel
      unprepared to do so and desire training. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of a
      daylong IPV training on the intention to enact three key IPV behaviors
      (screening, making referrals, and safety planning) using the theory of planned
      behavior. METHOD: Survey of 125 home visitors in West Virginia was conducted
      before and after a daylong IPV training. RESULTS: The IPV training had a positive
      impact on intention to perform the three behaviors of interest, with the greatest
      impact on the intention to conduct IPV screenings. DISCUSSION: Results provide
      important preliminary evidence supporting the effectiveness of professional
      development as a means of increasing intentions to conduct activities related to
      IPV. The impact on IPV screening intention is promising because screening is the
      first step in addressing IPV. CONCLUSION: The IPV training proved beneficial in
      increasing intentions and such trainings should be expanded, but further study is
      needed to link intentions to subsequent behaviors to address IPV with at-risk
      families.

PMID- 28893114
TI  - Panic disorder and cardiovascular diseases: an overview.
AB  - The association between panic disorder (PD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has
      been extensively studied in recent years and, although some studies have shown
      anxiety disorders co-existing or increasing the risk of heart disease, no causal
      hypothesis has been well established. Thus, a critical review was performed of
      the studies that evaluated the association between PD and cardiovascular
      diseases; synthesizing the evidence on the mechanisms mediators that
      theoretically would be the responsible for the causal pathway between PD and CVD,
      specifically. This overview shows epidemiological studies, and discusses
      biological mechanisms that could link PD to CVD, such as pleiotropy, heart rate
      variability, unhealthy lifestyle, atherosclerosis, mental stress, and myocardial
      perfusion defects. This study tried to provide a comprehensive narrative
      synthesis of previously published information regarding PD and CVD and open new
      possibilities of clinical management and pathophysiological understanding. Some
      epidemiological studies have indicated that PD could be a risk factor for CVD,
      raising morbidity and mortality in PD, suggesting an association between them.
      These studies argue that PD pathophysiology could cause or potentiate CVD.
      However, there is no evidence in favour of a causal relationship between PD and
      CVD. Therefore, PD patients with suspicions of cardiovascular symptoms need
      redoubled attention.

PMID- 28893115
TI  - The challenges of patient satisfaction: influencing factors and the patient -
      provider relationship in the United States.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patient satisfaction is a phenomenon that has become influential in
      the inpatient setting with the introduction of the Hospital Consumer Assessment
      of Healthcare Practitioners and Systems (HCAHPS) survey in the United States.
      Patient satisfaction is a key goal of healthcare organizations and presents some
      challenges to providing quality patient care. Areas covered: This review will
      focus on the challenges patient satisfaction presents in the healthcare field,
      with a key focus on factors that influence patient satisfaction, the common
      problem of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and the importance of the
      patient-provider relationship. Expert commentary: While it is apparent that
      focused efforts to better understand patient satisfaction are necessary and that
      implementation of processes to enhance satisfaction are warranted, attention must
      be directed so that these interventions do not adversely influence the efficiency
      or quality of care. Continuous long-term relationships with healthcare providers
      encourage patient loyalty, effective healthcare and good lifestyle habits.

PMID- 28893117
TI  - Method-comparison studies in telehealth: Study design and analysis
      considerations.
AB  - When establishing telehealth services, clinicians need to be confident that the
      examinations, assessments and clinical decisions that they make while using
      technology are equivalent to conventional best practice. Method-comparison
      studies are ideally suited to answering these questions, however there is a lack
      of consistency in the telehealth literature in the study methodologies and data
      analysis techniques used. Methodologies should closely match clinical practice to
      maximise external validity and data analysis techniques should match the data
      types generated in order to be clinically meaningful. In this article we discuss
      the design, analysis and interpretation of method-comparison studies in the
      context of telehealth research.

PMID- 28893116
TI  - Imaging Hepatocellular Carcinoma With 68Ga-Citrate PET: First Clinical
      Experience.
AB  - While cross-sectional imaging with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic
      resonance imaging is the primary method for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC), they provide little biological insight into this molecularly heterogeneous
      disease. Nuclear imaging tools that can detect molecular subsets of tumors could
      greatly improve diagnosis and management of HCC. To this end, we conducted a
      patient study to determine whether HCC can be resolved using 68Ga-citrate
      positron emission tomography (PET). One patient with recurrent HCC was injected
      with 300 MBq of 68Ga-citrate and imaged with PET/CT 249 minutes post injection.
      Four (28%) of 14 hepatic lesions were avid for 68Ga-citrate. One extrahepatic
      lesion was not PET avid. The average maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax)
      for the lesions was 7.2 (range: 6.2-8.4), while the SUVmax of the normal liver
      parenchyma was 4.7 and blood pool was 5.7. The avid lesions were not
      significantly larger than the quiescent lesions, and a prior contrast CT showed
      uniform enhancement among the lesions, suggesting that tumor signals are due to
      specific binding of the radiotracer to the transferrin receptor, rather than
      enhanced vascularity in the tumor microenvironment. Further studies are required
      in a larger patient cohort to verify the molecular basis of radiotracer uptake
      and the clinical utility of this tool.

PMID- 28893118
TI  - Emotional and Behavioral Health Needs in Elementary School Students in an
      Underserved Hispanic Community.
AB  - High rates of mental health problems in adolescents have been well documented;
      less is known about elementary school children in disadvantaged communities. We
      examined emotional and behavioral health needs in 202 third and fourth graders
      enrolled in a charter school in a largely Hispanic community. The child-reported
      Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 and Teacher's Report Form were used
      to evaluate mental health needs as perceived by these children and their
      teachers. The prevalence of teacher-reported depression and child self-reported
      anxiety was 7.0% and 6.67%, respectively. Living in a single parent household was
      found to be a specific risk factor in that those children had higher rates of
      emotional and behavioral problems than children living with both parents.
      Evidence of higher depression and anxiety identified in this sample compared to
      national representative data suggests the need for development of culturally
      sensitive early prevention and intervention in this underserved community.

PMID- 28893119
TI  - Screening for psychological distress before radiotherapy for painful bone
      metastases may be useful to identify patients with high levels of distress.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychological distress (PD) has a major impact on quality of life. We
      studied the incidence of PD before and after radiotherapy for painful bone
      metastases. Furthermore, we aimed to identify factors predictive for PD. METHODS:
      Between 1996 and 1998, the Dutch Bone Metastasis Study included 1157 patients
      with painful bone metastases. Patients were randomized between two fractionation
      schedules. The study showed a pain response of 74% in both groups. Patients
      filled out weekly questionnaires for 13 weeks, then monthly for two years. The
      questionnaires included a subscale for PD on the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist. We
      used generalized estimating equations and multivariable logistic regression
      analyses. RESULTS: At baseline, 290 patients (27%) had a high level of PD. For
      the entire group, the level of PD remained constant over time. The majority of
      patients with a low level of PD at baseline remained at a low level during follow
      up. In patients with a high level of PD at baseline, the mean level of PD
      decreased after treatment and stabilized around the cutoff level. Female
      patients, higher age, worse performance, lower pain score and worse self-reported
      QoL were associated with an increased chance of PD, although the model showed
      moderate discriminative power. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of patients
      had a high level of PD before and after radiotherapy for painful bone metastases.
      Most patients who reported high levels of PD when referred for palliative
      radiotherapy remained at high levels thereafter. Therefore, screening of PD prior
      to treatment seems appropriate, in order to select patients requiring
      intervention.

PMID- 28893120
TI  - Increasing value-adding patient care by applying a modified TCAB program.
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate a development process aimed at
      increasing registered nurses' (RNs) working time use in value-adding patient care
      by applying a modified Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) program at
      inpatient units of two tertiary hospitals. Design/methodology/approach Basic data
      for the development process were collected on RNs' working time use via external
      observation in 2011 (RNs = 113). Nursing work was redesigned and implemented by
      12 multi-professional teams during 2012-2013. The development process was
      evaluated by repeating the collection of RNs' working time use data in 2013 (RNs
      = 95) and by analyzing the memos of the development teams via deductive content
      analysis ( N = 64). Findings RNs' working time use showed statistically
      significant increases in value-adding care and direct patient care but decreases
      in non-value-added work and miscellaneous work. Changes in the nursing work
      model, division of labor and the nursing work environment all affected RNs'
      working time use. Practical implications The development process progressed
      distinctively in each unit, as shown by the results of the development work.
      Clinical RNs had key roles as innovators and change agents, yet the engagement of
      nursing managers was most essential for the success of the development work.
      Originality/value Even minor changes in nurses' daily work profile can have
      considerable effects on RNs' work. The TCAB program was shown to be a useful
      method in developing RNs' work also in psychiatric units.

PMID- 28893121
TI  - Clinical and economic evaluation of minimally invasive cartilaginous palisade
      myringoplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To test the clinical and audiometric efficacy of a minimally invasive
      myringoplasty technique, combining cartilaginous palisades while avoiding flap
      elevation, for small and wide perforations. METHODS: Over 4 years, this
      retrospective study included all patients over 6 years of age presenting an
      indication for myringoplasty. Several clinical and economic criteria were noted
      at 7 d, 2 months, 6 months and 2 years postoperative. The main outcome was the
      absence of perforation 2 years postoperative. The secondary outcomes were an
      audiometric gain at 6 months and the evaluation of the treatment cost. RESULTS:
      Thirty patients underwent the minimally invasive technique and 28 patients the
      technique with an elevation of the tympanomeatal flap. The minimally invasive
      surgical procedure was shorter (p = .001). At 2 years, the tympanic closure rate
      was equivalent (95% versus 89.5%, p = .77). The audiometric gain was similar
      between the two techniques (p = .09). From a medico-economic point of view, the
      minimally invasive procedure was the most effective because it was three times
      less expensive than the conventional technique with no reduction in efficacy (p =
      .02). CONCLUSION: This quick and easy technique could be developed in an
      ambulatory setting or even in conditions adapted to consultation.

PMID- 28893122
TI  - Recovery of Offenders Formerly Labeled as Not Criminally Responsible: Uncovering
      the Ambiguity From First-Person Narratives.
AB  - The recovery paradigm is a widely accepted strength-based approach in general
      mental health care. Particular challenges arise when applying this paradigm in a
      forensic context. To address these issues, the present study examined recovery
      based on first-person narratives of offenders formerly labeled as not criminally
      responsible of whom the judicial measure was abrogated. Eleven in-depth
      interviews were conducted to obtain information on lived experiences and recovery
      resources of this hard-to-reach and understudied population. The interviews
      focused on recovery and elements that indicated a sense of progress in life. Key
      themes were derived from the collected data. Descriptions of recovery resources
      followed recurrent themes, including clinical, functional, social, and personal
      resources. Participants also reported ambiguous experiences related to features
      of the judicial trajectory. This was defined as forensic recovery and can be seen
      as an additional mechanism, besides more established recovery dimensions, that is
      unique to mentally ill offenders.

PMID- 28893123
TI  - Eosinophil Biology in COPD.

PMID- 28893124
TI  - The burden of non-symptomatic cerebral ischemia on MRI and its effect on clinical
      outcomes in patients with first-ever intracerebral hemorrhage.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the burden of non-symptomatic cerebral ischemia (NSCI)
      detected on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), and
      assess the association of MRI-NSCI with clinical outcomes among patients with
      first-ever intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: Two thousand three hundred
      and five consecutive ICH patients admitted to our institution from May 2012 to
      October 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Data on clinical characteristics and
      MRI/CT scans were collected during hospitalization. Information on clinical
      outcomes at three-month were also obtained. RESULTS: Three hundred and seventy
      seven patients performed MRIs and 1966 had CTs during hospitalization. NSCI was
      detected in 152 (40.3%) patients with MRIs and in 638 (32.5%) with CTs. Comparing
      with CT, NSCI detected by MRI was more common (40.3% vs. 32.5%; P = 0.011), more
      likely to be multiple loci (93.4% vs. 79.6%; P < 0.001) and bilateral hemispheres
      (84.9% vs. 73.2%; P = 0.003). Furthermore, the presence of NSCI, multiple NSCI,
      bilateral NSCI and bilateral hematoma combined with bilateral NSCI were
      associated with poor outcomes (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.041,
      respectively) in univariate analysis. In multivariable logistic regression,
      bilateral hematoma combined with bilateral NSCI was still associated with poor
      outcomes (OR 3.983, 95% CI 1.172-13.539; P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with
      CT, NSCI on MRI tends to be multiple loci and located in bilateral hemispheres.
      The results of NSCI in ICH may be underestimated based on CT. In addition, the
      increased poor outcomes at three-month suggest that NSCI may play an important
      role in reducing clinical outcomes.

PMID- 28893125
TI  - Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging driven growth modeling for
      radiotherapy target definition in glioblastoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical target volume (CTV) in radiotherapy is routinely based
      on gadolinium contrast enhanced T1 weighted (T1w + Gd) and T2 weighted fluid
      attenuated inversion recovery (T2w FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      sequences which have been shown to over- or underestimate the microscopic tumor
      cell spread. Gliomas favor spread along the white matter fiber tracts. Tumor
      growth models incorporating the MRI diffusion tensors (DTI) allow to account more
      consistently for the glioma growth. The aim of the study was to investigate the
      potential of a DTI driven growth model to improve target definition in
      glioblastoma (GBM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eleven GBM patients were scanned using
      T1w, T2w FLAIR, T1w + Gd and DTI. The brain was segmented into white matter, gray
      matter and cerebrospinal fluid. The Fisher-Kolmogorov growth model was used
      assuming uniform proliferation and a difference in white and gray matter
      diffusion of a ratio of 10. The tensor directionality was tested using an
      anisotropy weighting parameter set to zero (gamma0) and twenty (gamma20). The
      volumetric comparison was performed using Hausdorff distance, Dice similarity
      coefficient (DSC) and surface area. RESULTS: The median of the standard CTV
      (CTVstandard) was 180 cm3. The median surface area of CTVstandard was 211 cm2.
      The median surface area of respective CTVgamma0 and CTVgamma20 significantly
      increased to 338 and 376 cm2, respectively. The Hausdorff distance was greater
      than zero and significantly increased for both CTVgamma0 and CTVgamma20 with
      respective median of 18.7 and 25.2 mm. The DSC for both CTVgamma0 and CTVgamma20
      were significantly below one with respective median of 0.74 and 0.72, which means
      that 74 and 72% of CTVstandard were included in CTVgamma0 and CTVgamma20,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DTI driven growth models result in CTVs with a
      significantly increased surface area, a significantly increased Hausdorff
      distance and decreased overlap between the standard and model derived volume.

PMID- 28893126
TI  - A case with coil embolization for ruptured aneurysm associated with fenestration
      of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery.
AB  - An 87-year-old man hospitalized for subarachnoid hemorrhage showed a ruptured
      aneurysm arising from fenestration of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery.
      Endovascular treatment was selected and the aneurysm and superior limb were
      embolized completely using three coils. Fenestration of the posterior cerebellar
      artery is exceedingly rare. In addition, we present a first case of aneurysm as
      fenestration of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery that was definitively
      identified as a cause of bleeding.

PMID- 28893127
TI  - Successful presurgical endovascular management of venous sinus thrombosis
      associated with high-grade cerebral arteriovenous malformation: A case report.
AB  - We report a case of a 39-year-old man presenting with a high-grade left parieto
      occipital arteriovenous malformation (AVM) complicated by superior sagittal sinus
      (SSS) stenosis, seven years after the first presentation. Magnetic resonance
      imaging revealed a newly developed perilesional edema. Venous sinus stenosis
      acutely progressed to occlusion and induced multiple intracerebral hemorrhages.
      An emergent balloon venoplasty of the SSS successfully recanalized the thrombosed
      sinus. Further, multistage transarterial nidus embolization was performed
      followed by surgical resection, resulting in a complete eradication of the large
      AVM. The emergence of perilesional edema is a key radiological feature for the
      early recognition of a newly developed venous drainage route disturbance, which
      would result in hemorrhagic events. Venous sinus thrombosis is a rare cause of
      drainage route disturbance in cerebral AVMs. For such cases, the recanalization
      of venous drainage concomitant with flow reduction by performing transarterial
      embolization is effective in preventing further hemorrhage, which enables a safe
      performance of subsequent radical surgery.

PMID- 28893129
TI  - The association of Mullerian anomalies and placenta abruption: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have determined that Mullerian
      anomalies can increase the risk of placenta abruption. To date, no meta-analysis
      has been performed for assessing the relationship between placenta abruption and
      Mullerian anomalies. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the association
      between placenta abruption and Mullerian anomalies. METHODS: We conducted a
      computerized literature search in Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science covering the
      search period until August 2017. Heterogeneity was recognized by Chi-squared test
      and the I2 statistic. The Egger's and Begg's tests were examined for the
      possibility of publication bias. We carried out a meta-analysis to obtain a
      summary measure of the association between of placenta abruption and Mullerian
      anomalies using a random-effects model. RESULTS: A total of 732 studies was
      search with 653,146 participants. The overall estimate of OR was 3.10 (95% CI:
      1.47, 4.74). CONCLUSIONS: We reported based on odds ratio reports in
      epidemiological studies that Mullerian anomalies are a risk factor for placenta
      abruption.

PMID- 28893128
TI  - Urticarial reaction following endovascular embolization of an orbital
      arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with n-butyl cyanoacrylate (nBCA) glue.
AB  - Orbital arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare vascular lesions that may be
      managed with endovascular embolization followed by surgical resection.
      Embolization is often accomplished with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (nBCA), which is
      considered to be a safe and effective liquid occlusive agent. Localized vascular
      inflammation has been associated with endovascular nBCA use in histopathologic
      studies, but reports of systemic hypersensitivity reactions following
      endovascular embolization with nBCA are rare. We present a case of a 26-year-old
      male who developed an intermittent systemic urticarial reaction without
      cardiopulmonary compromise beginning four weeks after nBCA embolization of an
      orbital AVM. Subsequent skin allergy testing performed by an allergist confirmed
      hypersensitivity to nBCA glue and the patient has since been successfully managed
      with daily oral antihistamines. Awareness of this rare potential complication of
      endovascular embolization with nBCA will aid in the counseling and management of
      patients with AVMs.

PMID- 28893130
TI  - Clinical and patient reported outcomes of bleaching effectiveness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate clinical and patient
      reported outcomes of different bleaching products. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty
      participants were randomly divided into three bleaching groups (n = 10).
      Bleaching was performed with high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (HP) -
      Boost (40%) and Dash (30%), and with prefabricated splints Bite&White (6% HP).
      Tooth colour was measured before, immediately after, and 1 and 6 months after the
      bleaching by using classical shade guide and spectrophotometer. Tooth
      hypersensitivity was self-rated by patients on the Wong-Baker's face scale.
      Patient satisfaction was evaluated on a 7-point Likert-type scales that measured
      perceived performance and importance of different characteristics of bleaching
      treatment. RESULTS: All products were effective in teeth colour change (DeltaE >
      3.3), which was significantly higher for Boost (p = .016) and Dash (p = .024)
      than Bite&White treatment. Perception of hypersensitivity was the highest in
      Boost group, followed by Dash and Bite&White treatment. Most of the patients were
      satisfied with final tooth colour, length and comfort during treatment, but were
      dissatisfied with the stability of bleached tooth colour. CONCLUSION: Materials
      with the higher concentrations of bleaching agent demonstrated greater bleaching
      effectiveness than at-home bleaching product, but also a greater
      hypersensitivity. Lengthening the treatment process, but achieving a more stable
      tooth colour may improve the perceived value of a bleaching service.

PMID- 28893131
TI  - Delinquency Among Members of Hong Kong Youth Street Gangs: The Role of the
      Organizational Structures of Gangs and Triad Affiliations.
AB  - This study explores the importance of organizational structures and formal
      affiliations with the Hong Kong triads to delinquency among youth street gang
      members in Hong Kong. More specifically, this study examines the relative
      importance of the number of organizational structures and triad affiliation to
      patterns of delinquency in a sample of active members of youth street gangs ( N =
      201). With the aid of outreach social workers, a convenience sampling method was
      used to recruit a gender-balanced sample of at-risk youths. Logistic regression
      analysis of the survey data that was gathered indicated that formal affiliation
      to Hong Kong triads and the presence of organizational structures significantly
      increased the odds of delinquency (independently of each other). Suggestions for
      future research on gang membership and delinquency, with particular reference to
      the Asian context, are provided.

PMID- 28893132
TI  - Prediction of infection caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae: development of a clinical decision-making nomogram.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the population at risk of infection by
      extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms, using clinical
      criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All urine cultures positive for
      Enterobacteriaceae in a Spanish hospital department from January 2010 to 2014
      were reviewed. All isolates with ESBL-positive strains were collected, and
      isolates received during the first week of each month with ESBL-negative strains
      from symptomatic patients hospitalized or admitted to the emergency room.
      Multivariate analysis of the factors involved was undertaken and a nomogram
      developed to predict the probability of infection by ESBL-producing
      microorganisms. RESULTS: The study included 1524 patients with urinary tract
      infection (UTI): 416 ESBL-positive and 1108 ESBL-negative. In univariate
      analysis, risk factors were: male gender (p = 0.036), age (p < 0.0001), nursing
      home (p < 0.0001), previous antimicrobial therapy (p < 0.0001) or hospitalization
      (p < 0.0001), diabetes (p < 0.0001), chronic renal insufficiency (p < 0.0001),
      severe underlying disease (p < 0.0001), neoplasia (p = 0.0005), urological (p <
      0.0001) and non-urological invasive procedure (p = 0.0003), recurrent UTI (p <
      0.0001), urological (p < 0.0001) or abdominal surgery (p < 0.0001) and permanent
      urethral catheter (p < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, the data set was split
      into a development cohort of 1067 patients and a validation cohort of 457 cases.
      A nomogram was developed to predict the probability of infection by ESBL
      producing bacteria, which included seven variables: age (p < 0.0001), gender (p =
      0.004), nursing home (p < 0.0001), previous antimicrobial therapy (p = 0.04) or
      hospitalization (p < 0.0001), recurrent UTI (p < 0.0001) and non-urological
      invasive procedure (p = 0.005). The discriminative accuracy was 0.79 (95%
      confidence interval 0.77-0.83). CONCLUSIONS: A nomogram was developed that
      predicts the risk of infection by ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae with
      reasonable accuracy. It could improve clinical decision making and enable more
      efficient empirical treatment.

PMID- 28893133
TI  - RALE051: a novel established cell line of sporadic Burkitt lymphoma.

PMID- 28893135
TI  - Evaluation of two different alternatives of energy recovery from municipal solid
      waste in Brazil.
AB  - Brazil has a large population with a high waste generation. The municipal solid
      waste (MSW) generated is deposited mainly in landfills. However, a considerable
      fraction of the waste is still improperly disposed of in dumpsters. In order to
      overcome this inadequate deposition, it is necessary to seek alternative routes.
      Between these alternatives, it is possible to quote gasification and
      incineration. The objective of this study is to compare, from an energetic and
      economic point of view, these technologies, aiming at their possible
      implementation in Brazilian cities. A total of two configurations were evaluated:
      (i) waste incineration with energy recovery and electricity production in a steam
      cycle; and (ii) waste gasification, where the syngas produced is used as fuel in
      a boiler of a steam cycle for electricity production. Simulations were performed
      assuming the same amount of available waste for both configurations, with a
      composition corresponding to the MSW from Santo Andre, Brazil. The thermal
      efficiencies of the gasification and incineration configurations were 19.3% and
      25.1%, respectively. The difference in the efficiencies was caused by the
      irreversibilities associated with the gasification process, and the additional
      electricity consumption in the waste treatment step. The economic analysis
      presented a cost of electrical energy produced of 0.113 (US$ kWh-1) and 0.139
      (US$ kWh-1) for the incineration and gasification plants respectively.

PMID- 28893134
TI  - Mepolizumab for Eosinophilic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with an
      eosinophilic phenotype may benefit from treatment with mepolizumab, a monoclonal
      antibody directed against interleukin-5. METHODS: We performed two phase 3,
      randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group trials comparing
      mepolizumab (100 mg in METREX, 100 or 300 mg in METREO) with placebo, given as a
      subcutaneous injection every 4 weeks for 52 weeks in patients with COPD who had a
      history of moderate or severe exacerbations while taking inhaled glucocorticoid
      based triple maintenance therapy. In METREX, unselected patients in the modified
      intention-to-treat population with an eosinophilic phenotype were stratified
      according to blood eosinophil count (>=150 per cubic millimeter at screening or
      >=300 per cubic millimeter during the previous year). In METREO, all patients had
      a blood eosinophil count of at least 150 per cubic millimeter at screening or at
      least 300 per cubic millimeter during the previous year. The primary end point
      was the annual rate of moderate or severe exacerbations. Safety was also
      assessed. RESULTS: In METREX, the mean annual rate of moderate or severe
      exacerbations in the modified intention-to-treat population with an eosinophilic
      phenotype (462 patients) was 1.40 per year in the mepolizumab group versus 1.71
      per year in the placebo group (rate ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      0.68 to 0.98; adjusted P=0.04); no significant between-group differences were
      found in the overall modified intention-to-treat population (836 patients) (rate
      ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.12; adjusted P>0.99). In METREO, the mean annual
      rate of moderate or severe exacerbations was 1.19 per year in the 100-mg
      mepolizumab group, 1.27 per year in the 300-mg mepolizumab group, and 1.49 per
      year in the placebo group. The rate ratios for exacerbations in the 100-mg and
      300-mg mepolizumab groups versus the placebo group were 0.80 (95% CI, 0.65 to
      0.98; adjusted P=0.07) and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.70 to 1.05; adjusted P=0.14),
      respectively. A greater effect of mepolizumab, as compared with placebo, on the
      annual rate of moderate or severe exacerbations was found among patients with
      higher blood eosinophil counts at screening. The safety profile of mepolizumab
      was similar to that of placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Mepolizumab at a dose of 100 mg was
      associated with a lower annual rate of moderate or severe exacerbations than
      placebo among patients with COPD and an eosinophilic phenotype. This finding
      suggests that eosinophilic airway inflammation contributes to COPD exacerbations.
      (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline; METREX and METREO ClinicalTrials.gov numbers,
      NCT02105948 and NCT02105961 .).

PMID- 28893136
TI  - Investigation on the binding mechanism of loratinib with the c-ros oncogene 1
      (ROS1) receptor tyrosine kinase via molecular dynamics simulation and binding
      free energy calculations.
AB  - The c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1) has proven to be an important cancer target for the
      treatment of various human cancers. The anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor
      crizotinib has been granted approval for the treatment of patients with ROS1
      positive metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer by the Food and Drug
      Administration on 2016. However, serious resistance due to the secondary mutation
      of glycine 2032 to arginine (G2032R) was developed in clinical studies. Loratinib
      (PF-06463922), a macrocyclic analog of crizotinib, showed significantly improved
      inhibitory activity against wild-type (WT) ROS1 and ROS1G2032R mutant. To provide
      insights into the inhibition mechanism, molecular dynamics simulations and free
      energy calculations were carried out for the complexes of loratinib with WT and
      G2032R mutated ROS1. The apo-ROS1WT and apo-ROS1G2032R systems showed similar
      RMSF distributions, while ROS1G2032R-loratinib showed significantly higher than
      that of WT ROS1-loratinib, which revealed that the binding of loratinib to
      ROS1G2032R significantly interfered the fluctuation of protein. Calculations of
      binding free energies indicate that G2032R mutation significantly reduces the
      binding affinity of loratinib for ROS1, which arose mostly from the increase of
      conformation entropy and the decrease of solvation energy. Furthermore, detailed
      per-residue binding free energies highlighted the increased and decreased
      contributions of some residues in the G2032R mutated systems. The present study
      revealed the detailed inhibitory mechanism of loratinib as potent WT and G2032R
      mutated ROS1 inhibitor, which was expected to provide a basis for rational drug
      design.

PMID- 28893137
TI  - Building Situation Awareness on the Move: Staff Monitoring Behavior in Clinic
      Corridors.
AB  - We conducted a workplace research project on staff mobility in a Swiss hospital
      outpatient clinic that involved extensive fieldwork and video recordings. The
      article describes monitoring practices and routines that staff engage in as they
      walk through the corridors and in and out of the clinic's rooms. The staff
      perform checks on on-going activity, share their observations with colleagues,
      and take responsive action while engaged in away-oriented walk or in specific
      roaming, action-seeking, rallying, and patrolling walk. We argue that these
      behaviors are closely associated with building and sustaining situation awareness
      (SA) with regard to the status of the clinic's functioning. They contribute to
      the coordination of a spatially distributed team that rapidly accomplishes
      consequential and closely interrelated activities in constantly changing
      circumstances.

PMID- 28893138
TI  - A percutaneous repair of a coronary pseudo-aneurysm, the role of the
      intravascular ultrasound.

PMID- 28893139
TI  - Tubercular gastric fistula: apropos of two cases.

PMID- 28893140
TI  - The Finding of Pacific Transvenid Acanthocephalan in the Arabian Gulf, with the
      Description of Paratrajectura longcementglandatus N. Gen., N. Sp. from Perciform
      Fishes and Emendation of Transvenidae.
AB  - The acanthocephalan Paratrajectura longcementglandatus n. gen., n. sp.
      (Transvenidae) is described from specimens of 2 perciform fish species,
      Nemipterus japonicus Bloch (Nemipteridae) and Otolithes ruber Bloch and
      Schneider, collected in the marine territorial waters of Iraq and Iran in the
      Arabian Gulf. Metal analysis of hook tip, middle, and base is also described
      using energy disruptive analysis for X-ray. The new genus is distinguished from
      the closely related genus Trajectura Pichelin and Cribb, 2001 described from
      wrasses (Labridae) (Perciformes) in the Pacific off Australia and Japan by having
      a proboscis with apical epidermal cone, long rhadinorhynchid-like tubular cement
      glands, relatively short and lobulated lemnisci, all proboscis hooks with
      prominent roots, females with subterminal gonopore and a rounded projection on
      the antero-dorsal end of the trunk, and males with elongate pre-equatorial testes
      reaching proboscis receptacle. In Trajectura, the proboscis lacks apical
      epidermal cone, the cement glands are pyriform or ovoid, the lemnisci are
      digitiform and considerably longer than the receptacle, the posterior proboscis
      hooks are rootless, the females have prominent finger-like trunk projection and
      terminal gonopore, and males with equatorial testes that may not be elongate and
      may be distant from the receptacle. The importance of cement glands in the
      diagnosis of genera and families in acanthocephalan taxonomy is stressed. Other
      features especially the type and arrangement of hooks on the proboscis, but not
      hook roots, are comparable in the 2 genera. Diagnosis of the family Transvenidae
      is emended.

PMID- 28893141
TI  - Finger-Based Numerical Skills Link Fine Motor Skills to Numerical Development in
      Preschoolers.
AB  - Previous studies investigating the association between fine-motor skills (FMS)
      and mathematical skills have lacked specificity. In this study, we test whether
      an FMS link to numerical skills is due to the involvement of finger
      representations in early mathematics. We gave 81 pre-schoolers (mean age of 4
      years, 9 months) a set of FMS measures and numerical tasks with and without a
      specific finger focus. Additionally, we used receptive vocabulary and
      chronological age as control measures. FMS linked more closely to finger-based
      than to nonfinger-based numerical skills even after accounting for the control
      variables. Moreover, the relationship between FMS and numerical skill was
      entirely mediated by finger-based numerical skills. We concluded that FMS are
      closely related to early numerical skill development through finger-based
      numerical counting that aids the acquisition of mathematical mental
      representations.

PMID- 28893142
TI  - A simulation and video-based training program to address adverse childhood
      experiences.
AB  - Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are 10 categories of childhood abuse and
      maltreatment, which have a dose-response relationship with common adult health
      concerns seen in primary care including health risk behaviors, chronic disease,
      and mental illness. Many of the ACEs-associated biopsychosocial risk factors are
      modifiable. However, physicians may not address these issues for fear of opening
      "Pandora's Box", that is, a source of extensive problems for which they are not
      sufficiently prepared with training, resources, or time. Residents need training
      in how to conduct trauma-focused conversations within the limited scope of an
      office visit. To address this need, a 4-hour simulation and video-based training
      program was developed for primary care residents about how to conduct brief
      interventions connecting their patients' current health concerns with their
      experiences of ACEs. Resident participants have evaluated this program as
      preparatory for real-life encounters and as being designed to allow for
      educational mastery. This article describes a workshop presenting this training
      program which was given at the 37th Annual Behavioral Science Forum in Family
      Medicine. Five skills targeted in the program were presented and a demonstration
      was made of the components, that is, didactics, provider and patient videos,
      simulated patient encounters, trainee feedback, and facilitated discussion that
      encompasses targeted skills, clinical implementation, and self-care. Companion
      tools were shared, including the syllabus, evaluation rubric, and provider and
      patient resources. Participants practiced trainee feedback and discussed the
      challenges in implementation.

PMID- 28893143
TI  - Integrating mental health professionals in residencies to reduce health
      disparities.
AB  - Health disparities in primary care remain a continual challenge for both
      practitioners and patients alike. Integrating mental health services into routine
      patient care has been one approach to address such issues, including access to
      care, stigma of health-care providers, and facilitating underserved patients'
      needs. This article addresses examples of training programs that have included
      mental health learners and licensed providers into family medicine residency
      training clinics. Descriptions of these models at two Midwestern Family Medicine
      residency clinics in the United States are highlighted. Examples of cross
      training both medical residents and mental health students are described,
      detailing specific areas where this integration improves mental health and
      medical outcomes in patients. Challenges to effective integration are discussed,
      including larger system buy-in, medical providers' knowledge of mental health
      treatment, and the skills for clinical providers to possess in order to present
      mental health options to patients. Patients who traditionally experience multiple
      barriers to mental health treatment now have increased access to comprehensive
      care. As a result of more primary care clinics ascribing to an integrated care
      model of practice, providers may benefit from not only increased coordination of
      patient services but also utilizing behavioral health professionals to address
      health barriers in patients' lives.

PMID- 28893144
TI  - Release with or without reconstruction of the transverse carpal ligament for
      severe carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - : The objective of this study is to compare the clinical effectiveness of two
      surgical techniques in patients with severe unilateral idiopathic carpal tunnel
      syndrome. A total of 117 patients were randomized in two groups. In the
      experimental group ( n = 59) reconstruction of the transverse carpal ligament was
      performed after open retinaculum release (TCL reconstruction group). In the
      control group ( n = 58) only retinaculum release was performed (TCL release
      group). The primary outcome measure was grip strength; secondary outcome measures
      were pain and response to the Boston questionnaire. Significance was analysed
      using the t-test or Mann-Whitney test. At 6 months, the experimental group showed
      clinical and statistically significant improvement in grip strength and decrease
      in symptom severity. Retinaculum release with reconstruction of the transverse
      carpal ligament results in improvement of grip strength in the medium term when
      compared with open retinaculotomy in patients with severe unilateral idiopathic
      carpal tunnel syndrome. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 28893146
TI  - Diagnosis and management of hook of hamate fractures.
AB  - : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the time to diagnosis and management
      of hook of hamate fractures in an era of advanced imaging. We performed a
      retrospective study of 51 patients treated for hook of hamate fractures. Patients
      were sent a quickDASH questionnaire regarding the outcomes of their treatment.
      Hook of hamate fractures were diagnosed with advanced imaging at a median of 27
      days. Clinical findings of hook of hamate tenderness had better sensitivity than
      carpal tunnel-view radiographs. Nonunion occurred in 24% of patients with non
      operative treatment and did not occur in the operative group. Both treatment
      groups achieved good clinical results, with a grip strength of 80% compared with
      the non-injured hand and a median quickDASH score of 2. Advanced imaging improved
      the time to diagnosis and treatment compared to historical case series. Nonunion
      is common in patients treated non-operatively. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28893145
TI  - Non-vascularized iliac bone grafting for scaphoid nonunion with avascular
      necrosis.
AB  - : We present the surgical outcomes of non-vascularized bone grafting taken from
      the iliac crest in 24 patients with scaphoid nonunion and avascular necrosis. The
      Fisk-Fernandez technique was used in 11 patients, and cancellous bone grafting
      was used in 13 patients. Bony union was achieved in 22 of the 24 patients. Non
      vascularized iliac bone grafting can be used for the surgical management of
      scaphoid nonunion with avascular necrosis. Although revascularization of the
      proximal fragment after surgery was not evaluated, bony union was confirmed in
      nearly all patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28893147
TI  - The Polish version of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire: Cross-cultural
      adaptation, reliability, construct validity, and measurement error.
AB  - The aims of this study were to translate the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire
      into the Polish language and to test the measurement properties of its quality
      criteria. A total of 120 patients with hand complaints completed the Polish
      Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder,
      and Hand questionnaire on the first assessment, along with the grip test, pinch
      test, and pain sore assessed using a visual analogue scale during activity. After
      7 days, 76 patients completed the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire the second
      time. The Cronbach alpha of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire subscales
      ranged from 0.79 to 0.96. The intraclass correlation coefficient varied from 0.82
      0.97, and the Bland-Altman method indicated the Michigan Hand Outcomes
      Questionnaire total score limit of agreement was -13.2-12.3 and -9.18-9.62 for
      the right and left hand, respectively. The construct validity revealed a moderate
      to strong correlation between every subscale of the Polish Michigan Hand Outcomes
      Questionnaire and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand, but they only
      correlated with the grip test and the visual analogue scale, and neither
      correlated with the pinch test. The study demonstrated properties similar to the
      original version, validating the belief that the use of this questionnaire in
      medical practice in Poland is justified.

PMID- 28893148
TI  - Comparative analyses of bicyclists and motorcyclists in vehicle collisions
      focusing on head impact responses.
AB  - To investigate the differences of the head impact responses between bicyclists
      and motorcyclists in vehicle collisions. A series of vehicle-bicycle and vehicle
      motorcycle lateral impact simulations on four vehicle types at seven vehicle
      speeds (30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 km/h) and three two-wheeler moving speeds
      (5, 7.5 and 10 km/h for bicycle, 10, 12.5 and 15 km/h for motorcycle) were
      established based on PC-Crash software. To further comprehensively explore the
      differences, additional impact scenes with other initial conditions, such as
      impact angle (0, pi/3, 2pi/3 and pi) and impact position (left, middle and right
      part of vehicle front-end), also were supplemented. And then, extensive
      comparisons were accomplished with regard to average head peak linear
      acceleration, average head impact speed, average head peak angular acceleration,
      average head peak angular speed and head injury severity. The results showed
      there were prominent differences of kinematics and body postures for bicyclists
      and motorcyclists even under same impact conditions. The variations of bicyclist
      head impact responses with the changing of impact conditions were a far cry from
      that of motorcyclists. The average head peak linear acceleration, average head
      impact speed and average head peak angular acceleration values were higher for
      motorcyclists than for bicyclists in most cases, while the bicyclists received
      greater average head peak angular speed values. And the head injuries of
      motorcyclists worsened faster with increased vehicle speed. The results may
      provide even deeper understanding of two-wheeler safety and contribute to improve
      the public health affected by road traffic accidents.

PMID- 28893149
TI  - How the nature of the compounds present in solid and liquid compartments of
      activated sludge impact its rheological characteristics.
AB  - Although the role of the solids concentration on the rheological characteristics
      of sludge is greatly documented in the literature, few studies focused on the
      impact of the nature of these solids. How the nature of solutes can modify the
      solid-liquid interactions and thus the rheological properties of the sludge are
      also slightly explored. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate the
      rheological characteristics of activated sludge in relation with the nature of
      the compounds present in the solid and liquid phases. Rheological measurements
      were carried out on raw sludge and on sludge modified by mechanical actions
      and/or addition of solids or solutes. The rheological properties of raw and
      modified sludges were measured according to flow and dynamic measurements.
      Results demonstrated that if suspended solid concentration affected sludge
      rheological parameters, the nature of the solids was quite of importance. The key
      role of nature and molecular weight of solutes was also highlighted. The results
      contribute to a better knowledge of the relationship between sludge composition
      and its rheological properties, which is useful for the optimization of sludge
      mixing, pumping or aeration and also for the improvement of sludge dewatering,
      notably by a relevant choice of adjuvant.

PMID- 28893150
TI  - Poor metacognitive awareness of belief change.
AB  - When people change beliefs as a result of reading a text, are they aware of these
      changes? This question was examined for beliefs about spanking as an effective
      means of discipline. In two experiments, subjects reported beliefs about spanking
      effectiveness during a prescreening session. In a subsequent experimental
      session, subjects read a one-sided text that advocated a belief consistent or
      inconsistent position on the topic. After reading, subjects reported their
      current beliefs and attempted to recollect their initial beliefs. Subjects
      reading a belief inconsistent text were more likely to change their beliefs than
      those who read a belief consistent text. Recollections of initial beliefs tended
      to be biased in the direction of subjects' current beliefs. In addition, the
      relationship between the belief consistency of the text read and accuracy of
      belief recollections was mediated by belief change. This belief memory bias was
      independent of on-line text processing and comprehension measures, and indicates
      poor metacognitive awareness of belief change.

PMID- 28893151
TI  - Dissociating Higher and Lower Order Visual Motion Systems by Priming Illusory
      Apparent Motion.
AB  - Motion processing is thought of as a hierarchical system composed of higher and
      lower order components. Past research has shown that these components can be
      dissociated using motion priming paradigms in which the lower order system
      produces negative priming while the higher order system produces positive
      priming. By manipulating various stimulus parameters, researchers have probed
      these two systems using bistable test stimuli that permit only two motion
      interpretations. Here we employ maximally ambiguous test stimuli composed of
      randomly refreshing pixels in a task that allows observers to report more than
      just two types of motion percepts. We show that even with such stimuli, motion
      priming can constrain the unstructured random pixel patterns into coherent
      percepts of positive or negative apparent motion. Moreover, we find that the
      higher order system is uniquely susceptible to cognitive influences, as evidenced
      by a significant suppression of positive priming in the presence of alternative
      response options.

PMID- 28893152
TI  - A new percutaneous technique: N-butyl cyanoacrylate adhesive for the treatment of
      giant saphenous vein insufficiency.
AB  - Background We have made a retrospective evaluation of the results of the
      cyanoacrylate ablation technique which has recently started to be used in the
      treatment of giant saphenous vein insufficiency today and in which tumescent
      anesthesia is not required. Methods Giant saphenous vein was treated in 50
      patients between September 2015 and September 2016 by using endovenous
      cyanoacrylate ablation. In the procedure, tumescent anesthesia and varsity socks
      were not used. Control duplex ultrasound evaluation was performed in the post
      procedural 1st, 6th and 12th months. Venous Clinical Severity Score and Aberdeen
      Varicose Vein Questionnaire scores were evaluated. Results In the 50 patients who
      were treated, full closure was observed in giant saphenous vein in 47 (94%)
      patients in the 12th month control duplex ultrasound. The mean age of the
      patients was 46.4 (20-70) and 30 (60%) of them were female. The median Venous
      Clinical Severity Score scores in the 1st, 6th and 12th months were 3, 2 and 1,
      respectively ( p < 0.001); the median Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire scores
      in the 1st, 6th and 12th months were 7, 5 and 4, respectively ( p < 0.001). In
      the access site, two (4%) patients developed phlebitis and one (2%) developed
      ecchymosis. However, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and paresthesia
      were not observed. Conclusion Considering the early period results in the
      treatment of giant saphenous vein insufficiency, cyanoacrylate ablation makes a
      more reliable alternative than endovenous thermal ablation methods in that it
      does not require tumescent anesthesia and it has a low incidence of adverse
      effects.

PMID- 28893153
TI  - Emotion-focused perspective on generalized anxiety disorder: A qualitative
      analysis of clients' in-session presentations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The classification of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is influenced
      by the tradition of conceptualizing disorders in the context of their clinical
      presentation and subsequent professional thinking around them. Our qualitative,
      descriptive-interpretative study uses a theoretical framework drawn from emotion
      focused therapy (EFT) as the basis of our interpretation of GAD clients'
      presentation of their difficulties. METHOD: The current research consists of an
      investigation into the GAD presentation based on a multiple case study
      observational qualitative design. In total, 93 video/audio-taped sessions from 14
      clients were used for the analyses. The sessions were analyzed using an EFT case
      conceptualization framework. RESULTS: The findings capture common themes across
      the cases covering the EFT framework domains: triggers of emotional pain (e.g.,
      trauma, rejection), problematic self-treatment (e.g., worry, self-criticism, self
      interruption), global distress (e.g., anxiety, low mood, somatic symptoms),
      apprehension/anxiety (fear of triggers and chronic painful emotions), emotional
      avoidance (e.g., self-distraction), behavioral avoidance (e.g., avoidance of
      conflict, over-compliance), core painful feelings (e.g., sadness/loneliness,
      shame, fear), and unmet needs (e.g., to be loved, to be acknowledged, to be
      protected). CONCLUSIONS: Discussion focuses on examining findings in the context
      of existing psychological models of GAD. The implications for practice as well as
      limitations of the study are also discussed. Clinical or methodological
      significance of this article: This is an attempt to provide an in-depth case
      conceptualization based on the EFT theoretical framework of the clients with GAD
      that attended EFT. Thus, it should contribute to clinical understanding of the
      presentation of the clients with GAD. Methodologically, the study uses an
      original qualitative approach, in which in-session presentations of 14 clients
      are thoroughly tracked and analyzed within an existing theoretical framework, the
      domains of which serve as the domains of inquiry.

PMID- 28893154
TI  - Anthropogenic activity-induced water quality degradation in the Loktak lake, a
      Ramsar site in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.
AB  - Wetland contributes to human well-being and poverty alleviation. The increase in
      human population leads to more demand for water and degradation of the water
      bodies around the globe, resulting in scarcity of water. The aim of the present
      study was to assess the impact of anthropogenic activity on the water quality of
      the Loktak lake. Water samples were collected seasonally, namely, monsoon, post
      monsoon, winter and pre-monsoon, during 2013-2014 from 10 sites. For each water
      sample, 20 physicochemical parameters were analysed using the American Public
      Health Association method. Furthermore, 11 significant parameter values were used
      to develop the water quality index (WQI). The result shows high concentrations of
      nitrite (5.45-11.83 mg/l) and nitrate (93.67-177.75 mg/l) in rivers which is
      beyond the permissible limit and higher compared to the Loktak. Highest turbidity
      was observed at Langthabal with 21 NTU, which is above the permissible limit. The
      WQI of the Loktak ranged from 64 to 77, while for rivers they ranged from 53 to
      95, which indicates that the water is in a very poor state. The WQI values of
      rivers are higher compared with those of the lake, and it was identified that
      water from the rivers is a major reason for increase in pollution in the lake
      water. The study suggests the need for long-term monitoring of the lake aquatic
      ecosystem and identification of pollution sites for proper management of the lake
      water. The WQI is an important tool to enable the public and decision makers to
      evaluate the water quality of the Loktak lake.

PMID- 28893155
TI  - Genotoxic evaluation of different sizes of iron oxide nanoparticles and ionic
      form by SMART, Allium and comet assay.
AB  - In this study, the genotoxic potential of <50 nm, <100 nm iron oxide (Fe2O3)
      nanoparticles (IONPs) and ionic form were investigated using the wing somatic
      mutation and recombination test (SMART) and Allium and comet assays. In the SMART
      assay, different concentrations (1, 2, 5 and 10 mM) of NPs and ionic forms were
      fed to transheterozygous larvae of Drosophila melanogaster. No significant
      genotoxic effect was observed in <100 nm NPs and ionic form, while <50 nm IONPs
      showed genotoxicity at 1 and 10 mM concentrations. Allium cepa root meristems
      were exposed to five concentrations (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 mM) of <50 nm and
      ionic forms for 4 h and three concentrations (2.5, 5 and 10 mM) for <100 nm of
      IONPs for 24 and 96 h. There was a statistically significant effect at 96 h at
      all concentrations of <100 nm IONPs. Similarly, <50 nm of IONPs and ionic forms
      also showed a statistically significant effect on mitotic index frequencies for
      all concentrations at 4 h. There was a dose-dependent increase in chromosomal
      abnormalities for IONPs and ionic form. Comet assay results showed time- and
      concentration-dependent increases in <100 nm NPs. There was a concentration
      dependent increase in <50 nm NPs and ionic form ( p < 0.05). Consequently, the
      <50 nm of Fe2O3 was found toxic compared to 100 nm Fe2O3 and ionic form.

PMID- 28893156
TI  - Erythrosine B and quinoline yellow dyes regulate DNA repair gene expression in
      human HepG2 cells.
AB  - Erythrosine B (ErB) is a cherry pink food colorant and is widely used in foods,
      drugs, and cosmetics. Quinoline yellow (QY) is a chinophthalon derivative used in
      cosmetic compositions for application to the skin, lips, and/or body surface.
      Previously, ErB and QY synthetic dyes were found to induce DNA damage in HepG2
      cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular basis underlying
      the genotoxicity attributed to ErB and QY using the RT2 Profiler polymerase chain
      reaction array and by analyzing the expression profile of 84 genes involved in
      cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and DNA repair in HepG2 cells. ErB (70 mg/L)
      significantly decreased the expression of two genes ( FEN1 and REV1) related to
      DNA base repair. One gene ( LIG1) was downregulated and 20 genes related to
      ATR/ATM signaling ( ATR, RBBP8, RAD1, CHEK1, CHEK2, TOPB1), nucleotide excision
      repair ( ERCC1, XPA), base excision repair ( FEN1, MBD4), mismatch repair ( MLH1,
      MSH3, TP73), double strand break repair ( BLM), other DNA repair genes ( BRIP1,
      FANCA, GADD45A, REV1), and apoptosis ( BAX, PPP1R15A) were significantly
      increased after treatment with QY (20 mg/L). In conclusion, our data suggest that
      the genotoxic mechanism of ErB and QY dyes involves the modulation of genes
      related to the DNA repair system and cell cycle.

PMID- 28893157
TI  - Basal Plate Myometrial Fibers and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Case
      Control Study.
AB  - Introduction Basal plate myometrium (BPMYO), the pathological presence of
      myometrial fibers in the basal plate, is a common finding on pathological
      examination of the placenta, yet its clinical correlates are not well studied. As
      myometrial fibers are frequently located in proximity to poorly converted
      maternal spiral arteries, our objective was to determine whether BPMYO is
      associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), a well-known clinical
      sequela of abnormal maternal artery remodeling. Methods This case-control study
      included women who delivered a live-born singleton gestation whose placentas were
      sent for pathological examination. Cases were women with HDP (gestational
      hypertension, preeclampsia, or HELLP syndrome) as defined by American College of
      Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Controls were women without HDP. Women with
      chronic hypertension were excluded. The primary outcome was the presence of
      BPMYO. Secondary outcomes included the pathologic stage of BPMYO and the
      incidence of pathologically defined accreta. Each outcome was compared between
      cases and controls in bivariable and multivariable analyses. Results Of the 306
      women who met inclusion criteria, 230 (75%) had HDP. BPMYO was present in 99
      (32%) of placentas. Compared to controls, cases were younger, had higher body
      mass index, and were more likely to have diabetes, be nulliparous, deliver
      preterm, and have had a prior cesarean. There were no differences in the
      incidence of BPMYO, stage of BPMYO, or incidence of pathologically defined
      accreta between cases and controls. These findings persisted after controlling
      for potential confounders. Conclusions Although BPMYO may be more common in the
      setting of abnormal placental vasculature, there is no significant association
      between BPMYO and HDP.

PMID- 28893158
TI  - Academic ethical awareness among undergraduate nursing students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Academic ethical awareness is an important aspect especially for
      nursing students who will provide ethical nursing care to patients in future or
      try to tread the path of learning toward professional acknowledgement in nursing
      scholarship. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore academic ethical
      awareness and its related characteristics among undergraduate nursing students.
      METHODS: This study commenced the survey with cross-sectional, descriptive
      questions and enrolled convenient samples of 581 undergraduate nursing students
      from three universities in South Korea. It was investigated with structured
      questionnaires including general characteristics and academic ethical awareness
      related. Ethical considerations: This study was reviewed and approved by the
      Institutional Review Board at National University. FINDINGS: Academic ethical
      awareness was the highest regarding behaviors violating the respect or
      confidentiality of patients and cheating on exams, while it was the lowest for
      inappropriate behaviors in class. From the result of general characteristics
      difference, male students showed higher score than female students in relative;
      first-year students showed higher score than other year students; the higher
      score was rated from students who were highly satisfied with their major than the
      other not satisfied with their major; and students with low academic stress
      showed higher ethical awareness score than persons with higher stress.
      CONCLUSION: Personal behaviors were rated with low ethical awareness in relative,
      but items related to public rules and actual effects on patients or others were
      rated with higher score. Nursing satisfaction and academic stress are main
      factors on ethical awareness. To improve overall ethical awareness level of
      nursing students, it is required to provide more education about the importance
      of personal behaviors in class and need to improve the understanding of how it
      will be connected with future situation and effect.

PMID- 28893159
TI  - Ethics and quality care in nursing homes: Relatives' experiences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A total of 71,000 people in Norway suffer from some form of dementia
      in 2013, of whom approximately 30,000 are in nursing homes. Several studies focus
      on the experiences of those who have close relatives and who are staying in a
      nursing home. Results show that a greater focus on cooperation between nursing
      staff and relatives is a central prerequisite for an increased level of care.
      Benefits of developing systematic collaboration practices include relief for
      nursing staff, less stress, and greater mutual understanding. Going through
      studies focusing on the experiences of nursing home patients' relatives, negative
      experiences are in the majority. In this study, relatives are invited to share
      positive experiences regarding the care of their loved ones; a slightly different
      perspective, in other words. AIM: The aim of the study is to investigate
      relatives of persons with dementia's experiences with quality care in nursing
      homes. METHOD: The study is a part of a larger project called Hospice values in
      the care for persons with dementia and is based on a qualitative design where
      data are generated through narrative interviews. The chosen method of analysis is
      the phenomenological-hermeneutical method for the study of lived experiences.
      Participants and research context: Participants in the project were eight
      relatives of persons with dementia who were living in nursing homes, long-term
      residences. The sampling was targeted, enrolment happened through collective
      invitation. All relatives interested were included. Ethical considerations: The
      Norwegian Regional Ethics Committee and the Norwegian Social Science Data
      Services approve the study. FINDINGS: Findings show that relatives have certain
      expectations as to how their loved ones ought to be met and looked after at the
      nursing home. The results show that in those cases where the expectations were
      met, the relatives' experiences were associated with engagement, inclusion and a
      good atmosphere. When the expectations were not met, the relatives experienced
      powerlessness, distrust and guilt. DISCUSSION: The results are discussed
      considering the concepts of trust, power and asymmetry. CONCLUSION: When asked
      about experiences with quality care, the relatives spoke both of expectations met
      and of expectations not met. Results in this study are important knowledge for
      developing units where performing quality care is the overall aim.

PMID- 28893160
TI  - Relationship between ethical ideology and moral judgment: Academic nurse
      educators' perception.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ascertaining the relationship between ethical ideology, moral
      judgment, and ethical decision among academic nurse educators at work appears to
      be a challenge particularly in situations when they are faced with a need to
      solve an ethical problem and make a moral decision. PURPOSE: This study aims to
      investigate the relationship between ethical ideology, moral judgment, and
      ethical decision as perceived by academic nurse educators. METHODS: A descriptive
      correlational research design was conducted at Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria
      University. All academic nurse educators were included in the study (N = 220).
      Ethical Position Questionnaire and Questionnaire of Moral Judgment and Ethical
      Decisions were proved reliable to measure study variables. Ethical
      considerations: Approval was obtained from Ethics Committee at Faculty of
      Nursing, Alexandria University. Privacy and confidentiality of data were
      maintained and assured by obtaining subjects' informed consent. FINDINGS: This
      study reveals a significant positive moderate correlation between idealism
      construct of ethical ideology and moral judgment in terms of recognition of the
      behavior as an ethical issue and the magnitude of emotional consequences of the
      ethical situation (p < 0.001; p = 0.031) respectively. Also, there is a positive
      significant moderate correlation between relativism construct of ethical ideology
      and overall moral judgment (p = 0.010). Approximately 3.5% of the explained
      variance of overall moral judgment is predicted by idealism together with
      relativism. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that variations in ethical position
      and ideology are associated with moral judgment and ethical decision. CONCLUSION:
      Organizations of academic nursing education should provide a supportive work
      environment to help their academic staff to develop their self-awareness and
      knowledge of their ethical position and promoting their ethical ideologies and,
      in turn, enhance their moral judgment as well as develop ethical reasoning and
      decision-making capability of nursing students. More emphasis in nursing
      curricula is needed on ethical concepts for developing nursing competencies.

PMID- 28893162
TI  - Emotional Connection of Military Couples after 16 Years of War: Integrating
      Pastoral Counseling and Evidence-Based Theory.
AB  - Sixteen years of war created significant challenges for military couples and
      seems to contribute to their relational distress. Military couples seek out
      pastoral counselors for assistance with their relational distress. Many of these
      pastoral counselors are military chaplains or pastors serving close to military
      bases. The integration of pastoral counseling with evidence-based theory is
      presented as an option to serve military couples in their relational distress.
      Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy is presented as an example.

PMID- 28893164
TI  - New Film Releases.

PMID- 28893165
TI  - Taking A Stand.

PMID- 28893166
TI  - Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming (2016).

PMID- 28893167
TI  - The Essential Math of Love.
AB  - The essential math of love is subtraction; to stop doing those things that are
      harmful to ourselves and to others.

PMID- 28893168
TI  - An e-Chart Review of Chaplains' Interventions and Outcomes: A Quality Improvement
      and Documentation Practice Enhancement Project.
AB  - In Canada, the spiritual care landscape in health care settings is becoming more
      regulated and standardized documentation is part of this rigorous environment.
      Staff chaplains at The Ottawa Hospital participated in a Quality Improvement
      project that aimed to advance patient-centered care through better charting
      practices. A sample of 104 spiritual-care assessments that had been posted on the
      patient electronic health record was examined. This chart review focused on
      chaplains' activities that were reported as interventions as well as chaplain
      reported outcomes for the patient. These interventions and outcomes were coded
      into discreet categories in order to get a better sense of the activities and the
      impact of their work. The chaplains' electronic charting content and practices
      were evaluated. Chaplains found that the Quality Improvement process was
      beneficial as they updated their electronic templates in order to meet the new
      reporting requirements of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.

PMID- 28893169
TI  - Final Goodbyes.

PMID- 28893170
TI  - Recent Progress in Chaplaincy-Related Research.
AB  - In light of the continued growth of chaplaincy-related research this paper
      presents an overview of important findings. The review summarizes research in six
      broad areas: what chaplains do; the importance of religion and spiritual care to
      patients and families; the impact of chaplains' spiritual care on the patient
      experience; the impact of chaplain care on other patient outcomes; spiritual
      needs and chaplain care in palliative and end of life care; and chaplain care for
      staff colleagues. It concludes with a description of several innovative and
      important new studies of chaplain care and notes areas for future investigation.

PMID- 28893171
TI  - Hospital Characteristics Affecting HealthCare Chaplaincy and the Provision of
      Chaplaincy Care in the United States: 2004 vs. 2016.
AB  - This study replicates, expands and analyzes a 2004 survey examining six hospital
      characteristics influencing three measures of chaplain employment in large,
      small, for-profit and nonprofit hospitals. The relationship between hospital
      characteristics and hiring Board Certified Chaplains was minor and inconsistent
      across time. The results indicate that religiously affiliated hospitals employed
      more full-time chaplains and that chaplain full-time equivalents were inversely
      related to hospital size in both surveys. The current survey suggests that urban
      and religiously affiliated hospitals were more likely to hire chaplains. The
      sampling method proved problematic, precluding meaningful conclusions but the
      study focus and questions remain important for future investigation based on this
      pilot effort.

PMID- 28893172
TI  - The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling Quiz September 2017.

PMID- 28893173
TI  - Appropriate homoplasy metrics in linked SSRs to predict an underestimation of
      demographic expansion times.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Homoplasy affects demographic inference estimates. This effect has
      been recognized and corrective methods have been developed. However, no studies
      so far have defined what homoplasy metrics best describe the effects on
      demographic inference, or have attempted to estimate such metrics in real data.
      Here we study how homoplasy in chloroplast microsatellites (cpSSR) affects
      inference of population expansion time. cpSSRs are popular markers for inferring
      historical demography in plants due to their high mutation rate and limited
      recombination. RESULTS: In cpSSRs, homoplasy is usually quantified as the
      probability that two markers or haplotypes that are identical by state are not
      identical by descent (Homoplasy index, P). Here we propose a new measure of multi
      locus homoplasy in linked SSR called Distance Homoplasy (DH), which measures the
      proportion of pairwise differences not observed due to homoplasy, and we compare
      it to P and its per cpSSR locus average, which we call Mean Size Homoplasy (MSH).
      We use simulations and analytical derivations to show that, out of the three
      homoplasy metrics analyzed, MSH and DH are more correlated to changes in the
      population expansion time and to the underestimation of that demographic
      parameter using cpSSR. We perform simulations to show that Approximate Bayesian
      Computation (ABC) can be used to obtain reasonable estimates of MSH and DH.
      Finally, we use ABC to estimate the expansion time, MSH and DH from a chloroplast
      SSR dataset in Pinus caribaea. To our knowledge, this is the first time that
      homoplasy has been estimated in population genetic data. CONCLUSIONS: We show
      that MSH and DH should be used to quantify how homoplasy affects estimates of
      population expansion time. We also demonstrate how ABC provides a methodology to
      estimate homoplasy in population genetic data.

PMID- 28893174
TI  - Antiproliferative factor (APF) binds specifically to sites within the
      cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) extracellular domain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antiproliferative factor (APF) is a sialoglycopeptide elevated in the
      urine of patients with interstitial cystitis-a chronic, painful bladder disease.
      APF inhibits the proliferation of normal bladder epithelial cells and cancer
      cells in vitro, presumably by binding to its cellular receptor, cytoskeleton
      associated-protein 4 (CKAP4); however, the biophysical interaction of APF with
      CKAP4 has not been characterized previously. In this study, we used surface
      plasmon resonance (SPR) to explore the binding kinetics of the interaction of APF
      and as-APF (a desialylated APF analogue with full activity) to CKAP4. RESULTS: We
      immobilized non-glycosylated APF (TVPAAVVVA) to the Fc1 channel as the control
      and as-APF to Fc2 channel as the ligand in order to measure the binding of CKAP4
      recombinant proteins encompassing only the extracellular domain (Aa 127-602) or
      the extracellular domain plus the transmembrane domain (Aa 106-602). Positive
      binding was detected to both CKAP4126-602 and CKAP4106-602, suggesting that as
      APF can bind specifically to CKAP4 and that the potential binding site(s) are
      located within the extracellular domain. To identify the primary APF binding
      site(s) within the CKAP4 extracellular domain, deletion mutants were designed
      according to structural predictions, and the purified recombinant proteins were
      immobilized on a CM5 chip through amine-coupling to measure as-APF binding
      activity. Importantly, both CKAP4127-360 and CKAP4361-524 exhibited a fast
      association rate (k on ) and a slow dissociation rate (k off ), thus generating
      high binding affinity and suggesting that both regions contribute relatively
      equally to overall as-APF binding. Therefore, two or more as-APF binding sites
      may exist within the Aa 127-524 region of the CKAP4 extracellular domain.
      CONCLUSIONS: We determined that the CKAP4127-360 and CKAP4361-524 mutants exhibit
      improved binding activity to as-APF as compared to the full-length extracellular
      domain, making it possible to detect low concentrations of as-APF in urine,
      thereby establishing a foundation for a non-invasive diagnostic assay for IC.
      Further, these data have revealed novel APF binding site(s) suggesting that
      targeting this region of CKAP4 to inhibit APF binding may be a useful strategy
      for treating IC-related bladder pathology.

PMID- 28893175
TI  - Chronic kidney disease and diabetes associated with long-term outcomes in
      patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD)
      on long-term outcomes in patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention
      (PCI) is unclear. METHODS: A total of 1394 patients who underwent PCI were
      prospectively enrolled and divided into 4 groups according to the presence or
      absence of DM or CKD. Baseline characteristics, risk factors, medications, and
      angiographic findings were compared. Determinants of long-term outcomes in
      patients undergoing PCI were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients with DM and CKD had the
      highest all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality (both P < 0.01) but
      there were no differences existed in myocardial infarction (MI) or repeated PCI
      among the 4 groups (P = 0.19, P = 0.87, respectively). Patients with DM and CKD
      had the lowest even-free rate of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality,
      MI, and repeated PCI (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.002,
      respectively). In the Cox proportional hazard model, patients with both DM and
      CKD had the highest risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 3.25, 95% CI: 1.85-5.59),
      cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.58, 95% CI: 1.97-6.49), MI (HR: 2.43, 95% CI:
      1.23-4.08), and repeated PCI (HR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.33-2.41). Patients with CKD
      alone had the second highest risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.15
      3.63), cardiovascular mortality (HR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.13-4.01), and repeated PCI
      (HR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.09-1.97). CONCLUSIONS: DM and CKD had additive effect on
      adverse long-term outcomes in patients receiving PCI; CKD was a more significant
      adverse predictor than DM.

PMID- 28893176
TI  - The path to re-evolve cooperation is constrained in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A common form of cooperation in bacteria is based on the secretion of
      beneficial metabolites, shareable as public good among cells within a group.
      Because cooperation can be exploited by "cheating" mutants, which contribute less
      or nothing to the public good, there has been great interest in understanding the
      conditions required for cooperation to remain evolutionarily stable. In contrast,
      much less is known about whether cheats, once fixed in the population, are able
      to revert back to cooperation when conditions change. Here, we tackle this
      question by subjecting experimentally evolved cheats of Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
      partly deficient for the production of the iron-scavenging public good
      pyoverdine, to conditions previously shown to favor cooperation. RESULTS:
      Following approximately 200 generations of experimental evolution, we screened
      720 evolved clones for changes in their pyoverdine production levels. We found no
      evidence for the re-evolution of full cooperation, even in environments with
      increased spatial structure, and reduced costs of public good production - two
      conditions that have previously been shown to maintain cooperation. In contrast,
      we observed selection for complete abolishment of pyoverdine production. The
      patterns of complete trait degradation were likely driven by "cheating on cheats"
      in unstructured, iron-limited environments where pyoverdine is important for
      growth, and selection against a maladaptive trait in iron-rich environments where
      pyoverdine is superfluous. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the path to re
      evolve public-goods cooperation can be constrained. While a limitation of the
      number of mutational targets potentially leading to reversion might be one reason
      for the observed pattern, an alternative explanation is that the selective
      conditions required for revertants to spread from rarity are much more stringent
      than those needed to maintain cooperation.

PMID- 28893177
TI  - Integrated application of transcriptomics and metabolomics provides insights into
      glycogen content regulation in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas is an important marine fishery
      resource, which contains high levels of glycogen that contributes to the flavor
      and the quality of the oyster. However, little is known about the molecular and
      chemical mechanisms underlying glycogen content differences in Pacific oysters.
      Using a homogeneous cultured Pacific oyster family, we explored these regulatory
      networks at the level of the metabolome and the transcriptome. RESULTS: Oysters
      with the highest and lowest natural glycogen content were selected for
      differential transcriptome and metabolome analysis. We identified 1888
      differentially-expressed genes, seventy-five differentially-abundant metabolites,
      which are part of twenty-seven signaling pathways that were enriched using an
      integrated analysis of the interaction between the differentially-expressed genes
      and the differentially-abundant metabolites. Based on these results, we found
      that a high expression of carnitine O-palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2), indicative
      of increased fatty acid degradation, is associated with a lower glycogen content.
      Together, a high level of expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase
      (PEPCK), and high levels of glucogenic amino acids likely underlie the increased
      glycogen production in high-glycogen oysters. In addition, the higher levels of
      the glycolytic enzymes hexokinase (HK) and pyruvate kinase (PK), as well as of
      the TCA cycle enzymes malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and pyruvate carboxylase (PYC),
      imply that there is a concomitant up-regulation of energy metabolism in high
      glycogen oysters. High-glycogen oysters also appeared to have an increased
      ability to cope with stress, since the levels of the antioxidant glutathione
      peroxidase enzyme 5 (GPX5) gene were also increased. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest that amino acids and free fatty acids are closely related to glycogen
      content in oysters. In addition, oysters with a high glycogen content have a
      greater energy production capacity and a greater ability to cope with stress.
      These findings will not only provide insights into the molecular mechanisms
      underlying oyster quality, but also promote research into the molecular breeding
      of oysters.

PMID- 28893178
TI  - Evaluation design of Urban Health Centres Europe (UHCE): preventive integrated
      health and social care for community-dwelling older persons in five European
      cities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Older persons often have interacting physical and social problems and
      complex care needs. An integrated care approach in the local context with
      collaborations between community-, social-, and health-focused organisations can
      contribute to the promotion of independent living and quality of life. In the
      Urban Health Centres Europe (UHCE) project, five European cities (Greater
      Manchester, United Kingdom; Pallini (in Greater Athens Area), Greece; Rijeka,
      Croatia; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; and Valencia, Spain) develop and implement a
      care template that integrates health and social care and includes a preventive
      approach. The UHCE project includes an effect and process evaluation. METHODS: In
      a one-year pre-post controlled trial, in each city 250 participants aged 75+
      years are recruited to receive the UHCE approach and are compared with 250
      participants who receive 'care as usual'. Benefits of UHCE approach in terms of
      healthy life styles, fall risk, appropriate medication use, loneliness level and
      frailty, and in terms of level of independence and health-related quality of life
      and health care use are assessed. A multilevel modeling approach is used for the
      analyses. The process evaluation is used to provide insight into the reach of the
      target population, the extent to which elements of the UHCE approach are executed
      as planned and the satisfaction of the participants. DISCUSSION: The UHCE project
      will provide new insight into the feasibility and effectiveness of an integrated
      care approach for older persons in different European settings. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry number is ISRCTN52788952 . Date of registration is
      13/03/2017.

PMID- 28893179
TI  - Conservation and diversification of small RNA pathways within flatworms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Small non-coding RNAs, including miRNAs, and gene silencing mediated
      by RNA interference have been described in free-living and parasitic lineages of
      flatworms, but only few key factors of the small RNA pathways have been
      exhaustively investigated in a limited number of species. The availability of
      flatworm draft genomes and predicted proteomes allowed us to perform an extended
      survey of the genes involved in small non-coding RNA pathways in this phylum.
      RESULTS: Overall, findings show that the small non-coding RNA pathways are
      conserved in all the analyzed flatworm linages; however notable peculiarities
      were identified. While Piwi genes are amplified in free-living worms they are
      completely absent in all parasitic species. Remarkably all flatworms share a
      specific Argonaute family (FL-Ago) that has been independently amplified in
      different lineages. Other key factors such as Dicer are also duplicated, with
      Dicer-2 showing structural differences between trematodes, cestodes and free
      living flatworms. Similarly, a very divergent GW182 Argonaute interacting protein
      was identified in all flatworm linages. Contrasting to this, genes involved in
      the amplification of the RNAi interfering signal were detected only in the
      ancestral free living species Macrostomum lignano. We here described all the
      putative small RNA pathways present in both free living and parasitic flatworm
      lineages. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight innovations specifically evolved
      in platyhelminths presumably associated with novel mechanisms of gene expression
      regulation mediated by small RNA pathways that differ to what has been
      classically described in model organisms. Understanding these phylum-specific
      innovations and the differences between free living and parasitic species might
      provide clues to adaptations to parasitism, and would be relevant for gene
      silencing technology development for parasitic flatworms that infect hundreds of
      million people worldwide.

PMID- 28893180
TI  - Annexin A2 (ANXA2) interacts with nonstructural protein 1 and promotes the
      replication of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is a multifunctional protein and a
      crucial regulatory factor in the replication and pathogenesis of avian influenza
      virus (AIV). Studies have shown that NS1 can interact with a variety of host
      proteins to modulate the viral life cycle. We previously generated a monoclonal
      antibody against NS1 protein; In the current research study, using this antibody,
      we immunoprecipitated host proteins that interact with NS1 to better understand
      the roles played by NS1 in communications between virus and host. RESULTS: Co
      immunoprecipitation experiments identified annexin A2 (ANXA2) as a target
      molecule interacting with NS1. Results from confocal laser scanning microscopy
      indicated that NS1 co-localized with ANXA2 in the cell cytoplasm. Overexpression
      of ANXA2 significantly increased the titer of H5N1 subtype HPAIV, whereas siRNA
      mediated knockdown of ANXA2 markedly inhibited the expression of viral proteins
      and reduced the progeny virus titer. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that ANXA2
      interacts with NS1 and ANXA2 expression increases HPAIV replication.

PMID- 28893181
TI  - Meeting psychosocial needs for persons with dementia in home care services - a
      qualitative study of different perceptions and practices among health care
      providers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The majority of persons with dementia are home-dwelling. To enable
      these persons to stay in their own homes as long as possible, a holistic,
      individual and flexible care is recommended. Despite a requirement for meeting
      psychological, social and physical needs, home care services seem to focus on
      patients' physical needs. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to explore how
      the psychosocial needs of home-dwelling, older persons with dementia were
      perceived, emphasized and met by home care services. METHODS: A descriptive,
      qualitative approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured focus
      group interviews with 24 health care providers in home care services from four
      municipalities. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation. RESULTS:
      This study showed major differences in how health care providers perceived the
      psychosocial needs of older home-dwelling persons with dementia and how they
      perceived their responsibilities for meeting those psychosocial needs. The
      differences in the health care providers' perceptions seemed to significantly
      influence the provided care. Three co-existing logics of care were identified:
      the physical need-oriented logic, the renouncement logic and the integrated
      logic. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in how health care providers perceived the
      psychosocial needs of persons with dementia and their responsibilities for
      meeting those needs, influenced how the psychosocial needs were met. These
      differences indicates a need for a clarification of how psychosocial needs should
      be conceptualized and who should be responsible for meeting these needs. Further,
      increased competence and increased consciousness of psychosocial needs and how
      those needs can be met, are essential for delivering high-quality holistic care
      that enables persons with dementia to live in their own home for as long as
      possible.

PMID- 28893182
TI  - The dynamic landscape of gene regulation during Bombyx mori oogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oogenesis in the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a complex process
      involving previtellogenesis, vitellogenesis and choriogenesis. During this
      process, follicles show drastic morphological and physiological changes. However,
      the genome-wide regulatory profiles of gene expression during oogenesis remain to
      be determined. RESULTS: In this study, we obtained time-series transcriptome data
      and used these data to reveal the dynamic landscape of gene regulation during
      oogenesis. A total of 1932 genes were identified to be differentially expressed
      among different stages, most of which occurred during the transition from late
      vitellogenesis to early choriogenesis. Using weighted gene co-expression network
      analysis, we identified six stage-specific gene modules that correspond to
      multiple regulatory pathways. Strikingly, the biosynthesis pathway of the molting
      hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) was enriched in one of the modules. Further
      analysis showed that the ecdysteroid 20-hydroxylase gene (CYP314A1) of
      steroidgenesis genes was mainly expressed in previtellogenesis and early
      vitellogenesis. However, the 20E-inactivated genes, particularly the ecdysteroid
      26-hydroxylase encoding gene (Cyp18a1), were highly expressed in late
      vitellogenesis. These distinct expression patterns between 20E synthesis and
      catabolism-related genes might ensure the rapid decline of the hormone titer at
      the transition point from vitellogenesis to choriogenesis. In addition, we
      compared landscapes of gene regulation between silkworm (Lepidoptera) and fruit
      fly (Diptera) oogeneses. Our results show that there is some consensus in the
      modules of gene co-expression during oogenesis in these insects. CONCLUSIONS: The
      data presented in this study provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms
      underlying oogenesis in insects with polytrophic meroistic ovaries. The results
      also provide clues for further investigating the roles of epigenetic
      reconfiguration and circadian rhythm in insect oogenesis.

PMID- 28893183
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance in Africa: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widely acknowledged as a global
      problem, yet in many parts of the world its magnitude is still not well
      understood. This review, using a public health focused approach, aimed to
      understand and describe the current status of AMR in Africa in relation to common
      causes of infections and drugs recommended in WHO treatment guidelines. METHODS:
      PubMed, EMBASE and other relevant databases were searched for recent articles
      (2013-2016) in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Article retrieval and
      screening were done using a structured search string and strict
      inclusion/exclusion criteria. Median and interquartile ranges of percent
      resistance were calculated for each antibiotic-bacterium combination. RESULTS:
      AMR data was not available for 42.6% of the countries in the African continent. A
      total of 144 articles were included in the final analysis. 13 Gram negative and 5
      Gram positive bacteria were tested against 37 different antibiotics. Penicillin
      resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae was reported in 14/144studies (median
      resistance (MR): 26.7%). Further 18/53 (34.0%) of Haemophilus influenza isolates
      were resistant to amoxicillin. MR of Escherichia coli to amoxicillin,
      trimethoprim and gentamicin was 88.1%, 80.7% and 29.8% respectively.
      Ciprofloxacin resistance in Salmonella Typhi was rare. No documented ceftriaxone
      resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae was reported, while the MR for quinolone was
      37.5%. Carbapenem resistance was common in Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa but uncommon in Enterobacteriaceae. CONCLUSION: Our review highlights
      three important findings. First, recent AMR data is not available for more than
      40% of the countries. Second, the level of resistance to commonly prescribed
      antibiotics was significant. Third, the quality of microbiological data is of
      serious concern. Our findings underline that to conserve our current arsenal of
      antibiotics it is imperative to address the gaps in AMR diagnostic
      standardization and reporting and use available information to optimize treatment
      guidelines.

PMID- 28893184
TI  - The Canadian HIV and aging cohort study - determinants of increased risk of
      cardio-vascular diseases in HIV-infected individuals: rationale and study
      protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With potent antiretroviral drugs, HIV infection is becoming a chronic
      disease. Emergence of comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      has become a leading concern for patients living with the infection. We
      hypothesized that the chronic and persistent inflammation and immune activation
      associated with HIV disease leads to accelerated aging, characterized by CVD.
      This will translate into higher incidence rates of CVD in HIV infected
      participants, when compared to HIV negative participants, after adjustment for
      traditional CVD risk factors. When characterized further using cardiovascular
      imaging, biomarkers, immunological and genetic profiles, CVD associated with HIV
      will show different characteristics compared to CVD in HIV-negative individuals.
      METHODS/DESIGN: The Canadian HIV and Aging cohort is a prospective, controlled
      cohort study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. It will
      recruit patients living with HIV who are aged 40 years or older or have lived
      with HIV for 15 years or more. A control population, frequency matched for age,
      sex, and smoking status, will be recruited from the general population. Patients
      will attend study visits at baseline, year 1, 2, 5 and 8. At each study visit,
      data on complete medical and pharmaceutical history will be captured, along with
      anthropometric measures, a complete physical examination, routine blood tests and
      electrocardiogram. Consenting participants will also contribute blood samples to
      a research biobank. The primary outcome is incidence of a composite of:
      myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, stroke, hospitalization for
      angina or congestive heart failure, revascularization or amputation for
      peripheral artery disease, or cardiovascular death. Preplanned secondary outcomes
      are all-cause mortality, incidence of the metabolic syndrome, incidence of type 2
      diabetes, incidence of renal failure, incidence of abnormal bone mineral density
      and body fat distribution. Patients participating to the cohort will be eligible
      to be enrolled in four pre-planned sub-studies of cardiovascular imaging, glucose
      metabolism, immunological and genetic risk profile. DISCUSSION: The Canadian HIV
      and Aging Cohort will provide insights on pathophysiological pathways leading to
      premature CVD for patients living with HIV.

PMID- 28893186
TI  - Determining the optimal number of independent components for reproducible
      transcriptomic data analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a method that models gene
      expression data as an action of a set of statistically independent hidden
      factors. The output of ICA depends on a fundamental parameter: the number of
      components (factors) to compute. The optimal choice of this parameter, related to
      determining the effective data dimension, remains an open question in the
      application of blind source separation techniques to transcriptomic data.
      RESULTS: Here we address the question of optimizing the number of statistically
      independent components in the analysis of transcriptomic data for reproducibility
      of the components in multiple runs of ICA (within the same or within varying
      effective dimensions) and in multiple independent datasets. To this end, we
      introduce ranking of independent components based on their stability in multiple
      ICA computation runs and define a distinguished number of components (Most Stable
      Transcriptome Dimension, MSTD) corresponding to the point of the qualitative
      change of the stability profile. Based on a large body of data, we demonstrate
      that a sufficient number of dimensions is required for biological
      interpretability of the ICA decomposition and that the most stable components
      with ranks below MSTD have more chances to be reproduced in independent studies
      compared to the less stable ones. At the same time, we show that a
      transcriptomics dataset can be reduced to a relatively high number of dimensions
      without losing the interpretability of ICA, even though higher dimensions give
      rise to components driven by small gene sets. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest a protocol
      of ICA application to transcriptomics data with a possibility of prioritizing
      components with respect to their reproducibility that strengthens the biological
      interpretation. Computing too few components (much less than MSTD) is not optimal
      for interpretability of the results. The components ranked within MSTD range have
      more chances to be reproduced in independent studies.

PMID- 28893185
TI  - Factors that influence the levels of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in memory
      clinic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers amyloid beta (Abeta),
      phospho tau (P-tau) and total tau (T-tau) are used increasingly to support a
      clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The diagnostic power of these
      biomarkers has been reported to vary among different studies' results. The
      results are poorer when heterogeneous groups of patients have been included
      compared to studies where patients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and healthy
      controls have been studied. The aim of this study was to examine if age, APOE
      genotype and sex were associated with the levels of CSF biomarkers among patients
      referred to a memory clinic. METHODS: We included 257 patients from two memory
      clinics who had been assessed for dementia, including lumbar puncture. RESULTS:
      The mean age of the patients was 68.1 (SD: 8.0) years; 50.2% were women and 66.5%
      were APOE epsilon4 positive. Of these patients, 80.5% were diagnosed with AD or
      amnestic MCI. Both APOE epsilon4 and increasing age were associated with
      decreasing levels of Abeta, but not the levels of the tau proteins. In multiple
      regression analyses, disease stage, defined as a MMSE >=25 or <25, influenced
      factors associated with the CSF biomarkers. Among those with MMSE score >= 25,
      age, APOE epsilon4 genotype, and MMSE score, in addition to a diagnosis of AD,
      were associated with Abeta level, with an explained variance of 0.43. When using
      P-tau or T-tau as a dependent variable, the presence of one or two APOE epsilon4
      alleles, and MMSE score influenced the results, in addition to the diagnosis of
      AD. The explained variance was lower for P-tau (0.26) and for T-tau (0.32). Among
      those with MMSE <25, these variables explained very little of the variance. There
      were no gender differences. CONCLUSIONS: We found that factors in addition to a
      diagnosis of AD, were associated with the levels of CSF biomarkers. Among those
      with MMSE >=25, lower levels of Abeta were associated with several factors
      including increasing age. This is not reflected in clinical practice, where age
      specific cutoffs exist only for T-tau. In this study, age was not associated with
      the levels of tau proteins.

PMID- 28893187
TI  - Does dual task training improve walking performance of older adults with concern
      of falling?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Older adults with concerns of falling show decrements of gait
      stability under single (ST) and dual task (DT) conditions. To compare the effects
      of a DT training integrating task managing strategies for independent living
      older adults with and without concern about falling (CoF) to a non-training
      control group on walking performance under ST and DT conditions. METHODS: Single
      center parallel group single blind randomized controlled trial with group-based
      interventions (DT-managing balance training) compared to a control group (Ninety
      five independent living older adults; 71.5 +/- 5.2 years). A progressive DT
      training (12 sessions; 60 min each; 12 weeks) including task-managing strategies
      was compared to a non-training control group. SETTING: group based intervention
      for independent living elderly in a gym. ST and DT walking (visual verbal Stroop
      task) were measured on a treadmill. Gait parameters (step length, step width, and
      gait line) and cognitive performance while walking were compared with a 2x2x2
      Repeated Measures Analyses of Variance. RESULTS: Participants in the intervention
      group showed an increased step length under ST and DT conditions following the
      intervention, for both people with and without CoF compared to their respective
      control groups. Foot rolling movement and cognitive performance while walking
      however only improved in participants without CoF. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      showed that DT managing training can improve walking performance under ST and DT
      conditions in people with and without CoF. Additional treatment to directly
      address CoF, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, should be considered to
      further improve the cautious gait pattern (as evidenced by reduced foot rolling
      movements). TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was retrospectively registered in the
      German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS; Identification number DRKS00012382 ,
      11.05.2017).

PMID- 28893188
TI  - Developing genome-reduced Pseudomonas chlororaphis strains for the production of
      secondary metabolites.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current chassis organisms or various types of cell factories have
      considerable advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is necessary to develop
      various chassis for an efficient production of different bioproducts from
      renewable resources. In this context, synthetic biology offers unique
      potentialities to produce value-added products of interests. Microbial genome
      reduction and modification are important strategies for constructing cellular
      chassis and cell factories. Many genome-reduced strains from Escherichia coli,
      Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Streptomyces, have been widely
      used for the production of amino acids, organic acids, and some enzymes. Some
      Pseudomonas strains could serve as good candidates for ideal chassis cells since
      they grow fast and can produce many valuable metabolites with low nutritional
      requirements and strong environmental adaptability. Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72
      is a non-pathogenic plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that possesses
      capacities of tolerating various environmental stresses and synthesizing many
      kinds of bioactive compounds with high yield. These include phenazine-1
      carboxylic acid (PCA) and 2-hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ), which exhibit strong
      bacteriostatic and antifungal activity toward some microbial pathogens. RESULTS:
      We depleted 685 kb (10.3% of the genomic sequence) from the chromosome of P.
      chlororaphis GP72(rpeA-) by a markerless deletion method, which included five
      secondary metabolic gene clusters and 17 strain-specific regions (525 non
      essential genes). Then we characterized the 22 multiple-deletion series (MDS)
      strains. Growth characteristics, production of phenazines and morphologies were
      changed greatly in mutants with large-fragment deletions. Some of the genome
      reduced P. chlororaphis mutants exhibited more productivity than the parental
      strain GP72(rpeA-). For example, strain MDS22 had 4.4 times higher production of
      2-OH-PHZ (99.1 mg/L) than strain GP72(rpeA-), and the specific 2-OH-PHZ
      production rate (mmol/g/h) increased 11.5-fold. Also and MDS10 had the highest
      phenazine production (852.0 mg/L) among all the studied strains with a relatively
      high specific total phenazine production rate (0.0056 g/g/h). CONCLUSIONS: In
      conclusion, P. chlororaphis strains with reduced genome performed better in
      production of secondary metabolites than the parent strain. The newly developed
      mutants can be used for the further genetic manipulation to construct chassis
      cells with the less complex metabolic network, better regulation and more
      efficient productivity for diverse biotechnological applications.

PMID- 28893189
TI  - Differentially expressed genes during the imbibition of dormant and after-ripened
      seeds - a reverse genetics approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Seed dormancy, defined as the incapability of a viable seed to
      germinate under favourable conditions, is an important trait in nature and
      agriculture. Despite extensive research on dormancy and germination, many
      questions about the molecular mechanisms controlling these traits remain
      unanswered, likely due to its genetic complexity and the large environmental
      effects which are characteristic of these quantitative traits. To boost research
      towards revealing mechanisms in the control of seed dormancy and germination we
      depend on the identification of genes controlling those traits. METHODS: We used
      transcriptome analysis combined with a reverse genetics approach to identify
      genes that are prominent for dormancy maintenance and germination in imbibed
      seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana. Comparative transcriptomics analysis was employed
      on freshly harvested (dormant) and after-ripened (AR; non-dormant) 24-h imbibed
      seeds of four different DELAY OF GERMINATION near isogenic lines (DOGNILs) and
      the Landsberg erecta (Ler) wild type with varying levels of primary dormancy. T
      DNA knock-out lines of the identified genes were phenotypically investigated for
      their effect on dormancy and AR. RESULTS: We identified conserved sets of 46 and
      25 genes which displayed higher expression in seeds of all dormant and all after
      ripened DOGNILs and Ler, respectively. Knock-out mutants in these genes showed
      dormancy and germination related phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the identified
      genes had not been implicated in seed dormancy or germination. This research will
      be useful to further decipher the molecular mechanisms by which these important
      ecological and commercial traits are regulated.

PMID- 28893190
TI  - Canonical and non-canonical JAK/STAT transcriptional targets may be involved in
      distinct and overlapping cellular processes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription
      (JAK/STAT) pathway has been well-characterized as a crucial signal transduction
      cascade that regulates vital biological responses including development, immunity
      and oncogenesis. Additionally to its canonical pathway that uses the
      phosphorylated form of the STAT transcription factor, recently the non-canonical
      pathway involving heterochromatin formation by unphosphorylated STAT was recently
      uncovered. Considering the significant role of the JAK/STAT pathway, we used the
      simple Drosophila system in which the non-canonical pathway was initially
      characterized, to compare putative canonical versus non-canonical transcriptional
      targets across the genome. We analyzed microarray expression patterns of
      wildtype, Jak gain- and loss-of-function mutants, as well as the Stat loss-of
      function mutant during embryogenesis, since the contribution of the canonical
      signal transduction pathway has been well-characterized in these contexts.
      Previous studies have also demonstrated that Jak gain-of-function and Stat
      mutants counter heterochromatin silencing to de-repress target genes by the non
      canonical pathway. RESULTS: Compared to canonical target genomic loci, non
      canonical targets were significantly more associated with sites enriched with
      heterochromatin-related factors (p = 0.004). Furthermore, putative canonical and
      non-canonical transcriptional targets identified displayed some differences in
      biological pathways they regulate, as determined by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment
      analyses. Canonical targets were enriched mainly with genes relevant to
      development and immunity, as expected, whereas the non-canonical target gene set
      mainly showed enrichment of genes for various metabolic responses and stress
      response, highlighting the possibility that some differences may exist between
      the two loci. CONCLUSIONS: Canonical and non-canonical JAK/STAT genes may
      regulate distinct and overlapping sets of genes and may perform specific overall
      functions in physiology. Further studies at different developmental stages, or
      using distinct tissues may identify additional targets and provide insight into
      which gene targets are unique to the canonical or non-canonical pathway.

PMID- 28893191
TI  - Recent expansion and adaptive evolution of the carcinoembryonic antigen family in
      bats of the Yangochiroptera subgroup.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Expansions of gene families are predictive for ongoing genetic
      adaptation to environmental cues. We describe such an expansion of the
      carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family in certain bat families. Members of
      the CEA family in humans and mice are exploited as cellular receptors by a number
      of pathogens, possibly due to their function in immunity and reproduction. The
      CEA family is composed of CEA-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) and
      secreted pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs). PSGs are almost exclusively
      expressed by trophoblast cells at the maternal-fetal interface. The reason why
      PSGs exist only in a minority of mammals is still unknown. RESULTS: Analysis of
      the CEA gene family in bats revealed that in certain bat families, belonging to
      the subgroup Yangochiroptera but not the Yinpterochiroptera subgroup an expansion
      of the CEA gene family took place, resulting in approximately one hundred CEA
      family genes in some species of the Vespertilionidae. The majority of these genes
      encode secreted PSG-like proteins (further referred to as PSG). Remarkably, we
      found strong evidence that the ligand-binding domain (IgV-like domain) of PSG is
      under diversifying positive selection indicating that bat PSGs may interact with
      structurally highly variable ligands. Such ligands might represent bacterial or
      viral pathogen adhesins. We have identified two distinct clusters of PSGs in
      three Myotis species. The two PSG cluster differ in the amino acids under
      positive selection. One cluster was only expanded in members of the
      Vespertilionidae while the other was found to be expanded in addition in members
      of the Miniopteridae and Mormoopidae. Thus one round of PSG expansion may have
      occurred in an ancestry of all three families and a second only in
      Vespertilionidae. Although maternal ligands of PSGs may exist selective
      challenges by two distinct pathogens seem to be likely responsible for the
      expansion of PSGs in Vespertilionidae. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid expansion of PSGs
      in certain bat species together with selection for diversification suggest that
      bat PSGs could be part of a pathogen defense system by serving as decoy receptors
      and/or regulators of feto-maternal interactions.

PMID- 28893192
TI  - Expression of the ZIP/SLC39A transporters in beta-cells: a systematic review and
      integration of multiple datasets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic beta-cells require a constant supply of zinc to maintain
      normal insulin secretory function. Following co-exocytosis with insulin, zinc is
      replenished via the Zrt- and Irt-like (ZIP; SLC39A) family of transporters.
      However the ZIP paralogues of particular importance for zinc uptake, and
      associations with beta-cell function and Type 2 Diabetes remain largely
      unexplored. We retrieved and statistically analysed publically available
      microarray and RNA-seq datasets to perform a systematic review on the expression
      of beta-cell SLC39A paralogues. We complemented results with experimental data on
      expression profiling of human islets and mouse beta-cell derived MIN6 cells, and
      compared transcriptomic and proteomic sequence conservation between human, mouse
      and rat. RESULTS: The 14 ZIP paralogues have 73-98% amino sequence conservation
      between human and rodents. We identified 18 datasets for beta-cell SLC39A
      analysis, which compared relative expression to non-beta-cells, and expression in
      response to PDX-1 activity, cytokines, glucose and type 2 diabetic status.
      Published expression data demonstrate enrichment of transcripts for ZIP7 and ZIP9
      transporters within rodent beta-cells and of ZIP6, ZIP7 and ZIP14 within human
      beta-cells, with ZIP1 most differentially expressed in response to cytokines and
      PDX-1 within rodent, and ZIP6 in response to diabetic status in human and glucose
      in rat. Our qPCR expression profiling data indicate that SLC39A6, -9, -13, and -
      14 are the highest expressed paralogues in human beta-cells and Slc39a6 and -7 in
      MIN6 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review, expression profiling and sequence
      alignment reveal similarities and potentially important differences in ZIP
      complements between human and rodent beta-cells. We identify ZIP6, ZIP7, ZIP9,
      ZIP13 and ZIP14 in human and rodent and ZIP1 in rodent as potentially
      biologically important for beta-cell zinc trafficking. We propose ZIP6 and ZIP7
      are key functional orthologues in human and rodent beta-cells and highlight these
      zinc importers as important targets for exploring associations between zinc
      status and normal physiology of beta-cells and their decline in Type 2 Diabetes.

PMID- 28893193
TI  - Light-emitting diode fluorescent microscopy and Xpert MTB/RIF(r) assay for
      diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis among patients attending Ambo hospital, west
      central Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relatively simple and cheaper light-emitting diode fluorescent
      microscopy (LED-FM) was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to
      replace the conventional tuberculosis (TB) microscopy in both high- and low
      volume laboratories. More recently the WHO also endorsed one more technique,
      Xpert MTB/RIF(r) assay (Xpert), for improved TB diagnosis particularly among
      human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected cases. However, the relative
      performance of both of these tools differs from setting to setting in reference
      to the conventional TB diagnostics. This study thus aimed to evaluate these tools
      for TB detection in individuals visiting Ambo Hospital, west-central Ethiopia.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional early-morning sputum samples were collected from
      presumptive TB patients between January and August 2015. Socio-demographic data
      were captured using a structured questionnaire. Clinical information was gathered
      from patients' medical records. The sputum samples were diagnosed using LED-FM,
      Xpert, concentrated Ziehl-Neelsen (cZN) staining and Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ)
      culture as the gold standard. Drug sensitivity test (DST) was also conducted.
      RESULTS: Out of 362 sputum samples collected and processed, 36(9.9%) were
      positive by LED-FM, 42(11.6%) by cZN and 50(13.8%) by Xpert. But, only 340
      samples could be declared culture positive or negative for mycobacteria. Of these
      340, eight were non-tubercle mycobacteria (NTM). Out of the remaining 332
      samples, 45(13.6%) had culture-confirmed TB with 11(24.4%) being HIV co-infected.
      LED-FM, Xpert and culture detected 54.5% (6/11), 90.9% (10/11) and 100% (11/11)
      mycobacteria in HIV-positive individuals and 81.3% (26/32), 73.7% (28/38), 78.8%
      (26/33) and 73.2% (30/41), in HIV negatives respectively. Two samples were
      rifampicin resistant by both Xpert and DST. The overall sensitivity, specificity,
      positive and negative predictive values of LED-FM and Xpert were 77.8, 100, 100
      and 96; and 93.3, 98, 97.5 and 98.9% respectively. CONCLUSION: The data
      demonstrated the high diagnostic yield of Xpert. LED-FM sensitivity is higher
      compared to results quoted by recent systematic reviews although it appears to be
      lower than what was cited in the WHO policy statement (83.6%) during the
      recommendation of the technology. The high specificity of LED-FM in the study
      area is encouraging and is expected to boost its reliability and uptake.

PMID- 28893194
TI  - De novo metatranscriptome assembly and coral gene expression profile of Montipora
      capitata with growth anomaly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scleractinian corals are a vital component of coral reef ecosystems,
      and of significant cultural and economic value worldwide. As anthropogenic and
      natural stressors are contributing to a global decline of coral reefs,
      understanding coral health is critical to help preserve these ecosystems. Growth
      anomaly (GA) is a coral disease that has significant negative impacts on coral
      biology, yet our understanding of its etiology and pathology is lacking. In this
      study we used RNA-seq along with de novo metatranscriptome assembly and homology
      assignment to identify coral genes that are expressed in three distinct coral
      tissue types: tissue from healthy corals ("healthy"), GA lesion tissue from
      diseased corals ("GA-affected") and apparently healthy tissue from diseased
      corals ("GA-unaffected"). We conducted pairwise comparisons of gene expression
      among these three tissue types to identify genes and pathways that help us to
      unravel the molecular pathology of this coral disease. RESULTS: The quality
      filtered de novo-assembled metatranscriptome contained 76,063 genes, of which
      13,643 were identified as putative coral genes. Overall gene expression profiles
      of coral genes revealed high similarity between healthy tissue samples, in
      contrast to high variance among diseased samples. This indicates GA has a variety
      of genetic effects at the colony level, including on seemingly healthy (GA
      unaffected) tissue. A total of 105 unique coral genes were found differentially
      expressed among tissue types. Pairwise comparisons revealed the greatest number
      of differentially expressed genes between healthy and GA-affected tissue (93
      genes), followed by healthy and GA-unaffected tissue (33 genes), and GA-affected
      and -unaffected tissue (7 genes). The putative function of these genes suggests
      GA is associated with changes in the activity of genes involved in developmental
      processes and activation of the immune system. CONCLUSION: This is one of the
      first transcriptome-level studies to investigate coral GA, and the first
      metatranscriptome assembly for the M. capitata holobiont. The gene expression
      data, metatranscriptome assembly and methodology developed through this study
      represent a significant addition to the molecular information available to
      further our understanding of this coral disease.

PMID- 28893195
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens among hospitalized children with
      community acquired lower respiratory tract infections in Dongguan, China (2011
      2016).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial pathogens are a major cause of childhood community acquired
      lower respiratory tract infections (CA-LRTIs), and few data described the impact
      of antimicrobial resistance on children with CA-LRTIs. This study aims to
      investigate the antimicrobial resistance in common bacterial agents among
      hospitalized children with CA-LRTIs between 2011 and 2016 in Dongguan, China.
      METHODS: Sputum samples were collected from hospitalized children (0-5 years old)
      with CA-LRTIs in Dongguan Children's Hospital. Bacterial pathogens were detected
      using traditional culture methods, and disc diffusion tests were used to
      determine antibiotic resistance. RESULTS: Among the 2360 samples analyzed, 342
      (14.5%) were positive for bacterial infection. The most prevalent pathogen was
      MSSA (2.3%), followed by MRSA (1.5%), E. coli (1.7%), E. coli ESBLs (1.2%), K.
      pneumonia ESBLs (1.5%), K. pneumonia (1.4%) and S. pneumonia (1.3%). Of the
      hospitalized patients with bacteria causing of CA-LRTIs, 90.1% were less than 1
      year-old. MSSA and MRSA were more commonly isolated in infants less than 3
      months. E. coli, K. pneumonia and K. pneumonia ESBLs were more common bacteria
      causing CA-LRTIs in infants less than 1 month. Resistance levels to penicillins,
      fluoroquinolones, macrolides, cephalosporins, carbapenems and vancomycin varied
      in different bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: S. aureus, E coli and K. pneumonia were the
      common bacterial isolates recovered from chidren with CA-LTRIs during 2011-2015.
      Age group of under 1 year old was at a high risk of bacterial infections. Many
      isolates showed antibiotic resistance level was associated with antibiotic usage
      in clinic. Increasing surveillance of antibiotic resistance is urgently needed
      and develops better strategies to cure the antibiotic abuse in China.

PMID- 28893196
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of WRKY gene family in the sesame genome and identification
      of the WRKY genes involved in responses to abiotic stresses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the world's most important oil
      crops. However, it is susceptible to abiotic stresses in general, and to
      waterlogging and drought stresses in particular. The molecular mechanisms of
      abiotic stress tolerance in sesame have not yet been elucidated. The WRKY domain
      transcription factors play significant roles in plant growth, development, and
      responses to stresses. However, little is known about the number, location,
      structure, molecular phylogenetics, and expression of the WRKY genes in sesame.
      RESULTS: We performed a comprehensive study of the WRKY gene family in sesame and
      identified 71 SiWRKYs. In total, 65 of these genes were mapped to 15 linkage
      groups within the sesame genome. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using a
      related species (Arabidopsis thaliana) to investigate the evolution of the sesame
      WRKY genes. Tissue expression profiles of the WRKY genes demonstrated that six
      SiWRKY genes were highly expressed in all organs, suggesting that these genes may
      be important for plant growth and organ development in sesame. Analysis of the
      SiWRKY gene expression patterns revealed that 33 and 26 SiWRKYs respond strongly
      to waterlogging and drought stresses, respectively. Changes in the expression of
      12 SiWRKY genes were observed at different times after the waterlogging and
      drought treatments had begun, demonstrating that sesame gene expression patterns
      vary in response to abiotic stresses. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we analyzed the
      WRKY family of transcription factors encoded by the sesame genome. Insight was
      gained into the classification, evolution, and function of the SiWRKY genes,
      revealing their putative roles in a variety of tissues. Responses to abiotic
      stresses in different sesame cultivars were also investigated. The results of our
      study provide a better understanding of the structures and functions of sesame
      WRKY genes and suggest that manipulating these WRKYs could enhance resistance to
      waterlogging and drought.

PMID- 28893197
TI  - The predictors of 3- and 30-day mortality in 660 MERS-CoV patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mortality rate of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
      (MERS-CoV) patients is a major challenge in all healthcare systems worldwide.
      Because the MERS-CoV risk-standardized mortality rates are currently unavailable
      in the literature, the author concentrated on developing a method to estimate the
      risk-standardized mortality rates using MERS-CoV 3- and 30-day mortality
      measures. METHODS: MERS-CoV data in Saudi Arabia is publicly reported and made
      available through the Saudi Ministry of Health (SMOH) website. The author studied
      660 MERS-CoV patients who were reported by the SMOH between December 2, 2014 and
      November 12, 2016. The data gathered contained basic demographic information
      (age, gender, and nationality), healthcare worker, source of infection, pre
      existing illness, symptomatic, severity of illness, and regions in Saudi Arabia.
      The status and date of mortality were also reported. Cox-proportional hazard
      (CPH) models were applied to estimate the hazard ratios for the predictors of 3-
      and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: 3-day, 30-day, and overall mortality were found to
      be 13.8%, 28.3%, and 29.8%, respectively. According to CPH, multivariate
      predictors of 3-day mortality were elderly, non-healthcare workers, illness
      severity, and hospital-acquired infections (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) =1.7;
      8.8; 6.5; and 2.8, respectively). Multivariate predictors of 30-day mortality
      were elderly, non-healthcare workers, pre-existing illness, severity of illness,
      and hospital-acquired infections (aHR =1.7; 19.2; 2.1; 3.7; and 2.9,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Several factors were identified that could influence
      mortality outcomes at 3 days and 30 days, including age (elderly), non-healthcare
      workers, severity of illness, and hospital-acquired infections. The findings can
      serve as a guide for healthcare practitioners by appropriately identifying and
      managing potential patients at high risk of death.

PMID- 28893200
TI  - An after hours gp clinic in regional Australia: appropriateness of presentations
      and impact on local emergency department presentations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After hours general practice clinics provide medical attention for
      clients with non-emergency situations but are seeking immediate treatment and
      unable to wait for a general practitioner during routine opening hours. Evidence
      on the impact that after hours clinics have on emergency department presentations
      is equivocal. This study explored outcomes of the Bathurst After Hours General
      Practice Clinic (BAHGPC). Specifically it examined: clients' perceived urgency
      of, and satisfaction with their presentation to the BAHGPC; general
      practitioners' perception of the appropriateness of presentations to the BAHGPC;
      and whether the frequency of non-urgent and semi-urgent emergency department
      presentations at Bathurst Base Hospital has changed since the opening of the
      BAHGPC. METHODS: Clients presenting to the BAHGPC from 01/02/2015 to 30/06/2015
      were asked to participate in the client presentation survey and follow-up
      satisfaction survey. General practitioner surveys were completed for individual
      clients from 01/12/2014 to 30/06/2015 to document the appropriateness of each
      presentation. Descriptive statistics are used to describe survey responses.
      Thematic analysis was applied for qualitative responses. Emergency department
      presentations were retrieved from the Emergency Department Data Collection. A
      comparison of presentations in the two years prior and subsequent to the opening
      of the BAHGPC was conducted using independent T-tests and Chi-square tests to
      compare mean presentations and proportional data for the different time periods
      examined. RESULTS: Most clients (76%) presenting to the BAHGPC classified their
      visit as essential. General practitioners considered most presentations to be
      appropriate (87%). Sixty percent (60%) of clients would have gone to the
      emergency department had the BAHGPC not been operational. Client satisfaction was
      high and 99% would use the clinic again. A significant reduction in total non
      urgent presentations to the Emergency Department occurred in the two years since
      the opening of the BAHGPC clinic compared to the two years prior (418.5 vs.
      245.5; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was concordance between general
      practitioners and clients regarding the appropriateness of presentations to the
      BAHGPC. The findings of this study highlight that after hours general
      practitioner clinics are an essential service in regional areas and contribute to
      reducing the burden of non-urgent presentations to the local emergency
      department.

PMID- 28893199
TI  - Comprehensive survey and evolutionary analysis of genome-wide miRNA genes from
      ten diploid Oryza species.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that play versatile roles in
      post-transcriptional gene regulation. Although much is known about their
      biogenesis, and gene regulation very little is known about their evolutionary
      relation among the closely related species. RESULT: All the orthologous miRNA
      genes of Oryza sativa (japonica) from 10 different Oryza species were identified,
      and the evolutionary changes among these genes were analysed. Significant
      differences in the expansion of miRNA gene families were observed across the
      Oryza species. Analysis of the nucleotide substitution rates indicated that the
      mature sequences show the least substitution rates among the different regions of
      miRNA genes, and also show a very much less substitution rates as compared to
      that of all protein-coding genes across the Oryza species. Evolution of miRNA
      genes was also found to be contributed by transposons. A non-neutral selection
      was observed at 80 different miRNA loci across Oryza species which were estimated
      to have lost ~87% of the sequence diversity during the domestication. The
      phylogenetic analysis revealed that O. longistaminata diverged first among the AA
      genomes, whereas O. brachyantha and O. punctata appeared as the eminent out
      groups. The miR1861 family organised into nine distinct compact clusters in the
      studied Oryza species except O. brachyantha. Further, the expression analysis
      showed that 11 salt-responsive miRNAs were differentially regulated between O.
      coarctata and O. glaberrima. CONCLUSION: Our study provides the evolutionary
      dynamics in the miRNA genes of 10 different Oryza species which will support more
      investigations about the structural and functional organization of miRNA genes of
      Oryza species.

PMID- 28893198
TI  - Lessons from a decade of individual-based models for infectious disease
      transmission: a systematic review (2006-2015).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individual-based models (IBMs) are useful to simulate events subject
      to stochasticity and/or heterogeneity, and have become well established to model
      the potential (re)emergence of pathogens (e.g., pandemic influenza,
      bioterrorism). Individual heterogeneity at the host and pathogen level is
      increasingly documented to influence transmission of endemic diseases and it is
      well understood that the final stages of elimination strategies for vaccine
      preventable childhood diseases (e.g., polio, measles) are subject to
      stochasticity. Even so it appears IBMs for both these phenomena are not well
      established. We review a decade of IBM publications aiming to obtain insights in
      their advantages, pitfalls and rationale for use and to make recommendations
      facilitating knowledge transfer within and across disciplines. METHODS: We
      systematically identified publications in Web of Science and PubMed from 2006
      2015 based on title/abstract/keywords screening (and full-text if necessary) to
      retrieve topics, modeling purposes and general specifications. We extracted
      detailed modeling features from papers on established vaccine-preventable
      childhood diseases based on full-text screening. RESULTS: We identified 698
      papers, which applied an IBM for infectious disease transmission, and listed
      these in a reference database, describing their general characteristics. The
      diversity of disease-topics and overall publication frequency have increased over
      time (38 to 115 annual publications from 2006 to 2015). The inclusion of
      intervention strategies (8 to 52) and economic consequences (1 to 20) are
      increasing, to the detriment of purely theoretical explorations. Unfortunately,
      terminology used to describe IBMs is inconsistent and ambiguous. We retrieved 24
      studies on a vaccine-preventable childhood disease (covering 7 different
      diseases), with publication frequency increasing from the first such study
      published in 2008. IBMs have been useful to explore heterogeneous between- and
      within-host interactions, but combined applications are still sparse. The amount
      of missing information on model characteristics and study design is remarkable.
      CONCLUSIONS: IBMs are suited to combine heterogeneous within- and between-host
      interactions, which offers many opportunities, especially to analyze targeted
      interventions for endemic infections. We advocate the exchange of (open-source)
      platforms and stress the need for consistent "branding". Using (existing)
      conventions and reporting protocols would stimulate cross-fertilization between
      research groups and fields, and ultimately policy making in decades to come.

PMID- 28893201
TI  - Determination of the optimal inspiratory pressure providing adequate ventilation
      while minimizing gastric insufflation using real-time ultrasonography in Chinese
      children: a prospective, randomized, double-blind study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During facemask ventilation, gastric insufflation is defined as
      appearance of a comet-tail or an acoustic shadow on ultrasonography.
      Ultrasonographic measurement of antral cross-section area (CSA) may reflect an
      insufflated antrum and provide interesting semi-quantitative data in regard to
      the gastric insufflation. This study aimed to determine the appropriate level of
      inspiratory pressure sufficient to provide adequate pulmonary ventilation with a
      lower occurrence of gastric insufflation during facemask pressure-controlled
      ventilation using real-time ultrasonography in paralyzed children. METHODS:
      Ninety children, ASA I-II, aged from 2 to 4 years, scheduled for general
      anesthesia were enrolled in this randomized and double-blinded study. Children
      were randomized into one of the five groups (P8, P10, P12, P14, and P16) defined
      by the applied inspiratory pressure during facemask ventilation: 8, 10, 12, 14,
      and 16 cm H2O. Anesthesia induction was conducted with fentanyl and propofol.
      Rocuronium was administrated as a muscle relaxant. After rocuronium
      administration, facemask ventilation was performed for 120 s. Gastric
      insufflation (GI+) was detected by ultrasonography, and the antral CSA before and
      after facemask ventilation were also measured using ultrasonography. Respiratory
      variables were monitored. RESULTS: Gastric insufflation was detected in 32
      children (3/18 in group P8, 5/18 in group P10, 7/18 in group P12, 8/16 in group
      P14, and 9/14 in group P16). The antral CSA after facemask ventilation
      statistically increased in subgroups P14 GI+ and P16 GI+ for whom gastric
      insufflation was detected by ultrasonography, whereas it did not change
      statistically in other groups. Lung ventilation was inadequate for group P8 or
      P10. CONCLUSION: We concluded that an inspiratory pressure of 12 cm H2O is
      sufficient to provide adequate ventilation with a lower occurrence of gastric
      insufflation during induction of general anesthesia in paralyzed Chinese children
      aged from 2 to 4 years old. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ( ChiCTR-IPR-16007960 ).
      Registered 21 February 2016 Conclusion heading: Ultrasound for determining
      gastric insufflation.

PMID- 28893202
TI  - Preliminary evaluation of prototype footwear and insoles to optimise balance and
      gait in older people.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Footwear has the potential to influence balance in either a
      detrimental or beneficial manner, and is therefore an important consideration in
      relation to falls prevention. The objective of this study was to evaluate balance
      ability and gait patterns in older women while wearing prototype footwear and
      insoles designed to improve balance. METHODS: Older women (n = 30) aged 65 - 83
      years (mean 74.4, SD 5.6) performed a series of laboratory tests of balance
      ability (postural sway on a foam rubber mat, limits of stability and tandem
      walking, measured with the Neurocom(r) Balance Master) and gait patterns (walking
      speed, cadence, step length and step width at preferred speed, measured with the
      GAITRite(r) walkway) while wearing (i) flexible footwear (Dunlop VolleyTM), (ii)
      their own footwear, and (iii) prototype footwear and insoles designed to improve
      dynamic balance. Perceptions of the footwear were also documented using a
      structured questionnaire. RESULTS: There was no difference in postural sway,
      limits of stability or gait patterns between the footwear conditions. However,
      when performing the tandem walking test, there was a significant reduction in
      step width and end sway when wearing the prototype footwear compared to both the
      flexible footwear and participants' own footwear. Participants perceived their
      own footwear to be more attractive, comfortable, well-fitted and easier to put on
      and off compared to the prototype footwear. Despite this, most participants (n =
      18, 60%) reported that they would consider wearing the prototype footwear to
      reduce their risk of falling. CONCLUSION: The prototype footwear and insoles used
      in this study improve balance when performing a tandem walk test, as evidenced by
      a narrower step width and decreased sway at completion of the task. However,
      further development of the design is required to make the footwear acceptable to
      older women from the perspective of aesthetics and comfort. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. ACTRN12617001128381 , 01/08/2017
      (retrospectively registered).

PMID- 28893203
TI  - Overall Low Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin Resistance but high Azithromycin
      Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in 24 European Countries, 2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surveillance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial susceptibility in
      Europe is performed through the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance
      Programme (Euro-GASP), which additionally provides data to inform the European
      gonorrhoea treatment guideline; currently recommending ceftriaxone 500 mg plus
      azithromycin 2 g as first-line therapy. We present antimicrobial susceptibility
      data from 24 European countries in 2015, linked to epidemiological data of
      patients, and compare the results to Euro-GASP data from previous years. METHODS:
      Antimicrobial susceptibility testing by MIC gradient strips or agar dilution
      methodology was performed on 2134 N. gonorrhoeae isolates and interpreted using
      EUCAST breakpoints. Patient variables associated with resistance were established
      using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: In 2015, 1.7%
      of isolates were cefixime resistant compared to 2.0% in 2014. Ceftriaxone
      resistance was detected in only one (0.05%) isolate in 2015, compared with five
      (0.2%) in 2014. Azithromycin resistance was detected in 7.1% of isolates in 2015
      (7.9% in 2014), and five (0.2%) isolates displayed high-level azithromycin
      resistance (MIC >= 256 mg/L) compared with one (0.05%) in 2014. Ciprofloxacin
      resistance remained high (49.4%, vs. 50.7% in 2014). Cefixime resistance
      significantly increased among heterosexual males (4.1% vs. 1.7% in 2014), which
      was mainly attributable to data from two countries with high cefixime resistance
      (~11%), however rates among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) and females continued
      to decline to 0.5% and 1%, respectively. Azithromycin resistance in MSM and
      heterosexual males was higher (both 8.1%) than in females (4.9% vs. 2.2% in
      2014). The association between azithromycin resistance and previous gonorrhoea
      infection, observed in 2014, continued in 2015 (OR 2.1, CI 1.2-3.5, p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: The 2015 Euro-GASP sentinel system revealed high, but stable
      azithromycin resistance and low overall resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime.
      The low cephalosporin resistance may be attributable to the effectiveness of the
      currently recommended first-line dual antimicrobial therapy; however the high
      azithromycin resistance threatens the effectiveness of this therapeutic regimen.
      Whether the global use of azithromycin in mono- or dual antimicrobial therapy of
      gonorrhoea is contributing to the global increases in azithromycin resistance
      remains to be elucidated. The increasing cefixime resistance in heterosexual
      males also needs close monitoring.

PMID- 28893204
TI  - Predicted networks of protein-protein interactions in Stegodyphus mimosarum by
      cross-species comparisons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stegodyphus mimosarum is a candidate model organism belonging to the
      class Arachnida in the phylum Arthropoda. Studies on the biology of S. mimosarum
      over the past several decades have consisted of behavioral research and
      comparison of gene sequences based on the assembled genome sequence. Given the
      lack of systematic protein analyses and the rich source of information in the
      genome, we predicted the relationships of proteins in S. mimosarum by
      bioinformatics comparison with genome-wide proteins from select model organisms
      using gene mapping. RESULTS: The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of 11
      organisms were integrated from four databases (BioGrid, InAct, MINT, and DIP).
      Here, we present comprehensive prediction and analysis of 3810 proteins in S.
      mimosarum with regard to interactions between proteins using PPI data of
      organisms. Interestingly, a portion of the protein interactions conserved among
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Homo sapiens, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Drosophila
      melanogaster were found to be associated with RNA splicing. In addition, overlap
      of predicted PPIs in reference organisms, Gene Ontology, and topology models in
      S. mimosarum are also reported. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of Stegodyphus, a spider
      representative of interactomic research, provides the possibility of obtaining
      deeper insights into the evolution of PPI networks among different animal
      species. This work largely supports the utility of the "stratus clouds" model for
      predicted PPIs, providing a roadmap for integrative systems biology in S.
      mimosarum.

PMID- 28893205
TI  - Is additional balloon Kyphoplasty safe and effective for acute thoracolumbar
      burst fracture?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Burst fracture is a common thoracolumbar injury that is treated using
      posterior pedicle instrumentation and fusion combined with transpedicular
      intracorporeal grafting after reduction. In this study, we compared the outcome
      of these two techniques by using radiologic imaging and functional outcome.
      METHODS: Sixty-one patients with acute thoracolumbar burst fracture were operated
      with kyphoplasty (n = 31) or vertebroplasty (n = 30) and retrospectively reviewed
      in our institution between 2011 and 2014. All 61 patients underwent surgery
      within 5 days after admission to the hospital and then followed-up for 12 to 24
      months after surgery. RESULTS: Significant improvement was found in the anterior
      vertebral height (92 +/- 8.9% in the kyphoplasty group, 85.6 +/- 7.2% in the
      vertebroplasty group, p < 0.01) at 1 month post-operatively and (89 +/- 7.9% in
      the kyphoplasty group, 78 +/- 6.9% in the vertebroplasty group, p < 0.01) at the
      24-month follow-up. Significant improvement was also observed in the kyphotic
      angle (1.2 +/- 0.5 degrees  in the kyphoplasty group, 10.5 +/- 1.2 degrees  in
      the vertebroplasty group, p < 0.01) at 1 month post-operatively and (5.4 +/- 1.2
      degrees  in the kyphoplasty group, 11.5 +/- 8.5 degrees  in the vertebroplasty
      group, p < 0.01) at the 24-month follow-up. Both operations led to significant
      improvement of the patients' pain and the Oswestry disability index (p < 0.01).
      Cement leakage was noted in 29% of patients after kyphoplasty and 77% of patients
      after vertebroplasty (p < 0.01). Only one implant failure (3.3%), which required
      further surgical intervention, was reported in the vertebroplasty group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Reduction with additional balloon at the fractured site is better
      than indirect reduction only by posterior instrumentation. The better reduction
      of kyphotic angle and the lower cement leakage rate in the kyphoplasty group
      indicate that additional balloon kyphoplasty is safe and effective for acute
      thoracolumbar burst fracture.

PMID- 28893207
TI  - Hepatitis B virus and HIV co-infection among pregnant women in Rwanda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects people worldwide but the local burden
      especially in pregnant women and their new born babies is unknown. In Rwanda HIV
      infected individuals who are also infected with HBV are supposed to be initiated
      on ART immediately. HBV is easily transmitted from mother to child during
      delivery. We sought to estimate the prevalence of chronic HBV infection among
      pregnant women attending ante-natal clinic (ANC) in Rwanda and to determine
      factors associated with HBV and HIV co-infection. METHODS: This study used a
      cross-sectional survey, targeting pregnant women in sentinel sites. Pregnant
      women were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HIV infection. A
      series of tests were done to ensure high sensitivity. Multivariable logistic
      regression was used to identify independent predictors of HBV-HIV co-infection
      among those collected during ANC sentinel surveillance, these included: age,
      marital status, education level, occupation, residence, pregnancy and syphilis
      infection. RESULTS: The prevalence of HBsAg among 13,121 pregnant women was 3.7%
      (95% CI: 3.4-4.0%) and was similar among different socio-demographic
      characteristics that were assessed. The proportion of HIV-infection among HBsAg
      positive pregnant women was 4.1% [95% CI: 2.5-6.3%]. The prevalence of HBV-HIV co
      infection was higher among women aged 15-24 years compared to those women aged 25
      49 years [aOR = 6.9 (95% CI: 1.8-27.0)]. Women residing in urban areas seemed
      having HBV-HIV co-infection compared with women residing in rural areas [aOR =
      4.3 (95% CI: 1.2-16.4)]. Women with more than two pregnancies were potentially
      having the co-infection compared to those with two or less (aOR = 6.9 (95% CI:
      1.7-27.8). Women with RPR-positive test were seemed associated with HBV-HIV co
      infection (aOR = 24.9 (95% CI: 5.0-122.9). CONCLUSION: Chronic HBV infection is a
      public health problem among pregnant women in Rwanda. Understanding that HBV-HIV
      co-infection may be more prominent in younger women from urban residences will
      help inform and strengthen HBV prevention and treatment programmes among HIV
      infected pregnant women, which is crucial to this population.

PMID- 28893206
TI  - Efficacy of blood flow restriction exercise during dialysis for end stage kidney
      disease patients: protocol of a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise during haemodialysis improves strength and physical
      function. However, both patients and clinicians are time poor, and current
      exercise recommendations add an excessive time burden making exercise a rare
      addition to standard care. Hypothetically, blood flow restriction exercise
      performed during haemodialysis can provide greater value for time spent
      exercising, reducing this time burden while producing similar or greater
      outcomes. This study will explore the efficacy of blood flow restriction exercise
      for enhancing strength and physical function among haemodialysis patients.
      METHODS: This is a randomised controlled trial design. A total of 75 participants
      will be recruited from haemodialysis clinics. Participants will be allocated to a
      blood flow restriction cycling group, traditional cycling group or usual care
      control group. Both exercising groups will complete 3 months of cycling exercise,
      performed intradialytically, three times per week. The blood flow restriction
      cycling group will complete two 10-min cycling bouts separated by a 20-min rest
      at a subjective effort of 15 on a 6 to 20 rating scale. This will be done with
      pressurised cuffs fitted proximally on the active limbs during exercise at 50% of
      a pre-determined limb occlusion pressure. The traditional cycling group will
      perform a continuous 20-min bout of exercise at a subjective effort of 12 on the
      same subjective effort scale. These workloads and volumes are equivalent and
      allow for comparison of a common blood flow restriction aerobic exercise
      prescription and a traditional aerobic exercise prescription. The primary outcome
      measures are lower limb strength, assessed by a three repetition maximum leg
      extension test, as well as objective measures of physical function: six-minute
      walk test, 30-s sit to stand, and timed up and go. Secondary outcome measures
      include thigh muscle cross sectional area, body composition, routine pathology,
      quality of life, and physical activity engagement. DISCUSSION: This study will
      determine the efficacy of blood flow restriction exercise among dialysis patients
      for improving key physiological outcomes that impact independence and quality of
      life, with reduced burden on patients. This may have broader implications for
      other clinical populations with similarly declining muscle health and physical
      function, and those contraindicated to higher intensities of exercise. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Register:
      ACTRN12616000121460.

PMID- 28893208
TI  - Trial design and rationale for APOLLO, a Phase 3, placebo-controlled study of
      patisiran in patients with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patisiran is an investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic
      in development for the treatment of hereditary ATTR (hATTR) amyloidosis, a
      progressive disease associated with significant disability, morbidity, and
      mortality. METHODS: Here we describe the rationale and design of the Phase 3
      APOLLO study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global study to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety of patisiran in patients with hATTR amyloidosis
      with polyneuropathy. Eligible patients are 18-85 years old with hATTR
      amyloidosis, investigator-estimated survival of >=2 years, Neuropathy Impairment
      Score (NIS) of 5-130, and polyneuropathy disability score <=IIIb. Patients are
      randomized 2:1 to receive either intravenous patisiran 0.3 mg/kg or placebo once
      every 3 weeks. The primary objective is to determine the efficacy of patisiran at
      18 months based on the difference in the change in modified NIS+7 (a composite
      measure of motor strength, sensation, reflexes, nerve conduction, and autonomic
      function) between the patisiran and placebo groups. Secondary objectives are to
      evaluate the effect of patisiran on Norfolk-Diabetic Neuropathy quality of life
      questionnaire score, nutritional status (as evaluated by modified body mass
      index), motor function (as measured by NIS-weakness and timed 10-m walk test),
      and autonomic symptoms (as measured by the Composite Autonomic Symptom Score-31
      questionnaire). Exploratory objectives include assessment of cardiac function and
      pathologic evaluation to assess nerve fiber innervation and amyloid burden.
      Safety of patisiran will be assessed throughout the study. DISCUSSION: APOLLO
      represents the largest randomized, Phase 3 study to date in patients with hATTR
      amyloidosis, with endpoints that capture the multisystemic nature of this
      disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (
      NCT01960348 ); October 9, 2013.

PMID- 28893209
TI  - Preliminary experience in laparoscopic resection of hepatic hydatidectocyst with
      the Da Vinci Surgical System (DVSS): a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At present, Da Vinci robotic assisted hepatectomy has been routinely
      carried out in conditional units. But there is no report concerning the use of Da
      Vinci robots for hepatic hydatid cystectomy and experience on this aspect is
      seldom mentioned before. This study was to summarize the preliminary experience
      in laparoscopic resection of hepatic hydatidectocyst with the Da Vinci Surgical
      System (DVSS). CASE PRESENTATION: A 29-year-old female diagnosed as hepatic
      hydatid in the right anterior lobe of liver was treated with laparoscopic
      resection by the DVSS under general anesthesia. Appropriate disposal of tumor
      cell in vascular system and disinfection of surgical field with hypertonic saline
      were conducted. The hepatic hydatidectocyst was resected completely with an
      operation time of 130 min, an intraoperative blood loss of 200 ml and a length of
      hospital stay for five days. The vital signs of patient were stable and no cyst
      fluid allergy occurred after operation. CONCLUSIONS: Our result showed that
      laparoscopic resection of hepatic hydatidectocyst by using the DVSS is safe and
      feasible on the basis of hospitals have rich experience in treatment of cystic
      echinococcosisliver, resection with DVSS and laparoscopic excision.

PMID- 28893210
TI  - Distinct molecular subtypes of uterine leiomyosarcoma respond differently to
      chemotherapy treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) is an aggressive form of soft tissue
      tumors. The molecular heterogeneity and pathogenesis of ULMS are not well
      understood. METHODS: Expression profiling data were used to determine the
      possibility and optimal number of ULMS molecular subtypes. Next,
      clinicopathological characters and molecular pathways were analyzed in each
      subtype to prospect the clinical applications and progression mechanisms of ULMS.
      RESULTS: Two distinct molecular subtypes of ULMS were defined based on different
      gene expression signatures. Subtype I ULMS recapitulated low-grade ULMS, the gene
      expression pattern of which resembled normal smooth muscle cells, characterized
      by overexpression of smooth muscle function genes such as LMOD1, SLMAP, MYLK,
      MYH11. In contrast, subtype II ULMS recapitulated high-grade ULMS with higher
      tumor weight and invasion rate, and was characterized by overexpression of genes
      involved in the pathway of epithelial to mesenchymal transition and
      tumorigenesis, such as CDK6, MAPK13 and HOXA1. CONCLUSIONS: We identified two
      distinct molecular subtypes of ULMS responding differently to chemotherapy
      treatment. Our findings provide a better understanding of ULMS intrinsic
      molecular subtypes, and will potentially facilitate the development of subtype
      specific diagnosis biomarkers and therapy strategies for these tumors.

PMID- 28893211
TI  - Clinical performance and patient outcome after simulation-based training in
      prevention and management of postpartum haemorrhage: an educational intervention
      study in a low-resource setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal mortality.
      Prevention and adequate treatment are therefore important. However, most births
      in low-resource settings are not attended by skilled providers, and knowledge and
      skills of healthcare workers that are available are low. Simulation-based
      training effectively improves knowledge and simulated skills, but the
      effectiveness of training on clinical behaviour and patient outcome is not yet
      fully understood. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of obstetric
      simulation-based training on the incidence of PPH and clinical performance of
      basic delivery skills and management of PPH. METHODS: A prospective educational
      intervention study was performed in a rural referral hospital in Tanzania.
      Sixteen research assistants observed all births with a gestational age of more
      than 28 weeks from May 2011 to June 2013. In March 2012 a half-day obstetric
      simulation-based training in management of PPH was introduced. Observations
      before and after training were compared. The main outcome measures were incidence
      of PPH (500-1000 ml and >1000 ml), use and timing of administration of uterotonic
      drugs, removal of placenta by controlled cord traction, uterine massage,
      examination of the placenta, management of PPH (>500 ml), and maternal and
      neonatal mortality at 24 h. RESULTS: Three thousand six hundred twenty two births
      before and 5824 births after intervention were included. The incidence of PPH
      (500-1000 ml) significantly reduced from 2.1% to 1.3% after training (effect size
      Cohen's d = 0.07). The proportion of women that received oxytocin (87.8%),
      removal of placenta by controlled cord traction (96.5%), and uterine massage
      after birth (93.0%) significantly increased after training (to 91.7%, 98.8%,
      99.0% respectively). The proportion of women who received oxytocin as part of
      management of PPH increased significantly (before training 43.0%, after training
      61.2%). Other skills in management of PPH improved (uterine massage, examination
      of birth canal, bimanual uterine compression), but these were not statistically
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of obstetric simulation-based training
      was associated with a 38% reduction in incidence of PPH and improved clinical
      performance of basic delivery skills and management of PPH.

PMID- 28893212
TI  - Associations between media use and health information-seeking behavior on
      vaccinations in South Korea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although vaccinations are critical for preventing emerging infectious
      diseases, scant research has been conducted on risk communication. With socio
      economic characteristics, health behavior, and underlying diseases under control,
      we investigated associations between media use, health information-seeking
      behavior, health information type, and vaccination in the population. METHODS:
      This study relied on a national survey of Korean adults (n = 1367). Participants
      were adult males and females age 20 and older. Web and face-to-face surveys were
      conducted throughout July 2014. The main outcome was vaccination (categorized as
      yes or no). Independent variables were time spent on media, frequency of health
      information-seeking behavior, and types of health information sought. RESULTS:
      Controlling for co-variates, logistic regression analysis was conducted to
      identify factors that influence Korean adults being vaccinated. Results revealed
      that accessible information about emerging infectious diseases, listening to the
      radio, and reading the newspaper were associated with increased odds of being
      vaccinated. Active seeking health information as well as being female and of
      higher socio-economic status were positively correlated with Korean adults being
      vaccinated. CONCLUSION: It is critical to promote health information-seeking
      behavior and use diverse media channels to increase acceptance and awareness of
      emerging infectious diseases and vaccinations. Because there are differences in
      vaccination awareness depending on social class, it is critical to reduce
      communication inequality, strengthen accessibility to vaccinations, and devise
      appropriate risk communication strategies that ensure Korean adults receive
      vaccinations.

PMID- 28893213
TI  - Application and analysis of retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with
      sequential segmental renal artery clamping for patients with multiple renal
      tumor: initial experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To explore the feasibility and safety of retroperitoneal laparoscopic
      partial nephrectomy with sequential segmental renal artery clamping for the
      patients with multiple renal tumor of who have solitary kidney or contralateral
      kidney insufficiency. METHODS: Nine patients who have undergone retroperitoneal
      laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with sequential segmental renal artery clamping
      between October 2010 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical
      materials and parameters during and after the operation were summarized. RESULTS:
      Nineteen tumors were resected in nine patients and the operations were all
      successful. The operation time ranged from 100 to 180 min (125 min); clamping
      time of segmental renal artery was 10 ~ 30 min (23 min); the amount of blood loss
      during the operation was 120 ~ 330 ml (190 ml); hospital stay after the operation
      is 3 ~ 6d (5d). There was no complication during the perioperative period, and
      the pathology diagnosis after the surgery showed that there were 13 renal clear
      cell carcinomas, two papillary carcinoma and four perivascular epithelioid cell
      tumors with negative margins from the 19 tumors. All patients were followed up
      for 3 ~ 60 months, and no local recurrence or metastasis was detected. At 3-month
      post-operation follow-up, the mean serum creatinine was 148.6 +/- 28.1 MUmol/L (p
      = 0.107), an increase of 3.0 MUmol/L from preoperative baseline. CONCLUSIONS: For
      the patients with multiple renal tumors and solitary kidney or contralateral
      kidney insufficiency, retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with
      sequential segmental renal artery clamping was feasible and safe, which minimized
      the warm ischemia injury to the kidney and preserved the renal function
      effectively.

PMID- 28893214
TI  - A mixed methods study on evaluating the performance of a multi-strategy national
      health program to reduce maternal and child health disparities in Haryana, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A multi pronged community based strategy, known as National Rural
      Health Mission (NRHM), was implemented from 2005-06 to 2012-13 in India to
      curtail maternal and child health (MCH) disparities between poor and rich, rural
      and urban areas, and boys and girls,. This study aimed to determine the degree to
      which MCH plans of NRHM implemented, and resulted in improving the MCH outcomes
      and reducing the inequalities. METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixed methods
      study was conducted, first to assess the degree of implementation of MCH plans by
      estimating the budget utilization rates of each MCH plan, and the effectiveness
      of these plans by comparing demographic health surveys data conducted post (2012
      13), during (2007-08) and pre- (2002-04) NRHM implementation period, in the
      quantitative study. Then, perceptions and beliefs of stakeholders regarding
      extent and effectiveness of NRHM in Haryana were explored in the qualitative
      study during 2013. A logistic regression analysis was done for quantitative data,
      and inductive applied thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings of the
      quantitative and qualitative parts of study were mixed at the interpretation
      level. RESULTS: The MCH plans, like free ambulance service, availability of free
      drugs and logistics, accredited social health activists were fully implemented
      according to the budget spent on implementing these activities in Haryana. This
      was also validated by qualitative study. Availability of free medicines and
      treatment in the public health facilities had benefitted the poor patients the
      most. Accredited Social Health Activists scheme was also the most appreciated
      scheme that had increased the institutional delivery rates. There was acute
      shortage of human resources in-spite of full utilization of funds allocated for
      this plan. The results of the qualitative study validated the findings of
      quantitative study of significant (p < 0.05) improvement in MCH indicators and
      reduction in MCH disparities between higher and lower socioeconomic groups, and
      rural and urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: MCH plans of NRHM might have succeeded in
      improving the MCH outcomes and reducing the geographical and socioeconomic MCH
      inequalities by successfully implementing the schemes like accredited social
      health activists, free ambulance services, free treatment and medicines in
      hospitals for the poor and in rural areas.

PMID- 28893215
TI  - Translation and cultural adaptation of the Integrated Palliative care Outcome
      Scale including cognitive interviewing with patients and staff.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To expand our clinical and scientific knowledge about holistic
      outcomes within palliative care, there is a need for agreed-upon patient-reported
      outcome measures. These patient-reported outcome measures then require
      translation and cultural adaptation, either from country-specific languages to
      English, or the other way around. The aim of this study was to translate and
      cross-culturally adapt the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) to the
      Swedish care context. METHODS: Swedish versions of IPOS Patient and IPOS Staff
      were developed and culturally adapted using recommended guidelines including
      cognitive interviews with patients (n = 13) and staff (n = 15) from different
      care contexts including general and specialised palliative care. RESULTS: The
      comprehension and judgement difficulties identified in the pre-final patient and
      staff versions were successfully solved during the cognitive interviewing
      process. IPOS was well accepted by both patients and staff, none of the questions
      were experienced as inappropriate, and all questions were judged important.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we translated and culturally adapted the patient and
      staff versions of IPOS, and demonstrated face and content validity and
      acceptability of the scale through cognitive interviewing with patients and staff
      within residential care facility, surgical and specialised palliative home care
      units. Cognitive interviewing in parallel with patients and staff in rounds, with
      tentative analysis in between, was a suitable method for identifying and solving
      challenges with comprehension and evaluation in the pre-final version of IPOS.
      The Swedish IPOS is now available for use in a variety of clinical care settings.

PMID- 28893216
TI  - Antimalarial efficacy of Pongamia pinnata (L) Pierre against Plasmodium
      falciparum (3D7 strain) and Plasmodium berghei (ANKA).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of the current study was to assess the in vitro
      antiplasmodial activities of leaf, bark, flower, and the root of Pongamia pinnata
      against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum (3D7 strain), cytotoxicity
      against Brine shrimp larvae and THP-1 cell line. For in vivo study, the plant
      extract which has shown potent in vitro antimalarial activity was tested against
      Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain). METHODS: The plant Pongamia pinnata was
      collected from the herbal garden of Acharya Nagarjuna University of Guntur
      district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Sequentially crude extracts of methanol (polar),
      chloroform (non-polar), hexane (non-polar), ethyl acetate (non-polar) and aqueous
      (polar) of dried leaves, bark, flowers and roots of Pongamia pinnata were
      prepared using Soxhlet apparatus. The extracts were screened for in vitro
      antimalarial activity against P. falciparum 3D7 strain. The cytotoxicity studies
      of crude extracts were conducted against Brine shrimp larvae and THP-1 cell line.
      Phytochemical analysis of the plant extracts was carried out by following the
      standard methods. The chemical injury to erythrocytes due to the plant extracts
      was checked. The in vivo study was conducted on P. berghei (ANKA) infected BALB/c
      albino mice by following 4-Day Suppressive, Repository, and Curative tests.
      RESULTS: Out of all the tested extracts, the methanol extract of the bark of
      Pongamia pinnata had shown an IC50 value of 11.67 MUg/mL with potent in vitro
      antimalarial activity and cytotoxicity evaluation revealed that this extract was
      not toxic against Brine shrimp and THP-1 cells. The injury to erythrocytes
      analysis had not shown any morphological alterations and damage to the
      erythrocytes after 48 h of incubation. Because methanolic bark extract of
      Pongamia pinnata has shown good antimalarial activity in vitro, it was also
      tested in vivo. So the extract had exhibited an excellent activity against P.
      berghei malaria parasite while decrement of parasite counts was moderately low
      and dose-dependent (P < 0.05) when compared to the control groups, which shown a
      daily increase of parasitemia, unlike the CQ-treated groups. The highest
      concentration of the extract (1000 mg/kg b.wt./day) had shown 83.90, 87.47 and
      94.67% of chemo-suppression during Suppressive, Repository, and Curative tests
      respectively which is almost nearer to the standard drug Chloroquine (5 mg/kg
      b.wt./day). Thus, the study has revealed that the methanolic bark extract had
      shown promisingly high ((P < 0.05) and dose-dependent chemo-suppression. The
      phytochemical screening of the crude extracts had shown the presence of
      alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenes, tannins, carbohydrates, phenols, coumarins,
      saponins, phlobatannins and steroids. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is useful to
      develop new antimalarial drugs in the scenario of the growing resistance to the
      existing antimalarials. Thus, additional research is needed to characterize the
      bioactive molecules of the extracts of Pongamia pinnata that are responsible for
      inhibition of malaria parasite.

PMID- 28893217
TI  - A comparative study of irrigation versus no irrigation during burr hole
      craniostomy to treat chronic subdural hematoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Burr hole craniostomy is a widely used method for the evacuation of
      CSDH. However it is not clear whether the irrigation during operation improves
      the prognosis or gives rise to additional complications instead. This
      retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine this issue. METHODS:
      Patients attending two medical centers in China who underwent burr hole drainage
      with irrigation (BHDI) or burr hole drainage without irrigation (BHD) for
      unilateral CSDH during January 2013 to December 2016 were included in this study.
      The patients' clinical information and follow-up data were retrospectively
      reviewed, and the radiologic findings were processed using the 3D Slicer
      software. The differences in outcomes were identified using t-test, chi-square
      test, or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A total of 151 patients comprising 63
      patients in the BHD group and 88 patients in the BHDI group were included.
      Patients in the BHDI group had a higher volume of pneumocrania on the first
      postoperative day than that of patients in the BHD group (p < 0.05). No
      significant differences were observed between the two approaches in rates of
      rebleeding, recurrence and other complications (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Irrigation had no improvement in the long-term curative effect on CSDH, but it
      increased the risk of short-term complication in terms of pneumocrania.
      Therefore, this study suggests that irrigation is not an obligatory procedure
      during burr hole drainage.

PMID- 28893218
TI  - Contributing factors of elective surgical case cancellation: a retrospective
      cross-sectional study at a single-site hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Case cancellation (CC) has significant impact on the efficiency of
      operating room (OR) management, which can be mitigated by taking preventive
      measures. In this study, using the data of the West China Hospital (WCH), we
      identified the effect of contributing factors and recommended hospital
      interventions to facilitate CC prevention. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective
      review of 11,331 elective surgical cases from January 1 to December 31, 2014. CC
      reasons were grouped into six categories. The methods of descriptive statistics
      and hypothesis test were used to identify the effect of factors. RESULTS: CC
      reasons (746) were divided into six broad categories: workup related
      (preoperative diagnostic assessment issues or sudden medical condition changes)
      (25.8%), non-specified reasons (25.8%), coordination issues (15.1%), patient
      related (13.0%), support system issues (11.8%), and doctor related (8.5%). The
      types of the most frequently performed operations are identified, as well as
      their CRs. The cancellation rate (CR) of males was lower than that of females
      (16.7% to 18.3%). A large difference in the CRs existed among doctors. The CR on
      Monday was significantly higher than the other four weekdays. CONCLUSIONS: Workup
      related issues, the types of procedures, the menstrual cycle of females, highly
      imbalanced CRs among doctors, and tendency of cancellation on Monday are the
      major identified factors, which account for a significant amount of preventable
      cancellations. It is suggested that corresponding hospital interventions can
      reduce CR and improve OR efficiency, including maintaining effective
      coordination, good communication and well-designed preoperative assessment
      processes, focusing on the type of procedures which are more time-consuming and
      complex, paying special attention to the physiology of females during surgery
      planning, taking measures to reduce CR of top eight doctors, and improving
      surgery scheduling on Monday.

PMID- 28893219
TI  - A case of a four-year-old child adopted at eight months with unusual mood
      patterns and significant polypharmacy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term effects of neglect in early life are still widely unknown.
      Diversity of outcomes can be explained by differences in genetic risk,
      epigenetics, prenatal factors, exposure to stress and/or substances, and parent
      child interactions. Very common sub-threshold presentations of children with
      history of early trauma are challenging not only to diagnose but also in
      treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A Caucasian 4-year-old, adopted at 8 months, male
      patient with early history of neglect presented to pediatrician with symptoms of
      behavioral dyscontrol, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, hyperactivity and
      inattention, obsessions with food, and attachment issues. He was subsequently
      seen by two different child psychiatrists. Pharmacotherapy treatment attempted
      included guanfacine, fluoxetine and amphetamine salts as well as quetiapine,
      aripiprazole and thioridazine without much improvement. Risperidone initiated by
      primary care seemed to help with his symptoms of dyscontrol initially but later
      the dose had to be escalated to 6 mg total for the same result. After an episode
      of significant aggression, the patient was admitted to inpatient child
      psychiatric unit for stabilization and taper of the medicine. CONCLUSIONS: The
      case illustrates difficulties in management of children with early history of
      neglect. A particular danger in this patient population is polypharmacy, which is
      often used to manage transdiagnostic symptoms that significantly impacts
      functioning with long term consequences.

PMID- 28893220
TI  - The added value of musculoskeletal ultrasound to clinical evaluation in the
      treatment decision of rheumatoid arthritis outpatients: physician experience
      matters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal ultrasound improves the accuracy of detecting the
      level of disease activity (DA) in RA patients, although its impact on the final
      treatment decision in a real clinical setting is uncertain. The objectives were
      to define the percentage of clinical scenarios from an ongoing cohort of RA
      outpatients in which the German Ultrasound Score on 7 joints (GUS-7) impacted the
      treatment and to explore if the impact differed between a senior rheumatologist
      (SR) vs. a trainee (TR). METHODS: Eighty-five consecutive and randomly selected
      RA outpatients underwent 170 assessments, 85 each by the SR and the TR.
      Initially, both physicians (blinded to each other) performed a rheumatic
      assessment and recommended a preliminary treatment. Then, the patients underwent
      the GUS-7 evaluation by an experienced rheumatologist blinded to clinical
      evaluations; selected joints of the clinically dominant hand were assessed by
      gray-scale and power Doppler (PD). In the final step, the TR and the SR
      integrated the GUS-7 findings with their previous evaluation and reviewed their
      recommendations. The patients received the final recommendation from the SR to
      avoid patient confusion. The study was approved by the Internal Review Board and
      all the patients signed informed consent. GUS-7 usefulness was separately
      evaluated by the SR and the TR according to a visual analogue scale (0 = not
      useful at all, 10 = very useful). Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: The
      patients were primarily middle-aged females (91.4%) with (mean +/- SD) disease
      duration of 7.5 +/- 3.9 years. The majority of them (69.2% according to TR and
      71.8% to SR) were in DAS28-ESR-remission. In 34 of 170 clinical scenarios (20%),
      the GUS-7 findings modified the final treatment proposal; 24 of these scenarios
      were determined by the TR vs. 10 by the SR: 70.5% vs. 29.5%, p = 0.01. Treatment
      changes (increase, decrease and joint injection) were similar between both
      specialists. As expected, the TR rated the GUS-7 usefulness higher than the SR,
      particularly in the clinical scenarios where the GUS-7 findings impacted
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Musculoskeletal ultrasound added to standard rheumatic
      assessments impacted the treatment proposal in a limited number of patients; the
      impact was greater in the TR.

PMID- 28893221
TI  - The indirect and direct pathways between physical fitness and academic
      achievement on commencement in post-compulsory education in a historical cohort
      of Danish school youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some studies have found positive associations between physical
      fitness and academic achievements. Pupils' academic achievements should indicate
      scholastic abilities to commence a post-compulsory education. However, the effect
      magnitude of physical fitness and academic achievements on commencement in post
      compulsory education is unknown. We examined the pathways between physical
      fitness and academic achievement on pupils' commencement in post-compulsory
      education. METHODS: This historical cohort study followed 530 girls and 554 boys
      from the Danish municipality of Aalborg in the period 2008-2014, 13 to 15 years
      old in 2010. Physical fitness was assessed through a watt-max cycle ergometer
      test represented as VO2max (mL.kg-1.min-1). Academic achievement, commencement
      status and information on covariates were obtained from Danish nationwide
      registers. Causal inference based mediation analysis was used to investigate the
      indirect and direct pathways by separating the total effect of physical fitness
      on post-compulsory education commencement. RESULTS: Adjusting for sex, age,
      ethnicity and socioeconomic status, the overall mediation analysis showed an odds
      ratio (OR) of 1.87 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30; 2.73) for the total
      effect, corresponding to an increase in odds of post-compulsory education
      commencement when the physical fitness was increased by 10 units of VO2max. The
      separated total effect showed a natural direct OR of 1.36 (95% CI: 0.93; 1.98)
      and a natural indirect (i.e., through academic achievement) OR of 1.37 (95% CI:
      1.20; 1.57). Thus, 51% (95% CI: 27%; 122%) of the effect of physical fitness on
      post-compulsory education commencement was mediated through academic achievement.
      CONCLUSION: Physical fitness had a positive effect on post-compulsory education
      commencement. A substantial part of this effect was mediated through academic
      achievement.

PMID- 28893222
TI  - Quality of antenatal care services and completion of four or more antenatal care
      visits in Ethiopia: a finding based on a demographic and health survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the core interventions for improving
      maternal outcomes. The average annual decline of maternal mortality rate from
      1990 to 2013 was 5% in Ethiopia. This figure was below the least expected 5.5% to
      achieve the targeted 75% by 1990-2015. Moreover, completion of the recommended
      four or more ANC visits was only 32%. This study was aimed to examine individual,
      household and community level potential determinants of completing the
      recommended visits in the country. METHODS: The 2014 Ethiopian Mini Demographic
      and Health Survey data were used. Among women aged 15-49 years 3694 who had given
      birth in the 5 years preceding the survey were included in the analysis. The
      robust standard error method of generalized estimation equations were used for
      binary outcome variable from the clustered data. RESULTS: Only 33.0% (95% CI 31.
      5% 34.5%) of women completed the recommended visits. Out of the total women,
      56.5% had at least one ANC visit. Out of those who had at least one ANC visit,
      37.4% visited in their first trimester. Completing the recommended visits was
      negatively associated with women in the lower educational level, lower economic
      conditions, higher birth order, and rural residence. But, it was positively
      associated with the community level high quality ANC services received.
      Difference in age and region also affected the completion of the recommended
      visits. CONCLUSION: The finding revealed the need for improving the uptake of ANC
      services, early arrival in the first trimester for services, and motivating
      mothers that begin ANC to confirm continuity. Strategies to foster completing the
      recommended visits should focus on upgrading quality of care services at the
      community level. Women in low economic level, high birth order, rural residence,
      and low educational status should be given special attention. Early and late age
      groups should be given special attention regarding the services.

PMID- 28893224
TI  - Relationship between sleep quality and cardiovascular disease risk in Chinese
      post-menopausal women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Menopause is an inevitable stage affecting every middle-aged woman.
      China has a large and increasing group of post-menopausal women. Most post
      menopausal women suffer from increased risks for cardiovascular diseases (CVD)
      and sleep problems. Previous studies have demonstrated the associations between
      sleep disorders and increased CVD risks in general population. The current study
      is to examine the relationship between sleep quality and CVD risks among Chinese
      post-menopausal women. METHODS: This study was a sub-study nested in a cross
      sectional study that investigated the sleep quality of community-dwelling adults
      in Xian, Shaanxi Province, China. The Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep
      Quality Index (PSQI) and the Framingham 10-year risk score (FRS) were used to
      measure sleep quality and CVD risk among 154 Chinese post-menopausal women.
      Multivariate regression and logistic regression were used to determine the
      association between sleep quality and CVD risk. RESULTS: The participants (age:
      63.65 +/- 4.47 years) experienced poor sleep quality (mean score of global PSQI =
      8.58) and a 10-year risk of CVD of 12.54%. The CVD risk was significantly
      associated with sleep duration (beta = - 0.18, p = 0.04) and sleep disturbance
      (beta = 0.33, p < 0.001). Women with good sleep quality (PSQI <=5) were less
      likely to be at high risk for CVD (FRS > 10%) (odds ratio = 0.51, p = 0.04).
      CONCLUSIONS: Poor sleep quality might increase the CVD risk in post-menopausal
      women. Interventions to promote the cardiovascular health of Chinese post
      menopausal women may need to include sleep promotion strategies.

PMID- 28893223
TI  - BRCA2 carriers with male breast cancer show elevated tumour methylation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Male breast cancer (MBC) represents a poorly characterised group of
      tumours, the management of which is largely based on practices established for
      female breast cancer. However, recent studies demonstrate biological and
      molecular differences likely to impact on tumour behaviour and therefore patient
      outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate methylation of a panel of
      commonly methylated breast cancer genes in familial MBCs. METHODS: 60 tumours
      from 3 BRCA1 and 25 BRCA2 male mutation carriers and 32 males from BRCAX families
      were assessed for promoter methylation by methylation-sensitive high resolution
      melting in a panel of 10 genes (RASSF1A, TWIST1, APC, WIF1, MAL, RARbeta, CDH1,
      RUNX3, FOXC1 and GSTP1). An average methylation index (AMI) was calculated for
      each case comprising the average of the methylation of the 10 genes tested as an
      indicator of overall tumour promoter region methylation. Promoter
      hypermethylation and AMI were correlated with BRCA carrier mutation status and
      clinicopathological parameters including tumour stage, grade, histological
      subtype and disease specific survival. RESULTS: Tumours arising in BRCA2 mutation
      carriers showed significantly higher methylation of candidate genes, than those
      arising in non-BRCA2 familial MBCs (average AMI 23.6 vs 16.6, p = 0.01, 45% of
      genes hypermethylated vs 34%, p < 0.01). RARbeta methylation and AMI-high status
      were significantly associated with tumour size (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02
      respectively), RUNX3 methylation with invasive carcinoma of no special type (94%
      vs 69%, p = 0.046) and RASSF1A methylation with coexistence of high grade ductal
      carcinoma in situ (33% vs 6%, p = 0.02). Cluster analysis showed MBCs arising in
      BRCA2 mutation carriers were characterised by RASSF1A, WIF1, RARbeta and GTSP1
      methylation (p = 0.02) whereas methylation in BRCAX tumours showed no clear
      clustering to particular genes. TWIST1 methylation (p = 0.001) and AMI (p = 0.01)
      were prognostic for disease specific survival. CONCLUSIONS: Increased methylation
      defines a subset of familial MBC and with AMI may be a useful prognostic marker.
      Methylation might be predictive of response to novel therapeutics that are
      currently under investigation in other cancer types.

PMID- 28893225
TI  - Perspectives of Aboriginal women on participation in mammographic screening: a
      step towards improving services.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early detection of breast cancer using screening mammography provides
      an opportunity for treatment which can lead to significantly improved outcomes.
      Despite considerable efforts having been made, the rate at which Aboriginal and
      Torres Strait Islander (hereafter respectfully referred to as Aboriginal) women
      in Western Australia participate in BreastScreen WA's screening mammogram program
      remains below that for the overall female population of Western Australia. This
      study aimed to examine perspectives on breast screening amongst Aboriginal women
      in Western Australia. We explored the factors which impact on participation in
      breast screening and sought to identify potential initiatives to address lower
      participation in screening. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews, focus group
      discussions and yarning sessions were conducted with a total of 65 research
      participants. They were all Aboriginal and comprised consumers and health
      professionals from locations across the state. RESULTS: Our findings show that
      research participants generally were willing to have a mammogram. Key reasons
      given were having a genetic predisposition to breast cancer and a perception of
      investing in health for the sake of the next generation, as well as personal well
      being. Barriers identified included lack of education about or understanding of
      screening, inadequacies in cultural appropriateness in the screening program,
      cultural beliefs around cancer in general and breast cancer in particular, and
      competing health and life priorities. However, many enablers were identified
      which can serve as potential strategies to assuage fear and increase screening
      uptake. These included increased education delivered by respected Aboriginal
      women, culturally appropriate promotion and the provision of care and support
      from other women in the community. CONCLUSION: The higher participation rates for
      Aboriginal women in Western Australia than are found for Aboriginal women
      nationally demonstrate the success of the strategies put in place by BreastScreen
      WA. These efforts must be supported and existing policies and practices enhanced
      to address the limitations in the existing program. Only by implementing and
      evaluating such initiatives and making breast screening programs more accessible
      to Aboriginal women can the current disparity between the screening participation
      rates of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women be reduced.

PMID- 28893226
TI  - Effect of periodontitis on the development of osteoporosis: results from a
      nationwide population-based cohort study (2003-2013).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of osteoporosis associated with the aging process is
      anticipated to increase along with the rising aging population. Periodontitis
      that the most common chronic infections of humankind is considered the risk
      factor for osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to identify the association
      between osteoporosis and periodontitis using a population-based cohort. METHODS:
      The case group was defined as patients diagnosed with periodontitis and treated
      with subgingival curettage, root conditioning, periodontal flap operation, bone
      grafting for alveolar bone defects, and guided tissue regeneration. Case and
      control groups matched for gender, age, household income, type of social
      security, disability, and residential area were generated. A Cox proportional
      hazard model was constructed to examine the difference in the development of
      osteoporosis between the case and control groups. The final sample included
      13,464 participants. RESULTS: The incidence of osteoporosis was 1.1% in males and
      15.8% in females during a 10-year period. The risk factors for osteoporosis in
      males were increasing age and Charlson Comorbidity Index score. Periodontitis was
      not associated with the development of osteoporosis in males. The risk factors
      for osteoporosis in females were increasing age, body mass index, Charlson
      Comorbidity Index score, diabetes, and periodontitis. Women with periodontitis
      were more likely to also develop osteoporosis (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01-1.48).
      CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis has an effect on the development of osteoporosis in
      females. Managing good teeth is required for the prevention and delay of
      osteoporosis. This includes dental examinations, regular cleanings and gum
      treatment.

PMID- 28893227
TI  - Damage control surgery - experiences from a level I trauma center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is still no evidence in literature for damage control
      orthopaedics (DCO), early total care (ETC) or using external fixation solely in
      fractures of the long bones in multi-system-trauma. The aim of this study was to
      determine parameters influencing the choice of treatment in clinical routine
      (DCO, ETC, or EF) in femoral or tibial shaft fractures in combination with multi
      system-trauma, severe soft tissue damage or both. METHODS: Data of 236 patients
      with 280 fractures of long bones of the lower extremities treated at a level I
      trauma center were analysed. Clinical parameters on arrival (age, sex [m/f], ISS,
      fracture site [femur/tibia], soft tissue damage [closed or open fractures
      according to the Gustilo-Anderson classification], pulmonary injury [yes/no])
      were collected and analysed whether they influence the choice of upcoming
      treatment (DCO/ETC/EF). RESULTS: Our findings showed that high ISS and severe
      soft tissue damage (grade III) significantly correlated with DCO. High ISS, old
      age, female sex and fracture site (tibia) correlated with EF. This group of sole
      use of external fixation had highest rate of complications, 69% were associated
      with at least one complication. CONCLUSION: Severely injured patients are treated
      significantly more often with DCO or EF. The presence of higher ISS (>=16) and of
      type III open fractures increased the use of DCO. However, ISS, fracture-site,
      patient's age, type III open fractures or sex (female) increased the use of EF
      compared to ETC.

PMID- 28893228
TI  - XIAP over-expression is an independent poor prognostic marker in Middle Eastern
      breast cancer and can be targeted to induce efficient apoptosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females and is ranked
      second in cancer-related deaths all over the world in women. Despite improvement
      in diagnosis, the survival rate of this disease has still not improved. X-linked
      Inhibitor of Apoptosis (XIAP) has been shown to be over-expressed in various
      cancers leading to poor overall survival. However, the role of XIAP in breast
      cancer from Middle Eastern region has not been fully explored. METHODS: We
      examined the expression of XIAP in more than 1000 Middle Eastern breast cancer
      cases by immunohistochemistry. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Protein
      expression was determined by western blotting. Finally, in vivo studies were
      performed on nude mice following xenografting and treatment with inhibitors.
      RESULTS: XIAP was found to be over-expressed in 29.5% of cases and directly
      associated with clinical parameters such as tumor size, extra nodal extension,
      triple negative breast cancer and poorly differentiated breast cancer subtype. In
      addition, XIAP over-expression was also significantly associated with PI3-kinase
      pathway protein; p-AKT, proliferative marker; Ki-67 and anti-apoptotic marker;
      PARP. XIAP over-expression in our cohort of breast cancer was an independent poor
      prognostic marker in multivariate analysis. Next, we investigated inhibition of
      XIAP using a specific inhibitor; embelin and found that embelin treatment led to
      inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells.
      Finally, breast cancer cells treated with combination of embelin and PI3-kinase
      inhibitor; LY294002 synergistically induced apoptosis and caused tumor growth
      regression in vivo. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that XIAP may be playing an
      important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer and can be therapeutically
      targeted either alone or in combination with PI3-kinase inhibition to induce
      efficient apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

PMID- 28893229
TI  - Neuroimmune expression in hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuroimmune axis is central in the physiopathology of hip
      osteoarthritis (OA), but its specific pathways are still unclear. This systematic
      review aims to assess the nervous and immune system profile of patients with hip
      osteoarthritis (OA) when compared to healthy controls. METHODS: A systematic
      review followed PRISMA guidelines was conducted. A two-step selection process was
      completed, and from 609 references 17 were included. The inclusion criteria were:
      original articles on adult patients with hip OA, with assessment of neuroimmune
      expression. Articles with other interventions prior to analysis and those without
      a control group were excluded. RESULTS: Thirty-nine relevant neuroimmune markers
      were identified, with assessments in bone, cartilage, synovial membrane, synovial
      fluid, whole blood, serum and/or immune cells. GM-CSF, IFN-gamma, IL-1alpha, IL
      6, IL-8, IL-1 and TNF-alpha presented variable expression among tissues studied
      when compared between hip OA and controls. VEGFs and TGF-beta isoforms showed
      similar tendencies among tissues and studies. On nervous expression, CGRP, Tuj-1
      and SP were increased in synovial membrane. Overall, patients with hip OA
      presented a higher number of overexpressed markers. CONCLUSIONS: For the first
      time a systematic review on neuroimmune expression in patients with hip OA found
      an upregulation of neuroimmune markers, with deregulated balance between pro and
      anti-inflammatory cytokines. However, no clear systematic pattern was found, and
      few information is available on nervous expression. This highlights the
      importance of future research with clear methodologies to guide the management of
      these patients.

PMID- 28893230
TI  - Assessment of free radical scavenging and anti-proliferative activities of
      Tinospora cordifolia Miers (Willd).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi or Amrita) is an important drug of
      Ayurvedic System of Medicine and found mention in various classical texts for the
      treatment of diseases such as jaundice, fever, diabetes, cancer and skin disease
      etc. In view of its traditional claims, antioxidant and anti-proliferative
      activities were evaluated in the present study. METHODS: Ethanol extract (TCE)
      and subsequent petroleum ether (TCP), dichloromethane (TCD), n-Butanol (TCB) and
      aqueous (TCA) fractions of were prepared from stems of T cordifolia. Total
      phenolic, flavonoid content and anti-oxidant activity was assessed by different
      methods. Anti-proliferative activity was assessed in cervical carcinoma (HeLa)
      cell lines by MTT and SRB assay. RESULTS: Ethanol extract and n-butanol fractions
      shown to be superior in their scavenging activity in all the tested methods. n
      butanol fractions shown antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 14.81 +/- 0.53,
      29.48 +/- 2.23, 58.20 +/- 0.70 and 21.17 +/- 1.19 MUg/mL by DPPH, ABTS, Nitric
      oxide and iron chelating activities respectively. Anti-proliferative activity
      results demonstrates that the TCD and ethanol extract of T cordifolia exhibits
      potent cytotoxic effect against HeLa with an IC50 of 54.23 +/- 0.94 MUg/mL and
      101.26 +/- 1.42 MUg/mL respectively by MTT assay; and with an IC50 of 48.91 +/-
      0.33 MUg/mL and 87.93 +/- 0.85 MUg/mL respectively by SRB assay. CONCLUSION: The
      outcomes of the present study support the fact that T Cordifolia is a promising
      source of antioxidant agent and propose its further investigation. Moreover,
      dichloromethane fraction of T cordifolia shown to be the most potent anti
      proliferative fraction and further mechanistic and phytochemical investigations
      are under way to identify the active principles.

PMID- 28893232
TI  - Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 deficiency enhances subchondral osteopenia
      after induction of osteoarthritis in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Subchondral osteopenia is important for the pathophysiology of
      osteoarthritis (OA). Although previous studies suggest that plasminogen activator
      inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), an inhibitor of fibrinolysis, is related to bone metabolism,
      its role in OA remains unknown. We therefore investigated the roles of PAI-1 in
      the subchondral bone in OA model mice. METHODS: Wild type (WT) and PAI-1
      deficient (KO) mice were ovariectomized (OVX), and then destabilization of the
      medial meniscus (DMM) surgery was performed. RESULTS: DMM and OVX significantly
      decreased the trabecular bone mineral density of the subchondral bone evaluated
      by quantitative computed tomography in PAI-1 KO mice. The effects of OVX and/or
      PAI-1 deficiency on the OARSI score for the evaluation of the progression of knee
      degeneration were not significant. PAI-1 deficiency significantly augmented
      receptor activator nuclear factor kappaB ligand mRNA levels enhanced by IL-1beta
      in mouse primary osteoblasts, although it did not affect osteoblast
      differentiation. Moreover, PAI-1 deficiency significantly increased osteoclast
      formation from mouse bone marrow cells. CONCLUSION: We showed that PAI-1
      deficiency accelerates the subchondral osteopenia after induction of OA in mice.
      PAI-1 might suppress an enhancement of bone resorption and subsequent subchondral
      osteopenia after induction of OA in mice.

PMID- 28893231
TI  - Involvement of DPP9 in gene fusions in serous ovarian carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A fusion gene is a hybrid gene consisting of parts from two
      previously independent genes. Chromosomal rearrangements leading to gene breakage
      are frequent in high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas and have been reported as a
      common mechanism for inactivating tumor suppressor genes. However, no fusion
      genes have been repeatedly reported to be recurrent driver events in ovarian
      carcinogenesis. We combined genomic and transcriptomic information to identify
      novel fusion gene candidates and aberrantly expressed genes in ovarian
      carcinomas. METHODS: Examined were 19 previously karyotyped ovarian carcinomas
      (18 of the serous histotype and one undifferentiated). First, karyotypic
      aberrations were compared to fusion gene candidates identified by RNA sequencing
      (RNA-seq). In addition, we used exon-level gene expression microarrays as a
      screening tool to identify aberrantly expressed genes possibly involved in gene
      fusion events, and compared the findings to the RNA-seq data. RESULTS: We found a
      DPP9-PPP6R3 fusion transcript in one tumor showing a matching genomic 11;19
      translocation. Another tumor had a rearrangement of DPP9 with PLIN3. Both
      rearrangements were associated with diminished expression of the 3' end of DPP9
      corresponding to the breakpoints identified by RNA-seq. For the exon-level
      expression analysis, candidate fusion partner genes were ranked according to
      deviating expression compared to the median of the sample set. The results were
      collated with data obtained from the RNA-seq analysis. Several fusion candidates
      were identified, among them TMEM123-MMP27, ZBTB46-WFDC13, and PLXNB1-PRKAR2A, all
      of which led to stronger expression of the 3' genes. In view of our previous
      findings of nonrandom rearrangements of chromosome 19 in this cancer type,
      particular emphasis was given to changes of this chromosome and a DDA1-FAM129C
      fusion event was identified. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified novel fusion gene
      candidates in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. DPP9 was involved in two
      different fusion transcripts that both resulted in deregulated expression of the
      3' end of the transcript and thus possible loss of the active domains in the DPP9
      protein. The identified rearrangements might play a role in tumorigenesis or
      tumor progression.

PMID- 28893233
TI  - Clinical characteristics of adrenal crisis in adult population with and without
      predisposing chronic adrenal insufficiency: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adrenal crisis (AC) occurs in various clinical conditions but
      previous epidemiological studies in AC are limited to chronic adrenal
      insufficiency (AI) and sepsis. The aim of this study was to investigate
      characteristics of AC patients, including predisposing diseases and to describe
      candidate risk factors for AC such as comorbidities and glucocorticoid (GC)
      therapy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a claims
      database on 7.4 million patients from 145 acute care hospitals between January 1,
      2003 and April 30, 2014. We identified AC patients who met the following
      criteria: 1) disease name with ICD-10 corresponded with AI; 2) therapeutic GC
      administration (hydrocortisone equivalent dose >=100 mg/day); 3) admission; and
      4) age >=18 years. RESULTS: We identified 504 patients with AC (median age, 71
      years; interquartile range, 59 to 80; 50.6% male). As predisposing conditions,
      primary AI and central AI accounted for 23 (4.6%) and 136 patients (27.0%),
      respectively. In the remaining AC patients (68.5%), comorbidities such as cancer,
      autoimmune diseases, and renal failure were frequent. The most frequent
      indication for hospitalization was AC (16.3%), followed by pituitary disease
      (14.7%), cancer (14.7%), AI-related clinical symptoms (11.5%), and infection
      (11.1%). Admission under oral GC treatment was reported in 104 patients (20.6%).
      Twenty-six patients were admitted within 14 days after GC cessation (5.2%).
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings present an overview of patients with AC in general
      practice settings, clarifying that predisposing factors for AC were complicated
      and that patients other than those with chronic AI were older and had more
      comorbid conditions than those with primary and central AI.

PMID- 28893234
TI  - Study comparing 3 hour and 24 hour post-operative removal of bladder catheter and
      vaginal pack following vaginal surgery: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional practice after vaginal hysterectomy was to keep the
      vaginal pack and urinary catheter for 24 hours post operatively. But there were
      studies that prolonged cathterisation was associated with urinary infection. So
      this study was conducted to compare the post operative outcome when the urinary
      catheter and vaginal pack were removed after 3 hours and after 24 hours after
      surgery. METHODS: The study was done in the Department of Obstetrics and
      Gynecology, in a tertiary teaching institute of South India from September 2008
      to March 2010. It was a randomised controlled trial involving 200 women
      undergoing vaginal surgery, who were randomly assigned to 2 groups - catheter and
      vaginal pack were removed either in 3 h in study group or were removed in 24 h in
      control group. The outcome of the study were vaginal bleeding, urinary retention,
      febrile morbidity, and urinary infection. RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference between the study and control groups with respect to vaginal bleeding
      (0 and 1%, p = 1), urinary retention (9 and 4%, p = 0.15), febrile morbidity (7
      and 4%, p = 0.35), and urinary infection (26% in each group, p = 1.0).
      CONCLUSION: Keeping the urinary catheter and vaginal pack for 24 h following
      vaginal surgery does not offer any additional benefit against removing them after
      3 h.

PMID- 28893235
TI  - Inadequate birth spacing is perceived as riskier than all family planning
      methods, except sterilization and abortion, in a qualitative study among urban
      Nigerians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fertility is high in Nigeria and contraceptive use is low. Little is
      known about how urban Nigerians perceive the risk of contraceptive use in
      relation to pregnancy and birth. This study examines and compares the risk
      perception of family planning methods and pregnancy related scenarios among urban
      Nigerians. METHODS: A total of 26 focus group discussions with 243 participants
      were conducted in September and October 2010 in Ibadan and Kaduna. The groups
      were stratified by sex, age, family planning use, and city. Study participants
      were asked to identify the risk associated with six different family planning
      methods and four pregnancy related risks. The data were coded in ATLAS.ti 6 and
      analyzed using the thematic content analysis approach. RESULTS: The ten family
      planning and pregnancy related items ranked as follows from most to least risky:
      sterilization, abortion, getting pregnant soon after having a baby (no birth
      spacing), pill, IUD, injectable, having a birth under 18 years of age (teenage
      motherhood), condom use, having six children, and fertility awareness methods.
      Risk of family planning methods was often categorized in terms of side effects
      and complications. Positive perceptions of teenage motherhood and having many
      children influenced the low ranking of these items. CONCLUSION: Inadequate birth
      spacing was rated as more risky than all contraceptive methods and pregnancy
      related events except for sterilization and abortion. Some of the participants'
      risk perceptions of contraceptives and pregnancy related scenarios does not
      correspond to actual risk of methods and practices. Instead, the items' perceived
      riskiness largely correspond with prevailing social norms. However, there was a
      high level of understanding of the risks of inadequate birth spacing. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: This study is not a randomized control trial so the study
      has not been registered as such.

PMID- 28893236
TI  - Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio complements volumetric staging as prognostic factor
      in patients treated with definitive radiotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Volumetric tumor staging has been shown as superior prognostic tool
      compared to the conventional TNM system in patients undergoing definitive
      intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer. Recently,
      clinical immunoscores such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have been
      investigated as prognostic markers in several tumor entities. The aim of this
      study was to assess the combined prognostic value of NLR and tumor volume in
      patients treated with IMRT for oropharyngeal cancer (OC). METHODS: Data on all
      consecutive patients treated for locally advanced or inoperable OC with IMRT from
      2002-2011 was prospectively collected. Tumor volume was assessed based on the
      total gross tumor volume (tGTV) calculated by the treatment planning system
      volume algorithm. The NLR was collected by a retrospective analysis of
      differential blood count before initiation of therapy. RESULTS: Overall, 187
      eligible patients were treated with a median IMRT dose of 69.6 Gy. Three-year
      recurrence-free survival (RFS) for low, intermediate, high and very high tumor
      volume groups was 88%, 74%, 62% and 25%, respectively (p = 0.007). Patients with
      elevated NLR (>4.68) showed a significantly decreased 3-year RFS of 44% vs. 81%
      (p < 0.001) and 3-year OS of 56% vs. 84% (p < 0.001). The NLR remained a
      significant prognostic factor for RFS and OS when tested among tumor volume
      groups. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis confirmed both tumor
      volume and NLR as independent prognostic factors. The NLR offered further
      statistically significant prognostic differentiation of the
      small/intermediate/large tumor volume groups. CONCLUSION: The NLR remains an
      independent prognostic factor for patients with OC undergoing radiotherapy
      independent of the tumor volume.

PMID- 28893237
TI  - Methods for the field evaluation of quantitative G6PD diagnostics: a review.
AB  - Individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency are at risk
      of severe haemolysis following the administration of 8-aminoquinoline compounds.
      Primaquine is the only widely available 8-aminoquinoline for the radical cure of
      Plasmodium vivax. Tafenoquine is under development with the potential to simplify
      treatment regimens, but point-of-care (PoC) tests will be needed to provide
      quantitative measurement of G6PD activity prior to its administration. There is
      currently a lack of appropriate G6PD PoC tests, but a number of new tests are in
      development and are likely to enter the market in the coming years. As these are
      implemented, they will need to be validated in field studies. This article
      outlines the technical details for the field evaluation of novel quantitative
      G6PD diagnostics such as sample handling, reference testing and statistical
      analysis. Field evaluation is based on the comparison of paired samples,
      including one sample tested by the new assay at point of care and one sample
      tested by the gold-standard reference method, UV spectrophotometry in an
      established laboratory. Samples can be collected as capillary or venous blood;
      the existing literature suggests that potential differences in capillary or
      venous blood are unlikely to affect results substantially. The collection and
      storage of samples is critical to ensure preservation of enzyme activity, it is
      recommended that samples are stored at 4  degrees C and testing occurs within 4
      days of collection. Test results can be visually presented as scatter plot, Bland
      Altman plot, and a histogram of the G6PD activity distribution of the study
      population. Calculating the adjusted male median allows categorizing results
      according to G6PD activity to calculate standard performance indicators and to
      perform receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

PMID- 28893238
TI  - Monitoring progression of clinical reasoning skills during health sciences
      education using the case method - a qualitative observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outcome- or competency-based education is well established in medical
      and health sciences education. Curricula are based on courses where students
      develop their competences and assessment is also usually course-based. Clinical
      reasoning is an important competence, and the aim of this study was to monitor
      and describe students' progression in professional clinical reasoning skills
      during health sciences education using observations of group discussions
      following the case method. METHODS: In this qualitative study students from three
      different health education programmes were observed while discussing clinical
      cases in a modified Harvard case method session. A rubric with four dimensions -
      problem-solving process, disciplinary knowledge, character of discussion and
      communication - was used as an observational tool to identify clinical reasoning.
      A deductive content analysis was performed. RESULTS: The results revealed the
      students' transition over time from reasoning based strictly on theoretical
      knowledge to reasoning ability characterized by clinical considerations and
      experiences. Students who were approaching the end of their education immediately
      identified the most important problem and then focused on this in their
      discussion. Practice knowledge increased over time, which was seen as progression
      in the use of professional language, concepts, terms and the use of prior
      clinical experience. The character of the discussion evolved from theoretical
      considerations early in the education to clinical reasoning in later years.
      Communication within the groups was supportive and conducted with a professional
      tone. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations revealed progression in several aspects of
      students' clinical reasoning skills on a group level in their discussions of
      clinical cases. We suggest that the case method can be a useful tool in assessing
      quality in health sciences education.

PMID- 28893239
TI  - Association of TCM body constitution with insulin resistance and risk of diabetes
      in impaired glucose regulation patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impaired glucose regulation (IGR) patients have increased risk of
      type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Identifying relevant risk factors in IGR
      subjects could facilitate early detection and prevention of IGR progression to
      diabetes. This study investigated the association between Traditional Chinese
      Medicine (TCM) body constitution and serum cytokines, and whether body
      constitution could independently predict diabetes in IGR subjects. METHOD:
      Patients with IGR (n = 306) received a blood test and their body constitution
      type was assessed using a body constitution questionnaire (BCQ). Serum levels of
      cytokines were measured by ELISA. Patients were followed up for at least three
      years, and their status of diabetes were recorded. Multivariate logistic
      regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of diabetes for body
      constitution. RESULTS: Phlegm-damp, Damp-heat and Qi-deficiency were three most
      common unbanlenced constitutions among IGR subjects. Phlegm-damp and Damp-heat
      constitution subjects showed higher serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), leptin and lower serum levels of adiponectin
      (P<0.05). Qi-deficiency constitution subjects showed higher serum levels of
      leptin and lower serum levels of adiponectin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and
      gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) (P<0.05). Subjects with Phlegm-damp or Damp
      heat constitution demonstrated a significantly higher risk of diabetes (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Phlegm-damp and Damp-heat TCM body constitution are strongly
      associated with abnormal serum cytokines, and could potentially serve as a
      predictor of diabetes in IGR subjects. Body constitution can help to identify IGR
      subjects who are at a high risk of progression to diabetes.

PMID- 28893240
TI  - The influence of age on insecticide susceptibility of Anopheles arabiensis during
      dry and rainy seasons in rice irrigation schemes of Northern Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insecticide resistance is the major emerging challenge facing the
      malaria vector control programmes in Tanzania. Proper monitoring and detection is
      of paramount importance guiding the vector control programmes. This paper
      presents the effect of mosquito aging on insecticide resistance status in
      Anopheles arabiensis populations in dry and rainy seasons in northern Tanzania.
      METHODS: Anopheles gambiae s.l. larvae were sampled from rice fields in both dry
      and rainy seasons and reared in the insectary to adults. The emerged females in
      batches of 2, 3, 5, and 10 days old were exposed to six insecticides
      (deltamethrin, permethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, DDT, bendiocarb and pirimiphos
      methyl) to see the effects of age on insecticide resistance. Mosquitoes were
      exposed to insecticides using WHO standard susceptibility test kits. Knockdown
      was recorded during the 1-h exposure, while mortality and resistance ratio were
      recorded 24 h later. Mosquito specimens were identified to species level using
      the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. RESULTS: Among the 326 specimens
      processed by PCR, 323 (99.1%) were identified as Anopheles arabiensis. There was
      reduced mortality (ranging from 61 to 97.7%) when adults reared from larvae were
      exposed to all pyrethroids and bendiocarb in both dry and rainy seasons, while
      they were fully susceptible to DDT and pirimiphos-methyl. There was a significant
      increase in mortality rate with increase in mosquito's age in both dry and rainy
      seasons following exposure to pyrethroids (DF = 1, P < 0.05). Mosquitoes showed
      significantly higher mortality rates in the rainy season than in the dry season
      after being exposed to pyrethroids (DF = 1, P < 0.05). Higher mortality rates
      (94.0-99.8%) were observed in all ages and seasons when mosquitoes were exposed
      to bendiocarb compared with pyrethroids. Pirimiphos-methyl was only tested in the
      rainy season so no comparison with dry season mosquitoes could be made.
      CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that An. arabiensis were resistant to pyrethroids in
      both seasons and that the young age groups exhibited higher levels of resistance
      compared with the older age groups. Mosquitoes were full susceptible to DDT and
      pirimiphos-methyl irrespective of the season and age.

PMID- 28893241
TI  - Evidence-based selection process to the Master of Public Health program at
      Medical University.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the predictive validity of selected sociodemographic
      factors and admission criteria for Master's studies in Public Health at the
      Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw (MUW). METHODS: For the
      evaluation purposes recruitment data and learning results of students enrolled
      between 2008 and 2012 were used (N = 605, average age 22.9 +/- 3.01). The
      predictive analysis was performed using the multiple linear regression method. In
      the proposed regression model 12 predictors were selected, including: sex, age,
      professional degree (BA), the Bachelor's studies grade point average (GPA), total
      score of the preliminary examination broken down into five thematic areas.
      Depending on the tested model, one of two dependent variables was used: first
      year GPA or cumulative GPA in the Master program. RESULTS: The regression model
      based on the result variable of Master's GPA program was better matched to data
      in comparison to the model based on the first year GPA (adjusted R2 0.413 versus
      0.476 respectively). The Bachelor's studies GPA and each of the five subtests
      comprising the test entrance exam were significant predictors of success achieved
      by a student both after the first year and at the end of the course of studies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Criteria of admissions with total score of MCQs exam and Bachelor's
      studies GPA can be successfully used for selection of the candidates for Master's
      degree studies in Public Health. The high predictive validity of the recruitment
      system confirms the validity of the adopted admission policy at MUW.

PMID- 28893242
TI  - How is success achieved by individuals innovating for patient safety and quality
      in the NHS?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Innovation in healthcare is said to be notoriously difficult to
      achieve and sustain yet simultaneously the health service is under intense
      pressure to innovate given the ever increasing demands placed upon it. Whilst
      many studies have looked at diffusion of innovation from an organisational
      perspective, few have sought to understand how individuals working in healthcare
      innovate successfully. We took a positive deviance approach to understand how
      innovations are achieved by individuals working in the NHS. METHOD: We conducted
      in depth interviews in 2015 with 15 individuals who had received a national award
      for being a successful UK innovator in healthcare. We invited only those people
      who were currently (or had recently) worked in the NHS and whose innovation
      focused on improving patient safety or quality. Thematic analysis was used.
      FINDINGS: Four themes emerged from the data: personal determination, the ability
      to broker relationships and make connections, the ways in which innovators were
      able to navigate organisational culture to their advantage and their ability to
      use evidence to influence others. Determination, focus and persistence were
      important personal characteristics of innovators as were skills in being able to
      challenge the status quo. Innovators were able to connect sometimes disparate
      teams and people, being the broker between them in negotiating collaborative
      working. The culture of the organisation these participants resided in was
      important with some being able to use this (and the current patient safety
      agenda) to their advantage. Gathering robust data to demonstrate their innovation
      had a positive impact and was seen as essential to its progression. CONCLUSIONS:
      This paper reveals a number of factors which are important to the success of
      innovators in healthcare. We have uncovered that innovators have particular
      personal traits which encourage a propensity towards change and action. Yet, for
      fruitful innovation to take place, it is important for relational networks and
      organisational culture to be receptive to change.

PMID- 28893243
TI  - Impact of pharmacy worker training and deployment on access to essential
      medicines for children under five in Malawi: a cluster quasi-experimental
      evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor access to essential medicines is common in many low- and middle
      income countries, partly due to an insufficient and inadequately trained
      workforce to manage the medicines supply chain. We conducted a prospective impact
      evaluation of the training and deployment of pharmacy assistants (PAs) to rural
      health centers in Malawi. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was used to
      compare access to medicines in two districts where newly trained PAs were
      deployed to health centers (intervention) and two districts with no trained PAs
      at health centers (comparison). A baseline household survey and two annual post
      intervention household surveys were conducted. We studied children under five
      years with a history of fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, and diarrhea in
      the previous two weeks. We collected data on access to antimalarials, antibiotics
      and oral rehydration salts (ORS) during the childrens' symptomatic periods. We
      used difference-in-differences regression models to estimate the impact of PA
      training and deployment on access to medicines. RESULTS: We included 3974
      children across the three rounds of annual surveys: 1840 (46%) in the districts
      with PAs deployed at health centers and 2096 (53%) in districts with no PAs
      deployed at health centers. Approximately 80% of children had a fever, nearly 30%
      had a cough, and 43% had diarrhea in the previous two weeks. In the first year of
      the program, the presence of a PA led to a significant 74% increase in the odds
      of access to any antimalarial, and a significant 49% increase in the odds of
      access to artemisinin combination therapies. This effect was restricted to the
      first year post-intervention. There was no effect of presence of a PA on access
      to antibiotics or ORS. CONCLUSION: The training and deployment of pharmacy
      assistants to rural health centers in Malawi increased access to antimalarial
      medications over the first year, but the effect was attenuated over the second
      year. Pharmacy assistants training and deployment demonstrated no impact on
      access to antibiotics for pneumonia or oral rehydration salts for diarrhea.

PMID- 28893244
TI  - A randomized, placebo-controlled study of the cardiovascular safety of the once
      weekly DPP-4 inhibitor omarigliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Omarigliptin is a once-weekly (q.w.) oral DPP-4 inhibitor that is
      approved for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in
      Japan. To support approval of omarigliptin in the United States, the clinical
      development program included a cardiovascular (CV) safety study. Subsequently, a
      business decision was made not to submit a marketing application for omarigliptin
      in the United States, and the CV safety study was terminated. Herein we report an
      analysis of data from that early-terminated study. METHODS: In this randomized,
      double-blind study, 4202 patients with T2DM and established CV disease were
      assigned to either omarigliptin 25 mg q.w. or matching placebo in addition to
      their existing diabetes therapy. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to
      summarize the primary endpoint of time to first major adverse CV event (MACE, the
      composite of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke) and
      the analysis of first event of hospitalization for heart failure (hHF). RESULTS:
      The median follow-up was approximately 96 weeks (range 1.1-178.6 weeks). The
      primary MACE outcome occurred in 114/2092 patients in the omarigliptin group
      (5.45%; 2.96/100 patient-years) and 114/2100 patients in the placebo group
      (5.43%; 2.97/100 patient-years), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.00 (95% confidence
      interval [CI] 0.77, 1.29). The hHF outcome occurred in 20/2092 patients in the
      omarigliptin group (0.96%; 0.51/100 patient-years) and 33/2100 patients in the
      placebo group (1.57%; 0.85/100 patient-years), with an HR of 0.60 (95% CI 0.35,
      1.05). After 142 weeks, the least-squares mean difference (omarigliptin vs.
      placebo) in glycated hemoglobin levels was -0.3% (95% CI -0.46, -0.14). The
      numbers of patients with adverse events, serious adverse events or discontinued
      from study medication due to adverse events were similar in the omarigliptin and
      placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this CV safety study of patients with T2DM and
      established CV disease, omarigliptin did not increase the risk of MACE or hHF and
      was generally well tolerated. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01703208.
      Registered 05 October 2012.

PMID- 28893246
TI  - Voriconazole and posaconazole therapeutic drug monitoring: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) aims to minimize the clinical
      impact of posaconazole and voriconazole pharmacokinetic variability. However, its
      benefits on clinical outcomes are still being defined. Additionally, TDM data are
      limited for posaconazole IV and delayed-release tablet formulations among
      specific patient populations, including critically ill. The aim of this study was
      to determine the percentage of therapeutic posaconazole and voriconazole drug
      levels across all formulations in a real-world clinical setting and elucidate
      factors affecting attainment of target concentrations. METHODS: This study was a
      retrospective cohort study conducted at the University of Colorado Hospital
      between September 2006 and June 2015 that evaluated patients who received
      posaconazole or voriconazole TDM as part of routine care. RESULTS: Voriconazole
      (n = 250) and posaconazole (n = 100) levels were analyzed from 151 patients. Of
      these, 54% of voriconazole and 69% of posaconazole levels were therapeutic. For
      posaconazole, 14/38 (37%), 28/29 (97%) and 27/33 (82%) levels were therapeutic
      for the oral suspension, IV, and delayed-release tablet, respectively.
      Intravenous and delayed-release tablet posaconazole were 20 fold (p < 0.01) and
      sevenfold (p = 0.002) more likely than the oral suspension to achieve a
      therapeutic level. Subsequent levels were more likely to be therapeutic after
      dose adjustments (OR 3.31; 95% CI 1.3-8.6; p = 0.02), regardless of timing of
      initial non-therapeutic level. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis,
      no characteristics were independently predictive of therapeutic voriconazole
      levels and only absence of H2RA/PPI use was independently predictive of
      therapeutic posaconazole levels. There was no correlation between survival and
      therapeutic drug levels for either voriconazole (p = 0.67) or posaconazole (p =
      0.50). CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of drug levels did not achieve TDM targets
      for voriconazole and posaconazole oral suspension, supporting the need for
      routine TDM for those formulations. The utility of TDM for the IV and delayed
      release tablet formulations of posaconazole is less apparent.

PMID- 28893245
TI  - Age-dependent redox status in the brain stem of NO-deficient hypertensive rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The brain stem contains important nuclei that control cardiovascular
      function via the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is strongly influenced
      by nitric oxide. Its biological activity is also largely determined by oxygen
      free radicals. Despite many experimental studies, the role of AT1R-NAD(P)H
      oxidase-superoxide pathway in NO-deficiency is not yet sufficiently clarified. We
      determined changes in free radical signaling and antioxidant and detoxification
      response in the brain stem of young and adult Wistar rats during chronic
      administration of exogenous NO inhibitors. METHODS: Young (4 weeks) and adult (10
      weeks) Wistar rats were treated with 7-nitroindazole (7-NI group, 10 mg/kg/day),
      a specific nNOS inhibitor, with NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME group,
      50 mg/kg/day), a nonspecific NOS inhibitor, and with drinking water (Control
      group) during 6 weeks. Systolic blood pressure was measured by non-invasive
      plethysmography. Expression of genes (AT1R, AT2R, p22phox, SOD and NOS isoforms,
      HO-1, MDR1a, housekeeper GAPDH) was identified by real-time PCR. NOS activity was
      detected by conversion of [3H]-L-arginine to [3H]-L-citrulline and SOD activity
      was measured using UV VIS spectroscopy. RESULTS: We observed a blood pressure
      elevation and decrease in NOS activity only after L-NAME application in both age
      groups. Gene expression of nNOS (youngs) and eNOS (adults) in the brain stem
      decreased after both inhibitors. The radical signaling pathway triggered by AT1R
      and p22phox was elevated in L-NAME adults, but not in young rats. Moreover, L
      NAME-induced NOS inhibition increased antioxidant response, as indicated by the
      observed elevation of mRNA SOD3, HO-1, AT2R and MDR1a in adult rats. 7-NI did not
      have a significant effect on AT1R-NADPH oxidase-superoxide pathway, yet it
      affected antioxidant response of mRNA expression of SOD1 and stimulated total
      activity of SOD in young rats and mRNA expression of AT2R in adult rats.
      CONCLUSION: Our results show that chronic NOS inhibition by two different NOS
      inhibitors has age-dependent effect on radical signaling and
      antioxidant/detoxificant response in Wistar rats. While 7-NI had neuroprotective
      effect in the brain stem of young Wistar rats, L-NAME- induced NOS inhibition
      evoked activation of AT1R-NAD(P)H oxidase pathway in adult Wistar rats.
      Triggering of the radical pathway was followed by activation of protective
      compensation mechanism at the gene expression level.

PMID- 28893248
TI  - The impact of austerity on the health workforce and the achievement of human
      resources for health policies in Ireland (2008-2014).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The global economic crisis saw recessionary conditions in most EU
      countries. Ireland's severe recession produced pro-cyclical health spending cuts.
      Yet, human resources for health (HRH) are the most critical of inputs into a
      health system and an important economic driver. The aim of this article is to
      evaluate how the Irish health system coped with austerity in relation to HRH and
      whether austerity allowed and/or facilitated the implementation of HRH policy.
      METHODS: The authors employed a quantitative longitudinal trend analysis over the
      period 2008 to 2014 with Health Service Executive (HSE) staff database as the
      principal source. For the purpose of this study, heath service employment is
      defined as directly employed whole-time equivalent public service staffing in the
      HSE and other government agencies. The authors also examined the heath sector pay
      bill and sought to establish linkages between the main staff database and pay
      expenditure, as given in the HSE Annual Accounts and Financial Statements (AFS),
      and key HRH policies. RESULTS: The actual cut in total whole-time equivalent
      (WTE) of directly employed health services human resources over the period 2008
      to 2014 was 8027 WTE, a reduction of 7.2% but substantially less than government
      claims. There was a degree of relative protection for frontline staffing
      decreasing by 2.9% between 2008 and 2014 and far less than the 18.5% reduction in
      other staff. Staff exempted from the general moratorium also increased by a
      combined 12.6%. Counter to stated policy, the decline in staffing of non-acute
      care was over double than in acute care. Further, the reduction in directly
      employed staff was to a great extent matched by a marked increase in agency
      spending. CONCLUSIONS: The cuts forced substantial HRH reductions and yet there
      was some success in pursuing policy goals, such as increasing the frontline
      workforce while reducing support staff and protection of some cadres.
      Nevertheless, other policies failed such as moving staff away from acute settings
      and the claimed financial savings were substantially offset by overtime payments 
      and the need to hire more expensive agency workers. There was also substantial
      demotivation of staff as a consequence of the changes.

PMID- 28893247
TI  - Cell-specific mechanisms of TMEM16A Ca2+-activated chloride channel in cancer.
AB  - TMEM16A (known as anoctamin 1) Ca2+-activated chloride channel is overexpressed
      in many tumors. TMEM16A overexpression can be caused by gene amplification in
      many tumors harboring 11q13 amplification. TMEM16A expression is also controlled
      in many cancer cells via transcriptional regulation, epigenetic regulation and
      microRNAs. In addition, TMEM16A activates different signaling pathways in
      different cancers, e.g. the EGFR and CAMKII signaling in breast cancer, the p38
      and ERK1/2 signaling in hepatoma, the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2 signaling in head and
      neck squamous cell carcinoma and bladder cancer, and the NFkappaB signaling in
      glioma. Furthermore, TMEM16A overexpression has been reported to promote,
      inhibit, or produce no effects on cell proliferation and migration in different
      cancer cells. Since TMEM16A exerts different roles in different cancer cells via
      activation of distinct signaling pathways, we try to develop the idea that
      TMEM16A regulates cancer cell proliferation and migration in a cell-dependent
      mechanism. The cell-specific role of TMEM16A may depend on the cellular
      environment that is predetermined by TMEM16A overexpression mechanisms specific
      for a particular cancer type. TMEM16A may exert its cell-specific role via its
      associated protein networks, phosphorylation by different kinases, and
      involvement of different signaling pathways. In addition, we discuss the role of
      TMEM16A channel activity in cancer, and its clinical use as a prognostic and
      predictive marker in different cancers. This review highlights the cell-type
      specific mechanisms of TMEM16A in cancer, and envisions the promising use of
      TMEM16A inhibitors as a potential treatment for TMEM16A-overexpressing cancers.

PMID- 28893249
TI  - Assessment of the potential respiratory hazard of volcanic ash from future
      Icelandic eruptions: a study of archived basaltic to rhyolitic ash samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull (2010) and Grimsvotn (2011),
      Iceland, triggered immediate, international consideration of the respiratory
      health hazard of inhaling volcanic ash, and prompted the need to estimate the
      potential hazard posed by future eruptions of Iceland's volcanoes to Icelandic
      and Northern European populations. METHODS: A physicochemical characterization
      and toxicological assessment was conducted on a suite of archived ash samples
      spanning the spectrum of past eruptions (basaltic to rhyolitic magmatic
      composition) of Icelandic volcanoes following a protocol specifically designed by
      the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network. RESULTS: Icelandic ash can be
      of a respirable size (up to 11.3 vol.% < 4 MUm), but the samples did not display
      physicochemical characteristics of pathogenic particulate in terms of composition
      or morphology. Ash particles were generally angular, being composed of fragmented
      glass and crystals. Few fiber-like particles were observed, but those present
      comprised glass or sodium oxides, and are not related to pathogenic natural
      fibers, like asbestos or fibrous zeolites, thereby limiting concern of associated
      respiratory diseases. None of the samples contained cristobalite or tridymite,
      and only one sample contained quartz, minerals of interest due to the potential
      to cause silicosis. Sample surface areas are low, ranging from 0.4 to 1.6 m2 g-1,
      which aligns with analyses on ash from other eruptions worldwide. All samples
      generated a low level of hydroxyl radicals (HO*), a measure of surface
      reactivity, through the iron-catalyzed Fenton reaction compared to concurrently
      analyzed comparative samples. However, radical generation increased after
      'refreshing' sample surfaces, indicating that newly erupted samples may display
      higher reactivity. A composition-dependent range of available surface iron was
      measured after a 7-day incubation, from 22.5 to 315.7 MUmol m-2, with mafic
      samples releasing more iron than silicic samples. All samples were non-reactive
      in a test of red blood cell-membrane damage. CONCLUSIONS: The primary particle
      specific concern is the potential for future eruptions of Iceland's volcanoes to
      generate fine, respirable material and, thus, to increase ambient PM
      concentrations. This particularly applies to highly explosive silicic eruptions,
      but can also hold true for explosive basaltic eruptions or discrete events
      associated with basaltic fissure eruptions.

PMID- 28893250
TI  - Association between dietary patterns and cognitive function among 70-year-old
      Japanese elderly: a cross-sectional analysis of the SONIC study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An increasing number of studies in Western countries have shown that
      healthy dietary patterns may have a protective effect against cognitive decline
      and dementia. However, information on this relationship among non-Western
      populations with different cultural settings is extremely limited. We aim to
      examine the relationship between dietary patterns and cognitive function among
      older Japanese people. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 635 community
      dwelling people aged 69-71 years who participated in the prospective cohort study
      titled Septuagenarians, Octogenarians, Nonagenarians Investigation with
      Centenarians (SONIC). Diet was assessed over a one-month period with a validated,
      brief-type, self-administered diet history questionnaire. Dietary patterns from
      thirty-three predefined food groups [energy-adjusted food (g/d)] were extracted
      by factor analysis. Cognitive function was assessed using the Japanese version of
      the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J). Multivariate regression analysis was
      performed to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and cognitive
      function. RESULTS: Three dietary patterns were identified: the 'Plant foods and
      fish', 'Rice and miso soup', and 'Animal food' patterns. The 'Plant foods and
      fish' pattern, characterized by high intakes of green and other vegetables, soy
      products, seaweeds, mushrooms, potatoes, fruit, fish, and green tea, was
      significantly associated with a higher MoCA-J score [MoCA-J score per one
      quartile increase in dietary pattern: beta = 0.56 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.79), P for
      trend <0.001]. This association was still evident after adjustment for potential
      confounding factors [beta = 0.41 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.65), P for trend <0.001]. In
      contrast, neither the 'Rice and miso soup' nor the 'Animal food' pattern was
      related to cognitive function. To confirm the possibility of reverse causation we
      also conducted a sensitivity analysis excluding 186 subjects who reported
      substantial changes in their diet for any reason, but the results did not change
      materially. CONCLUSION: This preliminary cross-sectional study suggests that a
      diet with high intakes of vegetables, soy products, fruit, and fish may have a
      beneficial effect on cognitive function in older Japanese people. Further
      prospective studies are needed to confirm this finding.

PMID- 28893251
TI  - Identification and immobilization of a novel cold-adapted esterase, and its
      potential for bioremediation of pyrethroid-contaminated vegetables.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyrethroids are potentially harmful to living organisms and
      ecosystems. Thus, concerns have been raised about pyrethroid residues and their
      persistence in agricultural products. To date, although several pyrethroid
      hydrolyzing enzymes have been cloned, very few reports are available on
      pyrethroid-hydrolyzing enzymes with cold adaptation, high hydrolytic activity and
      good reusability, indispensable properties in practical bioremediation of
      pyrethroid-contaminated vegetables. RESULTS: Here, a novel gene (est684) encoding
      pyrethroid-hydrolyzing esterase was isolated from the Mao-tofu metagenome for the
      first time. Est684 encoded a protein of 227 amino acids and was expressed in
      Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) in soluble form. The optimum temperature was 18 
      degrees C. It maintained 46.1% of activity at 0  degrees C and over 50% of its
      maximal activity at 4-35  degrees C. With the goal of enhancing stability and
      recycling biocatalysts, we used mesoporous silica SBA-15 as a nanometer carrier
      for the efficient immobilization of Est684 by the absorption method. The best
      conditions were an esterase-to-silica ratio of 0.96 mg/g (w/w) and an adsorption
      time of 30 min at 10  degrees C. Under these conditions, the recovery of enzyme
      activity was 81.3%. A large improvement in the thermostability of Est684 was
      achieved. The half-life (T1/2) of the immobilized enzyme at 35  degrees C was 6
      h, 4 times longer than the soluble enzyme. Interestingly, the immobilized Est684
      had less loss in enzyme activity up to 12 consecutive cycles, and it retained
      nearly 54% of its activity after 28 cycles, indicating excellent operational
      stability. Another noteworthy characteristic was its high catalytic activity. It
      efficiently hydrolyzed cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, and fenvalreate in pyrethroid
      contaminated cucumber within 5 min, reaching over 85% degradation efficiency
      after four cycles. CONCLUSIONS: A novel cold-adapted pyrethroid-hydrolyzing
      esterase was screened from the Mao-tofu metagenome. This report is the first on
      immobilizing pyrethroid-hydrolyzing enzyme on mesoporous silica. The immobilized
      enzyme with high hydrolytic activity and outstanding reusability has a remarkable
      potential for bioremediation of pyrethroid-contaminated vegetables, and it is
      proposed as an industrial enzyme.

PMID- 28893252
TI  - Association between carotid plaque characteristics and acute cerebral infarction
      determined by MRI in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) might aggravate the carotid plaque
      vulnerability, and increase the risk for ischemic stroke. Few studies reported
      the acute stroke subtype with carotid plaque characteristics in T2DM patients.
      This study aimed to investigate the association between carotid plaque
      characteristics and acute cerebral infarct (ACI) lesion features determined by
      MRI in T2DM patients. METHODS: Patients with acute cerebrovascular syndrome in
      internal carotid artery territory were recruited. All patients were stratified
      into T2DM and non-T2DM groups and underwent both carotid and brain MRI scans.
      Ipsilateral carotid plaque morphological and compositional characteristics,
      intracranial and extracranial carotid artery stenosis were also determined.
      Stroke subtype based on the Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment
      classification and ACI lesion patterns were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the recruited
      140 patients, 68 (48.6%) patients had T2DM (mean age 64.16 +/- 11.38 years, 40
      males). T2DM patients exhibited higher prevalence of carotid type IV-VI lesions,
      larger plaque burden as well as larger lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC) compared
      with non-T2DM patients. Among the patients with carotid LRNC on symptomatic side,
      more concomitant large perforating artery infarct patterns and larger ACI size in
      the internal carotid artery territory were found in T2DM group than those in non
      T2DM group. Carotid plaque with LRNC% > 22.0% was identified as an independent
      risk factor for the presence of ACI lesions confined to the carotid territory in
      T2DM patients, regardless of other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows
      that more concomitant large perforating artery infarct patterns and larger ACI
      size in the internal carotid artery territory were found in the T2DM patients
      with ipsilateral carotid LRNC plaque than those in non-T2DM patients.
      Quantification of the carotid plaque characteristics, particularly the LRNC% by
      MRI has the potential usefulness for stroke risk stratification.

PMID- 28893253
TI  - A novel swine model for evaluation of dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis induced by
      human CETP overexpression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanism of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in lipid
      metabolism is still unclear. Furthermore, the relationship of CETP and
      atherosclerosis (AS) has been controversial. As pigs are a good model for both
      lipid and AS research, we investigated the lipid metabolism of human CETP (hCETP)
      transgenic pigs and explored the mechanism of CETP in lipid modulation. METHODS:
      Plasmids expressing the hCETP gene were designed, successfully constructed, and
      transfected into porcine fetal fibroblasts by liposomes. Using somatic cell
      nuclear transfer technology and embryonic transfer, hCETP transgenic pigs were
      generated. After the DNA, RNA, and protein levels were identified, positive hCETP
      transgenic pigs were selected. Blood samples were collected at different ages to
      evaluate the phenotypes of biochemical markers, and the metabolomes of plasma
      samples were analyzed by liquid mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Eight positive hCETP
      transgenic pigs and five negative cloned pigs were generated by transgenic
      technology. Finally, five hCETP transgenic and five cloned pigs were grown
      healthily. After feeding with a normal diet, hCETP transgenic pigs compared with
      unmodified pigs had no significant differences in body weight, liver function,
      kidney function, or plasma ions, while total cholesterol and low-density
      lipoprotein were higher than in unmodified pigs, and high-density lipoprotein was
      significantly decreased. Metabolomics analysis showed that there were differences
      in metabolic components between hCETP transgenic pigs, cloned pigs, and
      unmodified pigs. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we created hCETP transgenic pigs
      that could serve as an excellent model for lipid disorders and atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28893254
TI  - SKIP controls flowering time via the alternative splicing of SEF pre-mRNA in
      Arabidopsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Similar to other eukaryotes, splicing is emerging as an important
      process affecting development and stress tolerance in plants. Ski-interacting
      protein (SKIP), a splicing factor, is essential for circadian clock function and
      abiotic stress tolerance; however, the mechanisms whereby it regulates flowering
      time are unknown. RESULTS: In this study, we found that SKIP is required for the
      splicing of serrated leaves and early flowering (SEF) pre-messenger RNA (mRNA),
      which encodes a component of the ATP-dependent SWR1 chromatin remodeling complex
      (SWR1-C). Defects in the splicing of SEF pre-mRNA reduced H2A.Z enrichment at
      FLC, MAF4, and MAF5, suppressed the expression of these genes, and produced an
      early flowering phenotype in skip-1 plants. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate
      that SKIP regulates SWR1-C function via alternative splicing to control the
      floral transition in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PMID- 28893255
TI  - Oncologist burnout and compassion fatigue: investigating time pressure at work as
      a predictor and the mediating role of work-family conflict.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oncologists are at high risk of poor mental health. Prior research
      has focused on burnout, and has identified heavy workload as a key predictor.
      Compassion fatigue among physicians has generally received less attention,
      although medical specialties such as oncology may be especially at risk of
      compassion fatigue. We contribute to research by identifying predictors of both
      burnout and compassion fatigue among oncologists. In doing so, we distinguish
      between quantitative workload (e.g., work hours) and subjective work pressure,
      and test whether work-family conflict mediates the relationships between work
      pressure and burnout or compassion fatigue. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study,
      oncologists from across Canada (n = 312) completed questionnaires assessing
      burnout, compassion fatigue, workload, time pressure at work, work-family
      conflict, and other personal, family, and occupational characteristics. Analyses
      use Ordinary Least Squares regression. RESULTS: Subjective time pressure at work
      is a key predictor of both burnout and compassion fatigue. Our results also show
      that work-family conflict fully mediates these relationships. Overall, the models
      explain more of the variation in burnout as compared to compassion fatigue.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the need to consider oncologists' subjective
      time pressure, in addition to quantitative workload, in interventions to improve
      mental health. The findings also highlight a need to better understand additional
      predictors of compassion fatigue.

PMID- 28893256
TI  - Prime-boost vaccination with attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium DeltaznuABC and
      inactivated Salmonella Choleraesuis is protective against Salmonella Choleraesuis
      challenge infection in piglets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) infection
      causes a systemic disease in pigs. Vaccination could represent a solution to
      reduce prevalence in farms. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of an
      attenuated strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium
      DeltaznuABC) against S. Choleraesuis infection. The vaccination protocol combined
      priming with attenuated S. Typhimurium DeltaznuABC vaccine and boost with an
      inactivated S. Choleraesuis vaccine and we compared the protection conferred to
      that induced by an inactivated S. Choleraesuis vaccine. METHODS: The first group
      of piglets was orally vaccinated with S. Typhimurium DeltaznuABC and boosted with
      inactivated S. Choleraesuis, the second one was intramuscularly vaccinated with
      S. Choleraesuis inactivated vaccine and the third group of piglets was
      unvaccinated. All groups of animals were challenged with a virulent S.
      Choleraesuis strain at day 35 post vaccination. RESULTS: The results showed that
      the vaccination protocol, priming with S. Typhimurium DeltaznuABC and boosted
      with inactivated S. Choleraesuis, applied to group A was able to limit weight
      loss, fever and organs colonization, arising from infection with virulent S.
      Choleraesuis, more effectively, than the prime-boost vaccination with homologous
      S. Choleraesuis inactivated vaccine (group B). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, these
      research findings extend the validity of attenuated S. Typhimurium DeltaznuABC
      strain as a useful mucosal vaccine against S. Typhimurium and S. Choleraesuis pig
      infection. The development of combined vaccination protocols can have a diffuse
      administration in field conditions because animals are generally infected with
      different concomitant serovars.

PMID- 28893257
TI  - Preoperative single ventricle function determines early outcome after second
      stage palliation of single ventricle heart.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Second-stage palliation with hemi-Fontan or bidirectional Glenn
      procedures has improved the outcomes of patients treated for single-ventricle
      heart disease. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze risk factors
      for death after second-stage palliation of single-ventricle heart and to compare
      therapeutic results achieved with the hemi-Fontan and bidirectional Glenn
      procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed 60 patients who had undergone
      second-stage palliation for single-ventricle heart. Group HF consisted of 23
      (38.3%) children who had been operated with the hemi-Fontan method; Group BDG
      consisted of 37 (61.7%) who had been operated with the bidirectional Glenn
      method. The analysis focused on 30-day postoperative mortality rates, clinical
      and echocardiographic data, and early complications. RESULTS: The patients' ages
      at the time of repair was 33 +/- 11.2 weeks; weight was 6.7 +/- 1.2 kg. The most
      common anatomic subtype was hypoplastic left heart syndrome, in 36 (60%)
      patients. The early mortality rate was 13.3%. Significant preoperative
      atrioventricular valve regurgitation, single-ventricle heart dysfunction,
      pneumonia/sepsis, and arrhythmias were associated with higher mortality rates
      after second-stage palliation. Multivariate analysis identified significant
      preoperative single-ventricle heart dysfunction as an independent predictor of
      early death after second-stage palliation. No differences were found in the
      analyzed variables after bidirectional Glenn compared with hemi-Fontan
      procedures. CONCLUSION: Significant preoperative atrioventricular valve
      regurgitation, arrhythmias and pneumonia/sepsis are closely correlated with
      mortality in patients with single-ventricle heart after second-stage palliation.
      Preoperative significant single-ventricle heart dysfunction is an independent
      mortality predictor in this group of patients. There are no differences in
      clinical, echocardiographic data, or outcomes in patients treated with the hemi
      Fontan compared with bidirectional Glenn procedures.

PMID- 28893258
TI  - Epidemiological and clinical assessment of a shared territorial malaria guideline
      in the 10 years of its implementation (Barcelona, North Metropolitan Area,
      Catalonia, Spain, 2007-2016).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a major source of morbi-mortality among travellers.
      In 2007, a consensual multicenter Primary Care-Hospital shared guideline on
      travel-prior chemoprophylaxis, diagnosis and clinical management of imported
      malaria was set up in the Barcelona North Metropolitan area. The aim of the study
      is to assess the evolution of malaria cases in the area as well as its clinical
      management over the 10 years of its implementation. RESULTS: A total of 190
      malaria cases, all them imported, have been recorded. The overall estimated
      malaria crude incidence was of 0.47 cases per 10,000 population/year (95% CI 0.34
      0.59) with a slight significant positive slope especially at the expense of an
      increase in Indian sub-continent Plasmodium vivax cases. The number of patients
      who attended the pre-travel consultation was low (13.7%) as well as those with
      prescribed chemoprophylaxis (10%). Severe malaria was diagnosed in 34 (17.9%)
      patients and ICU admittance was required in 2.6% of them. Organ sequelae (two
      renal failures and one post-acute distress respiratory syndrome) were recorded in
      3 patients at hospital discharge, although all three were recovered at 30 days.
      None of the patients died. Patients complying with severity criteria were
      significantly males (p = 0.04), came from Africa (p = 0.02), were mainly non
      immigrant travellers (p = 0.01) and were attended in a hospital setting (p <
      0.001). The most frequently identified species was Plasmodium falciparum (64.2%),
      P. vivax (23.2%), Plasmodium malariae (1.6%) and Plasmodium ovale (1.1%). Those
      patients diagnosed with P. falciparum malaria came more often from sub-Saharan
      Africa (p < 0.001) and those with P. vivax came largely from the Indian sub
      continent (p = 0.003). Among the 126 patients in whom an immunochromatographic
      antigenic test was performed, the result was interpreted as falsely negative in
      12.1% of them. False negative results can be related to cases with <1%
      parasitaemia. CONCLUSIONS: After 10 years of surveillance, a moderate increase in
      malaria incidence was observed, mostly P. vivax cases imported from the Indian
      sub-continent. Although severe malaria cases have been frequently reported, none
      of the patients died and organ sequelae were rare. Conceivably, the participation
      of the Primary Care and the District and Third Level Hospital professionals
      defining surveillance, diagnostic tests, referral criteria and clinical
      management can be considered a useful tool to minimize malaria morbi-mortality.

PMID- 28893259
TI  - How driving endonuclease genes can be used to combat pests and disease vectors.
AB  - Driving endonuclease genes (DEGs) spread through a population by a non-Mendelian
      mechanism. In a heterozygote, the protein encoded by a DEG causes a double-strand
      break in the homologous chromosome opposite to where its gene is inserted and
      when the break is repaired using the homologue as a template the DEG heterozygote
      is converted to a homozygote. Some DEGs occur naturally while several classes of
      endonucleases can be engineered to spread in this way, with CRISPR-Cas9 based
      systems being particularly flexible. There is great interest in using driving
      endonuclease genes to impose a genetic load on insects that vector diseases or
      are economic pests to reduce their population density, or to introduce a
      beneficial gene such as one that might interrupt disease transmission. This paper
      reviews both the population genetics and population dynamics of DEGs. It
      summarises the theory that guides the design of DEG constructs intended to
      perform different functions. It also reviews the studies that have explored the
      likelihood of resistance to DEG phenotypes arising, and how this risk may be
      reduced. The review is intended for a general audience and mathematical details
      are kept to a minimum.

PMID- 28893260
TI  - Long-lasting complete response status of advanced stage IV gall bladder cancer
      and colon cancer after combined treatment including autologous formalin-fixed
      tumor vaccine: two case reports.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognosis of advanced (stage IV) cancer of the digestive organs
      is very poor. We have previously reported a case of advanced breast cancer with
      bone metastasis that was successfully treated with combined treatments including
      autologous formalin-fixed tumor vaccine (AFTV). Herein, we report the success of
      this approach in advanced stage IV (heavily metastasized) cases of gall bladder
      cancer and colon cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1: A 61-year-old woman with
      stage IV gall bladder cancer (liver metastasis and lymph node metastasis)
      underwent surgery in May 2011, including partial resection of the liver. She was
      treated with AFTV as the first-line adjuvant therapy, followed by conventional
      chemotherapy. This patient is still alive without any recurrence, as confirmed
      with computed tomography, for more than 5 years. Case 2: A 64-year-old man with
      stage IV colon cancer (multiple para-aortic lymph node metastases and direct
      abdominal wall invasion) underwent non-curative surgery in May 2006. Following
      conventional chemotherapy, two courses of AFTV and radiation therapy were
      administered sequentially. This patient has had no recurrence for more than 5
      years. CONCLUSION: We report the success of combination therapy including AFTV in
      cases of liver-metastasized gall bladder cancer and abdominal wall-metastasized
      colon cancer. Both patients experienced long-lasting, complete remission.
      Therefore, combination therapies including AFTV should be considered in patients
      with advanced cancer of the digestive organs.

PMID- 28893261
TI  - A tale of two systems: practice patterns of a single group of emergency medical
      physicians in Taiwan and China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quality of pediatric emergency care has been a major concern in
      health care. Following a series of health system reforms in China, it is
      important to do this assessment of pediatric emergency care, and to explore
      potential influences of health care system. This study aimed to compare practice
      differences in treating children with respiratory illnesses in two emergency
      department (ED) settings within different health care systems: China and Taiwan.
      METHODS: A pooled cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted in two
      tertiary teaching hospitals in Xiamen, China and Keelung, Taiwan belong to the
      same hospital chain group. A team of 21 pediatricians rotated between the EDs of
      the two hospitals from 2009 to 2012. There were 109,705 ED encounters treated by
      the same team of pediatricians and 6596 visits were analyzed for common
      respiratory illnesses. Twelve quality measures in process and outcomes of asthma,
      bronchiolitis and croup were reported. Descriptive statistics and multiple
      logistic regression models were applied to assess. In order to demonstrate the
      robustness of our findings, we analyzed the data using an alternative modeling
      technique, multilevel modeling. RESULTS: After adjustment, children with asthma
      presented to the ED in China had a significantly 76% lower likelihood to be
      prescribed a chest radiograph, and a 98% lower likelihood to be prescribed
      steroids and discharged home than those in Taiwan. Also, children with asthma
      presented to the ED in China had significantly 7.76 times higher risk to incur 24
      72 h return visits. Furthermore, children with bronchiolitis in China (Odds ratio
      (OR): 0.21; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.17-0.28) were significantly less
      likely to be prescribed chest radiograph, but were significantly more likely to
      be prescribed antibiotics (OR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.46-3.28). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      illustrated that although high quality care depends on better assessment of
      physician performance, the delivery of pediatric emergency care differed
      significantly between these two healthcare systems after holding the care
      providers the same and adjusting for important patient characteristics. The
      findings suggest that the features of the health care system may play a
      significant role.

PMID- 28893262
TI  - Effect of Launaea procumbens on thyroid glands lipid peroxidation and hormonal
      dysfunction: a randomized control trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Launaea procumbens (Roxb.) Amin is traditionally used in Pakistan for
      the treatment of hormonal disorders and oxidative stress. The present study was
      aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Launaea procumbens methanol extract (LPME)
      against KBrO3-induced oxidative stress and hormonal dysfunction in thyroid.
      METHODS: To examine the effects of LPME against the oxidative stress of KBrO3 in
      thyroid tissue, 36 male albino rats were used. Protective effects of LPME were
      observed on thyroid hormonal levels, activities of antioxidant enzymes, lipid
      peroxidation (TBARS) and DNA damage. RESULTS: Treatment with KBrO3 significantly
      (P < 0.01) reduced the levels of T3 (55.13 +/- 1.93) and T4 (14.7 +/- 1.78) and
      increased TSH (55.13 +/- 1.93) levels. KBrO3 exposure in rats reduced the
      activities of antioxidant enzymes viz.; CAT (1.16 +/- 0.08); SOD (12.0 +/- 0.08),
      GST (17.7 +/- 1.1) and GSR (54.3 +/- 2.1) but increased lipid peroxidation (20.3
      +/- 0.71) and DNA (30.4 +/- 2.0) damage. Co-administration of LPME significantly
      (P < 0.01) improved these alterations with respect to hormonal levels, activities
      of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation close to those seen in control
      rats. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that LPME can protect thyroid tissue
      against oxidative damage, possibly through the antioxidant effects of its
      bioactive compounds.

PMID- 28893263
TI  - Evaluation of a continuous community-based ITN distribution pilot in Lainya
      County, South Sudan 2012-2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Continuous distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) has now
      been accepted as one way of sustaining ITN universal coverage. Community-based
      channels offer an interesting means of delivering ITNs to households to sustain
      universal ITN coverage. The objective of this study was to provide proof of
      concept for this channel. METHODS: A 9-month, community-based, distribution pilot
      was implemented beginning 1 year after a mass campaign in Lainya County, South
      Sudan from 2012 to 2013. Following social mobilization, community members could
      request an ITN from a net coupon holder. Eligibility criteria included having
      lost an ITN, giving birth outside of the health facility, or not having enough
      ITNs for all household members. After verification, households could exchange the
      coupon for an ITN at a distribution point. The evaluation was a pre/post design
      using representative household surveys with two-stage cluster sampling and a
      sample size of 600 households per survey. RESULTS: At endline, 78% of respondents
      were aware of the scheme and 89% of those also received an ITN through community
      based distribution. Population access to ITNs nearly doubled, from 38% at
      baseline to 66% after the pilot. Household ownership of any ITN and enough ITNs
      (1 for 2 people) also increased significantly, from 66 to 82% and 19 to 46%,
      respectively. Community-based distribution was the only source of ITNs for 53.4%
      of households. The proportion of the population using an ITN last night increased
      from 22.7% at baseline to 53.9% at endline. A logistic regression model indicates
      that although behaviour change communication was positively associated with an
      increase in ITN use, access to enough nets was the greatest determinant of use.
      CONCLUSIONS: ITN access and use improved significantly in the study area during
      the pilot, coming close to universal coverage targets. This pilot serves as proof
      of concept for the community-based distribution methodology implemented as a
      mechanism to sustain ITN universal coverage. Longer periods of implementation
      should be evaluated to determine whether community-based distribution can
      successfully maintain ITN coverage beyond the short term, and reach all wealth
      quintiles equitably.

PMID- 28893264
TI  - Maximizing research study effectiveness in malaria elimination settings: a mixed
      methods study to capture the experiences of field-based staff.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In a drug-resistant, malaria elimination setting like Western
      Cambodia, field research is essential for the development of novel anti-malarial
      regimens and the public health solutions necessary to monitor the spread of
      resistance and eliminate infection. Such field studies often face a variety of
      similar implementation challenges, but these are rarely captured in a systematic
      way or used to optimize future study designs that might overcome similar
      challenges. Field-based research staff often have extensive experience and can
      provide valuable insight regarding these issues, but their perspectives and
      experiences are rarely documented and seldom integrated into future research
      protocols. This mixed-methods analysis sought to gain an understanding of the
      daily challenges encountered by research field staff in the artemisinin
      resistant, malaria elimination setting of Western Cambodia. In doing so, this
      study seeks to understand how the experiences and opinions of field staff can be
      captured, and used to inform future study designs. METHODS: Twenty-two reports
      from six field-based malaria studies conducted in Western Cambodia were reviewed
      using content analysis to identify challenges to conducting the research.
      Informal Interviews, Focus Group Discussions and In-depth Interviews were also
      conducted among field research staff. Thematic analysis of the data was
      undertaken using Nvivo 9(r) software. Triangulation and critical case analysis
      was also used. RESULTS: There was a lack of formalized avenues through which
      field workers could report challenges experienced when conducting the malaria
      studies. Field research staff faced significant logistical barriers to
      participant recruitment and data collection, including a lack of available
      transportation to cover long distances, and the fact that mobile and migrant
      populations (MMPs) are usually excluded from studies because of challenges in
      follow-up. Cultural barriers to communication also hindered participant
      recruitment and created unexpected delays. Field staff often paid a physical,
      emotional and financial cost, going beyond their duty in order to keep the study
      running. CONCLUSIONS: Formal monthly reports filled out by field study staff
      could be a key tool for capturing field study staff experiences effectively, but
      require specific report fields to encourage staff to outline their challenges and
      to propose potential solutions. Forging strong bonds with communities and their
      leaders may improve communication, and decrease barriers to participant
      recruitment. Study designs that make it feasible for MMPs to participate should
      be pursued; in addition to increasing the potential participant pool, this will
      ensure that the most malaria-endemic demographic is taken into account in
      research studies. Overlaps between clinical care and research create ethical
      dilemmas for study staff, a fact that warrants careful consideration. Lessons
      learned from study field staff should be used to create a set of locally-relevant
      recommendations to inform future study designs.

PMID- 28893265
TI  - Circular RNA_LARP4 inhibits cell proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer by
      sponging miR-424-5p and regulating LATS1 expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been shown to regulate gene expression
      involved in tumor progression of multiple malignancies. Our previous studies
      indicated that large tumor suppressor kinase 1 (LATS1), a core part of Hippo
      signaling pathway, functions as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer (GC). But,
      the underlying molecular mechanisms by which ncRNAs modulate LATS1 expression in
      GC remain undetermined. METHODS: The correlation of LATS1 and has-miR-424-5p (miR
      424) expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of GC
      patients was analyzed by TCGA RNA-sequencing data. A novel circular RNA_LARP4
      (circLARP4) was identified to sponge miR-424 by circRNA expression profile and
      bioinformatic analysis. The binding site between miR-424 and LATS1 or circLARP4
      was verified using dual luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay.
      The expression and localization of circLARP4 in GC tissues were investigated by
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). MTT, colony formation, Transwell and
      EdU assays were performed to assess the effects of miR-424 or circLARP4 on cell
      proliferation and invasion. RESULTS: Increased miR-424 expression or decreased
      LATS1 expression was associated with pathological stage and unfavorable prognosis
      of GC patients. Ectopic expression of miR-424 promoted proliferation and invasion
      of GC cells by targeting LATS1 gene. Furthermore, circLARP4 was mainly localized
      in the cytoplasm and inhibited biological behaviors of GC cells by sponging miR
      424. The expression of circLARP4 was downregulated in GC tissues and represented
      an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of GC patients. CONCLUSION:
      circLARP4 may act as a novel tumor suppressive factor and a potential biomarker
      in GC.

PMID- 28893266
TI  - Myocardial performance index in female athletes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term intensive training leads to morphological and mechanical
      changes in the heart generally known as "athlete's heart". Previous studies have
      suggested that the diastolic and systolic function of the ventricles is unaltered
      in athletes compared to sedentary. The purpose of this study was to investigate
      myocardial performance index (MPI) by pulsed wave Doppler (PWD) and by tissue
      Doppler imaging (TDI) in female elite athletes compared to sedentary controls.
      METHODS: The study consisted of 32 athletes (mean age 20 +/- 2 years) and 34
      sedentary controls (mean age 23 +/- 2 years). MPI by PWD and TDI were measured in
      the left (LV) and right ventricle (RV) in both groups. Moreover, comparisons of
      MPI by the two methods and between the LV and RV within the two groups were made.
      RESULTS: There were no significant differences in MPI between athletes and
      controls (p > 0.05), whereas the LV had significantly higher MPI compared to RV
      (p < 0.001, in athletes and controls). The agreement and the correlation between
      the two methods measuring MPI showed low agreement and no correlation (athletes
      RV r = -0.027, LV r = 0.12; controls RV r = 0.20, LV r = 0.30). CONCLUSION: The
      global function of the LV and RV measured by MPI with PWD and TDI is similar in
      female athletes compared to sedentary controls. Conversely, both MPI by PWD and
      by TDI shows a significant difference between the LV and RV. However, the
      agreement and correlation between conventional methods of measuring MPI by PWD
      compared to MPI by TDI is very poor in both these populations.

PMID- 28893267
TI  - Is the role of Health Extension Workers in the delivery of maternal and child
      health care services a significant attribute? The case of Dale district, southern
      Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Health Extension Program (HEP) is one of the most innovative
      community based health program launched by the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of
      Health to make health services accessible to rural communities by setting-out
      women Health Extension Workers (HEWs) in rural Health Posts. The HEWs are
      premised to provide basic, largely preventive, primary health services to rural
      villages and the program gives special attention to children and mothers. The
      objective of the study was to assess the contribution made by the Health
      Extension Workers in maternal and child health care service delivery in Dale
      district, southern Ethiopia. METHODS: Using a community based cross-sectional
      data; the study assessed the status of mother's health service utilization and
      estimated the role of HEWs in maternal and child health care delivery. Mothers of
      reproductive age (15-49), having at least one under-five age child, were eligible
      for the study. The total sample size was 617 and systemic random sampling method
      was used to select the study subjects from each randomly selected kebeles (lower
      administrative units). Structured questionnaire was applied to collect data
      through interviewing of the selected mothers and the data were analysed using
      SPSS version 16 statistical software. RESULTS: Health Posts are important health
      care delivery settings and their share from the overall service delivery of ANC,
      Family planning and child treatment services were pivotal. However, overall
      service coverage of ANC (four and more visits), delivery and PNC services were
      low in the district as compared to the national status; and the input from the
      HEWs, in this regard, was unsatisfactory. The number of home visits was also
      inadequate for the necessary support of the mothers. The results of the multiple
      logistic regression indicated that mothers who listen to the radio (AOR 4.62; CI
      1.66-12.85) and who had received information about the MCH services by HEWs (AOR
      2.09; CI 1.06-4.14) were significantly associated with good MCH service
      utilization status. CONCLUSION: Health Extension Workers can improve their role
      in the MCH service delivery in the district by delivering appropriate information
      about the different available services to the mothers at the community and
      household level. All concerned bodies, including federal, regional and local
      governments should support the efforts of HEWs and need to address the challenges
      for poor performance areas of the HEWs in MCH service delivery.

PMID- 28893268
TI  - A novel HIV vaccine targeting the protease cleavage sites.
AB  - HIV preferentially infects activated CD4+ T cells and mutates rapidly. The
      classical vaccine approach aimed to generate broad immune responses to full HIV
      proteins largely failed to address the potential adverse impact of increased
      number of activated CD4+ T cells as viral targets. Learning from natural immunity
      observed in a group of HIV resistant Kenyan female sex workers, we are testing a
      novel vaccine approach. It focuses immune response to the highly conserved
      sequences surrounding the HIV protease cleavage sites (PCS) to disrupt viral
      maturation, while limiting excessive immune activation. Our pilot studies using
      nonhuman primate SIV infection models suggest that this approach is feasible and
      promising.

PMID- 28893269
TI  - Core competencies for scientific editors of biomedical journals: consensus
      statement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scientific editors are responsible for deciding which articles to
      publish in their journals. However, we have not found documentation of their
      required knowledge, skills, and characteristics, or the existence of any formal
      core competencies for this role. METHODS: We describe the development of a
      minimum set of core competencies for scientific editors of biomedical journals.
      RESULTS: The 14 key core competencies are divided into three major areas, and
      each competency has a list of associated elements or descriptions of more
      specific knowledge, skills, and characteristics that contribute to its
      fulfillment. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that these core competencies are a baseline
      of the knowledge, skills, and characteristics needed to perform competently the
      duties of a scientific editor at a biomedical journal.

PMID- 28893270
TI  - The impact of the advanced practice nursing role on quality of care, clinical
      outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost in the emergency and critical care
      settings: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic illness and multimorbidity rises with
      population aging, thereby increasing the acuity of care. Consequently, the demand
      for emergency and critical care services has increased. However, the forecasted
      requirements for physicians have shown a continued shortage. Among efforts
      underway to search for innovations to strengthen the workforce, there is a
      heightened interest to have nurses in advanced practice participate in patient
      care at a great extent. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the impact of
      increasing the autonomy of nurses assuming advanced practice roles in emergency
      and critical care settings on patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of
      this study are to present, critically appraise, and synthesize the best available
      evidence on the impact of advanced practice nursing on quality of care, clinical
      outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost in emergency and critical care settings.
      REVIEW METHODS: A comprehensive and systematic search of nine electronic
      databases and a hand-search of two key journals from 2006 to 2016 were conducted
      to identify studies evaluating the impact of advanced practice nursing in the
      emergency and critical care settings. Two authors were involved selecting the
      studies based on the inclusion criteria. Out of the original search yield of
      12,061 studies, 15 studies were chosen for appraisal of methodological quality by
      two independent authors and subsequently included for analysis. Data was
      extracted using standardized tools. RESULTS: Narrative synthesis was undertaken
      to summarize and report the findings. This review demonstrates that the
      involvement of nurses in advanced practice in emergency and critical care
      improves the length of stay, time to consultation/treatment, mortality, patient
      satisfaction, and cost savings. CONCLUSIONS: Capitalizing on nurses in advanced
      practice to increase patients' access to emergency and critical care is
      appealing. This review suggests that the implementation of advanced practice
      nursing roles in the emergency and critical care settings improves patient
      outcomes. The transformation of healthcare delivery through effective utilization
      of the workforce may alleviate the impending rise in demand for health services.
      Nevertheless, it is necessary to first prepare a receptive context to effect
      sustainable change.

PMID- 28893271
TI  - Erratum to: Inhibition of TRPM7 suppresses cell proliferation of colon
      adenocarcinoma in vitro and induces hypomagnesemia in vivo without affecting
      azoxymethane-induced early colon cancer in mice.

PMID- 28893272
TI  - Killed whole-HIV vaccine; employing a well established strategy for antiviral
      vaccines.
AB  - The development of an efficient prophylactic HIV vaccine has been one of the
      major challenges in infectious disease research during the last three decades.
      Here, we present a mini review on strategies employed for the development of HIV
      vaccines with an emphasis on a well-established vaccine technology, the killed
      whole-virus vaccine approach. Recently, we reported an evaluation of the safety
      and the immunogenicity of a genetically modified and killed whole-HIV-1 vaccine
      designated as SAV001 [1]. HIV-1 Clade B NL4-3 was genetically modified by
      deleting the nef and vpu genes and substituting the coding sequence of the Env
      signal peptide with that of honeybee melittin to produce an avirulent and
      replication efficient HIV-1. This genetically modified virus (gmHIV-1 NL4-3 ) was
      propagated in a human T cell line followed by virus purification and inactivation
      by aldrithiol-2 and gamma-irradiation. We found that SAV001 was well tolerated
      with no serious adverse events. HIV-1 NL4-3 -specific polymerase chain reaction
      showed no evidence of vaccine virus replication in participants receiving SAV001
      and in human T cells infected in vitro. Furthermore, SAV001 with an adjuvant
      significantly increased the antibody response to HIV-1 structural proteins.
      Moreover, antibodies in the plasma from these vaccinations neutralized tier I and
      tier II of HIV-1 B, A, and D subtypes. These results indicated that the killed
      whole-HIV vaccine is safe and may trigger appropriate immune responses to prevent
      HIV infection. Utilization of this killed whole-HIV vaccine strategy may pave the
      way to develop an effective HIV vaccine.

PMID- 28893273
TI  - Food parenting practices for 5 to 12 year old children: a concept map analysis of
      parenting and nutrition experts input.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parents are an important influence on children's dietary intake and
      eating behaviors. However, the lack of a conceptual framework and inconsistent
      assessment of food parenting practices limits our understanding of which food
      parenting practices are most influential on children. The aim of this study was
      to develop a food parenting practice conceptual framework using systematic
      approaches of literature reviews and expert input. METHOD: A previously completed
      systematic review of food parenting practice instruments and a qualitative study
      of parents informed the development of a food parenting practice item bank
      consisting of 3632 food parenting practice items. The original item bank was
      further reduced to 110 key food parenting concepts using binning and winnowing
      techniques. A panel of 32 experts in parenting and nutrition were invited to sort
      the food parenting practice concepts into categories that reflected their
      perceptions of a food parenting practice conceptual framework. Multi-dimensional
      scaling produced a point map of the sorted concepts and hierarchical cluster
      analysis identified potential solutions. Subjective modifications were used to
      identify two potential solutions, with additional feedback from the expert panel
      requested. RESULTS: The experts came from 8 countries and 25 participated in the
      sorting and 23 provided additional feedback. A parsimonious and a comprehensive
      concept map were developed based on the clustering of the food parenting practice
      constructs. The parsimonious concept map contained 7 constructs, while the
      comprehensive concept map contained 17 constructs and was informed by a
      previously published content map for food parenting practices. Most of the
      experts (52%) preferred the comprehensive concept map, while 35% preferred to
      present both solutions. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive food parenting practice
      conceptual map will provide the basis for developing a calibrated Item Response
      Modeling (IRM) item bank that can be used with computerized adaptive testing.
      Such an item bank will allow for more consistency in measuring food parenting
      practices across studies to better assess the impact of food parenting practices
      on child outcomes and the effect of interventions that target parents as agents
      of change.

PMID- 28893274
TI  - Modulation of the strength and character of HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses
      with heteroclitic peptides.
AB  - Chronic infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes HIV-specific
      CD8+ T cell dysfunction and exhaustion. The strong association between non
      progression and maintenance of HIV-specific CD8+ T cell cytokine production and
      proliferative capacities suggests that invigorating CD8+ T cell immune responses
      would reduce viremia and slow disease progression. A series of studies have
      demonstrated that sequence variants of native immunogenic peptides can generate
      more robust CD8+ T cell responses and that stimulation with these 'heteroclitic'
      peptides can steer responses away from the phenotypic and functional attributes
      of exhaustion acquired during chronic HIV infection. Incorporation of
      heteroclitic peptide stimulation within therapeutic vaccines could favour
      induction of more effective cellular antiviral responses, and in combination with
      'shock and kill' strategies, contribute towards HIV cure.

PMID- 28893275
TI  - Unlocking HIV-1 Env: implications for antibody attack.
AB  - Collective evidence supporting a role of Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated
      Cytotoxicity (ADCC) in controlling HIV-1 transmission and disease progression
      emerged in the last few years. Non-neutralizing antibodies (nnAbs) recognizing
      conserved CD4-induced epitopes on Env and able to mediate potent ADCC against HIV
      1-infected cells exposing Env in its CD4-bound conformation have been shown to be
      present in some RV144 vaccinees and most HIV-1-infected individuals. HIV-1
      evolved sophisticated strategies to decrease exposure of this Env conformation by
      downregulating CD4 and by limiting the overall amount of cell-surface Env. In
      this review, we will summarize our contribution to this rapidly evolving field,
      discuss how structural properties of HIV-1 Env might have contributed to the
      modest efficacy of the RV144 trial and how we recently used this knowledge to
      develop new strategies aimed at sensitizing HIV-1-infected cells to ADCC mediated
      by easy to elicit nnAbs.

PMID- 28893277
TI  - Development of an HIV vaccine using a vesicular stomatitis virus vector
      expressing designer HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins to enhance humoral responses.
AB  - Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), like many other Rhabdoviruses, have become the
      focus of intense research over the past couple of decades based on their
      suitability as vaccine vectors, transient gene delivery systems, and as oncolytic
      viruses for cancer therapy. VSV as a vaccine vector platform has multiple
      advantages over more traditional viral vectors including low level, non
      pathogenic replication in diverse cell types, ability to induce both humoral and
      cell-mediate immune responses, and the remarkable expression of foreign proteins
      cloned into multiple intergenic sites in the VSV genome. The utility and safety
      of VSV as a vaccine vector was recently demonstrated near the end of the recent
      Ebola outbreak in West Africa where VSV pseudotyped with the Ebola virus (EBOV)
      glycoprotein was proven safe in humans and provided protective efficacy against
      EBOV in a human phase III clinical trial. A team of Canadian scientists, led by
      Dr. Gary Kobinger, is now working with International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
      (IAVI) in developing a VSV-based HIV vaccine that will combine unique Canadian
      research on the HIV-1 Env glycoprotein and on the VSV vaccine vector. The goal of
      this collaboration is to develop a vaccine with a robust and potent anti-HIV
      immune response with an emphasis on generating quality antibodies to protect
      against HIV challenges.

PMID- 28893276
TI  - Imipramine blocks acute silicosis in a mouse model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inhalation of crystalline silica is associated with pulmonary
      inflammation and silicosis. Although silicosis remains a prevalent health problem
      throughout the world, effective treatment choices are limited. Imipramine (IMP)
      is a FDA approved tricyclic antidepressant drug with lysosomotropic
      characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for IMP to
      reduce silicosis and block phagolysosome membrane permeabilization. METHODS:
      C57BL/6 alveolar macrophages (AM) exposed to crystalline silica +/- IMP in vitro
      were assessed for IL-1beta release, cytotoxicity, particle uptake, lysosomal
      stability, and acid sphingomyelinase activity. Short term (24 h) in vivo studies
      in mice instilled with silica (+/- IMP) evaluated inflammation and cytokine
      release, in addition to cytokine release from ex vivo cultured AM. Long term (six
      to ten weeks) in vivo studies in mice instilled with silica (+/- IMP) evaluated
      histopathology, lung damage, and hydroxyproline content as an indicator of
      collagen accumulation. RESULTS: IMP significantly attenuated silica-induced
      cytotoxicity and release of mature IL-1beta from AM in vitro. IMP treatment in
      vivo reduced silica-induced inflammation in a short-term model. Furthermore, IMP
      was effective in blocking silica-induced lung damage and collagen deposition in a
      long-term model. The mechanism by which IMP reduces inflammation was explored by
      assessing cellular processes such as particle uptake and acid sphingomyelinase
      activity. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, IMP was anti-inflammatory against silica
      exposure in vitro and in vivo. The results were consistent with IMP blocking
      silica-induced phagolysosomal lysis, thereby preventing cell death and IL-1beta
      release. Thus, IMP could be therapeutic for silica-induced inflammation and
      subsequent disease progression as well as other diseases involving phagolysosomal
      lysis.

PMID- 28893278
TI  - Development of an anti-HIV vaccine eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies.
AB  - The extreme HIV diversity posts a great challenge on development of an effective
      anti-HIV vaccine. To solve this problem, it is crucial to discover an appropriate
      immunogens and strategies that are able to prevent the transmission of the
      diverse viruses that are circulating in the world. Even though there have been a
      number of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies (bNAbs) been discovered in
      recent years, induction of such antibodies to date has only been observed in HIV
      1 infection. Here, in this mini review, we review the progress in development of
      HIV vaccine in eliciting broad immune response, especially production of bNAbs,
      discuss possible strategies, such as polyvalent sequential vaccination, that
      facilitates B cell maturation leading to bNAb response.

PMID- 28893279
TI  - Biomechanics and neural control of movement, 20 years later: what have we learned
      and what has changed?
AB  - We summarize content from the opening thematic session of the 20th anniversary
      meeting for Biomechanics and Neural Control of Movement (BANCOM). Scientific
      discoveries from the past 20 years of research are covered, highlighting the
      impacts of rapid technological, computational, and financial growth on motor
      control research. We discuss spinal-level communication mechanisms, relationships
      between muscle structure and function, and direct cortical movement
      representations that can be decoded in the control of neuroprostheses. In
      addition to summarizing the rich scientific ideas shared during the session, we
      reflect on research infrastructure and capacity that contributed to progress in
      the field, and outline unresolved issues and remaining open questions.

PMID- 28893280
TI  - Eradication of HIV-1 latent reservoirs through therapeutic vaccination.
AB  - Despite the significant success of combination anti-retroviral therapy to reduce
      HIV viremia and save lives, HIV-1 infection remains a lifelong infection that
      must be appropriately managed. Advances in the understanding of the HIV infection
      process and insights from vaccine development in other biomedical fields such as
      cancer, imaging, and genetic engineering have fueled rapid advancements in HIV
      cure research. In the last few years, several studies have focused on the
      development of "Kick and Kill" therapies to reverse HIV latency and kick start
      viral translational activity. This has been done with the aim that concomitant
      anti-retroviral treatment and the elicited immune responses will prevent de novo
      infections while eradicating productively infected cells. In this review, we
      describe our perspective on HIV cure and the new approaches we are undertaking to
      eradicate the established pro-viral reservoir.

PMID- 28893281
TI  - RNA flow cytometric FISH for investigations into HIV immunology, vaccination and
      cure strategies.
AB  - Despite the tremendous success of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) no current
      treatment can eradicate latent HIV reservoirs from HIV-infected individuals or
      generate, effective HIV-specific immunity. Technological limitations have
      hampered the identification and characterization of both HIV-infected cells and
      HIV-specific responses in clinical samples directly ex vivo. RNA-flow cytometric
      fluorescence in situ hybridisation (RNA Flow-FISH) is a powerful technique, which
      enables detection of mRNAs in conjunction with proteins at a single-cell level.
      Here, we describe how we are using this technology to address some of the major
      questions remaining in the HIV field in the era of ART. We discuss how CD4 T cell
      responses to HIV antigens, both following vaccination and HIV infection, can be
      characterized by measurement of cytokine mRNAs. We describe how our development
      of a dual HIV mRNA/protein assay (HIVRNA/Gag assay) enables high sensitivity
      detection of very rare HIV-infected cells and aids investigations into the
      translation-competent latent reservoir in the context of HIV cure.

PMID- 28893282
TI  - Development of targeted adjuvants for HIV-1 vaccines.
AB  - Finding new adjuvants is an integrated component of the efforts in developing an
      effective HIV-1 vaccine. Compared with traditional adjuvants, a modern adjuvant
      in the context of HIV-1 prevention would elicit a durable and potent memory
      response from B cells, CD8+ T cells, and NK cells but avoid overstimulation of
      HIV-1 susceptible CD4+ T cells, especially at genital and rectal mucosa, the main
      portals for HIV-1 transmission. We briefly review recent advances in the studies
      of such potential targeted adjuvants, focusing on three classes of molecules that
      we study: TNFSF molecules, TLRs agonists, and NODs agonists.

PMID- 28893283
TI  - Perceived fussy eating in Australian children at 14 months of age and subsequent
      use of maternal feeding practices at 2 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Concerns about fussy eating are common amongst parents of young
      children. However, studies of the long-term impact of fussy eating show mixed
      results with regard to adequacy of dietary intake and child growth. This may be
      in part because there is no accepted definition of fussy eating and studies
      measure the construct in different ways, commonly relying on parent perception.
      This longitudinal analysis explores maternal and child characteristics associated
      with maternal perception of her toddler as a fussy eater in early toddlerhood and
      subsequent use of feeding practices at 2 years. METHODS: Mothers completed a self
      administered questionnaire at child age 14 months, describing perception of their
      child as fussy/not fussy and child behaviour. Intake was assessed using a single
      24-h recall and weight was measured by research staff. At child age 2 years
      mothers completed the validated 28-item Feeding Practices and Structure
      Questionnaire (FPSQ-28). Weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) was derived from WHO
      standards. Gram daily intake of fruit, vegetables and meat/alternative and a
      dietary diversity score were determined. Maternal/child characteristics
      independently associated (p <= 0.05) with perception of child as a fussy eater
      were determined using logistic regression. Variables were combined in a
      structural equation model assessing the longitudinal relationship between
      child/maternal characteristics, perception of child as a fussy eater and eight
      FPSQ factors. RESULTS: Mothers' (n = 330) perception of her child as a fussy
      eater at age 14 months, was associated with higher frequency of food refusal and
      lower WAZ (R 2 = 0.41) but not dietary intake. Maternal perception as fussy (age
      14 months) was associated with four FPSQ factors at 2 years (n = 279) - Reward
      for Eating, Reward for Behaviour, Persuasive Feeding and Overt Restriction, x 2
      /df = 1.42, TLI = 0.95, CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.04(0.03-0.05), PCLOSE = 0.99.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lower relative child weight and food refusal prompted mothers to
      perceive their child as fussy. These behaviours in healthy weight children most
      likely reflect self-regulation of energy intake and neophobia. This perception
      was prospectively associated with use of non-responsive feeding practices, which
      may increase obesity risk. Future interventions could directly address
      perceptions of growth and fussiness, supporting parents to understand food
      refusal as developmentally appropriate behaviour in healthy young children. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ACTRN12608000056392 . Registered 29 January 2008.

PMID- 28893284
TI  - Role of sex hormones and the vaginal microbiome in susceptibility and mucosal
      immunity to HIV-1 in the female genital tract.
AB  - While the prevalence of Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection has
      stabilized globally, it continues to be the leading cause of death among women of
      reproductive age. The majority of new infections are transmitted heterosexually,
      and women have consistently been found to be more susceptible to HIV-1 infection
      during heterosexual intercourse compared to men. This emphasizes the need for a
      deeper understanding of how the microenvironment in the female genital tract
      (FGT) could influence HIV-1 acquisition. This short review focuses on our current
      understanding of the interplay between estrogen, progesterone, and the
      cervicovaginal microbiome and their immunomodulatory effects on the FGT. The role
      of hormonal contraceptives and bacterial vaginosis on tissue inflammation, T cell
      immunity and HIV-1 susceptibility is discussed. Taken together, this review
      provides valuable information for the future development of multi-purpose
      interventions to prevent HIV-1 infection in women.

PMID- 28893285
TI  - Estimates of individual muscle power production in normal adult walking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of
      individual hip muscles to the net hip power in normal adult self-selected speed
      walking. A further goal was to examine each muscle's role in propulsion or
      support of the body during that task. METHODS: An EMG-to-force processing (EFP)
      model was developed which scaled muscle-tendon unit (MTU) force output to gait
      EMG. Active muscle power was defined as the product of MTU forces (derived from
      EFP) and that muscle's contraction velocity. Passive hip power was estimated from
      passive moments associates with hip position (angle of flexion (extension)) and
      the hip's angular velocity. Net hip EFP power was determined by summing
      individual active hip muscle power plus the net passive hip power at each percent
      gait cycle interval. Net hip power was also calculated for these study
      participants via inverse dynamics (kinetics plus kinematics, KIN). The inverse
      dynamics technique - well accepted in the biomechanics literature - was used as a
      "gold standard" for validation of this EFP model. Closeness of fit of the power
      curves of the two methods was used to validate the model. RESULTS: The
      correlation between the EFP and KIN methods was sufficiently close, suggesting
      validation of the model's ability to provide reasonable estimates of power
      produced by individual hip muscles. Key findings were that (1) most muscles
      undergo a stretch-shorten cycle of muscle contraction, (2) greatest power was
      produced by the hip abductors, and (3) the hip adductors contribute to either hip
      adduction or hip extension (but not both). CONCLUSIONS: The EMG-to-force
      processing approach provides reasonable estimates of individual hip muscle forces
      in self-selected speed walking in neurologically-intact adults.

PMID- 28893286
TI  - The biology of how circumcision reduces HIV susceptibility: broader implications
      for the prevention field.
AB  - Circumcision reduces heterosexual HIV-1 acquisition in men by at least 60%.
      However, the biological mechanisms by which circumcision is protective remain
      incompletely understood. We test the hypothesis that the sub-preputial
      microenvironment created by the foreskin drives immune activation in adjacent
      foreskin tissues, facilitating HIV-1 infection through a combination of
      epithelial barrier disruption, enhanced dendritic cell maturation, and the
      recruitment/activation of neutrophils and susceptible CD4 T cell subsets such as
      Th17 cells. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the genital microbiome may be
      an important driver of this immune activation. This suggests that new modalities
      to reduce genital immune activation and/or alter the genital microbiome, used
      alone or in combination with topical microbicides, may be of significant benefit
      to HIV prevention.

PMID- 28893287
TI  - Natural killer (NK) cell receptor-HLA ligand genotype combinations associated
      with protection from HIV infection: investigation of how protective genotypes
      influence anti HIV NK cell functions.
AB  - The anti-HIV activity of natural killer (NK) cells could be induced fast enough
      to potentially prevent the establishment of HIV infection. Epidemiological
      studies identified two genotypes encoding NK receptors that contribute to NK cell
      function, that were more frequent in people who remained uninfected despite
      multiple HIV exposures than in HIV-susceptible subjects. NK cells from carriers
      of the *h/*y+B*57 genotype have higher NK cell functional potential and inhibit
      HIV replication in autologous HIV-infected CD4+ T cells (iCD4) more potently than
      those from carriers of non-protective genotypes. HIV suppression depends on the
      secretion of CC-chemokines that block HIV entry into CD4+ cells. NK cell
      education and the effect of HIV infection on iCD4 cell surface expression of MHC
      I antigens both influenced NK cell responses to autologous iCD4. The second
      KIR3DS1 homozygous protective genotype encodes an activating receptor that upon
      interacting with its HLA-F ligand on iCD4 induces anti-viral activity.

PMID- 28893288
TI  - Potential contribution of gut microbiota and systemic inflammation on HIV vaccine
      effectiveness and vaccine design.
AB  - The quest for an effective HIV-1 vaccine began as soon as the virus causing AIDS
      was identified. After several disappointing attempts, results of the Phase-III
      RV144 trial in Thailand were a beacon of hope for the field demonstrating
      correlation between protection and immunological markers. In order to optimize
      vaccine response, we underline results from yellow fever and hepatitis B
      vaccines, where protective responses were predicted by the pre-vaccination level
      of immune activation in healthy individuals. Such findings support the assessment
      and reduction of pre-vaccine immune activation in order to optimize vaccine
      response. Immune activation in healthy individuals can be influenced by age,
      presence of CMV infection, gut dysbiosis and microbial translocation. We
      speculate that the level of immune activation should therefore be assessed to
      better select participants in vaccine trials, and interventions to reduce
      inflammation should be used to increase protective HIV vaccine response.

PMID- 28893289
TI  - Recombinant expression of beak and feather disease virus capsid protein and
      assembly of virus-like particles in Nicotiana benthamiana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) is an important disease causing
      agent affecting psittacines. BFDV is highly infectious and can present as acute,
      chronic or subclinical disease. The virus causes immunodeficiency and is often
      associated with secondary infections. No commercial vaccine is available and
      yields of recombinant BFDV capsid protein (CP) expressed in insect cells and
      bacteria are yet to be seen as commercially viable, although both systems
      produced BFDV CP that could successfully assemble into virus-like particles
      (VLPs). Plants as expression systems are increasingly becoming favourable for the
      production of region-specific and niche market products. The aim of this study
      was to investigate the formation and potential for purification of BFDV VLPs in
      Nicotiana benthamiana. METHODS: The BFDV CP was transiently expressed in N.
      benthamiana using an Agrobacterium-mediated system and plant expression vectors
      that included a bean yellow dwarf virus (BeYDV)-based replicating DNA vector.
      Plant-produced BFDV CP was detected using immunoblotting. VLPs were purified
      using sucrose cushion and CsCl density gradient centrifugation and visualised
      using transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: In this study we demonstrate
      that the BFDV CP can be successfully expressed in N. benthamiana, albeit at
      relatively low yield. Using a purification strategy based on centrifugation we
      demonstrated that the expressed CP can self-assemble into VLPs that can be
      detected using electron microscopy. These plant-produced BFDV VLPs resemble those
      produced in established recombinant expression systems and infectious virions. It
      is possible that the VLPs are spontaneously incorporating amplicon DNA produced
      from the replicating BeYDV plant vector. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of
      plant-made full-length BFDV CP assembling into VLPs. The putative pseudovirions
      could be used to further the efficacy of vaccines against BFDV.

PMID- 28893290
TI  - Evasion of adaptive immunity by HIV through the action of host APOBEC3G/F
      enzymes.
AB  - APOBEC3G (A3G) and APOBEC3F (A3F) are DNA-mutating enzymes expressed in T cells,
      dendritic cells and macrophages. A3G/F have been considered innate immune host
      factors, based on reports that they lethally mutate the HIV genome in vitro. In
      vivo, A3G/F effectiveness is limited by viral proteins, entrapment in inactive
      complexes and filtration of mutations during viral life cycle. We hypothesized
      that the impact of sub-lethal A3G/F action could extend beyond the realm of
      innate immunity confined to the cytoplasm of infected cells. We measured
      recognition of wild type and A3G/F-mutated epitopes by cytotoxic T lymphocytes
      (CTL) from HIV-infected individuals and found that A3G/F-induced mutations
      overwhelmingly diminished CTL recognition of HIV peptides, in a human
      histocompatibility-linked leukocyte antigen (HLA)-dependent manner. Furthermore,
      we found corresponding enrichment of A3G/F-favored motifs in CTL epitope-encoding
      sequences within the HIV genome. These findings illustrate that A3G/F-mediated
      mutations mediate immune evasion by HIV in vivo. Therefore, we suggest that
      vaccine strategies target T cell or antibody epitopes that are not poised for
      mutation into escape variants by A3G/F action.

PMID- 28893291
TI  - Preference for cesarean section in young nulligravid women in eight OECD
      countries and implications for reproductive health education.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efforts to reduce unnecessary Cesarean sections (CS) in high and
      middle income countries have focused on changing hospital cultures and policies,
      care provider attitudes and behaviors, and increasing women's knowledge about the
      benefits of vaginal birth. These strategies have been largely ineffective.
      Despite evidence that women have well-developed preferences for mode of delivery
      prior to conceiving their first child, few studies and no interventions have
      targeted the next generation of maternity care consumers. The objectives of the
      study were to identify how many women prefer Cesarean section in a hypothetical
      healthy pregnancy, why they prefer CS and whether women report knowledge gaps
      about pregnancy and childbirth that can inform educational interventions.
      METHODS: Data was collected via an online survey at colleges and universities in
      8 OECD countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, England, Germany, Iceland, New
      Zealand, United States) in 2014/2015. Childless young men and women between 18
      and 40 years of age who planned to have at least one child in the future were
      eligible to participate. The current analysis is focused on the attitudes of
      women (n = 3616); rates of CS preference across countries are compared, using a
      standardized cohort of women aged 18-25 years, who were born in the survey
      country and did not study health sciences (n = 1390). RESULTS: One in ten young
      women in our study preferred CS, ranging from 7.6% in Iceland to 18.4% in
      Australia. Fear of uncontrollable labor pain and fear of physical damage were
      primary reasons for preferring a CS. Both fear of childbirth and preferences for
      CS declined as the level of confidence in women's knowledge of pregnancy and
      birth increased. CONCLUSION: Education sessions delivered online, through social
      media, and face-to-face using drama and stories told by peers (young women who
      have recently had babies) or celebrities could be designed to maximize young
      women's capacity to understand the physiology of labor and birth, and the range
      of methods available to support them in coping with labor pain and to minimize
      invasive procedures, therefore reducing fear of pain, bodily damage, and loss of
      control. The most efficacious designs and content for such education for young
      women and girls remains to be tested in future studies.

PMID- 28893293
TI  - HIV vaccine research in Canada.

PMID- 28893292
TI  - Reorganization of finger coordination patterns through motor exploration in
      individuals after stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impairment of hand and finger function after stroke is common and
      affects the ability to perform activities of daily living. Even though many of
      these coordination deficits such as finger individuation have been well
      characterized, it is critical to understand how stroke survivors learn to explore
      and reorganize their finger coordination patterns for optimizing rehabilitation.
      In this study, I examine the use of a body-machine interface to assess how
      participants explore their movement repertoire, and how this changes with
      continued practice. METHODS: Ten participants with chronic stroke wore a data
      glove and the finger joint angles were mapped on to the position of a cursor on a
      screen. The task of the participants was to move the cursor back and forth
      between two specified targets on a screen. Critically, the map between the finger
      movements and cursor motion was altered so that participants sometimes had to
      generate coordination patterns that required finger individuation. There were two
      phases to the experiment - an initial assessment phase on day 1, followed by a
      learning phase (days 2-5) where participants trained to reorganize their
      coordination patterns. RESULTS: Participants showed difficulty in performing
      tasks which had maps that required finger individuation, and the degree to which
      they explored their movement repertoire was directly related to clinical tests of
      hand function. However, over four sessions of practice, participants were able to
      learn to reorganize their finger movement coordination pattern and improve their
      performance. Moreover, training also resulted in improvements in movement
      repertoire outside of the context of the specific task during free exploration.
      CONCLUSIONS: Stroke survivors show deficits in movement repertoire in their
      paretic hand, but facilitating movement exploration during training can increase
      the movement repertoire. This suggests that exploration may be an important
      element of rehabilitation to regain optimal function.

PMID- 28893294
TI  - HIV-I Nef inhibitors: a novel class of HIV-specific immune adjuvants in support
      of a cure.
AB  - The success of many current vaccines relies on a formulation that incorporates an
      immune activating adjuvant. This will hold true for the design of a successful
      therapeutic HIV vaccine targeted at controlling reactivated virus following
      cessation of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). The HIV accessory protein
      Nef functions by interfering with HIV antigen presentation through the major
      histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) pathway thereby suppressing CD8+ cytotoxic T
      cell (CTL)-mediated killing of HIV infected cells. Thus, this important
      impediment to HIV vaccine success must be circumvented. This review covers our
      current knowledge of Nef inhibitors that may serve as immune adjuvants that will
      specifically restore and enhance CTL-mediated killing of reactivated HIV infected
      cells as part of an overall vaccine strategy to affect a cure for HIV infection.

PMID- 28893295
TI  - A brain-computer interface driven by imagining different force loads on a single
      hand: an online feasibility study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Motor imagery (MI) induced EEG patterns are widely used as control
      signals for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Kinetic and kinematic factors have
      been proved to be able to change EEG patterns during motor execution and motor
      imagery. However, to our knowledge, there is still no literature reporting an
      effective online MI-BCI using kinetic factor regulated EEG oscillations. This
      study proposed a novel MI-BCI paradigm in which users can online output multiple
      commands by imagining clenching their right hand with different force loads.
      METHODS: Eleven subjects participated in this study. During the experiment, they
      were asked to imagine clenching their right hands with two different force loads
      (30% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and 10% MVC). Multi-Common spatial
      patterns (Multi-CSPs) and support vector machines (SVMs) were used to build the
      classifier for recognizing three commands corresponding to high load MI, low load
      MI and relaxed status respectively. EMG were monitored to avoid voluntary muscle
      activities during the BCI operation. The event-related spectral perturbation
      (ERSP) method was used to analyse EEG variation during multiple load MI tasks.
      RESULTS: All subjects were able to drive BCI systems using motor imagery of
      different force loads in online experiments. We achieved an average online
      accuracy of 70.9%, with the highest accuracy of 83.3%, which was much higher than
      the chance level (33%). The event-related desynchronization (ERD) phenomenon
      during high load tasks was significantly higher than it was during low load tasks
      both in terms of intensity at electrode positions C3 (p < 0.05) and spatial
      distribution. CONCLUSIONS: This paper demonstrated the feasibility of the
      proposed MI-BCI paradigm based on multi-force loads on the same limb through
      online studies. This paradigm could not only enlarge the command set of MI-BCI,
      but also provide a promising approach to rehabilitate patients with motor
      disabilities.

PMID- 28893296
TI  - Diagnostic performance of image navigated coronary CMR angiography in patients
      with coronary artery disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of coronary MR angiography (CMRA) in patients with coronary
      artery disease (CAD) remains limited due to the long scan times, unpredictable
      and often non-diagnostic image quality secondary to respiratory motion artifacts.
      The purpose of this study was to evaluate CMRA with image-based respiratory
      navigation (iNAV CMRA) and compare it to gold standard invasive x-ray coronary
      angiography in patients with CAD. METHODS: Consecutive patients referred for CMR
      assessment were included to undergo iNAV CMRA on a 1.5 T scanner. Coronary vessel
      sharpness and a visual score were assigned to the coronary arteries. A diagnostic
      reading was performed on the iNAV CMRA data, where a lumen narrowing >50% was
      considered diseased. This was compared to invasive x-ray findings. RESULTS: Image
      navigated CMRA was performed in 31 patients (77% male, 56 +/- 14 years). The iNAV
      CMRA scan time was 7 min:21 s +/- 0 min:28 s. Out of a possible 279 coronary
      segments, 26 segments were excluded from analysis due to stents or diameter less
      than 1.5 mm, resulting in a total of 253 coronary segments. Diagnostic image
      quality was obtained for 98% of proximal coronary segments, 94% of middle
      segments, and 91% of distal coronary segments. The sensitivity and specificity
      was 86% and 83% per patient, 80% and 92% per vessel and 73% and 95% per segment.
      CONCLUSION: In this study, iNAV CMRA offered a very good diagnostic performance
      when compared against invasive x-ray angiography. Due to the short and
      predictable scan time it can add clinical value as a part of a comprehensive CAD
      assessment protocol.

PMID- 28893297
TI  - Evidence-based practice within nutrition: what are the barriers for improving the
      evidence and how can they be dealt with?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence-based clinical research poses special barriers in the field
      of nutrition. The present review summarises the main barriers to research in the
      field of nutrition that are not common to all randomised clinical trials or
      trials on rare diseases and highlights opportunities for improvements. METHODS:
      Systematic academic literature searches and internal European Clinical Research
      Infrastructure Network (ECRIN) communications during face-to-face meetings and
      telephone conferences from 2013 to 2017 within the context of the ECRIN
      Integrating Activity (ECRIN-IA) project. RESULTS: Many nutrients occur in
      multiple forms that differ in biological activity, and several factors can alter
      their bioavailability which raises barriers to their assessment. These include
      specific difficulties with blinding procedures, with assessments of dietary
      intake, and with selecting appropriate outcomes as patient-centred outcomes may
      occur decennia into the future. The methodologies and regulations for drug trials
      are, however, applicable to nutrition trials. CONCLUSIONS: Research on clinical
      nutrition should start by collecting clinical data systematically in databases
      and registries. Measurable patient-centred outcomes and appropriate study designs
      are needed. International cooperation and multistakeholder engagement are key for
      success.

PMID- 28893298
TI  - Learning from returnee Ethiopian migrant domestic workers: a qualitative
      assessment to reduce the risk of human trafficking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: International migration has become a global political priority, with
      growing concern about the scale of human trafficking, hazardous work conditions,
      and resulting psychological and physical morbidity among migrants. Ethiopia
      remains a significant "source" country for female domestic workers to the Middle
      East and Gulf States, despite widespread reports of exploitation and abuse. Prior
      to introduction of a "safe migration" intervention, we conducted formative
      research to elicit lessons learned by women who had worked as domestic workers
      abroad. The aim of the study was to identify realistic measures future migrants
      could take to protect themselves, based on the collective insights and experience
      of returnees. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative assessment among returnee
      domestic labour migrants in Amhara Region, Ethiopia, an area considered a
      "hotspot" for outmigration. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus group
      discussions with a total of 35 female returnees, exploring risk and protective
      factors experienced by Ethiopian women during domestic work abroad. We used
      thematic content analysis to identify practical messages that could improve
      prospective migrants' preparedness. RESULTS: Returnees described the knowledge
      and skills they acquired prior to departure and during migration, and shared
      advice they would give to prospective migrants in their community. Facilitators
      of positive migration included conforming to cultural and behavioural
      expectations, learning basic Arabic, using household appliances, and ensuring
      safety in employers' homes. Respondents also associated confidence and
      assertiveness with better treatment and respect, and emphasized the importance of
      access to external communication (e.g. a mobile phone, local sim card, and
      contact details) for help in an emergency. Following their own challenging or
      even traumatic experiences, returnees were keen to support resilience among the
      next wave of migrants. CONCLUSIONS: There is little evidence on practices that
      foster safer migration, yet attention to human trafficking has led to an increase
      in pre-migration interventions. These require robust evidence about local risk
      and protective factors. Our findings identify knowledge, skills, attributes and
      resources found useful by returnee domestic workers in Amhara region, and have
      been used to inform a community-based programme aiming to foster better decision
      making and preparation, with potential to offer insights for safer migration
      elsewhere.

PMID- 28893299
TI  - Risk for surgical complications after previous stereotactic body radiotherapy of
      the spine.
AB  - OBJECT: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for vertebral metastases has
      emerged as a promising technique, offering high rates of symptom relief and local
      control combined with low risk of toxicity. Nonetheless, local failure or
      vertebral instability may occur after spine SBRT, generating the need for
      subsequent surgery in the irradiated region. This study evaluated whether there
      is an increased incidence of surgical complications in patients previously
      treated with SBRT at the index level. METHODS: Based upon a retrospective
      international database of 704 cases treated with SBRT for vertebral metastases,
      30 patients treated at 6 different institutions were identified who underwent
      surgery in a region previously treated with SBRT. RESULTS: Thirty patients,
      median age 59 years (range 27-84 years) underwent SBRT for 32 vertebral
      metastases followed by surgery at the same vertebra. Median follow-up time from
      SBRT was 17 months. In 17 cases, conventional radiotherapy had been delivered
      prior to SBRT at a median dose of 30 Gy in median 10 fractions. SBRT was
      administered with a median prescription dose of 19.3 Gy (range 15-65 Gy)
      delivered in median 1 fraction (range 1-17) (median EQD2/10 = 44 Gy). The median
      time interval between SBRT and surgical salvage therapy was 6 months (range 1-39
      months). Reasons for subsequent surgery were pain (n = 28), neurological
      deterioration (n = 15) or fracture of the vertebral body (n = 13). Open surgical
      decompression (n = 24) and/or stabilization (n = 18) were most frequently
      performed; Five patients (6 vertebrae) were treated without complications with
      vertebroplasty only. Increased fibrosis complicating the surgical procedure was
      explicitly stated in one surgical report. Two durotomies occurred which were
      closed during the operation, associated with a neurological deficit in one
      patient. Median blood loss was 500 ml, but five patients had a blood loss of more
      than 1 l during the procedure. Delayed wound healing was reported in two cases.
      One patient died within 30 days of the operation. CONCLUSION: In this series of
      surgical interventions following spine SBRT, the overall complication rate was
      19%, which appears comparable to primary surgery without previous SBRT. Prior
      spine SBRT does not appear to significantly increase the risk of intra- and post
      surgical complications.

PMID- 28893300
TI  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer using
      higher doses for larger tumors: results of the second study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in stage I non
      small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has almost been established. In Japan, the
      protocol of 48 Gy in 4 fractions over 4 days has been most often employed, but
      higher doses may be necessary to control large tumors. Previously, we conducted a
      clinical study using SBRT for stage I NSCLC employing different doses depending
      on tumor diameter, which was closed in 2008. Thereafter, a new study employing
      higher doses has been conducted, which is reported here. The purpose of this
      study was to review the safety and effectiveness of the higher doses. METHODS: We
      escalated the total dose for the improvement of local control for large tumors.
      In this study, 71 patients underwent SBRT between December 2008 and April 2014.
      Isocenter doses of 48, 50, and 52 Gy were administered for tumors with a longest
      diameter of < 1.5 cm, 1.5-3 cm, and > 3 cm, respectively. It was recommended to
      cover 95% of the PTV with at least 90% of the isocenter dose, and in all but one
      cases, 95% of the PTV received at least 80% of the prescribed dose. Treatments
      were delivered in 4 fractions, giving 2 fractions per week. SBRT was performed
      with 6-MV photons using 4 non-coplanar and 3 coplanar beams. RESULTS: The median
      follow-up period was 44 months for all patients and 61 months for living
      patients. Overall survival (OS) was 65%, progression-free survival (PFS) was 55%,
      and cumulative incidence of local recurrence (LR) was 15% at 5 years. The 5-year
      OS was 69% for 57 stage IA patients and 53% for 14 stage IB patients (p = 0.44).
      The 5-year PFS was 55 and 54%, respectively (p = 0.98). The 5-year cumulative
      incidence of LR was 11 and 31%, respectively (p = 0.09). The cumulative incidence
      of Grade >= 2 radiation pneumonitis was 25%. CONCLUSIONS: Our newer SBRT study
      yielded reasonable local control and overall survival and acceptable toxicity,
      but escalating the total dose did not lead to improved outcomes. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: UMIN000027231 , registered on 3 May 2017. Retrospectively
      registered.

PMID- 28893301
TI  - Intussusception caused by heterotopic gastric mucosa in small intestine: a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intestinal intussusception is the most frequent cause of small bowel
      obstruction in children between the ages of 2 months and 5 years and often
      remains idiopathic in etiology, even after surgery. On microscopic examination,
      in intussusception normal mucosa is noted but in a few cases heterotopic tissue
      can be seen. Heterotopic gastric mucosa in the small intestine is extremely rare
      except for its occurrence in remnants of Meckel's diverticulum. In view of the
      rarity of this condition, we report a case of ectopic gastric mucosa in the small
      intestine that was not associated with remnants of vitelline duct. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A 6-year-old boy of Indo-Aryan ethnicity from India presented with
      episodes of acute abdominal pain and distension with vomiting and non-passage of
      stools. On ultrasonography intussusception was suspected. A laparotomy was done
      and the ileal segment (tip of intussusception) was sent for histopathological
      examination. On histopathology, sections from the tip of intussusception showed
      extensive gastric metaplasia of the mucosa. CONCLUSIONS: A definitive diagnosis
      of heterotopic gastric mucosa is established by histopathological examination and
      it is important to differentiate heterotopia, which is a developmental anomaly,
      from metaplasia, which is an acquired condition. Heterotopic gastric mucosa is
      usually clinically silent and surgical intervention can be considered in patients
      with complications such as gastrointestinal hemorrhage and intestinal
      obstruction.

PMID- 28893302
TI  - Comprehensive target geometric errors and margin assessment in stereotactic
      partial breast irradiation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently developed stereotactic partial breast irradiation (S-PBI)
      allows delivery of a high biologically potent dose to the target while sparing
      adjacent critical organs and normal tissue. With S-PBI tumoricidal doses,
      accurate and precise dose delivery is critical to achieve high treatment quality.
      This study is to investigate both rigid and non-rigid components of target
      geometric error and their corresponding margins in S-PBI and identify correlated
      clinical factors. METHODS: Forty-three early-stage breast cancer patients with
      implanted gold fiducial markers were enrolled in the study. Fiducial positions
      recorded on the orthogonal kV images on a Cyberknife system during treatment were
      used to estimate intra-fraction errors and composite errors (including intra
      fraction errors and residual errors after patient setup). Both rigid and non
      rigid components of intra-fraction and composite errors were analyzed and used to
      estimate rigid and non-rigid margins, respectively. Univariate and multivariate
      linear regressions were conducted to evaluate correlations between clinical
      factors and errors. RESULTS: For the study group, the intra-fraction rigid and
      non-rigid errors are 2.0 +/- 0.6 mm and 0.3 +/- 0.2 mm, respectively. The
      composite rigid and non-rigid errors are 2.3 +/- 0.5 mm and 1.3 +/- 0.8 mm,
      respectively. The rigid margins in the left-right, anterior-posterior, and
      superior-inferior directions are estimated as 2.1, 2.4, and 2.3 mm, respectively.
      The estimated non-rigid margin, assumed to be isotropic, is 1.7 mm. The outer
      breast quadrants are more susceptible to composite errors occurrence than the
      inner breast quadrants. The target to chest wall distance is the clinical factor
      correlated with target geometric errors. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first
      comprehensive analysis of breast target geometric rigid and non-rigid errors in S
      PBI. Upon the estimation, the non-rigid margin is comparable to rigid margin, and
      therefore should be included in planning target volume as it cannot be accounted
      for by the Cyberknife system. Treatment margins selection also need to consider
      the impact of relevant clinical factor.

PMID- 28893303
TI  - Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography in neoadjuvant chemotherapy monitoring: a
      comparison with breast magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant-chemotherapy (NAC) is considered the standard treatment
      for locally advanced breast carcinomas. Accurate assessment of disease response
      is fundamental to increase the chances of successful breast-conserving surgery
      and to avoid local recurrence. The purpose of this study was to compare contrast
      enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) and contrast-enhanced-MRI (MRI) in the
      evaluation of tumor response to NAC. METHODS: This prospective study was approved
      by the institutional review board and written informed consent was obtained.
      Fifty-four consenting women with breast cancer and indication of NAC were
      consecutively enrolled between October 2012 and December 2014. Patients underwent
      both CESM and MRI before, during and after NAC. MRI was performed first, followed
      by CESM within 3 days. Response to therapy was evaluated for each patient,
      comparing the size of the residual lesion measured on CESM and MRI performed
      after NAC to the pathological response on surgical specimens (gold standard),
      independently of and blinded to the results of the other test. The agreement
      between measurements was evaluated using Lin's coefficient. The agreement between
      measurements using CESM and MRI was tested at each step of the study, before,
      during and after NAC. And last of all, the variation in the largest dimension of
      the tumor on CESM and MRI was assessed according to the parameters set in RECIST
      1.1 criteria, focusing on pathological complete response (pCR). RESULTS: A total
      of 46 patients (85%) completed the study. CESM predicted pCR better than MRI
      (Lin's coefficient 0.81 and 0.59, respectively). Both methods tend to
      underestimate the real extent of residual tumor (mean 4.1mm in CESM, 7.5mm in
      MRI). The agreement between measurements using CESM and MRI was 0.96, 0.94 and
      0.76 before, during and after NAC respectively. The distinction between
      responders and non-responders with CESM and MRI was identical for 45/46 patients.
      In the assessment of CR, sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 84%,
      respectively, for CESM, and 87% and 60% for MRI. CONCLUSION: CESM and MRI lesion
      size measurements were highly correlated. CESM seems at least as reliable as MRI
      in assessing the response to NAC, and may be an alternative if MRI is
      contraindicated or its availability is limited.

PMID- 28893305
TI  - Trialing transparent peer review.

PMID- 28893304
TI  - Preventing HIV infection without targeting the virus: how reducing HIV target
      cells at the genital tract is a new approach to HIV prevention.
AB  - For over three decades, HIV infection has had a tremendous impact on the lives of
      individuals and public health. Microbicides and vaccines studies have shown that
      immune activation at the genital tract is a risk factor for HIV infection.
      Furthermore, lower level of immune activation, or what we call immune quiescence,
      has been associated with a lower risk of HIV acquisition. This unique phenotype
      is observed in highly-exposed seronegative individuals from different populations
      including female sex workers from the Pumwani cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. Here, we
      review the link between immune activation and susceptibility to HIV infection. We
      also describe a new concept in prevention where, instead of targeting the virus,
      we modulate the host immune system to resist HIV infection. Mimicking the immune
      quiescence phenotype might become a new strategy in the toolbox of biomedical
      methods to prevent HIV infection. Clinical trial registration on
      clinicaltrial.gov: #NCT02079077.

PMID- 28893306
TI  - MOnitored supplementation of VItamin D in preterm infants (MOSVID trial): study
      protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pivotal role of vitamin D (vit D) in skeletal health is well
      known. Neonatal vit D storage at birth is dependent on maternal levels, and
      newborns receive 50-70% of their mother's 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D].
      Deficiency of vit D can lead to prematurity bone disease, with an incidence of up
      to 55% in infants weighing < 1000 g. The aim of this study is to assess the
      effectiveness of monitored supplementation of vit D in a population of preterm
      infants. METHODS/DESIGN: Preterm infants born at 24-32 weeks of gestation will be
      recruited within the first 7 days of life. Depending on the type of feeding, and
      after reaching partial enteral feeding or at 7 days of life, vit D
      supplementation will consist of 500 IU and an additional 150-300 IU/kg included
      in human milk fortifiers (if fed exclusively with breast milk) or 190 IU/kg in
      milk formulas. Subjects will be randomised to either monitored (with an option of
      dose modification based on 25(OH)D levels as per protocol) or standard therapy up
      to 52 weeks of post-conceptional age (PCA). The primary outcome measure will be
      the number of neonates with deficiency or excess levels of 25(OH)D at 40  +/-2
      weeks of PCA. Additional 25(OH)D levels will be measured at birth, at 4 and 8
      weeks of age, and/or at 35 and 52  +/-2 weeks of PCA. Secondary objectives will
      include the incidence of osteopenia, nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis. Serum
      parameters of calcium phosphorus metabolism will also be measured. DISCUSSION:
      Despite multiple years of research and numerous publications, there is still a
      lack of consensus in regard to how much vit D infants should receive and how long
      they should receive it. Because 80% of calcium and phosphorus placental transfer
      occurs between 24 and 40 weeks of gestation, preterm infants are especially prone
      to adverse effects of vit D insufficiency. However, both inadequate and excessive
      amounts of vit D may be unsafe and lead to serious health issues. The results of
      our study may shed new light on these concerns and contribute to optimising vit D
      supplementation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03087149 . Registered
      on 15 March 2017.

PMID- 28893307
TI  - Interventions to control myopia progression in children: protocol for an overview
      of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myopia is a common visual disorder with increasing prevalence among
      developed countries of the world. Myopia constitutes a substantial risk factor
      for several ocular conditions that can lead to blindness. The purpose of this
      study is to conduct an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in order
      to identify and appraise robust research evidence regarding the management of
      myopia progression in children and adolescents. METHODS: A literature search will
      be conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
      (CDSR), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), and Health Technology
      Assessment (HTA) Database via Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD). We will
      search for systematic reviews or meta-analyses that examine optical or
      pharmaceutical modalities for myopia control. Two independent overview authors
      will screen the titles and abstracts against the eligibility criteria. Individual
      study's methodological quality and quality of evidence for each outcome of
      interest will be assessed by two independent authors using the ROBIS tool and
      GRADE rating, respectively. In cases of disagreement, consensus will be reached
      with the help of a third author. Our primary outcomes will be the mean change in
      refractive error, mean axial length change, and adverse events. A citation matrix
      will be generated, and the corrected covered area (CCA) will be estimated, in
      order to identify overlapping primary studies. Possible meta-biases and measures
      of heterogeneity will be described, and cases of dual co-authorship will be
      identified and discussed. If any recently published randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) are detected, these will be appraised and their findings will be
      presented. An overall summary of outcomes will be provided using descriptive
      statistics and will be supplemented by narrative synthesis. DISCUSSION: This
      overview will examine the high level of existing evidence for treatment of myopia
      progression. Efficient interventions will be identified, and side effects will be
      reported. The expected benefit is that all robust recent research evidence will
      be compiled in a single study. The results may inform future research in this
      area, which should provide insight into the appropriate regimes for the
      administration of these modalities and contribute to future guideline
      development. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42017068204.

PMID- 28893308
TI  - More than 2500 years of oil exposure shape sediment microbiomes with the
      potential for syntrophic degradation of hydrocarbons linked to methanogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Natural oil seeps offer the opportunity to study the adaptation of
      ecosystems and the associated microbiota to long-term oil exposure. In the
      current study, we investigated a land-to-sea transition ecosystem called "Keri
      Lake" in Zakynthos Island, Greece. This ecosystem is unique due to asphalt oil
      springs found at several sites, a phenomenon already reported 2500 years ago.
      Sediment microbiomes at Keri Lake were studied, and their structure and
      functional potential were compared to other ecosystems with oil exposure
      histories of various time periods. RESULTS: Replicate sediment cores (up to 3-m
      depth) were retrieved from one site exposed to oil as well as a non-exposed
      control site. Samples from three different depths were subjected to chemical
      analysis and metagenomic shotgun sequencing. At the oil-exposed site, we observed
      high amounts of asphalt oil compounds and a depletion of sulfate compared to the
      non-exposed control site. The numbers of reads assigned to genes involved in the
      anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons were similar between the two sites. The
      numbers of denitrifiers and sulfate reducers were clearly lower in the samples
      from the oil-exposed site, while a higher abundance of methanogens was detected
      compared to the non-exposed site. Higher abundances of the genes of
      methanogenesis were also observed in the metagenomes from other ecosystems with a
      long history of oil exposure, compared to short-term exposed environments.
      CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of Keri Lake metagenomes revealed that microbiomes in
      the oil-exposed sediment have a higher potential for methanogenesis over
      denitrification/sulfate reduction, compared to those in the non-exposed site.
      Comparison with metagenomes from various oil-impacted environments suggests that
      syntrophic interactions of hydrocarbon degraders with methanogens are favored in
      the ecosystems with a long-term presence of oil.

PMID- 28893309
TI  - Efficacy and safety of controlled-release oxycodone/naloxone versus controlled
      release oxycodone in Korean patients with cancer-related pain: a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controlled-release oxycodone/naloxone (OXN-CR) maintains the effect
      of opioid-induced analgesia through oxycodone while reducing the occurrence rate
      of opioid-induced constipation through naloxone. The present study was designed
      to assess the non-inferiority of OXN-CR to controlled-release oxycodone (OX-CR)
      for the control of cancer-related pain in Korean patients. METHODS: In this
      randomized, open-labeled, parallel-group, phase IV study, we enrolled patients
      aged 20 years or older with moderate to severe cancer-related pain [numeric
      rating scale (NRS) pain score >=4] from seven Korean oncology/hematology centers.
      Patients in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population were randomized (1:1) to OXN
      CR or OX-CR groups. OXN-CR was administered starting at 20 mg/10 mg per day and
      up-titrated to a maximum of 80 mg/40 mg per day for 4 weeks, and OX-CR was
      administered starting at 20 mg/day and up-titrated to a maximum of 80 mg/day for
      4 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in NRS pain score from
      baseline to week 4, with non-inferiority margin of -1.5. Secondary endpoints
      included analgesic rescue medication intake, patient-reported change in bowel
      habits, laxative intake, quality of life (QoL), and safety assessments. RESULTS:
      Of the ITT population comprising 128 patients, 7 with missing primary efficacy
      data and 4 who violated the eligibility criteria were excluded from the efficacy
      analysis. At week 4, the mean change in NRS pain scores was not significantly
      different between the OXN-CR group (n = 58) and the OX-CR group (n = 59) (-1.586
      vs. -1.559, P = 0.948). The lower limit of the one-sided 95% confidence interval
      (-0.776 to 0.830) for the difference exceeded the non-inferiority margin (P <
      0.001). The OXN-CR and OX-CR groups did not differ significantly in terms of
      analgesic rescue medication intake, change in bowel habits, laxative intake, QoL,
      and safety assessments. CONCLUSIONS: OXN-CR was non-inferior to OX-CR in terms of
      pain reduction after 4 weeks of treatment and had a similar safety profile.
      Studies in larger populations of Korean patients with cancer-related pain are
      needed to further investigate the effectiveness of OXN-CR for long-term pain
      control and constipation alleviation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov
      NCT01313780, registered March 8, 2011.

PMID- 28893310
TI  - Effect of long-term storage in Safe Cell+ extender on boar sperm DNA integrity
      and other key sperm parameters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is some controversy about the extent of changes in different
      sperm cell features in stored boar semen, especially regarding the potential role
      of the DNA fragmentation assay for assessment of sperm fertilizing ability. The
      aim of this study was to assess the effect of time of storage and the dynamic
      changes in sperm cell characteristics in normospermic boar semen stored in long
      term extender, in order to determine the susceptibility to damage of particular
      structures of spermatozoa during cooling and storage at 17  degrees C for 240 h
      post collection. The study included five ejaculates from each of seven boars of
      the Polish Large White breed (n = 35 ejaculates). The sperm characteristics were
      assessed using a flow cytometer and a computer assisted sperm analyzer on samples
      at 0, 48, 96, 168 and 240 h post collection. RESULTS: The sperm chromatin
      structure assay (SCSA) showed a significant abrupt increase (P < 0.01) in the DNA
      fragmentation index (%DFI) after 48 h of semen storage with only subtle changes
      thereafter, not exceeding 5% on average after 240 h of storage. The use of a
      combination of SYBR-14/PI stains did not reveal any significant changes in the
      percentage of live sperm cells up to 168 h of semen storage. A significant (P <
      0.01) decrease in the percentage of live spermatozoa with intact acrosomes was
      observed after prolonged semen storage (168 h). A significant and progressive
      decrease in sperm motility was recorded during the whole period of semen storage.
      CONCLUSIONS: Storage of boar semen extended in long-term diluent at 17  degrees C
      for 48 h initially induced a decrease in the integrity of sperm DNA. This
      suggests that the structure of boar sperm DNA is susceptible to damage,
      especially during semen extension and at the beginning of sperm storage. These
      findings support the opinion that the SCSA test has only a low potential for
      routine assessment of boar semen preserved in the liquid state and for assessment
      of sperm quality changes during 10 days of semen preservation. Remarkably, the
      integrity of acrosomes and plasma membranes remained nearly unchanged for 7 days.

PMID- 28893311
TI  - Evaluation of pre-symptomatic nitisinone treatment on long-term outcomes in
      Tyrosinemia type 1 patients: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tyrosinemia type 1 (TYR1) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of
      amino acid metabolism that is fatal without treatment. With medication
      (nitisinone) and dietary restrictions outcomes are improved. We conducted a
      systematic review to investigate if treatment with nitisinone following screening
      provides better long-term outcomes than treatment with nitisinone following
      symptomatic detection. METHODS: We searched Web of Science, Medline, Pre-Medline,
      and Embase up to 23rd September 2016 for journal articles comparing clinical
      outcomes of TYR1 patients receiving earlier versus later nitisinone treatment.
      Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, assessed full texts,
      and appraised study quality. Data extraction was performed by a single reviewer
      and checked by a second. RESULTS: We included seven articles out of 470 unique
      records identified by our search. The seven articles included four studies (three
      cohort studies and one cross-sectional study). Study sample sizes ranged from 17
      to 148. There is consistent evidence that nitisinone is an effective treatment
      for TYR1, and some evidence that earlier treatment with nitisinone and dietary
      restrictions within the first one or 2 months of life is associated with reduced
      need for liver transplantation, lower rates of renal dysfunction, fewer
      neurological crises, and fewer, shorter hospital admissions compared to later
      treatment. However, study quality was moderate to weak, with high risk of
      confounding and applicability concerns to the screening context. We conducted
      post hoc analyses to address these issues. Results suggested an association
      between earlier treatment and fewer liver transplants (earlier treatment: 0% of
      10-24 patients; later treatment: 25-60% of 4-15 patients), but no impact on
      neurological crises. We found no effect of treatment timing on mortality in
      either the primary or post hoc analyses. Post hoc analyses of other health
      related outcomes were not possible because of sample size or reporting.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is some evidence from observational studies that earlier
      treatment with nitisinone might be beneficial but this is subject to bias. The
      applicability of our findings to the screening context or clinical practice is
      limited as not all early-treated patients were identified by screening and late
      treated groups included patients born prior to the availability of nitisinone.

PMID- 28893312
TI  - The validity and reliability of the four square step test in different adult
      populations: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The four square step test (FSST) was first validated in healthy older
      adults to provide a measure of dynamic standing balance and mobility. The FSST
      has since been used in a variety of patient populations. The purpose of this
      systematic review is to determine the validity and reliability of the FSST in
      these different adult patient populations. METHODS: The literature search was
      conducted to highlight all the studies that measured validity and reliability of
      the FSST. Six electronic databases were searched including AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE,
      PEDro, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Grey literature was also searched for
      any documents relevant to the review. Two independent reviewers carried out study
      selection and quality assessment. The methodological quality was assessed using
      the QUADAS-2 tool, which is a validated tool for the quality assessment of
      diagnostic accuracy studies, and the COSMIN four-point checklist, which contains
      standards for evaluating reliability studies on the measurement properties of
      health instruments. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were reviewed studying community
      dwelling older adults, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, multiple
      sclerosis, vestibular disorders, post stroke, post unilateral transtibial
      amputation, knee pain and hip osteoarthritis. Three of the studies were of
      moderate methodological quality scoring low in risk of bias and applicability for
      all domains in the QUADAS-2 tool. Three studies scored "fair" on the COSMIN four
      point checklist for the reliability components. The concurrent validity of the
      FSST was measured in nine of the studies with moderate to strong correlations
      being found. Excellent Intraclass Correlation Coefficients were found between
      physiotherapists carrying out the tests (ICC = .99) with good to excellent test
      retest reliability shown in nine of the studies (ICC = .73-.98). CONCLUSIONS: The
      FSST may be an effective and valid tool for measuring dynamic balance and a
      participants' falls risk. It has been shown to have strong correlations with
      other measures of balance and mobility with good reliability shown in a number of
      populations. However, the quality of the papers reviewed was variable with key
      factors, such as sample size and test set up, needing to be addressed before the
      tool can be confidently used in these specified populations.

PMID- 28893313
TI  - p53-Dependent PUMA to DRAM antagonistic interplay as a key molecular switch in
      cell-fate decision in normal/high glucose conditions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As an important cellular stress sensor phosphoprotein p53 can trigger
      cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and regulate autophagy. The p53 activity mainly
      depends on its transactivating function, however, how p53 can select one or
      another biological outcome is still a matter of profound studies. Our previous
      findings indicate that switching cancer cells in high glucose (HG) impairs p53
      apoptotic function and the transcription of target gene PUMA. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Here we report that, in response to drug adriamycin (ADR) in HG, p53
      efficiently induced the expression of DRAM (damage-regulated autophagy
      modulator), a p53 target gene and a stress-induced regulator of autophagy. We
      found that ADR treatment of cancer cells in HG increased autophagy, as displayed
      by greater LC3II accumulation and p62 degradation compared to ADR-treated cells
      in low glucose. The increased autophagy in HG was in part dependent on p53
      induced DRAM; indeed DRAM knockdown with specific siRNA reversed the expression
      of the autophagic markers in HG. A similar outcome was achieved by inhibiting p53
      transcriptional activity with pifithrin-alpha. DRAM knockdown restored the ADR
      induced cell death in HG to the levels obtained in low glucose. A similar outcome
      was achieved by inhibition of autophagy with cloroquine (CQ) or with silencing of
      autophagy gene ATG5. DRAM knockdown or inhibition of autophagy were both able to
      re-induce PUMA transcription in response to ADR, underlining a reciprocal
      interplay between PUMA to DRAM to unbalance p53 apoptotic activity in HG.
      Xenograft tumors transplanted in normoglycemic mice displayed growth delay after
      ADR treatment compared to those transplanted in diabetics mice and such different
      in vivo response correlated with PUMA to DRAM gene expression. CONCLUSIONS:
      Altogether, these findings suggest that in normal/high glucose condition a mutual
      unbalance between p53-dependent apoptosis (PUMA) and autophagy (DRAM) gene
      occurred, modifying the ADR-induced cancer cell death in HG both in vitro and in
      vivo.

PMID- 28893314
TI  - Design of an extensive information representation scheme for clinical narratives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Knowledge representation frameworks are essential to the
      understanding of complex biomedical processes, and to the analysis of biomedical
      texts that describe them. Combined with natural language processing (NLP), they
      have the potential to contribute to retrospective studies by unlocking important
      phenotyping information contained in the narrative content of electronic health
      records (EHRs). This work aims to develop an extensive information representation
      scheme for clinical information contained in EHR narratives, and to support
      secondary use of EHR narrative data to answer clinical questions. METHODS: We
      review recent work that proposed information representation schemes and applied
      them to the analysis of clinical narratives. We then propose a unifying scheme
      that supports the extraction of information to address a large variety of
      clinical questions. RESULTS: We devised a new information representation scheme
      for clinical narratives that comprises 13 entities, 11 attributes and 37
      relations. The associated annotation guidelines can be used to consistently apply
      the scheme to clinical narratives and are
      https://cabernet.limsi.fr/annotation_guide_for_the_merlot_french_clinical_corpus
      Sept2016.pdf . CONCLUSION: The information scheme includes many elements of the
      major schemes described in the clinical natural language processing literature,
      as well as a uniquely detailed set of relations.

PMID- 28893316
TI  - Intraosseous blood samples for point-of-care analysis: agreement between
      intraosseous and arterial analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) testing is highly useful when treating critically
      ill patients. In case of difficult vascular access, the intraosseous (IO) route
      is commonly used, and blood is aspirated to confirm the correct position of the
      IO-needle. Thus, IO blood samples could be easily accessed for POC analyses in
      emergency situations. The aim of this study was to determine whether IO values
      agree sufficiently with arterial values to be used for clinical decision making.
      METHODS: Two samples of IO blood were drawn from 31 healthy volunteers and
      compared with arterial samples. The samples were analysed for sodium, potassium,
      ionized calcium, glucose, haemoglobin, haematocrit, pH, blood gases, base excess,
      bicarbonate, and lactate using the i-STAT(r) POC device. Agreement and
      reliability were estimated by using the Bland-Altman method and intraclass
      correlation coefficient calculations. RESULTS: Good agreement was evident between
      the IO and arterial samples for pH, glucose, and lactate. Potassium levels were
      clearly higher in the IO samples than those from arterial blood. Base excess and
      bicarbonate were slightly higher, and sodium and ionised calcium values were
      slightly lower, in the IO samples compared with the arterial values. The blood
      gases in the IO samples were between arterial and venous values. Haemoglobin and
      haematocrit showed remarkable variation in agreement. DISCUSSION: POC diagnostics
      of IO blood can be a useful tool to guide treatment in critical emergency care.
      Seeking out the reversible causes of cardiac arrest or assessing the severity of
      shock are examples of situations in which obtaining vascular access and blood
      samples can be difficult, though information about the electrolytes, acid-base
      balance, and lactate could guide clinical decision making. The analysis of IO
      samples should though be limited to situations in which no other option is
      available, and the results should be interpreted with caution, because there is
      not yet enough scientific evidence regarding the agreement of IO and arterial
      results among unstable patients. CONCLUSIONS: IO blood samples are suitable for
      analysis with the i-STAT(r) point-of-care device in emergency care. The aspirate
      used to confirm the correct placement of the IO needle can also be used for
      analysis. The results must be interpreted within a clinical context while taking
      the magnitude and direction of bias into account.

PMID- 28893315
TI  - Heterogeneous drug penetrance of veliparib and carboplatin measured in triple
      negative breast tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), coupled to a DNA
      damaging agent is a promising approach to treating triple negative breast cancer
      (TNBC). However, not all patients respond; we hypothesize that non-response in
      some patients may be due to insufficient drug penetration. As a first step to
      testing this hypothesis, we quantified and visualized veliparib and carboplatin
      penetration in mouse xenograft TNBCs and patient blood samples. METHODS: MDA-MB
      231, HCC70 or MDA-MB-436 human TNBC cells were implanted in 41 beige SCID mice.
      Low dose (20 mg/kg) or high dose (60 mg/kg) veliparib was given three times daily
      for three days, with carboplatin (60 mg/kg) administered twice. In addition,
      blood samples were analyzed from 19 patients from a phase 1 study of carboplatin
      + PARPi talazoparib. Veliparib and carboplatin was quantified using liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Veliparib tissue penetration was
      visualized using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric
      imaging (MALDI-MSI) and platinum adducts (covalent nuclear DNA-binding) were
      quantified using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
      Pharmacokinetic modeling and Pearson's correlation were used to explore
      associations between concentrations in plasma, tumor cells and peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs). RESULTS: Veliparib penetration in xenograft tumors was
      highly heterogeneous between and within tumors. Only 35% (CI 95% 26-44%), 74% (40
      97%) and 46% (9-37%) of veliparib observed in plasma penetrated into MDA-MB-231,
      HCC70 and MDA-MB-436 cell-based xenografts, respectively. Within tumors,
      penetration heterogeneity was larger with the 60 mg/kg compared to the 20 mg/kg
      dose (RSD 155% versus 255%, P = 0.001). These tumor concentrations were predicted
      similar to clinical dosing levels, but predicted tumor concentrations were below
      half maximal concentration values as threshold of response. Xenograft veliparib
      concentrations correlated positively with platinum adduct formation (R 2 =
      0.657), but no PARPi-platinum interaction was observed in patients' PBMCs.
      Platinum adduct formation was significantly higher in five gBRCA carriers (ratio
      of platinum in DNA in PBMCs/plasma 0.64% (IQR 0.60-1.16%) compared to nine non
      carriers (ratio 0.29% (IQR 0.21-0.66%, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: PARPi/platinum
      tumor penetration can be measured by MALDI-MSI and ICP-MS in PBMCs and fresh
      frozen, OCT embedded core needle biopsies. Large variability in platinum adduct
      formation and spatial heterogeneity in veliparib distribution may lead to
      insufficient drug exposure in select cell populations.

PMID- 28893317
TI  - Perceived barriers and facilitators to Risk Based Monitoring in academic-led
      clinical trials: a mixed methods study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In November 2016, the ICH published a requirement for sponsors to
      develop a systematic, prioritised, risk-based approach to monitoring clinical
      trials. This approach is more commonly known as risk-based monitoring (RBM).
      However, recent evidence suggests that a 'gold standard', validated approach to
      RBM does not exist and it is unclear how sponsors will introduce RBM into their
      organisations. A first step needed to inform the implementation of RBM is to
      explore academic trialists' readiness and ability to perform RBM. The aim of this
      paper is to identify the attitudes and perceived barriers and facilitators to the
      implementation of RBM in academic-led clinical trials in Ireland. METHODS: This
      is a mixed-methods, explanatory sequential design, with quantitative survey
      followed by semistructured interviews. Academic clinical researchers (N = 132)
      working in Ireland were surveyed to examine their use and perceptions of RBM. A
      purposive sample of survey participants (n = 22) were then interviewed to gain
      greater insight into the quantitative findings. The survey and interview data
      were merged to generate a list of perceived barriers and facilitators to RBM
      implementation, with suggestions for, and solutions to, these issues. RESULTS:
      Survey response rate was 49% (132/273). Thirteen percent (n = 18) of responders
      were not familiar with the term risk-based monitoring and less than a quarter of
      respondents (21%, n = 28) had performed RBM in a clinical trial. Barriers to RBM
      implementation included lack of RBM knowledge/training, increased costs caused by
      greater IT demands, increased workload for trial staff and lack of evidence to
      support RBM as an effective monitoring approach. Facilitators included
      participants' legal obligation to perform RBM under the new ICH-GCP guidelines,
      availability of RBM guidance and perception of cost savings by performing RBM in
      future trials. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate a need for
      training and regulatory-endorsed guidelines to support the implementation of RBM
      in academic-led clinical trials. The study provides valuable insights to inform
      interventions and strategies by policy-makers and clinical trial regulators to
      improve RBM uptake.

PMID- 28893318
TI  - ICG-001 suppresses growth of gastric cancer cells and reduces chemoresistance of
      cancer stem cell-like population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ICG-001, a small molecule, binds CREB-binding protein (CBP) to
      disrupt its interaction with beta-catenin and inhibits CBP function as a co
      activator of Wnt/beta-catenin-mediated transcription. Given its ability to
      inhibit Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, ICG-001 has been used in some tumor
      types to exert its anticarcinogenic effect. Here, we examined ICG-001 and its
      potential role as a therapeutic in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: The gastric
      cancer cell lines SGC-7901, MGC-803, BGC-823 and MKN-45 were used in vitro and in
      vivo. The abilities of cell proliferation, tumor sphere formation, metastasis,
      tumorgenesis and chemoresistance to chemotherapy drugs in vitro were evaluated by
      MTT assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, migration and invasion assay,
      and tumor spheres culture. The in vivo experiments were performed using a
      subcutaneous transplantation tumor model in athymic nude mice. Alterations at RNA
      and protein levels were followed by qRT-PCR, western blot, coimmunoprecipitations
      and immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: In this study, we showed that ICG-001
      significantly inhibited growth and metastasis of multiple GC cell lines, induced
      cell apoptosis, and augmented in vitro tumor spheres suppression when used in
      combination with chemotherapy drugs probably through robustly blocking
      association of beta-catenin with CBP and N-cadherin, but promoting association of
      beta-catenin with P300 and E-cadherin, instead of altering the distribution and
      expression of beta-catenin. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ICG-001
      suppresses GC cell line growth, metastasis and reduces its stem cell-like
      properties and chemoresistance, indicating that ICG-001 is a potentially useful
      small molecule therapeutic for GC.

PMID- 28893319
TI  - Sophoridine induces apoptosis and S phase arrest via ROS-dependent JNK and ERK
      activation in human pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is generally acknowledged as the most common
      primary malignant tumor, and it is known to be resistant to conventional
      chemotherapy. Novel, selective antitumor agents are pressingly needed. METHODS:
      CCK-8 and colony formation assay were used to investigate the cell growth. Flow
      cytometry analysis was used to evaluate the cell cycle and cell apoptosis. The
      peroxide-sensitive fluorescent probe DCFH-DA was used to measure the
      intracellular ROS levels. Western blot assay was used to detect the levels of
      cell cycle and apoptosis related proteins. Xenografts in nude mice were used to
      evaluate the effect of Sophoridine on pancreatic cancer cell in vivo. RESULTS:
      Sophoridine killed cancer cells but had low cytotoxicity to normal cells.
      Pancreatic cancer cells were particularly sensitive. Sophoridine inhibited the
      proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells and induced cell cycle arrest at S phase
      and mitochondrial-related apoptosis. Moreover, Sophoridine induced a sustained
      activation of the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. In addition, Sophoridine
      provoked the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in pancreatic cancer
      cells. Finally, in vivo, Sophoridine suppressed tumor growth in mouse xenograft
      models. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest Sophoridine is promising to be a
      novel, potent and selective antitumor drug candidate for pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 28893320
TI  - Systems thinking in combating infectious diseases.
AB  - The transmission of infectious diseases is a dynamic process determined by
      multiple factors originating from disease pathogens and/or parasites, vector
      species, and human populations. These factors interact with each other and
      demonstrate the intrinsic mechanisms of the disease transmission temporally,
      spatially, and socially. In this article, we provide a comprehensive perspective,
      named as systems thinking, for investigating disease dynamics and associated
      impact factors, by means of emphasizing the entirety of a system's components and
      the complexity of their interrelated behaviors. We further develop the general
      steps for performing systems approach to tackling infectious diseases in the real
      world settings, so as to expand our abilities to understand, predict, and
      mitigate infectious diseases.

PMID- 28893321
TI  - Prevalence and trends in transmitted and acquired antiretroviral drug resistance,
      Washington, DC, 1999-2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug resistance limits options for antiretroviral therapy (ART) and
      results in poorer health outcomes among HIV-infected persons. We sought to
      characterize resistance patterns and to identify predictors of resistance in
      Washington, DC. METHODS: We analyzed resistance in the DC Cohort, a longitudinal
      study of HIV-infected persons in care in Washington, DC. We measured cumulative
      drug resistance (CDR) among participants with any genotype between 1999 and 2014
      (n = 3411), transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in ART-naive persons (n = 1503),
      and acquired drug resistance (ADR) in persons with genotypes before and after ART
      initiation (n = 309). Using logistic regression, we assessed associations between
      patient characteristics and transmitted resistance to any antiretroviral.
      RESULTS: Prevalence of TDR was 20.5%, of ADR 40.5%, and of CDR 45.1% in the
      respective analysis groups. From 2004 to 2013, TDR prevalence decreased for
      nucleoside and nucleotide analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (15.0 to
      5.5%; p = 0.0003) and increased for integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs)
      (0.0-1.4%; p = 0.04). In multivariable analysis, TDR was not associated with age,
      race/ethnicity, HIV risk group, or years from HIV diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      urban cohort of HIV-infected persons, almost half of participants tested had
      evidence of CDR; and resistance to INSTIs was increasing. If this trend
      continues, inclusion of the integrase-encoding region in baseline genotype
      testing should be strongly considered.

PMID- 28893322
TI  - Bovine trypanosomosis: changes in parasitemia and packed cell volume in dry and
      wet seasons at Gidami District, Oromia Regional State, western Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Animal trypanosomosis is one of the major disease problems affecting
      agricultural productivity in Ethiopia. The impact of the disease is believed to
      vary with season and agro-ecologies in line with fly vector distribution. A cross
      sectional study on bovine trypanosomosis was conducted from November 2015 to June
      2016, in seven selected villages of Gidami district, Oromia Regional State,
      western Ethiopia. A total of 930 blood samples were collected and subjected to
      parasitological and hematological analysis. RESULT: The overall prevalence of
      bovine trypanosomosis was 14.1%. The seasonal prevalence shows 9.06% in early dry
      and 18.4% in early rainy seasons. Three trypanosome species, Trypanosoma
      congolense, Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma brucei were identified in the
      examined animals. T. congolense followed by T. vivax were the predominant species
      (respectively 59.0 and 35.9% in early dry season and 62.0 and 22.8% in early
      rainy season). The prevalence of T. vivax remained similar in both early dry and
      early rainy seasons in both lowland and midland agroecologies whereas T.
      congolense was more dominant in the lowland area in both seasons compared to mid
      land study sites. The disease was more prevalent in lowland (23.9%) compared to
      midland (11.1%) during early rainy season (P < 0.001) whereas no significant
      difference was observed between the two agroecologies during early dry season (P
      = 0.165). Packed cell volume (PCV) was much lower in parasitemic animals than in
      aparasitemic cattle whereas the mean PCV value for parasitemic animals (20.36%;
      95% CI 19.56 to 21.16) in early dry season was similar to values in early rainy
      season (20.46%, 95% CI 18.84 to 21.08%). A similar situation was noticed for
      animals in both low land and mid land study sites. CONCLUSION: Overall, the
      detection of trypanosomes in blood was significantly affected by agro-ecology,
      season and body condition of the animals. Special emphasis should be given to
      integrated trypanosomosis management in early rainy months where fly population
      is believed to start increasing.

PMID- 28893323
TI  - Out-of-pocket expenditure for seeking health care for sick children younger than
      5 years of age in Bangladesh: findings from cross-sectional surveys, 2009 and
      2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bangladesh has committed to universal health coverage, and options to
      decrease household out-of-pocket expenditure (OPE) are being explored.
      Understanding the determinants of OPE is an essential step. This study aimed to
      estimate and identify determinants of OPE in seeking health care for sick under
      five children. METHODS: Cross-sectional data was collected by structured
      questionnaire in 2009 (n = 7362) and 2012 (n = 6896) from mothers of the under
      five children. OPE included consultation fees and costs of medicine, diagnostic
      tests, hospital admission, transport, accommodation, and food. Expenditure is
      expressed in US dollars and adjusted for inflation. Linear regression was used
      for ascertaining the determinants of OPE. RESULTS: Between 2009 and 2012, the
      median OPE for seeking care for a sick under-five child increased by ~ 50%, from
      USD 0.82 (interquartile range 0.39-1.49) to USD 1.22 (0.63-2.36) per child/visit.
      Increases were observed in every component OPE measured, except for consultation
      fees which decreased by 12%. Medicine contributed the major portion of overall
      OPE. Higher overall OPE for care seeking was associated with a priority illness
      (20% increase), care from trained providers (90% public/~ 2-fold private),
      residing in hilly/wet lands areas (20%), and for mothers with a secondary
      education (19%). CONCLUSION: OPE is a major barrier to quality health care
      services and access to appropriate medicine is increasing in rural Bangladesh. To
      support the goal of universal health care coverage, geographic imbalances as well
      as expanded health financing options need to be explored.

PMID- 28893324
TI  - Selecting treatment method for ovarian masses in children - 24 years of
      experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiology and pathology of ovarian tumors in the pediatric
      population are very different of these encountered in women. Few attempts have
      been made to analyze the whole spectrum of ovarian pathology in children, and
      only some of them included series of more than 200 cases. We performed a
      retrospective analysis of clinical and diagnostic aspects of ovarian tumors and
      tumor-like lesions in girls in order to identify the characteristics associated
      with malignancy with an attempt to elaborate a clinical management algorithm.
      RESULTS: The study group comprised 214 patients operated on for ovarian tumor in
      years 1991-2014 at the pediatric surgical center. Non-neoplastic ovarian lesion
      was diagnosed in 127 females. Sixty-five patients had a benign tumor and 22 had a
      malignant lesion. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom in the non-malignant
      lesion group. Patients with ovarian malignancy presented predominantly with
      abdominal distension and palpable mass. In the non-malignant group imaging
      studies revealed cystic lesion in 124 patients (68.89%) and solid mass in 10
      (5.55%). Malignant lesion showed a solid or mixed structure in all cases.
      Positive tumor markers were noted in 14 (13.7%) patients with a benign lesion and
      in 14 (70%) with ovarian malignancy. Large lesions were found in 77.3% of girls
      with a malignant mass, while only in 32.8% of patients with a benign lesion (p <
      0.001). In the group of solid tumors positive tumor marker results occurred more
      frequently in patients with diagnosed malignant tumors (p < 0.05). Positive tumor
      markers, large size of the lesion and age below 14 years were independent
      variables differentiating malignant tumors from non-malignant lesions (p =
      0.00000). CONCLUSIONS: Predominantly solid structures noted on imaging studies,
      large dimension and positive tumor markers are clinical predictors of malignancy.
      A diagnosis of purely cystic lesions with negative markers or of a small size
      should be an indication for a gonad-sparing procedure. Treatment guidelines for
      ovarian lesions in children should be established on the basis of multicenter
      prospective studies and introduced as soon as possible in order to improve and
      unify the ovarian preservation rates across the pediatric surgical centers.

PMID- 28893325
TI  - The most commonly used disease severity scores are inappropriate for risk
      stratification of older emergency department sepsis patients: an observational
      multi-centre study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sepsis recognition in older emergency department (ED) patients is
      difficult due to atypical symptom presentation. We therefore investigated whether
      the prognostic and discriminative performance of the five most commonly used
      disease severity scores were appropriate for risk stratification of older ED
      sepsis patients (>=70 years) compared to a younger control group (<70 years).
      METHODS: This was an observational multi-centre study using an existing database
      in which ED patients who were hospitalized with a suspected infection were
      prospectively included. Patients were stratified by age < 70 and >=70 years. We
      assessed the association with in-hospital mortality (primary outcome) and the
      area under the curve (AUC) with receiver operator characteristics of the
      Predisposition, Infection, Response, Organ dysfunction (PIRO), quick Sequential
      Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), Mortality in ED Sepsis (MEDS), and the Modified
      and National Early Warning (MEWS and NEWS) scores. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality
      was 9.5% ((95%-CI); 7.4-11.5) in the 783 included older patients, and 4.6% (3.6
      5.7) in the 1497 included younger patients. In contrast to younger patients,
      disease severity scores in older patients associated poorly with mortality. The
      AUCs of all disease severity scores were poor and ranged from 0.56 to 0.64 in
      older patients, significantly lower than the good AUC range from 0.72 to 0.86 in
      younger patients. The MEDS had the best AUC (0.64 (0.57-0.71)) in older patients.
      In older and younger patients, the newly proposed qSOFA score (Sepsis 3.0) had a
      lower AUC than the PIRO score (sepsis 2.0). CONCLUSION: The prognostic and
      discriminative performance of the five most commonly used disease severity scores
      was poor and less useful for risk stratification of older ED sepsis patients.

PMID- 28893326
TI  - The effects of nasal lavage with betamethasone cream post-endoscopic sinus
      surgery: clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Steroid nasal irrigation for chronic rhinosinusitis patients
      following endoscopic sinus surgery reduces symptom recurrence. There are minimal
      safety data to recommend this treatment. This study evaluated the safety of
      betamethasone nasal irrigation by measuring its impact on endogenous cortisol
      levels. METHODS: Participants performed daily betamethasone nasal irrigation for
      six weeks. The impact on pre- and post-intervention serum and 24-hour urinary
      free cortisol was assessed. Efficacy was evaluated using the 22-item Sino-Nasal
      Outcome Test. RESULTS: Thirty participants completed the study (16 females and 14
      males; mean age = 53.9 +/- 15.6 years). Serum cortisol levels were unchanged (p =
      0.28). However, 24-hour urinary free cortisol levels decreased (47.5 vs 41.5 nmol
      per 24 hours; p = 0.025). Sino-Nasal Outcome Test scores improved (41.13 +/-
      21.94 vs 23.4 +/- 18.17; p < 0.001). The minimal clinical important difference
      was reached in 63 per cent of participants. CONCLUSION: Daily betamethasone nasal
      irrigation is an efficacious treatment modality not associated with changes in
      morning serum cortisol levels. The changes in 24-hour urinary free cortisol
      levels are considered clinically negligible. Hence, continued use of
      betamethasone nasal irrigation remains a viable and safe treatment option for
      chronic rhinosinusitis patients following functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

PMID- 28893327
TI  - New activity of yamamarin, an insect pentapeptide, on immune system of mealworm,
      Tenebrio molitor.
AB  - In insects, two types of the immune responses, cellular and humoral, constitute a
      defensive barrier against various parasites and pathogens. In response to
      pathogens, insects produce a wide range of immune agents that act on pathogens
      directly, such as cecropins or lysozyme, or indirectly by the stimulation of
      hemocyte migration or by increasing phenoloxidase (PO) activity. Recently, many
      new immunologically active substances from insects, such as peptides and
      polypeptides, have been identified. Nevertheless, in the most cases, their
      physiological functions are not fully known. One such substance is yamamarin - a
      pentapeptide isolated from the silk moth Antheraea yamamai. This yamamarin
      possesses strong antiproliferative properties and is probably involved in
      diapause regulation. Here, we examined the immunotropic activity of yamamarin by
      testing its impact on selected functions of the immune system in heterologous
      bioassays with the beetle Tenebrio molitor, commonly known as a stored grains
      pest. Our results indicate that the pentapeptide affects the activity of immune
      processes in the beetle. We show that yamamarin induces changes in both humoral
      and cellular responses. The yamamarin increases the activity of PO, as well as
      causes changes in the hemocyte cytoskeleton and stimulates phagocytic activity.
      We detected an increased number of apoptotic hemocytes, however after the
      yamamarin injection, no significant variations in the antibacterial activity in
      the hemolymph were observed. The obtained data suggest that yamamarin could be an
      important controller of the immune system in T. molitor.

PMID- 28893328
TI  - Plasticity in host utilization by two host-associated populations of Aphis
      gossypii Glover.
AB  - Biological and morphological plasticity in polyphagous insect herbivores allow
      them to exploit diverse host plant species. Geographical differences in resource
      availability can lead to preferential host exploitation and result in
      inconsistent host specialization. Biological and molecular data provide insights
      into specialization and plasticity of such herbivore populations. In agricultural
      landscapes, Aphis gossypii encounters several crop and non-crop hosts, which
      exist in temporal and spatial proximity. We investigated the host-specialization
      of two A. gossypii host-associated populations (HAPs), which were field collected
      from cotton and squash (cotton-associated population and melon-associated
      population), and later maintained separately in the greenhouse. The two aphid
      populations were exposed to seven plant species (cotton, okra, watermelon,
      squash, cucumber, pigweed, and morning glory), and evaluated for their host
      utilization plasticity by estimating aphid's fitness parameters (nymphal period,
      adult period, fecundity, and intrinsic rate of increase). Four phenotypical
      characters (body length, head capsule width, hind tibia length and cornicle
      length) were also measured from the resulting 14 different HAP * host plant
      combinations. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial COI sequences showed no
      genetic variation between the two HAPs. Fitness parameters indicated a
      significant variation between the two aphid populations, and the variation was
      influenced by host plants. The performance of melon-aphids was poor (up to 89%
      reduction in fecundity) on malvaceous hosts, cotton and okra. However, cotton
      aphids performed better on cucurbitaceous hosts, squash and watermelon (up to 66%
      increased fecundity) compared with the natal host, cotton. Both HAPs were able to
      reproduce on two weed hosts. Cotton-aphids were smaller than melon-aphids
      irrespective of their host plants. Results from this study suggest that the two
      HAPs in the study area do not have strict host specialization; rather they
      exhibit plasticity in utilizing several hosts. In this scenario, it is unlikely
      that host-associated A. gossypii populations would evolve into host-specific
      biotypes.

PMID- 28893329
TI  - Epidemiology of psychotic depression - systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Large amount of data have been published on non-psychotic depression (NPD),
      schizophrenia (SZ), and bipolar disorder, while psychotic depression (PD) as an
      own entity has received much smaller attention. We performed a systematic review
      and meta-analyses on epidemiology, especially incidence and prevalence, risk
      factors, and outcomes of PD. A systematic search to identify potentially relevant
      studies was conducted using four electronic databases and a manual search. The
      search identified 1764 unique potentially relevant articles, the final study
      included 99 articles. We found that the lifetime prevalence of PD varies between
      0.35% and 1%, with higher rates in older age. Onset age of PD was earlier than
      that of NPD in younger samples, but later in older samples. There were no
      differences in gender distribution in PD v. NPD, but higher proportion of females
      was found in PD than in SZ or in psychotic bipolar disorder (PBD). Risk factors
      have rarely been studied, the main finding being that family history of psychosis
      and bipolar disorder increases the risk of PD. Outcomes of PD were mostly worse
      when compared with NPD, but better compared with SZ and schizoaffective disorder.
      The outcome compared with PBD was relatively similar, and somewhat varied
      depending on the measure of the outcome. Based on this review, the amount of
      research on PD is far from that of NPD, SZ, and bipolar disorder. Based on our
      findings, PD seems distinguishable from related disorders and needs more
      scientific attention.

PMID- 28893330
TI  - Changes in resting-state brain networks after cognitive-behavioral therapy for
      chronic pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is thought to be useful for
      chronic pain, with the pathology of the latter being closely associated with
      cognitive-emotional components. However, there are few resting-state functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) studies. We used the independent component
      analysis method to examine neural changes after CBT and to assess whether brain
      regions predict treatment response. METHODS: We performed R-fMRI on a group of 29
      chronic pain (somatoform pain disorder) patients and 30 age-matched healthy
      controls (T1). Patients were enrolled in a weekly 12-session group CBT (T2). We
      assessed selected regions of interest that exhibited differences in intrinsic
      connectivity network (ICN) connectivity strength between the patients and
      controls at T1, and compared T1 and T2. We also examined the correlations between
      treatment effects and rs-fMRI data. RESULTS: Abnormal ICN connectivity of the
      orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and inferior parietal lobule within the dorsal
      attention network (DAN) and of the paracentral lobule within the sensorimotor
      network in patients with chronic pain normalized after CBT. Higher ICN
      connectivity strength in the OFC indicated greater improvements in pain
      intensity. Furthermore, ICN connectivity strength in the dorsal posterior
      cingulate cortex (PCC) within the DAN at T1 was negatively correlated with CBT
      related clinical improvements. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the OFC is crucial
      for CBT-related improvement of pain intensity, and that the dorsal PCC activation
      at pretreatment also plays an important role in improvement of clinical symptoms
      via CBT.

PMID- 28893332
TI  - LEGITIMACY OF MEDICINES FUNDING IN THE ERA OF ACCELERATED ACCESS.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In recent years, numerous frameworks have been developed to enhance
      the legitimacy of health technology assessment processes. Despite efforts to
      implement these "legitimacy frameworks," medicines funding decisions can still be
      perceived as lacking in legitimacy. We, therefore, sought to examine stakeholder
      views on factors that they think should be considered when making decisions about
      the funding of high-cost breast cancer therapies, focusing on those that are not
      included in current frameworks and processes. METHODS: We analyzed published
      discourse on the funding of high-cost breast-cancer therapies. Relevant materials
      were identified by searching the databases Google, Google Scholar, and Factiva in
      August 2014 and July 2016 and these were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: We
      analyzed fifty published materials and found that stakeholders, for the most
      part, want to be able to access medicines more quickly and at the same time as
      other patients and for decision makers to be more flexible with regards to
      evidence requirements and to use a wider range of criteria when evaluating
      therapies. Many also advocated for existing process to be accelerated or bypassed
      to improve access to therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Our results illustrate that a
      stakeholder-derived conceptualization of legitimacy emphasizes principles of
      accelerated access and is not fully accounted for by existing frameworks and
      processes aimed at promoting legitimacy. However, further research examining the
      ethical, political, and clinical implications of the stakeholder claims raised
      here is needed before firm policy recommendations can be made.

PMID- 28893331
TI  - Diminished medial prefrontal cortex activation during the recollection of
      stressful events is an acquired characteristic of PTSD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown relatively diminished medial prefrontal
      cortex activation and heightened psychophysiological responses during the
      recollection of personal events in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the
      origin of these abnormalities is unknown. Twin studies provide the opportunity to
      determine whether such abnormalities reflect familial vulnerabilities, result
      from trauma exposure, or are acquired characteristics of PTSD. METHODS: In this
      case-control twin study, 26 male identical twin pairs (12 PTSD; 14 non-PTSD)
      discordant for PTSD and combat exposure recalled and imagined trauma-unrelated
      stressful and neutral life events using a standard script-driven imagery paradigm
      during functional magnetic resonance imaging and concurrent skin conductance
      measurement. RESULTS: Diminished activation in the medial prefrontal cortex
      during Stressful v. Neutral script-driven imagery was observed in the individuals
      with PTSD, relative to other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Diminished medial prefrontal
      cortex activation during Stressful v. Neutral script-driven imagery may be an
      acquired characteristic of PTSD. If replicated, this finding could be used
      prospectively to inform diagnosis and the assessment of treatment response.

PMID- 28893333
TI  - Review: Use of human-edible animal feeds by ruminant livestock.
AB  - The drive to increase the output of animal product in some sectors of ruminant
      livestock production has led to greater use of feeds such as cereal grains and
      soyabean meal that are potentially human-edible. This trend has caused concern
      since, by so doing, ruminants compete not only with monogastric livestock but
      also with the human population for a limited global area of cultivatable land on
      which to produce grain crops. Reasons for using potentially human-edible feeds in
      ruminant diets include increased total daily energy intake, greater supply of
      essential amino acids and improved ruminal balance between fermentable energy and
      degradable protein. Soyabean meal, produced on land that has been in arable
      cultivation for many years can fulfil a useful role as a supplier of undegraded
      dietary protein in diets for high-yielding dairy cows. However, in the context of
      sustaining the production of high-quality foods from livestock to meet the
      demands of a growing human population, the use of potentially human-edible feed
      resources by livestock should be restricted to livestock with the highest daily
      nutrient requirements; that is, potentially human-edible feed inputs should be
      constrained to meeting requirements for energy and protein and to rectifying
      imbalances in nutrient supply from pastures and forage crops such as high
      concentrations of nitrogen (N). There is therefore a role for human-edible feeds
      in milk production because forage-only systems are associated with relatively low
      output per head and also low N use efficiency compared with systems with greater
      reliance on human-edible feeds. Profitability on farm is driven by control of
      input costs as well as product value and examples are given of low-cost bovine
      milk and meat production with little or no reliance on potentially human-edible
      feeds. In beef production, the forage-only systems currently under detailed real
      time life-cycle analysis at the North Wyke Farm Platform, can sustain high levels
      of animal growth at low feed cost. The potential of all-forage diets should be
      demonstrated for a wide range of ruminant milk and meat production systems. The
      challenge for the future development of ruminant systems is to ensure that
      potentially human-edible feeds, or preferably human-inedible by-products if
      available locally, are used to complement pastures and forage crops strategically
      rather than replace them.

PMID- 28893334
TI  - Metabolic and stress responses in dairy cows fed a concentrate-rich diet and
      submitted to intramammary lipopolysaccharide challenge.
AB  - Feeding dairy cows diets rich in grain often leads to subacute rumen acidosis
      (SARA), which might affect their responsiveness to immunogenic stimuli such as
      exogenous lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and can lead to metabolic alterations. The
      main objective of this study was to investigate if SARA affects the stress and
      metabolic health responses resulting from an intramammary LPS challenge. Before
      the intramammary LPS challenge, the SARA cows showed higher blood glucose and a
      tendency for higher lactate and aspartate aminotransferase as well as a trend
      toward lower beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and gamma-glutamyltransferase compared
      with control cows. After the LPS challenge, the serum cortisol concentration
      markedly increased and the calcium concentration decreased both in SARA and
      control cows. In SARA-LPS cows, however, the lactate concentration increased due
      to the LPS infusion, whereas it remained unchanged in the control cows. A lower
      serum BHBA concentration was found in SARA-LPS compared with control-LPS cows.
      Higher non-esterified fatty acid concentrations were found in control-LPS cows
      shortly before the LPS challenge compared with SARA cows, challenged or not with
      LPS, whereas it did not differ from SARA-LPS cows thereafter. In conclusion, the
      results suggest that intramammary LPS challenge induced stress and lowered
      calcium concentration in all dairy cows, whereby this challenge showed lower BHBA
      and higher lactate levels in cows with SARA conditions.

PMID- 28893335
TI  - The effect of age on the FCSRT-IR and temporary visual memory binding.
AB  - : ABSTRACTBackground:Cognitive markers of early Alzheimer's disease (AD) should
      be sensitive and specific to memory impairments that are not associated with
      healthy cognitive aging. In the present study, we investigated the effect of
      healthy cognitive aging on two proposed cognitive markers of AD: the Free and
      Cued Selective Reminding Task with Immediate Recall (FCSRT-IR) and a temporary
      visual memory binding (TMB) task. METHOD: Free recall and the cost of holding
      bound information in visual memory were compared between 24 younger and 24 older
      participants in a mixed, fully counterbalanced experiment. RESULTS: A significant
      effect of age was observed on free recall in the FCSRT-IR only and not on the
      cost of binding in the TMB task. CONCLUSIONS: Of these two cognitive markers, the
      TMB task is more likely to be specific to memory impairments that are independent
      of age.

PMID- 28893336
TI  - Problematic internet use in gamblers: impact on clinical and cognitive measures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Gambling is a commonplace phenomenon, existing along a continuum from
      occasional gambling to functionally impairing gambling disorder. The internet may
      act as a conduit for some gambling behaviors. The impact of problematic internet
      use on clinical and cognitive features relevant to gambling has received little
      research attention. METHODS: A total of 206 adults aged 18-30 years who gamble at
      least five times per year were recruited from the general community and undertook
      detailed clinical and cognitive assessments. Problematic internet use was defined
      using a total score of 5 or more on Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ).
      Linear regression was employed to evaluate the relative contribution of addictive
      related, impulsive-related, and compulsive-related measures in predicting YDQ
      total scores in gamblers. RESULTS: Gamblers with problematic internet use (18% of
      the sample) reported lower quality of life, lower self-esteem, elevated rates of
      intermittent explosive disorder, gambling disorder symptoms, attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, antisocial personality disorder, and
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as relative deficits in decision
      making and spatial working memory. In linear regression, the extent of
      problematic internet use was most significantly associated with increased
      gambling disorder symptoms and increased ADHD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Problematic
      internet use in gamblers is associated with worse quality of life, more
      problem/pathological gambling symptoms, more psychiatric morbidities, and select
      cognitive impairment. Refinement of the definition of problematic internet use
      and exploration of its clinical and cognitive associations are likely to be
      highly relevant to the treatment of problematic gambling.

PMID- 28893337
TI  - Optimization of Three-Dimensional (3D) Chemical Imaging by Soft X-Ray Spectro
      Tomography Using a Compressed Sensing Algorithm.
AB  - Soft X-ray spectro-tomography provides three-dimensional (3D) chemical mapping
      based on natural X-ray absorption properties. Since radiation damage is intrinsic
      to X-ray absorption, it is important to find ways to maximize signal within a
      given dose. For tomography, using the smallest number of tilt series images that
      gives a faithful reconstruction is one such method. Compressed sensing (CS)
      methods have relatively recently been applied to tomographic reconstruction
      algorithms, providing faithful 3D reconstructions with a much smaller number of
      projection images than when conventional reconstruction methods are used. Here,
      CS is applied in the context of scanning transmission X-ray microscopy
      tomography. Reconstructions by weighted back-projection, the simultaneous
      iterative reconstruction technique, and CS are compared. The effects of varying
      tilt angle increment and angular range for the tomographic reconstructions are
      examined. Optimization of the regularization parameter in the CS reconstruction
      is explored and discussed. The comparisons show that CS can provide improved
      reconstruction fidelity relative to weighted back-projection and simultaneous
      iterative reconstruction techniques, with increasingly pronounced advantages as
      the angular sampling is reduced. In particular, missing wedge artifacts are
      significantly reduced and there is enhanced recovery of sharp edges. Examples of
      using CS for low-dose scanning transmission X-ray microscopy spectroscopic
      tomography are presented.

PMID- 28893338
TI  - A cluster of patients with rhabdomyolysis after eating crayfish.
AB  - Crayfish or Procambarus clarkii is a freshwater crustacean with worldwide
      distribution. Tons of crayfish are consumed each year. In this report, four adult
      patients with rhabdomyolysis after consuming crayfish were described. All of them
      presented to the emergency department with myalgia. The diagnosis of
      rhabdomyolysis was supported by an elevated creatine kinase level. All recovered
      with supportive treatment. The clinical picture of these 4 patients was
      compatible with Haff disease. Haff disease is a syndrome in which rhabdomyolysis
      develops subsequent to consumption of certain cooked seafood. Crayfish is a
      common culprit. Diagnosis depends on obtaining a diet history and creatine kinase
      level. Most patients recover uneventfully with supportive treatment for
      rhabdomyolysis.

PMID- 28893339
TI  - Spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome in a patient with newly diagnosed metastatic
      colonic adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Acute tumor lysis syndrome in the absence of cytotoxic therapy is an uncommon
      event but has been reported with hematologic malignancies. The case described
      below illustrates spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome in the context of a rapidly
      proliferating metastatic colonic adenocarcinoma. Clinicians should consider
      ordering phosphate, uric acid, and calcium when assessing patients with recently
      diagnosed or suspected malignancy.

PMID- 28893340
TI  - Quantitative Studies of Endothelial Cell Fibronectin and Filamentous Actin (F
      Actin) Coalignment in Response to Shear Stress.
AB  - Both fibronectin (FN) and filamentous actin (F-actin) fibers play a critical role
      for endothelial cells (ECs) in responding to shear stress and modulating cell
      alignment and functions. FN is dynamically coupled to the F-actin cytoskeleton
      via focal adhesions. However, it is unclear how ECs cooperatively remodel their
      subcellular FN matrix and intracellular F-actin cytoskeleton in response to shear
      stress. Current studies are hampered by the lack of a reliable and sensitive
      quantification method of FN orientation. In this study, we developed a MATLAB
      based feature enhancement method to quantify FN and F-actin orientation. The role
      of F-actin in FN remodeling was also studied by treating ECs with cytochalasin D.
      We have demonstrated that FN and F-actin codistributed and coaligned parallel to
      the flow direction, and that F-actin alignment played an essential role in
      regulating FN alignment in response to shear stress. Our findings offer insight
      into how ECs cooperatively remodel their subcellular ECM and intracellular F
      actin cytoskeleton in response to mechanical stimuli, and are valuable for
      vascular tissue engineering.

PMID- 28893342
TI  - Associations between bottle-feeding intensity and maternal encouragement of
      bottle-emptying.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore longitudinal associations between bottle-feeding and
      maternal encouragement of infant bottle-emptying during the first 6 months of
      infancy. DESIGN: Mothers completed questionnaires during the third trimester of
      pregnancy, then monthly during the first 6 months postpartum. Questionnaires
      assessed family demographics, maternal and infant weight status, infant feeding
      patterns and maternal encouragement of infant bottle-emptying. SETTING: The
      Infant Feeding Practices Study 2, conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control
      and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. SUBJECTS: Mothers (n 1776).
      RESULTS: Repeated-measures regression was used to explore associations between
      bottle-feeding intensity (BFI; defined as the percentage of daily feedings that
      were from a bottle) and encouragement of bottle-emptying. Mothers who reported
      consistently high or consistently low BFI also exhibited consistently higher or
      lower frequency of encouraging their infants to empty the bottle (respectively)
      across the first 6 months of infancy, whereas mothers who reported increases in
      their BFI also exhibited concomitant increases in the frequency to which they
      encouraged their infants to finish the bottle. More frequent encouragement of
      bottle-emptying was also associated with feeding expressed breast milk (P<0.001),
      and lower parity (P=0.01), pre-pregnancy BMI (P=0.002) and infant birth weight
      (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: More frequent use of bottles for infant feeding was
      significantly associated with more frequent encouragement of bottle-emptying.
      Further research using causal designs is needed to better understand whether the
      use of bottles promotes this controlling feeding practice or whether mothers with
      more controlling feeding practices opt to bottle-feed.

PMID- 28893343
TI  - Physiotherapy-as-first-point-of-contact-service for patients with musculoskeletal
      complaints: understanding the challenges of implementation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary care faces unprecedented challenges. A move towards a more
      comprehensive, multi-disciplinary service delivery model has been proposed as a
      means with which to secure more sustainable services for the future. One
      seemingly promising response has been the implementation of physiotherapy self
      referral schemes, however there is a significant gap in the literature regarding
      implementation. Aim This evaluation aimed to explore how the professionals and
      practice staff involved in the delivery of an in-practice physiotherapy self
      referral scheme understood the service, with a focus on perceptions of value,
      barriers and impact. Design and setting A qualitative evaluation was conducted
      across two UK city centre practices that had elected to participate in a pilot
      self-referral scheme offering 'physiotherapy-as-a-first-point-of-contact' for
      patients presenting with a musculoskeletal complaint. METHODS: Individual and
      focus group interviews were conducted amongst participating physiotherapists,
      administration/reception staff, general practitioners (GPs) and one practice
      nurse (in their capacity as practice partner). Interview data were collected from
      a total of 14 individuals. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS:
      Three key themes were highlighted by this evaluation. First, the imperative of
      effecting a cultural change - including management of patient expectation with
      particular reference to the belief that GPs represented the 'legitimate choice',
      re-visioning contemporary primary care as a genuine team approach, and the
      physiotherapists' reconceptualisation of their role and practices. Second, the
      impact of the service on working practice across all stakeholders - specifically
      re-distribution of work to 'unburden' the GP, and the critical role of
      administration staff. Finally, beliefs regarding the nature and benefits of
      physiotherapeutic musculoskeletal expertise - fears regarding physiotherapists'
      ability to work autonomously or identify 'red flags' were unfounded. CONCLUSION:
      This qualitative evaluation draws on the themes to propose five key lessons which
      may be significant in predicting the success of implementing physiotherapy self
      referral schemes.

PMID- 28893341
TI  - Validation of a survey to examine drinking-water access, practices and policies
      in schools.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ensuring ready access to free drinking-water in schools is an
      important strategy for prevention of obesity and dental caries, and for improving
      student learning. Yet to date, there are no validated instruments to examine
      water access in schools. The present study aimed to develop and validate a survey
      of school administrators to examine school access to beverages, including water
      and sports drinks, and school and district-level water-related policies and
      practices. DESIGN: Survey validity was measured by comparing results of telephone
      surveys of school administrators with on-site observations of beverage access and
      reviews of school policy documents for any references to beverages. The semi
      structured telephone survey included items about free drinking-water access
      (sixty-four items), commonly available competitive beverages (twenty-nine items)
      and water-related policies and practices (twenty-eight items). Agreement between
      administrator surveys and observation/document review was calculated using kappa
      statistics for categorical variables, and Pearson correlation coefficients and t
      tests for continuous variables. SETTING: Public schools in the San Francisco Bay
      Area, California, USA. SUBJECTS: School administrators (n 24). RESULTS: Eighty
      one per cent of questions related to school beverage access yielded kappa values
      indicating substantial or almost perfect agreement (kappa>0.60). However, only
      one of twenty-eight questions related to drinking-water practices and policies
      yielded a kappa value representing substantial or almost perfect agreement.
      CONCLUSIONS: This school administrator survey appears reasonably valid for
      questions related to beverage access, but less valid for questions on water
      related practices and policies. This tool provides policy makers, researchers and
      advocates with a low-cost, efficient method to gather national data on school
      level beverage access.

PMID- 28893344
TI  - Four strategies to find, evaluate, and engage with online resources in emergency
      medicine.
AB  - Despite the rapid expansion of online educational resources for emergency
      medicine, barriers remain to their effective use by emergency physicians and
      trainees. This article expands on previous descriptions of techniques to
      aggregate online educational resources, outlining four strategies to help
      learners navigate, evaluate, and contribute online. These strategies include 1)
      cultivating digital mentors, 2) browsing the most popular free open access
      medical education (FOAM) websites, 3) using critical appraisal tools developed
      for FOAM, and 4) contributing new online content.

PMID- 28893345
TI  - A Validated High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method for the
      Simultaneous Determination of Zofenopril Calcium and Hydrochlorothiazide in the
      Presence of the Hydrochlorothiazide Impurities: Chlorothiazide and Salamide.
AB  - The chromatographic analysis of either process-related impurities or degradation
      products is very important in the pharmaceutical industry. In this work, a
      simple, selective, and sensitive HPTLC method was developed and validated for the
      simultaneous determination of zofenopril calcium (ZOF) and hydrochlorothiazide
      (HCT) in the presence of the HCT impurities: A) chlorothiazide (CT) and B)
      salamide, in raw materials and in pharmaceutical formulation. The separation was
      carried out on HPTLC silica gel 60 F254 using ethyl acetate-glacial acetic acid
      triethylamine (10 + 0.1 + 0.1, v/v/v) as a developing system. The separated bands
      were scanned densitometrically at 270 nm. Polynomial equations were used for the
      regression. Calibration curves were constructed for ZOF, HCT, CT, and salamide in
      the ranges of 0.5-10, 0.2-4, 0.05-1.4, and 0.05-1.0 MUg/band, respectively.
      Different parameters affecting the suggested method, including developing systems
      of varying composition/ratios and different detection wavelengths, were studied
      to achieve the best resolution and precision with good sensitivity. System
      suitability parameters were also tested. The proposed method was validated as per
      the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines and was successfully
      applied for the quantification of the studied drugs in their pharmaceutical
      formulation, with no interference from excipients observed. The results obtained
      by the developed HPTLC method were compared statistically with those obtained by
      the reported HPLC method using Student's t and F ratio tests, and no significant
      difference was obtained, indicating the ability of the proposed method to be used
      for routine analysis of drug product.

PMID- 28893346
TI  - Overexpression of MicroRNA-34a-5p Inhibits Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis
      of Human Cervical Cancer Cells by Downregulation of Bcl-2.
AB  - Aberrant expressions of microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the development and
      progression of various types of cancers. In this study, we investigated the roles
      of miR-34a-5p in the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of
      cervical cancer cells (HeLa cells). We found that overexpression of miR-34a-5p
      significantly inhibited the viability, migration, and invasion of HeLa cells, but
      promoted cell apoptosis. Suppression of miR-34a-5p showed opposite effects. The
      mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl-2 in HeLa cells were increased by miR
      34a-5p suppression but decreased by miR-34a-5p overexpression. Bcl-2 was a direct
      target gene of miR-34a-5p, which participated in the effects of miR-34a-5p on
      HeLa cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. Suppression of miR-34a
      5p promoted the viability, migration, and invasion of HeLa cells by increasing
      the expression of Bcl-2. Moreover, overexpression of Bcl-2 significantly promoted
      cell viability, migration, and invasion and had no influence on cell apoptosis.
      Suppression of Bcl-2 showed the opposite effects, with an increase in apoptosis.
      Overexpression of Bcl-2 activated the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT pathways in cervical
      cancer cells. Suppression of Bcl-2 inactivated the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT pathways
      in cervical cancer cells.

PMID- 28893347
TI  - miR-203 Suppresses Bladder Cancer Cell Growth and Targets Twist1.
AB  - miR-203 is an epigenetically silenced tumor-suppressive microRNA in tumors. This
      study was designed to investigate the effects of miR-203 on the proliferation,
      migration, invasion, and apoptosis of bladder cancer (BCa) cells. The expression
      levels of miR-203 in BCa tissues, normal adjacent tissues, and BCa cell lines
      were detected. BCa cells were transfected with miR-203 mimic and inhibitor to
      investigate the effect of miR-203 on cell functions and the epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cotransfection with miR-203 inhibitor and shRNA of
      the predicted target gene Twist1 (si-Twist1) was performed to investigate the
      target relationship of miR-203 and Twist1. The effects of knockdown of Twist1 on
      cell functions were also investigated. The expression of miR-203 was
      significantly reduced in BCa tissues and cells, in comparison with the control.
      miR-203 mimic significantly reduced cell viability, invasion, migration, and EMT,
      and enhanced cell apoptosis. On the contrary, miR-203 inhibitor showed the
      opposite results. However, the administration of si-Twist1 cancelled the effect
      of miR-203 inhibitor on cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration.
      These demonstrated that miR-203 may function as a tumor-suppressive microRNA in
      BCa by negatively targeting Twist1. Both Twist1 and miR-203 might be explored as
      potential targets for studying the mechanism related to BCa pathogenesis and
      therapy.

PMID- 28893348
TI  - Overexpression of Glypican 5 (GPC5) Inhibits Prostate Cancer Cell Proliferation
      and Invasion via Suppressing Sp1-Mediated EMT and Activation of Wnt/beta-Catenin
      Signaling.
AB  - Glypican 5 (GPC5) belongs to the family of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs).
      It was initially known as a regulator of growth factors and morphogens. Recently,
      there have been reports on its correlation with the tumorigenic process in the
      development of some cancers. However, little is known about its precise role in
      prostate cancer (PCa). In the present study, we explored the expression pattern
      and biological functions of GPC5 in PCa cells. Our results showed that GPC5 was
      lowly expressed in PCa cell lines. Upregulation of GPC5 significantly inhibited
      PCa cell proliferation and invasion in vitro as well as attenuated tumor growth
      in vivo. We also found that overexpression of GPC5 inhibited the epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling activation, which was
      mediated by Sp1. Taken together, we suggest GPC5 as a tumor suppressor in PCa and
      provide promising therapeutic strategies for PCa.

PMID- 28893349
TI  - WITHDRAWN: LncRNA-HOTAIR Activates Tumor Cell Proliferation and Migration by
      Suppressing MiR-326 in Cervical Cancer.
AB  - Cervical cancer is the second most common malignant cancer in females. Recent
      findings indicate that LncRNA-HOTAIR played a crucial role in tumor progression.
      In our present study, we aimed to explore the regulating role of HOTAIR in the
      progression of cervical cancer. The expression of HOTAIR was found up-regulated
      in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines (Hela, CasKi, Me180 and C-33A) compared
      with the normal tissues and normal cervical cell line (Ect1/E6E7). To examine the
      function of HOTAIR, gene knockdown (KD) was performed using HOTAIR short hairpin
      RNAs (shRNAs). HOTAIR shRNA significantly suppressed cells proliferation and
      migration in Hela cells. Besides that, the targeting relationship between HOTAIR
      and miR-326 was firstly revealed by bioinformatics prediction. Simultaneously,
      suppressed expression of miR-326 was detected in tumor tissues and cell lines
      compared with the control. Then, suppressed expression level of miR-326 was
      elevated by adding miR-326 mimic in cervical cancer cells transfected with LncR
      HOTAIR. Similarly, increased expression level of miR-326 was reduced by adding
      miR-326 inhibitor in cervical cancer cells transfected with HOTAIR shRNA. The
      targeting relationship between HOTAIR and miR-326 was further been confirmed
      through the luciferase report assay. Moreover, there existed a negative
      relationship between the expression of HOTAIR and miR-326. In addition, enhanced
      cell proliferation and migration abilities were suppressed by HOTAIR shRNA in
      cells transfected with miR-326 inhibitor. Finally, the in vivo experiment
      revealed that tumor growth and metastasis could also be inhibited by HOTAIR
      shRNA. Our present study elucidated the regulating role of HOTAIR/miR-326 axis in
      cervical cancer progression and provided a new potential therapeutic strategy for
      cervical cancer.

PMID- 28893350
TI  - Knockdown of Gab1 Inhibits Cellular Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion in
      Human Oral Squamous Carcinoma Cells.
AB  - Grb2-associated binder 1 (Gab1) is often aberrant in cancerous cells and tissues,
      whose alteration is responsible for aggressive phenotypes. In this study, we
      examined the Gab1 expression in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissues
      and investigated the cellular and molecular effect of Gab1 on migration,
      invasion, and cell growth of the OSCC cell lines SCC15 and SCC25. We found that
      Gab1 was overexpressed in OSCC tissues and cells, which is related to the protein
      levels of various molecules associated with cellular proliferation, migration,
      and invasion. Functional assays identified that Gab1 overexpression promoted cell
      proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells and inhibited cell apoptosis in the
      SCC15 and SCC25 cell lines. On the other hand, Gab1 silencing affected the
      proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells and induced cell apoptosis. Western blot
      assay identified that Gab1 overexpression suppressed the expression of Cdc20
      homolog 1 (Cdh1) and then promoted cell invasion in OSCC cells. Furthermore, Gab1
      mediated Cdh1 downregulation was significantly reversed when the cells were
      subjected to an inhibitor of p-Akt. In conclusion, these results suggested that
      Gab1 induced malignant progression of OSCC cells probably via activation of the
      Akt/Cdh1 signaling pathway. Thus, Gab1 may be a potential therapeutic target in
      the treatment of OSCC patients.

PMID- 28893352
TI  - Correction of the name Amycolatopsis albidoflavus to Amycolatopsis albidiflava
      corrig. Request for an Opinion.
AB  - The name Amycolatopsis albidoflavus Lee and Hah 2001 is malformed because the
      genus name Amycolatopsis has the feminine gender. It is here proposed to correct
      the name to Amycolatopsis albidiflava corrig.

PMID- 28893351
TI  - Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion: Mechanisms of Tissue Injury, Repair, and
      Regeneration.
AB  - Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major complication of liver
      surgery, including liver resection, liver transplantation, and trauma surgery.
      Much has been learned about the inflammatory injury response induced by I/R,
      including the cascade of proinflammatory mediators and recruitment of activated
      leukocytes. In this review, we discuss the complex network of events that
      culminate in liver injury after I/R, including cellular, protein, and molecular
      mechanisms. In addition, we address the known endogenous regulatory mediators
      that function to maintain homeostasis and resolve injury. Finally, we cover more
      recent insights into how the liver repairs and regenerates after I/R injury, a
      setting in which physical mass remains unchanged, but functional liver mass is
      greatly reduced. In this regard, we focus on recent work highlighting a novel
      role of CXC chemokines as important regulators of hepatocyte proliferation and
      liver regeneration after I/R injury.

PMID- 28893353
TI  - The Cholangiocyte Adenosine-IL-6 Axis Regulates Survival During Biliary
      Cirrhosis.
AB  - Epithelial response to injury is critical to the pathogenesis of biliary
      cirrhosis, and IL-6 has been suggested as a mediator of this phenomenon. Several
      liver cell types can secrete IL-6 following activation by various signaling
      molecules including circulating adenosine. The aims of this study were to assess
      whether adenosine can induce IL-6 secretion by cholangiocytes via the A2b
      adenosine receptor (A2bAR) and to determine the effect of A2bAR-sensitive IL-6
      release on injury response in biliary cirrhosis. Human normal cholangiocyte H69
      cells were used for in vitro studies to determine the mechanism by which
      adenosine and the A2bAR induce release of IL-6. In vivo, control and A2bAR
      deficient mice were used to determine the roles of A2bAR-sensitive IL-6 release
      in biliary cirrhosis induced by common bile duct ligation (BDL). Additionally,
      the response to exogenous IL-6 was assessed in C57BL/6 and A2bAR-deficient mice.
      Adenosine induced IL-6 mRNA expression and protein secretion via A2bAR
      activation. Although activation of A2bAR induced cAMP and intracellular Ca2+
      signals, only the Ca2+ signals were linked to IL-6 upregulation. After BDL, A2bAR
      deficient mice have impaired survival, which is further impaired by exogenous IL
      6; however, decreased survival is not due to changes in fibrosis and no changes
      in inflammatory cells. Exogenous IL-6 is associated with the increased presence
      of bile infarcts. Extracellular adenosine induces cholangiocyte IL-6 release via
      the A2bAR. This signaling pathway is important in the pathogenesis of injury
      response in biliary cirrhosis but does not alter fibrosis. Adenosine upregulates
      IL-6 release by cholangiocytes via the A2bAR in a calcium-sensitive fashion. Mice
      deficient in A2bAR experience impaired survival after biliary cirrhosis induced
      by common bile duct ligation independent of changes in fibrosis.

PMID- 28893354
TI  - Similar virulence properties of infection and colonization associated Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the agents that are commonly implicated
      in nosocomial infections. However, it is also present as a commensal in various
      body sites of healthy persons, making the diagnosis of infection by culture
      difficult. A number of virulence factors expressed by the organism have been
      implicated in its pathogenicity. We undertook this study to identify the host and
      organism factors associated with infection. METHODOLOGY: Pathogenic, colonizing
      and environmental isolates were tested for apr, lasB, the T3SS effector
      exoenzymes (exoS, exoT, exoU and exoY) and toxA genes, biofilm production and
      antimicrobial susceptibility. The isolates were further typed by RAPD. RESULTS:
      Eighty-seven isolates from 61 patients, including 11 environmental isolates, were
      obtained. None of the virulence factors were found to be significantly associated
      with infection, and nor was the antimicrobial susceptibility. The presence of the
      exoU gene and infection by MDR strains correlated significantly with the duration
      of hospital stay. Positivity for exoS and exoU genes was found to be strongly
      correlated with multi-drug resistance. exoU positivity correlated strongly with
      fluoroquinolone resistance. Sinks in the ward and intensive care unit were found
      to be a niche for XDR P. aeruginosa. Eighty-five isolates were typeable using the
      ERIC2 primer, showing 71 distinct RAPD patterns with >15 % difference in UPGMA
      generated dice coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: exoU positivity is associated with
      severe disease, as evidenced by the longer duration of hospital stay of these
      patients. However, the presence of virulence factors or multi-drug resistance in
      the cultured strain should not prompt the administration of anti-pseudomonal
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 28893355
TI  - Bifidobacterium vansinderenii sp. nov., isolated from faeces of emperor tamarin
      (Saguinus imperator).
AB  - A novel Bifidobacterium strain, Tam10BT, i.e. LMG 30126T, was isolated from
      emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator). Cells were Gram-positive, non-motile, non
      sporulating, non-haemolytic, facultative anaerobic and fructose 6-phosphate
      phosphoketolase-positive. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA genes as well
      as multilocus sequences (representing hsp60, rpoB, dnaJ, dnaG and clpC genes) and
      the core genome revealed that Bifidobacterium Tam10BT exhibited close
      phylogenetic relatedness to Bifidobacterium tissieri DSM 100201T. Comparative
      analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences confirmed the phylogenetic results showing
      the highest gene sequence identity with strain B. tissieri DSM 100201T (96.5 %).
      Furthermore, genotyping based on the genome sequence of Tam 10B, in combination
      with phenotypic analyses, clearly showed that strain Tam10BT is distinct from
      each of the type strains of the so far recognized Bifidobacterium species. The
      type strain Tam10BT (=LMG 30126T=CCUG 70655T) represents a novel species, for
      which the name Bifidobacteriumvansinderenii sp. nov is proposed.

PMID- 28893356
TI  - Polaribacter insulae sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and ovoid or rod-shaped bacterial
      strain, designated OITF-22T, was isolated from a tidal flat of Oido, an island of
      South Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain OITF-22T grew
      optimally at 25  degrees C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2.0-3.0 % (w/v)
      NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain
      OITF-22T fell within the clade comprising the type strains of Polaribacter
      species. Strain OITF-22T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of
      97.2-99.4 % to the type strains of Polaribacter vadi, P. haliotis, P. atrinae, P.
      dokdonensis, P. litorisediminis,P. reichenbachii, P. irgensii and P. marinaquae,
      and of 93.0-96.9 % to the type strains of the other Polaribacter species. Strain
      OITF-22T contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0 and iso
      C15 : 0 3-OH as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids detected in strain
      OITF-22T were phosphatidylethanolamine and one unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C
      content of strain OITF-22T was 32.3 mol% and its DNA-DNA relatedness values with
      the type strains of the eight phylogenetically most closely related Polaribacter
      species were 9-32 %. Differential phenotypic properties, together with
      phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain OITF-22T is
      separated from recognized species of the genus Polaribacter. On the basis of the
      data presented, strain OITF-22T is considered to represent a novel species of the
      genus Polaribacter, for which the name Polaribacter insulae sp. nov. is proposed.
      The type strain is OITF-22T (=KCTC 52658T=NBRC 112706T).

PMID- 28893357
TI  - Fluoroquinolone resistance in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing
      Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Japanese tertiary hospital: silent shifting to CTX-M
      15-producing K. pneumoniae.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fluoroquinolone resistance (FQ-r) in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase
      (ESBL) producers is an urgent health concern in countries where ESBL-producing K.
      pneumoniae (ESBL-Kpn) is prevalent. We investigated FQ-r in Japan where ESBL-Kpn
      is less prevalent. METHODOLOGY: Clinical ESBL-Kpn isolates from 2011 to 2013 were
      collected in Nagasaki University Hospital. The ESBL genotypes included CTX-M-15,
      and the mechanisms of FQ-r through plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR)
      and mutations in quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) were examined.
      Clonality was analysed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)
      PCR and multi-locus sequence typing was performed on selected
      isolates.Results/Key findings. Thirty ESBL-Kpn isolates, including seven
      levofloxacin-resistant isolates, were obtained from different patients. An
      increase in CTX-M-15-producing strains was observed during the study period (0/11
      in 2011, 3/8 in 2012, and 5/11 in 2013). PMQR was detected in 53.3 % of the
      isolates and aac-(6')-Ib-cr was the most common (36.7 %). ST15 was observed in
      60.0 % of the isolates, and for the most predominant ERIC-PCR profiles, 62.5 % of
      the isolates possessed the CTX-M-15 genotype and 71.4 % were levofloxacin
      resistant. Levofloxacin-resistance was significantly more common in CTX-M-15
      isolates (62.5 %) compared to non-CTX-M-15 isolates (9.1 %). Three QRDR mutations
      and aac(6')-Ib-cr, but not qnrB and qnrS, were significantly enriched in the CTX
      M-15 isolates (100.0 %) compared to the non-CTX-M-15 isolates (13.6 %).
      CONCLUSION: Cumulatively, these results indicate that the epidemic strain, the
      CTX-M-15-producing K. pneumoniae ST15, is covertly spreading even when ESBL
      producers are not prevalent. Monitoring these epidemic strains and ESBLs in
      general is important for quickly identifying health crises and minimizing future
      risks from FQ-r ESBL-Kpn.

PMID- 28893358
TI  - Discrepant susceptibility to gentamicin despite amikacin resistance in Klebsiella
      pneumoniae by VITEK 2 represents false susceptibility associated with the armA
      16S rRNA methylase gene.
AB  - Because we experienced gentamicin failure in Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteraemia
      that was susceptible to gentamicin despite amikacin resistance, as determined by
      VITEK 2, we evaluated the true susceptibility and mechanism of resistance. We
      screened 2818 K. pneumoniae isolates during a 1-year period at a university
      hospital and reviewed anti-microbial susceptibility reports using the VITEK 2
      system. The minimum inhibitory concentration was substantiated by broth
      microdilution (BMD), and the presence of 16S rRNA methylase genes and
      aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes was also investigated. A total of 131 amikacin
      resistant isolates from 19 patients were gentamicin non-resistant according to
      the VITEK 2 system. Among these, we were able to collect isolates from 12
      patients (63.2 %), and a single isolate from each patient was tested. Eleven of
      the gentamicin non-resistant isolates (91.7 %) showed high-level resistance to
      both amikacin and gentamicin by BMD in association with the armA gene. Gentamicin
      is not an adequate treatment option for amikacin-resistant K. pneumoniae, even if
      VITEK 2 reports susceptibility.

PMID- 28893360
TI  - Borderline oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (BORSA) - a more common
      problem than expected?
AB  - Borderline oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (BORSA) represents a quite
      poorly understood and inadequately defined phenotype of methicillin resistance.
      BORSA strains show low, borderline resistance to penicillinase-resistant
      penicillins (PRPs), with oxacillin MICs typically equal to 1-8 ug ml-1, and in
      contrast to methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), do not have an altered
      penicillin-binding protein, PBP2a, encoded by the mecA or mecC gene. Their
      resistance is typically associated with hyperproduction of beta-lactamases or, in
      some cases, point mutations in PBP genes. BORSA cannot be classified as either
      truly methicillin-resistant or truly methicillin-susceptible strains. However,
      they are frequently misidentified, which poses an obvious epidemiological and
      therapeutic threat. BORSA strains are commonly isolated from humans and animals,
      and are found both in hospitals and in a community setting. The epidemiology and
      clinical presentation of BORSA infections seem to be similar to those for MRSA;
      these infections are usually more severe than those caused by methicillin
      sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). Treatment of severe infections caused by BORSA may be
      ineffective, even with larger doses of oxacillin. The available evidence suggests
      that BORSA represent a frequently neglected problem, and their emergence in new
      environments implies that they need to be monitored and accurately distinguished
      from MSSA and MRSA.

PMID- 28893359
TI  - Crocinitomix algicola sp. nov., isolated from Gracilaria blodgettii.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-flagellated, yellow-pigmented, rod
      shaped bacterial strain, designated 0182T, was isolated from Gracilaria
      blodgettii, an algae of phylum Rhodophyta collected from coast of Lingshui
      county, Hainan, China (110 degrees  03' 44.2'' E, 18 degrees  24' 29.8'' N). The
      strain grew optimally at 30  degrees C, pH 7.0-7.5 and in the presence of 2.0-3.0
      % (w/v) NaCl. Cells of strain 0182T were approximately 0.9-2.5 um in length and
      0.2-0.4 um in width. The major respiratory quinone was MK-7. The predominant
      cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The major
      polar lipids were phosphoaminolipid, glycolipid, two unknown aminolipids and four
      unknown lipids. The DNA G+C content was approximately 35.4 mol%. Phylogenetic
      analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain 0182T was
      phylogenetically related to members of the genus Crocinitomix and was closely
      related to Crocinitomix catalasitica with 94.6 % sequence similarity. On the
      basis of genotypic and phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic evidence,
      strain 0182T is thought to represent a novel species of the genus Crocinitomix,
      for which the name Crocinitomix algicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is
      0182T (=KCTC 42868T =MCCC 1H00128T).

PMID- 28893361
TI  - Colworth prize lecture 2016: exploiting new biological targets from a whole-cell
      phenotypic screening campaign for TB drug discovery.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the aetiological agent of tuberculosis (TB) and is
      the leading bacterial cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. One third of
      the world's population is infected with TB, and in conjunction with HIV
      represents a serious problem that urgently needs addressing. TB is a disease of
      poverty and mostly affects young adults in their productive years, primarily in
      the developing world. The most recent report from the World Health Organisation
      states that 8 million new cases of TB were reported and that ~1.5 million people
      died from TB. The efficacy of treatment is threatened by the emergence of multi
      drug and extensively drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. It can be argued
      that, globally, M. tuberculosis is the single most important infectious agent
      affecting mankind. Our research aims to establish an academic-industrial
      partnership with the goal of discovering new drug targets and hit-to-lead new
      chemical entities for TB drug discovery.

PMID- 28893362
TI  - Confluentibacter citreus sp. nov., isolated from lake sediment, and emended
      description of the genus Confluentibacter.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, non-gliding, aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated
      XJNYT, was isolated from Sayram Lake (44 degrees  30' 30.41" N 81 degrees  12'
      39.55" E), Xinjiang Province, north-west China, and was characterized
      taxonomically by a polyphasic study. Strain XJNYT grew at salinities of 0-4 %
      (w/v) and temperatures of 4-37  degrees C. The pH range for growth was 6.5-8.5.
      Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain XJNYT
      belonged to the genus Confluentibacter and was closely related to the type strain
      of Confluentibacter lentus with 97.8 % similarity. The DNA G+C content was 34.5
      mol%. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso
      C15 : 0 3-OH, C17 : 0 2-OH and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The major respiratory isoprenoid
      quinone was menaquinone-6 (MK-6) and the polar lipids were
      phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid, two unidentified
      aminolipids and four unidentified lipids. On the basis of morphological,
      physiological and molecular properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain
      XJNYT represents a novel species within the genus Confluentibacter, for which the
      name Confluentibactercitreus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XJNYT
      (=KCTC 52638T=MCCC 1H00183T).

PMID- 28893363
TI  - High levels of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma genitalium in Queensland,
      Australia.
AB  - The macrolide azithromycin is recommended for treatment of Mycoplasma genitalium
      infection; however, M. genitalium strains possessing macrolide resistance
      mediating mutations (MRMMs) are increasingly being reported. Here, we used the
      SpeeDx ResistancePlus MG kit, which provides simultaneous detection of M.
      genitalium and MRMMs, to assess MRMM carriage among M. genitalium infections in
      Queensland, Australia. Performance characteristics of the ResistancePlus MG kit
      for M. genitalium detection were compared to in-house PCR. Available M.
      genitalium PCR-positive (n=67) and negative (n=281) samples from the years 2011
      to 2017 were tested using the SpeeDx ResistancePlus MG kit. In total, 63.6 % M.
      genitalium-positive samples were indicated to harbour MRMMs. The ResistancePlus
      MG method provided sensitivity and specificity of 97 and 99.6 % respectively
      compared to in-house PCR for M. genitalium detection. Such high levels of
      macrolide-resistant M. genitalium raise further concerns over future use of
      azithromycin for treatment of M. genitalium infection.

PMID- 28893365
TI  - Coffee Consumption and Prevention of Cirrhosis: In Support of the Caffeine
      Hypothesis.
AB  - Coffee is acknowledged as the most widely used drug worldwide. Coffee is also a
      foodstuff, so its use is often used to satisfy dietary urges. When used as a
      drug, coffee is normally consumed as a stimulant rather than to treat or prevent
      particular diseases. Recently, coffee consumption has been inversely related to
      progression of liver fibrosis to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma.
      Experiments in cellular and animal models have provided biological plausibility
      for coffee as an antifibrotic agent in the liver. A recent article examined one
      of the key questions regarding the antifibrotic role of coffee-specifically what
      is the primary antifibrotic agent in coffee? This article briefly reviews the
      relevant issues with regard to coffee as an antifibrotic agent for patients with
      chronic liver disease.

PMID- 28893364
TI  - Petrothermobacter organivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., a thermophilic, strictly
      anaerobic bacterium of the phylum Deferribacteres isolated from a deep subsurface
      oil reservoir.
AB  - A novel thermophilic, anaerobic, chemoheterotrophic, acetate-oxidizing and
      iron(III)-, manganese(IV)-, nitrate- and sulfate-reducing bacterium, designated
      strain ANAT, was isolated from a deep subsurface oil field in Japan (Yabase oil
      field, Akita Pref.). Cells of strain ANAT were Gram-stain-negative, non-motile,
      non-spore forming and slightly curved or twisted rods (1.5-5.0 um long and 0.6
      0.7 um wide). The isolate grew at 25-60  degrees C (optimum 55  degrees C) and pH
      6.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0). The isolate was capable of reducing iron(III),
      manganese(IV), nitrate and sulfate as an electron acceptor. The isolate utilized
      a limited range of electron donors such as acetate, lactate, pyruvate and yeast
      extract for iron reduction. Strain ANAT also used pyruvate, fumarate, succinate,
      malate, yeast extract and peptone for fermentative growth. The major respiratory
      quinones were menaquinone-7(H8) and menaquinone-8. The strain contained C18 : 0,
      iso-C18 : 0 and C16 : 0 as the major cellular fatty acids. The G+C content of the
      genomic DNA was 34.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences
      indicated that strain ANAT was closely related to Calditerrivibrio nitroreducens
      in the phylum Deferribacteres with low sequence similarities (89.5 %), and formed
      a distinct clade within the family Deferribacteraceae. In addition, the isolate
      is the first sulfate-reducing member of the phylum Deferribacteres. Based on
      phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties, a novel genus and
      species, Petrothermobacter organivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed for the
      isolate (type strain=ANAT= NBRC 112621T=DSM 105015T).

PMID- 28893366
TI  - Fidaxomicin reduces early toxin A and B production and sporulation in Clostridium
      difficilein vitro.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fidaxomicin, a macrocyclic antibiotic, has been approved for the
      treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Previous work by our group
      has demonstrated that some antibiotics at sub-inhibitory concentrations stimulate
      early toxin production and sporulation by C. difficile. Prior studies revealed
      that fidaxomicin, when added to late stationary-phase organisms, reduced exotoxin
      production and spore formation by C. difficile. However, the ability of
      fidaxomicin to trigger early virulence factor production and spore formation has
      never been investigated. METHODOLOGY: Sub-inhibitory concentrations of the RNA
      synthesis inhibitor fidaxomicin (1/4*, 1/8*, 1/16* MIC) were added immediately to
      lag-phase cultures of historical (strain 9689) and epidemic BI/NAP1/027 (strain
      5325) strains of C. difficile, and their effects on sporulation and toxin A
      (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB) production were compared.Results/Key findings. Even at
      sub-inhibitory concentrations, all doses of fidaxomicin reduced both TcdA and
      TcdB gene expression and protein production in the historical and epidemic C.
      difficile strains. Fidaxomicin also dose-dependently reduced viable spore
      production by the 9689 and 5325 strains. Reductions in spore formation were also
      observed in both strains treated with tigecycline and vancomycin. However, all
      concentrations of metronidazole stimulated a ~2 log increase in spore production
      by the 5325 isolate. CONCLUSION: The ability of fidaxomicin to suppress early
      exotoxin production and endospore formation by historical and epidemic strains of
      C. difficile may explain its clinical success in treating severe and recurrent
      cases of CDI disease.

PMID- 28893367
TI  - Hyphococcus flavus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel alphaproteobacterium isolated
      from deep seawater.
AB  - A Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, coccoid to rod shaped
      bacteria with prosthecate and flagellum, designated as HSF6T, was isolated from
      deep seawater samples collected from the South China Sea at depth of 2.5 km and
      subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic investigation. Colonies of strain HSF6T were
      1-2 mm in diameter, smooth, circular, convex and yellow. Strain HSF6T was found
      to grow at 15-37  degrees C (optimum, 25-35  degrees C), pH 5.0-9.5 (optimum, pH
      7.0-7.5) and with 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed
      the predominant respiratory quinone of strains HSF6T were ubiquinone-10, and the
      major fatty acids were C18 : 1omega7c, C16 : 0 and 11-methyl C18 : 1omega7c. The
      polar lipids were monoglycosyldiglyceride (MGDG), sulfo-quinovosyl diacylglycerol
      (SQDG), three unknown glycolipids (GL1-3) and five unknown lipids (L1-5). The DNA
      G+C content of strain HSF6T was determined to be 51.0 mol% with HPLC. The
      comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities show that strain HSF6T was
      related most closely to genus Parvularcula with similarity ranging from 91.0 to
      91.8 %. The phylogenetic trees, using the 16S rRNA gene sequence, reconstructed
      with neighbour-joining, maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods showed
      that strain HSF6T constituted a separated branch in the family
      'Parvularculaceae'. Differential phenotypic properties, together with the
      phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain HSF6T is clearly distinct
      from validly published genera. On the basis of these features, we propose strain
      HSF6T (=MCCC 1K03223T=KCTC 52486T) represents a novel species of a novel genus
      with the name Hyphococcus flavus gen. nov., sp. nov.

PMID- 28893368
TI  - Flavobacterium ardleyense sp. nov., isolated from Antarctic soil.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, yellow-pigmented, non-flagellated, non-gliding,
      rod-like, oxidase- and catalase-positive bacterium, designated A2-1T, was
      isolated from soil on Ardley Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Strain
      A2-1T grew at 4-22  degrees C (optimum, 10  degrees C), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum,
      pH 6.5) and with 0-1.5 % NaCl (optimum, 0.5 %), but could not produce flexirubin
      type pigments. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the isolates belonged
      to the genus Flavobacterium. Strain A2-1T had the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarity to Flavobacterium cucumis, F. ahnfeltiae and F. cheniae with 95.7,
      95.6 and 95.4 %, respectively. The strain A2-1T consisted of a clade with F.
      cucumis and F. cheniae and simultaneously formed a distinct phyletic lineage in
      the neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree. Polar lipids of the strain included
      phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), four unidentified aminolipids and one unidentified
      lipid. The strain A2-1T contained anteiso-C15 : 0 (20.2 %), iso-C15 : 0 (16.2 %)
      and C15 : 1 G (11.0 %) as the main fatty acids and the only respiratory quinone
      was menaquinone MK-6. The genomic DNA G+C content was 34.0 mol%. The polyphasic
      taxonomic study revealed that the strain A2-1T belongs to a novel species within
      the genus Flavobacterium and the name Flavobacterium ardleyense sp. nov. is
      proposed. The type strain is A2-1T (=CCTCC AB 2017157T=KCTC 52644T).

PMID- 28893369
TI  - Virulence determinants of Moraxella catarrhalis: distribution and considerations
      for vaccine development.
AB  - Moraxella catarrhalis is a human-restricted opportunistic bacterial pathogen of
      the respiratory mucosa. It frequently colonizes the nasopharynx asymptomatically,
      but is also an important causative agent of otitis media (OM) in children, and
      plays a significant role in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) in adults. As the current treatment options for M. catarrhalis
      infection in OM and exacerbations of COPD are often ineffective, the development
      of an efficacious vaccine is warranted. However, no vaccine candidates for M.
      catarrhalis have progressed to clinical trials, and information regarding the
      distribution of M. catarrhalis virulence factors and vaccine candidates is
      inconsistent in the literature. It is largely unknown if virulence is associated
      with particular strains or subpopulations of M. catarrhalis, or if differences in
      clinical manifestation can be attributed to the heterogeneous expression of
      specific M. catarrhalis virulence factors in the circulating population. Further
      investigation of the distribution of M. catarrhalis virulence factors in the
      context of carriage and disease is required so that vaccine development may be
      targeted at relevant antigens that are conserved among disease-causing strains.
      The challenge of determining which of the proposed M. catarrhalis virulence
      factors are relevant to human disease is amplified by the lack of a standardized
      M. catarrhalis typing system to facilitate direct comparisons of worldwide
      isolates. Here we summarize and evaluate proposed relationships between M.
      catarrhalis subpopulations and specific virulence factors in the context of
      colonization and disease, as well as the current methods used to infer these
      associations.

PMID- 28893370
TI  - Inhibitory efficacy of geraniol on biofilm formation and development of adaptive
      resistance in Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62A.
AB  - PURPOSE: The current study has been designed to delineate the efficacy of
      geraniol (GE) on biofilm formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis as well as the
      effect of subinhibitory concentrations of GE on the development of adaptive
      resistance. METHODOLOGY: Biofilm biomass quantification assay was performed to
      evaluate the antibiofilm activity of GE against S. epidermidis. Microscopic
      observation of biofilms and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), slime and
      cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) production were also studied to support the
      antibiofilm potential of GE. In addition, S. epidermidis was examined for its
      adaptive resistance development upon continuous exposure of GE at its
      subinhibitory concentrations.Results/Key findings. The MIC of GE against S.
      epidermidis was 512 ug ml-1. Without hampering the growth of the pathogen, GE at
      its sub-MICs (50, 100, 150 and 200 ug ml-1) exhibited a dose-dependent increase
      in antibiofilm activity. The minimal biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of
      GE was found to be 200 ug ml-1 with a maximum biofilm inhibition of 85 %.
      Disintegrated biofilm architecture, reduced EPS, slime and CSH production
      validated the antibiofilm efficacy of GE. Although the action of GE on preformed
      biofilm is limited, a 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5
      carboxanilide (XTT) reduction assay and live/dead cell staining method revealed
      reduction in the viability (47 %) of biofilm inhabitants at 2*MIC concentration.
      Sequential exposure of S. epidermidis to the sub-MICs of GE resulted in poor
      development of adaptive resistance with diminished biofilm formation. CONCLUSION:
      The present study highlights the potential of GE as a suitable candidate for the
      control of biofilm-mediated S. epidermidis infections.

PMID- 28893371
TI  - Heterogeneous interaction network of yeast prions and remodeling factors detected
      in live cells.
AB  - Budding yeast has dozens of prions, which are mutually dependent on each other
      for the de novo prion formation. In addition to the interactions among prions,
      transmissions of prions are strictly dependent on two chaperone systems: the
      Hsp104 and the Hsp70/Hsp40 (J-protein) systems, both of which cooperatively
      remodel the prion aggregates to ensure the multiplication of prion entities.
      Since it has been postulated that prions and the remodeling factors constitute
      complex networks in cells, a quantitative approach to describe the interactions
      in live cells would be required. Here, the researchers applied dual-color
      fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy to investigate the molecular network
      of interaction in single live cells. The findings demonstrate that yeast prions
      and remodeling factors constitute a network through heterogeneous protein-protein
      interactions. [BMB Reports 2017; 50(9): 478-483].

PMID- 28893372
TI  - Dual effects of a CpG-DNAzyme targeting mutant EGFR transcripts in lung cancer
      cells: TLR9 activation and EGFR downregulation.
AB  - Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is commonly caused by a mutation in the
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and subsequent aberrant EGFR signaling
      with uncontrolled kinase activity. A deletion mutation in EGFR exon 19 is
      frequently observed in EGFR gene mutations. We designed a DNAzyme to suppress the
      expression of mutant EGFR by cleaving the mutant EGFR mRNA. The DNAzyme (named
      Ex19del Dz) specifically cleaved target RNA and decreased cancer cell viability
      when transfected into gefitinib-resistant lung cancer cells harboring EGFR exon
      19 deletions. The DNAzyme decreased EGFR expression and inhibited its downstream
      signaling pathway. In addition to EGFR downregulation, Ex19del Dz containing CpG
      sites activated Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and its downstream signaling pathway
      via p38 kinase, causing an immunostimulatory effect on EGFR-mutated NSCLC cells.
      Thus, dual effects of this DNAzyme harboring the CpG site, such as TLR9
      activation and EGFR downregulation, leads to apoptosis of EGFR-mutated NSCLC
      cells. [BMB Reports 2018; 51(1): 27-32].

PMID- 28893373
TI  - Peroxiredoxin I participates in the protection of reactive oxygen species
      mediated cellular senescence.
AB  - Peroxiredoxin I (Prx I) plays an important role as a reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) scavenger in protecting and maintaining cellular homeostasis; however, the
      underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we identified a critical
      role of Prx I in protecting cells against ROS-mediated cellular senescence by
      suppression of p16INK4a expression. Compared to wild-type mouse embryonic
      fibroblasts (WT-MEFs), Prx I-/- MEFs exhibited senescence-associated phenotypes.
      Moreover, the aged Prx I-/- mice showed an increased number of cells with
      senescence associated-beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) activity in a variety of
      tissues. Increased ROS levels and SA-beta-gal activity, and reduction of chemical
      antioxidant further in Prx I-/- MEF supported an essential role of Prx I
      peroxidase activity in cellular senescence that is mediated by oxidative stress.
      The up-regulation of p16INK4a expression in Prx I-/- and suppression by
      overexpression of Prx I indicate that Prx I possibly modulate cellular senescence
      through ROS/p16INK4a pathway. [BMB Reports 2017; 50(10): 528-533].

PMID- 28893375
TI  - A genomic lifespan program that reorganises the young adult brain is targeted in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - The genetic mechanisms regulating the brain and behaviour across the lifespan are
      poorly understood. We found that lifespan transcriptome trajectories describe a
      calendar of gene regulatory events in the brain of humans and mice. Transcriptome
      trajectories defined a sequence of gene expression changes in neuronal, glial and
      endothelial cell-types, which enabled prediction of age from tissue samples. A
      major lifespan landmark was the peak change in trajectories occurring in humans
      at 26 years and in mice at 5 months of age. This species-conserved peak was
      delayed in females and marked a reorganization of expression of synaptic and
      schizophrenia-susceptibility genes. The lifespan calendar predicted the
      characteristic age of onset in young adults and sex differences in schizophrenia.
      We propose a genomic program generates a lifespan calendar of gene regulation
      that times age-dependent molecular organization of the brain and mutations that
      interrupt the program in young adults cause schizophrenia.

PMID- 28893374
TI  - Cell differentiation defines acute and chronic infection cell types in
      Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - A central question to biology is how pathogenic bacteria initiate acute or
      chronic infections. Here we describe a genetic program for cell-fate decision in
      the opportunistic human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, which generates the
      phenotypic bifurcation of the cells into two genetically identical but different
      cell types during the course of an infection. Whereas one cell type promotes the
      formation of biofilms that contribute to chronic infections, the second type is
      planktonic and produces the toxins that contribute to acute bacteremia. We
      identified a bimodal switch in the agr quorum sensing system that
      antagonistically regulates the differentiation of these two physiologically
      distinct cell types. We found that extracellular signals affect the behavior of
      the agr bimodal switch and modify the size of the specialized subpopulations in
      specific colonization niches. For instance, magnesium-enriched colonization
      niches causes magnesium binding to S. aureusteichoic acids and increases
      bacterial cell wall rigidity. This signal triggers a genetic program that
      ultimately downregulates the agr bimodal switch. Colonization niches with
      different magnesium concentrations influence the bimodal system activity, which
      defines a distinct ratio between these subpopulations; this in turn leads to
      distinct infection outcomes in vitro and in an in vivo murine infection model.
      Cell differentiation generates physiological heterogeneity in clonal bacterial
      infections and helps to determine the distinct infection types.

PMID- 28893376
TI  - Regulation of sleep homeostasis by sexual arousal.
AB  - In all animals, sleep pressure is under continuous tight regulation. It is
      universally accepted that this regulation arises from a two-process model,
      integrating both a circadian and a homeostatic controller. Here we explore the
      role of environmental social signals as a third, parallel controller of sleep
      homeostasis and sleep pressure. We show that, in Drosophila melanogaster males,
      sleep pressure after sleep deprivation can be counteracted by raising their
      sexual arousal, either by engaging the flies with prolonged courtship activity or
      merely by exposing them to female pheromones.

PMID- 28893377
TI  - Induced sensorimotor cortex plasticity remediates chronic treatment-resistant
      visual neglect.
AB  - Right brain injury causes visual neglect - lost awareness of left space. During
      prism adaptation therapy, patients adapt to a rightward optical shift by
      recalibrating right arm movements leftward. This can improve left neglect, but
      the benefit of a single session is transient (~1 day). Here we show that tonic
      disinhibition of left motor cortex during prism adaptation enhances
      consolidation, stabilizing both sensorimotor and cognitive prism after-effects.
      In three longitudinal patient case series, just 20 min of combined
      stimulation/adaptation caused persistent cognitive after-effects (neglect
      improvement) that lasted throughout follow-up (18-46 days). Moreover, adaptation
      without stimulation was ineffective. Thus stimulation reversed treatment
      resistance in chronic visual neglect. These findings challenge consensus that
      because the left hemisphere in neglect is pathologically over-excited it ought to
      be suppressed. Excitation of left sensorimotor circuits, during an adaptive
      cognitive state, can unmask latent plastic potential that durably improves
      resistant visual attention deficits after brain injury.

PMID- 28893378
TI  - Localization of spontaneous bursting neuronal activity in the preterm human brain
      with simultaneous EEG-fMRI.
AB  - Electroencephalographic recordings from the developing human brain are
      characterized by spontaneous neuronal bursts, the most common of which is the
      delta brush. Although similar events in animal models are known to occur in areas
      of immature cortex and drive their development, their origin in humans has not
      yet been identified. Here, we use simultaneous EEG-fMRI to localise the source of
      delta brush events in 10 preterm infants aged 32-36 postmenstrual weeks. The most
      frequent patterns were left and right posterior-temporal delta brushes which were
      associated in the left hemisphere with ipsilateral BOLD activation in the insula
      only; and in the right hemisphere in both the insular and temporal cortices. This
      direct measure of neural and hemodynamic activity shows that the insula, one of
      the most densely connected hubs in the developing cortex, is a major source of
      the transient bursting events that are critical for brain maturation.

PMID- 28893379
TI  - Comparison of Outcomes of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated by
      Percutaneous Coronary Intervention During Off-Hours Versus On-Hours.
AB  - Previous studies have reported worse outcomes and longer door-to-balloon times
      (DBTs) in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)
      after normal working hours, during weekends, and on holidays (off-hours) compared
      with normal business hours (on-hours). Recent studies, however, have reported
      similar outcomes regardless of presentation time. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were queried from January 1990
      through December 2016. Only studies comparing STEMI outcomes during off-hours
      versus on-hours with percutaneous coronary intervention were included. A random
      effects meta-analysis model was used to pool outcomes across the studies.
      Clinical end points included short- (<30 days of presentation), intermediate- (at
      1 to 2 years), and long-term (at 3 to 4 years) stent thrombosis, mortality,
      recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), and major adverse cardiovascular events
      (MACEs). A total of 86,776 patients (62 years and 74.5% male) were identified
      from 39 studies. There was no significant difference between both groups with
      regard to mean DBT (odds ratio [OR] 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.73 to
      4.22, p = 0.67) or median DBT (p = 0.19). There was no significant difference
      between the 2 groups for short-term end points including mortality (OR 1.11, 95%
      CI 0.99 to 1.25, p = 0.08), MI (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.74, p = 0.18), MACE (OR
      1.06, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.20, p = 0.40), or stent thrombosis (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.83
      to 1.82, p = 0.31). Similarly, intermediate-term end points were not
      statistically different for mortality (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.05, p = 0.46),
      MI (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.02, p = 0.08), or MACE (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92 to
      1.08, p = 0.98). Long-term end points did not differ statistically between groups
      for mortality (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.09, p = 0.46), MI (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.77
      to 1.84, p = 0.44), or MACE (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.08, p = 0.67). In
      conclusion, patients presenting with STEMI during off-hours and treated with
      percutaneous coronary intervention had similar short-, intermediate-, and long
      term outcomes compared with patients presenting during on-hours. DBT was not
      affected by the time of presentation.

PMID- 28893380
TI  - A Facial Plaque and Nodules on the Scalp.

PMID- 28893381
TI  - The Association Between Prenatal Stress and Externalizing Symptoms in Childhood:
      Evidence From the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that prenatal maternal stress may increase the
      risk of childhood externalizing disorders, yet no large cohort study has
      investigated this association across a large range of acute stressors. Our
      objective was to estimate the association between prenatal stressful events and
      risk of offspring conduct disorder and hyperactivity. METHODS: We used data from
      10,184 mother-offspring pairs from the United Kingdom-based Avon Longitudinal
      Study of Parents and Children. Mothers self-reported 42 prenatal stressful life
      events at 18 weeks' gestation. Symptoms of conduct disorder and hyperactivity in
      their offspring were measured at 6, 9, 11, 13, and 16 years of age using the
      Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The primary outcome was membership in
      high-symptom trajectories of 1) conduct disorder and 2) hyperactivity throughout
      childhood, identified using latent class growth modeling. Multinomial logistic
      regression models estimated the association between prenatal stress and both
      conduct disorder and hyperactivity, after adjusting for sex, parental education,
      low birth weight, preterm birth, parental social class, maternal smoking and
      drinking, maternal mental health, offspring stressful life events, and offspring
      depressive and anxious symptoms. RESULTS: Those exposed to the highest quartile
      of prenatal stress were more likely to belong to the high symptom trajectory for
      hyperactivity (B = 0.46, p < .05) and conduct disorder (B = 0.88, p < .01),
      respectively. Prenatal stress further demonstrated a positive, dose-response
      relationship with symptoms of externalizing disorders at independent time points.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that prenatal stressful events may be an
      independent risk factor for offspring externalizing symptoms, regardless of
      maternal mental health and offspring internalizing.

PMID- 28893382
TI  - Pain and sensory disturbances following surgical repair of pectus carinatum.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics
      of persistent postoperative pain and sensory disturbances following surgical
      repair of pectus carinatum. METHODS: Using a prospective observational design, 28
      patients were assessed before, 6 weeks and 6 months after a modified Ravitch
      operation for pectus carinatum. Postoperative pain was assessed using the Short
      Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Sensory testing was conducted to detect brush
      evoked allodynia and pinprick hyperalgesia. Additionally, generic and disease
      specific quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey and
      the Nuss Questionnaire Modified for Adults before and after surgery. RESULTS: Six
      weeks after surgery, ten patients reported mild pain or discomfort. Six months
      after surgery, four patients reported only mild pain. Allodynia was detected in
      two patients 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery. Hyperalgesia was detected in
      eight patients 6 weeks after surgery, and in six patients 6 months after surgery.
      Generic quality of life was significantly improved over time. CONCLUSIONS: The
      study showed no significant pain problems, a tendency to reduced sensory
      disturbances and significant improvements in quality of life 6 months after
      surgical repair of pectus carinatum. Future studies should include a longer
      follow-up period to determine if these positive results are persistent. LEVELS OF
      EVIDENCE: 1 (Prognosis Study).

PMID- 28893383
TI  - Adaptive fractional-order total variation image restoration with split Bregman
      iteration.
AB  - Alleviating the staircase artifacts for variation method and adjusting the
      regularization parameters adaptively with the characteristics of different
      regions are two main issues in image restoration regularization process. An
      adaptive fractional-order total variation l1 regularization (AFOTV-l1) model is
      proposed, which is resolved by using split Bregman iteration algorithm (SBI) for
      image estimation. An improved fractional-order differential kernel mask (IFODKM)
      with an extended degree of freedom (DOF) is proposed, which can preserve more
      image details and effectively avoid the staircase artifact. With the SBI
      algorithm adopted in this paper, fast convergence and small errors are achieved.
      Moreover, a novel regularization parameters adaptive strategy is given.
      Experimental results, by using the standard image library (SIL), the lung imaging
      database consortium and image database resource initiative (LIDC-IDRI),
      demonstrate that the proposed methods have better approximation, robustness and
      fast convergence performances for image restoration.

PMID- 28893384
TI  - Influence of Socioeconomic Context on the Rehospitalization Rates of Infants Born
      Preterm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of social inequalities on the risk of
      rehospitalization in the first year after discharge from the neonatal unit in a
      population of preterm-born children. STUDY DESIGN: Preterm infants were included
      if they were born between 2006 and 2013 at <=32 + 6 weeks of gestation and who
      received follow-up in a French regional medical network with a high level of
      healthcare. Socioeconomic context was estimated using a neighborhood-based
      socioeconomic deprivation index. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were
      used to identify risk factors associated with rehospitalization. RESULTS: For the
      2325 children, the mean gestational age was 29 +/- 2 weeks and the mean birth
      weight was 1315 +/- 395 g. In the first year, 22% were rehospitalized (n = 589);
      respiratory diseases were the primary cause (44%). The multiple rehospitalization
      rate was 18%. Multivariable analysis showed that living in the most deprived
      neighborhoods (socioeconomic deprivation index of 5) was associated with overall
      rehospitalization (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.5-3.6; P <.001), and multiple
      rehospitalizations (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2-4.9; P <.01); with socioeconomic
      deprivation index of 1 (least deprived) as reference. Deprivation was associated
      with all causes of hospitalization. Female sex (P <.001) and living in an urban
      area (P = .001) were protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: Despite regional routine
      follow-up for all children, rehospitalization after very preterm birth was higher
      for children living in deprived neighborhoods. Families' social circumstances
      need to be considered when evaluating the health consequences of very preterm
      birth.

PMID- 28893385
TI  - The ovary: from conception to death.

PMID- 28893386
TI  - Is there an excess of left-handedness after neonatal stroke?

PMID- 28893387
TI  - The effect of pulsed electromagnetic frequency therapy on health-related quality
      of life in military service members with chronic low back pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the U.S. military, chronic low back pain is among the most
      frequent complaints for medical visits, lost work time, and attrition from active
      duty and the deployed setting by service members. PURPOSE: The aim of this pilot
      study was to determine whether adjunctive treatment with pulsed electromagnetic
      frequency (PEMF) produced significant variability in chronic low back pain
      symptoms and secondary health-related quality of life, mental health and
      disability outcomes. METHODS: Prospective, randomized pilot study with repeated
      measures at baseline, post-treatment, and 1 month follow-up for two groups: usual
      care (UC) vs. UC + PEMF. FINDINGS: In a convenience sample of 75 service members,
      health-related quality of life mental and physical component scores were
      significant: F(2, 104) = 4.20, p = .018 (eta2 = .075) and F(2, 104) = 4.75, p =
      .011 (eta2 = .084), respectively; as was anxiety symptom severity: F(2, 104) =
      5.28, p = .007 (eta2 = .092). DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Adjunctive
      treatment with PEMF demonstrated improvements in service members' overall
      physical health-related quality of life with expected, yet statistically
      nonsignificant improvements in reported pain and LBP-related disability. There
      were significant between group differences in anxiety symptom severity with
      higher symptoms reported by the UC + PEMF group, surprising findings that warrant
      further investigation.

PMID- 28893388
TI  - The imaging findings of impingement syndromes of the lower limb.
AB  - In this article we provide an overview of impingement syndromes of the lower
      limb. At the level of the hip, femoroacetabular and ischiofemoral impingement are
      recognised. At the level of the knee, we discuss Hoffa's fat pad impingement,
      suprapatellar fat pad impingement, pericruciate impingement, and iliotibial band
      syndrome. The impingement syndromes associated with anterior cruciate ligament
      (ACL) repair and intercondylar osteophytes are also illustrated. Most impingement
      syndromes are described at the level of the ankle. These include, anterior,
      anterolateral, posterior, anteromedial, posterior, and posterolateral
      impingement. For these conditions, we describe the best technique and expected
      imaging findings. It should be kept in mind that many of these findings have been
      observed in the asymptomatic population. Impingement is essentially a clinical
      diagnosis and imaging findings should be considered as supportive elements for
      this clinical diagnosis.

PMID- 28893390
TI  - Periodic repolarization dynamics in patients with moderate to severe aortic
      stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periodic repolarization dynamics (PRD) refers to low-frequency
      oscillations of cardiac repolarization, most likely related to phasic sympathetic
      activation. Increased PRD is a validated predictor of mortality after myocardial
      infarction and in ischemic heart disease, but has not been tested in aortic valve
      stenosis (AS). Here, we assessed PRD in patients with AS and tested its
      correlation with clinical and hemodynamic parameters as well as markers of heart
      rate variability (HRV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 139
      consecutive patients with moderate to severe AS in sinus rhythm. In all patients
      we performed a 24-h Holter ECG in Frank-leads configuration. We assessed PRD
      according to previously published technologies from the nocturnal hours (0am-6am)
      and dichotomized PRD at the established cut-off value of >=5.75deg2. In addition
      to clinical and hemodynamic markers, we also assessed deceleration capacity (DC)
      of heart rate, heart rate turbulence and standard HRV parameters. RESULTS: In the
      patients studied, PRD was 6.55+/-3.96deg2. Seventy-three patients (52.5%) had
      increased PRD. Among them, 36 (49.9%) patients were classified as being
      asymptomatic. There was no association between increased PRD and clinical or
      hemodynamic markers, including presence of symptoms, NYHA-classification, aortic
      valve area, and left-ventricular ejection fraction. Thirty-three of the 73
      (45.2%) patients with PRD >=5.75deg2 also suffered from decreased vagal tonic
      activity by means of abnormal DC (<=2.5ms) indicating severe autonomic
      dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of increased PRD is high among patients with
      moderate to severe AS. Patients with increased PRD cannot be identified by
      clinical or hemodynamic markers Future studies should test the prognostic value
      of PRD in patients with AS.

PMID- 28893389
TI  - Ventricular fibrillation waveform measures combined with prior shock outcome
      predict defibrillation success during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
AB  - AIM: Amplitude Spectrum Area (AMSA) and Median Slope (MS) are ventricular
      fibrillation (VF) waveform measures that predict defibrillation shock success.
      Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) obscures electrocardiograms and must be
      paused for analysis. Studies suggest waveform measures better predict subsequent
      shock success when combined with prior shock success. We determined whether this
      relationship applies during CPR. METHODS: AMSA and MS were calculated from 5
      second pre-shock segments with and without CPR, and compared to logistic models
      combining each measure with prior return of organized rhythm (ROR). RESULTS: VF
      segments from 692 patients were analyzed during CPR before 1372 shocks and
      without CPR before 1283 shocks. Combining waveform measures with prior ROR
      increased areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for AMSA/MS with
      CPR (0.66/0.68 to 0.73/0.74, p<0.001) and without CPR (0.71/0.72 to 0.76/0.76,
      p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Prior ROR improves prediction of shock success during CPR,
      and may enable waveform measure calculation without chest compression pauses.

PMID- 28893391
TI  - The effects of early stages of aging on postural sway: A multiple domain balance
      assessment using a force platform.
AB  - Technical advancements in instrumentation and analytical methods have improved
      the ability of assessing balance control. This study investigated the effects of
      early stages of aging on postural sway using traditional and contemporary
      postural indices from different domains. Eleven healthy young adults and fourteen
      healthy non-faller older adults performed two postural tasks: (a) functional
      limits of stability and (b) unperturbed bipedal stance for 120s. Postural indices
      from spatial, temporal, frequency, and structural domains were extracted from the
      body's center of pressure (COP) signals and its Rambling and Trembling
      components. Results revealed a preservation of functional limits of upright
      stability in older adults accompanied by larger, faster, and shakier body sway in
      both anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions; increased medio-lateral
      sway frequency; increased irregularity of body sway pattern in time in both
      directions; and increased area, variability, velocity, and jerkiness of both
      rambling and trembling components of the COP displacement in the anterior
      posterior direction (p<0.02). Such changes might be interpreted as compensatory
      adjustments to the age-related decline of sensory, neural, and motor functions.
      In conclusion, balance assessment using postural indices from different domains
      extracted from the COP displacement was able to capture subtle effects of the
      natural process of aging on the mechanisms of postural control. Our findings
      suggest the use of such indices as potential markers for postural instability and
      fall risk in older adults.

PMID- 28893392
TI  - Computational modeling and validation of human nasal airflow under various
      breathing conditions.
AB  - The human nose serves vital physiological functions, including warming,
      filtration, humidification, and olfaction. These functions are based on transport
      phenomena that depend on nasal airflow patterns and turbulence. Accurate
      prediction of these airflow properties requires careful selection of
      computational fluid dynamics models and rigorous validation. The validation
      studies in the past have been limited by poor representations of the complex
      nasal geometry, lack of detailed airflow comparisons, and restricted ranges of
      flow rate. The objective of this study is to validate various numerical methods
      based on an anatomically accurate nasal model against published experimentally
      measured data under breathing flow rates from 180 to 1100ml/s. The numerical
      results of velocity profiles and turbulence intensities were obtained using the
      laminar model, four widely used Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence
      models (i.e., k-epsilon, standard k-omega, Shear Stress Transport k-omega, and
      Reynolds Stress Model), large eddy simulation (LES) model, and direct numerical
      simulation (DNS). It was found that, despite certain irregularity in the flow
      field, the laminar model achieved good agreement with experimental results under
      restful breathing condition (180ml/s) and performed better than the RANS models.
      As the breathing flow rate increased, the RANS models achieved more accurate
      predictions but still performed worse than LES and DNS. As expected, LES and DNS
      can provide accurate predictions of the nasal airflow under all flow conditions
      but have an approximately 100-fold higher computational cost. Among all the RANS
      models tested, the standard k-omega model agrees most closely with the
      experimental values in terms of velocity profile and turbulence intensity.

PMID- 28893393
TI  - The influence of cryopreservation and quick-freezing on the mechanical properties
      of tendons.
AB  - In order to maintain their native properties, cryopreserved tendons are usually
      used in biomechanical research and in transplantation of allogenic tendon grafts.
      The use of different study protocols leads to controversy in literature and thus
      complicates the evaluation of the current literature. The aim of this study
      consisted in examining the influence of different freezing and thawing
      temperatures on the mechanical properties of tendons. 60 porcine tendons were
      frozen at either -80 degrees C or -20 degrees C for 7days and thawed at room or
      body temperature for 240 or 30min, respectively. A subgroup of ten tendons was
      quick-frozen with liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C) for 2s before
      cryopreservation. Biomechanical testing was performed with a material testing
      machine and included creep, cyclic and load-to-failure tests. The results showed
      that freezing leads to a reduced creep strain after constant loading and to an
      increased secant modulus. Freezing temperature of -80 degrees C increased the
      secant modulus and decreased the strain at maximum stress, whereas thawing at
      room temperature reduced the maximum stress, the strain at initial tendon failure
      and the Young's Modulus. Quick-freezing led to increased creep strain after
      constant loading, increased strain at initial failure in the load-to-failure
      test, and decreased strain at maximum stress. When cryopreserving, tendons for
      scientific or medical reasons, freezing temperature of -20 degrees C and thawing
      temperature of 37.5 degrees C are recommended to maintain the native properties
      of tendons. A treatment with liquid nitrogen in the sterilization process of
      tendon allografts is inadvisable because it alters the tendon properties
      negatively.

PMID- 28893395
TI  - Morphologic variability of the mitral valve leaflets.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The rapid development of surgical and less-invasive percutaneous
      mitral valve repair procedures has increased interest in mitral valve anatomy. We
      characterize the morphologic variability of the mitral valve leaflets and provide
      the size of their particular parts. METHODS: We studied 200 autopsied human
      hearts from white individuals without any valvar diseases. We measured the
      intercommissural and aorto-mural diameters of the mitral annulus and identified
      the leaflets and their scallops. We also noted the base and the height of the
      inferoseptal commissure, superolateral commissure, anterior mitral leaflet, and
      posterior mitral leaflet with their scallops. RESULTS: Variations in posterior
      mitral leaflet were found in 55 specimens (27.5%), and variations in anterior
      mitral leaflet were found in 5 hearts (2.5%). The most common variations included
      valves with 1 accessory scallop between P3 and inferoseptal commissure (7%),
      accessory scallop between P1 and superolateral commissure (4%), connections of P2
      and P3 scallops (4%), connections of P1 and P2 scallops (3%), and accessory
      scallop in anterior mitral leaflet (2.5%). CONCLUSIONS: In all cases, the mitral
      valve is built by 2 main leaflets with possible variants in scallops (29.5%). The
      variations are largely associated with posterior mitral leaflet and are mostly
      related to the presence of accessory scallop. Anatomically, the anterior mitral
      leaflet is not divided into scallops, but could have an accessory scallop (2.5%).
      Understanding the anatomy of the mitral valve leaflets helps with the planning
      and performing of mitral valve repair procedures. Variations in scallops may
      affect repair procedures, but unfortunately cannot be predicted by any of the
      annular sizes.

PMID- 28893394
TI  - Biceps tenotomy in the presence of a supraspinatus tear alters the adjacent
      intact tendons and glenoid cartilage.
AB  - A rotator cuff tear is a common injury in athletes and workers who repeatedly
      perform overhead movements, and it is not uncommon for this demographic to return
      to activity shortly after treatment. A biceps tenotomy is often performed in the
      presence of a rotator cuff tear to help reduce pain and improve joint function.
      However, the effect of this procedure on the surrounding tissues in the
      glenohumeral joint is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
      investigate the effect of a biceps tenotomy in the presence of a supraspinatus
      rotator cuff tear followed by overuse activity on ambulatory function and
      mechanical and histologic properties of the remaining rotator cuff tendons and
      glenoid cartilage. 46 rats underwent 4weeks of overuse activity to create a
      tendinopathic condition, then were randomized into two groups: unilateral
      detachment of the supraspinatus tendon or detachment of the supraspinatus and
      long head of the biceps tendons. Ambulatory measurements were performed
      throughout the 8weeks prior to euthanasia, followed by analysis of the properties
      of the remaining intact tendons and glenoid cartilage. Results demonstrate that
      shoulder function was not effected in the biceps tenotomy group. However, the
      intact tendons and glenoid cartilage showed altered mechanical and histologic
      properties. This study provides evidence from an animal model that does not
      support the use of tenotomy in the presence of a supraspinatus tendon rotator
      cuff tear, and provides a framework for physicians to better prescribe long-term
      treatment strategies for patients.

PMID- 28893397
TI  - Discussion.

PMID- 28893396
TI  - Early results of robotically assisted mitral valve surgery: Analysis of the first
      1000 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to assess the technical and process
      improvement and clinical outcomes of robotic mitral valve surgery by examining
      the first 1000 cases performed in a tertiary care center. METHODS: We reviewed
      the first 1000 patients (mean age, 56 +/- 10 years) undergoing robotic primary
      mitral valve surgery, including concomitant procedures (n = 185), from January
      2006 to November 2013. Mitral valve disease cause was degenerative (n = 960,
      96%), endocarditis (n = 26, 2.6%), rheumatic (n = 10, 1.0%), ischemic (n = 3,
      0.3%), and fibroelastoma (n = 1, 0.1%). All procedures were performed via right
      chest access with femoral perfusion for cardiopulmonary bypass. RESULTS: Mitral
      valve repair was attempted in 997 patients (2 planned replacements and 1
      resection of fibroelastoma), 992 (99.5%) of whom underwent valve repair, and 5
      (0.5%) of whom underwent valve replacement. Intraoperative postrepair
      echocardiography showed that 99.7% of patients receiving repair (989/992) left
      the operating room with no or mild mitral regurgitation, and predischarge
      echocardiography showed that mitral regurgitation remained mild or less in 97.9%
      of patients (915/935). There was 1 hospital death (0.1%), and 14 patients (1.4%)
      experienced a stroke; stroke risk declined from 2% in the first 500 patients to
      0.8% in the second 500 patients. Over the course of the experience, myocardial
      ischemic and cardiopulmonary bypass times (P < .0001), transfusion (P = .003),
      and intensive care unit and postoperative lengths of stay (P < .05) decreased.
      CONCLUSIONS: Robotic mitral valve surgery is associated with a high likelihood of
      valve repair and low operative mortality and morbidity. The combination of
      algorithm-driven patient selection and increased experience enhanced clinical
      outcomes and procedural efficiency.

PMID- 28893398
TI  - Timing of surgery in infective endocarditis with cerebral complications: Time to
      think outside the nonexistent box.

PMID- 28893399
TI  - Determination of geochemical background values on a tropical estuarine system in
      a densely urban area. Case study: Capibaribe estuary, Northeastern Brazil.
AB  - This study aims to infer the background values of several metals in the
      Capibaribe estuary and to identify the likely impact of anthropic activities
      during 200-years of sedimentation. Two cores were sampled, with subsamples at
      intervals of 2cm. Sedimentation rates and metal concentrations were analyzed. The
      Al-normalized method was used to infer the background values, and to identify
      anthropic influences, the enrichment factor, the contamination factor and the
      geoaccumulation index were employed. The background values showed concentrations
      for Mn of 292.2, for Co of 10.4, for Ni of 22.3, for Cu of 60.8, for Zn of 105.5,
      for As of 106.0, for Pb of 52.9 (all in mgkg-1) and for Fe of 2.7%, The higher
      values, mainly for As, Zn and Pb, are associated with the influence of the
      Barreiras Formation. The geogenic inputs are significantly greater than the
      anthropic activities, masking the contamination.

PMID- 28893400
TI  - 'The dissemination diamond' and paradoxes of science-to-science and science-to
      policy communication: Lessons from large marine research programmes.

PMID- 28893401
TI  - Presence of trace elements in the silverside Odontesthes argentinensis.
AB  - The silverside Odontesthes argentinensis is an economically significant resource
      for commercial fisheries in South America. We evaluated the presence of trace
      elements in the stomach content and fish tissues (muscle and otoliths) of O.
      argentinensis. In addition, we assessed the presence of trace elements in its
      prey (zooplankton) and in seawater in a coastal temperate area. The most abundant
      trace elements found in the water, zooplankton, stomach content, and fish tissues
      (muscle and otoliths) constituted of Ba, Mn, Sr and Zn, while Cd, Cu and Pb were
      observed in lower concentrations. We concluded that O. argentinensis specimens
      captured from the environment, within the length range analyzed for muscle
      samples (total length: <21cm), are deemed fit for human consumption because the
      concentrations of trace elements mostly meet the standards established in the
      Argentine Food Code. The information obtained in this study is vital for O.
      argentinensis farming in closed systems.

PMID- 28893402
TI  - A large-scale investigation of microplastic contamination: Abundance and
      characteristics of microplastics in European beach sediment.
AB  - Here we present the large-scale distribution of microplastic contamination in
      beach sediment across Europe. Sediment samples were collected from 23 locations
      across 13 countries by citizen scientists, and analysed using a standard
      operating procedure. We found significant variability in the concentrations of
      microplastics, ranging from 72+/-24 to 1512+/-187 microplastics per kg of dry
      sediment, with high variability within sampling locations. Three hotspots of
      microplastic accumulation (>700 microplastics per kg of dry sediment) were found.
      There was limited variability in the physico-chemical characteristics of the
      plastics across sampling locations. The majority of the microplastics were
      fibrous, <1mm in size, and blue/black in colour. In addition, using Raman
      spectrometry we identified particles as polyester, polyethylene, and
      polypropylene. Our research is the first large spatial-scale analysis of
      microplastics on European beaches giving insights into the nature and extent of
      the microplastic challenge.

PMID- 28893403
TI  - Energy restriction affect liver development in Hu sheep ram lambs through Hippo
      signaling pathway.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary energy restriction on
      postnatal liver development in Hu sheep ram lambs. A total of 16 ram lambs were
      randomly divided into two groups: 100% energy requirements diet and 55% energy
      requirements diet, which were fed for 75 d. Results showed that the final body
      and liver weights decreased with energy restriction (p <0.05). Energy restriction
      caused a significant decrease in the levels of circulating insulin-like growth
      factor 1 (IGF1) and an increase in growth hormone secretion (p <0.05), which can
      be explained by the decreased mRNA expression levels of the growth hormone
      receptor (GHR) and IGF1 (p <0.05). The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA),
      Ki-67 and apoptosis-related proteins (BAX and BCL2) were mainly located in the
      nucleus and the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, respectively. The transcription and
      protein levels of PCNA and BAX were significantly decreased and increased by
      energy restriction, respectively (p <0.05). The caspase9 and caspase3 mRNA and
      activity were increased in energy restriction group (p <0.05). Moreover, Hippo
      signaling pathway proteins [mammalian sterile 20-like protein kinase 1 (MST1),
      large tumor suppressor kinase 1 (LATS1), and yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1)]
      were mainly observed around the hepatic portal area, and the expression levels of
      their mRNA and proteins were significantly decreased in energy restriction group
      (p <0.05). In summary, energy restriction in ram lambs impairs liver development
      by increasing apoptosis, which may occur via the Hippo signaling pathway.

PMID- 28893404
TI  - 3D Quantitative Chemical Imaging of Tissues by Spectromics.
AB  - Mid-infrared (IR), Raman, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy methods, as
      well as mass spectrometry (MS), can be used for 3D chemical imaging. These
      techniques offer an invaluable opportunity to access chemical features of
      biological samples in a nonsupervised way. The global chemical information they
      provide enables the exploitation of a large array of chemical species or
      parameters, so-called 'spectromics'. Extracting chemical data from spectra is
      critical for the high-quality chemical analysis of biosamples. Furthermore, these
      are the only currently available techniques that can quantitatively analyze
      tissue content (e.g., molecular concentrations) and substructures (e.g., cells or
      blood vessels). The development of chemical-derived biological metadata appears
      to be a new way to exploit spectral information with machine learning algorithms.

PMID- 28893405
TI  - Genome Editing for Global Food Security.
AB  - Global food security is increasingly challenging in light of population increase,
      the impact of climate change on crop production, and limited land available for
      agricultural expansion. Here we outline how genome editing provides excellent and
      timely methods to optimize crop plants, and argue the urgency for societal
      acceptance and support.

PMID- 28893406
TI  - Legal access to alcohol and criminality.
AB  - Previous research has found strong evidence that legal access to alcohol is
      associated with sizable increases in criminality. We revisit this relationship
      using the census of judicial records on criminal charges filed in Oregon Courts,
      the ability to separately track crimes involving firearms, and to track
      individuals over time. We find that crime increases at age 21, with increases
      mostly due to assaults that lack premeditation, and alcohol-related nuisance
      crimes. We find no evident increases in rape or robbery. Among those with no
      prior criminal records, increases in crime are 50% larger-still larger for the
      most socially costly crimes of assault and drunk driving.

PMID- 28893407
TI  - Risk of malignancy with systemic psoriasis treatment in the Psoriasis
      Longitudinal Assessment Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of systemic therapy on malignancy risk among patients with
      psoriasis is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the impact of systemic
      treatment on malignancy risk among patients with psoriasis in the Psoriasis
      Longitudinal Assessment and Registry (PSOLAR). METHODS: Nested case-control
      analyses were performed among patients with no history of malignancy. Cases were
      defined as first malignancy (other than nonmelanoma skin cancer) in the Psoriasis
      Longitudinal Assessment and Registry, and controls were matched by age, sex,
      geographic region, and time on registry. Study therapies included methotrexate,
      ustekinumab, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors. Exposure was
      defined as 1 or more doses of study therapy within 12 months of malignancy onset
      and further stratified by duration of therapy. Multivariate conditional logistic
      regression, adjusted for potential confounders, was used to estimate odds ratios
      of malignancies associated with therapy. RESULTS: Among 12,090 patients, 252
      malignancy cases were identified and 1008 controls were matched. Treatment with
      methotrexate or ustekinumab for more than 0 months to less than 3 months, 3
      months to less than 12 months, or 12 months or longer was not associated with
      increased malignancy risk versus no exposure. Longer-term (>=12 months) (odds
      ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.15; P = .01), but not shorter-term
      treatment, with a TNF-alpha inhibitor was associated with increased malignancy
      risk. LIMITATIONS: Cases and controls could belong to 1 or more therapy
      categories. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term (>=12 months) treatment with a TNF-alpha
      inhibitor, but not methotrexate and ustekinumab, may increase risk for malignancy
      in patients with psoriasis.

PMID- 28893408
TI  - Inflammatory myopathy associated with anti-mitochondrial antibodies: A distinct
      phenotype with cardiac involvement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the context of clinical evaluations performed on our prospective
      myositis cohort, we noted a striking association of severe cardiac disease in
      myositis patients with anti-mitochondrial antibodies. We sought to review all
      cases of anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) associated myositis in our cohort to
      describe the clinical features of this disease subset. METHODS: We identified 7
      patients with confirmed anti-mitochondrial antibodies who presented as an
      inflammatory myopathy. A retrospective chart review was completed to assess their
      clinical presentation, laboratory, imaging, electrophysiologic, and
      histopathologic features. RESULTS: One patient presented with dermatomyositis and
      6 were classified as polymyositis using Bohan and Peter criteria. In all but one
      patient, a chronic course of muscle involvement was appreciated with an average
      of 6.5 years of weakness prior to presentation. Muscle atrophy was often noted,
      as well as atypical findings of scapular winging in 2 of the patients. Muscle
      biopsies were consistent with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy in 4 patients,
      dermatomyositis in 1, polymyositis in 1 and nonspecific or granulomatous myositis
      in 1 patient. Changes pointing to mitochondrial alterations were seen in 2 of the
      7 patients. Cardiac involvement (including myocarditis, atrial and ventricular
      arrhythmias, and cardiomyopathy), was seen in 5 out of 7 (71%) of the patients,
      and usually preceded the muscle involvement. Coexisting autoimmune conditions
      were seen in 3/7of the patients and included primary biliary cirrhosis,
      autoimmune hepatitis, psoriasis, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. CONCLUSIONS: Anti
      mitochondrial antibodies identify a distinct inflammatory myopathy phenotype that
      is frequently associated with chronic skeletal muscle disease and severe cardiac
      involvement. Early recognition of this rare entity as an immune-mediated process
      is important due to implications for treatment. We propose that anti
      mitochondrial antibody status should be determined in patients with a compatible
      clinical picture.

PMID- 28893409
TI  - Equivalence in the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) across socio-demographic
      determinants: Analyses within QUEST-RA.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate potential bias in scores of the Health Assessment
      Questionnaire (HAQ) related to socio-demographic (SD) background of patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Data from the Quantitative Standard
      Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis study (QUEST-RA), comprising 9022 patients
      were analysed. Physical function was assessed through 30 items of four HAQ
      versions: the HAQ-Disability scale, HAQ-II, modified HAQ and multi-dimensional
      HAQ (MD-HAQ). DIF was investigated using item response theory models implemented
      in a latent variable modelling framework. Models were equivalent to ordinal
      logistic regression models with HAQ score (item level) as outcome, the latent
      trait 'physical function' and individual SD factors (age, gender, education, and
      employment status) as predictors. Next, scores of composite HAQs were adjusted
      for DIF. To assess the impact of DIF on associations between SD factors and HAQs,
      multilevel mixed-effect linear regression models with individuals nested in
      country were estimated with DIF-adjusted or unadjusted HAQ as outcome. RESULTS:
      Relevant DIF (OR > 1.1 or <0.90) was found in several HAQ items primarily for
      age, gender and work status. Adjustment of composite HAQs for DIF resulted in
      small increases (Delta0.02-0.07); MD-HAQ best compensated for bias related to SD
      factors (Delta0.02). In regressions, all SD factors remained significantly
      related to DIF-adjusted HAQs, with differences in coefficients largest for gender
      (Delta0.02-0.07) but overall negligible. CONCLUSIONS: SD factors produce response
      bias in individual HAQ items but have little impact on composite HAQs. When
      interpreting HAQ across SD factors, MD-HAQ is preferred, but caution remains when
      comparing function across gender.

PMID- 28893410
TI  - An artificial neural network to predict resting energy expenditure in obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The resting energy expenditure (REE) determination is
      important in nutrition for adequate dietary prescription. The gold standard i.e.
      indirect calorimetry is not available in clinical settings. Thus, several
      predictive equations have been developed, but they lack of accuracy in subjects
      with extreme weight including obese populations. Artificial neural networks (ANN)
      are useful predictive tools in the area of artificial intelligence, used in
      numerous clinical fields. The aim of this study was to determine the relevance of
      ANN in predicting REE in obesity. METHODS: A Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) feed
      forward neural network with a back propagation algorithm was created and cross
      validated in a cohort of 565 obese subjects (BMI within 30-50 kg m-2) with
      weight, height, sex and age as clinical inputs and REE measured by indirect
      calorimetry as output. The predictive performances of ANN were compared to those
      of 23 predictive REE equations in the training set and in two independent sets of
      100 and 237 obese subjects for external validation. RESULTS: Among the 23
      established prediction equations for REE evaluated, the Harris & Benedict
      equations recalculated by Roza were the most accurate for the obese population,
      followed by the USA DRI, Muller and the original Harris & Benedict equations. The
      final 5-fold cross-validated three-layer 4-3-1 feed-forward back propagation ANN
      model developed in that study improved precision and accuracy of REE prediction
      over linear equations (precision = 68.1%, MAPE = 8.6% and RMSPE = 210 kcal/d),
      independently from BMI subgroups within 30-50 kg m-2. External validation
      confirmed the better predictive performances of ANN model (precision = 73% and
      65%, MAPE = 7.7% and 8.6%, RMSPE = 187 kcal/d and 200 kcal/d in the 2 independent
      datasets) for the prediction of REE in obese subjects. CONCLUSIONS: We developed
      and validated an ANN model for the prediction of REE in obese subjects that is
      more precise and accurate than established REE predictive equations independent
      from BMI subgroups. For convenient use in clinical settings, we provide a simple
      ANN-REE calculator available at: https://www.crnh-rhone-alpes.fr/fr/ANN-REE
      Calculator.

PMID- 28893411
TI  - Suicidal thoughts in persons treated for alcohol dependence: The role of selected
      demographic and clinical factors.
AB  - Greater knowledge is needed of potential predictive factors for suicide in cases
      of alcohol addiction. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the socio
      demographic variables and clinical factors associated with alcohol dependence
      which may have an influence on the occurrence of suicidal thoughts in alcohol
      dependent patients. A group of 510 patients (396 male and 114 female) diagnosed
      with alcohol dependence syndrome were interviewed during the third week of
      therapy according to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Penn Alcohol
      Craving Scale (PACS) and the Short Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire (SADD).
      Socio-demographic data was also collected. The results of a binary logistic
      regression with suicidal thoughts as a dependent variable show that 63 out of the
      510 participants (12% of the sample) reported the presence of suicidal thoughts.
      Alcohol dependence and alcohol craving appear to increase the likelihood of
      suicidal thoughts, and participants presenting psychiatric disorders were twice
      as likely to demonstrate suicidal ideation as those who did not. Alcohol
      dependence, alcohol craving and psychiatric comorbidity may be regarded as risk
      factors for suicidal ideation in the studied sample, with the only protective
      factor being living in a relationship.

PMID- 28893413
TI  - Fish oil emulsion supplementation might improve quality of life of diabetic
      patients due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
AB  - Diabetes-related complications, including cardiovascular disease, retinopathy,
      nephropathy, and neuropathy, are a significant cause of increased morbidity and
      mortality among people with diabetes. Previous studies have confirmed that
      hyperglycemia has pro-oxidative and proinflammatory properties which cause
      diabetic complications. We hypothesized that supplementation of fish oil emulsion
      (FOE), rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, to diabetic patients might
      reduce hyperglycemia-induced pathological changes due to specific properties of
      FOE. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have a wide range of biological effects.
      In this project, we have examined the potential protective effect of the FOE on
      hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress and cytokine generation in
      monocytes/macrophages U937 system in vitro. The monocytes/macrophages U937 were
      cultivated under normal or hyperglycemic (35 mmol/L glucose) conditions
      with/without FOE for 72 hours. We have focused on specific markers of oxidative
      stress (antioxidant capacity; superoxide dismutase activity; oxidative damage to
      DNA, proteins, and lipids) and inflammation (tumor necrosis factor, interleukin
      6, interleukin-8, monocytic chemotactic protein-1). Hyperglycemia caused
      reduction of antioxidant capacity, induction of DNA damage, and proinflammatory
      cytokine secretion. FOE significantly increased antioxidant capacity of cells as
      well as superoxide dismutase activity and significantly reduced tumor necrosis
      factor, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and monocytic chemotactic protein-1
      release. No effect was observed on oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids.
      Our results indicate that FOE can reduce hyperglycemia-induced pathological
      mechanisms by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

PMID- 28893412
TI  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and callous-unemotional traits as
      moderators of conduct problems when examining impairment in emerging adults.
AB  - This study examines attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and callous
      unemotional (CU) traits as moderators of the association between conduct problems
      (CP) and young adult functioning. Young adults (n = 283; Mage = 20.82 years;
      53.4% female), oversampled for attention and behavior problems, provided self
      ratings of ADHD, CP, and CU, and adaptive functioning and psychopathology. ADHD
      and CU simultaneously moderated relationships between CP and family functioning,
      tobacco use, and internalizing symptoms. In addition, ADHD moderated the relation
      between CP and job functioning, and main effects of ADHD in the expected
      direction were found for educational performance and drug use. CU was associated
      with poorer educational outcomes. Interestingly, no ADHD, CU, or CP effects were
      observed for reported alcohol use. Our results highlight the importance of
      considering ADHD and CU in understanding the impact of CP on young adult
      functioning and psychopathology, and point to the importance of continued work on
      this topic.

PMID- 28893414
TI  - Transcriptional-mediated effects of radiation on the expression of immune
      susceptibility markers in melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We recently reported a time-sensitive, cooperative, anti
      tumor effect elicited by radiation (RT) and intra-tumoral-immunocytokine
      injection in vivo. We hypothesized that RT triggers transcriptional-mediated
      changes in tumor expression of immune susceptibility markers at delayed time
      points, which may explain these previously observed time-dependent effects.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the time course of changes in expression of
      immune susceptibility markers following in vitro or in vivo RT in B78 murine
      melanoma and A375 human melanoma using flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and qPCR.
      RESULTS: Flow cytometry and immunoblot revealed time-dependent increases in
      expression of death receptors and T cell co-stimulatory/co-inhibitory ligands
      following RT in murine and human melanoma. Using high-throughput qPCR, we
      observed comparable time courses of RT-induced transcriptional upregulation for
      multiple immune susceptibility markers. We confirmed analogous changes in B78
      tumors irradiated in vivo. We observed upregulated expression of DNA damage
      response markers days prior to changes in immune markers, whereas phosphorylation
      of the STAT1 transcription factor occurred concurrently with changes following
      RT. CONCLUSION: This study highlights time-dependent, transcription-mediated
      changes in tumor immune susceptibility marker expression following RT. These
      findings may help in the design of strategies to optimize sequencing of RT and
      immunotherapy in translational and clinical studies.

PMID- 28893415
TI  - The prognostic value of derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in oesophageal
      cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The derived neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) is a
      validated prognostic biomarker for cancer survival but has not been extensively
      studied in locally-advanced oesophageal cancer treated with definitive
      chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). We aimed to identify the prognostic value of dNLR in
      patients recruited to the SCOPE1 trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 258 patients were
      randomised to receive dCRT+/-cetuximab. Kaplan-Meier's curves and both
      univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were calculated for overall
      survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), local PFS inside the radiation
      volume (LPFSi), local PFS outside the radiation volume (LPFSo), and distant PFS
      (DPFS). RESULTS: An elevated pre-treatment dNLR>=2 was significantly associated
      with decreased OS in univariable (HR 1.74 [95% CI 1.29-2.35], p<0.001) and
      multivariable analyses (HR 1.64 [1.17-2.29], p=0.004). Median OS was 36months
      (95% CI 27.8-42.4) if dNLR<2 and 18.4months (95% CI 14.1-24.9) if dNLR>=2. All
      measures of PFS were also significantly reduced with an elevated dNLR. dNLR was
      prognostic for OS in cases of squamous cell carcinoma with a non-significant
      trend for adenocarcinoma/undifferentiated tumours. CONCLUSIONS: An elevated pre
      treatment dNLR may be an independent prognostic biomarker for OS and PFS in
      oesophageal cancer patients treated with definitive CRT. dNLR is a simple,
      inexpensive and readily available tool for risk-stratification and should be
      considered for use in future oesophageal cancer clinical trials. The SCOPE1 trial
      was an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial [number 47718479].

PMID- 28893416
TI  - NMR studies of the non-haem Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenases.
AB  - The non-haem Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenases belong to a
      superfamily of structurally-related enzymes that play important biological roles
      in plants, microorganisms and animals. Structural, mechanistic and functional
      studies of 2OG oxygenases require efficient and effective biophysical tools.
      Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a useful tool to study this
      enzyme superfamily. It has been applied to obtain information about enzyme
      kinetics, identify and characterise 2OG oxygenase-catalysed oxidation products,
      elucidate the catalytic mechanism, monitor ligand binding and study protein
      dynamics. This review summarises the types of information that NMR spectroscopy
      can provide in the studies of 2OG oxygenases, highlights the advantages of the
      technique and describes its drawbacks.

PMID- 28893417
TI  - Kinetic analysis of and platinum(II) migration in the reactions of tetrazolato
      bridged dinuclear platinum(II) complexes with nucleotides.
AB  - The series of tetrazolato-bridged complexes with the formula [{cis-Pt(NH3)2}2(MU
      OH)(MU-5-H-tetrazolato-N1,N2)]2+ (5-H-X) or [{cis-Pt(NH3)2}2(MU-OH)(MU-5-R
      tetrazolato-N2,N3)]n+ (R=H (5-H-Y), CH3 (1), CH2COOCH2CH3 (2), CH2COO- (3), n=2
      (5-H-Y, 1, 2) or 1 (3)) are promising candidate complexes for formulation as next
      generation platinum-based anticancer drugs that form multimodal bindings with DNA
      molecules. These multimodal bindings involve both non-covalent and covalent
      interactions, the latter of which are acknowledged to be essential for platinum
      based drugs to exert their anticancer activity. In the present study, the
      tetrazolato-bridged complexes reacted with two molar equivalents of guanosine-5'
      monophosphate (GMP) to yield the 1:2 reaction products [{cis-Pt(NH3)2(GMP
      N7)}2(MU-5-R-tetrazolato-N1,N3)]2- or 1-. This reaction was accompanied by an
      intramolecular Pt(II) migration that contributed to the formation of diverse DNA
      crosslinking, such as interhelical crosslinks. The second-order reaction rate
      constants for the reactions performed in phosphate-buffered D2O solution showed
      that the reactivity of the complexes decreased in the order 5-H-X?5-H-Y>2?1>3 and
      that reactivity was correlated with the cytotoxicity of the complexes. A similar
      result was obtained for the reaction of the complexes with calf thymus DNA in
      which the formation of covalent DNA adducts was quantified by means of
      inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. These results suggest that overall
      charge affects the kinetics of the reactions of platinum complexes with GMP and
      calf thymus DNA. Thus, the positive charge of the complexes affects not only the
      non-covalent but also the covalent interactions between the complexes and
      nucleotides and DNA, which are negatively charged molecules.

PMID- 28893419
TI  - Telenephrology: current perspectives and future directions.
AB  - There is increasing interest in telemedicine among physicians and patients;
      however, the evidence regarding the quality of care delivered by telemedicine,
      and telenephrology in particular, compared with in-person care is limited. In
      this review, different electronic modalities used to deliver nephrology care are
      reviewed and critiqued, with a focused analysis from the Australian and United
      States perspectives. Both countries are geographically expansive with significant
      rural populations where access to nephrology care is limited. However, their
      health care systems are organized differently. The Australian health care system
      is a mostly nonprofit, single-payer system, whereas the United States system is
      more fractured with a greater proportion of patients covered by for-profit
      private insurance or no insurance coverage. Videoconferencing is widely used in
      Australia to manage kidney disease including chronic kidney disease, dialysis,
      pediatric nephrology, and post-kidney transplantation care. In contrast, the
      United States telenephrology experience is limited, with most reports originating
      from the Veterans Health Administration, a single-payer system providing care for
      nearly 9 million veterans, ~3 million of whom reside in rural communities.
      Preliminary reports from the Veterans Health Administration suggest that that
      delivery of nephrology care via videoconferencing results in clinical outcomes
      that are at least equivalent to in-person care and improved patient adherence to
      scheduled appointments. Nevertheless, large, adequately controlled studies are
      needed to identify patient populations that are most likely to benefit from
      telenephrology and to determine the optimal systems for the delivery of
      telenephrology care.

PMID- 28893418
TI  - The promise of single-cell RNA sequencing for kidney disease investigation.
AB  - Recent techniques for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) at high throughput
      are leading to profound new discoveries in biology. The ability to generate vast
      amounts of transcriptomic data at cellular resolution represents a transformative
      advance, allowing the identification of novel cell types, states, and dynamics.
      In this review, we summarize the development of scRNA-seq methodologies and
      highlight their advantages and drawbacks. We discuss available software tools for
      analyzing scRNA-Seq data and summarize current computational challenges. Finally,
      we outline ways in which this powerful technology might be applied to discovery
      research in kidney development and disease.

PMID- 28893420
TI  - The hallmarks of mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Recent advances have led to a greater appreciation of how mitochondrial
      dysfunction contributes to diverse acute and chronic pathologies. Indeed,
      mitochondria have received increasing attention as a therapeutic target in a
      variety of diseases because they serve as key regulatory hubs uniquely situated
      at crossroads between multiple cellular processes. This review provides an
      overview of the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic kidney disease, with
      special emphasis on its role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. We
      examine the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause
      mitochondrial dysfunction in the kidney and describe the impact of mitochondrial
      damage on kidney function. The new concept that mitochondrial shape and structure
      are closely linked with its function in the kidneys is discussed. Furthermore,
      the mechanisms that translate cellular cues and demands into mitochondrial
      remodeling and cellular damage, including the role of microRNAs and long
      noncoding RNAs, are examined with the final goal of identifying mitochondrial
      targets to improve treatment of patients with chronic kidney diseases.

PMID- 28893422
TI  - The Brain Is Needed to Cure Spinal Cord Injury.
AB  - Damage to corticospinal fibers in the cervical spinal cord is known to impair
      dexterous hand movements. However, accumulating evidence has shown that precision
      grip can recover considerably through rehabilitative training. Recent
      multidisciplinary studies have revealed that, at the spinal level, this recovery
      is possible due to an indirect neural pathway through propriospinal neurons
      (PNs), which relay cortical commands to hand motoneurons. Although this indirect
      spinal pathway is heavily involved in recovery, its role is dwarfed by a
      simultaneous large-scale network reorganization spanning motor-related cortices
      and mesolimbic structures. This large-scale network reorganization is key to the
      regulation of recovery and future therapeutic strategies will need to take into
      account the involvement of these supraspinal centers in addition to the known
      role of the spinal cord.

PMID- 28893423
TI  - [Incisions and baseline operative technique of cervicofacial lifting].
AB  - Cervicofacial lifting is one of the most iconic procedure of plastic surgery and
      is about hundred years old. In the following chapters of this report, numerous
      technical points will be specify. A baseline reliable and reproducible technique,
      appealing to the largest possible audience is presented in order to begin this
      surgery in optimum conditions. Pre- and postoperative management is also exposed.
      The aim of this chapter is to precise incisions and baseline operative technique
      of cervicofacial lifting, with description of SMAS and platysma suspensions as
      well as complementary procedures like liposuccion and lipofilling. This chapter
      will lay the foundation of more complex elements that will be described in the
      various following chapters.

PMID- 28893421
TI  - Whole exome sequencing frequently detects a monogenic cause in early onset
      nephrolithiasis and nephrocalcinosis.
AB  - The incidence of nephrolithiasis continues to rise. Previously, we showed that a
      monogenic cause could be detected in 11.4% of individuals with adult-onset
      nephrolithiasis or nephrocalcinosis and in 16.7-20.8% of individuals with onset
      before 18 years of age, using gene panel sequencing of 30 genes known to cause
      nephrolithiasis/nephrocalcinosis. To overcome the limitations of panel
      sequencing, we utilized whole exome sequencing in 51 families, who presented
      before age 25 years with at least one renal stone or with a renal ultrasound
      finding of nephrocalcinosis to identify the underlying molecular genetic cause of
      disease. In 15 of 51 families, we detected a monogenic causative mutation by
      whole exome sequencing. A mutation in seven recessive genes (AGXT, ATP6V1B1,
      CLDN16, CLDN19, GRHPR, SLC3A1, SLC12A1), in one dominant gene (SLC9A3R1), and in
      one gene (SLC34A1) with both recessive and dominant inheritance was detected.
      Seven of the 19 different mutations were not previously described as disease
      causing. In one family, a causative mutation in one of 117 genes that may
      represent phenocopies of nephrolithiasis-causing genes was detected. In nine of
      15 families, the genetic diagnosis may have specific implications for stone
      management and prevention. Several factors that correlated with the higher
      detection rate in our cohort were younger age at onset of
      nephrolithiasis/nephrocalcinosis, presence of multiple affected members in a
      family, and presence of consanguinity. Thus, we established whole exome
      sequencing as an efficient approach toward a molecular genetic diagnosis in
      individuals with nephrolithiasis/nephrocalcinosis who manifest before age 25
      years.

PMID- 28893424
TI  - Quantifying the influence of 5'-RNA modifications on RNA polymerase I activity.
AB  - For ensemble and single-molecule analyses of transcription, the use of synthetic
      transcription elongation complexes has been a versatile and powerful tool.
      However, structural analyses demonstrate that short RNA substrates, often
      employed in these assays, would occupy space within the RNA polymerase. Most
      commercial RNA oligonucleotides do not carry a 5'-triphosphate as would be
      present on a natural, de novo synthesized RNA. To examine the effects of 5'
      moities on transcription kinetics, we measured nucleotide addition and 3'
      dinucleotide cleavage by eukaryotic RNA polymerase I using 5'-hydroxyl and 5'
      triphosphate RNA substrates. We found that 5' modifications had no discernable
      effect on the kinetics of nucleotide addition; however, we observed clear, but
      modest, effects on the rate of backtracking and/or dinucleotide cleavage. These
      data suggest that the 5'-end may influence RNA polymerase translocation,
      consistent with previous prokaryotic studies, and these findings may have
      implications on kinetic barriers that confront RNA polymerases during the
      transition from initiation to elongation.

PMID- 28893425
TI  - Protocol for Robust In Vivo Measurements of Erythrocyte Aggregation Using
      Ultrasound Spectroscopy.
AB  - Erythrocyte aggregation is a non-specific marker of acute and chronic
      inflammation. Although it is usual to evaluate this phenomenon from blood samples
      analyzed in laboratory instruments, in vivo real-time assessment of aggregation
      is possible with spectral ultrasound techniques. However, variable blood flow can
      affect the interpretation of acoustic measures. Therefore, flow standardization
      is required. Two techniques of flow standardization were evaluated with porcine
      and equine blood samples in Couette flow. These techniques consisted in either
      stopping the flow or reducing it. Then, the sensibility and repeatability of the
      retained method were evaluated in 11 human volunteers. We observed that stopping
      the flow compromised interpretation and repeatability. Conversely, maintaining a
      low flow provided repeatable measures and could distinguish between normal and
      high extents of erythrocyte aggregation. Agreement was observed between in vivo
      and ex vivo measures of the phenomenon (R2 = 82.7%, p value < 0.0001). These
      results support the feasibility of assessing in vivo erythrocyte aggregation in
      humans by quantitative ultrasound means.

PMID- 28893426
TI  - Outcomes After Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the risk factors predicting unsatisfactory postoperative
      clinical outcomes after double-bundle (DB) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
      reconstruction using multivariate logistic regression. METHODS: Inclusion
      criteria were consecutive DB ACL reconstructions from January 2006 to September
      2012 with a minimum 3-year follow-up. Exclusion criteria included (1) a delay to
      surgery from initial injury of more than 4 years (210 weeks); (2) contralateral
      knee pathology; (3) the lack of postoperative 3-dimensional computed tomography;
      (4) single-bundle ACL reconstruction; (5) revision ACL reconstruction; (6)
      meniscus allograft transplantation after total or subtotal meniscectomy; (7)
      multiple ligament surgeries. According to the overall International Knee
      Documentation Committee (IKDC) rating at the last follow-up, we sorted all
      enrolled subjects into superior (IKDC grade A or B) and inferior outcome groups
      (IKDC grade C or D). Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze risk
      factors, including age, gender, body mass index, time from injury to surgery,
      posterior tibial slope, notch width index, cartilage injury, meniscus injury, and
      femoral and tibial tunnel positions. RESULTS: In comparison between the superior
      outcome group (n = 240) and inferior outcome group (n = 50), anterior (adjusted
      odds ratio [OR]: 0.902, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.846-0.962) or distal
      (adjusted OR: 1.025, 95% CI: 1.006-1.060) femoral anteromedial tunnel position
      was a significant risk factor for the inferior outcomes. Partial meniscectomy of
      medial (adjusted OR: 49.002, 95% CI: 7.047-340.717) or lateral (adjusted OR:
      14.974, 95% CI: 2.181-102.790) meniscus and delayed time from injury to surgery
      (adjusted OR: 1.062, 95% CI: 1.023-1.102) were also a significant predictor.
      CONCLUSION: Anterior or distal anteromedial femoral tunnel position, partial
      meniscectomy of medial or lateral meniscus, and prolonged surgical delay of more
      than 11.5 weeks from injury were significant risk factors for the inferior
      clinical outcomes after DB ACL reconstruction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III,
      retrospective therapeutic case series.

PMID- 28893427
TI  - Nomograms for echocardiographic right ventricular sub-costal view dimensions in
      healthy Caucasian children: A new approach to measure the right ventricle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The sub-costal examination of the heart is part of routine
      examination in pediatric echocardiography, and has the advantage to visualize
      also the infundibulum part of the right ventricle (RV). Despite this fact,
      currently nomograms for sub-costal RV dimensions are lacking. METHODS: We
      prospectively studied healthy Caucasian Italian children by two-dimensional
      echocardiography. Measurements included: sub-costal end diastolic basal-apical
      and latero-lateral diameters, end diastolic and end systolic area, 4 chamber end
      diastolic and end systolic area and length, end diastolic basal (RV1) and mid
      cavity (RV2) diameters. Age, weight, height, heart rate (HR), and body surface
      area (BSA) were used as independent variables in different analyses to predict
      the mean values of each measurement. Structured Z scores were then computed.
      Agreement of RV diameters and areas in subcostal view and 4-chamber view were
      investigated. RESULTS: 732 subjects (age 0 days-17 years; 48% female; BSA 0.12
      2.12 m2) were studied. The Haycock formula was used when presenting data as
      predicted values (mean +/- 2 SDs) for a given BSA and within equations relating
      echocardiographic measurements to BSA. The predicted values and Z-score
      boundaries for all measurements are presented. Excellent correlations were found
      among two-dimensional diameters and area calculated in sub-costal view with those
      evaluated in 4-chamber view. CONCLUSIONS: We report echocardiographic nomograms
      for RV diameters and areas measured in the sub-costal view. Our data may
      implement normative data for 2D echocardiography evaluation of the RV in
      children.

PMID- 28893428
TI  - Correlation between preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and survival with
      respect to the surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma at a tertiary care
      hospital in Veracruz, Mexico.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein levels can have predictive
      value for hepatocellular carcinoma survival. AIM: Our aim was to analyze the
      correlation between preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and survival,
      following the surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Nineteen
      patients were prospectively followed (07/2005-01/2016). An ROC curve was created
      to determine the sensitivity and specificity of alpha-fetoprotein in relation to
      survival (Kaplan-Meier). RESULTS: Of the 19 patients evaluated, 57.9% were men.
      The mean patient age was 68.1 +/- 8.5 years and survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was
      89.4, 55.9, and 55.9%. The alpha-fetoprotein cutoff point was 15.1 ng/ml
      (sensitivity 100%, specificity 99.23%). Preoperative alpha-fetoprotein levels
      below 15.1, 200, 400, and 463 ng/ml correlated with better 1 and 5-year survival
      rates than levels above 15.1, 200, 400, and 463 ng/ml (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Elevated preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein levels have predictive value for
      hepatocellular carcinoma survival.

PMID- 28893429
TI  - c-Jun dimerization protein 2 (JDP2) deficiency promotes cardiac hypertrophy and
      dysfunction in response to pressure overload.

PMID- 28893430
TI  - Excessive atrial ectopic activity as an independent risk factor for ischemic
      stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excessive atrial ectopic activity (EAEA) has been related with an
      increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke but different cutoff values
      have been used. We aimed to determine the association between EAEA and stroke, AF
      and overall death. METHODS: Consecutive 24-hour Holter monitoring performed
      between 2005 and 2010 in a single center was evaluated. Patients with a previous
      diagnosis of stroke or AF were excluded. The number of premature atrial
      contractions (PACs) during 24h was analyzed in 2480 subjects and according to
      that 3 sub-groups were defined: >97PACs/h (above the top 5th percentile of the
      population) (EAEA+); intermediate value of PACs/h (below the top 5th percentile
      but above 30PACs/h) (EAEA+/-) and <30PACs/h (EAEA-). RESULTS: After adjusting for
      risk factors, laboratory findings and medication, EAEA+ was associated with
      ischemic stroke (hazard ratio [HR] 2.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-4.84,
      p<0.001). Both EAEA+ and EAEA+/- were independently associated with AF (HR 2.05;
      95% CI 1.31-3.23, p=0.010 for EAEA+ and HR 1.90; 95% CI 1.10-2.78, p=0.020 for
      EAEA+/-) and overall death (HR 2.17; 95% CI 1.48-3.28, p=0.031 for EAEA+; HR
      2.01; 95% CI 1.06-2.52, p=0.029 for EAEA+/-). CONCLUSION: In this population,
      having >30PACs/h was independently associated with a higher risk of AF and
      overall death but only subjects with >97PACs/h had a higher risk of ischemic
      stroke. In the majority of subjects with stroke and EAEA+, AF has not been
      detected before stroke event.

PMID- 28893431
TI  - Pulse pressure amplification and its relationship with age in young, apparently
      healthy black and white adults: The African-PREDICT study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulse pressure amplification (PPA), i.e. the amplification from
      central arteries to the periphery, is inversely related to arterial stiffness,
      organ damage and mortality. It is known that arterial stiffness is higher in
      black than white populations, but it is unclear if this is due to early vascular
      aging. We therefore investigated whether PPA declines earlier in young
      normotensive black South Africans, when compared to their white counterparts.
      METHODS: We included 875 black and white men and women from the African-PREDICT
      study (55% black, 41% men), aged 20-30years, with no prior diagnosis of chronic
      disease, screened for normotensive clinic blood pressure (BP). We determined
      supine central PP (cPP), and supine brachial systolic- and diastolic BP, from
      which brachial PP (bPP) was calculated. PPA was defined as the ratio of the
      amplitude of the PP between these distal and proximal locations (bPP/cPP).
      RESULTS: We found the mean PPA to be lower in black compared to white
      participants (1.43 vs. 1.46; P=0.013). In black adults PPA declined earlier with
      increasing age (P-trend<0.001), with a weak trend in whites (P=0.069) after
      adjustment for sex, socio-economic status, height, heart rate and mean arterial
      pressure. In multivariable-adjusted regression, we found an independent inverse
      association between PPA and age only in the black group (beta=-0.18, P=0.002).
      CONCLUSION: PPA declines earlier with age in normotensive black adults younger
      than 30years, exemplifying early vascular aging which may predispose black
      individuals to future cardiovascular outcomes.

PMID- 28893432
TI  - Effects of person-centred care after an event of acute coronary syndrome: Two
      year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - AIM: To assess the long-term effect of person-centred care (PCC) in patients with
      acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHOD: Patients with ACS were randomly assigned
      to treatment as usual (control group) or an added PCC intervention for six
      months. The primary endpoint was a composite score of changes in general self
      efficacy>=five units, return to work or to a prior activity level and re
      hospitalisation or death. RESULTS: The composite score improved in the PCC
      intervention group (n=94) at a two-year follow-up compared with the control group
      (n=105) (18.1%, n=17 vs. 10.5%, n=11; P=0.127). In the per-protocol analysis
      (n=183) the improvement was significant in favour of the PCC intervention (n=78)
      compared with usual care (n=105) (21.8%, n=17 vs. 10.5%, n=11; P=0.039). This
      effect was driven by the finding that more patients in the PCC group improved
      their general self-efficacy score>=5units (32.2%, n=19 vs. 17.3%, n=14; P=0.046).
      The composite score improvement was significantly higher in the PCC intervention
      group without post-secondary education (n=33) in comparison with corresponding
      patients in the control group (n=50) (30.3%, n=10 vs. 10.0%, n=5; P=0.024).
      CONCLUSION: Implementation of PCC results in sustained improvements in health
      outcome in patients with ACS. PCC can be incorporated into conventional cardiac
      prevention programmes to improve equity in uptake and patient health outcomes.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: Swedish registry, Researchweb.org, ID NR 65791.

PMID- 28893433
TI  - Effects of remote ischemic preconditioning in patients with concentric myocardial
      hypertrophy: A randomized, controlled trial with molecular insights.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efficacy of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) for
      cardioprotection in cardiac surgery is controversial. We aimed to evaluate the
      clinical and molecular effects of RIPC on the concentrically hypertrophied
      myocardium. METHODS: Seventy-two aortic stenosis patients receiving aortic valve
      replacement (AVR) under sevoflurane anesthesia were randomly allocated to RIPC
      (3cycles of 5-min inflation [300mmHg] and deflation on the left arm) or control
      (deflated cuff placement) group. The primary endpoints were 24-h area under the
      curve (AUC) for serum creatine kinase (CK)-MB and troponin (Tn)-T levels. The
      secondary endpoints were myocardial activation of cell signaling pathways,
      including reperfusion injury salvage kinases (RISK), signal transducer and
      activator of transcription (STAT), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and apoptosis
      related molecules, obtained from right atrial tissue before and after
      cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). RESULTS: There were no intergroup differences in 24
      h AUCs of CK-MB and Tn-T. Phosphorylations of RISK pathway molecules were not
      enhanced by RIPC before and after CPB. Phosphorylation of STAT5 was significantly
      lower in the RIPC group before and after CPB. Phosphorylations of STAT3 and
      endothelial NOS were not enhanced by RIPC before and after CPB. Expression level
      of cleaved caspases-3/caspase-3 was significantly higher in the RIPC group before
      CPB. CONCLUSIONS: RIPC did not provide clinical benefits or activate protective
      signaling in patients with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy undergoing
      AVR.

PMID- 28893434
TI  - Biallelic mutations in SZT2 cause a discernible clinical entity with epilepsy,
      developmental delay, macrocephaly and a dysmorphic corpus callosum.
AB  - Mutations in SZT2 were first reported in 2013 as a cause of early-onset epileptic
      encephalopathy. Because only five reports have been published to date, the
      clinical features associated with SZT2 remain unclear. We herein report an
      additional patient with biallelic mutations in SZT2. The proband, a four-year-old
      girl, showed developmental delay and seizures from two years of age. Her seizures
      were not intractable and readily controlled by valproate. She showed mildly
      dysmorphic facies with macrocephaly, high forehead, and hypertelorism, and also
      had pectus carinatum. An EEG showed epileptic discharges which rarely occurred. A
      brain MRI revealed a short and thick corpus callosum. Whole-exome sequencing
      detected compound heterozygous biallelic mutations (c.8596dup (p.Tyr2866Leufs*42)
      and c.2930-17_2930-3delinsCTCGTG) in SZT2, both of which were novel and predicted
      to be truncating. This case suggested a broad phenotypic spectrum arises from
      SZT2 mutations, forming a continuum from epileptic encephalopathy and severe
      developmental delay to mild intellectual disability without epilepsy. The
      characteristic thick and short corpus callosum observed in 7/8 cases with
      epilepsy, including the proband, but not in three non-syndromic cases, appears to
      be specific, and thus useful for indicating the possibility of SZT2 mutations.
      This feature has the potential to make loss of SZT2 a clinically discernible
      disorder despite a wide clinical spectrum.

PMID- 28893435
TI  - Gradual bone transfer for the correction of the pubic diastasis using the
      Ilizarov technique in closure of bladder and cloacal exstrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the patient of the cloacal exstrophy, cloaca with local abdominal
      wall is disrupted and exposed inner surface of the bladder needs early closure.
      Pelvic osteotomies are required for severe cases whose bladder cannot be closed
      by the suture of soft tissue only. We developed a technique involving the gradual
      positioning of bone fragments using a light, Ilizarov external fixator. The
      usefulness of the technique was assessed. METHODS: We enrolled 3 patients with
      cloacal exstrophy and 1 with bladder exstrophy as a gradual transfer group and 6
      patients who were treated by other osteotomies as a control group. The patients
      aged 6.7-8.4 months at the time of surgery were followed up for 4.0-8.6 years. An
      external fixator with carbon fiber half-rings was placed to internally rotate and
      anteriorly move the distal bone fragment over 2 weeks. Then, the bladder was
      closed. Computed tomography (CT) images were used to assess the pelvis form.
      Wound dehiscence and number of the surgeries after the osteotomies are also
      compared between the two groups. RESULTS: CT analysis of correction of the pelvic
      deformity achieved more and less decreasing its volumetric capacity in the
      gradual transfer group. No patients had wound dehiscence after the primary
      closure with pelvic osteotomy in the gradual transfer group but all had them in
      the control group. The mean number of the surgeries after the osteotomies were
      2.25 in the gradual transfer group whereas 5.5 in the control group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sufficient closure of the abdominal wall and bladder was achieved in all cases in
      the gradual transfer group. The correction of pelvic bones were more with less
      decreasing of their pelvic capacities, no patients had wound dehiscence after the
      closure and there was an effect to decrease the number of the surgeries after the
      treatment by this method.

PMID- 28893436
TI  - Death after 25C-NBOMe and 25H-NBOMe consumption.
AB  - A teenager male was found dead in a waterway after he was spotted jumping off
      into the water stream. The boy looked agitated and confused after a party with
      friends. At the gathering place, investigators seized packages of blotter papers.
      A complete autopsy and a histological evaluation of the main tissues were
      performed; although the death occurred by drowning, the prosecutor requested
      toxicological exams, in order to evaluate the potential role of drugs of abuse in
      the episode. Blood (both peripheral and central) and urine samples as well as
      seized blotter papers were collected and analyzed as follows. The blotter paper,
      analyzed through a GC-MS method, revealed the presence of 25-NBOMes. A liquid
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) system was used to identify
      and quantify 5 different 25-NBOMes (namely 25B-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, 25D-NBOMe, 25H
      NBOMe, 25I-NBOMe) in blood and urine. 25E-NBOMe was used as internal standard
      (IS). 1mL of urine and 1mL of blood (both peripheral and cardiac) were diluted in
      2mL phosphate buffer at pH 6.0, containing IS and purified on a solid phase
      extraction (SPE) cartridge. LOD and LOQ for the five 25-NBOMes were calculated at
      0.05 and 0.1ng/mL respectively. Linearity, accuracy, precision, ion suppression,
      carry over and recovery were tested and all parameters fulfilled the acceptance
      criteria. Blood and urine provided positive results for 25C-NBOMe and 25H-NBOMe.
      Eventually, the seized blotter papers were analyzed by means of LC-MS/MS and the
      presence of the two NBOMes was confirmed: 25C-NBOMe and 25H-NBOMe were measured
      at the concentration of 2.80 and 0.29ng/mL in peripheral blood, of 1.43 and
      0.13ng/mL in central blood and of 0.94 and 0.14ng/mL in urine, respectively. THC
      and THCCOOH were also detected in biological fluids, at the concentration of 15.5
      and 56.0ng/mL in peripheral blood, 9.9 and 8.5ng/mL in central blood,
      respectively. NBOMes can produce severe hallucination even at very low doses, and
      the 25C-NBOMe levels measured in the subject's blood are considered potentially
      toxic.

PMID- 28893437
TI  - Functional trade-offs in the aquatic feeding performance of salamanders.
AB  - During aquatic feeding salamanders use the hyobranchial apparatus to capture
      prey. The hyobranchial apparatus depresses the floor of the mouth, effectively
      expanding the oropharyngeal cavity and generating suction. Within the family
      Salamandridae, there is a wide range of ecological diversity, with salamanders
      being terrestrial, semi-aquatic, or aquatic as adults. The purpose of this
      research was to quantify the diverse morphology and suction feeding performance
      of aquatically feeding salamandrids. We hypothesized that a more robust
      hyobranchial apparatus morphology would yield increased aquatic feeding
      performance. When compared to semi-aquatic newts, the fully aquatic species
      Paramesotriton labiatus had greater mineralization of the hyobranchial apparatus,
      as well as relatively more narrow basibranchial and wider ceratobranchial I+II
      complexes. These morphological differences coincide with greater aquatic feeding
      performance. Kinematics from high-speed videography revealed that maximum mouth
      opening velocity and acceleration were approximately two and five times greater,
      respectively, in Paramesotriton, and hyobranchial depression acceleration was
      found to be approximately three times greater than in the semi-aquatic species
      Pleurodeles waltl, Notophthalmus viridescens, Triturus dobrogicus, and Cynops
      cyanurus. Using digital particle image velocimetry, peak and average fluid
      velocity generated in Paramesotriton during suction feeding events were found to
      be 0.5ms-1 and 0.2ms-1, respectively, doubling that of all semi-aquatic species.
      These findings reveal that specialized morphology increases aquatic feeding
      performance in a fully aquatic newt.

PMID- 28893438
TI  - Diplopia secondary to orbital fracture in adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and evolution of diplopia as a complication
      of orbital fractures in adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A review was conducted on
      medical records of all consecutive adults with orbital fracture referred between
      January 2014 and December 2015. An analysis was made of the incidence of diplopia
      secondary to fracture in the acute phase and its evolution. A descriptive study
      was performed on the variables related to patients, fractures, and fracture and
      diplopia treatment. RESULTS: The study included 39patients with a mean age of
      48years (17-85). Of all the patients, 17 (43.6%) presented with diplopia in the
      acute phase. Differences were found between the groups with and without diplopia
      in relation to muscle entrapment diagnosed by orbital computed tomography,
      duction limitation, and fracture surgery <=1week (P=.02, P=.00, P=.04,
      respectively). Out of the 17patients with diplopia, 12 had a mean follow-up of
      18weeks (1-72), and in 10 (83.3%) diplopia was resolved in a mean time of 10weeks
      (1-72). There were spontaneous resolution in 4 (33.3%) patients, and resolution
      after fracture surgery in 4 (57%) of the 7 that underwent surgery. In 4cases
      (33.3%) prisms were prescribed, and 2 (16.6%) required strabismus surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Diplopia secondary to orbital fracture in adults is frequent, but it
      is resolved in most cases spontaneously or after fracture surgery. A few patients
      will require prisms and/or strabismus surgery.

PMID- 28893439
TI  - Re: "Safety and long-term efficacy of fractional CO2 laser treatment in women
      suffering from genitourinary syndrome of menopause" [Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol.
      Reprod. Biol. 213 (2017) 39-44].

PMID- 28893440
TI  - Fluid resuscitation of patients with severe infection in Uganda: less is more.

PMID- 28893441
TI  - Response to 'Code ICU - A great opportunity for patients and critical care
      management'.

PMID- 28893443
TI  - Isolation and identification of human coronavirus 229E from frequently touched
      environmental surfaces of a university classroom that is cleaned daily.
AB  - Frequently touched surfaces of a university classroom that is cleaned daily
      contained viable human coronavirus 229E (CoV-229E). Tests of a CoV-229E
      laboratory strain under conditions that simulated the ambient light, temperature,
      and relative humidity conditions of the classroom revealed that some of the virus
      remained viable on various surfaces for 7 days, suggesting CoV-229E is relatively
      stable in the environment. Our findings reinforce the notion that contact
      transmission may be possible for this virus.

PMID- 28893442
TI  - Meta-analyses on Vitamin D in critically ill patients: What data can tell us.

PMID- 28893444
TI  - Evaluation of surgical glove integrity and factors associated with glove defect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical glove perforation may expose both patients and staff members
      to severe complications. This study aimed to determine surgical glove perforation
      rate and the factors associated with glove defect. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This
      descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2017 at
      a Tunisian university hospital center in 3 different surgical departments:
      urology, maxillofacial, and general and digestive. The gloves were collected and
      tested to detect perforations using the water-leak test as described in European
      Norm NF EN 455-1. For percentage comparisons, the chi2 test was used with a
      significance threshold of 5%. RESULTS: A total of 284 gloves were collected. Of
      these, 47 were found to be perforated, a rate of 16.5%. All perforations were
      unnoticed by the surgical team members. The majority of perforated gloves (61.7%)
      were collected after urology procedures (P = .00005), 77% of perforated gloves
      were detected when the duration of the procedure exceeded 90 minutes (P = .001),
      and 96% were from brand A, which were the thicker gloves (P = .015). CONCLUSIONS:
      This study highlighted an important problem neglected by surgical teams. The
      findings reaffirm the importance of double-gloving and changing gloves in
      surgeries of more than 90 minutes' duration.

PMID- 28893445
TI  - Cost-benefit analysis of different air change rates in an operating room
      environment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospitals face growing pressure to meet the dual but often competing
      goals of providing a safe environment while controlling operating costs. Evidence
      based data are needed to provide insight for facility management practices to
      support these goals. METHODS: The quality of the air in 3 operating rooms was
      measured at different ventilation rates. The energy cost to provide the heating,
      ventilation, and air conditioning to the rooms was estimated to provide a cost
      benefit comparison of the effectiveness of different ventilation rates currently
      used in the health care industry. RESULTS: Simply increasing air change rates in
      the operating rooms tested did not necessarily provide an overall cleaner
      environment, but did substantially increase energy consumption and costs.
      Additionally, and unexpectedly, significant differences in microbial load and air
      velocity were detected between the sterile fields and back instrument tables.
      CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the ventilation rates in operating rooms in an effort to
      improve clinical outcomes and potentially reduce surgical site infections does
      not necessarily provide cleaner air, but does typically increase operating costs.
      Efficient distribution or management of the air can improve quality indicators
      and potentially reduce the number of air changes required. Measurable
      environmental quality indicators could be used in lieu of or in addition to air
      change rate requirements to optimize cost and quality for an operating room and
      other critical environments.

PMID- 28893446
TI  - Use of an annual art competition to promote Web site traffic and engage children
      in antimicrobial stewardship in Pennsylvania.
AB  - We used Google Analytics to assess whether annual kids' art competitions changed
      traffic to a Web site on appropriate antibiotic use. We found that announcements
      about kids' art competitions correlated with increased traffic to the Web site,
      suggesting that this innovation has promise in promoting antimicrobial
      stewardship efforts.

PMID- 28893447
TI  - Control of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Hong Kong: Role of
      environmental surveillance in communal areas after a hospital outbreak.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental reservoir is an important source of multidrug-resistant
      Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB) outbreaks. The role of postoutbreak environmental
      surveillance for guiding sustained infection control effort has not been
      examined. METHODS: Enhanced environmental disinfection and regular environmental
      surveillance of ward communal areas after an outbreak were performed in a
      university-affiliated hospital. To assess the usefulness of environmental culture
      in predicting patients with MRAB, weekly surveillance of communal areas was
      continued for 3 months after the outbreak in intervention wards. The incidence of
      MRAB in intervention and nonintervention wards (control) was compared, whereas
      the other infection control measures remained identical. RESULTS: Postoutbreak
      weekly surveillance of communal areas showed that identification of newly
      diagnosed MRAB patients was significantly correlated with preceding environmental
      contamination with MRAB (P = .001). The incidence of nosocomial MRAB infection
      was significantly lower in the intervention compared with nonintervention wards
      (0.55 vs 2.28 per 1,000 patient days, respectively; P = .04). All MRAB isolated
      from the environmental and patients' samples belonged to multilocus sequence
      typing ST457 and were blaOXA23-like positive. CONCLUSIONS: Environmental
      surveillance may serve as a surrogate marker for the presence of MRAB carriers.
      Implementation of timely infection control measures should be guided by
      environmental culture for MRAB to minimize the risk of MRAB outbreak.

PMID- 28893448
TI  - Knowledge, attitude, and practice of Iranian health sciences students regarding
      hepatitis B and C virus infections: A national survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization seeks to achieve the goal of viral
      hepatitis elimination by 2030 and lack of general knowledge about viral hepatitis
      seems to be a barrier to reaching this goal. This study was designed to evaluate
      the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding hepatitis B virus (HBV) and
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among Iranian health sciences students in 12
      Iranian medical sciences universities using a national survey. METHODS: This
      survey was conducted during the second Hepatitis Awareness Campaign, which was
      held during the Iranian National Hepatitis Week (October 22-28, 2016). Students
      who visited our booths and were willing to participate in our survey were
      selected using convenience sampling and their HBV- and HCV-related KAP were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred fifty-six health sciences students
      with mean age of 21.24 years participated in our survey. The mean KAP scores were
      7.35 (out of 10), 4.88 (possible score, -20 to +20), and 5.67 (out of 9).
      Students with experience of accidental exposures to blood (21.6%) had better KAP
      scores compared with the students without such experiences. The mean KAP scores
      were associated with subjects' year of education, field of study, university, and
      province (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that HBV- and HCV-related KAP
      in a sample of Iranian health sciences students was not satisfying. The results
      also demonstrated priority of needing intervention regarding KAP in some subject
      areas, lower years of education, and some universities compared with others.

PMID- 28893449
TI  - Successful control of 2 simultaneous outbreaks of OXA-48 carbapenemase-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in an
      intensive care unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This report describes a double outbreak of OXA-48-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae (OXA-48-PE) and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
      (MRAB) in an intensive care unit (ICU) and the effectiveness of measures
      implemented, including decontamination with vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP).
      METHODS: Affected patients were isolated in a confined area and cared for by
      dedicated personnel. Four percent chlorhexidine soap was used for patient daily
      hygiene. All patients are subjected to contact precautions. An in-depth cleaning
      of the ICU was performed with a chlorine solution, followed by decontamination
      with VHP. Environmental samples were taken before and after the decontamination.
      RESULTS: From July-October 2015, 13 patients were colonized or infected by OXA-48
      PE and 18 by MRAB in the ICU. The cumulative incidence of OXA-48-PE and MRAB was
      3.48% and 4.81%, respectively. In the period after the intervention, they were
      0.8% and 0%, respectively (P < .001). Before the VHP biodecontamination, 4.5% of
      environmental samples were positive for OXA-48-PE and none for MRAB. After
      biodecontamination, 1.4% of samples were positive for OXA-48-PE. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study emphasizes the importance of environmental hygiene in the control of
      outbreaks caused by microorganisms of high environmental impact. The rapid effect
      after the VHP treatment suggests an influence of this measure in eradication.

PMID- 28893450
TI  - Emergency medicine evaluation and management of the end stage renal disease
      patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: End stage renal disease (ESRD) is increasing in the U.S., and these
      patients demonstrate greater all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, and
      hospitalization rates when compared to those with normal renal function. These
      patients may experience significant complications associated with loss of renal
      function and dialysis. OBJECTIVE: This review evaluates complications of ESRD
      including cardiopulmonary, neurologic, infectious disease, vascular, and access
      site complications, as well as medication use in this population. DISCUSSION:
      ESRD incidence is rapidly increasing, and patients commonly require renal
      replacement therapy including hemodialysis (HDS) or peritoneal dialysis (PD),
      each type with specific features. These patients possess greater risk of
      neurologic complications, cardiopulmonary pathology, infection, and access site
      complications. Focused history and physical examination are essential. Neurologic
      issues include uremic encephalopathy, cerebrovascular pathology, and several
      others. Cardiopulmonary complications include pericarditis, pericardial
      effusion/tamponade, acute coronary syndrome, sudden cardiac death, electrolyte
      abnormalities, pulmonary edema, and air embolism. Infections are common, with
      patients more commonly presenting in atypical fashion. Access site infections and
      metastatic infections must be treated aggressively. Access site complications
      include bleeding, aneurysm/pseudoaneurysm, thrombosis/stenosis, and arterial
      steal syndrome. Specific medication considerations are required for analgesics,
      sedatives, neuromuscular blocking agents, antimicrobials, and anticoagulants.
      CONCLUSIONS: Consideration of renal physiology with complications in ESRD can
      assist emergency providers in the evaluation and management of these patients.
      ESRD affects many organ systems, and specific pharmacologic considerations are
      required.

PMID- 28893451
TI  - Battlefield to bedside: Translating wartime innovations to civilian Emergency
      Medicine.

PMID- 28893452
TI  - Assessing the use of composts from multiple sources based on the characteristics
      of carbon mineralization in soil.
AB  - In order to improve soil quality, reduce wastes and mitigate climate change, it
      is necessary to understand the balance between soil organic carbon (SOC)
      accumulation and depletion under different organic waste compost amended soils.
      The effects of proportion (5%, 15%, 30%), compost type (sewage sludge (SS),
      tomato stem waste (TSW), municipal solid waste (MSW), kitchen waste (KW), cabbage
      waste (CW), peat (P), chicken manure (CM), dairy cattle manure (DCM)) and the
      black soil (CK). Their initial biochemical composition (carbon, nitrogen, C:N
      ratio) on carbon (C) mineralization in soil amended compost have been
      investigated. The CO2-C production of different treatments were measured to
      indicate the levels of carbon (C) mineralization during 50d of laboratory
      incubation. And the one order E model (M1E) was used to quantify C mineralization
      kinetics. The results demonstrated that the respiration and C mineralization of
      soil were promoted by amending composts. The C mineralization ability increased
      when the percentage of compost added to the soil also increased and affected by
      compost type in the order CM>KW, CW>SS, DCM, TSW>MSW, P>CK at the same amended
      level. Based on the values of C0 and k1 from M1E model, a management method in
      agronomic application of compost products to the precise fertilization was
      proposed. The SS, DCM and TSW composts were more suitable in supplying fertilizer
      to the plant. Otherwise, The P and MSW composts can serve the purpose of long
      term nutrient retention, whereas the CW and KW composts could be used as soil
      remediation agent.

PMID- 28893453
TI  - Corrigendum to "Hepatic dimethylarginine-dimethylaminohydrolase1 is reduced in
      cirrhosis and is a target for therapy in portal hypertension" [J Hepatol 62
      (2015) 325-331].

PMID- 28893454
TI  - Treat-and-Extend versus Monthly Regimen in Neovascular Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration: Results with Ranibizumab from the TREND Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ranibizumab 0.5 mg treat-and
      extend (T&E) versus monthly regimens in patients with neovascular age-related
      macular degeneration (nAMD) from the TReat and extEND (TREND) study. DESIGN: A 12
      month phase 3b visual acuity (VA) assessor-masked, multicenter, randomized,
      interventional study. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred fifty patients. METHODS:
      Treatment-naive nAMD patients (age, >=50 years) were randomized 1:1 to receive
      either a ranibizumab 0.5 mg T&E (n = 323) or monthly (n = 327) regimen. MAIN
      OUTCOMES MEASURES: The primary objective was to show noninferiority of
      ranibizumab 0.5 mg T&E versus monthly regimen, as assessed by the change in best
      corrected VA (BCVA) from baseline to the end of the study. Secondary objectives
      included change in retinal central subfield thickness (CSFT) from baseline to the
      end of study, treatment exposure, and safety. RESULTS: Overall, 89.8% (T&E) and
      90.2% (monthly) of patients completed the study. Patient demographic and baseline
      characteristics were well balanced between the 2 treatment groups. The T&E
      regimen was noninferior (P < 0.001) to the monthly regimen, with a least squares
      mean BCVA change from baseline of 6.2 versus 8.1 letters to the end of study,
      respectively. In both treatment groups, most BCVA improvements occurred during
      the first 6 months and were maintained until the end of the study. The mean
      change in CSFT from baseline to the end of study was -169.2 MUm and -173.3 MUm in
      the T&E and monthly groups, respectively. Fewer injections were required in
      patients receiving the T&E (8.7) versus monthly (11.1) regimen, with mean number
      of postbaseline visits of 8.9 and 11.2, respectively. Types and rates of adverse
      events were comparable between the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ranibizumab 0.5
      mg administered according to a T&E regimen was statistically noninferior and
      clinically comparable with a monthly regimen in improving VA from baseline to the
      end of study. No new safety signals for ranibizumab were identified.

PMID- 28893455
TI  - 'Enjoying the kick': Locating pleasure within the drug consumption room.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Harm reduction policy and praxis has long struggled to accommodate
      the pleasures of alcohol and other drug use. Whilst scholars have consistently
      highlighted this struggle, how pleasure might come to practically inform the
      design and delivery of harm reduction policies and programs remains less clear.
      The present paper seeks to move beyond conceptual critiques of harm reduction's
      'pleasure oversight' to more focused empirical analysis of how flows of pleasure
      emerge, circulate and, importantly, may be reoriented in the course of harm
      reduction practice. METHODS: We ground our analysis in the context of detailed
      ethnographic research in a drug consumption room in Frankfurt, Germany. Drawing
      on recent strands of post-humanist thought, the paper deploys the concept of the
      'consumption event' to uncover the manner in which these facilities mediate the
      practice and embodied experience of drug use and incite or limit bodily
      potentials for intoxication and pleasure. RESULTS: Through the analysis, we
      mapped a diversity of pleasures as they emerged and circulated through events of
      consumption at the consumption room. Beyond the pleasurable intensities of
      intoxication's kick, these pleasures were expressed in a range of novel
      capacities, practices and drug using bodies. In each instance, pleasure could not
      be reduced to a simple, linear product of drug use. Rather, it arose for our
      participants through distinctive social and affective transformations enabled
      through events of consumption at the consumption room and the generative force of
      actors and associations of which these events were composed. CONCLUSION: Our
      research suggests that the drug consumption room serves as a conduit through
      which its clients can potentially enact more pleasurable, productive and positive
      relations to both themselves and their drug use. Acknowledging the centrality of
      pleasure to client engagement with these facilities, the paper concludes by
      drawing out the implications of these findings for the design and delivery of
      consumption room services.

PMID- 28893456
TI  - [Rare causes of childhood leukocoria].
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose was to record the causes of leukocoria among children under
      10years of age and to determine the proportion of rare causes of leukocoria.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted over a period of ten
      years, from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2013, in patients under 10years of
      age who were referred for leukocoria. RESULTS: Leukocoria represented one of the
      ten reasons for consultation among children under 10years of age. The mean age of
      our patients was 42.5months. In 76 % of cases, the leukocoria patients were
      children under 6years of age. Male patients were affected more commonly, with a
      sex-ratio of 1.5. Patients coming from Dakar and its suburbs represented two
      thirds of the total. Bilateral involvement represented 53.7 % of the total.
      Cataracts were responsible for 74.3 % of cases, retinoblastoma 20.58 %, retinal
      detachment 0.96 %, retinopathy of prematurity 0.96 %, pupillary membrane
      persistence 0.96 %, persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous 0.64 %,
      endophthalmitis 0.64 %, optic nerve coloboma 0.32 %, iris heterochromia 0.32 %
      and ametropia 0.32 %. DISCUSSION: The total percentage of rare causes was 5.12 %
      in our study, including one case of hyperopia. These etiologies, although rare,
      do exist. CONCLUSION: Rare causes of leukocoria require special attention. The
      discovery of leukocoria necessitates rigorous etiological work-up. Ametropia must
      be a diagnosis of exclusion.

PMID- 28893458
TI  - [Retinal arteriovenous malformation without visual impairment].

PMID- 28893457
TI  - [Treatment of choroidal noevascularization secondary to angioid streaks with
      bevacizumab and response: Experience of the ophthalmology department of Hassan II
      university hospital].
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab in the treatment of
      choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to angioid streaks. METHODS: We
      conducted a prospective study in the ophthalmology department of Hassan II
      university hospital in Fez, including 12 eyes of 7 patients with CNV associated
      with angioid streaks. We injected 8 eyes with bevacizumab 1.25mg; best corrected
      visual acuity (BCVA), fundus examination, fluorescein angiography and optical
      coherence tomography were performed and analyzed for all patients before and
      after treatment. The goal of the study was to determine the percentage of
      patients with stabilization or improvement in BCVA and decreased central macular
      thickness. RESULTS: Visual acuity on admission was <1/10 in 75% of patients. We
      injected 8 eyes with anti-VEGF, whereas abstention was appropriate for 4 eyes
      with disciform scarring. The average number of bevacizumab injections was 4.3+/
      1.3 over a mean follow-up of 14.57 months+/-5.3. After treatment, BCVA was <1/10
      in 12.5% of cases, between 1/10 and 5/10 in 50% of cases, and in 37.5% of
      patients, it was >=5/10. Mean central macular thickness decreased from 424.25+/
      137.03MUm on admission to 255.75 microns+/-50.14 post-treatment (P=0.005).
      CONCLUSION: Intravitreal bevacizumab is a promising and effective treatment
      option for the management of CNV associated with angioid streaks, with the
      requirement however of early treatment and extended follow-up.

PMID- 28893459
TI  - Placing the patient at the centre of chronic wound care: A qualitative evidence
      synthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic wounds are a major health burden and have a severe impact on
      well-being. This synthesis of qualitative studies was undertaken to inform a
      health technology assessment of antimicrobial wound dressings. It aimed to
      explore patients' experiences of chronic wounds and determine improvements for
      clinical practice. METHOD: Inclusion criteria included use of qualitative
      methods, and English language publication. Databases searched included MEDLINE
      (Ovid), MEDLINE in Process (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOHost), and
      PsychInfo (EBSCOHost). Searches were limited to 1990-2014. The method of analysis
      was Framework synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 20 studies were included. The
      synthesis confirmed the severe physical, social and psychological impact of the
      chronic wound. Inadequately controlled pain and sleeplessness, restrictions to
      lifestyle, and the loss of previous life roles can lead to feelings of
      hopelessness and helplessness and therefore depression and anxiety. Dressings and
      dressing changes are a key aspect of treatment and provide opportunities for
      positive interaction and person centred-care. CONCLUSION: People with chronic
      wounds can be supported to live well within the severe physical, psychological
      and social restrictions of a chronic wound. Effective clinical pain management
      and the recognition of the experience of acute and chronic pain are of the utmost
      importance to people with a chronic wound. Treatment should not be purely focused
      on healing but incorporate symptom management, coping and wellbeing via person
      centred and holistic care.

PMID- 28893461
TI  - Nuclear Lamins: Thin Filaments with Major Functions.
AB  - The nuclear lamina is a nuclear peripheral meshwork that is mainly composed of
      nuclear lamins, although a small fraction of lamins also localizes throughout the
      nucleoplasm. Lamins are classified as type V intermediate filament (IF) proteins.
      Mutations in lamin genes cause at least 15 distinct human diseases, collectively
      termed laminopathies, including muscle, metabolic, and neuronal diseases, and can
      cause accelerated aging. Most of these mutations are in the LMNA gene encoding A
      type lamins. A growing number of nuclear proteins are known to bind lamins and
      are implicated in both nuclear and cytoskeletal organization, mechanical
      stability, chromatin organization, signaling, gene regulation, genome stability,
      and cell differentiation. Recent studies reveal the organization of the lamin
      filament meshwork in somatic cells where they assemble as tetramers in cross
      section of the filaments.

PMID- 28893463
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Author's Response.
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 https://www.elsevier.com/about/our
      business/policies/article-withdrawal.

PMID- 28893460
TI  - Stress-Activated Chaperones: A First Line of Defense.
AB  - Proteins are constantly challenged by environmental stress conditions that
      threaten their structure and function. Especially problematic are oxidative,
      acid, and severe heat stress which induce very rapid and widespread protein
      unfolding and generate conditions that make canonical chaperones and/or
      transcriptional responses inadequate to protect the proteome. We review here
      recent advances in identifying and characterizing stress-activated chaperones
      which are inactive under non-stress conditions but become potent chaperones under
      specific protein-unfolding stress conditions. We discuss the post-translational
      mechanisms by which these chaperones sense stress, and consider the role that
      intrinsic disorder plays in their regulation and function. We examine their
      physiological roles under both non-stress and stress conditions, their
      integration into the cellular proteostasis network, and their potential as novel
      therapeutic targets.

PMID- 28893462
TI  - Developing drugs in cancer-related bone pain.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cancer-related bone pain is a frequent and important key problem
      for metastatic patients that may reduce quality of life, with related limitations
      in daily activities and morbidity. Often traditional approach to pain may fail
      given the complex pathophysiology of this phenomenon. METHODS: The aim of this
      review is to describe promising therapies for cancer-related bone pain, from the
      pathophysiology to the clinical trials currently ongoing. Moreover, any new
      evidence for better approach to cancer-related bone pain with the traditional
      drugs is also considered. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice opioids remain the
      most important pharmacologic treatment for severe pain related to bone cancer.
      Regard developing drugs, anti-NGF and anti-TrkA are the most investigated new
      drug in this setting, but a future role in clinical practice is still uncertain.

PMID- 28893464
TI  - A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Novel Dressing and Securement Techniques
      in 101 Pediatric Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate feasibility of an efficacy trial comparing peripherally
      inserted central catheter (PICC) dressing and securement techniques to prevent
      complications and failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This pilot, 3-armed, randomized
      controlled trial was undertaken at Royal Children's Hospital and Lady Cilento
      Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, between April 2014 and September 2015.
      Pediatric participants (N = 101; age range, 0-18 y) were assigned to standard
      care (bordered polyurethane [BPU] dressing, sutureless securement device), tissue
      adhesive (TA) (plus BPU dressing), or integrated securement dressings (ISDs).
      Average PICC dwell time was 8.1 days (range, 0.2-27.7 d). Primary outcome was
      trial feasibility including PICC failure. Secondary outcomes were PICC
      complications, dressing performance, and parent and staff satisfaction. RESULTS:
      Protocol feasibility was established. PICC failure was 6% (2/32) with standard
      care, 6% (2/31) with ISD, and 3% (1/32) with TA. PICC complications were 16%
      across all groups. TA provided immediate postoperative hemostasis, prolonging the
      first dressing change until 5.5 days compared with 3.5 days and 2.5 days with
      standard care and ISD respectively. Bleeding was the most common reason for first
      dressing change: standard care (n = 18; 75%), ISD (n = 11; 69%), TA (n = 4; 27%).
      Parental satisfaction (median 9.7/10; P = .006) and staff feedback (9.2/10; P =
      .002) were most positive for ISD. CONCLUSIONS: This research suggests safety and
      acceptability of different securement dressings compared with standard care;
      securement dressings may also reduce dressing changes after insertion. Further
      research is required to confirm clinically cost-effective methods to prevent PICC
      failure.

PMID- 28893465
TI  - Recurrent Benign Urethral Strictures Treated with Covered Retrievable Self
      Expandable Metallic Stents: Long-Term Outcomes over an 18-Year Period.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the long-term outcomes of covered retrievable self-expandable
      metallic stent (REMS) placement for recurrent benign urethral stricture and to
      compare the outcomes associated with 3 types of covered REMSs. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in 54 male patients in whom 114
      REMSs were placed between November 1998 and December 2016. These included 26
      polyurethane-covered REMSs in 13 patients (group A), 47 internally
      polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered REMSs in 21 patients (group B), and 41
      externally PTFE-covered REMSs in 20 patients (group C). The outcomes were
      analyzed and compared between the groups. RESULTS: Overall clinical success was
      achieved in 14 of the 54 patients (24%) at 5-year follow-up (group A, 12%; group
      B, 19%; group C, 40%). The overall complication rate was 60.5%, and the
      complication rate was significantly higher in group B than in groups A or C
      (group A vs B, P = .018; group B vs C, P = .002). The median stent indwelling
      time and maintained patency period were 3.1 months and 108 months, respectively.
      In multivariate analysis, stent indwelling time was the only significant factor
      associated with maintained patency. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outcome of covered
      REMSs has not achieved the desired success rate for the standard treatment of
      recurrent urethral stricture. However, externally PTFE-covered REMSs showed a
      better long-term outcome than the other studied types.

PMID- 28893467
TI  - Controversies in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.
AB  - Several benign pathologic entities that are commonly encountered by the oral and
      maxillofacial surgeon remain controversial. From etiology to treatment, no
      consensus exists in the literature regarding the best treatment of benign
      lesions, such as the keratocystic odontogenic tumor, giant cell lesion, or
      ameloblastoma. Given the need for often-morbid treatment to prevent recurrence of
      these lesions, multiple less-invasive treatments exist in the literature for each
      entity with little agreement. As the molecular and genomic pathogenesis of these
      lesions are better understood, directed treatments will hopefully lessen the
      contention in management.

PMID- 28893466
TI  - Physical Activity Dose for Hemodialysis Patients: Where to Begin? Results from a
      Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Greater physical activity is associated with lower risk of mortality
      in persons with kidney disease; however, little is known about the appropriate
      dose of physical activity among hemodialysis patients. Here detected the minimum
      level of habitual physical activity to help inform interventions aimed at
      improving outcomes in the dialysis population. DESIGN: The design was prospective
      cohort study. SUBJECTS: Clinically stable outpatients in a hemodialysis unit from
      October 2002 to March 2014 were assessed for their eligibility to be included in
      this 7-year prospective cohort study. We used the Youden index to determine the
      optimal cutoff points for physical activity. The prognostic effect of physical
      activity on survival was estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression
      analysis. The number of steps per nondialysis day was recorded by accelerometer
      at study entry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome measure was all-cause
      mortality. RESULTS: There were 282 participants who had a mean age of 65 +/- 11
      years and 45% were female. A total of 56 deaths occurred during the follow-up
      period (56 months [interquartile range: 29-84 months]). The cutoff value for the
      physical activity discriminating those at high risk of mortality was 3,752 steps.
      After adjustment for the effect of confounders, the hazard ratio in the group of
      <4,000 steps was 2.37 (95% confidence interval: 1.22-4.60, P = .01) compared with
      the others. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging in physical activity is associated with
      decreased mortality risk among hemodialysis patients. Our findings of a
      substantial mortality benefit among those who engage in at least 4,000 steps
      provide a basis for as a minimum initial recommendation kidney health providers
      can provide for mobility disability-free hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 28893468
TI  - Chinese Herbal Medicine for Osteoporosis: A Meta-analysis of Randomized
      Controlled Trials.
AB  - Osteoporosis is a major public health problem in the elderly population. Several
      studies have suggested that Chinese herbal medicine has antiosteoporotic
      activities that might be beneficial for osteoporosis. This study aimed to assess
      the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine in osteoporosis patients. We
      comprehensively searched for randomized controlled trials (until December 2016)
      that compared Chinese herbal medicine with Western medicine in adults with
      osteoporosis and reported bone mineral densities (BMDs). A total of 10 randomized
      controlled trials were included. The pooled results suggested that the increased
      spine BMD was lower but not significant in the Chinese herbal medicine group than
      in the Western drug group (standard mean difference [SMD] = -0.11, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: -0.62 to 0.39, p > 0.05). In the subgroup analysis, in
      postmenopausal women, Chinese herbal medicine also showed a insignificantly
      higher increment in BMD than the control group (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI: -0.00 to
      0.43, p = 0.05). For different treatment durations, subgroups over 6 mo (SMD =
      0.09, 95% CI: -0.24 to 0.41, p > 0.05) and less than 6 mo (SMD = -0.25, 95% CI: 
      1.14 to 0.64, p > 0.05) showed comparable BMDs between the 2 therapies. Our study
      demonstrated that Chinese herbal medicine alone did not significantly increase
      lumbar spine BMD. Further studies with better adherence to the intervention are
      needed to confirm the results of this meta-analysis.

PMID- 28893469
TI  - 68Ga labeled Erlotinib: A novel PET probe for imaging EGFR over-expressing
      tumors.
AB  - Molecular imaging using radiolabeled Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) is a
      promising strategy for detection and staging of EGFR-positive cancers. A novel
      analogue of one such TKI, Erlotinib has been developed for PET imaging by
      derivatizing the parent Erlotinib molecule for conjugation with the bifunctional
      chelator p-SCN-Bn-NOTA towards radiolabeling with 68Ga. NOTA-Erlotinib conjugate
      was synthesized and characterized by NMR and ESI-MS techniques. The conjugate was
      radiolabeled with 68Ga in 95+/-2% yield, as evidenced by HPLC characterization.
      The logP value of 68Ga-NOTA-Erlotinib was - (0.6+/-0.1). The 68Ga-NOTA-Erlotinib
      conjugate was characterized using its natGa-NOTA-Erlotinib surrogate. Cell
      viability studies showed that the NOTA-Erlotinib conjugate retained the
      biological efficacy of the parent Erlotinib molecule. Further, 68Ga-NOTA
      Erlotinib exhibited an uptake of 9.8+/-0.4% in A431 cells which was inhibited by
      55.1+/-0.2% on addition of cold Erlotinib (10ug) confirming the specificity of
      the radioconjugate for EGFR expressing cells. In the biodistribution studies
      carried out in tumor bearing SCID mice, 68Ga-NOTA-Erlotinib conjugate showed
      moderate tumor accumulation (1.5+/-0.1% ID/g at 30minp.i.; 0.7+/-0.2% ID/g at
      1hp.i.). Hepatobiliary clearance of the radioconjugate was observed. The 68Ga
      NOTA-Erlotinib conjugate was found to have high in vivo stability as determined
      by the metabolite analysis study using urine sample of the Swiss mice injected
      with the preparation. The overall properties of 68Ga-NOTA-Erlotinib are promising
      and merit further exploration. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first
      report on the design of a 68Ga labeled Erlotinib for PET imaging of EGFR and
      opens avenues for the successful development of 68Ga labeled TKI for imaging of
      EGFR over-expressing tumors.

PMID- 28893471
TI  - Illness perceptions and negative responses from medical professionals in patients
      with fibromyalgia: Association with patient satisfaction and number of hospital
      visits.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether illness perceptions among patients with
      fibromyalgia and negative responses from medical professionals correlate with
      their satisfaction with their physicians or with their number of hospital visits.
      METHODS: Questionnaires were sent by post to members of the Japan Fibromyalgia
      Support Association. Measures collected included, as independent variables, the
      Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Illness Invalidation Inventory;
      and as outcomes, the Patient Satisfaction Consultation Questionnaire and the
      number of hospital visits. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 304 patients. Multiple
      logistic regressions showed that perception of poor treatment control and the
      experience of being discounted and misunderstood by medical professionals were
      strongly correlated with dissatisfaction with attending physicians. Patients who
      perceived poor treatment control visited the hospital fewer times, while patients
      who reported being discounted by medical professionals visited more times.
      Patients' negative emotions correlated neither with patient satisfaction nor with
      the number of hospital visits. CONCLUSION: Treatment effectiveness and the
      respect accorded to patients were the key factors significantly correlated both
      with patient satisfaction and the number of hospital visits. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: Physicians should not emphasize only patients' negative
      psychological status but also should convey a respectful attitude and help
      patients understand their current treatment is useful.

PMID- 28893470
TI  - Elucidation of antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action by N-substituted
      carbazole derivatives.
AB  - Compounds belonging to a carbazole series have been identified as potent fungal
      plasma membrane proton adenosine triphophatase (H+-ATPase) inhibitors with a
      broad spectrum of antifungal activity. The carbazole compounds inhibit the
      adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis activity of the essential fungal H+
      ATPase, thereby functionally inhibiting the extrusion of protons and
      extracellular acidification, processes that are responsible for maintaining high
      plasma membrane potential. The compound class binds to and inhibits the H+-ATPase
      within minutes, leading to fungal death after 1-3h of compound exposure in vitro.
      The tested compounds are not selective for the fungal H+-ATPase, exhibiting an
      overlap of inhibitory activity with the mammalian protein family of P-type
      ATPases; the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (Ca2+-ATPase) and the
      sodium potassium ATPase (Na+,K+-ATPase). The ion transport in the P-type ATPases
      is energized by the conversion of ATP to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and
      phosphate and a general inhibitory mechanism mediated by the carbazole derivative
      could therefore be blocking of the active site. However, biochemical studies show
      that increased concentrations of ATP do not change the inhibitory activity of the
      carbazoles suggesting they act as allosteric inhibitors. Furthermore decreased
      levels of intracellular ATP would suggest that the compounds inhibit the H+
      ATPase indirectly, but Candida albicans cells exposed to potent H+-ATPase
      inhibitory carbazoles result in increased levels of intracellular ATP, indicating
      direct inhibition of H+-ATPase.

PMID- 28893472
TI  - Canadian school-based HPV vaccine programs and policy considerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Advisory Committee on Immunization in Canada recommends
      human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for females and males (ages 9-26). In
      Canada, the HPV vaccine is predominantly administered through publicly funded
      school-based programs in provinces and territories. This research provides an
      overview of Canadian provincial and territorial school-based HPV vaccination
      program administration and vaccination rates, and identifies foreseeable policy
      considerations. METHODS: We searched the academic and grey literature and
      contacted administrators of provincial and territorial vaccination programs to
      compile information regarding HPV vaccine program administration and vaccination
      rates in Canada's 13 provincial and territorial jurisdictions. RESULTS: As of
      October 2016, all 13 Canadian jurisdictions vaccinate girls, and six
      jurisdictions include boys in school-based publicly funded HPV vaccination
      programs. Eleven jurisdictions administer the HPV vaccine in a two-dose schedule.
      The quadrivalent vaccine (HPV4) has been the vaccine predominantly used in
      Canada; however, the majority of provinces will likely adopt the nonavalent
      vaccine in the future. According to available data, vaccination uptake among
      females ranged between 46.7% and 93.9%, while vaccination uptake among males (in
      programs with available data to date) ranged between 75.0% and 87.4%.
      CONCLUSIONS: Future research and innovation will beneficially inform Canadian
      jurisdictions when considering whether to administer the nonavalent vaccine,
      whether to implement a two or one-dose vaccination schedule, and how to improve
      uptake and rates of completion. The usefulness of standardizing methodologies for
      collecting and reporting HPV vaccination coverage and implementing a national
      registry were identified as important priorities.

PMID- 28893473
TI  - Data and product needs for influenza immunization programs in low- and middle
      income countries: Rationale and main conclusions of the WHO preferred product
      characteristics for next-generation influenza vaccines.
AB  - In 2017, WHO convened a working group of global experts to develop the Preferred
      Product Characteristics (PPC) for Next-Generation Influenza Vaccines. PPCs are
      intended to encourage innovation in vaccine development. They describe WHO
      preferences for parameters of vaccines, in particular their indications, target
      groups, implementation strategies, and clinical data needed for assessment of
      safety and efficacy. PPCs are shaped by the global unmet public health need in a
      priority disease area for which WHO encourages vaccine development. These
      preferences reflect WHO's mandate to promote the development of vaccines with
      high public health impact and suitability in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
      (LMIC). The target audience is all entities intending to develop or to achieve
      widespread adoption of a specific influenza vaccine product in these settings.
      The working group determined that existing influenza vaccines are not well suited
      for LMIC use. While many developed country manufactures and research funders
      prioritize influenza vaccine products for use in adults and the elderly, most
      LMICs do not have sufficiently strong health systems to deliver vaccines to these
      groups. Policy makers from LMICs are expected to place higher value on vaccines
      indicated for prevention of severe illness, however the clinical development of
      influenza vaccines focuses on demonstrating prevention of any influenza illness.
      Many influenza vaccine products do not meet WHO standards for programmatic
      suitability of vaccines, which introduces challenges when vaccines are used in
      low-resource settings. And finally, current vaccines do not integrate well with
      routine immunization programs in LMICs, given age of vaccine licensure, arbitrary
      expiration dates timed for temperate country markets, and the need for year-round
      immunization in countries with prolonged influenza seasonality. While all
      interested parties should refer to the full PPC document for details, in this
      article we highlight data needs for new influenza vaccines to better demonstrate
      the value proposition in LMICs.

PMID- 28893474
TI  - Assessing care-givers' satisfaction with child immunisation services in Zambia:
      Evidence from a national survey.
AB  - AIM: The main aim of this study was to assess care-giver satisfaction with
      vaccination services in public health facilities in Zambia, and examine its
      determinants. METHODS: This study used data from a recent population-based
      household survey, conducted from May to August 2015. Respondent satisfaction with
      vaccination services received during the last visit was measured on a five point
      Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. We used an ordered logistic regression model to
      analyse the significance of perceived quality of vaccination services,
      immunisation delivery mode and a range of individual characteristics in
      predicting care-giver satisfaction. RESULTS: Findings show that one in five care
      givers were unsatisfied with the vaccination services that they had received,
      with rural populations showing a significantly higher level of satisfaction. Poor
      quality of care, defined by long waiting times, poor quality of communication
      between health staff and care givers, long distance to vaccination sites, mode of
      delivery, and personal characteristics were among major factors driving care
      giver satisfaction ratings. We also find that receiving a vaccination at outreach
      mode of delivery was associated with higher odds of greater satisfaction compared
      to on-facility vaccination services. The odds of satisfaction were lower for
      respondents living further away from a health facility, which emphasizes the
      importance of access in seeking vaccination services. CONCLUSION: These findings
      suggest that major improvements in quality of vaccination and service
      organisation will be needed to increase client satisfaction and service
      utilisation.

PMID- 28893475
TI  - Impact of five years of rotavirus vaccination in Finland - And the associated
      cost savings in secondary healthcare.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to estimate the impact of the national rotavirus
      (RV) vaccination programme, starting 2009, on the total hospital-treated acute
      gastroenteritis (AGE) and severe RV disease burden in Finland during the first
      five years of the programme. This study also evaluated the costs saved in
      secondary healthcare by the RV vaccination programme. METHODS: The RV related
      outcome definitions were based on ICD10 diagnostic codes recorded in the Care
      Register for Health Care. Incidences of hospitalised and hospital outpatient
      cases of AGE (A00-A09, R11) and RVGE (A08.0) were compared prior (1999-2005) and
      after (2010-2014) the start of the programme among children less than five years
      of age. RESULTS: The reduction in disease burden in 2014, when all children under
      five years of age have been eligible for RV vaccination, was 92.9% (95%CI: 91.0%
      94.5%) in hospitalised RVGE and 68.5% (66.6%-70.3%) in the total hospitalised AGE
      among children less than five years of age. For the corresponding hospital
      outpatient cases, there was a reduction of 91.4% (82.4%-96.6%) in the RVGE
      incidence, but an increase of 6.3% (2.7%-9.9%) in the AGE incidence. The RV
      vaccination programme prevented 2206 secondary healthcare AGE cases costing ?4.5
      million annually. As the RV immunisation costs were ?2.3 million, the total net
      savings just in secondary healthcare costs were ?2.2 million, i.e. ?33 per
      vaccinated child. DISCUSSION: The RV vaccination programme clearly controlled the
      severe, hospital-treated forms of RVGE. The total disease burden is a more
      valuable end point than mere specifically diagnosed cases as laboratory
      confirmation practises usually change after vaccine introduction. The RV
      vaccination programme annually pays for itself at least two times over.

PMID- 28893476
TI  - Growth hormone releasing peptide-6 enhanced antibody titers against subunit
      antigens in mice (BALB/c), tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and African catfish
      (Clarias gariepinus).
AB  - Modern subunit vaccines have excellent safety profiles and improved tolerability,
      but do not elicit strong immune responses without the addition of adjuvants.
      Developing a safe and affective adjuvant remains a challenge for peptide-based
      vaccine design. Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-6 (GHRP-6) is one of the
      earliest-developed, synthetic, peptidyl growth hormone secretagogue receptor
      agonists. These compounds mimic the effect of the endogenous ligand, ghrelin. In
      the present study, we evaluated the ability of GHRP-6 to enhance the humoral
      immune response against co-injected antigens in mice, tilapia and African
      catfish. This peptide was able to increase the antigen-specific antibody response
      using heterologous proteins and peptides as antigens, which were also formulated
      in "water in oil" emulsions (Freund and Montanide). As long as we know there is
      no previous report describing any ghrelin analogous as molecular immunomodulator
      stimulating a humoral immune response. Further studies will be conducted to
      evaluate the functionality of this humoral immune response in challenge trials.

PMID- 28893477
TI  - Live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccines: The needs and challenges of post
      licensure evaluation of vaccine safety and effectiveness.
AB  - Since December 2015, the first dengue vaccine has been licensed in several Asian
      and Latin American countries for protection against disease from all four dengue
      virus serotypes. While the vaccine demonstrated an overall good safety and
      efficacy profile in clinical trials, some key research questions remain which
      make risk-benefit-assessment for some populations difficult. As for any new
      vaccine, several questions, such as very rare adverse events following
      immunization, duration of vaccine-induced protection and effectiveness when used
      in public health programs, will be addressed by post-licensure studies and by
      data from national surveillance systems after the vaccine has been introduced.
      However, the complexity of dengue epidemiology, pathogenesis and population
      immunity, as well as some characteristics of the currently licensed vaccine, and
      potentially also future, live-attenuated dengue vaccines, poses a challenge for
      evaluation through existing monitoring systems, especially in low and middle
      income countries. Most notable are the different efficacies of the currently
      licensed vaccine by dengue serostatus at time of first vaccination and by dengue
      virus serotype, as well as the increased risk of dengue hospitalization among
      young vaccinated children observed three years after the start of vaccination in
      one of the trials. Currently, it is unknown if the last phenomenon is restricted
      to younger ages or could affect also seronegative individuals aged 9years and
      older, who are included in the group for whom the vaccine has been licensed. In
      this paper, we summarize scientific and methodological considerations for public
      health surveillance and targeted post-licensure studies to address some key
      research questions related to live-attenuated dengue vaccines. Countries
      intending to introduce a dengue vaccine should assess their capacities to monitor
      and evaluate the vaccine's effectiveness and safety and, where appropriate and
      possible, enhance their surveillance systems accordingly. Targeted studies are
      needed, especially to better understand the effects of vaccinating seronegative
      individuals.

PMID- 28893478
TI  - Pain caused by measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines: A systematic literature
      review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The risk of post-vaccination adverse events (AEs) is a primary public
      health concern. Among the AEs, pain is a significant source of anxiety for both
      children and their parents. This review describes and assesses the intensity of
      pain experienced by children post-vaccination with widely used Measles-Mumps
      Rubella (MMR) vaccines. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in
      Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane to identify publications describing immediate pain at
      injection site (primary objective) or pain within days (secondary objective)
      after 2 specific MMR vaccines. Immediate pain ('acute pain' according to the
      Brighton Collaboration case definition) was defined as pain occurring at the time
      or within 5min of injection. RESULTS: Four studies, which compared the intensity
      of immediate injection site pain experienced by children after MMR vaccination,
      were identified. Various pain assessment tools and methods were used to quantify
      the intensity of pain, including the median difference in Visual Analog Scale
      scores between vaccine groups. All four studies showed significantly less
      immediate pain caused by Priorix (GSK Vaccines) compared with M-M-R II (Merck &
      Co., Inc.). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this review summarizes for the first
      time the available scientific evidence on the intensity of pain following
      different MMR vaccines. It highlights that MMR vaccines can differ in terms of
      immediate pain. Further research may be needed to better understand the
      underlying reason for this observation. In this context, it is very important to
      understand which physicochemical properties are most relevant for the immediate
      pain profile of a vaccine to thereby support the development of vaccines with the
      best possible immediate pain profile.

PMID- 28893479
TI  - Reaching every child with rotavirus vaccine: Report from the 10th African
      rotavirus symposium held in Bamako, Mali.
AB  - The Center for Vaccine Development - Mali (CVD - Mali), the World Health
      Organization's regional office in Africa (WHO/AFRO), and the CVD at the
      University of Maryland School of Medicine hosted the 10th African Rotavirus
      Symposium in Bamako, Mali on 1-2 June 2016. The symposium is coordinated by
      WHO/AFRO, the Regional Rotavirus Reference Laboratories, and the African
      Rotavirus Network (ARN), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
      The event brings together leading rotavirus researchers, scientists, and policy
      makers from across Africa and the world. Over 150 participants, from 31
      countries, including 27 in Africa, joined forces to address the theme "Reaching
      Every Child in Africa with Rotavirus Vaccines." This symposium, the first in
      francophone Africa, occurred at an unprecedented time when 33 African countries
      had introduced rotavirus vaccines into their national immunization programs. The
      symposium concluded with a Call to Action to introduce rotavirus vaccines in the
      21 remaining African countries, to increase access in countries with existing
      vaccination programs, and to continue surveillance and research on rotavirus and
      other diarrheal diseases.

PMID- 28893480
TI  - Production of highly immunogenic virus-like particles of bovine papillomavirus
      type 6 in silkworm pupae.
AB  - Bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs) are the causative agent of bovine teat
      papillomatosis, which can lead to severe economic losses in dairy cattle. Among
      the 14 identified BPV genotypes, BPV type 6 (BPV6) is the most frequently
      detected in teat papilloma lesions, and is therefore thought to play a major role
      in teat papillomatosis. To develop an effective vaccine against BPV6 infection,
      we produced virus-like particles of BPV6 (BPV6-VLP) in silkworm (Bombyx mori)
      pupae and purified these by heparin affinity chromatography using a single
      column. About 0.7mg purified BPV6-VLP was obtained from one pupa. BPV6-VLP
      immunized mice produced a specific IgG to BPV6 that recognized BPV6 antigen with
      high sensitivity in an immunohistochemical analysis. Thus, silkworm pupae are a
      useful bioreactor for the production of BPV6-VLP, which can potentially be used
      as a vaccine for bovine teat papillomatosis.

PMID- 28893481
TI  - Telomerase based anticancer immunotherapy and vaccines approaches.
AB  - Telomerase is a Reverse Transcriptase that maintains the telomere length. It is
      absent in most somatic cells but is found in stem cells, germ cells and around
      90% of cancers. It plays a crucial role in developing and maintaining cancer
      cells. Telomerase, a HLA class-I antigen, is able to stimulate cell mediated
      immune response by inducing cytotoxic T-cells. This property of telomerase is
      being exploited in targeting cancers by host's own immune responses; stimulated
      by various Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) derived vaccines. Many
      approaches and studies including clinical trials have shown effective anticancer
      responses of these vaccines, without toxicity to non cancer cells. In this
      article we have compiled different hTERT based anticancer immunotherapy
      approaches, vaccines and their performances.

PMID- 28893482
TI  - Editor's Choice - Comparison of Early Outcomes and Restenosis Rate Between
      Carotid Endarterectomy and Carotid Artery Stenting Using Propensity Score
      Matching Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Despite randomised evidence, the debate continues about the
      preferred treatment strategy for carotid stenosis in routine clinical practice.
      The aim of this study was to compare early outcomes and restenosis rates after
      carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid stenting (CAS) in unselected patients
      using propensity score matching (PSM). METHODS: The 30 day incidence of major
      adverse clinical events (MACE; defined as stroke, transient ischaemic attack,
      myocardial infarction, or death) and procedure related complications, as well as
      restenosis rates during follow-up were compared between unselected patients
      undergoing CEA or CAS between January 2002 and December 2015 at a single
      institution. PSM was used to balance the following factors between the CEA and
      CAS cohorts: age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking, atrial
      fibrillation, previous percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery
      bypass grafting, valvular heart disease, contralateral carotid occlusion, degree
      of carotid stenosis, and symptomatic status. Statistical comparisons of outcomes
      were based on logistic regression analysis and log rank test. RESULTS: Of 1184
      patients (654 CEA and 530 CAS), 452 PSM pairs of CEA and CAS patients were
      created. The CAS group showed a relatively higher 30 day incidence of MACE (7.5%
      vs. 2.4%; odds ratio [OR] 3.261, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.634-6.509; p =
      .001) but a lower incidence of procedure related complications (1.5% vs. 5.3%; OR
      0.199, 95% CI 0.075-0.528; p = .001). During a mean follow-up of 49.1 months
      (range 1-180 months), restenosis rates were higher after CAS than after CEA (1.5%
      vs. 1.0% at 12 months and 5.4% vs. 1.2% at 24 months, respectively; p = .008).
      CONCLUSION: This PSM based observation reconfirmed previous trial results in both
      asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with carotid artery stenosis in routine
      clinical practice: CEA showed lower 30 day MACE and mid-term restenosis rates
      than CAS.

PMID- 28893483
TI  - [Evaluation of professional practices of hospital pediatricians in the management
      of febrile infants at low risk of bacterial infection].

PMID- 28893484
TI  - [Renal abnormalities in Down syndrome: A review].
AB  - Down syndrome (DS) is often associated with cardiac malformations, so that kidney
      damage is little known. The objective of this study was to present the diversity
      of renal abnormalities and their potential progression to chronic renal failure.
      Among congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT)
      abnormalities appear to be frequent: pyelectasis, megaureters, posterior urethra
      valves, as well as renal malformations such as renal hypoplasia, horseshoe
      kidney, or renal ectopia. Contributing factors to acute kidney failure have been
      described in patients with DS: bilateral lesions and minor renal injury, such as
      glomerular microcysts, tubular dilation, and immature glomeruli. Histological
      lesions can be found, albeit nonspecific; they occur earlier than in the general
      population. Two metabolic specificities have also been described: decreased
      clearance of uric acid and a hypercalciuria by passive hyperabsorption. End-stage
      renal disease can occur, thus raising the problem of the best choice of
      management. In conclusion, renal abnormalities in patients in DS should be known
      so as to preserve a good renal functional prognosis: systematic screening with
      renal ultrasound can be proposed.

PMID- 28893485
TI  - [Clinical characteristics and course of hand, foot, and mouth disease].
AB  - Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and herpangina (HA) are common childhood
      diseases mostly associated with human enteroviruses (EV). Although usually benign
      illnesses, neurological complications may be observed during large epidemics when
      enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is involved, as observed in the Asia Pacific Region and
      in China since the late 1990s. The occurrence of these complications warrants
      reinforcing the surveillance of the emergence of EV-A71 infections in France and
      Europe. Monitoring EV infections associated with HFMD can be considered as an
      effective tool to detect an upsurge of EV-A71 infections in a timely manner. In
      2014, a national sentinel surveillance system for HFMD/HA was set up in France
      through a network of volunteer pediatricians and coordinated by the National
      Reference Center for Enteroviruses and Parechoviruses. Although classical
      manifestations of HFMD/HA can be easily recognized, there are several atypical
      presentations of the disease that can be confused with other skin conditions.
      Delayed cutaneous manifestations, such as onychomadesis and acral desquamation,
      may also occur and should prompt consideration of HFMD in the preceding weeks.
      Severe complications following HFMD include neurological manifestations (mainly
      rhombencephalitis) or less frequently cardiopulmonary failure and can sometimes
      be fatal. In China, the case severity rate has been estimated at 1%, with a case
      fatality rate at 0.03%. EV-A71 was involved in more than 90% of the fatal cases.
      Diagnosis of EV infections associated with severe neurological manifestations is
      based on the molecular detection of the EV genome in vesicles, cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF), throat and stool given that EV-A71 is rarely recovered from the CSF.
      Positive EV genome detection should be followed by EV genotyping to identify the
      type of the EV. In temperate-climate countries, outbreaks of HFMD occur mostly
      but not exclusively during summer and autumn months. Adults may also present with
      HFMD. In 2016, an upsurge of severe neurological manifestations was reported in
      France; EV-A71 accounted for 50% of the cases. No specific treatment is
      available, but two inactivated EV-A71 vaccines are currently available in China.

PMID- 28893486
TI  - [Anti-D prophylaxis in fetal-maternal erythrocyte incompatibility in Tunisia].
AB  - Generalization of postnatal prophylaxis using anti-D immunoglobulins decreased
      the incidence of erythrocyte fetal-maternal incompatibility (EFMI) in the Rhesus
      system. Few recent studies have investigated the situation of anti-D prophylaxis
      in Tunisia and its effects on maternal and neonatal health. The aim of this study
      was therefore to analyze the situation of anti-D prophylaxis in Tunisia to detect
      defects and propose solutions. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of
      IFME cases in the rhesus system in the Department of Medicine and Neonatal
      Resuscitation of the Tunis Maternity and Neonatology Center (CMNT) during an 8
      year period from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2015. We collected 51 cases of
      IFME. The prevalence of IFME was 3.4 per 10 000 live births; 41 % of the patients
      were transferred in utero and they were from the northwest of the country (17 %).
      The rate of women with a history of at least one spontaneous miscarriage (SCF)
      was 45 %. In 42 % of the cases, pregnancies were monitored at local clinics. The
      search for irregular agglutinins (RAI) was performed in 86 % of the women
      studied. RAI was positive in 97 % of the cases. Anti-D prophylaxis was correctly
      performed in only 27 % of the cases. The systematic prophylaxis of the third
      trimester and a systematic Kleihauer test must be combined with postpartum
      prophylaxis to better identify dysfunctions and improve the application of the
      recommendations.

PMID- 28893487
TI  - [The advantages of 3D imagery in diagnosing and supervising children's and
      teenagers' scoliosis].
AB  - Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. One or several curves of more
      than 10 degrees in the frontal plane can be seen with the rotation of vertebrae
      in the axial plane, which modifies sagittal curves. In addition to esthetic harm,
      the morbidity of a scoliosis depends on the extent of the deformation. Treatment,
      whether it be orthopedic or surgical, is aggressive and never completely cures
      the condition. At best the deformation will be stabilized at the end of growth.
      Therefore, it is essential to detect any slight curve and quickly identify any
      potential progressive form in order to treat it. Visualization of scoliosis in 3D
      through spine modeling has several advantages at each stage of care. First, with
      slight curvatures, 3D modeling allows the medical staff to confirm the scoliosis
      by showing the modification in the three different planes. All curvatures will
      not progress. Orthopedic treatment is constraining and expensive; only
      progressive forms will receive it. When the curvature is slight and does not need
      immediate treatment, 3D modeling at each successive check-up will help detect any
      sign of likely progression quickly and reliably. Moreover, the medical
      observation of corset treatment and the preoperative work-up are improved because
      all 3D parameters of the deformation are accessible. The need for 3D modeling for
      scoliosis has been known for a long time, but no tool allowing a vertical study
      with a low level of radiation was available. The EOS imagery system meets these
      criteria through an optimal analysis of deformations caused by scoliosis.

PMID- 28893488
TI  - [Clinical criteria for pathogen bacteria in term newborn suspected of neonatal
      sepsis].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neonatal early onset sepsis (EOS) remains an important etiology of
      neonatal morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is difficult due to a lack of
      sensitivity and specificity markers. In France, the management of newborn infants
      suspected of infection includes the analysis of gastric suction. The objective of
      the study was to identify early clinical signs in newborn infants with suspected
      neonatal sepsis to differentiate a likely infection with pathogen bacteria in the
      gastric suction culture (Streptococcus agalactiae or Escherichia coli) from a
      possible infection without such pathogen bacteria. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective study in the Amiens University Hospital. All term newborn infants
      born between 1 January and 31 December 2013 and hospitalized for suspected EOS
      were included. Suspicion of EOS was considered when there were arguments to treat
      by antibiotics for a period of at least 5 days. RESULTS: Fifty-eight newborn
      infants were included, 25 had a likely EOS and 33 a possible EOS. Newborn infants
      with a likely EOS were less mature (P<0.01) with more clinical signs at birth
      (P<0.01). The most common clinical signs were: hyperthermia (P=0.01), somnolence
      (P<0.01), and hypotonia (P=0.01). After adjusting for the term, the presence of
      hyperthermia was no longer significantly different between the two groups
      (P=0.059), the other clinical signs remained significantly different. CONCLUSION:
      The presence of neonatal symptoms at birth appears to be a useful clinical marker
      of probable neonatal EOS.

PMID- 28893489
TI  - Review of aspirin and clopidogrel resistance in peripheral arterial disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aspirin resistance (AR) and clopidogrel resistance (CR) are terms used
      to describe a reduction in the medication's efficacy in inhibiting platelet
      aggregation despite regular dosing. This review gives context to the clinical
      role and implications of antiplatelet resistance in peripheral arterial disease
      (PAD). METHODS: A review of English-language literature on AR and CR in PAD
      involving human subjects using PubMed and MEDLINE databases was performed in
      April 2017. A total of 2075 patients in 22 relevant studies were identified. To
      give this issue context, a review of the larger, more established literature on
      antiplatelet resistance in coronary disease was undertaken, identifying
      significant research associating resistance to major adverse cardiovascular
      events (MACEs). RESULTS: Studies in the coronary arterial disease literature have
      strongly associated antiplatelet resistance with increased MACE. Prevalence of AR
      or CR in coronary disease appears to be >55% for each in some studies. Meta
      analyses of >50 studies revealed that AR and CR are significantly associated with
      MACE (relative risk of 2.09 and 2.8, respectively). This adds further weight to
      the literature reporting antiplatelet resistance as an independent predictor of
      and a threefold risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular events. The
      prevalence of resistance in PAD in this review was comparable to that in the
      coronary disease literature, with AR and CR prevalence up to 60% and 65%,
      respectively. There is evidence that the adverse effects of antiplatelet
      resistance are significant in PAD. In fact, research directly studying stent
      thrombosis populations with either coronary arterial disease or PAD revealed more
      significantly impaired platelet responsiveness to clopidogrel and aspirin in PAD
      compared with similar individuals with coronary disease. AR in PAD was found in
      studies to be a significant risk factor for iliofemoral stent reocclusion (P =
      .0093) and stroke in patients with symptomatic carotid disease (P = .018). CR was
      found to be a significant, independent risk factor in predicting ischemic
      outcomes in several recent PAD studies (P < .0001). Loss-of-function carriers of
      enzyme CYP2C19, important in clopidogrel metabolism, have a 30% greater risk of
      ischemic events (P < .001). Importantly, less antiplatelet drug resistance may be
      encountered with newer antiplatelet agents, including ticagrelor and prasugrel,
      because of reduced enzymatic polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: The limited research
      addressing AR and CR in PAD suggests that further research is required to clarify
      the role of platelet assays and potential for individualized antiplatelet
      therapy.

PMID- 28893490
TI  - Partial renal coverage in endovascular aneurysm repair causes unfavorable renal
      flow patterns in an infrarenal aneurysm model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To achieve an optimal sealing zone during endovascular aneurysm
      repair, the intended positioning of the proximal end of the endograft fabric
      should be as close as possible to the most caudal edge of the renal arteries.
      Some endografts exhibit a small offset between the radiopaque markers and the
      proximal fabric edge. Unintended partial renal artery coverage may thus occur.
      This study investigated the consequences of partial coverage on renal flow
      patterns and wall shear stress (WSS). METHODS: In vitro models of an abdominal
      aortic aneurysm were used to visualize pulsatile flow using two-dimensional
      particle image velocimetry under physiologic resting conditions. One model served
      as control and two models were stented with an Endurant endograft (Medtronic Inc,
      Minneapolis, Minn), one without and one with partial renal artery coverage with
      1.3 mm of stent fabric extending beyond the marker (16% area coverage). The
      magnitude and oscillation of WSS, relative residence time, and backflow in the
      renal artery were analyzed. RESULTS: In both stented models, a region along the
      caudal renal artery wall presented with low and oscillating WSS, not present in
      the control model. A region with very low WSS (<0.1 Pa) was present in the model
      with partial coverage over a length of 7 mm compared with a length of 2 mm in the
      model without renal coverage. Average renal backflow area percentage in the renal
      artery incrementally increased from control (0.9%) to the stented model without
      (6.4%) and with renal coverage (18.8%). CONCLUSIONS: In this flow model, partial
      renal coverage after endovascular aneurysm repair causes low and marked
      oscillations in WSS, potentially promoting atherosclerosis and subsequent renal
      artery stenosis. Awareness of the device-dependent offset between the fabric edge
      and the radiopaque markers is therefore important in endovascular practice.

PMID- 28893491
TI  - Micro-finite-element method to assess elastic properties of trabecular bone at
      micro- and macroscopic level.
AB  - OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: The objective of the present study is to assess the
      mechanical behavior of trabecular bone based on microCT imaging and micro-finite
      element analysis. In this way two methods are detailed: (i) direct determination
      of macroscopic elastic property of trabecular bone; (ii) inverse approach to
      assess mechanical properties of trabecular bone tissue. PATIENTS: Thirty-five
      females and seven males (forty-two subjects) mean aged (+/-SD) 80+/-11.7 years
      from hospitals of Assistance publique-Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP) diagnosed with
      osteoporosis following a femoral neck fracture due to a fall from standing were
      included in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fractured heads were collected
      during hip replacement surgery. Standardized bone cores were removed from the
      femoral head's equator by a trephine in a water bath. MicroCT images acquisition
      and analysis were performed with CTan(r) software and bone volume fraction was
      then determined. Micro-finite-element simulations were per-formed using Abaqus
      6.9-2(r) software in order to determine the macroscopic mechanical behaviour of
      the trabecular bone. After microCT acquisition, a longitudinal compression test
      was performed and the experimental macroscopic Young's Modulus was extracted. An
      inverse approach based on the whole trabecular bone's mechanical response and
      micro-finite-element analysis was performed to determine microscopic mechanical
      properties of trabecular bone. RESULTS: In the present study, elasticity of the
      tissue was shown to be similar to that of healthy tissue but with a lower yield
      stress. CONCLUSION: Classical histomorphometric analysis form microCT imaging
      associated with an inverse micro-finite-element method allowed to assess
      microscopic mechanical trabecular bone parameters.

PMID- 28893492
TI  - Rural counties chlamydia and gonorrhea rates in Pennsylvania among adolescents
      and young adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: American adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24
      account for 50% of all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) annually. Rural
      populations in this age group are often understudied, despite having factors that
      place them at higher risk for STDs. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the utility of time series analysis in the assessment of rural
      Pennsylvania county-level chlamydia and gonorrhea rates overtime (2004-2014) for
      15- to 19- and 20- to 24-year-old age groups by gender. METHODS: An exploratory
      analysis was completed using Pennsylvania STD surveillance case report and census
      data, to develop a linear mixed-effects model of the STD rate for each
      Pennsylvania county for the years 2004 through 2014 using 3-month increments. A
      cubic polynomial spline regression model was assumed over the 44 time points for
      each county to account for possible oscillations in the STD rate during the 11
      year period. RESULTS: Eight out of 12 rural counties had a significant increase
      in chlamydia or gonorrhea rates, and five rural counties had significant
      decreases in chlamydia or gonorrhea rates from 2004 to 2014. CONCLUSIONS: Results
      from this study provide the first analysis of change in rates of STDs in rural
      settings and demonstrate the utility of time series analysis for populations with
      small sample sizes.

PMID- 28893494
TI  - Multimorbidity is associated with increased rates of depression in patients
      hospitalized with diabetes mellitus in the United States.
AB  - AIMS: Information on the burden and risk factors for diabetes-depression
      comorbidity in the US is sparse. We used data from the largest all-payer,
      nationally-representative inpatient database in the US to estimate the
      prevalence, temporal trends, and risk factors for comorbid depression among adult
      diabetic inpatients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis using the
      2002-2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases. Depression and other
      comorbidities were identified using ICD-9-CM codes. Logistic regression was used
      to investigate the association between patient characteristics and depression.
      RESULTS: The rate of depression among patients with type 2 diabetes increased
      from 7.6% in 2002 to 15.4% in 2014, while for type 1 diabetes the rate increased
      from 8.7% in 2002 to 19.6% in 2014. The highest rates of depression were observed
      among females, non-Hispanic whites, younger patients, and patients with five or
      more chronic comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of comorbid depression
      among diabetic inpatients in the US is increasing rapidly. Although some portion
      of this increase could be explained by the rising prevalence of multimorbidity,
      increased awareness and likelihood of diagnosis of comorbid depression by
      physicians and better documentation as a result of the increased adoption of
      electronic health records likely contributed to this trend.

PMID- 28893493
TI  - Brain TSPO imaging and gray matter volume in schizophrenia patients and in people
      at ultra high risk of psychosis: An [11C]PBR28 study.
AB  - : Patients with schizophrenia show whole brain and cortical gray matter (GM)
      volume reductions which are progressive early in their illness. Microglia, the
      resident immune cells in the CNS, phagocytose neurons and synapses. Some post
      mortem and in vivo studies in schizophrenia show evidence for elevated microglial
      activation compared to matched controls. However, it is currently unclear how
      these results relate to changes in cortical structure. METHODS: Fourteen patients
      with schizophrenia and 14 ultra high risk for psychosis (UHR) subjects alongside
      two groups of age and genotype matched healthy controls received [11C]PBR28 PET
      scans to index TSPO expression, a marker of microglial activation and a 3T MRI
      scan. We investigated the relationship between the volume changes of cortical
      regions and microglial activation in cortical GM (as indexed by [11C]PBR28
      distribution volume ratio (DVR). RESULTS: The total cortical GM volume was
      significantly lower in SCZ than the controls [mean (SD)/cm3: SCZ=448.83 (39.2)
      and controls=499.6 (59.2) (p=0.02) but not in UHR (mean (SD)=503.06 (57.9) and
      controls=524.46 (45.3) p=0.3). Regression model fitted the total cortical GM DVR
      values with the cortical regional volumes in SCZ (r=0.81; p<0.001) and in UHR
      (r=0.63; p=0.02). We found a significant negative correlation between the TSPO
      signal and total cortical GM volume in SCZ with the highest absolute correlation
      coefficient in the right superior-parietal cortex (r=-0.72; p=0.006).
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that microglial activity is related to the
      altered cortical volume seen in schizophrenia. Longitudinal investigations are
      required to determine whether microglial activation leads to cortical gray matter
      loss.

PMID- 28893495
TI  - The association between pulse wave velocity and peripheral neuropathy in patients
      with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - AIMS: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common diabetic
      complication, affecting up to half of the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM). Increased aortic stiffness, measured with the carotid-femoral pulse wave
      velocity (PWV), has been associated with incidence of cardiovascular disease
      independently of traditional risk factors. Previous data showed associations
      between risk factors for macroangiopathy and DPN in diabetes. However, the
      association between PWV and DPN is not well known. In this study we examined the
      association between PWV and presence as well as severity of DPN in subjects with
      T2DM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 381 patients with T2DM were recruited.
      Participants were classified as having DPN and not having DPN. PWV was measured
      at the carotid-femoral segment with a non-invasive method using applanation
      tonometry. DPN was assessed by determination of the Neuropathy Symptom Score
      (NSS) and the Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS). RESULTS: A hundred and seven
      participants (28.1%) had DPN. Patients with DPN were significantly more often
      male and older, had longer diabetes duration, higher height, larger waist
      circumference, higher systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP) and higher PWV (all
      P<0.05). Furthermore, participants with DPN were treated more often with statins
      and had lower low density lipoprotein cholesterol; in addition, they were treated
      more often with antiplatelets, b-blockers and insulin than those without DPN.
      Univariative logistic regression analysis demonstrated that presence of DPN was
      significantly associated with age, male gender, longer diabetes duration, height,
      waist circumference, SBP, PWV, dyslipidemia, HbA1c, retinopathy, nephropathy and
      peripheral arterial disease. Multivariate logistic regression analysis, after
      adjustment for age, gender, waist circumference, SBP, nephropathy and use of b
      blockers, demonstrated that the odds [OR (95% confidence intervals)] of
      peripheral neuropathy were associated significantly and independently only with
      diabetes duration [1.044 (1.009-1.081), P=0.013], height [1.075 (1.041-1.110),
      P<0.001], HbA1c [1.468 (1.164-1.851), P<0.001], PWV [1.174 (1.054-1.309),
      P=0.004], dyslipidemia [1.941 (1.015-3.713), P=0.045], retinopathy [4.426 (2.217
      8.837), P<0.001] and peripheral arterial disease [4.658 (2.264-9.584), P<0.001].
      In addition, multivariate linear regression analysis, after controlling for age,
      gender, diabetes duration, SBP, HbA1c and nephropathy, demonstrated that an
      increased NDS was significantly and independently associated with height
      [standardized regression coefficient (beta=0.229, P<0.001)], PWV (beta=0.197,
      P<0.001), retinopathy (beta=0.268, P<0.001) and peripheral arterial disease
      (beta=0.374, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Increased PWV is associated strongly and
      independently not only with the presence but also with the severity of DPN in
      patients with T2DM, irrespective of known risk factors.

PMID- 28893496
TI  - The short-term effects of hot packs vs therapeutic whirlpool on active wrist
      range of motion for patients with distal radius fracture: A randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Blinded randomized controlled trial. INTRODUCTION: It is generally
      accepted that heat is beneficial for improving range of motion (ROM). However,
      the mechanism of action is not clearly understood, and the optimal method of heat
      application has not been established. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To investigate the
      immediate effects of using a moist hot pack (MHP) vs therapeutic whirlpool bath
      (WB) for improving wrist ROM during a therapy session for patients with distal
      radius fracture. METHODS: About 60 adult patients, with a mean age of 54 years in
      the MHP group and 53 years in the WB group, with healed distal radius fracture
      were randomized into 2 groups of 30. Patients in group 1 were placed in an MHP
      for 15 minutes during therapy. Patients in group 2 had their arm placed in a WB
      and were asked to perform active wrist ROM exercises for the same period. This
      occurred for 3 consecutive therapy visits, with wrist and forearm ROM being
      measured before and after heat during each visit. RESULTS: The multivariate
      analysis of variance demonstrated that the canonical variate for ROM was
      significantly different between groups (F[6,53] = 6.01; P < .05), indicating that
      patients in the WB group had a significantly larger increase in ROM than patients
      receiving MHP application. DISCUSSION: Both WB and MHP improved wrist ROM during
      therapy sessions in this study, making both these acceptable options for clinical
      use when the goal is to precondition a patient for other treatments. CONCLUSIONS:
      Individuals who received WB showed a statistically greater increase in wrist ROM
      than those receiving MHP during a therapy session, although the difference
      between groups may or may not be clinically important considering the small
      changes in ROM observed in this study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

PMID- 28893497
TI  - Utilization of whey powder as substrate for low-cost preparation of beta
      galactosidase as main product, and ethanol as by-product, by a litre-scale
      integrated process.
AB  - Whey powder, a by-product of dairy industry, is an attractive raw material for
      value-added products. In this study, utilization of whey powder as substrate for
      low-cost preparation of beta-galactosidase as main product and ethanol as by
      product were investigated by a litre-scale integrated strategy, encompassing
      fermentation, isolation, permeabilization and spray drying. Firstly, through
      development of low-cost industrial culture and fed-batch strategies by
      Kluyveromyces lactis, 119.30U/mL beta-galactosidase activity and 16.96mg/mL by
      product ethanol were achieved. Afterward, an up-dated mathematic model for the
      recycling permeabilization was established successfully and 30.4g cells sediment
      isolated from 5L fermentation broth were permeabilized completely by distilled
      ethanol from broth supernatant. Then beta-galactosidase product with 5.15U/mg
      from protection of gum acacia by spray drying was obtained. Furthermore, by
      product ethanol with 31.08% (v/v) was achieved after permeabilization. Therefore,
      the integrated strategy using whey powder as substrate is a feasible candidate
      for industrial-scale implementation.

PMID- 28893498
TI  - Hydrothermal liquefaction of agricultural and forestry wastes: state-of-the-art
      review and future prospects.
AB  - Hydrothermal liquefaction has been widely applied to obtain bioenergy and high
      value chemicals from biomass in the presence of a solvent at moderate to high
      temperature (200-550 degrees C) and pressure (5-25MPa). This article summarizes
      and discusses the conversion of agricultural and forestry wastes by hydrothermal
      liquefaction. The history and development of hydrothermal liquefaction technology
      for lignocellulosic biomass are briefly introduced. The research status in
      hydrothermal liquefaction of agricultural and forestry wastes is critically
      reviewed, particularly for the effects of liquefaction conditions on bio-oil
      yield and the decomposition mechanisms of main components in biomass. The
      limitations of hydrothermal liquefaction of agricultural and forestry wastes are
      discussed, and future research priorities are proposed.

PMID- 28893499
TI  - Influence of pretreatment techniques on anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper
      mill sludge: A review.
AB  - Pulp and paper industry is one of the most polluting, energy and water intensive
      industries in the world. Produced pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) faces a major
      problem for handling and its management. An anaerobic digestion has become an
      alternative source. This review provides a detailed summary of anaerobic
      digestion of PPMS - An overview of the developments and improvement
      opportunities. This paper explores the different pretreatment methods to enhance
      biogas production from the PPMS. First, the paper gives an overview of PPMS
      production, and then it reviews PPMS as a substrate for anaerobic digestion with
      or without pretreatment. Finally, it discuss the optimal condition and
      concentration of organic and inorganic compounds required for the anaerobic
      metabolic activity. Future research should focus on the combination of different
      pretreatment technologies, relationship between sludge composition, reactor
      design and its operation, and microbial community dynamics.

PMID- 28893500
TI  - Improved production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid by overexpression of 5
      hydroxymethylfurfural oxidase and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural/furfural oxidoreductase
      in Raoultella ornithinolytica BF60.
AB  - 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a promising bio-based building block and can
      be produced by biotransformation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). To improve the
      FDCA production, two genes-one encoding HMF oxidase (HMFO; from Methylovorus sp.
      strain MP688) and another encoding for HMF/Furfural oxidoreductase (HmfH; from
      Cupriavidus basilensis HMF14)-were introduced into Raoultella ornithinolytica
      BF60. The FDCA production in the engineered whole-cell biocatalyst increased from
      51.0 to 93.6mM, and the molar conversion ratio of HMF to FDCA increased from 51.0
      to 93.6%.

PMID- 28893501
TI  - The structure evolution of biochar from biomass pyrolysis and its correlation
      with gas pollutant adsorption performance.
AB  - Biochar is carbon-rich, porous and with a great potential in gas pollutant
      controlling. The physical-chemical structure of biochar is important for the
      application. This paper firstly reviewed the evolution behavior of physical
      chemical structure for biochar during pyrolysis. At lower temperature (<500
      degrees C), biomass firstly transformed to "3D network of benzene rings" with
      abundant functional groups. With temperature increasing (500-700 degrees C), it
      converted to "2D structure of fused rings" with abundant porosity. As temperature
      increasing further (>700 degrees C), it may transit into a "graphite
      microcrystalline structure", the porosity and functional groups were diminished
      correspondingly. The modification of biochar and its application as sorbent for
      gas pollutant were also reviewed. Activation and doping can significantly
      increase the porosity and special functional groups in biochar, which is
      favorable for gas pollutant adsorption. With a higher porosity, the adsorption
      capacity of gas pollutant is bigger, however, the functional groups determined
      the sorption stability of gas pollutant.

PMID- 28893502
TI  - Recent advances in nanoscale-metal assisted biochar derived from waste biomass
      used for heavy metals removal.
AB  - Pollution of heavy metals (HMs) is a detrimental treat to human health and need
      to be cleaned up in a proper way. Biochar (BC), a low-cost and "green" adsorbent,
      has attracted significant attention due to its considerable HMs removal capacity.
      In particular, nano-metals have recently been used to assist BC in improving its
      reactivity, surface texture and magnetism. Synthesis methods and metal precursors
      greatly influence the properties and structures of the nanocomposites, thereby
      affecting their HMs removal performance. This review presents advances in
      synthesis methods, formation mechanisms and surface characteristics of BC
      nanocomposites, along with the discussions on HMs removal mechanisms and the
      effects of environmental factors on HMs removal efficiency. Performance of using
      BC nanocomposites to remediate real HMs-containing wastewater and issues
      associated with its process scale-up are also discussed. This review aims to
      provide useful information to facilitate the development of HMs removal by
      nanoscale-metal assisted BC.

PMID- 28893503
TI  - Biological hydrogen methanation - A review.
AB  - Surplus energy out of fluctuating energy sources like wind and solar energy is
      strongly increasing. Biological hydrogen (H2) methanation (BHM) is a highly
      promising approach to move the type of energy from electricity to natural gas via
      electrolysis and the subsequent step of the Sabatier-reaction. This review
      provides an overview of the numerous studies concerning the topic of BHM. The
      technical and biological parameters regarding the research results of these
      studies are compared and analyzed hereafter. A holistic view on how to overcome
      physical limitations of the fermentation process, such as gas-liquid mass
      transfer or a rise of the pH value, and on the enhancement of environmental
      circumstances for the bacterial biomass are delivered within. With regards to ex
      situ methanation, the evaluated studies show a distinct connection between
      methane production and the methane percentage in the off-gas.

PMID- 28893504
TI  - A review on organic waste to energy systems in India.
AB  - Waste generation is increasing day-by-day with the growth of population which
      directly affects the environment and economy. Organic municipal solid waste (MSW)
      and agriculture sectors contribute towards maximum waste generation in India.
      Thus, management of organic waste is very much essential with the increasing
      demand for energy. The present paper mainly focusses on reviewing waste to energy
      (WtE) potentials, its technologies, and the associated challenges. Different
      substrates are utilized through various technological options in India. Organic
      waste has good potential to attain sustainable energy yields with and without
      affecting the environment. A realistic scenario of WtE technologies and their
      challenges in line with the existing Indian condition is presented in this paper.

PMID- 28893505
TI  - Inactivation and adaptation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing
      bacteria when exposed to free nitrous acid.
AB  - Inactivation and adaptation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite
      oxidizing bacteria (NOB) to free nitrous acid (FNA) was investigated. Batch test
      results showed that AOB and NOB were inactivated when treated with FNA. After an
      85-day operating period, AOB in a continuous pre-denitrification reactor did not
      adapt to the FNA that was applied to treat some of the return activated sludge.
      In contrast, NOB did adapt to FNA. NOB activity in the seed sludge was only 11%
      of the original activity after FNA batch treatment, at 0.75mg HNO2-N/L. NOB
      activity in the pre-denitrification reactor was not affected after being exposed
      to this FNA level. Nitrosomonas was the dominant AOB before and after long-term
      FNA treatment. However, dominant NOB changed from Nitrospira to Candidatus
      Nitrotoga, a novel NOB genus, after long-term FNA treatment. This adaptation of
      NOB to FNA may be due to the shift in NOB population makeup.

PMID- 28893506
TI  - Cytochrome b561, copper, beta-cleaved amyloid precursor protein and niemann-pick
      C1 protein are involved in ascorbate-induced release and membrane penetration of
      heparan sulfate from endosomal S-nitrosylated glypican-1.
AB  - Ascorbate-induced release of heparan sulfate from S-nitrosylated heparan sulfate
      proteoglycan glypican-1 takes place in endosomes. Heparan sulfate penetrates the
      membrane and is transported to the nucleus. This process is dependent on copper
      and on expression and processing of the amyloid precursor protein. It remains
      unclear how exogenously supplied ascorbate can generate HS-anMan in endosomes and
      how passage through the membrane is facilitated. Here we have examined wild-type,
      Alzheimer Tg2576 and amyloid precursor protein (-/-) mouse fibroblasts and human
      fetal and Niemann-Pick C1 fibroblasts by using deconvolution immunofluorescence
      microscopy, siRNA technology and [S35]sulfate-labeling, vesicle isolation and gel
      chromatography. We found that ascorbate-induced release of heparan sulfate was
      dependent on expression of endosomal cytochrome b561. Formation and nuclear
      transport of heparan sulfate was suppressed by inhibition of beta-processing of
      the amyloid precursor protein and formation was restored by copper (I) ions.
      Membrane penetration was not dependent on amyloid beta channel formation.
      Inhibition of endosomal exit resulted in accumulation of heparan sulfate in
      vesicles that exposed the C-terminal of the amyloid precursor protein externally.
      Endosome-to-nucleus transport was also dependent on expression of the Niemann
      Pick C1 protein. We propose that ascorbate is taken up from the medium and is
      oxidized by cytochrome b561 which, in turn, reduces copper (II) to copper (I)
      present in the N-terminal, beta-cleaved domain of the amyloid precursor protein.
      Re-oxidation of copper (I) is coupled to reductive, deaminative release of
      heparan sulfate from glypican-1. Passage through the membrane may be facilitated
      by the C-terminal, beta-cleaved fragment of the amyloid precursor protein and the
      Niemann-Pick C1 protein.

PMID- 28893507
TI  - Race as a predictor of postoperative hospital readmission after spine surgery.
AB  - Hospital readmission after surgery results in a substantial economic burden, and
      several recent studies have investigated the impact of race and ethnicity on
      hospital readmission rates, with the goal to identify hospitals and patients with
      high readmission risk. This single-institution, retrospective cohort study
      assesses the impact of race, along with other risk factors, on 30-day readmission
      rates following spinal surgery. This study is a single-institution retrospective
      cohort study with accrual from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2010. Inclusion
      criteria included adult patients who underwent anterior and/or posterior spinal
      surgery. The primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of patient race
      and other risk factors for postoperative hospital readmission within 30days
      following spine surgery. A total of 1346 patients (654 male, 692 female) were
      included in the study. Overall, 159 patients (11.8%) were readmitted in the
      30days following their surgery. Multivariate logistic regression found
      significant risk factors for 30-day readmission, including Black race (OR: 2.20,
      C.I. 95% (1.04, 4.64)) and total length of stay greater than 7days (OR: 4.73,
      C.I. 95% (1.72, 12.98)). Cervical surgery was associated with decreased odds of
      readmission (OR: 0.27, C.I. 95% (0.08, 0.91)). Our study demonstrates that race
      and length of hospital stay influence the incidence of 30-day readmission rates
      after spinal surgery. Studies such as ours will aid in identifying patients with
      postoperative readmission risk and help elucidate the underlying factors that may
      be contributing to disparities in readmission after surgery.

PMID- 28893508
TI  - Regulation of protein phosphatase 2A during embryonic diapause process in the
      silkworm, Bombyx mori.
AB  - Regulation of protein phosphorylation requires coordinated interactions between
      protein kinases and protein phosphatases. In the present study, we investigated
      regulation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) during the embryonic diapause process
      of B. mori. An immunoblotting analysis showed that Bombyx eggs contained a
      catalytic C subunit, a major regulatory B subunit (B55/PR55 subunit), and a
      structural A subunit, with the A and B subunits undergoing differential changes
      between diapause and non-diapause eggs during embryonic process. In non-diapause
      eggs, eggs whose diapause initiation was prevented by HCl, and eggs in which
      diapause had been terminated by chilling of diapausing eggs at 5 degrees C for
      70days and then were transferred to 25 degrees C, protein levels of the A and B
      subunits of PP2A gradually increased toward embryonic development. However,
      protein levels of the A and B subunits in diapause eggs remained at low levels
      during the first 8days after oviposition. The direct determination of PP2A
      enzymatic activity showed that the activity remained at low levels in diapause
      eggs during the first 8days after oviposition. However, in non-diapause eggs,
      eggs whose diapause initiation was prevented by HCl, and eggs in which diapause
      had been terminated by chilling, PP2A enzymatic activity sharply increased during
      the first several days, reached a peak during the middle embryonic development,
      and then greatly decreased 3 or 4days before hatching. Examination of temporal
      changes in mRNA expression levels of the catalytic beta subunit and regulatory
      subunit of PP2A showed high levels in eggs whose diapause initiation was
      prevented by HCl compared to those in diapause eggs. These results demonstrate
      that the higher PP2A gene expression and PP2A A and B subunit protein levels and
      increased enzymatic activity are related to embryonic development of B. mori.

PMID- 28893509
TI  - Non-thermal plasma induces mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling pathway via
      ROS generation in HeLa cells.
AB  - Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been proposed as a novel therapeutic method for
      anticancer treatment. Although increasing evidence suggests that NTP selectively
      induces apoptosis in some types of tumor cells, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. In this study, we further investigated
      possible molecular mechanisms for NTP-induced apoptosis of HeLa cells. The
      results showed that NTP exposure significantly inhibited the growth and viability
      of HeLa cells. Morphological observation and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated
      that NTP exposure induced HeLa cell apoptosis. NTP exposure also activated
      caspase-9 and caspase-3, which subsequently cleaved poly (ADP- ribose)
      polymerase. Furthermore, NTP exposure suppressed Bcl-2 expression, enhanced Bax
      expression and translocation to mitochondria, activated mitochondria-mediated
      apoptotic pathway, followed by the release of cytochrome c. Further studies
      showed that NTP treatment led to ROS generation, whereas blockade of ROS
      generation by N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC, ROS scavengers) significantly prevented
      NTP-induced mitochondrial alteration and subsequent apoptosis of HeLa cells via
      suppressing Bax translocation, cytochrome c and caspase-3 activation. Taken
      together, our results indicated that NTP exposure induced mitochondria-mediated
      intrinsic apoptosis of HeLa cells was activated by ROS generation. These findings
      provide insights to the therapeutic potential and clinical research of NTP as a
      novel tool in cervical cancer treatment.

PMID- 28893510
TI  - The soluble domains of Gpi8 and Gaa1, two subunits of
      glycosylphosphatidylinositol transamidase (GPI-T), assemble into a complex.
AB  - Glycosylphosphatidylinositol transamidase (GPI-T) catalyzes the post
      translational addition of the GPI anchor to the C-terminus of some proteins. In
      most eukaryotes, Gpi8, the active site subunit of GPI-T, is part of a hetero
      pentameric complex containing Gpi16, Gaa1, Gpi17, and Gab1. Gpi8, Gaa1, and Gpi16
      co-purify as a heterotrimer from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, suggesting that they
      form the core of the GPI-T. Details about the assembly and organization of these
      subunits have been slow to emerge. We have previously shown that the soluble
      domain of S. cerevisiae Gpi8 (Gpi823-306) assembles as a homodimer, similar to
      the caspases with which it shares weak sequence homology (Meitzler, J. L. et al.,
      2007). Here we present the characterization of a complex between the soluble
      domains of Gpi8 and Gaa1. The complex between GST-Gpi823-306 (alpha) and His6
      Gaa150-343 (beta) was characterized by native gel analysis and size exclusion
      chromatography (SEC) and results are most consistent with an alpha2beta2
      stoichiometry. These results demonstrate that Gpi8 and Gaa1 interact specifically
      without a requirement for other subunits, bring us closer to determining the
      stoichiometry of the core subunits of GPI-T, and lend further credence to the
      hypothesis that these three subunits assemble into a dimer of a trimer.

PMID- 28893511
TI  - Near infra red spectroscopy: a tool for solid state characterization.
AB  - Physical characterization of solid form of drug is of paramount importance as its
      biopharmaceutical properties and/or its processing behavior may be altered. Early
      identification and monitoring of solid state transformation is a critical
      requirement for pharmaceutical product development. In combination with
      chemometrics, a non destructive and non invasive technique like NIR is a powerful
      tool for solid state characterization. Main focus of this review is application
      of NIR for qualitative and quantitative analysis of solid forms of drugs and
      excipients. In addition, this review also sheds light on recent advancement in
      NIR, such as NIR chemical imaging and NIR based hyphenated techniques.

PMID- 28893512
TI  - Pulmonary Embolism Presenting as Persistent Hiccups.

PMID- 28893513
TI  - The Joy of Medicine.

PMID- 28893514
TI  - Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Physicians Are Comparable in
      Managing the First Five Years of Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants is a
      possible solution to the shortage of primary care providers in the United States,
      but the quality of care they provide is not well understood. METHODS: Because the
      scope of practice of the 3 provider types is similar in the Veterans Health
      Administration, we determined whether patients managed by primary care nurse
      practitioners, physician assistants, or physicians had similar hemoglobin A1c
      levels at comparable times in the natural history of diabetes. Our retrospective
      cohort study examined veterans with newly diagnosed diabetes in 2008, continuous
      primary care from 2008 to 2012, and more than 75% of primary care visits with
      nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or physician. RESULTS: Of the 19,238
      patients, 95.3% were male, 77.7% were white, and they had a mean age 68.5 years;
      14.7%, 7.1%, and 78.2% of patients were managed by nurse practitioners, physician
      assistants, and physicians, respectively. Median hemoglobin A1c was comparable at
      diagnosis (6.6%, 6.7%, 6.7%, P > .05) and after 4 years (all 6.5%, P > .5).
      Hemoglobin A1c levels at initiation of the first (7.5%-7.6%) and second (8.0%
      8.2%) oral medications for patients of nurse practitioners and physician
      assistants compared with that of physicians was also similar after adjusting for
      patient characteristics (all P > .05). Nurse practitioners started insulin at a
      lower hemoglobin A1c (9.4%) than physicians (9.7%), which remained significant
      after adjustment (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: At diagnosis and during 4 years of
      follow-up, diabetes management by nurse practitioners and physician assistants
      was comparable to management by physicians. The Veterans Health Administration
      model for roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants may be broadly
      useful to help meet the demand for primary care providers in the United States.

PMID- 28893515
TI  - Weaning practices of mothers in eastern Turkey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the practices used by breastfeeding
      mothers to wean their children from the breast. METHOD: This qualitative
      quantitative research was conducted with mothers whose children were registered
      the pediatric clinics of a state hospital between June and September 2016. In
      accordance with a purposeful sampling method, 232 mothers of children between the
      ages of 2 and 5 years were included in the study. Data were collected through
      face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire with demographic characteristics of
      mothers as well as their weaning practices. The data obtained were analyzed with
      a computer-assisted program using number and percentage distributions. RESULTS:
      The mean breastfeeding duration was 19.00+/-7.11 months. It was determined that
      the majority of mothers (56.5%) used traditional methods for weaning their
      children. These included applying substances with a bad taste (58.1%) to their
      breasts, covering their breasts with various materials (26.2%) to make the child
      not want to nurse anymore, and using a pacifier or feeding bottle (9.2%) to
      substitute for the mother's breast. CONCLUSIONS: It was observed that more than
      half of the mothers were used some traditional practices that could cause trauma
      in their children, instead of natural weaning.

PMID- 28893516
TI  - Interleukin-6 is independently associated with right ventricular function in
      pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An elevated serum level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in pulmonary arterial
      hypertension (PAH) patients results in a greater symptom burden and increased
      mortality; however, the mechanisms underlying these observations remain unclear.
      Because both pre-clinical and clinical data associate elevated IL-6 levels with
      impaired cardiac function, we hypothesized that the adverse effects of IL-6 in
      PAH result, in part, from right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. METHODS: We
      analyzed the relationship between IL-6 and RV function in 40 patients with PAH
      identified in our institutional PAH registry. Serum IL-6 levels was quantified by
      enzyme-linked immunoassay. RESULTS: PAH patients had higher IL-6 levels than age-
      and gender-matched controls. Circulating IL-6 levels correlated inversely with
      echocardiography-based measures of RV function and RV-pulmonary artery (RV-PA)
      coupling. When dividing PAH patients by median IL-6 level, patients with higher
      IL-6 had significantly worse RV function (fractional area change [FAC] 23 +/- 12%
      vs 38 +/- 11%, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion [TAPSE] 1.3 +/- 0.3 cm
      vs 2.1 +/- 0.5 cm), impaired RV-PA coupling (0.6 +/- 0.5%/mm Hg vs 0.9 +/-
      0.5%/mm Hg), higher right atrial pressure (13 +/- 7 mm Hg vs 9 +/- 5 mm Hg),
      reduced cardiac index (2.0 +/- 0.5 liters/min/m2 vs 2.8 +/- 1.0 liters/min/m2)
      and lower stroke volume (48 +/- 20 ml vs 70 +/- 28 ml). In contrast, the
      relationships between IL-6 and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), pulmonary
      vascular resistance (PVR) and pulmonary arterial compliance (PAC) were not
      significant. Finally, IL-6 was independently associated with RV function and RV
      PA coupling after adjusting for static (PVR) and pulsatile (PAC) after-load on
      the RV. CONCLUSIONS: Serum IL-6 levels are independently associated with RV
      function and RV-PA coupling in PAH. Patients with higher IL-6 levels have more
      severe RV dysfunction and diminished RV-PA coupling despite a comparable severity
      of pulmonary vascular disease.

PMID- 28893517
TI  - Differential effects of levodopa and apomorphine on neuronal population
      oscillations in the cortico-basal ganglia loop circuit in vivo in experimental
      parkinsonism.
AB  - The current pharmacotherapy of Parkinson's disease (PD) is primarily based on two
      classes of drugs: dopamine precursors, namely levodopa, and dopamine receptor
      agonists, such as apomorphine. Although both types of agents exert their
      beneficial clinical effects on motor and non-motor symptoms in PD via dopamine
      receptors, clinical efficiency and side effects differ substantially between
      levodopa and apomorphine. Levodopa can provide a greater symptomatic relief than
      dopamine receptor agonists. However, because long-term levodopa use is associated
      with early debilitating motor fluctuations, dopamine receptor agonists are often
      recommended in younger patients. The pharmacodynamic basis of these profound
      differences is incompletely understood. It has been hypothesized that levodopa
      and dopamine receptor agonists may have diverging effects on beta and gamma
      oscillations that have been shown to be of importance for the pathophysiology of
      PD. Here, we used electrophysiological recordings in anesthetized dopamine-intact
      and dopamine-depleted rats to systemically compare the impact of levodopa or
      apomorphine on neuronal population oscillations in three nodes of the cortico
      basal ganglia loop circuit. Our results showed that levodopa had a higher potency
      than apomorphine to suppress the abnormal beta oscillations often associated with
      bradykinesia while simultaneously enhancing the gamma oscillations often
      associated with increased movement. Our data suggests that the higher clinical
      efficacy of levodopa as well as some of its side effects, as e.g. dyskinesias may
      be based on its characteristic ability to modulate beta-/gamma-oscillation
      dynamics in the cortico-basal ganglia loop circuit.

PMID- 28893518
TI  - Curative approaches for sickle cell disease: A review of allogeneic and
      autologous strategies.
AB  - Despite sickle cell disease (SCD) first being reported >100years ago and
      molecularly characterized >50years ago, patients continue to experience severe
      morbidity and early mortality. Although there have been substantial clinical
      advances with immunizations, penicillin prophylaxis, hydroxyurea treatment, and
      transfusion therapy, the only cure that can be offered is hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT). In this work, we summarize the various allogeneic
      curative approaches reported to date and discuss open and upcoming clinical
      research protocols. Then we consider gene therapy and gene editing strategies
      that may enable cure based on autologous HSCs.

PMID- 28893519
TI  - Editorial commentary: What can lung transplantation teach us about the mechanisms
      of atrial arrhythmias?

PMID- 28893520
TI  - Chagas diseases: Opportunities for internists.

PMID- 28893521
TI  - Body mass index and all-cause mortality among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

PMID- 28893522
TI  - Systolic blood pressure target in systemic arterial hypertension: Is lower ever
      better? Results from a community-based Caucasian cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extensive evidence exists about the prognostic role of systolic blood
      pressure (SBP) reduction <=140mmHg. Recently, the SPRINT trial successfully
      tested the strategy of lowering SBP<120mmHg in patients with arterial
      hypertension (AH). AIM: To assess whether the SPRINT results are reproducible in
      a real world community population. METHODS: Cross-sectional, population-based
      study analyzing data of 24,537 Caucasian people with AH from the Trieste
      Observatory of CV disease, 2010 to 2015. We selected and divided 2306 subjects
      with AH according to the SPRINT trial criteria; similarly, SPRINT clinical
      outcomes were considered. RESULTS: Study patients median age was 75+/-8years, two
      third male, one third had ischemic heart disease. They were older, with lower
      body mass index, higher SBP and Framingham CV risk score than the SPRINT
      patients. Three-hundred-sixty-eight patients (16%) had SBP<120mmHg. During 48 [36
      60] months of follow-up, 751 patients (32%) experienced a major adverse cardiac
      event (MACE). The SBP <120mmHg group had higher incidence of MACE, CV deaths and
      all-cause death than SBP>=120mmHg group (37% vs 31%; 10% vs 4%; 19% vs 10%, all
      p<0.05). The condition of SBP<120mmHg was an independent predictor of MACE in
      multivariate Cox analysis together with older age, male gender, higher Charlson
      score. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the SBP<120mmHg condition is associated
      with worse clinical outcomes, suggesting the SPRINT results are not reproducible
      tout court in Caucasian community populations. These differences should be taken
      as a warning against aggressive reducing of SBP<120mmHg.

PMID- 28893523
TI  - [Therapeutic innovations in urology for localized prostate cancer].
AB  - The management of localized prostate cancer has been marked over these last years
      by the importance of Active Surveillance for low risk forms. Indeed, the long
      follow-up and the quality of the results are now sufficient to offer this option
      even in relatively young people. However, the question is still under
      investigation concerning intermediate risk of prostate cancer. Patients'
      selection and follow-up management are of very high importance. Another major
      evolution is the robotic assistance for radical prostatectomy. Even if the level
      of evidence is still low, the global utilization all over the world of robotic
      assistance is a major fact of these last years mostly explained by the difficulty
      to correctly perform manual laparoscopic surgical procedure. Lastly, the focal
      therapy of prostate cancer is a new concept. The development of this approach is
      authorized by the improvement of the quality of prostate MRI and the accuracy of
      prostate biopsy. Presently, the focal treatment has to be performed in clinical
      trials or maybe with the help of national database validated by all the actors
      concerned by the treatment of prostate cancer.

PMID- 28893524
TI  - [Hippocampus, brainstem and brain dose-volume constraints for fractionated 3-D
      radiotherapy and for stereotactic radiation therapy: Limits and perspectives].
AB  - Cerebral radiation-induced toxicities after radiotherapy (RT) of brain tumors are
      frequent. The protection of organs at risk (OAR) is crucial, especially for brain
      tumors, to preserve cognition in cancer survivors. Dose constraints of cerebral
      OAR used in conventional RT, radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic radiotherapy
      (SRT) are debated. In fact, they are based on historical cohorts or calculated
      with old mathematical models. Values of alpha/beta ratio of cerebral OAR are also
      controversial leading to misestimate the equivalent dose in 2Gy fractions or the
      biological equivalent dose, especially during hypofractionated RT. Although
      recent progresses in medical imaging, the diagnosis of radionecrosis remains
      difficult. In this article, we propose a large review of dose constraints used
      for three major cerebral OAR: the brain stem, the hippocampus and the brain.

PMID- 28893525
TI  - [Doses to organs at risk in conformational and stereotactic body radiation
      therapy: Liver].
AB  - The liver is an essential organ that ensures many vital functions such as
      metabolism of bilirubin, glucose, lipids, synthesis of coagulation factors,
      destruction of many toxins, etc. The hepatic parenchyma can be irradiated during
      the management of digestive tumors, right basithoracic, esophagus, abdomen in
      toto or TBI. In addition, radiotherapy of the hepatic area, which is mainly
      stereotactic, now occupies a central place in the management of primary or
      secondary hepatic tumors. Irradiation of the whole liver, or part of it, may be
      complicated by radiation-induced hepatitis. It is therefore necessary to respect
      strict dosimetric constraints both in stereotactic and in conformational
      irradiation in order to limit the undesired irradiation of the hepatic parenchyma
      which may vary according to the treatment techniques, the basic hepatic function
      or the lesion size. The liver is an organ with a parallel architecture, so the
      average tolerable dose in the whole liver should be considered rather than the
      maximum tolerable dose at one point. The purpose of this article is to propose a
      development of dose recommendations during conformation or stereotactic
      radiotherapy of the liver.

PMID- 28893526
TI  - Neural correlates of working memory in children and adolescents with agenesis of
      the corpus callosum: An fMRI study.
AB  - The ability to temporarily maintain relevant information in mind in the presence
      of interference or distracting information, also called working memory (WM), is
      critical for higher cognitive functions and cognitive development. In typically
      developing (TD) children, WM is underpinned by a fronto-parietal network of
      interacting left and right brain regions. Developmental absence (agenesis) of the
      corpus callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation resulting from
      disruption of corpus callosum formation. This study aims to investigate
      functional organisation of WM in children and adolescents with AgCC using
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Nine children with AgCC and a
      comparison group of sixteen TD children aged 8-17 years completed an fMRI WM
      paradigm designed to enable investigation of different WM processes, i.e.,
      encoding, maintenance and retrieval. We found that AgCC children recruited
      globally similar brain regions as the TD comparison group during the WM task,
      despite significant disparity in brain development, i.e., bilateral occipito
      frontal activations during verbal encoding, and bilateral fronto-parietal
      executive control network during retrieval. However, compared to their TD peers,
      children with AgCC seemed less able to engage lateralised brain systems
      specialised for particular memory material (i.e. less supramarginal activations
      for verbal material and less fusiform activations for face processing) and
      particular memory process (i.e. absence of right-predominant activations during
      retrieval). Group differences in the pattern of activation might also reflect
      different cognitive strategies to cope with competition in processing resources
      with different susceptibility to concurrent tasks (verbal vs visual), such as
      differential recruitment of associative visual areas and executive prefrontal
      regions in the AgCC compared with the TD group depending on the concurrent task
      completed during maintenance. This study provides a first step towards a better
      understanding of functional brain networks underlying higher cognitive functions
      in children with AgCC.

PMID- 28893527
TI  - Management of premature rupture of membranes at term: the need to correct a
      recurring mistake in articles, chapters, and recommendations of professional
      organizations.
AB  - Recommendations about the management of premature rupture of membranes at term
      are based, in part, on a large, randomized controlled trial published in 1996:
      the TERMPROM trial. The original article contained an error in Table 1, in which
      "Interval from membrane rupture to delivery" was listed instead of "Interval from
      membrane rupture to study entry." While the authors and journal corrected this
      error, the mistake published in the original paper has made its way into
      subsequent publications and even in guidelines or practice bulletins issued by
      professional organizations, textbooks, and other publications around the world.
      The mistake, that half of women with premature rupture of membranes at term who
      were managed expectantly delivered within 5 hours and 95% delivered within 28
      hours of membrane rupture, should be replaced with the actual fact that half of
      women with premature rupture of membranes at term who were managed expectantly
      delivered within 33 hours, and 95% delivered within 94-107 hours of membrane
      rupture. Correcting this error in contemporary health care information and
      publications is important to counsel patients accurately and to optimize the
      clinical care of women with premature rupture of membranes at term.

PMID- 28893528
TI  - Ultrasound estimated fetal weight.

PMID- 28893529
TI  - Passive immunity to control Bovine coronavirus diarrhea in a dairy herd in
      Argentina.
AB  - Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is a viral enteric pathogen associated with calf
      diarrhea worldwide being, in Argentina, mostly detected in dairy husbandry
      systems. The aim of the present work was to study if maternal IgG1 antibodies
      (Abs) to BCoV acquired by colostrum intake modulate the development of BCoV
      infection in calves reared in a dairy farm in Argentina. Thirty Holstein calves
      were monitored during their first 60 days of age. Animals were classified into
      two groups depending on their initial BCoV IgG1 Ab titers. The "failure of
      passive transfer" (FPT) group had significantly lower IgG1 Abs to BCoV than the
      "acceptable passive transfer" (APT) group of calves (log10 1.98 vs. 3.38
      respectively) (p<0.0001). These differences were also observed when the total
      protein levels in both groups were compared (p=0.0081). Moreover, 71% (5/7) of
      calves from the FPT group showed IgG1 seroconversion to BCoV compared to 29.4%
      (5/17) of animals from the APT group. Regarding viral circulation, BCoV was
      detected in 10% (3/30) of all calves and BCoV IgG1 Ab seroconversion was detected
      in 42% of the total animals showing that almost half of the calves were infected
      with BCoV. In conclusion, calves with high titers of specific BCoV IgG1 (>=1024)
      were mostly protected against viral infection, while animals with low titers of
      IgG1 (<1024) were mostly infected with BCoV. IgG1 Abs from colostrum origin are
      critical for prevention of BCoV infection.

PMID- 28893530
TI  - [Combination of phosphorus solubilizing and mobilizing fungi with phosphate rocks
      and volcanic materials to promote plant growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)].
AB  - Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increase the uptake of soluble phosphates,
      while phosphorus solubilizing fungi (S) promote solubilization of insoluble
      phosphates complexes, favoring plant nutrition. Another alternative to
      maintaining crop productivity is to combine minerals and rocks that provide
      nutrients and other desirable properties. The aim of this work was to combine AMF
      and S with pyroclastic materials (ashes and pumices) from Puyehue volcano and
      phosphate rocks (PR) from Rio Chico Group (Chubut) - to formulate a substrate for
      the production of potted Lactuca sativa. A mixture of Terrafertil(r):ashes was
      used as substrate. Penicillium thomii was the solubilizing fungus and Rhizophagus
      intraradices spores (AMF) was the P mobilizer (AEGIS(r) Irriga). The treatments
      were: 1) Substrate; 2) Substrate+AMF; 3) Substrate+S; 4) Substrate+AMF+S; 5)
      Substrate: PR; 6) Substrate: PR+AMF; 7) Substrate: PR+S and 8) Substrate:
      PR+AMF+S. Three replicates were performed per treatment. All parameters evaluated
      (total and assimilable P content in substrate, P in plant tissue and plant dry
      biomass) were significantly higher in plants grown in substrate containing PR and
      inoculas with S and AMF. This work confirms that the combination of S/AMF with
      Puyehue volcanic ashes, PR from the Rio Chico Group and a commercial substrate
      promote the growth of L. sativa, thus increasing the added value of national
      geomaterials.

PMID- 28893531
TI  - A Systematic Review of Plantar Plate Repair in the Management of Lesser
      Metatarsophalangeal Joint Instability.
AB  - The plantar plate is a major structure that maintains metatarsophalangeal joint
      (MTPJ) stability and has only recently gained attention. Anatomic plantar plate
      repair can directly address the pathologic entity, rather than relying on
      indirect reduction of the MTPJ instability by osteotomy or tendon transfer
      techniques. The present report aimed to determine the effectiveness of plantar
      plate repair for the treatment of patients with lesser MTPJ instability.
      Different databases were searched using the guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook
      and recommendations from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and
      Meta-Analysis statement. Six case series, describing 162 patients who had
      undergone plantar plate repair in conjunction with either Weil osteotomy or
      flexor digitorum longus transfer, were retrieved. Favorable outcomes were
      described in each of the studies included in the present systematic review.
      However, these results should be interpreted with caution because of the
      methodologic limitations and biases inherent in the included studies. More
      rigorous clinical investigations are required to fully understand the
      effectiveness of plantar plate repair for the management of lesser MTPJ
      instability.

PMID- 28893532
TI  - Passport to pathology: transforming the medical student pathology elective from a
      passive educational experience to an exciting, immersive clinical rotation.

PMID- 28893533
TI  - Capturing Structural Heterogeneity in Chromatin Fibers.
AB  - Chromatin fiber organization is implicated in processes such as transcription,
      DNA repair and chromosome segregation, but how nucleosomes interact to form
      higher-order structure remains poorly understood. We solved two crystal
      structures of tetranucleosomes with approximately 11-bp DNA linker length at 5.8
      and 6.7 A resolution. Minimal intramolecular nucleosome-nucleosome interactions
      result in a fiber model resembling a flat ribbon that is compatible with a two
      start helical architecture, and that exposes histone and DNA surfaces to the
      environment. The differences in the two structures combined with electron
      microscopy reveal heterogeneous structural states, and we used site-specific
      chemical crosslinking to assess the diversity of nucleosome-nucleosome
      interactions through identification of structure-sensitive crosslink sites that
      provide a means to characterize fibers in solution. The chromatin fiber
      architectures observed here provide a basis for understanding heterogeneous
      chromatin higher-order structures as they occur in a genomic context.

PMID- 28893534
TI  - Solution Structure of the N-Terminal Domain of Mediator Subunit MED26 and
      Molecular Characterization of Its Interaction with EAF1 and TAF7.
AB  - MED26 is a subunit of Mediator, a large complex central to the regulation of gene
      transcription by RNA Polymerase II. MED26 plays a role in the switch between the
      initiation and elongation phases of RNA Polymerase II-mediated transcription
      process. Regulation of these steps requires successive binding of MED26 N
      terminal domain (NTD) to TATA-binding protein-associated factor 7 (TAF7) and
      Eleven-nineteen lysine-rich in leukemia-Associated Factor 1 (EAF1). In order to
      investigate the mechanism of regulation by MED26, MED26-NTD structure was solved
      by NMR, revealing a 4-helix bundle. EAF1 (239-268) and TAF7 (205-235) peptide
      interactions were both mapped to the same groove formed by H3 and H4 helices of
      MED26-NTD. Both interactions are characterized by dissociation constants in the
      10-MUM range. Further experiments revealed a folding-upon-binding mechanism that
      leads to the formation of EAF1 (N247-S260) and TAF7 (L214-S227) helices. Chemical
      shift perturbations and nuclear Overhauser enhancement contacts support the
      involvement of residues I222/F223 in anchoring TAF7 helix to a hydrophobic pocket
      of MED26-NTD, including residues L48, W80 and I84. In addition, Ala mutations of
      charged residues located in the C-terminal disordered part of TAF7 and EAF1
      peptides affected the binding, with a loss of affinity characterized by a 10-time
      increase of dissociation constants. A structural model of MED26-NTD/TAF7 complex
      shows bi-partite components, combining ordered and disordered segments, as well
      as hydrophobic and electrostatic contributions to the binding. This study
      provides molecular detail that will help to decipher the mechanistic basis for
      the initiation to elongation switch-function mediated by MED26-NTD.

PMID- 28893535
TI  - Down-regulate of Djrfc2 causes tissues hypertrophy during planarian regeneration.
AB  - Planarians are an ideal model organism for regeneration research due to their
      amazing ability to regenerate. DNA replication is crucial for genome stability.
      Replication factor C (RFC), which is a replication factor C-like complex and
      plays an important role during DNA replication in eukaryotes, has been reported
      as a wound response factor during planarian regeneration. However, how RFC
      controls regeneration in planarians by regulating DNA replication remains to be
      explained. Here, we used a two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) proteomic
      approach to identify differentially expressed proteins in intact and regenerated
      planarians. Approximately 132 protein spots showed differences between intact and
      regenerative tissues. We selected 21 significantly expressed protein spots and
      processed them using TOF MS analysis. Finally, we cloned three of these candidate
      genes (Djhsp70, Djrfc2, Djfaim), focusing on the function of Djrfc2 during
      regeneration. We found that the distribution of Djrfc2 tends toward the wound
      site. RNA interference (RNAi) of Djrfc2 increases the number of dividing cells
      and the expression level of planarian neoblast marker genes, which may result in
      hyper-proliferation. Our studies use an available approach to directly study the
      regeneration dynamic at the protein level and provide further evidence to support
      a function of Djrfc2 in planarian regeneration.

PMID- 28893536
TI  - CREPT regulated by miR-138 promotes breast cancer progression.
AB  - CREPT (also known as RPRD1B) function as an oncogene and is highly expressed in
      several kinds of cancers. However, the distribution and clinical significance of
      CREPT in breast cancer (BC) still not clarified. In this study, we found that the
      CREPT expression is greatly upregulated in BC tissues and cell lines. Moreover,
      the CREPT expression was significantly associated with tumor differentiation and
      metastasis. Next, the functional assay of CREPT showed that CREPT could promote
      BC proliferation and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter
      assay indicated that miR-138 regulated the expression of CREPT by binding to its
      3'-UTR. miR-138 is downregulated and inversely correlated with CREPT expression
      in BCs. Overexpression of miR-138 suppressed tumor growth and invasion, these
      effects could be reversed by re-expressing CREPT. Mechanistically, CREPT
      regulated beta-catenin/TCF4/cyclin D1 pathway in BC. In conclusion, the data
      suggested that miR-138/CREPT involved BC progression, providing potential
      therapeutic targets for BC.

PMID- 28893537
TI  - Cytoplasmic transfer of heritable elements other than mtDNA from SAMP1 mice into
      mouse tumor cells suppresses their ability to form tumors in C57BL6 mice.
AB  - In a previous study, we generated transmitochondrial P29mtSAMP1 cybrids, which
      had nuclear DNA from the C57BL6 (referred to as B6) mouse strain-derived P29
      tumor cells and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) exogenously-transferred from the
      allogeneic strain SAMP1. Because P29mtSAMP1 cybrids did not form tumors in
      syngeneic B6 mice, we proposed that allogeneic SAMP1 mtDNA suppressed tumor
      formation of P29mtSAMP1 cybrids. To test this hypothesis, current study generated
      P29mt(sp)B6 cybrids carrying all genomes (nuclear DNA and mtDNA) from syngeneic
      B6 mice by eliminating SAMP1 mtDNA from P29mtSAMP1 cybrids and reintroducing B6
      mtDNA. However, the P29mt(sp)B6 cybrids did not form tumors in B6 mice, even
      though they had no SAMP1 mtDNA, suggesting that SAMP1 mtDNA is not involved in
      tumor suppression. Then, we examined another possibility of whether SAMP1 mtDNA
      fragments potentially integrated into the nuclear DNA of P29mtSAMP1 cybrids are
      responsible for tumor suppression. We generated P29H(sp)B6 cybrids by eliminating
      nuclear DNA from P29mt(sp)B6 cybrids and reintroducing nuclear DNA with no
      integrated SAMP1 mtDNA fragment from mtDNA-less P29 cells resistant to hygromycin
      in selection medium containing hygromycin. However, the P29H(sp)B6 cybrids did
      not form tumors in B6 mice, even though they carried neither SAMP1 mtDNA nor
      nuclear DNA with integrated SAMP1 mtDNA fragments. Moreover, overproduction of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and bacterial infection were not involved in tumor
      suppression. These observations suggest that tumor suppression was caused not by
      mtDNA with polymorphic mutations or infection of cytozoic bacteria but by
      hypothetical heritable cytoplasmic elements other than mtDNA from SAMP1 mice.

PMID- 28893538
TI  - Indispensable role of lipoprotein bound-ApoE in adipogenesis and endocytosis
      induced by postprandial TRL.
AB  - Diet-associated obesity is coexisted with postprandial hypertriglyceridemia that
      indicates increased number of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRL). This study
      aimed to investigate the effect of postprandial TRL-bound apolipoprotein E (ApoE)
      on adipogenesis and potential mechanisms. 3T3-L1 cells were cultured with (i)
      human TRL (h-TRL) with or without insulin, or (ii) TRL from wild type mice (WT
      TRL) or ApoE knock-out mice (EKO-TRL) and insulin. The differentiating adipocytes
      were incubated with different kinds of TRL labeled by red fluorescence and
      confocal microscopy was performed. Receptor associated protein (RAP), heparin or
      both were added to inhibit low density lipoprotein receptor family receptors,
      heparan sulfate proteoglycan or both, respectively. With the aid of insulin,
      postprandial h-TRL or WT-TRL, instead of EKO-TRL, successfully induced
      adipogenesis. Confocal microscopy revealed red fluorescence in the
      differentiating adipocytes treated with h-TRL or WT-TRL, but not with EKO-TRL.
      RAP markedly reduced red fluorescence within the differentiating adipocytes,
      while heparin had little impact. The low density lipoprotein receptor related
      protein 1 protein showed upward trend with the increase of TRL concentrations.
      Taken together, lipoprotein-bound ApoE was required in both postprandial TRL
      induced adipogenesis and TRL endocytosis by the differentiating adipocytes, the
      latter could be partially through low density lipoprotein receptor family
      dependent-pathway.

PMID- 28893539
TI  - Functional analysis of a SOX10 gene mutation associated with Waardenburg syndrome
      II.
AB  - Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is an autosomal dominant inherited non-syndromic type
      of hereditary hearing loss characterized by varying combinations of sensorineural
      hearing loss and abnormal pigmentation of the hair, skin, and inner ear. WS is
      classified into four subtypes (WS1-WS4) based on additional symptoms. WS2 is
      characterized by the absence of additional symptoms. Recently, we identified a
      SOX10 missense mutation c.422T > C (p.L141P) associated with WS2. We performed
      functional assays and found the mutant loses DNA-binding capacity, shows aberrant
      cytoplasmic and nuclear localization, and fails to interact with PAX3. Therefore,
      the mutant cannot transactivate the MITF promoter effectively, inhibiting melanin
      synthesis and leading to WS2. Our study confirmed haploinsufficiency as the
      underlying pathogenesis for WS2.

PMID- 28893540
TI  - The Use of Antibiotics in Odontogenic Infections: What Is the Best Choice? A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Odontogenic infections are a common problem in dentistry, and their
      treatment often requires the use of antibiotics besides the removal of the source
      of infection, which frequently makes it more difficult for clinicians to make a
      decision regarding the choice of antibiotic. This study aimed to answer the
      following questions through the Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO)
      format: When should antibiotics be used in dental infections (DIs)? Which are the
      most effective drugs? How long should antibiotics be administered? MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a systematic review using the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane
      databases without restriction as to the period researched. The variables analyzed
      in each article were the number of odontogenic infections in each study, type of
      study, surgical intervention performed, antibiotics administered, statistical
      differences between groups studied, and patients' evolution after treatment.
      RESULTS: The search included 1,109 articles. After the full reading of 46
      articles, 16 were included in the final review and 30 were excluded. A sample of
      2,197 DI cases was obtained, in which 15 different antibiotics were used, with a
      98.2% overall cure rate. CONCLUSIONS: The studies showed that antibiotics were
      prescribed only in situations of regional and/or systemic body manifestations. In
      the case of DIs, once drainage has been performed and/or the cause of infection
      has been removed, all antibiotics tested are equally effective with respect to
      clinical cure, and the choice of antibiotics is not as successful as the local
      intervention treatment procedure. When the real need for antibiotic therapy is
      detected, antibiotics should be used for the shortest time possible until the
      patient's clinical cure is achieved.

PMID- 28893541
TI  - Nanomechanical Assessment of Bone Surrounding Implants Loaded for 3 Years in a
      Canine Experimental Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: This work evaluated the nanomechanical properties of bone surrounding
      submerged and immediately loaded implants after 3 years in vivo. It was
      hypothesized that the nanomechanical properties of bone would markedly increase
      in immediately and functionally loaded implants compared with submerged implants.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The second, third, and fourth right premolars and the
      first molar of 10 adult Doberman dogs were extracted. After 6 months, 4 implants
      were placed in 1 side of the mandible. The mesial implant received a cover screw
      and remained unloaded. The remaining 3 implants received fixed dental prostheses
      within 48 hours after surgery that remained in occlusal function for 3 years.
      After sacrifice, the bone was prepared for histologic and nanoindentation
      analysis. Nanoindentation was carried out under wet conditions on bone areas
      within the plateaus. Indentations (n = 30 per histologic section) were performed
      with a maximum load of 300 MUN (loading rate, 60 MUN per second) followed by a
      holding and unloading time of 10 and 2 seconds, respectively. Elastic modulus (E)
      and hardness (H) were computed in giga-pascals. The amount of bone-to-implant
      contact (BIC) also was evaluated. RESULTS: The E and H values for cortical bone
      regions were higher than those for trabecular bone regardless of load condition,
      but this difference was not statistically significant (P > .05). The E and H
      values were higher for loaded implants than for submerged implants (P < .05) for
      cortical and trabecular bone. For the same load condition, the E and H values for
      cortical and trabecular bone were not statistically different (P > .05). The
      loaded and submerged implants presented BIC values (mean +/- standard deviation)
      of 57.4 +/- 12.1% and 62 +/- 7.5%, respectively (P > .05). CONCLUSION: The E and
      H values of bone surrounding dental implants, measured by nanoindentation, were
      higher for immediately loaded than for submerged implants.

PMID- 28893542
TI  - Application of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis to the Analysis of
      Bacterial Communities Associated With Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Pericoronitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to investigate
      the bacterial communities associated with asymptomatic and symptomatic
      pericoronitis. The aim of the study was to compare the fingerprinting patterns of
      these 2 clinical conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The microbiota of mandibular
      third molar pockets associated with asymptomatic or symptomatic pericoronitis
      cases were collected and profiled by the polymerase chain reaction DGGE method.
      Banding patterns were compared by cluster analysis techniques. RESULTS: Thirteen
      symptomatic pericoronitis and 7 asymptomatic pericoronitis samples were
      collected. Comparative analysis of the 2 clinical conditions showed bands that
      were common to the symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, but most DGGE bands
      appeared to be unique to the clinical condition. No single band occurred in all
      profiles. The mean number of bands detected in the 16S rDNA community profiles
      was 23.8 +/- 4.2 (range, 19 to 34) for samples from symptomatic cases and 24.1 +/
      2.4 (range, 21 to 29) for those from asymptomatic cases. Cluster analysis and
      multidimensional scaling analysis of the DGGE banding pattern showed a
      distinction in the similarity of banding patterns according to the presence or
      absence of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the diversity of
      pericoronal pocket microbiota in asymptomatic pericoronitis cases differs
      markedly from that of symptomatic cases.

PMID- 28893543
TI  - Effect of Piezoelectric Sutural Ostectomies on Accelerated Bone-Borne Sutural
      Expansion.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study investigated the effect of piezoelectric sutural
      ostectomies on accelerated bone-borne sutural expansion. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Sixteen male New Zealand white rabbits (20 to 24 weeks old) were randomly divided
      into 4 experimental groups (n = 4): group 1, conventional rapid sutural
      expansion; group 2, accelerated sutural expansion; group 3, accelerated sutural
      expansion with continuous ostectomy; and group 4, accelerated sutural expansion
      with discontinuous ostectomy. All sutural ostectomies were performed using a
      piezoelectric instrument (Woodpecker DTE, DS-II, Guangxi, China) before expander
      application with the rabbits under anesthesia. Modified hyrax expanders were
      placed across the midsagittal sutures of the rabbits and secured with miniscrew
      implants located bilaterally in the frontal bone. The hyrax expanders were
      activated 0.5 mm/day for 12 days (group 1) or with a 2.5-mm initial expansion,
      followed by 0.5 mm/day for 7 days (groups 2 to 4). After 6 weeks of retention,
      the bone volume fraction, sutural separation, and new bone formation were
      evaluated using micro-computed tomography and histomorphometry. Statistical
      analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests and
      Spearman's rho correlation (P < .05). RESULTS: Ranking of the median sutural
      separation was as follows: group 1, 3.05 mm; group 2, 3.97 mm; group 4, 4.78 mm;
      and group 3, 5.66 mm. The least and most bone formation were observed in groups 1
      (63.63%) and 3 (75.93%), respectively. Spearman's correlation showed a strong,
      positive, and significant correlation (r = 0.932; P < .01) between the new
      sutural bone formation and amount of sutural separation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Piezoelectric sutural ostectomies increased the rate of sutural separation and
      promoted new sutural bone formation/osteogenesis. Continuous ostectomy gave
      better results than discontinuous ostectomy.

PMID- 28893544
TI  - Myxofibrosarcoma in Head and Neck: Case Report of Unusually Aggressive
      Presentation.
AB  - Myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) is a malignant fibroblastic tumor that primarily affects
      the lower and upper extremities. It is usually described as a slow-growing tumor
      with high recurrence rates but low metastatic potential. The reported incidence
      of head and neck MFS is 2 to 4% and rarely presents with distant metastases. This
      report describes a case of maxillary MFS in a 72-year-old woman whose disease
      progression followed an atypical course with an extremely rapid rate of growth
      and early pulmonary and central nervous system lesions. The pulmonary symptoms at
      initial presentation made a final diagnosis a challenge. Various diagnostic
      modalities and multidisciplinary collaboration were required. The disease course
      and management are outlined. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of
      MFS originating in the maxillary alveolus with multiple metastases, including the
      brain and lungs, in the early course of the disease.

PMID- 28893545
TI  - Neer Award 2017: wear rates of 32-mm and 40-mm glenospheres in a reverse total
      shoulder arthroplasty wear simulation model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Larger glenosphere diameters have been used recently to increase
      prosthesis stability and impingement-free range of motion in reverse total
      shoulder arthroplasty. The goal of this study was to evaluate the rate of
      polyethylene wear for 32-mm and 40-mm glenospheres. METHODS: Glenospheres (32 mm
      and 40 mm, n = 6/group) and conventional polyethylene humeral liners underwent a
      5-million cycle (MC) wear simulation protocol. Abduction-adduction and flexion
      extension motion profiles were alternated every 250,000 cycles. At each interval,
      mass loss was determined and converted to volume loss and wear rate. At 0, 2.5
      MC, and 5 MC, liners were imaged using micro-computed tomography to determine
      surface deviation. White light interferometry was performed on liners and
      glenospheres at 0 and 5 MC to quantify surface roughness. Wear particle
      morphology was characterized by environmental scanning electron microscopy.
      RESULTS: Total volume loss was significantly higher in 40-mm liners from 1.5 MC
      onward (P < .05). Overall, volumetric wear rate was significantly higher in 40-mm
      liners compared with 32-mm glenospheres (81.7 +/- 23.9 mm3/MC vs. 68.0 +/- 18.9
      mm3/MC; P < .001). However, micro-computed tomography surface deviation results
      demonstrated increased linear penetration on 32-mm glenospheres compared with 40
      mm glenospheres (0.36 +/- 0.03 um vs. 0.28 +/- 0.01 um; P = .002). Surface
      roughness measurements showed no difference for liners; however, increased
      roughness was noted for 40-mm glenospheres at 5 MC compared with 32 mm (P < .05).
      CONCLUSION: Larger glenospheres underwent significantly greater polyethylene
      volume loss and volumetric wear rates, whereas smaller glenospheres underwent
      greater polyethylene surface deviations. The enhanced stability provided by
      larger glenospheres must be weighed against the potential for increased
      polyethylene wear.

PMID- 28893546
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging versus ultrasound for the
      detection of symptomatic full-thickness supraspinatus tendon tears.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the value of magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound-based imaging strategies in the evaluation
      of a hypothetical population with a symptomatic full-thickness supraspinatus
      tendon (FTST) tear using formal cost-effectiveness analysis. METHODS: A decision
      analytic model from the health care system perspective for 60-year-old patients
      with symptoms secondary to a suspected FTST tear was used to evaluate the
      incremental cost-effectiveness of 3 imaging strategies during a 2-year time
      horizon: MRI, ultrasound, and ultrasound followed by MRI. Comprehensive
      literature search and expert opinion provided data on cost, probability, and
      quality of life estimates. The primary effectiveness outcome was quality-adjusted
      life-years (QALYs) through 2 years, with a willingness-to-pay threshold set to
      $100,000/QALY gained (2016 U.S. dollars). Costs and health benefits were
      discounted at 3%. RESULTS: Ultrasound was the least costly strategy ($1385). MRI
      was the most effective (1.332 QALYs). Ultrasound was the most cost-effective
      strategy but was not dominant. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for MRI
      was $22,756/QALY gained, below the willingness-to-pay threshold. Two-way
      sensitivity analysis demonstrated that MRI was favored over the other imaging
      strategies over a wide range of reasonable costs. In probabilistic sensitivity
      analysis, MRI was the preferred imaging strategy in 78% of the simulations.
      CONCLUSION: MRI and ultrasound represent cost-effective imaging options for
      evaluation of the patient thought to have a symptomatic FTST tear. The results
      indicate that MRI is the preferred strategy based on cost-effectiveness criteria,
      although the decision between MRI and ultrasound for an imaging center is likely
      to be dependent on additional factors, such as available resources and workflow.

PMID- 28893547
TI  - 17beta-Estradiol modulates cell proliferation of medullary cords during ovarian
      differentiation of the Lepidochelys olivacea sea turtle.
AB  - In turtles undergoing temperature sex determination (TSD), bipotential gonads
      express Sox9 in medullary cords at both female- (FPT) and male-producing
      temperatures (MPT). Subsequently, when the sex fate of medullary cords becomes
      dimorphic, at FPT, Sox9 is downregulated, whereas at MPT, its expression is
      maintained. Medullary cords in the ovary turn into ovarian lacuna, whereas in the
      testis they differentiate as seminiferous cords. When embryos of Lepidochelys
      olivacea sea turtle are incubated at MPT and treated with estradiol, Sox9
      expression persists in the medullary cords in the form of tiny ovotestis-like
      formations. The perturbed development of the treated gonads is due to a
      significant decrease in the number of proliferating cells. This suggests that the
      disturbed effect caused by exogenous estradiol may be due to a conflict between
      the gene networks regulated by temperature and the increased level of endogenous
      estrogens, induced by the treatment. Here, we decided to use fadrozole and
      fulvestrant, an aromatase inhibitor and an estrogen-receptor antagonist,
      respectively, to provide insights into the role played by endogenous estrogens in
      regulating the cell proliferation of the two main gonadal compartments: the
      medullary cords and the cortex. Comparing cell proliferation patterns, our
      current results suggest that the endogenous estrogens are involved in determining
      the sex fate of medullary cords, by repressing proliferation. Interestingly, our
      results showed that endogenous estradiol levels are unnecessary for the
      thickening of the ovarian cortex.

PMID- 28893548
TI  - Meeting the HIV Prevention Needs of Older Adults.

PMID- 28893549
TI  - Continuous optimization of cardiac resynchronization therapy reduces atrial
      fibrillation in heart failure patients: Results of the Adaptive Cardiac
      Resynchronization Therapy Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data from randomized trials have suggested a modest or no effect of
      conventional cardiac resynchronization therapy (convCRT) on the incidence of
      atrial fibrillation (AF). AdaptivCRT (aCRT, Medtronic, Mounds View, MN) is a
      recently described algorithm for synchronized left ventricular (LV) pacing and
      continuous optimization of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). OBJECTIVE: We
      compared the long-term effects of aCRT with convCRT pacing on the incidence of
      AF. METHODS: The Adaptive CRT trial randomized CRT-defibrillator (CRT-D)
      indicated patients (2:1) to receive either aCRT or convCRT pacing. The aCRT
      algorithm evaluates intrinsic conduction every minute, providing LV-only pacing
      during normal atrioventricular (AV) conduction and AV and ventriculoventricular
      timing adjustments during prolonged AV conduction. The primary outcome of this
      subanalysis was an episode of AF >48 consecutive hours as detected by device
      diagnostics. RESULTS: Over a follow-up period with a mean and standard deviation
      of 20.2 +/- 5.9 months, 8.7% of patients with aCRT and 16.2% with convCRT
      experienced the primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.54; 95% confidence
      interval [CI] = 0.31-0.93; P = .03). In patients with prolonged baseline AV, the
      incidence of the primary outcome was 12.8% in patients randomized to aCRT
      compared with 27.4% in convCRT patients (HR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.24-0.85; P = .01).
      Also, patients with AF episodes adjudicated as clinical adverse events were less
      common with aCRT (4.3%) than with convCRT (12.7%) (HR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.19-0.79;
      P = .01). CONCLUSION: Patients receiving aCRT had a reduced risk of AF compared
      with those receiving convCRT. Most of the reduction in AF occurred in subgroups
      with prolonged AV conduction at baseline and with significant left atrial reverse
      remodeling.

PMID- 28893550
TI  - Specificity of two HIV screening tests detecting simultaneously HIV-1 p24 antigen
      and antibodies to HIV-1 and -2.
AB  - This study aimed at assessing the specificity of the Elecsys(r) HIV combi PT in
      comparison to the ARCHITECT(r) HIV Ag/Ab Combo. With both of these assays, 3997
      unselected sera from patients of a tertiary health care centre in Basel,
      Switzerland, were screened for HIV. Reactive sera were reanalysed on the VIDAS(r)
      HIV Duo Ultra to identify false-reactive specimens prior to confirmation by
      quantitative PCR and line immunoassay. The Elecsys(r) compared to the
      ARCHITECT(r) shows a similar specificity (99.7% versus 99.8%) but a slightly
      lower positive predictive value (71.8% versus 80%). Samples tested with a cut-off
      index (COI) between 0.91 and 4.85 (cut-off <0.9) with the Elecsys(r) and with a
      signal to cut-off index (S/CO) between 1.09 and 12.49 (cut-off <1.0) with the
      ARCHITECT(r) were false-reactive. There was no false-reactive result with the
      VIDAS(r). Of the false-reactive samples, 66.7% could be related to patient
      specific underlying conditions. The HIV two-tiered diagnostic algorithm proposed
      in this work improved the positive predictive values of the Elecsys(r) or
      ARCHITECT(r) to 100% when the results of the VIDAS(r) were included. Values just
      above the cut-off are highly suspicious to be false-reactive and high COI or S/CO
      ratios are associated with true positivity.

PMID- 28893552
TI  - Applicability of the grip strength and automated von Frey tactile sensitivity
      tests in the mouse photothrombotic model of stroke.
AB  - Improvement of impaired neurological function(s) is a primary endpoint in
      experimental stroke recovery studies, making the choice and nature of the
      functional tests crucial for proper execution and interpretation of such studies.
      Currently, there are a limited number of neurological tests which reliably
      evaluate functional deficit in mice over a long period of time after stroke. In
      this study, we evaluated the applicability of forepaw grip strength and automated
      von Frey tactile sensitivity tests to assess forelimb dysfunction in mice
      following photothrombosis in the sensorimotor cortex, and compared them with two
      well-established tests, grid-walking and cylinder, for up to 21days after stroke.
      Our results indicate that the length of time required to conduct the two new
      tests is comparable to that of the grid-walking and cylinder tests, however the
      data from the new tests is obtained and ready for analysis upon completion of the
      testing session. In addition, our observations indicate that the automated von
      Frey test detected substantial and sustained deficit in the withdrawal threshold
      of the mice on all evaluation days after stroke, whereas the forepaw grip
      strength test was only marginally sensitive to document functional impairment.
      Our data demonstrate that the automated von Frey tactile sensitivity test is a
      time efficient and sensitive method which can be used together with other
      established tests to evaluate long-term functional outcome in the mouse
      photothrombotic stroke model.

PMID- 28893551
TI  - Targeting and isolation of cancer cells using micro/nanomotors.
AB  - Micro/nanomotors distinguish themselves with in situ energy conversion capability
      for autonomous movement, a feature that confers remarkable potential to improve
      cancer treatment. In this review article, three areas are highlighted where
      micro/nanomotors have established themselves with unique contributions, including
      propelled navigation to promote cancer cell targeting, powered cell membrane
      penetration to enhance intracellular delivery, and steered isolation of
      circulating tumor cells for detection. Progress made in these areas has offered
      promising inspiration and opportunities aimed for enhancing the efficiency and
      precision of drug targeting to cancer cells, improving the capability of
      delivering anticancer drug into cytoplasm for bioactivity, and enabling more
      rapid and sensitive cancer cell detection. Herein, we review each area with
      highlights of the current and forthcoming micro/nanomotor techniques in advancing
      cancer diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 28893553
TI  - Caffeine has no effect on eyeblink conditioning in mice.
AB  - Caffeine is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. In the brain,
      caffeine acts as an antagonist for the adenosine A1 and A2B receptors. Since A1
      receptors are highly concentrated in the cortex of the cerebellum, we
      hypothesized that caffeine could potentially affect learning tasks that require
      the cerebellar cortex, such as eyeblink conditioning. To test this hypothesis, we
      examined the effect of low (5mg/kg) and high (50mg/kg) doses of caffeine,
      injected intraperitoneally before training, on eyeblink conditioning in mice. The
      results show that, at the dosages we used, caffeine affects neither the rate of
      acquisition, nor the timing of the onset or peak of the conditioned blink
      responses. Therefore, we conclude that caffeine neither improves nor worsens
      performance on eyeblink conditioning.

PMID- 28893554
TI  - Functional gait analysis in a spinal contusion rat model.
AB  - Evaluating functional performance of spinal cord injury (SCI) rat models is
      essential for the development of novel treatments and breakthroughs. However, due
      to the variety of functional analysis methods available - each with its own
      strengths and weaknesses - it can be challenging to choose the most appropriate
      functional analysis test for the animal model. Therefore, we analyzed the
      strengths and weaknesses of five methods in order to determine which test is not
      only accurate and easily reproducible, but also relatively inexpensive so that it
      can be adopted universally. When comparing the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan
      (BBB) test, Ladder walking test, CatWalk test, Rotating Rod test, Microsoft
      Kinect system and VICON, we used the criteria of sensitivity, quality of data
      generated, statistical analysis of data, and rate of human error. These specific
      tests were chosen in order to compare the advantages and disadvantages of simple
      yet effective methods (BBB, Ladder test, and Rotating Rod test) to more complex
      and computerized methods (Catwalk, Microsoft Kinect and VICON).

PMID- 28893555
TI  - Pacing stereotypies in laboratory rhesus macaques: Implications for animal
      welfare and the validity of neuroscientific findings.
AB  - Stereotypic behaviours are commonly observed in captive animals and are usually
      interpreted as a sign of poor welfare. Stereotypies have also been linked with
      brain abnormalities. However, stereotypies are a heterogeneous class of
      behaviours and mounting evidence indicates that different stereotypies can have
      different causes, and can be linked to different affective states. As a
      consequence, the implications of a specific stereotypy in a specific species
      cannot be safely inferred from evidence on other stereotypies or species. Here we
      review what is known about pacing behaviour in laboratory rhesus macaques, a
      common stereotypy in this species. Our review highlights the current lack of
      understanding of the causal factors underlying pacing behaviour. According to
      current knowledge, the welfare of pacing macaques could be either better, worse
      or equivalent to that of non-pacing individuals. It is also unclear whether
      pacing results from brain abnormalities. Since rhesus macaques are widely used as
      a model of healthy humans in neuroscience research, determining if pacing
      behaviour reflects an abnormal brain and/or poor welfare is urgent.

PMID- 28893556
TI  - The ILK-MMP9-MRTF axis is crucial for EndMT differentiation of endothelial cells
      in a tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Increasing evidence indicates that the tumor microenvironment is a critical
      factor supporting cancer progression, chemoresistance and metastasis. Recently,
      cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been recognized as a crucial tumor
      stromal component promoting cancer growth and invasiveness via modulation of the
      extracellular matrix (ECM) structure, tumor metabolism and immune reprogramming.
      One of the main sources of CAFs are endothelial cells undergoing the endothelial
      mesenchymal transition (EndMT). EndMT is mainly promoted by the Transforming
      Growth Factor-beta (TGF-beta) family secreted by tumor cells, though the role of
      particular members in EndMT regulation remains poorly understood. Our findings
      demonstrate that TGF-beta2 induces mesenchymal transdifferentiation of human
      microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1 cells) to CAF-like cells in association
      with elongated cell morphology, modulation of stress fiber organization, higher
      alpha-SMA protein levels and activation of RhoA and Rac-1 pathways. Such
      regulation is similar to that observed in cells maintained using conditioned
      medium from invasive colorectal cancer cell line culture. Furthermore, TGF-beta2
      stimulation resulted in myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF) activation
      and upregulation. Our results demonstrate for the first time that such
      interaction is sufficient for integrin-linked kinase (ILK) overexpression. ILK
      upregulation also enhanced MRTF activation via RhoA and Rac-1-MMP9 via inside-out
      integrin activation. Herein, we propose a new ILK-MMP9-MRTF axis that appears to
      be critical for EndMT differentiation of endothelial to CAF-like cells. Thus, it
      might be an attractive target for cancer treatment.

PMID- 28893557
TI  - Transcription factor CUX1 is required for intestinal epithelial wound healing and
      targets the VAV2-RAC1 Signalling complex.
AB  - Intestinal epithelial cells form a protective barrier in limiting gut luminal
      content potentially harmful to the host. Upon gut epithelium injury, several
      signals instruct epithelial cells to undergo a rapid healing process. Defects in
      this process induce inflammatory responses and can further evolve into chronic
      gut inflammatory diseases. We previously identified the transcription factor CUX1
      as crucial for protecting against experimental colitis in mice. However, the
      precise molecular mechanisms by which CUX1 intervenes during this biological
      process are unknown. Our aim was to evaluate CUX1 biological and functional roles
      during intestinal epithelial cell wound healing. RNAi knockdown of CUX1 in
      intestinal epithelial cells revealed a crucial role for this regulator in
      migratory response following wounding assays. Gene expression profiling
      identified several gene transcripts modulated in absence of CUX1 during wound
      healing for which a significant number was associated with cell motility and
      cytoskeleton function. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays identified the
      guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav2 gene as a direct target for CUX1.
      Coincidently, reduction of VAV2 in absence of CUX1 was associated with a
      significant decrease of RAC1 activity in response to epithelial wounding. Our
      results identify a novel pathway by which CUX1 regulates normal intestinal
      epithelial cell restitution.

PMID- 28893558
TI  - The effects of chronic testosterone administration on body weight, food intake,
      and fat weight were age-dependent.
AB  - Previously, we showed that chronic testosterone administration increased body
      weight (BW) and food intake (FI), but did not alter fat weight, in young female
      rats. To examine our hypothesis that the effects of androgens on BW, FI and body
      composition might be age-dependent, the effects of chronic testosterone
      administration were evaluated in rats of different ages; i.e., young and middle
      aged rats. Although chronic testosterone administration increased BW gain, FI,
      and feed efficiency in both young and middle-aged rats, it increased visceral fat
      weight in middle-aged rats, but not in young rats. Therefore, it is possible that
      testosterone promotes the conversion of energy to adipose tissue and exacerbates
      fat accumulation in older individuals. In addition, although the administration
      of testosterone increased the serum leptin level, it did not alter hypothalamic
      neuropeptide Y mRNA expression in middle-aged rats. On the contrary, the
      administration of testosterone did not affect the serum leptin levels of young
      rats. Thus, testosterone might induce hypothalamic leptin resistance, which could
      lead to fat accumulation in older individuals. Testosterone might disrupt the
      mechanisms that protect against adiposity and hyperphagia and represent a risk
      factor for excessive body weight and obesity, especially in older females.

PMID- 28893559
TI  - Twenty-four hour urinary cortisol excretion and the metabolic syndrome in
      prednisolone-treated renal transplant recipients.
AB  - Chronic prednisolone treatment in renal transplant recipients (RTR) causes
      metabolic abnormalities, which cluster in the metabolic syndrome (MS). It also
      suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA)-axis. We investigated whether
      HPA-axis suppression, as measured by 24h urinary cortisol excretion, is
      associated with presence of the MS and its individual components, in outpatient
      RTR with a functioning graft for >1year. Urinary cortisol was measured in 24h
      urine, using LC-MS/MS (LOQ 0.30nmol/L). We included 563 RTR (age 51+/-12years;
      54% male) at median 6.0 [IQR, 2.6-11.5] years post-transplantation. MS was
      present in 439/563 RTR (78%). Median 24h urinary cortisol excretion was 2.0 [IQR,
      0.9-5.1]nmol/24h. Twenty-four hour urinary cortisol excretion was independently
      associated with MS presence (OR=0.80 [95% CI, 0.66-0.98], P=0.02). It was also
      independently associated with bodyweight (st.beta=-0.11, P=0.007), waist
      circumference (st.beta=-0.10, P=0.01), BMI (st.beta=-0.14, P=0.001), fasting
      triglycerides (st.beta=-0.15, P=0.001), diabetes (st.beta=-0.12, P=0.005), and
      number of antihypertensives used (st.beta=-0.13, P=0.003). Suppressed HPA-axis
      activity, as reflected by decreased 24h urinary cortisol excretion, is associated
      with higher prevalence of MS and its individual components (i.e. central obesity,
      dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension) in prednisolone-treated RTR. Assessment of
      24h urinary cortisol excretion by LC-MS/MS may be a tool to monitor metabolic
      side-effects of prednisolone in RTR.

PMID- 28893560
TI  - EMR is superior to rectal suction biopsy for analysis of enteric ganglia in
      constipation and dysmotility.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with chronic constipation or motility disorders may
      be referred for rectal suction biopsy (RSB) to rule out Hirschsprung's disease
      (HD). RSB may not be successful beyond infancy because of the increased thickness
      of the rectal mucosa. EMR could improve the diagnostic yield for HD when compared
      with traditional RSB because larger and deeper samples are acquired for analysis.
      METHODS: In this prospective, single-center study, patients referred for RSB were
      offered enrollment for concurrent EMR. Specimens were analyzed pathologically for
      size, submucosal ganglionic tissue, and acetylcholinesterase or calretinin
      staining. Biopsy results were compared with transit studies, anorectal manometry,
      and constipation severity through validated questionnaires. RESULTS: Seventeen
      patients (2 male, 15 female; mean age, 35.8 years; range, 22-61 years) were
      enrolled in the study from 2008 to 2014. All patients underwent anorectal
      manometry (88% with anorectal dysfunction, 68% with outlet obstruction) and
      transit studies (41% with delayed transit). There were no reports of adverse
      events from the RSB and EMR procedures. The RSB sample volumes were significantly
      lower than the EMR sample volumes (0.023 cm3 vs 0.26 cm3, P = .001). There was
      diagnostic tissue for submucosal visualization by RSB in 53% (9/17) of cases
      compared with 100% (17/17) with EMR (P = .003). No cases of HD were diagnosed by
      RSB; one patient had rare ganglions observed by EMR. CONCLUSIONS: EMR provides
      greater tissue volume and can improve the characterization of ganglion cells in
      rectal tissue compared with RSB in patients with moderate to severe constipation
      with suspected HD.

PMID- 28893561
TI  - Genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphism by probe-gated silica nanoparticles.
AB  - The development of simple, reliable, and rapid approaches for molecular detection
      of common mutations is important for prevention and early diagnosis of genetic
      diseases, including Thalessemia. Oligonucleotide-gated mesoporous nanoparticles
      based analysis is a new platform for mutation detection that has the advantages
      of sensitivity, rapidity, accuracy, and convenience. A specific mutation in beta
      thalassemia, one of the most prevalent inherited diseases in several countries,
      was used as model disease in this study. An assay for detection of IVS110 point
      mutation (A > G reversion) was developed by designing probe-gated mesoporous
      silica nanoparticles (MCM-41) loaded with reporter fluorescein molecules. The
      silica nanoparticles were characterized by AFM, TEM and BET analysis for having
      180 nm diameter and 2.83 nm pore size regular hexagonal shape. Amine group
      functionalized nanoparticles were analysed with FTIR technique. Mutated and
      normal sequence probe oligonucleotides)about 12.7 nmol per mg nanoparticles) were
      used to entrap reporter fluorescein molecules inside the pores and hybridization
      with single stranded DNA targets amplified by PCR gave different fluorescent
      signals for mutated targets. Samples from IVS110 mutated and normal patients
      resulted in statistically significant differences when the assay procedure were
      applied.

PMID- 28893563
TI  - The impact of murine LRRK2 G2019S transgene overexpression on acute responses to
      inflammatory challenge.
AB  - The most common Parkinson's disease (PD) mutation is the gain-of-function LRRK2
      G2019S variant, which has also been linked to inflammatory disease states. Yet,
      little is known of the role of G2019S in PD related complex behavioral or
      immune/hormonal processes in response to inflammatory/toxicant challenges. Hence,
      we characterized the behavioral, neuroendocrine-immune and central monoaminergic
      responses in G2019S overexpressing mutants following systemic interferon-gamma
      (IFN-gamma) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration. Although LPS markedly
      (and IFN-gamma modestly in some cases) increased cytokine and corticosterone
      levels, while inducing pronounced sickness and home-cage activity deficits, the
      G2019S mutation had no effect on these parameters. No differences were observed
      with regards to brain microglia with the acute LPS injection, regardless of
      genotype. Nor did the G2019S mutation influence neurotransmitter levels within
      the medial prefrontal cortex or paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus.
      However, the LRRK2 G2019S transgenic mice did have altered monoamine levels
      within the striatum and hippocampus. Indeed, G2019S mice had altered basal levels
      and turnover of dopamine within the striatum, along with changes in hippocampal
      serotonin and norepinephrine activity in response to LPS and IFN-gamma. The
      present findings suggest the importance of murine G2019S in hippocampal and
      striatal neurotransmission, but that the transgene didn't appear to be involved
      in functional behavioral and stress-like hormonal and cytokine changes provoked
      by inflammatory insults.

PMID- 28893564
TI  - 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine induces human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts differentiation
      and fibrosis by up-regulating TGF-beta type I receptor.
AB  - The principle reason of high failure rate of glaucoma filtration surgery is the
      loss of filtration function caused by postoperative scar formation. We
      investigated the effects of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-dc), a DNA
      methyltransferases inhibitor, on human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts (HTFs)
      differentiation and fibrosis and its mechanism of action, especially in relation
      to transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 signaling. TGF-beta1 was used to induce
      differentiation of cultured HTFs. 5-Aza-dc suppressed DNA methyltransferases
      (DNMTs) activity 6 h after treatment with a course corresponding to that of TGF
      beta1-induced reduction of DNMT activity without affecting cell viability as
      measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. 5-Aza-dc also reduced DNMT1 and DNMT3a
      protein expression from 24 to 48 h. HTFs migration evaluated by scratch-wound
      assay were significantly increased 24 h after 5-Aza-dc treatment, a time course
      similar to that of TGF-beta1. Treatment with 5-Aza-dc significantly increased the
      mRNA and protein levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), collagen-1A1
      (Col1A1), fibronectin (FN) and TGF-beta type I receptor (TGFbetaRI). Furthermore,
      the effects of 5-Aza-dc on DNMT activity suppression, cell migration, and
      fibrosis were all reversed by a TGFbetaRI inhibitor- SB-431542. Meanwhile,
      knockdown of DNMT1 upregulated TGFbetaRI expression and had the same fibrosis
      inducing effect in HTFs, which was also inhibited by SB-431542. Thus, the results
      indicate that DNA hypomethylation induces HTFs differentiation and fibrosis
      through up-regulation of TGFbetaRI. DNA methylation status plays an important
      role in subconjunctival wound healing.

PMID- 28893565
TI  - A review of the effects of physical activity and sports concussion on brain
      function and anatomy.
AB  - Physical activity has been associated with widespread anatomical and functional
      brain changes that occur following acute exercise or, in the case of athletes,
      throughout life. High levels of physical activity through the practice of sports
      also lead to better general health and increased cognitive function. Athletes are
      at risk, however, of suffering a concussion, the effects of which have been
      extensively described for brain function and anatomy. The level to which these
      effects are modulated by increased levels of fitness is not known. Here, we
      review literature describing the effects of physical activity and sports
      concussions on white matter, grey matter, neurochemistry and cortical
      excitability. We suggest that the effects of sports concussion can be coufounded
      by the effects of exercise. Indeed, available data show that the brain of
      athletes is different from that of healthy individuals with a non-active
      lifestyle. As a result, sports concussions take place in a context where
      structural/functional plasticity has occurred prior to the concussive event. The
      sports concussion literature does not permit, at present, to separate the effects
      of intense and repeated physical activity, and the abrupt removal from such
      activities, from those of concussion on brain structure and function.

PMID- 28893566
TI  - Does fear extinction in the laboratory predict outcomes of exposure therapy? A
      treatment analog study.
AB  - Fear extinction models have a key role in our understanding of anxiety disorders
      and their treatment with exposure therapy. Here, we tested whether individual
      differences in fear extinction learning and fear extinction recall in the
      laboratory were associated with the outcomes of an exposure therapy analog (ETA).
      Fifty adults with fear of spiders participated in a two-day fear-learning
      paradigm assessing fear extinction learning and fear extinction recall, and then
      underwent a brief ETA. Correlational analyses indicated that enhanced extinction
      learning was associated with better ETA outcome. Our results partially support
      the idea that individual differences in fear extinction learning may be
      associated with exposure therapy outcome, but suggest that further research in
      this area is needed.

PMID- 28893562
TI  - Positive allosteric modulation of M1 and M4 muscarinic receptors as potential
      therapeutic treatments for schizophrenia.
AB  - Current antipsychotic drugs provide symptomatic relief for positive symptoms of
      schizophrenia, but do not offer symptom management for negative and cognitive
      symptoms. In addition, many patients discontinue treatment due to adverse side
      effects. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop more effective and safe
      treatment options. Although the etiology of schizophrenia is unclear,
      considerable data from post-mortem, neuroimaging and neuropharmacology studies
      support a role of the muscarinic acetylcholine (mAChRs) in the pathophysiology of
      schizophrenia. Substantial evidence suggests that activation of mAChRs has the
      potential to treat all symptom domains of schizophrenia. Despite encouraging
      results in demonstrating efficacy, clinical trials of nonselective mAChR agonists
      were limited in their clinical utility due to dose-limiting peripheral side
      effects. Accordingly, efforts have been made to specifically target centrally
      located M1 and M4 mAChR subtypes devoid of adverse-effect liability. To
      circumvent this limitation, there have been tremendous advances in the discovery
      of ligands that bind at allosteric sites, binding sites distinct from the
      orthosteric site, which are structurally less conserved and thereby afford high
      levels of receptor subtype selectivity. The discovery of subtype-specific
      allosteric modulators has greatly advanced our understanding of the physiological
      role of various muscarinic receptor subtypes in schizophrenia and the potential
      utility of M1 and M4 mAChR subtypes as targets for the development of novel
      treatments for schizophrenia and related disorders. This article is part of the
      Special Issue entitled 'Neuropharmacology on Muscarinic Receptors'.

PMID- 28893567
TI  - Molecular basis of androgen action on human sexual desire.
AB  - Reproduction is a fundamental process for the species maintenance and the
      propagation of genetic information. The energy expenditure for mating is
      overtaken by motivational stimuli, such as orgasm, finely regulated by steroid
      hormones, gonadotropins, neurotransmitters and molecules acting in the brain and
      peripheral organs. These functions are often investigated using animal models and
      translated to humans, where the androgens action is mediated by nuclear and
      membrane receptors converging in the regulation of both long-term genomic and
      rapid non-genomic signals. In both sexes, testosterone is a central player of
      this game and is involved in the regulation of sexual desire and arousal, and,
      finally, in reproduction through cognitive and peripheral physiological
      mechanisms which may decline with aging and circadian disruption. Finally,
      genetic variations impact on reproductive behaviours, resulting in sex-specific
      effect and different reproductive strategies. In this review, androgen actions on
      sexual desire are evaluated, focusing on the molecular levels of interaction.

PMID- 28893569
TI  - Fatty acid binding protein 4 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in
      cervical squamous cell carcinoma through AKT/GSK3beta/Snail signaling pathway.
AB  - Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a member of the fatty acid binding
      protein family which involved in a variety of biological cellular processes,
      including tumorigenesis. However, the role of this key adipokine in cervical
      cancer is still unclear. In this study, we explored the function of FABP4 in
      cervical cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms. FABP4 was specifically
      elevated in tissue samples from patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma
      (CSCC) but not with cervical adenocarcinoma, and the level of FABP4 was
      correlated with E-cadherin and Vimentin expression. In vitro, exogenous FABP4
      promoted the migration and invasion of CSCC cells in a dose-dependent manner, and
      reorganized the actin cytoskeletons in F-Actin staining and TGF-beta induced EMT
      assays. Importantly, the AKT/GSK3beta/Snail pathway appears to be involved in
      FABP4-induced EMT in CSCC cells. In conclusion, our research demonstrated
      elevated FABP4 promoted EMT via the activation of AKT/GSK3beta/Snail pathway in
      CSCC.

PMID- 28893568
TI  - Endocrine and physiological regulation of neutral fat storage in Drosophila.
AB  - After having revolutionized our understanding of the mechanisms of animal
      development, Drosophila melanogaster has more recently emerged as an equally
      valid genetic model in the field of animal metabolism. An increasing number of
      studies have revealed that many signaling pathways that control metabolism in
      mammals, including pathways controlled by nutrients (insulin, TOR), steroid
      hormone, glucagon, and hedgehog, are functionally conserved between mammals and
      Drosophila. In fact, genetic screens and analyses in Drosophila have identified
      new players and filled in gaps in the signaling networks that control metabolism.
      This review focuses on data that show how these networks control the formation
      and breakdown of triacylglycerol energy stores in the fat tissue of Drosophila.

PMID- 28893570
TI  - Phytoestrogenic effect of Inula racemosa Hook f - A cardioprotective root drug in
      traditional medicine.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Roots of Inula racemosa are used as a cardio
      protective in Ayurveda in India, being prescribed as a medicine for precordial
      chest pain, cough and dyspnoea, both singly and as a poly herbal. AIM: Evaluation
      of Phytoestrogenic activity of the root extracts of Inula racemosa and compounds
      isolated therefrom in vivo, in silico and in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Alcohol (IrA) and hexane (IrH) extracts characterized by HPTLC/GC-MS analysis
      respectively and processed for compound isolation were evaluated for estrogenic
      activity (100 & 250mg/kg bw) by the Immature rat uterotrophic assay using
      ethinylestradiol (EE -30ug/kg bw) as standard drug. Alantolactone (ALT),
      Isoalantolactone (IALT) and Stigmasterolglucoside (SG) isolated from the extracts
      were characterized and screened in silico for ERalpha, ERbeta binding affinity,
      assessed in vitro for growth modulatory effects on MCF-7 cells by MTT assay and
      cell cycle distribution analysis using Flow cytometry. RT-PCR analysis evaluated
      the mRNA expression of pS2 in these cells post exposure to ALT, IALT and SG.
      RESULTS: In the IrA treated groups there has been a statistically significant
      increase (P < 0.05) in absolute and normalised uterine weight, uterine diameter,
      endometrial thickness, luminal epithelial cell height,diameter of ovary and in
      the number of primary and secondary ovarian follicles relative to untreated
      controls. Presence of ciliated epithelial cells in the oviduct, elevated number
      of early growing follicles characterized by an increased oocyte diameter, and
      signs of vascularization in the cortex of ovarian sections in this group relative
      to EE treated group are indicative of pervasive activation of follicular growth
      and initiation. Virtual docking demonstrated ERalpha affinity for IALT, ERbeta
      affinity for ALT, while SG showed a high binding affinity to both with a
      relatively greater ERbeta binding affinity. Dose dependent decrease in cell
      viability mediated by IALT and SG in the MTT assay is corroborated by a
      statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in sub G0-G1 cells by SG at 200 and
      400uM in cell cycle analysis and there has been an induction of pS2 by IALT and
      SG in the ER regulated MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Demonstration of classical
      morphological changes induced by estrogen stimulation mediated by IrA in vivo at
      both the tested doses, isolation of the antioxidant SG from IrA and its dose
      dependent growth inhibitory effect on estrogen sensitive MCF-7 cells through
      apoptotic induction and an up regulation of pS2 are suggestive of an anti
      estrogenic effect through estrogen receptor binding affinity, typical of
      phytoestrogens that bind to ER but do not elicit a full estrogenic response. The
      observed estrogenic effect of IrA suggests a multi mechanistic molecular action
      involving antioxidant as well as redox signalling pathways acting in consonance
      with their anti-estrogenic effects owing to the weak estrogen like competitive
      receptor binding of SG.

PMID- 28893571
TI  - Most systematic reviews of high methodological quality on psoriasis interventions
      are classified as high risk of bias using ROBIS tool.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: No gold standard exists to assess methodological quality of
      systematic reviews (SRs). Although Assessing the Methodological Quality of
      Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) is widely accepted for analyzing quality, the ROBIS
      instrument has recently been developed. This study aimed to compare the capacity
      of both instruments to capture the quality of SRs concerning psoriasis
      interventions. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic literature searches were
      undertaken on relevant databases. For each review, methodological quality and
      bias risk were evaluated using the AMSTAR and ROBIS tools. Descriptive and
      principal component analyses were conducted to describe similarities and
      discrepancies between both assessment tools. RESULTS: We classified 139
      intervention SRs as displaying high/moderate/low methodological quality and as
      high/low risk of bias. A high risk of bias was detected for most SRs classified
      as displaying high or moderate methodological quality by AMSTAR. When comparing
      ROBIS result profiles, responses to domain 4 signaling questions showed the
      greatest differences between bias risk assessments, whereas domain 2 items showed
      the least. CONCLUSION: When considering SRs published about psoriasis,
      methodological quality remains suboptimal, and the risk of bias is elevated, even
      for SRs exhibiting high methodological quality. Furthermore, the AMSTAR and ROBIS
      tools may be considered as complementary when conducting quality assessment of
      SRs.

PMID- 28893572
TI  - Reduced Severity of Outcome of Recurrent Ipsilateral Transient Cerebral Ischemia
      Compared with Contralateral Transient Cerebral Ischemia in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate whether prior transient ischemic attack (TIA) had a
      preconditioning effect on subsequent cerebral infarction in a rat model using
      middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). METHODS: Thirty-six adult male Sprague
      Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: those with transient (5 minutes) left
      MCAO (left TIA) (n = 15), those with transient right MCAO (right TIA) (n = 15),
      and a sham operation group (n = 6). Seven days after the initial transient MCAO,
      rats in all groups underwent permanent left MCAO. After 24 hours, all rats
      underwent motor function measurement (the Garcia score and tilting plane test),
      magnetic resonance imaging, postmortem brain examination, and biomarkers of
      stroke. RESULTS: Following permanent MCAO, the Garcia score, the brain edema area
      of T2-weighted images, brain infarction volume, and the level of tumor necrosis
      factor alpha mRNA of the ipsilateral and contralateral TIA groups showed no
      significant difference. The angle of sliding off in the tilting plane test, the
      mean intensity of the brain edema area of T2-weighted images, levels of matrix
      metalloproteinase 9, interleukin-1beta, inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA, and
      apoptosis-related proteins, BAX, and phosphorylated-p38, were lower in the
      ipsilateral TIA group compared with the contralateral TIA group. CONCLUSION: The
      main finding of this study was that a transient, mild, unilateral focus of
      cerebral ischemia (or TIA) in either the left or right hemisphere, which is then
      followed by a second unilateral severe and focal ischemic event, results in brain
      injury. The severity of the brain injury following this second ischemic event
      will be alleviated when the second insult is ipsilateral to the first TIA.

PMID- 28893573
TI  - Measurement of Nutritional Status Using Body Mass Index, Waist-to-Hip Ratio, and
      Waist Circumference to Predict Treatment Outcome in Females and Males with Acute
      First-Ever Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate whether increased waist-to-hip ratio (WHR),
      waist circumference (WC), or improper body mass index (BMI) may differently
      predict short-term outcomes in females and males with first-ever acute ischemic
      stroke. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of consecutive patients (1109
      females and 939 males) admitted for first-ever ischemic stroke between 2003 and
      2015. Data were collected in a detailed hospital stroke registry. BMI of 18.5
      24.9 kg/m2 and gender-specific normal values of WHC and WC were used as
      references for comparisons. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of
      in-hospital death or being dead or dependent at discharge, adjusted for patients'
      age and prestroke disability. RESULTS: In both sexes a high WHR increased the
      odds of death or dependency at discharge (odds ratio [OR], 1.8; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.05-3.08 for females and 1.43; 95% CI, 1.00-2.04 for males), but
      not in-hospital death alone. Increased WC was significantly associated with lower
      odds of either death or death and dependency at discharge in females only (OR,
      .36; 95% CI, .22-.58 and .69; 95% CI, .48-.97, respectively). BMI did not show
      any clear predictive value in either sex. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that
      being overweight measured with WC is a strong predictor of good outcome in women
      but not in men. The WHR less consistently predicts stroke outcome, as it is not
      associated with death at discharge alone; however, the WHR seems to be of similar
      clinical relevance in both genders. BMI seems to have the least clinical value in
      predicting stroke outcome in both genders.

PMID- 28893574
TI  - Enhancement of Motor Recovery through Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
      Stimulation after Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two previous studies, which investigated transcranial direct current
      stimulation (tDCS) use in motor recovery after acute ischemic stroke, did not
      show tDCS to be effective in this regard. We speculated that additional left
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) stimulation may enhance poststroke motor
      recovery. METHODS: In the present randomized clinical trial, 20 acute ischemic
      stroke patients were recruited. Patients received real motor cortex (M1)
      stimulation in both arms of the trial. The 2 arms differed in terms of real
      versus sham stimulation over the left DLPFC. The motor component of the Fugl
      Meyer upper extremity assessment (FM) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) scores
      were used to assess primary outcomes, and nonlinear mixed effects models were
      used for data analyses. RESULTS: Primary outcome measures improved more and
      faster among the real stimulation group. During the first days of stimulations,
      the sham group's FM scores increased by 1.2 per day, while the real group's
      scores increased by 1.7 per day (P = .003). In the following days, FM improvement
      decelerated in both groups. Based on the derived models, a stroke patient with a
      baseline FM score of 15 improves to 32 in the sham stimulation group and to 41 in
      the real stimulation group within the first month after stroke. Models with ARAT
      scores yielded nearly similar results. No significant adverse effect was
      reported. CONCLUSION: The current study results showed that left DLPFC
      stimulation in conjunction with M1 stimulation resulted in better motor recovery
      than M1 stimulation alone.

PMID- 28893575
TI  - Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Very
      Elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) incidences increase with age. Patients
      of advanced age may have limitations during acute care and recovery. We
      investigated baseline characteristics, hematoma features, and outcomes of very
      elderly ICH patients (>=80 years old) and compared them with those of younger ICH
      patients (<80 years old). METHODS: We studied 377 patients (122 women; 69 +/- 11
      years old) admitted within 24 hours of ICH onset. Outcome measures included
      hematoma volumes, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores on admission,
      and vital and functional prognoses at 30 days. RESULTS: After adjustments for
      sex, very elderly patients had a higher subcortical hematoma prevalence (odds
      ratio [OR], 2.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-4.86]. On multivariate
      analyses, very elderly patients had larger hematoma volumes (OR, 1.33; 95% CI,
      1.01-1.75, per 10-mL increase). After adjustments for risk factors and
      comorbidities, modified Rankin scale scores of 0-2 in very elderly patients
      occurred less often (OR, .34; 95% CI, .14-.82), and those with scores of 5-6
      occurred more often (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.09-8.54). CONCLUSIONS: Hematomas were
      relatively large and often found in the subcortex in very elderly ICH patients.
      Outcomes of very elderly ICH patients were relatively poor.

PMID- 28893576
TI  - Isolated Internal Carotid Artery Thrombus and Cerebral Infarction in a Patient
      with Necrotizing Pancreatitis: Case Report.
AB  - Isolated internal carotid artery (ICA) thrombus in the absence of underlying
      atherosclerotic disease is a rare entity. We report a case of a patient
      presenting with right arm weakness, slurred speech, and altered mental status in
      the setting of acute on chronic pancreatitis. The patient was found to have
      scattered left cerebral hemisphere cortical infarctions, and catheter angiography
      confirmed the presence of intraluminal left ICA thrombus, with no evidence of
      atherosclerotic disease in the cervical or intracranial vasculature. Further
      workup also demonstrated the presence of anemia of chronic disease. The patient
      was initiated on anticoagulation, and follow-up imaging demonstrated a complete
      resolution of the left ICA thrombus. In the reported case, coagulopathy in the
      setting of acute on chronic pancreatitis was presumably the primary etiology.
      Anemia of chronic disease, related to a proinflammatory state, may also play a
      contributory role.

PMID- 28893577
TI  - Metalloproteinases in atherosclerosis.
AB  - Atherosclerosis underlies most cardiovascular diseases, and is accepted as a
      primary cause of mortality worldwide. Proteases have been implicated in the
      development and progression of atherosclerosis, due to their ability to provoke
      focal destruction of the vascular extracellular matrix. Members of the
      metalloproteinase family, especially matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and their
      endogenous tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) have been suggested to perform complex dual
      roles during late-stage progression and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques.
      Proposed favourable actions of metalloproteinases include the promotion of
      vascular smooth muscle growth and survival which stabilises plaques, while
      conversely extracellular matrix destruction alongside interminable
      monocyte/macrophage accumulation can encourage plaque rupture. This review
      provides a summary of the cogent evidence connecting the contribution of
      individual metalloproteinases to atherosclerotic plaque development, progression,
      and instability. Topics discussed include structural, functional and cell
      specific diversity of MMP members; evidence from animal models of atherosclerosis
      and comparisons with findings in humans; the dual role of MMPs and the
      requirement to selectively target individual MMPs; and the need for efficient
      surrogate markers of MMP inhibition. Accordingly, as our knowledge of the complex
      roles individual MMPs play especially during the progression and rupture of
      atherosclerotic plaques expands, new impetus is required for clinical trials
      evaluating the therapeutic potential of selective MMP inhibition, which could
      limit cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide.

PMID- 28893578
TI  - Protective effect of cinnamaldehyde against glutamate-induced oxidative stress
      and apoptosis in PC12 cells.
AB  - Cinnamaldehyde is a main ingredient of cinnamon oils from the stem bark of
      Cinnamomum cassia, which has been widely used in food and traditional herbal
      medicine in Asia. In the present study, the neuroprotective effects and the
      potential mechanisms of cinnamaldehyde against glutamate-induced oxidative stress
      in PC12 cells were investigated. Exposure to 4mM glutamate altered the GSH, MDA
      levels and SOD activity, caused the generation of reactive oxygen species,
      resulted in the induction of oxidative stress in PC12 cell, ultimately induced
      cell death. However, pretreatment with cinnamaldehyde at 5, 10 and 20MUM
      significantly attenuated cell viability loss, reduced the generation of reactive
      oxygen species, stabilised mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), decreased the
      release of cytochrome c and limited the activities of caspase-9 and -3. In
      addition, cinnamaldehyde also markedly increased Bcl-2 while inhibiting Bax
      expression,and decreased the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio. These results indicate that
      cinnamaldehyde exists a potential protective effect against glutamate-induced
      oxidative stress and apoptosis in PC12 cells.

PMID- 28893579
TI  - The brain during free movement - What can we learn from the animal model.
AB  - Animals, just like humans, can freely move. They do so for various important
      reasons, such as finding food and escaping predators. Observing these behaviors
      can inform us about the underlying cognitive processes. In addition, while humans
      can convey complicated information easily through speaking, animals need to move
      their bodies to communicate. This has prompted many creative solutions by animal
      neuroscientists to enable studying the brain during movement. In this review, we
      first summarize how animal researchers record from the brain while an animal is
      moving, by describing the most common neural recording techniques in animals and
      how they were adapted to record during movement. We further discuss the challenge
      of controlling or monitoring sensory input during free movement. However, not
      only is free movement a necessity to reflect the outcome of certain internal
      cognitive processes in animals, it is also a fascinating field of research since
      certain crucial behavioral patterns can only be observed and studied during free
      movement. Therefore, in a second part of the review, we focus on some key
      findings in animal research that specifically address the interaction between
      free movement and brain activity. First, focusing on walking as a fundamental
      form of free movement, we discuss how important such intentional movements are
      for understanding processes as diverse as spatial navigation, active sensing, and
      complex motor planning. Second, we propose the idea of regarding free movement as
      the expression of a behavioral state. This view can help to understand the
      general influence of movement on brain function. Together, the technological
      advancements towards recording from the brain during movement, and the scientific
      questions asked about the brain engaged in movement, make animal research highly
      valuable to research into the human "moving brain".

PMID- 28893580
TI  - High intraocular pressure produces learning and memory impairments in rats.
AB  - Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness
      worldwide. Previous MRI studies have revealed that POAG can be associated with
      alterations in hippocampal function. Thus, the aim of this study was to
      investigate a relationship between chronic high intraocular pressure (IOP) and
      hippocampal changes in a rat model. We used behavioural tests to assess learning
      and memory ability, and additionally investigated the hippocampal expression of
      pathological amyloid beta (Abeta), phospho-tau, and related pathway proteins.
      Chronic high IOP impaired learning and memory in rats and concurrently increased
      Abeta and phospho-tau expression in the hippocampus by altering the activation of
      different kinase (GSK-3beta, BACE1) and phosphatase (PP2A) proteins in the
      hippocampus. This study provides novel evidence for the relationship between high
      IOP and hippocampal alterations, especially in the context of learning and
      memory.

PMID- 28893581
TI  - Tryptophan circuit in fatigue: From blood to brain and cognition.
AB  - Brain tryptophan and its neuroactive metabolites play key roles in central
      fatigue. However, previous brain function analysis targets may have included both
      glia and neurons together. Here, we clarified the fatigue-cognitive circuit of
      the central-peripheral linkage, including the role of glial-neuronal interaction
      in cognition. Using a rat model of central fatigue induced by chronic sleep
      disorder (CFSD), we isolated presynaptic terminals and oligodendrocytes. Results
      showed that compared to control group, presynaptic levels of tryptophan,
      kynurenine, and kynurenic acid, but not serotonin, in the CFSD group were higher
      in the hypothalamus and hippocampus. Moreover, CFSD group had higher
      oligodendrocytic levels of tryptophan, and impaired spatial cognitive memory
      accuracy and increased hyperactivity and impulsivity. These findings suggest that
      dynamic change in glial-neuronal interactions within the hypothalamus-hippocampal
      circuit causes central fatigue, and increased tryptophan-kynurenic acid pathway
      activity in this circuit causes reduced cognitive function. Additionally, CFSD
      group had 1.5 times higher plasma levels of tryptophan and kynurenine.
      Furthermore, in rats undergoing intraperitoneal administration of kynurenine
      (100mg/kg) versus vehicle, kynurenine-treated rats showed enhanced production of
      kynurenic acid in the hippocampus, with suppressed recall of retained spatial
      cognitive memory. The study revealed that uptake of periphery-derived kynurenine
      and tryptophan into the brain enhances kynurenic acid production in the brain,
      and the three factors produce amplification effect involved in the role of
      central-peripheral linkage in central fatigue, triggering cognitive dysfunction.

PMID- 28893582
TI  - Designing lipid nanoparticles for topical ocular drug delivery.
AB  - Topically-applied dosage forms, such eye drops, are the most used formulations in
      the treatment of ocular diseases. Nonetheless, because of the special protection
      of the eye associated with the ocular surface, drug bioavailability and
      subsequent therapeutic efficiency obtained with these conventional dosage forms
      are very low. Recently, novel drug delivery systems have been proposed to solve
      the main drawbacks of conventional formulations. Nanotechnology, and more
      specifically lipid nanoparticles, have emerged as promising "modified eyedrops"
      with the purpose of improving therapeutic efficiency without compromising drug
      safety and patient compliance. The purpose of this review is to offer an overview
      of lipid nanoparticles as feasible alternatives to the conventional topically
      applied dosage forms. We discuss the main limitations of topical ocular drug
      delivery and describe how correctly designed lipid nanoparticles can be highly
      valuable tools to overcome the constraints imposed by the ocular surface. Special
      emphasis is placed on the description of production methods and bulk materials
      used in the development of lipid nanoparticles for ophthalmic use and how both
      issues will determine the physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of the
      developed nanosystems.

PMID- 28893583
TI  - Facile formation of co-amorphous atenolol and hydrochlorothiazide mixtures via
      cryogenic-milling: Enhanced physical stability, dissolution and pharmacokinetic
      profile.
AB  - The development of poorly water-soluble drugs faces the risk of low
      bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. The co-amorphous drug delivery system
      has recently gained considerable interest because it offers an alternative
      approach to modify properties of poorly water-soluble drugs. Herein, we developed
      a co-amorphous system of atenolol (ATE) and poorly water-soluble
      hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) by means of cryogenic milling. The co-administration of
      ATE and HCT has been reported to show therapeutic advantages for patients with
      uncomplicated hypertension. The co-amorphous ATE-HCT sample with 1:1 molar ratio
      showed excellent physical stability, which could be attributed to the formation
      of strong molecular interactions between ATE and HCT as evidenced by FT-IR
      spectra. Compared to the pure crystalline form, amorphous form and physical
      mixture, HCT in the co-amorphous form exhibited the significantly increased
      intrinsic dissolution rate, as well as the enhanced bioavailability in the
      pharmacokinetic study. It was found that the enhanced bioavailability of HCT in
      the co-amorphous formulation was achieved by the synergistic effect of amorphized
      HCT and the water-soluble coformer ATE. The present study provides an improved
      approach to implement the combination therapy of ATE and HCT for potential
      clinical treatments.

PMID- 28893584
TI  - Levetiracetam+nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug binary systems: A contribution
      to the development of new solid dosage forms.
AB  - A study has been carried out of binary solid systems made up of the antiepileptic
      drug levetiracetam, LEV, and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, NSAID,
      capable of managing the inflammation that accompanies epileptic activity. One aim
      of this research was to identify eutectic mixtures and co-crystals, which are
      able to impact positively on their biopharmaceutical properties. The NSAIDs
      studied are (S)- and (R,S)-ibuprofen, (S)- and (R,S)-naproxen, (R,S)-ketoprofen
      and (R,S)-flurbiprofen, all class II in the Biopharmaceutical Classification
      System. A green mechanochemical methodology has been used to prepare binary
      mixtures with different molar ratios, and the binary solid-liquid phase diagrams
      established. For LEV+(S)-ibuprofen, formation of a single (1:1) co-crystal was
      confirmed; this was found to melt incongruently. The co-crystal was found to be
      stable in accelerated stability tests. For the other systems, interesting
      eutectic mixtures were identified, which showed enhanced dissolution rates of the
      NSAID relative to the pure drug. For LEV+(R,S)-ibuprofen, LEV+(S)-naproxen and
      LEV+(R,S)-naproxen, the eutectic mixture compositions have the effective doses of
      both components. All the NSAIDs investigated are chiral, and their racemates are
      racemic compounds. Levetiracetam, the (S)-enantiomer of etiracetam, was not
      efficient in enantiomer discrimination, as all the racemic compound structures
      are present as the prepared solid mixtures.

PMID- 28893585
TI  - Thermo-responsive magnetic Fe3O4@P(MEO2MAX-OEGMA100-X) NPs and their applications
      as drug delivery systems.
AB  - The unique physical properties of the superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPIONs)
      have made them candidates of choice in nanomedicine especially for diagnostic
      imaging, therapeutic applications and drug delivery based systems. In this study,
      superparamagnetic Fe3O4 NPs were synthesized and functionalized with a
      biocompatible thermoresponsive copolymer to obtain temperature responsive
      core/shell NPs. The ultimate goal of this work is to build a drug delivery system
      able to release anticancer drugs in the physiological temperatures range. The
      core/shell NPs were first synthesized and their chemical, physical, magnetic and
      thermo-responsive properties where fully characterized in a second step. The
      lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the core/shell NPs was tuned in
      physiological media in order to release the cancer drug at a controlled
      temperature slightly above the body temperature to avoid any premature release of
      the drug. The core/shell NPs exhibiting the targeted LCST were then loaded with
      Doxurubicin (DOX) and the drug release properties were then studied with the
      temperature. Moreover the cytotoxicity tests have shown that the core/shell NPs
      had a very limited cytotoxicity up to concentration of 25MUg/mL. This
      investigation showed that the significant release occurred at the targeted
      temperature in the physiological media making those nano-systems very promising
      for further use in drug delivery platform.

PMID- 28893586
TI  - Effects of diisononyl phthalate on osteopenia in intact mice.
AB  - Osteopenia is characterized by bone loss and deterioration of trabecular bone,
      which leads to osteoporotic fractures. This disease is highly prevalent in
      industrialized areas and is associated with exposure to endocrine disrupting
      chemicals (EDCs). Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) is one of these EDCs and is mainly
      used as a plasticizer in flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products. Although it
      is well known that exposure to DINP is harmful to humans, no studies have been
      reported concerning its contribution to osteopenia. Therefore, in this study, we
      injected DINP (2, 20, and 200mg/kg) into C3H/HeN mice for 6weeks and found that
      the uterus weight, bone (femur and tibia) weight, and bone length of the DINP
      exposed mice were reduced compared to those of the SHAM group. On the other hand,
      body weight, the serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and inorganic phosphorus (IP)
      levels in the DINP treated mice were increased compared with those of the SHAM
      group. The tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity (bone resorption
      marker) was increased and the bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) activity was
      lowered by the treatment with DINP as compared with the SHAM group. Furthermore,
      the microarchitecture of the femur and tibia in the intact mice was destroyed by
      the DINP injection. The tissue volume (TV), bone volume (BV), BV/TV, bone surface
      (BS), BS/TV, trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), and trabecular number (Tb.N) were
      reduced and the trabecular pattern factor (Tb.Pf), structure model index (SMI),
      and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) were increased by the DINP injection. The bone
      mineral density (BMD) of the femur and tibia was lower in the DINP group than in
      the SHAM group. These results indicate that DINP contributes to an increased risk
      of osteopenia via destruction of the microarchitecture and enhancement of
      osteoclast activity.

PMID- 28893587
TI  - Current nonclinical testing paradigm enables safe entry to First-In-Human
      clinical trials: The IQ consortium nonclinical to clinical translational
      database.
AB  - The contribution of animal testing in drug development has been widely debated
      and challenged. An industry-wide nonclinical to clinical translational database
      was created to determine how safety assessments in animal models translate to
      First-In-Human clinical risk. The blinded database was composed of 182 molecules
      and contained animal toxicology data coupled with clinical observations from
      phase I human studies. Animal and clinical data were categorized by organ system
      and correlations determined. The 2*2 contingency table (true positive, false
      positive, true negative, false negative) was used for statistical analysis.
      Sensitivity was 48% with a 43% positive predictive value (PPV). The nonhuman
      primate had the strongest performance in predicting adverse effects, especially
      for gastrointestinal and nervous system categories. When the same target organ
      was identified in both the rodent and nonrodent, the PPV increased. Specificity
      was 84% with an 86% negative predictive value (NPV). The beagle dog had the
      strongest performance in predicting an absence of clinical adverse effects. If no
      target organ toxicity was observed in either test species, the NPV increased.
      While nonclinical studies can demonstrate great value in the PPV for certain
      species and organ categories, the NPV was the stronger predictive performance
      measure across test species and target organs indicating that an absence of
      toxicity in animal studies strongly predicts a similar outcome in the clinic.
      These results support the current regulatory paradigm of animal testing in
      supporting safe entry to clinical trials and provide context for emerging
      alternate models.

PMID- 28893588
TI  - Resting state fMRI observations of baseline brain functional activities and
      connectivities in primary blepharospasm.
AB  - Primary blepharospasm (BPS) is a focal dystonia characterized by involuntary
      eyelid spasms and blinking. The pathophysiology of BPS remains unclear. Several
      functional and structural neuroimaging studies have demonstrated abnormalities of
      sensorimotor structures such as the sensorimotor cortex, the basal ganglia, the
      thalamus and the cerebellum in BPS patients. However, some of the results of
      these studies were inconsistent. In addition, the relationship between the motor
      and sensory structures in patients with BPS still needs to be investigated.
      Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the abnormal alterations
      in both the intra-regional brain activities and inter-regional functional
      connectivities (FC) in patients with BPS using resting-state functional MRI(rs
      fMRI) and to explore possible correlations between these rs-fMRI indices and
      clinical variables. The rs-fMRI images of the two groups of subjects (26 BPS
      patients and 26 healthy controls) were acquired using a 3.0T MRI scanner. The
      regional rs-fMRI indices, i.e., the fractional amplitude of the low-frequency
      fluctuation (fALFF) and the regional homogeneity (ReHo), were computed for all
      subjects. Then, two-sample t-tests were conducted to assess the significant
      differences between the two groups of subjects. To investigate the alterations in
      brain networks, cerebral regions with significant differences were used as
      regions of interest in the whole brain FC analysis. Compared to the control
      group, the BPS patients revealed significantly increased fALFF and ReHo values in
      the right caudate head. Significantly strengthened FC values were observed
      between the right caudate head and the left striatum and the right supplementary
      motor area in the BPS group. The fALFF and ReHo values in the right caudate head
      and the FC values between the right caudate head and the left striatum were
      positively correlated with the Jankovic Rating Scale sum score. In conclusion,
      this study indicated that BPS patients have both abnormal intra-regional
      spontaneous brain activities and inter-regional functional connectivities.

PMID- 28893589
TI  - Leptin status alters buprenorphine-induced antinociception in obese mice with
      dysfunctional leptin receptors.
AB  - Buprenorphine is an opiate used for pain management and to treat opiate
      addiction. The cytokine leptin can modulate nociception, but the extent to which
      buprenorphine-induced antinociception varies as a function of leptin signaling
      has not been characterized. Four congenic mouse lines with phenotypes that
      include differences in body weight and leptin status were used to test the
      hypothesis that the antinociceptive effects of buprenorphine vary as function of
      sex and leptin signaling. Each mouse line was comprised of males (n=12) and
      females (n=12) for a total of 96 animals. Groups included C57BL/6J (B6) mice
      (wild type), B6 mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO), obese B6.Cg-Lepob/J (ob/ob)
      mice lacking leptin, and obese B6.BKS(D)-Leprdb/J (db/db) mice with dysfunctional
      leptin receptors. The dependent measure was tail flick latency (TFL) in seconds
      for mouse-initiated tail removal from a warm water bath. Independent variables
      were intraperitoneal administration of saline (control) or buprenorphine
      (0.3mg/kg). Within every mouse line, buprenorphine significantly increased TFL
      relative to saline. Compared to the other mouse lines, db/db mice with
      dysfunctional leptin receptors had a significantly longer TFL after saline and
      after buprenorphine. TFL did not vary significantly by body weight or sex. The
      results provide novel support for the interpretation that acute thermal
      nociception is associated with altered leptin signaling.

PMID- 28893590
TI  - Design principles of electrical synaptic plasticity.
AB  - Essentially all animals with nervous systems utilize electrical synapses as a
      core element of communication. Electrical synapses, formed by gap junctions
      between neurons, provide rapid, bidirectional communication that accomplishes
      tasks distinct from and complementary to chemical synapses. These include
      coordination of neuron activity, suppression of voltage noise, establishment of
      electrical pathways that define circuits, and modulation of high order network
      behavior. In keeping with the omnipresent demand to alter neural network function
      in order to respond to environmental cues and perform tasks, electrical synapses
      exhibit extensive plasticity. In some networks, this plasticity can have dramatic
      effects that completely remodel circuits or remove the influence of certain cell
      types from networks. Electrical synaptic plasticity occurs on three distinct time
      scales, ranging from milliseconds to days, with different mechanisms accounting
      for each. This essay highlights principles that dictate the properties of
      electrical coupling within networks and the plasticity of the electrical
      synapses, drawing examples extensively from retinal networks.

PMID- 28893591
TI  - Neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone improves active avoidance retrieval and
      induces antidepressant-like behavior in rats.
AB  - Various studies reported beneficial effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and
      its sulphate (DHEAS), the neurosteroids involved in various brain functions, on
      synaptic plasticity, neuronal survival, memory, learning and behavior. This study
      aimed to investigate the behavioral profile of acute DHEA treatment by using
      active avoidance (AA) task, primarily predictive of the effects on the retrieval
      based learning, and by applying forced swim test (FST), for assessment of
      antidepressant-like potential. Adult male Wistar rats received intraperitoneal
      injections of either DHEA (2, 10, 20mg/kg) or solvent, 30min prior to testing.
      DHEA, in a manner resembling an inverted U shape, influenced the retrieval
      imposed to rats in AA paradigm. The significant improvement of the performance in
      the retention session was observed following 10mg/kg DHEA treatment and it was
      not due to the changes in the motor activity, as indicated by unaltered locomotor
      parameters (inter-trial crossing). Moreover, 10mg/kg of DHEA significantly
      decreased the duration of immobility in FST, demonstrating antidepressant-like
      effects. The capability of bicuculline (2mg/kg) to antagonize the effects of DHEA
      has been evaluated simultaneously. The retrieval-facilitating as well as
      antidepressant-like effects of 10mg/kg DHEA were counteracted by bicuculline, a
      competitive antagonist of GABAA receptors, suggesting involvement of GABAergic
      system. These results support administration of DHEA as potential therapeutic
      strategy for treating depression and related cognitive impairments, but
      emphasized the importance of adequate dosing, as DHEA levels that are too high or
      too low may not be beneficial.

PMID- 28893592
TI  - Connexins and pannexins in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - By 2040 neurodegenerative diseases will become the world's second leading cause
      of death after cardiovascular disease (WHO). Major efforts are required to
      elucidate the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurodegenerative
      diseases. Connexin and pannexin membrane channel proteins are conduits through
      which neuronal, glial, and vascular tissues interact. In the normal brain, this
      interaction underlies homeostasis, metabolic supply and neuroprotection. In
      models of neuroinflammation these channels present aberrant functioning.
      Validation of the molecular mechanisms by which these membrane channels influence
      neurodegeneration particularly in Alzheimer's disease could lead to new and
      alternative therapeutic strategies targeting these channels.

PMID- 28893593
TI  - Monoaminergic neurotransmission is mediating the antidepressant-like effects of
      Passiflora edulis Sims fo. edulis.
AB  - The genus Passiflora is popularly used to treat anxiety. Recent studies showed
      antidepressant-like effects of two varieties of P. edulis (edulis and flavicarpa)
      in mice. However, the mechanisms of antidepressant actions are still unknown.
      Here, the effects of P. edulis fo. edulis aqueous extract (AE, 100-300mg/kg, po),
      and ethyl acetate (AcOEt, 25-50mg/kg, po), butanol (BuOH, 25-50mg/kg, po) and
      residual aqueous (25-100mg/kg, po) fractions were investigated in the mouse
      forced swimming test. In addition, the involvement of monoamines in the P. edulis
      fractions-induced antidepressant actions was approached. HPLC analyses showed
      that AcOEt and BuOH, but not residual, fractions shared with AE the main peaks
      between 25 and 70min (UV 340nm), which are suggestive of flavonoids.
      Nortriptyline and fluoxetine reduced the immobility time and similar results were
      observed for AE, AcOEt and BuOH but not residual fractions. PCPA (inhibitor of 5
      HT synthesis), AMPT (inhibitor of catecholamine synthesis) and sulpiride
      (selective D2 receptor antagonist), but not DSP-4 (noradrenergic neurotoxin),
      blocked the antidepressant actions of AcOEt and BuOH. In conclusion, AcOEt and
      BuOH fractions shared with AE similar phytochemical composition and
      antidepressant actions. Preserved 5-HT and dopamine transmissions were required
      for the antidepressant effects of P. edulis fractions.

PMID- 28893594
TI  - Nitric oxide in the medial prefrontal cortex contributes to the acquisition of
      cocaine place preference and synaptic plasticity in the laterodorsal tegmental
      nucleus.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous neurotransmitter, is involved in a variety of brain
      functions, including drug addiction. Although previous studies have suggested
      that NO plays an important role in the development of cocaine addiction, the
      brain region(s) in which NO acts and how it contributes to cocaine addiction
      remain unclear. In this study, we examined these issues using a cocaine-induced
      conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm and ex vivo electrophysiological
      recordings in rats. Specifically, we focused on the medial prefrontal cortex
      (mPFC) and laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT), brain regions associated with
      cocaine CPP development and cocaine-induced plasticity. Intra-mPFC injection of
      the non-selective NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME or the neuronal NOS (nNOS)
      selective inhibitor L-NPA during the conditioning phase disrupted cocaine CPP.
      Additionally, intra-mPFC injection of L-NPA prior to each cocaine injection
      prevented the induction of presynaptic plasticity, induced by repeated cocaine
      administration, in LDT cholinergic neurons. These findings indicate that NO
      generated in the mPFC contributes to the acquisition of cocaine CPP and the
      induction of neuroplasticity in LDT cholinergic neurons. Together with previous
      studies showing that NO induces membrane plasticity in mPFC neurons, that mPFC
      neurons project to the LDT, and that LDT activity is critical for the acquisition
      of cocaine CPP, the present findings suggest that NO-mediated neuroplasticity
      induced in the mPFC-LDT circuitry is critical for the development of cocaine
      addiction.

PMID- 28893595
TI  - Modeling multiple health behaviors and general health.
AB  - Multiple Health Behavior Change assumes health behaviors are related to one
      another, although research evidence is mixed. More research is needed to
      understand which behaviors are most closely related and how they collectively
      predict health. Principle component analysis and structural equation modeling
      were used to establish a model showing relations between health behaviors,
      including fruit/vegetable consumption, aerobic and strength exercise, alcohol
      intake, and smoking, and how these behaviors relate to general physical and
      mental health functioning in a large, national sample. Although health behaviors
      were found to coalesce into a health-promoting factor of diet, and exercise, a
      better overall model fit was found when all behaviors were modeled as separate
      independent variables. Results suggest that health behaviors relate to one
      another in complex ways, with perceived health status serving as a mediating
      variable between specific health behaviors and a factor of physical and mental
      health. Future research should further investigate how other health behaviors
      relate to perceptions and overall health, especially among subpopulations.

PMID- 28893597
TI  - Evaluation of a provincial intervention to reduce redundant hemoglobin A1c
      testing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Canadian Diabetes Association recommends testing most individuals
      with diabetes mellitus using HbA1c once every 3months. In Alberta, Canada, a
      provincial intervention to reduce inappropriate HbA1c test orders was implemented
      to align with this guideline, where only one HbA1c test request every 90days for
      most individuals can be processed. Here, we evaluated the provincial intervention
      to reduce redundant HbA1c testing in Alberta. METHODS: Total counts of all HbA1c
      tests ordered within Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, were collected from the
      respective Laboratory Information Systems each month between January 2013 and
      December 2016. Winters' Additive time series model was built to predict the HbA1c
      test volume after intervention (November 1, 2015 onwards) and compared with the
      observed test volume to estimate the effect of the intervention. The estimated
      change in test volume was then multiplied by the estimated cost to determine the
      economic impact. RESULTS: During the first 14months of the intervention for
      Alberta, there was a 3.3% reduction in the number of observed HbA1c tests
      compared to the predicted volume. With an estimated marginal reagent cost of
      $3.50 per unit, this resulted in a cost savings of $145,422 in the first 14months
      of the provincial intervention. CONCLUSION: A modest reduction in HbA1c test
      orders was observed in the urban areas of Alberta since the implementation of
      this provincial initiative.

PMID- 28893596
TI  - Sustained engagement of attention is associated with increased negative self
      referent processing in major depressive disorder.
AB  - This study investigated the link between self-reference and attentional
      engagement in adults with (n=22) and without (HC; n=24) Major Depressive Disorder
      (MDD). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants completed
      the Self-Referent Encoding Task (SRET). MDD participants endorsed significantly
      fewer positive words and more negative words as self-descriptive than HC
      participants. A whole-scalp data analysis technique revealed that the MDD
      participants had larger difference wave (negative words minus positive words) ERP
      amplitudes from 380 to 1000ms across posterior sites, which positively correlated
      with number of negative words endorsed. No group differences were observed for
      earlier attentional components (P1, P2). The results suggest that among adults
      with MDD, negative stimuli capture attention during later information processing;
      this engagement is associated with greater self-referent endorsement of negative
      adjectives. Sustained cognitive engagement for self-referent negative stimuli may
      be an important target for neurocognitive depression interventions.

PMID- 28893598
TI  - Microcystins: Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies toward PP1
      and PP2A.
AB  - Microcystins are highly toxic cyanotoxins responsible for plant, animal and human
      poisoning. Exposure to microcystins, mainly through drinkable water and
      contaminated food, is a current world health concern. Although it is quite
      challenging, the synthesis of these potent cyanotoxins, analogs and derivatives
      helps to evaluate their toxicological properties and to elucidate their binding
      mechanisms to their main targets Protein Phosphatase-1 (PP1) and -2A (PP2A). This
      review focuses on synthetic approaches to prepare microcystins and analogs and
      compiles structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies that describe the unique
      features of microcystins that make them so potent.

PMID- 28893600
TI  - Synthesis and preliminary in vivo evaluation of new [18F]fluoro-inositols as
      Positron Emission Tomography radiotracers.
AB  - This study describes the synthesis and radiosynthesis of eight new [18F]fluoro
      inositol-based radiotracers in myo- and scyllo-inositol configuration. These
      radiotracers are equipped with a propyl linker bearing fluorine-18. This
      fluorinated arm is either on a hydroxyl group, i.e. O-alkylated inositols, or on
      the cyclohexyl backbone, i.e. C-branched derivatives. To modulate lipophilicity,
      inositols were synthesized in acetylated or hydroxylated form. Automated
      radiosynthesis was performed on the AllInOne module and the radiotracers were
      produced in good radiochemical yields (15-31.5% dc). Preliminary in vivo
      preclinical evaluation of these eight [18F]fluoro-inositols as Positron Emission
      Tomography (PET) imaging agents in a breast tumour-bearing mouse model was
      performed and compared with [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose ([18F]FDG). Amongst
      the different inositols, [18F]myo-2 showed the highest tumour uptake 2.34+/
      0.39%ID/g, revealing the potential of this tracer for monitoring breast cancer.

PMID- 28893601
TI  - Seek & Destroy, use of targeting peptides for cancer detection and drug delivery.
AB  - Accounting for 16 million new cases and 9 million deaths annually, cancer leaves
      a great number of patients helpless. It is a complex disease and still a major
      challenge for the scientific and medical communities. The efficacy of
      conventional chemotherapies is often poor and patients suffer from off-target
      effects. Each neoplasm exhibits molecular signatures - sometimes in a patient
      specific manner - that may completely differ from the organ of origin, may be
      expressed in markedly higher amounts and/or in different location compared to the
      normal tissue. Although adding layers of complexity in the understanding of
      cancer biology, this cancer-specific signature provides an opportunity to develop
      targeting agents for early detection, diagnosis, and therapeutics. Chimeric
      antibodies, recombinant proteins or synthetic polypeptides have emerged as
      excellent candidates for specific homing to peripheral and central nervous system
      cancers. Specifically, peptide ligands benefit from their small size, easy and
      affordable production, high specificity, and remarkable flexibility regarding
      their sequence and conjugation possibilities. Coupled to imaging agents,
      chemotherapies and/or nanocarriers they have shown to increase the on-site
      delivery, thus allowing better tumor mass contouring in imaging and increased
      efficacy of the chemotherapies associated with reduced adverse effects.
      Therefore, some of the peptides alone or in combination have been tested in
      clinical trials to treat patients. Peptides have been well-tolerated and shown
      absence of toxicity. This review aims to offer a view on tumor targeting peptides
      that are either derived from natural peptide ligands or identified using phage
      display screening. We also include examples of peptides targeting the high-grade
      malignant tumors of the central nervous system as an example of the complex
      therapeutic management due to the tumor's location. Peptide vaccines are outside
      of the scope of this review.

PMID- 28893599
TI  - Natural products and morphogenic activity of gamma-Proteobacteria associated with
      the marine hydroid polyp Hydractinia echinata.
AB  - Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to profile the associated bacterial
      community of the marine hydroid Hydractinia echinata, a long-standing model
      system in developmental biology. 56 associated bacteria were isolated and
      evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. Three strains were selected for
      further in-depth chemical analysis leading to the identification of 17 natural
      products. Several gamma-Proteobacteria were found to induce settlement of the
      motile larvae, but only six isolates induced the metamorphosis to the primary
      polyp stage within 24h. Our study paves the way to better understand how
      bacterial partners contribute to protection, homeostasis and propagation of the
      hydroid polyp.

PMID- 28893604
TI  - Redox signalling in development and regeneration.

PMID- 28893602
TI  - Raltegravir blocks the infectivity of red-fluorescent-protein (mCherry)-labeled
      HIV-1JR-FL in the setting of post-exposure prophylaxis in NOD/SCID/Jak3-/- mice
      transplanted with human PBMCs.
AB  - Employing NOD/SCID/Jak3-/- mice transplanted with human PBMCs (hNOJ mice) and
      replication-competent, red-fluorescent-protein (mCherry; mC)-labeled HIV-1JR-FL
      (HIVmC), we examined whether early antiretroviral treatment blocked the
      establishment of HIV-1 infection. The use of hNOJ mice and HIVmC enabled us to
      visually locate infection foci and to examine the early dynamics of HIVmC
      infection without using a large amount of antiretroviral unlike in non-human
      primate models. Although when raltegravir (RAL) administration was begun 1 day
      after intraperitoneal (ip) inoculation of HIVmC, no plasma p24 or plasma HIV-1
      RNA (pRNA) were detected in 10 of 12 hNOJ (hNOJmCRAL+) mice as assessed on the
      last day of the 14-day continuous twice-daily RAL administration, all 10
      untreated hNOJmC (hNOJmCRAL-) mice became positive for p24 and pRNA and had
      significantly swollen lymph nodes in peritoneal cavity and abundant
      p24+/mC+/CD3+/CD4+ T cells and p24+/mC+/CD68+ monocytes/macrophages were
      identified in their omenta and mesenteric lymphoid tissues/lymph nodes upon
      necropsy of the mice on day 14. In 12 hNOJmCRAL+ mice, no significantly swollen
      lymph nodes were seen compared to hNOJmCRAL- mice; however, in the omentum of the
      2 hNOJmCRAL+ mice that were positive for pRNA and in site RNA,
      mC+/p24+/CD3+/CD83+ cells were identified, suggesting that viral breakthrough
      occurred later in the observation period. The present data suggest that the use
      of hNOJ mouse model and HIVmC may shed light on the study of early-phase dynamics
      of HIV-1 infection and cellular events in post-exposure/pre-exposure prophylaxis.

PMID- 28893605
TI  - Oscillator networks with tissue-specific circadian clocks in plants.
AB  - Many organisms rely on circadian clocks to synchronize their biological processes
      with the 24-h rotation of the earth. In mammals, the circadian clock consists of
      a central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and peripheral clocks in other
      tissues. The central clock is tightly coupled to synchronize rhythmicity and can
      organize peripheral clocks through neural and hormonal signals. In contrast to
      mammals, it has long been assumed that the circadian clocks in each plant cell is
      able to be entrained by external light, and they are only weakly coupled to each
      other. Recently, however, several reports have demonstrated that plants have
      unique oscillator networks with tissue-specific circadian clocks. Here, we
      introduce our current view regarding tissue-specific properties and oscillator
      networks of plant circadian clocks. Accumulating evidence suggests that plants
      have multiple oscillators, which show distinct properties and reside in different
      tissues. A direct tissue-isolation technique and micrografting have clearly
      demonstrated that plants have hierarchical oscillator networks consisting of
      multiple tissue-specific clocks.

PMID- 28893603
TI  - Human polyclonal antibodies produced in transchromosomal cattle prevent lethal
      Zika virus infection and testicular atrophy in mice.
AB  - Zika virus (ZIKV) is rapidly spreading throughout the Americas and is associated
      with significant fetal complications, most notably microcephaly. Treatment with
      polyclonal antibodies for pregnant women at risk of ZIKV-related complications
      could be a safe alternative to vaccination. We found that large quantities of
      human polyclonal antibodies could be rapidly produced in transchromosomal bovines
      (TcB) and successfully used to protect mice from lethal infection. Additionally,
      antibody treatment eliminated ZIKV induced tissue damage in immunologically
      privileged sites such as the brain and testes and protected against testicular
      atrophy. These data indicate that rapid development and deployment of human
      polyclonal antibodies could be a viable countermeasure against ZIKV.

PMID- 28893606
TI  - Expression of stable and active human DNA topoisomerase I in Pichia pastoris.
AB  - This study described the isolation of the coding region of human topoisomerase I
      (TopoI) from MDA-MB-231 and the expression of multiple copy recombinant genes in
      four Pichia pastoris strains. First, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      amplification of the enzyme coding region was performed. The PCR fragment was
      cloned into pPICZ-alpha-A vector and sequenced. It was then transformed into X33,
      GS115, SMD1168H and KM71H strains of Pichia. PCR-screening for positive clones
      was performed, and estimation of multiple copy integrants in each Pichia strain
      was carried out using agar plates containing increasing concentrations of
      Zeocin(r). The selected clones of multiple copy recombinant genes were then
      induced for TopoI expression in shaker flasks. GS115 and SMD1168 were found to be
      better Pichia strains to accommodate the recombinant gene for the expression of
      TopoI extracellularly. However, the DNA relaxation activity revealed that only
      the target enzyme in the culture supernatants of GS115-pPICZ-alpha-A-TopoI
      exhibited consistent enzyme activity over the cultivation time-points. Active
      enzyme activity was inhibited by Camptothecin. The enzyme produced can be used
      for in-house gel-based DNA relaxation assay development in performing high
      throughput screening for target-specific growth inhibitors that display similar
      effect as the TopoI inhibitors. These inhibitors may contribute to the
      improvement of the treatment of cancer patients.

PMID- 28893607
TI  - Modification of adverse health effects of maternal active and passive smoking by
      genetic susceptibility: Dose-dependent association of plasma cotinine with infant
      birth size among Japanese women-The Hokkaido Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the individual dose-response effects of eight
      maternal polymorphisms encoding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-metabolizing and
      DNA-repair genes on prenatal cotinine levels according to infant birth size.
      METHODS: In total, 3263 Japanese pregnant women were assigned to five groups
      based on plasma cotinine levels during the 8th month of pregnancy, as measured
      using ELISA (cut-offs: 0.21, 0.55, 11.48, and 101.67ng/mL). Analyses were
      performed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Birth weight reduction
      showed a dose-dependent relationship with prenatal cotinine levels (P for
      trend<0.001). When considering the specific aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)
      (G>A, Arg554Lys; db SNP ID: rs2066853) and X-ray cross-complementing gene 1
      (XRCC1) (C>T, Arg194Trp, rs1799782) genotypes, a larger birth weight reduction
      was noted among infants born to mothers with the highest cotinine level.
      CONCLUSION: Infants born to women with specific AHR and XRCC1 genotypes may have
      higher genetic risks for birth weight reduction.

PMID- 28893608
TI  - Adaptive cortical parcellations for source reconstructed EEG/MEG connectomes.
AB  - There is growing interest in the rich temporal and spectral properties of the
      functional connectome of the brain that are provided by Electro- and
      Magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG). However, the problem of leakage between brain
      sources that arises when reconstructing brain activity from EEG/MEG recordings
      outside the head makes it difficult to distinguish true connections from spurious
      connections, even when connections are based on measures that ignore zero-lag
      dependencies. In particular, standard anatomical parcellations for potential
      cortical sources tend to over- or under-sample the real spatial resolution of
      EEG/MEG. By using information from cross-talk functions (CTFs) that objectively
      describe leakage for a given sensor configuration and distributed source
      reconstruction method, we introduce methods for optimising the number of parcels
      while simultaneously minimising the leakage between them. More specifically, we
      compare two image segmentation algorithms: 1) a split-and-merge (SaM) algorithm
      based on standard anatomical parcellations and 2) a region growing (RG) algorithm
      based on all the brain vertices with no prior parcellation. Interestingly, when
      applied to minimum-norm reconstructions for EEG/MEG configurations from real
      data, both algorithms yielded approximately 70 parcels despite their different
      starting points, suggesting that this reflects the resolution limit of this
      particular sensor configuration and reconstruction method. Importantly, when
      compared against standard anatomical parcellations, resolution matrices of
      adaptive parcellations showed notably higher sensitivity and distinguishability
      of parcels. Furthermore, extensive simulations of realistic networks revealed
      significant improvements in network reconstruction accuracies, particularly in
      reducing false leakage-induced connections. Adaptive parcellations therefore
      allow a more accurate reconstruction of functional EEG/MEG connectomes.

PMID- 28893609
TI  - Supramolecular cisplatin-vorinostat nanodrug for overcoming drug resistance in
      cancer synergistic therapy.
AB  - Cisplatin is a widely used anticancer drug in clinic. However, it may induce drug
      resistance after a course of treatment and it is difficult to accumulate at tumor
      site selectively, which result in clinic failure and side effects. We
      successfully bound cisplatin with vorinostat (a FDA-approved histone deacetylase
      inhibitor) to form a supramolecular conjugate, which can further self-assemble
      into nanoparticles. The nanodrug can retain in blood stream for a long time,
      accumulate in tumor site and hydrolyze to release the two drugs for synergistic
      therapy. In vivo experiments highlighted the great advantage of the
      supramolecular nanodrug, because it ensured the two drugs reaching cancer tissue
      simutaneously. Free cisplatin or cisplatin/vorinostat mixture had negligible or
      limited effects on A549/DR tumor growth. On the contrary, the tumor inhibitory
      rate approached 99% with little systemic toxicity if the dose of cisplatin
      vorinostat nanodrug reached 10mg/kg body weight, thus suggesting this
      supramolecular nanodrug as a promising treatment of drug resistance cancer.

PMID- 28893610
TI  - Sex differences in the respiratory-sympathetic coupling in rats exposed to
      chronic intermittent hypoxia.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a complex disease in which humans face episodes
      of intermittent hypoxia and it affects men and women. Patients with OSA present
      hypertension and sympathetic overactivity among several other dysfunctions.
      Therefore, one important question remains: are the autonomic dysfunctions
      associated with OSA similar in male and female? This is an unresolved question
      since sex factors are overlooked in most clinical and experimental studies.
      Epidemiological data indicate that sex exerts an important influence in the
      prevalence of OSA and associated comorbidities, such as hypertension. Sex
      hormones, genetic and neural factors probably are the main players underlying sex
      differences in the pathophysiology of OSA but they are not yet fully understood.
      We are using chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) as an experimental model of
      intermittent hypoxia such as those observed in OSA patients to investigate the
      cardiovascular, sympathetic and respiratory responses in female rats. Our recent
      studies show that adult and juvenile female rats exposed to CIH develop
      hypertension similar to age-matched CIH-male rats. Although both males and
      females develop hypertension after CIH, the most remarkable finding was that CIH
      female rats develop changes in the respiratory modulation of sympathetic activity
      different from those observed in CIH-male rats, characterizing sex differences in
      the respiratory-sympathetic coupling in response to CIH. Specifically, in CIH
      female rats, sympathetic overactivity is linked to inspiration while in CIH-male
      rats it is linked to the late phase of expiration. In this review we discuss the
      pathophysiological consequences of CIH, focusing in adult and juvenile female
      rats and how changes in the respiratory-sympathetic coupling may play a key role
      in CIH-induced sympathetic overactivity and hypertension in both male and female
      rats.

PMID- 28893611
TI  - Emerging peak on the phylogeographic landscape of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in
      West Asia: Definitely smoke, likely fire.
AB  - To date, a major attention was justly given to the global lineages of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we demonstrated an importance of the minor
      ones, on an example of intriguing and underestimated NEW-1 family that belongs to
      Euro-American lineage (lineage 4). Analysis of the global WGS/NGS datasets (5715
      strains) identified 2235 strains of Lineage 4 and 66 strains of sublineage L4.5.
      This latter is marked with RD122 genomic deletion and includes NEW-1 family.
      Phylogenomic analysis confirmed a separate position of the NEW-1 family that we
      tentatively designate L4.5.1/Iran. We propose an evolution/migration scenario
      starting with origin of L4.5 1000-1300 ya in China, subsequent origin of the pre
      NEW-1 intermediate genotype in Tibet, further migration to Xinjiang/Uyghur, and
      finally to Iran since 800 ya (origin of NEW-1), possibly, via expansion of the
      Mongol Yuan empire. Analysis of longitudinal phylogeographic datasets revealed a
      sharp increase in prevalence of NEW-1 strains in Iran and its eastwards neighbors
      in the last 20years; most alarmingly, it is accompanied with significant
      association with multidrug resistance (MDR). Ongoing migration, especially,
      Afghan refugees flows to developed countries emphasize a risk of the wider spread
      of the epidemic MDR subtype within NEW-1 family that we coin as emerging
      resistant clone of M. tuberculosis in West Asia.

PMID- 28893613
TI  - Genotoxic effects in transformed and non-transformed human breast cell lines
      after exposure to silver nanoparticles in combination with aluminium chloride,
      butylparaben or di-n-butylphthalate.
AB  - In the present study genotoxic effects after combined exposure of human breast
      cell lines (MCF-10A, MCF-7 and MDB-MB-231) to silver nanoparticles (AgNP, citrate
      stabilized, 15 and 45nm by STEM, Ag15 and Ag45, respectively) with aluminium
      chloride, butylparaben, or di-n-butylphthalate were studied. In MCF-10A cells
      exposed for 24h to Ag15 at the concentration of 23.5MUg/mL a statistically
      significant increase in DNA damage in comet assay (SSB) was observed. In the
      presence of the test chemicals the genotoxic effect was decreased to a level
      comparable to control values. In MCF-7 cells a significant increase in SSB level
      was observed after exposure to Ag15 at 16.3MUg/mL. The effect was also diminished
      in the presence of the three test chemicals. In MDA-MB-231 cells no significant
      increase in SSB was observed, however increased level of oxidative DNA damage
      (incubation with Fpg enzyme) was observed after exposure to combinations of both
      AgNP with aluminium chloride. No increase in micronuclei formation was observed
      in neither cell line after the single nor combined treatments. Our results point
      to a low risk of increased genotoxic effects of AgNP when used in combination
      with aluminium salts, butylparaben or di-n-butylphthalate in consumer products.

PMID- 28893612
TI  - Tyrphostin RG14620 selectively reverses ABCG2-mediated multidrug resistance in
      cancer cell lines.
AB  - The multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype associated with the overexpression of
      ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug transporters ABCB1, ABCC1 and ABCG2 is a major
      obstacle in cancer chemotherapy. Numerous epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      inhibitors have previously been shown capable of reversing MDR in ABCG2
      overexpressing cancer cells. However, most of them are not transporter-specific
      due to the substantial overlapping substrate specificity among the transporters.
      In this study, we investigated the interaction between ABCG2 and tyrphostin
      RG14620, an EGFR inhibitor of the tyrphostin family, in multidrug-resistant
      cancer cell lines. We found that at nontoxic concentrations, tyrphostin RG14620
      enhances drug-induced apoptosis and restores chemosensitivity to ABCG2
      overexpressing multidrug-resistant cancer cells. More importantly, tyrphostin
      RG14620 is selective to ABCG2 relative to ABCB1 and ABCC1. Our findings were
      further supported by biochemical assays demonstrating that tyrphostin RG14620
      stimulates ATP hydrolysis and inhibits photoaffinity labeling of ABCG2 with IAAP,
      and by a docking analysis of tyrphostin RG14620 in the drug-binding pocket of
      this transporter. Taken together, our findings indicate that tyrphostin RG14620
      is a potent and selective modulator of ABCG2 that may be useful to overcome
      chemoresistance in patients with drug-resistant tumors.

PMID- 28893614
TI  - Impact of electronic healthcare-associated infection surveillance software on
      infection prevention resources: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections is fundamental for
      infection prevention. The methods and practices for surveillance have evolved as
      technology becomes more advanced. The availability of electronic surveillance
      software (ESS) has increased, and yet adoption of ESS is slow. It is argued that
      ESS delivers savings through automation, particularly in terms of human
      resourcing and infection prevention (IP) staff time. AIM: To describe the
      findings of a systematic review on the impact of ESS on IP resources. METHODS: A
      systematic search was conducted of electronic databases Medline and the
      Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature published between
      January 1st, 2006 and December 31st, 2016 with analysis using the Newcastle
      Ottawa Scale. FINDINGS: In all, 2832 articles were reviewed, of which 16 studies
      met the inclusion criteria. IP resources were identified as time undertaken on
      surveillance. A reduction in IP staff time to undertake surveillance was
      demonstrated in 13 studies. The reduction proportion ranged from 12.5% to 98.4%
      (mean: 73.9%). The remaining three did not allow for any estimation of the effect
      in terms of IP staff time. None of the studies demonstrated an increase in IP
      staff time. CONCLUSION: The results of this review demonstrate that adopting ESS
      yields considerable dividends in IP staff time relating to data collection and
      case ascertainment while maintaining high levels of sensitivity and specificity.
      This has the potential to enable reinvestment into other components of IP to
      maximize efficient use of scarce IP resources.

PMID- 28893616
TI  - Does antero-lateral ankle impingement exist?
AB  - Antero-lateral ankle impingement syndrome (ALAIS) is a well-established clinical
      entity that is a common consequence of ankle sprains. Injury to the anterior talo
      fibular ligament plays a key role in the genesis of ALAIS. Arthroscopic antero
      lateral synovectomy is the standard of care. However, this treatment approach may
      deserve to be challenged, as it does not include any procedure on the ligaments,
      despite the presence in some patients of lateral rotational micro-instability of
      the ankle, without objective laxity. Consequently, we reviewed current data on
      ALAIS and its links to ankle instability, from the dual perspective of diagnosis
      and treatment.

PMID- 28893615
TI  - Molecular epidemiology and environmental contamination during an outbreak of
      parainfluenza virus 3 in a haematology ward.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although fomites or contaminated surfaces have been considered as
      transmission routes, the role of environmental contamination by human
      parainfluenza virus type 3 (hPIV-3) in healthcare settings is not established.
      AIM: To describe an hPIV-3 nosocomial outbreak and the results of environmental
      sampling to elucidate the source of nosocomial transmission and the role of
      environmental contamination. METHODS: During an hPIV-3 outbreak between May and
      June 2016, environmental surfaces in contact with clustered patients were swabbed
      and respiratory specimens used from infected patients and epidemiologically
      unlinked controls. The epidemiologic relatedness of hPIV-3 strains was
      investigated by sequencing of the haemagglutinin-neuraminidase and fusion protein
      genes. FINDINGS: Of 19 hPIV-3-infected patients, eight were haematopoietic stem
      cell recipients and one was a healthcare worker. In addition, four had upper and
      12 had lower respiratory tract infections. Of the 19 patients, six (32%) were
      community-onset infections (symptom onset within <7 days of hospitalization) and
      13 (68%) were hospital-onset infections (>=7 days of hospitalization).
      Phylogenetic analysis identified two major clusters: five patients, and three
      patients plus one healthcare worker. Therefore, seven (37%) were classified as
      nosocomial transmissions. hPIV-3 was detected in 21 (43%) of 49 environmental
      swabs up to 12 days after negative respiratory polymerase chain reaction
      conversion. CONCLUSION: At least one-third of a peak season nosocomial hPIV-3
      outbreak originated from nosocomial transmission, with multiple importations of
      hPIV-3 from the community, providing experimental evidence for extensive
      environmental hPIV-3 contamination. Direct contact with the contaminated surfaces
      and fomites or indirect transmission from infected healthcare workers could be
      responsible for nosocomial transmission.

PMID- 28893617
TI  - Therapeutic potential of carbohydrates as regulators of macrophage activation.
AB  - It is well established for a broad range of disease states, including cancer and
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, that pathogenesis is bolstered by
      polarisation of macrophages towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype, known as M2.
      As these innate immune cells are relatively long-lived, their re-polarisation to
      pro-inflammatory, phagocytic and bactericidal "classically activated" M1
      macrophages is an attractive therapeutic approach. On the other hand, there are
      scenarios where the resolving inflammation, wound healing and tissue remodelling
      properties of M2 macrophages are beneficial - for example the successful
      introduction of biomedical implants. Although there are numerous endogenous and
      exogenous factors that have an impact on the macrophage polarisation spectrum,
      this review will focus specifically on prominent macrophage-modulating
      carbohydrate motifs with a view towards highlighting structure-function
      relationships and therapeutic potential.

PMID- 28893618
TI  - Lenalidomide modulates gene expression in human ABC-DLBCL cells by regulating
      IKAROS interaction with an intronic control region of SPIB.
AB  - Activated B-cell diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL) is associated with a
      poor prognosis compared with other DLBCL types and therefore represents a top
      priority for developing novel therapies. Lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory drug
      in trials for treatment of ABC-DLBCL, targets the transcription factor IKAROS for
      degradation by the cereblon E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. In this study, we
      investigated whether the gene encoding the transcription factor SPI-B is a target
      of IKAROS. Using cultured ABC-DLBCL cell lines, we found that high levels of SPI
      B expression conferred resistance to lenalidomide. Lenalidomide treatment of ABC
      DLBCL cells resulted in downregulation of SPIB at the level of transcription.
      SPIB was regulated directly by IKAROS through a binding site located in the first
      intron of the gene. Inhibition of IKAROS binding using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated
      transcriptional repression downregulated endogenous SPIB transcription. Finally,
      ectopic expression of IKAROS protected SPIB from downregulation. These results
      show that the mechanism of action of lenalidomide in ABC-DLBCL cells involves
      downregulation of SPIB transcription by cereblon-induced degradation of IKAROS.
      These results have implications for the design of synthetic lethal therapy for
      the treatment of ABC-DLBCL.

PMID- 28893619
TI  - Evaluation of the effect of brominated flame retardants on hemoglobin oxidation
      and hemolysis in human erythrocytes.
AB  - Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are widely used in many everyday products.
      Numerous studies have shown that BFRs can be released into the environment.
      Environmental pollution with these compounds raises concerns about their
      potentially adverse health effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      effect of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tetrabromobisphenol S (TBBPS), 2,4
      dibromophenol (2,4-DBP), 2,4,6- tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP) and pentabromophenol
      (PBP) on hemolysis induction and hemoglobin oxidation in human erythrocytes. The
      erythrocytes were incubated with selected BFRs in a wide concentrations ranging
      from 0.01 to 100 MUg/ml for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. All compounds studied, exhibited
      hemolytic potential and induced methemoglobin formation. Hemolytic and oxidative
      potential of BFRs increased along with the increasing concentrations of the
      compounds studied and elongation of the incubation time. Our study showed that
      both the number of aromatic rings and the number of bromine atoms in the molecule
      of the compounds examined influence hemoglobin oxidation and damage to the
      cellular membrane. Furthermore, we may conclude that 2,4-DBP is potentially most
      toxic compound because it causes statistically significant changes at the lowest
      concentration, while the highest toxicity at the highest concentrations was noted
      for TBBPA.

PMID- 28893620
TI  - Protective effects of tea, red wine and cocoa in diabetes. Evidences from human
      studies.
AB  - Prevention of diabetes through the diet has recently received an increasing
      interest, and polyphenolic compounds, such as flavanols, have become important
      potential chemopreventive natural agents due to their proved benefits on health,
      with low toxicity and cost. Tea, red wine and cocoa are good sources of flavanols
      and these highly consumed foods might contribute to prevent diabetes. In this
      regard, there is increasing evidence for a protective effect of tea, red wine and
      cocoa consumption against this disorder. This review summarizes the available
      epidemiological and interventional human studies providing evidence for and
      against this effect. Overall observational data suggest a benefit, but results
      are still equivocal and likely confounded by lifestyle and background dietary
      factors. The weight of data indicate favourable effects on diabetes risk factors
      for tea, red wine and cocoa intake, and a number of plausible mechanisms have
      been elucidated in human studies. However, despite the growing evidence it
      remains uncertain whether tea, red wine and cocoa consumption should be
      recommended to the general population or to patients as a strategy to reduce the
      risk of diabetes.

PMID- 28893621
TI  - Rare genetic variants in the sodium-dependent organic anion transporter SOAT
      (SLC10A6): Effects on transport function and membrane expression.
AB  - Sulfo-conjugated steroid hormones, such as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate
      (DHEAS), pregnenolone sulfate or estrone-3-sulfate are abundant in the body, but
      are biologically inactive at classical androgen and estrogen steroid receptors.
      However, after carrier-mediated import and de-conjugation by the steroid
      sulfatase, these compounds participate in the overall steroid regulation of
      reproductive organs. The sodium-dependent organic anion transporter SOAT, coded
      by the SLC10A6 gene, is specific for the transport of steroid sulfates and is
      highly expressed in testicular germ cells, including pachytene spermatocytes,
      secondary spermatocytes, and round spermatids. Therefore, SOAT is supposed to be
      involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis and male fertility. In the present
      study, the SLC10A6 gene was analyzed for rare genetic variants, which might
      affect transport function or membrane expression of SOAT. Among the 31 SOAT
      variants analyzed, L44P, Q75R, P107L, G109S, S112F, N113K, S133F, G241D, G263E,
      G294R, and Y308N showed no transport activity for DHEAS at all. In the case of
      P107L, G241D, G263E, and Y308N, this was most likely due to significantly reduced
      expression in the plasma membrane. Other variants are located directly at (Q75R,
      S112F, N113K) or close to (G109S, S133F, and G263E) the supposed SOAT Na+ binding
      sites and thus could disable the sodium-coupled transport cycle. If these loss-of
      function SOAT variants are more frequent in men with impaired spermatogenesis or
      infertility needs further investigation.

PMID- 28893622
TI  - Differential expression of vitamin D-associated enzymes and receptors in brain
      cell subtypes.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that the active form of vitamin D, 1,25(OH)2D3,
      can be considered as a neurosteroid. However, the cerebral expression of vitamin
      D-associated enzymes and receptors remains controversial. With the idea of
      carrying out a comparative study in mind, we compared the transcript expression
      of Cyp27a1, Cyp27b1, Cyp24a1, Vdr and Pdia3 in purified cultures of astrocytes,
      endothelial cells, microglia, neurons and oligodendrocytes. We observed that
      endothelial cells and neurons can possibly transform the inactive cholecalciferol
      into 25(OH)D3. It can then be metabolised into 1,25(OH)2D3, by neurons or
      microglia, before being transferred to astrocytes where it can bind to VDR and
      initiate gene transcription or be inactivated when in excess. Alternatively,
      1,25(OH)2D3 can induce autocrine or paracrine rapid non-genomic actions via PDIA3
      whose transcript is abundantly expressed in all cerebral cell types. Noticeably,
      brain endothelial cells appear as a singular subtype as they are potentially able
      to transform cholecalciferol into 25(OH)D3 and exhibit a variable expression of
      Pdia3, according to 1,25(OH)2D3 level. Altogether, our data indicate that, within
      the brain, vitamin D may trigger major auto-/paracrine non genomic actions, in
      addition to its well documented activities as a steroid hormone.

PMID- 28893623
TI  - CYP17A1 inhibitor abiraterone, an anti-prostate cancer drug, also inhibits the 21
      hydroxylase activity of CYP21A2.
AB  - Abiraterone is an inhibitor of CYP17A1 which is used for the treatment of
      castration resistant prostate cancer. Abiraterone is known to inhibit several
      drug metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes including CYP1A2, CYP2D6, CYP2C8,
      CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, but its effects on steroid metabolizing P450
      enzymes are not clear. In preliminary results, we had observed inhibition of
      CYP21A2 by 1MUM abiraterone. Here we are reporting the effect of abiraterone on
      activities of CYP21A2 in human adrenal cells as well as with purified recombinant
      CYP21A2. Cells were treated with varying concentrations of abiraterone for 24h
      and CYP21A2 activity was measured using [3H] 17-hydroxyprogesterone as substrate.
      Whole steroid profile changes were determined by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry. Binding of abiraterone to purified CYP21A2 protein was measured
      spectroscopically. Computational docking was used to study the binding and
      interaction of abiraterone with CYP21A2. Abiraterone caused significant reduction
      in CYP21A2 activity in assays with cells and an inhibition of CYP21A2 activity
      was also observed in experiments using recombinant purified proteins. Abiraterone
      binds to CYP21A2 with an estimated Kd of 6.3MUM. These inhibitory effects of
      abiraterone are at clinically used concentrations. A loss of CYP21A2 activity in
      combination with reduction of CYP17A1 activities by abiraterone could result in
      lower cortisol levels and may require monitoring for any potential adverse
      effects.

PMID- 28893624
TI  - CD8+T cells expressing both PD-1 and TIGIT but not CD226 are dysfunctional in
      acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most common types of leukemia among
      adults with an overall poor prognosis and very limited treatment management.
      Immune checkpoint blockade of PD-1 alone or combined with other immune checkpoint
      blockade has gained impressive results in murine AML models by improving anti
      leukemia CD8+T cell function, which has greatly promoted the strategy to utilize
      combined immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat AML patients. However, the
      expression profiles of these immune checkpoint receptors, such as co-inhibitory
      receptors PD-1 and TIGIT and co-stimulatory receptor CD226, in T cells from AML
      patients have not been clearly defined. Here we have defined subsets of CD8+ and
      CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood (PB) from newly diagnosed AML patients and
      healthy controls (HCs). We have observed increased frequencies of PD-1- and TIGIT
      expressing CD8+ T cells but decreased occurrence of CD226-expressing CD8+T cells
      in AML patients. Further analysis of these CD8+ T cells revealed a unique CD8+ T
      cell subset that expressed PD-1 and TIGIT but displayed lower levels of CD226 was
      associated with failure to achieve remission after induction chemotherapy and
      FLT3-ITD mutations which predict poor clinical prognosis in AML patients.
      Importantly, these PD-1+TIGIT+CD226-CD8+T cells are dysfunctional with lower
      expression of intracellular IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha than their counterparts in
      HCs. Therefore, our studies revealed that an increased frequency of a unique CD8+
      T cell subset, PD-1+TIGIT+CD226-CD8+T cells, is associated with CD8+T cell
      dysfunction and poor clinical prognosis of AML patients, which may reveal
      critical diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and direct more efficient
      therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28893625
TI  - Improvement in the water solubility of drugs with a solid dispersion system by
      spray drying and hot-melt extrusion with using the amphiphilic polyvinyl
      caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer and d-mannitol.
AB  - The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize solid dispersion particles
      with a novel amphiphilic polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene
      glycol graft copolymer, as a water-soluble carrier. Solid dispersion particles
      were prepared by hot-melt extrusion and spray drying. Indomethacin (IMC) was used
      as a model comprising drugs with low solubility in water and d-mannitol (MAN) was
      used as an excipient. The physicochemical properties of prepared particles were
      characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, powder X-ray
      diffraction (PXRD) analysis, FTIR spectra analysis, and drug release studies.
      Stability studies were also conducted under stress conditions at 40 degrees C,
      75% relative humidity. We found that dissolution behavior of the original drug
      crystal could be improved by solid dispersion with the polyvinyl caprolactam
      polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer. The PXRD pattern and
      thermal analysis indicated that the solid dispersion prepared with the polyvinyl
      caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer and IMC was in
      an amorphous state. FTIR spectra analysis indicated that the interaction manner
      between the polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft
      copolymer and IMC may differ with the preparation method and formulation of solid
      dispersions. Stability studies proved that the amorphous state of IMC in solid
      dispersion particles was preserved under stress conditions for more than two
      weeks.

PMID- 28893627
TI  - Guest editorial.

PMID- 28893628
TI  - A combination of nanosystems for the delivery of cancer chemoimmunotherapeutic
      combinations: 1-Methyltryptophan nanocrystals and paclitaxel nanoparticles.
AB  - IDO is an enzyme that tumors use to create a state of immunosupression. 1-d
      methyltryptophan (1-MT) is an IDO pathway inhibitor. After being successfully
      evaluated in preclinical studies, current clinical trials are actually analyzing
      its efficacy as monotherapy or in combination with multiple chemotherapeutic
      agents such as paclitaxel. 1-MT very poor solubility in water and many other
      solvents precludes its ease parenteral administration. It is currently
      administered by oral route because high daily doses were well-tolerated and
      effectively inhibited the IDO activity although only 25% of dose was recovered in
      plasma. The present work describes the preparation and characterization of 1-MT
      nanocrystals in order to enhance its solubility, dissolution rate,
      biodisponibility as well as facilitate its administration by parenteral route. A
      bottom-down approach of nanoprecipitation with an antisolvent was used for the
      fabrication of the nanocrystals and the choice of stabilizers was critical for
      reducing the size. Thermal analysis and x-ray diffraction indicated modifications
      in the drug crystalline state by the process. Through the reduction size and
      crystalline state modifications the dissolution characteristics of raw material
      were significantly increased. In a Lewis Lung cancer mice model, the nanocrystals
      strategy facilitated the sc administration and its antitumoral activity was
      similar to that of i.v. paclitaxel. The best efficacy was achieved when sc 1-MT
      nanocrystals were administered in combination with oral paclitaxel loaded in
      poly(anhydride) nanoparticles. Take together, 1-MT nanocrystals delivery performs
      a nanotechnological strategy suitable to modify the current route and schedule
      for its administration.

PMID- 28893626
TI  - Low-density lipoprotein docosahexaenoic acid nanoparticles induce ferroptotic
      cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - : Low-density lipoprotein nanoparticles reconstituted with the natural omega-3
      fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (LDL-DHA), have been reported to selectively
      kill hepatoma cells and reduce the growth of orthotopic liver tumors in the rat.
      To date, little is known about the cell death pathways by which LDL-DHA
      nanoparticles kill tumor cells. Here we show that the LDL-DHA nanoparticles are
      cytotoxic to both rat hepatoma and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell
      lines. Following LDL-DHA treatment both rat and human HCC cells experience
      pronounced lipid peroxidation, depletion of glutathione and inactivation of the
      lipid antioxidant glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPX4) prior to cell death. Inhibitor
      studies revealed that the treated HCC cells die independent of apoptotic,
      necroptotic or autophagic pathways, but require the presence of cellular iron.
      These hallmark features are consistent and were later confirmed to reflect
      ferroptosis, a novel form of nonapoptotic iron-dependent cell death. In keeping
      with the mechanisms of ferroptosis cell death, GPX4 was also found to be a
      central regulator of LDL-DHA induced tumor cell killing. We also investigated the
      effects of LDL-DHA treatments in mice bearing human HCC tumor xenografts.
      Intratumoral injections of LDL-DHA severely inhibited the growth of HCC
      xenografts long term. Consistent with our in vitro findings, the LDL-DHA treated
      HCC tumors experienced ferroptotic cell death characterized by increased levels
      of tissue lipid hydroperoxides and suppression of GPX4 expression. CONCLUSION:
      LDL-DHA induces cell death in HCC cells through the ferroptosis pathway, this
      represents a novel molecular mechanism of anticancer activity for LDL-DHA
      nanoparticles.

PMID- 28893629
TI  - Obesity and type 2 diabetes, not a diet high in fat, sucrose, and cholesterol,
      negatively impacts bone outcomes in the hyperphagic Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima
      Fatty rat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) increase fracture risk; however,
      the association between obesity/T2D may be confounded by consumption of a diet
      high in fat, sucrose, and cholesterol (HFSC). OBJECTIVE: The study objective was
      to determine the main and interactive effects of obesity/T2D and a HFSC diet on
      bone outcomes using hyperphagic Otuska Long Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats
      and normophagic Long Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) controls. METHODS: At 8weeks
      of age, male OLETF and LETO rats were randomized to either a control (CON, 10 en%
      from fat as soybean oil) or HFSC (45 en% from fat as soybean oil/lard, 17 en%
      sucrose, and 1wt%) diet, resulting in four treatment groups. At 32weeks, total
      body bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) and body composition were
      measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, followed by euthanasia and
      collection of blood and tibiae. Bone turnover markers and sclerostin were
      measured using ELISA. Trabecular microarchitecture of the proximal tibia and
      geometry of the tibia mid-diaphysis were measured using microcomputed tomography;
      whole-bone and tissue-level biomechanical properties were evaluated using
      torsional loading of the tibia. Two-factor ANOVA was used to determine main and
      interactive effects of diet (CON vs. HFSC) and obesity/T2D (OLETF vs. LETO) on
      bone outcomes. RESULTS: Hyperphagic OLEFT rats had greater final body mass, body
      fat, and fasting glucose than normophagic LETO, with no effect of diet. Total
      body BMC and serum markers of bone formation were decreased, and bone resorption
      and sclerostin were increased in obese/T2D OLETF rats. Trabecular bone volume and
      microarchitecture were adversely affected by obesity/T2D, but not diet. Whole
      bone and tissue-level biomechanical properties of the tibia were not affected by
      obesity/T2D; the HFSC diet improved biomechanical properties only in LETO rats.
      CONCLUSIONS: Obesity/T2D, regardless of diet, negatively impacted the balance
      between bone formation and resorption and trabecular bone volume and
      microarchitecture in OLETF rats.

PMID- 28893631
TI  - A 75-Year-Old African American Woman With an Incidentally Identified Renal Mass
      After Traumatic Fall.

PMID- 28893630
TI  - Engineered, axially-vascularized osteogenic grafts from human adipose-derived
      cells to treat avascular necrosis of bone in a rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Avascular necrosis of bone (AVN) leads to sclerosis and collapse of
      bone and joints. The standard of care, vascularized bone grafts, is limited by
      donor site morbidity and restricted availability. The aim of this study was to
      generate and test engineered, axially vascularized SVF cells-based bone
      substitutes in a rat model of AVN. METHODS: SVF cells were isolated from
      lipoaspirates and cultured onto porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds within a
      perfusion-based bioreactor system for 5days. The resulting constructs were
      inserted into devitalized bone cylinders mimicking AVN-affected bone. A ligated
      vascular bundle was inserted upon subcutaneous implantation of constructs in nude
      rats. After 1 and 8weeks in vivo, bone formation and vascularization were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Newly-formed bone was found in 80% of SVF-seeded scaffolds
      after 8weeks but not in unseeded controls. Human ALU+cells in the bone structures
      evidenced a direct contribution of SVF cells to bone formation. A higher density
      of regenerative, M2 macrophages was observed in SVF-seeded constructs. In both
      experimental groups, devitalized bone was revitalized by vascularized tissue
      after 8 weeks. CONCLUSION: SVF cells-based osteogenic constructs revitalized
      fully necrotic bone in a challenging AVN rat model of clinically-relevant size.
      SVF cells contributed to accelerated initial vascularization, to bone formation
      and to recruitment of pro-regenerative endogenous cells. STATEMENT OF
      SIGNIFICANCE: Avascular necrosis (AVN) of bone often requires surgical treatment
      with autologous bone grafts, which is surgically demanding and restricted by
      significant donor site morbidity and limited availability. This paper describes a
      de novo engineered axially-vascularized bone graft substitute and tests the
      potential to revitalize dead bone and provide efficient new bone formation in a
      rat model. The engineering of an osteogenic/vasculogenic construct of clinically
      relevant size with stromal vascular fraction of human adipose, combined to an
      arteriovenous bundle is described. This construct revitalized and generated new
      bone tissue. This successful approach proposes a novel paradigm in the treatment
      of AVN, in which an engineered, vascularized osteogenic graft would be used as a
      germ to revitalize large volumes of necrotic bone.

PMID- 28893632
TI  - Patients' Experiences With Extramammary Paget Disease: An Online Pilot Study
      Querying a Patient Support Group.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the heterogeneous care delivered to patients with
      extramammary Paget disease (EMPD), a rare and lethal malignancy with poorly
      described treatment methodologies, by characterizing the clinical and pathologic
      characteristics of an international patient support group. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Institutional review board approval was obtained to develop and distribute a
      nonvalidated survey to patients from an international, online EMPD support group.
      The survey was developed to capture patient clinical and pathologic details and
      was distributed between January 2017 and February 2017. RESULTS: Forty-two
      patients completed the survey. At a mean age of 64 years, patients most commonly
      developed rash, pruritus, or erythema in the genital and perianal regions.
      Patients presented to their primary care physician, gynecologist, or
      dermatologist and were initially treated with topical agents for benign
      diagnoses. After failing conservative treatments, patients underwent biopsy by a
      dermatologist or gynecologist and were diagnosed with EMPD on average 21 months
      after the onset of symptoms. Wide local and Mohs excisions were the most
      frequently administered treatments with positive margins reported in 43% of
      patients. Fewer patients underwent noninvasive treatment with imiquimod cream and
      radiation. In total, 29% of patients developed regional recurrence and distant
      disease. There was wide variation regarding medical specialties involved,
      diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and clinical follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study
      provides a novel view of the varied clinical and pathologic details from patients
      treated across varying institutions and medical specialties. This study will
      hopefully educate providers of the overall disease process of EMPD and encourage
      the development of standardized treatment recommendations.

PMID- 28893633
TI  - Enhanced Recovery Open vs Laparoscopic Left Donor Nephrectomy: A Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare recovery outcomes between laparoscopic donor nephrectomy
      (LDN) and open donor nephrectomy within a specified enhanced recovery program
      (ERP) for left kidney donations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A phase III randomized
      trial was conducted between January 2013 and June 2015; eligible left-side donors
      were randomized to laparoscopic or open donor nephrectomy in a 1:1 ratio with
      recovery optimized within a standardized ERP. The primary outcome was patient
      reported measure of physical fatigue, as measured by the physical fatigue domain
      of the translated Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory 20. Secondary outcomes
      included other donor recovery outcomes, postoperative pain scores, hospital stay,
      perioperative complications, and graft outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 224 donors
      (laparoscopy, n = 113; open surgery, n = 111) were randomly allocated. Six weeks
      postoperatively, physical fatigue domain scores in Multidimensional Fatigue
      Inventory 20 were significantly lower in the LDN group (mean: laparoscopy, 8.2 +/
      3.2 vs open surgery, 13.05 +/- 2.9) (P = .007). Median total hospital stay was
      also significantly shorter in the LDN group (median: laparoscopy, 2;
      interquartile range, 1-5 vs open surgery, 4; interquartile range, 2-9 days) (P =
      .002). LDN was associated with less pain scores and less non-opioid analgesic
      requirements. Warm ischemia times were not significantly different in both groups
      (mean: laparoscopy, 2.5 +/- 0.8 vs open surgery, 2.2 +/- 0.6) (P = .431).
      CONCLUSION: Even when optimized within an ERP, LDN was associated with less
      general and physical fatigue and better physical function at 6 weeks
      postoperatively when compared with open surgery for left kidney donations.

PMID- 28893634
TI  - Metabolism and DNA repair shape a specific modification pattern in mitochondrial
      DNA.
AB  - The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) resides in the vicinity of energy-rich reactions.
      Thus, chemical modifications of mtDNA might mirror mitochondrial processes and
      could serve as biomarkers of metabolic processes in the mitochondria. This
      hypothesis was tested by assessing modifications at 17 different sites in the
      mtDNA as a function of cell type, oxidative stress and mitochondrial activity.
      Two mouse mutants with a metabolic phenotype were compared to wild-type (WT)
      mice: the ogg1-/- mouse that lacks the 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1), and
      the alkbh7-/- mouse missing the ALKBH7 protein that has been implicated in fatty
      acid oxidation. It was found that cell type, oxidative stress and mitochondrial
      complex activity shaped distinct modification patterns in mtDNA, and that OGG1
      and ALKBH7 independently modulated these modification patterns. The modifications
      included ribonucleotides, which also accumulated in mtDNA with age.
      Interestingly, this age-dependent accumulation most likely involves DNA repair,
      as mtDNA from ogg1-/- mice did not accumulate modifications with age. On the
      other hand, alkbh7-/- mtDNA accumulated more modifications with age than WT
      mtDNA. Our results show that mtDNA is dynamically modified with metabolic
      activity and imply a novel synergy between metabolism and mtDNA repair proteins.

PMID- 28893635
TI  - Emendation and new species of Hapalorhynchus Stunkard, 1922 (Digenea:
      Schistosomatoidea) from musk turtles (Kinosternidae: Sternotherus) in Alabama and
      Florida rivers.
AB  - Hapalorhynchus Stunkard, 1922 is emended based on morphological study of existing
      museum specimens (type and voucher specimens) and newly-collected specimens
      infecting musk turtles (Testudines: Kinosternidae: Sternotherus spp.) from rivers
      in Alabama and Florida (USA). Hapalorhynchus conecuhensis n. sp. is described
      from an innominate musk turtle, Sternotherus cf. minor, (type host) from Blue
      Spring (31 degrees 5'27.64"N, 86 degrees 30'53.21"W; Pensacola Bay Basin,
      Alabama) and the loggerhead musk turtle, Sternotherus minor (Agassiz, 1857) from
      the Wacissa River (30 degrees 20'24.73"N, 83 degrees 59'27.56"W; Apalachee Bay
      Basin, Florida). It differs from congeners by lacking a body constriction at
      level of the ventral sucker, paired anterior caeca, and a transverse ovary as
      well as by having a small ventral sucker, proportionally short posterior caeca,
      nearly equally-sized anterior and posterior testes, a small cirrus sac, and a
      uterus extending dorsal to the ovary and the anterior testis. Specimens of
      Hapalorhynchus reelfooti Byrd, 1939 infected loggerhead musk turtles, stripe
      necked musk turtles (Sternotherus peltifer Smith and Glass, 1947), Eastern musk
      turtles (Sternotherus odoratus [Latreille in Sonnini and Latreille, 1801]), and
      S. cf. minor. Those of Hapalorhynchus cf. stunkardi infected S. minor and S.
      odoratus. Sternothorus minor, S. peltifer, and S. cf. minor plus S. minor and S.
      odoratus are new host records for H. reelfooti and H. cf. stunkardi,
      respectively. This is the first report of an infected musk turtle from the Coosa
      and Tallapoosa Rivers (Mobile-Tensaw River Basin), Pensacola Bay Basin, or
      Apalachee Bay Basin. Sequence analysis of the large subunit rDNA (28S) showed a
      strongly-supported clade for Hapalorhynchus.

PMID- 28893636
TI  - Advances in the application of genetic manipulation methods to apicomplexan
      parasites.
AB  - Apicomplexan parasites such as Babesia, Theileria, Eimeria, Cryptosporidium and
      Toxoplasma greatly impact animal health globally, and improved, cost-effective
      measures to control them are urgently required. These parasites have complex
      multi-stage life cycles including obligate intracellular stages. Major gaps in
      our understanding of the biology of these relatively poorly characterised
      parasites and the diseases they cause severely limit options for designing novel
      control methods. Here we review potentially important shared aspects of the
      biology of these parasites, such as cell invasion, host cell modification, and
      asexual and sexual reproduction, and explore the potential of the application of
      relatively well-established or newly emerging genetic manipulation methods, such
      as classical transfection or gene editing, respectively, for closing important
      gaps in our knowledge of the function of specific genes and proteins, and the
      biology of these parasites. In addition, genetic manipulation methods impact the
      development of novel methods of control of the diseases caused by these
      economically important parasites. Transient and stable transfection methods, in
      conjunction with whole and deep genome sequencing, were initially instrumental in
      improving our understanding of the molecular biology of apicomplexan parasites
      and paved the way for the application of the more recently developed gene editing
      methods. The increasingly efficient and more recently developed gene editing
      methods, in particular those based on the CRISPR/Cas9 system and previous
      conceptually similar techniques, are already contributing to additional gene
      function discovery using reverse genetics and related approaches. However, gene
      editing methods are only possible due to the increasing availability of in vitro
      culture, transfection, and genome sequencing and analysis techniques. We envisage
      that rapid progress in the development of novel gene editing techniques applied
      to apicomplexan parasites of veterinary interest will ultimately lead to the
      development of novel and more efficient methods for disease control.

PMID- 28893637
TI  - Advances in the diagnosis of bovine besnoitiosis: current options and
      applications for control.
AB  - Bovine besnoitiosis, which is caused by the tissue cyst-forming intracellular
      parasite Besnoitia besnoiti, is a chronic and debilitating disease that is
      responsible for severe economic losses in the cattle raised under extensive
      husbandry systems. The absence of vaccines, treatments or a health scheme at
      local, national and international levels has led to a rapid spread of bovine
      besnoitiosis from western Europe towards eastern countries and northwards.
      Moreover, this parasitic disease is widely present in many sub-Saharan countries.
      Thus, bovine besnoitiosis should be included in the animal health scheme of beef
      cattle herds. Accurate diagnostic tools and common diagnostic procedures are
      mandatory in any control programme. Relevant advances have been made in this
      field during the last decade. Succeeding with accurate diagnosis relies on the
      technique employed and the antibody and parasite kinetics of the infection stage,
      which may notably influence control programmes and surveillance. Moreover,
      control programmes should be adapted to the epidemiological status of the
      disease, as the disease presentation in a herd has important implications for
      prospective control. Herein, we review the clinical disease presentation of
      bovine besnoitiosis and the correlation between its clinical course and
      laboratory parameters. We also provide an update on the available diagnostic
      tools, discuss their strengths and pitfalls, and provide guidelines for their use
      in control, surveillance and epidemiological studies. A rational control strategy
      is also recommended.

PMID- 28893638
TI  - Innate immune responses play a key role in controlling infection of the
      intestinal epithelium by Cryptosporidium.
AB  - Cryptosporidium infection leads to acute diarrhea worldwide. The development of
      cryptosporidiosis is closely related to the immune status of its host, affecting
      primarily young ruminants, infants, and immunocompromised individuals. In recent
      years, several studies have improved our knowledge on the immune mechanisms
      responsible for the control of the acute phase of the infection and have
      highlighted the importance of innate immunity. The parasite develops in the
      apical side of intestinal epithelial cells, giving these cells a central role, as
      they are both the exclusive host cell for replication of the parasite and
      participate in the protective immune response. Epithelial cells signal the
      infection by producing chemokines, attracting immune cells to the infected area.
      They also actively participate in host defense by inducing apoptosis and
      releasing antimicrobial peptides, free or incorporated into luminal exosomes,
      with parasiticidal activity. The parasite has developed several escape mechanisms
      to slow down these protective mechanisms. Recent development of several three
      dimensional culture models and the ability to genetically manipulate
      Cryptosporidium will greatly help to further investigate host-pathogen
      interactions and identify virulence factors. Intestinal epithelial cells require
      the help of immune cells to clear the infection. Intestinal dendritic cells, well
      known for their ability to induce and orchestrate adaptive immunity, play a key
      role in controlling the very early steps of Cryptosporidium parvum infection by
      acting as immunological sentinels and active effectors. However, inflammatory
      monocytes, which are quickly and massively recruited to the infected mucosa, seem
      to participate in the loss of epithelial integrity. In addition to new promising
      chemotherapies, we must consider stimulating the innate immunity of neonates to
      strengthen their ability to control Cryptosporidium development. The microbiota
      plays a fundamental role in the development of intestinal immunity and may be
      considered to be a third actor in host-pathogen interactions. There is an urgent
      need to reduce the incidence of this yet poorly controlled disease in the
      populations of developing countries, and decrease economic losses due to infected
      livestock.

PMID- 28893639
TI  - On the application of reverse vaccinology to parasitic diseases: a perspective on
      feature selection and ranking of vaccine candidates.
AB  - Reverse vaccinology has the potential to rapidly advance vaccine development
      against parasites, but it is unclear which features studied in silico will
      advance vaccine development. Here we consider Neospora caninum which is a
      globally distributed protozoan parasite causing significant economic and
      reproductive loss to cattle industries worldwide. The aim of this study was to
      use a reverse vaccinology approach to compile a worthy vaccine candidate list for
      N. caninum, including proteins containing pathogen-associated molecular patterns
      to act as vaccine carriers. The in silico approach essentially involved
      collecting a wide range of gene and protein features from public databases or
      computationally predicting those for every known Neospora protein. This data
      collection was then analysed using an automated high-throughput process to
      identify candidates. The final vaccine list compiled was judged to be the optimum
      within the constraints of available data, current knowledge, and existing
      bioinformatics programs. We consider and provide some suggestions and experience
      on how ranking of vaccine candidate lists can be performed. This study is
      therefore important in that it provides a valuable resource for establishing new
      directions in vaccine research against neosporosis and other parasitic diseases
      of economic and medical importance.

PMID- 28893640
TI  - Agmatine attenuates intestinal ischemia and reperfusion injury by reducing
      oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction in rats.
AB  - AIMS: Oxidative stress and inflammatory response are major factors causing
      several tissue injuries in intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Agmatine
      has been reported to attenuate I/R injury of various organs. The present study
      aims to analyze the possible protective effects of agmatine on intestinal I/R
      injury in rats. MAIN METHODS: Four groups were designed: sham control, agmatine
      treated control, I/R control, and agmatine-treated I/R groups. IR injury of small
      intestine was induced by the occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery for half
      an hour to be followed by a 3-hour-long reperfusion. Agmatine (10mg/kg) was
      administered intraperitoneally before reperfusion period. After 180min of
      reperfusion period, the contractile responses to both carbachol and potassium
      chloride (KCl) were subsequently examined in an isolated-organ bath.
      Malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and the activity of
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured in intestinal tissue. Plasma cytokine levels
      were determined. The expression of the intestinal inducible nitric oxide synthase
      (iNOS) was also assessed by immunohistochemistry. KEY FINDINGS: The treatment
      with agmatine appeared to be significantly effective in reducing the MDA content
      and MPO activity besides restoring the content of GSH. The treatment also
      attenuated the histological injury. The increases in the I/R induced expressions
      of iNOS, IFN-gamma, and IL-1alpha were brought back to the sham control levels by
      the treatment as well. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings indicate that the agmatine
      pretreatment may ameliorate reperfusion induced injury in small intestine mainly
      due to reducing inflammatory response and oxidative stress.

PMID- 28893641
TI  - High-intensity interval training has beneficial effects on cardiac remodeling
      through local renin-angiotensin system modulation in mice fed high-fat or high
      fructose diets.
AB  - AIMS: HIIT (high-intensity interval training) has the potential to reduce
      cardiometabolic risk factors, but the effects on cardiac remodeling and local RAS
      (renin-angiotensin system) in mice fed high-fat or high-fructose diets still need
      to be fully addressed. MAIN METHODS: Sixty male C57BL/6 mice (12weeks old) were
      randomly divided into three groups, control (C), High-fat (HF), or High-fructose
      diet (HRU) and were monitored for eight weeks before being submitted to the HIIT.
      Each group was randomly assigned to 2 subgroups, one subgroup was started on a 12
      week HIIT protocol (T=trained group), while the other subgroup remained non
      exercised (NT=not-trained group). KEY FINDINGS: HIIT reduced BM and systolic
      blood pressure in high-fat groups, while enhanced insulin sensitivity after high
      fat or high-fructose intake. Moreover, HIIT reduced left ventricular hypertrophy
      in HF-T and HFRU-T. Notably, HIIT modulated key factors in the local left
      ventricular renin-angiotensin-system (RAS): reduced protein expression of renin,
      ACE (Angiotensin-converting enzyme), and (Angiotensin type 2 receptor) AT2R in HF
      T and HFRU-T groups but reduced (Angiotensin type 1 receptor) AT1R protein
      expression only in the high-fat trained group. HIIT modulated ACE2/Ang (1-7)/Mas
      receptor axis. ACE2 mRNA gene expression was enhanced in HF-T and HFRU-T groups,
      complying with elevated Mas (Mas proto-oncogene, G protein-coupled receptor)
      receptor mRNA gene expression after HIIT. SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows the
      effectiveness of HIIT sessions in producing improvements in insulin sensitivity
      and mitigating LV hypertrophy, though hypertension was controlled only in the
      high-fat-fed submitted to HIIT protocol. Local RAS system in the heart mediates
      these findings and receptor MAS seems to play a pivotal role when it comes to the
      amelioration of cardiac structural and functional remodeling due to HIIT.

PMID- 28893642
TI  - Enzyme-inducing effects of berberine on cytochrome P450 1A2 in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - AIMS: Berberine (BER) is an important anti-bacterial drug from Chinese herbal
      medicine and a novel drug candidate for preclinical development in recent years.
      Here we provide evidence that the effects of berberine on cytochrome P450 (CYP)
      1A2 in vitro and in vivo. MAIN METHODS: Real-time polymerase chain reaction and
      western blotting analysis were employed to evaluate the CYP1A2 mRNA levels and
      protein expression. The enzyme activity was assessed by the metabolic rate of
      phenacetin to acetaminophen by LC-MS/MS method. KEY FINDINGS: The results
      indicated that the CYP1A2 mRNA expression and enzyme activity in HepG2 cells
      after treated with BER (4.5MUg/ml) exhibited a significant induction (16.11-fold
      and 5.0-fold, respectively), which was consistent with those on rat liver
      microsomes (4.5-fold and 1.98-fold, respectively) by BER induction (10mg/kg/day,
      i.p.) ex vivo. Beside, BER induced CYP1A2 activity with increases in AUC0-t and
      Cmax of acetaminophen and the Ke and t1/2 of phenacetin after oral administration
      of phenacetin (p<0.05) in vivo. SIGNIFICANCE: This study firstly reported the
      induction effect of BER on rats CYP1A2 by intraperitoneal route. But, BER didn't
      show significant induction effect on CYP1A2 by high-dose orally administrating to
      rats for 6 consecutive days due to the extremely low bioavailability. The
      potential drug-drug interactions were supposed to happen when the liver exposed
      to high dose of BER in vivo by changing administration route.

PMID- 28893643
TI  - Neuropeptide discovery in Proasellus cavaticus: Prediction of the first large
      scale peptidome for a member of the Isopoda using a publicly accessible
      transcriptome.
AB  - In silico transcriptome mining is one of the most effective methods for
      neuropeptide discovery in crustaceans, particularly for species that are small,
      rare or from geographically inaccessible habitats that make obtaining the large
      pools of tissue needed for other peptide discovery platforms impractical. Via
      this approach, large peptidomes have recently been described for members of many
      of the higher crustacean taxa, one notable exception being the Isopoda; no
      peptidome has been predicted for any member of this malacostracan order. Using a
      publicly accessible transcriptome for the isopod Proasellus cavaticus, a
      subcentimeter subterranean ground water dweller, the first in silico-predicted
      peptidome for a member of the Isopoda is presented here. BLAST searches employing
      known arthropod neuropeptide pre/preprohormone queries identified 49 transcripts
      as encoding putative homologs within the P. cavaticus transcriptome. The proteins
      deduced from these transcripts allowed for the prediction of 171 distinct mature
      neuropeptides. The P. cavaticus peptidome includes members of the adipokinetic
      hormone-corazonin-like peptide, allatostatin A, allatostatin B, allatostatin C,
      allatotropin, bursicon alpha, bursicon beta, CCHamide, crustacean cardioactive
      peptide, crustacean hyperglycemic hormone/molt-inhibiting hormone, diuretic
      hormone 31, eclosion hormone, elevenin, FMRFamide-like peptide, glycoprotein
      hormone alpha2, leucokinin, myosuppressin, neuroparsin, neuropeptide F, pigment
      dispersing hormone, pyrokinin, red pigment concentrating hormone, RYamide, short
      neuropeptide F, sulfakinin, tachykinin-related peptide and trissin families, as
      well as many linker/precursor-related sequences that may or may not represent
      additional bioactive molecules. Interestingly, many of the predicted P. cavaticus
      neuropeptides possess structures identical (or nearly so) to those previously
      described from members of several other malacostracan orders, i.e., the Decapoda,
      Amphipoda and Euphausiacea, a finding that suggests broad phylogenetic
      conservation of bioactive peptide structures, and possibly functions, may exist
      within the Malacostraca.

PMID- 28893644
TI  - High bone mass due to novel LRP5 and AMER1 mutations.
AB  - WNT signaling is a key regulator of bone metabolism and its increased or
      decreased activity leads to skeletal disorders. Here we describe two patients
      with high bone mass (HBM) caused by novel mutations in two different WNT pathway
      components. The first patient is a 53-year-old male with HBM. He was diagnosed at
      adult age based on significantly increased bone mineral density (BMD). He has
      undergone several surgeries due to excessive bone in ear canals, bilateral jaw
      exostoses and mandibular tori. Radiographs show severe cortical thickening of
      cranial and long bones. Sanger sequencing identified a novel heterozygous
      mutation c.592A>T (p.N198Y) in LRP5 (Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related
      protein 5). The second patient, an adolescent female, was diagnosed with skeletal
      dysplasia in early childhood. She had macrocephaly (head circumference +6.0 SD),
      facial dysmorphism, delayed motor development, laryngomalasia and epilepsy.
      Radiographic findings were consistent with osteopathia striata with cranial
      sclerosis. A novel heterozygous frameshift mutation c.655del (p.E219Rfs*63) in
      AMER1 (APC Membrane Recruiting Protein 1) was identified. Although both mutations
      are predicted to lead to increased WNT signaling with a consequent increase in
      bone formation, the resulting phenotypes are different; cranial sclerosis versus
      macrocephaly, long bone cortical thickening versus vertical striations and
      discordant neurological development. This report underscores the diversity of
      genotypes and phenotypes of HBM and facilitates their differential diagnosis.

PMID- 28893645
TI  - A novel toll-like receptor from the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii is
      induced in response to stress.
AB  - Graft rejection due to immune incompatibility is a common occurrence in pearl
      culture, which often cause death to the host oyster. To improve cultured pearl
      production, host mortality and bead rejection rates must be reduced. Toll-like
      receptor 4 (TLR4) plays an important role in innate immunity, and may be related
      to allograft rejection. Here, we cloned the TLR4 cDNA from the pearl oyster
      Pinctada fucata martensii (PmTLR4). PmTLR4 cDNA was 3138bp, including a 2625bp
      open reading frame encoding 874 amino acids. The predicted PmTLR4 protein was
      structurally typical of the TLR family. PmTLR4 had relatively high sequence
      similarity and identity to the TLR4 of the Cyclina sinensis (48.1% and 27.6%,
      respectively). Multiple alignment of TLR4 sequences across species indicated that
      the Toll/interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor domain was conserved among species. PmTLR4
      mRNA was expressed in all tissues tested, with the most abundant mRNA expression
      in hepatopancreas and gill in P. fucata martensii. After being stressed by either
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure or the nucleus insertion operation, PmTLR4 mRNA
      expression increased significantly in the hemocytes as compared to controls. Peak
      level of PmTLR4 mRNA was observed 6h after the LPS injection, and 2d after the
      nucleus insertion operation. These data suggest that PmTLR4 may play a vital role
      in the induction of innate immunity and is therefore associated with allograft
      immunity in the pearl oyster P. fucata martensii.

PMID- 28893646
TI  - Whole-genome sequence of a carbapenem-resistant hypermucoviscous Klebsiella
      pneumoniae isolate SWU01 with capsular serotype K47 belonging to ST11 from a
      patient in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In recent years, Klebsiella pneumoniae has emerged as a leading cause
      of nosocomial infection owing to the rising prevalence of multidrug-resistant
      strains, particularly carbapenem-resistant isolates. In this study, the complete
      genome sequence of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae SWU01 was determined.
      METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibilities and hypermucoviscous phenotype were
      determined by the disk diffusion method and positive string test, respectively.
      Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed using the K. pneumoniae MLST
      database, and capsular serotype was analysed using the BIGSdb-Kp database with
      the nucleotide sequence of the variable region (CD1-VR2-CD2) of wzc. The complete
      genome sequence was obtained via the PacBio RS II platform, and antimicrobial
      resistance genes were identified using ResFinder 2.1. RESULTS: SWU01 was
      resistant to all antibiotics tested except polymyxin B and minocycline. This
      strain showed a hypermucoviscous phenotype with serotype K47 belonging to the
      ST11 clone. The complete genome consists of a 5536506-bp circular chromosome and
      a 162552-bp plasmid, with a G+C content of 57.4%. A total of 5537 protein-coding
      sequences, 85 tRNAs, 25 rRNAs, 12 non-coding RNA genes and 157 pseudogenes were
      identified in the genome. Thirteen acquired antibiotic resistance genes were
      detected (eight in the chromosome and five in the plasmid). CONCLUSIONS: Here we
      present the first whole-genome sequence of a carbapenem-resistant
      hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae isolate SWU01 with capsular serotype K47 belonging
      to ST11 from a patient in China, which may serve as a reference sequence for
      further understanding of the pathogenesis and multidrug resistance mechanisms of
      this species.

PMID- 28893647
TI  - Coexistence of multidrug resistance mechanisms and virulence genes in carbapenem
      resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from a tertiary care hospital in South
      India.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the multiple drug resistance mechanisms
      and various virulence genes in high-level carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa (CARPA) isolates collected from patients hospitalised in a tertiary
      care hospital in South India. METHODS: A total of 156 CARPA isolates were
      included in the study. Multiplex PCR was optimised to detect carbapenemase and
      extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes. Semi-quantitative reverse
      transcription PCR (RT-PCR) was optimised to evaluate oprD deficiency. Efflux pump
      activity was determined by phenylalanine-arginine beta-naphthylamide (PAbetaN)
      assay, and expression of mexA and mexC genes was evaluated by real-time
      quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Presence of the virulence genes exoS, algD, algU,
      lasR and rhlR were detected by qRT-PCR and plcH and lasB by RT-PCR. RESULTS:
      Genes encoding carbapenemases and ESBLs were detected in 48.7% (blaVIM, 23.1%;
      blaNDM-1, 17.3%; blaVIM+blaNDM-1, 7.1%; and blaIMP, 1.3%) and 4% (blaVEB, 4.5%)
      of CARPA isolates, respectively. Loss of porin OprD was observed in nine isolates
      (5.8%), two of which harboured the blaVIM gene. Among efflux pump-positive
      isolates, mexA expression was significantly upregulated. algD expression was
      detected in 93% of CARPA isolates, followed by algU (89%), rhlR (84%), lasR (81%)
      and exoS (76%). The lasB and plcH genes were detected in 94% and 92% of isolates,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Co-existence of multiple antimicrobial resistance
      mechanisms together with virulence genes in carbapenem-resistant isolates has
      become an alarming emerging threat. Continuous monitoring of multidrug-resistant
      pathogens is important for clinicians in order to determine therapeutic options
      against such infections.

PMID- 28893648
TI  - Initial activation state, stimulation intensity and timing of stimulation
      interact in producing behavioral effects of TMS.
AB  - Behavioral effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been shown to
      depend on various factors, such as neural activation state, stimulation
      intensity, and timing of stimulation. Here we examined whether these factors
      interact, by applying TMS at either sub- or suprathreshold intensity (relative to
      phosphene threshold, PT) and at different time points during a state-dependent
      TMS paradigm. The state manipulation involved a behavioral task in which a visual
      prime (color grating) was followed by a target stimulus which could be either
      congruent, incongruent or partially congruent with the color and orientation of
      the prime. In Experiment 1, single-pulse TMS was applied over the early visual
      cortex (V1/V2) or Vertex (baseline) at the onset of the target stimulus - timing
      often used in state-dependent TMS studies. With both subthreshold and
      suprathreshold stimulation, TMS facilitated the detection of incongruent stimuli
      while not significantly affecting other stimulus types. In Experiment 2, TMS was
      applied at 100ms after target onset -a time window in which V1/V2 is responding
      to visual input. Only TMS applied at suprathreshold intensity facilitated the
      detection of incongruent stimuli, with no effect with subthreshold stimulation.
      The need for higher stimulation intensity is likely to reflect reduced
      susceptibility to TMS of neurons responding to visual stimulation. Furthermore,
      the finding that in Experiment 2 only suprathreshold TMS induced a behavioral
      facilitation on incongruent targets (whereas facilitations in the absence of
      priming have been reported with subthreshold TMS) indicates that priming, by
      reducing neural excitability to incongruent targets, shifts the
      facilitatory/inhibitory range of TMS effects.

PMID- 28893649
TI  - Endothelial cells maintain neural stem cells quiescent in their niche.
AB  - Niches are specialized microenvironments that regulate stem cells' activity. The
      neural stem cell (NSC) niche defines a zone in which NSCs are retained and
      produce new cells of the nervous system throughout life. Understanding the
      signaling mechanisms by which the niche controls the NSC fate is crucial for the
      success of clinical applications. In a recent study, Sato and colleagues, by
      using state-of-the-art techniques, including sophisticated in vivo lineage
      tracing technologies, provide evidence that endothelial amyloid precursor protein
      (APP) is an important component of the NSC niche. Strikingly, depletion of APP
      increased NSC proliferation in the subventricular zone, indicating that
      endothelial cells negatively regulate NSCs' growth. The emerging knowledge from
      this research will be important for the treatment of several neurological
      diseases.

PMID- 28893650
TI  - Adversity in early adolescence promotes an enduring anxious phenotype and
      increases serotonergic innervation of the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex.
AB  - Stress during early development produces lasting effects on psychopathological
      outcomes. We analysed the impact of prior intermittent, physical stress (IPS)
      during early adolescence (PD 22-33) on anxiety-like behaviour of female rats in
      adulthood. After behavioural testing, we used immunohistochemistry for the 5-HT
      transporter (SERT) to evaluate 5-HT innervation profiles in the medial prefrontal
      cortex (mPFC) and ventral hippocampus (VH). Administration of IPS (i.e., water
      immersion, elevated platform, foot shock) in early adolescence increased rats'
      anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus-maze but had no effects in the shock
      probe burying test. In the social interaction test, IPS decreased social
      interaction, and this effect was driven by selective decreases in the frequency
      of playfighting with no evident changes in contact and investigative behaviours.
      Selective stress-induced increases in the density of SERT-ir positive fibres were
      found in the infralimbic (IL) subregion of the mPFC but not in the cingulate or
      prelimbic (PL) subregions. IPS in early adolescence did not affect 5-HT
      innervation profiles in any sub-fields of the VH. Our findings confirm and extend
      on earlier evidence that stress during early adolescence promotes the emergence
      of an anxious phenotype and provide novel evidence that these effects are
      associated with increased 5-HT innervation of the IL mPFC.

PMID- 28893652
TI  - A new threat to human reproduction system posed by Zika virus (ZIKV): From
      clinical investigations to experimental studies.
AB  - Zika virus (ZIKV) was first isolated in 1947 from a rhesus monkey in the Zika
      forest of Uganda. ZIKV has since been silently circulating in a number of
      equatorial countries for over 50 years. The largest outbreak in humans occurred
      in Brazil in 2015-2016. Unlike its flavivirus relatives, sexual and post
      transfusion transmissions of ZIKV have been reported. In addition, fetal
      infection can result in microcephaly and congenital Zikv syndrome has been
      reported in neonates. Moreover, ZIKV RNA can persist for at least 6 months in
      semen and 11 weeks in vaginal secretions after the infection, suggesting
      potential tropism for the male and female genital tracts. Accordingly, it is
      important to determine whether genital ZIKV infection could have deleterious
      effects on the male and female reproductive systems.

PMID- 28893651
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with altered midbrain chemical
      concentrations.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is accompanied by altered structure and function in
      cortical, limbic, brainstem, and cerebellar regions. The midbrain is relatively
      unexamined, but contains many integrative nuclei which mediate physiological
      functions that are disrupted in OSA. We therefore assessed the chemistry of the
      midbrain in OSA in this exploratory study. We used a recently developed
      accelerated 2D magnetic resonance spectroscopy (2D-MRS) technique, compressed
      sensing-based 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging (4D-EP-JRESI), to
      measure metabolites in the midbrain of 14 OSA (mean age+/-SD:54.6+/-10.6years;
      AHI:35.0+/-19.4; SAO2 min:83+/-7%) and 26 healthy control (50.7+/-8.5years)
      subjects. High-resolution T1-weighted scans allowed voxel localization. MRS data
      were processed with custom MATLAB-based software, and metabolite ratios
      calculated with respect to the creatine peak using a prior knowledge fitting
      (ProFit) algorithm. The midbrain in OSA showed decreased N-acetylaspartate (NAA;
      OSA:1.24+/-0.43, Control:1.47+/-0.41; p=0.03; independent samples t-test), a
      marker of neuronal viability. Increased levels in OSA over control subjects
      appeared in glutamate (Glu; OSA:1.23+/-0.57, Control:0.98+/-0.33; p=0.03),
      ascorbate (Asc; OSA:0.56+/-0.28, Control:0.42+/-0.20; (50.7+/-8.5years; p=0.03),
      and myo-inositol (mI; OSA:0.96+/-0.48, Control:0.72+/-0.35; p=0.03). No
      differences between groups appeared in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or taurine.
      The midbrain in OSA patients shows decreased NAA, indicating neuronal injury or
      dysfunction. Higher Glu levels may reflect excitotoxic processes and astrocyte
      activation, and higher mI is also consistent with glial activation. Higher Asc
      levels may result from oxidative stress induced by intermittent hypoxia in OSA.
      Additionally, Asc and Glu are involved with glutamatergic processes, which are
      likely upregulated in the midbrain nuclei of OSA patients. The altered metabolite
      levels help explain dysfunction and structural deficits in the midbrain of OSA
      patients.

PMID- 28893653
TI  - Hepatitis C virus-induced innate immune responses in human iPS cell-derived
      hepatocyte-like cells.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and
      mortality. In order to develop effective remedies for hepatitis C, it is
      important to understand the HCV infection profile and host-HCV interaction. HCV
      induced innate immune responses play a crucial role in spontaneous HCV clearance;
      however, HCV-induced innate immune responses have not been fully evaluated in
      hepatocytes, partly because there are few in vitro models of HCV-induced innate
      immunity. Recently, human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have received much
      attention as an in vitro model of infection with various pathogens, including
      HCV. We previously established highly functional hepatocyte-like cells
      differentiated from human iPS cells (iPS-HLCs). Here, we examined the potential
      of iPS-HLCs as an in vitro HCV infection model, especially for evaluation of the
      relationship between HCV infection levels and HCV-induced innate immunity.
      Significant expressions of type I and III interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated
      genes (ISGs) were induced following transfection with HCV genomic replicon RNA in
      iPS-HLCs. Following inoculation with the HCV JFH-1 strain in iPS-HLCs, peaks of
      HCV genome replication and HCV protein expression were observed on day 2, and
      then both the HCV genome and protein levels gradually declined, while the mRNA
      levels of type III IFNs and ISGs peaked at day 2 following inoculation. These
      results suggest that the HCV genome efficiently replicates in iPS-HLCs, resulting
      in HCV genome-induced up-regulation of IFNs and ISGs, and thereafter, HCV genome
      induced up-regulation of IFNs and ISGs mediates a reduction in the HCV genome and
      protein levels in iPS-HLCs.

PMID- 28893654
TI  - Strain-specific association of soybean dwarf virus small subgenomic RNA with
      virus particles.
AB  - Soybean dwarf virus (SbDV) produces a large subgenomic RNA (LsgRNA) for
      expression of structural and movement proteins and a small subgenomic RNA
      (SsgRNA) that does not contain an open reading frame. Sucrose gradient-purified
      SbDV virions from soybean plants systemically infected with SbDV by aphids and
      Nicotiana benthamiana leaves agroinfiltrated with infectious clones of two red
      clover SbDV isolates encapsidated genomic RNA and were associated with SsgRNA in
      a strain-specific manner. The LsgRNA was protected from RNase degradation, but
      not packaged into virions as indicated by its presence primarily in ELISA
      negative fractions near the tops of sucrose gradients even in mutants that did
      not express coat protein. Nucleotide differences in the SsgRNA region between
      isolates conferred differential association of SsgRNA with virions.

PMID- 28893655
TI  - Laparoscopic Blinded Endometrial Cavity Resection for Robert's Uterus.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that laparoscopic excision of the endometrial
      tissue of a blind endometrial cavity in a patient with a Robert's uterus who did
      not consent to hysteroscopic surgery due to her virgin state and religious
      beliefs was an effective alternative treatment option for progressive
      dismenorrhea and pelvic pain. DESIGN: Presentation of a rare mullerian anomaly
      and a step-by-step demonstration of a laparoscopic excision technique in the
      endometrium of a blind uterine cavity (educative video) (Canadian Task Force
      classification III). SETTING: Robert's uterus is a rare mullerian anomaly
      characterized by the presence of a blind endometrial cavity and an asymmetric
      septum. Endometriosis may be encountered in 40% of patients with this anomaly. A
      15-year-old virgin patient with progressive dysmenorrhea was diagnosed with a
      Robert's uterus anomaly on magnetic resonance imaging. Hysteroscopic surgery was
      suggested to form a communication between the blind endometrial cavity and the
      hemiuterus; however, the patient refused to undergo any vaginal surgery due to
      her virgin state and religous beliefs. A decision to excise the endometrial
      tissue of the blind cavity laparoscopically instead of performing a
      hemihysterectomy was made to prevent any adverse effects on the ovarian blood
      supply and damage to the myometrial wall of the unicornuate uterus. INTERVENTION:
      Laparoscopic resection of the blind endometrial cavity in a patient with a
      Robert's uterus anomaly. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic resection of a blind
      endometrial cavity is a safe and effective surgical alternative in patients who
      refuse vaginal surgery.

PMID- 28893656
TI  - Hysteroscopic Isthmoplasty: Step-by-Step Technique.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate our technique for surgical hysteroscopy performed
      with a standard-size resectoscope or miniresectoscope in 3 cases of isthmocele.
      DESIGN: Step-by-step demonstration of the technique using slides, pictures, and
      video (educative video) (Canadian Task Force classification III). SETTING:
      Isthmocele is a characteristic semidiverticular anomaly of the anterior isthmic
      wall of the uterus, located at the site of a previous cesarean delivery scar. The
      etiopathogenesis of isthmocele remains poorly understood, although several
      hypotheses have been proposed. Factors that may possibly play a role in niche
      development include a very low incision through cervical tissue, inadequate
      suturing technique during closure of the uterine scar, surgical interventions
      that increase adhesion formation, and patient-related factors that impair wound
      healing or increase inflammation or adhesion formation. The treatment of
      isthmocele focuses on relieving symptoms (i.e., postmenstrual spotting,
      suprapubic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility), and,
      consequently, asymptomatic cases should not be treated. Various surgical
      approaches have been described to treat isthmocele-related symptoms, including
      hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, vaginal, robotic, and combined techniques.
      INTERVENTION: Our local Institutional Review Board approved the study protocol.
      The procedures were performed in operative room using a 26 Fr and 16 Fr
      continuous-flow resectoscope under general anesthesia. The surgical technique
      involves resection of the fibrotic tissue of the lower margin and then the upper
      margin of the pouch using a cutting loop, until the underlying muscular tissue is
      reached, followed by resection of the inflamed and necrotic tissue of the base of
      the pouch. Similar surgical maneuvers are performed on the contralateral side
      (right anterolateral wall) for complete ablation of the isthmic region (inverted
      ablation). CONCLUSION: According to the most recent literature, hysteroscopic
      hystmoplasty appears to be a safe and effective treatment option in cases of
      isthmocele with a niche at least 2 mm deep and a residual myometrial thickness of
      at least 3 mm to improve postmenstrual bleeding. When residual myometrial
      thickness is <3 mm, the hysteroscopic approach is not recommended, mainly because
      of the risk of bladder injury. In these symptomatic cases, laparoscopic or
      vaginal repair may be considered.

PMID- 28893657
TI  - The Effect of Adjuvant Treatment to Prevent and Treat Intrauterine Adhesions: A
      Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) can lead to partial or complete closure of the
      uterine cavity, which may result in symptoms including abnormal menstruation,
      infertility, and pelvic pain. A network meta-analysis was performed to assess the
      effect of adjuvant therapy on the prevention and treatment of IUAs. We searched
      electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, up to
      May 5, 2017, without language restrictions. The primary outcomes in the present
      analysis were the rate of IUAs for prevention and the rate of IUA recurrence for
      treatment. The secondary outcomes included the IUA score and the rate of severity
      of IUAs. The treatments were then ranked by the surface under the cumulative
      ranking curve (SUCRA). We included 20 articles that involved a total of 1891
      patients in our analysis. In the outcomes of prevention-related studies, an
      alginate hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose membrane (ACH) (n = 10, SUCRA score =
      93.3%) was the adjuvant treatment that most effectively reduced IUA incidence. It
      was followed by intercoat (n = 10, SUCRA score = 74.7%) and misoprostol (n = 10,
      SUCRA score = 68.6%). In addition, auto-cross-linked hyaluronic acid (ACP) (n =
      3, SUCRA score = 83.2%) and intercoat (n = 3, SUCRA score = 66.4%) each
      corresponded to a relatively high preventive effect against severe IUAs. In the
      treatment-related studies, ACP plus a balloon (n = 4, SUCRA score = 96.3%) and a
      freeze-dried amnion graft plus a balloon (n = 4, SUCRA score = 62.7%) most
      effectively reduced IUA recurrence and had a high probability of most effectively
      reducing IUA scores. Therefore, according to the prophylactic analysis, ACH and
      intercoat were most likely to prevent IUA development. In our analysis of agents
      used to prevent severe IUAs, we found that ACP and intercoat provided significant
      advantages and had high reliability. In our analysis of treatments, ACP plus a
      balloon and freeze-dried amniotic agents plus a balloon were most likely to
      reduce IUA recurrence and IUA scores after adhesiolysis.

PMID- 28893658
TI  - Multiple Nodule Removal by Disc Excision and Segmental Resection in Multifocal
      Colorectal Endometriosis.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To report postoperative outcomes after dual digestive resection
      for deep endometriosis infiltrating the rectum and the colon. DESIGN: A
      retrospective study using data prospectively recorded in the CIRENDO database
      (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: A university tertiary
      referral center. PATIENTS: Twenty-one patients managed for multiple colorectal
      deep endometriosis infiltrating nodules. INTERVENTIONS: Concomitant disc excision
      and segmental resection of both the rectum and sigmoid colon. MEASUREMENTS AND
      MAIN RESULTS: The assessment of postoperative outcomes was performed. Rectal
      nodules were managed by disc excision and segmental resection in 20 patients and
      1 patient, respectively. Sigmoid colon nodules were removed by short segmental
      resection and disc excision in 15 and 6 patients, respectively. The rectal nodule
      diameter was between 1 and 3 cm and over 3 cm in 33% and 67% of patients,
      respectively. Associated vaginal infiltration requiring vaginal excision was
      recorded in 76.2% of patients. The mean diameter of the rectal disc removed
      averaged 4.6 cm, and the mean height of the rectal suture was 5.8 cm. The length
      of the sigmoid colon specimen and the height of the anastomosis were 7.3 cm and
      18.5 cm, respectively. The mean operative time was 290 minutes, and the mean
      postoperative follow-up averaged 30 months. Clavien-Dindo 3 complications
      occurred in 28% of patients, including 4 with rectal fistulae (19%). The
      pregnancy rate was 67% among patients with pregnancy intention. CONCLUSION: Our
      data suggest that combining disc excision and segmental resection to remove
      multiple deep endometriosis nodules infiltrating the rectum and the sigmoid colon
      can preserve the healthy bowel located between 2 consecutive nodules. However,
      the rate of postoperative complications is high, particularly in patients with
      large low rectal nodules.

PMID- 28893659
TI  - A halotolerant Enterobacter sp. displaying ACC deaminase activity promotes rice
      seedling growth under salt stress.
AB  - Agricultural productivity is proven to be hampered by the synthesis of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) and production of stress-induced ethylene under salinity
      stress. One-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) is the direct precursor of
      ethylene synthesized by plants. Bacteria possessing ACC deaminase activity can
      use ACC as a nitrogen source preventing ethylene production. Several salt
      tolerant bacterial strains displaying ACC deaminase activity were isolated from
      rice fields, and their plant growth-promoting (PGP) properties were determined.
      Among them, strain P23, identified as an Enterobacter sp. based on phenotypic
      characteristics, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass
      spectrometry data and the 16S rDNA sequence, was selected as the best-performing
      isolate for several PGP traits, including phosphate solubilization, IAA
      production, siderophore production, HCN production, etc. Enterobacter sp. P23 was
      shown to promote rice seedling growth under salt stress, and this effect was
      correlated with a decrease in antioxidant enzymes and stress-induced ethylene.
      Isolation of an acdS mutant strain enabled concluding that the reduction in
      stress-induced ethylene content after inoculation of strain P23 was linked to ACC
      deaminase activity.

PMID- 28893661
TI  - Effect of castration on social behavior and hormones in male Japanese macaques
      (Macaca fuscata).
AB  - Population control is essential for animal welfare and human safety in free
      ranging or captive settings, especially when resources are limited. As an
      alternative to lethal control, contraceptive methods such as castration in males
      can be a practical solution, because the testicles are a visual cue to determine
      which males have been sterilized. However, careful analyses should be carried out
      to ensure no disruption in the social structure of the population. Japanese
      macaques (Macaca fuscata) live in a society centered around dominance rank and
      matrilineal kin relationships. Testosterone and glucocorticoids have been
      correlated with dominance rank in humans and other species, but previous studies
      in Japanese macaques were inconclusive. This study aimed to investigate
      behavioral and physiological differences between castrated and intact male
      Japanese macaques, and to examine the effect of season and behavior in hormonal
      concentrations in intact males. Our subjects were six intact males from
      Jigokudani Monkey Park (Japan) and 13 castrated males from Born Free Primate
      Sanctuary (USA). We collected behavioral data using both focal and ad libitum
      sampling, and fecal samples for determination of testosterone (fT) and
      glucocorticoids (fGC) by enzyme immunoassay. We found that castrated males
      exhibited a social hierarchy, but not a linear hierarchy, as was the case in
      intact males. Castrated males were less aggressive than intact males, probably
      because fT concentrations were lower in the castrated males. Age was positively
      correlated with fGC levels, while fT concentrations were lower in old males than
      younger adult males. Fecal T levels correlated with both rank and atmospheric
      temperature. In intact males, both fGC and fT levels were elevated during the
      mating season. We found a negative correlation between fGC levels and the amount
      of grooming received. Our findings indicate that castration had a minimal impact
      on sociality, with season, temperature, and rank all influencing male sex steroid
      levels in intact males. Our study indicates that castration can be adopted as a
      population control mechanism without drastically altering the social
      relationships of males.

PMID- 28893660
TI  - A new RF transmit coil for foot and ankle imaging at 7T MRI.
AB  - A four-channel Tic-Tac-Toe (TTT) transmit RF coil was designed and constructed
      for foot and ankle imaging at 7T MRI. Numerical simulations using an in-house
      developed FDTD package and experimental analyses using a homogenous phantom show
      an excellent agreement in terms of B1+ field distribution and s-parameters.
      Simulations performed on an anatomically detailed human lower leg model
      demonstrated an B1+ field distribution with a coefficient of variation (CV) of
      23.9%/15.6%/28.8% and average B1+ of 0.33MUT/0.56MUT/0.43MUT for 1W input power
      (i.e., 0.25W per channel) in the ankle/calcaneus/mid foot respectively. In-vivo
      B1+ mapping shows an average B1+ of 0.29MUT over the entire foot/ankle. This
      newly developed RF coil also presents acceptable levels of average SAR (0.07W/kg
      for 10g per 1W of input power) and peak SAR (0.34W/kg for 10g per 1W of input
      power) over the whole lower leg. Preliminary in-vivo images in the foot/ankle
      were acquired using the T2-DESS MRI sequence without the use of a dedicated
      receive-only array.

PMID- 28893662
TI  - Spatial memory-related brain activity in normally reared and different maternal
      separation models in rats.
AB  - Early life stress comprises a wide range of adverse events that can occur in the
      subject's early developmental stages: from child abuse to rodent repeated
      maternal separation models. This study used young adult male Wistar rats that
      were maternally raised (AFR), maternally separated from post-natal day (PND) 1 to
      PND10 (MS10), or maternally separated from PND1 to PND21 (MS21), to assess the
      effects of maternal separation on spatial learning and memory using the Morris
      Water Maze (MWM). We also performed quantitative cytochrome oxidase (COx)
      histochemistry on some selected brain areas in order to find out whether maternal
      separation affects brain energy metabolism. We obtained a similar spatial
      learning pattern in maternally raised and maternally separated subjects, with
      MS10 showing faster acquisition; however, different brain networks with different
      energy consumptions were used by each group. MS10 spent more energy to get the
      same behavioral outputs, whereas MS21 resembled AFR more in term of energy
      demands.

PMID- 28893663
TI  - Reward-related decision making and long-term weight loss maintenance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heightened sensitivity towards reward and insensitivity towards
      disadvantageous consequences may constitute a driving factor underlying
      unrestricted food intake and consequent weight gain in people with overweight and
      obesity. Therefore, the present study applied a behavioral economics approach to
      investigate the potential contribution of poor reward-related decision making to
      unsuccessful long-term weight loss maintenance (i.e. weight cycling). Based on
      previous research, it was expected that successful long-term weight loss
      maintainers would show a better performance in a gambling task than their less
      successful counterparts. METHODS: Reward-related decision making was assessed
      post hoc using the Game of Dice Task in a total of 33 overweight and obese women
      who had either (a) successfully maintained initial weight loss of at least 10% of
      their body weight over one year or (b) had regained weight until at least their
      initial body weight prior to weight reduction (i.e. showed weight cycling).
      RESULTS: The groups did not differ in terms of age, current body weight,
      magnitude of initial weight reduction, educational level, and global intelligence
      level. As hypothesized, however, the group of successful long-term weight loss
      maintainers performed significantly better (i.e. showed less impulsive, more
      advantageous choices) in the Game of Dice Task than their less successful
      counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that poor reward-related decision
      making is associated with weight cycling which is considered a key concern in
      weight loss treatments for overweight and obesity. Furthermore, the findings
      speak in favor of specific psychological interventions that are designed to
      bolster reward-related decision making.

PMID- 28893664
TI  - Single cell transcriptome analysis of muscle satellite cells reveals widespread
      transcriptional heterogeneity.
AB  - Tissue specific stem cells are indispensable contributors to adult tissue
      maintenance, repair, and regeneration. In skeletal muscle, satellite cells (SCs)
      are the resident muscle stem cell population and are required to maintain
      skeletal muscle homeostasis throughout life. Increasing evidence suggests that
      SCs are a heterogeneous cell population with substantial biochemical and
      functional diversity. A major limitation in the field is an incomplete
      understanding of the nature and extent of this cellular heterogeneity. Single
      cell analyses are well suited to addressing this issue, especially when coupled
      to unbiased profiling paradigms such as high throughout RNA sequencing. We
      performed single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on freshly isolated muscle
      satellite cells and found a surprising degree of heterogeneity at multiple
      levels, from muscle-specific transcripts to the broader SC transcriptome. We
      leveraged several comparative bioinformatics techniques and found that individual
      SCs enrich for unique transcript clusters. We propose that these gene expression
      "fingerprints" may contribute to observed functional SC diversity. Overall, these
      studies underscore the importance of several established SC signaling
      pathways/processes on a single cell level, implicate novel regulators of SC
      heterogeneity, and lay the groundwork for further investigation into SC
      heterogeneity in health and disease.

PMID- 28893665
TI  - Does aerobic capacity predict the spatial position of individuals within schools
      in juvenile qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis)?
AB  - Schooling behavior is an adaptive trait of important biological and ecological
      significance in fish species. However, the question of how aerobic capacity and
      environmental factors (i.e., food and water velocity) affect the spatial
      positioning within fish schools has received little attention. Our study measured
      the aerobic capacity-as indicated by standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum
      metabolic rate (MMR) and aerobic scope (AS)-and swimming performance of juvenile
      qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis) and filmed their schooling behavior in a swim
      tunnel under both a control treatment and food stimulus treatment at three water
      velocities (20, 30 and 40cms-1). Neither aerobic capacity nor swimming
      performance was related to spatial position within schools. Food stimulation did
      not trigger any change in the characteristics of spatial position at three water
      velocities. However, an intra-school positional preference was found between
      water velocities under the control treatment and food stimulus treatment.
      Individuals who preferred the rear of the school had smaller coefficients of
      variation in position under the two treatments, but this behavior was not
      correlated with any parameters for metabolic rates. Inter-school social
      interaction level, as indicated by total chase times, was not affected by either
      water velocity or food appearance. Although aerobic capacity and food stimulus
      did not influence the spatial position of individuals within schools, individual
      qingbo had spatial positional preferences within schools between different water
      speeds.

PMID- 28893666
TI  - Physiological and behavioral responses to salinity in coastal Dice snakes.
AB  - Secondarily marine tetrapods have evolved adaptations to maintain their osmotic
      balance in a hyperosmotic environment. During the transition to a marine habitat,
      the evolution of a euryhaline physiology likely encompassed successive changes in
      behavior and physiology that released organisms from regular access to fresh
      water. Deciphering these key steps is a complicated task. In this study, we
      investigated a species of freshwater natricine snake in which some populations
      are known to use marine environments. We experimentally subjected 30 adult Dice
      snakes (Natrix tessellata) from a population inhabiting the Black Sea coast to
      three salinities corresponding to freshwater (~0.10/00), brackish water
      (~15.00/00), and full-strength seawater (~34.00/00) in order to investigate their
      physiological (variation of body mass, osmolality) and behavioral (activity,
      drinking behavior) responses to salinity. Our results show that coastal Dice
      snakes from the study population are relatively tolerant to salinity close to
      that recorded in the Black Sea, but that prolonged exposure to full-strength
      seawater increases osmolality, stimulates thirst, decreases the activity of
      snakes and may ultimately jeopardize survival. Collectively with previously
      published data, our results strongly suggest specific physiological adaptations
      to withstand hyperosmolality rather than to reduce intake of salt, in coastal
      populations or species of semi-aquatic snakes. Future comparative investigations
      of Dice snakes from populations restricted to freshwater environment might reveal
      the functional traits and the behavioral and physiological responses of coastal
      N. tessellata to life in water with elevated salinity.

PMID- 28893667
TI  - Amnestic drugs in the odor span task: Effects of flunitrazepam, zolpidem and
      scopolamine.
AB  - The odor span task is an incrementing non-matching-to-sample procedure designed
      to provide an analysis of working memory capacity in rodents. The procedure takes
      place in an arena apparatus and rats are exposed to a series of odor stimuli in
      the form of scented lids with the selection of new stimuli reinforced. This
      procedure makes it possible to study drug effects as a function of the number of
      stimuli to remember. In the present study, the non-selective positive allosteric
      GABAA receptor modulator flunitrazepam impaired odor span performance at doses
      that did not affect a control odor discrimination. In contrast, the alpha-1
      selective positive GABAA receptor modulator zolpidem and the cholinergic receptor
      antagonist scopolamine only impaired odor span at doses that produced more global
      impairment, including decreased accuracy in the control discrimination and
      increased response omissions in the both the odor span and control discrimination
      procedures. Even though the effects of flunitrazepam were selective to odor span
      performance, they did not depend on the number of stimuli to remember-the same
      degree of impairment occurred regardless of the memory load. These findings
      suggest that flunitrazepam interfered selectively with conditional discrimination
      performance rather than working memory and tentatively suggest that
      flunitrazepam's selective effects in the odor span task relative to the control
      odor discrimination are mediated by one or more non-alpha1 GABAA receptor
      subtypes.

PMID- 28893668
TI  - Learning mechanisms underlying threat absence and threat relief: Influences of
      trait anxiety.
AB  - Impaired safety learning has been proposed asa risk factor for anxiety disorders,
      but safety can be indicated by either threat absence or threat termination (i.e.,
      relief). Here, we investigated the role of trait anxiety for both kinds of safety
      learning. Ninety-one participants underwent an acquisition phase during which one
      shape (threatCS) predicted a painful electric shock (unconditioned stimulus, US),
      one shape (reliefCS) followed the US, and one shape (absenceCS) became never
      associated with the US. In a following extinction phase, the three cues were
      presented again plus a control shape (controlCS). We found successful threat
      conditioning as threatCS was rated as more aversive (negative, arousing,
      anxiogenic and associated with US) than the other cues, and it elicited startle
      potentiation as well asa larger skin conductance response (SCR). Safety cues were
      rated equally positive and (non-)anxiogenic, but still lower than controlCS,
      whereas physiologically reliefCS elicited stronger appetitive responses (startle
      attenuation and low SCR) than absenceCS. Interestingly, an increase in trait
      anxiety was associated with a decrease in the differences between absenceCS and
      threatCS responses reflected in contingency ratings during extinction as well as
      stronger fear-startle responses to absenceCS. In sum, physiological responses but
      not ratings triggered by a relief signal compared to a threat-absence signal,
      indicated that the former is more appetitive than the latter. Strikingly, trait
      anxiety specifically mediated learning of threat absence, but not of threat
      termination, indicating that high trait anxious individuals experience relief
      normally, but have deficits in identifying signals of threat absence.

PMID- 28893669
TI  - Mismatch novelty exploration training enhances hippocampal synaptic plasticity: A
      tool for cognitive stimulation?
AB  - Memory formation relies on experience-dependent changes in synaptic strength such
      as long-term potentiation (LTP) or long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic
      activity, that in turn depend on previous learning experiences through
      metaplasticity. Novelty detection is a particularly important cognitive stimulus
      in this respect, and mismatch novelty has been associated with the activation of
      the hippocampal CA1 area in human studies. A single exposure to a new location of
      known objects in a familiar environment, a behavioural mismatch novelty paradigm,
      is known to favour the expression of LTD in hippocampal CA3 to CA1 synaptic
      transmission in vivo, through short-term metaplasticity. Aiming to shape
      hippocampal responsiveness to synaptic plasticity phenomena we developed a
      training program based on exploration of a known environment containing familiar
      objects, everyday presented in a new location. Repeated exposure to this new
      location of objects for two weeks caused a mild long-lasting decrease in synaptic
      efficacy. Furthermore, it enhanced both LTP evoked by theta-burst stimulation and
      depotentiation evoked by low-frequency stimulation of CA3 to CA1hippocampal
      synaptic transmission in juvenile rats. This suggests that training programs
      using these behavioural tasks involving mismatch novelty can be used to reshape
      brain circuits and promote cognitive recovery in pathologies where LTP/LTD
      imbalance occurs, such as epilepsy, aging or Down's syndrome, an approach that
      requires further investigation at the behavioural level.

PMID- 28893670
TI  - Acute psychophysiological stress impairs human associative learning.
AB  - Addiction is increasingly discussed asa disorder of associative learning
      processes, with both operant and classical conditioning contributing to the
      development of maladaptive habits. Stress has long been known to promote drug
      taking and relapse and has further been shown to shift behavior from goal
      directed actions towards more habitual ones. However, it remains to be
      investigated how acute stress may influence simple associative learning processes
      that occur before a habit can be established. In the present study, healthy young
      adults were exposed to either acute stress or a control condition half an hour
      before performing simple classical and operant conditioning tasks.
      Psychophysiological measures confirmed successful stress induction. Results of
      the operant conditioning task revealed reduced instrumental responding under
      delayed acute stress that resembled behavioral responses to lower levels of
      reward. The classical conditioning experiment revealed successful conditioning in
      both experimental groups; however, explicit knowledge of conditioning as
      indicated by stimulus ratings differentiated the stress and control groups. These
      findings suggest that operant and classical conditioning are differentially
      influenced by the delayed effects of acute stress with important implications for
      the understanding of how new habitual behaviors are initially established.

PMID- 28893671
TI  - Combining multivariate statistics and the think-aloud protocol to assess Human
      Computer Interaction barriers in symptom checkers.
AB  - Symptom checkers are software tools that allow users to submit a set of symptoms
      and receive advice related to them in the form of a diagnosis list, health
      information or triage. The heterogeneity of their potential users and the number
      of different components in their user interfaces can make testing with end-users
      unaffordable. We designed and executed a two-phase method to test the respiratory
      diseases module of the symptom checker Erdusyk. Phase I consisted of an online
      test with a large sample of users (n=53). In Phase I, users evaluated the system
      remotely and completed a questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model.
      Principal Component Analysis was used to correlate each section of the interface
      with the questionnaire responses, thus identifying which areas of the user
      interface presented significant contributions to the technology acceptance. In
      the second phase, the think-aloud procedure was executed with a small number of
      samples (n=15), focusing on the areas with significant contributions to analyze
      the reasons for such contributions. Our method was used effectively to optimize
      the testing of symptom checker user interfaces. The method allowed kept the cost
      of testing at reasonable levels by restricting the use of the think-aloud
      procedure while still assuring a high amount of coverage. The main barriers
      detected in Erdusyk were related to problems understanding time repetition
      patterns, the selection of levels in scales to record intensities, navigation,
      the quantification of some symptom attributes, and the characteristics of the
      symptoms.

PMID- 28893672
TI  - A situational analysis of current antimicrobial governance, regulation, and
      utilization in South Africa.
AB  - The Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance calls for the use of
      antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health to be optimized, in tandem
      with a strengthening of the knowledge and evidence base through surveillance and
      research. However, there is a paucity of consumption data for African countries
      such as South Africa. Determining antimicrobial consumption data in low-resource
      settings remains a challenge. This article describes alternative mechanisms of
      assessing antimicrobial consumption data, such as the use of Intercontinental
      Marketing Services (IMS) data and contract data arising from tenders (an open
      Request for Proposal, RFP), as opposed to the international norms of daily
      defined doses per 100 patient-days or per 1000 population. Despite their
      limitations, these serve as indicators of antimicrobial exposure at the
      population level and represent an alternative method for ascertaining
      antimicrobial consumption in human health. Furthermore, South Africa has the
      largest antiretroviral treatment programme globally and carries a high burden of
      tuberculosis. This prompted the inclusion of antiretroviral and anti-tuberculosis
      antibiotic consumption data. Knowledge of antimicrobial utilization is imperative
      for meaningful future interventions. Baseline antimicrobial utilization data
      could guide future research initiatives that could provide a better understanding
      of the different measures of antibiotic use and the level of antibiotic
      resistance.

PMID- 28893673
TI  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as salvage treatment for pulmonary
      Echinococcus granulosus infection with acute cyst rupture.
AB  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used successfully for the
      treatment of patients with respiratory failure due to severe infections. Although
      rare, parasites can also cause severe pulmonary disease. Tapeworms of the genus
      Echinococcus give rise to the development of cystic structures in the liver,
      lungs, and other organs. Acute cyst rupture leads to potentially life-threatening
      infection, and affected patients may deteriorate rapidly. The case of a young
      woman from Bulgaria who was admitted to hospital with severe dyspnoea,
      progressive chest pain, and haemoptysis is described. Computed tomography of the
      chest was pathognomonic for cystic echinococcosis with acute cyst rupture.
      Following deterioration on mechanical ventilation, she was cannulated for veno
      venous ECMO. The patient's condition improved considerably, and she was weaned
      successfully from ECMO and mechanical ventilation. Following lobectomy of the
      affected left lower lobe, the patient was discharged home in good condition. This
      appears to be the first report of the successful use of ECMO as salvage treatment
      for a severe manifestation of a helminthic disease. Due to recent migration to
      Western Europe, the number of patients presenting with respiratory failure due to
      pulmonary echinococcosis with cyst rupture is likely to increase.

PMID- 28893674
TI  - Seroepidemiology of leptospirosis among febrile patients in a rapidly growing
      suburban slum and a flood-vulnerable rural district in Mozambique, 2012-2014:
      Implications for the management of fever.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world and
      is caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. In Mozambique, the disease is
      largely ignored and its epidemiology is unknown. The objective of this study was
      to investigate the occurrence of leptospirosis in febrile patients. METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study was performed between July 2012 and September 2015 among
      febrile patients. A total of 373 paired serum samples were drawn from febrile
      patients; 208 were from Caia District Hospital (rural setting) in Sofala Province
      and 165 were from Polana Canico General Hospital (suburban setting) in Maputo
      City. Samples were initially screened using an in-house ELISA for IgM and IgG
      antibodies. Double positive samples were confirmed using a microagglutination
      test (MAT). RESULTS: Of the 373 febrile patients, five (1.3%) had acute
      leptospirosis (MAT >=400) and 38 (10.2%) had a presumptive infection (IgM
      positive/MAT <400). While most of the patients with a presumptive infection lived
      in the rural setting (84.2%, 32/38), the majority of patients with acute
      infections (60%, 3/5) and with negative results (60.3%, 199/330) lived in the
      suburban setting (p=0.000). Contact with rodents was significantly higher in
      patient with acute leptospirosis (100%, 5/5) than in those with a presumptive
      infection (39.5%, 15/38) or negative results (41.8%, 138/330) (p=0.031). Four out
      of the five patients (80%) with acute leptospirosis were treated with
      antimalarial drugs although malaria results were negative. The prevailing
      serogroup, according to MAT results, was Australis (40%; 4/10), followed by
      Icterohaemorrhagiae (30%, 3/10). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that leptospirosis
      is prevalent among Mozambicans, and most cases are misdiagnosed as malaria.

PMID- 28893675
TI  - Design, recruitment outcomes, and sample characteristics of the Strategies for
      Prescribing Analgesics Comparative Effectiveness (SPACE) trial.
AB  - This manuscript describes the study protocol, recruitment outcomes, and baseline
      participant characteristics for the Strategies for Prescribing Analgesics
      Comparative Effectiveness (SPACE) trial. SPACE is a pragmatic randomized
      comparative effectiveness trial conducted in multiple VA primary care clinics
      within one VA health care system. The objective was to compare benefits and harms
      of opioid therapy versus non-opioid medication therapy over 12months among
      patients with moderate-to-severe chronic back pain or hip/knee osteoarthritis
      pain despite analgesic therapy; patients already receiving regular opioid therapy
      were excluded. Key design features include comparing two clinically-relevant
      medication interventions, pragmatic eligibility criteria, and flexible treat-to
      target interventions. Screening, recruitment and study enrollment were conducted
      over 31months. A total of 4491 patients were contacted for eligibility screening;
      53.1% were ineligible, 41.0% refused, and 5.9% enrolled. The most common reasons
      for ineligibility were not meeting pain location and severity criteria. The most
      common study-specific reasons for refusal were preference for no opioid use and
      preference for no pain medications. Of 265 enrolled patients, 25 withdrew before
      randomization. Of 240 randomized patients, 87.9% were male, 84.1% were white, and
      age range was 21-80years. Past-year mental health diagnoses were 28.3%
      depression, 17% anxiety, 9.4% PTSD, 7.9% alcohol use disorder, and 2.6% drug use
      disorder. In conclusion, although recruitment for this trial was challenging,
      characteristics of enrolled participants suggest we were successful in recruiting
      patients similar to those prescribed opioid therapy in usual care.

PMID- 28893677
TI  - Accuracy of Self-Reported Heart Failure. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities
      (ARIC) Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to estimate agreement of self-reported heart
      failure (HF) with physician-diagnosed HF and compare the prevalence of HF
      according to method of ascertainment. METHODS AND RESULTS: ARIC cohort members
      (60-83 years of age) were asked annually whether a physician indicated that they
      have HF. For those self-reporting HF, physicians were asked to confirm their
      patients' HF status. Physician-diagnosed HF included surveillance of hospitalized
      HF and hospitalized and outpatient HF identified in administrative claims
      databases. We estimated sensitivity, specificity, positive predicted value,
      kappa, prevalence and bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK), and prevalence. Compared with
      physician-diagnosed HF, sensitivity of self-report was low (28%-38%) and
      specificity was high (96%-97%). Agreement was poor (kappa 0.32-0.39) and
      increased when adjusted for prevalence and bias (PABAK 0.73-0.83). Prevalence of
      HF measured by self-report (9.0%), ARIC-classified hospitalizations (11.2%), and
      administrative hospitalization claims (12.7%) were similar. When outpatient HF
      claims were included, prevalence of HF increased to 18.6%. CONCLUSIONS: For
      accurate estimates HF burden, self-reports of HF are best confirmed by means of
      appropriate diagnostic tests or medical records. Our results highlight the need
      for improved awareness and understanding of HF by patients, because accurate
      patient awareness of the diagnosis may enhance management of this common
      condition.

PMID- 28893676
TI  - Rationale and design of the Staying Positive with Arthritis (SPA) Study: A
      randomized controlled trial testing the impact of a positive psychology
      intervention on racial disparities in pain.
AB  - Knee osteoarthritis is a painful, disabling condition that disproportionately
      affects African Americans. Existing arthritis treatments yield small to moderate
      improvements in pain and have not been effective at reducing racial disparities
      in the management of pain. The biopsychosocial model of pain and evidence from
      the positive psychology literature suggest that increasing positive psychological
      skills (e.g., gratitude, kindness) could improve pain and functioning and reduce
      disparities in osteoarthritis pain management. Activities to cultivate positive
      psychological skills have been developed and validated; however, they have not
      been tested in patients with osteoarthritis, their effects on racial differences
      in health outcomes have not been examined, and evidence of their effects on
      health outcomes in patients with other chronic illnesses is of limited quality.
      In this article we describe the rationale and design of Staying Positive with
      Arthritis (SPA) study, a randomized controlled trial in which 180 African
      American and 180 White primary care patients with chronic pain from knee
      osteoarthritis will be randomized to a 6-week program of either positive skill
      building activities or neutral control activities. The primary outcomes will be
      self-reported pain and functioning as measured by the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index.
      We will assess these primary outcomes and potential, exploratory psychosocial
      mediating variables at an in-person baseline visit and by telephone at 1, 3, and
      6months following completion of the assigned program. If effective, the SPA
      program would be a novel, theoretically-informed psychosocial intervention to
      improve quality and equity of care in the management of chronic pain from
      osteoarthritis.

PMID- 28893678
TI  - Hip Inflammation MRI Scoring System (HIMRISS) to predict response to hyaluronic
      acid injection in hip osteoarthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess predictors of response, according to hip MRI inflammatory
      scoring system (HIMRISS), in a sample of patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA)
      treated by hyaluronic acid (HA) injection. METHOD: Sixty patients with hip OA
      were included. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline and three months after
      HA injection by WOMAC. On hip MRI performed before HA injection, bone marrow
      lesion (BML) and synovitis were assessed by HIMRISS by four readers. The inter
      reader reliability of HIMRISS was for HIMRISS total, acetabular BML, femoral BML
      and synovitis-effusion respectively 0.86, 0.64, 0.83 and 0.78. Associations
      between MRI features and clinical data were assessed. Logistic regression
      (univariate and multivariate) was used to explore associations between MRI
      features and response to HA injection, according to WOMAC50 response at three
      months. RESULTS: In total, 45.5% of patients met WOMAC50 response. Five adverse
      events were reported. At baseline, WOMAC function correlated significantly to
      HIMRISS synovitis-effusion (r=0.27, P=0.03). In univariate analysis, BML femoral
      according to binary assessment (P=0.025), HIMRISS BML femoral (P=0.0038), HIMRISS
      BML acetabular (P=0.042), HIMRISS total (P=0.0092) were associated negatively
      with WOMAC50 response. In multivariate analysis, adjusted for age and BMI,
      HIMRISS femoral BML (P=0.02) and HIMRISS total (P=0.016) were negatively
      associated with response. At a HIMRISS threshold of<15, 82% of patients were
      responders, with specificity SP=0.97, sensitivity SN=0.39, and positive and
      negative predictive values of 0.91 and 0.64, respectively. CONCLUSION: HIMRISS is
      reliable for total scores and sub-domains. It permits identification of
      responders to HA injection in hip OA patients.

PMID- 28893679
TI  - Incidence of cancer in patients with spondyloarthritis treated with anti-TNF
      drugs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of cancer in TNF inhibitor (TNFi)-treated
      spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients entered in the GISEA registry, and identify the
      factors associated with its development. METHODS: This observational study
      involved an open cohort of 3321 SpA patients selected from the GISEA registry,
      designed to collect real-world clinical data concerning patients with RA or SpA
      treated with biological drugs. The baseline information includes demographics and
      clinical parameters. The overall incidence of neoplasias was compared to this
      observed in the general population according to the Italian Association of
      Medical Oncology. RESULTS: Of the 3321 SpA patients (1731 males, 52.2%; mean age
      47+/-13years; median disease duration three years, interquartile range [IQR] 0
      8), 50 developed at least one of 56 malignancies during the follow-up period of
      up to 12years of treatment with TNFi. The overall incidence was 6.3/1000 patient
      years of follow-up (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.7-8.2): 7.3/1000 patient-years
      (95% CI 4.1-11.8) in those treated with ADA; 6.1/1000 patient-years (95% CI 3.8
      9.4) in those treated with ETN; and 5.8/1000 patient-years (95% CI 3.5-9.1) in
      those treated with INF while in the general population was 5.1/1000 patient
      years. Univariate analysis showed that age at the time of starting TNFi
      (P=0.001), the presence of comorbidities (P=0.012), the number of comorbidities
      (P<0.001), and HAQ-DI score (P=0.002) were associated with a higher risk of
      malignancies. Stepwise regression models showed that only previous neoplasia was
      a significant predictor of a new malignancy. The type of drug was not associated
      with the risk of malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of malignancies among SpA
      patients treated with the three TNFi was higher than in general population;
      having had a previous solid cancer is predictive of a new malignancy.

PMID- 28893680
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28893681
TI  - Boerhaave's Syndrome: A Window to the Heart.

PMID- 28893682
TI  - Effects of flavonoids incorporated biological macromolecules based scaffolds in
      bone tissue engineering.
AB  - Skeletal tissue damage caused by trauma, injury, or disease can often result in
      considerable morbidity and the need for new, more reliable strategies for
      skeletal regeneration. So, to address the unmet need for bone augmentation, bone
      tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have evolved in the recent years.
      Bone tissue engineering harnesses novel scaffolds, stem cells and biological
      factors that promise enhanced and more reliable bone formation. Increasingly
      phytochemicals, particularly flavonoids are gaining renowned interest lately for
      their therapeutic potential on bone. Intake of flavonoids has shown to improve
      bone health due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Inclusion
      of biomaterials for flavonoids delivery has potential towards bone tissue
      engineering. Hence, this review was aimed to provide an overview of recent
      developments in bone tissue engineering focusing on flavonoids and their potent
      biological properties that enhance bone health.

PMID- 28893683
TI  - Sulfation can enhance antitumor activities of Artemisia sphaerocephala
      polysaccharide in vitro and vivo.
AB  - In this study, a sulfated Artemisia sphaerocephala polysaccharide (ASPs) was
      prepared and its antitumor activity was evaluated in tumor cells and Hepatoma 22
      (H22) tumor-bearing mice. In vitro experiments, ASPs significantly inhibited the
      growth of HepG2 and Hela cells with the IC50 values of 172.03 and 161.42MUg/mL,
      respectively. Moreover, no direct cytotoxicity against mouse fibroblast L929
      normal cells was observed in vitro. After oral administration for 12days, the
      tumor growth was significantly suppressed by ASPs at the doses of 200mg/kg
      (inhibition rate of 60.85%). Results of tumor histological morphology and cell
      cycle analysis showed that ASPs could arrest H22 cells at S phase and promote
      cell apoptosis. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that ASPs
      caused the down-regulation of mutant p53 protein expression in a dose-dependent
      manner. Therefore, these findings proposed new insight into antitumor properties
      of sulfated polysaccharide as a promising agent in cancer treatment.

PMID- 28893684
TI  - Gelatin based bio-films prepared from grey triggerfish' skin influenced by
      enzymatic pretreatment.
AB  - Gelatins from grey triggerfish skin were extracted with different methods. The
      treatment by pepsin (PG) improved the yield of extraction when compared with
      untreated gelatin (UG) and acidic gelatin (AG). The outputs of gelatins AG, UG
      and PG, obtained respectively, with acitic acid, glycine buffer and glycine
      buffer added with 5U of pepsin/g of the skin beforehand treated by alkali, were
      6.9%, 7.9% and 9.7%, respectively. The enzymatic treatment of the alkali
      pretreated skin of grey triggerfish altered the electrophoresis profile,
      biophysical, gellification, rheological and thermal properties of the prepared
      gelatins extracted under acidic condition. However, the untreated gelatin
      obtained without pepsin exhibited the highest transition and enthaply
      temperatures. In addition, the properties of the prepared films were
      interconnected to their microstructure as demonstrated by scanning electron
      microscopy. Furthermore, films with PG and UG had a regular surface and a more
      condensed structure, whereas films prepared with AG had rougher surface.

PMID- 28893685
TI  - Protective effects of a G. lucidum proteoglycan on INS-1 cells against IAPP
      induced apoptosis via attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress and modulating
      CHOP/JNK pathways.
AB  - Fudan-Yueyang-G. lucidum (FYGL) is a water-soluble macromolecular proteoglycan
      extracted from Ganoderma lucidum which has been used for health promotion for a
      long time in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective
      effects of FYGL on INS-1 rat insulinoma beta cells against IAPP-induced cell
      apoptosis, as well as the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that
      apoptotic cells were significantly increased when incubated with islet amyloid
      polypeptide (IAPP). However, cytotoxicity of IAPP was significantly attenuated by
      co-incubation of the cells with FYGL. The results of RT-PCR showed that mRNA
      expression of caspase-3, caspase-12 and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) in IAPP
      treated cells were inhibited by FYGL. Moreover, FYGL significantly prevented the
      IAPP-induced abnormal expression of inositol-requiring protein-1alpha
      (IRE1alpha), protein kinase RNA (PKR)-like ER kinase (PERK), activating
      transcription factor 6 (ATF6), as well as suppressed the activation of CHOP and c
      Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Taken together, our results suggest that FYGL
      protects INS-1 pancreatic beta cells against IAPP-induced apoptosis through
      attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and modulating CHOP/JNK pathways.

PMID- 28893686
TI  - Expression and degradation patterns of chitinase purified from Xuehuali (Pyrus
      bretschneiderilia) pollen.
AB  - The present study investigated the expression pattern of chitinase in Xuehuali
      (Pyrus bretschneiderilia) pollen, as well as its subsequent degradation. The
      chitinase was purified and collected using chitin affinity column chromatography
      with regenerated chitin. After purification, four additional chitinase isozymes
      (chiA, chiB, chiC, and chiD) and chitinase (Chi II) were clearly expressed on SDS
      PAGE gels that contained 0.01% glycol chitin. The chitinase reaction products
      were examined using GlcNAc, (GlcNAc)2, (GlcNAc)3, (GlcNAc)4, (GlcNAc)5, and
      (GlcNAc)6 as substrates at 2 and 24h after reaction via TLC and HPLC. The
      (GlcNAc)4 oligosaccharide was slightly degraded to (GlcNAc)2 after 24h of
      reaction with Xuehuali pollen chitinase on TLC. Meanwhile, (GlcNAc)5 was degraded
      to (GlcNAc)2-4, and 2300ppm (GlcNAc)6 was degraded to 246ppm (GlcNAc)2, 208ppm
      (GlcNAc)3, 572ppm (GlcNAc)4, and 336ppm (GlcNAc)5 on HPLC. With regard to
      temperature, the strongest Xuehuali pollen chitinase activity (0.69 unit/mL) was
      observed at 37 degrees C after 3h of incubation, and with regard to pH, the
      strongest activity (0.72unit/mL) was observed at pH 3 after 3h of incubation. The
      main chitin oligomers degraded from (GlcNAc)6 were (GlcNAc)2 and (GlcNAc)4.

PMID- 28893687
TI  - Genetic analysis of ID1-DBL2X predicts its validity as a vaccine candidate in
      Colombia and supports at least two independently introduced Plasmodium falciparum
      populations in the region.
AB  - Pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) poses a threat to both the mother and fetus,
      increasing the risk of severe maternal anemia, fetal growth restriction and low
      birth weight infants. Two vaccines are currently in development to protect women
      from Plasmodium falciparum in pregnancy. Both vaccine constructs target the ID1
      DBL2X domain of VAR2CSA, a protein expressed on the surface of infected
      erythrocytes (IEs) that mediates parasite sequestration in the placenta. Although
      development of an effective vaccine may be hampered by ID1-DBL2X polymorphisms
      expressed by field isolates, a recent study showed that genetic variation of this
      domain in South American parasite populations is much lower than in other
      geographical locations. This suggests that a recombinant vaccine designed to be
      efficacious in Africa and Asia is likely to be efficacious in South America.
      However, these studies did not include Colombian parasite populations in their
      analyses, which are known to be genetically distinct from other South American
      parasite populations due to their independent introduction from Africa.
      Therefore, we sought to determine the genetic variation of the ID1-DBL2X domain
      in Colombian parasites to assess the potential efficacy of the vaccine against
      PAM in this region. Through sequence analysis and population genetics, we show
      that there is a low degree of genetic variation amongst Colombian parasite
      populations and that a vaccine containing conserved antigen variants for
      worldwide populations is likely to be protective against PAM in Colombia. Our
      analysis also points towards an African origin for Colombian parasite
      populations, and suggests that their introduction into Colombia was a recurrent
      process encompassing multiple introduction events.

PMID- 28893688
TI  - Whole-genome sequencing identification of a multidrug-resistant Salmonella
      enterica serovar Typhimurium strain carrying blaNDM-5 from Guangdong, China.
AB  - A carbapenem-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (sequence type 34
      [ST34]) strain was isolated from a fecal specimen from a child with acute
      diarrhea. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the 84.5-kb IncFII plasmid pST41
      NDM carrying the NDM-5 carbapenemase gene possesses a structure identical to that
      of the IncFII-type plasmid backbone. However, the blaNDM-5 flanking sequence
      found in this plasmid is identical to the blaNDM-5-positive IncX3 plasmids
      carried by 10 strains of Enterobacteriaceae identified in the same hospital.

PMID- 28893689
TI  - Management of KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae
      (KPC-KP) has become one of the most important contemporary pathogens, especially
      in endemic areas. AIMS: To provide practical suggestion for physicians dealing
      with the management of KPC-KP infections in critically ill patients, based on
      expert opinions. SOURCES: PubMed search for relevant publications related to the
      management of KPC-KP infections. CONTENTS: A panel of experts developed a list of
      12 questions to be addressed. In view of the current lack of high-level evidence,
      they were asked to provide answers on the bases of their knowledge and experience
      in the field. The panel identified several key aspects to be addressed when
      dealing with KPC-KP in critically ill patients (preventing colonization in the
      patient, preventing infection in the colonized patient and colonization of his or
      her contacts, reducing mortality in the infected patient by rapidly diagnosing
      the causative agent and promptly adopting the best therapeutic strategy) and
      provided related suggestions that were based on the available observational
      literature and the experience of panel members. IMPLICATIONS: Diagnostic
      technologies could speed up the diagnosis of KPC-KP infections. Combination
      treatment should be preferred to monotherapy in cases of severe infections. For
      non-critically ill patients without severe infections, results from randomized
      clinical trials are needed for ultimately weighing benefits and costs of using
      combinations rather than monotherapy. Multifaceted infection control
      interventions are needed to decrease the rates of colonization and cross
      transmission of KPC-KP.

PMID- 28893690
TI  - New agents for the treatment of infections with Gram-negative bacteria: restoring
      the miracle or false dawn?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative resistance has developed
      without a commensurate response in the successful development of antibiotic
      agents, though recent progress has been made. AIMS: This review aims to provide a
      summary of the existing evidence on efficacy, spectrum of activity and the
      development of resistance of new agents that have been licensed or have completed
      advanced clinical trials and that possess activity against resistant Gram
      negative organisms. SOURCES: A review of the published literature via MEDLINE
      database was performed. Relevant clinical trials were identified with the aid of
      the clinicaltrials.gov registry. Further data were ascertained from review of
      abstracts from recent international meetings and pharmaceutical companies.
      CONTENT: Data on the mechanism of action, microbiological spectrum, clinical
      efficacy and development of resistance are reported for new agents that have
      activity against Gram-negative organisms. This includes the beta-lactam/beta
      lactamase inhibitor combinations ceftazidime/avibactam, ceftolozane/tazobactam,
      imipenem/cilastatin/relebactam, meropenem/vaborbactam and aztreonam/avibactam;
      cefiderocol, a siderophore cephalosporin; plazomicin and eravacycline.
      IMPLICATIONS: The development of new agents with activity against multidrug
      resistant Gram-negative pathogens has provided important therapeutic options for
      clinicians. Polymyxins appear to have been supplanted by new agents as first-line
      therapy for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase producers. Cefiderocol and
      ceftazidime/avibactam/aztreonam are promising options for metallo-beta-lactamase
      producers, and cefiderocol and ceftolozane/tazobactam for multiply resistant
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but definitive data showing clinical efficacy is as yet
      lacking. Reports of the development of resistance early after the release and use
      of new agents is of concern. Orally administered options and agents active
      effective against Acinetobacter baumannii are under-represented in clinical
      development.

PMID- 28893691
TI  - Folate appended cyclodextrins for drug, DNA, and siRNA delivery.
AB  - Drug, DNA, and siRNA delivery systems based on cyclodextrin (CD) core and
      connected with folate (FA) via various linkers are presented. They include simple
      mono-derivatized cyclodextrins as well as cyclodextrins with higher degree of
      substitution, both in their primary and secondary sides. Examples of simple
      polymers and dendrimers are also discussed. Such carriers possess properties
      inherent to both of their components. Cyclodextrin provides the ability to
      encapsulate organic molecules in its inner cavity, thus improving their
      solubility in water, bioavailability, and stability, while FA assures targeting
      folate receptor overexpressing cancer cells. Drug delivery systems loaded with
      drugs such as e.g. methotrexate, doxorubicin, paclitaxel, vinblastine, and
      docetaxel were found to have superior properties as compared to the free drug.
      Dendritic folate appended cyclodextrins were also found to be good sustained
      release systems for DNA and siRNA. The recent progress in the synthesis and drug,
      DNA, and siRNA delivery application of folate appended cyclodextrins is
      presented.

PMID- 28893692
TI  - Formation of mannitol core microparticles for sustained release with lipid
      coating in a mini fluid bed system.
AB  - The goal of this study was to prepare sustained release microparticles for methyl
      blue and aspartame as sparingly and freely water-soluble model drugs by lipid
      film coating in a Mini-Glatt fluid bed, and to assess the effect of coating load
      of two of lipids, hard fat and glyceryl stearate, on the release rates. 30g drug
      loaded mannitol carrier microparticles with average diameter of 500 or 300MUm
      were coated with 5g, 10g, 20g and 30g lipids, respectively. The model drugs were
      completely released in vitro through pores which mainly resulted from dissolution
      of the polyol core beads. The release of methyl blue from microparticles based on
      500MUm carrier beads extended up to 25days, while aspartame release from
      microparticles formed from 300MUm carrier beads was extended to 7days. Although
      glyceryl stearate exhibits higher wettability, burst and release rates were
      similar for the two lipid materials. Polymorphic transformation of the hart fat
      was observed upon release. The lipid-coated microparticles produced with 500MUm
      carrier beads showed slightly lower burst release compared to the microparticles
      produced with 300MUm carrier beads as they carried relatively thicker lipid layer
      based on an equivalent lipid to mannitol ratio. Aspartame microparticles showed a
      much faster release than methyl blue due to the higher water-solubility of
      aspartame.

PMID- 28893693
TI  - Current Status of Worldwide Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in
      Spine Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are the most widely
      accepted means of measuring outcomes after spine procedures. We sought to
      determine the current status of worldwide use of PROMs in Latin America (LA),
      Europe (EU), Asia Pacific (AP), North America (NA), and Middle East (ME) to
      determine the barrier to its full implementation. METHODS: A questionnaire survey
      was sent by e-mail to members of AOSpine to evaluate their familiarity and use of
      PROMs instruments and to assess the barriers to their use in spine care practice
      in LA, EU, AP, NA, and ME. RESULTS: A total of 1634 AOSpine members from LA, EU,
      AP, NA, and ME answered the electronic questionnaire. The percentage of spine
      surgeons who were familiar with the generic health-related quality of life
      questionnaire was 71.7%. In addition, 31.9% of respondents did not use any PROMs
      routinely. The main barriers to implementing PROMs were lack of time to
      administer the questionnaires (57%) followed by lack of staff to assist in data
      collection (55%), and the long time to fill out the questionnaires (46%). The
      routine use of questionnaires was more frequent in NA and EU and less common in
      LA and ME (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that 31.9% of spine surgeons do not
      use the PROMs questionnaire routinely. This appears to occur because of lack of
      knowledge regarding their importance, absence of reimbursement for this extra
      work, minimal financial support for clinical research, the cost of
      implementation, and lack of concern among physicians.

PMID- 28893694
TI  - Altered Expression of MicroRNA-15a and Kruppel-Like Factor 4 in Cerebrospinal
      Fluid and Plasma After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral vasospasm (CVS) is a major determinant of prognosis in
      patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Alteration in the vascular phenotype
      contributes to development of CVS. However, little is known about the role of
      microRNAs (miRNAs) in the phenotypic alteration after SAH. We investigated the
      expression profile of miRNAs and the chronologic changes in the expression of
      microRNA-15a (miR-15a) and Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), a potent regulator of
      vascular phenotype modulation that modulates the expression of miR-15a, in the
      plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with SAH. METHODS: Peripheral
      blood and CSF samples were collected from 8 patients with aneurysmal SAH treated
      with endovascular obliteration. Samples obtained from 3 patients without SAH were
      used as controls in the analysis. Exosomal miRNAs were isolated and subjected to
      microarray analysis with the three-dimensional-gene miRNA microarray kit. The
      time course of the expression of miR-15a and KLF4 was analyzed using quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Microarray analysis showed that 12
      miRNAs including miR-15a were upregulated or downregulated both in the CSF and in
      plasma after SAH within 3 days. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
      showed that miR-15a expression was significantly increased in both the CSF and
      plasma, with a peak around 3-5 days after SAH, whereas the expression of KLF4 was
      significantly decreased around 1-3 days after SAH and remained lower than in
      controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that an early and persistent decrease
      in KLF4 followed by an increase in miR-15a may contribute to the altered vascular
      phenotype, resulting in development of CVS.

PMID- 28893695
TI  - Chronologic Evaluation of Cerebral Hemodynamics by Dynamic Susceptibility
      Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging After Indirect Bypass Surgery for Moyamoya
      Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although indirect bypass surgery is an effective treatment option for
      patients with ischemic-onset moyamoya disease (MMD), the time point after surgery
      at which the patient's hemodynamic status starts to improve and the time point at
      which the improvement reaches a maximum have not been known. The objective of the
      present study is to evaluate the hemodynamic status time course after indirect
      bypass surgery for MMD, using dynamic susceptibility contrast-magnetic resonance
      imaging (DSC-MRI). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 25 patients
      with MMD (37 sides; mean age, 14.7 years; range, 3-36 years) who underwent
      indirect bypass surgery and repeated DSC-MRI measurement within 6 months after
      the operation. The difference in the mean transit time (MTT) between the target
      regions and the control region (cerebellum) was termed the MTT delay, and we
      measured the MTT delay's chronologic changes after surgery. RESULTS: The
      postoperative MTT delay was 1.81 +/- 1.16 seconds within 1 week after surgery,
      1.57 +/- 1.01 at weeks 1-2, 1.55 +/- 0.68 at weeks 2-4, 1.32 +/- 0.68 at months 1
      2, 0.95 +/- 0.32 at months 2-3, and 0.77 +/- 0.33 at months 3-6. Compared with
      the preoperative value (2.11 +/- 0.98 seconds), the MTT delay decreased
      significantly from 2 to 4 weeks after surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The
      amelioration of cerebral hemodynamics by indirect bypass surgery began soon after
      surgery and gradually reached a maximum at 3 months after surgery. DSC-MRI
      detected small changes in hemodynamic improvement, which are suspected to be
      caused by the initiation of angiogenesis and arteriogenesis in the early
      postoperative period.

PMID- 28893696
TI  - Medullary Decompression by Sling Repositioning of Vertebral Artery with Operative
      Video.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular compression of the medullary pyramid resulting in neurologic
      compromise is rare; therefore diagnosis is difficult and ultimately delayed. Most
      patients present with a combination of cranial nerve, autonomic, and/or motor and
      sensory dysfunction. Presentation with a single sign such as hemiparesis is rare.
      The low number of cases reported has made it impossible to define a standard
      treatment for this unusual disorder. CASE DESCRIPTION: Here, we present a patient
      with progressive left hemiparesis due to compression of the upper medulla by the
      vertebral artery, which was treated with repositioning of the artery using a
      sling. Clinical and radiologic features including upper medullary compression by
      the left vertebral artery with effacement of the left medullary pyramid and
      T2/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery signal changes in the right medulla are
      illustrated. The patient underwent a standard left retrosigmoid craniectomy for
      mobilization of the left vertebral artery with a Hemashield (Maquet
      Cardiovascular, San Jose, California, USA) sling (see video). Postoperatively,
      the patient had significant improvement of the left hemiparesis and follow-up
      imaging showed decompression of the medulla with edema reduction. CONCLUSIONS:
      Vascular decompression using a sling has proven to be a valuable option for
      treatment of symptomatic vascular brainstem compression.

PMID- 28893697
TI  - Incidence of Postoperative Hematomas Requiring Surgical Treatment in
      Neurosurgery: A Retrospective Observational Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to characterize the occurrence of postoperative hematoma
      (POH) after neurosurgery overall and according to procedure type and describe the
      prevalence of possible confounders. METHODS: Patient data between 2010 and 2012
      at the Department of Neurosurgery in Helsinki University Hospital were
      retrospectively analyzed. A data search was performed according to the type of
      surgery including craniotomies; shunt procedures, spine surgery, and spinal cord
      stimulator implantation. We analyzed basic preoperative characteristics, as well
      as data about the initial intervention, perioperative period, revision operation
      and neurologic recovery (after craniotomy only). RESULTS: The overall incidence
      of POH requiring reoperation was 0.6% (n = 56/8783) to 0.6% (n = 26/4726) after
      craniotomy, 0% (n = 0/928) after shunting procedure, 1.1% (n = 30/2870) after
      spine surgery, and 0% (n = 0/259) after implantation of a spinal cord stimulator.
      Craniotomy types with higher POH incidence were decompressive craniectomy (7.9%,
      n = 7/89), cranioplasty (3.6%, n = 4/112), bypass surgery (1.7%, n = 1/60), and
      epidural hematoma evacuation (1.6%, n = 1/64). After spinal surgery, POH was
      observed in 1.1% of cervical and 2.1% of thoracolumbar operations, whereas 46.7%
      were multilevel procedures. 64.3% of patients with POH and 84.6% of patients
      undergoing craniotomy had postoperative hypertension (systolic blood pressure
      >160 mm Hg or lower if indicated). Poor outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score 1
      3), whereas death at 6 months after craniotomy was detected in 40.9% and 21.7%.
      respectively, of patients with POH who underwent craniotomy. CONCLUSIONS: POH
      after neurosurgery was rare in this series but was associated with poor outcome.
      Identification of risk factors of bleeding, and avoiding them, if possible, might
      decrease the incidence of POH.

PMID- 28893698
TI  - Clinical Manifestations of Isolated Chronic Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in
      Relation to Angiographic Features.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Isolated chronic middle cerebral artery occlusion (ChMCAO) is not a
      rare condition and is known to cause hemodynamic stroke. The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate differences in clinical manifestations and prognosis of
      isolated ChMCAO in relation to angiographic features. METHODS: This retrospective
      study enrolled 56 patients with isolated ChMCAO. In accordance with degree of
      anterograde collateral flow (AF) on angiography, patients were categorized into
      poor and good AF groups. The 2 groups were assessed and compared for the presence
      and recurrence of neurologic symptoms. RESULTS: Of 56 patients, 33 were in the
      poor AF group and 23 were in the good AF group. The prevalence of ischemic
      symptoms was significantly higher in the poor AF group compared with the good AF
      group (P < 0.05). During an average follow-up period of 33.8 months, recurrent
      ipsilateral symptoms occurred in 6 of 45 patients. The hazard ratio conferred by
      poor AF was 5.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-26.57) for recurrent symptoms.
      CONCLUSIONS: AF through the basal collateral network may be related to clinical
      manifestations of ChMCAO. Good AF in isolated ChMCAO may play an important role
      in preventing recurrence of an ischemic event.

PMID- 28893699
TI  - Cervical En-Plaque Extradural Meningioma Involving Brachial Plexus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meningioma is one of the commonest spinal tumors, with a predilection
      for intradural occurrence. Its occurrence as an extradural, en plaque variety
      with extension into the brachial plexus is unusual. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 50-year
      old male patient presented with progressive spastic quadriparesis. Magnetic
      resonance imaging showed an en plaque, epidural soft tissue tumor at C5-C7 levels
      on the right side with extraforaminal extension into the paraspinal region and
      the brachial plexus laterally. The patient underwent a C5-7 laminectomy and
      partial excision of the tumor. Histopathology was reported as psammomatous
      meningioma (World Health Organization grade I). CONCLUSIONS: An extradural spinal
      meningioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an exclusively
      extradural spinal tumor. Its occurrence as an en plaque variety is uncommon. We
      report an unusual case of the en plaque form of extradural cervical meningioma
      with diffuse involvement of the brachial plexus.

PMID- 28893700
TI  - Comparison of Radiation Exposure during Endovascular Treatment of Peripheral
      Arterial Disease with Flat-Panel Detectors on Mobile C-arm versus Fixed Systems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flat-panel detectors on mobile C-arm (MC-arm) systems are currently
      challenging fixed C-arm (FC-arm) systems used in hybrid operating rooms. MC-arm
      systems offer an alternative to FC-arm systems in the endovascular treatment of
      peripheral arterial disease (PAD) but their efficiency has not been evaluated
      comparatively. METHODS: Two series of patients undergoing arteriography with
      intention to treat were included. Each series consisted of 2 nonrandomized
      groups: an MC-arm group and an FC-arm group. Series 1 evaluated exposure to the
      patient (MC-arm, n = 113; FC-arm, n = 206) while series 2 evaluated exposure to
      patients and also health care personnel (MC-arm, n = 24; FC-arm, n = 76). The
      primary end points for evaluating exposure were air kerma (AK, in mGy) for
      patients and effective dose for health care personnel (in MUSv). RESULTS: After
      adjustment for the effect of body mass index (analysis of covariance test), AK
      was found to be lower in the MC-arm group than in the FC-arm group (124.1 +/- 142
      vs. 173.3 +/- 248.7, P = 0.025). There was no difference between the groups with
      regard to effective dose recorded for senior surgeons or for operating room
      nurses. However, a higher effective dose was recorded by the MC-arm group
      external dosimeter for the trainee resident and for nurse anesthetists.
      CONCLUSIONS: In endovascular treatment of lower limb PAD, use of an FC-arm system
      is associated with more radiation exposure to the patient than an MC-arm system.
      However, this type of imaging system does not appear to affect exposure to health
      care personnel.

PMID- 28893701
TI  - Impact of Vascular Calcifications on Long Femoropopliteal Stenting Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular calcifications (VCs) may be a prognostic factor for outcome
      after endovascular treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
      Semiquantitative analysis with X-ray imaging is the main limiting factor for
      assessing VCs. The aim of the present study was to find a correlation between the
      amount of VC with computed tomography (CT) scan quantification and midterm
      results of endovascular treatment of Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus C/D
      femoropopliteal (FP) lesions. METHODS: Patients belonging to 2 previously
      published registries (STELLA and STELLA PTX) and who underwent a preoperative CT
      scan were retrospectively included in the study. VC quantification was performed
      with a dedicated workstation (EndoSize, Therenva) on the basis of Hounsfield
      units (HU). The VC percentage was calculated as the ratio between VC volume and
      the volume of the region of interest. For the analysis, patients were divided
      into 3 groups according to VC percentage, from lowest to highest: group 1 (G1)
      included the first quartile of VCs, group 2 (G2) included the second and third
      quartiles, and group 3 (G3) included the fourth quartile. Risk of in-stent
      thrombosis was analysed using a multivariate model. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients
      were included (10 in G1, 19 in G2, and 10 in G3), and mean follow-up duration was
      24 +/- 14.6 months. Patients in G1 and G3 had, respectively, a VC rate of <1% (no
      VC) and >20% (severe VC). In G2, VC was considered to be intermediate. There was
      no statistical difference in the cardiovascular risk factors and preoperative
      medication. A significant difference was found for the healthy FP diameter
      between G1 (4.6 +/- 0.8 mm) and G3 (6.8 +/- 0.8 mm, P < 0.0001) and between G2
      (5.2 +/- 1 mm) and G3 (P < 0.0001). The rate of drug-eluting stents was similar
      in all groups. There was no difference between groups concerning the rate of in
      stent restenosis, target lesion revascularization, and target extremity
      revascularization. There was a higher rate of in-stent thrombosis for G1 versus
      G2 (P = 0.037), and no difference was noted between G1 versus G3 (P = 0.86) or G2
      versus G3 (P = 0.12). G3 was associated with early stent thrombosis (<1 month),
      while G1 was associated with late stent thrombosis (6-24 months). On multivariate
      analysis, only one predictive factor for stent thrombosis was found: patients
      with intermediate VC seemed to be protected against in-stent thrombosis (odds
      ratio = 0.27, 95% confidence interval: 0.1-0.77; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The
      study showed that VC quantification with CT imaging is feasible and useful for
      comparing outcomes following PAD endovascular revascularization. Below a certain
      threshold, the presence of VC might be necessary for plaque stability and may
      protect against in-stent thrombosis.

PMID- 28893702
TI  - Risk Factors Associated with Perioperative Myocardial Infarction in Major Open
      Vascular Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, major vascular surgery
      is associated with a high risk of perioperative myocardial infarction (MI).
      Currently, there are no perioperative MI risk calculators accounting for
      intraoperative and postoperative risk factors in vascular surgery patients. We
      aimed to investigate specific risk factors for perioperative MI after major open
      vascular surgery to determine which patients are at highest risk of MI and the
      association of perioperative MI with perioperative transfusion. METHODS: This
      statewide, retrospective cohort study analyzed risk factors for perioperative MI
      in major open vascular surgery between July 2012 and December 2015 using the
      Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, a multicenter quality collaborative.
      Patients were identified using current procedure terminology codes including open
      abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs (oAAA), aortobifemoral bypasses (AFB), and
      lower extremity bypasses (LEB). Rates of myocardial infarction were described for
      each procedure. A priori, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative
      variables were evaluated using univariate and multivariable statistics after
      adjusting for intraoperative factors including anesthesia type, intraoperative
      blood loss, intraoperative transfusion, and intraoperative vasopressor
      medications. RESULTS: A total of 3,689 patients underwent major open vascular
      surgery, including 375 oAAA, 392 AFB, and 2,922 LEB procedures. The overall
      incidence of MI was 2.4%, varying from 1.8% for aortobifemoral bypass, 2.4% for
      lower extremity bypass, and 3.7% for open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.
      Although preoperative risk factors for myocardial infarction included age,
      American Society of Anesthesiologists score, diabetes, coronary artery disease,
      congestive heart failure, use of beta blocker, lower preoperative hematocrit, and
      surgical priority (urgent/emergent cases), after adjusting for intraoperative
      risk factors, all preoperative risk factors were not significant with the
      exception of surgical priority. After adjusting for intraoperative factors, only
      surgical priority (odds ratio [OR] = 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.01
      2.85], P < 0.001) and postoperative transfusion (OR = 2.65, 95% CI [1.59-4.44], P
      < 0.001) was associated with myocardial infarction, and higher nadir hematocrit
      was inversely associated with myocardial infarction (OR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.85
      0.94], P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among vascular surgery patients undergoing major
      open vascular surgery, surgical priority was the only preoperative risk factors
      independently associated with MI, and only postoperative variables such as nadir
      hematocrit and postoperative transfusion were associated with MI. This suggests
      minimizing intraoperative blood loss and prioritizing early intraoperative
      transfusion may be the potential targets for process improvement.

PMID- 28893703
TI  - Emergent Treatment of Ruptured Axillary Artery Aneurysm.
AB  - The axillary artery aneurysm (AxAA) is a rare entity, with a diverse range of
      proposed etiologic mechanisms. Although usually asymptomatic, thromboembolic or
      hemorrhagic complications leave many with vascular and neurologic compromise.
      Both open and endovascular treatment approaches have been reported. However, no
      consensus has been reached on the management of AxAAs. This case illustrates a
      unique emergent treatment approach for a ruptured AxAA, involving endovascular
      plugging and immediate subsequent open hematoma evacuation. Although there was no
      restoration of vessel continuity, reasonable recovery of motor function on follow
      up suggests this treatment approach may be considered in emergent settings.

PMID- 28893704
TI  - Late Complication after Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair: What Is the Role of
      an Open Surgical Conversion?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the causes of thoracic endovascular aortic
      repair (TEVAR) failure and conversion to open surgery (COS) in a vascular center
      with high-volume open surgery and low-volume TEVAR procedures. METHODS: A total
      of 8 patients (6 men; mean age, 55.14 years) underwent COS after TEVAR. The
      indications for COS, intraoperative strategy, and early postoperative and mid
      follow-up results were analyzed. RESULTS: The indications for COS were persistent
      proximal type I endoleak with progressive aneurysm enlargement in 2 patients,
      type III endoleak in 1 patient, progressive aneurysm enlargement with no endoleak
      in 1 patient, stent-graft migration in 2 patients, secondary aortoesophageal
      fistula in 1 patient, secondary aortoesophageal and aortobronchial fistula in 1
      patient, and distal progression of the aneurysmal disease in 2 patients. In all
      but one patient, thoracic stent grafts were explanted, and replacement with a
      Dacron graft was performed using left partial cardiopulmonary bypass. In the
      remaining patients with disconnection of the distal component and unfavorable
      anatomy, the proximal stent graft was recycled, and the Dacron prosthesis was
      sewn to it. Patients with secondary aortobronchial and aortoesophageal fistulas
      required additional bronchial and esophageal repair. The in-hospital mortality
      rate was 50% (4 patients). Four (50%) patients were followed up between 7 and 24
      months (mean, 16.75 months) without mortality. CONCLUSIONS: COS after TEVAR has a
      high mortality rate, and endovascular techniques should be considered as the
      first line of treatment. Those procedures should be performed by surgeons
      experienced in open repair which one might expect to be a challenging problem in
      the era of endovascular therapy.

PMID- 28893705
TI  - Safety and Feasibility of Temporary Superior Vena Cava Filter Combined with
      Balloon Dilatation and Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis for Catheter-Related
      Thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of temporary
      superior vena cava (SVC) filter combined with balloon dilatation and catheter
      directed thrombolysis for the treatment of catheter-related thrombosis (CRT)
      caused by implanted ports. METHODS: Between February 2014 and October 2016, 13
      patients with implanted port-related CRT in internal jugular vein,
      brachiocephalic vein, and/or subclavian vein were treated by temporary SVC
      filter, balloon dilatation, and catheter-directed thrombolysis. Clinical data
      were retrospectively analyzed with respect to clinical characteristics, SVC
      filter placement and retrieval, balloon dilatation, and catheter-directed
      thrombolysis. RESULTS: Filter placement and retrieval, balloon dilatation, and
      catheter-directed thrombolysis were successful in all patients with complete
      patency of the suffered vessels. No complications such as local infection, filter
      migration, bleeding, and pulmonary embolism were found. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the
      small number of patients, it appears that temporary SVC filter combined with
      balloon dilatation and catheter-directed thrombolysis is a safe and effective
      method for the treatment of CRT associated with malfunction of the implanted
      ports and complete obstruction of affected veins. Further studies are required to
      demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and complications compared to conventional
      therapy.

PMID- 28893706
TI  - Hypertension, Acute Stent Thrombosis, and Paraplegia 6 Months after Thoracic
      Endovascular Aortic Repair for Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injury in a 22-Year-Old
      Patient.
AB  - Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is a less invasive option for
      managing traumatic injuries of the descending aorta in polytraumatized patients.
      Concerns arise when treating young patients with TEVAR. A 22-year-old male was
      admitted to the emergency department following a high-impact road traffic
      collision. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) scan documented multiple injuries,
      including rupture of descending thoracic aorta just below the isthmus. There was
      no evidence of paraplegia or stroke. We decided to treat him in an endovascular
      fashion with a Zenith Cook (Cook Incorporated, Bloomington, IN) endograft. Final
      angiography confirmed the proper positioning of the device, no infoldings, and
      the optimal filling of the thoracic aorta downstream of the endoprosthesis. In
      the postoperative period, the patient showed high blood pressure which was
      treated with 4 different antihypertensive drugs. He was discharged on
      cardioaspirine. CT scan control was scheduled after 30 days and 6 months, but he
      referred to our emergency department after less than 6 months with paraplegia,
      abdominal pain, and acute renal failure. He had independently discontinued
      antiplatelet therapy 3 months before. Emergency CT control documented the
      presence of intimal flap and thrombus at the distal edge of the device. The
      magnetic resonance imaging revealed ischemic damage of the spinal cord. We
      decided to reline the endograft using another Zenith Cook device with very good
      results. Renal failure and bowel pain gradually improved, but paraplegia is still
      present. TEVAR is the most suitable treatment for blunt thoracic aortic injury in
      the modern era. Concerns arise from what can happen to a young aorta receiving a
      stiff endovascular graft that should be carried all lifelong. These devices have
      been associated with acute hypertension and cardiac remodeling. Less stiffer
      stent grafts should be studied for young patients. High attention must be posed
      in the follow-up for the immediate resolution of eventual problems.

PMID- 28893707
TI  - Endovascular Aortoiliac Revascularization in a Patient with Spinal Cord Injury
      and Hip Contracture.
AB  - Treatment of chronic peripheral ischemic wounds in patients with spinal cord
      injury (SCI) can be technically challenging, especially if they have significant
      hip contracture. This article describes the endovascular aortoiliac
      revascularization of a paraplegic patient with hip contracture and a hostile
      abdomen. It also reviews the particularity of the peripheral arterial system in
      SCI patients.

PMID- 28893708
TI  - Ex Vivo Reconstruction and Autotransplantation for Hilar Renal Artery Aneurysms
      in Patients with Congenital Anomalies.
AB  - Renal artery aneurysms (RAAs) are an uncommon finding but are more often
      associated with other congenital disorders. The complex (hilar) RAAs constitute a
      subset of RAAs that present a therapeutic dilemma for the vascular surgeon
      because of their anatomic location. This dilemma worsens when hilar RAAs occur
      with a solitary kidney where organ preservation is vital. Ex vivo reconstruction
      with autotransplantation is especially suitable for hilar RAAs, even when they
      are associated with a solitary kidney. We report 2 of such cases of RAAs with a
      solitary kidney in patients with pertinent congenital anomalies. In 1 case, the
      hilar RAA was associated with a significant accessory renal artery, whereas in
      the other case, the hilar RAA was associated with a significant connective tissue
      disorder. Ex vivo reconstruction and autotransplantation was successful in both
      cases; however, treatment modalities had to be adapted to the patient's unique
      conditions.

PMID- 28893709
TI  - Novel Application of Branched Endograft for Preservation of Pelvic Circulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endovascular repair of a proximal anastomotic pseudoaneurysm (APSA)
      of an end-to-side aortobifemoral bypass (ABF) can lead to pelvic ischemia. We
      present a novel application of branched aortic endograft to repair such
      pseudoaneurysm while preserving flow into the ABF and native aortoiliac system.
      METHODS: A 71-year-old male with history of aortoiliac occlusive disease
      resulting in lifestyle limiting claudication was treated with an aortobifemoral
      bypass in 1999. The patient developed an 8.8 cm pseudoaneurysm at the aortic
      anastomosis. CTA demonstrated patent right common and internal iliac arteries
      with an occluded right external iliac artery and occluded left common and
      external iliac arteries. RESULTS: A 24 * 80 mm endograft with an 8 * 15 mm
      posterior branch based on the Cook Zenith device (Bloomington, IN) was delivered
      via a right femoral artery exposure. The preloaded wire of the main body was
      snared via left brachial access. A 10F sheath was advanced into the side branch
      of the graft to deliver a 10 * 10-mm Bard Fluency (Covington, Georgia) stent
      graft into the right common iliac artery. The branch was reinforced proximally
      with an 8 * 17 mm Boston Scientific Express (Marlborough, MA) stent. The patient
      was discharged after 5 days. At 1 month, CTA demonstrated patent ABF, patent
      branch graft into the pelvis, and exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm. CONCLUSIONS:
      Branch grafts can provide minimally invasive revision of a failing ABF, in this
      case an APSA, while preserving pelvic circulation and lower extremity perfusion.

PMID- 28893710
TI  - User Preferences for Mobile Health Interventions: A Survey among Intermittent
      Claudication Patients and Their Physical Therapists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smartphone apps provide novel ways for triggering lifestyle change by
      coupling objective measurements of health behavior with tailored feedback. Little
      is known about end-user preferences regarding the content of mobile health
      (mHealth) interventions. The aim of this study was to assess smartphone use and
      preferences regarding app content among intermittent claudication patients and
      their treating physical therapists. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was sent
      via an internal email system to 1,514 physical therapists specialized in treating
      patients with intermittent claudication. They were asked to complete one
      questionnaire themselves and administer a second to their intermittent
      claudication patients currently under treatment. Data on participant
      characteristics and smartphone use were collected from all respondents. The
      preferred app components were obtained from participants owning a smartphone.
      Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the adjusted association
      between age and attained educational level, and smartphone use. RESULTS: The
      response rate of therapists was 40.8% (617/1,514), and a total of 488 patients
      completed the survey. After excluding incomplete forms, a total of 615 physical
      therapist forms and 483 patient forms were analyzed. Overall, 40.6% of patients
      and 95% of therapists owned a smartphone. Higher educational level was associated
      with smartphone ownership (adjusted odds ratio = 2.46, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) = 1.41-4.27, P = 0.001). Compared to patients aged >=75 years, lower age was
      associated with higher odds of owning a smartphone (adjusted odds ratios for
      patients aged <=54 years = 21.27, 95% CI = 6.82-66.30, P < 0.001; aged 55-64
      years = 4.76, 95% CI = 2.52-9.00, P < 0.001; and aged 65-74 years = 2.58, 95% CI
      = 1.54-4.33, P < 0.001). The most preferred app components for intermittent
      claudication patients in possession of a smartphone included monitoring treadmill
      measured walking distances (71%), global positioning system tracking of walks
      (50%), and daily physical activity monitoring (49%). Physical therapists were
      most interested in global positioning system tracking of walks (89%), daily
      physical activity monitoring (82%), keeping track of treadmill-measured walking
      distance (79%), help with smoking cessation (65%). CONCLUSIONS: Smartphone
      ownership is associated with younger age and a higher educational level in
      patients with intermittent claudication. This study provides a framework of end
      user preferences regarding desired features to guide the development of an app to
      potentiate health outcomes of intermittent claudication treatment.

PMID- 28893711
TI  - Supervised Exercise Therapy for Intermittent Claudication Is Increasingly
      Endorsed by Dutch Vascular Surgeons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although supervised exercise therapy (SET) is generally accepted as
      an effective noninvasive treatment for intermittent claudication (IC), Dutch
      vascular surgeons were initially somewhat hesitant as reported by a 2011
      questionnaire study. Later on, a nationwide multidisciplinary network for SET was
      introduced in the Netherlands. The aim of this questionnaire study was to
      determine possible trends in conceptions among Dutch vascular surgeons regarding
      the prescription of SET. METHODS: In the year of 2015, Dutch vascular surgeons,
      fellows, and senior residents were asked to complete a 26-item questionnaire
      including issues that were considered relevant for prescribing SET such as
      patient selection criteria and comorbidity. Outcome was compared to the 2011
      survey. RESULTS: Data of 124 respondents (82% males; mean age 46 years; 64%
      response rate) were analyzed. SET referral rate of new IC patients was not
      different over time (2015: 81% vs. 2011: 75%; P = 0.295). However, respondents
      were more willing to prescribe SET in IC patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (2015: 86% vs. 2011: 69%; P = 0.002). Nevertheless, a smaller
      portion of respondents found that SET was also indicated for aortoiliac disease
      (2015: 63% vs. 2011: 76%; P = 0.049). Insufficient health insurance coverage
      and/or personal financial resources were the most important presumed barriers
      preventing patients from initiating SET (80% of respondents). Moreover, 94% of
      respondents judged that SET should be fully reimbursed by all Dutch basic health
      insurances. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of SET for IC is nowadays generally embraced
      by the vast majority of Dutch vascular surgeons. SET may have gained in
      popularity in IC patients with cardiopulmonary comorbidity. However, SET remains
      underutilized for aortoiliac disease. Reimbursement is considered crucial for a
      successful SET implementation.

PMID- 28893712
TI  - Single-Session Percutaneous Endovascular Mesocaval Shunt Creation and Balloon
      Occluded Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration for the Treatment of Gastric
      Varices.
AB  - In the setting of portal hypertension, the body responds by creating
      portosystemic venous shunts, which may lead to the development of varices.
      Endoscopic treatment of these varices is often warranted to prevent catastrophic
      bleeding. During the course of variceal treatment, 1 or more portosystemic shunts
      may be sacrificed, which may acutely exacerbate portal hypertension and reduce
      systemic venous return. This report describes percutaneous creation of a
      mesocaval shunt and balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO)
      in a patient with cavernous transformation of the portal vein. The patient had
      previously undergone an unsuccessful attempt at transjugular intrahepatic
      portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation with postoperative bleeding requiring
      splenectomy. As TIPS was not feasible, creation of a percutaneous mesocaval shunt
      provided an alternate pathway for portosystemic decompression, facilitating safe
      treatment of gastric varices with BRTO via a gastrorenal shunt. These procedures
      were performed simultaneously to reduce the risk of variceal bleeding from acute
      changes in portal venous pressures and redirect blood flow through the shunt to
      maintain patency. This is the first reported case of combined mesocaval shunt
      placement and BRTO in a single session.

PMID- 28893713
TI  - Next-Generation Plant Metabolic Engineering, Inspired by an Ancient Chinese
      Irrigation System.
AB  - Specialized secondary metabolites serve not only to protect plants against
      abiotic and biotic challenges, but have also been used extensively by humans to
      combat diseases. Due to the great importance of medicinal plants for health, we
      need to find new and sustainable ways to improve the production of the
      specialized metabolites. In addition to direct extraction, recent progress in
      metabolic engineering of plants offers an alternative supply option. We argue
      that metabolic engineering for producing the secondary metabolites in plants may
      have distinct advantages over microbial production platforms, and thus propose
      new approaches of plant metabolic engineering, which are inspired by an ancient
      Chinese irrigation system. Metabolic engineering strategies work at three levels:
      introducing biosynthetic genes, using transcription factors, and improving
      metabolic flux including increasing the supply of precursors, energy, and
      reducing power. In addition, recent progress in biotechnology contributes
      markedly to better engineering, such as the use of specific promoters and the
      deletion of competing branch pathways. We propose that next-generation plant
      metabolic engineering will improve current engineering strategies, for the
      purpose of producing valuable metabolites in plants on industrial scales.

PMID- 28893715
TI  - Class I and Class II TCP Transcription Factors Modulate SOC1-Dependent Flowering
      at Multiple Levels.

PMID- 28893716
TI  - Surgical management of lower lip pits in Van der Woude syndrome.
AB  - Van der Woude syndrome (VDWS) is characterized by the presence of lower lip pits
      which may be of concern to patients due to aesthetic considerations. By
      presenting three clinical cases, we provide an overview of the surgical
      techniques currently available to treat labial pits. Fusiform excision with
      dissection of the entire pit is still the most commonly used procedure and it
      generally yields good functional and aesthetic outcomes. The split-lip
      advancement technique and the inverted T-lip reduction nonetheless represent good
      surgical alternatives. Proper management of the lower pits that occur with VDWS
      requires thorough knowledge of the available surgical procedures.

PMID- 28893714
TI  - Transcriptional Regulation of the Ambient Temperature Response by H2A.Z
      Nucleosomes and HSF1 Transcription Factors in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Temperature influences the distribution, range, and phenology of plants. The key
      transcriptional activators of heat shock response in eukaryotes, the heat shock
      factors (HSFs), have undergone large-scale gene amplification in plants. While
      HSFs are central in heat stress responses, their role in the response to ambient
      temperature changes is less well understood. We show here that the warm ambient
      temperature transcriptome is dependent upon the HSFA1 clade of Arabidopsis HSFs,
      which cause a rapid and dynamic eviction of H2A.Z nucleosomes at target genes. A
      transcriptional cascade results in the activation of multiple downstream stress
      responsive transcription factors, triggering large-scale changes to the
      transcriptome in response to elevated temperature. H2A.Z nucleosomes are enriched
      at temperature-responsive genes at non-inducible temperature, and thus likely
      confer inducibility of gene expression and higher responsive dynamics. We propose
      that the antagonistic effects of H2A.Z and HSF1 provide a mechanism to activate
      gene expression rapidly and precisely in response to temperature, while
      preventing leaky transcription in the absence of an activation signal.

PMID- 28893717
TI  - Secondary surgical decompression of the inferior alveolar nerve after overfilling
      of endodontic sealer into the mandibular canal: Case report and literature
      review.
AB  - The authors report the case of a 43-year-old woman who underwent endodontic
      treatment of the right second mandibular molar with substantial extrusion of
      endodontic material into the mandibular canal. The patient presented at the
      Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with a persistent total anaesthesia
      of the lower lip and chin after two months. 2D panoramic view and 3D CT-scan
      examination highlighted the overfilling into the mandibular canal with a more
      than 50% stenosis of the canal and a consequently significant compression of the
      dental pedicle. A surgical decompression of the inferior alveolar nerve was
      performed through an inferior vestibular approach, using PiezoSurgery(r). The
      tooth was conserved. After a period of 8days, paraesthesia of the lower lip and
      chin appeared. Thermoalgic sensitivity was recovered at 1month. At 3months
      postoperatively, the patient had recovered protopathic and epicritic sensitivity.
      Dental prosthetic rehabilitation was finally achieved one year postoperatively.
      The authors discuss the physiopathology of nervous injuries during dental
      procedures, and further strategies in the case of persistent neurologic
      disorders.

PMID- 28893718
TI  - Alternatives to connective tissue graft in the treatment of localized gingival
      recessions: A systematic review.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this Systematic Review (SR) was to assess the clinical efficacy
      of alternatives procedures; Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM), Xenogeneic Collagen
      Matrix (XCM), Enamel Matrix Derivative (EMD) and Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF),
      compared to conventional procedures in the treatment of localized gingival
      recessions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Electronic searches were performed to identify
      randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on treatment of single gingival recession with
      at least 6 months of follow-up. Applying guidelines of the Preferred Reporting
      Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA). The risk of
      bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias tool. RESULTS:
      Eighteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 390 treated patients
      (606 recessions) were included. This systematic review showed that: Coronally
      Advanced Flap (CAF) in conjunction with ADM was significantly better than CAF
      alone, while the comparison between CAF+ADM and CTG was affected by large
      uncertainty. The CAF+EMD was significantly better than CAF alone, whereas the
      comparison between CAF+EMD and CTG was affected by large uncertainty. No
      significant difference was recorded when comparing CAF+XCM with CAF alone, and
      the comparison between CAF+XCM and CTG was affected by large uncertainty. The
      comparison between PRF and others technique was affected by large uncertainty.
      CONCLUSION: ADM, XCM and EMD assisted to CAF might be considered alternatives of
      CTG in the treatment of Miller class I and II gingival recession.

PMID- 28893719
TI  - Erratum: "Prenatal PBDE and PCB Exposures and Reading, Cognition, and
      Externalizing Behavior in Children".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1289/EHP478.].

PMID- 28893720
TI  - The Case for Universal Screening of Private Well Water Quality in the U.S. and
      Testing Requirements to Achieve It: Evidence from Arsenic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulates >170,000 public
      water systems to protect health, but not >13 million private wells. State and
      local government requirements for private well water testing are rare and
      inconsistent; the responsibility to ensure water safety remains with individual
      households. Over the last two decades, geogenic arsenic has emerged as a
      significant public health concern due to high prevalence in many rural American
      communities. OBJECTIVES: We build the case for universal screening of private
      well water quality around arsenic, the most toxic and widespread of common
      private water contaminants. We argue that achieving universal screening will
      require policy intervention, and that testing should be made easy, accessible,
      and in many cases free to all private well households in the United States,
      considering the invisible, tasteless, odorless, and thus silent nature of
      arsenic. DISCUSSION: Our research has identified behavioral, situational and
      financial barriers to households managing their own well water safety, resulting
      in far from universal screening despite traditional public health outreach
      efforts. We observe significant socioeconomic disparities in arsenic testing and
      treatment when private water is unregulated. Testing requirements can be a
      partial answer to these challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Universal screening, achieved
      through local testing requirements complemented by greater community engagement
      targeting biologically and socioeconomically vulnerable groups, would reduce
      population arsenic exposure greater than any promotional efforts to date.
      Universal screening of private well water will identify the dangers hidden in
      America's drinking water supply and redirect attention to ensure safe water among
      affected households. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP629.

PMID- 28893721
TI  - Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter during Specific Gestational Periods
      Produces Adverse Obstetric Consequences in Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies associate inhalation of fine-sized
      particulate matter (PM2.5) during pregnancy with preterm birth (PTB) and low
      birth weight (LBW) but disagree over which time frames are most sensitive, or if
      effects are cumulative. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to provide experimental
      plausibility for epidemiological observations by testing the hypothesis that
      exposure to PM2.5 during discrete periods of pregnancy results in PTB and LBW.
      METHODS: For the first study, timed-pregnant B6C3F1 mice were exposed to
      concentrated ambient PM2.5 (CAPs) or filtered air (FA) throughout pregnancy [6
      h/d from gestational day (GD) 0.5 through GD16.5]. A follow-up study examined the
      effects of CAPs exposure during discrete gestational periods (1: GD0.5-5.5; 2:
      GD6.5-14.5; 3: GD14.5-16.5; 4: GD0.5-16.5) aligning to milestones during human
      development. RESULTS: In the first experiment, exposure to 160 MUg CAPs/m3
      throughout pregnancy decreased gestational term by 0.5 d (~1.1  wk decrease for
      humans) and birth weight by 11.4% compared with FA. The follow-up experiment
      investigated timing of CAPs exposure (mean concentrations at 178, 193, 171, and
      173 MUg/m3 for periods 1-4, respectively). Pregnancy was significantly shortened
      (vs. FA) by ~0.4d when exposure occurred during gestational periods 2 and 4, and
      by ~0.5d if exposure occurred during period 3. Exposure during periods 1, 2, and
      4 reduced birth weight by ~10% compared with FA, and placental weight was reduced
      (~8%) on GD17.5 if exposure occurred only during period 3. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse
      PM2.5-induced outcomes such as PTB and LBW are dependent upon the periods of
      maternal exposure. The results of these experimental studies could contribute
      significantly to air pollution policy decisions in the future.
      https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1029.

PMID- 28893722
TI  - Parental Occupational Exposure to Organic Solvents and Testicular Germ Cell
      Tumors in their Offspring: NORD-TEST Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) were suggested to have a prenatal
      environmentally related origin. The potential endocrine disrupting properties of
      certain solvents may interfere with the male genital development in utero.
      OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the association between maternal and paternal
      occupational exposures to organic solvents during the prenatal period and TGCT
      risk in their offspring. METHODS: This registry-based case control study included
      TGCT cases aged 14-49 y (n=8,112) diagnosed from 1978 to 2012 in Finland, Norway,
      and Sweden. Controls (n=26,264) were randomly selected from the central
      population registries and were individually matched to cases on year and country
      of birth. Occupational histories of parents prior to the child's birth were
      extracted from the national censuses. Job codes were converted into solvent
      exposure using the Nordic job-Nordic Occupational Cancer Study Job-Exposure
      Matrix. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and
      95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Overall, no association was found between
      prenatal maternal exposure to solvents and TGCT risk. In subset analyses using
      only mothers for whom occupational information was available in the year of or in
      the year prior to the child's birth, there was an association with maternal
      exposure to aromatic hydrocarbon solvents (ARHC) (OR=1.53; CI: 1.08, 2.17),
      driven by exposure to toluene (OR=1.67; CI: 1.02, 2.73). No association was seen
      for any paternal occupational exposure to solvents with the exception of exposure
      to perchloroethylene in Finland (OR=2.42; CI: 1.32, 4.41). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study suggests a modest increase in TGCT risk associated with maternal prenatal
      exposure to ARHC. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP864.

PMID- 28893723
TI  - Scientific Challenges in the Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Food contact articles (FCAs) are manufactured from food contact
      materials (FCMs) that include plastics, paper, metal, glass, and printing inks.
      Chemicals can migrate from FCAs into food during storage, processing, and
      transportation. Food contact materials' safety is evaluated using chemical risk
      assessment (RA). Several challenges to the RA of FCAs exist. OBJECTIVES: We
      review regulatory requirements for RA of FCMs in the United States and Europe,
      identify gaps in RA, and highlight opportunities for improving the protection of
      public health. We intend to initiate a discussion in the wider scientific
      community to enhance the safety of food contact articles. DISCUSSION: Based on
      our evaluation of the evidence, we conclude that current regulations are
      insufficient for addressing chemical exposures from FCAs. RA currently focuses on
      monomers and additives used in the manufacture of products, but it does not cover
      all substances formed in the production processes. Several factors hamper
      effective RA for many FCMs, including a lack of information on chemical identity,
      inadequate assessment of hazardous properties, and missing exposure data.
      Companies make decisions about the safety of some food contact chemicals (FCCs)
      without review by public authorities. Some chemical migration limits cannot be
      enforced because analytical standards are unavailable. CONCLUSION: We think that
      exposures to hazardous substances migrating from FCAs require more attention. We
      recommend a) limiting the number and types of chemicals authorized for
      manufacture and b) developing novel approaches for assessing the safety of
      chemicals in FCAs, including unidentified chemicals that form during or after
      production. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP644.

PMID- 28893725
TI  - Improvements in Patient Acceptance by Hospitals Following the Introduction of a
      Smartphone App for the Emergency Medical Service System: A Population-Based
      Before-and-After Observational Study in Osaka City, Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, the number of ambulance dispatches has been increasing in
      Japan, and it is therefore difficult for hospitals to accept emergency patients
      smoothly and appropriately because of the limited hospital capacity. To
      facilitate the process of requesting patient transport and hospital acceptance,
      an emergency information system using information technology (IT) has been built
      and introduced in various communities. However, its effectiveness has not been
      thoroughly revealed. We introduced a smartphone app system in 2013 that enables
      emergency medical service (EMS) personnel to share information among themselves
      regarding on-scene ambulances and the hospital situation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to assess the effects of introducing this smartphone app on the
      EMS system in Osaka City, Japan. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the
      population-based ambulance records of Osaka Municipal Fire Department. The study
      period was 6 years, from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015. We enrolled
      emergency patients for whom on-scene EMS personnel conducted hospital selection.
      The main endpoint was the difficulty experienced in gaining hospital acceptance
      at the scene. The definition of difficulty was making >=5 phone calls by EMS
      personnel at the scene to hospitals until a decision to transport was determined.
      The smartphone app was introduced in January 2013, and we compared the patients
      treated from 2010 to 2012 (control group) with those treated from 2013 to 2015
      (smartphone app group) using an interrupted time-series analysis to assess the
      effects of introducing this smartphone app. RESULTS: A total of 600,526 emergency
      patients for whom EMS personnel selected hospitals were eligible for our
      analysis. There were 300,131 emergency patients in the control group (50.00%,
      300,313/600,526) from 2010 to 2012 and 300,395 emergency patients in the
      smartphone app group (50.00%, 300,395/600,526) from 2013 to 2015. The rate of
      difficulty in hospital acceptance was 14.19% (42,585/300,131) in the control
      group and 10.93% (32,819/300,395) in the smartphone app group. No change over
      time in the number of difficulties in hospital acceptance was found before the
      introduction of the smartphone app (regression coefficient: -2.43, 95% CI -5.49
      to 0.64), but after its introduction, the number of difficulties in hospital
      acceptance gradually decreased by month (regression coefficient: -11.61, 95% CI 
      14.57 to -8.65). CONCLUSIONS: Sharing information between an ambulance and a
      hospital by using the smartphone app at the scene was associated with decreased
      difficulty in obtaining hospital acceptance. Our app and findings may be worth
      considering in other areas of the world where emergency medical information
      systems with IT are needed.

PMID- 28893724
TI  - The Digital Divide and Health Disparities in China: Evidence From a National
      Survey and Policy Implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The digital divide persists despite broad accessibility of mobile
      tools. The relationship between the digital divide and health disparities
      reflects social status in terms of access to resources and health outcomes;
      however, data on this relationship are limited from developing countries such as
      China. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the current rates of
      access to mobile tools (Internet use and mobile phone ownership) among older
      Chinese individuals (aged >=45 years), the predictors of access at individual and
      community levels, and the relationship between access to mobile tools and health
      outcomes. METHODS: We drew cross-sectional data from a national representative
      survey, the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which
      focused on the older population (aged >=45 years). We used two-level mixed
      logistic regression models, controlling for unobserved heterogeneity at the
      community and individual levels for data analysis. In addition to individual
      level socioeconomic status (SES), we included community-level resources such as
      neighborhood amenities, health care facilities, and community organizations.
      Health outcomes were measured by self-reported health and absence of disability
      based on validated scales. RESULTS: Among the 18,215 participants, 6.51% had used
      the Internet in the past month, and 83% owned a mobile phone. In the multivariate
      models, Internet use was strongly associated with SES, rural or urban residence,
      neighborhood amenities, community resources, and geographic region. Mobile phone
      ownership was strongly associated with SES and rural/urban residence but not so
      much with neighborhood amenities and community resources. Internet use was a
      significant predictor of self-reported health status, and mobile phone ownership
      was significantly associated with having disability even after controlling for
      potential confounders at the individual and community levels. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study is one of the first to examine digital divide and its relationship with
      health disparities in China. The data showed a significant digital divide in
      China, especially in the older population. Internet access is still limited to
      people with higher SES; however, the mobile phone has been adopted by the general
      population. The digital divide is associated with not only individual SES but
      also community resources. Future electronic health (eHealth) programs need to
      consider the accessibility of mobile tools and develop culturally appropriate
      programs for various social groups.

PMID- 28893726
TI  - A Web-Based Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum: Facilitating Education About Lifestyle
      Medicine, Behavioral Change, and Health Care Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle medicine is the science and application of healthy
      lifestyles as interventions for the prevention and treatment of disease, and has
      gained significant momentum as a specialty in recent years. College is a critical
      time for maintenance and acquisition of healthy habits. Longer-term, more
      intensive web-based and in-person lifestyle medicine interventions can have a
      positive effect. Students who are exposed to components of lifestyle medicine in
      their education have improvements in their health behaviors. A semester-long
      undergraduate course focused on lifestyle medicine can be a useful intervention
      to help adopt and sustain healthy habits. OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel,
      evidence based curriculum for a course teaching the concepts of Lifestyle
      Medicine based on a web-based course offered at the Harvard Extension School.
      METHODS: The course was delivered in a web-based format. The Lifestyle Medicine
      course used evidence based principles to guide students toward a "coach approach"
      to behavior change, increasing their self-efficacy regarding various lifestyle
      related preventive behaviors. Students are made to understand the cultural trends
      and national guidelines that have shaped lifestyle medicine recommendations
      relating to behaviors. They are encouraged to engage in behavior change. Course
      topics include physical activity, nutrition, addiction, sleep, stress, and
      lifestyle coaching and counseling. The course addressed all of the American
      College of Preventive Medicine/American College of Lifestyle Medicine
      competencies save for the competency of office systems and technologies to
      support lifestyle medicine counseling. RESULTS: The course was well-received,
      earning a ranking of 4.9/5 at the school. CONCLUSIONS: A novel, semester-long
      course on Lifestyle Medicine at the Harvard Extension School is described.
      Student evaluations suggest the course was well-received. Further research is
      needed to evaluate whether such a course empowers students to adopt behavior
      changes.

PMID- 28893727
TI  - Development of a Virtual Reality Exposure Tool as Psychological Preparation for
      Elective Pediatric Day Care Surgery: Methodological Approach for a Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety in children is highly prevalent and is
      associated with adverse outcomes. Existing psychosocial interventions to reduce
      preoperative anxiety are often aimed at distraction and are of limited efficacy.
      Gradual exposure is a far more effective way to reduce anxiety. Virtual reality
      (VR) provides a unique opportunity to gradually expose children to all aspects of
      the operating theater. OBJECTIVE: The aims of our study are (1) to develop a
      virtual reality exposure (VRE) tool to prepare children psychologically for
      surgery; and (2) to examine the efficacy of the VRE tool in a randomized
      controlled trial (RCT), in which VRE will be compared to care as usual (CAU).
      METHODS: The VRE tool is highly realistic and resembles the operating room
      environment accurately. With this tool, children will not only be able to explore
      the operating room environment, but also get accustomed to general anesthesia
      procedures. The PREoperative Virtual reality Intervention to Enhance Wellbeing
      (PREVIEW) study will be conducted. In this single-blinded RCT, 200 consecutive
      patients (aged 4 to 12 years) undergoing elective day care surgery for dental,
      oral, or ear-nose-throat problems, will be randomly allocated to the preoperative
      VRE intervention or CAU. The primary outcome is change in child state anxiety
      level between baseline and induction of anesthesia. Secondary outcome measures
      include child's postoperative anxiety, emergence delirium, postoperative pain,
      use of analgesics, health care use, and pre- and postoperative parental anxiety.
      RESULTS: The VRE tool has been developed. Participant recruitment began March
      2017 and is expected to be completed by September 2018. CONCLUSIONS: To our
      knowledge, this is the first RCT evaluating the effect of a VRE tool to prepare
      children for surgery. The VRE intervention is expected to significantly diminish
      preoperative anxiety, postoperative pain, and the use of postoperative analgesics
      in pediatric patients. The tool could create a less stressful experience for both
      children and their parents, in line with the modern emphasis on patient- and
      family-centered care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Registry: NTR6116;
      http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=6116 (Archived by
      WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ryke7aep).

PMID- 28893728
TI  - Antiretroviral therapy in pregnant women living with HIV: a clinical practice
      guideline.

PMID- 28893730
TI  - Diagnosis and management of endometriosis: summary of NICE guidance.

PMID- 28893729
TI  - Expansion of inpatient clinical pharmacy services through reallocation of
      pharmacists.
AB  - PURPOSE: The redesign of an inpatient pharmacy practice model through
      reallocation of pharmacy resources in order to expand clinical services is
      described. METHODS: A pharmacy practice model change was implemented at a
      nonprofit academic medical center to meet the increasing demand for direct
      patient care services. In order to accomplish this change, the following steps
      were completed: reevaluation of daily tasks and responsibilities, reallocation of
      remaining tasks to the most appropriate pharmacy staff member, determination of
      the ideal number of positions needed to complete each task, and reorganization of
      the model into a collection of teams. Data were collected in both the
      preimplementation and postimplementation periods to assess the impact of the
      model change on operational workflow and clinical service expansion. RESULTS: The
      mean +/- S.D. times to order verification were 17 +/- 52 minutes during the
      preimplementation period and 21 +/- 70 minutes in the postimplementation period
      (p < 0.001). During the 3 months before and after implementation of the model
      change, the mean number of medication reconciliations performed increased from
      114 to 144. After implementation of the model change, total interventions
      increased 194%. Notably, there was a 736% increase in the number of interventions
      focused on facilitating safe discharge. CONCLUSION: A pharmacy practice model
      change was successfully implemented by reallocating existing pharmacist and
      technician roles and increasing incorporation of pharmacy residents and students.
      This change led to an expansion of direct patient care coordination services
      without negatively affecting the operational responsibilities of the pharmacy or
      the need to hire additional staff.

PMID- 28893731
TI  - Autopsy results confirm 4 year old Italian girl died from malaria.

PMID- 28893732
TI  - What are the risks of oestrogens in women assigned male at birth and how should
      they be monitored?

PMID- 28893733
TI  - Topological analysis reveals a PD-L1-associated microenvironmental niche for Reed
      Sternberg cells in Hodgkin lymphoma.
AB  - Signaling between programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and the PD-1 ligands (PD
      L1, PD-L2) is essential for malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells to evade
      antitumor immunity in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Copy number alterations
      of 9p24.1/CD274(PD-L1)/PDCD1LG2(PD-L2) contribute to robust PD-L1 and PD-L2
      expression by HRS cells. PD-L1 is also expressed by nonmalignant tumor-associated
      macrophages (TAMs), but the relationships among PD-L1+ HRS cells, PD-L1+ TAMs,
      and PD-1+ T cells remain undefined. We used multiplex immunofluorescence and
      digital image analysis to examine the topography of PD-L1+ and PD-1+ cells in the
      tumor microenvironment (TME) of cHL. We find that the majority of PD-L1 in the
      TME is expressed by the abundant PD-L1+ TAMs, which physically colocalize with PD
      L1+ HRS cells in a microenvironmental niche. PD-L1+ TAMs are enriched for
      contacts with T cells, and PD-L1+ HRS cells are enriched for contacts with CD4+ T
      cells, a subset of which are PD-1+ Our data define a unique topology of cHL in
      which PD-L1+ TAMs surround HRS cells and implicate CD4+ T cells as a target of PD
      1 blockade.

PMID- 28893734
TI  - Origins of myelodysplastic syndromes after aplastic anemia.

PMID- 28893735
TI  - Access to healthcare for men and women with disabilities in the UK: secondary
      analysis of cross-sectional data.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in access to
      healthcare between people with and without disabilities in the UK. The hypotheses
      were that: (1) people with disabilities would be more likely to have unmet
      healthcare needs and (2) there would be gender differences, with women more
      likely to report unmet needs. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We performed secondary
      analysis, using logistic regressions, of deidentified cross-sectional data from
      the European Health Interview Survey, Wave 2. The sample included 12 840
      community-dwelling people over the age of 16 from across the UK, 5 236 of whom
      had a disability. The survey method involved face-to-face and telephone
      interviews. OUTCOME MEASURES: Unmet need for healthcare due to long waiting lists
      or distance or transportation problems; not being able to afford medical
      examination, treatment, mental healthcare or prescribed medicines. All measures
      were self-reported. RESULTS: Adjusting for age, sex and other factors, people
      with a severe disability had higher odds of facing unmet needs. The largest gap
      was in 'unmet need for mental healthcare due to cost', where people with a severe
      disability were 4.5 times (CI 95% 2.2 to 9.2) more likely to face a problem, as
      well as in 'unmet need due to cost of prescribed medicine', where people with a
      mild disability had 3.6 (CI 95% 2.2 to 5.9) higher odds of facing a difficulty.
      Women with a disability were 7.2 times (CI 95% 2.7 to 19.4) more likely to have
      unmet needs due to cost of care or medication, compared with men with no
      disability. CONCLUSIONS: People with disabilities reported worse access to
      healthcare, with transportation, cost and long waiting lists being the main
      barriers. These findings are worrying as they illustrate that a section of the
      population, who may have higher healthcare needs, faces increased barriers in
      accessing services.

PMID- 28893736
TI  - Implementing person centred approaches.

PMID- 28893738
TI  - State educated children do better medical school.

PMID- 28893739
TI  - Access to psychiatrists varies widely across UK, royal college says.

PMID- 28893740
TI  - An unusual presentation of chronic cyanide toxicity from self-prescribed apricot
      kernel extract.
AB  - Hypoxia under general anaesthesia is a potentially life-threatening condition. A
      seemingly well 67-year-old man appeared hypoxic with peripheral pulse oximetric
      measurement during routine anaesthesia. Postoperatively, the patient admitted to
      daily self-prescription of apricot kernel extract for a period of 5 years.
      Apricot kernel is a commonly taken extract used for a range of ailments, and is
      associated with cyanide toxicity, which was confirmed through blood analysis. Our
      explanation for the hypoxic measurement was the presence of free cyanide
      interfering with functioning of the peripheral pulse oximeter. On cessation of
      the apricot kernel extract, peripheral oxygen saturations returned to normal.
      Cardiac and respiratory causes together with rare haemoglobinopathies were
      excluded. This case illustrates how chronic dosing of complementary medicines can
      result in harmful toxicities, which may carry potential for serious consequences
      and how these chronic toxicities may present to physicians in atypical ways.

PMID- 28893741
TI  - Prevention and assessment of infectious diseases among children and adult
      migrants arriving to the European Union/European Economic Association: a protocol
      for a suite of systematic reviews for public health and health systems.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is
      developing evidence-based guidance for voluntary screening, treatment and vaccine
      prevention of infectious diseases for newly arriving migrants to the European
      Union/European Economic Area. The objective of this systematic review protocol is
      to guide the identification, appraisal and synthesis of the best available
      evidence on prevention and assessment of the following priority infectious
      diseases: tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, measles, mumps, rubella,
      diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis (polio), Haemophilus influenza
      disease, strongyloidiasis and schistosomiasis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The search
      strategy will identify evidence from existing systematic reviews and then update
      the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness evidence using prospective trials,
      economic evaluations and/or recently published systematic reviews.
      Interdisciplinary teams have designed logic models to help define study inclusion
      and exclusion criteria, guiding the search strategy and identifying relevant
      outcomes. We will assess the certainty of evidence using the Grading of
      Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. ETHICS
      AND DISSEMINATION: There are no ethical or safety issues. We anticipate
      disseminating the findings through open-access publications, conference abstracts
      and presentations. We plan to publish technical syntheses as GRADEpro evidence
      summaries and the systematic reviews as part of a special edition open-access
      publication on refugee health. We are following the Preferred Reporting Items for
      Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols reporting guideline. This
      protocol is registered in PROSPERO: CRD42016045798.

PMID- 28893743
TI  - An analysis of redactions in Canada's Common Drug Review Clinical Review Reports
      and how they relate to the patients' voice.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Canada's Common Drug Review (CDR) evaluates drug data from published
      and unpublished research, as well as input from patient groups, to recommend
      provincial coverage. Currently, the CDR process gives manufacturers the
      opportunity to redact information in the final publicly available report.
      Patients often have strong feelings regarding the efficacy, harms, health-related
      quality of life (HRQL), and cost associated with the drugs under review and their
      redacted data. Highlighting Canada's approach will hopefully build on the growing
      international concern regarding transparency of clinical study data. OBJECTIVE:
      The purpose was to objectively examine and classify completed, publicly available
      CDR-Clinical Review Reports (CRR) for redactions, and compare them to the
      patients' reported interests as patient-centred outcomes. METHODS: Two
      independent reviewers searched for and examined publicly available CDR-CRR from
      November 2013-September 2016 through the Canadian Agency for Drugs and
      Technologies in Health (CADTH) on-line database. Both reviewers separately
      classified the redactions and patient-reported interests into the following
      categories: efficacy, harms, HRQL and costs. All discrepancies were rectified by
      consensus involving a third reviewer. RESULTS: Fifty-two completed CDR-CRR were
      reviewed. 48 (92%) included patient-reported interests and 40 (77%) had
      redactions classified in the following categories: efficacy (75%), costs (48%),
      harms (38%), HRQL (23%). 89% of redactions were outcomes identified as patient
      reported interests (69% efficacy, 42% harms, 36% cost, 33% HRQL). When examining
      drug characteristics, biological agents were statistically associated with
      increased odds of redactions with respect to either efficacy (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.0
      to 11.6) or harms (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.02 to 12.4) compared with non-biological
      agents. CONCLUSIONS: Whether data from the CDR-CRR used in the decision-making
      should be fully disclosed to the public is controversial. Our findings suggest
      clinical data (efficacy, harms, HRQL) matters to patients and should be publicly
      available within the CDR-CRR. Canada trails Europe and the USA regarding the
      transparency of clinical study data. This lack of transparency relates to the
      patient voice, and limits movement towards patient-centred care and patient
      engaged research, restricting real-world value measurement.

PMID- 28893742
TI  - Living with Crohn's disease: an exploratory cross-sectional qualitative study
      into decision-making and expectations in relation to autologous haematopoietic
      stem cell treatment (the DECIDES study).
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Severe Crohn's disease impacts negatively on individual
      quality of life, with treatment options limited once conventional therapies have
      been exhausted. The aim of this study was to explore factors influencing decision
      making and expectations of people considering or participating in the Autologous
      Haematopoietic Stem Cell Treatment trial. METHODS: An international, cross
      sectional qualitative study, involving semistructured face to face interviews
      across five sites (four UK and one Spain). 38 participants were interviewed (13
      men, 25 women; age range 23-67 years; mean age 37 years). The mean age at
      diagnosis was 20 years. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim
      and transcripts were analysed using a framework approach. RESULTS: Four themes
      emerged from the analysis: (1) 'making your mind up'-a determination to receive
      stem cell treatment despite potential risks; (2) communicating and understanding
      risks and benefits; (3) non-participation-your choice or mine? (4) recovery and
      reframing of personal expectations. CONCLUSIONS: Decision-making and expectations
      of people with severe Crohn's disease in relation to autologous haematopoietic
      stem cell treatment is a complex process influenced by participants' histories of
      battling with their condition, a frequent willingness to consider novel treatment
      options despite potential risks and, in some cases, a raised level of expectation
      about the benefits of trial participation. Discussions with patients who are
      considering novel treatments should take into account potential 'therapeutic
      misestimation', thereby enhancing shared decision-making, informed consent and
      the communication with those deemed non-eligible. ASTIC TRIAL EUDRACT NUMBER:
      2005-003337-40: results.

PMID- 28893744
TI  - Survival after bone metastasis by primary cancer type: a Danish population-based
      cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the 10 most common primary types with bone metastases, we aimed to
      examine survival, further stratifying on bone metastases only or with additional
      synchronous metastases. METHODS: We included all patients aged 18 years and older
      with incident hospital diagnosis of solid cancer between 1994 and 2010,
      subsequently diagnosed with BM until 2012. We followed patients from date of bone
      metastasis diagnosis until death, emigration or 31 December 2012, whichever came
      first. We computed 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival (%) and the corresponding
      95% CIs stratified on primary cancer type. Comparing patients with bone
      metastasis only and patients with other synchronous metastases, we estimated
      crude and adjusted HRs and corresponding 95% CI for mortality. RESULTS: We
      included 17 251 patients with bone metastasis. The most common primary cancer
      types with bone metastasis were prostate (34%), breast (22%) and lung (20%). One
      year survival after bone metastasis diagnosis was lowest in patients with lung
      cancer (10%, 95% CI 9% to 11%) and highest in patients with breast cancer (51%,
      50% to 53%). At 5 years of follow-up, only patients with breast cancer had over
      10% survival (13%, 11% to 14%). The risk of mortality was increased for the
      majority of cancer types among patients with bone and synchronous metastases
      compared with bone only (adjusted relative risk 1.29-1.57), except for cervix,
      ovarian and bladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS: While patients with bone metastases
      after most primary cancers have poor survival, one of ten patients with bone
      metastasis from breast cancer survived 5 years.

PMID- 28893745
TI  - A new risk locus in CHCHD5 for hypertension and obesity in a Chinese child
      population: a cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain containing 5 (CHCHD5), a
      mitochondrial protein, is involved in the oxidative folding process in the
      mitochondrial intermembrane space. A previous study identified a hypertension
      related single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs3748024, in CHCHD5 in adults, but
      there are no reports regarding the association between CHCHD5 and obesity, which
      is a known risk factor for hypertension. The aim of the present study is to
      investigate the associations of the SNP rs3748024 with hypertension and obesity.
      DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Institute of Pediatrics in China. PARTICIPANTS: We
      genotyped the SNP rs3748024 in the Beijing Child and Adolescent Metabolic
      Syndrome study. A total of 3503 children participated in the study. PRIMARY AND
      SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Genotyping of rs3748024 was conducted using the
      TaqMan Allelic Discrimination Assay. Lipids and glucose were analysed by an
      automatic biochemical analyser using a kit assay. The levels of adipocytokines
      (leptin, adiponectin and resistin) were measured by ELISA techniques. RESULTS:
      There was a statistically significant association between rs3748024 and systolic
      blood pressure (SBP) (beta=-0.853, 95% CI -1.482 to -0.024, p=0.044) under an
      additive model adjusted for age, gender and body mass index (BMI) after
      correction for multiple testing. The SNP was also significantly associated with
      BMI (beta=-0.286, 95% CI -0.551 to -0.021, p=0.043), obesity (OR=0.828, 95% CI
      0.723 to 0.949, p=0.018) and triglycerides (beta=-0.039, 95% CI -0.070 to -0.007,
      p=0.044) after correction for multiple testing. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate for
      the first time that the SNP rs3748024 in CHCHD5 is associated with SBP, BMI,
      obesity and triglycerides in Chinese children. Our study identifies a new risk
      locus for hypertension and obesity in a child population. The function of CHCHD5
      remains to be further studied to help elucidate the pathogenic role of CHCHD5 in
      hypertension and obesity.

PMID- 28893746
TI  - Demographic profile and pregnancy outcomes of adolescents and older mothers in
      Saudi Arabia: analysis from Riyadh Mother (RAHMA) and Baby cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of maternal age on pregnancy outcomes with
      special emphasis on adolescents and older mothers and to investigate the
      differences in demographic profile between adolescents and older mothers.
      METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of pregnancy outcomes of women in
      Riyadh Mother and Baby cohort study according to maternal age. The study
      population was grouped according to maternal age into five subgroups; <20, 20-29,
      30-34, 35-39 and 40+years. The age group 20-29 years was considered as a
      reference group. Investigation of maternal age impact on maternal and neonatal
      outcomes was conducted with adjustment of confounders using regression models.
      RESULTS: All mothers were married when conceived with the index pregnancy. Young
      mothers were less likely to be illiterate, more likely to achieve higher
      education and be employed compared with mothers >= 40 years. Compared with the
      reference group, adolescents were more likely to have vaginal delivery (and least
      likely to deliver by caesarean section (CS); OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.9, while
      women >=40 years, were more likely to deliver by CS; OR 2.9, 95% CI 2.3 to 3.7.
      Maternal age was a risk factor for gestational diabetes in women >=40 years; OR
      1.7, 95% CI 1.3 to 2.1. Adolescents had increased risk of preterm delivery; OR
      1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.1 and women >=40 years had similar risk; OR, 1.3, 95% CI 1.1
      to 1.6. CONCLUSION: Adverse pregnancy outcomes show a continuum with the
      advancement of maternal age. Adolescents mother are more likely to have vaginal
      delivery; however, they are at increased risk of preterm delivery. Advanced
      maternal age is associated with increased risk of preterm delivery, gestational
      diabetes and CS.

PMID- 28893747
TI  - The health and well-being of Australia's future medical doctors: protocol for a 5
      year observational cohort study of medical trainees.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Clinical training in the undergraduate medical course places
      multiple stressors on trainees, which have been held to lead to heightened
      distress, depression, suicide, substance misuse/abuse and poor mental health
      outcomes. To date, evidence for morbidity in trainees is largely derived from
      cross-sectional survey-based research. This limits the accuracy of estimates and
      the extent to which predispositional vulnerabilities (biological and/or
      psychological), contextual triggers and longer-term consequences can be validly
      identified. Longitudinal clinical assessments embedded within a biopsychosocial
      framework are needed before effective preventative and treatment strategies can
      be put in place. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is an observational
      longitudinal cohort study of 330 students enrolled in the undergraduate medicine
      course at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Australia. Students
      will be recruited in their fourth year of study and undergo annual assessments
      for 4 consecutive years as they progress through increasingly demanding clinical
      training, including internship. Assessments will include clinical interviews for
      psychiatric morbidity, and self-report questionnaires to obtain health,
      psychosocial, performance and functioning information. Objective measures of
      cognitive performance, sleep/activity patterns as well as autonomic and immune
      function (via peripheral blood samples) will be obtained. These data will be used
      to determine the prevalence, incidence and severity of mental disorder, elucidate
      contextual and biological triggers and mechanisms underpinning psychopathology
      and examine the impact of psychopathology on performance and professional
      functioning. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been granted by the
      UNSW human research ethics committee (reference HC16340). The findings will be
      disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and
      distributed to key stakeholders within the medical education sector. The outcomes
      will also inform targeted preventative and treatment strategies to enhance stress
      resilience in trainee doctors.

PMID- 28893748
TI  - Effect of individual patient risk, centre, surgeon and anaesthetist on length of
      stay in hospital after cardiac surgery: Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia
      and Critical Care (ACTACC) consecutive cases series study of 10 UK specialist
      centres.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the relative contributions of patient risk profile,
      local and individual clinical practice on length of hospital stay after cardiac
      surgery. DESIGN: Ten-year audit of prospectively collected consecutive cardiac
      surgical cases. Case-mix adjusted outcomes were analysed in models that included
      random effects for centre, surgeon and anaesthetist. SETTING: UK centres
      providing adult cardiac surgery. PARTICIPANTS: 10 of 36 UK specialist centres
      agreed to provide outcomes for all major cardiac operations over 10 years. After
      exclusions (duplicates, cases operated by more than one consultant, deaths and
      procedures for which the EuroSCORE risk score for cardiac surgery is not
      appropriate), there were 107 038 cardiac surgical procedures between April 2002
      and March 2012, conducted by 127 consultant surgeons and 190 consultant
      anaesthetists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Length of stay (LOS) up to 3 months
      postoperatively. RESULTS: The principal component of variation in outcomes was
      patient risk (represented by the EuroSCORE and remaining patient heterogeneity),
      accounting for 95.43% of the variation for postoperative LOS. The impact of the
      surgeon and centre was moderate (intra-class correlation coefficients ICC=2.79%
      and 1.59%, respectively), whereas the impact of the anaesthetist was negligible
      (ICC=0.19%). Similarly, 96.05% of the variation for prolonged LOS (>11 days) was
      attributable to the patient, with surgeon and centre less but still influential
      components (ICC=2.12% and 1.66%, respectively, 0.17% only for anaesthetists).
      Adjustment for year of operation resulted in minor reductions in variation
      attributable to surgeons (ICC=2.52% for LOS and 2.23% for prolonged LOS).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patient risk profile is the primary determinant of variation in LOS,
      and as a result, current initiatives to reduce hospital stay by modifying
      consultant performance are unlikely to have a substantial impact. Therefore,
      substantially reducing hospital stay requires shifting away from a one-size-fits
      all approach to cardiac surgery, and seeking alternative treatment options
      personalised to high-risk patients.

PMID- 28893749
TI  - Cross-sectional comparative study of risky sexual behaviours among HIV-infected
      persons initiated and waiting to start antiretroviral therapy in rural Rakai,
      Uganda.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare risky sexual behaviours between HIV-positive persons
      initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART) (ART-experienced) and persons waiting
      to start on ART (ART-naive) and assess predictors of risky sexual behaviours
      among HIV-infected patients in rural Rakai district, Uganda. STUDY DESIGN: This
      is a cross-sectional study that used data from the Rakai Community Cohort Study
      (RCCS) database between 2013 and 2014. A structured questionnaire was used for
      data collection. We used stepwise logistic regression as an index to estimate the
      adjusted ORs for the association between risky sexual behaviours and ART
      treatment status. STUDY SETTING: This study was conducted in Rakai district,
      located in south-western Uganda. The data for this study were extracted from the
      RCCS. RCCS is an open prospective cohort of approximately 15 000 consenting
      participants aged 15-49 years. PARTICIPANTS: HIV-positive participants aged 18-49
      years who had sex at least once a month with any partner prior to the start of
      the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Inconsistent/no condom use in the last 12
      months, alcohol use at last sexual encounter, and two or more sexual partners.
      RESULTS: ART-naive participants were more likely to report inconsistent condom
      use (OR=1.74, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.73) and more likely to drink alcohol at last
      sexual encounter (OR=1.65, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.46), compared with ART-experienced
      patients. ART treatment status (p<0.001) was a significant predictor of risky
      sexual behaviours. Both marital status (p=0.016) and occupation level (p=0.009)
      were positively associated with inconsistent condom use, while sex (p<0.001)
      correlated with alcohol use at last sexual encounter. CONCLUSION: ART-naive
      participants were more likely to exhibit risky sexual behaviours than the ART
      experienced participants. The intensity of risk reduction counselling should be
      increased for HIV-positive persons waiting to start ART but already in HIV care.

PMID- 28893750
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of planned birth in a birth centre compared with alternative
      planned places of birth: results of the Dutch Birth Centre study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of a planned birth in a birth
      centre compared with alternative planned places of birth for low-risk women. In
      addition, a distinction has been made between different types of locations and
      integration profiles of birth centres. DESIGN: Economic evaluation based on a
      prospective cohort study. SETTING: 21 Dutch birth centres, 46 hospital locations
      where midwife-led birth was possible and 110 midwifery practices where home birth
      was possible. PARTICIPANTS: 3455 low-risk women under the care of a community
      midwife at the start of labour in the Netherlands within the study period 1 July
      2013 to 31 December 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Costs and health outcomes of
      birth for different planned places of birth. Healthcare costs were measured from
      start of labour until 7 days after birth. The health outcomes were assessed by
      the Optimality Index-NL2015 (OI) and a composite adverse outcomes score. RESULTS:
      The total adjusted mean costs for births planned in a birth centre, in a hospital
      and at home under the care of a community midwife were ?3327, ?3330 and ?2998,
      respectively. There was no difference between the score on the OI for women who
      planned to give birth in a birth centre and that of women who planned to give
      birth in a hospital. Women who planned to give birth at home had better outcomes
      on the OI (higher score on the OI). CONCLUSIONS: We found no differences in costs
      and health outcomes for low-risk women under the care of a community midwife with
      a planned birth in a birth centre and in a hospital. For nulliparous and
      multiparous low-risk women, planned birth at home was the most cost-effective
      option compared with planned birth in a birth centre.

PMID- 28893751
TI  - Non-typhoidal Salmonella in Calabria, Italy: a laboratory and patient-based
      survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although there has been a decrease in the number of cases of
      salmonellosis in the European Union, it still represents the primary cause of
      foodborne outbreaks. In Calabria region, data are lacking for the incidence of
      human non-typhoid salmonellosis as active surveillance has never been carried
      out. OBJECTIVE: To report the results of a laboratory and patient-based morbidity
      survey in Calabria to describe the incidence and distribution of Salmonella
      serovars isolated from humans, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance patterns.
      METHODS: Positive cultures from human samples were collected from every
      laboratory participating in the surveillance, with a minimum set of information
      about each isolate. A questionnaire was then administered to the patients by
      telephone interview to assess the potential risk exposures.Salmonella isolates
      underwent biochemical identification, molecular analysis by PCR and antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing by the disk-diffusion method. RESULTS: During a 2-year
      period, 105 strains of Salmonella spp were isolated from samples of patients with
      diarrhoea, with the highest isolation rate for children aged 1-5 years. The
      standardised rate was 2.7 cases per 1 00 000 population. The most common
      Salmonella isolates belonged to monophasic variant of S. Typhimurium (S.
      4,[5],12:i:-) (33.3%), followed by S. Typhimurium (21.9%). 30.5% of the isolates
      were susceptible to all microbial agents tested and the most common pan
      susceptible serotype was S. Napoli (100%). S. 4,[5],12:i:- was resistant to
      ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfonamides and tetracyclines in 42.9% cases, while
      resistance to quinolones was seen in 14.3% of the isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results provide evidence that an active surveillance system effectively enhances
      Salmonella notifications. The high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance,
      including resistance to quinolones and multiresistance, enforces the need to
      strengthen strategies of surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial use.

PMID- 28893753
TI  - A randomised controlled trial comparing venous stenting with conservative
      treatment in patients with deep venous obstruction: research protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Deep venous obstruction (DVO) has a great impact on quality of life
      (QoL) comparable to angina pectoris or chronic pulmonary disease. Post-thrombotic
      scar formation and May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) are the most common causes of DVO.
      Conventional treatment of DVO focuses on reducing pain or leg swelling by use of
      (pain) medication and therapeutic elastic stockings. In the past, a venous bypass
      was offered in severe post-thrombotic cases, but this procedure showed bad
      clinical and patency outcomes. With the introduction of percutaneous angioplasty
      and dedicated venous stents new opportunities were created. Deep venous stenting
      has been shown to be effective in retrospective case series. However, there is no
      prior research in which QoL after interventional treatment is compared with QoL
      after conventional treatment. Currently, there is a debate about the true
      additional value of interventional treatment. We investigate whether those
      patients who are treated with stenting experience a change in short form 36 (SF
      36) and the Veines-QoL/Sym questionnaires compared with conventionally treated
      patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a randomised trial comparing conservative
      deep venous management to interventional treatment. A total of 130 patients with
      post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) or MTS, eligible for interventional percutaneous
      treatment, who did not have previous deep venous intervention will be included.
      Patients will be randomised to conservative treatment or venous stenting and
      stratified for the PTS or MTS subgroup. Conservative treatment consists of either
      one or a combination of pain medications, manual lymphatic drainage, compression
      stockings and regular post-thrombotic anticoagulant therapy.The primary outcome
      is the QoL change after 12 months compared with baseline QoL. Secondary outcomes
      are QoL changes at 6 weeks, clinical assessment of DVO, recurrence rate of deep
      venous thrombosis at 6 weeks and 12 months, and the total amount of working days
      lost. Intervention-specific outcomes include complications and patency. ETHICS
      AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol is approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of
      Academisch ziekenhuis Maastricht/Universiteit Maastricht, The Netherlands
      (protocol number NLNL55641.068.15 / METC 161008).We aim to publish the results of
      this study in a peer reviewed journal and present our findings at national or
      international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The study protocol was
      registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (registration number: NCT03026049) on 17
      January 2017.

PMID- 28893752
TI  - Using environmental engineering to increase hand hygiene compliance: a cross-over
      study protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Compliance with hand hygiene recommendations in hospital is
      typically less than 50%. Such low compliance inevitably contributes to hospital
      acquired infections that negatively affect patients' well-being and hospitals'
      finances. The design of the present study is predicated on the assumption that
      most people who fail to clean their hands are not doing so intentionally, they
      just forget. The present study will test whether psychological priming can be
      used to increase the number of people who clean their hands on entering a ward.
      Here, we present the protocol for this study. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study
      will use a randomised cross-over design. During the study, each of four wards
      will be observed during four conditions: olfactory prime, visual prime, both
      primes and neither prime. Each condition will be experienced for 42 days followed
      by a 7-day washout period (total duration of trial=189 days). We will record the
      number of people who enter each ward and whether they clean their hands during
      observation sessions, the amount of cleaning material used from the dispensers
      each week and the number of hospital-acquired infections that occur in each
      period. The outcomes will be compared using a regression analysis. Following the
      initial trail, the most effective priming condition will be rolled out for 3
      months in all the wards. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Research ethics approval was
      obtained from the South Central-Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (16/SC/0554),
      the Health Regulatory Authority and the sponsor. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      ISRCTN (15397624); Edge ID 86357.

PMID- 28893754
TI  - Failures to further developing orphan medicinal products after designation
      granted in Europe: an analysis of marketing authorisation failures and abandoned
      drugs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The research and development process in the field of rare diseases is
      characterised by many well-known difficulties, and a large percentage of orphan
      medicinal products do not reach the marketing approval.This work aims at
      identifying orphan medicinal products that failed the developmental process and
      investigating reasons for and possible factors influencing failures. DESIGN:
      Drugs designated in Europe under Regulation (European Commission) 141/2000 in the
      period 2000-2012 were investigated in terms of the following failures: (1)
      marketing authorisation failures (refused or withdrawn) and (2) drugs abandoned
      by sponsors during development.Possible risk factors for failure were analysed
      using statistically validated methods. RESULTS: This study points out that 437
      out of 788 designations are still under development, while 219 failed the
      developmental process. Among the latter, 34 failed the marketing authorisation
      process and 185 were abandoned during the developmental process. In the first
      group of drugs (marketing authorisation failures), 50% reached phase II, 47%
      reached phase III and 3% reached phase I, while in the second group (abandoned
      drugs), the majority of orphan medicinal products apparently never started the
      development process, since no data on 48.1% of them were published and the 3.2%
      did not progress beyond the non-clinical stage.The reasons for failures of
      marketing authorisation were: efficacy/safety issues (26), insufficient data
      (12), quality issues (7), regulatory issues on trials (4) and commercial reasons
      (1). The main causes for abandoned drugs were efficacy/safety issues (reported in
      54 cases), inactive companies (25.4%), change of company strategy (8.1%) and drug
      competition (10.8%). No information concerning reasons for failure was available
      for 23.2% of the analysed products. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis shows that
      failures occurred in 27.8% of all designations granted in Europe, the main
      reasons being safety and efficacy issues. Moreover, the stage of development
      reached by drugs represents a specific risk factor for failures.

PMID- 28893756
TI  - The incidence and healthcare costs of persistent postoperative pain following
      lumbar spine surgery in the UK: a cohort study using the Clinical Practice
      Research Datalink (CPRD) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterise incidence and healthcare costs associated with
      persistent postoperative pain (PPP) following lumbar surgery. DESIGN:
      Retrospective, population-based cohort study. SETTING: Clinical Practice Research
      Datalink (CPRD) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) databases. PARTICIPANTS:
      Population-based cohort of 10 216 adults who underwent lumbar surgery in England
      from 1997/1998 through 2011/2012 and had at least 1 year of presurgery data and 2
      years of postoperative follow-up data in the linked CPRD-HES. PRIMARY AND
      SECONDARY OUTCOMES MEASURES: Incidence and total healthcare costs over 2, 5 and
      10 years attributable to persistent PPP following initial lumbar surgery.
      RESULTS: The rate of individuals undergoing lumbar surgery in the CPRD-HES linked
      data doubled over the 15-year study period, fiscal years 1997/1998 to 2011/2012,
      from 2.5 to 4.9 per 10 000 adults. Over the most recent 5-year period (2007/2008
      to 2011/2012), on average 20.8% (95% CI 19.7% to 21.9%) of lumbar surgery
      patients met criteria for PPP. Rates of healthcare usage were significantly
      higher for patients with PPP across all types of care. Over 2 years following
      initial spine surgery, the mean cost difference between patients with and without
      PPP was L5383 (95% CI L4872 to L5916). Over 5 and 10 years following initial
      spine surgery, the mean cost difference between patients with and without PPP
      increased to L10 195 (95% CI L8726 to L11 669) and L14 318 (95% CI L8386 to L19
      771), respectively. Extrapolated to the UK population, we estimate that nearly
      5000 adults experience PPP after spine surgery annually, with each new cohort
      costing the UK National Health Service in excess of L70 million over the first 10
      years alone. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent pain affects more than one-in-five lumbar
      surgery patients and accounts for substantial long-term healthcare costs. There
      is a need for formal, evidence-based guidelines for a coherent, coordinated
      management strategy for patients with continuing pain after lumbar surgery.

PMID- 28893755
TI  - A randomised controlled trial of an online menu planning intervention to improve
      childcare service adherence to dietary guidelines: a study protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The implementation of dietary guidelines in childcare settings is
      recommended to improve child public health nutrition. However, foods provided in
      childcare services are not consistent with guidelines. The primary aim of the
      trial is to assess the effectiveness of a web-based menu planning intervention in
      increasing the mean number of food groups on childcare service menus that comply
      with dietary guidelines regarding food provision to children in care. METHODS AND
      ANALYSIS: A parallel group randomised controlled trial will be undertaken with 54
      childcare services that provide food to children within New South Wales,
      Australia. Services will be randomised to a 12-month intervention or usual care.
      The experimental group will receive access to a web-based menu planning and
      decision support tool and online resources. To support uptake of the web program,
      services will be provided with training and follow-up support. The primary
      outcome will be the number of food groups, out of 6 (vegetables, fruit, breads
      and cereals, meat, dairy and 'discretionary'), on the menu that meet dietary
      guidelines (Caring for Children) across a 1-week menu at 12-month follow-up,
      assessed via menu review by dietitians or nutritionists blinded to group
      allocation. A nested evaluation of child dietary intake in care and child body
      mass index will be undertaken in up to 35 randomly selected childcare services
      and up to 420 children aged approximately 3-6 years. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:
      Ethical approval has been provided by Hunter New England and University of
      Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committees. This research will provide high
      quality evidence regarding the impact of a web-based menu planning intervention
      in facilitating the translation of dietary guidelines into childcare services.
      Trial findings will be disseminated widely through national and international
      peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Prospectively registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry
      (ANZCTR) ACTRN12616000974404.

PMID- 28893757
TI  - Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of duloxetine added to usual care for
      patients with chronic pain due to hip or knee osteoarthritis: protocol of a
      pragmatic open-label cluster randomised trial (the DUO trial).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent painful condition of the
      musculoskeletal system. The effectiveness of current analgesic options has proven
      to be limited and improved analgesic treatment is needed. Several randomised
      placebo-controlled trials have now demonstrated the efficacy of duloxetine, an
      antidepressant with a centrally acting effect, in the treatment of OA pain. The
      aim of the current study is to investigate if duloxetine is effective and cost
      effective as a third-choice analgesic added to usual care for treating chronic
      pain compared with usual care alone in general practice. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A
      pragmatic open, cluster randomised trial is conducted. Patients with pain due to
      hip or knee OA on most days of the past 3 months with insufficient benefit of non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or contraindications or intolerable side
      effects are included. General practices are randomised to either (1) duloxetine
      and usual care or (2) usual care only. Primary outcome is pain at 3 months
      measured on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index
      (WOMAC) pain subscale. Secondary outcomes at 3 months and 1 year are pain (WOMAC,
      at 1 year), function (WOMAC), adverse reactions, quality of life and modification
      of the response to treatment by the presence of centrally sensitised pain
      (modified PainDETECT). At 1 year, medical and productivity costs will be
      assessed. Analyses will be performed following the intention-to-treat principle
      taking the cluster design into account. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study is
      approved by the local Medical Ethics Committee (2015-293). Results will be
      published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal and will be communicated at
      conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Dutch Trial Registry(ntr4798); Pre
      results.

PMID- 28893760
TI  - Characteristics of early filtering blebs that predict successful trabeculectomy
      identified via three-dimensional anterior segment optical coherence tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To identify the cross-sectional characteristics of filtering
      blebs at 2 weeks post-trabeculectomy associated with intraocular pressure (IOP)
      control at 1 year post-trabeculectomy. METHODS: Ninety-nine eyes of 94 patients
      who had undergone primary trabeculectomy were included in this retrospective
      consecutive case series study. Surgical success was defined as an IOP <=15 mm Hg
      and a >20% reduction in IOP without glaucoma medication or additional glaucoma
      surgeries at 1 year post-trabeculectomy. Subjects were classified into two groups
      according to whether surgery was successful or unsuccessful. Blebs were examined
      using swept-source three-dimensional anterior segment optical coherence
      tomography and evaluated for quantitative parameters, including maximum height,
      maximum wall thickness and ratio of hyporeflective space of the wall, as well as
      qualitative parameters, including multiple parallel hyporeflective layers within
      the wall (striping phenomenon), decreased visibility of the sclera underlying the
      bleb (shading phenomenon) and cyst-like structures of the wall. RESULTS: Seventy
      seven eyes (77.8%) were assigned to the successful group and 22 (22.2%) to the
      unsuccessful group. Univariate analysis showed significant differences between
      the groups regarding maximum bleb height (p=0.044), maximum bleb wall thickness
      (p=0.017) and the striping phenomenon of the bleb wall (p=0.007). Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis confirmed that the striping phenomenon at 2 weeks
      post-trabeculectomy was significantly associated with success at 1 year post
      trabeculectomy (OR 3.405; 95% CI 1.059 to 10.947; p=0.040). CONCLUSION: Taller
      blebs with thicker walls that showed the striping phenomenon at 2 weeks post
      trabeculectomy appeared to predict good IOP control at 1 year post
      trabeculectomy.

PMID- 28893758
TI  - Antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women living with HIV or hepatitis B: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of various antiretroviral/antiviral regimens in
      pregnant women living with HIV or hepatitis B virus (HBV). DESIGN: We performed
      random effects meta-analysis for HIV-related outcomes and network meta-analysis
      for HBV outcomes, and used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development
      and Evaluation (GRADE) framework to assess quality separately for each outcome.
      DATA SOURCES: Embase and Medline to February 2017. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: For
      maternal outcomes, we considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing
      tenofovir-based regimens with those with alternative nucleoside/nucleotide
      reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). For child outcomes, we included RCTs
      and comparative observational studies of tenofovir-based regimens versus
      alternative NRTIs regimens or, for HBV, placebo. RESULTS: Ten studies (seven
      RCTs) met the inclusion criteria for maternal and child outcomes, and an
      additional 33 studies (12 RCTs) met the inclusion criteria for HBV-specific
      outcomes. The most common comparison was tenofovir and emtricitabine versus
      zidovudine and lamivudine. There was no apparent difference between tenofovir
      based regimens and alternatives in maternal outcomes, including serious
      laboratory adverse events (low certainty) and serious clinical adverse events
      (moderate certainty). There was no difference between NRTIs in vertical
      transmission of HIV: 1 more per 1000, 8 fewer to 10 more, low certainty; or
      vertical transmission of HBV: 7 fewer per 1000, 10 fewer to 38 more, moderate
      certainty. We found moderate certainty evidence that tenofovir/emtricitabine
      increases the risk of stillbirths and early neonatal mortality (51 more per 1000,
      11 more to 150 more) and the risk of early premature delivery at <34 weeks (42
      more per 1000, 2 more to 127 more). CONCLUSIONS: Tenofovir/emtricitabine is
      likely to increase stillbirth/early neonatal death and early premature delivery
      compared with zidovudine/lamivudine, but certainty is low when they are not
      coprescribed with lopinavir/ritonavir. Other outcomes are likely similar between
      antiretrovirals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42017054392.

PMID- 28893759
TI  - Values and preferences of women living with HIV who are pregnant, postpartum or
      considering pregnancy on choice of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate women's values and preferences regarding antiretroviral
      therapy (ART) during pregnancy to inform a BMJ Rapid Recommendation. SETTING:
      Primary studies reporting patient-reported outcomes relevant to decision-making
      regarding ART in any clinical and geographical setting. PARTICIPANTS: Women
      living with HIV who are pregnant, postpartum or considering pregnancy. OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Quantitative measurements and qualitative descriptions of values and
      preferences in relation to ART during pregnancy. We also included studies on
      women's reported barriers and facilitators to adherence. We excluded studies
      correlating objective measures (eg, CD4 count) with adherence, or reporting only
      outcomes which are not expected to differ between ART alternatives (eg, access to
      services, knowledge about ART). RESULTS: We included 15 qualitative studies
      reporting values and preferences about ART in the peripartum period; no study
      directly studied choice of ART therapy during pregnancy. Six themes emerged: a
      desire to reduce vertical transmission (nine studies), desire for child to be
      healthy (five studies), concern about side effects to the child (eight studies),
      desire for oneself to be healthy (five studies), distress about side effect to
      oneself (10 studies) and pill burden (two studies). None of the studies weighed
      the relative importance of these outcomes directly, but pill burden/medication
      complexity appears to be a lower priority for most women compared with other
      factors. Overall, the body of evidence was at low risk of bias, with minor
      limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Women who are or may become pregnant and who are
      considering ART appear to place a high value on both their own and their
      children's health. Evidence on the relative importance between these values when
      choosing between ART regimens is uncertain. There is variability in individual
      values and preferences among women. This highlights the importance of an
      individualised women-centred approach, such as shared decision-making when
      choosing between ART alternatives. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: International
      Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews:CRD42017057157.

PMID- 28893761
TI  - Effectiveness of expanding annual mass azithromycin distribution treatment
      coverage for trachoma in Niger: a cluster randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The WHO recommends 3-5 years of annual mass azithromycin
      distribution with at least 80% treatment coverage to districts with active
      trachoma prevalence over 10% among children. Here, we assess the efficacy of
      expanding the coverage target to at least 90% for trachoma control in a
      mesoendemic region of Niger. METHODS: Twenty-four communities were randomised to
      a single day of azithromycin distribution with a coverage target of 80% of the
      community or up to 4 days of treatment, aiming for greater than 90% coverage.
      Distributions were annual and individuals above 6 months of age were treated.
      Children under 5 years of age were monitored for ocular chlamydia infection and
      active trachoma. RESULTS: At baseline, ocular chlamydia prevalence was 20.5% (95%
      CI 9.8% to 31.2%) in the standard coverage arm and 21.9% (95% CI 11.3% to 32.5%)
      in the enhanced coverage arm, which reduced to 4.6% (95% CI 0% to 9.5%, p=0.008)
      and 7.1% (95% CI 2.7% to 11.4%, p<0.001) at 36 months, respectively. There was no
      significant difference in 36-month ocular chlamydia prevalence between the two
      arms (p=0.21). There was no difference in the rate of decline in ocular chlamydia
      between the two arms in a repeated measures model (p=0.80). CONCLUSIONS: For
      annual mass azithromycin distribution programme to an entire community, there may
      be no additional benefit of increasing antibiotic coverage above the WHO's 80%
      target. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00792922, post-results.

PMID- 28893762
TI  - Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Mechanistic Link to
      Peripheral Endothelial Dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) after acute ischemic stroke is
      frequent and may be linked to stroke-induced autonomic imbalance. In the present
      study, the interaction between SDB and peripheral endothelial dysfunction (ED)
      was investigated in patients with acute ischemic stroke and at 1-year follow-up.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: SDB was assessed by transthoracic impedance records in 101
      patients with acute ischemic stroke (mean age, 69 years; 61% men; median National
      Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, 4) while being on the stroke unit. SDB was
      defined by apnea-hypopnea index >=5 episodes per hour. Peripheral endothelial
      function was assessed using peripheral arterial tonometry (EndoPAT-2000). ED was
      defined by reactive hyperemia index <=1.8. Forty-one stroke patients underwent 1
      year follow-up (390+/-24 days) after stroke. SDB was observed in 57% patients
      with acute ischemic stroke. Compared with patients without SDB, ED was more
      prevalent in patients with SDB (32% versus 64%; P<0.01). After adjustment for
      multiple confounders, presence of SDB remained independently associated with ED
      (odds ratio, 3.1; [95% confidence interval, 1.2-7.9]; P<0.05). After 1 year, the
      prevalence of SDB decreased from 59% to 15% (P<0.001). Interestingly, peripheral
      endothelial function improved in stroke patients with normalized SDB, compared
      with patients with persisting SDB (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SDB was present in more
      than half of all patients with acute ischemic stroke and was independently
      associated with peripheral ED. Normalized ED in patients with normalized
      breathing pattern 1 year after stroke suggests a mechanistic link between SDB and
      ED. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://drks-neu.uniklinik-freiburg.de.
      Unique identifier: DRKS00000514.

PMID- 28893763
TI  - PEA-15 (Phosphoprotein Enriched in Astrocytes 15) Is a Protective Mediator in the
      Vasculature and Is Regulated During Neointimal Hyperplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neointimal hyperplasia following angioplasty occurs via vascular
      smooth muscle cell proliferation. The mechanisms involved are not fully
      understood but include mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK1/2 (extracellular
      signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2). We recently identified the intracellular
      mediator PEA-15 (phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes 15) in vascular smooth
      muscle cells as a regulator of ERK1/2-dependent proliferation in vitro. PEA-15
      acts as a cytoplasmic anchor for ERK1/2, preventing nuclear localization and
      thereby reducing ERK1/2-dependent gene expression. The aim of the current study
      was to examine the role of PEA-15 in neointimal hyperplasia in vivo. METHOD AND
      RESULTS: Mice deficient in PEA-15 or wild-type mice were subjected to wire injury
      of the carotid artery. In uninjured arteries from PEA-15-deficient mice, ERK1/2
      had increased nuclear translocation and increased basal ERK1/2-dependent
      transcription. Following wire injury, arteries from PEA-15-deficient mice
      developed neointimal hyperplasia at an increased rate compared with wild-type
      mice. This occurred in parallel with an increase in a proliferative marker and
      vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. In wild-type mice, PEA-15 expression
      was decreased in vascular smooth muscle cells at an early stage before any
      increase in intima:media ratio. This regulation of PEA-15 expression following
      injury was also observed in an ex vivo human model of hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results indicate, for the first time, a novel protective role for PEA-15
      against inappropriate vascular proliferation. PEA-15 expression may also be
      repressed during vascular injury, suggesting that maintenance of PEA-15
      expression is a novel therapeutic target in vascular disease.

PMID- 28893764
TI  - Prevalence of Cerebral Microbleeds in Patients With Continuous-Flow Left
      Ventricular Assist Devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) in gradient echo T2*
      weighted brain MRI has a positive correlation with hemorrhagic stroke incidence.
      However, the prevalence of CMBs in patients with left ventricular assist devices
      (LVADs) has not been evaluated. We evaluated the prevalence of CMBs and the
      relationship with hemorrhagic stroke incidence in patients with LVADs. METHOD AND
      RESULTS: We analyzed results from brain MRI in prospective examinations of 35
      consecutive patients who had undergone LVAD explantation for heart
      transplantation or recovery since 2011. The number and distribution of CMBs were
      counted, then the relationship between baseline characteristics and adverse
      events during LVAD support were analyzed. The mean age was 37.7+/-12.4 years and
      the mean LVAD duration was 2.43+/-1.08 years. Thirty-four (97%) patients had at
      least one CMB. Nine (26%) developed hemorrhagic stroke during LVAD support, and
      patients with hemorrhagic stroke had a significantly greater number of CMBs
      compared with patients without hemorrhagic stroke (5 [interquartile range (IQR),
      4-7] versus 9 [IQR, 5-23]; odds ratio 1.14 [95% Confidence Interval (CI), 1.02
      1.32], P=0.05). There was no significant relationship between age, LVAD support
      duration, or systolic blood pressure during LVAD. However, patients who had at
      least one episode of bacteremia (9 [IQR, 4-16] versus 5 [IQR, 3-7], P=0.06) and
      pump pocket infection (14 [IQR, 4-27] versus 5 [IQR, 3-7], P=0.08) showed a trend
      toward a greater number of CMBs than patients without bacteremia. CONCLUSIONS:
      Thirty-four (97%) patients with continuous-flow LVAD had at least one CMB, and
      the number of CMBs were more prevalent in patients with hemorrhagic stroke and in
      patients with LVAD-related infection.

PMID- 28893765
TI  - Requirement for cystatin C testing in chronic kidney disease: a retrospective
      population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
      determines chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage, but underestimates renal function.
      The 2014 updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care
      Excellence (NICE) recommends that GPs reduce overdiagnosis of CKD stage 3a (eGFR
      45-60 ml/min/1.73 m2) by using the renal biomarker cystatin C. AIM: To determine
      the population requirement for cystatin C testing, compared with current national
      availability of the assay. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study of primary
      care laboratory requests in Oxfordshire, England. METHOD: The first creatinine
      results from tests ordered in primary care over a 6-year period (2008-2014) in a
      population of 600 000 in Oxfordshire were analysed and the number of patients
      with CKD stage 3a without proteinuria (who, in accordance with NICE guidance,
      required cystatin C) was determined. A conservative estimate of the national need
      was provided by scaling the population of Oxfordshire to the national population
      (CKD prevalence in the county is below the national average). Cystatin C assay
      availability was determined using national databases of laboratory assay
      provision. RESULTS: From a population of 600 000, there were 22 240 individuals
      with stable stage 3a CKD and no proteinuria. As the population of Oxfordshire
      equates to 1% of the UK population, there is an initial requirement for at least
      2 million people to have their CKD status determined with cystatin C testing.
      Eight laboratories (2.1% of UK laboratories) reported cystatin C assay provision.
      CONCLUSION: There is a substantial gap between cystatin C assay requirements in
      primary care and national assay provision. This is a major barrier to
      implementing NICE guidance.

PMID- 28893766
TI  - Barriers, facilitators, and survival strategies for GPs seeking treatment for
      distress: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: GPs are under increasing pressure due to a lack of resources, a
      diminishing workforce, and rising patient demand. As a result, they may feel
      stressed, burnt out, anxious, or depressed. AIM: To establish what might help or
      hinder GPs experiencing mental distress as they consider seeking help for their
      symptoms, and to explore potential survival strategies. DESIGN AND SETTING: The
      authors recruited 47 GP participants via e-mails to doctors attending a
      specialist service, adverts to local medical committees (LMCs) nationally and in
      GP publications, social media, and snowballing. Participants self-identified as
      either currently living with mental distress, returning to work following
      treatment, off sick or retired early as a result of mental distress, or without
      experience of mental distress. Interviews were conducted face to face or over the
      telephone. METHOD: Transcripts were uploaded to NVivo 11 and analysed using
      thematic analysis. RESULTS: Barriers and facilitators were related to work,
      stigma, and symptoms. Specifically, GPs discussed feeling a need to attend work,
      the stigma surrounding mental ill health, and issues around time,
      confidentiality, and privacy. Participants also reported difficulties accessing
      good-quality treatment. GPs also talked about cutting down or varying work
      content, or asserting boundaries to protect themselves. CONCLUSION: Systemic
      changes, such as further information about specialist services designed to help
      GPs, are needed to support individual GPs and protect the profession from further
      damage.

PMID- 28893767
TI  - GPs' perceptions of resilience training: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: GPs are reporting increasing levels of burnout, stress, and job
      dissatisfaction, and there is a looming GP shortage. Promoting resilience is a
      key strategy for enhancing the sustainability of the healthcare workforce and
      improving patient care. AIM: To explore GPs' perspectives on the content,
      context, and acceptability of resilience training programmes in general practice,
      in order to build more effective GP resilience programmes. DESIGN AND SETTING:
      This was a qualitative study of the perspectives of GPs currently practising in
      England. METHOD: GPs were recruited through convenience sampling, and data were
      collected from two focus groups (n = 15) and one-to-one telephone interviews (n =
      7). A semi-structured interview approach was used and data were analysed using
      thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants perceived resilience training to be
      potentially of value in ameliorating workplace stresses. Nevertheless,
      uncertainty was expressed regarding how best to provide training for stressed GPs
      who have limited time. Participants suspected that GPs most likely to benefit
      from resilience training were the least likely to engage, as stress and being
      busy worked against engagement. Conflicting views were expressed about the most
      suitable training delivery method for promoting better engagement. Participants
      also emphasised that training should not only place the focus on the individual,
      but also focus on organisation issues. CONCLUSION: A multimodal, flexible
      approach based on individual needs and learning aims, including resilience
      workshops within undergraduate training and in individual practices, is likely to
      be the optimal way to promote resilience.

PMID- 28893768
TI  - Building managed primary care practice networks to deliver better clinical care:
      a qualitative semi-structured interview study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary care practices are increasingly working in larger groups. In
      2009, all 36 primary care practices in the London borough of Tower Hamlets were
      grouped geographically into eight managed practice networks to improve the
      quality of care they delivered. Quantitative evaluation has shown improved
      clinical outcomes. AIM: To provide insight into the process of network
      implementation, including the aims, facilitating factors, and barriers, from both
      the clinical and managerial perspectives. DESIGN AND SETTING: A qualitative study
      of network implementation in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, which serves a
      socially disadvantaged and ethnically diverse population. METHOD: Nineteen semi
      structured interviews were carried out with doctors, nurses, and managers, and
      were informed by existing literature on integrated care and GP networks.
      Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and thematic analysis used to analyse
      emerging themes. RESULTS: Interviewees agreed that networks improved clinical
      care and reduced variation in practice performance. Network implementation was
      facilitated by the balance struck between 'a given structure' and network
      autonomy to adopt local solutions. Improved use of data, including patient recall
      and peer performance indicators, were viewed as critical key factors. Targeted
      investment provided the necessary resources to achieve this. Barriers to
      implementing networks included differences in practice culture, a reluctance to
      share data, and increased workload. CONCLUSION: Commissioners and providers were
      positive about the implementation of GP networks as a way to improve the quality
      of clinical care in Tower Hamlets. The issues that arose may be of relevance to
      other areas implementing similar quality improvement programmes at scale.

PMID- 28893769
TI  - Estimates of burden and consequences of infants born small for gestational age in
      low and middle income countries with INTERGROWTH-21st standard: analysis of CHERG
      datasets.

PMID- 28893771
TI  - MitraClip and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in a Patient With Recurrent
      Heart Failure.

PMID- 28893770
TI  - Serial 5-Year Evaluation of Side Branches Jailed by Bioresorbable Vascular
      Scaffolds Using 3-Dimensional Optical Coherence Tomography: Insights From the
      ABSORB Cohort B Trial (A Clinical Evaluation of the Bioabsorbable Everolimus
      Eluting Coronary Stent System in the Treatment of Patients With De Novo Native
      Coronary Artery Lesions).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The long-term fate of Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (Abbott
      Vascular, Santa Clara, CA) struts jailing side branch ostia has not been
      clarified. We therefore evaluate serially (post-procedure and at 6 months, 1, 2,
      3, and 5 years) the appearance and fate of jailed Absorb bioresorbable vascular
      scaffold struts. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed 3-dimensional optical
      coherence tomographic analysis of the ABSORB Cohort B trial (A Clinical
      Evaluation of the Bioabsorbable Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System in the
      Treatment of Patients With De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions) up to 5 years
      using a novel, validated cut-plane analysis method. We included 29 patients with
      a total of 85 side branch ostia. From the 12 ostia which could be assessed in
      true serial fashion, 7 showed a pattern of initial decrease in the ostial area
      free from struts, followed by an increase in strut-free ostial area toward the
      end of the 5 years of follow-up. In a repeated-measures analysis with time as
      fixed variable and ostial area free from struts as dependent variable, we showed
      a numeric decrease in the estimated ostial area free from struts from 0.75 mm2
      (baseline) to 0.68 mm2 (first follow-up visit at 6 months or 1 year) and 0.63 mm2
      (second follow-up visit at 2 or 3 years). However, from the second visit to the 5
      year follow-up visit, there was a statistically significant increase from 0.63 to
      0.89 mm2 (P=0.001). Struts overlying an ostium divided the ostium into
      compartments, and the number of these compartments decreased over time.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that in most cases, the side branch ostial area
      free from struts initially decreased. However, with full scaffold bioresorption,
      the ostial area free from scaffold increased between 2 to 3 years and 5 years in
      the vast majority of patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00856856.

PMID- 28893772
TI  - Triazole Resistance Is Still Not Emerging in Aspergillus fumigatus Isolates
      Causing Invasive Aspergillosis in Brazilian Patients.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus azole resistance has emerged as a global health problem. We
      evaluated the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of 221 clinical A. fumigatus
      isolates according to CLSI guidelines. Sixty-one isolates exhibiting MICs at the
      epidemiological cutoff value (ECV) for itraconazole or above the ECV for any
      triazole were checked for CYP51A mutations. No mutations were documented, even
      for the isolates (1.8%) with high voriconazole MICs, indicating that triazoles
      may be used safely to treat aspergillosis in Brazil.

PMID- 28893773
TI  - Colistin Is Extensively Lost during Standard In Vitro Experimental Conditions.
AB  - Colistin adheres to a range of materials, including plastics in labware. The loss
      caused by adhesion influences an array of methods detrimentally, including MIC
      assays and in vitro time-kill experiments. The aim of this study was to
      characterize the extent and time course of colistin loss in different types of
      laboratory materials during a simulated time-kill experiment without bacteria or
      plasma proteins present. Three types of commonly used large test tubes, i.e.,
      soda-lime glass, polypropylene, and polystyrene, were studied, as well as two
      different polystyrene microplates and low-protein-binding microtubes. The tested
      concentration range was 0.125 to 8 mg/liter colistin base. Exponential one-phase
      and two-phase functions were fitted to the data, and the adsorption of colistin
      to the materials was modeled with the Langmuir adsorption model. In the large
      test tubes, the measured start concentrations ranged between 44 and 102% of the
      expected values, and after 24 h, the concentrations ranged between 8 and 90%. The
      half-lives of colistin loss were 0.9 to 12 h. The maximum binding capacities of
      the three materials ranged between 0.4 and 1.1 MUg/cm2, and the equilibrium
      constants ranged between 0.10 and 0.54 ml/MUg. The low-protein-binding microtubes
      showed start concentrations between 63 and 99% and concentrations at 24 h of
      between 59 and 90%. In one of the microplates, the start concentrations were
      below the lower limit of quantification at worst. In conclusion, to minimize the
      effect of colistin loss due to adsorption, our study indicates that low-protein
      binding polypropylene should be used when possible for measuring colistin
      concentrations in experimental settings, and the results discourage the use of
      polystyrene. Furthermore, when diluting colistin in protein-free media, the
      number of dilution steps should be minimized.

PMID- 28893774
TI  - External Evaluation of Two Fluconazole Infant Population Pharmacokinetic Models.
AB  - Fluconazole is an antifungal agent used for the treatment of invasive
      candidiasis, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants.
      Population pharmacokinetic (PK) models of fluconazole in infants have been
      previously published by Wade et al. (Antimicrob Agents Chemother 52:4043-4049,
      2008, https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.00569-08) and Momper et al. (Antimicrob Agents
      Chemother 60:5539-5545, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.00963-16). Here we
      report the results of the first external evaluation of the predictive performance
      of both models. We used patient-level data from both studies to externally
      evaluate both PK models. The predictive performance of each model was evaluated
      using the model prediction error (PE), mean prediction error (MPE), mean absolute
      prediction error (MAPE), prediction-corrected visual predictive check (pcVPC),
      and normalized prediction distribution errors (NPDE). The values of the
      parameters of each model were reestimated using both the external and merged data
      sets. When evaluated with the external data set, the model proposed by Wade et
      al. showed lower median PE, MPE, and MAPE (0.429 MUg/ml, 41.9%, and 57.6%,
      respectively) than the model proposed by Momper et al. (2.45 MUg/ml, 188%, and
      195%, respectively). The values of the majority of reestimated parameters were
      within 20% of their respective original parameter values for all model
      evaluations. Our analysis determined that though both models are robust, the
      model proposed by Wade et al. had greater accuracy and precision than the model
      proposed by Momper et al., likely because it was derived from a patient
      population with a wider age range. This study highlights the importance of the
      external evaluation of infant population PK models.

PMID- 28893776
TI  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis Subculture Results in Loss of Potentially Clinically
      Relevant Heteroresistance.
AB  - Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) presents a major public health dilemma.
      Heteroresistance, the coexistence of drug-resistant and drug-susceptible strains
      or of multiple drug-resistant strains with discrete haplotypes, may affect
      accurate diagnosis and the institution of effective treatment. Subculture, or
      passage of cells onto fresh growth medium, is utilized to preserve Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis cell lines and is universally employed in TB diagnostics. The impact
      of such passages, typically performed in the absence of drug, on drug-resistant
      subpopulations is hypothesized to vary according to the competitive costs of
      genotypic resistance-associated variants. We applied ultradeep next-generation
      sequencing to 61 phenotypically rifampin-monoresistant (n = 17) and
      preextensively (n = 41) and extensively (n = 3) drug-resistant isolates with
      presumptive heteroresistance at two time points in serial subculture. We found
      significant dynamic loss of minor-variant resistant subpopulations across all
      analyzed resistance-determining regions, including eight isolates (13%) whose
      antibiogram data would have transitioned from resistant to susceptible for at
      least one drug through subculture. Surprisingly, some resistance-associated
      variants appeared to be selected for in subculture.

PMID- 28893775
TI  - Nosocomial Outbreak of Extensively Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
      Isolates Containing blaOXA-237 Carried on a Plasmid.
AB  - Carbapenem antibiotics are among the mainstays for treating infections caused by
      Acinetobacter baumannii, especially in the Northwest United States, where
      carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii remains relatively rare. However, between June
      2012 and October 2014, an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii occurred
      in 16 patients from five health care facilities in the state of Oregon. All
      isolates were defined as extensively drug resistant. Multilocus sequence typing
      revealed that the isolates belonged to sequence type 2 (international clone 2
      [IC2]) and were >95% similar as determined by repetitive-sequence-based PCR
      analysis. Multiplex PCR revealed the presence of a blaOXA carbapenemase gene,
      later identified as blaOXA-237 Whole-genome sequencing of all isolates revealed a
      well-supported separate branch within a global A. baumannii phylogeny. Pacific
      Biosciences (PacBio) SMRT sequencing was also performed on one isolate to gain
      insight into the genetic location of the carbapenem resistance gene. We
      discovered that blaOXA-237, flanked on either side by ISAba1 elements in opposite
      orientations, was carried on a 15,198-bp plasmid designated pORAB01-3 and was
      present in all 16 isolates. The plasmid also contained genes encoding a TonB
      dependent receptor, septicolysin, a type IV secretory pathway (VirD4 component,
      TraG/TraD family) ATPase, an integrase, a RepB family plasmid DNA replication
      initiator protein, an alpha/beta hydrolase, and a BrnT/BrnA type II toxin
      antitoxin system. This is the first reported outbreak in the northwestern United
      States associated with this carbapenemase. Particularly worrisome is that blaOXA
      237 was carried on a plasmid and found in the most prominent worldwide clonal
      group IC2, potentially giving pORAB01-3 great capacity for future widespread
      dissemination.

PMID- 28893777
TI  - Modulation of Staphylococcus aureus Response to Antimicrobials by the Candida
      albicans Quorum Sensing Molecule Farnesol.
AB  - In microbial biofilms, microorganisms utilize secreted signaling chemical
      molecules to coordinate their collective behavior. Farnesol is a quorum sensing
      molecule secreted by the fungal species Candida albicans and shown to play a
      central physiological role during fungal biofilm growth. Our pervious in vitro
      and in vivo studies characterized an intricate interaction between C. albicans
      and the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, as these species coexist in
      biofilm. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of farnesol on S.
      aureus survival, biofilm formation, and response to antimicrobials. The results
      demonstrated that in the presence of exogenously supplemented farnesol or
      farnesol secreted by C. albicans in biofilm, S. aureus exhibited significantly
      enhanced tolerance to antimicrobials. By using gene expression studies, S. aureus
      mutant strains, and chemical inhibitors, the mechanism for the enhanced tolerance
      was attributed to upregulation of drug efflux pumps. Importantly, we showed that
      sequential exposure of S. aureus to farnesol generated a phenotype of high
      resistance to antimicrobials. Based on the presence of intracellular reactive
      oxygen species upon farnesol exposure, we hypothesize that antimicrobial
      tolerance in S. aureus may be mediated by farnesol-induced oxidative stress
      triggering the upregulation of efflux pumps, as part of a general stress response
      system. Hence, in mixed biofilms, C. albicans may influence the pathogenicity of
      S. aureus through acquisition of a drug-tolerant phenotype, with important
      therapeutic implications. Understanding interspecies signaling in polymicrobial
      biofilms and the specific drug resistance responses to secreted molecules may
      lead to the identification of novel targets for drug development.

PMID- 28893778
TI  - Protocol for Identifying Natural Agents That Selectively Affect Adhesion,
      Thickness, Architecture, Cellular Phenotypes, Extracellular Matrix, and Human
      White Blood Cell Impenetrability of Candida albicans Biofilms.
AB  - In the screening of natural plant extracts for antifungal activity, assessment of
      their effects on the growth of cells in suspension or in the wells of microtiter
      plates is expedient. However, microorganisms, including Candida albicans, grow in
      nature as biofilms, which are organized cellular communities with a complex
      architecture capable of conditioning their microenvironment, communicating, and
      excluding low- and high-molecular-weight molecules and white blood cells. Here, a
      confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) protocol for testing the effects of
      large numbers of agents on biofilm development is described. The protocol
      assessed nine parameters from a single z-stack series of CLSM scans for each
      individual biofilm analyzed. The parameters included adhesion, thickness,
      formation of a basal yeast cell polylayer, hypha formation, the vertical
      orientation of hyphae, the hyphal bend point, pseudohypha formation, calcofluor
      white staining of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and human white blood cell
      impenetrability. The protocol was applied first to five plant extracts and
      derivative compounds and then to a collection of 88 previously untested plant
      extracts. They were found to cause a variety of phenotypic profiles, as was the
      case for 64 of the 88 extracts (73%). Half of the 46 extracts that did not affect
      biofilm thickness affected other biofilm parameters. Correlations between
      specific effects were revealed. The protocol will be useful not only in the
      screening of chemical libraries but also in the analysis of compounds with known
      effects and mutations.

PMID- 28893779
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Penetration of Ceftolozane-Tazobactam in Diabetic
      Patients with Lower Limb Infections and Healthy Adult Volunteers.
AB  - Ceftolozane-tazobactam displays potent activity against Gram-negative bacteria
      that can cause diabetic foot infections (DFI), making it an attractive treatment
      option when few alternatives exist. The pharmacokinetics and tissue penetration
      of ceftolozane-tazobactam at 1.5 g every 8 h (q8h) in patients (n = 10) with DFI
      were compared with those in healthy volunteers (n = 6) using in vivo
      microdialysis. In the patient participants, the median values of the
      pharmacokinetic parameters for ceftolozane in total plasma were as follows:
      maximum concentration (Cmax), 55.2 MUg/ml (range, 40.9 to 169.3 MUg/ml); half
      life (t1/2), 3.5 h (range, 2.3 to 4.7 h); and area under the concentration-time
      curve (AUC) from time zero to 8 h (AUC0-8), 191.6 MUg . h/ml (range, 147.1 to
      286.6 MUg . h/ml). The median AUC for tissue (AUCtissue; where AUCtissue was the
      AUC0-8 for tissue for ceftolozane)/AUC for plasma for each antibiotic corrected
      by the fraction of free drug (fAUCplasma) was 0.75 (range, 0.35 to 1.00),
      resulting in a mean free time above 4 MUg/ml (the Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      susceptibility breakpoint) in tissue of 99.8% (range, 87.5 to 100%). In the
      patient participants, the median values of the pharmacokinetic parameters for
      tazobactam in total plasma were as follows: Cmax, 14.2 MUg/ml (range, 7.6 to 64.2
      MUg/ml); t1/2, 2.0 h (range, 0.7 to 2.4 h); and AUC0-8, 27.1 MUg . h/ml (range,
      15.0 to 70.0 MUg . h/ml). The AUCtissue (where AUCtissue was the AUC from time
      zero to the time of the last measureable concentration in tissue for
      tazobactam)/fAUCplasma for tazobactam was 1.18 (range, 0.54 to 1.44). In the
      healthy volunteers, the median values of the pharmacokinetic parameters for
      ceftolozane in total plasma were as follows: Cmax, 91.5 MUg/ml (range, 65.7 to
      110.7 MUg/ml); t1/2, 1.9 h (range, 1.6 to 2.1 h); and AUC0-8, 191.3 MUg . h/ml
      (range, 118.1 to 274.3 MUg . h/ml). The median AUCtissue/fAUCplasma was 0.87
      (range, 0.54 to 2.20), resulting in a mean free time above 4 MUg/ml in tissue of
      93.8% (range, 87.5 to 100%). In the healthy volunteers, the median values of the
      pharmacokinetic parameters for tazobactam in total plasma were as follows: Cmax,
      17.5 MUg/ml (range, 15.4 to 27.3 MUg/ml); t1/2, 0.7 h (range, 0.6 to 0.8 h); and
      AUC0-8, 22.2 MUg . h/ml (range, 19.2 to 36.4 MUg . h/ml). The
      AUCtissue/fAUCplasma for tazobactam was 0.85 (range, 0.63 to 2.10). Both
      ceftolozane and tazobactam penetrated into subcutaneous tissue with exposures
      similar to those of free drug in plasma in both patients with DFI and healthy
      volunteers. These data suggest that ceftolozane-tazobactam at 1.5 g q8h can
      achieve the optimal exposure with activity against susceptible Gram-negative
      pathogens in the tissue of patients with DFI. (This study has been registered at
      ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02620774.).

PMID- 28893780
TI  - Pharmacokinetic/Toxicodynamic Analysis of Colistin-Associated Acute Kidney Injury
      in Critically Ill Patients.
AB  - Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in a substantial proportion of critically ill
      patients receiving intravenous colistin. In the pharmacokinetic/toxicodynamic
      analysis reported here, the relationship of the occurrence of AKI to exposure to
      colistin and a number of potential patient factors was explored in 153 critically
      ill patients, none of whom were receiving renal replacement therapy. Tree-based
      modeling revealed that the rates of AKI were substantially higher when the
      average steady-state plasma colistin concentration was greater than ~2 mg/liter.

PMID- 28893781
TI  - Identification of Heparin Modifications and Polysaccharide Inhibitors of
      Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Invasion That Have Potential for Novel Drug
      Development.
AB  - Despite recent successful control efforts, malaria remains a leading global
      health burden. Alarmingly, resistance to current antimalarials is increasing and
      the development of new drug families is needed to maintain malaria control.
      Current antimalarials target the intraerythrocytic developmental stage of the
      Plasmodium falciparum life cycle. However, the invasive extracellular parasite
      form, the merozoite, is also an attractive target for drug development. We have
      previously demonstrated that heparin-like molecules, including those with low
      molecular weights and low anticoagulant activities, are potent and specific
      inhibitors of merozoite invasion and blood-stage replication. Here we tested a
      large panel of heparin-like molecules and sulfated polysaccharides together with
      various modified chemical forms for their inhibitory activity against P.
      falciparum merozoite invasion. We identified chemical modifications that improve
      inhibitory activity and identified several additional sulfated polysaccharides
      with strong inhibitory activity. These studies have important implications for
      the further development of heparin-like molecules as antimalarial drugs and for
      understanding merozoite invasion.

PMID- 28893782
TI  - Aminoglycoside Concentrations Required for Synergy with Carbapenems against
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa Determined via Mechanistic Studies and Modeling.
AB  - This study aimed to systematically identify the aminoglycoside concentrations
      required for synergy with a carbapenem and characterize the permeabilizing effect
      of aminoglycosides on the outer membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Monotherapies
      and combinations of four aminoglycosides and three carbapenems were studied for
      activity against P. aeruginosa strain AH298-GFP in 48-h static-concentration time
      kill studies (SCTK) (inoculum: 107.6 CFU/ml). The outer membrane-permeabilizing
      effect of tobramycin alone and in combination with imipenem was characterized via
      electron microscopy, confocal imaging, and the nitrocefin assay. A mechanism
      based model (MBM) was developed to simultaneously describe the time course of
      bacterial killing and prevention of regrowth by imipenem combined with each of
      the four aminoglycosides. Notably, 0.25 mg/liter of tobramycin, which was
      inactive in monotherapy, achieved synergy (i.e., >=2-log10 more killing than the
      most active monotherapy at 24 h) combined with imipenem. Electron micrographs,
      confocal image analyses, and the nitrocefin uptake data showed distinct outer
      membrane damage by tobramycin, which was more extensive for the combination with
      imipenem. The MBM indicated that aminoglycosides enhanced the imipenem target
      site concentration up to 4.27-fold. Tobramycin was the most potent aminoglycoside
      to permeabilize the outer membrane; tobramycin (0.216 mg/liter), gentamicin
      (0.739 mg/liter), amikacin (1.70 mg/liter), or streptomycin (5.19 mg/liter) was
      required for half-maximal permeabilization. In summary, our SCTK, mechanistic
      studies and MBM indicated that tobramycin was highly synergistic and displayed
      the maximum outer membrane disruption potential among the tested aminoglycosides.
      These findings support the optimization of highly promising antibiotic
      combination dosage regimens for critically ill patients.

PMID- 28893783
TI  - Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance without Antibiotic Exposure.
AB  - Antibiotic use is the main driver in the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
      Another unexplored possibility is that resistance evolves coincidentally in
      response to other selective pressures. We show that selection in the absence of
      antibiotics can coselect for decreased susceptibility to several antibiotics.
      Thus, genetic adaptation of bacteria to natural environments may drive resistance
      evolution by generating a pool of resistance mutations that selection could act
      on to enrich resistant mutants when antibiotic exposure occurs.

PMID- 28893784
TI  - Dual Mechanism of Action of 5-Nitro-1,10-Phenanthroline against Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis.
AB  - New chemotherapeutic agents with novel mechanisms of action are urgently required
      to combat the challenge imposed by the emergence of drug-resistant mycobacteria.
      In this study, a phenotypic whole-cell screen identified 5-nitro-1,10
      phenanthroline (5NP) as a lead compound. 5NP-resistant isolates harbored
      mutations that were mapped to fbiB and were also resistant to the bicyclic
      nitroimidazole PA-824. Mechanistic studies confirmed that 5NP is activated in an
      F420-dependent manner, resulting in the formation of 1,10-phenanthroline and 1,10
      phenanthrolin-5-amine as major metabolites in bacteria. Interestingly, 5NP also
      killed naturally resistant intracellular bacteria by inducing autophagy in
      macrophages. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed the essentiality of
      the nitro group for in vitro activity, and an analog, 3-methyl-6-nitro-1,10
      phenanthroline, that had improved in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy in mice
      compared with that of 5NP was designed. These findings demonstrate that, in
      addition to a direct mechanism of action against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 5NP
      also modulates the host machinery to kill intracellular pathogens.

PMID- 28893785
TI  - In Vitro Activity of the Novel Pleuromutilin Lefamulin (BC-3781) and Effect of
      Efflux Pump Inactivation on Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-Resistant
      Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
AB  - We evaluated the activity of the novel semisynthetic pleuromutilin lefamulin,
      inhibiting protein synthesis and growth, and the effect of efflux pump
      inactivation on clinical gonococcal isolates and reference strains (n = 251),
      including numerous multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant isolates.
      Lefamulin showed potent activity against all gonococcal isolates, and no
      significant cross-resistance to other antimicrobials was identified. Further
      studies of lefamulin are warranted, including in vitro selection and mechanisms
      of resistance, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, optimal dosing, and performance
      in randomized controlled trials.

PMID- 28893786
TI  - Novel Cell-Killing Mechanisms of Hydroxyurea and the Implication toward
      Combination Therapy for the Treatment of Fungal Infections.
AB  - We have previously reported that an erg11 mutation affecting ergosterol synthesis
      and a hem13 mutation in the heme synthesis pathway significantly sensitize the
      fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to hydroxyurea (HU) (1, 2). Here we show
      that treatment with inhibitors of Erg11 and heme biosynthesis phenocopies the two
      mutations in sensitizing wild-type cells to HU. Importantly, HU synergistically
      interacts with the heme biosynthesis inhibitor sampangine and several Erg11
      inhibitors, the antifungal azoles, in causing cell lethality. Since the
      synergistic drug interactions are also observed in the phylogenetically divergent
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans,
      the synergism is likely conserved in eukaryotes. Interestingly, our genetic data
      for S. pombe has also led to the discovery of a robust synergism between
      sampangine and the azoles in C. albicans Thus, combinations of HU, sampangine,
      and the azoles can be further studied as a new method for the treatment of fungal
      infections.

PMID- 28893787
TI  - A Four-Center Retrospective Study of the Efficacy and Toxicity of Low-Dose
      Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole for the Treatment of Pneumocystis Pneumonia in
      Patients without HIV Infection.
AB  - The dose of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for the treatment of
      Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in patients without human immunodeficiency virus
      (HIV) infection has not been verified. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the efficacy and toxicity of a low-dose TMP-SMX regimen in such patients. A
      retrospective study was conducted in four hospitals. We reviewed the medical
      records of patients with PCP but not HIV (non-HIV-PCP) who were treated with TMP
      SMX between 2003 and 2016. The patients were divided into conventional-dose (TMP,
      15 to 20 mg/kg/day) and low-dose (TMP, <15 mg/kg/day) groups after patients who
      received high-dose (TMP, >20 mg/kg/day) treatment were excluded. Grouping was
      done according to a correction dose, which was based on renal function. Eighty
      two patients had non-HIV-PCP. The numbers of patients who received high-,
      conventional-, and low-dose treatments were 5, 36, and 41, respectively. Kaplan
      Meier analysis for death associated with PCP showed no statistically significant
      difference in survival rates between the conventional- and low-dose groups.
      Ninety-day cause-specific mortality rates were 25.0% and 19.5% in the
      conventional-dose and low-dose groups (P = 0.76), respectively. Adverse events
      that were graded as >=3 according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse
      Events (version 4.0) (National Cancer Institute, 2010) were 41.7% and 17.1% in
      the conventional-dose and low-dose groups (P = 0.02), respectively. Moreover,
      vomiting (P = 0.03) and a decrease in platelet count (P = 0.03) occurred more
      frequently in the conventional-dose group. Treatment of non-HIV-PCP with low-dose
      or conventional-dose TMP-SMX produces comparable survival rates; however, the low
      dose regimen is better tolerated and associated with fewer adverse effects.

PMID- 28893788
TI  - Genomic and Molecular Characterization of Clinical Isolates of Enterobacteriaceae
      Harboring mcr-1 in Colombia, 2002 to 2016.
AB  - Polymyxins are last-resort antimicrobial agents used to treat infections caused
      by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae Due to the worldwide dissemination of
      polymyxin resistance in animal and human isolates, we aimed to characterize
      polymyxin resistance associated with the presence of mcr-1 in Enterobacteriaceae
      and nonfermenter Gram-negative bacilli, using isolates collected retrospectively
      in Colombia from 2002 to 2016. A total of 5,887 Gram-negative clinical isolates
      were studied, and 513 were found to be resistant to the polymyxins.
      Susceptibility to colistin was confirmed by broth microdilution for all mcr-1
      positive isolates, and these were further subjected to whole-genome sequencing
      (WGS). The localization of mcr-1 was confirmed by S1 pulsed-field gel
      electrophoresis (S1-PFGE) and CeuI-PFGE hybridization. Transferability was
      evaluated by mating assays. A total of 12 colistin-resistant isolates recovered
      after 2013 harbored mcr-1, including 8 Escherichia coli, 3 Salmonella enterica
      serovar Typhimurium, and 1 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate. E. coli isolates were
      unrelated by PFGE and belonged to 7 different sequence types (STs) and
      phylogroups. S Typhimurium and K. pneumoniae isolates belonged to ST34 and ST307,
      respectively. The mcr-1 gene was plasmid borne in all isolates but two E. coli
      isolates which harbored it on the chromosome. Conjugation of mcr-1 was successful
      in 8 of 10 isolates (8.2 * 10-5 to 2.07 * 10-1 cell per recipient). Plasmid
      sequences showed that the mcr-1 plasmids belonged to four different Inc groups (a
      new IncP-1 variant and the IncFII, IncHI1, and IncH families). Our results
      indicate that mcr-1 is circulating in clinical isolates of colistin-resistant
      Enterobacteriaceae in Colombia and is mainly harbored in transferable plasmids.

PMID- 28893789
TI  - Gemini Cationic Amphiphiles Control Biofilm Formation by Bacterial Vaginosis
      Pathogens.
AB  - Antibiotic resistance and recurrence of bacterial vaginosis (BV), a polymicrobial
      infection, justify the need for novel antimicrobials to counteract microbial
      resistance to conventional antibiotics. Previously, two series of cationic
      amphiphiles (CAms) which self-assemble into supramolecular nanostructures with
      membrane-lytic properties were designed with hydrophilic head groups and nonpolar
      domains. The combination of CAms and commonly prescribed antibiotics is suggested
      as a promising strategy for targeting microorganisms that are resistant to
      conventional antibiotics. Activities of the CAms against Gardnerella vaginalis
      ATCC 14018, a representative BV pathogen, ranged from 1.1 to 24.4 MUM.
      Interestingly, the tested healthy Lactobacillus species, especially Lactobacillus
      plantarum ATCC 39268, were significantly more tolerant of CAms than the selected
      pathogens. In addition, CAms prevented biofilm formation at concentrations which
      did not influence the normal growth ability of G. vaginalis ATCC 14018.
      Furthermore, the biofilm minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC-Bs) of CAms
      against G. vaginalis ATCC 14018 ranged from 58.8 to 425.6 MUM, while much higher
      concentrations (>=850 MUM) were required to produce >=3-log reductions in the
      number of biofilm-associated lactobacilli. The conventional antibiotic
      metronidazole synergized strongly with all tested CAms against planktonic cells
      and biofilms of G. vaginalis ATCC 14018. The synergism between CAms and the
      tested conventional antibiotic may be considered a new, effective, and beneficial
      method of controlling biofilm-associated bacterial vaginosis.

PMID- 28893790
TI  - Combinatorial CRISPR-Cas9 and RNA Interference Attack on HIV-1 DNA and RNA Can
      Lead to Cross-Resistance.
AB  - Many potent antiviral drugs have been developed against HIV-1, and their combined
      action is usually successful in achieving durable virus suppression in infected
      individuals. This success is based on two effects: additive or even synergistic
      virus inhibition and an increase in the genetic threshold for development of drug
      resistance. More recently, several genetic approaches have been developed to
      attack the HIV-1 genome in a gene therapy setting. We set out to test the
      combinatorial possibilities for a therapy based on the CRISPR-Cas9 and RNA
      interference (RNAi) mechanisms that attack the viral DNA and RNA, respectively.
      When two different sites in the HIV-1 genome were targeted, either with dual
      CRISPR-Cas9 antivirals or with a combination of CRISPR-Cas9 and RNAi antivirals,
      we observed additive inhibition, much like what was reported for antiviral drugs.
      However, when the same or overlapping viral sequence was attacked by the
      antivirals, rapid escape from a CRISPR-Cas9 antiviral, assisted by the error
      prone nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) DNA repair machinery, accelerated the
      development of cross-resistance to the other CRISPR-Cas9 or RNAi antiviral. Thus,
      genetic antiviral approaches can be combined, but overlap should be avoided.

PMID- 28893791
TI  - Development and Validation of a High-Resolution Melting Assay To Detect Azole
      Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus.
AB  - The global emergence of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus strains is a
      growing public health concern. Different patterns of azole resistance are linked
      to mutations in cyp51A Therefore, accurate characterization of the mechanisms
      underlying azole resistance is critical to guide selection of the most
      appropriate antifungal agent for patients with aspergillosis. This study
      describes a new sequencing-free molecular screening tool for early detection of
      the most frequent mutations known to be associated with azole resistance in A.
      fumigatus PCRs targeting cyp51A mutations at positions G54, Y121, G448, and M220
      and targeting different tandem repeats (TRs) in the promoter region were
      designed. All PCRs were performed simultaneously, using the same cycling
      conditions. Amplicons were then distinguished using a high-resolution melting
      assay. For standardization, 30 well-characterized azole-resistant A. fumigatus
      strains were used, yielding melting curve clusters for different resistance
      mechanisms for each target and allowing detection of the most frequent azole
      resistance mutations, i.e., G54E, G54V, G54R, G54W, Y121F, M220V, M220I, M220T,
      M220K, and G448S, and the tandem repeats TR34, TR46, and TR53 Validation of the
      method was performed using a blind panel of 80 A. fumigatus azole-susceptible or
      azole-resistant strains. All strains included in the blind panel were properly
      classified as susceptible or resistant with the developed method. The
      implementation of this screening method can reduce the time needed for the
      detection of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates and therefore facilitate
      selection of the best antifungal therapy in patients with aspergillosis.

PMID- 28893792
TI  - Influence of Mechanical Ventilation on the Pharmacokinetics of Vancomycin
      Administered by Continuous Infusion in Critically Ill Patients.
AB  - Pathophysiological changes involved in drug disposition in critically ill
      patients should be considered in order to optimize the dosing of vancomycin
      administered by continuous infusion, and certain strategies must be applied to
      reach therapeutic targets on the first day of treatment. The aim of this study
      was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of vancomycin to determine
      clinical covariates, including mechanical ventilation, that influence the wide
      variability of this antimicrobial. Plasma vancomycin concentrations from 54
      critically ill patients were analyzed simultaneously by a population
      pharmacokinetic approach. A nomogram for dosing recommendations was developed and
      was internally evaluated through stochastic simulations. The plasma vancomycin
      concentration-versus-time data were best described by a one-compartment open
      model with exponential interindividual variability associated with vancomycin
      clearance and the volume of distribution. Residual error followed a homoscedastic
      trend. Creatinine clearance and body weight significantly dropped the objective
      function value, showing their influence on vancomycin clearance and the volume of
      distribution, respectively. Characterization based on the presence of mechanical
      ventilation demonstrated a 20% decrease in vancomycin clearance. External
      validation (n = 18) was performed to evaluate the predictive ability of the
      model; median bias and precision values were 0.7 mg/liter (95% confidence
      interval [CI], -0.4, 1.7) and 5.9 mg/liter (95% CI, 5.4, 6.4), respectively. A
      population pharmacokinetic model was developed for the administration of
      vancomycin by continuous infusion to critically ill patients, demonstrating the
      influence of creatinine clearance and mechanical ventilation on vancomycin
      clearance, as well as the implications for targeting dosing rates to reach the
      therapeutic range (20 to 30 mg/liter).

PMID- 28893796
TI  - Letter by Mewton and Croisille Regarding Article, "Identification of High-Risk
      Patients After ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Comparison Between
      Angiographic and Magnetic Resonance Parameters".

PMID- 28893793
TI  - Chemical Genetic Interaction Profiling Reveals Determinants of Intrinsic
      Antibiotic Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Chemotherapy for tuberculosis (TB) is lengthy and could benefit from synergistic
      adjuvant therapeutics that enhance current and novel drug regimens. To identify
      genetic determinants of intrinsic antibiotic susceptibility in Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis, we applied a chemical genetic interaction (CGI) profiling approach.
      We screened a saturated transposon mutant library and identified mutants that
      exhibit altered fitness in the presence of partially inhibitory concentrations of
      rifampin, ethambutol, isoniazid, vancomycin, and meropenem, antibiotics with
      diverse mechanisms of action. This screen identified the M. tuberculosis cell
      envelope to be a major determinant of antibiotic susceptibility but did not yield
      mutants whose increase in susceptibility was due to transposon insertions in
      genes encoding efflux pumps. Intrinsic antibiotic resistance determinants
      affecting resistance to multiple antibiotics included the peptidoglycan
      arabinogalactan ligase Lcp1, the mycolic acid synthase MmaA4, the protein
      translocase SecA2, the mannosyltransferase PimE, the cell envelope-associated
      protease CaeA/Hip1, and FecB, a putative iron dicitrate-binding protein.
      Characterization of a deletion mutant confirmed FecB to be involved in the
      intrinsic resistance to every antibiotic analyzed. In contrast to its predicted
      function, FecB was dispensable for growth in low-iron medium and instead
      functioned as a critical mediator of envelope integrity.

PMID- 28893795
TI  - Serial 3-Vessel Optical Coherence Tomography and Intravascular Ultrasound
      Analysis of Changing Morphologies Associated With Lesion Progression in Patients
      With Stable Angina Pectoris.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomographic (OCT) morphologies associated with
      lesion progression are not well studied. The aim of this study was to determine
      the morphological change for untreated lesion progression using both OCT and
      intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). METHODS AND RESULTS: We used baseline and 8
      month follow-up 3-vessel OCT and IVUS to assess 127 nonculprit lesions (IVUS
      plaque burden >=40%) in 45 patients with stable angina after target lesion
      treatment. Lesion progression was defined as an IVUS lumen area decrease >0.5
      mm2. A layered pattern was identified as a superficial layer that had a different
      optical intensity and a clear demarcation from underlying plaque. Lesion
      progression was observed in 19% (24/127) lesions, and its pattern was
      characterized into 3 types: type I, new superficial layered pattern at follow-up
      that was not present at baseline (n=9); type II, a layered pattern at baseline
      whose layer thickness increased at follow-up (n=7); or type III, no layered
      pattern at baseline or follow-up (n=8). The increase of IVUS plaque+media area
      was largest in type I and least in type III (1.9 mm2 [1.6-2.1], 1.1 mm2 [0.9
      1.4], and 0.3 mm2 [-0.2 to 0.8], respectively; P=0.002). Type III, but not types
      I or II, showed negative remodeling during follow-up (IVUS vessel area; from 14.3
      mm2 [11.4-17.2] to 13.5 mm2 [10.4-16.7]; P=0.02). OCT lipidic plaque was
      associated with lesion progression (odds ratio, 13.6; 95% confidence interval,
      3.7-50.6; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Lesion progression was categorized to distinct
      OCT morphologies that were related to changes in plaque mass or vessel
      remodeling.

PMID- 28893797
TI  - Response by Durante and Camici to Letter Regarding Article, "Identification of
      High-Risk Patients After ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Comparison
      Between Angiographic and Magnetic Resonance Parameters".

PMID- 28893794
TI  - Effects of HIV-1 Tat and Methamphetamine on Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity and
      Function In Vitro.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency (HIV) infection results in neurocognitive deficits in
      about one half of infected individuals. Despite systemic effectiveness,
      restricted antiretroviral penetration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a
      major limitation in fighting central nervous system (CNS)-localized infection.
      Drug abuse exacerbates HIV-induced cognitive and pathological CNS changes. This
      study's purpose was to investigate the effects of the HIV-1 protein Tat and
      methamphetamine on factors affecting drug penetration across an in vitro BBB
      model. Factors affecting paracellular and transcellular flux in the presence of
      Tat and methamphetamine were examined. Transendothelial electrical resistance, ZO
      1 expression, and lucifer yellow (a paracellular tracer) flux were aspects of
      paracellular processes that were examined. Additionally, effects on P
      glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP-1) mRNA (via
      quantitative PCR [qPCR]) and protein (via immunoblotting) expression were
      measured; Pgp and MRP-1 are drug efflux proteins. Transporter function was
      examined after exposure of Tat with or without methamphetamine using the P-gp
      substrate rhodamine 123 and also using the dual P-gp/MRP-1 substrate and protease
      inhibitor atazanavir. Tat and methamphetamine elicit complex changes affecting
      transcellular and paracellular transport processes. Neither Tat nor
      methamphetamine significantly altered P-gp expression. However, Tat plus
      methamphetamine exposure significantly increased rhodamine 123 accumulation
      within brain endothelial cells, suggesting that treatment inhibited or impaired P
      gp function. Intracellular accumulation of atazanavir was not significantly
      altered after Tat or methamphetamine exposure. Atazanavir accumulation was,
      however, significantly increased by simultaneous inhibition of P-gp and MRP.
      Collectively, our investigations indicate that Tat and methamphetamine alter
      aspects of BBB integrity without affecting net flux of paracellular compounds.
      Tat and methamphetamine may also affect several aspects of transcellular
      transport.

PMID- 28893798
TI  - Letter by Saito Regarding Article, "Visual and Quantitative Assessment of
      Coronary Stenoses at Angiography Versus Fractional Flow Reserve: The Impact of
      Risk Factors".

PMID- 28893799
TI  - Plaque Progression: Slow Linear or Rapid Stepwise?

PMID- 28893800
TI  - VHL Deficiency Drives Enhancer Activation of Oncogenes in Clear Cell Renal Cell
      Carcinoma.
AB  - Protein-coding mutations in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) have been
      extensively characterized, frequently involving inactivation of the von Hippel
      Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor. Roles for noncoding cis-regulatory aberrations in
      ccRCC tumorigenesis, however, remain unclear. Analyzing 10 primary tumor/normal
      pairs and 9 cell lines across 79 chromatin profiles, we observed pervasive
      enhancer malfunction in ccRCC, with cognate enhancer-target genes associated with
      tissue-specific aspects of malignancy. Superenhancer profiling identified ZNF395
      as a ccRCC-specific and VHL-regulated master regulator whose depletion causes
      near-complete tumor elimination in vitro and in vivoVHL loss predominantly drives
      enhancer/superenhancer deregulation more so than promoters, with acquisition of
      active enhancer marks (H3K27ac, H3K4me1) near ccRCC hallmark genes.
      Mechanistically, VHL loss stabilizes HIF2alpha-HIF1beta heterodimer binding at
      enhancers, subsequently recruiting histone acetyltransferase p300 without overtly
      affecting preexisting promoter-enhancer interactions. Subtype-specific driver
      mutations such as VHL may thus propagate unique pathogenic dependencies in ccRCC
      by modulating epigenomic landscapes and cancer gene expression.Significance:
      Comprehensive epigenomic profiling of ccRCC establishes a compendium of
      somatically altered cis-regulatory elements, uncovering new potential targets
      including ZNF395, a ccRCC master regulator. Loss of VHL, a ccRCC signature event,
      causes pervasive enhancer malfunction, with binding of enhancer-centric HIF2alpha
      and recruitment of histone acetyltransferase p300 at preexisting lineage-specific
      promoter-enhancer complexes. Cancer Discov; 7(11); 1284-305. (c)2017 AACR.See
      related commentary by Ricketts and Linehan, p. 1221This article is highlighted in
      the In This Issue feature, p. 1201.

PMID- 28893802
TI  - Successful ultrasound-guided drainage of an intra-abdominal collection in late
      pregnancy.
AB  - Pregnancy complicated by an intra-abdominal collection is uncommon and poses a
      challenge in the management. We present a case that illustrates successful
      treatment via ultrasound-guided drainage of a collection associated with a
      dermoid cyst in a 30 weeks pregnant patient presenting with fever and right-sided
      abdominal pain. Following treatment, the patient clinically improved rapidly. The
      drain was removed 3 days later and a repeat ultrasound scan showed no collection.

PMID- 28893801
TI  - Galectin-3, a Druggable Vulnerability for KRAS-Addicted Cancers.
AB  - Identifying the molecular basis for cancer cell dependence on oncogenes such as
      KRAS can provide new opportunities to target these addictions. Here, we identify
      a novel role for the carbohydrate-binding protein galectin-3 as a lynchpin for
      KRAS dependence. By directly binding to the cell surface receptor integrin
      alphavbeta3, galectin-3 gives rise to KRAS addiction by enabling multiple
      functions of KRAS in anchorage-independent cells, including formation of
      macropinosomes that facilitate nutrient uptake and ability to maintain redox
      balance. Disrupting alphavbeta3/galectin-3 binding with a clinically active drug
      prevents their association with mutant KRAS, thereby suppressing macropinocytosis
      while increasing reactive oxygen species to eradicate alphavbeta3-expressing KRAS
      mutant lung and pancreatic cancer patient-derived xenografts and spontaneous
      tumors in mice. Our work reveals galectin-3 as a druggable target for KRAS
      addicted lung and pancreas cancers, and indicates integrin alphavbeta3 as a
      biomarker to identify susceptible tumors.Significance: There is a significant
      unmet need for therapies targeting KRAS-mutant cancers. Here, we identify
      integrin alphavbeta3 as a biomarker to identify mutant KRAS-addicted tumors that
      are highly sensitive to inhibition of galectin-3, a glycoprotein that binds to
      integrin alphavbeta3 to promote KRAS-mediated activation of AKT. Cancer Discov;
      7(12); 1464-79. (c)2017 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue
      feature, p. 1355.

PMID- 28893803
TI  - Pure red cell aplasia and myasthenia gravis: a patient having both autoimmune
      conditions in the absence of thymoma.
AB  - This is a patient who was presented initially with symptoms of malaise, tiredness
      and exertional dyspnoea and found to have a severe normocytic normochromic
      anaemia with low reticulocyte counts. Bone marrow confirmed the diagnosis of pure
      red cell aplasia (PRCA) and at the time serology for recent parvovirus infection
      was positive. He was successfully treated with transfusions and intravenous Ig.
      Six years later, he had a mild relapse of his PRCA and subsequently developed
      severe dysphagia and dysarthria which were fatigable. Positive antiacetylcholine
      receptor antibodies confirmed the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. The two
      conditions are both known to be associated with thymoma. Imaging and resection of
      the thymus gland showed only the presence of a thymic cyst. Treatment with
      pyrdistogmine and intravenous Ig have kept the patient asymptomatic and in
      remission. The rare association of the two autoimmune conditions associated in
      the same patient without thymoma is discussed.

PMID- 28893804
TI  - Immune thrombocytopenic purpura associated with fingolimod.
AB  - Fingolimod is an oral sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator which causes
      lymphocyte sequestration in lymph nodes and is approved for relapsing multiple
      sclerosis. The Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia is aware of only one
      case where fingolimod preceded immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) by 5 weeks.
      Here we report three such cases.None were on any medications known to cause ITP
      and routine investigations were unremarkable. All cases were treated with
      immunosuppression. Case 1 successfully weaned prednisolone after fingolimod
      cessation whereas case 2 weaned slowly while continuing fingolimod therapy. Case
      3 had more refractory ITP and re-exposure to fingolimod worsened
      thrombocytopenia.There was a temporal association between fingolimod exposure and
      ITP however dose-effect association and pathogenesis remain less clear.In
      conclusion, our cases highlight that clinicians should be aware of the possible
      association between ITP and fingolimod.

PMID- 28893805
TI  - MELAS syndrome associated with a new mitochondrial tRNA-Val gene mutation
      (m.1616A>G).
AB  - We describe the case of a 40-year-old-man with mitochondrial myopathy,
      encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome, with
      cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure. He had a mitochondrial transfer RNA
      (tRNA) mutation (m.1616A>G) of the (tRNA-Val) gene, and it was not found in MELAS
      syndrome ever before. The presence of this newly observed tRNA-Val mutation
      (m.1616A>G) may induce multiple respiratory chain enzyme deficiencies and
      contribute to MELAS syndrome symptoms that are associated with mitochondrial DNA
      (mtDNA) mutations. We report that the pathognomonic symptom in MELAS syndrome
      caused by this newly observed mtDNA mutation may be rapid progression of
      cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure.

PMID- 28893806
TI  - Low-dose intrapleural alteplase (without deoxyribonuclease) in complicated
      parapneumonic effusion: case series and literature reviews.
AB  - This case series reviews two cases of elderly patients who presented with fever,
      cough and shortness of breath. Clinical examinations and initial chest
      radiographs confirmed unilateral pleural effusion. Thoracenteses were consistent
      with exudative pleural effusion. We commenced intravenous antibiotics treating
      for parapneumonic effusions. The first case showed persistent effusion despite
      drainage, and the second case had a little aspirate from pleural tapping.
      Subsequent ultrasound of the thorax showed multiloculated effusions. We made the
      decisions for intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy using low-dose alteplase 2.5 mg
      each time, in view of the elderly patient as sacrosanct for risk of bleeding.
      Furthermore, DNase was not used, as it is not yet available in our setting. Both
      of our patients had good clinical and radiological outcomes, without the need for
      surgical interventions.

PMID- 28893807
TI  - Neostigmine and glycopyrronium: a potential safe alternative for patients with
      pseudo-obstruction without access to conventional methods of decompression.
AB  - Intestinal pseudo-obstruction mimics bowel obstruction. However, on examination,
      no mechanical cause is identified. This condition will often resolve when managed
      conservatively, yet in some cases decompression is required to avoid the serious
      complications of bowel ischaemia and perforation. This is performed
      endoscopically, and due to the invasive nature and limited access to this
      service, an alternative treatment option is deemed appealing. Neostigmine has
      good efficacy in the decompression of pseudo-obstruction but is hindered by its
      wide side effect profile. In this context, neostigmine requires careful
      monitoring, which limits its appeal. This side effect profile is minimised when
      neostigmine is administered in conjunction with glycopyrronium.This case
      demonstrates the novel use of neostigmine and glycopyrronium in decompression of
      the bowel in a patient with pseudo-obstruction. Furthermore, it highlights its
      value, particularly when conventional techniques for decompression are not
      accessible.

PMID- 28893808
TI  - Clinical Population Medicine: Integrating Clinical Medicine and Population Health
      in Practice.

PMID- 28893809
TI  - From Authority- to Evidence-Based Medicine: Are Clinical Practice Guidelines
      Moving us Forward or Backward?

PMID- 28893810
TI  - Developing a Clinician Friendly Tool to Identify Useful Clinical Practice
      Guidelines: G-TRUST.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinicians are faced with a plethora of guidelines. To rate
      guidelines, they can select from a number of evaluation tools, most of which are
      long and difficult to apply. The goal of this project was to develop a simple,
      easy-to-use checklist for clinicians to use to identify trustworthy, relevant,
      and useful practice guidelines, the Guideline Trustworthiness, Relevance, and
      Utility Scoring Tool (G-TRUST). METHODS: A modified Delphi process was used to
      obtain consensus of experts and guideline developers regarding a checklist of
      items and their relative impact on guideline quality. We conducted 4 rounds of
      sampling to refine wording, add and subtract items, and develop a scoring system.
      Multiple attribute utility analysis was used to develop a weighted utility score
      for each item to determine scoring. RESULTS: Twenty-two experts in evidence-based
      medicine, 17 developers of high-quality guidelines, and 1 consumer representative
      participated. In rounds 1 and 2, items were rewritten or dropped, and 2 items
      were added. In round 3, weighted scores were calculated from rankings and
      relative weights assigned by the expert panel. In the last round, more than 75%
      of experts indicated 3 of the 8 checklist items to be major indicators of
      guideline usefulness and, using the AGREE tool as a reference standard, a scoring
      system was developed to identify guidelines as useful, may not be useful, and not
      useful. CONCLUSION: The 8-item G-TRUST is potentially helpful as a tool for
      clinicians to identify useful guidelines. Further research will focus on its
      reliability when used by clinicians.

PMID- 28893811
TI  - Tethered to the EHR: Primary Care Physician Workload Assessment Using EHR Event
      Log Data and Time-Motion Observations.
AB  - PURPOSE: Primary care physicians spend nearly 2 hours on electronic health record
      (EHR) tasks per hour of direct patient care. Demand for non-face-to-face care,
      such as communication through a patient portal and administrative tasks, is
      increasing and contributing to burnout. The goal of this study was to assess time
      allocated by primary care physicians within the EHR as indicated by EHR user
      event log data, both during clinic hours (defined as 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday
      through Friday) and outside clinic hours. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective
      cohort study of 142 family medicine physicians in a single system in southern
      Wisconsin. All Epic (Epic Systems Corporation) EHR interactions were captured
      from "event logging" records over a 3-year period for both direct patient care
      and non-face-to-face activities, and were validated by direct observation. EHR
      events were assigned to 1 of 15 EHR task categories and allocated to either
      during or after clinic hours. RESULTS: Clinicians spent 355 minutes (5.9 hours)
      of an 11.4-hour workday in the EHR per weekday per 1.0 clinical full-time
      equivalent: 269 minutes (4.5 hours) during clinic hours and 86 minutes (1.4
      hours) after clinic hours. Clerical and administrative tasks including
      documentation, order entry, billing and coding, and system security accounted for
      nearly one-half of the total EHR time (157 minutes, 44.2%). Inbox management
      accounted for another 85 minutes (23.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Primary care physicians
      spend more than one-half of their workday, nearly 6 hours, interacting with the
      EHR during and after clinic hours. EHR event logs can identify areas of EHR
      related work that could be delegated, thus reducing workload, improving
      professional satisfaction, and decreasing burnout. Direct time-motion
      observations validated EHR-event log data as a reliable source of information
      regarding clinician time allocation.

PMID- 28893812
TI  - Impact of Scribes on Physician Satisfaction, Patient Satisfaction, and Charting
      Efficiency: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Scribes are increasingly being used in clinical practice despite a lack
      of high-quality evidence regarding their effects. Our objective was to evaluate
      the effect of medical scribes on physician satisfaction, patient satisfaction,
      and charting efficiency. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in
      which physicians in an academic family medicine clinic were randomized to 1 week
      with a scribe then 1 week without a scribe for the course of 1 year. Scribes
      drafted all relevant documentation, which was reviewed by the physician before
      attestation and signing. In encounters without a scribe, the physician performed
      all charting duties. Our outcomes were physician satisfaction, measured by a 5
      item instrument that included physicians' perceptions of chart quality and chart
      accuracy; patient satisfaction, measured by a 6-item instrument; and charting
      efficiency, measured by time to chart close. RESULTS: Scribes improved all
      aspects of physician satisfaction, including overall satisfaction with clinic (OR
      = 10.75), having enough face time with patients (OR = 3.71), time spent charting
      (OR = 86.09), chart quality (OR = 7.25), and chart accuracy (OR = 4.61) (all P
      values <.001). Scribes had no effect on patient satisfaction. Scribes increased
      the proportion of charts that were closed within 48 hours (OR =1.18, P =.028).
      CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, we have conducted the first randomized controlled
      trial of scribes. We found that scribes produced significant improvements in
      overall physician satisfaction, satisfaction with chart quality and accuracy, and
      charting efficiency without detracting from patient satisfaction. Scribes appear
      to be a promising strategy to improve health care efficiency and reduce physician
      burnout.

PMID- 28893813
TI  - Uninsured Primary Care Visit Disparities Under the Affordable Care Act.
AB  - PURPOSE: Health insurance coverage affects a patient's ability to access optimal
      care, the percentage of insured patients on a clinic's panel has an impact on the
      clinic's ability to provide needed health care services, and there are racial and
      ethnic disparities in coverage in the United States. Thus, we aimed to assess
      changes in insurance coverage at community health center (CHC) visits after the
      Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion by race and
      ethnicity. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective, observational study of visit
      payment type for CHC patients aged 19 to 64 years. We used electronic health
      record data from 10 states that expanded Medicaid and 6 states that did not, 359
      CHCs, and 870,319 patients with more than 4 million visits. Our analyses included
      difference-in-difference (DD) and difference-in-difference-in-difference (DDD)
      estimates via generalized estimating equation models. The primary outcome was
      health insurance type at each visit (Medicaid-insured, uninsured, or privately
      insured). RESULTS: After the ACA was implemented, uninsured visit rates decreased
      for all racial and ethnic groups. Hispanic patients experienced the greatest
      increases in Medicaid-insured visit rates after ACA implementation in expansion
      states (rate ratio [RR] = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.56-2.02) and the largest gains in
      privately insured visit rates in nonexpansion states (RR = 3.63; 95% CI, 2.73
      4.83). In expansion states, non-Hispanic white patients had twice the magnitude
      of decrease in uninsured visits compared with Hispanic patients (DD = 2.03; 95%
      CI, 1.53-2.70), and this relative change was more than 2 times greater in
      expansion states compared with nonexpansion states (DDD = 2.06; 95% CI, 1.52
      2.78). CONCLUSION: The lower rates of uninsured visits for all racial and ethnic
      groups after ACA implementation suggest progress in expanding coverage to CHC
      patients; this progress, however, was not uniform when comparing expansion with
      nonexpansion states and among all racial and ethnic minority subgroups. These
      findings suggest the need for continued and more equitable insurance expansion
      efforts to eliminate health insurance disparities.

PMID- 28893814
TI  - Physician Support of Smoking Cessation After Diagnosis of Lung, Bladder, or Upper
      Aerodigestive Tract Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Smoking cessation after a diagnosis of lung, bladder, and upper
      aerodigestive tract cancer appears to improve survival, and support to quit would
      improve cessation. The aims of this study were to assess how often general
      practitioners provide active smoking cessation support for these patients and
      whether physician behavior is influenced by incentive payments. METHODS: Using
      electronic primary care records from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink,
      12,393 patients with incident cases of cancer diagnosed between 1999 and 2013
      were matched 1 to 1 to patients with incident cases of coronary heart disease
      (CHD) diagnosed during the same time. We assessed differences in the proportion
      for whom physicians updated smoking status, advised quitting, and prescribed
      cessation medications, as well as the proportion of patients who stopped smoking
      within a year of diagnosis. We further examined whether any differences arose
      because the physicians were offered incentives to address smoking in patients
      with CHD and not cancer. RESULTS: At diagnosis, 32.0% of patients with cancer and
      18.2% of patients with CHD smoked tobacco. Patients with cancer were less likely
      than patients with CHD to have their general practitioners update smoking status
      (OR = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.17-0.19), advise quitting (OR = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.36-0.40),
      or prescribe medication (OR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.63-0.73), and they were less likely
      to have stopped smoking (OR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.69-0.84). One year later 61.7% of
      patients with cancer and 55.4% with CHD who were smoking at diagnosis were still
      smoking. Introducing incentive payments was associated with more frequent
      interventions, but not for patients with CHD specifically. CONCLUSIONS: General
      practitioners were less likely to support smoking cessation in patients with
      cancer than with CHD, and patients with cancer were less likely to stop smoking.
      This finding is not due to the difference in incentive payments.

PMID- 28893815
TI  - Risk Stratification Methods and Provision of Care Management Services in
      Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative Practices.
AB  - PURPOSE: Risk-stratified care management is essential to improving population
      health in primary care settings, but evidence is limited on the type of risk
      stratification method and its association with care management services. METHODS:
      We describe risk stratification patterns and association with care management
      services for primary care practices in the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC)
      initiative. We undertook a qualitative approach to categorize risk stratification
      methods being used by CPC practices and tested whether these stratification
      methods were associated with delivery of care management services. RESULTS: CPC
      practices reported using 4 primary methods to stratify risk for their patient
      populations: a practice-developed algorithm (n = 215), the American Academy of
      Family Physicians' clinical algorithm (n = 155), payer claims and electronic
      health records (n = 62), and clinical intuition (n = 52). CPC practices using
      practice-developed algorithm identified the most number of high-risk patients per
      primary care physician (282 patients, P = .006). CPC practices using clinical
      intuition had the most high-risk patients in care management and a greater
      proportion of high-risk patients receiving care management per primary care
      physician (91 patients and 48%, P =.036 and P =.128, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      CPC practices used 4 primary methods to identify high-risk patients. Although
      practices that developed their own algorithm identified the greatest number of
      high-risk patients, practices that used clinical intuition connected the greatest
      proportion of patients to care management services.

PMID- 28893816
TI  - Nature of Blame in Patient Safety Incident Reports: Mixed Methods Analysis of a
      National Database.
AB  - PURPOSE: A culture of blame and fear of retribution are recognized barriers to
      reporting patient safety incidents. The extent of blame attribution in safety
      incident reports, which may reflect the underlying safety culture of health care
      systems, is unknown. This study set out to explore the nature of blame in family
      practice safety incident reports. METHODS: We characterized a random sample of
      family practice patient safety incident reports from the England and Wales
      National Reporting and Learning System. Reports were analyzed according to
      prespecified classification systems to describe the incident type, contributory
      factors, outcomes, and severity of harm. We developed a taxonomy of blame
      attribution, and we then used descriptive statistical analyses to identify the
      proportions of blame types and to explore associations between incident
      characteristics and one type of blame. RESULTS: Health care professionals making
      family practice incident reports attributed blame to a person in 45% of cases (n
      = 975 of 2,148; 95% CI, 43%-47%). In 36% of cases, those who reported the
      incidents attributed fault to another person, whereas 2% of those reporting
      acknowledged personal responsibility. Blame was commonly associated with
      incidents where a complaint was anticipated. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of
      blame in these safety, incident reports may reflect a health care culture that
      leads to blame and retribution, rather than to identifying areas for learning and
      improvement, and a failure to appreciate the contribution of system factors in
      others' behavior. Successful improvement in patient safety through the analysis
      of incident reports is unlikely without achieving a blame-free culture.

PMID- 28893817
TI  - Preventable Emergency Hospital Admissions Among Adults With Intellectual
      Disability in England.
AB  - PURPOSE: Adults with intellectual disabilities experience poorer physical health
      and health care quality, but there is limited information on the potential for
      reducing emergency hospital admissions in this population. We describe overall
      and preventable emergency admissions for adults with vs without intellectual
      disabilities in England and assess differences in primary care management before
      admission for 2 common ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs). METHODS: We
      used electronic records to study a cohort of 16,666 adults with intellectual
      disabilities and 113,562 age-, sex-, and practice-matched adults without
      intellectual disabilities from 343 English family practices. Incident rate ratios
      (IRRs) from conditional Poisson regression were analyzed for all emergency and
      preventable emergency admissions. Primary care management of lower respiratory
      tract infections and urinary tract infections, as exemplar ACSCs, before
      admission were compared in unmatched analysis between adults with and without
      intellectual disabilities. RESULTS: The overall rate for emergency admissions for
      adults with vs without intellectual disabilities was 182 vs 68 per 1,000 per year
      (IRR = 2.82; 95% CI, 2.66-2.98). ACSCs accounted for 33.7% of emergency
      admissions among the former compared with 17.3% among the latter (IRR = 5.62; 95%
      CI, 5.14-6.13); adjusting for comorbidity, smoking, and deprivation did not fully
      explain the difference (IRR = 3.60; 95% CI, 3.25-3.99). Although adults with
      intellectual disability were at nearly 5 times higher risk for admission for
      lower respiratory tract infections and urinary tract infections, they had similar
      primary care use, investigation, and management before admission as the general
      population. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with intellectual disabilities are at high risk
      for preventable emergency admissions. Identifying strategies for better detecting
      and managing ACSCs, including lower respiratory and urinary tract infections, in
      primary care could reduce hospitalizations.

PMID- 28893818
TI  - Health Care Disparities of Ohioans With Developmental Disabilities Across the
      Lifespan.
AB  - We explored health care differences across the lifespan comparing people with
      developmental disabilities to people without developmental disabilities. Health
      care disparities are inequities occurring during the provision of and in access
      to health care that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. We
      discovered significant disparities between persons with and without developmental
      disabilities in health status, quality, utilization, access, and unmet health
      care needs. Our results highlight the need to educate health care clinicians on
      the care of patients with developmental disabilities of all ages.

PMID- 28893819
TI  - Agriculture and Health Sectors Collaborate in Addressing Population Health.
AB  - PURPOSE: Population health is of growing importance in the changing health care
      environment. The Cooperative Extension Service, housed in each state's land grant
      university, has a major impact on population health through its many community
      based efforts, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -
      Education (SNAP-Ed) nutrition programs, 4-H youth engagement, health and wellness
      education, and community development. Can the agricultural and health sectors,
      which usually operate in parallel, mostly unknown to each other, collaborate to
      address population health? We set out to provide an overview of the collaboration
      between the Cooperative Extension Service and the health sector in various states
      and describe a case study of 1 model as it developed in New Mexico. METHODS: We
      conducted a literature review and personally contacted states in which the
      Cooperative Extension Service is collaborating on a "Health Extension" model with
      academic health centers or their health systems. We surveyed 6 states in which
      Health Extension models are being piloted as to their different approaches. For a
      case study of collaboration in New Mexico, we drew on interviews with the
      leadership of New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service in the
      College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; the University of
      New Mexico (UNM) Health Science Center's Office for Community Health; and the
      personal experiences of frontline Cooperative Extension agents and UNM Health
      Extension officers who collaborated on community projects. RESULTS: A growing
      number of states are linking the agricultural Cooperative Extension Service with
      academic health centers and with the health care system. In New Mexico, the UNM
      academic health center has created "Health Extension Rural Offices" based on
      principles of the Cooperative Extension model. Today, these 2 systems are working
      collaboratively to address unmet population health needs in their communities.
      Nationally, the Cooperative Extension Service has formed a steering committee to
      guide its movement into the health arena. CONCLUSION: Resources of the
      agricultural and health sectors offer communities complementary expertise and
      resources to address adverse population health outcomes. The collaboration
      between Cooperative Extension and the health sector is 1 manifestation of this
      emerging collaboration model termed Health Extension. Initial skepticism and
      protection of funding sources and leadership roles can be overcome with shared
      funding from new sources, shared priority setting and decision making, and the
      initiation of practical, collaborative projects that build personal relationships
      and trust.

PMID- 28893820
TI  - Providing Office-Based Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.

PMID- 28893821
TI  - Fall Prevention: Empowering People Through Online Education.

PMID- 28893829
TI  - A brief history of post-truth in medicine.

PMID- 28893830
TI  - Assessment of paravalvular leakage after transcatheter aortic valve implantation:
      add clinical signs to echocardiographic data.

PMID- 28893832
TI  - Multidisciplinary Clinic to Identify Near Misses and Decrease Readmission Rates
      After Hospitalization for Myocardial Infarction.

PMID- 28893833
TI  - Anticoagulation for Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: Influence of Epidemiologic
      Trends and Clinical Practice Patterns on Risk Stratification and Net Clinical
      Benefit.

PMID- 28893831
TI  - Patient and Physician Perspectives on Public Reporting of Mortality Ratings for
      Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in New York State.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Public reporting of physician-specific outcome data for procedures,
      such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), can influence physicians to
      avoid high-risk patients who may benefit from treatment. Prior physician
      attitudes toward public scorecards in New York State (NYS) have been studied, but
      the exclusion criteria have evolved. Additionally, patient perceptions toward
      such reports remain poorly understood. This study evaluates (1) whether exclusion
      of certain high-risk patients from public reporting of PCI outcomes in NYS has
      influenced physician attitudes, (2) current patient awareness and use of publicly
      reported outcome data, and (3) differences in physician and patient attitudes
      toward public reporting. METHODS AND RESULTS: A questionnaire was administered to
      interventional cardiologists in NYS with specific emphasis on how modifications
      in publicly reported outcome data have influenced their practice. The results
      were compared with a 2003 survey administered by our group. A separate
      questionnaire regarding the publicly available NYS PCI Report was administered to
      patients referred to our center for possible PCI. The majority of interventional
      cardiologists indicated that the exclusion of patients with anoxic brain injury
      and refractory cardiogenic shock from public reporting has made them more likely
      to perform PCI for these subgroups. While patient awareness of the NYS PCI Report
      was low, patients were significantly more likely than physicians to think that
      publication of physician-specific mortality data can provide an accurate measure
      of physician quality, serve to improve patient care, and provide useful
      information in terms of physician selection. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides
      further evidence that public reporting of physician-specific outcome data
      influences physician behavior and indicates that significant discrepancies exist
      in how scorecards are perceived by physicians versus patients.

PMID- 28893834
TI  - Public Reporting of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Mortality in New York
      State: Are We Helping Our Patients?

PMID- 28893835
TI  - Genomic basis of atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent arrhythmia associated with substantial
      morbidity, mortality and costs. Available management strategies generally have
      limited efficacy and are associated with potential adverse effects. In part, the
      limited efficacy of approaches to managing AF reflect an incomplete understanding
      of the biological mechanisms underlying the arrhythmia, and only a partial
      understanding of how best to individualise management. Over the last several
      decades, a greater understanding of genome biology has led to recognition of a
      widespread genetic susceptibility to AF. Through genome-wide association studies,
      at least 30 genetic loci have been identified in association with AF, most of
      which implicate mechanisms not previously appreciated to be involved in the
      development of AF. We now recognise that AF is a polygenic condition, yet a great
      deal of work lies ahead to better understand the precise mechanisms by which
      genomic variation causes AF. Understanding the genetic basis of AF could provide
      a better understanding of AF mechanisms and cardiovascular biology, inform the
      management of patients through risk-guided approaches and facilitate the
      development of novel therapeutics.

PMID- 28893836
TI  - Immunotherapy against endocrine malignancies: immune checkpoint inhibitors lead
      the way.
AB  - Immune checkpoint inhibitors are agents that act by inhibiting the mechanisms of
      immune escape displayed by various cancers. The success of immune checkpoint
      inhibitors against several tumors has promoted a new treatment strategy in
      clinical oncology, and this has encouraged physicians to increase the number of
      patients who receive the immune checkpoint therapy. In the present article, we
      review the main concepts regarding immune checkpoint mechanisms and how cancer
      disrupts them to undergo immune escape. In addition, we describe the most
      essential concepts related to immune checkpoint inhibitors. We critically review
      the literature on preclinical and clinical studies of the immune checkpoint
      inhibitors as a treatment option for thyroid cancer, ovarian carcinoma,
      pancreatic adenocarcinoma, adrenocortical carcinoma and neuroendocrine tumors. We
      present the challenges and the opportunities of using immune checkpoint
      inhibitors against these endocrine malignancies, highlighting the breakthroughs
      and pitfalls that have recently emerged.

PMID- 28893838
TI  - Biology of Bone: The Vasculature of the Skeletal System.
AB  - Blood vessels are essential for the distribution of oxygen, nutrients, and immune
      cells, as well as the removal of waste products. In addition to this conventional
      role as a versatile conduit system, the endothelial cells forming the innermost
      layer of the vessel wall also possess important signaling capabilities and can
      control growth, patterning, homeostasis, and regeneration of the surrounding
      organ. In the skeletal system, blood vessels regulate developmental and
      regenerative bone formation as well as hematopoiesis by providing vascular niches
      for hematopoietic stem cells. Here we provide an overview of blood vessel
      architecture, growth and properties in the healthy, aging, and diseased skeletal
      system.

PMID- 28893837
TI  - Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR) RNAs in the
      Porphyromonas gingivalis CRISPR-Cas I-C System.
AB  - The CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-CRISPR
      associated protein) system is unique to prokaryotes and provides the majority of
      bacteria and archaea with immunity against nucleic acids of foreign origin.
      CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) are the key element of this system, since they are
      responsible for its selectivity and effectiveness. Typical crRNAs consist of a
      spacer sequence flanked with 5' and 3' handles originating from repeat sequences
      that are important for recognition of these small RNAs by the Cas machinery. In
      this investigation, we studied the type I-C CRISPR-Cas system in Porphyromonas
      gingivalis, a human pathogen associated with periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis,
      cardiovascular disease, and aspiration pneumonia. We demonstrated the importance
      of the 5' handle for crRNA recognition by the effector complex and consequently
      activity, as well as secondary trimming of the 3' handle, which was not affected
      by modifications of the repeat sequence.IMPORTANCEPorphyromonas gingivalis, a
      clinically relevant Gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium, is one of the major
      etiologic agents of periodontitis and has been linked with the development of
      other clinical conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular
      disease, and aspiration pneumonia. The presented results on the biogenesis and
      functions of crRNAs expand our understanding of CRISPR-Cas cellular defenses in
      P. gingivalis and of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria.

PMID- 28893840
TI  - The monoplastidic bottleneck in algae and plant evolution.
AB  - Plastids in plants and algae evolved from the endosymbiotic integration of a
      cyanobacterium by a heterotrophic eukaryote. New plastids can only emerge through
      fission; thus, the synchronization of bacterial division with the cell cycle of
      the eukaryotic host was vital to the origin of phototrophic eukaryotes. Most of
      the sampled algae house a single plastid per cell and basal-branching relatives
      of polyplastidic lineages are all monoplastidic, as are some non-vascular plants
      during certain stages of their life cycle. In this Review, we discuss recent
      advances in our understanding of the molecular components necessary for plastid
      division, including those of the peptidoglycan wall (of which remnants were
      recently identified in moss), in a wide range of phototrophic eukaryotes. Our
      comparison of the phenotype of 131 species harbouring plastids of either primary
      or secondary origin uncovers that one prerequisite for an algae or plant to house
      multiple plastids per nucleus appears to be the loss of the bacterial genes minD
      and minE from the plastid genome. The presence of a single plastid whose division
      is coupled to host cytokinesis was a prerequisite of plastid emergence. An escape
      from such a monoplastidic bottleneck succeeded rarely and appears to be coupled
      to the evolution of additional layers of control over plastid division and a
      complex morphology. The existence of a quality control checkpoint of plastid
      transmission remains to be demonstrated and is tied to understanding the
      monoplastidic bottleneck.

PMID- 28893839
TI  - Mitochondrial fission facilitates the selective mitophagy of protein aggregates.
AB  - Within the mitochondrial matrix, protein aggregation activates the mitochondrial
      unfolded protein response and PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy to mitigate
      proteotoxicity. We explore how autophagy eliminates protein aggregates from
      within mitochondria and the role of mitochondrial fission in mitophagy. We show
      that PINK1 recruits Parkin onto mitochondrial subdomains after actinonin-induced
      mitochondrial proteotoxicity and that PINK1 recruits Parkin proximal to focal
      misfolded aggregates of the mitochondrial-localized mutant ornithine
      transcarbamylase (DeltaOTC). Parkin colocalizes on polarized mitochondria
      harboring misfolded proteins in foci with ubiquitin, optineurin, and LC3.
      Although inhibiting Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission suppresses the
      segregation of mitochondrial subdomains containing DeltaOTC, it does not decrease
      the rate of DeltaOTC clearance. Instead, loss of Drp1 enhances the recruitment of
      Parkin to fused mitochondrial networks and the rate of mitophagy as well as
      decreases the selectivity for DeltaOTC during mitophagy. These results are
      consistent with a new model that, instead of promoting mitophagy, fission
      protects healthy mitochondrial domains from elimination by unchecked PINK1-Parkin
      activity.

PMID- 28893841
TI  - Endogenous signalling pathways and caged IP3 evoke Ca2+ puffs at the same
      abundant immobile intracellular sites.
AB  - The building blocks of intracellular Ca2+ signals evoked by inositol 1,4,5
      trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are Ca2+ puffs, transient focal increases in Ca2+
      concentration that reflect the opening of small clusters of IP3Rs. We use total
      internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and automated analyses to detect Ca2+
      puffs evoked by photolysis of caged IP3 or activation of endogenous muscarinic
      receptors with carbachol in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Ca2+ puffs evoked
      by carbachol initiated at an estimated 65+/-7 sites/cell, and the sites remained
      immobile for many minutes. Photolysis of caged IP3 evoked Ca2+ puffs at a similar
      number of sites (100+/-35). Increasing the carbachol concentration increased the
      frequency of Ca2+ puffs without unmasking additional Ca2+ release sites. By
      measuring responses to sequential stimulation with carbachol or photolysed caged
      IP3, we established that the two stimuli evoked Ca2+ puffs at the same sites. We
      conclude that IP3-evoked Ca2+ puffs initiate at numerous immobile sites and the
      sites become more likely to fire as the IP3 concentration increases; there is no
      evidence that endogenous signalling pathways selectively deliver IP3 to specific
      sites.

PMID- 28893842
TI  - HDL structure and function is profoundly affected when stored frozen in the
      absence of cryoprotectants.
AB  - Analysis of structural and functional parameters of HDL has gained significant
      momentum in recent years because they are stronger predictors of cardiovascular
      risk than HDL-cholesterol levels. Surprisingly, in most HDL studies, very low
      attention is paid to HDL storage, which might critically affect functional
      properties. In the present study, we systematically examined the impact of
      storage and freezing on the structural/functional properties of freshly isolated
      HDL. Initial damage to HDL starts between week 1 and week 4 of storage. We
      observed that prolonged freezing at -20 degrees C or -70 degrees C led to a
      shedding of apoA-I from HDL and to the formation of large protein-poor particles,
      indicating that HDL is irreversibly disrupted. These structural alterations
      profoundly affected key metrics of HDL function, including HDL-cholesterol efflux
      capacity and HDL paraoxonase activity. Flash-freezing of isolated HDL prior to
      storage at -70 degrees C did not preserve HDL structure. However, addition of the
      cryoprotectants, sucrose or glycerol, completely preserved structure and function
      of HDL when stored for at least 2 years. Our data clearly indicate that HDL is a
      complex particle requiring special attention when stored. Addition of
      cryoprotectants to isolated HDL samples before storage will make biochemical and
      clinical HDL research studies more reproducible and comparable.

PMID- 28893843
TI  - Timing of Angiography and Outcomes in High-Risk Patients With Non-ST-Segment
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction Managed Invasively: Insights From the TAO Trial
      (Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndrome With Otamixaban).
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction
      (NSTEMI) and GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) score >140,
      coronary angiography (CAG) is recommended by European and American guidelines
      within 24 hours. We sought to study the association of very early (ie, <=12
      hours), early (12-24 hours), and delayed (>24 hours) CAG in patients with NSTEMI
      with GRACE score >140 with ischemic outcomes. METHODS: The TAO trial (Treatment
      of Acute Coronary Syndrome With Otamixaban) randomized patients with NSTEMI and
      CAG scheduled within 72 hours to heparin plus eptifibatide versus otamixaban. In
      this post hoc analysis, patients with a GRACE score >140 were categorized into 3
      groups according to timing of CAG from admission (<12, >=12-<24, and >=24 hours).
      The primary ischemic outcome was the composite of all-cause death and myocardial
      infarction within 180 days of randomization. RESULTS: CAG was performed in 4071
      patients (<12 hours, n=1648 [40.5%]; 12-24 hours, n=1420 [34.9%]; >=24 hours,
      n=1003 [24.6%]). With CAG >=24 hours as a reference, CAG from 12 to 24 hours was
      not associated with a lower risk of primary ischemic outcome at 180 days (odds
      ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-1.23), whereas CAG <12 hours was
      associated with a lower risk of death and myocardial infarction (odds ratio,
      0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.91). Performing CAG <12 hours was also
      associated with a lower risk of death and myocardial infarction (odds ratio,
      0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.94; P=0.01) compared with CAG performed at
      12 to 24 hours. No difference was observed in bleeding complications.
      CONCLUSIONS: In patients with high-risk NSTEMI, undergoing CAG within the initial
      12 hours after admission (as opposed to later, either 12-24 or >=24 hours) was
      associated with lower risk of ischemic outcomes at 180 days.

PMID- 28893844
TI  - Accuracy and predictive value of incarcerated adults' accounts of their self-harm
      histories: findings froman Australian prospective data linkage study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-harm is prevalent in prison populations and is a well
      established risk factor for suicide. Researchers typically rely on self-report to
      measure self-harm, yet the accuracy and predictive value of self-report in prison
      populations is unclear. Using a large, representative sample of incarcerated men
      and women, we aimed to examine the level of agreement between self-reported self
      harm history and historical medical records, and investigate the association
      between self-harm history and medically verified self-harm after release from
      prison. METHODS: During confidential interviews with 1315 adults conducted within
      6 weeks of expected release from 1 of 7 prisons in Queensland, Australia,
      participants were asked about the occurrence of lifetime self-harm. Responses
      were compared with prison medical records and linked both retrospectively and
      prospectively with ambulance, emergency department and hospital records to
      identify instances of medically verified self-harm. Follow-up interviews roughly
      1, 3 and 6 months after release covered the same domains assessed in the baseline
      interview as well as self-reported criminal activity and contact with health
      care, social and criminal justice services since release. RESULTS: Agreement
      between self-reported and medically verified history of self-harm was poor, with
      64 (37.6%) of 170 participants with a history of medically verified self-harm
      disclosing a history of self-harm at baseline. Participants with a medically
      verified history of self-harm were more likely than other participants to self
      harm during the follow-up period. Compared to the unconfirmed-negative group, the
      true-positive (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 6.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.3
      10.4]), false-negative (adjusted HR 4.0 [95% CI 2.2-6.7]) and unconfirmed
      positive (adjusted HR 2.2 [95% CI 1.2-3.9]) groups were at increased risk for
      self-harm after release from prison. INTERPRETATION: Self-reported history of
      self-harm should not be considered a sensitive indicator of prior self-harm or of
      future self-harm risk in incarcerated adults. To identify those who should be
      targeted for preventive strategies, triangulation of data from multiple
      verifiable sources should be performed whenever possible.

PMID- 28893845
TI  - Highly Efficient, Rapid and Co-CRISPR-Independent Genome Editing in
      Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - We describe a rapid and highly efficient method to generate point mutations in
      Caenorhabditis elegans using direct injection of CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins.
      This versatile method does not require sensitized genetic backgrounds or co
      CRISPR selection-based methods, and represents a single strategy that can be used
      for creating genomic point mutations, regardless of location. As proof of
      principle, we show that knock-in mutants more faithfully report variant
      associated phenotypes as compared to transgenic overexpression. Data for nine
      knock-in mutants across five genes are presented that demonstrate high editing
      efficiencies (60%), a reduced screening workload (24 F1 progeny), and a rapid
      timescale (4-5 d). This optimized method simplifies genome engineering and is
      readily adaptable to other model systems.

PMID- 28893847
TI  - France to prosecute its drug regulator and Servier in scandal over diabetes drug.

PMID- 28893846
TI  - Comparison of Single Genome and Allele Frequency Data Reveals Discordant
      Demographic Histories.
AB  - Inference of demographic history from genetic data is a primary goal of
      population genetics of model and nonmodel organisms. Whole genome-based
      approaches such as the pairwise/multiple sequentially Markovian coalescent
      methods use genomic data from one to four individuals to infer the demographic
      history of an entire population, while site frequency spectrum (SFS)-based
      methods use the distribution of allele frequencies in a sample to reconstruct the
      same historical events. Although both methods are extensively used in empirical
      studies and perform well on data simulated under simple models, there have been
      only limited comparisons of them in more complex and realistic settings. Here we
      use published demographic models based on data from three human populations
      (Yoruba, descendants of northwest-Europeans, and Han Chinese) as an empirical
      test case to study the behavior of both inference procedures. We find that
      several of the demographic histories inferred by the whole genome-based methods
      do not predict the genome-wide distribution of heterozygosity, nor do they
      predict the empirical SFS. However, using simulated data, we also find that the
      whole genome methods can reconstruct the complex demographic models inferred by
      SFS-based methods, suggesting that the discordant patterns of genetic variation
      are not attributable to a lack of statistical power, but may reflect unmodeled
      complexities in the underlying demography. More generally, our findings indicate
      that demographic inference from a small number of genomes, routine in genomic
      studies of nonmodel organisms, should be interpreted cautiously, as these models
      cannot recapitulate other summaries of the data.

PMID- 28893848
TI  - A review of 10 years of scapula injuries sustained by UK military personnel on
      operations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scapula fractures are relatively uncommon injuries, mostly occurring
      due to the effects of high-energy trauma. Rates of scapula fractures are unknown
      in the military setting. The aim of this study is to analyse the incidence,
      aetiology, associated injuries, treatment and complications of these fractures
      occurring in deployed military personnel. METHODS: All UK military personnel
      returning with upper limb injuries from Afghanistan and Iraq were retrospectively
      reviewed using the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine database and case notes
      (2004-2014). RESULTS: Forty-four scapula fractures out of 572 upper limb
      fractures (7.7%) were sustained over 10 years. Blast and gunshot wounds (GSW)
      were leading causative factors in 85%. Over half were open fractures (54%), with
      open blast fractures often having significant bone and soft tissue loss requiring
      extensive reconstruction. Multiple injuries were noted including lung, head,
      vascular and nerve injuries. Injury Severity Scores (ISS) were significantly
      higher than the average upper limb injury without a scapula fracture (p<0.0001).
      Brachial plexus injuries occurred in 17%. While military personnel with GSW have
      a favourable chance of nerve recovery, 75% of brachial plexus injuries that are
      associated with blast have poorer outcomes. Fixation occurred with either glenoid
      fractures or floating shoulders (10%); these were as a result of high velocity
      GSW or mounted blast ejections. There were no cases of deep soft tissue infection
      or osteomyelitis and all scapula fractures united. CONCLUSION: Scapula fractures
      have a 20 times higher incidence in military personnel compared with the civilian
      population, occurring predominantly as a result of blast and GSW, and a higher
      than average ISS. These fractures are often associated with multiple injuries,
      including brachial plexus injuries, where those sustained from blast have less
      favourable outcome. High rates of union following fixation and low rates of
      infection are expected despite significant contamination and soft tissue loss.

PMID- 28893849
TI  - Handoffs: what's good for residents is good for nurses...so what's next?

PMID- 28893850
TI  - Age Legislation and Off-Road Vehicle Injuries in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In 2010, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a
      comprehensive law that restricted off-road vehicle (ORV) use by children <14
      years old and regulated ORV use by children up to the age of 18 years. We aimed
      to examine the impact of the 2010 Massachusetts law on the rates of ORV-related
      injuries. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of Massachusetts
      emergency department (ED) and inpatient discharges between 2002 and 2013 as found
      in the Center for Health Information and Analysis database by using external
      causes of injury codes specific to ORV-related injuries. Yearly population-based
      rates were compared before and after the implementation of the law (2002-2010 vs
      2011-2013) by using Poisson regression analysis and segmented regression.
      RESULTS: There were 3638 ED discharges and 481 inpatient discharges for ORV
      related injuries in children across the 12-year study period. After the
      implementation of the law, the rate of ED discharges declined by 33% in 0- to 9
      year-olds, 50% in 10- to 13-year-olds, and 39% in 14 to 17-year-olds (P < .0001).
      There was no significant decline in ED discharges for 25- to 34-year-olds.
      Inpatient hospital discharges were also reduced by 41% in 0- to 17-year-olds
      after implementation (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: As compared with adults (ages 25-34
      years), the population-based ORV-related injury rate of residents <18 years old
      significantly declined after the passage of legislation that imposed age
      restrictions and other safeguards for youth riders.

PMID- 28893851
TI  - Synthetic Cannabinoid Use Among High School Seniors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examined the prevalence and correlates of current
      synthetic cannabinoid (SC) use among high school seniors in the United States.
      METHODS: Monitoring the Future, an annual nationally representative survey of
      high school seniors, began querying current (30-day) SC use in 2014. Data were
      examined from the 2 most recent cohorts (2014-2015; N = 7805). Prevalence of self
      reported use was examined and differences in demographics and recency and
      frequency of other drug use was compared between current marijuana-only users and
      current SC (plus marijuana) users using chi2 and generalized linear model using
      Poisson. RESULTS: We found that 2.9% of students reported current SC use; 1.4% of
      students (49.7% of users) reported using SCs on >=3 days in the past month. SC
      users were more likely to report more recent (and often more frequent) use of
      lysergic acid diethylamide, cocaine, heroin, and/or nonmedical use of opioids
      compared with marijuana-only users. Compared with current marijuana-only users,
      SC users were more likely to report lower parent education (P < .05) and current
      use of a higher number of illegal drugs other than marijuana (Ps < .001).
      Students using SCs >=10 times in the past month were more likely to be boys,
      frequent marijuana users (Ps < .01), African American, and users of multiple
      other illegal drugs (Ps < .001). CONCLUSIONS: SC use is typically part of a
      repertoire of polydrug use, and polydrug use is less prevalent among marijuana
      only users. Current SC users are at risk for poisoning from use of the newest
      generation of SCs and from concurrent drug use.

PMID- 28893853
TI  - A Powerful Framework for Integrating eQTL and GWAS Summary Data.
AB  - Two new gene-based association analysis methods, called PrediXcan and TWAS for
      GWAS individual-level and summary data, respectively, were recently proposed to
      integrate GWAS with eQTL data, alleviating two common problems in GWAS by
      boosting statistical power and facilitating biological interpretation of GWAS
      discoveries. Based on a novel reformulation of PrediXcan and TWAS, we propose a
      more powerful gene-based association test to integrate single set or multiple
      sets of eQTL data with GWAS individual-level data or summary statistics. The
      proposed test was applied to several GWAS datasets, including two lipid summary
      association datasets based on [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]
      samples, respectively, and uncovered more known or novel trait-associated genes,
      showcasing much improved performance of our proposed method. The software
      implementing the proposed method is freely available as an R package.

PMID- 28893852
TI  - Changes in Gene Expression in Space and Time Orchestrate Environmentally Mediated
      Shaping of Root Architecture.
AB  - Shaping of root architecture is a quintessential developmental response that
      involves the concerted action of many different cell types, is highly dynamic,
      and underpins root plasticity. To determine to what extent the environmental
      regulation of lateral root development is a product of cell-type preferential
      activities, we tracked transcriptomic responses to two different treatments that
      both change root development in Arabidopsis thaliana at an unprecedented level of
      temporal detail. We found that individual transcripts are expressed with a very
      high degree of temporal and spatial specificity, yet biological processes are
      commonly regulated, in a mechanism we term response nonredundancy. Using
      causative gene network inference to compare the genes regulated in different cell
      types and during responses to nitrogen and a biotic interaction, we found that
      common transcriptional modules often regulate the same gene families but control
      different individual members of these families, specific to response and cell
      type. This reinforces that the activity of a gene cannot be defined simply as
      molecular function; rather, it is a consequence of spatial location, expression
      timing, and environmental responsiveness.

PMID- 28893854
TI  - Will Big Data Close the Missing Heritability Gap?
AB  - Despite the important discoveries reported by genome-wide association (GWA)
      studies, for most traits and diseases the prediction R-squared (R-sq.) achieved
      with genetic scores remains considerably lower than the trait heritability.
      Modern biobanks will soon deliver unprecedentedly large biomedical data sets:
      Will the advent of big data close the gap between the trait heritability and the
      proportion of variance that can be explained by a genomic predictor? We addressed
      this question using Bayesian methods and a data analysis approach that produces a
      surface response relating prediction R-sq. with sample size and model complexity
      (e.g., number of SNPs). We applied the methodology to data from the interim
      release of the UK Biobank. Focusing on human height as a model trait and using
      80,000 records for model training, we achieved a prediction R-sq. in testing (n =
      22,221) of 0.24 (95% C.I.: 0.23-0.25). Our estimates show that prediction R-sq.
      increases with sample size, reaching an estimated plateau at values that ranged
      from 0.1 to 0.37 for models using 500 and 50,000 (GWA-selected) SNPs,
      respectively. Soon much larger data sets will become available. Using the
      estimated surface response, we forecast that larger sample sizes will lead to
      further improvements in prediction R-sq. We conclude that big data will lead to a
      substantial reduction of the gap between trait heritability and the proportion of
      interindividual differences that can be explained with a genomic predictor.
      However, even with the power of big data, for complex traits we anticipate that
      the gap between prediction R-sq. and trait heritability will not be fully closed.

PMID- 28893855
TI  - Mitigating Mitochondrial Genome Erosion Without Recombination.
AB  - Mitochondria are ATP-producing organelles of bacterial ancestry that played a key
      role in the origin and early evolution of complex eukaryotic cells. Most modern
      eukaryotes transmit mitochondrial genes uniparentally, often without
      recombination among genetically divergent organelles. While this asymmetric
      inheritance maintains the efficacy of purifying selection at the level of the
      cell, the absence of recombination could also make the genome susceptible to
      Muller's ratchet. How mitochondria escape this irreversible defect accumulation
      is a fundamental unsolved question. Occasional paternal leakage could in
      principle promote recombination, but it would also compromise the purifying
      selection benefits of uniparental inheritance. We assess this tradeoff using a
      stochastic population-genetic model. In the absence of recombination, uniparental
      inheritance of freely-segregating genomes mitigates mutational erosion, while
      paternal leakage exacerbates the ratchet effect. Mitochondrial fusion-fission
      cycles ensure independent genome segregation, improving purifying selection.
      Paternal leakage provides opportunity for recombination to slow down the mutation
      accumulation, but always at a cost of increased steady-state mutation load. Our
      findings indicate that random segregation of mitochondrial genomes under
      uniparental inheritance can effectively combat the mutational meltdown, and that
      homologous recombination under paternal leakage might not be needed.

PMID- 28893857
TI  - Changes in dynamic lung mechanics after lung volume reduction coil treatment of
      severe emphysema.
AB  - We assessed the relationships between changes in lung compliance, lung volumes
      and dynamic hyperinflation in patients with emphysema who underwent bronchoscopic
      treatment with nitinol coils (coil treatment) (n=11) or received usual care (UC)
      (n=11). Compared with UC, coil treatment resulted in decreased dynamic lung
      compliance (CLdyn) (p=0.03) and increased endurance time (p=0.010). The change in
      CLdyn was associated with significant improvement in FEV1 and FVC, with reduction
      in residual volume and intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure, and with
      increased inspiratory capacity at rest/and at exercise. The increase in end
      expiratory lung volume (EELV) during exercise (EELVdyn-ch=EELVisotime EELVrest)
      demonstrated significant attenuation after coil treatment (p=0.02).

PMID- 28893858
TI  - Signaling by Small GTPases at Cell-Cell Junctions: Protein Interactions Building
      Control and Networks.
AB  - A number of interesting reports highlight the intricate network of signaling
      proteins that coordinate formation and maintenance of cell-cell contacts. We have
      much yet to learn about how the in vitro binding data is translated into protein
      association inside the cells and whether such interaction modulates the signaling
      properties of the protein. What emerges from recent studies is the importance to
      carefully consider small GTPase activation in the context of where its activation
      occurs, which upstream regulators are involved in the activation/inactivation
      cycle and the GTPase interacting partners that determine the intracellular niche
      and extent of signaling. Data discussed here unravel unparalleled cooperation and
      coordination of functions among GTPases and their regulators in supporting strong
      adhesion between cells.

PMID- 28893856
TI  - Distinct and Cooperative Roles of amh and dmrt1 in Self-Renewal and
      Differentiation of Male Germ Cells in Zebrafish.
AB  - Spermatogenesis is a fundamental process in male reproductive biology and depends
      on precise balance between self-renewal and differentiation of male germ cells.
      However, the regulative factors for controlling the balance are poorly
      understood. In this study, we examined the roles of amh and dmrt1 in male germ
      cell development by generating their mutants with Crispr/Cas9 technology in
      zebrafish. Amh mutant zebrafish displayed a female-biased sex ratio, and both
      male and female amh mutants developed hypertrophic gonads due to uncontrolled
      proliferation and impaired differentiation of germ cells. A large number of
      proliferating spermatogonium-like cells were observed within testicular lobules
      of the amh-mutated testes, and they were demonstrated to be both Vasa- and PH3
      positive. Moreover, the average number of Sycp3- and Vasa-positive cells in the
      amh mutants was significantly lower than in wild-type testes, suggesting a
      severely impaired differentiation of male germ cells. Conversely, all the dmrt1
      mutated testes displayed severe testicular developmental defects and gradual loss
      of all Vasa-positive germ cells by inhibiting their self-renewal and inducing
      apoptosis. In addition, several germ cell and Sertoli cell marker genes were
      significantly downregulated, whereas a prominent increase of Insl3-positive
      Leydig cells was revealed by immunohistochemical analysis in the disorganized
      dmrt1-mutated testes. Our data suggest that amh might act as a guardian to
      control the balance between proliferation and differentiation of male germ cells,
      whereas dmrt1 might be required for the maintenance, self-renewal, and
      differentiation of male germ cells. Significantly, this study unravels novel
      functions of amh gene in fish.

PMID- 28893859
TI  - Adherens Junctions and Desmosomes Coordinate Mechanics and Signaling to
      Orchestrate Tissue Morphogenesis and Function: An Evolutionary Perspective.
AB  - Cadherin-based adherens junctions (AJs) and desmosomes are crucial to couple
      intercellular adhesion to the actin or intermediate filament cytoskeletons,
      respectively. As such, these intercellular junctions are essential to provide not
      only integrity to epithelia and other tissues but also the mechanical machinery
      necessary to execute complex morphogenetic and homeostatic intercellular
      rearrangements. Moreover, these spatially defined junctions serve as signaling
      hubs that integrate mechanical and chemical pathways to coordinate tissue
      architecture with behavior. This review takes an evolutionary perspective on how
      the emergence of these two essential intercellular junctions at key points during
      the evolution of multicellular animals afforded metazoans with new opportunities
      to integrate adhesion, cytoskeletal dynamics, and signaling. We discuss known
      literature on cross-talk between the two junctions and, using the skin epidermis
      as an example, provide a model for how these two junctions function in concert to
      orchestrate tissue organization and function.

PMID- 28893860
TI  - Coordination between Differentially Regulated Circadian Clocks Generates Rhythmic
      Behavior.
AB  - Specialized groups of neurons in the brain are key mediators of circadian
      rhythms, receiving daily environmental cues and communicating those signals to
      other tissues in the organism for entrainment and to organize circadian
      physiology. In Drosophila, the "circadian clock" is housed in seven neuronal
      clusters, which are defined by their expression of the main circadian proteins,
      Period, Timeless, Clock, and Cycle. These clusters are distributed across the fly
      brain and are thereby subject to the respective environments associated with
      their anatomical locations. While these core components are universally expressed
      in all neurons of the circadian network, additional regulatory proteins that act
      on these components are differentially expressed, giving rise to "local clocks"
      within the network that nonetheless converge to regulate coherent behavioral
      rhythms. In this review, we describe the communication between the neurons of the
      circadian network and the molecular differences within neurons of this network.
      We focus on differences in protein-expression patterns and discuss how such
      variation can impart functional differences in each local clock. Finally, we
      summarize our current understanding of how communication within the circadian
      network intersects with intracellular biochemical mechanisms to ultimately
      specify behavioral rhythms. We propose that additional efforts are required to
      identify regulatory mechanisms within each neuronal cluster to understand the
      molecular basis of circadian behavior.

PMID- 28893861
TI  - Adrenal venous sampling for primary aldosteronism: laboratory medicine best
      practice.
AB  - Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of secondary hypertension and
      is critical to identify because when caused by an aldosterone-producing adenoma
      (APA) or another unilateral form, it is potentially curable, and even when caused
      by bilateral disease, antihypertensives more specific to PA treatment can be
      employed (ie, aldosterone antagonists). Identification of unilateral forms is not
      generally accomplished with imaging because APAs may be small and elude
      detection, and coincidental identification of a non-functioning incidentaloma
      contralateral to an APA may lead to removal of an incorrect gland. For this
      reason, the method of choice for identifying unilateral forms of PA is selective
      adrenal venous sampling (AVS) followed by aldosterone and cortisol analysis on
      collected samples. This procedure is technically difficult from a radiological
      standpoint and, from the laboratory perspective, is fraught with opportunities
      for preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical error. We review the process of
      AVS collection, analysis and reporting. Suggestions are made for patient
      preparation, specimen labelling practices and nomenclature, analytical dilution
      protocols, which numerical results to report, and the necessary subsequent
      calculations. We also identify and explain frequent sources of confusion in the
      aldosterone and cortisol results and provide an example of tabular reporting to
      facilitate interpretation and communication between laboratorian, radiologist and
      clinician.

PMID- 28893862
TI  - Molecular profile of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: analysing tumour suppressor gene
      promoter hypermethylation by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.
AB  - AIMS: To assess differences in methylation profiles, and thus pathogenesis,
      between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive and negative nasopharyngeal carcinomas
      (NPCs). Also, promoter hypermethylation is a common phenomenon in early
      carcinogenesis to inactivate tumour suppressor genes. Since epigenetic changes
      are reversible, the therapeutic application of methylation inhibitors could
      provide treatment options. METHODS: We evaluated promoter hypermethylation
      profiles of 22 common tumour suppressor genes in 108 NPCs using methylation
      specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Correlation between
      methylation, clinicopathological features (including EBV) and survival was
      examined. Cluster analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Hypermethylation of
      RASSF1A and ESR1 was significantly more frequent in EBV-positive NPC, while
      hypermethylation of DAPK1 was more frequent in EBV-negative NPC. In logistic
      regression, age, with EBV-positive NPC occurring at earlier age, and RASSF1, with
      RASSF1 hypermethylation being more frequent in EBV-positive NPC, remained
      significant. In EBV-positive NPC, hypermethylation of RASSF1A predicted worse
      overall survival (OS) (HR 3.058,95% CI 1.027 to 9.107). In EBV-negative NPC,
      hypermethylated adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) was a predictor of poor disease
      free survival (DFS) (HR 6.868, 95% CI 2.142 to 22.022). CONCLUSION: There are
      important epigenetic differences between EBV-negative and EBV-positive NPCs, with
      EBV-negative NPC having a more similar hypermethylation profile to other head and
      neck squamous cell carcinomas than EBV-positive NPC. Hypermethylation of RASSF1A
      might contribute to worse OS in EBV-positive NPC, and may be an important event
      in the pathogenesis of EBV-infected NPC. Hypermethylation of APC might contribute
      to worse DFS in EBV-negative NPC.

PMID- 28893863
TI  - Bin1 directly remodels actin dynamics through its BAR domain.
AB  - Endocytic processes are facilitated by both curvature-generating BAR-domain
      proteins and the coordinated polymerization of actin filaments. Under
      physiological conditions, the N-BAR protein Bin1 has been shown to sense and
      curve membranes in a variety of cellular processes. Recent studies have
      identified Bin1 as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, although its possible
      pathological function in neurodegeneration is currently unknown. Here, we report
      that Bin1 not only shapes membranes, but is also directly involved in actin
      binding through its BAR domain. We observed a moderate actin bundling activity by
      human Bin1 and describe its ability to stabilize actin filaments against
      depolymerization. Moreover, Bin1 is also involved in stabilizing tau-induced
      actin bundles, which are neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. We
      also provide evidence for this effect in vivo, where we observed that
      downregulation of Bin1 in a Drosophila model of tauopathy significantly reduces
      the appearance of tau-induced actin inclusions. Together, these findings reveal
      the ability of Bin1 to modify actin dynamics and provide a possible mechanistic
      connection between Bin1 and tau-induced pathobiological changes of the actin
      cytoskeleton.

PMID- 28893864
TI  - The BEACH protein LRBA is required for hair bundle maintenance in cochlear hair
      cells and for hearing.
AB  - Lipopolysaccharide-responsive beige-like anchor protein (LRBA) belongs to the
      enigmatic class of BEACH domain-containing proteins, which have been attributed
      various cellular functions, typically involving intracellular protein and
      membrane transport processes. Here, we show that LRBA deficiency in mice leads to
      progressive sensorineural hearing loss. In LRBA knockout mice, inner and outer
      hair cell stereociliary bundles initially develop normally, but then partially
      degenerate during the second postnatal week. LRBA deficiency is associated with a
      reduced abundance of radixin and Nherf2, two adaptor proteins, which are
      important for the mechanical stability of the basal taper region of stereocilia.
      Our data suggest that due to the loss of structural integrity of the central
      parts of the hair bundle, the hair cell receptor potential is reduced, resulting
      in a loss of cochlear sensitivity and functional loss of the fraction of spiral
      ganglion neurons with low spontaneous firing rates. Clinical data obtained from
      two human patients with protein-truncating nonsense or frameshift mutations
      suggest that LRBA deficiency may likewise cause syndromic sensorineural hearing
      impairment in humans, albeit less severe than in our mouse model.

PMID- 28893866
TI  - Randomised placebo-controlled safety and tolerability trial of FK506 (tacrolimus)
      for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease characterised by
      occlusive pulmonary vasculopathy. Activation of bone morphogenetic protein
      receptor 2 (BMPR2) signalling by FK506 (tacrolimus) reverses occlusive
      vasculopathy in rodent PAH models. Here, we determined the safety and
      tolerability of low-level FK506 therapy in stable PAH patients.We performed a
      randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 16-week, single-centre, phase IIa
      trial in PAH patients with New York Heart Association functional class II/III
      symptoms using three FK506 target levels (<2, 2-3 and 3-5 ng.mL-1). 23 patients
      were randomised and 20 patients completed the trial.FK506 was generally well
      tolerated, with nausea/diarrhoea being the most commonly reported adverse event
      and no observation of line infections in patients on intravenous prostacyclin
      therapy. PAH patients had significantly lower BMPR2 expression in peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells versus healthy controls (n=13; p=0.005), which improved
      after FK506 treatment. While we observed that some patients responded with a
      pronounced increase in BMPR2 expression as well as improvement in 6-min walk
      distance, and serological and echocardiographic parameters of heart failure,
      these changes were not significant.Low-level FK506 is well tolerated and
      increases BMPR2 in subsets of PAH patients. These results support the study of
      FK506 in a phase IIb efficacy trial.

PMID- 28893867
TI  - Mechanistic insight into the function of the microbiome in lung diseases.
AB  - The lung harbours a diverse array of microbes whose dynamic composition is
      influenced by both host and environmental factors. Thus far, most studies have
      described the microbial composition of healthy or diseased lungs and provided an
      overview of the differences between topographical locations within the
      respiratory tract. However, insight into the functional mechanisms underlying
      host-microbe interactions and how they might drive lung health and disease are
      limited. This review provides an overview of the current mechanistic
      understanding of the microbiome, crosstalk between tissue compartments, and its
      involvement in respiratory diseases.

PMID- 28893865
TI  - ROC-king onwards: intraepithelial lymphocyte counts, distribution & role in
      coeliac disease mucosal interpretation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Counting intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) is central to the
      histological diagnosis of coeliac disease (CD), but no definitive 'normal' IEL
      range has ever been published. In this multicentre study, receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off
      between normal and CD (Marsh III lesion) duodenal mucosa, based on IEL counts on
      >400 mucosal biopsy specimens. DESIGN: The study was designed at the
      International Meeting on Digestive Pathology, Bucharest 2015. Investigators from
      19 centres, eight countries of three continents, recruited 198 patients with
      Marsh III histology and 203 controls and used one agreed protocol to count
      IEL/100 enterocytes in well-oriented duodenal biopsies. Demographic and
      serological data were also collected. RESULTS: The mean ages of CD and control
      groups were 45.5 (neonate to 82) and 38.3 (2-88) years. Mean IEL count was 54+/
      18/100 enterocytes in CD and 13+/-8 in normal controls (p=0.0001). ROC analysis
      indicated an optimal cut-off point of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes, with 99%
      sensitivity, 92% specificity and 99.5% area under the curve. Other cut-offs
      between 20 and 40 IEL were less discriminatory. Additionally, there was a
      sufficiently high number of biopsies to explore IEL counts across the
      subclassification of the Marsh III lesion. CONCLUSION: Our ROC curve analyses
      demonstrate that for Marsh III lesions, a cut-off of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes
      optimises discrimination between normal control and CD biopsies. No differences
      in IEL counts were found between Marsh III a, b and c lesions. There was an
      indication of a continuously graded dose-response by IEL to environmental
      (gluten) antigenic influence.

PMID- 28893868
TI  - Official ERS technical standards: Global Lung Function Initiative reference
      values for the carbon monoxide transfer factor for Caucasians.
AB  - There are numerous reference equations available for the single-breath transfer
      factor of the lung for carbon monoxide (T LCO); however, it is not always clear
      which reference set should be used in clinical practice. The aim of the study was
      to develop the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) all-age reference values for
      T LCOData from 19 centres in 14 countries were collected to define T LCO
      reference values. Similar to the GLI spirometry project, reference values were
      derived using the LMS (lambda, mu, sigma) method and the GAMLSS (generalised
      additive models for location, scale and shape) programme in R.12 660 T LCO
      measurements from asymptomatic, lifetime nonsmokers were submitted; 85% of the
      submitted data were from Caucasians. All data were uncorrected for haemoglobin
      concentration. Following adjustments for elevation above sea level, gas
      concentration and assumptions used for calculating the anatomic dead space
      volume, there was a high degree of overlap between the datasets. Reference values
      for Caucasians aged 5-85 years were derived for T LCO, transfer coefficient of
      the lung for carbon monoxide and alveolar volume.This is the largest collection
      of normative T LCO data, and the first global reference values available for T
      LCO.

PMID- 28893870
TI  - Do community demographics, environmental characteristics and access to care
      affect risks of developing ACOS and mortality in people with asthma?

PMID- 28893871
TI  - Neither genotyping nor contact tracing allow correct understanding of multidrug
      resistant tuberculosis transmission.

PMID- 28893869
TI  - The MUC5B promoter polymorphism is associated with specific interstitial lung
      abnormality subtypes.
AB  - The MUC5B promoter polymorphism (rs35705950) has been associated with
      interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) in white participants from the general
      population; whether these findings are replicated and influenced by the ILA
      subtype is not known. We evaluated the associations between the MUC5B genotype
      and ILA in cohorts with extensive imaging characterisation.We performed ILA
      phenotyping and MUC5B promoter genotyping in 5308 and 9292 participants from the
      AGES-Reykjavik and COPDGene cohorts, respectively.We found that ILA was present
      in 7% of participants from the AGES-Reykjavik, 8% of non-Hispanic white
      participants from COPDGene and 7% of African-American participants from COPDGene.
      Although the MUC5B genotype was strongly associated (after correction for
      multiple testing) with ILA (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.8-2.4, p=1*10-26), there was
      evidence of significant heterogeneity between cohorts (I2=81%). When narrowed to
      specific radiologic subtypes, (e.g. subpleural ILA), the MUC5B genotype remained
      strongly associated (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.2-3.1, p=1*10-30) with minimal
      heterogeneity (I2=0%). Although there was no evidence that the MUC5B genotype
      influenced survival, there was evidence that MUC5B genotype improved risk
      prediction for possible usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) or a UIP pattern in
      non-Hispanic white populations.The MUC5B promoter polymorphism is strongly
      associated with ILA and specific radiologic subtypes of ILA, with varying degrees
      of heterogeneity in the underlying populations.

PMID- 28893872
TI  - Targeting bone morphogenic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) signalling to treat
      pulmonary arterial hypertension.

PMID- 28893873
TI  - Sepsis, one of CMAJ's four new areas of focus.

PMID- 28893874
TI  - The quadruple burden of sepsis.

PMID- 28893875
TI  - Duration of antiresorptive activity of zoledronate in postmenopausal women with
      osteopenia: a randomized, controlled multidose trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intravenous zoledronate 5 mg annually reduces fracture risk, and 5 mg
      every 2 years prevents bone loss, but the optimal dosing regimens for these
      indications are uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a 3-year open-label extension of
      a 2-year randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Late postmenopausal
      women with osteopenia were assigned to receive a single baseline dose of 1 mg,
      2.5 mg or 5 mg of zoledronate or placebo. The primary outcome was change in spine
      bone mineral density (BMD). Secondary outcomes were changes in hip BMD and serum
      markers of bone turnover. RESULTS: The study involved 160 women. Zoledronate
      increased BMD and reduced markers of bone turnover in a dose-dependent manner.
      After 2 years, the 1-mg, 2.5-mg and 5-mg zoledronate doses increased spine BMD
      over placebo by 5.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0% to 7.0%), 5.7% (95% CI
      3.7% to 7.7%) and 5.7% (95% CI 3.7% to 7.6%), respectively; after 5 years, the
      respective increases were 2.0% (95% CI -1.1% to 5.0%), 2.2% (95% CI -1.0% to
      5.4%) and 5.1% (95% CI 2.2% to 8.1%). After 2 years, the 1-mg, 2.5-mg and 5-mg
      zoledronate doses increased total hip BMD over placebo by 2.6% (95% CI 1.3% to
      3.9%), 4.1% (95% CI 2.9% to 5.4%) and 4.7% (95% CI 3.4% to 5.9%), respectively;
      after 5 years, the respective increases were 1.8% (95% CI -0.1% to 3.8%), 2.8%
      (95% CI 0.8% to 4.8%) and 5.4% (95% CI 3.5% to 7.3%). BMD remained above baseline
      values for 2-3 years in the 1-mg group, 3-4 years in the 2.5-mg group and at
      least 5 years in the 5-mg group. INTERPRETATION: The antiresorptive activity of
      single zoledronate doses of 1-5 mg persist for at least 3 years in postmenopausal
      women with osteopenia. Clinical trials would be justified to evaluate the effects
      on fracture risk of less frequent or lower doses of zoledronate than are
      currently recommended. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.anzctr.org.au, no.
      ACTRN12607000576426.

PMID- 28893876
TI  - Recommendations on screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm in primary care.

PMID- 28893877
TI  - Superimposed lateralized exanthem in a 30-year-old woman.

PMID- 28893878
TI  - Canadian hepatitis C virus screening guideline: a disconnect between evidence and
      recommendations.

PMID- 28893879
TI  - Extrapolation warning.

PMID- 28893880
TI  - How physicians can "flex their advocacy muscles".

PMID- 28893881
TI  - CMA votes for review of medical liability system.

PMID- 28893882
TI  - Harm reduction is about providing safety for patients.

PMID- 28893883
TI  - CMA's new mission and vision statements rankle some members.

PMID- 28893884
TI  - Doctors and health funding must focus on most vulnerable: Philpott.

PMID- 28893885
TI  - Physicians debate tax reforms at CMA annual meeting.

PMID- 28893886
TI  - Doctors dissect medicine's bullying problem.

PMID- 28893887
TI  - Doctors should buckle up for health reforms: Barrette.

PMID- 28893888
TI  - Focus on patients, the rest will follow, says new CMA pres.

PMID- 28893889
TI  - Lively debate on disability insurance for medical students at CMA meeting.

PMID- 28893890
TI  - Healthier doctors means healthier patients: CMA president-elect.

PMID- 28893891
TI  - Health leaders must share the reins of reform: outgoing CMA pres.

PMID- 28893892
TI  - CMA must address physician burnout, pharmacare, say doctors.

PMID- 28893893
TI  - Physicians support assisted death for mature minors, but not mental illness.

PMID- 28893894
TI  - Fees for medical liability protection decrease in populous regions.

PMID- 28893895
TI  - All Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Increase the Risk of Future
      Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with vascular dysfunction in
      the pregnancy and an increased risk of long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) in
      the mother. What remains to be understood is whether the length, severity of the
      disease, the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy, or the subtype of
      hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are significant predictors of future CVD. We
      undertook a retrospective cohort study to review all women who gave birth at a
      tertiary hospital in Sydney between the years 1980 and 1989 (n=31 656). A cohort
      of women was further defined by having hypertension during the antenatal,
      intrapartum, or postnatal periods (n=4387). Randomly selected records of women
      (n=1158) with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy were individually reviewed to
      collect data on their pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. The entire cohort then
      underwent linkage analysis to future CVDs. Women who presented with gestational
      hypertension were at greater risk of future hypertension and ischemic heart
      disease compared with the women who were diagnosed with preeclampsia. There was
      no significant difference between the women who were treated with
      antihypertensive medication and the women who did not receive antihypertensive
      medication or the duration of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and future
      admission for CVD, although severity of hypertension tracked with increased risk
      of future hypertension in all groups. This study demonstrated that all women who
      present with any of the subtypes of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are at
      significant risk of future CVD compared with women who remain normotensive during
      their pregnancy.

PMID- 28893896
TI  - Sildenafil During Pregnancy: A Preclinical Meta-Analysis on Fetal Growth and
      Maternal Blood Pressure.
AB  - Sildenafil is a new approach to treat fetal growth restriction (FGR) and
      preeclampsia. We performed a systematic meta-analysis to evaluate effects of
      sildenafil. Our search identified 22 animal studies (mouse, rat, rabbit, sheep,
      and guinea pigs) and 2 human randomized controlled trials. Data were pooled using
      ratio of means and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals for fetal
      growth and maternal blood pressure, respectively. Meta-regression analyses were
      performed for study-related factors that might affect efficacy of sildenafil,
      including the model used (healthy pregnancy versus FGR/preeclampsia) and route of
      administration. Dose-response curves with dose per metabolic weight (mg/kg0.75
      per 24 hours) were fitted using splines. Our analyses show that sildenafil
      increases fetal growth during FGR/preeclampsia pregnancy compared with healthy
      pregnancy (1.10 [1.06-1.13] versus 1.03 [0.99-1.06]; P=0.006). There was no
      significant effect on fetal growth in the absence of FGR/preeclampsia. Effects
      were similar among different species and largest after oral and continuous
      administration. There was a positive relation between dose and fetal growth up to
      a human equivalent dose of ~450 mg/d. A significant blood pressure-lowering
      effect of sildenafil is present during FGR/preeclampsia pregnancy only (-19 [-25
      to -13] mm Hg; P<0.01), with the effect size being highly dependent on baseline
      blood pressure and without effect in the absence of hypertension. This meta
      analysis supports that sildenafil improves fetal growth and maternal blood
      pressure regulation during FGR and preeclampsia pregnancy. The greatest
      beneficial effects on fetal growth are with dosages greater than those currently
      used in human studies.

PMID- 28893897
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation and Hypertension.

PMID- 28893898
TI  - Left Ventricular Mass, Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Cognitive
      Performance: Results From the Strong Heart Study.
AB  - Left ventricular mass (LVM) has been shown to serve as a measure of target organ
      damage resulting from chronic exposure to several risk factors. Data on the
      association of midlife LVM with later cognitive performance are sparse. We
      studied 721 adults (mean age 56 years at baseline) enrolled in the Strong Heart
      Study (SHS, 1993-1995) and the ancillary CDCAI (Cerebrovascular Disease and Its
      Consequences in American Indians) Study (2010-2013), a study population with high
      prevalence of cardiovascular disease. LVM was assessed with transthoracic
      echocardiography at baseline in 1993 to 1995. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging
      and cognitive testing were undertaken between 2010 and 2013. Generalized
      estimating equations were used to model associations between LVM and later
      imaging and cognition outcomes. The mean follow-up period was 17 years. A
      difference of 25 g in higher LVM was associated with marginally lower hippocampal
      volume (0.01%; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.00; P=0.001) and higher white
      matter grade (0.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.18; P=0.014). Functionally,
      participants with higher LVM tended to have slightly lower scores on the modified
      mini-mental state examination (0.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-0.08;
      P=0.024). The main results persisted after adjusting for blood pressure levels or
      vascular disease. The small overall effect sizes are partly explained by survival
      bias because of the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in our population.
      Our findings emphasize the role of cardiovascular health in midlife as a target
      for the prevention of deleterious cognitive and functional outcomes in later
      life.

PMID- 28893899
TI  - Impact of Age and Target-Organ Damage on Prognostic Value of 24-Hour Ambulatory
      Blood Pressure.
AB  - Markers of target-organ damage and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP)
      measurement improve cardiovascular risk stratification. The prevalence of target
      organ damage and raised BP increases with aging. The study aim was to evaluate
      the impact of age and target-organ damage on the prognostic value of ambulatory
      BP. Markers of target-organ damage and ambulatory BP were measured in 1408
      healthy people aged 41 or 51 (middle-aged group), and 61 or 71 (older group)
      years. The primary outcome was cardiovascular events after 16 years of follow-up,
      with data obtained from national registries. The prognostic value of BP was
      evaluated with Cox regression models, adjusted for traditional risk factors and
      target-organ damage, including left ventricular mass, pulse wave velocity,
      carotid plaques, and urine albumin/creatinine ratio. A total of 323 events were
      observed. In comparison with traditional risk factors, adding systolic BP and
      presence of target-organ damage improved risk stratification by increasing
      concordance index from 0.711 to 0.728 (P=0.01). In middle-aged subjects with
      target-organ damage, increment in pulse pressure (hazard ratio, 1.70; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.31-2.21; P<0.01) and increment in average real variability
      (hazard ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.59; P=0.02) were associated
      with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease compared with subjects without
      target-organ damage: hazard ratio, 1.04 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-1.46;
      P=0.81); P for interaction, 0.02; and hazard ratio, 0.89 (95% confidence
      interval, 0.69-1.14; P=0.36); P for interaction, 0.01. Target-organ damage may be
      a marker of individual susceptibility to the harmful effects of pulse pressure
      and BP variability on the cardiovascular system in middle-aged individuals.

PMID- 28893900
TI  - Labetalol Versus Nifedipine as Antihypertensive Treatment for Chronic
      Hypertension in Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - : Data from randomized controlled trials to guide antihypertensive agent choice
      for chronic hypertension in pregnancy are limited; this study aimed to compare
      labetalol and nifedipine, additionally assessing the impact of ethnicity on
      treatment efficacy. Pregnant women with chronic hypertension (12+0-27+6 weeks'
      gestation) were enrolled at 4 UK centers (August 2014 to October 2015). Open
      label first-line antihypertensive treatment was randomly assigned: labetalol-
      (200-1800 mg/d) or nifedipine-modified release (20-80 mg/d). Analysis included
      112 women (98%) who completed the study (labetalol n=55, nifedipine n=57).
      Maximum blood pressure after randomization was 161/101 mm Hg with labetalol
      versus 163/105 mm Hg with nifedipine (mean difference systolic: 1.2 mm Hg [-4.9
      to 7.2 mm Hg], diastolic: 3.3 mm Hg [-0.6 to 7.3 mm Hg]). Mean blood pressure was
      134/84 mm Hg with labetalol and 134/85 mm Hg with nifedipine (mean difference
      systolic: 0.3 mm Hg [-2.8 to 3.4 mm Hg], and diastolic: -1.9 mm Hg [-4.1 to 0.3
      mm Hg]). Nifedipine use was associated with a 7.4-mm Hg reduction (-14.4 to -0.4
      mm Hg) in central aortic pressure, measured by pulse wave analysis. No difference
      in treatment effect was observed in black women (n=63), but a mean 4 mm Hg
      reduction (-6.6 to -0.8 mm Hg; P=0.015) in brachial diastolic blood pressure was
      observed with labetalol compared with nifedipine in non-black women (n=49).
      Labetalol and nifedipine control mean blood pressure to target in pregnant women
      with chronic hypertension. This study provides support for a larger definitive
      trial scrutinizing the benefits and side effects of first-line antihypertensive
      treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.isrctn.com. Unique
      identifier: ISRCTN40973936.

PMID- 28893901
TI  - Expression of PD-L1 in Hormone-naive and Treated Prostate Cancer Patients
      Receiving Neoadjuvant Abiraterone Acetate plus Prednisone and Leuprolide.
AB  - Purpose: Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1)/programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)
      blockade has been unsuccessful in prostate cancer, with poor immunogenicity and
      subsequent low PD-L1 expression in prostate cancer being proposed as an
      explanation. However, recent studies indicate that a subset of prostate cancer
      may express significant levels of PD-L1. Furthermore, the androgen antagonist
      enzalutamide has been shown to upregulate PD-L1 expression in prostate cancer
      preclinical models. In this study, we evaluated the effect of neoadjuvant
      androgen deprivation therapy with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone and
      leuprolide (Neo-AAPL) on PD-L1 expression in prostate cancer.Experimental Design:
      Radical prostatectomy (RP) tissues were collected from 44 patients with
      intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer who underwent RP after Neo-AAPL
      treatment. Untreated prostate cancer tissues were collected from 130 patients,
      including 44 matched controls for the Neo-AAPL cases. Tumor PD-L1 expression was
      detected by IHC using validated anti-PD-L1 antibodies. Tumor-infiltrating CD8+
      cells were analyzed in trial cases and matched controls. Expression of DNA
      mismatch repair genes was examined in PD-L1-positive tumors.Results: Neo-AAPL
      treated tumors showed a trend toward decreased PD-L1 positivity compared with
      matched controls (7% vs. 21% having >=1% positive tumor cells; P = 0.062).
      Treated tumors also harbored significantly fewer tumor-infiltrating CD8+ cells (P
      = 0.029). In 130 untreated prostate cancers, African American ethnicity, elevated
      serum PSA, and small prostate independently predicted tumor PD-L1 positivity.
      Loss of MSH2 expression was observed in 1 of 21 PD-L1-positive
      tumors.Conclusions: A subset of prostate cancer expresses PD-L1, which is not
      increased by Neo-AAPL treatment, indicating that combining Neo-AAPL treatment
      with PD-L1/PD-1 blockade may not be synergistic. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 6812
      22. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28893902
TI  - The cytosolic domain of T-cell receptor zeta associates with membranes in a
      dynamic equilibrium and deeply penetrates the bilayer.
AB  - Interactions between lipid bilayers and the membrane-proximal regions of membrane
      associated proteins play important roles in regulating membrane protein structure
      and function. The T-cell antigen receptor is an assembly of eight single-pass
      membrane-spanning subunits on the surface of T lymphocytes that initiates
      cytosolic signaling cascades upon binding antigens presented by MHC-family
      proteins on antigen-presenting cells. Its zeta-subunit contains multiple
      cytosolic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs involved in signal
      transduction, and this subunit by itself is sufficient to couple extracellular
      stimuli to intracellular signaling events. Interactions of the cytosolic domain
      of zeta (zetacyt) with acidic lipids have been implicated in the initiation and
      regulation of transmembrane signaling. zetacyt is unstructured in solution.
      Interaction with acidic phospholipids induces structure, but its disposition when
      bound to lipid bilayers is controversial. Here, using surface plasmon resonance
      and neutron reflection, we characterized the interaction of zetacyt with planar
      lipid bilayers containing mixtures of acidic and neutral lipids. We observed two
      binding modes of zetacyt to the bilayers in dynamic equilibrium: one in which
      zetacyt is peripherally associated with lipid headgroups and one in which it
      penetrates deeply into the bilayer. Such an equilibrium between the peripherally
      bound and embedded forms of zetacyt apparently controls accessibility of the
      immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation signal transduction pathway. Our results
      reconcile conflicting findings of the zeta structure reported in previous studies
      and provide a framework for understanding how lipid interactions regulate motifs
      to tyrosine kinases and may regulate the T-cell antigen receptor biological
      activities for this cell-surface receptor system.

PMID- 28893903
TI  - Estrogen receptor beta-dependent Notch1 activation protects vascular endothelium
      against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-induced apoptosis.
AB  - Unlike age-matched men, premenopausal women benefit from cardiovascular
      protection. Estrogens protect against apoptosis of endothelial cells (ECs), one
      of the hallmarks of endothelial dysfunction leading to cardiovascular disorders,
      but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. The
      inflammatory cytokine TNFalpha causes EC apoptosis while dysregulating the Notch
      pathway, a major contributor to EC survival. We have previously reported that
      17beta-estradiol (E2) treatment activates Notch signaling in ECs. Here, we sought
      to assess whether in TNFalpha-induced inflammation Notch is involved in E2
      mediated protection of the endothelium. We treated human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVECs) with E2, TNFalpha, or both and found that E2
      counteracts TNFalpha-induced apoptosis. When Notch1 was inhibited, this E2
      mediated protection was not observed, whereas ectopic overexpression of Notch1
      diminished TNFalpha-induced apoptosis. Moreover, TNFalpha reduced the levels of
      active Notch1 protein, which were partially restored by E2 treatment. Moreover,
      siRNA-mediated knockdown of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta), but not ERalpha,
      abolished the effect of E2 on apoptosis. Additionally, the E2-mediated regulation
      of the levels of active Notch1 was abrogated after silencing ERbeta. In summary,
      our results indicate that E2 requires active Notch1 through a mechanism involving
      ERbeta to protect the endothelium in TNFalpha-induced inflammation. These
      findings could be relevant for assessing the efficacy and applicability of
      menopausal hormone treatment, because they may indicate that in women with
      impaired Notch signaling, hormone therapy might not effectively protect the
      endothelium.

PMID- 28893904
TI  - Anthrax lethal toxin rapidly reduces c-Jun levels by inhibiting c-Jun gene
      transcription and promoting c-Jun protein degradation.
AB  - Anthrax is a life-threatening disease caused by infection with Bacillus
      anthracis, which expresses lethal factor and the receptor-binding protective
      antigen. These two proteins combine to form anthrax lethal toxin (LT), whose
      proximal targets are mitogen-activated kinase kinases (MKKs). However, the
      downstream mediators of LT toxicity remain elusive. Here we report that LT
      exposure rapidly reduces the levels of c-Jun, a key regulator of cell
      proliferation and survival. Blockade of proteasome-dependent protein degradation
      with the 26S proteasome inhibitor MG132 largely restored c-Jun protein levels,
      suggesting that LT promotes degradation of c-Jun protein. Using the MKK1/2
      inhibitor U0126, we further show that MKK1/2-Erk1/2 pathway inactivation
      similarly reduces c-Jun protein, which was also restored by MG132 pre-exposure.
      Interestingly, c-Jun protein rebounded to normal levels 4 h following U0126
      exposure but not after LT exposure. The restoration of c-Jun in U0126-exposed
      cells was associated with increased c-Jun mRNA levels and was blocked by
      inactivation of the JNK1/2 signaling pathway. These results indicate that LT
      reduces c-Jun both by promoting c-Jun protein degradation via inactivation of
      MKK1/2-Erk1/2 signaling and by blocking c-Jun gene transcription via inactivation
      of MKK4-JNK1/2 signaling. In line with the known functions of c-Jun, LT also
      inhibited cell proliferation. Ectopic expression of LT-resistant MKK2 and MKK4
      variants partially restored Erk1/2 and JNK1/2 signaling in LT-exposed cells,
      enabling the cells to maintain relatively normal c-Jun protein levels and cell
      proliferation. Taken together, these findings indicate that LT reduces c-Jun
      protein levels via two distinct mechanisms, thereby inhibiting critical cell
      functions, including cellular proliferation.

PMID- 28893905
TI  - Lysine acetylation stoichiometry and proteomics analyses reveal pathways
      regulated by sirtuin 1 in human cells.
AB  - Lysine acetylation is a widespread posttranslational modification affecting many
      biological pathways. Recent studies indicate that acetylated lysine residues
      mainly exhibit low acetylation occupancy, but challenges in sample preparation
      and analysis make it difficult to confidently assign these numbers, limiting
      understanding of their biological significance. Here, we tested three common
      sample preparation methods to determine their suitability for assessing
      acetylation stoichiometry in three human cell lines, identifying the acetylation
      occupancy in more than 1,300 proteins from each cell line. The stoichiometric
      analysis in combination with quantitative proteomics also enabled us to explore
      their functional roles. We found that higher abundance of the deacetylase sirtuin
      1 (SIRT1) correlated with lower acetylation occupancy and lower levels of
      ribosomal proteins, including those involved in ribosome biogenesis and rRNA
      processing. Treatment with the SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527 confirmed SIRT1's role in
      the regulation of pre-rRNA synthesis and processing. Specifically, proteins
      involved in pre-rRNA transcription, including subunits of the polymerase I and
      SL1 complexes and the RNA polymerase I-specific transcription initiation factor
      RRN3, were up-regulated after SIRT1 inhibition. Moreover, many protein effectors
      and regulators of pre-rRNA processing needed for rRNA maturation were also up
      regulated after EX-527 treatment with the outcome that pre-rRNA and 28S rRNA
      levels also increased. More generally, we found that SIRT1 inhibition down
      regulates metabolic pathways, including glycolysis and pyruvate metabolism.
      Together, these results provide the largest data set thus far of lysine
      acetylation stoichiometry (available via ProteomeXchange with identifier
      PXD005903) and set the stage for further biological investigations of this
      central posttranslational modification.

PMID- 28893906
TI  - N-terminal splicing extensions of the human MYO1C gene fine-tune the kinetics of
      the three full-length myosin IC isoforms.
AB  - The MYO1C gene produces three alternatively spliced isoforms, differing only in
      their N-terminal regions (NTRs). These isoforms, which exhibit both specific and
      overlapping nuclear and cytoplasmic functions, have different expression levels
      and nuclear-cytoplasmic partitioning. To investigate the effect of NTR extensions
      on the enzymatic behavior of individual isoforms, we overexpressed and purified
      the three full-length human isoforms from suspension-adapted HEK cells. MYO1CC
      favored the actomyosin closed state (AMC), MYO1C16 populated the actomyosin open
      state (AMO) and AMC equally, and MYO1C35 favored the AMO state. Moreover, the
      full-length constructs isomerized before ADP release, which has not been observed
      previously in truncated MYO1CC constructs. Furthermore, global numerical
      simulation analysis predicted that MYO1C35 populated the actomyosin.ADP closed
      state (AMDC) 5-fold more than the actomyosin.ADP open state (AMDO) and to a
      greater degree than MYO1CC and MYO1C16 (4- and 2-fold, respectively). On the
      basis of a homology model of the 35-amino acid NTR of MYO1C35 (NTR35) docked to
      the X-ray structure of MYO1CC, we predicted that MYO1C35 NTR residue Arg-21 would
      engage in a specific interaction with post-relay helix residue Glu-469, which
      affects the mechanics of the myosin power stroke. In addition, we found that
      adding the NTR35 peptide to MYO1CC yielded a protein that transiently mimics
      MYO1C35 kinetic behavior. By contrast, NTR35, which harbors the R21G mutation,
      was unable to confer MYO1C35-like kinetic behavior. Thus, the NTRs affect the
      specific nucleotide-binding properties of MYO1C isoforms, adding to their kinetic
      diversity. We propose that this level of fine-tuning within MYO1C broadens its
      adaptability within cells.

PMID- 28893907
TI  - Compositional and expression analyses of the glideosome during the Plasmodium
      life cycle reveal an additional myosin light chain required for maximum motility.
AB  - Myosin A (MyoA) is a Class XIV myosin implicated in gliding motility and host
      cell and tissue invasion by malaria parasites. MyoA is part of a membrane
      associated protein complex called the glideosome, which is essential for parasite
      motility and includes the MyoA light chain myosin tail domain-interacting protein
      (MTIP) and several glideosome-associated proteins (GAPs). However, most studies
      of MyoA have focused on single stages of the parasite life cycle. We examined
      MyoA expression throughout the Plasmodium berghei life cycle in both mammalian
      and insect hosts. In extracellular ookinetes, sporozoites, and merozoites, MyoA
      was located at the parasite periphery. In the sexual stages, zygote formation and
      initial ookinete differentiation precede MyoA synthesis and deposition, which
      occurred only in the developing protuberance. In developing intracellular asexual
      blood stages, MyoA was synthesized in mature schizonts and was located at the
      periphery of segmenting merozoites, where it remained throughout maturation,
      merozoite egress, and host cell invasion. Besides the known GAPs in the malaria
      parasite, the complex included GAP40, an additional myosin light chain designated
      essential light chain (ELC), and several other candidate components. This ELC
      bound the MyoA neck region adjacent to the MTIP-binding site, and both myosin
      light chains co-located to the glideosome. Co-expression of MyoA with its two
      light chains revealed that the presence of both light chains enhances MyoA
      dependent actin motility. In conclusion, we have established a system to study
      the interplay and function of the three glideosome components, enabling the
      assessment of inhibitors that target this motor complex to block host cell
      invasion.

PMID- 28893908
TI  - The intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain of galectin-3 dynamically mediates
      multisite self-association of the protein through fuzzy interactions.
AB  - Galectins are a family of lectins that bind beta-galactosides through their
      conserved carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) and can induce aggregation with
      glycoproteins or glycolipids on the cell surface and thereby regulate cell
      activation, migration, adhesion, and signaling. Galectin-3 has an intrinsically
      disordered N-terminal domain and a canonical CRD. Unlike the other 14 known
      galectins in mammalian cells, which have dimeric or tandem-repeated CRDs enabling
      multivalency for various functions, galectin-3 is monomeric, and its functional
      multivalency therefore is somewhat of a mystery. Here, we used NMR spectroscopy,
      mutagenesis, small-angle X-ray scattering, and computational modeling to study
      the self-association-related multivalency of galectin-3 at the residue-specific
      level. We show that the disordered N-terminal domain (residues ~20-100) interacts
      with itself and with a part of the CRD not involved in carbohydrate recognition
      (beta-strands 7-9; residues ~200-220), forming a fuzzy complex via inter- and
      intramolecular interactions, mainly through hydrophobicity. These fuzzy
      interactions are characteristic of intrinsically disordered proteins to achieve
      liquid-liquid phase separation, and we demonstrated that galectin-3 can also
      undergo liquid-liquid phase separation. We propose that galectin-3 may achieve
      multivalency through this multisite self-association mechanism facilitated by
      fuzzy interactions.

PMID- 28893910
TI  - Protonation equilibria and pore-opening structure of the dual-histidine influenza
      B virus M2 transmembrane proton channel from solid-state NMR.
AB  - The influenza A and B viruses are the primary cause of seasonal flu epidemics.
      Common to both viruses is the M2 protein, a homotetrameric transmembrane proton
      channel that acidifies the virion after endocytosis. Although influenza A M2
      (AM2) and B M2 (BM2) are functional analogs, they have little sequence homology,
      except for a conserved HXXXW motif, which is responsible for proton selectivity
      and channel gating. Importantly, BM2 contains a second titratable histidine, His
      27, in the tetrameric transmembrane domain that forms a reverse WXXXH motif with
      the gating tryptophan. To understand how His-27 affects the proton conduction
      property of BM2, we have used solid-state NMR to characterize the pH-dependent
      structure and dynamics of His-27. In cholesterol-containing lipid membranes
      mimicking the virus envelope, 15N NMR spectra show that the His-27 tetrad
      protonates with higher pKa values than His-19, indicating that the solvent
      accessible His-27 facilitates proton conduction of the channel by increasing the
      proton dissociation rates of His-19. AM2 is inhibited by the amantadine class of
      antiviral drugs, whereas BM2 has no known inhibitors. We measured the N-terminal
      interhelical separation of the BM2 channel using fluorinated Phe-5. The
      interhelical 19F-19F distances show a bimodal distribution of a short distance of
      7 A and a long distance of 15-20 A, indicating that the phenylene rings do not
      block small-molecule entry into the channel pore. These results give insights
      into the lack of amantadine inhibition of BM2 and reveal structural diversities
      in this family of viral proton channels.

PMID- 28893909
TI  - Processive searching ability varies among members of the gap-filling DNA
      polymerase X family.
AB  - DNA repair proteins must locate rare damaged sites within the genome. DNA
      polymerase beta (Pol beta), a member of the DNA polymerase X family that is
      involved in base excision repair, uses a processive hopping search mechanism to
      locate substrates. This effectively enhances its search footprint on DNA,
      increasing the probability of locating damaged sites. Processive searching has
      been reported or proposed for many DNA-binding proteins, raising the question of
      how widespread or specific to certain enzymes the ability to perform this
      function is. To provide insight into this question, we compared the ability of
      three homologous DNA Pol X family members to perform a processive search for 1
      nucleotide gaps in DNA using a previously developed biochemical assay. We found
      that at near-predicted physiological ionic strengths, the intramolecular
      searching ability of Pol beta is at least 4-fold higher than that of Pol MU and
      ~2-fold higher than that of Pol lambda. Pol beta also was able to perform
      intersegmental transfer with the intersegmental searching ability of Pol beta
      being at least 6- and ~2-fold higher than that of Pols MU and lambda,
      respectively. Mutational analysis suggested that differences in the N-terminal
      domains of these polymerases are responsible for the varying degrees of searching
      competence. Of note, the differences in processive searching ability observed
      among the DNA Pol X family members correlated with their proposed biological
      functions in base excision repair and nonhomologous end joining.

PMID- 28893911
TI  - Molecular and functional characterization of the endothelial ATP-sensitive
      potassium channel.
AB  - ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are widely expressed in the
      cardiovascular system, where they regulate a range of biological activities by
      linking cellular metabolism with membrane excitability. KATP channels in vascular
      smooth muscle have a well-defined role in regulating vascular tone. KATP channels
      are also thought to be expressed in vascular endothelial cells, but their
      presence and function in this context are less clear. As a result, we aimed to
      investigate the molecular composition and physiological role of endothelial KATP
      channels. We first generated mice with an endothelial specific deletion of the
      channel subunit Kir6.1 (eKO) using cre-loxP technology. Data from qRT-PCR, patch
      clamp, ex vivo coronary perfusion Langendorff heart experiments, and endothelial
      cell Ca2+ imaging comparing eKO and wild-type mice show that Kir6.1-containing
      KATP channels are indeed present in vascular endothelium. An increase in
      intracellular [Ca2+], which is central to changes in endothelial function such as
      mediator release, at least partly contributes to the endothelium-dependent
      vasorelaxation induced by the KATP channel opener pinacidil. The absence of
      Kir6.1 did not elevate basal coronary perfusion pressure in eKO mice. However,
      vasorelaxation was impaired during hypoxia in the coronary circulation, and this
      resulted in greater cardiac injury during ischemia-reperfusion. The response to
      adenosine receptor stimulation was impaired in eKO mice in single cells in patch
      clamp recordings and in the intact coronary circulation. Our data support the
      existence of an endothelial KATP channel that contains Kir6.1, is involved in
      vascular reactivity in the coronary circulation, and has a protective role in
      ischemia reperfusion.

PMID- 28893912
TI  - The Gene tia, Harbored by the Subtilase-Encoding Pathogenicity Island, Is
      Involved in the Ability of Locus of Enterocyte Effacement-Negative Shiga Toxin
      Producing Escherichia coli Strains To Invade Monolayers of Epithelial Cells.
AB  - Locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE)-negative Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing
      Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are human pathogens that lack the LEE locus, a
      pathogenicity island (PAI) involved in the intimate adhesion of LEE-positive
      strains to the host gut epithelium. The mechanism used by LEE-negative STEC
      strains to colonize the host intestinal mucosa is still not clear. The cell
      invasion determinant tia, previously described in enterotoxigenic E. coli
      strains, has been identified in LEE-negative STEC strains that possess the
      subtilase-encoding pathogenicity island (SE-PAI). We evaluated the role of the
      gene tia, present in these LEE-negative STEC strains, in the invasion of
      monolayers of cultured cells. We observed that these strains were able to invade
      Caco-2 and HEp-2 cell monolayers and compared their invasion ability with that of
      a mutant strain in which the gene tia had been inactivated. Mutation of the gene
      tia resulted in a strong reduction of the invasive phenotype, and complementation
      of the tia mutation with a functional copy of the gene restored the invasion
      activity. Moreover, we show that the gene tia is overexpressed in bacteria
      actively invading cell monolayers, demonstrating that tia is involved in the
      ability to invade cultured monolayers of epithelial cells shown by SE-PAI
      positive E. coli, including STEC, strains. However, the expression of the tia
      gene in the E. coli K-12 strain JM109 was not sufficient, in its own right, to
      confer to this strain the ability to invade cell monolayers, suggesting that at
      least another factor must be involved in the invasion ability displayed by the SE
      PAI-positive strains.

PMID- 28893913
TI  - Interleukin-17A-Deficient Mice Are Highly Susceptible to Toxoplasma gondii
      Infection Due to Excessively Induced T. gondii HSP70 and Interferon Gamma
      Production.
AB  - Interleukin17A (IL-17A) is known to be involved in the host defense against
      pathogens and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Previously, we showed that
      excessive amounts of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) play an important role in the
      pathogenesis of the lethal effects of Toxoplasma gondii by inducing anaphylactic
      responses. In the study described in this report, we examined the effects of IL
      17A deficiency on murine host defense against oral T. gondii infection. IL-17A
      deficient C57BL/6 (B6) mice exhibited higher rates of mortality than wild-type
      (WT) mice during the acute phase of T. gondii infection. CD4+ T cells in the
      mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs) and ileum of T. gondii-infected IL-17A-deficient
      mice produced higher levels of IFN-gamma than did those of WT mice. In addition,
      the level of T. gondii HSP70 (T.gHSP70) expression was also significantly
      increased in the ileum, mLNs, liver, and spleen of infected IL-17A-deficient mice
      compared with that in WT mice. These elevated levels of expression of T.gHSP70
      and IFN-gamma in infected IL-17A-deficient mice were presumably linked to the IL
      17A defect since they decreased to WT levels after treatment with recombinant IL
      17A. Furthermore, IL-17A-deficient mice were highly susceptible to the
      anaphylactic effect of T.gHSP70, and the survival of IL-17A-deficient mice during
      the acute phase was improved by treatment with an anti-T.gHSP70 monoclonal
      antibody. These results suggest that IL-17A plays an important role in host
      survival against T. gondii infection by protecting the host from an anaphylactic
      reaction via the downregulation of T.gHSP70 and IFN-gamma production.

PMID- 28893914
TI  - Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Serine Protease StmPr1 Induces Matrilysis, Anoikis,
      and Protease-Activated Receptor 2 Activation in Human Lung Epithelial Cells.
AB  - Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging, opportunistic nosocomial pathogen
      that can cause severe disease in immunocompromised individuals. We recently
      identified the StmPr1 and StmPr2 serine proteases to be the substrates of the Xps
      type II secretion system in S. maltophilia strain K279a. Here, we report that a
      third serine protease, StmPr3, is also secreted in an Xps-dependent manner. By
      constructing a panel of protease mutants in strain K279a, we were able to
      determine that StmPr3 contributes to the previously described Xps-mediated
      rounding and detachment of cells of the A549 human lung epithelial cell line as
      well as the Xps-mediated degradation of fibronectin, fibrinogen, and the cytokine
      interleukin-8 (IL-8). We also determined that StmPr1, StmPr2, and StmPr3 account
      for all Xps-mediated effects toward A549 cells and that StmPr1 contributes the
      most to Xps-mediated activities. Thus, we purified StmPr1 from the S. maltophilia
      strain K279a culture supernatant and evaluated the protease's activity toward
      A549 cells. Our analyses revealed that purified StmPr1 behaves more similarly to
      subtilisin than to trypsin. We also determined that purified StmPr1 likely
      induces cell rounding and detachment of A549 cells by targeting cell integrin
      extracellular matrix connections (matrilysis) as well as adherence and tight
      junction proteins for degradation. In this study, we also identified anoikis as
      the mechanism by which StmPr1 induces the death of A549 cells and found that
      StmPr1 induces A549 IL-8 secretion via activation of protease-activated receptor
      2. Altogether, these results suggest that the degradative and cytotoxic
      activities exhibited by StmPr1 may contribute to S. maltophilia pathogenesis in
      the lung by inducing tissue damage and inflammation.

PMID- 28893915
TI  - Hyperbiofilm Formation by Bordetella pertussis Strains Correlates with Enhanced
      Virulence Traits.
AB  - Pertussis, or whooping cough, caused by the obligate human pathogen Bordetella
      pertussis is undergoing a worldwide resurgence. The majority of studies of this
      pathogen are conducted with laboratory-adapted strains which may not be
      representative of the species as a whole. Biofilm formation by B. pertussis plays
      an important role in pathogenesis. We conducted a side-by-side comparison of the
      biofilm-forming abilities of the prototype laboratory strains and the currently
      circulating isolates from two countries with different vaccination programs.
      Compared to the reference strain, all strains examined herein formed biofilms at
      high levels. Biofilm structural analyses revealed country-specific differences,
      with strains from the United States forming more structured biofilms. Bacterial
      hyperaggregation and reciprocal expression of biofilm-promoting and -inhibitory
      factors were observed in clinical isolates. An association of increased biofilm
      formation with augmented epithelial cell adhesion and higher levels of bacterial
      colonization in the mouse nose and trachea was detected. To our knowledge, this
      work links for the first time increased biofilm formation in bacteria with a
      colonization advantage in an animal model. We propose that the enhanced biofilm
      forming capacity of currently circulating strains contributes to their
      persistence, transmission, and continued circulation.

PMID- 28893916
TI  - Role of Activins in Hepcidin Regulation during Malaria.
AB  - Epidemiological observations have linked increased host iron with malaria
      susceptibility, and perturbed iron handling has been hypothesized to contribute
      to the potentially life-threatening anemia that may accompany blood-stage malaria
      infection. To improve our understanding of these relationships, we examined the
      pathways involved in regulation of the master controller of iron metabolism, the
      hormone hepcidin, in malaria infection. We show that hepcidin upregulation in
      Plasmodium berghei murine malaria infection was accompanied by changes in
      expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/sons of mothers against
      decapentaplegic (SMAD) pathway target genes, a key pathway involved in hepcidin
      regulation. We therefore investigated known agonists of the BMP/SMAD pathway and
      found that Bmp gene expression was not increased in infection. In contrast,
      activin B, which can signal through the BMP/SMAD pathway and has been associated
      with increased hepcidin during inflammation, was upregulated in the livers of
      Plasmodium berghei-infected mice; hepatic activin B was also upregulated at peak
      parasitemia during infection with Plasmodium chabaudi Concentrations of the
      closely related protein activin A increased in parallel with hepcidin in serum
      from malaria-naive volunteers infected in controlled human malaria infection
      (CHMI) clinical trials. However, antibody-mediated neutralization of activin
      activity during murine malaria infection did not affect hepcidin expression,
      suggesting that these proteins do not stimulate hepcidin upregulation directly.
      In conclusion, we present evidence that the BMP/SMAD signaling pathway is
      perturbed in malaria infection but that activins, although raised in malaria
      infection, may not have a critical role in hepcidin upregulation in this setting.

PMID- 28893917
TI  - Phenol-Soluble Modulin Peptides Contribute to Influenza A Virus-Associated
      Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia.
AB  - Influenza A virus (IAV) infection is often followed by secondary bacterial lung
      infection, which is a major reason for severe, often fatal pneumonia. Community
      associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains such as
      USA300 cause particularly severe and difficult-to-treat cases of IAV-associated
      pneumonia. CA-MRSA strains are known to produce extraordinarily large amounts of
      phenol-soluble modulin (PSM) peptides, which are important cytotoxins and
      proinflammatory molecules that contribute to several types of S. aureus
      infection. However, their potential role in pneumonia has remained elusive. We
      determined the impact of PSMs on human lung epithelial cells and found that PSMs
      are cytotoxic and induce the secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine
      interleukin-8 (IL-8) in these cells. Both effects were boosted by previous
      infection with the 2009 swine flu pandemic IAV H1N1 strain, suggesting that PSMs
      may contribute to lung inflammation and damage in IAV-associated S. aureus
      pneumonia. Notably, the PSM-producing USA300 strain caused a higher mortality
      rate than did an isogenic PSM-deficient mutant in a mouse IAV-S. aureus pneumonia
      coinfection model, indicating that PSMs are major virulence factors in IAV
      associated S. aureus pneumonia and may represent important targets for future
      anti-infective therapies.

PMID- 28893918
TI  - Enterococcus faecalis Promotes Innate Immune Suppression and Polymicrobial
      Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection.
AB  - Enterococcus faecalis, a member of the human gastrointestinal microbiota, is an
      opportunistic pathogen associated with hospital-acquired wound, bloodstream, and
      urinary tract infections. E. faecalis can subvert or evade immune-mediated
      clearance, although the mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we
      examined E. faecalis-mediated subversion of macrophage activation. We observed
      that E. faecalis actively prevents NF-kappaB signaling in mouse RAW264.7
      macrophages in the presence of Toll-like receptor agonists and during
      polymicrobial infection with Escherichia coliE. faecalis and E. coli coinfection
      in a mouse model of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) resulted
      in a suppressed macrophage transcriptional response in the bladder compared to
      that with E. coli infection alone. Finally, we demonstrated that coinoculation of
      E. faecalis with a commensal strain of E. coli into catheterized bladders
      significantly augmented E. coli CAUTI. Taken together, these results support the
      hypothesis that E. faecalis suppression of NF-kappaB-driven responses in
      macrophages promotes polymicrobial CAUTI pathogenesis, especially during
      coinfection with less virulent or commensal E. coli strains.

PMID- 28893920
TI  - Are SGLT2 Inhibitors Ready for Prime Time for CKD?

PMID- 28893919
TI  - Antigen Localization Influences the Magnitude and Kinetics of Endogenous Adaptive
      Immune Response to Recombinant Salmonella Vaccines.
AB  - The use of recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine (RASV) strains is a
      promising strategy for presenting heterologous antigens to the mammalian immune
      system to induce both cellular and humoral immune responses. However, studies on
      RASV development differ on where heterologous antigens are expressed and
      localized within the bacterium, and it is unclear how antigen localization
      modulates the immune response. Previously, we exploited the plasmid-encoded toxin
      (Pet) autotransporter system for accumulation of heterologous antigens in cell
      culture supernatant. In the present study, this Pet system was used to express
      early secretory antigen 6 (ESAT-6), an immunodominant and diagnostic antigen from
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain
      SL3261. Three strains were generated, whereby ESAT-6 was expressed as a
      cytoplasmic (SL3261/cyto), surface-bound (SL3261/surf), or secreted (SL3261/sec)
      antigen. Using these RASVs, the relationship between antigen localization and
      immunogenicity in infected C57BL/6 mice was systematically examined. Using
      purified antigen and specific tetramers, we showed that mice infected with the
      SL3261/surf or SL3261/sec strain generated large numbers of Th1 CD4+ ESAT-6+
      splenic T cells compared to those of mice infected with SL3261/cyto. While all
      mice showed ESAT-6-specific antibody responses when infected with SL3261/surf or
      SL3261/sec, peak total serum IgG antibody titers were reached more rapidly in
      mice that received SL3261/sec. Thus, how antigen is localized after production
      within bacteria has a more marked effect on the antibody response than on the
      CD4+ T cell response, which might influence the chosen strategy to localize
      recombinant antigen in RASVs.

PMID- 28893922
TI  - Challenges in Developing New Therapies for Vascular Access Dysfunction.

PMID- 28893921
TI  - Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effect of Dietary Potassium Restriction on
      Nerve Function in CKD.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neuromuscular complications are almost universal in
      CKD by the time that a patient commences dialysis. Recent studies have indicated
      that chronic hyperkalemia may contribute to the development of neuropathy in CKD.
      This study was undertaken to determine whether dietary restriction of potassium
      intake may be a neuroprotective factor in CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, &
      MEASUREMENTS: A 24-month prospective, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial
      was undertaken in 47 consecutively recruited patients with stages 3 and 4 CKD.
      The intervention arm (n=23) was prescribed a diet focusing on potassium
      restriction to meet a monthly serum potassium level of <=4.5 mEq/L, with oral
      sodium polystyrene sulfonate provided if dietary advice failed to achieve the
      target. The control arm (n=24) received dietary advice regarding general
      nutrition. The primary outcome was the change in the total neuropathy score
      evaluated by a blinded observer. Secondary outcomes included electrolyte levels,
      gait speed, neurophysiologic parameters, and health-related quality of life
      scores. Five patients withdrew before initiation of treatment, and final analysis
      consisted of n=21 in each group. RESULTS: There was a greater increase in total
      neuropathy score from baseline to final assessment in the control arm compared
      with the intervention arm (6.1+/-6.2-8.6+/-7.9 controls; 7.8+/-7.4-8.2+/-7.5
      intervention; change 2.8+/-3.3-0.4+/-2.2, respectively; P<0.01). The intervention
      significantly reduced mean serum potassium compared with controls (4.6+/-0.1
      4.8+/-0.1 mEq/L mean recorded every 6 months over the trial duration; P=0.03).
      There were no adverse changes in other nutritional parameters. Improved gait
      speed was also noted in the intervention arm compared with the control arm, with
      a mean increase of 0.15+/-0.17 m/s in the intervention group versus 0.02+/-0.16
      m/s in the control group (P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide important
      preliminary evidence that dietary potassium restriction confers neuroprotection
      in CKD and should be confirmed in a larger multicenter trial.

PMID- 28893923
TI  - Drug-Induced Acute Interstitial Nephritis.

PMID- 28893925
TI  - Approaches to and Clinical Benefits of Reducing Dietary K in CKD.

PMID- 28893924
TI  - Changes in Albuminuria and Subsequent Risk of Incident Kidney Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Albuminuria is a robust predictor of CKD progression.
      However, little is known about the associations of changes in albuminuria with
      the risk of kidney events outside the settings of clinical trials. DESIGN,
      SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: In a nationwide cohort of 56,946 United
      States veterans with an eGFR>=60 ml/min per 1.73 m2, we examined the associations
      of 1-year fold changes in albuminuria with subsequent incident CKD (>25% decrease
      in eGFR reaching <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2) and rapid eGFR decline (eGFR slope <-5
      ml/min per 1.73 m2 per year) assessed using Cox models and logistic regression,
      respectively, with adjustment for confounders. RESULTS: The mean age was 64 (SD,
      10) years old; 97% were men, and 91% were diabetic. There was a nearly linear
      association between 1-year fold changes in albuminuria and incident CKD. The
      multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of incident CKD
      associated with more than twofold decrease, 1.25- to twofold decrease, 1.25- to
      twofold increase, and more than twofold increase (versus <1.25-fold decrease to
      <1.25-fold increase) in albuminuria were 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.77 to
      0.89), 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.86 to 1.00), 1.12 (95% confidence
      interval, 1.05 to 1.20), and 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 1.21 to 1.38),
      respectively. Qualitatively similar associations were present for rapid eGFR
      decline (adjusted odds ratios; 95% confidence intervals for corresponding
      albuminuria changes: adjusted odds ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.78 to
      0.94; adjusted odds ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.89 to 1.07; adjusted
      odds ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.29; and adjusted odds ratio,
      1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.54 and 1.81, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      Relative changes in albuminuria over a 1-year interval were linearly associated
      with subsequent risk of kidney outcomes. Additional studies are warranted to
      elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the observed associations and test whether
      active interventions to lower elevated albuminuria can improve kidney outcomes.

PMID- 28893926
TI  - Limited Contribution of Primary Motor Cortex in Eye-Hand Coordination: A TMS
      Study.
AB  - The ability to track a moving target with the eye is substantially improved when
      the target is self-moved compared with when it is moved by an external agent. To
      account for this observation, it has been postulated that the oculomotor system
      has access to hand efference copy, thereby allowing to predict the motion of the
      visual target. Along this scheme, we tested the effect of transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (TMS) over the hand area of the primary motor cortex (M1) when human
      participants (50% females) are asked to track with their eyes a visual target
      whose horizontal motion is driven by their grip force. We reasoned that, if the
      output of M1 is used by the oculomotor system to keep track of the target, on top
      of inducing short latency disturbance of grip force, single-pulse TMS should also
      quickly disrupt ongoing eye motion. For comparison purposes, the effect of TMS
      over M1 was monitored when subjects tracked an externally moved target (while
      keeping their hand at rest or not). In both cases, results showed no alterations
      in smooth pursuit, meaning that its velocity was unaffected within the 25-125 ms
      epoch that followed TMS. Overall, our results imply that the output of M1 has
      limited contribution in driving the eye motion during our eye-hand coordination
      task. This study suggests that, if hand motor signals are accessed by the
      oculomotor system, this is upstream of M1.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ability to
      coordinate eye and hand actions is central in everyday activity. However, the
      neural mechanisms underlying this coordination remain to be clarified. A leading
      hypothesis is that the oculomotor system has access to hand motor signals. Here
      we explored this possibility by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
      over the hand area of the primary motor cortex (M1) when humans tracked with the
      eyes a visual target that was moved by the hand. As expected, ongoing hand action
      was perturbed 25-30 ms after TMS, but our results fail to show any disruption of
      eye motion, smooth pursuit velocity being unaffected. This work suggests that, if
      hand motor signals are accessed by the oculomotor system, this is upstream of M1.

PMID- 28893928
TI  - Content-Specific Codes of Parametric Vibrotactile Working Memory in Humans.
AB  - To understand how the brain handles mentally represented information flexibly in
      the absence of sensory stimulation, working memory (WM) studies have been
      essential. A seminal finding in monkey research is that neurons in the prefrontal
      cortex (PFC) retain stimulus-specific information when vibrotactile frequencies
      were memorized. A direct mapping between monkey studies and human research is
      still controversial. Although oscillatory signatures, in terms of frequency
      dependent parametric beta-band modulation, have been observed recently in human
      EEG studies, the content specificity of these representations in terms of
      multivariate pattern analysis has not yet been shown. Here, we used fMRI in
      combination with multivariate classification techniques to determine which brain
      regions retain information during WM. In a retro-cue delayed-match-to-sample
      task, human subjects memorized the frequency of vibrotactile stimulation over a
      12 s delay phase. Using an assumption-free whole-brain searchlight approach, we
      tested with support vector regression which brain regions exhibited multivariate
      parametric WM codes of the maintained frequencies during the WM delay.
      Interestingly, our analysis revealed an overlap with regions previously
      identified in monkeys composed of bilateral premotor cortices, supplementary
      motor area, and the right inferior frontal gyrus as part of the PFC. Therefore,
      our results establish a link between the WM codes found in monkeys and those in
      humans and emphasize the importance of the PFC for information maintenance during
      WM also in humans.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Working memory (WM) research in monkeys
      has identified a network of regions, including prefrontal regions, to code
      stimulus-specific information when vibrotactile frequencies are memorized. Here,
      we performed an fMRI study during which human subjects had to memorize vibratory
      frequencies in parallel to previous monkey research. Using an assumption-free,
      whole-brain searchlight decoding approach, we identified for the first time
      regions in the human brain that exhibit multivariate patterns of activity to code
      the vibratory frequency parametrically during WM. Our results parallel previous
      monkey findings and show that the supplementary motor area, premotor, and the
      right prefrontal cortex are involved in vibrotactile WM coding in humans.

PMID- 28893927
TI  - Mutant Huntingtin Inhibits alphaB-Crystallin Expression and Impairs Exosome
      Secretion from Astrocytes.
AB  - In the brain, astrocytes secrete diverse substances that regulate neuronal
      function and viability. Exosomes, which are vesicles produced through the
      formation of multivesicular bodies and their subsequent fusion with the plasma
      membrane, are also released from astrocytes via exocytotic secretion. Astrocytic
      exosomes carry heat shock proteins that can reduce the cellular toxicity of
      misfolded proteins and prevent neurodegeneration. Although mutant huntingtin
      (mHtt) affects multiple functions of astrocytes, it remains unknown whether mHtt
      impairs the production of exosomes from astrocytes. We found that mHtt is not
      present in astrocytic exosomes, but can decrease exosome secretion from
      astrocytes in HD140Q knock-in (KI) mice. N-terminal mHtt accumulates in the
      nuclei and forms aggregates, causing decreased secretion of exosomes from
      cultured astrocytes. Consistently, there is a significant decrease in secreted
      exosomes in both female and male HD KI mouse striatum in which abundant nuclear
      mHtt aggregates are present. Conversely, injection of astrocytic exosomes into
      the striatum of HD140Q KI mice reduces the density of mHtt aggregates. Further,
      mHtt in astrocytes decreased the expression of alphaB-crystallin, a small heat
      shock protein that is enriched in astrocytes and mediates exosome secretion, by
      reducing the association of Sp1 with the enhancer of the alphaB-crystallin gene.
      Importantly, overexpression of alphaB-crystallin rescues defective exosome
      release from HD astrocytes as well as mHtt aggregates in the striatum of HD140Q
      KI mice. Our results demonstrate that mHtt reduces the expression of alphaB
      crystallin in astrocytes to decrease exosome secretion in the HD brains,
      contributing to non-cell-autonomous neurotoxicity in HD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
      Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by selective neurodegeneration that
      preferentially occurs in the striatal medium spiny neurons. Recent studies in
      different HD mouse models demonstrated that dysfunction of astrocytes, a major
      type of glial cell, leads to neuronal vulnerability. Emerging evidence shows that
      exosomes secreted from astrocytes contain neuroprotective cargoes that could
      support the survival of neighboring neurons. We found that mHtt in astrocytes
      impairs exosome secretion by decreasing alphaB-crystallin, a protein that is
      expressed mainly in glial cells and mediates exosome secretion. Overexpression of
      alphaB-crystallin could alleviate the deficient exosome release and
      neuropathology in HD mice. Our results revealed a new pathological pathway that
      affects the critical support of glial cells to neurons in the HD brain.

PMID- 28893929
TI  - Distinct Patterns of Temporal and Directional Connectivity among Intrinsic
      Networks in the Human Brain.
AB  - To determine the spatiotemporal relationships among intrinsic networks of the
      human brain, we recruited seven neurosurgical patients (four males and three
      females) who were implanted with intracranial depth electrodes. We first
      identified canonical resting-state networks at the individual subject level using
      an iterative matching procedure on each subject's resting-state fMRI data. We
      then introduced single electrical pulses to fMRI pre-identified nodes of the
      default network (DN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and salience network (SN)
      while recording evoked responses in other recording sites within the same
      networks. We found bidirectional signal flow across the three networks, albeit
      with distinct patterns of evoked responses within different time windows. We used
      a data-driven clustering approach to show that stimulation of the FPN and SN
      evoked a rapid (<70 ms) response that was predominantly higher within the SN
      sites, whereas stimulation of the DN led to sustained responses in later time
      windows (85-200 ms). Stimulations in the medial temporal lobe components of the
      DN evoked relatively late effects (>130 ms) in other nodes of the DN, as well as
      FPN and SN. Our results provide temporal information about the patterns of signal
      flow between intrinsic networks that provide insights into the spatiotemporal
      dynamics that are likely to constrain the architecture of the brain networks
      supporting human cognition and behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite great
      progress in the functional neuroimaging of the human brain, we still do not know
      the precise set of rules that define the patterns of temporal organization
      between large-scale networks of the brain. In this study, we stimulated and then
      recorded electrical evoked potentials within and between three large-scale
      networks of the brain, the default network (DN), frontoparietal network (FPN),
      and salience network (SN), in seven subjects undergoing invasive neurosurgery.
      Using a data-driven clustering approach, we observed distinct temporal and
      directional patterns between the three networks, with FPN and SN activity
      predominant in early windows and DN stimulation affecting the network in later
      windows. These results provide important temporal information about the
      interactions between brain networks supporting human cognition and behavior.

PMID- 28893930
TI  - How Human Amygdala and Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis May Drive Distinct
      Defensive Responses.
AB  - The ability to adaptively regulate responses to the proximity of potential danger
      is critical to survival and imbalance in this system may contribute to
      psychopathology. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is implicated in
      defensive responding during uncertain threat anticipation whereas the amygdala
      may drive responding upon more acute danger. This functional dissociation between
      the BNST and amygdala is however controversial, and human evidence scarce. Here
      we used data from two independent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies
      [n = 108 males and n = 70 (45 females)] to probe how coordination between the
      BNST and amygdala may regulate responses during shock anticipation and actual
      shock confrontation. In a subset of participants from Sample 2 (n = 48) we
      demonstrate that anticipation and confrontation evoke bradycardic and tachycardic
      responses, respectively. Further, we show that in each sample when going from
      shock anticipation to the moment of shock confrontation neural activity shifted
      from a region anatomically consistent with the BNST toward the amygdala.
      Comparisons of functional connectivity during threat processing showed
      overlapping yet also consistently divergent functional connectivity profiles for
      the BNST and amygdala. Finally, childhood maltreatment levels predicted amygdala,
      but not BNST, hyperactivity during shock anticipation. Our results support an
      evolutionary conserved, defensive distance-dependent dynamic balance between BNST
      and amygdala activity. Shifts in this balance may enable shifts in defensive
      reactions via the demonstrated differential functional connectivity. Our results
      indicate that early life stress may tip the neural balance toward acute threat
      responding and via that route predispose for affective disorder.SIGNIFICANCE
      STATEMENT Previously proposed differential contributions of the BNST and amygdala
      to fear and anxiety have been recently debated. Despite the significance of
      understanding their contributions to defensive reactions, there is a paucity of
      human studies that directly compared these regions on activity and connectivity
      during threat processing. We show strong evidence for a dissociable role of the
      BNST and amygdala in threat processing by demonstrating in two large participant
      samples that they show a distinct temporal signature of threat responding as well
      as a discriminable pattern of functional connections and differential sensitivity
      to early life threat.

PMID- 28893931
TI  - Human oncogenic viruses: nature and discovery.
AB  - Seven kinds of virus collectively comprise an important cause of cancer,
      particularly in less developed countries and for people with damaged immune
      systems. Discovered over the past 54 years, most of these viruses are common
      infections of humankind for which malignancy is a rare consequence. Various
      cofactors affect the complex interaction between virus and host and the
      likelihood of cancer emerging. Although individual human tumour viruses exert
      their malignant effects in different ways, there are common features that
      illuminate mechanisms of oncogenesis more generally, whether or not there is a
      viral aetiology.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic
      viruses'.

PMID- 28893932
TI  - Tumour virology in the era of high-throughput genomics.
AB  - With the advent of massively parallel sequencing, oncogenic viruses in tumours
      can now be detected in an unbiased and comprehensive manner. Additionally, new
      viruses or strains can be discovered based on sequence similarity with known
      viruses. Using this approach, the causative agent for Merkel cell carcinoma was
      identified. Subsequent studies using data from large collections of tumours have
      confirmed models built during decades of hypothesis-driven and low-throughput
      research, and a more detailed and comprehensive description of virus-tumour
      associations have emerged. Notably, large cohorts and high sequencing depth, in
      combination with newly developed bioinformatical techniques, have made it
      possible to rule out several suggested virus-tumour associations with a high
      degree of confidence. In this review we discuss possibilities, limitations and
      insights gained from using massively parallel sequencing to characterize tumours
      with viral content, with emphasis on detection of viral sequences and genomic
      integration events.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic
      viruses'.

PMID- 28893933
TI  - Tumour virus epidemiology.
AB  - A viral etiology of cancer was first demonstrated in 1911 by Peyton Rous who
      injected cell-free filtrate from a chicken sarcoma into healthy chickens and
      found it induced a tumour. Since the discovery over 50 years ago of the Epstein
      Barr virus as the cause of Burkitt lymphoma, seven other human viruses or groups
      of viruses-hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus
      type 1, some human papillomaviruses, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1,
      Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Merkel cell polyomavirus-have been
      linked to human cancer. Collectively, these eight viruses cause over 20 different
      types of cancer and contribute to 10-12% of all cancer, with a greater burden in
      low- and middle-income countries. For many viruses, immunosuppression greatly
      increases the risks of persistent infection, development of chronic sequelae and
      cancer. Although several viruses share similar routes of transmission (especially
      sexual activity, injection drug use and mother-to-child transmission), the
      predominant route of transmission varies across viruses, and for the same virus
      can vary by geographical location. In general, vulnerable populations at the
      greatest risk for viral infections and their associated diseases include people,
      especially children, living in low- to middle-income countries, men who have sex
      with men, people who use injection drugs and female sex workers.This article is
      part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893934
TI  - Tumour viruses and innate immunity.
AB  - Host cells sense viral infection through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs),
      which detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and stimulate an
      innate immune response. PRRs are localized to several different cellular
      compartments and are stimulated by viral proteins and nucleic acids. PRR
      activation initiates signal transduction events that ultimately result in an
      inflammatory response. Human tumour viruses, which include Kaposi's sarcoma
      associated herpesvirus, Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus, hepatitis C
      virus, hepatitis B virus, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 and Merkel cell
      polyomavirus, are detected by several different PRRs. These viruses engage in a
      variety of mechanisms to evade the innate immune response, including
      downregulating PRRs, inhibiting PRR signalling, and disrupting the activation of
      transcription factors critical for mediating the inflammatory response, among
      others. This review will describe tumour virus PAMPs and the PRRs responsible for
      detecting viral infection, PRR signalling pathways, and the mechanisms by which
      tumour viruses evade the host innate immune system.This article is part of the
      themed issue 'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893935
TI  - Tumour virus vaccines: hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus.
AB  - Two of the most important human oncogenic viruses are hepatitis B virus (HBV) and
      human papillomavirus (HPV). HBV infection has been preventable by vaccination
      since 1982; vaccination of neonates and infants is highly effective, resulting
      already in decreased rates of new infections, chronic liver disease and hepato
      cellular carcinoma. Nonetheless, HBV remains a global public health problem with
      high rates of vertical transmission from mother to child in some regions.
      Prophylactic HPV vaccines composed of virus-like particles (VLPs) of the L1
      capsid protein have been licensed since 2006/2007. These target infection by the
      oncogenic HPVs 16 and 18 (the cause of 70% of cervical cancers); a new vaccine
      licensed in 2014/2015 additionally targets HPVs 31, 33, 45, 52, 58. HPV vaccines
      are now included in the national immunization programmes in many countries, with
      young adolescent peri-pubertal girls the usual cohort for immunization.
      Population effectiveness in women is now being demonstrated in countries with
      high vaccine coverage with significant reductions in high-grade cervical intra
      epithelial neoplasia (a surrogate for cervical cancer), genital warts and vaccine
      HPV type genoprevalence. Herd effects in young heterosexual men and older women
      are evident. Cancers caused by HBV and HPV should, in theory, be amenable to
      immunotherapies and various therapeutic vaccines for HPV in particular are in
      development and/or in clinical trial.This article is part of the themed issue
      'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893936
TI  - Take your PIKK: tumour viruses and DNA damage response pathways.
AB  - Viruses regulate cellular processes to facilitate viral replication. Manipulation
      of nuclear proteins and pathways by nuclear replicating viruses often causes
      cellular genome instability that contributes to transformation. The cellular DNA
      damage response (DDR) safeguards the host to maintain genome integrity, but DNA
      tumour viruses can manipulate the DDR to promote viral propagation. In this
      review, we describe the interactions of DNA tumour viruses with the
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-like protein kinase (PIKK) pathways, which are
      central regulatory arms of the DDR. We review how signalling through the ataxia
      telangiectasia mutated (ATM), ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR), and
      DNA-dependent protein kinases (DNA-PK) influences viral life cycles, and how
      their manipulation by viral proteins may contribute to tumour formation.This
      article is part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893937
TI  - Epstein-Barr virus infection and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with multiple types of human cancer,
      including lymphoid and epithelial cancers. The closest association with EBV
      infection is seen in undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which is
      endemic in the southern Chinese population. A strong association between NPC risk
      and the HLA locus at chromosome 6p has been identified, indicating a link between
      the presentation of EBV antigens to host immune cells and NPC risk. EBV infection
      in NPC is clonal in origin, strongly suggesting that NPC develops from the clonal
      expansion of a single EBV-infected cell. In epithelial cells, the default program
      of EBV infection is lytic replication. However, latent infection is the
      predominant mode of EBV infection in NPC. The establishment of latent EBV
      infection in pre-invasive nasopharyngeal epithelium is believed to be an early
      stage of NPC pathogenesis. Recent genomic study of NPC has identified multiple
      somatic mutations in the upstream negative regulators of NF-kappaB signalling.
      Dysregulated NF-kappaB signalling may contribute to the establishment of latent
      EBV infection in NPC. Stable EBV infection and the expression of latent EBV genes
      are postulated to drive the transformation of pre-invasive nasopharyngeal
      epithelial cells to cancer cells through multiple pathways.This article is part
      of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893938
TI  - Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphomas.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), originally discovered through its association with
      Burkitt lymphoma, is now aetiologically linked to a remarkably wide range of
      lymphoproliferative lesions and malignant lymphomas of B-, T- and NK-cell origin.
      Some occur as rare accidents of virus persistence in the B lymphoid system, while
      others arise as a result of viral entry into unnatural target cells. The early
      finding that EBV is a potent B-cell growth transforming agent hinted at a simple
      oncogenic mechanism by which this virus could promote lymphomagenesis. In
      reality, the pathogenesis of EBV-associated lymphomas involves a complex
      interplay between different patterns of viral gene expression and cellular
      genetic changes. Here we review recent developments in our understanding of EBV
      associated lymphomagenesis in both the immunocompetent and immunocompromised
      host.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893939
TI  - Human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1: parasitism and pathogenesis.
AB  - Human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes not only adult T-cell
      leukaemia-lymphoma (ATL), but also inflammatory diseases including HTLV-1
      associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. HTLV-1 transmits primarily
      through cell-to-cell contact, and generates abundant infected cells in the host
      in order to survive and transmit to a new host. The resulting high proviral load
      is closely associated with the development of ATL and inflammatory diseases. To
      increase the number of infected cells, HTLV-1 changes the immunophenotype of
      infected cells, induces proliferation and inhibits apoptosis through the
      cooperative actions of two viral genes, tax and HTLV-1 bZIP factor (HBZ). As a
      result, infected cells survive, proliferate and infiltrate into the tissues,
      which is critical for transmission of the virus. Thus, the strategy of this virus
      is indivisibly linked with its pathogenesis, providing a clue for prevention and
      treatment of HTLV-1-induced diseases.This article is part of the themed issue
      'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893940
TI  - Oncogenic human papillomaviruses.
AB  - Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are an ancient group of viruses with small, double
      stranded DNA circular genomes. They are species-specific and have a strict
      tropism for mucosal and cutaneous stratified squamous epithelial surfaces of the
      host. A subset of these viruses has been demonstrated to be the causative agent
      of several human cancers. Here, we review the biology, natural history, evolution
      and cancer association of the oncogenic HPVs.This article is part of the themed
      issue 'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893941
TI  - Viral hepatitis and liver cancer.
AB  - Hepatitis B and C viruses are a global health problem causing acute and chronic
      infections that can lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
      These infections are the leading cause for HCC worldwide and are associated with
      significant mortality, accounting for more than 1.3 million deaths per year.
      Owing to its high incidence and resistance to treatment, liver cancer is the
      second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with HCC representing
      approximately 90% of all primary liver cancer cases. The majority of viral
      associated HCC cases develop in subjects with liver cirrhosis; however, hepatitis
      B virus infection can promote HCC development without prior end-stage liver
      disease. Thus, understanding the role of hepatitis B and C viral infections in
      HCC development is essential for the future design of treatments and therapies
      for this cancer. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on hepatitis
      B and C virus hepatocarcinogenesis and highlight direct and indirect risk
      factors.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893943
TI  - Merkel cell polyomavirus and Merkel cell carcinoma.
AB  - Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) causes the highly aggressive and relatively rare
      skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). MCPyV also causes a lifelong
      yet relatively innocuous infection and is one of 14 distinct human polyomaviruses
      species. Although polyomaviruses typically do not cause illness in healthy
      individuals, several can cause catastrophic diseases in immunocompromised hosts.
      MCPyV is the only polyomavirus clearly associated with human cancer. How MCPyV
      causes MCC and what oncogenic events must transpire to enable this virus to cause
      MCC is the focus of this essay.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human
      oncogenic viruses'.

PMID- 28893944
TI  - Making a virtue of necessity: the pleiotropic role of human endogenous
      retroviruses in cancer.
AB  - Like all other mammals, humans harbour an astonishing number of endogenous
      retroviruses (ERVs), as well as other retroelements, embedded in their genome.
      These remnants of ancestral germline infection with distinct exogenous
      retroviruses display various degrees of open reading frame integrity and
      replication capability. Modern day exogenous retroviruses, as well as the
      infectious predecessors of ERVs, are demonstrably oncogenic. Further, replication
      competent ERVs continue to cause cancers in many other species of mammal.
      Moreover, human cancers are characterized by transcriptional activation of human
      endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). These observations conspire to incriminate HERVs
      as causative agents of human cancer. However, exhaustive investigation of cancer
      genomes suggests that HERVs have entirely lost the ability for re-infection and
      thus the potential for insertional mutagenic activity. Although there may be non
      insertional mechanisms by which HERVs contribute to cancer development, recent
      evidence also uncovers potent anti-tumour activities exerted by HERV replication
      intermediates or protein products. On balance, it appears that HERVs, despite
      their oncogenic past, now represent potential targets for immune-mediated anti
      tumour mechanisms.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic
      viruses'.

PMID- 28893942
TI  - Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus pathogenesis.
AB  - Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), taxonomical name human gammaherpesvirus 8, is
      a phylogenetically old human virus that co-evolved with human populations, but is
      now only common (seroprevalence greater than 10%) in sub-Saharan Africa, around
      the Mediterranean Sea, parts of South America and in a few ethnic communities.
      KSHV causes three human malignancies, Kaposi sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma,
      and many cases of the plasmablastic form of multicentric Castleman's disease
      (MCD) as well as occasional cases of plasmablastic lymphoma arising from MCD; it
      has also been linked to rare cases of bone marrow failure and hepatitis. As it
      has colonized humans physiologically for many thousand years, cofactors are
      needed to allow it to unfold its pathogenic potential. In most cases, these
      include immune defects of genetic, iatrogenic or infectious origin, and
      inflammation appears to play an important role in disease development. Our much
      improved understanding of its life cycle and its role in pathogenesis should now
      allow us to develop new therapeutic strategies directed against key viral
      proteins or intracellular pathways that are crucial for virus replication or
      persistence. Likewise, its limited (for a herpesvirus) distribution and
      transmission should offer an opportunity for the development and use of a vaccine
      to prevent transmission.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human oncogenic
      viruses'.

PMID- 28893946
TI  - A radial axis defined by semaphorin-to-neuropilin signaling controls pancreatic
      islet morphogenesis.
AB  - The islets of Langerhans are endocrine organs characteristically dispersed
      throughout the pancreas. During development, endocrine progenitors delaminate,
      migrate radially and cluster to form islets. Despite the distinctive distribution
      of islets, spatially localized signals that control islet morphogenesis have not
      been discovered. Here, we identify a radial signaling axis that instructs
      developing islet cells to disperse throughout the pancreas. A screen of
      pancreatic extracellular signals identified factors that stimulated islet cell
      development. These included semaphorin 3a, a guidance cue in neural development
      without known functions in the pancreas. In the fetal pancreas, peripheral
      mesenchymal cells expressed Sema3a, while central nascent islet cells produced
      the semaphorin receptor neuropilin 2 (Nrp2). Nrp2 mutant islet cells developed in
      proper numbers, but had defects in migration and were unresponsive to purified
      Sema3a. Mutant Nrp2 islets aggregated centrally and failed to disperse radially.
      Thus, Sema3a-Nrp2 signaling along an unrecognized pancreatic developmental axis
      constitutes a chemoattractant system essential for generating the hallmark
      morphogenetic properties of pancreatic islets. Unexpectedly, Sema3a- and Nrp2
      mediated control of islet morphogenesis is strikingly homologous to mechanisms
      that regulate radial neuronal migration and cortical lamination in the developing
      mammalian brain.

PMID- 28893945
TI  - Zfp423/ZNF423 regulates cell cycle progression, the mode of cell division and the
      DNA-damage response in Purkinje neuron progenitors.
AB  - The Zfp423/ZNF423 gene encodes a 30-zinc-finger transcription factor involved in
      key developmental pathways. Although null Zfp423 mutants develop cerebellar
      malformations, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. ZNF423 mutations are
      associated with Joubert Syndrome, a ciliopathy causing cerebellar vermis
      hypoplasia and ataxia. ZNF423 participates in the DNA-damage response (DDR),
      raising questions regarding its role as a regulator of neural progenitor cell
      cycle progression in cerebellar development. To characterize in vivo the function
      of ZFP423 in neurogenesis, we analyzed allelic murine mutants in which distinct
      functional domains are deleted. One deletion impairs mitotic spindle orientation,
      leading to premature cell cycle exit and Purkinje cell (PC) progenitor pool
      deletion. The other deletion impairs PC differentiation. In both mutants, cell
      cycle progression is remarkably delayed and DDR markers are upregulated in
      cerebellar ventricular zone progenitors. Our in vivo evidence sheds light on the
      domain-specific roles played by ZFP423 in different aspects of PC progenitor
      development, and at the same time strengthens the emerging notion that an
      impaired DDR may be a key factor in the pathogenesis of JS and other
      ciliopathies.

PMID- 28893947
TI  - Small-molecule Wnt agonists correct cleft palates in Pax9 mutant mice in utero.
AB  - Clefts of the palate and/or lip are among the most common human craniofacial
      malformations and involve multiple genetic and environmental factors. Defects can
      only be corrected surgically and require complex life-long treatments. Our
      studies utilized the well-characterized Pax9-/- mouse model with a consistent
      cleft palate phenotype to test small-molecule Wnt agonist therapies. We show that
      the absence of Pax9 alters the expression of Wnt pathway genes including Dkk1 and
      Dkk2, proven antagonists of Wnt signaling. The functional interactions between
      Pax9 and Dkk1 are shown by the genetic rescue of secondary palate clefts in Pax9
      /-Dkk1f/+;Wnt1Cre embryos. The controlled intravenous delivery of small-molecule
      Wnt agonists (Dkk inhibitors) into pregnant Pax9+/- mice restored Wnt signaling
      and led to the growth and fusion of palatal shelves, as marked by an increase in
      cell proliferation and osteogenesis in utero, while other organ defects were not
      corrected. This work underscores the importance of Pax9-dependent Wnt signaling
      in palatogenesis and suggests that this functional upstream molecular
      relationship can be exploited for the development of therapies for human cleft
      palates that arise from single-gene disorders.

PMID- 28893948
TI  - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition transcription factors control pluripotent adult
      stem cell migration in vivo in planarians.
AB  - Migration of stem cells underpins the physiology of metazoan animals. For tissues
      to be maintained, stem cells and their progeny must migrate and differentiate in
      the correct positions. This need is even more acute after tissue damage by
      wounding or pathogenic infection. Inappropriate migration also underpins
      metastasis. Despite this, few mechanistic studies address stem cell migration
      during repair or homeostasis in adult tissues. Here, we present a shielded X-ray
      irradiation assay that allows us to follow stem cell migration in planarians. We
      demonstrate the use of this system to study the molecular control of stem cell
      migration and show that snail-1, snail-2 and zeb-1 EMT transcription factor
      homologs are necessary for cell migration to wound sites and for the
      establishment of migratory cell morphology. We also observed that stem cells
      undergo homeostatic migration to anterior regions that lack local stem cells, in
      the absence of injury, maintaining tissue homeostasis. This requires the polarity
      determinant notum Our work establishes planarians as a suitable model for further
      in-depth study of the processes controlling stem cell migration in vivo.

PMID- 28893949
TI  - Timing of adrenal regression controlled by synergistic interaction between Sf1
      SUMOylation and Dax1.
AB  - The nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (Sf1, Nr5a1, Ad4bp) is crucial for
      formation, development and function of steroidogenic tissues. A fetal adrenal
      enhancer (FAdE) in the Sf1 gene was previously identified to direct Sf1
      expression exclusively in the fetal adrenal cortex and is bound by both Sf1 and
      Dax1. Here, we have examined the function of Sf1 SUMOylation and its interaction
      with Dax1 on FAdE function. A diffused prolonged pattern of FAdE expression and
      delayed regression of the postnatal fetal cortex (X-zone) were detected in both
      the SUMOylation-deficient-Sf12KR/2KR and Dax1 knockout mouse lines, with FAdE
      expression/activity retained in the postnatal 20alphaHSD-positive postnatal X
      zone cells. In vitro studies indicated that Sf1 SUMOylation, although not
      directly influencing DNA binding, actually increased binding of Dax1 to Sf1 to
      further enhance transcriptional repression of FAdE. Taken together, these studies
      define a crucial repressor function of Sf1 SUMOylation and Dax1 in the
      physiological cessation of FAdE-mediated Sf1 expression and the resultant
      regression of the postnatal fetal cortex (X-zone).

PMID- 28893950
TI  - The TAF10-containing TFIID and SAGA transcriptional complexes are dispensable for
      early somitogenesis in the mouse embryo.
AB  - During development, tightly regulated gene expression programs control cell fate
      and patterning. A key regulatory step in eukaryotic transcription is the assembly
      of the pre-initiation complex (PIC) at promoters. PIC assembly has mainly been
      studied in vitro, and little is known about its composition during development.
      In vitro data suggest that TFIID is the general transcription factor that
      nucleates PIC formation at promoters. Here we show that TAF10, a subunit of TFIID
      and of the transcriptional co-activator SAGA, is required for the assembly of
      these complexes in the mouse embryo. We performed Taf10 conditional deletions
      during mesoderm development and show that Taf10 loss in the presomitic mesoderm
      (PSM) does not prevent cyclic gene transcription or PSM segmental patterning,
      whereas lateral plate differentiation is profoundly altered. During this period,
      global mRNA levels are unchanged in the PSM, with only a minor subset of genes
      dysregulated. Together, our data strongly suggest that the TAF10-containing
      canonical TFIID and SAGA complexes are dispensable for early paraxial mesoderm
      development, arguing against the generic role in transcription proposed for these
      fully assembled holo-complexes.

PMID- 28893951
TI  - The cancer-associated U2AF35 470A>G (Q157R) mutation creates an in-frame
      alternative 5' splice site that impacts splicing regulation in Q157R patients.
AB  - Recent work has identified cancer-associated U2AF35 missense mutations in two
      zinc-finger (ZnF) domains, but little is known about Q157R/P substitutions within
      the second ZnF. Surprisingly, we find that the c.470A>G mutation not only leads
      to the Q157R substitution, but also creates an alternative 5' splice site (ss)
      resulting in the deletion of four amino acids (Q157Rdel). Q157P, Q157R, and
      Q157Rdel control alternative splicing of distinct groups of exons in cell culture
      and in human patients, suggesting that missplicing of different targets may
      contribute to cellular aberrations. Our data emphasize the importance to explore
      missense mutations beyond altered protein sequence.

PMID- 28893952
TI  - IL-4/IL-13 Signaling Inhibits the Potential of Early Thymic Progenitors To Commit
      to the T Cell Lineage.
AB  - Early thymic progenitors (ETPs) are endowed with diverse potencies and can give
      rise to myeloid and lymphoid lineage progenitors. How the thymic environment
      guides ETP commitment and maturation toward a specific lineage remains obscure.
      We have previously shown that ETPs expressing the heteroreceptor (HR) comprising
      IL-4Ralpha and IL-13Ralpha1 give rise to myeloid cells but not T cells. In this
      article, we show that signaling through the HR inhibits ETP maturation to the T
      cell lineage but enacts commitment toward the myeloid cells. Indeed, HR+ ETPs,
      but not HR- ETPs, exhibit activated STAT6 transcription factor, which parallels
      with downregulation of Notch1, a critical factor for T cell development.
      Meanwhile, the myeloid-specific transcription factor C/EBPalpha, usually under
      the control of Notch1, is upregulated. Furthermore, in vivo inhibition of STAT6
      phosphorylation restores Notch1 expression in HR+ ETPs, which regain T lineage
      potential. In addition, upon stimulation with IL-4 or IL-13, HR- ETPs expressing
      virally transduced HR also exhibit STAT6 phosphorylation and downregulation of
      Notch1, leading to inhibition of lymphoid, but not myeloid, lineage potential.
      These observations indicate that environmental cytokines play a role in
      conditioning ETP lineage choice, which would impact T cell development.

PMID- 28893953
TI  - Fate Decision Between Group 3 Innate Lymphoid and Conventional NK Cell Lineages
      by Notch Signaling in Human Circulating Hematopoietic Progenitors.
AB  - The role of Notch signaling in human innate lymphoid cell (ILC) differentiation
      is unclear, although IL-7 and IL-15 promote differentiation of natural
      cytotoxicity receptor (NCR) NKp44+ group 3 ILCs (NCR+ILC3s) and conventional NK
      (cNK) cells from CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) ex vivo. In this
      study, we analyzed the functions of Notch in the differentiation of NCR+ILC3s and
      cNK cells from human HPC subpopulations circulating in peripheral blood by
      limiting dilution and clonal assays using high-throughput flow cytometry. We
      demonstrated that Notch signaling in combination with IL-7 induced NCR+ILC3
      differentiation, but conversely suppressed IL-15-dependent cNK cell generation in
      CD45RA+Flt-3-c-Kitlow, a novel innate lymphocyte-committed HPC subpopulation. In
      contrast, Notch signaling induced CD45RA-Flt-3+c-Kithigh multipotent HPCs to
      generate CD34+CD7+CD62Lhigh, the earliest thymic progenitor-like cells, which
      preserved high cNK/T cell potential, but lost NCR+ILC3 potential. These findings
      implicate the countervailing functions of Notch signaling in the fate decision
      between NCR+ILC3 and cNK cell lineages at different maturational stages of human
      HPCs. Inhibition of Notch functions by Abs specific for either the Notch1 or
      Notch2 negative regulatory region suggested that both Notch1 and Notch2 signals
      were involved in the fate decision of innate lymphocyte-committed HPCs and in the
      generation of earliest thymic progenitor-like cells from multipotent HPCs.
      Furthermore, the synergistic interaction between Notch and IL-7 in NCR+ILC3
      commitment was primarily explicable by the induction of IL-7 receptor expression
      in the innate lymphocyte-committed HPCs by Notch stimulation, suggesting the
      pivotal role of Notch in the transcriptional control required for human NCR+ILC3
      commitment.

PMID- 28893954
TI  - The Orphan Nuclear Receptor NR4A3 Is Involved in the Function of Dendritic Cells.
AB  - NR4A3/NOR1 belongs to the NR4A subfamily of the nuclear hormone receptor
      superfamily, which is activated in a ligand-independent manner. To examine the
      role of NR4A3 in gene expression of dendritic cells (DCs), we introduced NR4A3
      small interfering RNA (siRNA) into bone marrow-derived DCs and determined the
      expression levels of mRNA and proteins of cytokines, cell surface molecules, NF
      kappaB signaling-related proteins, and transcription factors. The expression
      level of NR4A3 was markedly upregulated by TLR-mediated stimulation in DCs. NR4A3
      knockdown significantly suppressed LPS, CpG, or poly(I:C)-mediated upregulation
      of CD80, CD86, IL-10, IL-6, and IL-12. Proliferation and IL-2 production levels
      of T cells cocultured with NR4A3 knocked-down DCs were significantly lower than
      that of T cells cocultured with control DCs. Furthermore, the expression of
      IKKbeta, IRF4, and IRF8 was significantly decreased in NR4A3 siRNA-introduced
      bone marrow-derived DCs. The knockdown experiments using siRNAs for IKKbeta,
      IRF4, and/or IRF8 indicated that LPS-induced upregulation of IL-10 and IL-6 was
      reduced in IKKbeta knocked-down cells, and that the upregulation of IL-12 was
      suppressed by the knockdown of IRF4 and IRF8. Taken together, these results
      indicate that NR4A3 is involved in TLR-mediated activation and gene expression of
      DCs.

PMID- 28893955
TI  - NKG2D Signaling between Human NK Cells Enhances TACE-Mediated TNF-alpha Release.
AB  - NK group 2 member D (NKG2D) is a strong NK cell-activating receptor, with
      engagement by ligands triggering granule release and cytokine production. The
      function of NKG2D signaling in NK cells has largely been studied in the context
      of engagement of the receptor by ligands expressed on the surface of target
      cells. We report that upon activation with IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18 human NK cells
      express NKG2D ligands of the UL16 binding protein family on the cell surface.
      NKG2D-ligand interaction between cytokine-stimulated NK cells increases the
      activity of the metalloprotease TNF-alpha-converting enzyme. This enhanced TNF
      alpha-converting enzyme activity significantly increases the release of TNF-alpha
      and UL16 binding protein from the surface of the NK cells. These results
      demonstrate that NKG2D signaling is critical for maximal TNF-alpha release by NK
      cells. Further, they demonstrate a role for NKG2D-ligand interaction via
      homotypic NK cell contact in NK cell effector function.

PMID- 28893956
TI  - Cutting Edge: Genetic Association between IFI16 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
      and Resistance to Genital Herpes Correlates with IFI16 Expression Levels and HSV
      2-Induced IFN-beta Expression.
AB  - IFN-gamma-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) is an immunological DNA sensor proposed to
      act in the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of IFN genes pathway. Because mice
      do not have a clear ortholog of IFI16, this system is not suitable for genetic
      studies of IFI16. In this study, we have compared the dependency on IFI16, cyclic
      GMP-AMP synthase, and stimulator of IFN genes for type I IFN induction by a panel
      of pathogenic bacteria and DNA viruses. The IFN response induced by HSV-2 was
      particularly dependent on IFI16. In a cohort of patients with genital herpes and
      healthy controls, the minor G allele of the IFI16 single nucleotide polymorphism
      rs2276404 was associated with resistance to infection. Furthermore, the
      combination of this allele with the C allele of rs1417806 was significantly
      overrepresented in uninfected individuals. Cells from individuals with the
      protective GC haplotype expressed higher levels of IFI16 and induced more IFN
      beta upon HSV-2 infection. These data provide genetic evidence for a role for
      IFI16 in protection against genital herpes.

PMID- 28893957
TI  - Anti-Inflammatory Role of Langerhans Cells and Apoptotic Keratinocytes in
      Ultraviolet-B-Induced Cutaneous Inflammation.
AB  - UV radiation, particularly UVB, is the major risk factor for the induction of
      skin cancer, and it induces skin inflammation and immunosuppression. Although
      reports documented that Langerhans cells (LCs) play various roles in
      photobiology, little is known about whether they contribute to UVB-induced
      cutaneous inflammation. Recently, the anti-inflammatory effect of apoptotic cells
      was noted. This study focuses on the roles of LCs and apoptotic cells in UVB
      induced cutaneous inflammation. We show that LCs are essential for resolution of
      UVB-induced cutaneous inflammation. Administration of quinolyl-valyl-O
      methylaspartyl-[2,6-difluophenoxy]-methyl ketone, a broad-spectrum caspase
      inhibitor with potent antiapoptotic properties, inhibited the formation of UVB
      induced apoptotic cells and aggravated UVB-induced cutaneous inflammation in wild
      type mice. In contrast, exacerbation of UVB-induced cutaneous inflammation
      following quinolyl-valyl-O-methylaspartyl-[2,6-difluophenoxy]-methyl ketone
      administration was not observed in LC-depleted mice. These results suggest that
      the interaction between LCs and apoptotic cells is critical for resolution of UVB
      induced cutaneous inflammation. Interestingly, UVB-induced apoptotic
      keratinocytes were increased in LC-depleted mice. In addition, we revealed that
      UVB-induced apoptotic keratinocytes were phagocytosed by LCs ex vivo and that
      prolongation of UVB-induced cutaneous inflammation following treatment with
      Cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of phagocytosis, was partially attenuated in LC
      depleted mice. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the interaction
      between LCs and apoptotic cells, possibly via LC-mediated phagocytosis of
      apoptotic keratinocytes, has an essential anti-inflammatory role in the
      resolution of UVB-induced cutaneous inflammation.

PMID- 28893959
TI  - Mutation-Based Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Antisense Treatment
      Arrives in the Clinic.

PMID- 28893960
TI  - Physical Activity in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Moving
      Toward a Newer Treatment Paradigm.

PMID- 28893961
TI  - Conduction Disturbances After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Current
      Status and Future Perspectives.
AB  - Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a well-accepted option
      for treating patients with aortic stenosis at intermediate to high or prohibitive
      surgical risk. TAVR-related conduction disturbances, mainly new-onset left bundle
      branch block and advanced atrioventricular block requiring permanent pacemaker
      implantation, remain the most common complication of this procedure. Furthermore,
      improvements in TAVR technology, akin to the increasing experience of
      operators/centers, have translated to a major reduction in periprocedural
      complications, yet the incidence of conduction disturbances has remained
      relatively high, with perhaps an increasing trend over time. Several factors have
      been associated with a heightened risk of conduction disturbances and permanent
      pacemaker implantation after TAVR, with prior right bundle-branch block and
      transcatheter valve type and implantation depth being the most commonly reported.
      New-onset left bundle-branch block and the need for permanent pacemaker
      implantation may have a significant detrimental association with patients'
      prognosis. Consequently, strategies intended to reduce the risk and to improve
      the management of such complications are of paramount importance, particularly in
      an era when TAVR expansion toward treating lower-risk patients is considered
      inevitable. In this article, we review the available evidence on the incidence,
      predictive factors, and clinical association of conduction disturbances after
      TAVR and propose a strategy for the management of these complications.

PMID- 28893962
TI  - Irregular Narrow Complex Tachycardia in a 29-Year-Old Woman.

PMID- 28893958
TI  - Microbial-Derived Butyrate Promotes Epithelial Barrier Function through IL-10
      Receptor-Dependent Repression of Claudin-2.
AB  - Commensal interactions between the enteric microbiota and distal intestine play
      important roles in regulating human health. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such
      as butyrate, produced through anaerobic microbial metabolism represent a major
      energy source for the host colonic epithelium and enhance epithelial barrier
      function through unclear mechanisms. Separate studies revealed that the
      epithelial anti-inflammatory IL-10 receptor alpha subunit (IL-10RA) is also
      important for barrier formation. Based on these findings, we examined if SCFAs
      promote epithelial barrier through IL-10RA-dependent mechanisms. Using human
      intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), we discovered that SCFAs, particularly
      butyrate, enhanced IEC barrier formation, induced IL-10RA mRNA, IL-10RA protein,
      and transactivation through activated Stat3 and HDAC inhibition. Loss and gain of
      IL-10RA expression directly correlates with IEC barrier formation and butyrate
      represses permeability-promoting claudin-2 tight-junction protein expression
      through an IL-10RA-dependent mechanism. Our findings provide a novel mechanism by
      which microbial-derived butyrate promotes barrier through IL-10RA-dependent
      repression of claudin-2.

PMID- 28893964
TI  - Letter by Ferrero et al Regarding Article, "Predictors of Death in Contemporary
      Adult Patients With Eisenmenger Syndrome: A Multicenter Study".

PMID- 28893963
TI  - Origin of Cardiac Troponin T Elevations in Chronic Kidney Disease.

PMID- 28893965
TI  - Response by Kempny et al to Letter Regarding Article, "Predictors of Death in
      Contemporary Adult Patients With Eisenmenger Syndrome: A Multicenter Study".

PMID- 28893966
TI  - Letter by Ciliberti and Capucci Regarding Article, "Medical Therapy for Secondary
      Prevention and Long-Term Outcome in Patients With Myocardial Infarction With
      Nonobstructive Coronary Artery Disease".

PMID- 28893968
TI  - Correction to: When Lightning Strikes: Fulminant Myocarditis in the Realm of
      Inflammatory Cardiomyopathies.

PMID- 28893967
TI  - Response by Lindahl et al to Letter Regarding Article, "Medical Therapy for
      Secondary Prevention and Long-Term Outcome in Patients With Myocardial Infarction
      With Nonobstructive Coronary Artery Disease".

PMID- 28893969
TI  - Correction to: Particulate Matter Exposure and Stress Hormone Levels: A
      Randomized, Double-Blind, Crossover Trial of Air Purification.

PMID- 28893970
TI  - Has respiratory cryptosporidiosis spread to black grouse Tetrao tetrix?
AB  - Infection by Cryptosporidium baileyi was first confirmed in red grouse in
      northern England in 2010 and within three years spread to 48 per cent of moors.
      These form the last English stronghold for the rarer black grouse, and given the
      rapid spread of respiratory cryptosporidiosis among red grouse, concern has been
      expressed about possible infection. In 2010, the authors started screening black
      grouse for cryptosporidiosis in (1) dead birds taken for postmortem examination,
      (2) sample birds caught at night and (3) an observational study of birds
      attending leks. Between 2011 and 2016, five males were sent for postmortem
      examination, of which three had suspected cryptosporidiosis. No disease was found
      in one; the second had extensive, subacute to chronic sinusitis; and the third
      had severe sinusitis and unilateral conjunctivitis. PCR analysis detected
      cryptosporidial DNA in the third bird only; however, the parasite was not seen in
      stained preparations or on histopathology. No cryptosporidiosis clinical signs
      were observed in 69 birds caught at night or in 170 birds attending leks. The
      authors have no conclusive evidence that cryptosporidiosis is causing sinusitis
      in black grouse. However, a single positive cryptosporidia PCR result from an
      affected bird does raise the possibility that they may be infected with the
      parasite.

PMID- 28893971
TI  - Computed tomographic assessment of equine maxillary cheek teeth anatomical
      relationships, and paranasal sinus volumes.
AB  - Disorders affecting the equine maxillary cheek teeth and paranasal sinuses are
      relatively common, but limited objective information is available on the
      dimensions and relationships of these structures in horses of different ages. The
      aims of this study were to assess age-related changes in the positioning and
      anatomical relationships of the individual maxillary cheek teeth with the
      infraorbital canal and maxillary septum and the volumes of the individual sinus
      compartments. CT and gross examination were performed on 60 normal equine cadaver
      heads that were aged by their dentition. The intrasinus position of cheek teeth,
      length of reserve crowns, relationship to the infraorbital canal and measurements
      of rostral drift and sinus compartment volumes were assessed from CT images. The
      findings included that Triadan 10 alveoli lay fully or partially in the rostral
      maxillary sinus (RMS) in 60% of cases. The infraorbital canal lay directly on the
      medial aspect of the alveolar apex in younger horses. The Triadan 11'sclinical
      crowns and apices drifted a mean of 2.48 and 2.83 cm more rostral to the orbit,
      respectively, in the >15 years old vs the <6 years old age group. The mean
      volumes of sinus compartments ranged from 175 cm3 for the caudal maxillary sinus
      (CMS) to 4 cm3 for the ethmoidal sinus (ES). This information should be of value
      in the diagnosis and treatment of equine dental and sinus disorders and as
      reference values for further studies.

PMID- 28893972
TI  - Cross-sectional study of antimicrobials used for surgical prophylaxis by bovine
      veterinary practitioners in Australia.
AB  - Antimicrobials are widely used in veterinary practices, but there has been no
      investigation of antimicrobial classes used or the appropriateness of their use
      in bovine practice. This study investigated antimicrobial use for surgical
      prophylaxis in bovine practice in Australia. A cross-sectional study of
      veterinarian antimicrobial usage patterns was conducted using an online
      questionnaire. Information solicited included respondent's details, the frequency
      with which antimicrobials were used for specific surgical conditions (including
      the dose, timing and duration of therapy) and details of practice antimicrobial
      use policies and sources of information about antimicrobials. In total, 212
      members of the Australian veterinary profession working in bovine practice
      completed the survey. Antimicrobials were always or frequently used by more than
      75 per cent of respondents in all scenarios. Generally, antimicrobial drug choice
      was appropriate for the reported surgical conditions. Procaine penicillin and
      oxytetracycline accounted for 93 per cent of use. However, there was a wide range
      of doses used, with underdosing and inappropriate timing of administration being
      common reasons for inappropriate prophylactic treatment. There was very low use
      of critically important antimicrobials (3.3 per cent of antimicrobials reported).
      Antimicrobial use guidelines need to be developed and promoted to improve the
      responsible use of antimicrobials in bovine practice.

PMID- 28893973
TI  - Understanding the primary care paradigm: an experiential learning focus of the
      early veterinary graduate.
AB  - At a time where high levels of stress are reported in the veterinary profession,
      this study explores the challenges that veterinary graduates encounter when they
      enter general (first opinion) practice. Participants had written reflective
      accounts of their 'Most Puzzling Cases' for the postgraduate Professional Key
      Skills module of the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice, offered by the
      Royal Veterinary College. Reasons that a case was puzzling, or became
      challenging, were thematically analysed. Fifteen summaries were analysed. Three
      core themes were identified: 'clinical reasoning', centred on the limitations of
      pattern recognition and the methods used to overcome this; the 'veterinary
      healthcare system', focusing on the need for continuity of care, time pressure
      and support in the transition to practice; and the 'owner', looking at the
      broader clinical skills needed to succeed in general practice. Clinical reasoning
      was raised as an issue; discussion of when pattern recognition is not appropriate
      and what to do in these cases was common. A lack of experience in general
      practice case types, and how to best operate in the resource-constrained
      environment in which they present, is the likely cause of this, suggesting that a
      greater focus on the primary care paradigm is needed within veterinary education.

PMID- 28893974
TI  - Field study on the safety and efficacy of intradermal versus intramuscular
      vaccination against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae.
AB  - The present study compares the safety and efficacy of a needle-free, intradermal
      Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccine to an intramuscular one. 420 piglets (21+3 days
      of age) were randomly assigned to two vaccination groups (intradermal vaccination
      V1 (n=138), intramuscular vaccination V2 (n=144)) and one unvaccinated control
      group (CG, n=138). As safety parameters clinical observations, local injection
      site reactions (ISR) and rectal temperatures were assessed. Average daily weight
      gain (ADWG) and pneumonic lung lesions (LL) were measured as efficacy parameters.
      ISRs were minor in V1. After both vaccinations, no adverse impact on appetite was
      observed and mean rectal temperatures remained within physiological range. ADWG
      during the fattening period was significantly higher in vaccinated groups (V1:
      913.4 g, V2: 924.5 g) compared with CG (875.6 g). No differences in ADWG were
      observed between V1 and V2. Vaccinated pigs had a significantly reduced mean
      extent of LL compared with CG. V1 was superior in reducing the extent and
      prevalence of LL compared with V2. These results reveal that a needle-free
      intradermal vaccination is safe and efficacious in reducing both the prevalence
      and extent of lung lesions, as well as in improving performance parameters, in a
      farrow-to-finish farm with a late onset of M hyopneumoniae infection.

PMID- 28893975
TI  - Agonist-Dependent and -Independent kappa Opioid Receptor Phosphorylation:
      Distinct Phosphorylation Patterns and Different Cellular Outcomes.
AB  - We reported previously that the selective agonist U50,488H promoted
      phosphorylation of the mouse kappa opioid receptor (KOPR) at residues S356, T357,
      T363, and S369. Here, we found that agonist (U50,488H)-dependent KOPR
      phosphorylation at all the residues was mediated by Gi/o alpha proteins and
      multiple protein kinases [GRK2, GRK3, GRK5, GRK6 and protein kinase C (PKC)]. In
      addition, PKC activation by phorbol ester induced agonist-independent KOPR
      phosphorylation. Compared with U50,488H, PKC activation promoted much higher
      S356/T357 phosphorylation, much lower T363 phosphorylation, and similar levels of
      S369 phosphorylation. After U50,488H treatment, GRKs, but not PKC, were involved
      in agonist-induced KOPR internalization. In contrast, PKC activation caused a
      lower level of agonist-independent KOPR internalization, compared with U50,488H.
      U50,488H-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2)
      was G protein-, but not beta-arrestin-, dependent. After U50,488H treatment, GRK
      mediated, but not PKC-mediated, KOPR phosphorylation followed by beta-arrestin
      recruitment desensitized U50,488H-induced ERK1/2 response. Therefore, agonist
      dependent (GRK- and PKC-mediated) and agonist-independent (PKC-promoted) KOPR
      phosphorylations show distinct phosphorylation patterns, leading to diverse
      cellular outcomes.

PMID- 28893976
TI  - Teaching an Old Drug New Tricks: Agonism, Antagonism, and Biased Signaling of
      Pilocarpine through M3 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor.
AB  - Pilocarpine is a prototypical drug used to treat glaucoma and dry mouth and is
      classified as either a full or partial muscarinic agonist. Here, we report
      several unexpected results pertaining to its interaction with muscarinic M3
      receptor (M3R). We found that pilocarpine was 1000 times less potent in
      stimulating mouse-eye pupil constriction than muscarinic agonists oxotremorin-M
      (Oxo-M) or carbachol (CCh), although all three ligands have similar Kd values for
      M3R. In contrast to CCh or Oxo-M, pilocarpine does not induce Ca2+ mobilization
      via endogenous M3R in human embryonic kidney cell line 293T (HEK293T) or mouse
      insulinoma (MIN6) cells. Pilocarpine also fails to stimulate insulin secretion
      and, instead, antagonizes the insulinotropic effect of Oxo-M and CCh-induced Ca2+
      upregulation; however, in HEK293T or Chinese hamster ovary-K1 cells
      overexpressing M3R, pilocarpine induces Ca2+ transients like those recorded with
      another cognate G protein-coupled muscarinic receptor, M1R. Stimulation of cells
      overexpressing M1R or M3R with CCh resulted in a similar reduction in
      phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). In contrast to CCh, pilocarpine
      stimulated PIP2 hydrolysis only in cells overexpressing M1R but not M3R.
      Moreover, pilocarpine blocked CCh-stimulated PIP2 hydrolysis in M3R
      overexpressing cells, thus, it acted as an antagonist. Pilocarpine activates
      extracellular regulated kinase 1/2 in MIN6 cells. The stimulatory effect on
      extracellular regulated kinase (ERK1/2) was blocked by the Src family kinase
      inhibitor PP2, indicating that the action of pilocarpine on endogenous M3R is
      biased toward beta-arrestin. Taken together, our findings show that pilocarpine
      can act as either an agonist or antagonist of M3R, depending on the cell type,
      expression level, and signaling pathway downstream of this receptor.

PMID- 28893977
TI  - Open fontanelles in an elderly man.

PMID- 28893978
TI  - Gut bacteria from multiple sclerosis patients modulate human T cells and
      exacerbate symptoms in mouse models.
AB  - The gut microbiota regulates T cell functions throughout the body. We
      hypothesized that intestinal bacteria impact the pathogenesis of multiple
      sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disorder of the CNS and thus analyzed the
      microbiomes of 71 MS patients not undergoing treatment and 71 healthy controls.
      Although no major shifts in microbial community structure were found, we
      identified specific bacterial taxa that were significantly associated with MS.
      Akkermansia muciniphila and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, both increased in MS
      patients, induced proinflammatory responses in human peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells and in monocolonized mice. In contrast, Parabacteroides distasonis, which
      was reduced in MS patients, stimulated antiinflammatory IL-10-expressing human
      CD4+CD25+ T cells and IL-10+FoxP3+ Tregs in mice. Finally, microbiota transplants
      from MS patients into germ-free mice resulted in more severe symptoms of
      experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and reduced proportions of IL-10+ Tregs
      compared with mice "humanized" with microbiota from healthy controls. This study
      identifies specific human gut bacteria that regulate adaptive autoimmune
      responses, suggesting therapeutic targeting of the microbiota as a treatment for
      MS.

PMID- 28893979
TI  - Exposure to unpredictable maternal sensory signals influences cognitive
      development across species.
AB  - Maternal care is a critical determinant of child development. However, our
      understanding of processes and mechanisms by which maternal behavior influences
      the developing human brain remains limited. Animal research has illustrated that
      patterns of sensory information is important in shaping neural circuits during
      development. Here we examined the relation between degree of predictability of
      maternal sensory signals early in life and subsequent cognitive function in both
      humans (n = 128 mother/infant dyads) and rats (n = 12 dams; 28 adolescents).
      Behaviors of mothers interacting with their offspring were observed in both
      species, and an entropy rate was calculated as a quantitative measure of degree
      of predictability of transitions among maternal sensory signals (visual,
      auditory, and tactile). Human cognitive function was assessed at age 2 y with the
      Bayley Scales of Infant Development and at age 6.5 y with a hippocampus-dependent
      delayed-recall task. Rat hippocampus-dependent spatial memory was evaluated on
      postnatal days 49-60. Early life exposure to unpredictable sensory signals
      portended poor cognitive performance in both species. The present study provides
      evidence that predictability of maternal sensory signals early in life impacts
      cognitive function in both rats and humans. The parallel between experimental
      animal and observational human data lends support to the argument that
      predictability of maternal sensory signals causally influences cognitive
      development.

PMID- 28893980
TI  - New evidence on the impact of sustained exposure to air pollution on life
      expectancy from China's Huai River Policy.
AB  - This paper finds that a 10-MUg/m3 increase in airborne particulate matter
      [particulate matter smaller than 10 MUm (PM10)] reduces life expectancy by 0.64
      years (95% confidence interval = 0.21-1.07). This estimate is derived from
      quasiexperimental variation in PM10 generated by China's Huai River Policy, which
      provides free or heavily subsidized coal for indoor heating during the winter to
      cities north of the Huai River but not to those to the south. The findings are
      derived from a regression discontinuity design based on distance from the Huai
      River, and they are robust to using parametric and nonparametric estimation
      methods, different kernel types and bandwidth sizes, and adjustment for a rich
      set of demographic and behavioral covariates. Furthermore, the shorter lifespans
      are almost entirely caused by elevated rates of cardiorespiratory mortality,
      suggesting that PM10 is the causal factor. The estimates imply that bringing all
      of China into compliance with its Class I standards for PM10 would save 3.7
      billion life-years.

PMID- 28893981
TI  - U-Th dating reveals regional-scale decline of branching Acropora corals on the
      Great Barrier Reef over the past century.
AB  - Hard coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is on a trajectory of decline.
      However, little is known about past coral mortality before the advent of long
      term monitoring (circa 1980s). Using paleoecological analysis and high-precision
      uranium-thorium (U-Th) dating, we reveal an extensive loss of branching Acropora
      corals and changes in coral community structure in the Palm Islands region of the
      central GBR over the past century. In 2008, dead coral assemblages were dominated
      by large, branching Acropora and living coral assemblages by genera typically
      found in turbid inshore environments. The timing of Acropora mortality was found
      to be occasionally synchronous among reefs and frequently linked to discrete
      disturbance events, occurring in the 1920s to 1960s and again in the 1980s to
      1990s. Surveys conducted in 2014 revealed low Acropora cover (<5%) across all
      sites, with very little evidence of change for up to 60 y at some sites.
      Collectively, our results suggest a loss of resilience of this formerly dominant
      key framework builder at a regional scale, with recovery severely lagging behind
      predictions. Our study implies that the management of these reefs may be
      predicated on a shifted baseline.

PMID- 28893982
TI  - Dysregulation of spliceosome gene expression in advanced prostate cancer by RNA
      binding protein PSF.
AB  - Developing therapeutic approaches are necessary for treating hormone-refractory
      prostate cancer. Activation of androgen receptor (AR) and its variants'
      expression along with the downstream signals are mostly important for disease
      progression. However, the mechanism for marked increases of AR signals and its
      expression is still unclear. Here, we revealed that various spliceosome genes are
      aberrantly induced by RNA-binding protein PSF, leading to enhancement of the
      splicing activities for AR expression. Our high-speed sequence analyses
      identified global PSF-binding transcripts. PSF was shown to stabilize and
      activate key long noncoding RNAs and AR-regulated gene expressions in prostate
      cancer cells. Interestingly, mRNAs of spliceosome-related genes are putative
      primary targets of PSF. Their gene expressions are up-regulated by PSF in hormone
      refractory prostate cancer. Moreover, PSF coordinated these spliceosome proteins
      to form a complex to promote AR splicing and expression. Thus, targeting PSF and
      its related pathways implicates the therapeutic possibility for hormone
      refractory prostate cancer.

PMID- 28893983
TI  - Mechanisms for restraining cAMP-dependent protein kinase revealed by subunit
      quantitation and cross-linking approaches.
AB  - Protein phosphorylation by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) underlies
      key cellular processes, including sympathetic stimulation of heart cells, and
      potentiation of synaptic strength in neurons. Unrestrained PKA activity is
      pathological, and an enduring challenge is to understand how the activity of PKA
      catalytic subunits is directed in cells. We developed a light-activated cross
      linking approach to monitor PKA subunit interactions with temporal precision in
      living cells. This enabled us to refute the recently proposed theory that PKA
      catalytic subunits remain tethered to regulatory subunits during cAMP elevation.
      Instead, we have identified other features of PKA signaling for reducing
      catalytic subunit diffusion and increasing recapture rate. Comprehensive
      quantitative immunoblotting of protein extracts from human embryonic kidney cells
      and rat organs reveals that regulatory subunits are always in large molar excess
      of catalytic subunits (average ~17-fold). In the majority of organs tested, type
      II regulatory (RII) subunits were found to be the predominant PKA subunit. We
      also examined the architecture of PKA complexes containing RII subunits using
      cross-linking coupled to mass spectrometry. Quantitative comparison of cross
      linking within a complex of RIIbeta and Cbeta, with or without the prototypical
      anchoring protein AKAP18alpha, revealed that the dimerization and docking domain
      of RIIbeta is between its second cAMP binding domains. This architecture is
      compatible with anchored RII subunits directing the myristylated N terminus of
      catalytic subunits toward the membrane for release and recapture within the plane
      of the membrane.

PMID- 28893984
TI  - Nanoswitch-linked immunosorbent assay (NLISA) for fast, sensitive, and specific
      protein detection.
AB  - Protein detection and quantification play critical roles in both basic research
      and clinical practice. Current detection platforms range from the widely used
      ELISA to more sophisticated, and more expensive, approaches such as digital
      ELISA. Despite advances, there remains a need for a method that combines the
      simplicity and cost-effectiveness of ELISA with the sensitivity and speed of
      modern approaches in a format suitable for both laboratory and rapid, point-of
      care applications. Building on recent developments in DNA structural
      nanotechnology, we introduce the nanoswitch-linked immunosorbent assay (NLISA), a
      detection platform based on easily constructed DNA nanodevices that change
      conformation upon binding to a target protein with the results read out by gel
      electrophoresis. NLISA is surface-free and includes a kinetic-proofreading step
      for purification, enabling both enhanced sensitivity and reduced cross
      reactivity. We demonstrate femtomolar-level detection of prostate-specific
      antigen in biological fluids, as well as reduced cross-reactivity between
      different serotypes of dengue and also between a single-mutation and wild-type
      protein. NLISA is less expensive, uses less sample volume, is more rapid, and,
      with no washes, includes fewer hands-on steps than ELISA, while also achieving
      superior sensitivity. Our approach also has the potential to enable rapid point
      of-care assays, as we demonstrate by performing NLISA with an iPad/iPhone camera
      for imaging.

PMID- 28893985
TI  - Coupling of pollination services and coffee suitability under climate change.
AB  - Climate change will cause geographic range shifts for pollinators and major
      crops, with global implications for food security and rural livelihoods. However,
      little is known about the potential for coupled impacts of climate change on
      pollinators and crops. Coffee production exemplifies this issue, because large
      losses in areas suitable for coffee production have been projected due to climate
      change and because coffee production is dependent on bee pollination. We modeled
      the potential distributions of coffee and coffee pollinators under current and
      future climates in Latin America to understand whether future coffee-suitable
      areas will also be suitable for pollinators. Our results suggest that coffee
      suitable areas will be reduced 73-88% by 2050 across warming scenarios, a decline
      46-76% greater than estimated by global assessments. Mean bee richness will
      decline 8-18% within future coffee-suitable areas, but all are predicted to
      contain at least 5 bee species, and 46-59% of future coffee-suitable areas will
      contain 10 or more species. In our models, coffee suitability and bee richness
      each increase (i.e., positive coupling) in 10-22% of future coffee-suitable
      areas. Diminished coffee suitability and bee richness (i.e., negative coupling),
      however, occur in 34-51% of other areas. Finally, in 31-33% of the future coffee
      distribution areas, bee richness decreases and coffee suitability increases.
      Assessing coupled effects of climate change on crop suitability and pollination
      can help target appropriate management practices, including forest conservation,
      shade adjustment, crop rotation, or status quo, in different regions.

PMID- 28893986
TI  - Atmospheric evidence for a global secular increase in carbon isotopic
      discrimination of land photosynthesis.
AB  - A decrease in the 13C/12C ratio of atmospheric CO2 has been documented by direct
      observations since 1978 and from ice core measurements since the industrial
      revolution. This decrease, known as the 13C-Suess effect, is driven primarily by
      the input of fossil fuel-derived CO2 but is also sensitive to land and ocean
      carbon cycling and uptake. Using updated records, we show that no plausible
      combination of sources and sinks of CO2 from fossil fuel, land, and oceans can
      explain the observed 13C-Suess effect unless an increase has occurred in the
      13C/12C isotopic discrimination of land photosynthesis. A trend toward greater
      discrimination under higher CO2 levels is broadly consistent with tree ring
      studies over the past century, with field and chamber experiments, and with
      geological records of C3 plants at times of altered atmospheric CO2, but
      increasing discrimination has not previously been included in studies of long
      term atmospheric 13C/12C measurements. We further show that the inferred
      discrimination increase of 0.014 +/- 0.0070/00 ppm-1 is largely explained by
      photorespiratory and mesophyll effects. This result implies that, at the global
      scale, land plants have regulated their stomatal conductance so as to allow the
      CO2 partial pressure within stomatal cavities and their intrinsic water use
      efficiency to increase in nearly constant proportion to the rise in atmospheric
      CO2 concentration.

PMID- 28893987
TI  - Acidophilic green algal genome provides insights into adaptation to an acidic
      environment.
AB  - Some microalgae are adapted to extremely acidic environments in which toxic
      metals are present at high levels. However, little is known about how acidophilic
      algae evolved from their respective neutrophilic ancestors by adapting to
      particular acidic environments. To gain insights into this issue, we determined
      the draft genome sequence of the acidophilic green alga Chlamydomonas eustigma
      and performed comparative genome and transcriptome analyses between Ceustigma and
      its neutrophilic relative Chlamydomonas reinhardtii The results revealed the
      following features in Ceustigma that probably contributed to the adaptation to an
      acidic environment. Genes encoding heat-shock proteins and plasma membrane H+
      ATPase are highly expressed in Ceustigma This species has also lost fermentation
      pathways that acidify the cytosol and has acquired an energy shuttle and
      buffering system and arsenic detoxification genes through horizontal gene
      transfer. Moreover, the arsenic detoxification genes have been multiplied in the
      genome. These features have also been found in other acidophilic green and red
      algae, suggesting the existence of common mechanisms in the adaptation to acidic
      environments.

PMID- 28893988
TI  - Cryo-EM structure of the bacteriophage T4 isometric head at 3.3-A resolution and
      its relevance to the assembly of icosahedral viruses.
AB  - The 3.3-A cryo-EM structure of the 860-A-diameter isometric mutant bacteriophage
      T4 capsid has been determined. WT T4 has a prolate capsid characterized by
      triangulation numbers (T numbers) Tend = 13 for end caps and Tmid = 20 for
      midsection. A mutation in the major capsid protein, gp23, produced T=13
      icosahedral capsids. The capsid is stabilized by 660 copies of the outer capsid
      protein, Soc, which clamp adjacent gp23 hexamers. The occupancies of Soc
      molecules are proportional to the size of the angle between the planes of
      adjacent hexameric capsomers. The angle between adjacent hexameric capsomers is
      greatest around the fivefold vertices, where there is the largest deviation from
      a planar hexagonal array. Thus, the Soc molecules reinforce the structure where
      there is the greatest strain in the gp23 hexagonal lattice. Mutations that change
      the angles between adjacent capsomers affect the positions of the pentameric
      vertices, resulting in different triangulation numbers in bacteriophage T4. The
      analysis of the T4 mutant head assembly gives guidance to how other icosahedral
      viruses reproducibly assemble into capsids with a predetermined T number,
      although the influence of scaffolding proteins is also important.

PMID- 28893989
TI  - Structures of the peptide-modifying radical SAM enzyme SuiB elucidate the basis
      of substrate recognition.
AB  - Posttranslational modification of ribosomally synthesized peptides provides an
      elegant means for the production of biologically active molecules known as RiPPs
      (ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides). Although the
      leader sequence of the precursor peptide is often required for turnover, the
      exact mode of recognition by the modifying enzymes remains unclear for many
      members of this class of natural products. Here, we have used X-ray
      crystallography and computational modeling to examine the role of the leader
      peptide in the biosynthesis of a homolog of streptide, a recently identified
      peptide natural product with an intramolecular lysine-tryptophan cross-link,
      which is installed by the radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzyme, StrB. We
      present crystal structures of SuiB, a close ortholog of StrB, in various forms,
      including apo SuiB, SAM-bound SuiB, and a complex of SuiB with SAM and its
      peptide substrate, SuiA. Although the N-terminal domain of SuiB adopts a typical
      RRE (RiPP recognition element) motif, which has been implicated in precursor
      peptide recognition, we observe binding of the leader peptide in the catalytic
      barrel rather than the N-terminal domain. Computational simulations support a
      mechanism in which the leader peptide guides posttranslational modification by
      positioning the cross-linking residues of the precursor peptide within the active
      site. Together the results shed light onto binding of the precursor peptide and
      the associated conformational changes needed for the formation of the unique
      carbon-carbon cross-link in the streptide family of natural products.

PMID- 28893991
TI  - Correction for Harris et al., Young children communicate their ignorance and ask
      questions.

PMID- 28893990
TI  - CD1d-Restricted pathways in hepatocytes control local natural killer T cell
      homeostasis and hepatic inflammation.
AB  - Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells recognize lipid antigens presented by
      CD1d and play a central role in regulating immunity and inflammation in
      peripheral tissues. However, the mechanisms which govern iNKT cell homeostasis
      after thymic emigration are incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate that
      microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), a protein involved in the
      transfer of lipids onto CD1d, regulates liver iNKT cell homeostasis in a manner
      dependent on hepatocyte CD1d. Mice with hepatocyte-specific loss of MTP exhibit
      defects in the function of CD1d and show increased hepatic iNKT cell numbers as a
      consequence of altered iNKT cell apoptosis. Similar findings were made in mice
      with hepatocyte-specific loss of CD1d, confirming a critical role of CD1d in this
      process. Moreover, increased hepatic iNKT cell abundance in the absence of MTP is
      associated with susceptibility to severe iNKT cell-mediated hepatitis, thus
      demonstrating the importance of CD1d-dependent control of liver iNKT cells in
      maintaining immunological homeostasis in the liver. Together, these data
      demonstrate an unanticipated role of parenchymal cells, as shown here for
      hepatocytes, in tissue-specific regulation of CD1d-restricted immunity and
      further suggest that alterations in lipid metabolism may affect iNKT cell
      homeostasis through effects on CD1d-associated lipid antigens.

PMID- 28893992
TI  - Profile of Daniel H. Janzen.

PMID- 28893993
TI  - Arresting dissolution by interfacial rheology design.
AB  - A strategy to halt dissolution of particle-coated air bubbles in water based on
      interfacial rheology design is presented. Whereas previously a dense monolayer
      was believed to be required for such an "armored bubble" to resist dissolution,
      in fact engineering a 2D yield stress interface suffices to achieve such
      performance at submonolayer particle coverages. We use a suite of interfacial
      rheology techniques to characterize spherical and ellipsoidal particles at an air
      water interface as a function of surface coverage. Bubbles with varying particle
      coverages are made and their resistance to dissolution evaluated using a
      microfluidic technique. Whereas a bare bubble only has a single pressure at which
      a given radius is stable, we find a range of pressures over which bubble
      dissolution is arrested for armored bubbles. The link between interfacial
      rheology and macroscopic dissolution of [Formula: see text] 100 [Formula: see
      text]m bubbles coated with [Formula: see text] 1 [Formula: see text]m particles
      is presented and discussed. The generic design rationale is confirmed by using
      nonspherical particles, which develop significant yield stress at even lower
      surface coverages. Hence, it can be applied to successfully inhibit Ostwald
      ripening in a multitude of foam and emulsion applications.

PMID- 28893994
TI  - Gut microbiota from multiple sclerosis patients enables spontaneous autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis in mice.
AB  - There is emerging evidence that the commensal microbiota has a role in the
      pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), a putative autoimmune disease of the
      CNS. Here, we compared the gut microbial composition of 34 monozygotic twin pairs
      discordant for MS. While there were no major differences in the overall microbial
      profiles, we found a significant increase in some taxa such as Akkermansia in
      untreated MS twins. Furthermore, most notably, when transplanted to a transgenic
      mouse model of spontaneous brain autoimmunity, MS twin-derived microbiota induced
      a significantly higher incidence of autoimmunity than the healthy twin-derived
      microbiota. The microbial profiles of the colonized mice showed a high
      intraindividual and remarkable temporal stability with several differences,
      including Sutterella, an organism shown to induce a protective immunoregulatory
      profile in vitro. Immune cells from mouse recipients of MS-twin samples produced
      less IL-10 than immune cells from mice colonized with healthy-twin samples. IL-10
      may have a regulatory role in spontaneous CNS autoimmunity, as neutralization of
      the cytokine in mice colonized with healthy-twin fecal samples increased disease
      incidence. These findings provide evidence that MS-derived microbiota contain
      factors that precipitate an MS-like autoimmune disease in a transgenic mouse
      model. They hence encourage the detailed search for protective and pathogenic
      microbial components in human MS.

PMID- 28893997
TI  - Thomas E. Starzl: Transplantation pioneer.

PMID- 28893996
TI  - Evolution of flexibility and rigidity in retaliatory punishment.
AB  - Natural selection designs some social behaviors to depend on flexible learning
      processes, whereas others are relatively rigid or reflexive. What determines the
      balance between these two approaches? We offer a detailed case study in the
      context of a two-player game with antisocial behavior and retaliatory punishment.
      We show that each player in this game-a "thief" and a "victim"-must balance two
      competing strategic interests. Flexibility is valuable because it allows adaptive
      differentiation in the face of diverse opponents. However, it is also risky
      because, in competitive games, it can produce systematically suboptimal
      behaviors. Using a combination of evolutionary analysis, reinforcement learning
      simulations, and behavioral experimentation, we show that the resolution to this
      tension-and the adaptation of social behavior in this game-hinges on the game's
      learning dynamics. Our findings clarify punishment's adaptive basis, offer a case
      study of the evolution of social preferences, and highlight an important
      connection between natural selection and learning in the resolution of social
      conflicts.

PMID- 28893995
TI  - N-glycolyl groups of nonhuman chondroitin sulfates survive in ancient fossils.
AB  - Biosynthesis of the common mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid
      (Neu5Gc) was lost during human evolution due to inactivation of the CMAH gene,
      possibly expediting divergence of the Homo lineage, due to a partial fertility
      barrier. Neu5Gc catabolism generates N-glycolylhexosamines, which are potential
      precursors for glycoconjugate biosynthesis. We carried out metabolic labeling
      experiments and studies of mice with human-like Neu5Gc deficiency to show that
      Neu5Gc degradation is the metabolic source of UDP-GlcNGc and UDP-GalNGc and the
      latter allows an unexpectedly selective incorporation of N-glycolyl groups into
      chondroitin sulfate (CS) over other potential glycoconjugate products. Partially
      N-glycolylated-CS was chemically synthesized as a standard for mass spectrometry
      to confirm its natural occurrence. Much lower amounts of GalNGc in human CS can
      apparently be derived from Neu5Gc-containing foods, a finding confirmed by
      feeding Neu5Gc-rich chow to human-like Neu5Gc-deficient mice. Unlike the case
      with Neu5Gc, N-glycolyl-CS was also stable enough to be detectable in animal
      fossils as old as 4 My. This work opens the door for investigating the biological
      and immunological significance of this glycosaminoglycan modification and for an
      "ancient glycans" approach to dating of Neu5Gc loss during the evolution of Homo.

PMID- 28893998
TI  - Engineering a light-activated caspase-3 for precise ablation of neurons in vivo.
AB  - The circuitry of the brain is characterized by cell heterogeneity, sprawling
      cellular anatomy, and astonishingly complex patterns of connectivity. Determining
      how complex neural circuits control behavior is a major challenge that is often
      approached using surgical, chemical, or transgenic approaches to ablate neurons.
      However, all these approaches suffer from a lack of precise spatial and temporal
      control. This drawback would be overcome if cellular ablation could be controlled
      with light. Cells are naturally and cleanly ablated through apoptosis due to the
      terminal activation of caspases. Here, we describe the engineering of a light
      activated human caspase-3 (Caspase-LOV) by exploiting its natural spring-loaded
      activation mechanism through rational insertion of the light-sensitive LOV2
      domain that expands upon illumination. We apply the light-activated caspase
      (Caspase-LOV) to study neurodegeneration in larval and adult Drosophila Using the
      tissue-specific expression system (UAS)-GAL4, we express Caspase-LOV specifically
      in three neuronal cell types: retinal, sensory, and motor neurons. Illumination
      of whole flies or specific tissues containing Caspase-LOV-induced cell death and
      allowed us to follow the time course and sequence of neurodegenerative events.
      For example, we find that global synchronous activation of caspase-3 drives
      degeneration with a different time-course and extent in sensory versus motor
      neurons. We believe the Caspase-LOV tool we engineered will have many other uses
      for neurobiologists and others for specific temporal and spatial ablation of
      cells in complex organisms.

PMID- 28893999
TI  - Cortically coordinated NREM thalamocortical oscillations play an essential,
      instructive role in visual system plasticity.
AB  - Two long-standing questions in neuroscience are how sleep promotes brain
      plasticity and why some forms of plasticity occur preferentially during sleep vs.
      wake. Establishing causal relationships between specific features of sleep (e.g.,
      network oscillations) and sleep-dependent plasticity has been difficult. Here we
      demonstrate that presentation of a novel visual stimulus (a single oriented
      grating) causes immediate, instructive changes in the firing of mouse lateral
      geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons, leading to increased firing-rate responses to
      the presented stimulus orientation (relative to other orientations). However,
      stimulus presentation alone does not affect primary visual cortex (V1) neurons,
      which show response changes only after a period of subsequent sleep. During
      poststimulus nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, LGN neuron overall spike-field
      coherence (SFC) with V1 delta (0.5-4 Hz) and spindle (7-15 Hz) oscillations
      increased, with neurons most responsive to the presented stimulus showing greater
      SFC. To test whether coherent communication between LGN and V1 was essential for
      cortical plasticity, we first tested the role of layer 6 corticothalamic (CT) V1
      neurons in coherent firing within the LGN-V1 network. We found that rhythmic
      optogenetic activation of CT V1 neurons dramatically induced coherent firing in
      LGN neurons and, to a lesser extent, in V1 neurons in the other cortical layers.
      Optogenetic interference with CT feedback to LGN during poststimulus NREM sleep
      (but not REM or wake) disrupts coherence between LGN and V1 and also blocks sleep
      dependent response changes in V1. We conclude that NREM oscillations relay
      information regarding prior sensory experience between the thalamus and cortex to
      promote cortical plasticity.

PMID- 28894000
TI  - Disassembly of the Staphylococcus aureus hibernating 100S ribosome by an
      evolutionarily conserved GTPase.
AB  - The bacterial hibernating 100S ribosome is a poorly understood form of the
      dimeric 70S particle that has been linked to pathogenesis, translational
      repression, starvation responses, and ribosome turnover. In the opportunistic
      pathogen Staphylococcus aureus and most other bacteria, hibernation-promoting
      factor (HPF) homodimerizes the 70S ribosomes to form a translationally silent
      100S complex. Conversely, the 100S ribosomes dissociate into subunits and are
      presumably recycled for new rounds of translation. The regulation and disassembly
      of the 100S ribosome are largely unknown because the temporal abundance of the
      100S ribosome varies considerably among different bacterial phyla. Here, we
      identify a universally conserved GTPase (HflX) as a bona fide dissociation factor
      of the S. aureus 100S ribosome. The expression levels hpf and hflX are
      coregulated by general stress and stringent responses in a temperature-dependent
      manner. While all tested guanosine analogs stimulate the splitting activity of
      HflX on the 70S ribosome, only GTP can completely dissociate the 100S ribosome.
      Our results reveal the antagonistic relationship of HPF and HflX and uncover the
      key regulators of 70S and 100S ribosome homeostasis that are intimately
      associated with bacterial survival.

PMID- 28894002
TI  - Universal nanodroplet branches from confining the Ouzo effect.
AB  - We report the self-organization of universal branching patterns of oil
      nanodroplets under the Ouzo effect [Vitale S, Katz J (2003) Langmuir 19:4105
      4110]-a phenomenon in which spontaneous droplet formation occurs upon dilution of
      an organic solution of oil with water. The mixing of the organic and aqueous
      phases is confined under a quasi-2D geometry. In a manner analogous to the
      ramification of ground stream networks [Devauchelle O, Petroff AP, Seybold HF,
      Rothman DH (2012) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109: 20832-20836 and Cohen Y, et al.
      (2015) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112:14132-14137] but on a scale 10 orders of
      magnitude smaller, the angles between the droplet branches are seen to exhibit
      remarkable universality, with a value around 74 degrees  +/- 2 degrees ,
      independent of the various control parameters of the process. Numerical
      simulations reveal that these nanodroplet branching patterns are governed by the
      interplay between the local concentration gradient, diffusion, and collective
      interactions. We further demonstrate the ability of the local concentration
      gradient to drive autonomous motion of colloidal particles in the highly confined
      space, and the possibility of using the nucleated nanodroplets for nanoextraction
      of a hydrophobic solute. The understanding obtained from this work provides a
      basis for quantitatively understanding the complex dynamical aspects associated
      with the Ouzo effect. We expect that this will facilitate improved control in
      nanodroplet formation for many applications, spanning from the preparation of
      pharmaceutical polymeric carriers, to the formulation of cosmetics and
      insecticides, to the fabrication of nanostructured materials, to the
      concentration and separation of trace analytes in liquid-liquid microextraction.

PMID- 28894001
TI  - Intestinal type 1 regulatory T cells migrate to periphery to suppress
      diabetogenic T cells and prevent diabetes development.
AB  - Growing insight into the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and numerous studies
      in preclinical models highlights the potential of regulatory T cells to restore
      tolerance. By using non-obese diabetic (NOD) BDC2.5 TCR-transgenic (Tg), and IL
      10 and Foxp3 double-reporter mice, we demonstrate that alteration of gut
      microbiota during cohousing experiments or treatment with anti-CD3 mAb
      significantly increase intestinal IL-10-producing type 1 regulatory T (Tr1) cells
      and decrease diabetes incidence. These intestinal antigen-specific Tr1 cells have
      the ability to migrate to the periphery via a variety of chemokine receptors such
      as CCR4, CCR5, and CCR7 and to suppress proliferation of Th1 cells in the
      pancreas. The ability of Tr1 cells to cure diabetes in NOD mice required IL-10
      signaling, as Tr1 cells could not suppress CD4+ T cells with a dominant-negative
      IL-10R. Taken together, our data show a key role of intestinal Tr1 cells in the
      control of effector T cells and development of diabetes. Therefore, modulating
      gut-associated lymphoid tissue to boost Tr1 cells may be important in type 1
      diabetes management.

PMID- 28894003
TI  - Reexamining the origin of the directionality of myosin V.
AB  - The nature of the conversion of chemical energy to directional motion in myosin V
      is examined by careful simulations that include two complementary methods: direct
      Langevin Dynamics (LD) simulations with a scaled-down potential that provided a
      detailed time-resolved mechanism, and kinetic equations solution for the ensemble
      long-time propagation (based on information collected for segments of the
      landscape using LD simulations and experimental information). It is found that
      the directionality is due to the rate-limiting ADP release step rather than the
      potential energy of the lever arm angle. We show that the energy of the power
      stroke and the barriers involved in it are of minor consequence to the
      selectivity of forward over backward steps and instead suggest that the selective
      release of ADP from a postrigor myosin motor head promotes highly selective and
      processive myosin V. Our model is supported by different computational methods-LD
      simulations, Monte Carlo simulations, and kinetic equations solution-as well as
      by structure-based binding energy calculations.

PMID- 28894004
TI  - Waiting can be an optimal conservation strategy, even in a crisis discipline.
AB  - Biodiversity conservation projects confront immediate and escalating threats with
      limited funding. Conservation theory suggests that the best response to the
      species extinction crisis is to spend money as soon as it becomes available, and
      this is often an explicit constraint placed on funding. We use a general dynamic
      model of a conservation landscape to show that this decision to "front-load"
      project spending can be suboptimal if a delay allows managers to use resources
      more strategically. Our model demonstrates the existence of temporal efficiencies
      in conservation management, which parallel the spatial efficiencies identified by
      systematic conservation planning. The optimal timing of decisions balances the
      rate of biodiversity decline (e.g., the relaxation of extinction debts, or the
      progress of climate change) against the rate at which spending appreciates in
      value (e.g., through interest, learning, or capacity building). We contrast the
      benefits of acting and waiting in two ecosystems where restoration can mitigate
      forest bird extinction debts: South Australia's Mount Lofty Ranges and Paraguay's
      Atlantic Forest. In both cases, conservation outcomes cannot be maximized by
      front-loading spending, and the optimal solution recommends substantial delays
      before managers undertake conservation actions. Surprisingly, these delays allow
      superior conservation benefits to be achieved, in less time than front-loading.
      Our analyses provide an intuitive and mechanistic rationale for strategic delay,
      which contrasts with the orthodoxy of front-loaded spending for conservation
      actions. Our results illustrate the conservation efficiencies that could be
      achieved if decision makers choose when to spend their limited resources, as
      opposed to just where to spend them.

PMID- 28894005
TI  - Varicose and cheerio collaborate with pebble to mediate semaphorin-1a reverse
      signaling in Drosophila.
AB  - The transmembrane semaphorin Sema-1a acts as both a ligand and a receptor to
      regulate axon-axon repulsion during neural development. Pebble (Pbl), a Rho
      guanine nucleotide exchange factor, mediates Sema-1a reverse signaling through
      association with the N-terminal region of the Sema-1a intracellular domain (ICD),
      resulting in cytoskeletal reorganization. Here, we uncover two additional Sema-1a
      interacting proteins, varicose (Vari) and cheerio (Cher), each with neuronal
      functions required for motor axon pathfinding. Vari is a member of the membrane
      associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family of proteins, members of which can
      serve as scaffolds to organize signaling complexes. Cher is related to actin
      filament cross-linking proteins that regulate actin cytoskeleton dynamics. The
      PDZ domain binding motif found in the most C-terminal region of the Sema-1a ICD
      is necessary for interaction with Vari, but not Cher, indicative of distinct
      binding modalities. Pbl/Sema-1a-mediated repulsive guidance is potentiated by
      both vari and cher Genetic analyses further suggest that scaffolding functions of
      Vari and Cher play an important role in Pbl-mediated Sema-1a reverse signaling.
      These results define intracellular components critical for signal transduction
      from the Sema-1a receptor to the cytoskeleton and provide insight into mechanisms
      underlying semaphorin-induced localized changes in cytoskeletal organization.

PMID- 28894006
TI  - Structural and hydrodynamic properties of an intrinsically disordered region of a
      germ cell-specific protein on phase separation.
AB  - Membrane encapsulation is frequently used by the cell to sequester biomolecules
      and compartmentalize their function. Cells also concentrate molecules into phase
      separated protein or protein/nucleic acid "membraneless organelles" that regulate
      a host of biochemical processes. Here, we use solution NMR spectroscopy to study
      phase-separated droplets formed from the intrinsically disordered N-terminal 236
      residues of the germ-granule protein Ddx4. We show that the protein within the
      concentrated phase of phase-separated Ddx4, [Formula: see text], diffuses as a
      particle of 600-nm hydrodynamic radius dissolved in water. However, NMR spectra
      reveal sharp resonances with chemical shifts showing [Formula: see text] to be
      intrinsically disordered. Spin relaxation measurements indicate that the backbone
      amides of [Formula: see text] have significant mobility, explaining why high
      resolution spectra are observed, but motion is reduced compared with an
      equivalently concentrated nonphase-separating control. Observation of a network
      of interchain interactions, as established by NOE spectroscopy, shows the
      importance of Phe and Arg interactions in driving the phase separation of Ddx4,
      while the salt dependence of both low- and high-concentration regions of phase
      diagrams establishes an important role for electrostatic interactions. The
      diffusion of a series of small probes and the compact but disordered 4E binding
      protein 2 (4E-BP2) protein in [Formula: see text] are explained by an excluded
      volume effect, similar to that found for globular protein solvents. No changes in
      structural propensities of 4E-BP2 dissolved in [Formula: see text] are observed,
      while changes to DNA and RNA molecules have been reported, highlighting the
      diverse roles that proteinaceous solvents play in dictating the properties of
      dissolved solutes.

PMID- 28894007
TI  - RABIF/MSS4 is a Rab-stabilizing holdase chaperone required for GLUT4 exocytosis.
AB  - Rab GTPases are switched from their GDP-bound inactive conformation to a GTP
      bound active state by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). The first
      putative GEFs isolated for Rabs are RABIF (Rab-interacting factor)/MSS4
      (mammalian suppressor of Sec4) and its yeast homolog DSS4 (dominant suppressor of
      Sec4). However, the biological function and molecular mechanism of these
      molecules remained unclear. In a genome-wide CRISPR genetic screen, we isolated
      RABIF as a positive regulator of exocytosis. Knockout of RABIF severely impaired
      insulin-stimulated GLUT4 exocytosis in adipocytes. Unexpectedly, we discovered
      that RABIF does not function as a GEF, as previously assumed. Instead, RABIF
      promotes the stability of Rab10, a key Rab in GLUT4 exocytosis. In the absence of
      RABIF, Rab10 can be efficiently synthesized but is rapidly degraded by the
      proteasome, leading to exocytosis defects. Strikingly, restoration of Rab10
      expression rescues exocytosis defects, bypassing the requirement for RABIF. These
      findings reveal a crucial role of RABIF in vesicle transport and establish RABIF
      as a Rab-stabilizing holdase chaperone, a previously unrecognized mode of Rab
      regulation independent of its GDP-releasing activity. Besides Rab10, RABIF also
      regulates the stability of two other Rab GTPases, Rab8 and Rab13, suggesting that
      the requirement of holdase chaperones is likely a general feature of Rab GTPases.

PMID- 28894010
TI  - Heartbeat: Virtual histopathology after myocardial infarction.

PMID- 28894009
TI  - Trichromacy increases fruit intake rates of wild capuchins (Cebus capucinus
      imitator).
AB  - Intraspecific color vision variation is prevalent among nearly all diurnal
      monkeys in the neotropics and is seemingly a textbook case of balancing selection
      acting to maintain genetic polymorphism. Clear foraging advantages to monkeys
      with trichromatic vision over those with dichromatic "red-green colorblind"
      vision have been observed in captive studies; however, evidence of trichromatic
      advantage during close-range foraging has been surprisingly scarce in field
      studies, perhaps as a result of small sample sizes and strong impacts of
      environmental or individual variation on foraging performance. To robustly test
      the effects of color vision type on foraging efficiency in the wild, we conducted
      an extensive study of dichromatic and trichromatic white-faced capuchin monkeys
      (Cebus capucinus imitator), controlling for plant-level and monkey-level
      variables that may affect fruit intake rates. Over the course of 14 months, we
      collected behavioral data from 72 monkeys in Sector Santa Rosa, Costa Rica. We
      analyzed 19,043 fruit feeding events within 1,602 foraging bouts across 27 plant
      species. We find that plant species, color conspicuity category, and monkey age
      class significantly impact intake rates, while sex does not. When plant species
      and age are controlled for, we observe that trichromats have higher intake rates
      than dichromats for plant species with conspicuously colored fruits. This study
      provides clear evidence of trichromatic advantage in close-range fruit feeding in
      wild monkeys. Taken together with previous reports of dichromatic advantage for
      finding cryptic foods, our results illuminate an important aspect of balancing
      selection maintaining primate opsin polymorphism.

PMID- 28894008
TI  - Genetic disruption of ankyrin-G in adult mouse forebrain causes cortical synapse
      alteration and behavior reminiscent of bipolar disorder.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies have implicated the ANK3 locus in bipolar
      disorder, a major human psychotic illness. ANK3 encodes ankyrin-G, which
      organizes the neuronal axon initial segment (AIS). We generated a mouse model
      with conditional disruption of ANK3 in pyramidal neurons of the adult forebrain
      (Ank-G cKO). This resulted in the expected loss of pyramidal neuron AIS voltage
      gated sodium and potassium channels. There was also dramatic loss of markers of
      afferent GABAergic cartridge synapses, resembling the cortical microcircuitry
      changes in brains from psychotic patients, and suggesting disinhibition.
      Expression of c-fos was increased in cortical pyramidal neurons, consistent with
      increased neuronal activity due to disinhibition. The mice showed robust
      behavioral phenotypes reminiscent of aspects of human mania, ameliorated by
      antimania drugs lithium and valproate. Repeated social defeat stress resulted in
      repeated episodes of dramatic behavioral changes from hyperactivity to
      "depression-like" behavior, suggestive of some aspects of human bipolar disorder.
      Overall, we suggest that this Ank-G cKO mouse model recapitulates some of the
      core features of human bipolar disorder and indicates that cortical
      microcircuitry alterations during adulthood may be involved in pathogenesis. The
      model may be useful for studying disease pathophysiology and for developing
      experimental therapeutics.

PMID- 28894011
TI  - Palpitations in a 72-year-old woman.
AB  - CLINICAL INTRODUCTION: A 72-year-old woman presented with an 8-year history of
      palpitations occurring every few weeks. They were sudden in onset, were
      associated with dizziness and could last for up to 2 hours. She was prescribed
      bisoprolol which reduced the frequency of events but did not abolish them.
      Baseline ECG and echocardiography were normal. She was referred for
      electrophysiological study. Despite initial difficulties, diagnostic catheters
      were placed in the right ventricular (RV) apex and in the coronary sinus (CS) via
      the right internal jugular vein and superior vena cava (SVC) (figure 1A). A
      narrow complex tachycardia was easily induced, and ablation was then delivered
      during tachycardia with the ablation catheter positioned as shown in (figure 1A).
      This terminated tachycardia 4 s after onset of energy delivery and on follow-up
      she has remained asymptomatic. She later underwent a CT scan (figure 1B,C; online
      supplementary video).DC1SP110.1136/heartjnl-2017-311734.supp1Supplementary file 1
      heartjnl;103/19/1554/F1F1F1Figure 1(A) Fluoroscopy of catheter placement. (B)
      Sagittal contrast-enhanced CT image. (C) Axial contrast-enhanced CT. QUESTION:
      What anatomical abnormality caused difficulty in catheter placement during the
      procedure?Azygous continuation of the inferior vena cava (IVC)Giant Eustachian
      valveDextrocardiaRenal tumour compressing IVC.

PMID- 28894012
TI  - Mechanical prosthetic heart valves (MPHV) in pregnancy are associated with a high
      risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28894013
TI  - Moderate sedation in cardiac electrophysiology laboratory: a retrospective safety
      analysis.

PMID- 28894014
TI  - Correction: Altered biophysical properties of the voltage-gated sodium channels
      in mouse atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes.

PMID- 28894015
TI  - Propensity Score Analysis of Regorafenib Versus Trifluridine/Tipiracil in
      Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Refractory to Standard Chemotherapy
      (REGOTAS): A Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum Multicenter
      Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study compared the efficacy of regorafenib and
      trifluridine/tipiracil (TFTD) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
      (mCRC) who are refractory to standard chemotherapy, because despite their
      clinical approval, it still remains unclear which of these two drugs should be
      used as initial treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical data of patients
      with mCRC who were treated with regorafenib or TFTD and those of drug-naive
      patients, between June 2014 and September 2015, were retrospectively collected
      from 24 institutions in Japan. Overall survival (OS) was evaluated using the
      Cox's proportional hazard models based on propensity score adjustment for
      baseline characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 550 patients (223 patients in the
      regorafenib group and 327 patients in the TFTD group) met all criteria. The
      median OS was 7.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.8-9.2) in the
      regorafenib group and 7.4 months (95% CI, 6.6-8.3) in the TFTD group. The
      propensity score adjusted analysis showed that OS was similar between the two
      groups (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.96; 95% CI, 0.78-1.18). In the subgroup
      analysis, a significant interaction with age was observed. Regorafenib showed
      favorable survival in patients aged <65 years (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.98-1.69),
      whereas TFTD was favored in patients aged >=65 years (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.59
      1.03). CONCLUSION: No significant difference in OS between regorafenib and TFTD
      was observed in patients with mCRC. Although the choice of the drug by age might
      affect survival, a clearly predictive biomarker to distinguish the two drugs
      should be identified in further studies. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Previous
      studies of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard
      chemotherapy had demonstrated that both regorafenib and trifluridine/tipiracil
      could result in increased overall survival compared with placebo, but there are
      no head-to-head trials. This large, multicenter, observational study
      retrospectively compared the efficacy of regorafenib and trifluridine/tipiracil
      in 550 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard
      chemotherapy who had access to both drugs. Although no difference in overall
      survival was found between the two drugs in adjusted analysis using propensity
      score, regorafenib showed favorable survival in patients aged <65 years, whereas
      trifluridine/tipiracil was favored in patients aged >=65 years in the subgroup
      analysis.

PMID- 28894016
TI  - The Issue of Tissue in Molecular Stratification.

PMID- 28894018
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 28894017
TI  - Effects of Early Integrated Palliative Care on Caregivers of Patients with Lung
      and Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The family and friends (caregivers) of patients with advanced cancer
      often experience tremendous distress. Although early integrated palliative care
      (PC) has been shown to improve patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and mood,
      its effects on caregivers' outcomes is currently unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We conducted a randomized trial of early PC integrated with oncology care versus
      oncology care alone for patients who were newly diagnosed with incurable lung and
      noncolorectal gastrointestinal cancers and their caregivers. The early PC
      intervention focused on addressing the needs of both patients and their
      caregivers. Eligible caregivers were family or friends who would likely accompany
      patients to clinic visits. The intervention entailed at least monthly patient
      visits with PC from the time of diagnosis. Caregivers were encouraged, but not
      required, to attend the palliative care visits. We used the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale (HADS) and Medical Health Outcomes Survey Short-Form to assess
      caregiver mood and QOL. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-five caregivers
      (intervention n = 137; control n = 138) of the 350 patients participated. The
      intervention led to improvement in caregivers' total distress (HADS-total
      adjusted mean difference = -1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.76 to -0.15, p
      = .029), depression subscale (HADS-depression adjusted mean difference = -0.71,
      95% CI -1.38 to -0.05, p = .036), but not anxiety subscale or QOL at week 12.
      There were no differences in caregivers' outcomes at week 24. A terminal decline
      analysis showed significant intervention effects on caregivers' total distress
      (HADS-total), with effects on both the anxiety and depression subscales at 3 and
      6 months before patient death. CONCLUSION: Early involvement of PC for patients
      with newly diagnosed lung and gastrointestinal cancers leads to improvement in
      caregivers' psychological symptoms. This work demonstrates that the benefits of
      early, integrated PC models in oncology care extend beyond patient outcomes and
      positively impact the experience of caregivers. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Early
      involvement of palliative care for patients with newly diagnosed lung and
      gastrointestinal cancers leads to improvement in caregivers' psychological
      symptoms. The findings of this trial demonstrate that the benefits of the early,
      integrated palliative care model in oncology care extend beyond patient outcomes
      and positively impact the experience of caregivers. These findings contribute
      novel data to the growing evidence base supporting the benefits of integrating
      palliative care earlier in the course of disease for patients with advanced
      cancer and their caregivers.

PMID- 28894019
TI  - Iron-Nicotianamine Transporters Are Required for Proper Long Distance Iron
      Signaling.
AB  - The mechanisms of root iron uptake and the transcriptional networks that control
      root-level regulation of iron uptake have been well studied, but the mechanisms
      by which shoots signal iron status to the roots remain opaque. Here, we
      characterize an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) double mutant, yellow stripe1
      like yellow stripe3-like (ysl1ysl3), which has lost the ability to properly
      regulate iron deficiency-influenced gene expression in both roots and shoots. In
      spite of markedly low tissue levels of iron, the double mutant does not up- and
      down-regulate iron deficiency-induced and -repressed genes. We have used grafting
      experiments to show that wild-type roots grafted to ysl1ysl3 shoots do not
      initiate iron deficiency-induced gene expression, indicating that the ysl1ysl3
      shoots fail to send an appropriate long-distance signal of shoot iron status to
      the roots. We present a model to explain how impaired iron localization in leaf
      veins results in incorrect signals of iron sufficiency being sent to roots and
      affecting gene expression there. Improved understanding of the mechanism of long
      distance iron signaling will allow improved strategies for the engineering of
      staple crops to accumulate additional bioavailable iron in edible parts, thus
      improving the iron nutrition of the billions of people worldwide whose inadequate
      diet causes iron deficiency anemia.

PMID- 28894020
TI  - Transcription Factor OsWRKY53 Positively Regulates Brassinosteroid Signaling and
      Plant Architecture.
AB  - Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroid hormones regulating multiple
      aspects of plant growth, development, and adaptation. Compared with extensive
      studies in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the mechanism of BR signaling in
      rice (Oryza sativa) is less understood. Here, we identified OsWRKY53, a
      transcription factor involved in defense responses, as an important regulator of
      rice BR signaling. Phenotypic analyses showed that OsWRKY53 overexpression led to
      enlarged leaf angles and increased grain size, in contrast to the erect leaves
      and smaller seeds in oswrky53 mutant. In addition, the oswrky53 exhibited
      decreased BR sensitivity, whereas OsWRKY53 overexpression plants were
      hypersensitive to BR, suggesting that OsWRKY53 positively regulates rice BR
      signaling. Moreover, we show that OsWRKY53 can interact with and be
      phosphorylated by the OsMAPKK4-OsMAPK6 cascade, and the phosphorylation is
      required for the biological function of OsWRKY53 in regulating BR responses.
      Furthermore, we found that BR promotes OsWRKY53 protein accumulation but
      represses OsWRKY53 transcript level. Taken together, this study revealed the
      novel role of OsWRKY53 as a regulator of rice BR signaling and also suggested a
      potential role of OsWRKY53 in mediating the cross talk between the hormone and
      other signaling pathways.

PMID- 28894021
TI  - Microtubule Array Patterns Have a Common Underlying Architecture in Hypocotyl
      Cells.
AB  - Microtubules at the plant cell cortex influence cell shape by patterning the
      deposition of cell wall materials. The elongated cells of the hypocotyl create a
      variety of microtubule array patterns with differing degrees of polymer
      coalignment and orientation to the cell's growth axis. To gain insight into the
      mechanisms driving array organization, we investigated the underlying microtubule
      array architecture in light-grown epidermal cells with explicit reference to
      array pattern. We discovered that all nontransverse patterns share a common
      underlying array architecture, having a core unimodal peak of coaligned
      microtubules in a split bipolarized arrangement. The growing microtubule plus
      ends extend toward the cell's apex and base with a region of antiparallel
      microtubule overlap at the cell's midzone. This core coalignment continuously
      shifts between +/-30 degrees  from the cell's longitudinal growth axis, forming a
      continuum of longitudinal and oblique arrays. Transverse arrays exhibit the same
      unimodal core coalignment but form local domains of microtubules polymerizing in
      the same direction rather than a split bipolarized architecture. Quantitative
      imaging experiments and analysis of katanin mutants showed that the longitudinal
      arrays are created from microtubules originating on the outer periclinal cell
      face, pointing to a cell-directed, rather than self-organizing, mechanism for
      specifying the major array pattern classes in the hypocotyl cell.

PMID- 28894022
TI  - Highly Decorated Lignins in Leaf Tissues of the Canary Island Date Palm Phoenix
      canariensis.
AB  - The cell walls of leaf base tissues of the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix
      canariensis) contain lignins with the most complex compositions described to
      date. The lignin composition varies by tissue region and is derived from
      traditional monolignols (ML) along with an unprecedented range of ML conjugates:
      ML-acetate, ML-benzoate, ML-p-hydroxybenzoate, ML-vanillate, ML-p-coumarate, and
      ML-ferulate. The specific functions of such complex lignin compositions are
      unknown. However, the distribution of the ML conjugates varies depending on the
      tissue region, indicating that they may play specific roles in the cell walls of
      these tissues and/or in the plant's defense system.

PMID- 28894024
TI  - The synergistic antimicrobial effects of novel bombinin and bombinin H peptides
      from the skin secretion of Bombina orientalis.
AB  - Bombinin and bombinin H are two antimicrobial peptide (AMP) families initially
      discovered from the skin secretion of Bombina that share the same biosynthetic
      precursor-encoding cDNAs, but have different structures and physicochemical
      properties. Insight into their possible existing relationship lead us to perform
      the combination investigations into their anti-infectious activities. In this
      work, we report the molecular cloning and functional characterization of two
      novel AMPs belonging to bombinin and bombinin H families from secretions of
      Bombina orientalis Their mature peptides (BHL-bombinin and bombinin HL), coded by
      single ORF, were chemically synthesized along with an analogue peptide that
      replaced L-leucine with D-leucine from the second position of the N-terminus
      (bombinin HD). CD analysis revealed that all of them displayed well-defined alpha
      helical structures in membrane mimicking environments. Furthermore, BHL-bombinin
      displayed broad-spectrum bactericidal activities on a wide range of
      microorganisms, while bombinin H only exhibited a mildly bacteriostatic effect on
      the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus The combination potency of BHL
      bombinin with either bombinin HL or bombinin HD showed the synergistic inhibition
      activities against S. aureus (fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI):
      0.375). A synergistic effect has also been observed between bombinin H and
      ampicillin, which was further systematically evaluated and confirmed by in vitro
      time-killing investigations. Haemolytic and cytotoxic examinations exhibited a
      highly synergistic selectivity and low cytotoxicity on mammalian cells of these
      three peptides. Taken together, the discovery of the potent synergistic effect of
      AMPs in a single biosynthetic precursor with superior functional selectivity
      provides a promising strategy to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens in clinical
      therapy.

PMID- 28894025
TI  - Attenuation of miR-34a protects cardiomyocytes against hypoxic stress through
      maintenance of glycolysis.
AB  - MiRNAs are a class of endogenous, short, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs, which
      are tightly linked to cardiac disorders such as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion
      (I/R) injury. MiR-34a is known to be involved in the hypoxia-induced
      cardiomyocytes apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanisms are unclear. In the
      present study, we demonstrate that under low glucose supply, rat cardiomyocytes
      are susceptible to hypoxia. Under short-time hypoxia, cellular glucose uptake and
      lactate product are induced but under long-time hypoxia, the cellular glucose
      metabolism is suppressed. Interestingly, an adaptive up-regulation of miR-34a by
      long-time hypoxia was observed both in vitro and in vivo, leading to suppression
      of glycolysis in cardiomyocytes. We identified lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDHA) as
      a direct target of miR-34a, which binds to the 3'-UTR region of LDHA mRNA in
      cardiomyocytes. Moreover, inhibition of miR-34a attenuated hypoxia-induced
      cardiomyocytes dysfunction through restoration of glycolysis. The present study
      illustrates roles of miR-34a in the hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes dysfunction
      and proposes restoration of glycolysis of dysfunctional cardiomyocytes by
      inhibiting miR-34a during I/R might be an effectively therapeutic approach
      against I/R injury.

PMID- 28894023
TI  - Cytokinin-Auxin Crosstalk in the Gynoecial Primordium Ensures Correct Domain
      Patterning.
AB  - The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) gynoecium consists of two congenitally
      fused carpels made up of two lateral valve domains and two medial domains, which
      retain meristematic properties and later fuse to produce the female reproductive
      structures vital for fertilization. Polar auxin transport (PAT) is important for
      setting up distinct apical auxin signaling domains in the early floral meristem
      remnants allowing for lateral domain identity and outgrowth. Crosstalk between
      auxin and cytokinin plays an important role in the development of other
      meristematic tissues, but hormone interaction studies to date have focused on
      more accessible later-stage gynoecia and the spatiotemporal interactions pivotal
      for patterning of early gynoecium primordia remain unknown. Focusing on the
      earliest stages, we propose a cytokinin-auxin feedback model during early
      gynoecium patterning and hormone homeostasis. Our results suggest that cytokinin
      positively regulates auxin signaling in the incipient gynoecial primordium and
      strengthen the concept that cytokinin regulates auxin homeostasis during
      gynoecium development. Specifically, medial cytokinin promotes auxin biosynthesis
      components [YUCCA1/4 (YUC1/4)] in, and PINFORMED7 (PIN7)-mediated auxin efflux
      from, the medial domain. The resulting laterally focused auxin signaling triggers
      ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEIN6 (AHP6), which then represses
      cytokinin signaling in a PAT-dependent feedback. Cytokinin also down-regulates
      PIN3, promoting auxin accumulation in the apex. The yuc1, yuc4, and ahp6 mutants
      are hypersensitive to exogenous cytokinin and 1-napthylphthalamic acid (NPA),
      highlighting their role in mediolateral gynoecium patterning. In summary, these
      mechanisms self-regulate cytokinin and auxin signaling domains, ensuring correct
      domain specification and gynoecium development.

PMID- 28894026
TI  - Associations of TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 gene polymorphisms with the risk of
      hypospadias: a case-control study in a Chinese population.
AB  - This case-control study investigated the association of transforming growth
      factor-beta (TGF-beta) receptor type I and II (TGFBR1 and TGFBR2) gene
      polymorphisms with the risk of hypospadias in a Chinese population. One hundred
      and sixty two patients suffering from hypospadias were enrolled as case group and
      165 children who underwent circumcision were recruited as control group. Single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 genes were selected on the
      basis of genetic data obtained from HapMap. PCR-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed to identify TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 gene
      polymorphisms and analyze genotype distribution and allele frequency. Logistic
      regression analysis was conducted to estimate the risk factors for hypospadias.
      No significant difference was found concerning the genotype and allele
      frequencies of TGFBR1 rs4743325 polymorphism between the case and control groups.
      However, genotype and allele frequencies of TGFBR2 rs6785358 in the case group
      were significantly different in contrast with those in the control group.
      Patients carrying the G allele of TGFBR2 rs6785358 polymorphism exhibited a
      higher risk of hypospadias compared with the patients carrying the A allele
      (P<0.05). The TGFBR2 rs6785358 genotype was found to be significantly related to
      abnormal pregnancy and preterm birth (both P<0.05). The frequency of TGFBR2
      rs6785358 GG genotype exhibited significant differences amongst patients
      suffering from four different pathological types of hypospadias. Logistic
      regression analysis revealed that preterm birth, abnormal pregnancy, and TGFBR2
      rs6785358 were the independent risk factors for hypospadias. Our study provides
      evidence that TGFBR2 rs6785358 polymorphism might be associated with the risk of
      hypospadias.

PMID- 28894027
TI  - Corrected and Republished from: Activation Status-Coupled Transient S-Acylation
      Determines Membrane Partitioning of a Plant Rho-Related GTPase.
AB  - ROPs or RACs are plant Rho-related GTPases implicated in the regulation of a
      multitude of signaling pathways that function at the plasma membrane via
      posttranslational lipid modifications. The relationships between ROP activation
      status and membrane localization has not been established. Here, we show that
      endogenous ROPs, as well as a transgenic His6-green fluorescent protein (GFP)
      Arabidopsis thaliana ROP6 (AtROP6) fusion protein, were partitioned between
      Triton X-100-soluble and -insoluble membranes. In contrast, the His6-GFP-Atrop6CA
      activated mutant accumulated exclusively in detergent-resistant membranes. GDP
      induced accumulation of ROPs in Triton-soluble membranes, whereas GTPgammaS
      induced accumulation of ROPs in detergent-resistant membranes. Recombinant wild
      type and constitutively active AtROP6 proteins were purified from Arabidopsis
      plants, and in turn, their lipids were cleaved and analyzed by gas chromatography
      coupled mass spectrometry. In Triton-soluble membranes, the wild-type AtROP6 was
      only prenylated, primarily by geranylgeranyl. The activated AtROP6 that
      accumulated in detergent-resistant membranes was modified by prenyl and acyl
      lipids, identified as palmitic and stearic acids. Consistently, activated His6
      GFP-Atrop6CAmS156, in which C156 was mutated into serine, accumulated in Triton
      soluble membranes. These findings show that upon GTP binding and activation,
      AtROP6, and possibly other ROPs, are transiently S-acylated, inducing their
      partitioning into detergent-resistant membranes.

PMID- 28894030
TI  - Proptosis: A forgotten observation by Miller Fisher on his syndrome.

PMID- 28894031
TI  - Editors' Note.

PMID- 28894028
TI  - MTORC1 Regulates both General Autophagy and Mitophagy Induction after Oxidative
      Phosphorylation Uncoupling.
AB  - The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (MTORC1) is a critical negative
      regulator of general autophagy. We hypothesized that MTORC1 may specifically
      regulate autophagic clearance of damaged mitochondria. To test this, we used
      cells lacking tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2 -/-), which show constitutive
      MTORC1 activation. TSC2 -/- cells show MTORC1-dependent impaired autophagic flux
      after chemical uncoupling of mitochondria, increased mitochondrial protein aging
      and accumulation of p62/SQSTM1 positive mitochondria. Mitochondrial autophagy
      (mitophagy) was also deficient in cells lacking TSC2, associated with altered
      expression of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and PARK2 translocation to uncoupled
      mitochondria, all of which were recovered by MTORC1 inhibition or expression of
      constitutively active FoxO1. These data prove the necessity of intact MTORC1
      signaling to regulate two synergistic processes required for clearance of damaged
      mitochondria: 1) general autophagy initiation, and 2) PINK1/PARK2-mediated
      selective targeting of uncoupled mitochondria to the autophagic machinery.

PMID- 28894032
TI  - Letter re: Monitoring long-term efficacy of fampridine in gait-impaired patients
      with multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28894033
TI  - Author response: Monitoring long-term efficacy of fampridine in gait-impaired
      patients with multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28894029
TI  - PARI Regulates Stalled Replication Fork Processing To Maintain Genome Stability
      upon Replication Stress in Mice.
AB  - DNA replication is frequently perturbed by intrinsic, as well as extrinsic,
      genotoxic stress. At damaged forks, DNA replication and repair activities require
      proper coordination to maintain genome integrity. We show here that PARI
      antirecombinase plays an essential role in modulating the initial response to
      replication stress in mice. PARI is functionally dormant at replisomes during
      normal replication, but upon replication stress, it enhances nascent-strand
      shortening that is regulated by RAD51 and MRE11. PARI then promotes double-strand
      break induction, followed by new origin firing instead of replication restart.
      Such PARI function is apparently obstructive to replication but is nonetheless
      physiologically required for chromosome stability in vivo and ex vivo Of note,
      Pari-deficient embryonic stem cells exhibit spontaneous chromosome instability,
      which is attenuated by differentiation induction, suggesting that pluripotent
      stem cells have a preferential requirement for PARI that acts against endogenous
      replication stress. PARI is a latent modulator of stalled fork processing, which
      is required for stable genome inheritance under both endogenous and exogenous
      replication stress in mice.

PMID- 28894034
TI  - Letter re: A model for predicting the growth of unruptured intracranial
      aneurysms: Beyond fortune telling.

PMID- 28894036
TI  - Motor neuron disease in patients with HIV infection.

PMID- 28894035
TI  - Editorialist response: A model for predicting the growth of unruptured
      intracranial aneurysms: Beyond fortune telling.

PMID- 28894037
TI  - Emerging Subspecialties in Neurology: Autoimmune neurology.

PMID- 28894038
TI  - Teaching NeuroImages: Early-onset dementia and demyelinating neuropathy
      disclosing cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis.

PMID- 28894039
TI  - Translational Approaches In Cardiovascular Diseases by Omics.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
      Despite scientific and technical progress in risk prediction, diagnostics,
      prognostication and therapy of cardiovascular pathologies, new biomarkers and
      therapeutic targets remain the subject of intense research to reduce the burden
      of these diseases. High throughput analyses, termed "omics", are a promising
      avenue of research. These recently developed technical fields have revolutionized
      biological and medical research in a very short time. By their interdisciplinary
      nature, these new methods have already provided a wide vision of cell and tissue
      pathways and functions. Here, we review how these methods can help to discover
      new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 28894040
TI  - The role of vitamin D in the development of autoimmune diseases.
AB  - Witamina D, poza istotna rola w utrzymaniu homeostazy wapnia i metabolizmie
      kostnym, odgrywa wazna role w funkcjonowaniu ukladu odpornosciowego. Niedobor
      witaminy D wiaze sie z wieloma niekorzystnymi dla zdrowia skutkami, wlaczajac w
      to m.in. oslabienie odpornosci, czego skutkiem jest zwiekszona podatnosc na
      zakazenia wirusowe, bakteryjne oraz grzybicze. W artykule opisano podstawy
      metabolizmu witaminy D oraz jej role fizjologiczna, ze szczegolnym uwzglednieniem
      wplywu na komorki ukladu odpornosciowego. Ze wzgledu na jej istotna role w
      regulacji odpowiedzi zapalnej oraz wytwarzaniu cytokin zwraca sie uwage na jej
      role w rozwoju chorob o podlozu autoimmunologicznym, takich jak cukrzyca typu 1,
      toczen rumieniowaty, reumatoidalne zapalenie stawow, stwardnienie rozsiane,
      nieswoiste zapalenia jelit, luszczyca, bielactwo, czy twardzina, w ktorych
      witamina D ma potencjalne szerokie zastosowanie zarowno w prewencji, jak i
      wspomaganiu dzialan terapeutycznych.

PMID- 28894041
TI  - Analysis of the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism of the CD209,
      IL-10, IL-28 and CCR5 D32 genes with the human predisposition to developing tick
      borne encephalitis.
AB  - <b>Introduction: </b>It is known that in the pathogenesis of tick-borne
      encephalitis (TBE) various molecules play a significant role. The most prominent
      factors include IL-10, IL-28B, CD-209 and CCR5. It is reasonable to search for
      genetic predispositions to the development of various clinical forms of TBE
      related to the genetic variation of IL-10, IL-28B, CD-209 and CCR5. In this study
      we aimed to search for the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism in
      the promoter region of the CD209, IL-10, IL-28 and 32 base pair deletion in CCR5
      coding region (Delta 32) with the human predisposition to development of various
      clinical presentations of TBE. We tried to assess the relation between the
      presence of particular alleles and genotypes with laboratory and clinical
      parameters. <b>Material/Methods </b>59 patients with TBE and 57 people, bitten by
      a tick who never developed TBE (Polish cohort), were included in the study. To
      assess the distribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms, TaqMan SNP genotyping
      assays were used for IL10: rs1800872 and rs1800896, for CD 209 rs4804803 and
      rs2287886, rs12979860 for IL 28B SNPs according to the manufacturer's protocol
      using real-time PCR technology on the StepOne thermal cycler. <b>Results
      </b>Comparison between TBE patients and CG showed that in SNP rs2287886 CD 209 AG
      heterozygotes were more frequent in the TBE group, while homozygotes GG were more
      frequent in the CG group. <b>Conclusions </b> SNP rs2287886 CD 209 AG
      heterozygotes predispose humans to develop TBE. Single nucleotide polymorphism in
      the promoter region of the CD209, IL-10, IL-28 and CCR5 D32 genes does not
      correlate with the severity of TBE.

PMID- 28894042
TI  - The role of the BLCA-4 nuclear matrix protein in bladder cancer.
AB  - Bladder cancer (BC) affects usually older people. According to information
      provided by the National Cancer Registry in 2012. BC was the 4th, in terms of
      illness, cancer in men and 11th in women. Early diagnosis of bladder cancer is
      important because detected later has worse prognosis.Diagnosis of bladder cancer
      is not simple and it is still very invasive. Usually the cystoscopy or endoscopic
      bladder biopsy with histopathological evaluation and cytology of urine sediment
      is used. This prompted researchers to look for alternative noninvasive methods of
      diagnosis of bladder cancer. Recently, it was described the group of six proteins
      (BLCA) specific for BC, with special attention to BLCA-4.BLCA-4 belongs to the
      nuclear matrix protein and has a high specificity for this type of cancer however
      the value of this marker in BC diagnosis is not yet established. Oxidative DNA
      damage play an important role in the pathogenesis of some human diseases,
      including cancer. Determination of 8-hydroxy-2'deoksyguanozyne (8-OHdG) is
      currently used in the evaluation of genotoxic damage.The aim of the work was to
      review information on BLCA-4, its function in the process of BC carcinogenesis
      and diagnostic value also in exposure to genotoxic compounds measured by 8
      hydroxy-2'deoksyguanozyne (8-OHdG) level.

PMID- 28894043
TI  - Immune disorders in sepsis and their treatment as a significant problem of modern
      intensive care.
AB  - Despite the great advances in the treatment of sepsis over the past 20 years,
      sepsis remains the main cause of death in intensive care units. In the context of
      new possibilities of treating sepsis, a comprehensive response of the immune
      system to the infection, immunosuppression, in particular, has in recent years
      gained considerable interest. There is vast evidence pointing to the correlation
      between comorbid immunosuppression and an increased risk of recurrent infections
      and death. Immune disorders may impact the clinical course of sepsis. This
      applies in particular to patients with deteriorated clinical response to
      infections. They usually suffer from comorbidities and conditions accompanied by
      immunosuppression. Sepsis disrupts innate and adaptive immunity. The key to
      diagnose the immune disorders in sepsis and undertake targeted immunomodulatory
      therapy is to define the right biomarkers and laboratory methods, which permit
      prompt "bedside" diagnosis. Flow cytometry is a laboratory tool that meets these
      criteria. Two therapeutic methods are currently being suggested to restore the
      immune homeostasis of sepsis patients. Excessive inflammatory response may be
      controlled through extracorporeal blood purification techniques, in large part
      derived from renal replacement therapy. These are such techniques as high-volume
      haemofiltration, cascade haemofiltration, plasma exchange, coupled plasma
      filtration and adsorption, high-absorption membranes, high cut-off membranes. The
      main task of theses techniques is the selective elimination of middle molecular
      weight molecules, such as cytokines. Pharmacotherapy with the use of such
      immunostimulants as interleukin 7, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating
      factor, interferon gamma, PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 antagonists, intravenous
      immunoglobulins may help fight immunosuppressive immune disorders.

PMID- 28894044
TI  - Mitochondrial functionality in female reproduction.
AB  - In most animal species female germ cells are the source of mitochondrial genome
      for the whole body of individuals. As a source of mitochondrial DNA for future
      generations the mitochondria in the female germ line undergo dynamic quantitative
      and qualitative changes. In addition to maintaining the intact template of
      mitochondrial genome from one generation to another, mitochondrial role in
      oocytes is much more complex and pleiotropic. The quality of mitochondria
      determines the ability of meiotic divisions, fertilization ability, and
      activation after fertilization or sustaining development of a new embryo. The
      presence of normal number of functional mitochondria is also crucial for proper
      implantation and pregnancy maintaining. This article addresses issues of
      mitochondrial role and function in mammalian oocyte and presents new approaches
      in studies of mitochondrial function in female germ cells.

PMID- 28894045
TI  - Neopterin as a marker of cellular immunological response.
AB  - Neopterin is a pyrazino-pyrimidine compound that belongs to the pteridine group.
      It is known to be a biochemical marker associated with cell-mediated immunity. It
      is produced by human monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells from guanosine
      triphosphate (GTP) upon stimulation with interferon gamma (IFNgamma), which is
      released by activated limphocytes Th. Neopterin is a very important clinic
      parameter, though the physiological role has not been exactly definited thus far.
      The level of neopterin reflects the stage of activation of the cellular immune
      system, which is important in the pathogenesis and progression of various
      diseases. Measuring its concentration in body fluids is used in many different
      areas of modern medicine, such as infectious disease, gastroenterology,
      transplantology and transfusiology, rheumatology or oncology. In neurological,
      cardio-vascular and autoimmune diseases, cell-mediated immunity is also
      activated, which is proved by the elevated level of this marker. Measurements of
      neopterin concentrations are also helpful in monitoring the therapy of patients
      infected with the HIV virus or treated by using immunomudulating therapy. As a
      result of measuring levels of neopterin in patients with neoplasms of digestive
      tract, increased concentration was proved, but it is not routinely used in
      everyday clinic practice.

PMID- 28894046
TI  - The role of trophic factors and inflammatory processes in physical activity
      induced neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Glial cells and neurotrophins play an important role in maintaining homeostasis
      of the CNS. Disturbances of their function can lead to a number of nervous system
      diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Current clinical studies provide
      evidence that moderate physical activity adapted to the health status of PD
      patients can support pharmacological treatment, slow down the onset of motor
      impairments, and extend the patients period of independence. Physical activity,
      by stimulating the production and release of endogenous trophic factors, prevents
      the neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons via inhibition of inflammatory
      processes and the reduction of oxidative stress. The aim of this study is to
      present the current state of knowledge for the anti-inflammatory and
      neuroprotective properties of physical activity as a supportive therapy in
      Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 28894047
TI  - The role of vitamin C in epigenetic regulation.
AB  - Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is a micronutrient best known for its anti-scurvy
      activity in humans. Vitamin C is involved in many biological processes involving
      enzymatic reactions that are catalyzed by members of dioxygenases which use
      Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate as a co-substrate.The article reviews recent data that
      suggest the involvement of ascorbate in dioxygenases catalyzed chromatin and DNA
      modifications which thereby contribute to epigenetic regulation. Concerning
      chromatin modification, the dioxygenases are involved in distinct demethylation
      reactions with varying specificity for the position of the lysine on the target
      histone. TET hydroxylases catalyse the oxidation of methyl groups in the 5
      position of cytosine in DNA yielding 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, while further
      iterative oxidation reactions results in the formation of 5-formylcytosine and 5
      carboxylcytosine. A few previous studies demonstrated that ascorbate may enhance
      generation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in cultured cells, probably acting as a
      cofactor of TETs during hydroxylation of 5-methylcytosine. Physiological
      concentrations of ascorbate in human serum (10-100 MUM) may guarantee stable
      level of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, a modification necessary for epigenetic
      function of the cell. 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine level is substantially decreased in
      almost all investigated cancers, what may be linked with cancer development.
      Therefore, it is possible that supplementation with ascorbate could contribute to
      better management of individual cancer patient. This issue is also discussed in
      our paper.

PMID- 28894048
TI  - The role of bile acids in the pathogenesis of bowel diseases.
AB  - Bile acids not only play a cardinal role in the digestion and absorption of fat
      and fat-soluble vitamins, but also significantly affect gastrointestinal motor,
      sensory and secretory functions, intestinal barrier permeability and the
      regulation of the inflammatory response. The results of recent studies have
      revealed complex interactions between bile acids and the gut microbiota. In
      addition, bile acids also play a role of signaling molecules regulating the
      activity of lipid and glucose metabolic pathways, as well as a role of ligands
      for transcription factors. Genetic factors associated with the regulation of bile
      acid synthesis, transport and action may significantly influence gastrointestinal
      function and predispose to diarrhea resulting from bile acid malabsorption.
      Methods used in the diagnosis of bile acid malabsorption include 75selenium
      homotaurocholic acid test, serum C4 and fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), as
      well as fecal bile acid levels. The paper presents the latest data on the role of
      bile acid in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel
      diseases and colorectal cancer. Advances in the treatment of disturbances in bile
      acids absorption and synthesis are also presented. A better understanding of
      molecular mechanisms regulating bile acid action may have implication for
      colorectal cancer prevention.

PMID- 28894049
TI  - The pathophysiological basis of the protective effects of metformin in heart
      failure.
AB  - Metformin, currently recommended as the drug of first choice in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM), is one of the few antihiperglycemic drugs to reduce
      cardiovascular risk. Nonetheless, due to the risk of lactic acidosis during
      metformin therapy, its usage in patients with diabetes and heart failure (HF) is
      still a matter of debate. The aim of this review is to present data supporting
      the possibility of using metformin in the treatment of diabetic patients with
      concomitant heart failure. In the failing heart, metformin through the mechanism
      related to AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity, improves free fatty
      acids (FFA) and glucose metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, as well as nitric
      oxide (NO)-NO synthase pathway. Metformin can also inhibit the generation and
      accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and thereby prevents the
      development of the adverse structural and functional changes in myocardium.In
      summary, experimental and clinical data indicate the ability of metformin to
      prevent the development of the structural and functional changes in myocardium,
      although further basic research and clinical studies assessing benefits and
      safety of metformin therapy in patients with HF are required.

PMID- 28894050
TI  - Compounds of psoriasis with obesity and overweight.
AB  - Many epidemiological studies have confirmed the relationship of obesity and
      psoriasis, and it is believed that obesity is an independent risk factor for its
      development and is associated with a worse prognosis. Furthermore, the reduction
      of body weight, using low-calorie diet combined with exercise, reduces the
      severity of psoriasis.Visceral adipose tissue is the largest endocrine organ,
      producing proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-17) and adipokines
      (adiponectin, omentin, chemerin). They participate in the development of
      dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, and consequently of the
      cardiovascular diseases. Macrophages of visceral adipose tissue have a special
      role and they increase significantly in obesity. They are responsible for the
      development of inflammation in adipose tissue and produce inflammatory cytokines
      (TNF alpha, IL-6, Il-8, Il-17, Il-18, MCP-1) and other adipokines: resistin,
      visfatin, retinol-binding protein 4. This explains the concept of "psoriatic
      march "and observations of the frequent coexistence of psoriasis with obesity.
      Inflammation associated with systemic disease, fanned by pro-inflammatory
      cytokines and adipokines produced by the visceral adipose tissue lead to the
      development of insulin resistance, endothelial cell damage. Endothelial
      dysfunction predisposes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and faster
      development of cardiovascular events. Complication of obesity is the development
      of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which states twice as likely in
      patients with plaque psoriasis and is associated with the severity of the
      disease. Another consequence is the development of depression. Probably the
      proinflammatory cytokines can interact with metabolism of neurotransmitters.
      Obesity also has a significant impact on the treatment of psoriasis, increasing
      the risk of adverse effects of systemic drugs, reducing the efficacy of
      biological agents which dose should be adjusted to the weight of the patient. It
      is a factor responsible for the increased volume of distribution and it causes
      low titter of drug concentration.

PMID- 28894052
TI  - [Three Surgical Cases of Quadricuspid Aortic Valve].
AB  - Quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare congenital disease. We experienced 3 surgical
      cases of quadricuspid aortic valve. Patient 1 was a 72-year-old man who was noted
      to have a quadricuspid aortic valve associated with aortic regurgitation and an
      ascending aortic aneurysm(51 mm in diameter). He underwent replacement of the
      aortic valve and the ascending aorta. Patient 2 was a 71-year-old man with severe
      aortic stenosis, regurgitation, and coronary triple vessel disease. He underwent
      aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting. Preoperative
      echocardiography revealed no abnormalities in the number of valve leaflets, but
      quadricuspid aortic valve was identified during surgery. Patient 3 was a 79-year
      old man with severe aortic regurgitation, who underwent aortic valve replacement.
      In all patients, the 4 valve cusps were approximately of the same size. Multi
      detector computed tomography is useful for evaluation of valve morphology.
      Indication of prophylactic ascending aorta replacement in patients with aortic
      dilatation requires further study.

PMID- 28894053
TI  - [Prediction of Pleural Adherence Area Used by Ultrasound Sonography].
AB  - Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has been used to treat lung cancer. However,
      pleural adhesions may increase the risk of lung injury while making the access
      port. We report a case of lung cancer in which preoperative lung ultrasound
      sonography was used to predict the pleural adherence area. An octogenarian man
      had undergone chest surgery for right spontaneous pneumothorax 20 years ago. He
      was recently diagnosed with a right middle lobe carcinoma and thoracoscopic
      surgery was scheduled. On preoperative lung ultrasound sonography, adhesion in
      the area surrounding the previous incision line was predicted to be strong.
      However, a sliding lung sign was observed in the pleura on the caudal side, where
      no adhesions were expected. The thoracoscopic findings during the operation
      revealed that adhesions were present in the upper and middle regions of the
      pleural cavity in the locations and to the extent predicted before surgery, but
      no adhesion was observed on the caudal side. We were able to make an access port
      avoiding the adherence area in the pleural cavity. Lung ultrasound sonography was
      useful for detection of the adherence area between the parietal and visceral
      pleura in this case.

PMID- 28894051
TI  - Standardization of the collection of exhaled breath condensate and exhaled breath
      aerosol using a feedback regulated sampling device.
AB  - Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and associated exhaled breath aerosols (EBA) are
      valuable non-invasive biological media used for the quantification of biomarkers.
      EBC contains exhaled water vapor, soluble gas-phase (polar) organic compounds,
      ionic species, plus other species including semi- and non-volatile organic
      compounds, proteins, cell fragments, DNA, dissolved inorganic compounds, ions,
      and microbiota (bacteria and viruses) dissolved in the co-collected EBA. EBC is
      collected from subjects who breathe 'normally' through a chilled tube assembly
      for approximately 10 min and is then harvested into small vials for analysis.
      Aerosol filters without the chilled tube assembly are also used to separately
      collect EBA. Unlike typical gas-phase breath samples used for environmental and
      clinical applications, the constituents of EBC and EBA are not easily
      characterized by total volume or carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, because the
      gas-phase is vented. Furthermore, EBC and associated EBA are greatly affected by
      breathing protocol, more specifically, depth of inhalation and expelled breath
      velocity. We have tested a new instrument developed by Loccioni Gruppa Humancare
      (Ancona, Italy) for implementation of EBC collection from human subjects to
      assess EBC collection parameters. The instrument is the first EBC collection
      device that provides instantaneous visual feedback to the subjects to control
      breathing patterns. In this report we describe the operation of the instrument,
      and present an overview of performance and analytical applications.

PMID- 28894054
TI  - [Surgical Treatment for Synchronous Double Cancer of the Thoracic Esophagus and
      Lung].
AB  - We herein report 2 cases of radical operation for synchronous double cancer of
      the thoracic esophagus and each side of the lung. Case 1:A 71-year-old woman with
      synchronous double cancer of the thoracic esophagus (Mt, T3N2M0, Stage III) and
      right lung (M, T2aN0M0, Stage I B) underwent esophagectomy concomitantly with
      right middle lobectomy through right thoracotomy (single-stage operation) after 2
      courses of systemic chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil(
      DCF regimen). Case 2:A 72-year-old man with synchronous double cancer of the
      thoracic esophagus( MtLt, T3N2M0, Stage III) and left lung( U, T1aN0M0, Stage I
      A) underwent 2-stage operation after 2 courses of the DCF therapy. Esophagectomy
      through right thoracotomy was performed followed by left upper lobectomy through
      left thoracotomy 3 months later. Treatment strategy for synchronous double cancer
      of the thoracic esophagus and lung is discussed based on our experiences and
      previous reports.

PMID- 28894055
TI  - [IgG4-related Periaortitis Manifested as Contained Rupture of Penetrating
      Atherosclerotic Ulcer].
AB  - We report a case of IgG4-related periaortitis of the descending aorta manifested
      as a contained rupture of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer(PAU). A 67-year-old
      male was admitted to our hospital complaining about chest pain. Computed
      tomography(CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed PAU with extravasation of
      the descending aorta and thickening of surrounding tissues. Fluorodeoxyglucose
      positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) CT demonstrated abnormal accumulation of
      FDG at the thickening sites, and serum IgG4 value was abnormally high. The
      descending aorta replacement was performed and intraoperative findings showed a
      marked thickening of the mediastinal tissue around the descending aorta and the
      ulceration of the intima penetrating to the mediastinum. In histopathological
      examination, the adventitial thickening due to marked fibrosis and the ulceration
      of the intima accompanying infiltration of IgG4 positive plasma cells were
      observed. IgG4-related thoracic periaortitis can invade not only to the
      adventitia but to the intima, and can cause PAU. For aortic diseases with
      thickening of periaotic tissues, it is necessary to keep in mind the possibility
      of IgG4-related aortic disease, and serum IgG4 values are useful for diagnosis.

PMID- 28894056
TI  - [Emergency Mitral Valvoplasty for Papillary Muscle Rupture].
AB  - We experienced 2 emergency surgical cases of severe mitral valve regurgitation
      due to papillary muscle rupture. Case 1:a 69-year-old man presented with
      respiratory and cardiac failure due to mitral regurgitation. He had no history of
      myocardial infarction. Mitral valve repair with artificial cords was performed.
      The papillary muscle of the anterior leaflet was ruptured. The postoperative
      course was uneventful. Case 2:a 80-year-old man came to our hospital with cardiac
      arrest. Emergency coronary intervention was performed to the right coronary and
      intraaortic balloon pumping was inserted. However his condition remained
      unstable. Severe mitral regurgitation was found by teansesophageal echo
      cardiography, and he underwent emergency mitral valve repair and single coronary
      bypass grafting. His cardiac function recovered quickly, but severe brain damage
      remained.

PMID- 28894058
TI  - [Ruptured Aneurysm of the Sinus of Valsalva Accompanied with a Bicuspid Aortic
      Valve in an Elderly Man;Report of a Case].
AB  - The combination of ruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva and a bicuspid
      aortic valve is very rare in an elderly person. A 71-year-old man with ruptured
      aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva and a bicuspid aortic valve had undergone an
      operation. He was admitted to his other hospital because of heart failure. He was
      transferred to our hospital to undergo treatment for ruptured aneurysm of sinus
      of Valsalva. At our hospital, echocardiography findings showed ruptured aneurysm
      of the sinus of Valsalva, a ventricular septal defect (VSD), and severe aortic
      regurgitation with moderate stenosis of the bicuspid aortic valve. An aneurysm
      originating from the anterior sinus of Valsalva had ruptured into the right
      ventricular outflow tract. The ruptured aneurysm and VSD were repaired by patch
      closure through the right ventricular outflow tract. Additionally, the aneurysm
      of the sinus of Valsalva was repaired with direct closure through aortotomy. The
      insufficient bicuspid aortic valve was replaced with a bioprosthetic valve. After
      the operation, heart failure improved promptly, and he was making satisfactory
      progress in his recovery.

PMID- 28894059
TI  - [Re-operation for Saccular Aneurysm after Ascending Aortic Replacement with
      Homograft;Report of a Case].
AB  - A 62-years-old female had undergone ascending aortic replacement with homograft
      for graft infection and mediastinitis after initial replacement of ascending
      aorta due to acute type A dissection. Ten years after homograft replacement,
      follow up computed tomography showed acute growing saccular aneurysm of the
      homograft without infectious symptoms. We urgently performed Bentall procedure
      and hemiarch replacement successfully. Pathological diagnosis was true aneurysm
      of the homograft. She was discharged from hospital without any complication and
      has been quite uneventful 7 years after surgery. True aneurysm of the homograft
      is very rare and our case is the 1st report of successful reoperation.

PMID- 28894057
TI  - [Successful Treatment of Ascending Aortic Graft Infection with a Rifampicin
      soaked Vascular Prosthesis and Continuous Irrigation].
AB  - A 68-year-old woman underwent replacement of the ascending aorta for acute type A
      aortic dissection. She was then diagnosed with postoperative methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, and the infected aortic graft
      was replaced with a rifampicin-soaked vascular prosthesis, which was followed by
      continuous irrigation using a 0.1% povidone-iodine solution. The postoperative
      course was uneventful, and she has been doing well for 5 years with no recurrence
      of infection. Prosthetic graft replacement using a rifampicin-soaked graft
      followed by continuous irrigation with povidone-iodine is useful for treatment of
      an MRSA-infected prosthetic vascular graft.

PMID- 28894060
TI  - [Redo Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass for Postoperative Vein Graft Stenosis of
      Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery;Report of
      a Case].
AB  - Bland-White-Garland (BWG) syndrome (anomalous origin of the left coronary artery
      from the pulmonary artery) is a rare disease which may result in myocardial
      infarction, congestive heart failure or sometimes death during the early
      infantile period. We present a 57-year-old female with BWG syndrome. At the age
      of 20, she was diagnosed with BWG syndrome and underwent coronary artery bypass
      grafting of a saphenous vein to the proximal portion of the anterior descending
      branch of the left coronary artery and ligation of the anomalous artery. Thirty
      seven years later, she presented with symptoms of angina pectoris and congestive
      heart failure. Coronary angiography (CAG) revealed stenosis of the saphenous vein
      graft. Bare metal stent implantation for the saphenous vein graft was performed,
      but at the 6 months' follow-up CAG revealed restenosis. Drug-eluting stent was
      then implanted, but in-stent restenosis recurred 4 months later. We performed off
      pump coronary artery bypass grafting to the left anterior descending artery using
      the left internal thoracic artery. The postoperative course was uneventful.

PMID- 28894062
TI  - [Fifteen-year Follow-up of a Patient with Aortitis, Treated by Sino-tubular
      Junction Plication Using a Prosthetic Tube Graft for Aortic Regurgitation;Report
      of a Case].
AB  - A 43-year-old woman was diagnosed with aortitis associated with mild aortic
      regurgitation (AR) at the age of 25, which advanced to a severe grade requiring
      surgical treatment at age 28. Dilation of the sinotubular junction (STJ) was
      treated with ascending aortic replacement (Hemashield Gold 24 mm), which reduced
      AR from severe to mild. The patient conceived 9 years later and delivered a baby
      by cesarean section at 38 weeks of gestation. By appropriate control of
      inflammation with steroid, neither deterioration of the aortic valve nor cardiac
      function has been noted during the 15 years of follow-up after surgery.

PMID- 28894061
TI  - [Successful Repair of Chronic Expanding Hematoma after Coronary Artery Bypass
      Grafting by Lower Partial Sternotomy Approach;Report of a Case].
AB  - Chronic expanding hematoma (CEH) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is
      extremely rare. We reported a case of successful surgical repair of CEH through
      lower partial sternotomy approach. The patient was a 73-year-old man who
      underwent CABG. Fifteen years after the operation, he was admitted to referral
      hospital because of dyspnea on exertion. Echocardiography and computed tomography
      revealed a giant intrapericardial mass, which was pressing on the inferior wall
      of the ventricle. To avoid injury of the aorta and the patent bypass graft in the
      reentry of the chest, we selected lower partial sternotomy approach. The mass was
      encapsulated with thick fibrous membrane containing old degenerated coagula and
      was histopathologically diagnosed as CEH. Postoperative course was uneventful and
      diastolic heart failure was relieved.

PMID- 28894063
TI  - [Pneumothorax Caused by Multiple Pulmonary Metastases of a Uterine Endometrial
      Stromal Sarcoma;Report of a Case].
AB  - A 53-year-old woman who had undergone hystero-oophorectomy for uterine
      endometrial stromal sarcoma in our hospital 9 months previously was referred to
      our hospital because of bilateral pneumothorax. Chest computed tomography scan on
      admission revealed multiple thin-walled cavity nodules in both lung and a
      bilateral pneumothorax, suggesting pulmonary metastases of the uterine
      endometrial stromal sarcoma. We surgically treated the pneumothorax and diagnosed
      the nodules as metastatic lesions. They were pathologically diagnosed as
      metastatic uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma.

PMID- 28894064
TI  - [Establishment of Preoperative Diagnosis Helpful in Choosing Minimal Surgical
      Procedure for Resecting Intrapulmonary Solitary Fibrous Tumor;Report of a Case].
AB  - Intrapulmonary solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) arising from the parenchyma of the
      lung is very rare. Few limited surgery have been performed because preoperative
      and intraoperative diagnosises of SFT are so difficult. We here report a case of
      intrapulmonary SFT which was able to be resected by segmentectomy by preoperative
      diagnosis. A 77-year-old man, who was found to have an abnormal nodule in right
      lower lobe on computed tomography (CT), was admitted to our hospital.
      Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (PET) showed a slight uptake in
      the nodule. By CT guided needle biopsy, the nodule was diagnosed as
      intrapulmonary SFT pathologically. We could choose segmentectomy as a surgical
      procedure by preoperative diagnosis.

PMID- 28894065
TI  - [Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma in the Thymus;Report of a Case].
AB  - A 64-years-old woman with chronic thyroiditis was refered to our hospital because
      of anterior mediastinum tumors identified by chest computed tomography (CT). The
      lesions with increased fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) uptake was noted by CT and
      positron emission tomography (PET). Extended thymo-thymectomy was performed, and
      the tumors was completely resected. Pathologically, the tumors were diagnosed as
      mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue( MALT) lymphoma of the thymus. Postoperative
      chemotherapy was not performed and the patient has been well for 4 years without
      recurrence. But she has developed the symptoms of Sjogren syndrome 3 years after
      operation.

PMID- 28894066
TI  - [Thymoma with Pure Red Cell Aplasia;Report of a Case].
AB  - A thymoma with pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is relatively rare. A 71-year-old
      woman complainted of dizziness and her blood cell count showed a severe anemia.
      She was diagnosed as PRCA by bone marrow aspiration biopsy, which showed marked
      decrease in number of erythroblasts. In addition, the chest computed tomography
      revealed a solid tumor in the anterior mediastinum. She underwent extended
      thymothymectomy through median sternotomy. The resected specimen was 10.5*9.7 cm
      in diameter. The pathological diagnosis was type AB thymoma of the World Health
      Organization classification, and Masaoka stage I. Ciclosporin was started to
      treat PRCA 3 months after the surgery, and she has been well for about 1 year
      after surgery without recurrence of thymoma or relapse of anemia.

PMID- 28894067
TI  - [The Effects of an Empowerment Education Program for Kidney Transplantation
      Patients].
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was conducted to develop an Empowerment Education Program
      (EEP) for kidney transplant patients and to test the program's effects on
      uncertainty, self-care ability, and compliance. METHODS: The research was
      conducted using a nonequivalent control group with a pretest-posttest design. The
      participants were 53 outpatients (experimental group: 25, control group: 28) who
      were receiving hospital treatment after kidney transplants. After the pre-test,
      patients in the experimental group underwent a weekly EEP for six weeks. The post
      test was conducted immediately after, and four weeks after the program's
      completion in the same manner as the pre-test. For the control group, we
      conducted a post-test six and ten weeks after the pre-test, without and program
      intervention. A repeated measure ANOVA was performed to compare the change scores
      on main outcomes. RESULTS: Uncertainty was significantly lower in the
      experimental group than in the control group, both immediately after (t=-3.84,
      p=<.001) and 4 weeks after (t=-4.51 p=<.001) the program, whereas self-care
      ability (t=5.81, p=<.001), (t=5.84, p=<.001) and compliance (t=5.07, p=<.001),
      (t=5.45, p=<.001) were significantly higher. CONCLUSION: Kidney transplant
      patients who underwent an EEP showed a decrease in uncertainty and an improvement
      in self-care ability and compliance. Thus, our findings confirmed that an EEP can
      be an independent intervention method for improving and maintaining the health of
      kidney transplant patients.

PMID- 28894068
TI  - [The Effects of 30-Minutes of Pre-Warming on Core Body Temperature, Systolic
      Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Postoperative Shivering, and Inflammation Response in
      Elderly Patients with Total Hip Replacement under Spinal Anesthesia: A Randomized
      Double-blind Controlled Trial].
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the effects of pre-warming on core
      body temperature (CBT) and hemodynamics from the induction of spinal anesthesia
      until 30 min postoperatively in surgical patients who undergo total hip
      replacement under spinal anesthesia. Our goal was to assess postoperative
      shivering and inflammatory response. METHODS: Sixty-two surgical patients were
      recruited by informed notice. Data for this study were collected at a 1,300-bed
      university hospital in Incheon, South Korea from January 15 through November 15,
      2013. Data on CBT, systemic blood pressure (SBP), and heart rate were measured
      from arrival in the pre-anesthesia room to 3 hours after the induction of spinal
      anesthesia. Shivering was measured for 30 minutes post-operatively. C-reactive
      protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured pre
      operatively, and 1 and 2 days postoperatively. The 62 patients were randomly
      allocated to an experimental group (EG), which underwent pre-warming for 30
      minutes, or a control group (CG), which did not undergo pre-warming. RESULTS:
      Analysis of CBT from induction of spinal anesthesia to 3 hours after induction
      revealed significant interaction between group and time (F=3.85, p=.008). In
      addition, the incidence of shivering in the EG was lower than that in the CG
      (chi2=6.15, p=.013). However, analyses of SBP, heart rate, CRP, and ESR did not
      reveal significant interaction between time and group. CONCLUSION: Pre-warming
      for 30 minutes is effective in increasing CBT 2 and 3 hours after induction of
      spinal anesthesia. In addition, pre-warming is effective in decreasing post
      operative shivering.

PMID- 28894069
TI  - [Health Promoting Behavior in Pregnant Couples: Actor-Partner Interdependence
      Model Analysis].
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the actor and partner effects of self
      efficacy, marital adjustment, and social support on the health promoting behavior
      of Korean pregnant couples. METHODS: Participants were 132 couples who met the
      eligibility criteria. Data were collected from June to November, 2016 at a
      community health center. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was used for
      analyzing the actor and partner effects of self-efficacy, marital adjustment, and
      social support on health promoting behavior. RESULTS: The fitness indices for the
      model were GFI=0.90, NFI=0.92, CFI=0.91, TLI=0.90, and RMSEA=0.04, which
      satisfied the criteria. Self-efficacy had actor and partner effect on health
      promoting behavior of wives, but had only actor effect of on health promoting
      behavior of husbands. Marital adjustment showed actor and partner effect on the
      health promoting behavior of pregnant couples. Social support only had an actor
      effect on the health promoting behavior of wives. And, marital adjustment and
      social support had a mutual effect. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the
      partner involvement is needed to develop health promotion programs for pregnant
      couples.

PMID- 28894070
TI  - [The Effects of Mobile Social Networking Service-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy
      on Insomnia in Nurses].
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of cognitive behavior therapy
      for insomnia (CBT-I) based on the mobile social networking service (SNS) on
      dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep, sleep quality, daytime
      sleepiness, depression, and quality of life among rotating-shift nurses in a
      hospital in Korea. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group pre-post test design
      was used. The participants included 55 nurses with rotating three-shift work (25
      in the experimental group and 30 in the control group). For the experimental
      group, CBT-I using mobile SNS was provided once a week for 60 minutes over six
      weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi2-test, independent
      samples t-test, and Mann-whitney U test with the SPSS 21.0 program. RESULTS: In
      the homogeneity test of the general characteristics and study variables, there
      were no significant differences between the two groups. Nurses in the
      experimental group had significantly lower scores on dysfunctional beliefs and
      attitudes regarding sleep and sleepiness than nurses in the control group. Nurses
      in the experimental group had significantly higher scores on sleep quality and
      quality of life than nurses in the control group. CONCLUSION: These findings
      indicate that using the mobile SNS-based CBT-I is feasible and has significant
      and positive treatment-related effects on rotating-shift nurses' irrational
      thoughts and beliefs in association with sleep, sleep quality, daytime
      sleepiness, and quality of life. These contribute to expanding our knowledge of
      rotating-shift nurses' sleep issues and their preferences for intervention.

PMID- 28894071
TI  - [Structural Equation Modeling on Successful Aging in Elders with Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Based on Selection-Optimization-Compensation
      Strategy].
AB  - PURPOSE: The focus of the study was on the selection-optimization-compensation
      (SOC) strategy to predict successful aging mediated by dyspnea symptoms in older
      adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The model was constructed
      based on the hypotheses that coping strategy and social support of the elders
      predict successful aging through the SOC strategies. METHODS: Participants were
      218 outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease recruited for the
      study. Data collection was done from March 25 to September 11, 2015, and analyzed
      using SPSSWIN 22.0 and AMOS 21.0. RESULTS: The hypothetical model appeared to be
      fit to the data. Seven of eight hypotheses selected for hypothetical model were
      statistically significant. The SOC strategy has only significant indirect effects
      through dyspnea symptoms on successful aging. Coping strategy, social support,
      SOC strategies and dyspnea symptoms explained 62% of variance in successful
      aging. CONCLUSION: The SOC strategies with social support and dyspnea symptoms
      significantly explained successful aging among patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease. Nursing strategies should be focused on social support and
      coping strategies to optimize SOC strategies so that older adults with chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease are able to manage dyspnea symptoms and eventually
      achieve successful aging.

PMID- 28894072
TI  - [A Concept Analysis of Uncertainty in Epilepsy].
AB  - PURPOSE: This concept analysis was done to clarify 'uncertainty in epilepsy'.
      METHODS: Walker and Avant's methodology guided the analysis. In addition, the
      concept was compared with uncertainty in other health problems. RESULTS:
      'Uncertainty in epilepsy' was defined as being in the condition as seen from the
      epilepsy experience where cues were difficult to understand because they changed,
      were in discord with past ones, or they had two or more contradictory values at
      the same time. Uncertainty in epilepsy is evolved from appraisal of the epilepsy
      experience. As a result, uncertainty leads epilepsy patients, their family or
      health care providers to impaired functioning and proactive/passive coping
      behavior. CONCLUSION: Epilepsy patients with uncertainty need to be supported by
      nursing strategies for proactive, rational coping behavior. This achievement has
      implications for interventions aimed at changing perception of epilepsy patients,
      their families or health care providers who must deal with uncertainty.

PMID- 28894073
TI  - [Structural Equation Modeling on Self-Care Behavior and Quality of Life in Older
      Adults with Diabetes Using Citizen Health Promotion Centers].
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct and test a structural
      equation model for Diabetes self-management (DSM) behavior and Quality of life
      (QoL) in older adults with diabetes who use Citizen Health Promotion Centers. The
      theory used this study was a combination of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral
      Model (IMB) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to reflect autonomous
      characteristics of participants. METHODS: Data were collected from April 20 to
      August 31, 2015 using a self-report questionnaire. The sample was 205 patients
      with type 2 Diabetes who regularly visited a Citizen Health Promotion Center.
      SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 programs were used to analyze the efficiency of the
      hypothesized model and calculate the direct and indirect effects of factor
      affecting the participants' DSM behavior and QoL. RESULTS: The supported
      hypotheses were as follows; 1) The variable that had a direct effect on QoL was
      health behavior adherence (gamma=.55, p=.007). 2) The variables that had a direct
      effect on DSM behavior were DSM information (gamma=.15, p=.023), DSM confidence
      (gamma=.25, p<.001), and autonomous motivation (gamma=.13, p=.048). 3) The
      variable that had a direct effect on DSM confidence was autonomy support
      (gamma=.33, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The major findings of this study are that
      supporting patient's autonomous motivation is an influential predictor for
      adherence to DSM behavior, and integrative intervention strategies which include
      knowledge, experience and psychosocial support are essential for older adults
      with diabetes to continue DSM behavior and improve QoL.

PMID- 28894074
TI  - [Development and Testing of a Mastery Learning Program of Nursing Skills for
      Undergraduate Nursing Students].
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to develop and test a mastery learning program
      of nursing skills for undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: In this
      methodological study, first, the preliminary draft of a mastery learning program
      to provide training for nursing skills was developed based on Bloom's framework
      for mastery learning. Second, to test the developed program, a single-blinded,
      nonequivalent control group nonsynchronized study was conducted on 50 senior
      nursing students in a University selected by convenient sampling. Thirteen
      students were assigned to a control group; 13, 12, and 13 of them were assigned
      to intravenous therapy, transfusion, and patient transfer groups, respectively.
      The achievement levels and performance scores of the selected nursing skills were
      measured before and after the completion of the program in all the groups.
      Lastly, the final program was confirmed based on the results of the program
      testing. RESULTS: Intravenous therapy, transfusion, and patient transfer were
      selected as essential nursing skills for the program based on the priorities
      rated by clinical instructors and staff nurses. The achievement levels of
      selected nursing skills were determined by Angoff scores. After participating in
      the program, the proportion of passers and performance scores of the nursing
      skills in the experimental groups were significantly higher than those in the
      control group. The final program was confirmed which included a diagnostic test,
      enrichment activities for the passers and three repetitions of corrective
      activities and formative assessments for non-passers. CONCLUSION: The results
      suggest that a mastery learning program for undergraduate students can lead to
      better improvement and performance of essential nursing skills.

PMID- 28894075
TI  - [The Effect of Dongchimi Juice Containing Kimchi Lactobacillus on the Oral Health
      of Patients at a Long-Term Care Hospital: Comparison with Chlorhexidine
      Solution].
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the effect of Dongchimi juice
      containing kimchi Lactobacillus as an oral hygiene agent and to compare it with
      that of chlorhexidine solution (0.12% dilution). METHODS: This study employed a
      pretest-posttest experimental design in which a single group of patients was
      exposed to two different treatments over a period of time. The study included 32
      patients hospitalized at a long-term care hospital in Korea. Data were collected
      between August 12, 2016 and September 28, 2016. The patients first used
      chlorhexidine solution as an oral care agent for 1 week. After an interval of 2
      weeks, they used Dongchimi juice for 1 week. Each agent was applied 2 times a day
      depending on the protocol. The oral status of the patients was measured using
      Beck's Oral Exam Guide (OEG) scores. The number of pathogens in the oral cavity
      was counted by culture, and the patients' subjective satisfaction score for each
      oral agent was measured using a visual analogue scale. T-test and Mann-Whitney
      test were performed to identify significant differences between Dongchimi juice
      and chlorhexidine solution by using PASW Statistics for Windows, Version 18.0
      (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: The OEG score was not statistically
      different with the use of chlorhexidine solution and Dongchimi juice. However,
      decreasing number of pathogens and the subjective satisfaction score were higher
      with Dongchimi juice than with the chlorhexidine solution. CONCLUSION: These
      findings support the use of Dongchimi juice containing kimchi Lactobacillus as an
      oral hygiene agent for Korean patients.

PMID- 28894076
TI  - [A Model for Predicting Career Satisfaction of Nurses Experiencing Rotation].
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to present and test a structural model for describing
      and predicting the factors affecting subjective career satisfaction of nurses
      experiencing rotation and to develop human resources management strategies for
      promoting their career satisfaction related to rotation. METHODS: In this cross
      sectional study, we recruited 233 nurses by convenience sampling who had over 1
      year of career experience and who had experienced rotation at least once at G
      university hospital. Data were collected from August to September in 2016 using
      self-reported questionnaires. The exogenous variables consisted of rotation
      perception and rotation stress. Endogenous variables consisted of career growth
      opportunity, work engagement, and subjective career satisfaction. A hypothetical
      model was tested by asymptotically distribution-free estimates, and model
      goodness of fit was examined using absolute fit, incremental fit measures.
      RESULTS: The final model was approved and had suitable fit. We found that
      subjective career satisfaction was directly affected by rotation stress
      (beta=.20, p=.019) and work engagement (beta=.58, p<.001), indirectly affected by
      rotation perception (beta=.43, p<.001) through career growth opportunity and work
      engagement. However, there was no total effect of rotation stress on subjective
      career satisfaction (beta=-.09, p=.270). Career growth opportunity directly and
      indirectly affected subjective career satisfaction (beta=.29, p<.001; beta=.28,
      p<.001). These variables accounted for 65% of subjective career satisfaction.
      CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to establish
      systematic and planned criteria for rotation so that nurses can grow and develop
      through sustained work and become satisfied with their career.

PMID- 28894077
TI  - [Experience of Frailty in Korean Elderly: A Phenomenological Study Utilizing the
      Colaizzi Method].
AB  - PURPOSE: This study attempts to explore the subjective experience of frailty
      among elderly individuals in Korea. METHODS: From June to August in 2014, 11
      elderly persons who had experienced frailty in a community were interviewed. For
      data analysis, the method suggested by Colaizzi was applied as a phenomenological
      method. RESULTS: According to the analysis, the study participants' frailty
      process was structured in seven categories: (a) 'natural phenomenon with ageing,'
      (b) 'life force comes to an end,' (c) 'the light in my heart turns off,' (d)
      'unavoidable situation,' (e) 'continuous and connected vicious cycle,' (f) 'the
      limit of recovery energy already passes,' and (g) 'life is supported by someones
      help.' CONCLUSION: The frailty experience in the participants is a natural
      process of aging, which cause vicious cycle acting with each other among
      physical, psychological, and social health. It is said that the cycle of frailty
      was started from weight loss and insufficient sleep, and boostered by pain. The
      participants from repetition of the vicious cycle become exhausted and pass the
      threshold of their recovery energy at some points. If they meet with sudden
      accidents such as falling, traffic accident and so on, they become to live a
      dependent life supported by someone's help in a moment. To prevent frailty and
      worsening conditions in Korean elderly individuals, it is recommended to provide
      a interventional programs using this study's results.

PMID- 28894078
TI  - [Corrigendum: Multiple Factors in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy on Preterm
      Labor Symptoms and Preterm Birth].
AB  - This corrects the article on p. 357 in vol. 47, PMID: 28706170.

PMID- 28894080
TI  - The Portuguese Society of Rheumatology position paper on the use of biosimilars -
      2017 update.
AB  - Biosimilars are new and more affordable similar versions of previously approved
      reference biological drugs. Following the approval of the first monoclonal
      antibody biosimilar in 2013, the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology issued a
      position paper on the use of biosimilars in rheumatic conditions covering
      efficacy, safety, extrapolation, interchangeability, substitution and
      pharmacovigilance. However, as this is a rapidly evolving field, it was felt that
      the knowledge and evidence gathered since then justified an update of these
      statements. Literature searches on these issues were performed and the search
      results were presented and discussed in a national meeting. Portuguese
      rheumatologists considered that affordability should be taken into consideration
      when initiating a biological drug, but other factors were equally important. In
      patients already on reference biological treatment, switch to a more affordable
      biosimilar is desirable, provided a set of conditions is rigorously met.
      Automatic substitution is not acceptable and current evidence is insufficient to
      support interchangeability. Extrapolation of clinical indications is endorsed by
      Portuguese rheumatologists, and the statements on safety, pharmacovigilance and
      traceability are in accordance with the previous position paper.

PMID- 28894081
TI  - Eculizumab in Renal Transplantation: A 2017 Update.
AB  - Despite ongoing progress in renal transplantation, there are still emerging
      challenges in this field, including consequences of ischemia-reperfusion injury
      (IRI), pre-existing and produced de novo anti-HLA donor-specific antibodies
      (DSA), and acute/chronic humoral rejection (AMR), as well as the recurrence of
      atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS) in genetically predisposed patients.
      All these conditions are related to the prominent role of the complement system
      and are deleterious to the fate of the renal graft. Eculizumab, a humanized
      monoclonal antibody directed against the complement C5a component, is currently
      being used in renal transplantation and was evaluated in several clinical trials
      to minimize the consequences of IRI, prevent or treat relapsing or de novo aHUS,
      and to prevent and cure humoral rejection in patients at high immunological risk.
      There are remaining issues in terms of defining precise indications, dosing,
      monitoring, and optimal duration of the therapy with this drug; however,
      eculizumab is an emerging drug in renal transplantation.

PMID- 28894079
TI  - Portuguese recommendations for the use of biological therapies in patients with
      axial spondyloarthritis - 2016 update.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To update the recommendations for the treatment of axial
      spondyloarthritis (axSpA) with biological therapies, endorsed by the Portuguese
      Society of Rheumatology. METHODS: These treatment recommendations were formulated
      by Portuguese rheumatologists based on literature evidence and consensus opinion.
      At a national meeting, the 7 recommendations included in this document were
      discussed and updated. A draft of the full text of the recommendations was then
      circulated and suggestions were incorporated. A final version was again
      circulated before publication and the level of agreement among Portuguese
      Rheumatologists was anonymously assessed using an online survey. RESULTS: A
      consensus was achieved regarding the initiation, assessment of response and
      switching of biological therapies in patients with axSpA. In total, seven
      recommendations were produced. The first recommendation is a general statement
      indicating that biological therapy is not a first-line drug treatment option and
      should only be used after conventional treatment has failed. The second
      recommendation is also a general statement about the broad concept of axSpA
      adopted by these recommendations that includes both non-radiographic and
      radiographic axSpA. Recommendations 3 to 7 deal with the definition of active
      disease (including the recommended threshold of 2.1 for the Ankylosing
      Spondylitis Disease Activity Score [ASDAS] or the threshold of 4 [0-10 scale] for
      the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index [BASDAI]), conventional
      treatment failure (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs being the first-line drug
      treatment), assessment of response to treatment (based on an ASDAS improvement 
      of at least 1.1 units or a BASDAI improvement of at least 2 units [0-10 scale] or
      at least 50%), and strategy in the presence of an inadequate response (where
      switching is recommended) or in the presence of long-term remission (where a
      process of biological therapy optimization can be considered, either a gradual
      increase in the interval between doses or a decrease of each dose of the
      biological therapy). CONCLUSION: These recommendations may be used for guidance
      in deciding which patients with axSpA should be treated with biological
      therapies. They cover a rapidly evolving area of therapeutic intervention. As
      more evidence becomes available and more biological therapies are licensed, these
      recommendations will have to be updated.

PMID- 28894082
TI  - Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP): An Uncommon
      Manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
AB  - BACKGROUND Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an
      uncommon manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a case of
      SLE presenting as CIDP and discuss the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of
      CIDP. CASE REPORT A 40-year-old woman with a past medical history of SLE treated
      with hydroxychloroquine presented with bilateral, progressive, ascending, sensory
      and motor neuropathy. Physical examination showed weakness and reduced
      temperature of all extremities, reduced pinprick and vibration sense of the
      distal extremities, loss of reflexes, and walking with a wide-based unsteady
      gait. Laboratory investigations showed positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA),
      anti-(smooth muscle (SM) antibody, anti-RNP antibody, anti-SSA antibody, anti-ds
      DNA antibody, and an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 75 mm/hr, low C4,
      leukopenia, and anemia. Electromyography (EMG) confirmed the diagnosis of CIDP.
      The patient's neuropathy and muscle weakness improved on treatment with
      intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and high-dose steroids. CONCLUSIONS The early
      clinical diagnosis of CIDP, supported by serological autoantibody profiles
      associated with SLE, can predict a good response to steroids. Most patients with
      CIDP are treated successfully with steroids if the diagnosis is made early. IVIG,
      plasmapheresis, or immunosuppressive therapy should be considered if there is no
      response to steroids.

PMID- 28894083
TI  - Ataxia-Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) Protein Signaling Participates in Development
      of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND Previous studies revealed physiological and pathogenetic similarity
      between vascular smooth muscles cells with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension
      and tumors. The DNA damage response was found in both pulmonary arterial
      hypertension (PAH) cells and tumors. The ataxia-telangiectasia mutated proteins
      (ATM) pathway is considered an important factor in the DNA damage response of
      tumor formation, but its function in the development of PAH remains unknown.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS The Sprague-Dawley rat PAH model was established. Three
      weeks (Group M1), 5 weeks (Group M2), and 7 weeks (Group M3) after drug
      injection, pulmonary expression of ATM, Checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2), P53, and P21
      were measured. A section of the lungs from Group M2 was used for pulmonary artery
      vascular smooth muscles cells (PA-SMCs) isolation and culture. The effect of
      KU60019 in the proliferation and apoptosis of primary cultured rat PA-SMCs was
      measured by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide
      (MTT) and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL), respectively. RESULTS
      Immunohistochemistry results show that the expression of ATM, Chk2, and P21
      increased in Groups M1 and M2, and decreased in Group M3. Additionally,
      expression of P53 increased in Group M1, and decreased in Groups M2 and M3. RT
      PCR and Western blotting demonstrated that in Groups M1 and M2, the expression of
      ATM, Chk2, P53, and P21 increased, whereas it decreased in Group M3. In cell
      culture, 0.3 MUM and 0.5 MUM KU60019 increased the growth of PA-SMCs, and 0.5 MUM
      KU60019 reduced cell apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS Expression of the ATM-Chk2 pathway
      increased in early stages of PAH formation, but decreased in late stages. In
      primary cultured PA-SMCs, KU60019 increased cell proliferation and inhibited cell
      apoptosis.

PMID- 28894084
TI  - Tbx3-dependent amplifying stem cell progeny drives interfollicular epidermal
      expansion during pregnancy and regeneration.
AB  - The skin surface area varies flexibly in response to body shape changes. Skin
      homeostasis is maintained by stem cells residing in the basal layer of the
      interfollicular epidermis. However, how the interfollicular epidermal stem cells
      response to physiological body shape changes remains elusive. Here, we identify a
      highly proliferative interfollicular epidermal basal cell population in the
      rapidly expanding abdominal skin of pregnant mice. These cells express Tbx3 that
      is necessary for their propagation to drive skin expansion. The Tbx3+ basal cells
      are generated from Axin2+ interfollicular epidermal stem cells through planar
      oriented asymmetric or symmetric cell divisions, and express transit-amplifying
      cell marker CD71. This biased division of Axin2+ interfollicular epidermal stem
      cells is induced by Sfrp1 and Igfbp2 proteins secreted from dermal cells. The
      Tbx3+ basal cells promote wound repair, which is enhanced by Sfrp1 and Igfbp2.
      This study elucidates the interfollicular epidermal stem cell/progeny
      organisation during pregnancy and suggests its application in regenerative
      medicine.The abdominal skin expands rapidly during pregnancy. Here the authors
      show that a population of highly proliferative stem cell progenies expressing the
      transcription factor Tbx3 is required for abdominal skin expansion in pregnant
      mice.

PMID- 28894086
TI  - Molecular analogue of the perovskite repeating unit and evidence for direct MnIII
      CeIV-MnIII exchange coupling pathway.
AB  - The perovskite manganites AMnO3 and their doped analogues A1-x B x MnO3 (A and B
      = main group and lanthanide metals) are a fascinating family of magnetic oxides
      exhibiting a rich variety of properties. They are thus under intense
      investigation along multiple fronts, one of which is how their structural and
      physical properties are modified at the nanoscale. Here we show that the
      molecular compound [Ce3Mn8O8(O2CPh)18(HO2CPh)2] (CeIII2CeIVMnIII8; hereafter
      Ce3Mn8) bears a striking structural resemblance to the repeating unit seen in the
      perovskite manganites. Further, magnetic studies have established that Ce3Mn8
      exhibits both the combination of pairwise MnIII2 ferromagnetic and
      antiferromagnetic exchange interactions, and the resultant spin vector alignments
      that are found within the 3-D C-type antiferromagnetic perovskites. First
      principles theoretical calculations reveal not only the expected nearest-neighbor
      MnIII2 exchange couplings via superexchange pathways through bridging ligands but
      also an unusual, direct MnIII-CeIV-MnIII metal-to-metal channel involving the
      CeIV f orbitals.Perovskite manganites exhibit intriguing but poorly understood
      properties, including multiferroicity. Here, the authors synthesize a Ce3Mn8
      cluster that structurally resembles a perovskite repeat unit, and use this
      molecular analogue to elucidate mechanisms driving bulk perovskite properties.

PMID- 28894087
TI  - Hypoxia inducible factor HIF-1 promotes myeloid-derived suppressor cells
      accumulation through ENTPD2/CD39L1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) possess immunosuppressive activities,
      which allow cancers to escape immune surveillance and become non-responsive to
      immune checkpoints blockade. Here we report hypoxia as a cause of MDSC
      accumulation. Using hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a cancer model, we show
      that hypoxia, through stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1),
      induces ectoenzyme, ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 2
      (ENTPD2/CD39L1), in cancer cells, causing its overexpression in HCC clinical
      specimens. Overexpression of ENTPD2 is found as a poor prognostic indicator for
      HCC. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that ENTPD2 converts extracellular ATP to 5'
      AMP, which prevents the differentiation of MDSCs and therefore promotes the
      maintenance of MDSCs. We further find that ENTPD2 inhibition is able to mitigate
      cancer growth and enhance the efficiency and efficacy of immune checkpoint
      inhibitors. Our data suggest that ENTPD2 may be a good prognostic marker and
      therapeutic target for cancer patients, especially those receiving immune
      therapy.Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) promote tumor immune escape.
      Here, the authors show that in hepatocellular carcinoma, hypoxia induces the
      expression of ENTPD2 on cancer cells leading to elevated extracellular 5'-AMP,
      which in turn promote the maintenance of MDSCs by preventing their
      differentiation.

PMID- 28894085
TI  - p190RhoGAP proteins contain pseudoGTPase domains.
AB  - The two p190RhoGAP proteins, p190RhoGAP-A and -B, are key regulators of Rho
      GTPase signaling and are essential for actin cytoskeletal structure and
      contractility. Here we report the discovery of two evolutionarily conserved
      GTPase-like domains located in the 'middle domain', previously thought to be
      unstructured. Deletion of these domains reduces RhoGAP activity. Crystal
      structures, MANT-GTPgammaS binding, thermal denaturation, biochemical assays and
      sequence homology analysis all strongly support defects in nucleotide-binding
      activity. Analysis of p190RhoGAP proteins therefore indicates the presence of two
      previously unidentified domains which represent an emerging group of
      pseudoenzymes, the pseudoGTPases.A growing number of 'pseudoenzymes' with a
      regulatory role in signal transduction processes but without catalytic activity
      are being identified. Here, the authors identify two pseudoGTPase domains in
      p190RhoGAP, characterize them biochemically and structurally and show that they
      influence RhoGAP activity.

PMID- 28894088
TI  - A de novo substructure generation algorithm for identifying the privileged
      chemical fragments of liver X receptorbeta agonists.
AB  - Liver X receptorbeta (LXRbeta) is a promising therapeutic target for lipid
      disorders, atherosclerosis, chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, cancer and
      neurodegenerative diseases. Druggable LXRbeta agonists have been explored over
      the past decades. However, the pocket of LXRbeta ligand-binding domain (LBD) is
      too large to predict LXRbeta agonists with novel scaffolds based on either
      receptor or agonist structures. In this paper, we report a de novo algorithm
      which drives privileged LXRbeta agonist fragments by starting with individual
      chemical bonds (de novo) from every molecule in a LXRbeta agonist library,
      growing the bonds into substructures based on the agonist structures with
      isomorphic and homomorphic restrictions, and electing the privileged fragments
      from the substructures with a popularity threshold and background chemical and
      biological knowledge. Using these privileged fragments as queries, we were able
      to figure out the rules to reconstruct LXRbeta agonist molecules from the
      fragments. The privileged fragments were validated by building regularized
      logistic regression (RLR) and supporting vector machine (SVM) models as
      descriptors to predict a LXRbeta agonist activities.

PMID- 28894089
TI  - Heparan sulfate proteoglycans present PCSK9 to the LDL receptor.
AB  - Coronary artery disease is the main cause of death worldwide and accelerated by
      increased plasma levels of cholesterol-rich low-density lipoprotein particles
      (LDL). Circulating PCSK9 contributes to coronary artery disease by inducing
      lysosomal degradation of the LDL receptor (LDLR) in the liver and thereby
      reducing LDL clearance. Here, we show that liver heparan sulfate proteoglycans
      are PCSK9 receptors and essential for PCSK9-induced LDLR degradation. The heparan
      sulfate-binding site is located in the PCSK9 prodomain and formed by surface
      exposed basic residues interacting with trisulfated heparan sulfate disaccharide
      repeats. Accordingly, heparan sulfate mimetics and monoclonal antibodies directed
      against the heparan sulfate-binding site are potent PCSK9 inhibitors. We propose
      that heparan sulfate proteoglycans lining the hepatocyte surface capture PCSK9
      and facilitates subsequent PCSK9:LDLR complex formation. Our findings provide new
      insights into LDL biology and show that targeting PCSK9 using heparan sulfate
      mimetics is a potential therapeutic strategy in coronary artery disease.PCSK9
      interacts with LDL receptor, causing its degradation, and consequently reduces
      the clearance of LDL. Here, Gustafsen et al. show that PCSK9 interacts with
      heparan sulfate proteoglycans and this binding favors LDLR degradation.
      Pharmacological inhibition of this binding can be exploited as therapeutic
      intervention to lower LDL levels.

PMID- 28894090
TI  - Seed-induced acceleration of amyloid-beta mediated neurotoxicity in vivo.
AB  - Seeded propagation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) pathology is suggested to contribute
      to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Local overproduction of aggregation
      prone Abeta variants could explain the focal initiation of a seeding cascade that
      subsequently triggers widespread pathology. Several animal models support this
      seeding concept by demonstrating accelerated Abeta deposition following
      inoculation with Abeta-containing homogenates, however its role in progressive
      neurodegeneration remains unclear. Here, we present a non-invasive approach to
      study Abeta seeding processes in vivo using Drosophila models. We show that small
      amounts of aggregation-competent Abeta42 seeds, generated in selected neuronal
      clusters, can induce the deposition of the pan-neuronally expressed and otherwise
      soluble Abeta40. Moreover, our models visualize the accelerated formation and
      propagation of amyloid pathology throughout the brain, which correlates with
      severe neurotoxicity. Taken together, these in vivo models provide mechanistic
      insights into disease-related processes and represent versatile genetic tools to
      determine novel modifiers of the Abeta seeding cascade.Seeding of amyloid beta
      from one brain region to another is thought to contribute to the progression of
      Alzheimer's disease, although to date most studies have depended on inoculation
      of animals with exogenous amyloid. Here the authors describe a genetic seed and
      target system in Drosophila which may be useful for the mechanistic study of
      seeding of amyloid in vivo.

PMID- 28894092
TI  - Coherent long-distance displacement of individual electron spins.
AB  - Controlling nanocircuits at the single electron spin level is a possible route
      for large-scale quantum information processing. In this context, individual
      electron spins have been identified as versatile quantum information carriers to
      interconnect different nodes of a spin-based semiconductor quantum circuit.
      Despite extensive experimental efforts to control the electron displacement over
      long distances, maintaining electron spin coherence after transfer remained
      elusive up to now. Here we demonstrate that individual electron spins can be
      displaced coherently over a distance of 5 um. This displacement is realized on a
      closed path made of three tunnel-coupled lateral quantum dots at a speed
      approaching 100 ms-1. We find that the spin coherence length is eight times
      longer than expected from the electron spin coherence without displacement,
      pointing at a process similar to motional narrowing observed in nuclear magnetic
      resonance experiments. The demonstrated coherent displacement will open the route
      towards long-range interaction between distant spin qubits.The spin states of
      electrons in quantum dots have well-established potential for use as qubits but
      some proposed developments require the ability to move the quantum spin state
      across a larger device. Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate coherent
      shuttling of spins in a ring of three dots.

PMID- 28894091
TI  - Expansion of cytotoxic natural killer cells using irradiated autologous
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells and anti-CD16 antibody.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells are considered a promising strategy for cancer
      treatment. Various methods for large-scale NK cell expansion have been developed,
      but they should guarantee that no viable cells are mixed with the expanded NK
      cells because most methods involve cancer cells or genetically modified cells as
      feeder cells. We used an anti-CD16 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and irradiated
      autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (IrAPs) to provide a
      suitable environment (activating receptor-ligand interactions) for the NK cell
      expansion. This method more potently expanded NK cells, and the final product was
      composed of highly purified NK cells with lesser T-cell contamination. The
      expanded NK cells showed greater upregulation of various activation receptors,
      CD107a, and secreted larger amounts of interferon gamma. IrAPs expressed NKG2D
      ligands and CD48, and coengagement of CD16 with NKG2D and 2B4 caused potent NK
      cell activation and proliferation. The expanded NK cells were cytotoxic toward
      various cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, irradiation or a
      chemotherapeutic drug further enhanced this antitumor effect. Therefore, we
      developed an effective in vitro culture method for large-scale expansion of
      highly purified cytotoxic NK cells with potent antitumor activity using IrAPs
      instead of cancer cell-based feeder cells.

PMID- 28894093
TI  - Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states-based blind quantum computation with
      entanglement concentration.
AB  - In blind quantum computation (BQC) protocol, the quantum computability of servers
      are complicated and powerful, while the clients are not. It is still a challenge
      for clients to delegate quantum computation to servers and keep the clients'
      inputs, outputs and algorithms private. Unfortunately, quantum channel noise is
      unavoidable in the practical transmission. In this paper, a novel BQC protocol
      based on maximally entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states is proposed
      which doesn't need a trusted center. The protocol includes a client and two
      servers, where the client only needs to own quantum channels with two servers who
      have full-advantage quantum computers. Two servers perform entanglement
      concentration used to remove the noise, where the success probability can almost
      reach 100% in theory. But they learn nothing in the process of concentration
      because of the no-signaling principle, so this BQC protocol is secure and
      feasible.

PMID- 28894094
TI  - Children's, parents' and health professionals' views on the management of
      childhood asthma: a qualitative study.
AB  - : The management of childhood asthma is often sub-optimal. Parents and other
      caregivers are primarily responsible for disease management and this
      responsibility includes communication with health professionals. The aim of this
      multi-perspective qualitative study was to explore the views of children, parents
      and health professionals to gain insight into the approach to clinical care in
      the management of childhood asthma. Interviews were held with nine parent-child
      (6-8 years) dyads, and 13 health professionals working in primary and secondary
      care. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Three key
      themes emerged that were common to all data sets; (1) Child and parent awareness
      of symptoms; (2) Management and child wellbeing; and (3) Professional
      communication education and consultation with families. Although some children
      demonstrate good awareness of symptoms and appropriate use of medication, some
      parents expressed difficulty in identifying triggers and symptoms of asthma.
      Furthermore, parents lacked awareness regarding appropriate use of medication for
      preventing and managing symptoms of asthma. Health professionals believed that
      communication and education was lacking. Data from all participants suggested
      that consultations could be enhanced with greater emphasis on children's and
      parents' perceptions of asthma in the development of asthma management plans.
      CHILDHOOD ASTHMA: GUIDING FAMILIES THROUGH DISEASE MANAGEMENT: Both parents' and
      children's perceptions and understanding of childhood asthma should be considered
      when developing asthma management plans. The management of asthma is challenging
      and can result in poor disease outcomes if care is not taken. An individual's
      perception of their (or their child's) asthma can also affect the efficacy of
      treatment. Aidan Searle at the Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, UK, and co
      workers, interviewed nine parent-child groups and thirteen health professionals
      to determine their perceptions of childhood asthma management in primary care.
      While some children had a strong awareness of symptoms and appropriate medication
      use, some parents found it difficult to identify asthma triggers and symptoms.
      Parents also displayed a lack of understanding of management through medication.
      Health professionals focused on the need for clearer information for families
      when guiding management of childhood asthma.

PMID- 28894096
TI  - Aerosols as a source of dissolved black carbon to the ocean.
AB  - Dissolved black carbon (DBC) is the largest known slow-cycling organic carbon
      pool in the world's oceans. Atmospheric deposition could significantly contribute
      to the oceanic DBC pool, but respective information is lacking. Here we estimate
      that, during the dust outbreak season, the atmospheric dry deposition of water
      soluble black carbon (WSBC) is ~ 40% of the riverine input to the China coastal
      seas. The molecular composition of atmospheric WSBC determined by ultrahigh
      resolution mass spectrometry, reveals similar soil-derived sources as for
      riverine discharge. WSBC is significantly positively correlated with water
      soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in marine aerosols, and water-soluble black carbon
      contributes on average 2.8 +/- 0.65% to the total WSOC. Based on this
      relationship, the global atmospheric deposition of DBC to the ocean is estimated
      to be 1.8 +/- 0.83 Tg yr-1. Anticipated future changes in biomass burning and
      dust mobilization might increase these numbers, with consequences for regional
      ecosystems and global carbon reservoirs.The contribution of atmospheric
      deposition to the oceanic dissolved black carbon pool (DBC) is unclear. Here, the
      authors show that water-soluble black carbon is positively correlated with water
      soluble organic carbon in marine aerosols, and that atmospheric deposition is a
      significant source of oceanic DBC.

PMID- 28894095
TI  - Atomic structures of Coxsackievirus A6 and its complex with a neutralizing
      antibody.
AB  - Coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) has recently emerged as a major cause of hand, foot and
      mouth disease in children worldwide but no vaccine is available against CVA6
      infections. Here, we demonstrate the isolation of two forms of stable CVA6
      particles-procapsid and A-particle-with excellent biochemical stability and
      natural antigenicity to serve as vaccine candidates. Despite the presence (in A
      particle) or absence (in procapsid) of capsid-RNA interactions, the two CVA6
      particles have essentially identical atomic capsid structures resembling the
      uncoating intermediates of other enteroviruses. Our near-atomic resolution
      structure of CVA6 A-particle complexed with a neutralizing antibody maps an
      immune-dominant neutralizing epitope to the surface loops of VP1. The structure
      guided cell-based inhibition studies further demonstrate that these loops could
      serve as excellent targets for designing anti-CVA6 vaccines.Coxsackievirus A6
      (CVA6) causes hand, foot and mouth disease in children. Here the authors present
      the CVA6 procapsid and A-particle cryo-EM structures and identify an immune
      dominant neutralizing epitope, which can be exploited for vaccine development.

PMID- 28894097
TI  - Photo-triggered solvent-free metamorphosis of polymeric materials.
AB  - Liquefaction and solidification of materials are the most fundamental changes
      observed during thermal phase transitions, yet the design of organic and
      polymeric soft materials showing isothermal reversible liquid-nonliquid
      conversion remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate that solvent-free repeatable
      molecular architectural transformation between liquid-star and nonliquid-network
      polymers that relies on cleavage and reformation of a covalent bond in
      hexaarylbiimidazole. Liquid four-armed star-shaped poly(n-butyl acrylate) and
      poly(dimethyl siloxane) with 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole end groups were first
      synthesized. Subsequent oxidation of the 2,4,5-triphenylimidazoles into 2,4,5
      triphenylimidazoryl radicals and their coupling with these liquid star polymers
      to form hexaarylbiimidazoles afforded the corresponding nonliquid network
      polymers. The resulting nonliquid network polymers liquefied upon UV irradiation
      and produced liquid star-shaped polymers with 2,4,5-triphenylimidazoryl radical
      end groups that reverted to nonliquid network polymers again by recoupling of the
      generated 2,4,5-triphenylimidazoryl radicals immediately after terminating UV
      irradiation.The design of organic and polymeric soft materials showing isothermal
      reversible liquid-nonliquid conversion is challenging. Here, the authors show
      solvent-free repeatable molecular architectural transformation between liquid
      star and non-liquid-network polymers by the cleavage and reformation of covalent
      bonds in the polymer chain.

PMID- 28894098
TI  - Structural basis for the shielding function of the dynamic trypanosome variant
      surface glycoprotein coat.
AB  - The most prominent defence of the unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei against
      the host immune system is a dense coat that comprises a variant surface
      glycoprotein (VSG). Despite the importance of the VSG family, no complete
      structure of a VSG has been reported. Making use of high-resolution structures of
      individual VSG domains, we employed small-angle X-ray scattering to elucidate the
      first two complete VSG structures. The resulting models imply that the linker
      regions confer great flexibility between domains, which suggests that VSGs can
      adopt two main conformations to respond to obstacles and changes of protein
      density, while maintaining a protective barrier at all times. Single-molecule
      diffusion measurements of VSG in supported lipid bilayers substantiate this
      possibility, as two freely diffusing populations could be detected. This
      translates into a highly flexible overall topology of the surface VSG coat, which
      displays both lateral movement in the plane of the membrane and variation in the
      overall thickness of the coat.

PMID- 28894099
TI  - Statistical modelling predicts almost complete loss of major periglacial
      processes in Northern Europe by 2100.
AB  - The periglacial realm is a major part of the cryosphere, covering a quarter of
      Earth's land surface. Cryogenic land surface processes (LSPs) control landscape
      development, ecosystem functioning and climate through biogeochemical feedbacks,
      but their response to contemporary climate change is unclear. Here, by
      statistically modelling the current and future distributions of four major LSPs
      unique to periglacial regions at fine scale, we show fundamental changes in the
      periglacial climate realm are inevitable with future climate change. Even with
      the most optimistic CO2 emissions scenario (Representative Concentration Pathway
      (RCP) 2.6) we predict a 72% reduction in the current periglacial climate realm by
      2050 in our climatically sensitive northern Europe study area. These impacts are
      projected to be especially severe in high-latitude continental interiors. We
      further predict that by the end of the twenty-first century active periglacial
      LSPs will exist only at high elevations. These results forecast a future tipping
      point in the operation of cold-region LSP, and predict fundamental landscape
      level modifications in ground conditions and related atmospheric
      feedbacks.Cryogenic land surface processes characterise the periglacial realm and
      control landscape development and ecosystem functioning. Here, via statistical
      modelling, the authors predict a 72% reduction of the periglacial realm in
      Northern Europe by 2050, and almost complete disappearance by 2100.

PMID- 28894100
TI  - Structural Basis for the Bidirectional Activity of Bacillus nanoRNase NrnA.
AB  - NanoRNAs are RNA fragments 2 to 5 nucleotides in length that are generated as
      byproducts of RNA degradation and abortive transcription initiation. Cells have
      specialized enzymes to degrade nanoRNAs, such as the DHH phosphoesterase family
      member NanoRNase A (NrnA). This enzyme was originally identified as a 3' -> 5'
      exonuclease, but we show here that NrnA is bidirectional, degrading 2-5
      nucleotide long RNA oligomers from the 3' end, and longer RNA substrates from the
      5' end. The crystal structure of Bacillus subtilis NrnA reveals a dynamic bi
      lobal architecture, with the catalytic N-terminal DHH domain linked to the
      substrate binding C-terminal DHHA1 domain via an extended linker. Whereas this
      arrangement is similar to the structure of RecJ, a 5' -> 3' DHH family DNase and
      other DHH family nanoRNases, Bacillus NrnA has gained an extended substrate
      binding patch that we posit is responsible for its 3' -> 5' activity.

PMID- 28894101
TI  - Intense natural selection preceded the invasion of new adaptive zones during the
      radiation of New World leaf-nosed bats.
AB  - The family Phyllostomidae, which evolved in the New World during the last 30
      million years, represents one of the largest and most morphologically diverse
      mammal families. Due to its uniquely diverse functional morphology, the
      phyllostomid skull is presumed to have evolved under strong directional
      selection; however, quantitative estimation of the strength of selection in this
      extraordinary lineage has not been reported. Here, we used comparative
      quantitative genetics approaches to elucidate the processes that drove cranial
      evolution in phyllostomids. We also quantified the strength of selection and
      explored its association with dietary transitions and specialization along the
      phyllostomid phylogeny. Our results suggest that natural selection was the
      evolutionary process responsible for cranial diversification in phyllostomid
      bats. Remarkably, the strongest selection in the phyllostomid phylogeny was
      associated with dietary specialization and the origination of novel feeding
      habits, suggesting that the adaptive diversification of phyllostomid bats was
      triggered by ecological opportunities. These findings are consistent with
      Simpson's quantum evolutionary model of transitions between adaptive zones. The
      multivariate analyses used in this study provides a powerful tool for
      understanding the role of evolutionary processes in shaping phenotypic diversity
      in any group on both micro- and macroevolutionary scales.

PMID- 28894102
TI  - Recovery of nearly 8,000 metagenome-assembled genomes substantially expands the
      tree of life.
AB  - Challenges in cultivating microorganisms have limited the phylogenetic diversity
      of currently available microbial genomes. This is being addressed by advances in
      sequencing throughput and computational techniques that allow for the cultivation
      independent recovery of genomes from metagenomes. Here, we report the
      reconstruction of 7,903 bacterial and archaeal genomes from >1,500 public
      metagenomes. All genomes are estimated to be >=50% complete and nearly half are
      >=90% complete with <=5% contamination. These genomes increase the phylogenetic
      diversity of bacterial and archaeal genome trees by >30% and provide the first
      representatives of 17 bacterial and three archaeal candidate phyla. We also
      recovered 245 genomes from the Patescibacteria superphylum (also known as the
      Candidate Phyla Radiation) and find that the relative diversity of this group
      varies substantially with different protein marker sets. The scale and quality of
      this data set demonstrate that recovering genomes from metagenomes provides an
      expedient path forward to exploring microbial dark matter.

PMID- 28894105
TI  - A duality principle for the multi-block entanglement entropy of free fermion
      systems.
AB  - The analysis of the entanglement entropy of a subsystem of a one-dimensional
      quantum system is a powerful tool for unravelling its critical nature. For
      instance, the scaling behaviour of the entanglement entropy determines the
      central charge of the associated Virasoro algebra. For a free fermion system, the
      entanglement entropy depends essentially on two sets, namely the set A of sites
      of the subsystem considered and the set K of excited momentum modes. In this work
      we make use of a general duality principle establishing the invariance of the
      entanglement entropy under exchange of the sets A and K to tackle complex
      problems by studying their dual counterparts. The duality principle is also a key
      ingredient in the formulation of a novel conjecture for the asymptotic behavior
      of the entanglement entropy of a free fermion system in the general case in which
      both sets A and K consist of an arbitrary number of blocks. We have verified that
      this conjecture reproduces the numerical results with excellent precision for all
      the configurations analyzed. We have also applied the conjecture to deduce
      several asymptotic formulas for the mutual and r-partite information generalizing
      the known ones for the single block case.

PMID- 28894103
TI  - The Candida albicans transcription factor Cas5 couples stress responses, drug
      resistance and cell cycle regulation.
AB  - The capacity to coordinate environmental sensing with initiation of cellular
      responses underpins microbial survival and is crucial for virulence and stress
      responses in microbial pathogens. Here we define circuitry that enables the
      fungal pathogen Candida albicans to couple cell cycle dynamics with responses to
      cell wall stress induced by echinocandins, a front-line class of antifungal
      drugs. We discover that the C. albicans transcription factor Cas5 is crucial for
      proper cell cycle dynamics and responses to echinocandins, which inhibit beta-1,3
      glucan synthesis. Cas5 has distinct transcriptional targets under basal and
      stress conditions, is activated by the phosphatase Glc7, and can regulate the
      expression of target genes in concert with the transcriptional regulators Swi4
      and Swi6. Thus, we illuminate a mechanism of transcriptional control that couples
      cell wall integrity with cell cycle regulation, and uncover circuitry governing
      antifungal drug resistance.Cas5 is a transcriptional regulator of responses to
      cell wall stress in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Here, Xie et al. show
      that Cas5 also modulates cell cycle dynamics and responses to antifungal drugs.

PMID- 28894104
TI  - NFATc1 controls the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells.
AB  - Cytotoxic T lymphocytes are effector CD8+ T cells that eradicate infected and
      malignant cells. Here we show that the transcription factor NFATc1 controls the
      cytotoxicity of mouse cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Activation of Nfatc1 -/- cytotoxic
      T lymphocytes showed a defective cytoskeleton organization and recruitment of
      cytosolic organelles to immunological synapses. These cells have reduced
      cytotoxicity against tumor cells, and mice with NFATc1-deficient T cells are
      defective in controlling Listeria infection. Transcriptome analysis shows
      diminished RNA levels of numerous genes in Nfatc1 -/- CD8+ T cells, including
      Tbx21, Gzmb and genes encoding cytokines and chemokines, and genes controlling
      glycolysis. Nfatc1 -/- , but not Nfatc2 -/- CD8+ T cells have an impaired
      metabolic switch to glycolysis, which can be restored by IL-2. Genome-wide ChIP
      seq shows that NFATc1 binds many genes that control cytotoxic T lymphocyte
      activity. Together these data indicate that NFATc1 is an important regulator of
      cytotoxic T lymphocyte effector functions.NFAT nuclear translocation has been
      shown to be required for CD8+ T cell cytokine production in response to viral
      infection. Here the authors show NFATc1 controls the cytotoxicity and metabolic
      switching of activated CD8+ T cells required for optimal response to bacteria and
      tumor cells.

PMID- 28894106
TI  - Heightened aversion to risk and loss in depressed patients with a suicide attempt
      history.
AB  - Suicide attempters have been found to be impaired in decision-making; however,
      their specific biases in evaluating uncertain outcomes remain unclear. Here we
      tested the hypothesis that suicidal behavior is associated with heightened
      aversion to risk and loss, which might produce negative predictions about
      uncertain future events. Forty-five depressed patients with a suicide attempt
      history, 47 nonsuicidal depressed patients, and 75 healthy controls participated
      in monetary decision-making tasks assessing risk and loss aversion. Suicide
      attempters compared with the other groups exhibited greater aversion to both risk
      and loss during gambles involving potential loss. Risk and loss aversion
      correlated with each other in the depressed patients, suggesting that a common
      pathophysiological mechanism underlies these biases. In addition, emotion
      regulation via suppression, a detrimental emotional control strategy, was
      positively correlated with loss aversion in the depressed patients, also
      implicating impairment in regulatory processes. A preliminary fMRI study also
      found disrupted neural responses to potential gains and losses in the subgenual
      anterior cingulate cortex, insula cortex, and left amygdala, brain regions
      involved in valuation, emotion reactivity, and emotion regulation. The findings
      thus implicate heightened negative valuation in decision-making under risk, and
      impaired emotion regulation in depressed patients with a history of suicide
      attempts.

PMID- 28894107
TI  - Sample space reducing cascading processes produce the full spectrum of scaling
      exponents.
AB  - Sample Space Reducing (SSR) processes are simple stochastic processes that offer
      a new route to understand scaling in path-dependent processes. Here we define a
      cascading process that generalises the recently defined SSR processes and is able
      to produce power laws with arbitrary exponents. We demonstrate analytically that
      the frequency distributions of states are power laws with exponents that coincide
      with the multiplication parameter of the cascading process. In addition, we show
      that imposing energy conservation in SSR cascades allows us to recover Fermi's
      classic result on the energy spectrum of cosmic rays, with the universal exponent
      -2, which is independent of the multiplication parameter of the cascade.
      Applications of the proposed process include fragmentation processes or directed
      cascading diffusion on networks, such as rumour or epidemic spreading.

PMID- 28894108
TI  - Description of two three-gendered nematode species in the new genus Auanema
      (Rhabditina) that are models for reproductive mode evolution.
AB  - The co-existence of males, females and hermaphrodites, a rare mating system known
      as trioecy, has been considered as an evolutionarily transient state. In
      nematodes, androdioecy (males/hermaphrodites) as found in Caenorhabditis elegans,
      is thought to have evolved from dioecy (males/females) through a trioecious
      intermediate. Thus, trioecious species are good models to understand the steps
      and requirements for the evolution of new mating systems. Here we describe two
      new species of nematodes with trioecy, Auanema rhodensis and A. freiburgensis.
      Along with molecular barcodes, we provide a detailed analysis of the morphology
      of these species, and document it with drawings and light and SEM micrographs.
      Based on morphological data, these free-living nematodes were assigned to a new
      genus, Auanema, together with three other species described previously. Auanema
      species display convergent evolution in some features with parasitic nematodes
      with complex life cycles, such as the production of few males after outcrossing
      and the obligatory development of dauers into self-propagating adults.

PMID- 28894109
TI  - Stress behaviours buffer macaques from aggression.
AB  - Primates (including humans) scratch when stressed. So far, such scratching has
      been seen as a by-product of physiological processes associated with stress, and
      attributed proximate, regulatory function. However, it is possible that others
      could use this relationship between scratching and stress as an indication of the
      animal's stress state, and thus scratching could potentially have social
      function. As a test of this theory, we measured the production of, and social
      responses to scratching in a group of free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca
      mulatta). Firstly, we found that the likelihood of scratching was greater around
      periods of heightened social stress, such as being in proximity to high-ranking
      individuals, or non-friends. Secondly, when macaques scratched, subsequent
      interactions were less likely to be aggressive and more likely to be affiliative.
      Potential attackers may avoid attacking stressed individuals as stressed
      individuals could behave unpredictably or be weakened by their state of stress
      (rendering aggression risky and/or unnecessary). Observable stress behaviour
      could therefore have additional adaptive value by reducing the potential for
      escalated aggression, benefiting both senders and receivers by facilitating
      social cohesion. This basic ability to recognise stress in others could also be
      an important component in the evolution of social cognition such as empathy.

PMID- 28894110
TI  - Omega-3 fatty acids correlate with gut microbiome diversity and production of N
      carbamylglutamate in middle aged and elderly women.
AB  - Omega-3 fatty acids may influence human physiological parameters in part by
      affecting the gut microbiome. The aim of this study was to investigate the links
      between omega-3 fatty acids, gut microbiome diversity and composition and faecal
      metabolomic profiles in middle aged and elderly women. We analysed data from 876
      twins with 16S microbiome data and DHA, total omega-3, and other circulating
      fatty acids. Estimated food intake of omega-3 fatty acids were obtained from food
      frequency questionnaires. Both total omega-3and DHA serum levels were
      significantly correlated with microbiome alpha diversity (Shannon index) after
      adjusting for confounders (DHA Beta(SE) = 0.13(0.04), P = 0.0006 total omega-3:
      0.13(0.04), P = 0.001). These associations remained significant after adjusting
      for dietary fibre intake. We found even stronger associations between DHA and 38
      operational taxonomic units (OTUs), the strongest ones being with OTUs from the
      Lachnospiraceae family (Beta(SE) = 0.13(0.03), P = 8 * 10-7). Some of the
      associations with gut bacterial OTUs appear to be mediated by the abundance of
      the faecal metabolite N-carbamylglutamate. Our data indicate a link between omega
      3 circulating levels/intake and microbiome composition independent of dietary
      fibre intake, particularly with bacteria of the Lachnospiraceae family. These
      data suggest the potential use of omega-3 supplementation to improve the
      microbiome composition.

PMID- 28894111
TI  - Induction of high titred, non-neutralising antibodies by self-adjuvanting peptide
      epitopes derived from the respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe lower respiratory tract illness
      in infants and young children. The significant morbidity and mortality rates
      associated with RSV infection make an effective RSV vaccine development a
      priority. Two neutralising antibody binding sites, O and II, located on the pre
      fusion RSV F glycoprotein are prime candidates for epitope-focused vaccine
      design. We report on a vaccine strategy that utilises a lipid core peptide (LCP)
      delivery system with self-adjuvanting properties in conjunction with either the
      antigenic site O or II (B cell epitopes) along with PADRE as a T helper cell
      epitope. These LCP constructs adopted the desired helical conformation in
      solution and were recognised by their cognate antibodies D25 and Motavizumab,
      specific for site O and II on RSV F protein, respectively. The LCP constructs
      were capable of eliciting higher levels of antigen specific antibodies than those
      induced by antigens administered with complete Freund's adjuvant, demonstrating
      the potent adjuvanting properties of LCP delivery. However, the antibodies
      induced failed to recognise native F protein or neutralise virus infectivity.
      These results provide a note of caution in assuming that peptide vaccines,
      successfully designed to structurally mimic minimal linear B cell epitopes, will
      necessarily elicit the desired immune response.

PMID- 28894112
TI  - Perinatal Malnutrition Leads to Sexually Dimorphic Behavioral Responses with
      Associated Epigenetic Changes in the Mouse Brain.
AB  - Childhood malnutrition is a risk factor for mental disorders, such as major
      depression and anxiety. Evidence shows that similar early life adversities induce
      sex-dependent epigenetic reprogramming. However, little is known about how genes
      are specifically affected by early malnutrition and the implications for males
      and females respectively. One relevant target is neuropeptide Y (NPY), which
      regulates both stress and food-intake. We studied maternal low protein diet (LPD)
      during pregnancy/lactation in mice. Male, but not female, offspring of LPD
      mothers consistently displayed anxiety- and depression-like behaviors under acute
      stress. Transcriptome-wide analysis of the effects of acute stress in the
      amygdala, revealed a list of transcription factors affected by either sex or
      perinatal LPD. Among these immediate early genes (IEG), members of the Early
      growth response family (Egr1/2/4) were consistently upregulated by perinatal LPD
      in both sexes. EGR1 also bound the NPY receptor Y1 gene (Npy1r), which co
      occurred with sex-specific effects of perinatal LPD on both Npy1r DNA-methylation
      and gene transcription. Our proposed pathway connecting early malnutrition, sex
      independent regulatory changes in Egr1, and sex-specific epigenetic reprogramming
      of its effector gene, Npy1r, represents the first molecular evidence of how early
      life risk factors may generate sex-specific epigenetic effects relevant for
      mental disorders.

PMID- 28894113
TI  - Microwaves effectively examine the extent and type of coking over acid zeolite
      catalysts.
AB  - Coking leads to the deactivation of solid acid catalyst. This phenomenon is a
      ubiquitous problem in the modern petrochemical and energy transformation
      industries. Here, we show a method based on microwave cavity perturbation
      analysis for an effective examination of both the amount and the chemical
      composition of cokes formed over acid zeolite catalysts. The employed microwave
      cavity can rapidly and non-intrusively measure the catalytically coked zeolites
      with sample full body penetration. The overall coke amount is reflected by the
      obtained dielectric loss (epsilon") value, where different coke compositions lead
      to dramatically different absorption efficiencies (epsilon"/cokes' wt%). The
      deeper-dehydrogenated coke compounds (e.g., polyaromatics) lead to an apparently
      higher epsilon"/wt% value thus can be effectively separated from lightly coked
      compounds. The measurement is based on the nature of coke formation during
      catalytic reactions, from saturated status (e.g., aliphatic) to graphitized
      status (e.g., polyaromatics), with more delocalized electrons obtained for
      enhanced Maxwell-Wagner polarization.Catalyst deactivation by coke deposition is
      a major drawback in industrial processes. Here, the authors show a non-intrusive
      microwave cavity perturbation technique as a powerful tool to determine the
      nature and extent of coke accumulation in industrially-relevant zeolite
      catalysts.

PMID- 28894114
TI  - Cinaciguat ameliorates glomerular damage by reducing ERK1/2 activity and TGF-beta
      expression in type-1 diabetic rats.
AB  - Decreased soluble guanylate cyclase activity and cGMP levels in diabetic kidneys
      were shown to influence the progression of nephropathy. The regulatory effects of
      soluble guanylate cyclase activators on renal signaling pathways are still
      unknown, we therefore investigated the renal molecular effects of the soluble
      guanylate cyclase activator cinaciguat in type-1 diabetic (T1DM) rats. Male adult
      Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups after induction of T1DM with 60
      mg/kg streptozotocin: DM, untreated (DM, n = 8) and 2) DM + cinaciguat (10 mg/kg
      per os daily, DM-Cin, n = 8). Non-diabetic untreated and cinaciguat treated rats
      served as controls (Co (n = 10) and Co-Cin (n = 10), respectively). Rats were
      treated for eight weeks, when renal functional and molecular analyses were
      performed. Cinaciguat attenuated the diabetes induced proteinuria,
      glomerulosclerosis and renal collagen-IV expression accompanied by 50% reduction
      of TIMP-1 expression. Cinaciguat treatment restored the glomerular cGMP content
      and soluble guanylate cyclase expression, and ameliorated the glomerular
      apoptosis (TUNEL positive cell number) and podocyte injury. These effects were
      accompanied by significantly reduced TGF-beta overexpression and ERK1/2
      phosphorylation in cinaciguat treated diabetic kidneys. We conclude that the
      soluble guanylate cyclase activator cinaciguat ameliorated diabetes induced
      glomerular damage, apoptosis, podocyte injury and TIMP-1 overexpression by
      suppressing TGF-beta and ERK1/2 signaling.

PMID- 28894116
TI  - Characterization of tonsillar IL10 secreting B cells and their role in the
      pathophysiology of tonsillar hypertrophy.
AB  - The comprehension of unconventional immune functions of tonsillar B cells, their
      role in tolerance induction and protective immune responses, is crucial to unveil
      the dynamic interactions of the upper aero digestive tract with polymicrobial
      commensal flora and pathogens, in health and disease. Here, we describe the
      kinetics of IL10 intracellular expression and compare it with that of cytokines
      known to be produced by tonsillar B cells. Additionally, we detected a relevant
      proportion of IL17-expressing tonsillar B cells, which has not previously been
      reported. We immunophenotyped tonsillar IL10-expressing B cells (B10) and
      observed IL10 production in activated B cells at every developmental stage.
      Finally, we identified a relationship between decreased B10 percentages,
      increased proportion of the germinal centre (GC) population and hypertrophied
      tonsils (HT). Our findings provide greater insight into the role of B10 in GC
      reactions and characterized their involvement in the pathogenesis of tonsillar
      dysfunction.

PMID- 28894115
TI  - In silico prediction of drug-target interaction networks based on drug chemical
      structure and protein sequences.
AB  - Analysis of drug-target interactions (DTIs) is of great importance in developing
      new drug candidates for known protein targets or discovering new targets for old
      drugs. However, the experimental approaches for identifying DTIs are expensive,
      laborious and challenging. In this study, we report a novel computational method
      for predicting DTIs using the highly discriminative information of drug-target
      interactions and our newly developed discriminative vector machine (DVM)
      classifier. More specifically, each target protein sequence is transformed as the
      position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM), in which the evolutionary information is
      retained; then the local binary pattern (LBP) operator is used to calculate the
      LBP histogram descriptor. For a drug molecule, a novel fingerprint representation
      is utilized to describe its chemical structure information representing existence
      of certain functional groups or fragments. When applying the proposed method to
      the four datasets (Enzyme, GPCR, Ion Channel and Nuclear Receptor) for predicting
      DTIs, we obtained good average accuracies of 93.16%, 89.37%, 91.73% and 92.22%,
      respectively. Furthermore, we compared the performance of the proposed model with
      that of the state-of-the-art SVM model and other previous methods. The achieved
      results demonstrate that our method is effective and robust and can be taken as a
      useful tool for predicting DTIs.

PMID- 28894117
TI  - Preparation of Monolayer MoS2 Quantum Dots using Temporally Shaped Femtosecond
      Laser Ablation of Bulk MoS2 Targets in Water.
AB  - Zero-dimensional MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) possess distinct physical and chemical
      properties, which have garnered them considerable attention and facilitates their
      use in a broad range of applications. In this study, we prepared monolayer MoS2
      QDs using temporally shaped femtosecond laser ablation of bulk MoS2 targets in
      water. The morphology, crystal structures, chemical, and optical properties of
      the MoS2 QDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray
      diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis
      absorption spectra, and photoluminescence spectra. The analysis results show that
      highly pure, uniform, and monolayer MoS2 QDs can be successfully prepared.
      Moreover, by temporally shaping a conventional single pulse into a two-subpulse
      train, the production rate of MoS2 nanomaterials (including nanosheets,
      nanoparticles, and QDs) and the ratio of small size MoS2 QDs can be substantially
      improved. The underlying mechanism is a combination of multilevel
      photoexfoliation of monolayer MoS2 and water photoionization-enhanced light
      absorption. The as-prepared MoS2 QDs exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity
      for hydrogen evolution reactions because of the abundant active edge sites, high
      specific surface area, and excellent electrical conductivity. Thus, this study
      provides a simple and green alternative strategy for the preparation of monolayer
      QDs of transition metal dichalcogenides or other layered materials.

PMID- 28894118
TI  - Persistence of Zika virus in conjunctival fluid of convalescence patients.
AB  - A widespread epidemic of Zika fever, caused by Zika virus (ZIKAV) has spread
      throughout the Pacific islands, the Americas and Southeast Asia. The increased
      incidences of ocular anomalies observed in ZIKAV-infected infants and adults may
      be associated with the rapid spread of ZIKAV. The objective of this study was to
      check if ZIKAV could be detected in human tears after the first week of
      infection. Twenty-nine patients with PCR confirmed ZIKAV infection during the
      Singapore August 2016 ZIKAV outbreak were enrolled for the study. Detection and
      quantification of ZIKAV RNA was performed on conjunctival swabs collected from
      both eyes of these patients at the late convalescent phase (30 days post
      illness). Efficiency of viral isolation from swab samples was confirmed by the
      limit of detection (as low as 0.1 PFU/uL, equivalent to copy number of 4.9) in
      spiked swabs with different concentrations of ZIKAV (PFU/uL). Samples from three
      patients were found positive by qRT-PCR for ZIKAV and the viral RNA copy numbers
      detected in conjunctival swabs ranged from 5.2 to 9.3 copies respectively. ZIKAV
      could persist in the tears of infected patients for up to 30 days post-illness,
      and may therefore possess a potential public health risk of transmission.

PMID- 28894121
TI  - Development of a novel surface assisted volume negative hydrogen ion source.
AB  - H- ion based neutral beam injector is a critical heating and current drive system
      in a fusion reactor. However, the present H- ion source configuration has
      limitations in terms of production, extraction, cesium (Cs) inventory and
      management. To overcome these limitations, a proof-of-principle experiment based
      on a novel concept regarding surface assisted volume H- ions production by
      sprinkling Cs coated tungsten (W) dust grains (low work function surface) into a
      hydrogen plasma is carried out. Four different diagnostics have been used to
      validate the concept. The H- ion fraction is estimated from (a) Langmuir probe
      diagnostic, (b) phase velocity of ion acoustic waves, (c) dust current and
      confirmed by the measurement of (d) Balmer line ratio. The measured H- ion
      fraction with respect to the plasma density for different discharge conditions
      varies from ~0.2 to 0.3 in presence of Cs coated W dust particles. The
      experimental results show good agreement with the theoretical estimation.

PMID- 28894119
TI  - Evidence for biochemical barrier restoration: Topical solenopsin analogs improve
      inflammation and acanthosis in the KC-Tie2 mouse model of psoriasis.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 2.5-6 million patients
      in the United States. The cause of psoriasis remains unknown. Previous human and
      animal studies suggest that patients with a susceptible genetic background and
      some stimulus, such as barrier disruption, leads to a coordinated signaling
      events involving cytokines between keratinocytes, endothelial cells, T cells,
      macrophages and dendritic cells. Ceramides are endogenous skin lipids essential
      for maintaining skin barrier function and loss of ceramides may underlie
      inflammatory and premalignant skin. Ceramides act as a double-edged sword,
      promoting normal skin homeostasis in the native state, but can be metabolized to
      sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), linked to inflammation and tumorigenesis. To
      overcome this difficulty, we synthesized solenopsin analogs which biochemically
      act as ceramides, but cannot be metabolized to S1P. We assess their in vivo
      bioactivity in a well-established mouse model of psoriasis, the KC-Tie2 mouse.
      Topical solenopsin derivatives normalized cutaneous hyperplasia in this model,
      decreased T cell infiltration, interleukin (IL)-22 transcription, and reversed
      the upregulation of calprotectin and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 in inflamed skin.
      Finally, they stimulated interleukin (IL)-12 production in skin dendritic cells.
      Thus suggesting barrier restoration has both a biochemical and physical
      component, and both are necessary for optimal barrier restoration.

PMID- 28894120
TI  - Blood triglyceride levels are associated with DNA methylation at the serine
      metabolism gene PHGDH.
AB  - Efficient interventions to reduce blood triglycerides are few; newer and more
      tolerable intervention targets are needed. Understanding the molecular mechanisms
      underlying blood triglyceride levels variation is key to identifying new
      therapies. To explore the role of epigenetic mechanisms on triglyceride levels, a
      blood methylome scan was conducted in 199 individuals from 5 French-Canadian
      families ascertained on venous thromboembolism, and findings were replicated in
      324 French unrelated patients with venous thromboembolism. Genetic context and
      functional relevance were investigated. Two DNA methylation sites associated with
      triglyceride levels were identified. The first one, located in the ABCG1 gene,
      was recently reported, whereas the second one, located in the promoter of the
      PHGDH gene, is novel. The PHGDH methylation site, cg14476101, was found to be
      associated with variation in triglyceride levels in a threshold manner:
      cg14476101 was inversely associated with triglyceride levels only when
      triglyceride levels were above 1.12 mmol/L (discovery P-value = 8.4 * 10-6;
      replication P-value = 0.0091). Public databases findings supported a functional
      role of cg14476101 on PHGDH expression. PHGDH catalyses the first step in the
      serine biosynthesis pathway. These findings highlight the role of epigenetic
      regulation of the PHGDH gene in triglyceride metabolism, providing novel insights
      on putative intervention targets.

PMID- 28894122
TI  - Onset of disorder and protein aggregation due to oxidation-induced intermolecular
      disulfide bonds: case study of RRM2 domain from TDP-43.
AB  - We have investigated the behavior of second RNA-recognition motif (RRM2) of
      neuropathological protein TDP43 under the effect of oxidative stress as modeled
      in vitro. Toward this end we have used the specially adapted version of H/D
      exchange experiment, NMR relaxation and diffusion measurements, dynamic light
      scattering, controlled proteolysis, gel electrophoresis, site-directed
      mutagenesis and microsecond MD simulations. Under oxidizing conditions RRM2 forms
      disulfide-bonded dimers that experience unfolding and then assemble into
      aggregate particles (APs). These particles are strongly disordered, highly
      inhomogeneous and susceptible to proteolysis; some of them withstand the
      dithiothreitol treatment. They can recruit/release monomeric RRM2 through thiol
      disulfide exchange reactions. By using a combination of dynamic light scattering
      and NMR diffusion data we were able to approximate the size distribution function
      for the APs. The key to the observed aggregation behavior is the diminished
      ability of disulfide-bonded RRM2 dimers to refold and their increased propensity
      to misfold, which makes them vulnerable to large thermal fluctuations. The
      emerging picture provides detailed insight on how oxidative stress can contribute
      to neurodegenerative disease, with unfolding, aggregation, and proteolytic
      cleavage as different facets of the process.

PMID- 28894123
TI  - Mutations in the prostate specific antigen (PSA/KLK3) correlate with male
      infertility.
AB  - Prostate specific antigen (PSA/KLK3) is known to be the chief executor of the
      fragmentation of semenogelins, dissolution of semen coagulum, thereby releasing
      sperm for active motility. Recent research has found that semenogelins also play
      significant roles in sperm fertility by affecting hyaluronidase activity,
      capacitation and motility, thereby making PSA important for sperm fertility
      beyond simple semen liquefaction. PSA level in semen has been shown to correlate
      with sperm motility, suggesting that PSA level/activity can affect fertility.
      However, no study investigating the genetic variations in the KLK3/PSA gene in
      male fertility has been undertaken. We analyzed the complete coding region of the
      KLK3 gene in ethnically matched 875 infertile and 290 fertile men to find if
      genetic variations in KLK3 correlate with infertility. Interestingly, this study
      identified 28 substitutions, of which 8 were novel (not available in public
      databases). Statistical comparison of the genotype frequencies showed that five
      SNPs, rs266881 (OR = 2.92, P < 0.0001), rs174776 (OR = 1.91, P < 0.0001),
      rs266875 (OR = 1.44, P = 0.016), rs35192866 (OR = 4.48, P = 0.025) and rs1810020
      (OR = 2.08, P = 0.034) correlated with an increased risk of infertility. On the
      other hand, c.206 + 235 T > C, was more freuqent in the control group, showing
      protective association. Our findings suggest that polymorphisms in the KLK3 gene
      correlate with infertility risk.

PMID- 28894124
TI  - Effects of purified or plant-produced Cry proteins on Drosophila melanogaster
      (Diptera: Drosophilidae) larvae.
AB  - Although genetically engineered crops producing insecticidal Cry proteins from
      Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are grown worldwide, few studies cover effects of Bt
      crops or Cry proteins on dipteran species in an agricultural context. We tested
      the toxicity of six purified Cry proteins and of Bt cotton and Bt maize tissue on
      Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) as a surrogate for decomposing
      Diptera. ELISA confirmed the presence of Cry proteins in plant material,
      artificial diet, and fly larvae, and concentrations were estimated. Median
      concentrations in emerging adult flies were below the limit of detection.
      Bioactivity of purified Cry proteins in the diet was confirmed by sensitive
      species assays using Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Purified
      Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1B, Cry1C, Cry1F, or Cry2Aa, or leaf material from stacked Bt
      cotton (Bollgard II producing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab) or Bt maize (SmartStax producing
      Cry1A.105, Cry1Fa2, Cry2Ab2, Cry3Bb1, Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1) had no consistent
      effects on D. melanogaster survival, developmental time, adult body mass or
      morphometrics. However, D. melanogaster showed longer developmental time and
      smaller wing size when fed with cotton leaves from plants infested with H.
      virescens caterpillars compared to flies fed with leaves from uninfested plants,
      while no such effects were obvious for maize.

PMID- 28894126
TI  - Microbes in Infant Gut Development: Placing Abundance Within Environmental,
      Clinical and Growth Parameters.
AB  - Sound and timely microbial gut colonization completes newborn's healthy metabolic
      programming and manifests in infant appropriate growth and weight development.
      Feces, collected at 3, 30, and 90 days after birth from 60 breastfed Slovenian
      newborns, was submitted to microbial DNA extraction and qPCR quantification of
      selected gut associated taxa. Multivariate regression analysis was applied to
      evaluate microbial dynamics with respect to infant demographic, environmental,
      clinical characteristics and first year growth data. Early microbial variability
      was marked by the proportion of Bacilli, but diminished and converged in later
      samples, as bifidobacteria started to prevail. The first month proportions of
      enterococci were associated with maternity hospital locality and supplementation
      of breastfeeding with formulae, while Enterococcus faecalis proportion reflected
      the mode of delivery. Group Bacteroides-Prevotella proportion was associated with
      infant weight and ponderal index at first month. Infant mixed feeding pattern and
      health issues within the first month revealed the most profound and extended
      microbial perturbations. Our findings raise concerns over the ability of the
      early feeding supplementation to emulate and support the gut microbiota in a way
      similar to the exclusively breastfed infants. Additionally, practicing
      supplementation beyond the first month also manifested in higher first year
      weight and weight gain Z-score.

PMID- 28894125
TI  - Elongation factor Tu is a multifunctional and processed moonlighting protein.
AB  - Many bacterial moonlighting proteins were originally described in medically,
      agriculturally, and commercially important members of the low G + C Firmicutes.
      We show Elongation factor Tu (Ef-Tu) moonlights on the surface of the human
      pathogens Staphylococcus aureus (SaEf-Tu) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MpnEf-Tu),
      and the porcine pathogen Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MhpEf-Tu). Ef-Tu is also a
      target of multiple processing events on the cell surface and these were
      characterised using an N-terminomics pipeline. Recombinant MpnEf-Tu bound
      strongly to a diverse range of host molecules, and when bound to plasminogen, was
      able to convert plasminogen to plasmin in the presence of plasminogen activators.
      Fragments of Ef-Tu retain binding capabilities to host proteins. Bioinformatics
      and structural modelling studies indicate that the accumulation of positively
      charged amino acids in short linear motifs (SLiMs), and protein processing
      promote multifunctional behaviour. Codon bias engendered by an A + T rich genome
      may influence how positively-charged residues accumulate in SLiMs.

PMID- 28894127
TI  - Dichotomy between in-plane magnetic susceptibility and resistivity anisotropies
      in extremely strained BaFe2As2.
AB  - High-temperature superconductivity in the Fe-based materials emerges when the
      antiferromagnetism of the parent compounds is suppressed by either doping or
      pressure. Closely connected to the antiferromagnetic state are entangled orbital,
      lattice, and nematic degrees of freedom, and one of the major goals in this field
      has been to determine the hierarchy of these interactions. Here we present the
      direct measurements and the calculations of the in-plane uniform magnetic
      susceptibility anisotropy of BaFe2As2, which help in determining the above
      hierarchy. The magnetization measurements are made possible by utilizing a simple
      method for applying a large symmetry-breaking strain, based on differential
      thermal expansion. In strong contrast to the large resistivity anisotropy above
      the antiferromagnetic transition at T N, the anisotropy of the in-plane magnetic
      susceptibility develops largely below T N. Our results imply that lattice and
      orbital degrees of freedom play a subdominant role in these materials.Interplay
      between lattice, orbital, magnetic and nematic degrees of freedom is crucial for
      the superconductivity in Fe-based materials. Here, the authors demonstrate the
      subdominant roles of pure lattice distortions and/or orbital ordering in BaFe2As2
      by characterizing the in-plane magnetic susceptibility anisotropy.

PMID- 28894128
TI  - Microbial colonization is required for normal neurobehavioral development in
      zebrafish.
AB  - Changes in resident microbiota may have wide-ranging effects on human health. We
      investigated whether early life microbial disruption alters neurodevelopment and
      behavior in larval zebrafish. Conventionally colonized, axenic, and axenic larvae
      colonized at 1 day post fertilization (dpf) were evaluated using a standard
      locomotor assay. At 10 dpf, axenic zebrafish exhibited hyperactivity compared to
      conventionalized and conventionally colonized controls. Impairment of host
      colonization using antibiotics also caused hyperactivity in conventionally
      colonized larvae. To determine whether there is a developmental requirement for
      microbial colonization, axenic embryos were serially colonized on 1, 3, 6, or 9
      dpf and evaluated on 10 dpf. Normal activity levels were observed in axenic
      larvae colonized on 1-6 dpf, but not on 9 dpf. Colonization of axenic embryos at
      1 dpf with individual bacterial species Aeromonas veronii or Vibrio cholerae was
      sufficient to block locomotor hyperactivity at 10 dpf. Exposure to heat-killed
      bacteria or microbe-associated molecular patterns pam3CSK4 or Poly(I:C) was not
      sufficient to block hyperactivity in axenic larvae. These data show that
      microbial colonization during early life is required for normal neurobehavioral
      development and support the concept that antibiotics and other environmental
      chemicals may exert neurobehavioral effects via disruption of host-associated
      microbial communities.

PMID- 28894129
TI  - Designing functionality in perovskite thin films using ion implantation
      techniques: Assessment and insights from first-principles calculations.
AB  - Recent experimental findings have demonstrated that low doses of low energy
      helium ions can be used to tailor the structural and electronic properties of
      single crystal films. These initial studies have shown that changes to lattice
      expansion were proposed to be the direct result of chemical pressure originating
      predominantly from the implanted He applying chemical pressure at interstitial
      sites. However, the influence of possible secondary knock-on damage arising from
      the He atoms transferring energy to the lattice through nuclear-nuclear collision
      with the crystal lattice remains largely unaddressed. Here, we study SrRuO3 to
      provide a comprehensive examination of the impact of common defects on structural
      and electronic properties. We found that, while interstitial He can modify the
      properties, a dose significantly larger than those reported in experimental
      studies would be required. Our study suggests that true origin of the observed
      changes is from combination of secondary defects created during He implantation.
      Of particular importance, we observe that different defect types can generate
      greatly varied local electronic structures and that the formation energies and
      migration energy barriers vary by defect type. Thus, we may have identified a new
      method of selectively inducing controlled defect complexes into single crystal
      materials.

PMID- 28894130
TI  - A Chinese Pane-Like 2D Metal-Organic Framework Showing Magnetic Relaxation and
      Luminescence Dual-Functions.
AB  - The discovery of graphene kicked off the curtain of atom-type two-dimensional
      (2D) materials. Layered metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as parallel molecule
      based 2D materials are more designable and more diverse, and magnetism may be
      induced by their metal ion nodes. However, the multifunctional 2D plane-like MOFs
      are very difficult to obtain. Here we describe a Chinese pane-like 2D MOF
      constructed from the Ln3+ cation and the nanoscale luminescent tritopic ligand
      tris(4'-carboxybiphenyl)-amine, responding to the slow magnetic relaxation and
      luminescence properties, respectively. Notably, the Dy-Dy distances separated by
      the tritopic ligand are up to 2 nm. Such a 2D molecular material is expected to
      have potential applications in optoelectronics and multimodal sensing.

PMID- 28894131
TI  - ECG features and methods for automatic classification of ventricular premature
      and ischemic heartbeats: A comprehensive experimental study.
AB  - Accurate detection of cardiac pathological events is an important part of
      electrocardiogram (ECG) evaluation and subsequent correct treatment of the
      patient. The paper introduces the results of a complex study, where various
      aspects of automatic classification of various heartbeat types have been
      addressed. Particularly, non-ischemic, ischemic (of two different grades) and
      subsequent ventricular premature beats were classified in this combination for
      the first time. ECGs recorded in rabbit isolated hearts under non-ischemic and
      ischemic conditions were used for analysis. Various morphological and spectral
      features (both commonly used and newly proposed) as well as classification models
      were tested on the same data set. It was found that: a) morphological features
      are generally more suitable than spectral ones; b) successful results (accuracy
      up to 98.3% and 96.2% for morphological and spectral features, respectively) can
      be achieved using features calculated without time-consuming delineation of QRS-T
      segment; c) use of reduced number of features (3 to 14 features) for model
      training allows achieving similar or even better performance as compared to the
      whole feature sets (10 to 29 features); d) k-nearest neighbours and support
      vector machine seem to be the most appropriate models (accuracy up to 98.6% and
      93.5%, respectively).

PMID- 28894132
TI  - Testing Gait with Ankle-Foot Orthoses in Children with Cerebral Palsy by Using
      Functional Mixed-Effects Analysis of Variance.
AB  - Existing statistical methods extract insufficient information from 3-dimensional
      gait data, rendering clinical interpretation of impaired movement patterns sub
      optimal. We propose an alternative approach based on functional data analysis
      that may be worthy of exploration. We apply this to gait data analysis using
      repeated-measurements data from children with cerebral palsy who had been
      prescribed fixed ankle-foot orthoses as an example. We analyze entire gait curves
      by means of a new functional F test with comparison to multiple pointwise F tests
      and also to the traditional method - univariate repeated-measurements analysis of
      variance of joint angle minima and maxima. The new test maintains the nominal
      significance level and can be adapted to test hypotheses for specific phases of
      the gait cycle. The main findings indicate that ankle-foot orthoses exert
      significant effects on coronal and sagittal plane ankle rotation; and both
      sagittal and horizontal plane foot rotation. The functional F test provided
      further information for the stance and swing phases. Differences between the
      results of the different statistical approaches are discussed, concluding that
      the novel method has potential utility and is worthy of validation through larger
      scale patient and clinician engagement to determine whether it is preferable to
      the traditional approach.

PMID- 28894133
TI  - 5-methoxytryptophan protects MSCs from stress induced premature senescence by
      upregulating FoxO3a and mTOR.
AB  - 5-methoxytryptophan (5-MTP) is a newly discovered tryptophan metabolite which
      controls stress-induced inflammatory signals. To determine whether 5-MTP protects
      against stress-induced mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) senescence, we incubated bone
      marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC) in high-glucose medium or regular medium for 2 weeks
      followed by addiction of 5-MTP (10 MUM) or vehicle for 48 h. 5-MTP reduced p16
      and p21 expression, senescence-associated beta-Gal (SA-beta-Gal) and IL-6
      secretion and increased BrdU incorporation. 5-MTP exerted a similar effect on BM
      MSC senescence induced by a sublethal concentration of H2O2. 5-MTP enhanced
      FoxO3a expression and increased superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in
      HG BM-MSCs. Silencing of FoxO3a with siRNA abrogated 5-MTP-mediated reduction of
      SA-beta-Gal and IL-6 secretion but not p21 or p16. Since mechanistic target of
      rapamycin (mTOR) is involved in cellular senescence, we determined whether 5-MTP
      influences mTOR expression. Our data reveal that mTOR protein level was depressed
      in HG-MSC which was rescued by 5-MTP. Rapamycin abrogated 5-MTP-mediated
      suppression of p16, p21, SA-beta-Gal and IL-6 and rise of BrdU incorporation. Our
      findings suggest that 5-MTP protects MSCs against stress-induced senescence via
      FoxO3a and mTOR upregulation and has potential to improve cell expansion for cell
      therapy.

PMID- 28894134
TI  - Probing microwave fields and enabling in-situ experiments in a transmission
      electron microscope.
AB  - A technique is presented whereby the performance of a microwave device is
      evaluated by mapping local field distributions using Lorentz transmission
      electron microscopy (L-TEM). We demonstrate the method by measuring the
      polarisation state of the electromagnetic fields produced by a microstrip
      waveguide as a function of its gigahertz operating frequency. The forward and
      backward propagating electromagnetic fields produced by the waveguide, in a
      specimen-free experiment, exert Lorentz forces on the propagating electron beam.
      Importantly, in addition to the mapping of dynamic fields, this novel method
      allows detection of effects of microwave fields on specimens, such as observing
      ferromagnetic materials at resonance.

PMID- 28894135
TI  - Observing a scale anomaly and a universal quantum phase transition in graphene.
AB  - One of the most interesting predictions resulting from quantum physics, is the
      violation of classical symmetries, collectively referred to as anomalies. A
      remarkable class of anomalies occurs when the continuous scale symmetry of a
      scale-free quantum system is broken into a discrete scale symmetry for a critical
      value of a control parameter. This is an example of a (zero temperature) quantum
      phase transition. Such an anomaly takes place for the quantum inverse square
      potential known to describe 'Efimov physics'. Broken continuous scale symmetry
      into discrete scale symmetry also appears for a charged and massless Dirac
      fermion in an attractive 1/r Coulomb potential. The purpose of this article is to
      demonstrate the universality of this quantum phase transition and to present
      convincing experimental evidence of its existence for a charged and massless
      fermion in an attractive Coulomb potential as realized in graphene.When the
      continuous scale symmetry of a quantum system is broken, anomalies occur which
      may lead to quantum phase transitions. Here, the authors provide evidence for
      such a quantum phase transition in the attractive Coulomb potential of vacancies
      in graphene, and further envision its universality for diverse physical systems.

PMID- 28894136
TI  - Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 is associated with hepatocellular
      carcinoma risk: multiplex analysis of serum markers.
AB  - Individualized assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in chronic liver
      disease remains challenging. Serum biomarkers including cytokines may offer
      helpful adjuncts to standard parameters for risk prediction. Our aim was to
      identify markers associated with increased HCC incidence. This was a prospective
      cohort study of 282 patients with both viral or non-viral chronic liver disease.
      Baseline serum cytokines and other markers were measured in multiplex with a
      commercially-available Luminex-based system. Patients were followed until death
      or HCC diagnosis. We performed Lasso-based survival analysis to determine
      parameters associated with HCC development. Cytokine mean florescence intensity
      (MFI) was the primary predictor and HCC development the primary outcome. 25
      patients developed HCC with total follow-up of 1,363 person-years. Parameters
      associated with increased HCC incidence were cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation,
      and soluble serum intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) MFI. No other
      molecules increased predictive power for HCC incidence. On univariate analysis,
      the parameters associated with HCC incidence in patients with cirrhosis were age,
      antiviral treatment, and high sICAM-1 MFI; on multivariate analysis, sICAM-1
      remained associated with HCC development (adjusted HR = 2.75). On unbiased
      screening of serum cytokines and other markers in a diverse cohort, baseline
      sICAM-1 MFI is associated with HCC incidence.

PMID- 28894137
TI  - Emergence of charge density waves and a pseudogap in single-layer TiTe2.
AB  - Two-dimensional materials constitute a promising platform for developing
      nanoscale devices and systems. Their physical properties can be very different
      from those of the corresponding three-dimensional materials because of extreme
      quantum confinement and dimensional reduction. Here we report a study of TiTe2
      from the single-layer to the bulk limit. Using angle-resolved photoemission
      spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we observed the
      emergence of a (2 * 2) charge density wave order in single-layer TiTe2 with a
      transition temperature of 92 +/- 3 K. Also observed was a pseudogap of about 28
      meV at the Fermi level at 4.2 K. Surprisingly, no charge density wave transitions
      were observed in two-layer and multi-layer TiTe2, despite the quasi-two
      dimensional nature of the material in the bulk. The unique charge density wave
      phenomenon in the single layer raises intriguing questions that challenge the
      prevailing thinking about the mechanisms of charge density wave formation.Due to
      reduced dimensionality, the properties of 2D materials are often different from
      their 3D counterparts. Here, the authors identify the emergence of a unique
      charge density wave (CDW) order in monolayer TiTe2 that challenges the current
      understanding of CDW formation.

PMID- 28894138
TI  - Mechanical bone growth stimulation by magnetic fibre networks obtained through a
      competent finite element technique.
AB  - Fibre networks combined with a matrix material in their void phase make the
      design of novel and smart composite materials possible. Their application is of
      great interest in the field of advanced paper or as bioactive tissue engineering
      scaffolds. In the present study, we analyse the mechanical interaction between
      metallic fibre networks under magnetic actuation and a matrix material.
      Experimentally validated FE models are combined for that purpose in one joint
      simulation. High performance computing facilities are used. The resulting strain
      in the composite's matrix is not uniform across the sample volume. Instead we
      show that boundary conditions and proximity to the fibre structure strongly
      influence the local strain magnitude. An analytical model of local strain
      magnitude is derived. The strain magnitude of 0.001 which is of particular
      interest for bone growth stimulation is achievable by this assembly. In light of
      these findings, the investigated composite structure is suitable for creating and
      for regulating contactless a stress field which is to be imposed on the matrix
      material. Topics for future research will be the advanced modelling of the
      biological components and the potential medical utilisation.

PMID- 28894139
TI  - The [Formula: see text] toric-code and the double-semion topological order of
      hardcore Bose-Hubbard-type models in the strong-interaction limit.
AB  - We present a generic framework for the emergence of the [Formula: see text] toric
      code and the double-semion topological order in a wide class of hardcore Bose
      Hubbard-type models governed by density-density interaction and in the strong
      interaction regime. We fix fractional filling factor and study under which
      conditions the density-density interaction gives rise to topological degeneracy.
      We further specify which dynamics determines the toric-code and the double-semion
      topological order. Our results indicate that the specifics of the density-density
      interaction determine the long-range entanglement of the model which possesses
      "restricted patterns" of the long-range entanglement realized in corresponding
      string-net models with the same topological order.

PMID- 28894140
TI  - D-serine, a novel uremic toxin, induces senescence in human renal tubular cells
      via GCN2 activation.
AB  - The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), characterized by progressive
      renal dysfunction with tubulointerstitial fibrosis, is increasing because of
      societal aging. Uremic toxins, accumulated during renal dysfunction, cause kidney
      damage, leading to renal deterioration. A recent metabolomic analysis revealed
      that plasma D-serine accumulation is associated with faster progression of renal
      dysfunction in CKD patients. However, the causal relationship and the underlying
      mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we demonstrated that D-serine markedly induced
      cellular senescence and apoptosis in a human proximal tubular cell line, HK-2,
      and primary culture of human renal tubular cells. The former was accompanied by
      G2/M cell cycle arrest and senescence-associated secretory phenotype, including
      pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory factors, contributing to tubulointerstitial
      fibrosis. Integrated stress response mediated by the general control
      nonderepressible 2 played an important role in D-serine-induced tubular cell
      toxicity and pro-fibrotic phenotypes, accelerating CKD progression and kidney
      aging. D-serine upregulated the L-serine synthesis pathway. Furthermore, D-serine
      induced suppression of tubular cell proliferation was ameliorated by L-serine
      administration, indicating that D-serine exposure induced an L-serine-deprived
      state in tubular cells, compensated by L-serine synthesis. Thus, this study
      unveils molecular mechanisms underlying D-serine-induced tubular damage and pro
      fibrotic phenotypes, suggesting that D-serine is a uremic toxin involved in CKD
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 28894141
TI  - Formation of ferromagnetic Co-H-Co complex and spin-polarized conduction band in
      Co-doped ZnO.
AB  - Magnetic oxide semiconductors with wide band gaps have promising spintronic
      applications, especially in the case of magneto-optic devices. Co-doped ZnO
      (ZnCoO) has been considered for these applications, but the origin of its
      ferromagnetism has been controversial for several decades and no substantial
      progress for a practical application has been made to date. In this paper, we
      present direct evidence of hydrogen-mediated ferromagnetism and spin polarization
      in the conduction band of ZnCoO. Electron density mapping reveals the formation
      of Co-H-Co, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Electron spin resonance
      measurement elucidates the ferromagnetic nature of ZnCoO by the formation of Co-H
      Co. We provide evidence from magnetic circular dichroism measurements supporting
      the hypothesis that Co-H-Co contributes to the spin polarization of the
      conduction band of hydrogen-doped ZnCoO.

PMID- 28894142
TI  - Matrix Analysis of Warped Stretch Imaging.
AB  - Sensitive and fast optical imaging is needed for scientific instruments, machine
      vision, and biomedical diagnostics. Many of the fundamental challenges are
      addressed with time stretch imaging, which has been used for ultrafast continuous
      imaging for a diverse range of applications, such as biomarker-free cell
      classification, the monitoring of laser ablation, and the inspection of flat
      panel displays. With frame rates exceeding a million scans per second, the
      firehose of data generated by the time stretch camera requires optical data
      compression. Warped stretch imaging technology utilizes nonuniform
      spectrotemporal optical operations to compress the image in a single-shot real
      time fashion. Here, we present a matrix analysis method for the evaluation of
      these systems and quantify important design parameters and the spatial
      resolution. The key principles of the system include (1) time/warped stretch
      transformation and (2) the spatial dispersion of ultrashort optical pulse, which
      are traced with simple computation of ray-pulse matrix. Furthermore, a
      mathematical model is constructed for the simulation of imaging operations while
      considering the optical and electrical response of the system. The proposed
      analysis method was applied to an example time stretch imaging system via
      simulation and validated with experimental data.

PMID- 28894143
TI  - 3D calcite heterostructures for dynamic and deformable mineralized matrices.
AB  - Scales are rooted in soft tissues, and are regenerated by specialized cells. The
      realization of dynamic synthetic analogues with inorganic materials has been a
      significant challenge, because the abiological regeneration sites that could
      yield deterministic growth behavior are hard to form. Here we overcome this
      fundamental hurdle by constructing a mutable and deformable array of three
      dimensional calcite heterostructures that are partially locked in silicone.
      Individual calcite crystals exhibit asymmetrical dumbbell shapes and are prepared
      by a parallel tectonic approach under ambient conditions. The silicone matrix
      immobilizes the epitaxial nucleation sites through self-templated cavities, which
      enables symmetry breaking in reaction dynamics and scalable manipulation of the
      mineral ensembles. With this platform, we devise several mineral-enabled dynamic
      surfaces and interfaces. For example, we show that the induced growth of minerals
      yields localized inorganic adhesion for biological tissue and reversible focal
      encapsulation for sensitive components in flexible electronics.Minerals are
      rarely explored as building blocks for dynamic inorganic materials. Here, the
      authors derive inspiration from fish scales to create mutable surfaces based on
      arrays of calcite crystals, in which one end of each crystal is immobilized in
      and regenerated from silicone, and the other functional end is left exposed.

PMID- 28894144
TI  - Molecular details of secretory phospholipase A2 from flax (Linum usitatissimum
      L.) provide insight into its structure and function.
AB  - Secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) are low molecular weight proteins (12-18 kDa)
      involved in a suite of plant cellular processes imparting growth and development.
      With myriad roles in physiological and biochemical processes in plants, detailed
      analysis of sPLA2 in flax/linseed is meagre. The present work, first in flax,
      embodies cloning, expression, purification and molecular characterisation of two
      distinct sPLA2s (I and II) from flax. PLA2 activity of the cloned sPLA2s were
      biochemically assayed authenticating them as bona fide phospholipase A2.
      Physiochemical properties of both the sPLA2s revealed they are thermostable
      proteins requiring di-valent cations for optimum activity.While, structural
      analysis of both the proteins revealed deviations in the amino acid sequence at C
      & N-terminal regions; hydropathic study revealed LusPLA2I as a hydrophobic
      protein and LusPLA2II as a hydrophilic protein. Structural analysis of flax
      sPLA2s revealed that secondary structure of both the proteins are dominated by
      alpha-helix followed by random coils. Modular superimposition of LusPLA2 isoforms
      with rice sPLA2 confirmed monomeric structural preservation among plant
      phospholipase A2 and provided insight into structure of folded flax sPLA2s.

PMID- 28894146
TI  - Investigation on the Conductive Filament Growth Dynamics in Resistive Switching
      Memory via a Universal Monte Carlo Simulator.
AB  - In resistive random access memories, modeling conductive filament growing
      dynamics is important to understand the switching mechanism and variability. In
      this paper, a universal Monte Carlo simulator is developed based on a cell
      switching model and a tunneling-based transport model. Driven by external
      electric field, the growing process of the nanoscale filament occurring in the
      gap region is actually dominated by cells' conductive/insulating switching,
      modeled through a phenomenological physics-based probability function. The
      electric transport through the partially formed CF is considered as current
      tunneling in the framework of the Quantum Point Contact model, and the potential
      barrier is modulated during cells' evolution. To demonstrate the validity and
      universality of our simulator, various operation schemes are simulated, with the
      simulated I - V characteristics well explaining experimental observations.
      Furthermore, the statistical analyses of simulation results in terms of Weibull
      distribution and conductance evolution also nicely track previous experimental
      results. Representing a simulation scale that links atomic-scale simulations to
      compact modeling, our simulator has the advantage of being much faster comparing
      with other atomic-scale models. Meanwhile, our simulator shows good universality
      since it can be applied to various operation signals, and also to different
      electrodes and dielectric layers dominated by different switching mechanisms.

PMID- 28894145
TI  - Characterization of Volume-Based Changes in Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials
      and Prepulse Inhibition.
AB  - The auditory evoked startle reflex is a conserved response resulting in
      neurological and motor activity. The presence of a mild prepulse immediately
      before the main pulse inhibits startle responses, though the mechanism for this
      remains unknown. In this study, the electroencephalography (EEG) data recorded
      from 15 subjects was analyzed to study the N1 and P2 components of cortical
      auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) evoked by 70, 80, 90, 100, and 110 dB stimuli
      both in the presence and absence of 70 dB prepulses. Results without a prepulse
      showed an evolution of N1 amplitudes, increasing with stimulus intensity and
      showing largely significant differences. Results from prepulse trials only showed
      noteworthy changes in peak-to-peak amplitude in the 100 dB condition. Prepulse
      and non-prepulse conditions were then compared using peak amplitudes and theta
      power. Prepulse conditions significantly decreased the amplitude for both
      components in the 110 dB condition, i.e., pre-pulse inhibition, but significantly
      increased the N1 amplitude in the 70 dB condition, i.e., pre-pulse facilitation.
      Similarly theta band power significantly increased in the 70 dB prepulse
      condition and significantly decreased in the 110 dB prepulse condition. These
      results expand the basis of knowledge regarding how CAEPs change and elaborate on
      their neural function and representation.

PMID- 28894147
TI  - Intrinsic property of phenylalanine to trigger protein aggregation and hemolysis
      has a direct relevance to phenylketonuria.
AB  - Excess accumulation of phenylalanine is the characteristic of untreated
      Phenylketonuria (PKU), a well-known genetic abnormality, which triggers several
      neurological, physical and developmental severities. However, the fundamental
      mechanism behind the origin of such diverse health problems, particularly the
      issue of how they are related to the build-up of phenylalanine molecules in the
      body, is largely unknown. Here, we show cross-seeding ability of phenylalanine
      fibrils that can effectively initiate an aggregation process in proteins under
      physiological conditions, converting native protein structures to beta-sheet
      assembly. The resultant fibrils were found to cause severe hemolysis, yielding a
      plethora of deformed erythrocytes that is highly relevant to phenylketonuria.
      Unique arrangement of zwitterionic phenylalanine molecules in their amyloid-like
      higher order entities is predicted to promote both hydrophobic and electrostatic
      interaction, sufficient enough to trap proteins and to preferentially interact
      with the membrane components of RBCs. Since the prevalence of hemolysis and
      amyloid related psychoneurological severities are mostly observed in PKU
      patients, we propose that the inherent property of phenylalanine fibrils to
      trigger hemolysis and to induce protein aggregation may have direct relevance to
      the disease mechanism of PKU.

PMID- 28894148
TI  - Generative Models for Global Collaboration Relationships.
AB  - When individuals interact with each other and meaningfully contribute toward a
      common goal, it results in a collaboration. The artifacts resulting from
      collaborations are best captured using a hypergraph model, whereas the relation
      of who has collaborated with whom is best captured via an abstract simplicial
      complex (SC). We propose a generative algorithm GENESCs for SCs modeling
      fundamental collaboration relations. The proposed network growth process favors
      attachment that is preferential not to an individual's degree, i.e., how many
      people has he/she collaborated with, but to his/her facet degree, i.e., how many
      maximal groups or facets has he/she collaborated within. Based on our observation
      that several real-world facet size distributions have significant deviation from
      power law-mainly since larger facets tend to subsume smaller ones-we adopt a data
      driven approach. We prove that the facet degree distribution yielded by GENESCs
      is power law distributed for large SCs and show that it is in agreement with real
      world co-authorship data. Finally, based on our intuition of collaboration
      formation in domains such as collaborative scientific experiments and movie
      production, we propose two variants of GENESCs based on clamped and hybrid
      preferential attachment schemes, and show that they perform well in these
      domains.

PMID- 28894149
TI  - A single early-in-life macrolide course has lasting effects on murine microbial
      network topology and immunity.
AB  - Broad-spectrum antibiotics are frequently prescribed to children. Early childhood
      represents a dynamic period for the intestinal microbial ecosystem, which is
      readily shaped by environmental cues; antibiotic-induced disruption of this
      sensitive community may have long-lasting host consequences. Here we demonstrate
      that a single pulsed macrolide antibiotic treatment (PAT) course early in life is
      sufficient to lead to durable alterations to the murine intestinal microbiota,
      ileal gene expression, specific intestinal T-cell populations, and secretory IgA
      expression. A PAT-perturbed microbial community is necessary for host effects and
      sufficient to transfer delayed secretory IgA expression. Additionally, early-life
      antibiotic exposure has lasting and transferable effects on microbial community
      network topology. Our results indicate that a single early-life macrolide course
      can alter the microbiota and modulate host immune phenotypes that persist long
      after exposure has ceased.High or multiple doses of macrolide antibiotics, when
      given early in life, can perturb the metabolic and immunological development of
      lab mice. Here, Ruiz et al. show that even a single macrolide course, given early
      in life, leads to long-lasting changes in the gut microbiota and immune system of
      mice.

PMID- 28894150
TI  - Melatonin enhances the developmental competence of porcine somatic cell nuclear
      transfer embryos by preventing DNA damage induced by oxidative stress.
AB  - Melatonin has antioxidant and scavenger effects in the cellular antioxidant
      system. This research investigated the protective effects and underlying
      mechanisms of melatonin action in porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)
      embryos. The results suggested that the developmental competence of porcine SCNT
      embryos was considerably enhanced after melatonin treatment. In addition,
      melatonin attenuated the increase in reactive oxygen species levels induced by
      oxidative stress, the decrease in glutathione levels, and the mitochondrial
      dysfunction. Importantly, melatonin inhibited phospho-histone H2A.X (gammaH2A.X)
      expression and comet tail formation, suggesting that gammaH2A.X prevents
      oxidative stress-induced DNA damage. The expression of genes involved in
      homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining pathways for the repair
      of double-stranded breaks (DSB) was reduced upon melatonin treatment in porcine
      SCNT embryos at day 5 of development under oxidative stress condition. These
      results indicated that melatonin promoted porcine SCNT embryo development by
      preventing oxidative stress-induced DNA damage via quenching of free radical
      formation. Our results revealed a previously unrecognized regulatory effect of
      melatonin in response to oxidative stress and DNA damage. This evidence provides
      a novel mechanism for the improvement in SCNT embryo development associated with
      exposure to melatonin.

PMID- 28894151
TI  - The effects of ageing and adrenergic challenge on electrocardiographic phenotypes
      in a murine model of long QT syndrome type 3.
AB  - Long QT Syndrome 3 (LQTS3) arises from gain-of-function Nav1.5 mutations,
      prolonging action potential repolarisation and electrocardiographic (ECG) QT
      interval, associated with increased age-dependent risk for major arrhythmic
      events, and paradoxical responses to beta-adrenergic agents. We investigated for
      independent and interacting effects of age and Scn5a+/DeltaKPQ genotype in
      anaesthetised mice modelling LQTS3 on ECG phenotypes before and following beta
      agonist challenge, and upon fibrotic change. Prolonged ventricular recovery was
      independently associated with Scn5a+/DeltaKPQ and age. Ventricular activation was
      prolonged in old Scn5a+/DeltaKPQ mice (p = 0.03). We associated Scn5a+/DeltaKPQ
      with increased atrial and ventricular fibrosis (both: p < 0.001). Ventricles also
      showed increased fibrosis with age (p < 0.001). Age and Scn5a+/DeltaKPQ
      interacted in increasing incidences of repolarisation alternans (p = 0.02).
      Dobutamine increased ventricular rate (p < 0.001) and reduced both
      atrioventricular conduction (PR segment-p = 0.02; PR interval-p = 0.02) and
      incidences of repolarisation alternans (p < 0.001) in all mice. However, in
      Scn5a+/DeltaKPQ mice, dobutamine delayed the changes in ventricular
      repolarisation following corresponding increases in ventricular rate. The present
      findings implicate interactions between age and Scn5a+/DeltaKPQ in prolonging
      ventricular activation, correlating them with fibrotic change for the first time,
      adding activation abnormalities to established recovery abnormalities in LQTS3.
      These findings, together with dynamic electrophysiological responses to beta
      adrenergic challenge, have therapeutic implications for ageing LQTS patients.

PMID- 28894152
TI  - Combination of tomographic ultrasound imaging and three-dimensional magnetic
      resonance imaging-based model to diagnose postpartum levator avulsion.
AB  - Vaginal delivery may cause levator avulsion, which may increase the risk of
      pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). To explore the morphological changes of the
      levator ani muscle (including the puborectalis and iliococcygeus) and levator
      avulsion after vaginal delivery, translabial tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI)
      was used to examine 80 women 45-60 days after their vaginal delivery.
      Subsequently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed if at least one
      sided puborectalis avulsion was found on TUI. The incidence of puborectalis
      avulsion in these postpartum women was 13.75% in this study. Both MRI and TUI can
      detect puborectalis avulsion well, and their results have good consistency.
      Iliococcygeus muscle injury is difficult to detect using TUI. However, MRI is a
      good way to observe the morphological changes of the iliococcygeus, which may
      also be damaged during vaginal delivery. Interestingly, our study reveals that
      iliococcygeus muscle injury is often associated with severe puborectalis muscle
      tear.

PMID- 28894153
TI  - Molecular insights into photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in Jatropha
      curcas grown under elevated CO2 using transcriptome sequencing and assembly.
AB  - Jatropha curcas L. (Family - Euphorbiaceae) is a perennial tree of special
      interest due to its potential as a biofuel plant with high carbon sequestration.
      In this study, physiological investigations coupled with transcriptomics in
      relation to photosynthesis were evaluated in Jatropha grown under ambient (395
      ppm) and elevated (550 ppm) CO2 atmosphere. Morphophysiological analysis revealed
      that Jatropha sustained enhanced photosynthesis during its growth under elevated
      CO2 for one year which might be linked to improved CO2 assimilation physiology
      and enhanced sink activity. We sequenced and analyzed the leaf transcriptome of
      Jatropha after one year of growth in both conditions using Illumina HiSeq
      platform. After optimized assembly, a total of 69,581 unigenes were generated.
      The differential gene expression (DGE) analysis revealed 3013 transcripts
      differentially regulated in elevated CO2 conditions. The photosynthesis
      regulatory genes were analysed for temporal expression patterns at four different
      growth phases which highlighted probable events contributing to enhanced growth
      and photosynthetic capacity including increased reducing power, starch synthesis
      and sucrose mobilization under elevated CO2. Overall, our data on physiological
      and transcriptomic analyses suggest an optimal resource allocation to the
      available and developing sink organs thereby sustaining improved photosynthetic
      rates during long-term growth of Jatropha under CO2 enriched environment.

PMID- 28894154
TI  - N-terminomics identifies widespread endoproteolysis and novel methionine excision
      in a genome-reduced bacterial pathogen.
AB  - Proteolytic processing alters protein function. Here we present the first systems
      wide analysis of endoproteolysis in the genome-reduced pathogen Mycoplasma
      hyopneumoniae. 669 N-terminal peptides from 164 proteins were identified,
      demonstrating that functionally diverse proteins are processed, more than half of
      which 75 (53%) were accessible on the cell surface. Multiple cleavage sites were
      characterised, but cleavage with arginine in P1 predominated. Putative functions
      for a subset of cleaved fragments were assigned by affinity chromatography using
      heparin, actin, plasminogen and fibronectin as bait. Binding affinity was
      correlated with the number of cleavages in a protein, indicating that novel
      binding motifs are exposed, and protein disorder increases, after a cleavage
      event. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase was used as a model protein to
      demonstrate this. We define the rules governing methionine excision, show that
      several aminopeptidases are involved, and propose that through processing, genome
      reduced organisms can expand protein function.

PMID- 28894155
TI  - Controlling selectivities in CO2 reduction through mechanistic understanding.
AB  - Catalytic CO2 conversion to energy carriers and intermediates is of utmost
      importance to energy and environmental goals. However, the lack of fundamental
      understanding of the reaction mechanism renders designing a selective catalyst
      inefficient. Here we show the correlation between the kinetics of product
      formation and those of surface species conversion during CO2 reduction over
      Pd/Al2O3 catalysts. The operando transmission FTIR/SSITKA (Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy/steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis)
      experiments demonstrates that the rate-determining step for CO formation is the
      conversion of adsorbed formate, whereas that for CH4 formation is the
      hydrogenation of adsorbed carbonyl. The balance of the hydrogenation kinetics
      between adsorbed formates and carbonyls governs the selectivities to CH4 and CO.
      We apply this knowledge to the catalyst design and achieve high selectivities to
      desired products.Understanding the mechanism of CO2 reduction on a catalyst
      surface is essential for achieving the desired product selectivity. Here, the
      authors show an operando kinetic analysis of CO2 hydrogenation over a palladium
      catalyst in order to address the factors governing the selectivity of the
      process.

PMID- 28894156
TI  - Complex dynamics at the nanoscale in simple biomembranes.
AB  - Nature is known to engineer complex compositional and dynamical platforms in
      biological membranes. Understanding this complex landscape requires techniques to
      simultaneously detect membrane re-organization and dynamics at the nanoscale.
      Using super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy coupled
      with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), we reveal direct experimental
      evidence of dynamic heterogeneity at the nanoscale in binary phospholipid
      cholesterol bilayers. Domain formation on the length scale of ~200-600 nm due to
      local cholesterol compositional heterogeneity is found to be more prominent at
      high cholesterol content giving rise to distinct intra-domain lipid dynamics.
      STED-FCS reveals unique dynamical crossover phenomena at length scales of ~100
      150 nm within each of these macroscopic regions. The extent of dynamic
      heterogeneity due to intra-domain hindered lipid diffusion as reflected from the
      crossover length scale, is driven by cholesterol packing and organization,
      uniquely influenced by phospholipid type. These results on simple binary model
      bilayer systems provide novel insights into pathways leading to the emergence of
      complex nanodomain substructures with implications for a wide variety of membrane
      mediated cellular events.

PMID- 28894157
TI  - Utilization of photographs taken by citizens for estimating bumblebee
      distributions.
AB  - Citizen science is a powerful tool for collecting large volumes of observational
      data on various species. These data are used to estimate distributions using
      environmental factors with Species Distribution Models (SDM). However, if
      citizens are inexperienced in recognizing organisms, they may report different
      species as the subject species. Here we show nation-wide bumblebee distributions
      using photographs taken by citizens in our project, and estimated distributions
      for six bumblebee species using land use, climate, and altitude data with SDM. We
      identified species from photographic images, and took their locations from GPS
      data of photographs or the text in e-mails. When we compared our data with
      conventional data for specimens in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
      (GBIF), we found that the volume and the number of species were larger, and the
      bias of spatial range was lower, than those of GBIF. Our estimated distributions
      were more consistent with bumblebee distributions reported in previous studies
      than with those of GBIF. Our method was effective for collecting distribution
      data, and estimating distributions with SDM. The estimated SDM allows us to
      predict the previous and future species distributions, and to develop
      conservation policies taking account of future city planning and/or global
      climate changes.

PMID- 28894158
TI  - Biophysical characterisation of the novel zinc binding property in Suppressor of
      Fused.
AB  - Suppressor of Fused (SUFU) is a highly conserved protein that acts as a negative
      regulator of the Hedgehog (HH) signalling pathway, a major determinant of cell
      differentiation and proliferation. Therefore, SUFU deletion in mammals has
      devastating effects on embryo development. SUFU is part of a multi-protein
      cytoplasmic signal-transducing complex. Its partners include the Gli family of
      transcription factors that function either as repressors, or as transcription
      activators according to the HH activation state. The crystal structure of SUFU
      revealed a two-domain arrangement, which undergoes a closing movement upon
      binding a peptide from Gli1. There remains however, much to be discovered about
      SUFU's behaviour. To this end, we expressed recombinant, full-length SUFU from
      Drosophila, Zebrafish and Human. Guided by a sequence analysis that revealed a
      conserved potential metal binding site, we discovered that SUFU binds zinc. This
      binding was found to occur with a nanomolar affinity to SUFU from all three
      species. Mutation of one histidine from the conserved motif induces a moderate
      decrease in affinity for zinc, while circular dichroism indicates that the mutant
      remains structured. Our results reveal new metal binding affinity characteristics
      about SUFU that could be of importance for its regulatory function in HH.

PMID- 28894159
TI  - Thrombin-derived host defence peptide modulates neutrophil rolling and migration
      in vitro and functional response in vivo.
AB  - Host defence peptides (HDPs) derived from the C-terminus of thrombin are
      proteolytically generated by enzymes released during inflammation and wounding.
      In this work, we studied the effects of the prototypic peptide GKY25
      (GKYGFYTHVFRLKKWIQKVIDQFGE), on neutrophil functions. In vitro, GKY25 was shown
      to decrease LPS-induced neutrophil activation. In addition, the peptide induced
      CD62L shedding on neutrophils without inducing their activation. Correspondingly,
      GKY25-treated neutrophils showed reduced attachment and rolling behaviour on
      surfaces coated with the CD62L ligand E-selectin. The GKY25-treated neutrophils
      also displayed a dampened chemotactic response against the chemokine IL-8.
      Furthermore, in vivo, mice treated with GKY25 exhibited a reduced local ROS
      response against LPS. Taken together, our results show that GKY25 can modulate
      neutrophil functions in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28894160
TI  - Preparation of porous Fe2O3 nanorods-reduced graphene oxide nanohybrids and their
      excellent microwave absorption properties.
AB  - In this paper, alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs)-reduced graphene oxide (RGO),
      alpha-FeOOH nanorods (NRs)-RGO and porous alpha-Fe2O3 NRs-RGO could be
      selectively synthesized by hydrothermal method. The investigations indicated that
      the obtained alpha-Fe2O3 NPs, alpha-FeOOH NRs and porous alpha-Fe2O3 NRs were
      either attached on the surface of RGO sheets or coated uniformly by the RGO
      sheets. And the as-prepared nanohybrids exhibited excellent microwave absorption
      performance, which was proved to be ascribed to the quarter-wavelength matching
      model. The optimum reflection loss (RL) values for alpha-Fe2O3 NPs-RGO, alpha
      FeOOH NRs-RGO and porous alpha-Fe2O3 NRs-RGO were ca. -32.3, -37.4 and -71.4 dB,
      respectively. Moreover, compared to the obtained alpha-Fe2O3 NPs-RGO and alpha
      FeOOH NRs-RGO, the as-prepared porous alpha-Fe2O3 NRs-RGO nanohybrids exhibited
      enhanced microwave absorption properties because of their special structure and
      synergetic effect. The possible enhanced microwave absorption mechanisms were
      discussed in details. Our results confirmed that the geometrical morphology had a
      great influence on their microwave absorption properties, which provided a
      promising approach to exploit high performance microwave absorbing materials.

PMID- 28894161
TI  - Microbial communities in placentas from term normal pregnancy exhibit spatially
      variable profiles.
AB  - The placenta is the principal organ nurturing the fetus during pregnancy and was
      traditionally considered to be sterile. Recent work has suggested that the
      placenta harbours microbial communities, however the location and possible
      function of these microbes remain to be confirmed and elucidated. Here, we
      employed genomic DNA sequencing of multiple variable (V) regions of the bacterial
      16S ribosomal gene, to interrogate microbial profiles in term pregnancies, from
      the basal plate, which is in direct contact with maternal uterine, endothelial,
      and immune cells; placental villi, which are bathed in maternal blood, and fetal
      membranes, which encapsulate the amniotic cavity. QIIME, R package "Phyloseq"
      analysis was used to assess alpha and beta diversity and absolute abundance of
      the 16S rRNA gene per location. We demonstrate that (1) microbiota exhibit
      spatially distinct profiles depending on the location within the placenta and (2)
      "semi-composite" 16S profiles using multiple V regions validated by quantitative
      PCR analysis confirmed that distinct bacterial taxa dominate in different
      placental niches. Finally, profiles are not altered by mode of delivery. Together
      these findings suggest that there is niche-specificity to the placental
      microbiota and placental microbiome studies should consider regional differences,
      which may affect maternal, fetal, and/or neonatal health and physiology.

PMID- 28894162
TI  - A regime shift in the Sun-Climate connection with the end of the Medieval Climate
      Anomaly.
AB  - Understanding the influence of changes in solar activity on Earth's climate and
      distinguishing it from other forcings, such as volcanic activity, remains a major
      challenge for palaeoclimatology. This problem is best approached by investigating
      how these variables influenced past climate conditions as recorded in high
      precision paleoclimate archives. In particular, determining if the climate system
      response to these forcings changes through time is critical. Here we use the
      Wiener-Granger causality approach along with well-established cross-correlation
      analysis to investigate the causal relationship between solar activity, volcanic
      forcing, and climate as reflected in well-established Intertropical Convergence
      Zone (ITCZ) rainfall proxy records from Yok Balum Cave, southern Belize. Our
      analysis reveals a consistent influence of volcanic activity on regional Central
      American climate over the last two millennia. However, the coupling between solar
      variability and local climate varied with time, with a regime shift around 1000
      1300 CE after which the solar-climate coupling weakened considerably.

PMID- 28894163
TI  - The behaviour of stacking fault energy upon interstitial alloying.
AB  - Stacking fault energy is one of key parameters for understanding the mechanical
      properties of face-centered cubic materials. It is well known that the plastic
      deformation mechanism is closely related to the size of stacking fault energy.
      Although alloying is a conventional method to modify the physical parameter, the
      underlying microscopic mechanisms are not yet clearly established. Here, we
      propose a simple model for determining the effect of interstitial alloying on the
      stacking fault energy. We derive a volumetric behaviour of stacking fault energy
      from the harmonic approximation to the energy-lattice curve and relate it to the
      contents of interstitials. The stacking fault energy is found to change linearly
      with the interstitial content in the usual low concentration domain. This is in
      good agreement with previously reported experimental and theoretical data.

PMID- 28894164
TI  - Investigating the Relationship between Cerebrospinal Fluid and Magnetic Induction
      Phase Shift in Rabbit Intracerebral hematoma expansion Monitoring by MRI.
AB  - In a prior study of intracerebral hemorrhage monitoring using magnetic induction
      phase shift (MIPS), we found that MIPS signal changes occurred prior to those
      seen with intracranial pressure. However, the characteristic MIPS alert is not
      yet fully explained. Combining the brain physiology and MIPS theory, we propose
      that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may be the primary factor that leads to hematoma
      expansion being alerted by MIPS earlier than with intracranial pressure
      monitoring. This paper investigates the relationship between CSF and MIPS in
      monitoring of rabbit intracerebral hemorrhage models, which is based on the MIPS
      measurements data, the quantified data on CSF from medical images and the amount
      of injected blood in the rabbit intracerebral hemorrhage model. In the
      investigated results, a R value of 0.792 with a significance of 0.019 is observed
      between the MIPS and CSF, which is closer than MIPS and injected blood. Before
      the reversal point of MIPS, CSF is the leading factor in MIPS signal changing in
      an early hematoma expansion stage. Under CSF compensation, CSF reduction
      compensates for hematoma expansion in the brain to keep intracranial pressure
      stable. MIPS decrease results from the reducing CSF volume. This enables MIPS to
      detect hematoma expansion earlier than intracranial pressure.

PMID- 28894165
TI  - Evolution analysis of heterogeneous non-small cell lung carcinoma by ultra-deep
      sequencing of the mitochondrial genome.
AB  - Accurate assessment of tumour heterogeneity is an important issue that influences
      prognosis and therapeutic decision in molecular pathology. Due to the shortage of
      protective histones and a limited DNA repair capacity, the mitochondrial (mt)
      genome undergoes high variability during tumour development. Therefore, screening
      of mt-genome represents a useful molecular tool for assessing precise cell
      lineages and tracking tumour history. Here, we describe a highly specific and
      robust multiplex PCR-based ultra-deep sequencing technology for analysis of the
      whole mt-genome (wmt-seq) on low quality-DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin
      embedded tissues. As a proof of concept, we applied the wmt-seq technology to
      characterize the clonal relationship of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      specimens with multiple lesions (N = 43) that show either different histological
      subtypes (group I) or pulmonary adenosquamous carcinoma as striking examples of a
      mixed-histology tumour (group II). The application of wmt-seq demonstrated that
      most samples bear common mt-mutations in each lesion of an individual patient,
      indicating a single cell progeny and clonal relationship. Hereby we show the
      monoclonal origin of histologically heterogeneous NSCLC and demonstrate the
      evolutionary relation of NSCLC cases carrying heteroplasmic mt-variants.

PMID- 28894166
TI  - Flavonoid allosteric modulation of mutated visual rhodopsin associated with
      retinitis pigmentosa.
AB  - Dietary flavonoids exhibit many biologically-relevant functions and can
      potentially have beneficial effects in the treatment of pathological conditions.
      In spite of its well known antioxidant properties, scarce structural information
      is available on the interaction of flavonoids with membrane receptors. Advances
      in the structural biology of a specific class of membrane receptors, the G
      protein-coupled receptors, have significantly increased our understanding of drug
      action and paved the way for developing improved therapeutic approaches. We have
      analyzed the effect of the flavonoid quercetin on the conformation, stability and
      function of the G protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin, and the G90V mutant
      associated with the retinal degenerative disease retinitis pigmentosa. By using a
      combination of experimental and computational methods, we suggest that quercetin
      can act as an allosteric modulator of opsin regenerated with 9-cis-retinal and
      more importantly, that this binding has a positive effect on the stability and
      conformational properties of the G90V mutant associated with retinitis
      pigmentosa. These results open new possibilities to use quercetin and other
      flavonoids, in combination with specific retinoids like 9-cis-retinal, for the
      treatment of retinal degeneration associated with retinitis pigmentosa. Moreover,
      the use of flavonoids as allosteric modulators may also be applicable to other
      members of the G protein-coupled receptors superfamily.

PMID- 28894167
TI  - Carbon sequestration potential and physicochemical properties differ between
      wildfire charcoals and slow-pyrolysis biochars.
AB  - Pyrogenic carbon (PyC), produced naturally (wildfire charcoal) and
      anthropogenically (biochar), is extensively studied due to its importance in
      several disciplines, including global climate dynamics, agronomy and
      paleosciences. Charcoal and biochar are commonly used as analogues for each other
      to infer respective carbon sequestration potentials, production conditions, and
      environmental roles and fates. The direct comparability of corresponding natural
      and anthropogenic PyC, however, has never been tested. Here we compared key
      physicochemical properties (elemental composition, delta13C and PAHs signatures,
      chemical recalcitrance, density and porosity) and carbon sequestration potentials
      of PyC materials formed from two identical feedstocks (pine forest floor and
      wood) under wildfire charring- and slow-pyrolysis conditions. Wildfire charcoals
      were formed under higher maximum temperatures and oxygen availabilities, but much
      shorter heating durations than slow-pyrolysis biochars, resulting in differing
      physicochemical properties. These differences are particularly relevant regarding
      their respective roles as carbon sinks, as even the wildfire charcoals formed at
      the highest temperatures had lower carbon sequestration potentials than most slow
      pyrolysis biochars. Our results challenge the common notion that natural charcoal
      and biochar are well suited as proxies for each other, and suggest that biochar's
      environmental residence time may be underestimated when based on natural charcoal
      as a proxy, and vice versa.

PMID- 28894168
TI  - The association of young age with local recurrence in women with early-stage
      breast cancer after breast-conserving therapy: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The aim of this meta-analysis is to determine the relationship between young age
      and local recurrence in patients with early-stage breast cancer after breast
      conserving therapy. Eligible studies were retrieved from various electronic
      databases. Among the 19 studies included, 14 studies were analyzed for 5-year
      local recurrence rate and 8 studies for 10-year local recurrence rate using
      random effects models. Both results showed that young patients were at higher
      risk of local recurrence compared to old patients (5-year: RR = 2.64, 95% CI
      (1.94-3.60); 10-year: RR = 2.37, 95% CI (1.57-3.58)). Harbord's modified test
      showed the presence of publication bias in both 5- and 10-year local recurrence
      rates (P = 0.019 and P = 0.01, respectively). While the Trim and Fill analysis
      showed that the presence of publication bias did not affect the overall outcome
      of the 5-year local recurrence rate (RR = 2.21, 95% CI (1.62, 3.02)), it
      significantly affected the effect size of the 10-year local recurrence rate (RR =
      1.47, 95% CI (0.96, 2.27)). Young age is a significant risk factor for local
      recurrence developed within 5 years of breast-conserving therapy in patients with
      early-stage breast cancer. Further high-quality studies are needed to elucidate
      the relationship between young age and the risk of local recurrence developed
      within 10 years.

PMID- 28894170
TI  - Room temperature self-assembled growth of vertically aligned columnar copper
      oxide nanocomposite thin films on unmatched substrates.
AB  - In this work, we report the self-assembled growth of vertically aligned columnar
      Cu2O + Cu4O3 nanocomposite thin films on glass and silicon substrates by reactive
      sputtering at room temperature. Microstructure analyses show that each phase in
      nanocomposite films has the columnar growth along the whole thickness, while each
      column exhibits the single phase characteristics. The local epitaxial growth
      behavior of Cu2O is thought to be responsible for such an unusual microstructure.
      The intermediate oxygen flow rate between those required to synthesize single
      phase Cu2O and Cu4O3 films produces some Cu2O nuclei, and then the local
      epitaxial growth provides a strong driving force to promote Cu2O nuclei to grow
      sequentially, giving rise to Cu2O columns along the whole thickness. Lower
      resistivity has been observed in such kind of nanocomposite thin films than that
      in single phase thin films, which may be due to the interface coupling between
      Cu2O and Cu4O3 columns.

PMID- 28894171
TI  - Separability of neural responses to standardised mechanical stimulation of limbs.
AB  - Considerable scientific and technological efforts are currently being made
      towards the development of neural prostheses. Understanding how the peripheral
      nervous system responds to electro-mechanical stimulation of the limb, will help
      to inform the design of prostheses that can restore function or accelerate
      recovery from injury to the sensory motor system. However, due to differences in
      experimental protocols, it is difficult, if not impossible, to make meaningful
      comparisons between different peripheral nerve interfaces. Therefore, we
      developed a low-cost electronic system to standardise the mechanical stimulation
      of a rat's hindpaw. Three types of mechanical stimulations, namely,
      proprioception, touch and nociception were delivered to the limb and the
      electroneurogram signals were recorded simultaneously from the sciatic nerve with
      a 16-contact cuff electrode. For the first time, results indicate separability of
      neural responses according to stimulus type as well as intensity. Statistical
      analysis reveal that cuff contacts placed circumferentially, rather than
      longitudinally, are more likely to lead to higher classification rates. This
      flexible setup may be readily adapted for systematic comparison of various
      electrodes and mechanical stimuli in rodents. Hence, we have made its electro
      mechanical design and computer programme available online.

PMID- 28894169
TI  - An embryonic system to assess direct and indirect Wnt transcriptional targets.
AB  - During animal development, complex signals determine and organize a vast number
      of tissues using a very small number of signal transduction pathways. These
      developmental signaling pathways determine cell fates through a coordinated
      transcriptional response that remains poorly understood. The Wnt pathway is
      involved in a variety of these cellular functions, and its signals are
      transmitted in part through a beta-catenin/TCF transcriptional complex. Here we
      report an in vivo Drosophila assay that can be used to distinguish between
      activation, de-repression and repression of transcriptional responses, separating
      upstream and downstream pathway activation and canonical/non-canonical Wnt
      signals in embryos. We find specific sets of genes downstream of both beta
      catenin and TCF with an additional group of genes regulated by Wnt, while the non
      canonical Wnt4 regulates a separate cohort of genes. We correlate transcriptional
      changes with phenotypic outcomes of cell differentiation and embryo size, showing
      our model can be used to characterize developmental signaling
      compartmentalization in vivo.

PMID- 28894172
TI  - Extraordinary Transport Characteristics and Multivalue Logic Functions in a
      Silicon-Based Negative-Differential Transconductance Device.
AB  - High-performance negative-differential transconductance (NDT) devices are
      fabricated in the form of a gated p+-i-n+ Si ultra-thin body transistor. The
      devices clearly display a Lambda-shape transfer characteristic (i.e., Lambda-NDT
      peak) at room temperature, and the NDT behavior is fully based on the gate
      modulation of the electrostatic junction characteristics along source-channel
      drain. The largest peak-to-valley current ratio of the Lambda-NDT peak is greater
      than 104, the smallest full-width at half-maximum is smaller than 170 mV, and the
      best swing-slope at the Lambda-NDT peak region is ~70 mV/dec. The position and
      the current level of the Lambda-NDT peaks are systematically-controllable when
      modulating the junction characteristics by controlling only bias voltages at gate
      and/or drain. These unique features allow us to demonstrate the multivalue logic
      functions such as a tri-value logic and a quattro-value logic. The results
      suggest that the present type of the Si Lambda-NDT device could be prospective
      for next-generation arithmetic circuits.

PMID- 28894173
TI  - Lipidomes of lung cancer and tumour-free lung tissues reveal distinct molecular
      signatures for cancer differentiation, age, inflammation, and pulmonary
      emphysema.
AB  - Little is known about the human lung lipidome, its variability in different
      physiological states, its alterations during carcinogenesis and the development
      of pulmonary emphysema. We investigated how health status might be mirrored in
      the lung lipidome. Tissues were sampled for both lipidomic and histological
      analysis. Using a screening approach, we characterised lipidomes of lung cancer
      tissues and corresponding tumour-free alveolar tissues. We quantified 311 lipids
      from 11 classes in 43 tissue samples from 26 patients. Tumour tissues exhibited
      elevated levels of triacylglycerols and cholesteryl esters, as well as a
      significantly lower abundance of phosphatidylglycerols, which are typical lung
      surfactant components. Adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas were
      distinguished with high specificity based on lipid panels. Lipidomes of tumour
      biopsy samples showed clear changes depending on their histology and, in
      particular, their proportion of active tumour cells and stroma. Partial least
      squares regression showed correlations between lipid profiles of tumour-free
      alveolar tissues and the degree of emphysema, inflammation status, and the age of
      patients. Unsaturated long-chain phosphatidylserines and phosphatidylinositols
      showed a positive correlation with a worsened emphysema status and ageing. This
      work provides a resource for the human lung lipidome and a systematic data
      analysis strategy to link clinical characteristics and histology.

PMID- 28894174
TI  - In vivo pH measurement at the site of calcification in an octocoral.
AB  - Calcareous octocorals are ecologically important calcifiers, but little is known
      about their biomineralization physiology, relative to scleractinian corals. Many
      marine calcifiers promote calcification by up-regulating pH at calcification
      sites against the surrounding seawater. Here, we investigated pH in the red
      octocoral Corallium rubrum which forms sclerites and an axial skeleton. To
      achieve this, we cultured microcolonies on coverslips facilitating microscopy of
      calcification sites of sclerites and axial skeleton. Initially we conducted
      extensive characterisation of the structural arrangement of biominerals and
      calcifying cells in context with other tissues, and then measured pH by live
      tissue imaging. Our results reveal that developing sclerites are enveloped by two
      scleroblasts and an extracellular calcifying medium of pH 7.97 +/- 0.15.
      Similarly, axial skeleton crystals are surrounded by cells and a calcifying
      medium of pH 7.89 +/- 0.09. In both cases, calcifying media are more alkaline
      compared to calcifying cells and fluids in gastrovascular canals, but importantly
      they are not pH up-regulated with respect to the surrounding seawater, contrary
      to what is observed in scleractinians. This points to a potential vulnerability
      of this species to decrease in seawater pH and is consistent with reports that
      red coral calcification is sensitive to ocean acidification.

PMID- 28894175
TI  - Sexual congruency in the connectome and translatome of VTA dopamine neurons.
AB  - The ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine system is important for reward,
      motivation, emotion, learning, and memory. Dysfunctions in the dopamine system
      are linked to multiple neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, many of which
      present with sex differences. Little is known about the extent of heterogeneity
      in the basic organization of VTA dopamine neurons with regard to sex. Here, we
      characterized the cell-specific connectivity of VTA dopamine neurons, their mRNA
      translational profile, and basic electrophysiological characteristics in a common
      strain of mice. We found no major differences in these metrics, except for
      differential expression of a Y-chromosome associated mRNA transcript, Eif2s3y,
      and the X-linked, X-inactivation transcript Xist. Of note, Xist transcript was
      significantly enriched in dopamine neurons, suggesting tight regulation of X
      linked gene expression to ensure sexual congruency. These data indicate that the
      features that make dopamine neurons unique are highly concordant and not a
      principal source of sexual dimorphism.

PMID- 28894176
TI  - Overlapping and Specific Functions of the Hsp104 N Domain Define Its Role in
      Protein Disaggregation.
AB  - Hsp104 is a ring-forming protein disaggregase that rescues stress-damaged
      proteins from an aggregated state. To facilitate protein disaggregation, Hsp104
      cooperates with Hsp70 and Hsp40 chaperones (Hsp70/40) to form a bi-chaperone
      system. How Hsp104 recognizes its substrates, particularly the importance of the
      N domain, remains poorly understood and multiple, seemingly conflicting
      mechanisms have been proposed. Although the N domain is dispensable for protein
      disaggregation, it is sensitive to point mutations that abolish the function of
      the bacterial Hsp104 homolog in vitro, and is essential for curing yeast prions
      by Hsp104 overexpression in vivo. Here, we present the crystal structure of an N
      terminal fragment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hsp104 with the N domain of one
      molecule bound to the C-terminal helix of the neighboring D1 domain. Consistent
      with mimicking substrate interaction, mutating the putative substrate-binding
      site in a constitutively active Hsp104 variant impairs the recovery of functional
      protein from aggregates. We find that the observed substrate-binding defect can
      be rescued by Hsp70/40 chaperones, providing a molecular explanation as to why
      the N domain is dispensable for protein disaggregation when Hsp70/40 is present,
      yet essential for the dissolution of Hsp104-specific substrates, such as yeast
      prions, which likely depends on a direct N domain interaction.

PMID- 28894177
TI  - A viral protein antibiotic inhibits lipid II flippase activity.
AB  - For bacteriophage infections, the cell walls of bacteria, consisting of a single
      highly polymeric molecule of peptidoglycan (PG), pose a major problem for the
      release of progeny virions. Phage lysis proteins that overcome this barrier can
      point the way to new antibacterial strategies 1 , especially small lytic single
      stranded DNA (the microviruses) and RNA phages (the leviviruses) that effect host
      lysis using a single non-enzymatic protein 2 . Previously, the A2 protein of
      levivirus Qbeta and the E protein of the microvirus phiX174 were shown to be
      'protein antibiotics' that inhibit the MurA and MraY steps of the PG synthesis
      pathway 2-4 . Here, we investigated the mechanism of action of an unrelated lysis
      protein, LysM, of the Escherichia coli levivirus M 5 . We show that LysM inhibits
      the translocation of the final lipid-linked PG precursor called lipid II across
      the cytoplasmic membrane by interfering with the activity of MurJ. The finding
      that LysM inhibits a distinct step in the PG synthesis pathway from the A2 and E
      proteins indicates that small phages, particularly the single-stranded RNA
      (ssRNA) leviviruses, have a previously unappreciated capacity for evolving novel
      inhibitors of PG biogenesis despite their limited coding potential.

PMID- 28894178
TI  - Effect of prenatal DINCH plasticizer exposure on rat offspring testicular
      function and metabolism.
AB  - In 2002, the plasticizer 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester
      (DINCH) was introduced in the European market as a substitute for endocrine
      disrupting phthalates. We found that in utero exposure of rats to DINCH from
      gestational day 14 until parturition affected reproductive organ physiology and
      reduced circulating testosterone levels at post-natal day 60, indicating a long
      term effect on Leydig cells of the testis. Metabolically, animals exhibited
      randomly increased serum glucose concentrations not associated with impaired
      glucose utilization. Analysis of liver markers in the serum showed a hepatic
      effect; e.g. reduced bilirubin levels and albumin/globulin ratio. At post-natal
      day 200, random appearance of testicular atrophy was noted in exposed offspring,
      and limited changes in other reproductive parameters were observed. In
      conclusion, DINCH exposure appears to directly affect Leydig cell function,
      likely causing premature aging of the testes and impaired liver metabolic
      capacity. These effects might be attenuated with physiologic aging.

PMID- 28894179
TI  - Ambient air pollution, smog episodes and mortality in Jinan, China.
AB  - We aimed to assess the acute effects of ambient air pollution and weather
      conditions on mortality in the context of Chinese smog episodes. A total of
      209,321 deaths were recorded in Jinan, a large city in eastern China, during 2011
      15. The mean concentrations of daily particulate matter <=10 MUm (PM10), fine
      particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were
      169 MUg/m3, 100 MUg/m3, 77 MUg/m3, and 54 MUg/m3, respectively. Increases of 10
      MUg/m3 in PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NO2 were associated with 1.11% (95% CI 0.96
      1.26%), 0.71% (95% CI 0.60-0.82%), 1.69% (95% CI 1.56-1.83%), and 3.12% (95% CI
      2.72-3.53%) increases in daily non-accidental mortality rates, respectively.
      Moreover, the risk estimates for these 4 pollutants were higher in association
      with respiratory and cardiovascular mortality. The effects of all the evaluated
      pollutants on mortality were greater in winter than in summer. Smog episodes were
      associated with a 5.87% (95% CI 0.16-11.58%) increase in the rate of overall
      mortality. This study highlights the effect of exposure to air pollution on the
      rate of mortality in China.

PMID- 28894180
TI  - The contrasting roles of creep and stress relaxation in the time-dependent
      deformation during in-situ cooling of a nickel-base single crystal superalloy.
AB  - Time dependent plastic deformation in a single crystal nickel-base superalloy
      during cooling from casting relevant temperatures has been studied using a
      combination of in-situ neutron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and
      modelling. Visco-plastic deformation during cooling was found to be dependent on
      the stress and constraints imposed to component contraction during cooling, which
      mechanistically comprises creep and stress relaxation. Creep results in
      progressive work hardening with dislocations shearing the gamma' precipitates, a
      high dislocation density in the gamma channels and near the gamma/gamma'
      interface and precipitate shearing. When macroscopic contraction is restricted,
      relaxation dominates. This leads to work softening from a decreased dislocation
      density and the presence of long segment stacking faults in gamma phase. Changes
      in lattice strains occur to a similar magnitude in both the gamma and gamma'
      phases during stress relaxation, while in creep there is no clear monotonic trend
      in lattice strain in the gamma phase, but only a marginal increase in the gamma'
      precipitates. Using a visco-plastic law derived from in-situ experiments, the
      experimentally measured and calculated stresses during cooling show a good
      agreement when creep predominates. However, when stress relaxation dominates
      accounting for the decrease in dislocation density during cooling is essential.

PMID- 28894181
TI  - Rigidly connected multispecific artificial binders with adjustable geometries.
AB  - Multivalent binding proteins can gain biological activities beyond what is
      inherent in the individual binders, by bringing together different target
      molecules, restricting their conformational flexibility or changing their
      subcellular localization. In this study, we demonstrate a method to build up
      rigid multivalent and multispecific scaffolds by exploiting the modular nature of
      a repeat protein scaffold and avoiding flexible linkers. We use DARPins (Designed
      Ankyrin Repeat Proteins), synthetic binding proteins based on the Ankyrin-repeat
      protein scaffold, as binding units. Their ease of in vitro selection, high
      production yield and stability make them ideal specificity-conferring building
      blocks for the design of more complex constructs. C- and N-terminal DARPin
      capping repeats were re-designed to be joined by a shared helix in such a way
      that rigid connector modules are formed. This allows us to join two or more
      DARPins in predefined geometries without compromising their binding affinities
      and specificities. Nine connector modules with distinct geometries were designed;
      for eight of these we were able to confirm the structure by X-ray
      crystallography, while only one did not crystallize. The bispecific constructs
      were all able to bind both target proteins simultaneously.

PMID- 28894182
TI  - The sinking of the El Faro: predicting real world rogue waves during Hurricane
      Joaquin.
AB  - We present a study on the prediction of rogue waves during the 1-hour sea state
      of Hurricane Joaquin when the Merchant Vessel El Faro sank east of the Bahamas on
      October 1, 2015. High-resolution hindcast of hurricane-generated sea states and
      wave simulations are combined with novel probabilistic models to quantify the
      likelihood of rogue wave conditions. The data suggests that the El Faro vessel
      was drifting at an average speed of approximately 2.5 m/s prior to its sinking.
      As a result, we estimated that the probability that El Faro encounters a rogue
      wave whose crest height exceeds 14 meters while drifting over a time interval of
      10 (50) minutes is ~1/400 (1/130). The largest simulated wave is generated by the
      constructive interference of elementary spectral components (linear dispersive
      focusing) enhanced by bound nonlinearities. Not surprisingly then, its
      characteristics are quite similar to those displayed by the Andrea, Draupner and
      Killard rogue waves.

PMID- 28894183
TI  - Gut microbiota composition is associated with polypharmacy in elderly
      hospitalized patients.
AB  - Reduced biodiversity and increased representation of opportunistic pathogens are
      typical features of gut microbiota composition in aging. Few studies have
      investigated their correlation with polypharmacy, multimorbidity and frailty. To
      assess it, we analyzed the fecal microbiota from 76 inpatients, aged 83 +/- 8.
      Microbiome biodiversity (Chao1 index) and relative abundance of individual
      bacterial taxa were determined by next-generation 16S rRNA microbial profiling.
      Their correlation with number of drugs, and indexes of multimorbidity and frailty
      were verified using multivariate linear regression models. The impact of gut
      microbiota biodiversity on mortality, rehospitalizations and incident sepsis was
      also assessed after a 2-year follow-up, using Cox regression analysis. We found a
      significant negative correlation between the number of drugs and Chao1 Index at
      multivariate analysis. The number of drugs was associated with the average
      relative abundance of 15 taxa. The drug classes exhibiting the strongest
      association with single taxa abundance were proton pump inhibitors,
      antidepressants and antipsychotics. Conversely, frailty and multimorbidity were
      not significantly associated with gut microbiota biodiversity. Very low Chao1
      index was also a significant predictor of mortality, but not of
      rehospitalizations and sepsis, at follow-up. In aging, polypharmacy may thus
      represent a determinant of gut microbiota composition, with detrimental clinical
      consequences.

PMID- 28894184
TI  - IL-7 plays a critical role for the homeostasis of allergen-specific memory CD4 T
      cells in the lung and airways.
AB  - Memory T cells respond rapidly to repeated antigen exposure and can maintain
      their population for extended periods through self-renewal. These characteristics
      of memory T cells have mainly been studied during viral infections, whereas their
      existence and functions in allergic diseases have been studied incompletely.
      Since allergic patients can suffer repeated relapses caused by intermittent
      allergen exposure, we hypothesized that allergen- specific memory Th2 cells are
      present and the factors necessary for the maintenance of these cells are provided
      by the lung and airways. Using a murine model of airway inflammation, we found
      that allergen-specific CD4 T cells survived longer than 70 days in the lung and
      airways in an IL-7 dependent fashion. These T cells showing homeostatic
      proliferation were largely found in the mediastinal lymph node (mLN), rather than
      the airways; however, cells residing in the lung and airways developed recall
      responses successfully. We also found that CD4 T cells exhibited differential
      phenotypes in the mLN and in the lung. Altogether, we believe that allergen
      specific memory T cells reside and function in the lung and airways, while their
      numbers are replenished through homeostatic turnover in the mLNs. Furthermore, we
      determined that IL-7 signaling is important for the homeostasis of these cells.

PMID- 28894185
TI  - Identification of prognostic genes through expression differentiation during
      metastatic process in lung adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Cancer is a highly complicated biological process due to large scale
      heterogeneity. Identification of differentially expressed genes between normal
      and cancer samples is widely utilized in the discovery of prognostic factors. In
      this study, based on RNA sequencing data of lung adenocarcinoma, we focused on
      the expression differentiation during confined (with neither lymph node invasion
      nor distant metastasis) primary tumors and lymphnode (with only lymph node
      invasion but not distant metastasis) primary tumors. The result indicated that
      differentially expressed genes during confined-lymphnode transition were more
      closely related to patient's overall survival comparing with those identified
      from normal-cancer transition. With the aid of public curated biological network,
      we successfully retrieved the biggest connected module composed of 135 genes, of
      which the expression was significantly associated with patient's overall
      survival, confirmed by 9 independent microarray datasets.

PMID- 28894186
TI  - Contributions of cuticle permeability and enzyme detoxification to pyrethroid
      resistance in the major malaria vector Anopheles gambiae.
AB  - To tackle the problem of insecticide resistance, all resistance mechanisms need
      to be studied. This study investigated the involvement of the cuticle in
      pyrethroid resistance in a strain of Anopheles gambiae, MRS, free of kdr
      mutations. Bioassays revealed MRS to be resistant to pyrethroids and DDT,
      indicated by increasing knockdown times and resistance ratios. Moreover,
      biochemical analysis indicated that metabolic resistance based on enhanced CYP450
      activity may also play a role. Insecticide penetration assays showed that there
      were significantly lower amounts of insecticide in the MRS strain than in the
      susceptible control. Analysis of the levels of the selected transcripts by qPCR
      showed that CYP6M2, a major pyrethroid metaboliser, CYP4G16, a gene implicated in
      resistance via its contribution to the biosynthesis of elevated epicuticular
      hydrocarbons that delay insecticide uptake, and the cuticle genes CPAP3-E and
      CPLCX1 were upregulated after insecticide exposure. Other metabolic (CYP6P3,
      GSTe2) and cuticle (CPLCG3, CPRs) genes were also constitutively upregulated.
      Microscopic analysis showed that the cuticle layers of the MRS strain were
      significantly thicker than those of the susceptible strain. This study allowed us
      to assess the contribution made by the cuticle and metabolic mechanisms to
      pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae without target-site mutations.

PMID- 28894187
TI  - Small RNAs in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium involved in daptomycin
      response and resistance.
AB  - Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium is a leading cause of hospital-acquired
      infections and outbreaks. Regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are major players in adaptive
      responses, including antibiotic resistance. They were extensively studied in gram
      negative bacteria, but less information is available for gram-positive pathogens.
      No sRNAs are described in E. faecium. We sought to identify a set of sRNAs
      expressed in vancomycin-resistant E. faecium Aus0004 strain to assess their roles
      in daptomycin response and resistance. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses
      revealed a set of 61 sRNA candidates, including 10 that were further tested and
      validated by Northern and qPCR. RNA-seq was performed with and without
      subinhibitory concentrations (SICs) of daptomycin, an antibiotic used to treat
      enterococcal infections. After daptomycin SIC exposure, the expression of 260
      coding and srna genes was altered, with 80 upregulated and 180 downregulated,
      including 51% involved in carbohydrate and transport metabolisms. Daptomycin SIC
      exposure significantly affected the expression of seven sRNAs, including one
      experimentally confirmed, sRNA_0160. We studied sRNA expression in isogenic
      mutants with increasing levels of daptomycin resistance and observed that
      expression of several sRNAs, including sRNA_0160, was modified in the stepwise
      mutants. This first genome-wide sRNA identification in E. faecium suggests that
      some sRNAs are linked to antibiotic stress response and resistance.

PMID- 28894188
TI  - Second-generation Flagellin-rPAc Fusion Protein, KFD2-rPAc, Shows High Protective
      Efficacy against Dental Caries with Low Potential Side Effects.
AB  - Dental caries is one of the most common global chronic diseases affecting all
      ages of the population; thus a vaccine against caries is urgently needed. Our
      previous studies demonstrated that a fusion protein, KF-rPAc, in which rPAc of S.
      mutans is directly fused to the C-terminal of E. coli-derived flagellin (KF),
      could confer high prophylactic and therapeutic efficiency against caries.
      However, possible side effects, including the high antigenicity of flagellin and
      possible inflammatory injury induced by flagellin, may restrict its clinical
      usage. Here, we produced a second-generation flagellin-rPAc fusion protein, KFD2
      rPAc, by replacing the main antigenicity region domains D2 and D3 of KF with
      rPAc. Compared with KF-rPAc, KFD2-rPAc has lower TLR5 agonist efficacy and
      induces fewer systemic inflammatory responses in mice. After intranasal
      immunization, KFD2-rPAc induces significantly lower flagellin-specific antibody
      responses but a comparable level of rPAc-specific antibody responses in mice.
      More importantly, in rat challenge models, KFD2-rPAc induces a robust rPAc
      specific IgA response, and confers efficient prophylactic and therapeutic
      efficiency against caries as does KF-rPAc, while the flagellin-specific antibody
      responses are highly reduced. In conclusion, low side effects and high protective
      efficiency against caries makes the second-generation flagellin-rPAc fusion
      protein, KFD2-rPAc, a promising vaccine candidate against caries.

PMID- 28894189
TI  - Hypo-hydroxymethylation of rRNA genes in the precocious Eriocheir sinensis testes
      revealed using hMeDIP-seq.
AB  - Precocious puberty is a common phenomenon in crab breeding that seriously reduces
      the economic benefits for crab farmers. To address this problem, this study aimed
      to explore the potential functions of both methylation and hydroxymethylation of
      testis rRNA genes with respect to precocious puberty in Eriocheir sinensis. The
      results showed that the rRNA genes in normally developing testes of E. sinensis
      had low levels of methylation and high levels of hydroxymethylation; however,
      although methylation levels were similar, the level of hydroxymethylation in
      precocious testes was lower than normal. Highly significant differences (P <
      0.01) in the hydroxymethylation of the 18S and 28S rRNA genes were found between
      precocious and normal testes. Our results suggested that both the 18S and 28S
      rRNA genes, which are normally downregulated by hypo-hydroxymethylation, might be
      involved in the process of precocious puberty. Our results also implied that
      hydroxymethylation of the 18S and 28S rRNA genes might be used as an important
      epigenetic molecular marker to evaluate economically significant potential for
      growth and breeding in this species.

PMID- 28894190
TI  - Novel detection of post-translational modifications in human monocyte-derived
      dendritic cells after chronic alcohol exposure: Role of inflammation regulator
      H4K12ac.
AB  - Previous reports on epigenetic mechanisms involved in alcohol abuse have focus on
      hepatic and neuronal regions, leaving the immune system and specifically monocyte
      derived dendritic cells (MDDCs) understudied. Our lab has previously shown
      histone deacetylases are modulated in cells derived from alcohol users and after
      in vitro acute alcohol treatment of human MDDCs. In the current study, we
      developed a novel screening tool using matrix assisted laser desorption
      ionization-fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FT
      ICR MS) and single cell imaging flow cytometry to detect post-translational
      modifications (PTMs) in human MDDCs due to chronic alcohol exposure. Our results
      demonstrate, for the first time, in vitro chronic alcohol exposure of MDDCs
      modulates H3 and H4 and induces a significant increase in acetylation at H4K12
      (H4K12ac). Moreover, the Tip60/HAT inhibitor, NU9056, was able to block EtOH
      induced H4K12ac, enhancing the effect of EtOH on IL-15, RANTES, TGF-beta1, and
      TNF-alpha cytokines while restoring MCP-2 levels, suggesting that H4K12ac may be
      playing a major role during inflammation and may serve as an inflammation
      regulator or a cellular stress response mechanism under chronic alcohol
      conditions.

PMID- 28894191
TI  - Non-cell-autonomous effects yield lower clonal diversity in expanding tumors.
AB  - Recent cancer research has investigated the possibility that non-cell-autonomous
      (NCA) driving tumor growth can support clonal diversity (CD). Indeed, mutations
      can affect the phenotypes not only of their carriers ("cell-autonomous", CA
      effects), but also sometimes of other cells (NCA effects). However, models that
      have investigated this phenomenon have only considered a restricted number of
      clones. Here, we designed an individual-based model of tumor evolution, where
      clones grow and mutate to yield new clones, among which a given frequency have
      NCA effects on other clones' growth. Unlike previously observed for smaller
      assemblages, most of our simulations yield lower CD with high frequency of
      mutations with NCA effects. Owing to NCA effects increasing competition in the
      tumor, clones being already dominant are more likely to stay dominant, and
      emergent clones not to thrive. These results may help personalized medicine to
      predict intratumor heterogeneity across different cancer types for which
      frequency of NCA effects could be quantified.

PMID- 28894192
TI  - Angstrom-Resolved Metal-Organic Framework-Liquid Interfaces.
AB  - Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of crystalline materials with a
      variety of applications in gas storage, catalysis, drug delivery or light
      harvesting. The optimization of those applications requires the characterization
      of MOF structure in the relevant environment. Dynamic force microscopy has been
      applied to follow dynamic processes of metal-organic-framework material. We
      provide images with spatial and time resolutions, respectively, of angstrom and
      seconds that show that Ce-RPF-8 surfaces immersed in water and glycerol
      experience a surface reconstruction process that is characterized by the
      diffusion of the molecular species along the step edges of the open terraces. The
      rate of the surface reconstruction process depends on the liquid. In water it
      happens spontaneously while in glycerol is triggered by applying an external
      force.

PMID- 28894193
TI  - Sub-picosecond temporal resolution of anomalous Hall currents in GaAs.
AB  - The anomalous Hall (AH) and spin Hall effects are important tools for the
      generation, control, and detection of spin and spin-polarized currents in solids
      and, thus, hold promises for future spintronic applications. Despite tremendous
      work on these effects, their ultrafast dynamic response is still not well
      explored. Here, we induce ultrafast AH currents in a magnetically-biased
      semiconductor by optical femtosecond excitation at room temperature. The
      currents' dynamics are studied by detecting the simultaneously emitted THz
      radiation. We show that the temporal shape of the AH currents can be extracted by
      comparing its THz radiation to the THz radiation emitted from optically induced
      currents whose temporal shape is well known. We observe a complex temporal shape
      of the AH currents suggesting that different microscopic origins contribute to
      the current dynamics. This is further confirmed by photon energy dependent
      measurements revealing a current inversion at low optical excitation intensities.
      Our work is a first step towards full time resolution of AH and spin Hall
      currents and helps to better understand the underlying microscopic origins, being
      a prerequisite for ultrafast spintronic applications using such currents.

PMID- 28894195
TI  - Nuisance Flooding and Relative Sea-Level Rise: the Importance of Present-Day Land
      Motion.
AB  - Sea-level rise is beginning to cause increased inundation of many low-lying
      coastal areas. While most of Earth's coastal areas are at risk, areas that will
      be affected first are characterized by several additional factors. These include
      regional oceanographic and meteorological effects and/or land subsidence that
      cause relative sea level to rise faster than the global average. For catastrophic
      coastal flooding, when wind-driven storm surge inundates large areas, the
      relative contribution of sea-level rise to the frequency of these events is
      difficult to evaluate. For small scale "nuisance flooding," often associated with
      high tides, recent increases in frequency are more clearly linked to sea-level
      rise and global warming. While both types of flooding are likely to increase in
      the future, only nuisance flooding is an early indicator of areas that will
      eventually experience increased catastrophic flooding and land loss. Here we
      assess the frequency and location of nuisance flooding along the eastern seaboard
      of North America. We show that vertical land motion induced by recent
      anthropogenic activity and glacial isostatic adjustment are contributing factors
      for increased nuisance flooding. Our results have implications for flood
      susceptibility, forecasting and mitigation, including management of groundwater
      extraction from coastal aquifers.

PMID- 28894194
TI  - Streptococcus salivarius MS-oral-D6 promotes gingival re-epithelialization in
      vitro through a secreted serine protease.
AB  - Gingival re-epithelialization represents an essential phase of oral wound healing
      in which epithelial integrity is re-establish. We developed an automated high
      throughput re-epithelialization kinetic model, using the gingival epithelial cell
      line Ca9-22. The model was employed to screen 39 lactic acid bacteria,
      predominantly including oral isolates, for their capacity to accelerate gingival
      re-epithelialization. This screen identified several strains of Streptococcus
      salivarius that stimulated re-epithelialization. Further analysis revealed that
      S. salivarius strain MS-oral-D6 significantly promoted re-epithelialization
      through a secreted proteinaceous compound and subsequent experiments identified a
      secreted serine protease as the most likely candidate to be involved in re
      epithelialization stimulation. The identification of bacteria or their products
      that stimulate gingival wound repair may inspire novel strategies for the
      maintenance of oral health.

PMID- 28894196
TI  - First record of an Icacinaceae Miers fossil flower from Le Quesnoy (Ypresian,
      France) amber.
AB  - Flowers embedded in amber are rare. Only about 70 flowers or inflorescences have
      been described among which only one lamiid is known. Nevertheless, these fossils
      are important to our understanding of evolutionary process and past diversity due
      to the exceptional preservation of fragile structures not normally preserved. In
      this work, a new flower named Icacinanthium tainiaphorum sp. nov. from Le Quesnoy
      (Houdancourt, Oise, France) is described. Our phylogenetic analysis with extant
      species suggests that the affinity of this flower lies with the family
      Icacinaceae, close to Natsiatum or Hosiea. The fossil shows a combination of
      features unknown in extant Icacinaceae and we thus propose the description of a
      new fossil genus. It reveals a previously unknown diversity in the family and
      demonstrates the complementarity of different types of fossil preservation for a
      better understanding of past floral diversity.

PMID- 28894197
TI  - A Multi-Institutional Comparison of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging Parameter Calculations.
AB  - Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) provides
      quantitative metrics (e.g. Ktrans, ve) via pharmacokinetic models. We tested
      inter-algorithm variability in these quantitative metrics with 11 published DCE
      MRI algorithms, all implementing Tofts-Kermode or extended Tofts pharmacokinetic
      models. Digital reference objects (DROs) with known Ktrans and ve values were
      used to assess performance at varying noise levels. Additionally, DCE-MRI data
      from 15 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients over 3 time-points during
      chemoradiotherapy were used to ascertain Ktrans and ve kinetic trends across
      algorithms. Algorithms performed well (less than 3% average error) when no noise
      was present in the DRO. With noise, 87% of Ktrans and 84% of ve algorithm-DRO
      combinations were generally in the correct order. Low Krippendorff's alpha values
      showed that algorithms could not consistently classify patients as above or below
      the median for a given algorithm at each time point or for differences in values
      between time points. A majority of the algorithms produced a significant Spearman
      correlation in ve of the primary gross tumor volume with time. Algorithmic
      differences in Ktrans and ve values over time indicate limitations in
      combining/comparing data from distinct DCE-MRI model implementations. Careful
      cross-algorithm quality-assurance must be utilized as DCE-MRI results may not be
      interpretable using differing software.

PMID- 28894198
TI  - Functional modulation of LHCSR1 protein from Physcomitrella patens by zeaxanthin
      binding and low pH.
AB  - Light harvesting for oxygenic photosynthesis is regulated to prevent the
      formation of harmful photoproducts by activation of photoprotective mechanisms
      safely dissipating the energy absorbed in excess. Lumen acidification is the
      trigger for the formation of quenching states in pigment binding complexes. With
      the aim to uncover the photoprotective functional states responsible for excess
      energy dissipation in green algae and mosses, we compared the fluorescence
      dynamic properties of the light-harvesting complex stress-related (LHCSR1)
      protein, which is essential for fast and reversible regulation of light use
      efficiency in lower plants, as compared to the major LHCII antenna protein, which
      mainly fulfills light harvesting function. Both LHCII and LHCSR1 had a
      chlorophyll fluorescence yield and lifetime strongly dependent on detergent
      concentration but the transition from long- to short-living states was far more
      complete and fast in the latter. Low pH and zeaxanthin binding enhanced the
      relative amplitude of quenched states in LHCSR1, which were characterized by the
      presence of 80 ps fluorescence decay components with a red-shifted emission
      spectrum. We suggest that energy dissipation occurs in the chloroplast by the
      activation of 80 ps quenching sites in LHCSR1 which spill over excitons from the
      photosystem II antenna system.

PMID- 28894199
TI  - Improving the Accuracy of the Hyperspectral Model for Apple Canopy Water Content
      Prediction using the Equidistant Sampling Method.
AB  - The influence of the equidistant sampling method was explored in a hyperspectral
      model for the accurate prediction of the water content of apple tree canopy. The
      relationship between spectral reflectance and water content was explored using
      the sample partition methods of equidistant sampling and random sampling, and a
      stepwise regression model of the apple canopy water content was established. The
      results showed that the random sampling model was Y = 0.4797 - 721787.3883 * Z3 -
      766567.1103 * Z5 - 771392.9030 * Z6; the equidistant sampling model was Y =
      0.4613 - 480610.4213 * Z2 - 552189.0450 * Z5 - 1006181.8358 * Z6. After
      verification, the equidistant sampling method was verified to offer a superior
      prediction ability. The calibration set coefficient of determination of 0.6599
      and validation set coefficient of determination of 0.8221 were higher than that
      of the random sampling model by 9.20% and 10.90%, respectively. The root mean
      square error (RMSE) of 0.0365 and relative error (RE) of 0.0626 were lower than
      that of the random sampling model by 17.23% and 17.09%, respectively. Dividing
      the calibration set and validation set by the equidistant sampling method can
      improve the prediction accuracy of the hyperspectral model of apple canopy water
      content.

PMID- 28894200
TI  - Soluble HLA-associated peptide from PSF1 has a cancer vaccine potency.
AB  - Partner of sld five 1 (PSF1) is an evolutionary conserved DNA replication factor
      involved in DNA replication in lower species, which is strongly expressed in
      normal stem cell populations and progenitor cell populations. Recently, we have
      investigated PSF1 functions in cancer cells and found that PSF1 plays a
      significant role in tumour growth. These findings provide initial evidence for
      the potential of PSF1 as a therapeutic target. Here, we reveal that PSF1 contains
      an immunogenic epitope suitable for an antitumour vaccine. We analysed PSF1
      peptides eluted from affinity-purified human leukocyte antigen (HLA) by mass
      spectrometry and identified PSF179-87 peptide (YLYDRLLRI) that has the highest
      prediction score using an in silico algorithm. PSF179-87 peptide induced PSF1
      specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses such as the production of interferon
      gamma and cytotoxicity. Because PSF1 is expressed in cancer cell populations and
      highly expressed in cancer stem cell populations, these data suggest that
      vaccination with PSF179-87 peptide may be a novel therapeutic strategy for cancer
      treatment.

PMID- 28894201
TI  - Cortisol overproduction results from DNA methylation of CYP11B1 in
      hypercortisolemia.
AB  - Adrenocortical hormone excess, due to primary aldosteronism (PA) or
      hypercortisolemia, causes hypertension and cardiovascular complications. In PA,
      hypomethylation of aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) is associated with aldosterone
      overproduction. However, in hypercortisolemia, the role of DNA methylation of
      11beta-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), which catalyzes cortisol biosynthesis and is highly
      homologous to CYP11B2, is unclear. The aims of our study were to determine
      whether the CYP11B1 expression was regulated through DNA methylation in
      hypercortisolemia with cortisol-producing adenoma (CPA), and to investigate a
      possible relationship between DNA methylation and somatic mutations identified in
      CPA. Methylation analysis showed that the CYP11B1 promoter was significantly less
      methylated in CPA than in adjacent unaffected adrenal tissue and white blood
      cells. Furthermore, in CPA with somatic mutations in either the catalytic subunit
      of protein kinase A (PRKACA) or the guanine nucleotide-binding protein subunit
      alpha (GNAS) gene, the CYP11B1 promoter was significantly hypomethylated. In
      addition, DNA methylation reduced CYP11B1 promoter activity using a reporter
      assay. Our study results suggest that DNA methylation at the CYP11B1 promoter
      plays a role in the regulation of CYP11B1 expression and cortisol production in
      CPA, and that somatic mutations associated with CPA reduce DNA methylation at the
      CYP11B1 promoter.

PMID- 28894202
TI  - Principal contribution of HLA-DQ alleles, DQB1*06:04 and DQB1*03:01, to disease
      resistance against primary biliary cholangitis in a Japanese population.
AB  - Identification of the primary allele(s) in HLA class II associated diseases
      remains challenging because of a tight linkage between alleles of HLA-DR and -DQ
      loci. In the present study, we determined the genotypes of seven HLA loci (HLA-A,
      -B, -DRB1, -DQA1, -DQB1, -DPA1 and -DPB1) for 1200 Japanese patients with primary
      biliary cholangitis and 1196 controls. Observation of recombination derivatives
      facilitated an evaluation of the effects of individual HLA alleles consisting of
      disease-prone/disease-resistant HLA haplotypes. Consequently, a primary
      contribution of DQB1*06:04 (odds ratio: 0.19, p = 1.91 * 10-22), DQB1*03:01 (odds
      ratio: 0.50, p = 6.76 * 10-10), DRB1*08:03 (odds ratio: 1.75, p = 1.01 * 10-7)
      and DQB1*04:01 (odds ratio: 1.50, p = 9.20 * 10-6) was suggested. Epistasis of
      the protective DQB1*06:04 to risk conferred by DRB1*08:03 was demonstrated by
      subpopulation analysis, implicating the presence of an active immunological
      mechanism that alleviates pathogenic autoimmune reactions. Further, the
      contribution of the aforementioned HLA alleles as well as an HLA-DP allele,
      DPB1*02:01 to the association signals of 304 loci among 4103 SNPs in the HLA
      region at the genome-wide level of significance (p values less than 5 * 10-8) was
      demonstrated by the stepwise exclusion of the individuals possessing these HLA
      alleles from the comparison.

PMID- 28894203
TI  - The combined effect of cigarette smoking and occupational noise exposure on
      hearing loss: evidence from the Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort Study.
AB  - Combined effect of cigarette smoking and occupational noise exposure on hearing
      loss has rarely been evaluated among Chinese population, especially among
      females. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 11196 participants of
      Dongfeng-Tongji cohort study. Smoking status was self-reported through
      questionnaire and occupational noise exposure was evaluated through workplace
      noise level and/or the job titles. Hearing loss was defined as a pure-tone mean
      of 25 dB or higher at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in both ears. Compared with
      participants without occupational noise exposure, the risk of hearing loss was
      significantly higher for noise exposure duration >=20 (OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.28
      1.65). The association was particularly evident among individuals who were males
      (OR = 1.74, 95%CI = 1.45-2.08) and aged >= 70 (OR = 1.74, 95%CI = 1.30-2.33).
      Similarly, the risks increased with the increasing of pack-years in males and all
      age groups except for those aged <60. As to the combined effect, the hearing loss
      risk was highest for noise exposure duration >=20 and pack-years >=25 (OR = 2.41,
      95%CI = 1.78-3.28), especially among males (OR = 2.42, 95%CI = 1.74-3.37) and
      those aged >=70 (OR = 2.76, 95%CI = 1.36-5.60). Smoking may be an independent
      risk factor for hearing loss. And it may synergistically affect hearing when
      combined with occupational noise exposure, especially among males and older
      participants.

PMID- 28894205
TI  - The quantum-optics Hamiltonian in the Multipolar gauge.
AB  - This article deals with the fundamental problem of light-matter interaction in
      the quantum theory. Although it is described through the vector potential in
      quantum electrodynamics, it is believed by some that a hamiltonian involving only
      the electric and the magnetic fields is preferable. In the literature this
      hamiltonian is known as the Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian. We question its
      validity and show that it is not equivalent to the minimal-coupling hamiltonian.
      In this article, we show that these two hamiltonians are not connected through a
      gauge transformation. We find that the gauge is not fixed in the Power-Zienau
      Woolley hamiltonian. The interaction term is written in one gauge whereas the
      rest of the hamiltonian is written in another gauge. The Power-Zienau-Woolley
      hamiltonian and the minimal-coupling one are related through a unitary
      transformation that does not fulfill the gauge fixing constraints. Consequently,
      they predict different physical results. In this letter, we provide the correct
      quantum theory in the multipolar gauge with a hamiltonian involving only the
      physical fields.

PMID- 28894204
TI  - Novel arsenic-transforming bacteria and the diversity of their arsenic-related
      genes and enzymes arising from arsenic-polluted freshwater sediment.
AB  - Bacteria are essential in arsenic cycling. However, few studies have addressed
      16S rRNA and arsenic-related functional gene diversity in long-term arsenic
      contaminated tropical sediment. Here, using culture-based, metagenomic and
      computational approaches, we describe the diversity of bacteria, genes and
      enzymes involved in AsIII and AsV transformation in freshwater sediment and in
      anaerobic AsIII- and AsV-enrichment cultures (ECs). The taxonomic profile reveals
      significant differences among the communities. Arcobacter, Dechloromonas,
      Sedimentibacter and Clostridium thermopalmarium were exclusively found in ECs,
      whereas Anaerobacillus was restricted to AsV-EC. Novel taxa that are both AsV
      reducers and AsIII-oxidizers were identified: Dechloromonas, Acidovorax facilis,
      A. delafieldii, Aquabacterium, Shewanella, C. thermopalmarium and
      Macellibacteroides fermentans. Phylogenic discrepancies were revealed among the
      aioA, arsC and arrA genes and those of other species, indicating horizontal gene
      transfer. ArsC and AioA have sets of amino acids that can be used to assess their
      functional and structural integrity and familial subgroups. The positions
      required for AsV reduction are conserved, suggesting strong selective pressure
      for maintaining the functionality of ArsC. Altogether, these findings highlight
      the role of freshwater sediment bacteria in arsenic mobility, and the untapped
      diversity of dissimilatory arsenate-reducing and arsenate-resistant bacteria,
      which might contribute to arsenic toxicity in aquatic environments.

PMID- 28894206
TI  - Caring Cooperators and Powerful Punishers: Differential Effects of Induced Care
      and Power Motivation on Different Types of Economic Decision Making.
AB  - Standard economic theory postulates that decisions are driven by stable context
      insensitive preferences, while motivation psychology suggests they are driven by
      distinct context-sensitive motives with distinct evolutionary goals and
      characteristic psycho-physiological and behavioral patterns. To link these fields
      and test how distinct motives could differentially predict different types of
      economic decisions, we experimentally induced participants with either a Care or
      a Power motive, before having them take part in a suite of classic game
      theoretical paradigms involving monetary exchange. We show that the Care
      induction alone raised scores on a latent factor of cooperation-related
      behaviors, relative to a control condition, while, relative to Care, Power raised
      scores on a punishment-related factor. These findings argue against context
      insensitive stable preferences and theories of strong reciprocity and in favor of
      a motive-based approach to economic decision making: Care and Power motivation
      have a dissociable fingerprint in shaping either cooperative or punishment
      behaviors.

PMID- 28894207
TI  - Positive feedback of the amphiregulin-EGFR-ERK pathway mediates PM2.5 from wood
      smoke-induced MUC5AC expression in epithelial cells.
AB  - Biomass fuel smoke is thought to contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease, which is characterized by mucous cell metaplasia and enhanced mucus
      secretion. We investigated the effect of particulate matter (PM) with a diameter
      <2.5 MUm (PM2.5) from wood smoke (WSPM2.5) on the expression of the most
      prominent secreted mucin, MUC5AC. Wood smoke was able to induce MUC5AC expression
      in the rat respiratory tract after 3 months of exposure. WSPM2.5 could induce
      MUC5AC production in both primary human airway epithelial cells and the NCI-H292
      cell line. This induction process was mediated by activation of epithelial growth
      factor receptor (EGFR)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling
      through an EGFR ligand-dependent mechanism. Amphiregulin (AR) was identified as
      the major ligand responsible for EGFR-ERK signaling activation and MUC5AC
      expression. In turn, EGFR-ERK pathway activation was found to contribute to the
      de novo synthesis of AR. This positive feedback loop might play an important role
      in a sustained mucus hypersecretion response.

PMID- 28894208
TI  - Analyzing intrinsic plasmonic chirality by tracking the interplay of electric and
      magnetic dipole modes.
AB  - Plasmonic chirality represents significant potential for novel nanooptical
      devices due to its association with strong chiroptical responses. Previous
      reports on plasmonic chirality mechanism mainly focus on phase retardation and
      coupling. In this paper, we propose a model similar to the chiral molecules for
      explaining the intrinsic plasmonic chirality mechanism of varies 3D chiral
      structures quantitatively based on the interplay and mixing of electric and
      magnetic dipole modes (directly from electromagnetic field numerical
      simulations), which forms mixed electric and magnetic polarizability.

PMID- 28894210
TI  - Enhancing elevated temperature strength of copper containing aluminium alloys by
      forming L12 Al3Zr precipitates and nucleating theta" precipitates on them.
AB  - Strengthening by precipitation of second phase is the guiding principle for the
      development of a host of high strength structural alloys, in particular,
      aluminium alloys for transportation sector. Higher efficiency and lower emission
      demands use of alloys at higher operating temperatures (200  degrees C-250 
      degrees C) and stresses, especially in applications for engine parts.
      Unfortunately, most of the precipitation hardened aluminium alloys that are
      currently available can withstand maximum temperatures ranging from 150-200 
      degrees C. This limit is set by the onset of the rapid coarsening of the
      precipitates and consequent loss of mechanical properties. In this communication,
      we present a new approach in designing an Al-based alloy through solid state
      precipitation route that provides a synergistic coupling of two different types
      of precipitates that has enabled us to develop coarsening resistant high
      temperature alloys that are stable in the temperature range of 250-300  degrees C
      with strength in excess of 260 MPa at 250  degrees C.

PMID- 28894209
TI  - The role of the secretin/secretin receptor axis in inflammatory cholangiocyte
      communication via extracellular vesicles.
AB  - Small and large intrahepatic bile ducts consist of small and large
      cholangiocytes, respectively, and these cholangiocytes have different morphology
      and functions. The gastrointestinal peptide hormone, secretin (SCT) that binds to
      secretin receptor (SR), is a key mediator in cholangiocyte pathophysiology.
      Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound vesicles and cell-cell EV
      communication is recognized as an important factor in liver pathology, although
      EV communication between cholangiocytes is not identified to date. Cholangiocytes
      secrete proinflammatory cytokines during bacterial infection leading to biliary
      inflammation and hyperplasia. We demonstrate that cholangiocytes stimulated with
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a membrane component of gram-negative
      bacteria, secrete more EVs than cholangiocytes incubated with vehicle. These LPS
      derived EVs induce inflammatory responses in other cholangiocytes including
      elevated cytokine production and cell proliferation. Large but not small
      cholangiocytes show inflammatory responses against large but not small
      cholangiocyte-derived EVs. Large cholangiocytes with knocked down either SCT or
      SR by short hairpin RNAs show reduced EV secretion during LPS stimulation, and
      EVs isolated from SCT or SR knocked down cholangiocytes fail to induce
      inflammatory reactions in control large cholangiocytes. This study identifies
      cholangiocyte EV communication during LPS stimulation, and demonstrates that the
      SCT/SR axis may be important for this event.

PMID- 28894211
TI  - Emerging negative Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index in spite of warm
      subtropics.
AB  - Sea surface temperatures in the northern North Atlantic have shown a marked
      decrease over the past several years. The sea surface in the subpolar gyre is now
      as cold as it was during the last cold phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal
      Oscillation index in the 1990s. This climate index is associated with shifts in
      hurricane activity, rainfall patterns and intensity, and changes in fish
      populations. However, unlike the last cold period in the Atlantic, the spatial
      pattern of sea surface temperature anomalies in the Atlantic is not uniformly
      cool, but instead has anomalously cold temperatures in the subpolar gyre, warm
      temperatures in the subtropics and cool anomalies over the tropics. The tripole
      pattern of anomalies has increased the subpolar to subtropical meridional
      gradient in SSTs, which are not represented by the AMO index value, but which may
      lead to increased atmospheric baroclinicity and storminess. Here we show that the
      recent Atlantic cooling is likely to persist, as predicted by a statistical
      forecast of subsurface ocean temperatures and consistent with the irreversible
      nature of watermass changes involved in the recent cooling of the subpolar gyre.

PMID- 28894212
TI  - Daytime REM sleep affects emotional experience but not decision choices in moral
      dilemmas.
AB  - Moral decision-making depends on the interaction between automatic emotional
      responses and rational cognitive control. A natural emotional regulator state
      seems to be sleep, in particular rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We tested the
      impact of daytime sleep, either with or without REM, on moral decision. Sixty
      participants were presented with 12 sacrificial (6 Footbridge- and 6 Trolley
      type) and 8 everyday-type moral dilemmas at 9 AM and at 5 PM. In sacrificial
      dilemmas, participants had to decide whether or not to kill one person to save
      more people (utilitarian choice), and to judge how morally acceptable the
      proposed choice was. In everyday-type dilemmas, participants had to decide
      whether to endorse moral violations involving dishonest behavior. At 12 PM, 40
      participants took a 120-min nap (17 with REM and 23 with NREM only) while 20
      participants remained awake. Mixed-model analysis revealed that participants
      judged the utilitarian choice as less morally acceptable in the afternoon,
      irrespective of sleep. We also observed a negative association between theta
      activity during REM and increased self-rated unpleasantness during moral
      decisions. Nevertheless, moral decision did not change across the day and between
      groups. These results suggest that although both time and REM sleep may affect
      the evaluation of a moral situation, these factors did not ultimately impact the
      individual moral choices.

PMID- 28894213
TI  - Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Production of Nitric Oxide:A multi-cell and multi
      donor analysis.
AB  - Increasing evidence regarding positive effects of exposure to sunlight has led to
      suggestions that current advice may be overly weighted in favour of avoidance. UV
      A has been reported to lower blood pressure, possibly through nitric oxide (NO)
      production in skin. Here, we set out to investigate effects of UV-A and solar
      simulated radiation on the potential source of dermal NO, the effective doses and
      wavelengths, the responsiveness of different human skin cells, the magnitude of
      inter-individual differences and the potential influence of age. We utilised
      isogenic keratinocytes, microvascular endothelial cells, melanocytes and
      fibroblasts isolated from 36 human skins ranging from neonates to 86 years old.
      We show that keratinocytes and microvascular endothelial cells show greatest NO
      release following biologically relevant doses of UV-A. This was consistent across
      multiple neonatal donors and the effect is maintained in adult keratinocytes. Our
      observations are consistent with a bi-phasic mechanism by which UV-A can trigger
      vasodilatory effects. Analyses of NO-production spectra adds further evidence
      that nitrites in skin cells are the source of UV-mediated NO release. These
      potentially positive effects of ultraviolet radiation lend support for objective
      assessment of environmental influence on human health and the idea of "healthy
      sun exposure".

PMID- 28894214
TI  - The Novel Compound Sul-121 Preserves Endothelial Function and Inhibits
      Progression of Kidney Damage in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Mice.
AB  - Diabetic nephropathy is still a common complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM) and improvement of endothelial dysfunction (ED) and inhibition of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) are considered important targets for new therapies.
      Recently, we developed a new class of compounds (Sul compounds) which inhibit
      mitochondrial ROS production. Here, we tested the therapeutic effects of Sul-121
      on ED and kidney damage in experimental T2DM. Diabetic db/db and lean mice were
      implanted with osmotic pumps delivering Sul-121 (2.2 mg/kg/day) or vehicle from
      age 10 to 18 weeks. Albuminuria, blood pressure, endothelial mediated relaxation,
      renal histology, plasma creatinine, and H2O2 levels were assessed. Sul-121
      prevented progression of albuminuria and attenuated kidney damage in db/db, as
      evidenced by lower glomerular fibronectin expression (~50%), decreased focal
      glomerular sclerosis score (~40%) and normalization of glomerular size and kidney
      weight. Further, Sul-121 restored endothelium mediated vasorelaxation through
      increased production of Nitric Oxide production and normalized plasma H2O2
      levels. Sul-121 treatment in lean mice demonstrated no observable major side
      effects, indicating that Sul-121 is well tolerated. Our data show that Sul-121
      inhibits progression of diabetic kidney damage via a mechanism that involves
      restoration of endothelial function and attenuation of oxidative stress.

PMID- 28894215
TI  - Gene expression of NOX family members and their clinical significance in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase complex-derived
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) promote chronic liver inflammation and remodeling
      that can drive hepatocellular carcinoma development. The role of NOX expression
      in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been partially investigated; however, the
      clinical relevance of collective or individual NOX family member expression for
      HCC survival remains unclear. Here, we obtained NOX mRNA expression data for 377
      HCC samples and 21 normal liver controls from the TCGA data portal and performed
      Kaplan-Meier survival, gene ontology functional enrichment, and gene set
      enrichment analyses. Although most NOX genes exhibited little change, some were
      significantly induced in HCC compared to that in normal controls. In addition,
      HCC survival analyses indicated better overall survival in patients with high
      NOX4 and DUOX1 expression, whereas patients with high NOX1/2/5 expression showed
      poor prognoses. Gene-neighbour and gene set enrichment analyses revealed that
      NOX1/2/5 were strongly correlated with genes associated with cancer cell survival
      and metastasis, whereas increased NOX4 and DUOX1 expression was associated with
      genes that inhibit tumour progression. On the basis of these data, NOX family
      gene expression analysis could be a predictor of survival and identify putative
      therapeutic targets in HCC.

PMID- 28894216
TI  - Correlative Evaluation of Mental and Physical Workload of Laparoscopic Surgeons
      Based on Surface Electromyography and Eye-tracking Signals.
AB  - Surgeons' mental and physical workloads are major focuses of operating room (OR)
      ergonomics, and studies on this topic have generally focused on either mental
      workload or physical workload, ignoring the interaction between them. Previous
      studies have shown that physically demanding work may affect mental performance
      and may be accompanied by impaired mental processing and decreased performance.
      In this study, 14 participants were recruited to perform laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy (LC) procedures in a virtual simulator. Surface electromyography
      (sEMG) signals of the bilateral trapezius, bicipital, brachioradialis and flexor
      carpi ulnaris (FCU) muscles and eye-tracking signals were acquired during the
      experiment. The results showed that the least square means of muscle activity
      during the LC phases of surgery in an all-participants mixed effects model were
      0.79, 0.81, and 0.98, respectively. The observed muscle activities in the
      different phases exhibited some similarity, while marked differences were found
      between the forearm bilateral muscles. Regarding mental workload, significant
      differences were observed in pupil dilation between the three phases of
      laparoscopic surgery. The mental and physical workloads of laparoscopic surgeons
      do not appear to be generally correlated, although a few significant negative
      correlations were found. This result further indicates that mental fatigue does
      markedly interfere with surgeons' operating movements.

PMID- 28894217
TI  - The FAAH inhibitor URB597 suppresses hippocampal maximal dentate afterdischarges
      and restores seizure-induced impairment of short and long-term synaptic
      plasticity.
AB  - Synthetic cannabinoids and phytocannabinoids have been shown to suppress seizures
      both in humans and experimental models of epilepsy. However, they generally have
      a detrimental effect on memory and memory-related processes. Here we compared the
      effect of the inhibition of the endocannabinoid (eCB) degradation versus
      synthetic CB agonist on limbic seizures induced by maximal dentate activation
      (MDA) acute kindling. Moreover, we investigated the dentate gyrus (DG) granule
      cell reactivity and synaptic plasticity in naive and in MDA-kindled anaesthetised
      rats. We found that both the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597
      and the synthetic cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 displayed AM251-sensitive anti
      seizure effects. WIN55,212-2, dose-dependently (0.5-2 mg/kg, i.p.) impaired short
      term plasticity (STP) and long-term potentiation (LTP) at perforant path-DG
      synapses in naive rats. Strikingly, URB597 (1 mg/kg, i.p.) was devoid of any
      deleterious effects in normal conditions, while it prevented seizure-induced
      alterations of both STP and LTP. Our evidence indicates that boosting the eCB
      tone rather than general CB1 activation might represent a potential strategy for
      the development of a new class of drugs for treatment of both seizures and
      comorbid memory impairments associated with epilepsy.

PMID- 28894218
TI  - Lactate-utilizing community is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis in
      colicky infants.
AB  - The aetiology of colic, a functional gastrointestinal disorder in infants, is not
      yet resolved. Different mechanisms have been suggested involving the gut
      microbiota and intermediate metabolites such as lactate. Lactate can be
      metabolized by lactate-utilizing bacteria (LUB) to form different end-products.
      Using a functional approach, we hypothesized that H2 production and accumulation
      by LUB is associated with the development of colic. The LUB communities in the
      feces of forty infants, including eight colicky infants, were characterized using
      a combination of culture- and molecular-based methods, and metabolite
      concentrations were measured by HPLC. Interactions among LUB strains isolated
      from feces were investigated with pure and mixed cultures using anaerobic
      techniques. We emphasized high prevalence of crying, flatulence, colic and
      positive correlations thereof in the first 3 months of life. Crying infants
      showed significantly higher ratio of LUB non-sulfate-reducing bacteria (LUB non
      SRB) (H2-producer), to LUB SRB (H2-utilizer) at 3 months. Colicky infants had
      significantly higher number of H2-producing Eubacterium hallii at 2 weeks
      compared to non-colicky infants. We revealed the function of Desulfovibrio piger
      and Eubacterium limosum to reduce H2 accumulation in co-cultures with H2
      producing Veillonella ratti. Our data suggest that the balance between H2
      producing and H2-utilizing LUB might contribute to colic symptoms.

PMID- 28894219
TI  - Control of antiferromagnetic spin axis orientation in bilayer Fe/CuMnAs films.
AB  - Using x-ray magnetic circular and linear dichroism techniques, we demonstrate a
      collinear exchange coupling between an epitaxial antiferromagnet, tetragonal
      CuMnAs, and an Fe surface layer. A small uncompensated Mn magnetic moment is
      observed which is antiparallel to the Fe magnetization. The staggered
      magnetization of the 5 nm thick CuMnAs layer is rotatable under small magnetic
      fields, due to the interlayer exchange coupling. This allows us to obtain the x
      ray magnetic linear dichroism spectra for different crystalline orientations of
      CuMnAs in the (001) plane. This is a key parameter for enabling the understanding
      of domain structures in CuMnAs imaged using x-ray magnetic linear dichroism
      microscopy techniques.

PMID- 28894220
TI  - Binding modes of environmental endocrine disruptors to human serum albumin:
      insights from STD-NMR, ITC, spectroscopic and molecular docking studies.
AB  - Given that bisphenols have an endocrine-disrupting effect on human bodies,
      thoroughly exposing their potential effects at the molecular level is important.
      Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR-based binding studies were performed to
      investigate the binding potential of two bisphenol representatives, namely,
      bisphenol B (BPB) and bisphenol E (BPE), toward human serum albumin (HSA). The
      relative STD (%) suggested that BPB and BPE show similar binding modes and
      orientations, in which the phenolic rings were spatially close to HSA binding
      site. ITC analysis results showed that BPB and BPE were bound to HSA with
      moderately strong binding affinity through electrostatic interactions and
      hydrogen bonds. The order of binding affinity of HSA for two test bisphenols is
      as follows: BPE > BPB. The results of fluorescence competitive experiments using
      5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonamide and dansylsarcosine as competitors,
      combined with molecular docking indicated that both bisphenols are prone to
      attach to the binding site II in HSA. Spectroscopic results (FT-IR, CD,
      synchronous and 3D fluorescence spectra) showed that BPB/BPE induces different
      degrees of microenvironmental and conformational changes to HSA.

PMID- 28894221
TI  - Temperature-Controlled Direct Imprinting of Ag Ionic Ink: Flexible Metal Grid
      Transparent Conductors with Enhanced Electromechanical Durability.
AB  - Next-generation transparent conductors (TCs) require excellent electromechanical
      durability under mechanical deformations as well as high electrical conductivity
      and transparency. Here we introduce a method for the fabrication of highly
      conductive, low-porosity, flexible metal grid TCs via temperature-controlled
      direct imprinting (TCDI) of Ag ionic ink. The TCDI technique based on two-step
      heating is capable of not only stably capturing the Ag ionic ink, but also
      reducing the porosity of thermally decomposed Ag nanoparticle structures by
      eliminating large amounts of organic complexes. The porosity reduction of metal
      grid TCs on a glass substrate leads to a significant decrease of the sheet
      resistance from 21.5 to 5.5 Omega sq-1 with an optical transmittance of 91% at
      lambda = 550 nm. The low-porosity metal grid TCs are effectively embedded to
      uniform, thin and transparent polymer films with negligible resistance changes
      from the glass substrate having strong interfacial fracture energy (~8.2 J m-2).
      Finally, as the porosity decreases, the flexible metal grid TCs show a
      significantly enhanced electromechanical durability under bending stresses.
      Organic light-emitting diodes based on the flexible metal grid TCs as anode
      electrodes are demonstrated.

PMID- 28894222
TI  - Discovery of carotenoid red-shift in endolithic cyanobacteria from the Atacama
      Desert.
AB  - The biochemical responses of rock-inhabiting cyanobacteria towards native
      environmental stresses were observed in vivo in one of the Earth's most
      challenging extreme climatic environments. The cryptoendolithic cyanobacterial
      colonization, dominated by Chroococcidiopsis sp., was studied in an ignimbrite at
      a high altitude volcanic area in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Change in the
      carotenoid composition (red-shift) within a transect through the cyanobacteria
      dominant microbial community (average thickness ~1 mm) was unambiguously revealed
      in their natural endolithic microhabitat. The amount of red shifted carotenoid,
      observed for the first time in a natural microbial ecosystem, is depth dependent,
      and increased with increasing proximity to the rock surface, as proven by
      resonance Raman imaging and point resonance Raman profiling. It is attributed to
      a light-dependent change in carotenoid conjugation, associated with the light
      adaptation strategy of cyanobacteria. A hypothesis is proposed for the possible
      role of an orange carotenoid protein (OCP) mediated non-photochemical quenching
      (NPQ) mechanism that influences the observed spectral behavior. Simultaneously,
      information about the distribution of scytonemin and phycobiliproteins was
      obtained. Scytonemin was detected in the uppermost cyanobacteria aggregates. A
      reverse signal intensity gradient of phycobiliproteins was registered, increasing
      with deeper positions as a response of the cyanobacterial light harvesting
      complex to low-light conditions.

PMID- 28894223
TI  - Long-term Administration of Nuclear Bile Acid Receptor FXR Agonist Prevents
      Spontaneous Hepatocarcinogenesis in Abcb4-/- Mice.
AB  - Altered bile acid (BA) signaling is associated with hepatotoxicity. The farnesoid
      X receptor (FXR) is a nuclear receptor that transcriptionally regulates BA
      homeostasis. Mice with FXR ablation present hepatocarcinoma (HCC) due to high
      toxic BA levels. Mice with Abcb4 ablation accumulate toxic BA within the bile
      ducts and present HCC. We have previously shown that intestinal specific
      activation of FXR by transgenic VP16-FXR chimera is able to reduce BA pool size
      and prevent HCC. Here we tested chemical FXR activation by administering for 15
      months the dual FXR/ membrane G protein-coupled receptor (TGR5) agonist INT-767
      (6alpha-ethyl-3alpha,7alpha,23-trihydroxy-24-nor-5beta-cholan-23-sulphate) to Fxr
      /- and Abcb4-/- mice. HCC number and size were significantly reduced by INT-767
      administration. In contrast, no changes in HCC tumor number and size were
      observed in Fxr-/- mice fed with or without INT-767. Notably, INT-767 preserved
      the hepatic parenchyma, improved hepatic function and down-regulated pro
      inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, in Abcb4-/- mice INT-767 prevented fibrosis by
      reducing collagen expression and deposition. Thus, long term activation of FXR is
      able to reduce BA pool, reprogram BA metabolism and prevent HCC. These data
      provide the impetus to address the bona fide therapeutic potential of FXR
      activation in disease with BA-associated development of HCC.

PMID- 28894224
TI  - Associations between aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 genetic
      polymorphisms, lifestyles and hypertension risk in Chinese Han people.
AB  - Hypertension is a multiple factor disease which was influenced by gene,
      environment, and lifestyle. Several studies confirmed that the ALDH2 rs671
      polymorphism is associated with hypertension. However, the evidence remains
      inconclusive. Whether lifestyle affects blood pressure in different genotype
      groups have not been clarified, either. The subjects were adult Chinese Han
      people who received health examination in the period from December 2014 to
      December 2015. Detection of the ALDH2 r671 polymorphism was determined by
      polymerase chain reaction. Lifestyle data were collected using self-administered
      questionnaires. Basic characteristics and fasting venous blood sample were
      collected at baseline. 4018 subjects were eligible for participation.The
      frequencies of the ALDH2 rs671 genotype were 68.67% (GG), 28.67%(GL), 2.66%(LL),
      respectively. Pepole who harbored the L allele were less likely to develop
      incident hypertension. There was a significant association between food frequency
      and hypertension in the L genotype group. Fried food intake was significantly
      increased the risk of hypertension in the L genotype group. Our study suggested
      that ALDH2 rs671 L-genotypes are protective factors for hypertension in Han
      Chinese. Consumption of fried food accelerated the development of hypertension in
      individuals with poor metabolism of acetaldehyde.

PMID- 28894225
TI  - A signal-on built in-marker electrochemical aptasensor for human prostate
      specific antigen based on a hairbrush-like gold nanostructure.
AB  - A green electrodeposition method was firstly employed for the synthesis of round
      hairbrush-like gold nanostructure in the presence of cadaverine as a size and
      shape directing additive. The nanostructure which comprised of arrays of
      nanospindles was then applied as a transducer to fabricate a signal-on built in
      marker electrochemical aptasensor for the detection of human prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA). The aptasensor detected PSA with a linear concentration range of
      0.125 to 128 ng mL-1 and a limit of detection of 50 pg mL-1. The aptasensor was
      then successfully applied to detect PSA in the blood serum samples of healthy and
      patient persons.

PMID- 28894226
TI  - Assessing the ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces along urban
      center-edge gradients.
AB  - Urban green spaces provide various ecosystem services, especially cultural
      services. Previous assessment methods depend either on hypothetic payments for
      ecosystems or real payments not directly related to ecosystems. In this paper, we
      established a method for assessing the cultural ecosystem services in any
      location in urban area using only two variables, green space (ecosystem) and land
      rent (real payment). We integrated the cultural and the regulating services into
      the total ecosystem services because urban green spaces provide almost no
      provisioning services. Results showed that the same area of green spaces near the
      center provided much higher cultural services than that near the urban edge; the
      regulating services accounted for 5% to 40% of the total ecosystem services from
      the center to the edge of urban area; along the center-edge gradient, there was a
      threshold out which the ecosystem services were lower than the maintenance cost
      of green spaces.

PMID- 28894227
TI  - Generation of convergent light beams by using surface plasmon locked Smith
      Purcell radiation.
AB  - An electron bunch passing through a periodic metal grating can emit Smith-Purcell
      radiation (SPR). Recently, it has been found that SPR can be locked and enhanced
      at some emission wavelength and angle by excitation of surface plasmon (SP) on
      the metal substrate. In this work, the generation of a convergent light beam via
      using the SP-locked SPR is proposed and investigated by computer simulations. The
      proposed structure is composed of an insulator-metal-insulator (IMI) substrate
      with chirped gratings on the substrate. The chirped gratings are designed such
      that a convergent beam containing a single wavelength is formed directly above
      the gratings when an electron bunch passes beneath the substrate. The wavelength
      of the convergent beam changes with the refractive index of dielectric layer of
      the IMI structure, which is determined by the frequency of SP on the IMI
      substrate excited by the electron bunch. Moreover, reversing the direction of
      electron bunch will make the emitted light from the proposed structure to switch
      from a convergent beam to a divergent beam. Finally, the formation of a
      convergent beam containing red, green and blue lights just above the chirped
      gratings is also demonstrated. This work offers potential applications in the
      fields of optical imaging, optical beam steering, holography, microdisplay,
      cryptography and light source.

PMID- 28894228
TI  - Ascorbic acid tethered polymeric nanoparticles enable efficient brain delivery of
      galantamine: An in vitro-in vivo study.
AB  - The aim of this work was to enhance the transportation of the galantamine to the
      brain via ascorbic acid grafted PLGA-b-PEG nanoparticles (NPs) using SVCT2
      transporters of choroid plexus. PLGA-b-PEG copolymer was synthesized and
      characterized by 1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning
      calorimetry. PLGA-b-PEG-NH2 and PLGA-b-mPEG NPs were prepared by
      nanoprecipitation method. PLGA-b-PEG NPs with desirable size, polydispersity, and
      drug loading were used for the conjugation with ascorbic acid (PLGA-b-PEG-Asc) to
      facilitate SVCT2 mediated transportation of the same into the brain. The surface
      functionalization of NPs with ascorbic acid significantly increased cellular
      uptake of NPs in SVCT2 expressing NIH/3T3 cells as compared to plain PLGA and
      PLGA-b-mPEG NPs. In vivo pharmacodynamic efficacy was evaluated using Morris
      Water Maze Test, Radial Arm Maze Test and AChE activity in scopolamine induced
      amnetic rats. In vivo pharmacodynamic studies demonstrated significantly higher
      therapeutic and sustained action by drug loaded PLGA-b-PEG-Asc NPs than free
      drugs and drug loaded plain PLGA as well as PLGA-b-mPEG NPs. Additionally, PLGA-b
      PEG-Asc NPs resulted in significantly higher biodistribution of the drug to the
      brain than other formulations. Hence, the results suggested that targeting of
      bioactives to the brain by ascorbic acid grafted PLGA-b-PEG NPs is a promising
      approach.

PMID- 28894229
TI  - VEGF expression correlates with neuronal differentiation and predicts a favorable
      prognosis in patients with neuroblastoma.
AB  - Neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood cancer with a low survival rate and great
      metastatic potential. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an angiogenesis
      factor, has been found to be involved in CRT-related neuronal differentiation of
      NB cells. In this study, we further confirmed the role VEGF in NB through mouse
      xenograft model and clinical analysis from NB patients. In xenograft experiments,
      CRT overexpression effectively inhibited the tumor growth. In addition, the mRNA
      and protein levels of VEGF and differentiation marker GAP-43 were upregulated by
      induced CRT expression. However, no significant correlation between the
      expression level of VEGF and microvessel density was observed in human NB tumors,
      suggesting a novel mechanism of VEGF participating in NB tumorigenesis through an
      angiogenesis-independent pathway. In NB patients' samples, mRNA expression levels
      of CRT and VEGF were positively correlated. Furthermore, positive VEGF expression
      by immunostaining of NB tumors was found to correlate well with histological
      grade of differentiation and predicted a favorable prognosis. In conclusion, our
      findings suggest that VEGF is a favorable prognostic factor of NB and might
      affect NB tumor behavior through CRT-driven neuronal differentiation rather than
      angiogenesis that might shed light on a novel therapeutic strategy to improve the
      outcome of NB.

PMID- 28894230
TI  - Light guiding and switching using eccentric core-shell geometries.
AB  - High Refractive Index (HRI) dielectric nanoparticles have been proposed as an
      alternative to metallic ones due to their low absorption and magnetodielectric
      response in the VIS and NIR ranges. For the latter, important scattering
      directionality effects can be obtained. Also, systems constituted by dimers of
      HRI dielectric nanoparticles have shown to produce switching effects by playing
      with the polarization, frequency or intensity of the incident radiation. Here, we
      show that scattering directionality effects can be achieved with a single
      eccentric metallo-HRI dielectric core-shell nanoparticle. As an example, the
      effect of the metallic core displacements for a single Ag-Si core-shell
      nanoparticle has been analyzed. We report rotation of the main scattering lobe
      either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the polarization of the
      incident radiation leading to new scattering configurations for switching
      purposes. Also, the efficiency of the scattering directionality can be enhanced.
      Finally, chains of these scattering units have shown good radiation guiding
      effects, and for 1D periodic arrays, redirection of diffracted intensity can be
      observed as a consequence of blazing effects. The proposed scattering units
      constitute new blocks for building systems for optical communications, solar
      energy harvesting devices and light guiding at the nanoscale level.

PMID- 28894231
TI  - Development of Monetary and Social Reward Processes.
AB  - The current study investigated monetary and social reward processing in children,
      adolescents and adults with adapted incentive-delay tasks and self-report
      questionnaires. Both tasks had three levels of reward magnitudes (no, low, and
      high). Qualified participants received 15 Chinese Yuan and an honor certificate
      as monetary and social rewards, respectively. The results indicated that both
      monetary and social rewards effectively speeded up responses for all three age
      groups as reward magnitude increased in the choice reaction time task. Among
      adolescents and adults, males exhibited faster responses in high reward than in
      low reward condition, while females responded equally fast in both conditions.
      Among children, girls responded faster to high reward than low reward condition.
      However, boys committed more errors than girls in low and high reward conditions,
      and they had exhibited more errors in high reward than that in no reward
      condition for social reward. Regarding the subjective ratings, both children and
      adolescents reported higher motivation for social reward than for monetary
      reward. These findings indicated that the males in the adolescent and adult
      groups were more sensitive to reward than were the females. Moreover, tangible
      and quantitative social reward had stronger incentive power than monetary reward
      among children and adolescents.

PMID- 28894232
TI  - Antennal transcriptome and expression analyses of olfactory genes in the
      sweetpotato weevil Cylas formicarius.
AB  - The sweetpotato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fabricius), is a serious pest of
      sweetpotato. Olfaction-based approaches, such as use of synthetic sex pheromones
      to monitor populations and the bait-and-kill method to eliminate males, have been
      applied successfully for population management of C. formicarius. However, the
      molecular basis of olfaction in C. formicarius remains unknown. In this study, we
      produced antennal transcriptomes from males and females of C. formicarius using
      high-throughput sequencing to identify gene families associated with odorant
      detection. A total of 54 odorant receptors (ORs), 11 gustatory receptors (GRs),
      15 ionotropic receptors (IRs), 3 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 33
      odorant binding proteins (OBPs), and 12 chemosensory proteins (CSPs) were
      identified. Tissue-specific expression patterns revealed that all 54 ORs and 11
      antennal IRs, one SNMP, and three OBPs were primarily expressed in antennae,
      suggesting their putative roles in olfaction. Sex-specific expression patterns of
      these antenna-predominant genes suggest that they have potential functions in
      sexual behaviors. This study provides a framework for understanding olfaction in
      coleopterans as well as future strategies for controlling the sweetpotato weevil
      pest.

PMID- 28894233
TI  - A pH-dependent Antibacterial Peptide Release Nano-system Blocks Tumor Growth in
      vivo without Toxicity.
AB  - In this study, we designed a nano-system where a novel antibacterial peptide RGD
      hylin a1 with reduced hemolysis than the commonly studied melittin was loaded
      onto mesoporous silica (HMS). We found out that the designed nano-system, RGD
      hylin a1-HMS, released RGD-hylin a1 in a pH-dependent manner. It caused apoptosis
      of cancer cells at low dosage of the antibacterial peptide at pH = 5.5, but was
      safe to the cells at pH = 7. The hemolytic activity of RGD-hylin a1 itself was
      reduced by 50~100% by the nano-system depending on the dosage. When this nano
      system was administered to tumor-bearing mice at low dosage via intravenous
      injection, the growth of the solid tumor was blocked by the RGD-hylin a1-HMS nano
      system with a 50-60% inhibition rate relative to the PBS-treated control group in
      terms of tumor volume and weight. Further, the hemolytic activity of RGD-hylin a1
      was completely eliminated within the delivery system with no other side effects
      observed. This study demonstrates that this smart pH-dependent antibacterial
      peptide release nano-system has superior potential for solid tumor treatments
      through intravenous administration. This smart-releasing system has great
      potential in further clinical applications.

PMID- 28894234
TI  - Elevated UMOD methylation level in peripheral blood is associated with gout risk.
AB  - Uromodulin (UMOD) encodes an uromodulin glycoprotein, and its mutation results in
      uromodulin glycoprotein dysfunction and the occurrence of gout. The aim of our
      study was to assess whether UMOD methylation could predict the risk of gout. A
      total of 89 sporadic gout cases and 103 age and gender-matched healthy controls
      were recruited in this study. UMOD methylation level was determined by
      quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) in peripheral blood, and the
      percentage of methylated reference (PMR) was described to represent the
      methylation level. Our results showed that UMOD methylation was significantly
      higher in gout cases than controls (median: 1.45 versus 0.75, P < 0.001). The
      area under curve (AUC) of UMOD methylation in gout was 0.764 (P = 2.90E-10) with
      a sensitivity of 65.2% and a specificity of 88.3%. UMOD methylation level was
      shown to be significantly correlated with the serum level of uric acid (UA) (r = 
      0.208, P = 0.035). Besides, the luciferase reporter assay showed that UMOD CpG
      island region was able to upregulate gene expression (fold change = 2, P =
      0.004). In conclusion, UMOD methylation assessment might be used to predict the
      occurrence of gout.

PMID- 28894235
TI  - Temporally and spatially distinct theta oscillations dissociate a language
      specific from a domain-general processing mechanism across the age trajectory.
AB  - The cognitive functionality of neural oscillations is still highly debated, as
      different functions have been associated with identical frequency ranges. Theta
      band oscillations, for instance, were proposed to underlie both language
      comprehension and domain-general cognitive abilities. Here we show that the
      ageing brain can provide an answer to the open question whether it is one and the
      same theta oscillation underlying those functions, thereby resolving a long
      standing paradox. While better cognitive functioning is predicted by low theta
      power in the brain at rest, resting state (RS) theta power declines with age, but
      sentence comprehension deteriorates in old age. We resolve this paradox showing
      that sentence comprehension declines due to changes in RS theta power within
      domain-general brain networks known to support successful sentence comprehension,
      while low RS theta power within the left-hemispheric dorso-frontal language
      network predicts intact sentence comprehension. The two RS theta networks were
      also found to functionally decouple relative to their independent internal
      coupling. Thus, both temporally and spatially distinct RS theta oscillations
      dissociate a language-specific from a domain-general processing mechanism.

PMID- 28894237
TI  - High coercivity, anisotropic, heavy rare earth-free Nd-Fe-B by Flash Spark Plasma
      Sintering.
AB  - ABSTARCT: In the drive to reduce the critical Heavy Rare Earth (HRE) content of
      magnets for green technologies, HRE-free Nd-Fe-B has become an attractive option.
      HRE is added to Nd-Fe-B to enhance the high temperature performance of the
      magnets. To produce similar high temperature properties without HRE, a
      crystallographically textured nanoscale grain structure is ideal; and this
      conventionally requires expensive "die upset" processing routes. Here, a Flash
      Spark Plasma Sintering (FSPS) process has been applied to a Dy-free
      Nd30.0Fe61.8Co5.8Ga0.6Al0.1B0.9 melt spun powder (MQU-F, neo Magnequench). Rapid
      sinter-forging of a green compact to near theoretical density was achieved during
      the 10 s process, and therefore represents a quick and efficient means of
      producing die-upset Nd-Fe-B material. The microstructure of the FSPS samples was
      investigated by SEM and TEM imaging, and the observations were used to guide the
      optimisation of the process. The most optimal sample is compared directly to
      commercially die-upset forged (MQIII-F) material made from the same MQU-F powder.
      It is shown that the grain size of the FSPS material is halved in comparison to
      the MQIII-F material, leading to a 14% increase in coercivity (1438 kA m-1) and
      matched remanence (1.16 T) giving a BHmax of 230 kJ m-3.

PMID- 28894236
TI  - Genome-wide functional analysis reveals that autophagy is necessary for growth,
      sporulation, deoxynivalenol production and virulence in Fusarium graminearum.
AB  - Autophagy is a conserved cellular recycling and trafficking pathway in eukaryotic
      cells and has been reported to be important in the virulence of a number of
      microbial pathogens. Here, we report genome-wide identification and
      characterization of autophagy-related genes (ATGs) in the wheat pathogenic fungus
      Fusarium graminearum. We identified twenty-eight genes associated with the
      regulation and operation of autophagy in F. graminearum. Using targeted gene
      deletion, we generated a set of 28 isogenic mutants. Autophagy mutants were
      classified into two groups by differences in their growth patterns. Radial growth
      of 18 Group 1 ATG mutants was significantly reduced compared to the wild-type
      strain PH-1, while 10 Group 2 mutants grew normally. Loss of any of the ATG
      genes, except FgATG17, prevented the fungus from causing Fusarium head blight
      disease. Moreover, subsets of autophagy genes were necessary for asexual/sexual
      differentiation and deoxynivalenol (DON) production, respectively. FgATG1 and
      FgATG5 were investigated in detail and showed severe defects in autophagy. Taken
      together, we conclude that autophagy plays a critical role in growth,
      asexual/sexual sporulation, deoxynivalenol production and virulence in F.
      graminearum.

PMID- 28894238
TI  - Prevalence and causes of low vision and blindness in a Chinese population with
      type 2 diabetes: the Dongguan Eye Study.
AB  - To assess the prevalence and causes of low vision and blindness in type 2
      diabetes patients, a population-based cross-sectional study including 8952 rural
      dwelling residents aged 40 years or older from Hengli Town in Southern China was
      conducted. Participants underwent standard interviews, physical measurements,
      laboratory tests, and comprehensive eye examinations. Low vision and blindness
      were defined based on WHO criteria. Visual acuity data were available for 1348
      (89.9%) of the 1500 subjects with type 2 diabetes. Age-standardized prevalence of
      bilateral low vision and blindness assessed in the better-seeing eye was 2.9%
      (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.0-3.8) and 0.7% (95% CI: 0.2-1.1) based on best
      corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Cataracts were the primary cause of low vision
      and blindness. Visual impairment was associated with age (odds ratio [OR]: 3.73,
      95% CI: 2.39-5.83), education level (OR: 3.21, 95% CI: 1.63-6.29), duration of
      diabetes (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.04-1.25) and body mass index (OR: 0.86, 95% CI:
      0.77-0.95). Our data suggest that approximately 70% of visual impairment in this
      diabetic population could be eliminated with appropriate cataract surgery or
      spectacle correction. Greater consideration should be given to older type 2
      diabetes patients with a level of lower education.

PMID- 28894239
TI  - Dissecting the link between the enzymatic activity and the SaPI inducing capacity
      of the phage 80alpha dUTPase.
AB  - The trimeric staphylococcal phage-encoded dUTPases (Duts) are signalling
      molecules that induce the cycle of some Staphylococcal pathogenicity islands
      (SaPIs) by binding to the SaPI-encoded Stl repressor. To perform this regulatory
      role, these Duts require an extra motif VI, as well as the Dut conserved motifs
      IV and V. While the apo form of Dut is required for the interaction with the Stl
      repressor, usually only those Duts with normal enzymatic activity can induce the
      SaPI cycle. To understand the link between the enzymatic activities and inducing
      capacities of the Dut protein, we analysed the structural, biochemical and
      physiological characteristics of the Dut80alpha D95E mutant, which loses the SaPI
      cycle induction capacity despite retaining enzymatic activity. Asp95 is located
      at the threefold central channel of the trimeric Dut where it chelates a divalent
      ion. Here, using state-of-the-art techniques, we demonstrate that D95E mutation
      has an epistatic effect on the motifs involved in Stl binding. Thus, ion binding
      in the central channel correlates with the capacity of motif V to twist and order
      in the SaPI-inducing disposition, while the tip of motif VI is disturbed. These
      alterations in turn reduce the affinity for the Stl repressor and the capacity to
      induce the SaPI cycle.

PMID- 28894240
TI  - Understanding of multi-level resistive switching mechanism in GeOx through redox
      reaction in H2O2/sarcosine prostate cancer biomarker detection.
AB  - Formation-free multi-level resistive switching characteristics by using 10 nm
      thick polycrystalline GeOx film in a simple W/GeOx/W structure and understanding
      of switching mechanism through redox reaction in H2O2/sarcosine sensing (or
      changing Ge degrees /Ge4+ oxidation states under external bias) have been
      reported for the first time. Oxidation states of Ge0/Ge4+ are confirmed by both
      XPS and H2O2 sensing of GeOx membrane in electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor
      structure. Highly repeatable 1000 dc cycles and stable program/erase (P/E)
      endurance of >106 cycles at a small pulse width of 100 ns are achieved at a low
      operation current of 0.1 uA. The thickness of GeOx layer is found to be increased
      to 12.5 nm with the reduction of polycrystalline grain size of <7 nm after P/E of
      106 cycles, which is observed by high-resolution TEM. The switching mechanism is
      explored through redox reaction in GeOx membrane by sensing 1 nM H2O2, which is
      owing to the change of oxidation states from Ge0 to Ge4+ because of the enhanced
      O2- ions migration in memory device under external bias. In addition, sarcosine
      as a prostate cancer biomarker with low concentration of 50 pM to 10 uM is also
      detected.

PMID- 28894241
TI  - An enhanced electrochemical and cycling properties of novel boronic Ionic liquid
      based ternary gel polymer electrolytes for rechargeable Li/LiCoO2 cells.
AB  - A new generation of boronic ionic liquid namely 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
      difluoro(oxalate)borate (EMImDFOB) was synthesized by metathesis reaction between
      1-ethyl-3-methylimiazolium bromide and lithium difluoro(oxalate)borate (LiDFOB).
      Ternary gel polymer electrolyte membranes were prepared using electrolyte mixture
      EMImDFOB/LiDFOB with poly vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-co-HFP)
      as a host matrix by facile solvent-casting method and plausibly demonstrated its
      feasibility to use in lithium ion batteries. Amongst ternary gel electrolyte
      membrane, DFOB-GPE3, which contained 80 wt% of EMImDFOB/LiDFOB and 20 wt% PVdF-co
      HFP, showed excellent electrochemical and cycling behaviors. The highest ionic
      conductivity was found to be 10-3 Scm-1 at 378 K. Charge-discharge profile of
      Li/DFOB-GPE3/LiCoO2 coin cell displayed a maximum discharge capacity of 148.4
      mAhg-1 at C/10 rate with impressive capacity retention capability and columbic
      efficiency at 298 K.

PMID- 28894242
TI  - Complementary ACSL isoforms contribute to a non-Warburg advantageous energetic
      status characterizing invasive colon cancer cells.
AB  - Metabolic reprogramming is one of cancer hallmarks. Here, we focus on functional
      differences and individual contribution of acyl coA synthetases (ACSL) isoforms
      to the previously described ACSL/stearoyl-CoA desaturase (ACSL1/ACSL4/SCD)
      metabolic network causing invasion and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC).
      ACSL4 fuels proliferation and migration accompanied by a more glycolytic
      phenotype. Conversely, ACSL1 stimulates invasion displaying a lower basal
      respiratory rate. Acylcarnitines elevation, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
      lower levels, and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) upregulation characterize
      the individual overexpression of ACSL1, ACSL4 and SCD, respectively. However, the
      three enzymes simultaneous overexpression results in upregulated phospholipids
      and urea cycle derived metabolites. Thus, the metabolic effects caused by the
      network are far from being caused by the individual contributions of each enzyme.
      Furthermore, ACSL/SCD network produces more energetically efficient cells with
      lower basal respiration levels and upregulated creatine pathway. These features
      characterize other invasive CRC cells, thus, ACSL/SCD network exemplifies
      specific metabolic adaptations for invasive cancer cells.

PMID- 28894243
TI  - High-Capacitance Hybrid Supercapacitor Based on Multi-Colored Fluorescent Carbon
      Dots.
AB  - Multi-colored, water soluble fluorescent carbon nanodots (C-Dots) with quantum
      yield changing from 4.6 to 18.3% were synthesized in multi-gram using dated cola
      beverage through a simple thermal synthesis method and implemented as conductive
      and ion donating supercapacitor component. Various properties of C-Dots,
      including size, crystal structure, morphology and surface properties along with
      their Raman and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra were analyzed and
      compared by means of their fluorescence and electronic properties. alpha
      Manganese Oxide-Polypyrrole (PPy) nanorods decorated with C-Dots were further
      conducted as anode materials in a supercapacitor. Reduced graphene oxide was used
      as cathode along with the dicationic bis-imidazolium based ionic liquid in order
      to enhance the charge transfer and wetting capacity of electrode surfaces. For
      this purpose, we used octyl-bis(3-methylimidazolium)diiodide (C8H16BImI)
      synthesized by N-alkylation reaction as liquid ionic membrane electrolyte.
      Paramagnetic resonance and impedance spectroscopy have been undertaken in order
      to understand the origin of the performance of hybrid capacitor in more depth. In
      particular, we obtained high capacitance value (C = 17.3 MUF/cm2) which is
      exceptionally related not only the quality of synthesis but also the choice of
      electrode and electrolyte materials. Moreover, each component used in the
      construction of the hybrid supercapacitor is also played a key role to achieve
      high capacitance value.

PMID- 28894245
TI  - An extremely simple macroscale electronic skin realized by deep machine learning.
AB  - Complicated structures consisting of multi-layers with a multi-modal array of
      device components, i.e., so-called patterned multi-layers, and their
      corresponding circuit designs for signal readout and addressing are used to
      achieve a macroscale electronic skin (e-skin). In contrast to this common
      approach, we realized an extremely simple macroscale e-skin only by employing a
      single-layered piezoresistive MWCNT-PDMS composite film with neither nano-, micro
      , nor macro-patterns. It is the deep machine learning that made it possible to
      let such a simple bulky material play the role of a smart sensory device. A deep
      neural network (DNN) enabled us to process electrical resistance change induced
      by applied pressure and thereby to instantaneously evaluate the pressure level
      and the exact position under pressure. The great potential of this revolutionary
      concept for the attainment of pressure-distribution sensing on a macroscale area
      could expand its use to not only e-skin applications but to other high-end
      applications such as touch panels, portable flexible keyboard, sign language
      interpreting globes, safety diagnosis of social infrastructures, and the
      diagnosis of motility and peristalsis disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 28894246
TI  - The Vicissicaudata revisited - insights from a new aglaspidid arthropod with
      caudal appendages from the Furongian of China.
AB  - Cambrian marine ecosystems were dominated by arthropods, and more specifically
      artiopods. Aglaspidids represent an atypical group amongst them, not the least
      because they evolved and rapidly diversified during the late Cambrian, a time
      interval between the two diversification events of the Early Palaeozoic. Recent
      phylogenetic analyses have retrieved aglaspidids within the Vicissicaudata, a
      potentially important, but difficult to define clade of artiopods. Here we
      describe a new aglaspidid from the Furongian Guole Konservat-Lagerstatte of South
      China. This taxon displays a pretelsonic segment bearing non-walking appendages,
      features as-yet known in all vicissicaudatans, but aglaspidids. A new
      comprehensive phylogenetic analysis provides strong support for the legitimacy of
      a monophyletic clade Vicissicaudata, and demonstrates the pertinence of new
      characters to define Aglaspidida. It also motivates important changes to the
      systematics of the phylum, including the elevation of Artiopoda to the rank of
      subphylum, and the establishment of a new superclass Vicissicaudata and a new
      aglaspidid family Tremaglaspididae. Two diversification pulses can be recognized
      in the early history of artiopods - one in the early Cambrian (trilobitomorphs)
      and the other in the late Cambrian (vicissicaudatans). The discrepancy between
      this pattern and that traditionally depicted for marine invertebrates in the
      Early Palaeozoic is discussed.

PMID- 28894244
TI  - Impact of protein O-GlcNAcylation on neural tube malformation in diabetic
      embryopathy.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus in early pregnancy can cause neural tube defects (NTDs) in
      embryos by perturbing protein activity, causing cellular stress, and increasing
      programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the tissues required for neurulation.
      Hyperglycemia augments a branch pathway in glycolysis, the hexosamine
      biosynthetic pathway (HBP), to increase uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine
      (UDP-GlcNAc). GlcNAc can be added to proteins by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) to
      regulate protein activity. In the embryos of diabetic mice, OGT is highly
      activated in association with increases in global protein O-GlcNAcylation. In
      neural stem cells in vitro, high glucose elevates O-GlcNAcylation and reactive
      oxygen species, but the elevations can be suppressed by an OGT inhibitor.
      Inhibition of OGT in diabetic pregnant mice in vivo decreases NTD rate in the
      embryos. This effect is associated with reduction in global O-GlcNAcylation,
      alleviation of intracellular stress, and decreases in apoptosis in the embryos.
      These suggest that OGT plays an important role in diabetic embryopathy via
      increasing protein O-GlcNAcylation, and that inhibiting OGT could be a candidate
      approach to prevent birth defects in diabetic pregnancies.

PMID- 28894247
TI  - Interface topology for distinguishing stages of sintering.
AB  - Sintering is a common process during which nanoparticles and microparticles are
      bonded, leading to the shrinkage of interstitial pore space. Understanding
      morphological evolution during sintering is a challenge, because pore structures
      are elusive and very complex. A topological model of sintering is presented here,
      providing insight for understanding 3-D microstructures observed by X-ray
      microtomography. We find that the topological evolution is described by Euler
      characteristics as a function of relative density. The result is general, and
      applicable not only to viscous sintering of glasses but also to sintering of
      crystalline particles. It provides criteria to distinguish the stages of
      sintering, and the foundations to identify the range of applicability of the
      methods for determining the thermodynamic driving force of sintering.

PMID- 28894248
TI  - Chronic treatment with Tempol during acquisition or withdrawal from CPP abolishes
      the expression of cocaine reward and diminishes oxidative damage.
AB  - In previous studies, we reported that pretreatment with the antioxidant Tempol
      attenuated the development and expression of cocaine-induced psychomotor
      sensitization in rats and diminished cocaine-induced oxidative stress (OS) in the
      prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc), suggesting a potential role
      for Tempol in interfering with cocaine-related psychomotor sensitization. The aim
      of the current study was to examine the role of Tempol in reward and
      reinforcement using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. We found
      that administration of Tempol during the conditioning session abolished the
      expression of cocaine-induced CPP. We also found that OS was significantly
      elevated following the establishment of CPP, and that cocaine-induced OS was
      significantly diminished by pretreatment with Tempol during conditioning.
      Furthermore, we found that repeated, but not single, administration of Tempol for
      seven days during withdrawal from CPP resulted in significant attenuation in the
      expression of CPP. Moreover, Tempol did not affect the expression of food reward.
      Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the involvement of Tempol in
      regulating cocaine rewarding properties without affecting natural rewards. Since
      Tempol was found to be effective in reducing OS and expression of CPP following
      withdrawal, it may be a potential treatment for cocaine addiction.

PMID- 28894249
TI  - Functional characterization of Vip3Ab1 and Vip3Bc1: Two novel insecticidal
      proteins with differential activity against lepidopteran pests.
AB  - In this work, we characterized 2 novel insecticidal proteins; Vip3Ab1 and
      Vip3Bc1. These proteins display unique insecticidal spectra and have differential
      rates of processing by lepidopteran digestive enzymes. Furthermore, we have found
      that both proteins exist as tetramers in their native state before and after
      proteolysis. In addition, we expressed truncated forms and protein chimeras to
      gain a deeper understanding of toxin specificity and stability. Our study
      confirms a role for the C-terminal 65 kDa domain in directing insect specificity.
      Importantly, these data also indicate a specific interaction between the 20 kDa
      amino terminus and 65 kDa carboxy terminus, after proteolytic processing. We
      demonstrate the C-terminal 65 kDa to be labile in native proteolytic conditions
      in absence of the 20 kDa N-terminus. Thus, the 20 kDa fragment functions to
      provide stability to the C-terminal domain, which is necessary for lethal
      toxicity against lepidopteran insects.

PMID- 28894250
TI  - Identification of endoxylanase XynE from Clostridium thermocellum as the first
      xylanase of glycoside hydrolase family GH141.
AB  - Enzymes that cleave polysaccharides in lignocellulose, i. e., cellulases,
      xylanases, and accessory enzymes, play crucial roles in the natural decomposition
      of plant-derived biomass and its efficient and sustainable processing into
      biofuels or other bulk chemicals. The analysis of open reading frame cthe_2195
      from the thermophilic, cellulolytic anaerobe Clostridium thermocellum (also known
      as 'Ruminiclostridium thermocellum') suggested that it encoded a cellulosomal
      protein comprising a dockerin-I module, a carbohydrate-binding module, and a
      module of previously unknown function. The biochemical characterisation upon
      recombinant expression in Escherichia coli revealed that the protein is a
      thermostable endoxylanase, named Xyn141E with an optimal pH of 6.0-6.5 and a
      temperature optimum of 67-75  degrees C. The substrate spectrum of Xyn141E
      resembles that of GH10 xylanases, because of its side activities on carboxymethyl
      cellulose, barley beta-glucan, and mannan. Conversely, the product spectrum of
      Xyn141E acting on arabinoxylan is similar to those of GH11, as established by
      HPAEC-PAD analysis. Xyn141E is weakly related (20.7% amino acid sequence
      identity) to the founding member of the recently established GH family 141 and is
      the first xylanase in this new family of biomass-degrading enzymes.

PMID- 28894251
TI  - Spraying Brassinolide improves Sigma Broad tolerance in foxtail millet (Setaria
      italica L.) through modulation of antioxidant activity and photosynthetic
      capacity.
AB  - To explore the role of Brassinolide (BR) in improving the tolerance of Sigma
      Broad in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), effects of 0.1 mg/L of BR foliar
      application 24 h before 3.37 g/ha of Sigma Broad treatment at five-leaf stage of
      foxtail millet on growth parameters, antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA),
      chlorophyll, net photosynthetic rate (P N), chlorophyll fluorescence and P700
      parameters were studied 7 and 15 d after herbicide treatment, respectively.
      Results showed that Sigma Broad significantly decreased plant height, activities
      of superoxide dismutase (SOD), chlorophyll content, P N, PS II effective quantum
      yield (Y (II)), PS II electron transport rate (ETR (II)), photochemical quantum
      yield of PSI(Y (I)) and PS I electron transport rate ETR (I), but significantly
      increased MDA. Compared to herbicide treatment, BR dramatically increased plant
      height, activities of SOD, Y (II), ETR (II), Y (I) and ETR (I). This study showed
      BR pretreatment could improve the tolerance of Sigma Broad in foxtail millet
      through improving the activity of antioxidant enzymes, keeping electron transport
      smooth, and enhancing actual photochemical efficiency of PS II and PSI.

PMID- 28894252
TI  - BOF steel slag as a low-cost sorbent for vanadium (V) removal from soil washing
      effluent.
AB  - Soil washing is an effective remediation method to remove heavy metals from
      contaminated soil. However, it produces wastewater that contains large amounts of
      heavy metals, which lead to serious pollution. This study investigated the
      removal of vanadium (V) from synthetic soil washing effluent using BOF steel
      slag. The effects of particle size, slag dosage, initial pH, and initial vanadium
      concentration on removal behavior were studied. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms
      were also analyzed. The results showed that the vanadium removal efficiency
      increased as the steel slag particle size decreased and as the amount of slag
      increased. The initial pH and vanadium concentration did not play key roles. At
      the optimum particle size (<0.15 mm) and dosage (50 g/L), the removal rate
      reached 97.1% when treating 100 mg/L of vanadium. The influence of the washing
      reagent residue was studied to simulate real conditions. Citric acid, tartaric
      acid, and Na2EDTA all decreased the removal rate. While oxalic acid did not have
      negative effects on vanadium removal at concentrations of 0.05-0.2 mol/L, which
      was proved by experiments using real washing effluents. Considering both soil
      washing effect and effluent treatment, oxalic acid of 0.2 mol/L is recommended as
      soil washing reagent.

PMID- 28894253
TI  - ATM-deficiency increases genomic instability and metastatic potential in a mouse
      model of pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Germline mutations in ATM (encoding the DNA-damage signaling kinase, ataxia
      telangiectasia-mutated) increase Familial Pancreatic Cancer (FPC) susceptibility,
      and ATM somatic mutations have been identified in resected human pancreatic
      tumors. Here we investigated how Atm contributes to pancreatic cancer by deleting
      this gene in a murine model of the disease expressing oncogenic Kras (KrasG12D).
      We show that partial or total ATM deficiency cooperates with KrasG12D to promote
      highly metastatic pancreatic cancer. We also reveal that ATM is activated in
      pancreatic precancerous lesions in the context of DNA damage and cell
      proliferation, and demonstrate that ATM deficiency leads to persistent DNA damage
      in both precancerous lesions and primary tumors. Using low passage cultures from
      primary tumors and liver metastases we show that ATM loss accelerates Kras
      induced carcinogenesis without conferring a specific phenotype to pancreatic
      tumors or changing the status of the tumor suppressors p53, p16Ink4a and p19Arf.
      However, ATM deficiency markedly increases the proportion of chromosomal
      alterations in pancreatic primary tumors and liver metastases. More importantly,
      ATM deficiency also renders murine pancreatic tumors highly sensitive to
      radiation. These and other findings in our study conclusively establish that ATM
      activity poses a major barrier to oncogenic transformation in the pancreas via
      maintaining genomic stability.

PMID- 28894254
TI  - Theta waves in children's waking electroencephalogram resemble local aspects of
      sleep during wakefulness.
AB  - Vyazovskiy and colleagues found in rats' multi-unit recordings brief periods of
      silence (off-states) in local populations of cortical neurons during wakefulness
      which closely resembled the characteristic off-states during sleep. These off
      states became more global and frequent with increasing sleep pressure and were
      associated with the well-known increase of theta activity under sleep deprivation
      in the surface EEG. Moreover, the occurrence of such off-states was related to
      impaired performance. While these animal experiments were based on intracranial
      recordings, we aimed to explore whether the human surface EEG may also provide
      evidence for such a local sleep-like intrusion during wakefulness. Thus, we
      analysed high-density wake EEG recordings during an auditory attention task in
      the morning and evening in 12 children. We found that, theta waves became more
      widespread in the evening and the occurrence of widespread theta waves was
      associated with slower reaction times in the attention task. These results
      indicate that widespread theta events measured on the scalp might be markers of
      local sleep in humans. Moreover, such markers of local sleep, seem to be related
      to the well described performance decline under high sleep pressure.

PMID- 28894255
TI  - Multiple Streptomyces species with distinct secondary metabolomes have identical
      16S rRNA gene sequences.
AB  - Microbial diversity studies using small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequences
      continue to advance our understanding of biological and ecological systems.
      Although a good predictor of overall diversity, using this gene to infer the
      presence of a species in a sample is more controversial. Here, we present a
      detailed polyphasic analysis of 10 bacterial strains isolated from three coastal
      lichens Lichina confinis, Lichina pygmaea and Roccella fuciformis with SSU rRNA
      gene sequences identical to the type strain of Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus. This
      analysis included phenotypic, microscopic, genetic and genomic comparisons and
      showed that despite their identical SSU rRNA sequences the strains had markedly
      different properties, and could be distinguished as 5 different species.
      Significantly, secondary metabolites profiles from these strains were also found
      to be different. It is thus clear that SSU rRNA based operational taxonomy units,
      even at the most stringent cut-off can represent multiple bacterial species, and
      that at least for the case of Streptomyces, strain de-replication based on SSU
      gene sequences prior to screening for bioactive molecules can miss potentially
      interesting novel molecules produced by this group that is notorious for the
      production of drug-leads.

PMID- 28894256
TI  - A scaling law for distinct electrocaloric cooling performance in low-dimensional
      organic, relaxor and anti-ferroelectrics.
AB  - Electrocaloric (EC) materials show promise in eco-friendly solid-state
      refrigeration and integrable on-chip thermal management. While direct measurement
      of EC thin-films still remains challenging, a generic theoretical framework for
      quantifying the cooling properties of rich EC materials including normal-,
      relaxor-, organic- and anti-ferroelectrics is imperative for exploiting new
      flexible and room-temperature cooling alternatives. Here, we present a versatile
      theory that combines Master equation with Maxwell relations and analytically
      relates the macroscopic cooling responses in EC materials with the intrinsic
      diffuseness of phase transitions and correlation characteristics. Under increased
      electric fields, both EC entropy and adiabatic temperature changes increase
      quadratically initially, followed by further linear growth and eventual gradual
      saturation. The upper bound of entropy change (?Smax) is limited by distinct
      correlation volumes (V cr ) and transition diffuseness. The linearity between V
      cr and the transition diffuseness is emphasized, while ?Smax = 300 kJ/(K.m3) is
      obtained for Pb0.8Ba0.2ZrO3. The ?Smax in antiferroelectric Pb0.95Zr0.05TiO3,
      Pb0.8Ba0.2ZrO3 and polymeric ferroelectrics scales proportionally with V cr-2.2,
      owing to the one-dimensional structural constraint on lattice-scale
      depolarization dynamics; whereas ?Smax in relaxor and normal ferroelectrics
      scales as ?Smax ~ V cr-0.37, which tallies with a dipolar interaction exponent of
      2/3 in EC materials and the well-proven fractional dimensionality of 2.5 for
      ferroelectric domain walls.

PMID- 28894257
TI  - Stress Granules Contain Rbfox2 with Cell Cycle-related mRNAs.
AB  - Rbfox RNA-binding proteins play important roles in the regulation of alternative
      pre-mRNA splicing, but their role in other gene regulatory mechanisms is not well
      understood. Here, we show that Rbfox2 is a novel constituent of cytoplasmic
      stress granules, the translational silencing machinery assembled in response to
      cellular stress. We also show that the RNA binding activity of the Rbfox family
      protein is crucial for its localization into stress granules. To investigate the
      role of Rbfox2 in stress granules we used RNA-immunoprecipitation sequencing to
      identify cytoplasmic transcriptome-wide targets of Rbfox2. We report that a
      subset of cell cycle-related genes including retinoblastoma 1 is the target of
      Rbfox2 in cytoplasmic stress granules, and Rbfox2 regulates the retinoblastoma 1
      mRNA and protein expression levels during and following stress exposure. Our
      study proposes a novel function for Rbfox2 in cytoplasmic stress granules.

PMID- 28894258
TI  - Preferential synthesis of (6,4) single-walled carbon nanotubes by controlling
      oxidation degree of Co catalyst.
AB  - Chirality-selective synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) has been
      a research goal for the last two decades and is still challenging due to the
      difficulty in controlling the atomic structure in the one-dimensional material.
      Here, we develop an optimized approach for controlling the chirality of species
      by tuning the oxidation degree of Co catalyst. Predominant synthesis of (6,4)
      SWNTs is realized for the first time. The detailed mechanism is investigated
      through a systematic experimental study combined with first-principles
      calculations, revealing that the independent control of tube diameter and chiral
      angle achieved by changing the binding energy between SWNTs (cap and tube edge)
      and catalyst causes a drastic transition of chirality of SWNTs from (6,5) to
      (6,4). Since our approach of independently controlling the diameter and chiral
      angle can be applied to other chirality species, our results can be useful in
      achieving the on-demand synthesis of specific-chirality SWNTs.

PMID- 28894259
TI  - CD161 identifies polyfunctional Th1/Th17 cells in the genital mucosa that are
      depleted in HIV-infected female sex workers from Nairobi, Kenya.
AB  - CD161 identifies a subset of circulating Th17 cells that are depleted in the
      blood and gut of HIV-infected individuals. In the female reproductive tract
      (FRT), the pattern of CD161 expression on CD4+ cells remains unknown. Here, we
      characterized CD161 expression in the FRT of Kenyan female sex workers (FSW).
      Compared to the blood, CD161+CD4+ T cells were enriched in the FRT of uninfected
      FSWs. These cells were depleted in FRT of HIV-infected FSWs. Cervical CD161+
      cells harboured an activated phenotype (CD69, CD95, HLA-DR) with elevated
      expression of tissue-homing markers (CCR6, beta7 integrin) and HIV co-receptor
      (CCR5). Mitogen-stimulated production of IL-17 confirmed the Th17 commitment of
      CD161+CD4+ T cells in the FRT with a predominance of polyfunctional Th1/Th17
      cells. Here, we showed that the expression of CD161 on CD4+T cells is modulated
      at the FRT, but still identified a highly activated cellular subset, which
      differentiates into pro-inflammatory Th1/Th17 cells, expresses multiple HIV
      susceptibility markers and are depleted in HIV-infected individuals. The use of
      CD161 as a biomarker of HIV targets in the FRT reduces the need for functional
      assessment of cells and could have important implications in better understanding
      HIV pathogenesis and Th17 fate in the FRT of high-risk women.

PMID- 28894260
TI  - A New Tactic for Label-Free Recognition of beta-Trophin via
      Electrochemiluminescent Signalling on an AuNPs Supported Immuno-Interface.
AB  - In this paper, a new strategy is reported for preparing a label-free beta-trophin
      electrochemiluminescent (ECL) immunosensor with good specificity, reproducibility
      and stability. An aquagel polymer from the hydrolysis of (3-aminopropyl)
      trimethoxysilane acted as the linker to catch the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the
      indium-tin oxide (ITO) substrate by a two-step method. The AuNPs play an
      important role in enhancing ECL and immobilizing the beta-trophin antibody. This
      immunosensor can test for beta-trophin using luminol as an ECL probe. The ECL
      intensity at the resultant sensor, after the direct immuno-interaction, was
      proportional to the concentration of beta-trophin and had a low limit of
      quantification as 4.2 ng mL-1. After deep discussions on the ECL mechanism of
      this immunosensor, we found that its sensitivity is greatly affected by the
      presence of oxygen and improved under deoxygenation. We believe that this sensor
      can be used for clinical cases.

PMID- 28894261
TI  - Unique diversity of radioactive particles found in the Yenisei River floodplain.
AB  - The long-term operation of three reactors and the radiochemical plant of the
      Mining-and-Chemical Combine (MCC), Russia's largest producer of weapons-grade
      plutonium, has resulted in radioactive contamination of the Yenisei River
      floodplain. From 1995 to 2016, we found more than 200 radioactive particles (RP)
      in the Yenisei floodplain, downstream of the MCC. Analytical characterization
      showed that most of the RP were fuel particles, which were carried into the river
      after incidents at the MCC reactors. Having compared the 137Cs/134Cs ratios in
      the particles, we determined three time intervals when the RP were formed. The
      plutonium isotope ratios (238Pu/239,240Pu) vary substantially between the
      particles and indicate several different source terms. In addition to fuel RP, we
      found particles that only contained activation products (60Co or europium
      isotopes). SEM and gamma-spectrometry showed that the cobalt particles could have
      originated from the corrosion of the reactor coolant system and the europium
      particles - from the damaged compensating rods. No europium particles have been
      found anywhere else in the world. The presence of RP from different sources
      (fuel, cobalt, and europium particles) in the Yenisei River floodplain makes this
      region a unique site for studying environmental effects of the particles. These
      RP represent point sources of radioecological significance.

PMID- 28894262
TI  - Role of sonication pre-treatment and cation valence in the sol-gel transition of
      nano-cellulose suspensions.
AB  - Sol-gel transition of carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals has been investigated
      using rheology, SAXS, NMR and optical spectroscopies to unveil the distinctive
      roles of ultrasound treatments and addition of various cations. Besides cellulose
      fiber fragmentation, sonication treatment induces fast gelling of the solution.
      The gelation is independent of the addition of cations, while the final
      rheological properties are highly influenced by the type, concentration and
      sequence of the operations since the cations must be added prior to sonication to
      produce stiff gels. The gel elastic modulus was found to increase proportionally
      to the ionic charge rather than the cationic size. In cases where ions were added
      after sonication, SAXS analysis of the Na+ hydrogel and Ca2+ hydrogel indicated
      the presence of structurally ordered domains in which water is confined, and 1H
      NMR investigation showed the dynamics of water exchange within the hydrogels.
      Conversely, separated phases containing essentially free water were
      characteristic of the hydrogels obtained by sonication after Ca2+ addition,
      confirming that this ion induces irreversible fiber aggregation. The rheological
      properties of the hydrogels depend on the duration of the ultrasound treatments,
      enabling the design of programmed materials with tailored energy dissipation
      response.

PMID- 28894263
TI  - The parathyroid hormone regulates skin tumour susceptibility in mice.
AB  - Using a forward genetics approach to map loci in a mouse skin cancer model, we
      previously identified a genetic locus, Skin tumour modifier of MSM 1 (Stmm1) on
      chromosome 7, conferring strong tumour resistance. Sub-congenic mapping localized
      Parathyroid hormone (Pth) in Stmm1b. Here, we report that serum intact-PTH (iPTH)
      and a genetic polymorphism in Pth are important for skin tumour resistance. We
      identified higher iPTH levels in sera from cancer-resistant MSM/Ms mice compared
      with susceptible FVB/NJ mice. Therefore, we performed skin carcinogenesis
      experiments with MSM-BAC transgenic mice (Pth MSM-Tg) and Pth knockout
      heterozygous mice (Pth +/-). As a result, the higher amounts of iPTH in sera
      conferred stronger resistance to skin tumours. Furthermore, we found that the
      coding SNP (rs51104087, Val28Met) localizes in the mouse Pro-PTH encoding region,
      which is linked to processing efficacy and increased PTH secretion. Finally, we
      report that PTH increases intracellular calcium in keratinocytes and promotes
      their terminal differentiation. Taken together, our data suggest that Pth is one
      of the genes responsible for Stmm1, and serum iPTH could serve as a prevention
      marker of skin cancer and a target for new therapies.

PMID- 28894264
TI  - Seasonal variation of the dominant allergenic fungal aerosols - One year study
      from southern Indian region.
AB  - Quantitative estimations of fungal aerosols are important to understand their
      role in causing respiratory diseases to humans especially in the developing and
      highly populated countries. In this study we sampled and quantified the three
      most dominantly found allergenic airborne fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus,
      Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Alternaria alternata from ambient PM10 samples
      using the quantitative PCR (qPCR) technique in a southern tropical Indian region,
      for one full year. Highest concentrations of A. fumigatus and C. cladosporioides
      were observed during monsoon whereas A. alternata displayed an elevated
      concentration in winter. The meteorological parameters such as temperature,
      relative humidity, wind speed, and precipitation exhibited a substantial
      influence on the atmospheric concentrations of allergenic fungal aerosols. The
      morphological features of various allergenic fungal spores present in the PM10
      were investigated and the spores were found to possess distinct structural
      features. In a maiden attempt over this region we correlate the ambient fungal
      concentrations with the epidemiological allergy occurrence to obtain firsthand
      and preliminary information about the causative fungal allergen to the
      inhabitants exposed to bioaerosols. Our findings may serve as an important
      reference to atmospheric scientists, aero-biologists, doctors, and general
      public.

PMID- 28894265
TI  - Thiosemicarbazone scaffold for the design of antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic
      agents: evaluation of ligands and related copper complexes.
AB  - The issue of food contamination by aflatoxins presently constitutes a social
      emergency, since they represent a severe risk for human and animal health. On the
      other hand, the use of pesticides has to be contained, since this generates long
      term residues in food and in the environment. Here we present the synthesis of a
      series of chelating ligands based on the thiosemicarbazone scaffold, to be
      evaluated for their antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic effects. Starting from
      molecules of natural origin of known antifungal properties, we introduced the
      thio- group and then the corresponding copper complexes were synthesised. Some
      molecules highlighted aflatoxin inhibition in the range 67-92% at 100 MUM. The
      most active compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects on human cells.
      While all the copper complexes showed high cytotoxicity in the micromolar range,
      one of the ligand has no effect on cell proliferation. This hit was chosen for
      further analysis of mutagenicity and genotoxicity on bacteria, plants and human
      cells. Analysis of the data underlined the importance of the safety profile
      evaluation for hit compounds to be developed as crop-protective agents and at the
      same time that the thiosemicarbazone scaffold represents a good starting point
      for the development of aflatoxigenic inhibitors.

PMID- 28894266
TI  - Generation of a new mouse model of glaucoma characterized by reduced expression
      of the AP-2beta and AP-2delta proteins.
AB  - We generated 6 transgenic lines with insertion of an expression plasmid for the
      R883/M xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) mutant protein. Approximately 20% of the
      animals deriving from one of the transgenic lines show ocular abnormalities and
      an increase in intra-ocular pressure which are consistent with glaucoma. The
      observed pathologic phenotype is not due to expression of the transgene, but
      rather the consequence of the transgene insertion site, which has been defined by
      genome sequencing. The insertion site maps to chromosome 1qA3 in close proximity
      to the loci encoding AP-2beta and AP-2delta, two proteins expressed in the eye.
      The insertion leads to a reduction in AP-2beta and AP-2delta levels. Down
      regulation of AP-2beta expression is likely to be responsible for the pathologic
      phenotype, as conditional deletion of the Tfap2b gene in the neural crest has
      recently been shown to cause defective development of the eye anterior segment
      and early-onset glaucoma. In these conditional knock-out and our transgenic mice,
      the morphological/histological features of the glaucomatous pathology are
      surprisingly similar. Our transgenic mouse represents a model of angle-closure
      glaucoma and a useful tool for the study of the pathogenesis and the development
      of innovative therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28894267
TI  - Optogenetic approach for targeted activation of global calcium transients in
      differentiated C2C12 myotubes.
AB  - Excitation-contraction coupling in muscle cells is initiated by a restricted
      membrane depolarization delimited within the neuromuscular junction. This
      targeted depolarization triggers an action potential that propagates and induces
      a global cellular calcium response and a consequent contraction. To date,
      numerous studies have investigated this excitation-calcium response coupling by
      using different techniques to depolarize muscle cells. However, none of these
      techniques mimic the temporal and spatial resolution of membrane depolarization
      observed in the neuromuscular junction. By using optogenetics in C2C12 muscle
      cells, we developed a technique to study the calcium response following membrane
      depolarization induced by photostimulations of membrane surface similar or
      narrower than the neuromuscular junction area. These stimulations coupled to
      confocal calcium imaging generate a global cellular calcium response that is the
      consequence of a membrane depolarization propagation. In this context, this
      technique provides an interesting, contactless and relatively easy way of
      investigation of calcium increase/release as well as calcium decrease/re-uptake
      triggered by a propagated membrane depolarization.

PMID- 28894268
TI  - Recycling of a selectable marker with a self-excisable plasmid in Pichia
      pastoris.
AB  - Pichia pastoris is a widely used heterologous protein production workhorse.
      However, with its multiple genetic modifications to solve bottlenecks for
      heterologous protein productivity, P. pastoris lacks selectable markers. Existing
      selectable marker recycling plasmids have drawbacks (e.g., slow growth and
      conditional lethality). Here, zeocin-resistance marker recycling vectors were
      constructed using the Cre/loxP recombination system. The vectors were used to (i)
      knock in heterologous phytase, xylanase and lipase expression cassettes, (ii)
      increase the phytase, xylanase and lipase gene copy number to 13, 5, and 5,
      respectively, with vector introduction and (iii) engineer the secretion pathway
      by co-overexpressing secretion helper factors (Sly1p and Sec1p) without
      introducing selectable markers, giving a phytase field of 0.833 g/L. The vectors
      allow selectable marker recycling and would be a useful tool to engineer P.
      pastoris for high heterologous protein productivity.

PMID- 28894269
TI  - Effect of Mesoporous Nano Water Reservoir on MR Relaxivity.
AB  - In the present work, an attempt was made to engineer a mesoporous silica coated
      magnetic nanoparticles (MNF@mSiO2) for twin mode contrast in magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) with reduced toxicity. Superparamagnetic manganese ferrite
      nanoparticles were synthesized with variable mesoporous silica shell thickness to
      control the water molecules interacting with metal oxide core. 178 nm was the
      optimum hydrodynamic diameter of mesoporous ferrite core-shell nanoparticles that
      showed maximum longitudinal relaxation time (T1) and transverse relaxation time
      (T2) in MRI due to the storage of water molecules in mesoporous silica coating.
      Besides the major role of mesoporous silica in controlling relaxivity, mesoporous
      silica shell also reduces the toxicity and enhances the bioavailability of
      superparamagnetic manganese ferrite nanoparticles. The in vitro toxicity
      assessment using HepG2 liver carcinoma cells shows that the mesoporous silica
      coating over ferrite nanoparticles could exert less toxicity compared to the
      uncoated particle.

PMID- 28894270
TI  - A Novel Role For Nanog As An Early Cancer Risk Marker In Patients With Laryngeal
      Precancerous Lesions.
AB  - NANOG is a master regulator of embryonic stem cell pluripotency, found to be
      frequently aberrantly expressed in a variety of cancers, including laryngeal
      carcinomas. This study investigates for the first time the role of NANOG
      expression in early stages of laryngeal tumourigenesis and its potential utility
      as cancer risk marker. NANOG protein expression was evaluated by
      immunohistochemistry using two large independent cohorts of patients with
      laryngeal precancerous lesions, and correlated with clinicopathological
      parameters and laryngeal cancer risk. NANOG expression was detected by
      immunohistochemistry in 49 (60%) of 82 laryngeal dysplasias, whereas expression
      was negligible in patient-matched normal epithelia. Strong NANOG expression was
      found in 22 (27%) lesions and was established as cut-off point, showing the most
      robust association with laryngeal cancer risk (P = 0.003) superior to the
      histological classification (P = 0.320) the current gold standard in the clinical
      practice. Similar trends were obtained using a multicenter validation cohort of
      86 patients with laryngeal dysplasia. Our findings uncover a novel role for NANOG
      expression in laryngeal tumourigenesis, and its unprecedented application as
      biomarker for cancer risk assessment.

PMID- 28894271
TI  - Laser-Induced Linear-Field Particle Acceleration in Free Space.
AB  - Linear-field particle acceleration in free space (which is distinct from
      geometries like the linac that requires components in the vicinity of the
      particle) has been studied for over 20 years, and its ability to eventually
      produce high-quality, high energy multi-particle bunches has remained a subject
      of great interest. Arguments can certainly be made that linear-field particle
      acceleration in free space is very doubtful given that first-order electron
      photon interactions are forbidden in free space. Nevertheless, we chose to
      develop an accurate and truly predictive theoretical formalism to explore this
      remote possibility when intense, few-cycle electromagnetic pulses are used in a
      computational experiment. The formalism includes exact treatment of Maxwell's
      equations and exact treatment of the interaction among the multiple individual
      particles at near and far field. Several surprising results emerge. We find that
      electrons interacting with intense laser pulses in free space are capable of
      gaining substantial amounts of energy that scale linearly with the field
      amplitude. For example, 30 keV electrons (2.5% energy spread) are accelerated to
      61 MeV (0.5% spread) and to 205 MeV (0.25% spread) using 250 mJ and 2.5 J lasers
      respectively. These findings carry important implications for our understanding
      of ultrafast electron-photon interactions in strong fields.

PMID- 28894272
TI  - T-cell tolerance and exhaustion in the clearance of Echinococcus multilocularis:
      role of inoculum size in a quantitative hepatic experimental model.
AB  - The local immune mechanisms responsible for either self-healing or sustained
      chronic infection are not clear, in the development of E. multilocularis larvae.
      Here, we developed a suitable experimental model that mimics naturally infected
      livers, according to the parasite load. We demonstrated that local cellular
      immunity and fibrogenesis are actually protective and fully able to limit
      metacestode growth in the liver of low or medium dose-infected mice (LDG or MDG),
      or even to clear it, while impairment of cellular immunity is followed by a more
      rapid and severe course of the disease in high dose-infected mice (HDG). And
      recruitment and/ or proliferation of memory T cells (including CD4 Tem, CD8 Tcm
      and CD8 Tem) and imbalance of T1/T2/T17/Treg-type T cells in liver were not only
      associated with clearance of the parasite infection in LDG, but also with
      increased hepatic injury in HDG; in particular the dual role of CD8 T cells
      depending on the parasite load and the various stages of metacestode growth.
      Besides, we first demonstrate the association between LAG3- or 2B4-expressing T
      cells exhaustion and HD inocula in late stages. Our quantitative experimental
      model appears fully appropriate to study immunomodulation as a therapeutic
      strategy for patients with Alveolar Echinococcosis.

PMID- 28894273
TI  - Impacts of aquaculture wastewater irrigation on soil microbial functional
      diversity and community structure in arid regions.
AB  - Aquaculture wastewater is one of the most important alternative water resources
      in arid regions where scarcity of fresh water is common. Irrigation with this
      kind of water may affect soil microbial functional diversity and community
      structure as changes of soil environment would be significant. Here, we conducted
      a field sampling to investigate these effects using Biolog and metagenomic
      methods. The results demonstrated that irrigation with aquaculture wastewater
      could dramatically reduce soil microbial functional diversity. The values of
      diversity indices and sole carbon source utilization were all significantly
      decreased. Increased soil salinity, especially Cl concentration, appeared
      primarily associated with the decreases. Differently, higher bacterial community
      diversity was obtained in aquaculture wastewater irrigated soils. More abundant
      phyla Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes and fewer
      members of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Planctomycetes were found in this
      kind of soils. Changes in the concentration of soil Cl mainly accounted for the
      shifts of bacterial community composition. This research can improve our
      understanding of how aquaculture wastewater irrigation changes soil microbial
      process and as a result, be useful to manage soil and wastewater resources in
      arid regions.

PMID- 28894274
TI  - KDM4A regulates HIF-1 levels through H3K9me3.
AB  - Regions of hypoxia (low oxygen) occur in most solid tumours and cells in these
      areas are the most aggressive and therapy resistant. In response to decreased
      oxygen, extensive changes in gene expression mediated by Hypoxia-Inducible
      Factors (HIFs) contribute significantly to the aggressive hypoxic tumour
      phenotype. In addition to HIFs, multiple histone demethylases are altered in
      their expression and activity, providing a secondary mechanism to extend the
      hypoxic signalling response. In this study, we demonstrate that the levels of HIF
      1alpha are directly controlled by the repressive chromatin mark, H3K9me3. In
      conditions where the histone demethylase KDM4A is depleted or inactive, H3K9me3
      accumulates at the HIF-1alpha locus, leading to a decrease in HIF-1alpha mRNA and
      a reduction in HIF-1alpha stabilisation. Loss of KDM4A in hypoxic conditions
      leads to a decreased HIF-1alpha mediated transcriptional response and correlates
      with a reduction in the characteristics associated with tumour aggressiveness,
      including invasion, migration, and oxygen consumption. The contribution of KDM4A
      to the regulation of HIF-1alpha is most robust in conditions of mild hypoxia.
      This suggests that KDM4A can enhance the function of HIF-1alpha by increasing the
      total available protein to counteract any residual activity of prolyl
      hydroxylases.

PMID- 28894275
TI  - Direct laser writing of a new type of waveguides in silver containing glasses.
AB  - Direct laser writing in glasses is a growing field of research in photonics since
      it provides a robust and efficient way to directly address 3D material
      structuring. Generally, direct laser writing in glasses induces physical
      modifications such as refractive index changes that have been classified under
      three different types (Type I, II & III). In a silver-containing zinc phosphate
      glass, direct laser writing additionally proceeds via the formation of silver
      clusters at the periphery of the interaction voxel. In this paper, we introduce a
      novel type of refractive index modification based on the creation of the photo
      induced silver clusters allowing the inscription of a new type of optical
      waveguides. Various waveguides as well as a 50-50 beam splitter were written
      inside bulk glasses and characterized. The waveguiding properties observed in the
      bulk of such silver-containing glass samples were further transposed to ribbon
      shaped fibers made of the same material. Our results pave the way for the
      fabrication of 3D integrated circuits and fiber sensors with original
      fluorescent, nonlinear optical and plasmonic properties. The universality of
      these new findings should further extend in any silver-containing glasses that
      show similar laser-induced behavior in terms of silver cluster production.

PMID- 28894276
TI  - An Affordable Wet Chemical Route to Grow Conducting Hybrid Graphite-Diamond
      Nanowires: Demonstration by A Single Nanowire Device.
AB  - We report an affordable wet chemical route for the reproducible hybrid graphite
      diamond nanowires (G-DNWs) growth from cysteamine functionalized diamond
      nanoparticles (ND-Cys) via pH induced self-assembly, which has been visualized
      through SEM and TEM images. Interestingly, the mechanistic aspects behind that
      self-assembly directed G-DNWs formation was discussed in details. Notably, above
      self-assembly was validated by AFM and TEM data. Further interrogations by XRD
      and Raman data were revealed the possible graphite sheath wrapping over DNWs.
      Moreover, the HR-TEM studies also verified the coexistence of less perfect sp2
      graphite layer wrapped over the sp3 diamond carbon and the impurity channels as
      well. Very importantly, conductivity of hybrid G-DNWs was verified via
      fabrication of a single G-DNW. Wherein, the better conductivity of G-DNW portion
      L2 was found as 2.4 +/- 1.92 * 10-6 mS/cm and revealed its effective
      applicability in near future. In addition to note, temperature dependent carrier
      transport mechanisms and activation energy calculations were reported in details
      in this work. Ultimately, to demonstrate the importance of our conductivity
      measurements, the possible mechanism behind the electrical transport and the
      comparative account on electrical resistivities of carbon based materials were
      provided.

PMID- 28894277
TI  - Host Expression of the CD8 Treg/NK Cell Restriction Element Qa-1 is Dispensable
      for Transplant Tolerance.
AB  - Disruption of the non-classical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Ib
      molecule Qa-1 impairs CD8 Treg and natural killer (NK) cell function and promotes
      a lupus-like autoimmune disease. This immune perturbation would be expected to
      enhance anti-transplant responses and impair tolerance induction, but the effect
      of Qa-1 deficiency on the transplant response has not been previously reported.
      Qa-1 deficiency enhanced CD4 TFH and germinal center (GC) B cell numbers in naive
      mice and hastened islet allograft rejection. Despite enhanced immunity in B6.Qa-1
      /- mice, these mice did not generate an excessive primary CD4 TFH cell response
      nor an enhanced alloantibody reaction. Both CD8 Tregs and NK cells, which often
      regulate other cells through host Qa-1 expression, were targets of anti-CD45RB
      therapy that had not been previously recognized. However, B6.Qa-1-/- mice
      remained susceptible to anti-CD45RB mediated suppression of the alloantibody
      response and transplant tolerance induction to mismatched islet allografts.
      Overall, despite enhanced immunity as demonstrated by augmented CD4 TFH/GC B cell
      numbers and hastened islet allograft rejection in naive 12-week old Qa-1
      deficient mice, the CD8 Treg/NK cell restriction element Qa-1 does not regulate
      the primary cellular or humoral alloresponse and is not required for long-term
      transplant tolerance.

PMID- 28894278
TI  - Agerarin, identified from Ageratum houstonianum, stimulates circadian CLOCK
      mediated aquaporin-3 gene expression in HaCaT keratinocytes.
AB  - The juice of Ageratum houstonianum is used in folk medicine as an external wound
      healing aid for skin injuries. However, the active component of A. houstonianum
      and its mode of action in skin wound healing has not been investigated. This
      study was conducted to investigate the effect of A. houstonianum ethanolnolic
      extract (AHE) on the expression of aquaporin-3 (AQP3), an integral membrane
      protein for water and glycerol transport in keratinocytes, and to identify the
      structure of the A. houstonianum bioactive compound. Here, we show that AHE
      increased AQP3 gene expression at the transcriptional level through the p38 MAPK
      pathway in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, AHE ameliorated suppression of AQP3
      expression caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. Agerarin (6,7-dimethoxy-2,2
      dimethyl-2H-chromene) was identified as the bioactive compound responsible for
      the up-regulation of AQP3 expression by enhancing the expression of the
      transcription factor circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK). In
      conclusion, agerarin is a bioactive compound in AHE responsible for CLOCK
      mediated AQP3 expression in keratinocytes.

PMID- 28894279
TI  - Generation of octave-spanning mid-infrared pulses from cascaded second-order
      nonlinear processes in a single crystal.
AB  - We report on experimental generation of a 6.8 MUJ laser pulse spanning from 1.8
      to 4.2 MUm from cascaded second-order nonlinear processes in a 0.4-mm BiB3O6
      (BIBO) crystal. The nonlinear processes are initiated by intra-pulse difference
      frequency generation (DFG) using spectrally broadened Ti:Sapphire spectrum,
      followed by optical parametric amplification (OPA) of the DFG pulse. The highest
      energy, 12.6 MUJ, is achieved in a 0.8-mm BIBO crystal with a spectrum spanning
      from 1.8 to 3.5 MUm. Such cascaded nonlinear processes are enabled by the
      broadband pump and the coincident phase matching angle of DFG and OPA. The
      spectrum is initiated from the DFG process and is thus expected to have passive
      stable carrier-envelope phase, which can be used to seed either a chirped pulse
      amplifier (CPA) or an optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) for
      achieving high-energy few-cycle mid-infrared pulses. Such cascaded second-order
      nonlinear processes can be found in many other crystals such as KTA, which can
      extend wavelengths further into mid-infrared. We achieved a 0.8 MUJ laser pulse
      spanning from 2.2 to 5.0 MUm in KTA.

PMID- 28894280
TI  - Hypoxia-induced ANGPTL4 sustains tumour growth and anoikis resistance through
      different mechanisms in scirrhous gastric cancer cell lines.
AB  - Patients with scirrhous gastric cancer (SGC) frequently develop peritoneal
      dissemination, which leads to poor prognosis. The secreted protein angiopoietin
      like-4 (ANGPTL4), which is induced by hypoxia, exerts diverse effects on cancer
      progression. Here, we aimed to determine the biological function of ANGPTL4 in
      SGC cells under hypoxia. ANGPTL4 levels were higher in SGC cells under hypoxia
      than in other types of gastric cancer cells. Hypoxia-induced ANGPTL4 mRNA
      expression was regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha). Under
      hypoxic conditions, monolayer cultures of ANGPTL4 knockdown (KD) 58As9 SGC (58As9
      KD) cells were arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle through downregulation
      of c-Myc and upregulation of p27, in contrast to control 58As9-SC cells.
      Moreover, the ability of 58As9-KD xenografts to form tumours in nude mice was
      strongly suppressed. When 58As9-KD cells were cultured in suspension, hypoxia
      strongly increased their susceptibility to anoikis through suppression of the
      FAK/Src/PI3K-Akt/ERK pro-survival pathway, followed by activation of the
      apoptotic factors caspases-3, -8 and -9. The development of peritoneal
      dissemination by 58As9-KD cells was completely inhibited compared with that by
      58As9-SC cells. In conclusion, ANGPTL4 is uniquely induced by hypoxia in cultured
      SGC cells and is essential for tumour growth and resistance to anoikis through
      different mechanisms.

PMID- 28894281
TI  - The ancient cline of haplogroup K implies that the Neolithic transition in Europe
      was mainly demic.
AB  - Using a database with the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 513 Neolithic individuals,
      we quantify the space-time variation of the frequency of haplogroup K, previously
      proposed as a relevant Neolithic marker. We compare these data to simulations,
      based on a mathematical model in which a Neolithic population spreads from Syria
      to Anatolia and Europe, possibly interbreeding with Mesolithic individuals (who
      lack haplogroup K) and/or teaching farming to them. Both the data and the
      simulations show that the percentage of haplogroup K (%K) decreases with
      increasing distance from Syria and that, in each region, the %K tends to decrease
      with increasing time after the arrival of farming. Both the model and the data
      display a local minimum of the genetic cline, and for the same Neolithic regional
      culture (Sweden). Comparing the observed ancient cline of haplogroup K to the
      simulation results reveals that about 98% of farmers were not involved in
      interbreeding neither acculturation (cultural diffusion). Therefore, cultural
      diffusion involved only a tiny fraction (about 2%) of farmers and, in this sense,
      the most relevant process in the spread of the Neolithic in Europe was demic
      diffusion (i.e., the dispersal of farmers), as opposed to cultural diffusion
      (i.e., the incorporation of hunter-gatherers).

PMID- 28894282
TI  - Idiopathic male infertility and polymorphisms in the DNA methyltransferase genes
      involved in epigenetic marking.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between male
      infertility and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DNA methyltransferases
      (DNMT) genes (DNMT3B: rs2424909, DNMT1: rs4804490, DNMT3A: rs1550117 and DNMT3L:
      rs7354779). Eight hundred and thirty three idiopathic infertile males and four
      hundred and ten fertile controls from the hospitals affiliated to Nanjing Medical
      University between 2010 and 2012 were recruited in the study. We demonstrated a
      significantly increased risk of idiopathic infertility with abnormal semen
      parameters in association with the heterozygous genotype of variant rs4804490.
      Moreover, the AA genotype of variant rs4804490 was associated with significantly
      decreased risk for male infertility with abnormal semen parameters. A decreased
      risk of idiopathic infertility with abnormal semen parameters was associated with
      the homozygous genotype of variant rs2424909. These results suggested that
      variants in different DNMT genes have different relationships with idiopathic
      male infertility, and Chinese men carrying these variants have an increased or
      decreased risk of abnormal semen parameters.

PMID- 28894284
TI  - TREM2 promotes Abeta phagocytosis by upregulating C/EBPalpha-dependent CD36
      expression in microglia.
AB  - TREM2 plays a critical role in the alleviation of Alzheimer's disease by
      promoting Abeta phagocytosis by microglia, but the detailed molecular mechanism
      underlying TREM2-induced direct phagocytic activity of Abeta remains to be
      revealed. We found that learning and memory functions were improved in aged TREM2
      TG mice, with the opposite effects in KO mice. The amount of phagocytosed Abeta
      was significantly reduced in the primary microglia of KO mice. CD36 expression in
      primary microglia was greater in TG than in WT mice but was substantially
      decreased in KO mice. The expression of C/EBPalpha, an upstream transcriptional
      activator of CD36, was also elevated in primary microglia of TG mice but
      decreased in KO mice. The transcription of CD36 was markedly increased by TREM2
      overexpression, and this effect was suppressed by a mutation of the C/EBPalpha
      binding site on the CD36 promoter. The TREM2-induced expression of CD36 and
      C/EBPalpha was inhibited by treatment with PI3K/AKT signaling blockers, and
      phosphorylation of AKT was elevated in TREM2-overexpressing BV2 cells. The
      present study provides evidence that TREM2 is required for preventing loss of
      memory and learning in Alzheimer's disease by regulating C/EBPalpha-dependent
      CD36 expression and the consequent Abeta phagocytosis.

PMID- 28894283
TI  - JinqiJiangtang tablets for pre-diabetes: A randomized, double-blind and placebo
      controlled clinical trial.
AB  - This study observed the efficacy and safety of JinqiJiangtang tablets (JQJT
      tablets, a traditional Chinese patent medicine) for pre-diabetes. Four hundred
      patients with pre-diabetes at five centres were treated for 12months and followed
      for an additional 12months to investigate the preventative effects of JQJT
      tablets (Registration ID: ChiCTR-PRC-09000401). The incidence rate of diabetes
      mellitus was the primary endpoint. The risk of converting from pre-diabetes to
      diabetes was 0.58-fold less in the JQJT tablets group than in the placebo group
      [HR (95% CI): 0.58 (0.384, 0.876), P = 0.010]. Furthermore, the probability of
      achieving normalized blood glucose was 1.41-fold greater in the JQJT tablets
      group than in the placebo group [HR (95% CI): 1.41 (1.002, 1.996), P = 0.0049].
      ITT analysis revealed that the incidence of diabetes upon treatment completion
      was 16.5% in the JQJT tablets group compared with 28.9% in the control group. The
      percentage of patients with normalized blood glucose upon 12-month intervention
      was 41.8% in the JQJT tablets group compared with 27.8% in the control group.
      JQJT tablets could be an effective intervention for preventative treatment of
      Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 28894285
TI  - Bandgap renormalization in single-wall carbon nanotubes.
AB  - Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been extensively explored as an
      ultrafast nonlinear optical material. However, due to the numerous electronic and
      morphological arrangements, a simple and self-contained physical model that can
      unambiguously account for the rich photocarrier dynamics in SWNTs is still
      absent. Here, by performing broadband degenerate and non-degenerate pump-probe
      experiments on SWNTs of different chiralities and morphologies, we reveal strong
      evidences for the existence of bandgap renormalization in SWNTs. In particularly,
      it is found that the broadband transient response of SWNTs can be well explained
      by the combined effects of Pauli blocking and bandgap renormalization, and the
      distinct dynamics is further influenced by the different sensitivity of
      degenerate and non-degenerate measurements to these two concurrent effects.
      Furthermore, we attribute optical-phonon bath thermalization as an underlying
      mechanism for the observed bandgap renormalization. Our findings provide new
      guidelines for interpreting the broadband optical response of carbon nanotubes.

PMID- 28894286
TI  - Intermittent hypoxia-induced insulin resistance is associated with alterations in
      white fat distribution.
AB  - Sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by repetitive upper airway collapses during
      night leading to intermittent hypoxia (IH). The latter is responsible for
      metabolic disturbances that rely, at least in part, on abdominal white fat
      inflammation. Besides qualitative alterations, we hypothesized that IH could also
      modify body fat distribution, a key factor for metabolic complications. C57BL6
      mice exposed to IH (21-5% FiO2, 60 s cycle, 8 h/day) or air for 6 weeks were
      investigated for topographic fat alterations (whole-body MRI). Specific role of
      epididymal fat in IH-induced metabolic dysfunctions was assessed in lipectomized
      or sham-operated mice exposed to IH or air. Whereas total white fat volume was
      unchanged, IH induced epididymal adipose tissue (AT) loss with non-significant
      increase in subcutaneous and mesenteric fat. This was associated with impaired
      insulin sensitivity and secretion. Epididymal lipectomy led to increased
      subcutaneous fat in the perineal compartment and prevented IH-induced metabolic
      disturbances. IH led to reduced epididymal AT and impaired glucose regulation.
      This suggests that, rather than epididymal AT volume, qualitative fat alterations
      (i.e. inflammation) could represent the main determinant of metabolic
      dysfunction. This deterioration of glucose regulation was prevented in epididymal
      lipectomized mice, possibly through prevention of IH-induced epididymal AT
      alterations and compensatory increase in subcutaneous AT.

PMID- 28894287
TI  - Prognostic significance of high GFI1 expression in AML of normal karyotype and
      its association with a FLT3-ITD signature.
AB  - Growth Factor Independence 1 (GFI1) is a transcriptional repressor that plays a
      critical role during both myeloid and lymphoid haematopoietic lineage commitment.
      Several studies have demonstrated the involvement of GFI1 in haematological
      malignancies and have suggested that low expression of GFI1 is a negative
      indicator of disease progression for both myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and
      acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). In this study, we have stratified AML patients
      into those defined as having a normal karyotype (CN-AML). Unlike the overall
      pattern in AML, those patients with CN-AML have a poorer survival rate when GFI1
      expression is high. In this group, high GFI1 expression is paralleled by higher
      FLT3 expression, and, even when the FLT3 gene is not mutated, exhibit a FLT3-ITD
      signature of gene expression. Knock-down of GFI1 expression in the human AML
      Fujioka cell line led to a decrease in the level of FLT3 RNA and protein and to
      the down regulation of FLT3-ITD signature genes, thus linking two major
      prognostic indicators for AML.

PMID- 28894288
TI  - Altered Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Characteristics in Macrodactyly.
AB  - Macrodactyly is a congenital disease characterized by aggressive overgrowth of
      adipose tissue in digits or limbs frequently accompanied with hyperostosis and
      nerve enlargement; its pathological mechanism is poorly understood. Adipose
      derived stem cells (ASCs) have been extensively studied in tissue engineering and
      regenerative medicine as an ideal alternative substitute for bone marrow-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), but their pathological role is largely unknown.
      In this study, ASCs from macrodactyly adipose tissues (Mac-ASCs) were isolated
      and compared to ASCs derived from the normal abdominal subcutaneous adipose
      tissue (Sat-ASCs) for cell morphology, surface marker expression, proliferation
      rate, and tri-lineage differentiation potential. Despite similar cell morphology
      and cell surface marker expression, Mac-ASCs showed higher cell proportion in the
      S phase and increased proliferation compared with Sat-ASCs. Moreover, osteogenic
      and chondrogenic differentiation capacities were enhanced in Mac-ASCs, with
      reduced adipogenic potential. In addition, the expression levels of adipogenic
      genes were lower in undifferentiated Mac-ASCs than in Sat-ASCs. These findings
      unraveled enhanced proliferation activity, a regression in the differentiation
      stage, and greater potentiality of ASCs in macrodactyly, which could contribute
      to hyperostosis and nerve enlargement in addition to adipose tissue overgrowth in
      patients.

PMID- 28894289
TI  - Factors associated with long-term weight-loss maintenance following bariatric
      surgery in adolescents with severe obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Bariatric surgery produces robust weight loss, however,
      factors associated with long-term weight-loss maintenance among adolescents
      undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery are unknown. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Fifty
      adolescents (mean+/-s.d. age and body mass index (BMI)=17.1+/-1.7 years and 59+/
      11 kg m-2) underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, had follow-up visits at 1
      year and at a visit between 5 and 12 years following surgery (Follow-up of
      Adolescent Bariatric Surgery at 5 Plus years (FABS-5+) visit; mean+/-s.d. 8.1+/
      1.6 years). A non-surgical comparison group (n=30; mean+/-s.d. age and BMI=15.3+/
      1.7 years and BMI=52+/-8 kg m-2) was recruited to compare weight trajectories
      over time. Questionnaires (health-related and eating behaviors, health
      responsibility, impact of weight on quality of life (QOL), international physical
      activity questionnaire and dietary habits via surgery guidelines) were
      administered at the FABS-5+ visit. Post hoc, participants were split into two
      groups: long-term weight-loss maintainers (n=23; baseline BMI=58.2 kg m-2; 1-year
      BMI=35.8 kg m-2; FABS-5+ BMI=34.9 kg m-2) and re-gainers (n=27; baseline BMI=59.8
      kg m-2; 1-year BMI=36.8 kg m-2; FABS-5+ BMI=48.0 kg m-2) to compare factors which
      might contribute to differences. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating
      equations adjusted for age, sex, baseline BMI, baseline diabetes status and
      length of follow-up. RESULTS: The BMI of the surgical group declined from
      baseline to 1 year (-38.5+/-6.9%), which, despite some regain, was largely
      maintained until FABS-5+ (-29.6+/-13.9% change). The BMI of the comparison group
      increased from baseline to the FABS-5+ visit (+10.3+/-20.6%). When the surgical
      group was split into maintainers and re-gainers, no differences in weight-related
      and eating behaviors, health responsibility, physical activity/inactivity, or
      dietary habits were observed between groups. However, at FABS-5+, maintainers had
      greater overall QOL scores than re-gainers (87.5+/-10.5 vs 65.4+/-20.2, P<0.001)
      and in each QOL sub-domain (P<0.01 all). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term weight outcomes
      for those who underwent weight-loss surgery were superior to those who did not
      undergo surgical treatment. While no behavioral factors were identified as
      predictors of success in long-term weight-loss maintenance, greater QOL was
      strongly associated with maintenance of weight loss among adolescents who
      underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery surgery.

PMID- 28894290
TI  - Association of proton density fat fraction in adipose tissue with imaging-based
      and anthropometric obesity markers in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship
      of the proton density fat fraction (PDFF), measured by magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI), of supraclavicular and gluteal adipose tissue with subcutaneous and
      visceral adipose tissue (SAT and VAT) volumes, liver fat fraction and
      anthropometric obesity markers. The supraclavicular fossa was selected as a
      typical location where brown adipocytes may be present in humans and the gluteal
      region was selected as a typical location enclosing primarily white adipocytes.
      SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 61 adults (44 women, median age
      29.3 years, range 21-68 years) underwent an MRI examination of the neck and the
      abdomen/pelvis (3T, Ingenia, Philips Healthcare). PDFF maps of the
      supraclavicular and gluteal adipose tissue and the liver were generated. Volumes
      of SAT and VAT were calculated and supraclavicular and subcutaneous fat were
      segmented using custom-built post-processing algorithms. Body mass index (BMI),
      waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio were recorded. Statistical analysis
      was conducted using the Student's t-test and Pearson correlation analysis.
      RESULTS: Mean supraclavicular PDFF was 75.3+/-4.7% (range 65.4-83.8%) and mean
      gluteal PDFF was 89.7+/-2.9% (range 82.2-94%), resulting in a significant
      difference (P<0.0001). Supraclavicular PDFF was positively correlated with VAT
      (r=0.76, P<0.0001), SAT (r=0.73, P<0.0001), liver PDFF (r=0.42, P=0.0008) and all
      measured anthropometric obesity markers. Gluteal subcutaneous PDFF also
      correlated with VAT (r=0.59, P<0.0001), SAT (r=0.63, P<0.0001), liver PDFF
      (r=0.3, P=0.02) and anthropometric obesity markers. CONCLUSIONS: The positive
      correlations between adipose tissue PDFF and imaging, as well as anthropometric
      obesity markers suggest that adipose tissue PDFF may be useful as a biomarker for
      improving the characterization of the obese phenotype, for risk stratification
      and for selection of appropriate treatment strategies.

PMID- 28894291
TI  - Neural predictors of 12-month weight loss outcomes following bariatric surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Despite the effectiveness of bariatric surgery, there is
      still substantial variability in long-term weight outcomes and few factors with
      predictive power to explain this variability. Neuroimaging may provide a novel
      biomarker with utility beyond other commonly used variables in bariatric surgery
      trials to improve prediction of long-term weight-loss outcomes. The purpose of
      this study was to evaluate the effects of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) on reward and
      cognitive control circuitry postsurgery and determine the extent to which
      baseline brain activity predicts weight loss at 12-month postsurgery.
      SUBJECTS/METHODS: Using a longitudinal design, behavioral, hormone and
      neuroimaging data (during a desire for palatable food regulation paradigm) were
      collected from 18 patients undergoing SG at baseline (<1 month prior) and 12
      month post-SG. RESULTS: SG patients lost an average of 29.0% of their weight
      (percentage of total weight loss (%TWL)) at 12-month post-SG, with significant
      variability (range: 16.0-43.5%). Maladaptive eating behaviors (uncontrolled,
      emotional and externally cued eating) improved (P<0.01), in parallel with
      reductions in fasting hormones (acyl ghrelin, leptin, glucose, insulin; P<0.05).
      Brain activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), caudate, pallidum and amygdala
      during desire for palatable food enhancement vs regulation decreased from
      baseline to 12 months (P (family-wise error (FWE))<0.05). Dorsolateral and
      dorsomedial prefrontal cortex activity during desire for palatable food
      regulation (vs enhancement) increased from baseline to 12 months (P(FWE)<0.05).
      Baseline activity in the NAcc and hypothalamus during desire for palatable food
      enhancement was significantly predictive of %TWL at 12 months (P (FWE)<0.05),
      superior to behavioral and hormone predictors, which did not significantly
      predict %TWL (P>0.10). Using stepwise linear regression, left NAcc activity
      accounted for 54% of the explained variance in %TWL at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS:
      Consistent with previous obesity studies, reward-related neural circuit activity
      may serve as an objective, relatively robust predictor of postsurgery weight
      loss. Replication in larger studies is necessary to determine true effect sizes
      for outcome prediction.

PMID- 28894292
TI  - Partitioning of adipose lipid metabolism by altered expression and function of
      PPAR isoforms after bariatric surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery remains the most effective treatment for reducing
      adiposity and eliminating type 2 diabetes; however, the mechanism(s) responsible
      have remained elusive. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)
      encompass a family of nuclear hormone receptors that upon activation exert
      control of lipid metabolism, glucose regulation and inflammation. Their role in
      adipose tissue following bariatric surgery remains undefined. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies and serum were obtained and
      evaluated from time of surgery and on postoperative day 7 in patients randomized
      to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n=13) or matched caloric restriction (n=14), as well
      as patients undergoing vertical sleeve gastrectomy (n=33). Fat samples were
      evaluated for changes in gene expression, protein levels, beta-oxidation,
      lipolysis and cysteine oxidation. RESULTS: Within 7 days, bariatric surgery
      acutely drives a change in the activity and expression of PPARgamma and PPARdelta
      in subcutaneous adipose tissue thereby attenuating lipid storage, increasing
      lipolysis and potentiating lipid oxidation. This unique metabolic alteration
      leads to changes in downstream PPARgamma/delta targets including decreased
      expression of fatty acid binding protein (FABP) 4 and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1
      (SCD1) with increased expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1) and
      uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2). Increased expression of UCP2 not only facilitated
      fatty acid oxidation (increased 15-fold following surgery) but also regulated the
      subcutaneous adipose tissue redoxome by attenuating protein cysteine oxidation
      and reducing oxidative stress. The expression of UCP1, a mitochondrial protein
      responsible for the regulation of fatty acid oxidation and thermogenesis in beige
      and brown fat, was unaltered following surgery. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      suggest that bariatric surgery initiates a novel metabolic shift in subcutaneous
      adipose tissue to oxidize fatty acids independently from the beiging process
      through regulation of PPAR isoforms. Further studies are required to understand
      the contribution of this shift in expression of PPAR isoforms to weight loss
      following bariatric surgery.

PMID- 28894293
TI  - Tannerella forsythia and coating color on the tongue dorsum, and fatty food
      liking associate with fat accumulation and insulin resistance in adult catch-up
      fat.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the alteration of Tannerella
      forsythia and coating color on the dorsal tongue, and fatty food liking in catch
      up fat in adult (CUFA), as well as the probable associations between fat
      accumulation, insulin resistance (IR) and these changes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: T.
      forsythia on the tongue dorsum, fatty food liking, fat accumulation and insulin
      sensitivity were investigated in CUFA humans and rats, and tongue-coating color
      was observed in CUFA individuals. We further determined the changes of fatty food
      liking, fat accumulation and IR in T. forsythia-infected rodents by oral lavage.
      RESULTS: Increases in fat accumulation, IR, percentage of subjects with yellow
      tongue coating and that with T. forsythia detected were observed in CUFA
      individuals. Additionally, the fat ranking scores were significantly lower and
      the hedonic ratings of low-fat options of sampled food were lower, while the
      ratings of high-fat options were remarkably higher in CUFA subjects.
      Additionally, T. forsythia level elevated in CUFA rats, and fatty food liking,
      fat accumulation and IR increased in CUFA and T. forsythia-infected animals, with
      the increases in T. forsythia infection and fatty food liking preceding the
      occurrence of fat accumulation and IR. CONCLUSIONS: T. forsythia and yellow
      coating on the dorsal tongue and fatty food liking associate fat accumulation and
      IR in CUFA. Moreover, we tentatively put forward that T. forsythia, which is very
      important in yellow tongue-coating microbiota, and its consequent increases in
      fatty food liking, might be crucial in the development of fat accumulation and IR
      in CUFA.

PMID- 28894294
TI  - Synchronous precipitation reduction in the American Tropics associated with
      Heinrich 2.
AB  - During the last ice age temperature in the North Atlantic oscillated in cycles
      known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) events. The magnitude of Caribbean hydroclimate
      change associated with D-O variability and particularly with stadial intervals,
      remains poorly constrained by paleoclimate records. We present a 3.3 thousand
      year long stalagmite delta18O record from the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) that spans
      the interval between 26.5 and 23.2 thousand years before present. We estimate
      quantitative precipitation variability and the high resolution and dating
      accuracy of this record allow us to investigate how rainfall in the region
      responds to D-O events. Quantitative precipitation estimates are based on
      observed regional amount effect variability, last glacial paleotemperature
      records, and estimates of the last glacial oxygen isotopic composition of
      precipitation based on global circulation models (GCMs). The new precipitation
      record suggests significant low latitude hydrological responses to internal modes
      of climate variability and supports a role of Caribbean hydroclimate in helping
      Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation recovery during D-O events.
      Significant in-phase precipitation reduction across the equator in the tropical
      Americas associated with Heinrich event 2 is suggested by available speleothem
      oxygen isotope records.

PMID- 28894295
TI  - Reversible naftifine-induced carotenoid depigmentation in Rhodotorula
      mucilaginosa (A. Jorg.) F.C. Harrison causing onychomycosis.
AB  - Rhodotorula mucilaginosa was isolated from a patient with onychomycosis, and
      identification was confirmed by morphological and cultural characteristics as
      well as by DNA molecular analysis. Antifungal agents naftifine (10 mg/mL, active
      substance in Exoderil) and bifonazole (10 mg/mL, active substance in Canespor)
      were tested in different concentrations to assess in vitro effects on fungal
      growth and carotenoid synthesis. The antifungal mechanisms of action of naftifine
      and bifonazole against R. mucilaginosa isolates were similar and affected the
      biosynthetic pathway of ergosterol. For the first time, this research
      demonstrates that naftifine affects the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway,
      producing depigmentation of R. mucilaginosa in solid and liquid media.
      Furthermore, depigmentation was a reversible process; naftifine-treated yeast
      cells that were depigmented resumed carotenoid production upon transfer to fresh
      media. Raman and UV-vis spectrophotometry in conjunction with chromatographic
      analysis detected changes in carotenoids in yeast cells, with torulene decreasing
      and B-carotene increasing after repigmentation. Transmission electron micrographs
      revealed critical ultrastructural modifications in the depigmented cells after
      naftifine treatment, i.e., a low-electron-density cell wall without visible
      mucilage or lamellate structure.

PMID- 28894296
TI  - Test-retest reliability of high spatial resolution diffusion tensor and diffusion
      kurtosis imaging.
AB  - We assessed the test-retest reliability of high spatial resolution diffusion
      tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). Diffusion MRI was
      acquired using a Siemens 3 Tesla Prisma scanner with 80 mT/m gradients and a 32
      channel head coil from each of 3 concussive traumatic brain injury (cTBI)
      patients and 4 controls twice 0 to 24 days apart. Coefficients of variation (CoV)
      for DTI parameters were calculated in each DTI Studio parcellated white matter
      tract at 1.25 mm and 1.75 mm isotropic voxel resolution, as well as DKI
      parameters at 1.75 mm isotropic. Overall, fractional anisotropy had the best
      reliability, with mean CoV at 5% for 1.25 mm and 3.5% for 1.75 mm isotropic
      voxels. Mean CoV for the other DTI metrics were <7.0% for both 1.25 and 1.75 mm
      isotropic voxels. The mean CoV was <=4.5% across the DKI metrics. In the commonly
      injured orbitofrontal and temporal pole regions CoV was <3.5% for all parameters.
      Thus, with appropriate processing, high spatial resolution advanced diffusion MRI
      has good to excellent test-retest reproducibility in both human cTBI patients and
      controls. However, further technical improvements will be needed to reliably
      discern the most subtle diffusion abnormalities, especially at high spatial
      resolution.

PMID- 28894297
TI  - The PNKD gene is associated with Tourette Disorder or Tic disorder in a multiplex
      family.
AB  - Tourette Disorder (TD) is a childhood-onset neuropsychiatric and
      neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the presence of both motor and vocal
      tics. The genetic architecture of TD is believed to be complex and heterogeneous.
      Nevertheless, DNA sequence variants co-segregating with TD phenotypes within
      multiplex families have been identified. This report examines whole exomes of
      affected and unaffected individuals in a multiplex TD family to discover genes
      involved in the TD etiology. We performed whole exome sequencing on six out of
      nine members in a three-generation TD multiplex family. Putative deleterious
      sequence variants co-segregating with TD patients were identified by our in-house
      bioinformatics pipeline. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated
      from one unaffected and two TD affected individuals. Neurons were derived from
      the iPSCs and biochemical assays were conducted to evaluate possible molecular
      differences between affected and unaffected. A rare heterozygous nonsense
      mutation in PNKD was co-segregated with TD in this multiplex family. Transcript
      and protein levels of the PNKD long isoform were reduced in neurons derived from
      the individuals with TD due to the nonsense mutation, indicating nonsense
      mediated mRNA decay. We demonstrated that the PNKD long isoform monomer
      oligomerizes with itself as well as interacts with the synaptic active zone
      protein RIMS1alpha. We concluded that reduced PNKD long isoform levels are
      detected in all affected individuals and we provide evidence for a mechanism
      whereby this might contribute to the TD phenotype.

PMID- 28894298
TI  - Molecular basis of dendritic atrophy and activity in stress susceptibility.
AB  - Molecular and cellular adaptations in nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny
      neurons (MSNs) underlie stress-induced depression-like behavior, but the
      molecular substrates mediating cellular plasticity and activity in MSN subtypes
      in stress susceptibility are poorly understood. We find the transcription factor
      early growth response 3 (EGR3) is increased in D1 receptor containing MSNs of
      mice susceptible to social defeat stress. Genetic reduction of Egr3 levels in D1
      MSNs prevented depression-like outcomes in stress susceptible mice by preventing
      D1-MSN dendritic atrophy, reduced frequency of excitatory input and altered in
      vivo activity. Overall, we identify NAc neuronal-subtype molecular control of
      dendritic morphology and related functional adaptations, which underlie
      susceptibility to stress.

PMID- 28894299
TI  - DHEA inhibits acute microglia-mediated inflammation through activation of the
      TrkA-Akt1/2-CREB-Jmjd3 pathway.
AB  - Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the most abundant circulating steroid hormone in
      humans, produced by the adrenals, the gonads and the brain. DHEA was previously
      shown to bind to the nerve growth factor receptor, tropomyosin-related kinase A
      (TrkA), and to thereby exert neuroprotective effects. Here we show that DHEA
      reduces microglia-mediated inflammation in an acute lipopolysaccharide-induced
      neuro-inflammation model in mice and in cultured microglia in vitro. DHEA
      regulates microglial inflammatory responses through phosphorylation of TrkA and
      subsequent activation of a pathway involving Akt1/Akt2 and cAMP response element
      binding protein. The latter induces the expression of the histone 3 lysine 27
      (H3K27) demethylase Jumonji d3 (Jmjd3), which thereby controls the expression of
      inflammation-related genes and microglial polarization. Together, our data
      indicate that DHEA-activated TrkA signaling is a potent regulator of microglia
      mediated inflammation in a Jmjd3-dependent manner, thereby providing the platform
      for potential future therapeutic interventions in neuro-inflammatory pathologies.

PMID- 28894300
TI  - Striatal dopamine D1-type receptor availability: no difference from control but
      association with cortical thickness in methamphetamine users.
AB  - Chronic methamphetamine use poses potentially devastating consequences for
      directly affected individuals and for society. Lower dopamine D2-type receptor
      availability has been observed in striata of methamphetamine users as compared
      with controls, but an analogous comparison of D1-type receptors has been
      conducted only on post-mortem material, with no differences in methamphetamine
      users from controls in the caudate nucleus and putamen and higher D1-receptor
      density in the nucleus accumbens. Released from neurons when methamphetamine is
      self-administered, dopamine binds to both D1- and D2-type receptors in the
      striatum, with downstream effects on cortical activity. Thus, both receptor
      subtypes may contribute to methamphetamine-induced alterations in cortical
      morphology and behavior. In this study, 21 methamphetamine-dependent subjects and
      23 healthy controls participated in positron emission tomography and structural
      magnetic resonance imaging for assessment of striatal D1- and D2-type receptor
      availability and cortical gray-matter thickness, respectively. Although D2-type
      receptor availability (BPnd) was lower in the methamphetamine group, as shown
      previously, the groups did not differ in D1-type BPnd. In the methamphetamine
      group, mean cortical gray-matter thickness was negatively associated with
      cumulative methamphetamine use and craving for the drug. Striatal D1-type but not
      D2-type BPnd was negatively associated with global mean cortical gray-matter
      thickness in the methamphetamine group, but no association was found between gray
      matter thickness and BPnd for either dopamine receptor subtype in the control
      group. These results suggest a role of striatal D1-type receptors in cortical
      adaptation to chronic methamphetamine use.

PMID- 28894301
TI  - Lateral hypothalamic GLP-1 receptors are critical for the control of food
      reinforcement, ingestive behavior and body weight.
AB  - Increased motivation for highly rewarding food is a major contributing factor to
      obesity. Most of the literature focuses on the mesolimbic nuclei as the core of
      reward behavior regulation. However, the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is also a key
      reward-control locus in the brain. Here we hypothesize that manipulating glucagon
      like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activity selectively in the LH can profoundly
      affect food reward behavior, ultimately leading to obesity. Progressive ratio
      operant responding for sucrose was examined in male and female rats, following
      GLP-1R activation and pharmacological or genetic GLP-1R blockade in the LH.
      Ingestive behavior and metabolic parameters, as well as molecular and efferent
      targets, of the LH GLP-1R activation were also evaluated. Food motivation was
      reduced by activation of LH GLP-1R. Conversely, acute pharmacological blockade of
      LH GLP-1R increased food motivation but only in male rats. GLP-1R activation also
      induced a robust reduction in food intake and body weight. Chronic knockdown of
      LH GLP-1R induced by intraparenchymal delivery of an adeno-associated virus-short
      hairpin RNA construct was sufficient to markedly and persistently elevate
      ingestive behavior and body weight and ultimately resulted in a doubling of fat
      mass in males and females. Interestingly, increased food reinforcement was again
      found only in males. Our data identify the LH GLP-1R as an indispensable element
      of normal food reinforcement, food intake and body weight regulation. These
      findings also show, for we believe the first time, that brain GLP-1R manipulation
      can result in a robust and chronic body weight gain. The broader implications of
      these findings are that the LH differs between females and males in its ability
      to control motivated and ingestive behaviors.

PMID- 28894303
TI  - Overestimation of the classification accuracy of a biomarker for assessing heavy
      alcohol use.

PMID- 28894302
TI  - Gbetagamma subunit activation promotes dopamine efflux through the dopamine
      transporter.
AB  - The dopamine transporter (DAT) is an important regulator of brain dopamine (DA)
      homeostasis, controlling the intensity and duration of DA signaling. DAT is the
      target for psychostimulants-like cocaine and amphetamine-and plays an important
      role in neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention-deficit hyperactivity
      disorder and drug addiction. Thus, a thorough understanding of the mechanisms
      that regulate DAT function is necessary for the development of clinical
      interventions to treat DA-related brain disorders. Previous studies have revealed
      a plethora of protein-protein interactions influencing DAT cellular localization
      and activity, suggesting that the fine-tuning of DA homeostasis involves multiple
      mechanisms. We recently reported that G-protein beta-gamma (Gbetagamma) subunits
      bind directly to DAT and decrease DA clearance. Here we show that Gbetagamma
      induces the release of DA through DAT. Specifically, a Gbetagamma
      binding/activating peptide, mSIRK, increases DA efflux through DAT in
      heterologous cells and primary dopaminergic neurons in culture. Addition of the
      Gbetagamma inhibitor gallein or DAT inhibitors prevents this effect. Residues 582
      to 596 in the DAT carboxy terminus were identified as the primary binding site of
      Gbetagamma. A TAT peptide containing the Gbetagamma-interacting domain of DAT
      blocked the ability of mSIRK to induce DA efflux, consistent with a direct
      interaction of Gbetagamma with the transporter. Finally, activation of a G
      protein-coupled receptor, the muscarinic M5R, results in DAT-mediated DA efflux
      through a Gbetagamma-dependent mechanism. Collectively, our data show that
      Gbetagamma interacts with DAT to promote DA efflux. This novel mechanism may have
      important implications in the regulation of brain DA homeostasis.

PMID- 28894304
TI  - Quantification of brain cholinergic denervation in Alzheimer's disease using PET
      imaging with [18F]-FEOBV.
AB  - 18F-fluoroethoxybenzovesamicol (FEOBV) is a new PET radiotracer that binds to the
      vesicular acetylcholine transporter. In both animals and healthy humans, FEOBV
      was found sensitive and reliable to characterize presynaptic cholinergic nerve
      terminals in the brain. It has been used here for we believe the first time in
      patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) to quantify brain cholinergic losses. The
      sample included 12 participants evenly divided in healthy subjects and patients
      with AD, all assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal
      Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) cognitive scales. Every participant underwent three
      consecutive PET imaging sessions with (1) the FEOBV as a tracer of the
      cholinergic terminals, (2) the 18F-NAV4694 (NAV) as an amyloid-beta tracer, and
      (3) the 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as a brain metabolism agent. Standardized
      uptake value ratios (SUVRs) were computed for each tracer, and compared between
      the two groups using voxel wise t-tests. Correlations were also computed between
      each tracer and the cognitive scales, as well as between FEOBV and the two other
      radiotracers. Results showed major reductions of FEOBV uptake in multiple
      cortical areas that were evident in each AD subject, and in the AD group as a
      whole when compared to the control group. FDG and NAV were also able to
      distinguish the two groups, but with lower sensitivity than FEOBV. FEOBV uptake
      values were positively correlated with FDG in numerous cortical areas, and
      negatively correlated with NAV in some restricted areas. The MMSE and MoCA
      cognitive scales were found to correlate significantly with FEOBV and with FDG,
      but not with NAV. We concluded that PET imaging with FEOBV is more sensitive than
      either FDG or NAV to distinguish AD patients from control subjects, and may be
      useful to quantify disease severity. FEOBV can be used to assess cholinergic
      degeneration in human, and may represent an excellent biomarker for AD.

PMID- 28894305
TI  - Electroretinography Reveals Difference in Cone Function between Syndromic and
      Nonsyndromic USH2A Patients.
AB  - Usher syndrome is an inherited and irreversible disease that manifests as
      retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and bilateral neurosensory hearing loss. Mutations in
      Usherin 2A (USH2A) are not only a frequent cause of Usher syndrome, but also
      nonsyndromic RP. Although gene- and cell-based therapies are on the horizon for
      RP and Usher syndrome, studies characterizing natural disease are lacking. In
      this retrospective analysis, retinal function of USH2A patients was quantified
      with electroretinography. Both groups had markedly reduced rod and cone
      responses, but nonsyndromic USH2A patients had 30 Hz-flicker electroretinogram
      amplitudes that were significantly higher than syndromic patients, suggesting
      superior residual cone function. There was a tendency for Usher syndrome patients
      to have a higher distribution of severe mutations, and alleles in this group had
      a higher odds of containing nonsense or frame-shift mutations. These data suggest
      that the previously reported severe visual phenotype seen in syndromic USH2A
      patients could relate to a greater extent of cone dysfunction. Additionally, a
      genetic threshold may exist where mutation burden relates to visual phenotype and
      the presence of hearing deficits. The auditory phenotype and allelic hierarchy
      observed among patients should be considered in prospective studies of disease
      progression and during enrollment for future clinical trials.

PMID- 28894307
TI  - Evidence-Based Pharmacy Practice?

PMID- 28894306
TI  - Advances in multi-dimensional coherent spectroscopy of semiconductor
      nanostructures.
AB  - Multi-dimensional coherent spectroscopy (MDCS) has become an extremely versatile
      and sensitive technique for elucidating the structure, composition, and dynamics
      of condensed matter, atomic, and molecular systems. The appeal of MDCS lies in
      its ability to resolve both individual-emitter and ensemble-averaged dynamics of
      optically created excitations in disordered systems. When applied to
      semiconductors, MDCS enables unambiguous separation of homogeneous and
      inhomogeneous contributions to the optical linewidth, pinpoints the nature of
      coupling between resonances, and reveals signatures of many-body interactions. In
      this review, we discuss the implementation of MDCS to measure the nonlinear
      optical response of excitonic transitions in semiconductor nanostructures.
      Capabilities of the technique are illustrated with recent experimental studies
      that advance our understanding of optical decoherence and dissipation, energy
      transfer, and many-body phenomena in quantum dots and quantum wells,
      semiconductor microcavities, layered semiconductors, and photovoltaic materials.

PMID- 28894308
TI  - ?

PMID- 28894309
TI  - Reliability of Best Possible Medication Histories Completed by Non-admitted
      Patients in the Emergency Department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accreditation standards have outlined the need for staff in emergency
      departments to initiate the medication reconciliation process for patients who
      are at risk of adverse drug events. The authors hypothesized that a guided form
      could be used by non-admitted patients in the emergency department to assist with
      completion of a best possible medication history (BPMH). OBJECTIVE: To determine
      the percentage of patients in the non-acute care area of the emergency department
      who could complete a guided BPMH form with no clinically significant
      discrepancies (defined as no major discrepancies and no more than 1 moderate
      discrepancy). METHODS: This prospective exploratory study was conducted over 4
      weeks in February and March 2016. Data were collected using the self-administered
      BPMH form, patient interviews, and a data collection form. After completion of
      the guided BPMH form, patients were randomly selected for interview by a pharmacy
      team member to ensure their self-completed BPMH forms were complete and accurate.
      Eligible patients were those with non-acute needs who had undergone triage to the
      waiting room. Patients who were already admitted and those with immediate triage
      to the acute care or trauma area of the emergency department were excluded.
      RESULTS: Of the 160 patients who were interviewed, 146 (91.3%) completed the form
      with no more than 1 moderate discrepancy (but some number of minor
      discrepancies). There were no discrepancies in 31 (19.4%) of the BPMH forms, and
      101 (63.1%) of the forms had only minor discrepancies. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the
      patients interviewed by the pharmacy team were able to complete the BPMH form
      with no clinically significant discrepancies. The self-administered BPMH form
      would be a useful tool to initiate medication reconciliation in the emergency
      department for this patient population, but used on its own, it would not be a
      reliable source of BPMH information, given the relatively low number of patients
      who completed the form with no discrepancies.

PMID- 28894311
TI  - Pharmacy Student Facilitation of Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions in a
      Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health Canada relies on health professionals to voluntarily report
      adverse reactions to the Canada Vigilance Program. Current rates of reporting
      adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are inadequate to detect important safety issues.
      OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of pharmacy student facilitation of ADR reporting
      by pharmacists at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Canada. METHODS: The
      intervention of interest, implemented at one campus of the hospital, was
      facilitation of ADR reporting by pharmacy students. The students received
      training on how to submit ADR reports and presented information sessions on the
      topic to hospital pharmacists; the pharmacists were then encouraged to report
      ADRs to a designated student for formal reporting. Frequency of reporting by
      pharmacists at the intervention campus was compared with reporting at a control
      campus of the same hospital. Data were collected prospectively over a 6-month
      pilot period, starting in April 2015. RESULTS: During the pilot period, 27 ADR
      reports were submitted at the intervention campus, and 3 reports at the control
      campus. All student participants strongly agreed that they would recommend that
      responsibility for submitting ADR reports to the Canada Vigilance Program remain
      with pharmacy students during future rotations. CONCLUSIONS: Availability of a
      pharmacy student to facilitate reporting of ADRs may increase the frequency of
      ADR reporting and could alleviate pharmacist workload; this activity is also a
      potentially valuable learning experience for students.

PMID- 28894310
TI  - Chemical Stability of Plerixafor after Opening of Single-Use Vial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The addition of the immunostimulant plerixafor to the current
      standard-of-care regimens of granulocyte colony-stimulating growth factor with or
      without chemotherapy has improved clinical results in terms of successful stem
      cell mobilization and the outcomes of stem cell transplant in various settings.
      With this medical innovation has come an added financial cost for institutions
      where stem cell transplants are routinely performed, and there may be a further
      financial burden when the contents of partial vials of the drug are wasted, given
      that plerixafor vials (Mozobil, Sanofi-Aventis Canada Inc) are currently deemed
      suitable only for single use. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the portion of
      plerixafor remaining in an opened vial of the Mozobil product after
      administration of a single dose is chemically stable, by comparison with the
      original product. METHODS: Stability testing of partial drug contents of an
      opened vial, stored at room temperature or under refrigeration (4 degrees C), was
      conducted using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The mean
      concentration of plerixafor (MUmol/L), standard deviation, coefficient of
      variation, and bias were determined on days 2, 3, 11, 17, 24, and 31. Method
      validation included determination of precision, sensitivity, recovery, dilution
      linearity, and carryover. RESULTS: Throughout the 4-week testing period, measured
      plerixafor concentration in aliquots stored at room temperature and under
      refrigeration, tested in series over time, appeared similar. The mean residual
      drug concentration after initial opening was slightly, but not significantly,
      higher for the sample designated for storage at room temperature than the one
      designated for refrigerated storage (40.4 versus 39.9 MUmol/L; p = 0.37).
      CONCLUSIONS: Residual plerixafor after initial opening of a vial of the Mozobil
      product remained chemically stable for at least 2 weeks both at room temperature
      and under refrigeration. The results of this study provide in vitro evidence to
      support multiple uses, instead of single use, of vials of this drug in an
      aseptic, controlled environment.

PMID- 28894312
TI  - "There's No Touching in Pharmacy": Training Pharmacists for Australia's First
      Pharmacist Immunization Pilot.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaccination is a safe, efficient, and cost-effective means of
      preventing, controlling, and eradicating many life-threatening infections and
      diseases. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that vaccination
      saves between 2 million and 3 million lives annually. However, low immunization
      rates are a significant public health concern. Individual factors, along with the
      vaccination process and system, have been reported as perceived barriers and
      challenges to immunization. Lack of time, on the part of both health care
      professionals and patients, has also been reported as a key factor influencing
      patterns of immunization. Despite the accessibility of pharmacists in community
      pharmacies in Australia, and initiatives by other countries to introduce
      pharmacist vaccination services, pharmacists in Australia had not previously
      delivered this service. The Queensland Pharmacist Immunisation Pilot (QPIP),
      initially implemented for the 2014 influenza season and later expanded, as QPIP2,
      to include other vaccines, allowed Australian pharmacists to vaccinate for the
      first time. OBJECTIVES: To develop, implement, and evaluate a training program
      for pharmacists undertaking vaccination services in community pharmacies in
      Australia. METHODS: Background content was developed and delivered through 2
      online modules. Pharmacists were required to successfully answer a series of
      multiple-choice questions related to the background reading before attending a
      face-to-face workshop. The workshop provided practical training in injection
      skills and anaphylaxis management. Participants were also asked to evaluate the
      training program. RESULTS: Of the 339 pharmacists who completed the training
      program, 286 (84%) provided an evaluation. Participants were satisfied with the
      training, as indicated by consistently high scores on the "overall satisfaction"
      question (mean 4.65/5 for the QPIP and QPIP2 training combined). Participants
      described the background reading as relevant to their practice and stated that it
      met their expectations. They also valued the opportunity to practise injections
      on each other during the face-to-face workshop, and this aspect was noted as a
      key component of the training. CONCLUSIONS: QPIP demonstrated that a pharmacist
      specific training program could produce competent and confident immunizers and
      could be used to "retrofit" the profession, to facilitate delivery of vaccination
      services in Australia.

PMID- 28894313
TI  - Need for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in Critically
      Ill Children: A Canadian Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stress ulcer prophylaxis is commonly used in pediatric critical care,
      to prevent upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The most frequently used agents are
      histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). The
      risk-benefit ratio for stress ulcer prophylaxis is uncertain, because data from
      randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness and harms of prophylaxis
      in children are limited. OBJECTIVE: To describe the views of Canadian pediatric
      intensivists about a future RCT of stress ulcer prophylaxis. METHODS: We
      conducted an online survey of Canadian pediatric critical care physicians. We e
      mailed information about the study and a link to a 10-item survey to 111
      potential respondents, with 2 reminders for nonrespondents. We assessed the
      relationship between respondents' characteristics and their views about the need
      for and potential participation in a trial using logistic regression and assessed
      regional differences using the chi2 test. RESULTS: The 68 physicians who replied
      (61% of potential respondents) had a median of 12 (interquartile range 5-20)
      years of experience. Forty-four (65%) of the respondents stated that a large,
      rigorous RCT of stress ulcer prophylaxis in children is needed, and 94% (62 of
      66) indicated that it should include a placebo group. The 3 most common designs
      suggested were a 3-arm trial comparing PPI, H2RA, and placebo (56% [37 of 66
      respondents to this question]) and 2-arm trials comparing PPI with placebo (15%
      [n = 10]) and H2RA with placebo (8% [n = 5]). The 5 patient groups that
      respondents most commonly stated should be excluded (because they should not
      receive placebo) were children receiving acid suppression at home (66% [42 of 64
      respondents to this question]) or corticosteroids (59% [n = 38]), those with
      severe coagulopathy or receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (both 36% [n
      = 23]), and those with burns (31% [n = 20]). Most respondents indicated a
      willingness to participate in an RCT (64% [42 of 66 respondents to this
      question]), whereas some (29% [n = 19]) indicated that participation would depend
      on trial design or funding; only 8% (n = 5) were disinclined to participate.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable interest in a placebo-controlled RCT of stress
      ulcer prophylaxis among pediatric critical care physicians in Canada, but
      consensus on key elements of the trial design is needed.

PMID- 28894314
TI  - Home Care Pharmacy Practice in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Services
      Provided, Remuneration, Barriers, and Facilitators.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the population ages, and individuals desire to remain in their
      homes as long as possible, the need for in-home care is expected to increase.
      However, pharmacists have rarely been included in studies of in-home care, and
      little is known about the prevalence or effectiveness of pharmacists' home-based
      services in Canada. OBJECTIVE: To identify pharmacy practices in Canada that
      regularly provide in-home patient care and to identify specific services
      provided, remuneration obtained, and barriers and facilitators influencing the
      provision of home-based care. METHODS: A link to a web-based survey was posted in
      e-newsletters of provincial, territorial, and national pharmacy associations in
      Canada. In addition, pharmacists known to the researchers as providing in-home
      clinical services were contacted directly. The survey was open from October to
      December 2015. Practices or organizations that performed at least one home visit
      per week for clinical purposes, with documentation of the services provided, were
      eligible to participate. One response per practice or organization was allowed.
      RESULTS: Seventeen practices meeting the inclusion criteria were identified,
      representing community, hospital, and clinic settings. Home visits were most
      commonly performed for individuals with complex medication regimens or
      nonadherence to medication therapy. The most common services were conducting
      medication reconciliation and reviews and counselling patients about medication
      adherence. No practices or organizations billed patients for these services, yet
      lack of remuneration was an important barrier identified by many respondents.
      Although 12 (71%) of the respondents collected data for evaluative purposes,
      collection of clinical or health system outcome data was rare. CONCLUSIONS: Few
      Canadian pharmacy practices that provide in-home patient care at least once a
      week could be identified. Data collection suitable to establish an evidence base
      for this service was infrequently performed by practices and organizations
      providing home-based care. Such evidence is needed to justify the expansion of
      this service nationally, including consistent and adequate remuneration from
      governments or other payers.

PMID- 28894315
TI  - Rivaroxaban-Induced Hypersensitivity Syndrome.

PMID- 28894316
TI  - Erratum: Should Patients Continue to Receive Statins Once They Reach 80 Years of
      Age? The "Con" Side: Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 244 in vol. 70.].

PMID- 28894317
TI  - Pharmacist Performance of Physical Assessment: Perspectives of Clinical
      Pharmacists Working in Different Practice Settings.

PMID- 28894318
TI  - Roles of Hospital and Territorial Pharmacists within the Italian National
      Healthcare Service.

PMID- 28894319
TI  - Should We Continue to Use Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis for Critically Ill Patients?

PMID- 28894320
TI  - Effect of Tubing Flush or Preconditioning on Available Insulin Concentration for
      IV Infusion: A Pilot Project.

PMID- 28894321
TI  - Patient-Centred Care through Storytelling.

PMID- 28894322
TI  - Implications of Changes to the Mefloquine Product Monograph.

PMID- 28894323
TI  - ?

PMID- 28894324
TI  - The Past, the Present, and a Very Bright Future.

PMID- 28894325
TI  - Special Section on Structure Ignition in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires.

PMID- 28894326
TI  - Calcite dissolution rate spectra measured by in situ digital holographic
      microscopy.
AB  - Digital holographic microscopy in reflection mode is used to track in situ, real
      time nanoscale topography evolution of cleaved (104) calcite surfaces exposed to
      flowing or static deionized water. The method captures full-field holograms of
      the surface at frame rates of up to 12.5 s-1. Numerical reconstruction provides
      3D surface topography with vertical resolution of a few nanometers and enables
      measurement of time-dependent local dissolution fluxes. A statistical
      distribution, or spectrum, of dissolution rates is generated by sampling multiple
      area domains on multiple crystals. The data show, as has been demonstrated by
      Fischer et al. (2012), that dissolution is most fully described by a rate
      spectrum, although the modal dissolution rate agrees well with published mean
      dissolution rates (e.g., 0.1 umol m-2 s-1 to 0.3 umol m-2 s-1). Rhombohedral etch
      pits and other morphological features resulting from rapid local dissolution
      appear at different times and are heterogeneously distributed across the surface
      and through the depth. This makes the distribution in rates measured on a single
      crystal dependent both on the sample observation field size and on time, even at
      nominally constant undersaturation. Statistical analysis of the inherent noise in
      the DHM measurements indicates that the technique is robust and that it likely
      can be applied to quantify and interpret rate spectra for the dissolution or
      growth of other minerals.

PMID- 28894327
TI  - Detection of distant metastases in patients with locally advanced breast cancer:
      role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography
      and conventional imaging with computed tomography scans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)
      and conventional imaging tests for the detection of distant metastases in
      patients with locally advanced breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included
      81 patients with breast cancer who had undergone 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)
      PET/CT before treatment. Conventional imaging included the following: bone
      scintigraphy; chest X-ray (in 14.5%) or CT (in 85.5%); and abdominal ultrasound
      (in 10.8%), CT (in 87.8%), or magnetic resonance imaging (in 1.4%).
      Histopathology and clinical/imaging follow-up served as reference. RESULTS:
      Distant metastases were observed in nine patients (11.1%). On patient-based
      analysis, conventional imaging identified distant metastases in all 9 patients.
      In one patient, the initial 18F-FDG PET/CT failed to demonstrate bone metastases
      that was evident on bone scintigraphy. In two patients, the CT scan failed to
      show extra-axillary lymph node metastases that were identified on 18F-FDG PET/CT.
      There was no significant difference between 18F-FDG PET/CT and conventional
      imaging in terms of their sensitivity for the detection of distant metastases in
      patients with locally advanced breast cancer. CONCLUSION: This study showed that
      18F-FDG PET/CT and conventional imaging with CT scans had similar sensitivity for
      the diagnosis of distant metastases in patients with locally advanced breast
      cancer. 18F-FDG PET/CT can add information about extra-axillary lymph node
      involvements.

PMID- 28894328
TI  - Comparison of Cartesian and radial acquisition on short-tau inversion recovery
      (STIR) sequences in breast MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare two short-tau inversion
      recovery (STIR) sequences, Cartesian and radial (BLADE) acquisitions, for breast
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-six
      women underwent 1.5 T breast MRI exam (48 Cartesian and 48 BLADE). Qualitative
      analysis including image artifacts, image quality, fat-suppression, chest-wall
      depiction, lesion detection, lymph node depiction and overall impression were
      evaluated by three blinded readers. Signal to noise ratios (SNRs) were
      calculated. Cronbach's alpha test was used to assess inter-observer agreement.
      Subanalyses of image quality, chest-wall depiction and overall impression in 15
      patients with implants and image quality in 31 patients with clips were
      correlated using Pearson test. Wilcoxon rank sum test and t-test were performed.
      RESULTS: Motion artifacts were present in 100% and in 0% of the Cartesian and the
      BLADE exams, respectively. Chemical-shift artifacts were present in 8% of the
      Cartesian exams. Flow artifacts were more frequent on BLADE. BLADE sequence was
      statistically superior to Cartesian for all qualitative features (p < 0.05)
      except for fat-suppression (p = 0.054). In the subanalysis, BLADE was superior
      for implants and clips (p < 0.05). SNR was statistically greater for BLADE (48.35
      vs. 16.17). Cronbach ranged from 0.502 to 0.813. CONCLUSION: BLADE appears to be
      superior to Cartesian acquisition of STIR imaging as measured by improved image
      quality, fewer artifacts, and improved chest wall and lymph node depiction.

PMID- 28894329
TI  - Accuracy of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography for estimating residual tumor
      size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: a feasibility
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography
      (CESM) of the breast for assessing the size of residual tumors after neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy (NAC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In breast cancer patients who
      underwent NAC between 2011 and 2013, we evaluated residual tumor measurements
      obtained with CESM and full-field digital mammography (FFDM). We determined the
      concordance between the methods, as well as their level of agreement with the
      pathology. Three radiologists analyzed eight CESM and FFDM measurements
      separately, considering the size of the residual tumor at its largest diameter
      and correlating it with that determined in the pathological analysis.
      Interobserver agreement was also evaluated. RESULTS: The sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were higher
      for CESM than for FFDM (83.33%, 100%, 100%, and 66% vs. 50%, 50%, 50%, and 25%,
      respectively). The CESM measurements showed a strong, consistent correlation with
      the pathological findings (correlation coefficient = 0.76-0.92; intraclass
      correlation coefficient = 0.692-0.886). The correlation between the FFDM
      measurements and the pathological findings was not statistically significant,
      with questionable consistency (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.488-0.598).
      Agreement with the pathological findings was narrower for CESM measurements than
      for FFDM measurements. Interobserver agreement was higher for CESM than for FFDM
      (0.94 vs. 0.88). CONCLUSION: CESM is a feasible means of evaluating residual
      tumor size after NAC, showing a good correlation and good agreement with
      pathological findings. For CESM measurements, the interobserver agreement was
      excellent.

PMID- 28894330
TI  - Metastatic pulmonary calcification: high-resolution computed tomography findings
      in 23 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the high-resolution computed
      tomography (HRCT) findings in patients diagnosed with metastatic pulmonary
      calcification (MPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the HRCT
      findings from 23 cases of MPC [14 men, 9 women; mean age, 54.3 (range, 26-89)
      years]. The patients were examined between 2000 and 2014 in nine tertiary
      hospitals in Brazil, Chile, and Canada. Diagnoses were established by
      histopathologic study in 18 patients and clinical-radiological correlation in 5
      patients. Two chest radiologists analyzed the images and reached decisions by
      consensus. RESULTS: The predominant HRCT findings were centrilobular ground-glass
      nodules (n = 14; 60.9%), consolidation with high attenuation (n = 10; 43.5%),
      small dense nodules (n = 9; 39.1%), peripheral reticular opacities associated
      with small calcified nodules (n = 5; 21.7%), and ground-glass opacities without
      centrilobular ground-glass nodular opacity (n = 5; 21.7%). Vascular calcification
      within the chest wall was found in four cases and pleural effusion was observed
      in five cases. The abnormalities were bilateral in 21 cases. CONCLUSION: MPC
      manifested with three main patterns on HRCT, most commonly centrilobular ground
      glass nodules, often containing calcifications, followed by dense consolidation
      and small solid nodules, most of which were calcified. We also described another
      pattern of peripheral reticular opacities associated with small calcified
      nodules. These findings should suggest the diagnosis of MPC in the setting of
      hypercalcemia.

PMID- 28894331
TI  - Influence of bladder fullness on the detection of urinary tract obstruction by
      dynamic renal scintigraphy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of bladder fullness on the diagnosis of
      urinary tract obstruction during dynamic renal scintigraphy with a diuretic
      stimulator. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 82 kidneys in 82 patients submitted
      to dynamic renal scintigraphy with a diuretic stimulator. We compared the
      proportional elimination of the radiopharmaceutical 99mTc-DTPA from the kidneys
      before and after bladder emptying in post-diuretic images, classifying each image
      as representing an obstructed, indeterminate, or unobstructed kidney. RESULTS:
      The overall elimination of 99mTc-DTPA from the kidneys was 10.4% greater after
      bladder emptying than before. When the analysis was performed with a full
      bladder, we classified 40 kidneys as obstructed, 16 as indeterminate, and 26 as
      unobstructed. When the 40 kidneys classified as obstructed were analyzed after
      voiding, 11 were reclassified as indeterminate and 3 were reclassified as
      unobstructed. Of the 16 kidneys classified as indeterminate on the full-bladder
      images, 13 were reclassified as unobstructed after voiding. CONCLUSION: In
      dynamic renal scintigraphy with a diuretic stimulator, it is important to obtain
      images after voiding, in order to perform a reliable analysis of the proportional
      excretion of 99mTc-DTPA from the kidneys, avoiding possible false-positive
      results for urinary tract obstruction.

PMID- 28894332
TI  - Breast cancer screening: updated recommendations of the Brazilian College of
      Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, Brazilian Breast Disease Society, and Brazilian
      Federation of Gynecological and Obstetrical Associations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present the current recommendations for breast cancer screening in
      Brazil, as devised by the Brazilian College of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging,
      the Brazilian Breast Disease Society, and the Brazilian Federation of
      Gynecological and Obstetrical Associations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed
      scientific studies available in the Medline and Lilacs databases. In the absence
      of evidence, the recommendations reflected the consensus of a panel of experts.
      RECOMMENDATIONS: Annual mammography screening is recommended for women 40-74
      years of age. Among women >= 75 years of age, annual mammography screening should
      be reserved for those with an expected survival > 7 years. Complementary
      ultrasound should be considered for women with dense breasts. Complementary
      magnetic resonance imaging is recommended for women at high risk. When available,
      an advanced form of mammography known as tomosynthesis can be considered as a
      means of screening for breast cancer.

PMID- 28894334
TI  - Spondyloarthropathy: diagnostic imaging criteria for the detection of
      sacroiliitis.
AB  - Diagnostic imaging is crucial to the diagnosis and monitoring of
      spondyloarthropathies. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most relevant tool for
      the early detection of sacroiliitis, allowing the institution of therapeutic
      strategies to impede the progression of the disease. This study illustrates the
      major criteria for a magnetic resonance imaging-based diagnosis of
      spondyloarthropathy. The cases selected here present images obtained from the
      medical records of patients diagnosed with sacroiliitis over a two-year period at
      our facility, depicting the active and chronic, irreversible forms of the
      disease. Although computed tomography and conventional radiography can also
      identify structural changes, such as subchondral sclerosis, erosions, fat
      deposits, and ankylosis, only magnetic resonance imaging can reveal active
      inflammatory lesions, such as bone edema, osteitis, synovitis, enthesitis, and
      capsulitis.

PMID- 28894333
TI  - The role of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging in Parkinson's disease and in
      the differential diagnosis with atypical parkinsonism.
AB  - Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases.
      Clinically, it is characterized by motor symptoms. Parkinson's disease should be
      differentiated from atypical parkinsonism conditions. Conventional magnetic
      resonance imaging is the primary imaging method employed in order to facilitate
      the differential diagnosis, and its role has grown after the development of
      advanced techniques such as diffusion-weighted imaging. The purpose of this
      article was to review the role of magnetic resonance imaging in Parkinson's
      disease and in the differential diagnosis with atypical parkinsonism, emphasizing
      the diffusion technique.

PMID- 28894335
TI  - Primary osteosarcoma of the cranial vault.
AB  - Only 5-10% of osteosarcomas arise from the craniofacial bones. We report the case
      of a 14-year-old female patient who presented with headache and a mass that had
      been growing in the left frontoparietal region for six months. We describe the
      findings on conventional radiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance
      imaging.

PMID- 28894336
TI  - Sliding inguinoscrotal hernia insinuating itself into the bladder, with calculi
      in the bladder and distal ureter.

PMID- 28894337
TI  - Primary tracheobronchial amyloidosis.

PMID- 28894338
TI  - Xanthogranulomatous cystitis in a child.

PMID- 28894339
TI  - Giant cyamella: a rare sesamoid bone.

PMID- 28894340
TI  - Hemangioma of the urinary bladder: an atypical location.

PMID- 28894341
TI  - Subconjunctival fat prolapse: a disease little known to radiologists.

PMID- 28894342
TI  - Ogilvie syndrome after use of vincristine: tomographic findings.

PMID- 28894343
TI  - Pontine tegmental cap dysplasia accompanied by a duplicated internal auditory
      canal.

PMID- 28894344
TI  - Neurography - a new look at the peripheral nervous system.

PMID- 28894345
TI  - Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism: the importance of magnetic
      resonance imaging as a potential biomarker.

PMID- 28894346
TI  - High-resolution computed tomography findings in hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

PMID- 28894347
TI  - Solid tumors are poroelastic solids with a chemo-mechanical feedback on growth.
AB  - The experimental evidence that a feedback exists between growth and stress in
      tumors poses challenging questions. First, the rheological properties (the
      "constitutive equations") of aggregates of malignant cells are still a matter of
      debate. Secondly, the feedback law (the "growth law") that relates stress and
      mitotic-apoptotic rate is far to be identified. We address these questions on the
      basis of a theoretical analysis of in vitro and in vivo experiments that involve
      the growth of tumor spheroids. We show that solid tumors exhibit several
      mechanical features of a poroelastic material, where the cellular component
      behaves like an elastic solid. When the solid component of the spheroid is loaded
      at the boundary, the cellular aggregate grows up to an asymptotic volume that
      depends on the exerted compression. Residual stress shows up when solid tumors
      are radially cut, highlighting a peculiar tensional pattern. By a novel numerical
      approach we correlate the measured opening angle and the underlying residual
      stress in a sphere. The features of the mechanobiological system can be explained
      in terms of a feedback of mechanics on the cell proliferation rate as modulated
      by the availability of nutrient, that is radially damped by the balance between
      diffusion and consumption. The volumetric growth profiles and the pattern of
      residual stress can be theoretically reproduced assuming a dependence of the
      target stress on the concentration of nutrient which is specific of the malignant
      tissue.

PMID- 28894348
TI  - Laser-Driven Calorimetry of Single-Component Liquid Hydrocarbons.
AB  - A novel laser-heating technique, referred to as the laser-driven thermal reactor
      (LDTR), was used to determine sample thermal (exothermic/endothermic) behavior,
      specific heat release rate, and total specific heat release of three volatile
      single-component liquid hydrocarbons, i.e., n-decane, n-butylcyclohexane and n
      butylbenzene. The objective was to demonstrate measurement repeatability and
      extend the LDTR model from earlier investigations. The experimental apparatus
      consists of a copper sphere-shaped reactor mounted within a vacuum chamber, with
      sample and substrate supported on a thermocouple near the center of the reactor.
      The reactor is heated from opposing sides by a near-infrared laser to achieve
      nearly uniform sample temperature. The change in temperature with time (i.e.,
      thermogram) is compared to a previously recorded baseline (no liquid sample)
      thermogram. A model, based on thermal energy conservation, is used to evaluate
      the thermograms for the thermochemical characteristics of interest. This study
      represents a step toward applying this technique to more complex volatile multi
      component fuels of unspecified composition. Results for the LDTR were compared
      with a differential scanning calorimetry/thermal gravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA)
      instrument. The model analysis was extended to include an estimation of the
      hydrocarbon mass change with increasing temperature, based on the temporal change
      in the specific heat release rate. An estimate of the total specific heat release
      was obtained for these three liquid hydrocarbons and found to be consistent with
      the literature values when the measurements were carried out under suitable
      operating conditions.

PMID- 28894349
TI  - EPR Line Shifts and Line Shape Changes Due to Spin Exchange Between Nitroxide
      Free Radicals in Liquids 10. Spin-Exchange Frequencies of the Order of the
      Nitrogen Hyperfine Interaction: A Hypothesis.
AB  - The behavior of Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra due to 15N and 14N
      nitroxide free radicals undergoing spin exchange in liquids at high frequencies
      omegaex , of the same order of magnitude as the nitrogen hyperfine coupling
      constant A0 is investigated. The well known features are reconfirmed: (1) at low
      values of omegaex where the lines broaden, shift toward the center of the
      spectrum, and change shape due to the introduction of a resonance of the form of
      a dispersion component; (2) at values of omegaex comparable to A0, the line merge
      into one; and (3) at values much larger than A0, the merged line narrows. It is
      found that each line of a spectrum may be decomposed into an admixture of a
      single absorption and a single dispersion component of Lorentzian shape. These
      two- or three-line absorption-dispersion admixtures, for 15N and 14N,
      respectively, retain their individual identities even after the spectrum has
      merged and has begun to narrow. For both isotopes, the average broadening and
      integrated intensities are equal to the predictions of perturbation theory
      although, in the case of 14N the outer lines broaden faster than the central line
      and intensity moves from the outer lines to the center line. In fact, the outer
      line intensity becomes zero and then negative at higher values of omegaex which
      is compensated by the center line becoming more intense than the overall
      integrated intensity. For both isotopes, the dispersion components and the line
      shift depart from the perturbation prediction. The results are presented in terms
      of measurable quantities normalized to A0 so that they may be applied to any two-
      or three-line spectrum.

PMID- 28894351
TI  - Prediction of Epileptic Seizure by Analysing Time Series EEG Signal Using k-NN
      Classifier.
AB  - Electroencephalographic signal is a representative signal that contains
      information about brain activity, which is used for the detection of epilepsy
      since epileptic seizures are caused by a disturbance in the electrophysiological
      activity of the brain. The prediction of epileptic seizure usually requires a
      detailed and experienced analysis of EEG. In this paper, we have introduced a
      statistical analysis of EEG signal that is capable of recognizing epileptic
      seizure with a high degree of accuracy and helps to provide automatic detection
      of epileptic seizure for different ages of epilepsy. To accomplish the target
      research, we extract various epileptic features namely approximate entropy
      (ApEn), standard deviation (SD), standard error (SE), modified mean absolute
      value (MMAV), roll-off (R), and zero crossing (ZC) from the epileptic signal. The
      k-nearest neighbours (k-NN) algorithm is used for the classification of epilepsy
      then regression analysis is used for the prediction of the epilepsy level at
      different ages of the patients. Using the statistical parameters and regression
      analysis, a prototype mathematical model is proposed which helps to find the
      epileptic randomness with respect to the age of different subjects. The accuracy
      of this prototype equation depends on proper analysis of the dynamic information
      from the epileptic EEG.

PMID- 28894350
TI  - Short-Term Regulation of FcgammaR-Mediated Phagocytosis by TLRs in Macrophages:
      Participation of 5-Lipoxygenase Products.
AB  - TLRs recognize a broad spectrum of microorganism molecules, triggering a variety
      of cellular responses. Among them, phagocytosis is a critical process for host
      defense. Leukotrienes (LTs), lipid mediators produced from 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO)
      enzyme, increase FcgammaR-mediated phagocytosis. Here, we evaluated the
      participation of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR9 in FcgammaR-mediated phagocytosis and
      whether this process is modulated by LTs. Rat alveolar macrophages (AMs), murine
      bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), and peritoneal macrophages (PMs) treated
      with TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4 agonists, but not TLR9, enhanced IgG-opsonized sheep
      red blood cell (IgG-sRBC) phagocytosis. Pretreatment of AMs or BMDMs with drugs
      that block LT synthesis impaired the phagocytosis promoted by TLR ligands, and
      TLR potentiation was also abrogated in PMs and BMDMs from 5-LO-/- mice. LTB4
      production induced by IgG engagement was amplified by TLR ligands, while cys-LTs
      were amplified by activation of TLR2 and TLR4, but not by TLR3. We also noted
      higher ERK1/2 phosphorylation in IgG-RBC-challenged cells when preincubated with
      TLR agonists. Furthermore, ERK1/2 inhibition by PD98059 reduced the phagocytic
      activity evoked by TLR agonists. Together, these data indicate that TLR2, TLR3,
      and TLR4 ligands, but not TLR9, amplify IgG-mediated phagocytosis by a mechanism
      which requires LT production and ERK-1/2 pathway activation.

PMID- 28894352
TI  - Hierarchical Association Coefficient Algorithm: New Method for Genome-Wide
      Association Study.
AB  - Hierarchical association coefficient algorithm calculates the degree of
      association between observations and categories into a value named hierarchical
      association coefficient (HA-coefficient) between 0 for the lower limit and 1 for
      the upper limit. The HA-coefficient algorithm can be operated with stratified
      ascending categories based on the average of observations in each category. The
      upper limit refers to a condition where observations are increasingly ordered
      into the stratified ascending categories, whereas the lower limit refers to a
      condition where observations are decreasingly ordered into the stratified
      ascending categories. An HA-coefficient represents how close an observed
      categorization is to the upper limit, or how distant an observed categorization
      is from the lower limit. To demonstrate robustness and reliability, the HA
      coefficient algorithm was applied to 3 different simulated data sets with the
      same pattern in terms of the association between observations and categories.
      From all simulated data sets, the same result was obtained, indicating that the
      HA-coefficient algorithm is robust and reliable.

PMID- 28894353
TI  - Optimized Next-Generation Sequencing Genotype-Haplotype Calling for Genome
      Variability Analysis.
AB  - The accurate estimation of nucleotide variability using next-generation
      sequencing data is challenged by the high number of sequencing errors produced by
      new sequencing technologies, especially for nonmodel species, where reference
      sequences may not be available and the read depth may be low due to limited
      budgets. The most popular single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) callers are
      designed to obtain a high SNP recovery and low false discovery rate but are not
      designed to account appropriately the frequency of the variants. Instead,
      algorithms designed to account for the frequency of SNPs give precise results for
      estimating the levels and the patterns of variability. These algorithms are
      focused on the unbiased estimation of the variability and not on the high
      recovery of SNPs. Here, we implemented a fast and optimized parallel algorithm
      that includes the method developed by Roesti et al and Lynch, which estimates the
      genotype of each individual at each site, considering the possibility to call
      both bases from the genotype, a single one or none. This algorithm does not
      consider the reference and therefore is independent of biases related to the
      reference nucleotide specified. The pipeline starts from a BAM file converted to
      pileup or mpileup format and the software outputs a FASTA file. The new program
      not only reduces the running times but also, given the improved use of resources,
      it allows its usage with smaller computers and large parallel computers,
      expanding its benefits to a wider range of researchers. The output file can be
      analyzed using software for population genetics analysis, such as the R library
      PopGenome, the software VariScan, and the program mstatspop for analysis
      considering positions with missing data.

PMID- 28894354
TI  - Switching to preservative-free latanoprost: impact on tolerability and patient
      satisfaction.

PMID- 28894355
TI  - Erratum: Intravitreal aflibercept for choroidal neovascularization associated
      with chorioretinitis: a pilot study [Corrigendum].
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 1315 in vol. 11, PMID: 28769551.].

PMID- 28894356
TI  - Refractive lens exchange in younger and older presbyopes: comparison of
      complication rates, 3 months clinical and patient-reported outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare refractive and visual outcomes, patient satisfaction, and
      complication rates among different age categories of patients who underwent
      refractive lens exchange (RLE). METHODS: A stratified, simple random sample of
      patients matched on preoperative sphere and cylinder was selected for four age
      categories: 45-49 years (group A), 50-54 years (group B), 55-59 years (group C),
      and 60-65 years (group D). Each group contained 320 patients. All patients
      underwent RLE with a multifocal intraocular lens at least in one eye. Three
      months postoperative refractive/visual and patient-reported outcomes are
      presented. RESULTS: The percentage of patients that achieved binocular
      uncorrected distance visual acuity 20/20 or better was 91.6% (group A), 93.8%
      (group B), 91.6% (group C), 88.8% (group D), P=0.16. Binocularly, 80.0% of
      patients in group A, 84.7% in group B, 78.9% in group C, and 77.8% in group D
      achieved 20/30 or better uncorrected near visual acuity (P=0.13). The proportion
      of eyes within 0.50 D of emmetropia was 84.4% in group A, 86.8% in group B, 85.7%
      in group C, and 85.8% in group D (P=0.67). There was no statistically significant
      difference in postoperative satisfaction, visual phenomena, dry eye symptoms,
      distance or near vision activities. Apart from higher rate of iritis in the age
      group 50-55 years, there was no statistically significant difference in
      postoperative complication rates. CONCLUSION: RLE can be safely performed in
      younger as well as older presbyopes. No significant difference was found in
      clinical or patient-reported outcomes.

PMID- 28894358
TI  - Therapy with pamidronate in children with osteogenesis imperfecta.
AB  - Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease characterized by excessive bone
      fragility with fractures consecutive to minor trauma. Considering lack of
      standardization of therapy with pamidronate in children, it was our aim to
      present our experience over a period of 10 years regarding evolution and
      treatment in patients diagnosed with osteoporosis and OI. Nine patients diagnosed
      with OI were admitted to the First Pediatric Clinic, Timisoara. They were
      investigated (clinical, biomarkers of bone metabolism and imaging studies), and a
      quality-of-life questionnaire was used to evaluate the impact of OI. Treatment
      was performed with pamidronate 1 mg/kg/cycle, every 3 months. The patients were
      evaluated every 3 months. The most frequent was type III (three patients), and
      two patients were diagnosed with type II, while the other patients were diagnosed
      with other forms such as types IV, V, VI and VIII. The clinical expression was
      polymorphic, and the number of fractures was variable. Bone pain ameliorated just
      after the first cycle of pamidronate, while the activity and mobility increased
      quickly. Osteodensitometry in children over 12 years showed a decreased bone
      mineral density (BMD) with a significant improvement after treatment. The values
      of the bone alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin changed after the antiresorptive
      treatment, and the quality of life of the children and their family improved.
      Treatment with pamidronate is beneficial for the patient, family and society,
      increases mobility and bone density, improves quality of life and reduces family
      dependence in children with OI.

PMID- 28894357
TI  - Advances in the delivery of buprenorphine for opioid dependence.
AB  - Opioid use disorders (OUDs) have long been a global problem, but the prevalence
      rates have increased over 20 years to epidemic proportions in the US, with
      concomitant increases in morbidity and all-cause mortality, but especially opioid
      overdose. These increases are in part attributable to a several-fold expansion in
      the prescription of opioid pain medications over the same time period. Opioid
      detoxification and psychosocial treatments alone have each not yielded sufficient
      efficacy for OUD, but MU-opioid receptor agonist, partial agonist, and antagonist
      medications have demonstrated the greatest overall benefit in OUD treatment.
      Buprenorphine, a MU-opioid receptor partial agonist, has been used successfully
      on an international basis for several decades in sublingual tablet and film
      preparations for the treatment of OUD, but the nature of formulation, which is
      typically self-administered, renders it susceptible to nonadherence, diversion,
      and accidental exposure. This article reviews the clinical trial data for novel
      buprenorphine delivery systems in the form of subcutaneous depot injections,
      transdermal patches, and subdermal implants for the treatment of OUD and
      discusses both the clinical efficacy of longer-acting formulations through
      increasing consistent medication exposure and their potential utility in reducing
      diversion. These new delivery systems also offer new dosing opportunities for
      buprenorphine and strategies for dosing intervals in the treatment of OUD.

PMID- 28894359
TI  - Analysis of the dynamics of venous blood flow in the context of lower limb
      temperature distribution and tissue composition in the elderly.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The elderly are particularly vulnerable to degenerative diseases, such
      as circulatory and respiratory system and vascular system diseases. The objective
      of this study was therefore to evaluate the distribution of temperature and the
      dynamics of venous blood flow in the lower limbs (LLs) and to assess the
      interdependence of these parameters in terms of the somatic components in males
      and females participating in activities at the University of the Third Age.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 60 females (mean age 67.4 years) and 40
      males (mean age 67.5 years). A body composition assessment was performed using
      the bioimpedance technique - Tanita BC-418MA. The following parameters were
      examined: fat%, fat mass, fat-free mass, and total body water. The minimal,
      maximal, and mean temperature values and their distributions were examined using
      infrared thermographic camera VarioCAM Head. Measurements of the venous refilling
      time and the work of the LL venous pump were examined using a Rheo Dopplex II
      PPG. RESULTS: In males, the mean value of the right LL temperature was 30.58 and
      the mean value of the left LL was 30.28; the P-value was 0.805769. In females,
      the mean value of the right LL temperature was 29.58 and the mean value of the
      left limb was 29.52; the P-value was 0.864773. In males, the right limb blood
      flow was 34.17 and the left limb blood flow was 34.67; the P-value was 0.359137.
      In females, the right limb blood flow was 26.89 and the left limb blood flow was
      26.09; the P-value was 0.796348. CONCLUSION: Research results showed that the
      temperature distribution and the dynamics of blood flow are not significantly
      different between the right and left extremities in both males and females.
      However, significant temperature differences were found between the gender
      groups. Significantly higher temperature values in both the right and left
      extremities were recorded in males than in females.

PMID- 28894360
TI  - The evaluation of beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents in patients with COPD and
      congestive heart failure: a nationwide study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: beta-Blockers are safe and improve survival in patients with both
      congestive heart failure (CHF) and COPD. However, the superiority of different
      types of beta-blockers is still unclear among patients with CHF and COPD. The
      association between beta-blockers and CHF exacerbation as well as COPD
      exacerbation remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare the
      outcome of different beta-blockers in patients with concurrent CHF and COPD.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used the National Health Insurance Research Database in
      Taiwan to conduct a retrospective cohort study. The inclusion criteria for CHF
      were patients who were >20 years old and were diagnosed with CHF between January
      1, 2005 and December 31, 2012. COPD patients included those who had outpatient
      visit claims >=2 times within 365 days or 1 claim for hospitalization with a COPD
      diagnosis. A time-dependent Cox proportional hazards regression model was applied
      to evaluate the effectiveness of beta-blockers in the study population. RESULTS:
      We identified 1,872 patients with concurrent CHF and COPD. Only high-dose
      bisoprolol significantly reduced the risk of death and slightly decreased the
      hospitalization rate due to CHF exacerbation (death: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]
      =0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] =0.29-0.89; hospitalization rate due to CHF
      exacerbation: aHR =0.48, 95% CI =0.23-1.00). No association was observed between
      beta-blocker use and COPD exacerbation. CONCLUSION: In patients with concurrent
      CHF and COPD, beta-blockers reduced mortality, CHF exacerbation, and the need for
      hospitalization. Bisoprolol was found to reduce mortality and CHF exacerbation
      compared to carvedilol and metoprolol.

PMID- 28894362
TI  - Erratum: Gentamicin coating of nanotubular anodized titanium implant reduces
      implant-related osteomyelitis and enhances bone biocompatibility in rabbits
      [Corrigendum].
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 5461 in vol. 12, PMID: 28814863.].

PMID- 28894361
TI  - Effects of daily vitamin D supplementation on respiratory muscle strength and
      physical performance in vitamin D-deficient COPD patients: a pilot trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although vitamin D is well known for its function in calcium
      homeostasis and bone mineralization, several studies have shown positive effects
      on muscle strength and physical function. In addition, vitamin D has been
      associated with pulmonary function and the incidence of airway infections. As
      vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) patients, supplementation might have a beneficial effect in these
      patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on
      respiratory muscle strength and physical performance in vitamin D-deficient COPD
      patients. Secondary outcomes are pulmonary function, handgrip strength,
      exacerbation rate, and quality of life. METHODS: We performed a randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial. Participants were randomly
      allocated to receive 1,200 IU vitamin D3 per day (n=24) or placebo (n=26) during
      6 months. Study visits were conducted at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months after
      randomization. During the visits, blood was collected, respiratory muscle
      strength was measured (maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressure), physical
      performance and 6-minute walking tests were performed, and handgrip strength and
      pulmonary function were assessed. In addition, participants kept a diary card in
      which they registered respiratory symptoms. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean
      (standard deviation [SD]) serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration
      (nmol/L) was 42.3 (15.2) in the vitamin D group and 40.6 (17.0) in the placebo
      group. Participants with vitamin D supplementation had a larger increase in serum
      25(OH)D compared to the placebo group after 6 months (mean difference (SD): +52.8
      (29.8) vs +12.3 (25.1), P<0.001). Primary outcomes, respiratory muscle strength
      and physical performance, did not differ between the groups after 6 months. In
      addition, no differences were found in the 6-minute walking test results,
      handgrip strength, pulmonary function, exacerbation rate, or quality of life.
      CONCLUSION: Vitamin D supplementation did not affect (respiratory) muscle
      strength or physical performance in this pilot trial in vitamin D-deficient COPD
      patients.

PMID- 28894363
TI  - Ketoprofen-loaded polymer carriers in bigel formulation: an approach to enhancing
      drug photostability in topical application forms.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to investigate the stability and biopharmaceutical
      characteristics of ketoprofen, loaded in polymeric carriers, which were included
      into a bigel in a semisolid dosage form. The polymer carriers with in situ
      included ketoprofen were obtained by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization of
      the monomers in aqueous medium or a solution of the polymers used. The
      morphological characteristics of the carriers, the in vitro release and the
      photochemical stability of ketoprofen were evaluated. The model with optimal
      characteristics was included in a bigel formulation. The bigel was characterized
      in terms of pH, rheological behavior, spreadability, and in vitro drug release.
      Acute skin toxicity, antinociceptive activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and
      antihyperalgesic effects of the prepared bigel with ketoprofen-loaded polymer
      carrier were evaluated. The carriers of ketoprofen were characterized by a high
      yield and drug loading. The particle size distribution varied widely according to
      the polymer used, and a sustained release was provided for up to 6 hours. The
      polymer mixture poly(vinyl acetate) and hydroxypropyl cellulose as a drug
      carrier, alone or included in the bigel composition, improved the photostability
      of the drug compared with unprotected ketoprofen. The bigel with ketoprofen
      loaded particles provided sustained release of the drug and had optimal
      rheological parameters. In vivo experiments on the bigel showed no skin
      inflammation or irritation. Four hours after its application, a well-defined
      analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antihyperalgesic effect was registered. The
      polymer mixture of poly(vinyl acetate) and hydroxypropyl cellulose as a carrier
      of ketoprofen and the bigel in which it was included provided an enhanced
      photostability and sustained drug release.

PMID- 28894364
TI  - EpCAM aptamer-functionalized polydopamine-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles
      loaded with DM1 for targeted therapy in colorectal cancer.
AB  - DM1, a maytansine derivative, is a highly potential cytotoxic agent but with
      severe side effects; therefore, its application in clinical cancer therapy is
      limited. Here, in order to mitigate this intrinsic drawback of DM1, we developed
      mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) loaded with DM1 and surface-decorated with
      hydrochloride dopamine (PDA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and epithelial cell
      adhesion molecule (EpCAM) aptamer (APt) for the targeted treatment of colorectal
      cancer (CRC). In this system, the PDA coating could be used as pH-sensitive
      gatekeepers to control the release of DM1 from MSNs in response to the pH
      stimulus and EpCAM APt-guided active targeting enables the increased delivery of
      DM1 to CRC as well as a reduction in toxicity and side effects by minimizing the
      exposure of normal tissues to DM1. Results demonstrated that DM1 inhibited the
      formation of microtubules and induced apoptosis in tumor cells via caspase
      signaling. In comparison with the control groups, the MSNs-DM1@PDA-PEG-APt
      bioconjugates exhibited increased binding ability and much higher cytotoxicity to
      the CRC SW480 cell line. Furthermore, in vivo assays confirmed the advantages of
      such a strategy. These findings suggested that MSNs-DM1@PDA-PEG-APt could
      represent a promising therapeutic platform for EpCAM-positive CRC.

PMID- 28894366
TI  - Effective heating of magnetic nanoparticle aggregates for in vivo nano
      theranostic hyperthermia.
AB  - Magnetic resonance (MR) nano-theranostic hyperthermia uses magnetic nanoparticles
      to target and accumulate at the lesions and generate heat to kill lesion cells
      directly through hyperthermia or indirectly through thermal activation and
      control releasing of drugs. Preclinical and translational applications of MR nano
      theranostic hyperthermia are currently limited by a few major theoretical
      difficulties and experimental challenges in in vivo conditions. For example,
      conventional models for estimating the heat generated and the optimal magnetic
      nanoparticle sizes for hyperthermia do not accurately reproduce reported in vivo
      experimental results. In this work, a revised cluster-based model was proposed to
      predict the specific loss power (SLP) by explicitly considering magnetic
      nanoparticle aggregation in in vivo conditions. By comparing with the reported
      experimental results of magnetite Fe3O4 and cobalt ferrite CoFe2O4 magnetic
      nanoparticles, it is shown that the revised cluster-based model provides a more
      accurate prediction of the experimental values than the conventional models that
      assume magnetic nanoparticles act as single units. It also provides a clear
      physical picture: the aggregation of magnetic nanoparticles increases the cluster
      magnetic anisotropy while reducing both the cluster domain magnetization and the
      average magnetic moment, which, in turn, shift the predicted SLP toward a smaller
      magnetic nanoparticle diameter with lower peak values. As a result, the heating
      efficiency and the SLP values are decreased. The improvement in the prediction
      accuracy in in vivo conditions is particularly pronounced when the magnetic
      nanoparticle diameter is in the range of ~10-20 nm. This happens to be an
      important size range for MR cancer nano-theranostics, as it exhibits the highest
      efficacy against both primary and metastatic tumors in vivo. Our studies show
      that a relatively 20%-25% smaller magnetic nanoparticle diameter should be chosen
      to reach the maximal heating efficiency in comparison with the optimal size
      predicted by previous models.

PMID- 28894365
TI  - Photothermal ablation of inflammatory breast cancer tumor emboli using plasmonic
      gold nanostars.
AB  - Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare, but it is the most aggressive subtype
      of breast cancer. IBC has a unique presentation of diffuse tumor cell clusters
      called tumor emboli in the dermis of the chest wall that block lymph vessels
      causing a painful, erythematous, and edematous breast. Lack of effective
      therapeutic treatments has caused mortality rates of this cancer to reach 20%-30%
      in case of women with stage III-IV disease. Plasmonic nanoparticles, via
      photothermal ablation, are emerging as lead candidates in next-generation cancer
      treatment for site-specific cell death. Plasmonic gold nanostars (GNS) have an
      extremely large two-photon luminescence cross-section that allows real-time
      imaging through multiphoton microscopy, as well as superior photothermal
      conversion efficiency with highly concentrated heating due to its tip-enhanced
      plasmonic effect. To effectively study the use of GNS as a clinically plausible
      treatment of IBC, accurate three-dimensional (3D) preclinical models are needed.
      Here, we demonstrate a unique in vitro preclinical model that mimics the tumor
      emboli structures assumed by IBC in vivo using IBC cell lines SUM149 and SUM190.
      Furthermore, we demonstrate that GNS are endocytosed into multiple cancer cell
      lines irrespective of receptor status or drug resistance and that these
      nanoparticles penetrate the tumor embolic core in 3D culture, allowing effective
      photothermal ablation of the IBC tumor emboli. These results not only provide an
      avenue for optimizing the diagnostic and therapeutic application of GNS in the
      treatment of IBC but also support the continuous development of 3D in vitro
      models for investigating the efficacy of photothermal therapy as well as to
      further evaluate photothermal therapy in an IBC in vivo model.

PMID- 28894367
TI  - Simple nanoliposomes encapsulating Lycium barbarum polysaccharides as adjuvants
      improve humoral and cellular immunity in mice.
AB  - The success of subunit vaccines has been hampered by the problems of weak or
      short-term immunity and the lack of availability of nontoxic, potent adjuvants.
      It would be desirable to develop safe and efficient adjuvants with the aim of
      improving the cellular immune response against the target antigen. In this study,
      the targeting and sustained release of simple nanoliposomes containing Lycium
      barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) as an efficacious immune adjuvant to improve
      immune responses were explored. LBP liposome (LBPL) with high entrapment
      efficiency (86%) were obtained using a reverse-phase evaporation method and then
      used to encapsulate the model antigen, ovalbumin (OVA). We demonstrated that the
      as-synthesized liposome loaded with OVA and LBP (LBPL-OVA) was stable for 45 days
      and determined the encapsulation stability of OVA at 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C
      and the release profile of OVA from LBPL-OVA was investigated in pH 7.4 and pH
      5.0. Further in vivo investigation showed that the antigen-specific humoral
      response was correlated with antigen delivery to the draining lymph nodes. The
      LBPL-OVA were also associated with high levels of uptake by key dendritic cells
      in the draining lymph nodes and they efficiently stimulated CD4+ and CD8+ T cell
      proliferation in vivo, further promoting antibody production. These features
      together elicited a significant humoral and celluar immune response, which was
      superior to that produced by free antigen alone.

PMID- 28894369
TI  - Erratum: Early predictors of brain damage in full-term newborns with hypoxic
      ischemic encephalopathy [Corrigendum].
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 2133 in vol. 13, PMID: 28860770.].

PMID- 28894368
TI  - A systematic identification of species-specific protein succinylation sites using
      joint element features information.
AB  - Lysine succinylation, an important type of protein posttranslational
      modification, plays significant roles in many cellular processes. Accurate
      identification of succinylation sites can facilitate our understanding about the
      molecular mechanism and potential roles of lysine succinylation. However, even in
      well-studied systems, a majority of the succinylation sites remain undetected
      because the traditional experimental approaches to succinylation site
      identification are often costly, time-consuming, and laborious. In silico
      approach, on the other hand, is potentially an alternative strategy to predict
      succinylation substrates. In this paper, a novel computational predictor
      SuccinSite2.0 was developed for predicting generic and species-specific protein
      succinylation sites. This predictor takes the composition of profile-based amino
      acid and orthogonal binary features, which were used to train a random forest
      classifier. We demonstrated that the proposed SuccinSite2.0 predictor
      outperformed other currently existing implementations on a complementarily
      independent dataset. Furthermore, the important features that make visible
      contributions to species-specific and cross-species-specific prediction of
      protein succinylation site were analyzed. The proposed predictor is anticipated
      to be a useful computational resource for lysine succinylation site prediction.
      The integrated species-specific online tool of SuccinSite2.0 is publicly
      accessible.

PMID- 28894370
TI  - Reversible global aphasia as a side effect of quetiapine: a case report and
      literature review.
AB  - Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic agent which is also prescribed for
      delirium due to its anti-dopaminergic effects; aphasia is an unusual side effect
      associated with the drug. Here, we report the case of an 83-year-old woman who
      was prescribed quetiapine (50 mg per day) for delirium. Unexpected, global
      aphasia occurred 3 days after treatment began. Complete recovery occurred
      following discontinuation of the drug. A brain computed tomography scan excluded
      intracranial hemorrhage and the laboratory results confirmed that no exacerbation
      of infection or electrolyte imbalances were present. During the aphasic episode,
      the patient's condition did not deteriorate and no new neurological symptoms
      occurred. We suspect that the occurrence of aphasia was directly due to an
      adverse reaction to quetiapine. To our knowledge, this is the first case report
      of reversible, global aphasia as a side effect of quetiapine. We propose that
      this occurrence of aphasia may be due to the action of quetiapine as a dopamine
      receptor antagonist. Clinicians should use quetiapine with caution, especially in
      elderly patients. On observation of aphasia, a review of the patient's medical
      history is required to assess for the usage of quetiapine.

PMID- 28894371
TI  - Radiologic findings of thoracic trauma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chest trauma may be blunt or penetrating and the chest is the third
      most common trauma region. It is a significant cause of mortality. Multidetector
      computed tomography (MDCT) has been an increasingly used method to evaluate chest
      trauma because of its high success in detecting tissue and organ injuries.
      Herein, we aimed to present MDCT findings in patients with blunt and penetrating
      chest trauma admitted to our department. METHODS: A total of 240 patients
      admitted to the emergency department of our hospital between April 2012 and July
      2013 with a diagnosis of chest trauma who underwent MDCT evaluations were
      included. Most of the patients were male (83.3%) and victims of a blunt chest
      trauma. The images were analyzed with respect to the presence of fractures of
      bony structures, hemothorax, pneumothorax, mediastinal organ injury, and
      pulmonary and vascular injuries. RESULTS: MDCT images of the 240 patients yielded
      a prevalence of 41.7% rib fractures, 11.2% scapular fractures, and 7.5% clavicle
      fractures. The prevalence of thoracic vertebral fracture was 13.8% and that of
      sternal fracture was 3.8%. The prevalence of hemothorax, pneumothorax,
      pneumomediastinum, and subcutaneous emphysema was 34.6%, 62.1%, 9.6%, and 35.4%,
      respectively. The prevalence of rib, clavicle, and thoracic vertebral fractures
      and pulmonary contusion was higher in the blunt trauma group, whereas the
      prevalence of hemothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, diaphragmatic injury, and other
      vascular lacerations was significantly higher in the penetrating trauma group
      than in the blunt trauma group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: MDCT images may yield a high
      prevalence of fracture of bony structures, soft tissue lacerations, and vascular
      lesions, which should be well understood by radiologists dealing with trauma.

PMID- 28894372
TI  - Frequent respiratory events in postoperative patients aged 60 years and above.
AB  - There is limited information on the occurrence of respiratory events in
      postoperative patients after discharge from the postanesthesia care unit. We
      studied the respiratory rate (RR) of 68 patients aged 60 years and above during
      the first 6 hours following elective surgery under general anesthesia to assess
      the frequency of respiratory events in the care unit and on the ward. RR was
      derived from the continuous RR counter RespiR8, measuring RR by quantifying the
      humidity of exhaled air. One-minute-averaged RRs were collected and analyzed to
      assess the frequency of postoperative bradypnea (RR 1-6 breaths/minute) and apnea
      (cessation of inspiratory flow >=60 seconds). Values were median (interquartile
      range) or mean (SD). The median RR was 13 (10-15) breaths/minute. In the 6-hour
      postoperative period, 78% and 57% of patients experienced at least one bradypnea
      or apnea event, respectively. A median of ten (3.5-24) bradypnea and three (1-11)
      apnea events were detected per patient. The occurrence of respiratory events in
      the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) was a predictor of events on the ward
      (bradypnea, r2=0.4, P<0.001; apnea, r2=0.2, P<0.001). Morphine consumption
      correlated weakly with respiratory events in the PACU, but not on the ward.
      Patients with apnea had significantly larger neck circumference than patients
      without (39.6 [0.7] versus 37.4 [0.8] cm, P<0.05). Bradypneic or apneic
      respiratory events are frequent in postoperative elderly patients and even occur
      relatively late after surgery. Continuous respiratory monitoring on the ward,
      especially in patients with risk factors, such as early occurrence of events,
      opioid use, and larger neck circumference, is likely warranted.

PMID- 28894373
TI  - Curcumin inhibits apoptosis by modulating Bax/Bcl-2 expression and alleviates
      oxidative stress in testes of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
AB  - SCOPE: The present study was designed to examine the damage caused by high-fat
      diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the testis of rats and the effects of
      curcumin against oxidative stress and apoptosis from high-fat diet and diabetes.
      METHODS: Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (30
      mg/kg in 0.1 M sodium citrate buffer, pH 4.5) in obese rats. The rats in the
      obese and diabetic groups were treated with a daily dose of curcumin by
      intragastric intubation (100 mg/kg body weight) for 8 weeks. Testis tissue
      sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and apoptosis was identified in
      situ by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling.
      RESULTS: Curcumin treatment improved the histological appearance of the testis
      and significantly reduced the apoptosis level in the testicular cells of the
      obese and the diabetic rats. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen
      (PCNA) was restored in the testis tissues of diabetic rats at the end of curcumin
      treatment. Molecular analysis demonstrated that curcumin treatment significantly
      and simultaneously decreased Bax and increased Bcl-2 expressions, therefore
      elevating the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. Furthermore, curcumin treatment significantly
      decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels
      in testis tissue samples of the diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: Curcumin treatment
      preserved the morphology of testes; restored the expression of PCNA, MDA, and
      SOD; and inhibited testicular cell death in diabetic rats. The capability of
      curcumin in inhibiting oxidative stress and modulating the Bax/Bcl-2-mediated
      cell death pathway reveals its potential as a therapeutic agent against diabetes.

PMID- 28894375
TI  - Impact of T1 slope on surgical and adjacent segment degeneration after Bryan
      cervical disc arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This retrospective study investigated an association between
      preoperative T1 slope and surgical and adjacent segment degeneration (SASD) after
      Bryan cervical disc arthroplasty (BCDA) in patients with cervical degenerative
      disc disease. METHODS: Based on preoperative standing lateral radiographs, 90
      patients were classified according to T1 slope that was higher or lower than the
      50th percentile (high T1 or low T1, 28 and 62 patients, respectively). Patients
      were also classified as SASD or non-SASD (38 and 52 patients, respectively)
      determined by radiographs at final follow-up. Visual analog scale (VAS) and Neck
      Disability Index (NDI) scores for neck and arm pain were noted, and changes in
      the sagittal alignment of the cervical spine (SACS), functional spinal unit (FSU)
      angle, and FSU range of motion (ROM) were also noted. Univariate and multivariate
      logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for
      SASD. RESULTS: The overall rate of SASD was 42.2% (38/90). The SACS, FSU angle,
      FSU ROM, and SASD rates of the high T1 and low T1 slope groups were significantly
      different at the last follow-up. The NDI and VAS scores of the high T1 slope
      group were significantly greater than those of the low T1 slope. The multivariate
      logistic regression analysis showed that high T1 slope and endplate coverage
      discrepancy (ie, residual space behind the prosthesis) were significant risk
      factors for SASD after BCDA. CONCLUSION: High T1 slope and endplate coverage
      discrepancy were associated with SASD after BCDA. Patients with a high
      preoperative T1 slope have a smaller FSU angle and more neck pain after BCDA.

PMID- 28894374
TI  - Predicting and managing sepsis in burn patients: current perspectives.
AB  - Modern burn care has led to unprecedented survival rates in burn patients whose
      injuries were fatal a few decades ago. Along with improved survival, new
      challenges have emerged in the management of burn patients. Infections top the
      list of the most common complication after burns, and sepsis is the leading cause
      of death in both adult and pediatric burn patients. The diagnosis and management
      of sepsis in burns is complex as a tremendous hypermetabolic response secondary
      to burn injury can be superimposed on systemic infection, leading to organ
      dysfunction. The management of a septic burn patient represents a challenging
      scenario that is commonly encountered by providers caring for burn patients
      despite preventive efforts. Here, we discuss the current perspectives in the
      diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and septic shock in burn patients.

PMID- 28894376
TI  - Operative and nonoperative management for renal trauma: comparison of outcomes. A
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preservation of kidney and renal function is the goal of
      nonoperative management (NOM) of renal trauma (RT). The advantages of NOM for
      minor blunt RT have already been clearly described, but its value for major blunt
      and penetrating RT is still under debate. We present a systematic review and meta
      analysis on NOM for RT, which was compared with the operative management (OM)
      with respect to mortality, morbidity, and length of hospital stay (LOS). METHODS:
      The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement
      was followed for this study. A systematic search was performed on Embase,
      Medline, Cochrane, and PubMed for studies published up to December 2015, without
      language restrictions, which compared NOM versus OM for renal injuries. RESULTS:
      Twenty nonrandomized retrospective cohort studies comprising 13,824 patients with
      blunt (2,998) or penetrating (10,826) RT were identified. When all RT were
      considered (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grades 1-5), NOM was
      associated with lower mortality and morbidity rates compared to OM (8.3% vs
      17.1%, odds ratio [OR] 0.471; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.404-0.548; P<0.001
      and 2% vs 53.3%, OR 0.0484; 95% CI 0.0279-0.0839, P<0.001). Likewise, NOM
      represented the gold standard treatment resulting in a lower mortality rate
      compared to OM even when only high-grade RT was considered (9.1% vs 17.9%, OR
      0.332; 95% CI 0.155-0.708; P=0.004), be they blunt (4.1% vs 8.1%, OR 0.275; 95%
      CI 0.0957-0.788; P=0.016) or penetrating (9.1% vs 18.1%, OR 0.468; 95% CI 0.398
      0.0552; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis demonstrated that NOM for RT is
      the treatment of choice not only for AAST grades 1 and 2, but also for higher
      grade blunt and penetrating RT.

PMID- 28894377
TI  - HPIP: a predictor of lymph node metastasis and poor survival in cervical cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the relationships of HPIP
      expression status with the clinicopathological variables and survival outcomes of
      patients with cervical cancer (CC). METHODS: We compared the HPIP expression of
      119 samples from CC tissues, 20 from cervical intraepithelial tissues, and 20
      from normal cervical tissues by using immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: It
      was observed that the ratio of elevated HPIP expression was higher in CC tissues
      than in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (P=0.017) and normal cervical tissues
      (P=0.001). In addition, there was an association between HPIP and
      clinicopathological factors, such as histological grade (P<0.001), stromal
      infiltration (P=0.015), lymph node metastasis (P<0.001), lymphovascular space
      invasion (LVSI; P=0.026), and recurrence (P=0.029). Furthermore, multivariate Cox
      regression analysis revealed that high HPIP expression (P=0.027 and P=0.042) as
      well as the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stage (P=0.003
      and P=0.009), lymph node metastasis (P=0.031 and P=0.017), and LVSI (P=0.024 and
      P=0.046) were independent prognostic factors. In addition, we demonstrated that
      high HPIP expression (P=0.003) and LVSI (P<0.001) were independently related to
      lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: Elevated HPIP expression may contribute to the
      progression and metastasis of CC and may also serve as a new biomarker to predict
      the prognosis of CC.

PMID- 28894378
TI  - Initial experience of correlating diffusion spectral parameters with
      histopathologic indexes in murine colorectal tumor homografts.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the correlation between continuously distributed diffusion
      weighted image (DWI)-derived parameters and histopathologic indexes. METHODS:
      Fifty-four mice bearing HCT-116 colorectal tumors were included for analysis; 12
      mice were used for continuous observation, and the other 42 mice were used for
      break-point observation. All mice were randomly divided into radiotherapy and non
      radiotherapy groups. Optical imaging and MRI were performed at different time
      points according to radiotherapy regimen (baseline, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 7 d, 14 d,
      and 28 d). Continuous observation data were analyzed to show the difference of
      dynamic changing trends of optical and MR-DWI-derived parameters between
      radiotherapy and non-radiotherapy groups (photon numbers, D_max, full width half
      maximum [FWHM], and apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC] value). Break-point
      observation data were used to analyze the correlation between histopathologic
      indices and DWI-derived parameters. RESULTS: There was a significant difference
      in the changing trends of photon numbers, D_max, FWHM, and ADC value between
      radiotherapy and non-radiotherapy groups, especially at early time points. There
      was moderate negative correlation between Ki67 and percentage changes of D_max,
      FWHM, and ADC values (the correlation coefficients were 0.632, 0.449, and 0.586,
      P<0.001, P=0.008, and P<0.001, respectively). There was moderate negative
      correlation between survivin and percentage changes of D_max and ADC values
      (correlation coefficients were 0.496 and 0.473, P=0.004 and P=0.006,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: The continuously distributed DWI-derived parameters
      could reflect histological behavior to some extent and, thus, are potential
      markers for early noninvasive monitoring of tumor cell apoptosis and
      proliferation.

PMID- 28894379
TI  - miRNA expression profiling in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded endometriosis and
      ovarian cancer samples.
AB  - Endometriosis is an inflammatory pathology associated with a negative effect on
      life quality. Recently, this pathology was connected to ovarian cancer, in
      particular with endometrioid ovarian cancer. microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of
      RNA transcripts ~19-22 nucleotides in length, the altered miRNA pattern being
      connected to pathological status. miRNAs are highly stable transcripts, and these
      can be assessed from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples leading to
      the identification of miRNAs that could be developed as diagnostic and prognostic
      biomarkers, in particular those involved in malignant transformation. The aim of
      our study was to evaluate miRNA expression pattern in FFPE samples from
      endometriosis and ovarian cancer patients using PCR-array technology and also to
      compare the differential expression pattern in ovarian cancer versus
      endometriosis. For the PCR-array study, we have used nine macrodissected FFPE
      samples from endometriosis tissue, eight samples of ovarian cancers and five
      normal ovarian tissues. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used for data
      validation in a new patient cohort of 17 normal samples, 33 endometriosis samples
      and 28 ovarian cancer macrodissected FFPE samples. Considering 1.5-fold
      expression difference as a cut-off level and a P-value <0.05, we have identified
      four miRNAs being overexpressed in endometrial tissue, while in ovarian cancer 15
      were differentially expressed (nine overexpressed and six downregulated). The
      expression level was confirmed by qRT-PCR for miR-93, miR-141, miR-155, miR-429,
      miR-200c, miR-205 and miR-492. Using the interpretative program Ingenuity Pathway
      Analysis revealed several deregulated pathways due to abnormal miRNA expression
      in endometriosis and ovarian cancer, which in turn is responsible for
      pathogenesis; this differential expression of miRNAs can be exploited as a
      therapeutic target. A higher number of altered miRNAs were detected in
      endometriosis versus ovarian cancer tissue, most of them being linked with
      epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

PMID- 28894380
TI  - LEF1-AS1, a long-noncoding RNA, promotes malignancy in glioblastoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are identified as new crucial
      regulators of diverse cellular processes in glioblastoma (GBM) tissues. However,
      the expression pattern and biological function of lncRNAs remain largely unknown.
      Here, for the first time, the effects of lncRNA lymphoid enhancer-binding factor
      1 antisense RNA 1 (LEF1-AS1) on GBM progression both in vitro and in vivo are
      investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression profiles of LEF1-AS1 in GBM
      specimens were investigated by bioinformatics analyses. LEF1-AS1 expression in
      GBM tissues was detected using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. LEF1-AS1
      expression was inhibited by transfecting the LEF1-AS1-specific small interfering
      RNAs (siRNAs) and stable cell lines established were inhibited by transfecting si
      LEF1-AS1 viruses. The Cell Counting Kit-8, ethynyl deoxyuridine, and colony
      formation assay were used to examine proliferation function. The flow cytometry
      detected cell-cycle change and apoptosis. Migration effects were detected by a
      Transwell assay. The tumor xenografts and immunohistochemistry were performed to
      evaluate tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: In this study, LEF1-AS1 expression was
      found significantly upregulated in GBM specimens compared with normal tissues.
      The 5-year overall survival in GBM patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas with
      high expression of LEF1-AS1 was inferior to that with low expression. It was
      confirmed that expression of LEF1-AS1 was higher in GBM tissues than normal ones.
      Knockdown of LEF1-AS1 significantly inhibited the malignancy of GBM cells,
      including proliferation and invasion, and promoted cell apoptosis. The result of
      Western blot assays indicated that knockdown of LEF1-AS1-mediated tumor
      suppression in GBM cells may be via the reduction of ERK and Akt/mTOR signaling
      activities. Finally, the in vivo experiment also demonstrated that knockdown LEF1
      AS1 inhibited the growth-promoting effect of LEF1-AS1 of U87 cells. CONCLUSION:
      Our result indicated that lncRNA LEF1-AS1 acts as an oncogene in GBM and may be a
      pivotal target for this disease.

PMID- 28894381
TI  - Continuous EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment with or without chemotherapy
      beyond gradual progression in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several clinical studies have demonstrated that continuous
      administration of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor (TKI) could provide additional survival benefit for advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who had benefited from prior EGFR TKI therapy.
      However, whether EGFR TKI combined with chemotherapy could further prolong
      survival in patients with gradual progression is still unclear. The present study
      was conducted to evaluate the clinical outcome of continuous EGFR TKI treatment
      in combination with chemotherapy (combination group) versus continuous EGFR TKI
      treatment only (monotherapy group) in such a clinical setting. METHODS: We
      designed a cohort study to collect all chart data of NSCLC patients treated with
      EGFR TKI in our institution from February 2012 to December 2015 retrospectively
      and followed up the clinical outcome of EGFR TKI monotherapy or therapy in
      combination with chemotherapy until April 2017 prospectively. All eligible
      patients had to meet the criteria of gradual progression. The time interval of
      progression-free survival 1 (PFS1, gradual progression or death) to PFS2 (off
      EGFR TKI progression), and overall survival (OS) between the above 2 groups were
      used in survival analysis. RESULTS: In all, 50 patients were included in our
      study. Patients' baseline characteristics were well balanced. Exon 19 deletion
      mutations and L858R point mutations were detected in 16 and 8 patients,
      respectively. Twenty, 22, and 8 patients were treated with EGFR TKI in the first,
      second, and third line setting, respectively. The time interval from PFS1 to PFS2
      was 92 and 37 days (monotherapy vs combination), respectively (hazard ratio [HR]
      =1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61-2.21, P=0.652). The median OS in the
      monotherapy group and combination group was 696 and 799 days, respectively (HR
      =0.74, 95% CI: 0.33-1.71, P=0.501). There were no statistical differences between
      the 2 groups in terms of the time interval from PFS1 to PFS2 and OS. CONCLUSION:
      Our results suggested that compared with EGFR TKI monotherapy, its combination
      with chemotherapy beyond gradual progression may not confer a significant
      survival benefit to NSCLC patients. Further prospective studies are warranted to
      reinforce the results of the study.

PMID- 28894382
TI  - Apatinib in the treatment of advanced lung adenocarcinoma with KRAS mutation.
AB  - Activating KRAS mutations in lung adenocarcinoma are characterized with treatment
      resistance and poor prognosis. As a small molecule inhibitor of vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) tyrosine kinase, apatinib has been
      proven successful in advanced gastric cancer and breast cancer. In this study, we
      show the result of apatinib as salvage treatment in lung adenocarcinoma patients
      with KRAS mutation. Four advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with KRAS mutation
      were orally administered apatinib (250 mg/d) after second-line treatment. One
      patient showed progressive disease, while 3 patients showed stable disease
      response to apatinib, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 3.8 months
      (1.5-5.5 months). The main toxicities were hoarseness and hemoptysis, which were
      manageable. Therefore, apatinib might be an optional choice for advanced lung
      adenocarcinoma patients with KRAS mutation in post second-line treatment.

PMID- 28894383
TI  - Comparison of autogeneic and allogeneic natural killer cells immunotherapy on the
      clinical outcome of recurrent breast cancer.
AB  - In the present study, we aimed to compare the clinical outcome of autogeneic and
      allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells immunotherapy for the treatment of recurrent
      breast cancer. Between July 2016 and February 2017, 36 patients who met the
      enrollment criteria were randomly assigned to two groups: autogeneic NK cells
      immunotherapy group (group I, n=18) and allogeneic NK cells immunotherapy group
      (group II, n=18). The clinical efficacy, quality of life, immune function,
      circulating tumor cell (CTC) level, and other related indicators were evaluated.
      We found that allogeneic NK cells immunotherapy has better clinical efficacy than
      autogeneic therapy. Moreover, allogeneic NK cells therapy improves the quality of
      life, reduces the number of CTCs, reduces carcinoembryonic antigen and cancer
      antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) expression, and significantly enhances immune function. To
      our knowledge, this is the first clinical trial to compare the clinical outcome
      of autogeneic and allogeneic NK cells immunotherapy for recurrent breast cancer.

PMID- 28894384
TI  - Technology that achieves the Triple Aim: an economic analysis of the BrainPathTM
      approach in neurosurgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Triple Aim is defined as: improving the patient experience of
      care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of
      health care. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the economic value of a
      new neurosurgical technique, the BrainPathTM approach, for use in patients with
      subcortical tumors and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: Inpatient length
      of stay (LOS) data were collected for ICH and brain tumor surgical patient cases
      between August 2013 and November 2015. Patient cases were separated into two
      groups; BrainPath approach (n = 28) and conventional techniques, such as
      craniotomy, (n = 208). The average intensive care unit (ICU) LOS was calculated
      for each group by diagnosis-related group and compared between groups. RESULTS:
      The new surgical technology resulted in surgical intervention in 14 ICH cases
      which otherwise would have been medically managed due to the hemorrhage location
      or size of the ICH. A reduction in ICU LOS was seen in this group. Based on the
      variable direct cost per day in the neuro critical care unit at this academic
      medical center, 14 patient cases incurred ~ US$210,000 less in direct ICU costs.
      Surgical resection was possible in two tumor patient cases which would have been
      biopsied, rather than surgically resected, also due to location of the
      abnormalities. A total net value of > US$329,000 is attributable to the analyzed
      approach over a 28-month period. CONCLUSION: This analysis shows positive
      economic value for the new technology group when ICU LOS and reimbursement are
      considered against equipment costs, thus achieving Triple Aim objectives.

PMID- 28894385
TI  - Genetic and epigenetic epidemiology of chronic widespread pain.
AB  - The etiology underlying chronic widespread pain (CWP) remains largely unknown. An
      integrative biopsychosocial model seems to yield the most promising explanations
      for the pathogenesis of the condition, with genetic factors also contributing to
      disease development and maintenance. Here, we conducted a search of studies
      investigating the genetic and epigenetic epidemiology of CWP through electronic
      databases including Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar.
      Combinations of keywords including CWP, chronic pain, musculoskeletal pain,
      genetics, epigenetics, gene, twins, single-nucleotide polymorphism, genotype, and
      alleles were used. In the end, a total of 15 publications were considered
      relevant to be included in this review: eight were twin studies on CWP, six were
      molecular genetic studies on CWP, and one was an epigenetic study on CWP. The
      findings suggest genetic and unique environmental factors to contribute to CWP.
      Various candidates such as serotonin-related pathway genes were found to be
      associated with CWP and somatoform symptoms. However, studies show some
      limitations and need replication. The presented results for CWP could serve as a
      template for genetic studies on other chronic pain conditions. Ultimately, a more
      in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms will help with the development of
      more effective treatment, inform nosology, and reduce the stigma still lingering
      on this diagnosis.

PMID- 28894386
TI  - Oxidative stress in patients with endodontic pathologies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Apical periodontitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease affecting
      periradicular tissues. It is a widespread condition but its etiopathogenetic
      mechanisms have not been completely elucidated and the current treatment options
      are not always successful. PURPOSE: To compare oxidative stress (OxS) levels in
      the saliva and the endodontium (root canal [RC] contents) in patients with
      different endodontic pathologies and in endodontically healthy subjects. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: The study group of this comparison study included 22 subjects with
      primary chronic apical periodontitis (pCAP), 26 with posttreatment or secondary
      chronic apical periodontitis (sCAP), eight with acute periapical abscess, 13 with
      irreversible pulpitis, and 17 healthy controls. Resting saliva samples were
      collected before clinical treatment. Pulp samples (remnants of the pulp, tooth
      tissue, and/or previous root filling material) were collected under strict
      aseptic conditions using the Hedstrom file. The samples were frozen to -80
      degrees C until analysis. OxS markers (myeloperoxidase [MPO], oxidative stress
      index [OSI], 8-isoprostanes [8-EPI]) were detected in the saliva and the
      endodontium. RESULTS: The highest MPO and 8-EPI levels were seen in pCAP and
      pulpitis, while the highest levels of OSI were seen in pCAP and abscess patients,
      as well as the saliva of sCAP patients. Controls showed the lowest OxS levels in
      both RC contents and saliva. Significant positive correlations between OxS
      markers, periapical index, and pain were revealed. Patients with pain had
      significantly higher OxS levels in both the endodontium (MPO median 27.9 vs 72.6
      ng/mg protein, p=0.004; OSI 6.0 vs 10.4, p<0.001; 8-EPI 50.0 vs 75.0 pg/mL,
      p<0.001) and saliva (MPO 34.2 vs 117.5 ng/mg protein, p<0.001; 8-EPI 50.0 vs
      112.8 pg/mL, p<0.001) compared to pain-free subjects. CONCLUSION: OxS is an
      important pathomechanism in endodontic pathologies that is evident at both the
      local (RC contents) and systemic (saliva) level. OxS is significantly associated
      with dental pain and bone destruction.

PMID- 28894387
TI  - Modic changes of the cervical spine: T1 slope and its impact on axial neck pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the research was to evaluate cervical sagittal
      parameters on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with Modic changes and
      its impact on axial neck pain. METHODS: This study consisted of 266 consecutive
      asymptomatic or symptomatic patients with Modic changes, whose average age was
      50.9+/-12.6 years from January 2015 to December 2016. Cervical sagittal
      parameters included sagittal alignment of the cervical spine (SACS), T1 slope,
      thoracic inlet angle (TIA), and neck tilt (NT). The Modic changes group was
      compared with an asymptomatic control group of 338 age- and gender-matched
      adults. RESULTS: In the Modic changes group, T1 slope was significantly higher
      (25.8 degrees +/-6.3 degrees ) compared with that in the control group (22.5
      degrees +/-6.8 degrees ) (P=0.000). However, there was no significant difference
      of the NT, TIA, and SACS between the two groups. Patients in the Modic changes
      group were more likely to have experienced historical axial neck pain compared
      with the control group (P=0.000). With regard to the disc degeneration, it
      indicated that the disc in the Modic changes group had more severe disc
      degeneration (P=0.032). CONCLUSION: T1 slope in the Modic changes group was
      significantly higher compared to that of the control group. The findings
      suggested that a higher T1 slope with broken compensation of cervical sagittal
      mechanism may be associated with the development of Modic changes in the cervical
      spine.

PMID- 28894388
TI  - Bone-anchored annular closure following lumbar discectomy reduces risk of
      complications and reoperations within 90 days of discharge.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate perioperative complications of
      lumbar discectomy with or without bone-anchored annular closure device (ACD)
      implant in patients at high risk of recurrent disc herniation. METHODS: This was
      a post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial that compared outcomes of
      lumbar discectomy with or without additional placement of an ACD. Patients
      presented with imaging evidence of lumbar disc herniation and radicular pain that
      was unresponsive to conservative care. Randomization occurred intraoperatively
      following discectomy completion and confirmation of annular defect width >=6 mm.
      Main outcomes included serious adverse events (SAEs) from any cause, device- or
      procedure-related SAEs, and reoperations at the index level. The perioperative
      period included all outcomes occurring between the day of surgery and 90 days
      following hospital discharge. RESULTS: Analyses were performed on a modified
      intention-to-treat population consisting of 272 patients treated with ACD and 278
      patients treated with lumbar discectomy only (controls). Mean patient age was 44
      years, 59% were men, and mean body mass index was 26 kg/m2. Baseline patient
      characteristics and operative outcomes were comparable between groups. The risks
      of all-cause SAE (9.7% vs 16.3%, p=0.056), device- or procedure-related SAE (4.5%
      vs 10.2%, p=0.02), and index-level reoperation (1.9% vs 5.4%, p=0.03) were lower
      with ACD vs controls. In multivariable logistic regression, control group
      assignment and female gender were independently associated with higher risk of
      device- or procedure-related SAE and index-level reoperation, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing lumbar discectomy to treat symptomatic
      intervertebral disc herniation, adjunctive placement of an ACD reduces the risk
      for perioperative complications occurring through 90 days following hospital
      discharge.

PMID- 28894389
TI  - Quantification of small fiber pathology in patients with sarcoidosis and chronic
      pain using cornea confocal microscopy and skin biopsies.
AB  - Small fiber pathology with concomitant chronic neuropathic pain is a common
      complication of sarcoidosis. The gold standard of diagnosis of small fiber
      neuropathy (SFN) is the quantification of small nerve fibers in skin biopsies in
      combination with patient history and psychophysical tests; a new technique is the
      quantification of small nerve fibers in the cornea using cornea confocal
      microscopy (CCM). Here, we studied small fiber morphology in sarcoidosis patients
      with neuropathic pain using skin biopsies, CCM, and quantitative sensory testing
      (QST). Our aim was to construct specific phenotypes of neuropathic pain in
      sarcoidosis. Fifty-eight patients with a confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidosis and
      with moderate-to-severe neuropathic pain were tested. Decreased intraepidermal
      nerve fiber density (IENFD) from skin biopsies was found in 28% of patients, and
      CCM abnormalities were observed in 45% of patients. There was no correlation
      between CCM and IENFD abnormalities. Eighty-three percent of patients had
      abnormal thermal detection thresholds, a sign of small fiber dysfunction. Based
      on the presence or absence of abnormalities in IENFD and CCM, four distinct
      phenotypes were identified with a distinct homogeneous pattern of somatosensory
      symptoms. We argue that these distinct phenotypes have a similar mechanistic
      construct with specific phenotype-specific treatment options. Additionally, our
      data suggest the presence of patients with length- and nonlength-dependent SFN
      within this population of sarcoidosis patients.

PMID- 28894391
TI  - Comment on "Fecal occult blood versus DNA testing: indirect comparison in a
      colorectal cancer screening population".

PMID- 28894390
TI  - Preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease: interconnected paths that enable
      detection of the subclinical stages of obstetric and cardiovascular diseases.
AB  - The potent and now longstanding evidence of the association between placentation
      related disorders and cardiovascular disease should be translated into clinical
      practice in order to introduce a preventive approach to future obstetric and
      cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this review is to integrate
      cardiovascular risk/disease and obstetric complications, which are linked by
      endothelial dysfunction, as windows of opportunity for improving women's health.
      Questionnaires adaptable to local practices are proposed to incorporate
      cardiovascular and obstetrical indexes into two stages of a woman's lifetime.

PMID- 28894392
TI  - Fractional CO2 laser treatment for vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms and vaginal
      rejuvenation in perimenopausal women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study investigated a novel fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser
      for treatment of symptoms associated with vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) in
      perimenopausal women. METHODS: The study included 21 perimenopausal women (mean
      age 45+/-7 years) treated three times by CO2 laser resurfacing and coagulation of
      the vaginal canal tissue and mucosal tissue of the introitus. Vaginal health
      index (VHI) scores were computed by the investigator at baseline and follow-ups.
      Subjects reported on sexual function, satisfaction, and improvement with
      treatment. A visual analog scale was used to measure discomfort with treatment.
      RESULTS: Vaginal health and subject assessment of vaginal symptoms improved with
      successive treatments. At 12 weeks following the third treatment, 82% of the
      patients showed a statistically significant improvement in VHI (P<0.05).
      Additionally, 81% of subjects reported improvement in sexual gratification, 94%
      reported improvement in vaginal rejuvenation, and 100% reported satisfaction with
      treatment. VHI improvement remained significant at 6-8 months after treatments
      (P<0.01). Most patients (97%) reported no to mild discomfort with treatment.
      Responses were mild and transient following treatment, with itching being the
      most commonly reported (20%) side effect. CONCLUSION: In this study, fractional
      CO2 laser treatment was associated with improvement of vaginal health and
      amelioration of symptoms of VVA, resulting in improved sexual function in
      perimenopausal women. Treatment time was quick, and there was minimal discomfort
      associated with treatment. Investigation of clinical outcome in a larger study
      population is warranted.

PMID- 28894393
TI  - Review of Rifaximin: Latest Treatment Frontier for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
      Mechanism of Action and Clinical Profile.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome is classified as a functional
      gastrointestinal disorder with the primary symptom of abdominal pain in
      conjunction with bloating and bowel movement disorder. It affects up to 15% of
      the world's population. Among its subtypes, the most common is diarrhoea
      predominant. However, the current treatment options for diarrhoea-predominant
      irritable bowel syndrome have had not very promising results; most, such as
      antispasmodics, only provide partial symptomatic relief. Treatment with
      antidepressants and alosetron (a 5HT3 antagonist) has shown the most promise to
      date. The latest drug to be approved for the treatment of irritable bowel
      syndrome-diarrhoea is rifaximin, which was approved in May 2015. It is a
      minimally absorbed antibiotic that is used to change the gut microbiota. Small
      intestinal bacterial overgrowth is one of the causes suggested for irritable
      bowel syndrome, particularly for the diarrhoea-predominant type. There are
      various methods for detecting bacterial overgrowth, the simplest of which is
      breath tests. Rifaximin has been shown to be of benefit to these patients.
      PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to discuss the potential mechanism of action
      of rifaximin, a minimally absorbed antibiotic. In addition, we evaluate the
      various clinical trials undertaken to study the efficacy and safety profile of
      rifaximin.

PMID- 28894394
TI  - Normative Values for Colonic Transit Time and Patient Assessment of Constipation
      in Adults With Functional Constipation: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Availability of normative patient outcome data may assist in designing
      experiments and estimating sample sizes. The purpose of this review was to
      determine normative ranges for colonic transit time (CTT), Patient Assessment of
      Constipation-Symptoms (PAC-SYM), and Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality
      of Life (PAC-QOL) in adults diagnosed with functional constipation per Rome III
      guidelines. Pooled estimates were derived from random-effects meta-analysis. Meta
      regression was used to explore sources of heterogeneity among studies. A total of
      24 studies (3786 patients) were included in the review. In 10 studies with 1119
      patients, pooled CTT was 58 hours (95% confidence interval [CI]: 50-65 hours).
      Publication bias was not evident (Egger P = .51); heterogeneity was high (I2 =
      92%, P < .001). In meta-regression, geographical location explained 57% of the
      between-study variance, with CTT significantly longer in studies conducted in
      Europe (71 hours) compared with Asia (49 hours) or the Americas (44 hours). In 9
      studies with 2061 patients, pooled PAC-SYM was 1.70 (95% CI: 1.58-1.83).
      Publication bias was not evident (Egger P = .44). Heterogeneity was high (I2 =
      90%, P < .001); however, no study or patient factor influenced PAC-SYM in meta
      regression. In 12 studies with 1805 patients, pooled PAC-QOL was 1.97 (95% CI:
      1.70-2.24). Publication bias was not evident (Egger P = .28); heterogeneity was
      high (I2 = 98%, P < .001). In meta-regression, age explained 52% of the between
      study variance, with older age associated with lower PAC-QOL scores. Overall, in
      adults diagnosed with functional constipation per Rome III criteria, significant
      heterogeneity in CTT, PAC-SYM, and PAC-QOL exists among studies. Variability
      among studies may be explained by geography and patient factors.

PMID- 28894395
TI  - Factors Affecting Adjuvant Therapy in Stage III Pancreatic Cancer-Analysis of the
      National Cancer Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adjuvant therapy after curative resection is associated with survival
      benefit in stage III pancreatic cancer. We analyzed the factors affecting the
      outcome of adjuvant therapy in stage III pancreatic cancer and compared overall
      survival with different modalities of adjuvant treatment. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective study of patients with stage III pancreatic cancer listed in the
      National Cancer Database (NCDB) who were diagnosed between 2004 and 2012.
      Patients were stratified based on adjuvant therapy they received. Unadjusted
      Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox regression analysis were performed. RESULTS:
      We analyzed a cohort included 1731 patients who were recipients of adjuvant
      therapy for stage III pancreatic cancer within the limits of our database.
      Patients who received adjuvant chemoradiation had the longest postdiagnosis
      survival time, followed by patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, and
      finally patients who received no adjuvant therapy. On multivariate analysis,
      advancing age and patients with Medicaid had worse survival, whereas Spanish
      origin and lower Charlson comorbidity score had better survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study is the largest trial using the NCDB addressing the effects of adjuvant
      therapy specifically in stage III pancreatic cancer. Within the limits of our
      study, survival benefit with adjuvant therapy was more apparent with longer
      duration from date of diagnosis.

PMID- 28894396
TI  - A validation of clinical data captured from a novel Cancer Care Quality Program
      directly integrated with administrative claims data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data from a Cancer Care Quality Program are directly integrated with
      administrative claims data to provide a level of clinical detail not available in
      claims-based studies, and referred to as the HealthCore Integrated Research
      Environment (HIRE)-Oncology data. This study evaluated the validity of the HIRE
      Oncology data compared with medical records of breast, lung, and colorectal
      cancer patients. METHODS: Data elements included cancer type, stage, histology
      (lung only), and biomarkers. A sample of 300 breast, 200 lung, and 200 colorectal
      cancer patients within the HIRE-Oncology data were identified for medical record
      review. Statistical measures of validity (agreement, positive predictive value
      [PPV], negative predictive value [NPV], sensitivity, specificity) were used to
      compare clinical information between data sources, with medical record data
      considered the gold standard. RESULTS: All 300 breast cancer records reviewed
      were confirmed breast cancer, while 197 lung and 197 colorectal records were
      confirmed (PPV =0.99 for each). The agreement of disease stage was 85% for
      breast, 90% for lung, and 94% for colorectal cancer. The agreement of lung cancer
      histology (small cell vs non-small cell) was 97%. Agreement of progesterone
      receptor, estrogen receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status
      biomarkers in breast cancer was 92%, 97%, and 92%, respectively; epidermal growth
      factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase agreement in lung was 97% and 92%,
      respectively; and agreement of KRAS status in colorectal cancer was 95%. Measures
      of PPV, NPV, sensitivity, and specificity showed similarly strong evidence of
      validity. CONCLUSION: Good agreement between the HIRE-Oncology data and medical
      records supports the validity of these data for research.

PMID- 28894397
TI  - Fauna Europaea: Hymenoptera - Symphyta & Ichneumonoidea.
AB  - Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names
      (including important synonyms) of all extant European terrestrial and freshwater
      animals, their geographical distribution at the level of countries and major
      islands (west of the Urals and excluding the Caucasus region), and some
      additional information. The Fauna Europaea project comprises about 230,000
      taxonomic names, including 130,000 accepted species and 14,000 accepted
      subspecies, which is much more than the originally projected number of 100,000
      species. Fauna Europaea represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing
      specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for
      many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education.
      For the Hymenoptera, taxonomic data from one grade (Symphyta) and one Superfamily
      (Ichneumonoidea), including 15 families and 10,717 species, are included.
      Ichneumonoidea is the largest superfamily of Hymenoptera and consisting of two
      extant families, Ichneumonidae and Braconidae. The costal cell of the fore wing
      is absent, the fore wing has at least two closed cells, the constriction between
      the mesosoma (thorax + first abdominal segment or propodeum) and the metasoma
      (remainder of abdomen) is distinct and the parasitoid larvae usually spin a
      silken cocoon. Also, the metasoma is ventrally partly desclerotized in the vast
      majority of ichneumonoids.

PMID- 28894398
TI  - Cultural Construction of Psychiatric Illness in Malaysia.
AB  - The concept of the cultural construction of illness is important in terms of
      understanding people's behaviour. In this article, this idea is applied to
      psychiatric illness in Malaysia to explore how it is informed by sociocultural
      elements, a process that will help us understand the psychiatric expression and
      help-seeking behaviour of the country's population.

PMID- 28894399
TI  - Drosophila melanogaster: Deciphering Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most widespread neurodegenerative disorder
      worldwide. Its pathogenesis involves two hallmarks: aggregation of amyloid beta
      (Abeta) and occurrence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). The mechanism behind
      the disease is still unknown. This has prompted the use of animal models to
      mirror the disease. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster has garnered
      considerable attention as an organism to recapitulate human disorders. With the
      ability to monopolise a multitude of traditional and novel genetic tools,
      Drosophila is ideal for studying not only cellular aspects but also physiological
      and behavioural traits of human neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we discuss the
      use of the Drosophila model in understanding AD pathology and the insights gained
      in discovering drug therapies for AD.

PMID- 28894400
TI  - A Combination of Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and Ceftazidime Showed Good In
      Vitro Activity against Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has emerged as an important nosocomial
      pathogen, capable of causing a wide spectrum of infections. Treatment is
      difficult because it is resistant to many antimicrobial agents, thus reducing the
      treatment options. The aims of this study were to describe the antimicrobial
      susceptibility patterns and synergistic effect of selected antimicrobial
      combinations against S. maltophilia isolates. METHODS: This was a descriptive
      cross-sectional study undertaken in the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from
      April 2011 to March 2012. S. maltophilia isolated from various clinical specimens
      were included in the study. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using
      the epsilometer test (E-test) and interpreted according to the guidelines of the
      Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. In the synergy test, the isolates
      were tested against six different antimicrobial combinations. RESULTS: In total,
      84 S. maltophilia isolates were collected and analysed. According to the E-test,
      the antimicrobial susceptibility of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX),
      tigecycline, and ciprofloxacin was 100%, 91.1%, and 88.9% respectively. The
      antimicrobial combination of TMP-SMX and ceftazidime showed the highest
      synergistic effect. CONCLUSION: TMP-SMX remains the antimicrobial of choice to
      treat S. maltophilia infection. TMP-SMX and ceftazidime was the most effective
      combination in vitro.

PMID- 28894401
TI  - Soluble Fas Ligand as a Potential Marker of Severity of Dengue Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The apoptosis of microvascular endothelial cells causes plasma
      leakage in dengue haemorrhagic fever patients. The soluble Fas ligand is a
      protein with molecular weight of 40 kDa that acts as a mediator of apoptosis.
      This study aimed to prove whether soluble Fas ligand can be used as a potential
      marker to predict the severity of dengue infection by comparing the soluble Fas
      ligand levels in dengue fever (DF) and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients
      early in the course of illness. METHOD: This was a prospective study. It included
      42 dengue patients (22 DF patients and 20 DHF patients) and 20 healthy people as
      a control group. The soluble Fas ligand was measured by the enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULT: Soluble Fas ligand was increased
      significantly (P < 0.001) in DHF patients (median = 130.19, IQR = 36.26) compared
      to DF patients (median = 104.73, IQR = 53.94) and the control group (median =
      87.16, IQR = 24.91). CONCLUSION: Soluble Fas ligand can be used as a potential
      marker to predict the severity of dengue infection in the early course of the
      illness. However, a larger sample size and further objective studies are needed
      to confirm these findings.

PMID- 28894402
TI  - Attachment, Proliferation, and Morphological Properties of Human Dermal
      Fibroblasts on Ovine Tendon Collagen Scaffolds: A Comparative Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Collagen type I is widely used as a biomaterial for tissue
      engineered substitutes. This study aimed to fabricate different three-dimensional
      (3D) scaffolds using ovine tendon collagen type I (OTC-I), and compare the
      attachment, proliferation and morphological features of human dermal fibroblasts
      (HDF) on the scaffolds. METHODS: This study was conducted between the years 2014
      to 2016 at the Tissue Engineering Centre, UKM Medical Centre. OTC-I was extracted
      from ovine tendon, and fabricated into 3D scaffolds in the form of sponge,
      hydrogel and film. A polystyrene surface coated with OTC-I was used as the 2D
      culture condition. Genipin was used to crosslink the OTC-I. A non-coated
      polystyrene surface was used as a control. The mechanical strength of OTC-I
      scaffolds was evaluated. Attachment, proliferation and morphological features of
      HDF were assessed and compared between conditions. RESULTS: The mechanical
      strength of OTC-I sponge was significantly higher than that of the other
      scaffolds. OTC-I scaffolds and the coated surface significantly enhanced HDF
      attachment and proliferation compared to the control, but no differences were
      observed between the scaffolds and coated surface. In contrast, the morphological
      features of HDF including spreading, filopodia, lamellipodia and actin
      cytoskeletal formation differed between conditions. CONCLUSION: OTC-I can be
      moulded into various scaffolds that are biocompatible and thus could be suitable
      as scaffolds for developing tissue substitutes for clinical applications and in
      vitro tissue models. However, further study is required to determine the effect
      of morphological properties on the functional and molecular properties of HDF.

PMID- 28894403
TI  - Corneal Cell Morphology in Keratoconus: A Confocal Microscopic Observation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate corneal cell morphology in patients with keratoconus using
      an in vivo slit scanning confocal microscope. METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      was conducted to evaluate the corneal cell morphology of 47 keratoconus patients
      and 32 healthy eyes without any ocular disease. New keratoconus patients with
      different disease severities and without any other ocular co-morbidity were
      recruited from the ophthalmology department of a public hospital in Malaysia from
      June 2013 to May 2014. Corneal cell morphology was evaluated using an in vivo
      slit-scanning confocal microscope. Qualitative and quantitative data were
      analysed using a grading scale and the Nidek Advanced Visual Information System
      software, respectively. RESULTS: The corneal cell morphology of patients with
      keratoconus was significantly different from that of healthy eyes except in
      endothelial cell density (P = 0.072). In the keratoconus group, increased level
      of stromal haze, alterations such as the elongation of keratocyte nuclei and
      clustering of cells at the anterior stroma, and dark bands in the posterior
      stroma were observed with increased severity of the disease. The mean anterior
      and posterior stromal keratocyte densities and cell areas among the different
      stages of keratoconus were significantly different (P < 0.001 and P = 0.044,
      respectively). However, the changes observed in the endothelium were not
      significantly different (P > 0.05) among the three stages of keratoconus.
      CONCLUSION: Confocal microscopy observation showed significant changes in corneal
      cell morphology in keratoconic cornea from normal healthy cornea. Analysis also
      showed significant changes in different severities of keratoconus. Understanding
      the corneal cell morphology changes in keratoconus may help in the long-term
      monitoring and management of keratoconus.

PMID- 28894404
TI  - An Internal Audit of Diabetes Care for Type 2 Diabetic Patients in a Public
      Hospital Diabetes Clinic in Malaysia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Earlier studies have identified a gap between guidelines and actual
      clinical diabetes care in Malaysia. OBJECTIVE: We audited the quality of care for
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending our diabetes clinic at a
      public hospital. METHODS: A structured review of the outpatient clinic cards,
      prescriptions and laboratory results was conducted for patients attending the
      diabetes clinic at Sibu Hospital in October and November 2014. RESULTS: For the
      total of 233 patients who were audited, the levels of fasting blood sugar, blood
      pressure, body mass index and fasting lipid profile were satisfactory at 99.1%,
      99.6%, 92.6% and 99.6% respectively. 79.7% of the subjects had had HbA1c
      performed at least once over the previous six months. Only 25.8% had annual foot
      screening, while the eye screening rate was 71.2% and the albuminuria screening
      rate was 93.6%. For outcome measures, the mean (SD) HbA1c level was 9.2% (1.91%),
      with 13 patients (6.7%) having HbA1c less than 6.5%; 36.4% of participants
      achieved BP < 130/80 mmHg; and 69.4% had LDL < 2.6 mmol/L. The majority of the
      patients were overweight or obese (91.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the performance
      of diabetic care processes at our hospital was satisfactory, except for foot
      examination. The glycaemic and weight control among the subjects were suboptimal
      and warrant an optimised and comprehensive approach on the part of the
      management.

PMID- 28894405
TI  - Reliability and Validity of the Cross-Culturally Adapted Thai Version of the
      Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop a cross-culturally adapted Thai
      version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) and investigate its
      reliability and validity among patients with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: The
      TSK was translated into Thai language and culturally adapted in line with the
      international standards. The Thai TSK questionnaire was then tested for internal
      consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity by comparing it
      with the visual analogue scale, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
      Osteoarthritis Index, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Timed Up and Go Test.
      RESULTS: Eighty patients with knee osteoarthritis were included in the study. The
      Thai version of the TSK was easily comprehended and completed within 6 minutes.
      The questionnaire showed a good internal consistency (alpha = 0.90) and high test
      retest reliability {ICC (2,1) = 0.934}. Convergent validity showed high
      correlations with the visual analogue scale, Western Ontario and McMaster
      Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.741,
      0.856, and 0.817, respectively). However, there was no significant correlation
      between the Thai version of the TSK scores and the Timed Up and Go Test results.
      CONCLUSION: The Thai version of the TSK has satisfactory reliability and validity
      for the evaluation of pain-related fear of movement/(re)injury in patients with
      knee osteoarthritis.

PMID- 28894407
TI  - Fluorescence-Guided versus Conventional Surgical Resection of High Grade Glioma:
      A Single-Centre, 7-Year, Comparative Effectiveness Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High grade gliomas (HGGs) are locally invasive brain tumours that
      carry a dismal prognosis. Although complete resection increases median survival,
      the difficulty in reliably demonstrating the tumour border intraoperatively is a
      norm. The Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Sungai Buloh is the first public
      hospital in Malaysia to overcome this problem by adopting fluorescence-guided
      (FG) surgery using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). METHODS: A total of 74 patients
      with histologically proven HGGs treated between January 2008 and December 2014,
      who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, were enrolled. Kaplan-Meier survival
      estimates and Cox proportional hazard regression were used. RESULTS: Significant
      longer survival time (months) was observed in the FG group compared with the
      conventional group (12 months versus 8 months, P < 0.020). Even without adjuvant
      therapy, HGG patients from FG group survived longer than those from the
      conventional group (8 months versus 3 months, P = 0.006). No significant
      differences were seen in postoperative Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) between
      the groups at 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery compared to pre-operative KPS.
      Cox proportional hazard regression identified four independent predictors of
      survival: KPS > 80 (P = 0.010), histology (P < 0.001), surgical method (P <
      0.001) and adjuvant therapy (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed a
      significant clinical benefit for HGG patients in terms of overall survival using
      FG surgery as it did not result in worsening of post-operative function outcome
      when compared with the conventional surgical method. We advocate a further
      multicentered, randomised controlled trial to support these findings before FG
      surgery can be implemented as a standard surgical adjunct in local practice for
      the benefit of HGG patients.

PMID- 28894406
TI  - Identification of Rotavirus Strains Causing Diarrhoea in Children under Five
      Years of Age in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is an important cause of severe diarrhoea in children. The
      aims of this study were to identify the rotavirus strains that cause diarrhoea in
      children in Yogyakarta and to determine the association between rotavirus
      positivity and its clinical manifestations. METHODS: Clinical data and stool
      samples were collected from children hospitalised at Kodya Yogyakarta Hospital,
      Indonesia. Rotavirus was detected in stool samples using an enzyme immunoassay
      (EIA), which was followed by genotyping using reverse transcriptase polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-PCR). Electropherotyping was performed for the rotavirus
      positive samples. RESULTS: In total, 104 cases were included in the study, 57
      (54.8%) of which were rotavirus-positive. Based on a multiple logistic regression
      analysis, age group, vomiting and stool mucous were associated with rotavirus
      positivity. Most of the 56 samples subjected to genotyping were classified as G1
      (80.36%) and P[8] (69.64%) genotypes. The genotype combination G1P[8] was
      identified as the most prevalent strain (66.07%). Of the 19 samples subjected to
      electropherotyping, 17 G1 isolates and 1 G3 isolate had long patterns, and 1 G1
      isolate had a short pattern. CONCLUSION: G1P[8] was the most dominant strain of
      rotavirus causing diarrhoea in children in Yogyakarta. Age group, vomiting and
      stool mucous were associated with rotavirus positivity.

PMID- 28894408
TI  - Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Movement Disorders: An Experience in Hospital
      Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) Involving 12 Patients.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) was first introduced in 1987 to the developed world.
      As a developing country Malaysia begun its movement disorder program by doing
      ablation therapy using the Radionics system. Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia a
      rural based teaching hospital had to take into consideration both health
      economics and outcomes in the area that it was providing neurosurgical care for
      when it initiated its Deep Brain Stimulation program. Most of the patients were
      from the low to medium social economic groups and could not afford payment for a
      DBS implant. We concentrated our DBS services to Parkinson's disease, Tourette's
      Syndrome and dystonia patients who had exhausted medical therapy. The case series
      of these patients and their follow-up are presented in this brief communication.

PMID- 28894409
TI  - The Effect of 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde on the gamma-aminobutyric Acid Type A
      Receptor.
AB  - The alpha1beta2gamma2 subtype of GABAA receptors is the most commonly found GABAA
      receptor subtype in the mammalian cortex and hippocampus. It is expressed
      heterologously in the Xenopus laevis oocyte as a alpha1beta2gamma2S/L subtype for
      application as an in vitro model for the screening of compounds that modulate
      receptor activities. In fact, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HB) has been identified as
      one of the major components in Dendrocalamus asper bamboo shoots in our previous
      study, and the current study showed that at 101.7 MUM, 4-HB significantly reduced
      the GABA-induced chloride current of GABAA receptors expressed on Xenopus
      oocytes, indicating a possible GABAergic antagonistic effect at high
      concentrations.

PMID- 28894410
TI  - Life-Threatening Dyskalaemia after Barbiturate Coma Therapy: The Strategy of
      Management.
AB  - Barbiturate coma therapy (BCT) is a treatment option that is used for refractory
      intracranial hypertension after all other options have been exhausted. Although
      BCT is a brain protection treatment, it also has several side effects such as
      hypotension, hepatic dysfunction, renal dysfunction, respiratory complications
      and electrolyte imbalances. One less concerning but potentially life-threatening
      complication of BCT is dyskalaemia. This complication could present as severe
      refractory hypokalaemia during the therapy with subsequent rebound hyperkalaemia
      after cessation of the therapy. Judicious potassium replacement during severe
      refractory hypokalaemia and gradual cessation of the therapy to prevent rebound
      hyperkalaemia are recommended strategies to deal with this complication, based on
      previous case series and reports. In this case report, we show that these
      strategies were applicable in improving severe hypokalaemia and preventing
      sudden, life-threatening rebound hyperkalaemia. However, even with use of these
      strategies, BCT patients could still present with mild, asymptomatic
      hyperkalaemia.

PMID- 28894411
TI  - Bilateral Hydroureteronephrosis with a Hypertrophied, Trabeculated Urinary
      Bladder.
AB  - Bilateral hydroureteronephrosis involves the dilatation of the renal pelvis,
      calyces and ureter; it develops secondary to urinary tract obstruction and leads
      to a build-up of back pressure in the urinary tract, and it may lead to
      impairment of renal function and ultimately culminate in renal failure. Although
      clinically silent in most cases, it can be diagnosed as an incidental finding
      during evaluation of an unrelated cause. In a minority of patients, it presents
      with signs and symptoms. Renal calculus is the most common cause, but there are
      multiple non-calculus aetiologies, and they depend on age and sex. Pelviureteric
      junction obstruction, benign prostatic hypertrophy, urethral stricture,
      neurogenic bladder, retroperitoneal mass and bladder outlet obstruction are some
      of the frequent causes of hydroureteronephrosis in adults. The incidence of non
      calculus hydronephrosis is more common in males than in females. Ultrasonography
      is the most important baseline investigation in the evaluation of patients with
      hydronephrosis. Here, we report a rarely seen case of bilateral
      hydroureteronephrosis associated with a hypertrophied, trabeculated bladder in an
      adult male cadaver, suspected to be due to a primary bladder neck obstruction,
      and analyse its various other causes, clinical presentations and outcomes.

PMID- 28894412
TI  - Recording Spikes Activity in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons Using Flexible or
      Transparent Graphene Transistors.
AB  - The emergence of nanoelectronics applied to neural interfaces has started few
      decades ago, and aims to provide new tools for replacing or restoring disabled
      functions of the nervous systems as well as further understanding the evolution
      of such complex organization. As the same time, graphene and other 2D materials
      have offered new possibilities for integrating micro and nano-devices on
      flexible, transparent, and biocompatible substrates, promising for bio and neuro
      electronics. In addition to many bio-suitable features of graphene interface,
      such as, chemical inertness and anti-corrosive properties, its optical
      transparency enables multimodal approach of neuronal based systems, the
      electrical layer being compatible with additional microfluidics and optical
      manipulation ports. The convergence of these fields will provide a next
      generation of neural interfaces for the reliable detection of single spike and
      record with high fidelity activity patterns of neural networks. Here, we report
      on the fabrication of graphene field effect transistors (G-FETs) on various
      substrates (silicon, sapphire, glass coverslips, and polyimide deposited onto
      Si/SiO2 substrates), exhibiting high sensitivity (4 mS/V, close to the Dirac
      point at VLG < VD) and low noise level (10-22 A2/Hz, at VLG = 0 V). We
      demonstrate the in vitro detection of the spontaneous activity of hippocampal
      neurons in-situ-grown on top of the graphene sensors during several weeks in a
      millimeter size PDMS fluidics chamber (8 mm wide). These results provide an
      advance toward the realization of biocompatible devices for reliable and high
      spatio-temporal sensing of neuronal activity for both in vitro and in vivo
      applications.

PMID- 28894413
TI  - The Attentional Drift Diffusion Model of Simple Perceptual Decision-Making.
AB  - Perceptual decisions requiring the comparison of spatially distributed stimuli
      that are fixated sequentially might be influenced by fluctuations in visual
      attention. We used two psychophysical tasks with human subjects to investigate
      the extent to which visual attention influences simple perceptual choices, and to
      test the extent to which the attentional Drift Diffusion Model (aDDM) provides a
      good computational description of how attention affects the underlying decision
      processes. We find evidence for sizable attentional choice biases and that the
      aDDM provides a reasonable quantitative description of the relationship between
      fluctuations in visual attention, choices and reaction times. We also find that
      exogenous manipulations of attention induce choice biases consistent with the
      predictions of the model.

PMID- 28894414
TI  - Hemodynamic Perturbations in Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery: First Detailed
      Description.
AB  - Background: Hemodynamic perturbations can be anticipated in deep brain
      stimulation (DBS) surgery and may be attributed to multiple factors. Acute
      changes in hemodynamics may produce rare but severe complications such as
      intracranial bleeding, transient ischemic stroke and myocardium infarction.
      Therefore, this retrospective study attempts to determine the incidence of
      hemodynamic perturbances (rate) and related risk factors in patients undergoing
      DBS surgery. Materials and Methods: After institutional approval, all patients
      undergoing DBS surgery for the past 10 years were recruited for this study.
      Demographic characteristics, procedural characteristics and intraoperative
      hemodynamic changes were noted. Event rate was calculated and the effect of all
      the variables on hemodynamic perturbations was analyzed by regression model.
      Results: Total hemodynamic adverse events during DBS surgery was 10.8 (0-42) and
      treated in 57% of cases. Conclusion: Among all the perioperative variables, the
      baseline blood pressure including systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure
      was found to have highly significant effect on these intraoperative hemodynamic
      perturbations.

PMID- 28894415
TI  - Loss of FMRP Impaired Hippocampal Long-Term Plasticity and Spatial Learning in
      Rats.
AB  - Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in
      the FMR1 gene that inactivate expression of the gene product, the fragile X
      mental retardation 1 protein (FMRP). In this study, we used clustered regularly
      interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)
      technology to generate Fmr1 knockout (KO) rats by disruption of the fourth exon
      of the Fmr1 gene. Western blotting analysis confirmed that the FMRP was absent
      from the brains of the Fmr1 KO rats (Fmr1exon4-KO ). Electrophysiological
      analysis revealed that the theta-burst stimulation (TBS)-induced long-term
      potentiation (LTP) and the low-frequency stimulus (LFS)-induced long-term
      depression (LTD) were decreased in the hippocampal Schaffer collateral pathway of
      the Fmr1exon4-KO rats. Short-term plasticity, measured as the paired-pulse ratio,
      remained normal in the KO rats. The synaptic strength mediated by the alpha-amino
      3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) was also impaired.
      Consistent with previous reports, the Fmr1exon4-KO rats demonstrated an enhanced
      3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG)-induced LTD in the present study, and this
      enhancement is insensitive to protein translation. In addition, the Fmr1exon4-KO
      rats showed deficits in the probe trial in the Morris water maze test. These
      results demonstrate that deletion of the Fmr1 gene in rats specifically impairs
      long-term synaptic plasticity and hippocampus-dependent learning in a manner
      resembling the key symptoms of FXS. Furthermore, the Fmr1exon4-KO rats displayed
      impaired social interaction and macroorchidism, the results consistent with those
      observed in patients with FXS. Thus, Fmr1exon4-KO rats constitute a novel rat
      model of FXS that complements existing mouse models.

PMID- 28894416
TI  - Insm1a Regulates Motor Neuron Development in Zebrafish.
AB  - Insulinoma-associated1a (insm1a) is a zinc-finger transcription factor playing a
      series of functions in cell formation and differentiation of vertebrate central
      and peripheral nervous systems and neuroendocrine system. However, its roles on
      the development of motor neuron have still remained uncovered. Here, we provided
      evidences that insm1a was a vital regulator of motor neuron development, and
      provided a mechanistic understanding of how it contributes to this process.
      Firstly, we showed the localization of insm1a in spinal cord, and primary motor
      neurons (PMNs) of zebrafish embryos by in situ hybridization, and imaging
      analysis of transgenic reporter line Tg(insm1a: mCherry)ntu805 . Then we
      demonstrated that the deficiency of insm1a in zebrafish larvae lead to the
      defects of PMNs development, including the reduction of caudal primary motor
      neurons (CaP), and middle primary motor neurons (MiP), the excessive branching of
      motor axons, and the disorganized distance between adjacent CaPs. Additionally,
      knockout of insm1 impaired motor neuron differentiation in the spinal cord.
      Locomotion analysis showed that swimming activity was significantly reduced in
      the insm1a-null zebrafish. Furthermore, we showed that the insm1a loss of
      function significantly decreased the transcript levels of both olig2 and nkx6.1.
      Microinjection of olig2 and nkx6.1 mRNA rescued the motor neuron defects in
      insm1a deficient embryos. Taken together, these data indicated that insm1a
      regulated the motor neuron development, at least in part, through modulation of
      the expressions of olig2 and nkx6.1.

PMID- 28894417
TI  - Myosin-V Induces Cargo Immobilization and Clustering at the Axon Initial Segment.
AB  - The selective transport of different cargoes into axons and dendrites underlies
      the polarized organization of the neuron. Although it has become clear that the
      combined activity of different motors determines the destination and selectivity
      of transport, little is known about the mechanistic details of motor cooperation.
      For example, the exact role of myosin-V in opposing microtubule-based axon
      entries has remained unclear. Here we use two orthogonal chemically-induced
      heterodimerization systems to independently recruit different motors to cargoes.
      We find that recruiting myosin-V to kinesin-propelled cargoes at approximately
      equal numbers is sufficient to stall motility. Kinesin-driven cargoes entering
      the axon were arrested in the axon initial segment (AIS) upon myosin-V
      recruitment and accumulated in distinct actin-rich hotspots. Importantly, unlike
      proposed previously, myosin-V did not return these cargoes to the cell body,
      suggesting that additional mechanism are required to establish cargo retrieval
      from the AIS.

PMID- 28894418
TI  - What Is Art Good For? The Socio-Epistemic Value of Art.
AB  - Scientists, humanists, and art lovers alike value art not just for its beauty,
      but also for its social and epistemic importance; that is, for its communicative
      nature, its capacity to increase one's self-knowledge and encourage personal
      growth, and its ability to challenge our schemas and preconceptions. However,
      empirical research tends to discount the importance of such social and epistemic
      outcomes of art engagement, instead focusing on individuals' preferences,
      judgments of beauty, pleasure, or other emotional appraisals as the primary
      outcomes of art appreciation. Here, we argue that a systematic neuroscientific
      study of art appreciation must move beyond understanding aesthetics alone, and
      toward investigating the social importance of art appreciation. We make our
      argument for such a shift in focus first, by situating art appreciation as an
      active social practice. We follow by reviewing the available psychological and
      cognitive neuroscientific evidence that art appreciation cultivates socio
      epistemic skills such as self- and other-understanding, and discuss philosophical
      frameworks which suggest a more comprehensive empirical investigation. Finally,
      we argue that focusing on the socio-epistemic values of art engagement highlights
      the important role art plays in our lives. Empirical research on art appreciation
      can thus be used to show that engagement with art has specific social and
      personal value, the cultivation of which is important to us as individuals, and
      as communities.

PMID- 28894419
TI  - Molecular Connectivity Predefines Polypharmacology: Aliphatic Rings, Chirality,
      and sp3 Centers Enhance Target Selectivity.
AB  - Dark chemical matter compounds are small molecules that have been recently
      identified as highly potent and selective hits. For this reason, they constitute
      a promising class of possible candidates in the process of drug discovery and
      raise the interest of the scientific community. To this purpose, Wassermann et
      al. (2015) have described the application of 2D descriptors to characterize dark
      chemical matter. However, their definition was based on the number of reported
      positive assays rather than the number of known targets. As there might be
      multiple assays for one single target, the number of assays does not fully
      describe target selectivity. Here, we propose an alternative classification of
      active molecules that is based on the number of known targets. We cluster
      molecules in four classes: black, gray, and white compounds are active on one,
      two to four, and more than four targets respectively, whilst inactive compounds
      are found to be inactive in the considered assays. In this study, black and
      inactive compounds are found to have not only higher solubility, but also a
      higher number of chiral centers, sp3 carbon atoms and aliphatic rings. On the
      contrary, white compounds contain a higher number of double bonds and fused
      aromatic rings. Therefore, the design of a screening compound library should
      consider these molecular properties in order to achieve target selectivity or
      polypharmacology. Furthermore, analysis of four main target classes (GPCRs,
      kinases, proteases, and ion channels) shows that GPCR ligands are more selective
      than the other classes, as the number of black compounds is higher in this target
      superfamily. On the other side, ligands that hit kinases, proteases, and ion
      channels bind to GPCRs more likely than to other target classes. Consequently,
      depending on the target protein family, appropriate screening libraries can be
      designed in order to minimize the likelihood of unwanted side effects early in
      the drug discovery process. Additionally, synergistic effects may be obtained by
      library design toward polypharmacology.

PMID- 28894420
TI  - Exosomes As Potential Biomarkers and Targeted Therapy in Colorectal Cancer: A
      Mini-Review.
AB  - The number of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases have increased gradually year by
      year. In fact, CRC is one of the most widely diagnosed cancer in men and women
      today. This disease is usually diagnosed at a later stage of the development, and
      by then, the chance of survival has declined significantly. Even though
      substantial progress has been made in understanding the basic molecular mechanism
      of CRC, there is still a lack of understanding in using the available information
      for diagnosing CRC effectively. Liquid biopsies are minimally invasive and have
      become the epitome of a good screening source for stage-specific diagnosis,
      measuring drug response and severity of the disease. There are various
      circulating entities that can be found in biological fluids, and among them,
      exosomes, have been gaining considerable attention. Exosomes can be found in
      almost all biological fluids including serum, urine, saliva, and breast milk.
      Furthermore, exosomes carry valuable molecular information such as proteins and
      nucleic acids that directly reflects the source of the cells. Nevertheless, the
      inconsistent yield and isolation process and the difficulty in obtaining pure
      exosomes have become major obstacles that need to be addressed. The potential
      usage of exosomes as biomarkers have not been fully validated and explored yet.
      This review attempts to uncover the potential molecules that can be derived from
      CRC-exosomes as promising biomarkers or molecular targets for effective
      diagnosing of CRC.

PMID- 28894421
TI  - Impact of Different Personal Protective Clothing on Wildland Firefighters'
      Physiological Strain.
AB  - Wildfire firefighting is an extremely demanding occupation performed under hot
      environment. The use of personal protective clothing (PPC) is needed to protect
      subjects from the thermal exposure. However, the additional use of PPC may
      increase the wildland firefighters' physiological strain, and consequently limit
      their performance. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of four
      different PPC on the physiological strain of wildland firefighters under moderate
      conditions (30 degrees C and 30% RH). Eight active and healthy wildland
      firefighters performed a submaximal walking test wearing a traditional short
      sports gear and 4 different PPC. The materials combination (viscose, Nomex,
      Kevlar, P-140 and fire resistant cotton) used during the PPC manufacturing
      process was different. During all tests, to simulate a real scenario subjects
      wore a backpack pump (20 kg). Heart rate, respiratory gas exchange,
      gastrointestinal temperature, blood lactate concentration, perceived exertion and
      temperature and humidity underneath the PPC were recorded throughout tests.
      Additionally, parameters of heat balance were estimated. Wearing a PPC did not
      cause a significant increase in the subjects' physiological response. The
      gastrointestinal temperature increment, the relative humidity of the microclimate
      underneath the PPC, the sweat residue in PPC, the sweat efficiency, the dry heat
      exchange and the total clothing insulation were significantly affected according
      to the PPC fabric composition. These results suggest that the PPC composition
      affect the moisture management. This might be taken into account to increase the
      wildland firefighters' protection in real situations, when they have to work
      close to the flames.

PMID- 28894422
TI  - Does Heel Height Cause Imbalance during Sit-to-Stand Task: Surface EMG
      Perspective.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine whether electromyography (EMG) muscle
      activities around the knee differ during sit-to-stand (STS) and returning task
      for females wearing shoes with different heel heights. Sixteen healthy young
      women (age = 25.2 +/- 3.9 years, body mass index = 20.8 +/- 2.7 kg/m2)
      participated in this study. Electromyography signals were recorded from the two
      muscles, vastus medialis (VM) and vastus lateralis (VL) that involve in the
      extension of knee. The participants wore shoes with five different heights,
      including 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 cm. Surface electromyography (sEMG) data were
      acquired during STS and stand-to-sit-returning (STSR) tasks. The data was
      filtered using a fourth order Butterworth (band pass) filter of 20-450 Hz
      frequency range. For each heel height, we extracted median frequency (MDF) and
      root mean square (RMS) features to measure sEMG activities between VM and VL
      muscles. The experimental results (based on MDF and RMS-values) indicated that
      there is imbalance between vasti muscles for more elevated heels. The results are
      also quantified with statistical measures. The study findings suggest that there
      would be an increased likelihood of knee imbalance and fatigue with regular usage
      of high heel shoes (HHS) in women.

PMID- 28894424
TI  - Editorial: Function of Renal Sympathetic Nerves.

PMID- 28894423
TI  - beta-Adrenergic Inhibition Prevents Action Potential and Calcium Handling Changes
      during Regional Myocardial Ischemia.
AB  - beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) blockers may be administered during acute
      myocardial infarction (MI), as they reduce energy demand through negative
      chronotropic and inotropic effects and prevent ischemia-induced arrhythmogenesis.
      However, the direct effects of beta-AR blockers on ventricular electrophysiology
      and intracellular Ca2+ handling during ischemia remain unknown. Using optical
      mapping of transmembrane potential (with RH237) and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
      Ca2+ (with the low-affinity indicator Fluo-5N AM), the effects of 15 min of
      regional ischemia were assessed in isolated rabbit hearts (n = 19). The impact of
      beta-AR inhibition on isolated hearts was assessed by pre-treatment with 100 nM
      propranolol (Prop) prior to ischemia (n = 7). To control for chronotropy and
      inotropy, hearts were continuously paced at 3.3 Hz and contraction was inhibited
      with 20 MUM blebbistatin. Untreated ischemic hearts displayed prototypical
      shortening of action potential duration (APD80) in the ischemic zone (IZ)
      compared to the non-ischemic zone (NI) at 10 and 15 min ischemia, whereas APD
      shortening was prevented with Prop. Untreated ischemic hearts also displayed
      significant changes in SR Ca2+ handling in the IZ, including prolongation of SR
      Ca2+ reuptake and SR Ca2+ alternans, which were prevented with Prop pre
      treatment. At 5 min ischemia, Prop pre-treated hearts also showed larger SR Ca2+
      release amplitude in the IZ compared to untreated hearts. These results suggest
      that even when controlling for chronotropic and inotropic effects, beta-AR
      inhibition has a favorable effect during acute regional ischemia via direct
      effects on APD and Ca2+ handling.

PMID- 28894425
TI  - Analysis of Wearable and Smartphone-Based Technologies for the Measurement of
      Barbell Velocity in Different Resistance Training Exercises.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze the validity, reliability, and accuracy
      of new wearable and smartphone-based technology for the measurement of barbell
      velocity in resistance training exercises. To do this, 10 highly trained
      powerlifters (age = 26.1 +/- 3.9 years) performed 11 repetitions with loads
      ranging 50-100% of the 1-Repetition maximum in the bench-press, full-squat, and
      hip-thrust exercises while barbell velocity was simultaneously measured using a
      linear transducer (LT), two Beast wearable devices (one placed on the subjects'
      wrist -BW-, and the other one directly attached to the barbell -BB-) and the iOS
      PowerLift app. Results showed a high correlation between the LT and BW (r = 0.94
      0.98, SEE = 0.04-0.07 m*s-1), BB (r = 0.97-0.98, SEE = 0.04-0.05 m*s-1), and the
      PowerLift app (r = 0.97-0.98, SEE = 0.03-0.05 m*s-1) for the measurement of
      barbell velocity in the three exercises. Paired samples T-test revealed
      systematic biases between the LT and BW, BB and the app in the hip-thrust,
      between the LT and BW in the full-squat and between the LT and BB in the bench
      press exercise (p < 0.001). Moreover, the analysis of the linear regression on
      the Bland-Altman plots showed that the differences between the LT and BW (R2 =
      0.004-0.03), BB (R2 = 0.007-0.01), and the app (R2 = 0.001-0.03) were similar
      across the whole range of velocities analyzed. Finally, the reliability of the BW
      (ICC = 0.910-0.988), BB (ICC = 0.922-0.990), and the app (ICC = 0.928-0.989) for
      the measurement of the two repetitions performed with each load were almost the
      same than that observed with the LT (ICC = 0.937-0.990). Both the Beast wearable
      device and the PowerLift app were highly valid, reliable, and accurate for the
      measurement of barbell velocity in the bench-press, full-squat, and hip-thrust
      exercises. These results could have potential practical applications for strength
      and conditioning coaches who wish to measure barbell velocity during resistance
      training.

PMID- 28894426
TI  - More Reasons to Move: Exercise in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders.

PMID- 28894427
TI  - Hypernetworks Reveal Compound Variables That Capture Cooperative and Competitive
      Interactions in a Soccer Match.
AB  - The combination of sports sciences theorization and social networks analysis
      (SNA) has offered useful new insights for addressing team behavior. However, SNA
      typically represents the dynamics of team behavior during a match in dyadic
      interactions and in a single cumulative snapshot. This study aims to overcome
      these limitations by using hypernetworks to describe illustrative cases of team
      behavior dynamics at various other levels of analyses. Hypernetworks
      simultaneously access cooperative and competitive interactions between teammates
      and opponents across space and time during a match. Moreover, hypernetworks are
      not limited to dyadic relations, which are typically represented by edges in
      other types of networks. In a hypernetwork, n-ary relations (with n > 2) and
      their properties are represented with hyperedges connecting more than two players
      simultaneously (the so-called simplex-plural, simplices). Simplices can capture
      the interactions of sets of players that may include an arbitrary number of
      teammates and opponents. In this qualitative study, we first used the
      mathematical formalisms of hypernetworks to represent a multilevel team behavior
      dynamics, including micro (interactions between players), meso (dynamics of a
      given critical event, e.g., an attack interaction), and macro (interactions
      between sets of players) levels. Second, we investigated different features that
      could potentially explain the occurrence of critical events, such as, aggregation
      or disaggregation of simplices relative to goal proximity. Finally, we applied
      hypernetworks analysis to soccer games from the English premier league (season
      2010-2011) by using two-dimensional player displacement coordinates obtained with
      a multiple-camera match analysis system provided by STATS (formerly Prozone). Our
      results show that (i) at micro level the most frequently occurring simplices
      configuration is 1vs.1 (one attacker vs. one defender); (ii) at meso level, the
      dynamics of simplices transformations near the goal depends on significant
      changes in the players' speed and direction; (iii) at macro level, simplices are
      connected to one another, forming "simplices of simplices" including the
      goalkeeper and the goal. These results validate qualitatively that hypernetworks
      and related compound variables can capture and be used in the analysis of the
      cooperative and competitive interactions between players and sets of players in
      soccer matches.

PMID- 28894428
TI  - An Integrative Perspective on Interpersonal Coordination in Interactive Team
      Sports.
AB  - Interpersonal coordination is a key factor in team performance. In interactive
      team sports, the limited predictability of a constantly changing context makes
      coordination challenging. Approaches that highlight the support provided by
      environmental information and theories of shared mental models provide potential
      explanations of how interpersonal coordination can nonetheless be established. In
      this article, we first outline the main assumptions of these approaches and
      consider criticisms that have been raised with regard to each. The aim of this
      article is to define a theoretical perspective that integrates the coordination
      mechanisms of the two approaches. In doing so, we borrow from a theoretical
      outline of group action. According to this outline, group action based on a
      priori shared mental models is an example of how interpersonal coordination is
      established from the top down. Interpersonal coordination in reaction to the
      perception of affordances represents the bottom-up component of group action.
      Both components are inextricably involved in the coordination of interactive
      sports teams. We further elaborate on the theoretical outline to integrate a
      third, constructivist approach. Integrating this third approach helps to explain
      interpersonal coordination in game situations for which no shared mental models
      are established and game situations that remain ambiguous in terms of perceived
      affordances. The article describes how hierarchical, sequential, and complex
      dimensions of action organization are important aspects of this constructivist
      perspective and how mental models may be involved. A basketball example is used
      to illustrate how top-down, bottom-up and constructivist processes may be
      simultaneously involved in enabling interpersonal coordination. Finally, we
      present the implications for research and practice.

PMID- 28894429
TI  - Circumventing the "Ick" Factor: A Randomized Trial of the Effects of Omitting
      Affective Attitudes Questions to Increase Intention to Become an Organ Donor.
AB  - Objectives: Including or excluding certain questions about organ donation may
      influence peoples' intention to donate. We investigated the effect of omitting
      certain affective attitudinal items on potential donors' intention and behavior
      for donation. Design: A cross-sectional survey with a subgroup nested randomized
      trial. Methods: A total of 578 members of the public in four shopping centers
      were surveyed on their attitudes to organ donation. Non-donors (n = 349) were
      randomly assigned to one of three groups: Group 1 completed items on affective
      and cognitive attitudes, anticipated regret, intention, subjective norm and
      perceived behavioral control. Group 2 completed all items above but excluded
      affective attitudes. Group 3 completed all items but omitted negatively worded
      affective attitudes. The primary outcome was intention to donate, taking a donor
      card after the interview was a secondary behavioral outcome, and both were
      predicted using linear and logistic regression with group 1 as the reference.
      Results: Mean (SD) 1-7 intention scores for groups 1, 2 and 3 were, respectively:
      4.43 (SD 1.89), 4.95 (SD 1.64) and 4.88 (SD 1.81), with group 2 significantly
      higher than group 1 (beta = 0.518, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18 to 0.86).At
      the end of the interview, people in group 2 (66.7%; OR = 1.40, 95% CI 0.94 to
      2.07, p = 0.096) but not those in group 3 (61.7%; OR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.75,
      p = 0.685), were marginally more likely to accept a donor card from the
      interviewer than people in group 1 (59.7%). Conclusion: Omitting affective
      attitudinal items results in higher intention to donate organs and marginally
      higher rates of acceptance of donor cards, which has important implications for
      future organ donation public health campaigns.

PMID- 28894430
TI  - Associations between a Leader's Work Passion and an Employee's Work Passion: A
      Moderated Mediation Model.
AB  - Based on the theory of emotional contagion and goal content, this study explored
      the positive associations between a leader's work passion and employees' work
      passion. This study investigated 364 employees and their immediate leaders from
      China, constructed a moderated mediation model, and used SPSS-PROCESS in
      conjunction with the Johnson-Neyman technique to analyze the data. The results
      showed that a leader's work passion was transferred to employees via emotional
      contagion, and the contagion process was moderated by leader-employee goal
      content congruence. This study provides a potential way to stimulate employees'
      work passion from the perspective of leader-employee interactions. Moreover, the
      limitations of the study and potential topics for future research are discussed.

PMID- 28894431
TI  - "I Want, Therefore I Am" - Anticipated Upward Mobility Reduces Ingroup Concern.
AB  - Empirical findings suggest that members of socially disadvantaged groups who join
      a better-valued group through individual achievement tend to express low concern
      for their disadvantaged ingroup (e.g., denial of collective discrimination, low
      intent to initiate collective action). In the present research, we investigated
      whether this tendency occurs solely for individuals who have already engaged in
      social mobility, or also for individuals who psychologically prepare themselves,
      that is 'anticipate', social mobility. Moreover, we examined the role of group
      identification in this process. In two studies, we looked at the case of
      'frontier workers', that is people who cross a national border every day to work
      in another country where the salaries are higher thereby achieving a better socio
      economic status than in their home-country. Study 1 (N = 176) examined attitudes
      of French nationals (both the socially mobile and the non-mobile) and of Swiss
      nationals toward the non-mobile group. As expected, results showed that the
      mobile French had more negative attitudes than their non-mobile counterparts, but
      less negative attitudes than the Swiss. In Study 2 (N = 216), we examined ingroup
      concern at different stages of the social mobility process by comparing the
      attitudes of French people who worked in Switzerland (mobile individuals), with
      those who envisioned (anticipators), or not (non-anticipators), to work in
      Switzerland. The findings revealed that anticipators' motivation to get
      personally involved in collective action for their French ingroup was lower than
      the non-anticipators', but higher than the mobile individuals'. Moreover, we
      found that the decrease in ingroup concern across the different stages of social
      mobility was accounted for by a lower identification with the inherited ingroup.
      These findings corroborate the deleterious impact of social mobility on attitudes
      toward a low-status ingroup, and show that the decrease in ingroup concern
      already occurs among individuals who anticipate moving up the hierarchy. The
      discussion focuses on the role of the discounting of inherited identities in both
      the anticipation and the achievement of a higher-status identity.

PMID- 28894432
TI  - Behavioral Changes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Behavioral changes are common in patients with multiple sclerosis
      (MS), however not as readily recognized as cognitive impairments. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to analyze behavioral changes and its relation to disease
      characteristics, disability, and cognitive impairments in patients with MS.
      METHOD: This is a single-center cross-sectional study. A detailed
      neuropsychological examination, including the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale
      (FrSBe), the Beck depression inventory (BDI), and the Wuerzburg Fatigue Inventory
      for Multiple Sclerosis (WEIMuS) test, was performed. FrSBe results were
      correlated with disease characteristics, disability, and cognitive assessments.
      RESULTS: 66 patients were enrolled (mean age: 43.4 years; disease duration: 9.3
      years; Expanded Disability Status Scale: 3.0). Up to one third of patients showed
      behavioral changes in at least one domain or the total score of the FrSBe.
      Patients were mildly affected with regard to cognitive functioning. Consistent
      correlation was found between behavioral changes and fatigue (WEIMuS) and
      depressive symptoms (BDI), but not with disease characteristics, disability, or
      cognitive functions. There was an increase of behavioral changes on all FrSBe
      scales in the current status compared to the retrospectively rated status before
      disease onset. Self- and family ratings with regard to current behavioral changes
      were similar. CONCLUSION: Behavioral changes are common in otherwise mildly
      affected MS patients with up to one third being affected. In this patient cohort,
      behavioral changes occur largely independent of disease characteristics, physical
      disability, and cognitive functioning but correlate with both fatigue and
      depressive symptoms. Therefore, they should be tested specifically.

PMID- 28894433
TI  - Amino Acids in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid
      Haemorrhage: An Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The authors are aware of only one article investigating amino acid
      concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with ruptured
      intracranial aneurysms, and this was published 31 years ago. Since then, both
      management of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) and amino acid assay techniques have
      seen radical alterations, yet the pathophysiology of SAH remains unclear.
      OBJECTIVE: To analyse the pattern of concentrations of amino acids and related
      compounds in patients with different outcomes following aneurysmal SAH. METHODS:
      49 CSF samples were collected from 23 patients on days 0-3, 5, and 10 post-SAH.
      Concentrations of 33 amino acids and related compounds were assayed by liquid
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in patients with good [Glasgow Outcome
      Scale (GOS) 1-3] and poor (GOS 4-5) outcome. RESULTS: Of the 33 compounds
      assayed, only hydroxyproline and 3-aminoisobutyric acid appeared not to increase
      significantly following SAH. In poor outcome patients, we found significantly
      higher concentrations of aspartic acid (p = 0.038), glutamic acid (p = 0.038),
      and seven other compounds on days 0-3 post-SAH; glutamic acid (p = 0.041) on day
      5 post-SAH, and 2-aminoadipic acid (p = 0.033) on day 10 post-SAH. The most
      significant correlation with GOS at 3 months was found for aminoadipic acid on
      day 10 post-SAH (cc = -0.81). CONCLUSION: Aneurysmal rupture leads to a
      generalised increase of amino acids and related compounds in CSF. The patterns
      differ between good and poor outcome cases. Increased excitatory amino acids are
      strongly indicative of poor outcome.

PMID- 28894434
TI  - Tinnitus Patients with Comorbid Headaches: The Influence of Headache Type and
      Laterality on Tinnitus Characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both clinical experience and clinical studies suggest a relationship
      between tinnitus and headache. Here, we aimed to investigate the influence of
      comorbid headache type and headache laterality on tinnitus characteristics.
      METHOD: The Tinnitus Research Initiative database was screened for patients of
      the Tinnitus Center of the University Regensburg who reported comorbid headaches.
      These patients were contacted to complete additional validated questionnaires.
      Based on these data, patients were categorized according to headache type and
      headache laterality, and their clinical characteristics were compared with
      tinnitus patients, who did not report comorbid headaches. RESULTS: Data from 193
      patients with tinnitus and comorbid headaches were compared with those from 765
      tinnitus patients without comorbid headaches. Tinnitus patients with comorbid
      headache have higher scores in tinnitus questionnaires, a lower quality of life
      and more frequently comorbidities such as painful sensation to loud sounds,
      vertigo, pain (neck, temporomandibular, and general), and depressive symptoms
      when compared with tinnitus patients without headaches. Both headache laterality
      and headache type interact with the degree of comorbidity with higher impairment
      in patients with left-sided and bilateral headaches as well as in patients with
      migraine or cluster headache. CONCLUSION: The observed increased impairment in
      tinnitus patients with comorbid headache can be explained as an additive effect
      of both disorders on health-related quality of life. The more frequent occurrence
      of further comorbidities suggests a generally increased amplification of sensory
      signals in a subset of tinnitus patients with comorbid headaches.

PMID- 28894435
TI  - Neuroactive Steroids: Receptor Interactions and Responses.
AB  - Neuroactive steroids (NASs) are naturally occurring steroids, which are
      synthesized centrally as de novo from cholesterol and are classified as pregnane,
      androstane, and sulfated neurosteroids (NSs). NASs modulate many processes via
      interacting with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), N-methyl-d-aspartate, serotonin,
      voltage-gated calcium channels, voltage-dependent anion channels, alpha
      adrenoreceptors, X-receptors of the liver, transient receptor potential channels,
      microtubule-associated protein 2, neurotrophin nerve growth factor, and sigma1
      receptors. Among these, NSs (especially allopregnanolone) have high potency and
      extensive GABA-A receptors and hence demonstrate anticonvulsant, anesthetic,
      central cytoprotectant, and baroreflex inhibitory effects. NSs are also involved
      in mood and learning via serotonin and anti-nociceptive activity via T-type
      voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Moreover, they are modulators of mitochondrial
      function, synaptic plasticity, or regulators of apoptosis, which have a role in
      neuroprotective via voltage-dependent anion channels receptors. For proper
      functioning, NASs need to be in their normal level, whereas excess and deficiency
      may lead to abnormalities. When they are below the normal, NSs could have a part
      in development of depression, neuro-inflammation, multiple sclerosis,
      experimental autoimmune encephalitis, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. On the other
      hand, stress and attention deficit disorder could occur during excessive level.
      Overall, NASs are very important molecules with major neuropsychiatric activity.

PMID- 28894436
TI  - Serum Thyroid Hormone Antibodies Are Frequent in Patients with Polyglandular
      Autoimmune Syndrome Type 3, Particularly in Those Who Require Thyroxine
      Treatment.
AB  - Polyglandular autoimmune syndrome (PAS) type 3 consists of autoimmune thyroid
      disease (AITD) coexisting with >=1 non-thyroidal autoimmune disease (NTAID) other
      than Addison's disease and hypoparathyroidism. We evaluated the prevalence and
      repertoire of thyroid hormones antibodies (THAb) in PAS-3 patients. Using a
      radioimmunoprecipation technique, we measured THAb (T3IgM, T3IgG, T4IgM, and
      T4IgG) in 107 PAS-3 patients and 88 controls (patients with AITD without any
      NTAID). Based on the selective coexistence of AITD with one NTAID (chronic
      autoimmune gastritis, non-segmental vitiligo or celiac disease), patients were
      divided into group 1 (chronic autoimmune gastritis positive, n = 64), group 2
      (non-segmental vitiligo positive, n = 24), and group 3 (celiac disease positive,
      n = 15). At least one of the four THAb was detected in 45 PAS-3 patients (42.1%)
      and 28 controls (31.8%, P = 0.14), with similar rates in the three PAS-3 groups.
      The rates of T3Ab, T4Ab, and T3 + T4Ab were similar in groups 1 and 2, while in
      group 3, T3Ab was undetected (P = 0.02). In PAS-3 patients, the rate of
      levothyroxine treatment was greater in THAb-positive patients compared to THAb
      negative patients (76.7 vs. 56.1%, P = 0.03, RR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.03-1.81). Not
      unexpectedly, levothyroxine daily dose was significantly higher in group 1 and
      group 3, namely in patients with gastrointestinal disorders, compared to group 2
      (1.9 +/- 0.4 and 1.8 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.2 MUg/kg body weight, P = 0.0005 and P
      = 0.004). Almost half of PAS-3 patients have THAb, whose repertoire is similar if
      chronic autoimmune gastritis or celiac disease is present. A prospective study
      would confirm whether THAb positivity predicts greater likelihood of requiring
      levothyroxine treatment.

PMID- 28894437
TI  - Evolution of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Cystic Fibrosis Lung over Chronic
      Infection: A Genomic and Phenotypic Population Study.
AB  - Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has been recognized as an emerging multi-drug
      resistant opportunistic pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. We report a
      comparative genomic and phenotypic analysis of 91 S. maltophilia strains from 10
      CF patients over a 12-year period. Draft genome analyses included in silico Multi
      Locus Sequence Typing (MLST), Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), and
      pangenome characterization. Growth rate, biofilm formation, motility, mutation
      frequency, in vivo virulence, and in vitro antibiotic susceptibility were
      determined and compared with population structure over time. The population
      consisted of 20 different sequence types (STs), 11 of which are new ones.
      Pangenome and SNPs data showed that this population is composed of three major
      phylogenetic lineages. All patients were colonized by multiple STs, although most
      of them were found in a single patient and showed persistence over years. Only
      few phenotypes showed some correlation with population phylogenetic structure.
      Our results show that S. maltophilia adaptation to CF lung is associated with
      consistent genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
      infecting multiple hosts likely experiences different selection pressures
      depending on the host environment. The poor genotype-phenotype correlation
      suggests the existence of complex regulatory mechanisms that need to be explored
      in order to better design therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28894438
TI  - Characterization of Enterococcus Isolates Colonizing the Intestinal Tract of
      Intensive Care Unit Patients Receiving Selective Digestive Decontamination.
AB  - Enterococci have emerged as important opportunistic pathogens in intensive care
      units (ICUs). In this study, enterococcal population size and Enterococcus
      isolates colonizing the intestinal tract of ICU patients receiving Selective
      Digestive Decontamination (SDD) were investigated. All nine patients included in
      the study showed substantial shifts in the enterococcal 16S rRNA gene copy number
      in the gut microbiota during the hospitalization period. Furthermore, 41
      Enterococcus spp. strains were isolated and characterized from these patients at
      different time points during and after ICU hospitalization, including E. faecalis
      (n = 13), E. faecium (n = 23), and five isolates that could not unequivocally
      assigned to a specific species (E. sp. n = 5) Multi locus sequence typing
      revealed a high prevalence of ST 6 in E. faecalis isolates (46%) and ST 117 in E.
      faecium (52%). Furthermore, antibiotic resistance phenotypes, including macrolide
      and vancomycin resistance, as well as virulence factor-encoding genes [asa1, esp
      fm, esp-fs, hyl, and cyl (B)] were investigated in all isolates. Resistance to
      ampicillin and tetracycline was observed in 25 (61%) and 19 (46%) isolates,
      respectively. Furthermore, 30 out of 41 isolates harbored the erm (B) gene,
      mainly present in E. faecium isolates (78%). The most prevalent virulence genes
      were asa1 in E. faecalis (54%) and esp (esp-fm, 74%; esp-fs, 39%). Six out of
      nine patients developed nosocomial enterococcal infections, however,
      corresponding clinical isolates were unfortunately not available for further
      analysis. Our results show that multiple Enterococcus species, carrying several
      antibiotic resistance and virulence genes, occurred simultaneously in patients
      receiving SDD therapy, with varying prevalence dynamics over time. Furthermore,
      simultaneous presence and/or replacement of E. faecium STs was observed-,
      reinforcing the importance of screening multiple isolates to comprehensively
      characterize enterococcal diversity in ICU patients.

PMID- 28894439
TI  - Phenotypic Changes Exhibited by E. coli Cultured in Space.
AB  - Bacteria will accompany humans in our exploration of space, making it of
      importance to study their adaptation to the microgravity environment. To
      investigate potential phenotypic changes for bacteria grown in space, Escherichia
      coli was cultured onboard the International Space Station with matched controls
      on Earth. Samples were challenged with different concentrations of gentamicin
      sulfate to study the role of drug concentration on the dependent variables in the
      space environment. Analyses included assessments of final cell count, cell size,
      cell envelope thickness, cell ultrastructure, and culture morphology. A 13-fold
      increase in final cell count was observed in space with respect to the ground
      controls and the space flight cells were able to grow in the presence of normally
      inhibitory levels of gentamicin sulfate. Contrast light microscopy and focused
      ion beam/scanning electron microscopy showed that, on average, cells in space
      were 37% of the volume of their matched controls, which may alter the rate of
      molecule-cell interactions in a diffusion-limited mass transport regime as is
      expected to occur in microgravity. TEM imagery showed an increase in cell
      envelope thickness of between 25 and 43% in space with respect to the Earth
      control group. Outer membrane vesicles were observed on the spaceflight samples,
      but not on the Earth cultures. While E. coli suspension cultures on Earth were
      homogenously distributed throughout the liquid medium, in space they tended to
      form a cluster, leaving the surrounding medium visibly clear of cells. This cell
      aggregation behavior may be associated with enhanced biofilm formation observed
      in other spaceflight experiments.

PMID- 28894440
TI  - Otitis Media Caused by V. cholerae O100: A Case Report and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Infections due to Vibrio cholerae are rarely documented in Israel. Here we report
      a case of recurrent otitis media in a young male, caused by V. cholerae non
      O1/O139. This extra-intestinal infection was caused by V. cholerae O100 and has
      been associated with freshwater exposure and travel. Symptoms of chronic periodic
      earaches along with purulent exudate began about one week after the patient
      suffered a water skiing accident on a river in Australia. The condition lasted
      for three years, until his ear exudate was examined in a clinical laboratory,
      diagnosed and treated. Five bacterial isolates were identified as V. cholerae
      O100. The isolates were screened for genetic characteristics and were found
      positive for the presence of hapA, hlyA, and ompU virulence genes. All isolates
      were negative for the presence of ctxA. Based on antibiogram susceptibility
      testing, ciprofloxacin ear drops were used until the patient's symptoms
      disappeared. This case demonstrates that exposure to freshwater can cause otitis
      media by V. cholerae non-O1/O139 in young and otherwise healthy humans.

PMID- 28894441
TI  - The Fitness Cost of Fluoride Resistance for Different Streptococcus mutans
      Strains in Biofilms.
AB  - The cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans can develop stable resistance to
      fluoride through chromosomal mutations in vitro. Fluoride-resistant S. mutans has
      seldom been isolated in clinical settings, despite the wide application of
      fluoride in oral-care products. One explanation is that the fluoride-resistant S.
      mutans strains have decreased fitness. However, so far, there has been no
      conclusive evidence to support this idea. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the fitness cost of 48-h biofilms of two fluoride-resistant S. mutans
      strains, UF35 and UA159-FR (UAFR), using the wild-type fluoride-sensitive strain
      UA159 as a reference. The engineered UF35 strain contains one point mutation,
      whereas UAFR, selected from NaF-containing agar plates, has multiple chromosomal
      mutations. All biofilms were formed for 48 h under a constantly neutral pH or a
      pH-cycling (8 h of neutral pH and 16 h of pH 5.5) condition in the absence of
      fluoride. The biomass of the biofilms was quantified with a crystal violet assay.
      The biofilms were also treated with chlorhexidine or solutions at pH 3.0, after
      which their lactic acid production was quantified. Compared to the UF35 and UA159
      biofilms, the biomass of UAFR biofilms was two-four fold higher, and the UAFR
      biofilms were more resistant to chlorhexidine and low pH in terms of lactic acid
      production. No difference in biomass and lactic acid production was detected
      between UF35 and UA159 biofilms. The fluoride resistance of UAFR and UF35 strains
      in biofilms was further confirmed by treating the biofilms with NaF solutions.
      The level of NaF resistance of the three biofilms is generally ranked as follows:
      UAFR > UF35 > UA159. In conclusion, there is indeed a fitness consequence in
      UAFR, but surprisingly, this fluoride-resistant strain performs better than UF35
      and UA159 under the described conditions. In addition, UF35 did not display a
      reduced fitness; it performed as well as the wild-type fluoride-sensitive strain.

PMID- 28894442
TI  - Isolation and Characterization of Phenanthrene Degrading Bacteria from Diesel
      Fuel-Contaminated Antarctic Soils.
AB  - Antarctica is an attractive target for human exploration and scientific
      investigation, however the negative effects of human activity on this continent
      are long lasting and can have serious consequences on the native ecosystem.
      Various areas of Antarctica have been contaminated with diesel fuel, which
      contains harmful compounds such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAH). Bioremediation of PAHs by the activity of microorganisms is
      an ecological, economical, and safe decontamination approach. Since the
      introduction of foreign organisms into the Antarctica is prohibited, it is key to
      discover native bacteria that can be used for diesel bioremediation. By following
      the degradation of the PAH phenanthrene, we isolated 53 PAH metabolizing bacteria
      from diesel contaminated Antarctic soil samples, with three of these isolates
      exhibiting a high phenanthrene degrading capacity. In particular, the Sphingobium
      xenophagum D43FB isolate showed the highest phenanthrene degradation ability,
      generating up to 95% degradation of initial phenanthrene. D43FB can also degrade
      phenanthrene in the presence of its usual co-pollutant, the heavy metal cadmium,
      and showed the ability to grow using diesel-fuel as a sole carbon source.
      Microtiter plate assays and SEM analysis revealed that S. xenophagum D43FB
      exhibits the ability to form biofilms and can directly adhere to phenanthrene
      crystals. Genome sequencing analysis also revealed the presence of several genes
      involved in PAH degradation and heavy metal resistance in the D43FB genome.
      Altogether, these results demonstrate that S. xenophagum D43FB shows promising
      potential for its application in the bioremediation of diesel fuel contaminated
      Antarctic ecosystems.

PMID- 28894443
TI  - Improved Vaccine against PRRSV: Current Progress and Future Perspective.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), one of the most
      economically significant pathogens worldwide, has caused numerous outbreaks
      during the past 30 years. PRRSV infection causes reproductive failure in sows and
      respiratory disease in growing and finishing pigs, leading to huge economic
      losses for the swine industry. This impact has become even more significant with
      the recent emergence of highly pathogenic PRRSV strains from China, further
      exacerbating global food security. Since new PRRSV variants are constantly
      emerging from outbreaks, current strategies for controlling PRRSV have been
      largely inadequate, even though our understanding of PRRSV virology, evolution
      and host immune response has been rapidly expanding. Meanwhile, practical
      experience has revealed numerous safety and efficacy concerns for currently
      licensed vaccines, such as shedding of modified live virus (MLV), reversion to
      virulence, recombination between field strains and MLV and failure to elicit
      protective immunity against heterogeneous virus. Therefore, an effective vaccine
      against PRRSV infection is urgently needed. Here, we systematically review recent
      advances in PRRSV vaccine development. Antigenic variations resulting from PRRSV
      evolution, identification of neutralizing epitopes for heterogeneous isolates,
      broad neutralizing antibodies against PRRSV, chimeric virus generated by reverse
      genetics, and novel PRRSV strains with interferon-inducing phenotype will be
      discussed in detail. Moreover, techniques that could potentially transform
      current MLV vaccines into a superior vaccine will receive special emphasis, as
      will new insights for future PRRSV vaccine development. Ultimately, improved
      PRRSV vaccines may overcome the disadvantages of current vaccines and minimize
      the PRRS impact to the swine industry.

PMID- 28894444
TI  - Modeling Kick-Kill Strategies toward HIV Cure.
AB  - Although combinatorial antiretroviral therapy (cART) potently suppresses the
      virus, a sterile or functional cure still remains one of the greatest therapeutic
      challenges worldwide. Reservoirs are infected cells that can maintain HIV
      persistence for several years in patients with optimal cART, which is a leading
      obstacle to eradicate the virus. Despite the significant progress that has been
      made in our understanding of the diversity of cells that promote HIV persistence,
      many aspects that are critical to the development of effective therapeutic
      approaches able to purge the latent CD4+ T cell reservoir are poorly understood.
      Simultaneous purging strategies known as "kick-kill" have been pointed out as
      promising therapeutic approaches to eliminate the viral reservoir. However, long
      term outcomes of purging strategies as well as the effect on the HIV reservoir
      are still largely fragmented. In this context, mathematical modeling can provide
      a rationale not only to evaluate the impact on the HIV reservoir but also to
      facilitate the formulation of hypotheses about potential therapeutic strategies.
      This review aims to discuss briefly the most recent mathematical modeling
      contributions, harnessing our knowledge toward the uncharted territory of HIV
      eradication. In addition, problems associated with current models are discussed,
      in particular, mathematical models consider only T cell responses but HIV control
      may also depend on other cell responses as well as chemokines and cytokines
      dynamics.

PMID- 28894445
TI  - Adipose Tissue Inflammation Induces B Cell Inflammation and Decreases B Cell
      Function in Aging.
AB  - Aging is the greatest risk factor for developing chronic diseases. Inflamm-aging,
      the age-related increase in low-grade chronic inflammation, may be a common link
      in age-related diseases. This review summarizes recent published data on
      potential cellular and molecular mechanisms of the age-related increase in
      inflammation, and how these contribute to decreased humoral immune responses in
      aged mice and humans. Briefly, we cover how aging and related inflammation
      decrease antibody responses in mice and humans, and how obesity contributes to
      the mechanisms for aging through increased inflammation. We also report data in
      the literature showing adipose tissue infiltration with immune cells and how
      these cells are recruited and contribute to local and systemic inflammation. We
      show that several types of immune cells infiltrate the adipose tissue and these
      include macrophages, neutrophils, NK cells, innate lymphoid cells, eosinophils, T
      cells, B1, and B2 cells. Our main focus is how the adipose tissue affects immune
      responses, in particular B cell responses and antibody production. The role of
      leptin in generating inflammation and decreased B cell responses is also
      discussed. We report data published by us and by other groups showing that the
      adipose tissue generates pro-inflammatory B cell subsets which induce pro
      inflammatory T cells, promote insulin resistance, and secrete pathogenic
      autoimmune antibodies.

PMID- 28894446
TI  - Neutrophil Evolution and Their Diseases in Humans.
AB  - Granulocytes have been preserved and have evolved across species, developing into
      cells that provide one of the first lines of host defense against pathogens. In
      humans, neutrophils are involved in early recognition and killing of infectious
      pathogens. Disruption in neutrophil production, emigration, chemotaxis, and
      function cause a spectrum of primary immune defects characterized by host
      susceptibility to invasive infections.

PMID- 28894447
TI  - The Microbial Metabolite Butyrate Induces Expression of Th1-Associated Factors in
      CD4+ T Cells.
AB  - Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are generated by the bacterial
      fermentation of dietary fibers, promote expansion of regulatory T cells (Tregs).
      Potential therapeutic value of SCFAs has been recently highlighted in the
      experimental models of T cell-mediated autoimmunity and allergic inflammation.
      These studies suggest that physiological intestinal concentrations of SCFAs
      within the millimolar range are crucial for dampening inflammation-mediated
      processes. Here, we describe opposing effects of SCFAs on T cell-mediated immune
      responses. In accordance with published data, lower butyrate concentrations
      facilitated differentiation of Tregs in vitro and in vivo under steady-state
      conditions. In contrast, higher concentrations of butyrate induced expression of
      the transcription factor T-bet in all investigated T cell subsets resulting in
      IFN-gamma-producing Tregs or conventional T cells. This effect was mediated by
      the inhibition of histone deacetylase activity and was independent of SCFA
      receptors FFA2 and FFA3 as well as of Na+-coupled SCFA transporter Slc5a8.
      Importantly, while butyrate was not able to induce the generation of Tregs in the
      absence of TGF-beta1, the expression of T-bet and IFN-gamma was triggered upon
      stimulation of CD4+ T cells with this SCFA alone. Moreover, the treatment of germ
      free mice with butyrate enhanced the expression of T-bet and IFN-gamma during
      acute colitis. Our data reveal that, depending on its concentration and
      immunological milieu, butyrate may exert either beneficial or detrimental effects
      on the mucosal immune system.

PMID- 28894448
TI  - Sirtuin 2 Deficiency Increases Bacterial Phagocytosis by Macrophages and Protects
      from Chronic Staphylococcal Infection.
AB  - Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is one of the seven members of the family of NAD+-dependent
      histone deacetylases. Sirtuins target histones and non-histone proteins according
      to their subcellular localization, influencing various biological processes.
      SIRT2 resides mainly in the cytoplasm and regulates cytoskeleton dynamics, cell
      cycle, and metabolic pathways. As such, SIRT2 has been implicated in the
      pathogenesis of neurodegenerative, metabolic, oncologic, and chronic inflammatory
      disorders. This motivated the development of SIRT2-directed therapies for
      clinical purposes. However, the impact of SIRT2 on antimicrobial host defense is
      largely unknown. Here, we address this question using SIRT2 knockout mice. We
      show that SIRT2 is the most highly expressed sirtuin in myeloid cells, especially
      macrophages. SIRT2 deficiency does not affect immune cell development and
      marginally impacts on intracellular signaling and cytokine production by
      splenocytes and macrophages. However, SIRT2 deficiency enhances bacterial
      phagocytosis by macrophages. In line with these observations, in preclinical
      models, SIRT2 deficiency increases survival of mice with chronic staphylococcal
      infection, while having no effect on the course of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1,
      LPS or TNF-induced shock, fulminant Escherichia coli peritonitis, sub-lethal
      Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumonia, and chronic candidiasis. Altogether, these data
      support the safety profile of SIRT2 inhibitors under clinical development in
      terms of susceptibility to infections.

PMID- 28894449
TI  - Type I Interferon Induced by Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 is Strain-Dependent
      and May Be Beneficial for Host Survival.
AB  - Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is an important porcine bacterial pathogen and
      emerging zoonotic agent mainly responsible for sudden death, septic shock, and
      meningitis, with exacerbated inflammation being a hallmark of the infection.
      However, serotype 2 strains are genotypically and phenotypically heterogeneous,
      being composed of a multitude of sequence types (STs) whose virulence greatly
      varies: the virulent ST1 (Eurasia), highly virulent ST7 (responsible for the
      human outbreaks in China), and intermediate virulent ST25 (North America) are the
      most important worldwide. Even though type I interferons (IFNs) are traditionally
      associated with important antiviral functions, recent studies have demonstrated
      that they may also play an important role during infections with extracellular
      bacteria. Upregulation of IFN-beta levels was previously observed in mice
      following infection with this pathogen. Consequently, the implication of IFN-beta
      in the S. suis serotype 2 pathogenesis, which has always been considered a strict
      extracellular bacterium, was evaluated using strains of varying virulence. This
      study demonstrates that intermediate virulent strains are significantly more
      susceptible to phagocytosis than virulent strains. Hence, subsequent localization
      of these strains within the phagosome results in recognition of bacterial nucleic
      acids by Toll-like receptors 7 and 9, leading to activation of the interferon
      regulatory factors 1, 3, and 7 and production of IFN-beta. Type I IFN, whose
      implication depends on the virulence level of the S. suis strain, is involved in
      host defense by participating in the modulation of systemic inflammation, which
      is responsible for the clearance of blood bacterial burden. As such, when induced
      by intermediate, and to a lesser extent, virulent S. suis strains, type I IFN
      plays a beneficial role in host survival. The highly virulent ST7 strain,
      however, hastily induces a septic shock that cannot be controlled by type I IFN,
      leading to rapid death of the host. A better understanding of the underlying
      mechanisms involved in the control of inflammation and subsequent bacterial
      burden could help to develop control measures for this important porcine and
      zoonotic agent.

PMID- 28894451
TI  - Inflammatory Conditions Dictate the Effect of Mesenchymal Stem or Stromal Cells
      on B Cell Function.
AB  - The immunomodulatory capacity of mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSC) makes
      them a promising tool for treatment of immune disease and organ transplantation.
      The effects of MSC on B cells are characterized by an abrogation of plasmablast
      formation and induction of regulatory B cells (Bregs). It is, however, unknown
      how MSC interact with B cells under inflammatory conditions. In this study,
      adipose tissue-derived MSC were pretreated with 50 ng/ml IFN-gamma for 96 h (MSC
      IFN-gamma) to simulate inflammatory conditions. Mature B cells were obtained from
      spleens by CD43- selection. B cells were co-cultured with MSC and stimulated with
      anti-IgM, anti-CD40, and IL-2; and after 7 days, B cell proliferation, phenotype,
      Immunoglobulin-G (IgG), and IL-10 production were analyzed. MSC did not inhibit B
      cell proliferation but increased the percentage of CD38high CD24high B cells
      (Bregs) and IL-10 production, while MSC-IFN-gamma significantly reduced B cell
      proliferation and inhibited IgG production by B cells in a more potent fashion
      but did not induce Bregs or IL-10 production. Both MSC and MSC-IFN-gamma required
      proximity to target cells and being metabolically active to exert their effects.
      Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase expression was highly induced in MSC-IFN-gamma and
      was responsible of the anti-proliferative and Breg reduction since addition of
      tryptophan (TRP) restored MSC properties. Immunological conditions dictate the
      effect of MSC on B cell function. Under immunological quiescent conditions, MSC
      stimulate Breg induction; whereas, under inflammatory conditions, MSC inhibit B
      cell proliferation and maturation through depletion of TRP. This knowledge is
      useful for customizing MSC therapy for specific purposes by appropriate
      pretreatment of MSC.

PMID- 28894450
TI  - Dual Face of Vgamma9Vdelta2-T Cells in Tumor Immunology: Anti- versus Pro-Tumoral
      Activities.
AB  - Vgamma9Vdelta2-T cells are considered as potent effector cells for tumor
      immunotherapy through directly killing tumor cells and indirectly regulating
      other innate and adaptive immune cells to establish antitumoral immunity. The
      antitumoral activity of Vgamma9Vdelta2-T cells is governed by a complicated set
      of activating and inhibitory cell receptors. In addition, cytokine milieu in
      tumor microenvironment can also induce the pro-tumoral activities and functional
      plasticity of Vgamma9Vdelta2-T cells. Here, we review the anti- versus pro
      tumoral activities of Vgamma9Vdelta2-T cells and discuss the mechanisms
      underlying the recognition, activation, differentiation and regulation of
      Vgamma9Vdelta2-T cells in tumor immunosurveillance. The comprehensive
      understanding of the dual face of Vgamma9Vdelta2-T cells in tumor immunology may
      improve the therapeutic efficacy and clinical outcomes of Vgamma9Vdelta2-T cell
      based tumor immunotherapy.

PMID- 28894452
TI  - Raw Cow's Milk Prevents the Development of Airway Inflammation in a Murine House
      Dust Mite-Induced Asthma Model.
AB  - Epidemiological studies show an inverse relation between raw cow's milk
      consumption and the development of asthma. This protective effect seems to be
      abolished by milk processing. However, evidence for a causal relationship is
      lacking, and direct comparisons between raw and processed milk are hardly
      studied. Therefore, this study investigated the preventive capacity of raw and
      heated raw milk on the development of house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic
      asthma in mice. Six- to seven-week-old male BALB/c mice were intranasally (i.n.)
      sensitized with 1 ug HDM or PBS on day 0, followed by an i.n. challenge with 10
      ug HDM or PBS on days 7-11. In addition, mice were fed 0.5 mL raw cow's milk,
      heated raw cow's milk, or PBS three times a week throughout the study, starting 1
      day before sensitization. On day 14, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in response
      to increasing doses of methacholine was measured to assess lung function.
      Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lungs were furthermore collected to study
      the extent of airway inflammation. Raw milk prevented both HDM-induced AHR and
      pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation, whereas heated raw milk did not. Both milk
      types suppressed the Th2-polarizing chemokine CCL17 in lung homogenates and
      reduced lung Th2 and Th17 cell frequency. IL-4 and IL-13 production after ex vivo
      restimulation of lung T cells with HDM was also reduced by both milk types.
      However, local IL-5 and IL-13 concentrations were only suppressed by raw milk.
      These findings support the asthma-protective capacity of raw cow's milk and show
      the importance of reduced local type 2 cytokine levels. Heated raw milk did not
      show an asthma-protective effect, which indicates the involvement of heat
      sensitive components. Besides causal evidence, this study provides the basis for
      further mechanistic studies.

PMID- 28894453
TI  - Interspecific Potato Breeding Lines Display Differential Colonization Patterns
      and Induced Defense Responses after Ralstonia solanacearum Infection.
AB  - Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the main hosts of Ralstonia solanacearum,
      the causative agent of bacterial wilt. This plant pathogen bacteria produce
      asymptomatic latent infections that promote its global spread, hindering disease
      control. A potato breeding program is conducted in Uruguay based on the
      introgression of resistance from the wild native species S. commersonii Dun.
      Currently, several backcrosses were generated exploiting the high genetic
      variability of this wild species resulting in advanced interspecific breeding
      lines with different levels of bacterial wilt resistance. The overall aim of this
      work was to characterize the interaction of the improved potato germplasm with R.
      solanacearum. Potato clones with different responses to R. solanacearum were
      selected, and colonization, dissemination and multiplication patterns after
      infection were evaluated. A R. solanacearum strain belonging to the phylotype IIB
      sequevar 1, with high aggressiveness on potato was genetically modified to
      constitutively generate fluorescence and luminescence from either the green
      fluorescence protein gene or lux operon. These reporter strains were used to
      allow a direct and precise visualization of fluorescent and luminescent cells in
      plant tissues by confocal microscopy and luminometry. Based on wilting scoring
      and detection of latent infections, the selected clones were classified as
      susceptible or tolerant, while no immune-like resistance response was identified.
      Typical wilting symptoms in susceptible plants were correlated with high
      concentrations of bacteria in roots and along the stems. Tolerant clones showed a
      colonization pattern restricted to roots and a limited number of xylem vessels
      only in the stem base. Results indicate that resistance in potato is achieved
      through restriction of bacterial invasion and multiplication inside plant
      tissues, particularly in stems. Tolerant plants were also characterized by
      induction of anatomical and biochemical changes after R. solanacearum infection,
      including hyperplasic activity of conductor tissue, tylose production, callose
      and lignin deposition, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species. This study
      highlights the potential of the identified tolerant interspecific potato clones
      as valuable genetic resources for potato-breeding programs and leads to a better
      understanding of resistance against R. solanacearum in potato.

PMID- 28894454
TI  - Fine Mapping of a Clubroot Resistance Gene in Chinese Cabbage Using SNP Markers
      Identified from Bulked Segregant RNA Sequencing.
AB  - Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is an important disease of canola
      (Brassica napus) in western Canada and worldwide. In this study, a clubroot
      resistance gene (Rcr2) was identified and fine mapped in Chinese cabbage cv.
      "Jazz" using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers identified from bulked
      segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-Seq) and molecular markers were developed for use
      in marker assisted selection. In total, 203.9 million raw reads were generated
      from one pooled resistant (R) and one pooled susceptible (S) sample, and >173,000
      polymorphic SNP sites were identified between the R and S samples. One
      significant peak was observed between 22 and 26 Mb of chromosome A03, which had
      been predicted by BSR-Seq to contain the causal gene Rcr2. There were 490
      polymorphic SNP sites identified in the region. A segregating population
      consisting of 675 plants was analyzed with 15 SNP sites in the region using the
      Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR method, and Rcr2 was fine mapped between two SNP
      markers, SNP_A03_32 and SNP_A03_67 with 0.1 and 0.3 cM from Rcr2, respectively.
      Five SNP markers co-segregated with Rcr2 in this region. Variants were identified
      in 14 of 36 genes annotated in the Rcr2 target region. The numbers of poly
      variants differed among the genes. Four genes encode TIR-NBS-LRR proteins and two
      of them Bra019410 and Bra019413, had high numbers of polymorphic variants and so
      are the most likely candidates of Rcr2.

PMID- 28894455
TI  - DNA-Demethylase Regulated Genes Show Methylation-Independent Spatiotemporal
      Expression Patterns.
AB  - Recent research has indicated that a subset of defense-related genes is
      downregulated in the Arabidopsis DNA demethylase triple mutant rdd (ros1 dml2
      dml3) resulting in increased susceptibility to the fungal pathogen Fusarium
      oxysporum. In rdd plants these downregulated genes contain hypermethylated
      transposable element sequences (TE) in their promoters, suggesting that this
      methylation represses gene expression in the mutant and that these sequences are
      actively demethylated in wild-type plants to maintain gene expression. In this
      study, the tissue-specific and pathogen-inducible expression patterns of rdd
      downregulated genes were investigated and the individual role of ROS1, DML2, and
      DML3 demethylases in these spatiotemporal regulation patterns was determined.
      Large differences in defense gene expression were observed between pathogen
      infected and uninfected tissues and between root and shoot tissues in both WT and
      rdd plants, however, only subtle changes in promoter TE methylation patterns
      occurred. Therefore, while TE hypermethylation caused decreased gene expression
      in rdd plants it did not dramatically effect spatiotemporal gene regulation,
      suggesting that this latter regulation is largely methylation independent.
      Analysis of ros1-3, dml2-1, and dml3-1 single gene mutant lines showed that
      promoter TE hypermethylation and defense-related gene repression was
      predominantly, but not exclusively, due to loss of ROS1 activity. These data
      demonstrate that DNA demethylation of TE sequences, largely by ROS1, promotes
      defense-related gene expression but does not control spatiotemporal expression in
      Arabidopsis. Summary: Ros1-mediated DNA demethylation of promoter transposable
      elements is essential for activation of defense-related gene expression in
      response to fungal infection in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PMID- 28894456
TI  - Effects of Combined Low Glutathione with Mild Oxidative and Low Phosphorus Stress
      on the Metabolism of Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Plants possess highly sensitive mechanisms that monitor environmental stress
      levels for a dose-dependent fine-tuning of their growth and development.
      Differences in plant responses to severe and mild abiotic stresses have been
      recognized. Although many studies have revealed that glutathione can contribute
      to plant tolerance to various environmental stresses, little is known about the
      relationship between glutathione and mild abiotic stress, especially the effect
      of stress-induced altered glutathione levels on the metabolism. Here, we applied
      a systems biology approach to identify key pathways involved in the gene-to
      metabolite networks perturbed by low glutathione content under mild abiotic
      stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. We used glutathione synthesis mutants (cad2-1 and
      pad2-1) and plants overexpressing the gene encoding gamma-glutamylcysteine
      synthetase, the first enzyme of the glutathione biosynthetic pathway. The plants
      were exposed to two mild stress conditions-oxidative stress elicited by methyl
      viologen and stress induced by the limited availability of phosphate. We observed
      that the mutants and transgenic plants showed similar shoot growth as that of the
      wild-type plants under mild abiotic stress. We then selected the synthesis
      mutants and performed multi-platform metabolomics and microarray experiments to
      evaluate the possible effects on the overall metabolome and the transcriptome. As
      a common oxidative stress response, several flavonoids that we assessed showed
      overaccumulation, whereas the mild phosphate stress resulted in increased levels
      of specific kaempferol- and quercetin-glycosides. Remarkably, in addition to a
      significant increased level of sugar, osmolytes, and lipids as mild oxidative
      stress-responsive metabolites, short-chain aliphatic glucosinolates over
      accumulated in the mutants, whereas the level of long-chain aliphatic
      glucosinolates and specific lipids decreased. Coordinated gene expressions
      related to glucosinolate and flavonoid biosynthesis also supported the metabolite
      responses in the pad2-1 mutant. Our results suggest that glutathione synthesis
      mutants accelerate transcriptional regulatory networks to control the
      biosynthetic pathways involved in glutathione-independent scavenging metabolites,
      and that they might reconfigure the metabolic networks in primary and secondary
      metabolism, including lipids, glucosinolates, and flavonoids. This work provides
      a basis for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms involved in the metabolic
      and transcriptional regulatory networks in response to combined low glutathione
      content with mild oxidative and nutrient stress in A. thaliana.

PMID- 28894458
TI  - The Atg8 Family of Proteins-Modulating Shape and Functionality of Autophagic
      Membranes.
AB  - Aging is a multifactorial process involving an accumulation of alterations on
      various organizational levels, which finally compromises viability and limits the
      lifespan of organisms. It is now well-established that many aspects of aging can
      be positively affected by (macro)autophagy, a mechanism of self-digestion found
      in virtually all eukaryotic cells. A comprehensive understanding of autophagy is
      thus expected to not only deepen our insight into the mechanisms of aging but to
      also open up new avenues toward increasing the healthy lifespan in humans. In
      this review, we focus on the Atg8 family of ubiquitin-like proteins, which play a
      crucial role in the autophagy process by virtue of their unique mode of
      reversible membrane association.

PMID- 28894457
TI  - Strigolactones Biosynthesis and Their Role in Abiotic Stress Resilience in
      Plants: A Critical Review.
AB  - Strigolactones (SLs), being a new class of plant hormones, play regulatory roles
      against abiotic stresses in plants. There are multiple hormonal response
      pathways, which are adapted by the plants to overcome these stressful
      environmental constraints to reduce the negative impact on overall crop plant
      productivity. Genetic modulation of the SLs could also be applied as a potential
      approach in this regard. However, endogenous plant hormones play central roles in
      adaptation to changing environmental conditions, by mediating growth,
      development, nutrient allocation, and source/sink transitions. In addition, the
      hormonal interactions can fine-tune the plant response and determine plant
      architecture in response to environmental stimuli such as nutrient deprivation
      and canopy shade. Considerable advancements and new insights into SLs
      biosynthesis, signaling and transport has been unleashed since the initial
      discovery. In this review we present basic overview of SL biosynthesis and
      perception with a detailed discussion on our present understanding of SLs and
      their critical role to tolerate environmental constraints. The SLs and abscisic
      acid interplay during the abiotic stresses is particularly highlighted. Main
      Conclusion: More than shoot branching Strigolactones have uttermost capacity to
      harmonize stress resilience.

PMID- 28894459
TI  - A Preliminary List of Horizontally Transferred Genes in Prokaryotes Determined by
      Tree Reconstruction and Reconciliation.
AB  - Genome-wide global detection of genes involved in horizontal gene transfer (HGT)
      remains an active area of research in medical microbiology and evolutionary
      genomics. Utilizing the explicit evolutionary method of comparing topologies of a
      total of 154,805 orthologous gene trees against corresponding 16S rRNA
      "reference" trees, we previously detected a total of 660,894 candidate HGT events
      in 2,472 completely-sequenced prokaryotic genomes. Here, we report an HGT-index
      for each individual gene-reference tree pair reconciliation, representing the
      total number of detected HGT events on the gene tree divided by the total number
      of genomes (taxa) member of that tree. HGT-index is thus a simple measure
      indicating the sensitivity of prokaryotic genes to participate (or not
      participate) in HGT. Our preliminary list provides HGT-indices for a total of
      69,365 genes (detected in >10 and <50% available prokaryotic genomes) that are
      involved in a wide range of biological processes such as metabolism, information,
      and bacterial response to environment. Identification of horizontally-derived
      genes is important to combat antibiotic resistance and is a step forward toward
      reconstructions of improved phylogenies describing the history of life. Our
      effort is thus expected to benefit ongoing research in the fields of clinical
      microbiology and evolutionary biology.

PMID- 28894460
TI  - An Automatic Gastrointestinal Polyp Detection System in Video Endoscopy Using
      Fusion of Color Wavelet and Convolutional Neural Network Features.
AB  - Gastrointestinal polyps are considered to be the precursors of cancer development
      in most of the cases. Therefore, early detection and removal of polyps can reduce
      the possibility of cancer. Video endoscopy is the most used diagnostic modality
      for gastrointestinal polyps. But, because it is an operator dependent procedure,
      several human factors can lead to misdetection of polyps. Computer aided polyp
      detection can reduce polyp miss detection rate and assists doctors in finding the
      most important regions to pay attention to. In this paper, an automatic system
      has been proposed as a support to gastrointestinal polyp detection. This system
      captures the video streams from endoscopic video and, in the output, it shows the
      identified polyps. Color wavelet (CW) features and convolutional neural network
      (CNN) features of video frames are extracted and combined together which are used
      to train a linear support vector machine (SVM). Evaluations on standard public
      databases show that the proposed system outperforms the state-of-the-art methods,
      gaining accuracy of 98.65%, sensitivity of 98.79%, and specificity of 98.52%.

PMID- 28894461
TI  - A Grey Wolf Optimizer for Modular Granular Neural Networks for Human Recognition.
AB  - A grey wolf optimizer for modular neural network (MNN) with a granular approach
      is proposed. The proposed method performs optimal granulation of data and design
      of modular neural networks architectures to perform human recognition, and to
      prove its effectiveness benchmark databases of ear, iris, and face biometric
      measures are used to perform tests and comparisons against other works. The
      design of a modular granular neural network (MGNN) consists in finding optimal
      parameters of its architecture; these parameters are the number of subgranules,
      percentage of data for the training phase, learning algorithm, goal error, number
      of hidden layers, and their number of neurons. Nowadays, there is a great variety
      of approaches and new techniques within the evolutionary computing area, and
      these approaches and techniques have emerged to help find optimal solutions to
      problems or models and bioinspired algorithms are part of this area. In this work
      a grey wolf optimizer is proposed for the design of modular granular neural
      networks, and the results are compared against a genetic algorithm and a firefly
      algorithm in order to know which of these techniques provides better results when
      applied to human recognition.

PMID- 28894462
TI  - A Novel Strategy for Minimum Attribute Reduction Based on Rough Set Theory and
      Fish Swarm Algorithm.
AB  - For data mining, reducing the unnecessary redundant attributes which was known as
      attribute reduction (AR), in particular, reducts with minimal cardinality, is an
      important preprocessing step. In the paper, by a coding method of combination
      subset of attributes set, a novel search strategy for minimal attribute reduction
      based on rough set theory (RST) and fish swarm algorithm (FSA) is proposed. The
      method identifies the core attributes by discernibility matrix firstly and all
      the subsets of noncore attribute sets with the same cardinality were encoded into
      integers as the individuals of FSA. Then, the evolutionary direction of the
      individual is limited to a certain extent by the coding method. The fitness
      function of an individual is defined based on the attribute dependency of RST,
      and FSA was used to find the optimal set of reducts. In each loop, if the maximum
      attribute dependency and the attribute dependency of condition attribute set are
      equal, then the algorithm terminates, otherwise adding a single attribute to the
      next loop. Some well-known datasets from UCI were selected to verify this method.
      The experimental results show that the proposed method searches the minimal
      attribute reduction set effectively and it has the excellent global search
      ability.

PMID- 28894463
TI  - Joint Extraction of Entities and Relations Using Reinforcement Learning and Deep
      Learning.
AB  - We use both reinforcement learning and deep learning to simultaneously extract
      entities and relations from unstructured texts. For reinforcement learning, we
      model the task as a two-step decision process. Deep learning is used to
      automatically capture the most important information from unstructured texts,
      which represent the state in the decision process. By designing the reward
      function per step, our proposed method can pass the information of entity
      extraction to relation extraction and obtain feedback in order to extract
      entities and relations simultaneously. Firstly, we use bidirectional LSTM to
      model the context information, which realizes preliminary entity extraction. On
      the basis of the extraction results, attention based method can represent the
      sentences that include target entity pair to generate the initial state in the
      decision process. Then we use Tree-LSTM to represent relation mentions to
      generate the transition state in the decision process. Finally, we employ Q
      Learning algorithm to get control policy pi in the two-step decision process.
      Experiments on ACE2005 demonstrate that our method attains better performance
      than the state-of-the-art method and gets a 2.4% increase in recall-score.

PMID- 28894464
TI  - Inflammatory Markers as Prognostic Factors of Survival in Patients Affected by
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a good choice for
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment when surgery and liver transplantation
      are not feasible. Few studies reported the value of prognostic factors
      influencing survival after chemoembolization. In this study, we evaluated whether
      preoperative inflammatory factors such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and
      platelet to lymphocyte ratio affected our patient survival when affected by
      hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated a total of 72
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma that underwent TACE. We enrolled patients
      with different etiopathogeneses of hepatitis and histologically proven HCC not
      suitable for surgery. The overall study population was dichotomized in two groups
      according to the median NLR value and was analyzed also according to other
      prognostic factors. RESULTS: The global median overall survival (OS) was 28
      months. The OS in patients with high NLR was statistically significantly shorter
      than that in patients with low NLR. The following pretreatment variables were
      significantly associated with the OS in univariate analyses: age, Child-Pugh
      score, BCLC stage, INR, and NLR. Pretreated high NLR was an independently
      unfavorable factor for OS. CONCLUSION: NLR could be considered a good prognostic
      factor of survival useful to stratify patients that could benefit from TACE
      treatment.

PMID- 28894466
TI  - Clinical Factors of Delayed Perforation after Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection
      for Gastric Neoplasms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delayed perforation is a rare but severe complication of endoscopic
      submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric neoplasm (EGN). The aim of this
      study was to clarify clinical factors related to delayed perforation after ESD.
      METHODS: A total of 1158 consecutive patients with 1199 EGNs underwent ESD at our
      hospital between January 2000 and December 2015. Univariate analysis was used to
      identify clinicopathological factors related to delayed perforation. Moreover,
      duration of cautery needed for hemostasis was measured by comparison between
      perforated and nonperforated points in patients with delayed perforation.
      RESULTS: Delayed perforation occurred in 5 of 1158 consecutive patients with 1199
      EGNs who underwent ESD (0.42%). All cases were diagnosed within 24 h after ESD
      and recovered with conservative management. On univariate analysis, location in
      the upper stomach was the factor most significantly associated with delayed
      perforation (P < 0.01). Duration of cautery needed for hemostasis was
      significantly longer at perforated points (9 s) than at nonperforated points (3.5
      s) in five patients. CONCLUSIONS: Location in the upper stomach was the risk
      factor most prominently associated with delayed perforation after ESD for EGNs.
      In addition, delayed perforation appears associated with excessive electrocautery
      for hemostasis.

PMID- 28894465
TI  - A Comprehensive Review of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis and Other Methods in
      the Assessment of Nutritional Status in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis.
AB  - It is assumed that approximately 24-66% of patients with liver cirrhosis develop
      malnutrition. Numerous pathological processes lead to serious disorders of
      nutritional status in this group of patients. Malnutrition in the course of liver
      cirrhosis is associated with increased morbidity, complications, and low quality
      of life. Under these conditions, detection of malnutrition is of crucial
      importance. This review explores the complex mechanisms that lead to malnutrition
      in the course of liver cirrhosis and focuses on methods used in the assessment of
      nutritional status in cirrhotic patients. Among others, the role of bioelectrical
      impedance is highlighted. This noninvasive tool is promising and quite an
      accurate method of estimating body composition.

PMID- 28894468
TI  - A Case of Immediate Hypersensitivity Reaction to Maltitol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that is frequently used as a noncaloric
      sweetener, although it is also used as an excipient, a plasticizer in gelatin
      capsules, and an emollient. It has not been previously described as an agent
      involved in immediate hypersensitivity reactions. METHODS: We report on an
      anaphylactoid reaction with pharyngeal occlusion suffered by a 60-year-old man
      after ingestion of a candy containing maltitol syrup. A prick-to-prick test was
      performed with the candy and maltitol powder. Other allergens were excluded as
      causative agents of the adverse reaction, although the patient refused to undergo
      an oral challenge test with the candy. A basophil activation test (BAT) was
      performed with maltitol powder, and a dose-response curve was generated. The test
      was also performed in 3 healthy controls. RESULTS: Both prick-to-prick tests were
      negative. The result of the BAT was positive at all the concentrations tested in
      the patient's blood and negative in all the controls. CONCLUSIONS: The BAT can
      help to clarify the agents implicated in an adverse reaction and can reduce the
      risk involved in diagnosis. The BAT can also prove useful in the study of
      reactions caused by low-molecular-weight antigens, for which routine diagnostic
      tests are not feasible.

PMID- 28894467
TI  - Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities Are More Pronounced in Inflammatory Breast
      Cancer Than Other Breast Cancers.
AB  - Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare yet aggressive form of breast cancer.
      We examined differences in patient demographics and outcomes in IBC compared to
      locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) and all other breast cancer patients from
      the Breast and Prostate Cancer Data Quality and Patterns of Care Study (POC-BP),
      containing information from cancer registries in seven states. Out of 7,624 cases
      of invasive carcinoma, IBC and LABC accounted for 2.2% (N = 170) and 4.9% (N =
      375), respectively. IBC patients were more likely to have a higher number (P =
      0.03) and severity (P = 0.01) of comorbidities than other breast cancer patients.
      Among IBC patients, a higher percentage of patients with metastatic disease
      versus nonmetastatic disease were black, on Medicaid, and from areas of higher
      poverty and more urban areas. Black and Hispanic IBC patients had worse overall
      and breast cancer-specific survival than white patients; moreover, IBC patients
      with Medicaid, patients from urban areas, and patients from areas of higher
      poverty and lower education had worse outcomes. These data highlight the effects
      of disparities in race and socioeconomic status on the incidence of IBC as well
      as IBC outcomes. Further work is needed to reveal the causes behind these
      disparities and methods to improve IBC outcomes.

PMID- 28894469
TI  - Ex Vivo Expansion of Human Limbal Epithelial Cells Using Human Placenta-Derived
      and Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - Ex vivo culture of human limbal epithelial cells (LECs) is used to treat limbal
      stem cell (LSC) deficiency, a vision loss condition, and suitable culture systems
      using feeder cells or serum without animal elements have been developed. This
      study evaluated the use of human umbilical cord or placenta mesenchymal stem
      cells (C-MSCs or P-MSCs, resp.) as feeder cells in an animal/serum-free coculture
      system with human LECs. C-/P-MSCs stimulated LEC colony formation of the stem
      cell markers (p63, ABCG2) and secreted known LEC clonal growth factors
      (keratinocyte growth factor, beta-nerve growth factor). Transforming growth
      factor-beta-induced protein (TGFBIp), an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, was
      produced by C-/P-MSCs and resulted in an increase in p63+ ABCG2+ LEC colonies.
      TGFBIp-activated integrin signaling molecules (FAK, Src, and ERK) were expressed
      in LECs, and TGFBIp-induced LEC proliferation was effectively blocked by a FAK
      inhibitor. In conclusion, C-/P-MSCs enhanced LEC culture by increasing growth of
      the LSC population by secreting growth factors and the ECM protein TGFBIp, which
      is suggested to be a novel factor for promoting the growth of LECs in culture. C
      /P-MSCs may be useful for the generation of animal-free culture systems for the
      treatment of LSC deficiency.

PMID- 28894470
TI  - Trends in Medicinal Uses of Edible Wild Vertebrates in Brazil.
AB  - The use of food medicines is a widespread practice worldwide. In Brazil, such use
      is often associated with wild animals, mostly focusing on vertebrate species.
      Here we assessed taxonomic and ecological trends in traditional uses of wild
      edible vertebrates in the country, through an extensive ethnobiological database
      analysis. Our results showed that at least 165 health conditions are reportedly
      treated by edible vertebrate species (n = 204), mostly fishes and mammals.
      However, reptiles stand out presenting a higher plasticity in the treatment of
      multiple health conditions. Considering the 20 disease categories recorded,
      treatment prescriptions were similar within continental (i.e., terrestrial and
      freshwater) and also within coastal and marine habitats, which may reflect
      locally related trends in occurrence and use of the medicinal fauna. The
      comprehension of the multiplicity and trends in the therapeutic uses of Brazilian
      vertebrates is of particular interest from a conservation perspective, as several
      threatened species were recorded.

PMID- 28894471
TI  - Practice of Comparative Effectiveness Research to Identify Treatment
      Characteristics of Similar Chinese Patent Medicine for Angina Pectoris.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Individualized application of TCM is not easy and may lead to
      undesirable results, such as poor effect or even adverse reactions. This trial
      aims to compare two common Chinese patent medicines with similar effects.
      BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH: Four hospitals carried out the test at the same time
      in Tianjin city of China. PARTICIPANTS: 144 patients were involved in this study;
      all patients must meet the diagnostic criteria. INTERVENTIONS: Qishen Yiqi pills,
      compound danshen pills, and their placebos; an efficacy analysis was conducted
      after the first medication and after crossover medication. PRIMARY OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The primary index of end point includes Seattle Angina Questionnaire
      score-7 and score of 7-point Likert Scale; the curative effect was compared with
      minimal clinically important differences value. RESULT: Two drugs have their
      respective advantages in treating SAP. In practical application, the two drugs
      shall be discriminated in use based on patients' specific symptoms. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Chinese clinical trials register is ChiCTR-TTRCC-14004406
      (registered 23 March 2014).

PMID- 28894472
TI  - Effective Heart Disease Detection Based on Quantitative Computerized Traditional
      Chinese Medicine Using Representation Based Classifiers.
AB  - At present, heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide.
      Traditionally, heart disease is commonly detected using blood tests,
      electrocardiogram, cardiac computerized tomography scan, cardiac magnetic
      resonance imaging, and so on. However, these traditional diagnostic methods are
      time consuming and/or invasive. In this paper, we propose an effective
      noninvasive computerized method based on facial images to quantitatively detect
      heart disease. Specifically, facial key block color features are extracted from
      facial images and analyzed using the Probabilistic Collaborative Representation
      Based Classifier. The idea of facial key block color analysis is founded in
      Traditional Chinese Medicine. A new dataset consisting of 581 heart disease and
      581 healthy samples was experimented by the proposed method. In order to optimize
      the Probabilistic Collaborative Representation Based Classifier, an analysis of
      its parameters was performed. According to the experimental results, the proposed
      method obtains the highest accuracy compared with other classifiers and is proven
      to be effective at heart disease detection.

PMID- 28894473
TI  - Computational and Mathematical Methods to Estimate the Basic Reproduction Number
      and Final Size for Single-Stage and Multistage Progression Disease Models for
      Zika with Preventative Measures.
AB  - We present new mathematical models that include the impact of using selected
      preventative measures such as insecticide treated nets (ITN) in controlling or
      ameliorating the spread of the Zika virus. For these models, we derive the basic
      reproduction number and sharp estimates for the final size relation. We first
      present a single-stage model which is later extended to a new multistage model
      for Zika that incorporates more realistic incubation stages for both the humans
      and vectors. For each of these models, we derive a basic reproduction number and
      a final size relation estimate. We observe that the basic reproduction number for
      the multistage model converges to expected values for a standard Zika epidemic
      model with fixed incubation periods in both hosts and vectors. Finally, we also
      perform several computational experiments to validate the theoretical results
      obtained in this work and study the influence of various parameters on the
      models.

PMID- 28894476
TI  - Breathe: global networks in respiratory disease.
AB  - The September issue of Breathe looks at global networks in respiratory disease
      http://ow.ly/QkT830e4HvE.

PMID- 28894474
TI  - A Novel Dynamic Model Describing the Spread of the MERS-CoV and the Expression of
      Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4.
AB  - The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, a newly identified
      pathogen, causes severe pneumonia in humans. MERS is caused by a coronavirus
      known as MERS-CoV, which attacks the respiratory system. The recently defined
      receptor for MERS-CoV, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), is generally expressed in
      endothelial and epithelial cells and has been shown to be present on cultured
      human nonciliated bronchiolar epithelium cells. In this paper, a class of novel
      four-dimensional dynamic model describing the infection of MERS-CoV is given, and
      then global stability of the equilibria of the model is discussed. Our results
      show that the spread of MERS-CoV can also be controlled by decreasing the
      expression rate of DPP4.

PMID- 28894477
TI  - Clinical exercise testing: basic principles and practice.
AB  - Faculty and delegates of an @ERStalk course on clinical exercise testing describe
      their experiences http://ow.ly/dPwB30dxr8v.

PMID- 28894478
TI  - Diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia: summary of the ERS Task Force report.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetically and clinically
      heterogeneous disease characterised by abnormal motile ciliary function.There is
      no "gold standard" diagnostic test for PCD.The European Respiratory Society (ERS)
      Task Force Guidelines for diagnosing PCD recommend that patients should be
      referred for diagnostic testing if they have several of the following features:
      persistent wet cough; situs anomalies; congenital cardiac defects; persistent
      rhinitis; chronic middle ear disease with or without hearing loss; or a history,
      in term infants, of neonatal upper and lower respiratory symptoms or neonatal
      intensive care admission.The ERS Task Force recommends that patients should be
      investigated in a specialist PCD centre with access to a range of complementary
      tests: nasal nitric oxide, high-speed video microscopy analysis and transmission
      electron microscopy. Additional tests including immunofluorescence labelling of
      ciliary proteins and genetic testing may also help determine the diagnosis.
      EDUCATIONAL AIMS: This article is intended for primary and secondary care
      physicians interested in primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), i.e. those who
      identify patients for testing, and those involved in diagnosing and managing PCD
      patients. It aims: to inform readers about the new European Respiratory Society
      Task Force Guidelines for diagnosing patients with PCDto enable primary and
      secondary care physicians to: identify patients who need diagnostic testing;
      understand the diagnostic tests that their patients will undergo, the results of
      the tests and their limitations; and ensure that appropriate care is subsequently
      delivered.

PMID- 28894479
TI  - The European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration
      (EMBARC): experiences from a successful ERS Clinical Research Collaboration.
AB  - : In contrast to airway diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or
      asthma, and rare diseases such as cystic fibrosis, there has been little research
      and few clinical trials in bronchiectasis. Guidelines are primarily based on
      expert opinion and treatment is challenging because of the heterogeneous nature
      of the disease. In an effort to address decades of underinvestment in
      bronchiectasis research, education and clinical care, the European Multicentre
      Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (EMBARC) was established in 2012
      as a collaborative pan-European network to bring together bronchiectasis
      researchers. The European Respiratory Society officially funded EMBARC in 2013 as
      a Clinical Research Collaboration, providing support and infrastructure to allow
      the project to grow. EMBARC has now established an international bronchiectasis
      registry that is active in more than 30 countries both within and outside Europe.
      Beyond the registry, the network participates in designing and facilitating
      clinical trials, has set international research priorities, promotes education
      and has participated in producing the first international bronchiectasis
      guidelines. This manuscript article the development, structure and achievements
      of EMBARC from 2012 to 2017. EDUCATIONAL AIMS: To understand the role of Clinical
      Research Collaborations as the major way in which the European Respiratory
      Society can stimulate clinical research in different disease areasTo understand
      some of the key features of successful disease registriesTo review key
      epidemiological, clinical and translational studies of bronchiectasis contributed
      by the European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration
      (EMBARC) project in the past 5 yearsTo understand the key research priorities
      identified by EMBARC for the next 5 years.

PMID- 28894480
TI  - Patient participation in ERS guidelines and research projects: the EMBARC
      experience.
AB  - : The European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration
      (EMBARC) is a European Respiratory Society (ERS) Clinical Research Collaboration
      dedicated to improving research and clinical care for people with bronchiectasis.
      EMBARC has created a European Bronchiectasis Registry, funded by the ERS and by
      the European Union (EU) Innovative Medicines Initiative Programme. From the
      outset, EMBARC had the ambition to be a patient-focussed project. In contrast to
      many respiratory diseases, however, there are no specific patient charities or
      European patient organisations for patients with bronchiectasis and no existing
      infrastructure for patient engagement. This article describes the experience of
      EMBARC and the European Lung Foundation in establishing a patient advisory group
      and then engaging this group in European guidelines, an international registry
      and a series of research studies. Patient involvement in research, clinical
      guidelines and educational activities is increasingly advocated and increasingly
      important. Genuine patient engagement can achieve a number of goals that are
      critical to the success of an EU project, including focussing activities on
      patient priorities, allowing patients to direct the clinical and research agenda,
      and dissemination of guidelines and research findings to patients and the general
      public. Here, we review lessons learned and provide guidance for future ERS task
      forces, EU-funded projects or clinical research collaborations that are
      considering patient involvement. EDUCATIONAL AIMS: To understand the different
      ways in which patients can contribute to clinical guidelines, research projects
      and educational activities.To understand the barriers and potential solutions to
      these barriers from a physician's perspective, in order to ensure meaningful
      patient involvement in clinical projects.To understand the barriers and potential
      solutions from a patient's perspective, in order to meaningfully involve patients
      in clinical projects.

PMID- 28894481
TI  - Respiratory research networks in Europe and beyond: aims, achievements and
      aspirations for the 21st century.
AB  - Healthcare-associated infection, such as intensive care unit (ICU)-related
      respiratory infections, remain the most frequently encountered morbidity of ICU
      admission, prolonging hospital stay and increasing mortality rates. The
      epidemiology of ICU-related respiratory infections, particularly nonventilated
      ICU-associated pneumonia and ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis, appears to
      be quite different among different countries. European countries have different
      prevalence, patterns and mechanism of resistance, as well as different treatments
      chosen by different attending physicians. The classical clinical research process
      in respiratory infections consists of the following loop: 1) identification of
      knowledge gaps; 2) systematic review and search for adequate answers; 3)
      generation of study hypotheses; 4) design of study protocols; 5) collection
      clinical data; 6) analysis and interpretation of the results; and 7)
      implementation of the results in clinical practice.

PMID- 28894482
TI  - A middle-aged man with generalised weakness and dyspnoea.
AB  - Can you diagnose this middle-aged man with generalised weakness and dyspnoea?
      http://ow.ly/mSuQ30dxQ5o.

PMID- 28894483
TI  - Increased exercise tolerance using daytime mouthpiece ventilation for patients
      with diaphragm paralysis.
AB  - Mouthpiece ventilation can improve exercise tolerance in patients with unilateral
      or bilateral diaphragm paralysis http://ow.ly/X2Pd30dCT7n.

PMID- 28894484
TI  - ERS Early Career Members meet EAACI Junior Members: the launch of a strong,
      fruitful collaboration.
AB  - Learn about the collaboration between @EarlyCareerERS and @EAACI_JM
      http://ow.ly/WUTO30d7dpC.

PMID- 28894485
TI  - Asbestos and the lung: highlights of a detrimental relationship.
AB  - Novel aspects of the pathogenesis of asbestos-related diseases are still coming
      to light http://ow.ly/EPDa30e8JqK.

PMID- 28894486
TI  - Hot Topics from the Assemblies.
AB  - Both acute bronchoconstriction, which often manifests as wheeze and shortness of
      breath, and the neuronal cough reflex are key symptoms of asthma. However, the
      interaction between airway smooth muscle and nerve responses in disease are
      unclear. The authors had undertaken a study in which they examined the acute
      effects of bronchoconstriction on cough, and vice versa, in subjects with mild
      atopic asthma.

PMID- 28894487
TI  - Radiology corner.

PMID- 28894488
TI  - Respiratory medicine training in Malta.
AB  - In Malta, respiratory medicine is quite a popular speciality. It is attractive
      because of the interesting case mix and the interventional element of the
      speciality.

PMID- 28894489
TI  - Respiratory training in Egypt.
AB  - In Egypt, respiratory medicine (more commonly termed "chest diseases") is
      regarded as a separate speciality rather than a subspecialty of internal
      medicine. All graduates of Egyptian Medical Schools have to complete a year of
      internship at teaching hospitals rotating between different medical and surgical
      departments. Following internship and obtaining licence to practice, doctors are
      required to work for 6-12 months at primary healthcare facilities around the
      country. At the end of this period, a doctor can start their specialty training;
      the choice of which depends on the cumulative score they achieved at medical
      school.

PMID- 28894490
TI  - Respiratory training in Greece.
AB  - In Greece, respiratory medicine is a stand-alone specialty requiring a 5-year
      training programme. Acquisition of the general medicine specialty is not a
      prerequisite for entering the respiratory training programme. As background
      information, Greece's population is approximately 11 million and there are
      tertiary hospitals covering specific geographical areas of the country. The
      majority of the tertiary hospitals include respiratory wards and also train
      registrars. Although there is heterogeneity between different hospitals, our
      article highlights the training of respiratory physicians in the majority of
      respiratory departments in the country.

PMID- 28894491
TI  - Respiratory physiologist training in Ireland.
AB  - Respiratory physiologists are part of a large multidisciplinary team. Their role
      is to investigate respiratory and sleep disorders through various diagnostic
      tools and methodologies. In Ireland, respiratory physiologists complete a 4-year
      Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in clinical measurement science.

PMID- 28894492
TI  - Confidences de Salon.
AB  - Breathe Chief Editor @sleepresearcher gives an insight into her life
      http://ow.ly/bt1W3062Qho.

PMID- 28894493
TI  - Quitting smoking: the benefits.
AB  - Quitting smoking improves the quality and length of your life. Immediately after
      your last cigarette, your body will feel the benefits.

PMID- 28894494
TI  - Predatory publishers: Implications for pharmacy practice and practitioners.

PMID- 28894495
TI  - Assessments: Great hockey players and great pharmacists share skill sets.

PMID- 28894496
TI  - Indigenous identity and traditional medicine: Pharmacy at the crossroads.

PMID- 28894497
TI  - Part 4: Professional satisfaction and the priorities to advance the pharmacy
      profession.

PMID- 28894498
TI  - Guidelines for the management of atopic dermatitis (eczema) for pharmacists.

PMID- 28894499
TI  - The assessment and management of urinary tract infections in adults: Guidelines
      for pharmacists.

PMID- 28894500
TI  - Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination: Questions and answers.

PMID- 28894501
TI  - Incorporating assessment and prescribing for ambulatory ailments skills into
      practice: An environmental scan of continuing education for pharmacist
      prescribing in Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pharmacists in Canadian provinces are at different stages of applying
      prescribing legislation into practice. The purpose of this environmental scan was
      to examine differences in legislation, remuneration, professional uptake,
      continuing education requirements and continuing education resources relating to
      pharmacist prescribing for ambulatory ailments, with a focus on continuing
      education. METHODS: Data were collected between May and December 2016 using
      websites and communication with provincial professional regulatory bodies,
      advocacy bodies, drug coverage programs and other organizations that offer
      continuing education for pharmacists. RESULTS: Training requirements to prescribe
      for ambulatory ailments vary provincially, including no training requirements,
      online tutorials and a comprehensive application process. Government-funded
      remuneration for prescribing services is absent in most provinces. Pharmacist
      uptake of the training required to obtain prescribing authority ranges from 30%
      to 100% of pharmacists. Continuing education programs on the topic of prescribing
      across the country include online courses, in-person courses, webinars, panel
      discussions and preparation courses. CONCLUSION: Many aspects of pharmacist
      prescribing for ambulatory ailments, including the style and content of
      continuing education resources, vary from province to province. Further research
      on this topic would help to determine the effect of these differences on the
      success of incorporating pharmacist prescribing into practice.

PMID- 28894502
TI  - Use of smoking cessation products: A survey of patients in community pharmacies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: At 17.3%, smoking rates in Manitoba continue to exceed the national
      average. In this province, a total health care spending of more than $200 million
      per year has been attributed to smoking. This study examined the use of smoking
      cessation agents, including nicotine replacement products and prescription
      medications, in a sample of smokers in the city of Winnipeg. METHODS: A simple
      multiple-choice questionnaire was administered to willing individuals attending 2
      community pharmacies in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Data on demographics, smoking habits,
      previous attempts of smoking cessation and previous and current use of over-the
      counter and prescription smoking cessation products were collected anonymously.
      RESULTS: Of the 2237 individuals who were approached, 586 were smokers (26.2%)
      and 180 responded to the survey (30.7%); 48.9% were female. A majority of smokers
      (32.8%) reported smoking 16 to 25 cigarettes per day. More than 90% had smoked
      for more than 5 years, 27.2% had more than 5 previous quit attempts and 82.1%
      used smoking cessation products with the intention to quit. Self-motivation
      (44.4%) and family/friend advice (28.3%) were major reasons for quitting. Impact
      of health care practitioners' advice was low (6.4%). More than 80% of respondents
      reported that they had no insurance coverage for their smoking cessation
      products. Despite having the highest rate of use, both nicotine gum (33.3%) and
      patches (24.4%) were reported to have lower rates of perceived efficacy.
      Electronic cigarette (97.9%) and varenicline (70.6%) had the highest rates of
      reported effectiveness. CONCLUSION: Smokers wanting to quit undergo many
      attempts. Pharmacists should assume a key role in reaching out to smokers.

PMID- 28894503
TI  - Canadian Pharmacists Conference 2017 pharmacy practice research highlights.

PMID- 28894504
TI  - An Extract from the Plant Deschampsia antarctica Protects Fibroblasts from
      Senescence Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide.
AB  - The Antarctic plant Deschampsia antarctica (DA) is able to survive in extreme
      conditions thanks to its special mechanism of protection against environmental
      aggressions. In this work, we investigated whether an aqueous extract of the
      plant (EDA) retains some of its defensive properties and is able to protect our
      skin against common external oxidants. We evaluated EDA over young human
      fibroblasts and exposed to H2O2, and we measured cell proliferation, viability,
      and senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-Gal). We also tested the
      expression of several senescence-associated proteins including sirtuin1, lamin
      A/C, the replicative protein PCNA, and the redox protein thioredoxin 2. We found
      that EDA promoted per se cell proliferation and viability and increased the
      expression of anti-senescence-related markers. Then, we selected a dose of H2O2
      as an inductor of senescence in human fibroblasts, and we found that an EDA
      treatment 24 h prior H2O2 exposure increased fibroblast proliferation. EDA
      significantly inhibited the increase in SA-beta-Gal levels induced by H2O2 and
      promoted the expression of sirtuin 1 and lamin A/C proteins. Altogether, these
      results suggest that EDA protects human fibroblasts from cellular senescence
      induced by H2O2, pointing to this compound as a potential therapeutic agent to
      treat or prevent skin senescence.

PMID- 28894505
TI  - Increased Mitochondrial Mass and Cytosolic Redox Imbalance in Hippocampal
      Astrocytes of a Mouse Model of Rett Syndrome: Subcellular Changes Revealed by
      Ratiometric Imaging of JC-1 and roGFP1 Fluorescence.
AB  - Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with mutations in the MECP2
      gene. Mostly girls are affected, and an apparently normal development is followed
      by cognitive impairment, motor dysfunction, epilepsy, and irregular breathing.
      Various indications suggest mitochondrial dysfunction. In Rett mice, brain ATP
      levels are reduced, mitochondria are leaking protons, and respiratory complexes
      are dysregulated. Furthermore, we found in MeCP2-deficient mouse (Mecp2-/y )
      hippocampus an intensified mitochondrial metabolism and ROS generation. We now
      used emission ratiometric 2-photon imaging to assess mitochondrial morphology,
      mass, and membrane potential (DeltaPsim) in Mecp2-/y hippocampal astrocytes.
      Cultured astrocytes were labeled with the DeltaPsim marker JC-1, and
      semiautomated analyses yielded the number of mitochondria per cell, their
      morphology, and DeltaPsim. Mecp2-/y astrocytes contained more mitochondria than
      wild-type (WT) cells and were more oxidized. Mitochondrial size, DeltaPsim, and
      vulnerability to pharmacological challenge did not differ. The antioxidant Trolox
      opposed the oxidative burden and decreased the mitochondrial mass, thereby
      dampening the differences among WT and Mecp2-/y astrocytes; mitochondrial size
      and DeltaPsim were not markedly affected. In conclusion, mitochondrial
      alterations and redox imbalance in RTT also involve astrocytes. Mitochondria are
      more numerous in Mecp2-/y than in WT astrocytes. As this genotypic difference is
      abolished by Trolox, it seems linked to the oxidative stress in RTT.

PMID- 28894506
TI  - A Cystine-Rich Whey Supplement (Immunocal(r)) Provides Neuroprotection from
      Diverse Oxidative Stress-Inducing Agents In Vitro by Preserving Cellular
      Glutathione.
AB  - Oxidative stress is a principal mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of
      neurodegeneration. Therefore, nutritional enhancement of endogenous antioxidant
      defenses may represent a viable treatment option. We investigated the
      neuroprotective properties of a unique whey protein supplement (Immunocal(r))
      that provides an essential precursor (cystine) for synthesis of the endogenous
      antioxidant, glutathione (GSH). Primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule
      neurons (CGNs), NSC34 motor neuronal cells, or HT22 hippocampal cells were
      preincubated in medium containing Immunocal and then subsequently treated with
      agents known to induce oxidative stress. Immunocal protected CGNs against
      neurotoxicity induced by the Bcl-2 inhibitor, HA14-1, the nitric oxide donor,
      sodium nitroprusside, CuCl2, and AlCl3. Immunocal also significantly reduced
      NSC34 cell death due to either H2O2 or glutamate and mitigated toxicity in HT22
      cells overexpressing beta-amyloid1-42. The neuroprotective effects of Immunocal
      were blocked by inhibition of gamma-glutamyl-cysteine ligase, demonstrating
      dependence on de novo GSH synthesis. These findings indicate that sustaining GSH
      with Immunocal significantly protects neurons against diverse inducers of
      oxidative stress. Thus, Immunocal is a nutritional supplement worthy of testing
      in preclinical animal models of neurodegeneration and in future clinical trials
      of patients afflicted by these diseases.

PMID- 28894507
TI  - FOXO Transcriptional Factors and Long-Term Living.
AB  - Several pathologies such as neurodegeneration and cancer are associated with
      aging, which is affected by many genetic and environmental factors. Healthy aging
      conceives human longevity, possibly due to carrying the defensive genes. For
      instance, FOXO (forkhead box O) genes determine human longevity. FOXO
      transcription factors are involved in the regulation of longevity phenomenon via
      insulin and insulin-like growth factor signaling. Only one FOXO gene (FOXO DAF
      16) exists in invertebrates, while four FOXO genes, that is, FOXO1, FOXO3, FOXO4,
      and FOXO6 are found in mammals. These four transcription factors are involved in
      the multiple cellular pathways, which regulate growth, stress resistance,
      metabolism, cellular differentiation, and apoptosis in mammals. However, the
      accurate mode of longevity by FOXO factors is unclear until now. This article
      describes briefly the existing knowledge that is related to the role of FOXO
      factors in human longevity.

PMID- 28894510
TI  - Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Shungite against Ultraviolet B
      Irradiation-Induced Skin Damage in Hairless Mice.
AB  - As fullerene-based compound applications have been rapidly increasing in the
      health industry, the need of biomedical research is urgently in demand. While
      shungite is regarded as a natural source of fullerene, it remains poorly
      documented. Here, we explored the in vivo effects of shungite against ultraviolet
      B- (UVB-) induced skin damage by investigating the physiological skin parameters,
      immune-redox profiling, and oxidative stress molecular signaling. Toward this,
      mice were UVB-irradiated with 0.75 mW/cm2 for two consecutive days.
      Consecutively, shungite was topically applied on the dorsal side of the mice for
      7 days. First, we found significant improvements in the skin parameters of the
      shungite-treated groups revealed by the reduction in roughness, pigmentation, and
      wrinkle measurement. Second, the immunokine profiling in mouse serum and skin
      lysates showed a reduction in the proinflammatory response in the shungite
      treated groups. Accordingly, the redox profile of shungite-treated groups showed
      counterbalance of ROS/RNS and superoxide levels in serum and skin lysates. Last,
      we have confirmed the involvement of Nrf2- and MAPK-mediated oxidative stress
      pathways in the antioxidant mechanism of shungite. Collectively, the results
      clearly show that shungite has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action
      against UVB-induced skin damage in hairless mice.

PMID- 28894509
TI  - Effects of Polyphenol Intake on Metabolic Syndrome: Current Evidences from Human
      Trials.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors which
      severely increases the risk of type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
      Several epidemiological studies have observed a negative association between
      polyphenol intake and MetS rates. Nevertheless, there are relatively small
      numbers of interventional studies evidencing this association. This review is
      focused on human interventional trials with polyphenols as polyphenol-rich foods
      and dietary patterns rich in polyphenols in patients with MetS. Current evidence
      suggests that polyphenol intake has the potential to alleviate MetS components by
      decreasing body weight, blood pressure, and blood glucose and by improving lipid
      metabolism. Therefore, high intake of polyphenol-rich foods such as nuts, fruits,
      vegetables, seasoning with aromatic plants, spices, and virgin olive oil may be
      the cornerstone of a healthy diet preventing the development and progression of
      MetS, although there is no polyphenol or polyphenol-rich food able to influence
      all MetS features. However, inconsistent results have been found in different
      trials, and more long-term randomized trials are warranted to develop public
      health strategies to decrease MetS rates.

PMID- 28894508
TI  - Protein Posttranslational Modifications: Roles in Aging and Age-Related Disease.
AB  - Aging is characterized by the progressive decline of biochemical and
      physiological function in an individual. Consequently, aging is a major risk
      factor for diseases like cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. The cellular and
      molecular mechanisms of aging are not well understood, nor is the relationship
      between aging and the onset of diseases. One of the hallmarks of aging is a
      decrease in cellular proteome homeostasis, allowing abnormal proteins to
      accumulate. This phenomenon is observed in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes,
      suggesting that the underlying molecular processes are evolutionarily conserved.
      Similar protein aggregation occurs in the pathogenesis of diseases like
      Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Further, protein posttranslational modifications
      (PTMs), either spontaneous or physiological/pathological, are emerging as
      important markers of aging and aging-related diseases, though clear causality has
      not yet been firmly established. This review presents an overview of the
      interplay of PTMs in aging-associated molecular processes in eukaryotic aging
      models. Understanding PTM roles in aging could facilitate targeted therapies or
      interventions for age-related diseases. In addition, the study of PTMs in
      prokaryotes is highlighted, revealing the potential of simple prokaryotic models
      to uncover complex aging-associated molecular processes in the emerging field of
      microbiogerontology.

PMID- 28894511
TI  - The Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Eucommia ulmoides
      Flavones Using Diquat-Challenged Piglet Models.
AB  - This study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects
      of Eucommia ulmoides flavones (EUF) using diquat-challenged piglet models. A
      total of 96 weaned piglets were randomly allotted to 1 of 3 treatments with 8
      replication pens per treatment and 4 piglets per pen. The treatments were basal
      diet, basal diet + diquat, and 100 mg/kg EUF diet + diquat. On day 7 after the
      initiation of treatment, the piglets were injected intraperitoneally with diquat
      at 8 mg/kg BW or the same amount of sterilized saline. The experiment was
      conducted for 21 days. EUF supplementation improved the growth performance of
      diquat-treated piglets from day 14 to 21. Diquat also induced oxidative stress
      and inflammatory responses and then impaired intestinal morphology. But EUF
      addition alleviated these negative effects induced by diquat that showed
      decreasing serum concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines but increasing
      antioxidant indexes and anti-inflammatory cytokines on day 14. Supplementation of
      EUF also increased villi height and villous height, crypt depth, but decreased
      the histopathological score and MPO activity compared with those of diquat
      challenged pigs fed with the basal diet on day 14. Results indicated that EUF
      attenuated the inflammation and oxidative stress of piglets caused by diquat
      injection.

PMID- 28894512
TI  - Treatment Effects of Ischemic Stroke by Berberine, Baicalin, and Jasminoidin from
      Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decoction (HLJDD) Explored by an Integrated Metabolomics
      Approach.
AB  - Berberine, baicalin, and jasminoidin were major active ingredients of Huang-Lian
      Jie-Du-Decoction (HLJDD), a famous prescription of traditional Chinese medicine
      (TCM), which has been used for the treatment of ischemic stroke. The aim of the
      present study was to classify their roles in the treatment effects of ischemic
      stroke. A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was constructed to
      mimic ischemic stroke and treatment effects of berberine, baicalin, and
      jasminoidin, and HLJDD was assessed by neurologic deficit scoring, infarct
      volume, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting. In addition, the
      1H NMR metabolomics approach was used to assess the metabolic profiles, which
      combined with correlation network analysis successfully revealed metabolic
      disorders in ischemic stroke concerning the treatment of the three principal
      compounds from HLJDD for the first time. The combined results suggested that
      berberine, baicalin, and jasminoidin are responsible for the effectiveness of
      HLJDD on the treatment of ischemic stroke by amelioration of abnormal metabolism
      and regulation of oxidative stress, neuron autophagy, and inflammatory response.
      This integrated metabolomics approach showed its potential in understanding the
      function of complex formulae and clarifying the role of its components in the
      overall treatment effects.

PMID- 28894514
TI  - Prevalence and Correlates of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Southern Iran:
      Pars Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasing
      worldwide. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of GERD in Pars Cohort Study (PCS)
      and to find its correlates. METHODS We used the baseline data from PCS. PCS was
      conducted in the district of Valashahr in Fars province in southern Iran from
      2012 to 2014. 9264 inhabitants who were 40-75 years old, and agreed to
      participate were enrolled. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire and
      simple physical examination of all participants. RESULTS Generally, 58.50% (95%
      CI 57.49 - 59.51) of the participants had GERD and 25.10% (95% CI 24.22 - 25.99)
      experienced it at least weekly. Approximately, 32.0%, 52.0%, and 24.4% of the
      participants reported heart burn sensation, regurgitation, and both symptoms,
      respectively. Being female (OR: 1.45, 95% CI 1.27 - 1.65), being older (OR: 1.20,
      95% CI 1.06 - 1.36), being divorced/ widowed/separated (OR: 1.38, 95% CI 1.01 -
      1.91), and lower education (OR: 1.43, 95% CI 1.02 - 2.03) were associated with
      frequent GERD. CONCLUSION GERD is common in PCS and its prevalence is close to
      that in western countries. Being female, higher age, being
      divorced/widowed/separated, lower education, history of hypertension, anxiety,
      insomnia, and non-cigarette tobacco smoking were associated with frequent GERD.
      We are going to investigate the causal relationship between these risk factors
      and GERD in the next stages of PCS.

PMID- 28894513
TI  - Diagnostic Methods, Risk Factors, Prevention, and Management of Breast Cancer
      Related Lymphedema: Past, Present, and Future Directions.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a chronic, adverse,
      and much feared complication of breast cancer treatment, which affects
      approximately 20% of patients following breast cancer treatment. BCRL has a
      tremendous impact on breast cancer survivors, including physical impairments and
      significant psychological consequences. The intent of this review is to discuss
      recent studies and analyses regarding the risk factors, diagnosis, prevention
      through early screening and intervention, and management of BCRL. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Highly-evidenced risk factors for BCRL include axillary lymph node
      dissection, lack of reconstruction, radiation to the lymph nodes, high BMI at
      diagnosis, weight fluctuations during and after treatment, subclinical edema
      within and beyond 3 months after surgery, and cellulitis in the at-risk arm.
      Avoidance of potential risk factors can serve as a method of prevention. Through
      establishing a screening program by which breast cancer patients are measured pre
      operatively and at follow-ups, are objectively assessed through a weight-adjusted
      analysis, and are clinically assessed for signs and symptoms, BCRL can be tracked
      accurately and treated effectively. Management of BCRL is done by a trained
      professional, with research mounting towards the use of compression bandaging as
      a first line intervention against BCRL. Finally, exercise is safe for breast
      cancer patients with and without BCRL and does not incite or exacerbate symptoms
      of BCRL. SUMMARY: Recent research has shed light on BCRL risk factors, diagnosis,
      prevention, and management. We hope that education on these aspects of BCRL will
      promote an informed, consistent approach and encourage additional research in
      this field to improve patient outcomes and quality of life in breast cancer
      survivors.

PMID- 28894515
TI  - Association of Gastrointestinal Functional Disorders and Migraine Headache: a
      Population Base Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND Migraine is one of the prevalent headaches. Many of patients with
      migraine, complain of gastrointestinal symptoms. There is limited studies on
      relation of gastrointestinal symptoms and migraine headache at population level.
      METHODS In this population-based study, 1038 subjects older than 15 year from a
      rural area in Fars province, south of Iran. were investigated for functional
      gastrointestinal disorders. By cluster random sampling, 160 of these persons
      invited to receive endoscopy along with histopathology samples of upper
      gastrointestinal tract. Data were analyzed using Pearson chi-square and Fisher
      exact. RESULTS Mean age of participations were 34.3 years with female to male of
      3:1. The prevalence of migraine, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), reflux, and
      dyspepsia were 24.6%, 17.7%, 17.4%, and 32.1%, respectively. There were
      significant relationship between migraine and functional gastrointestinal
      diseases (odds ratio of association for migraine with IBS, reflux, and dyspepsia
      were 3.43, 1.68, and 1.68 with p-value < 0.001 for all). In endoscopic findings,
      only presence of hiatal hernia was associated significantly with migraine (p =
      0.011). No histopathologic findings in antral or duodenal biopsies were
      associated with migraine. CONCLUSION In this population based study we found
      significant association between migraines and gastrointestinal functional
      disorders including IBS, reflux and dyspepsia. This may have implication in
      better management of patients with migraine headache.

PMID- 28894516
TI  - Menstrual and Reproductive Factors and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a deadly disease with a 5-year survival of
      less than 5%. Worldwide PC incidence rates are lower among women than men. While
      this suggests a protective role for steroid hormones in PC risk, results from
      epidemiological studies are not consistent. METHODS 153 new incident PC cases and
      202 controls were recruited from a prospective case-control study, running in a
      referral center for endoscopic ultrasonography during 2011-2017. A structured
      valid and reliable questionnaire was used for data collection by a few trained
      interviewers. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for reproductive factors
      and PC were estimated using logistic regression methods. RESULTS Mean age (SD) of
      the cases and the controls were 63.18 (11.4) and 63.37 (12.0) years,
      respectively. Age at menarche, age at menopause, number of parity, gravidity, and
      abortion were not associated with PC risk. CONCLUSION This study does not support
      the hypothesis that menstrual and reproductive factors are associated with PC
      risk.

PMID- 28894517
TI  - Effects of Probiotic and Prebiotic Supplementation on Leptin, Adiponectin, and
      Glycemic Parameters in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Clinical
      Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND According to previous studies, probiotic and prebiotic supplementation
      have desirable effects on glycemic parameters. Thus far, the effect of
      supplementation on the glycemic parameters and adipokines in non-alcoholic fatty
      liver disease (NAFLD) has not been assessed. Therefore, the aim of this study was
      to determine the effects of supplementation with probiotic and prebiotic on
      adiokines and glycemic parameters in the patients with NAFLD. METHODS In the
      present randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 89 patients with
      NAFLD were randomly divided into three groups to receive one probiotic capsule +
      16 g/d maltodextrin (probiotic group) or 16 g/d oligofructose powder + one
      placebo capsule (prebiotic group), and one placebo capsule + 16 g/d maltodextrin
      (control group) for 12 weeks. All the subjects in the study were advised to
      follow the weight loss diet and physical activity recommendations during the
      intervention. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after the
      intervention to measure leptin, adiponectin, insulin, and fasting blood sugar.
      RESULTS At the end of the study, serum concentrations of leptin, insulin, and
      HOMA-IR decreased significantly in the probiotic and prebiotic groups compared
      with the control group. Despite the changes within the groups, serum
      concentrations of adiponectin did not change significantly between the three
      groups. Also, fasting blood sugar did not change between the groups, but
      decreased in the prebiotic group. Quantitative insulin-sensitivity check index
      (QUICKI) increased significantly in probiotic and prebiotic groups compared with
      the control group. CONCLUSION Probiotic and prebiotic supplementation along with
      lifestyle intervention has a favorable impact on glycemic parameters and leptin
      levels compared with lifestyle intervention alone.

PMID- 28894518
TI  - Assessment of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 3 Methylation in Iranian Patients with
      Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer that results in outstanding
      morbidity and mortality worldwide. DNA methylation is one of the most important
      epigenetic events that is thought to occur during the early stages of oncogenic
      transformation especially in CRC. The aim of this study was to investigate
      whether hypermethylation of bone morphogenetic protein 3 (BMP3) in tissue samples
      is implicated in Iranian patients with CRC. METHODS From fresh frozen tissue
      samples of 30 patients with CRC, the DNA was isolated, treated with sodium
      bisulfite and analyzed by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction with
      primers specific for methylated or unmethylated promoter sequences of the BMP3
      gene. Demographic characteristics of the patients including age, sex, tumor
      grade, location, stage, and TNM classification were evaluated and the
      relationship between hypermethylation of the gene and clinicopathological
      features was analyzed. RESULTS Methylation of the BMP3 promoter was often present
      in the DNA extracted from the tumoral tissues. A sensitivity of 56.66% and
      specificity of 93.3% were attained in the detection of colorectal neoplasia.
      CONCLUSION We assumed that solely BMP3 methylation analysis in our population is
      not sufficient to select the gene as a screening biomarker and it should be
      considered in combination with other markers to screen for detection of
      colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28894520
TI  - Cocoon Peritonitis Secondary to Perforated Appendicitis.
AB  - A young man was admitted due to gastrointestinal obstruction and was diagnosed as
      having cocoon peritonitis secondary to perforated appendicitis. He suffered from
      small intestine partial obstruction because of multiple adhesion bands whose
      obstructive symptoms completely resolved after single balloon enteroscopy. So
      balloon enteroscopy could be offered as a therapeutic option for partial small
      intestine obstruction.

PMID- 28894519
TI  - Epidemiologic Characteristics of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in
      Kermanshah, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND This study was done to define some epidemiological aspects of
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and to describe its characteristics in west of
      Iran. METHODS In this descriptive study all patient with the diagnosis of IBD who
      were visited in universityaffiliated medical centers, between 2014 and 2015 were
      recruited. Their demographic characteristics, disease-related manifestations,
      complications, disease course and their chief complaints were analyzed. RESULTS
      Of 156 referred individuals, 153 patients had ulcerative colitis (UC) and 3
      patients had Crohn's diseases (CD). The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was
      35.69+/-12.35 (range: 17-80) years with the most common age group of 25-35 years
      and slight female predominance (51.9%). More urban patients were registered
      (90.4%) and 57% had high school or upper education. Positive family history of
      the disease was in 25.6% and 66.6% had four or more family members. Furthermore,
      51.9% had left sided colitis and 40.4% had pancolitis with bloody diarrhea
      (79.5%) and abdominal pain (68.6%) as the most common manifestations. 36.5% had
      other autoimmune diseases. Multiple flare was seen in 47.4%, most commonly due to
      drug discontinuation (26.28%). Hospital admission was reported in 34.6%. History
      of contraceptive pill use was in 38.8% of the female patients. CONCLUSION The
      demographic and clinical manifestations of IBD are usually the same as other
      developing countries; however, the rarity of CD is eminent. Although the accurate
      epidemiological characteristic of IBD in Iran is still obscure, it is not a rare
      disease as previously thought and it seems that gradual reception of a western
      lifestyle may be linked to the ongoing rise in IBD.

PMID- 28894521
TI  - A Large Intracolonic Mass in a Patient with Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome.
AB  - Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is characterized by scattered black pigmentations on
      fingers and lips and multiple polyps in the gastrointestinal tract. Patients with
      PJS often have severe complications secondary to multiple large polyps. Herein,
      we present a young woman complicated with a large polyp in her colon without any
      clinical symptoms. We also emphasized the necessity of early diagnosis and
      treatment of multiple polyps in such patients.

PMID- 28894522
TI  - Multilocular Cystic Mass Located in Epigastric Region and Right Area of the
      Abdomen in an old man.

PMID- 28894523
TI  - Correlation between Cut-off Level of Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody and Marsh
      Classification.

PMID- 28894524
TI  - Spider Bite in Iran.
AB  - Some of the world's most dangerous spiders have been certified in some areas of
      Iran. Spider bites are common in some geographical areas, and are sporadic in
      some regions. Spider bites can be classified as latrodectism or loxoscelism. If
      the patient had not seen the spider, the clinical manifestations of latrodectism
      could be easily mistaken for other types of bite or sting; or an infectious
      disease, and withdrawal symptoms, and also loxoscelism could be mistaken for
      cellulitis, various types of skin infection, or even a sting from a Gadim
      scorpion (Hemiscorpius lepturus). Given the nonspecific presentation of spider
      bites, one must keep the diagnosis in mind, and question patients, regarding
      possible exposure to spiders. Physicians recommend becoming familiar with the
      geographical distribution of Iranian dangerous spiders, clinical manifestations,
      and management of their bites. The most useful treatment for spider bite is anti
      venom administration. Producing spider bite anti-venom in the Razi Vaccine and
      Serum Research Institute is under investigation.

PMID- 28894525
TI  - Evaluation of CD44 and CD133 as markers of liver cancer stem cells in Egyptian
      patients with HCV-induced chronic liver diseases versus hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a critical role in tumor development,
      progression, metastasis and recurrence. AIM: To evaluate hepatic expression of
      CD44 and CD133 in Egyptian patients with HCV-induced chronic liver diseases and
      hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), and to assess its correlation with inflammatory
      activity scores, stages of fibrosis (in chronic hepatitis with or without
      cirrhosis) and grades of HCC. METHODS: This prospective case-control study was
      conducted on eighty subjects who attended the Tropical Diseases Department, Al
      Azhar University Hospital, and in collaboration with Theodor Bilharz Research
      Institute (2014-2016). They were divided as follows: A) Control healthy group:
      Ten individuals with serologically negative HCV-Ab and HBsAg, and
      histopathologically normal liver, B) Seventy patients subdivided into 3 groups;
      Twenty subjects each, as: HCV-Ab+ non-cirrhotic, HCV-Ab+ cirrhotic and HCC.
      Necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis in non-neoplastic liver biopsies were
      scored according to the METAVIR scoring system. CD44 and CD133 immunostaining was
      evaluated in all groups semi-quantitatively using H score. Statistical analysis
      was performed by SPSS version 22, using independent-samples t-test. RESULTS: Our
      study showed a significant increase of mean CD44 & CD133 expression values with
      disease progression among the groups (p<0.05). Their expressions increased
      significantly with the inflammatory activity scores and stages of fibrosis,
      reaching the highest values in A3F4 score compared to A1F1 (p<0.05). Moreover,
      there was a significant increase of their expressions across HCC grades (p<0.05),
      however with no significant correlation with focal lesions size. CONCLUSION: CSCs
      clusters exhibiting CD133+ and/or CD44+ profiles were identified in chronic
      hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and HCC. CD133 and CD44 expressions significantly
      corresponded to the increased inflammatory activity, fibrosis stages and higher
      tumor grades. Therefore, evaluation of CD44 and CD133 expression profiles as CSCs
      markers in non-neoplastic liver and HCCs can help in development of novel
      therapeutic agents for HCC targeting and prevention.

PMID- 28894526
TI  - Qualitative study of HIV related stigma and discrimination: What women say in
      Iran.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: HIV-related stigma is a major social problem of people living with
      HIV. Stigma against these people, especially women, interferes with the
      prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV. This study examined the experiences
      of HIV infected women who were stigmatized, as well as the strategies used to
      tackle the issue. METHODS: Twenty-five women living with HIV were examined using
      in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The data obtained was analyzed using
      content analysis method in MAXQDA10. RESULTS: The finding of this study was
      classified into four themes: fear, shame, rejection by family or friends and
      feelings of frustration. The participant strategies adopted to the perceived
      stigma and discrimination included isolation, nondisclosure, and loss of follow
      up. CONCLUSIONS: HIV in women has different social interposition. It is necessary
      to intervene, so as to alleviate the effect of stigma on HIV infected women, in
      order that they gain the ability to accomplish wellness, increase life span and
      improve quality of life. Nurses, midwives and other professionals need to be
      involved to ensure public policy in providing supportive environments, and
      decrease stigma.

PMID- 28894527
TI  - Factors contributing to fear of childbirth among pregnant women in Hamadan (Iran)
      in 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fear of childbirth is a considerable mental, social, and
      physiological phenomenon among women as well as their families, which can be
      effective in choosing cesarean section for delivery. AIM: To determine some
      factors contributing to the fear of childbirth among pregnant women. METHOD: This
      cross-sectional study was conducted on 335 pregnant women referred to health
      centers in Toyserkan in 2016. Pregnant women with the gestational age of 16-40
      weeks filled out Harman's Childbirth Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ) as well as
      stating demographic and obstetrics characteristics. Data were analyzed by
      Software SPSS/19 through chi-square, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation tests.
      RESULTS: The mean age and mean gestational age of the pregnant women were 26.5+/
      4.9 years old and 26.52 weeks, respectively; 89.3% of the women reported fear of
      childbirth. There was a significant difference among the mean scores of the
      women's fear of childbirth and education level, household income adequacy,
      gravidity, being familiar with the delivery process, and pre-pregnancy cares
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study found the relationship between women's
      fear of childbirth and their education level, household income, gravidity,
      familiarity with delivery process, and pre-pregnancy cares. It is necessary for
      health caregivers to take into consideration the vulnerable groups, especially
      nulliparous women during pre-pregnancy care as well as the social, and cultural
      status of women in order to identify the pregnant women exposed to fear of
      childbirth and reduce the chance of choosing cesarean section by providing
      appropriate services.

PMID- 28894528
TI  - Notification of international normalized ratio test in atrial fibrillation
      patients treated with warfarin via short message service: Study protocol for a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common abnormal heart rhythm. AF
      patients usually use warfarin therapy. Safety and efficacy of warfarin are
      dependent on maintaining the International Normalized Ratio (INR) within the
      therapeutic range. OBJECTIVE: We will use a Short Message Service (SMS) to
      evaluate the effect of a reminder on carrying out the INR laboratory test in a
      timely manner. METHODS: This study (a Randomized Controlled Trial) will be done
      in Loghman hospital Tehran, Iran. Convenience sampling will be done and 400 AF
      patients that have inclusion criteria will be randomized equally to an
      intervention or control group. Patients in the intervention group will receive an
      SMS that will remind them of the INR test date. The SMS will be sent at 6 PM on
      the day before and 8 AM on the scheduled date but the patients of the control
      group will receive usual care without any SMS reminders. We will evaluate the
      effect of reminders on carrying out the INR test in a timely manner and
      maintaining the INR in the therapeutic range. Patients' follow-up will be done
      via telephone conversation to identify thromboembolic events, bleeding and
      mortality. The data will be analyzed by IBM SPSS version 24. We will use
      independent samples t-test or Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests for the analyses
      of outcomes. DISCUSSION: This protocol describes the randomized control trial to
      study the effects of the SMS reminder system on adherence to the timing of INR
      test in AF patients treated with warfarin. The research will also form the basis
      for future decision support systems for monitoring of patients who receive oral
      anticoagulants. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials
      (http://www.irct.ir) was used to register the trial and IRCT ID was
      IRCT2016052528070N1. FUNDING: This research was supported by Mashhad University
      of Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28894529
TI  - Exploration of pioneering as a major element of ethical leadership in nursing: A
      qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Commitment to ethical behavior is considered as an essential part of
      occupational responsibilities of nursing, and leaders' pioneering in ethical
      growth and development has led to the emergence of the concept of ethical
      leadership. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explain the nursing
      leaders' perception and experiences of pioneering in the field of ethical
      leadership. METHODS: In this qualitative study, data were collected through semi
      structured individual interviews. A total of 14 nursing leaders at different
      levels who were selected by purposeful sampling method participated in the study.
      Latent content analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Of 14 participants
      of the study, 8 were male and 6 were female aged 38 to 56 years old with a mean
      managerial experience of 12 years. In the analysis of interviews, 4 subcategories
      of "Role Modeling", "Empowerment", "Knowledge and Skill", and "Recognition" were
      obtained which formed two main categories. These categories included "Leader as
      mentor" and "Professional insight". CONCLUSION: Pioneering leaders are an
      important part of ethical leadership, and nursing leaders should not only be
      moral people, but also go a step further and actively promote moral behavior with
      a role as a mentor and model as well as having professional insight. Nursing
      leaders with a better understanding of these aspects can develop their capacity
      of strong ethical leadership and consider the aspects in their activities.

PMID- 28894530
TI  - Knowledge and attitudes toward brain death and organ donation in Bojnurd.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Organ donation in Iran is common. Bojnurd (North Khorasan, Iran) is a
      multi-ethnic city, and people with different religions and cultures live together
      and that could be associated with their behavior and attitude towards health
      related issues. So far, no study has taken place on brain death and organ
      donation in the province of North Khorasan. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was
      to determine the knowledge and attitudes of citizens of Bojnurd toward brain
      death and organ donation. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from
      March to September 2014, on 380 Bojnurd citizens who were selected through multi
      stage sampling. The tool was a researcher-made questionnaire in three parts
      (demographic information, awareness and attitude surveys), containing 10
      questions on awareness and 18 questions on attitude. The questionnaire validity
      and reliability were confirmed by content validity and Cronbach's alpha (0.76).
      The data were analyzed by using SPSS version 16, using Chi-square, independent
      samples t-test, and Spearman correlation coefficient. Significance level was set
      at p<0.05. RESULTS: Three hundred and eighty participants with the average age of
      29.91+/-9.32 were studied, of which 55% were female. The average score of
      awareness and attitude was 11.42 (+/-2.40) and 39.8 (+/-6.01) respectively. The
      awareness of the majority of the people (63%) regarding organ donation was
      moderate and the attitude toward organ donation in the majority (74.1%) was poor.
      In people with poor attitudes, awareness was also lower, and this was
      statistically significant (p=0.047). CONCLUSION: the attitude towards organ
      donation was negative in the majority of the citizens. In order to correct the
      beliefs, develop positive attitude and increase citizens' knowledge, public
      education is essential.

PMID- 28894531
TI  - The effectiveness of mindfulness training on reducing the symptoms of postpartum
      depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Postpartum depression is one of the prevalent disorders among
      new mothers. The present research aimed to examine the effectiveness of
      mindfulness training on reducing the symptoms of postpartum depression. METHOD:
      The present quasi-experimental research was conducted on 410 new mothers in
      Shahid Chamran Hospital, Tehran in 2014. Using the Beck Depression Inventory
      (BDI), Structured Clinical Interview and Psychological Clinical Diagnosis, 67
      mothers were selected and then randomly divided into experimental and control
      groups, each of which with 32 applicants. Afterwards, the experimental group
      received mindfulness training for 8 sessions, each lasting for two hours while
      the control group received no training. The data were analyzed through
      descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS, version 20.
      RESULTS: Results showed that based on Beck Inventory, the scores for the
      experimental group in post-test were significant (p<0.001), compared to those for
      the control group. Also, it was revealed that pre- and posttest mean scores for
      postpartum depression in the control group were 25.81 and 25.12 respectively
      while the scores for the experimental group were 24.75 and 18.5 respectively.
      Since the posttest mean score in the experimental group was lower than that in
      the pretest, it can be said that the treatment, i.e., mindfulness training, was
      effective in reducing depression symptoms in mothers. CONCLUSION: Findings proved
      that mindfulness training was effective in reducing the symptoms of postpartum
      depression in new mothers.

PMID- 28894532
TI  - An ethno-pharmacological study of plants used for traditional medication in
      Tangail district, Bangladesh.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Bangladesh, folk medicinal practitioners are called "Kaviraj" and
      are consulted for treatment of various ailments by a large part of the rural and
      urban population. There are some previous studies conducted in the Tangail
      district of Bangladesh about medicinal plants, but there is no relevant
      information about this aspect in some parts of this district. AIM: To conduct an
      ethno-pharmacological survey among the "Kaviraj" of two upazilas (regions) in
      Tangail district, namely Tangail Sadar Upazila and Nagarpur Upazila, to identify
      the trouble-free formulations of medicinal plants for various diseases used by
      the folk medicine practitioners on or after other forms of medical practices.
      METHODS: A guided field-walk survey was carried out employing a local guide and
      asking local people about practicing "Kaviraj"; four of the "Kaviraj" convened
      and after receiving permission from the "Kaviraj", interviews were conducted
      through focused group discussion. RESULTS: It was observed that the "Kaviraj" of
      the two upazilas used a total of 25 plants distributed into 20 families for
      healing of various diseases. In most of the cases, leaves were the key part of
      most of the plants used for treatment. Plants were mainly used for treating
      gastrointestinal tract disorders, fever, constipation, and diarrhea, and
      indigestion, loss of appetite, pain and skin disorders. "Kaviraj" also treat
      complicated diseases such as tuberculosis, hypertension, sexual disorders,
      infections, urinary problems, hepatic disorders, pneumonia, stomach stones,
      diabetes, swellings, debility, kidney problems, tumor, vitamin C deficiency and
      poisoning by using medicinal plants. CONCLUSION: For a country such as
      Bangladesh, and particularly the district studied, medicinal plants are essential
      assets and have a major role in people's health care structure. Also, appropriate
      research should be conducted for using these medicinal plants in possible new
      drug designs as well as many other pharmaceutical benefits.

PMID- 28894533
TI  - The residual monomer content and mechanical properties of CAD?CAM resins used in
      the fabrication of complete dentures as compared to heat cured resins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The utilization of computer-assisted designing and computer-assisted
      milling CAD?CAM resins in the fabrication of removable prostheses is a modern-day
      concept that offers many advantages over the use of the traditional
      polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). AIM: This study instigated some of the mechanical
      properties of CAD?CAM denture base resin including the amount of residual
      monomer. METHODS: This study was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, King
      Abdulaziz University from October 2016 to February 2017. A total of seventy
      rectangular specimens were fabricated (group A: 35 heat-cured PMMA and group B:
      35 CAD/CAM pre-polymerized acrylic resin blocks). The flexural strength and
      surface hardness were tested while the residual monomer content at baseline, two
      day and seven-day intervals was estimated using gas chromatography (GC). Means
      and standard deviations were determined for each group as well as independent
      samples t-test and ANOVA with repeated measures for comparison between the groups
      and subgroups of varying time intervals. RESULTS: Heat cured PMMA (A), displayed
      higher flexural strength and low value flexural modulus compared to CAD/CAM
      acrylic resin denture base material (B). Student t-test indicated highly
      significant differences (p<0.001) of the flexural strength (t=37.911) and
      flexural modulus (t=88.559). The surface hardness of group (B) was significantly
      higher compared to group (A) as indicated by the t-test (t=20.430). Higher
      release of the monomer content was detected by GC in group (A) at different time
      intervals with a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in residual
      monomer content. CONCLUSION: CAD/CAM resin may be considered suitable for use in
      the construction of denture bases.

PMID- 28894534
TI  - Exploring the perception of aid organizations' staff about factors affecting
      management of mass casualty traffic incidents in Iran: a grounded theory study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traffic incidents are of main health issues all around the world and
      cause countless deaths, heavy casualties, and considerable tangible and
      intangible damage. In this regard, mass casualty traffic incidents are worthy of
      special attention as, in addition to all losses and damage, they create
      challenges in the way of providing health services to the victims. AIM: The
      present study is an attempt to explore the challenges and facilitators in
      management of mass casualty traffic incidents in Iran. METHODS: This qualitative
      grounded theory study was carried out with participation of 14 purposively
      selected experienced managers, paramedics and staff of aid organizations in
      different provinces of Iran in 2016. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in
      order to develop the theory. The transcribed interviews were analyzed through
      open, axial and selective coding. RESULTS: Despite the recent and relatively good
      improvements in facilities and management procedure of mass casualty traffic
      incidents in Iran, several problems such as lack of coordination, lack of
      centralized and integrated command system, large number of organizations
      participating in operations, duplicate attempts and parallel operations carried
      out by different organizations, intervention of lay people, and cultural factors
      halt provision of effective health services to the victims. CONCLUSION: It is
      necessary to improve the theoretical and practical knowledge of the relief
      personnel and paramedics, provide public with education about first aid and
      improve driving culture, prohibit laypeople from intervening in aid operations,
      and increase quality and quantity of aid facilities.

PMID- 28894535
TI  - The psychometric properties of exercise benefits/barriers scale among women.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Despite the numerous health benefits of regular
      physical activity (PA), physical inactivity is a major health issue among women.
      The goal of the current study was to measure the validity and reliability
      assessment of the exercise benefits/barriers scale among women between the ages
      of 18 and 65 years. This study was carried out among women residing in
      Khoramroudi neighborhood in Tehran between December 2013 and February 2014.
      METHODS: In this descriptive, methodological study, 278 women residing in
      Khoramroudi neighborhood in Tehran between December 2013 and February 2014
      completed three questionnaires: the demographic data form, the Exercise
      Benefits/Barriers Scale. The construct validity, internal consistency, and
      stability of the study were measured by confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach's
      alpha, and Spearman Brown correlation coefficient by using SPSS 21 and LISREL
      8.80, respectively. RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis showed the Persian
      version of EBBS was structured well. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the
      total scale and its subscales were 0.927, 0.94 and 0.82, respectively. Spearman
      Brown correlation coefficient also showed good test-retest reliability.
      CONCLUSION: The results of this study verified the reliability and validity of
      the applied instrument and introduced it as a tool to measure the benefits and
      barriers of physical activity among Iranian women.

PMID- 28894536
TI  - Structural investigation of websites of selected educational hospitals of Shiraz
      University of Medical Sciences from Patient Relationship Management (PRM)
      perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospital websites are considered as an appropriate system for
      exchanging information and establishing communication between patients,
      hospitals, and medical staff. Website character, website contact interactivity,
      shopping convenience, as well as care and service are the factors that the
      present study investigated as far as the patient relationship management is
      concerned. METHODS: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 206
      patients visiting Shahid Faghihi and Ali Asghar Hospitals in Shiraz, which were
      capable of offering electronic services. The data collection tool was a
      researcher-made questionnaire based on the Mekkamol model and other similar
      studies, as well as investigations into the websites of the world's top
      hospitals. The questionnaire's validity was approved by a committee of experts
      and its reliability was approved based on a 54-patient sample with a Cronbach's
      alpha of 0.94. The data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling
      (SEM) with partial least squares (PLS) approach and by utilizing SPSS and Smart
      PLS V2 software programs. RESULTS: The results showed that there are significant
      relationships between "website character" and "website contact interactivity"
      (p=0.00), between "shopping convenience" and "website contact interactivity"
      (p=0.00), and between "website contact interactivity" and "care and service"
      (p=0.00). CONCLUSION: Website design with such characteristics as website
      simplicity, shopping convenience, authenticity of information, and provision of
      such services as admission, scheduling appointments, and electronic payment of
      bills will result in interaction and communication between patients and hospital
      websites. This will, for its turn, pave the way for attracting more patients.

PMID- 28894537
TI  - Lifestyles in suburban populations: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle and suburban population are important issues in the field
      of health. The living conditions of informal settlements can lead to acquisition
      of an unhealthy lifestyle. OBJECTIVE: This study has been designed to investigate
      the articles that have been published regarding lifestyle in suburban
      populations. METHODS: The present research was a systematic review of studies in
      databases including Iranmedex, Magiran, SID, Irandoc, PubMed, Google Scholar,
      Science Direct and Scopus, in 2017. All Persian and English papers written from
      2000 to 2017 were evaluated by two reviewers using an advanced search of the
      databases with keywords related to lifestyles and suburban population. After
      completion of the search, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational
      Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist was used to evaluate the articles.
      RESULTS: In total, 19 articles were found to have addressed the lifestyle in
      suburban populations. The results of these studies showed an unhealthy lifestyle
      in the most informal settlements. There was no food diversity. Malnutrition was
      common, especially overweight. The majority of the people did not have enough
      physical activity, and smoking and alcohol consumption were common, especially in
      men. CONCLUSION: Studies showed that suburban populations are among the groups
      that have unfavorable environmental conditions to acquiring healthy lifestyle and
      maintaining appropriate health. Therefore, developing infrastructure, improving
      health services (environment, treatment of diseases, reduction of malnutrition
      and infant mortality, access to safe drinking water and sanitation, improving
      waste disposal and recycling it), improving education and smoking prevention
      programs in improving lifestyle is recommended.

PMID- 28894538
TI  - The effect of music on pain and vital signs of children before and after
      endoscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gentle music has relaxing and pain reducing effects. In this
      study, the effect of music on patients' vital signs and pain was investigated
      before and after endoscopy. METHODS: This clinical trial study was conducted on
      100 children from seven to fourteen years of age in Gha'em Hospital, Mashhad in
      2015. Children were divided into two equal groups (case group=50 and control
      group=50). The control group received endoscopy according to the standards,
      without any other procedure. For the case group, a classic musical piece by
      Clayderman was played during endoscopy (from the time of entering the endoscopy
      room to the end of the process). After conducting endoscopy, FALCC scale and
      Baker-Wong pain scale were filled for both groups. In addition, children's vital
      signs including: heart rate (pulse), diastolic and systolic blood pressure were
      measured before and after endoscopy for both groups. Data analysis was conducted
      using SPSS16 with the help of Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests. RESULTS: No
      significant difference was found in age, gender distribution of case or control
      groups (p>0.05). Heart rate and diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower
      in the music (case) group compared to the control group before endoscopy
      (p=0.012). In addition, pain score in patients of the music group was lower than
      the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Playing music for children during
      endoscopy can reduce pain and anxiety in patients before and after endoscopy.

PMID- 28894539
TI  - Prevalence, risk factors and character of abdominal hernia in Arar City, Northern
      Saudi Arabia in 2017.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abdominal wall hernias are a very common surgical condition affecting
      all ages and both sexes. The main risk factors of hernias include pregnancy,
      weight lifting, constipation, and weight gain. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study
      was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of abdominal hernias, their
      causes, treatment and complications among both sexes of the Arar population
      (Saudi Arabia). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,567 adults
      living in Arar city in 2017. Data was collected by personal interview via
      questionnaire translated into Arabic, and general and local examination. Data
      were analyzed by SPSS version 16, using descriptive statistics and Chi Square
      test. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of abdominal hernias was 11.7%, hernias
      were more prevalent in females than in males (63.4% vs. 36.6%), the most common
      cases were para-umbilical 33.9%, inguinal 27.3%, and umbilical in 20.8% of the
      cases, 51.9% were obese, 53.6% had previous abdominal surgery, 19.1% had previous
      abdominal trauma, 28.4% had positive family history of hernia and 39.9% were
      grand multipara. Hernias were significantly affected by sex, obesity, previous
      abdominal surgery, previous abdominal trauma, positive family history of hernias
      and being grand multipara (p<0.05). Treatment of hernias was surgical in 47.5%
      and conservative in 47.0%, complications occurred in 20.2% and 25.1% were
      recurrent after treatment. CONCLUSION: Abdominal wall hernias are a common
      clinical presentation in Arar, KSA. Abdominal hernias are more common in women
      than men, there is an obvious relationship between obesity and hernias. Early
      diagnosis, easily accessible health facilities and health education are important
      to prevent complications. New modality of treatment should be adopted as the
      standard choice of care to prevent recurrence.

PMID- 28894540
TI  - Change processes questionnaire for treatment of drug dependents based on
      transtheoretical model: Psychometric properties in Iran 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug abuse is a serious subject that can lead to social, economic,
      cultural and health problems. The routine approaches in treatment of drug abuse
      are either medication or non-medication methods. Non-medication approach is
      focused on mental and social health. Non-drug treatment requires appropriate
      tools. OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity, reliability, and structure of the
      Processes of Change Questionnaire. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, which
      was conducted in 2016, three hundred sixty-two drug dependents in Sabzevar
      Substance Abuse Treatment Centers (Iran) were enrolled in the study. Samples were
      selected through the multi-stage sampling method. They completed the 40-item
      Processes of Change Questionnaire (drug version). In this study, Backward-Forward
      method, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), test-retest, Cronbach's alpha,
      content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) were used, using
      AMOS 5.0 and SPSS version 11.5. RESULTS: Findings of the CFA showed the
      questionnaire has a good fit. The fit index of the CFA was calculated as 0.75.
      Cronbach's alpha was 0.93 for the whole questionnaire, and ranged from 0.51 to
      0.88 for its different domains. Also, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)
      and content validity were satisfactory. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this
      study, the processes of change 40-item questionnaire: drug version was a
      credible, reliable and valid tool to identify effective factors in the treatment
      drug abuse among the population of the Sabzevar, Iran.

PMID- 28894541
TI  - Correlation between social support, self-efficacy and health-promoting behavior
      in hemodialysis patients hospitalized in Karaj in 2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In hemodialysis, as a choice of treatment due to long treatment
      duration, the patient encounters limitations. Perceived social support, perceived
      self-efficacy and health promoting activities are important strategies to
      facilitate and maintain their health. AIM: To determine the correlation between
      social support, self-efficacy and health promoting behaviors in hemodialysis
      patients hospitalized in Karaj city in 2015. METHODS: This cross-sectional
      descriptive correlational study was carried out on 200 hemodialysis patients who
      were selected from four hospitals in Karaj based on cluster sampling. Data were
      collected using these methods: "General Questionnaire", "Perceived Self-Efficacy
      Scale", "Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale" and "Health-Promoting
      Lifestyle Profile 2". Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22 and the EQS 6.1.
      Independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis test, spearman correlation
      coefficient was used to analyze the data. To determine the relation between
      perceived self-efficacy, perceived social support and health promoting behavior,
      structural equation modeling was applied. RESULTS: Self-efficacy has a
      significant positive correlation with social support (r=0.592, p<0.001) and
      significant negative correlation with health-promoting behaviors (r=-0.709,
      p<0.001), and social support has a significant negative correlation with health
      promoting behaviors (r=-0.709, p<0.001). Also, results showed that perceived self
      efficacy had a greater role than perceived social support in explaining health
      promoting behaviors. CONCLUSION: The relationship between health promoting
      behaviors, self-efficacy and social support reveals a necessity for Community
      Health Nursing planners, matrons and hospital managers and nurses to pay more
      attention to the needs of patients under hemodialysis. It is recommended that due
      to some unexpected findings in this study, further studies shall be fulfilled on
      the factors effective on the discussed variables.

PMID- 28894542
TI  - Perceptions of an integrated curriculum among dental students in a public
      university in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Being aware of the limits of traditional discipline-based education,
      the Faculty of Dentistry at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) tasked basic medical
      science faculty members with developing a new integrated curriculum for
      undergraduate dental students to be applied in the 2014/2015 academic year.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the students' perceptions of the restructured curriculum
      and elicit student suggestions for improvement. METHODS: A questionnaire was
      distributed to all first-year dental undergraduate students (n=192) enrolled in
      the academic year of 2014/2015. The questionnaire was written in English and
      included standard questions designed to determine student satisfaction toward the
      restructured curriculum. The different variables in the study were analyzed with
      descriptive statistics and the significance level was measured by SPSS version
      16, using the descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. RESULTS: At the end of
      the first year, a large majority of students rated their overall experience with
      the course as good or excellent and agreed that the connection between basic and
      clinical sciences was made clear in the dental relevance sessions. In general,
      students' experience with the instructors was positive. However, although most
      students felt that assessment methods were fair and reflected the curriculum, the
      overall success rate was lower than that of the previous academic year
      (2013/2014) (P=0.002), when the traditional-discipline based curriculum was still
      in place. CONCLUSION: Having completed the first step of the restructuring of the
      first-year basic science dental curriculum, our plan for the next phase in the
      curriculum integration process is to increase inter-course and inter-topic
      integration and supplement the delivery of the course material with more clinical
      case scenarios.

PMID- 28894543
TI  - The relationship between organizational commitment and nursing care behavior.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nursing care encompasses physical, emotional, mental and social
      needs, in order to improve a patient's health and wellbeing. Caring is the
      central core and the essence of nursing. The important issue of care is access to
      proper care and increasing patients' satisfaction. Job performance of nurses is
      affected by many factors including organizational commitment. This study aimed to
      determine the relationship between organizational commitment and nurses caring
      behavior. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 322 nurses from selected
      Hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran were
      randomly selected and enrolled in the study in 2015. The self-reported data by
      nurses were collected through demographic characteristics questionnaire, Meyer &
      Allen organizational commitment model and Caring Behavior Inventory (CBI). Data
      were analyzed with SPSS statistical software version 20, using t-test and ANOVA.
      FINDINGS: The majority of nurses (63%) were female. The mean score and standard
      deviation of organizational commitment and caring behavior of nurses were 74.12+/
      9.61 and 203.1+/-22.46, respectively. The results showed a significantly positive
      correlation between organizational commitment and caring behavior (p=0.001).
      CONCLUSION: In this study the caring behavior of nurses with higher
      organizational commitment were significantly better than the others. Managers and
      nurse leaders should pay more attention to improve organizational commitment of
      nurses, in order to improve nurses' performance.

PMID- 28894544
TI  - Success rate evaluation of clinical governance implementation in teaching
      hospitals in Kerman (Iran) based on nine steps of Karsh's model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the ways to improve the quality of services in the health
      system is through clinical governance. This method aims to create a framework for
      clinical services providers to be accountable in return for continuing
      improvement of quality and maintaining standards of services. OBJECTIVE: To
      evaluate the success rate of clinical governance implementation in Kerman
      teaching hospitals based on 9 steps of Karsh's Model. METHODS: This cross
      sectional study was conducted in 2015 on 94 people including chief executive
      officers (CEOs), nursing managers, clinical governance managers and experts, head
      nurses and nurses. The required data were collected through a researcher-made
      questionnaire containing 38 questions with three-point Likert Scale (good,
      moderate, and weak). The Karsh's Model consists of nine steps including top
      management commitment to change, accountability for change, creating a structured
      approach for change, training, pilot implementation, communication, feedback,
      simulation, and end-user participation. Data analysis using descriptive
      statistics and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test was done by SPSS software version 16.
      RESULTS: About 81.9 % of respondents were female and 74.5 have a Bachelor of
      Nursing (BN) degree. In general, the status of clinical governance implementation
      in studied hospitals based on 9 steps of the model was 44 % (moderate). A
      significant relationship was observed among accountability and organizational
      position (p=0.0012) and field of study (p=0.000). Also, there were significant
      relationships between structure-based approach and organizational position
      (p=0.007), communication and demographic characteristics (p=0.000), and end-user
      participation with organizational position (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Clinical
      governance should be implemented by correct needs assessment and participation of
      all stakeholders, to ensure its enforcement in practice, and to enhance the
      quality of services.

PMID- 28894545
TI  - Comparing performances of intelligent classifier algorithms for predicting type
      of pain in patients with spinal cord injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: In this study, performances of classification techniques were
      compared in order to predict type of pain in patients with spinal cord injury.
      Pain is one of the main problems in people with spinal cord injury. Identifying
      the optimal classification technique will help improve decision support systems
      in clinical settings. METHODS: A descriptive retrospective analysis was performed
      in 253 patients. We compared performances of "Bayesian Networks", "Decision
      Tree", neural networks: "Multi-Layer Perceptron" (MLP), and "Support Vector
      Machines" (SVM). Predictor variables were collected in data set in SCI patients
      referred to Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Tehran, Iran from 2010 through
      2016. Performances of classification techniques were compared using "Accuracy",
      "Sensitivity or True Positive Rate" (TPR), "Specificity or True Negative Rate"
      (SPC), "Positive Predictive Value" (PPV), "Negative Predictive Value" (NPV).
      RESULTS: MLP with Boosting technique was found to have the best accuracy (91%),
      best sensitivity (89%), best specificity (95%) best PPV (91%), and best NPV (96%)
      to predict spinal cord injury in this data set, given its good classificatory
      performance. CONCLUSION: Computer-aided decision support systems (CAD) are
      dependent on a wide range of classification methods such as statistical methods,
      Bayesian methods, deductive classifiers based on the state or case, decision
      making trees and neural networks: Multi-Layer Perceptron. Neural network
      classifiers especially, are very popular choices for medical decision-making,
      with proven effectiveness in the clinical field.

PMID- 28894546
TI  - Nurses' perception of the strategies to gaining professional power: A qualitative
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Power in nursing is a broad concept that has a determining effect on
      the achievement of professional goals. Gaining power is essential for promoting
      the roles of nurses, improving their professional image and the consistent
      improvement of healthcare systems. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to
      identify and clarify strategies for gaining power in the nursing profession
      through the experiences of Iranian nurses. METHODS: The present qualitative
      grounded theory study was conducted on fifteen participants selected through
      purposive sampling. Data were collected through individual, in-depth, semi
      structured interviews. The data obtained were analyzed using the guidelines
      provided by Corbin and Strauss, (2008 edition). This study was carried out in
      Qazvin city of Iran and lasted fourteen months (2015-2016). RESULTS: The analysis
      of the data were classified under the main theme of gaining human-professional
      power based on individual and organizational capacities, divided into four main
      categories, including respecting human values and ethical principles (with two
      subcategories, keeping the human symbols of power and commitment to moral
      obligations of power), promoting professional interactions (with two
      subcategories, paying attention to intraprofessional communication and paying
      attention to interprofessional communication), attempting professional endurance
      (with two subcategories, raising self-confidence and having professional
      commitment), and valuing potential capacities (with two subcategories, regard for
      individual capacities and regard for organizational capacities). CONCLUSION: The
      findings obtained suggest that success in gaining power in nursing, requires a
      cumulative focus on human, ethical, professional, individual and organizational
      capacities.

PMID- 28894547
TI  - A Novel Therapy for cocaine dependence during abstinence: A randomized clinical
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Topiramate is an anticonvulsant drug and an ideal candidate for
      reducing the craving in people relying on cocaine. Contingency management is one
      of the common therapies in the domain of addiction. OBJECTIVE: The present study
      aimed to evaluate and compare three medication methods of Topiramate (TPM),
      Contingency Management (CM) and the combined TPM treatment and cash intervention
      on craving during abstinence. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was
      conducted at Bijan Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in Tehran, Iran, from
      December 15, 2014 to November 20, 2015. One hundred males (Age range=18-34;
      SD=4.11) undergoing abstinence were assigned randomly to four groups (n=25) of
      Topiramate (TPM), Contingency Management (CM) and the Combined Method plus a
      placebo control group. Treatment was provided for twelve weeks for the experiment
      groups, and only the control group received the placebo. Participants in the Cash
      based and CM Condition had an identical 12-week escalating schedule of
      reinforcement (cash-based incentives worth $0, $20, $40, and $80). Also, in the
      Topiramate group, participants' dosage ranged between 25-300 mg/day in escalating
      doses) 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300). In addition, all subjects received brief
      behavioral compliance enhancement treatment (BBCET). Participants took a urine
      test twice a week, with a given threshold of > 300 ng/ml, and indicators of
      cocaine craving (response rate= 91%) was evaluated in two phases of pre-test and
      post-test. We used Chi square, ANCOVA Univariate Model and Scheffe's post hoc to
      analyze the primary and secondary outcomes. Also, the qualitative data resulted
      from demographic evaluations were coded and analyzed by the instrument of
      analysis of qualitative data i.e. Atlas.ti, Version 5.2. RESULTS: The results
      showed that all three types of treatment played a significant efficacy in
      reducing the craving. The mean (95% CI) scores of craving was 12.04 (p=0.05) with
      TPM, 13.89 (p=0.05) with CM, 10.92 (p=0.01) with Mix and 16.89 (p>0.05) with
      control. Moreover, the highest variance explaining the changes in craving was
      assigned to the combined treatment (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this
      study, while having applicable aspects in this domain, can be helpful in planning
      supplementary remedial procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered
      at the Thai Clinical Trial Registration Center with the TCR ID: TCTR20170112001.
      FUNDING: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship,
      and/or publication of this article.

PMID- 28894548
TI  - A novel algorithm for PET and MRI fusion based on digital curvelet transform via
      extracting lesions on both images.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Merging multimodal images is a useful tool for accurate and
      efficient diagnosis and analysis in medical applications. The acquired data are a
      high-quality fused image that contains more information than an individual image.
      In this paper, we focus on the fusion of MRI gray scale images and PET color
      images. METHODS: For the fusion of MRI gray scale images and PET color images, we
      used lesion region extracting based on the digital Curvelet transform (DCT)
      method. As curvelet transform has a better performance in detecting the edges,
      regions in each image are perfectly segmented. Curvelet decomposes each image
      into several low- and high-frequency sub-bands. Then, the entropy of each sub
      band is calculated. By comparing the entropies and coefficients of the extracted
      regions, the best coefficients for the fused image are chosen. The fused image is
      obtained via inverse Curvelet transform. In order to assess the performance, the
      proposed method was compared with different fusion algorithms, both visually and
      statistically. RESULT: The analysis of the results showed that our proposed
      algorithm has high spectral and spatial resolution. According to the results of
      the quantitative fusion metrics, this method achieves an entropy value of 6.23,
      an MI of 1.88, and an SSIM of 0.6779. Comparison of these experiments with
      experiments of four other common fusion algorithms showed that our method is
      effective. CONCLUSION: The fusion of MRI and PET images is used to gather the
      useful information of both source images into one image, which is called the
      fused image. This study introduces a new fusion algorithm based on the digital
      Curvelet transform. Experiments show that our method has a high fusion effect.

PMID- 28894549
TI  - Predictive value of copeptin as a severity marker of community-acquired
      pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children. Few studies have
      explored the predictive value of copeptin in pediatric pneumonia. AIM: This study
      aimed to assess the role of copeptin as a marker of severity of community
      acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: This prospective case-control study was
      carried out at Minia University Children's Hospital in Minia (Egypt) from January
      to December 2016. Eighty children aged from 2 months to 42 months were enrolled
      in this study and were classified into group 1 (40 children with clinical,
      laboratory and radiological evidence of pneumonia) and group 2 (40 apparently
      healthy control). Serum copeptin level was assayed for all enrolled children.
      RESULTS: Mean serum copeptin level was significantly higher in pneumonic patients
      (985.7+/-619) pg/ml compared to controls (519+/-308.2) pg/ml (p<0.001). Serum
      copeptin was significantly elevated in survivors of pneumonia more than non
      survivors (p=0.001). Also, copeptin was significantly higher in the group of non
      survivors (1811.8+/-327.1) compared to 745.4+/-472.5 for survivors (p=0.01).
      There was a significant positive correlation between serum copeptin levels and
      the degree of respiratory distress (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Copeptin seems a
      reliable and available predictor marker for assessing the severity and prognosis
      of pediatric community acquired pneumonia.

PMID- 28894550
TI  - Evaluation prevalence of Pompe disease in Iranian patients with myopathies of
      unknown etiology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pompe disease is a rare but potentially treatable metabolic disorder
      having an estimated worldwide incidence of one in forty thousand live births.
      While the introduction of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has considerably
      increased the awareness of the disease, the delay in diagnosis is still
      consistent and most patients go undetected. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to
      determine the prevalence of late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) in a high-risk
      population, using dried blood spot (DBS) as a main screening tool. METHODS: This
      cross-sectional study was performed on the 93 patients who attended to the
      neuromuscular center of Bu-ali hospital in Tehran, Iran, during 2014-2015.
      Inclusion criteria were: 1) age >=1 years, 2) proximal myopathies of unknown
      etiology in lower limbs or symptoms of limb girdle muscle weakness (LGMW), and 3)
      unexplained elevated CPK (>174). Acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) activity was
      measured separately on DBS by fluorometric method. For the final diagnosis, GAA
      deficiency was confirmed by a biochemical assay in skeletal muscle, whereas
      genotype was assessed by GAA molecular analysis. All statistical tests were
      performed using the SPSS version 16. Results are presented as mean (SD) or median
      (IQR), as appropriate. RESULTS: In a 12-month period, we studied 93 cases: 5
      positive samples (5.3%) were detected by DBS screening, biochemical and molecular
      genetic studies finally confirmed LOPD diagnosis in 3 cases (3.22%). Among the 93
      patients, 100% showed hyperCKemia, 89 patients (95.7%) showed LGMW and 4 patients
      had symptoms of proximal myopathies in the lower limb. CONCLUSIONS: Results from
      the LOPED study suggest that GAA activity requires accurate screening by DBS in
      all patients referred for hyperCKemia and/or LGMW.

PMID- 28894551
TI  - Montelukast versus inhaled mometasone for treatment of otitis media with effusion
      in children: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Otitis media is one of the most common infections among children and
      is a complication in about 30% of common colds. The most common complication of
      acute otitis media is otitis media with effusion. Some studies have reported the
      effects of montelukast and mometasone nasal spray in treatment of otitis media
      with effusion. However, current information is inadequate in this issue.
      OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of montelukast and mometasone nasal spray
      in treatment of otitis media with effusion in children attending Koodakan
      hospital in Bandar Abbas, Iran. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was
      done on 2- to 6-year-old children attending Koodakan Hospital in Bandar Abbas,
      southern Iran, in 2014. Patients were divided into three groups of montelukast,
      mometasone, and control group. Audiometry was done for all patients at baseline
      and four weeks after treatment. Patients were compared for treatment results.
      Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 143 children
      were included in the study. Mean age of the participants were 44.64 +/- 18.03
      months. There was no significant difference in treatment results in different
      treatment groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Mometasone and montelukast are not
      effective and not recommended in treatment of otitis media with effusion in
      children. More studies are needed in this regard. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study
      is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
      NCT02541760. FUNDING: The authors received financial support for this research
      from Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28894552
TI  - Status of antioxidant and homocysteine-lowering vitamins related to
      cardiovascular diseases in hemodialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of mortality in
      hemodialysis patients. Oxidative stress and hyperhomocysteinemia may contribute
      to an increased risk of CVD. Therefore, we assessed the status of antioxidant and
      homocysteine-lowering vitamins related to cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis
      patients at Vasei hospital in Sabzevar. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study,
      we enrolled 75 hemodialysis patients by using census method at Vasei Hospital in
      Sabzevar (Iran) in 2014. After measuring height and body weight, food intake was
      assessed by a 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire for at least two days (a non
      dialysis and dialysis day), and food frequency was recorded with Nutritionist IV
      software. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16, using descriptive statistical
      tests, one sample t-test and independent samples t-test and p<0.05 was considered
      statistically significant. RESULTS: This study was carried out on 75 patients.
      Mean age and BMI of patients were 49.95+/-17.22 years and 20.04+/-3.38 kg/m2,
      respectively. Intake of all vitamins with the exception of vitamin B12 in
      hemodialysis patients studied, were less than the recommended dietary allowance
      (RDA) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the survey, consumption of antioxidants
      and B-vitamins related to cardiovascular disease was less than RDA in
      hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 28894553
TI  - Effect of alpha-lipoic acid on asymmetric dimethylarginine and disability in
      multiple sclerosis patients: A randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease
      of the central nervous system. Oxidative stress plays a major role in the onset
      and progression of MS. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) formation is dependent
      on oxidative stress status. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether alpha-lipoic acid
      (ALA) as a potent antioxidant could improve the Expanded Disability Status Scale
      (EDSS) and decrease plasma level of ADMA in multiple sclerosis patients. METHODS:
      In a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial conducted at Sina Hospital in
      Tehran, Iran, from September 2009 to July 2011, 24 patients with relapsing
      remitting MS were divided into a treatment group receiving ALA (1200mg/day) for
      12 weeks and a control group receiving placebo. Then patients' EDSS and Plasma
      levels of ADMA were measured at baseline and 12 weeks later. Statistical analysis
      was done by SPSS software version 16 using the K-S test, Chi square, Mann-Whitney
      U-test and Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: The plasma levels of ADMA in the intervention
      group were decreased significantly (p=0.04). Also, no patient had increased EDSS
      score in the supplement group, where 2 out of 12 patients in the placebo group
      experienced so. Comparing the serum level of ADMA between the two groups failed
      to show any significant change in the supplement group compared with the control
      group. CONCLUSION: Considering that ADMA is produced by oxidative stress in MS
      patients and leads to increase of inflammation, ALA may have the potential of
      beneficial effects in them, in part, by decreasing the plasma level of ADMA and
      stopping progression. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at the Iranian
      Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: No.
      IRCT138812222602N2. FUNDING: The authors received no financial support for the
      research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

PMID- 28894554
TI  - Exploring the adaptive experiences of children with parents of myocardial
      infarction: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are the world's leading cause of mortality.
      These diseases are rooted in an unhealthy lifestyle. In order to confront this
      subject, it is essential to identify several risk factors that contribute to
      heart disease (HD) in people with different attitudes, values, beliefs,
      expectations and motivations. This study was therefore an attempt to explain the
      adaptive experiences of children whose parents were involved in myocardial
      infarction since they were more likely subjected to get the so-called disease.
      OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk factors and to clear ambiguity using a
      qualitative research method from the experiences of people at risk of the above
      mentioned disease. METHODS: This qualitative study was a directed content
      analysis. Eighteen children (above 18 years old) of parents with a history of
      myocardial infarction participated, and were chosen with purposive sampling and
      the highest diversity. Data were collected through deep and semi structure
      interviews based on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) from March to November
      2015, and were analyzed along with their data collection and with usage of
      Lundman and Graneheim method. Interviews were conducted in non-stressful
      conditions with a place and time agreement. RESULTS: During content analysis
      process, 220 codes were extracted. After reviewing several times and summarizing,
      the codes were categorized based on similarity and proportion, and finally 12
      subcategories and three categories were elicited including efforts to perform
      self-care in order to prevent HD, poor life style as a factor not to do
      preventive HD and health continuation with positive changes in life style.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most participants, despite intending to do self-care behaviors to
      prevent HD, due to factors such as time constraint, high costs, laziness,
      impatience and prioritizing other life affairs, did not pay attention to their
      health. Therefore, providing the training programs with an emphasis on life
      skills can play an important role in reducing perceived response cost and
      promoting health.

PMID- 28894555
TI  - Information management in Iranian Maternal Mortality Surveillance System.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality is preventable by proper information management
      and is the main target of the Maternal Mortality Surveillance System (MMSS). AIM:
      This study aimed to determine the status of information management in the Iranian
      Maternal Mortality Surveillance System (IMMSS). METHODS: The population of this
      descriptive and analytical study, which was conducted in 2016, included 96
      administrative staff of health and treatment deputies of universities of medical
      sciences and the Ministry of Health in Iran. Data were gathered by a five-part
      questionnaire with confirmed validity and reliability. A total of 76
      questionnaires were completed, and data were analyzed using SPSS software,
      version 19, by descriptive and inferential statistics. The relationship between
      variables "organizational unit" and the four studied axes was studied using
      Kendall's correlation coefficient test. RESULTS: The status of information
      management in IMMSS was desirable. Data gathering and storage axis and data
      processing and compilation axis achieved the highest (2.7+/-0.46) and the lowest
      (2.4+/-0.49) mean scores, respectively. The data-gathering method, control of a
      sample of women deaths in reproductive age in the universities of medical
      sciences, use of international classification of disease, and use of this system
      information by management teams to set resources allocation achieved the lowest
      mean scores in studied axes. Treatment deputy staff had a more positive attitude
      toward the status of information management of IMMSS than the health deputy staff
      (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Although the status of information management in IMMSS was
      desirable, it could be improved by modification of the data-gathering method;
      creating communication links between different data resources; a periodic sample
      control of women deaths in reproductive age in the universities of medical
      sciences; and implementing ICD-MM and integration of its rules on a unified
      system of death.

PMID- 28894556
TI  - How We Manage Invasive Fungal Disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients with
      Glucose 6 Dehydrogenase Deficiency.
AB  - Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) represents a common human enzyme defect,
      particularly prevalent in the Mediterranean, African e Asian area, where malaria
      was or is still endemic. Recently, we identified G6PD deficiency as a risk factor
      for developing invasive fungal disease (IFD) and particularly Candida Sepsis in
      patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML),
      suggesting that there is an urgent need for strategies to properly manage this
      kind of patients at high risk of invasive mycoses. Here we propose our algorithm
      for correct identification, prophylaxis, and treatment of IFD in patients with
      G6PD deficiency undergoing intensive chemotherapy for AML.

PMID- 28894557
TI  - Clinico-Pathological Spectrum and Novel Karyotypic Findings in Myelodysplastic
      Syndrome: Experience of Tertiary Care Center in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogeneous disorder
      characterized clinically by the presence of cytopenia/s. Limited data are
      available about the morphological spectrum and cytogenetic profile of Indian MDS
      patients. The aim of the study was to ascertain the clinico-pathological,
      morphological and cytogenetic spectrum of Indian MDS patients. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed with MDS from June
      2012 to December 2016 was performed. Their clinical and laboratory data were
      collated and reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 150 patients with primary MDS were
      evaluated with M: F ratio of 1.6:1 and the median age of 55.5 years. 64% patients
      presented with pancytopenia and 31% with bicytopenia. Morphologically they
      included MDS-MLD [63 (42%)], MDS-EB 2, [33 (22%)], MDS-EB 1 [32 (21.3%)], MDS-SLD
      [13 (8.6%)] and two cases (1.4%) each of MDS-SLD-RS, MDS-MLD-RS, and RCC. An
      abnormal cytogenetic profile was detected in 50% patients. Complex karyotype was
      observed to be the commonest abnormality (32.5%), and chromosome 7 was the most
      frequently involved chromosome. Isolated deletion 5q was seen in 6.9 % cases.
      Novel translocations like t(9;22)(q11.2;q34.2), t(1;5)(p22;q33),
      t(1;12)(p34;p11.2) and t(5;7;9)(q13;q32;p22) were observed in addition to other
      complex abnormalities. The majority of the patients belonged to the high risk
      IPSS-R prognostic groups (31.4%); followed by intermediate and very high-risk
      groups, 29% and 24.4% respectively. CONCLUSION: The median age of patients in
      India is a decade younger than the western population. Complex karyotype was
      observed to be the commonest cytogenetic abnormality, while the frequency of
      deletion 5q and trisomy 8 was much lower as compared to the west. The majority of
      the patients were in high to very high IPSS-R risk categories and seventy percent
      individuals below 40 years showed abnormal karyotype, indicating that Indian MDS
      patients have high disease burden at a young age and thus more likelihood for
      leukemic transformation.

PMID- 28894558
TI  - EBV and HHV-6 Circulating Subtypes in People Living with HIV in Burkina Faso,
      Impact on CD4 T cell count and HIV Viral Load.
AB  - Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) are responsible for
      severe diseases, particularly in immunocompromised persons. There is limited data
      of the infection of these opportunistic viruses in Burkina Faso. The purpose of
      this study was to characterize EBV and HHV-6 subtypes and to assess their impact
      on CD4 T cell count, HIV-1 viral load and antiretroviral treatment in people
      living with HIV-1. The study population consisted of 238 HIV-positive patients
      with information on the CD4 T cell count, HIV-1 viral load and HAART. Venous
      blood samples collected in EDTA tubes were used for EBV and HHV-6 Real Time PCR
      subtyping. An infection rate of 6.7% (16/238) and 7.1% (17/238) were found
      respectively for EBV and HHV-6 in the present study. Among EBV infections,
      similar prevalence was noted for both subtypes (3.9% (9/238) for EBV-1 vs 4.6%
      (11/238) for EBV-2) with 2.1% (5/238) of co-infection. HHV-6A infection
      represented 6.3% (15/238) of the study population against 5.0% (12/238) for HHV
      6B. EBV-2 infection was significantly higher in patients with CD4 T cell count >=
      500 compared to those with CD4 T cell count less than 500 cells (1.65% vs 8.56%,
      p = 0,011). The prevalence of EBV and HHV-6 infections was almost similar in
      HAART-naive and HAART-experienced patients. The present study provides
      information on the prevalence of EBV and HHV-6 subtypes in people living with HIV
      1 in Burkina Faso. The study also suggests that HAART treatment has no effect on
      infection with these opportunistic viruses in people living with HIV-1.

PMID- 28894559
TI  - Pattern of Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity Using Transcranial Doppler
      Ultrasonography in Children with Sickle Cell Disorder in Lagos State, Nigeria.
AB  - : Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a common, devastating neurological
      complication of sickle cell disorder (SCD) with a high recurrent and mortality
      rate. The Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anaemia study (STOP) recommends
      routine screening with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in children aged two
      to sixteen years with SCD. The present study assessed cerebral blood flow
      velocities of children with SCD in accordance with the recommendation of routine
      screening by the STOP study. METHODS: Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was
      done for children with SCD that attended Sickle Cell Foundation, Nigeria between
      July and November 2015. RESULTS: In all, 388 subjects were screened within the
      study period (360 HbSS and 28 HbSC). The prevalence of abnormal Time-Averaged
      Maximum Mean Velocity (TAMMV) of at least 200 cm/second was 10.8%: this was seen
      solely in HbSS subjects. The mean Time-averaged mean of the maximum (TAMM)
      velocity were 163+/-25 cm/sec, 162+/-30 cm/sec and 150+/-30 cm/sec for children
      less than five years, five to ten years and eleven to sixteen years respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of abnormal TAMM velocity in children with HbSS is
      10.8%. Identification of subjects at risk helped in primary CVA prevention by
      prompt therapy institution.

PMID- 28894560
TI  - POEMS SYNDROME: an Update.
AB  - POEMS syndrome is a rare, chronic and disabling condition. The causes of this
      condition remain unknown; however, chronic overproduction of proinflammatory
      cytokines appears to be a major contributor. Early diagnosis is essential to
      start treatment before the clinical state of the patient becomes compromised. A
      complete evaluation of the disease at its onset is critical to the treatment
      decision. In localized disease, curative doses of radiation (50 Gy) is the
      recommended therapy. On the other hand, patients with disseminated disease should
      be given systemic therapy. Treatment-related morbidity can be minimized by an
      efficient induction therapy that modifies the cytokine status, improving clinical
      condition and control disease severity before mobilization and transplantation.
      Patients not suitable for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are
      usually treated with alkylator-based therapy. Novel agents may also offer
      benefits to patients with a poor performance status or renal dysfunction, and
      induce transplantation eligibility. Given the biological characteristics of
      POEMS, immunomodulatory effects and the absence of neurotoxicity, lenalidomide
      appears to be an effective therapy for the treatment of POEMS, both as short
      induction therapy before PBSCT and in non-transplant eligible patients, as it
      showed high response rate and durable responses. At present, however, guidelines
      for the diagnosis and treatment of POEMS are not available and appear advocated.

PMID- 28894561
TI  - Solitary Plasmacytoma.
AB  - Solitary plasmacytoma is a rare disease characterized by a localized
      proliferation of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells, without evidence of systemic
      disease. It can be subdivided into solitary bone plasmacytoma if the lesion
      originates in bone, or solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma if the lesion
      involves a soft tissue. The incidence of solitary bone plasmacytoma is higher
      than solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma. Also, the prognosis is different: even
      if both forms respond well to treatment, overall survival and progression-free
      survival of solitary bone plasmacytoma are poorer than solitary extramedullary
      plasmacytoma due to its higher rate of evolution in multiple myeloma. However,
      the recent advances in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma can better refine also
      the diagnosis of plasmacytoma. Flow cytometry studies and molecular analysis may
      reveal clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow; magnetic resonance imaging or 18
      Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography could better define osteolytic
      bone lesions. A more explicit exclusion of possible occult systemic involvement
      can avoid cases of misdiagnosed multiple myeloma patients, which were previously
      considered solitary plasmacytoma and less treated, with an unavoidable poor
      prognosis. Due to the rarity of the disease, there is no uniform consensus about
      prognostic factors and treatment. Radiotherapy is the treatment of choice;
      however, some authors debate about the radiotherapy dose and the relationship
      with the response rate. Moreover, the role of surgery and chemotherapy is still
      under debate. Nevertheless, we must consider that the majority of studies include
      a small number of patients and analyze the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy;
      few cases are reported concerning the efficacy of novel agents.

PMID- 28894562
TI  - Non-Secretory Myeloma: Ready for a new Definition?
AB  - Non-secretory myeloma is a rare myeloma subtype whose diagnosis, until a few
      years ago, was established by demonstration of monoclonal plasma cells >=10% in
      the bone marrow and by negative results on serum and urine electrophoresis and
      immunofixation studies. However, this type of myeloma could be misdiagnosed if
      the workup does not include an accurate study of serum free light chain test
      since some of the patients diagnosed as non-secretory could be light chain only
      with small amounts monoclonal proteinuria. Due to this limit in classification,
      all the information available today, generally coming from retrospective studies
      including patients studied completely and incompletely, could be misleading. A
      new definition is, thus, needed to distinguish between the true non-secretory,
      with a possible better prognosis, and the other forms of oligo-secretory myeloma
      with a prognosis more similar to the secretory form of myeloma. With all the data
      of the literature, the availability of laboratory and radiological tools, times
      are mature to depict a new definition of nonsecretory myeloma that deserves a
      peculiar work up and different response evaluation and, may be, a different
      therapeutic approach.

PMID- 28894563
TI  - Hairy B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorder and its Differential Diagnosis: a Case
      with Long-Term Follow-Up.
AB  - Hairy B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder (HBLD) is one of chronic polyclonal B
      cell lymphocytosis. We report a 47-year-old female Japanese patient diagnosed as
      having HBLD based on lymphocytosis with hairy cell appearance and characteristic
      phenotypes including CD11c+ and without B-cell monoclonality. She was a non
      smoker and possessed HLA-DR4. She has been closely followed up without treatment
      and lymphoma development for over five years. Although this disease is quite rare
      and has been reported, to our knowledge, in only 13 Japanese cases, an accurate
      diagnosis, particularly differential diagnosis from persistent polyclonal B-cell
      lymphocytosis or hairy cell leukemia-Japanese variant is essential for the
      prevention of unnecessary treatments.

PMID- 28894564
TI  - Should every Patient with MDS get Iron Chelation - Probably Yes.

PMID- 28894565
TI  - Hematological Characteristics of Yemeni Adults and Children with Visceral
      Leishmaniasis. Could Eosinopenia be a Suspicion Index?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Delay in the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL)
      particularly in non-endemic areas is associated with higher mortality. In our
      experience, we found that marked bone marrow eosinopenia was a very frequent
      accompaniment of VL and might be a useful clue for the diagnosis, which indicates
      the opportunity for further morphological assessment. The aim of this study was
      to describe the hematological characteristics including peripheral blood and bone
      marrow findings of Yemeni adults and children with VL. METHODS: We conducted a
      descriptive analytic study to evaluate systematically peripheral blood and bone
      marrow findings of Yemeni adults and children with VL. Peripheral blood and bone
      marrow aspiration of patients with bone marrow aspirate confirmed VL were
      examined. Forty-seven patients with the main age (+/-SD) of 17.34+/-11.37 years
      (Range: 1-60) were included in the study. Fifty-one non-VL subjects with
      splenomegaly and pancytopenia or bicytopenia served as control group. RESULTS:
      All patients with VL had anemia, 41 (87%) leukopenia, 42 (89%) neutropenia, 44
      (94%) thrombocytopenia, 42 (89%) eosinopenia, 34 (72%) pancytopenia and 13 (28%)
      had bicytopenia. In bone marrow examination 40 (85%) showed hypercellularity, 44
      (94%) eosinopenia, 24 (51%) dyserythropoiesis, 22 (47%) lymphocytosis, 8 (17%)
      plasmacytosis, 27 (57%) decreased iron stores and 20 (43%) showed decreased
      sideroblasts. Comparison of VL patients with the control group showed
      significantly more frequent peripheral blood eosinopenia and lymphopenia and
      marrow eosinopenia. There was no significant difference between adults and
      children in any of the hematological features. CONCLUSION: Anemia, leukopenia,
      neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, eosinopenia, pancytopenia and marked bone marrow
      eosinopenia were the most common findings. The finding of marked bone marrow
      eosinopenia is a significant clue for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in
      patients who present with splenomegaly associated with cytopenias. This finding
      is particularly valuable in non-endemic areas.

PMID- 28894566
TI  - Methyl jasmonate induction of cotton: a field test of the 'attract and reward'
      strategy of conservation biological control.
AB  - Natural or synthetic elicitors can affect plant physiology by stimulating direct
      and indirect defence responses to herbivores. For example, increased production
      of plant secondary metabolites, a direct response, can negatively affect
      herbivore survival, development and fecundity. Indirect responses include
      increased emission of plant volatiles that influence herbivore and natural enemy
      behaviour, and production of extrafloral nectar that serves as a food source for
      natural enemies after their arrival on induced plants. Therefore, the use of
      elicitors has potential for the study of basic aspects of tritrophic
      interactions, as well as application in biorational pest control, i.e. an
      'attract and reward' strategy. We conducted a field study to investigate the
      effects of methyl jasmonate, an elicitor of plant defence responses, on three
      trophic levels: the plant, herbivores and natural enemies. We made exogenous
      applications of methyl jasmonate to transgenic cotton and measured volatile
      emission, extrafloral nectar production and plant performance (yield). We also
      assessed insect abundance, insect performance, and parasitism and predation of
      brown stink bug, Euschistus servus, eggs in methyl jasmonate-treated and
      untreated control plots. Application of methyl jasmonate increased emission of
      volatiles, in particular, (+)-limonene and (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene,
      and production of extrafloral nectar, but not yield, compared with the control
      treatment. Despite increased volatile and extrafloral nectar production, methyl
      jasmonate application did not affect plant bug performance, or mortality of E.
      servus egg masses, and only marginally influenced insect abundance. Mortality of
      E. servus eggs varied over the course of the study. Overall, methyl jasmonate
      treatment affected cotton plant-induced responses, but not the insects that
      inhabit the plants. Our results were probably influenced by reduced natural enemy
      colonization of cotton from adjacent non-crop habitats, and subsequent low within
      field population recruitment. Much remains to be learned about the effects of
      exogenous application of plant-produced 'enhancers' on the behaviour of natural
      enemies before crop physiology can be manipulated to enhance pest control.

PMID- 28894567
TI  - An indicator approach to capture impacts of white-tailed deer and other ungulates
      in the presence of multiple associated stressors.
AB  - Management of ungulates is contested ground that lacks stakeholder agreement on
      desirable population sizes and management approaches. Unfortunately, we often
      miss information about extent of local impacts, for example on plant communities,
      to guide management decisions. Typical vegetation impact assessments like the
      woody browse index do not assess herbaceous plants, and differences in browse
      severity can be a function of deer density, deer legacy effects, localized deer
      feeding preferences and/or differences in plant community composition.
      Furthermore, in heavily affected areas, few remnant plants may remain for
      assessments. We used a sentinel approach to assess impact of white-tailed deer
      (Odocoileus virginianus), rodent attack, invasive earthworms and three invasive
      plants on survival and growth of 3-month-old red oak (Quercus rubra) individuals.
      We planted cohorts in 2010 and 2011 into deer accessible and fenced 30 * 30 m
      plots at 12 forests in New York State. We found year and site-specific effects
      with high deer herbivory of unprotected individuals (70-90 % of oaks browsed by
      deer versus none in fenced areas) far exceeding importance of rodent attacks.
      Oaks planted at low earthworm density sites were at significantly higher risk of
      being browsed compared with oaks at high earthworm density sites, but there was
      no detectable negative effect of invasive plants. Surviving oaks grew (~2 cm per
      year) under forest canopy cover, but only when fenced. We consider planting of
      oak or other woody or herbaceous sentinels to assess deer browse pressure a
      promising method to provide quantifiable evidence for deer impacts and to gauge
      success of different management techniques. The strength of this approach is that
      typical problems associated with multiple stressor impacts can be avoided, areas
      devoid of forest floor vegetation but under heavy deer browse pressure can still
      be assessed and the method can be implemented by non-specialists. Implementation
      of regular assessments can guide ungulate management based on meaningful
      evidence.

PMID- 28894568
TI  - Perspectives on non-target site mechanisms of herbicide resistance in weedy plant
      species using evolutionary physiology.
AB  - Evolutionary physiology merges the disciplines of evolution and physiology, and
      it is a research approach that has not received much attention for studying the
      development of herbicide resistance. This paper makes a case for using
      evolutionary physiology more frequently when studying herbicide resistance, and
      illustrates this using three areas where more work would be useful: (i) the
      interaction among major and minor alleles over many generations during the
      evolution of physiological responses that lead to specific mechanisms of
      resistance; (ii) the role of epigenetic factors, especially at an early stage of
      evolution, on the physiological modifications that result in phenotypes that
      become insensitive to herbicides; and (iii) the interaction between fitness and
      physiological performance over time, with emphasis on understanding mechanisms
      that improve the fitness of herbicide-resistant phenotypes during selection.

PMID- 28894569
TI  - Substantial variation in the timing of pollen production reduces reproductive
      synchrony between distant populations of Pinus sylvestris L. in Scotland.
AB  - The ability of a population to genetically adapt to a changing environment is
      contingent not only on the level of existing genetic variation within that
      population, but also on the gene flow received from differently adapted
      populations. Effective pollen-mediated gene flow among plant populations requires
      synchrony of flowering. Therefore differences in timing of flowering among
      genetically divergent populations may reduce their ability to adapt to
      environmental change. To determine whether gene flow among differently adapted
      populations of native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in Scotland was restricted by
      differences in their flowering phenology, we measured timing of pollen release
      among populations spanning a steep environmental gradient over three consecutive
      seasons (2014-2016). Results showed that, over a distance of 137 km, there were
      as many as 15.8 days' difference among populations for the predicted timing of
      peak pollen shedding, with the earliest development in the warmer west of the
      country. There was much variation between years, with the earliest development
      and least synchrony in the warmest year (2014) and latest development and
      greatest synchrony in the coolest year (2015). Timing was negatively correlated
      with results from a common-garden experiment, indicative of a pattern of
      countergradient variation. We conclude that the observed differences in
      reproductive synchrony were sufficient to limit gene flow via pollen between
      populations of P. sylvestris at opposite ends of the environmental gradient
      across Scotland. We also hypothesize that continually warming, or asymmetrically
      warming spring temperatures will decrease reproductive synchrony among pine
      populations.

PMID- 28894570
TI  - NADPH oxidase inhibitor, diphenyleneiodonium prevents necroptosis in HK-2 cells.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of the
      NADPH oxidase inhibitor, diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) against necroptosis in renal
      tubular epithelial cells. A necroptosis model of HK-2 cells was established using
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone and
      antimycin A (collectively termed TZA), as in our previous research. The
      necroptosis inhibitor, necrostatin-1 (Nec-1) or the NADPH oxidase inhibitor, DPI
      were administered to the necroptosis model. Production of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) was detected by dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate in the different
      groups, and the manner of cell death was identified by flow cytometry. Western
      blot analysis was used to determine the levels of phosphorylation of receptor
      interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP-3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL),
      which are essential to necroptosis. The results revealed that TZA increased the
      percentages of propidium iodide-positive HK-2 cells from 1.22+/-0.69 to 8.98+/
      0.73% (P<0.001), and augmented the phosphorylation of RIP-3 and MLKL. ROS levels
      were increased in the TZA group compared with the control group (27.74+/-1.60*104
      vs. 18.51+/-1.10*104, respectively; P<0.001), and could be inhibited by Nec-1
      (TZA + Nec-1 group, 22.90+/-2.22*104 vs. TZA group, 27.74+/-1.60*104; P=0.01).
      DPI decreased ROS production (TZA + DPI group, 22.13+/-1.86*104 vs. TZA group,
      27.74+/-1.60*104; P<0.001) and also reduced the proportions of necrosis in the
      necroptosis model (TZA + DPI group, 4.40+/-1.51% vs. TZA group, 8.98+/-0.73%;
      P<0.001). Phosphorylated RIP-3 and MLKL were also decreased by DPI treatment. The
      results indicate that ROS production increases in HK-2 cells undergoing
      necroptosis, and that the NADPH oxidase inhibitor, DPI may protect HK-2 cells
      from necroptosis via inhibition of ROS production.

PMID- 28894571
TI  - Vonoprazan 10 mg daily is effective for the treatment of patients with proton
      pump inhibitor-resistant gastroesophageal reflux disease.
AB  - Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is commonly treated by primary care
      physicians. Although proton pump inhibitors (PPI) have been the mainstay of GERD
      treatment for two decades, in some patients GERD is refractory to standard dose
      PPI for more than eight weeks and is referred to as PPI-resistant GERD.
      Vonoprazan, a novel competitive acid blocker, became available in Japan for the
      treatment of patients with GERD, and has greater acid inhibition than existing
      PPIs. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of vonoprazan 10
      mg daily on PPI-resistant GERD. We retrospectively reviewed 24 patients with PPI
      resistant GERD treated with vonoprazan 10 mg daily. The Izumo scale was used to
      evaluate the effect of vonoprazan before and one month after treatment, which
      reflects quality of life related to gastrointestinal symptoms. The overall rates
      of improvement and resolution of GERD symptoms were 88% (21/24) and 42% (10/24),
      respectively, and the score was significantly decreased (before 5.8+/-1.7, at one
      month 1.9+/-1.9, P<0.001). To evaluate the influence of esophageal erosions
      despite prior PPI treatment, the patients were divided into erosive (n=6) and non
      erosive groups (n=18). Vonoprazan achieved 100% (6/6) improvement in the erosive
      group and 83% (15/18) in the non-erosive group. Patients in the erosive group had
      a significantly higher rate of resolution than in the non-erosive group [83%
      (5/6) vs 28% (5/18), P=0.017]. No adverse events occurred. Other GI symptoms in
      patients with PPI-resistant GERD were evaluated. The scores for epigastric pain,
      postprandial distress, constipation and diarrhea were unchanged during the
      treatment period. In conclusion, vonoprazan 10 mg daily is effective for the
      treatment of patients with PPI-resistant GERD. Vonoprazan resolves GERD symptoms
      in patients with erosions more than in those without erosions. This is the first
      report on the effect of vonoprazan 10 mg on PPI-resistant GERD.

PMID- 28894572
TI  - Comparison between digital and optical microscopy: Analysis in a mouse gut
      inflammation model.
AB  - Virtual microscopy is currently widely used for various purposes, such as
      teaching, archiving, collaborations and research. Although the cost of this
      technique has reduced, it continues to be expensive for the majority of
      laboratories in developing countries. The Graduate Program in Pathology at the
      Federal Fluminense University (Niteroi, Brazil) has acquired equipment for
      virtual microscopy. However, this novel method faced prejudice, as students and
      technicians were skeptical about its reliability. Thus, the aim of the current
      study was to evaluate whether virtual microscopy is a reliable method of analysis
      for our research. Thus, a mouse gut inflammation model developed by our research
      group was used in the present study. Analysis was performed using optical
      microscopy and digital imaging using the APERIO scanning system and the
      ImageScope(r) software. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), intra epithelial
      leucocytes (IEL), and villi number and area were evaluated. No significant
      differences were observed in villi number, IEC and IEL; however, the villi area
      was significantly smaller when measured using the computer. Thus, the present
      study indicates that virtual microscopy is a trustworthy method for research
      purposes.

PMID- 28894573
TI  - Prevalence of hepatitis C in people who inject drugs in the cities of Rawalpindi
      and Islamabad, Pakistan.
AB  - Pakistan has the second highest burden of hepatitis C (HCV) in the world. The
      major route of HCV transmission is contaminated blood or needle sharing. Seventy
      percent of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) shared needles at some time in their
      addiction history. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of
      HCV in PWIDs in cities of Pakistan. We enrolled 100 PWIDs from the Rawalpindi and
      Islamabad cities of Pakistan. Blood samples were taken in collection tubes and
      were subjected to HCV screening by using three rapid HCV screening kits including
      one step anti-HCV test, onsite HCV Ab rapid test and advance quality rapid anti
      HCV test. All 100 blood samples were also subjected to HCV detection by using
      Elecsys anti-HCV II performed on the Roche Cobas 601 platform based on the ECLIA
      principle. Seventy-two percent of PWIDs showed the presence of HCV antibodies
      using the Roche anti-HCV II ECLIA test. We also compared the performance of
      different rapid kits in comparison with the anti-HCV II by Roche. The sensitivity
      of CTK kit was 84.72%, which was almost equal to the sensitivity by the SD
      Bioline HCV and Advanced Quality Rapid HCV tests, which was 83.33%. All three
      kits showed 100% specificity and positive predictive values. The results showed
      that the three market competitors of HCV rapid test showed almost equal results.
      The prevalence of HCV is very high in PWIDs in the capital twin cities of
      Pakistan. There is dire need to initiate the administration of a hepatitis test
      and treatment program for both high-risk and the general HCV-positive population.
      This is the optimal way to achieve HCV control targets established by the United
      Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Global Health Sector Strategy by WHO.

PMID- 28894575
TI  - Genomic imbalances and MYB fusion in synchronous bilateral adenoid cystic
      carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast.
AB  - The incidence of synchronous bilateral breast carcinomas (BBCs) has increased
      with a more frequent use of magnetic resonance imaging screening of the
      contralateral breast in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. A total of 30%
      of all BBCs occur synchronously. In the present study, we describe a unique case
      of synchronous BBC in a 59-year-old previously healthy woman with no known family
      history of breast or ovarian cancer. At the time of diagnosis the patient had an
      invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) in the right breast and an adenoid cystic
      carcinoma (ACC) in the left breast. To the best of our knowledge, this is the
      first published case of bilateral, simultaneously occurring ACC and ILC of the
      breast. Genome-wide genomic profiling of the tumors revealed that they had
      distinctly different genomic imbalances. The ACC had a 5.7 Mb interstitial 6q
      deletion with a breakpoint located in the 3'-part of MYB, resulting in loss of
      the last coding exon of MYB and its 3'-UTR. RT-PCR analysis confirmed that the
      tumor expressed an ACC-specific MYB-NFIB fusion transcript. In contrast, the ILC
      had no rearrangements of 6q or MYB-NFIB gene fusion but showed instead gain of
      1q21.1-qter, loss of 16q11.2-qter, and 22q12.2-q12.3 as the sole genomic
      imbalances. Notably, concurrent gains of 1q and losses of 16q are characteristic
      features of ILC. Collectively, our findings indicate that the ACC and ILC had
      originated independently of each other and that the MYB-NFIB fusion is a specific
      biomarker for breast ACC.

PMID- 28894574
TI  - Decreased activity of plasma ADAMTS13 are related to enhanced cytokinemia and
      endotoxemia in patients with acute liver failure.
AB  - Deficient ADAM metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type-1 motif, member 13
      (ADAMTS13) activity (ADAMTS13:AC) results in the accumulation of unusually large
      von Willebrand factor multimers (UL-VWFM) and causes microcirculatory
      disturbances and multiple organ failure, while endotoxins trigger the activation
      of a coagulation cascade. The objective of the present study was to explore the
      role of ADAMTS13 in endotoxemia in patients with acute liver failure (ALF).
      Plasma concentrations of endotoxin and cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6
      and IL-8, and activity of the plasma ADAMTS13 inhibitor were determined, along
      with ADAMTS13:AC, the VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) and UL-VWFM, in 27 patients with acute
      hepatitis (AH), 11 patients with ALF, and 10 healthy controls. IL-6 and IL-8
      concentrations on admission were significantly higher in patients with ALF than
      in those with AH or in healthy controls. ADAMTS13:AC concomitantly decreased and
      VWF:Ag progressively increased with increasing cytokine concentrations from the
      normal range to >100 pg/ml. The inhibitor was detected in 8 patients with ALF
      (0.6 to 2.4 BU/ml) and 6 patients with AH (0.6 to 0.8 BU/ml). Patients with the
      inhibitor reported lower ADAMTS13:AC, higher VWF:Ag and lower functional liver
      capacity than those without the inhibitor. Collectively, the findings suggested
      that decreased ADAMTS13:AC and increased VWF:Ag may be induced by pro
      inflammatory cytokinemia as well as the presence of the ADAMTS13 inhibitor, both
      of which may be closely related to enhanced endotoxemia in patients with ALF.

PMID- 28894576
TI  - First-line chemotherapy with capecitabine/oxaliplatin for advanced gastric
      cancer: A phase I study.
AB  - Combination chemotherapy with capecitabine and oxaliplatin for gastric cancer (G
      XELOX) is considered as a potentially promising regimen. However, the use of the
      G-XELOX regimen in Japanese patients has not been investigated to date, and
      recommended doses of G-XELOX for Japanese patients with metastatic gastric cancer
      have not been established. The aim of the present study was to determine the
      maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) for systemic chemotherapy
      with G-XELOX for metastatic gastric cancer. The enrolled patients received
      systemic chemotherapy with oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 on day 1 and capecitabine 2,000
      mg/m2/day, b.i.d. for 14 days, repeated every 3 weeks. A decrease in oxaliplatin
      dose was planned from start level 1 (130 mg/m2). A total of 6 patients were
      enrolled between January and July 2015. MTD was not reached at level 1.
      Oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 in combination with capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/day b.i.d.
      could be administered with acceptable toxicity, and all patients were treated at
      these doses. One case of grade 3 stomatitis was considered as a dose-limiting
      toxicity at level 1; however, excluding this case, no grade 3 or 4 non
      hematological toxicity was observed. There were no treatment-related deaths. The
      median relative dose intensity was 71.3% for capecitabine and 92.1% for
      oxaliplatin. Of the 6 patients, 3 had measurable lesions according to the
      Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors; the response rate and disease
      control rate were both 67%. Therefore, systemic chemotherapy with G-XELOX was
      well-tolerated by patients with advanced gastric cancer. The RD was defined as
      oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 in combination with capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/day b.i.d.

PMID- 28894577
TI  - Effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on patients with primary vaginal squamous
      cell carcinoma.
AB  - Vaginal cancer is a rare gynecological malignancy, mainly treated by radiotherapy
      and surgery. However, the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on patients with
      vaginal cancer has not been extensively evaluated. The aim of the present study
      was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of irinotecan and cisplatin in the
      management of patients with vaginal squamous cell cancer (SCC). Two patients with
      International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) stage I and one
      patient with FIGO stage II vaginal SCC were treated with irinotecan (240 mg) and
      cisplatin (100 mg) every 3-4 weeks. The effect of chemotherapy after 2-4 courses
      was assessed and the next step of treatment was determined according to the
      outcome. In the present study, all 3 patients had complete remission after 2-4
      courses of chemotherapy. In case 1, the patient received a total of 6 courses of
      chemotherapy and had no recurrence after 45 months of follow-up. In case 2, the
      patient received 4 courses of chemotherapy and partial vaginal resection, and had
      no recurrence after 48 months of follow-up. In case 3, the patient underwent
      laparoscopic radical surgery and peritoneal vaginoplasty after 2 courses of
      chemotherapy, and no residual tumors were identified in the resected tissues on
      postoperative pathological examination. Effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy may
      decrease the size of the tumor, induce tumor regression, or even achieve
      pathologically-confirmed complete tumor eradication. Thus, neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy with irinotecan combined with cisplatin is a feasible treatment for
      patients with early-stage vaginal SCC. In the present study, all the patients
      achieved good therapeutic results following chemotherapy.

PMID- 28894578
TI  - Giant gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the vermiform appendix: A case report.
AB  - Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) of the vermiform appendix are rare,
      measuring <3 cm in 82.4% of the reported cases. Neoadjuvant therapy with the
      receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate has the potential to improve
      resectability and organ preservation rates in locally advanced or
      metastatic/recurrent GISTs. We herein report the case of a 67-year-old male
      patient with an unusually large GIST (22 cm in diameter) of uncertain origin in
      the right lower abdominal quadrant, with a solitary peritoneal metastasis. Due to
      the size of this GIST and presence of metastatic disease, neoadjuvant therapy
      with imatinib (400 mg/day orally) was administered. Follow-up imaging studies
      revealed marked shrinkage of the primary and metastatic tumors. Subsequently,
      laparoscopic exploration revealed that the main tumor originated from the tip of
      the vermiform appendix, and that the peritoneal metastasis was located in the
      ascending mesocolon. The patient underwent laparoscopic appendectomy and excision
      of the peritoneal metastasis, without tumor rupture. Therefore, in appropriately
      selected patients, neoadjuvant imatinib for borderline resectable or
      oligometastatic GISTs may be a reasonable choice.

PMID- 28894579
TI  - Metanephric adenoma treated with laparoscopic nephrectomy: A case report.
AB  - Metanephric adenoma is an uncommon benign renal tumor that occurs predominantly
      in adult females and rarely in children. Its histomorphology resembles that of
      epithelial Wilms' tumor and papillary renal cell carcinoma. From a diagnostic and
      therapeutic perspective, recognition of this entity is important as it has a more
      favorable clinical outcome compared with Wilms' tumor and renal cell carcinoma.
      Metanephric adenoma should not be treated with nephrectomy if the tumor size is
      small. However, preoperative diagnosis of this disease is extremely challenging.
      The present study describes a case of this rare disease, which was treated with
      laparoscopic nephrectomy. The tumor was not clearly enhanced in the early phase
      on contrast-enhanced computed tomography imaging. The immunohistochemical
      analysis revealed positive immunoreactivity for vimentin and Wilms' tumor 1, and
      partial positivity for cytokeratin (CK) AE1/AE3, CK56, and CK34, consistent with
      metanephric adenoma. Although metanephric adenoma is difficult to diagnose
      preoperatively, this rare disease must be considered in order to avoid
      unnecessary surgical procedures in these patients.

PMID- 28894580
TI  - Safety of total gastrectomy without nasogastric and nutritional intubation.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the safety of gastrectomy without
      nasogastric and nutritional intubations. Between January 2010 and August 2015, 74
      patients with gastric cancer received total gastric resection and esophagogastric
      anastomosis without nasogastric and nutritional intubations at the First
      Department of Digestive Surgery of the XiJing Hospital of Digestive Diseases
      (Xi'an, China), of whom 42 were also received earlier oral feeding within 48 h.
      The data were retrospectively analyzed. An additional 301 cases who underwent
      traditional postoperative intubation were used for comparison. In patients
      without intubation compared with those managed traditionally with intubation, the
      mean operative time was decreased (190.97+/-38.18 vs. 216.12+/-59.52 min,
      respectively; P=0.026). In addition, the postoperative activity was resumed
      earlier (1.16+/-0.47 vs. 1.36+/-0.84 days, respectively; P=0.009), oral food
      intake was started earlier (4.28+/-1.79 vs. 5.71+/-2.66 days, respectively;
      P=0.009), the incidence of fever was lower (12.16 vs. 29.23%, respectively;
      P=0.003), and the incidence of total complications was not statistically
      significantly different between the two groups (9.41 vs. 6.31%, respectively;
      P=0.317). There were no significant differences regarding complications of the
      anastomotic port (1.37 vs. 1.69%, respectively; P=0.849). Compared with
      traditional postoperative management, earlier oral feeding did not increase the
      incidence of complications (7.21 vs. 4.76%, respectively; P=0.557). Our results
      suggest that total gastric resection without nasogastric and nutritional
      intubation is a safe and feasible option for patients undergoing total
      gastrectomy.

PMID- 28894581
TI  - Positron emission tomography/computed tomography for osseous and soft tissue
      sarcomas: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.
AB  - In order to elucidate the value of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed
      tomography (CT) in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of osseous and soft
      tissue malignancies, two authors independently searched the PubMed, Medline,
      Elsevier, Embase and Cochrane Library databases for literature published between
      January 2003 and February 2016, using the key words 'PET/CT', 'positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography', 'osseous sarcoma', 'bone tumor', 'soft tissue
      sarcoma' and 'neoadjuvant', to identify prospective and retrospective studies on
      the applicability of PET/CT on the clinical diagnosis of bone and soft tissue
      lesions, and evaluation of their response to neoadjuvant therapies. Data were
      independently extracted by the two authors and any disagreements were resolved by
      a third author when necessary. Extracted data were analyzed by Meta-Disc 1.6
      software. As a result, 16 trials with a total of 883 patients and 2,214 lesions
      were included in the present study. The overall diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT
      exhibited a sensitivity and specificity of 0.90 (0.86-0.92) and 0.89 (0.85-0.92),
      respectively, and the effect of neoadjuvant therapy was assessed with a
      sensitivity and specificity of 0.79 (0.30-0.93) and 0.79 (0.69-0.89),
      respectively. Thus, it may be concluded from the present study that PET/CT is a
      reliable imaging method to be applied in the diagnosis and treatment of osseous
      and soft tissue malignancies.

PMID- 28894582
TI  - Prediction model and treatment of high-output ileostomy in colorectal cancer
      surgery.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to examine the risk factors of high-output
      ileostomy (HOI), which is associated with electrolyte abnormalities and/or stoma
      complications, and to create a prediction model. The medical records of 68
      patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery with ileostomy between 2011 and
      2016 were retrospectively investigated. All the patients underwent surgical
      resection for colorectal cancer at the Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and
      Cardiovascular Diseases (Osaka, Japan). A total of 7 patients with inadequate
      data on ileostomy output were excluded. Using a group of 50 patients who
      underwent surgery between 2011 and 2013, the risk of HOI was classified by a
      decision tree model using a partition platform. The HOI prediction model was
      validated in an additional group of 11 patients who underwent surgery between
      2014 and 2016. Univariate analysis of clinical factors demonstrated that young
      age (P=0.003) and high white blood cell (WBC) count (P<0.001) after surgery were
      significantly correlated with HOI. Operative factors, such as surgical procedure,
      approach, operative time and blood loss, were not significantly correlated with
      HOI. Using these clinical factors, the risk of HOI was classified by statistical
      partition. In this model, three factors (gender, age and WBC on postoperative day
      1) were generated for the prediction of HOI. The patients were classified into
      five groups, and HOI was observed in 0-88% of patients in each group. The area
      under the curve (AUC) was 0.838. The model was validated by an external dataset
      in an independent patient group, for which the AUC was 0.792. In conclusion, HOI
      patients were classified and an HOI prediction model was developed that may help
      clinicians in postoperative care.

PMID- 28894583
TI  - Evaluation of treatment for rectal neuroendocrine tumors sized under 20 mm in
      comparison with the WHO 2010 guidelines.
AB  - Rectal neuroendocrine tumor (NET) is a relatively rare lesion of the
      gastrointestinal tract, but the prospective examination with colonofiberoscopy or
      endoscopic ultrasound has increased the frequency of its detection. It is often
      difficult to determine the optimal treatment for NETs sized <20 mm in the
      clinical setting. Other clinicopathological variables are not considered in the
      current guidelines and staging systems. Although the effects of lymphovascular
      invasion are not covered by the World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 guidelines
      or tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system, this may be promising for the
      establishment of improved guidelines and staging systems, particularly for early
      stage colorectal carcinoids. The aim of the present study was to evaluate rectal
      NETs sized <20 mm in comparison with the WHO 2010 guidelines. Between January
      2005 and December 2013, 40 consecutive patients [26 men and 14 women; median age,
      59.3 years (range, 34-81 years)] who underwent endoscopic resection of rectal
      NETs, and 12 patients undergoing surgical resection of rectal NETs, were enrolled
      in this retrospective study. The median tumor size was 7.4 mm (range, 3-15 mm).
      The locations of the NET were the rectosigmoid colon (n=3), the upper rectum
      (n=13), and the lower rectum (n=25). The NETs were classified by size as 0-5
      (n=7), 6-10 (n=29) and 11-15 mm (n=4). The surgical procedures performed included
      low anterior resection plus esophagectomy (n=1), laparoscopic low anterior
      resection (n=7) and laparoscopic intersphincteric resection (n=4). Only 1 patient
      had lymph node metastasis (tumor sized 6-10 mm, with lymphovascular invasion).
      NET recurrence was not detected in any of the patients. According to the WHO
      guidelines, the tumors were classified as grade (G)1 (n=8), G2 (n=3) and G1/G2
      (n=1). The tumor in the patient with lymph node metastasis was G1. NETs sized <10
      mm may be curatively treated by endoscopic resection. However, NETs with either
      lymphovascular invasion or sized >1 cm carry a risk for metastasis equivalent to
      that of adenocarcinomas. Therefore, it is mandatory to histologically examine
      lymphovascular invasion in specimens retrieved via endoscopic resection to
      determine the necessity for further radical surgery with regional lymph node
      dissection. The treatment of NETs sized <20 mm as presently defined in the WHO
      2010 guidelines requires further evaluation.

PMID- 28894584
TI  - Serum human epididymis protein 4 levels in colorectal cancer patients.
AB  - Tumour markers are widely used for the diagnosis, staging and monitoring of
      colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in clinical practice. Carcinoembryonic antigen
      (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) are the most frequently used
      biomarkers in CRC patients. A number of studies have recently investigated the
      presence of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) overexpression in certain cancer
      types. Its significance in ovarian and endometrial cancer has been well
      demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the significance of
      serum HE4 levels in CRC patients. A total of 46 newly diagnosed CRC patients and
      36 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were included in the study. The
      concentrations of CEA and CA19-9 were also determined and compared according to
      HE4 levels. HE4 positivity was determined in 13 of the 46 cases (28.3%) in the
      CRC group, but no HE4-positive subjects were identified in the control group (0%;
      P=0.009). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for HE4
      positivity was 0.641 (95% CI: 0.523-0.760). HE4 was statistically significantly
      positive in patients with stage III-IV disease and in those with high CA 19-9
      levels (all P<0.01). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to
      investigate HE4 expression in CRC patients, and the findings suggest that it may
      be a useful biomarker, particularly in stage III-IV patients.

PMID- 28894585
TI  - Cell-based immunotherapy in stage IIIA inflammatory breast cancer with declining
      innate immunity following successive chemotherapies: A case report.
AB  - Cancer stem cells in breast cancer migrating to the bone marrow may cause future
      metastasis, particularly during periods of decreased immunity. Natural killer
      (NK) cells have a role in immune surveillance and are able to target cancer stem
      cells. The present study reported a case in which NK cell-based autologous immune
      enhancement therapy was used combined with conventional treatments in a patient
      with stage IIIA breast cancer, yielding >28 months of disease-free survival.
      However, there was a gradual decline in the in vitro expansion of NK cells with
      subsequent chemotherapeutic treatments. As this NK cell decline following
      chemotherapy may contribute to cancer cell immune evasion and future metastasis;
      modifying current cancer therapies in order to avoid potentially compromising the
      immune system may lead to improved treatment outcomes.

PMID- 28894586
TI  - A pilot study on the impact of dopamine, serotonin, and brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor genotype on long-term functional outcomes after subarachnoid
      hemorrhage.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Many that survive an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage experience
      lasting physical disability, which might be improved by medications with effects
      on the dopaminergic, serotonergic, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      neurotransmitter systems. But it is not clear which patients are most likely to
      benefit from these therapies. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the
      relationship of genetic polymorphisms in these pathways with 12-month functional
      outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: Subjects were
      recruited at the time of admission as a part of a larger parent study. Genotypes
      were generated using the Affymetrix genome-wide human single-nucleotide
      polymorphism array 6.0. Those within dopaminergic, serotonergic, and brain
      derived neurotrophic factor pathways were analyzed for associations with
      functional outcomes at 12 months post aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage using
      the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the Modified Rankin Scale. RESULTS: The 154
      subjects were 55.8 +/- 11.3 years old and 74% female; they had Fisher scores of
      2.95 +/- 0.67, Hunt/Hess scores of 2.66 +/- 1.13, and admission Glasgow Coma
      Scale scores of 12.52 +/- 3.79. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the serotonin
      receptor genes 1B and 1E and dopamine receptor D2 were associated with greater
      disability (odds ratio: 3.88-3.25, confidence interval: 1.01-14.77), while single
      nucleotide polymorphisms in the serotonin receptor genes 2A and 2C and dopamine
      receptor D5 conferred a risk of poor recovery (odds ratio: 3.31-2.32, confidence
      interval: 1.00-10.80). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the same serotonin
      genes, and within the dopamine receptor gene D2, were associated with greater
      recovery after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (odds ratio: 0.17-0.34,
      confidence interval: 0.05-0.89). CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that there
      may be an association between genetic factors and functional outcomes post
      stroke.

PMID- 28894587
TI  - Comparison of claims data on hospitalization rates and repeat procedures in
      patients receiving a bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate outcomes of colorectal screening using sodium picosulfate
      and magnesium citrate compared with other prescription bowel-preparation agents.
      Primary endpoints were rates of procedure-associated hospitalizations, diagnosis
      at hospitalization, and rates of early repeat screenings. METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort study identified patients using the Truven Health Analytics
      MarketScan databases, which contain fully adjudicated, de-identified, medical-
      and prescription-drug claims, as well as demographic and enrollment information
      for individuals with commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare supplemental insurance
      coverage. Patients who had a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy over a 3-year period
      were identified using International Classification of Diseases Clinical
      Modification procedure codes, recorded on claims from physicians and facilities.
      First, screening colonoscopy was identified for each patient, and the study was
      limited to those patients who could be observed for >=6 months before and 3
      months after the screening procedure. Total number of hospitalizations and rates
      of early repeat screenings were evaluated for all patients who received sodium
      picosulfate and magnesium citrate and compared with those who received other
      bowel-preparation agents. Individual prescription medications that could affect
      the outcome of the cleansing agent were identified; further evaluations were made
      to establish whether patients had comorbid conditions, such as chronic kidney
      disease, cardiovascular disease, or psychiatric illness. Statistical methods
      included descriptive statistics, two-tailed t-tests, and multivariate logistic
      regression. RESULTS: A total of 566,628 procedures were identified in the
      MarketScan databases and included in the study. Sodium picosulfate and magnesium
      citrate performed well in terms of safety outcomes, with no hospitalizations due
      to diagnosis of hyponatremia, dehydration, or other fluid disorders in the 10
      days after procedure. Early repeat rates among sodium picosulfate and magnesium
      citrate patients were comparable with rates observed for all other cleansing
      agents. CONCLUSION: Outcomes of colorectal screening using sodium picosulfate and
      magnesium citrate were not significantly different compared with other
      prescription bowel-preparation agents.

PMID- 28894588
TI  - Dysplastic pulmonary valve stenosis associated with unilateral absent first
      metacarpal: A rare association.
AB  - CONTEXT: Dysplastic pulmonary valve stenosis is a less common variety of valvular
      pulmonary stenosis. It is known to be part of Noonan syndrome. Bony hand
      anomalies in patients of pulmonary stenosis are very rare. CASE REPORT: A 50-year
      old lady, with no significant past history, presented with slowly progressive
      breathlessness and fatigue, and had progressed from NYHA class 1 to 2 over 2
      years. She had unilateral absent first metacarpal and diagnosed on workup to have
      dysplastic pulmonary valve stenosis and was treated with balloon valvuloplasty.
      CONCLUSION: Dysplastic pulmonary valve stenosis can rarely be associated with
      bony hand anomalies like absent first metacarpal.

PMID- 28894589
TI  - Automated detection of heart ailments from 12-lead ECG using complex wavelet sub
      band bi-spectrum features.
AB  - The complex wavelet sub-band bi-spectrum (CWSB) features are proposed for
      detection and classification of myocardial infarction (MI), heart muscle disease
      (HMD) and bundle branch block (BBB) from 12-lead ECG. The dual tree CW transform
      of 12-lead ECG produces CW coefficients at different sub-bands. The higher-order
      CW analysis is used for evaluation of CWSB. The mean of the absolute value of
      CWSB, and the number of negative phase angle and the number of positive phase
      angle features from the phase of CWSB of 12-lead ECG are evaluated. Extreme
      learning machine and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are used to
      evaluate the performance of CWSB features. Experimental results show that the
      proposed CWSB features of 12-lead ECG and the SVM classifier are successful for
      classification of various heart pathologies. The individual accuracy values for
      MI, HMD and BBB classes are obtained as 98.37, 97.39 and 96.40%, respectively,
      using SVM classifier and radial basis function kernel function. A comparison has
      also been made with existing 12-lead ECG-based cardiac disease detection
      techniques.

PMID- 28894590
TI  - TRPA1 channel mediates organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy.
AB  - The organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN), often leads to
      paresthesias, ataxia and paralysis, occurs in the late-stage of acute poisoning
      or after repeated exposures to organophosphate (OP) insecticides or nerve agents,
      and may contribute to the Gulf War Syndrome. The acute phase of OP poisoning is
      often attributed to acetylcholinesterase inhibition. However, the underlying
      mechanism for the delayed neuropathy remains unknown and no treatment is
      available. Here we demonstrate that TRPA1 channel (Transient receptor potential
      cation channel, member A1) mediates OPIDN. A variety of OPs, exemplified by
      malathion, activates TRPA1 but not other neuronal TRP channels. Malathion
      increases the intracellular calcium levels and upregulates the excitability of
      mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons in vitro. Mice with repeated exposures to
      malathion also develop local tissue nerve injuries and pain-related behaviors,
      which resembles OPIDN. Both the neuropathological changes and the nocifensive
      behaviors can be attenuated by treatment of TRPA1 antagonist HC030031 or
      abolished by knockout of Trpa1 gene. In the classic hens OPIDN model, malathion
      causes nerve injuries and ataxia to a similar level as the positive inducer tri
      ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), which also activates TRPA1 channel. Treatment with
      HC030031 reduces the damages caused by malathion or tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate.
      Duloxetine and Ketotifen, two commercially available drugs exhibiting TRPA1
      inhibitory activity, show neuroprotective effects against OPIDN and might be used
      in emergency situations. The current study suggests TRPA1 is the major mediator
      of OPIDN and targeting TRPA1 is an effective way for the treatment of OPIDN.

PMID- 28894591
TI  - Efficacy of oral contrast agents for upper gastrointestinal signal suppression in
      MRCP: A systematic review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orally administered substances which suppress signals from
      gastrointestinal fluid can be used to enhance image quality in magnetic resonance
      cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). In daily practice, the available substances
      range from commercial products to regular viands such as fruit juices. PURPOSE:
      To provide an overview on the significance of and the substances used as
      gastrointestinal fluid signal suppressors in MRCP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      systematic review of the existing literature was performed to evaluate the
      efficacy and efficiency of oral T2-signal suppressors in MRCP. RESULTS: Twenty
      five publications on 16 different oral contrast media were identified. The most
      commonly used substances were ferumoxsil, ferric ammonium citrate, and pineapple
      juice. Twenty-three out of 25 publications supported the use of oral signal
      suppressors in MRCP. Advantages of oral signal suppressors include improved
      visualization of the pancreatobiliary ductal system, increased help with
      differential diagnoses, and higher detection rates of relevant diagnoses due to a
      reduction of overlaying signals. CONCLUSION: The application of oral substances
      for gastrointestinal signal suppression in MRCP is recommendable. A variety of
      substances are used in daily routine with good but varying effectivity and
      patient tolerance.

PMID- 28894593
TI  - Bioresorbable coronary scaffolds in 2017.

PMID- 28894592
TI  - Changes in delta ADC reflect intracranial pressure changes in craniosynostosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with craniosynostosis, intracranial pressure (ICP) has
      been reported to increase even in the absence of overt symptoms. The early and
      non-invasive detection of intracranial hypertension is important for reducing the
      risk of abnormal brain development in pediatric patients. PURPOSE: To assess
      whether the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of white matter during the
      cardiac cycle (DeltaADC) would change after surgery to relieve ICP in children
      with craniosynostosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective study included ten
      patients diagnosed with craniosynostosis and four normal controls. All ten
      patients underwent magnetic resonance (MR) examinations before and after surgical
      treatment. Single-shot diffusion MR imaging (MRI) triggered by an
      electrocardiogram was performed, with regions of interest (ROIs) placed on
      frontal white matter and basal ganglia. RESULTS: In all ten patients, DeltaADC
      values after surgery were higher than those before surgery. This difference was
      statistically significant (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The
      change in DeltaADC in the frontal white matter before and after surgery in
      patients with craniosynostosis indicates that it might reflect the change in ICP.
      Measurements of DeltaADC could be a promising tool for non-invasive monitoring of
      ICP.

PMID- 28894594
TI  - Effectiveness and safety of the ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold for the
      treatment of coronary artery disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of
      randomized clinical trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the last years bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) become a new
      therapeutic option for interventional cardiologists, with the advantage of a
      scaffold inducing a possible vessel wall restoration. Nevertheless, several
      trials tried to prove the safety and efficacy profile of scaffolds, but with
      conflicting results. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was
      performed. The search was carried out in PubMed, Google Scholar, Biomed Central
      and Cochrane Library between January and March 2017. Inclusion criteria:
      randomized clinical trials (RCT) comparing the Absorb BVS versus durable polymer
      cobalt-chromium Everolimus Eluting Stent. The outcomes analysed were all-cause
      mortality, cardiac death, ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization, target
      vessel myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion failure (TLF)/device oriented
      composite endpoints (DOCE), and device thrombosis. Fixed-effect meta-analysis was
      performed. Data were expressed as odds ratio (OR). RESULTS: Overall 5,674
      patients were included (mean age 62.2+/-1.31 in drug eluting stents (DES) group
      vs. 62+/-1,47 in BVS group; P=0.942). DOCE (OR 1.16, 95% CI: 0.90-1.48; P=0.259,
      I2=0%), cardiac death (OR 0.86, 95% CI: 0.52-1.40; P=0.537, I2=0%) and all-cause
      death (OR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.53-1.15; P=0.205, I2=15%) did not differ between BVS
      and DES. Conversely, ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization was more
      frequent in the BVS group (OR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.01-1.73; P=0.039, I2=0%), as well
      as device thrombosis (2.2% vs. 0.6%, OR 2.94, 95% CI: 1.71-5.05, P=0.0001, I2=0%)
      and target-vessel MI (5.4% vs. 3%, OR 1.66, 95% CI: 1.25-2.21, P=0.001, I2=0%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The implantation of BVS is associated with an increased risk of
      device thrombosis, ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization and target
      vessel MI. If longer follow-up or different implantation technique may change
      these findings should be addressed in future trials.

PMID- 28894595
TI  - The impact of the 3-year ABSORB II trial results on my clinical practice: an
      Italian survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate how the 3-year results from the "A clinical evaluation to
      compare the safety, efficacy and performance of ABSORB everolimus eluting
      bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) system against XIENCE everolimus eluting
      coronary stent system in the treatment of subjects with ischemic heart disease
      caused by de novo native coronary artery lesions" (ABSORB II) trial have
      influenced clinical practice among Italian interventional cardiologists. METHODS:
      We performed a survey among 95 interventional cardiologists sending a brief
      questionnaire by electronic mail. We collected 65 replies and analysed the data.
      RESULTS: The opinion of the operators regarding the two main endpoints of the
      study ABSORB II was conflicting. However, 66% of the operators considered at
      least one of the two co-primary endpoints (late lumen loss or vasomotion)
      unreliable and not reflecting clinical practice. Asking about an explanation for
      the negative results of the study, we found that the 91% of the operators
      considered the implantation technique the main limit of the ABSORB II.
      Furthermore, 74% of the operators affirmed that the results from the study did
      not decrease the number of scaffold implanted in their cath-lab. CONCLUSIONS:
      Absorb II trial did not influence clinical practice among Italian interventional
      cardiologists mainly due to the overall idea that the co-primary endpoints were
      not adequate to provide a robust evidence on device clinical safety and also
      because the lack of experience on device implantation may have influenced the
      outcomes.

PMID- 28894596
TI  - Magmaris: a new generation metallic sirolimus-eluting fully bioresorbable
      scaffold: present status and future perspectives.
AB  - Drug-eluting stents (DES) have reached a high safety and efficacy profile,
      becoming the best option for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) based
      revascularization. However, despite their optimal performance, a few concerns
      remain regarding their use, mainly due to permanent caging of the vessels and its
      consequences, first of all late stent thrombosis (ST). Bioresorbable scaffolds
      (BRS) aim to overcome these issues. The results achieved in randomized controlled
      trials (RCT) by the first generation of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) based scaffolds
      were promising at 1 year, but the first long term reports (albeit flawed by non
      optimal implantation technique) have been disappointing, showing, for instance,
      an increased risk of ST and target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI). In such
      a scenario the advent of a newer generation magnesium (Mg) based BRS is welcome,
      mainly because of its innovative mechanical and chemical features coupled with
      well proven biocompatibility. Despite being in its infancy, this technology seems
      to promise a great potential. In our article, we review the Magmaris (Biotronik
      AG, Bulach, Switzerland) Mg BRS development from animal models to human use,
      underscore its best qualities and weaknesses, and provide hints of its possible
      future perspectives.

PMID- 28894597
TI  - BRS implantation in long lesions requiring device overlapping: myth or reality?
AB  - Dealing with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) implantation in long lesions
      requiring device overlapping in this particular moment might seem a little
      provocative for several reasons. First, most studies testing BVS have focused on
      their safety and efficacy profile in simple patients with simple lesions. Second,
      ABSORB II did not meet its primary endpoint, while ABSORB III showed a higher
      rate of target vessel-myocardial infarction (TV-MI) at 2 years. Third, data on
      porcine model showed that overlapping zone has delayed but greater neointimal
      proliferation with consequent higher risk for scaffold thrombosis in the short
      term and of in-scaffold restenosis in the long-term. Fourth, recently published
      data showed higher risk of TVF in patients treated with >=60 mm BVS. Given all
      these premises, it may seem right to put aside this technology, while it may seem
      inappropriate to hypothesize the use of BVS in long lesions. The aim of the
      present review is precisely to critically review the available evidences
      regarding BVS with particular regard to overlapping BVS in order to understand
      whether this technology has a future per se and especially in long coronary
      lesions requiring overlap.

PMID- 28894598
TI  - Mechanical behavior of polymer-based vs. metallic-based bioresorbable stents.
AB  - Bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) were developed to overcome the drawbacks of current
      metallic drug-eluting stents (DES), such as late in-stent restenosis and caging
      of the vessel permanently. The concept of the BRS is to provide transient support
      to the vessel during healing before being degraded and resorbed by the body,
      freeing the vessel and restoring vasomotion. The mechanical properties of the BRS
      are influenced by the choice of the material and processing methods. Due to
      insufficient radial strength of the bioresorbable material, BRS often required
      large strut profile as compared to conventional metallic DES. Having thick struts
      will in turn affect the deliverability of the device and may cause flow
      disturbance, thereby increasing the incidence of acute thrombotic events.
      Currently, the bioresorbable poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) polymer and magnesium (Mg)
      alloys are being investigated as materials in BRS technologies. The bioresorption
      process, mechanical properties, in vitro observations and clinical outcomes of
      PLLA-based and Mg-based BRS will be examined in this review.

PMID- 28894599
TI  - Occurrence and management of bioresorbable vascular scaffold failure in real-life
      studies.
AB  - Bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) has emerged as a new technology aiming at
      overcoming some drawbacks of the conventional metallic stent. In spite of the
      initial promising results, this technology stumbled upon numerous challenges,
      which were revealed in the real world studies. Thanks to real world trials and
      registries findings, our knowledge about the BVS has grown over time, thus we
      have understood on BVS behavior in various settings and formulated better
      implantation techniques. In this article, we will review the incidence of BVS
      failure in real world studies, its different etiologies and management
      strategies.

PMID- 28894600
TI  - Current concepts on coronary revascularization using BRS in patients with
      diabetes and small vessels disease.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus (DM) and small vessel (SV) disease are two major predictors of
      adverse outcome in patients treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI),
      even when last generation metallic drug-eluting stents (DES) are used.
      Bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) technology has been recently developed to overcome
      the disadvantages of metallic DES due to their permanent struts. Through the
      resorption process, BRS may provide a vascular restoration that appears very
      attractive especially when distal or diffusely diseased coronary segments are
      involved, as in diabetic patients and SV disease. However, robust evidence on the
      use of BRS in diabetics is lacking, and recent data have raised concerns on the
      use of BRS in SVs, particularly when reference vessel diameter (RVD) is <2.25 mm.
      This review aims at summarizing current evidence related to the use of BRS in
      diabetics and SV disease.

PMID- 28894601
TI  - The DESolve novolimus bioresorbable Scaffold: from bench to bedside.
AB  - The DESolve (Elixir Medical Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, USA) is a poly-L
      lactide-based polymer scaffold coated with the antiproliferative and anti
      inflammatory drug novolimus. The scaffold biodegrades within one year with a
      complete resorption in two years and in vitro bench test have shown the ability
      to supply the necessary radial strength to support the vessel for the critical 3-
      to 4-month period after implant. The DESolve showed the unique self-correction
      property, which may reduce the incidence of minor malapposition after deployment.
      Overexpansion with DESolve is safe since a high capability resistance to fracture
      has been demonstrated with this scaffold. The aim of this review is to provide a
      comprehensive overview of the available preclinical and clinical data regarding
      the DESolve.

PMID- 28894602
TI  - Methods to assess bioresorbable vascular scaffold devices behaviour after
      implantation.
AB  - Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BRS) represent a novel approach for coronary
      revascularization offering several advantages as compared to current generation
      DES, potentially reducing rate of late adverse events and avoiding permanent
      vessel caging. Nevertheless, safety concerns have been raised for an increased
      risk of scaffold thrombosis (ScT) in both early and late phases, probably related
      to a suboptimal scaffold implantation. In this context, the use of different
      imaging methodologies has been strongly suggested in order to guarantee an
      optimal implantation. We herein analyze the different imaging methodologies
      available to assess BRS after implantation and at follow-up.

PMID- 28894603
TI  - Are acute coronary syndromes an ideal scenario for bioresorbable vascular
      scaffold implantation?
AB  - Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BRS) represent the latest innovation in the
      field of interventional cardiology. BRS have recently been introduced in routine
      clinical practice and their use has progressively extended in everyday clinical
      practice. The BRS use appears theoretically attractive in patients presenting
      with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) as they are generally young with long life
      expectancy, thus possibly benefiting more of the so-called vascular reparative
      therapy. Furthermore, "culprit" lesions are usually softer and more easily
      expandable by current BRS compared to stable chronic lesions. However an
      increased risk of BRS thrombosis has been reported in clinical trials excluding
      ACS patients. Therefore, concerns have been raised on the safety of BRS
      implantation in the ACS setting in which the risk of thrombotic recurrences is
      definitely higher (compared to stable lesions) independently by the device
      implanted. Aim of this review is to provide an overview of the available data on
      the BRS performance in ACS patients.

PMID- 28894604
TI  - New generation bioresorbable scaffold technologies: an update on novel devices
      and clinical results.
AB  - Bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) represent a novel horizon in interventional
      cardiology and may lead to some potential long-term advantages including the
      restoration of vasomotion, positive remodeling and a reduced incidence of late
      and very-late scaffold thrombosis (ScT). This technology, introduced to overcome
      limitations of current metallic drug-eluting stents (DES), is constantly and
      rapidly evolving with many companies working on bioresorbable devices. The aim of
      this review is to present an update on the most promising scaffolds that are
      under development.

PMID- 28894605
TI  - Optical coherence tomography guidance during bioresorbable vascular scaffold
      implantation.
AB  - Bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BRS) represent a revolutionary concept in
      interventional cardiology. After initial enthusiasm, recent real world
      registries, including patients with increasing lesion complexity, reported not
      trivial rates of scaffold thrombosis (ScT). The importance of correct patients
      selection as well as technical aspects during BRS implantation procedures has
      been highlighted in several studies suggesting that the high rate of ScT might be
      related to uncorrected patients/lesions selection together with underutilization
      of intracoronary imaging guidance leading to suboptimal BRS implantation. The
      high-resolution power together with the lack of shadowing observed beyond polymer
      struts makes optical coherence tomography (OCT) the optimal imaging technique to
      guide BRS implantation and identifies eventually scaffolds failures.

PMID- 28894606
TI  - Corneal Nerve Regeneration after Self-Retained Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane in
      Dry Eye Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of self-retained cryopreserved amniotic
      membrane (CAM) in promoting corneal nerve regeneration and improving corneal
      sensitivity in dry eye disease (DED). METHODS: In this prospective randomized
      clinical trial, subjects with DED were randomized to receive CAM (study group) or
      conventional maximum treatment (control). Changes in signs and symptoms, corneal
      sensitivity, topography, and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) were evaluated at
      baseline, 1 month, and 3 months. RESULTS: Twenty subjects (age 66.9 +/- 8.9) were
      enrolled and 17 completed all follow-up visits. Signs and symptoms were
      significantly improved in the study group yet remained constant in the control.
      IVCM showed a significant increase in corneal nerve density in the study group
      (12,241 +/- 5083 MUm/mm2 at baseline, 16,364 +/- 3734 MUm/mm2 at 1 month, and
      18,827 +/- 5453 MUm/mm2 at 3 months, p = 0.015) but was unchanged in the control.
      This improvement was accompanied with a significant increase in corneal
      sensitivity (3.25 +/- 0.6 cm at baseline, 5.2 +/- 0.5 cm at 1 month, and 5.6 +/-
      0.4 cm at 3 months, p < 0.001) and corneal topography only in the study group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Self-retained CAM is a promising therapy for corneal nerve
      regeneration and accelerated recovery of the ocular surface health in patients
      with DED. The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov with trial identifier:
      NCT02764814.

PMID- 28894607
TI  - Evaluation of Cholinergic Deficiency in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease Using
      Pupillometry.
AB  - Cortical cholinergic deficiency is prominent in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and
      published findings of diminished pupil flash response in AD suggest that this
      deficiency may extend to the visual cortical areas and anterior eye. Pupillometry
      is a low-cost, noninvasive technique that may be useful for monitoring
      cholinergic deficits which generally lead to memory and cognitive disorders. The
      aim of the study was to evaluate pupillometry for early detection of AD by
      comparing the pupil flash response (PFR) in AD (N = 14) and cognitively normal
      healthy control (HC, N = 115) participants, with the HC group stratified
      according to high (N = 38) and low (N = 77) neocortical amyloid burden (NAB).
      Constriction phase PFR parameters were significantly reduced in AD compared to HC
      (maximum acceleration p < 0.05, maximum velocity p < 0.0005, average velocity p <
      0.005, and constriction amplitude p < 0.00005). The high-NAB HC subgroup had
      reduced PFR response cross-sectionally, and also a greater decline
      longitudinally, compared to the low-NAB subgroup, suggesting changes to pupil
      response in preclinical AD. The results suggest that PFR changes may occur in the
      preclinical phase of AD. Hence, pupillometry has a potential as an adjunct for
      noninvasive, cost-effective screening for preclinical AD.

PMID- 28894608
TI  - Analysis of T Cell Subsets in Adult Primary/Idiopathic Minimal Change Disease: A
      Pilot Study.
AB  - AIM: To characterise infiltrating T cells in kidneys and circulating lymphocyte
      subsets of adult patients with primary/idiopathic minimal change disease.
      METHODS: In a cohort of 9 adult patients with primary/idiopathic minimal change
      recruited consecutively at disease onset, we characterized (1) infiltrating
      immune cells in the kidneys using immunohistochemistry and (2) circulating
      lymphocyte subsets using flow cytometry. As an exploratory analysis, association
      of the numbers and percentages of both kidney-infiltrating immune cells and the
      circulating lymphocyte subsets with kidney outcomes including deterioration of
      kidney function and proteinuria, as well as time to complete clinical remission
      up to 48 months of follow-up, was investigated. RESULTS: In the recruited
      patients with primary/idiopathic minimal change disease, we observed (a) a
      dominance of infiltrating T helper 17 cells and cytotoxic cells, comprising
      cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells, over Foxp3+ Treg cells in the renal
      interstitium; (b) an increase in the circulating total CD8+ T cells in peripheral
      blood; and (c) an association of some of these parameters with kidney function
      and proteinuria. CONCLUSIONS: In primary/idiopathic minimal change disease, a
      relative numerical dominance of effector over regulatory T cells can be observed
      in kidney tissue and peripheral blood. However, larger confirmatory studies are
      necessary.

PMID- 28894609
TI  - An Online Platform to Support the Network of Caregivers of People with Dementia.
AB  - Increasing numbers of persons with dementia (PWD) augment the pressure on
      dementia care, especially informal care. Care technology can support the network
      of PWD. We tested the usability and perceived value of an online platform that
      aims to support the communication and collaboration between family and
      professional caregivers of PWD. A mixed methods design was used for this pilot
      study, including semistructured interviews, a postal questionnaire, and
      monitoring of log data. Seven family and thirty-two professional caregivers
      involved with four PWD participated during a 10-week period. Overall, the results
      indicate that the platform is easy to use and valuable for both family and
      professional caregivers. They felt better informed and prepared regarding the
      situation of the PWD and felt supported by the more direct lines of communication
      within the network. Also, a broadening and deepening of the relationship between
      family and professional caregivers was experienced. Although connecting care
      organizations' record systems with the platform and an active contribution of all
      care professionals involved (e.g., general practitioners and those working at day
      care units) were suggested for optimal use of the platform, family and
      professional caregivers positively valued the platform for improving the
      efficiency and ease of communication and collaboration.

PMID- 28894611
TI  - Cigarette Lighter Fluid Induced Gastric Ulcer: A Severe Complication of Delayed
      Foreign Body Removal.
AB  - The majority of foreign bodies ingested pass uneventfully through the
      gastrointestinal tract without endoscopic intervention. Nevertheless, certain
      ingested objects pose a greater risk for complications and are more challenging
      to remove than others. This case report describes a 49-year-old male who
      swallowed a cigarette lighter causing a gastric ulcer. The lighter was
      successfully removed by flexible endoscopy using a polypectomy snare. Urgent
      removal is required due to the shape of the object and its hazardous contents.
      This is the first case report published in the United States describing cigarette
      lighter ingestion and management.

PMID- 28894612
TI  - Combined Dorsal and Ulnarward Carpometacarpal Dislocation Associated with Open
      Fracture of the Base of First Metacarpal and Severe Degloving Injury.
AB  - We report a rare case of dislocation of second to fourth carpometacarpal (CMC)
      joints of the right hand with combined dorsal and ulnarward displacement of the
      second to fourth digits and fracture of the shaft of the first metacarpal
      associated with degloving injury. These injuries were diagnosed early and treated
      successfully with closed reduction and internal fixation using Kirschner wires.
      The functional outcome was good at follow-up at 5 years. A high index of
      suspicion is required to successfully diagnose and treat this condition.

PMID- 28894613
TI  - Pneumonia due to a Rare Pathogen: Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Subspecies
      denitrificans.
AB  - Achromobacter xylosoxidans, subspecies denitrificans, is a gram-negative rod
      recently implicated as an emerging cause of infection in both immunosuppressed
      and immunocompetent populations. Few cases are reported in literature involving
      multiple body systems. Diagnosis depends on cultures of appropriate specimens,
      and management usually is by administration of appropriate antibiotics (usually
      agents with antipseudomonal activity). We report a rare case of pneumonia due to
      infection with this organism, in a patient with preexisting bronchiectasis
      secondary to chronic aspiration.

PMID- 28894614
TI  - Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Producing Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein.
AB  - A 48-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a 1-year history of a
      continuous high fever. She was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma accompanied by leukocytosis without infection. Her serum
      concentration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was highly elevated. Forty
      five days after initiating chemotherapy, she was readmitted because of a
      neuropsychiatric disturbance and hypercalcemia. Her serum concentration of
      parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) was elevated. A pretreatment biopsy
      specimen showed strong cytoplasmic immunoreactivity to anti-PTH-rP antibody,
      suggesting that overproduction of PTH-rP accounted for the hypercalcemia.
      Although the patient regained consciousness after treatment, she died of
      progressive disease 60 days after chemotherapy.

PMID- 28894610
TI  - Maturation, Refinement, and Serotonergic Modulation of Cerebellar Cortical
      Circuits in Normal Development and in Murine Models of Autism.
AB  - The formation of the complex cerebellar cortical circuits follows different
      phases, with initial synaptogenesis and subsequent processes of refinement guided
      by a variety of mechanisms. The regularity of the cellular and synaptic
      organization of the cerebellar cortex allowed detailed studies of the structural
      plasticity mechanisms underlying the formation of new synapses and retraction of
      redundant ones. For the attainment of the monoinnervation of the Purkinje cell by
      a single climbing fiber, several signals are involved, including electrical
      activity, contact signals, homosynaptic and heterosynaptic interaction, calcium
      transients, postsynaptic receptors, and transduction pathways. An important role
      in this developmental program is played by serotonergic projections that, acting
      on temporally and spatially regulated postsynaptic receptors, induce and modulate
      the phases of synaptic formation and maturation. In the adult cerebellar cortex,
      many developmental mechanisms persist but play different roles, such as
      supporting synaptic plasticity during learning and formation of cerebellar memory
      traces. A dysfunction at any stage of this process can lead to disorders of
      cerebellar origin, which include autism spectrum disorders but are not limited to
      motor deficits. Recent evidence in animal models links impairment of Purkinje
      cell function with autism-like symptoms including sociability deficits,
      stereotyped movements, and interspecific communication by vocalization.

PMID- 28894615
TI  - Chronic Osteomyelitis of the Distal Femur Treated with Resection and Delayed
      Endoprosthetic Reconstruction: A Report of Three Cases.
AB  - Chronic osteomyelitis involving the distal femur often results in amputation or
      arthrodesis. This article presents three cases of chronic osteomyelitis treated
      with a staged approach culminating in endoprosthetic reconstruction. Stage one
      involved resection of infected bone and placement of an intramedullary nail
      spanning the bony defect between proximal femur and tibia, with antibiotic cement
      packed around the nail. Patients were then placed on long-term IV +/- oral
      antibiotics to clear the infection. A "cooldown" period was then used between
      stages where patients were off antibiotics and inflammatory markers were
      monitored for signs of remaining infection. Stage two then involved
      reconstruction of the distal femur and knee with an endoprosthesis. In the
      appropriate patient, this treatment strategy offers another option in this
      challenging population.

PMID- 28894616
TI  - Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Presenting with Streptococcus intermedius
      Cerebral Abscess.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral abscess is caused by inoculation of an organism into the
      brain parenchyma from a site distant from the central nervous system.
      Streptococcus intermedius (S. intermedius) is a commensal organism that is
      normally present in the aerodigestive tract and was reported to be the cause of
      brain abscesses after esophageal dilatation or upper endoscopy. CASE
      PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 53-year-old female who presented with
      hematemesis and melena followed by left-sided weakness. Initially, her hemiplegia
      was found to be secondary to a right thalamic brain abscess caused by S.
      intermedius. Investigations led to the diagnosis of a mid-esophageal squamous
      cell carcinoma. We hypothesize that the cause of the abscess with this bacterium
      that naturally resides in the digestive tract and oral cavity is secondary to
      hematogenous spread from breach in the mucosal integrity from ulceration due to
      the cancer. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, our case is the first in the literature
      to describe a brain abscess caused by S. intermedius in association with a
      previously undiagnosed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma without any prior
      esophageal intervention.

PMID- 28894617
TI  - Idiopathic Myointimal Hyperplasia of Mesenteric Veins of the Ileum and Colon in a
      Patient with Crohn's Disease: A Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature.
AB  - Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric veins (IMHMV) is a rare
      disease characterized by intimal smooth muscle proliferation, leading to the
      thickening of small to medium-sized mesenteric veins. This vascular disease
      mimics inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinically and endoscopically, while
      showing ischemic mucosal changes without the classic features of IBD on biopsy.
      Given the mixed picture, this entity is frequently misdiagnosed. Surgical
      resection of the diseased bowel segment reveals the true etiology of the
      pathology and is curative. We describe a case of a 59-year-old man with a long
      standing history of Crohn's disease refractory to medical therapy and status
      after multiple small bowel resections. The patient underwent a subtotal abdominal
      colectomy with pathology showing dense, indurated mesenteric adipose tissue,
      significant muscularis propria hypertrophy, and myointimal hyperplasia of the
      mesenteric veins in a peri-ileal and pericolic distribution, as confirmed by
      elastin stain. No evidence of mucosal ischemic changes or findings of chronicity
      or acuity were seen. IMHMV, a rare disease with a mixed presentation, poses a
      significant diagnostic challenge to clinicians and pathologists.

PMID- 28894618
TI  - Percutaneous Emergency Needle Caecostomy for Prevention of Caecal Perforation.
AB  - Caecal perforation is a life-threatening complication of large bowel obstruction
      with a reported mortality of 34% to 72%. This case describes the novel use of
      percutaneous needle caecostomy as a life-saving measure to prevent imminent
      caecal perforation in a 68-year-old lady with large bowel obstruction secondary
      to an incarcerated incisional hernia. After careful review of computed tomography
      images and measurement of distances from the abdominal wall to the caecum, the
      patient's caecum was decompressed in the emergency department using a needle
      under local anaesthetic. The patient subsequently underwent laparoscopic hernia
      repair and had an uncomplicated recovery. When conducted safely and with
      precision in an appropriate patient, percutaneous needle caecostomy can provide
      immediate symptom relief, reduce risk of caecal perforation, and allow a
      laparoscopic surgical approach.

PMID- 28894619
TI  - Immunological Reactivity Using Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies of Autoimmune
      Thyroid Target Sites with Dietary Proteins.
AB  - Many hypothyroid and autoimmune thyroid patients experience reactions with
      specific foods. Additionally, food interactions may play a role in a subset of
      individuals who have difficulty finding a suitable thyroid hormone dosage. Our
      study was designed to investigate the potential role of dietary protein immune
      reactivity with thyroid hormones and thyroid axis target sites. We identified
      immune reactivity between dietary proteins and target sites on the thyroid axis
      that includes thyroid hormones, thyroid receptors, enzymes, and transport
      proteins. We also measured immune reactivity of either target specific monoclonal
      or polyclonal antibodies for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor,
      5'deiodinase, thyroid peroxidase, thyroglobulin, thyroxine-binding globulin,
      thyroxine, and triiodothyronine against 204 purified dietary proteins commonly
      consumed in cooked and raw forms. Dietary protein determinants included
      unmodified (raw) and modified (cooked and roasted) foods, herbs, spices, food
      gums, brewed beverages, and additives. There were no dietary protein immune
      reactions with TSH receptor, thyroid peroxidase, and thyroxine-binding globulin.
      However, specific antigen-antibody immune reactivity was identified with several
      purified food proteins with triiodothyronine, thyroxine, thyroglobulin, and
      5'deiodinase. Laboratory analysis of immunological cross-reactivity between
      thyroid target sites and dietary proteins is the initial step necessary in
      determining whether dietary proteins may play a potential immunoreactive role in
      autoimmune thyroid disease.

PMID- 28894620
TI  - Programming for Stimulation-Induced Transient Nonmotor Psychiatric Symptoms after
      Bilateral Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stimulation-induced transient nonmotor psychiatric symptoms (STPSs)
      are side effects following bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation
      (STN-DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. We designed algorithms which (1)
      determine the electrode contacts that induce STPSs and (2) provide a programming
      protocol to eliminate STPS and maintain the optimal motor functions. Our
      objective is to test the effectiveness of these algorithms. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: 454 PD patients who underwent programming sessions after STN-DBS
      implantations were retrospectively analyzed. Only STPS patients were enrolled. In
      these patients, the contacts inducing STPS were found and the programming
      protocol algorithms used. RESULTS: Eleven patients were diagnosed with STPS. Of
      these patients, two had four episodes of crying, and two had four episodes of
      mirthful laughter. In one patient, two episodes of abnormal sense of spatial
      orientation were observed. Hallucination episodes were observed twice in one
      patient, while five patients recorded eight episodes of hypomania. There were no
      statistical differences between the UPDRS-III under the final stimulation
      parameter (without STPS) and previous optimum UPDRS-III under the STPSs (p =
      1.000). CONCLUSION: The flow diagram used for determining electrode contacts that
      induce STPS and the programming protocol employed in the treatment of these
      symptoms are effective.

PMID- 28894621
TI  - Stereospecific Assay of (R)- and (S)-Goitrin in Commercial Formulation of Radix
      Isatidis by Reversed Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.
AB  - Radix isatidis (Banlangen) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for
      treating fever and removing toxic heat. Pharmacological studies have indicated
      that (R)-goitrin (epigoitrin) is one of the main constituents accounting for its
      antiviral activity, while (S)-goitrin (goitrin) is known as an antithyroid
      factor. To better control the quality of radix isatidis and its formulations, it
      is imperative to enantiomerically determine the contents of R- and S-goitrin. In
      this study, an enantioselective method based on reversed phase chromatography was
      developed for the assay of (R, S)-goitrin enantiomers. Optimum separation was
      obtained on an S-Chiral A column (4.6 mm * 250 mm, 5 MUm) using methanol/water
      (30 : 70, v/v) as the mobile phase. After validation, the method was applied to
      quantify the enantiomers in Banlangen granules, which is the most prescribed
      commercial formulation of radix isatidis. Compared to enantioselective resolution
      approaches based on normal phase chromatography, the new method could be
      conveniently performed using regular reversed phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography (RP-HPLC) equipment and was found to be more suitable for the
      enantioselective quality control of water-extracted and soluble medicines.

PMID- 28894622
TI  - A Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Evaluation of Two
      Brands of Enalapril 20 mg Tablets in Healthy Human Volunteers.
AB  - Enalapril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor used for treatment of
      hypertension and chronic heart disease. Enalaprilat is its active metabolite
      responsible for the activity. This study aimed to develop and validate a method
      for enalapril and enalaprilat analysis and to determine the bioequivalence of two
      tablet formulae of enalapril. LC-MS/MS bioanalytical method was developed and
      validated and then applied to evaluate the bioavailability of two enalapril
      formulae. Antihyperglycemic sitagliptin was used as internal standard (IS). The
      method was accurate for the within- and between-days analysis, and precise CV%
      was <5%, being linear over the calibration range 1.0-200.0 ng/ml. Stability was
      >85% and the LOD was 0.907 and 0.910 ng/ml for enalapril and enalaprilat,
      respectively, and LLOQ was 1 ng/ml. The pharmacokinetic parameters Cmax, tmax,
      AUC0-72, and AUC0-infinity values of enalapril and enalaprilat of the two
      formulae were calculated and nonsignificant differences were found. A linearity,
      specific, accurate, and precise method was developed and applied for the analysis
      of enalapril and enalaprilat in human plasma after oral administration of two
      formulae of enalapril 20 mg tablets in healthy volunteers. Depending on the
      statistical analysis it was concluded that the two enalapril formulae were
      bioequivalent.

PMID- 28894623
TI  - Ethnopharmacological values of cassava and its potential for diabetes and
      dyslipidemia management: Knowledge survey and critical review of report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Beyond nutritional values are the pharmacological potentials of
      cassava comparative with other staple carbohydrate plant-based foods such as
      wheat. The knowledge of applicability to diabetes and its cardiovascular
      complications management seems not just limited but unacknowledged. As a
      preliminary study, a community's knowledge of pharmacological value of cassava is
      investigated. METHODS: Descriptive observational study using questionnaire-based
      "cross-sectional" survey was conducted. 136 Participants completed the survey and
      101 respondents were selected for evaluation. Open-ended questions were used
      qualitatively to generate experience and view cassava values for diabetes and
      dyslipidemia. While categorical (yes or no) questions were used quantitatively to
      generate numerical results for diabetes, critical reanalysis of a report data was
      performed, especially comparing carbohydrate/fiber and fat/fiber ratios of
      cassava with wheat in view of dyslipidemia. RESULT: On the positive side, 42% of
      the participants believe that cassava has medicinal values. This includes 6%
      (among the 42) who believes that the plant is useful in treating diabetes and 24%
      who do not know it may be useful in diabetes management. Critical review showed
      that cassava may contribute up to sixteen times more fiber and four times less
      digestible sugar, as well as carbohydrate/fiber and fat/fiber ratios being 14 and
      55 times less than wheat. CONCLUSION: There is evidence that relative to wheat
      flour meal, for instance, cassava contributes less fat and much more fiber. Since
      fat is pro-obesity, which in turn is pro-diabetic/metabolic syndrome; and fiber
      is anti-dyslipidemic; cassava has pharmacological values to be appreciated over
      some carbohydrate plant-based foods.

PMID- 28894624
TI  - Use of traditional plants in management of halitosis in a Moroccan population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The use of medicinal plants was a very spread therapeutic way. At
      present, several studies are moving toward this ancestral option, seen the
      emergence of several bacterial resistance and for the large number of side
      effects of some synthetic drugs. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to
      collect and evaluate information on medicinal plants commonly used in five
      Moroccan cities: Rabat, Sale, Temara, Khemisset, and Tiflet for the management of
      halitosis. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey; conducted among 171
      herbalists. The tool of the study was a questionnaire filled by herbalists. SPSS
      in its version 13 was used for statistical calculations. Quantitative variables
      were expressed as a mean and standard deviation. Categorical variables were
      expressed as numbers and percentage. RESULTS: Analysis of the results of this
      study identified 23 plants that are used the most. The herbal knowledge
      herbalists prescribed on the toxicity of plants and their side effects were
      appreciated. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results presented in this work allow
      knowing the plants used by this population. This data could be the basis for
      experimental and clinical studies to promote the use of natural agents in the
      treatment of bad breath.

PMID- 28894625
TI  - Exploratory studies of some Mexican medicinal plants: Cardiovascular effects in
      rats with and without hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Papaveraceae Argemone mexicana L., Burseraceae Bursera simaruba (L.)
      Sarg., Acanthaceae Justicia spicigera Schltdl. and Selaginellaceae Selaginella
      lepidophylla (Hook. & Grev.) Spring., have been used in Mexican traditional
      medicine to treat hypertension. The objective of this study was to further
      characterize the cardiovascular effects of the methanol extracts of such plants.
      METHODS: The medicinal plants were collected and taxonomically identified; the
      methanol extract of each explored plant were administrated to conscious and
      unconscious male Wistar rats with and without glucose-induced hypertension. The
      blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were evaluated before and after the
      extract administration. Vascular reactivity experiments were conducted in rat
      aortic rings obtained from rats with and without sugar-induced hypertension, a
      model widely used to study such effects with cardiovascular agents. RESULTS:
      After oral administration in normotensive conscious rats all tested extracts
      decreased the HR, such effect was only observed in hypertensive conscious rats
      after the administration of B. simaruba; only A. mexicana and B. simaruba
      decreased the BP after oral administration. All extracts administrated by
      intravenous injection diminished the mean arterial pressure. Dose-response curves
      to cumulative concentrations of all the extracts promote vascular relaxation in
      precontracted aortas from rats with and without sugar-induced hypertension.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that B. simaruba is worthy of further
      investigation as a potential phytotherapeutic agent for treating hypertension.

PMID- 28894626
TI  - Ultraviolet light assisted extraction of flavonoids and allantoin from aqueous
      and alcoholic extracts of Symphytum officinale.
AB  - AIM: Symphytum officinale (comfrey) is a medicinal plant commonly used in
      decoction and to treat ailments. It protects the skin against ultraviolet (UV)
      irradiation. UV irradiation may induce variable effects on the constituents of
      herbal extracts and thereby may limit or improve the advantages of using these
      extracts as medicinal supplements. This study aimed to assess the effect of UV
      radiations including UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C on the constituents of S. officinale
      aqueous and alcoholic extracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Comfrey extracts (1% w/v)
      were prepared using distilled water, ethanol, and methanol. They were exposed to
      wavelengths of UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C for 10 min. The principal peak on the UV
      spectroscopy scanning, the flavonoids, reducing power, and the allantoin levels
      were determined before and after irradiation. RESULTS: UV irradiation reduces the
      magnitude of the principle peak at 355 nm wavelength of the aqueous infusion and
      methanol extracts. It improves the levels of flavonoids and reducing power of the
      aqueous extracts and increases the levels of allanotoin in aqueous and methanol
      extracts. CONCLUSIONS: UV-radiation enhances the yields of active ingredient of
      comfrey extracted with methanol, whereas improves the flavonoids, reducing power,
      and allantoin levels of comfrey extracted by the aqueous infusion method. UV
      radiation reduces the levels of flavonoids, reducing power and allantoin when the
      comfrey extracted by alcohols.

PMID- 28894627
TI  - Mangifera indica L. leaf extract alleviates doxorubicin induced cardiac stress.
AB  - AIM: The study was undertaken to evaluate the cardioprotective effect of the
      alcoholic leaf extract of Mangifera indica L. against cardiac stress caused by
      doxorubicin (DOX). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were treated with 100 mg/kg of M.
      indica leaf extract (MILE) in alone and interactive groups for 21 days. Apart
      from the normal and MILE control groups, all the groups were subjected to DOX (15
      mg/kg, i.p.) toxicity for 21 days and effects of different treatments were
      analyzed by changes in serum biomarkers, tissue antioxidant levels,
      electrocardiographic parameters, lipid profile, and histopathological evaluation.
      RESULTS: The MILE treated group showed decrease in serum biomarker enzyme levels
      and increase in tissue antioxidants levels. Compared to DOX control group, MILE
      treated animals showed improvement in lipid profile, electrocardiographic
      parameters, histological score, and mortality. CONCLUSION: These findings clearly
      suggest the protective role of alcoholic leaf extract of M. indica against
      oxidative stress induced by DOX.

PMID- 28894628
TI  - Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus L.) "milk" as a potent "nutri-drink" for the
      prevention of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in a murine model.
AB  - AIM/BACKGROUND: Given the prevalence of toxicants in foods, beauty products,
      etc., and the increasing demand for "green" products, there is a need for the
      development of "nutri-drinks" with hepatoprotective properties. The usefulness of
      tigernut milk (TNM) in preventing acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury was,
      therefore, investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 25 rats were
      randomized into five equal groups. Four groups were treated with 0, 500, 1000,
      and 2000 kg/mg body weight (bw) TNM, respectively, per os for 2 weeks before they
      were challenged with 2500 mg/kg bw APAP. Biochemical markers of hepatotoxicity
      and oxidative stress were determined in the sera of the rats at the end of the
      study. RESULTS: Serum alanine aminotransferase concentrations decreased
      significantly (P < 0.001) and dose-dependently from 334.3 +/- 16.1 in the
      negative control group to 65.4 +/- 8.3 in the 2000 mg/kg bw TNM group. Other
      studied liver enzymes were similarly dose-dependently reduced. These data are
      corroborated by histological findings. Superoxide dismutase activity (U/mg
      protein) was increased significantly (P < 0.001) from 108.0 +/- 7.4 in the
      negative control group to 291.0 +/- 11.3 in the 2000 mg/kg bw TNM group, and
      indeed all the test groups. The malondialdehyde concentrations in the test rats
      were slightly lower than that of the negative control group. CONCLUSION: TNM at
      the tested concentrations significantly prevented liver injury. Phytochemicals in
      TNM, working directly as antioxidants or indirectly by inducing the synthesis of
      glutathione, may be responsible for the observed effect.

PMID- 28894630
TI  - An ethnobotanical survey of galactogenic plants of the Berhoum District (M'sila,
      Algeria).
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: This work aimed an ethnobatanical study on the galactogenic
      plants used in the Berhoum region (East of M'sila, Algeria) as a part of
      different studies on the medicinal plants related to M'sila region. METHODS: The
      fieldwork was undertaken as an ethnobotanical survey involving 76 informants
      (mean age: 50; 64% women, 36% men). Used the medicinal plants were identified,
      and the results were analyzed according to literature investigation dealing with
      ethnobotany. Use value (UV), fidelity level, and informant consensus factor (ICF)
      were used to analyze the obtained data. RESULTS: A total of 29 plant species
      belonging to 29 genera and 12 families (mainly, Apiaceae and Fabaceae) have been
      registered. Fruits and seeds were the most commonly used plant parts (80%). The
      used plants are mainly prepared as an infusion and decoction (69%). Trigonella
      foenum-graecum L. (UV = 0.58) were the species most commonly used by local
      healers. The FIC factors ranging from 0.45 to 0.89 for the six uses categories
      retained for this study. The ICF (0.65) was registered for the use galactogenic
      category with 29 species. CONCLUSION: This work showed that the population of the
      Berhoum District uses various medicinal plants for galactogenic purposes.
      Furthermore, ethnobotanical analysis will provide data on sustainable use and
      valorization of this plant heritage for ethnopharmacological and phytochemical
      studies.

PMID- 28894629
TI  - Isolation, characterization and in silico docking studies of synergistic estrogen
      receptor a anticancer polyphenols from Syzygium alternifolium (Wt.) Walp.
AB  - AIM: This study aims to isolate, characterize, and in silico evaluate of
      anticancer polyphenols from different parts of Syzygium alternifolium. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The polyphenols were isolated by standard protocol and characterized
      using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), High performance liquid chromatography 
      Photodiode array detector coupled with Electrospray ionization - mass
      spectrometry (MS/MS). The compounds were elucidated based on retention time and
      molecular ions (m/z) either by [M+H]+/[M-H]- with the comparison of standard
      phenols as well as ReSpect software tool. Furthermore, absorption, distribution,
      metabolism, and excretion (ADME)/toxicity properties of selected phenolic
      scaffolds were screened using OSIRIS and SwissADME programs, which incorporate
      toxicity risk assessments, pharmacokinetics, and rule of five principles.
      Molecular docking studies were carried out for selected toxicity filtered
      compounds against breast cancer estrogen receptor a (ERa) structure (protein data
      bank-ID: 1A52) through AutoDock scoring functions by PyRx virtual screening
      program. RESULTS: The obtained results showed two intensive peaks in each
      polyphenol fraction analyzed with FT-IR, confirms O-H/C-O stretch of the phenolic
      functional group. A total of 40 compounds were obtained, which categorized as 9
      different classes. Among them, flavonol group represents more number of
      polyphenols. In silico studies suggest seven compounds have the possibility to
      use as future nontoxic inhibitors. Molecular docking studies with ERa revealed
      the lead molecules unequivocally interact with Leu346, Glu353, Leu391, Arg394,
      Gly521, Leu525 residues, and Phe404 formed atomic pi-stacking with dihydrochromen
      4-one ring of ligands as like estrodial, which stabilizes the receptor structure
      and complicated to generate a single mutation for drug resistance. CONCLUSION:
      Overall, these results significantly proposed that isolated phenolics could be
      served as potential ER mitigators for breast cancer therapy.

PMID- 28894631
TI  - Ethnopharmacological survey on traditional medicinal plants at Kalaroa Upazila,
      Satkhira District, Khulna Division, Bangladesh.
AB  - AIM: The traditional source of medicinal plants is an important way for daily
      curative uses in the rural area throughout Bangladesh. An ethnomedicinal survey
      was conducted in a randomized manner among traditional medicinal practitioners to
      find out about the medicinal plants of Kalaroa, Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The information was collected through conducting interviews, discussion,
      and field observations with herbal healers and knowledgeable elders of the study
      areas from November 01, 2015, to December 31, 2015, who pointed out various
      medicinal plants and described their uses, using semi-structured questionnaires.
      RESULTS: A total of 29 plants distributed into 21 families had found to be used
      by the 3 Kavirajes interviewed for the treatment of various ailments. 42
      different individual sicknesses were claimed to be cured by plants mentioned by
      the Kavirajes. The Malvaceae family contributed the highest number of plants with
      four plants, followed by the Amaranthaceae family with three plants, and the
      Leguminosae and Euphorbiaceae families with two plants each. Leaves were the
      major plant parts used solely or mixed with other parts forming 33% of total
      users. This was followed by roots 22%, whole plant 12%, stem and bark, fruit and
      seeds, and flowers 10% each, and pods, rhizomes, and sap 2% each. Seven plants
      for skin diseases. Four plants for erectile dysfunction. Cough, diabetes,
      diarrhea, dysentery, and ulcer were treated by five plants each. Asthma,
      diuretic, and leukorrhea were treated by three plants each. Hypertension was
      treated by two plants. CONCLUSION: It is expected that the other plants observed
      to be used for the treatment of various diseases by the Kavirajes can be
      subjected to further bioactivity and phytochemical studies, which can lead to the
      discovery of newer drugs.

PMID- 28894632
TI  - Dietary incorporation of whey protein isolate and galactooligosaccharides
      exhibits improvement in glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in high fat
      diet fed mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was planned to investigate the effectiveness of the whey
      protein isolate (WPI) of high purity and a galactooligosaccharides (GOS)
      preparation on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in high fat diet (HFD)
      (45.47% energy from fat) fed conditions in C57BL/6J mice. METHODS: Fasting blood
      glucose level, serum insulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay) were measured; also, homeostasis model assessment of insulin
      resistance (HOMA-IR) was determined in different treatment groups. mRNA
      expression of gluconeogenesis genes in liver and small intestine tissues was
      analyzed by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Dietary
      incorporation of WPI and GOS was observed to significantly resist (P < 0.001) the
      HFD-induced increase in blood glucose levels indicating a mitigating effect on
      glycemic load. It is important to note that no additive effects of administration
      of WPI and GOS could be observed. The administration of WPI and GOS exhibited
      maximum resistance (37.8%) to the rise in insulin level. Thus, the resistance to
      the increase in HOMA-IR was also noticed on the dietary incorporation of two
      functional ingredients . The positive effects on mRNA expression of
      phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose 6-phosphatase could be detected in
      liver only. CONCLUSION: Both types of functional components exhibit potential to
      improve glucose homeostasis under HFD fed conditions. Resistance to HFD-induced
      hyperinsulinemia and HOMA-IR is also recorded .

PMID- 28894633
TI  - Establishment of Application Guidance for OTC non-Kampo Crude Drug Extract
      Products in Japan.
AB  - Currently, there are no standardized regulatory systems for herbal medicinal
      products worldwide. Communication and sharing of knowledge between different
      regulatory systems will lead to mutual understanding and might help identify
      topics which deserve further discussion in the establishment of common standards.
      Regulatory information on traditional herbal medicinal products in Japan is
      updated by the establishment of Application Guidance for over-the-counter non
      Kampo Crude Drug Extract Products. We would like to report on updated regulatory
      information on the new Application Guidance. Methods for comparison of Crude Drug
      Extract formulation and standard decoction and criteria for application and the
      key points to consider for each criterion are indicated in the guidance.
      Establishment of the guidance contributes to improvements in public health. We
      hope that the regulatory information about traditional herbal medicinal products
      in Japan will be of contribution to tackling the challenging task of regulating
      traditional herbal products worldwide.

PMID- 28894634
TI  - Grapefruit: Some perspectives in pharmacology and nutrition.

PMID- 28894635
TI  - Topical Naltrexone Is a Safe and Effective Alternative to Standard Treatment of
      Diabetic Wounds.
AB  - Objective: Diabetes affects more than 29 million individuals in the United
      States, resulting in healthcare costs approaching $245 billion. Approximately 15%
      of these individuals will develop a chronic, non-healing foot ulcer (diabetic
      foot ulcer [DFU]) that, if untreated, may lead to amputation. The current
      treatments for DFU are expensive, have significant side-effects, and often result
      in non-compliance. A new topical treatment is described that accelerates
      cutaneous wound repair and is disease modifying by targeting underlying aberrant
      diabetic pathways. Approach: The efficacy of naltrexone (NTX), an opioid receptor
      antagonist, and Regranex(r) was compared in preclinical studies using type 1
      diabetic rats. Dorsal cutaneous wounds were treated topically with 0.03% NTX,
      Regranex, or moisturizing cream alone. Wound closure, DNA synthesis, and cytokine
      production were monitored. Results: Wound closure rates with topical NTX in type
      1 diabetic rats were comparable to Regranex. Topical NTX accelerated DNA
      synthesis, as measured by BrdU incorporation, increased mast cells, and enhanced
      expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF), a marker for angiogenesis. Regranex had little effect on
      DNA synthesis, mast cells, and VEGF expression relative to vehicle-treated
      wounds, and it only temporarily increased PDGF expression. Fibroblast growth
      factor expression was not altered by either treatment. Innovation: Topical
      application of 0.03% NTX cream accelerates diabetic wound closure. Conclusion:
      Blockade of the opioid growth factor (OGF)-OGF receptor (OGFr) axis utilizing
      0.03% NTX cream is comparable to standard care in preclinical studies, and it
      provides a safe, inexpensive, and effective alternative for treatment of diabetic
      wounds.

PMID- 28894636
TI  - Fournier's Gangrene: A Review and Outcome Comparison from 2009 to 2016.
AB  - Objective: The outcome of Fournier's gangrene (FG) may be affected by
      comorbidities, demographics, and choice of treatment modality. We sought to
      evaluate our institution's management protocol of FG measured by mortality rate
      (MR) and length of hospital stay (LHS) in a retrospective cohort study. Approach:
      A database of 20 FG cases at our institution throughout the 2009-2016 study
      period was assembled by a retrospective review of medical records. A Fournier's
      Gangrene Severity Index Score (FGSIS) was calculated for each case. Data were
      analyzed for statistical significance using logistic regression. Results: The
      most common presentation of FG at our institution was a hyperglycemic diabetic
      male in his fifth decade of life with a second risk factor such as recent surgery
      or active malignancy. The average FGSIS was 9 overall and 14 for the mortalities.
      An increased FGSIS was predictive of having an increased MR or hospital stay
      above the median (>25 days) (p = 0.0194). The average LHS was 32 days overall, 22
      days for patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and 40 days for patients
      treated with tangential hydrosurgery. Overall MR was 15%. Innovation: This is the
      second known study to characterize usage of tangential hydrosurgery in the
      management of FG. Conclusion: Treatment outcomes at our institution are
      comparable to those reported in recent literature, a significant decline from the
      historical MR of 50-60%.

PMID- 28894638
TI  - Is there genetic variation in mycorrhization of Medicago truncatula?
AB  - Differences in the plant's response among ecotypes or accessions are often used
      to identify molecular markers for the respective process. In order to analyze
      genetic diversity of Medicago truncatula in respect to interaction with the
      arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, mycorrhizal
      colonization was evaluated in 32 lines of the nested core collection representing
      the genetic diversity of the SARDI collection. All studied lines and the
      reference line Jemalong A17 were inoculated with R. irregularis and the
      mycorrhization rate was determined at three time points after inoculation. There
      were, however, no reliable and consistent differences in mycorrhization rates
      among all lines. To circumvent possible overlay of potential differences by use
      of the highly effective inoculum, native sandy soil was used in an independent
      experiment. Here, significant differences in mycorrhization rates among few of
      the lines were detectable, but the overall high variability in the mycorrhization
      rate hindered clear conclusions. To narrow down the number of lines to be tested
      in more detail, root system architecture (RSA) of in vitro-grown seedlings of all
      lines under two different phosphate (Pi) supply condition was determined in terms
      of primary root length and number of lateral roots. Under high Pi supply (100
      uM), only minor differences were observed, whereas in response to Pi-limitation
      (3 uM) several lines exhibited a drastically changed number of lateral roots.
      Five lines showing the highest alterations or deviations in RSA were selected and
      inoculated with R. irregularis using two different Pi-fertilization regimes with
      either 13 mM or 3 mM Pi. Mycorrhization rate of these lines was checked in detail
      by molecular markers, such as transcript levels of RiTubulin and MtPT4. Under
      high phosphate supply, the ecotypes L000368 and L000555 exhibited slightly
      increased fungal colonization and more functional arbuscules, respectively. To
      address the question, whether capability for mycorrhizal colonization might be
      correlated to general invasion by microorganisms, selected lines were checked for
      infection by the root rot causing pathogen, Aphanoymces euteiches. The
      mycorrhizal colonization phenotype, however, did not correlate with the
      resistance phenotype upon infection with two strains of A. euteiches as L000368
      showed partial resistance and L000555 exhibited high susceptibility as determined
      by quantification of A. euteiches rRNA within infected roots. Although there is
      genetic diversity in respect to pathogen infection, genetic diversity in
      mycorrhizal colonization of M. truncatula is rather low and it will be rather
      difficult to use it as a trait to access genetic markers.

PMID- 28894637
TI  - Epidermal Stem Cells in Skin Wound Healing.
AB  - Significance: Skin serves as a protective barrier for mammals. Epidermal stem
      cells are responsible for maintaining skin homeostasis. When cutaneous injuries
      occur, skin homeostasis and integrity are damaged, leading to dire consequences
      such as acute, chronic, or infected wounds. Skin wound healing is an intrinsic
      self-saving chain reaction, which is crucial to facilitating the replacement of
      damaged or lost tissue. Recent Advances: An immense amount of research has
      uncovered the underlying mechanisms behind the complex and highly regulated wound
      healing process. In this review, we will dissect the biological process of adult
      skin wound healing and emphasize the importance of epidermal stem cells during
      the wound healing. Critical Issues: We will comprehensively discuss the current
      clinical practices used on patients with cutaneous wounds, including both
      traditional skin grafting procedures and advanced grafting techniques with
      cultured skin stem cells. The majority of these leading techniques still retain
      some deficiencies during clinical use. Moreover, the regeneration of skin
      appendages after severe injuries remains a challenge in treatment. Future
      Directions: Understanding epidermal stem cells and their essential functions
      during skin wound healing are fundamental components behind the development of
      clinical treatment on patients with cutaneous wounds. It is important to improve
      the current standard of care and to develop novel techniques improving patient
      outcomes and long-term rehabilitation, which should be the goals of future
      endeavors in the field of skin wound healing.

PMID- 28894639
TI  - Fungi found in Mediterranean and North Sea sponges: how specific are they?
AB  - Fungi and other eukaryotes represent one of the last frontiers of microbial
      diversity in the sponge holobiont. In this study we employed pyrosequencing of
      18S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons containing the V7 and V8 hypervariable regions
      to explore the fungal diversity of seven sponge species from the North Sea and
      the Mediterranean Sea. For most sponges, fungi were present at a low relative
      abundance averaging 0.75% of the 18S rRNA gene reads. In total, 44 fungal OTUs
      (operational taxonomic units) were detected in sponges, and 28 of these OTUs were
      also found in seawater. Twenty-two of the sponge-associated OTUs were identified
      as yeasts (mainly Malasseziales), representing 84% of the fungal reads. Several
      OTUs were related to fungal sequences previously retrieved from other sponges,
      but all OTUs were also related to fungi from other biological sources, such as
      seawater, sediments, lakes and anaerobic digesters. Therefore our data, supported
      by currently available data, point in the direction of mostly accidental presence
      of fungi in sponges and do not support the existence of a sponge-specific fungal
      community.

PMID- 28894640
TI  - Coral larvae for restoration and research: a large-scale method for rearing
      Acropora millepora larvae, inducing settlement, and establishing symbiosis.
AB  - Here we describe an efficient and effective technique for rearing sexually
      derived coral propagules from spawning through larval settlement and symbiont
      uptake with minimal impact on natural coral populations. We sought to maximize
      larval survival while minimizing expense and daily husbandry maintenance by
      experimentally determining optimized conditions and protocols for gamete
      fertilization, larval cultivation, induction of larval settlement by crustose
      coralline algae, and inoculation of newly settled juveniles with their
      dinoflagellate symbiont Symbiodinium. Larval rearing densities at or below 0.2
      larvae mL-1 were found to maximize larval survival and settlement success in
      culture tanks while minimizing maintenance effort. Induction of larval settlement
      via the addition of a ground mixture of diverse crustose coralline algae (CCA) is
      recommended, given the challenging nature of in situ CCA identification and our
      finding that non settlement-inducing CCA assemblages do not inhibit larval
      settlement if suitable assemblages are present. Although order of magnitude
      differences in infectivity were found between common Great Barrier Reef
      Symbiodinium clades C and D, no significant differences in Symbiodinium uptake
      were observed between laboratory-cultured and wild-harvested symbionts in each
      case. The technique presented here for Acropora millepora can be adapted for
      research and restoration efforts in a wide range of broadcast spawning coral
      species.

PMID- 28894641
TI  - Laboratory evaluation of different formulations of Stress Coat(r) for slime
      production in goldfish (Carassius auratus) and koi (Cyprinus carpio).
AB  - A study was carried out to assess the effect of Stress Coat(r) on slime
      production in goldfish (Carassius auratus) and koi (Cyprinus carpio). The study
      also investigated histological changes that might be associated with slime
      producing cells, and wound healing in koi. Several formulations of Stress Coat(r)
      were investigated and the results showed that polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), also
      known as povidone, an ingredient of Stress Coat(r), when used alone, showed
      significantly higher slime production in goldfish than salt and Stress Coat(r)
      without PVP after 25 h. The results also showed that koi treated with compounds
      containing PVP showed better wound healing than those not exposed to PVP.
      Histology results showed no difference between compounds tested with regards to
      density and number of slime producing cells.

PMID- 28894642
TI  - Contrast based circular approximation for accurate and robust optic disc
      segmentation in retinal images.
AB  - A new method for automatic optic disc localization and segmentation is presented.
      The localization procedure combines vascular and brightness information to
      provide the best estimate of the optic disc center which is the starting point
      for the segmentation algorithm. A detection rate of 99.58% and 100% was achieved
      for the Messidor and ONHSD databases, respectively. A simple circular
      approximation to the optic disc boundary is proposed based on the maximum average
      contrast between the inner and outer ring of a circle centered on the estimated
      location. An average overlap coefficient of 0.890 and 0.865 was achieved for the
      same datasets, outperforming other state of the art methods. The results obtained
      confirm the advantages of using a simple circular model under non-ideal
      conditions as opposed to more complex deformable models.

PMID- 28894643
TI  - Status of gastrointestinal parasites in Red Panda of Nepal.
AB  - Red pandas are known to be highly susceptible to endoparasites, which can have a
      prominent impact on the population dynamics of this endangered species. There are
      very limited published reports on prevalence and risk of parasites in wild
      populations of red panda, especially localized reports. This study attempts to
      provide an in-depth insight of the status of endoparasites in red pandas, which
      is critical for strengthening conservation efforts. A total of 272 fecal samples
      were collected through systematic sampling across the red panda distribution
      range in Nepal and coprological examination was completed using standard
      techniques. It was followed by an estimation of prevalence and mean intensity of
      parasites, as well as statistical analysis, which was carried out using R
      statistical software. Parasite prevalence was documented in 90.80% (n = 247) out
      of 272 samples examined which includes seven different species along with three
      genera of parasites belonging to Protozoans (3 species), Cestodes (1 genus, 1
      species) and Nematodes (2 genera, 3 species). Nematodes predominated in all
      infected samples (87.62%). Prevalence of Ancyclostoma duodenale (n = 227,
      70.06%), having a mean intensity of 3.45 +/- 2.88 individuals per sample, was
      observed, followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (n = 19, 5.86%) and Entamoeba
      histolytica (n = 24, 7.41%). Eight variables for assessing the determinants of
      infestation were tested: protected areas; non-protected areas; aspect; elevation;
      slope; and distance to water sources, herding stations, and settlements. Only the
      settlement displayed significant association (beta = -1534e-04, t =  - 2.192, p =
      0.0293) though each parasite species displayed dissimilar association with
      different variables. This study indicates the urgent need of improving existing
      herding practice through habitat zonation, rotational grazing, medication of
      livestock, and prohibition of open defecation within and around red panda
      habitat.

PMID- 28894644
TI  - Anthropometric, physical function and general health markers of Masters athletes:
      a cross-sectional study.
AB  - Once the general decline in muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance
      falls below specific thresholds, the middle aged or older adult will be diagnosed
      as having sarcopenia (a loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength). Sarcopenia
      contributes to a range of adverse events in older age including disability,
      hospitalisation, institutionalisation and falls. One potentially relevant but
      understudied population for sarcopenia researchers would be Masters athletes.
      Masters sport is becoming more common as it allows athletes (typically 40 years
      and older) the opportunity to participate in individual and/or team sports
      against individuals of similar age. This study examined a variety of measures of
      anthropometric, physical function and general health markers in the male and
      female Masters athletes who competed at the 2014 Pan Pacific Masters Games held
      on the Gold Coast, Australia. Bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to
      collect body fat percentage, fat mass and fat-free mass; with body mass, height,
      body mass index (BMI) and sarcopenic status also recorded. Physical function was
      quantified by handgrip strength and habitual walking speed; with general health
      described by the number of chronic diseases and prescribed medications. Between
      group analyses utilised ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests to examine the effect of
      age group (40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and >70 years old) on the outcome measures for the
      entire sample as well as the male and female sub-groups. A total of 156 athletes
      (78 male, 78 female; mean 55.7 years) provided informed consent to participate in
      this study. These athletes possessed substantially better anthropometric,
      physical function and general health characteristics than the literature for
      their less physically active age-matched peers. No Masters athletes were
      categorised as being sarcopenic, although one participant had below normal
      physical performance and six participants had below normal muscle strength. In
      contrast, significant age-related reductions in handgrip strength and increases
      in the number of chronic diseases and prescribed medications were observed for
      the overall cohort as well as the male and female sub-groups. Nevertheless, even
      those aged over 70 years only averaged one chronic disease and one prescribed
      medication. These results may suggest that participation in Masters sport helps
      to maintain anthropometry, physical function and general health in middle-aged
      and older adults. However, it is also possible that only healthier middle-aged
      and older adults with favourable body composition and physical function may be
      able to participate in Masters sport. Future research should therefore utilise
      longitudinal research designs to determine the health and functional benefits of
      Master sports participation for middle-aged and older adults.

PMID- 28894645
TI  - Re-examination of the contribution of substrates to energy expenditure during
      high-intensity intermittent exercise in endurance athletes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been believed that the contribution of fat oxidation to total
      energy expenditure is becoming negligible at higher exercise intensities (about
      85% VO2max). The aim of the present study was to examine the changes in substrate
      oxidation during high-intensity interval exercise in young adult men. METHODS: A
      total of 18 healthy well-trained (aged 19.60 +/- 0.54 years, BMI = 22.19 +/- 0.64
      kg/m2, n = 10) and untrained (aged 20.25 +/- 0.41 years, BMI = 22.78 +/- 0.38
      kg/m2, n = 8) young men volunteered to participate in this study. After an
      overnight fast, subjects were tested on a cycle ergometer and completed six 4-min
      bouts of cycling (at ~80% VO2max) with 2 min of rests between intervals. Energy
      expenditure and the substrate oxidation rate were measured during the experiment
      by using indirect calorimetry. The blood lactate concentration was collected
      immediately after each interval workout. RESULTS: The fat oxidation rate during
      each workout was significantly different between the untrained and the athlete
      groups (p < 0.05), and the carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation rate during the
      experiment was similar between groups (p > 0.05). Moreover, lactate concentration
      significantly increased in the untrained group (p < 0.05), whereas it did not
      significantly change in the athlete group during the workouts (p > 0.05). Fat
      contribution to energy expenditure was significantly higher in the athlete group
      (~25%) than in the untrained group (~2%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study
      indicates that 17 times more fat oxidation was measured in the athlete group
      compared to the untrained group. However, the athletes had the same CHO oxidation
      rate as the recreationally active subjects during high-intensity intermittent
      exercise. Higher fat oxidation rate despite the same CHO oxidation rate may be
      related to higher performance in the trained group.

PMID- 28894646
TI  - Canopy soil bacterial communities altered by severing host tree limbs.
AB  - Trees of temperate rainforests host a large biomass of epiphytic plants, which
      are associated with soils formed in the forest canopy. Falling of epiphytic
      material results in the transfer of carbon and nutrients from the canopy to the
      forest floor. This study provides the first characterization of bacterial
      communities in canopy soils enabled by high-depth environmental sequencing of 16S
      rRNA genes. Canopy soil included many of the same major taxonomic groups of
      Bacteria that are also found in ground soil, but canopy bacterial communities
      were lower in diversity and contained different operational taxonomic units. A
      field experiment was conducted with epiphytic material from six Acer macrophyllum
      trees in Olympic National Park, Washington, USA to document changes in the
      bacterial communities of soils associated with epiphytic material that falls to
      the forest floor. Bacterial diversity and composition of canopy soil was highly
      similar, but not identical, to adjacent ground soil two years after transfer to
      the forest floor, indicating that canopy bacteria are almost, but not completely,
      replaced by ground soil bacteria. Furthermore, soil associated with epiphytic
      material on branches that were severed from the host tree and suspended in the
      canopy contained altered bacterial communities that were distinct from those in
      canopy material moved to the forest floor. Therefore, the unique nature of canopy
      soil bacteria is determined in part by the host tree and not only by the physical
      environmental conditions associated with the canopy. Connection to the living
      tree appears to be a key feature of the canopy habitat. These results represent
      an initial survey of bacterial diversity of the canopy and provide a foundation
      upon which future studies can more fully investigate the ecological and
      evolutionary dynamics of these communities.

PMID- 28894647
TI  - Divergence of compost extract and bio-organic manure effects on lucerne plant and
      soil.
AB  - AIM: Application of organic materials into agricultural systems enhances plant
      growth and yields, and improves soil fertility and structure. This study aimed to
      examine the effects of "compost extract (CE)", a soil conditioner, and bio
      organic manure (BOM) on the growth of lucerne (Medicago sativa), and compare the
      efficiency between BOM (including numbers of microorganisms) and CE (including no
      added microorganisms). METHOD: A greenhouse experiment was conducted with four
      soil amendment treatments (control, BOM, CE and CEBOM), and was arranged in a
      completely randomized design with 10 replicates for each treatment. Plant
      biomass, nutritive value and rhizobia efficacy as well as soil characteristics
      were monitored. RESULT: CE rather than BOM application showed a positive effect
      on plant growth and soil properties when compared with the control. Lucerne
      nodulation responded equally to CE addition and rhizobium inoculation. CE alone
      and in combination with BOM significantly increased plant growth and soil
      microbial activities and improved soil structure. The synergistic effects of CE
      and BOM indicate that applying CE and BOM together could increase their
      efficiency, leading to higher economic returns and improved soil health. However,
      CE alone is more effective for legume growth since nodulation was suppressed by
      nitrogen input from BOM. CE had a higher efficiency than BOM for enriching soil
      indigenous microorganisms instead of adding microorganisms and favouring plant
      nodulation.

PMID- 28894648
TI  - Impact of litter quantity on the soil bacteria community during the decomposition
      of Quercus wutaishanica litter.
AB  - The forest ecosystem is the main component of terrestrial ecosystems. The global
      climate and the functions and processes of soil microbes in the ecosystem are all
      influenced by litter decomposition. The effects of litter decomposition on the
      abundance of soil microorganisms remain unknown. Here, we analyzed soil bacterial
      communities during the litter decomposition process in an incubation experiment
      under treatment with different litter quantities based on annual litterfall data
      (normal quantity, 200 g/(m2/yr); double quantity, 400 g/(m2/yr) and control, no
      litter). The results showed that litter quantity had significant effects on soil
      carbon fractions, nitrogen fractions, and bacterial community compositions, but
      significant differences were not found in the soil bacterial diversity. The
      normal litter quantity enhanced the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and
      Firmicutes and reduced the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Plantctomycets
      and Nitrospiare. The Beta-, Gamma-, and Deltaproteobacteria were significantly
      less abundant in the normal quantity litter addition treatment, and were
      subsequently more abundant in the double quantity litter addition treatment. The
      bacterial communities transitioned from Proteobacteria-dominant (Beta-, Gamma-,
      and Delta) to Actinobacteria-dominant during the decomposition of the normal
      quantity of litter. A cluster analysis showed that the double litter treatment
      and the control had similar bacterial community compositions. These results
      suggested that the double quantity litter limited the shift of the soil bacterial
      community. Our results indicate that litter decomposition alters bacterial
      dynamics under the accumulation of litter during the vegetation restoration
      process, which provides important significant guidelines for the management of
      forest ecosystems.

PMID- 28894649
TI  - Particle bombardment and subcellular protein localization analysis in the aquatic
      plant Egeria densa.
AB  - Particle bombardment is a powerful and relatively easy method for transient
      expression of genes of interest in plant cells, especially those that are
      recalcitrant to other transformation methods. This method has facilitated
      numerous analyses of subcellular localization of fluorescent fusion protein
      constructs. Particle bombardment delivers genes to the first layer of plant
      tissue. In leaves of higher plants, epidermal cells are the first cell layer.
      Many studies have used the epidermal cell layer of onion bulb (Allium cepa) as
      the experimental tissue, because these cells are relatively large. However, onion
      epidermal cells lack developed plastids (i.e., chloroplasts), thereby precluding
      subcellular localization analysis of chloroplastic proteins. In this study, we
      developed a protocol for particle bombardment of the aquatic plant Egeria densa,
      and showed that it is a useful system for subcellular localization analysis of
      higher plant proteins. E. densa leaflets contain only two cell layers, and cells
      in the adaxial layer are sufficiently large for observation. The cells in both
      layers contain well-developed chloroplasts. We fused fluorescent proteins to
      conventional plant localization signals for the nucleus, cytosol, mitochondria,
      peroxisome, and chloroplast, and used particle bombardment to transiently express
      these fusion constructs in E. densa leaves. The plant subcellular localization
      signals functioned normally and displayed the expected distributions in
      transiently transformed E. densa cells, and even chloroplastic structures could
      be clearly visualized.

PMID- 28894651
TI  - MetaCRAST: reference-guided extraction of CRISPR spacers from unassembled
      metagenomes.
AB  - Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) systems are the
      adaptive immune systems of bacteria and archaea against viral infection. While
      CRISPRs have been exploited as a tool for genetic engineering, their spacer
      sequences can also provide valuable insights into microbial ecology by linking
      environmental viruses to their microbial hosts. Despite this importance,
      metagenomic CRISPR detection remains a major challenge. Here we present a
      reference-guided CRISPR spacer detection tool (Metagenomic CRISPR Reference-Aided
      Search Tool-MetaCRAST) that constrains searches based on user-specified direct
      repeats (DRs). These DRs could be expected from assembly or taxonomic profiles of
      metagenomes. We compared the performance of MetaCRAST to those of two existing
      metagenomic CRISPR detection tools-Crass and MinCED-using both real and simulated
      acid mine drainage (AMD) and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR)
      metagenomes. Our evaluation shows MetaCRAST improves CRISPR spacer detection in
      real metagenomes compared to the de novo CRISPR detection methods Crass and
      MinCED. Evaluation on simulated metagenomes show it performs better than de novo
      tools for Illumina metagenomes and comparably for 454 metagenomes. It also has
      comparable performance dependence on read length and community composition, run
      time, and accuracy to these tools. MetaCRAST is implemented in Perl,
      parallelizable through the Many Core Engine (MCE), and takes metagenomic sequence
      reads and direct repeat queries (FASTA or FASTQ) as input. It is freely available
      for download at https://github.com/molleraj/MetaCRAST.

PMID- 28894652
TI  - Double-Pedicled Free Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap for the Coverage of
      Thigh Soft-Tissue Defect.
AB  - Soft-tissue defects caused by radiation injury are a challenging task for the
      reconstructive surgeon, due to the extent of the soft-tissue damage and the
      associated injuries of the local blood vessels and bone tissue. We present the
      application of the versatile deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap for
      the coverage of an extended lateral thigh soft-tissue defect after the surgical
      resection of an undifferentiated pleomorphic high-grade sarcoma, neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy, and adjuvant chemo- and radiotherapy. A double-pedicled free DIEP
      flap (756 cm2) was harvested and anastomosed to the transverse branch of the
      lateral femoral circumflex artery and a lateral branch of the popliteal artery
      (P1). The flap survived completely without serious complications, and the patient
      was able to walk with crutches 3 months postoperatively. This is the first case
      report of a free bipedicled DIEP flap for the coverage of a thigh defect in a
      male patient.

PMID- 28894650
TI  - Lectins: an effective tool for screening of potential cancer biomarkers.
AB  - In recent years, the use of lectins for screening of potential biomarkers has
      gained increased importance in cancer research, given the development in
      glycobiology that highlights altered structural changes of glycans in cancer
      associated processes. Lectins, having the properties of recognizing specific
      carbohydrate moieties of glycoconjugates, have become an effective tool for
      detection of new cancer biomarkers in complex bodily fluids and tissues. The
      specificity of lectins provides an added advantage of selecting peptides that are
      differently glycosylated and aberrantly expressed in cancer patients, many of
      which are not possibly detected using conventional methods because of their low
      abundance in bodily fluids. When coupled with mass spectrometry, research
      utilizing lectins, which are mainly from plants and fungi, has led to
      identification of numerous potential cancer biomarkers that may be used in the
      future. This article reviews lectin-based methods that are commonly adopted in
      cancer biomarker discovery research.

PMID- 28894653
TI  - A Proposal for Updated Standards of Photographic Documentation in Aesthetic
      Medicine.
AB  - In 1998, DiBernardo et al. published a very helpful standardization of
      comparative (before and after) photographic documentation. These standards
      prevail to this day. Although most of them are useful for objective documentation
      of aesthetic results, there are at least 3 reasons why an update is necessary at
      this time: First, DiBernardo et al. focused on the prevalent standards of medical
      photography at that time. From a modern perspective, these standards are
      antiquated and not always correct. Second, silver-based analog photography has
      mutated into digital photography. Digitalization offers virtually unlimited
      potential for image manipulation using a vast array of digital Apps and tools
      including, but not limited to, image editing software like Photoshop.
      Digitalization has given rise to new questions, particularly regarding
      appropriate use of editing techniques to maximize or increase objectivity. Third,
      we suggest changes to a very small number of their medical standards in the
      interest of obtaining a better or more objective documentation of aesthetic
      results. This article is structured into 3 sections and is intended as a new
      proposal for photographic and medical standards for the documentation of
      aesthetic interventions: 1. The photographic standards. 2. The medical standards.
      3. Description of editing tools which should be used to increase objectivity.

PMID- 28894654
TI  - Evaluation of a Novel Hybrid Viable Bioprosthetic Mesh in a Model of Mesh
      Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reported incidence of mesh infection in contaminated operative
      fields is as high as 30% regardless of material used. Our laboratory previously
      showed that augmenting acellular bioprosthetic mesh with allogeneic mesenchymal
      stem cells (MSC) enhances resistance to bacterial colonization in vivo and
      preserves mesh integrity. This study's aim was to determine whether augmentation
      of non-crosslinked porcine dermis (Strattice) with commercially available,
      cryopreserved, viable MSC-containing human placental tissue (Stravix) similarly
      improves infection resistance after inoculation with Escherichia coli (E. coli)
      using an established mesh infection model. METHODS: Stravix was thawed per
      manufacturer's instructions and 2 samples were tested for cell viability using a
      Live/Dead Cell assay at the time of surgery. Rats (N = 20) were implanted
      subcutaneously with 1 piece of Strattice and 1 piece of hybrid mesh (Strattice +
      Stravix sutured at the corners). Rats were inoculated with either sterile saline
      or 106 colony-forming units of E. coli before wound closure (n = 10 per group).
      At 4 weeks, explants underwent microbiologic and histologic analyses. RESULTS: In
      E. coli-inoculated animals, severe or complete mesh degradation concurrent with
      abscess formation was observed in 100% (10/10) hybrid meshes and 90% (9/10)
      Strattice meshes. Histologic evaluation determined that meshes inoculated with E.
      coli exhibited severe acute inflammation, which correlated with bacterial
      recovery (P < 0.001). Viability assays performed at the time of surgery failed to
      verify the presence of numerous live cells in Stravix. CONCLUSIONS: Stravix
      cryopreserved MSC-containing human umbilical tissue does not improve infection
      resistance of a bioprosthetic mesh in vivo in rats after inoculation with E.
      coli.

PMID- 28894655
TI  - Intraoperative Evaluation of Body Surface Improvement by an Augmented Reality
      System That a Clinician Can Modify.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Augmented reality (AR) technology that can combine computer-generated
      images with a real scene has been reported in the medical field recently. We
      devised the AR system for evaluation of improvements of the body surface, which
      is important for plastic surgery. METHODS: We constructed an AR system that is
      easy to modify by combining existing devices and free software. We superimposed
      the 3-dimensional images of the body surface and the bone (obtained from VECTRA
      H1 and CT) onto the actual surgical field by Moverio BT-200 smart glasses and
      evaluated improvements of the body surface in 8 cases. RESULTS: In all cases, the
      3D image was successfully projected on the surgical field. Improvement of the
      display method of the 3D image made it easier to distinguish the different shapes
      in the 3D image and surgical field, making comparison easier. In a patient with
      fibrous dysplasia, the symmetrized body surface image was useful for confirming
      improvement of the real body surface. In a patient with complex facial fracture,
      the simulated bone image was useful as a reference for reduction. In a patient
      with an osteoma of the forehead, simultaneously displayed images of the body
      surface and the bone made it easier to understand these positional relationships.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that AR technology is helpful for evaluation of
      the body surface in several clinical applications. Our findings are not only
      useful for body surface evaluation but also for effective utilization of AR
      technology in the field of plastic surgery.

PMID- 28894656
TI  - Wide Awake Trapeziectomy for Thumb Basal Joint Arthritis.
AB  - Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

PMID- 28894657
TI  - Optimization of an Arterialized Venous Fasciocutaneous Flap in the Abdomen of the
      Rat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although numerous experimental models of arterialized venous flaps
      (AVFs) have been proposed, no single model has gained widespread acceptance. The
      main aim of this work was to evaluate the survival area of AVFs produced with
      different vascular constructs in the abdomen of the rat. METHODS: Fifty-three
      male rats were divided into 4 groups. In group I (n = 12), a 5-cm-long and 3-cm
      wide conventional epigastric flap was raised on the left side of the abdomen.
      This flap was pedicled on the superficial caudal epigastric vessels caudally and
      on the lateral thoracic vein cranially. In groups II, III, and IV, a similar flap
      was raised, but the superficial epigastric artery was ligated. In these groups,
      AVFs were created using the following arterial venous anastomosis at the caudal
      end of the flap: group II (n = 13) a 1-mm-long side-to-side anastomosis was
      performed between the femoral artery and vein laterally to the ending of the
      superficial caudal epigastric vein. In group III (n = 14), in addition to the
      procedure described for group II, the femoral vein was ligated medially. Finally,
      in group IV (n = 14), the superficial caudal epigastric vein was cut from the
      femoral vein with a 1-mm-long ellipse of adjacent tissue, and an end-to-side
      arterial venous anastomosis was established between it and the femoral artery.
      RESULTS: Seven days postoperatively, the percentage of flap survival was 98.89 +/
      1.69, 68.84 +/- 7.36, 63.84 +/- 10.38, 76.86 +/- 13.67 in groups I-IV,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: An optimized AVF can be produced using the vascular
      architecture described for group IV.

PMID- 28894658
TI  - Prioritization for Plastic Surgery Procedures Aimed to Improve Quality of Life:
      Moral Considerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Different health conditions are treated in a Plastic Surgery unit,
      including those cases whose main goal is to enable patients to feel and integrate
      better within society and therefore improving quality of life, rather then
      physical functions. METHODS: We discuss moral principles that can be used as a
      guide for health professionals to revise and create policies for plastic surgery
      patients presenting with non-life-threatening conditions. RESULTS: A specific
      anatomical feature is not always an indicator of patient's well-being and quality
      of life, and therefore it cannot be used as the sole parameter to identify the
      worst-off and prioritize the provision of health care. A policy should identify
      who preoperatively are the worst-off and come to some plausible measure of how
      much they can be expected to benefit from an operation. Policies that do not
      track these principles in any reliable way can cause discrimination. CONCLUSIONS:
      A patient-centered operating system and patient's informed preferences might be
      implemented in the process of prioritizing health. In circumstances when the
      effectiveness of a specific treatment is unproven, professionals should not make
      assumptions based on their own values.

PMID- 28894659
TI  - Prevention of Mandible Reconstruction Plate Exposure by Costal Cartilage
      Wrapping.
AB  - After mandibulectomy in cancer surgery, reconstruction is often performed with a
      reconstruction plate covered with a soft-tissue free flap in patients in poor
      condition. However, the rate of complications for mandibular reconstruction is
      higher with a reconstruction plate than with vascularized bone grafts. We have
      developed a costal cartilage wrapping method to prevent exposure of the mandible
      reconstruction plate. The eighth costal cartilage was removed and split into 2
      pieces to wrap around the reconstruction plate. In our case, the artificial plate
      wrapped with costal cartilage graft was not exposed and the skin over the plate
      did not become atrophic over 27 months follow-up even after irradiation. Wrapping
      around an artificial reconstruction plate with autologous costal cartilage grafts
      may be more effective than using only a flap covering to prevent exposure of the
      plate after tumor ablation and radiation therapy.

PMID- 28894660
TI  - Mastectomy Flap Thickness and Complications in Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy:
      Objective Evaluation using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ischemic complications after nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) have
      been associated with numerous variables. However, the impact of NSM flap
      thickness has been incompletely evaluated. METHODS: NSM flap thickness was
      determined for all NSMs from 2006 to 2016 with available pre- or postoperative
      breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs). Demographics and outcomes were
      stratified by those with and without ischemic complications. RESULTS: Of 1,037
      NSM reconstructions, 420 NSMs had MRI data available, which included 379
      preoperative MRIs and 60 postoperative MRIs. Average total preoperative
      skin/subcutaneous tissue NSM flap thickness was 11.4 mm. Average total
      postoperative NSM flap thickness was 8.7 mm. NSMs with ischemic complications
      were found to have significantly thinner overall postoperative NSM flap thickness
      compared with those without ischemic complications (P = 0.0280). Average overall
      postoperative NSM flap thickness less than 8.0 mm was found to be an independent
      predictor of ischemic complications (odds ratio, 6.5263; P = 0.026). In NSMs with
      both pre- and postoperative MRIs, the overall average postoperative NSM flap
      thickness was 68.2% of preoperative measurements. Average overall postoperative
      NSM flap thickness was significantly less than average overall preoperative NSM
      flap thickness (P < 0.0001). NSMs with ischemic complications were found to have
      a significantly lower ratio of overall postoperative to preoperative flap
      thickness (52.0% versus 74.0%; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Ischemic complications
      after NSM are significantly associated with thinner postoperative NSM flap
      thickness. Particularly, NSM flap thickness less than 8.0 mm is a positive
      independent predictor of ischemic complications. The ratio of postoperative to
      preoperative NSM flap thickness was significantly lower in reconstructions with
      ischemic complications.

PMID- 28894661
TI  - Patient-Reported Disability Measures Do Not Correlate with Electrodiagnostic
      Severity in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electrophysiologic studies including electromyography and nerve
      conduction studies play a role in the evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS),
      despite evidence that these studies do not correlate with CTS-specific symptom
      scores. There is a lack of evidence comparing electrophysiologic data with
      general measures of function. METHODS: Fifty patients presenting for CTS
      treatment over an 8-month period were analyzed retrospectively. All patients
      completed surveys including the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand
      questionnaire (DASH) and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Survey
      [(physical component summary 12, mental component summary (MCS-12)].
      Electromyography and nerve conduction studies were performed on all patients and
      compared with outcome scores. RESULTS: Analysis demonstrated no relationship
      between DASH or MCS-12 and electrodiagnostic severity. No significant
      correlations were noted between DASH or MCS-12 and median motor or sensory
      latency. There was a moderate-weak correlation (rho = 0.34) between more severe
      electrophysiologic grade and better function based on physical component summary
      12. CONCLUSIONS: Electrodiagnostic severity grades do not correlate with patient
      reported disability, including the DASH and MCS-12 surveys. There is a
      counterintuitive correlation between more-severe electrodiagnostic findings and
      decreased physical disability. These findings indicate that disability may not
      correlate with electrodiagnostic severity of median neuropathy in CTS.

PMID- 28894662
TI  - Acellular Dermal Matrix: Treating Periocular Melanoma in a Patient with Xeroderma
      Pigmentosa.
AB  - We report a 7-year-old girl with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), who presented in our
      clinic with a large melanoma (35 * 50 * 20 mm, Breslow depth 18 mm) in the
      zygomatic-malar area. Palliative surgery was performed to maintain her residual
      vision and to reduce the pain caused by the compression of local structures.
      Because of the limited access of autologous skin grafts in pediatric patients
      with XP who are severely affected, we opted to use an acellular dermal matrix.
      There was 100% graft uptake, and the pain due to compression by the tumor was
      alleviated. This case demonstrates that acellular dermal matrices can be safely
      and effectively used in oncological facial reconstruction, especially in patients
      with progressive conditions such as XP.

PMID- 28894663
TI  - Deltopectoral and Pectoralis Musculocutaneous Flap Technique for Cervical
      Esophageal Reconstruction after Free-Jejunal-Flap Necrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Free jejunal transfer has a high success rate, but if vascular
      thrombosis occurs, the salvage of failing flap with reanastomosis is difficult.
      This study described a combined deltopectoral (DP) and pectoralis major
      musculocutaneous (PMMC) flap 2-step technique for cervical esophageal
      reconstruction after free-jejunal-flap necrosis. METHODS: In step 1, the
      detection of free jejunal flap with the subsequent debridement of necrotic and
      infected tissue was followed by the construction of external fistula on the
      pharyngeal side with the hole in cervical skin and the construction of another
      external fistula on the esophageal side and tracheal stoma with a single or
      double DP flap. In step 2, after the primary healing of all wounds was confirmed,
      a wide hinge flap was elevated for reconstructing the posterior wall or full
      circumferential defect of cervical esophagus. PMMC flap harvested from either the
      left or right anterior chest wall was used for reconstructing the cervical
      surface defect or anterior pharyngeal wall. RESULTS: This technique was used for
      cervical esophageal reconstruction after free-jejunal-flap necrosis in 5
      patients. Step 1 surgery was performed at an average of 10 days after primary
      free-jejunal flap transfer. Oral intake was resumed in all cases at an average of
      117 days after step 2 surgery. No complications including esophageal stricture
      were found during a 6-month follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Combined DP and PMMC
      flap technique was useful for cervical esophageal reconstruction after free
      jejunal-flap necrosis and applicable to patients with the late detection of
      jejunal necrosis and surgical-site infection.

PMID- 28894664
TI  - Aesthetic Female-to-Male Chest Transformation: Power of Combining Modified
      Mastectomy with a Pectoral Implant.
AB  - Gender reassignment surgery has gained in popularity with increased media
      exposure and society's recognition of gender dysphoria. Female-to-male gender
      reassignment often begins with the "top" or chest surgery. Mastectomy with free
      nipple grafting is the most frequently described technique in the literature.
      This technique is reliable yet lacks the ability to provide a true male chest
      shape. We discuss our technique for female-to-male "top" surgery combining
      traditional mastectomy techniques with a lower pole pedicle vascularized areola
      and a pectoral implant. A 32-year-old African American female with bilateral C
      cup breast with grade 2/3 ptosis presented for "top" surgery. Intraoperatively,
      the nipple areola complex was maintained on a lower pole pedicle at a thickness
      of 1.5 cm to maintain neurovascularity. A superior mastectomy flap was raised at
      the level of the breast capsule and remaining breast tissue excised. A lateral
      subpectoral pocket was created for insertion of a silicone pectoral implant. The
      new nipple position matured in the infero-lateral quadrant of greatest projecting
      portion of the chest. Lower pole pedicle provided vascularity to the areola,
      which avoids the need for a free nipple graft and potential hypopigmentation.
      Pectoral silicone implant provided upper pole fullness to mimic the male chest
      muscular distribution. Modification of mastectomy-based female-to-male gender
      reassignment surgery with a lower pole pedicle-based areola and pectoral implant
      provides an aesthetic improvement over the classic mastectomy with free nipple
      graft technique.

PMID- 28894665
TI  - Late Arterial Thrombosis after Microvascular Head and Neck Reconstruction due to
      Combined Factors of Pedicle Artery Loop and Submandibular Gland Swelling.
AB  - Late arterial thrombosis of a free flap is rare and usually unsalvageable because
      it is hard to detect. We herein report 2 cases of arterial thrombosis of a free
      flap after microvascular head and neck reconstruction due to the combined factors
      of pedicle artery loop and compression by a swollen submandibular gland, the
      occurrence of thrombosis in both of which was > 72 hours after the operation. In
      case 1, the arterial thrombosis was undetectable, and it was too late for a
      successful take-back operation, so the flap was lost. However, we applied the
      lessons learned from case 1 and were able to detect the late arterial thrombosis
      of case 2 at an early stage; we subsequently salvaged the flap successfully.
      During the take-back operation in both cases, it was found that the submandibular
      gland became swollen and compressed the pedicle artery, which then became
      occluded due to a steep loop formation. Postoperative swelling of the
      submandibular gland can sometimes compress the vascular pedicle, and complete
      occlusion of the pedicle artery may occur when it is looped. Meticulous care
      concerning the geometry of the vascular pedicle is required to avoid such
      complications.

PMID- 28894666
TI  - Optimizing Aesthetic Outcomes in Delayed Breast Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The need to restore both the missing breast volume and breast surface
      area makes achieving excellent aesthetic outcomes in delayed breast
      reconstruction especially challenging. Autologous breast reconstruction can be
      used to achieve both goals. The aim of this study was to identify surgical
      maneuvers that can optimize aesthetic outcomes in delayed breast reconstruction.
      METHODS: This is a retrospective review of operative and clinical records of all
      patients who underwent unilateral or bilateral delayed breast reconstruction with
      autologous tissue between April 2014 and January 2017. Three groups of delayed
      breast reconstruction patients were identified based on patient characteristics.
      RESULTS: A total of 26 flaps were successfully performed in 17 patients. Key
      surgical maneuvers for achieving aesthetically optimal results were identified. A
      statistically significant difference for volume requirements was identified in
      cases where a delayed breast reconstruction and a contralateral immediate breast
      reconstruction were performed simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal aesthetic
      results can be achieved with: (1) restoration of breast skin envelope with tissue
      expansion when possible, (2) optimal positioning of a small skin paddle to be
      later incorporated entirely into a nipple areola reconstruction when adequate
      breast skin surface area is present, (3) limiting the reconstructed breast mound
      to 2 skin tones when large area skin resurfacing is required, (4) increasing
      breast volume by deepithelializing, not discarding, the inferior mastectomy flap
      skin, (5) eccentric division of abdominal flaps when an immediate and delayed
      bilateral breast reconstructions are performed simultaneously; and (6) performing
      second-stage breast reconstruction revisions and fat grafting.

PMID- 28894667
TI  - Dual Vascular Free Anterolateral Thigh Flap.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimum number of microvascular anastomoses for safe free tissue
      transfer is controversial. Although the case for 2 venous anastomoses versus 1
      anastomosis has been argued, the use of an additional arterial anastomosis has
      not been examined in detail. METHODS: Twelve patients who underwent 2 arterial
      anastomoses for a free flap transfer were identified retrospectively from the
      medical records of patients undergoing reconstruction for head and neck cancer.
      The free flaps were limited to anterolateral thigh (ALT) flaps. RESULTS: All
      flaps survived. Complications included venous thrombosis (n = 1), reexploration
      (n = 1), and leakage (n = 3). The vascular patterns of dual-arterialized ALT
      flaps were classified into 3 groups. Types 1 and 2 were ALT flaps that had 2
      vascular sources from the descending and lateral branches of the lateral
      circumflex femoral artery. The number of accompanying veins differed between type
      1 (3 veins) and type 2 (2 veins). Type 3 differed from a conventional ALT flap
      nourished by the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (1
      vein) by the addition of anastomosis of an artery branching from the descending
      branch to the vastus medialis muscle. The total operation times for these 3 types
      of ALT were similar. CONCLUSIONS: An additional arterial anastomosis to the free
      cutaneous flap did not cause any congestion or disturb the balance between inflow
      and outflow. If the surgeon considers that the first arterial anastomosis is
      unreliable, an additional anastomosis might be an option in ALT transfer.

PMID- 28894669
TI  - What Is the Ideal Neophallus? Response to Frey et al. (2017): An Update on
      Genital Reconstruction Options for the Female-to-Male Transgender Patient: A
      Review of the Literature.

PMID- 28894668
TI  - Mucosal Perfusion Preservation by a Novel Shapeable Tissue Expander for Oral
      Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are few methods for expanding oral mucosa, and these often
      cause complications such as tissue necrosis and expander eruption. This study
      examines mucosal blood perfusion following insertion of a novel shapeable
      hydrogel tissue expander (HTE). The canine model used subgingival insertion of
      HTE following tooth extraction and alveolar bone reduction. The primary goal of
      this study was to gain understanding of epithelial perfusion and reparative
      responses of gingival mucosa during HTE expansion. METHODS: Nine Beagle dogs
      underwent bilateral premolar maxillary and mandibular tooth extraction. Three to
      four months later, HTE-contoured inserts were implanted submucosally under the
      buccal surface of the alveolar ridge. After removal and following a 6- to 7-month
      period of healing, new HTE implants were inserted at the same sites. The area was
      assessed weekly for tissue perfusion and volume of expansion. Biopsies for
      histological analysis were performed at the time of expander removal. RESULTS:
      Within 2 weeks following the second insertion, blood flow returned to baseline
      (defined as the values of perfusion measurements at the presurgery assessment)
      and remained normal until hydrogel full expansion and removal. Volume expansion
      analysis revealed that the hydrogel doubled in volume. Histological assessment
      showed no macrophage or inflammatory infiltration of the mucosa. No superficial
      fibrosis, decreased vascularity, or mucosal change was seen. CONCLUSION:
      Maintenance of adequate tissue perfusion is a clinically important aspect of
      tissue expander performance to reduce risk of device loss or injury to the
      patient, particularly for areas with a history of previous surgeries.

PMID- 28894670
TI  - Reply: What Is the Ideal Neophallus? Response to Frey et al. (2017): An Update on
      Genital Reconstruction Options for the Female-to-Male Transgender Patient: A
      Review of the Literature.

PMID- 28894671
TI  - Interosseous Membrane Release for Long-Standing Upper Limb Lymphedema: A
      Procedure Often Neglected.

PMID- 28894672
TI  - Living with Dead Spaces: Closing Complex Posterior Midline Defects with Midline
      Based Perforator Flaps.

PMID- 28894673
TI  - Defining the Association between Diabetes and Plastic Surgery Outcomes: An
      Analysis of Nearly 40,000 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes is an increasingly prevalent comorbidity in patients
      presenting for surgery, impacting nearly 14% of adults in the United States.
      Although it is known that diabetic patients are at an increased risk for
      postoperative complications, there is a paucity of literature on the specific
      ramifications of diabetes on different surgical procedures. METHODS: Using the
      American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      dataset, demographics, outcomes, and length of in-patient hospitalization were
      examined for patients who underwent plastic surgery between 2007 and 2012.
      Adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the
      relationship between diabetes status and a spectrum of medical and surgical
      postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Thirty-nine thousand four hundred seventy-five
      plastic surgery patients were identified, including 1,222 (3.10%) with insulin
      dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 1,915 (4.75%) with non-insulin-dependent
      diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), who had undergone breast, hand/upper and lower
      extremity, abdominal, or craniofacial procedures. Logistic regression analyses
      showed that only insulin-dependent diabetics had a higher likelihood of surgical
      complications (IDDM: P value < 0.0001; NIDDM: P value < 0.103), whereas patients
      with both IDDM and NIDDM had increased likelihoods of medical complications
      (IDDM: P value < 0.001; NIDDM: P value = 0.0093) compared with nondiabetics.
      Average hospital stay for diabetics was also longer than for nondiabetics.
      CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes is associated with an increase in a multitude of
      postoperative complications and in hospital length of stay, in patients
      undergoing plastic surgery. Diabetes status should thus be evaluated and
      addressed when counseling patients preoperatively. Risks may be further
      stratified based on IDDM versus NIDDM status.

PMID- 28894674
TI  - Lymphedema of the Lower Extremities due to Refractory Malignant Lymphoma Treated
      by Lymphaticovenous Anastomosis.
AB  - Lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) is primarily performed for lymphedema of the
      lower extremities after surgical treatment of gynecologic cancer and lymphedema
      of the upper extremities after surgical resection of breast cancer; however, LVA
      for lymphedema due to malignant lymphoma has not been reported to date. We herein
      present a patient with severe lymphedema of the lower extremities due to
      refractory malignant lymphoma, which markedly improved with LVA. LVA could
      contribute to improve quality of life in patients with end-stage disease with
      lymphedema of the lower extremities due to refractory malignant lymphoma.

PMID- 28894675
TI  - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the Setting of Mucopolysaccharidosis II (Hunter
      Syndrome).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a rare finding in children, but
      heavily represented in pediatric patients with mucopolysaccharidoses. Diagnosis
      is a challenge due to lack of the stereotypical symptomatic complaints and relies
      on examination and objective nerve conduction studies. METHODS: We present a case
      of delayed presentation of CTS in a 12-year-old boy with Hunter syndrome,
      followed by a review of the literature. RESULTS: Patient Z.D. presented with
      minimal reported CTS symptoms but advanced median nerve damage on
      electromyography. He underwent bilateral carpal tunnel release with median nerve
      neurolysis and flexor tenosynovectomies. Intraoperative examination demonstrated
      the presence of a "waist sign" of the median nerve and moderate flexor
      tenosynovial hypertrophy bilaterally. Parents reported mild subjective
      improvement of dexterity and fine motor skills postoperatively. CONCLUSION: To
      optimize functional outcome, routine screening for CTS and intervention at an
      early age are emphasized in the mucopolysaccharidoses population.

PMID- 28894676
TI  - Meta-Analysis of Long Thoracic Nerve Decompression and Neurolysis Versus Muscle
      and Tendon Transfer Operative Treatments of Winging Scapula.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Injury to long thoracic and the spinal accessory nerves can cause
      winging scapula as a result of weakness and paralysis of the trapezius and
      serratus anterior muscles. Although these nerve and muscle operations have been
      reported to correct winging scapula due to various causes, there is no report on
      comparing the outcomes of these procedures in peer-reviewed Pubmed-indexed
      literature. In this article, we compared the improvements in the restoration of
      shoulder functions in winging scapula patients after long thoracic nerve
      decompression (LTND) in our present study with outcomes of muscle and tendon
      transfer operations published in the literature (Aetna cited articles). METHODS:
      Twenty-five winging scapula patients met the inclusion criteria, who had LTND and
      neurolysis at our clinic since 2008. Electromyographic evaluation of the brachial
      plexus and long thoracic nerve distribution was performed preoperatively for all
      our patients in this study. Operating surgeon (R.K.N.) examined all patients and
      measured pre- and postoperative range of motion of the affected shoulder. The
      mean follow-up was 23 months (range, 13-46 months). Age of our patients in this
      study at the time of surgery was between 13 and 63 years. These patients had
      winging scapula between 5 days (tennis injury) and several years before surgery
      and some were unknown. RESULTS: Shoulder flexion and abduction improved to an
      average of 163 (P < 0.000006) and 157 (P < 0.0000005) from 104 and 97 at least 1
      year post-LTND in 25 winging scapula patients in our present study. This is
      statistically significant in comparison to the reported improvements resulting
      from muscle and tendon transfer procedures in the Pubmed-indexed (Aetna cited)
      literature. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that nerve surgeries such as
      LTND and neurolysis are effective techniques in correcting winging scapula in
      comparison with muscle transfer operations.

PMID- 28894677
TI  - Do We Really Understand Spine Treatments and Science Around the World?

PMID- 28894678
TI  - Radiographic Risk Factors of Reoperation Following Minimally Invasive
      Decompression for Lumbar Canal Stenosis Associated With Degenerative Scoliosis
      and Spondylolisthesis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: Microsurgical bilateral
      decompression via a unilateral approach (MBDU), a minimally invasive surgical
      (MIS) decompression method, has been performed for numerous degenerative lumbar
      diseases, including degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) or degenerative
      spondylolisthesis (DS), at our institution. In this study, we evaluated the
      appropriateness of MBDU for DLS or DS patients. METHODS: A total of 207 patients
      treated by MBDU were included (88 women and 119 men; mean age, 70 [40-86] years).
      Thirty-seven cases were diagnosed as DLS (group A), 51 as DS (group B), and 119
      as lumbar canal stenosis (group C). Patient clinical status assessed by JOA score
      was evaluated preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively. We evaluated the
      prevalence of cases that required reoperation among the groups and the
      radiographic risk factors related to reoperation. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference in recovery ratios of JOA scores among the groups.
      Reoperation after MBDU was needed in 13 cases (6.3%); the revision rate did not
      significantly differ among the groups. Reoperation was associated with poor
      clinical status, low visual analog scale score for low back pain, and low SF-36
      mental component summary score. Reoperation was significantly associated with
      preoperative scoliotic disc wedging with Cobb's angle >=3 degrees  in L4-5 (odds
      ratio = 9.88) and lateral listhesis (odds ratio = 5.22 [total], 12.9 [L4-5]).
      CONCLUSIONS: When we are careful to indicate decompression for patients with
      these risk factors related to reoperation, MIS decompression alone can
      successfully improve DLS patients with a Cobb's angle of <=20 degrees  or DS
      patients.

PMID- 28894679
TI  - Management of Thoracic Disc Herniations via Posterior Unilateral Modified
      Transfacet Pedicle-Sparing Decompression With Segmental Instrumentation and
      Interbody Fusion.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case series. OBJECTIVE: The objective of
      this case series was to demonstrate the safety of a modified transfacet pedicle
      sparing decompression and instrumented fusion in patients with thoracic disc
      herniations (TDHs). METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing operative management
      of TDH from July 2007 to December 2011 using a posterior unilateral modified
      transfacet pedicle-sparing approach were identified. All patients underwent open
      or minimally invasive modified transfacet pedicle-sparing discectomy and
      segmental instrumentation with interbody fusion, performed by four different
      surgeons. Pre- and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, Nurick
      grade, and American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) were
      analyzed from a retrospective chart review. Estimated blood loss and
      complications were also obtained. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were included that
      had operations for TDH. Thirty-nine patients had single level decompression and
      12 had multilevel decompression. The total number of levels operated on was 64.
      Five patients were treated with minimally invasive surgery. A herniated disc
      level of T11-12 (n = 17) was treated most often. One major complication of
      epidural hematoma occurred. Minor complications such as malpositioned hardware,
      postoperative hematoma, wound infection, pseudoarthrosis, and pulmonary
      complications occurred in a few patients. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 46 months
      with 1 patient lost to follow-up. From preoperative to final postoperative: mean
      VAS scores improved from 8.31 to 4.05, AIS in all patients remained stable or
      improved, and Nurick scores improved from 3 to 2.6 on average. No intraoperative
      or permanent neurological deficit occurred. CONCLUSION: In our surgical series,
      51 consecutive patients underwent modified transfacet pedicle-sparing approach to
      TDHs and experienced improvement of functional status as well as improvement of
      objective pain scales with no neurological complications. The posterior
      unilateral modified transfacet pedicle-sparing decompression and instrumented
      fusion approach to the thoracic spine is a safe and reproducible procedure for
      the treatment of TDHs.

PMID- 28894680
TI  - Multi-Rod Constructs Can Prevent Rod Breakage and Pseudarthrosis at the
      Lumbosacral Junction in Adult Spinal Deformity.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To determine if patients
      fused with multi-rod constructs to the pelvis have a lower incidence of
      lumbosacral rod failure and pseudarthrosis than those fused with dual-rod
      constructs. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of consecutive adult
      spinal deformity patients who underwent long fusion to the pelvis. Inclusion
      criteria were >5 levels, primary fusion or revision for L5-S1 pseudarthrosis, and
      minimum 1-year follow-up. Revision patients with indications other than L5-S1
      pseudarthrosis were excluded. One-year follow-up plain radiographs were reviewed
      for rod integrity, and computed tomography scan (CT) was obtained whenever rod
      breakage was observed. Dual-rod and multi-rod (3 or 4 rods) cohorts were
      statistically compared. RESULTS: There were 31 patients with 15 in the dual-rod
      group and 16 in the multi-rod group, with average ages of 68 +/- 9 and 63 +/- 12
      years, respectively. No patients in the multi-rod group experienced rod fracture,
      whereas 6 in the dual-rod group fractured a rod (P = .007), with 4 occurring at
      the lumbosacral junction (P = .04). CT scan in the 4 lumbosacral rod fracture
      cases, and surgical exploration in 3, confirmed pseudarthrosis and hypertrophic
      nonunion at the L5-S1 junction. CONCLUSION: Patients with dual-rod constructs had
      a statistically greater incidence of lumbosacral pseudarthrosis with implant
      failure than those with multi-rod constructs. CT and surgical exploration showed
      hypertrophic nonunion as opposed to oligo- or atrophic nonunion. This suggests
      that mechanical instability, not biology, is the main reason for failure, and
      could be addressed with the use of multi-rods.

PMID- 28894681
TI  - Preoperative Computed Tomography Myelography Parameters as Predictors of Outcome
      in Patients With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Results of a Systematic
      Review.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVES: To determine the preoperative
      computed tomography (CT) myelogram imaging parameters in patients diagnosed with
      degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) that correlate with severity of DCM and
      predict postoperative patients' functional outcome. METHODS: An electronic
      database search was performed using Ovid Medline and Embase. CT myelogram studies
      investigating the correlation between imaging characteristics and DCM severity or
      postoperative outcomes were included. Two independent reviewers performed
      citation screening, selection, qualitative assessment, and data extraction using
      an objective and blinded protocol. RESULTS: A total of 5 studies (402 patients)
      were included in this review and investigated the role of preoperative CT
      myelogram parameters in predicting the functional outcome after surgical
      treatment of DCM. All studies were retrospective cohort studies. CT myelogram
      characteristics included the transverse area of the spinal cord at maximum level
      of compression, spinal canal narrowing, number of blocks, spinal canal diameter,
      and flattening ratio. There is low evidence suggesting that patients with a
      preoperative transverse area of the spinal cord >30 mm2 at the level of maximum
      compression have better postoperative recovery and outcome. We found no studies
      investigating the correlation between preoperative CT myelogram parameters and
      DCM severity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with greater transverse area of spinal cord
      at the level of maximum compression on the preoperative CT myelogram are more
      likely to have better neurological outcome after surgery. There is insufficient
      evidence to suggest that any of the other CT myelogram parameters investigated
      are predictors of postoperative outcomes in patients with DCM.

PMID- 28894682
TI  - Frailty Is Predictive of Adverse Postoperative Events in Patients Undergoing
      Lumbar Fusion.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data. OBJECTIVE: To
      analyze the modified frailty index (mFI) as a predictor of adverse postoperative
      events following posterior lumbar fusion. METHODS: The American College of
      Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database
      including all adult patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion or
      transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion between 2005 and 2012. Outcomes measured
      included mortality, postoperative complications, length of stay, reoperations,
      and readmissions. The previously described mFI was calculated, and univariate and
      multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze risk factors
      associated with morbidity, mortality, and adverse postoperative events. This
      study was qualified as exempt by the Mount Sinai Hospital Institutional Review
      Board. RESULTS: A total of 6094 patients met inclusion criteria. The mean mFI was
      0.087(0-0.545). Increasing mFI score was associated with increased complications,
      reoperations, prolonged length of stay (LOS), and morbidity (P < .05). As the mFI
      score increased from 0.27 (3/11 variables present) to >=0.36 (4/11), the rate of
      any complication increased from 26.8% to 35% (P < .0001), sepsis 2.4% to 5.2% (P
      < .0001), wound complications 4.4% to 6.5% (P < .0001), unplanned readmissions
      4.7% to 20% (P = .02), and urinary tract infection 4.1% to 10.4% (P < .0001). An
      mFI of >=0.36 was an independent predictor of any complication (odds ratio [OR]=
      2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-3.7), sepsis (OR = 6.3, 95%, CI = 1.8
      21), wound complications (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.1-8.2), prolonged LOS (OR = 2.3,
      95% CI = 1.4-3.7), and readmission (OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 1.5-12.7). CONCLUSION:
      Patients with higher mFI scores (>= 4/11 variables) are at a significantly higher
      risk of major complications, readmissions, and prolonged LOS following lumbar
      fusion.

PMID- 28894683
TI  - Beyond Pelvic Incidence-Lumbar Lordosis Mismatch: The Importance of Assessing the
      Entire Spine to Achieve Global Sagittal Alignment.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: To investigate which sagittal
      parameters contribute to a normal sagittal vertical axis (SVA) when there is a
      pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL) mismatch >10 degrees  following adult
      spinal deformity (ASD) correction. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review
      of ASD patients with >5 levels fused. Sagittal measurements between cohorts of
      postoperative PI-LL >10 degrees  and PI-LL<10 degrees  were compared. We
      correlated SVA to pelvic tilt (PT), thoracic kyphosis (TK), PI-LL, cervical
      lordosis (CL), and correlated the pre- to postoperative change in SVA to change
      in PT, change in TK, change in PI-LL, and change in CL. We also correlated SVA
      and the change in SVA to combined parameters of ((PI-LL) - PT + TK). RESULTS: We
      analyzed 52 patients with a mean age of 59 +/- 16 years. In patients with a
      postoperative SVA <5cm, a smaller TK was seen when PI-LL >10 degrees  than when
      PI-LL<10 degrees  (15.45 degrees  vs 33.04 degrees , P = .0004). Additionally, PT
      was larger when PI-LL >10 degrees  than when PI-LL <10 degrees  (25.73 degrees 
      vs 19.07 degrees , P = .006). SVA correlated better with ((PI-LL) - PT + TK) (R2
      = 0.51) than with PI-LL alone (R2 = 0.33). Lastly, there was no significant
      correlation between change in pre- to postoperative SVA with change in TK for all
      cases (P = .73), but in cases where change in PI-LL was <10 degrees , there was a
      significant correlation between change in TK and change in SVA (P = .009).
      CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that PT and TK, and not just PI-LL, play an
      important role in maintaining sagittal balance when there is a PI-LL mismatch >10
      degrees .

PMID- 28894684
TI  - A Preliminary Algorithm Using Spine Measurement Software to Predict Sagittal
      Alignment Following Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if spine
      measurement software can simulate sagittal alignment following pedicle
      subtraction osteotomy (PSO). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive
      adult spinal deformity patients who underwent lumbar PSO. Sagittal measurements
      were performed on preoperative lateral, standing radiographs. Sagittal
      measurements after simulated PSO were compared to actual postoperative
      measurements. A regression equation was developed using cases 1-7 to determine
      the amount of manual rotation required of each film to match the simulated
      sagittal vertical axis (SVA) to the actual postoperative SVA. The equation was
      then applied to cases 8-13. RESULTS: For all 13 cases, the spine software
      accurately simulated lumbar lordosis, pelvic incidence lumbar lordosis mismatch,
      and T1 pelvic angle, with no significant differences between actual and simulated
      measurements. The pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), thoracolumbar alignment
      (TL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), T9 spino-pelvic inclination (T9SPi), T1 spino
      pelvic inclination (T1SPi), and SVA were inaccurately simulated. The PT, SS,
      T9SPi, T1SPi, and SVA all change with manual rotation of the film, and by using
      the regression equation developed with cases 1-7, we were able to improve the
      accuracy and decrease the variability of the simulated PT, SS, T9SPi, T1SPi, and
      SVA for cases 8-13. CONCLUSIONS: Dedicated spine measurement software can
      accurately simulate certain sagittal measurements, such as LL, PI-LL, and TPA,
      following PSO. A number of measurements, including PT, SS, TL, TK, T9SPi, T1SPi,
      and SVA were inaccurately simulated. Our preliminary algorithm improved the
      accuracy and decreased the variability of certain measurements, but requires
      future prospective studies for further validation.

PMID- 28894685
TI  - Return to Play in Elite Contact Athletes After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and
      Fusion: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis of studies published
      in English language. OBJECTIVE: Return to play after anterior cervical discectomy
      and fusion (ACDF) in contact athletes remains a controversial topic with no
      consensus opinion in the literature. Additional information is needed to properly
      advise and treat this population of patients. This study is a meta-analysis
      assessing return to competitive contact sports after undergoing an ACDF. METHODS:
      A literature search of Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Reviews was performed to
      identify investigations reporting return to play following ACDF in professional
      contact athletes. The pooled results were performed by calculating the effect
      size based on the logic event rate. Studies were weighted by the inverse of the
      variance, which included both within and between-study error. Confidence
      intervals (CIs) were reported at 95%. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q
      statistic and I2. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias calculations were
      performed. RESULTS: The initial literature search resulted in 166 articles, of
      which 5 were determined relevant. Overall, return to play data was provided for
      48 patients. The pooled clinical success rate for return to play was 73.5% (CI =
      56.7%, 85.8%). The logit event rate was calculated to be 1.036 (CI = 0.270,
      1.802), which was statistically significant (P = .008). The studies included in
      this meta-analysis demonstrated minimal heterogeneity with Q value of 4.038 and
      I2 value of 0.956. CONCLUSIONS: Elite contact athletes return to competition
      73.5% of the time after undergoing ACDF. As this is the first study to pool
      results from existing studies, it provides strong evidence to guide decision
      making and expectations in this patient population.

PMID- 28894687
TI  - The Pedicles Are Not the Densest Regions of the Lumbar Vertebrae: Implications
      for Bone Quality Assessment and Surgical Treatment Strategy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cadaver study. OBJECTIVE: To determine the bone density of lumbar
      vertebral anatomic subregions. Bone mineral density (BMD) is a major factor in
      osseous fixation construct strength. The standard region for implant fixation of
      the spine is the pedicle; however, other regions may be more viable options with
      higher bone quality. METHODS: Using computed tomography images, the spine was
      digitally isolated by applying a filter for adult bone. The spine model was
      separated into 5 lumbar vertebrae, followed by segmentation of each vertebra into
      7 regions and determination of average Hounsfield units (HU). HU was converted to
      BMD with calibration phantoms of known BMD. RESULTS: Overall mean BMD in
      vertebral regions ranged from 172 to 393 mg/cm3 with the highest and lowest BMD
      in the lamina and vertebral body, respectively. Vertebral regions formed 3
      distinct groups (P < .03). The vertebral body and transverse processes represent
      one group with significantly lower BMD than other regions. Spinous process,
      pedicles, and superior articular processes represent a second group with moderate
      BMD. Finally, inferior articular process (IAP) and lamina represent a third group
      with significantly higher BMD than other regions. CONCLUSIONS: Standard lumbar
      fusion currently uses the vertebral body and pedicles as primary locations for
      fixation despite their relatively low BMD. Utilization of posterior elements,
      especially the lamina and IAP, may be advantageous as a supplement to modern
      constructs or the primary site for fixation, possibly mitigating construct
      failures due to loosening or pullout.

PMID- 28894686
TI  - Risk Factors for Delirium After Spine Surgery in Extremely Elderly Patients Aged
      80 Years or Older and Review of the Literature: Japan Association of Spine
      Surgeons with Ambition Multicenter Study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis. OBJECTIVE: Spine surgeries in
      elderly patients have increased in recent years due to aging of society and
      recent advances in surgical techniques, and postoperative complications have
      become more of a concern. Postoperative delirium is a common complication in
      elderly patients that impairs recovery and increases morbidity and mortality. The
      objective of the study was to analyze postoperative delirium associated with
      spine surgery in patients aged 80 years or older with cervical, thoracic, and
      lumbar lesions. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter study was performed in 262
      patients 80 years of age or older who underwent spine surgeries at 35 facilities.
      Postoperative complications, incidence of postoperative delirium, and hazard
      ratios of patient-specific and surgical risk factors were examined. RESULTS:
      Postoperative complications occurred in 59 of the 262 spine surgeries (23%).
      Postoperative delirium was the most frequent complication, occurring in 15 of 262
      patients (5.7%), and was significantly associated with hypertension,
      cerebrovascular disease, cervical lesion surgery, and greater estimated blood
      loss (P < .05). In multivariate logistic regression using perioperative factors,
      cervical lesion surgery (odds ratio = 4.27, P < .05) and estimated blood loss
      >=300 mL (odds ratio = 4.52, P < .05) were significantly associated with
      postoperative delirium. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical lesion surgery and greater blood
      loss were perioperative risk factors for delirium in extremely elderly patients
      after spine surgery. Hypertension and cerebrovascular disease were significant
      risk factors for postoperative delirium, and careful management is required for
      patients with such risk factors.

PMID- 28894688
TI  - Current Diagnosis and Management of Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Review. OBJECTIVES: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a
      major cause of disability, particular in elderly patients. Awareness and
      understanding of CSM is imperative to facilitate early diagnosis and management.
      This review article addresses CSM with regard to its epidemiology, anatomical
      considerations, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, imaging
      characteristics, treatment approaches and outcomes, and the cost-effectiveness of
      surgical options. METHODS: The authors performed an extensive review of the peer
      reviewed literature addressing the aforementioned objectives. RESULTS: The
      clinical presentation and natural history of CSM is variable, alternating between
      quiescent and insidious to stepwise decline or rapid neurological deterioration.
      For mild CSM, conservative options could be employed with careful observation.
      However, surgical intervention has shown to be superior for moderate to severe
      CSM. The success of operative or conservative management of CSM is multifactorial
      and high-quality studies are lacking. The optimal surgical approach is still
      under debate, and can vary depending on the number of levels involved, location
      of the pathology and baseline cervical sagittal alignment. CONCLUSIONS: Early
      recognition and treatment of CSM, before the onset of spinal cord damage, is
      essential for optimal outcomes. The goal of surgery is to decompress the cord
      with expansion of the spinal canal, while restoring cervical lordosis, and
      stabilizing when the risk of cervical kyphosis is high. Further high-quality
      randomized clinical studies with long-term follow up are still needed to further
      define the natural history and help predict the ideal surgical strategy.

PMID- 28894689
TI  - Is Stand-Alone Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion a Safe and Efficacious Treatment
      for Isthmic Spondylolisthesis of L5-S1?
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to
      determine the safety and efficacy of stand-alone anterior lumbar interbody fusion
      (sa-ALIF) for the treatment of symptomatic isthmic spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 by
      assessing the level of available clinical and radiographic evidence. METHODS: A
      systematic review utilizing Medline, Embase, and Scopus online databases was
      undertaken. Clinical, radiographic, and adverse outcome data were extracted for
      the relevant isthmic spondylolisthesis cases with the intention of undertaking a
      meta-analysis. RESULTS: The database search between January 1980 and December
      2015 yielded 23 articles that concerned sa-ALIF for isthmic spondylolisthesis of
      L5-S1. Only in 9 of the 23 articles data could be extracted specific to sa-ALIF
      for isthmic spondylolisthesis of L5-S1. There was considerable inconsistency in
      the standards for reporting outcomes of the surgery due to which meta-analysis
      could not be undertaken, and hence each article was reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: There
      was insufficient evidence to support the safety and efficacy of sa-ALIF for the
      treatment of isthmic spondylolisthesis of L5-S1. Although sa-ALIF is widely
      documented in the literature, there was insufficient evidence to support its use
      in treating this specific pathology. The unique pathological and anatomical
      situation that isthmic spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 presents must be recognized and
      its treatment with sa-ALIF should be well thought out.

PMID- 28894690
TI  - Management of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria, Urinary Catheters and Symptomatic Urinary
      Tract Infections in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Joint Replacement: A Position
      Paper of the Expert Group 'Infection' of swissorthopaedics.
AB  - In this position paper, we review definitions related to this subject and the
      corresponding literature. Our recommendations include the following statements.
      Asymptomatic bacteriuria, asymptomatic leukocyturia, urine discolouration, odd
      smell or positive nitrite sediments are not an indication for antimicrobial
      treatment. Antimicrobial treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria does not prevent
      periprosthetic joint infection, but is associated with adverse events, costs and
      antibiotic resistance development. Urine analyses or urine cultures in
      asymptomatic patients undergoing orthopaedic implants should be avoided.
      Indwelling urinary catheters are the most frequent reason for healthcare
      associated urinary tract infections and should be avoided or removed as soon as
      possible.

PMID- 28894691
TI  - Gonococcal Prosthetic Joint Infection.
AB  - Neisseria gonorrhoea is a common sexually transmitted infection worldwide.
      Disseminated gonococcal infection is an infrequent presentation and rarely can be
      associated with septic arthritis. Incidence of this infection is rising, both
      internationally and in older age groups. We present the first documented case of
      N. gonorrhoea prosthetic joint infection which was successfully treated with
      laparoscopic debridement and antimicrobial therapy.

PMID- 28894692
TI  - Case Report - Infection of Total Knee Arthroplasty Treated with One-Stage Surgery
      and Linezolid.
AB  - Staphylococcus spp meticillin resistant infection can be treated with Linezolid.
      This is a case report of an orthopaedic implant infection in a 60 year-old male
      treated orally with Linezolid and Rifampicin for three months after one-stage
      arthroplasty. This is possible provided that platelet count is closely monitored
      throughout the course of treatment.

PMID- 28894693
TI  - Association Between Body Mass index and Prevalence of Multimorbidity in Low-and
      Middle-income Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases are increasingly becoming a health burden in terms
      of both morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The
      role of body mass index (BMI) especially overweight and obesity in the prevalence
      of multimorbidity, the occurrence of two or more chronic conditions, is
      understudied in LMICs where two thirds of the world's obese individuals reside.
      We estimated the association between BMI and prevalence of chronic non
      communicable disease multimorbidity in six LMICs. METHODS: Cross-sectional data
      of total of 40,166 participants from China (n=13,970), India (10,915), Mexico
      (2,4 26), Russia (3,892), South Africa (4,000) and Ghana (4,971), aged 18 years
      and above included in the WHO Study on Global Ageing and adult health (SAGE),
      2007-2010 were analyzed. Multimorbidity was measured as the simultaneous presence
      of two or more of the nine chronic conditions including angina pectoris,
      arthritis, asthma, chronic lung disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke,
      depression, and vision impairment. Multivariable logistic regression models were
      fitted to test for associations between overweight/obesity and prevalence of non
      communicable multimorbidity after adjusting for age, sex, rural/urban residence,
      education, marital status, occupation, household wealth, tobacco smoking, alcohol
      drinking, fruits and vegetable intake and health insurance status. Data were
      analyzed country wise as well as pooled together to give overall LMIC estimates.
      RESULTS: The mean BMI was 24.4 [+/-7.3SD] in the pooled countries, being as low
      as 20.8 [+/-8.0 SD] in India to 23.4 [+/-6.3 SD] in Ghana, 23.9 [+/-4.9 SD] in
      China, 28.4 [+/-5.4 SD] in Mexico, 28.6 [+/-6.3 SD] in Russia, to as high as 30.5
      [+/-12.0 SD] in South Africa. The prevalence of overweight was 13% and obesity
      was 24% in the pooled sample. The prevalence of non communicable disease
      multimorbidity was 23% in the pooled sample of six countries-the highest being in
      Russia (50%), followed by Mexico (27%), India (24%), Ghana (23%), South Africa
      (32%) and China (22%). The prevalence of multimorbidity was 37% among obese
      population and 27% among overweight population in the pooled sample-highest
      prevalence was in Russia (59% among obese; 45% among overweight) and lowest in
      Ghana (28% among obese; 23% among overweight). Being obese (OR:5.78;95%CI:3.55
      9.40;p<0.0001) was associated with significantly higher likelihood of having
      multimorbidity as compared to normal weight category in the pooled sample. The
      likelihood of multimorbidity among obese were almost ten times higher in Russia
      (OR:9.90;95%CI:3.90-25.17;p=<0.0001), seven times higher in China
      (OR:7.06;95%CI:2.47-20.21;p=0.003), six times higher in Ghana (OR:5.61;95%CI:1.21
      26.02;p= 0.007) and five times higher in South Africa (OR:4.66;95%CI:2.16
      10.08;p=0.005). Non-significant but positive association were also observed in
      case of India and Mexico. The likelihood of multimorbidity was more than two
      times higher among overweight population in India (OR:2.33;95%CI:1.35
      4.02;p=0.003) and pooled countries (OR:1.47;95%CI:1.05-2.07;p=0.004) while non
      significant but positive association were also observed in case of China, Russia,
      and Ghana. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of non communicable disease multimorbidity
      in the LMICs is high, one and half times higher in obese than in normal weight
      individual. Obesity was independently associated with the occurrence of
      multimorbidity in the six LMICs. These findings may be vital for public health
      surveillance, prevention and management strategies for non communicable disease
      multimorbidity in the LMICs.

PMID- 28894694
TI  - Evaluation of Partial Breast Reirradiation with Intraoperative Radiotherapy after
      Prior Thoracic Radiation: A Single-Institution Report of Outcomes and Toxicity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mastectomy is the current standard of care for ipsilateral breast
      tumor recurrences after prior whole breast irradiation (WBI). We report our
      single-institution experience with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) followed by
      intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) as an alternative to salvage mastectomy for
      new or recurrent breast cancers that develop in the setting of prior thoracic
      radiation. METHODS: We performed an IRB-approved retrospective review of patients
      treated with breast IORT between September 2013 and November 2016. We identified
      12 patients who declined salvage mastectomy for their breast cancer after prior
      thoracic radiation. IORT was delivered using the IntrabeamTM device (Carl Zeiss,
      Germany). A dose of 20 Gy was prescribed to the lumpectomy cavity surface using
      50 kV X-rays. We graded both acute and late treatment-related breast toxicities
      using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse
      Events version 4.0. Local control, mastectomy-free survival, distant metastasis,
      and overall survival were determined. RESULTS: Our study included nine patients
      who developed a new or recurrent ipsilateral breast cancer after prior WBI for
      early-stage breast cancer, two patients with primary breast cancer after mantle
      field radiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma, and one patient with a synchronous stage
      III non-small cell lung cancer treated with definitive radiation to the
      ipsilateral lung and mediastinum. The median time from prior radiation to
      presentation was 18 years (range: 2 months to 46 years). All patients
      successfully underwent partial breast reirradiation with IORT and were able to
      preserve their breast. At a median follow-up of 14 months (4-25 months), there
      were no local or distant recurrences. There was a single non-cancer-related
      death. In the acute setting, we observed grade 1 toxicity in 58% (n = 7), grade 2
      toxicity in 17% (n = 2), and no grade 3 or higher toxicity. In the late setting,
      at least 3 months after IORT, we observed grade 1 hyperpigmentation and/or
      fibrosis in 50% (n = 6), symptomatic seroma requiring drainage in 33% (n = 4). A
      single patient developed an abscess requiring hospitalization and intravenous
      antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSION: BCS with IORT is a feasible salvage option for
      patients who present with localized breast cancer after prior thoracic radiation
      treatment. Continued follow-up of these patients is warranted given the incidence
      of delayed toxicity.

PMID- 28894695
TI  - Which Obstacles Prevent Us from Recruiting into Clinical Trials: A Survey about
      the Environment for Clinical Studies at a German University Hospital in a
      Comprehensive Cancer Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prospective clinical studies are the most important tool in modern
      medicine. The standard in good clinical practice in clinical trials has
      constantly improved leading to more sophisticated protocols. Moreover,
      translational questions are increasingly addressed in clinical trials. Such
      trials must follow elaborate rules and regulations. This is accompanied by a
      significant increase in documentation issues which require substantial manpower.
      Furthermore, university-based clinical centers are interested in increasing the
      amount of patients treated within clinical trials, and this number has evolved to
      be a key quality criterion. The present study was initiated to elucidate the
      obstacles that limit clinical scientists in screening and recruiting for clinical
      trials. METHODS: A specific questionnaire with 28 questions was developed
      focusing on all aspects of clinical trial design as well as trial management.
      This included questions on organizational issues, medical topics as well as
      potential patients' preferences and physician's goals. The questionnaire was
      established to collect data anonymously on a web-based platform. The survey was
      conducted within the Klinikum rechts der Isar, Faculty of Medicine, Technical
      University of Munich; physicians of all levels (Department Chairs, attending
      physicians, residents, as well as study nurses, and other study-related staff)
      were addressed. The answers were analyzed using the Survio analyzing tool
      (http://www.survio.com/de/). RESULTS: We collected 42 complete sets of answers;
      in total 28 physicians, 11 study nurses, and 3 persons with positions in
      administration answered our survey. The study centers reported to participate in
      a range of 3-160 clinical trials with a recruitment rate of 1-80%. Main obstacles
      were determined: 31/42 (74%) complained about limited human resources and 22/42
      (52%) reported to have a lack on technical resources, too. 30/42 (71%) consented
      to the answer, that the documentation effort of clinical trials is too large. A
      possible increase of the patients' study participation rate up to over 20% was
      deemed to be possible if the described limitations could be overcome. DISCUSSION:
      The increasing documentation effort in clinical trials has led to a strong
      increase in the work load of scientific personnel. Recruiting of patients into
      clinical trials therefore is not only limited by patient issues, but also by the
      infrastructure of the centers. Especially the lack of study nurses is likely to
      be a major limitation. Furthermore, technical resources for time efficient and
      safe documentation within clinical routine as well as in clinical trials are
      required. By optimization of these factors, a significant increase in the amount
      of patients treated in clinical trials seems to be possible.

PMID- 28894696
TI  - Quo natas, Danio?-Recent Progress in Modeling Cancer in Zebrafish.
AB  - Over the last decade, zebrafish has proven to be a powerful model in cancer
      research. Zebrafish form tumors that histologically and genetically resemble
      human cancers. The live imaging and cost-effective compound screening possible
      with zebrafish especially complement classic mouse cancer models. Here, we report
      recent progress in the field, including genetically engineered zebrafish cancer
      models, xenotransplantation of human cancer cells into zebrafish, promising
      approaches toward live investigation of the tumor microenvironment, and
      identification of therapeutic strategies by performing compound screens on
      zebrafish cancer models. Given the recent advances in genome editing,
      personalized zebrafish cancer models are now a realistic possibility. In
      addition, ongoing automation will soon allow high-throughput compound screening
      using zebrafish cancer models to be part of preclinical precision medicine
      approaches.

PMID- 28894698
TI  - Paradigm Shift toward Reducing Overtreatment of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of
      Breast.
AB  - The prevalence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast has increased
      substantially after the introduction of breast cancer screening programs,
      although the clinical effects of early DCIS detection and treatment remain
      unclear. The standard treatment for DCIS has involved local breast-conserving
      surgery (BCS) followed by radiotherapy (RT) or total mastectomy with/without
      endocrine therapy, and the choice of local treatment is not usually based on
      clinicopathologic or biological factors. However, we have investigated the
      effectiveness of local treatment using breast surgery and RT using Surveillance,
      Epidemiology, and End Results data, and found that the effectiveness of breast
      surgery was modified by the nuclear grade. Furthermore, breast cancer-specific
      survival was identical between patients with low-grade DCIS who did and did not
      undergo surgery. Moreover, we found that RT after BCS for DCIS was only
      associated with a survival benefit among patients with risk factors for local
      recurrence, such as nuclear grade, age, and tumor size. Ongoing clinical trials
      and translational research have attempted to develop a treatment strategy that
      prevents the overdiagnosis and overtreatment of low-risk DCIS, as well as a
      biology-based treatment strategy for using targeted therapy. Therefore, to
      develop a tailored treatment strategy for DCIS, we need to identify molecular and
      biological classifications based on the results from translational research,
      national databases, and clinical trials.

PMID- 28894697
TI  - The Potential Role of Senescence As a Modulator of Platelets and Tumorigenesis.
AB  - In addition to thrombus formation, alterations in platelet function are
      frequently observed in cancer patients. Importantly, both thrombus and tumor
      formation are influenced by age, although the mechanisms through which
      physiological aging modulates these processes remain poorly understood. In this
      context, the potential effects of senescent cells on platelet function represent
      pathophysiological mechanisms that deserve further exploration. Cellular
      senescence has traditionally been viewed as a barrier to tumorigenesis. However,
      far from being passive bystanders, senescent cells are metabolically active and
      able to secrete a variety of soluble and insoluble factors. This feature, known
      as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), may provide senescent
      cells with the capacity to modify the tissue environment and, paradoxically,
      promote proliferation and neoplastic transformation of neighboring cells. In
      fact, the SASP-dependent ability of senescent cells to enhance tumorigenesis has
      been confirmed in cellular systems involving epithelial cells and fibroblasts,
      leaving open the question as to whether similar interactions can be extended to
      other cellular contexts. In this review, we discuss the diverse functions of
      platelets in tumorigenesis and suggest the possibility that senescent cells might
      also influence tumorigenesis through their ability to modulate the functional
      status of platelets through the SASP.

PMID- 28894699
TI  - Lung Cancer: Understanding Its Molecular Pathology and the 2015 WHO
      Classification.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide due to late
      diagnoses and limited treatment interventions. Recently, comprehensive molecular
      profiles of lung cancer have been identified. These novel characteristics have
      enhanced the understanding of the molecular pathology of lung cancer. The
      identification of driver genetic alterations and potential molecular targets has
      resulted in molecular-targeted therapies for an increasing number of lung cancer
      patients. Thus, the histopathological classification of lung cancer was modified
      in accordance with the increased understanding of molecular profiles. This review
      focuses on recent developments in the molecular profiling of lung cancer and
      provides perspectives on updated diagnostic concepts in the new 2015 WHO
      classification. The WHO classification will require additional revisions to allow
      for reliable, clinically meaningful tumor diagnoses as we gain a better
      understanding of the molecular characteristics of lung cancer.

PMID- 28894700
TI  - Targeting the Type II Secretion System: Development, Optimization, and Validation
      of a High-Throughput Screen for the Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors.
AB  - Nosocomial pathogens that develop multidrug resistance present an increasing
      problem for healthcare facilities. Due to its rapid rise in antibiotic
      resistance, Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most concerning gram-negative
      species. A. baumannii typically infects immune compromised individuals resulting
      in a variety of outcomes, including pneumonia and bacteremia. Using a murine
      model for bacteremia, we have previously shown that the type II secretion system
      (T2SS) contributes to in vivo fitness of A. baumannii. Here, we provide support
      for a role of the T2SS in protecting A. baumannii from human complement as
      deletion of the T2SS gene gspD resulted in a 100-fold reduction in surviving
      cells when incubated with human serum. This effect was abrogated in the absence
      of Factor B, a component of the alternative pathway of complement activation,
      indicating that the T2SS protects A. baumannii against the alternative complement
      pathway. Because inactivation of the T2SS results in loss of secretion of
      multiple enzymes, reduced in vivo fitness, and increased sensitivity to human
      complement, the T2SS may be a suitable target for therapeutic intervention.
      Accordingly, we developed and optimized a whole-cell high-throughput screening
      (HTS) assay based on secreted lipase activity to identify small molecule
      inhibitors of the T2SS. We tested the reproducibility of our assay using a 6,400
      compound library. With small variation within controls and a dynamic range
      between positive and negative controls, the assay had a z-factor of 0.65,
      establishing its suitability for HTS. Our screen identified the lipase inhibitors
      Orlistat and Ebelactone B demonstrating the specificity of the assay. To
      eliminate inhibitors of lipase activity and lipase expression, two counter assays
      were developed and optimized. By implementing these assays, all seven tricyclic
      antidepressants present in the library were found to be inhibitors of the lipase,
      highlighting the potential of identifying alternative targets for approved
      pharmaceuticals. Although no T2SS inhibitor was identified among the compounds
      that reduced lipase activity by >=30%, our small proof-of-concept pilot study
      indicates that the HTS regimen is simple, reproducible, and specific and that it
      can be used to screen larger libraries for the identification of T2SS inhibitors
      that may be developed into novel A. baumannii therapeutics.

PMID- 28894701
TI  - Relationship between Diet and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Review
      Article.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diet plays a key role in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to review systematically observational
      studies available regarding the relationship between food intakes and NAFLD.
      METHODS: We searched Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases to identify
      English observational studies on food groups, dietary patterns, and NAFLD. Cross
      sectional, case-control and cohort studies were selected and then duplication,
      topic, type of study, study population, variables examined and quality of data
      reporting of the articles were evaluated. RESULTS: We identified 2128 studies in
      the initial search, of which 33 were reviewed in full text and 7 articles were
      included in this systematic review. Intakes of red meat, fats, and sweets were
      high whereas consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables were less in
      NAFLD patients. Moreover, there was a positive association between the Western
      dietary pattern and the risk of NAFLD, while adherence to the Mediterranean diet
      was significantly associated with the severity of hepatic steatosis. CONCLUSION:
      Generally, different food group intakes and dietary patterns are associated with
      the progression of NAFLD and its risk factors. Because of the many limitations of
      available studies reviewed on this topic, more prospective studies are suggested.

PMID- 28894702
TI  - Effects of Hair Metals on Body Weight in Iranian Children Aged 20 to 36 Months.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the level of exposure to many toxic metals decreased
      recently, the adverse effects of these metals on children's growth and
      development remain a serious public health issue. METHODS: The present study was
      conducted in three teaching hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of
      Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran) from Sep 2012 to Mar 2013. To study the
      relationship between metals and childhood growth, concentrations of zinc and
      several potentially toxic metals (lead, cadmium, antimony, cobalt, and
      molybdenum) were measured in scalp hair for 174 children, aged 20 to 36 months.
      RESULTS: The hair concentrations of cobalt were significantly (P<0.05) higher in
      children at the lower percentile of weight than in higher-weight children (0.026
      +/- 0.04 vs. 0.015 +/- 0.01 MUg/g, respectively). Hair contents of lead, cobalt,
      and antimony were significantly higher (P<0.05) in girls than in boys (8.08 +/-
      8.7 vs. 4.92 +/- 5.6 MUg/g for lead, 0.026 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.16 +/- 0.02 MUg/g for
      cobalt, and 0.188 +/- 0.29 vs. 0.102 +/- 0.12 MUg/g for antimony). There were
      also significant correlations between lead and other metals in the children's
      hair. CONCLUSION: Gender may play a significant role in absorption and/or
      accumulation of metals. It should be considered when we study metal toxicity in
      children.

PMID- 28894703
TI  - Health-related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Elderly by Occupational
      Status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify the association between health-related
      quality of life and mental health by elderly Koreans' occupational status.
      METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study consisted of a secondary analysis
      of data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V-3
      (2012). The sample comprised 1431 people aged 65 yr and older. RESULTS: Compared
      to participants employed, those not showed lower HRQOL. Occupational status
      significantly affected all of the EuroQoL-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D): mobility, self
      care, usual activity, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Unemployed
      participants had more suicidal ideation. Among employed elderly persons,
      significant differences were found between manual and non-manual workers in the
      EQ-5D index and EQ-5D for mobility and pain/discomfort. Manual workers
      experienced more depression and suicidal ideation than did non-manual workers.
      CONCLUSION: The occupational status of elderly individuals accounts for
      differences in their quality of life and mental health status. Therefore,
      additional jobs should be created for the elderly in order to improve their
      quality of life and mental health.

PMID- 28894705
TI  - A Cross-sectional Assessment of Health-related Quality of Life among Patients
      with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of
      mortality characterized by progressive airflow obstruction and inflammation in
      the airways, which has an impact on health-related quality of life. The EQ-5D-5L
      is one of the most used preference-based, health-related quality of life
      questionnaire. The objective of this study was to provide normative values of EQ
      5D-5L for Spanish people suffering from COPD. METHODS: Data were extracted from
      the Spanish National Health Survey (2011/2012). Overall, 1130 people with COPD
      participated in this survey. The utility index of EQ-5D-5L and the Visual Analog
      Scale (VAS) score were defined by gender, region, and age. RESULTS: Mean (SD) EQ
      5D-5L utility index and VAS score for Spanish people with COPD were 0.742 (0.309)
      and 60.466 (21.934) respectively. In general, men reported better health status
      than women. Ceiling effect of the whole sample was 30.35%. CONCLUSION: The
      current study provides normative values of EQ-5D-5L for Spanish people affected
      by COPD. Ceiling effect was high and better results were observed in men compared
      with women.

PMID- 28894704
TI  - Appropriate Body Mass Index and Waist-hip Ratio Cutoff Points for Overweight and
      Obesity in Adults of Northeast China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current overweight and obesity guidelines based on the Westerners
      are not consistent with many studies based on the Asians. The guidelines may be
      different because of regional diversity. This study aimed to determine the
      appropriate body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) cutoff points in the
      adults of Northeast China. METHODS: Overall, 21206 adults were selected from
      Jilin Province Adult Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Survey conducted in 2012. A
      representative sample was collected in the Jilin Province of northeast China by a
      multistage stratified random cluster sampling design. The age of participants was
      from 20 to 79 yr old. The test items were clustered by risk factors, and receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curves were computed to analyze. RESULTS: Under
      different risk factors, BMI cutoff points were affected greatly. Especially for
      diabetes, the cutoff value was apparently larger than others were. WHR increased
      with age in both genders. From a general view, male WHR was slightly larger than
      female. In the male, WHR cutoff point was near 0.88 with a tiny change, as for in
      the female was near 0.86. CONCLUSION: The cutoff values of sensitivity and
      specificity are relatively good and false positives rate is relatively low. BMI
      cutoffs values of overweight and obesity are 24.5 kg/m2 and 29.0 kg/m2, WHR
      cutoff values of the male are 0.88, the female is 0.86.

PMID- 28894706
TI  - The Effectiveness of Electrical Acupuncture Stimulation in Reducing Levels of
      Self-reported Anxiety of Lung Cancer Patients during Palliative Care: A Pilot
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a serious threat to human health and life worldwide.
      Anxiety is common amongst palliative care patients with lung cancer and adversely
      affects quality of life. Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment method
      used for the treatment of depressive mood status. We aimed to assess the
      influence of electrical acupuncture stimulation on self-reported anxiety in
      palliative care among patients with lung cancer. METHODS: This pilot study had an
      experimental, 3-group, research plan. A total of 188 participants were enrolled
      from the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China from
      2014-2015. This pilot study had an experimental, 3-group, research plan. In TEAS
      group, participants received standardized palliative care and electrical
      acupuncture stimulation in Zusanli, Sanyinjiao and Hegu acu-points. Group MS
      received standardized palliative care and muscle stimulation nearby nonacupoint.
      Controlled group received standardized palliative care. The patients maintained
      their assigned acupuncture stimulation for 7 days. Demographic Instrument,
      Karnofsky Performance Scale Index, SF-16 health questionnaire and Self-Rating
      Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used. RESULTS: The mean SAS scores in TEAS Group before
      and after electrical intervention in palliative care intervention were 31.17+/
      7.55,34.58+/-13.98 and 27.86+/-6.73, (P=0.00) QoL score showed elevation from
      57.13 in 8th day to 60.12 in 28th day, rising further to 5%. Comfort Score showed
      continuous elevation trend for 28 days. CONCLUSION: Electric acupuncture
      stimulation could reduce the anxiety of patients, promote rehabilitation and
      increase the quality of life among patients with lung cancer in palliative care.

PMID- 28894707
TI  - Health Literacy among Visitors of District Polyclinics in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate health literacy levels of patients in
      Almaty City, Kazakhstan and to identify socio-demographics and socio-economic
      factors related to their health literacy. METHODS: An international survey
      instrument HLS-EU-Q developed by the European Health Literacy Consortium was used
      in a cross-sectional study with 1000 citizens in the Almaty City at the age of 18
      and over who visited the out-patient departments in the polyclinics between Feb
      and Oct 2014. RESULTS: There were 552 women and 446 men completed the survey,
      with mean ages as (41.8 +/- 13.9) and (44.7 +/- 15.2) yr old respectively, and
      women were significantly younger than men (P<0.001). Their general health
      literacy was (34.0 +/- 8.6) for men and (33.49 +/- 9.4) for women, without
      significant difference. In them, 15.5% or 30.0% were with inadequate or
      problematic health literacy. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that
      higher general health literacy was positively and significantly associated with
      high self-assessed social status (B=3.86, P<0.001), ability to pay for
      medications (B=3.42, P<0.001), low frequency of watching health related TV
      programs (B=2.37, P<0.001), moderate community involvement (B=2.23, P=0.03).
      CONCLUSION: Specific demographic and socio-economic determinants related to
      health literacy were identified the first time in Kazakhstan. This would
      facilitate programs to improve health outcomes in Kazakhstan.

PMID- 28894708
TI  - Hepatic Proteins and Inflammatory Markers in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease
      that causes chronic synovial inflammation eventually leading to joint destruction
      and disability. The aim of this study was to determine the variations of hepatic
      proteins, myeloperoxidase, and iron in rheumatoid arthritis Tunisian patients and
      their implications in inflammation and in iron metabolism. METHODS: Overall, 172
      patients from the Rheumatology Department of the University Hospital "Farhat
      Hached", Sousse-Tunisia between 2011 and 2012, with rheumatoid arthritis (97.1%
      women, average age: 48+/-13 yr) and 147 healthy volunteers (70.1% women, average
      age: 46+/- 7 yr) were included in this study. Serum hepatic proteins (high
      sensitive C-reactive protein, ceruloplasmin, albumin, transferrin, alpha-1-acid
      glycoprotein and haptoglobin) were assessed by immunoturbidimetry (COBAS INTEGRA
      400, Roche) and ferritin was measured by a microparticulate immunoenzymatic
      technic (AxSYM, ABBOTT, Germany), Plasma myeloperoxidase was determined by Enzyme
      Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Serum iron was measured according to a colorimetric
      method at 595 nm (CX9-BECKMANN Coulter-Fuller-Ton, CA). RESULTS: Significantly
      higher levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein,
      Haptoglobin and myeloperoxidase in patients compared to controls (P<10-3).
      Albumin and iron rates were significantly decreased in patients compared to
      healthy group (P=0.026 and P<10-3, respectively). There were no differences
      between cases and controls for levels of ceruloplasmin, transferrin and ferritin
      (P=0.782, P=0.808, and P=0.175, respectively). CONCLUSION: The high-sensitive C
      reactive protein, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, and haptoglobin increased in acute
      phase proteins in rheumatoid arthritis disease. The pro-inflammatory cytokines
      affect iron metabolism leading to the iron deficiency and rheumatoid anemia,
      which influenced Tf and ferritin levels.

PMID- 28894710
TI  - Incidence of Medication Discrepancies and Its Predicting Factors in Emergency
      Department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of medication
      discrepancies and its related factors using medication reconciliation method in
      patients admitted to the emergency department of Tehran University of Medical
      Sciences hospitals. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 200 adult patients
      with at least one chronic disease that used two regular prescription medications
      were included in 2015. After 24 h of admission, demographic data and patient's
      home medications were collected. Medication discrepancies were assessed through
      comparison of a best possible medication history list with the physician's
      orders. RESULTS: Out of 200 patients (mean age, 61.5 yr; 86 males, 114 women),
      77.5% of patients had one or more medication discrepancies. The most common
      discrepancies were medication omission (35.49%), change (14.22%) and substitution
      (10.97%), respectively. The relationship between number of comorbid conditions
      (P=0.025), regular home medications (P=<0.001), high-risk medications (P=0.032),
      medications pharmacological classes (P=<0.001) and medication discrepancies were
      statistically significant. Cardiovascular drugs compared to other medications
      classes showed the highest discrepancies (36.2%). Multiple logistic regression
      showed that the drug groups, including anti-infective for systemic use (OR=8.43;
      95%CI 2.5-28.2; P=0.001), Antineoplastic and Immuno-modulator Agents (OR=0.49;
      95%CI 0.27-0.87; P=0.016), Blood and Blood-Forming Organs (OR=0.33; 95%CI 0.21
      0.52; P<0.001), Muscular-Skeletal System (OR=2.4; 95%CI 1.13-5.1; P=0.022),
      Nervous-System (OR=2.75; 95%CI 1.7-4.4; P<0.001), Respiratory-System (OR=0.38;
      95%CI 0.22-0.67; P=0.001) were associated with the drug discrepancy. CONCLUSION:
      A medication discrepancy occurs commonly at hospital emergency department.
      Understanding the type and frequency of discrepancies with using structured
      medication reconciliation process can help clinicians to prevent them.

PMID- 28894709
TI  - Prognosis and Risk Factors Influencing Recurrence in Surgery-treated Patients
      with Primary Sacral Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to explore the prognosis and risk factors influencing tumor
      recurrence in surgery-treated patients with primary sacral tumors. METHODS: Fifty
      six patients between February 2011 and December 2016 in Yishui Central Hospital
      with primary sacral tumors were selected and treated with radical surgeries. The
      perioperative outcomes and postoperative neurological functions were observed.
      After postoperative follow-up, the overall survival time (OS), disease-free
      survival time (DFS), and recurrence were recorded to analyze the potential risk
      factors influencing tumor recurrence. RESULTS: The average surgical duration and
      intraoperative hemorrhagic volume were 3.92 +/- 1.46 h and 2, 348.21 +/- 813.67
      ml, respectively. The postoperative short-term complications included three
      patients with infection from obstructed drainage and two with skin flap necrosis
      induced infection, who recovered after anti-infection therapies; nine with
      incision-edge necrosis; two with calf muscle venous thrombosis; and one with an
      endorhachis cerebrospinal fluid fistula, who recovered after conventional
      treatment. Among patients, the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 91.07%
      (51/56), 82.14% (46/56), and 75.00% (42/56) while the 1-, 2- and 3-year DFS rates
      were 89.29% (50/56), 78.57% (44/56) and 71.43% (40/56), respectively. Of the 56
      patients, 16 had recurrence after surgery, with recurrence rate of 28.57%. It was
      predicated that surgical methods and local infiltration were the independent risk
      factors influencing tumor recurrence (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The reservation of
      bilateral S3 or > unilateral S3 nerves can improve quality of life of patients.
      Surgical methods and local infiltration are the independent risk factors
      influencing tumor recurrence, and extensive resection can effectively control the
      recurrence rate.

PMID- 28894711
TI  - The Increasing Trend in Global Ranking of Websites of Iranian Medical
      Universities during January 2012-2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Researchers and academic institutions need assessment and rating to
      measure their performance. The criteria are designed to evaluate quality and
      adequacy of research and welcome by most universities as an international process
      to increase monitoring academic achievements. The study aimed to evaluate the
      increasing trend in global ranking of Iranian medical universities websites
      emphasizing on comparative approach. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study
      involving websites of Iranian medical universities. Sampling was conducted by
      census selecting universities affiliated to the Ministry of Health in webometrics
      rating system. Web sites of Iranian medical universities were investigated based
      on the webometrics indicators, global ranking as well as the process of changing
      their rating. Universities of medical sciences were associated with improved
      ratings in seven periods from Jan 2012 until Jan 2015. RESULTS: The highest rank
      was in Jan 2014. Tehran University of Medical Sciences ranked the first in all
      periods. The highest ratings were about impact factor in universities of medical
      sciences reflecting the low level of this index in university websites. The least
      ranking was observed in type 1 universities. CONCLUSION: Despite the criticisms
      and weaknesses of these webometrics criteria, they are critical to this equation
      and should be checked for authenticity and suitability of goals. Therefore,
      localizing these criteria by the advantages model, ranking systems features,
      continuous development and medical universities evaluation based on these
      indicators provide new opportunities for the development of the country
      especially through online media.

PMID- 28894712
TI  - Evaluation of the Level of Zinc and Malondialdehyde in Basal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common skin cancers in
      the world and that use to lifestyle, increasing chemical pollutions,
      environmental factors and poor nutrition. The most important cause of this cancer
      is oxidative stress and free radicals so antioxidant activities for the body are
      so important. The aim of this study was to determine the variation of zinc and
      (Malondialdehyde) MDA in BCC patients. METHODS: This study has been performed on
      case and control patients from 2013 to 2014. The samples were collected from cell
      carcinoma patients at Razi Hospital in Tehran, Iran. We evaluated the level of
      zinc with the use of Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) method. Besides, we
      evaluated MDA with colorimetric assay. RESULTS: The concentration of MDA was
      significantly higher in case group in comparison to control group (P=0.001). In
      addition, case group had lower concentration of zinc than the control group
      (P=0.000). There was no correlation between MDA and body mass index (BMI) and
      between zinc and BMI. CONCLUSION: All the patients with BCC showed a significant
      MDA serum in comparison with control group. However, significant decrease in zinc
      serum of the patients was seen that is because of consuming zinc during oxidative
      stress process so topical use of zinc in the form of 2+ ions could be effective
      on antioxidant protection against the sun UV radiation.

PMID- 28894713
TI  - Malignant Transformation in Leukoplakia and Its Associated Factors in Southern
      Iran: A Hospital Based Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated factors that affect malignant transformation of
      leukoplakia in a sample of the Iranian population. METHODS: The records of
      patients with a clinical diagnosis of leukoplakia during a 20-year period from
      1989-2009 referred to two of the largest referral centers in southern Iran were
      studied. Patients that developed malignant transformation were compared with
      patients that did not have malignant changes. RESULTS: Of 522 patients, female
      patients, those over 50 yr old and with lesions located on the tongue had the
      highest rate of malignant changes. Female patients with malignant changes were
      mostly non-smokers (76.4%), while male patients with malignant changes were
      mostly smokers (63.8% in non-smokers) (P<0.001). In our univariate analysis, male
      sex and smoking showed lower chances for malignant transformation (OR: 0.57;
      CI=0.397-0.822 and OR: 0.025; CI=0.141-0.299, respectively), while age above 50
      was a risk factor for malignant transformation (OR: 3.57; CI=2.32-5.42). In the
      multivariate analysis, smoking (OR: 0.317; 95% CI=0.16-0.626) and morphological
      presentation as erythroplakia (OR: 0.025; 95% CI=0.005-0.131) had low chances for
      developing malignant changes, while site of lesion on the tongue (OR: 774; 95%
      CI=60-9838) and morphological presentation as erythroleukoplakia (OR: 6.26; 95%
      CI=3.16-12.38) were a risk factor for developing malignant changes. CONCLUSION: A
      follow-up program and further work-up should be considered for Iranian patients
      who have a leukoplakia lesion that is flat and are white patch or plaques with
      red components, in addition for patients who have lesions located on the tongue
      and for nonsmokers who develops leukoplakia lesions.

PMID- 28894714
TI  - Quantification of CDR1 Gene Expression in Fluconazole Resistant Candida Glabrata
      Strains Using Real-time PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The opportunistic fungi, particularly Candida glabrata has been known
      as main etiologic agents of life-threating infections in some patients. Although
      fluconazole is the most effective antifungal agent against candidiasis, C.
      glabrata, fluconazole-resistant strains have been increased recently
      overexpression or mutations of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family
      membrane proteins such as; Cg CDR1, Cg CDR2 are responsible for fluconazole
      resistance in a large proportion of candidiasis cases. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate CDR1 gene expression level as one of main mechanism involved in this
      resistance using. METHODS: Candida glabrata strains were collected from various
      clinical samples in hospitals of Tehran in 2015 . After validation of all
      isolates by conventional and molecular methods, the susceptibility analysis to
      fluconazole of all isolates was performed using CLSI broth microdilution M27-A3
      and M27-S4 protocols. Two isolates have been selected based on difference in
      susceptibility and CDR1-mRNA expression level of isolates was measured by Real
      time PCR method. RESULTS: Susceptibility results revealed that 32%, 64% and 4% of
      strains were susceptible, dose-dependent (DD) and resistant to fluconazole
      respectively. Furthermore, resistance strain of C. glabrata (MIC>=64 MUg/ml)
      showed overexpression of CDR1 compared with sensitive strain in Real-time PCR
      analysis. CONCLUSION: Thus, it is necessary to investigate the functions of
      CgCDR1 genes as a transporter-related gene.

PMID- 28894715
TI  - Survival Rates among Co-infected Patients with Human Immunodeficiency
      Virus/Tuberculosis in Tehran, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of deaths related with co-infection of tuberculosis (TB)
      and HIV remains inappropriately high worldwide. TB is anticipated to be the major
      reason of HIV-related deaths globally. This study aimed to find out and evaluate
      the characteristics of the possible risk factors influencing the survival time of
      co-infected patients with HIV/TB in Tehran the capital of Iran. METHODS: This
      retrospective study was performed on the referred patients to the one of two
      Behavioral Diseases Counseling Centers, Imam Khomeini, and Zamzam Centers,
      Tehran, Iran, in 2004-2013. Data were analyzed by Cox PH model utilizing SPSS16
      statistical software. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis confirmed that the age at
      diagnosis (P=0.014), gender (P=0.002), sexual transmission (P=0.01),
      cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (P<0.001), and onset to TB after post-HIV
      diagnosis (P=0.01) were the parameters which had significant effects on the death
      of HIV/TBco-infected patients. CONCLUSION: The results, recommend interplay
      between different risk factors and the risk of death in co-infected patients with
      HIV/TB. We presented the barriers to higher-level organizational and functional
      integration for commitment to interfere with the modifiable risk factors, which
      effect on the mortality of patients.

PMID- 28894717
TI  - HBsAb and HBcAb Have No Significant Effect on the Progression of SLE and RA.

PMID- 28894718
TI  - Representative Characteristics of the HIV/AIDS-infected Young Persons in Romania
      in Terms of Their Personal and Professional Values, Needs and Resources.

PMID- 28894719
TI  - Patients Satisfaction with Dental Care in the Slovak Republic: A Cross-sectional
      Questionnaire Study.

PMID- 28894716
TI  - Seroprevalence of IgG Antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus by ELISA Method
      Using Recombinant Agb in Lorestan Province, Western Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic disease with global
      prevalence, which causes considerable health problems and economic losses
      throughout the world. The aim of this study was to assess the seroepidemiology of
      CE in Doroud City, Lorestan Province, Iran, considered a neglected endemic
      location. METHODS: An ELISA was performed using recombinant AgB from Apr to Jul
      2015 in Lorestan Province, Western Iran. The commercial Hydatidosis IgG ELISA kit
      (Vircell SL, Granada, Spain) was used to confirm the obtained results. RESULTS:
      In the present study, out of 927 collected sera, 25 samples (2.6%) were found as
      seropositive for E. granulosus IgG antibodies. The prevalence of IgG antibodies
      against E. granulosus was significantly higher in rural areas (3.24%) than in
      urban area (1.20%) (P<0.001). Moreover, there was no significant relationship
      between age, occupation, sex, and literacy with seropositivity (P>0.05).
      Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference between the
      prevalence of CE in males (13/349, 3.72%) and females (12/553, 2.12%). With
      regard to occupation, farmers and ranchmen had the highest rate of infection
      (5.5%). There was a significant association between eating unwashed vegetables
      and seropositivity (P<0.001). Seropositive cases in rural areas were more than in
      urban areas. CONCLUSION: Since all the seropositive cases used unwashed local
      vegetables, the contamination may occur through the consumption of such
      vegetables.

PMID- 28894720
TI  - Childhood Cancer Patterns in Iran: Challenges and Future Directions.

PMID- 28894722
TI  - The Relationship between Homocysteine Levels and Spontaneous Abortion in Iranian
      Women with Migraine.

PMID- 28894721
TI  - The Applications of Health Informatics in Medical Tourism Industry of Iran.

PMID- 28894723
TI  - Lead Poisoning among Opium Users in Iran: A Possible New Emerging Epidemic in the
      Region.

PMID- 28894724
TI  - Suppression of Expression Levels of Constitutive Androstane Receptor by Moderate
      Exercise in BALB/c Nude Mice with Breast Cancer.

PMID- 28894725
TI  - Safety of checkpoint inhibitors for cancer treatment: strategies for patient
      monitoring and management of immune-mediated adverse events.
AB  - Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs), in the form of monoclonal antibodies
      against CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1, have dramatically changed the treatment approach
      in several advanced cancers. Due to their mechanism of action, these novel agents
      are associated with a unique spectrum of immune-mediated adverse events (imAEs),
      with a safety profile that indicates they are better tolerated than traditional
      chemotherapeutic agents. This article aims to provide education on the current
      knowledge about imAEs associated with ICPI treatment, including strategies and
      tools for the prompt identification, evaluation, and optimal management of these
      events. The identification and management of imAEs are reviewed based on
      published literature, labeling guidelines, and the authors' personal experience
      with patients. The imAE safety profiles of ICPIs vary, depending on the specific
      antibody and the type of cancer being treated. Although most imAEs are mild and
      easily managed, early identification and proactive treatment are essential
      actions serving both to reduce the risk of developing severe imAEs and to
      maximize the potential for patients to receive the benefits of ongoing ICPI
      treatment. As a primary point of contact for patients undergoing oncology
      treatment, nurses play a critical role in identifying imAEs, educating patients
      about the importance of timely reporting of potentially relevant symptoms, and
      assisting in the treatment and follow-up of patients who develop imAEs while on
      ICPI therapy.

PMID- 28894726
TI  - Validation of a new three-dimensional imaging system using comparative
      craniofacial anthropometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to validate a new three-dimensional
      craniofacial stereophotogrammetry imaging system (3dMDface) through comparison
      with manual facial surface anthropometry. The null hypothesis was that there is
      no difference between craniofacial measurements using anthropometry vs. the
      3dMDface system. METHODS: Facial images using the new 3dMDface system were taken
      from six randomly selected subjects, sitting in natural head position, on six
      separate occasions each 1 week apart, repeated twice at each sitting. Exclusion
      criteria were excess facial hair, facial piercings and undergoing current
      dentofacial treatment. 3dMDvultus software allowed facial landmarks to be marked
      and measurements recorded. The same measurements were taken using manual
      anthropometry, using soluble eyeliner to pinpoint landmarks, and sliding and
      spreading callipers and measuring tape to measure distances. The setting for the
      investigation was a dental teaching hospital and regional (secondary and tertiary
      care) cleft centre. The main outcome measure was comparison of the craniofacial
      measurements using the two aforementioned techniques. RESULTS: The results showed
      good agreement between craniofacial measurements using the 3dMDface system
      compared with manual anthropometry. For all measurements, except chin height and
      labial fissure width, there was a greater variability with the manual method
      compared to 3D assessment. Overall, there was a significantly greater variability
      in manual compared with 3D assessments (p < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The 3dMDface
      system is validated for craniofacial measurements.

PMID- 28894727
TI  - Flap necrosis after palatoplasty in irradiated patient and its reconstruction
      with tunnelized-facial artery myomucosal island flap.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tunneled transposition of the facial artery myomucosal (FAMM) island
      flap on the lingual side of the mandible has been reported for intraoral as well
      as oropharyngeal reconstruction. This modified technique overcomes the
      limitations of short range and dentition and further confirms the flexibility of
      the flap. This paper presents a case of reconstructing secondary soft palatal
      defect due to flap necrosis following two-flap palatoplasty in irradiated patient
      with lingually transposed facial artery myomucosal island flap. CASE
      PRESENTATION: The authors successfully reconstructed secondary soft palatal
      defect due to flap necrosis following two-flap palatoplasty in an irradiated 59
      year-old female patient with tunnelized-facial artery myomucosal island flap (t
      FAMMIF). CONCLUSIONS: Islanding and tunneling modification extends the
      versatility of the FAMM flap in the reconstruction of soft palatal defects post
      tumor excision and even after radiation, giving a great range of rotation and
      eliminating the need for revision in a second stage procedure. The authors thus
      highly recommend this versatile flap for the reconstruction of small and medium
      sized oral defects.

PMID- 28894728
TI  - Treatment of the Enlarged Clitoris.
AB  - Management of the enlarged clitoris, because of its import for sexual function,
      has been and remains one of the most controversial topics in pediatric urology.
      Early controversy surrounding clitoroplasty resulted from many factors including
      an incomplete understanding of clitoral anatomy and incorrect assumptions of the
      role of the clitoris in sexual function. With a better understanding of anatomy
      and function, procedures have evolved to preserve clitoral tissue, especially
      with respect to the neurovascular bundles. These changes have been made in an
      effort to preserve clitoral sensation and preserve orgasmic potential. It is the
      goal of this manuscript to describe the different procedures that have been
      developed for the surgical management of clitoromegally, with emphasis on the
      risks and benefits of each. Equally important to any discussion of such a
      sensitive topic is an understanding of long-term patient outcomes. As we will
      see, despite its importance, there has been a dearth of data in this regard.
      Future work in the arena of patient satisfaction will undoubtedly play a major
      role in directing our surgical approach.

PMID- 28894729
TI  - Procalcitonin for Diagnostics and Treatment Decisions in Pediatric Lower
      Respiratory Tract Infections.
AB  - Mortality and morbidity remain high in pediatric lower respiratory tract
      infections (LRTIs) despite progress in research and implementation of global
      diagnostic and treatment strategies in the last decade. Still, 120 million annual
      episodes of pneumonia affect children younger than 5 years each year leading to
      1.3 million fatalities with the major burden of disease carried by low- and
      middle-income countries (95%). The definition of pneumonia is still challenging.
      Traditional diagnostic measures (i.e., chest radiographs, C-reactive protein) are
      unable to distinguish viral and from bacterial etiology. As a result, common
      antibiotic overuse contributes to growing antibiotic resistance. We present an
      overview of current evidence from observational and randomized controlled trials
      on a procalcitonin (PCT)-based diagnosis of pediatric LRTIs and discuss the need
      for an adequate PCT threshold for antibiotic treatment decision-making.

PMID- 28894730
TI  - Specialty Grand Challenge In Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

PMID- 28894731
TI  - Prevalence of Genotypes That Determine Resistance of Staphylococci to Macrolides
      and Lincosamides in Serbia.
AB  - Macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramins (MLS) resistance genes are
      responsible for resistance to these antibiotics in Staphylococcus infections. The
      purpose of the study was to analyze the distribution of the MLS resistance genes
      in community- and hospital-acquired Staphylococcus isolates. The MLS resistance
      phenotypes [constitutive resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B
      (cMLSb), inducible resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (iMLSb),
      resistance to macrolide/macrolide-streptogramin B (M/MSb), and resistance to
      lincosamide-streptogramin A/streptogramin B (LSa/b)] were determined by double
      disc diffusion method. The presence of the MLS resistance genes (ermA, ermB,
      ermC, msrA/B, lnuA, lnuB, and lsaA) were determined by end-point polymerase chain
      reaction in 179 isolates of staphylococci collected during 1-year period at the
      Center for Microbiology of Public Health Institute in Vranje. The most frequent
      MLS phenotype among staphylococcal isolates, both community-acquired and hospital
      acquired, was iMLSb (33.4%). The second most frequent was M/MSb (17.6%) with
      statistically significantly higher number of hospital-acquired staphylococcal
      isolates (p < 0.05). MLS resistance was mostly determined by the presence of
      msrA/B (35.0%) and ermC (20.8%) genes. Examined phenotypes were mostly determined
      by the presence of one gene, especially by msrA/B (26.3%) and ermC (14.5%), but
      15.6% was determined by a combination of two or more genes. M/MSb phenotype was
      the most frequently encoded by msrA/B (95.6%) gene, LSa/b phenotype by lnuA
      (56.3%) gene, and iMLSb phenotype by ermC (29.4%) and ermA (25.5%) genes.
      Although cMLSb phenotype was mostly determined by the presence of ermC (28.9%),
      combinations of two or more genes have been present too. This pattern was
      particularly recorded in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
      (58.3%) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS)
      (90.9%) isolates with cMLSB phenotype. The msrA/B gene and M/MSb phenotype were
      statistically significantly higher in hospital-acquired than community-acquired
      staphylococci strains (p < 0.05). There are no statistically significant
      differences between staphylococci harboring the rest of MLS resistance genes
      acquired in community and hospital settings (p > 0.05). The prevalence of iMLSb
      phenotypes may change over time, so it is necessary to perform periodic survey of
      MLS resistance phenotypes, particularly where the D-test is not performed
      routinely.

PMID- 28894732
TI  - Analysis of Historical Trends and Recent Elimination of Malaria from Sri Lanka
      and Its Applicability for Malaria Control in Other Countries.
AB  - Sri Lanka is a tropical island located South of India in the Indian Ocean.
      Malaria has been prevalent in the island for centuries but the country succeeded
      in eliminating the disease in 2013. Factors governing the past endemicity of
      malaria and its successful elimination from Sri Lanka in 2013 are analyzed. There
      is evidence that malaria might have been first introduced in the thirteenth
      century into a dry zone area with extensive irrigation works. Regular widespread
      epidemics of the disease have been documented in the twentieth century. The
      island nature of Sri Lanka, generally low transmission rates, widespread and
      accessible government hospitals and clinics that provide free and readily
      available diagnosis and treatment for malaria, adequate financial support and
      commitment to the Antimalaria Campaign (AMC), national and decentralized malaria
      control efforts sustained over a long period by dedicated and competent AMC
      staff, and the absence of zoonotic malaria are recognized as key factors
      responsible for eliminating malaria from Sri Lanka. These factors are analyzed in
      the context of their relevance to the present malaria elimination efforts in
      other countries with the overall aim of globally eradicating the disease.

PMID- 28894733
TI  - The Impact of Maternal Self-Efficacy and Oral Health Beliefs on Early Childhood
      Caries in Latino Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Latino children experience one of the highest rates of early
      childhood caries requiring interventions based on valid conceptual frameworks.
      The Health Belief Model has relevance as a predictor of compliance with health
      recommendations based on perceptions of a health condition and behaviors to avoid
      the condition. The model encompasses four perceptual constructs (susceptibility,
      severity, benefits, barriers) and, for complex conditions, includes self-efficacy
      as an extended model. This study evaluated individual (self-efficacy and health
      beliefs) and cultural (acculturation status) level factors and the inter
      relationship to determine if items assessed for the Extended Health Belief Model
      (EHBM) were valid measures of maternal factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      was conducted with 100 mother-child dyads at the Dental Center of Children's
      Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA. Participating mothers completed a survey in
      English or Spanish with items from the Basic Research Factors Questionnaire
      encompassing sociodemographic characteristics, oral health knowledge and
      behavior, and psychosocial measures including the EHBM. Language preference was a
      proxy for maternal acculturation. Children were examined to measure decayed,
      missing, and filled tooth surfaces. Internal consistency reliability of each
      subscale was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Convergent validity was assessed
      using linear regression to evaluate the association of the EHBM subscales with
      oral health-related measures and language preference. RESULTS: The benefits and
      self-efficacy scales reflected good reliability. Maternal education was the
      strongest predictor of health beliefs with significant associations for barriers,
      benefits, and susceptibility. Perceived benefits increased with each additional
      year in the household. There was a significant association between maternal oral
      health knowledge and higher perceived benefits and increased self-efficacy, and
      the same was found for higher knowledge of dental utilization which was also
      associated with children perceived as having increased susceptibility to early
      childhood caries. Less acculturated participants perceived more barriers to
      behavioral adherence and fewer barriers as knowledge increased. As dental
      utilization knowledge improved for Spanish-speaking participants, they perceived
      greater benefits from adherent oral health behavior compared to English-speaking
      participants. CONCLUSION: Items assessed for the EHBM were valid as measures of
      maternal factors influencing children's oral health outcomes in a Latino
      population.

PMID- 28894734
TI  - Rugged Large Volume Injection for Sensitive Capillary LC-MS Environmental
      Monitoring.
AB  - A rugged and high throughput capillary column (cLC) LC-MS switching platform
      using large volume injection and on-line automatic filtration and filter back
      flush (AFFL) solid phase extraction (SPE) for analysis of environmental water
      samples with minimal sample preparation is presented. Although narrow columns and
      on-line sample preparation are used in the platform, high ruggedness is achieved
      e.g., injection of 100 non-filtrated water samples did not result in a pressure
      rise/clogging of the SPE/capillary columns (inner diameter 300 MUm). In addition,
      satisfactory retention time stability and chromatographic resolution were also
      features of the system. The potential of the platform for environmental water
      samples was demonstrated with various pharmaceutical products, which had
      detection limits (LOD) in the 0.05-12.5 ng/L range. Between-day and within-day
      repeatability of selected analytes were <20% RSD.

PMID- 28894735
TI  - Navigating the Functional Landscape of Transcription Factors via Non-Negative
      Tensor Factorization Analysis of MEDLINE Abstracts.
AB  - In this study, we developed and evaluated a novel text-mining approach, using non
      negative tensor factorization (NTF), to simultaneously extract and functionally
      annotate transcriptional modules consisting of sets of genes, transcription
      factors (TFs), and terms from MEDLINE abstracts. A sparse 3-mode term * gene * TF
      tensor was constructed that contained weighted frequencies of 106,895 terms in
      26,781 abstracts shared among 7,695 genes and 994 TFs. The tensor was decomposed
      into sub-tensors using non-negative tensor factorization (NTF) across 16
      different approximation ranks. Dominant entries of each of 2,861 sub-tensors were
      extracted to form term-gene-TF annotated transcriptional modules (ATMs). More
      than 94% of the ATMs were found to be enriched in at least one KEGG pathway or GO
      category, suggesting that the ATMs are functionally relevant. One advantage of
      this method is that it can discover potentially new gene-TF associations from the
      literature. Using a set of microarray and ChIP-Seq datasets as gold standard, we
      show that the precision of our method for predicting gene-TF associations is
      significantly higher than chance. In addition, we demonstrate that the terms in
      each ATM can be used to suggest new GO classifications to genes and TFs. Taken
      together, our results indicate that NTF is useful for simultaneous extraction and
      functional annotation of transcriptional regulatory networks from unstructured
      text, as well as for literature based discovery. A web tool called
      Transcriptional Regulatory Modules Extracted from Literature (TREMEL), available
      at http://binf1.memphis.edu/tremel, was built to enable browsing and searching of
      ATMs.

PMID- 28894737
TI  - FMECA Application to Intraoperative Electron Beam Radiotherapy Procedure As a
      Quality Method to Prevent and Reduce Patient's Risk in Conservative Surgery for
      Breast Cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Failure Mode Effects and Criticalities Analysis (FMECA) represents
      a prospective method for risk assessment in complex medical practices. Our
      objective was to describe the application of FMECA approach to intraoperative
      electron beam radiotherapy (IOERT), delivered using a mobile linear accelerator,
      for the treatment of early breast cancer as an anticipated boost. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A multidisciplinary Working Group, including several different
      professional profiles, was created before the beginning of clinical practice in
      2012, with the purpose of writing the Flow Chart and applying the FMECA
      methodology to IOERT procedure. Several criticalities were identified a priori in
      the different steps of the procedure and a list of all potential failure modes
      (FMs) was drafted and ranked using the risk priority number (RPN) scoring system,
      based on the product of three parameters: severity, occurrence, and detectability
      (score between 1 and 5). The actions aimed at reducing the risk were then defined
      by the Working Group and the risk analysis was repeated in 2014 and in 2016, in
      order to assess the improvement achieved. RESULTS: Fifty-one FMs were identified,
      which represented the issues prospectively investigated according to the FMECA
      methodology. Considering a set threshold of 30, the evaluated RPNs show that 33
      out of 51 FMs are critical; 6 are included in the moderate risk class (RPN: 31
      40); 16 in the intermediate risk class (RPN: 41-50), and 11 in the high risk
      class (RPN: >50). DISCUSSION: The most critical steps concerned the surgical
      procedure and IOERT set-up. The introduction of the corrective actions into the
      clinical practice achieved the reduction of the RPNs in the re-analysis of the
      FMECA worksheet after 2 and 4 years, respectively. CONCLUSION: FMECA proved to be
      a useful tool for prospective evaluation of potential failures in IOERT and
      contributed to optimize patient safety and to improve risk management culture
      among all the professionals of the Working Group.

PMID- 28894736
TI  - Synthetic Gene Expression Circuits for Designing Precision Tools in Oncology.
AB  - Precision medicine in oncology needs to enhance its capabilities to match
      diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to individual patients. Synthetic biology
      streamlines the design and construction of functionalized devices through
      standardization and rational engineering of basic biological elements decoupled
      from their natural context. Remarkable improvements have opened the prospects for
      the availability of synthetic devices of enhanced mechanism clarity, robustness,
      sensitivity, as well as scalability and portability, which might bring new
      capabilities in precision cancer medicine implementations. In this review, we
      begin by presenting a brief overview of some of the major advances in the
      engineering of synthetic genetic circuits aimed to the control of gene expression
      and operating at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional/translational, and
      post-translational levels. We then focus on engineering synthetic circuits as an
      enabling methodology for the successful establishment of precision technologies
      in oncology. We describe significant advancements in our capabilities to tailor
      synthetic genetic circuits to specific applications in tumor diagnosis, tumor
      cell- and gene-based therapy, and drug delivery.

PMID- 28894738
TI  - Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism: A Practical Review Beyond Low-Molecular
      Weight Heparins.
AB  - Patients with cancer are at significantly higher risk of developing, and dying
      from, venous thromboembolism (VTE). The CLOT trial demonstrated superiority of
      low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) over warfarin for recurrent VTE and
      established LMWH as the standard of care for cancer-associated VTE. However, with
      patients living longer with metastatic cancer, long-term injections are
      associated with significant cost and injection fatigue. Direct oral
      anticoagulants (DOACs) are an attractive alternative for treatment of cancer
      associated VTE. Meta-analysis of subgroup data of patients with cancer from the
      large DOAC VTE trials and small non-randomized studies have found no difference
      in VTE recurrence or major bleeding. With this limited evidence, clinicians may
      decide to switch their patients who require long-term anticoagulation from LMWH
      to a DOAC. This requires careful consideration of the interplay between the
      patient's cancer and treatment course, with their underlying comorbidities.

PMID- 28894739
TI  - Immune-modulating Activity of Hydrogel Microparticles Contributes to the Host
      Defense in a Murine Model of Cutaneous Anthrax.
AB  - We recently reported that the open-mesh (0.7 MU) polyacrylamide microparticles
      (MPs) with internally-coupled Cibacron affinity dye demonstrate protective effect
      in mice challenged into footpads with high doses (200 LD50) of anthrax (Sterne)
      spores. A single injection of MPs before spore challenge reduces inflammatory
      response, delays onset of mortality and promotes survival. In this study, we show
      that the effect of MPs was substantially increased at the lower spore dose (7
      LD50). The inflammation of footpads was reduced to the background level, and 60%
      of animals survived for 16 days while all untreated infected animals died within
      6 days with strong inflammation. The effects of MPs were promoted when the MPs
      were loaded with a combination of neutrophil-attracting chemokines IL-8 and MIP
      1alpha which delayed the onset of mortality in comparison with untreated mice for
      additional 8 days. The MPs were not inherently cytotoxic against the bacteria or
      cultured murine Raw 264.7 cells, but stimulated these cells to release G-CSF, MCP
      1, MIP-1alpha, and TNF-alpha. Consistent with this finding the injection of MPs
      induced neutrophil influx into footpads, stimulated production of TNF-alpha
      associated with migration of pERK1/2-positive cells with the Langerhans phenotype
      from epidermis to regional lymph nodes. Our data support the mechanism of
      protection in which the immune defense induced by MPs along with the exogenous
      chemokines counterbalances the suppressive effect caused by anthrax infection.

PMID- 28894740
TI  - Increased whole cerebellar serotonin in aged C57BL/6 mice.
AB  - Mobility and locomotor impairments have high prevalence, morbidity, and
      significant mortality in older adult populations. Cerebellar functional changes
      have been implicated in the pathogenesis of these age-related mobility and gait
      deficits unrelated to stroke, Parkinson's disease, or degenerative joint disease.
      We thus examined total cerebellar glutamate, glutamine, GABA, glycine, dopamine,
      norepinephrine, tryptophan, serotonin, alanine, threonine, and asparagine content
      from male 2-3-month (young, n = 6) and 21-24-month-old (aged, n = 6) C57BL/6
      mice. Neurotransmitter and amino acid concentrations were determined by high
      performance liquid chromatography followed with mass spectroscopy. We found a
      significant increase in cerebellar serotonin in aged versus young mice, but
      otherwise no significant phenotypic differences in measured neurotransmitter
      concentrations. Applying current thought about cerebellar aging and cerebellar
      serotonergic systems, we consider how this age-related increase in cerebellar
      serotonin may contribute to gait ataxia.

PMID- 28894741
TI  - Digital health and the challenge of health systems transformation.
AB  - Information and communication technologies have transformed all sectors of
      society. The health sector is no exception to this trend. In light of "digital
      health", we see multiplying numbers of web platforms and mobile health
      applications, often brought by new unconventional players who produce and offer
      services in non-linear and non-hierarchal ways, this by multiplying access points
      to services for people. Some speak of a "uberization" of healthcare. New
      realities and challenges have emerged from this paradigm, which question the
      abilities of health systems to cope with new business and economic models,
      governance of data and regulation. Countries must provide adequate responses so
      that digital health, based increasingly on disruptive technologies, can benefit
      for all.

PMID- 28894742
TI  - Challenges in implementing mHealth interventions: a technical perspective.
AB  - Over the years, the healthcare community has witnessed many improvements in
      methods and technologies used in healthcare delivery, including mHealth as an
      emerging area of healthcare applications to improve access to health services.
      However, challenges involved in implementing mHealth to optimal advantage do
      exist. In this article, we identify some of the most important challenges and
      propose feasible solutions.

PMID- 28894743
TI  - mHealth based interventions for the assessment and treatment of psychotic
      disorders: a systematic review.
AB  - The relative burden of mental health disorders is increasing globally, in terms
      of prevalence and disability. There is limited data available to guide treatment
      choices for clinicians in low resourced settings, with mHealth technologies being
      a potentially beneficial avenue to bridging the large mental health treatment gap
      globally. The aim of the review was to search the literature systematically for
      studies of mHealth interventions for psychosis globally, and to examine whether
      mHealth for psychosis has been investigated. A systematic literature search was
      completed in Embase, Medline, PsychINFO and Evidence Based Medicine Reviews
      databases from inception to May 2016. Only studies with a randomised controlled
      trial design that investigated an mHealth intervention for psychosis were
      included. A total of 5690 records were identified with 7 studies meeting the
      inclusion criteria. The majority of included studies, were conducted across
      Europe and the United Sates with one being conducted in China. The 7 included
      studies examined different parameters, such as Experiential Sampling Methodology
      (ESM), medication adherence, cognitive impairment, social functioning and
      suicidal ideation in veterans with schizophrenia. Considering the increasing
      access to mobile devices globally, mHealth may potentially increase access to
      appropriate mental health care. The results of this review show promise in
      bridging the global mental health treatment gap, by enabling individuals to
      receive treatment via their mobile phones, particularly for those individuals who
      live in remote or rural areas, areas of high deprivation and for those from low
      resourced settings.

PMID- 28894745
TI  - Monitoring intervention fidelity of a lifestyle behavioral intervention delivered
      through telehealth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Technology-based lifestyle behavioral interventions (i.e.,
      telehealth, mHealth, eHealth, and/or digital health) are becoming an alternative
      standard of care and possess several advantages over traditional clinical
      settings such as convenience, cost, and the ability to tailor plans and feedback
      to a participant's individual needs. These technology-based interventions also
      present unique challenges to intervention fidelity due to extra elements involved
      in executing the intervention. Intervention fidelity monitoring is essential to
      ensure internal and external validity, yet the development and utilization of
      fidelity protocols is under-reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper
      is to describe the intervention fidelity protocol for the 24-START study, a
      behavior change intervention delivered through telephone and internet. This paper
      also discusses the results of a pilot audit conducted to determine the
      feasibility of monitoring adherence to the fidelity protocol. METHODS: The 24
      START fidelity protocol was developed in accordance with the five fidelity areas
      outlined by the NIH Behavior Change Consortium (NIH BCC) including: design of
      study, provider training, delivery of treatment, receipt of treatment, and
      enactment of treatment. The fidelity strategies provided by the NIH BCC in each
      area were tailored to fit the specific design of the 24-START study. Twenty-six
      total fidelity strategies were developed in accordance with the five areas and a
      corresponding fidelity monitoring plan was created. Because these strategies are
      only beneficial if implemented, the fidelity monitoring plan was developed to
      ensure the fidelity strategies are consistently implemented over the course of
      the intervention. RESULTS: A pilot audit of nine participant files was conducted
      to test the feasibility of the fidelity protocol developed. Out of the nine
      participant files reviewed, 89% of scheduled phone calls between a telehealth
      coach and participant were successfully completed. Of the completed calls,
      telehealth coaches delivered the intervention as intended 85.3% of the time, and
      74% of planned secondary contacts made through the internet were delivered
      successfully. Additionally, between treatment group dosing was found to be equal.
      Several weak areas in the fidelity protocol were identified for improvement. The
      results were satisfactory and the audit was deemed feasible for ongoing use.
      CONCLUSIONS: The NIH BCC provides a valuable framework for telehealth
      interventions to develop fidelity protocols ultimately contributing to improved
      internal and external validity, better translation of results, increased
      transparency, and increased opportunities for replication within the field. The
      24-START pilot audit found the fidelity protocol efficacious and feasible while
      also identifying areas of weakness in need of revision. The refined protocol will
      continue to be utilized throughout the data collection phase. Future telehealth
      interventions should develop and disclose fidelity protocols to improve the
      overall quality and standard of telehealth interventions.

PMID- 28894744
TI  - Advances in mobile mental health: opportunities and implications for the spectrum
      of e-mental health services.
AB  - Mobile health (mHealth), telemedicine and other technology-based services
      facilitate mental health service delivery and may be considered part of an e
      mental health (eMH) spectrum of care. Web- and Internet-based resources provide a
      great opportunity for the public, patients, healthcare providers and others to
      improve wellness, practice prevention and reduce suffering from illnesses. Mobile
      apps offer portability for access anytime/anywhere, are inexpensive versus
      traditional desktop computers, and have additional features (e.g., context-aware
      interventions and sensors with real-time feedback. This paper discusses mobile
      mental health (mMH) options, as part of a broader framework of eMH options. The
      evidence-based literature shows that many people have an openness to technology
      as a way to help themselves, change behaviors and engage additional clinical
      services. Studies show that traditional video-based synchronous telepsychiatry
      (TP) is as good as in-person service, but mHealth outcomes have been rarely,
      directly compared to in-person and other eMH care options. Similarly, technology
      options added to in-person care or combined with others have not been evaluated
      nor linked with specific goals and desired outcomes. Skills and competencies for
      clinicians are needed for mHealth, social media and other new technologies in the
      eMH spectrum, in addition to research by randomized trials and study of health
      service delivery models with an emphasis on effectiveness.

PMID- 28894746
TI  - Behavioral health characteristics of a technology-enabled sample of Alzheimer's
      caregivers with high caregiver burden.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Caregivers of persons with dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      experience considerable physical and psychological burdens associated with their
      caregiving role. Although mobile technologies have the potential to deliver
      caregiver supports, it is necessary to demonstrate that caregivers in need of
      these supports are technology-enabled, that they can be identified and accessed,
      and that they experience the same unfavorable mental health outcomes
      characteristic of the broader caregiving population. Our objective was to enroll
      a cohort of technology-enabled caregivers to determine basic demographic
      characteristics and assess level of caregiver burden, depression, anxiety, and
      sleep disturbance as part of a larger project to deliver caregiver support.
      METHODS: Web-based enrollment and data collection measuring caregiver burden with
      the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), anxiety and depression with the M-3, and sleep
      disturbance with the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance form. RESULTS: A total of 165
      caregivers enrolled via an online portal, all of whom provided care for someone
      with AD and owned a smart phone. Mean age of this group with 57.9 years, 90.3%
      was female, 88.5% was White, 51.5% reported providing care for a parent, 9.3%
      reported providing care for more than 10 years, and 24.8% reported providing more
      than 100 hours of care each week. Sixty-four percent of caregivers screened
      positive for both anxiety and depression, and nearly 62% of the sample had
      moderate or severe caregiver burden. Scores on depression, anxiety, and sleep
      quality assessments correlated moderately or strongly with caregiver burden.
      CONCLUSIONS: Dementia caregivers with Internet and smartphone access demonstrate
      high levels of caregiver burden, depression, and anxiety, and are well-suited to
      receive caregiver support services delivered via mobile devices that target these
      issues.

PMID- 28894747
TI  - miRNA Expression Profile and Effect of Wenxin Granule in Rats with Ligation
      Induced Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - Wenxin Granule (WXKL) is a traditional Chinese medicine used for treatment of
      myocardial infarction (MI) and arrhythmias. However, the genomic pathological
      mechanisms of MI and mechanisms of WXKL are largely unknown. This study aims to
      investigate a comprehensive miRNA expression profile, and the predicted
      correlation pathways to be targeted by differentially expressed miRNAs in MI, and
      mechanisms of WXKL from a gene level. MI rat model was established by a coronary
      artery ligation surgery. miRNA expression microarrays were performed and the data
      were deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO number GSE95855). And, pathway
      analysis was performed by using the DIANA-miRPath v3.0 online tool. The
      expressions of miR-1, miR-133, Cx43, and Cx45 were detected by quantitative real
      time PCR. It was found that 35 differentially expressed miRNAs and 23 predicted
      pathways, including miR-1, miR-133, and gap junction pathway, are involved in the
      pathogenesis of MI. And, WXKL increased the expressions of miR-1 and miR-133,
      while also increased the mRNA levels of Cx43 and Cx45, and, especially, recovered
      the Cx43/Cx45 ratio near to normal level. The results suggest that regulatory
      effects on miR-1, miR-133, Cx43, and Cx45 might be a possible mechanism of WXKL
      in the treatment of MI at the gene level.

PMID- 28894748
TI  - New Antihyperglycemic Drugs and Heart Failure: Synopsis of Basic and Clinical
      Data.
AB  - The assessment of the cardiovascular safety profile of any newly developed
      antihyperglycemic drug is mandatory before registration, as a meta-analysis
      raised alarm describing a significant increase in myocardial infarction with the
      thiazolidinedione rosiglitazone. The first results from completed cardiovascular
      outcome trials are already available: TECOS, SAVOR-TIMI, and EXAMINE investigated
      dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, ELIXA, LEADER, and SUSTAIN-6
      investigated glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, and EMPA-REG
      OUTCOME and CANVAS investigated sodium-dependent glucose transporter 2 (SGLT-2)
      inhibitors. LEADER, SUSTAIN-6, EMPA-REG OUTCOME, and CANVAS showed potential
      beneficial results, while the SAVOR-TIMI trial had an increased rate of
      hospitalization for heart failure. Meanwhile, the same drugs are investigated in
      preclinical experiments mainly using various animal models, which aim to find
      interactions and elucidate the underlying downstream mechanisms between the
      antihyperglycemic drugs and the cardiovascular system. Yet the direct link for
      observed effects, especially for DPP-4 and SGLT-2 inhibitors, is still unknown.
      Further inquiry into these mechanisms is crucial for the interpretation of the
      clinical trials' outcome and, vice versa, the clinical trials provide hints for
      an involvement of the cardiovascular system. The synopsis of preclinical and
      clinical data is essential for a detailed understanding of benefits and risks of
      new antihyperglycemic drugs.

PMID- 28894749
TI  - Efficacy of Blood Sources and Artificial Blood Feeding Methods in Rearing of
      Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) for Sterile Insect Technique and Incompatible
      Insect Technique Approaches in Sri Lanka.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Selection of the artificial membrane feeding technique and blood
      meal source has been recognized as key considerations in mass rearing of vectors.
      METHODOLOGY: Artificial membrane feeding techniques, namely, glass plate, metal
      plate, and Hemotek membrane feeding method, and three blood sources (human,
      cattle, and chicken) were evaluated based on feeding rates, fecundity, and
      hatching rates of Aedes aegypti. Significance in the variations among blood
      feeding was investigated by one-way ANOVA, cluster analysis of variance (ANOSIM),
      and principal coordinates (PCO) analysis. RESULTS: Feeding rates of Ae. aegypti
      significantly differed among the membrane feeding techniques as suggested by one
      way ANOVA (p < 0.05). The metal plate method was identified as the most efficient
      and cost-effective feeding technique. Blood feeding rate of Ae. aegypti was
      higher with human blood followed by cattle and chicken blood, respectively.
      However, no significant difference was observed from the mosquitoes fed with
      cattle and human blood, in terms of fecundity, oviposition rate, and fertility as
      suggested by one-way ANOVA (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Metal plate method could be
      recommended as the most effective membrane feeding technique for mass rearing of
      Ae. aegypti, due to its high feeding rate and cost effectiveness. Cattle blood
      could be recommended for mass rearing Ae. aegypti.

PMID- 28894750
TI  - Factor XIII Subunit A in the Skin: Applications in Diagnosis and Treatment.
AB  - The role of factor XIII subunit A (FXIII-A) is not restricted to hemostasis.
      FXIII-A is also present intracellularly in several human cells and serves as a
      diagnostic marker in a wide range of dermatological diseases from inflammatory
      conditions to malignancies. In this review, we provide a guide on the still
      controversial interpretation of dermal cell types expressing FXIII-A and assess
      the previously described mechanisms behind their accumulation under physiological
      and pathological conditions of the human skin. We summarize the intracellular
      functions of FXIII-A as well as its possible sources in the extracellular space
      of the dermis with a focus on its relevance to skin homeostasis and disease
      pathogenesis. Finally, the potential role of FXIII-A in wound healing, as a field
      with long-term therapeutic implications, is also discussed.

PMID- 28894751
TI  - Peripheral Inhibitor of AChE, Neostigmine, Prevents the Inflammatory Dependent
      Suppression of GnRH/LH Secretion during the Follicular Phase of the Estrous
      Cycle.
AB  - The study was designed to test the hypothesis that the inhibition of
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity at the periphery by Neostigmine (0.5
      mg/animal) will be sufficient to prevent inflammatory dependent suppression of
      the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)/luteinising hormone (LH) secretion in
      ewes in the follicular phase of the estrous cycle, and this effect will be
      comparable with the systemic AChE inhibitor, Donepezil (2.5 mg/animal). An
      immune/inflammatory challenge was induced by peripheral administration of
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 400 ng/kg). Peripheral treatment with Donepezil and
      Neostigmine prevented the LPS-induced decrease (P < 0.05) in LHbeta gene
      expression in the anterior pituitary gland (AP) and in LH release. Moreover,
      Donepezil completely abolished (P < 0.05) the suppressory effect of inflammation
      on GnRH synthesis in the preoptic area, when pretreatment with Neostigmine
      reduced (P < 0.05) the decrease in GnRH content in this hypothalamic structure.
      Moreover, administration of both AChE inhibitors diminished (P < 0.05) the
      inhibitory effect of LPS treatment on the expression of GnRH receptor in the AP.
      Our study shows that inflammatory dependent changes in the GnRH/LH secretion may
      be eliminated or reduced by AChE inhibitors suppressing inflammatory reaction
      only at the periphery such as Neostigmine, without the need for interfering in
      the central nervous system.

PMID- 28894752
TI  - Identification of Multiple Dehalogenase Genes Involved in Tetrachloroethene-to
      Ethene Dechlorination in a Dehalococcoides-Dominated Enrichment Culture.
AB  - Chloroethenes (CEs) are widespread groundwater toxicants that are reductively
      dechlorinated to nontoxic ethene (ETH) by members of Dehalococcoides. This study
      established a Dehalococcoides-dominated enrichment culture (designated "YN3")
      that dechlorinates tetrachloroethene (PCE) to ETH with high dechlorination
      activity, that is, complete dechlorination of 800 MUM PCE to ETH within 14 days
      in the presence of Dehalococcoides species at 5.7 +/- 1.9 * 107 copies of 16S
      rRNA gene/mL. The metagenome of YN3 harbored 18 rdhA genes (designated YN3rdhA1
      18) encoding the catalytic subunit of reductive dehalogenase (RdhA), four of
      which were suggested to be involved in PCE-to-ETH dechlorination based on
      significant increases in their transcription in response to CE addition. The
      predicted proteins for two of these four genes, YN3RdhA8 and YN3RdhA16, showed
      94% and 97% of amino acid similarity with PceA and VcrA, which are well known to
      dechlorinate PCE to trichloroethene (TCE) and TCE to ETH, respectively. The other
      two rdhAs, YN3rdhA6 and YN3rdhA12, which were never proved as rdhA for CEs,
      showed particularly high transcription upon addition of vinyl chloride (VC), with
      75 +/- 38 and 16 +/- 8.6 mRNA copies per gene, respectively, suggesting their
      possible functions as novel VC-reductive dehalogenases. Moreover, metagenome data
      indicated the presence of three coexisting bacterial species, including novel
      species of the genus Bacteroides, which might promote CE dechlorination by
      Dehalococcoides.

PMID- 28894753
TI  - Evaluation of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate Modified Collagen Membrane and Concerns
      on Schwann Cells.
AB  - Collagen is an essential component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and is a
      suitable material for nerve repair during tissue remodeling for fracture repair.
      Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), an extract of green tea, shows various
      biological activities that are beneficial to nerve repair. Here, we developed
      modified collagen containing different concentrations of EGCG (0.0064%, 0.064%,
      and 0.64%, resp.) to induce Schwann cell proliferation and differentiation. Cell
      Counting Kit-8 test, live/dead assay, and SEM showed that collagen cross-linked
      by EGCG induced Schwann cell proliferation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction,
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blotting revealed that EGCG
      modified collagen induced Schwann cell differentiation and downregulated reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) levels by downregulating the MAPK P38 signaling pathway. Our
      results indicate that collagen cross-linked with an appropriate concentration of
      EGCG induces the proliferation and differentiation of Schwann cells. The EGCG
      modified collagen membrane may be applicable for nerve repair and guided tissue
      regeneration applications.

PMID- 28894755
TI  - Cereblon: A Protein Crucial to the Multiple Functions of Immunomodulatory Drugs
      as well as Cell Metabolism and Disease Generation.
AB  - It is well known that cereblon is a key protein in autosomal recessive
      nonsyndromic mental retardation. Studies have reported that it has an
      intermediary role in helping immunomodulatory drugs perform their
      immunomodulatory and tumoricidal effects. In addition, cereblon also regulates
      the expression, assembly, and activities of other special proteins related to
      cell proliferation and metabolism, resulting in the occurrence and development of
      metabolic diseases. This review details the multiple functions of cereblon and
      the underlying mechanisms. We also put forward some unsolved problems, including
      the intrinsic mechanism of cereblon function and the possible regulatory
      mechanisms of its expression.

PMID- 28894757
TI  - A Biomechanical and Clinical Comparison of Midshaft Clavicle Plate Fixation: Are
      2 Screws as Good as 3 on Each Side of the Fracture?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The standard of care for plating displaced midshaft clavicle
      fractures has been 6 cortices of purchase on each side of the fracture. The use
      of locking plates and screws may afford equivalent biomechanical strength with
      fewer cortices of purchase on each side of the fracture. PURPOSE: To compare the
      biomechanical and clinical performance of 3- versus 2-screw constructs for
      plating displaced midshaft clavicle fractures. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled
      laboratory study/cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Lateral fragments
      of simulated midshaft fractures in 10 pairs of cadaveric clavicles were randomly
      assigned to plate fixation with either 3 nonlocking screws or 2 locking screws.
      Cyclic tensile loads were applied along the long axis of the clavicle. The
      constructs were then loaded to failure with pullout forces applied parallel to
      the long axis of the screws. Additionally, clinical outcomes of patients who had
      midshaft clavicle fractures that were surgically repaired were retrospectively
      identified and compared; 21 patients were treated with 3-screw constructs and 20
      with 2-screw constructs. RESULTS: Biomechanically, there were no significant
      differences for cyclic displacement, stiffness, yield load, or ultimate load
      between groups. Forces required for screw pullout were considerably higher than
      physiologic forces experienced by a healing clavicle in vivo. Clinically, there
      were no significant differences in American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons,
      Constant, visual analog scale, and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation scores;
      complications; or mean time to union. Additionally, we found that the plates used
      in the 2-screw group were consistently shorter. CONCLUSION: Plate fixation of
      displaced midshaft clavicle fractures with 4 cortices of purchase with 2 locking
      screws demonstrated no significant differences biomechanically when compared with
      fixation with 6 cortices of purchase and 3 nonlocking screws. Clinically, there
      were no significant differences in outcomes or complications seen in patients
      receiving 2- or 3-screw constructs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Clinical benefits of
      using the 3-screw construct for plate fixation include decreased surgical
      exposure, morbidity, and cost, and the use of shorter and noncontoured straight
      plates eliminates the extra time and technical difficulty associated with
      matching longer contoured plates to the complex morphology of the clavicle.

PMID- 28894756
TI  - Relationships Between Tibiofemoral Contact Forces and Cartilage Morphology at 2
      to 3 Years After Single-Bundle Hamstring Anterior Cruciate Ligament
      Reconstruction and in Healthy Knees.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevention of knee osteoarthritis (OA) following anterior cruciate
      ligament (ACL) rupture and reconstruction is vital. Risk of postreconstruction
      knee OA is markedly increased by concurrent meniscal injury. It is unclear
      whether reconstruction results in normal relationships between tibiofemoral
      contact forces and cartilage morphology and whether meniscal injury modulates
      these relationships. HYPOTHESES: Since patients with isolated reconstructions
      (ie, without meniscal injury) are at lower risk for knee OA, we predicted that
      relationships between tibiofemoral contact forces and cartilage morphology would
      be similar to those of normal, healthy knees 2 to 3 years postreconstruction. In
      knees with meniscal injuries, these relationships would be similar to those
      reported in patients with knee OA, reflecting early degenerative changes. STUDY
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Three groups were
      examined: (1) 62 patients who received single-bundle hamstring reconstruction
      with an intact, uninjured meniscus (mean age, 29.8 +/- 6.4 years; mean weight,
      74.9 +/- 13.3 kg); (2) 38 patients with similar reconstruction with additional
      meniscal injury (ie, tear, repair) or partial resection (mean age, 30.6 +/- 6.6
      years; mean weight, 83.3 +/- 14.3 kg); and (3) 30 ligament-normal, healthy
      individuals (mean age, 28.3 +/- 5.2 years; mean weight, 74.9 +/- 14.9 kg) serving
      as controls. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging to measure the
      medial and lateral tibial articular cartilage morphology (volumes and
      thicknesses). An electromyography-driven neuromusculoskeletal model determined
      medial and lateral tibiofemoral contact forces during walking. General linear
      models were used to assess relationships between tibiofemoral contact forces and
      cartilage morphology. RESULTS: In control knees, cartilage was thicker compared
      with that of isolated and meniscal-injured ACL-reconstructed knees, while greater
      contact forces were related to both greater tibial cartilage volumes (medial: R2
      = 0.43, beta = 0.62, P = .000; lateral: R2 = 0.19, beta = 0.46, P = .03) and
      medial thicknesses (R2 = 0.24, beta = 0.48, P = .01). In the overall group of ACL
      reconstructed knees, greater contact forces were related to greater lateral
      cartilage volumes (R2 = 0.08, beta = 0.28, P = .01). In ACL-reconstructed knees
      with lateral meniscal injury, greater lateral contact forces were related to
      greater lateral cartilage volumes (R2 = 0.41, beta = 0.64, P = .001) and
      thicknesses (R2 = 0.20, beta = 0.46, P = .04). CONCLUSION: At 2 to 3 years
      postsurgery, ACL-reconstructed knees had thinner cartilage compared with healthy
      knees, and there were no positive relationships between medial contact forces and
      cartilage morphology. In lateral meniscal-injured reconstructed knees, greater
      contact forces were related to greater lateral cartilage volumes and thicknesses,
      although it was unclear whether this was an adaptive response or associated with
      degeneration. Future clinical studies may seek to establish whether cartilage
      morphology can be modified through rehabilitation programs targeting contact
      forces directly in addition to the current rehabilitation foci of restoring
      passive and dynamic knee range of motion, knee strength, and functional
      performance.

PMID- 28894754
TI  - Natural Modulators of Endosomal Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Psoriatic Skin
      Inflammation.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that can be initiated by
      excessive activation of endosomal toll-like receptors (TLRs), particularly TLR7,
      TLR8, and TLR9. Therefore, inhibitors of endosomal TLR activation are being
      investigated for their ability to treat this disease. The currently approved
      biological drugs adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, ustekinumab, ixekizumab, and
      secukizumab are antibodies against effector cytokines that participate in the
      initiation and development of psoriasis. Several immune modulatory
      oligonucleotides and small molecular weight compounds, including IMO-3100, IMO
      8400, and CPG-52364, that block the interaction between endosomal TLRs and their
      ligands are under clinical investigation for their effectiveness in the treatment
      of psoriasis. In addition, several chemical compounds, including AS-2444697, PF
      05387252, PF-05388169, PF-06650833, ML120B, and PHA-408, can inhibit TLR
      signaling. Although these compounds have demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity
      in animal models, their therapeutic potential for the treatment of psoriasis has
      not yet been tested. Recent studies demonstrated that natural compounds derived
      from plants, fungi, and bacteria, including mustard seed, Antrodia cinnamomea
      extract, curcumin, resveratrol, thiostrepton, azithromycin, and andrographolide,
      inhibited psoriasis-like inflammation induced by the TLR7 agonist imiquimod in
      animal models. These natural modulators employ different mechanisms to inhibit
      endosomal TLR activation and are administered via different routes. Therefore,
      they represent candidate psoriasis drugs and might lead to the development of new
      treatment options.

PMID- 28894758
TI  - The Latarjet Procedure at the National Football League Scouting Combine: An
      Imaging and Performance Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Latarjet procedure is commonly performed in the setting of
      glenoid bone loss for treatment of recurrent anterior shoulder instability;
      however, little is known regarding the outcomes of this procedure in elite
      American football players. PURPOSE: (1) Determine the prevalence, clinical
      features, and imaging findings of elite college football athletes who present to
      the National Football League (NFL) Combine with a previous Latarjet procedure and
      (2) describe these athletes' performance in the NFL in terms of draft status and
      initial playing time. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS:
      After review of all football players who participated in the NFL Combine from
      2009 to 2016, any player with a previous Latarjet procedure was included in this
      study. Medical records, position on the field, and draft position were recorded
      for each player. In addition, imaging studies were reviewed to determine fixation
      type, hardware complications, and status of the bone block. For those players who
      were ultimately drafted, performance was assessed based on games played and
      started, total snaps, and percentage of eligible snaps in which the player
      participated during his rookie season. RESULTS: Overall, 13 of 2617 (<1%) players
      at the combine were identified with a previous Latarjet procedure.
      Radiographically, 8 of 13 (61%) showed 2-screw fixation, while 5 of 13 (39%) had
      1 screw. Of the 13 players, 6 (46%) players demonstrated hardware complications.
      All players had evidence of degenerative changes on plain radiographs, with 10
      (77%) graded as mild, 1 (8%) as moderate, and 2 (15%) as severe according to the
      Samilson Prieto classification. Six of the 13 (46%) players went undrafted, while
      the remaining 7 (54%) were drafted; however, no player participated in more than
      half of the plays for which he was eligible during his rookie season. CONCLUSION:
      Only a small percentage of players at the NFL Combine (<1%) had undergone a
      Latarjet procedure. High rates of postoperative complications and
      radiographically confirmed degenerative change were observed. Athletes who had
      undergone a Latarjet procedure demonstrated a variable amount of playing time,
      but none participated in more than half of their eligible plays during their
      rookie season.

PMID- 28894759
TI  - Differential efficiency of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in
      dominant versus nondominant hands in fibromyalgia: placebo-controlled functional
      near-infrared spectroscopy study.
AB  - Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), modulation of hemodynamic
      responses by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) during delivery
      of nociceptive stimulation was investigated in fibromyalgia (FM) patients and
      healthy controls for both hands. Two experiments were conducted: (1) median nerve
      stimulation with TENS and (2) painful stimulation using electronic von Frey
      filaments with TENS/placebo TENS. Mean [Formula: see text] brain activity was
      compared across groups and conditions using factorial ANOVA. Dominant (right)
      hand stimulation indicated significant interactions between group and condition
      in both hemispheres. Post hoc results revealed that FM patients showed an
      increased activation in "pain + TENS" condition compared to the "pain + placebo
      TENS" condition while the brain activity patterns for these conditions in
      controls were reversed. Left-hand stimulation resulted in similar TENS effects
      (reduced activation for "pain + TENS" than "pain + placebo TENS") in both groups.
      TENS effects in FM patients might be manipulated by the stimulation side. While
      the nondominant hand was responsive to TENS treatment, the dominant hand was not.
      These results indicate that stimulation side might be an effective factor in FM
      treatment by using TENS. Future studies are needed to clarify the underlying
      mechanism for these findings.

PMID- 28894761
TI  - Multiprotocol, multiatlas statistical fusion: theory and application.
AB  - Multiatlas segmentation offers an exceedingly convenient process by which image
      segmentation tools can be created from a series of labeled atlases (i.e.,
      raters). However, creation of the atlases is exceedingly time consuming and prone
      to shifts in clinical/research demands as anatomical definitions are refined,
      combined, or subdivided. Hence, a process by which atlases from distinct, but
      complementary, anatomical "protocols" could be combined would allow for greater
      innovation in structural analysis and efficiency of data (re)use. Recent
      innovation in protocol fusion has shown that propagation of information across
      distinct protocols is feasible. However, how to effectively include this
      information in simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) has
      been elusive. We present a generalization of the STAPLE framework to account for
      multiprotocol rater performance (i.e., accuracy of registered atlases). This
      approach, multiset STAPLE (MS-STAPLE), provides a statistical framework for
      combining label information from atlases that have been labeled with distinct
      protocols (i.e., whole brain versus subcortical) and is compatible with the
      current local, nonlocal, probabilistic, log-odds, and hierarchical innovations in
      STAPLE theory. Using the MS-STAPLE approach, information from a broad range of
      datasets can be combined so that each available dataset contributes in a
      spatially dependent manner to local labels. We evaluate the model in simulations
      and in the context of an experiment where an existing set of whole-brain labels
      (14 structures) is refined to include parcellation of subcortical structures (26
      structures). In the empirical results, we see significant improvement in the Dice
      similarity coefficient when comparing MS-STAPLE to STAPLE and nonlocal MS-STAPLE
      to nonlocal STAPLE.

PMID- 28894760
TI  - Recent advances in cardiac computed tomography dose reduction strategies: a
      review of scientific evidence and technical developments.
AB  - Cardiac imagers worldwide are bracing for increased utilization of cardiac
      computed tomography (CT) in clinical practice. This expanding opportunity brings
      along a responsibility to produce diagnostic quality images with optimized
      radiation dose. The following review aims to address the dose reduction
      strategies in cardiac CT in light of recent scientific evidence and technical
      developments.

PMID- 28894762
TI  - MIRank-KNN: multiple-instance retrieval of clinically relevant diabetic
      retinopathy images.
AB  - Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a consequence of diabetes and is the leading cause
      of blindness among 18- to 65-year-old adults. Regular screening is critical to
      early detection and treatment of DR. Computer-aided diagnosis has the potential
      of improving the practice in DR screening or diagnosis. An automated and
      unsupervised approach for retrieving clinically relevant images from a set of
      previously diagnosed fundus camera images for improving the efficiency of
      screening and diagnosis of DR is presented. Considering that DR lesions are often
      localized, we propose a multiclass multiple-instance framework for the retrieval
      task. Considering the special visual properties of DR images, we develop a
      feature space of a modified color correlogram appended with statistics of
      steerable Gaussian filter responses selected by fast radial symmetric transform
      points. Experiments with real DR images collected from five different datasets
      demonstrate that the proposed approach is able to outperform existing methods.

PMID- 28894763
TI  - Adaptive anatomical preservation optimal denoising for radiation therapy daily
      MRI.
AB  - Low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently been integrated with
      radiation therapy systems to provide image guidance for daily cancer radiation
      treatments. The main benefit of the low-field strength is minimal electron return
      effects. The main disadvantage of low-field strength is increased image noise
      compared to diagnostic MRIs conducted at 1.5 T or higher. The increased image
      noise affects both the discernibility of soft tissues and the accuracy of further
      image processing tasks for both clinical and research applications, such as tumor
      tracking, feature analysis, image segmentation, and image registration. An
      innovative method, adaptive anatomical preservation optimal denoising (AAPOD),
      was developed for optimal image denoising, i.e., to maximally reduce noise while
      preserving the tissue boundaries. AAPOD employs a series of adaptive nonlocal
      mean (ANLM) denoising trials with increasing denoising filter strength (i.e., the
      block similarity filtering parameter in the ANLM algorithm), and then detects the
      tissue boundary losses on the differences of sequentially denoised images using a
      zero-crossing edge detection method. The optimal denoising filter strength per
      voxel is determined by identifying the denoising filter strength value at which
      boundary losses start to appear around the voxel. The final denoising result is
      generated by applying the ANLM denoising method with the optimal per-voxel
      denoising filter strengths. The experimental results demonstrated that AAPOD was
      capable of reducing noise adaptively and optimally while avoiding tissue boundary
      losses. AAPOD is useful for improving the quality of MRIs with low-contrast-to
      noise ratios and could be applied to other medical imaging modalities, e.g.,
      computed tomography.

PMID- 28894764
TI  - Improved reconstruction of phase-stepping data for Talbot-Lau x-ray imaging.
AB  - Grating-based Talbot-Lau x-ray interferometry is a popular method for measuring
      absorption, phase shift, and small-angle scattering. The standard acquisition
      method for this modality is phase stepping, where the Talbot pattern is
      reconstructed from multiple images acquired at different grating positions. We
      review the implicit assumptions in phase-stepping reconstruction, and find that
      the assumptions of perfectly known grating positions and homoscedastic noise
      variance are violated in some scenarios. Additionally, we investigate a recently
      reported estimation bias in the visibility and dark-field signal. To adapt the
      phase-stepping reconstruction to these findings, we propose three improvements to
      the reconstruction. These improvements are (a) to use prior knowledge to compute
      more accurate grating positions to reduce moire artifacts, (b) to utilize noise
      variance information to reduce dark-field and phase noise in high-visibility
      acquisitions, and (c) to perform correction of an estimation bias in the
      interferometer visibility, leading to more quantitative dark-field imaging in
      acquisitions with a low signal-to-noise ratio. We demonstrate the benefit of our
      methods on simulated data, as well as on images acquired with a Talbot-Lau
      interferometer.

PMID- 28894765
TI  - Active phantoms: a paradigm for ultrasound calibration using phantom feedback.
AB  - In ultrasound (US)-guided medical procedures, accurate tracking of interventional
      tools is crucial to patient safety and clinical outcome. This requires a
      calibration procedure to recover the relationship between the US image and the
      tracking coordinate system. In literature, calibration has been performed on
      passive phantoms, which depend on image quality and parameters, such as
      frequency, depth, and beam-thickness as well as in-plane assumptions. In this
      work, we introduce an active phantom for US calibration. This phantom actively
      detects and responds to the US beams transmitted from the imaging probe. This
      active echo (AE) approach allows identification of the US image midplane
      independent of image quality. Both target localization and segmentation can be
      done automatically, minimizing user dependency. The AE phantom is compared with a
      crosswire phantom in a robotic US setup. An out-of-plane estimation US
      calibration method is also demonstrated through simulation and experiments to
      compensate for remaining elevational uncertainty. The results indicate that the
      AE calibration phantom can have more consistent results across experiments with
      varying image configurations. Automatic segmentation is also shown to have
      similar performance to manual segmentation.

PMID- 28894766
TI  - Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations and the Burden of Healthcare-Associated
      Infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An estimated 4% of hospital admissions acquired healthcare-associated
      infections (HAIs) and accounted for $9.8 (USD) billion in direct cost during
      2011. In 2010, nearly 140 000 of the 3.5 million potentially preventable
      hospitalizations (PPHs) may have acquired an HAI. There is a knowledge gap
      regarding the co-occurrence of these events. AIMS: To estimate the period
      occurrences and likelihood of acquiring an HAI for the PPH population. METHODS:
      Retrospective, cross-sectional study using logistic regression analysis of 2011
      Texas Inpatient Discharge Public Use Data File including 2.6 million admissions
      from 576 acute care hospitals. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
      Prevention Quality Indicator software identified PPH, and existing administrative
      data identification methodologies were refined for Clostridium difficile
      infection, central line-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated
      urinary tract infection, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Odds of acquiring
      HAIs when admitted with PPH were adjusted for demographic, health status,
      hospital, and community characteristics. FINDINGS: We identified 272 923 PPH, 14
      219 HAI, and 986 admissions with PPH and HAI. Odds of acquiring an HAI for
      diabetic patients admitted for lower extremity amputation demonstrated
      significantly increased odds ratio of 2.9 (95% confidence interval: 2.16-3.91)
      for Clostridium difficile infection. Other PPH patients had lower odds of
      acquiring HAI compared to non-PPH patients, and results were frequently
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical implications include increased risk of HAI
      among diabetic patients admitted for lower extremity amputation. Methodological
      implications include identification of rare events for inpatient subpopulations
      and the need for improved codification of HAIs to improve cost and policy
      analyses regarding allocation of resources toward clinical improvements.

PMID- 28894767
TI  - Who Works Among Older Black and White, Well-Functioning Adults in the Health,
      Aging, and Body Composition Study?
AB  - Objective: The aim of this study is to examine social, economic, and health
      factors related to paid work in well-functioning older adults and if and how
      these factors vary by race. Method: We used sex-stratified logistic and
      multinomial logistic regression to examine cross-sectional data in the Health,
      Aging, and Body Composition cohort study. The sample included 3,075 community
      dwelling Black (42%) and White adults aged 70 to 79 at baseline. Results:
      Multinomial logistic regression analyses show Black men were more likely to work
      full-time, and Black women were more likely to work part-time. Men with
      >=US$50,000 family income were more likely to work full-time. Men with better
      physical functioning were more likely to work full- and part-time. Women with
      >=US$50,000 family income and fewer chronic diseases were more likely to work
      full-time. Women who were overweight and had fewer chronic diseases were more
      likely to work part-time. Discussion: Results suggest that well-functioning,
      older Black adults were more likely to work than their White counterparts, and
      working relates to better health and higher income, providing support for a
      productive or successful aging perspective.

PMID- 28894768
TI  - Clinical Improvement of Subacute and Chronic Otitis Media With Effusion Treated
      With Hyaluronic Acid Plus Hypertonic Solution via Nasal Lavage: A Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - Background. This study, a randomized controlled trial, aims to demonstrate a
      clinically significant improvement in subacute and chronic otitis media with
      effusion through the administration of hyaluronic acid associated with hypertonic
      solution compared with the administration of hypertonic solution alone. The
      setting was an outpatient clinic of 20 primary care pediatrician offices
      affiliated with the 3 Local Health Units (Azienda Sanitaria Locale) of Naples.
      Materials and Methods. The study was conducted for 6 months, from October 2014 to
      the end of March 2015. The study saw the participation of 20 pediatricians who
      were experts in pneumatic otoscopy, each of whom enrolled 15 children. Each
      investigator was randomized to carry out the treatment with 3% hypertonic
      solution or high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid + 3% hypertonic solution.
      Results. A total of 275 children were enrolled, of whom 11(equal to 4% ) were
      lost to follow-up. A total of 264 children completed the trial according to the
      protocol, 120 in the hyaluronic acid + hypertonic solution group and 144 in the
      hypertonic solution group. Hyaluronic acid associated with hypertonic solution
      and hypertonic solution alone administered by nasal lavage have proven to be safe
      and effective in the treatment of prolonged otitis media with effusion (initial
      score of -0.5, final score of 0.9, P < 001, for the hypertonic + hyaluronic acid
      group; initial score of -0.3, final score of 0.2, P < .001, for the hypertonic
      solution group). Though starting from a less favorable initial clinical score (
      0.5 vs -0.3, P < .016), hyaluronic acid associated with hypertonic solution
      resulted in a significant increase in clinical healing (0.9 vs 0.2, P < .001).
      One interesting outcome was the significant reduction in the consumption of drugs
      (cortisone and antibiotics) during the follow-up.

PMID- 28894769
TI  - Severe Mitral Regurgitation in a Child With Henoch-Schonlein Purpura and
      Pulmonary Hemorrhage.
AB  - Introduction: Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is the most common vasculitis of
      childhood. The classic triad of HSP consists of nonthrombocytopenic purpura,
      arthritis/arthralgia, and gastrointestinal complaints. Pulmonary hemorrhage and
      cardiac involvement are rare complications of HSP. Case Report: We report the
      case of a 10-year-old girl with HSP complicated by both severe mitral
      regurgitation and pulmonary hemorrhage. Discussion: HSP is typically a self
      limited illness with an excellent prognosis in children. Pulmonary hemorrhage is
      a rare complication that increases morbidity and mortality; it generally
      indicates the presence of severe vasculitis. Cardiac involvement in HSP is
      extremely rare and associated with a poor prognosis. Conclusion: Cardiac
      involvement in HSP may be more common than believed. Because of the increased
      morbidity and mortality associated with HSP complicated by pulmonary hemorrhage
      and cardiac involvement, it is important for clinicians to be aware of these
      potential complications.

PMID- 28894770
TI  - Deterministic implementation of a bright, on-demand single photon source with
      near-unity indistinguishability via quantum dot imaging.
AB  - Deterministic techniques enabling the implementation and engineering of bright
      and coherent solid-state quantum light sources are key for the reliable
      realization of a next generation of quantum devices. Such a technology, at best,
      should allow one to significantly scale up the number of implemented devices
      within a given processing time. In this work, we discuss a possible technology
      platform for such a scaling procedure, relying on the application of nanoscale
      quantum dot imaging to the pillar microcavity architecture, which promises to
      combine very high photon extraction efficiency and indistinguishability. We
      discuss the alignment technology in detail, and present the optical
      characterization of a selected device which features a strongly Purcell-enhanced
      emission output. This device, which yields an extraction efficiency of eta = (49
      +/- 4) %, facilitates the emission of photons with (94 +/- 2.7) %
      indistinguishability.

PMID- 28894771
TI  - Baseline Characteristics of fall from Height Victims Presenting to Emergency
      Department; a Brief Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Trauma due to accidents or fall from height is a major cause of
      disability and mortality. The present study was designed aiming to evaluate the
      baseline characteristics of fall from height victims presenting to emergency
      department (ED). METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study evaluates the
      baseline characteristics of fall from height cases presenting to EDs of three
      educational Hospitals, Tehran, Iran, during one year. Data were analyzed using
      SPSS 21 and presented using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: 460 patients with
      the mean age of 27.89 +/- 20.95 years were evaluated (76.5% male). 191 (41.5%)
      falls occurred when working, 27 (5.9%) during play, and 242 (52.6%) in other
      times. Among construction workers, 166 (81.4%) had not used any safety equipment.
      Fracture and dislocation with 180 (39.1%) cases and soft tissue injury with 166
      (36.1%) were the most common injuries inflicted. Mean height of falling was 3.41
      +/- 0.34 (range: 0.5 - 20) meters. Finally, 8 (1.7%) of the patients died (50%
      intentional) and 63% were discharged from ED. A significant correlation was
      detected between mortality and the falls being intentional (p < 0.0001) as well
      as greater height of fall (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, most
      fall from height victims in the present study were young men, single,
      construction workers, with less than high school diploma education level.
      Intentional fall and greater height of falling significantly correlated with
      mortality.

PMID- 28894772
TI  - Epidemiologic Features and Outcomes of Caustic Ingestions; a 10-Year Cross
      Sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Caustic ingestions are among the most prevalent causes of toxic
      exposure. The present 10-year survey aimed to evaluate the epidemiologic features
      and outcomes of caustic ingestion cases presenting to emergency department.
      METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study on patients who were
      admitted to a referral toxicology center during 2004 to 2014, following caustic
      ingestion. Baseline characteristics, presenting chief complaint, severity of
      mucosal injury, complications, imaging and laboratory findings as well as
      outcomes (need for ICU admission, need for surgery, mortality) were recorded,
      reviewing patients' medical profile, and analyzed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: 348
      patients with mean age of 37.76 +/- 17.62 years were studied (55.6% male). The
      mean amount of ingested caustic agent was 106.69 +/- 100.24 mL (59.2 %
      intentional). Intentional ingestions (p < 0.0001), acidic substance (p = 0.054),
      and higher volume of ingestion (p = 0.021) were significantly associated with
      higher severity of mucosal damage. 28 (8%) cases had died, 53 (15.2%) were
      admitted to ICU, and 115 (33%) cases underwent surgery. CONCLUSION: It seems
      that, suicidal intention, higher grade of mucosal injury, higher volume of
      ingestion, lower level of consciousness, lower serum pH, and higher respiratory
      rate are among the most important predictors of need for ICU admission, need for
      surgery, and mortality.

PMID- 28894773
TI  - The Pattern of Pre-hospital Medical Service Delivery in Iran; a Cross Sectional
      Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-hospital emergency systems provide service by Franco-German and
      Anglo American models. This study was carried out to compare the Iranian
      emergency medical service (EMS) with the two models regarding timing and
      equipment. METHODS: In this cross sectional study, response time, scene time, and
      transport time to hospital as well as ambulance equipment of five hundred
      thousand Tehran EMS recorded missions, during one year, were compared with Franco
      German and Anglo American models, trying to determine the pattern of EMS delivery
      in Iran. RESULTS: The mean response time, scene time, and transport time to
      hospital were 15.00 +/-10.88, 18 +/-11.48, and 15.00 +/-11.20 minutes,
      respectively. The mean response time (p<0.035), scene time (p<0.033), and
      transport time to hospital (p<0.015) were more than the standard time. Percentage
      of ambulances quipped with automated external defibrillator (45%, p<0.001),
      ventilator (2%, p<0.001), disposable splint (0%, p<0.001), and wheelchair (0%,
      p<0.001) were very far from standards. CONCLUSION: The pattern of EMS delivery in
      Iran was a combination of Anglo American and Franco-German system.

PMID- 28894774
TI  - Spontaneous Adrenal Hematoma in a Pregnant Woman; a Case Report.
AB  - Spontaneous adrenal hematoma is a very rare condition and its prevalence has been
      reported to be about 1% in previous studies. Although various causes have been
      proposed to explain its incidence in existing case reports, the etiology and
      pathology of this condition is still not known. The present study presents a case
      of spontaneous adrenal hematoma in a pregnant 31 year old womanwithout history of
      trauma or other probable risk factors of hemorrhage, presenting to the emergency
      department with chief complaint of pain in the right flank.Diagnostic measures,
      imaging and laparotomy,confirmed the diagnosis of spontaneous adrenal hematomafor
      her.

PMID- 28894775
TI  - Pregnancy Screening before Diagnostic Radiography in Emergency Department; an
      Educational Review.
AB  - In modern medical practice, there is an increasing dependence on imaging
      techniques in most medical specialties. Radiation exposure during pregnancy may
      have serious teratogenic effects to the fetus. Therefore, checking the pregnancy
      status before imaging women of child bearing age can protect against these
      effects. Lack of international regulations and standard protocols exposes the
      patient to unexpected fetal radiation effects and the health professionals to
      medicolegal suits. Recently, the American Academy of Radiology and the European
      community of Medical Ionizing Radiation Protection released national guidelines
      regarding pregnancy screening before imaging potentially pregnant females.
      However, different methods of pregnancy screening exist among different radiology
      centers. This review aims to discuss the most recent guidelines for imaging
      females of childbearing age and highlight the need for an international
      regulation to guide pregnancy screening before diagnostic radiation exposure.

PMID- 28894776
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan in Detection of Upper
      Gastrointestinal Tract Injuries Following Caustic Ingestion.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Endoscopy is an invasive procedure and finding noninvasive
      alternative tools in detection of probable upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract
      injuries following caustic ingestion is an area of interest. The present study
      aimed to evaluate the screening performance characteristics of thoraco-abdominal
      computed tomography (CT) scan in this regard. METHODS: This prospective cross
      sectional study was conducted on patients presenting to emergency department
      following acute caustic ingestion. The findings of CT scan and endoscopy
      regarding the presence of upper GI tract damage were compared and screening
      performance characteristics of CT scan were calculated using MedCalc software.
      RESULTS: 34 patients with the mean age of 35.38+/-13.72 years were studied (58.8%
      male). The agreement rate between CT scan and endoscopy regarding the grade of
      esophageal and gastric injuries was moderate (K= 0.38; p = 0.001) and fair (K=
      0.17; p = 0.038), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of CT scan in
      detection of esophageal damage were 96.29) 79.11- 99.80) and 57.14 (20.23 -
      88.19), respectively. These measures were 89.65 (71.50 - 97.28) and 40.00 (7.25 -
      82.95), respectively for gastric damage. The area under the ROC curve of CT scan
      in detection of esophageal and gastric damages was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.52 - 1.00) and
      0.64 (95% CI: 0.35 - 0.94), respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of
      the present study, CT scan could be considered as a sensitive tool in ruling out
      upper gastrointestinal mucosal injuries following acute caustic ingestions.
      However, the correlation between endoscopy and CT scan findings regarding the
      grading of injury is not high enough to eliminate the need for endoscopy.

PMID- 28894777
TI  - Relationship between Dyspnea Descriptors and Underlying Causes of the Symptom; a
      Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: History taking and physical examination help clinicians identify
      the patient's problem and effectively treat it. This study aimed to evaluate the
      descriptors of dyspnea in patients presenting to emergency department (ED) with
      asthma, congestive heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD). METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all patients
      presenting to ED with chief complaint of dyspnea, during 2 years. The patients
      were asked to describe their dyspnea by choosing three items from the valid and
      reliable questionnaire or articulating their sensation. The relationship between
      dyspnea descriptors and underlying cause of symptom was evaluated using SPSS
      version 16. RESULTS: 312 patients with the mean age of 60.96+/-17.01 years were
      evaluated (53.2% male). Most of the patients were > 65 years old (48.7%) and had
      basic level of education (76.9%). "My breath doesn't go out all the way" with
      83.1%, "My chest feels tight " with 45.8%, and "I feel that my airway is
      obstructed" with 40.7%, were the most frequent dyspnea descriptors in asthma
      patients. "My breathing requires work" with 46.3%, "I feel that I am suffocating"
      with 31.5%, and "My breath doesn't go out all the way" with 29.6%, were the most
      frequent dyspnea descriptors in COPD patients. "My breathing is heavy" with
      74.4%, "A hunger for more air" with 24.4%, and "I cannot get enough air" with
      23.2%, were the most frequent dyspnea descriptors in CHF patients. Except for "My
      breath does not go in all the way", there was significant correlation between
      studied dyspnea descriptors and underlying disease (p = 0.001 for all analyses).
      CONCLUSION: It seems that dyspnea descriptors along with other findings from
      history and physical examination could be helpful in differentiating the causes
      of the symptom in patients presenting to ED suffering from dyspnea.

PMID- 28894778
TI  - Role of Serum Creatinine Phosphokinase in Outcome Prediction of Intoxicated
      Patients; a Brief Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several mechanisms were introduced as causes of serum creatinine
      phosphokinase (CPK) raise in intoxicated patients. This study aimed to assess the
      relationship between serum CPK level in the first 24 hours and baseline
      characteristics as well as outcomes of these patients. METHODS: This one year
      retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on all intoxicated patients,
      who were admitted to a referral toxicology center, Northwest of Iran, stayed for
      at least 24 hours and had serum CPK level more than 500 IU/L in the first 24
      hours of admission. The relationship between serum CPK level and some baseline
      and outcome variables were studied using SPSS version 21. RESULTS: 413 patients
      with the mean age of 34.52 +/- 15.24 years were studied (78.7% male). The mean
      CPK level at the time of presentation to ED was 3702.85 +/- 6375.29 IU/L. There
      was not any significant relationship between presenting CPK level and type of
      poisoning (p = 0.258), sex (p = 0.587), and age (p = 0.817). The area under the
      ROC curve of CPK in prediction of need for dialysis, need for intensive care unit
      (ICU) admission, and mortality was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.57 - 0.77), 0.60 (95% CI: 0.52
      - 0.69), and 0.60 (95% CI: 0.51 - 0.68), respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on the
      finding of present study, there was no significant association between serum CPK
      level in the first 24 hours and age, sex, and type of poisoning of intoxicated
      patients and it had poor accuracy in prediction of their need to do dialysis,
      need for ICU admission, and mortality.

PMID- 28894779
TI  - Emergency Department Readmission Rate within 72 Hours after Discharge; a Letter
      to Editor.

PMID- 28894780
TI  - A 41-Year-Old Woman with Seizure.

PMID- 28894781
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Quick Stick for Identifying Traumatic Patients in Need of
      Tetanus Prophylaxis; a Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Based on the existing studies, measuring serum level of
      immunoglobulin for making decisions regarding prescription of tetanus prophylaxis
      seems logical and cost effective. Therefore, the present study was done with the
      aim of evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of tetanus quick stick (TQS) in
      comparison with ELISA method in this regard. METHODS: The present diagnostic
      accuracy study was carried out on trauma patients presenting to emergency
      department, who were in need of receiving tetanus prophylaxis due to dirty wounds
      or injuries. Patients' blood was evaluated regarding presence of anti-tetanus
      antibody via TQS and ELISA methods and screening performance characteristics of
      TQS in identifying the cases in need of receiving prophylaxis was calculated
      compared to ELISA as the reference test. RESULTS: 148 patients with the mean age
      of 34.58 +/- 15.86 years (4-86) were studied (87.8% male). Agreement rate between
      the results of TQS and ELISA was 0.78 based on calculation of kappa coefficient.
      Sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve of TQS were estimated to be
      100 (95% CI: 96.50 - 100), 66.66 (95% CI: 38.68 - 86.01), and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.68 
      0.98), respectively. If TQS was used, the cost of treatment regarding use of
      tetabulin could have a 91.7% reduction. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of the
      present study, TQS has good diagnostic accuracy in comparison with ELISA and
      considering its 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value in cases with
      dirty wound, it can be considered as a reliable tool for screening patients that
      do not need to receive anti-tetanus prophylaxis.

PMID- 28894782
TI  - Accidental Chronic Poisoning with Methotrexate; Report of Two Cases.
AB  - Methotrexate has been used widely in dermatology, oncology and rheumatology
      fields. However, methotrexate-induced mucocutaneous lesions may occur in rare
      cases. In this case presentation, we report two cases of accidental poisoning
      with methotrexate. They had accidentally used methotrexate instead of digoxin.
      This case report emphasizes that early diagnosis and appropriate management is
      critical in order to improve outcome.

PMID- 28894783
TI  - Intravenous Lidocaine versus Morphine Sulfate in Pain Management for Extremity
      Fractures; a Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Considering the existing contradictions regarding effectiveness of
      intravenous (IV) lidocaine, especially in emergency department (ED), the present
      study was designed to compare the analgesic effect of IV lidocaine and morphine
      sulfate in pain management for extremity bone fractures. METHOD: In this triple
      blind clinical trial, 15 to 65 year-old patients with extremity fractures and in
      need of pain management were randomly allocated to either IV lidocaine or
      morphine sulfate group and were compared regarding severity of pain 5, 10, 15,
      20, 25, and 30 minutes after infusion via intention to treat analysis. The
      absolute risk reduction, number needed to treat and relative risk of IV lidocaine
      after 30 minutes were 0.40 (95%CI: 0.25 - 0.64), 7 (95%CI: 3.7 - 23.1), and 20.71
      (95%CI: 10.91 - 30.51), respectively. RESULTS: 280 patients with the mean age of
      32.50 +/- 12.77 years were randomly divided into 2 equal groups of 140 (73.9%
      male). The 2 groups had similar baseline characteristics. 15 minutes after
      injection success rate was 49.28% in lidocaine and 33.57% in morphine sulfate
      group (p = 0.011), and after 30 minutes it reached 85.71% and 65.00%,
      respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the present study,
      IV lidocaine could be considered as a reasonable alternative choice for pain
      management in ED.

PMID- 28894784
TI  - Blood Lead Levels in Asymptomatic Opium Addict Patients; a Case Control Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: One of the newest non-occupational sources of lead contamination is
      drug addiction, which has recently been addressed as a major source of lead
      poisoning in some countries. The present study aimed to investigate the blood
      lead level (BLL) of asymptomatic opium addicts. METHODS: This case-control study
      was conducted during a one-year period to compare BLL of three groups consisting
      of opium addicts, patients under methadone maintenance therapy (MMT), and healthy
      individuals. RESULTS: 99 participants with the mean age of 55.43+/-12.83 years
      were studied in three groups of 33 cases (53.5% male). The mean lead level in
      opium addicts, MMT and control groups were 80.30 +/- 6.03 MUg/L, 67.94 +/- 4.42
      MUg/L, and 57.30+/-4.77 MUg/L, respectively (p=0.008). There was no significant
      difference in BLL between MMT and healthy individuals (p=0.433) and also between
      opium addicts and MMT individuals (p=0.271).Oral opium abusers had significantly
      higher lead levels (p = 0.036). There was a significant correlation between BLL
      and duration of drug abuse in opium addict cases (r=0.398, p=0.022). The odds
      ratio of having BLL >= 100 in oral opium users was 2.1 (95% CI: 0.92 - 4.61; p =
      0.43). CONCLUSION: Based on the result of present study, when compared to healthy
      individuals, opium addicts, especially those who took substance orally had
      significantly higher levels of blood lead, and their odds of having BLL >= 100
      was two times. Therefore, screening for BLL in opium addicts, particularly those
      with non-specific complaints, could be useful.

PMID- 28894785
TI  - Experimental Study of a Pack of Supercapacitors Used in Electric Vehicles.
AB  - Electric vehicles have recently attracted research interest. An electric vehicle
      is composed of two energy sources, such as fuel cells and ultracapacitors, which
      are employed to provide, respectively, the steady-state and transient power
      demanded by the vehicle. A bidirectional DC-DC converter is needed to interface
      the ultracapacitor to a DC bus. The pack of ultracapacitor consists of many cells
      in series and possibly also in parallel. In this regard, this paper introduces a
      comparative study between two packs of supercapacitors. The first supercapacitor
      pack is composed of ten cells in series but the second supercapacitor pack is
      composed of five cells in series and two parallel circuits. Each cell is
      characterized by 2.5 V and 100 F. A number of practical tests are presented.

PMID- 28894786
TI  - Methylene Blue Effectiveness as Local Analgesic after Anorectal Surgery: A
      Literature Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methylene blue (MB) has been found to have unique analgesic property
      through temporary disruption of sensory nerve conduction. In anorectal surgery,
      MB is widely used as a biologic stain but the analgesic effect has never been
      studied. Thus, a literature review completed with critical appraisal is required
      to find out its efficacy. METHODS: A review has been run to find out its
      efficacy. Literature search proceeded in database sites, namely, PubMed, EBSCO,
      Cochrane, Wiley, and ProQuest using the following keywords: "anorectal" OR
      "hemorrhoid" OR "anal fistula" OR "anal fissure" OR "anal abscess" OR "anal
      pruritus" AND "methylene blue" AND "analgesic"; then the critical appraisal and
      its implication were discussed. RESULT: There were 491 articles in full text
      found, and four studies met the inclusion criteria. Two studies were focused on
      the evaluation of VAS in hemorrhoid surgery whereas the rest were focused on the
      evaluation of symptom score in anal pruritus. CONCLUSIONS: A study with level of
      evidence 2 on VAS showed the efficacy. The rest showed insufficient evidence due
      to variations of anorectal surgery and the methods and techniques of MB
      application. A further prospective clinical study is required.

PMID- 28894787
TI  - Prevalence of Anemia, Overweight/Obesity, and Undiagnosed Hypertension and
      Diabetes among Residents of Selected Communities in Ghana.
AB  - The increasing numbers of lifestyle related chronic diseases in developing
      countries call for awareness, early detection, and effective management. The
      objective of this paper is to report the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension,
      diabetes, overweight/obesity, and anemia among residents of selected communities
      in Ghana. The data comes from a community screening conducted in Ghana as part of
      the University of Georgia Summer Service Learning Program. Descriptive statistics
      were used to summarize the data while chi-square and independent t-test compared
      groups. A total of 976 participants (37.9% males and 62.1% females), 18 years and
      older, were screened. Mean age was 46.25 +/- 17.14 years, BMI was 25.44 +/- 5.26
      kgm-2, and hemoglobin was 12.04 +/- 2.22 g/dL. 3.1% and 12.6% reported existing
      diagnosis for diabetes and hypertension, respectively. Almost half (47.8%) were
      overweight/obese; 27.0% were hypertensive while 34.0% had diabetes. Also, 28.8%
      males compared to 37.8% females had diabetes (P = 0.015), while 28.2% males
      compared to 26.2% females were hypertensive (P = 0.635). There were differences
      in BMI (P < 0.0001), anemia (P = 0.007), and undiagnosed diabetes (P < 0.0001)
      and hypertension (P < 0.0001) by community (Takoradi versus Cape Coast) where the
      screening took place. Findings from the screening exercise call for improved
      public health education with a focus on lifestyle habits and health seeking
      behaviors among Ghanaians.

PMID- 28894788
TI  - Accuracy of Preoperative Scoring Systems for the Prognostication and Treatment of
      Patients with Spinal Metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with spinal metastatic disease, survival prognosis is a
      key consideration in selection for surgery and determining the extent of
      treatment. Individual survival prediction however remains difficult. We sought to
      validate the prognostic accuracy of seven preoperative scoring systems. METHODS:
      61 patients surgically treated for spinal metastases were retrospectively
      reviewed. Preoperative scores were calculated for Tokuhashi, Revised Tokuhashi,
      Bauer, Modified Bauer, Sioutos, Tomita, and van der Linden scoring systems.
      Prognostic value was determined by comparison of predicted and actual survival.
      RESULTS: The Revised Tokuhashi and Modified Bauer scoring systems had the best
      survival predictive accuracy. Rate of agreement for survival prognosis was the
      greatest for the Modified Bauer score. There was a significant difference in
      survival of the prognostic groups for all but the van der Linden score, being
      most significant for the Revised Tokuhashi, Bauer, Modified Bauer, and Tomita
      scoring systems (p <= 0.001). CONCLUSION: Overall, the scoring systems are
      accurate at differentiating patients into short-, intermediate-, and long-term
      survivors. More precise prediction of actual survival is limited and the decision
      for or against surgery should never be based on survival prognostication alone
      but should take into account symptoms such as neurological deficit or pain from
      pathological fracture and instability.

PMID- 28894789
TI  - Impact of the Mk VI SkinSuit on skin microbiota of terrestrial volunteers and an
      International Space Station-bound astronaut.
AB  - Microgravity induces physiological deconditioning due to the absence of gravity
      loading, resulting in bone mineral density loss, atrophy of lower limb skeletal
      and postural muscles, and lengthening of the spine. SkinSuit is a lightweight
      compression suit designed to provide head-to-foot (axial) loading to counteract
      spinal elongation during spaceflight. As synthetic garments may impact negatively
      on the skin microbiome, we used 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene amplicon procedures
      to define bacterial skin communities at sebaceous and moist body sites of five
      healthy male volunteers undergoing SkinSuit evaluation. Each volunteer displayed
      a diverse, distinct bacterial population at each skin site. Short (8 h) periods
      of dry hyper-buoyancy flotation wearing either gym kit or SkinSuit elicited
      changes in the composition of the skin microbiota at the genus level but had
      little or no impact on community structure at the phylum level or the richness
      and diversity of the bacterial population. We also determined the composition of
      the skin microbiota of an astronaut during pre-flight training, during an 8-day
      visit to the International Space Station involving two 6-7 h periods of SkinSuit
      wear, and for 1 month after return. Changes in composition of bacterial skin
      communities at five body sites were strongly linked to changes in geographical
      location. A distinct ISS bacterial microbiota signature was found which reversed
      to a pre-flight profile on return. No changes in microbiome complexity or
      diversity were noted, with little evidence for colonisation by potentially
      pathogenic bacteria; we conclude that short periods of SkinSuit wear induce
      changes to the composition of the skin microbiota but these are unlikely to
      compromise the healthy skin microbiome.

PMID- 28894790
TI  - Aortic Dissection and Severe Renal Failure 6 Years After Kidney Transplantation.
AB  - We report the case of a patient with long-term history of hypertension,
      presenting with transient neurological disorders and severe graft failure several
      years after kidney transplantation. Cause of end-stage renal disease was
      hypertensive nephrosclerosis. Chronic hemodialysis lasted for 1 year. After
      transplantation and throughout follow-up, serum creatinine ranged from 200 to 230
      MUmol/L and maintenance immunosuppression included sirolimus and low-dose
      steroids. Six years after transplantation, the patient presented with right hip
      pain radiating to the lower back, transient aphasia, confusion, and hemiparesis.
      Surprisingly, progressive anuria was established requiring dialysis. After
      numerous nonconclusive investigations including renal histology, a contrast
      computed tomography scan discovered a Stanford B aortic dissection from the left
      common carotid artery and left subclavian artery to bilateral internal and
      external iliac arteries, including the right femoral artery. No surgical
      treatment was opted and hemodialysis, tight control of blood pressure and oral
      anticoagulation were established. Immunosuppression was lightened to low-dose
      steroids alone. After 8 months, chronic dialysis was stopped, and today, 22
      months after the diagnosis of aortic dissection, the patient is doing well with a
      still functioning graft (creatinine, 377 MUmol/L; modification of diet in renal
      disease-glomerular filtration rate, 15 mL/min), and without any other
      immunosuppression than low-dose steroids.

PMID- 28894791
TI  - Pancreas Transplantation With Portal-Enteric Drainage for Patients With Endocrine
      and Exocrine Insufficiency From Extensive Pancreatic Resection.
AB  - Although the primary indication for pancreas transplantation is type I diabetes,
      a small number of patients requires pancreas transplantation to manage combined
      endocrine and exocrine insufficiency that develops after extensive native
      pancreatic resection. The objective of this case report was to describe the
      operative and clinical course in 3 such patients and present an alternative
      technical approach.

PMID- 28894792
TI  - Influence of HLA Matching on the Efficacy of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stromal Cell
      Therapies for Osteoarthritis and Degenerative Disc Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The necessity for more effective therapies for chronic osteoarticular
      diseases has led to the development of treatments based on mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs), the natural precursors of musculoskeletal tissue. Treatments with
      autologous MSCs yielded excellent results, with nearly 70% improvement of pain
      and disability in osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease. Using allogeneic
      MSCs is logistically more convenient and would widen the pool of eligible
      patients, but potential immune rejection should be considered. In this context,
      MSCs are purportedly immune evasive and better tolerated than other cell types.
      METHODS: We used samples collected during the performance of 2 randomized
      clinical trials using allogeneic bone marrow MSCs for treatment of osteoarthritis
      (NCT01586312) and degenerative disc disease (NCT01860417). Serum samples were
      used to determine anti-HLA antibodies, whereas either blood or MSC samples were
      used for HLA typing of recipients and donors, respectively. Algofunctional
      indexes were used as indicators of clinical evolution, and the correlation
      between the number of donor-host HLA mismatches and the efficacy of treatment was
      determined. RESULTS: Immune response was weak and transient, with reactivity
      decaying during the first year. Consistently, better donor-recipient HLA matching
      did not enhance efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: This lack of reactivity is presumably due
      to the cooperation of 2 factors, (1) downregulation of the host immune responses
      by the transplanted MSCs and (2) effective insulation of these cells inside the
      articular cavity or the intervertebral disc, respectively. Interestingly, better
      HLA matching did not enhance efficacy. These observations have medical relevance
      as they support the clinical use of allogeneic cells, at least as a single-dose
      administration. Multiple-dose applications will require further research to
      exclude possible sensitization.

PMID- 28894793
TI  - Infiltrative Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Portal Vein Tumor Thrombosis Treated
      With a Single High-Dose Y90 Radioembolization and Subsequent Liver
      Transplantation Without a Recurrence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infiltrative hepatocellular carcinoma with macrovascular invasion is
      a relatively rare presentation and usually fatal disease. METHODS: Both patients
      exceeded Milan and University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) criteria, and
      per Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer group guidelines, they were enrolled in a
      prospective open-label radioembolization phase II trial that gave them optimized
      lobar doses of Yttrium-90 as solely the first-line therapy without concomitant or
      additional pharmacological or locoregional therapies. RESULTS: Three months after
      radioembolization, the patients demonstrated no residual viable disease on
      surveillance imaging. The patients were then followed up with serial imaging for
      2 years in 3-month intervals, without documenting recurrence or extrahepatic
      disease. Finally, both patients underwent transplantation and after more than 20
      months of imaging surveillance, no locoregional or systemic recurrence have been
      observed. CONCLUSIONS: We present, to our knowledge, the first 2 reports of
      transplantation after successfully downstaging infiltrative disease with portal
      vein tumoral thrombosis, which traditionally poses as a relative contraindication
      for resection or transplantation.

PMID- 28894794
TI  - Short- and Long-term Outcomes of De Novo Liver Transplant Patients Treated With
      Once-Daily Prolonged-Release Tacrolimus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tacrolimus is the key immunosuppressive drug for liver
      transplantation. Once-daily prolonged-release tacrolimus (TAC-PR) exhibits good
      drug adherence but has difficulty controlling the trough level in the early phase
      of liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to compare the feasibility
      and efficacy of immediately starting oral TAC-PR versus traditional twice-daily
      tacrolimus (TAC-BID) in de novo liver transplantation recipients. METHODS: The
      study included 28 patients treated with conventional TAC-BID and 60 patients
      treated with TAC-PR (median follow-up 70.5 months). Short-term and long-term
      outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Patient characteristics were similar except for
      the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma and type of graft. Dose adjustment was
      more frequently required for TAC-PR than TAC-BID (73.3% vs 42.9%, P = 0.006), but
      trough levels of TAC during the first 3 months after liver transplantation were
      controlled well in both groups. The rate of acute cellular rejection and long
      term renal function were similar in both groups. In both groups, renal function
      worsened during the first 6 months after transplantation and remained stable
      until the end of the follow-up period. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival
      rates were 96.4%, 85.7%, and 85.7% for TAC-BID and 96.7%, 94.8%, and 94.8% for
      TAC-PR, respectively. The overall survival curve for TAC-PR was not inferior to
      that of TAC-BID. CONCLUSIONS: The TAC-PR protocol was feasible and effective with
      strict adjustment.

PMID- 28894796
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28894795
TI  - Liver Enzymes and the Development of Posttransplantation Diabetes Mellitus in
      Renal Transplant Recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is common in renal
      transplant recipients (RTR), increasing the risk of graft failure, cardiovascular
      disease, and mortality. Early detection of a high risk for PTDM is warranted.
      Because liver function and liver fat are involved, we investigated whether serum
      liver markers are associated with future PTDM in RTR. METHODS: Between 2001 and
      2003, 606 RTR with a functioning allograft beyond the first year after
      transplantation were included of which 500 participants (56% men; age, 50 +/- 12
      years) were free of diabetes at baseline and had liver enzyme values (1 missing)
      available. Serum concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl
      transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase were measured at baseline at 6.0 (6.2
      11.5) years posttransplantation. PTDM cases were recorded until April 2012.
      RESULTS: During median follow-up for 9.6 years (interquartile range [IQR], 6.2
      10.2) beyond baseline, 76 (15.2%) patients developed PTDM. Comparing the highest
      to the lower tertiles, higher liver enzyme activities were significantly related
      to incident PTDM for ALT (hazard ratio [HR], 2.22; IQR, 1.42-3.48), for GGT (HR,
      2.93; IQR, 1.87-4.61), and for alkaline phosphatase (HR, 1.78; IQR, 1.13-2.80).
      The associations of ALT and GGT with development of PTDM were independent of
      potential confounders and risk factors, including age, sex, renal function,
      medication use, lifestyle factors, adiposity, presence of the metabolic syndrome,
      fasting glucose, HbA1c, proinsulin, and cytomegalovirus status. CONCLUSIONS:
      Markers for liver function and liver fat in the subclinical range are potential
      markers for future PTDM, independent of other known risk factors. This may allow
      for early detection and management of PTDM development.

PMID- 28894797
TI  - Tumoral Expression of CD44 and HIF1alpha Predict Stage I Oral Cavity Squamous
      Cell Carcinoma Outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: No biomarkers are used to estimate the prognosis in oral
      cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In our previously published work, we have
      reported the prognostic value of CD44 and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha
      in patients with stage I disease. STUDY DESIGN: In this study, we tested our
      previous observations in a larger cohort. We also studied the predictive value of
      common lymphatic endothelial and vascular endothelial receptor (CLEVER)-1 in this
      material. METHODS: CD44, HIF1alpha, and CLEVER-1 were immunohistochemically
      analyzed in paraffin-embedded tissue material of stage I OSCC patients treated at
      three Finnish university hospitals. Microscopy results were correlated with OSCC
      outcome. RESULTS: As in our pilot study, the CD44lowHIF1alphahigh signature was
      associated with poorer disease-free survival. Clear correlations between CLEVER-1
      expression and clinical outcome were not evident. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest
      that immunohistochemistry of CD44 and HIF1alpha may be useful in identification
      of patients with poor prognoses. These parameters could be used to select the
      optimal treatment modalities for stage I OSCC patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28894798
TI  - Perineural Invasion in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity: Histology,
      Tumor Stage, and Outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To analyze the impact of different types of perineural
      invasion (PNI) in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity on overall
      survival and recurrence rate, with a special focus on histologic subtypes and
      tumor stage. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study with
      clinicopathological analysis. METHODS: Seventeen patients who received primary
      surgical treatment for SCC of the oral cavity with PNI were matched to a control
      group. In a histologic review, PNI was classified into subtypes according to an
      adapted Liebig classification. The term type A was used to describe tumor
      invasion into the nerve, whereas type B was used to describe circumferential
      growth around the nerve. Clinical charts were reviewed, and a Kaplan-Meier
      survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: The recurrence-free survival rates were
      47.1% versus 80.4% (PNI vs. matched control group, P < 0.05), 60.0% versus 94.1%
      (PNI in stage I and II disease vs. matched control group, P < 0.05) and 41.7%
      versus 73.5% (PNI in stage III and IV disease vs. matched control group, P <
      0.05). In most cases (n = 9) of PNI, both histologic subtypes (type A and type B)
      were present. Five cases exclusively showed type A, and three cases exclusively
      showed type B. CONCLUSIONS: Perineural invasion in early disease oral carcinoma
      has a particularly high impact on survival. Both histologic subtypes showed a
      significantly worse recurrence-free survival rate when compared to the control
      group. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28894800
TI  - IIF-Cover.

PMID- 28894799
TI  - Guide to Academic Research Career Development.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Development of an academic career easily follows a
      clinical course for which there are multiple role models; however, development of
      an academic research career involves few role models, and rarely do instructional
      guides reach out to the new faculty. The purpose of this article is to present
      the cumulative experiences of previously and currently funded authors to serve as
      a guide to young as well as older faculty for developing their research careers.
      STUDY DESIGN: Cumulative experiences of research-dedicated faculty. METHODS: This
      article is the result of lessons learned from developing a Triological Society
      National Physician-Scientist Program and Network, as well as the cumulative
      experiences of the authors. RESULTS: Table I illustrates key elements in
      developing a serious research career. Table II records the career courses of five
      surgeon-scientists, highlighting the continued theme focus with theme-specific
      publications and progressive grants. These cumulative experiences have face
      validity but have not been objectively tested. The value added is a composite of
      50 years of experiences from authors committed to research career development for
      themselves and others. CONCLUSION: Crucial elements in developing a research
      career are a desire for and commitment to high-quality research, a focus on an
      overall theme of progressive hypothesis-driven investigations, research guidance,
      a willingness to spend the time required, and an ability to learn from and
      withstand failure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 28894801
TI  - Induction Chemotherapy for p16 Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to determine the effectiveness of induction
      chemotherapy for treating p16-positive oropharyngeal cancer in our department.
      STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective case series to assess treatment
      effectiveness. METHODS: We administered induction chemotherapy to patients with
      stage III to IV oropharyngeal p16-positive squamous cell carcinoma between 2008
      and 2013. Induction chemotherapy was administered using combinations of
      docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil. We measured the survival rates using
      the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. RESULTS: We reviewed 23 patients (18
      men and 5 women; age, 42-79 years). Induction chemotherapy resulted in partial or
      complete remission (20 patients) and in stable (2 patients) or progressive (1
      patient) disease. In partial or complete remission, subsequent radiotherapy was
      performed in 16 patients, chemoradiotherapy in two, and transoral resection in
      two. In stable or progressive disease, subsequent open surgery was performed.
      Overall, one patient died of cervical lymph node metastasis, one died of kidney
      cancer, and one died of myocardial infarction. Event-free, distant-metastasis
      free survival was present for 20 patients. The 3-year disease-specific survival
      was 95%; the overall survival was 87%. Two patients required gastrostomies during
      chemoradiotherapy and three required tracheotomies, but these were closed in all
      patients. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic response to induction chemotherapy for p16
      positive oropharyngeal cancer was good. Partial or complete remission was
      achieved in almost 90% patients, and control of local and distant metastases was
      possible when it was followed by radiotherapy alone or with transoral resection
      of the primary tumor. A multicenter study is required to confirm these findings.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28894802
TI  - Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Features in Patients with a History of Head
      and Neck Radiation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Radiation plays a prominent role in advanced stage head
      and neck tumors. Often, the radiated area includes adjacent nonmalignant
      mesenchymal tissue, which contains a mixture of cells that has been shown to
      accelerate wound healing. The purpose of this study is to determine the long-term
      effect of radiation on the expansion potential of adipose-derived stromal/stem
      cell (ADSC) tissue and on the ability of resident stem cells in this fraction to
      undergo phenotypic differentiation. Study Design/Methods: After institutional
      review board approval, 12 patients with a history of head and neck radiation and
      pending surgery were enrolled. Adipose tissue was collected from irradiated
      tissue (XRT) and nonirradiated tissue (NRT) sites. Mesenchymal stem cells were
      isolated from these populations, with subsequent assessment of cellular kinetics
      and differentiation potential between harvest sites. RESULTS: Adipose-derived
      stromal/stem cells could not be isolated from XRT in six patients due to lack of
      in vitro cell proliferation. For the remaining six patients, overall cumulative
      population-doubling time was longer for XRT relative to NRT (29.3 vs. 11.5 days;
      P = 0.02). However, no significant differences were observed in cell generation
      time or viability. When XRT and NRT ADSC fractions were grown to standardized
      concentrations and incubated under conditions that induce phenotypic
      differentiation of resident stem cells, no significant changes in chondrogenic,
      adipogenic, or osteogenic differentiation were observed. CONCLUSION: These
      preliminary observations suggest that irradiated ADSCs close to the surgical site
      undergo long-term changes in proliferative capacity. The potential for phenotypic
      differentiation is retained, however, in ADSCs that survive the irradiation
      process. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28894803
TI  - Postoperative Rehabilitation Strategies Used by Adults With Cochlear Implants: A
      Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Aural rehabilitation is not standardized for adults after
      cochlear implantation. Most cochlear implant (CI) centers in the United States do
      not routinely enroll adult CI users in focused postoperative rehabilitation
      programs due to poor reimbursement and lack of data supporting (or refuting) the
      efficacy of any one specific approach. Consequently, patients generally assume a
      self-driven approach toward rehabilitation. This exploratory pilot study examined
      rehabilitation strategies pursued by adults with CIs and associated these
      strategies with speech recognition and CI-specific quality of life (QOL). STUDY
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of 23 postlingually deafened adults with CIs.
      METHODS: Participants responded to an open-ended questionnaire regarding
      rehabilitation strategies. A subset underwent in-depth interviews. Thematic
      content analysis was applied to the questionnaires and interview transcripts.
      Participants also underwent word recognition testing and completed a CI-related
      QOL measure. Participants were classified as having good or poor performance
      (upper or lower quartile for speech recognition) and high or low QOL (upper or
      lower quartile for QOL). Rehabilitation themes were compared and contrasted among
      groups. RESULTS: Five rehabilitation themes were identified: 1) Preimplant
      expectations of postoperative performance, 2) personal motivation, 3) social
      support, 4) specific rehabilitation strategies, and 5) patient-perceived role of
      the audiologist. Patients with good speech recognition and high QOL tended to
      pursue more active rehabilitation and had greater social support. Patient
      expectations and motivation played significant roles in postoperative QOL.
      CONCLUSION: Postoperative patient-driven rehabilitation strategies are highly
      variable but appear to relate to outcomes. Larger-scale extensions of this pilot
      study are needed.

PMID- 28894805
TI  - The true malignancy rate in 135 patients with preoperative diagnosis of a lateral
      neck cyst.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, the true malignancy rate in 135 patients with a
      preoperative tentative diagnosis of a lateral neck cyst (LNC) was assessed.
      Furthermore, the sensitivity and specificity of fine needle aspiration of
      suspected LNC were evaluated and the diagnostic delay was analyzed. STUDY DESIGN:
      This study was retrospective in design and included all patients who had
      undergone surgery for a suspected LNC in four secondary hospitals in the eastern
      regions of Denmark during the period of 2009 to 2012. METHODS: One hundred thirty
      five patients were identified and included by means of a search strategy for
      NOMECO surgical procedure codes KENB40A+B in the electronic surgical booking
      systems. Because the procedure codes also include median neck cysts and fistulas,
      the latter were excluded manually. RESULTS: Of the 135 patients preoperatively
      diagnosed with LNC, a malignant postoperative histopathological diagnosis was
      revealed in 19 patients (14.4%). Of these, three individuals were between 35 to
      40 years of age. In 17 cases, preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy showed
      benign cytology, whereas histopathology postoperatively proved to be malignant.
      This renders a sensitivity of 88.8% and a specificity of 60.0% for fine needle
      aspiration biopsy with regard to LNC diagnostics. CONCLUSION: This study suggests
      that, for patients older than 35 years, a cystic lateral neck mass should be
      considered potentially malignant; by contrast, LNC is a diagnosis of exclusion.
      Any delay in treatment should be avoided until final histopathological diagnosis
      has been obtained. Arguably, all patients older than 35 years with a cystic
      lesion laterally on the neck should be included in the fast-track cancer referral
      program. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28894806
TI  - CT imaging of the eustachian tube using focal contrast medium administration: a
      feasibility study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aim to develop an imaging technique for visualization of the
      Eustachian tube (ET) lumen. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, experimental study in an
      animal model and in human cadaver specimens. METHODS: Applying iodixanol to the
      middle ear in two human temporal bone specimens, followed by computed tomography
      (CT) examinations, we optimized contrast dilution, CT algorithm, and head
      positioning for visualization of contrast passage through the ET. Myringotomy was
      performed on eight rabbits. Based on the cadaver study, a 20% iodixanol solution
      was applied to the middle ear, and subsequent CT scans were performed to observe
      iodixanol in the epipharynx. For some animals, the procedure was repeated on the
      contralateral ear. We performed the procedure twice on four subjects. Twenty
      examinations were included. Iodixanol appearance in the ET and the epipharyngeal
      orifice was assessed qualitatively on CT scans. The tympanic membrane was
      inspected after 1 or 2 weeks, and histopathological examination of six contrast
      exposed temporal bones was performed. RESULTS: The cadaver study provided
      information on imaging technique and contrast dosage. In rabbits, iodixanol
      passed through the ET in 19 of the 20 ears. Qualitatively, optimal visualization
      was seen after 9 to 12 minutes. Clinical inspection after 1 or 2 weeks revealed
      normal middle ear status. Histopathological samples showed no sign of
      inflammatory reaction in the tympanic membrane, middle ear, or ET. CONCLUSION:
      Iodixanol application to the middle ear is feasible, safe, and demonstrates
      patency of the ET. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

PMID- 28894807
TI  - Factors affecting revision rate of chronic rhinosinusitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a variable multifactorial disease. It
      can be divided into forms with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and without (CRSsNP). Sinus
      and/or nasal polypectomy surgery are considered if maximal conservative treatment
      is insufficient. The predictive factors of the need of revision surgery comprise
      mostly the CRSwNP phenotype and are not fully understood. STUDY DESIGN: The aim
      of this follow-up study was to evaluate the factors associated with the revision
      surgery rate in CRS patients with variable extent of disease. METHODS: Data of
      CRS patients (N = 178) undergoing sinus surgery and/or nasal polypectomy in 2001
      to 2010 were used. Patient characteristics and follow-up data were collected from
      patient records and questionnaires. Associations were analyzed by Fisher's exact,
      Mann Whitney U, and the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test. Unadjusted Cox's
      proportional hazard models were used for 12 variables and were fitted for the
      need for revision sinus surgery and/or nasal polypectomy during follow-up of in
      average 9 years. RESULTS: The proportion of CRS patients who had undergone
      revision in 5 years was 9.6%. After adjustment, the following factors associated
      significantly with the need for recurrent CRS surgery: allergic rhinitis,
      corticosteroid treatment, previous surgery of CRS, and recurrent NP. CONCLUSION:
      Increased risk of progressive CRS phenotypes with the need for revision surgery
      would putatively be recognized by relatively simple clinical questions. Further
      studies with increased sample size are needed to evaluate whether these
      predictive factors would be relevant for developing better detection and
      management of progressive CRS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28894804
TI  - Clinical and molecular insights into adenoid cystic carcinoma: Neural crest-like
      stemness as a target.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This review surveys trialed therapies and molecular defects in
      adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), with an emphasis on neural crest-like stemness
      characteristics of newly discovered cancer stem cells (CSCs) and therapies that
      may target these CSCs. DATA SOURCES: Articles available on Pubmed or OVID MEDLINE
      databases and unpublished data. REVIEW METHODS: Systematic review of articles
      pertaining to ACC and neural crest-like stem cells. RESULTS: Adenoid cystic
      carcinoma of the salivary gland is a slowly growing but relentless cancer that is
      prone to nerve invasion and metastases. A lack of understanding of molecular
      etiology and absence of targetable drivers has limited therapy for patients with
      ACC to surgery and radiation. Currently, no curative treatments are available for
      patients with metastatic disease, which highlights the need for effective new
      therapies. Research in this area has been inhibited by the lack of validated cell
      lines and a paucity of clinically useful markers. The ACC research environment
      has recently improved, thanks to the introduction of novel tools, technologies,
      approaches, and models. Improved understanding of ACC suggests that neural crest
      like stemness is a major target in this rare tumor. New cell culture techniques
      and patient-derived xenografts provide tools for preclinical testing. CONCLUSION:
      Preclinical research has not identified effective targets in ACC, as confirmed by
      the large number of failed clinical trials. New molecular data suggest that
      drivers of neural crest-like stemness may be required for maintenance of ACC; as
      such, CSCs are a target for therapy of ACC.

PMID- 28894808
TI  - Animal Models in CRS and Pathophysiologic Insights Gained: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a multifactorial inflammatory disease.
      In particular, CRS with eosinophilic features and/or nasal polyps (NPs) is often
      recalcitrant to current treatment; thus, appropriate animal models are mandatory
      to elucidate the pathogenesis of CRS and develop novel and efficient treatment
      modalities. The author reviewed the recently proposed animal models in CRS and
      discussed the pathophysiologic insights gained. Data Sources: Articles in the
      English language referenced in MEDLINE/PubMed from the year 2006 onward (for last
      10 years). Review Methods: Review of the literature regarding animal models and
      related pathologic insights in CRS. RESULTS: Mouse, rabbit, and sheep models of
      CRS have been used for studying the pathogenesis of CRS. Most of researchers
      adopted animal models of CRS to prove any molecular mechanisms or therapeutic
      efficacy. In vitro or human findings and related hypothesis were evaluated in
      vivo using these models. In addition, novel therapeutic candidates for CRS with
      or without NP have been applied to animal models. CONCLUSION: Animal models have
      elicited insights into the pathogenesis of CRS and also have been useful in
      testing new treatment modalities. Although there are still clear limitations in
      the animal studies, newly proposed or revised animal models would be helpful to
      understand the exact pathophysiology of CRS.

PMID- 28894809
TI  - Tympanic Plexus Neurectomy for Intractable Otalgia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to analyze whether tympanic plexus
      neurectomy is a successful surgical option in patients with intractable otalgia.
      STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective single institution study from the experience of two
      surgeons was conducted. METHODS: Records of adult patients with intractable
      unilateral otalgia of likely glossopharyngeal origin were reviewed, with
      institutional review board approval. Patients who responded to a tympanic plexus
      block were considered for tympanic neurectomy. Twelve patients (13 ears)
      underwent the procedure. Surgical outcomes and the presence of persistent otalgia
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Persistent otalgia was present for 16.7 months +/- 8.6
      standard-error-of-the-mean months prior to an intervention. Narcotic medication
      was used in 41.7% of patients prior to surgery. Patients received tympanic plexus
      blocks (median: 1, range 1-3) prior to tympanic neurectomy to evaluate candidacy
      for surgery. Intractable otalgia resolved in six of 13 ears (46.2%) after one
      surgery, with an average follow-up of 25.5 months. A significant reduction in
      pain occurred in two of 13 ears (15.4%) after an initial surgery. One patient
      received no benefit from the initial procedure. Revision surgery occurred in four
      ears, resulting in pain relief in three of four cases. All together, nine of 13
      ears received complete resolution of pain, and an additional two of 13 ears
      received partial benefit using our algorithm for treatment of intractable otalgia
      of tympanic plexus origin. CONCLUSION: Intractable otalgia treated with tympanic
      neurectomy is a viable treatment option in cases of failed medical management.
      These findings provide important information that will aid clinicians in
      counseling chronic otalgia patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894811
TI  - Serum vitamin D and recurrent benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of
      serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations on patients diagnosed with benign
      paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) on BPPV recurrence. STUDY DESIGN: Case
      series. METHODS: A retrospective review of 232 patients diagnosed with BPPV
      visiting the clinic between June 2014 and June 2015 was performed. All patients
      underwent a complete otolaryngological, audiologic, and neurologic evaluation.
      The appropriate particle-repositioning maneuver was performed depending on the
      type of BPPV. The patients were divided into the recurrence group and the
      nonrecurrence group. Age, gender, follow-up period, type of BPPV, and vitamin D
      concentrations in the two groups were compared and analyzed through binary
      logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The average follow-up period after
      treatment was 10.2 months. Forty-one (17.7%) of 232 patients suffered a
      recurrence during the follow-up period. The mean vitamin D concentration of 191
      patients who did not suffer any recurrence was 16.63 ng/mL, whereas that of 41
      patients who suffered a recurrence was 13.64 ng/mL. This difference in vitamin D
      concentrations was statistically significant (P < 0.019). The patients' age,
      gender, follow-up period, and type of BPPV had no statistically significant
      impact. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D is assumed to affect BPPV as a recurrence factor
      independent of age, gender, follow-up period, and type of BPPV. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28894810
TI  - Sialendoscopy for non-stone disorders: The current evidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Review the current literature on the use of sialendoscopy in the
      treatment of non-stone disorders of the major salivary glands. DATA SOURCES:
      Eligible articles that reported on the use of sialendoscopy in the treatment of
      non-stone disorders were identified using MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar
      through May 2016. The search used key words sialendoscopy, salivary endoscopy,
      salivary scope, salivary duct stenosis, salivary duct stricture, Sjogren's
      disease, radioiodine sialadenitis, salivary duct obstruction, sialadenitis,
      chronic sialadenitis, juvenile recurrent parotitis, parotitis, and radiation
      sialadenitis. REVIEW METHODS: Full-length prospective and retrospective original
      articles; systemic reviews; and meta-analysis, including adults and children with
      adequate data for evaluating the sialendoscopy for non-stone disorders, were
      included. Individual case reports were excluded. RESULTS: There is an increasing
      trend for the use of sialendoscopy for salivary obstruction caused by a wide
      variety of non-stone disorders worldwide. The studies of sialendoscopy for non
      stone disorders are often retrospective, of smaller sample size, and more
      subjective in measurement of patient outcome. The most common indications
      currently for the procedure are scars, juvenile recurrent parotitis, radioiodine
      sialadenitis, and Sjogren syndrome, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although the
      initial evidence for the use of sialendoscopy for non-stone disorders is not as
      established as that for stones, it remains a promising gland-preserving tool in
      the management of non-stone disorders of major salivary glands.

PMID- 28894812
TI  - Caloric testing in patients with heavy or light cupula of the lateral
      semicircular canal.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To clarify whether the dysfunction of the lateral semicircular canal
      remain or not in patients with heavy or light cupula. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective
      case series. METHODS: The subjects were 19 patients with heavy cupula (3 males,
      16 females; mean age, 62.8 years) and 14 patients with light cupula (5 males, 9
      females; mean age, 63 years). Caloric testing (iced water) was carried out after
      complete disappearance of positional nystagmus. We measured maximum slow-phase
      velocity and calculated asymmetry. RESULTS: In heavy cupula group, no one
      revealed canal paresis (CP) and 4 patients (21%) showed inverse CP (affected ear
      response is greater than healthy ear response). In light cupula group, 3 patients
      (21%) revealed CP. CONCLUSIONS: Dysfunction of the lateral semicircular canal
      does not always remain in either heavy cupula or light cupula. The caloric
      response increases in some cases with heavy cupula. We can explain this
      phenomenon based on the hydrostatic pressure theory involved in ossicles. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28894813
TI  - The importance of electrode location in cochlear implantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: As indications for cochlear implantation have expanded to include
      patients with more residual hearing, increasing emphasis has been placed on
      minimally traumatic electrode insertion. Histopathologic evaluation remains the
      gold standard for evaluation of cochlear trauma, but advances in imaging
      techniques have allowed clinicians to determine scalar electrode location in
      vivo. This review will examine the relationship between scalar location of
      electrode arrays and audiologic outcomes. In addition, the impact that surgical
      approach, electrode design, and insertion depth have on scalar location will be
      evaluated. Data Sources: PubMed literature review Review Methods: A review of the
      current literature was conducted to analyze the relationship between scalar
      location of cochlear implant electrode arrays and speech perception outcomes.
      Further, data were reviewed to determine the impact that surgical variables have
      on scalar electrode location. RESULTS: Electrode insertions into the scala
      tympani are associated with superior speech perception and higher rates of
      hearing preservation. Lateral wall electrodes, and round window/extended round
      window approaches appear to maximize the likelihood of a scala tympani insertion.
      It does not appear that deeper insertions are associated with higher rates of
      scalar translocation. CONCLUSION: Superior audiologic outcomes are observed for
      electrode arrays inserted entirely within the scala tympani. The majority of
      clinical data demonstrate that lateral wall design and a round window approach
      increase the likelihood of a scala tympani insertion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

PMID- 28894814
TI  - Minimally invasive and remote-access thyroid surgery in the era of the 2015
      American Thyroid Association guidelines.
AB  - Thyroid surgery has evolved throughout the years from being one of the most
      dangerous surgeries to becoming one of the safest surgical procedures performed
      today. Recent technologic innovations have allowed surgeons to remove the thyroid
      gland from a remote site while avoiding visible neck scars. There are many
      endoscopic approaches for thyroidectomy. The most common cervical approach is the
      minimally invasive video-assisted technique developed by Miccoli et al. The
      robotic transaxillary and axillary breast approaches avoid a neck scar and have
      been demonstrated to be safe and effective in international populations. Novel
      approaches under investigation include face-lift robotic thyroidectomy and the
      transoral approach. This article aims to provide the reader with an overview of
      the current minimally invasive and alternate-site approaches used and their
      capability to assist the surgeons in accomplishing remote-access thyroid surgery
      under the scope of the 2015 American Thyroid Association Guidelines.

PMID- 28894815
TI  - Development of a voice disorder work productivity inventory utilizing cognitive
      interviewing technique.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Voice disorders have been shown to impair workplace
      productivity primarily by reduced efficiency while at work (presenteeism) versus
      increased days missed (absenteeism). Work productivity measures such as the Work
      Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) Questionnaire or the World Health
      Organization Health - Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) can be customized to a
      specific disease but do not fully capture impaired work productivity associated
      with voice disorders. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel
      questionnaire to evaluate work productivity in patients with voice disorders.
      STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive. METHODS: At a tertiary medical center, patients with
      gainful employment and with chronic voice disorders were given the WPAI, HPQ, and
      20 voice-related statements (VRS-20). Cognitive interviews were conducted and
      recorded with all patients. RESULTS: Ten patients (7 females, 3 males) completed
      the questionnaires and subsequent cognitive interviews. One patient had spasmodic
      dysphonia, 6 had benign vocal fold lesions, and 3 had vocal fold motion
      disorders. The median VHI-10 was 18 (9-40). Themes that emerged during interviews
      include: avoiding oral communication/telephone, use of voice associated with
      strain/fatigue, frustration and stress at work, and workplace integrity.
      Conclusions: In cognitive interviews, participants felt the VRS-20 captured the
      impact of their voice disorder at work better than the WPAI and HPQ. Participants
      also felt some statements were more important than others. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 28894816
TI  - Evaluation of peripheral nerve regeneration through biomaterial conduits via
      micro-CT imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hollow nerve conduits made of natural or synthetic biomaterials are
      used clinically to aid regeneration of peripheral nerves damaged by trauma or
      disease. To support healing, conduit lumen patency must be maintained until
      recovery occurs. New methods to study conduit structural integrity would provide
      an important means to optimize conduits in preclinical studies. We explored a
      novel combined technique to examine structural integrity of two types of nerve
      conduits after in vivo healing. STUDY DESIGN: Micro-CT imaging with iodine
      contrast was combined with histological analysis to examine two different nerve
      conduits after in vivo nerve reconstruction in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Sciatic nerve gaps in adult Lewis rats were reconstructed with poly(caprolactone)
      (PCL, 1.6 cm gap, 14-week survival) or silicone (1 cm gap, 6-week survival)
      conduits (N = 12 total). Conduits with regenerating tissues were imaged by micro
      CT with iodine contrast and compared to the histology (hematoxylin and eosin,
      immunostaining for axons) of regenerated tissues after iodine removal. RESULTS:
      PCL nerve conduits showed extensive breakage throughout their length, but all
      showed successful nerve growth through the conduits. The silicone conduits
      remained intact, although significant constriction was uniquely detected by micro
      CT, with 1 of 6 animals showing incomplete tissue regeneration. CONCLUSIONS:
      Micro-CT with iodine contrast offers a unique and valuable means to determine 3D
      structural integrity of nerve conduits and nerve healing following
      reconstruction. Furthermore, this paper shows that even if conduit compression
      and degradation occur, nerve regeneration can still take place.

PMID- 28894818
TI  - Right dominance in the incidence of external auditory canal squamous cell
      carcinoma in the Japanese population: Does handedness affect carcinogenesis?
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To investigate the relationship between handedness and the
      incidence of squamous cell carcinoma in the external auditory canal (EACSCC).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight cases of EACSCC were enrolled in this study,
      and their affected side was checked. Handedness and ear-picking habits were also
      investigated in 34 EACSCC cases. Handedness was judged based on self
      categorization, and the relationship between handedness and the affected side was
      investigated. RESULTS: Fifty-two cases occurred on the right side, and 16 cases
      occurred on the left side of patients with EACSCC. The incidence of laterality in
      EACSCC showed a statistically significant right dominance. Concerning handedness,
      29 cases were right-handed, 4 cases were left-handed, and 1 case was
      ambidextrous. Twenty-seven out of the 29 right-handed cases and 1 ambidextrous
      case suffered from carcinoma on the right side, whereas 3 left-handed cases
      suffered from carcinoma on the left side. That is, most of the cases suffered
      from EACSCC on the same side as their handedness, and this tendency showed a
      statistically significant difference. Most of the patients with EACSCC
      experienced itching and habitual ear-picking in the affected side. CONCLUSION:
      Mechanical stimulations to the EAC, such as ear picking, may plausibly cause
      EACSCC. In Japan, ear picking, also called "mimikaki," is a popular habit and an
      established unique culture. Because ear picking requires delicate handling and
      manipulation, this tends to occur on the same side as the handedness in the
      Japanese population. This is the first report about the relationship between
      handedness and carcinogenesis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

PMID- 28894817
TI  - Emerging insights into recurrent and metastatic human papillomavirus-related
      oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review recent literature on human papillomavirus-related (HPV
      positive) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPC) and focus on implications
      of recurrent and metastatic disease. METHODS: Primary articles from 1990 to 2016
      indexed in MEDLINE (1) pertaining to the epidemiology of HPV-positive OPC and (2)
      providing clinical insight into recurrent and metastatic OPC. RESULTS: The
      incidence of HPV-positive OPC is increasing globally. HPV-positive OPC is a
      subtype with distinct molecular and clinical features including enhanced
      treatment response and improved overall survival. While disease recurrence is
      less common in patients with HPV-positive OPC, up to 36% of patients experience
      treatment failure within eight years. Recurrent and metastatic OPC has
      historically signified poor prognosis, however recent data are challenging this
      dogma. Here, we discuss recurrent and metastatic OPC in the context of HPV tumor
      status. CONCLUSION: HPV-positive OPC exhibits distinct genetic, cellular,
      epidemiological, and clinical features from HPV-negative OPC. HPV tumor status is
      emerging as a marker indicative of improved prognosis after disease progression
      in both locoregionally recurrent and distant metastatic OPC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      N/A.

PMID- 28894819
TI  - Computational Modelling of Cough Function and Airway Penetrant Behavior in
      Patients with Disorders of Laryngeal Function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Patients with laryngeal disorders often exhibit changes to
      cough function contributing to aspiration episodes. Two primary cough variables
      (peak cough flow: PCF and compression phase duration: CPD) were examined within a
      biomechanical model to determine their impact on characteristics that impact
      airway compromise. STUDY DESIGN: Computational study. METHODS: A Computational
      Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique was used to simulate fluid flow within an upper
      airway model reconstructed from patient CT images. The model utilized a finite
      volume numerical scheme to simulate cough-induced airflow, allowing for turbulent
      particle interaction, collision, and break-up. Liquid penetrants at 8 anatomical
      release locations were tracked during the simulated cough. Cough flow velocity
      was computed for a base case and four simulated cases. Airway clearance was
      evaluated through assessment of the fate of particles in the airway following
      simulated cough. RESULTS: Peak-expiratory phase resulted in very high airway
      velocities for all simulated cases modelled. The highest velocity predicted was
      49.96 m/s, 88 m/s, and 117 m/s for Cases 1 and 3, Base case, and Cases 2 and 4
      respectively. In the base case, 25% of the penetrants cleared the laryngeal
      airway. The highest percentage (50%) of penetrants clearing the laryngeal airway
      are observed in Case 2 (with -40% CPD, +40% PCF), while only 12.5% cleared in
      Case 3 (with +40% CPD, -40% PCF). The proportion that cleared in Cases 1 and 4
      was 37.5%. CONCLUSION: Airway modelling may be beneficial to the study of
      aspiration in patients with impaired cough function including those with upper
      airway and neurological diseases. It can be used to enhance understanding of
      cough flow dynamics within the airway and to inform strategies for treatment with
      "cough-assist devices" or devices to improve cough strength. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      N/A.

PMID- 28894820
TI  - Indwelling voice prosthesis insertion after total pharyngolaryngectomy with free
      jejunal reconstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Total pharyngolaryngectomy with free jejunal reconstruction is often
      performed in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma. However, postoperative
      speechlessness significantly decreases patient quality of life. We investigated
      whether Provox(r) insertion could preserve speech after total
      pharyngolaryngectomy with free jejunal reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective chart review. METHODS: A total of 130 cases of secondary Provox(r)
      insertions after total pharyngolaryngectomy with free jejunal reconstruction were
      analyzed. Communication outcomes were compared using the Head and Neck Cancer
      Understandability of Speech Subscale. Outcomes and complications associated with
      insertion site (jejunal insertion vs. esophageal insertion) and adjuvant
      irradiation therapy were also evaluated. RESULTS: Provox(r) insertion had
      favorable communication outcomes in 102 cases (78.4%). Neither the insertion site
      nor irradiation affected the communication outcome. Complications were observed
      in 20 cases (15.4%). Local infection was the most common complication. Free
      jejunal insertion, in which the resection range was enlarged, had a lower
      complication rate than did esophageal insertion, and its complication rate was
      unaffected by previous irradiation. For all patients, the hospitalization
      duration and duration of speechlessness were 13.4 days and 14.6 months,
      respectively. Patients receiving jejunal insertions had a significantly shorter
      hospitalization duration than did those receiving esophageal insertions. Unlike
      Provox(r)2, Provox(r)Vega significantly reduced the complication rate to zero.
      CONCLUSION: For jejunal inserson of a Provox(r) prosthetic, a sufficient margin
      can be maintained during total pharyngolaryngectomy and irradiation can be
      performed, and satisfactory communication outcomes were observed. Provox(r)
      insertion after total pharyngolaryngectomy with free jejunal reconstruction
      should be considered the standard therapy for voice restoration. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28894821
TI  - The role of infection and antibiotics in chronic rhinosinusitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the current understanding of the role of infection and
      antibiotics in chronic rhinosinusitis. REVIEW METHODS: PubMed literature search.
      RESULTS: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in adults is an inflammatory condition and
      the role of infection is unclear. Biofilms are present in both CRS and normal
      patients so their role in CRS is unknown. Sinus cultures in CRS demonstrate a
      mixture of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria but may be hard to interpret due to
      contaminating nasal flora. Staphylococcus aureus is common in CRS patients but
      also present in 20-30% of nasal cultures in the normal population; eradicating
      this organism did not lead to symptom improvement versus placebo in a randomized
      controlled trial (RCT). In CRS patients who develop an episode of acute
      rhinosinusitis (ARS), bacteria typical of ARS can generally be cultured and
      require short-course treatment. For CRS, topical antibacterial or antifungal
      agents have shown no benefit over placebo in RCTs, although RCTs of topical
      antibacterial agents have been small. Oral macrolides and doxycycline,
      antibiotics with anti-inflammatory properties, are the only systemic antibiotics
      that have been evaluated in RCTs. One RCT found 3 weeks of doxycycline beneficial
      in patients with polyps but follow up was short (<3 months); RCTs of prolonged
      macrolide therapy have produced mixed results, and most show no benefit after
      cessation of therapy. Long-term antibiotic therapy may produce side effects and
      select increasingly resistant flora. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head
      and Neck Surgery guidelines recommend against treatment of CRS with antifungal
      agents but do not comment on the role of antibacterial treatment. CONCLUSION: The
      role of infection in CRS is unknown, and the only well-defined role for
      antibiotics is for treatment of ARS episodes or their infectious complications.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

PMID- 28894822
TI  - Randomized Controlled Trial Demonstrating Cost-Effective Method of Olfactory
      Training in Clinical Practice: Essential Oils at Uncontrolled Concentration.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Published data examining the efficacy of olfactory training (OT) has
      used standardized concentrations of odorants and the Sniffin' Sticks testing
      method. Although well-validated, these methods are costly and time-intensive for
      the average otolaryngology practice. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the
      efficacy of using essential oils at random concentrations and the University of
      Pennsylvania Smell Test (UPSIT) for training and testing, and compare this with
      the existing data on OT. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized Clinical TrialMethods: Patients
      presenting to a tertiary care rhinology center with subjective loss of smell and
      olfactory loss measured by UPSIT were randomized to OT or control for 6 months.
      Only patients with loss of smell greater than one-year duration, and loss
      associated with post-infectious and idiopathic etiologies were included. Baseline
      UPSIT was compared to 6-month UPSIT. An accepted 10% change or better was used to
      establish a significant improvement on UPSIT. RESULTS: 43 patients were enrolled.
      Eight patients were lost to follow-up, with a total of 35 completing the study.
      Age ranged from 39-71 with an average of 56. Of 19 patients in the OT group, 6
      showed significant improvement (32%), while only two out of 16 patients (13%) in
      the control group improved. Increasing age and duration of loss were
      significantly correlated to lack of improvement. CONCLUSION: Allowing patients to
      use random concentrations of essential oils to perform OT is as effective as
      published data using controlled concentrations of odorants for post-infectious
      and idiopathic olfactory loss. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1b.

PMID- 28894823
TI  - The Benefit of Adjuvant Radiation in Surgically-Treated T1-2 N1 Oropharyngeal
      Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The benefit of adjuvant radiation in surgically treated T1-2N1
      oropharyngeal cancer without adverse pathologic features remains unclear.
      OBJECTIVES: To compare population-level survival outcomes in surgically-treated
      T1-2N1 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) with and without the use of
      adjuvant radiation. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective population-based study using the
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data from 1998-2011.
      SETTING: Population-level study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with T1-2N1 OPSCC treated
      with surgical resection and neck dissection with or without adjuvant radiation.
      INTERVENTIONS FOR CLINICAL TRIALS OR EXPOSURES FOR OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES: The use
      of postoperative adjuvant radiation. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Overall and
      disease-specific survival. RESULTS: Radiation was utilized in 74% of patients and
      was positively associated with extracapsular extension and well-differentiated
      histology. The use of radiation was associated with improved mean overall
      survival (124 v. 108 months, p=0.023) and a non-significant increase in mean
      disease-specific survival (138 v. 131 months, p=0.053). CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: The use of adjuvant radiation is associated with improved survival in
      surgically-treated T1-2N1 squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx with unknown
      HPV status. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28894824
TI  - Avoidance of postoperative irradiation for cervical lymph node metastases of
      human papillomavirus-related tonsillar cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several reports have suggested that selected patients with human
      papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer can be managed with surgery alone. We
      retrospectively reviewed tonsillar cancer cases to analyze treatment de
      intensification after transoral resection. METHODS: Eighteen patients with
      tonsillar cancer who had undergone transoral resection were included. The
      patients' characteristics, p16 status, adverse features, clinical course, overall
      survival, and relapse-free survival according to p16 status were retrospectively
      examined. RESULTS: Four lesions showed positive surgical margins and one lesion
      showed close surgical margin; these patients were treated with postoperative
      irradiation. Seven p16-positive patients had multiple node metastases and two had
      extracapsular spread. No p16-positive patients agreed to postoperative
      irradiation, and recurrence within the surgical field was not observed. The five
      year overall and relapse-free survival rates were 89% and 74%, respectively. The
      five-year relapse-free survival rates of p16-positive and p16-negative patients
      were 81% and 50%, respectively (p = .075). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative irradiation
      for cervical lymph node metastases might be avoidable in selected patients with
      human papillomavirus-related tonsillar cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28894825
TI  - Hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia: A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review evidence of hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia.
      Data Sources: PubMed Review methods: A systematic review was conducted using the
      PubMed database using the search terms (hearing loss OR presbycusis) AND
      (dementia OR cognitive decline). Initially, 488 articles were obtained. Only
      those studies evaluating an association between hearing loss and incident
      dementia or cognitive decline were included in the analysis. This resulted in 17
      articles which were thoroughly evaluated with consideration for study design,
      method for determining hearing loss and cognitive status, relevant covariates and
      confounding factors, and key findings. RESULTS: All of the 17 articles meeting
      inclusion criteria indicate that hearing loss is associated with dementia or
      cognitive decline. The methods used among the studies for ascertaining hearing
      loss and dementia were notably varied. For hearing loss, peripheral auditory
      function was tested far more than central auditory function. For peripheral
      audition, pure tone audiometry was the most commonly reported method for defining
      hearing loss. Only a few studies measured central auditory function by using the
      Synthetic Sentence Identification with Ipsilateral Competing Message test (SSI
      ICM) and the Staggered Spondaic Word Test (SSW). Dementia was most often defined
      using the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). However, many studies used extensive
      batteries of tests to define cognitive status, often including a
      neuropsychologist. Confounding variables such as cardiovascular risk factors were
      measured in 17 studies and family history of dementia was only evaluated in 1
      study. Overall, the methods used by studies to ascertain hearing loss, cognitive
      status and other variables are valid, making their evaluation appear reliable.
      CONCLUSION: While each of the studies included in this study utilized slightly
      different methods for evaluating participants, each of them demonstrated that
      hearing loss is associated with higher incidence of dementia in older adults.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, systematic review.

PMID- 28894827
TI  - The genetic landscape of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) alterations in head
      and neck cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Nivolumab has recently been shown in the phase III clinical trial
      CheckMate-141 to have superior survival rates compared to the current standard of
      care chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic platinum-resistant head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Nivolumab targets the immune inhibitory receptor
      programmed cell death 1 (PD-1). Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) genomics
      have been poorly characterized in the context of HNSCC, including expression
      levels of PD-L1 in individual tumors as well as related up or down-regulated
      genes that might function as co-targets. STUDY DESIGN: Data mining of The Cancer
      Genome Atlas (TCGA). METHODS: 530 patients with HNSCC were pulled from the TCGA
      using cBioPortal. Primary tumor site data was available in 279 of the samples
      (52.6%), of which oral cavity was the most common site (61.6%) followed by larynx
      (25.8%). Other PD-1-sensitive tumors were analyzed to compare PD-L1 expression in
      HNSCC relative to other tumors including bladder, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma,
      and lung carcinomas. RESULTS: A significant fraction of HNSCC tumors have genetic
      alterations in PD-L1 (6.2%). HNSCC has the highest PD-L1 expression of all of the
      tumor types examined, with a median 60-fold increase. Several important genes
      were identified in this study including Caspase 7, ZFYVE9, and Plg-R(KT) that
      have a strong relationship with alterations in PD-L1. CONCLUSION: In light of the
      role of PD-1 and PD-L1 as key immunotherapy targets in HNSCC, several potential
      co-targets identified in this study warrant further investigation. Further, while
      the number of genetic alterations were small in head and neck carcinomas,
      alterations in PD-L1 expression were highly significant. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894826
TI  - Functional and Histological Effects of Chronic Neural Electrode Implantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Permanent injury to the cranial nerves can often result in a
      substantial reduction in quality of life. Novel and innovative interventions can
      help restore form and function in nerve paralysis, with bioelectric interfaces
      among the more promising of these approaches. The foreign body response is an
      important consideration for any bioelectric device as it influences the function
      and effectiveness of the implant. The purpose of this review is to describe
      tissue and functional effects of chronic neural implantation among the different
      categories of neural implants and highlight advances in peripheral and cranial
      nerve stimulation. Data Sources: PubMed, IEEE, and Web of Science literature
      search. Review Methods: A review of the current literature was conducted to
      examine functional and histologic effects of bioelectric interfaces for neural
      implants. RESULTS: Bioelectric devices can be characterized as intraneural,
      epineural, perineural, intranuclear, or cortical depending on their placement
      relative to nerves and neuronal cell bodies. Such devices include nerve-specific
      stimulators, neuroprosthetics, brainstem implants, and deep brain stimulators.
      Regardless of electrode location and interface type, acute and chronic
      histological, macroscopic and functional changes can occur as a result of both
      passive and active tissue responses to the bioelectric implant. CONCLUSION: A
      variety of chronically implantable electrodes have been developed to treat
      disorders of the peripheral and cranial nerves, to varying degrees of efficacy.
      Consideration and mitigation of detrimental effects at the neural interface with
      further optimization of functional nerve stimulation will facilitate the
      development of these technologies and translation to the clinic. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28894828
TI  - The role of antibiotics in pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Presenting the role of antibiotics in pediatric chronic
      rhinosinusitis based on its pathophysiology and microbiology. DATA SOURCE: Review
      of the literature searching PubMed for microbiology and treatment of pediatric
      chronic rhinosinusitis. RESULTS: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory
      condition of the paranasal sinuses that persists for 12 weeks or longer, despite
      medical management. The microbiology of rhinosinusitis evolves through several
      stages. The early phase (acute) is generally caused by a virus that may be
      followed by an aerobic bacterial infection in 2% to 10% of patients. Aerobic
      (Staphylococcus aureus) and anaerobic (Prevotella and Fusobacteria) members of
      the oral flora emerge as predominant sinus cavity isolates. Antimicrobials are
      one component of comprehensive medical and surgical management for this disorder.
      Because most of these infections are polymicrobial and many include beta
      lactamase producing aerobic and anaerobic organisms, amoxicillin-clavulanate is
      the first-line regimen for most patients. Clindamycin is adequate for penicillin
      allergic children and is also generally appropriate for methicillin resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus treatment is administered for at least three weeks and may
      be extended for up to 10 weeks in refractory cases. A culture preferably from the
      sinus cavity should be obtained from individuals who have not shown improvement
      or deteriorated despite therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Antimicrobial therapy of pediatric
      chronic rhinosinusitis should be adequate against the potential aerobic and
      anaerobic pathogens. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 7.

PMID- 28894829
TI  - The effect of n-acetyl-cysteine on recovery of the facial nerve after crush
      injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Facial nerve dysfunction can vary in severity and recovery is
      dependent on the character of the injury. N-acetyl-cysteine prevents oxidative
      stress and cellular damage, and its use in the setting of nerve dysfunction from
      crush injury has not yet been established. In this study, rats with facial nerve
      crush injury will be treated with n-acetyl-cysteine or control and functional
      recovery and electrophysiologic outcome will be compared. STUDY DESIGN:
      Prospective, randomized animal study. METHODS: Twenty-four Wistar rats underwent
      unilateral facial nerve crush injury. Rats were implanted with a subcutaneous
      osmotic pump filled with saline (n = 12) or n-acetyl-cysteine 50 mg/kg/day (n =
      12). Functional and electromyographic recovery was recorded at two and four weeks
      postoperatively. RESULTS: When compared to untreated rats, n-acetyl-cysteine
      treated rats had a greater electromyography amplitude recovery at 2 weeks with
      regard to eye blink (p=0.006) but not vibrissae function. At four weeks, the
      electromyography amplitude recovery of the vibrissae function was greater in n
      acetyl-cysteine treated rats (P=0.001), but the amplitude recovery difference in
      eye blink was only marginally significant between groups (p=0.07). The functional
      score was higher in n-acetyl-cysteine-treated rats than in untreated rats at all
      of the time points. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that n-acetyl-cysteine
      facilitated facial nerve recovery with improved functional and electromyography
      outcomes in the setting of crush injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894830
TI  - A study of otolaryngology resident quality of life and sleepiness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine otolaryngology residents' quality of
      life and sleepiness. METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to
      otolaryngology residents in the United States in October 2014 and May 2015. The
      survey included questions from the Physician Well-Being Index (PWBI) and Epworth
      Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Data were analyzed using standard descriptive and
      frequency analyses, Spearman correlations, and Student's t-test. RESULTS: The 196
      respondents (13% response rate) had a mean age of 29.9 years and worked an
      average of 70.88 hours/week. Higher PWBI score (lower quality of life) correlated
      with higher ESS (more sleepiness) for all respondents regardless of rotation
      (Spearman coefficient of .45; p = .001). PWBI scores were higher for head/neck
      oncology. Both PWBI and ESS scores were highest for postgraduate year two. PWBI
      showed a significant positive correlation with hours worked (correlation
      coefficient .35; p = .001) as well as a significant negative correlation with
      exercise time (correlation coefficient -.18; p = .010). There was a positive
      correlation between hours worked and ESS (correlation coefficient .48; p = .001).
      CONCLUSION: For the otolaryngology survey respondents, sleepiness and overall
      well-being were better during the first year with a dramatic worsening during
      junior years followed by an improvement in the senior years. More work hours and
      poor quality of life was associated with less physically active residents.
      Focused interventions during these rotations may reduce distress, improve quality
      of life, and enhance learning. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894831
TI  - Assessment and improvement of sound quality in cochlear implant users.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cochlear implants (CIs) have successfully provided speech perception
      to individuals with sensorineural hearing loss. Recent research has focused on
      more challenging acoustic stimuli such as music and voice emotion. The purpose of
      this review is to evaluate and describe sound quality in CI users with the
      purposes of summarizing novel findings and crucial information about how CI users
      experience complex sounds. DATA SOURCES: Here we review the existing literature
      on PubMed and Scopus to present what is known about perceptual sound quality in
      CI users, discuss existing measures of sound quality, explore how sound quality
      may be effectively studied, and examine potential strategies of improving sound
      quality in the CI population. RESULTS: Sound quality, defined here as the
      perceived richness of an auditory stimulus, is an attribute of implant-mediated
      listening that remains poorly studied. Sound quality is distinct from appraisal,
      which is generally defined as the subjective likability or pleasantness of a
      sound. Existing studies suggest that sound quality perception in the CI
      population is limited by a range of factors, most notably pitch distortion and
      dynamic range compression. Although there are currently very few objective
      measures of sound quality, the CI-MUSHRA has been used as a means of evaluating
      sound quality. There exist a number of promising strategies to improve sound
      quality perception in the CI population including apical cochlear stimulation,
      pitch tuning, and noise reduction processing strategies. CONCLUSIONS: In the
      published literature, sound quality perception is severely limited among CI
      users. Future research should focus on developing systematic, objective, and
      quantitative sound quality metrics and designing therapies to mitigate poor sound
      quality perception in CI users. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894832
TI  - Visual effects on the subjective visual vertical and subjective postural head
      vertical during static roll-tilt.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Tilt perception is part of the perception of spatial orientation. It
      is determined not only by the allocentric gravity axis, but also by a second
      allocentric axis induced by visual information as well as by the egocentric body
      (head) axis induced by somatosensory information. The aim of this study was to
      quantify roll-tilt perception using the subjective visual vertical (SVV) and the
      newly developed subjective postural head vertical (SPHV) and to investigate the
      visual effects on both during static roll-tilt. STUDY DESIGN: Basic science.
      METHODS: Nine male volunteers participated in this study. A flight simulator was
      used to create several roll-tilt environments that were then combined with visual
      information. SVV and SPHV were evaluated in healthy participants during static
      roll-tilt. RESULTS: The SVV evaluation revealed significant differences between
      the dark condition (control) and other visual conditions with respect to some of
      the body roll-tilt environments, and between a body roll-tilt of 0 degrees  and
      >= 20 degrees . The SPHV evaluation revealed a significant difference between the
      dark condition and the visual condition that was always roll-tilted 20 degrees 
      to the right of the body axis. However, there were no significant differences in
      SPHV error between a body roll-tilt of 0 degrees  and other tilt angles for every
      visual condition, unlike SVV error. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that human
      susceptibility to spatial disorientation is dependent on roll-tilt angle and
      visual information. They also suggest that the SPHV is not affected by roll-tilt
      angle, and thus differs from SVV. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894833
TI  - Ethmoidectomy combined with superior meatus enlargement increases olfactory
      airflow.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The relationship between a particular surgical technique in
      endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and airflow changes in the post-operative
      olfactory region has not been assessed. The present study aimed to compare
      olfactory airflow after ESS between conventional ethmoidectomy and ethmoidectomy
      with superior meatus enlargement, using virtual ESS and computational fluid
      dynamics (CFD) analysis. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective computational study. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Nasal computed tomography images of four adult subjects were used to
      generate models of the nasal airway. The original preoperative model was
      digitally edited as virtual ESS by performing uncinectomy, ethmoidectomy,
      antrostomy, and frontal sinusotomy. The following two post-operative models were
      prepared: conventional ethmoidectomy with normal superior meatus (ESS model) and
      ethmoidectomy with superior meatus enlargement (ESS-SM model). The calculated
      three-dimensional nasal geometries were confirmed using virtual endoscopy to
      ensure that they corresponded to the post-operative anatomy observed in the
      clinical setting. Steady-state, laminar, inspiratory airflow was simulated, and
      the velocity, streamline, and mass flow rate in the olfactory region were
      compared among the preoperative and two postoperative models. RESULTS: The mean
      velocity in the olfactory region, number of streamlines bound to the olfactory
      region, and mass flow rate were higher in the ESS-SM model than in the other
      models. CONCLUSION: We successfully used an innovative approach involving virtual
      ESS, virtual endoscopy, and CFD to assess postoperative outcomes after ESS. It is
      hypothesized that the increased airflow to the olfactory fossa achieved with ESS
      SM may lead to improved olfactory function; however, further studies are
      required. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894835
TI  - The use of oculomotor, vestibular, and reaction time tests to assess mild
      traumatic brain injury (mTBI) over time.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this work is to examine the outcomes of a set of
      objective measures for evaluating individuals with minor traumatic brain injury
      (mTBI) over the sub-acute time period. These methods involve tests of oculomotor,
      vestibular, and reaction time functions. This work expands upon published work
      examining these test results at the time of presentation. STUDY DESIGN: This
      study is a prospective age- and sex-matched controlled study. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The subject group was composed of 106 individuals with mTBI and 300 age-
      and sex-matched controls without a history of mTBI. All individuals agreeing to
      participate in the study underwent a battery of oculomotor, vestibular, and
      reaction time tests (OVRT). Those subjects with mTBI underwent these tests at
      presentation (within 6 days of injury) and 1 and 2weeks post injury. These
      outcomes were compared to each other over time as well as to results from the
      controls that underwent 1 test session. RESULTS: Six measures from 5 tests can
      classify the control and mTBI during Session 1 with a true positive rate
      (sensitivity) of 84.9% and true negative rate (specificity) of 97.0%. Patterns of
      abnormalities changed over time in the mTBI group and overall normalized in a
      subset of individuals at the third (final) testing session. CONCLUSIONS: We
      describe an objective and effective second generation testing algorithm for
      diagnosing and following the prognosis of mTBI/concussion. This testing paradigm
      will allow investigators to institute better treatments and provide more accurate
      return to activity advice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28894834
TI  - Auditory processing in the human cortex: An intracranial electrophysiology
      perspective.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Direct electrophysiological recordings in epilepsy patients offer an
      opportunity to study human auditory cortical processing with unprecedented
      spatiotemporal resolution. This review highlights recent intracranial studies of
      human auditory cortex and focuses on its basic response properties as well as
      modulation of cortical activity during the performance of active behavioral
      tasks. Data Sources: Literature review. Review Methods: A review of the
      literature was conducted to summarize the functional organization of human
      auditory and auditory-related cortex as revealed using intracranial recordings.
      RESULTS: The tonotopically organized core auditory cortex within the
      posteromedial portion of Heschl's gyrus represents spectrotemporal features of
      sounds with high temporal precision and short response latencies. At this level
      of processing, high gamma (70-150 Hz) activity is minimally modulated by task
      demands. Non-core cortex on the lateral surface of the superior temporal gyrus
      also maintains representation of stimulus acoustic features and, for speech,
      subserves transformation of acoustic inputs into phonemic representations. High
      gamma responses in this region are modulated by task requirements. Prefrontal
      cortex exhibits complex response patterns, related to stimulus intelligibility
      and task relevance. At this level of auditory processing, activity is strongly
      modulated by task requirements and reflects behavioral performance. CONCLUSIONS:
      Direct recordings from the human brain reveal hierarchical organization of sound
      processing within auditory and auditory-related cortex. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level
      V.

PMID- 28894836
TI  - The effect of tinnitus retraining therapy on chronic tinnitus: A controlled
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to compare treatment outcomes for chronic
      bothersome tinnitus after Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) versus standard of
      care treatment (SC) and to determine the longevity of the effect over an 18-month
      period. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial comparing TRT to SC for
      chronic tinnitus. METHODS: Adults with subjective, stable, bothersome chronic
      tinnitus associated with hearing loss amenable to aural rehabilitation with
      hearing aids were recruited. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) was the
      primary outcome measure and the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) the secondary
      outcome measure of tinnitus severity and impact. Data were collected at
      screening, entry (0 months), and 6, 12, and 18 months after the beginning of
      treatment, using an integrated digitized suite of evaluation modules. TRT
      consisted of directive counseling and acoustic enrichment using combination
      hearing aids and sound generators; SC consisted of general aural rehabilitation
      counseling and hearing aids. RESULTS: Significant improvement in tinnitus impact
      occurred after both TRT and SC therapy, with a larger treatment effect obtained
      in the TRT group. Lasting therapeutic benefit was evident at 18 months in both
      groups. THI initial scores were unstable in 10% of enrolled participants, showing
      moderate bidirectional fluctuation between screening and baseline (0 month)
      assessment. CONCLUSION: Adults with moderate to severe tinnitus and hearing loss
      amenable to amplification, benefit from either TRT or SC treatment when combined
      with hearing aid use. TRT benefit may exceed that of SC. The global improvement
      in tinnitus severity that accrued over an 18-month period appeared to be robust
      and clinically significant. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

PMID- 28894837
TI  - Dental occlusion ties: A rapid, safe, and non-invasive maxillo-mandibular
      fixation technology.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: For decades, Erich arch bars have been a standard in establishing
      maxillo-mandibular fixation (MMF). While reliable, the approach risks sharps
      injury, consumes operating room time, and inflicts gingival trauma. Newer
      technologies including screw-based techniques and "hybrid" techniques have
      improved MMF by reducing sharps injuries and operating room time, but risk injury
      to tooth roots, nerves, and gingiva. This study aims to establish the
      application, strengths, and limitations of dental occlusion ties as a novel
      alternative in maxillo-mandibular fixation. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, non
      blinded, human feasibility clinical trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An iterative
      prototyping process was used to invent dental occlusion ties (brand name: Minne
      Ties). Development included 3D printing, cadaver prototype testing, human apical
      embrasure measurement, and ultimately non-significant risk human clinical trial
      testing. In the IRB-approved feasibility clinical trial, the devices were applied
      to mandible and maxilla fracture candidates with fractures amenable to intra
      operative MMF with open reduction with internal fixation. The ties were removed
      prior to extubation. Pre-teens, comminuted fracture patients, and patients
      requiring post-operative MMF were excluded. RESULTS: Manufactured, sterile
      prototypes secured MMF successfully in management of unilateral and bilateral
      mandible and maxilla fractures. All patients reported correction of pre-operative
      malocclusion. Application times were typically 12-15 minutes for a single surgeon
      to achieve MMF. Patients incurred negligible gingival trauma from the technology
      as the ties require no tissue penetration for application. CONCLUSIONS: Dental
      occlusion ties offer a non-invasive solution featuring operating room efficiency,
      minimized sharps risk, and less bony and soft tissue trauma than current
      commercialized solutions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 28894838
TI  - Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP)-time for a reckoning?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare disease, but one
      with severe morbidity and occasional mortality. The aetiological agent is human
      papillomavirus (HPV), and HPV types 6 and 11 account for over 90% of all cases.
      In the active phase of the disease, patients require multiple hospital admissions
      for surgical removal or ablation of these benign tumors, which are likely to
      obstruct the airways if left unchecked. Long-term sequelae include scarring of
      the vocal cords, change in voice timbre, or even muteness if a tracheostomy is
      required. The aim of this study was to determine if adjuvant vaccination with the
      quadrivalent HPV L1 vaccine (GardasilTM) would decrease numbers of surgical
      treatments post-vaccination. METHODS: A prospective pilot study following a
      cohort of 12 RRP patients, all of whom gave fully informed consent to
      participate. All patients had their papillomas typed and if they were found to
      have types 6 or 11, were vaccinated at the time of first surgical treatment in
      the hospital, according to the manufacturer's protocols. Patients were followed
      up closely with 3 or 6 month follow-up visits. Standard surgical treatments were
      given and were not affected by whether they participated in the study. RESULTS:
      We found a >7-fold decrease in the incidence rates of papillomatosis requiring
      surgical intervention from the pre-vaccination period (47.44/1000 patient-months)
      compared to the post-vaccination period (6.71/1000 patient-months). DISCUSSION:
      Surgical treatments for RRP are robust markers for papillomata which require
      treatment because of the dangers of obstruction of the airway. Despite the small
      size of this cohort (due to the rarity of this disease), the data suggests that
      adjuvant use of quadrivalent HPV L1 vaccine imparts significant benefit to this
      group of patients. A large multi-center randomized placebo controlled trial is
      required to definitively establish whether this hypothesis is true and can become
      the new standard of therapy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b.

PMID- 28894839
TI  - Disparities in health in the United States: An overview of the social
      determinants of health for otolaryngologists.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Social determinants of health include social and demographic factors
      such as poverty, education status, race and ethnicity, gender, insurance status,
      and other factors that influence (1) development of illness, (2) ability to
      obtain and utilize healthcare, and (3) health and healthcare outcomes. In
      otolaryngology, as in other subspecialty surgical fields, we are constantly
      confronted by patients' social and demographic circumstances including poverty,
      language barriers, and lack of health insurance and yet there is limited research
      on how these factors impact health equity in our field, or how attention to these
      patient characteristics may improve health equity. This review provides the
      reader with a framework to understand the social determinants of health including
      how socioeconomic status, insurance status, race, gender, and other factors
      impact health. DATA SOURCES AND REVIEW METHODS: Foundational papers on the social
      determinants of health are reviewed, as well as otolaryngology publications
      focused on health and healthcare disparities. RESULTS: The social determinants of
      health have a major impact on patient health as well as healthcare utilization,
      but there is a relative lack of data on these factors and how they can be
      addressed within otolaryngology. Incorporating tools to measure social and
      demographic characteristics and actually report on these measures is a first
      simple step to increase the data on the social determinants of health as they
      pertain to otolaryngology. CONCLUSION: More research is needed on the social
      determinants of health, and how they impact otolaryngic disease. Medicare's
      Accountable Care Organization models will increasingly change the way in which
      physicians are reimbursed, making the social determinants of health central not
      only to our moral conscience but also the bottom line. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28894840
TI  - Cell line dependent expression of EpCAM influences the detection of circulating
      tumor cells with CellSearch.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The existence of circulating tumor cells has emerged as an important
      factor for prognosis and survival. The CellSearch method is the only circulating
      tumor cell detection method approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for
      clinical use. It relies on the detection of EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion
      molecule) and is approved for colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. We
      now investigated whether CellSearch can be used to quantify circulating tumor
      cells in head and neck squamous cell cancer. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this
      study, we investigated the expression of EpCAM in 12 head and neck squamous cell
      cancer cell lines using Western blot and how this affected their detectability
      with CellSearch in peripheral blood. RESULTS: We found a great variation in the
      expression of EpCAM between our head and neck squamous cell cancer cell lines.
      This was accompanied by variations in counting efficiency. CONCLUSION: We suggest
      that for reliable quantification of circulating tumor cells in blood from
      patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer cell, an epitope independent
      method is preferable. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 28894841
TI  - Symptomatic Distal Ureteral Stone in an Ileal Ureter: Treatment by Combined
      Supine Ureteroscopy and Mini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.
AB  - Urolithiasis is a well-known and common late complication in patients with
      urinary diversion. Patients without urinary diversion lead to symptoms such as
      hematuria and ureteral colic, whereas stones in patients with urinary diversion
      tend to be asymptomatic and are often diagnosed incidentally during staging
      examinations of oncologic diseases. We report the case of a 64-year-old male
      patient with a lower pole kidney stone and a stone in the ileal ureter
      substitution. He presented with diffuse abdominal and left-sided flank pain. CT
      revealed the diagnosis of urolithiasis in the ileal ureter substitution and the
      lower pole of the left kidney. We performed a combined retrograde, flexible
      ureteroscopy and a mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (combined intrarenal
      surgery) without any complications and no residual stone fragments
      postoperatively. This case presentation demonstrates that in patients with
      urinary tract diversion, urolithiasis can still cause problems.

PMID- 28894842
TI  - Retroperitoneal Actinomycosis: A Rare Sequela of an Infected Obstructing Ureteral
      Stone.
AB  - Background: Actinomycosis is a condition in which Actinomyces, a normal component
      of the oral and gastrointenstial flora, becomes pathogenic in the setting of
      damaged tissue, leading to widespread tissue destruction across fascial planes.
      Prior literature describing this condition is rare, particularly cases involving
      the retroperitoneum. In this study, we report a case of retroperitoneal
      actinomycosis caused by an infected, obstructing ureteral stone. Case
      Presentation: A 48-year-old woman with a history of substance abuse,
      malnutrition, and gastric bypass presented to the emergency room with a 3-week
      history of abdominal pain and fevers. Workup revealed a 9 mm obstructing right
      ureteral stone with associated perinephric fluid collection that was concerning
      for forniceal rupture. There was left hydronephrosis and a 3 mm lower pole renal
      calculus as well. The patient underwent emergent decompression where bilateral
      duplicated collecting systems were identified, requiring stenting of all four
      moieties to ensure maximal decompression in the setting of obstructive
      pyelonephritis. Urine cultures grew Escherichia coli and Candida. The patient
      continued to deteriorate despite culture appropriate antibiotic therapy; repeat
      scan revealed progression of her perinephric fluid collection into a loculated
      retroperitoneal abscess. A percutaneous drain was placed, and nearly half a liter
      of pus was evacuated. Fluid cultures grew Actinomyces, and she ultimately
      recovered after a prolonged course of antibiotics, including 1 month of
      intravenous therapy and an additional 6 months of oral treatment. All stones were
      ultimately removed via ureteroscopy. Conclusion: Actinomycosis is a rare invasive
      infection that is caused when the Actinomyces bacteria colonizes damaged tissue.
      We present the first reported case of urolithiasis inciting this process via
      tissue damage caused by obstruction and infection. Although rare, heightened
      suspicion is warranted among immunocompromised hosts who do not improve after
      decompression in such scenarios.

PMID- 28894843
TI  - Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Repair of Extraperitoneal Ureteral Inguinal Hernia
      with Mesh Placement.
AB  - Background: Ureter involvement within indirect hernias is a rare phenomenon
      usually identified incidentally during herniorrhaphy. Even more rare are
      extraperitoneal ureteral inguinal hernias, which represent about 20% of these
      cases and are characterized by a substantial amount of extraperitoneal fat in the
      hernia defect, the absence of a peritoneal sac, and associated with
      hydroureteronephrosis and nephroptosis. To date, repair of ureteral inguinal
      hernias has been performed exclusively using open surgical techniques. We report
      the first case of successful robot-assisted laparoscopic repair of this rare
      presentation. Case Presentation: A morbidly obese 70-year-old male with an
      unremarkable surgical and urological history presents with a 15-year history of
      nonpainful, enlarging right scrotal swelling measuring 25 cm in diameter. CT
      imaging revealed right nephroptosis and a hernia defect containing a dilated
      right ureter looping into the scrotum surrounded by significant extraperitoneal
      fat. Retrograde pyelography and ureteral catheter placement confirmed a >100 cm
      ureter. The patient underwent a robot-assisted laparoscopic repair. The inferior
      epigastric artery, spermatic cord vessels, vas deferens, and ureter were
      identified. The defect was reduced using external scrotal pressure and reinforced
      with ProGripTM self-fixating laparoscopic mesh. The patient was discharged 2 days
      later following an uneventful postoperative course. Conclusion: Although rare and
      usually incidentally discovered, extraperitoneal ureteral inguinal hernias can be
      identified preoperatively by the astute clinician. Preoperative identification
      allows for improved surgical planning, including a minimally invasive approach.
      Robot-assisted laparoscopic repair with mesh placement is a feasible alternative
      to traditional open techniques.

PMID- 28894844
TI  - MicroRNA Let-7g Directly Targets Forkhead Box C2 (FOXC2) to Modulate Bone
      Metastasis in Breast Cancer.
AB  - Aberrantly expressed microRNAs have been implicated in lots of cancers. Reduced
      amounts of let-7g have been found in breast cancer tissues. The function of let
      7g in bone metastasis of breast cancer remains poorly understood. This study is
      to explore the significance of let-7g and its novel target gene in bone
      metastasis of breast cancer. The expression of let-7g or forkhead box C2 (FOXC2)
      was measured in human clinical breast cancer tissues with bone metastasis by
      using quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). After
      transfection with let-7g or anti-let-7g in breast cancer cell linesMDA-MB-231or
      SK-BR3, qRT-PCR and Western blot were done to test the levels of let-7g and
      FOXC2. The effect of anti-let-7g and/ or FOXC2 RNA interference (RNAi) on cell
      migration in breast cancer cells was evaluated by using wound healing assay.
      Clinically, qRT-PCR showed that FOXC2 levels were higher in breast cancer tissues
      with bone metastasis than those in their noncancerous counterparts. Let-7g was
      showed to be negatively correlated with FOXC2 in human breast cancer samples with
      bone metastasis. We found that enforced expression of let-7g reduced levels of
      FOXC2 protein by using Western blot in MDA-MB-231 cells. Conversely, anti-let-7g
      enhanced levels of FOXC2 in SK-BR3 cells. In terms of function, anti-let-7g
      accelerated migration of SK-BR3 cells. Interestingly, FOXC2 RNAi abrogated anti
      let-7g-mediated migration in breast cancer cells. Thus, we conclude that let-7g
      suppresses cell migration through targeting FOXC2 in breast cancer. Our finding
      provides a new perspective for understanding the mechanism of bone metastasis in
      breast cancer.

PMID- 28894845
TI  - Relationship Between PD-L1 Expression and Clinical Characteristics in Patients
      with Breast Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of PD-L1 (programmed death 1 ligand 1, PD
      L1) and its clinical significance in breast invasive ductal carcinoma. METHODS:
      Tumor samples were collected from 64 cases of breast invasive ductal carcinoma
      patients, and tumor adjacent normal breast tissue were obtained as normal
      control. The expression of PD-L1 were examined by immunohistochemical staining
      and real time PCR assay, its correlations with patients' clinical pathological
      characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: PD-L1 was found to be over-expressed in
      24 of 64 (37.5%) breast invasive ductal carcinoma samples, while in 1 of 22
      (4.5%) tumor adjacent normal breast tissue which indicated PD-L1 was higher
      expressed in breast invasive ductal carcinoma samples than the tumor adjacent
      normal breast tissue (P < 0.05). PD-L1 positive expression was associated with
      clinical pathological characteristics of TNM stage and pathology grading (P <
      0.05). However, PD-L1 positive expression was not correlated with age (P > 0.05),
      menstruation status (P >0.05), family history of breast cancer (P > 0.05), tumor
      diameter (P > 0.05), lymph node metastasis (P > 0.05) and tumor location (P >
      0.05). CONCLUSION: PD-L1 may play an important role in invasive ductal carcinoma,
      which could be a potential indicator for advanced clinical stage and poor
      prognosis.

PMID- 28894846
TI  - Trypsinogen Activation Peptide Induces HMGB1 Release from Rat Pancreatic Acinar
      Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The development of acute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with
      intracellular events in pancreatic cells, as well as with early and late
      inflammatory responses; however, their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This
      study investigated trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP)-induced release of high
      mobility group box-l (HMGB1) from pancreatic acinar cells and how ethyl pyruvate
      (EP) affects this release. METHODOLOGY: Pancreatic acinar cells from Sprague
      Dawley rats were divided into control, TAP (administered TAP), and EP
      (administered TAP and EP) groups. Cells were collected at 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours
      after TAP administration to detect HMGB1 mRNA and protein levels using
      quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: The TAP and
      EP groups exhibited higher levels of HMGB1 mRNA and protein expression (P<0.05)
      than the control group. The HMGB1 mRNA and protein expression levels also
      increased with prolonged TAP activity (P<0.05)-especially at 12 and 24 hours
      (P<0.01)-and showed positive correlations with TAP activity duration (3, 6, 12,
      and 24 hours) (r=0.971, P<0.01; r=0.966, P<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: TAP
      induces HMGB1 release from pancreatic acinar cells. A positive temporal link
      exists between early TAP activity and late HMGB1 expression in AP, and EP
      inhibits HMGB1 release.

PMID- 28894847
TI  - Community engagement for the rapid elimination of malaria: the case of Kayin
      State, Myanmar.
AB  - BACKGROUND:  Currently, malaria elimination efforts are ongoing in several
      locations across Southeast Asia,  including in Kayin State (also known as Karen
      State), Myanmar . This paper describes the community engagement efforts for a
      pilot malaria elimination project, the challenges encountered and lessons learnt.
      METHODS:  Between May 2013 and June 2015, a study on targeted malaria elimination
      (TME) that included mass drug administration was conducted in four villages (TPN,
      TOT, KNH, and HKT) of Kayin State. Community engagement efforts included
      workshops, meetings and house-to-house visits with community members. 
      Exhibitions related to malaria and fun activities were organized for children. In
      addition, we provided primary care, small individual incentives and village-level
      incentives. This paper is based on our analysis of data extracted from meeting
      minutes, field notes, feedback sessions among staff and with community members as
      well as our own reflections. RESULTS:  Average participation across three rounds
      of MDA were 84.4%, 57.4%, 88.6% and 59.3% for TPN, TOT, KNH and HKT,
      respectively. Community engagement was fraught with practical challenges such as
      seasonal tasks of the villagers. There were challenges in explaining difficult
      concepts like drug resistance and submicroscopic infection. Another was
      understanding and navigating the politics of these villages, which are located in
      politically contested areas.  Managing expectations of villagers was difficult as
      they assumed that the community team must know everything related to health.
      CONCLUSIONS:  In the TME project, many different community engagement strategies
      were employed. We encountered many challenges which included logistical,
      scientific and political difficulties.  An approach that is tailored to the local
      population is key.

PMID- 28894848
TI  - Risk Reduction Strategies in Breast Cancer Prevention.
AB  - Evaluating the risk of breast cancer makes it possible to identify women with a
      high risk of developing breast cancer in the future. Adopting a healthier
      lifestyle, involving diet and exercise, is one way of reducing this risk-but
      there are other, non-modifiable risk factors, such as family history, genetics
      and diagnosis of premalignant lesions. In this high-risk population, the tracking
      must be rigorous and involve the participation of the patient herself, earlier
      and more frequent clinical assessment, and the use of imaging screening. Agents
      such as tamoxifen, raloxifene and aromatase inhibitors may be used in
      chemoprevention and may reduce the risk substantially. The risks and benefits
      must be assessed, and one must discuss with the patient her adverse events and
      the decision regarding the best treatment. Women who carry the BRCA1/2 mutation
      (very high risk) can benefit from prophylactic surgical interventions, such as
      bilateral mastectomy and/or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. This group of
      patients must be monitored by a multidisciplinary team, providing explanations
      prior to surgery regarding the surgical treatment offered, the reconstruction
      techniques, and the risks and complications.

PMID- 28894849
TI  - Educational Study to Increase Breast Cancer Knowledge Level and Scanning
      Participation among Women Working at a University.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to increase the participation level of women
      in screening programs by increasing the level of knowledge about early diagnosis
      and screening methods for breast cancer (BC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a
      pretest-posttest one group design study held in Eskisehir Osmangazi University,
      Turkey. The sample consisted of 405 women in all departments of the University.
      Data were collected using socio-demographic forms and questionnaires. Training
      about BC was provided for participants. The questionnaire used prior to the
      training to measure levels of knowledge about BC was re-administered 3 weeks
      after the training. RESULTS: The women were most commonly aware of the breast
      self-examination (68.1%). The ratio of women who had had mammography in the
      previous year was 11.4%. The BC knowledge level significantly increased after the
      training (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: This study determined that the level of knowledge
      about BC in terms of early detection and screening was low and that the
      percentage of participation in screening was also low.

PMID- 28894850
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Breast Cancer Screening in Turkey, a Developing Country:
      Results from Bahcesehir Mammography Screening Project.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We used the results from the first three screening rounds of
      Bahcesehir Mammography Screening Project (BMSP), a 10-year (2009-2019) and the
      first organized population-based screening program implemented in a county of
      Istanbul, Turkey, to assess the potential cost-effectiveness of a population
      based mammography screening program in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two
      screening strategies were compared: BMSP (includes three biennial screens for
      women between 40-69) and Turkish National Breast Cancer Registry Program (TNBCRP)
      which includes no organized population-based screening. Costs were estimated
      using direct data from the BMSP project and the reimbursement rates of Turkish
      Social Security Administration. The life-years saved by BMSP were estimated using
      the stage distribution observed with BMSP and TNBCRP. RESULTS: A total of 67
      women (out of 7234 screened women) were diagnosed with breast cancer in BMSP. The
      stage distribution for AJCC stages O, I, II, III, IV was 19.4%, 50.8%, 20.9%,
      7.5%, 1.5% and 4.9%, 26.6%, 44.9%, 20.8%, 2.8% with BMSP and TNBCRP,
      respectively. The BMSP program is expected to save 279.46 life years over TNBCRP
      with an additional cost of $677.171, which implies an incremental cost
      effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $2.423 per saved life year. Since the ICER is
      smaller than the Gross Demostic Product (GDP) per capita in Turkey ($10.515 in
      2014), BMSP program is highly cost-effective and remains cost-effective in the
      sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: Mammography screening may change the stage
      distribution of breast cancer in Turkey. Furthermore, an organized population
      based screening program may be cost-effective in Turkey and in other developing
      countries. More research is needed to better estimate life-years saved with
      screening and further validate the findings of our study.

PMID- 28894851
TI  - Translation and Validation of the Turkish Version of Lymphedema Quality of Life
      Tool (LYMQOL) in Patients with Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) is a drastic situation that
      affects patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery. The impact of this
      condition on individuals' quality of life should be investigated in more detail
      to obtain better treatment results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 65 patients
      with BCRL participated in this study. Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used to
      evaluate the validity of associated domains in Lymphedema Quality of Life Tool
      (LYMQoL). Both the LYMQoL and NHP were filled out by BCRL patients. To evaluate
      its test-retest reliability, the LYMQoL was subsequently performed seven days
      following its initial application. Measurement properties such as internal
      consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion validity and factor structure
      were tested. The internal consistency was assessed via Cronbach's alpha; test
      retest reliability was assessed by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC).
      RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.74 to 0.91 for the LYMQoL total
      and domain scores. Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC=0.92-0.99). When
      the relation between LYMQoL and NHP was investigated, 'good' to 'very good'
      correlations were obtained (r=0.539-0.643, p<0.05) for all domains of LYMQoL.
      Exploratory factor analyses demonstrated a four-factor structure. CONCLUSION:
      Turkish version of LYMQoL is a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate
      the quality of life in patients with BCRL.

PMID- 28894852
TI  - Top 100 Cited Classic Articles in Breast Cancer Research.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze 100 most cited articles in breast cancer
      research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data in this study were obtained by a search
      conducted on the Web of Science (WOS). In brief, the term "breast cancer" was
      typed in the search box of WOS basic research including all the years and the
      data. The analysis was carried out by compiling the top 100 cited articles in the
      shortlist as sorted by the journals, categories of the studies, the countries,
      the centers, the authors and the publication date. No statistical methods were
      used in the study. All data were reported as percentages, numbers and bar charts
      on tables. RESULTS: Our findings showed that the most frequently cited article
      received 7609 citations to date. Most articles were published in the New England
      Journal of Medicine. 81% of the studies originated from the USA. The National
      Institutes of Health (NIH USA) was ranked the first with 21% and it was followed
      by Harvard University in terms of number of published articles. 42% of the
      articles were published under the category of medicine and general internal
      medicine. CONCLUSION: Top 100 most cited articles originated from the United
      States. The highest number of articles among the top 100 articles were published
      in New England Journal of Medicine and National Institutes of Health NIH USA was
      the leading institutes published the most articles.

PMID- 28894853
TI  - The Effect of Peer Education upon Breast Self-Examination Behaviors and Self
      Esteem among University Students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current study was semi-experimentally designed in order to
      identify the effect of peer education upon breast self-examination (BSE)
      behaviors and self-esteem among university students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      study was undertaken with 100 female students who studied at Erzincan University.
      Peer educators were recruited from the 4th year students. The data were collected
      with a questionnaire form, BSE skill form and Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale in two
      phases one month before and after the BSE peer education. For the data
      assessment; percentage distributions, frequency, mean, standard deviation and
      Simple T test were employed. RESULTS: The mean age of the participant students
      was 20.45+/-1.67 year and all of them were single. It was found that during the
      first data collection phase, only 16 % of the students performed BSE while during
      the final data collection phase, the rate of the students performing BSE rose to
      77 %. During the first data collection phase, students received a mean score of
      2.36+/-4.13 from BSE skill form while during the last data collection phase they
      had a mean score of 10.70+/-3.40 from BSE skill form. When the scores obtained
      from Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale by the students were examined, it was seen that
      they received a mean score of 1.20+/-1.34 during the first data collection phase
      while they had a mean score of 0.84+/-1.07 during the final data collection
      phase. CONCLUSION: Although short-term feedback was obtained, it was noted that
      students' BSE knowledge and skills increased considerably.

PMID- 28894854
TI  - The Relationship Between Breast Cancer and Risk Factors: A Single-Center Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between breast cancer and known risk
      factors in patients who had mammography (MG) for breast cancer screening or
      ultrasonography and/or MG for diagnostic purposes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the
      period of January-December, 2011, a questionnaire composed of 17 questions was
      applied to 2862 female patients and MG and/or US examination was performed
      afterwards. Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical
      analysis. RESULTS: The mean age was 51.05+/-8.98, age at menarche was 13.0+/-1.6
      and age at menopause was 47+/-5.2. The first pregnancy was at 20+/-4.6. Out of
      2862 cases, 242 had breast cancer diagnosis and 32 were newly diagnosed. There
      was no correlation between menarche age, age at menopause or first pregnancy and
      breast cancer. There was no relationship between breast cancer risk and hormone
      replacement therapy or oral contraceptive use. In patients with the diagnosis of
      breast cancer (242 cases), 61 had (25%) a positive family history. There was a
      significant correlation between the presence of a positive family history and
      having breast cancer (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: The presence of breast cancer in the
      family has the strongest relationship among all risk factors. It is important to
      have regular followup of these patients and to raise the awareness of patients.

PMID- 28894855
TI  - Evaluation on the Practice and Behaviour of Women Applied for Gynecology
      Outpatient Clinics About Screening Methods for Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast exam (CBE), mammography
      and ultrasound imaging (UI) are screening methods used for early diagnosis of
      breast cancer (BC). The purpose of this study is to put forth the utilization
      frequency of these screening methods among women presenting to the gynecology
      outpatient clinics and the relation of these data with the socio-demographic
      characteristics of the women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was conducted among
      429 women (age, 16-80 years) who were admitted to the gynecology outpatient
      clinics. The survey inquired about the rate and frequency of the performance of
      BSE, CBE, mammography and UI; personal and family history of breast cancer and
      social-demographic characteristics of the women. RESULTS: The mean age was 40.08
      (SD: 3.67). More than half of the women above 40 years of age (59.7 %) had never
      undergone mammography. 99.8 % of the women who had undergone mammography had also
      received ultrasound imaging. A significant relationship was identified between
      the BSE performance and having mammography. 57.4% of the women above 40 years of
      age (117) had UI, 53.9% (110) had CBE and 57.3% (117) performed BSE. There was a
      significant relationship between the age, education status and regular BSE;
      positive family history of BC and having CBE and mammography. CONCLUSION: The
      results reveal that the rate of BSE performance, having mammography and CBE are
      at less-than-ideal levels. In this context, it is apparent that breast cancer
      screening methods are needed to be introduced and guidance about their
      application frequency should be provided for women in gynecology outpatient
      clinics.

PMID- 28894856
TI  - Intraparenchymal Leiomyoma of the Breast: A Rare Location for an Infrequent
      Tumor.
AB  - Intraparenchymal leiomyoma of the breast are among benign non-epithelial tumors
      with the lowest incidence. Although it displays a benign histology, it may be
      confused with malignant lesions and create diagnostic confusion. In this paper,
      we report a 44-year-old woman with a painless mass with a diameter of 1.5 cm in
      the upper medial quadrant of her right breast. The lesion was removed surgically.
      The lesion's histologic examination and immunohistochemical analysis revealed a
      smooth muscle tumor of the breast. The patient was initially diagnosed with
      fibroadenoma and was followed in terms of the epicenter for six months before she
      underwent surgery. Her mammography and histopathology results are discussed in
      this report.

PMID- 28894858
TI  - Erratum.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 88 in vol. 13.].

PMID- 28894857
TI  - Extraction of a Foreign Body from the Breast Using Radio-guided Occult Lesion
      Localization (ROLL): Metallic Foreign Body in the Breast.
AB  - The most common clinical causes of metallic foreign body in the breast are
      surgical clips, pieces of guide-wire and gunshot wounds. Metallic foreign bodies
      can lead to local breast pain, abscesses, pneumothorax after granulomas or
      migration, and cardiac tamponade. Mammotome biopsy, fluoroscopy, guide-wire
      biopsy and radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL) are the standard
      techniques applied for surgical excision of non-palpable breast lesions. This
      article presents the second case in the literature undergoing the ROLL technique
      for the removal of a metallic foreign body from the breast.

PMID- 28894859
TI  - Changes in dynamics of alpha-chymotrypsin due to covalent inhibitors investigated
      by elastic incoherent neutron scattering.
AB  - An essential role of enzymes is to catalyze various chemical reactions in the
      human body and inhibition of the enzymatic activity by small molecules is the
      mechanism of action of many drugs or tool compounds used to study biological
      processes. Here, we investigate the effect on the dynamics of the serine protease
      alpha-chymotrypsin when in complex with two different covalently bound inhibitors
      using elastic incoherent neutron scattering. The results show that the inhibited
      enzyme displays enhanced dynamics compared to the free form. The difference was
      prominent at higher temperatures (240-310 K) and the type of motions that differ
      include both small amplitude motions, such as hydrogen atom rotations around a
      methyl group, and large amplitude motions, such as amino acid side chain
      movements. The measurements were analyzed with multivariate methods in addition
      to the standard univariate methods, allowing for a more in-depth analysis of the
      types of motions that differ between the two forms. The binding strength of an
      inhibitor is linked to the changes in dynamics occurring during the inhibitor
      enzyme binding event and thus these results may aid in the deconvolution of this
      fundamental event and in the design of new inhibitors.

PMID- 28894860
TI  - Elastic and viscous bond components in the adhesion of colloidal particles and
      fibrillated streptococci to QCM-D crystal surfaces with different
      hydrophobicities using Kelvin-Voigt and Maxwell models.
AB  - A quartz-crystal-microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) can measure molecular mass
      adsorption as well as register adhesion of colloidal particles. However, analysis
      of the QCM-D output to quantitatively analyze adhesion of (bio)colloids to obtain
      viscoelastic bond properties is still a subject of debate. Here, we analyze the
      QCM-D output to analyze the bond between two hydrophilic streptococcal strains 91
      nm long and without fibrillar surface appendages and micron-sized hydrophobic
      polystyrene particles on QCM-D crystal surfaces with different hydrophobicities,
      using the Kelvin-Voigt model and the Maxwell model. A Poisson distribution was
      implemented in order to determine the possible virtues of including
      polydispersity when fitting model parameters to the data. The quality of the fits
      did not indicate whether the Kelvin-Voigt or the Maxwell model is preferable and
      only polydispersity in spring-constants improved the fit for polystyrene
      particles. The Kelvin-Voigt and Maxwell models both yielded higher spring
      constants for the bald streptococcus than for the fibrillated one. In both
      models, the drag coefficients increased for the bald streptococcus with the ratio
      of electron-donating over electron-accepting parameters of the crystal surface,
      while for the fibrillated strain the drag coefficient was similar on all crystal
      surfaces. Combined with the propensity of fibrillated streptococci to bind to the
      sensor crystal as a coupled-resonator above the crystal surface, this suggests
      that the drag experienced by resonator-coupled, hydrophilic particles is more
      influenced by the viscosity of the bulk water than by interfacial water adjacent
      to the crystal surface. Hydrophilic particles that lack a surface tether are mass
      coupled just above the crystal surface and accordingly probe the drag due to the
      thin layer of interfacial water that is differently structured on hydrophobic and
      hydrophilic surfaces. Hydrophobic particles without a surface tether are also
      mass-coupled, but their drag coefficient decreases when the ratio of electron
      donating over electron-accepting parameters increases, suggesting that
      hydrophobic particles experience less drag due to the structured water adjacent
      to the surface.

PMID- 28894861
TI  - In operando studies on the electrochemical oxidation of water mediated by
      molecular catalysts.
AB  - Homogeneous reactions in general are relatively easy to study with respect to
      heterogeneous systems since all catalytic sites are uniform and can be addressed
      simultaneously. The latter feature is fully out of the window in an
      electrochemical context, where only the few catalytic species that are
      sufficiently close to the electrode undergo redox reactions. Especially in the
      water oxidation reaction where harsh reaction conditions are employed, a clear
      picture of what is the active species, what products are formed, how one can
      steer this, and how it all depends on the exact reaction conditions is important
      to be able to fully unravel the key reaction paths. The combination of
      electrochemical experiments with on-line detection of the catalytic species and
      reaction products is a powerful approach to successfully address these questions.
      Recently, a significant progress has been made in on-line studies on molecular
      water oxidation catalysts during electrochemical experiments. These are reviewed
      here.

PMID- 28894862
TI  - A novel polyoxometalate-based hybrid containing a 2D [CoMo8O26]infinity structure
      as the anode for lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - The proof-of-principle of an unusual fused gamma-[Mo8O26]4- chain as an inorganic
      ligand is presented for the first time. By sharing two Mo-O edges, the gamma
      [Mo8O26]4- subunits are propagated into a one-dimensional (1D) zig-zag chain,
      which acts as a purely inorganic ligand binding octahedral Co(ii) centers into a
      two-dimensional (2D) [CoMo8O26]infinity sheet. This material exhibits high
      initial reversible specific capacity and stable reversible capacity when applied
      as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

PMID- 28894863
TI  - Circular torsion induced fan-blade shaped wrinkling in two-dimensional nano
      rings.
AB  - Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are conducted to study the deformation
      behavior and strain distribution in two-dimensional (2D) nano-rings of graphene,
      single-layer black phosphorus (SLBP) and single-layer MoS2 (SLMoS2) under
      circular torsion. Interestingly, fan-blade shaped wrinkling is generated, in
      which the maximum torsion angle (Deltatheta) and the potential energy change per
      atom (DeltaPe) increase with increasing inner radius but decrease with increasing
      temperature. As the inner radius is increased, the wave number of wrinkling
      increases but the wave amplitude decreases. The geometrical characteristics of
      wrinkling are closely related to the intrinsic elastic modulus (E) and Poisson's
      ratio (nu). Specifically, the graphene nano-rings possess the largest Deltatheta
      and DeltaPe but the smallest wave amplitude, while the SLBP nano-rings exhibit
      the smallest Deltatheta and DeltaPe but the largest wave amplitude. Furthermore,
      the strongly anisotropic E and nu values of SLBP result in orientation-dependent
      geometrical characteristics of wrinkles, and fan-blade shaped wrinkling with a
      strain vortex is induced, which might substantially enhance the pseudomagnetic
      fields and optical funnel effect for the separation of photon-induced electron
      hole pairs, and thus be exploited to improve the photoelectric properties of 2D
      materials.

PMID- 28894864
TI  - Neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the conductive PEDOT
      HA/Cs/Gel scaffold for neural tissue engineering.
AB  - Engineering scaffolds with excellent electro-activity is increasingly important
      in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Herein, conductive poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with hyaluronic acid (PEDOT-HA) nanoparticles were
      firstly synthesized via chemical oxidant polymerization. A three-dimensional (3D)
      PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold was then developed by introducing PEDOT-HA nanoparticles
      into a chitosan/gelatin (Cs/Gel) matrix. HA, as a bridge, not only was used as a
      dopant, but also combined PEDOT into the Cs/Gel via chemical crosslinking. The
      PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold was used as a conductive substrate for neural stem cell
      (NSC) culture in vitro. The results demonstrated that the PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel
      scaffold had excellent biocompatibility for NSC proliferation and
      differentiation. 3D confocal fluorescence images showed cells attached on the
      channel surface of Cs/Gel and PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffolds with a normal neuronal
      morphology. Compared to the Cs/Gel scaffold, the PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold not
      only promoted NSC proliferation with up-regulated expression of Ki67, but also
      enhanced NSC differentiation into neurons and astrocytes with up-regulated
      expression of beta tubulin-III and GFAP, respectively. It is expected that this
      electro-active and bio-active PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold will be used as a
      conductive platform to regulate NSC behavior for neural tissue engineering.

PMID- 28894865
TI  - Transport features of nano-hydroxylapatite (n-HA) embedded silicone rubber (SR)
      systems: influence of SR/n-HA interaction, degree of reinforcement and
      morphology.
AB  - We report the transport characteristics of silicone rubber/nano-hydroxylapatite
      (SR/n-HA) systems at room temperature with reference to the effects of n-HA
      loading, morphology and penetrant nature, using toluene, xylene, ethyl acetate
      and butyl acetate in the liquid phase and methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2
      propanol and butanol in the vapour phase as probe molecules. The interaction
      between the n-HA particles and SR matrix has been confirmed by FTIR analysis. As
      the n-HA content in the SR matrix increased, the penetrant uptake has been found
      to decrease. The observations have been correlated with the density and void
      content of the systems. Scanning electron microscopy images have been found to be
      complementary to the observed transport features. The reinforcement effect of n
      HA particles on the SR matrix has been verified by Kraus equation. Molecular mass
      between the cross links has been observed to decrease with an increase in n-HA
      loading. The results have been compared with affine, phantom network, parallel,
      series and Maxwell models. The transport data have been complemented by
      observations on biological fluid uptake with urea, d-glucose, KI, saline water,
      phosphate buffer and artificial urine as the media.

PMID- 28894866
TI  - Optimal geometrical design of inertial vibration DC piezoelectric nanogenerators
      based on obliquely aligned InN nanowire arrays.
AB  - Piezoelectric nanogenerators have been investigated to generate electricity from
      environmental vibrations due to their energy conversion capabilities. In this
      study, we demonstrate an optimal geometrical design of inertial vibration direct
      current piezoelectric nanogenerators based on obliquely aligned InN nanowire (NW)
      arrays with an optimized oblique angle of ~58 degrees , and driven by the
      inertial force of their own weight, using a mechanical shaker without any AC/DC
      converters. The nanogenerator device manifests potential applications not only as
      a unique energy harvesting device capable of scavenging energy from weak
      mechanical vibrations, but also as a sensitive strain sensor. The maximum output
      power density of the nanogenerator is estimated to be 2.9 nW cm-2, leading to an
      improvement of about 3-12 times that of vertically aligned ZnO NW DC
      nanogenerators. Integration of two nanogenerators also exhibits a linear increase
      in the output power, offering an enormous potential for the creation of self
      powered sustainable nanosystems utilizing incessantly natural ambient energy
      sources.

PMID- 28894867
TI  - Do alkyl groups on aromatic or aliphatic structure directing agents affect water
      stabilities and properties of hybrid iodoargentates?
AB  - Two types of in situ formed structure directing agents (SDAs) including aromatic
      triphenylphosphine (PPh3)- and aliphatic piperazine (H2pp)-derivative cations
      were used to synthesize five new hybrid iodoargentates, namely (EtPPh3)Ag3I4 (1,
      Et = ethyl), (n-PrPPh3)Ag3I4 (2, n-Pr = n-propyl), (i-PrPPh3)Ag5I6 (3, i-Pr =
      isopropyl), (Me4pp)0.5AgI2 (4, Me = methyl), and (H3app)2(Ag2I6).2I.2H2O (5, app
      = N-aminoethylpiperazine). A comparative study of the two types of SDAs on the
      structures, stabilities and properties of hybrid iodoargentates was performed in
      detail. Structurally, except for (EtPPh3)+ and (n-PrPPh3)+, which both directly
      form (Ag3I4)- anionic chains in 1 and 2, three SDAs generate hybrid
      iodoargentates different from each other with inorganic anions ranging from a 0-D
      (Ag2I6)4- dimer to 1-D alpha-type (AgI2)- and (Ag5I6)- chains. With regard to the
      electronic structures, aromatic PPh3-derivative cations make noticeable
      contributions to the bottom of the conduction bands, while aliphatic pp
      derivative cations make nearly no contribution to the frontier orbitals, clearly
      indicating their different ways to adjust the band gaps. With regard to
      stability, the decomposition temperatures of 1-3 in the range of 324-349  degrees
      C are noticeably higher than the values of 217 and 225  degrees C for 4 and 5.
      Furthermore, 1-4 exhibit good water stabilities, which is ascribed to the
      alkylation reactions precluding the formation of strong hydrogen bonds between
      alkylated SDAs and extraneous H2O molecules. Contrarily, the presence of typical
      hydrophilic [double bond, length as m-dash]NH2+, [triple bond, length as m
      dash]NH+ and -NH3+ groups on the protonated (H3app)3+ cation makes 5 sensitive to
      water and a hydrolysis reaction occurs to generate a cubic AgI phase. Finally, 1
      3 exhibit high photocatalytic efficiencies for the degradation of rhodamine B
      (RhB) dye in wastewater under visible light. All conclusions obtained here will
      help a lot in the synthesis of stable functional metal halide-based hybrids.

PMID- 28894868
TI  - Rare earth ions enhanced near infrared fluorescence of Ag2S quantum dots for the
      detection of fluoride ions in living cells.
AB  - In this work, a novel phenomenon was discovered that the fluorescence intensity
      of silver sulfide quantum dots (Ag2S QDs) could be enhanced in the presence of
      rare earth ions through aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Based on the strong
      coordination between rare earth ions and F-, a facile and label-free strategy was
      developed for the detection of F- in living cells. Ag2S QDs were synthesized
      using 3-mercaptopropionic acid as sulfur source and stabilizer in aqueous
      solution. The near infrared (NIR) emitting QDs exhibited excellent photostalilty,
      high quantum yield and low toxic. Interestingly, the fluorescence intensity of
      QDs was obviously enhanced upon the addition of various rare earth ions,
      especially in the presence of Gd3+. The AIE mechanism was proved via the TEM,
      zeta potential and dynamic light scattering analysis. Moreover, the coordination
      between rare earth ions and F- could lead to the quenching of fluorescence QDs
      due to the weakening the AIE. Based on these findings, we developed a highly
      sensitive and selective method for detection of F-. The label-free NIR
      fluorescence probe was successfully used for F- bioimaging in live cells.

PMID- 28894869
TI  - Black phosphorus transistors with van der Waals-type electrical contacts.
AB  - Contact engineering is a possible solution to decrease the pervasive Schottky
      barrier in a two dimensional (2D) material transistor with bulk metal electrodes.
      In this paper, two kinds of typical van der Waals (vdW)-type electrical contacts
      (a 2D metal contact and a 2D material/bulk metal hybrid contact) in monolayer
      (ML) black phosphorus (BP) transistors are investigated by ab initio energy band
      calculations and quantum transport simulations. Compared with the traditional
      bulk metal Ni contact, the gate electrostatic control is significantly improved
      by using both 2D graphene and borophene electrodes featuring a decrease of 30-50%
      in the subthreshold swing and an increase by a factor of 4-7 in the on-state
      current due to the depressed metal induced gap states and reduced screening of
      the 2D metal electrodes to the gate. In contrast, graphene insertion between the
      Ni electrode and ML BP shows only a slight improvement in the gate electrostatic
      control ability and BN insertion shows almost no improvement. The higher
      efficiency using the 2D metal contact than the 2D material/bulk metal hybrid
      contact in improving the ML BP FET device performance also provides helpful
      guidance in the selection of vdW-type electrical contacts of other 2D
      transistors.

PMID- 28894870
TI  - Rate constants for H abstraction from benzo(a)pyrene and chrysene: a theoretical
      study.
AB  - Density functional B3LYP/6-31G(d) and ab initio G3(MP2,CC) calculations have been
      carried out to determine thermal rate constants of direct H abstraction reactions
      from four- and five-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) chrysene and
      benzo[a]pyrene by various radicals abundant in combustion flames, such as H, CH3,
      C3H3, and OH, using transition state theory. The results show that the H
      abstraction reactions with OH have the lowest barriers of ~4 kcal mol-1, followed
      by those with H and CH3 with barriers of 16-17 kcal mol-1, and then with
      propargyl radicals with barriers of 24-26 kcal mol-1. Thus, the OH radical is
      predicted to be the fastest H abstractor from PAH. Even at 2500 K, the rate
      constant for H abstraction by H is still 34% lower than the rate constant for H
      abstraction by OH. The reaction with H is calculated to have rate constants 35-19
      times higher than those for the reaction with CH3 due to a more favorable
      entropic factor. The reactions of H abstraction by C3H3 are predicted to be
      orders of magnitude slower than the other reactions considered and their
      equilibrium is strongly shifted toward the reactants, making propargyl an
      inefficient H abstractor from the aromatics. The calculations showed strong
      similarity of the reaction energetics in different H abstraction positions of
      benzo[a]pyrene and chrysene within armchair and zigzag edges in these molecules,
      but clear distinction between the armchair and zigzag sites. The zigzag sites
      appear to be more reactive, with H abstraction rate constants by H, CH3, and OH
      being respectively 37-42%, a factor of 2.1, and factors of 8-9 higher than the
      corresponding rate constants for the H abstraction reactions from armchair sites.
      Although the barrier heights for the two types of edges are similar, the entropic
      factor makes zigzag sites more favorable for H abstraction. Rate expressions have
      been generated for all studied reactions with the goal to rectify current
      combustion kinetics mechanisms.

PMID- 28894871
TI  - Correction: Folic acid-functionalized up-conversion nanoparticles: toxicity
      studies in vivo and in vitro and targeted imaging applications.
AB  - Correction for 'Folic acid-functionalized up-conversion nanoparticles: toxicity
      studies in vivo and in vitro and targeted imaging applications' by Lining Sun et
      al., Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 8878-8883.

PMID- 28894872
TI  - Lithium cell-assisted low-overpotential Li-O2 batteries by in situ discharge
      activation.
AB  - We report a novel and facile route to improve the catalytic performance of carbon
      paper-based electrocatalysts, which can be activated by in situ discharging with
      the assistance of a Li cell. Our results show that the OER potentials were
      successfully reduced to ~3.5 V, much lower than the value of 4.5 V for graphite
      paper, which is the best result recorded amongst the reported carbon-based
      electrocatalysts.

PMID- 28894873
TI  - Shear induced formation of lubrication layers of negative normal stress gels.
AB  - Many biopolymer gels generate negative normal stress, with which the polymer
      networks shrink in the normal of applied shear. Here we theoretically predict the
      sliding velocity of such a gel on a solid surface when a constant shear stress is
      applied to the gel. Our theory predicts that the negative normal stress drives
      the flow of the solvent in the gel and this produces a solvent layer between the
      gel and the surface. The sliding velocity of the gel is proportional to the
      thickness of the solvent layer and is a cubic function of the applied shear
      stress. With constant applied normal and shear stresses, the thickness of the
      solvent layer is a non-monotonic function of time with a maximum because the
      solvent flow from the gel to the solvent layer is dominant in the short time
      scale and the solvent flow from the solvent layer to the outside is dominant in a
      longer time scale. The maximum layer thickness depends on the ratio of the time
      scales of the solvent flow in the gel and in the solvent layer.

PMID- 28894874
TI  - Specific and spatial labeling of choline-containing teichoic acids in
      Streptococcus pneumoniae by click chemistry.
AB  - Propargyl-choline was efficiently incorporated into teichoic acid (TA) polymers
      on the surface of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The introduction of a fluorophore by
      click chemistry enabled sufficient labeling of the pneumococcus, as well as its
      specific detection when mixed with other bacterial species. The labeling is
      localized at the septal site, suggesting a similar location of the TA and
      peptidoglycan (PG) synthetic machineries. This method is a unique opportunity to
      improve our understanding of the spatial location of pneumococcal TA
      biosynthesis.

PMID- 28894875
TI  - MOF-derived iron as an active energy storage material for intermediate
      temperature solid oxide iron-air redox batteries.
AB  - We here demonstrate that the iron derived from an iron-based metal-organic
      framework (MOF), with exposed high-density Fe-atom planes, exhibits improved
      reduction activity, enabling good rechargeability of solid oxide iron-air redox
      batteries at 500  degrees C. The discharge mass specific energies are 226.5 W h
      kg-1-Fe and 214.8 W h kg-1-Fe at C/4 and C/3, respectively, at a constant Fe
      utilization of 20%.

PMID- 28894876
TI  - Erratum to: Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM): mid-term efficacy and safety.
AB  - The Given Names and Family Names were all inadvertently inverted. The correct
      order is: Jan Martinek, Hana Svecova, Zuzana Vackova, Radek Dolezel, Ondrej Ngo,
      Jana Krajciova, Eva Kieslichova, Radim Janousek, Alexander Pazdro, Tomas
      Harustiak, Lucie Zdrhova, Pavla Loudova, Petr Stirand, Julius Spicak. The
      original article was corrected.

PMID- 28894877
TI  - Yellow urticaria following plasma transfusion.

PMID- 28894878
TI  - Erratum to: One-step surgery with multipotent stem cells and Hyaluronan-based
      scaffold for the treatment of full-thickness chondral defects of the knee in
      patients older than 45 years.

PMID- 28894880
TI  - EANM'17.

PMID- 28894879
TI  - Erratum to: Simple scoring system for prediction of mortality in Fournier's
      gangrene.

PMID- 28894881
TI  - Erratum to: Diet Versus Phylogeny: a Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Captive
      Colobine Monkey Species.

PMID- 28894882
TI  - ?

PMID- 28894883
TI  - [Indoor air guide value for propan-1,2-diol (propylene glycol) : Communication
      from the Committee on Indoor Guide Values].
AB  - The Committee on Indoor Guide Values is issuing indoor air guide values to
      protect public health. At present, no suitable human studies are available for
      health evaluation of propan-1,2-diol in indoor air. In a well-documented
      subchronic inhalation animal study with rats, assessed as reliable, nasal
      hemorrhages were observed. This study leads to a LOAEC of 28.6 mg/m3 propan-1,2
      diol for continuous exposure for the endpoint nasal hemorrhages. By applying a
      conversion factor of 2 from subchronic to chronic exposure, an interspecies
      factor of 2.5, and a factor of 10 for interindividual variability a health hazard
      guide value (RW II) of 0.6 mg/m3 propan-1,2-diol is obtained. A health precaution
      guide value (RW I) of 0.06 mg/m3 is recommended.

PMID- 28894884
TI  - Characterization of Skull Base Lesions Using Pseudo-Continuous Arterial Spin
      Labeling.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) is a non-invasive
      magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion technique. Our study aimed at estimating the
      diagnostic performance of the pCASL sequence in assessing the perfusion of skull
      base lesions both qualitatively and quantitatively and at providing cut-off
      values for differentiation of specific skull base lesions. METHODS: In this study
      99 patients with histopathologically confirmed skull base lesions were
      retrospectively enrolled. Based on a pathological analysis, the lesions were
      classified as hypervascular and non-hypervascular. Patients were divided into two
      subgroups according to the anatomical origin of each lesion. The MRI study
      included pCASL and 3D T1-weighted fat-saturated post-contrast sequences. Of the
      patients seven were excluded due to technical difficulties or patient movement.
      The lesions were classified by two raters, blinded to the diagnosis as either
      hyperperfused or non-hyperperfused, based on the pCASL sequence. The normalized
      tumor blood flow (nTBF) of each lesion was determined. Qualitative and
      quantitative characteristics of hypervascular and non-hypervascular lesions were
      compared. RESULTS: Visual assessment enabled correct classification of 98% of the
      lesions to be performed. Quantitatively, we found significant differences between
      the nTBF values for hypervascular and non-hypervascular lesions (p < 0.001) and
      provided cut-off values, allowing meningioma and schwannoma to be distinguished
      from meningioma and adenoma. Significant differences were also found within the
      hypervascular group, namely, paraganglioma was more hyperperfused than meningioma
      (p = 0.003) or metastases (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates
      the high diagnostic performance of pCASL in characterizing skull base lesions by
      either visual assessment or nTBF quantification. Adding the pCASL sequence to the
      conventional protocol of skull base assessment can be recommended.

PMID- 28894885
TI  - [Intensive care medicine-survival and prospect of life].
AB  - Intensive care medicine has achieved a significant increase in survival rates
      from critical illness. In addition to short-term outcomes like intensive care
      unit or hospital mortality, long-term prognosis and prospect of life of intensive
      care patients have recently become increasingly important. Pure survival is no
      longer a sole goal of intensive care medicine. The prediction of an intensive
      care patient's individual course should include the period after intensive care.
      A relevant proportion of all intensive care patients is affected by physical,
      psychological, cognitive, and social limitations after discharge from the
      intensive care unit. The prognosis of the status of the patient after discharge
      from the intensive care unit is an important part of the decision-making process
      with respect to the implementation or discontinuation of intensive care measures.
      The heavy burden of intensive care treatment should not solely be argued by pure
      survival but an anticipated sound prospect of life.

PMID- 28894886
TI  - Adolescent gambling in greater Athens area: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Problem gambling in adolescents has recently emerged as a pressing
      public health concern. In this context and in light of the pervasive financial
      crisis in Greece, the present study aimed to explore adolescents' gambling
      involvement in Athens region to estimate the prevalence of its problematic form
      and to identify its risk/protective factors. METHODS: A total of 2141 students
      were recruited from a representative sample of 51 schools located in greater
      Athens area. The presence of problem gambling was assessed through the use of the
      DSM-IV-MR-J questionnaire. Data were collected in the form of a self-reported
      questionnaire during one school hour. RESULTS: Results indicate that 1-year
      prevalence of high severity problem gambling was found to be 5.6%. Regarding the
      risk factors for problem gambling; male gender, parental engagement with gambling
      activities, living without the parents, low grades at school, foreign nationality
      and the referent absence of availability of food in the household, increased the
      risk of suffering from the disorder. CONCLUSION: Gambling behavior among
      adolescents constitutes a problem in Greece and highlights the need for designing
      and implementing appropriate preventive interventions, especially amid the
      ongoing financial crisis.

PMID- 28894887
TI  - [Endovascular thrombectomy for ischemic stroke].
AB  - The standard of care for patients with acute stroke of the anterior circulation
      and large vessel occlusion is the combined treatment with intravenous rt-PA
      (recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator) and endovascular thrombectomy.
      The therapy is highly effective while reducing functional deficits and long-term
      disability. International guidelines recommend thrombectomy during the first 6 h
      after symptom onset, but new evidence supports its use in selected patients
      within a time window of up to 24 h. Eligible patients show a clinical core
      mismatch, i. e. severe neurologic deficits contrasting to a small core of
      cerebral infarction. Future research questions regard the treatment of vessel
      occlusion at the M2 segments as well as the best anesthetic management during the
      intervention. The infrastructure of stroke care especially in rural areas is
      based on the drip-and-ship paradigm that implies emergency treatment with the
      start of intravenous thrombolysis at the nearest hospital followed by transport
      to an interventional center in case of large vessel occlusion.

PMID- 28894888
TI  - [Posttherapeutic changes in bone marrow].
AB  - The bone marrow basically consists of red blood-forming bone marrow and yellow
      fat. In the skeleton, there is an age-dependent distribution of these two parts.
      In the context of medical interventions or therapies, bone marrow changes can
      occur, whereby the normal bone marrow can basically be replaced by fat, edema, or
      fibrosis/sclerosis. Here, specific signal intensities and patterns are shown in
      imaging. After irradiation therapies, edematous changes, hemorrhages, and
      osteoradionecroses are observed. Likewise, insufficiency fractures, impairment of
      the growth gaps, or the development of tumors is possible. In patients on
      dialysis, deposit of protein in the bone marrow is possible in the case of the so
      called amyloidosis osteoarthropathy. Postoperative bone marrow edema,
      insufficiency fractures, or osteonecrosis can be observed after arthroscopy.
      Changes in the distribution of fat markers and blood-forming bone marrow can be
      observed after stem cell transplants. In the therapy with cortisone,
      insufficiency fractures and osteonecroses are possible. Depending on their effect
      on the hematopoietic system, chemotherapyies can first lead to edematous changes
      and then to fatty bone marrow, which is reversible after therapy. Angiogenesis
      inhibitors in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents often lead to mixed
      images of stimulated and fatty bone marrow.

PMID- 28894889
TI  - Influence of contrast-enhanced ultrasound administration setups on microbubble
      enhancement: a focus on pediatric applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In pediatrics, contrast-enhanced ultrasound offers high-quality
      imaging with an excellent safety profile. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects
      of varying intravenous administration setups on in vitro enhancement and
      concentration of two commercially available ultrasound contrast agents, taking
      into consideration potential pediatric applications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      quantified in vitro enhancement using a flow phantom (ATS Laboratories,
      Bridgeport, CT) and Acuson S3000 ultrasound system (Siemens Healthineers,
      Mountain View, CA) with a 9L4 probe in Cadence pulse sequencing mode. We
      determined microbubble concentration with an LSRII flow cytometer (BD
      Biosciences, San Jose, CA). We investigated Optison (GE Healthcare, Princeton,
      NJ) and Lumason (Bracco, Geneva, Switzerland) ultrasound contrast agents. The
      ultrasound (US) contrast agent was injected via a 1 mL syringe and flushed with 5
      mL of saline through a 22-gauge diffusion catheter (BD Medical, Franklin Lakes,
      NJ) with the following variations: in-line injection through a 3-way stopcock
      with and without a neutral displacement connector (ICU Medical, San Clemente,
      CA), perpendicular through a 3-way stopcock with and without a connector, and
      without a 3-way stopcock. We also conducted injections through a 22-gauge
      standard angiocatheter. RESULTS: Injection through the connector and
      perpendicular injection via the 3-way stopcock resulted in significant decreases
      in enhancement for both ultrasound contrast agents (P<0.0001). Injection through
      the connector resulted in significant decrease in concentration for Optison
      (P<0.05). Neither addition of the 3-way stopcock (P>0.24) nor use of a pediatric
      diffusion catheter (P>0.28) affected the enhancement. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound
      contrast agent enhancement depends on the administration route, although some
      effects appear to be specific to the ultrasound contrast agent used. To avoid
      loss of enhancement, neutral displacement connectors and perpendicular injection
      should be avoided.

PMID- 28894890
TI  - New prognostic factor telomerase reverse transcriptase promotor mutation presents
      without MR imaging biomarkers in primary glioblastoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging biomarkers can assist in the non
      invasive assessment of the genetic status in glioblastomas (GBMs). Telomerase
      reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations are associated with a negative
      prognosis. This study was performed to identify MR imaging biomarkers to forecast
      the TERT mutation status. METHODS: Pre-operative MRIs of 64/67 genetically
      confirmed primary GBM patients (51/67 TERT-mutated with rs2853669 polymorphism)
      were analyzed according to Visually AcceSAble Rembrandt Images (VASARI) (
      https://wiki.cancerimagingarchive.net/display/Public/VASARI+Research+Project )
      imaging criteria by three radiological raters. TERT mutation and O6-methylguanine
      DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) hypermethylation data were obtained through direct
      and pyrosequencing as described in a previous study. Clinical data were derived
      from a prospectively maintained electronic database. Associations of potential
      imaging biomarkers and genetic status were assessed by Fisher and Mann-Whitney U
      tests and stepwise linear regression. RESULTS: No imaging biomarkers could be
      identified to predict TERT mutational status (alone or in conjunction with TERT
      promoter polymorphism rs2853669 AA-allele). TERT promoter mutations were more
      common in patients with tumor-associated seizures as first symptom (26/30 vs.
      25/37, p = 0.07); these showed significantly smaller tumors [13.1 (9.0-19.0) vs.
      24.0 (16.6-37.5) all cm3; p = 0.007] and prolonged median overall survival [17.0
      (11.5-28.0) vs. 9.0 (4.0-12.0) all months; p = 0.02]. TERT-mutated GBMs were
      underrepresented in the extended angularis region (p = 0.03), whereas MGMT
      methylated GBMs were overrepresented in the corpus callosum (p = 0.03) and
      underrepresented temporomesially (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Imaging biomarkers for
      prediction of TERT mutation status remain weak and cannot be derived from the
      VASARI protocol. Tumor-associated seizures are less common in TERT mutated
      glioblastomas.

PMID- 28894891
TI  - Characterization and Synergistic Effect of Antifungal Volatile Organic Compounds
      Emitted by the Geotrichum candidum PF005, an Endophytic Fungus from the Eggplant.
AB  - Plant-associated endophytes are recognized as sources of novel bioactive
      molecules having diverse applications. In this study, an endophytic yeast-like
      fungal strain was isolated from the fruit of eggplant (Solanum melongena) and
      identified as Geotrichum candidum through phenotypic and genotypic
      characterizations. This endophytic G. candidum isolate PF005 was found to emit
      fruity scented volatiles. The compositional profiling of volatile organic
      compounds (VOCs) revealed the presence of 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl 3
      methylbutanoate, 2-phenylethanol, isopentyl acetate, naphthalene, and isobutyl
      acetate in significant proportion when analyzed on a time-course basis. The VOCs
      from G. candidum exhibited significant mycelial growth inhibition (54%) of
      phytopathogen Rhizoctonia solani, besides having mild antifungal activity against
      a few other fungi. The source of carbon as a nutrient was found to be an
      important factor for the enhanced biosynthesis of antifungal VOCs. The antifungal
      activity against phytopathogen R. solani was improved up to 91% by feeding the G.
      candidum with selective precursors of alcohol and ester volatiles. Furthermore,
      the antifungal activity of VOCs was enhanced synergistically up to 92% upon the
      exogenous addition of naphthalene (1.0 mg/plate). This is the first report of G.
      candidum as an endophyte emitting antifungal VOCs, wherein 2-penylethanol,
      isopentyl acetate, and naphthalene were identified as important contributors to
      its antifungal activity. Possible utilization of G. candidum PF005 as a
      mycofumigant has been discussed based upon its antifungal activity and the
      qualified presumption of safety status.

PMID- 28894892
TI  - Using emergency trauma team activations to measure trauma activity and injury
      severity: 10 years of experience using an Australian major trauma centre
      registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the outcomes of Emergency Department trauma team
      activations over a 10-year period with respect to injury severity and hospital
      length of stay. METHODS: This was a retrospective study using trauma registry
      data at a single Major Trauma Centre in Australia. All trauma team activations
      and arrivals on pre-hospital major trauma (T1) protocol recorded in the trauma
      registry between June 2006 and July 2016 were included. The outcome of interest
      was major trauma, defined as an Injury Severity Score (ISS) >12 or length of stay
      >3 days or requiring urgent operative intervention or admission to the Intensive
      Care Unit following trauma. RESULTS: A total of 9876 hospital trauma activations
      were analysed from January 2006 to June 2016. Of these 53.3% were admitted as an
      in-patient and 16.6% were classified as having an ISS >15. Major trauma occurred
      in 38% of cases. With respect to hospital utilisation, patients with an ISS <16
      accounted for around half of total cumulative in-patient bed-days. CONCLUSIONS:
      Analysis of data from trauma team activations in ED has allowed a description of
      trauma activity and hospital bed day utilisation as a function of injury
      severity. The results confirm that those with minor trauma accounted for the vast
      majority of cases and around half of all hospital in-patient bed-days.

PMID- 28894893
TI  - Termination of pregnancy and sterilisation in women with childhood-onset type 1
      diabetes.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to explore the association between
      type 1 diabetes and reproductive health indicators in women, focusing on
      termination of pregnancy and sterilisation. METHODS: We conducted a registry
      based cohort study involving 2281 women with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes,
      matched for age and birthplace with women without diabetes: two control
      participants for each woman with diabetes. We compared the frequencies of
      termination of pregnancy and sterilisation over a 25 year period between women
      with type 1 diabetes and women without, and estimated standardised incidence
      ratios (SIRs). Smoothed age and period effects in the incidence of termination of
      pregnancy or sterilisation were tested statistically. RESULTS: There were more
      terminations of pregnancy (SIR 1.67; 95% CI 1.51, 1.86) and sterilisations (SIR
      1.69; 95% CI 1.56, 1.83) in women with diabetes than in control women. During
      recent years, sterilisations in women with diabetes have decreased and the
      difference compared with control women has vanished. The indications for both
      procedures showed a statistically highly significant difference: maternal medical
      indications were almost absent (< 1%) in procedures among control women, but
      comprised 23.6% of terminations of pregnancy and 22.9% of sterilisations in women
      with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The indications for termination of
      pregnancy and sterilisation are different in women with diabetes compared with
      other women. Pregnancies in women with type 1 diabetes are still terminated more
      often than in women without diabetes, but the difference in sterilisation rates
      has disappeared during recent years.

PMID- 28894894
TI  - Advanced microbial analysis for wastewater quality monitoring: metagenomics
      trend.
AB  - Urban Wastewater treatment plants (UWWTPs) have played an important and
      fundamental role in society for water purification of contaminated human
      wastewaters over the last decades. Microorganisms are very important in UWWTP as
      their metabolic activity significantly reduces the organic load of the UWW,
      although there is an uncertain gap in our knowledge regarding microbial
      consortium structure and their activity in UWWTP operation on a large scale. On
      the other hand, effluents of UWWTPs have come to be a new source of fresh water
      to ease water scarcity in many regions of the world, especially in intensive
      irrigation practices. Many concerns over health risks relating to the direct
      reuse of this water are very well known. However, if a proper disinfection
      treatment is applied, these are strongly reduced as conventional methodologies
      have demonstrated over the last decades. In line with this, the continuous
      development of new devices for analytical measurement that increase the
      sensitivities (limit of detection) are showing that other potential risks for
      both environmental and human health may be associated with UWW reuse. In this
      work, the most important aspects related to microorganisms in UWWTPs and UWW
      effluents are presented. Moreover, the new developments on genetic tools for
      detection of microorganisms are presented, with special emphasis on metagenomic
      methodology. A bibliometric analysis of what has been published so far is also
      carried out.

PMID- 28894896
TI  - [Hypospadias : Insights and challenges].
AB  - Disorders of the ventral tubularization of the urethra, such as the hypospadias,
      are among the second most frequent congenital childhood malformations. An
      increasing incidence has been observed suggesting a doubling in the US, which
      could not be documented for the European area. The underlying causes of this
      congenital defect remain unidentified. Genetic risk constellations or
      environmental influences, in particular by so-called endocrine disrupting
      chemicals (EDCs), are discussed as triggering factors. Boys after in vitro
      fertilization are more likely to have hypospadias than in nonreproductive
      assisted pregnancies. Animal models (especially mice) elicited causal
      relationships between prenatal hormonal exposure (estrogens, progesterone) and
      antiandrogens such as flutamide, finasteride, antiandrogenic fungicides
      (vinclozolin) and phthalates and the formation of hypospadias. An aesthetic
      and/or functional deficit are indications for surgical correction. The
      indications and the complications of hypospadias surgery must be in detail and
      realistically discussed with the parents and patients. Recent publications
      demonstrated that the risk of complications increases with the increase of the
      follow-up time. High-volume centers with extensive experience have a positive
      effect on the complication rate. Competent follow-up to adult age should be
      ensured.

PMID- 28894897
TI  - Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) in European Neuroendocrine Tumour
      Society (ENETS) grade 3 (G3) neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN) - a single
      institution retrospective analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Grade 3 NENs are aggressive tumours with poor prognosis. PRRT+/-
      radiosensitising chemotherapy is a potential treatment for disease with high
      somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expression without spatially discordant FDG-avid
      disease. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of PRRT in G3 NEN. METHODS:
      Kaplan-Meier estimation was used to determine progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) defined from start of PRRT. Subgroup analysis was performed
      for patients with Ki-67 <= 55% and >55%. Anatomical response (RECIST 1.1) and
      toxicity 3 months after PRRT was determined. Disease control rate (DCR) was
      defined as complete response (CR), partial response (PR) and stable disease (SD)
      of those with prior progression. RESULTS: 28 patients (M = 17; age 16-78 years;
      Ki-67 <= 55% = 22) were reviewed. 17 patients had pancreatic, 5 small bowel, 3
      large bowel, 2 bronchial and 1 unknown primary disease. 25/28 had significant FDG
      avid disease prior to treatment. Most had 177Lu-DOTA-octreotate (median
      cumulative activity 24.4 GBq, median 4 cycles). Twenty patients had
      radiosensitising chemotherapy. 89% were treated for disease progression; 79%
      after prior chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 29 months. The median PFS was 9
      months for all patients. 16 patients died (Ki-67 <= 55% = 11; Ki-67 > 55% = 5)
      with median OS of 19 months. For Ki-67 <= 55% (N = 22), the median PFS was 12
      months and median OS 46 months. For Ki-67 > 55% (N = 6), the median PFS was 4
      months and median OS 7 months. On CT imaging, DCR at 3 months post-PRRT was 74%,
      35% (8/23) PR and 39% (9/23) SD. Eleven patients received further PRRT due to
      recrudescent disease after response. Five patients developed progression of
      discordant FDG-avid disease and were referred for targeted therapy/chemotherapy.
      Grade 3 and 4 lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in five and five
      patients, respectively. No renal or liver toxicity related to treatment was seen.
      CONCLUSIONS: PRRT achieves clinically relevant disease control with acceptable
      toxicity in G3 NENs.

PMID- 28894898
TI  - Effective collateral circulation may indicate improved perfusion territory
      restoration after carotid endarterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between the level of collateral
      circulation and perfusion territory normalisation after carotid endarterectomy
      (CEA). METHODS: This study enrolled 22 patients with severe carotid stenosis that
      underwent CEA and 54 volunteers without significant carotid stenosis. All
      patients were scanned with ASL and t-ASL within 1 month before and 1 week after
      CEA. Collateral circulation was assessed on preoperative ASL images based on the
      presence of ATA. The postoperative flow territories were considered as back to
      normal if they conformed to the perfusion territory map in a healthy population.
      Neuropsychological tests were performed on patients before and within 7 days
      after surgery. RESULTS: ATA-based collateral score assessed on preoperative ASL
      was significantly higher in the flow territory normalisation group (n=11, 50 %)
      after CEA (P < 0.0001). The MMSE (mean change=1.36+/-0.96) and MOCA (mean
      change=1.18+/-0.95) test scores showed a significant postoperative (7 days after
      CEA) improvement in the flow territory normalisation group [>mean differences+2SD
      among control (MMSE=1.35, MOCA=1.02)]. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that
      effective collateral flow in carotid stenosis patients was associated with
      normalisation of t-ASL perfusion territory after CEA. The perfusion territory
      normalisation group tends to have more cognitive improvement after CEA. KEY
      POINTS: * Evaluation of collaterals before CEA is helpful for avoiding ischaemia
      during clamping. * There was good agreement on ATA-based ASL collateral grading.
      * Perfusion territories in carotid stenosis patients are altered. * Patients have
      better collateral circulation with perfusion territory back to normal. * MMSE and
      MOCA test scores improved more in the territory normalisation group.

PMID- 28894899
TI  - Clinical impact of PSMA-based 18F-DCFBC PET/CT imaging in patients with
      biochemically recurrent prostate cancer after primary local therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to assess 18F-DCFBC PET/CT, a PSMA targeted
      PET agent, for lesion detection and clinical management of biochemical relapse in
      prostate cancer patients after primary treatment. METHODS: This is a prospective
      IRB-approved study of 68 patients with documented biochemical recurrence after
      primary local therapy consisting of radical prostatectomy (n = 50), post
      radiation therapy (n = 9) or both (n = 9), with negative conventional imaging.
      All 68 patients underwent whole-body 18F-DCFBC PET/CT, and 62 also underwent
      mpMRI within one month. Lesion detection with 18F-DCFBC was correlated with mpMRI
      findings and pre-scan PSA levels. The impact of 18F-DCFBC PET/CT on clinical
      management and treatment decisions was established after 6 months' patient
      clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (60.3%) showed at least one
      positive 18F-DCFBC lesion, for a total of 79 lesions, 30 in the prostate bed, 39
      in lymph nodes, and ten in distant sites. Tumor recurrence was confirmed by
      either biopsy (13/41 pts), serial CT/MRI (8/41) or clinical follow-up (15/41);
      there was no confirmation in five patients, who continue to be observed. The 18F
      DCFBC and mpMRI findings were concordant in 39 lesions (49.4%), and discordant in
      40 lesions (50.6%); the majority (n = 32/40) of the latter occurring because the
      recurrence was located outside the mpMRI field of view. 18F-DCFBC PET positivity
      rates correlated with PSA values and 15%, 46%, 83%, and 77% were seen in patients
      with PSA values <0.5, 0.5 to <1.0, 1.0 to <2.0, and >=2.0 ng/mL, respectively.
      The optimal cut-off PSA value to predict a positive 18F-DCFBC scan was 0.78 ng/mL
      (AUC = 0.764). A change in clinical management occurred in 51.2% (21/41) of
      patients with a positive 18F-DCFBC result, generally characterized by starting a
      new treatment in 19 patients or changing the treatment plan in two patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: 18F-DCFBC detects recurrences in 60.3% of a population of patients
      with biochemical recurrence, but results are dependent on PSA levels. Above a
      threshold PSA value of 0.78 ng/mL, 18F-DCFBC was able to identify recurrence with
      high reliability. Positive 18F-DCFBC PET imaging led clinicians to change
      treatment strategy in 51.2% of patients.

PMID- 28894900
TI  - Interaction Between Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone and GM1-Doped
      Cholesterol/Sphingomyelin Vesicles: A Spectroscopic Study.
AB  - Understanding the role of neural membrane in translocation and action of
      neurohormone is of great importance. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)
      is a neuropeptide hormone and it acts as a final signaling molecule by
      stimulating the synthesis of LH and FSH to maintain reproduction in all
      vertebrates. The receptors of LHRH are found in breast tumors and pituitary gland
      in the brain. Moreover, neural plasma membrane is also found to contain specific
      binding site for LHRH. The mechanism by which LHRH binds to membrane before it
      binds to the receptors is a very critical step and can have a profound impact
      upon the translation of peptide across the membrane. A complex form of
      glycosphingolipids known as Ganglioside is an important component of plasma
      membrane of nerve cells and breast tumor tissues. They play an important role in
      various physiological membrane processes. Therefore, the interaction of
      ganglioside-containing membrane with LHRH might be crucial in aiding the LHRH to
      translate through the neural membrane and reach its receptor for binding and
      activation. Using CD, UV-Absorbance, and fluorescence spectroscopy, the effect of
      Ganglioside Monosialo 1(GM1)-induced conformational changes of LHRH in the
      presence of Cholesterol (CHOL)/Sphingomyelin (SM) and GM1/CHOL/SM vesicles was
      studied. The aforesaid spectroscopic studies show that LHRH is able to bind with
      both the vesicles, but GM1-containing vesicles interact more effectively than
      vesicles without GM1. CHOL/SM vesicles partially disturb the conformation of the
      peptide. Moreover, binding of LHRH to GM1/CHOL/SM vesicles induces loss of
      conformational rigidity and attainment of a random coil.

PMID- 28894901
TI  - Imaging features of microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma developed
      after direct-acting antiviral therapy in HCV-related cirrhosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate imaging features of microvascular invasion (MVI) in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed after direct-acting antiviral (DAA)
      therapy in HCV-related cirrhosis. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study on 344
      consecutive patients with HCV-related cirrhosis treated with DAA and followed for
      48-74 weeks. Using established imaging criteria for MVI, HCC features were
      analysed and compared with those in nodules not occurring after DAA. RESULTS:
      After DAA, HCC developed in 29 patients (single nodule, 18 and multinodular, 11).
      Median interval between therapy end and HCC diagnosis was 82 days (0-318). Forty
      one HCC nodules were detected (14 de novo, 27 recurrent): maximum diameter was 10
      20 mm in 27, 20-50 mm in 13, and > 50 mm in 1. Imaging features of MVI were
      present in 29/41 nodules (70.7%, CI: 54-84), even in 17/29 nodules with 10-20 mm
      diameter (58.6%, CI: 39-76). MVI was present in only 17/51 HCC nodules that
      occurred before DAA treatment (33.3%, CI: 22-47) (p= 0.0007). MVI did not
      correlate with history of previous HCC. CONCLUSIONS: HCC occurs rapidly after DAA
      therapy, and aggressive features of MVI characterise most neoplastic nodules.
      Close imaging evaluations are needed after DAA in cirrhotic patients. KEY POINTS:
      * In HCV cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma develops soon after direct-acting
      antiviral therapy. * HCC presents imaging features of microvascular invasion,
      predictive of more aggressive progression. * Cirrhotic patients need aggressive
      and close monitoring after direct-acting antiviral therapy.

PMID- 28894902
TI  - Development and validation of a Medicines Comorbidity Index for older people.
AB  - PURPOSE: An index for estimating multimorbidity based on prescription claims data
      is important for predicting health outcomes for older people in
      pharmacoepidemiological studies. We aimed to develop a Medicines Comorbidity
      Index (MCI) based on nationwide prescription claims data and evaluate its
      performance in predicting adverse outcomes in older individuals. METHODS: The
      index was developed on a retrospective cohort comprising of all individuals aged
      >= 65 years old, captured in the claims dataset from 1st January to 31st December
      2012. The cohort was followed for 1 year to identify an event of hospitalisation
      or mortality. A list of medications for 20 comorbidities based on the Chronic
      Disease Score framework was collated. Predictive performance of the MCI was
      evaluated against the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) using measures of
      discrimination (Receiver Operating Characteristic curves), sensitivity and
      specificity (c-statistic) and calibration (Brier scores) for regression models.
      RESULTS: The MCI was validated for an outcome of mortality (n = 161,461) and
      hospitalisation (n = 149,729). For mortality, MCI had a marginally lower c
      statistic in comparison to CCI (0.70, 95% CI 0.70-0.71 vs 0.72, 95% CI 0.71-0.72
      at p < 0.05) with Brier scores of 0.07 at p < 0.05. For hospitalisation, the
      Hazard Ratio was higher with MCI (1.08, 95% CI 1.08-1.08, p < 0.001) compared to
      CCI (0.92, 95% CI 0.91-0.92, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Initial testing indicates
      that the MCI is a valid and appropriate tool for measuring multimorbidity and
      predicting health outcomes for older individuals, and can be an important index
      for adjusting comorbidity in pharmacoepidemiological studies.

PMID- 28894903
TI  - In Response to: Ventilation in Trauma Patients: The First 24 h is Different!

PMID- 28894904
TI  - Factors influencing the outcome of surgery for pelvic organ prolapse.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery is a common
      gynecological procedure. Our aim was to assess the influence of obesity and other
      risk factors on the outcome of anterior and posterior colporrhaphy with and
      without mesh. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Register for
      Gynecological Surgery on 18,554 women undergoing primary and repeat POP surgery
      without concomitant urinary incontinence (UI) surgery between 2006 and 2015.
      Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk
      factors for a sensation of a vaginal bulge, de novo UI, and residual UI 1 year
      after surgery. RESULTS: The overall subjective cure rate 1 year after surgery was
      80% (with mesh 86.4% vs 77.3% without mesh, p < 0.001). The complication rate was
      low, but was more frequent in repeat surgery that were mainly mesh related. The
      use of mesh was also associated with more frequent de novo UI, but patient
      satisfaction and cure rates were higher compared with surgery without mesh.
      Preoperative sensation of a vaginal bulge, severe postoperative complications,
      anterior colporrhaphy, prior hysterectomy, postoperative infections, local
      anesthesia, and body mass index (BMI) >=30 were risk factors for sensation of a
      vaginal bulge 1 year postsurgery. Obesity had no effect on complication rates but
      was associated increased urinary incontinence (UI) after primary surgery. Obesity
      had no influence on cure or voiding status in women undergoing repeat surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Obesity had an impact on the sensation of a vaginal bulge and the
      presence of UI after primary surgery but not on complications.

PMID- 28894905
TI  - [Knowledge, trust, and the decision to donate organs : A comparison of medical
      students and students of other disciplines in Germany].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Following the organ transplant scandal in Germany in 2011, the
      willingness to donate organs postmortem decreased dramatically. This was
      explained by a loss of confidence in the German organ donation system.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between
      knowledge, trust, and fear in respect to organ donation and the explicit
      willingness to potentially act as an organ donor by comparing medical students to
      students of other disciplines. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a Facebook
      based online survey (June-July 2013). The participating students were divided
      into two groups according to their discipline: medical students and other
      students. Based on questions covering different aspects of organ donation, a
      knowledge, trust, and fear score was established and calculated. The answers were
      related to an explicitly expressed decision to donate organs as expressed in a
      signed organ donor card. RESULTS: In total, 2484 participants took part in our
      survey. Of these, 1637 were students, 83.7% (N = 1370) of which were medical
      students and 16.3% (N = 267) other students. As expected, medical students
      reached a higher knowledge score regarding organ donation compared with other
      students (knowledge score 4.13 vs. 3.38; p < 0.001). They also demonstrated more
      confidence in organ donation, resulting in a higher confidence score (3.94 vs.
      3.33; p < 0.001) and expressed less fear towards organ donation as indicated by
      the lower fear score (1.76 vs. 2.04; p < 0.01). Medical students declared their
      written willingness to donate organs more often than did other students (78.2%
      vs. 55.2%; p < 0.001). Entries on organ donation cards did not differ
      significantly between medical students and other students. Medical students
      possessing an organ donor card showed a higher knowledge and a higher trust score
      than did medical students without an organ donor card. In contrast, other
      students possessing an organ donor card showed a higher trust score but did not
      show a higher knowledge score. CONCLUSIONS: The higher level of knowledge and
      trust demonstrated by the medical students was associated with a higher rate of
      written decisions to donate organs. In contrast, the lower level of knowledge and
      trust observed in the non-medical students was associated with a lower rate of
      organ donor cards. Interestingly, in the group of non-medical students, the
      decision regarding organ donation was associated with a higher level of trust,
      but not with a higher level of knowledge. It would appear that knowledge, trust,
      and the decision to donate organs are closely related. In cases of a low level of
      knowledge, confidence is even more important. Therefore, organ donation campaigns
      should focus on increasing knowledge and fostering trust.

PMID- 28894906
TI  - Whole exome sequencing reveals a functional mutation in the GAIN domain of the
      Bai2 receptor underlying a forward mutagenesis hyperactivity QTL.
AB  - The identification of novel genes underlying complex mouse behavioral traits
      remains an important step in understanding normal brain function and its
      dysfunction in mental health disorders. To identify dominant mutations that
      influence locomotor activity, we performed a mouse N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)
      forward mutagenesis screen and mapped several loci as quantitative traits. Here
      we describe the fine-mapping and positional cloning of a hyperactivity locus
      mapped to the medial portion of mouse chromosome four. We employed a modified
      recombinant progeny testing approach to fine-map the confidence interval from ~20
      Mb down to ~5 Mb. Whole exome resequencing of all exons in this region revealed a
      single missense mutation in the adhesion G protein-coupled receptor brain
      specific angiogenesis inhibitor 2 (Bai2). This mutation, R619W, is located in a
      critical extracellular domain that is a hotspot for mutations in this receptor
      class. We find that in two different mammalian cell lines, surface expression of
      Bai2 R619W is markedly reduced relative to wild-type Bai2, suggesting that R619W
      is a loss-of-function mutation. Our results highlight the powerful combination of
      ENU mutagenesis and next-generation sequencing to identify specific mutations
      that manifest as subtle behavioral phenotypes.

PMID- 28894908
TI  - Discoid lateral meniscus can be overlooked by magnetic resonance imaging in
      patients with meniscal tears.
AB  - PURPOSE: MRI evaluation of torn lateral meniscus was compared with arthroscopy.
      This study calculates the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MRI in
      determining the presence or absence of discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) for
      different tear types. METHODS: MR imaging of 156 knees with arthroscopically
      confirmed lateral meniscus tears was analysed. There were 78 knees (70 patients)
      in non-DLM group and 78 knees (74 patients) in DLM group on arthroscopy as the
      reference standard. The presence of DLM on MRI was determined by an orthopaedic
      surgeon and a radiologist, who were blinded to the arthroscopic findings. The
      presence of discoid meniscus on MRI was determined by coronal and sagittal
      measurements, considering the tear pattern of lateral meniscus. The tear pattern
      was categorized into six types based on arthroscopic findings: horizontal,
      longitudinal, radial, combined radial, degenerative, and complex tear. The
      sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MRI were calculated for each type of
      lateral meniscus tear. In addition, we analysed the reason for non-detection of
      discoid meniscus on preoperative MRI. RESULT: The sensitivity for determining the
      presence of discoid meniscus was 58% for radial tear, 57% for combined radial
      tear, and 65% for longitudinal tear, whereas the specificity was 100% for all
      tear groups. In the presence of radial or longitudinal tear, the accuracy of MRI
      was significantly lower than having no radial and longitudinal tear (p < 0.001).
      The presence of discoid meniscus was not recognized on MRI because of large
      radial tear (12 knees), deformed bucket-handle tear (6 knees), and inverted flap
      tear (3 knees). CONCLUSIONS: MRI was not successful in determining the presence
      or absence of DLM in radial tear, combined radial tear, and longitudinal tear.
      When there are large radial tear, deformed bucket-handle tear, and inverted flap
      tear in lateral meniscus, it is recommended to consider the possibility of DLM.
      This information can help to make accurate diagnosis of DLM, which allows
      appropriate surgical planning and facilitates patient's information on poor
      prognosis of DLM. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I.

PMID- 28894909
TI  - [What is a seriously injured person? : Differentiated view of the severity of the
      injuries in a trauma patient].

PMID- 28894907
TI  - Challenges in translational drug research in neuropathic and inflammatory pain:
      the prerequisites for a new paradigm.
AB  - AIM: Despite an improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of
      nociception, existing analgesic drugs remain limited in terms of efficacy in
      chronic conditions, such as neuropathic pain. Here, we explore the underlying
      pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropathic and inflammatory pain and discuss
      the prerequisites and opportunities to reduce attrition and high-failure rate in
      the development of analgesic drugs. METHODS: A literature search was performed on
      preclinical and clinical publications aimed at the evaluation of analgesic
      compounds using MESH terms in PubMed. Publications were selected, which focused
      on (1) disease mechanisms leading to chronic/neuropathic pain and (2) druggable
      targets which are currently under evaluation in drug development. Attention was
      also given to the role of biomarkers and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic
      modelling. RESULTS: Multiple mechanisms act concurrently to produce pain, which
      is a non-specific manifestation of underlying nociceptive pathways. Whereas these
      manifestations can be divided into neuropathic and inflammatory pain, it is now
      clear that inflammatory mechanisms are a common trigger for both types of pain.
      This has implications for drug development, as the assessment of drug effects in
      experimental models of neuropathic and chronic pain is driven by overt
      behavioural measures. By contrast, the use of mechanistic biomarkers in
      inflammatory pain has provided the pharmacological basis for dose selection and
      evaluation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). CONCLUSION: A
      different paradigm is required for the identification of relevant targets and
      candidate molecules whereby pain is coupled to the cause of sensorial signal
      processing dysfunction rather than clinical symptoms. Biomarkers which enable the
      characterisation of drug binding and target activity are needed for a more robust
      dose rationale in early clinical development. Such an approach may be facilitated
      by quantitative clinical pharmacology and evolving technologies in brain imaging,
      allowing accurate assessment of target engagement, and prediction of treatment
      effects before embarking on large clinical trials.

PMID- 28894910
TI  - Drought Alleviated the Negative Effects of Elevated O3 on Lonicera maackii in
      Urban Area.
AB  - Open top chambers were used to study the changes in photosynthesis, physiology
      and stomata characteristics in 1-year-old Lonicera maackii seedlings exposed to
      drought (DT, 30%-35% soil saturated water content) or/and elevated ozone (EO, 80
      ppb). The results showed that DT or/and EO significantly decreased net
      photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), maximum photochemical
      efficiency (Fv/Fm), but increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and
      malondialdehyde content (p < 0.05). Compared with EO alone, the combination of EO
      and DT caused higher values in Pn, Fv/Fm, SOD activity (p < 0.05), and smaller
      stomata size and lower visible injury rate. DT alleviated the adverse impact of
      EO on the shrub by increasing enzyme activity and decreasing stomatal size,
      particularly stomatal width. The study provided increasing evidence that moderate
      drought might exert a beneficial effect on the tested plants to adapt to the
      future climate change, particularly in high ozone regions.

PMID- 28894911
TI  - Diminished Conspecific Odor Recognition in the Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes
      rusticus) Following a 96-h Exposure to Atrazine.
AB  - The presence of agricultural contaminants has been shown to disrupt olfactory
      mediated behaviors in aquatic animals. We assessed the effects of atrazine on the
      ability of reproductively active (form I), male crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) to
      identify and respond to conspecific chemical signals involved in mating. Male
      crayfish were exposed to atrazine (80 ppb) and water (control) for 96 h. We
      analyzed odor localization and locomotor behaviors of herbicide-treated and
      control male crayfish to two different odor sources: female odor or water
      (control) delivered from the proximal end of a test arena. Control crayfish spent
      more time in the proximal region of the test arena and at the odor source.
      Atrazine-exposed crayfish showed no preference for the proximal region of the
      test arena and odor source when female odor was delivered. Atrazine exposure did
      not affect locomotor behaviors. Overall, atrazine-mediated chemosensory deficits
      have the potential to disrupt mating and affect population size.

PMID- 28894912
TI  - Optimisation of the MR protocol in pregnant women with suspected acute
      appendicitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the optimal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol in
      pregnant women suspected of having acute appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One
      hundred and forty-six pregnant women with suspected appendicitis were included.
      MR images were reviewed by two radiologists in three separate sessions. In
      session 1, only axial single-shot turbo spin echo (SSH-TSE) T2-weighted images
      (WI) were included with other routine sequences. In sessions 2 and 3, coronal and
      sagittal T2WI were sequentially added. The visibility of the appendix and
      diagnostic confidence of appendicitis were evaluated in each session using a 5
      point grading scale. If diseases other than appendicitis were suspected, specific
      diagnosis with a 5-point confidence scale was recorded. Diagnostic performance
      for appendicitis and other diseases were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients
      (17.1%) were diagnosed with appendicitis. Among the patients with normal
      appendix, 28 were diagnosed with other disease. Diagnostic performance including
      sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive
      value (NPV), and area under the curve values for diagnosing appendicitis and
      other diseases showed no significant difference among sets for both reviewers
      (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Diagnostic performance of MR in pregnant patients with
      suspected appendicitis can be preserved with omission of sagittal or both coronal
      and sagittal SSH-T2WI. KEY POINTS: * Diagnostic performance of appendicitis is
      preserved with omission of sagittal/coronal T2WIs. * Diagnosis of other disease
      may be sufficient with axial T2WIs only. * Careful serial omission of sagittal
      and coronal T2WIs can be considered.

PMID- 28894913
TI  - European otorhinolaryngology training programs: results of a European survey
      about training satisfaction, work environment and conditions in six countries.
AB  - ORL-students and residents have an ongoing debate about the "best" programme in
      Europe. Aim of this study was to comparatively assess differences among
      programmes in training, satisfaction, quality of life (QoL) of residents and
      recent otorhinolaryngologist (ORL) specialists in France, Germany, Spain, Italy,
      Austria, and Belgium. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire, structured in
      ten sections including general information, provided guidance, working
      environment, training structure, teaching of medical students, publication work,
      QoL, and satisfaction with training, were emailed to residents and recent ORL
      specialists. 476 returned questionnaires from 6 countries revealed that daily
      work hours were the highest in France and Belgium with 11 and 10.4 h on average,
      respectively. QoL, work conditions, and salary were best in Germany followed by
      Austria in terms of possibility of part-time contracts, better respect for post
      duty day off, and compensation for overtime. Satisfaction with training including
      support and guidance of seniors was lowest in Italy, but, on the other hand, the
      publication work and support had a more important place than in other countries.
      In Belgium, there was some gap between the quality of teaching and feedback from
      seniors as well as apprenticeship. The highest satisfaction with training was in
      France and Spain followed by Austria. The study results provide guidance before
      choosing an ORL training programme in Europe. Country-specific strengths could be
      included into future harmonization efforts to improve all programmes, facilitate
      professional exchange and, finally, establish standards-of-care carried out by
      well-trained doctors also looking after a satisfying work-life balance.

PMID- 28894914
TI  - Effect of Rituximab on Pulmonary Function in Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome
      due to Graft-Versus-Host-Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rituximab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that is used to suppress B
      cell function in graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). We sought to determine the
      effects of rituximab treatment on lung function in those patients with
      bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) as a manifestation of GVHD. METHODS:
      Thirteen patients were treated with rituximab with a diagnosis of BOS and a
      significant reduction in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) after
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The changes in their pulmonary
      function for 12 months following treatment with rituximab were followed, along
      with other intervention performed and daily average dosing of prednisone.
      RESULTS: Following rituximab administration, there was an improvement in the
      slope of decline in lung function from -5.12 ml/month prior to rituximab infusion
      to -0.31 ml/month after 3 months and to +2.27 ml/month 12 months later. Seven of
      the 13 patients had an increase in their FEV1 after treatment with rituximab.
      Additionally, the mean daily dose of prednisone decreased from 27 mg prior to
      rituximab treatment to 11 mg 12 months after treatment. Nine out of 13 patients
      survived 12 months after rituximab treatment. All of the patients with
      improvement in FEV1 following rituximab treatment were receiving concomitant
      extracorporeal photopheresis. CONCLUSION: Rituximab is safe with the potential to
      stabilize or improve lung function in patients with BOS after HSCT and should be
      considered as a treatment option in those patients.

PMID- 28894915
TI  - Chronobiological theories of mood disorder.
AB  - Major depressive disorder (MDD) remains the most prevalent mental disorder and a
      leading cause of disability, affecting approximately 100 million adults
      worldwide. The disorder is characterized by a constellation of symptoms affecting
      mood, anxiety, neurochemical balance, sleep patterns, and circadian and/or
      seasonal rhythm entrainment. However, the mechanisms underlying the association
      between chronobiological parameters and depression remain unknown. A PubMed
      search was conducted to review articles from 1979 to the present, using the
      following search terms: "chronobiology," "mood," "sleep," and "circadian
      rhythms." We aimed to synthesize the literature investigating chronobiological
      theories of mood disorders. Current treatments primarily include tricyclic
      antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are known to
      increase extracellular concentrations of monoamine neurotransmitters. However,
      these antidepressants do not treat the sleep disturbances or circadian and/or
      seasonal rhythm dysfunctions associated with depressive disorders. Several
      theories associating sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances with depression have
      been proposed. Current evidence supports the existence of associations between
      these, but the direction of causality remains elusive. Given the existence of
      chronobiological disturbances in depression and evidence regarding their
      treatment in improving depression, a chronobiological approach, including timely
      use of light and melatonin agonists, could complement the treatment of MDD.

PMID- 28894917
TI  - Identification and characterization of the ficellomycin biosynthesis gene cluster
      from Streptomyces ficellus.
AB  - Ficellomycin is a peptide-like antibiotic which exhibits potent in vitro activity
      against Penicillium oxalicum and Staphylococcus aureus, even against strains
      resistant to most clinically used antibiotics. The gene cluster responsible for
      ficellomycin biosynthesis was cloned from Streptomyces ficellus and sequenced. It
      was found to contain 26 ORFs and is located within 30 kb of contiguous DNA.
      Targeted disruption of the encoding genes revealed that most were involved in the
      functional section of ficellomycin biosynthesis, such as peptide assembly,
      regulation, resistance, and biosynthesis of the precursor of ficellomycin 2-[4
      guanidyl-1-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-yl] glycine (2-GAHG). Within the 2-GAHG
      synthesis pathway, a sulfate adenylyltransferase appears to be involved in the
      synthesis of the pharmaceutically important 1-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane ring
      moiety, which has been reported to cause DNA cross-linking or impairment of
      semiconservative DNA replication.

PMID- 28894916
TI  - Structural and functional diversity of collectins and ficolins and their
      relationship to disease.
AB  - Pattern recognition molecules are sensors for the innate immune system and
      trigger a number of pathophysiological functions after interaction with the
      corresponding ligands on microorganisms or altered mammalian cells. Of those
      pattern recognition molecules used by the complement system, collagen-like
      lectins (collectins) are an important subcomponent. Whereas the best known of
      these collectins, mannose-binding lectin, largely occurs as a circulating protein
      following production by hepatocytes, the most recently described collectins
      exhibit strong local biosynthesis. This local production and release of soluble
      collectin molecules appear to serve local tissue functions at extravascular
      sites, including a developmental function. In this article, we focus on the
      characteristics of collectin-11 (CL-11 or CL-K1), whose ubiquitous expression and
      multiple activities likely reflect a wide biological relevance. Collectin-11
      appears to behave as an acute phase protein whose production associated with
      metabolic and physical stress results in locally targeted inflammation and tissue
      cell death. Early results indicate the importance of fucosylated ligand marking
      the injured cells targeted by collectin-11, and we suggest that further
      characterisation of this and related ligands will lead to better understanding of
      pathophysiological significance and exploitation for clinical benefit.

PMID- 28894918
TI  - Comment on Andrei Diana et al.: The variability of vertebral body volume and pain
      associated with osteoporotic vertebral fractures: conservative treatment versus
      percutaneous transpedicular vertebroplasty.

PMID- 28894919
TI  - 'Timed up and go' and brain atrophy: a preliminary MRI study to assess functional
      mobility performance in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Motor and cognitive disabilities are related to brain atrophy in multiple
      sclerosis (MS). 'Timed up and go' (TUG) has been recently tested in MS as
      functional mobility test, as it is able to evaluate ambulation/coordination
      related tasks, as well as cognitive function related to mobility. The objective
      of this study is to evaluate the relationship between brain volumes and TUG
      performances. Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of MS and the ability to walk
      at least 20 m. TUG was performed using a wearable inertial sensor. Times and
      velocities of TUG sub-phases were calculated by processing trunk acceleration
      data. Patients underwent to a brain MRI, and volumes of whole brain, white matter
      (WM), grey matter (GM), and cortical GM (C) were estimated with SIENAX. Sixty
      patients were enrolled. Mean age was 41.5 +/- 11.6 years and mean EDSS 2.3 +/-
      1.2. Total TUG duration was correlated to lower WM (rho = 0.358, p = 0.005) and
      GM (rho = 0.309, p = 0.017) volumes. A stronger association with lower GM volume
      was observed for intermediate (rho = 0.427, p = 0.001) and final turning (rho =
      0.390, p = 0.002). TUG is a useful tool in a clinical setting as it can not only
      evaluate patients' disability in terms of impaired functional mobility, but also
      estimate pathological features, such as grey atrophy.

PMID- 28894920
TI  - Sacrococcygeal teratoma: late recurrence warrants long-term surveillance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is a rare childhood malignancy.
      Although overall survival is favorable, recurrent tumors are associated with poor
      outcomes. As most recurrences occur within 3 years of presentation, the utility
      of long-term surveillance is uncertain. METHODS: Patients with SCTs evaluated and
      managed by our pediatric surgery department between 1986 and 2013 were included.
      Details pertaining to laboratory values, operative findings, tumor histology,
      management, recurrence, and outcomes were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: During
      the study period, 40 children with the diagnosis of SCT were managed by our
      practice. Five (13%) developed a recurrence. The median age at the initial
      resection was day of life two (range day of life 0-2.5 years). The median time to
      recurrence was 5 years (range 5 months-15 years). Among those with recurrences,
      mature teratoma was the most common histological type on the initial resection (n
      = 3), with yolk sac and immature teratomas comprising the other two. At the time
      of recurrence, three patients had mature teratomas, and all are alive and well
      following resection. Two patients had yolk sac tumors at the time of recurrence
      and both died. CONCLUSION: SCT can recur many years after the initial resection.
      Our findings suggest that all patients with SCT should be closely followed into
      adulthood.

PMID- 28894921
TI  - Structural and functional variability in root-associated bacterial microbiomes of
      Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii.
AB  - Interactions between roots and microbes affect plant's resistance to abiotic
      stress. However, the structural and functional variation of root-associated
      microbiomes and their effects on metal accumulation in hyperaccumulators remain
      poorly understood. Here, we characterize the root-associated microbiota of a
      hyperaccumulating (HP) and a non-hyperaccumulating (NHP) genotype of Sedum
      alfredii by 16S ribosomal RNA gene profiling. We show that distinct microbiomes
      are observed in four spatially separable compartments: the bulk soil,
      rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and endosphere. Both the rhizosphere and rhizoplane were
      preferentially colonized by Proteobacteria, and the endosphere by Actinobacteria.
      The rhizosphere and endophytic microbiomes were dominated by the family of
      Sphingomonadaceae and Streptomycetaceae, respectively, which benefited for their
      survival and adaptation. The bacterial alpha-diversity decreases along the
      spatial gradient from the rhizosphere to the endosphere. Soil type and
      compartment were strongest determinants of root-associated community variation,
      and host genotype explained a small, but significant amount of variation. The
      enrichment of Bacteroidetes and depletion of Firmicutes and Planctomycetes in the
      HP endosphere compared with that of the NHP genotype may affect metal
      hyperaccumulation. Program PICRUSt predicted moderate functional differences in
      bacterial consortia across rhizocompartments and soil types. The functional
      categories involved in membrane transporters (specifically ATP-binding cassette
      transporters) and energy metabolism were overrepresented in endosphere of HP in
      comparison with NHP genotypes. Taken together, our study reveals substantial
      variation in structure and function of microbiomes colonizing different
      compartments, with the endophytic microbiota potentially playing an important
      role in heavy metal hyperaccumulation.

PMID- 28894922
TI  - Morphology and relationships of the biceps brachii and brachialis with the
      musculocutaneous nerve.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Major anatomical textbooks generally state that the biceps brachii
      muscle (BB) is composed of long and short heads, whereas the brachialis muscle
      (BR) consists of a single head. However, the numbers of heads comprising the BB
      and the BR are very variable. The purpose of this study was to investigate how
      the branching patterns of the musculocutaneous nerve (MC) influence the number of
      heads of the BB and the BR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Morphological examinations of
      the BB and MC were conducted using cadavers of 22 Japanese individuals, and
      morphological examinations of the BR and the MC were conducted in 9 of those 22
      individuals. RESULTS: A three-headed BB was observed in 7 of the 22 specimens
      (31.8%). Most of these specimens showed a Type III branch pattern (after
      penetrating the long head or the short head, the MC innervated the supernumerary
      head or communicated with the main root again). The number of BR heads was
      categorized into three types: Type A, two heads (superficial and deep heads,
      22.2%); Type B, three or four heads (two or three superficial heads and one deep
      head, 44.4%); and Type C, multiple heads (33.3%). Among these categories,
      branches of the MC in Type A specimens were most simple. CONCLUSION: A
      supernumerary head of the BB seemed to be present if the MC penetrates it. The BR
      basically consists of superficial and deep heads, and the number of superficial
      heads is affected by branches of the MC.

PMID- 28894923
TI  - Differences in myocardial strain between pectus excavatum patients and healthy
      subjects assessed by cardiac MRI: a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate differences in myocardial strain between pectus excavatum
      (PE) patients and healthy subjects (HS) assessed by cardiac MRI using the feature
      tracking algorithm. METHODS: Cardiac MRI was performed in 14 PE patients and 14
      HS (9:5 male to female in each group; age 11-30 years) using a 3T scanner. Post
      examination analysis included manual biventricular contouring with volumetry and
      ejection fraction measurement by two independent radiologists. Dedicated software
      was used for automated strain assessment. RESULTS: In five of the PE patients,
      the right ventricular ejection fraction was slightly impaired (40-44 %). PE
      patients had a significantly higher left ventricular longitudinal strain
      (P=0.004), mid (P=0.035) and apical (P=0.001) circumferential strain as well as
      apical circumferential strain rate (P=0.001), mid right ventricular
      circumferential strain (P=0.008) and strain rate (P=0.035), and apical right
      ventricular circumferential strain (P=0.012) and strain rate (P=0.044) than HS.
      The right ventricular longitudinal strain and strain rate did not differ
      significantly between PE patients and HS. CONCLUSIONS: Myocardial strain differs
      significantly between PE patients and HS. Higher myocardial strain in the mid and
      apical ventricles of PE patients indicates a compensation mechanism to enhance
      ventricular output against basal sternal compression. KEY POINTS: * The right
      ventricle is frequently affected by the pectus excavatum deformity. * Cardiac MRI
      revealed differences in myocardial strain in pectus excavatum patients. * Pectus
      excavatum patients exhibited higher strain in the mid/apical ventricles. * A
      compensation mechanism to enhance ventricular output against sternal compression
      is possible.

PMID- 28894924
TI  - Cyclical vomiting syndrome secondary to a Chiari I malformation-a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cyclical vomiting syndrome is a disorder characterised by recurrent
      episodes of profuse vomiting. There are no cases in the literature on the
      management of children with presenting with cyclical vomiting syndrome and a
      Chiari malformation type I. DISCUSSION: We report the case of a 12-year-old child
      diagnosed with cyclical vomiting syndrome and a Chiari malformation type I. The
      patient received symptomatic relief following a craniocervical decompression.

PMID- 28894925
TI  - Alligator wrestling: morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic data on
      Odhneriotrema incommodum (Leidy, 1856) (Digenea: Clinostomidae) from Alligator
      mississippiensis Daudin, 1801 in Mississippi, USA.
AB  - Based on specimens collected from harvested American alligator Alligator
      mississippiensis Daudin, 1801 in Mississippi, USA, novel molecular data for both
      nuclear ribosomal genes (18S, ITS1-5.8S, ITS2, and 28S) and mitochondrial genes
      (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
      dehydrogenase subunit 1) are provided for Odhneriotrema incommodum (Leidy, 1856),
      a trematode of the family Clinostomidae Luhe, 1901 infecting A. mississippiensis
      and the Florida spotted gar Lepisosteus platyrhincus DeKay, 1842. This represents
      the first sequencing data available for the genus Odhneriotrema and the subfamily
      Nephrocephalinae Travassos, 1928. Additionally, the results of phylogenetic
      analyses, additional morphometric data, a photomicrograph, and a line drawing
      supporting the present identification of O. incommodum are provided. These data
      will aid in elucidating the life cycle of O. incommodum through molecular
      identification of larval stages as well as understanding the evolutionary history
      of Clinostomidae and its subfamilies. Implications for the currently accepted
      organization of the Clinostomidae are discussed.

PMID- 28894926
TI  - Brainstem stroke preceded by transient isolated vertigo attacks.

PMID- 28894927
TI  - How to differentiate acute pelvic inflammatory disease from acute appendicitis ?
      A decision tree based on CT findings.
AB  - PURPOSE: To construct a decision tree based on CT findings to differentiate acute
      pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) from acute appendicitis (AA) in women with
      lower abdominal pain and inflammatory syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      retrospective study was approved by our institutional review board and informed
      consent was waived. Contrast-enhanced CT studies of 109 women with acute PID and
      218 age-matched women with AA were retrospectively and independently reviewed by
      two radiologists to identify CT findings predictive of PID or AA. Surgical and
      laboratory data were used for the PID and AA reference standard. Appropriate
      tests were performed to compare PID and AA and a CT decision tree using the
      classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm was generated. RESULTS: The
      median patient age was 28 years (interquartile range, 22-39 years). According to
      the decision tree, an appendiceal diameter >= 7 mm was the most discriminating
      criterion for differentiating acute PID and AA, followed by a left tubal diameter
      >= 10 mm, with a global accuracy of 98.2 % (95 % CI: 96-99.4). CONCLUSION:
      Appendiceal diameter and left tubal thickening are the most discriminating CT
      criteria for differentiating acute PID from AA. KEY POINTS: * Appendiceal
      diameter and marked left tubal thickening allow differentiating PID from AA. *
      PID should be considered if appendiceal diameter is < 7 mm. * Marked left tubal
      diameter indicates PID rather than AA when enlarged appendix. * No pathological
      CT findings were identified in 5 % of PID patients.

PMID- 28894928
TI  - Enhanced dendritic cells and regulatory T cells in the dermis of porokeratosis.
AB  - Porokeratosis is characterized clinically by annular lesions and histologically
      by the presence of a cornoid lamella (CL) in the epidermis. The underlying
      mechanism of porokeratosis development remains unclear. We performed
      immunohistochemical staining of CD1a, langerin, Ki67, CD3, CD4, CD8, FOXP3, and
      RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand) in samples from 17
      porokeratosis lesions and analyzed the differences in staining patterns among the
      CL, the inner part of the annular ridge (IC), and the adjacent normal skin (ANS).
      Numbers of CD1a+ Langerhans cells in the epidermis were reduced and numbers of
      CD1a+ dermal dendritic cells were significantly increased in the CL and IC
      compared to those in the ANS. In addition, there was also an increase in FOXP3+
      cells in the dermis below the CL and IC. Our findings suggest that Langerhans
      cells are downregulated in the epidermis in CL and that regulatory T cells and
      dendritic cells are upregulated in the dermis below the CL. This alteration in
      the distribution of immune cells, such as various lymphocyte subsets, Langerhans
      cells, and dermal dendritic cells, may play a key role in the pathomechanisms of
      porokeratosis.

PMID- 28894930
TI  - Oncological Safety and Technical Feasibility of Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy for
      Breast Cancer: The Hong Kong Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) has gained widespread popularity in
      recent years. Nonetheless, patient selection, technical consideration and
      oncological safety of its extension to breast cancer treatment remain uncertain.
      Few publications have reviewed the application of NSM in Asian populations.
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 91 women with malignant breast tumours, who
      underwent 97 NSM in Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital from 2009 to 2015. Breast
      cancer patients who required mastectomy and opted for immediate reconstruction
      were considered for NSM if they showed no obvious nipple involvement clinically.
      All breast specimens were subjected to intraoperative pathological examination of
      the retroareolar tissue to exclude occult tumour infiltration before the final
      decision of nipple-areola complex (NAC) preservation. Clinical parameters, tumour
      characteristics and oncological outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Carcinoma of the
      breast accounts for 99.0% of our indications for therapeutic NSM. Almost all NSM
      were accompanied with immediate reconstruction. Abnormal pathology was shown in
      retroareolar tissue of ten patients (10.3%), and seven of these NAC were excised
      due to tumour involvement detected by intraoperative frozen section. Six (6.2%)
      NSM were complicated with superficial epidermolysis. Yet, there was no delayed
      NAC excision because of nipple necrosis. Overall NAC preservation rate reached
      92.8%. Local and/or distant recurrences occurred in four patients (4.1%) after a
      mean follow-up of 20.6 months. One NAC recurrence was documented. CONCLUSION: Our
      series support the oncological safety of NSM after exclusion of neoplastic NAC
      involvement preliminarily by intraoperative frozen section and definitively by
      final pathology. Its technical feasibility is well proven by the low nipple
      necrosis rate.

PMID- 28894929
TI  - Recalling feature bindings differentiates Alzheimer's disease from frontotemporal
      dementia.
AB  - It has been challenging to identify clinical cognitive markers that can
      differentiate patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) from those with behavioral
      variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). The short-term memory binding (STMB)
      test assesses the ability to integrate colors and shapes into unified
      representations and to hold them temporarily during online performance. The
      objective of this study is to investigate whether free recall deficits during
      short-term memory binding (STMB) test can differentiate patients with AD from
      those with bvFTD and controls. Participants were 32 cognitively intact adults, 35
      individuals with AD and 18 with bvFTD. All patients were in the mild dementia
      stage. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to examine the
      diagnostic accuracy of the STMB. The results showed that AD patients performed
      significantly worse than controls and bvFTD patients in the STMB test, while the
      latter groups showed equivalent performance. The bound condition of the STMB test
      showed an AUC of 0.853, with 84.4% of sensitivity and 80% of specificity to
      discriminate AD from controls and an AUC of 0.794, with 72.2% of sensitivity and
      80% of specificity to differentiate AD from bvFTD. Binding deficits seem specific
      to AD. The free recall version of the STMB test can be used for clinical purposes
      and may aid in the differential diagnosis of AD. Findings support the view that
      the STMB may be a suitable cognitive marker for AD.

PMID- 28894931
TI  - Radiographic evaluation of condylar positioning in patients undergoing
      orthognathic surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate alterations in condylar
      positioning through submentovertex projection (Hirtz Radiographic Technique) in
      patients who underwent orthognathic surgery for maxillary advancement and
      mandibular setback with stable internal fixation. METHODS: A prospective
      longitudinal clinical study of 40 surgical patients presenting dentofacial
      deformity admitted in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Federal
      University of Parana (UFPR) in the period between March 2013 and December 2015.
      We performed two submentovertex digital radiographs, one 7 days before surgery
      and the other one 30 days after the procedure. Cephalometric tracings were made
      using Radiocef(r) Studio 2 Software and measured the intercondylar and condylar
      angles (right and left). RESULTS: There was a decrease in the intercondylar angle
      (p < 0.001) and an increase in condylar angles both the right and the left side
      (p < 0.001) when compared with the pre and postoperative period. There was a
      larger increase in condylar angle on the right side in males (p = 0.007).
      CONCLUSION: There is a tendency of decreasing of the intercondylar angle after
      orthognathic surgery, regardless of the alteration in the condylar angles,
      creating a new position of the condyle in the glenoid fossa. Patients with
      asymmetry may present greater alterations in the positioning of the opposite
      condylar to the deviation of the mandibular midline.

PMID- 28894932
TI  - Genomic insights into temperature-dependent transcriptional responses of
      Kosmotoga olearia, a deep-biosphere bacterium that can grow from 20 to 79 
      degrees C.
AB  - Temperature is one of the defining parameters of an ecological niche. Most
      organisms thrive within a temperature range that rarely exceeds ~30  degrees C,
      but the deep subsurface bacterium Kosmotoga olearia can grow over a temperature
      range of 59  degrees C (20-79  degrees C). To identify genes correlated with this
      flexible phenotype, we compared transcriptomes of K. olearia cultures grown at
      its optimal 65  degrees C to those at 30, 40, and 77  degrees C. The temperature
      treatments affected expression of 573 of 2224 K. olearia genes. Notably, this
      transcriptional response elicits re-modeling of the cellular membrane and changes
      in metabolism, with increased expression of genes involved in energy and
      carbohydrate metabolism at high temperatures and up-regulation of amino acid
      metabolism at lower temperatures. At sub-optimal temperatures, many
      transcriptional changes were similar to those observed in mesophilic bacteria at
      physiologically low temperatures, including up-regulation of typical cold stress
      genes and ribosomal proteins. Comparative genomic analysis of additional
      Thermotogae genomes indicates that one of K. olearia's strategies for low
      temperature growth is increased copy number of some typical cold response genes
      through duplication and/or lateral acquisition. At 77  degrees C one-third of the
      up-regulated genes are of hypothetical function, indicating that many features of
      high-temperature growth are unknown.

PMID- 28894933
TI  - Particulate versus non-particulate corticosteroids for transforaminal nerve root
      blocks: Comparison of outcomes in 494 patients with lumbar radiculopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We set out to compare outcomes in CT-guided lumbar transforaminal nerve
      root block patients receiving either particulate or non-particulate
      corticosteroids. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective comparative
      effectiveness outcomes study on two cohorts of lumbar radiculopathy patients. 321
      received particulate and 173 non-particulate corticosteroids at CT-guided
      transforaminal lumbar nerve root injections. The particulate steroid was used
      from October 2009 until May 2014 and the non-particulate steroid was used from
      May 2014. Pain levels were collected at baseline using an 11-point numerical
      rating scale (NRS) and at 1 day, 1 week and 1 month. Overall 'improvement' was
      assessed using the Patients' Global Impression of Change (PGIC) at these same
      time points (primary outcome). The proportions of patients 'improved' were
      compared between the two groups using the Chi-square test. The NRS change scores
      were compared using the unpaired t-test. RESULTS: A significantly higher
      proportion of patients treated with particulate steroids were improved at 1 week
      (43.2 % vs. 27.7 %, p = 0.001) and at 1 month (44.3 % vs. 33.1 %, p = 0.019).
      Patients receiving particulate steroids also had significantly higher NRS change
      scores at 1 week (p = 0.02) and 1 month (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Particulate
      corticosteroids have significantly better outcomes than non-particulate
      corticosteroids. KEY POINTS: * Better pain relief is achieved with particulate
      steroids. * Significantly more patients report overall 'improvement' with
      particulate steroids. * Significantly more patients report 'worsening' at 1 week
      with non-particulate steroids.

PMID- 28894934
TI  - Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in lymph node metastases of stage III melanoma
      correspond to response and survival in nine patients treated with ipilimumab at
      the time of stage IV disease.
AB  - Prognosis of metastatic melanoma improved with the development of checkpoint
      inhibitors. The role of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in lymph node
      metastases of stage III melanoma remains unclear. We retrospectively
      characterized TILs in primary melanomas and matched lymph node metastases (stage
      III melanoma) of patients treated with the checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab. Tumor
      infiltrating lymphocytes were characterized for CD3, CD4, and CD8 expressions by
      immunohistochemistry. 4/9 patients (44%) responded to treatment with ipilimumab
      (1 complete and 2 partial remissions, 1 stable disease). All responders exhibited
      CD4 and CD8 T-cell infiltration in their lymph node metastases, whereas all non
      responders did not show an infiltration of the lymph node metastasis with TILs.
      The correlation between the presence and absence of TILs in responders vs. non
      responders was statistically significant (p = 0.008). Median distant metastases
      free survival, i.e., progression from stage III to stage IV melanoma, was similar
      in responders and non-responders (22.1 vs. 19.3 months; p = 0.462). Median
      progression free and overall survival show a trend in favor of the patients
      having TIL rich lymph node metastases (6.8 vs. 3.3 months, p = 0.09; and all
      alive at last follow-up vs. 8.2 months, respectively, p = 0.08). Our data suggest
      a correlation between the T-cell infiltration of the lymph node metastases in
      stage III melanoma and the response to ipilimumab once these patients progress to
      stage IV disease.

PMID- 28894936
TI  - Thermal ablation of thyroid nodules: are radiofrequency ablation, microwave
      ablation and high intensity focused ultrasound equally safe and effective
      methods?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study compares volume reduction of benign thyroid nodules three
      months after Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), Microwave Ablation (MWA) or High
      Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) to evaluate which of these methods is the
      most effective and safe alternative to thyroidectomy or radioiodine therapy.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety-four patients (39 male, 55 female) with a total of
      118 benign, symptomatic thyroid nodules were divided into three subgroups. HIFU
      was applied to 14 patients with small nodules. The other 80 patients were divided
      up into two groups of 40 patients each for RFA and MWA in the assumption that
      both methods are comparable effective. The pre-ablative and post-ablative volume
      was measured by ultrasound. RESULTS: RFA showed a significant volume reduction of
      nodules of 50 % (p<0.05), MWA of 44 % (p<0.05) and HIFU of 48 % (p<0.05) three
      months after ablation. None of the examined ablation techniques caused serious or
      permanent complications. CONCLUSION: RFA, MWA and HIFU showed comparable results
      considering volume reduction. All methods are safe and effective treatments of
      benign thyroid nodules. KEY POINTS: * Thermal Ablation can be used to treat
      benign thyroid nodules * Thermal Ablation can be an alternative to thyroidectomy
      or radioiodine therapy * Radiofrequency Ablation, Microwave Ablation, High
      Intensity Focused Ultrasound are safe and effective.

PMID- 28894935
TI  - Tissue compartmentalization of T cell responses during early life.
AB  - The immune system in early life is tasked with transitioning from a relatively
      protected environment to one in which it encounters a wide variety of innocuous
      antigens and dangerous pathogens. The immaturity of the developing immune system,
      and particularly the distinct functionality of T lymphocytes in early life, has
      been implicated in increased susceptibility to infection. Previous work has
      demonstrated that immune responses in early life are skewed toward limited
      inflammation and atopy; however, there is mounting evidence that such responses
      are context- and tissue-dependent. The regulation, differentiation, and
      maintenance of infant T cell responses, particularly as it relates to tissue
      compartmentalization, remains poorly understood. How the tissue environment
      impacts early-life immune responses and whether the development of localized
      protective immune memory cell subsets are established is an emerging area of
      research. As infectious diseases affecting the respiratory and digestive tracts
      are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide in infants and young
      children, a deeper understanding of site-specific immunity is essential to
      addressing these challenges. Here, we review the current paradigms of T cell
      responses during infancy as they relate to tissue localization and discuss
      implications for the development of vaccines and therapeutics.

PMID- 28894937
TI  - Gadoxetate disodium-induced tachypnoea and the effect of dilution method: a proof
      of-concept study in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To directly investigate the rapid respiratory effect of gadoxetate
      disodium in an experimental study using mice. METHODS: After confirming the
      steady respiratory state under general anaesthesia, eight mice were injected with
      all test agents in the following order: phosphate-buffered saline (A, control
      group), 1.25 mmol/kg of gadoteridol (B) or gadopentetate dimeglumine (C), or 0.31
      mmol/kg of gadoxetate disodium (D, E). The experimenter was not blinded to the
      agents. The injection dose was fixed as 100 MUL for Groups A-D and 50 MUL for
      Group E. We continuously monitored and recorded respiratory rate (RR), peripheral
      oxygen saturation (SpO2), and heart rate. The time-series changes from 0 to 30 s
      were compared by the linear mixed method RESULTS: Groups D and E showed the
      largest RR increase (20.6 and 20.3 breaths/min, respectively) and were
      significantly larger compared to Group A (3.36 breaths/min, both P<0.001). RR
      change of Groups D and E did not differ. RR change of Groups B and C was smaller
      (0.72 and 12.4 breaths/min, respectively) and did not differ statistically with
      Group A. Significant bradycardia was observed only in Group C (P<0.001). SpO2 was
      constant in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Gadoxetate disodium causes a rapid
      tachypnoea without significant change of SpO2 and heart rate regardless of the
      dilution method. KEY POINTS: * Injection of gadoxetate disodium causes
      tachypnoea. * Dilution method did not alter the rapid respiratory effect of
      gadoxetate disodium. * The respiratory effect of gadoxetate disodium was larger
      than other contrast agents.

PMID- 28894938
TI  - Development of a new host-vector system for colour selection of cloned DNA
      inserts using a newly designed beta-galactosidase gene containing multiple
      cloning sites in Thermus thermophilus HB27.
AB  - We constructed a new Thermus thermophilus cloning vector which enables the colour
      selection of cloned DNA inserts in the T. thermophilus HB27 host strain (beta-gal
      ) on growth plates containing 3,4-cyclohexenoesculetin beta-D-galactopyranoside
      (S-gal) in the medium. This vector harbors a modified beta-galactosidase gene
      (TTP0042 of T. thermophilus HB27) with 12 unique restriction enzyme sites
      (Acc65I, AvrII, BlpI, BssHII, EcoRI, EcoRV, HindIII, NruI, SalI, SpeI, SphI and
      XbaI) as multiple cloning sites under the control of the T. thermophilus slpA
      promoter. This host-vector system facilitates cloning procedures in T.
      thermophilus HB27.

PMID- 28894939
TI  - Identification and characterization of novel broad-spectrum amino acid racemases
      from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - The peptidoglycan layer of the bacterial cell wall typically contains D-alanine
      (D-Ala) and D-glutamic acid (D-Glu), and also various non-canonical D-amino acids
      that have been linked to peptidoglycan remodeling, inhibition of biofilm
      formation, and triggering of biofilm disassembly. Bacteria produce D-amino acids
      when adapting to environmental changes as a common survival strategy. In our
      previous study, we detected non-canonical D-amino acids in Escherichia coli grown
      in minimal medium. However, the biosynthetic pathways of non-canonical D-amino
      acids remain poorly understood. In the present study, we identified amino acid
      racemases in E. coli MG1655 (YgeA) and Bacillus subtilis (RacX) that produce non
      canonical D-amino acids other than D-Ala and D-Glu. We characterized their
      enzymatic properties, and both displayed broad substrate specificity but low
      catalytic activity. YgeA preferentially catalyzes the racemization of homoserine,
      while RacX preferentially racemizes arginine, lysine, and ornithine. RacX is
      dimeric, and appears not to require pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) as a coenzyme as
      is the case with YgeA. To our knowledge, this is the first report on PLP
      independent amino acid racemases possessing broad substrate specificity in E.
      coli and B. subtilis.

PMID- 28894940
TI  - Creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate for children younger than 2
      years.

PMID- 28894941
TI  - Evolutionary coincidence of adaptive changes in exuperantia and the emergence of
      bicoid in Cyclorrhapha (Diptera).
AB  - The great radiation in the infraorder Cyclorrhapha involved several morphological
      and molecular changes, including important changes in anterior egg development.
      During Drosophila oogenesis, exuperantia (exu) is critical for localizing bicoid
      (bcd) messenger RNA (mRNA) to the anterior region of the oocyte. Because it is
      phylogenetically older than bcd, which is exclusive to Cyclorrhapha, we
      hypothesize that exu has undergone adaptive changes to enable this new function.
      Although exu has been well studied in Drosophila, there is no functional or
      transcriptional information about it in any other Diptera. Here, we investigate
      exu in the South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus, a Cyclorrhapha of
      great agricultural importance that have lost bcd, aiming to understand the
      evolution of exu in this infraorder. We assessed its pattern of gene expression
      in A. fraterculus by analyzing transcriptomes from cephalic and reproductive
      tissues. A combination of next-generation data with classical sequencing
      procedures enabled identification of the structure of exu and its alternative
      transcripts in this species. In addition to the sex-specific isoforms described
      for Drosophila, we found that not only exu is expressed in heads, but this is
      mediated by two transcripts with a specific 5'UTR exon-likely a result from usage
      of a third promoter. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that exu is evolving
      under positive selection in Cyclorrhapha after divergence from lower Diptera. We
      found evidence of positive selection at two important exu domains, EXO-like and
      SAM-like, both involved with mRNA binding during bcd mRNA localization in
      Drosophila, which could reflect its cooptation for the new function of bcd mRNA
      localization in Cyclorrhapha.

PMID- 28894942
TI  - First Steps Towards Development of an Instrument for the Reproducible
      Quantification of Oropharyngeal Swallow Physiology in Bottle-Fed Children.
AB  - The incidence of feeding/swallowing impairments (deglutition disorders) in young
      children is rising and poses serious acute and long-term health consequences.
      Accurate detection and prompt intervention can lessen the impact of dysphagia
      induced sequelae. Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies (VFSSs) are used to make
      critical decisions for medically fragile children despite procedural variability
      and the lack of agreed upon measures for interpreting and reporting results. This
      investigation represents the first steps in the development of a novel tool for
      the quantification of oropharyngeal swallow physiology from full-length VFSS
      examinations in bottle-fed children. The Modified Barium Swallow Impairment
      Profile MBSImPTM(c) served as the conceptual assessment model for development of
      components and operational score variants to characterize distinguishable VFSS
      observations. Twenty-four components of swallowing physiology were validated via
      expert consensus. Training materials included a library of 94 digitized video
      images comprised of distinct score variants for each component. Materials were
      disseminated to seven speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who participated in
      didactic and self-training sessions, and rated components. All SLPs achieved
      >=80% reliability criterion after completing two or three training sessions.
      Agreement for 17 (71%) components was achieved after two sessions. Nutritive
      sucking/oral and airway-related components were most difficult to distinguish.
      Three sessions were required for 2 (33%) of the sucking/oral components and 4
      (57%) of the airway-related components. These findings support the feasibility to
      standardize training and reliably score swallowing physiology using precise
      definitions and unambiguous visual images, and represent preliminary steps
      towards content validity and reliability of a standardized VFSS tool for bottle
      fed children.

PMID- 28894943
TI  - Swirl sign in traumatic acute epidural hematoma: prognostic value and surgical
      management.
AB  - The swirl sign is identified as a small area of low attenuation within an
      intracranial hyperattenuating clot on non-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans
      of the brain, which represents active bleeding. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the incidence of the swirl sign among patients with acute epidural
      hematoma (AEDH) and to identify its prognostic value and impact on surgical
      treatment. A retrospective review was performed of patients with a diagnosis of
      traumatic EDH by CT scan who were surgically treated at the Department of
      Neurosurgery of the First People's Hospital of Jingmen between January 2010 and
      January 2014. Patients with combined or open craniocerebral injuries and those
      who did not undergo surgical treatment were excluded. Of the 147 patients
      evaluated, 21 (14%) exhibited the swirl sign on non-enhanced CT scans of the
      brain. Univariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between the
      occurrence of the swirl sign and preoperative Glasgow coma scale scores,
      preoperative mydriasis, time from injury to CT scan, and intraoperative hematoma
      volume. Compared with patients without this sign, those exhibiting the swirl sign
      had a higher mortality rate (24 vs. 6%, respectively; P = 0.028) and a worse
      outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score <= 3: 38 vs. 15%, respectively; P = 0.027)
      at 3 months. An adjusted analysis showed that the occurrence of the swirl sign
      was an independent predictor of poor outcome (death: odds ratio (OR) = 4.61; 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.34-15.82; P < 0.05; 3-month Glasgow Outcome Scale
      score <= 3: OR = 3.47; 95% CI: 1.27-9.49; P < 0.05). In conclusion, the
      occurrence of the swirl sign on the head CT scan of patients with AEDH was found
      to be significantly associated with poor outcome. Therefore, early identification
      of this sign and aggressive management with early surgical evacuation is crucial
      for improving patient outcome.

PMID- 28894944
TI  - Higher out-of-pocket expenses for tyrosine kinase-inhibitor therapy is associated
      with worse health-related quality-of-life in persons with chronic myeloid
      leukemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) profiles and identify
      socio-demographic and clinical variables associated with HRQoL in persons with
      chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).
      METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to adults with chronic
      phase CML receiving tyrosine kinase-inhibitor (TKI) therapy >3 months in complete
      cytogenetic response (CCyR). Respondents were anonymous. SF-36 Health Survey was
      used to measure HRQoL. RESULTS: Data from 828 respondents were analyzable. 524
      (63%) were male. Median age was 42 years (range 18-88 years). 648 (78%) were
      receiving imatinib. Median TKI-therapy duration was 36 months (range 3-178
      months). 638 (77%) paid some or all of their TKI costs. Annual out-of-pocket
      expenses >$4600 USD was associated with lower physical component summary (PCS; 
      2.8 to -3.8; P = 0.0081 and 0.0009) and mental component summary (MCS; -2.1 to 
      4.3; P = 0.0394 and 0.0080) in multivariate analyses. Other variables
      significantly associated with a lower PCS and/or MCS included: (1) female sex;
      (2) increasing age; (3) education level < bachelor degree; (4) co-morbidity(ies);
      and (5) generic drug use. TKI-therapy duration 3-5 years was associated with
      higher PCS and MCS. CONCLUSIONS: Higher out-of-pocket expense for TKI therapy is
      significantly associated with worse HRQoL in persons with chronic-phase CML in
      CCyR receiving TKI therapy. These data indicate the importance of drug cost and
      health insurance policies on people's HRQoL.

PMID- 28894945
TI  - A tabersonine 3-reductase Catharanthus roseus mutant accumulates vindoline
      pathway intermediates.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: Monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) have remarkable biological
      properties that have led to their medical uses for a variety of human diseases.
      Mutagenesis has been used to generate plants with new alkaloid profiles and a
      useful screen for rapid comparison of MIA profiles is described. The MIA mutants
      identified are useful for investigating MIA biosynthesis and for targeted
      production of these specialised metabolites. The Madagascar periwinkle
      (Catharanthus roseus) is the sole source of the dimeric anticancer monoterpenoid
      indole alkaloids (MIAs), 3',4'-anhydrovinblastine and derivatives, which are
      formed via the coupling of the MIAs, catharanthine and vindoline. While intense
      efforts to identify parts of the complex pathways involved in the assembly of
      these dimers have been successful, our understanding of MIA biochemistry in C.
      roseus remains limited. A simple thin layer chromatography screen of 4000 ethyl
      methanesulfonate-metagenized M2 plants is described to identify mutant lines with
      altered MIA profiles. One mutant (M2-1865) accumulated reduced levels of
      vindoline inside the leaves in favour of high levels of tabersonine-2,3-epoxide
      and 16-methoxytabersonine-2,3-epoxide on the leaf surface. This MIA profile
      suggested that changes in tabersonine 3-reductase (T3R) activity might be
      responsible for the observed phenotype. Molecular cloning of mutant and wild type
      T3R revealed two nucleotide substitutions at cytosine residues 565 (CAT to TAT)
      and 903 (ACC to ACA) in the mutant corresponding to substitution (H189Y) and
      silent (T305T) amino acid mutations, respectively, in the protein. The single
      amino acid substitution in the mutant T3R protein diminished the biochemical
      activity of T3R by 95% that explained the reason for the low vindoline phenotype
      of the mutant. This phenotype was recessive and exhibited standard Mendelian
      single-gene inheritance. The stable formation and accumulation of epoxides in the
      M2-1865 mutant provides a dependable biological source of these two MIAs.

PMID- 28894947
TI  - Thalamic transitory ischemic attacks presenting as Jacksonian sensory march.
AB  - Spreading somatosensory symptoms appearing as Jacksonian sensory march are
      usually considered to be due to an epileptic seizure. We report on three cases in
      which these symptoms were caused by thalamic ischemia. Two patients presented
      with stereotypically recurring hemiparesthesias lasting 2-5 min that gradually
      spread from the face to the arm and leg on one side. A first cerebral magnetic
      resonance imaging including DWI was negative in both cases, whereas new thalamic
      infarctions appeared on repeated imaging when clinical symptoms remained. A third
      case with a thalamic ischemia did not show recurring events, but also presented
      with purely sensory spreading symptoms. In all three cases EEG and cardiovascular
      diagnostics revealed normal results. Pure sensory stroke has previously been
      described as a result of ischemia of the thalamus or the internal capsule
      presenting as a sudden onset hemisensory deficit, but spreading symptoms have
      rarely been reported. According to our observations, thalamic TIAs are an
      important differential diagnosis of somatosensory epileptic auras presenting with
      Jacksonian sensory march which require a different clinical management.

PMID- 28894946
TI  - An international SUrvey on non-iNvaSive tecHniques to assess the mIcrocirculation
      in patients with RayNaud's phEnomenon (SUNSHINE survey).
AB  - To canvas opinion concerning the role of non-invasive techniques in the
      assessment of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (Rp) in clinical and research
      settings: four nailfold capillaroscopy methods [videocapillaroscopy (NVC),
      dermoscopy, stereomicroscopy, digital USB microscopy], four laser Doppler methods
      (laser Doppler flowmetry, imaging, anemometry/velocimetry, laser speckle contrast
      analysis), thermographic imaging, and upper limb arterial Doppler ultrasound.
      Emails with a link to the survey were sent to physicians from the European
      Scleroderma Trials and Research group (EUSTAR), the EULAR Study Group on
      Microcirculation in Rheumatic Diseases (SG_MC/RD) and members of the pediatric
      rheumatology Email board. The main descriptive analysis related to physicians
      looking after adult patients, with some analysis also of opinions from paediatric
      rheumatologists. 106 'adult physicians' responded (a response rate of 25.8%), of
      whom 68.9% were European, and 81.1% practising for more than 10 years. Nineteen
      paediatricians responded. The most widely available technique was NVC (72.7%).
      Nailfold capillaroscopy was most frequently performed by the physician
      him/herself, using different types of equipment relating to availability. Most
      rheumatologists reported high levels of appropriateness for NVC in both clinical
      and research settings for global assessment and differential diagnosis of Rp.
      Other techniques were less used. Of all the different techniques, nailfold
      capillaroscopy was the one most used in both clinical and research settings by
      adult physicians, the majority of whom use NVC in their everyday practice. The
      low proportion of clinicians using other techniques suggests that these are
      currently mainly research tools, available only in specialist centres.

PMID- 28894948
TI  - Cardiorespiratory fitness and inflammatory profile on cardiometabolic risk in
      adolescents from the LabMed Physical Activity Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the combined effect of cardiorespiratory fitness and the
      clustered score of inflammatory biomarkers (InflaScore) on the cardiometabolic
      risk score in adolescents. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis with 529
      adolescents (267 girls) aged 12-18 years. The shuttle run test was used to assess
      cardiorespiratory fitness. Continuous scores of clustered inflammatory biomarkers
      (high sensitivity C-reactive protein, complement factors C3 and C4, fibrinogen
      and leptin); cardiometabolic risk score (systolic blood pressure, triglycerides,
      ratio total cholesterol/HDL, HOMA-IR and waist circumference) were computed.
      RESULTS: Adolescents with a higher inflammatory profile had the highest
      cardiometabolic risk score; adolescents with high InflaScore and low fitness had
      the highest odds of having a high cardiometabolic risk (OR 16.5; 95% CI 7.8
      34.5), followed by adolescents with a higher InflaScore but fit (OR 7.5; 95% CI
      3.7-8.4), and then by adolescents with a low InflaScore and unfit (OR 3.7; 95% CI
      1.6-8.4) when compared to those with low InflaScore and fit, after adjustments
      for age, sex, pubertal stage, adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern and
      socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study suggest that the
      combination of high inflammatory state and low cardiorespiratory fitness is
      synergistically associated with a significantly higher cardiometabolic risk score
      and thus supports the relevance of early targeted interventions to promote
      physical activity and preservation as part of primordial prevention.

PMID- 28894949
TI  - Diet and feeding ecology of the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) in a
      tropical forest fragment of Northeast India.
AB  - Forest fragmentation alters plant species diversity and composition, and causes
      diverse affects on the feeding behavior of wild primates. We investigated the
      feeding behavior and diet of two groups of western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock
      hoolock) inhabiting a small isolated forest patch (21 km2) in Hollongapar Gibbon
      Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, Northeast India, over a year using focal animal
      sampling. H. hoolock adults spent, on average, 35.2% of their total annual
      activity budget on feeding, and fed on young leaves, mature leaves, flowers,
      fruits, petioles, buds and also on animal matter. There was marked seasonal
      variation in the proportions of the dietary items consumed. Fruits accounted for
      an average of 51% (range 34-71% per month) of feeding time over the year. This
      highly frugivorous diet may limit the ability of the species to survive in small
      and disturbed forest fragments. A total of 54 plant species (32 families) were
      consumed by the focal groups during the study period, but there were variations
      between months in the selection of these plant species. Non-tree species such as
      lianas were among the most highly selected species in the diet. Moraceae,
      comprising ten species, was the most dominant family among the food plants,
      accounting for 36% of annual feeding time. The present study presents
      quantitative and qualitative data on dietary composition, preference and
      selection of food plants of H. hoolock in a fragmented habitat, which can
      contribute to the restoration and manipulation of degraded habitats of H.
      hoolock.

PMID- 28894950
TI  - Autism spectrum disorder: an early and frequent feature in cerebrotendinous
      xanthomatosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is an autosomal recessively
      inherited inborn error of metabolism (IEM) due to mutations in the CYP27A1 gene.
      The clinical picture ranges from being nearly asymptomatic in early childhood, up
      to severe disability at adult age. Infantile-onset diarrhea and juvenile-onset
      cataract are the earliest symptoms in childhood. In the current study, we
      evaluated the presence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a large cohort of CTX
      patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective patient file study in 77
      genetically confirmed Dutch CTX patients to determine the frequency of ASD. In
      addition, we compared plasma cholestanol levels in CTX patients with and without
      a diagnosis of ASD and tried to establish a relation between CYP27A1 genotype and
      ASD. RESULTS: In our CTX cohort, 10 patients (13%; nine pediatric and one adult)
      with ASD were identified. At the time of diagnosis of ASD, most patients only
      exhibited symptoms of diarrhea and/or intellectual disability without signs of
      cataract or neurological symptoms. No correlation was found between the presence
      of ASD and the level of cholestanol or CYP27A1 genotype. The behavioral problems
      stabilized or improved after treatment initiation with chenodeoxycholic acid
      (CDCA) in all pediatric patients. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ASD is an early
      and probably underestimated frequent feature in CTX. Metabolic screening for CTX
      should be performed in patients with ASD when accompanied by diarrhea,
      intellectual disability, juvenile cataract, and/or neurological involvement.
      Early recognition allows for earlier initiation of specific treatment and will
      improve clinical outcome. Our results add CTX to the list of treatable IEMs
      associated with ASD.

PMID- 28894951
TI  - Structural and functional characterization of mercuric reductase from
      Lysinibacillus sphaericus strain G1.
AB  - In response to the widespread presence of inorganic Hg in the environment,
      bacteria have evolved resistance systems with mercuric reductase (MerA) as the
      key enzyme. MerA enzymes have still not been well characterized from gram
      positive bacteria. Current study reports physico-chemical, kinetic and structural
      characterization of MerA from a multiple heavy metal resistant strain of
      Lysinibacillus sphaericus, and discusses its implications in bioremediation
      application. The enzyme was homodimeric with subunit molecular weight of about 60
      kDa. The Km and Vmax were found to be 32 uM of HgCl2 and 18 units/mg
      respectively. The enzyme activity was enhanced by beta-mercaptoethanol and NaCl
      up to concentrations of 500 uM and 100 mM respectively, followed by inhibition at
      higher concentrations. The enzyme showed maximum activity in the pH range of 7
      7.5 and temperature range of 25-50  degrees C, with melting temperature of 67 
      degrees C. Cu2+ exhibited pronounced inhibition of the enzyme with mixed
      inhibition pattern. The enzyme contained FAD as the prosthetic group and used
      NADPH as the preferred electron donor, but it showed slight activity with NADH as
      well. Structural characterization was carried out by circular dichroism
      spectrophotometry and X-ray crystallography. X-ray confirmed the homodimeric
      structure of enzyme and gave an insight on the residues involved in catalytic
      binding. In conclusion, the investigated enzyme showed higher catalytic
      efficiency, temperature stability and salt tolerance as compared to MerA enzymes
      from other mesophiles. Therefore, it is proposed to be a promising candidate for
      Hg2+ bioremediation.

PMID- 28894952
TI  - Characterization of brain tumours with spin-spin relaxation: pilot case study
      reveals unique T 2 distribution profiles of glioblastoma, oligodendroglioma and
      meningioma.
AB  - Prolonged spin-spin relaxation times in tumour tissue have been observed since
      some of the earliest nuclear magnetic resonance investigations of the brain. Over
      the last three decades, numerous studies have sought to characterize tumour
      morphology and malignancy using quantitative assessment of T 2 relaxation times,
      although attempts to categorize and differentiate tumours have had limited
      success. However, previous work must be interpreted with caution as relaxation
      data were typically acquired using a variety of multiple echo sequences with a
      range of echoes and T 2 decay curves and were frequently fit with monoexponential
      analysis. We defined the distribution of T 2 components in three different human
      brain tumours (glioblastoma, oligodendroglioma, meningioma) using a multi-echo
      sequence with a greater number of echoes and a longer acquisition window than
      previously used (48 echoes, data collection out to 1120 ms) with no a priori
      assumptions about the number of exponential components contributing to the T 2
      decay. T 2 relaxation times were increased in tumour tissue and each tumour
      showed a distinct T 2 distribution profile. Tumours have complex and unique
      compartmentalization characteristics. Quantitative assessment of T 2 relaxation
      in brain cancer may be useful in evaluating different grades of brain tumours on
      the basis of their T 2 distribution profile, and has the potential to be a non
      invasive diagnostic tool which may also be useful in monitoring therapy. Further
      study with a larger sample size and varying grades of tumours is warranted.

PMID- 28894953
TI  - Significant genetic association of a functional TFPI variant with circulating
      fibrinogen levels and coronary artery disease.
AB  - The tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) gene encodes a protease inhibitor with
      a critical role in regulation of blood coagulation. Some genomic variants in TFPI
      were previously associated with plasma TFPI levels, however, it remains to be
      further determined whether TFPI variants are associated with other coagulation
      factors. In this study, we carried out a large population-based study with 2313
      study subjects for blood coagulation data, including fibrinogen levels,
      prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and thrombin
      time (TT). We identified significant association of TFPI variant rs10931292 (a
      functional promoter variant with reduced transactivation) with increased plasma
      fibrinogen levels (P = 0.017 under a recessive model), but not with PT, APTT or
      TT (P > 0.05). Using a large case-control association study population with 4479
      CAD patients and 3628 controls, we identified significant association between
      rs10931292 and CAD under a recessive model (OR 1.23, P = 0.005). For the first
      time, we show that a TFPI variant is significantly associated with fibrinogen
      levels and risk of CAD. Our finding contributes significantly to the elucidation
      of the genetic basis and biological pathways responsible for fibrinogen levels
      and development of CAD.

PMID- 28894954
TI  - Maternal allocation of carotenoids increases tolerance to bacterial infection in
      brown trout.
AB  - Life-history theory predicts that iteroparous females allocate their resources
      differently among different breeding seasons depending on their residual
      reproductive value. In iteroparous salmonids there is typically much variation in
      egg size, egg number, and in the compounds that females allocate to their clutch.
      These compounds include various carotenoids whose functions are not sufficiently
      understood yet. We sampled 37 female and 35 male brown trout from natural
      streams, collected their gametes for in vitro fertilizations, experimentally
      produced 185 families in 7 full-factorial breeding blocks, raised the developing
      embryos singly (n = 2960), and either sham-treated or infected them with
      Pseudomonas fluorescens. We used female redness (as a measure of carotenoids
      stored in the skin) and their allocation of carotenoids to clutches to infer
      maternal strategies. Astaxanthin contents largely determined egg colour. Neither
      egg weight nor female size was correlated with the content of this carotenoid.
      However, astaxanthin content was positively correlated with larval growth and
      with tolerance against P. fluorescens. There was a negative correlation between
      female skin redness and the carotenoid content of their eggs. Although higher
      astaxanthin contents in the eggs were associated with an improvement of early
      fitness-related traits, some females appeared not to maximally support their
      current offspring as revealed by the negative correlation between female red skin
      colouration and egg carotenoid content. This correlation was not explained by
      female size and supports the prediction of a maternal trade-off between current
      and future reproduction.

PMID- 28894955
TI  - A flexible cell concentrator using inertial focusing.
AB  - Cell concentration adjustment is intensively implemented routinely both in
      research and clinical laboratories. Centrifuge is the most prevalent technique
      for tuning biosample concentration. But it suffers from a number of drawbacks,
      such as requirement of experienced operator, high cost, low resolution, variable
      reproducibility and induced damage to sample. Herein we report on a cost
      efficient alternative using inertial microfluidics. While the majority of
      existing literatures concentrate on inertial focusing itself, we identify the
      substantial role of the outlet system played in the device performance that has
      long been underestimated. The resistances of the outlets virtually involve in
      defining the cutoff size of a given inertial filtration channel. Following the
      comprehensive exploration of the influence of outlet system, we designed an
      inertial device with selectable outlets. Using both commercial microparticles and
      cultured Hep G2 cells, we have successfully demonstrated the automated
      concentration modification and observed several key advantages of our device as
      compared with conventional centrifuge, such as significantly reduced cell loss
      (only 4.2% vs. ~40% of centrifuge), better preservation of cell viability and
      less processing time as well as the increased reproducibility due to absence of
      manual operation. Furthermore, our device shows high effectiveness for
      concentrated sample (e.g., 1.8 * 106 cells/ml) as well. We envision its promising
      applications in the circumstance where repetitive sample preparation is intensely
      employed.

PMID- 28894956
TI  - The effect of laser power, blood perfusion, thermal and optical properties of
      human liver tissue on thermal damage in LITT.
AB  - In this work, the finite-element method (FEM) was used to predict the temperature
      distribution, and the thermal damage volume in human liver tissue subjected to
      laser in laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT). The effect of laser
      power, blood perfusion, and thermal and optical properties on maximum temperature
      and thermal damage volume were predicted using the finite-element method. A
      computer program was written in visual basic language, which was verified by
      comparing its result with data published elsewhere. The bio-heat equation
      together with the effect of linear laser source were used to simulate heat
      transfer through tissue from which the temperature distributions, and the
      subsequent thermal damage, were obtained based on Arrhenius equation. In this
      mathematical model for LITT, it was found that increasing laser power,
      absorption, and scattering coefficient increased the damage zone while increasing
      tissue water content, perfusion rate, and tissue anisotropy factor decreased the
      damage zone. These findings are important aspects for doctors in the pre
      estimation of the damage zone before starting the therapy so as to kill only the
      desired zone.

PMID- 28894958
TI  - Attitude Toward One's Circumcision Status Is More Important than Actual
      Circumcision Status for Men's Body Image and Sexual Functioning.
AB  - Research exploring the impact of circumcision on the sexual lives of men has
      failed to consider men's attitudes toward their circumcision status, which may,
      in part, help to explain inconsistent findings in the literature. The current
      study explored the potential relationship between attitudinal factors toward
      one's circumcision status, timing of one's circumcision, and sexual correlates. A
      total of 811 men (367 circumcised as neonates, 107 circumcised in childhood, 47
      circumcised in adulthood, and 290 intact) aged 19-84 years (M = 33.02, SD =
      12.54) completed an online survey. We assessed attitudes toward one's
      circumcision status, three domains of body image (Male Genital Image Scale, Body
      Exposure during Sexual Activities Questionnaire, Body Image Satisfaction Scale),
      and self-reported sexual functioning (International Index of Erectile Function).
      Men who were circumcised as adults or intact men reported higher satisfaction
      with their circumcision status than those who were circumcised neonatally or in
      childhood. Lower satisfaction with one's circumcision status-but not men's actual
      circumcision status-was associated with worse body image and sexual functioning.
      These findings identify the need to control for attitudes toward circumcision
      status in the study of sexual outcomes related to circumcision. Future research
      is required to estimate the number of men who are dissatisfied with their
      circumcision status, to explore the antecedents of distress in this
      subpopulation, and to understand the extent of negative sexual outcomes
      associated with these attitudes.

PMID- 28894957
TI  - Efficacy of a multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation outpatient program on
      exacerbations in overweight and obese patients with asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Even though many studies have investigated the effectiveness of
      weight loss interventions, the efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has not
      yet been proven in obese patients with asthma. The aims of this study were to
      investigate the efficacy of PR on asthma exacerbations in the first year after PR
      and to evaluate the efficacy of PR in exercise capacity, quality of life,
      psychosocial symptoms and control of asthma in overweight patients. METHODS: The
      exercise capacity, health-related quality of life scores, psychosocial symptoms,
      asthma control test (ACT) data, number of emergency admissions and
      hospitalizations of 35 overweight patients with asthma who completed a 1-year
      multidisciplinary PR program were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Of the
      participants 30 were female, the mean age was 45 +/- 9 years, 13 (37%) patients
      were overweight and 22 (63%) were obese. The average number of emergency
      admissions (from 1.2 +/- 1.1 to 0.3 +/- 0.8) and hospitalizations (from 0.6 +/-
      0.9 to 0.0 +/- 0.1) decreased significantly 1 year after PR (both p<0.001). After
      PR, statistically significant improvements in exercise capacity as measured by
      the incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) from 281 +/- 104 m to 339 +/- 95 m (p
      < 0.001), the endurance shuttle walking test (ESWT) from 13.3 +/- 7.4 min to 17.5
      +/- 4.5 min (p = 0.005), quality of life measured by the St. George's respiratory
      questionnaire (SGRQ total from 64 +/- 14 to 28 +/- 10, p < 0.001), dyspnea
      sensation with the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale (from 2.6 +/- 0.6 to 2.1
      +/- 0.4, p <0.001) and hospital anxiety depression scores (HADS, anxiety score
      from 9.9 +/- 1.6 to 7.1 +/- 2.1, depression score from 9.4 +/- 1.9 to 7.2 +/-
      2.3, both p < 0.001) were found. A reduction in body mass index (BMI) was found
      in obese patients only, but the fat-free mass index (FFMI) improved in both
      overweight and obese patients (from 19.00 +/- 1.90 to 19.45 +/- 2.04, p = 0.01).
      The mean ACT score increased significantly (from 18 to 21 points, p < 0.001). The
      number of patients with poorly controlled asthma decreased from 21 (60%) to 10
      (28%). CONCLUSION: This study showed that comprehensive multidisciplinary PR was
      associated with a decreased number of emergency admissions and hospitalizations
      for asthma exacerbations in 1 year, and improvements of dyspnea sensation,
      quality of life, exercise capacity, and psychosocial status in overweight and
      obese patients.

PMID- 28894959
TI  - Variation in phenology and density differentially affects predator-prey
      interactions between salamanders.
AB  - Variation in the timing of breeding (i.e., phenological variation) can affect
      species interactions and community structure, in part by shifting body size
      differences between species. Body size differences can be further altered by
      density-dependent competition, though synergistic effects of density and
      phenology on species interactions are rarely evaluated. We tested how field
      realistic variation in phenology and density affected ringed salamander
      (Ambystoma annulatum) predation on spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), and
      whether these altered salamander dynamics resulted in trophic cascades. In
      outdoor mesocosms, we experimentally manipulated ringed salamander density
      (low/high) and breeding phenology (early/late) of both species. Ringed salamander
      body size at metamorphosis, development, and growth were reduced at higher
      densities, while delayed phenology increased hatchling size and larval
      development, but reduced relative growth rates. Survival of ringed salamanders
      was affected by the interactive effects of phenology and density. In contrast,
      spotted salamander growth, size at metamorphosis, and survival, as well as the
      biomass of lower trophic levels, were negatively affected primarily by ringed
      salamander density. In an additional mesocosm experiment, we isolated whether
      ringed salamanders could deplete shared resources prior to their interactions
      with spotted salamanders, but instead found direct interactions (e.g., predation)
      were the more likely mechanism by which ringed salamanders limited spotted
      salamanders. Overall, our results indicate the effects of phenological
      variability on fitness-related traits can be modified or superseded by
      differences in density dependence. Identifying such context dependencies will
      lead to greater insight into when phenological variation will likely alter
      species interactions.

PMID- 28894960
TI  - Cadmium effects on some energy metabolism variables in Cnesterodon decemmaculatus
      adults.
AB  - This work is focused on the responses of some energy metabolism variables in
      Cnesterodon decemmaculatus adults exposed to cadmium under controlled laboratory
      conditions. This species has been used as bioindicator for evaluating the effects
      of different chemicals on diverse biological processes and is frequently used as
      test organism in ecotoxicity studies that include cadmium as reference toxicant.
      Animals were exposed for 12 days to the following concentrations: 0, 0.45, and
      0.8 mg Cd/L. Food intake, fecal production, specific assimilation, condition
      factor, mortality percentage, oxygen consumption, oxygen extraction efficiency,
      specific metabolic rate, ammonia excretion, and ammonia quotient were measured.
      The overall balance was expressed as scope for growth (SFG). Cadmium-exposed
      groups showed a significant decrease in food assimilation and condition factor at
      the end of the exposure. There was an increase in specific metabolic rate and a
      decrease in SFG in the group exposed to 0.8 mg Cd/L. The condition factor and the
      SFG appeared as sensitive biomarkers of health status and growth of the animals,
      respectively. Cadmium-exposed fish reduced food intake, which was reflected in a
      decreased assimilation with concomitant decline in the external energy supply
      from feeding. Our results highlight the importance of considering the metabolic
      status of the test organisms when analyzing the responses of the biomarkers
      usually used as effect parameters in ecotoxicological evaluations under
      experimental conditions.

PMID- 28894961
TI  - Digital soil mapping using remote sensing indices, terrain attributes, and
      vegetation features in the rangelands of northeastern Iran.
AB  - Digital soil mapping has been introduced as a viable alternative to the
      traditional mapping methods due to being fast and cost-effective. The objective
      of the present study was to investigate the capability of the vegetation features
      and spectral indices as auxiliary variables in digital soil mapping models to
      predict soil properties. A region with an area of 1225 ha located in Bajgiran
      rangelands, Khorasan Razavi province, northeastern Iran, was chosen. A total of
      137 sampling sites, each containing 3-5 plots with 10-m interval distance along a
      transect established based on randomized-systematic method, were investigated. In
      each plot, plant species names and numbers as well as vegetation cover percentage
      (VCP) were recorded, and finally one composite soil sample was taken from each
      transect at each site (137 soil samples in total). Terrain attributes were
      derived from a digital elevation model, different bands and spectral indices were
      obtained from the Landsat7 ETM+ images, and vegetation features were calculated
      in the plots, all of which were used as auxiliary variables to predict soil
      properties using artificial neural network, gene expression programming, and
      multivariate linear regression models. According to R 2 RMSE and MBE values,
      artificial neutral network was obtained as the most accurate soil properties
      prediction function used in scorpan model. Vegetation features and indices were
      more effective than remotely sensed data and terrain attributes in predicting
      soil properties including calcium carbonate equivalent, clay, bulk density, total
      nitrogen, carbon, sand, silt, and saturated moisture capacity. It was also shown
      that vegetation indices including NDVI, SAVI, MSAVI, SARVI, RDVI, and DVI were
      more effective in estimating the majority of soil properties compared to separate
      bands and even some soil spectral indices.

PMID- 28894963
TI  - Efficacy of hemofiltration with PEPA membrane for IL-6 removal in a rat sepsis
      model.
AB  - Recently, intensive care physicians have focused on continuous hemodiafiltration
      with a cytokine-adsorbing hemofilter in the treatment of sepsis. We aimed to
      establish extracorporeal circulation in a rat sepsis model to evaluate the
      cytokine removal properties of mini-modules using two types of membrane
      materials. Rats were divided into polyester polymer alloy (PEPA) and cellulose
      triacetate (CTA) groups as membrane materials of mini-modules. One hour after 0.1
      mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide administration, continuous hemofiltration (CHF) was
      started in each group. Plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), an important mediator of
      sepsis, was measured over time during hemofiltration. The peak IL-6 concentration
      in PEPA group was approximately 13,000 pg/mL, in comparison to approximately
      31,000 pg/mL in CTA group. IL-6 clearance in PEPA group was much more than CTA
      group. Since IL-6 was not detected in the filtrate in PEPA group, it was
      considered that IL-6 was adsorbed to the membrane. In conclusion, our results
      suggest that CHF with PEPA hemofilter can be suitable for removing IL-6 from the
      blood stream efficiently.

PMID- 28894962
TI  - Ring chromosomes: from formation to clinical potential.
AB  - Ring chromosomes (RCs) are circular DNA molecules, which occur rarely in
      eukaryotic nuclear genomes. Lilian Vaughan Morgan first described them in the
      fruit fly. Human embryos very seldom have RCs, about 1:50,000. Carriers of RCs
      may have varying degrees of symptoms, from healthy phenotype to serious
      pathologies in physical and intellectual development. Many authors describe
      common symptoms of RC presence: short stature and some developmental delay that
      could be described as a "ring chromosome syndrome." As a rule, RCs arise de novo
      through the end-joining of two DNA double-strand breaks, telomere-subtelomere
      junction, or inv dup del rearrangement in both meiosis and mitosis. There are
      family cases of RC inheritance. The presence of RCs causes numerous secondary
      chromosome rearrangements in vivo and in vitro. RCs can change their size, become
      lost, or increase their copy number and cause additional deletions, duplication,
      and translocations, affecting both RCs and other chromosomes. In this review, we
      examine RC inheritance, instability, mechanisms of formation, and potential
      clinical applications of artificially created RCs for large-scale chromosome
      rearrangement treatment.

PMID- 28894965
TI  - Quantifying the effects of LUCCs on local temperatures, precipitation, and wind
      using the WRF model.
AB  - Land use/cover changes (LUCCs) are an important cause of regional climate
      changes, but the contribution of LUCCs to regional climate changes is not clear.
      In this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and statistical
      methods were used to investigate changes in meteorologic variables in January,
      April, July, and October 2013 due to local LUCCs from 1990 to 2010 in southern
      Shandong province, China. The results indicate that the WRF model simulates
      temperatures in the region well, with high correlation coefficients (0.86-0.97, p
      < 0.001) between the modeled and measured values. The model simulates
      precipitation less well, with correlation coefficients of 0.41-0.91, but they are
      all at statistically significant levels, with p < 0.05. During the 20-year
      period, the LUCCs in the study area consisted mainly of conversions from dry land
      to urbanized land (747.3 km2) and bare/sparse vegetation (132.4 km2). The LUCCs
      caused a 0.16  degrees C temperature increase in January and October and 0.01 and
      0.18  degrees C temperature decreases in April and July, respectively. The range
      of temperature changes over mixed forest and water bodies due to the LUCCs was
      wide (0.39-1.31  degrees C) and was narrower over deciduous broadleaf forest and
      wetland (0.01 to 0.06  degrees C). The LUCCs did not change the precipitation
      greatly in January, April, and October but did affect the precipitation in July
      substantially, causing a decrease of 23.71 mm. The LUCCs did not affect wind
      speed and direction substantially during these four months: average wind speeds
      increased by 0.02 and 0.01 m/s in January and October, respectively, and
      decreased by 0.02 and 0.05 m/s in April and July, respectively. Overall, The
      LUCCs affected spring temperatures the least and summer precipitation the most.

PMID- 28894964
TI  - Macrophages Generate Pericytes in the Developing Brain.
AB  - Pericytes are defined by their anatomical location encircling blood vessels'
      walls with their long projections. The exact embryonic sources of cerebral
      pericytes remain poorly understood, especially because of their recently revealed
      diversity. Yamamoto et al. (Sci Rep 7(1):3855, 2017) using state-of-the-art
      techniques, including several transgenic mice models, reveal that a subpopulation
      of brain pericytes are derived from phagocytic macrophages during vascular
      development. This work highlights a new possible ancestor of brain pericytes. The
      emerging knowledge from this research may provide new approaches for the
      treatment of several neurodevelopmental disorders in the future.

PMID- 28894967
TI  - Villaret syndrome as clinical presentation of occult metastatic breast cancer.

PMID- 28894966
TI  - Targeting cancer-specific glycans by cyclic peptide lectinomimics.
AB  - The transformation from normal to malignant phenotype in human cancers is
      associated with aberrant cell-surface glycosylation. Thus, targeting
      glycosylation changes in cancer is likely to provide not only better insight into
      the roles of carbohydrates in biological systems, but also facilitate the
      development of new molecular probes for bioanalytical and biomedical
      applications. In the reported study, we have synthesized lectinomimics based on
      odorranalectin 1; the smallest lectin-like cyclic peptide isolated from the frog
      Odorrana grahami skin, and assessed the ability of these peptides to bind
      specific carbohydrates on molecular and cellular levels. In addition, we have
      shown that the disulfide bond found in 1 can be replaced with a lactam bridge.
      However, the orientation of the lactam bridge, peptides 2 and 3, influenced
      cyclic peptide's conformation and thus these peptides' ability to bind
      carbohydrates. Naturally occurring 1 and its analog 3 that adopt similar
      conformation in water bind preferentially L-fucose, and to a lesser degree D
      galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, typically found within the mucin O-glycan
      core structures. In cell-based assays, peptides 1 and 3 showed a similar binding
      profile to Aleuria aurantia lectin and these two peptides inhibited the migration
      of metastatic breast cancer cell lines in a Transwell assay. Altogether, the
      reported data demonstrate the feasibility of designing lectinomimics based on
      cyclic peptides.

PMID- 28894968
TI  - Lysosomal defects in ATP13A2 and GBA associated familial Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Genes encoding lysosomal proteins, such as ATP13A2 and GBA, are associated with
      familial Parkinson's disease (PD). Heterozygous mutations in GBA are strongly
      associated with familial PD. ATP13A2, which encodes a lysosomal P-type ATPase,
      has been identified as the causative gene for Kufor-Rakeb syndrome. While
      lysosomal dysfunction due to these mutations exhibited early onset Parkinsonism,
      each animal model demonstrated different pathological mechanisms. Clinicogenetic
      and animal model studies recently identified several lysosomal alterations that
      play a role in the pathogenesis of PD.

PMID- 28894969
TI  - Categorical Speech Perception in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions.
AB  - This study tested whether individuals with autism spectrum conditions (n = 23)
      show enhanced discrimination of acoustic differences that signal a linguistic
      contrast (i.e., /g/ versus /k/ as in 'goat' and 'coat') and whether they process
      such differences in a less categorical fashion as compared with 23 IQ-matched
      typically developed adults. Tasks administered were nonverbal IQ, verbal IQ, 5
      language measures, a speech perception task, and the ADOS. The speech perception
      task measured the discrimination of paired exemplars along the /g/-/k/ continuum.
      Individuals with autism spectrum conditions did not show enhanced discrimination
      of speech perception. Categorical speech perception was correlated with verbal
      ability of reading, lexical decision, and verbal IQ in individuals with autism
      spectrum conditions.

PMID- 28894970
TI  - Timing of surgery for ruptured supratentorial arteriovenous malformations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are conflicting opinions regarding the optimal waiting time to
      perform surgery after rupture of supratentorial arteriovenous malformations
      (AVMs) to achieve the best possible outcome. OBJECTIVE: To analyze factors
      influencing outcomes for ruptured supratentorial AVMs after surgery, paying
      particular attention to the timing of the surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively
      investigated 59 patients admitted to our center between 2000 and 2014 for
      surgical treatment of ruptured supratentorial AVMs. We evaluated the effect of
      timing of surgery and other variables on the outcome at 2-4 months (early
      outcome), at 12 months (intermediate outcome) after surgery, and at final follow
      up at the end of 2016 (late outcome). RESULTS: Age over 40 years (OR 18.4; 95% CI
      1.9-172.1; p = 0.011), high Hunt and Hess grade (4 or 5) before surgery (OR 13.5;
      95% CI 2.1-89.2; p = 0.007), hydrocephalus on admission (OR 12.9; 95% CI 1.8
      94.4; p = 0.011), and over 400 cm3 bleeding during surgery (OR 11.5; 95% CI 1.5
      86.6; p = 0.017) were associated with an unfavorable early outcome. Age over 40
      years (OR 62.8; 95% CI 2.6-1524.9; p = 0.011), associated aneurysms (OR 34.7; 95%
      CI 1.4-829.9; p = 0.029), high Hunt and Hess grade before surgery (OR 29.2; 95%
      CI 2.6-332.6; p = 0.007), and over 400 cm3 bleeding during surgery (OR 35.3; 95%
      CI 1.7-748.7; p = 0.022) were associated with an unfavorable intermediate
      outcome. Associated aneurysms (OR 8.2; 95% CI 1.2-55.7; p = 0.031), high Hunt and
      Hess grade before surgery (OR 5.7; 95% CI 1.3-24.3; p = 0.019), and over 400 cm3
      bleeding during surgery (OR 5.8; 95% CI 1.2-27.3; p = 0.027) were associated with
      an unfavorable outcome at last follow-up. Elapsed time between rupture and
      surgery did not affect early or final outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Early surgery in
      patients with ruptured supratentorial arteriovenous malformation is feasible
      strategy, with late results comparable to those achieved with delayed surgery.
      Many other factors than timing of surgery play significant roles in long-term
      outcomes for surgically treated ruptured supratentorial AVMs.

PMID- 28894971
TI  - Identification of genes associated with primary open-angle glaucoma by
      bioinformatics approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify associated genes with primary open-angle
      glaucoma (POAG) and explore the potentially modular mechanism underlying POAG.
      METHODS: We downloaded gene expression profiles data GSE27276 from gene
      expression omnibus and identified differentially expressed genes between POAG
      patients and normal controls. Then, gene ontology analysis and kyoto encyclopedia
      of genes and genomes pathway enrichment were performed to predict the DEGs
      functions, followed with the construction, centrality analysis, and module mining
      of protein-protein interaction network. RESULTS: A total of 552 DEGs including
      249 up-regulated and 303 down-regulated genes were identified. The up-regulated
      DEGs were significantly involved in cell adhesion molecule, while the down
      regulated DEGs were significantly involved in complement and coagulation
      cascades. Centrality analysis screened out 20 genes, among which COL4A4, COL3A1,
      COL1A2, ITGB5, COL5A2, and COL5A1 were shared in ECM-receptor interaction and
      focal adhesion pathways. In the sub-network, COL5A2, COL8A2, and COL5A1 were
      significantly enriched in biological function of eye morphogenesis and eye
      development, while LAMA5, COL3A1, COL1A2, and COL5A1 were significantly enriched
      in vasculature development and blood vessel development. CONCLUSIONS: Six genes,
      including COL4A4, COL3A1, COL1A2, ITGB5, COL5A2, and COL5A1, ECM-receptor
      interaction and focal adhesion pathway, are potentially involved in the
      pathogenesis of POAG via participating in pathways of ECM-receptor interaction
      and focal adhesion.

PMID- 28894973
TI  - Decreased serum extracellular superoxide dismutase activity is associated with
      albuminuria in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the activity of serum extracellular
      superoxide dismutase (ecSOD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and
      healthy subjects, and to determine the prospective association between baseline
      serum ecSOD activity and the subsequent risk of albuminuria progression in a
      cohort of Chinese T2DM patients. METHODS: A total of 458 T2DM patients and 100
      healthy subjects were assessed. After a median follow-up of 7.7 months, 319
      patients with baseline normoalbuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio
      [UACR] <30 mg/g) and 77 patients with baseline microalbuminuria (UACR = 30-299
      mg/g) were divided into progression and non-progression groups according to UACR
      changes. Serum ecSOD activity was determined by the autoxidation of pyrogallol
      method. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used for investigating the
      predictors for albuminuria progression. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls
      (174.5 +/- 25.1 U/mL), serum ecSOD activity significantly decreased in T2DM
      patients with normoalbuminuria (114.9 +/- 13.2 U/mL), with microalbuminuria
      (106.6 +/- 16.3 U/mL), and with macroalbuminuria (97.1 +/- 18.2 U/mL) (all P <
      0.001). Serum ecSOD activity was associated with albuminuria (odds ratio [OR] =
      1.028, P = 0.004) in T2DM patients. Baseline serum ecSOD activity (hazard ratio
      [HR] = 0.902, 95% CI 0.877-0.928, P < 0.001) was an independent predictor for
      albuminuria progression. CONCLUSION: Serum ecSOD activity may be useful for
      predicting the future risk of albuminuria progression in Chinese T2DM patients.

PMID- 28894972
TI  - Gene regulation of mammalian long non-coding RNA.
AB  - RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcribes two classes of RNAs, protein-coding and
      non-protein-coding (ncRNA) genes. ncRNAs are also synthesized by RNA polymerases
      I and III (Pol I and III). In humans, the number of ncRNA genes exceeds more than
      twice that of protein-coding genes. However, the history of studying Pol II
      synthesized ncRNA is relatively short. Since early 2000s, important biological
      and pathological functions of these ncRNA genes have begun to be discovered and
      intensively studied. And transcription mechanisms of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)
      have been recently reported. Transcription of lncRNAs utilizes some transcription
      factors and mechanisms shared in that of protein-coding genes. In addition,
      tissue specificity in lncRNA gene expression has been shown. LncRNAs play
      essential roles in regulating the expression of neighboring or distal genes
      through different mechanisms. This leads to the implication of lncRNAs in a wide
      variety of biological pathways and pathological development. In this review, the
      newly discovered transcription mechanisms, characteristics, and functions of
      lncRNA are discussed.

PMID- 28894974
TI  - FOXP3+ T cells are present in kidney biopsy samples in children with
      tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) is an inflammatory disease of
      unknown pathogenesis. To evaluate a possible role of regulatory T cells (Tregs)
      in the pathophysiology of TIN with (TINU) and without uveitis, we investigated
      the presence and quantity of FOXP3+ T regulatory lymphocytes in diagnostic kidney
      biopsies from pediatric patients. METHODS: A total of 33 patients (14 TIN and 19
      TINU) were enrolled. The quantity of CD4+, FOXP3+ and double-positive T cells in
      formalin-fixed kidney biopsies was determined using double label
      immunohistochemistry with anti-human CD4 and FOXP3 antibodies. RESULTS: FOXP3
      staining was successful in all 33 patients. In patients with chronic uveitis, the
      density of FOXP3+ cells was significantly lower (p = 0.046) than in TIN patients
      without uveitis or with uveitis lasting <3 months. CD4+ staining was successful
      in 23 patients. The density of all lymphocytes (CD4+, CD4+FOXP3+ and FOXP3+
      cells) was significantly lower (p = 0.023) in patients with chronic uveitis than
      in other patients. CONCLUSIONS: FOXP3+ T cells are present in kidney biopsy
      samples from TIN and TINU patients. In patients with chronic uveitis, the density
      of FOXP3+ T cells is significantly lower than in other patients, suggesting a
      different pathomechanism for these clinical conditions.

PMID- 28894975
TI  - Reperfusion of the choriocapillaris observed using optical coherence tomography
      angiography in hypertensive choroidopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) can visualize the
      vascular status of the choriocapillaris noninvasively and separately from the
      other vascular beds. We describe focal ischemia in the choriocapillaris and
      reperfusion of the area in hypertensive choroidopathy using en-face OCTA. CASE: A
      32-year-old woman diagnosed with pregnancy-induced hypertension presented with
      acute anorthopia in the right eye after delivery via Caesarian section. Fundus
      examination showed an Elschnig's spot and serous retinal detachment (SRD) in the
      inferior perifoveal region. Early-phase fluorescein angiography and indocyanine
      green angiography images showed focally delayed choroidal perfusion, i.e.,
      regional absence of choroidal flush. OCTA also showed a focal dark area in a slab
      of the choriocapillaris corresponding to the angiographic observation. After oral
      antihypertensive treatment, the dark area on the OCTA image of the
      choriocapillaris resolved over time in association with the resolving SRD.
      CONCLUSION: En-face OCTA is a useful technology to follow noninvasively the
      circulatory status of the choriocapillaris in hypertensive choroidopathy.

PMID- 28894977
TI  - Varicella Coinfection in Patients with Active Monkeypox in the Democratic
      Republic of the Congo.
AB  - From 2006 to 2007, an active surveillance program for human monkeypox (MPX) in
      the Democratic Republic of the Congo identified 151 cases of coinfection with
      monkeypox virus and varicella zoster virus from 1158 suspected cases of human MPX
      (13%). Using clinical and socio-demographic data collected with standardized
      instruments by trained, local nurse supervisors, we examined a variety of
      hypotheses to explain the unexpectedly high proportion of coinfections among the
      sample, including the hypothesis that the two viruses occur independently. The
      probabilities of disease incidence and selection necessary to yield the observed
      sample proportion of coinfections under an assumption of independence are
      plausible given what is known and assumed about human MPX incidence. Cases of
      human MPX are expected to be underreported, and more coinfections are expected
      with improved surveillance.

PMID- 28894976
TI  - Implicating anaesthesia and the perioperative period in cancer recurrence and
      metastasis.
AB  - Cancer, currently the leading cause of death in the population aged less than 85
      years, poses a significant global disease burden and is anticipated to continue
      to increase in incidence in both developed and developing nations. A substantial
      proportion of cancers are amenable to surgery, with more than 60% of patients
      undergoing tumour resection. Up to 80% of patients will receive anaesthesia for
      diagnostic, therapeutic or palliative intervention. Alarmingly, retrospective
      studies have implicated surgical stress in disease progression that is
      predominantly characterised by metastatic disease-the primary cause of cancer
      associated mortality. Our understanding of the mechanisms of surgical stress and
      impact of perioperative interventions is, however, far from complete.
      Accumulating evidence from preclinical studies suggests that adrenergic
      inflammatory pathways may contribute to cancer progression. Importantly, these
      pathways are amenable to modulation by adapting surgical (e.g. minimally invasive
      surgery) and anaesthetic technique (e.g. general vs. neuraxial anaesthesia).
      Disturbingly, drugs used for general anaesthesia (e.g. inhalational vs.
      intravenous anaesthesia and potentially opioid analgesia) may also affect
      behaviour of tumour cells and immune cells, suggesting that choice of anaesthetic
      agent may also be linked to adverse long-term cancer outcomes. Critically,
      current clinical practice guidelines on the use of anaesthetic techniques,
      anaesthetic agents and perioperative adjuvants (e.g. anti-inflammatory drugs)
      during cancer surgery do not take into account their potential effect on cancer
      outcomes due to a lack of robust prospective data. To help address this gap, we
      provide an up-to-date review of current clinical evidence supporting or refuting
      the role of perioperative stress, anaesthetic techniques and anaesthetic agents
      in cancer progression and review pre-clinical studies that provide insights into
      biological mechanisms.

PMID- 28894978
TI  - Hydrogen-Rich Saline Ameliorates Allergic Rhinitis by Reversing the Imbalance of
      Th1/Th2 and Up-Regulation of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Regulatory T Cells, Interleukin-10,
      and Membrane-Bound Transforming Growth Factor-beta in Guinea Pigs.
AB  - It is well known that CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg cells play an important role in the
      development of allergic rhinitis (AR); the defect of cell numbers and functions
      contribute to AR. Hydrogen has been proven effective in alleviating symptoms of
      AR. We herein aim to verify the protective effects of hydrogen on
      CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg cells in guinea pigs with AR and to explore the effect of
      hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) on CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg cells in animals with AR and
      investigate the underlying anti-inflammatory mechanism. Eighteen guinea pigs were
      randomly divided into three groups (control group/AR group/AR-HRS group). The
      guinea pigs were injected with hydrogen-rich saline (AR-HRS group) for 10 days
      after sensitization. The control group was injected with an equal volume of
      normal saline. The number of sneezes, degree of runny nose, and nasal-rubbing
      movements were scored. Peripheral blood eosinophil count was recorded. The
      proportions of Th1/Th2 of the peripheral blood and the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells in
      the CD4+T cells of the spleen and peripheral blood were determined by flow
      cytometry. The content of interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor
      (TGF)-beta in the serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA). The protein and mRNA expression of Foxp3, IL-10, and TGF-beta were
      determined by Western blot, immunofluorescence, and real-time PCR analysis,
      respectively. Scores of symptoms, number of eosinophils,and nasal mucosa damage
      were dramatically reduced after HRS treatment. HRS increased the expression of
      Foxp3, IL-10, TGF-beta, and number of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg cells, which were
      reduced in AR. HRS also revised the dysregulation of Th1/Th2 balance. Both the
      number and biological activity of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg cells increased with up
      regulation of Th1/Th2 after HRS administration. HRS could play a protective role
      in attenuating AR through improving the proportion and functions of
      CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Treg cells.

PMID- 28894979
TI  - Cuticular Hydrocarbons of Tribolium confusum Larvae Mediate Trail Following and
      Host Recognition in the Ectoparasitoid Holepyris sylvanidis.
AB  - Parasitic wasps which attack insects infesting processed stored food need to
      locate their hosts hidden inside these products. Their host search is well-known
      to be guided by host kairomones, perceived via olfaction or contact. Among
      contact kairomones, host cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) may provide reliable
      information for a parasitoid. However, the chemistry of CHC profiles of hosts
      living in processed stored food products is largely unknown. Here we showed that
      the ectoparasitoid Holepyris sylvanidis uses CHCs of its host Tribolium confusum,
      a worldwide stored product pest, as kairomones for host location and recognition
      at short range. Chemical analysis of T. confusum larval extracts by gas
      chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry revealed a rich blend of long-chain
      (C25-C30) hydrocarbons, including n-alkanes, mono-, and dimethylalkanes. We
      further studied whether host larvae leave sufficient CHCs on a substrate where
      they walk along, thus allowing parasitoids to perceive a CHC trail and follow it
      to their host larvae. We detected 18 CHCs on a substrate that had been exposed to
      host larvae. These compounds were also found in crude extracts of host larvae and
      made up about a fifth of the CHC amount extracted. Behavioral assays showed that
      trails of host CHCs were followed by the parasitoids and reduced their searching
      time until successful host recognition. Host CHC trails deposited on different
      substrates were persistent for about a day. Hence, the parasitoid H. sylvanidis
      exploits CHCs of T. confusum larvae for host finding by following host CHC trails
      and for host recognition by direct contact with host larvae.

PMID- 28894980
TI  - Short communication: using infrared thermography as an in situ measure of core
      body temperature in lot-fed Angus steers.
AB  - Thirty-six Black Angus steers were used in a replicated study; three replicates
      of 12 steers/replicate. Steers had an initial non-fasted BW of 392.3 +/- 5.1,
      427.5 +/- 6.3, and 392.7 +/- 3.7 kg for each replicate, respectively. Steers were
      housed outside in individual animal pens (10 m * 3.4 m). Each replicate was
      conducted over a 6-day period where infrared thermography (IRT) images were
      collected at 3-h intervals, commencing at 0600 h on day 1 and concluding at 0600
      h on day 6. Rumen temperatures (T RUM) were measured at 10-min intervals for the
      duration of each replicate using a radio-frequency identification (RFID) rumen
      bolus. These data were used to determine the relationship with surface
      temperature of the cattle, which was determined using IRT. Individual T RUM were
      converted to an hourly average. The relationship between T RUM and surface
      temperature was determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. There were no
      linear trends between mean hourly T RUM and mean surface temperature. Pearson's
      correlation coefficient indicated that there were weak associations (r <= 0.1; P
      < 0.003) between T RUM and body surface temperature. These data suggest that
      there was little relationship between the surface temperature and T RUM.

PMID- 28894981
TI  - Comparative study of esterases in deltamethrin and diazinon resistant
      Rhipicephalus microplus and Hyalomma anatolicum ticks collected from the Trans
      Gangetic plains of India.
AB  - A comparative analysis of esterases in susceptible and resistant ticks revealed
      six types of esterases (EST-1b, EST-2b, EST-3b, EST-4b, EST-5b and EST-6b) in
      Rhipicephalus microplus and four types (EST-1h, EST-2h, EST-3h, EST-4h) in
      Hyalomma anatolicum using alpha-naphthyl acetate substrate. Inhibition studies
      with eserine sulfate, p-chloromercuribenzoate, copper sulphate and
      phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride revealed a marked variation in band intensity
      between susceptible and resistant ticks, with the latter being more intense.
      Qualitative expression of EST-4b along with an extra band of EST-5b and EST-6b
      were indicative of deltamethrin and diazinon resistance in R. microplus, whereas
      qualitative expression of EST-4h was probably responsible for diazinon resistance
      in H. anatolicum. The data suggest that increased esterase activity may represent
      a detoxification strategy leading to the development of resistance in these tick
      populations.

PMID- 28894982
TI  - Severe depression more common in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ than
      early-stage invasive breast cancer patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is associated with an excellent
      prognosis; historical studies have shown similar levels of psychological distress
      in patients with DCIS and with early-stage invasive breast cancer (early-IBC). It
      is suggested that these results might have led to better patient education about
      prognosis after DCIS. This study reports the current levels of anxiety,
      depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in DCIS and early-IBC
      patients. METHODS: DCIS (n = 89) and early-IBC patients, T1-2N0, (n = 361) were
      selected from the UMBRELLA breast cancer cohort. Patient-reported outcomes were
      prospectively collected before the start of adjuvant radiotherapy (baseline) and
      at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months thereafter. Mixed models were used to compare
      differences in levels of anxiety, depression, and HRQoL between DCIS and early
      IBC patients. RESULTS: DCIS and early-IBC patients reported similar levels of
      anxiety, which were highest at baseline. Depression scores were comparable
      between groups, also after stratification by use of adjuvant chemotherapy. The
      proportion of patients reporting high-risk depression scores (i.e., Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Sale score >8) was significantly higher among patients
      with DCIS at 6, 12 and 18 months, and this proportion increased over the first 18
      months. Health-related quality of life was comparable between both groups.
      CONCLUSION: Severe depression scores are more common in DCIS patients, despite
      their excellent prognosis. These results suggest that further improvement of
      patient education and effective patient doctor communication about the prognostic
      differences between patients with DCIS and invasive breast cancer is still highly
      needed.

PMID- 28894983
TI  - Earlier day of blastocyst development is predictive of embryonic euploidy across
      all ages: essential data for physician decision-making and counseling patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether day of blastocyst
      development is associated with embryo chromosomal status as determined by high
      density oligonucleotide microarray comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH).
      METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort analysis, including women who underwent
      in vitro fertilization (IVF) with trophectoderm biopsy at a single private
      fertility center from January 2014 to December 2014. Repeat cycles were excluded.
      Cycles were assessed for percentage of blastocysts biopsied on days 5, 6, or 7
      and rate of euploid embryos per cycle. Cycles were stratified by Society for
      Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) age groups (< 35, 35-37, 38-40, 41-42, >
      42) and by donor status. RESULTS: A total of 388 IVF cycles and 2132 biopsied
      blastocysts were evaluated. The percentages of blastocysts biopsied on days 5, 6,
      and 7 were 62.5, 35.8, and 1.7%, respectively. Blastocyst euploid rates on days
      5, 6, and 7 were 49.5, 36.5, and 32.9%, respectively. Earlier blastocyst
      development was associated with a significantly increased euploid rate (p <
      0.0001). Younger maternal age (p < 0.0001) and higher number of blastocysts
      biopsied per patient (p = 0.0063) were both independently associated with greater
      percentage of euploidy. CONCLUSIONS: Earlier blastocyst development is
      independently associated with a higher likelihood of embryonic euploidy in both
      autologous and donor embryos. In non-biopsied embryos, these data support
      selection of day 5 blastocysts for transfer over later-developing embryos. These
      results can assist with patient counseling regarding expectations and outcomes.
      To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine embryonic euploidy as
      stratified by both day of blastocyst development and SART age group.

PMID- 28894984
TI  - Multifidelity-CMA: a multifidelity approach for efficient personalisation of 3D
      cardiac electromechanical models.
AB  - Personalised computational models of the heart are of increasing interest for
      clinical applications due to their discriminative and predictive abilities.
      However, the simulation of a single heartbeat with a 3D cardiac electromechanical
      model can be long and computationally expensive, which makes some practical
      applications, such as the estimation of model parameters from clinical data (the
      personalisation), very slow. Here we introduce an original multifidelity approach
      between a 3D cardiac model and a simplified "0D" version of this model, which
      enables to get reliable (and extremely fast) approximations of the global
      behaviour of the 3D model using 0D simulations. We then use this multifidelity
      approximation to speed-up an efficient parameter estimation algorithm, leading to
      a fast and computationally efficient personalisation method of the 3D model. In
      particular, we show results on a cohort of 121 different heart geometries and
      measurements. Finally, an exploitable code of the 0D model with scripts to
      perform parameter estimation will be released to the community.

PMID- 28894985
TI  - Virulence analysis of Staphylococcus aureus in a rabbit model of infected full
      thickness wound under negative pressure wound therapy.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus in a
      controlled animal study using the standard sterile gauze and negative pressure
      wound therapy (NPWT), including activation of agr, gene expression and production
      of virulence foctors and depth of bacterial invasion. The tissue specimens were
      harvested on days 0 (6 h after bacterial inoculation), 2, 4, 6, and 8 at the
      center of wound beds. Laser scanning confocal microscopy was performed to obtain
      bioluminescent images which were used to measure the depth of bacterial invasion.
      The agrA expression of S.aureus and the transcription and production of virulence
      factors including Eap, Spa and alpha-toxin were significantly different. The
      bacterial invasion depth was significantly less with effect of NPWT. The markedly
      different activation of quorum sensing systems that enable cell-to-cell
      communication and regulation of numerous colonization and virulence factors
      result in distinct gene expression and pathogenicity over time in different
      microenvironment. Thus, the agr system represents a fundamental regulatory
      paradigm that can encompass different adaptive strategies and accommodate
      horizontally acquired virulence determinants.

PMID- 28894986
TI  - Fertility Intentions, Pregnancy, and Use of PrEP and ART for Safer Conception
      Among East African HIV Serodiscordant Couples.
AB  - African HIV serodiscordant couples often desire pregnancy, despite sexual HIV
      transmission risk during pregnancy attempts. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and
      antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduce HIV risk and can be leveraged for safer
      conception but how well these strategies are used for safer conception is not
      known. We conducted an open-label demonstration project of the integrated
      delivery of PrEP and ART among 1013 HIV serodiscordant couples from Kenya and
      Uganda followed quarterly for 2 years. We evaluated fertility intentions,
      pregnancy incidence, the use of PrEP and ART during peri-conception, and peri
      conception HIV incidence. At enrollment, 80% of couples indicated a desire for
      more children. Pregnancy incidence rates were 18.5 and 18.7 per 100 person years
      among HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected women, and higher among women who recently
      reported fertility intention (adjusted odds ratio 3.43, 95% CI 2.38-4.93) in
      multivariable GEE models. During the 6 months preceding pregnancy, 82.9% of
      couples used PrEP or ART and there were no HIV seroconversions. In this cohort
      with high pregnancy rates, integrated PrEP and ART was readily used by HIV
      serodiscordant couples, including during peri-conception periods. Widespread
      scale-up of safer conception counseling and services is warranted to respond to
      strong desires for pregnancy among HIV-affected men and women.

PMID- 28894987
TI  - The induction of apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells by
      combined treatment with vitamin C and polysaccharides extracted from Grifola
      frondosa.
AB  - Polysaccharides extracted from the mushroom Grifola frondosa (GFP) are a
      potential anticancer agent. The objective of this study was to investigate the
      effect of GFP and vitamin C (VC) alone and in combination on the viability of
      human hepatocarcinoma SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells. Studies designed to detect cell
      apoptosis and autophagy were also conducted to investigate the mechanism. Results
      from the cell viability assay indicated that a combination of GFP (0.2 or 0.25
      mg/mL) and VC (0.3 mmol/L) (GFP/VC) led to 52.73 and 53.93% reduction in cell
      viability of SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells separately after 24 h. Flow cytometric
      analysis indicated that GFP/VC treatment induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M
      phase, and apoptosis occurred in approximately 43.62 and 42.46% of the SMMC-7721
      and HepG2 cells separately. Moreover, results of Hoechst33258 and
      monodansylcadaverine staining, and transmission electron microscopy, showed that
      GFP/VC induced apoptosis and autophagy in SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells. Western blot
      analysis showed changes in the expression of apoptosis-related proteins
      [upregulation of BAX and caspase-3, downregulation of Bcl-2, and activation of
      poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase] and autophagy protein markers (upregulation of
      beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain-3). We also
      demonstrated that the expression of both Akt and p-Akt was enhanced, suggesting
      the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway might not be involved in this process. Our study shows
      that the combined application of GFP and VC induced cell apoptosis and autophagy
      in vitro, and might have antitumor activity in vivo.

PMID- 28894988
TI  - How tandem gait stumbled into the neurological exam: a review.
AB  - Tandem gait testing is an integral part of the neurological exam. It is
      informative in a wide variety of disorders ranging from cerebellar disease to
      vestibular and peripheral neuropathies, parkinsonism, and other neurodegenerative
      conditions. We discuss the history and development of tandem gait testing as well
      as its technique, utility, and limitations in the assessment of neurological
      conditions. Tandem gait has emerged as a tool in the assessment of cerebellar
      disease, Huntington disease, idiopathic Parkinson's disease, atypical
      parkinsonism, peripheral neuropathies, and vestibulopathies. Its origin can be
      deduced from experimental observation and clinical experience as far back as the
      early nineteenth century. Despite the long history and ubiquitous performance of
      tandem gait testing, there is no standardized, guideline-based protocol to model
      for more homogenous research and clinical practices. Such a protocol should be
      developed using historical texts and manuscripts as well as the consensus of the
      medical research community. With standard protocols, further studies could define
      the sensitivity of abnormal tandem gait testing in cerebellar disorders, more
      diffuse neurodegeneration, and peripheral pathologies. Tandem gait can be a
      useful marker of dysfunction in neurologic conditions whose pathologies extend
      beyond the vermis or vestibulocerebellar module to include interconnected
      networks throughout the nervous system.

PMID- 28894989
TI  - Collective invasion in ductal and lobular breast cancer associates with distant
      metastasis.
AB  - Breast cancer undergoes collective tissue invasion and, in experimental models,
      can collectively metastasize. The prevalence of collective invasion and its
      contribution to distant metastasis in clinical disease, however, remains poorly
      defined. We here scored the adipose tissue invasion of primary invasive ductal
      carcinoma (IDC), expressing E-cadherin, and E-cadherin negative invasive lobular
      carcinoma (ILC) and identified predominantly collective invasion patterns (86/86
      samples) in both carcinoma types. Whereas collective invasion in IDC lesions
      retained adherens junctions, multicellular clusters and "Indian files" in ILC,
      despite the absence of adherens junctions (AJ) proteins E-cadherin and beta
      catenin, retained CD44 at cell-cell contacts. By histomorphological scoring and
      semi-automated image analysis, we show that the extent of collective invasion
      into the adipose tissue correlated with decreased distant metastasis-free
      survival (5-year follow-up; hazard ratio: 2.32 and 2.29, respectively). Thus,
      collective invasion represents the predominant invasion mode in breast cancer,
      develops distinct junctional subtypes in IDC and ILC, and associates with distant
      metastasis, suggesting a critical role in systemic dissemination.

PMID- 28894990
TI  - Feeding preference and daily ration of 12 dominant copepods on mono and mixed
      diets of phytoplankton, rotifers, and detritus in a tropical coastal water.
AB  - Results of the experimental studies on the feeding habit and daily ration (DR) of
      12 dominant copepods from a tropical coastal water (off Kochi, Southwest coast of
      India) on different food items (phytoplankton, rotifers, and detritus) are
      presented. Even though, all species of copepods consumed all types of food items
      in the experiments, they showed noticeable feeding preferences, having important
      ecological implications. Calanoid Paracalanus parvus and Acrocalanus gracilis
      consumed phytoplankton and rotifers equally in mono diets (74-89% of DR) and
      mixed diets (53-82% of DR), which indicated their ability to shift their diet in
      natural environment based on the availability of food items. Calanoid Acartia
      erythraea and A. danae consumed more phytoplankton (DR 83 and 72%, respectively)
      than rotifers (DR 51 and 46%, respectively) in mono diets, and in mixed diets,
      their consumption was high in phytoplankton combined food mixtures (P + R DR and
      P + D DR) rather than the R + D food type, indicated their preference for mixed
      diets of phytoplankton. Similarly, Calanoid Temora turbinata, Pseudodiaptomus
      serricaudatus, and Centropages tenuiremis preferred a herbivorous diet as
      evidenced by their high ingestion rate on phytoplankton mono (70 to 87% to their
      DR) and mixed diets (58 to 80% of DR). On the other hand, Cyclopoid Oithona
      similis and Poecilostomatoid Corycaeus danae preferred a carnivorous diet,
      consuming more rotifers (> 80% of DR) than phytoplankton (18-20% of DR) and
      detritus (5-6% of DR). Harpacticoids Macrosetella gracilis and Euterpina
      acutifrons equally preferred phytoplankton (78-92% of DR) and detritus (65-89% of
      DR). The study showed that the dominant copepods in the coastal waters off Kochi
      occupy different trophic niches available in the environment, which may be
      applicable in other similar environments as well.

PMID- 28894991
TI  - Preoperatively determining the margins of subcutaneous malignant soft tissue
      tumours using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.
AB  - The purpose of this technical report is to demonstrate the feasibility of
      contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for preoperative evaluation of the lateral
      extent of subcutaneous malignant soft tissue tumours. Patients with subcutaneous
      malignant soft tissue tumours who underwent surgery between March 2016 and May
      2016 were selected for inclusion. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography using
      Sonazoid(r) was performed 1 day before the operation. The tumour margin was
      determined based on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and marked on the skin
      using a permanent marker. After surgery, the extent of the tumour area was
      determined based on microscopic findings. The distance between the edge of the
      tumour and the skin markings was histologically measured. The mean distance
      between the extent of infiltrative tumour growth based on the microscopic
      findings and the skin marking was 1.3 +/- 1.6 mm. The greatest distance between
      microscopically determined tumour invasion and the skin marking was 4 mm.
      Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of subcutaneous malignant soft tissue tumours
      was not only feasible, but also highly accurate in estimating tumour margins as
      well as infiltrative tumour growth compared with macroscopic and microscopic
      analysis, respectively.

PMID- 28894992
TI  - Fractional carbon dioxide laser for the treatment of facial atrophic acne scars:
      prospective clinical trial with short and long-term evaluation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fractional
      carbon dioxide laser for the treatment of acne scars. Thirty-one participants, 15
      female and 16 male, whose mean age was 34.84 +/- 10.94 years, were included in
      this prospective study. The study took place between 2012 and 2016. Participants
      were evaluated with the "ECCA Grading Scale" before the first session, 3 months
      (short-term evaluation) and 3 years after the last session (long-term
      evaluation). Participants received two or three treatment sessions at 4-week
      intervals, with a 10,600 nm fractional carbon dioxide laser with pulse energies
      ranging between 100 and 160 mJ, 120 spot type, 75-100 spot/cm2 density, and 30 W
      power. Self-assessments by the participants were done 3 months and 3 years after
      the last session. The mean ECCA score was 107.90 +/- 39.38 before the first
      session, and 82.17 +/- 36.23 at the time of short-term evaluation (p = 0.000).
      The grade of improvement at the short-term evaluation was as follows: no
      improvement, mild, moderate, and significant improvement for 7 (22.6%), 11
      (35.5%), 9 (29%), and 4 (12.9%) of the participants, respectively. Regarding self
      assessments, 80.6 and 61.3% of the participants rated themselves as having at
      least mild improvement at the short-term and the long-term follow-up periods,
      respectively. The results of this study suggest that fractional carbon dioxide
      laser is an efficient treatment option for acne scars. Furthermore, self
      assessment results show that more than half of the participants still experience
      at least mild improvement at the end of 3 years.

PMID- 28894994
TI  - Mining noise affects loud call structures and emission patterns of wild black
      fronted titi monkeys.
AB  - Anthropogenic noise pollution is increasing and can constrain acoustic
      communication in animals. Our aim was to investigate if the acoustic parameters
      of loud calls and their diurnal pattern in the black-fronted titi monkey
      (Callicebus nigrifrons) are affected by noise produced by mining activity in a
      fragment of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. We installed two passive acoustic
      monitoring devices to record sound 24 h/day, 7 days every 2 months, for a year;
      one unit was close to an opencast mine and the other 2.5 km away from it. Both
      sites presented similar habitat structures and were inhabited by groups of black
      fronted titi monkeys. We quantified the noise at both sites by measuring the
      equivalent continuous sound level every 2 months for 1 year and quantified the
      emission of loud calls by titi monkeys through visual inspection of the
      recordings. The close site presented higher ambient noise levels than the far
      site. The quantitative comparison of loud calls of black-fronted titi monkeys
      between the two sites showed less calling activity in the site close to the mine
      than in the site further away. Approximately 20 % of the calls detected at the
      site close to the mine were masked by noise from truck traffic. Loud calls were
      longer at the site far from the mine and the diurnal patterns of vocal activity
      differed in the amount of calling as well as in the timing of peak calling
      activity between the two sites. Our results indicate that mining noise may
      constrain titi monkeys' long-distance vocal communication. Loud calls occupy a
      similar frequency band to mining noise, and an increase in ambient noise may be
      triggering black-fronted titi monkeys to adjust their long-distance communication
      patterns to avoid masking of their calls. Given that vocalizations are an
      important means of social interaction in this species, there are concerns about
      the impact of mining noise on populations exposed to this human activity.

PMID- 28894993
TI  - Effect of growth hormone overexpression on gastric evacuation rate in coho
      salmon.
AB  - Growth hormone (GH) transgenic (T) coho salmon consistently show remarkably
      enhanced growth associated with increased appetite and food consumption compared
      to non-transgenic wild-type (NT) coho salmon. To improve understanding of the
      mechanism by which GH overexpression mediates food intake and digestion in T
      fish, feed intake and gastric evacuation rate (over 7 days) were measured in size
      matched T and NT coho salmon. T fish displayed greatly enhanced feed intake
      levels (~ 2.5-fold), and more than 3-fold increase in gastric evacuation rates
      relative to NT coho salmon. Despite the differences in feed intake, no
      differences were noted in the time taken from first ingestion of food to stomach
      evacuation between genotypes. These results indicate that enhanced feed intake is
      coupled with an overall increased processing rate to enhance energy intake by T
      fish. To further investigate the molecular basis of these responses, we examined
      the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of several genes in appetite- and gastric
      regulation pathways (Agrp1, Bbs, Cart, Cck, Glp, Ghrelin, Grp, Leptin, Mc4r, Npy,
      and Pomc) by qPCR analyses in the brain (hypothalamus, preoptic area) and
      pituitary, and in peripheral tissues associated with digestion (liver, stomach,
      intestine, and adipose tissue). Significant increases in mRNA levels were found
      for Agrp1 in the preoptic area (POA) of the brain, and Grp and Pomc in pituitary
      for T coho salmon relative to NT. Mch and Npy showed significantly lower mRNA
      levels than NT fish in all brain tissues examined across all time-points after
      feeding. Mc4r and Cart for T showed significantly lower mRNA levels than NT in
      the POA and hypothalamus, respectively. In the case of peripheral tissues, T fish
      had lower mRNA levels of Glp and Leptin than NT fish in the intestine and adipose
      tissue, respectively. Grp, Cck, Bbs, Glp, and Leptin in stomach, adipose tissue,
      and/or intestine showed significant differences across the time-points after
      feeding, but Ghrelin showed no significant difference between T and NT fish in
      all tested tissues.

PMID- 28894995
TI  - Ibuprofen-loaded fibrous patches-taming inhibition at the spinal cord injury
      site.
AB  - It is now widely accepted that a therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury
      (SCI) demands a multi-target approach. Here we propose the use of an easily
      implantable bilayer polymeric patch based on poly(trimethylene carbonate-co
      epsilon-caprolactone) (P(TMC-CL)) that combines physical guidance cues provided
      by electrospun aligned fibres and the delivery of ibuprofen, as a mean to reduce
      the inhibitory environment at the lesion site by taming RhoA activation. Bilayer
      patches comprised a solvent cast film onto which electrospun aligned fibres have
      been deposited. Both layers were loaded with ibuprofen. In vitro release (37
      degrees C, in phosphate buffered saline) of the drug from the loaded scaffolds
      under sink condition was found to occur in the first 24 h. The released ibuprofen
      was shown to retain its bioactivity, as indicated by the reduction of RhoA
      activation when the neuronal-like cell line ND7/23 was challenged with
      lysophosphatidic acid. Ibuprofen-loaded P(TMC-CL) bilayer scaffolds were
      successfully implanted in vivo in a dorsal hemisection rat SCI model mediating
      the reduction of RhoA activation after 5 days of implantation in comparison to
      plain P(TMC-CL) scaffolds. Immunohistochemical analysis of the tissue shows
      betaIII tubulin positive cells close to the ibuprofen-loaded patches further
      supporting the use of this strategy in the context of regeneration after a lesion
      in the spinal cord.

PMID- 28894996
TI  - The Relationship Between Parents' Intimate Partner Victimization and Youths'
      Adolescent Relationship Abuse.
AB  - Witnessing inter-parental intimate partner violence has been found to be
      associated with adolescents' own relationship abuse. This study investigates the
      relationship between patterns of inter-parental intimate partner verbal and
      physical violence victimization reported by parents and their children's reports
      of dating abuse experiences and behavior. Latent class analysis was performed on
      a sample of 610 parents (42% male and 67% white) and their dating adolescent
      children (ages 12-21 years; 52% male). Parents reported five types of
      victimization by their partners in the past year, while youth concurrently
      reported their own victimization and perpetration within their dating
      relationships. Three profiles of parents' intimate partner victimization were
      related to youth relationship abuse experiences and behaviors. Children of
      parents who experienced verbal abuse were more likely to experience similar
      patterns in their own relationships, whereas children of parents who report
      physical and verbal abuse were more likely to report psychological, physical and
      sexual abusive encounters in their partnerships. Findings indicate that parents'
      relationship quality and abusive behaviors may have a long lasting effect on
      their children as they enter mid and late adolescence. Parents should pay
      attention to their own relationship quality and behavior even as their teen-age
      children gain independence.

PMID- 28894997
TI  - A novel framework for evaluating the image accuracy of dynamic MRI and the
      application on accelerated breast DCE MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a novel framework for evaluating the accuracy of
      quantitative analysis on dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI with a specific
      combination of imaging technique, scanning parameters, and scanner and software
      performance and to test this framework with breast DCE MRI with Time-resolved
      angiography WIth Stochastic Trajectories (TWIST). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Realistic breast tumor phantoms were 3D printed as cavities and filled with
      solutions of MR contrast agent. Full k-space raw data of individual tumor
      phantoms and a uniform background phantom were acquired. DCE raw data were
      simulated by sorting the raw data according to TWIST view order and scaling the
      raw data according to the enhancement based on pharmaco-kinetic (PK) models. The
      measured spatial and temporal characteristics from the images reconstructed using
      the scanner software were compared with the original PK model (ground truth).
      RESULTS: Images could be reconstructed using the manufacturer's platform with the
      modified 'raw data.' Compared with the 'ground truth,' the RMS error in all
      images was <10% in most cases. With increasing view-sharing acceleration, the
      error of the initial uptake slope decreased while the error of peak enhancement
      increased. Deviations of PK parameters varied with the type of enhancement.
      CONCLUSION: A new framework has been developed and tested to more realistically
      evaluate the quantitative measurement errors caused by a combination of the
      imaging technique, parameters and scanner and software performance in DCE-MRI.

PMID- 28894998
TI  - New Species Spiromastigoides albida from a Lung Biopsy.
AB  - The new species Spiromastigoides albida (Onygenales, Eurotiomycetes, Ascomycota),
      from a lung biopsy in USA, is proposed and described based on morphological data
      and the analysis of rRNA, and fragments of actin and beta-tubulin gene sequences.
      This species is characterized by white colonies and a malbranchea-like asexual
      morph with profusely branching curved conidiophores forming sporodochia-like
      structures. Moreover, new combinations for Gymnoascus alatosporus, and for some
      new species recently described under the generic name Spiromastix, are provided.

PMID- 28894999
TI  - Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders:
      Comparisons of Young People and Parent Perspectives.
AB  - This study used the Camberwell Assessment of Need for adults with Developmental
      and Intellectual Disabilities (CANDID) to examine the social, physical health and
      mental health needs of 168 young people (aged 14-24 years) with
      neurodevelopmental disorders and compared young person and parent ratings of
      need. Agreement was poor in 21 out of 25 domains. Parents consistently reported
      higher levels of need than young people in the majority of domains although young
      people with ADHD reported significantly more needs in physical health,
      eyesight/hearing, seizures, other mental health problems and safety of others
      than their parents. Both parent and young person perspectives of needs are
      necessary to ensure that needs that are predictive of current or future poor
      outcomes are not missed.

PMID- 28895000
TI  - Endoscopic diode laser therapy for chronic radiation proctitis.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of endoscopic diode
      laser therapy in patients presenting rectal bleeding due to chronic radiation
      proctitis (CRP). A retrospective analysis of CRP patients who underwent diode
      laser therapy in a single institution between 2010 and 2016 was carried out. The
      patients were treated by non-contact fibers without sedation in an outpatient
      setting. Fourteen patients (median age 77, range 73-87 years) diagnosed with CRP
      who had undergone high-dose radiotherapy for prostatic cancer and who presented
      with rectal bleeding were included. Six required blood transfusions. Antiplatelet
      (three patients) and anticoagulant (two patients) therapy was not suspended
      during the treatments. The patients underwent a median of two sessions; overall,
      a mean of 1684 J of laser energy per session was used. Bleeding was resolved in
      10/14 (71%) patients, and other two patients showed improvement (93%). Only one
      patient, who did not complete the treatment, required blood transfusions after
      laser therapy; no complications were noted during or after the procedures. Study
      findings demonstrated that endoscopic non-contact diode laser treatment is safe
      and effective in CRP patients, even in those receiving antiplatelet and/or
      anticoagulant therapy.

PMID- 28895003
TI  - Reduction of water losses by rehabilitation of water distribution network.
AB  - Physical or real losses may be indicated as the most important component of the
      water losses occurring in a water distribution network (WDN). The objective of
      this study is to examine the effects of piping material management and network
      rehabilitation on the physical water losses and water losses management in a WDN.
      For this aim, the Denizli WDN consisting of very old pipes that have exhausted
      their economic life is selected as the study area. The fact that the current
      network is old results in the decrease of pressure strength, increase of failure
      intensity, and inefficient use of water resources thus leading to the application
      of the rehabilitation program. In Denizli, network renewal works have been
      carried out since the year 2009 under the rehabilitation program. It was
      determined that the failure rate at regions where network renewal constructions
      have been completed decreased down to zero level. Renewal of piping material
      enables the minimization of leakage losses as well as the failure rate. On the
      other hand, the system rehabilitation has the potential to amortize itself in a
      very short amount of time if the initial investment cost of network renewal is
      considered along with the operating costs of the old and new systems, as well as
      water loss costs. As a result, it can be stated that renewal of piping material
      in water distribution systems, enhancement of the physical properties of the
      system, provide significant contributions such as increase of water and energy
      efficiency and more effective use of resources.

PMID- 28895001
TI  - Regulation of Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenocortical Responses to Stressors by the
      Nucleus of the Solitary Tract/Dorsal Vagal Complex.
AB  - Hindbrain neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) are critical for
      regulation of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) responses to stress. It
      is well known that noradrenergic (as well as adrenergic) neurons in the NTS send
      direct projections to hypophysiotropic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
      neurons and control activation of HPA axis responses to acute systemic (but not
      psychogenic) stressors. Norepinephrine (NE) signaling via alpha1 receptors is
      primarily excitatory, working either directly on CRH neurons or through
      presynaptic activation of glutamate release. However, there is also evidence for
      NE inhibition of CRH neurons (possibly via beta receptors), an effect that may
      occur at higher levels of stimulation, suggesting that NE effects on the HPA axis
      may be context-dependent. Lesions of ascending NE inputs to the paraventricular
      nucleus attenuate stress-induced ACTH but not corticosterone release after
      chronic stress, indicating reduction in central HPA drive and increased adrenal
      sensitivity. Non-catecholaminergic NTS glucagon-like peptide 1/glutamate neurons
      play a broader role in stress regulation, being important in HPA activation to
      both systemic and psychogenic stressors as well as HPA axis sensitization under
      conditions of chronic stress. Overall, the data highlight the importance of the
      NTS as a key regulatory node for coordination of acute and chronic stress.

PMID- 28895002
TI  - Synaptic convergence regulates synchronization-dependent spike transfer in
      feedforward neural networks.
AB  - Correlated neural activities such as synchronizations can significantly alter the
      characteristics of spike transfer between neural layers. However, it is not clear
      how this synchronization-dependent spike transfer can be affected by the
      structure of convergent feedforward wiring. To address this question, we
      implemented computer simulations of model neural networks: a source and a target
      layer connected with different types of convergent wiring rules. In the Gaussian
      Gaussian (GG) model, both the connection probability and the strength are given
      as Gaussian distribution as a function of spatial distance. In the Uniform
      Constant (UC) and Uniform-Exponential (UE) models, the connection probability
      density is a uniform constant within a certain range, but the connection strength
      is set as a constant value or an exponentially decaying function, respectively.
      Then we examined how the spike transfer function is modulated under these
      conditions, while static or synchronized input patterns were introduced to
      simulate different levels of feedforward spike synchronization. We observed that
      the synchronization-dependent modulation of the transfer function appeared
      noticeably different for each convergence condition. The modulation of the spike
      transfer function was largest in the UC model, and smallest in the UE model. Our
      analysis showed that this difference was induced by the different spike weight
      distributions that was generated from convergent synapses in each model. Our
      results suggest that, the structure of the feedforward convergence is a crucial
      factor for correlation-dependent spike control, thus must be considered important
      to understand the mechanism of information transfer in the brain.

PMID- 28895004
TI  - Positive Cognitive Effects of Bilingualism and Multilingualism on Cerebral
      Function: a Review.
AB  - A review of the current literature regarding bilingualism demonstrates that
      bilingualism is linked to higher levels of controlled attention and inhibition in
      executive control and can protect against the decline of executive control in
      aging by contributing to cognitive reserve. Bilinguals may also have smaller
      vocabulary size and slower lexical retrieval for each language. The joint
      activation theory is proposed to explain these results. Older trilingual adults
      experience more protection against cognitive decline and children and young
      adults showed similar cognitive advantages to bilinguals in inhibitory control.
      Second language learners do not yet show cognitive changes associated with
      multilingualism. The Specificity Principle states that the acquisition of
      multiple languages is moderated by multiple factors and varies between
      experiences. Bilingualism and multilingualism are both associated with
      immigration but different types of multilingualism can develop depending on the
      situation. Cultural cues and language similarity also play a role in language
      switching and multiple language acquisition.

PMID- 28895005
TI  - Durable complete response in HER2-positive breast cancer: a multicenter
      retrospective analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Though advanced and metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)
      positive disease is not curable, a small proportion of patients with HER2
      positive metastatic breast cancer remain in prolonged complete remission with
      anti-HER2 treatment. We hypothesized that some cases of HER2-positive metastatic
      breast cancer may be curable. In this large, multicenter retrospective study, we
      aimed to assess the long-term outcomes for patients with a durable response to
      trastuzumab. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the data of patients diagnosed
      with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who received trastuzumab for more
      than 2 years as the first-line treatment. Patients diagnosed between April 1,
      2001 and December 31, 2014 at 19 institutions in Japan were included in the
      analysis. From 124 potential subjects, 16 were excluded and 108 were evaluated.
      RESULTS: The median follow-up length was 7.7 years. Disease progression occurred
      in 44/108 (40.7%) patients and 13/108 (12%) patients died. The median progression
      free survival was 11.2 years, and as more than 80% of patients were alive 10
      years after metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. Of the 108 patients, 57 achieved
      a clinical complete response. Trastuzumab therapy was interrupted for 27 (47.4%)
      of these patients (based on the doctor's recommendation for 19 patients, owing to
      adverse events for 4 patients, owing to unknown reasons for 3 patients, and at
      the request of 1 patient). Disease progression occurred in 4 of the 27 patients
      after the interruption of trastuzumab treatment. The median duration of
      trastuzumab therapy for all 27 patients was 5.1 years (0.9-9.3 years).
      CONCLUSION: We found that some patients showed no evidence of disease after the
      interruption of trastuzumab therapy. Discontinuation of maintenance trastuzumab
      in this patient population after a limited time should be explored cautiously
      while awaiting a global collaborative effort for a randomized trial.

PMID- 28895006
TI  - Bergenin increases osteogenic differentiation and prevents methylglyoxal-induced
      cytotoxicity in MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts.
AB  - Bergenin, an active component of plants in the genus Bergenia, has multiple
      biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory
      properties. We investigated the effects of bergenin on MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts.
      Bergenin treatment significantly elevated collagen synthesis, alkaline
      phosphatase activity, osteocalcin synthesis, and mineralization in the cells (p <
      0.05). Additionally, bergenin increased the ratio of osteoprotegerin to receptor
      activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand, and cyclophilin B release.
      Methylglyoxal (MG), a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound, is the major precursor
      in the formation of advanced glycation end products. Pretreatment of MC3T3-E1
      cells with bergenin prevented MG-induced cell death. Furthermore, bergenin
      treatment significantly reduced the induction of activating transcription factor
      6 and autophagy by MG. These results indicate that bergenin may have positive
      effects on critical osteoblastic cell functions.

PMID- 28895007
TI  - Analysis of trace metal concentrations in raw cow's milk from three dairy farms
      in North Gondar, Ethiopia: chemometric approach.
AB  - Concentrations of essential (Cu, Mn, and Zn) and toxic (Cr, Cd, and Pb) trace
      metals in 30 raw cow's milk samples were quantified using flame atomic absorption
      spectrometry. The samples were collected from the Nara-Awudarda, Tana-Abo, and
      Kosoye Amba-Rass sites in North Gondar, Ethiopia, preserved in a deep freezer (
      20  degrees C), and then digested by Kjeldahl apparatus with HNO3/H2O2 (5:2; v/v)
      at 300  degrees C for 2.5 h. The data were subject to principal component
      analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Overall
      hazard quotient (HQ) and carcinogenic risk (CR) values were also estimated to
      assess metal-related health risks. The mean concentrations of Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd,
      and Pb in the milk samples ranged 0.468-0.828, 1.614-2.806, 0.840-1.532, 1.208
      5.267, ND-0.330, and ND-0.186 mg/kg, respectively. The lowest values were
      obtained for Kosoye Amba-Rass milk samples, while the highest were found for
      those collected from Nara-Awudarda milk samples, probably due to high mineral
      enrichment and metal leaching (especially Cd and Pb) from coal deposits. PCA
      revealed clustering of samples with respect to their geographic origin.
      Validation of PLS-DA model showed 100% classification efficiency using external
      validation samples and detected Cd and Cu as trace metal markers. The HQ and CR
      values were within the safe level; however, the former is close to the alert
      threshold level for Nara-Awudarda milk samples. Thus, further studies on common
      foodstuffs, constituting a higher proportion in the local diet, are required in
      this area to provide a complete risk assessment.

PMID- 28895008
TI  - Spatial downscaling of soil prediction models based on weighted generalized
      additive models in smallholder farm settings.
AB  - Digital soil mapping (DSM) is gaining momentum as a technique to help smallholder
      farmers secure soil security and food security in developing regions. However,
      communications of the digital soil mapping information between diverse audiences
      become problematic due to the inconsistent scale of DSM information. Spatial
      downscaling can make use of accessible soil information at relatively coarse
      spatial resolution to provide valuable soil information at relatively fine
      spatial resolution. The objective of this research was to disaggregate the coarse
      spatial resolution soil exchangeable potassium (Kex) and soil total nitrogen (TN)
      base map into fine spatial resolution soil downscaled map using weighted
      generalized additive models (GAMs) in two smallholder villages in South India. By
      incorporating fine spatial resolution spectral indices in the downscaling
      process, the soil downscaled maps not only conserve the spatial information of
      coarse spatial resolution soil maps but also depict the spatial details of soil
      properties at fine spatial resolution. The results of this study demonstrated
      difference between the fine spatial resolution downscaled maps and fine spatial
      resolution base maps is smaller than the difference between coarse spatial
      resolution base maps and fine spatial resolution base maps. The appropriate and
      economical strategy to promote the DSM technique in smallholder farms is to
      develop the relatively coarse spatial resolution soil prediction maps or utilize
      available coarse spatial resolution soil maps at the regional scale and to
      disaggregate these maps to the fine spatial resolution downscaled soil maps at
      farm scale.

PMID- 28895009
TI  - Effect of different methods of Ca2+ extraction from PSII oxygen-evolving complex
      on the QA- oxidation kinetics.
AB  - Lumenal extrinsic proteins PsbO, PsbP, and PsbQ of photosystem II (PSII) protect
      the catalytic cluster Mn4CaO5 of oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) from the bulk
      solution and from soluble compounds in the surrounding medium. Extraction of PsbP
      and PsbQ proteins by NaCl-washing together with chelator EGTA is followed also by
      the depletion of Ca2+ cation from OEC. In this study, the effects of PsbP and
      PsbQ proteins, as well as Ca2+ extraction from OEC on the kinetics of the reduced
      primary electron acceptor (QA-) oxidation, have been studied by fluorescence
      decay kinetics measurements in PSII membrane fragments. We found that in addition
      to the impairment of OEC, removal of PsbP and PsbQ significantly slows the rate
      of electron transfer from QA- to the secondary quinone acceptor QB. Electron
      transfer from QA- to QB in photosystem II membranes with an occupied QB site was
      slowed down by a factor of 8. However, addition of EGTA or CaCl2 to NaCl-washed
      PSII did not change the kinetics of fluorescence decay. Moreover, the kinetics of
      QA- oxidation by QB in Ca-depleted PSII membranes obtained by treatment with
      citrate buffer at pH 3.0 (such treatment keeps all extrinsic proteins in PSII but
      extracts Ca2+ from OEC) was not changed. The results obtained indicate that the
      effect of NaCl-washing on the QA- to QB electron transport is due to PsbP and
      PsbQ extrinsic proteins extraction, but not due to Ca2+ depletion.

PMID- 28895010
TI  - Quaternary Ammonium Polyamidoamine Dendrimer Modified Quantum Dots as Fluorescent
      Probes for p-Fluorophenoxyacetic Acid Detection in Aqueous Solution.
AB  - The wide use of pesticide p-fluorophenoxyacetic acid has caused the serious
      environmental contaminant. A novel fluorescent probe for sensitive detection of p
      fluorophenoxyacetic acid in aqueous solutions based on 3.0G quaternary ammonium
      polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer modified quantum dots (QDs) (PAMAM@QDs) was
      reported. Through the solvent-evaporation method, quaternary ammonium PAMAM was
      employed to modify the QDs. Poloxamer 188 was used to improve the solubility and
      stability. The resultant PAMAM@QDs dispersed well in water. Fluorescence (FL)
      spectroscopic study showed that the FL intensity of the PAMAM@QDs was enhanced in
      the presence of p-fluorophenoxyacetic acid. Under optimal conditions, the
      enhanced FL intensity as a function of concentration matched very well in the
      range of 1 ~ 200 ug/mL of p-fluorophenoxyacetic acid, while the lower limits of
      detection were found to be 0.16 ug/mL. These results show that PAMAM@QDs is a
      promising luminescent probe for the detection of pesticides.

PMID- 28895011
TI  - Caligus fajerae n. sp. (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on the Pacific sierra
      Scomberomurus sierra Jordan & Starks (Actinopterygii: Scombridae) in the Pacific
      Ocean off Mexico.
AB  - A new species of parasitic copepod, Caligus fajerae n. sp. (Caligidae), is
      described from Scomberomorus sierra Jordan & Starks (Scombridae) caught off the
      northwestern coast of Mexico. The new species morphologically resembles Caligus
      cybii Bassett-Smith, 1898, Caligus kanagurta Pillai, 1961, Caligus pelamydis
      Kroyer, 1863 and Caligus robustus Bassett-Smith, 1898, all of which have been
      reported from scombrid hosts. Caligus fajerae n. sp. differs from these species
      by having spinules on the abdomen and caudal ramus, two processes on the proximal
      antennulary segment, fine striations on the claw of the antenna and maxilliped, a
      stouter and more recurved maxillulary dentiform process, shorter tines on the
      sternal furca, two additional patches of spinules on the distal endopodal segment
      of leg 2, a sclerotised lobe on the anteromedian surface of the leg 3 protopod
      and serrations on both margins of the first exopodal spine of leg 3. Analysis of
      the DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene for
      Caligus fajerae n. sp. and 28 congeners, including C. pelamydis and C. robustus,
      showed that the new species grouped with Caligus belones Kroyer, 1863 (with 20%
      divergence), a species known to occur predominantly on needlefishes. Caligus
      fajerae n. sp. is the fifth species of Caligus reported from S. sierra. An
      updated host-parasite list for Caligus spp. on scombrids is provided.

PMID- 28895012
TI  - Biologic Agents Are Associated with Excessive Weight Gain in Children with
      Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are frequently
      underweight. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents may induce remission
      and restore growth. However, its use in other autoimmune diseases has been
      associated with excess weight gain. Our aim was to examine whether children with
      IBD could experience excess weight gain. METHODS: A centralized diagnostic index
      identified pediatric IBD patients evaluated at our institution who received anti
      TNF therapy for at least 1 year between August 1998 and December 2013.
      Anthropometric data were collected at time of anti-TNF initiation and annually.
      Excess weight gain was defined as DeltaBMI SDS (standard deviation score) where
      patients were (1) reclassified from "normal" to "overweight/obese," (2)
      "overweight" to "obese," or (2) a final BMI SDS >0 and DeltaSDS >0.5. RESULTS:
      During the study period, 268 children received anti-TNF therapy. Of these, 69 had
      sufficient follow-up for a median of 29.3 months. Median age at first anti-TNF
      dose was 12.8 years. At baseline, mean weight SDS was -0.7 (SD 1.4), while mean
      BMI SDS was -0.6 (1.3). Using baseline BMI SDS, 11.6% were overweight/obese. At
      last follow-up (LFU), however, the mean DeltaBMI SDS was 0.50 (p < 0.0001).
      However, 10 (17%) patients had excess weight gain at LFU; 3 patients were
      reclassified from "normal" to "obese," and 7 had a final BMI SDS >0 and DeltaSDS
      >0.5. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients with IBD may experience excess weight gain
      when treated with anti-TNF agents. Monitoring for this side effect is warranted.

PMID- 28895013
TI  - Non-donors' attitudes towards sperm donation and their willingness to donate.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this article is to study attitudes about sperm donation and
      willingness to donate sperm in students who have never shown an interest in sperm
      donation. METHODS: The method used in this study is an electronic survey of 1012
      male students. RESULTS: Only one third of the respondents (34.3%) would consider
      donating sperm. Overall, 85.7% indicated a positive attitude towards sperm
      donation while 14.3% indicated a neutral or negative attitude. The highest scored
      barriers to donating were the lack of practical information and the fear that the
      partner would not agree. Almost 40% of the respondents feared that the donation
      might have a negative impact on their current or future relationship. The
      majority (83.6%) of those who considered donating thought donors should receive a
      financial compensation. Money was also one of the main motivators. CONCLUSIONS:
      About 85% of the students thought positively about sperm donation but several
      factors such as perceived negative views by the social environment, especially
      the partner, may deter students from donating. This study indicates that the
      effect of strong incentives, for instance in monetary terms, on a donor pool
      consisting of students could be limited and that relational factors and donor's
      perceptions of the views of the wider social network should be taken into account
      when recruiting donors.

PMID- 28895014
TI  - The responses of two native plant species to soil petroleum contamination in the
      Yellow River Delta, China.
AB  - Petroleum contamination is a significant environmental problem in the Yellow
      River Delta. The responses of two native salt-tolerant plant species, alfalfa
      (Medicago sativa) and bristle grass (Setaria uiridis Beauv), to soil petroleum
      contamination were investigated at five levels between 0 and 2.0% (w/w). Results
      showed that the total, aboveground and underground plant biomasses of both
      species were significantly reduced by petroleum contamination (p < 0.05), with
      the inhibition enhanced with increased petroleum levels. However, the emergence
      rate of bristle grass was promoted by petroleum contamination. Following 100 days
      of exposure, the number of soil petroleum degraders increased greatly, with a
      trend of initial increase followed by a decrease at 1.5% contamination or higher.
      Compared to bulk soils, bacteria-degrading alkanes, total hydrocarbons and PAHs
      in alfalfa rhizosphere soils increased by 1.33-4.18-, 0.85-3.01- and 4.12-12.75
      fold, respectively, with an increase of 2.80-10.00-, 4.42-14.44- and 7.30-26.00
      fold in bristle grass rhizosphere soils, respectively. The greatest number of
      petroleum degraders in bristle grass rhizosphere soils resulted in the highest
      petroleum degradation rate. Bristle grass may be the optimal species for
      petroleum remediation in the studied area.

PMID- 28895015
TI  - Does Quality of Life Differ for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and
      Intellectual Disability Compared to Peers Without Autism?
AB  - The main goal was to test if children with intellectual disability (ID) and
      autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show lower quality of life (QOL) in comparison to
      those with only ID. The KidsLife Scale was applied to 1060 children with ID, 25%
      of whom also had ASD, aged 4-21 years old. Those with ASD showed lower scores in
      several QOL domains but, when the effect of other variables was controlled, lower
      scores were only kept for interpersonal relationships, social inclusion, and
      physical wellbeing. Slightly higher scores were found for material wellbeing.
      ASD, Level of ID and support needs were the covariables with the greatest
      influence in most domains, while gender was only significant for social inclusion
      (girls scored lower than boys).

PMID- 28895016
TI  - The association between previous success with weight loss through dietary change
      and success in a lifestyle modification program.
AB  - Prior work has yielded mixed results regarding the association between previous
      weight loss and success in a current weight loss attempt. The present study
      evaluated differences in baseline psychosocial processes, changes in these over
      time, and weight loss during a yearlong behavioral weight loss program between
      individuals who have and have not previously been successful losing weight
      through self-regulating dietary intake. Individuals with prior success had
      greater weight losses over time than those without. Differences in baseline and
      change over time in some facets of motivation and self-efficacy were observed,
      but only differences in attendance accounted for differential weight loss. Prior
      success with dietary self-regulation may predict better adherence to and success
      in behavioral weight control programs. Evaluating the type of weight control
      efforts that have previously helped induce weight losses may help to better match
      individuals to treatments likely to yield success.

PMID- 28895017
TI  - Total Pancreatectomy With Islet Autotransplantation for Acute Recurrent and
      Chronic Pancreatitis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The first total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation
      (TP-IAT) was performed for chronic pancreatitis in 1977 with the goal to
      ameliorate the pain and simultaneously preserve islet function. We reviewed the
      recent medical literature regarding indications, patient suitability, current
      outcomes, and challenges in TP-IAT. RECENT FINDINGS: Current indications for TP
      IAT include intractable pain secondary to chronic pancreatitis (CP) or acute
      recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) with failed medical and endoscopic/surgical
      management. Independent studies have shown that TP-IAT is associated with
      elimination or significant improvement in pain control and partial or full islet
      graft function in the majority of patients. In single-center cost analyses, TP
      IAT has been suggested to be more cost-effective than medical management of
      chronic pancreatitis. While initially introduced as a surgical option for adults
      with long-standing chronic pancreatitis, TP-IAT is now often utilized in children
      with chronic pancreatitis and in children and adults with intractable acute
      recurrent pancreatitis. The surgical procedure has evolved over time with some
      centers offering minimally invasive operative options, although the open approach
      remains the standard. Despite many advances in TP-IAT, there is a need for
      further research and development in disease diagnosis, patient selection,
      optimization of surgical technique, islet isolation and quality assessment,
      postoperative patient management, and establishment of uniform metrics for data
      collection and multicenter studies. TP-IAT is an option for patients with
      otherwise intractable acute recurrent or chronic pancreatitis which presents
      potential for pain relief and improved quality of life, often with partial or
      complete diabetes remission.

PMID- 28895018
TI  - Promotional effect of rare earth-doped manganese oxides supported on activated
      semi-coke for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3.
AB  - A composite catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3
      is investigated, in which the rare earth (RE, including La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) is
      doped into manganese oxides supported on activated semi-coke (MnOx/ASC) via
      hydrothermal method at the molar ratio of Mn:RE = 1:5. It is evidenced that the
      addition of RE at a rather low molar ratio can enhance the catalytic activity of
      MnOx/ASC. The catalyst with a Mn:Ce molar ratio of 10:1 yields an over 90% NOx
      removal efficiency in the temperature range of 150-250  degrees C. An approximate
      100% NO conversion and 95% N2 selectivity are achieved at about 200  degrees C.
      The catalysts are characterized by N2 physisorption, X-ray powder diffraction
      (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), hydrogen temperature-programmed
      reduction (H2-TPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results
      indicated that the Ce additive is conducive to the NOx adsorption and then
      accelerates the SCR reaction due to the formation of more chemisorbed oxygen
      (Obeta), which is favored during the oxidation of NH3 and NO. Moreover, the in
      situ diffused reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS)
      results confirm that the Ce additive on MnOx/ASC catalyst could provide more
      active Bronsted acid sites, which eventually contributes to the SCR reaction. The
      generation of ad-NH4+ and nitrite species is proved to play the crucial role in
      the promotional effect of RE addition.

PMID- 28895019
TI  - Narrative self-appropriation: embodiment, alienness, and personal responsibility
      in the context of borderline personality disorder.
AB  - It is often emphasised that persons diagnosed with borderline personality
      disorder (BPD) show difficulties in understanding their own psychological states.
      In this article, I argue that from a phenomenological perspective, BPD can be
      understood as an existential modality in which the embodied self is profoundly
      saturated by an alienness regarding the person's own affects and responses.
      However, the balance of familiarity and alienness is not static, but can be
      cultivated through, e.g., psychotherapy. Following this line of thought, I
      present the idea that narrativising experiences can play an important role in
      processes of appropriating such embodied self-alienness. Importantly, the notion
      of narrative used is that of a scalar conception of narrativity as a variable
      quality of experience that comes in degrees. From this perspective, narrative
      appropriation is a process of gradually attributing the quality of narrativity to
      experiences, thereby familiarising the moods, affects, and responses that
      otherwise govern 'from behind'. Finally, I propose that the idea of a narrative
      appropriation of embodied self-alienness is also relevant to the much-debated
      question of personal responsibility in BPD, particularly as this question plays
      out in psychotherapeutic contexts where a narrative self-appropriation may
      facilitate an increase in sense of autonomy and reduce emotions of guilt and
      shame.

PMID- 28895020
TI  - Role of Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells in Allergic Diseases.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The adaptive immune response orchestrated by type 2 T helper
      (Th2) lymphocytes, strictly cooperates with the innate response of group 2 innate
      lymphoid cells (ILC2), in the protection from helminths infection, as well as in
      the pathogenesis of allergic disease. The aim of this review is to explore the
      pathogenic role of ILC2 in different type 2-mediated disorders. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Recent studies have shown that epithelial cell-derived cytokines and their
      responding cells, ILC2, play a pathogenic role in bronchial asthma, chronic
      rhinosinusitis, and atopic dermatitis. The growing evidences of the contribution
      of ILC2 in the induction and maintenance of allergic inflammation in such disease
      suggest the possibility to target them in therapy. Biological therapies blocking
      ILC2 activation or neutralizing their effector cytokines are currently under
      evaluation to be used in patients with type 2-dominated diseases.

PMID- 28895021
TI  - K-band Doppler radar for contact-less overnight sleep marker assessment: a pilot
      validation study.
AB  - An estimated 45 million persons in Europe are annually subjected to sleep-wake
      disorders. State-of-the-art polysomnography provides sophisticated insights into
      sleep (patho)physiology. A drawback of the method, however, is the obtrusive
      setting dependent on a clinical-based sleep laboratory with high operational
      costs. A contact-less prototype was developed to monitor limb movements and vital
      signs during sleep. A dual channel K-band Doppler radar transceiver captured limb
      movements and periodic chest wall motion due to respiration and heart activity. A
      wavelet transform based multi-resolution analysis (MRA) approach isolated limb
      movements, respiration, and heart rate from the demodulated signal. A test bench
      setup characterized the prototype simulating near physiological chest wall
      motions caused by periodic respiration and heartbeats in humans. Single- and
      multi-tone test bench simulations showed extremely low relative percentage errors
      of the prototype for respiratory and heart rate within -2 and 1%. The performance
      of the prototype was validated in overnight comparative studies, involving two
      healthy volunteers, with polysomnography as the reference. The prototype has
      successfully classified limb movements, with a sensitivity and specificity of
      88.9 and 76.8% respectively, and has achieved accurate respiratory and heart rate
      measurement performance with overall absolute errors of 1 breath per minute for
      respiration and 3 beats per minute for heart rate. This pilot study shows that K
      band Doppler radar and wavelet transform MRA seem to be valid for overnight sleep
      marker assessment. The contact-less approach might offer a promising solution for
      home-based sleep monitoring and assessment.

PMID- 28895023
TI  - Israel rake retractor modification to improve exposure during oropharyngeal
      surgery on patients with larger body habitus.
AB  - PURPOSE: Elective oropharyngeal surgery including tonsillectomy and
      uvulopalatopharyngoplasty performed for obstructive sleep apnea is increasingly
      performed on patients of larger body habitus. The use of the Crowe-Davis
      retractor in such patients may be complicated by a large barrel-chest making it
      difficult to anchor the retractor to the Mayo stand for suspension limiting
      oropharyngeal exposure. Here, we present a simple modification using the Israel
      Retractor to facilitate suspension of the Crowe-Davis mouth gag. METHODS:
      Operational instructions were followed for Israel retractor modification in
      oropharyngeal surgery. RESULTS: The Crowe-Davis retractor is able to anchor to
      the Israel retractor, whose prongs articulate on the Mayo Stand for suspension.
      This extension allows suspension of patients with larger body habitus in
      oropharyngeal surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the Israel retractor as an extension
      of the Crowe-Davis retractor handle provides an easy, quick, safe, and reliable
      method for placing patients of larger body habitus into suspension.

PMID- 28895022
TI  - Subcellular pigment distribution is altered under far-red light acclimation in
      cyanobacteria that contain chlorophyll f.
AB  - Far-Red Light (FRL) acclimation is a process that has been observed in
      cyanobacteria and algae that can grow solely on light above 700 nm. The
      acclimation to FRL results in rearrangement and synthesis of new pigments and
      pigment-protein complexes. In this study, cyanobacteria containing chlorophyll f,
      Synechococcus sp. PCC 7335 and Halomicronema hongdechloris, were imaged as live
      cells with confocal microscopy. H. hongdechloris was further studied with
      hyperspectral confocal fluorescence microscopy (HCFM) and freeze-substituted thin
      section transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Under FRL, phycocyanin-containing
      complexes and chlorophyll-containing complexes were determined to be physically
      separated and the synthesis of red-form phycobilisome and Chl f was increased.
      The timing of these responses was observed. The heterogeneity and eco
      physiological response of the cells was noted. Additionally, a gliding motility
      for H. hongdechloris is reported.

PMID- 28895024
TI  - Tuberculosis Meningitis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As the most severe form of tuberculosis (TB), TB meningitis
      disproportionately affects developing countries and results in significant
      morbidity and mortality. In this report, we review recent updates in the
      epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of TB meningitis. RECENT FINDINGS: Young
      children and people living with HIV continue to be at highest risk for TB
      meningitis. Early diagnosis remains challenging, especially since conventional
      diagnostic tests have sub-optimal sensitivity and specificity. Recently, nucleic
      acid amplification testing emerged as the preferred diagnostic modality due to
      its rapid turnaround time and high specificity. Several recent studies have
      assessed the optimal treatment for TB meningitis. While the benefit of treatment
      intensification, by increasing rifampin dosing or adding a fluoroquinolone, is
      unclear, a growing body of evidence suggests that steroids confer a survival
      advantage, particularly in patients with mild disease. Additionally, TB
      meningitis management is further complicated by high rates of HIV co-infection.
      Recent data suggest that unlike other forms of TB, early initiation of
      antiretroviral therapy in patients with TB meningitis is associated with higher
      rates of adverse reactions, without improved survival. TB meningitis continues to
      be a significant problem worldwide. Despite recent advances, more studies are
      warranted to improve early disease detection and optimize therapy.

PMID- 28895025
TI  - Leaching variations of heavy metals in chelator-assisted phytoextraction by Zea
      mays L. exposed to acid rainfall.
AB  - Chelant-enhanced phytoextraction method has been put forward as an effective soil
      remediation method, whereas the heavy metal leaching could not be ignored. In
      this study, a cropping-leaching experiment, using soil columns, was applied to
      study the metal leaching variations during assisted phytoextraction of Cd- and Pb
      polluted soils, using seedlings of Zea mays, applying three different chelators
      (EDTA, EDDS, and rhamnolipid), and artificial rainfall (acid rainfall or normal
      rainfall). It showed that artificial rainfall, especially artificial acid rain,
      after chelator application led to the increase of heavy metals in the leaching
      solution. EDTA increased both Cd and Pb concentrations in the leaching solution,
      obviously, whereas EDDS and rhamnolipid increased Cd concentration but not Pb.
      The amount of Cd and Pb decreased as the leaching solution increased, the
      patterns as well matched LRMs (linear regression models), with R-square (R 2)
      higher than 90 and 82% for Cd and Pb, respectively. The maximum cumulative Cd and
      Pb in the leaching solutions were 18.44 and 16.68%, respectively, which was
      amended by EDTA and acid rainwater (pH 4.5), and followed by EDDS (pH 4.5), EDDS
      (pH 6.5), rhamnolipid (0.5 g kg-1 soil, pH 4.5), and rhamnolipid (pH 6.5).

PMID- 28895027
TI  - The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv
      Affectiv Suite in Older People.
AB  - This research directly assesses older people's neural activation in response to a
      changing urban environment while walking, as measured by electroencephalography
      (EEG). The study builds on previous research that shows changes in cortical
      activity while moving through different urban settings. The current study extends
      this methodology to explore previously unstudied outcomes in older people aged 65
      years or more (n = 95). Participants were recruited to walk one of six scenarios
      pairing urban busy (a commercial street with traffic), urban quiet (a residential
      street) and urban green (a public park) spaces in a counterbalanced design,
      wearing a mobile Emotiv EEG headset to record real-time neural responses to
      place. Each walk lasted around 15 min and was undertaken at the pace of the
      participant. We report on the outputs for these responses derived from the Emotiv
      Affectiv Suite software, which creates emotional parameters ('excitement',
      'frustration', 'engagement' and 'meditation') with a real-time value assigned to
      them. The six walking scenarios were compared using a form of high dimensional
      correlated component regression (CCR) on difference data, capturing the change
      between one setting and another. The results showed that levels of 'engagement'
      were higher in the urban green space compared to those of the urban busy and
      urban quiet spaces, whereas levels of 'excitement' were higher in the urban busy
      environment compared with those of the urban green space and quiet urban space.
      In both cases, this effect is shown regardless of the order of exposure to these
      different environments. These results suggest that there are neural signatures
      associated with the experience of different urban spaces which may reflect the
      older age of the sample as well as the condition of the spaces themselves. The
      urban green space appears to have a restorative effect on this group of older
      adults.

PMID- 28895026
TI  - Growth arrest-specific protein 7 regulates the murine M1 alveolar macrophage
      polarization.
AB  - : Growth arrest-specific gene 7 (Gas7) is preferentially expressed in terminally
      differentiated brain cells and plays a crucial role during neuronal development
      and neurite outgrowth. Apart from that, Gas7 was found to be abundantly expressed
      in immune cells like murine macrophage without knowing the actual roles in immune
      reaction. By using the Illumina microarray analysis, we observed a clear
      induction of Gas7 but no other Gas family members in murine M1-polarized alveolar
      macrophage, which was further confirmed by RT-qPCR, Western blotting, and
      immunostaining analysis, suggesting a likelihood that Gas7 may participate in
      murine alveolar macrophage polarization. Moreover, we found that the upregulation
      of Gas7 in M1-polarized alveolar macrophage was almost fully blocked by IKK
      selective inhibitor BMS, which links Gas7 induction to nuclear factor kappa beta
      (NF-kappaB) signaling activation. Interestingly, we found that Gas7 knockdown by
      small interfering RNA transfection did not affect the pro-inflammatory cytokine
      gene Tnf and Ilb expression, whereas the expressions of canonic M1 marker gene
      Nos2 and other M1-dependent genes Il12b, Il6, Cxcl1, Cxcl2, and Cxcl9 were found
      to be reduced. Furthermore, Gas7-related M1 gene expression in alveolar
      macrophage was not dependent on NF-kappaB and STAT1 pathway. Our results
      demonstrate that Gas7 is potentially involved in regulation of murine M1 alveolar
      macrophage polarization. HIGHLIGHTS: Gas7 was induced in LPS/IFNgamma mediated M1
      polarization. Gas7 are induced during time course of M1 polarization. Gas7
      upregulation was dependent on NF-kappaB pathway in M1 polarized AMs. Gas7
      knockdown reduced the M1 markers gene expression in M1 polarized AMs.

PMID- 28895028
TI  - Prevalence of QT interval prolonging drug-drug interactions (QT-DDIs) in
      psychiatry wards of tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan: a multicenter cross
      sectional study.
AB  - Background QT prolongation and associated arrhythmias, torsades de pointes (TdP),
      are considerable negative outcomes of many antipsychotic and antidepressant
      agents frequently used by psychiatric patients. Objective To identify the
      prevalence, levels, and predictors of QT prolonging drug-drug interactions (QT
      DDIs), and AZCERT (Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics)
      classification of drugs involved in QT-DDIs. Setting Psychiatry wards of three
      major tertiary care hospitals of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Method This was a
      multicenter cross-sectional study. Micromedex DrugReax was used for
      identification of QT-DDIs. TdP risks were identified by the AZCERT
      classification. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to
      identify predictors of QT-DDIs. Main outcome measure Prevalence of QT-DDIs
      (overall, age-wise and gender-wise) and their levels of severity and
      documentation; AZCERT classes of drugs involved in QT-DDIs; and odds ratios for
      predictors of QT-DDIs. Results Of 600 patients, 58.5% were female. Median age was
      25 years (IQR = 20-35). Overall 51.7% patients had QT-DDIs. Of total 698
      identified QT-DDIs, most were of major-severity (98.4%) and fair-documentation
      (93.7%). According to the AZCERT classification, 36.4% of the interacting drugs
      were included in list-1 (known risk of TdP), 26.9% in list-2 (possible risk of
      TdP) and 27.5% in list-3 (conditional risk of TdP). Drugs commonly involved in QT
      DDI were olanzapine (n = 146), haloperidol (138), escitalopram (122), risperidone
      (91), zuclopenthixol (87), quetiapine (n80) and fluoxetine (74). In multivariate
      logistic regression analysis, QT-DDIs were significantly associated with 6-7
      prescribed medications (p = 0.04) and >7 medications (p = 0.03). Similarly, there
      was significant association of occurrence of QT-DDIs with 2-3 QT drugs (p <
      0.001) and >3 QT drugs (p < 0.001). Conclusion A considerable number of patients
      are exposed to QT-DDIs in psychiatry. There is a need to implement protocol for
      monitoring the outcomes of QT-DDIs.

PMID- 28895029
TI  - Chemical characteristics of soluble aerosols over the central Himalayas: insights
      into spatiotemporal variations and sources.
AB  - In order to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of aerosols and its
      soluble chemical compositions of the data gap zone in the central Himalayan
      region, aerosol samples were collected at four sites. The sampling location were
      characterized by four different categories, such as urban (Bode), semi-urban site
      in the northern Indo-Gangetic Plain (Lumbini), rural (Dhunche), and semiarid
      rural (Jomsom). A total of 230 aerosol samples were collected from four
      representative sites for a yearlong period and analyzed for water-soluble
      inorganic ions (WSIIs). The annual average aerosol mass concentration followed
      the sequence as Bode (238.24 +/- 162.24 MUg/m3)> Lumbini (161.14 +/- 105.95
      MUg/m3)> Dhunche (112.40 +/- 40.30 MUg/m3)> Jomsom (78.85 +/- 34.28 MUg/m3),
      suggesting heavier particulate pollution in the urban and semi-urban sites. The
      total soluble ions contributed to 12.61-28.19% of TSP aerosol mass. The results
      revealed that SO42- and NO3- were the major anion and Ca2+ and NH4+ were the
      major cation influencing the aerosol composition over the central Himalayas.
      Calcium played a major role in neutralizing aerosol acidity followed by NH4+ at
      all the sites. The major compound of aerosol was (NH4)2SO4 and NH4HSO4 in the
      central Himalayas. Clear seasonality was observed at three observation sites,
      with higher concentrations during non-monsoon (dry periods) and lower during
      monsoon (wet period), suggesting washing out of aerosol particles by heavy
      precipitation during monsoon. In contrast, semiarid sites did not show the clear
      seasonal trend due to limited precipitation. Stationary sources were predominant
      over the mobile sources mostly in the remote sites. Principal component analysis
      confirmed that the major sources of WSIIs in the region were industrial
      emissions, fossil fuel and biomass burning, and crustal fugitive dusts.
      Nevertheless, transboundary aerosol transport over the region from polluted
      cities from south Asia could not be ignored as indicated by the clusters of air
      mass backward trajectory analysis.

PMID- 28895030
TI  - Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular prevention: the dogmas disputed.
AB  - In randomized controlled trials (RCTs), more intensive glucose control in
      patients with type 2 diabetes leads to a modest (9%) reduction in major
      cardiovascular events (MACE), associated with a 20% reduction of kidney events
      and 13% reduction of eye events. The FDA issued guidance in 2008 led to the
      conduct of numerous cardiovascular outcomes (CVOT) trials to assess
      cardiovascular safety of new antihyperglycemic therapies in patients with type 2
      diabetes. The results of these trials show that insulin glargine, three different
      dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors (saxagliptin, alogliptin, and
      sitagliptin) and lixisenatide (a glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonist)
      produce no significant difference in CVOT when compared with usual care or
      placebo. Other trials with newer diabetes drugs, including empagliflozin and
      canagliflozin (two sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors), liraglutide and
      semaglutide (two GLP-1 receptor agonists) succeeded in demonstrating CV benefit
      in people with type 2 diabetes. In the last two decades, the equation "diabetes
      equals myocardial infarction" have contributed to the development of preventive
      therapy for risk factors in diabetes. In both primary and secondary prevention,
      the diabetic patients with high rates of statin and aspirin treatment have
      improved CV outcome, as compared with non-users. The drugs used to reduce glucose
      levels in patients with type 2 diabetes seem important for the ultimate
      cardiovascular outcome: the combination of intensive glycemic control, when
      safely attainable, with newer diabetes drugs (empagliflozin, canagliflozin,
      liraglutide, and semaglutide) may decrease the incidence of MACE, nephropathy and
      retinopathy. Moreover, depending on the drug used, CV mortality and heart failure
      may also be reduced.

PMID- 28895031
TI  - Utility of Endoanal Ultrasonography in Assessment of Primary and Recurrent Anal
      Fistulas and for Detection of Associated Anal Sphincter Defects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tridimensional endoanal ultrasonography (3D-EAUS) has been used for
      the assessment of various anorectal lesions. Previous studies have reported good
      accuracy of 3D-EAUS in preoperative assessment of fistula-in-ano (FIA). This
      study aimed to assess the diagnostic utility of 3D-EAUS in preoperative
      evaluation of primary and recurrent FIA and its role in detection of associated
      anal sphincter (AS) defects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospectively collected data
      of patients with FIA who were investigated with 3D-EAUS were reviewed. The
      findings of EAUS were compared with the intraoperative findings, the reference
      standard, to find the degree of agreement regarding the position of the internal
      opening (IO) and primary tract (PT), and presence of secondary tracts using kappa
      (k) coefficient test. A subgroup analysis was performed to compare the accuracy
      and sensitivity of EAUS for primary and recurrent FIA. RESULTS: Of the patients,
      131 were included to the study. EAUS had an overall accuracy of 87, 88.5, and
      89.5% in detection of IO, PT, and AS defects, respectively. There was very good
      concordance between the findings of EAUS and intraoperative findings for the
      investigated parameters (kappa = 0.748, 0.83, 0.935), respectively. Accuracy and
      sensitivity of EAUS in recurrent FIA were insignificantly lower than primary
      cases. EAUS detected occult AS defects in 5.3% of the patients studied.
      CONCLUSION: The diagnostic utility of 3D-EAUS was comparable in primary and
      recurrent FIA. 3D-EAUS was able to detect symptomatic and occult AS defects with
      higher accuracy than clinical examination.

PMID- 28895032
TI  - Resection of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer without Regression of Arterial
      Encasement After Modern-Era Neoadjuvant Therapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Modern-era systemic therapy for locally advanced pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma (LAPC) offers improved survival relative to historical regimens
      but not necessarily improved radiographic downstaging to allow more patients to
      undergo resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival,
      progression, and pathologic outcomes after resection of LAPC that did not regress
      from > 180 degrees arterial encasement after neoadjuvant therapy. METHODS: Sixty
      one LAPC patients were brought to the operating room after neoadjuvant therapy
      for NCCN-defined unresectable pancreatic cancer between 2012 and 2017. Pts were
      explored with intent of pancreatectomy and irreversible electroporation for
      margin extension; 5 (8%) had metastatic lesions on exploratory laparoscopy and
      were excluded from analyses. Imaging was re-examined to confirm LAPC prior to
      surgery. Data were analyzed from a prospective pancreatic cancer database.
      RESULTS: Patients had arterial involvement of the celiac axis (37.5%) and/or
      superior mesenteric artery (42.9%) and/or an extended length of the common
      hepatic (n = 44.6%) artery. Twenty-nine males and 27 females, median 65 years of
      age, received neoadjuvant gemcitabine-based (58.9%) or FOLFIRINOX (35.7%)
      chemotherapy and stereotactic body (42.9%) or intensity-modulated (51.8%)
      radiation therapy. Median months from initiation of neoadjuvant therapy to
      surgery was 7.5. Sixty-one percent underwent Whipple, 21% distal, and 18%
      modified Appleby procedures; 57% patients underwent venous reconstruction. Ninety
      day mortality was 2%. An R0 margin was achieved in 80%, and 53% were N0. Median
      overall and progression-free survival was 18.5 (95%CI 12.27-32.33) and 8.5 months
      (95%CI 6.0-15.0), respectively. One- and 3-year survival from surgery was 68.5%
      (95%CI 53.0-79.7) and 39.0% (95%CI 23.7-53.8), respectively. CONCLUSION: With
      modern-era neoadjuvant therapy, R0 resections can be achieved in a majority of
      non-metastatic patients with locally advanced, unresectable disease based on
      cross-sectional imaging.

PMID- 28895033
TI  - Three-Category Classification of Magnetic Resonance Hearing Loss Images Based on
      Deep Autoencoder.
AB  - Hearing loss, a partial or total inability to hear, is known as hearing
      impairment. Untreated hearing loss can have a bad effect on normal social
      communication, and it can cause psychological problems in patients. Therefore, we
      design a three-category classification system to detect the specific category of
      hearing loss, which is beneficial to be treated in time for patients. Before the
      training and test stages, we use the technology of data augmentation to produce a
      balanced dataset. Then we use deep autoencoder neural network to classify the
      magnetic resonance brain images. In the stage of deep autoencoder, we use stacked
      sparse autoencoder to generate visual features, and softmax layer to classify the
      different brain images into three categories of hearing loss. Our method can
      obtain good experimental results. The overall accuracy of our method is 99.5%,
      and the time consuming is 0.078 s per brain image. Our proposed method based on
      stacked sparse autoencoder works well in classification of hearing loss images.
      The overall accuracy of our method is 4% higher than the best of state-of-the-art
      approaches.

PMID- 28895034
TI  - Whole-body biodistribution and the influence of body activity on brain kinetic
      analysis of the 11C-PiB PET scan.
AB  - Dynamic 11C-PiB PET imaging with kinetic analysis has been performed for accurate
      quantification of amyloid binding in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In
      this study, we measured the whole-body biodistribution of 11C-PiB in nine
      subjects. We then evaluated the effect of body activity on quantitative accuracy
      of brain 11C-PiB three-dimensional (3D) dynamic PET. Based on clinical
      biodistribution data, we conducted phantom experiments to estimate the effect of
      body activity on quantification of the brain 3D dynamic 11C-PiB PET data and the
      error introduced by body activity using six different PET camera models. One of
      the PET cameras was used to acquire 11C-PiB brain 3D dynamic PET data on a
      patient with AD. We calculated the distribution volume ratio (DVR) in two kinetic
      methods using both the original human time-activity-curve (TAC) data and the TAC
      corrected for the error caused by body activity. In the early phase, both healthy
      subjects and patients with AD showed a biodistribution of 11C-PiB that reflected
      regional blood flow. In the simulated early phase of the phantom experiments,
      activity outside the field of view led to a maximum 6.0% overestimation of brain
      activity in the vertex region. Conversely, the effect of body activity on the DVR
      estimate was small (<=1.2%), probably because the tested kinetic methods did not
      rely heavily on early phase data. These results indicate that the effect of body
      activity on brain 11C-PiB PET quantification is generally small and that it
      depends on the method of kinetic analysis, the region of interest, and the PET
      camera model used.

PMID- 28895035
TI  - Splenectomy vs. rituximab as a second-line therapy in immune thrombocytopenic
      purpura: a single center experience.
AB  - Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a common hematological disease treated
      primarily by corticosteroids. The aim of the present study was to compare
      response rate between patients, underwent splenectomy vs. rituximab as second
      line therapy. Adult patients diagnosed with ITP who did not respond to
      corticosteroids or relapsed during the period 1990-2014 were included in a quasi
      experimental study. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher exact test.
      Response to treatment was compared using logistic regression. Data were analyzed
      using SAS V9.2. One-hundred and forty-three patients with ITP were identified
      through medical records. Of 62 patients treated, 30 (48.38%) required second-line
      therapy. 19 (63%) patients received rituximab, and 11 (37%) underwent
      splenectomy. Platelets at diagnosis were not different between study groups (p =
      0.062). Splenectomy group patients were younger (p = 0.011). Response to second
      line therapy showed no significant difference between two groups (OR 2.03, 95% CI
      (0.21-22.09), p = 0.549). Results did not show a statistically significant
      difference in platelet counts over time between treatment groups (p = 0.101).
      When used exclusively as a second-line therapy for steroid-refractory ITP, the
      response rate was not statistically different between rituximab and splenectomy.
      However, further large studies are needed to assess the response rates for these
      treatment modalities as a second-line therapy.

PMID- 28895036
TI  - Independent Effects of Neighborhood Poverty and Psychosocial Stress on Obesity
      Over Time.
AB  - The objective of the study was to examine the independent effects of neighborhood
      poverty and psychosocial stress on increases in central adiposity over time. Data
      are from a community sample of 157 Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White, and
      Hispanic adults collected in 2002-2003 and 2007-2008, and from the 2000 Decennial
      Census. The dependent variable was waist circumference. Independent variables
      included neighborhood poverty, perceived neighborhood physical environment,
      family stress, safety stress, everyday unfair treatment, and a cumulative stress
      index. Weighted 3-level hierarchical linear regression models for a continuous
      outcome were used to assess the effects of neighborhood poverty and psychosocial
      stress on central adiposity over time. We also assessed whether psychosocial
      stress mediated the association between neighborhood poverty and central
      adiposity. Neighborhood poverty and everyday unfair treatment at baseline were
      independently associated with increases in central adiposity over time,
      accounting for the other indicators of stress. Perceptions of the neighborhood
      physical environment and cumulative stress mediated associations between
      neighborhood poverty and central adiposity. Results suggest that residing in
      neighborhoods with higher concentrations of poverty and exposure to everyday
      unfair treatment independently heighten risk of increased central adiposity over
      time. Associations between neighborhood poverty and central adiposity were
      mediated by perceptions of the neighborhood physical environment and by the
      cumulative stress index. Public health strategies to reduce obesity should
      consider neighborhood poverty and exposure to multiple sources of psychosocial
      stress, including everyday unfair treatment.

PMID- 28895037
TI  - Management of Acute Sleeve Gastrectomy Leaks by Conversion to Roux-en-Y Gastric
      Bypass: a Small Case Series.
AB  - Management of early sleeve gastrectomy leak remains challenging. The recommended
      approach is endoscopic stenting and abdominal drainage. Conversion to a Roux-en-Y
      gastric bypass (RYGB) is a common procedure used for late fistulas with distal
      obstruction. Here, we have presented three cases of early staple line leaks
      treated by conversion to RYGB. These patients had uncontrolled abdominal
      infections despite intensive medical treatments, and surgery was elected for
      abdominal drainage as well as to control the source of sepsis. All the patients
      were discharged without problems, and successful weight loss processes continued.
      Conversion to RYGB of a sleeve gastrectomy leak in an acute setting can be a
      feasible method in the case of inevitable surgical drainage for abdominal sepsis.

PMID- 28895038
TI  - A retrospective external validation study of the HEART score among patients
      presenting to the emergency department with chest pain.
AB  - Emergency physicians must be able to effectively prognosticate outcomes for
      patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with chest pain. The HEART
      score offers a prognostication tool, but external validation studies are limited.
      We conducted an external retrospective validation study of the HEART score among
      ED patients presenting to our ED with chest pain from 1 January 2014 to 9 June
      2014. We utilized chart review methodology to abstract data from each patient's
      electronic medical record. We collected data relevant to each of the five
      elements of the HEART score: history, electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation,
      patient age, patient risk factors, and troponin levels. We calculated the
      diagnostic accuracy of the HEART score (0-10) for predicting the primary outcome
      of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) over 6 weeks following the ED visit
      (coronary revascularization, myocardial infarction, or mortality). We randomly
      selected 10% of patient charts from which a second investigator abstracted all
      data to assess inter-rater reliability for all study variables. Of 625 charts
      reviewed, we abstracted data on 417 (66.7%) consecutive patients meeting study
      inclusion criteria. Thirty-one (7.4%) of these patients experienced 6-week MACE.
      We observed no instances of MACE within 6 weeks among subjects with a HEART score
      of 3 or less. The area under the receiver operator curve (AUROC) is 0.885 (95%
      confidence interval 0.838-0.931). Patients with a HEART score <=3 are at low risk
      for 6-week MACE. Hence, these patients may be candidates for outpatient follow-up
      instead of inpatient admission for cardiac risk stratification.

PMID- 28895039
TI  - Wheezing in Infancy: An Overview of Recent Literature.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Wheezing in infancy is a common presentation with many
      potential causes. In writing this review, we sought to summarize the newest
      recommendations and testing available for the more common etiologies of wheezing.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Regarding the diagnosis of asthma, the modified asthma
      predictive index has recently been established as a useful predictive tool. Non
      breath held multidetector CT with 3D volume rendering airway images is also a
      newer helpful diagnostic tool for tracheomalacia due to ease of use and its 100%
      positive predictive value. We found vaccines have greatly reduced the prevalence
      of epiglottitis, while advances in surgery are improving outcomes in infants with
      vascular rings. Wheezing in infants is a common problem with an extensive
      differential diagnosis from relatively benign to life threatening. To prevent
      over-looking a diagnosis that potentially requires surgical correction or
      emergent care, we recommend a structured approach to the history and physical
      exam with targeted testing directed towards the most likely diagnoses as outlined
      in this review.

PMID- 28895040
TI  - Clinical utility of ultra-low-dose pre-test exposure to avoid unnecessary patient
      exposure due to positioning errors: a simulation study.
AB  - The use of digital radiographic systems has decreased the frequency of image
      retakes due to over/underexposure in general radiography. However, image retakes
      owing to patient positioning errors are likely to increase because of the
      convenience of a real-time image check on a console table. The purpose of the
      present study is to propose a novel radiographic examination procedure with an
      ultra-low-dose pre-test exposure that may be utilized to check patient
      positioning prior to taking an actual image, thereby reducing unnecessary patient
      exposure owing to image retakes. In this study, examination data from 714 knee
      joint radiographs, both submitted and retaken images, were included. Twelve
      radiological technologists (RTs) took all images. The actual total exposure dose
      for each patient was compared with simulated total doses utilized in the proposed
      procedure. The simulation assumed that each examination was completed following
      pre-test exposure. Therefore, this method did not involve retaking images
      although at least one pre-test exposure had been applied to all patients. Pre
      test exposures at four dose levels corresponding to 25, 10, 5, and 2% of the
      actual exposure dose were evaluated to determine whether each dose level could be
      used to check patient positioning. The results indicated that when the pre-test
      exposure dose rate was 10% or lower, the total exposure dose reduction equaled or
      exceeded 8% for all patients. The use of the proposed procedure reduced the total
      exposure dose for all patients when compared to the exposure dose calculated from
      records.

PMID- 28895042
TI  - Next Generation Sequencing in Diagnosis of MLPA Negative Cases Presenting as
      Duchenne/ Becker Muscular Dystrophies.

PMID- 28895043
TI  - Effects of Long-Term Caffeine Consumption on the Adenosine A1 Receptor in the Rat
      Brain: an In Vivo PET Study with [18F]CPFPX.
AB  - PURPOSE: Caffeine, a nonselective antagonist of adenosine receptors, is the most
      popular psychostimulant worldwide. Recently, a protective role of moderate
      chronic caffeine consumption against neurodegenerative diseases such as
      Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease has been discussed. Thus, aim of the present
      study was an in vivo investigation of effects of long-term caffeine consumption
      on the adenosine A1 receptor (A1AR) in the rat brain. PROCEDURES: Sixteen adult,
      male rats underwent five positron emission tomography (PET) scans with the highly
      selective A1AR radioligand [18F]CPFPX in order to determine A1AR availability.
      After the first baseline PET scan, the animals were assigned to two groups:
      Caffeine treatment and control group. The caffeine-treated animals received
      caffeinated tap water (30 mg/kg bodyweight/day, corresponding to 4-5 cups of
      coffee per day in humans) for 12 weeks. Subsequently, caffeine was withdrawn and
      repeated PET measurements were performed on day 1, 2, 4, and 7 of caffeine
      withdrawal. The control animals were measured according to the same time
      schedule. RESULTS: At day 1, after 4.4 h of caffeine withdrawal, a significant
      decrease (- 34.5%, p < 0.001) of whole brain A1AR availability was observed.
      Unlike all other investigated brain regions in caffeine-treated rats, the
      hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens showed no significant intraindividual
      differences between baseline and first withdrawal PET scan. After approximately
      27 h of caffeine withdrawal, the region- and group-specific effects disappeared
      and A1AR availability settled around baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The present study
      provides evidence that chronic caffeine consumption does not lead to persistent
      changes in functional availability of cerebral A1ARs which have previously been
      associated with neuroprotective effects of caffeine. The acute and region
      specific decrease in cerebral A1AR availability directly after caffeine
      withdrawal is most likely caused by residual amounts of caffeine metabolites
      disguising an unchanged A1AR expression at this early time-point.

PMID- 28895041
TI  - Unmet Needs in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Vasculitides.
AB  - Despite the progress in the last years on the field of vasculitides, there are
      several unmet needs regarding classification, disease activity assessment,
      predictors of flares and complications, and type of treatment for the different
      forms. The 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria
      currently used to define giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis were
      designed to discriminate between different types of vasculitides but not to
      differentiate vasculitis from other disorders. Recently, efforts have been made
      to overcome the shortcomings of the ACR criteria. The lack of an accepted
      definition of disease activity in large-vessel vasculitides presents a major
      challenge in creating useful and valid outcome tools for the assessment of
      disease course. Identification of predictors of flares can aid in optimizing
      therapeutic strategies, minimizing disease flares, and reducing treatment-related
      side effects. It is furthermore important to recognize and characterize the risk
      factor that might predict the manifestations associated with poor outcome and
      prognosis. Two RCTs have evidenced the efficacy of tocilizumab in addition to
      glucocorticoids (GCs) in the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA). However,
      the role of tocilizumab or other biological agents without GCs needs to be
      investigated. Recent observational studies have suggested that rituximab is also
      effective in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and in
      antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-negative patients with
      granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis. Rituximab or anti
      TNF alfa may represent a possible alternative therapy in case of refractory or
      difficult to treat polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) patients. The new International
      Criteria for Behcet's Disease have shown a better sensitivity and a better
      accuracy compared to the older International Study Group on Behcet's Disease
      criteria. The EULAR recommendations for the management of Behcet's disease (BD)
      have been recently updated. However, the treatment of refractory disease is still
      a real challenge.

PMID- 28895044
TI  - Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Growth Performance, Intestinal Development, and
      Intestinal Barrier-Related Gene Expression in Pekin Ducks.
AB  - The current study was conducted to investigate the effect of zinc supplementation
      on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, and the transcription of the
      barrier function related genes in Pekin ducks. Seven-hundred and sixty-eight 1
      day-old Pekin ducks were randomly assigned into six dietary treatments. Each
      treatment had eight replicates with 16 ducks per replicates. The ducks were fed
      either a corn-soybean meal basal diet or basal diets supplemented with 15, 30,
      60, 120, and 240 mg zinc/kg from zinc sulfate. This experiment lasted for 5
      weeks, and the jejunum sample were harvested at 14 and 35 days of age. Results
      have shown that diets supplemented with zinc significantly increased the duck
      body weight, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake in different
      period of experiment (P < 0.05); feed to gain ratio was decreased as the zinc
      level increased (P < 0.05). Zinc supplementation increased the villus height and
      decreased the crypt depth in jejunum of ducks (P < 0.05) at 14 and 35 days of
      age. The transcription of tight junction protein CLDN1, OCND, ZO-1, and ZO-3 in
      jejunum were increased (P < 0.05), and the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of leak
      protein CLDN2 were decreased as the dietary zinc level increased (P < 0.05) at 14
      and 35 days of age. The mRNA levels of chemical barrier-related genes MUC2 and
      TFF-2 in jejunum at 14 and 35 days of age were increased (P < 0.05) by zinc
      supplementation, and so did the transcription of immunological barrier-related
      genes lgA, pIgR, LYZ, and AvBD2 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary zinc
      supplementation exhibited growth-promoting effect on Pekin duck, improved
      intestinal morphology, and enhanced the intestinal barrier integrity.

PMID- 28895045
TI  - Influence of Gd-EOB-DTPA on proton density fat fraction using the six-echo Dixon
      method in 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether disodium gadoxetate (Gd-EOB
      DTPA) affects proton density fat fractions (PDFFs) during use of the multiecho
      Dixon (meDixon) method in phantom and simulation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      studies at 3 T. Fat-water phantoms comprising vegetable fat-water emulsions with
      varying fat volume percentages (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50) and Gd-EOB-DTPA
      concentrations (0 and 0.4 mM) were prepared. Phantoms without Gd-EOB-DTPA were
      defined as precontrast, and those with Gd-EOB-DTPA were defined as postcontrast.
      All phantoms were scanned with a 3 T MRI system using the meDixon method, and
      precontrast and postcontrast PDFFs were calculated. Simulated pre and
      postcontrast PDFFs in the liver were calculated using a theoretical formula. The
      relationship between PDFFs measured in the pre and postcontrast phantoms was
      evaluated using linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis. The regression
      analysis comparing the pre and postcontrast PDFFs yielded a slope of 0.77 (P <
      0.001). The PDFFs on the postcontrast phantom were smaller than those on the
      precontrast phantom. The mean difference between the PDFFs on the pre and
      postcontrast phantoms was 6.12% (95% confidence interval 3.13 to 9.10%; limits of
      agreement -0.88 to 13.11%). The simulated PDFF on the postcontrast phantom was
      smaller than that on the precontrast phantom. We demonstrated that the PDFF
      measured using the meDixon was smaller on postcontrast than on precontrast at 3
      T, if a low flip angle was used. This tendency was also seen in the simulation
      study results.

PMID- 28895046
TI  - Characterization of cadmium-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae MCC 3091 promoted
      rice seedling growth by alleviating phytotoxicity of cadmium.
AB  - Cadmium (Cd) phytotoxicity in agricultural land is a major global concern now-a
      days resulting in very poor yield. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)
      mediated bioremediation is one of the convenient strategies for detoxification of
      Cd from the soil and for plant growth promotion under Cd stress. The selected
      strain K5 was identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae based on MALDI-TOF MS ribosomal
      protein and 16S rDNA sequence-based homology. The strain possessed several PGP
      traits viz. IAA production (3413 MUg/mL), phosphate solubilization (80.25 ppm),
      ACC deaminase activity (40 ng alpha-ketobutyrate/mg protein/h), N2 fixation
      ability (1.84 MUg N2 fixed/h), etc. and has the highest Cd resistance (4000
      MUg/mL) among Cd-resistant PGPR so far reported. This strain efficiently
      accumulated Cd and remained viable under Cd stress as confirmed by AAS-TEM-EDX
      analysis and viability test, respectively. The significant (p < 0.05) positive
      effect of the strain was reflected in various plant growth parameters like
      increased seed germination (50 to 90%), root length (5-fold), shoot length (about
      2-fold), root fresh weight (> 2-fold), and shoot fresh weight (1.23-fold) under
      Cd stress compared with uninoculated set. Moreover, the positive impact of this
      strain on antioxidant enzyme activity (CAT, MDA, SOD) and several other
      biochemical parameters (proline, alpha-amylase, protease, total sugar, total
      protein, chlorophyll content) were also measured that favors plant growth
      promotion under Cd stress. Besides, the K5 strain also decreased stress-ethylene
      level under Cd stress and reduction of Cd accumulation in seedling (> 1.5-fold)
      was conducive to alleviate Cd phytotoxicity. Hence, K. pneumoniae strain K5 can
      be used as a phytostimulating and Cd-bioremediating biofertilizer for sustainable
      agriculture in heavy metal-contaminated sites.

PMID- 28895047
TI  - Biochemical, hematological, and pathological related healing effects of Elaeagnus
      angustifolia hydroalcoholic extract in 5-fluorouracil-induced oral mucositis in
      male golden hamster.
AB  - Oral mucositis (OM) is one of the cancer chemotherapy-related side effects which
      can affect the quality of life of affected patients. This study was designed to
      investigate the healing effect of Elaeagnus angustifolia in 5-flurouracil (5-FU)
      induced OM in golden hamster. Fifty-six adult male golden hamsters received three
      intraperitoneal injections of 5-FU at a dose of 60 mg/kg on days 0, 5, and 10.
      The cheek pouch mucosa was scratched superficially under local anesthesia. Then,
      two horizontal scratches were made across the everted cheek pouch on days 3 and
      4. All treatments were started on day 12 for equal number of animals in control
      group with no treatments, gel base group that was treated with carboxy methyl
      cellulose as gel base which used in preparation of the topical gel, topical gel
      group that used gel containing 10% hydroalcoholic extract of E. angustifolia
      (HEEA) topically, and dietary group which was treated with 300 mg/kg HEEA. At 2
      and 5 days after treatment, blood and pouch tissue sampling were done and
      analyzed for blood composition, tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities plus
      histopathological evaluations. Both topically and orally HEEA-treated groups
      showed a significant relief in OM compared to the control and base gel groups.
      However, the systemic form had higher efficiency in some parts especially
      decreasing the MPO (0.27 +/- 0.17 vs. 0.56 +/- 0.17 IU/L) and increasing SOD
      (6.46 +/- 0.15 vs. 5.36 +/- 0.18 IU/L) activities in pouch tissue in comparison
      to topical form mostly at 5 days after treatment. It seems that hydroalcoholic
      extract of E. angustifolia can be used as an appropriate drug choice for the
      treatment of oral mucositis based on its healing stimulatory and anti
      inflammatory properties.

PMID- 28895048
TI  - Effects of abamectin on bullfrog tadpoles: insights on cytotoxicity.
AB  - Abamectin is one of the most used pesticides worldwide. However, investigations
      about its effects on amphibian populations are rare. Thus, the present study
      sought to investigate possible cytotoxic effects on Lithobates catesbeianus
      tadpoles exposed to low abamectin concentrations diluted in water. Accordingly,
      four experimental groups were set: negative control, positive control
      (cyclophosphamide-40 mL L-1), abamectin at concentrations 36 MUg a.i./L (ABA36
      group), and 72 MUg a.i./L (ABA72 group), applied as Kraft(r) 36EC. The
      micronucleus test was conducted and other nuclear abnormalities in peripheral
      blood erythrocytes were checked after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure to the
      treatments. The total of other nuclear abnormalities was influenced by the
      treatments, whereas the frequency of micronuclei was influenced by the exposure
      time. Such frequency was higher in the animals comprising the ABA72 group, which
      was assessed 72 h after the exposure had begun. The total of other nuclear
      abnormalities was influenced by the treatments. Animals in the positive control,
      ABA36, and ABA72 groups showed similar frequency of these abnormalities at 48 and
      72 h. However, this frequency was statistically higher than that of animals in
      their respective negative control groups. Thus, the present study confirmed the
      hypothesis that the exposure of L. catesbeianus tadpoles to abamectin caused
      cytotoxic effects on them, although this exposure lasted short and the
      concentrations were low. It disclosed prospects for variations in the nucleus of
      erythrocytes circulating in amphibians, a fact that may provide an
      important/complementary approach for the detection of cytotoxicity caused by
      abamectin exposure.

PMID- 28895049
TI  - Mutation in GNE Downregulates Peroxiredoxin IV Altering ER Redox Homeostasis.
AB  - GNE myopathy is a rare neuromuscular genetic disorder characterized by early
      adult onset and muscle weakness due to mutation in sialic acid biosynthetic
      enzyme, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE).
      More than 180 different GNE mutations are known all over the world with unclear
      pathomechanism. Although hyposialylation of glycoproteins is speculated to be the
      major cause, but cellular mechanism leading to loss of muscle mass has not yet
      been deciphered. Besides sialic acid biosynthesis, GNE affects other cellular
      functions such as cell adhesion and apoptosis. In order to understand the effect
      of mutant GNE protein on cellular functions, differential proteome profile of
      HEK293 cells overexpressing pathologically relevant recombinant mutant GNE
      protein (D207V and V603L) was analyzed. These cells, along with vector control
      and wild-type GNE-overexpressing cells, were subjected to two-dimensional gel
      electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS). In the
      study, 10 differentially expressed proteins were identified. Progenesis same
      spots software revealed downregulation of peroxiredoxin IV (PrdxIV), an ER
      resident H2O2 sensor that regulates neurogenesis. Significant reduction in mRNA
      and protein levels of PrdxIV was observed in GNE mutant cell lines compared with
      vector control. However, neither total reactive oxygen species was altered nor
      H2O2 accumulation was observed in GNE mutant cell lines. Interestingly, ER redox
      state was significantly affected due to reduced normal GNE enzyme activity. Our
      study indicates that downregulation of PrdxIV affects ER redox state that may
      contribute to misfolding and aggregation of proteins in GNE myopathy.

PMID- 28895050
TI  - Design of 2-Nitroimidazooxazine Derivatives as Deazaflavin-Dependent
      Nitroreductase (Ddn) Activators as Anti-Mycobacterial Agents Based on 3D QSAR,
      HQSAR, and Docking Study with In Silico Prediction of Activity and Toxicity.
AB  - Deazaflavin-dependent nitroreductase (Ddn) is an emerging target in the field of
      anti-tuberculosis agents. In the present study, 2-nitroimidazooxazine derivatives
      as Ddn activators were aligned for CoMFA, CoMSIA and HQSAR analysis. The best
      CoMFA and CoMSIA model were generated with leave-one-out correlation coefficients
      (q 2) of 0.585 and 0.571, respectively. Both the CoMFA and CoMSIA models were
      also validated by a test set of 11 compounds with satisfactory [Formula: see
      text] value of 0.701 and 0.667, respectively. Results of 3D QSAR and HQSAR study
      were used for the designing of novel and potent nitroimidazooxazine derivatives
      as Ddn activators. 21 novel compounds were designed, and docked into the Ddn
      enzyme. In docking study compound ng11 showed interaction with key amino acid
      residues such as Tyr65 and Tyr133, and also showed better ADMET compatibility.
      The ADMET prediction, docking study and the predicted activity of novel designed
      compounds revealed that compound ng11 showed good potential as Ddn activators for
      the treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 28895051
TI  - Polymyxin Resistance in Gram-negative Pathogens.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The polymyxins are one of the last line antimicrobial classes
      to retain activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli. However,
      with the increased use of polymyxins in recent years, reports of resistance have
      also been increasing. We aimed to describe the mechanisms and occurrence of
      polymyxin resistance in Gram-negative organisms and propose strategies to
      overcome resistance. RECENT FINDINGS: The most common mechanism of acquired
      resistance to the polymyxins is via modification of the bacterial outer membrane
      lipopolysaccharide. Global epidemiological surveillance studies have reported the
      occurrence of polymyxin resistance to be most common in Enterobacteriaceae,
      specifically Enterobacter species and Acinetobacter baumannii. Prevalence of
      polymyxin-resistant Gram-negative organisms varies significantly by geographical
      location. Emergence of polymyxin resistance is of great concern, given the
      limited number of agents available to treat infections caused by multidrug
      resistant Gram-negative organisms. Strategies to mitigate the development of
      polymyxin resistance include dose optimization and using polymyxin agents in
      combination with other highly active antimicrobial agents.

PMID- 28895052
TI  - The Effects of Periostin in a Rat Model of Isoproterenol: Mediated
      Cardiotoxicity.
AB  - Periostin is an extracellular matrix protein from fasciclin family, and it plays
      an important role in the cell adhesion, migration, and growth of the organism.
      Periostin prevents apoptosis while stimulating cardiomyocytes. The present study
      was designed to investigate cardioprotective effects of the recombinant murine
      periostin peptide administration in a rat model of isoproterenol (ISO)-induced
      myocardial injury. The experiment was performed on 84 adult male Sprague Dawley
      rats in 4 groups (n = 21): control group (1), periostin-treated group (2), ISO
      treated group (3), and ISO + periostin-treated group (4). The groups were further
      divided into three subgroups based on the duration of the experiment in which
      rats were killed on days 1, 7, and 28 (n = 7). Growth factors (VEGF, ANGPT, FGF
      2, TGFbeta), mitosis and apoptosis (Bcl-2, Bax, PCNA, Ki-67, phospho-histone H3),
      cell cycle activators and inhibitors (cyclin D1, D2, A2, Cdc2), the origin of
      regenerating cells (cKit and CD45) mRNA were detected using quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR array. Immunohistochemistry staining
      was used to directly detect protein level and distribution in the heart tissues.
      Administration of periostin following ISO-induced cardiotoxicity revealed that
      periostin alleviated deleterious effects of ISO through several pathways: (1)
      periostin induced mitotic activity of endothelial/fibroblastic cells, (2)
      periostin drives cardiomyocytes into S and M phases, thus promoting proliferation
      of cardiomyocytes, (3) periostin contributed to collagen degradation, tissue
      remodeling, and reduced cardiac fibrosis during the healing process following
      myocardial damage while preserving tissue matrix, (4) periostin stimulated
      angiogenesis by upregulating THBS1, TGFB2, and HGF genes, (5) periostin regulated
      cell growth and proliferation while maintaining cell shape and cellular muscle
      contractions (ACTB) and functioned as chemoattractant factor (CCL2) at the
      beginning of myocardial damage.

PMID- 28895053
TI  - Drug delivery in female reproductive health.

PMID- 28895054
TI  - A Neuron-Specific Gene Therapy Relieves Motor Deficits in Pompe Disease Mice.
AB  - In Pompe disease, deficient lysosomal acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) activity
      causes glycogen accumulation in the muscles, which leads to weakness,
      cardiomyopathy, and respiratory failure. Although glycogen accumulation also
      occurs in the nervous system, the burden of neurological deficits in Pompe
      disease remains obscure. In this study, a neuron-specific gene therapy was
      administered to Pompe mice through intracerebroventricular injection of a viral
      vector carrying a neuron-specific promoter. The results revealed that gene
      therapy increased GAA activity and decreased glycogen content in the brain and
      spinal cord but not in the muscles of Pompe mice. Gene therapy only slightly
      increased the muscle strength of Pompe mice but substantially improved their
      performance on the rotarod, a test measuring motor coordination. Gene therapy
      also decreased astrogliosis and increased myelination in the brain and spinal
      cord of Pompe mice. Therefore, a neuron-specific treatment improved the motor
      coordination of Pompe mice by lowering glycogen accumulation, decreasing
      astrogliosis, and increasing myelination. These findings indicate that
      neurological deficits are responsible for a significant burden in Pompe disease.

PMID- 28895055
TI  - Maqasid al-Shariah as a Complementary Framework for Conventional Bioethics:
      Application in Malaysian Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Fatwa.
AB  - Rapid development in the area of assisted reproductive technology (ART), has
      benefited mankind by addressing reproductive problems. However, the emergence of
      new technologies and techniques raises various issues and discussions among
      physicians and the masses, especially on issues related to bioethics. Apart from
      solutions provided using conventional bioethics framework, solutions can also be
      derived via a complementary framework of bioethics based on the Higher Objectives
      of the Divine Law (Maqasid al-Shariah) in tackling these problems. This approach
      in the Islamic World has been applied and localised in the Malaysian context.
      Thus, this paper highlights a conceptual theoretical framework for solving
      current bioethical issues, with a special focus on ART in the Malaysian context,
      and compares this theory with conventional theories of bioethics.

PMID- 28895056
TI  - Weaning from mechanical ventilation using tracheostomy cuff deflation and a one
      way speaking valve: a historical-cohort series.

PMID- 28895057
TI  - Triterpenoid saponins from Clinopodium chinense (Benth.) O. Kuntze and their
      biological activity.
AB  - Four new ursane-type triterpenoid saponins, clinopoursaponins A-D (1-4), six new
      oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins, clinopodiside VII-XII (5-10), as well as
      eight known triterpene analogues (11-18), were isolated from the aerial parts of
      Clinopodium chinense (Benth.) O. Kuntze. The structures of the new compounds were
      determined based on extensive spectral analyses, including 1D (1H and 13C) and 2D
      NMR experiments (COSY, NOESY, HSQC, 2D TOCSY, HSQC-TOCSY and HMBC), HR-ESI-MS and
      chemical methods. Compounds 1-18 were evaluated for their protective effects
      against anoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells and cytotoxicities
      against murine mammary carcinoma cell line 4T1. Compounds 8, 9 and 18 exhibited
      significant protective effects, while compound 1 exhibited cytotoxic activity
      with IC50 value of 7.4 MUm compared to 7.6 MUm for the positive control 10
      hydroxycamptothecin.

PMID- 28895058
TI  - A neuropathic pain syndrome associated with hantavirus infection.
AB  - Hantaviruses are a group of single-stranded RNA viruses of the Bunyaviridae
      family. "New World" hantaviruses cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS)
      in North America. HCPS carries with it significant mortality and those patients
      who survive the disease are often left with substantial morbidity. Neurologic
      complications of hantavirus infections are rare, with only sparse cases of
      central nervous system involvement having been documented in the literature. To
      our knowledge, there are no reports of hantavirus infection contributing to
      peripheral nervous system dysfunction. Here we report a case of possible small
      fiber neuropathy associated with hantavirus infection, in a patient who survived
      HCPS. Persistent and treatment-resistant neuropathic pain may be a prominent
      feature in hantavirus-associated peripheral neuropathy.

PMID- 28895060
TI  - Cerebral Tissue Oxidative Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Connection with
      Experimental Cardiac Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Effect of Mild
      Hypothermia and Methylene Blue.
AB  - The present investigation is an expansion of previous studies which all share a
      basic experimental protocol of a porcine-induced cardiac arrest (CA) of 12 min
      followed by 8 min of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), different experimental
      treatments (immediate as well as postponed induced mild hypothermia and
      administration of much or less cool intravenous fluids), and a follow-up period
      of 3 h after which the animals were sacrificed. Another group of animals was
      studied according to the same protocol after 12-min CA and "standard CPR." After
      death (within 1 min), the brains were harvested and frozen in liquid nitrogen
      awaiting analysis. Control brains of animals were collected in the same way after
      short periods of untreated CA (0 min, 5 min, and 15-30 min). Previous studies
      concerning chiefly neuropathological changes were now expanded with analyses of
      different tissue indicators (glutathione, luminol, leucigenin, malonialdehyde,
      and myeloperoxidase) of cerebral oxidative injury. The results indicate that a
      great part of oxidative injury occurs within the first 5 min after CA. Immediate
      cooling by administration of much intravenous fluid results in less cerebral
      oxidative injury compared to less intravenous fluid administration. A 30-min
      postponement of induction of hypothermia results in a cerebral oxidative injury
      comparable to that of "standard CPR" or the oxidative injury found after 5 min of
      untreated CA. Intravenous administration of methylene blue (MB) during and
      immediately after CPR in combination with postponed cooling resulted in no
      statistical difference in any of the indicators of oxidative injury, except
      myeloperoxidase, and glutathione, when this treatment was compared with the
      negative controls, i.e., animals subjected to anesthesia alone.

PMID- 28895059
TI  - Central nervous system-penetrating antiretrovirals impair energetic reserve in
      striatal nerve terminals.
AB  - The use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs with central nervous system (CNS)
      penetration effectiveness (CPE) may be useful in the treatment of HIV-associated
      neurocognitive disorder (HAND) as well as targeting a CNS reservoir in strategies
      to achieve a functional cure for HIV. However, increased cognitive deficits are
      linked to at least one of these drugs (efavirenz). As mitochondrial dysfunction
      has been found with a number of ARVs, and as such can affect neuronal function,
      the objective of this study was to assess the effects of ARV with high CPE for
      toxicological profiles on presynaptic nerve terminal energy metabolism. This
      subcellular region is especially vulnerable in that a constant supply of ATP is
      required for the proper maintenance of neurotransmitter release and uptake
      supporting proper neuronal function. We evaluated the effects of acute treatment
      with ten different high CPE ARVs from five different drug classes on rat cortical
      and striatal nerve terminal bioenergetic function. While cortical nerve terminal
      bioenergetics were not altered, striatal nerve terminals exposed to efavirenz,
      nevirapine, abacavir, emtricitabine, zidovudine, darunavir, lopinavir,
      raltegravir, or maraviroc (but not indinavir) exhibit reduced mitochondrial spare
      respiratory capacity (SRC). Further examination of efavirenz and maraviroc
      revealed a concentration-dependent impairment of striatal nerve terminal maximal
      mitochondrial respiration and SRC as well as a reduction of intraterminal ATP
      levels. Depletion of ATP at the synapse may underlie its dysfunction and
      contribute to neuronal dysfunction in treated HIV infection.

PMID- 28895061
TI  - Valvular Heart Disease in Women, Differential Remodeling, and Response to New
      Therapies.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: In the United States, valvular heart disease (VHD) has a
      prevalence of 2.5%, most commonly presenting as aortic stenosis (AS) or mitral
      valve regurgitation (MR) and increasingly observed to be of a degenerative
      etiology. Women frequently have latent symptoms despite significant disease, and
      it is therefore pertinent to consider both clinical symptoms and imaging findings
      for decision-making on treatment. Indeed, significant advances have been made in
      noninvasive imaging allowing for more accurate diagnosis and disease
      prognostication. While echo remains the standard diagnostic test, multidetector
      computed tomography (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide
      complementary information on aortic valve calcification and left ventricular (LV)
      function, respectively. For any given calcification load or increase in
      calcification density of the aortic valve, women have greater increase in aortic
      valve stenosis severity than men; thus, moderate AS in women warrants closer
      attention. MRI allows identification of different patterns of hypertrophy and
      remodeling, extent of LV fibrosis, and insights into differential reverse
      remodeling and clinical outcomes in men and women. In conjunction with surgical
      treatment, percutaneous technologies are being increasingly used in the
      management of VHD. Nearly 50% of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve
      replacement (TAVR) are women. In high- or intermediate-risk subjects with
      significant symptomatic AS, TAVR has been shown to be noninferior to surgical AVR
      (SAVR). Notably, whereas both treatment strategies are equally effective in men,
      transfemoral TAVR has been shown to be superior to SAVR resulting in better
      survival in women. Analogously, few data have examined sex differences with
      percutaneous MitraClip devices in the treatment of degenerative MR, and men and
      women appear to have equivalent composite outcomes. Randomized clinical trial
      data are presently awaited for outcomes in the percutaneous treatment of
      functional MR secondary to ischemic heart disease. This review discusses the
      current evidence in the diagnosis and treatment of VHD with a focus on sex
      differences in left-sided VHD and management in women.

PMID- 28895062
TI  - Effect of electrospinning parameters on morphological properties of PVDF
      nanofibrous scaffolds.
AB  - Smart materials like piezoelectric polymers represent a new class of promising
      scaffold in neural tissue engineering. In the current study, the fabrication
      processing parameters of polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous scaffold are
      found as a potential scaffold with nanoscale morphology and microscale alignment.
      Electrospinning technique with the ability to mimic the structure and function of
      an extracellular matrix is a preferable method to customize the scaffold
      features. PVDF nanofibrous scaffolds were successfully fabricated by the
      electrospinning technique. The influence of PVDF solution concentration and other
      processing parameters like applied voltage, tip-to-collector distance, feeding
      rate, collector speed and the solvent were studied. The optimal parameters were
      30 w/v% PVDF concentration, 15 kV applied voltage, 18 cm tip-to-collector
      distance, 0.5 ml/h feeding rate, 2500 rpm collector speed and N,N'
      dimethylacetamide/acetone as a solvent. The mean fiber diameter of the obtained
      scaffold was 352.9 +/- 24 nm with uniform and aligned morphology. Finally, the
      cell viability and morphology of PC-12 cells on the optimum scaffold indicated
      the potential of PVDF nanofibrous scaffold for neural tissue engineering.

PMID- 28895063
TI  - Considerations in the Use of Body Mass Change to Estimate Change in Hydration
      Status During a 161-Kilometer Ultramarathon Running Competition.
AB  - Hydration guidelines found in the scientific and popular literature typically
      advise that body mass losses beyond 2% should be avoided during exercise. In this
      work, we demonstrate that these guidelines are not applicable to prolonged
      exercise of several hours where body mass loss does not reflect an equivalent
      loss of body water due to the effects of body mass change from substrate use,
      release of water bound with muscle and liver glycogen, and production of water
      during substrate metabolism. These effects on the body mass loss required to
      maintain body water balance are shown for a 161-km mountain ultramarathon running
      competition participant utilizing published data for the total energy cost,
      exogenous energy consumption and percentage from each fuel source, average
      participant body mass, and the extent of soft tissue fluid accumulation during an
      ultramarathon. We assumed that total energy derived from protein ranges from 5 to
      10%, all exogenous energy is used to support the energy cost of the race,
      glycogen utilization ranges from 300 to 500 g, water linked with glycogen ranges
      from 1 to 3 g per g of glycogen, and the mass of the bladder and gastrointestinal
      tract is unchanged from pre-race to post-race body mass measurements. These
      calculations show that the average participant of 68.8 kg must lose 1.9-5.0% body
      mass to maintain the water supporting body water balance while also avoiding
      overhydration. Future hydration guidelines should consider these findings so that
      the proper hydration message is conveyed to those who participate in prolonged
      exercise.

PMID- 28895064
TI  - A mouse model of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders: a brain-behavior
      approach to discover disease mechanisms and novel treatments.
AB  - HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) remain highly prevalent despite
      combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). Although the most common forms of HAND
      are mild and identified through neuropsychological testing, there is evidence
      that with aging these mild forms become more prevalent and may advance to the
      most severe form of HAND, HIV-associated dementia. Therefore, novel therapies
      must be developed that can be used adjunctively with cART to prevent
      deterioration or restore normal cognitive function. In order to develop
      innovative treatments, animal models are used for preclinical testing. Ideally, a
      HAND animal model should portray similar mild cognitive deficits that are found
      in humans. A mouse model of HAND is discussed, which demonstrates mild behavioral
      deficits and has been used to investigate cART and novel treatments for HAND.
      This model also shows correlations between abnormal mouse behavior due to HIV in
      the brain and pathological parameters such as gliosis and neuronal abnormalities.
      A recent advancement utilizes the object recognition test to monitor mouse
      behavior before and after treatment. It is postulated that this model is well
      suited for preclinical testing of novel therapies and provides correlations of
      mild cognitive impairment with pathological markers that can give further insight
      into the pathophysiology of HAND.

PMID- 28895065
TI  - Structural Characterization of the Trimerization of TRAF6 Protein Through
      Molecular Dynamics Simulations.
AB  - The tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor (TRAF) family of
      proteins having E3 ligase activity are the key molecules involved in cellular
      immune response pathways. TRAF6 is a unique member of the TRAF superfamily
      differing from other members of the family, owing to its specific interactions
      with molecules outside the TNF receptor superfamily. The C-terminal domain of
      TRAF proteins contains the catalytic residues and are known to be involved in
      self-oligomerization forming a mushroom-shaped trimeric structure, which is the
      functional form of the protein. However, the monomeric crystal structure of TRAF6
      C-terminal domain has been already determined, but the trimeric structure of the
      same is still not available. We here applied computational structural modelling
      and molecular dynamics simulations studies to get insights into the molecular
      interactions involved in determining the trimeric structure of the TRAF6 C
      terminal domain. The non-availability of the trimeric structure of the TRAF6 C
      terminal domain prevented the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of many
      different biological processes. Our results suggest that the trimer complex is
      transient in nature. The amino acid residues Lys340 and Glu345 in the coiled coil
      domain in the C-terminus of TRAF6 play a critical role in trimer structure
      formation. This structural modelling study may therefore be utilized to obtain
      the experimentally validated trimeric structure of this important protein.

PMID- 28895066
TI  - The effect of short-term treatment with lithium carbonate on the outcome of
      radioiodine therapy in patients with long-lasting Graves' hyperthyroidism.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The outcome of radioiodine therapy (RIT) in Graves' hyperthyroidism
      (GH) mainly depends on radioiodine (131I) uptake and the effective half-life of
      131I in the gland. Studies have shown that lithium carbonate (LiCO3) enhances the
      131I half-life and increases the applied thyroid radiation dose without affecting
      the thyroid 131I uptake. We investigated the effect of short-term treatment with
      LiCO3 on the outcome of RIT in patients with long-lasting GH, its influence on
      the thyroid hormones levels 7 days after RIT, and possible side effects. METHODS:
      Study prospectively included 30 patients treated with LiCO3 and 131I (RI-Li
      group) and 30 patients only with 131I (RI group). Treatment with LiCO3 (900
      mg/day) started 1 day before RIT and continued 6 days after. Anti-thyroid drugs
      withdrawal was 7 days before RIT. Patients were followed up for 12 months. We
      defined a success of RIT as euthyroidism or hypothyroidism, and a failure as
      persistent hyperthyroidism. RESULTS: In RI-Li group, a serum level of Li was
      0.571 +/- 0.156 mmol/l before RIT. Serum levels of TT4 and FT4 increased while
      TSH decreased only in RI group 7 days after RIT. No toxic effects were noticed
      during LiCO3 treatment. After 12 months, a success of RIT was 73.3% in RI and
      90.0% in RI-Li group (P < 0.01). Hypothyroidism was achieved faster in RI-Li (1st
      month) than in RI group (3rd month). Euthyroidism slowly decreased in RI-Li
      group, and not all patients became hypothyroid for 12 months. In contrast,
      euthyroidism rapidly declined in RI group, and all cured patients became
      hypothyroid after 6 months. CONCLUSION: The short-term treatment with LiCO3 as an
      adjunct to 131I improves efficacy of RIT in patients with long-lasting GH. A
      success of RIT achieves faster in lithium-treated than in RI group. Treatment
      with LiCO3 for 7 days prevents transient worsening of hyperthyroidism after RIT.
      Short-term use of LiCO3 shows no toxic side effects.

PMID- 28895067
TI  - A GC-MS untargeted metabolomics analysis in the plasma and liver of rats lacking
      dipeptidyl-peptidase type IV enzyme activity.
AB  - This study was achieved with the aim to find metabolic changes between Fischer
      rats with different dipeptidyl peptidase-type 4 (DPPIV) expression. The DPPIV is
      an enzyme expressed in several tissues and is critically involved in the
      regulation of meal-related insulin secretion in healthy individuals. The
      metabolic consequences of chronic DPPIV inhibition were analyzed in a surrogate
      animal model of genetic enzyme deficiency. Hyphenated gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS) and multivariate data analysis techniques were used to study
      the metabolic aqueous fraction profile of 18 plasma and liver samples in two
      syngeneic rat strains differing in DPPIV activity (DPPIV+ vs. DPPIV-). The
      hyperglycemic response following oral glucose administration was attenuated in
      DPPIV- rats, as expected. Statistical significant differences between the two
      strains were observed among the low molecular weight polar metabolites analyzed
      from plasma and liver.These included a decrease in malic acid and glutamine and
      an increase in pyroglutamic acid, serine, and alanine in plasma of DPPIV- rats.
      In addition, palmitic acid, L-proline, and ribitol were decreased in the liver of
      DPPIV- strain. Such alterations were compatible with a normal phenotype. These
      results suggest that long-term exposure to DPPIV inhibitors looks compatible with
      an overall balanced metabolism.

PMID- 28895068
TI  - Hughlings Jackson and the "doctrine of concomitance": mind-brain theorising
      between metaphysics and the clinic.
AB  - John Hughlings Jackson (1835-1911) is a major figure at the origins of neurology
      and neuroscience in Britain. Alongside his contributions to clinical medicine, he
      left a large corpus of writing on localisation of function in the nervous system
      and other theoretical topics. In this paper I focus on Jackson's "doctrine of
      concomitance"-his parallelist theory of the mind-brain relationship. I argue that
      the doctrine can be given both an ontological and a causal interpretation, and
      that the causal aspect of the doctrine is especially significant for Jackson and
      his contemporaries. I interpret Jackson's engagement with the metaphysics of mind
      as an instance of what I call meta-science-the deployment by scientists of
      metaphysical positions and arguments which help streamline empirical
      investigations by bracketing off unanswerable questions and focussing attention
      on matters amenable to the current tools of experimental research.

PMID- 28895069
TI  - Feasibility, Safety, and Efficacy of an Alternative Schedule of Sunitinib for the
      Treatment of Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Standard treatment with sunitinib for patients with metastatic renal
      cancer provides an 'on-off' schedule (daily administration of a 50-mg capsule for
      4 weeks, followed by a 2-week break; consecutive 6-week cycles). We developed an
      alternative intermittent schedule to reduce the toxicity and symptoms of tumor
      regrowth during the rest period and to allow prolonged continuation of therapy,
      maintaining dose intensity. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide
      a retrospective evaluation of the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of an
      alternative schedule of sunitinib in patients who did not tolerate classical
      treatment. METHODS: Patients treated with the classical schedule with at least
      grade 2 toxicity or recurrence of symptoms during the rest period were switched
      to an alternative schedule (the same daily dose 5 consecutive days per week for 5
      weeks and then the same daily dose on days 1, 3, and 5 in the sixth week;
      consecutive 6-week cycles). RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were enrolled. The
      median time from sunitinib initiation to schedule switch was 2.9 months. After
      the switch, the median therapy duration was 9.2 months. Rate of delay, corrected
      by cycle number, was 10% for both schedules. After the switch, 48.7% of patients
      obtained a toxicity reduction (hypertension -82%, stomatitis -71%, cutaneous
      toxicity -69%). A reduction in 'on-off symptoms' (-86%) was achieved. Overall
      response rate was 40% and the disease control rate was 80%. Median progression
      free survival was 16.4 months and median overall survival was 41.3 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample size and retrospective nature, we
      demonstrated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the alternative schedule,
      allowing prolonged treatment and better quality of life.

PMID- 28895070
TI  - Needs for Professional Education to Optimize Cervical Cancer Screenings in Low
      Income Countries: a Case Study from Tanzania.
AB  - Cervical cancer is a significant health problem in many developing countries. Due
      to limited treatment facilities for cancer in Tanzania, a screening referral
      program was developed between two urban clinics and Ocean Road Cancer Institute
      (ORCI), the only cancer treatment center in Tanzania. This study aimed to
      evaluate the effectiveness of the program and to identify opportunities for
      professional education. The study included 139 patients who were referred to ORCI
      from the screening clinics of Magomeni and Temeke between January 2015 and May
      2016. Abstracted data from the medical records included patient age, screening
      results, and treatment. Eight nurses performing screening at the three locations
      were interviewed about their screening experience. Over half of the referrals
      (51.9%) were false positives. False positive diagnosis was more common among
      younger patients (35.68 +/- 8.6 years) (p < 0.001) and those referred from
      Magomeni (59.8%) (p < 0.01) than referrals of older patients (42.46 +/- 11.1
      years) or those from Temeke (33.3%). Interviews of nurses showed differences
      among clinics, including resources, experience, and documentation of screening
      results. The high false positive rates and the variation of accuracy of screening
      between the two clinics showed a need for professional education of nurses and
      improvement in the health systems. Continuous education of nurses may increase
      the effectiveness of cervical screening. Health system enhancement of screening
      facilities such as provision of Lugol's iodine, more space for screening, and
      consistency and completion of screening records are needed to increase the
      accuracy of cervical screening and referrals in Tanzania and other similar low
      income countries.

PMID- 28895073
TI  - Efficacy and Time Sensitivity of Amniotic Membrane treatment in Patients with
      Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are complex chronic wounds which have a
      major long-term impact on the morbidity, mortality and quality of patients. The
      objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and time sensitivity of human
      amnion/chorion membrane treatment in patients with chronic DFUs. METHODS: The
      Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were systematically
      searched to identify relevant articles up to 10 April 2017. All randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) comparing human amnion/chorion membrane + standard
      therapy and standard therapy alone in patients with DFUs were included in the
      analysis. Eligible studies were reviewed and data extracted into standard form.
      The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing the risk of bias was used. Review
      manager version 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis. Data were
      analyzed using a random effect model. RESULTS: Overall, the initial search of the
      four databases identified 352 published studies; of these, seven RCTS were
      ultimately included in the meta-analysis. The overall test effect in the group
      assessed at 4 weeks was Z = 4.14 [P < 0.0001; odds ratio (OR) 0.05; 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.01-0.21]. The overall test effect in the group
      assessed at 6 weeks was Z = 4.28 (P < 0.0001; OR 0.07; 95% CI 0.02-0.23). The
      overall effect in the group assessed at 12 weeks was Z = 4.96 (P < 0.00001; OR
      0.10; 95% CI 0.04-0.24. The results showed that patients receiving amniotic
      membrane + standard therapy had far fewer incomplete healing wounds than those
      receiving standard of care alone. Assessment of the wound healing state at 4 and
      6 weeks revealed that the wound healing state was almost the same, but there was
      a net difference of wound healing state at 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: Human
      amnion/chorion membrane + standard of care treatment heals DFUs significantly
      faster than standard of care alone. When using the amnion in patients with DFUs,
      the optimal times to assess progress in wound healing should be 4 and 12 weeks.

PMID- 28895071
TI  - Bringing the HEET: The Argument for High-Efficacy Early Treatment for Pediatric
      Onset Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) is rarer than adult-onset disease, and
      represents a different diagnostic and treatment challenge to clinicians. We
      review POMS clinical and radiographic presentations, and explore important
      differences between POMS and adult-onset MS natural histories and long-term
      outcomes. Despite having more active disease, current treatment guidelines for
      patients with POMS endorse the off-label use of lower-efficacy disease-modifying
      therapies (DMTs) as first line. We review the available MS DMTs, their evidence
      for use in POMS, and the contrasting treatment strategies of high-efficacy early
      treatment and escalation therapy. We introduce a new treatment approach, the
      "high-efficacy early treatment", or HEET strategy, based on using directly
      observed, high-efficacy intravenously infused DMTs as first-line therapies. Like
      other proposed POMS treatment strategies, HEET will need to be prospectively
      studied, and all treatment decisions should be determined by an experienced
      neurologist, the patient, and his/her parents.

PMID- 28895072
TI  - Role of the inflammasome-related cytokines Il-1 and Il-18 during infection with
      murine coronavirus.
AB  - The inflammasome, a cytosolic protein complex that mediates the processing and
      secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, is one of the first responders during
      viral infection. The cytokines secreted following inflammasome activation, which
      include IL-1 and IL-18, regulate cells of both the innate and adaptive immune
      system, guiding the subsequent immune responses. In this study, we used murine
      coronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), infection of the central nervous system
      and liver to assess of the role of the inflammasome and its related cytokines on
      pathogenesis and host defense during viral infection. Mice lacking all
      inflammasome signaling due to the absence of caspase-1 and -11 were more
      vulnerable to infection, with poor survival and elevated viral replication
      compared to wild-type mice. Mice lacking IL-1 signaling experienced elevated
      viral replication but similar survival compared to wild-type controls. In the
      absence of IL-18, mice had elevated viral replication and poor survival, and this
      protective effect of IL-18 was found to be due to promotion of interferon gamma
      production in alphabeta T cells. These data suggest that inflammasome signaling
      is largely protective during murine coronavirus infection, in large part due to
      the pro-inflammatory effects of IL-18.

PMID- 28895074
TI  - In Vitro Comparison of the Role of P-Glycoprotein and Breast Cancer Resistance
      Protein on Direct Oral Anticoagulants Disposition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pharmacokinetics of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are influenced
      by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and
      Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP). OBJECTIVES: To better understand the
      role of transporters in DOAC disposition, we evaluated and compared the
      permeabilities and transport properties of these drugs. METHODS: Bidirectional
      permeabilities of DOACs were investigated across Caco-2 cells monolayer.
      Transport assays were performed using different concentrations of DOAC and
      specific inhibitors of ABC transporters. Cell model functionality was evaluated
      by transport assay of two positive control substrates. RESULTS: The results of
      transport assays suggest a concentration-dependent efflux of apixaban, dabigatran
      etexilate and edoxaban, whereas the efflux transport of rivaroxaban did not seem
      to depend on concentration. Verapamil, a strong inhibitor of P-gp, decreased DOAC
      efflux in the Caco-2 cell model by 12-87%, depending on the drug tested. Ko143
      reduced BCRP-mediated DOAC efflux in Caco-2 cells by 46-76%. CONCLUSION: This
      study allowed identification of three different profiles of ABC carrier-mediated
      transport: predominantly P-gp-dependent transport (dabigatran), preferential BCRP
      dependent transport (apixaban) and approximately equivalent P-gp and BCRP
      mediated transport (edoxaban and rivaroxaban).

PMID- 28895075
TI  - Milestones of Parkinson's Disease Research: 200 Years of History and Beyond.

PMID- 28895077
TI  - Vasospastic angina in a 16-year-old female.

PMID- 28895076
TI  - New Botanical Anxiolytics for Use in Companion Animals and Humans.
AB  - As part of our ongoing research into botanical therapies for anxiety disorders,
      the neotropical vine Souroubea sympetala was chosen for study as a phytochemical
      discovery strategy focusing on rare Central American plant families. When orally
      administered to male Sprague-Dawley rats, the crude plant extract, its ethyl
      acetate fraction, supercritical carbon dioxide fraction, or its isolated
      triterpenes reduced anxiety and/or fear-related behavior in standardized
      behavioral models. Pharmacological studies showed that the extracts acted at the
      benzodiazepine GABAA receptor and reduced corticosterone levels. A preparation
      containing Souroubea fortified with a second triterpene containing plant,
      Platanus occidentalis, was shown to be safe in a 28-day feeding trial with
      beagles at 5 times the intended dose. Subsequent trials with beagles in a
      thunderstorm model of noise aversion showed that the material reduced anxiety
      behaviors and cortisol levels in dogs. The formulation has been released for the
      companion animal market in Canada and the USA under the Trademark "Zentrol."
      Ongoing research is exploring the use of the material in treatment of anxiety and
      post-traumatic stress in humans.

PMID- 28895078
TI  - The Growth, Scope, and Spatial Distribution of People With Felony Records in the
      United States, 1948-2010.
AB  - The steep rise in U.S. criminal punishment in recent decades has spurred
      scholarship on the collateral consequences of imprisonment for individuals,
      families, and communities. Several excellent studies have estimated the number of
      people who have been incarcerated and the collateral consequences they face, but
      far less is known about the size and scope of the total U.S. population with
      felony convictions beyond prison walls, including those who serve their sentences
      on probation or in jail. This article develops state-level estimates based on
      demographic life tables and extends previous national estimates of the number of
      people with felony convictions to 2010. We estimate that 3 % of the total U.S.
      adult population and 15 % of the African American adult male population has ever
      been to prison; people with felony convictions account for 8 % of all adults and
      33 % of the African American adult male population. We discuss the far-reaching
      consequences of the spatial concentration and immense growth of these groups
      since 1980.

PMID- 28895079
TI  - Visceral Adipose Tissue as a Risk Factor for Diabetes Mellitus in Patients with
      Chronic Pancreatitis: A Cross-sectional, Observational Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a risk factor for diabetes and we
      investigated the amount of VAT in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP).
      METHODS: Serial patients with CP seen between January 2015 and June 2016 were
      included in this cross-sectional, observational study. The study population was
      divided into alcoholic CP (group 1; N = 67) and tropical CP (group 2; N = 35).
      VAT was estimated using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy X
      ray absorptiometry (DEXA) methods. The results were analyzed by appropriate
      statistical methods. RESULTS: The study participants (85 male, 17 female) had a
      mean (SD) age of 40.8 (12.6) years, CP duration of 3.7 (4.7) years, and body mass
      index of 22.5 (3.2) kg/m2. Pancreatogenic diabetes was seen in 54 patients and
      the total body fat percentage was lower in the alcoholic CP group. VAT mass was
      similar in both the groups (p = 0.8749). CP patients with diabetes had a higher
      VAT mass (436 vs. 341 g) than those without diabetes (p = 0.0132). DEXA and BIA
      correlated in estimation of total body fat (p < 0.0001) but not in VAT (p =
      0.0922). CONCLUSION: VAT is a determinant in the development of diabetes, even in
      patients with CP. DEXA is a better modality for VAT estimation in comparison to
      BIA.

PMID- 28895080
TI  - Population Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Modeling of Artemisinin Resistance
      in Southeast Asia.
AB  - Orally administered artemisinin-based combination therapy is the first-line
      treatment against uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria worldwide. However, the
      increasing prevalence of artemisinin resistance is threatening efforts to treat
      and eliminate malaria in Southeast Asia. This study aimed to characterize the
      exposure-response relationship of artesunate in patients with artemisinin
      sensitive and resistant malaria infections. Patients were recruited in Pailin,
      Cambodia (n = 39), and Wang Pha, Thailand (n = 40), and received either 2
      mg/kg/day of artesunate mono-therapy for 7 consecutive days or 4 mg/kg/day of
      artesunate monotherapy for 3 consecutive days followed by mefloquine 15 and 10
      mg/kg for 2 consecutive days. Plasma concentrations of artesunate and its active
      metabolite, dihydroartemisinin, and microscopy-based parasite densities were
      measured and evaluated using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling. All treatments
      were well tolerated with minor and transient adverse reactions. Patients in
      Cambodia had substantially slower parasite clearance compared to patients in
      Thailand. The pharmacokinetic properties of artesunate and dihydroartemisinin
      were well described by transit-compartment absorption followed by one-compartment
      disposition models. Parasite density was a significant covariate, and higher
      parasite densities were associated with increased absorption. Dihydroartemisinin
      dependent parasite killing was described by a delayed sigmoidal Emax model, and a
      mixture function was implemented to differentiate between sensitive and resistant
      infections. This predicted that 84% and 16% of infections in Cambodia and
      Thailand, respectively, were artemisinin resistant. The final model was used to
      develop a simple diagnostic nomogram to identify patients with artemisinin
      resistant infections. The nomogram showed > 80% specificity and sensitivity, and
      outperformed the current practice of day 3 positivity testing.

PMID- 28895081
TI  - Novel De Novo KCND3 Mutation in a Japanese Patient with Intellectual Disability,
      Cerebellar Ataxia, Myoclonus, and Dystonia.
AB  - Spinocerebellar ataxia 19/22 (SCA19/22) is a rare type of autosomal dominant SCA
      that was previously described in 11 families. We report the case of a 30-year-old
      Japanese man presenting with intellectual disability, early onset cerebellar
      ataxia, myoclonus, and dystonia without a family history. MRI showed cerebellar
      atrophy, and electroencephalograms showed paroxysmal sharp waves during
      hyperventilation and photic stimulation. Trio whole-exome sequencing analysis of
      DNA samples from the patient and his parents revealed a de novo novel missense
      mutation (c.1150G>A, p.G384S) in KCND3, the causative gene of SCA19/22,
      substituting for evolutionally conserved glycine. The mutation was predicted to
      be functionally deleterious by bioinformatic analysis. Although pure cerebellar
      ataxia is the most common clinical feature in SCA19/22 families, extracerebellar
      symptoms including intellectual disability and myoclonus are reported in a
      limited number of families, suggesting a genotype-phenotype correlation for
      particular mutations. Although autosomal recessive diseases are more common in
      patients with early onset sporadic cerebellar ataxia, the present study
      emphasizes that such a possibility of de novo mutation should be considered.

PMID- 28895082
TI  - Clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes of parvovirus B19 encephalitis in
      immunocompetent adults.
AB  - Parvovirus B19 (PVB19) has rarely been identified as a cause of encephalitis in
      immunocompetent adults, in whom clinical information regarding PVB19 encephalitis
      has remained unclear. Herein, we report the clinical presentations, laboratory
      and imaging findings, and treatment outcomes of five immunocompetent adults with
      PVB19 encephalitis. Although none of the patients showed any distinctive features
      of PVB19 infection, they showed various clinical manifestations, including one
      instance of brainstem involvement. Additionally, immunotherapy can be considered
      an effective approach, especially in immunocompetent adults with PVB19
      encephalitis who are resistant to the initial management.

PMID- 28895083
TI  - Influence of Transition Metal Cationization versus Sodium Cationization and
      Protonation on the Gas-Phase Tautomeric Conformations and Stability of Uracil:
      Application to [Ura+Cu]+ and [Ura+Ag].
AB  - The gas-phase conformations of transition metal cation-uracil complexes,
      [Ura+Cu]+ and [Ura+Ag]+, were examined via infrared multiple photon dissociation
      (IRMPD) action spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. IRMPD action spectra
      were measured over the IR fingerprint and hydrogen-stretching regions. Structures
      and linear IR spectra of the stable tautomeric conformations of these complexes
      were initially determined at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. The four most stable
      structures computed were also examined at the B3LYP/def2-TZVPPD level to improve
      the accuracy of the predicted IR spectra. Two very favorable modes of binding are
      found for [Ura+Cu]+ and [Ura+Ag]+ that involve O2N3 bidentate binding to the 2
      keto-4-hydroxy minor tautomer and O4 monodentate binding to the canonical 2,4
      diketo tautomer of Ura. Comparisons between the measured IRMPD and calculated IR
      spectra enable elucidation of the conformers present in the experiments. These
      comparisons indicate that both favorable binding modes are represented in the
      experimental tautomeric conformations of [Ura+Cu]+ and [Ura+Ag]+. B3LYP suggests
      that Cu+ exhibits a slight preference for O4 binding, whereas Ag+ exhibits a
      slight preference for O2N3 binding. In contrast, MP2 suggests that both Cu+ and
      Ag+ exhibit a more significant preference for O2N3 binding. The relative band
      intensities suggest that O4 binding conformers comprise a larger portion of the
      population for [Ura+Ag]+ than [Ura+Cu]+. The dissociation behavior and relative
      stabilities of the [Ura+M]+ complexes, M+ = Cu+, Ag+, H+, and Na+) are examined
      via energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation experiments. The IRMPD
      spectra, dissociation behaviors, and binding preferences of Cu+ and Ag+ are
      compared with previous and present results for those of H+ and Na+. Graphical
      Abstract ?.

PMID- 28895084
TI  - The Oncologic Impact of Postoperative Complications Following Resection of
      Truncal and Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Postoperative complications (POCs) negatively impact oncologic
      outcomes in some malignancies; however, little is known regarding their effect in
      soft tissue sarcoma (STS). The aim of this study was to determine the impact of
      POCs on survival after resection of truncal and extremity STS. METHODS: All
      patients who underwent resection for a primary truncal or extremity STS at a
      single academic institution from 2000 to 2015 were included and analyzed. Primary
      outcome was disease-specific survival (DSS). RESULTS: Among 546 STS patients,
      POCs occurred in 159 (29%) patients; 57% were major and 55% were surgical site
      infections. Patients with POCs were older (61 vs. 53 years), had more
      comorbidities (50 vs. 38%), longer operative time (127 vs. 93 min), higher-grade
      tumors (93 vs. 86%), and were more likely to receive preoperative radiation (42
      vs. 33%; all p < 0.05). There was no difference in receipt of postoperative
      therapy between the POCs and no POCs groups (19 vs. 18%, p = 0.74). Median follow
      up for survivors was 37 months, and the 5-year DSS for the entire cohort was 78%.
      Compared with patients without POCs, patients with POCs had a worse DSS (68% vs.
      81%, p = 0.001). Predictors for decreased DSS on univariate analysis included
      POCs (hazard ratio [HR] 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37-3.28, p = 0.001),
      advanced age, neurovascular/bone resection, positive margin, high grade, and
      preoperative and postoperative therapy (all p < 0.05). POCs (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.08
      2.87, p = 0.02) remained an independent predictor for reduced DSS on multivariate
      analysis, along with age (HR 1.02, p = 0.046) and tumor grade (HR 7.62, p =
      0.046). CONCLUSIONS: POCs following resection of truncal and extremity STS are
      associated with decreased DSS. Efforts to optimize modifiable risk factors and
      decrease the rate of POCs warrant further investigation.

PMID- 28895085
TI  - Use of an Open Port Sampling Interface Coupled to Electrospray Ionization for the
      On-Line Analysis of Organic Aerosol Particles.
AB  - A simple design for an open port sampling interface coupled to electrospray
      ionization (OPSI-ESI) is presented for the analysis of organic aerosols. The
      design uses minimal modifications to a Bruker electrospray (ESI) emitter to
      create a continuous flow, self-aspirating open port sampling interface.
      Considerations are presented for introducing aerosol to the open port sampling
      interface including aerosol gas flow and solvent flow rates. The device has been
      demonstrated for use with an aerosol of nicotine as well as aerosol formed in the
      pyrolysis of biomass. Upon comparison with extractive electrospray ionization
      (EESI), this device has similar sensitivity with increased reproducibility by
      nearly a factor of three. The device has the form factor of a standard
      Bruker/Agilent ESI emitter and can be used without any further instrument
      modifications. Graphical Abstract ?.

PMID- 28895086
TI  - Risk of look-a-like equipment in anesthesiology: it's not just medications.

PMID- 28895087
TI  - Benefit of Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Local Control, Distant Metastasis, and
      Survival Outcomes in Patients with Localized Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Comparative
      Effectiveness Analysis of an Observational Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to quantify the benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy
      (AXRT) for local control, distant metastasis, and long-term survival outcomes in
      patients with localized soft tissue sarcoma (STS). METHODS: This single-center
      retrospective observational study enrolled 433 STS patients who underwent surgery
      with curative intent. An inverse probability of treatment-weighted (IPTW)
      analysis was implemented to account rigorously for imbalances in prognostic
      variables between the adjuvant treatment groups. RESULTS: During a median follow
      up period of 5.5 years, the study observed 38 local recurrences (9%), 73
      occurrences of distant metastasis (17%), 63 STS-related deaths (15%), and 57
      deaths from other causes (13%). As expected, patients receiving AXRT (n = 258,
      60%) were more likely to have high-grade G3 tumors (p < 0.0001) than patients not
      receiving AXRT. A crude analysis showed that AXRT was not associated with
      improved recurrence-free survival [hazard ratio (HR) 1.00; 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 0.72-1.38; p = 0.98]. However, after IPTW, AXRT was associated with
      a 38% relative reduction in the risk of recurrence or death (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.39
      1.00; p = 0.05). This benefit was driven by a strong reduction in the risk of
      local recurrence (HR 0.42; 95% CI 0.19-0.91; p = 0.03), whereas the relative risk
      of distant metastasis (HR 0.69; 95% CI 0.39-1.25; p = 0.22) and overall survival
      (HR 0.76; 95% CI 0.44-1.30; p = 0.32) were only nonsignificantly in favor of
      AXRT. An exploratory analysis showed an overall survival benefit of AXRT for
      patients with high-grade G3 tumors (HR 0.51; 95% CI 0.33-0.78; p = 0.002).
      However, this finding may have been attributable to residual confounding.
      CONCLUSION: In this observational cohort, AXRT was associated with a 58%
      reduction in the relative risk of local recurrence. No consistent association
      between AXRT and lower risks of distant metastasis or death was observed.

PMID- 28895088
TI  - Prevalence of a history of prior varicella/herpes zoster infection in multiple
      sclerosis.
AB  - Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection has been implicated in multiple sclerosis
      (MS), but direct causal involvement has been disputed. Nevertheless, knowledge of
      VZV exposure is important, given the risk of serious complications of first
      exposure while undergoing immunosuppressive treatment, in particular with
      fingolimod. We distributed questionnaires to MS clinic patients, requesting
      information about history of chickenpox, sibling/household/occupational exposure,
      history of zoster (shingles), and disease-modifying treatment. A random,
      proportionally representative sample of 51 patients that included patients with
      positive, negative, and unknown chickenpox history were selected for
      determination of VZV IgG by ELISA. Of 1206 distributed questionnaires, 605 were
      returned (50% response rate). Of these, 86% reported history of chickenpox, 5.6%
      gave negative history, and 8.5% did not know. Of 594 who answered the zoster
      question, 78% gave a negative response, 4% did not know, and 104 (17%) answered
      yes. Of these, 83 reported 1 episode; 12 had 2; 5 had 3; and 1 each reported 5,
      6, and 15 episodes. Of 51 patients tested for VZV IgG (44 "yes," 4 "no," and 3 "I
      don't know" answers to the question of whether they had chickenpox), 48 were
      seropositive; the 3 seronegative all had reported having had chickenpox. The high
      rate of MS patients reporting prior chickenpox infection is comparable with
      previous reports. A substantial proportion of MS patients, estimated to be higher
      than an age-matched general population, report single or multiple episodes of
      zoster. These data are useful for consideration of immunosuppressive treatments
      and/or VZV and zoster vaccination.

PMID- 28895089
TI  - Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy Versus GnRH Analogue in the Adjuvant Treatment of
      Premenopausal Breast Cancer Patients: Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation of Breast
      Cancer Outcome, Ovarian Cancer Prevention and Treatment.
AB  - : BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: There is no available evidence to recommend
      gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue-based ovarian suppression versus
      bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) in the adjuvant treatment of early breast
      cancer, since the two approaches are considered equivalent in terms of oncologic
      outcome. The role of surgical ovarian ablation has been revitalized based on the
      advances of minimally invasive surgery, and a better understanding of clinical
      and molecular basis of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer syndromes. The aim of
      this study is to analyze the cost-effectiveness of laparoscopic BSO and GnRH
      analogue administration in patients aged 40-49 years with hormone-sensitive
      breast cancer. METHODS: A probabilistic decision tree model was developed to
      evaluate costs and outcomes of ovarian ablation through laparoscopic BSO, or
      ovarian suppression through monthly injections of GnRH analogue. Results were
      expressed as incremental costs per quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained.
      RESULTS: Laparoscopic BSO strategy was associated with a lower mean total cost
      per patient than GnRH treatment, and considering the difference in terms of
      QALYs, the incremental effectiveness did not demonstrate a notable difference
      between the two approaches. From the National Health Service perspective, and for
      a time horizon of 5 years, laparoscopic BSO was the dominant option compared to
      GnRH treatment; laparoscopic BSO was less expensive than GnRH, ?2385 [95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 2044, 2753] vs ?7093 (95% CI = 3409, 12,105),
      respectively, and more effective. CONCLUSION: Surgical ovarian ablation is more
      cost-effective than GnRH administration in the adjuvant treatment of hormone
      sensitive breast cancer patients aged 40-49 years, and the advantage of
      preventing ovarian cancer through laparoscopic BSO should be considered.

PMID- 28895090
TI  - Effort and neuropsychological performance in HIV-infected individuals on stable
      combination antiretroviral therapy.
AB  - The expression of cognitive symptoms associated with HIV varies over time and
      across individuals. This pattern may reflect transient contextual factors,
      including the degree of effort exerted by individuals undergoing cognitive
      testing. The present study examined whether effort corresponds to the expression
      of persistent HIV-related cognitive impairment among individuals receiving
      combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). HIV+ individuals (n = 111) averaged
      48.2 (14.9) years of age and 13.0 (2.7) years of education and HIV- individuals
      (n = 92) averaged 34.9 (17.2) years of age and 13.5 (1.9) years of education.
      Participants completed a neuropsychological battery and a clinically validated
      measure of effort (Test of Memory Malingering, trial 1). Results revealed that
      the vast majority of HIV+ (85%) and HIV- (89%) individuals performed above
      published guidelines for adequate effort. Furthermore, the expression of
      cognitive impairment in HIV was not related to effort performance. The results
      were unchanged when examining HIV+ individuals with and without viral
      suppression. Finally, disability and disability-seeking status, and a proxy
      measure of apathy did not correspond to effort levels in HIV+ individuals. These
      findings suggest that variability in the expression of cognitive impairment in
      the cART era is unlikely to represent overt effort failures or other confounds
      unrelated to the disease. Persistent cognitive impairment in HIV likely
      represents historical and/or ongoing disease mechanisms despite otherwise
      successful treatment.

PMID- 28895092
TI  - Neural response to evaluating depression predicts perceivers' mental health
      treatment recommendations.
AB  - Nonstigmatized perceivers' initial evaluations of stigmatized individuals have
      profound consequences for the well-being of those stigmatized individuals.
      However, the mechanism by which this occurs remains underexplored. Specifically,
      what beliefs about the stigmatized condition (stigma-related beliefs) shape how
      nonstigmatized perceivers evaluate and behave toward stigmatized individuals? We
      examined these questions with respect to depression-related stigmatization
      because depression is highly stigmatized and nondepressed individuals' behavior
      (e.g., willingness to recommend treatment) directly relates to removing stigma
      and increasing well-being. In Study 1, we identified common stigma-related
      beliefs associated with depression (e.g., not a serious illness, controllable,
      threatening), and found that only perceptions that depression is a serious
      condition predicted nondepressed perceivers' willingness to recommend mental
      health treatment. Moreover, perceivers' beliefs that depression is a distressing
      condition mediated the relationship between perceived seriousness and treatment
      recommendations (Study 1). In Study 2, we used fMRI to disentangle the potential
      processes connecting distress to nondepressed perceivers' self-reported treatment
      intentions. Heightened activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC)-a
      region widely implicated in evaluating others-and the ventrolateral prefrontal
      cortex (vlPFC)-a region widely implicated in regulating negative emotions-emerged
      when nondepressed perceivers evaluated individuals who were ostensibly depressed.
      Beliefs that depression is a distressing condition mediated the relationship
      between dmPFC (but not vlPFC) activity and nondepressed individuals' self
      reported treatment recommendations.

PMID- 28895093
TI  - siRNA-Mediated RNA Interference in Precision-Cut Tissue Slices Prepared from
      Mouse Lung and Kidney.
AB  - Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated RNAi interference (RNAi) is a powerful
      post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanism which can be used to study the
      function of genes in vitro (cell cultures) and in vivo (animal models). However,
      there is a translational gap between these models. Hence, there is a need for
      novel experimental models that combine the advantages of in vitro and in vivo
      models (e.g., simplicity, flexibility, throughput, and representability) to study
      the effects of siRNA. This need may be addressed by precision-cut tissue slices
      (PCTS), which represent an ex vivo model that mimics the structural and
      functional characteristics of a whole organ. The goal of this study was to
      investigate whether self-deliverable siRNA (Accell siRNA) can be used in
      precision-cut lung slices (PCLuS) and precision-cut kidney slices (PCKS) to
      achieve RNAi ex vivo. PCLuS and PCKS were prepared from mouse tissue, and they
      were subsequently incubated up to 48 h with no siRNA (untransfected), non
      targeting Accell siRNA, or Gapdh-targeting Accell siRNA. Significant Gapdh mRNA
      silencing was achieved (PCLuS ~ 55%; PCKS ~ 40%) without compromising the
      viability and morphology of slices. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed that Accell
      siRNA diffused into PCLuS and PCKS. Spontaneous inflammation upon incubation was
      observed in PCLuS and PCKS as shown by a higher mRNA expression of pro
      inflammatory cytokines Il1b, Il6, and Tnfa, although Accell siRNA appeared to
      diminish this response in PCLuS after 24 h. In conclusion, this ex vivo
      transfection model can be used to evaluate the effects of siRNA in relevant
      biological environments.

PMID- 28895095
TI  - My Teacher Baymax: Lessons from the Film Big Hero 6.

PMID- 28895094
TI  - Fluid loading and norepinephrine infusion mask the left ventricular preload
      decrease induced by pleural effusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pleural effusion (PLE) may lead to low blood pressure and reduced
      cardiac output. Low blood pressure and reduced cardiac output are often treated
      with fluid loading and vasopressors. This study aimed to determine the impact of
      fluid loading and norepinephrine infusion on physiologic determinants of cardiac
      function obtained by ultrasonography during PLE. METHODS: In this randomised,
      blinded, controlled laboratory study, 30 piglets (21.9 +/- 1.3 kg) had bilateral
      PLE (75 mL/kg) induced. Subsequently, the piglets were randomised to intervention
      as follows: fluid loading (80 mL/kg/h for 1.5 h, n = 12), norepinephrine infusion
      (0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 MUg/kg/min (15 min each, n = 12)) or control
      (n = 6). Main outcome was left ventricular preload measured as left ventricular
      end-diastolic area. Secondary endpoints included contractility and afterload as
      well as global measures of circulation. All endpoints were assessed with
      echocardiography and invasive pressure-flow measurements. RESULTS: PLE decreased
      left ventricular end-diastolic area, mean arterial pressure and cardiac output (p
      values < 0.001), but fluid loading (20 mL/kg) and norepinephrine infusion (0.05
      MUg/kg/min) restored these values (p values > 0.05) to baseline. Left ventricular
      contractility increased with norepinephrine infusion (p = 0.002), but was not
      affected by fluid loading (p = 0.903). Afterload increased in both active groups
      (p values > 0.001). Overall, inferior vena cava distensibility remained unchanged
      during intervention (p values >= 0.085). Evacuation of PLE caused numerical
      increases in left ventricular end-diastolic area, but only significantly so in
      controls (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: PLE significantly reduced left ventricular
      preload. Both fluid and norepinephrine treatment reverted this effect and
      normalised global haemodynamic parameters. Inferior vena cava distensibility
      remained unchanged. The haemodynamic significance of PLE may be underestimated
      during fluid or norepinephrine administration, potentially masking the presence
      of PLE.

PMID- 28895096
TI  - Palivizumab Prophylaxis Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Children
      with Immunocompromised Conditions or Down Syndrome: A Multicenter, Post-Marketing
      Surveillance in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of
      palivizumab for the prevention of lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) caused
      by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children with immunocompromised
      conditions or Down syndrome. METHODS: In this multicenter, post-marketing
      surveillance study (December 2013 to December 2015), children aged <=24 months
      with immunocompromised conditions or Down syndrome (without hemodynamically
      significant congenital heart disease) receiving palivizumab immunoprophylaxis
      during two RSV seasons were observed until 30 days after the final palivizumab
      injection. Safety [adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs), adverse drug
      reactions (ADRs), serious ADRs (SADRs)] and effectiveness (frequency, incidence,
      and duration of hospitalization due to RSV infections) were assessed. RESULTS: Of
      304 patients receiving palivizumab, 167 (54.9%) had immunocompromised conditions,
      and 138 (45.4%) had Down syndrome; 260 (85.5%) completed palivizumab
      immunoprophylaxis. The annual mean (+/-standard deviation) number of doses was
      5.3 (+/-2.4) per season. Overall, 220 AEs occurred in 99 patients (32.6%),
      including 89 SAEs in 53 patients (17.4%). Of these, 33 AEs in 25 patients (8.22%)
      were considered ADRs, and 13 ADRs in 11 patients (3.62%) were considered SADRs.
      In four patients, five SADRs (nephroblastoma and asthma in the same patient,
      septic shock, device-related infection, and drug-induced liver injury) were
      previously unreported; however, none were considered drug-related. During the
      observation period, five RSV infections occurred and two patients required
      hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Palivizumab was generally safe and effective for the
      prevention of LRI caused by RSV in newborns, infants, and children with
      immunocompromised conditions or Down syndrome up to the age of 24 months.

PMID- 28895097
TI  - Combination therapies for primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma: a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinomas are extremely rare. Because
      of the rarity of PHNEC, its clinical features and treatment outcomes are not well
      understood. A proper diagnosis and the correct therapeutic approach therefore
      remain clinically challenging. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old man was admitted
      to our department because of a liver tumor. Computed tomography revealed a single
      liver tumor 50 mm in diameter and located in the S3 region. Biopsy and imaging
      findings resulted in a diagnosis of primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma.
      Left lateral segmentectomy was performed. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells
      were positive for synaptophysin, chromogranin A, and CD56. Ki-67 was positive in
      > 90% of the tumor cells. The final diagnosis was primary hepatic neuroendocrine
      carcinoma. The patient suffered two episodes of lymph node recurrence.
      Nonetheless, the tumor was excised to prolong survival. Thus, after
      lymphadenectomy, he received adjuvant chemotherapy for 6 months. Two years after
      surgery, the patient remains alive and in good general condition. CONCLUSIONS: In
      most cases, primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma, while extremely rare, has a
      poor prognosis. At present, surgical resection is a priority for curative
      treatment, but in patients with recurrence, combined therapies are recommended.

PMID- 28895098
TI  - Recurrent cerebral attack caused by thrombosis in the pulmonary vein stump in a
      patient with left upper lobectomy on anticoagulant therapy: case report and
      literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombus formation in the pulmonary vein stump after pulmonary
      resection has recently been identified as a cause of systemic thrombosis
      including brain infarction. However, there is limited research focusing on the
      clinical course of pulmonary vein stump thrombus, and optimal treatment and
      prevention strategies of this important complication have not been established.
      CASE PRESENTATION: A 77-year-old woman was diagnosed with lung cancer of the left
      upper lobe, cT4N2M0, cStage IIIB. As the tumor was considered to be completely
      resectable, the patient underwent a left upper lobectomy with angioplasty of the
      left pulmonary artery. The final pathological stage was pT4N2M0, pStage IIIB. The
      patient developed paralysis of the right upper limb and dysarthria on the 8th
      postoperative day. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the
      brain showed multiple high-intensity signals in the area of the left middle
      cerebral artery, which were not detected on preoperative MRI. She was diagnosed
      with a cerebral infarction and started on acute-phase treatment including
      anticoagulation with continuous intravenous heparin infusion. The neurological
      symptoms improved the following day. Contrast-enhanced chest CT scan revealed
      thrombus in the left superior pulmonary vein stump measuring 10 mm in diameter.
      She had no comorbidity related to the cerebral attack. After the treatment was
      initiated, her symptoms became stable. However, symptoms of altered
      consciousness, dysarthria, and hemiparesis re-occurred on the 19th postoperative
      day and improved within an hour. The thrombus in the left superior pulmonary vein
      stump disappeared on follow-up contrast-enhanced chest CT performed the same day.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of recurrent brain attack caused by
      thrombosis in the pulmonary vein stump in a patient receiving anticoagulant
      therapy. The present case suggests the possibility of thrombus mobilization
      causing recurrent systemic thrombosis, and this important complication needs to
      be considered in future clinical practice.

PMID- 28895100
TI  - An Artificial Biomimetic Catalysis Converting CO2 to Green Fuels.
AB  - Researchers devote to design catalytic systems with higher activity, selectivity,
      and stability ideally based on cheap and earth-abundant elements to reduce CO2 to
      value-added hydrocarbon fuels under mild conditions driven by visible light. This
      may offer profound inspirations on that. A bi-functional molecular iron catalyst
      designed could not only catalyze two-electron reduction from CO2 to CO but also
      further convert CO to CH4 with a high selectivity of 82% stably over several
      days.

PMID- 28895099
TI  - Neurological and multiple organ involvement due to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
      and HIV co-infection diagnosed at autopsy.
AB  - Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, is the
      most prevalent systemic mycosis among immunocompetent patients in Latin America;
      it is rare in immunocompromised patients. The estimated frequency of central
      nervous system (CNS) involvement in the HIV/PCM population was 2.5%. We report a
      case of HIV/P. brasiliensis co-infection, with neurological (NPCM) and multiple
      organ involvement, indicating a diagnosis of AIDS. PCM diagnosis was established
      during the autopsy. This is the first described case of HIV/P. brasiliensis co
      infection with CNS involvement diagnosed at autopsy. In conclusion, the diagnosis
      of NPCM is challenging, and it must be considered in the differential diagnosis
      in HIV-positive patients who reside in or have visited areas in which the
      condition is endemic and who present with neurological symptoms.

PMID- 28895101
TI  - Solid-State Stability Issues of Drugs in Transdermal Patch Formulations.
AB  - The transdermal patch formulation has many advantages, including noninvasiveness,
      an ability to bypass the first-pass metabolism, low dosage requirements, and
      prolonged drug delivery. However, the instability of solid-state drugs is one of
      the most critical problems observed in transdermal patch products. Therefore, a
      well-characterized approach for counteracting stability problems in solid-state
      drugs is crucial for improving the performance of transdermal patch products.
      This review provides insight into the solid-state stability of drugs associated
      with transdermal patch products and offers a comprehensive update on the various
      approaches being used for improving the stability of the active pharmaceutical
      ingredients currently being used.

PMID- 28895102
TI  - The Impact of Nodal Dissection on Staging in Adrenocortical Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of lymphadenectomy in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is
      controversial, and formal lymph node (LN) dissection is not routine. We sought to
      determine the minimum number of LNs that must be examined to accurately identify
      a patient as node negative. METHODS: The National Cancer Database was used to
      identify patients diagnosed with ACC from 2004 to 2013 who underwent surgical
      resection. Patients with distant metastases, multivisceral resection, or missing
      surgical or lymphadenectomy data were excluded. The primary outcome was overall
      survival (OS). RESULTS: LNs were identified on histopathology in 156 patients. Of
      these, 35 (22%) had at least one positive LN. Positive LNs were associated with
      positive surgical margins (odds ratio [OR] 5.80, p = 0.002) and increasing LN
      yield (OR 1.06, p = 0.02). Overall, on Cox regression analysis, LN positivity
      (hazard ratio [HR] 3.02, p < 0.001) and positive surgical margins (HR 2.06, p =
      0.048) independently predicted poor OS after controlling for other factors that
      may influence survival. LN(-) disease in patients with one to three LNs examined
      had poorer overall survival compared with when at least four LNs were examined (p
      = 0.02). None of the other patient, tumor, and treatment variables had any impact
      on OS of the LN(-) cohort. The likelihood of identifying nodal involvement was
      higher on examination of at least four LNs compared with examination of one to
      three LNs (30 vs. 16%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: LN positivity in ACC tumors
      independently predicts worse 5-year OS and a minimum of four LNs may be required
      to accurately determine LN negativity.

PMID- 28895103
TI  - A case of perirenal extramedullary hematopoiesis in a patient with primary
      myelofibrosis.
AB  - Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is hematopoiesis in organs outside the bone
      marrow and most frequently occurs in the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. We
      report a case of perirenal EMH revealed by kidney biopsy in a patient with
      primary myelofibrosis. We observed only bilateral kidney enlargement with plain
      computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography before obtaining a renal biopsy. We
      obtained a percutaneous biopsy from the lower pole of the left kidney using
      ultrasonographic guidance. Ultrasonography just after the renal biopsy revealed
      no bleeding around the kidney. However, early the next morning, the patient
      developed severe hemorrhagic shock. Contrast-enhanced CT at that time revealed a
      massive hematoma in the left posterior perirenal space and bilateral
      abnormalities of the perirenal soft tissues. In patients with primary
      myelofibrosis, if plain CT shows an abnormal renal enlargement, EMH should be
      considered. In addition, a contrast-enhanced CT should be obtained before
      performing a percutaneous renal biopsy to assess for the possibility of perirenal
      EMH in these patients.

PMID- 28895104
TI  - Concordance of Adherence Measurement Using Self-Reported Adherence Questionnaires
      and Medication Monitoring Devices: An Updated Review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: As medication adherence continues to be a prevalent issue in
      today's society, the methods used to monitor medication-taking behaviors are
      constantly being re-evaluated and compared in search of the 'gold standard'
      measure. Our review aimed to assess the current literature surrounding the
      correlation between self-reported questionnaires (SRQs) and electronic monitoring
      devices to determine if these measures produce similar results. METHODS: We
      performed a literature search from 2009 to 2017 using PubMed, PubMed In-Process
      and Non-Indexed, EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid MEDLINE In-Process. A keyword
      search using the terms 'patient compliance', 'treatment compliance', 'medication
      adherence', 'drug monitoring', 'drug therapy', 'electronic', 'digital',
      'computer', 'monitor', 'monitoring', 'drug', 'pharmaceutical preparations',
      'compliance', and 'medications' was done to capture all articles. We included
      articles measuring adherence using both monitoring devices and SRQs. RESULTS:
      Thirty-five articles were included in this review. The average difference in
      measured adherence rates between the two measures was 9.2% (range -66.3 to 61.5).
      A majority (62.7%) of articles reported moderate (n = 12; 27.9%), high (n = 5,
      11.6%), or significant (n = 10, 23.3%) correlations between SRQs and monitoring
      devices. CONCLUSION: Results from our review are consistent with previous
      studies, as we found that many of our studies produced moderate to high
      correlation between both SRQs and monitoring devices [Farmer, Clin Ther
      21(6):1074-90 (1999), IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Avoidable costs
      in US health care (2012), Patel et al., Respirology 18(3):546-52 (2013), Siracusa
      et al., J Cyst Fibros 14(5):621-6 (2015), Smith et al., Int J Cardiol 145(1):122
      3 (2010)]. Our findings demonstrate that self-reported adherence produces
      comparable results to electronic monitoring devices. As there is not yet a 'gold
      standard' measure for monitoring patient adherence, SRQs and Medication Event
      Monitoring Systems (MEMS) operating together continue to emerge as the preferred
      effective method for measuring medication adherence.

PMID- 28895105
TI  - 1,3-Diphenylisobenzofuran: a Model Chromophore for Singlet Fission.
AB  - In this review we first provide an introductory description of the singlet
      fission phenomenon and then describe the ground and electronically excited states
      of the parent 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran chromophore (1) and about a dozen of its
      derivatives. A discussion of singlet fission in thin polycrystalline layers of
      these materials follows. The highest quantum yield of triplet formation by
      singlet fission, 200% at 80 K, is found in one of the two known crystal
      modification of the parent. In the other modification and in many derivatives,
      excimer formation competes successfully and triplet yields are low. A description
      of solution photophysics of covalent dimers is described in the next section.
      Triplet yields are very low, but interesting phenomena are uncovered. One is an
      observation of a separated-charges (charge-transfer) intermediate in highly polar
      solvents. The other is an observation of excitation isomerism in both singlet and
      triplet states, where in one isomer the excitation is delocalized over both
      halves of the covalent dimer, whereas in the other it is localized on one of the
      halves. In the last section we present the operation of a simple device
      illustrating the use of triplets generated by singlet fission for charge
      separation.

PMID- 28895106
TI  - Excipient Stability in Oral Solid Dosage Forms: A Review.
AB  - The choice of excipients constitutes a major part of preformulation and
      formulation studies during the preparation of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The
      physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of excipients affect various
      formulation parameters, such as disintegration, dissolution, and shelf life, and
      significantly influence the final product. Therefore, several studies have been
      performed to evaluate the effect of drug-excipient interactions on the overall
      formulation. This article reviews the information available on the physical and
      chemical instabilities of excipients and their incompatibilities with the active
      pharmaceutical ingredient in solid oral dosage forms, during various drug
      manufacturing processes. The impact of these interactions on the drug formulation
      process has been discussed in detail. Examples of various excipients used in
      solid oral dosage forms have been included to elaborate on different drug
      excipient interactions.

PMID- 28895108
TI  - Sepsis 2017 Paris : Paris, France. September 11-13, 2017.

PMID- 28895107
TI  - External Beam Radiation Therapy for Resectable Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of preoperative and
      postoperative external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in the treatment of
      resectable soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) of different tumor locations. METHODS: A
      systematic literature search was performed to identify studies investigating the
      effects of EBRT (versus no EBRT) on local recurrence (LR) and overall survival
      (OS) or comparing different EBRT sequences. Random effects meta-analyses were
      calculated and presented as cumulative odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: Sixteen
      studies (n = 3958 patients) comparing EBRT versus no EBRT, including one
      randomized controlled trial (RCT) in extremity sarcoma, were analyzed. EBRT
      appeared to reduce LR in both retroperitoneal tumors (OR 0.47, p < 0.0001) and
      other locations (OR 0.49, p = 0.001). OS was improved by EBRT in retroperitoneal
      STSs (OR 0.37, p < 0.0001) but not in other tumor locations. Eleven studies (n =
      2140), including one RCT, compared preoperative and postoperative radiotherapy.
      LR was less frequent following preoperative EBRT in retroperitoneal STSs (OR
      0.03, p = 0.02), as well as in other tumor locations (OR 0.67, p = 0.01), while
      wound complications in extremity sarcoma were more frequent following
      preoperative EBRT (OR 2.92, p < 0.0001). Several studies included in this meta
      analysis bear a high risk of bias and no RCT has been published for
      retroperitoneal STS. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis supports the use of EBRT for
      local tumor control in patients with resectable STSs. Based on a small number of
      non-randomized studies, a positive effect on OS may exist in the subgroup of
      retroperitoneal STSs.

PMID- 28895111
TI  - Phonological recoding under articulatory suppression.
AB  - We report data from an experiment in which participants performed immediate
      serial recall of visually presented words with or without articulatory
      suppression, while also performing homophone or rhyme detection. The separation
      between homophonous or rhyming pairs in the list was varied. According to the
      working memory model (Baddeley, 1986; Baddeley & Hitch, 1974), suppression should
      prevent articulatory recoding. Nevertheless, rhyme and homophone detection was
      well above chance. However, with suppression, participants showed a greater
      tendency to false-alarm to orthographically related foils (e.g., GIVE-FIVE). This
      pattern is similar to that observed in short-term memory patients.

PMID- 28895112
TI  - External Validation of the Prognostic Nomogram (COMPASS) for Patients with
      Peritoneal Carcinomatosis of Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To optimize outcome, selection of patients for cytoreductive surgery
      (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is critical.
      Recently, Simkens et al.7 evaluated the peritoneal surface disease severity score
      (PSDSS) and suggested a new prognostic nomogram, the colorectal peritoneal
      metastases prognostic surgical score (COMPASS) based on age, peritoneal
      carcinomatosis index score, locoregional lymph node status, and signet ring cell
      histology. This COMPASS nomogram had better discriminative ability according to
      the Harrell c-index than PSDSS (c = 0.72 vs. 0.62). This study aimed to validate
      the COMPASS nomogram externally. METHODS: Data were retrieved from a
      prospectively maintained database, and all patients who underwent surgery between
      May 2005 and May 2016 were included in the study. For each patient, the PSDSS and
      COMPASS were calculated and then divided into subgroups. The discriminative
      ability of both scores for overall survival were quantified using Harrell c
      indices. RESULTS: A total of 153 patients underwent CRS + HIPEC for peritoneal
      carcinomatosis (PC) of colorectal cancer. The median overall survival (OS) was 46
      months, and the mean PSDSS was 7.8 +/- 3.7. When the PSDSS was divided into
      subgroups, the c index was 0.67. The mean COMPASS was 55.5 +/- 25.6. When the
      patients were divided into four groups according to cutpoints of Simkens et al.7
      a c index of 0.72 was obtained, showing its significant superiority over the
      discriminative ability of the PSDSS (p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: External validation
      of the COMPASS confirms its moderate to good discriminative ability and its
      superiority over the PSDSS. Nevertheless, discrimination with the COMPASS score
      remains suboptimal, and further research on prognostic variables is essential for
      optimal patient selection.

PMID- 28895113
TI  - Validation of the 8th Edition of the AJCC TNM Staging System for Gastric Cancer
      using the National Cancer Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 8th edition AJCC gastric cancer staging manual was refined using
      Japanese and Korean data from the International Gastric Cancer Association
      (IGCA). This study evaluated the eighth edition's validity for U.S. POPULATIONS: 
      METHODS: National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to obtain data on gastric
      cancer patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2008 who underwent surgery and to examine
      differences in stage grouping and survival between AJCC 7th and 8th editions.
      Discrimination of models derived from NCDB and IGCA data was compared. RESULTS:
      Of 12,041 patients, median age was 65, 57.6% were male, median lymph nodes
      retrieved was 2 (0-76), 30.9% underwent distal/partial gastrectomy, and 49.8%
      received no adjuvant treatment. The 8th edition differed in that T1-T3 disease
      was upstaged with N3b, T4aN3a was downstaged from IIIC to IIIB, and T4bN0 and
      T4aN2 were downstaged from IIIB to IIIA. These changes resulted in increased
      patients in IIIA (1436 in the 7th edition to 2310 in the 8th) and IIIB (1737
      1896) and decreased in IIIC (2100-1067). This also resulted in lower median
      survival for IIIA (28.7-25.0 months), IIIB (19.6-17.4), IIIC (13.7-11.8). The
      concordance index for the 8th edition applied to NCDB data was 0.719 [95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.703-0.734), which is comparable to that for the 8th
      edition developed from IGCA data (0.775, 95% CI 0.770-0.780) and the 7th edition
      applied to NCDB data (0.720, 95% CI 0.704-0.735). CONCLUSIONS: The 8th edition is
      valid for U.S. populations, showing clear separation of data with preservation of
      group order.

PMID- 28895114
TI  - Erratum to: Preliminary assessment of surface soil lead concentrations in
      Melbourne, Australia.

PMID- 28895115
TI  - Sumoylation of SUVR2 contributes to its role in transcriptional gene silencing.
AB  - The SU(VAR)-3-9-related protein family member SUVR2 has been previously
      identified to be involved in transcriptional gene silencing both in RNA-dependent
      and -independent pathways. It interacts with the chromatin-remodeling proteins
      CHR19, CHR27, and CHR28 (CHR19/27/28), which are also involved in transcriptional
      gene silencing. Here our study demonstrated that SUVR2 is almost fully mono
      sumoylated in vivo. We successfully identified the exact SUVR2 sumoylation site
      by combining in vitro mass spectrometric analysis and in vivo immunoblotting
      confirmation. The luminescence imaging assay and quantitative RT-PCR results
      demonstrated that SUVR2 sumoylation is involved in transcriptional gene
      silencing. Furthermore, we found that SUVR2 sumoylation is required for the
      interaction of SUVR2 with CHR19/27/28, which is consistent with the fact that
      SUMO proteins are necessary for transcriptional gene silencing. These results
      suggest that SUVR2 sumoylation contributes to transcriptional gene silencing by
      facilitating the interaction of SUVR2 with the chromatin-remodeling proteins
      CHR19/27/28.

PMID- 28895117
TI  - Updated view on epidemiology and clinical aspects of pilomatricoma in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinically, pilomatricoma offers potential for a wide spectrum of
      differential diagnoses. It typically occurs in pediatric patients with the head
      being the most common location. A second peak of clinical presentation occurs in
      adults at age 50-65 years, suggesting a bimodal pattern of occurrence. OBJECTIVE:
      To investigate the clinical and epidemiological features of pilomatricoma in
      adults over 20 years old, as it is a common and frequently misdiagnosed tumor.
      METHODS: This was a retrospective study of pilomatricomas surgically removed at a
      tertiary hospital between January 1994 and December 2014. A search of the all
      pathological database of patients aged over 20 years old with a pathological
      diagnosis of pilomatricoma was carried out. RESULTS: The clinical preoperative
      diagnosis of pilomatricoma was made in 34.0% of cases. Tumor location showed a
      predilection to the head and neck. Of the reported concomitant neoplasm, a
      majority had accompanying skin tumors. CONCLUSION: We conclude that clinical
      features in adults were similar to those of children. This study outlines
      clinical presentations that should help to guide differential diagnoses.
      Additionally, because of similarities between the distribution and depth of
      vellus hair follicles and pilomatricomas, it is probable that vellus hair bulbs
      may be the origin of this tumor.

PMID- 28895116
TI  - Age at reproductive debut: Developmental predictors and consequences for
      lactation, infant mass, and subsequent reproduction in rhesus macaques (Macaca
      mulatta).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The age at which females initiate their reproductive career is a
      critical life-history parameter with potential consequences on their residual
      reproductive value and lifetime fitness. The age at reproductive debut may be
      intimately tied to the somatic capacity of the mother to rear her young, but
      relatively little is known about the influence of age of first birth on milk
      synthesis within a broader framework of reproductive scheduling, infant outcomes,
      and other life-history tradeoffs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our study investigated
      the predictors of age at first reproduction among 108 captive rhesus macaque
      (Macaca mulatta) females, and associations with their milk synthesis at peak
      lactation, infant mass, and ability to subsequently conceive and reproduce.
      RESULTS: The majority of females reproduced in their fourth year (typical
      breeders); far fewer initiated their reproductive career one year earlier or one
      year later (respectively early and late breeders). Early breeders (3-year-old)
      benefited from highly favorable early life development (better juvenile growth,
      high dominance rank) to accelerate reproduction, but were impaired in milk
      synthesis due to lower somatic resources and their own continued growth.
      Comparatively, late breeders suffered from poor developmental conditions, only
      partially compensated by their delayed reproduction, and evinced compromised milk
      synthesis. Typical breeders not only produced higher available milk energy but
      also had best reproductive performance during the breeding and birth seasons
      following primiparity. DISCUSSION: Here, we refine and extend our understanding
      of how life-history tradeoffs manifest in the magnitude, sources, and
      consequences of variation in age of reproductive debut. These findings provide
      insight into primate reproductive flexibility in the context of constraints and
      opportunities.

PMID- 28895118
TI  - Distressing Symptoms, Disability, and Hospice Services at the End of Life:
      Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between the presence and number of
      restricting symptoms and number of disabilities and subsequent admission to
      hospice at the end of life. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Greater
      New Haven, Connecticut, from March 1998 to December 2014. PARTICIPANTS: Decedents
      from a cohort of 754 persons aged 70 and older (N = 562). MEASUREMENTS: Hospice
      admissions were identified primarily from Medicare claims, and 15 restricting
      symptoms and disability in 13 activities were assessed during monthly interviews.
      RESULTS: During their last year of life, 244 (43.4%) participants were admitted
      to hospice. The median duration of hospice was 12.5 days (interquartile range 4
      43 days). Although the largest increases were observed in the last 2 months of
      life, the prevalence of restricting symptoms and mean number of restricting
      symptoms and disabilities in the preceding months were high and trending upward.
      During a specific month, the likelihood of hospice admission increased by 66%
      (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.30-2.12) in
      the setting of any restricting symptoms, by 9% (aHR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.05-1.12)
      for each additional restricting symptom, and by 10% (aHR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.05
      1.14) for each additional disability. Each additional month with any restricting
      symptoms increased the likelihood of hospice admission by 7% (aHR = 1.07, 95% CI
      = 1.01-1.13). CONCLUSION: Hospice services appear to be suitably targeted to
      older persons with the greatest needs at the end of life, although the short
      duration of hospice suggests that additional strategies are needed to better
      address the high burden of distressing symptoms and disability at the end of
      life.

PMID- 28895120
TI  - Inflammation: Treatment Progress and Limitations.
AB  - There is an increasing understanding on the etiology of chronic immune-mediated
      inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriasis, or
      rheumatoid arthritis. Large consortia contributed to the elucidation of the
      genetics, for instance, of IBD identifying a number of genes involved in innate
      mucosal defense and immune tolerance (most prominent, e.g., NOD2) and other
      related processes. For a number of such diseases, common genetic susceptibility
      loci were identified, suggesting overlapping immune response pathways, although
      there is no causality of single genetic traits.2 In particular, the elucidation
      of main triggers of inflammation like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha),
      integrins, specific cytokines like interleukin (IL)-6 or IL-23 launched the
      successful development of new pharmacological approaches, leading to a tremendous
      improvement of therapeutic outcomes.

PMID- 28895119
TI  - FXR controls CHOP expression in steatohepatitis.
AB  - The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) have critical
      functions in hepatic lipid metabolism. Here, we aimed to explore a potential
      relationship between FXR and CHOP. We fed wild-type (WT) and FXR KO mice a MCD
      diet (model of steatohepatitis) and found that Chop mRNA expression is
      upregulated in WT but not FXR KO mice. The absence of FXR aggravates hepatic
      inflammation after MCD feeding. In HepG2 cells, we found that Chop expression is
      regulated in a FXR/Retinoid X receptor (RXR)-dependent manner. We identified a
      FXR/RXR-binding site in the human CHOP promoter, demonstrating a highly conserved
      regulatory pathway. Our study shows that FXR/RXR regulates Chop expression in a
      mouse model of steatohepatitis, providing novel insights into pathogenesis of
      this disorder.

PMID- 28895124
TI  - Ecological opportunity alters the timing and shape of adaptive radiation.
AB  - The uneven distribution of diversity is a conspicuous phenomenon across the tree
      of life. Ecological opportunity is a prominent catalyst of adaptive radiation and
      therefore may alter patterns of diversification. We evaluated the distribution of
      shifts in diversification rates across the cichlid phylogeny and the distribution
      of major clades across phylogenetic space. We also tested if ecological
      opportunity influenced these patterns. Colonization-associated ecological
      opportunity altered the tempo and mode of diversification during the adaptive
      radiation of cichlid fishes. Clades that arose following colonization events
      diversified faster than other clades. Speciation rate shifts were nonrandomly
      distributed across the phylogeny such that they were disproportionally
      concentrated around nodes that corresponded with colonization events (i.e., of
      continents, river basins, or lakes). Young clades tend to expand faster than
      older clades; however, colonization-associated ecological opportunity accentuated
      this pattern. There was an interaction between clade age and ecological
      opportunity that explained the trajectory of clades through phylogenetic space
      over time. Our results indicate that ecological opportunities afforded by
      continental and ecosystem-scale colonization events explain the dramatic
      speciation rate heterogeneity and phylogenetic imbalance that arose during the
      evolutionary history of cichlid fishes.

PMID- 28895126
TI  - Construction of an Exome-Wide Risk Score for Schizophrenia Based on a Weighted
      Burden Test.
AB  - Polygenic risk scores obtained as a weighted sum of associated variants can be
      used to explore association in additional data sets and to assign risk scores to
      individuals. The methods used to derive polygenic risk scores from common SNPs
      are not suitable for variants detected in whole exome sequencing studies. Rare
      variants, which may have major effects, are seen too infrequently to judge
      whether they are associated and may not be shared between training and test
      subjects. A method is proposed whereby variants are weighted according to their
      frequency, their annotations and the genes they affect. A weighted sum across all
      variants provides an individual risk score. Scores constructed in this way are
      used in a weighted burden test and are shown to be significantly different
      between schizophrenia cases and controls using a five-way cross-validation
      procedure. This approach represents a first attempt to summarise exome sequence
      variation into a summary risk score, which could be combined with risk scores
      from common variants and from environmental factors. It is hoped that the method
      could be developed further.

PMID- 28895127
TI  - Evaluation of CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein (C/EBP) Alpha (CEBPA) and Runt
      Related Transcription Factor 1 (RUNX1) Expression in Patients with De Novo Acute
      Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) alpha (CEBPA) and Runt-related
      transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) genes have been traditionally regarded as two
      essential genes involved in normal myeloid maturation. Although the link between
      mutations in these genes and the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has
      been extensively documented, the ramifications of gene expression dysregulations
      of CEBPA and RUNX1 has drawn less attention. The present study investigated CEBPA
      and RUNX1 gene expression levels in 96 primary AML specimens against a normal
      control group by way of real-time RT-PCR. Our results reveal that CEBPA and RUNX1
      gene expression levels were unexpectedly and significantly higher in patients
      with AML when compared to the levels detected in the normal control group (P <
      0.0001). Furthermore, the correlation between CEBPA and RUNX1 was significant and
      positive (P-value: 0.011, r: 0.257). Our data contradicts the widely established
      role of CEBPA and RUNX1 in myeloid differentiation, as we saw lower levels of
      CEBPA and RUNX1 expression to be exhibited in patients with AML. Likely, our data
      demonstrates that higher levels of CEBPA and RUNX1 expression were closely
      correlated with reduced myeloid maturation, but this idea needs to approved. It
      suggests that despite the current established functions of genes involved in cell
      differentiation, the leukemogenesis process has the capability to transform
      normal hematopoietic precursors in a manner that may employ the differentiation
      related gene at the service of malignancy.

PMID- 28895125
TI  - Governance arrangements for health systems in low-income countries: an overview
      of systematic reviews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Governance arrangements include changes in rules or processes that
      determine authority and accountability for health policies, organisations,
      commercial products and health professionals, as well as the involvement of
      stakeholders in decision-making. Changes in governance arrangements can affect
      health and related goals in numerous ways, generally through changes in
      authority, accountability, openness, participation and coherence. A broad
      overview of the findings of systematic reviews can help policymakers, their
      technical support staff and other stakeholders to identify strategies for
      addressing problems and improving the governance of their health systems.
      OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the available evidence from up-to-date
      systematic reviews about the effects of governance arrangements for health
      systems in low-income countries. Secondary objectives include identifying needs
      and priorities for future evaluations and systematic reviews on governance
      arrangements and informing refinements of the framework for governance
      arrangements outlined in the overview. METHODS: We searched Health Systems
      Evidence in November 2010 and PDQ Evidence up to 17 December 2016 for systematic
      reviews. We did not apply any date, language or publication status limitations in
      the searches. We included well-conducted systematic reviews of studies that
      assessed the effects of governance arrangements on patient outcomes (health and
      health behaviours), the quality or utilisation of healthcare services, resource
      use (health expenditures, healthcare provider costs, out-of-pocket payments, cost
      effectiveness), healthcare provider outcomes (such as sick leave), or social
      outcomes (such as poverty, employment) and that were published after April 2005.
      We excluded reviews with limitations that were important enough to compromise the
      reliability of the findings of the review. Two overview authors independently
      screened reviews, extracted data and assessed the certainty of evidence using
      GRADE. We prepared SUPPORT Summaries for eligible reviews, including key
      messages, 'Summary of findings' tables (using GRADE to assess the certainty of
      the evidence) and assessments of the relevance of findings to low-income
      countries. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 7272 systematic reviews and included 21 of
      them in this overview (19 primary reviews and 2 supplementary reviews). We focus
      here on the results of the 19 primary reviews, one of which had important
      methodological limitations. The other 18 were reliable (with only minor
      limitations).We grouped the governance arrangements addressed in the reviews into
      five categories: authority and accountability for health policies (three
      reviews); authority and accountability for organisations (two reviews); authority
      and accountability for commercial products (three reviews); authority and
      accountability for health professionals (seven reviews); and stakeholder
      involvement (four reviews).Overall, we found desirable effects for the following
      interventions on at least one outcome, with moderate- or high-certainty evidence
      and no moderate- or high-certainty evidence of undesirable effects. Decision
      making about what is covered by health insurance- Placing restrictions on the
      medicines reimbursed by health insurance systems probably decreases the use of
      and spending on these medicines (moderate-certainty evidence). Stakeholder
      participation in policy and organisational decisions- Participatory learning and
      action groups for women probably improve newborn survival (moderate-certainty
      evidence).- Consumer involvement in preparing patient information probably
      improves the quality of the information and patient knowledge (moderate-certainty
      evidence). Disclosing performance information to patients and the public-
      Disclosing performance data on hospital quality to the public probably encourages
      hospitals to implement quality improvement activities (moderate-certainty
      evidence).- Disclosing performance data on individual healthcare providers to the
      public probably leads people to select providers that have better quality ratings
      (moderate-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Investigators have evaluated
      a wide range of governance arrangements that are relevant for low-income
      countries using sound systematic review methods. These strategies have been
      targeted at different levels in health systems, and studies have assessed a range
      of outcomes. Moderate-certainty evidence shows desirable effects (with no
      undesirable effects) for some interventions. However, there are important gaps in
      the availability of systematic reviews and primary studies for the all of the
      main categories of governance arrangements.

PMID- 28895128
TI  - Transitional justice as social control: political transitions, human rights norms
      and the reclassification of the past.
AB  - This article offers an interpretation of transitional justice policies - the
      efforts of post-conflict and post-dictatorship societies to address the legacy of
      past abuses - as a form of social control. While transitional justice is commonly
      conceptualized as responding to a core problem of impunity, this article argues
      that such formulation is too narrow and leads to lack of coherence in the
      analysis of the diverse array of transitional mechanisms, which include among
      others trials, truth commissions, reparations for victims and apologies. Building
      on the work of Stanley Cohen, the article contends that the core transitional
      problem is the denial of human rights violations, and consequently that the
      common purpose of all transitional justice mechanisms is to reclassify the past:
      redefining as deviant some acts and individuals which prior to the transition
      were considered 'normal'. The article identifies and analyses three themes in the
      application of a social control framework to transitional justice: (1) truth,
      memory and retroactive social control, pertains to the way truth-seeking
      transitional justice mechanisms reclassify past events by engaging in social
      control of and through memory; (2) censure, celebration and transitional social
      control refers to the reclassification of categories of individuals through
      expressions of both social disapproval and praise; and (3) civil society and
      social control from below concerns the role of social movements, organizations
      and groups as informal agents of social control during transitions. The
      concluding section recaps and briefly explores the concept of 'good moral panic'
      in the context of political transitions. While the concept of social control
      tends to have negative connotations for critical sociologists, this work suggests
      that efforts to categorize, punish and disapprove certain behaviours as deviant
      may not only be viewed as supporting a conservative status-quo, but also as
      promoting fledging human rights norms.

PMID- 28895129
TI  - The role of sustained attention, maternal sensitivity, and infant temperament in
      the development of early self-regulation.
AB  - This study investigated infant predictors of early cognitive and emotional self
      regulation from an intrinsic and caregiving environmental perspective. Sustained
      attention, reactive aspects of infant temperament, and maternal sensitivity were
      assessed at 10 months (n = 124) and early self-regulation (including executive
      functions, EF, and emotion regulation) was assessed at 18 months. The results
      indicated that sustained attention predicted early EF, which provide empirical
      support for the hierarchical framework of EF development, advocating early
      attention as a foundation for the development of cognitive self-regulation.
      Maternal sensitivity and surgency predicted emotion regulation, in that infants
      of sensitive mothers showed more regulatory behaviours and a longer latency to
      distress, whereas high levels of surgency predicted low emotion regulation,
      suggesting both the caregiving environment and temperament as important in the
      development of self-regulation. Interaction effects suggested high sustained
      attention to be a protective factor for children of insensitive mothers, in
      relation to emotion regulation. In addition, high levels of maternal sensitivity
      seemed to foster development of emotion regulation among children with low to
      medium levels of sustained attention and/or surgency. In all, our findings point
      to the importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors in infant development
      of self-regulation.

PMID- 28895130
TI  - Ancestry Informative Marker Panel to Estimate Population Stratification Using
      Genome-wide Human Array.
AB  - Case-control studies are a powerful strategy to identify candidate genes in
      complex diseases. In admixed populations, association studies can be affected by
      population stratification, leading to spurious genetic associations. Ancestry
      informative markers (AIMs) can be used to minimise this effect. The aim of this
      work was to select a set of AIMs to estimate population stratification in a
      Brazilian case-control study performed using a genome-wide array. A total of 345
      single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) AIMs, selected from the Cytoscan HD array
      and based on previously reported panels, was used to discriminate between
      European, African, and Amerindian populations. These SNP-AIMs were used to infer
      ancestry in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (n  =  23) and in healthy
      subjects (n  =  110). Moderate population substructure was observed between SLE
      and control groups (Fst  =   0.0113). Although patients and controls have shown a
      major European genomic contribution, significant differences in the European (P 
      =  6.47 * 10-5 ) and African (P  =  1.14 * 10-3 ) ancestries were detected
      between the two groups. We performed a two-step validation of the 345 SNP-AIMs
      panel estimating the ancestral contributions using a panel of 12 AIMs and
      approximately 70K SNPs from the array. Evaluation of population substructure in
      case-control studies, avoiding spurious genetic associations, can be performed
      using our panel of 345 SNP-AIMs.

PMID- 28895131
TI  - Social mobility and the well-being of individuals.
AB  - Several papers published in recent years have revived interest in Sorokin's
      dissociative thesis: the view that intergenerational social mobility has
      detrimental effects on the social relationships and wellbeing of individuals. In
      this paper, I test the dissociative thesis using data from the British Household
      Panel Survey and Understanding Society. On a wide range of indicators that
      measure participation in civic associations, contact with parents, close personal
      relationships, social support, subjective wellbeing, etc. individuals who have
      achieved long-range upward mobility (i.e. those who move from working class
      origin to salariat destination) tend to fare better than those who are immobile
      in the working class. Those who have experienced long-range downward mobility
      (moving from salariat origin to working class destination) do about as well as
      second-generation members of the working class. Overall, there is no support for
      Sorokin's thesis.

PMID- 28895132
TI  - The genesis of victimization surveys and of the realist-constructionist divide.
AB  - The invention of victimization surveys is often presented as a synthesis of the
      two theoretical attitudes that, supposedly, dominated the 1960s debate over
      official crime statistics: realism and social constructionism. This paper turns
      this genesis story on its head. Using original archives, I argue that
      victimization surveys responded to organizational opportunities in the field of
      applied research. It was only after the fact that two of their architects seized
      the debate on crime measurement to broadcast their invention. In so doing they
      strategically recast the terms of this debate into a binary division between two
      antithetical social ontologies. This case is used to discuss how social
      scientists come to reinterpret and misunderstand their history.

PMID- 28895133
TI  - Coupling progenitor and neuronal diversity in the developing neocortex.
AB  - The adult neocortex is composed of several types of glutamatergic neurons, which
      are sequentially born from progenitors during development. The extent and nature
      of progenitor diversity, and how it relates to neuronal diversity, is still
      poorly understood. In this review, we discuss key features of neocortical
      progenitors across several species, including their morphological properties,
      cell cycling behaviour and molecular signatures, and how these features relate to
      the competence of these cells to generate distinct types of progenies.

PMID- 28895134
TI  - New primate locality from the early Miocene of Patagonia, Argentina.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this work is to present a new primate locality with
      evidence that increases the knowledge on the radiation of the extinct platyrrhine
      primates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the new specimen and compared it to
      specimens identified as Mazzonicebus almendrae. RESULTS: The new first and second
      molars were comparable to Mazzonicebus almendrae in all morphological details,
      allowing us to allocate the new specimen to M. almendrae and add comments on
      morphological variation in this species regarding the orientation of the labial
      cristae and development of the anterolingual cingulum. This new maxilla also
      present the first known M3 for the species. DISCUSSION: The new specimen
      increases our knowledge of the extinct platyrrhines from Patagonia. Their age and
      geographical distribution ranges from early to middle Miocene in an area between
      40 degrees  to 47 degrees  of southern latitude.

PMID- 28895135
TI  - Paired associative stimulation goes spinal.

PMID- 28895136
TI  - The evolution of hominoid cranial diversity: A quantitative genetic approach.
AB  - Hominoid cranial evolution is characterized by substantial phenotypic diversity,
      yet the cause of this variability has rarely been explored. Quantitative genetic
      techniques for investigating evolutionary processes underlying morphological
      divergence are dependent on the availability of good ancestral models, a problem
      in hominoids where the fossil record is fragmentary and poorly understood. Here,
      we use a maximum likelihood approach based on a Brownian motion model of
      evolutionary change to estimate nested hypothetical ancestral forms from 15
      extant hominoid taxa. These ancestors were then used to calculate rates of
      evolution along each branch of a phylogenetic tree using Lande's generalized
      genetic distance. Our results show that hominoid cranial evolution is
      characterized by strong stabilizing selection. Only two instances of directional
      selection were detected; the divergence of Homo from its last common ancestor
      with Pan, and the divergence of the lesser apes from their last common ancestor
      with the great apes. In these two cases, selection gradients reconstructed to
      identify the specific traits undergoing selection indicated that selection on
      basicranial flexion, cranial vault expansion, and facial retraction characterizes
      the divergence of Homo, whereas the divergence of the lesser apes was defined by
      selection on neurocranial size reduction.

PMID- 28895137
TI  - Bringing radical behaviorism to revolutionary Brazil and back: Fred Keller's
      Personalized System of Instruction and Cold War engineering education.
AB  - This article traces the shifting epistemic commitments of Fred S. Keller and his
      behaviorist colleagues during their application of Skinnerian radical behaviorism
      to higher education pedagogy. Building on prior work by Alexandra Rutherford and
      her focus on the successive adaptation of Skinnerian behaviorism during its
      successive applications, this study utilizes sociologist of science Karin Knorr
      Cetina's concept of epistemic cultures to more precisely trace the changes in the
      epistemic commitments of a group of radical behaviorists as they shifted their
      focus to applied behavioral analysis. The story revolves around a self-paced
      system of instruction known as the Personalized System of Instruction, or PSI,
      which utilized behaviorist principles to accelerate learning within the
      classroom. Unlike Skinner's entry into education, and his focus on educational
      technologies, Keller developed a mastery-based approach to instruction that
      utilized generalized reinforcers to cultivate higher-order learning behaviors. As
      it happens, the story also unfolds across a rather fantastic political terrain:
      PSI originated in the context of Brazilian revolutionary history, but circulated
      widely in the U.S. amidst Cold War concerns about an engineering manpower(sic)
      crisis. This study also presents us with an opportunity to test Knorr Cetina's
      conjecture about the possible use of a focus on epistemic cultures in addressing
      a classic problem in the sociology of science, namely unpacking the relationship
      between knowledge and its social context. Ultimately, however, this study
      complements another historical case study in applied behavioral analysis, where a
      difference in outcome helps to lay out the range of possible shifts in the
      epistemic commitments of radical behaviorists who entered different domains of
      application. The case study also has some practical implications for those
      creating distance learning environments today, which are briefly explored in the
      conclusion.

PMID- 28895139
TI  - Non-inferiority and equivalence trials.

PMID- 28895140
TI  - Improving outcomes in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 28895138
TI  - Feed-backs among inbreeding, inbreeding depression in sperm traits, and sperm
      competition can drive evolution of costly polyandry.
AB  - Ongoing ambitions are to understand the evolution of costly polyandry and its
      consequences for species ecology and evolution. Emerging patterns could stem from
      feed-back dynamics between the evolving mating system and its genetic
      environment, defined by interactions among kin including inbreeding. However,
      such feed-backs are rarely considered in nonselfing systems. We use a genetically
      explicit model to demonstrate a mechanism by which inbreeding depression can
      select for polyandry to mitigate the negative consequences of mating with inbred
      males, rather than to avoid inbreeding, and to elucidate underlying feed-backs.
      Specifically, given inbreeding depression in sperm traits, costly polyandry
      evolved to ensure female fertility, without requiring explicit inbreeding
      avoidance. Resulting sperm competition caused evolution of sperm traits and
      further mitigated the negative effect of inbreeding depression on female
      fertility. The evolving mating system fed back to decrease population-wide
      homozygosity, and hence inbreeding. However, the net overall decrease was small
      due to compound effects on the variances in sex-specific reproductive success and
      paternity skew. Purging of deleterious mutations did not eliminate inbreeding
      depression in sperm traits or hence selection for polyandry. Overall, our model
      illustrates that polyandry evolution, both directly and through sperm
      competition, might facilitate evolutionary rescue for populations experiencing
      sudden increases in inbreeding.

PMID- 28895142
TI  - Randomized clinical trial of laparoscopic versus open pancreatoduodenectomy for
      periampullary tumours.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic resection as an alternative to open
      pancreatoduodenectomy may yield short-term benefits, but has not been
      investigated in a randomized trial. The aim of this study was to compare
      laparoscopic and open pancreatoduodenectomy for short-term outcomes in a
      randomized trial. METHODS: Patients with periampullary cancers were randomized to
      either laparoscopic or open pancreatoduodenectomy. The outcomes evaluated were
      hospital stay (primary outcome), and blood loss, radicality of surgery, duration
      of operation and complication rate (secondary outcomes). RESULTS: Of 268
      patients, 64 who met the eligibility criteria were randomized, 32 to each group.
      The median duration of postoperative hospital stay was longer for open
      pancreaticoduodenectomy than for laparoscopy (13 (range 6-30) versus 7 (5-52)
      days respectively; P = 0.001). Duration of operation was longer in the
      laparoscopy group. Blood loss was significantly greater in the open group
      (mean(s.d.) 401(46) versus 250(22) ml; P < 0.001). Number of nodes retrieved and
      R0 rate were similar in the two groups. There was no difference between the open
      and laparoscopic groups in delayed gastric emptying (7 of 32 versus 5 of 32),
      pancreatic fistula (6 of 32 versus 5 of 32) or postpancreatectomy haemorrhage (4
      of 32 versus 3 of 32). Overall complications (defined according to the Clavien
      Dindo classification) were similar (10 of 32 versus 8 of 32). There was one death
      in each group. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy offered a shorter hospital stay than open
      pancreatoduodenectomy in this randomized trial. Registration number: NCT02081131(
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

PMID- 28895143
TI  - Randomized clinical trial of laparoscopic ultrasonography before laparoscopic
      colorectal cancer resection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intraoperative ultrasonography during open surgery for colorectal
      cancer may be useful for the detection of unrecognized liver metastases.
      Laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) for the detection of unrecognized liver
      metastasis has not been studied in a randomized trial. This RCT tested the
      hypothesis that LUS would change the TNM stage and treatment strategy. METHODS:
      Patients with colorectal cancer and no known metastases were randomized (1 : 1)
      to laparoscopic examination (control or laparoscopy plus LUS) in three Danish
      centres. Neither participants nor staff were blinded to the group assignment.
      RESULTS: Three hundred patients were randomized, 150 in each group. After
      randomization, 43 patients were excluded, leaving 128 in the control group and
      129 in the LUS group. Intraoperative T and N categories were not altered by LUS,
      but laparoscopy alone identified previously undetected M1 disease in one patient
      (0.8 per cent) in the control group and three (2.3 per cent) in the LUS group. In
      the latter group, LUS suggested that an additional six patients (4.7 per cent)
      had M1 disease with liver (4) or para-aortal lymph node (2) metastases. The
      change in treatment strategy was greater in the LUS than in the control group
      (7.8 (95 per cent c.i. 3.8 to 13.8) and 0.8 (0 to 4.2) per cent respectively; P =
      0.010), but the suspected M1 disease was benign in half of the patients.
      CONCLUSION: Routine LUS during resection of colorectal cancer is not recommended.
      Registration number: NCT02079389 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

PMID- 28895144
TI  - Spanish translation section.

PMID- 28895145
TI  - In between mental evolution and unconscious memory: Lamarckism, Darwinism, and
      professionalism in late Victorian Britain.
AB  - In 1884 Samuel Butler published a collection of essays entitled Remarks on George
      Romanes' Mental Evolution, where he attempted to show how Romanes' idea of mental
      evolution presented similarities with his theory of unconscious memory. By
      looking at Romanes' work through Butler's writing, this article will reevaluate
      some aspects of their works regarding the complex debate about memory, heredity,
      and instinct. This paper will explore the main differences and similarities
      between Romanes' science and Butler's writing on science both in terms of their
      ideas and contents. It will then look into their different professional
      relationships with Darwin and how this determined the professional and public
      reception of their theories.

PMID- 28895146
TI  - Differential diagnosis and comorbidity of ADHD and anxiety in adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine symptom profiles of people
      diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or anxiety
      (ANX) in order to determine the validity of widely used ADHD and ANX rating
      scales for differential diagnostic use and to develop modified measures that take
      symptom overlap into account. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used to assess
      differences in rating scale scores between clinical (n = 52) and control (n = 74)
      samples as well as differences among subgroups of the clinical sample (22 ADHD;
      16 ADHD + ANX; 14 ANX). METHOD: Participants completed an online questionnaire
      where they responded to the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS; Conners,
      Erhardt, & Sparrow, ) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory scales (STAI;
      Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, ). RESULTS: Results showed that
      the CAARS and STAI had limited sensitivity and specificity and may lack in
      ability to differentially diagnose ADHD and/or ANX. Cluster analysis was used to
      guide the proposal of modifications for the two scales, which were to use
      inattentive items only for the CAARS and to exclude state ANX-present items on
      the STAI for use in differential diagnosis. Further parametric analysis supported
      these proposed modifications. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be made aware of the
      limitations of the CAARS and STAI scales in terms of specificity, when used to
      inform differential diagnosis of ADHD and ANX. Further analysis on the
      psychometric properties of these modified scales is needed in order to confirm
      that they are valid and reliable scales. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Clinical
      implications It is possible that widely used self-report rating scales are not
      valid for use in the context of assessing adult ADHD when ANX is present.
      Clinicians should take alternative approaches to measuring ADHD symptoms in the
      context of ANX. Findings of the present study suggest the use of inattentive
      items only for the CAARS and to exclude state ANX-present items on the STAI for
      differential diagnostic use. Limitations of the study The sample sizes of the
      clinical subgroups were relatively small. Diagnoses were not confirmed using a
      semi-structured clinical interview. Alternative cluster approaches (e.g., two
      step clustering using larger samples) would provide further insight.

PMID- 28895147
TI  - Root traits are more than analogues of leaf traits: the case for diaspore mass.
AB  - Root traits are often thought to be analogues of leaf traits along the plant
      economics spectrum. But evolutionary pressures have most likely shaped above- and
      belowground patterns differentially. Here, we aimed to identify the most
      important aboveground traits for explaining root traits without an a priori focus
      on known concepts. We measured morphological root traits in a glasshouse
      experiment on 141 common Central European grassland species. Using random forest
      algorithms, we built predictive models of six root traits from 97 aboveground
      morphological, ecological and life history traits. Root tissue density was best
      predicted by leaf dry matter content, whereas traits related to root fineness
      were best predicted by diaspore mass: the heavier the diaspore, the coarser the
      root system. Specific leaf area (SLA) was not an important predictor for any of
      the root traits. This study confirms the hypothesis that root traits are more
      than analogues of leaf traits within a plant economics spectrum. The results
      reveal a novel ecological pattern and highlight the power of root data to close
      important knowledge gaps in trait-based ecology.

PMID- 28895148
TI  - Critical roles of hMAGEA2 in induced pluripotent stem cell pluripotency,
      proliferation, and differentiation.
AB  - Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are important for clinical application and
      stem cell research. Although human melanoma-associated antigen A2 (hMAGEA2)
      expression is known to affect differentiation in embryonic stem cells, its
      specific role in iPS cells remains unclear. To evaluate the function of hMAGEA2
      and its characteristics in iPS cells, we produced hMAGEA2-overexpressing iPS
      cells from hMAGEA2-overexpressing transgenic mice. Although the iPS cells with
      overexpressed hMAGEA2 did not differ in morphology, their pluripotency, and self
      renewal related genes (Nanog, Oct3/4, Sox2, and Stat3), expression level was
      significantly upregulated. Moreover, hMAGEA2 contributed to the promotion of cell
      cycle progression, thereby accelerating cell proliferation. Through embryoid body
      formation in vitro and teratoma formation in vivo, we demonstrated that hMAGEA2
      critically decreases the differentiation ability of iPS cells. These data
      indicate that hMAGEA2 intensifies the self-renewal, pluripotency, and degree of
      proliferation of iPS cells, while significantly repressing their differentiation
      efficiency. Therefore, our findings prove that hMAGEA2 plays key roles in iPS
      cells.

PMID- 28895149
TI  - Efficacy of dexmedetomidine for perioperative morbidities in pediatric
      tonsillectomy: A metaanalysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the effects of perioperative
      dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to tonsillectomy compared with opioid or sham in
      children. DATA SOURCE: Five databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, Web of Science,
      and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched from inception
      of article collections to April 2017. REVIEW METHODS: Prospective, randomized
      controlled studies that compared outcomes between children who underwent
      tonsillectomy plus dexmedetomidine administration (intervention) and children who
      underwent tonsillectomy with placebo or opioid (control) were systemically and
      independently reviewed by two researchers. The outcomes of interest were
      emergence agitation, postoperative pain intensity, rescue analgesic consumption,
      and other morbidities (nausea and vomiting and agitation). RESULTS: Fifteen
      studies with n = 1,552 met the inclusion criteria. Postoperative pain scores and
      the need for analgesics in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) were significantly
      decreased in the dexmedetomidine group versus the control group. The incidence
      and degree of agitation and desaturation incidence in the PACU also were
      significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group than in the control group.
      Additionally, there was no significant difference in the duration of staying PACU
      between both groups. In subgroup analyses by administration method (bolus
      injection or continuous injection), dexmedetomidine was shown to be effective at
      reducing postoperative morbidities regardless of administration method.
      CONCLUSION: Perioperative administration of dexmedetomidine can provide pain and
      agitation relief without side effects in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy.
      Considering the high heterogeneity of results within some parameters; however,
      further clinical trials with robust research methodology should be conducted to
      confirm the results of this study. Laryngoscope, 128:E184-E193, 2018.

PMID- 28895150
TI  - Chemosensory function before and after multimodal treatment in chronic
      rhinosinusitis patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Olfactory dysfunction is common among the general
      population, with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) as one of the leading causes.
      Patients affected by CRS often report changes in taste sensations; however,
      quantitative measurements have not been performed to date. Therefore, the present
      study aimed to investigate gustatory and olfactory function in CRS patients prior
      to and after multimodal treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.
      METHODS: Twenty-one patients suffering from CRS with nasal polyps (14 male, seven
      female) with a mean age of 48 +/- 15 years were included in the study.
      Chemosensory function was assessed prior to and approximately 190 days after
      multimodal treatment, which included endoscopic sinus surgery, oral antibiotics
      for 5 days, oral steroids for 12 days, and at least 6 weeks of topical nasal
      steroids. Olfactory function was tested with the Sniffin' Sticks test battery,
      whereas gustatory function was measured with taste strips. A clinically relevant
      change in olfactory function was defined as a change of >=5 points in the
      threshold, discrimination, and identification scores. RESULTS: Compared to
      normative data, patients baseline gustatory and olfactory function was impaired.
      After multimodal treatment, improvements were seen in olfactory function for
      eight patients (42%), remained stable in 10 patients (53%), and deteriorated in
      one patient (5%). Taste function remained unchanged following sinus surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients suffering from CRS with polyps exhibit olfactory and taste
      dysfunctions. Multimodal treatment leads to an improvement in olfactory, but not
      gustatory functionality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:E86-E90, 2018.

PMID- 28895151
TI  - Role of closed loop stimulation pacing (CLS) in vasovagal syncope.
AB  - Vasovagal syncope (VVS) or neurocardiogenic syncope is defined by transient loss
      of consciousness with spontaneous and rapid recovery. Recently, a closed loop
      stimulation (CLS) pacing system has emerged as a new strategy which appears
      superior to conventional pacing for patients with refractory syncope. However,
      its efficacy remains of considerable debate and large randomized controlled
      clinical trials are needed. Between 2002 and 2017, 12 total studies evaluated the
      use of CLS pacing in patients with refractory VVS, and are summarized in this
      article.

PMID- 28895152
TI  - Clinical predictors of multiple tympanostomy tube placements in Ontario children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To characterize risk factors that predict the need for multiple
      tympanostomy tube (TT) procedures. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective population-based
      cohort study of children aged 18 years and younger in Ontario, Canada, who
      underwent at least one TT placement between January 1, 1994, and October 31,
      2013. METHODS: The relative risk (RR) of need for multiple TT procedures was
      determined using log-binomial regression. RESULTS: There were 193,880 children
      who underwent TT insertion included in this cohort. Of these, 28.58% underwent at
      least two separate TT procedures. Over time, the RR of undergoing multiple TT
      procedures is decreasing for all children. In general, the younger the child was
      at the first TT procedure, the more likely the child was to undergo multiple TT
      procedures. Significantly higher RR for multiple TT procedures also was
      associated with male sex, the second-highest neighborhood income quintile, asthma
      or reactive airways, gastrointestinal disease, prematurity, or cleft lip and/or
      palate. Significantly lower RR for multiple TT procedures was associated with
      adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy (with or without adenoidectomy) at first TT
      placement or within 3 years prior. Furthermore, the benefit of adjuvant
      adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy was present for children aged under 4 years, in
      addition to those aged 4 years and older. CONCLUSION: Among Ontario children who
      have had TT placement, more than one in four will have multiple sets placed.
      These identified risk factors permit improved preoperative counseling and enable
      identification of children who need closer follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.
      Laryngoscope, 128:991-997, 2018.

PMID- 28895153
TI  - Characterization of an antimicrobial and phytotoxic ribonuclease secreted by the
      fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici.
AB  - The fungus Zymoseptoria tritici is the causal agent of Septoria Tritici Blotch
      (STB) disease of wheat leaves. Zymoseptoria tritici secretes many functionally
      uncharacterized effector proteins during infection. Here, we characterized a
      secreted ribonuclease (Zt6) with an unusual biphasic expression pattern.
      Transient expression systems were used to characterize Zt6, and mutants thereof,
      in both host and non-host plants. Cell-free protein expression systems monitored
      the impact of Zt6 protein on functional ribosomes, and in vitro assays of cells
      treated with recombinant Zt6 determined toxicity against bacteria, yeasts and
      filamentous fungi. We demonstrated that Zt6 is a functional ribonuclease and that
      phytotoxicity is dependent on both the presence of a 22-amino-acid N-terminal
      'loop' region and its catalytic activity. Zt6 selectively cleaves both plant and
      animal rRNA species, and is toxic to wheat, tobacco, bacterial and yeast cells,
      but not to Z. tritici itself. Zt6 is the first Z. tritici effector demonstrated
      to have a likely dual functionality. The expression pattern of Zt6 and potent
      toxicity towards microorganisms suggest that, although it may contribute to the
      execution of wheat cell death, it is also likely to have an important secondary
      function in antimicrobial competition and niche protection.

PMID- 28895154
TI  - Perceptions of pain of laryngeal electromyography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pain associated with laryngeal electromyography (LEMG).
      STUDY DESIGN: A prospective case series. METHODS: Adult patients scheduled for
      LEMG in a tertiary care laryngology practice were recruited between July 20,
      2016, and March 1, 2017. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the
      charts. Study participants reported their anticipated pain level using a visual
      analog scale (VAS) prior to the procedure. VAS was administered again within 10
      minutes after the procedure, along with the validated McGill Pain Questionnaire,
      to gauge patient's pain perception after undergoing LEMG. RESULTS: Results were
      reviewed for 80 patients (mean age 48.2 +/- 16.6 years, 37.5% male). Preprocedure
      VAS pain scores (4.59 +/- 2.3 out of 10) were not significantly different than
      postprocedure VAS pain scores (4.61 +/- 2.4) (P = 0.95). The McGill Pain
      Questionnaire reported a moderate pain level (32.1 +/- 12.7 out of 78). Females
      anticipated a higher preprocedure VAS pain score (5.04 +/- 2.3) than males (3.85
      +/- 2.2) (P = 0.02); however, postprocedure scores were not significantly
      different between genders. The following factors did not influence the pain
      scores: age, professional voice use, history of previous EMG, chronic pain
      diagnosis, psychiatric diagnosis, or current treatment with pain/psychiatric
      medications. All LEMGs were completed without any complications. CONCLUSION:
      Patients appropriately anticipated their pain levels for the LEMG, which may be
      attributed to proper patient education and counselling before the procedure.
      Overall pain levels were mild to moderate, and all LEMGs were completed; thus,
      LEMG was well tolerated. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:896-900, 2018.

PMID- 28895155
TI  - Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among otolaryngologists by subspecialty: A
      national survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Given the high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms,
      increased appreciation for workplace ergonomics is critical. The purpose of this
      study is to assess work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and injury among
      otolaryngologists across subspecialties, as well as to quantify the understanding
      and application of ergonomic principles in the operating room. STUDY DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional study. METHODS: An online REDCap survey was distributed
      electronically to University of Kansas faculty, alumni, and residents; members of
      the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; and residency
      program coordinators for distribution to residents and faculty between August
      2016 and March 2017. The survey assessed caseload, ergonomic practices, and
      associated musculoskeletal symptoms by type of procedure and impact of symptoms
      on surgeon practice. RESULTS: The survey was distributed to 3,006 individuals. We
      received 377 responses (12.5%), with 63.9% reporting symptoms. The majority of
      respondents began to experience symptoms in residency or fellowship. Neck and
      shoulder were the most affected body areas across all types of surgeries. One
      third of surgeons were formally taught or actively sought information on
      ergonomics principles. Among those who applied ergonomics in practice, 69.6%
      observed improvement in their symptoms. CONCLUSION: Although musculoskeletal
      issues are prevalent among otolaryngologists, awareness of surgical ergonomics
      principles among otolaryngologists remains limited. Early instruction in
      ergonomic principles is important because work-related musculoskeletal symptoms
      commonly present in residency. Most respondents reporting the application of
      ergonomic principles also acknowledge symptom improvement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.
      Laryngoscope, 128:632-640, 2018.

PMID- 28895156
TI  - What is the optimal time for removing drains in uncomplicated head and neck
      surgery?

PMID- 28895157
TI  - Laryngeal exposure and margin status in glottic cancer treated by transoral laser
      microsurgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Laryngeal exposure is one of the most limiting factors in transoral
      laser microsurgery (TLM) for glottic cancer. We evaluated the correlation between
      the degree of laryngeal exposure, as assessed by an easy previously described
      scoring tool (Laryngoscore), and histopathologic surgical margin status after
      TLM. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective evaluation of 147 patients affected by Tis-T2
      glottic cancer treated by TLM with curative intent between January 2012 and April
      2016. METHODS: All patients were preoperatively assessed and classified as having
      good (group A including Laryngoscore class 0-I) or suboptimal laryngeal exposure
      (group B including class II-III). Margins were classified as negative (more than
      1 mm margin between healthy tissue and tumor) or positive (one/multiple
      superficial or deep margins involved by invasive or in situ carcinoma). Patients
      with multiple superficial or deep margin positivity were scheduled for TLM re
      excision, open partial laryngectomy, or postoperative radiotherapy. RESULTS:
      Twenty-one type I, 54 type II, 19 type III, 7 type IV, 41 type V, and 5 type VI
      cordectomies (according to the European Laryngological Society classification)
      were performed with an en-bloc or multi-bloc technique according to the size,
      site, and exposure of the lesion. Group A included 109 (74%) and group B included
      38 (26%) patients. Positive surgical margins were overall observed in 39 (26.5%)
      cases: 21 (19.2%) in group A versus 18 (47.4%) in group B (P = 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Laryngeal exposure is one of the most important factors influencing
      TLM resection of glottic cancer within safe surgical margins. The importance of
      its adequate preoperative assessment cannot be overemphasized. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      2b. Laryngoscope, 128:1146-1151, 2018.

PMID- 28895158
TI  - Effect of identity fusion on decision to make extreme sacrifices in romantic
      relationships: The moderating role of impulsiveness.
AB  - The present research investigated the roles of identity fusion and impulsiveness
      in extreme sacrifices for romantic partners. After completing questionnaires
      assessing identity fusion, inclusion of other in the self, passionate love, and
      communal orientation, participants responded to the trolley dilemma in which they
      could save their partner by sacrificing themselves. Participants in the time
      pressure condition were given eight-seconds to respond to the dilemma; the other
      group had no time constraints. Identity fusion was the only variable that
      significantly predicted ultimate sacrifice. Hurrying participants' response to
      the dilemma (i.e., inducing impulsive decision-making) increased self-sacrifice
      in highly fused but not in weakly fused individuals.

PMID- 28895159
TI  - Relationship between genetic variants of ACE2 gene and circulating levels of ACE2
      and its metabolites.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays an important role in
      the development of essential hypertension (EH). Genetic factors remarkably
      influence circulating ACE2 level. OBJECTIVE: Because heritability had remarkable
      effects on circulating ACE2, we designed this study to shed light on whether
      circulating levels of ACE2, angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin-(1-9) were linked
      to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in ACE2 gene. METHODS: A
      total of 213 patients with newly diagnosed mild to moderate EH were enrolled in
      the present study. Four ACE2 tag SNPs (rs2074192, rs4646171, rs4646155 and
      rs2106809) were genotyped, and major haplotypes consisting of these 4 SNPs were
      reconstructed for all subjects. Circulating levels of ACE2, angiotensin-(1-7) and
      angiotensin-(1-9) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS:
      In female subjects, linear regression analysis suggested that rare alleles of
      ACE2 rs2074192 and rs2106809 were associated with reduced circulating angiotensin
      (1-7) levels (P=.007 and P=.006, respectively). ACE2 haplotype CAGC was
      associated with elevated circulating angiotensin-(1-7) levels (P=.03) whereas
      TAGT was associated with reduced circulating angiotensin-(1-7) levels in females
      (P<.001). Univariate linear regression analysis revealed that circulating ACE2
      levels were positively associated with systolic blood pressure (P=.02), mean
      arterial pressure (P=.02) and serum creatinine (P<.001) in females whereas
      circulating ACE2 levels were positively associated with age (P<.001) and serum
      creatinine (P<.001) in males. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: ACE2 SNPs and
      haplotypes are associated with circulating angiotensin-(1-7) levels. ACE2 genetic
      variants may be the determinants of circulating angiotensin-(1-7) levels in
      hypertensive females.

PMID- 28895160
TI  - Oncologic outcomes of KTP laser surgery versus radiation for T1 glottic
      carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To characterize outcomes for patients who underwent
      transoral microsurgery with potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser resection of
      early glottic cancers and to compare outcomes with patients who received external
      beam radiation therapy. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: The
      history of patients with T1 glottic carcinoma treated with curative primary
      radiation or transoral KTP laser resection was reviewed. Oncologic outcomes for
      both radiation and surgery cohorts including disease-free and overall survival
      were calculated. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients met inclusion criteria from 2011
      to 2016; 47 patients (54%) received primary KTP laser ablation, and 40 patients
      (46%) received primary external beam radiotherapy. The average length of follow
      up was 924 +/- 529 days in the KTP laser group and 994 +/- 603 days in the
      radiation group (P = .26). There were no significant differences between the two
      treatment groups in terms of medical or demographic variables. There were six
      recurrences in the KTP laser group (13%), versus six in the radiotherapy group
      (15%) (P = .77). The laryngeal preservation rate for the cohort of patients who
      initially received KTP laser treatment was 46 out of 47 patients (98%). Of the
      cohort that received primary radiation therapy, the laryngeal preservation rate
      was 36 out of 40 patients (90%, P = .18). Disease-free and overall survival were
      88% and 98% in the KTP laser cohort and 85% and 95% in the radiation cohort (P =
      .78, P = .56), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: KTP laser ablation is a modality
      equivalent to primary radiation therapy in oncologic outcomes for T1 glottic
      squamous cell carcinoma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:1052-1056, 2018.

PMID- 28895161
TI  - Therapeutic drug monitoring of antitubercular agents for disseminated
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis during intermittent haemodialysis and continuous
      venovenous haemofiltration.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of data regarding therapeutic drug
      monitoring (TDM) of antitubercular agents in the setting of continuous venovenous
      haemofiltration (CVVH). We describe TDM results of numerous antitubercular agents
      in a critically ill patient during CVVH and haemodialysis. CASE SUMMARY: A 49
      year-old man was initiated on treatment for disseminated Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis. During hospital admission, the patient developed critical illness
      and required renal replacement therapy. TDM results and pharmacokinetic
      calculations showed adequate serum concentrations of rifampin, ethambutol and
      amikacin during CVVH and of rifampin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol and levofloxacin
      during intermittent haemodialysis. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The presence of
      critical illness and renal replacement therapy can induce pharmacokinetic changes
      that may warrant vigilant TDM to ensure optimal therapy. To our knowledge, this
      is the first report to describe TDM for several antitubercular agents during CVVH
      in a critically patient with disseminated M. tuberculosis.

PMID- 28895162
TI  - Laryngeal EMG: Preferential damage of the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle
      branches especially in iatrogenic recurrent laryngeal nerve lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) of the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle
      alone may not be sufficient in all patients to characterize or prove a recurrent
      laryngeal nerve (RLN) lesion in cases of vocal fold immobility. LEMG of the
      posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscle may provide additional information. STUDY
      DESIGN: Retrospective review. METHOD: Between 2008 and 2016, 339 patients in our
      laryngeal paralysis clinic were examined by transcutaneous needle TA-LEMG and, if
      tolerated, by PCA-LEMG. LEMGs were rated and compared according to criteria of
      the European Laryngological Society. Etiology was categorized as iatrogenic,
      noniatrogenic, or malignancy related. RESULTS: A total of 282 out of 339 patients
      had a partial or complete RLN or vagal nerve lesion: 178 iatrogenic, 74
      noniatrogenic, and 30 because of nerve involvement by malignancies. Of paralytic
      vocal folds, 35.7% had normal or near-normal TA innervation, whereas
      corresponding PCA traces (if present) were pathologic in 94.6%. Comparing pairs
      of TA and PCA-LEMGs in paralysis of less than 4 months duration showed a
      predominance of PCA branch injuries in iatrogenic lesions (71.7 %), while in
      noniatrogenic lesions this was less pronounced (44.4%). In the few malignancy
      cases, there was an almost even distribution. Synkinetic reinnervation was
      earlier in iatrogenic RLN lesions. CONCLUSION: PCA-LEMG was better in proving an
      RLN lesion than TA-EMG alone. Our findings suggest etiology-dependent differences
      in the TA/PCA lesion pattern. To confirm this, larger sample sizes are needed. A
      preferential damage to PCA innervation in iatrogenic lesions could be relevant
      for further improvements of intraoperative neuromonitoring. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.
      Laryngoscope, 128:1152-1156, 2018.

PMID- 28895163
TI  - Off the pedal: Fluoroless transseptal puncture in pediatric supraventricular
      tachycardia ablation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fluoroless transseptal (TS) puncture may represent the final step
      toward elimination of fluoroscopy in pediatric supraventricular tachycardia
      ablation in normal hearts. We aimed to demonstrate the safety and feasibility of
      fluoroless TS puncture in pediatric patients and compare procedural timing with
      the fluoroscopic approach. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis
      of all TS procedures performed without fluoroscopy at our institution; fluoroless
      TS procedures were performed under intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) guidance
      after the creation of a 3D electroanatomic map and identification of fossa ovalis
      (FO) on 3D map. TS procedure times reported are the time from sheath insertion
      (8.5F short sheath for ICE catheter and SL-1 for TS needle) to the time of
      confirmed left atrial access. Prior TS procedures performed by the same operator
      utilizing a combination of ICE and fluoroscopy and by a second operator utilizing
      fluoroscopic guidance alone were used for comparison. RESULTS: Fluoroless TS
      puncture was performed in nine patients (mean age 13.8 years); the site of TS
      puncture was within 2 mm of the FO identified on the EA map. The mean TS
      procedure time was 22.2 minutes (range 10-45). There was no significant
      difference in TS procedure times between the three groups. There were no
      complications related to any TS procedure. CONCLUSION: Fluoroless TS procedures
      utilizing ICE can safely be performed in pediatric patients without adding
      substantial procedural times compared with those utilizing fluoroscopic guidance.

PMID- 28895164
TI  - Bacterial Translocation Ratchets: Shared Physical Principles with Different
      Molecular Implementations: How bacterial secretion systems bias Brownian motion
      for efficient translocation of macromolecules.
AB  - Secretion systems enable bacteria to import and secrete large macromolecules
      including DNA and proteins. While most components of these systems have been
      identified, the molecular mechanisms of macromolecular transport remain poorly
      understood. Recent findings suggest that various bacterial secretion systems make
      use of the translocation ratchet mechanism for transporting polymers across the
      cell envelope. Translocation ratchets are powered by chemical potential
      differences generated by concentration gradients of ions or molecules that are
      specific to the respective secretion systems. Bacteria employ these potential
      differences for biasing Brownian motion of the macromolecules within the conduits
      of the secretion systems. Candidates for this mechanism include DNA import by the
      type II secretion/type IV pilus system, DNA export by the type IV secretion
      system, and protein export by the type I secretion system. Here, we propose that
      these three secretion systems employ different molecular implementations of the
      translocation ratchet mechanism.

PMID- 28895165
TI  - Preliminary results of tissue-engineered injection laryngoplasty material in a
      rabbit model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Design and test a novel biomaterial for injection
      laryngoplasty aimed to increase the duration of effectiveness of micronized
      acellular dermis. STUDY DESIGN: Animal model. METHODS: Injection laryngoplasty
      was performed in three groups (n = 5) of New Zealand White rabbits. Acellular
      dermis was either used alone as a control (group 1), was combined with
      undifferentiated stem cells (group 2), or with predifferentiated chondrocytic
      cells (group 3). Groups 2 and 3 were supplemented with growth factors. Animals
      were sacrificed 4 and 12 weeks after laryngoplasty and histologic analysis was
      completed. The major outcome measure was volume of tissue remaining. RESULTS:
      After 4 weeks, the mean volume of tissue remaining was 341 +/- 89 mm3 , 295 +/-
      102 mm3 , and 133 +/- 15 mm3 , for groups 1 to 3, respectively. At the 12-week
      time point, volumes were 62 +/- 62 mm3 , 235 +/- 35 mm3 , and 107 +/- 99 mm3 .
      After 12 weeks, there was a significantly higher volume in group 2 compared to
      group 1 or 3 (P = .01, P = .04). Volumes between week 4 and week 12 were
      significantly lower in group 1 (P = .02), but not significantly different for
      groups 2 and 3 (P = .38, P = .74). Histologic evaluation revealed a robust
      lymphocytic infiltration in all cases as well as morphologic and immunophenotypic
      features suggestive of chondrogenic differentiation in a single animal.
      CONCLUSIONS: Micronized acellular dermis combined with stem cells and growth
      factors showed significantly less resorption 12 weeks after injection
      laryngoplasty compared to micronized acellular dermis alone. Groups using novel
      tissue-engineered biomaterial showed a lower resorption rate over time compared
      with acellular dermis alone. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA. Laryngoscope, 128:160-167,
      2018.

PMID- 28895166
TI  - Diabetes insipidus after discontinuation of vasopressin infusion for septic
      shock.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Despite widespread use of vasopressin for the
      treatment of septic shock, few cases of diabetes insipidus (DI) following its
      discontinuation have been reported. CASE SUMMARY: A 54-year-old man presented
      with pneumonia progressing to septic shock, requiring norepinephrine and
      vasopressin for refractory hypotension. After clinical improvement, the patient
      on 3 separate occasions developed polyuria and severe hypernatremia upon
      discontinuation of vasopressin, with prompt recovery upon its resumption. WHAT IS
      NEW AND CONCLUSION: Occurrence of DI upon discontinuation of vasopressin infusion
      appears to be rare, but incidence may be underestimated due to a paucity of
      published reports. Actual incidence and underlying mechanism of this phenomenon
      remain to be elucidated.

PMID- 28895167
TI  - The genetics of drought tolerance in conifers.
AB  - Contents 1034 I. 1034 II. 1035 III. 1037 IV. 1038 V. 1042 VI. 1043 VII. 1045
      References 1045 SUMMARY: As temperatures warm and precipitation patterns shift as
      a result of climate change, interest in the identification of tree genotypes that
      will thrive under more arid conditions has grown. In this review, we discuss the
      multiple definitions of 'drought tolerance' and the biological processes involved
      in drought responses. We describe the three major approaches taken in the study
      of genetic variation in drought responses, the advantages and shortcomings of
      each, and what each of these approaches has revealed about the genetic basis of
      adaptation to drought in conifers. Finally, we discuss how a greater knowledge of
      the genetics of drought tolerance may aid forest management, and provide
      recommendations for how future studies may overcome the limitations of past
      approaches. In particular, we urge a more direct focus on survival, growth and
      the traits that directly predict them (rather than on proxies, such as water use
      efficiency), combining research approaches with complementary strengths and
      weaknesses, and the inclusion of a wider range of taxa and life stages.

PMID- 28895168
TI  - 9-cis-Retinoic acid induces a distinct regulatory dendritic cell phenotype that
      modulates murine delayed-type allergy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hand eczema, which is frequently caused by delayed-type allergy, is
      treated with 9-cis-retinoic acid (9cisRA). However, knowledge on how 9cisRA
      modulates skin immunity is sparse. OBJECTIVE: As dendritic cells (DCs) are
      central in the pathogenesis of contact allergy, we investigated 9cisRA modulation
      of DC function in murine contact hypersensitivity (CHS). METHODS: 9cisRA
      differentiated DCs (9cisRA-DCs) were analysed for phenotype and function. In vivo
      9cisRA-DCs were tested in the CHS model. RESULTS: 9cisRA induces the
      differentiation of a distinct CD103-  CD207- regulatory DC phenotype. CD11c+ DCs
      differentiated with 9cisRA have lower expression of major histocompatibility
      complex-II and costimulatory molecules, but conversely have higher expression of
      the inhibitory coreceptor PD1-L. 9cisRA-DC culture does not induce the expression
      of proinflammatory cytokines, but strongly enhances osteopontin (OPN) secretion.
      9cisRA-DCs are compromised in the induction of T cell proliferation in vitro, but
      efficiently convert naive T cells into regulatory T cells (Tregs). Notably, OPN
      deficient 9cisRA-DCs show a loss of Treg-inducing function, which is re
      established by substituting OPN. In vivo, in allergic mice, allergen-primed
      9cisRA-DCs suppress allergic inflammation and induce Treg accumulation in skin
      draining lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes 9cisRA-mediated
      differentiation of a distinct DC phenotype that relies on OPN for Treg
      transformation and suppresses established CHS through Treg induction.

PMID- 28895169
TI  - We have had a gutful: The need for deprescribing proton pump inhibitors.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prescribing may often be
      inappropriate and expose patients to a risk of adverse effects, while incurring
      unnecessary healthcare expenditure. Our objective was to determine PPI usage in
      Australia since 2002 and review international studies investigating inappropriate
      PPI prescribing, including those that discussed interventions to address this
      issue. METHODS: Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation
      Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) data were analysed. A narrative literature
      review relevant to the objective was conducted. Time series analysis was also
      used to examine the trend of reported PPI appropriate use across the
      international studies included in this review. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Proton
      pump inhibitor use in Australia increased between 2002 and 2010 and then
      gradually decreased. Estimates of the extent of inappropriate use in the
      international literature had a wide variation (11-84%). There appeared to be
      little change in the extent of appropriate PPI use reported through 34
      international studies from 2000 to 2016. Interventions to address inappropriate
      use included patient-centred deprescribing, academic detailing, educational
      programmes and drug safety notifications. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Proton pump
      inhibitors continue to be overused worldwide and should be a focus for
      deprescribing programmes. Ongoing education and awareness campaigns for health
      professionals and patients, including electronic reminders at the point of
      prescribing, are strategies that have potential to reduce PPI use in individuals
      who do not have an evidence-based clinical indication for their long-term use.

PMID- 28895170
TI  - Serial order working memory and numerical ordinal processing share common
      processes and predict arithmetic abilities.
AB  - Recent studies have demonstrated that both ordinal number processing and serial
      order working memory (WM) abilities predict calculation achievement. This raises
      the question of shared ordinal processes operating in both numerical and WM
      domains. We explored this question by assessing the interrelations between
      numerical ordinal, serial order WM, and arithmetic abilities in 102 7- to 9-year
      old children. We replicated previous studies showing that ordinal numerical
      judgement and serial order WM predict arithmetic abilities. Furthermore, we
      showed that ordinal numerical judgement abilities predict arithmetic abilities
      after controlling for serial order WM abilities while the relationship between
      serial order WM and arithmetic abilities was mediated by numerical ordinal
      judgement performance. We discuss these results in the light of recent
      theoretical frameworks considering that numerical ordinal codes support the
      coding of order information in verbal WM. Statement of contribution What is
      already known on this subject? Numerical ordinal processes predict mathematical
      achievement in adults. Order WM processing predicts first mathematical abilities.
      What the present study adds? Numerical ordinal processes predict mathematical
      achievement in children and independently of order WM. The link between order WM
      and mathematical abilities was mediated by long-term ordinal processes.

PMID- 28895171
TI  - Effect of aging and direction of impulse in video head impulse test.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the difference of gain value in
      the video head impulse test (vHIT) according to the age of the patient and the
      direction of the impulse. METHOD: All participants were subjected to vHIT with
      horizontal semicircular canal (HSCC). vHIT with vertical canal (posterior and
      anterior semicircular canal [PSCC and ASCC]) additionally was performed in 434
      participants. RESULTS: The mean vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain was maintained
      in patients in the HSCC at below 70 years (1.025 +/- 0.08) and in the vertical
      canal at below 80 years (PSCC: 0.965 +/- 0.12, ASCC: 0.975 +/- 0.14). However,
      the decrease of VOR gain was significant in patients over 70 years in the HSCC
      (0.978 +/- 0.35, P < .001) and in patients over 80 years in the vertical canal
      (PSCC: 0.828 +/- 0.16, ASCC: 0.851 +/- 0.13, P < .001). In addition, a VOR gain
      of rightward impulse was higher than the leftward impulse, but there was no
      difference based on the direction of impulse in the vertical impulse test.
      CONCLUSION: VOR gain declines with increasing age, over 70 years on the
      horizontal canal, and over 80 years on the vertical canal. Additionally,
      horizontal VOR gain of rightward impulse was higher than the leftward impulse in
      right-eye recordings only, but the vertical canal showed no difference of gain
      according to the direction of impulse. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b. Laryngoscope,
      128:E228-E233, 2018.

PMID- 28895172
TI  - A new method for microsurgery training using a smartphone and a laptop computer.

PMID- 28895173
TI  - Cardiac changes in moderately malnourished children and their correlations with
      anthropometric and electrolyte changes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes in
      moderately malnourished children and to correlate them with both anthropometric
      and electrolyte changes. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Sixty moderately malnourished
      children were taken as patient group, and 60 healthy children of matched age and
      sex were taken as control group. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), serum
      albumin, and electrolytes were measured for all children. Electrocardiographic
      evaluation for calculated QT (QTc) and QT dispersion (QTd) was performed. Left
      ventricular (LV) function was also evaluated using conventional echocardiography,
      tissue Doppler, and strain methods. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was also
      calculated. RESULTS: Weight, BMI, serum levels of albumin, total calcium, and
      ionized calcium were significantly lower, while QTc and QTd were significantly
      prolonged in malnourished children (P = .001 for all). There was significant
      reduction in LV fraction shortening (FS), LV E'/A', LV strain (S), LV myocardial
      performance index (MPI), LV global systolic strain (GLSS), and LVMI (P = .001 for
      all) in malnourished children. There was significant correlation between BMI and
      all cardiac variables. Moreover, there was significant positive correlation
      between serum albumin level and LV E'/A' (P = .02), LV GLSS (P = .03), and LVMI
      (P = .03).Total and ionized calcium level were significantly correlated with QTc,
      QTd, and LVMI (P < .05 for all). BMI was the most powerful predictor of these
      electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes. CONCLUSION: Cardiac changes
      were present in moderately malnourished children as documented by
      electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes, and these changes are in
      strong association with BMI and for a lesser extent with electrolyte changes
      especially serum calcium.

PMID- 28895174
TI  - Team-, case-, lecture- and evidence-based learning.

PMID- 28895175
TI  - The use of case management for community-dwelling older people: the effects on
      loneliness, symptoms of depression and life satisfaction in a randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the effects of a case management intervention for community
      dwelling frail older people, with functional dependency and repeated contacts
      with the healthcare services, focusing on loneliness, depressive symptoms and
      life satisfaction. DESIGN: A two-armed, nonblinded, randomised control trial with
      repeated follow-ups, of N = 153 participants at baseline allocated to an
      intervention (n = 80) and control (n = 73) group. METHOD: Inclusion criteria were
      the following: >=65 years of age, living in ordinary housing, in need of
      assistance in two or more self-reported activities of daily living, having at
      least two hospital admissions or at least four visits in outpatient care 12
      months prior to enrolment. Case managers (nurses and physiotherapists) provided
      an intervention of general case management, general information, specific
      information and continuity and safety. The intervention ranged over 12 months
      with one or more home visit(s) being conducted per month. An intention-to-treat
      analysis was applied for the primary outcomes of loneliness, depressive symptoms
      and life satisfaction, along with complete case and sensitivity analyses.
      RESULTS: During the trial period n = 12 died and n = 33 dropped out. No
      significant difference was found between the groups at baseline regarding
      sociodemographic characteristics, subjective health or primary outcomes. The
      intention-to-treat analysis did not result in any significant effects for the
      primary outcomes at any of the follow-ups (6 and 12 months). The complete case
      analysis resulted in a significant difference in favour of the intervention
      regarding loneliness (RR = 0.49, p = 0.028) and life satisfaction (ES = 0.41, p =
      0.028) at 6 months and for depressive symptoms (ES = 0.47, p = 0.035) at 12
      months. CONCLUSIONS: The use of case management for frail older people did not
      result in clear favourable effects for the primary outcomes. However, the study
      indicates that case management may be beneficial in terms of these outcomes. Due
      to the complexity of the outcomes, an elaboration of the components and
      assessments is suggested.

PMID- 28895176
TI  - Reply to "Why do you not call the condition takotsubo syndrome triggered by acute
      coronary ischemia?"

PMID- 28895177
TI  - A Novel Use of Olaparib for the Treatment of Metastatic Castration-Recurrent
      Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Although mortality from prostate cancer has declined over the past 20 years as a
      result of early detection and treatment, the 5-year survival rate for men with
      prostate cancer who develop metastatic disease is only 29%. Current treatment
      options for metastatic castration-recurrent prostate cancer (mCRPC) are
      associated with toxicity and a limited durable response; therefore, additional
      lines of efficacious and minimally toxic therapy are needed. Olaparib, a
      poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate) ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, received a
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration breakthrough therapy designation in January
      2016 for the treatment of patients with BRCA1/2 or ATM gene-mutated mCRPC based
      on results of a compelling phase II trial of olaparib in patients with advanced
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (TOPARP-A). This study found that men with
      mCRPC and genetic mutations in DNA damage repair genes had an overall response
      rate of nearly 90% with olaparib treatment. In this review, we describe current
      therapies for mCRPC, the rationale for anti-PARP therapies, the pharmacology of
      olaparib for prostate cancer, clinical trials of olaparib for mCRPC, our clinical
      experience with olaparib for prostate cancer at a comprehensive cancer center,
      and future directions of olaparib for the treatment of mCRPC. Olaparib may
      constitute a promising treatment to prolong survival in patients with mCRPC, with
      an acceptable adverse effect profile. As the role of PARP inhibition in prostate
      cancer and other malignancies becomes further elucidated, olaparib may be shown
      to be beneficial for other patient populations.

PMID- 28895178
TI  - Interprofessional drug safety: enhancing collaborative knowledge exchange.

PMID- 28895179
TI  - Enhancing legume growing through sustainable cropping for protein supply.

PMID- 28895180
TI  - Recent progress using the Staudinger ligation for radiolabeling applications.
AB  - The increasing application of positron emission tomography and single-photon
      emission computer tomography in radiopharmacy and nuclear medicine has stimulated
      the development of a multitude of novel and versatile bioorthogonal conjugation
      techniques. Currently, there is particular interest in radiolabeling biologically
      active, high molecular weight compounds like peptides, proteins, or antibodies,
      but also for the labeling of small organic compounds. An enormous challenge in
      radiolabeling these biologically active molecules is that the introduction of
      radiohalogens like fluorine-18 as well as various radiometals proceeds under
      harsh conditions, which could destroy the biomolecule. The Staudinger ligation is
      one of the most powerful bioorthogonal conjugation techniques. The reaction
      proceeds over wide temperature and pH ranges; an amide (peptide) bond is formed
      as the ligation unit, which minimizes distortion of the structure; no isomers are
      obtained; and the reaction proceeds without any metal catalyst. Due to this
      adaptability, this robust ligation type is a perfect candidate with a high
      potential for various applications in the field of radiopharmacy for the labeling
      of biomolecules under mild conditions. This review summarizes recent research
      concerning the implementation of the Staudinger ligation for radiolabeling
      applications.

PMID- 28895181
TI  - Simultaneous double free radial forearm flaps combined with coronoidectomy and
      myotomy to release bilateral severe trismus: A case report.
AB  - Oral cancers associated with submucosal fibrosis-induced trismus are common. They
      may affect the patients' quality of life, cause nutritional deficits, and
      interfere with postoperative cancer surveillance. In such cases, locating
      desirable recipient vessels in the head and neck can be difficult. This report
      presents a 47-year-old man with severe trismus caused by recurrent head and neck
      cancer, who had received multiple free-flap reconstructions after cancer
      ablation. Reconstruction was successfully achieved for the bilateral defects and
      releasing the trismus by using simultaneous double free radial forearm flaps as a
      chained flow-through pattern with one residual recipient vessel combined with the
      bilateral myotomy of the medial pterygoid and masseter muscles, and
      coronoidectomy. Both flaps survived without any postoperative complication. The
      maximal mouth opening measured by interincisal distance was 38 mm intraoperative
      and 32 mm during the 3-year follow-up period. This approach may be an effective
      option for releasing trismus when recipient vessels are lacking.

PMID- 28895182
TI  - Transition to consultant: a critical career point.

PMID- 28895183
TI  - Self-concept in institutionalized children with disturbed attachment: The
      mediating role of exploratory behaviours.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-concept is seen as both an outcome of sociocognitive and
      emotional development, and a factor in social and mental health outcomes.
      Although the contribution of attachment experiences to self-concept has been
      limited to quality of primary attachment relationships, little is known of the
      effects of disturbed attachment on self-concept in institutionalized children.
      Thus, the current study examined associations between disturbed attachment
      behaviours in institutionalized children and self-concept, testing limited
      exploration as an explanatory factor. METHODS: Thirty-three institutionalized
      children, aged 4-12, participated in a multimethod and multi-informant assessment
      of disturbed attachment behaviours (i.e., Disturbances of Attachment Interview
      and Behavioral Signs of Disturbed Attachment in Young Children), self-concept
      (i.e., Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young
      Children), and exploratory behaviours (i.e., Student Exploratory Behaviours
      Observation Scale). Analyses were conducted using bootstrapping techniques.
      RESULTS: Global self-concept converged with teacher-rated children's self
      concept, except for physical competence domain. Disturbed attachment behaviours
      were identified in 62.5% of the children, and this was associated with lower
      levels of exploration and lower scores on self-concept, compared with children
      without disturbed attachment behaviours. Furthermore, exploratory behaviours
      mediated the effects of disturbed attachment behaviours on self-concept.
      CONCLUSIONS: Institution-reared children with disturbed attachment behaviours
      were likely to have a negative perception of self and one's own competences.
      Limited exploratory behaviours explained this linkage. Targeting disordered
      attachment in children reared in institutions and their caregivers should become
      a high priority as a means for preventing socioemotional development issues.

PMID- 28895184
TI  - When I say ... hermeneutic phenomenology.

PMID- 28895185
TI  - Venule valve graft in lymphatic supermicrosurgery: A novel strategy for managing
      blood backflow.

PMID- 28895187
TI  - Education-related inequality in restorative dental treatment need over 11 years
      in two areas of Finland.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyse education-related inequality in
      restorative dental treatment need among adults aged 30 years and older living in
      Northern and Southern Finland in 2000 and 2011. METHODS: Data were taken from the
      Health 2000 and 2011 population-based follow-up surveys, including information
      gathered by interviews and clinical dental examination. Final effective sample
      sizes were 2423 people in 2000 and 1192 people in 2011. Restorative dental
      treatment need was measured with number of decayed and/or fractured teeth (DT +
      FrT). Education-related inequality in number of DT + FrT and factors explaining
      it were analysed using the Poisson regression analysis, relative index of
      inequality and slope index of inequality. RESULTS: Average number of DT + FrT
      decreased from 2000 to 2011. Absolute and relative education-related inequalities
      in them decreased approximately 50% and 25% from 2000 to 2011, respectively.
      Tooth brushing frequency and time since last dental visit explained approximately
      30%-40% of the education-related inequality. The contribution of time since last
      dental visit to the education-related inequality was smaller in 2011 than in
      2000. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that, from 2000 to 2011, the need for restorative
      dental treatment decreased simultaneously with the education-related inequality
      in it among adults aged 30 years and older living in Northern and Southern
      Finland.

PMID- 28895186
TI  - The placebo effect on bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease with and without prior
      drug conditioning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Placebo effects represent a major drawback in clinical trials, and
      their magnitude hampers the development of new treatments. Previous research
      showed that prior exposure to active treatments increases the placebo response
      for muscle rigidity in Parkinson's disease. METHODS: We investigated the effects
      of prior exposure to apomorphine on the placebo response of another cardinal
      symptom of Parkinson's disease, bradykinesia, by a movement time analyzer.
      RESULTS: We found no placebo response if the placebo was given for the first
      time, whereas the placebo response was substantial after prior pharmacological
      conditioning with apomorphine. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that prior
      exposure to drugs is a critical factor in the occurrence and magnitude of placebo
      effects. These learning effects should be carefully assessed in clinical trials
      in which patients receive the active treatment first and then are randomized.
      Indeed, this sequence may generate high placebo responders. (c) 2017
      International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

PMID- 28895188
TI  - An alternative technique of atrial septectomy during bidirectional superior
      cavopulmonary anastomosis.
AB  - An atrial septectomy is often required to create or enlarge a pre-existing
      restrictive atrial septal defect in patients with univentricular hearts
      undergoing the bidirectional superior cavopulmonary anastomosis. We describe an
      alternative surgical technique through the transected cardiac end of the superior
      vena cava without a right atriotomy successfully performed in 26 patients.

PMID- 28895189
TI  - "Diagnosis" of a hiatal hernia from a CT coronary artery calcium scan.
AB  - Identification of a hiatal hernia by computed tomography (CT) scanning, and
      particularly with axial imaging from a coronary artery calcium score exam, is
      often subjective. There are several CT features that are diagnostic or at least
      suggestive of a hiatal hernia. As a hiatal hernia may be the etiology of a chest
      pain syndrome, it is important to be aware of CT findings suggestive of such.

PMID- 28895190
TI  - Safe sternal reentry in all age groups with the Rultract Resternotomy
      RetractorTM.
AB  - In patients undergoing repeat sternotomy, the risk of injury to cardiac
      structures can be reduced by utilizing a technique that provides sustained
      visualization of structures adherent to underside of the sternum. We discuss the
      use of a retractor specifically designed for this purpose: the Rultract
      Resternotomy RetractorTM.

PMID- 28895191
TI  - Early assessment of the left ventricular function by epirubicin-induced
      cardiotoxicity in postoperative breast cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Epirubicin (Epi) is a potent and effective drug for many malignant
      cancers with serious cardiotoxicity. Therefore, layer-specific two-dimensional
      speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) was used to evaluate the longitudinal
      and circumferential systolic function of the left ventricular for the early
      detection of cardiotoxicity in this retrospective work. METHODS: Overall, 130
      female patients with postoperative breast cancer who did not receive radiotherapy
      were classified into three groups: Group A (control group, n = 40) without any
      chemotherapy; Group B (n = 44) administered Epi at 180 ~ 240 mg/m2 ; and Group C
      (n = 46) administered Epi at >=360 mg/m2 . Peak and global systolic longitudinal
      strains (GLS) in the total and endocardium, mid-myocardium, and epicardium were
      measured and calculated from apical four-chamber, apical two-chamber, and left
      ventricular long-axis views, respectively. Peak and global circumferential
      strains (GCS) in the total and endocardium, mid-myocardium, and epicardium were
      measured and calculated from mitral annulus, papillary muscle, and apical levels
      of the short-axis view, respectively. RESULTS: The total GLS and GLS of the
      endocardium in every view were significantly reduced in group C compared with
      both groups A and B (P < .05), but there was no significant difference between
      groups A and B (P > .05). The GLS of the epicardium and mid-myocardium in groups
      B and C were not significantly reduced (P > .05). There were no significant
      differences in the total GCS and layer-specific GCS of endocardium, mid
      myocardium, and epicardium among the three groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Left
      ventricular longitudinal systolic dysfunction was detected. Moreover, an impaired
      endocardium was also detected in an early assessment by layer-specific 2DSTE.

PMID- 28895192
TI  - Prevalence and extent of enamel defects in the permanent teeth of 8-year-old
      Nigerian children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Enamel formation is a vulnerable developmental process, susceptible
      to environmental influences such as excessive systemic fluoride (F) exposure and
      infant/childhood disease. This study determined prevalence and extent of
      developmental enamel defects (DDE) and dental fluorosis in 8-year-old Nigerians
      and explored associations with key predictors. METHODS: A sample of 322 healthy 8
      year-olds (155 males, 167 females) from primary schools in lower and higher water
      F areas of (i) rural and (ii) urban parts of Oyo State in south-west Nigeria (n =
      4 areas) (in which the mean (SD) F concentration of community water supplies
      ranged from 0.07 (0.02) to 2.13 (0.64) mg F/L) were dentally examined using
      modified DDE (mDDE) and Thylstrup and Fejerskov (TF) indices. Drinking waters,
      cooking waters and toothpaste samples were analysed for F concentration using a F
      ion-selective electrode (F-ISE). Information on infant/childhood diseases, infant
      feeding and tooth cleaning practices was obtained from parents/legal guardians.
      Data were analysed using ANOVA, chi-square tests, Spearman correlation and binary
      logistic regression as appropriate. RESULTS: Mean (SD) F concentration of actual
      drinking and actual cooking waters consumed by participants was 0.25 (0.20) and
      0.24 (0.14) mg F/L respectively in the urban higher F area; 1.11 (1.00) and 1.16
      (1.02) mg F/L, respectively in the rural higher F area (P < .05). Overall, mouth
      prevalence of DDE in the permanent dentition was 61.2% with a mean (SD) of 2.4
      (2.2) index teeth affected. Dental fluorosis mouth prevalence was 29.8% with a
      mean of 2.1 (3.7) teeth affected. Prevalence and extent of DDE and dental
      fluorosis were greater in higher F than lower water F areas (P < .001). A weak
      positive correlation was seen between extent of dental fluorosis and drinking
      water F concentration (rho = 0.28). The absence of infant/childhood disease was
      associated with a lower risk of DDE being present (P = .001), with an odds ratio
      of 0.43 (95% CI = 0.26, 0.71). Gender was a statistically significant (P = .014)
      predictor for dental fluorosis with females having a higher risk OR 1.94 (95% CI
      = 1.14, 3.28) of dental fluorosis than males. CONCLUSIONS: In these Nigerian 8
      year-olds (n = 322), mouth prevalence of DDE was 61.2% (mean (SD) teeth affected
      = 2.4 (2.2)), and a key positive predictor was a history of infant/childhood
      disease. With 29.8% of these children exhibiting dental fluorosis (mean (SD)
      teeth affected = 2.1(3.7)), drinking water F concentration was identified as a
      positive predictor, along with gender, with females more at risk of dental
      fluorosis than males.

PMID- 28895193
TI  - Improving resident wellness using a moderated faculty panel.

PMID- 28895194
TI  - Durable left ventricular assist device as a bridge to recovery for addisonian
      crisis related cardiomyopathy.
AB  - A 19-year-old female with addisonian crisis-related cardiomyopathy underwent
      temporary mechanical circulatory support followed by insertion of a durable left
      ventricular assist device. Successful device explanation was possible 2.5 years
      following implantation.

PMID- 28895195
TI  - Estimation of DIEP flap weight for breast reconstruction by the pinch test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various methods have been introduced for estimating deep inferior
      epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap volume based on computed tomography or
      magnetic resonance angiographic images. However, when radiologic images cannot be
      obtained, estimations are subjective. The purpose of this study was to develop a
      prediction model for estimating DIEP flap weight using the pinch test. METHODS:
      The pinch test was performed at three paraumbilical sites using a skin-fold
      caliper in 107 consecutive patients who underwent DIEP flap breast
      reconstruction. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to develop a formula
      to estimate flap weight. Predictor variables included body mass index (BMI, kg/m2
      ), flap height (H, cm), flap width (W, cm), and flap thickness (mm) measured by
      the pinch test at the following three paraumbilical sites: 5 cm right (R), left
      (L), and inferior (I) of the umbilicus. The model accuracy was tested using leave
      one-out cross-validation. RESULTS: A prediction model was developed from the
      multiple regression analysis (R2  = 89.03%, P < .001); flap weight, g = -1308 +
      24.57 * BMI + 6.80 * (R + L)/2 + 7.89 * I + 20.51 * H + 32.55 * W. The formula
      was implemented in a smartphone application, DIEP-W version 2.0, for real-time
      use. The mean absolute percentage error in the cross-validation was 12.15%.
      CONCLUSIONS: DIEP flap weight can be estimated by the pinch test with the
      developed prediction model in an easy, cost-effective, and relatively accurate
      manner. This method will improve surgical planning and allow surgeons to provide
      better counselling for patients when radiologic images are not available.

PMID- 28895196
TI  - Ninth Congress of World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery.

PMID- 28895197
TI  - Impact of cardiac resynchronization therapy on mitral valve apparatus geometry
      and clinical outcomes in patients with secondary mitral regurgitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may improve secondary mitral
      regurgitation (MR) in patients with cardiomyopathy. The effects on mitral valve
      (MV) and left ventricular (LV) geometry, however, have not been clearly defined.
      METHODS: Between 2009 and 2012, 229 CRT implants were performed at a single
      academic center. Seventy-one had >=mild MR at baseline and serial
      echocardiography, without subsequent MV intervention. The pre-CRT and follow-up
      echocardiograms were retrospectively reviewed for (1) MV and LV geometry
      measurements; (2) MR grade; and (3) LV remodeling indices. RESULTS: The mean age
      was 67 +/- 15 years, and the cardiomyopathy was ischemic in 37 (52%). At a mean
      follow-up of 4.0 +/- 1.9 years, there were significant improvements in LV
      ejection fraction and size, MR grade, MV tenting area and anterior leaflet
      tethering angle, and end-systolic interpapillary muscle distance (IPMD), and
      reductions in moderate-to-severe or severe MR (27% vs 15%; P = .04) and New York
      Heart Association functional class III/IV symptoms (83% vs 41%; P < .001).
      Multivariable analysis revealed the pre-CRT MV tenting height (OR 1.25, 95% CI
      1.01-1.56; P = .04) and end-systolic IPMD (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.99-1.32; P = .08) as
      independently associated with moderate or greater MR at follow-up. Finally, at 5
      years post-CRT implantation, the estimated survival and freedom from LV assist
      device or cardiac transplantation was 61%. CONCLUSIONS: CRT results in favorable
      effects on MV and LV geometry and decreases the prevalence of moderate-to-severe
      or severe MR and heart failure symptoms. The pre-CRT MV tenting height and IPMD
      are independently associated with persistent MR at follow-up.

PMID- 28895198
TI  - Building research capacity through administration of an intramural grant.

PMID- 28895199
TI  - Percutaneous closure of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm caused by a central
      venting cannula.

PMID- 28895201
TI  - Long-term kidney transplant survival in patients with continent urinary
      diversion.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report the long-term survival of transplanted kidneys in patients
      with a continent urinary diversion. METHODS: Between January 1987 and July 2015,
      16 patients with a median age of 37 years (range 21-63 years) underwent kidney
      transplantation on a continent urinary diversion. A total of 14 patients
      presented irreversible dysfunction of the lower urinary tract, and two patients
      had required radical cystectomy because of bladder cancer. All continent urinary
      diversions were carried out before the transplantation. There were nine Kock
      pouches, five Mainz pouches, one Mainz neobladder and one Hautmann neobladder. A
      total of 11 patients had a previous non-continent urinary diversion. Of the
      transplants, 14 came from brain-dead donors and two from related living donors.
      RESULTS: The median post-transplantation follow up was 171 months (range 30-298
      months). Two patients died, while six patients lost their transplant and resumed
      hemodialysis. Nine patients (56.2%) were alive with a functional transplant at
      the end of follow up. The most common allograft complication was acute
      pyelonephritis, but no graft was lost as a result of urinary diversion
      complications. The kidney transplant survival rate was 73.3% after 10 years, and
      66.6% after 15 years. Among patients who still had a functional transplant at the
      time of the study, creatinine clearance was >30 mL/min for seven patients and <30
      mL/min for two patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the longest series to
      date of renal transplantation on continent urinary diversions. The long-term
      outcome shows that the presence of a continent urinary diversion does not reduce
      transplant survival.

PMID- 28895200
TI  - Effects of 6 Weeks of Parenteral Cobalamin Supplementation on Clinical and
      Biochemical Variables in Cats with Gastrointestinal Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effects and duration of commonly used protocols for cobalamin (Cbl)
      supplementation on cellular Cbl deficiency have not been determined in
      hypocobalaminemic cats. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate effect of Cbl
      supplementation on clinical signs, serum and urine methylmalonic acid (MMA)
      concentrations over 16 weeks. ANIMALS: Twenty client-owned hypocobalaminemic cats
      with enteropathy. METHODS: Prospective study. Serum Cbl and serum and urine MMA
      concentrations were determined prospectively in cats at enrollment (t0),
      immediately before (t6), and 4 (t10) and 10 weeks (t16) after 6th Cbl injection
      (250 MUg, IM q 7 days). Clinical signs severity (activity, appetite, vomiting,
      diarrhea, body weight) graded at each time point and expressed as clinical
      disease activity score. RESULTS: Clinical disease activity score decreased during
      supplementation and increased after treatment discontinuation. Median serum Cbl
      concentration increased significantly from t0 (111 pmol/L, range 111-212) to t6
      (2,332.5 pmol/L, range 123-22,730) (P < 0.01). Values at t10 were 610.5 pmol/L
      (range, 111-2,527) and 180.5 pmol/L (range, 111-2,262) at t16 (P < 0.01). Median
      baseline serum MMA concentration (372 MUmol/L, range 0.39-147,000) decreased
      significantly to 1.62 MUmol/L (range, 0.18-806) at t6 (P < 0.01) and gradually
      increased to 5.34 MUmol/L (range, 0.13-1,730) at t10 and 189 MUmol/L (range, 0.4
      983) at t16. Similar, nonsignificant, pattern observed for urine MMA
      concentration. Serum and urine MMA concentrations had not normalized in 12 and 6
      cats, respectively, at t6. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The Cbl
      supplementation protocol used here did not lead to complete normalization of
      cellular Cbl deficiency in all examined cats, and biochemical improvements were
      transient.

PMID- 28895202
TI  - European S3-Guideline on the systemic treatment of psoriasis vulgaris - Update
      Apremilast and Secukinumab - EDF in cooperation with EADV and IPC.

PMID- 28895205
TI  - Baseline low serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate can predict poor responsiveness
      to hormone therapy in patients with hormone-naive prostate cancer with skeletal
      metastases.

PMID- 28895203
TI  - Rapid reduction in BCR-ABL1 transcript predicts deep molecular response in
      dasatinib-treated chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukaemia patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We conducted a phase-II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      dasatinib in patients newly diagnosed with chronic-phase chronic myeloid
      leukaemia (CML-CP) in Japan (IMIDAS PART 2 study). METHODS: Seventy-nine patients
      were administered 100 mg dasatinib once daily. We examined pretreatment and post
      treatment influences of various factors. The BCR-ABL1 international scale (IS),
      halving time (HT) and reduction rate of BCR-ABL1 transcript within the initial 1
      or 3 months of therapy (RR-BCR-ABL11m,3m ) were the post-treatment factors
      investigated to predict the molecular response. RESULTS: The estimated major
      molecular response (MMR), molecular response 4.0 (MR4.0) and molecular response
      4.5 (MR4.5) rates were 77.2%, 49.4% and 35.4%, respectively, at 12 months. Grade
      3/4 non-haematologic adverse events were infrequent. Multivariate analysis showed
      that age >65 years was significantly correlated with MR4.0 and MR4.5 (deep
      molecular response: DMR) at 12 months. All post-treatment factors at 3 months
      predicted DMR by univariate analysis. However, RR-BCR-ABL13m was the only
      significant landmark for predicting DMR by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS:
      Primary treatment of CML-CP with dasatinib enabled early achievement of MMR and
      DMR, particularly in elderly patients, with high safety. Furthermore, RR-BCR
      ABL13m was found to be a more useful predictor of DMR than HT-BCR-ABL1 and BCR
      ABL1 IS.

PMID- 28895204
TI  - Liver transplantation in critically ill patients: Preoperative predictive factors
      of post-transplant mortality to avoid futility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The allocation of liver transplants to patients with acute liver
      failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) with multi-organ failure
      who are admitted in ICU remains controversial due to their high post-transplant
      mortality rate and the absence of identified mortality risk factors. METHODS: We
      performed a single-center retrospective cohort study to determine the post
      transplant mortality rate of patients with ALF and ACLF requiring ICU care prior
      to liver transplant (LT) and identified pretransplant factors of post-transplant
      mortality. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients (29 with ALF and 55 with ACLF) received
      a liver transplant while they were hospitalized at the ICU. Their mean model for
      end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 41, and their mean sequential organ
      failure assessment (SOFA) was 15 the day before transplant. The overall 1-year
      survival rate was 66%. In multivariate analysis, pretransplant lactate level and
      acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were the only two independent factors
      associated with post-transplant mortality. The absence of ARDS and a
      pretransplant lactate level< 5 mmol/L led to the identification of a subgroup of
      ICU patients with a good 1-year post-transplant survival (>80%). CONCLUSIONS: Low
      lactatemia lactate level and the absence of ARDS could be useful criteria in
      selecting those patients in ICU who could be eligible for liver transplant.

PMID- 28895206
TI  - Inpatient vs outpatient autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for
      multiple myeloma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (auto-HCT) are commonly performed for multiple myeloma (MM)
      patients and may be as safe in the outpatient setting as in the inpatient
      setting. METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective analysis of all MM
      patients undergoing auto-HCT between January 2008 and December 2012. We
      categorized patients as outpatient vs inpatient auto-HCT and compared clinical
      characteristics and outcomes between the groups. RESULTS: One thousand and forty
      six patients were included (669 inpatients, 377 outpatients). Patients
      transplanted as outpatients were significantly younger (58 [34-78] vs 62 [31-82],
      P < .001) and more likely to have an hematopoietic stem cell comorbidity index
      (HCT-CI) score <2 (P = .003) and creatinine <2 (P < .001). There were no
      differences in treatment-related mortality (TRM) but the inpatient group
      experienced significantly more grade 2-5 (P = .003) and grade 3-5 (P = .003)
      adverse events (AEs). 2 year progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly
      longer in the outpatient group (60% vs 50%, HR =HR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.9, P =
      .005). 2 year OS was also longer in the outpatient group (83% vs 77%, HR 0.6, 95%
      CI 04-0.9, P = .01). CONCLUSION: Outpatient auto-HCT can be safely performed for
      selected patients with MM. Differences in outcomes are likely related to baseline
      clinical characteristics rather than choice of treatment setting.

PMID- 28895207
TI  - Structural Characterisation of Alkaloids in Leaves and Roots of Stephania
      kwangsiensis by LC-QTOF-MS.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The tuberous roots of Stephania kwangsiensis, which contain
      bioactive alkaloids, are used as a traditional Chinese medicine. Overexploitation
      of the roots has made the plant increasingly rare, and the abundant leaves of the
      same plant may offer a potential alternative. However, there is insufficient
      phytochemical information for a comparison of alkaloid compositions in the two
      parts. OBJECTIVE: To characterise and compare the alkaloids in the leaves and
      roots of S. kwangsiensis. METHODS: The alkaloids in S. kwangsiensis were
      characterised using high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with positive
      electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC
      (+)ESI-QTOF-MS/MS). The alkaloid compositions in the leaves and roots were
      compared by visual inspection combined with principal component analysis (PCA) of
      the HPLC-MS data. RESULTS: Seventy-five alkaloids comprising aporphine-,
      proaporphine-, protoberberine-, benzylisoquinoline-, bisbenzylisoquinoline- and
      morphine-type alkaloids were identified or tentatively identified in the roots
      and leaves of S. kwangsiensis. Sixty-three of these alkaloids have not been
      previously reported in this species, and three have not been previously reported
      in the literature. The roots and leaves had similarities in alkaloid composition
      but differences in the peak intensities of most alkaloids. The PCA revealed that
      the samples were clustered into two distinct groups, which corresponded to leaves
      and roots. CONCLUSION: This study further clarified the chemical constituents in
      the roots of S. kwangsiensis, and revealed that diverse alkaloids were also
      present in the leaves. The comparative chemical profiling of the two parts
      provides useful information on their potential medicinal use. Copyright (c) 2017
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28895209
TI  - Focal hyperkeratosis overlying the palmar faces of interphalangeal and
      metacarpophalangeal joints revealing a juvenile dermatomyositis.

PMID- 28895208
TI  - Thrombocytosis in 715 Dogs (2011-2015).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombocytosis is a hematologic abnormality in dogs that has been
      associated with various neoplastic, metabolic, and inflammatory conditions.
      OBJECTIVE: To classify thrombocytosis in dogs based on severity and evaluate
      whether there are associations between severity and underlying disease processes.
      ANIMALS: Seven hundred and fifteen dogs with thrombocytosis and 1,430 dogs with
      normal numbers of platelets. METHODS: Retrospective study. Medical records of
      dogs with increased (>500 * 103 /MUL; thrombocytosis group) and normal (300-500 *
      103 /MUL; control group) platelet counts between 2011 and 2015 were reviewed.
      Dogs were characterized by severity of platelet increase and diagnosis.
      Diagnostic categories included neoplasia, endocrine disease, inflammatory
      disease, or miscellaneous. RESULTS: A total of 1,254 complete blood counts with
      thrombocytosis from 715 dogs were included in the study. Median platelet count in
      this population was 582 * 103 /MUL (500-1,810 * 103 /MUL). No correlation between
      severity of thrombocytosis and diagnosis was identified. Causes of secondary
      thrombocytosis included neoplasia (55.7%), endocrine disease (12.0%), and
      inflammatory disease (46.6%). Immune-mediated disease was common (22.2%),
      associated with frequent glucocorticoid administration, and had a significantly
      higher median platelet count (636 * 103 /MUL [500-1,262 * 103 /MUL] versus 565 *
      103 /MUL [500-1,810 * 103 /MUL]) when compared to the other inflammatory
      processes (P < 0.001). The diagnoses in the thrombocytosis dogs differed
      significantly from the control population (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      IMPORTANCE: Thrombocytosis is commonly associated with carcinoma and immune
      mediated disease in dogs.

PMID- 28895210
TI  - Experimental and Computational Studies of the Structure of Sulfonimidoyl
      Vinyllithiums.
AB  - tBuCH=C(Li)S(O)(NSO2 Tol)Ph?L (L=2THF, TMEDA) (1?L) in THF solution is a monomer
      with a C-Li bond according to NMR spectroscopy and cryoscopy. It was identified
      as CIP through the scalar 13 C,6 Li coupling and 6 Li,{1 H} NOE experiments. The
      CIP has a six-membered C-Li-O-S-N-S chelate ring structure. 6 Li,1 H FUCOUP and 6
      Li,1 H HMQC NMR experiments of 1?TMEDA revealed a scalar 6 Li,1 H coupling across
      the Li-C=C-H bonds. According to the NMR data the pi-bond of 1?L is polarized by
      the negative charge of the anionic C atom. tBuCH=C(Li)S(O)(NMe)Ph (2?L) is most
      likely also a monomer with a C-Li bond. According to 6 Li,{1 H} NOE experiments
      it has a four-membered C-Li-N-S chelate ring structure. 13 C NMR spectroscopy
      showed the C-Li bonds of 1?L and 2?L to be fluxional. 1 H NMR spectroscopy and 1D
      TOCSY experiments of Ph2 C=C(Li)S(O)(NSO2 Tol)Ph revealed topomerization of the
      phenyl groups, which is attributed to a fast positional exchange of the Li atom
      and the sulfonimidoyl group. The fluxionality of the C-Li bond and the
      interchange of the Li atom and the sulfonimidoyl group at the anionic C atom of
      sulfonimidoyl vinyllithiums, which result in a low configurational stability,
      most likely involve the formation of O,Li and N,Li CIPs through heterolysis of
      the C-Li bond. Ab initio calculation of MeCH=C(Li)S(O)(NMe)Ph yielded an energy
      minimum structure with a C-Li bond, a four-membered C-Li-N-S chelate ring and a
      strongly expanded C=C-Li bond angle. According to calculation of
      MeCH=C(Li)S(O)(NMe)Ph, [MeCH=CS(O)(NMe)Ph]- and MeCH=C(H)S(O)(NMe)Ph
      deprotonation is not accompanied by a shortening of the C-S bond. Ab initio
      calculation of MeCH=C(Li)S(O)(NSO2 Me)Ph gave a structure with a C-Li bond and a
      six-membered C-Li-O-S-N-S chelate ring. 6 Li,1 H NOE experiments and cryoscopy of
      LiCH2 S(O)(NSO2 Tol)Ph (3) revealed a monomeric CIP with a C-Li bond. The CIP has
      a six-membered C-Li-O-S-N-S chelate ring structure found in polymeric 3 in the
      crystal.

PMID- 28895211
TI  - The Chameleonic Nature of Platinum(II) Imidazopyridine Complexes.
AB  - The synthesis and characterization of cyclometalated C^C* platinum(II) complexes
      with unique photophysical properties, aggregation induced enhancement of the
      quantum yields with a simultaneous decrease of phosphorescence lifetimes, is
      reported. Additionally, a change of emission color is induced by variation of the
      excitation wavelength. The aggregation behavior of these complexes is controlled
      by the steric demand of the substituents. The photophysical properties of these
      complexes are investigated through emission-excitation matrix analysis (EEM). The
      monomeric complexes are excellent room temperature phosphorescent blue emitters
      with emission maxima below 470 nm and quantum yields of up to 93 %.

PMID- 28895212
TI  - Syntheses, Properties, and Catalytic Activities of Metal(II) Complexes and Free
      Bases of Redox-Switchable 20pi, 19pi, and 18pi 5,10,15,20-Tetraaryl-5,15
      diazaporphyrinoids.
AB  - In spite of significant advances in redox-active porphyrin-based materials and
      catalysts, little attention has been paid to 20pi and 19pi porphyrins because of
      their instability in air. Here we report the meso-modification of 5,10,15,20
      tetraarylporphyrin with two nitrogen atoms, which led to redox-switchable 20pi,
      19pi, and 18pi 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrinoids (TADAPs). Three kinds
      of metal(II) complexes and free bases of TADAP were prepared by the metal
      templated annulation of the corresponding metal-bis(dipyrrin) complexes. The
      inductive and resonance effects of the meso-nitrogen atoms on the aromatic,
      optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties of the entire TADAP pi-systems
      were assessed by using various spectroscopic measurements and density functional
      theory calculations. The aromaticity and pi-pi* electronic transition energies of
      the TADAPs varied considerably, and were shown to be dependent on the oxidation
      states of the pi-systems. In contrast to the isoelectronic 5,10,15,20
      tetraarylporphyrin derivatives, the 20pi and 19pi TADAPs were chemically stable
      under air. In particular, the 19pi TADAP radical cations were extremely stable
      towards dioxygen, moisture, and silica gel. This reflected the low-lying singly
      occupied molecular orbitals of their pi-systems and the efficient delocalization
      of their unshared electron spin. The capability of MgTADAP to catalyze aerobic
      biaryl formation from aryl Grignard reagents was demonstrated, which presumably
      involved a 19pi/20pi redox cycle.

PMID- 28895213
TI  - Supramolecular Synthon Approach in Developing Anti-Inflammatory Topical Gels for
      In Vivo Self-Delivery.
AB  - A new series of tertiary-butyl ammonium (TBA) salts of various nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been synthesized and characterized. Nearly 90 %
      of the NSAID-derived primary ammonium monocarboxylate (PAM) salts displayed
      remarkable gelation ability with various solvents including methyl salicylate.
      Single crystal X-ray diffraction data (SXRD) revealed the existence of 1D PAM
      synthon in the gelator salts. Structure-property correlation studies based on
      SXRD and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data established the presence of the 1D
      PAM synthon in the bulk salts as well as in the corresponding xerogels. A
      parallel series of salts derived from TRIS (2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3
      propanediol) and the same set of NSAIDs displayed poor gelation ability; only 33
      % of the salts in the series displayed gelation ability. A few selected gelator
      salts of both TBA and TRIS were found to be biocompatible (MTT assay with RAW
      264.7 cell line) and two of the selected salts (FLR.TBA and FLR.TRIS) possessed
      anti-inflammatory properties equal to the parent drug FLR (flurbiprofen). Finally
      a methyl salicylate topical gel derived from FLR.TRIS was successfully delivered
      in a self-delivery fashion to treat inflamed skin conditions in the mice model.
      Histological studies of the dorsal tissues of the untreated and treated mice
      clearly demonstrated the effect of topical gels in such treatment.

PMID- 28895214
TI  - Highly K+ -Selective Fluorescent Probes for Lifetime Sensing of K+ in Living
      Cells.
AB  - The new K+ -selective fluorescent probes 1 and 2 were obtained by CuI -catalyzed
      1,3-dipolar azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions of an alkyne-substituted
      [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f][1,3]benzodioxole (DBD) ester fluorophore with azido
      functionalized N-phenylaza-18-crown-6 ether and N-(o-isopropoxy) phenylaza-18
      crown-6 ether, respectively. Probes 1 and 2 allow the detection of K+ in the
      presence of Na+ in water by fluorescence enhancement (2.2 for 1 at 2000 mm K+ and
      2.5 for 2 at 160 mm K+ ). Fluorescence lifetime measurements in the absence and
      presence of K+ revealed bi-exponential decay kinetics with similar lifetimes,
      however with different proportions changing the averaged fluorescence decay times
      (tauf(av) ). For 1 a decrease of tauf(av) from 12.4 to 9.3 ns and for 2 an
      increase from 17.8 to 21.8 ns was observed. Variation of the substituent in ortho
      position of the aniline unit of the N-phenylaza-18-crown-6 host permits the
      modulation of the Kd value for a certain K+ concentration. For example,
      substitution of H in 1 by the isopropoxy group (2) decreased the Kd value from
      >300 mm to 10 mm. 2 was chosen for studying the efflux of K+ from human red blood
      cells (RBC). Upon addition of the Ca2+ ionophor ionomycin to a RBC suspension in
      a buffer containing Ca2+ , the fluorescence of 2 slightly rose within 10 min,
      however, after 120 min a significant increase was observed.

PMID- 28895215
TI  - An Explosive Bomb-Inspired Method to Prepare Collapsed and Ruptured Fe2 O3
      /Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Capsules as Catalyst Support.
AB  - Compared with integrated capsules, ruptured ones have better mass diffusion and
      transport properties due to large gaps in the shells. However, most studies focus
      on integrated capsules, whereas little attention has been paid to the ruptured
      counterparts. Herein, an explosive bomb-inspired method was employed to prepare
      collapsed and ruptured Fe2 O3 /nitrogen-doped carbon (CR-Fe2 O3 /NC) capsules by
      using polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles (NPs) as a hard template, and polypyrrole
      (PPy) with embedded Prussian blue (PB) NPs as the shell. During pyrolysis, PB is
      converted into Fe2 O3 , and PPy is carbonized to form NC. Importantly, the PS
      core decomposes into gas molecules, leading to high pressure inside of the
      capsule, which explodes the thin shell into pieces. The roles of shell thickness
      and amount of Fe2 O3 on determining the spherical or collapsed, and integrated or
      ruptured morphology were revealed. Taking advantage of structural merits,
      including large gaps, thin shells, low density, and high surface area, CR-Fe2 O3
      /NC capsules were used as supports for Pd NPs. These capsules exhibited better
      catalytic activity than that of integrated ones. Due to the magnetic properties,
      they could be reused at least five times.

PMID- 28895216
TI  - Metabolic Alterations in Two Cirsium Species Identified at Distinct Phenological
      Stages using UPLC-QTOF/MS.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cirsium chanroenicum and C. setidens are commonly used both in
      traditional folk medicine and as a food source. The quality of different species
      of Cirsium at different harvest times is a function of their metabolite
      composition, which is determined by the phenological stage. OBJECTIVE: We sought
      to determine the differences in the metabolite composition of two species of
      Cirsium during different phenological stages using ultra-performance liquid
      chromatography (UPLC) quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS).
      METHODOLOGY: Cirsium chanroenicum and C. setidens plants were collected at the
      floral budding and full flowering stages. Metabolic profiles of Cirsium extracts
      were determined using UPLC-QTOF/MS to characterise the differences between
      phenological stages, and the major metabolites were quantified using UPLC-QTOF/MS
      multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). RESULTS: At the full flowering stage, the
      levels of phenolic acids as well as components of the phenylpropanoid pathway
      were increased. Flavonoids predominated at the full flowering stage in both
      species. The levels of coumaric acid, kaempferol, and pectolinarigenin differed
      between the two species of Cirsium. Overall, these results suggest that
      components of the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway are upregulated in the full
      flowering stage in Cirsium, although we did observe some variation between the
      species. CONCLUSION: These results will help elucidate the metabolic pathways
      related to the different phases of the vegetative cycle, and may help determine
      the optimal season for the harvest of Cirsium with the highest levels of
      bioactive compounds. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28895217
TI  - Determination of Tanshinones in Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) by High-Performance
      Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection after pre-Column
      Derivatisation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tanshinones are a major class of bioactive ingredients in the
      traditional herbal medicines, Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). A sensitive and
      reliable determination method for tanshinones is useful to ensure the quality of
      Danshen. OBJECTIVE: To develop a sensitive and selective analytical method for
      tanshinones by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence
      detection after pre-column derivatisation. METHODOLOGY: The proposed method
      depends on derivatisation reaction of tanshinones with 4-carbomethoxybenzaldehyde
      and ammonium acetate forming intensely fluorescent imidazole derivative. RESULTS:
      The proposed method provided excellent sensitivity with the detection limits of
      3.3 nM (66 fmol/injection), 3.2 nM (64 fmol/injection) and 2.0 nM (40
      fmol/injection) for cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I and tanshinone IIA,
      respectively, without the necessity of complicated instrumentations. The
      developed method is successfully applied to quantify the contents of tanshinones
      in Danshen. CONCLUSION: The developed method is the first analytical method for
      tanshinones by fluorescence detection. Since the derivatisation reaction is
      selective for the o-quinone structure of tanshinone, the developed method will
      become a suitable mean for the discovering of tanshinone type diterpenoids from
      herbal samples. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28895218
TI  - Strengthening Multipayer Collaboration: Lessons From the Comprehensive Primary
      Care Initiative.
AB  - : Policy Points: Collaboration across payers to align financial incentives,
      quality measurement, and data feedback to support practice transformation is
      critical, but challenging due to competitive market dynamics and competing
      institutional priorities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or other
      entities convening multipayer initiatives can build trust with other participants
      by clearly outlining each participant's role and the parameters of collaboration
      at the outset of the initiative. Multipayer collaboration can be improved if
      participating payers employ neutral, proactive meeting facilitators; develop
      formal decision-making processes; seek input on decisions from practice
      representatives; and champion the initiative within their organizations. CONTEXT:
      With increasing frequency, public and private payers are joining forces to align
      goals and resources for primary care transformation. However, sustaining
      engagement and achieving coordination among payers can be challenging. The
      Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative is one of the largest multipayer
      initiatives ever tested. Drawing on the experience of the CPC initiative, this
      paper examines the factors that influence the effectiveness of multipayer
      collaboration. METHODS: This paper draws largely on semistructured interviews
      with CPC-participating payers and payer conveners that facilitated CPC
      discussions and on observation of payer meetings. We coded and analyzed these
      qualitative data to describe collaborative dynamics and outcomes and assess the
      factors influencing them. FINDINGS: We found that several factors appeared to
      increase the likelihood of successful payer collaboration: contracting with
      effective, neutral payer conveners; leveraging the support of payer champions,
      and seeking input on decisions from practice representatives. The presence of
      these factors helped some CPC regions overcome significant initial barriers to
      achieve common goals. We also found that leadership from the Centers for Medicare
      & Medicaid Services (CMS) was key to achieving broad payer engagement in CPC, but
      CMS's dual role as initiative convener and participating payer at times made
      collaboration challenging. CMS was able to build trust with other payers by
      clarifying which parts of CPC could be adapted to regional contexts, deferring to
      other payers for these decisions, and increasing opportunities for payers to meet
      with CMS representatives. CONCLUSIONS: CPC demonstrates that when certain
      facilitating factors are present, payers can overcome competitive market dynamics
      and competing institutional priorities to align financial incentives, quality
      measurement, and data feedback to support practice transformation. Lessons from
      this large-scale, multipayer initiative may be helpful for other multipayer
      efforts getting under way.

PMID- 28895219
TI  - Public Health Bundles.

PMID- 28895221
TI  - Lavatories of Democracy? Health Reform and Federalism in the Trump Era.

PMID- 28895222
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28895220
TI  - Consumers' Response to an On-Shelf Nutrition Labelling System in Supermarkets:
      Evidence to Inform Policy and Practice.
AB  - : Policy Points: On-shelf nutrition labelling systems in supermarkets, such as
      the Guiding Stars system, are intended to provide consumers with simple,
      standardized nutrition information to support more informed and healthier food
      choices. Policies that support the provision of simplified nutrition labelling
      systems may encourage consumers to make positive shifts in food-purchasing
      behaviors. The shifts in consumer food-purchasing patterns observed in our study
      after the introduction of the Guiding Stars system in supermarkets translated
      into measurable nutritional benefits, including more items purchased with
      slightly less trans fat and sugar and more fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. This
      study is one of the first to report the positive impact of an on-shelf nutrition
      labelling system on supermarket sales and revenues-key information that was
      specifically requested by the US National Academies, as such labelling
      interventions may be more sustainable if they lead to higher revenues. CONTEXT:
      Providing a nutrition rating system on the front of food packages or on retail
      shelf tags has been proposed as a policy strategy for supporting healthier food
      choices. Guiding Stars is an on-shelf nutrition labelling system that scores
      foods in a supermarket based on nutritional quality; scores are then translated
      into ratings of 0 to 3 stars. It is consistent with evidence-informed
      recommendations for well-designed labels, except for not labelling 0-star
      products. The largest supermarket retailer in Canada rolled out the Guiding Stars
      system in supermarkets across Ontario, Canada. The aim of our study was to
      examine the extent to which consumers respond to an on-shelf nutrition labelling
      system in supermarkets to inform current and future nutrition labelling policies
      and practices. METHODS: Capitalizing on a natural experiment, we conducted a
      quasi-experimental study across 3 supermarket banners (or "chains") in Ontario,
      one of which implemented the Guiding Stars system in 2012. We used aggregated
      supermarket transaction data to test the effect of Guiding Stars on the
      nutritional quality of food purchases in intervention supermarkets relative to
      control supermarkets. We also conducted exit surveys among 783 randomly selected
      shoppers from intervention and control supermarkets to assess consumer awareness,
      understanding, trust, and self-reported use of the labelling system. FINDINGS:
      Relative to control supermarkets, shoppers in intervention supermarkets made
      small but significant shifts toward purchasing foods with higher nutritional
      ratings; however, shifts varied in direction and magnitude across food
      categories. These shifts translated into foods being purchased with slightly less
      trans fat and sugar and more fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. We also found
      increases in the number of products per transaction, price per product purchased,
      and total revenues. Results of the exit surveys indicate a modest proportion of
      consumers were aware of, understood, and trusted Guiding Stars in intervention
      supermarkets, and a small proportion of consumers reported using this system when
      making purchasing decisions. However, 47% of shoppers exposed to Guiding Stars
      were confused when asked to interpret the meaning of a 0-star product that does
      not display a rating on the shelf tag. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates
      support for policies promoting on-shelf nutrition labels designed according to
      evidence-informed principles, but policymakers should move forward with caution
      when investing in such systems until research has confirmed optimal label design,
      clarified the mechanisms through which dietary intake is improved, and assessed
      associations with nutrition-related health outcomes.

PMID- 28895223
TI  - Fifty-two Years Later, We Are Still Arguing About LBJ's Promise.

PMID- 28895224
TI  - In Defense of the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

PMID- 28895226
TI  - An Unhealthy Mismatch.

PMID- 28895228
TI  - Epic Failure.

PMID- 28895229
TI  - Crisis and Change: The Making of a French FDA.
AB  - : Policy Points: Introducing a recent special issue of The Lancet on the health
      system in France, Horton and Ceschia observe that "the dominance of English as
      the language of science and, increasingly, global health too often closes the
      door on the history and experiences of others."1 In that spirit, this manuscript
      presents a detailed case study of public health policy transformation in France
      in the early 1990s. It casts light on processes of policy change in a political
      and cultural environment very different from that of the United States, showing
      how the public health policy process is shaped by multiple contingencies of
      history, ideology, and politics. More specifically, we describe the
      transformation of a disease catastrophe into a political crisis and the
      deployment of that crisis to precipitate reform of the French public health
      system. CONTEXT: Until the last decade of the 20th century, France had no
      equivalent to the US Food and Drug Administration. In this paper we describe and
      interpret the complex series of events that led to the passage by the French
      Parliament in December 1992 of a law incorporating such an agency, the Agence du
      Medicament (literally, "medicines agency"). The broad aim of this project was to
      learn how public health policy change comes about by detailed analysis of a
      specific instance. More specifically, we aimed to better understand the
      circumstances under which public health crisis leads to significant public health
      policy reform. METHODS: This paper is based on detailed analysis of primary
      documents (eg, archived French health ministry papers, recorded parliamentary
      debates, government reports, newspaper articles) and oral history interviews
      covering a period from 1988 to 1993. Thematic analysis of these materials was
      initially grounded in theories of organizational change, moving to constructs
      that emerged from the data themselves. FINDINGS: Policy entrepreneurs positioned
      to frame adverse events and seize opportunities are key to public health policy
      reform. However, whether these entrepreneurs will have the requisite
      institutional power is contingent both on political structure and on the power of
      competing institutional actors. Health crises may catalyze institutional reform,
      but our analysis suggests that whether reform occurs, or even whether adverse
      episodes are labeled as crises, is highly contingent on circumstances of history,
      political structure, and political ideology and is extremely difficult to predict
      or control. CONCLUSIONS: Actors positioned to shape public health policy need to
      have a detailed understanding of the circumstances that facilitate or impede
      policy reform. Health crises are now more often global than not. Comparative,
      theoretically grounded, cross-national research that looks in detail at how
      different countries respond to similar health crises would be extremely valuable
      in informing both policymakers and researchers.

PMID- 28895230
TI  - Sophie's Choice on the Nation's Health.

PMID- 28895227
TI  - Comparing Generic Drug Markets in Europe and the United States: Prices, Volumes,
      and Spending.
AB  - : Policy Points: Our study indicates that there are opportunities for cost
      savings in generic drug markets in Europe and the United States. Regulators
      should make it easier for generic drugs to reach the market. Regulators and
      payers should apply measures to stimulate price competition among generic
      drugmakers and to increase generic drug use. To meaningfully evaluate policy
      options, it is important to analyze historical context and understand why similar
      initiatives failed previously. CONTEXT: Rising drug prices are putting pressure
      on health care budgets. Policymakers are assessing how they can save money
      through generic drugs. METHODS: We compared generic drug prices and market shares
      in 13 European countries, using data from 2013, to assess the amount of variation
      that exists between countries. To place these results in context, we reviewed
      evidence from recent studies on the prices and use of generics in Europe and the
      United States. We also surveyed peer-reviewed studies, gray literature, and books
      published since 2000 to (1) outline existing generic drug policies in European
      countries and the United States; (2) identify ways to increase generic drug use
      and to promote price competition among generic drug companies; and (3) explore
      barriers to implementing reform of generic drug policies, using a historical
      example from the United States as a case study. FINDINGS: The prices and market
      shares of generics vary widely across Europe. For example, prices charged by
      manufacturers in Switzerland are, on average, more than 2.5 times those in
      Germany and more than 6 times those in the United Kingdom, based on the results
      of a commonly used price index. The proportion of prescriptions filled with
      generics ranges from 17% in Switzerland to 83% in the United Kingdom. By
      comparison, the United States has historically had low generic drug prices and
      high rates of generic drug use (84% in 2013), but has in recent years experienced
      sharp price increases for some off-patent products. There are policy solutions to
      address issues in Europe and the United States, such as streamlining the generic
      drug approval process and requiring generic prescribing and substitution where
      such policies are not yet in place. The history of substitution laws in the
      United States provides insights into the economic, political, and cultural issues
      influencing the adoption of generic drug policies. CONCLUSIONS: Governments
      should apply coherent supply- and demand-side policies in generic drug markets.
      An immediate priority is to convince more physicians, pharmacists, and patients
      that generic drugs are bioequivalent to branded products. Special-interest groups
      continue to obstruct reform in Europe and the United States.

PMID- 28895231
TI  - Software-Related Recalls of Health Information Technology and Other Medical
      Devices: Implications for FDA Regulation of Digital Health.
AB  - : Policy Points: Medical software has become an increasingly critical component
      of health care, yet the regulation of these devices is inconsistent and
      controversial. No studies of medical devices and software assess the impact on
      patient safety of the FDA's current regulatory safeguards and new legislative
      changes to those standards. Our analysis quantifies the impact of software
      problems in regulated medical devices and indicates that current regulations are
      necessary but not sufficient for ensuring patient safety by identifying and
      eliminating dangerous defects in software currently on the market. New
      legislative changes will further deregulate health IT, reducing safeguards that
      facilitate the reporting and timely recall of flawed medical software that could
      harm patients. CONTEXT: Medical software has become an increasingly critical
      component of health care, yet the regulatory landscape for digital health is
      inconsistent and controversial. To understand which policies might best protect
      patients, we examined the impact of the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's)
      regulatory safeguards on software-related technologies in recent years and the
      implications for newly passed legislative changes in regulatory policy. METHODS:
      Using FDA databases, we identified all medical devices that were recalled from
      2011 through 2015 primarily because of software defects. We counted all software
      related recalls for each FDA risk category and evaluated each high-risk and
      moderate-risk recall of electronic medical records to determine the manufacturer,
      device classification, submission type, number of units, and product details.
      FINDINGS: A total of 627 software devices (1.4 million units) were subject to
      recalls, with 12 of these devices (190,596 units) subject to the highest-risk
      recalls. Eleven of the devices recalled as high risk had entered the market
      through the FDA review process that does not require evidence of safety or
      effectiveness, and one device was completely exempt from regulatory review. The
      largest high-risk recall categories were anesthesiology and general hospital,
      with one each in cardiovascular and neurology. Five electronic medical record
      systems (9,347 units) were recalled for software defects classified as posing a
      moderate risk to patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: Software problems in medical
      devices are not rare and have the potential to negatively influence medical care.
      Premarket regulation has not captured all the software issues that could harm
      patients, evidenced by the potentially large number of patients exposed to
      software products later subject to high-risk and moderate-risk recalls.
      Provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act that became law in late 2016 will reduce
      safeguards further. Absent stronger regulations and implementation to create
      robust risk assessment and adverse event reporting, physicians and their patients
      are likely to be at risk from medical errors caused by software-related problems
      in medical devices.

PMID- 28895232
TI  - Anion-Directed Metallocages: A Study on the Tendency of Anion Templation.
AB  - Self-assembly of Cu(NO3 )2 ?3 H2 O and di(3-pyridylmethyl)amine (dpma) with
      addition of different acids (HNO3 , HOAc, HCl, HClO4 , HOTf, HPF6 , HBF4 , and H2
      SO4 ) afforded a family of anion-templated tetragonal metallocages with a
      cationic prismatic structure of [(Gn- )?{Cu2 (Hdpma)4 }](8-n)+ (Gn- =NO3- , PF6-
      , SiF62- ) with different ligating anions/solvents (NO3- , Cl- , ClO4- , OTf- ,
      H2 O) outside the cage. Systematic competitive experiments have rationalized the
      tendency of anion templation towards the formation of metallocages [(Gn- )?{Cu2
      (Hdpma)4 }](8-n)+ as occurring in the order SiF62- ~PF6- >NO3- >SO42- ~ClO4- ~BF4
      . This sequence is mostly elucidated by shape control over size selectivity and
      electrostatic attraction between the cationic {Cu2 (Hdpma)4 }8+ host and the
      anionic guests. In addition, these results have also roughly ranked the anion
      coordination ability in the order Cl- , ClO4- , OTf- >NO3- >BF4- , CH3 SO4- .
      Magnetic studies of metallocages 1 t and 2-4 suggest that the fitted magnetic
      interaction, being weakly magnetically coupled overall, is interpreted as a
      result of the combination of intracage ferromagnetic coupling integrals and
      intercage antiferromagnetic exchange; both contributions are very weak and
      comparable in strength.

PMID- 28895233
TI  - Validation of the OPportunity for Treatment In ONcology (OPTION) questionnaire
      measuring continuity of care.
AB  - Increasing efforts are ongoing to deliver effective cancer care through
      integrated networks of services. Measuring patients' experience of care is
      essential to identify problematic areas that require organisational adjustments.
      The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of OPTION questionnaire,
      designed to measure patient's perceived continuity of care across different
      phases of their care pathway. The study was carried at the Institute for Cancer
      Treatment and Research, Meldola and the oncology departments of the Local Health
      Authority of Romagna, Italy. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to
      identify factors underlying patients' perception of continuity of care. Factor
      scores were compared between patients with or without a care coordinator using
      Mann-Whitney test. The study sample consisted of 214 patients with breast or
      colorectal cancer, with a mean age of 62.3 years. Most patients identified the
      oncologist as their care coordinator. Five factors were extracted using PCA: (1)
      "trustful relationship with health care staff," (2) "information on care
      pathway," (3) "information on changes related to the illness," (4) "feelings of
      abandonment" and (5) "collaboration among health care professionals." The scores
      of factors 2 and 3 were significantly higher among those with a care coordinator.
      The OPTION questionnaire is a reliable instrument that can help clinicians and
      administrative stakeholder target efforts and resources in the pursuit of quality
      of care.

PMID- 28895234
TI  - Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 Induction During Differentiation of Wharton's
      Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Osteoblasts Is Regulated by Jumonji AT-Rich
      Interactive Domain 1B Histone Demethylase.
AB  - Novel bone regeneration approaches aim to obtain immature osteoblasts from
      somatic stem cells. Umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ
      MSCs) are an ideal source for cell therapy. Hence, the study of mechanisms
      involved in WJ-MSC osteoblastic differentiation is crucial to exploit their
      developmental capacity. Here, we have assessed epigenetic control of the Runt
      related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) osteogenic master regulator gene in WJ
      MSC. We present evidence indicating that modulation of RUNX2 expression through
      preventing Jumonji AT-rich interactive domain 1B (JARID1B) histone demethylase
      activity is relevant to enhance WJ-MSC osteoblastic potential. Hence, JARID1B
      loss of function in WJ-MSC results in increased RUNX2/p57 expression. Our data
      highlight JARID1B activity as a novel target to modulate WJ-MSC osteoblastic
      differentiation with potential applications in bone tissue engineering. Stem
      Cells 2017;35:2430-2441.

PMID- 28895235
TI  - Infrared-Assisted Extraction and HPLC-Analysis of Prunus armeniaca L. Pomace and
      Detoxified-Kernel and their Antidiabetic Effects.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Prunus armeniaca L. (P. armeniaca) is one of the medicinal plants
      with a high safety-profile. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to make an
      infrared-assisted extraction (IR-AE) of P. armeniaca fruit (pomace) and kernel,
      and analyse them using reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP
      HPLC) aided method. METHODS: IR-AE is a novel-technique aimed at increasing the
      extraction-efficiency. The antidiabetic-potentials of the P. armeniaca pomace
      (AP) and the detoxified P. armeniaca kernel extract (DKAP) were monitored
      exploring their possible hypoglycemic-mechanisms. Acute (6 h), subchronic (8
      days) and long-term (8 weeks) assessment of Diabetes mellitus (DM) using
      glucometers and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) methods were applied. RESULTS: Serum
      insulin levels, the inhibitory effects on alpha-glucosidase, serum-catalase (CAT)
      and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were also monitored. AP was shown to be rich
      in polyphenolics like trans-lutein (14.1%), trans-zeaxanthin (10.5%), trans-beta
      cryptoxanthin (11.6%), 13, cis-beta-carotene (6.5%), trans 9, cis-beta-carotene
      (18.4%), and beta-carotene (21.5%). Prunus armeniaca kernel extract before
      detoxification (KAP) was found to be rich in amygdaline (16.1%), which caused a
      high mortality rate (50.1%), while after detoxification (amygdaline, 1.4%) a
      lower mortality rate (9.1%) was found. AP showed significant (p <= 0.05, n =
      7/group) antidiabetic-activity more prominent than DKAP acutely, subchronically
      and on longer-terms. IR-AEs displayed more efficient acute and subchronic blood
      glucose level (BGL) reduction than a conventional extraction method, which might
      be attributed to IR-AE superiority in extraction of active ingredients. AP showed
      more-significant and dose-dependent increase in serum-insulin, CAT-levels and
      body-weights more prominent than those of DKAP. Alpha-glucosidase and LPO levels
      were inhibited with AP-groups more-significantly. CONCLUSION: In comparison to
      conventional-methods, IR-AE appeared to be an efficient and time-conserving novel
      extraction method. The antidiabetic-potentials of pomace and detoxified-kernels
      of P. armeniaca were probably mediated via the attenuation of glucose-provoked
      oxidative-stress, the inhibition of alpha-glucosidase and the marked insulin
      secretagogue effect. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28895236
TI  - Protein surface roughness accounts for binding free energy of Plasmepsin II
      ligand complexes.
AB  - The calculation of absolute binding affinities for protein-inhibitor complexes
      remains as one of the main challenges in computational structure-based ligand
      design. The present work explored the calculations of surface fractal dimension
      (as a measure of surface roughness) and the relationship with experimental
      binding free energies of Plasmepsin II complexes. Plasmepsin II is an attractive
      target for novel therapeutic compounds to treat malaria. However, the structural
      flexibility of this enzyme is a drawback when searching for specific inhibitors.
      Concerning that, we performed separate explicitly solvated molecular dynamics
      simulations using the available high-resolution crystal structures of different
      Plasmepsin II complexes. Molecular dynamics simulations allowed a better
      approximation to systems dynamics and, therefore, a more reliable estimation of
      surface roughness. This constitutes a novel approximation in order to obtain more
      realistic values of fractal dimension, because previous works considered only x
      ray structures. Binding site fractal dimension was calculated considering the
      ensemble of structures generated at different simulation times. A linear
      relationship between binding site fractal dimension and experimental binding free
      energies of the complexes was observed within 20 ns. Previous studies of the
      subject did not uncover this relationship. Regression model, coined FD model, was
      built to estimate binding free energies from binding site fractal dimension
      values. Leave-one-out cross-validation showed that our model reproduced
      accurately the absolute binding free energies for our training set (R2  = 0.76;
      <|error|> =0.55 kcal/mol; SDerror  = 0.19 kcal/mol). The fact that such a simple
      model may be applied raises some questions that are addressed in the article.

PMID- 28895237
TI  - A Comprehensive Characterisation of Rosemary tea Obtained from Rosmarinus
      officinalis L. Collected in a sub-Humid Area of Tunisia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is an aromatic plant common in
      Tunisia and it is widely consumed as a tea in traditional cuisine and in folk
      medicine to treat various illnesses. Currently, most research efforts have been
      focused on rosemary essential oil, alcoholic and aqueous extracts, however,
      little is reported on rosemary infusion composition. OBJECTIVE: To investigate
      compounds present in rosemary tea obtained from Rosmarinus officinalis L.
      collected in a sub-humid area of Tunisia in order to assess whether the
      traditional rosemary tea preparation method could be considered as a reference
      method for rosemary's compounds extraction. METHODOLOGY: Qualitative
      characterisation of Rosmarinus officinalis tea obtained after rosemary infusion
      in boiled water was determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled
      with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC
      ESI-QTOF-MS). Quantitative analysis relies on high performance liquid
      chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). RESULTS: Forty-nine
      compounds belonging to six families, namely flavonoids, phenolic acids, phenolic
      terpenes, jasmonate, phenolic glycosides, and lignans were identified. To the
      best of the authors' knowledge eucommin A is characterised for the first time in
      rosemary. Rosmarinic acid (158.13 MUg/g dried rosemary) was the main compound
      followed then by feruloylnepitrin (100.87 MUg/g) and luteolin-3'-O-(2"-O-acetyl)
      beta-d-glucuronide (44.04 MUg/g). Among quantified compounds, luteolin-7-O
      rutinoside was the compound with the lowest concentration. CONCLUSION: The
      infusion method allows several polyphenols present in rosemary tea to be
      extracted, therefore it could be a reference method for rosemary's compounds
      extraction. Moreover, traditional Tunisian Rosmarinus officinalis tea consumption
      is of interest for its rich phenolic content. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley &
      Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28895238
TI  - The use of 1 H-NMR Metabolomics to Optimise the Extraction and Preliminary
      Identification of Anthelmintic Products from the Leaves of Lysiloma latisiliquum.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tannin-rich forages are recognised as an important alternative for
      the control of gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants. Lysiloma
      latisiliquum, a forage commonly consumed by goats and sheep, has shown
      anthelmintic activity when tested against Haemonchus contortus. However, to date,
      the metabolites responsible for the activity are not known. OBJECTIVE: To use 1 H
      NMR metabolomics in the extraction and identification of anthelmintic metabolites
      from L. latisiliquum. METHODOLOGY: Eight different solvent systems were compared
      for the optimum extraction of anthelmintic metabolites from L. latisiliquum. 1 H
      NMR spectra of the tannin-free extracts were measured in methanol-d4 using
      trimethylsilylpropanoic acid (TSP) as internal standard. Extracts were also
      evaluated for their anthelmintic activity using the larval exsheathment
      inhibition assay against H. contortus. These data were correlated by multivariate
      analysis [principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projections to latent
      structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA)] and analysed. To validate the results
      obtained after the OPLS-DA, a bioassay-guided isolation of bioactive metabolites
      was conducted. RESULTS: The PCA of the 1 H-NMR data allowed the identification of
      hydrophilic solvents as those best suited for the extraction of anthelmintics
      from L. latisiliquum and indicated that the bioactive metabolites are high
      polarity, glycosylated products. Similarly, OPLS-DA of the data enabled the
      detection of activity-related signals, assigned to the glycosylated metabolites
      quercitrin and arbutin obtained from the bioassay-guided purification of the
      extract. CONCLUSION: The results of this investigation confirm metabolomics as a
      useful tool in the detection of bioactive metabolites in plants without previous
      phytochemical studies. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28895239
TI  - Trends and age, period and cohort effects for marijuana use prevalence in the
      1984-2015 US National Alcohol Surveys.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Epidemiological trends show marijuana use in the United
      States to have increased in recent years. Previous research has identified cohort
      effects as contributing to the rising prevalence, in particular birth cohorts
      born after 1945. However, given recent policy efforts to regulate marijuana use
      at the state level, period effects could also play a contributory role. This
      study aimed to examine whether cohort or period effects play a larger role in
      explaining trends in marijuana use. DESIGN: Using data from seven National
      Alcohol Surveys, we estimated age-period-cohort decomposition models for
      marijuana use, controlling for socio-demographic measures. SETTING: United
      States. PARTICIPANTS: US general population aged 18 and older from 1984 to 2015.
      MEASUREMENTS: Any past-year marijuana use. FINDINGS: Results indicated that
      period effects were the main driver of rising marijuana use prevalence. Models
      including indicators of medical and recreational marijuana policies did not find
      any significant positive impacts. CONCLUSIONS: The steep rise in marijuana use in
      the United States since 2005 occurred across the population and is attributable
      to general period effects not linked specifically to the liberalization of
      marijuana policies in some states.

PMID- 28895240
TI  - Thermally Reversible and Irreversible Phase Transition Behaviors in Poly(ethylene
      oxide)/Ionic Liquid Mixtures.
AB  - The irreversible and reversible phase transition behaviors during phase
      separation-recovery (heating-cooling) cycles for poly(ethylene oxide)/1-ethyl-3
      methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid (PEO/[EMIM][BF4 ]) mixtures with
      a lower critical solution temperature phase diagram are reported for the first
      time. The evident differential scanning calorimetry endothermic and exothermic
      peaks are observed during the heating-cooling scan cycles near the phase
      boundary, in which the large heat loss for samples below the critical composition
      (60 wt% PEO) and obvious downward shift of phase transition temperature for all
      the compositions between the first and second cycles are particularly attractive.
      After the first recovery process, a reversible behavior during the next cycles is
      expected. These interesting phenomena are further confirmed by optical microscopy
      and Fourier-transform infrared measurements. It is demonstrated that the
      disruption and partial recovery of the hydrogen bonds, combined with the
      conformational change of PEO chains, can contribute to this irreversible behavior
      as well as a conversion to reversible phase transition behavior.

PMID- 28895241
TI  - Thermoresponsive Double Network Hydrogels with Exceptional Compressive Mechanical
      Properties.
AB  - The utility of thermoresponsive hydrogels, such as those based on poly(N
      isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), is severely limited by their deficient mechanical
      properties. In particular, the simultaneous achievement of high strength and
      stiffness remains unreported. In this work, a thermoresponsive hydrogel is
      prepared having the unique combination of ultrahigh compressive strength (~23
      MPa) and excellent compressive modulus (~1.5 MPa). This is accomplished by
      employing a double network (DN) design comprised of a tightly crosslinked, highly
      negatively charged 1st network based on poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane
      sulfonic acid (PAMPS) and a loosely crosslinked, zwitterionic 2nd network based
      on a copolymer of thermoresponsive NIPAAm and zwitterionic 2
      (methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide (MEDSAH).
      Comparison to other DN designs reveals that this PAMPS/P(NIPAAm-co-MEDSAH) DN
      hydrogel's remarkable properties stem from the intra- and internetwork ionic
      interactions of the two networks. Finally, this mechanically robust hydrogel
      retains the desirable thermosensitivity of PNIPAAm hydrogels, exhibiting a volume
      phase transition temperature of ~35  degrees C.

PMID- 28895243
TI  - Controlling Complex Stability in Photoresponsive Macromolecular Host-Guest
      Systems: Toward Reversible Capture of DNA by Cyclodextrin Vesicles.
AB  - An effective and universal method for delivering structurally diverse
      biomolecules in vivo would greatly benefit modern drug therapy, but has yet to be
      discovered. Self-assembled supramolecular complexes containing vesicles of
      amphiphilic cyclodextrin and linker molecules with an azobenzene guest unit and a
      charged functionality have been established as nanoscale carriers for proteins
      and DNA, making use of multivalent electrostatic attraction. However, light
      induced cargo release is only feasible up to a maximum net charge of the
      biomacromolecules. Herein, it is shown that it is possible to fine-tune
      macromolecular complex stability and size by addition of a competitive guest
      molecule that acts as a stopper, partly blocking the vesicle surface. The
      superior performance of arylazopyrazoles in photoisomerization compared to
      azobenzenes, which enables a lower surface charge density of the vesicles in the
      photostationary state, is also demonstrated. Both strategies allow reversible
      supramolecular aggregation of high molecular weight DNA (2 and 4.8 kbp).

PMID- 28895242
TI  - Hepatocellular carcinoma in a mouse model fed a choline-deficient, L-amino acid
      defined, high-fat diet.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide and represents the
      outcome of the natural history of chronic liver disease. The growing rates of HCC
      may be partially attributable to increased numbers of people with non-alcoholic
      fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However,
      details of the liver-specific molecular mechanisms responsible for the NAFLD-NASH
      HCC progression remain unclear, and mouse models that can be used to explore the
      exact factors that influence the progression of NAFLD/NASH to the more chronic
      stages of liver disease and subsequent HCC are not yet fully established. We have
      previously reported a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet
      (CDAHFD) as a dietary NASH model with rapidly progressive liver fibrosis in mice.
      The current study in C57BL/6J mice fed CDAHFD provided evidence for the chronic
      persistence of advanced hepatic fibrosis in NASH and disease progression towards
      HCC in a period of 36 weeks. When mice fed CDAHFD were switched back to a
      standard diet, hepatic steatosis was normalized and NAFLD activity score
      improved, but HCC incidence increased and the phenotype of fibrosis-associated
      HCC development was observed. Moreover, when mice continued to be fed CDAHFD for
      60 weeks, HCC further developed without severe body weight loss or carcinogenesis
      in other organs. The autochthonous tumours showed a variety of histological
      features and architectural patterns including trabecular, pseudoglandular and
      solid growth. The CDAHFD mouse model might be a useful tool for studying the
      development of HCC from NAFLD/NASH, and potentially useful for better
      understanding pathological changes during hepatocarcinogenesis.

PMID- 28895244
TI  - Identification and characterization of three novel mutations in the CASQ1 gene in
      four patients with tubular aggregate myopathy.
AB  - Here, we report the identification of three novel missense mutations in the
      calsequestrin-1 (CASQ1) gene in four patients with tubular aggregate myopathy.
      These CASQ1 mutations affect conserved amino acids in position 44 (p.(Asp44Asn)),
      103 (p.(Gly103Asp)), and 385 (p.(Ile385Thr)). Functional studies, based on
      turbidity and dynamic light scattering measurements at increasing Ca2+
      concentrations, showed a reduced Ca2+ -dependent aggregation for the CASQ1
      protein containing p.Asp44Asn and p.Gly103Asp mutations and a slight increase in
      Ca2+ -dependent aggregation for the p.Ile385Thr. Accordingly, limited trypsin
      proteolysis assay showed that p.Asp44Asn and p.Gly103Asp were more susceptible to
      trypsin cleavage in the presence of Ca2+ in comparison with WT and p.Ile385Thr.
      Analysis of single muscle fibers of a patient carrying the p.Gly103Asp mutation
      showed a significant reduction in response to caffeine stimulation, compared with
      normal control fibers. Expression of CASQ1 mutations in eukaryotic cells revealed
      a reduced ability of all these CASQ1 mutants to store Ca2+ and a reduced
      inhibitory effect of p.Ile385Thr and p.Asp44Asn on store operated Ca2+ entry.
      These results widen the spectrum of skeletal muscle diseases associated with
      CASQ1 and indicate that these mutations affect properties critical for correct
      Ca2+ handling in skeletal muscle fibers.

PMID- 28895245
TI  - Genetic Evolution of Glioblastoma Stem-Like Cells From Primary to Recurrent
      Tumor.
AB  - Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal tumor that displays remarkable genetic
      heterogeneity. It is also known that GBM contains a cell hierarchy driven by GBM
      stem-like cells (GSCs), responsible for tumor generation, therapeutic resistance,
      and relapse. An important and still open issue is whether phylogenetically
      related GSCs can be found in matched primary and recurrent GBMs, and reflect
      tumor genetic evolution under therapeutic pressure. To address this, we analyzed
      the mutational profile of GSCs isolated from either human primary GBMs (primary
      GSCs) or their matched tumors recurring after surgery and chemoradiotherapy
      (recurrent GSCs). We found that recurrent GSCs can accumulate temozolomide
      related mutations over primary GSCs, following both linear and branched patterns.
      In the latter case, primary and recurrent GSCs share a common set of lesions, but
      also harbor distinctive mutations indicating that primary and recurrent GSCs
      derive from a putative common ancestor GSC by divergent genetic evolution.
      Interestingly, TP53 mutations distinctive of recurrent GSCs were detectable at
      low frequency in the corresponding primary tumors and likely marked pre-existent
      subclones that evolved under therapeutic pressure and expanded in the relapsing
      tumor. Consistently, recurrent GSCs displayed in vitro greater therapeutic
      resistance than primary GSCs. Overall, these data indicate that (a)
      phylogenetically related GSCs are found in matched primary and recurrent GBMs and
      (b) recurrent GSCs likely pre-exist in the untreated primary tumor and are both
      mutagenized and positively selected by chemoradiotherapy. Stem Cells 2017;35:2218
      2228.

PMID- 28895246
TI  - Influence of indigenous microbiota on experimental toxoplasmosis in conventional
      and germ-free mice.
AB  - Toxoplasmosis represents one of the most common zoonoses worldwide. Its agent,
      Toxoplasma gondii, causes a severe innate pro-inflammatory response. The
      indigenous intestinal microbiota promotes host animal homoeostasis and may
      protect the host against pathogens. Germ-free (GF) animals provide an important
      tool for the study of interactions between host and microbiota. In this study, we
      assessed the role of indigenous microorganisms in disease development utilizing a
      murine toxoplasmosis model, which includes conventional (CV) and GF NIH Swiss
      mice. CV and GF mice orally inoculated with T. gondii had similar survival
      curves. However, disease developed differently in the two animal groups. In CV
      mice, intestinal permeability increased and levels of intestinal pro-inflammatory
      cytokines were altered. In GF animals, there were discrete epithelial
      degenerative changes and mucosal oedema, but the liver and lungs displayed
      significant lesions. We conclude that, despite similar survival curves, CV
      animals succumb to an exaggerated inflammatory response, whereas GF mice fail to
      produce an adequate systemic response.

PMID- 28895247
TI  - The prevalence of pain and analgesia use in the Australian population: Findings
      from the 2011 to 2012 Australian National Health Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opioid analgesic use and associated adverse events have increased
      over the last 15 years, including in Australia. Whether this is associated with
      increased chronic pain prevalence in the Australian population is unknown. This
      study aimed to estimate (1) the prevalence of chronic pain and analgesia use in
      the Australian population by age and sex; (2) the severity of pain in the
      population with chronic pain by sex; and (3) the distribution of recent pain
      severity in those using analgesia by age and sex. METHODS: This study used cross
      sectional, nationally representative data collected by the Australian Bureau of
      Statistics 2011 to 2012 National Health Survey. A total of n = 20 426
      participants were included with an overall response rate of 84.8%. Weighting
      procedures were applied to obtain population estimates, confidence intervals, and
      when testing for statistical significance. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic and
      reoccurring pain (over a 6-month period) was 15.4% (2.75 million) for Australians
      aged >=15 years. Prevalence increased with age for both sexes. Significantly more
      females reported moderate-to-very severe pain overall (P < 0.001), and within
      most age groups. Recent use of opioid analgesia was reported by 12.0% of males
      and 13.4% of females with chronic pain. CONCLUSION: Chronic pain and opioid
      analgesic use are important public health issues in Australia. Study estimates of
      chronic pain and recent pain were no greater than earlier estimates. The
      acknowledged increase of opioid use in the literature thus appears consistent
      with changing treatment and/or prescribing patterns over time. Sex differences
      regarding pain prevalence, severity, and opioid use were apparent.

PMID- 28895248
TI  - Nano-Star-Shaped Polymers for Drug Delivery Applications.
AB  - With the advancement of polymer engineering, complex star-shaped polymer
      architectures can be synthesized with ease, bringing about a host of unique
      properties and applications. The polymer arms can be functionalized with
      different chemical groups to fine-tune the response behavior or be endowed with
      targeting ligands or stimuli responsive moieties to control its physicochemical
      behavior and self-organization in solution. Rheological properties of these
      solutions can be modulated, which also facilitates the control of the diffusion
      of the drug from these star-based nanocarriers. However, these star-shaped
      polymers designed for drug delivery are still in a very early stage of
      development. Due to the sheer diversity of macromolecules that can take on the
      star architectures and the various combinations of functional groups that can be
      cross-linked together, there remain many structure-property relationships which
      have yet to be fully established. This review aims to provide an introductory
      perspective on the basic synthetic methods of star-shaped polymers, the
      properties which can be controlled by the unique architecture, and also recent
      advances in drug delivery applications related to these star candidates.

PMID- 28895249
TI  - Salt Responsive Morphologies of ssDNA-Based Triblock Polyelectrolytes in Semi
      Dilute Regime: Effect of Volume Fractions and Polyelectrolyte Length.
AB  - A comprehensive study is reported on the effect of salt concentration,
      polyelectrolyte block length, and polymer concentration on the morphology and
      structural properties of nanoaggregates self-assembled from BAB single-strand DNA
      (ssDNA) triblock polynucleotides in which A represents polyelectrolyte blocks and
      B represents hydrophobic neutral blocks. A morphological phase diagram above the
      gelation point is developed as a function of solvent ionic strength and
      polyelectrolyte block length utilizing an implicit solvent ionic strength method
      for dissipative particle dynamics simulations. As the solvent ionic strength
      increases, the self-assembled DNA network structures shrinks considerably,
      leading to a morphological transition from a micellar network to worm-like or
      hamburger-shape aggregates. This study provides insight into the network
      morphology and its changes by calculating the aggregation number, number of
      hydrophobic cores, and percentage of bridge chains in the network. The simulation
      results are corroborated through cryogenic transmission electron microscopy on
      the example of the self-assembly of ssDNA triblocks.

PMID- 28895250
TI  - CO2 -Induced Morphological Transition of Co-Assemblies from Block-Random
      Segmented Polymers.
AB  - The co-assembly process is an effective approach to construct hierarchically
      nanostructured soft materials, but morphological transition of co-assemblies upon
      external stimuli, particularly the "green" trigger CO2 , is not unraveled yet.
      Here, a segmented copolymer, poly(styrene)-block-poly[(4-vinyl pyridine)-random
      ((2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)] (P1), is used to co-assemble in the mixed
      solvent of dimethyl formamide and water with poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly[(4
      vinyl pyridine)-random-((2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)] (P2) and
      poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(acrylic acid) (P3), respectively. It is found
      that Janus micelles are generated from the P1-P2 pair in the presence of ferric
      ion, while wormlike micelles are formed from the P1-P3 duad. Upon stimulation
      with CO2 , Janus and wormlike aggregates are transferred into core-shell and
      spherical micelles, respectively.

PMID- 28895251
TI  - Taming Macromolecules with Light: Lessons Learned from Vibrational Spectroscopy.
AB  - Exciting new applications, from large-area nanopatterning and templating to soft
      light-powered robotics, are emerging from the fundamental research on light
      triggered changes in macromolecular systems upon photoisomerization of azobenzene
      based molecular photoswitches. The understanding of how the initial molecular
      scale photoisomerization of azobenzene, a complex photochemical event in itself,
      is translated into the response of macromolecules and even into macroscopic-scale
      motion of illuminated azomaterials is an enormous task. The focus here is on how
      this knowledge has advanced by applying different vibrational spectroscopy
      techniques that provide rich molecular insight into the photoresponse of
      chemically specific molecular moieties. In particular, infrared and Raman
      spectroscopy studies are highlighted, in the context of phototriggered
      perturbation of self-assembled structures and photoinduced linear and circular
      anisotropy, as well as photoinduced surface patterning, with the objective of
      offering a perspective on how vibrational spectroscopy can help in answering an
      array of essential yet unsettled questions.

PMID- 28895252
TI  - New psychoactive substances: a public health issue.

PMID- 28895253
TI  - Characterisation of the l-Cystine beta-Lyase PatB from Phaeobacter inhibens: An
      Enzyme Involved in the Biosynthesis of the Marine Antibiotic Tropodithietic Acid.
AB  - The l-cystine beta-lyase from Phaeobacter inhibens is involved in the
      biosynthesis of the sulfur-containing antibiotic tropodithietic acid. The
      recombinant enzyme was obtained by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli
      and biochemically characterised by unambiguous chemical identification of the
      products formed from the substrate l-cystine, investigation of the substrate
      spectrum, determination of the enzyme kinetics, sequence alignment with closely
      related homologues and site-directed mutagenesis to identify a highly conserved
      lysine residue that is critical for functionality. PatB from P. inhibens is a new
      member of the small group of characterised l-cystine beta-lyases and the first
      example of an enzyme with such an activity that is required for the biosynthesis
      of an antibiotic. A comparison of PatB to previously reported enzymes with l
      cystine beta-lyase activity from bacteria and plants is given.

PMID- 28895254
TI  - Cancer is an independent predictor of poor outcomes in patients following
      intracerebral hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with cancer have been reported to have poorer
      outcomes following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) than those without cancer, but
      the findings were not consistent between studies. The aim of this study was to
      test the hypothesis that cancer is associated with poor outcomes following ICH.
      METHODS: In all, 3137 consecutive patients admitted to the stroke unit of Osaka
      University Hospital were reviewed. Patients diagnosed with ICH were extracted and
      divided into two groups according to the presence of cancer. ICH characteristics
      were compared between the groups. The outcomes were measured using the 30-day and
      90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS). RESULTS: Amongst the 399 ICH patients (37.1%
      women; median age 66 years), the frequency of cancer was 15.3%. Of these, 70.5%
      of patients had distant metastatic cancers. Compared to controls, cancer patients
      were comparable in the Glasgow Coma Scale, hematoma volume and the frequency of
      infratentorial location and intraventricular hemorrhage extension, but had poorer
      outcomes following ICH. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that cancer
      was independently associated with poor outcomes following ICH (odds ratio 5.14;
      95% confidence interval 2.63-10.06). Adjustment was made for the covariates age,
      sex, time from onset to admission, prior use of antithrombotic agents, pre-stroke
      mRS, Glasgow Coma Scale, hematoma volume, infratentorial location and
      intraventricular hemorrhage extension. When the analysis was performed using data
      from individuals with localized cancer, the effect remained significant after
      assessment with 90-day mRS but not after that with 30-day mRS. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results suggest that cancer, especially distant metastatic cancer, is an
      independent predictor of poorer outcomes following ICH.

PMID- 28895255
TI  - UBR2 Enriched in p53 Deficient Mouse Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Exosome
      Promoted Gastric Cancer Progression via Wnt/beta-Catenin Pathway.
AB  - The deficiency or mutation of p53 has been linked to several types of cancers.
      The mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) is an important component in the tumor
      microenvironment, and exosomes secreted by MSCs can transfer bioactive molecules,
      including proteins and nucleic acid, to other cells in the tumor microenvironment
      to influence the progress of a tumor. However, whether the state of p53 in MSCs
      can impact the bioactive molecule secretion of exosomes to promote cancer
      progression and the regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Our study aimed to
      investigate the regulation of ubiquitin protein ligase E3 component n-recognin 2
      (UBR2) enriched in exosomes secreted by p53 deficient mouse bone marrow MSC (p53
      /- mBMMSC) in gastric cancer progression in vivo and in vitro. We found that the
      concentration of exosome was significantly higher in p53-/- mBMMSC than that in
      p53 wild-type mBMMSC (p53+/+ mBMMSC). In particular, UBR2 was highly expressed in
      p53-/- mBMMSC cells and exosomes. P53-/- mBMMSC exosomes enriched UBR2 could be
      internalized into p53+/+ mBMMSC and murine foregastric carcinoma (MFC) cells and
      induce the overexpression of UBR2 in these cells which elevated cell
      proliferation, migration, and the expression of stemness-related genes.
      Mechanistically, the downregulation of UBR2 in p53-/- mBMMSC exosomes could
      reverse these actions. Moreover, a majority of Wnt family members, beta-catenin,
      and its downstream genes (CD44, CyclinD1, CyclinD3, and C-myc) were significantly
      decreased in MFC knockdown UBR2 and beta-catenin depletion, an additional
      depletion of UBR2 had no significant difference in the expression of Nanog, OCT4,
      Vimentin, and E-cadherin. Taken together, our findings indicated that p53-/-
      mBMMSC exosomes could deliver UBR2 to target cells and promote gastric cancer
      growth and metastasis by regulating Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Stem Cells
      2017;35:2267-2279.

PMID- 28895256
TI  - Relevant Anatomy, Morphology, and Implantation Techniques of the Dorsal Root
      Ganglia at the Lumbar Levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: While dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation has been available in
      Europe and Australia for the past five years and in the United States for the
      past year, there are no published details concerning the optimal procedures for
      DRG lead implantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe several techniques that
      can be applied to implant cylindrical leads over the DRG, highlighting some tips
      and tricks according to our experiences. Focus is mainly shifted toward
      implantations in the lumbar area. We furthermore give some insights in the
      results we experienced in Spain as well as some worldwide numbers. IMPLANT
      TECHNIQUES AND RESULTS: A 14-gauge needle is placed using a "2-Level Technique (2
      LT)" or exceptionally a "1-Level Technique (1-LT)" or a "Primary- or Secondary
      Technique" at the level of L5. The delivery sheath, loaded with the lead, is
      advanced toward the targeted neural foramen. The lead is placed over the dorsal
      aspect of the DRG. A strain relief loop is created in the epidural space. Sheath
      and needle are retracted and the lead is secured using an anchor or anchorless
      technique. In Spain, 87.2% (N = 78) of the selected patients have been
      successfully implanted. Seven (8.9%) had a negative trial and three (4.2%) were
      explanted. Average VAS score decreased from 8.8 to 3.3 and on average 94.5% of
      the pain area was covered. In our center's subjects (N = 47 patients, 60.3% of
      all implanted patients in Spain), VAS scores decreased from an average of 8.8-1.7
      and pain coverage averaged 96.4%. We used an average of 1.8 electrodes. Worldwide
      more than 4000 permanent cases have been successfully performed. CONCLUSIONS: We
      present implantation techniques whereby a percutaneous lead is placed over the
      DRG through the use of a special designed delivery sheath. Further investigation
      of the safety, efficacy, and sustainability of clinical outcomes using these
      devices is warranted.

PMID- 28895257
TI  - Do negative screening test results cause false reassurance? A systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: It has been suggested that receiving a negative screening test result
      may cause false reassurance or have a 'certificate of health effect'. False
      reassurance in those receiving a negative screening test result may result in
      them wrongly believing themselves to be at lower risk of the disease, and
      consequently less likely to engage in health-related behaviours that would lower
      their risk. METHODS: The present systematic review aimed to identify the evidence
      regarding false reassurance effects due to negative screening test results in
      adults (over 18 years) screened for the presence of a disease or its precursors,
      where disease or precursors are linked to lifestyle behaviours. MEDLINE and
      PsycINFO were searched for trials that compared a group who had received negative
      screening results to an unscreened control group. The following outcomes were
      considered as markers of false reassurance: perceived risk of disease; anxiety
      and worry about disease; health-related behaviours or intention to change health
      related behaviours (i.e., smoking, diet, physical activity, and alcohol
      consumption); self-rated health status. RESULTS: Nine unique studies were
      identified, reporting 55 measures in relation to the outcomes considered.
      Outcomes were measured at various time points from immediately following
      screening to up to 11 years after screening. Despite considerable variation in
      outcome measures used and timing of measurements, effect sizes for comparisons
      between participants who received negative screening test results and control
      participants were typically small with few statistically significant differences.
      There was evidence of high risk of bias, and measures of behaviours employed were
      often not valid. CONCLUSIONS: The limited evidence base provided little evidence
      of false reassurance following a negative screening test results on any of four
      outcomes examined. False reassurance should not be considered a significant harm
      of screening, but further research is warranted. Statement of contribution What
      is already known on this subject? It has been argued that screening for disease
      may cause 'false reassurance' whereby those who receive a negative screening test
      result wrongly interpret their result as indicating they are less likely to
      develop the disease in future. There is some evidence for false reassurance, but
      the relevant studies consider a range of diseases and possible indicators of
      false reassurance (i.e., risk perceptions, lifestyle behaviours, emotional
      outcomes, and quality of life). For these reasons, it is currently unclear that
      the extent to receive negative screening test results is likely to impact on
      participants' lifestyle behaviours, or other possible indicators of false
      reassurance. What does this study add? Current available evidence shows that
      negative screening test results are unlikely to cause false reassurance and, in
      particular, are unlikely to have a negative impact on lifestyle behaviours. Given
      the limitations of the current evidence base in terms of number of studies and
      study quality, future research should continue to explore this issue, where this
      can be done at low cost.

PMID- 28895258
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28895259
TI  - Control of Head/Tail Isomeric Structure in Polyimide and Isomerism-Derived
      Difference in Molecular Packing and Properties.
AB  - Two sequence isomeric poly(amic acid)s (PAAs) are successfully synthesized from
      3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and unsymmetrical 5(6)-amino-2-(4
      aminobenzene) benzimidazole (PABZ). The syntheses are based on the site-selective
      reactivity of head/tail amino groups of PABZ and solubility differences of PABZ
      in good solvent (dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO) and poor solvent (N-methyl-2
      pyrrolidone, NMP). The proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR) results reveal
      that the content of head tail-head tail (HT?HT) bonding units in PAA-DMSO (PAA
      synthesized in DMSO) is 37%, while this content increases to 54% in PAA-NMP (PAA
      synthesized in NMP). The wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) results indicate
      polyimide (PI)-NMP film with high HT?HT content exhibits a semicrystalline
      structure, while PI-DMSO film is amorphous. Moreover, PI-NMP also shows higher in
      plane orientation than PI-DMSO. The ordered molecular packing and higher in-plane
      orientation of PI-NMP lead to an increase in mechanical properties and a decrease
      in in-plane thermal expansion coefficient.

PMID- 28895260
TI  - Changes in serum chitinase 3-like 1 levels correlate with changes in liver
      fibrosis measured by two established quantitative methods in chronic hepatitis B
      patients following antiviral therapy.
AB  - AIM: Non-invasive assessment of changes in liver fibrosis is still an unmet
      medical need in the era of antiviral therapy. Therefore, we explore whether
      chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1), a serum marker of liver fibrosis, can be used as a
      non-invasive surrogate marker of fibrosis change during treatment. METHODS: We
      correlated serum CHI3L1 levels with liver tissue collagen proportionate area
      (CPA) in a cohort of 131 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) receiving
      entecavir-based antiviral therapy for 78 weeks. In addition, we compared this
      marker with the liver stiffness measurement (LSM). Multivariate regression
      analyses were undertaken to determine the clinical factors associated with the
      CHI3L1 levels. RESULTS: Before treatment, correlation analysis showed that there
      were positive correlations between CHI3L1 levels and the CPA (r = 0.351, P <
      0.001), and between CHI3L1 and LSM (r = 0.412, P < 0.001). After 78 weeks
      treatment, serum CHI3L1 levels decreased compared with that at baseline (87.8 vs.
      69.6 ng/mL, P < 0.001), and CHI3L1 levels were also correlated with CPA (r =
      0.293, P = 0.001) and LSM (r = 0.443, P < 0.001). Furthermore, there were
      positive correlations between the changes in CHI3L1 and CPA (r = 0.366, P<0.001),
      and changes in CHI3L1 and LSM (r = 0.438, P<0.001). Multivariate regression
      analyses indicated that CPA values were related with pre- (beta = 5.450, P =
      0.019) and post-treatment CHI3L1 levels (beta = 7.460, P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS:
      Chitinase 3-like 1 is not only a useful non-invasive marker for the assessment of
      liver fibrosis in CHB patients before treatment, but also a potential useful
      marker for monitoring the change in liver fibrosis during therapy.

PMID- 28895261
TI  - The effects of optimism, religion, and hope on mood and anxiety disorders in
      women with the FMR1 premutation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The FMR1 premutation, caused by a CGG trinucleotide repeat expansion
      on the FMR1 gene, has been identified as a genetic risk factor for mood and
      anxiety disorders. Building on recent studies identifying increased risk for mood
      and affective disorders in this population, we examined effects of potential
      protective factors (optimism, religion, hope) on depression and anxiety diagnoses
      in a prospective, longitudinal cohort. METHODS: Eighty-three women with the FMR1
      premutation participated in the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR
      Disorders at two-time points, 3 years apart. Participants also completed measures
      of optimism, religion, personal faith, hope, and child and family
      characteristics. We used logistic regression to examine correlates of major
      depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders at the initial assessment, as
      well as predictors of the diagnostic course over time. RESULTS: Lower optimism
      and higher religious participation relevant to fragile X syndrome at the initial
      assessment were associated with a lifetime history of MDD. Lower optimism also
      predicted the occurrence and reoccurrence of an anxiety disorder 3 years later.
      CONCLUSIONS: In women with the FMR1 premutation, elevated optimism may reduce the
      occurrence or severity of MDD and anxiety disorders. These findings underscore
      the importance of supporting mental health across the FMR1 spectrum of
      involvement.

PMID- 28895262
TI  - Physical and mental health of young people with and without intellectual
      disabilities: cross-sectional analysis of a whole country population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transition to adulthood may be a period of vulnerability for health
      for individuals with intellectual disabilities. No large-scale studies have
      compared the health of individuals with and without intellectual disabilities
      undergoing transition. The aims of this study were (1) to compare health during
      transition for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities across a
      whole country population and (2) to establish whether transition is associated
      with health in the population with intellectual disabilities. METHODS: Data were
      drawn from Scotland's Census, 2011. Frequency data were calculated for young
      people with and without intellectual disabilities. Logistic regressions were used
      to determine the extent to which intellectual disabilities account for seven
      health outcomes (general health, mental health, physical disabilities, hearing
      impairment, visual impairment, long-term illness and day-to-day activity
      limitations), adjusted for age and gender. Within the intellectual disabilities
      population, logistic regressions were then used to determine whether age group
      (13-18 or 19-24 years) is associated with the seven health outcomes, adjusted by
      gender. RESULTS: A total of 5556/815 889 young people aged 13-24 years had
      intellectual disabilities. Those with intellectual disabilities were 9.6-125.0
      times more likely to have poor health on the seven outcomes. Within the
      population with intellectual disabilities, the 19- to 24-year-olds with
      intellectual disabilities were more likely to have mental health problems than
      the 13- to 18-year-olds, but did not have poorer health on the other outcomes.
      The difference between age groups for mental health problems was greater for
      young people who did not have intellectual disabilities, but their overall level
      of mental health problems was substantially lower than for the young people with
      intellectual disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: This largest-to-date study quantifies the
      extent of the substantial health disparities experienced by young people with
      intellectual disabilities compared with people without intellectual disabilities.
      The young population with intellectual disabilities have substantial health
      problems; therefore, transition between child and adult services must be
      carefully planned in order to ensure that existing health conditions are managed
      and emerging problems minimised.

PMID- 28895263
TI  - Pseudouridimycin: The First Nucleoside Analogue That Selectively Inhibits
      Bacterial RNA Polymerase.
AB  - Seek, and ye shall find: After years of focusing research on synthetic
      antibiotics out of fear that all the useful natural ones had already been found,
      a novel antibacterial compound has been discovered through conventional microbial
      extract screening. The broad-spectrum nucleoside-analogue inhibitor
      pseudouridimycin is selective for bacterial RNA polymerase and elicits very low
      resistance rates.

PMID- 28895264
TI  - Phenolic Compound Diversity Explored in the Context of Photo-Oxidative Stress
      Protection.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Phenolic compounds are a chemically diverse group of plant
      secondary metabolites with important roles both in plant stress defence and human
      nutrition. OBJECTIVE: To explore structure-function relations potentiating
      phenolic compounds to promote leaf acclimation to light stress by excess
      photosynthetically active radiation (photoinhibition) and by solar ultraviolet
      (UV) radiation. METHODOLOGY: We report singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide
      antioxidant capacities and UV-absorbing properties of 27 flavonoids and 11
      phenolic acids. Correlations of these characteristics in the whole data set and
      related activity-structure relationships in flavonoid data were investigated
      using simple statistical methods. RESULTS: In comparison to flavonoids, phenolic
      acids are relatively ineffective reactive oxygen neutralising antioxidants; and -
      with the exception of gallic acid - have poor reactivity to hydrogen peroxide.
      Singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide detoxifying capacities of flavonoids are
      positively correlated, largely due to the strong positive effect of the
      hydroxylation of the C-ring in position-3. 3-O-Glycosylation halves reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) reactivities of quercetin and myricetin but eradicates the
      hydrogen peroxide reactivity of kaemferol. B-ring polyhydroxylation (cathecol
      structure) increases the hydrogen peroxide antioxidant function but decreases UV
      B (280-315 nm) absorption. UV-A (315-400 nm) absorption is increased by the B
      ring C2-C3 double bond either in itself or in combination with the C4 oxo-group.
      CONCLUSION: Among the studied compounds, anthocyanins and flavonols were the
      strongest singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide scavengers, and are thus capable
      of supporting defence against both photoinhibition by visible light and UV stress
      in leaves, while flavanols may only be effective against the latter. Copyright
      (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28895265
TI  - Graphene Oxide Facilitates Solvent-Free Synthesis of Well-Dispersed, Faceted
      Zeolite Crystals.
AB  - Zeolites with molecular dimension pores are widely used in petrochemical and fine
      chemical industries. While traditional solvothermal syntheses suffer from
      environmental, safety, and efficiency issues, the newly developed solvent-free
      synthesis is limited by zeolite crystal aggregation. Herein, we report well
      dispersed and faceted silicalite ZSM-5 zeolite crystals obtained using a solvent
      free synthesis facilitated by graphene oxide (GO). The selective interactions
      between the GO sheets and different facets, which are confirmed by molecular
      dynamics simulations, result in oriented growth of the ZSM-5 crystals along the c
      axis. More importantly, the incorporation of GO sheets into the ZSM-5 crystals
      leads to the formation of mesopores. Consequently, the faceted ZSM-5 crystals
      exhibit hierarchical pore structures. This synthetic method is superior to
      conventional approaches because of the features of the ZSM-5 zeolite.

PMID- 28895266
TI  - Sequence-Independent DNA Nanogel as a Potential Drug Carrier.
AB  - DNA nanostructures largely rely on pairing DNA bases; thus, sequence designing is
      required. Here, this study demonstrates a sequence-independent strategy to
      fabricate DNA nanogel (NG) inspired by cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic drug that
      acts as a DNA crosslinker. A simple heating and cooling of the genomic DNA
      extracts and cisplatin produces DNA NG with a size controlled by the heating
      time. Furthermore, the drug-loaded NG is formulated by spontaneously mixing DNA
      segments, cisplatin, and doxorubicin. The in vitro cell studies demonstrate that
      the doxorubicin-loaded NG alters the drug distribution in cells while its
      cytotoxic potential is well-maintained. This chemotherapeutic-inspired method
      provides a facile one-pot and cost-effective strategy to fabricate size
      controllable DNA NG that potentially acts as drug carrier.

PMID- 28895267
TI  - Long-Lived Supramolecular Helices Promoted by Fluorinated Photoswitches.
AB  - Chiral azobenzenes can be used as photoswitchable dopants to control
      supramolecular helices in liquid crystals. However, the lack of thermal stability
      of the cis-isomer precludes envisioning the generation of long-lived
      supramolecular helices with light. Here, this study demonstrates thermally stable
      and axially chiral azobenzene switches that can be used as chiral dopants to
      create supramolecular helices from (achiral) nematic liquid crystals. Their trans
      to-cis photoisomerization leads to a variation of helical twisting power that
      reaches up to 60%, and the helical superstructure that is engineered with light
      displays a relaxation time that reaches tens of hours. These results demonstrate
      that combining ortho-fluorination with axial chirality in molecular photoswitches
      constitutes an efficient strategy to promote long-lived helical states. Further,
      this approach shows potential to design supramolecular machines that are
      controlled by light entirely.

PMID- 28895268
TI  - Lithium reduces the span of G protein-activated K+ (GIRK) channel inhibition in
      hippocampal neurons.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Lithium (Li+ ) is one of the most widely used treatments for bipolar
      disorder (BD). However, the molecular and neuronal basis of BD, as well as the
      mechanisms of Li+ actions are poorly understood. Cellular and biochemical studies
      identified G proteins as being among the cellular targets for Li+ action, while
      genetic studies indicated an association with the KCNJ3 gene, which encodes the G
      protein-activated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels. GIRK channels regulate
      neuronal excitability by mediating the inhibitory effects of multiple
      neurotransmitters and contribute to the resting potassium conductance. Here, we
      explored the effects of therapeutic dose of Li+ on neuronal excitability and the
      role of GIRK channels in Li+ actions. METHODS: Effects of Li+ on excitability
      were studied in hippocampal brain slices using whole-cell electrophysiological
      recordings. RESULTS: A therapeutic dose of Li+ (1 mM) dually regulated the
      function of GIRK channels in hippocampal slices. Li+ hyperpolarized the resting
      membrane potential of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons and prolonged the latency
      to reach the action potential threshold and peak. These effects were abolished in
      the presence of tertiapin, a specific GIRK channel blocker, and at doses above
      the therapeutic window (2 mM). In contrast, Li+ reduced GIRK channel opening
      induced by GABAB receptor (GABAB R) activation, causing reduced hyperpolarization
      of the membrane potential, attenuated reduction of input resistance, and a
      smaller decrease of neuronal firing. CONCLUSIONS: A therapeutic dose of Li+
      reduces the span of GIRK channel-mediated inhibition due to enhancement of basal
      GIRK currents and inhibition of GABAB R evoked responses, providing an important
      link between Li+ action, neuronal excitability, and cellular and genetic targets
      of BD.

PMID- 28895269
TI  - Lithium and suicide in mood disorders: Updated meta-review of the scientific
      literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Suicide and suicidal behaviour are increased in mood disorders,
      particularly bipolar disorders. Observational studies and small randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) support the idea that taking lithium is associated with
      a reduction in these rates. This paper aims to review the best evidence for the
      effect of lithium on rates of suicide and self harm. METHODS: We searched PubMed,
      PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library systematically for systematic reviews and meta
      analyses of RCTs of lithium and suicide and self harm published between January
      1980 and June 2017. In the case of multiple publications on the same topic, only
      the most recent or most comprehensive review was considered. RESULTS: A large
      number of reviews were identified, but only 16 publications were systematic
      reviews. Of these, three systematic reviews of lithium and suicide rates and one
      of lithium and self harm confined only to RCTs were identified. Despite some
      methodological concerns and heterogeneity in terms of participants, diagnoses,
      comparators, durations, and phase of illness, the evidence to date is
      overwhelmingly in favour of lithium as an antisuicidal agent, even balanced
      against any potential disadvantages of its use in regular clinical practice.
      CONCLUSIONS: The anti-suicidal effects of lithium have been consistently reported
      over the past 40 years. The most robust evidence comes from RCTs, but these
      results are also discussed in the context of the difficulties in conducting high
      quality studies in this area, and the supporting evidence that observational and
      non-randomized studies can also provide. Given this evidence, however, the use of
      lithium is still underrepresented in clinical practice and should be incorporated
      more assertively into current guidelines.

PMID- 28895270
TI  - Does a "whiff" of mania in a major depressive episode shift treatment from a
      classical antidepressant to an atypical/second-generation antipsychotic?

PMID- 28895271
TI  - Multi-model comparison highlights consistency in predicted effect of warming on a
      semi-arid shrub.
AB  - A number of modeling approaches have been developed to predict the impacts of
      climate change on species distributions, performance, and abundance. The stronger
      the agreement from models that represent different processes and are based on
      distinct and independent sources of information, the greater the confidence we
      can have in their predictions. Evaluating the level of confidence is particularly
      important when predictions are used to guide conservation or restoration
      decisions. We used a multi-model approach to predict climate change impacts on
      big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), the dominant plant species on roughly 43
      million hectares in the western United States and a key resource for many endemic
      wildlife species. To evaluate the climate sensitivity of A. tridentata, we
      developed four predictive models, two based on empirically derived spatial and
      temporal relationships, and two that applied mechanistic approaches to simulate
      sagebrush recruitment and growth. This approach enabled us to produce an
      aggregate index of climate change vulnerability and uncertainty based on the
      level of agreement between models. Despite large differences in model structure,
      predictions of sagebrush response to climate change were largely consistent.
      Performance, as measured by change in cover, growth, or recruitment, was
      predicted to decrease at the warmest sites, but increase throughout the cooler
      portions of sagebrush's range. A sensitivity analysis indicated that sagebrush
      performance responds more strongly to changes in temperature than precipitation.
      Most of the uncertainty in model predictions reflected variation among the
      ecological models, raising questions about the reliability of forecasts based on
      a single modeling approach. Our results highlight the value of a multi-model
      approach in forecasting climate change impacts and uncertainties and should help
      land managers to maximize the value of conservation investments.

PMID- 28895272
TI  - Stretchable Electronic Sensors of Nanocomposite Network Films for Ultrasensitive
      Chemical Vapor Sensing.
AB  - A stretchable, transparent, and body-attachable chemical sensor is assembled from
      the stretchable nanocomposite network film for ultrasensitive chemical vapor
      sensing. The stretchable nanocomposite network film is fabricated by in situ
      preparation of polyaniline/MoS2 (PANI/MoS2 ) nanocomposite in MoS2 suspension and
      simultaneously nanocomposite deposition onto prestrain elastomeric
      polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The assembled stretchable electronic sensor
      demonstrates ultrasensitive sensing performance as low as 50 ppb, robust sensing
      stability, and reliable stretchability for high-performance chemical vapor
      sensing. The ultrasensitive sensing performance of the stretchable electronic
      sensors could be ascribed to the synergistic sensing advantages of MoS2 and PANI,
      higher specific surface area, the reliable sensing channels of interconnected
      network, and the effectively exposed sensing materials. It is expected to hold
      great promise for assembling various flexible stretchable chemical vapor sensors
      with ultrasensitive sensing performance, superior sensing stability, reliable
      stretchability, and robust portability to be potentially integrated into wearable
      electronics for real-time monitoring of environment safety and human healthcare.

PMID- 28895273
TI  - Protecting and Leaving Functions of Trimethylsilyl Groups in Trimethylsilylated
      Silicates for the Synthesis of Alkoxysiloxane Oligomers.
AB  - The concept of protecting groups and leaving groups in organic synthesis was
      applied to the synthesis of siloxane-based molecules. Alkoxy-functionalized
      siloxane oligomers composed of SiO4 , RSiO3 , or R2 SiO2 units were chosen as
      targets (R: functional groups, such as Me and Ph). Herein we describe a novel
      synthesis of alkoxysiloxane oligomers based on the substitution reaction of
      trimethylsilyl (TMS) groups with alkoxysilyl groups. Oligosiloxanes possessing
      TMS groups were reacted with alkoxychlorosilane in the presence of BiCl3 as a
      catalyst. TMS groups were substituted with alkoxysilyl groups, leading to the
      synthesis of alkoxysiloxane oligomers. Siloxane oligomers composed of RSiO3 and
      R2 SiO2 units were synthesized more efficiently than those composed of SiO4
      units, suggesting that the steric hindrance around the TMS groups of the
      oligosiloxanes makes a difference in the degree of substitution. This reaction
      uses TMS groups as both protecting and leaving groups for SiOH/SiO- groups.

PMID- 28895274
TI  - Methodological recommendations for cognition trials in bipolar disorder by the
      International Society for Bipolar Disorders Targeting Cognition Task Force.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To aid the development of treatment for cognitive impairment in
      bipolar disorder, the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) convened
      a task force to create a consensus-based guidance paper for the methodology and
      design of cognition trials in bipolar disorder. METHODS: The task force was
      launched in September 2016, consisting of 18 international experts from nine
      countries. A series of methodological issues were identified based on literature
      review and expert opinion. The issues were discussed and expanded upon in an
      initial face-to-face meeting, telephone conference call and email exchanges.
      Based upon these exchanges, recommendations were achieved. RESULTS: Key
      methodological challenges are: lack of consensus on how to screen for entry into
      cognitive treatment trials, define cognitive impairment, track efficacy, assess
      functional implications, and manage mood symptoms and concomitant medication.
      Task force recommendations are to: (i) enrich trials with objectively measured
      cognitively impaired patients; (ii) generally select a broad cognitive composite
      score as the primary outcome and a functional measure as a key secondary outcome;
      and (iii) include remitted or partly remitted patients. It is strongly encouraged
      that trials exclude patients with current substance or alcohol use disorders,
      neurological disease or unstable medical illness, and keep non-study medications
      stable. Additional methodological considerations include neuroimaging
      assessments, targeting of treatments to illness stage and using a multimodal
      approach. CONCLUSIONS: This ISBD task force guidance paper provides the first
      consensus-based recommendations for cognition trials in bipolar disorder.
      Adherence to these recommendations will likely improve the sensitivity in
      detecting treatment efficacy in future trials and increase comparability between
      studies.

PMID- 28895275
TI  - Incidence and outcome of infective endocarditis following percutaneous versus
      surgical pulmonary valve replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To provide a comparison of the outcome of infective endocarditis (IE)
      in patients undergoing transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) versus
      surgical pulmonary valve replacement (SPVR). BACKGROUND: Although TPVR is thought
      to be associated with a higher risk of IE than SPVR, there is paucity of data to
      support this. METHODS: Patients who underwent TPVR or SPVR at UCLA between
      October 2010 and September 2016 were included and retrospectively analyzed.
      RESULTS: Three hundred forty-two patients underwent PVR at UCLA including 134
      SPVR and 208 TPVR. Patients undergoing TPVR were more likely to have had a
      history of endocarditis than those undergoing SPVR (5.3% vs. 0.7%, P = 0.03) and
      a right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV to PA) conduit (37% vs. 17%, P =
      0.0001). Two SPVR and seven TPVR patients developed IE with a 4-year freedom from
      endocarditis of 94.0% in the SPVR versus 84% in the TPVR group (P = 0.13). In
      patients who underwent TPVR and developed endocarditis, the mean gradient across
      the RVOT prior to intervention was higher (28.1 +/- 4.5 vs. 17.4 +/- 0.6 mmHg, P
      = 0.02) and were more likely to have a conduit (71% vs. 36%, P = 0.049).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients undergoing TPVR were not at a higher risk of
      IE than patients undergoing SPVR. TPVR patients were more likely to have had a
      prior history of IE and RV-PA conduit. The patients at highest risk were those
      with stenotic RV to PA conduits who were treated with TPVR.

PMID- 28895276
TI  - Osteoporotic fractures may impair life as much as the complications of diabetes.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: To compare the effect of osteoporotic fractures
      and complications of diabetes mellitus on quality of life (QoL). METHOD: A cross
      sectional study was performed in 840 patients with osteoporosis and in 943
      patients with diabetes in Hungary to estimate the effect of osteoporotic
      fractures and microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes on QoL
      using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Ordinary least-squares regression was performed
      for the analysis to control for age and gender. RESULTS: The effects of certain
      of osteoporotic fractures and diabetes complications were similar in size
      measured by the EQ-5D. Patients with hip fractures and compressions of the
      vertebrae suffered more than 0.2 drop in their QoL, which is comparable in size
      to the most severe complications of diabetes, such as vision loss and
      amputations. CONCLUSIONS: The use of mortality and premature mortality as the
      traditional measures of disease burden in public health policy making means that
      diseases which strongly affect QoL but less survival might not get the necessary
      priority. This is especially the case in low-income and middle-income countries
      where studies on QoL are scarce. Our comparative analysis, which showed that
      osteoporotic fractures reduce QoL as much as major complications of diabetes,
      highlights the need for comprehensive disease burden assessment, including losses
      in functionality and QoL, to support decision making.

PMID- 28895277
TI  - Evaluation of a fever-management algorithm in a pediatric cancer center in a low
      resource setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), inconsistent or delayed
      management of fever contributes to poor outcomes among pediatric patients with
      cancer. We hypothesized that standardizing practice with a clinical algorithm
      adapted to local resources would improve outcomes. Therefore, we developed a
      resource-specific algorithm for fever management in Davao City, Philippines. The
      primary objective of this study was to evaluate adherence to the algorithm.
      PROCEDURE: This was a prospective cohort study of algorithm adherence to assess
      the types of deviation, reasons for deviation, and pathogens isolated. All
      pediatric oncology patients who were admitted with fever (defined as an axillary
      temperature  >37.7 degrees C on one occasion or >=37.4 degrees C on two occasions
      1 hr apart) or who developed fever within 48 hr of admission were included.
      Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the
      relation between clinical predictors and length of hospitalization. RESULTS:
      During the study, 93 patients had 141 qualifying febrile episodes. Even though
      the algorithm was designed locally, deviations occurred in 70 (50%) of 141
      febrile episodes on day 0, reflecting implementation barriers at the patient,
      provider, and institutional levels. There were 259 deviations during the first 7
      days of admission in 92 (65%) of 141 patient episodes. Failure to identify high
      risk patients, missed antimicrobial doses, and pathogen isolation were associated
      with prolonged hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring algorithm adherence helps
      in assessing the quality of pediatric oncology care in LMICs and identifying
      opportunities for improvement. Measures that decrease high-frequency/high-impact
      algorithm deviations may shorten hospitalizations and improve healthcare use in
      LMICs.

PMID- 28895279
TI  - Posttransplantation relapse of pediatric chronic myelomonocytic leukemia cured
      using donor lymphocyte infusion.

PMID- 28895278
TI  - Contrast enhancement for portal images by combination of subtraction and
      reprojection processes for Compton scattering.
AB  - For patient setup of the IGRT technique, various imaging systems are currently
      available. MV portal imaging is performed in identical geometry with the
      treatment beam so that the portal image provides accurate geometric information.
      However, MV imaging suffers from poor image contrast due to larger Compton
      scatter photons. In this work, an original image processing algorithm is proposed
      to improve and enhance the image contrast without increasing the imaging dose.
      Scatter estimation was performed in detail by MC simulation based on patient CT
      data. In the image processing, scatter photons were eliminated and then they were
      reprojected as primary photons on the assumption that Compton interaction did not
      take place. To improve the processing efficiency, the dose spread function within
      the EPID was investigated and implemented on the developed code. Portal images
      with and without the proposed image processing were evaluated by the image
      contrast profile. By the subtraction process, the image contrast was improved but
      the EPID signal was weakened because 15.2% of the signal was eliminated due to
      the contribution of scatter photons. Hence, these scatter photons were
      reprojected in the reprojection process. As a result, the tumor, bronchi,
      mediastinal space and ribs were observed more clearly than in the original image.
      It was clarified that image processing with the dose spread functions provides
      stronger contrast enhancement while maintaining a sufficient signal-to-noise
      ratio. This work shows the feasibility of improving and enhancing the contrast of
      portal images.

PMID- 28895280
TI  - Addition of oral iron to plasma transfusion in human congenital
      hypotransferrinemia: A 10-year observational follow-up with the effects on
      hematological parameters and growth.
AB  - Congenital hypotransferrinemia (OMIM 209300) is an extremely rare disorder of
      inherited iron metabolism. Since its description in 1961, only 16 cases have been
      reported. The defective gene and molecular defect causing this disorder and
      clinicolaboratory findings seen in the homozygous and heterozygous states have
      been documented in both humans and mice. However, due to the lack of follow-up
      studies of the described cases, the long-term prognosis remains unknown. We
      present a 10-year observational follow-up of a patient previously diagnosed on a
      molecular basis who was treated with a unique therapy of plasma transfusion
      fortified with oral iron, with satisfactory clinicolaboratory responses.

PMID- 28895281
TI  - Encapsulated Vanadium-Based Hybrids in Amorphous N-Doped Carbon Matrix as Anode
      Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - Recently, researchers have made significant advancement in employing transition
      metal compound hybrids as anode material for lithium-ion batteries and developing
      simple preparation of these hybrids. To this end, this study reports a facile and
      scalable method for fabricating a vanadium oxide-nitride composite encapsulated
      in amorphous carbon matrix by simply mixing ammonium metavanadate and melamine as
      anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. By tuning the annealing temperature of
      the mixture, different hybrids of vanadium oxide-nitride compounds are
      synthesized. The electrode material prepared at 700  degrees C, i.e., VM-700,
      exhibits excellent cyclic stability retaining 92% of its reversible capacity
      after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g-1 and attractive rate
      performance (220 mAh g-1 ) under the current density of up to 2 A g-1 . The
      outstanding electrochemical properties can be attributed to the synergistic
      effect from heterojunction form by the vanadium compound hybrids, the improved
      ability of the excellent conductive carbon for electron transfer, and restraining
      the expansion and aggregation of vanadium oxide-nitride in cycling. These
      interesting findings will provide a reference for the preparation of transition
      metal oxide and nitride composites as well.

PMID- 28895283
TI  - Right ventricle outflow tract prestenting: In vitro testing of rigidity and
      corrosion properties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the resistance to compression
      (stiffness) of frequently used stents for right ventricular outflow tract
      prestenting. In addition, to assess the corrosion potential when different types
      of stent alloys come into contact with each other. METHOD: Different stents were
      tested in vitro in various combinations at specialized metallurgic laboratories.
      A bench compression test was used to assess resistance to compression of singular
      and joined combinations of stents. Corrosion was evaluated by standardized
      electrochemical galvanic tests in physiological solutions at 37 degrees C. Single
      stents and combinations of stents were evaluated over a period of 4-12 weeks.
      RESULTS: Relative stiffness of the stents Optimus/Andrastent XXL/Intrastent LD
      Max/8zig Cheatham-Platinum, expressed as load per length to deform the stent for
      1 mm at 22 mm was 100/104/161/190. Adding additional stents to a single stent
      significantly strengthened the joined couples (P < 0.001). The lowest galvanic
      corrosion rates (about 0.000001 mm/year) were observed for the joined CP
      Andrastent, Andra-Sapien, and Andra-SapienXT. The corrosion rate for coupled CP
      Sapien and CP-SapienXT was somewhat higher (about 0.000003 mm/year). The
      materials with the highest corrosion rates resulted in material losses of,
      respectively, 17 and 24 ug/year, which is negligible over a lifetime. CONCLUSION:
      Adding stents to a single stent significantly increases stiffness which will
      reduce the risk of metal fatigue failure. Corrosion of individual stents or stent
      combinations occurs, but is negligible over a human lifetime with low risk of
      biological effects. No mechanical integrity problems are thus expected as there
      is only 0.3% of the initial diameter of the struts of a stent that will be lost
      as a consequence of corrosion after 100 years.

PMID- 28895282
TI  - A patient safety education program in a medical physics residency.
AB  - Education in patient safety and quality of care is a requirement for radiation
      oncology residency programs according to accrediting agencies. However, recent
      surveys indicate that most programs lack a formal program to support this
      learning. The aim of this report was to address this gap and share experiences
      with a structured educational program on quality and safety designed specifically
      for medical physics therapy residencies. Five key topic areas were identified,
      drawn from published recommendations on safety and quality. A didactic component
      was developed, which includes an extensive reading list supported by a series of
      lectures. This was coupled with practice-based learning which includes one
      project, for example, failure modes and effect analysis exercise, and also
      continued participation in the departmental incident learning system including a
      root-cause analysis exercise. Performance was evaluated through quizzes,
      presentations, and reports. Over the period of 2014-2016, five medical physics
      residents successfully completed the program. Evaluations indicated that the
      residents had a positive experience. In addition to educating physics residents
      this program may be adapted for medical physics graduate programs or certificate
      programs, radiation oncology residencies, or as a self-directed educational
      project for practicing physicists. Future directions might include a system that
      coordinates between medical training centers such as a resident exchange program.

PMID- 28895284
TI  - Usefulness of the SYNTAX score II to validate 2-year outcomes in patients with
      complex coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: A
      large single-center study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the prognostic ability of synergy between
      percutaneous coronary intervention with Taxus and cardiac surgery score II (SS
      II) in a large cohort of patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD)
      undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in clinical practice.
      BACKGROUND: Few studies have explored the usefulness of SS-II in nonrandomized
      clinical patients with complex CAD undergoing temporary PCI. METHODS: We
      prospectively enrolled 4398 consecutive patients undergoing three-vessel and/or
      unprotected left main PCI in a single center from January 2013 to December 2013.
      Patients were stratified according to SS-II for PCI tertiles as follows: SS-II <=
      20 (n = 1474); SS-II 20-26 (n = 1462); and SS-II > 26 (n = 1462). The predictive
      ability for 2-year mortality was compared between angiographic scores and scores
      combining both angiographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: Mortality was
      significantly higher in the upper tertile than in the intermediate or lower
      tertiles during the 2-year follow-up (2.7% vs 1.7% vs 0.5%, respectively; P <
      0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that SS-II was an independent predictor of 2
      year mortality (hazard ratio: 1.66, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-2.68; P =
      0.04). After adjusting for multivariable factors, SS-II had better prediction of
      2-year mortality than baseline SS (C-index: SS-II = 0.740 vs baseline SS = 0.620;
      P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: As a risk score combining both anatomical and clinical
      variables, SS-II demonstrated superiority compared with the purely angiographic
      SS to predict 2-year mortality in a clinical population of patients with severe
      CAD undergoing temporary PCI.

PMID- 28895285
TI  - Complete filter-based cerebral embolic protection with transcatheter aortic valve
      replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the value of left vertebral artery filter protection in
      addition to the current filter-based embolic protection technology to achieve
      complete cerebral protection during TAVR. BACKGROUND: The occurrence of
      cerebrovascular events after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has
      fueled concern for its potential application in younger patients with longer life
      expectancy. Transcatheter cerebral embolic protection (TCEP) devices may limit
      periprocedural cerebrovascular events by preventing macro and micro-embolization
      to the brain. Conventional filter-based TCEP devices cover three extracranial
      contributories to the brain, yet leave the left vertebral artery unprotected.
      METHODS: Patients underwent TAVR with complete TCEP. A dual-filter system was
      deployed in the brachiocephalic trunk and left common carotid artery with an
      additional single filter in the left vertebral artery. After TAVR all filters
      were retrieved and sent for histopathological evaluation by an experienced
      pathologist. RESULTS: Eleven patients received a dual-filter system and nine of
      them received an additional left vertebral filter. In the remaining two patients,
      the left vertebral filter could not be deployed. No periprocedural strokes
      occurred. We found debris in all filters, consisting of thrombus, tissue derived
      debris, and foreign body material. The left vertebral filter contained debris in
      an equal amount of patients as the Sentinel filters. The size of the captured
      particles was similar between all filters. CONCLUSIONS: The left vertebral artery
      is an important entry route for embolic material to the brain during TAVR.
      Selective filter protection of the left vertebral artery revealed embolic debris
      in all patients. The clinical value of complete filter-based TCEP during TAVR
      warrants further research.

PMID- 28895286
TI  - Authors' reply re: Comparison of management regimens following ultrasound
      diagnosis of non-tubal ectopic pregnancies: a retrospective cohort study.

PMID- 28895287
TI  - When simulation becomes too real.

PMID- 28895289
TI  - Comment on: Insurance coverage decisions for pediatric proton therapy.

PMID- 28895288
TI  - Association between HIV and blood pressure in adults and role of body weight as a
      mediator: Cross-sectional study in Uganda.
AB  - The authors sought to describe the association between human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) and blood pressure (BP) levels, and determined the extent to which
      this relationship is mediated by body weight in a cross-sectional study of HIV
      infected and HIV-uninfected controls matched by age, sex, and neighborhood. Mixed
      effects models were fit to determine the association between HIV and BP and
      amount of effect of HIV on BP mediated through body mass index. Data were
      analyzed from 577 HIV-infected and 538 matched HIV-uninfected participants. HIV
      infection was associated with 3.3 mm Hg lower systolic BP (1.2-5.3 mm Hg), 1.5 mm
      Hg lower diastolic BP (0.2-2.9 mm Hg), 0.3 m/s lower pulse wave velocity (0.1-0.4
      mm Hg), and 30% lower odds of hypertension (10%-50%). Body mass index mediated
      25% of the association between HIV and systolic BP. HIV infection was inversely
      associated with systolic BP, diastolic BP, and pulse wave velocity. Comprehensive
      community-based programs to routinely screen for cardiovascular risk factors
      irrespective of HIV status should be operationalized in HIV-endemic countries.

PMID- 28895290
TI  - Design of a Novel Two-Component Hybrid Dermal Scaffold for the Treatment of
      Pressure Sores.
AB  - The aim of this study is to design a novel two-component hybrid scaffold using
      the fibrin/alginate porous hydrogel Smart Matrix combined to a backing layer of
      plasma polymerized polydimethylsiloxane (Sil) membrane to make the fibrin-based
      dermal scaffold more robust for the treatment of the clinically challenging
      pressure sores. A design criteria are established, according to which the Sil
      membranes are punched to avoid collection of fluid underneath. Manual peel test
      shows that native silicone does not attach to the fibrin/alginate component while
      the plasma polymerized silicone membranes are firmly bound to fibrin/alginate.
      Structural characterization shows that the fibrin/alginate matrix is intact after
      the addition of the Sil membrane. By adding a Sil membrane to the original
      fibrin/alginate scaffold, the resulting two-component scaffolds have a
      significantly higher shear or storage modulus G'. In vitro cell studies show that
      dermal fibroblasts remain viable, proliferate, and infiltrate the two-component
      hybrid scaffolds during the culture period. These results show that the design of
      a novel two-component hybrid dermal scaffold is successful according to the
      proposed design criteria. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the
      first study that reports the combination of a fibrin-based scaffold with a plasma
      polymerized silicone membrane.

PMID- 28895291
TI  - Revolving Vernier Mechanism Controls Size of Linear Homomultimer.
AB  - A new kind of the Vernier mechanism that is able to control the size of linear
      assembly of DNA origami nanostructures is proposed. The mechanism is realized by
      mechanical design of DNA origami, which consists of a hollow cylinder and a
      rotatable shaft in it connected through the same scaffold. This nanostructure
      stacks with each other by the shape complementarity at its top and bottom
      surfaces of the cylinder, while the number of stacking is limited by twisting
      angle of the shaft. Experiments have shown that the size distribution of
      multimeric assembly of the origami depends on the twisting angle of the shaft;
      the average lengths of the multimer are decamer, hexamer, and tetramer for 0
      degrees , 10 degrees , and 20 degrees  twist, respectively. In summary, it is
      possible to affect the number of polymerization by adjusting the precise shape
      and movability of a molecular structure.

PMID- 28895292
TI  - Pathology and genomics of pediatric melanoma: A critical reexamination and new
      insights.
AB  - The clinicopathologic features of pediatric melanoma are distinct from those of
      the adult counterpart. For example, most childhood melanomas exhibit a uniquely
      favorable biologic behavior, save for those arising in large/giant congenital
      nevi. Recent studies suggest that the characteristically favorable biologic
      behavior of childhood melanoma may be related to extreme telomere shortening and
      dysfunction in the cancer cells. Herein, we review the genomic profiles that have
      been defined for the different subtypes of pediatric melanoma and particularly
      emphasize the potential prognostic value of telomerase reverse transcriptase
      alterations for these tumors.

PMID- 28895293
TI  - Photoactuation Healing of alpha-FeOOH@g-C3 N4 Catalyst for Efficient and Stable
      Activation of Persulfate.
AB  - Inspired by living systems, the construction of smart devices that can self-heal
      in response to structural damage is a promising technology for maintaining the
      high activity and stability of catalysts during heterocatalytic reactions. Here
      this study demonstrates an ingenious platform that enabled efficient persulfate
      (PS) activation for contaminant degradation via integrating a catalyst with
      photoactuation regeneration. Under irradiation, it is unambiguously confirmed
      that the collective properties of a tailored FeOOH@C3 N4 catalyst permit
      interfacial photoexcited electron transport from the photocatalyst substrate to
      needle-shaped FeOOH. This results in the simultaneous recovery of Fe(III) and
      optimization of the Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio on FeOOH surface during PS activation
      process, so that the healed chemical structure ensures that subsequent PS
      activation remains unimpaired. Aqueous organic contaminant (bisphenol A)
      oxidation efficacy in this system is almost 20 times higher than for photo- or
      Fenton-oxidation alone. This work highlights the concept of catalyst regeneration
      for stable reactive species generation in solution, which represents alternative
      application of photocatalysis for practical environmental remediation. Further,
      the photoactuation healing approach can be expanded into various domains, such as
      material fabrication or chemical synthesis.

PMID- 28895294
TI  - Pathology of self-expanding transcatheter aortic valves: Findings from the
      CoreValve US pivotal trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has recently become an
      alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for patients with severe aortic
      stenosis. However, paravalvular leaks, possible leaflet thrombosis, and device
      durability following TAVR remain unresolved issues. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      conducted the first systematic microscopic and macroscopic pathologic analysis of
      self-expanding CoreValve transcatheter aortic valves removed at autopsy or
      surgically from the U.S. pivotal trial of extreme- and high-risk patients.
      Implants were evaluated for histopathologic changes in the valve frame and
      leaflets. Thrombus/neointima on the leaflets was graded depending on the leaflet
      thickness and the extent of leaflet involvement. Inflammation, calcification, and
      structural integrity were also assessed. A total of 21 cases (median age 86.0
      years [IQR, 79.0-91.0]), with median duration of implant duration of 17.0 days
      ranged from 0 to 503 days were evaluated. No valve frame fracture was observed
      and severe paravalvular gaps were uncommon. Inflammation and thrombus in the
      valve frame was minimal, but neointimal growth increased overtime. Symptomatic
      valve thrombosis was observed in one case (5%) and subclinical moderate leaflet
      thrombus was observed in four additional cases (19%). Inflammation of the
      leaflets was mild, while structural changes were minimal, and one case had
      infective endocarditis. Pannus or leaflet calcification were not observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: This first systematic macroscopic and microscopic pathologic
      analysis of self-expanding transcatheter aortic valves demonstrates favorable
      short-term pathologic findings. However, our finding of subclinical leaflet
      thrombus formation confirms prior observations and warrants further
      investigation.

PMID- 28895295
TI  - Medical curricular reform in Iraq.

PMID- 28895296
TI  - Decongestion Versus Cytokine Clearance in Acute Heart Failure: Not All that
      Glitters is Gold.

PMID- 28895297
TI  - Changing Trends in Therapeutic Plasmapheresis: An Indian Perspective.
AB  - Indications for therapeutic apheresis (TA) are dynamic; they keep changing and
      expanding because of introduction of newer treatment modalities and accumulating
      evidence in the form of case-reports, case-series and original articles. We
      evaluated our therapeutic plasmapheresis (TP) data and compared this data with an
      earlier published Indian report for indications, frequency, response rate and
      adverse reactions. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all TP procedures
      performed from January 2014 to June 2016 in department of Transfusion Medicine at
      a tertiary care hospital. All TP procedures performed for various clinical
      disorders including neurological, hematological, renal, hepatic and rheumatologic
      indications were included in the study. Analysis was performed with respect to
      demography, procedure details and response. 187 patients (118 Males and 69
      females) underwent 683 TP procedures during study period. According to 2013 ASFA
      guidelines, 99, 59 and 29 patients belonged to category I, II and III
      respectively. In comparison with the earlier report, the number of patients and
      procedures have increased, indications have changed, response rate is comparable,
      and the frequency of adverse reactions have decreased. In the last decade there
      has been increase in number and spectrum of indications for therapeutic apheresis
      and frequency of procedures. The response rate and safety of these procedures
      have also improved.

PMID- 28895299
TI  - Case of lipoatrophic diabetes induced by juvenile dermatomyositis.
AB  - Lipodystrophy is a rare condition that is often accompanied by one or more
      metabolic diseases. Here, we report a case of lipoatrophic diabetes induced by
      juvenile dermatomyositis. Although pioglitazone was not effective for lowering
      blood glucose levels, our observation suggested that it improved liver function
      slightly. The effectiveness of metreleptin for lowering blood glucose levels
      could not be determined, as we administered it in a short period. Liver biopsy
      showed burned-out non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The present results show that
      the successful treatment of lipoatrophic diabetes induced by juvenile
      dermatomyositis requires an early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

PMID- 28895298
TI  - Two decades of dendrimers as versatile MRI agents: a tale with and without
      metals.
AB  - Dendrimers or dendritic polymers are a class of compounds with great potential
      for nanomedical use. Some of their properties, including their rigidity, low
      polydispersity and the ease with which their surfaces can be modified make them
      particularly well suited for use as MRI diagnostic or theranostic agents. For the
      past 20 years, researchers have recognized this potential and refined dendrimer
      formulations to optimize these nanocarriers for a host of MRI applications,
      including blood pool imaging agents, lymph node imaging agents, tumor-targeted
      theranostic agents and cell tracking agents. This review summarizes the various
      types of dendrimers according to the type of MR contrast they can provide. This
      includes the metallic T1 , T2 and paraCEST imaging agents, and the non-metallic
      diaCEST and fluorinated (19 F) heteronuclear imaging agents. This article is
      categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging
      Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants.

PMID- 28895301
TI  - Early leaflet thrombosis complicating transcatheter implantation of a Sapien 3
      valve in a native right ventricular outflow tract.
AB  - A 59-year-old female with Tetralogy of Fallot had a previous complete repair with
      RVOT patch enlargement. She developed subsequent severe symptomatic (NYHA III)
      pulmonary regurgitation with severe RV dilatation. She had a concomitant
      interstitial lung disease secondary to hypersensitivity pneumonitis that
      precluded her from cardiac surgery. After preprocedural assessment using computed
      tomography, echocardiography and invasive angiography we decided to implant a 29
      mm Edwards Sapien 3 valve without pre-stenting. The Sapien 3 valve was implanted
      in a satisfactory position using rapid RV pacing. The valve appeared well
      expanded with good circularity on fluoroscopy. A transthoracic echocardiography
      on the following day showed no pulmonary regurgitation with a peak gradient of 14
      mmHg across the prosthesis. At 4 weeks follow-up, the patient felt a marked
      improvement (NYHA II) but a CT scan showed bileaflet valve thickening with
      preserved stent expansion. A concomitant echo-doppler showed a significant
      increase of peak pulmonary gradient to 26 mmHg. After a six weeks course of
      warfarin therapy, the transpulmonary valve peak gradient came down to 16 mmHg and
      leaflet thickening resolved on CT. The Sapien 3 system helped achieve a
      successful transfemoral percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation in a
      challenging native RVOT anatomy. This case was complicated by early valve
      thrombosis as documented by CT and was successfully treated with oral
      anticoagulation.

PMID- 28895300
TI  - ExSTA: External Standard Addition Method for Accurate High-Throughput
      Quantitation in Targeted Proteomics Experiments.
AB  - PURPOSE: Targeted proteomics using MRM with stable-isotope-labeled internal
      standard (SIS) peptides is the current method of choice for protein quantitation
      in complex biological matrices. Better quantitation can be achieved with the
      internal standard-addition method, where successive increments of synthesized
      natural form (NAT) of the endogenous analyte are added to each sample, a response
      curve is generated, and the endogenous concentration is determined at the x
      intercept. Internal NAT-addition, however, requires multiple analyses of each
      sample, resulting in increased sample consumption and analysis time. EXPERIMENTAL
      DESIGN: To compare the following three methods, an MRM assay for 34 high-to
      moderate abundance human plasma proteins is used: classical internal SIS
      addition, internal NAT-addition, and external NAT-addition-generated in buffer
      using NAT and SIS peptides. Using endogenous-free chicken plasma, the accuracy is
      also evaluated. RESULTS: The internal NAT-addition outperforms the other two in
      precision and accuracy. However, the curves derived by internal vs. external NAT
      addition differ by only ~3.8% in slope, providing comparable accuracies and
      precision with good CV values. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While the
      internal NAT-addition method may be "ideal", this new external NAT-addition can
      be used to determine the concentration of high-to-moderate abundance endogenous
      plasma proteins, providing a robust and cost-effective alternative for clinical
      analyses or other high-throughput applications.

PMID- 28895303
TI  - Coronary angiography with or without percutaneous coronary intervention in
      patients with hemophilia-Systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to summarize the evidence for periprocedural and long-term
      strategies to both minimize the bleeding risk and ensure sufficient
      anticoagulation and antiaggregation in hemophilia patients undergoing coronary
      angiography with or without percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).
      BACKGROUND: Hemophilia patients undergoing coronary angiography and PCI are at
      risk of bleeding due to deficiency of the essential clotting factors VIII or IX
      combined with the need of peri-interventional anticoagulation and antiaggregation
      and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after PCI. METHODS: We report on a patient
      with moderate hemophilia B undergoing single-vessel PCI with administration of
      factor IX concentrate during the procedure and during the 1-month DAPT period. In
      addition, a systematic review of patients (n = 54, mean age 58 +/- 10 years) with
      hemophilia A (n = 45, 83%) or B (n = 9, 17%) undergoing coronary angiography with
      or without PCI is presented. RESULTS: Peri-interventional factor substitution was
      performed in the majority (42 of 54, 78%) but not all patients. In 38 of 54 (70%)
      patients undergoing coronary angiography, PCI with balloon dilation (n = 5), bare
      metal (n = 31), or drug-eluting stents (n = 2) was performed. For PCI
      unfractioned heparin (n = 24), low molecular weight heparin (n = 2), bivalirudin
      (n = 4), or no periprocedural anticoagulation at all (n = 8) were used. PCI was
      successful in all cases. After stenting, the majority (28 of 33; 85%) was treated
      with DAPT (median duration 1 month). Major periprocedural bleeding episodes
      occurred in 3 of 54 (6%) patients. Bleeding during follow-up occurred in 11 of 54
      (20%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary angiography and PCI in patients with
      hemophilia are effective and safe when applying individualized measures to
      prevent bleeding.

PMID- 28895302
TI  - Catalytic Upgrading of Ethanol to n-Butanol: Progress in Catalyst Development.
AB  - Because n-butanol as a fuel additive has more advantageous physicochemical
      properties than those of ethanol, ethanol valorization to n-butanol through homo-
      or heterogeneous catalysis has received much attention in recent decades in both
      scientific and industrial fields. Recent progress in catalyst development for
      upgrading ethanol to n-butanol, which involves homogeneous catalysts, such as
      iridium and ruthenium complexes, and heterogeneous catalysts, including metal
      oxides, hydroxyapatite (HAP), and, in particular, supported metal catalysts, is
      reviewed herein. The structure-activity relationships of catalysts and underlying
      reaction mechanisms are critically examined, and future research directions on
      the design and improvement of catalysts are also proposed.

PMID- 28895304
TI  - A hindsight reflection on the clinical studies of poly(l-glutamic acid)
      paclitaxel.
AB  - Chemotherapy for cancer treatment is limited by the excessive toxicity to normal
      tissues. The design of chemodrug-loaded nanoformulations provides a unique
      approach to improve the treatment efficacy while minimizing toxicity. Despite the
      numerous publications of nanomedicine for the last several decades, however, only
      a small fraction of the developed nanoformulations have entered clinical trials,
      with even fewer being approved for clinical application. Poly(l-glutamic acid)
      paclitaxel (PG-TXL) belongs to the few formulations that reached phase III
      clinical trials. Unfortunately, the development of PG-TXL stopped in 2016 due to
      the inability to show significant improvement over current standard care. This
      review will provide an overview of the preclinical and clinical evaluations of PG
      TXL, and discuss lessons to be learned from this ordeal. The precise
      identification of suitable patients for clinical trial studies, deep
      understanding of the mechanisms of action, and an effective academic-industry
      partnership throughout all phases of drug development are important for the
      successful bench-to-bedside translation of new nanoformulations. This article is
      categorized under: Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies >
      Nanomaterials and Implants Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery >
      Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Peptide-Based
      Structures.

PMID- 28895305
TI  - Reflections from wound workshops.

PMID- 28895306
TI  - Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskite Photodetectors.
AB  - Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite materials garner enormous attention for a
      wide range of optoelectronic devices. Due to their attractive optical and
      electrical properties including high optical absorption coefficient, high carrier
      mobility, and long carrier diffusion length, perovskites have opened up a great
      opportunity for high performance photodetectors. This review aims to give a
      comprehensive summary of the significant results on perovskite-based
      photodetectors, focusing on the relationship among the perovskite structures,
      device configurations, and photodetecting performances. An introduction of recent
      progress in various perovskite structure-based photodetectors is provided. The
      emphasis is placed on the correlation between the perovskite structure and the
      device performance. Next, recent developments of bandgap-tunable perovskite and
      hybrid photodetectors built from perovskite heterostructures are highlighted.
      Then, effective approaches to enhance the stability of perovskite photodetector
      are presented, followed by the introduction of flexible and self-powered
      perovskite photodetectors. Finally, a summary of the previous results is given,
      and the major challenges that need to be addressed in the future are outlined. A
      comprehensive summary of the research status on perovskite photodetectors is
      hoped to push forward the development of this field.

PMID- 28895307
TI  - Cadmium Chalcogenide Nano-Heteroplatelets: Creating Advanced Nanostructured
      Materials by Shell Growth, Substitution, and Attachment.
AB  - The current direction in the evolution of 2D semiconductor nanocrystals involves
      the combination of metal and semiconductor components to form new nanoengineered
      materials called nano-heteroplatelets. This Review covers different
      heterostructure architectures that can be applied to cadmium chalcogenide
      nanoplatelets, including variously shaped shell, metal nanoparticle decoration,
      and doped and alloy systems. Here, for the first time a complete classification
      of nano-heteroplatelet types is provided with recommended notations and a
      systematization of the existing knowledge and experience concerning
      heterostructure formation techniques, addressing the morphology, optoelectronic
      and magnetic properties, and novel features of different heterostructures. This
      Review is also devoted to possible applications of these heterostructures and of
      one-component nanoplatelets in multiple fields, including light-emitting devices
      and biological imaging.

PMID- 28895308
TI  - Abnormal findings in peers during skills learning.

PMID- 28895309
TI  - Impact of medical school surgical conferences.

PMID- 28895311
TI  - Response: the use of mobile technology in feedback.

PMID- 28895313
TI  - 'Dear editors': the art of letter writing.

PMID- 28895312
TI  - The impact of surgical conferences: a response.

PMID- 28895314
TI  - Implementing collaborative and peer-assisted learning (CPAL).

PMID- 28895315
TI  - Single-Atom Catalysts of Precious Metals for Electrochemical Reactions.
AB  - Single-atom catalysts (SACs), in which metal atoms are dispersed on the support
      without forming nanoparticles, have been used for various heterogeneous reactions
      and most recently for electrochemical reactions. In this Minireview, recent
      examples of single-atom electrocatalysts used for the oxygen reduction reaction
      (ORR), hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER),
      formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR), and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are
      introduced. Many density functional theory (DFT) simulations have predicted that
      SACs may be effective for CO2 reduction to methane or methanol production while
      suppressing H2 evolution, and those cases are introduced here as well. Single
      atoms, mainly Pt single atoms, have been deposited on TiN or TiC nanoparticles,
      defective graphene nanosheets, N-doped covalent triazine frameworks, graphitic
      carbon nitride, S-doped zeolite-templated carbon, and Sb-doped SnO2 surfaces.
      Scanning transmission electron microscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine
      structure measurement, and in situ infrared spectroscopy have been used to detect
      the single-atom structure and confirm the absence of nanoparticles. SACs have
      shown high mass activity, minimizing the use of precious metal, and unique
      selectivity distinct from nanoparticle catalysts owing to the absence of ensemble
      sites. Additional features that SACs should possess for effective electrochemical
      applications were also suggested.

PMID- 28895316
TI  - Action observation produces motor resonance in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Observation of movement activates the observer's own motor system, influencing
      the performance of actions and facilitating social interaction. This motor
      resonance is demonstrated behaviourally through visuomotor priming, whereby
      response latencies are influenced by the compatibility between an intended action
      and an observed (task-irrelevant) action. The impact of movement disorders such
      as Parkinson's disease (PD) on motor resonance is unclear, as previous studies of
      visuomotor priming have not separated imitative compatibility (specific to human
      movement) from general stimulus-response compatibility effects. We examined
      visuomotor priming in 23 participants with mild-to-moderate PD and 24 healthy
      older adults, using a task that pitted imitative compatibility against general
      stimulus-response compatibility. Participants made a key press after observing a
      task-irrelevant moving human finger or rectangle that was either compatible or
      incompatible with their response. Imitative compatibility effects, rather than
      general stimulus-response compatibility effects, were found specifically for the
      human finger. Moreover, imitative compatibility effects did not differ between
      groups, indicating intact motor resonance in the PD group. These findings
      constitute the first unambiguous demonstration of imitative priming in both PD
      and healthy ageing, and have implications for therapeutic techniques to
      facilitate action, as well as the understanding of social cognition in PD.

PMID- 28895317
TI  - Assessment of a noninvasive optical photoplethysmography imaging device with
      dynamic tissue phantom models.
AB  - Noncontact photoplethysmography (PPG) has been studied as a method to provide low
      cost, noninvasive, two-dimensional blood oxygenation measurements and medical
      imaging for a variety of near-surface pathologies. To evaluate this technology in
      a laboratory setting, dynamic tissue phantoms were developed with tunable
      parameters that mimic physiologic properties of the skin, including blood vessel
      volume change, pulse wave frequency, and tissue scattering and absorption. Tissue
      phantoms were generated using an elastic tubing to represent a blood vessel where
      the luminal volume could be modulated with a pulsatile fluid flow. The blood was
      mimicked with a scattering and absorbing motility standard, and the tissue with a
      gelatin-lipid emulsion hydrogel. A noncontact PPG imaging system was then
      evaluated using the phantoms. Noncontact PPG imaging accurately identified pulse
      frequency, and PPG signals from these phantoms suggest that the phantoms can be
      used to evaluate noncontact PPG imaging systems. Such information may be valuable
      to the development of future PPG imaging systems.

PMID- 28895318
TI  - [Relationship between law on the protection of wildlife and animal-derived
      drugs].
AB  - In most countries, the protection of wildlife resources is in a negative way, the
      state do not put emphasis on or even oppose artificial breeding, with the poor
      results. In our country, the state shall pursue a policy of strengthening the
      protection of wildlife resources, actively domesticating and breeding the species
      of wildlife, which has made great achievements. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)
      is one pillar of medical and health service in China, animal-derived drugs which
      are effective drugs for the treatment of certain critical cases have been used in
      clinic for 2 000 years. Prohibition or limited use of animal-derived drugs could
      affect the curative effect, hindering TCM from healthy development. The state
      shall encourage the protection and domestication, breeding of wildlife accords
      with our national conditions, which is not only beneficial to the protection of
      wildlife, but also favors the development of the cause of TCM.

PMID- 28895319
TI  - [Interaction of effective ingredients from traditional Chinese medicines with
      intestinal microbiota].
AB  - A large number and wide varieties of microorganisms colonize in the human
      gastrointestinal tract. They construct an intestinal microecological system in
      the intestinal environment. The intestinal symbiotic flora regulates a series of
      life actions, including digestion and absorption of nutrient, immune response,
      biological antagonism, and is closely associated with the occurrence and
      development of many diseases. Therefore, it is greatly essential for the host's
      health status to maintain the equilibrium of intestinal microecological
      environment. After effective compositions of traditional Chinese medicines are
      metabolized or biotransformed by human intestinal bacteria, their metabolites can
      be absorbed more easily, and can even decrease or increase toxicity and then
      exhibit significant different biological effects. Meanwhile, traditional Chinese
      medicines can also regulate the composition of the intestinal flora and protect
      the function of intestinal mucosal barrier to restore the homeostasis of
      intestinal microecology. The relevant literatures in recent 15 years about the
      interactive relationship between traditional Chinese medicines and gut microbiota
      have been collected in this review, in order to study the classification of gut
      microflora, the relationship between intestinal dysbacteriosis and diseases, the
      important roles of gut microflora in intestinal bacterial metabolism in effective
      ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines and bioactivities, as well as the
      modulation effects of Chinese medicine on intestinal dysbacteriosis. In addition,
      it also makes a future prospect for the research strategies to study the
      mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicines based on multi-omics
      techniques.

PMID- 28895320
TI  - [Research progress on chemical compounds and pharmacological effects of
      Caesalpinia].
AB  - Consult literature, the chemical composition of the type of system Caesalpinia
      plants were summarized and discussed in detail its pharmacological effects. The
      genus contains major chemical components of high isoflavones, chalcones and
      diterpenoids, pharmacological effects inhibit melanin production, anti
      inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, immune regulation, and further research
      in this genus offer reference.

PMID- 28895321
TI  - [Identification and prevention of root rot pathogen in model of ginseng
      cultivated in farmlands].
AB  - Root rot is one of the major diseases of Panax ginseng cultivated in northeastern
      farmlands. This study aims to identify pathogens that causing ginseng root rot
      disease, verify inhibiting effects of perilla crude extracts on the pathogens and
      present the basis for control of ginseng root rot. The species of root rot
      pathogens was isolated using the tissue isolation. The morphological analysis
      showed that the strain contained two forms of conidia, one was sickle-shaped or
      columnar and the other was large oval. There were obvious separations in the
      conidia. Based on the molecular analysis, sequence of 18s rDNA from this strain
      showed 100% homology with that of Fusarium oxysporum JF807402.1 by Blast. The
      results confirmed that F. oxysporum was the pathogenic strain for root rot of
      ginseng cultivated in farmlands. Inhibiting effects of perilla crude extracts
      were evaluated by the method of Oxford cup. The results indicated that 0.50 g*L-1
      of the perilla crude extract showed better sensitivity on the pathogenic strain,
      and its bacteriostatic diameters were 11.75 mm. The species of root rot pathogens
      of ginseng cultivated in farmlands was confirmed in this study. Our results
      presented materials for exploitation of botanical pesticide against root rot, and
      guaranteed the successful development of ginseng cultivated in farmland.

PMID- 28895322
TI  - [Hydrophidae identification through analysis on cytochrome c oxydase I(COI) and
      ribosome 16s rDNA gene barcode].
AB  - Hydrophidae, one of the precious traditional Chinese medicines, is generally
      drily preserved to prevent corruption, but it is hard to identify the species of
      Hydrophidae through the appearance because of the change due to the drying
      process. The identification through analysis on gene barcode, a new technique in
      species identification, can avoid this problem. The gene barcodes of the 5
      species of Hydrophidae, Lapemis hardwickii, Hydrophis fasciatus, Aipysurus
      eydouxii, Hydrophis belcher and Hydrophis lamberti, were acquired through DNA
      extraction and gene sequencing. These barcodes were then in sequence alignment
      and test the identification efficiency by BLAST. Our results showed that the 16S
      rDNA sequences identified Hydrophidae briefly and the COI sequenceshad obvious
      difference between intra-and inter-species, indicating that DNA bar-coding was an
      efficiency method of Hydrophidae identification.

PMID- 28895323
TI  - [Regional characteristic analysis of alkaloids and chlorogenic acid in wild
      Phellodendri Amurensis Cortex].
AB  - In the present research, 674 wild medicinal material samples of Phellodendri
      amurensis Cortex were collected from 31 sampling sites in the whole distribution
      of its original plant Phellodendron amurense. The samples were collected under
      the premise that the stem diameter of sampling plant, sampling position and time
      were controlled. And the sampling sites were set at the interval of a latitude.
      The content of 6 kinds of active ingredients, palmatine chloride, berberine
      hydrochloride, phellodendrine chloride, jatrorrhizine hydrochloride,
      magnoflorine, chlorogenic acid, etc in the medicinal material samples were
      determined, and the results showed that the content of most active ingredients in
      the medicinal materials showed significant differences due to the difference of
      sampling sites. Among them, the medicinal materials from Liaoning region had the
      highest content of active ingredients, followed by Beijing and Jilin regions, and
      that from Heilongjiang region had the lowest content. The study has important
      directive significance to the exploration of environmental factors for the
      formation of active constituent and artificial planting regionalization of high
      quality Phellodendri amurensis Cortex.

PMID- 28895324
TI  - [Influence of continuous cropping on growth of Artemisia annua and bacterial
      communities in soil].
AB  - In this study, several types of Artemisia annua in soil, including the soil which
      had not been planted, or planted for one year, or continuously planted for three
      or five years were collected, in order to study the influences of continuous
      cropping on the growth of A. annua, content of artemisinin, available nutrient of
      soil, and bacterial community structure through adopting routine analysis and
      Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that continuous
      cropping inhibited significantly the growth of A. annua and reduced leaf biomass,
      content and yield of artemisinin, with the maximum decreasing amplitude of
      30.20%, 7.70% and 35.58% respectively. The content of soil organic matter,
      available nitrogen, available phosphorus and 16S rRNA sequence number were
      increased to different extents after continuous cropping of A. annua. According
      to the results of high-throughput sequencing, 634-812 types of common bacteria
      belonged to 21 categories were planted in different soil of A. annua with
      different planting years, which represented that the distribution distance of the
      point of bacterial community with different years among coordinate system of
      principal component was relative distant, and community structure had significant
      changes (P<0.05). As the planting years increased, the abundance of
      Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes decreased in contrast to
      Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. In the top 20 types of
      predominant bacteria,Nitrospira japonica and Nitrospira disappeared, among which,
      only Gemmatimonadaceae, Micromonosporaceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, Xanthobacteraceae,
      and unculture bacterium JG30-KF-AS9 were similar, indicating that the planting
      and continuous cropping of A. annua selectively inhibited the growth and
      reproduction of soil bacteria, and influenced the supply and transform of soil
      nutrient, leading to a poor growth and resulting in reduction of artemisinin
      content and yield. Therefore, it is necessary to advocate crop rotation in the
      process of planting A. annua.

PMID- 28895325
TI  - [Effect of herb residue on growth and active ingredient content of licorice].
AB  - Traditional Chinese medicine industry product a lot of herb residue. Herb residue
      was treated as household waste. This treatment leads to environmental pollution
      and resource waste. For this case, we study the effect of different herb residues
      on the growth and active ingredient content of Licorice by random control
      experiment. Our results showed that the effects of different herb residues were
      difference. Atractylodes macrocephala residue and Forsythia suspense residue had
      the stronger effect and the effect of A. macrocephala residue was inferior to the
      effect of F. suspense residue. A.macrocephala residue significantly improved the
      shoot biomass banch number, leaf number, root diameter and root biomass by 0.53
      1.81 fold. A. macrocephala residue also increased the glycyrrhizic acid content
      of root by 1.54 fold. F. suspense residue significantly improved the shoot
      biomass,branch number, root diameter and root biomass by 0.43-1.13 fold. Four
      kind herb residues all improved the shoot biomass by 0.43-1.81fold. So, the
      authors recommand to considered that we can apply A. macrocephala residue and F.
      suspense residue in Licorice cultivation.

PMID- 28895326
TI  - [Residue degradation dynamics of spinetoram in wolfberry].
AB  - The safety interval period and residue dynamics of two main components (XDE-175-J
      and XDE-175-L) of spinetoram in wolfberry were measured. Field experiment design
      and sampling method were carried out according to the "Guideline on pesticide
      residue trials". The wolfberry samples were extracted with acetonitrile by
      ultrasonic, and analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. The wolfberry was sprayed with 6%
      spinetoram suspension concentrate (SC) at recommended dosage (1 500 times) and
      doubling dosage (750 times) (one time) at fructescence of wolfberry. The half
      lives of spinetoram residue under recommended dosage treatment was 3.65-4.25 d,
      and all the fresh and dried fruits conform to first order kinetics equation. The
      dissipation rate was over 95% in fresh and dried fruits at 14 d after
      application. In conclusion, spinetoram belongs to the easily degradable pesticide
      type.

PMID- 28895327
TI  - [Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix molecular identification of SSR primers
      screening and fingerprints code].
AB  - Leguminous related SSR primers were collected, core primers used for Astragali
      Radix and Hedysari Radix identification were screened and validated by using
      molecular marker techniques. 6 core primers were selected from 101 pairs of
      primers, the molecular weight of PCR products was 100-500 bp, which formed 7-12
      electrophoresis bands with 55 amplified loci. The percentage of polymorphic loci
      was 100%, and the average polymorphism information content was 0.371. According
      to the results of cluster analysis, obtained core primer could completely
      distinguish 62 mixture samples of Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix in
      similarity coefficient of 0.46. Core primers and the corresponding
      characteristics from gel electrophoresis were tagged. The results provide
      identification basis for Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix.

PMID- 28895328
TI  - [Perilla resources of China and essential oil chemotypes of Perilla leaves].
AB  - This study, based on the findings for Perilla resources, aimed to describe the
      species, distribution, importance, features, utilization and status of
      quantitative Perilla resources in China. This not only helps people to know well
      about the existing resources and researching development, but also indicates the
      overall distribution, selection and rational use of Perilla resource in the
      future. According to the output types, Perilla resources are divided into two
      categories: wild resources and cultivated resources; and based on its common
      uses, the cultivated resources are further divided into medicine resources, seed
      used resources and export resources. The distribution areas of wild resources
      include Henan, Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The
      distribution areas of medicine resources are concentrated in Hebei, Anhui,
      Chongqing, Guangxi and Guangdong. Seed-used resources are mainly distributed in
      Gansu, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Chongqing and Yunnan. Export resource areas are
      mainly concentrated in coastal cities, such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong and
      Zhejiang. For the further study, the essential oil of leaf samples from different
      areas were extracted by the steam distillation method and analyzed by GC-MS. The
      differences in essential oil chemotypes among different Perilla leaves were
      compared by analyzing their chemical constituents. The main 31 constituents of
      all samples included: perillaketone (0.93%-96.55%), perillaldehyde (0.10%
      61.24%), perillene (52.15%), caryophyllene (3.22%-26.67%), and alpha-farnesene
      (2.10%-21.54%). These samples can be classified into following five chemotypes
      based on the synthesis pathways: PK-type, PA-type, PL-type, PP-type and EK-type.
      The chemotypes of wild resources included PK-type and PA-type, with PK-type as
      the majority. All of the five chemotypes are included in cultivated resources,
      with PA-type as the majority. Seed-used resources are all PK-type, and export
      resources are all PA-type. The P. frutescens var. frutescens include five
      chemotypes, with PK-type as the majority. The PK-type leaves of P. frutescens
      var. acuta are green, while the PA-type leaves are reddish purple. The P.
      fruteseens var. crispa was mainly PA type with reddish purple leaves. The
      differences of the main chemotypes provide a scientific basis for distinguishing
      between Zisu and Baisu in previous literatures. Based on the lung toxicity of PK
      and the traditional use of Perilla, the testing standard of essential oil and
      Perilla herb shall be built, and PA type is recommended to be used in traditional
      Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28895329
TI  - [Comparison of chemical compositions in Moutan Cortex, Paeoniae Rubra Radix and
      Paeoniae Alba Radix based on "component structure" theory].
AB  - To analyze and compare the chemical compositions of Moutan Cortex, Paeoniae Rubra
      Radix and Paeoniae Alba Radix based on "component structure" theory. Thirteen
      batches of Moutan Cortex, 14 batches of Paeoniae Rubra Radix from different
      origins and 10 batches of Paeoniae Alba Radix from different origins were
      analyzed by HPLC-DAD method. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal
      component analysis were used for analysis. The significant differences of
      principal component from Moutan Cortex, Paeoniae Rubra Radix and Paeoniae Alba
      Radix were investigated by using F test. HPLC fingerprints were established for
      13 batches of Moutan Cortex, 14 batches of Paeoniae Rubra Radix and 10 batches of
      Paeoniae Alba Radix, and 7 glycosides and phenolic acids components were
      identified. Comparative study of Moutan Coetex, Paeoniae Rubra Radix and Paeoniae
      Alba Radix was conducted according to the results of hierarchical cluster
      analysis, principal component analysis and "component structure" theory. Moutan
      Cortex, Paeoniae Rubra Radix and Paeoniae Alba Radix have significant differences
      in mass fraction of major chemical components and their ratios, leading to
      different curative effects.

PMID- 28895330
TI  - [In vitro anticoagulant activity of different processed products of Whitmania
      pigra by water extraction and bionic extraction].
AB  - In order to determine the scientificalness of traditionally processed Whitmania
      pigra, water extraction method and bionic extraction method were used
      respectively to extract the anticoagulating active components in W. pigra hanging
      dry products, talcum powder fried products and wine immersing-baked products.
      Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin
      time (TT), and antithrombin activity were selected as the activity indexes to
      evaluate the anticoagulant activities of different processed W. pigra. Then the
      contents of protein in different processed W. pigra were measured by Coomassie
      brilliant blue method to preliminarily explain the reason of anticoagulant
      activity changes. When water extraction method was used, the results of APTT, PT,
      TT and antithrombin activity showed that the anticoagulant activities of W. pigra
      were decreased both in talcum powder fried products and wine immersing-baked
      products, and the activity order was as follows: hanging dried products> wine
      immersing-baked products>talcum powder fried products. This order was same as the
      protein content order. While when bionic extraction was used, APTT was shortened
      in talcum powder fried products, but all the other results indicated the
      anticoagulant activities of W. pigra processed products were increased, and the
      activity order was as follows: wine immersing-baked products>talcum powder fried
      products>hanging dry products. As compared with water extraction, the bionic
      extraction was more similar to the absorption process of W. pigra in human
      digestive system after oral administration and was more scientific. Therefore,
      the traditional processing method can not only modify the taste and smell, but
      also enhance the anticoagulant activity of W. pigra.

PMID- 28895331
TI  - [Solubilization characteristics of licorice based on supramolecular "imprinted
      template" theory].
AB  - To investigate the effect of the ingredient group of traditional Chinese medicine
      (TCM) with different "imprinted template" on the supramolecular solubilization
      ability of licorice, in order to lay a theoretical foundation for explaining the
      solubilization phenomenon of the components of TCM. Based on the independent
      supramolecular "imprinted template" rules, molecular connectivity index (MCI) and
      the correlation of n-octanol-water partition coefficient (logP) were used to
      indicate hydrophilic lipophilic capacity of TCM, and the extractum rate was used
      to indicate the solubilization effect of licoriceon single TCM herbs or
      compounds. The solubilization ability of licorice was evaluated based on MCI,
      logP and the extractum rate. According to the results, the correlation
      coefficient between MCI and logP for single herbs was 0.942, and that for single
      herb adding licorice was 0.916. The extractum rate of most herbs was increased
      after adding licorice. The correlation coefficient among the extractum rate as
      well as MCI and logP change values before and after adding licorice were
      respectively 0.837, 0.405. The correlation coefficient between MCI and logP for
      eight compounds was 0.937. Meanwhile, licorice had a solubilization effect on the
      remaining 7 compound except for Huangqi decoction. Therefore, licorice shows the
      solubilization effect through the independent supramolecular "imprinted
      template", so as to improve the hydrophilic lipophilic ability. There was a high
      positive correlation between the MCI and logP in ingredients for TCM, which could
      be used as important parameters to indicate the "imprinted template" feature for
      components of TCM. The study on the solubilizing effect of TCM with the
      supramolecular "imprinted template" theory was feasible, and will lay a
      foundation for the reform of single-herb dosage form.

PMID- 28895332
TI  - [Effect of D-cellobiose on oral bioavailability of gentiopicroside].
AB  - In this study, the effect of D-cellobiose on oral bioavailability of
      gentiopicroside (GPS) was investigate. The influence of D-cellobiose on GPS was
      achieved by calculating the residual GPS after being degraded with beta
      glucosidase or intestinal flora, and the data demonstrated D-cellobiose could
      inhibit the degradation of GPS in intestines; in bioavailability experiment, D
      cellobiose could significantly improve the oral bioavailability (P<0.05) of GPS
      at the mass ratio of 1?5, 1?10 (GPS-D-cellobiose). D-cellobiose applied in this
      study may improve the oral bioavailability of GPS through delaying the
      degradation in intestines.

PMID- 28895333
TI  - [Two new lactone derivatives from an endophyte Diaporthe sp. XZ-07 cultivated on
      Camptotheca acuminata].
AB  - To study the secondary metabolites and their cytotoxic activities of an
      endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. XZ-07cultivated on Camptotheca acuminata. Colum
      chromatography by RP-18, Sephadex LH-20 and silica gel was used to isolate and
      purify the chemical constituent. Two new compounds were isolatedand identified as
      5-((E)-1,4,5-trihydroxyhex-2-enyl)furan-2(5H)-one(1)and(5Z)-5-(2,3,4,5
      tetrahydroxyhexylidene)furan-2(5H)-one(2)by spectroscopic analysis. Cytotoxic
      activities were evaluated by MTT method. Compound 1 showed strong inhibitory
      activity against Human cervical carcinoma cell line Hela, and compound 2 showed
      strong inhibitory activity against breast cancer cell line MCF-7, Human
      neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y and Lewis lung carcinoma cells 3LL.

PMID- 28895334
TI  - [Phenolic constituents from lichen Usnea longissima].
AB  - Sixteen compounds were isolated from lichen Usnea longissima using of various
      chromatographic techniques including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, ODS, and semi
      preparative HPLC. By spectroscopic data analyses, their structures were
      identified by as useanol(1), lecanorin(2), 3-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl 2-hydroxy-4
      methoxy-6-methylbenzoate(3), lecanorin E(4), 3'-methylevernic acid(5), evernic
      acid(6), barbatinic acid(7), 3,7-dihydroxy-1,9-dimethyldibenzofuran(8),
      orcinol(9), O-methylorcinol(10), methyl orsellinate(11), methyl everninate(12),
      2,5-dimethyl-1,3-benzenediol(13), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-3,6-dimethyl benzoic
      acid(14), ethyl everninate(15), and ethyl 2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylbenzoate(16).
      Compound 1 was obtained as a natural product for the first time, and 3,4,
      8,10,12, and 13 were isolated from Usneaceae family for the first time. Compound
      1, 8, and 13 showed significant anti-inflammatory activity against NO production
      in RAW 267.4 cells with IC50 values of 6.8, 3.9 and 4.8 MUmol*L-1, respectively,
      compared with the positive controls curcumin(IC50 15.3 MUmol*L-1) and
      indomethacin(IC50 42.9 MUmol*L-1).

PMID- 28895335
TI  - [Simultaneous determination of ten bioactive constituents in Lonicerae Flos by
      HPLC-MS-MS].
AB  - In this study, an HPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for simultaneous
      determination of six iridoids and four flavonoids in batches of Lonicerae Flos
      samples. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Shiseido Capcell Pak-C18
      column (4.6 mm*250 mm, 5 MUm). 0.1% Aqueous formic and acid (A) and acetonitrile
      (B) were adopted as mobile phase. Detection was carried out on a triple
      quadrupole mass spectrometer in the negative ion mode using an electrospray
      source. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was employed. The developed
      method showed good linearity (R2 >=0.999 0) for all the analytes within the test
      ranges and the limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 7.4 to 31.0 MUg*L-1.
      The recoveries varied between 94.16% and 105.3%. The quantitative data indicated
      that the total content of iridoids (0.338%-1.440%) was much higher than that of
      flavonoids (0.015 4%-0.057 5%) in all samples. Moreover, it was found that there
      were significant differences in the content of six compounds among the samples
      from three different original plants, which might provide scientific evidences
      for the origin identification and quality control of Lonicerae Flos.

PMID- 28895336
TI  - [Determination of stachydrine hydrochloride and leonurine hydrochloride in
      Yimucao preparations by HPLC-MS].
AB  - To establish the quantitative method of stachydrine hydrochloride and leonurine
      hydrochloride in the preparations of Leonuri Herba. The contents of stachydrine
      hydrochloride and leonurine hydrochloride in the preparations of Leonuri Herba
      were determined by HPLC-MS. The chromatographic column was Waters XBridge
      Amide(4.6 mm*250 mm,5 MUm). The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid in
      gradient mode,at the flow rate of 1.0 mL* min-1,with the split ratio of 1?4. MS
      conditions for the ESI ion source,positive ion mode,selective ion scan(SIM) of
      stachydrine hydrochloride(m/z 144.0) and leonurine hydrochloride(m/z 312.0) was
      measured. The linear ranges of stachydrine hydrochloride was 0.562 8-281.4 MUg*L
      1(r=0.999 8). The linear ranges of leonurine hydrochloride was 0.521 2-260.6
      MUg*L-1(r=0.999 8). The method is accurate,simple,and reliable,and can be used to
      determine the contents of stachydrine hydrochloride and leonurine hydrochloride
      in the preparations of Leonuri Herba.

PMID- 28895337
TI  - [Preparation and identification of Jujuboside A artificial antigen].
AB  - Immunogenic antigen (jujuboside A-BSA) and coating antigen (jujuboside A-OVA) of
      jujuboside A were synthesized by sodium periodate oxidation method for the first
      time. Jujuboside A artificial antigen was confirmed by matrix-assisted laser
      desorption ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The titer
      and specificity of the antibody in serum of immunized mice were detected by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The corrected relation curve of
      inhibition rate showed that the antibody against Jujuboside A obtained from
      immunized mice could bind to jujuboside A and the titer was up to 1?4 000. The
      jujuboside A artificial antigen was synthesized, which can be used further to
      preparation of monoclonal antibody and the pharmacokinetics study of jujuboside A
      in laboratory animals.

PMID- 28895338
TI  - [Structure activity relationship of annonaceous acetogenins against multidrug
      resistant human lung cancer cell line A549/Taxol in vitro].
AB  - 10 kinds of annonaceous acetogenins were selected for antitumor activity testing
      against human lung cancer cell line A549/Taxol and the structure activity
      relationship was analyzed.MTT assay was used to detect the inhibitory activities
      of 10 kinds of annonaceous acetogenins and positive drugs against A549/Taxol
      cells, respectively uvariamicin-III(1), uvariamicin-II(2), annosquacin D(3),
      desacetyluvaricin(4), annosquatin A(5), squamostatin D(6), bullatacin(7),
      squamocin(8), motrilin(9), annosquatin B(10), verapamil and cisplatin.
      Annonaceous acetogenins showed significant inhibitory activities against
      A549/Taxol cells, and were more potent than the positive drug verapamil and
      cisplatin.The more carbon atoms between the tetrahydrofuran ring and the lactone
      ring of annonaceous acetogenins exhibited more potency.Besides,ACGs with two
      substituted hydroxyl showed more potency than the compounds with three
      substituted hydroxyl in the bis-adjacent-THF ACGs. Furthermore, ACGs with three
      substituted hydroxyl showed more potency than the compounds with four substituted
      hydroxyl among the no bis-adjacent-THF ACGs.

PMID- 28895339
TI  - [Effects of glycosides components and combinations of Buyang Huanwu decoction on
      vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation and related signaling pathway].
AB  - This paper was aimed to explore the effects of glycosides, the effective
      component of Buyang Huanwu decoction, and its main active components such as
      astragaloside IV, amygdalin, peoniflorin and their combinations on vascular
      smooth muscle cells (VSMC) proliferation, clarify the major active materials of
      anti-VSMC proliferation and investigate the mechanisms via the signal
      transduction pathway. Plasma containing drug was prepared via oral administration
      in rats. VSMCs of rats aorta were cultured, and then VSMC proliferation was
      stimulated by using platelet derived growth factor (PDGF).The plasma containing
      drug was added to detect the activity of cell proliferation, cell cycle and
      related protein expressions of signaling pathway such as extracellular signal
      regulated kinase (ERK), phos-phatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B
      (PI3K/Akt) and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription
      (JAK/STAT). After being stimulated by PDGF, the proliferation activity of VSMC
      was strengthened (P<0.01), G0/G1 phase cells were decreased (P<0.01), S/M phase
      cells were increased (P<0.01), and PcNA, cyclin D1 protein expressions related to
      cell cycle were up-regulated (P<0.01). Glycosides, astragaloside IV, amygdalin,
      peoniflorin and their combinations could inhibit the cell proliferation (P<0.05
      or P<0.01) in a dose-effect relationship and time-effect relationship. They could
      increase G0/G1 phase cells (P<0.01), decrease S/M phase cells (P<0.01), and down
      regulate the protein expressions of PCNA, cyclin D1 (P<0.01); and the effects of
      the combinations were greater than those of single active component (P<0.05).
      After VSMC proliferation was induced by PDGF, p-ERK1/2 expression was increased
      (P<0.01), PI3K expression was down-regulated while p-PI3K expression was up
      regulated (all P<0.01), and STAT3expression was reduced while p-STAT3 expression
      was increased (all P<0.01). Glycosides, astragaloside IV, amygdalin, peoniflorin
      and the combinations of these active components could reduce p-ERK1/2 expression
      (P<0.05), increase PI3K expression (P<0.01), decreasep-PI3K expression (P<0.05 or
      P<0.01), increase STAT3 expression (P<0.01), and decrease p-STAT3 expression
      (P<0.05 or P<0.01). These results suggested that PDGF could induce the cell cycle
      conversion of VSMC, leading to VSMC proliferation. The mechanism was related to
      the activation of ERK, PI3K/Akt and JAK/STAT signaling pathways. Glycosides and
      its main active components such as astragaloside IV, amygdalin, peoniflorin and
      their combinations can inhibit the cell cycle conversion of VSMC, with the effect
      against VSMC proliferation, and the mechanisms may be associated with the
      inhibition of PI3K/Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and JAK/STAT
      signaling pathways. astragaloside IV, amygdalin and peoniflorin were the major
      active materials of anti-VSMC proliferation, and their combination showed
      enhanced effect.

PMID- 28895340
TI  - [Effect of Kaixinsan on monoamine oxidase activity].
AB  - To observe the effect of antidepressant medicine prescription, Kaixinsan (KXS) on
      monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, and explore the mechanism of KXS in elevating
      the levels of monoamine neurotransmitter from the perspective of metabolism, in
      vitro enzyme reaction system and C6 neuroglial cells, the effect of KXS at
      different concentrations on MAO-A and MAO-B activity was observed. In animal
      studies, the effect of KXS at different concentrations on MAO-A and MAO-B
      activities of brain mitochondrialin normal rats and solitary chronic
      unpredictable moderate stress (CMS) model rats after intragastric administration
      for 1, 2, 3 weeks. Results showed that 10 g*L-1 KXS could significantly reduce
      the activity of MAO-A and MAO-B in enzyme reaction system; and in C6 cells, KXS
      within 0.625-10 g*L-1 concentration range had no significant effect on the
      activity of MAO-A, but had obvious inhibitory effect on the activity of MAO-B in
      a dose dependent manner. KXS had no significant effect on the activity of MAO-A
      and MAO-B in brains of normal rats after action for 1, 2, 3 weeks. After 2 and 3
      weeks treatment with 338 mg*kg-1 dose KXS, MAO-A activity in the brain of CMS
      rats was decreased as compared with the model group (P<0.05), while KXS had no
      significant effect on MAO-B activity after 1, 2, 3 weeks of treatment. The
      results indicated that KXS had certain effect on in vitro MAO-A and MAO-B
      activity, had no effect on brain MAO-A and MAO-B activity in vivo in normal rats,
      and had certain inhibitory effect on MAO-A activity in brains of CMS rats.

PMID- 28895341
TI  - [A high content screening method for detection of anaphylactoid reaction of
      injection formulations].
AB  - Anaphylactoid reaction (AR) is the most common adverse reaction of injection
      formulations, however, there are obvious drawbacks in available methods for AR
      detection. A novel in vitro detection method for AR was established based on
      fluorescent labeling and high content screen (HCS) system in present study. With
      the use of RBL-2H3 cells degranulation model, positive cell count was determined
      with specific cellular membrane fluorescent dye FM4-64 labeling vesicle recycle,
      and total cells count was determined with specific nucleus fluorescent dye
      Hochest 3334, and then the ratio of cells degranulation after drug stimulation
      was calculated. In order to verify the reliability of this HCS method, positive
      drug Compound 48/80 was first used to confirm the consistence of HCS method with
      the traditional beta-hexosaminidase release test and the Evans blue staining ears
      test in mice. The results showed high consistence between HCS method and
      traditional testing methods, and the HCS method showed higher sensitivity than
      the other two tests. Then 30 samples of Danhong injection (DHI) with clinical
      allergy symptoms further were used to confirm the reliability of this HCS method.
      The HCS results showed high consistence with the clinical report, and the HCS
      method had the advantage in reducing the interference by drug color. Therefore,
      this HCS method is reliable, sensitive, simple and high-throughput method in
      detection of AR, applicable for the AR evaluation of injection formulations, and
      can provide guidance for safety of clinical application in clinical practice.

PMID- 28895342
TI  - [Neuro-protective effects and mechanism of Terminalia chebula extract HZ4 on
      cerebral infarction models].
AB  - To study the effect and possible molecular mechanisms of Terminalia chebula
      extract HZ4 on focal cerebral infarction in rats, 90 healthy male SD rats were
      randomly divided into sham-operation group, model group, T. chebula extract HZ4
      high dose, middle dose and low dose groups (80, 40, 20 mg*kg -1*d -1, ig) and
      positive control group (Panax notoginseng saponins, PNS 30 mg*kg -1*d -1, ig).
      The focal cerebral infarction models were established by photochemical method.
      After the rats were administered for 7 consecutive days, neurogenic behavior
      rating of these rats was done by balance beam test and foot fault test. The cells
      morphological changes of penumbra in focal cerebral infarction were investigated
      by HE staining method; the infarct volume was detected by TTC staining. The
      expression levels of beta-catenin and cyclin D1, the key node genes in Wnt
      signaling pathway of the focal penumbra tissues were detected via RT-PCR. The
      results showed that, as compared with the model group, behavioural indicators
      were improved significantly in the rats of administration groups, and the infarct
      volume and pathological changes of penumbra tissues were also improved at the
      same time. Compared with the model group, the expression levels of beta-catenin
      and cyclin D1 in Wnt signaling pathway were significantly up-regulated in
      administration groups(P<0.01). This study first confirmed that T. chebula extract
      HZ4 can decrease infarct volume, improve the sport ability score, and promote
      rehabilitation of model animals. In addition, it could significant up-regulated
      the expression levels of beta-catenin and cyclin D1, and the mechanism may be
      associated with Wnt signaling pathway. The study is innovative to a certain
      extent.

PMID- 28895343
TI  - [Explore pharmacological mechanism of glycyrrhizin based on systems
      pharmacology].
AB  - To explore the pharmacological mechanism of glycyrrhizin with series methods of
      systems pharmacology, main diseases related to glycyrrhizin were obtained by text
      mining tool; and the target proteins of glycyrrhizin were obtained via the
      database of Polysearch and PubChem. Then, the target proteins interaction network
      of glycyrrhizin was built using the software called Cytoscape. Next, the protein
      groups related to glycyrrhizin were analyzed by using Gene Ontology (GO) tool,
      and the action pathway of its target proteins was analyzed by using enrichment
      method. Text mining results showed that the related diseases of glycyrrhizin
      included chronic hepatitis C, chronic hepatitis, hepatitis, HIV virus, liver
      cancer and so on. Gene ontology analysis indicated that glycyrrhizin played a
      role mainly through modification of proteins and chromatin. The signaling pathway
      enrichment results showed that the main action proteins of glycyrrhizin were
      related to MAPK signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway,
      neurotrophic factor signaling pathway, cancer and apoptosis pathways. So we can
      conclude that glycyrrhizin may exert its biological functions primarily by
      regulating multiple pathways such as MAPK signaling pathway and Toll-like
      receptors signaling pathway. The pharmacological action of a drug can be rapidly
      and comprehensively analyzed by the ways of systems pharmacology.

PMID- 28895344
TI  - [Effect of rat intestinal flora on in vitro metabolic transformation of
      pumiloside].
AB  - To study the metabolic transformation of pumiloside by rat intestinal flora in
      vitro and identify its metabolites. Pumiloside was incubated in the rat
      intestinal flora in vitro. HPLC was used to monitor the metabolic process, and
      HPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to identify the structures of biotransformation products.
      In vitro, pumiloside was easily metabolized by rat intestinal flora, and with the
      prolongation of metabolic time, pumiloside was transformed into several
      metabolites. Three metabolites were initially identified in this experiment. The
      study indicated that pumiloside could be extensively metabolized in the rat
      intestinal flora in vitro.

PMID- 28895345
TI  - [Species differences in caffeine metabolism in liver microsomes of rats and
      mice].
AB  - Caffeine and its metabolic products play an important role in clinical
      applications. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of
      flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF MS/MS) method was applied to systemically
      study the caffeine metabolism in liver microsomes of rats and mice, and
      comprehensively evaluate caffeine metabolites in vitro and metabolism differences
      between species. The caffeine metabolites and metabolism differences between
      species in liver microsomes of rats and mice were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS
      high resolution mass spectrometry system and metabolitepolite software. The
      results showed that in addition to the demethylated and oxidized products in
      previous analysis, methylated, double oxidized, dehydrated and decarbonylated
      metabolites were also found in caffeine metabolism in liver microsomes of rats
      and mice, with significant difference in metabolism in vitro between rats and
      mice. The demethylated metabolite M2(C7H8N4O2) and decarbonylated metabolite
      M6(C7H10N4) in metabolism in vitro of mice were not found in rats, and the in
      vitro metabolite M7(C8H12N4O5) in rats were not found in mice. There was
      significant species difference in caffeine metabolism in vitro between rats and
      mice, providing important reference value for the further metabolism study and
      safety evaluation of caffeine.

PMID- 28895346
TI  - [Antirheumatic substance and meridian tropism of Loranthus parasiticus based on
      "syndrome-efficacy-analysis of biological samples"].
AB  - To study the antirheumatic substance of Loranthus parasiticus and observe the
      relationship between its in vivo distribution and meridian tropism in rats by
      establishing adjuvant arthritis models corresponding to effectiveness. All rats
      except the negative control group were injected with 0.1 mL Freund's complete
      adjuvant on the left foot. After 8 days, the rats in negative control group and
      model group were given with normal saline while the rats in positive control
      group were given with tripterygium glycosides suspension 10 mg*kg-1, and the rats
      in L. parasiticus treatment groups were given with high(10 g*kg -1), medium(5
      g*kg -1) and low(2.5 g*kg -1) dose decoction for 21 days. The left rear ankle
      joint diameter of rats were measured every 7 days from the 9th day of modeling.
      On the 22nd day, eyeball blood of part rats in L. parasiticus high-dose group was
      taken at different time points, and then they were sacrificed to take heart,
      liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, large intestine, small intestine and brain
      tissues. For the remaining rats, eyeball blood was taken 30 min after drug
      treatment, and their left rear ankle joints were taken to detect interleukin (IL)
      1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels in serum by ELISA method;
      rutin, avicularin and quercitrin levels in the tissues of high-dose group were
      detected by HPLC; pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed by using DAS 2.0. Our
      results showed that L. parasiticus decoction could significantly improve the paw
      edema situation of adjuvant arthritis model rats, and reduce IL-1beta and TNF
      alpha levels in rat serum. The in vivo efficacy substance analysis in rats showed
      that rutin was only present in the stomach with a small amount. AUC0-t of
      avicularin was stomach > small intestine > kidney, and the duration time in vivo
      was kidney=stomach > small intestine > lung > heart. AUC0-t of quercitrin was
      stomach > kidney > liver > heart > lung > spleen > small intestine > brain >
      large intestine > serum, and the duration time in vivo was kidney=liver=small
      intestine=brain=lung=spleen=heart=stomach > large intestine > serum. The research
      indicated that L. parasiticus decoction was effective in treating rats with
      adjuvant arthritis. Avicularin and quercitrin are important ingredients of L.
      parasiticus in antirheumatism therapy. The distribution of avicularin and
      quercitrin in rats were consistent with traditional understanding that L.
      parasiticus could attribute to the kidney and liver meridians.

PMID- 28895347
TI  - [Clinical characteristics and medicinal analysis for osteoporosis based on real
      world].
AB  - To understand the actual clinical situation of osteoporosis patients in our
      country, 9 731 hospitalized patients with osteoporosis from HIS system of 20
      national 3A-grade hospitals were selected as the research objects to analyze
      their general information, western medicine combined diseases, diagnostic
      information, relationship with the onset of 24 solar terms, and the therapeutics
      application. Results showed that the median age of hospitalized patients with
      osteoporosis disease was 72 years old, more common in women aged 60 to 74; mainly
      in manual workers (73.87%); most in general outpatient clinic during the
      admission; conditions of the most patients (81.61%) were general during hospital
      admission; patients were more likely hospitalized from orthopaedics department
      (21.94%); hospital length of stay was mainly of 8-14 days (39.96%); 34.34% of the
      patients had a total hospitalization cost of 5 000 yuan to 10 000 yuan; 75.01% of
      the patients were beneficial from national health medical insurance. The
      complications mainly included hypertension, diabetes, and osteoarthritis, and the
      complication rate was as high as 34.67% for hypertension; the most common
      traditional Chinese medicine syndrome was deficiency of liver-Yin and kidney-Yin
      (36.62%); the patients were admitted to the hospital most during 3 solar terms:
      beginning of summer, summer solstice and cold dew. Calcitonin salmon and calcium
      carbonate were most widely used in western medicine and Zhengqing Fengtongning
      was most widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. In conclusion, osteoporosis
      is more common in elderly patients, and is closely related to solar terms;
      integrated treatment strategies of traditional Chinese medicine and western
      medicine can be widely used in clinical application and have certain advantages.

PMID- 28895348
TI  - [Open, multicenter, phase IV clinical trial of Shenbei Guchang capsules in
      treatment of diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome].
AB  - To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Shenbei Guchang capsules in treatment
      of diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome (yang deficiency of spleen and kidney)
      under widely used conditions, an open, multicenter, controlled, phase IV clinical
      trial was conducted in the drug clinical trial centers of 16 domestic hospitals.
      2 123 patients from June 10, 2011 to November 29, 2012 were enrolled in the
      trial. Drug clinical trial was approved by Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences,
      Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Ethics Committee before implementation.
      Before the start of trial, subjects were selected according to the research
      scheme and inclusion criteria, then they would step into the 14 d study after
      signing Informed Consent Form. All subjects were treated according to the
      research scheme, evaluated the conditions and filled in CFR sheet, to provide the
      evaluation data and information on safety and efficacy of Shenbei Guchang
      capsules. Shenbei Guchang capsules were used to treat diarrhea type irritable
      bowel syndrome in widely used conditions (2 123 cases), and 2 029 cases of them
      entered FAS set, cure+markedly effective in 1 921 cases, with a comprehensive
      curative effect rate of 94.68%; 2 010 cases of them entered PPS set,
      cure+markedly effective in 1 906 cases, with a comprehensive curative effect rate
      of 94.83%. The primary symptoms of IBS were abdominal pain and diarrhea. After
      treatment, both abdominal pain and diarrhea were improved, with significant
      differences (P<0.000 1). There were significant differences in traditional
      Chinese medicine symptom scores on both post-treatment day 7 and day 14 as
      compared with the conditions before treatment (P<0.000 1). 35 cases of adverse
      events occurred during the trial with an incidence of 1.65%, including 12 cases
      of drug-related adverse events (adverse reaction) with an incidence of 0.57%,
      mainly manifested as nausea, abdominal distension and dry mouth, most of which
      would be spontaneously relieved without any measures. No serious adverse events
      occurred. The commercially available Shenbei Guchang capsules are proved safe and
      effective for the treatment of diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome (yang
      deficiency of spleen and kidney) under widely used conditions (2 123 cases), and
      can be continued for clinical promotion and application.

PMID- 28895349
TI  - [National physician master Jin Shiyuan's dispensing technology of Aconiti
      Lateralis Radix Praeparata based on Li Shizhen's pharmaceutical academic
      thought].
AB  - To collect Li Shizhen's experience in Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata
      identification and clinical application, compare and analyze national physician
      master Jin Shiyuan's practical operation and theoretical knowledge, which is
      beneficial for the inheritance and improvement of Aconiti Lateralis Radix
      Praeparata clinical dispensing technology. In the analysis process, CNKI, Wanfang
      and other databases were searched with "Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata", "Li
      Shizhen", "pharmacological method state theory" "Jin Shiyuan" and "Chinese
      medicine dispensing technology" as the key words. In addition, Treatise on
      Febrile Disease, Compendium of Materia Medica, Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2015
      edition), Notes to Medical Professions(Yi Zong Shuo Yue), and other medicine
      books were accessed to summarize the processing methods and decoction dosage of
      Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata in both ancient and modern medicine, and in
      consideration of technical research and practice operation, Li Shizhen's
      description of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and Professor Jin Shiyuan's
      research on Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata dispensing technology were
      analyzed and collected. Li Shizhen recorded the nature identification and
      clinical application of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata by using
      pharmacological method state theory in Compendium of Materia Medica. National
      physician master Jin Shiyuan carries forward the essence of Li Shizhen's
      pharmaceutical academic thought with his own proficient knowledge structure in
      medicine, providing scientific pharmaceutical service for clinical application of
      Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata Professor. Jin Shiyuan put forward the
      dispensing technology for the first time, including nature identification
      technology, clinical processing technology, clinical decocting technology,
      prescription coping technology, and class specifications of Aconiti Lateralis
      Radix Praeparata. In this paper, Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata was used as
      an example to analyze the key dispensing technology of traditional Chinese
      medicine, and apply the key dispensing technology of traditional Chinese medicine
      in various commonly used Chinese medicines in the future.

PMID- 28895350
TI  - [Investigation of original materials under traditonal Chinese medicine names of
      "Jinchai" and "Jinchai Shihu"].
AB  - To clear from botanical view the original materials under the traditional Chinese
      medicine names of "Jinchai", "Jinchai Shihu" within the genus Dendrobium of the
      family Orchidaceae. Combined of different methods including study of historical
      records from the local chronicles and historical accounts of past event in Hubei,
      Sichuan, Chongqing, Henan and Shaanxi provinces, interviewing face to face with
      the old traditional Chinese workers and folk doctors in 20 downtowns and
      countrysides, such as, Laohekou, Lichuan, Fangxian, Xixia, Neixiang, and Ankang,
      and collecting a few plants of "Jinchai" for taxonomic identification. The
      traditional Chinese medicine names of "Jinchai", "Jinchai Shihu" were widely used
      by the local people from the eastern Chongqing, western Hubei, northeasten
      Sichuan, southeastern Shaanxi, western Henan. Those two names were frequently
      found in the local Chronicles and historical accounts of past event, even in the
      local daily life such as folk songs and stories. The botanical identification
      results showed that a endemic species of D. flexicaule is the original materials
      of the traditional Chinese medicine names "Jinchai" and "Jinchai Shihu", and this
      species are also called "Longtoujin", "Renzijin", "Huanzijin" and
      "Longtoufengweijin" by the local people. The dried artifactitious specimens of D.
      flexicaule are traditionally named as "Jinerhuan". The botanic resource plants of
      the traditional Chinese medicine names of "Jinchai", "Jinchai Shihu" are the
      endemic species of D. flexicaule that is distributed mainly in central areas of
      China including eastern Chongqing, western Hubei, northeasten Sichuan,
      southeastern Shaanxi, and western Henan, rather than D. nobile as referring in
      both Chinese and English version of Flora of China, and in official recorded
      serious versions of The Chinese Pharmacopoeia since 1977. In order to avoid
      confusion in the traditional Chinese medicine dendrobiums industry, the Chinese
      name of D. nobile is suggested as "Biancao Shihu", which characterized one stem
      feature of this species, and the traditional Chinese medicine names "Jinchai" or
      "JinchaiShihu" is suggested to refer to the species D. flexicaule.

PMID- 28895351
TI  - [Research thoughts on tumor immune responses by polysaccharide of Chinese
      medicine via oral administration].
AB  - Tumor immunotherapy is one of the most significant scientific progresses. The
      idea of applying the traditional Chinese theory of "the balance of Yin and Yang"
      to treat cancer is in accordance with that of modern tumor immune strategy.
      Researches indicated that polysaccharide of Chinese medicine through regulation
      in immune responses could offer better paradigm for tumor immune treatment under
      the traditional Chinese theory. However, current studies related to tumor
      immunotherapy largely focus on the immunity enhancement while lack of the
      exploration of suppressive factors. Meanwhile, the complex analysis and detection
      on composition as well as structure definitely increase the difficulty in
      mechanism of oral absorption and function in vivo. To better exploit novel
      Chinese medicine of polysaccharide for tumor immune treatment, this article will
      provide some constructive thoughts on regulation of tumor immune responses based
      on up to date researches of structure-function relationship, absorbent process
      and molecular mechanisms responsible for tumor immune as well.

PMID- 28895352
TI  - [Cyanobacteria cell factories for ethanol photosynthetic production: development
      and prospect].
AB  - Bioethanol is one of the most promising and representative biofuel products.
      Photosynthetic production of ethanol using CO2 and solar energy based on
      cyanobacteria is of great significance for research and application, due to the
      potential to reduce CO2 emission and to provide renewable energy simultaneously.
      Here we review the history and updated development of cyanobacteria cell
      factories for ethanol photosynthetic production, the progress and problems in
      pathway optimization, chassis selection, and metabolic engineering strategies,
      and finally indicate the future development in this area.

PMID- 28895353
TI  - [Circulating long noncoding RNAs as biomarkers in tumor diagnosis].
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in vital life processes of gene
      expression, epigenetic regulation and X-chromosome inactivation. lncRNAs are also
      closely associated with tumor initiation and progression. Moreover, lncRNAs may
      enter human circulation system in the form of microvesicle or exosome, or in
      combination with RNA binding protein. Interestingly, the circulating lncRNAs are
      widely existed in body fluids, such as blood and urine. We review the origin of
      circulating lncRNAs, and the detection methods as potential biomarkers. We focus
      on the early diagnosis value of circulating lncRNAs as tumor biomarkers in lung,
      breast, gastric, liver, colorectal and prostate cancers. Compared with the
      traditional biomarkers, the circulating lncRNAs show the unique advantages and
      clinical values as novel biomarkers.

PMID- 28895354
TI  - [Fermentations of xylose and arabinose by Kluyveromyces marxianus].
AB  - Kluyveromyces marxianus, as unconventional yeast, attracts more and more
      attention in the biofuel fermentation. Although this sort of yeasts can ferment
      pentose sugars, the fermentation capacity differs largely. Xylose and arabinose
      fermentation by three K. marxianus strains (K. m 9009, K. m 1911 and K. m 1727)
      were compared at different temperatures. The results showed that the fermentation
      performance of the three strains had significant difference under different
      fermentation temperatures. Especially, the sugar consumption rate and alcohol
      yield of K. m 9009 and K. m 1727 at 40 C were better than 30 C. This results
      fully reflect the fermentation advantages of K. marxianus yeast under high
      temperature. On this basis, five genes (XR, XDH, XK, AR and LAD) coding key
      metabolic enzymes in three different yeasts were amplified by PCR, and the
      sequence were compared by Clustalx 2.1. The results showed that the amino acid
      sequences coding key enzymes have similarity of over 98% with the reference
      sequences reported in the literature. Furthermore, the difference of amino acid
      was not at the key site of its enzyme, so the differences between three stains
      were not caused by the gene level, but by transcribed or translation regulation
      level. By real-time PCR experiment, we determined the gene expression levels of
      four key enzymes (XR, XDH, XK and ADH) in the xylose metabolism pathway of K. m
      1727 and K. m 1911 at different fermentation time points. The results showed
      that, for thermotolerant yeast K. m 1727, the low expression level of XDH and XK
      genes was the main factors leading to accumulation of xylitol. In addition,
      according to the pathway of Zygosaccharomyces bailii, which have been reported in
      NCBI and KEGG, the xylose and arabinose metabolic pathways of K. marxianus were
      identified, which laid foundation for further improving the pentose fermentation
      ability by metabolic engineering.

PMID- 28895355
TI  - [Optimization of heparosan synthetic pathway in Bacillus subtilis 168].
AB  - Heparosan is the start point for chemoenzymatic synthesis of heparin and it is of
      great significance to efficiently synthesize heparosan in microorganisms. The
      effects of overexpressing key enzyme genes of the UDP-glucuronic acid (UDP-GlcUA)
      pathway (pgcA, gtaB and tuaD) or the UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc)
      pathway (glmS, glmM and glmU) on the heparosan production and molecular mass were
      analyzed in the constructed heparosan-producing Bacillus subtilis ((1.71+/-0.08)
      g/L). On this basis, heparosan production was increased to (2.89+/-0.11) g/L with
      the molecular mass of (75.90+/-1.18) kDa through co-overexpressing the tuaD,
      gtaB, glmU, glmM and glmS genes in shake flask cultivation. In the 3 L fed-batch
      fermentation, heparosan production was improved to (7.25+/-0.36) g/L with the
      molecular mass of (46.66+/-2.71) kDa, providing the potential for heparosan
      industrial production.

PMID- 28895356
TI  - [Pathogenicity of white-spot syndrome virus in Macrobrachium nipponensis via
      different infection routes].
AB  - Macrobrachium nipponensis is delicious and has high economic value, but its
      susceptibility to white-spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is unknown. Susceptibility,
      morbidity, and multiplication of WSSV in M. nipponense were studied by
      epidemiological survey, infection experiment and qPCR. M. nipponense was the
      natural host of WSSV, and the natural carrying rate was about 8.33%. M.
      nipponense could be infected with WSSV via oral administration, muscle injection
      and immersion, and the cumulative infection rate of 10 d exposure was 100%, and
      the cumulative mortality rates were 100%, 75% and 0%, respectively. The infection
      of WSSV is fast by muscle injection. The virus content after 5 day's injection is
      1 000 times higher than that of the first day of infection, and the mortality
      rate reached 100% after 8 days. The median lethal dose (LD50) measured as the
      mortality of infected M. nipponense via injection indicated the LD50 in the
      concentration of WSSV of 2.71*105 virions/MUL. In shrimp farming, M. nipponense
      can be infected by ingesting WSSV infected shrimp or dead shrimp, and also by
      soaking in WSSV-containing water and thus become a vector, consequently affecting
      the spread and pathogenicity of WSSV.

PMID- 28895357
TI  - [Bioremediation of oil-contaminated field by two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains].
AB  - We studied the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soils. Two Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa strains were screened from soil samples in the mine environment. The
      degradation rate of crude oil was 95.67% after 10 days by mixed culture of the
      two strains, which was 32% higher than that of single bacterium. It means that
      the two bacteria had synergistic effect on degrading crude oil. Based on the
      result, bacterial agent was prepared, and the oil pollution sites were
      artificially constructed to simulate the degradation of crude oil under different
      operating conditions. During the experiment, the petroleum hydrocarbon content of
      the sites after treating with the bacterial agent, decreased obviously in 60
      days. The content decreased to among 0.1% and 0.3% from the initial 0.8% per gram
      of soil. Then, the site with organic manure as supplemental source of carbon and
      nitrogen had the highest degradation rate of 85.28%, compared to that without
      adding bacterial agent of only 25.85%.

PMID- 28895358
TI  - [Influence of oil pollution on soil microbial community diversity].
AB  - Bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi are the three major groups of soil microbes.
      Soil microbes play a critical role in ecological and biodegradation processes in
      petroleum-contaminated soils. Based on the actual situation, this study took the
      oil polluted soil around the abandoned oil well in Shehong County, Suining City,
      Sichuan Province as the test soil. First, we determined the physiochemical
      properties of the tested soil; then we analyzed the changes of physiochemical
      properties and the three major microbes in petroleum contaminated soils. The
      number of the three major microbes in contaminated soils was relatively fewer
      than uncontaminated samples, and the water content of the soil was in positive
      correlation with the number of microbes. Also we assessed the soil bacteria
      community diversity and changes therein in petroleum-contaminated soils using 454
      pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. No less than 23 982 valid reads and 6 123
      operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained from all 4 studied samples. OTU
      richness was relatively higher in contaminated soils than uncontaminated samples.
      Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes and
      Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla among all the soil samples. However, the
      prokaryotes community abundance of phyla was significantly different in the four
      samples. The most abundant OTUs associated with petroleum-contaminated soil
      sample were the sequences related to Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and
      Proteobacteria, whereas the most abundance sequences with uncontaminated sample
      were those related to Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria.

PMID- 28895359
TI  - [Establishment and optimization of systems for protoplasts isolation of soybean
      and chickpea that used in subcellular location].
AB  - Young leaves of Kabuli chickpea as well as soybean Xiangdou No.3, which are the
      current plants that studied in our laboratory were selected as materials. Effects
      on protoplasts yield and survival rate of different enzyme combination,
      concentration of D-Mannitol in enzyme combinations, pH of enzyme combinations and
      enzymolysis time are detected. The results showed that, the best condition for
      Xiangdou No.3 leaf protoplasts isolation is to rotate the cut materials for 6
      hours in enyzme solution under temperature of 27 C and rotate speed of 45 r/min
      for 6 h. Onozuka R-10 (0.5%), Hemicellulase (0.8%), Macerozyme R-10 (0.8%) in
      combination with Pectolyase Y-23 (0.4%) dissolving in CPW solution with MES
      (0.1%) and Mannitol (10%), pH 6.0 was found best for protoplasts isolation of
      Xiangdou No.3 leaves.The best condition for protoplasts isolation of Kabuli
      chickpea is to put the cut materials into enzymatic hydrolysate enzymolyse for 7
      to 8 hours under temperature of 27 C and rotate speed of 45 r/min on water bath
      shaker, the optimum combination of enzyme consists of Onozuka R-10 (0.5%),
      Hemicellulase (0.8%), Macerozyme R-10 (0.8%), MES (0.1%) and Mannitol (10%)
      dissolved in CPW solution with pH 4.8. The protoplasts prepared with the methods
      above are used in subcellular location and the effects show well.

PMID- 28895360
TI  - [Construction of Setosphaeria turcica STK1-EGFP fusion gene vector and its
      expression in Pichia pastoris].
AB  - STK1 is one important MAPK gene regulating the conidial development, osmotic
      stress and pathogenicity of Setosphaeria turcica. At first, the Pichia pastoris
      GS115 expression vector pPIC3.5K-EGFP containing enhanced green fluorescent
      protein gene (EGFP) was constructed, then STK1 gene was first amplified by PCR
      with the template of cDNA of S. turcica model isolate 01-23, and then cloned into
      the vector pPIC3.5K-EGFP with enhanced green fluorescent protein gene (EGFP) to
      construct the STK1-EGFP fusion gene expression vector pPIC3.5K-STK1-EGFP. The
      vector was transformed into the susceptible cells of Pichia pastoris GS115 by
      electric shock process, and the transformants were identified by MD medium
      screening and PCR determination. The STK1 gene and EGFP gene could be expressed
      effectively and stably in the transformants as detected by RT-PCR and
      fluorescence observation. In addition, we also found that the Kozak sequence
      before the start codon of STK1 gene could increase 4.8 folds expression level of
      STK1- EGFP fusion gene. The above research results laid a good foundation for
      subcellular localization and antibody preparation of STK1 protein.

PMID- 28895361
TI  - [Cloning and characterization of two glutathione S-transferases cDNAs in Foc4 and
      expression under exogenous oxidative stress].
AB  - In order to identify two putative glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) genes in
      Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 4 (Foc4), cDNA sequences of the entire
      coding regions of the two genes were cloned from Foc4 using RT-PCR method.
      Subsequently, the two genes were named Fogst1 and Fogst2 respectively. The length
      of open reading frame of Fogst1 was 609 bp and encoded a protein including 202
      amino acid residues, Fogst2 possessed an open reading frame with 693 bp which
      encoded a 230-amino acid protein. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Fogst1
      belonged to sigma (sigma) subtype members of the GSTs superfamily, and Fogst2 was
      a new member of an unknown subfamily in the GSTs superfamily. To verify the
      expression of Fogst1 and Fogst2, the recombinant prokaryotic expression vector
      pET28a-Fogst1 and pET28a-Fogst2 were constructed and transformed into Escherichia
      coli expression strain BL21(DE3). The soluble recombinant proteins Fogst1 and
      Fogst2 were obtained after being induced by IPTG. GSTs activity assays showed
      that both of the two recombinant proteins had specific activity with CDNB. For
      real time RT- PCR analysis, the mycelium samples of Foc4 were collected after
      treatment by H2O2 for 1, 5, 12, 24 hours. The results showed that the expression
      of Fogst1 and Fogst2 were significantly up-regulated in the first 5 hours, and
      then decreased and returned to normal level. These results suggested that Fogst1
      and Fogst2 may be involved in the process of Foc4 resistance to exogenous
      oxidative stress.

PMID- 28895362
TI  - [CD133 epitope vaccine with gp96 as adjuvant elicits an antitumor T cell response
      against leukemia].
AB  - Cancer stem cells are currently under intensive investigation due to their
      capabilities for tumor initiation, self-renewal, and resistance to chemotherapy.
      CD133 is implicated in stemness and the malignancy of tumor cells. Here, we
      explored heat shock protein gp96 adjuvanted CD133 epitope vaccine against
      leukemia. We screened and identified three H2-Kd-restricted cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes derived from CD133, CD133419-428, CD133702-710 and
      CD133760-769. The immunogenicity and antitumor activity of the epitope vaccine
      using heat shock protein gp96 as adjuvant were further determined in CD133+
      leukemia xenograft mice. Finally, we demonstrate that adoptive transfer of
      epitope-specific CTLs led to suppression of leukemia growth. Our data therefore
      provide the basis for designing a CD133 epitope vaccine to activate specific CTLs
      against CD133+ leukemia and other cancers.

PMID- 28895363
TI  - [Characterization of N-glycosylation in an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody produced
      by different expression systems].
AB  - The use of mammalian expression systems results in a remarkable heterogeneity of
      mAb products, generally due to post-translational modifications, and
      glycosylation is a critical post-translation modification because it has a
      profound impact on the safety and efficacy of mAbs. The present study was
      designed to explore the impact of a different expression system on mAb N
      glycosylation. The detailed structures of individual glycans between anti-EGFR
      monoclonal antibodies produced by different expression systems were successfully
      characterized at the level of free oligosaccharides using liquid chromatography
      electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-fight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTof
      MS). An alternating low and elevated collision energy scan, in source collision
      induced dissociation and MS/MS in combination with exoglycosidase digestion
      method was also adopted. The combined data revealed that the Fab region of anti
      EGFR antibody produced by CHO cell expression system had a pattern of
      glycosylation differing from that of the SP2/0 cell expression system whereas the
      Fc region remained basically unchanged. We confirmed that anti-EGFR antibody
      produced by SP2/0 cell expression system had a much more diverse mixture of
      glycans with alpha-Gal and an undesired, aberrant form of sialylation N
      glycolylneuraminic acid (NGNA). The alpha-Gal was absent in mAb produced by CHO
      cell expression system containing sialic acid predominantly N-acetyl neuraminic
      acid (NANA) which is the desired, normal human-type sialylation. This study
      theoretically predicts that anti-EGFR antibody produced by CHO cell expression
      system may show better clinical tolerance, and very low potential for active
      hypersensitivity reactions, CHO cell lines can be the preferred expression system
      for producing anti-EGFR biobetter.

PMID- 28895364
TI  - [Development of tumor targeting PHBHHx nanoparticles by PhaP mediated
      immobilization of EGFR-targeting peptide].
AB  - PHA granule binding protein phasin (PhaP) has a high affinity for hydrophobic
      materials and can bind to hydrophobic polymers via strong hydrophobic
      interaction. In this study, an EGFR-targeting peptide (ETP) was fused with PhaP
      and the fusion protein ETP-PhaP was produced in recombinant Escherichia coli BL21
      (DE3) (pPI-ETP-P) and then purified by Ni affinity purification. The tumor
      targeting PHBHHx nanoparticles were developed based on PhaP mediated ETP
      immobilization and the cellular uptake of the ETP-PhaP modified PHBHHx NPs and
      none modified PHBHHx NPs by cervical cancer cell lines SiHa (EGFR over expressed)
      and CaSKi (EGFR low expressed) were analyzed. The purified ETP-PhaP could be
      adsorbed onto the hydrophobic surface of PHBHHx NPs. The ETP-PhaP modified PHBHHx
      NPs could target to EGFR over expressed cervical cancer cells SiHa more
      efficiently than to the EGFR low expressed CaSKi cells. These results
      demonstrated the advantage in effectiveness and convenience of PhaP mediated ETP
      adsorption on PHBHHx nanoparticles, providing a novel strategy for hydrophobic
      nanocarrier surface modification.

PMID- 28895365
TI  - [Expression of Leafy Cotyledon 2 from Arabidopsis increased the content of lipid
      in Chlorella sorokiniana].
AB  - The low lipid content is one of the major bottlenecks to realize the
      industrialization of the algae biodiesel. Improvement of lipid content through
      global regulation to get high-yield generating algae is a good strategy. Leafy
      Cotyledon 2 (LEC2) is an important transcription factor for seed maturation and
      oil accumulation in Arabidopsis. However, there are few reports regarding
      adoption of LEC2 for lipid accumulation until now. In this study, LEC2 from
      Arabidopsis was cloned into the plant expression vector pCIMBIA1300 and
      transformed into C. sorokiniana through particle bombardment. One recombinant was
      screened by PCR, RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. Compared with the wild type
      one, the total lipid content in the recombinant increased one fold, which did not
      show effect on cell growth, indicating that LEC2 can efficiently enhance the
      lipid accumulation in C. sorokiniana.

PMID- 28895366
TI  - [Purification, identification and characterization of an anti-microbial
      hexapeptide from Sus scrofa lysozyme].
AB  - Sus scrofa lysozyme (SSL) was digested by different proteases to find peptides
      with enhanced antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria. Hydrolysate
      with the highest anti-bacterial activity was loaded onto a gel filtration
      chromatography column followed by a reversed-phase one. The obtained substance
      was identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, synthesized to test
      its antibacterial spectrum and analyzed for bioinformatics. The hydrolysate of
      trypsin showed the highest antibacterial activity. By purification and
      identification, the functional peptide with sequence of A-W-V-A-W-K was obtained.
      The peptide was synthesized and proved to retain partial function of SSL and had
      activity against gram-negative bacteria. By bioinformatics analysis, the peptide
      was found to locate in a helix-loop-helix structure, suggesting that the peptide
      may kill cells by penetrating cell membrane and cause the outflow of cell
      contents. The discovery of the peptide could lay the foundation for improving the
      antibacterial activity of SSL.

PMID- 28895367
TI  - Is the management of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms consistent across the UK?
      A questionnaire-based survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our objective was to quantify variability across the UK in the
      management of a complex abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: An online
      survey was emailed to all members of the Vascular Society for Great Britain and
      Ireland. The survey presented a vignette of a 63-year-old woman with significant
      respiratory co-morbidity whose computed tomographic (CT) angiogram demonstrated a
      54 mm AAA with a short (7 mm) proximal neck but no other adverse morphological
      features for a standard or complex endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). The
      survey included images and questions related to AAA management as well as surgeon
      access to operating facilities. 111 responses were received. RESULTS: 47% of
      participants indicated a preference for continuing surveillance, 29% for
      fenestrated EVAR and 7% each for no operative intervention and open surgical
      repair. The remainder indicated various preferences including standard EVAR (3%),
      standard EVAR with endoanchors (3%), chimney EVAR (2%), EVAS (endovascular
      aneurysm sealing) (1%) and chimney EVAS (1%). Of the 47% who wanted to continue
      surveillance, once their threshold was reached, 73% would manage with a
      fenestrated EVAR, 17% with open repair and the remainder with standard EVAR with
      endoanchors (2%), EVAS (2%) or chimney EVAS (2%). 49% of participants carried out
      endovascular procedures in hybrid theatres, 36% in radiology angiosuites and 15%
      in standard operating theatres. The location had no significant effect on the
      consultant choice of treatment method. CONCLUSIONS: The study results support
      anecdotal variation in practice among vascular specialists. This reflects the
      lack of solid evidence on the optimal management of complex AAA.

PMID- 28895368
TI  - Gestational lower limb edema and venous reflux in healthy primigravidae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Analyze the association of lower limb edema with venous reflux in
      healthy primigravidae during pregnancy and in the postpartum. METHODS: Cohort
      with primigravidae evaluated in the three trimesters of pregnancy and postpartum.
      Edema was assessed by physical examination. Duplex evaluated venous reflux in
      both limbs. RESULTS: In the first trimester, no woman presented edema or venous
      reflux. In the second trimester, venous reflux was found in one patient (5%) and
      edema was found in four women (20%). Venous reflux and edema were not associated
      (P=1). In the third trimester, two other patients developed venous reflux (15%)
      and eleven women developed lower limb edema (55%). Venous reflux and edema were
      also not associated (P=0.21). In the postpartum period, neither venous reflux nor
      lower limb edema were found. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy primigravidae, lower limb
      edema was not associated with venous reflux. Both were present in the second and
      in the third trimesters of pregnancy and resolved spontaneously in the postpartum
      period. Both are products of the same physiological changes that occur in
      pregnancy.

PMID- 28895370
TI  - Eosinophilic esophagitis: current evidence-based diagnosis and treatment in
      children and adults.
AB  - Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a disease caused by an immune response to food
      antigens in contact with the esophageal mucosa that has arisen as a common
      disorder in current clinical practice. Its diagnosis is defined by the
      combination of symptoms of esophageal dysfunction and inflammation of the
      esophageal mucosa predominantly by eosinophils. Its chronic course and frequent
      progression to subepithelial fibrosis leading to strictures and narrow esophagus
      indicate the need for treatment. Information provided by recent clinical trials
      and systematic reviews allowed for the development of new clinical guidelines,
      endorsed by several European scientific societies. This review summarizes its
      most relevant aspects, updates the concept of EoE, reports its epidemiology and
      risk factors, associated conditions and its natural history in children and
      adults. Diagnostic criteria of EoE were updated, after the relationships
      discovered between the disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Endoscopy
      with biopsies remains as the only accurate test for diagnosis and monitoring,
      which warrants research on minimally invasive methods. Therapeutic options for
      EoE are analyzed based on best scientific evidence and expert opinion. Drugs with
      anti-inflammatory efficacy include proton pump inhibitors and topic swallowed
      steroids. Empiric food elimination diets have been shown to be superior to skin
      allergy testing food elimination. Since only one or two foods are involved in
      causing EoE in 90% of patients who respond to diets, novel steep-up schemes on
      empiric elimination diets warrant further evaluation. Endoscopic dilation should
      be considered in patients with esophageal narrowing and persistent symptoms
      unresponsive to diet or drugs-based anti-inflammatory treatments.

PMID- 28895369
TI  - The role of intravascular ultrasound in lower limb revascularization in patients
      with peripheral arterial disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this review is to explore the safety and effectiveness
      of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) during lower limb endovascular interventions
      in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A
      systematic review of the PubMed and Scopus databases was performed according to
      PRISMA guidelines. Clinical studies evaluating IVUS as an adjunct to angiography
      during revascularization procedures in patients with PAD were included. EVIDENCE
      SYNTHESIS: Thirteen studies were identified, with a total number of 2258 patients
      having had IVUS for PAD intervention. Seven investigated the role of IVUS for
      angioplasty and stenting, with the majority being retrospective cohorts.
      Technical success and patency rates ranged from 90-100% and 45-100%,
      respectively, with a follow-up that ranged from 4.3-63 months. Three of these
      studies compared IVUS and non-IVUS guided angioplasty and demonstrated a
      significant difference in the events of amputations or re-interventions in favor
      of the IVUS group. Furthermore, five studies evaluated IVUS use in true-lumen re
      entry, with the technical success ranging between 97-100%. In one study, where
      IVUS was used for atherectomy, the technical success was 100% and the long-term
      patency was 90% during a 12-month follow-up. Overall, no significant
      peri/postoperative IVUS related complications were reported, whereas, 2 studies
      suggested an IVUS-associated increase in procedure costs that ranged from $1080
      $1333. CONCLUSIONS: There is limited and heterogeneous evidence regarding the use
      of IVUS for the management of PAD. Further research is required to elucidate the
      optimal role of IVUS in PAD as well as the cost effectiveness of this approach
      for routine use in the management of PAD.

PMID- 28895371
TI  - Performance of the over-the-scope clip system in the endoscopic closure of
      iatrogenic gastrointestinal perforations and post-surgical leaks and fistulas.
AB  - The increased invasiveness of endoscopic procedures and complex surgical
      interventions has resulted in an increased number of gastrointestinal iatrogenic
      defects, such as perforations, leak and fistulas. The conventional treatment for
      these gastrointestinal defects is surgery, with considerable risks especially in
      emergency situations and in patients with comorbidities. The Ovesco over-the
      scope clip (OTSC) system (Ovesco Endoscopy AG, Tubingen, Germany) and more
      recently, the Padlock ClipTM (Aponos Medical, Kingston, NH, USA) have shown
      promising results in the treatment of gastrointestinal defects. Several case
      reports and case series have demonstrated the efficacy of the OTSC system for the
      closure of full-thickness defects. Clinical success is best achieved in patients
      undergoing closure of a perforation or a leak. Closure of fistulas remains a
      clinical challenge since fibrosis or necrotic and inflamed tissue surrounding
      lesions may cause clip failure. Over-the-scope clips are a less invasive
      endoscopic option for managing patients with gastrointestinal defects before a
      more invasive surgical approach is attempted. Moreover, a failed attempt of OTSC
      deployment does not preclude subsequent surgical treatment.

PMID- 28895372
TI  - "Tipping" extracellular matrix remodeling towards regression of liver fibrosis:
      novel concepts.
AB  - Fibrosis development was initially conceived as an incessant progressive
      condition. Nowadays, it has become evident that fibrotic tissue undergoes a
      continuous two-way process: fibrogenesis and fibrinolysis, characterizing the
      remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM). However, in established fibrosis, this
      two-way process is tipped towards fibrogenesis and this leads to a self
      perpetuating accumulation of ECM, a distinct metabolic unit, together with other
      cells and processes promoting fibrosis deposition. Several mechanisms promote
      fibrosis regression, such as degradation of ECM, infiltration of restorative
      macrophages, prevention of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocytes,
      restoration of the liver sinusoidal endothelial cells' differentiation phenotype,
      and reversion to quiescence, apoptosis and senescence of hepatic stellate cells
      (HSC). Hence, fibrosis is the result of an unbalanced two-way process of matrix
      remodeling. At the late stage of the disease, antifibrotic interventions could
      become necessary to reverse self-perpetuating fibrogenesis and accelerate
      regression of fibrosis even if cause and cofactors of hepatic injury have been
      eliminated. This review outlines some of the important mechanisms leading towards
      regression of liver fibrosis.

PMID- 28895373
TI  - Nodular morphea in a patient with Steinert disease.

PMID- 28895374
TI  - Can environmental factors contribute in triggering vitiligo and associated
      autoimmune thyroid diseases? Possible connection to the Chernobyl nuclear
      accident.

PMID- 28895375
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes, and sun-safety practices among agricultural workers in the
      Autonomous Province of Trento, North-Eastern Italy (2016).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine evaluate sun safety
      knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among agricultural workers (AWs) in the
      Autonomous Province of Trento (North-Eastern Italy). METHODS: A cross sectional
      study was performed among AWs who attended pesticide training courses (2016).
      Participants received a structured questionnaire focusing on KAP towards sun
      protective behaviours. Synthetic scores for knowledge (GKS), risk perception
      (RPS), behavioural adaptation and use of personal protective equipment (SPPS)
      were calculated. Regression analysis was modelled in order to assess GKS, RPS and
      individual factors as predictors of SPPS. RESULTS: The sample included 204 AWs
      (89.7% males, 10.3% females, mean age 43.9 +/- 15.9 years). Sun protective
      behaviours were irregularly referred by participants, in particular receiving
      medical skin assessment by a dermatologist (33.8%), avoiding sun radiations at
      noon and taking rest breaks in shady areas (30.9%), and wearing sunscreen
      (13.3%). GKS was correlated with RPS, and RPS was characterized as a significant
      predictor of SPPS (B = .307; 95%CI .224 - .389, P < .001), alongside increased
      seniority (B = 4.957: 95%CI 3.064 - 6.851, P < 0.001) and previous history of
      sunburns (B = 5.829; 95%CI 1.520 - 10.139, P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      indicate that AWs are not appropriately aware of the risks associated with
      occupational exposure to solar radiation, and eventually report inadequate skin
      cancer prevention practices. Since SPPS found significant predictors in
      individual factors, tailored interventions and training may contribute to fill
      knowledge gaps and raise the concerns of AWs towards occupational dermatological
      disorders.

PMID- 28895376
TI  - Erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp induced by ingenol mebutate.

PMID- 28895377
TI  - Herpes infection: from skin to panniculitis involvement.

PMID- 28895378
TI  - Complete regression of keratoacanthoma with topical tazarotene gel 0.1%:
      therapeutic and pathophysiological perspectives.

PMID- 28895379
TI  - The analgesic potency dose of remifentanil to minimize stress response induced by
      intubation and measurement uncertainty of Surgical Pleth Index.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic potency dose of
      remifentanil to maintain Surgical Pleth Index (SPI) values at less than 50 after
      intubation in patients undergoing general anesthesia with target-controlled
      infusion of propofol and remifentanil. METHODS: We randomly allocated 120
      patients to receive one of three remifentanil target effect-site concentrations
      (5, 7, or 9 ng*mL-1) during intubation. The target effect-site concentrations of
      propofol were adjusted within a range of 2.5-3 MUg*mL-1 to maintain bispectral
      index values at less than 60 during anesthesia induction. A reusable SPI sensor
      was placed on the index finger of the arm, and the SPI values were continuously
      recorded. The predicted probability for maintaining the SPI values at less than
      50 after intubation against the cumulative amount of remifentanil was analyzed
      using logistic regression. The measurands were the baseline SPI value in patients
      without pain scheduled for surgery, and the maximal SPI value after intubation in
      patients receiving remifentanil with a target effect-site concentration of 7
      ng*mL-1. RESULTS: The estimated cumulative amount of remifentanil associated with
      a 50% and 95% probability of maintaining the SPI values at less than 50 after
      intubation were 135.0 ug and 330.4 ug, respectively. The estimated expanded
      uncertainty for the baseline and maximal SPI values after intubation in patients
      scheduled for surgery were 54.9+/-44.4 and 54.1+/-37.9, respectively, which
      corresponded to a confidence level of approximately 95%. CONCLUSIONS: The
      analgesic potency dose of remifentanil to maintain SPI values at less than 50
      after intubation was 135.0 ug.

PMID- 28895380
TI  - How to optimize the lung donor.
AB  - Over the last two decades, lung transplantation emerged as the standard of care
      for patients with advanced and terminal lung disease. Despite the increment in
      lung transplantation rates, in 2016 the overall mortality while on waiting list
      in Italy reached 10%, whereas only 39% of the wait-list patients were
      successfully transplanted. A number of approaches, including protective
      ventilatory strategy, accurate management of fluid balance, and administration of
      a hormonal resuscitation therapy, have been reported to improve lung donor
      performance before organ retrieval. These approaches, in conjunction with the use
      of ex-vivo lung perfusion technique contributed to expand the lung donor pool,
      without affecting the harvest of other organs and the outcomes of lung
      recipients. However, the efficacy of issues related to the ex-vivo lung perfusion
      technique, such as the optimal ventilation strategy, the ischemia-reperfusion
      induced lung injury management, the prophylaxis of germs transmission from donor
      to recipient and the application of targeted pharmacologic therapies to treat
      specific donor lung injuries are still to be explored. The main objective of the
      present review is to summarize the "state-of-art" strategies to optimize the
      donor lungs and to present the actual role of ex-vivo lung perfusion in the
      process of lung transplant. Moreover, different approaches about the technique
      reported in literature and several issues that are under investigation to treat
      specific donor lung injury will be discussed.

PMID- 28895381
TI  - Penicillin G susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus is not so infrequent.

PMID- 28895382
TI  - Widespread upper extremity pain and weakness as main symptom for Mycoplasma
      pneumoniae infection.

PMID- 28895383
TI  - Robotic-assisted thoracoscopic lung surgery: anesthetic impact and perioperative
      experience.
AB  - Anesthesiologists and the perioperative team have a tremendous impact upon
      clinical outcomes in robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. As anesthesiology is
      developing its role outside the operating room, the patient population benefits
      from an expanded focus on perioperative critical care and pain management. This
      article focuses upon the preoperative optimization, unique intraoperative
      considerations for surgeons and anesthesiologists, and postoperative management
      of patients undergoing robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

PMID- 28895384
TI  - Securing the airway in patients with cervical spine injury: the pursuit of the
      ideal airway gadget.

PMID- 28895385
TI  - Personalized intraoperative positive end-expiratory pressure: a further step in
      protective ventilation.

PMID- 28895386
TI  - The totaltrack VLM: a novel video-assisted intubating laryngeal mask.

PMID- 28895387
TI  - Chaenomeles - health promoting benefits
AB  - Chaenomeles is a genus of deciduous spiny in the family of Rosaceae (Pomoideae
      subfamily). For centuries, the plant was used for a treatment of anemia,
      rheumatism, gout and cardiovascular diseases. The chemical composition studies of
      Chaenomeles showed the presence of many biologically active compounds, such as:
      phenolic compounds, organic acids, terpenoids, alcohols, ketones or aldehydes.
      Fruit of Chaenomeles has the largest applying potential due to extensive use of
      medicinal and high concentration of vitamin C. Recent in vivo and in vitro
      studies suggest that Chaenomeles fruit can help in the healing process of
      diabetes, tumor, allergies and liver diseases. Futhermore the plant has many
      positive qualities, like: hepatoprotective effect, anti-inflammatory properties,
      antioxidant action, antimicrobial and neuroprotective effect. Chaenomeles fruit
      may promote the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora and contribute to the
      regulation of body weight. The aim of this review was to summarize the
      information and data on the chemical composition and therapeutic properties of
      Chaenomeles.

PMID- 28895388
TI  - Probiotic strains as the element of nutritional profile in physical activity -
      new trend or better sports results?
AB  - A diet, individually customized to the needs of sportsmen and sportswomen
      prepares them better for competition and achievement of better sports results.
      However, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and frequently recurrent upper
      respiratory tract infections pose a common problem observed among athletes of
      disciplines such as triathlon, cycling and marathon. Diarrhea, splashing in the
      intestines or gastrointestinal bleeding make it difficult to start and win in the
      race. Recently researchers have paid special attention to the therapeutic effect
      of probiotic strains on the human body. Various probiotic strains may have a
      beneficial effect on elimination of disorders mentioned above among athletes of
      these disciplines. Still, researchers continue looking for answers to the
      question how a specific probiotic strain is able to reduce the risk of the
      gastrointestinal tract and the respiratory system disorders appearing during
      training or competition. Attention is also drawn to the possible impact of
      probiotics on the physical capacity athletes and their athletic performance.
      Probiotic strains properly applied may have a positive influence on the athletes'
      bodies, but still randomized controlled trials are required to prove this thesis.

PMID- 28895389
TI  - Study of nutritional value of dried tea leaves and infusions of black, green and
      white teas from Chinese plantations
AB  - Background: The processing of tea leaves determines the contents of bioactive
      ingredients, hence it should be expected that each variety of tea, black, red or
      green, will represent a different package of compounds of physiological
      importance. Taste and aroma, as well as price and brand are the main factors
      impacting consumers' preferences with regard to tea of their choice; on the other
      hand consumers less frequently pay attention to the chemical composition and
      nutritional value of tea. Objective: The purpose of the study was assessment of
      the nutritional value of black, green and white high-quality tea leaf from
      Chinese plantations based on the chemical composition of the dried leaves as well
      as minerals and caffeine content in tea infusions. Material and methods: The
      research material included 18 high-quality loose-leaf teas produced at Chinese
      plantations, imported to Poland, and purchased in an online store. The analyses
      included examination of the dried tea leaves for their chemical composition
      (contents of water, protein, volatile substances and ash) and assessment of
      selected minerals and caffeine contents in the tea infusions. Results: High
      quality Chinese green teas were found with the most valuable composition of
      minerals, i.e. the highest contents of Zn, Mn, Mg, K, Ca and Al and the highest
      contents of protein in comparison to the other products. Chinese black teas had
      the highest contents of total ash and caffeine and white teas were characterized
      with high content of volatile substances, similar to the black teas, and the
      highest content of water and the lowest content of total ash. Conclusions: The
      three types of tea brews examined in the present study, in particular green tea
      beverages, significantly enhance the organism's mineral balance by providing
      valuable elements

PMID- 28895390
TI  - A universal method for the identification of genes encoding amatoxins and
      phallotoxins in poisonous mushrooms
AB  - Background: As the currently known diagnostic DNA targets amplified in the PCR
      assays for detection of poisonous mushrooms have their counterparts in edible
      species, there is a need to design PCR primers specific to the genes encoding
      amanitins and phallotoxins, which occur only in poisonous mushrooms. Objective:
      The aim of the study was testing of PCR-based method for detection of all genes
      encoding hepatotoxic cyclic peptides - amanitins and phallotoxins present in the
      most dangerous poisonous mushrooms. Material and Methods: Degenerate primers in
      the PCR were designed on the basis of amanitins (n=13) and phallotoxins (n=5)
      genes in 18 species of poisonous mushrooms deposited to Genbank of the National
      Center for Biotechnology Information. Results: The specificity of the PCR assays
      was confirmed against 9 species of edible mushrooms, death cap - Amanita
      phalloides and panther cap - Amanita pantherina. Conclusions: Designed two
      couples of PCR-primers specific to amanitins and phallotoxins genes can be
      recommended for detection of Amanita phalloides and other mushroom species
      producing hepatotoxic cyclic peptides - amanitins and phallotoxins.

PMID- 28895391
TI  - Potential Opportunities and Challenges for Research Collaboration with Latin
      America in Agriculture and Food Science.

PMID- 28895392
TI  - Theoretical Prediction of Surface Stability and Morphology of LiNiO2 Cathode for
      Li Ion Batteries.
AB  - Ni-rich layered oxides are considered to be a promising cathode material with
      high capacity, and their surface structure should be extensively explored to
      understand the complex associated phenomena. We investigated the surface
      stability and morphology of LiNiO2 as a representative of these materials by
      using density functional theory calculations. The results reveal that the Li
      exposed surfaces have lower energies than the oxygen surfaces, irrespective of
      the facets, and the Ni-exposed ones are the least stable. The equilibrium
      morphology can vary from truncated trigonal bipyramid to truncated egg shape,
      according to the chemical potential, whose range is confined by the phase
      diagram. Moreover, the electrochemical window of stable facets is found to
      strongly depend on the surface elements rather than the facet directions.
      Contrary to the stable Li surfaces, oxygen exposure on the surface considerably
      lowers the Fermi level to the level of electrolyte, thereby accelerating
      oxidative decomposition of the electrolyte on the cathode surface.

PMID- 28895393
TI  - Synthesis of Sulfur Perfluorophenyl Compounds Using a Pentafluorobenzenesulfonyl
      Hypervalent Iodonium Ylide.
AB  - A novel pentafluorobenzenesulfonyl hypervalent iodonium ylide 3 was designed and
      synthesized as a useful tool for the preparation of sulfur pentafluorophenyl
      compounds containing a C6F5S or C6F5SO2 unit. Electrophilic
      pentafluorophenylthiolation of enamines, formal [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of
      nitriles and alkynes, and intramolecular SNAr cyclization were achieved using
      iodonium ylide 3. The fluoro-click reaction was also demonstrated using one of
      the products via an intermolecular SNAr reaction with heterocentered
      nucleophiles.

PMID- 28895394
TI  - Antineoplastic Agents. 604. The Path of Quinstatin Derivatives to Antibody Drug
      Conjugates.
AB  - To further evaluate the exceptional cancer cell growth inhibition by the
      quinstatins, of which one of the series, quinstatin 8, approaches the exceptional
      cytotoxic activity of the parent dolastatin 10 (1), four of the quinstatins have
      been converted to desmethyl derivatives. Three of the four (4, 5, and 8 [7b-d])
      were next bonded to the linker (8) employed in the synthesis of the very
      successful and structurally related anticancer drug Adcetris (3). Owing to these
      structural modifications, a next step could be taken by bonding to a monoclonal
      antibody, thereby producing an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) related to Adcetris
      structurally but with the possibility of a wider spectrum of activity and
      utility.

PMID- 28895395
TI  - Thermoelectric Properties of SnS with Na-Doping.
AB  - Tin sulfide (SnS), a low-cost compound from the IV-VI semiconductors, has
      attracted particular attention due to its great potential for large-scale
      thermoelectric applications. However, pristine SnS shows a low carrier
      concentration, which leads to a low thermoelectric performance. In this work,
      sodium is utilized to substitute Sn to increase the hole concentration and
      consequently improve the thermoelectric power factor. The resultant Hall carrier
      concentration up to ~1019 cm-3 is the highest concentration reported so far for
      this compound. This further leads to the highest thermoelectric figure of merit,
      zT of 0.65, reported so far in polycrystalline SnS. The temperature-dependent
      Hall mobility shows a transition of carrier-scattering source from a grain
      boundary potential below 400 K to acoustic phonons at higher temperatures. The
      electronic transport properties can be well understood by a single parabolic band
      (SPB) model, enabling a quantitative guidance for maximizing the thermoelectric
      power factor. Using the experimental lattice thermal conductivity, a maximal zT
      of 0.8 at 850 K is expected when the carrier concentration is further increased
      to ~1 * 1020 cm-3, according to the SPB model. This work not only demonstrates
      SnS as a promising low-cost thermoelectric material but also details the material
      parameters that fundamentally determine the thermoelectric properties.

PMID- 28895396
TI  - Hybrid WSe2-In2O3 Phototransistor with Ultrahigh Detectivity by Efficient
      Suppression of Dark Currents.
AB  - Photodetectors based on low-dimensional materials have attracted tremendous
      attention because of their high sensitivity and compatibility with conventional
      semiconductor technology. However, up until now, developing low-dimensional
      phototransistors with high responsivity and low dark currents over broad-band
      spectra still remains a great challenge because of the trade-offs in the
      potential architectures. In this work, we report a hybrid phototransistor
      consisting of a single In2O3 nanowire as the channel material and a multilayer
      WSe2 nanosheet as the decorating sensitizer for photodetection. Our devices show
      high responsivities of 7.5 * 105 and 3.5 * 104 A W-1 and ultrahigh detectivities
      of 4.17 * 1017 and 1.95 * 1016 jones at the wavelengths of 637 and 940 nm,
      respectively. The superior detectivity of the hybrid architecture arises from the
      extremely low dark currents and the enhanced photogating effect in the depletion
      regime by the unique design of energy band alignment of the channel and
      sensitizer materials. Moreover, the visible to near-infrared absorption
      properties of the multilayer WSe2 nanosheet favor a broad-band spectral response
      for the devices. Our results pave the way for developing ultrahigh-sensitivity
      photodetectors based on low-dimensional hybrid architectures.

PMID- 28895397
TI  - Screen-Printed Polyaniline-Based Electrodes for the Real-Time Monitoring of Loop
      Mediated Isothermal Amplification Reactions.
AB  - Nucleic acid amplification testing is a very powerful method to perform efficient
      and early diagnostics. However, the integration of a DNA amplification reaction
      with its associated detection in a low-cost, portable, and autonomous device
      remains challenging. Addressing this challenge, the use of screen-printed
      electrochemical sensor is reported. To achieve the detection of the DNA
      amplification reaction, a real-time monitoring of the hydronium ions
      concentration, a byproduct of this reaction, is performed. Such measurements are
      done by potentiometry using polyaniline (PAni)-based working electrodes and
      silver/silver chloride reference electrodes. The developed potentiometric sensor
      is shown to enable the real-time monitoring of a loop-mediated isothermal
      amplification (LAMP) reaction with an initial number of DNA strands as low as 10
      copies. In addition, the performance of this PAni-based sensor is compared to
      fluorescence measurements, and it is shown that similar results are obtained for
      both methods.

PMID- 28895398
TI  - Nearly Blinking-Free, High-Purity Single-Photon Emission by Colloidal InP/ZnSe
      Quantum Dots.
AB  - Colloidal core/shell InP/ZnSe quantum dots (QDs), recently produced using an
      improved synthesis method, have a great potential in life-science applications as
      well as in integrated quantum photonics and quantum information processing as
      single-photon emitters. Single-particle spectroscopy of 10 nm QDs with 3.2 nm
      cores reveals strong photon antibunching attributed to fast (70 ps) Auger
      recombination of multiple excitons. The QDs exhibit very good photostability
      under strong optical excitation. We demonstrate that the antibunching is
      preserved when the QDs are excited above the saturation intensity of the
      fundamental-exciton transition. This result paves the way toward their usage as
      high-purity on-demand single-photon emitters at room temperature.
      Unconventionally, despite the strong Auger blockade mechanism, InP/ZnSe QDs also
      display very little luminescence intermittency ("blinking"), with a simple on/off
      blinking pattern. The analysis of single-particle luminescence statistics places
      these InP/ZnSe QDs in the class of nearly blinking-free QDs, with emission
      stability comparable to state-of-the-art thick-shell and alloyed-interface
      CdSe/CdS, but with improved single-photon purity.

PMID- 28895399
TI  - Deep-Eutectic Solvents Derived Nitrogen-Doped Graphitic Carbon as a Superior
      Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction.
AB  - The activity and stability of electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)
      essentially depends on its structural and compositional properties. Herein, we
      report the facile preparation of nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon (NGC) via the
      pyrolysis of deep-eutectic solvents (DESs) as a superior electrocatalyst for ORR.
      The resulting NGCs possess high surface areas, rich nitrogen content, and
      favorable graphitization degree, all of which are highly desired for the ORR
      catalysts. The effects of the pyrolysis temperature on the ORR performance of the
      final products are explored. The results implied that the material fabricated at
      900  degrees C (NGC900) is identified as the best ORR catalyst in the series of
      samples. Specifically, NGC900 shows efficient performance toward ORR with an
      onset potential of 0.97 V and a half potential of 0.84 V, which bears comparison
      with the commercial Pt/C catalyst with enhanced stability in the alkaline media.
      The superior ORR performance of NGC900 may be ascribed to the balance between the
      surface area, pyridinic nitrogen, and defect of NGCs. The rational design of NGCs
      with an efficient ORR activity and stability based on the low-cost DESs implies
      adequate support for the development of energy devices in practical application.

PMID- 28895400
TI  - The Role of Electrode-Catalyst Interactions in Enabling Efficient CO2 Reduction
      with Mo(bpy)(CO)4 As Revealed by Vibrational Sum-Frequency Generation
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - Group 6 metal carbonyl complexes ([M(bpy)(CO)4], M = Cr, Mo, W) are potentially
      promising CO2 reduction electrocatalysts. However, catalytic activity onsets at
      prohibitively negative potentials and is highly dependent on the nature of the
      working electrode. Here we report in situ vibrational SFG (VSFG) measurements of
      the electrocatalyst [Mo(bpy)(CO)4] at platinum and gold electrodes. The greatly
      improved onset potential for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction at gold electrodes is
      due to the formation of the catalytically active species [Mo(bpy)(CO)3]2- via a
      second pathway at more positive potentials, likely avoiding the need for the
      generation of [Mo(bpy)(CO)4]2-. VSFG studies demonstrate that the strength of the
      interaction between initially generated [Mo(bpy)(CO)4]*- and the electrode is
      critical in enabling the formation of the active catalyst via the low energy
      pathway. By careful control of electrode material, solvent and electrolyte salt,
      it should therefore be possible to attain levels of activity with group 6
      complexes equivalent to their much more widely studied group 7 analogues.

PMID- 28895401
TI  - Serum Metabolic Fingerprinting Identified Putatively Annotated Sphinganine Isomer
      as a Biomarker of Wolfram Syndrome.
AB  - Wolfram syndrome (WFS) is an example of a rare neurodegenerative disease with
      coexisting endocrine symptoms including diabetes mellitus as the first clinical
      symptom. Treatment of WFS is still only symptomatic and associated with poor
      prognosis. Potential markers of disease progression that could be useful for
      possible intervention trials are not available. Metabolomics has potential to
      identify such markers. In the present study, serum fingerprinting by LC-QTOF-MS
      was performed in patients with WFS (n = 13) and in patients with T1D (n = 27). On
      the basis of the obtained results, aminoheptadecanediol (17:0 sphinganine isomer)
      (+50%, p = 0.02), as the most discriminatory metabolite, was selected for
      validation. The 17:0 sphinganine isomer level was determined using the LC-QQQ
      method in the samples from WFS patients at two time points and compared with
      samples obtained from patients with T1D (n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 24).
      Validation analysis showed higher 17:0 sphinganine isomer level in patients with
      WFS compared to patients with T1D (p = 0.0097) and control group (p < 0.0001)
      with progressive reduction of its level after two-year follow-up period. Patients
      with WFS show a unique serum metabolic fingerprint, differentiating them from
      patients with T1D. Sphinganine derivate seems to be a marker of the ongoing
      process of neurodegeneration in WFS patients.

PMID- 28895402
TI  - Acetate-Induced Disassembly of Spherical Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Clusters into
      Monodispersed Core-Shell Structures upon Nanoemulsion Fusion.
AB  - It has been long known that the physical encapsulation of oleic acid-capped iron
      oxide nanoparticles (OA-IONPs) with the cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA+) surfactant
      induces the formation of spherical iron oxide nanoparticle clusters (IONPCs).
      However, the behavior and functional properties of IONPCs in chemical reactions
      have been largely neglected and are still not well-understood. Herein, we report
      an unconventional ligand-exchange function of IONPCs activated when dispersed in
      an ethyl acetate/acetate buffer system. The ligand exchange can successfully
      transform hydrophobic OA-IONP building blocks of IONPCs into highly hydrophilic,
      acetate-capped iron oxide nanoparticles (Ac-IONPs). More importantly, we
      demonstrate that the addition of silica precursors (tetraethyl orthosilicate and
      3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) to the acetate/oleate ligand-exchange reaction of
      the IONPs induces the disassembly of the IONPCs into monodispersed iron oxide
      acetate-silica core-shell-shell (IONPs@acetate@SiO2) nanoparticles. Our
      observations evidence that the formation of IONPs@acetate@SiO2 nanoparticles is
      initiated by a unique micellar fusion mechanism between the Pickering-type
      emulsions of IONPCs and nanoemulsions of silica precursors formed under ethyl
      acetate buffered conditions. A dynamic rearrangement of the CTA+-oleate bilayer
      on the IONPC surfaces is proposed to be responsible for the templating process of
      the silica shells around the individual IONPs. In comparison to previously
      reported methods in the literature, our work provides a much more detailed
      experimental evidence of the silica-coating mechanism in a nanoemulsion system.
      Overall, ethyl acetate is proven to be a very efficient agent for an effortless
      preparation of monodispersed IONPs@acetate@SiO2 and hydrophilic Ac-IONPs from
      IONPCs.

PMID- 28895404
TI  - Exosomes of human mesenchymal stem/stromal/medicinal signaling cells.
AB  - In this review, we intend to explore the potential therapeutic effects of
      exosomes released from mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). MSCs gained
      credibility as a therapeutic tool due to their potential to differentiate into
      many cell types like osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, muscular,
      endothelial, cardiovascular, and neurogenic cells. They possess potent wound
      healing activity due to their immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties.
      MSCs are tested in large number of clinical trials for treatment of diseases,
      which do not have adequate therapy at present. MSCs engineered to express suicide
      genes in preclinical studies have shown promising tumor targeting therapeutic
      tool for malignancies difficulty treatable at present. It has been increasingly
      observed in many different kinds of regenerative medicine and in MSCs mediated
      prodrug gene therapy for cancer that the intravenously administered of MSCs did
      not necessarily engraft at the site of injury or tumor. The therapeutic effect
      was exerted mainly through a paracrine action of rich secretome released from the
      cells. The main biocomponent of secretome are exosomes - naturally occurring
      membrane nanoparticles of 30-120 nm in diameter that mediate intercellular
      communication by delivering biomolecules like mRNA, miRNA into recipient cells.
      These nanosized exosomes derived from MSCs promise to be a new and valuable
      therapeutic strategy in regenerative medicine and cancer therapy compared with
      transplanted exogenous MSCs. Advantage of nanosized exosomes compared with
      administration of exogenous MSCs is multiple. Exosomes are easier to preserve and
      be transferred, have lower immunogenicity and therefore are safer for therapeutic
      administration.

PMID- 28895405
TI  - Screening key miRNAs for human hepatocellular carcinoma based on miRNA-mRNA
      functional synergistic network.
AB  - The safety of miRNAs has been proven and the prophylactic use of miRNA-based
      approaches may be foreseen for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
      However, the underlying regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in HCC has not been fully
      clarified. Using bioinformatic analyses, we compared data of miRNA and mRNA
      expression profiling of HCC from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database,
      respectively. Differentially expressed miRNAs and differentially expressed genes
      (DEGs) were identified. Based on the miRTarBase predictions, the miRNA-dependent
      regulatory network was constructed. In total, comparative analysis of five mRNA
      datasets and two miRNA datasets led to 1449 DEGs and 17 differentially expressed
      miRNAs, respectively. Based on the predictions, a global miRNA-mRNA regulatory
      network was then constructed, which encompassed 451 miRNA target gene pairs whose
      expressions were inversely correlated. Three miRNAs (miR-641, miR-507 and miR-501
      5p) were the most connected miRNAs that regulated a large number of genes, among
      which miR-641 and miR-507 were novel miRNAs altered in HCC. We suggested that miR
      501-5p will represent a powerful therapeutic target for HCC. Moreover, four up
      regulated miRNAs (miR-769-3p, miR-941, miR-362-3p and miR-16-1) and one down
      regulated miRNA (miR-581) may be involved in HCC. Additionally, two targets of
      MAPK8 and SRPK2 were also detected in this study, whose roles in HCC will be
      notable. In conclusion, we developed an integrative approach to construct an
      interactive global network of miRNA-mRNA, which can contribute to refine miRNA
      target predictions for developing new therapeutic approaches.

PMID- 28895403
TI  - Injectable Carbon Nanotube-Functionalized Reverse Thermal Gel Promotes
      Cardiomyocytes Survival and Maturation.
AB  - The ability of the adult heart to regenerate cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost after
      injury is limited, generating interest in developing efficient cell-based
      transplantation therapies. Rigid carbon nanotubes (CNTs) scaffolds have been used
      to improve CMs viability, proliferation, and maturation, but they require
      undesirable invasive surgeries for implantation. To overcome this limitation, we
      developed an injectable reverse thermal gel (RTG) functionalized with CNTs (RTG
      CNT) that transitions from a solution at room temperature to a three-dimensional
      (3D) gel-based matrix shortly after reaching body temperature. Here we show
      experimental evidence that this 3D RTG-CNT system supports long-term CMs
      survival, promotes CMs alignment and proliferation, and improves CMs function
      when compared with traditional two-dimensional gelatin controls and 3D plain RTG
      system without CNTs. Therefore, our injectable RTG-CNT system could potentially
      be used as a minimally invasive tool for cardiac tissue engineering efforts.

PMID- 28895406
TI  - Identification of potential key genes associated with diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma based on microarray gene expression profiling.
AB  - The study aimed to screen potential key genes, and their targeted miRNAs and
      transcription factors (TFs) that were related to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
      (DLBCL), and explore potential therapeutic targets for the progression of DLBCL.
      Dataset GSE56315 extracted from human tonsils was downloaded from Gene Expression
      Omnibus. Limma package was used to identify differential expression genes (DEG)
      between DLBCL and normal human tonsils samples, and the function and pathway
      enrichment analyses were performed. Then, functional interaction (FI) networks
      analyses of DEGs were implemented, and modules were extracted. Additionally,
      DLBCL-related miRNAs were predicted based on miR2disease database. Thereafter, TF
      target DEGs and miRNAs targeted genes were respectively obtained. Finally, the
      integrated network of TF-target-miRNA was constructed. A total of 4,495 DEGs were
      identified between DLBCL and NHT samples. Among them, 114 up-regulated DEGs were
      contained in 8 modules of FI network, while 189 down-regulated DEGs were
      contained in 12 sub-modules. In addition, most DEGs were enriched in the function
      of "DNA binding" and pathways of "chemokine signaling pathway",
      "phosphatidylinositol signaling system" and "RNA degradation". Moreover, 19
      miRNAs related with DLBCL were downloaded from Mirwalk2. Furthermore, miRNAs of
      miR-21-5p, miR-155 and miR-17-5p, the TF of STAT1, and DEGs such as NUF2, CCR1,
      PIK3R1, SMC1A, FOXK1 and CNOT6L had high degrees in the integrated networks of TF
      target-miRNA. DEGs like NUF2, CCR1, PIK3R1, SMC1A, FOXK1 and CNOT6L might be
      closely associated with the pathogenesis of DLBCL.

PMID- 28895407
TI  - Cordycepin inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in human
      cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore the role of cordycepin in human
      cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cell growth and apoptosis. In the present study, colony
      formation assay, cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and tumor xenograft experiment
      were performed to evaluate the effect of cordycepin on human CCA cell growth in
      vitro and in vivo; flow cytometric analysis was performed to evaluate the effect
      of cordycepin on cell apoptosis; quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR
      (qRT-PCR) and western blot assays were performed to evaluate the expression
      levels of Caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax. The results showed that cordycepin inhibited
      cell growth in QBC939 and RBE cells in vitro and it could also inhibit QBC939
      cells growth in vivo. Furthermore, the flow cytometric analysis, qRT-PCR and
      western blot assays showed that cordycepin could trigger QBC939 and RBE cells
      apoptosis by regulating the expression levels of Caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax. And we
      proposed that cordycepin could inhibit human CCA cell growth in vitro and in
      vivo, while, this function is related to the induction of cell apoptosis.

PMID- 28895408
TI  - Sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Autonomic nervous system plays an important role in the development of multiple
      cancers via regulating cancer cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis,
      migration and invasion. However, no detailed studies have been performed to study
      the role of autonomic nerve fibers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as
      its correlation with the progression of HCC. Here, we examined the distribution
      of the autonomic nerve fibers and analyzed the correlation between autonomic
      nerve fibers and the pathological characteristics of HCC patients. The
      transcriptional expression of adrenergic and cholinergic receptors was evaluated
      in both hepatoma cell lines and primary hepatoma cells. In addition, we
      summarized the function of receptors for neurotransmitters in different cancers
      recently reported. Our findings indicate that tissue of liver cancer is
      innervated by both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves and the density of the
      nerve fibers is associated with patients' poor prognosis. Additionally, we report
      that adrenergic receptors beta2 and cholinergic receptors alpha7, M1 and M3 are
      high expressed in both hepatoma cell lines and primary hepatoma cells, indicating
      these receptors may play essential roles in the regulation of autonomic nervous
      system triggered HCC.

PMID- 28895409
TI  - Long noncoding RNA ASAP1-IT1 promotes cancer stemness and predicts a poor
      prognosis in patients with bladder cancer.
AB  - Urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is one of the most common urogenital malignancies.
      Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) play a vital role in tumor development and
      recurrence. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are reported to influence cancer
      progression via transcriptional, posttranscriptional or epigenetic regulation.
      Dysregulation of several lncRNAs has been implicated in UBC. In our study, we
      found that an uncharacterized lncRNA, ASAP1-IT1, was overexpressed in UBC tissues
      compared with adjacent non-malignant tissues. High ASAP1-IT1 expression levels in
      UBC specimens were correlated with advanced tumor stage, higher clinical stage,
      poor pathological differentiation and bad overall survival. We further found that
      depletion of ASAP1-IT1 in T24 cells by RNA interference reduced the stemness of
      bladder cancer, whereas forced overexpression of ASAP1-IT1 in J82 cells enhanced
      cancer cell stemness by sphere assay, ALDEFLUOR and flow cytometry assay on CD44+
      population. Our data suggest that ASAP1-IT1 plays an oncogenic role in bladder
      cancer and can be used as a potential prognostic and therapeutic target.

PMID- 28895410
TI  - Chromatographic analyses of Lavandula angustifolia and Rosmarinus officinalis
      extracts and their biological effects in mammalian cells and cell-free systems.
AB  - Knowledge of biological properties of natural compounds allows to understand
      their therapeutic value, efficacy and security. We investigated: composition of
      Lavandula angustifolia (LA) and Rosmarinus officinalis (RO) extracts, their
      antioxidant capacity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, their DNA-protective
      potential against DNA damage induced in hamster V79 cells by several genotoxins
      or in plasmid DNA by Fe2+ ions and activity of antioxidant enzymes in cells
      treated with these extracts. Higher cytotoxicity, observed at higher
      concentrations of extracts, was accompanied by the increased level of single
      strand (ss) DNA breaks as well as formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg)
      sensitive sites. LA and RO extracts were able to protect DNA of hamster cells as
      well as plasmid DNA against ss DNA breaks induced by genotoxins and Fe2+. LA
      extract mildly increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione
      peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), while RO extract decreased the activity of
      SOD, but increased the activity of CAT and GPx. Cell-free tests confirmed
      antioxidant activity of both extracts. The biological properties of LA and RO
      extracts showed that they could have a positive impact on human health.

PMID- 28895411
TI  - Knockdown of human serine/threonine kinase 33 suppresses human small cell lung
      carcinoma by blocking RPS6/BAD signaling transduction.
AB  - Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by rapid growth rate and a
      tendency to metastasize to distinct sites of patients' bodies. The human
      serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) gene has shown its potency as a therapeutic
      target for prevention of lung carcinomas including non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC), but its function in the oncogenesis and development of SCLC remains
      unrevealed. In the current study, it was hypothesized that STK33 played a key
      role in the proliferation, survival, and invasion of SCLC cells. The expression
      of STK33 in human SCLC cell lines NCI-H466 and DMS153 was inhibited by specific
      shRNA. The cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell invasion of the cells
      were assessed with a series of in vitro assays. To explore the mechanism through
      which STK33 gene exerted its function in the carcinogenesis of SCLC cells, the
      effect of STK33 knockdown on the activity of S6K1/RPS6/BAD signaling was
      detected. Then the results were further confirmed with STK33 inhibitor ML281 and
      in vivo assays. The results demonstrated that inhibition of STK33 in SCLC cells
      suppressed the cell proliferation and invasion while induced cell apoptosis.
      Associated with the change in the phenotypic features, knockdown of STK33 also
      decreased the phosphorylation of RPS6 and BAD while increased the expression of
      cleaved caspase 9, indicating that apoptosis induced by STK33 suppression was
      mediated via mitochondrial pathway. Similar to the results of STK33 knockdown,
      incubating NCI-H466 cells with STK33 inhibitor also reduced the cell viability by
      suppressing RPS6/BAD pathways. Additionally, STK33 knockdown also inhibited tumor
      growth and RPS6/BAD activity in mice models. Findings outlined in our study were
      different from that in NSCLC to some extent: knockdown of STK33 in SCLC cells
      induced the apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway but independent of S6K1
      function, inferring that the function of STK33 might be cancer type specific.

PMID- 28895412
TI  - Predictive values of FAP and HGF for tumor angiogenesis and metastasis in
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - This study aims to explore the correlation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and
      fibroblast activation protein (FAP) expressions with the angiogenesis and
      metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). The immunohistochemical SABC method was
      used to detect HGF and FAP expressions in 127 CRC tissues, 51 colorectal polyp
      tissues and 28 normal tissues. HGF and FAP expressions in liver metastasis were
      detected using western blot to analyze the correlation of their expressions with
      lymph node metastasis and liver metastasis. Micro-vessel density (MVD) and clinic
      pathologic information of CRC patients were recorded and analyzed. In CRC group,
      HGF and FAP expressions were greatly higher than those in normal group and
      colorectal polyps group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the positive rates of HGF and FAP
      expressions in lymph node metastasis were evidently higher than those in non
      lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). In liver metastasis group, HGF and FAP
      expressions were obviously higher than non-liver metastasis group (P < 0.05). CRC
      group had much more MVD in comparison with normal group and colorectal polyps
      group (P < 0.05).When compared with negative group, MVD was significantly higher
      than that in CRC tissue with positive HGF and FAP (P < 0.05). Spearman rank
      correlation analysis showed that HGF and FAP were in positive correlation with
      MVD (r = 0.542, P < 0.001; r = 0.753, P < 0.001). These results indicate that FAP
      and HGF play an important role in CRC angiogenesis, and their expression levels
      are valuable to predict CRC liver metastasis and lymph node metastasis.

PMID- 28895413
TI  - The E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b inhibits tumor growth in multidrug-resistant
      gastric and breast cancer cells.
AB  - Most receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) contribute to tumor growth, and their
      ubiquitination and degradation is related to the inhibition of tumor growth. Our
      previous study showed that the ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b was expressed at low levels
      in multidrug-resistant (MDR) gastric cancer cells compared with their parental
      cells. However, whether enhancement of Cbl-b expression in MDR cancer cells could
      prevent tumor proliferation via ubiquitination and degradation of RTK remains
      unclear. In the present study, Cbl-b overexpression reduced cell proliferation in
      MDR gastric and breast cancer cells, and effectively inhibited tumor growth in
      vivo. Additionally, Cbl-b overexpression reduced the total protein level of
      insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1R), an important member of the RTK family.
      Moreover, Cbl-b overexpression promoted interaction of Cbl-b with IGF-1R, and
      induced ubiquitination and degradation of IGF-1R and inactivation of the IGF-1R
      pathway. These results suggest that the ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b inhibited tumor
      growth via ubiquitination and degradation of IGF-1R in MDR gastric and breast
      cancer cells.

PMID- 28895414
TI  - Knockdown of Tripartite Motif Containing 28 suppresses the migration, invasion
      and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in ovarian carcinoma cells through down
      regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.
AB  - Tripartite motif containing 28 (TRIM28) is a transcriptional corepressor of
      Kruppel-associated box zinc finger protein, which has been reported to
      participate in carcinogenesis. Nonetheless, whether TRIM28 plays a role in the
      metastasis of ovarian carcinoma (OC) is unclear and requires further
      investigation. In this study, two OC cell lines (A2780 and OVCAR-3) with stable
      low expression of TRIM28 were established via RNA interference. We found that the
      migratory and invasive ability of TRIM28-silenced OC cells significantly
      decreased. The expression and activity of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-2 and MMP
      9 in these OC cells were inhibited. The TRIM28 shRNA also suppressed the
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of OC cells as evidenced by the up
      regulated E-cadherin and the downregulated Vimentin and N-cadherin. Additionally,
      the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway was suppressed in TRIM28-silenced OC
      cells: the activity of beta-catenin was inhibited, the expression of total and
      nuclear beta-catenin, Axin 2, T-cell factor 1 (TCF1) and lymphoid enhancer
      binding factor 1 (LEF1) were decreased, whereas the phosphorylation of beta
      catenin at Ser33/37 was enhanced. Further, re-expression of active beta-catenin
      in TRIM28-silenced OC cells partly restored their metastasis in vitro. Taken
      together, our study demonstrates a contributory role of TRIM28 in OC metastasis
      in vitro, suggesting TRIM28 as a novel therapeutic target for this malignant
      tumor.

PMID- 28895415
TI  - Hyaluronic acid/ Hyaluronidase as biomarkers for bladder cancer: a diagnostic
      meta-analysis.
AB  - This study aimed to determine the value of HA/HAase for detecting bladder cancer
      on the basis of preceding statistical performance. PubMed, Springer Link, Web of
      Science and Cochrane Library were systematically searched to identify potentially
      relevant published articles by using the key words: "bladder cancer or bladder
      tumor or bladder carcinoma", "hyaluronic acid or hyaluronan", "hyaluronidase or
      HAase". The methodological quality of each study was assessed by QUADAS-2.
      According to the inclusive and exclusive criteria, 8 articles were identified and
      methodologically analyzed by STATA 12.0 software package.The results showed that
      the pooled sensitivity of HA and HAase was 0.832 (95% confidence interval [CI]:
      0.798, 0.861) and 0.834 (95% CI: 0.756, 0.891) respectively, the pooled
      specificity was 0.886 (95% CI: 0.852, 0.913) and 0.860 (95% CI: 0.801, 0.904),
      and the area under the summary ROC cure (AUC) was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.92) and
      0.91 (95% CI: 0.88, 0.93), respectively. Simultaneously the diagnostic accuracy
      of the combination of HA and HAase showed that the pooled sensitivity was 0.908
      (95% CI: 0.879, 0.931), the pooled specificity was 0.825 (95% CI: 0.789, 0.856)
      and AUC was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91, 0.95), indicating a relatively higher accuracy
      than HA and HAase alone. This meta-analysis strongly suggests that HA/HAase could
      be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

PMID- 28895416
TI  - Prospective study on diagnostic and prognostic significance of postoperative FDG
      PET/CT in recurrent colorectal carcinoma patients: comparison with MRI and tumor
      markers.
AB  - Current guidelines for follow-up after resection of colorectal cancer (CRC)
      recommend regular measurements of carcinoembryogenic antigen (CEA) and imaging
      tests. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) are currently primary imaging modalities, while the role of fluorine-18
      fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG
      PET/CT), which is recommended in patients with negative MDCT and increased CEA,
      is still uncertain. Our aim was to compare diagnostic performance and prognostic
      significance of 18F-FDG PET/CT with MRI and tumor markers CEA and carbohydrate
      antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) in detection of recurrent CRC. This prospective study
      included 35 patients with resected CRC, referred to 18F-FDG PET/CT examination
      for suspected recurrence. During median follow-up of 24.4+/-1.5 months 18F-FDG
      PET/CT and MRI results and tumor marker levels were compared with findings of
      histopathological examination or with results of clinical and imaging follow-up.
      Management plan before the 18F-FDG PET/CT scan was considered and compared to the
      final treatment decision. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative
      predictive value and accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI in detection of recurrent
      colorectal cancer in patient-based analysis were 92.6%, 75%, 92.6%, 75% and
      88.6%, and 65.4%, 66.7%, 85%, 40% and 65.7%, respectively. In lesion-based
      analysis the sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI was 83.1% and 68.2%,
      respectively. The overall accuracy of CEA and CA 19-9 in recurrence detection was
      48.6% and 54.3%, respectively. PET/CT induced therapy alterations in 13/35
      (37.1%) patients. Progression was observed in 16/35 patients during follow-up,
      with significantly lower risk of progression in patients with treatment changes
      based on PET findings (Multivariate Cox regression; p=0.017). In addition,
      elevated CA 19-9 levels in time of PET scan and male gender carried significantly
      higher risk of progression (p=0.007 and p=0.016, respectively). Kaplan-Meier Log
      rank test showed significantly longer progression-free survival time in patients
      who had treatment plan changed based on PET/CT (p=0.046). We can conclude that
      18F-FDG PET/CT showed better sensitivity and accuracy compared to MRI in
      detection of recurrent colorectal cancer, with much better sensitivity compared
      to CEA and CA 19-9. Patients with treatment changes based on 18F-FDG PET/CT had
      significantly better prognosis and longer progression-free survival, while
      elevated values of CA 19-9 and male gender were associated with worse prognosis.

PMID- 28895417
TI  - The prognostic value of pre-treatment thrombocytosis in two cohorts of patients
      with non-small cell lung cancer treated with curatively intended
      chemoradiotherapy.
AB  - Chemoradiotherapy is the standard of care for inoperable stage III non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC). This treatment, however, offers only a small chance of cure
      and is associated with many side effects. Little research has been made
      concerning which patients benefit most/least from the treatment. The present
      study evaluates the prognostic value of anemia, leukocytosis and thrombocytosis
      at diagnosis in this treatment setting. In the present study, data were collected
      retrospectively for 222 patients from two different phase II studies conducted
      between 2002-2007 in Sweden with patients treated with chemoradiotherapy for
      stage IIIA-IIIB NSCLC. Clinical data and the serum values of hemoglobin (Hgb),
      White blood cells (WBC) and Platelets (Plt) at enrollment were collected for all
      patients and studied in relation to overall survival using Kaplan-Meier product
      limit estimates and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. The
      results showed that patients with thrombocytosis (Plt > 350 x 109/L) had a
      shorter median overall survival (14.5 months) than patients with normal Plt at
      baseline (23.7 months). Patients with leukocytosis (WBC > 9 x 109/L) had a
      shorter median survival (14.9 months) than patients with a normal WBC at baseline
      (22.5 months). However, in a multivariate model including all lab parameters and
      clinical factors, only thrombocytosis and performance status displayed a
      prognostic significance. In Conclusion, thrombocytosis showed to be an
      independent prognostic marker associated with shorter overall survival in stage
      III NSCLC treated with curatively intended chemoradiotherapy. This knowledge can
      potentially be used together with established prognostic factors, such as
      performance status when choosing the optimal therapy for the individual patient
      in this clinical setting.

PMID- 28895418
TI  - Expression of thymidylate synthase (TS) and its prognostic significance in
      patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma.
AB  - : Cutaneous angiosarcoma (CA) is extremely rare, and little is known about the
      biological significance of possible biomarkers for chemotherapeutic agents.
      Thymidylate synthase (TS) is an attractive target for cancer treatment in various
      human neoplasms. It remains unclear whether the expression of TS is associated
      with the clinicopathological features of CA patients. The aim of this study was
      to elucidate the relationship between TS expression and the clinicopathological
      significance in CA patients. Fifty-one patients with CA were included in this
      study. TS expression and Ki-67 labeling index were examined using
      immunohistochemical analysis. TS was positively expressed in 39% (20/51) of CA
      patients. No statistically significant prognostic factor was identified as a
      predictor of overall survival (OS) for all patients by univariate analysis,
      whereas a significant prognostic variable for progression free survival (PFS) was
      found to be the clinical stage. In addition, both univariate and multivariate
      analyses confirmed that positive expression of TS was a significant predictor of
      worse PFS in CA patients of clinical stage 1. CONCLUSION: Positive TS expression
      in CA was identified as a significant predictor of worse outcome in patients of
      clinical stage 1.

PMID- 28895419
TI  - Role of obesity and abdominal shape morphometric features to predict
      postoperative complications and quality of lymph node dissection of gastrectomy
      for gastric cancer.
AB  - Obesity and abdominal shape morphometric features have been thought to be
      independent risk factors for surgical outcomes after gastrectomy.A total of 113
      patients undergoing surgery for primary gastric adenocarcinoma from June 2011 to
      January 2015 were retrospectively included. Body mass index, visceral fatty area,
      anterior-posterior abdominal and transverse diameters and depth ratio at levels
      of the umbilicus, the gastroesophageal junction and the root of the celiac artery
      were measured or calculated. Patients were grouped according to body mass index
      (<25.0 kg/m2or >=25.0 kg/m2) or median value of these parameters. Surgical
      outcomes including postoperative complications, total and metastatic lymph node
      numbers and their ratio were compared.There was a significant association between
      body mass index and abdominal shape indexes. Body mass index and abdominal shape
      indexes showed no statistical significance on development of complications. But,
      lymph node numbers and their ratio were negatively affected by depth ratio at the
      root of the celiac artery.Our findings showed that gastrectomy with curative
      intent can be performed safely in patients with higher body mass index and
      abdominal shape indexes. Therefore, there is no need to perform any change in
      surgical strategy according to these measurements and calculations.

PMID- 28895420
TI  - Retrospective analysis of 20 cases of refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma.
AB  - We investigate the clinical characteristics, prognosis and treatment of relapsed
      and refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. Twenty patients with relapsed and refractory
      Hodgkin lymphoma were treated by chemotherapy or autologous stem cell
      transplantation in our hospital from April 2006 to August 2012. The retrospective
      analysis of the records from the 20 patients reflected both 5-year overall
      survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The overall effectiveness was
      80% for the 20 patients. The 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year progression
      free survival rate were 73.5% and 62.7%, respectively. Therefore, comprehensive
      treatment should be actively utilized in the case of invalid second-line regimen
      for the refractory HL patients.

PMID- 28895421
TI  - In-vivo isolation of circulating tumor cells in non-small cell lung cancer
      patients by CellCollector.
AB  - In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can provide
      information on patient prognosis and treatment efficacy. Currently CTCs are
      mostly isolated in vitro from small volumes of patient blood samples. The aim of
      the study was to assess a medical device for in vivo isolation of CTCs directly
      from the blood of NSCLC patients. The device was inserted in a cubital vein
      through a standard cannula for thirty minutes. The interaction of target CTCs
      with the CellCollector was mediated by an antibody directed against the
      epithelial cell adhesion molecule. There were 60 applications of the wire in 48
      stage I-IIIB NSCLC patients and 12 non-cancer patients. The device was well
      tolerated in all applications without side effects. We obtained in vivo isolation
      of CTCs in 32 of 34 NSCLC patients (94.1%) with a median (range) of 13 (0-300)
      CTCs. In the non-cancer patients, no CTCs were detected. The safety and efficacy
      of an in vivo CTC detection method directly from the bloodstream of patients with
      NSCLC has been demonstrated. This proof of concept study may have important
      clinical implications, as the implementation of the device into clinical practice
      may improve early detection, prognosis and therapy monitoring of NSCLC patients.

PMID- 28895422
TI  - The value of Gd-BOPTA- enhanced MRIs and DWI in the diagnosis of intrahepatic
      mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - The aim of this study is to explore the value of unenhanced magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI), gadobenate dimeglumine injection (Gd-BOPTA)-enhanced MRI and
      diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the diagnosis of intrahepatic mass-forming
      cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC). Totally 59 IMCC patients who underwent Gd-BOPTA
      enhanced MRIs were recruited. The time-signal intensity curves and lesion
      periphery enhancement rates of the IMCC and liver parenchyma was drawn using
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. The Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MRI showed
      that the peripheries of 30 lesions in the arterial phase exhibited irregular ring
      enhancement. However, lesions in the portal and delayed phases (which were
      gradually filled with a contrast agent), presented a patchy or latticed
      enhancement. Twenty-two lesions in the arterial and delayed phases exhibited
      uneven mild/moderate patchy enhancements with a progressive and centripetal
      lesion. Five lesions emerged from the arterial phase without any significant
      enhancement and had only gradual enhancement during the delayed phase. The
      remaining 2 lesions had a decreased mild enhancement, presented comparatively
      high signals and the lesion center had visible small spotted low signals. The DWI
      signals displayed a slightly high or high unevenness. Some lesion peripheries had
      a high signal but lesion centers displayed a relatively low or slightly low
      signal and irregular patches. There were significant differences between the ADC
      values of the lesion edge, lesion center and liver parenchyma. The IMCC detection
      rates of the Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MRI and DWI were higher than those of the
      unenhanced MRI. Our study demonstrated that both the Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MRI and
      DWI had higher accuracies rates than an unenhanced MRI. Furthermore, the
      hepatobiliary phase of IMCC plays an important role in the diagnosis and
      identification of IMCC constituents.

PMID- 28895423
TI  - Distribution of the most common polymorphisms in TYMS gene in Slavic population
      of central Europe.
AB  - Thymidylate synthetase (TS) plays a critical role in the de novo synthesis of
      dTMP inside the cell. Therefore, TS is a suitable target for cytotoxic drugs such
      as fluoropyrimidines. Drug efficacy and toxicity depend on the intracellular
      level of TS, which is significantly influenced by the polymorphisms in the 5'UTR
      (TSER - rs45445694, TSER*3G>C - rs2853542) and 3'UTR (1494del TTAAAG -
      rs151264360) of TYMS gene. Polymorphic variants of TYMS gene affect TS activity
      via gene expression and transcript stability. Patients who undergo
      fluoropyrimidine therapy may benefit from genetic testing prior to the
      administration of chemotherapy. At the 5' terminus of TYMS, there is a
      polymorphic region represented by a variable number of 28bp long tandem repeats
      (2-9 tandems) with the G or C nucleotide variant (SNP G>C). The 3'end of TYMS
      gene may decrease the stability of mRNA in the case of 6 base deletion (1494del6,
      D). In our study, we have focused on testing of TYMS gene polymorphisms,
      determination of TYMS variant frequencies in Western Slavic population and
      comparison of Slovak population with other populations.We performed
      identification of 5'UTR (rs45445694 - TSER*2 or TSER*3; rs2853542 - TSER*3G>C;
      TSER*3+ins6) and 3'UTR (rs151264360/1494del6/D) polymorphic regions of TYMS gene
      among 96 volunteers by PCR-RFLP and fragment analysis. Slovak frequencies of
      selected polymorphisms were established as follows: the frequency of TSER*2,
      TSER*3, TSER*3G>C, 1494del6/D and I to be 41%, 59%, 34%, 37.5% and 62.5%
      respectively. The high resolution of the capillary electrophoresis technique
      allowed among TSER*3 group identification of a subgroup of four individuals with
      rare 6bp insertion in 3R allele, id est 2.1% TSER*3+ins6 allele frequency. In our
      study, we have revealed individuals with rare G>C substitution in the first 28bp
      tandem repeat of TSER*2 promoter enhancer region (rs183205964) as well, the
      overall frequency of this polymorphic allele in Slovak population was 2.1%. Our
      results proved that Slovak population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and
      proportion of TYMS polymorphisms is in accordance with other published data.

PMID- 28895424
TI  - Comment: Translating Guidelines Into Practice: Interpreting the 2016 ACC Expert
      Consensus Decision Pathway on the Role of Non-Statin Therapies for LDL
      Cholesterol Lowering in the Management of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
      Risk.

PMID- 28895425
TI  - Predictors of subsequent myocardial infarction, stroke, and death in stable post
      myocardial infarction patients: A nationwide cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study investigated the predictors of subsequent cardiovascular
      events in stable post-myocardial infarction patients in Taiwan. METHODS: A total
      of 11,183 patients were recruited who had survived one year post-myocardial
      infarction without subsequent events of recurrent myocardial infarction or stroke
      from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Their composite
      cardiovascular event rates were identified. RESULTS: The composite cardiovascular
      events rate in three year follow-up in the post-myocardial infarction population
      was 13.8%. Corresponding event rates were 5.8% recurrent myocardial infarction,
      5.0% stroke, and 5.2% death. Independent factors associated with a higher risk of
      ischemic events or death included heart failure (hazard ratio (HR)=1.19),
      hypertension (HR=1.16), age (65-75 vs <65 years: HR=1.29; 75-85 vs <65 years:
      HR=1.50; >85 vs <65 years: HR=1.70), diabetes (HR=1.33), prior stroke (HR=1.24),
      chronic kidney disease (HR=1.4), atrial fibrillation (HR=1.27), and
      underutilization of guideline-based medication (HR=1.73). Composite risk for
      myocardial infarction, stroke and death increased progressively from 4.9% in
      patients with zero risk factor to 100.0% in patients with eight risk factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: For acute myocardial infarction patients surviving one year without
      subsequent events of recurrent myocardial infarction or stroke, the risk of
      cardiovascular events remained high. Eight predictors identified patients at
      increased risk for subsequent cardiovascular events within the next three years.
      These results suggest an unmet need, particularly in patients with additional
      risk factors.

PMID- 28895426
TI  - Music for the ageing brain: Cognitive, emotional, social, and neural benefits of
      musical leisure activities in stroke and dementia.
AB  - Music engages an extensive network of auditory, cognitive, motor, and emotional
      processing regions in the brain. Coupled with the fact that the emotional and
      cognitive impact of music is often well preserved in ageing and dementia, music
      is a powerful tool in the care and rehabilitation of many ageing-related
      neurological diseases. In addition to formal music therapy, there has been a
      growing interest in self- or caregiver-implemented musical leisure activities or
      hobbies as a widely applicable means to support psychological wellbeing in ageing
      and in neurological rehabilitation. This article reviews the currently existing
      evidence on the cognitive, emotional, and neural benefits of musical leisure
      activities in normal ageing as well as in the rehabilitation and care of two of
      the most common and ageing-related neurological diseases: stroke and dementia.

PMID- 28895427
TI  - The impact of self-perceived limitations, stigma and sense of coherence on
      quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients: results of a cross-sectional
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of perceived limitations, stigma and sense of
      coherence on quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional survey. SETTING: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center
      Groningen, the Netherlands. SUBJECTS: Multiple sclerosis patients. MAIN MEASURES:
      World Health Organization Quality of Life - abbreviated version, Stigma Scale for
      Chronic Illness, Sense of Coherence Scale, background and disease-related
      questions. RESULTS: In total, 185 patients (61% response rate) participated in
      the study with moderate to severe limitations. Stigma was highly prevalent but
      low in severity. Patients with a higher sense of coherence experienced a lower
      level of limitations ( B = -0.063, P < 0.01) and less stigma (enacted stigma B = 
      0.030, P < 0.01; self-stigma B = -0.037, P < 0.01). Patients with a higher level
      of limitations experienced more stigma (enacted stigma B = 0.044, P < 0.05; self
      stigma B = 0.063, P < 0.01). Patients with a higher sense of coherence
      experienced better quality of life (physical health B = 0.059, P < 0.01;
      psychological health B = 0.062, P < 0.01; social relationships B = 0.052, P <
      0.01; environmental aspects B = 0.030, P < 0.01). Patients with a higher level of
      limitations experienced poorer quality of life (physical health B = -0.364, P <
      0.01; psychological health B = -0.089, P < 0.05) and patients with more stigma
      also experienced poorer quality of life (self-stigma: physical health B = -0.073,
      P < 0.01; psychological health B = -0.089, P < 0.01; social relationships B = 
      0.124, P < 0.01; environmental aspects B = -0.052, P < 0.01, and enacted stigma:
      physical health B = -0.085, P < 0.10). CONCLUSION: Patients with less perceived
      limitations and stigma and a higher level of sense of coherence experienced
      better quality of life. Patients with a higher sense of coherence experienced a
      lower level of limitations and less stigma.

PMID- 28895428
TI  - Decreased migration with locally administered bisphosphonate in cemented cup
      revisions using impaction bone grafting technique.
AB  - Background and purpose - Impaction bone grafting (IBG) in revision hip surgery is
      an established method in restoring bone stock deficiencies. We hypothesized that
      local treatment of the morsellized allograft with a bisphosphonate in cemented
      revision would, in addition to increased bone density, also reduce the early
      migration of the cup as measured by radiostereometry (RSA). Patients and methods 
      20 patients with aseptic cup loosening underwent revision using the IBG
      technique. The patients were randomized to either clodronate (10 patients) or
      saline (10 patients, control group) as local adjunct to the morsellized bone. The
      outcome was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) during the first
      year regarding periacetabular bone density and with radiostereometric analysis
      (RSA) for the first 2 years regarding cup migration. Results - 2 patients were
      lost to follow-up: 9 patients remained in the clodronate and 9 in the control
      group. Less proximal migration was found in the clodronate group compared with
      the controls, measured both over time (mixed-models analysis, p = 0.02) as well
      as at the specified time points up to 2 years (0.22 mm and 0.59 mm respectively,
      p = 0.02). Both groups seemed to have stabilized at 1 year. We found similar bone
      mineral density measured by DXA, and similar RSA migration in the other
      directions. No cups were re-revised. Interpretation - Local treatment of the
      allograft bone with clodronate reduced early proximal migration of the revised
      cup but without any measurable difference in periacetabular bone density.

PMID- 28895429
TI  - Effectiveness of Adenotonsillectomy and Risk of Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in
      Children With Prader-Willi Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) Review effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy (T&A) for obstructive
      sleep apnea (OSA) in children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PW). (2) Examine the
      incidence of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) after T&A in this population. (3)
      Compare outcomes of T&A in PW and Trisomy 21 (T21) patients. METHODS: Outcomes
      after T&A in a PW cohort were retrospectively reviewed and compared to those in
      patients with T21. RESULTS: The study cohort included 22 PW patients. They were
      compared to 47 T21 patients who also underwent T&A. Eighteen percent (N = 4) of
      the PW patients had postoperative VPI requiring a corrective procedure, while
      there were no patients within the T21 cohort who had identified VPI ( P < .05).
      In those patients that had a postoperative polysomnogram, the mean decrease in
      obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) of the PW and T21 patients measured 8.4
      and 4.7 points, respectively ( P = .3). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a
      higher rate of VPI after T&A in PW children as compared to another at-risk
      cohort, T21 patients. While the OAHI decreased after T&A in both groups, a
      significant number of children with PW or T21 had persistent OSA. Further
      investigation into the optimal management of OSA, while preventing treatment
      complications such as VPI, is needed for children with these high-risk
      conditions.

PMID- 28895430
TI  - A homozygous mutation in the PSMB8 gene in a case with proteasome-associated
      autoinflammatory syndrome.

PMID- 28895431
TI  - Timing of Meal Insulin and Its Relation to Adherence to Therapy in Type 1
      Diabetes.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to examine timing of meal insulin and further
      determine whether an association exists between timing of meal insulin and missed
      meal insulin doses. The cohort included 4768 T1D Exchange clinic registry
      participants <26 years with type 1 diabetes >=1 year. Chi-square tests, t-tests,
      and regression were used to assess the relationship between participant
      characteristics and timing of meal insulin and missed meal doses, respectively.
      Timing of meal insulin and association with missed meal doses was analyzed using
      logistic regression. In all, 21% reported administering insulin several minutes
      before, 44% immediately before, 10% during, and 24% after meal. Participants who
      gave insulin prior to a meal had significantly lower HbA1c than those who gave
      insulin during or after meal (8.4% +/- 1.5% vs 8.8% +/- 1.6%, adjusted P < .001),
      but no significant association was observed regarding DKA events. Those who
      reported missing >=1 insulin dose per week had higher HbA1c (9.8% +/- 1.9% vs
      8.3% +/- 1.3%, adjusted P < .001) and were more likely to experience at least one
      DKA event (9% vs 5%, adjusted P = .001) compared with those who rarely missed a
      meal insulin dose. Participants who reported administering insulin during or
      after a meal were more likely to report missing >=1 meal insulin dose per week
      compared with those who administered insulin before a meal (28% vs 14%, adjusted
      P < .001). Premeal insulin was associated with lower HbA1c and fewer missed meal
      insulin doses. Providers may use this information to discuss the benefits of
      premeal insulin on glycemic control and adherence to therapy.

PMID- 28895432
TI  - Intraductal Laser Fiber Tip Fracture and Retrieval During Sialendoscopic Laser
      Assisted Lithotripsy.
AB  - Fragmentation of flexible laser fiber tips has been reported to occur during
      therapeutic bronchoscopy and urologic stone treatment. We report fragmentation of
      200-um single-use silica-based fibers during sialendoscopy-controlled Holmium:YAG
      laser treatment of a parotid and a submandibular stone. The technique employed to
      successfully retrieve the fiber tips is described in the context of identifying
      this potential complication from endoscopic management of sialolithiasis.

PMID- 28895433
TI  - Corrective Osteotomies of Phalangeal and Metacarpal Malunions Using Patient
      Specific Guides: CT-Based Evaluation of the Reduction Accuracy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical planning of corrective osteotomies is traditionally based on
      conventional radiographs and clinical findings. In the past 10 years, 3
      dimensional (3D) preoperative planning approaches with patient-specific guides
      have been developed. However, the application of this technology to posttraumatic
      deformities of the metacarpals and phalangeal bones has not yet been
      investigated. Our goal was to evaluate the feasibility of the surgical
      application to the latter and to evaluate the extent and precision of correction.
      METHODS: We present results of 6 patients (8 osteotomies) treated with phalangeal
      or metacarpal corrective osteotomy. Deformities were located in the third ray in
      1, fourth ray in 3, and fifth ray in 4 cases. Six malunited metacarpal bones (1
      intra-articular) and 2 deformed proximal phalanges were treated. Computer-based
      3D preoperative planning using the contralateral hand as a template allowed the
      production of 3D-printed patient-specific guides that were used intraoperatively
      for navigation. The precision of the reduction was assessed using pre- and
      postoperative computed tomography by comparing the postoperative bone model with
      the preoperatively simulated osteotomy. Range of motion and grip strength were
      documented pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 6
      months (range: 5-11 months). Rotational deformity was reduced from a mean of 10.0
      degrees  (range: 7.2 degrees -19.3 degrees ) preoperatively to 2.3 degrees 
      (range: 0.7 degrees -3.7 degrees ) postoperatively, and translational
      incongruency decreased from a mean of 1.4 mm (range: 0.7-2.8 mm) to 0.4 mm
      (range: 0.1-0.9 mm). CONCLUSION: Preliminary results indicate that a precise
      reduction for corrective osteotomies of metacarpal and phalangeal bones can be
      achieved by using 3D planning and patient-specific guides.

PMID- 28895434
TI  - Genetic variation and risk of DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes of
      Iranian formaldehyde-exposed workers.
AB  - Formaldehyde (FA) has given positive results for the genetic damage evaluated in
      human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Polymorphism plays a special role in the
      toxicity of chemicals. DNA damage in blood cells was evaluated in workers who
      were occupationally exposed to FA. This study tested the association of alcohol
      dehydrogenase III (ADH3) and manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) gene
      polymorphism, with DNA damage of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Gene polymorphisms
      were evaluated in 54 workers from melamine dinnerware workshops and 34 workers
      from dairy production workshops. The control and exposed population were matched
      based on age, smoking, work history and socioeconomic status. DNA damage was
      evaluated by alkaline comet assay in the peripheral blood lymphocytes. ADH3 and
      Mn-SOD genotypes were determined in all workers using polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism method. DNA damage of lymphocyte cells
      was significantly higher ( p < 0.001) in the exposed individuals in comparison
      with the control population. The examinations of the exposed group had revealed
      significantly higher ( p < 0.01) variant of Val/Val of Mn-SOD compared to control
      group. In workers with ADH32-2 variant, significantly higher levels of DNA damage
      ( p < 0.01) were observed than the control population with the same genotype. It
      could be concluded that enzymes involved in the metabolism of FA and oxidative
      stress controlling are two important effective parameters for DNA damage of
      peripheral blood lymphocytes in exposed people. These results are regarded as a
      pioneer investigation for the management of health risks assessment.

PMID- 28895436
TI  - Evaluation of Normative Data of a Widely Used Computerized Neuropsychological
      Battery: Applicability and Effects of Sociodemographic Variables in a Dutch
      Sample.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Central Nervous System Vital Signs (CNS VS) is a computerized
      neuropsychological battery that is translated into many languages. However,
      published CNS VS' normative data were established over a decade ago, are solely
      age-corrected, and collected in an American population only. METHOD: Mean
      performance of healthy Dutch participants on CNS VS was compared with the
      original CNS VS norms ( N = 1,069), and effects of sociodemographic variables
      were examined. RESULTS: z tests demonstrated no significant differences in
      performance on four out of seven cognitive domains; however, Dutch participants (
      N = 158) showed higher scores on processing and psychomotor speed, as well as on
      cognitive flexibility. Although the original CNS VS norms are solely age
      corrected, effects of education and sex on CNS VS performance were also
      identified in the Dutch sample. DISCUSSION: Users should be cautious when
      interpreting CNS VS performance based on the original American norms, and
      sociodemographic factors must also be considered.

PMID- 28895435
TI  - Intranasal delivery of stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of brain
      malignancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant brain cancer in
      adults, and its poor prognosis and resistance to the existing standard of care
      require the development of innovative therapeutic modalities. The local delivery
      of stem cells as therapeutic carriers against glioma has produced encouraging
      results, but encounters obstacles with regards to the repeatability and
      invasiveness of administration. Intranasal delivery of therapeutic stem cells
      could overcome these obstacles, among others, as a noninvasive and easily
      repeatable mode of administration. Areas covered: This review describes nasal
      anatomy, routes of stem cell migration, and factors affecting stem cell delivery
      to hard-to-reach tumors. Furthermore, this review discusses the molecular
      mechanisms underlying stem cell migration following delivery, as well as possible
      stem cell effector functions to be considered in combination with intranasal
      delivery. Expert opinion: Further research is necessary to elucidate the dynamics
      of stem cell effector functions in the context of intranasal delivery and
      optimize their therapeutic potency. Nonetheless, the technique represents a
      promising tool against brain cancer and has the potential to be expanded for use
      against other brain pathologies.

PMID- 28895437
TI  - Mechanism underlying gender difference in heart disease risks and corresponding
      preventive measures.

PMID- 28895438
TI  - Why the Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of heart disease.

PMID- 28895441
TI  - Successful Placement of a BAHA Implant in a Patient With Epidermolysis Bullosa: A
      Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a spectrum of mechanobullous
      disorders characterized by blistering following minor trauma or traction to the
      skin. Hearing loss in this population is poorly described in the otolaryngology
      literature, and its treatment oftentimes results in external auditory canal skin
      irritation. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 26-year-old female with
      EB and mixed hearing loss unable to wear conventional hearing aids due to
      sequelae of the external auditory canals. An osseointegrated implant was used as
      other hearing aids were deemed to be too destructive of the external auditory
      canal skin. Management and Outcome: Our patient underwent placement of a right
      bone-anchored hearing aid with minimal disruption of the surrounding skin using a
      minimally invasive punch technique. Over 1 year of follow-up, her course was
      complicated by 1 simple cellulitic infection at the surgical site treated
      successfully with oral antibiotics. DISCUSSION: The literature regarding the
      otolaryngologic manifestations of EB is sparse. The otologic sequelae are
      particularly overlooked in the workup and management. Based on the results of
      this case study, it appears that an osseointegrated implant can be safely
      utilized to treat significant mixed or conductive hearing loss in patients with
      EB.

PMID- 28895439
TI  - Preventing cardiovascular disease after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy:
      Searching for the how and when.
AB  - Background Women with a history of a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy (HDP)
      have an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Guidelines recommend assessment
      of cardiovascular risk factors in these women later in life, but provide limited
      advice on how this follow-up should be organized. Design Systematic review and
      meta-regression analysis. Methods The aim of our study was to provide an overview
      of existing knowledge on the changes over time in three major modifiable
      components of cardiovascular risk assessment after HDP: blood pressure, glucose
      homeostasis and lipid levels. Data from 44 studies and up to 6904 women with a
      history of a HDP were compared with risk factor levels reported for women of
      corresponding age in the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey,
      Estudio Epidemiologico de la Insuficiencia Renal en Espana and Hong Kong cohorts
      ( N = 27,803). Results Compared with the reference cohort, women with a HDP
      presented with higher mean blood pressure. Hypertension was present in a higher
      rate among women with a previous HDP from 15 years postpartum onwards. At 15
      years postpartum (+/-age 45), one in five women with a history of a HDP suffer
      from hypertension. No differences in glucose homeostasis parameters or lipid
      levels were observed. Conclusions Based on our analysis, it is not possible to
      point out a time point to commence screening for cardiovascular risk factors in
      women after a HDP. We recommend redirection of future research towards the
      development of a stepwise approach identifying the women with the highest
      cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 28895442
TI  - An Alternate Technique of Applying Lag Screw for Fixation of Distal Fibula
      Fracture: Posterior to Anterior Interfragmentary Compression Screw.
AB  - : Ankle fractures are one of the most common lower limb fractures, representing a
      significant portion of the trauma workload. Marked proportion of these is
      isolated intraarticular lateral malleolus fractures. Anatomical reduction and
      rigid internal fixation using lag screw (interfragmentary screw) to provide
      interfragmentary compression has remained the choice of treatment in selected
      lateral malleolus fractures. Applying interfragmentary compression screw from
      anterior to the posterior surface of the fibula has been the traditional method
      of performing this. In this article, we describe an alternate method of applying
      posterior-anterior interfragmentary compression screw to the fibula fractures. We
      will also discuss the benefits it provides such as minimizing the chances of
      hardware-related peroneal tendon irritation. Further argument will focus on the
      mechanical benefit this will render while providing equal clinical outcome of the
      time tested anterior-posterior interfragmentary compression screw. LEVELS OF
      EVIDENCE: Level V: Therapeutic comparison.

PMID- 28895440
TI  - Unravelling the biology of chromatin in health and cancer using proteomic
      approaches.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chromatin remodeling complexes play important roles in the control
      of genome regulation in both normal and diseased states, and are therefore
      critical components for the regulation of epigenetic states in cells. Given the
      role epigenetics plays in cancer, for example, chromatin remodeling complexes are
      routinely targeted for therapeutic intervention. Areas covered: Protein mass
      spectrometry and proteomics are powerful technologies used to study and
      understand chromatin remodeling. While impressive progress has been made in this
      area, there remain significant challenges in the application of proteomic
      technologies to the study of chromatin remodeling. As parts of large multi
      subunit complexes that can be heavily modified with dynamic post-translational
      modifications, challenges in the study of chromatin remodeling complexes include
      defining the content, determining the regulation, and studying the dynamics of
      the complexes under different cellular states. Expert commentary: Impwortant
      considerations in the study of chromatin remodeling complexes include the
      complexity of sample preparation, the choice of proteomic methods for the
      analysis of samples, and data analysis challenges. Continued research in these
      three areas promise to yield even greater insights into the biology of chromatin
      remodeling and epigenetics and the dynamics of these systems in human health and
      cancer.

PMID- 28895443
TI  - Cytotoxic 8,9-seco-ent-kaurane diterpenoids from Croton kongensis.
AB  - Chemical study on the ethanolic extract generated from the aerial parts of Croton
      kongensis led to the isolation of three new 8,9-seco-ent-kaurane diterpenoids,
      kongeniods A-C (1-3), together with seven known analogs (4-10). The structures of
      these compounds were assigned by spectroscopic data analysis. The vitro cytotoxic
      tests showed that compounds 1-3 exhibited strong activities against HL-60 cell
      lines with IC50 values of 0.47, 0.58, and 1.27 MUM, respectively.

PMID- 28895444
TI  - D-Dimer Elevation as a Blood Biomarker for Detection of Structural Disorder in
      Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - CT scans are useful in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), but the
      potential risks associated with ionizing radiation are unknown. Further, CT scans
      are not commonly available in developing countries. In this study, coagulopathy
      and abnormal fibrinolysis were investigated as blood biomarkers for detection of
      structural disorder in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). A total of 88 patients
      with mild and isolated TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score 14-15) were admitted
      to Kenwakai Ootemachi Hospital between October 2014 and March 2016. After
      exclusion of those treated with oral antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants, 73
      patients were included in this study. Patients were classified into those with
      (lesion [+]) and without (lesion [-]) intracranial structural disorder, based on
      CT scans at admission and follow-up CT or MRI. Age, GCS score, and blood test
      findings (platelet count, international normalized ratio of prothrombin time [PT
      INR], activated partial thromboplastin time [APTT], fibrinogen, fibrin/fibrinogen
      degradation products [FDP], and D-dimer) on admission were compared between the
      two groups. The lesion(+) and lesion(-) groups comprised 54 (74%) and 19 patients
      (26%), respectively. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, D-dimer (3.6
      vs. 0.8 MUg/mL) was the only significant independent risk factor for structural
      disorder (p < 0.001). Platelet counts (23.9 vs. 23.5 * 104 /MUL), PT-INR (1.05
      vs. 1.07), APTT (29.3 vs. 31.7 sec), FDP (12 vs. 2.4 MUg/mL), and fibrinogen
      levels (260.6 vs. 231.3 mg/dL) were not associated with structural disorder.
      These results show that D-dimer is associated with intracranial structural
      disorder in mild TBI.

PMID- 28895445
TI  - Strategic infarct location for post-stroke cognitive impairment: A multivariate
      lesion-symptom mapping study.
AB  - Lesion location is an important determinant for post-stroke cognitive impairment.
      Although several 'strategic' brain regions have previously been identified, a
      comprehensive map of strategic brain regions for post-stroke cognitive impairment
      is lacking due to limitations in sample size and methodology. We aimed to
      determine strategic brain regions for post-stroke cognitive impairment by
      applying multivariate lesion-symptom mapping in a large cohort of 410 acute
      ischemic stroke patients. Montreal Cognitive Assessment at three to six months
      after stroke was used to assess global cognitive functioning and cognitive
      domains (memory, language, attention, executive and visuospatial function). The
      relation between infarct location and cognition was assessed in multivariate
      analyses at the voxel-level and the level of regions of interest using support
      vector regression. These two assumption-free analyses consistently identified the
      left angular gyrus, left basal ganglia structures and the white matter around the
      left basal ganglia as strategic structures for global cognitive impairment after
      stroke. A strategic network involving several overlapping and domain-specific
      cortical and subcortical structures was identified for each of the cognitive
      domains. Future studies should aim to develop even more comprehensive infarct
      location-based models for post-stroke cognitive impairment through multicenter
      studies including thousands of patients.

PMID- 28895446
TI  - Serositis in a child with scleredema of Buschke: an unusual association and
      improvement following glucocorticoids.

PMID- 28895447
TI  - Early Experience With Endovascular Aneurysm Sealing in Combination With Parallel
      Grafts for the Treatment of Complex Abdominal Aneurysms: The ASCEND Registry.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the results of the ASCEND Registry of cases involving
      endovascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS) in combination with chimney grafts (chEVAS)
      for the treatment of para- and juxtarenal aortic aneurysms (AAA). METHODS: A
      retrospective, multicenter registry established in 8 vascular centers between
      2013 and 2016 recorded the treatment results and follow-up of chEVAS procedures
      for nonruptured AAAs; data were analyzed using standardized outcome measures. In
      the observation period, 154 patients (mean age 72.3+/-7.7 years; 124 men)
      underwent elective treatment for de novo juxtarenal and pararenal aneurysms and
      formed the study group. RESULTS: Sixty-two (40.3%) of the cohort were treated
      using a single parallel graft, 54 (35.1%) with double chimneys, 27 (17.5%) with
      triple chimneys, and 11 (7.1%) with 4 chimneys. The 30-day mortality was 2.8%,
      and there were 4 perioperative strokes (1 fatal). At 1 year, the freedom from all
      cause mortality was 89.8% and the freedom from aneurysm-related mortality was
      94.3%. There were 3 endoleaks within 90 days of the procedure, one type Ia and 2
      type Ib. The freedom from type Ia endoleaks was 95.7% at 1 year. There were no
      types II or III endoleaks in this series; the freedom from all endoleaks was
      94.2% at 1 year. Freedom from reintervention at 1 year was 89.2%. Target vessel
      patency rates at 1 year were 97.7%, 99.3%, 100%, and 100% for the left renal,
      right renal, superior mesenteric artery, and celiac axis stents, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The ASCEND Registry supports a proof of concept for the use of
      polymer technology and EVAS with parallel grafts in managing patients with
      complex aortic disease. The future role of chEVAS will be defined by studies that
      assess mid- to long-term durability.

PMID- 28895448
TI  - Anatomical Applicability of Endovascular Aneurysm Sealing Techniques in a
      Consecutive Cohort of Fenestrated Endovascular Aneurysm Repairs.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine how many endovascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS) procedures
      with/without off-label use of chimneys (ChEVAS) could have been performed in a
      cohort of patients who had undergone fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair
      (FEVAR). METHODS: Sixty patients (median age 76.3 years; 54 men) who underwent
      FEVAR in our institution between 2013 and 2015 were selected for the study. The
      median aneurysm diameter was 62.0 mm (interquartile range 59.3, 69.0).
      Preoperative computed tomography angiograms (CTA) were anonymized and sent to 2
      physicians with experience of more than 40 ChEVAS interventions. These ChEVAS
      planners were blinded to the study purpose and asked to agree upon an EVAS/ChEVAS
      plan. The primary outcome was the percentage of the FEVAR patients in whom an
      EVAS/ChEVAS was technically possible. The secondary outcomes were a comparison of
      seal zones, number of target vessels, and device cost. RESULTS: An EVAS-based
      intervention would have been technically possible in 56 (93.3%) of the FEVAR
      patients. The median proximal aortic seal zone was significantly more distal in
      the EVAS/ChEVAS procedures vs the FEVAR cases (zone 8 vs zone 7, p<0.001) and
      fewer target vessels were involved (median 2 vs 3, p<0.001). The cost of the
      EVAS/ChEVAS device was 66% of the FEVAR device. Planners would not currently
      advocate an EVAS-based intervention in 43 (76.8%) of these 56 patients due to
      concerns regarding the risk of migration associated with the lumen thrombus
      ratios observed. CONCLUSION: EVAS is technically feasible in the majority of
      patients undergoing FEVAR in our institution but currently advocated in only
      23.2%. The seal zone was more distal, fewer target vessels were involved, and the
      device cost was lower in the planned EVAS/ChEVAS interventions.

PMID- 28895449
TI  - Stratifying the Risk of Developing Clinical Hypocalcemia after Thyroidectomy with
      Parathyroid Hormone.
AB  - Objective To identify the risk of clinical hypocalcemia in the first hours after
      thyroidectomy. Study Design Prospective observational study. Setting Single
      institution tertiary hospital in Madrid, Spain. Subjects and Methods A total of
      123 patients who underwent total or completion thyroidectomy between June 2010
      and March 2012 were included. Pre- and postoperative intact parathyroid hormone
      (iPTH) levels were obtained. Patients remain hospitalized a minimum of 48 hours
      until blood calcium stabilized. Calcium and/or vitamin D supplements were
      prescribed only when signs or symptoms of hypocalcemia developed. Receiver
      operating characteristic curve analysis was employed to evaluate the
      postoperative iPTH level and the pre- to postoperative decrease in iPTH levels.
      Two cutoff values were determined to stratify the risk of developing clinical
      hypocalcemia into 3 groups. Results The areas under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve were 0.991 for the postoperative iPTH and 0.998 for the
      decrease in iPTH. An iPTH decrease of 80% had 100% sensitivity to detect patients
      who developed clinical hypocalcemia, while a postoperative iPTH <3 pg/mL had 100%
      specificity. Thus, patients with an iPTH decrease <=80% are at a very low risk of
      clinical hypocalcemia, and patients with a postoperative iPTH <3 pg/mL are at a
      very high risk. Patients with an iPTH decrease >80% and a postoperative iPTH >=3
      pg/mL are at intermediate risk. No significant correlation was found between the
      time when the sample was obtained and iPTH values. Conclusion This study
      stablishes a very accurate test to stratify the risk of clinical
      postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia based on pre- and postoperative iPTH levels.

PMID- 28895450
TI  - Identifying Occupations at Risk for Laryngeal Disorders Requiring Specialty Voice
      Care.
AB  - Objective To identify occupational groups' use of specialty voice clinic
      evaluation. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary
      subspecialty clinic. Subjects and Methods We analyzed data collected on patients
      presenting to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Voice and Speech Laboratory
      over a 20-year period (1993-2013). The relative risk (RR) and 99% confidence
      interval (CI) of presentation were calculated for each occupational category in
      the greater Boston population using year-matched data from the Bureau of Labor
      Statistics (BLS). Results The records of 12,120 new patients were reviewed. Using
      year- and occupation-matched BLS data from 2005 to 2013, 2726 patients were
      included in the cohort analysis. Several occupations had significantly higher
      risk of presentation. These included arts and entertainment (RR 4.98, CI 4.18
      5.95), law (RR 3.24, CI 2.48-4.23), education (RR 3.08, CI 2.70-3.52), and social
      services (RR 2.07, CI 1.57-2.73). In contrast, many occupations had significantly
      reduced risk of presentation for laryngological disorders, for example,
      maintenance (RR 0.25, CI 0.15-0.42), food preparation (RR 0.35, CI 0.26-0.48),
      and administrative support (RR 0.49, CI 0.41-0.57). Conclusion Certain
      occupations are associated with higher use of laryngological services presumably
      because of their vocational voice needs. In addition to confirming findings from
      other studies, we identified several new occupation groups with increased or
      decreased risk for laryngologic disorders. Understanding what factors predispose
      to requiring specialty voice evaluation may help in targeting preventative
      efforts.

PMID- 28895451
TI  - Risk Factors for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Subsequent Post-Traumatic Stress
      Disorder and Mental Health Disorders among United States Army Soldiers.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the association of mild traumatic
      brain injury (mTBI) with subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and
      mental health disorders (MHD), and the intervening role of acute stress disorder
      (ASD). This matched case-control study utilized the Total Army Injury and Health
      Outcomes Database (TAIHOD) to analyze soldiers' (n = 1,261,297) medical encounter
      data between 2002 and 2011. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth
      Revision (ICD-9) codes were used to identify: mTBI (following Centers for Disease
      Control [CDC] surveillance definition for mTBI), MHD (ICD-9 codes for depression
      and anxiety, excluding PTSD), PTSD (ICD-9 309.81), and ASD (ICD-9 308.3).
      Incident cases of mTBI (n = 79,505), PTSD (n = 71,454), and MHD (n = 285,731)
      were identified. Overall incidence rates per 1000 soldier years were: mTBI =
      17.23, PTSD = 15.37, and MHD = 67.99. mTBI was associated with increased risk for
      PTSD (risk ratio [RR] 5.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.82-5.37) and MHD (RR
      2.94, 95% CI 2.84-3.04). A sub-analysis of the mTBI-only soldiers found that a
      diagnosis ASD, compared with a diagnosis of no ASD, was associated with greater
      risk for subsequent PTSD (RR 2.13, 95% CI 1.96-2.32) and MHD (RR 1.90, 95% CI
      1.72-2.09) following mTBI. Results indicate that soldiers with previous mTBI have
      a higher risk for PTSD and MHD, and that ASD may also mediate PTSD and MHD risk
      subsequent to mTBI. These data may help guide important surveillance and clinical
      rehabilitation considerations for high-risk populations.

PMID- 28895452
TI  - Debunking: A Meta-Analysis of the Psychological Efficacy of Messages Countering
      Misinformation.
AB  - This meta-analysis investigated the factors underlying effective messages to
      counter attitudes and beliefs based on misinformation. Because misinformation can
      lead to poor decisions about consequential matters and is persistent and
      difficult to correct, debunking it is an important scientific and public-policy
      goal. This meta-analysis ( k = 52, N = 6,878) revealed large effects for
      presenting misinformation ( ds = 2.41-3.08), debunking ( ds = 1.14-1.33), and the
      persistence of misinformation in the face of debunking ( ds = 0.75-1.06).
      Persistence was stronger and the debunking effect was weaker when audiences
      generated reasons in support of the initial misinformation. A detailed debunking
      message correlated positively with the debunking effect. Surprisingly, however, a
      detailed debunking message also correlated positively with the misinformation
      persistence effect.

PMID- 28895453
TI  - Extracranial internal carotid artery vasospasm during thrombectomy.
AB  - The use of a stent retriever increases the risk of intracranial vasospasm. Here,
      we report the case of a man who developed severe vasospasm in a long segment of
      the extracranial internal carotid artery after mechanical irritation by a stent
      retriever inserted for the treatment of acute cerebral ischemia. A 47-year-old
      right-handed man presented with sudden-onset right-sided weakness and difficulty
      speaking. The patient's National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 6
      and he had an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score of 9. The
      patient was started on intravenous alteplase therapy, and an acute thrombectomy
      was performed. Left internal carotid digital subtraction angiography showed
      narrowing of the left common and internal carotid arteries and occlusion of the
      proximal left M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery. A stent retriever was
      retracted into a guiding catheter placed at the left carotid bulb under
      continuous suction. Recanalization of the middle cerebral artery was not achieved
      and there was significant narrowing in a long segment of the extracranial
      internal carotid artery associated with exacerbation of the patient's aphasia.
      The cervical vasospasm improved after nicardipine infusion via the catheter. We
      encountered vasospasm in a long segment of the extracranial internal carotid
      artery after mechanical irritation by a stent retriever. If a stent retriever is
      used in a patient with a narrow extracranial internal carotid artery,
      consideration should be given to using a Penumbra or smaller guiding catheter
      located in the distal internal carotid artery to prevent irritation to the
      cervical vessel wall.

PMID- 28895454
TI  - The effectiveness of nutritional education among women aged 60-85 on the basis of
      anthropometric parameters and lipid profiles
AB  - Background: After several years of experience with guiding of an original program
      on health-promoting nutritional education for women during menopause, which by
      inducing changes in nutritional behaviour resulted in many favorable health
      promoting effects, on request of the students of the Association of Third Age
      University, an original educational program "Comprehensive stimulation of senior
      citizens to activity" was developed out and implemented. Objective: The objective
      of this study was to assess the effectiveness of four-month nutritional education
      and adjustments in diets of women aged 60-85, on the basis of the measurements of
      the selected lipid parameters in their blood tests Material and methods: This
      research project was joined by 37 female subjects aged 60-85, who are the members
      of the University of the Third Age in Szczecin, and whose average BMI was 31.7
      kg/m2. Before the nutritional education commenced and after it was completed, the
      female subjects' nutritional status was assessed (BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR) and the
      energy and nutritional value of their diets was examined based on the subjects'
      regular journalkeeping. Keys' atherogenic score in their diets were also
      computed. Results: The applied nutritional education led to changes in the energy
      and nutritional value of the female subjects' diets, which specifically improved
      their anthropometric parameters and the resulting BMI, WC and WHtR parameters.
      This fact was also reflected in a substantial decrease of the glucose level and a
      substantial increase of HDL-C level in the blood of the examined female subjects,
      as well as in the improvements in the assessed parameters TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/ HDL-C,
      TG/HDL-C. Conclusions: The analysis of the results allows to confirm, that the
      four-month nutritional education of elderly women resulted in changes of their
      erroneous dietary habits and an improvement in their nutrition.

PMID- 28895455
TI  - Cross-sectional Analysis of the Relationship between Paranasal Sinus Balloon
      Catheter Dilations and Industry Payments among Otolaryngologists.
AB  - Objective To characterize the relationship between industry payments and use of
      paranasal sinus balloon catheter dilations (BCDs) for chronic rhinosinusitis.
      Study Design Cross-sectional analysis of Medicare B Public Use Files and Open
      Payments data. Setting Two national databases, 2013 to 2014. Subjects and Methods
      Physicians with Medicare claims with Current Procedural Terminology codes 31295
      to 31297 were identified and cross-referenced with industry payments.
      Multivariate linear regression controlling for age, race, sex, and comorbidity in
      a physician's Medicare population was performed to identify associations between
      use of BCDs and industry payments. The final analysis included 334 physicians
      performing 31,506 procedures, each of whom performed at least 11 balloon dilation
      procedures. Results Of 334 physicians, 280 (83.8%) received 4392 industry
      payments in total. Wide variation in payments to physicians was noted (range,
      $43.29-$111,685.10). The median payment for food and beverage was $19.26 and that
      for speaker or consulting fees was $409.45. One payment was associated with an
      additional 3.05 BCDs (confidence interval [95% CI],1.65-4.45; P < .001). One
      payment for food and beverages was associated with 3.81 additional BCDs (95% CI,
      2.13-5.49; P < .001), and 1 payment for speaker or consulting fees was associated
      with 5.49 additional BCDs (95% CI, 0.32-10.63; P = .04). Conclusion Payments by
      manufacturers of BCD devices were associated with increased use of BCD for
      chronic rhinosinusitis. On separate analyses, the number of payments for food and
      beverages as well as that for speaker and consulting fees was associated with
      increased BCD use. This study was cross-sectional and cannot prove causality, and
      several factors likely exist for the uptrend in BCD use.

PMID- 28895456
TI  - Spatial and Cellular Expression Patterns of Erythropoietin-Receptor and
      Erythropoietin during a 42-Day Post-Lesional Time Course after Graded Thoracic
      Spinal Cord Impact Lesions in the Rat.
AB  - Erythropoietin (Epo) exhibits promising neuroregenerative potential for spinal
      cord injury (SCI), and might be involved in other long-term sequelae, such as
      neuropathic pain development. The current studies investigated the time courses
      and spatial and cellular patterns of Epo and erythropoietin receptor (EpoR)
      expression along the spinal axis after graded SCI. Male Long Evans rats received
      100 kdyn, 150 kdyn, and 200 kdyn thoracic (T9) contusions from an Infinite
      Horizon impactor. Sham controls received laminectomies. Anatomical and
      quantitative immunohistochemical analyses of the EpoR/Epo expression along the
      whole spinal axis were performed 7, 15, and 42 postoperative days (DPO) after the
      lesioning. Cellular expression was investigated by double- and triple-labeling
      for EpoR/Epo with cellular markers and proliferating cells in subgroups of 5
      bromo-2-deoxyuridine pre-treated animals. Prolonged EpoR/Epo-expression was
      confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
      Quantified EpoR/Epo immunoreactivities in pain-related spinal cord regions and
      ventrolateral white matter (VLWM) were correlated with the mechanical sensitivity
      thresholds and locomotor function of the respective animals. EpoR and Epo were
      constitutively expressed in the ventral horn neurons and vascular and glial cells
      in the dorsal columns (DC) and the VLWM. After SCI, in addition to expression in
      the lesion core, EpoR/Epo immunoreactivities exhibited significant time- and
      lesion grade-dependent induction in the DC and VLWM along the spinal axis. EpoR
      and Epo immunoreactive cells were co-stained with markers for astroglial, neural
      precursor cell and vascular markers. In the VLWM, EpoR- and Epo-positive
      proliferating cells were co-stained with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)
      and nestin. The DC EpoR/Epo immunoreactivities exhibited linear relationships
      with the behavioral correlates of post-lesional chronic pain development at DPO
      42. SCI leads to long-lasting multicellular EpoR/Epo induction beyond the lesion
      core in the spinal cord regions that are involved in central pain development and
      regenerative processes. Our studies provide a time frame to investigate the
      effects of Epo application on motor function or pain development, especially in
      the later time course after lesioning.

PMID- 28895457
TI  - Polysomnography in Pediatric Otolaryngology: If Not Obstructive Sleep Apnea, What
      Is It?
AB  - Objective To determine common polysomnographic (PSG) diagnoses for children
      referred by otolaryngologists. Study Design Retrospective case series with chart
      review. Setting Single tertiary pediatric hospital (2010-2015). Subjects and
      Methods Review of the medical records of 1258 patients undergoing PSG by
      otolaryngology referral. Patients who underwent previous otolaryngologic surgery
      were excluded. Data distributions were evaluated using means with standard
      deviations for continuous variables and frequencies with percentages for
      categorical variables. Results A total of 1258 patients were included; 55.9% were
      male, 64.5% were Caucasian, 16.6% had Down syndrome, and 48% had public
      insurance. The median age at the time of PSG was 5.2 years (range = 0.2-18.94).
      Indications for PSG were sleep-disordered breathing (SDB; 69.4%), restless sleep
      (12.7%), airway anomalies (7.5%), and laryngomalacia (7.2%). SDB was seen in
      73.4%, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 53.2%, OSA + central sleep apnea (CSA) in
      4.5%, CSA in 0.9%, and non-OSA snoring in 15%. Other diagnoses included periodic
      limb movements of sleep (PLMS; 7.4%), hypoventilation (6.8%), and nonapneic
      hypoxemia (2.6%). SDB was more common in younger children and seen in 91.4% of
      children <12 months and in 69.2% of children >=24 months, while non-OSA snoring
      was more common with increasing age (3.7% in children <12 months, 17.7% of
      children >=24 months). PLMS were seen in 8.9% of children >=24 months and in no
      children <12 months. Conclusion While OSA and snoring were the most common
      diagnoses reported, PLMS, alveolar hypoventilation, and CSA occurred in 7.4%,
      6.8%, and 5.4%, respectively. These findings indicate that additional diagnoses
      other than OSA should be considered for children seen in an otolaryngology clinic
      setting who undergo PSG for sleep disturbances.

PMID- 28895458
TI  - The role of psychotherapy in domestic violence.

PMID- 28895459
TI  - Hearing Loss following Posterior Fossa Microvascular Decompression: A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - Objectives (1) Determine the prevalence of hearing loss following microvascular
      decompression (MVD) for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and hemifacial spasm (HFS). (2)
      Demonstrate factors that affect postoperative hearing outcomes after MVD. Data
      Sources PubMed-NCBI, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases from 1981 to 2016.
      Review Methods Systematic review of prospective cohort studies and retrospective
      reviews in which any type of hearing loss was recorded after MVD for TN or HFS.
      Three researchers extracted data regarding operative indications, procedures
      performed, and diagnostic tests employed. Discrepancies were resolved by mutual
      consensus. Results Sixty-nine references with 18,233 operations met inclusion
      criteria. There were 7093 patients treated for TN and 11,140 for HFS. The overall
      reported prevalence of hearing loss after MVD for TN and HFS was 5.58% and 8.25%,
      respectively. However, many of these studies relied on subjective measures of
      reporting hearing loss. In 23 studies with consistent perioperative audiograms,
      prevalence of hearing loss was 13.47% for TN and 13.39% for HFS, with no
      significant difference between indications ( P = .95). Studies using
      intraoperative brainstem auditory evoked potential monitoring were more likely to
      report hearing loss for TN (relative risk [RR], 2.28; P < .001) but not with HFS
      (RR, 0.88; P = .056). Conclusion Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss are
      important complications following posterior fossa MVD. Many studies have reported
      on hearing loss using either subjective measures and/or inconsistent audiometric
      testing. Routine perioperative audiogram protocols improve the detection of
      hearing loss and may more accurately represent the true risk of hearing loss
      after MVD for TN and HFS.

PMID- 28895460
TI  - Comparison of Neuropsychological Functioning Between Adults With Early- and Late
      Onset DSM-5 ADHD.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the visually dependent neuropsychological
      functioning among adults with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
      Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) ADHD who recalled symptom onset by and after age 7 and
      non-ADHD controls. METHOD: We divided the participants, aged 17 to 40 years, into
      three groups-(a) ADHD, onset <7 years (early-onset, n = 142); (b) ADHD, onset
      between 7 and <12 years (late-onset, n = 41); (c) non-ADHD controls ( n = 148)
      and compared their neuropsychological functioning, measured by the Cambridge
      Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery. RESULTS: Both ADHD groups had
      deficits in attention and signal detectability, spatial working memory, and short
      term spatial memory, but only the early-onset group showed deficits in alertness,
      set-shifting, and planning after controlling for age, sex, and psychiatric
      comorbidities. There was no statistical difference between the two ADHD groups in
      neuropsychological functioning. CONCLUSION: DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing adult
      ADHD are not too lax regarding neuropsychological functioning.

PMID- 28895461
TI  - Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Degeneration in a Mouse Model of Traumatic Brain
      Injury.
AB  - Atrophy is thought to be a primary mode of muscle loss in neuromuscular injuries.
      The differential effects of central and peripheral injuries on atrophy and
      degeneration/regeneration in skeletal muscle tissue have not been well described.
      This study investigated skeletal muscle atrophy and degeneration/regeneration in
      an animal model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Eight 8-month-old wild-type
      C57BL6 mice underwent either a sham craniotomy or TBI targeting the motor cortex.
      Atrophy (fiber area; FA) and degeneration/regeneration (centralized nuclei
      proportions; CN) of the soleus and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were measured 2
      months post-injury. Injured soleus FAs were smaller than sham soleus (p = 0.02)
      and injured TA (p < 0.001). Mean CNs were higher in the TBI-injured TA than in
      other muscles. Differential TBI-induced atrophy and degeneration/regeneration in
      lower limb muscles suggests that muscle responses to cortical injury involve more
      complex changes than those observed with simple disuse atrophy.

PMID- 28895462
TI  - Is Hospitalization Necessary after Ear Surgery? A National Survey and
      Retrospective Review of Postoperative Events.
AB  - Objective First, to survey our national otolaryngology colleagues on their
      postoperative care habits (hospitalization vs day surgery) after elective middle
      ear surgery. Second, to evaluate the necessity of hospitalization and safety of
      day surgery after these procedures. Methods A national survey regarding
      postoperative habits after elective middle ear surgery was launched. Then, the
      cases of all patients having undergone these surgical procedures at our center
      between 2010 and 2016 were reviewed. They were divided into 2 groups:
      hospitalization and day surgery. Postoperative events during hospitalization and
      rate of consultation/readmission for day surgery were recorded. Results
      Heterogeneity in postoperative habits for most elective otologic surgery exists
      among otolaryngologists. For tympanoplasty, however, day surgery was uniformly
      favored. At our institution, 88.6% of hospitalization patients had no
      complications during their stay. Complications noted for others were nausea
      (7.2%), bleeding (3.1%), hematoma (0.5%), and sensorineural hearing loss (0.5%).
      In the day surgery group, 3.0% consulted within 48 hours following their
      procedure, and the readmission rate was 1.3%. Nausea was the only cause for
      readmission, and stapes surgery accounted for 100% of readmissions. Discussion
      Most elective middle ear surgery can be safely performed as day care.
      Hospitalization does not provide care that could not have been provided at home
      in the majority of cases. Overnight hospital stay may be considered for stapes
      surgery. Implications for Practice Day surgery for elective middle ear surgery is
      sufficient for most cases. Transferring these cases to day care should lower
      costs to our health care system and increase bed availability.

PMID- 28895463
TI  - Impact of Primary Language and Insurance on Pediatric Hearing Health Care in a
      Multidisciplinary Clinic.
AB  - Objective This study aims to describe the effects of primary language and
      insurance status on care utilization among deaf or hard-of-hearing children under
      active otolaryngologic and audiologic care. Study Design Cross-sectional
      analysis. Setting Multidisciplinary hearing loss clinic at a tertiary center.
      Subjects and Methods Demographics, hearing loss data, and validated survey
      responses were collected from 206 patients aged 0 to 19 years. Two-sided t tests
      and chi2 tests were used to obtain descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing.
      Results Of the sample, 52.4% spoke primarily English at home. Non-English
      speaking children and families were less likely to receive psychiatric counseling
      (12.2% vs 35.2% in the English group, P < .001) and reported more difficulty
      obtaining educational interventions ( P = .016), and 68.9% had public insurance.
      Parents of publicly insured children were less likely to know the type or degree
      of their child's hearing loss (56.9% vs 75.4%, P = .022), and these children were
      older on presentation to the clinic (8.5 vs 6.5 years of age, P = .01) compared
      to privately insured children. Publicly insured children were less likely to
      receive cochlear implants ( P = .046) and reported increased difficulty obtaining
      hearing aids ( P = .047). While all patients reported impairment in hearing
      related quality of life, publicly insured children aged 2 to 7 years were more
      likely to perform below minimum thresholds on measures of auditory/oral
      functioning. Conclusion Even when under active care, deaf or hard-of-hearing
      children from families who do not speak English at home or with public insurance
      face more difficulty obtaining educational services, cochlear implants, and
      hearing aids. These findings represent significant disparities in access to
      necessary interventions.

PMID- 28895465
TI  - Paraneoplastic Cushing syndrome, case-series and review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Paraneoplastic Cushing syndrome is a rare condition, representing a
      small fraction of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent cases of
      Cushing syndrome Methods: Four case descriptions and literature review,
      highlighting the diagnostic challenges and treatment options are presented.
      RESULTS: Different tumor types can be associated with ectopic ACTH secretion. The
      most common types are bronchial carcinoids and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC).
      However, in approximately 10 to 20% of the cases, no overt tumor (occult tumor)
      can be found. The diagnosis is made in a multistep process. Firstly,
      hypercortisolemia and adrenocorticotropin hormone dependency have to be
      confirmed. Distinction between a pituitary or ectopic cause can be cumbersome.
      MRI of the pituitary gland, a corticotropin releasing hormone stimulation test
      and a sinus petrosus sampling can be used. Treatment options consist of tumor
      management, somatostatin analogs, steroidogenesis inhibitors, and bilateral
      adrenalectomy. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should consider the diagnosis, and opt for
      specific treatment, especially in patients with a history of neuroendocrine
      tumors.

PMID- 28895464
TI  - Use of a Novel Polymer in an Animal Model of Head and Neck Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma.
AB  - Objective To evaluate the adverse effects and therapeutic efficacy of our
      biocompatible polymer platform delivering targeted local therapy of cytokine
      CCL21 and cisplatin in a partially resected xenograft animal model of head and
      neck squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, to evaluate the efficacy of
      cotreatment with radiotherapy and assess the biocompatibility of the cisplatin
      eluting polymer in the murine neck. Study Design Experimental animal study.
      Setting Academic research laboratory. Subjects and Methods SCCVII/SF cell
      injection established head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumors in C3H/HeJ
      mice. Subjects underwent surgery, and a chemokine-eluting polymer was implanted
      into the resected site. Subjects treated with cisplatin received radiation or no
      radiation, and tissue was harvested after 8 weeks to assess polymer
      biocompatibility. Results Our results with the polymer platform significantly ( P
      < .05) reduced SCCVII/SF tumor size in C3H/HeJ mice with cisplatin (49% +/- 8.7%,
      Delta3.4 +/- 0.6 cm3 [95% CI]), CCL21 (42% +/- 4.8%, Delta3.5 +/- 0.4 cm3), and
      cisplatin/CCL21 dual-agent polymer (82% +/- 4.4%, Delta8.0 +/- 0.4 cm3) as
      compared with controls. Cisplatin polymer with high-dose (16 Gy) and low-dose (4
      Gy) radiation reduced tumor mass (respectively, 92% +/- 7.2%, Delta6.1 +/- 0.5
      cm3; 85% +/- 7.4%, Delta5.7 +/- 0.5 cm3) as compared with the reduction from high
      dose radiotherapy alone (70% +/- 7.9%, Delta4.7 +/- 0.5 cm3). No significant
      toxicity or inflammation was noted on histopathology after radiotherapy and
      cisplatin-eluting polymer treatment. Conclusion Cisplatin, CCL21, and
      cisplatin/CCL21 dual-agent polymer all exhibit significant antitumor effects and
      decrease tumor burden. Moreover, combination cisplatin polymer with radiotherapy
      may permit a decrease in intensity of radiation therapy in patients having
      received the cisplatin polymer. Histopathologic analysis suggests that the
      polymer is free from significant adverse effects in this model and warrants
      clinical trial.

PMID- 28895466
TI  - Lower limb muscle activity during table tennis strokes.
AB  - This study aimed to compare the muscle activity of lower limbs across typical
      table tennis strokes. Fourteen high-level players participated in this study in
      which five typical strokes (backhand top, forehand top, forehand spin, forehand
      smash, flick) were analysed. Surface electromyography activity (EMG) of eight
      muscles was recorded (gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, vastus medialis, vastus
      lateralis, rectus femoris, gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis,
      soleus) and normalised to the maximal activity measured during squat jump or
      isometric maximal voluntary contractions. The forehand spin, the forehand top and
      the forehand smash exhibited significant higher EMG amplitude when compared with
      other strokes. Both biceps femoris and gluteus maximus were strongly activated
      during the smash, forehand spin and forehand top (from 62.8 to 91.7% of maximal
      EMG activity). Both vastii and rectus femoris were moderately to strongly
      activated during the forehand spin (from 50.4 to 62.2% of maximal EMG activity)
      whereas gastrocnemii and soleus exhibited the highest level of activity during
      the smash (from 67.1 to 92.1% of maximal EMG activity). Our study demonstrates
      that offensive strokes, such as smash or forehand top, exhibit higher levels of
      activity than other strokes.

PMID- 28895467
TI  - Kinetic and kinematic patterns during high intensity clean movement: searching
      for optimal load.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate loading effects on kinematic and
      kinetic variables among elite-weightlifters in order to identify an optimal
      training load to maximize power production for clean-movement. Nine elite
      weightlifter (age: 24 +/- 4years, body-mass: 77 +/- 6.5kg, height: 176 +/- 6.1cm
      and 1RM clean: 170 +/- 5kg) performed 2 separate repetitions of the clean using
      85, 90, 95% and 100%, in a randomized order, while standing on a force platform
      and being recorded using 3D-capture-system. Differences in kinematics (barbell
      displacement, velocity and acceleration) and kinetics (power, vertical ground
      reaction force (vGRF), rate of force development (RFD), and work) across the
      loads were statistically assessed. Results revealed significant load effects for
      the majority of the studied parameters (p < 0.01) and showed that typical bar
      displacement, greatest bar-velocity and peak-power were achieved at 85 and 90%
      1RM (p < 0.001). Additionally greater average power was shown for 90 and 95% (p <
      0.01) and greater work and vGRF were shown for 90, 95 and 100% than 85% 1RM (p <
      0.05). Load had no significant effect on peak-vGRF and peak-RFD (p > 0.05). The
      results of this study, suggest 90% 1RM to be the most advantageous load to train
      explosive-force and to enhance power-outputs while maintaining technical
      efficiency in elite-weightlifters.

PMID- 28895468
TI  - Prevalence of Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Its Association with Cognitive
      Function in Older Adults: The Chilean National Health Survey (2009-2010).
AB  - Health behaviors and risk factors are independently related with cognitive
      function in older adults. This study aimed at examining the prevalence and
      relationship between cognitive function and a number of ideal cardiovascular
      health (CVH) metrics in older adults from the 2009 to 2010 Chilean National
      Health Survey. Data from 460 older adults (mean age 73.5 years old, 59.3% women)
      from the 2009 to 2010 Chilean Health Survey were analyzed. Ideal CVH was defined
      as meeting the ideal levels of the following components: four behaviors (smoking,
      body mass index, physical activity, and diet adherence) and three factors (total
      cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting glucose). Older adults were grouped into
      three categories according to their number of ideal CVH metrics: ideal (5-7
      metrics), intermediate (3-4 metrics), and poor (0-2 metrics). Cognitive function
      was assessed by using the modified Mini-Mental Status Examination (mMMSE). Of the
      460 participants, 2% had 0 ideal metrics, 11.3% had 1, 23.9% had 2, 32.2% had 3,
      20.7% had 4, 9.6% had 5, 0.4% had 6, and 0% had 7. Cognitive function was greater
      in older adults who met the ideal smoking, physical activity, and fasting blood
      glucose criteria. Logistic regression analysis suggested that ideal physical
      activity (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.411 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.209-0.807)
      and smoking (OR = 0.429 95% CI, 0.095-0.941) behaviors reduced the likelihood of
      cognitive impairment. Moreover, compared with a poor profile (0-2 metrics), an
      intermediate (3-4 metrics) (OR = 0.221 95% CI, 0.024-0.911) and ideal CVH profile
      (5-7 metrics) (OR = 0.106 95% CI, 0.013-0.864) reduced the likelihood of
      cognitive impairment. We found that intermediate and ideal profiles were
      associated with a similarly low prevalence of cognitive impairment in Chilean
      older adults.

PMID- 28895469
TI  - Trends in aggressive play and refereeing among the top five European soccer
      leagues.
AB  - Current trends suggest professional soccer is becoming less aggressive, with
      England often argued to have the most aggressive of the top European leagues. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate differences in fouls and cards as
      indicators of aggressive play in the first divisions of England, France, Germany,
      Italy, and Spain over the past decade. Number of fouls per match and per yellow
      card has decreased in all leagues since 2007/08, though attempted tackles per
      foul has not changed or has increased. A lack of substantial rule changes
      suggests players have become less aggressive in tackling as opposed to referees
      becoming more lenient. Total number of fouls and cards per match were
      consistently lower in the English Premier League, however attempted tackles per
      foul was higher. The data also demonstrate the notions of home advantage and
      potentially referee bias, since referees tended to call more fouls and award more
      cards to away teams. Lastly, number of attempted tackles per foul and yellow
      cards received exhibited the strongest correlations with final league position
      across the leagues. In conclusion, our data support that elite European soccer
      has become less aggressive and the English Premier League is the most aggressive
      league.

PMID- 28895470
TI  - Generation of a Close-to-Native In Vitro System to Study Lung Cells-Extracellular
      Matrix Crosstalk.
AB  - Extracellular matrix (ECM) is an essential component of the tissue
      microenvironment, actively shaping cellular behavior. In vitro culture systems
      are often poor in ECM constituents, thus not allowing for naturally occurring
      cell-ECM interactions. This study reports on a straightforward and efficient
      method for the generation of ECM scaffolds from lung tissue and its subsequent in
      vitro application using primary lung cells. Mouse lung tissue was subjected to
      decellularization with 0.2% sodium dodecyl sulfate, hypotonic solutions, and
      DNase. Resultant ECM scaffolds were devoid of cells and DNA, whereas lung ECM
      architecture of alveolar region and blood and airway networks were preserved.
      Scaffolds were predominantly composed of core ECM and ECM-associated proteins
      such as collagens I-IV, nephronectin, heparan sulfate proteoglycan core protein,
      and lysyl oxidase homolog 1, among others. When homogenized and applied as
      coating substrate, ECM supported the attachment of lung fibroblasts (LFs) in a
      dose-dependent manner. After ECM characterization and biocompatibility tests, a
      novel in vitro platform for three-dimensional (3D) matrix repopulation that
      permits live imaging of cell-ECM interactions was established. Using this system,
      LFs colonized the ECM scaffolds, displaying a close-to-native morphology in
      intimate interaction with the ECM fibers, and showed nuclear translocation of the
      mechanosensor yes-associated protein (YAP), when compared with cells cultured in
      two dimensions. In conclusion, we developed a 3D-like culture system, by
      combining an efficient decellularization method with a live-imaging culture
      platform, to replicate in vitro native lung cell-ECM crosstalk. This is a
      valuable system that can be easily applied to other organs for ECM-related drug
      screening, disease modeling, and basic mechanistic studies.

PMID- 28895471
TI  - The indirect costs of palliative care in end-stage cancer: A real-life
      longitudinal register- and questionnaire-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Palliative care needs are increasing as more people are dying from
      incurable diseases. Healthcare costs have been reported to be highest during the
      last year of life, but studies on the actual costs of palliative care are scarce.
      AIM: To explore the resource use and costs of palliative care among end-stage
      breast, colorectal and prostate cancer patients after termination of life
      prolonging oncological treatments, that is, during the palliative care period.
      DESIGN: A real-life longitudinal register- and questionnaire-based study of
      cancer patients' resource use and costs. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 70 patients in
      palliative care with no ongoing oncological treatments were recruited from the
      Helsinki University Hospital or from the local hospice. Healthcare costs,
      productivity costs and informal care costs were included. RESULTS: The mean
      duration of the palliative care period was 179 days. The healthcare cost
      accounted for 55%, informal care for 27% and productivity costs for 18% of the
      total costs. The last 2 weeks of life contributed to 37% of the healthcare cost.
      The costs of the palliative care period were higher in patients living alone,
      which was mostly caused by inpatient care ( p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The 45% share
      of indirect costs is substantial in end-of-life care. The healthcare costs
      increase towards death, which is especially true of patients living alone. This
      highlights the significant role of caregivers. More attention should be paid to
      home care and caregiver support to reduce inpatient care needs and control the
      costs of end-of-life care.

PMID- 28895473
TI  - Neuroinflammation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Role of Redox
      (dys)Regulation.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is due to degeneration of upper
      and lower motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and in the motor
      cortex. Mechanisms leading to motor neuron death are complex and currently the
      disease is untreatable. Recent Advances: Work in genetic models of ALS indicates
      that an imbalance in the cross talk that physiologically exists between motor
      neurons and the surrounding cells is eventually detrimental to motor neurons. In
      particular, the cascade of events collectively known as neuroinflammation and
      mainly characterized by a reactive phenotype of astrocytes and microglia,
      moderate infiltration of peripheral immune cells, and elevated levels of
      inflammatory mediators has been consistently observed in motor regions of the
      central nervous system (CNS) in sporadic and familial ALS, constituting a
      hallmark of the disease. Resident glial cells and infiltrated immune cells are
      considered among the major producers of reactive species of oxygen and nitrogen
      in pathological conditions of the CNS, including motor neuron diseases. CRITICAL
      ISSUES: The timing and exact role of oxidative stress-mediated neuroinflammation
      and damage to motor neurons in ALS are still not fully elucidated. FUTURE
      DIRECTIONS: It is clear that a major challenge in the next future will be to
      envisage effective strategies to modulate the neuroinflammatory response in the
      symptomatic stage of disease, to prevent progression of neurodegeneration through
      the propagation of oxidative damage. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 29, 15-36.

PMID- 28895472
TI  - Aldo-Keto Reductase (AKR) 1C3 inhibitors: a patent review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: AKR1C3 is a drug target in hormonal and hormonal independent
      malignancies and acts as a major peripheral 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
      to yield the potent androgens testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, and as a
      prostaglandin (PG) F synthase to produce proliferative ligands for the PG FP
      receptor. AKR1C3 inhibitors may have distinct advantages over existing
      therapeutics for the treatment of castration resistant prostate cancer, breast
      cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. Area covered: This article reviews the patent
      literature on AKR1C3 inhibitors using SciFinder which identified inhibitors in
      the following chemical classes: N-phenylsulfonyl-indoles, N
      (benzimidazoylylcarbonyl)- N-(indoylylcarbonyl)- and N-(pyridinepyrrolyl)-
      piperidines, N-benzimidazoles and N-benzindoles, repurposed nonsteroidal
      antiinflammatory drugs (indole acetic acids, N-phenylanthranilates and aryl
      propionic acids), isoquinolines, and nitrogen and sulfur substituted estrenes.
      The article evaluates inhibitor AKR potency, specificity, efficacy in cell-based
      and xenograft models and clinical utility. The advantage of bifunctional
      compounds that either competitively inhibit AKR1C3 and block its androgen
      receptor (AR) coactivator function or act as AKR1C3 inhibitors and direct acting
      AR antagonists are discussed. Expert opinion: A large number of potent and
      selective inhibitors of AKR1C3 have been described however, preclinical
      optimization, is required before their benefit in human disease can be assessed.

PMID- 28895474
TI  - Temporal Profile of Microtubule-Associated Protein 2: A Novel Indicator of
      Diffuse Brain Injury Severity and Early Mortality after Brain Trauma.
AB  - This study compared cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of microtubule-associated
      protein 2 (MAP-2) from adult patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI)
      with uninjured controls over 10 days, and examined the relationship between MAP-2
      concentrations and acute clinical and radiologic measures of injury severity
      along with mortality at 2 weeks and over 6 months. This prospective study,
      conducted at two Level 1 trauma centers, enrolled adults with severe TBI (Glasgow
      Coma Scale [GCS] score <=8) requiring a ventriculostomy, as well as controls.
      Ventricular CSF was sampled from each patient at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144,
      168, 192, 216, and 240 h following TBI and analyzed via enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay for MAP-2 (ng/mL). Injury severity was assessed by the GCS
      score, Marshall Classification on computed tomography (CT), Rotterdam CT score,
      and mortality. There were 151 patients enrolled-130 TBI and 21 control patients.
      MAP-2 was detectable within 6 h of injury and was significantly elevated compared
      with controls (p < 0.001) at each time-point. MAP-2 was highest within 72 h of
      injury and decreased gradually over 10 days. The area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve for deciphering TBI versus controls at the
      earliest time-point CSF was obtained was 0.96 (95% CI 0.93-0.99) and for the
      maximal 24-h level was 0.98 (95% CI 0.97-1.00). The area under the curve for
      initial MAP-2 levels predicting 2-week mortality was 0.80 at 6 h, 0.81 at 12 h,
      0.75 at 18 h, 0.75 at 24 h, and 0.80 at 48 h. Those with Diffuse Injury III-IV
      had much higher initial (p = 0.033) and maximal (p = 0.003) MAP-2 levels than
      those with Diffuse Injury I-II. There was a graded increase in the overall levels
      and peaks of MAP-2 as the degree of diffuse injury increased within the first 120
      h post-injury. These data suggest that early levels of MAP-2 reflect severity of
      diffuse brain injury and predict 2-week mortality in TBI patients. These findings
      have implications for counseling families and improving clinical decision making
      early after injury and guiding multidisciplinary care. Further studies are needed
      to validate these findings in a larger sample.

PMID- 28895475
TI  - Delayed intranasal infusion of human amnion epithelial cells improves white
      matter maturation after asphyxia in preterm fetal sheep.
AB  - Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury remains highly associated with
      neurodevelopmental disability after preterm birth. There is increasing evidence
      that disability is linked with impaired white matter maturation, but there is no
      specific treatment. In this study, we evaluated whether, in preterm fetal sheep,
      delayed intranasal infusion of human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs) given 1, 3
      and 10 days after severe HI, induced by umbilical cord occlusion for 25 min, can
      restore white matter maturation or reduce delayed cell loss. After 21 days
      recovery, asphyxia was associated with reduced electroencephalographic (EEG)
      maturation, brain weight and cortical area, impaired maturation of
      oligodendrocytes (OLs), no significant loss of total OLs but a marked reduction
      in immature/mature OLs and reduced myelination. Intranasal infusion of hAECs was
      associated with improved brain weight and restoration of immature/mature OLs and
      fractional area of myelin basic protein, with reduced microglia and astrogliosis.
      Cortical EEG frequency distribution was partially improved, with reduced loss of
      cortical area, and attenuated cleaved-caspase-3 expression and microgliosis.
      Neuronal survival in deep grey matter nuclei was improved, with reduced
      microglia, astrogliosis and cleaved-caspase-3-positive apoptosis. These findings
      suggest that delayed intranasal hAEC administration has potential to alleviate
      chronic dysmaturation after perinatal HI.

PMID- 28895476
TI  - Editor's presentation.

PMID- 28895479
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28895480
TI  - The Distribution of the Superficial Peroneal Nerve on the Dorsum of the Foot and
      its Clinical Importance in Flap Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The superficial peroneal nerve (SPN) and its branches are at risk
      during surgical exposures. Our study aimed to demonstrate the distribution of the
      SPN on the dorsum of the foot to aid in surgical procedures close to this nerve.
      METHODS: The SPN was dissected in 30 cadaver lower limbs (13 male and two
      female). RESULTS: The variations in the distribution of the nerve were classified
      into seven types. CONCLUSION: A detailed knowledge of the branching patterns of
      the SPN may help to decrease iatrogenic injury to this nerve.

PMID- 28895477
TI  - Prospective Comparative Study of the Efficacy and Safety of New-Generation Versus
      First-Generation System for Super-Mini-Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A
      Revolutionary Approach to Improve Endoscopic Vision and Stone Removal.
AB  - PURPOSE: The study sought to compare the procedural and clinical results of super
      mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SMP) with the use of first- and new-generation
      devices. METHODS: A prospective, comparative cohort study was carried out between
      February 2013 and January 2017. Patients who underwent either first- or new
      generation SMP were eligible for the study. Inclusion criteria were adult
      patients with renal stone <4 cm, or in pediatric patients with renal stone <2.5
      cm with a history of failed extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy. The primary
      outcome of the present study was the operating time, which was calculated from
      the starting of percutaneous puncture to the wound closure. Secondary outcomes
      were the stone-free rate (SFR), blood loss (hemoglobin decrease), hospital stay,
      and postoperative complications. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-six consecutive
      patients who underwent SMP for treatment of renal stones were eligible for the
      study, with the first 85 patients undergoing SMP with the first-generation
      device, and the remaining 71 consecutive patients being treated with the new
      generation SMP system. The two groups of patients had comparable demographic
      data, including age, BMI, stone size, Guy's score, stone location, comorbidities,
      grade of hydronephrosis, and history of urinary tract infection. The new
      generation SMP had a shorter operation time (39.3 vs 50.5 min, p = 0.016) and
      shorter postoperative hospitalization time (2.1 vs 3.0 days, p < 0.001) than the
      first-generation SMP. No significant difference existed between the two groups
      for SFR, hemoglobin decrease, and tubeless rate. The overall operative
      complication rates using the Clavien-Dindo grading system were similar between
      the two cohorts of patients. CONCLUSION: The clinical outcomes of the new
      generation SMP in patients with moderate-sized renal stone were comparable when
      compared with the first-generation SMP. New-generation SMP system using an
      irrigation/suction sheath improved intraoperative irrigation, a more efficient
      hydrodynamic mechanism for retrieval of fragments. This may account for the
      shorter operative time than the first-generation SMP system demonstrated in this
      study.

PMID- 28895481
TI  - Clinical Tip: A Novel Method of Cartilage Resection from the First
      Metatarsophalangeal Joint.

PMID- 28895482
TI  - Self-care and health-related quality of life in chronic heart failure: A
      longitudinal analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-care is assumed to benefit health outcomes in patients with
      chronic heart failure (HF), but the evidence is conflicting for health-related
      quality of life (HRQOL). The aim of this study was to examine the association of
      (changes in) self-care with HRQOL while adjusting for psychological distress.
      METHODS: In total, 459 patients (mean age = 66.1 +/- 10.5 years, 73% male) with
      chronic HF completed questionnaires at baseline and at 6, 12 and 18 months of
      follow-up. Self-care and HF-specific HRQOL were quantified with the European
      Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour scale and the Minnesota Living with Heart
      Failure Questionnaire. RESULTS: Using general linear models, multivariable
      between-subject (estimate = -0.14, p = 0.005) and no within-subject effects of
      self-care were found for better HRQOL over time. Associations between self-care
      and HRQOL were fully explained by depression (estimate = 1.77, p < 0.001).
      Anxiety (estimate = 4.49, p < 0.001) and Type D personality (estimate = 13.3, p <
      0.001) were associated with poor HRQOL, but only partially accounted for the
      relationship between self-care and emotional HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Self-care was
      prospectively associated with better disease-specific HRQOL in patients with HF,
      which was fully accounted for by depression, and partially accounted for by
      anxiety and Type D personality. Changes in self-care within a person did not
      affect HRQOL. Psychological distress should be considered in future efforts to
      address self-care and HRQOL.

PMID- 28895483
TI  - Investigating sexual problems, psychological distress and quality of life in
      female patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: A prospective case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TSCM) has detrimental effects on both
      physical and psychological health of sufferers. However, little is known whether
      TSCM also affects sexual functioning in female patients. AIM: The aim of this
      study was to investigate psychological distress (depression and anxiety), health
      related quality of life, and sexual functioning in women with TSCM and compare
      them with women with acute myocardial infarction and with healthy controls.
      METHODS: A three group prospective case-control design was used. Female patients
      with TSCM or acute myocardial infarction, as well as healthy controls (94 in each
      group), were recruited across eight Iranian university hospitals. Data were
      collected at baseline and after six and 18 months using the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale, the Short Form-12, the Female Sexual Function Index and the
      Female Sexual Distress Scale. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted.
      RESULTS: The TSCM group showed worst sexual functioning and the highest level of
      anxiety and depression at baseline ( p<0.01) compared with the two other groups.
      The TSCM and AMI groups showed comparable health-related quality of life at
      baseline, which was lower in both groups compared with the healthy controls (
      p<0.01). Overall, depression, anxiety and health-related quality of life showed a
      significant change over time, especially in the TSCM group, with health-related
      quality of life decreasing, while anxiety and depression were increasing.
      Compared with the acute myocardial infarction and healthy control groups, the
      TSCM group showed a higher prevalence of sexual problems (odds ratios = 3.10 and
      2.28, respectively) across time. Moreover, sexual functioning was found to be a
      mediator between anxiety and health-related quality of life in the TSCM group.
      CONCLUSION: Depression, anxiety, health-related quality of life, and sexual
      dysfunction tend to increase over time in female patients with TSCM; thus,
      healthcare providers should pay attention to these problems and provide
      appropriate treatment where necessary.

PMID- 28895484
TI  - Patterns, relevance and predictors of heart failure dyadic symptom appraisal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Caregivers are thought to play a major role in helping patients first
      appraise and then respond to heart failure (HF) symptoms. AIMS: The aims of this
      study were to: (a) characterise distinct patterns of HF patient-caregiver dyads
      with respect to symptom appraisal; and (b) link dyadic symptom appraisal to
      contributions to self-care and caregiver strain. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross
      sectional dyadic descriptive design was used to capture patient and caregiver
      appraisal of patient HF symptoms (i.e. dyspnoea, fatigue, pain and anxiety).
      Contributions to self-care were measured using patient and caregiver versions of
      the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index and the European Heart Failure Self-care
      Behaviour Scale. Caregiver strain was measured using the Multidimensional
      Caregiver Strain Index. Multilevel and latent class mixture modelling (LCMM) were
      used to examine distinct patterns of symptom appraisal. Two patterns of dyadic
      symptom appraisal were identified: one pattern ( n = 24; 38.7%) wherein
      caregivers appraised patients' symptoms as being significantly worse than did the
      patient (labelled as 'Caregiver > Patient'); and a second pattern ( n = 38;
      61.3%) wherein patients appraised their symptoms similar to or worse than that as
      perceived by their caregiver (labelled as 'Patient ? Caregiver'). Dyads in the
      Caregiver > Patient pattern of symptom appraisal reported much better
      contributions to self-care (symptom response behaviours only), but also greater
      caregiver strain, compared with dyads in the Patient ? Caregiver pattern. Greater
      patient depression and older caregiver age were significant determinants of
      fitting the Patient ? Caregiver pattern. CONCLUSION: Differences in how HF
      patients and caregivers appraise symptoms together must be taken into
      consideration when examining contributions to HF care and caregiver outcomes.

PMID- 28895485
TI  - Efficacy of Adjuvant Magnesium for Posttonsillectomy Morbidity in Children: A
      Meta-analysis.
AB  - Objectives The perioperative administration of magnesium is known to reduce
      postoperative morbidities in adults, such as pain, agitation, and laryngospasm.
      The objective is to assess the effects of perioperative magnesium as the adjuvant
      to tonsillectomy as compared with tonsillectomy in children. Data Source Five
      databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane). Method Two authors
      independently searched databases up to January 2017. We compared perioperative
      magnesium administration (magnesium groups) with no administration of magnesium
      (control group). The following outcomes were measured: postoperative pain
      intensity, analgesics administration, or other morbidities (laryngospasm,
      agitation, postoperative bleeding) in the postoperative 24 hours. Additionally,
      to evaluate the discrepancy of effects according to different administration
      routes, subgroup analyses regarding effects according to systemic or local
      administration of magnesium were performed. Results Nine prospective randomized
      controlled studies (n = 615) that evaluated the effect of magnesium in children
      having undergone tonsillectomy met inclusion criteria. Compared with control
      group, the time for first analgesic requirement was significantly delayed in
      magnesium groups (standardized mean difference = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.20-1.31; P =
      .0079). Laryngospasm (log odds ratio = -1.09; 95% CI,-2.11 to -0.07; P = .0362)
      and agitation score (standardized mean difference = -0.67; 95% CI, -0.97 to 
      0.36; P < .0001) in the recovery room also significantly decreased in magnesium
      groups. In subgroup analyses regarding pain and laryngospasm-related
      measurements, local administration of magnesium was shown to be more effective at
      reducing postoperative morbidities. Conclusions Perioperative magnesium
      regardless of route may offer pain, agitation, and laryngospasm relief without
      adverse effects in pediatric tonsillectomy. Based on the high heterogeneity of
      results within some parameters, further studies need to be performed to affirm
      these results.

PMID- 28895486
TI  - Iatrogenic Adrenal Insufficiency Secondary to Combination Therapy with
      Elvitegravir/Cobicistat/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine and
      Interlaminar Triamcinolone Injection in an AIDS Patient.
AB  - We report the first identified case of suspected iatrogenic adrenal insufficiency
      after an interlaminar injection of triamcinolone acetonide while on concomitant
      Stribild (elvitegravir 150 mg/cobicistat 150 mg/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300
      mg/emtricitabine 200 mg [EVG/c/TDF/FTC]). A 49-year-old female with HIV on
      EVG/c/TDF/FTC therapy presented to our endocrinology clinic to be evaluated for
      suspected Cushing syndrome. Prior to presentation, the patient had been given 2
      interlaminar spinal injections of triamcinolone. Thereafter, she developed a
      swollen face, had unexplained weight gain, and fatigue. Cosyntropin stimulation
      test was positive for adrenal insufficiency. By applying the Naranjo Nomogram for
      Causality and the Drug Interaction Probability Scale to this drug-drug
      interaction, we calculated a score of 6 ( probable) and 5 ( probable),
      respectively. Symptoms resolved without further intervention. The EVG/c/TDF/FTC
      contains cobicistat, a strong cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitor, which can
      potentiate drug interactions involving metabolizing of medications via this
      pathway. Clinicians are reminded to be vigilant while assessing the potential
      pharmacokinetic drug interactions not mentioned by the manufacturer.

PMID- 28895487
TI  - "...like because you are a grownup, you do not need help": Experiences of
      Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care among Youth with Perinatal HIV Infection,
      Their Caregivers, and Health Care Providers in the Dominican Republic.
AB  - With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) worldwide,
      youth with perinatal HIV infection are increasingly surviving childhood and
      transitioning to adult care. Although a normal life span is anticipated
      posttransition, successful transition to adult HIV care has proven difficult,
      with worse outcomes posttransition than in pediatric and adult care. This study
      is a qualitative analysis of data from 4 focus groups of pre- and posttransition
      patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers in the Dominican Republic at an
      institution that provides comprehensive treatment including ART for HIV-infected
      persons of all ages. All groups discussed the problems and challenges that
      patients, caregivers, and providers experience while living the transition
      process and beyond. Five major themes emerged: the trauma of transition itself,
      ART adherence, experience and impact of stigma, social supports and barriers, and
      recommendations for improving outcomes. Participants' insights offered approaches
      for a versatile structured transition process.

PMID- 28895488
TI  - A Systematic Review of Psychological Interventions for Sleep and Fatigue after
      Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - This review evaluated the evidence for psychological interventions to improve
      sleep and reduce fatigue after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Eight
      electronic databases were searched up until August 2016 for studies that: 1)
      included adults; 2) tested intervention effectiveness on sleep quality and
      fatigue post-acutely; and 3) applied a broadly-defined psychological intervention
      (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT], counseling, or education). Only
      randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion. Of the 698 studies
      identified, four met the eligibility criteria and underwent data extraction.
      These studies were assessed for risk of bias by two independent reviewers using
      the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network Methodology Checklist 2 for
      randomized controlled trials. One study applied CBT and three studies used
      enhanced education to improve outcomes. Limited evidence and methodological bias
      prevents strong conclusions about the effectiveness of psychological
      interventions for sleep and fatigue after mTBI. All but one study targeted
      general post-concussion symptoms rather than sleep or fatigue specifically. This
      runs the risk that the potential benefits of a targeted approach are
      underestimated in this literature, and future sleep- and fatigue-focused
      interventions are recommended. It is tentatively concluded that compared with
      standard care or the provision of generic advice, small improvements in sleep and
      fatigue are observed through psychological intervention post-mTBI.

PMID- 28895489
TI  - Effects of mild running on substantia nigra during early neurodegeneration.
AB  - Moderate physical exercise acts at molecular and behavioural levels, such as
      interfering in neuroplasticity, cell death, neurogenesis, cognition and motor
      functions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the cellular effects of
      moderate treadmill running upon substantia nigra during early neurodegeneration.
      Aged male Lewis rats (9-month-old) were exposed to rotenone 1mg/kg/day (8 weeks)
      and 6 weeks of moderate treadmill running, beginning 4 weeks after rotenone
      exposure. Substantia nigra was extracted and submitted to proteasome and
      antioxidant enzymes activities, hydrogen peroxide levels and Western blot to
      evaluate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), alpha-synuclein, Tom-20, PINK1, TrkB, SLP1,
      CRMP-2, Rab-27b, LC3II and Beclin-1 level. It was demonstrated that moderate
      treadmill running, practiced during early neurodegeneration, prevented the
      increase of alpha-synuclein and maintained the levels of TH unaltered in
      substantia nigra of aged rats. Physical exercise also stimulated autophagy and
      prevented impairment of mitophagy, but decreased proteasome activity in rotenone
      exposed aged rats. Physical activity also prevented H2O2 increase during early
      neurodegeneration, although the involved mechanism remains to be elucidated. TrkB
      levels and its anterograde trafficking seem not to be influenced by moderate
      treadmill running. In conclusion, moderate physical training could prevent early
      neurodegeneration in substantia nigra through the improvement of autophagy and
      mitophagy.

PMID- 28895490
TI  - The Association between Dual-Task Gait after Concussion and Prolonged Symptom
      Duration.
AB  - Quantitative gait measurements can identify persistent postconcussion
      impairments. However, their prognostic utility after injury to identify the
      likelihood of prolonged concussion symptoms remains unknown. Our objective was to
      examine if dual-task gait performance measures are independently associated with
      persistent (> 28 days) concussion symptoms among a sample of athletes. Sixty
      individuals diagnosed with a sport-related concussion were assessed within 10
      days of their injury. Each participant completed a postconcussion symptom scale,
      an injury history questionnaire, and a single/dual-task gait examination. They
      were followed until they no longer reported symptoms, and the duration of time
      required for symptom resolution was calculated. A binary multivariable logistic
      regression model determined the independent association between dual-task gait
      and symptom duration (<= 28 days vs. >28 days) while controlling for the effect
      of gender, age, symptom severity, injury-to-examination time, and history of
      concussion. Seventeen (28%) participants reported a symptom duration >28 days.
      The dual-task cost for average gait speed (-25.9 +/- 9.5% vs. -19.8 +/- 8.9%; p =
      0.027) and cadence (-18.0 +/- 2.9% vs. -12.0 +/- 7.7%; p = 0.029) was
      significantly greater among participants who experienced symptoms for >28 days.
      After adjusting for potential confounding variables, greater dual-task average
      gait speed costs were independently associated with prolonged symptom duration
      (aOR = 0.908; 95% CI = 0.835-0.987). Examinations of dual-task gait may provide
      useful information during multifaceted concussion examinations. Quantitative
      assessments that simultaneously test multiple domains, such as dual tasks, may be
      clinically valuable after a concussion to identify those more likely to
      experience symptoms for >28 days after injury.

PMID- 28895491
TI  - Preliminary Validation of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment
      Schedule 2.0 for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability, factor structure, and
      validity of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS
      2.0 12 item version) in a sample of patients who were slow to recover from a mild
      traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Participants were 79 adults with mTBI recruited
      from one of four specialty outpatient clinics in Vancouver, Canada. The WHODAS
      2.0 12 item version is a disease-nonspecific measure of disability representing
      six International Classification of Disability, Functioning, and Health activity
      and participation domains including cognition, mobility, self-care, interpersonal
      functioning, life activities, and participation. Results of analyses showed that
      the WHODAS 2.0 had high internal consistency and adequate construct and
      concurrent validity. A three factor structure emerged in this sample. The scale
      differentiated between patients with good and those with poor outcomes based on
      post-concussion syndrome, psychiatric, and pain status. Participants with
      multiple comorbidities reported the most disability on the WHODAS. Concurrent
      validity was also supported by lower WHODAS scores in participants who had
      returned to work versus those who had not. To our knowledge, this is the first
      study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the WHODAS 2.0 in a sample of
      people with mTBI. In summary, the WHODAS was sensitive to post-concussion
      syndrome after mTBI, as well as to health conditions that commonly co-occur with
      mTBI (e.g., mental health problems and chronic pain).

PMID- 28895492
TI  - Low cardiac vagal tone index by heart rate variability differentiates bipolar
      from major depression.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and depression in bipolar disorder
      (BD) are often difficult to distinguish from each other. Autonomic nervous system
      (ANS) dysregulation is associated with various depressive symptoms and
      inflammatory response disinhibition. The beat-to-beat pattern of heart rate
      (heart rate variability, HRV) offers a non-invasive portal to ANS function and
      provides a reliable index of resting cardiac vagal tone. We quantified HRV and
      measured inflammatory biomarkers in MDD and BD patients in an effort to derive
      potential diagnostic criteria for MDD and BD. METHODS: Sixty-four MDD and 37 BD
      patients were enrolled. HRV was assessed and blood was drawn at baseline after
      antidepressant washout and prior to study initiation. HRV was quantified and
      corrected for artefacts. RESULTS: MDD subjects had significantly higher baseline
      respiratory sinus arrhythmia (P = 0.05) and LF-HRV (P < 0.01) in comparison to BD
      subjects. Compared to MDD subjects, BD subjects had significantly higher baseline
      levels of IL-10 (P < 0.01) and MCP-1 (P < 0.01). In the MDD group only, baseline
      LF-HRV was significantly positively correlated to baseline levels of IL-10 (r =
      0.47, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced vagal tone and higher levels of
      inflammatory biomarkers may distinguish BD from MDD and reveal an underlying
      pathophysiology of depression involving ANS dysfunction and chronic immune system
      dysregulation.

PMID- 28895496
TI  - Coherent care pathways for medically unexplained symptoms.

PMID- 28895497
TI  - Turning blue babies pink: Alfred Blalock's shunt for Fallot's Tetralogy.

PMID- 28895493
TI  - Comparative health system performance in six middle-income countries: cross
      sectional analysis using World Health Organization study of global ageing and
      health.
AB  - Objective To assess and compare health system performance across six middle
      income countries that are strengthening their health systems in pursuit of
      universal health coverage. Design Cross-sectional analysis from the World Health
      Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health, collected between 2007 and
      2010. Setting Six middle-income countries: China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia
      and South Africa. Participants Nationally representative sample of adults aged 50
      years and older. Main outcome measures We present achievement against key
      indicators of health system performance across effectiveness, cost, access,
      patient-centredness and equity domains. Results We found areas of poor
      performance in prevention and management of chronic conditions, such as
      hypertension control and cancer screening coverage. We also found that cost
      remains a barrier to healthcare access in spite of insurance schemes. Finally, we
      found evidence of disparities across many indicators, particularly in the
      effectiveness and patient centredness domains. Conclusions These findings
      identify important focus areas for action and shared learning as these countries
      move towards achieving universal health coverage.

PMID- 28895499
TI  - Why empathy is an upside-down concept.

PMID- 28895500
TI  - Anesthetic Management of a Patient With Tracheal Dehiscence Post-Tracheal
      Resection Surgery.
AB  - We present a case of a patient with complete tracheal dehiscence and multiple
      false passages after recent tracheal resection and anastomosis. Loss of tracheal
      continuity after disruption of anastomosis with distal stump retraction presents
      a unique anesthetic challenge given lack of access to the trachea and the need
      for adequate anesthesia and analgesia for surgical neck dissection. Traditional
      airway management, including awake fiberoptic intubation, intubation via direct
      laryngoscopy, needle cricothyrotomy, and awake tracheostomy are not viable
      options. Using total intravenous anesthesia with spontaneous ventilation,
      surgeons dissected the neck, retrieved the distal tracheal stump, repaired the
      trachea, and formalized the tracheostomy. We highlight the importance of
      recognizing the symptoms of a tracheal rupture, understanding the extreme
      limitation of securing the airway with traditional techniques, and discuss the
      alternative techniques including use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to
      avoid airway management. Awareness of increased mortality risk with tracheal
      reoperation and the significance of close communication between the
      anesthesiologists, the surgeons, and the patient is necessary for successful
      management.

PMID- 28895501
TI  - Nourishing the Spirit: Exploratory Research on Ayahuasca Experiences along the
      Continuum of Recovery from Eating Disorders.
AB  - Eating disorders (EDs) are serious health conditions that are among the most
      difficult to treat. Innovative treatments are needed and modalities from across
      cultures must be considered. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant-based tea
      originally used by Amazonian indigenous groups. A growing body of research points
      to its promise in the healing of various mental health issues. This study
      explored the potential therapeutic value of ayahuasca in the context of EDs,
      including the perceived impact of the preparatory diet and the ayahuasca purge.
      Sixteen individuals previously diagnosed with an ED participated in a semi
      structured interview relating to their experiences with ceremonial ayahuasca
      drinking. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes presented
      relate to the reduction or cessation of ED and mental health symptoms, shifts in
      body perception, and the importance of a ceremonial setting and after-care. For
      some, the preparatory diet resulted in familiar patterns of concern; however,
      none felt triggered by the purge in ayahuasca. Ceremonial ayahuasca drinking
      shows promise in the healing of EDs and warrants further research.

PMID- 28895502
TI  - Characterization of the Epicardial Adipose Tissue in Decellularized Human-Scaled
      Whole Hearts: Implications for the Whole-Heart Tissue Engineering.
AB  - Whole-organ engineering is an innovative field of regenerative medicine with
      growing translational perspectives. Recent reports suggest the feasibility of
      decellularization and repopulation of entire human size hearts. However, little
      is known about the susceptibility of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) to
      decellularization. In this study, human size hearts of ovine donors were
      subjected to perfusion-based decellularization using detergent solutions. Upon
      basic histological evaluation and total DNA measurement myocardial regions prove
      largely decellularized while EAT demonstrated cellular remnants, further
      confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Western blot analysis showed a
      significant reduction in lipid-associated and cardiac proteins. However, gas
      chromatography revealed unchanged proportional composition of fatty acids in EAT
      of decellularized whole hearts. Finally, cell culture medium conditioned with EAT
      from decellularized whole hearts had a significant deleterious effect on cardiac
      fibroblasts. These data suggest that perfusion decellularization of human size
      whole hearts provides inconsistent efficacy regarding donor material removal from
      myocardial regions as opposed to EAT.

PMID- 28895503
TI  - Needs assessment with elder Syrian refugees in Lebanon: Implications for services
      and interventions.
AB  - Currently, over 1 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees have fled Syria to take
      refuge in Lebanon. Among this vulnerable population, elder refugees warrant
      particular concern, as they shoulder a host of additional health and safety
      issues that require additional resources. However, the specific needs of elder
      refugees are often overlooked, especially during times of crisis. Our study used
      a semi-structured interview to survey the needs of elder refugees and understand
      their perceived support from Lebanese fieldworkers. Results indicate a high
      prevalence of depression and cognitive deficits in elder refugees, who expressed
      concerns surrounding illness, loneliness, war, and instability. Elders
      highlighted the importance of family connectedness in fostering security and
      normalcy and in building resilience during times of conflict. Elders spoke of
      their role akin that of the social workers with whom they interacted, in that
      they acted as a source of emotional support for their communities. Overall, this
      study clarifies steps to be taken to increase well-being in elder refugee
      populations and urges the response of humanitarian organisations to strengthen
      psychological support structures within refugee encampments.

PMID- 28895504
TI  - Understanding exercise hemodynamics.

PMID- 28895505
TI  - Pulmonary hypertension in chronic kidney disease: a hemodynamic characterization.

PMID- 28895506
TI  - Targeting L-arginine-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in pulmonary arterial
      hypertension.

PMID- 28895507
TI  - Functional impact of exercise pulmonary hypertension in patients with borderline
      resting pulmonary arterial pressure.
AB  - Borderline resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) is associated with
      adverse outcomes and affects the exercise pulmonary vascular response. However,
      the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying exertional intolerance in borderline
      mPAP remain incompletely characterized. In the current study, we sought to
      evaluate the prevalence and functional impact of exercise pulmonary hypertension
      (ePH) across a spectrum of resting mPAP's in consecutive patients with
      contemporary resting right heart catheterization (RHC) and invasive
      cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Patients with resting mPAP <25 mmHg and
      pulmonary arterial wedge pressure <=15 mmHg (n = 312) were stratified by mPAP <
      13, 13-16, 17-20, and 21-24 mmHg. Those with ePH (n = 35) were compared with
      resting precapillary pulmonary hypertension (rPH; n = 16) and to those with
      normal hemodynamics (non-PH; n = 224). ePH prevalence was 6%, 8%, and 27% for
      resting mPAP 13-16, 17-20, and 21-24 mmHg, respectively. Within each of these
      resting mPAP epochs, ePH negatively impacted exercise capacity compared with non
      PH (peak oxygen uptake 70 +/- 16% versus 92 +/- 19% predicted, P < 0.01; 72 +/-
      13% versus 86 +/- 17% predicted, P < 0.05; and 64 +/- 15% versus 82 +/- 19%
      predicted, P < 0.001, respectively). Overall, ePH and rPH had similar functional
      limitation (peak oxygen uptake 67 +/- 15% versus 68 +/- 17% predicted, P > 0.05)
      and similar underlying mechanisms of exercise intolerance compared with non-PH
      (peak oxygen delivery 1868 +/- 599 mL/min versus 1756 +/- 720 mL/min versus 2482
      +/- 875 mL/min, respectively; P < 0.05), associated with chronotropic
      incompetence, increased right ventricular afterload and signs of right
      ventricular/pulmonary vascular uncoupling. In conclusion, ePH is most frequently
      found in borderline mPAP, reducing exercise capacity in a manner similar to rPH.
      When borderline mPAP is identified at RHC, evaluation of the pulmonary
      circulation under the stress of exercise is warranted.

PMID- 28895509
TI  - Mycoplasma tullyi sp. nov., isolated from penguins of the genus Spheniscus.
AB  - A mycoplasma isolated from the liver of a dead Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus
      humboldti) and designated strain 56A97T, was investigated to determine its
      taxonomic status. Complete 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the
      organism was most closely related to Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma
      imitans(99.7 and 99.9 % similarity, respectively). The average DNA-DNA
      hybridization values between strain 56A97T and M. gallisepticum and M. imitans
      were 39.5 and 30 %, respectively and the Genome to Genome Distance Calculator
      gave results of 29.10 and 23.50 %, respectively. The 16S-23S rRNA intergenic
      spacer was 72-73 % similar to M. gallisepticum strains and 52.2 % to M. imitans.
      A partial sequence of rpoB was 91.1-92 % similar to M. gallisepticum strains and
      84.7 % to M. imitans. Colonies possessed a typical fried-egg appearance and
      electron micrographs revealed the lack of a cell wall and a nearly spherical
      morphology, with an electron-dense tip-like structure on some flask-shaped cells.
      The isolate required sterol for growth, fermented glucose, adsorbed and
      haemolysed erythrocytes, but did not hydrolyse arginine or urea. The strain was
      compared serologically against 110 previously described Mycoplasma reference
      strains, showing that, except for M. gallisepticum, strain 56A97T is not related
      to any of the previously described species, although weak cross-reactions were
      evident. Genomic information, serological reactions and phenotypic properties
      demonstrate that this organism represents a novel species of the genus
      Mycoplasma, for which the name Mycoplasma tullyi sp. nov. is proposed; the type
      strain is 56A97T (ATCC BAA-1432T, DSM 21909T, NCTC 11747T).

PMID- 28895508
TI  - ESVM guidelines - the diagnosis and management of Raynaud's phenomenon.
AB  - Regarding the clinical diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon and its associated
      conditions, investigations and treatment are substantial, and yet no
      international consensus has been published regarding the medical management of
      patients presenting with this condition. Most knowledge on this topic derives
      from epidemiological surveys and observational studies; few randomized studies
      are available, almost all relating to drug treatment, and thus these guidelines
      were developed as an expert consensus document to aid in the diagnosis and
      management of Raynaud's phenomenon. This consensus document starts with a
      clarification about the definition and terminology of Raynaud's phenomenon and
      covers the differential and aetiological diagnoses as well as the symptomatic
      treatment.

PMID- 28895510
TI  - Catenovulum sediminis sp. nov., isolated from coastal sediment.
AB  - A novel Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, rod-shaped and agar-hydrolysing
      bacterium, designated D2T, was isolated from a marine sediment sample collected
      from the coast of Weihai, China (37 degrees  31' 59" N 122 degrees  03' 47" E).
      The cells were motile by a lateral flagellum. Growth was observed at 10-42 
      degrees C, at pH 6.0-9.0 and with 0.5-8 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based
      on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain D2T belonged to the genus
      Catenovulum, appearing closely related to Catenovulum agarivorans YM01T (96.3 %
      16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Catenovulum maritimumQ1T (93.9 %). The
      dominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2
      OH), C16 : 0 and C10 : 0 3-OH. The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylglycerol, two phosphoaminolipids, two unknown lipids and three
      phospholipids. Ubiquinone 8 (Q-8) was found to be the major respiratory quinone.
      The DNA G+C content was 40.4 mol%. On the basis of genotypic, phenotypic and
      phylogenetic evidence, strain D2T is presented as a representative of a novel
      species of the genus Catenovulum, for which the name Catenovulum sediminis sp.
      nov. is proposed. The type strain is D2T (=KCTC 42869T=MCCC 1H00129T). An emended
      description of the genus Catenovulum is also provided.

PMID- 28895511
TI  - Croceivirga radicis gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a rotten tropical mangrove
      root.
AB  - A novel bacterial strain, designated HSG9T, was isolated from aisolated from a
      rotten tropical mangrove root. Cells of strain HSG9T were aerobic, Gram-stain
      negative, yellow, oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Growth was observed in
      0.5-9 % sea salt (optimum 3 %, w/v), at 10-42  degrees C (optimum 25-35  degrees
      C) and at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0). Gelatin, esterase and Tweens 20, 40, 60
      and 80 were hydrolysed, but starch, protein, cellulose and casein were not.
      Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain
      HSG9T formed an independent lineage related to the family Flavobacteriaceae. The
      dominant fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and iso-C15 : 1 G. The
      respiratory quinone was identified as MK-6 and the polar lipids were
      phosphatidylethanolamine, three unidentified phospholipids and an unidentified
      lipid. The DNA G+C content was 37.1 mol%. The combined genotypic and phenotypic
      data indicated that strain HSG9T represents a novel species of a new genus within
      the family Flavobacteriaceae, for which the name Croceivirgaradicis gen. nov.,
      sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HSG9T (=MCCC 1A06690T=KCTC 52589T).

PMID- 28895512
TI  - Oryzisolibacter propanilivorax gen. nov., sp. nov., a propanil-degrading
      bacterium.
AB  - Strain EPL6T, a Gram-negative, motile, short rod was isolated from a propanil and
      3,4-dichloroaniline enrichment culture produced from rice paddy soil. Based on
      the analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain EPL6T was observed to be a
      member of the family Comamonadaceae, sharing the highest pairwise identity with
      type strains of the species Alicycliphilus denitrificans K601T (96.8 %) and
      Melaminivora alkalimesophila CY1T (96.8 %). Strain EPL6T was able to grow in a
      temperature range of 15-37  degrees C, pH 6-9 and in the presence of up to 4 %
      (w/v) NaCl and tested positive for catalase and oxidase reactions. The major
      respiratory quinone was Q8. The genomic DNA had a G+C content of 69.4+/-0.9 mol%.
      The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and
      diphosphatidylglycerol, and the major fatty acid methyl esters comprised C16 : 0,
      C18 : 1omega7c and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c/iso-C15 : 0 2-OH). Comparison
      of the genome sequence of strain EPL6T and of its closest neighbours,
      Melaminivora alkalimesophila CY1T and Alicycliphilus denitrificans K601T, yielded
      values of ANI <=84.1 % and of AAI <=80.3 %. Therefore, the genetic, phylogenetic,
      phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics support the classification of this
      organism into a new taxon. Considering the genetic divergence of strain EPL6T
      from the type strains of the closest species, which belong to distinct genera, we
      propose a new genus within the family Comamonadaceae, named Oryzisolibacter
      propanilivorax gen. nov., sp. nov., represented by the isolate EPL6T as the type
      strain of the species (=LMG 28427T=CECT 8927T).

PMID- 28895513
TI  - Cadmium ion inhibition of quorum signalling in Chromobacterium violaceum.
AB  - Single-celled bacteria are capable of acting as a community by sensing and
      responding to population density via quorum signalling. Quorum signalling in
      Chromobacterium violaceum, mediated by the luxI/R homologue, cviI/R, regulates a
      variety of phenotypes including violacein pigmentation, virulence and biofilm
      formation. A number of biological and organic molecules have been described as
      quorum signalling inhibitors but, to date, metal-based inhibitors have not been
      widely tested. In this study, we show that quorum sensing is inhibited in C.
      violaceum in the presence of sub-lethal concentrations of cadmium salts. Notable
      Cd2+-inhibition was seen against pigmentation, motility, chitinase production and
      biofilm formation. Cd-inhibition of quorum-signalling genes occurred at the level
      of transcription. There was no direct inhibition of chitinase activity by Cd2+ at
      the concentrations tested. Addition of the cognate quorum signals, N-hexanoyl
      homoserine lactone or N-decanoyl homoserine lactone, even at concentrations in
      excess of physiological levels, did not reverse the inhibition, suggesting that
      Cd-inhibition of quorum signaling is irreversible. This study represents the
      first description of heavy metal-based quorum inhibition in C. violaceum.

PMID- 28895514
TI  - Lentibacillus sediminis sp. nov., isolated from a marine saltern.
AB  - A novel, Gram-stain-positive, moderately halophilic, endospore-forming, motile,
      facultatively anaerobic and rod-shaped strain, designated 0W14T, was isolated
      from a marine saltern of Wendeng, China. Optimal growth occurred at 37  degrees
      C, pH 7.5 and with 6.0 % (w/v) NaCl. MK-7 was the sole respiratory quinone and
      the peptidoglycan type of 0W14T was A4betal-Orn-d-Glu. The major cellular fatty
      acid (>10.0 %) in strain 0W14T was anteiso-C15 : 0. The polar lipid profile of
      strain 0W14T consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, two
      unknown glycolipids and four unknown phospholipids. The genomic DNA G+C content
      of the strain was 44.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequences revealed that strain 0W14T forms a phylogenetic lineage with members of
      the genus Lentibacillus within the family Bacillaceae. Based on data from the
      current polyphasic study, the isolate is proposed to represent a novel species of
      genus Lentibacillus, for which the name Lentibacillus sediminis sp. nov. is
      proposed. The type strain is 0W14T (=KCTC 33835T=MCCC 1H00171T).

PMID- 28895515
TI  - Escherichia coli type III secretion system 2 regulator EtrA promotes virulence of
      avian pathogenic Escherichia coli.
AB  - The Escherichia coli type III secretion system 2 (ETT2) is found in most E. coli
      strains, including pathogenic and commensal strains. Although many ETT2 gene
      clusters carry multiple genetic mutations or deletions, ETT2 is known to be
      involved in bacterial virulence. In enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), ETT2
      affects adhesion through the regulator EtrA, which regulates transcription and
      secretion of the type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded by the locus of
      enterocyte effacement (LEE). To date, no studies have been conducted on the role
      of EtrA in the virulence of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC), which harbours only
      ETT2. Thus, we constructed etrA mutant and complemented strains of APEC and
      evaluated their phenotypes and pathogenicities. We found that the etrA gene
      deletion significantly reduced bacterial survival in macrophages, and
      proliferation and virulence in ducks. In addition, the etrA gene deletion reduced
      expression of the APEC fimbriae genes. Upregulation of genes encoding the pro
      inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-8 was also observed in HD-11
      macrophages infected with the etrA gene mutant strain compared to the wild-type
      strain. Furthermore, the altered capacities of the mutant strain were restored by
      genetic complementation. Our observations demonstrate that the ETT2 regulator
      EtrA contributes to the virulence of APEC.

PMID- 28895516
TI  - Meyerozyma amylolytica sp. nov. from temperate deciduous trees and the transfer
      of five Candida species to the genus Meyerozyma.
AB  - In the course of two independent studies three yeasts have been isolated from
      temperate deciduous trees in Hungary and Germany. Analyses of nucleotide
      sequences of D1/D2 domains of the 26S rRNA gene (LSU) suggested that these
      strains belong to the Meyerozyma clade in Debaryomycetaceae (Saccharomycetales).
      The phylogenetic analysis of a concatenated alignment of the ITS region and LSU
      gene sequences confirmed the placement of the three strains in the Meyerozyma
      clade close to Candida elateridarum. If mixed in proper combinations, the strains
      formed one to two hat shaped ascospores in deliquescent asci. In addition to the
      ascospore formation, the three studied strains differed from Candida elateridarum
      and other members of the Meyerozyma clade in terms of ribosomal gene sequence and
      some physiological properties. To accommodate the above-noted strains, we
      describe the new species as Meyerozyma amylolytica sp. nov. (holotype: DSM
      27310T; ex-type cultures: NCAIM Y.02140T=MUCL 56454T, allotype: NCAIM Y.01955A;
      ex-allotype culture: DSM 27468), MB 821663. Additionally, we propose the transfer
      of five non-ascosporic members of the Meyerozyma clade to the genus Meyerozyma as
      the following new taxonomic combinations Meyerozyma athensensis f.a., comb. nov.
      (MB 821664), Meyerozyma carpophila f.a., comb. nov. (MB 821665), Meyerozyma
      elateridarum f.a., comb. nov. (MB 821666), Meyerozyma neustonensis f.a., comb.
      nov. (MB 821667), and Meyerozyma smithsonii f.a., comb. nov. (MB 821668).

PMID- 28895517
TI  - Assessment of molecular and genetic evolution, antigenicity and virulence
      properties during the persistence of the infectious bronchitis virus in broiler
      breeders.
AB  - The infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes a highly contagious disease
      [infectious bronchitis (IB)] that results in substantial economic losses to the
      poultry industry worldwide. We conducted a molecular and phylogenetic analysis of
      the S1 gene of Brazilian (BR) IBV isolates from a routinely vaccinated commercial
      flock of broiler breeders, obtained from clinical IB episodes that occurred in 24
      , 46- and 62-week-old chickens. We also characterized the antigenicity,
      pathogenesis, tissue tropism and spreading of three IBV isolates by experimental
      infection of specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and contact sentinel birds.
      The results reveal that the three IBV isolates mainly exhibited mutations in the
      hypervariable regions (HVRs) of the S1 gene and protein, but were
      phylogenetically and serologically closely related, belonging to lineage 11 of
      the GI genotype, the former BR genotype I. All three isolates caused persistent
      infection in broiler breeders reared in the field, despite high systemic anti-IBV
      antibody titres, and exhibited tropism and pathogenicity for the trachea and
      kidney after experimental infection in SPF chickens and contact birds. In
      conclusion, BR genotype I isolates of IBV evolve continuously during the
      productive cycle of persistently infected broiler breeders, causing outbreaks
      that are not impaired by the current vaccination programme with Massachusetts
      vaccine strains. In addition, the genetic alterations in the S1 gene of these
      isolates were not able to change their tissue tropism and pathogenicity, but did
      seem to negatively influence the effectiveness of the host immune responses
      against these viruses, and favour viral persistence.

PMID- 28895518
TI  - Lactobacillus curtus sp. nov., isolated from beer in Finland.
AB  - A Gram-stain-positive, catalase-negative and short-rod-shaped organism,
      designated VTT E-94560, was isolated from beer in Finland and deposited in the
      VTT culture collection as a strain of Lactobacillus rossiae. However, the results
      of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that VTT E-94560 was only related to
      Lactobacillus rossiae JCM 16176T with 97.0 % sequence similarity, lower than the
      98.7 % regarded as the boundary for the species differentiation. Additional
      phylogenetic studies on the pheS gene, rpoA gene and 16S-23S rRNA internally
      transcribed spacer region further reinforced the taxonomically independent status
      of VTT E-94560 and its related Lactobacillus species including L. rossiae and
      Lactobacillus siliginis. Strain VTT E-94560 also exhibited several differences in
      its carbohydrate fermentation profiles from those related Lactobacillus species.
      In addition, DNA-DNA relatedness between VTT E-94560 and these two type strains
      was 4 % (L. rossiae JCM 16176T) and 12 % (L. siliginins JCM 16155T),
      respectively, which were lower than the 70 % cut-off for general species
      delineation, indicating that these three strains are not taxonomically identical
      at the species level. These studies revealed that VTT E-94560 represents a novel
      species, for which the name Lactobacillus curtus sp. nov. is proposed. The type
      strain is VTT E-94560T (=JCM 31185T).

PMID- 28895519
TI  - Parapedobacter lycopersici sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere soil of tomato
      plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.).
AB  - A novel Gram-stain-negative bacterial strain, designated T16R-256T, was isolated
      from the rhizosphere soil of tomato plants grown in a greenhouse in Yecheon-gun,
      Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea and characterized using polyphasic taxonomy.
      Cells were aerobic, non-flagellated and rod-shaped. Colonies were light yellow,
      convex and round. The strain grew in the temperature range of 15-37  degrees C
      (optimally at 28-30  degrees C) and pH range of 7.0-9.0 (optimally at 7.0-8.0)
      and in 4 % NaCl (w/v). A comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain
      T16R-256T is a member of the genus Parapedobacter, exhibiting high sequence
      similarity with Parapedobacter pyrenivorans P-4T (94.2 %), Parapedobacter indicus
      RK1T (93.7 %), Parapedobacter koreensis Jip14T (93.7 %), Parapedobacter luteus
      4M29T (93.6 %) and Parapedobacter soli DCY14T (93.4 %). The major polar lipids
      were phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingolipid, one aminophospholipid, two
      aminolipids and three unknown lipids. The major fatty acids (>10 % of the total
      fatty acids) were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and iso-C15 : 0 2-OH/C16 :
      1omega7c. Strain T16R-256T contained MK-7 as the predominant respiratory quinone
      and homospermidine as the major polyamine. The genomic DNA G+C content of the
      type strain was 55.5 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and
      phylogenetic data, strain T16R-256T should be designated as representative of a
      novel species of the genus Parapedobacter, for which the name Parapedobacter
      lycopersici sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is T16R-256T (=KACC 18788T=JCM
      31602T).

PMID- 28895520
TI  - Three novel species of d-xylose-assimilating yeasts, Barnettozyma xylosiphila sp.
      nov., Barnettozyma xylosica sp. nov. and Wickerhamomyces xylosivorus f.a., sp.
      nov.
AB  - This study describes three novel xylose-assimilating yeasts, which were isolated
      from decayed wood collected from Bung Hatta Botanical Garden in West Sumatra and
      Cibodas Botanic Garden in West Java, or from litter from Eka Karya Bali Botanic
      Garden in Bali, Indonesia. Phylogenetic analysis was performed based on the
      sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large ribosomal subunit (LSU), the small
      ribosomal subunit (SSU), the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and elongation
      factor-1alpha (EF-1alpha), and the three strains were found to represent three
      novel species belonging to genera Barnettozyma or Wickerhamomyces. The
      morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics indicated that the
      strains were distinct from other closely related species. Strains 13Y206T and
      14Y196T belonging to the Barnettozyma clade are described as the type strains of
      Barnettozyma xylosiphila sp. nov. (type strain 13Y206T=NBRC 110202T=InaCC Y726T;
      MycoBank MB808598) and Barnettozyma xylosica sp. nov. (type strain 14Y196T=NBRC
      111558T=InaCC Y1030T; MycoBank MB819485). Strain 14Y125T belonging to the
      Wickerhamomyces clade is described as the type strain of Wickerhamomyces
      xylosivorus f.a., sp. nov. (type strain 14Y125T=NBRC 111553T=InaCC Y1026T;
      MycoBank MB819484).

PMID- 28895521
TI  - Rhizobium esperanzae sp. nov., a N2-fixing root symbiont of Phaseolus vulgaris
      from Mexican soils.
AB  - Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important legume consumed
      worldwide; its genetic origins lie in the Mesoamerican (main centre) and Andean
      regions. It is promiscuous in establishing root-nodule symbioses; however, in the
      centres of origin/domestication, the predominant association is with Rhizobium
      etli. We have previously identified a new lineage (PEL-3) comprising three
      strains (CNPSo 661, CNPSo 666 and CNPSo 668T) isolated from root nodules of
      common bean in Mexico, and that have now been analysed in more detail. Sequences
      of the 16S rRNA gene positioned the three strains in a large clade including R.
      etli. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) with four housekeeping genes (recA,
      glnII, gyrB and rpoA) positioned the three strains in a clade distinct from all
      other described species, with 100 % bootstrap support, and nucleotide identity
      (NI) of the four concatenated genes with the closest species R. etli was 95.0 %.
      Average nucleotide identity (ANI) values of the whole genome of CNPSo 668T and
      the closest species, R. etli, was 92.9 %. In the analyses of the symbiotic genes
      nifH and nodC, the strains comprised a cluster with other rhizobial symbionts of
      P. vulgaris. Other phenotypic and genotypic traits were determined for the new
      group and our data support the description of the three CNPSo strains as a novel
      species, for which the name Rhizobium esperanzae is proposed. The type strain is
      CNPSo 668T (=UMR 1320T=Z87-8T=LMG 30030 T=U 10001T), isolated from a common-bean
      nodule in Mexico.

PMID- 28895522
TI  - Flavobacterium quisquiliarum sp. nov., isolated from activated sludge.
AB  - A Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium, EA-12T, was isolated
      from activated sludge in Fujian Province, PR China. The results of phylogenetic
      analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that it was closely related to
      Flavobacterium pectinovorum DSM 6368T (97.5 %), Flavobacterium banpakuense 15F3T
      (97.0 %) and Flavobacterium arsenitoxidans S2-3HT (96.9 %). Cells grew at 15-37 
      degrees C (optimum, 25  degrees C), at pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the
      presence of 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The strain contained MK-6 as the major
      menaquinone and the major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3
      (C16 : 1omega6c and/or C16 : 1omega7c) and C16 : 0 3-OH. The polar lipids
      consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine and one unidentified phospholipid. The DNA
      G+C content was 36.1 mol% (Tm). The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain EA-12T and
      F. pectinovorum DSM 6368T was 38.6 %. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic
      and phylogenetic comparisons with relatives and DNA-DNA relatedness values, it is
      concluded that EA-12T represents a novel species within the genus Flavobacterium,
      for which the name Flavobacterium quisquiliarum sp. nov. is proposed. The type
      strain is EA-12T (=CGMCC 1.15345T=NBRC 111769T).

PMID- 28895523
TI  - Characterisation of a newly isolated member of a candidatus lineage,
      Marispirochaeta aestuarii gen. nov., sp. nov.
AB  - Metagenome analysis of coastal marine habitats of Gujarat, India indicated the
      presence of twelve novel putative lineages of spirochaetes. Out of which a strain
      designated JC444T representing a novel putative lineage seven was isolated and
      characterized based on a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain JC444T was
      helical, Gram-stain-negative, obligate anaerobe, catalase and oxidase negative.
      Strain JC444T was able to grow at 15-45  degrees C (optimum at 30-35  degrees C),
      pH 6.5-8.6 (optimum at 7.5-8.0) and 0.6-5 % (optimum at 1.5-2.0 %) of NaCl
      concentration. The major end products of glucose fermentation were acetate,
      formate, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. C14 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0, C18 : 0, iso
      C15 : 1H/C13 : 03OH (summed feature 1), iso-C13 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17
      : 0 were present as fatty acids. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine and unidentified lipids (L1-4) were the polar lipids.
      G+C mol% of strain JC444T was 53.6 %. 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons
      indicated that strain JC444T represents a member of the family Spirochaetaceae in
      the order Spirochaetales. Strain JC444T has a sequence similarity of 97.1 % with
      'Candidatus Marispirochaeta associata' JC231 and <90.1 % with other members of
      the family Spirochaetaceae. Distinct morphological, physiological and genotypic
      differences from the previously described taxa support the classification of
      strain JC444T as a representative of a new genus and species in the family
      Spirochaetaceae, for which the name Marispirochaeta aestuarii gen. nov., sp. nov.
      is proposed. Type strain is JC444T (=KCTC 15554T=DSM 103365T).

PMID- 28895524
TI  - Nocardioides kandeliae sp. nov., an endophytic actinomycete isolated from leaves
      of Kandelia candel.
AB  - A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, atrichous and short rod-shaped
      endophytic actinomycete, designated strain BGMRC 2075T, was isolated from the
      leaves of Kandelia candel, and was subjected to polyphasic characterization to
      unravel its taxonomic position. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequences indicated that strain BGMRC 2075T belongs to the genus Nocardioides
      ,showing the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Nocardioides aestuarii
      JC2056T (96.1 %), Nocardioides agariphilus MSL-28T (95.1 %) andNocardioides
      islandiensis MSL-26T (95.1 %). The predominant cellular fatty acids of strain
      BGMRC 2075T were iso-C16 : 0, C17 : 1omega8c and C17 : 0. The major menaquinone
      was MK-8(H4). The diagnostic diamino acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan was ll
      2,6-diaminopimelic acid. The predominant cell-wall sugars were composed of ribose
      and glucose. The polar lipid pattern contained diphosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, five
      unknown phospholipids, one phospholipid of unknown structure containing
      glucosamine, and an unknown polar lipid. The DNA G+C content was 70.8 mol%. All
      these data support the allocation of the novel strain to the genus Nocardioides.
      The results of physiological and biochemical characterization allow the
      phenotypic differentiation of strain BGMRC 2075T from N. aestuarii JC2056T, N.
      agariphilus MSL-28T and N. islandiensis MSL-26T. Strain BGMRC 2075T represents a
      novel species of the genus Nocardioides, for which we propose the name
      Nocardioides kandeliae sp. nov. The type strain is BGMRC 2075T (=KCTC 39886T=DSM
      104480T).

PMID- 28895525
TI  - Description of Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. bovis subsp. nov., isolated from
      cattle (Bos taurus coreanae), emended description of Mycobacterium chelonae and
      creation of Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. chelonae subsp. nov.
AB  - Three rapidly growing mycobacterial strains, QIA-37T, QIA-40 and QIA-41, were
      isolated from the lymph nodes of three separate Korean native cattle, Hanwoo (Bos
      taurus coreanae). These strains were previously shown to be phylogenetically
      distinct but closely related to Mycobacterium chelonae ATCC 35752T by taxonomic
      approaches targeting three genes (16S rRNA, hsp6 and rpoB) and were further
      characterized using a polyphasic approach in this study. The 16S rRNA gene
      sequences of all three strains showed 99.7 % sequence similarity with that of the
      M. chelonae type strain. A multilocus sequence typing analysis targeting 10
      housekeeping genes, including hsp65 and rpoB, revealed a phylogenetic cluster of
      these strains with M. chelonae. DNA-DNA hybridization values of 78.2 % between
      QIA-37T and M. chelonae indicated that it belongs to M. chelonae but is a novel
      subspecies distinct from M. chelonae. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole-genome
      sequences revealed a 95.44+/-0.06 % average nucleotide identity (ANI) value with
      M. chelonae, slightly higher than the 95.0 % ANI criterion for determining a
      novel species. In addition, distinct phenotypic characteristics such as positive
      growth at 37  degrees C, at which temperature M. chelonae does not grow, further
      support the taxonomic status of these strains as representatives of a novel
      subspecies of M. chelonae. Therefore, we propose an emended description of
      Mycobacterium chelonae, and descriptions of M. chelonae subsp. chelonae subsp.
      nov. and M. chelonae subsp. bovis subsp. nov. are presented; strains ATCC
      35752T(=CCUG 47445T=CIP 104535T=DSM 43804T=JCM 6388T=NCTC 946T) and QIA-37T
      (=KCTC 39630T=JCM 30986T) are the type strains of the two novel subspecies.

PMID- 28895526
TI  - Molecular testing for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer: systematic
      reviews and economic evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inherited mutations in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mismatch repair
      (MMR) genes lead to an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), gynaecological
      cancers and other cancers, known as Lynch syndrome (LS). Risk-reducing
      interventions can be offered to individuals with known LS-causing mutations. The
      mutations can be identified by comprehensive testing of the MMR genes, but this
      would be prohibitively expensive in the general population. Tumour-based tests -
      microsatellite instability (MSI) and MMR immunohistochemistry (IHC) - are used in
      CRC patients to identify individuals at high risk of LS for genetic testing. MLH1
      (MutL homologue 1) promoter methylation and BRAF V600E testing can be conducted
      on tumour material to rule out certain sporadic cancers. OBJECTIVES: To
      investigate whether testing for LS in CRC patients using MSI or IHC (with or
      without MLH1 promoter methylation testing and BRAF V600E testing) is clinically
      effective (in terms of identifying Lynch syndrome and improving outcomes for
      patients) and represents a cost-effective use of NHS resources. REVIEW METHODS:
      Systematic reviews were conducted of the published literature on diagnostic test
      accuracy studies of MSI and/or IHC testing for LS, end-to-end studies of
      screening for LS in CRC patients and economic evaluations of screening for LS in
      CRC patients. A model-based economic evaluation was conducted to extrapolate long
      term outcomes from the results of the diagnostic test accuracy review. The model
      was extended from a model previously developed by the authors. RESULTS: Ten
      studies were identified that evaluated the diagnostic test accuracy of MSI and/or
      IHC testing for identifying LS in CRC patients. For MSI testing, sensitivity
      ranged from 66.7% to 100.0% and specificity ranged from 61.1% to 92.5%. For IHC,
      sensitivity ranged from 80.8% to 100.0% and specificity ranged from 80.5% to
      91.9%. When tumours showing low levels of MSI were treated as a positive result,
      the sensitivity of MSI testing increased but specificity fell. No end-to-end
      studies of screening for LS in CRC patients were identified. Nine economic
      evaluations of screening for LS in CRC were identified. None of the included
      studies fully matched the decision problem and hence a new economic evaluation
      was required. The base-case results in the economic evaluation suggest that
      screening for LS in CRC patients using IHC, BRAF V600E and MLH1 promoter
      methylation testing would be cost-effective at a threshold of L20,000 per quality
      adjusted life-year (QALY). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for this
      strategy was L11,008 per QALY compared with no screening. Screening without
      tumour tests is not predicted to be cost-effective. LIMITATIONS: Most of the
      diagnostic test accuracy studies identified were rated as having a risk of bias
      or were conducted in unrepresentative samples. There was no direct evidence that
      screening improves long-term outcomes. No probabilistic sensitivity analysis was
      conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic review evidence suggests that MSI- and IHC
      based testing can be used to identify LS in CRC patients, although there was
      heterogeneity in the methods used in the studies identified and the results of
      the studies. There was no high-quality empirical evidence that screening improves
      long-term outcomes and so an evidence linkage approach using modelling was
      necessary. Key determinants of whether or not screening is cost-effective are the
      accuracy of tumour-based tests, CRC risk without surveillance, the number of
      relatives identified for cascade testing, colonoscopic surveillance effectiveness
      and the acceptance of genetic testing. Future work should investigate screening
      for more causes of hereditary CRC and screening for LS in endometrial cancer
      patients. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is registered as PROSPERO
      CRD42016033879. FUNDING: The National Institute for Health Research Health
      Technology Assessment programme.

PMID- 28895527
TI  - Assessing the danger of self-sustained HIV epidemics in heterosexuals by
      population based phylogenetic cluster analysis.
AB  - Assessing the danger of transition of HIV transmission from a concentrated to a
      generalized epidemic is of major importance for public health. In this study, we
      develop a phylogeny-based statistical approach to address this question. As a
      case study, we use this to investigate the trends and determinants of HIV
      transmission among Swiss heterosexuals. We extract the corresponding transmission
      clusters from a phylogenetic tree. To capture the incomplete sampling, the
      delayed introduction of imported infections to Switzerland, and potential factors
      associated with basic reproductive number R0, we extend the branching process
      model to infer transmission parameters. Overall, the R0 is estimated to be 0.44
      (95%-confidence interval 0.42-0.46) and it is decreasing by 11% per 10 years (4%
      17%). Our findings indicate rather diminishing HIV transmission among Swiss
      heterosexuals far below the epidemic threshold. Generally, our approach allows to
      assess the danger of self-sustained epidemics from any viral sequence data.

PMID- 28895528
TI  - A synthetic biology approach to probing nucleosome symmetry.
AB  - The repeating subunit of chromatin, the nucleosome, includes two copies of each
      of the four core histones, and several recent studies have reported that
      asymmetrically-modified nucleosomes occur at regulatory elements in vivo. To
      probe the mechanisms by which histone modifications are read out, we designed an
      obligate pair of H3 heterodimers, termed H3X and H3Y, which we extensively
      validated genetically and biochemically. Comparing the effects of asymmetric
      histone tail point mutants with those of symmetric double mutants revealed that a
      single methylated H3K36 per nucleosome was sufficient to silence cryptic
      transcription in vivo. We also demonstrate the utility of this system for
      analysis of histone modification crosstalk, using mass spectrometry to separately
      identify modifications on each H3 molecule within asymmetric nucleosomes. The
      ability to generate asymmetric nucleosomes in vivo and in vitro provides a
      powerful and generalizable tool to probe the mechanisms by which H3 tails are
      read out by effector proteins in the cell.

PMID- 28895529
TI  - LARP4 mRNA codon-tRNA match contributes to LARP4 activity for ribosomal protein
      mRNA poly(A) tail length protection.
AB  - Messenger RNA function is controlled by the 3' poly(A) tail (PAT) and poly(A)
      binding protein (PABP). La-related protein-4 (LARP4) binds poly(A) and PABP.
      LARP4 mRNA contains a translation-dependent, coding region determinant (CRD) of
      instability that limits its expression. Although the CRD comprises <10% of LARP4
      codons, the mRNA levels vary >20 fold with synonymous CRD substitutions that
      accommodate tRNA dynamics. Separately, overexpression of the most limiting tRNA
      increases LARP4 levels and reveals its functional activity, net lengthening of
      the PATs of heterologous mRNAs with concomitant stabilization, including
      ribosomal protein (RP) mRNAs. Genetic deletion of cellular LARP4 decreases PAT
      length and RPmRNA stability. This LARP4 activity requires its PABP-interaction
      domain and the RNA-binding module which we show is sensitive to poly(A) 3'
      termini, consistent with protection from deadenylation. The results indicate that
      LARP4 is a posttranscriptional regulator of ribosomal protein production in
      mammalian cells and suggest that this activity can be controlled by tRNA levels.

PMID- 28895530
TI  - Cell type boundaries organize plant development.
AB  - In plants the dorsoventral boundary of leaves defines an axis of symmetry through
      the centre of the organ separating the top (dorsal) and bottom (ventral) tissues.
      Although the positioning of this boundary is critical for leaf morphogenesis, how
      the boundary is established and how it influences development remains unclear.
      Using live-imaging and perturbation experiments we show that leaf orientation,
      morphology and position are pre-patterned by HD-ZIPIII and KAN gene expression in
      the shoot, leading to a model in which dorsoventral genes coordinate to regulate
      plant development by localizing auxin response between their expression domains.
      However we also find that auxin levels feedback on dorsoventral patterning by
      spatially organizing HD-ZIPIII and KAN expression in the shoot periphery. By
      demonstrating that the regulation of these genes by auxin also governs their
      response to wounds, our results also provide a parsimonious explanation for the
      influence of wounds on leaf dorsoventrality.

PMID- 28895532
TI  - A synaptotagmin suppressor screen indicates SNARE binding controls the timing and
      Ca2+ cooperativity of vesicle fusion.
AB  - The synaptic vesicle Ca2+ sensor Synaptotagmin binds Ca2+ through its two C2
      domains to trigger membrane interactions. Beyond membrane insertion by the C2
      domains, other requirements for Synaptotagmin activity are still being
      elucidated. To identify key residues within Synaptotagmin required for vesicle
      cycling, we took advantage of observations that mutations in the C2B domain Ca2+
      binding pocket dominantly disrupt release from invertebrates to humans. We
      performed an intragenic screen for suppressors of lethality induced by expression
      of Synaptotagmin C2B Ca2+-binding mutants in Drosophila. This screen uncovered
      essential residues within Synaptotagmin that suggest a structural basis for
      several activities required for fusion, including a C2B surface implicated in
      SNARE complex interaction that is required for rapid synchronization and Ca2+
      cooperativity of vesicle release. Using electrophysiological, morphological and
      computational characterization of these mutants, we propose a sequence of
      molecular interactions mediated by Synaptotagmin that promote Ca2+ activation of
      the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery.

PMID- 28895531
TI  - Genetic identification of a common collagen disease in puerto ricans via identity
      by-descent mapping in a health system.
AB  - Achieving confidence in the causality of a disease locus is a complex task that
      often requires supporting data from both statistical genetics and clinical
      genomics. Here we describe a combined approach to identify and characterize a
      genetic disorder that leverages distantly related patients in a health system and
      population-scale mapping. We utilize genomic data to uncover components of
      distant pedigrees, in the absence of recorded pedigree information, in the multi
      ethnic BioMe biobank in New York City. By linking to medical records, we discover
      a locus associated with both elevated genetic relatedness and extreme short
      stature. We link the gene, COL27A1, with a little-known genetic disease,
      previously thought to be rare and recessive. We demonstrate that disease
      manifests in both heterozygotes and homozygotes, indicating a common collagen
      disorder impacting up to 2% of individuals of Puerto Rican ancestry, leading to a
      better understanding of the continuum of complex and Mendelian disease.

PMID- 28895533
TI  - What is a placental mammal anyway?
AB  - Many developmental functions in marsupials and eutherian mammals are accomplished
      by different tissues, but similar genes.

PMID- 28895535
TI  - An approach to screening for Cushing's syndrome in non-specialized health care
      settings.

PMID- 28895534
TI  - Molecular conservation of marsupial and eutherian placentation and lactation.
AB  - Eutherians are often mistakenly termed 'placental mammals', but marsupials also
      have a placenta to mediate early embryonic development. Lactation is necessary
      for both infant and fetal development in eutherians and marsupials, although
      marsupials have a far more complex milk repertoire that facilitates morphogenesis
      of developmentally immature young. In this study, we demonstrate that the
      anatomically simple tammar placenta expresses a dynamic molecular program that is
      reminiscent of eutherian placentation, including both fetal and maternal signals.
      Further, we provide evidence that genes facilitating fetal development and
      nutrient transport display convergent co-option by placental and mammary gland
      cell types to optimize offspring success.

PMID- 28895536
TI  - Impact of kitchen organization on oral intake of malnourished inpatients: A two
      center study.
AB  - AIM: To determine the impact of the type of hospital kitchen on the dietary
      intake of patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional, two-centre study, of cooking in a
      traditional kitchen (TK) and in a chilled kitchen (CK). Subjective global
      assessment (SGA) was used for nutritional diagnosis. Before study start, a
      dietician performed a nutritional assessment of the menus of each hospital. All
      dishes were weighed upon arrival to the ward and at the end of the meal. RESULTS:
      201 and 41 patients from the centres with TK and CK respectively were evaluated.
      Prevalence of malnutrition risk was 50.2% at the hospital with TK and 48.8% at
      the hospital with CK (p=0.328). Forty-eight and 56 dishes were nutritionally
      evaluated at the hospitals with TK and CK respectively. Intake analysis consisted
      of 1993 and 846 evaluations in the hospitals with TK and CK respectively. Median
      food consumption was 76.83% at the hospital with TK (IQR 45.76%) and 83.43% (IQR
      40.49%) at the hospital with CK (p<0.001). Based on the prevalence of
      malnutrition, a higher protein and energy intake was seen in malnourished
      patients from the CK as compared to the TK hospital, but differences were not
      significant after adjustment for other factors. CONCLUSIONS: Cooking in a chilled
      kitchen, as compared to a traditional kitchen, may increase energy and protein
      intake in hospitalized patients, which is particularly beneficial for
      malnourished patients.

PMID- 28895537
TI  - Definition of reference ranges for free T4, TSH, and thyroglobulin levels in
      healthy subjects of the Jaen Health District.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The treatment guidelines for thyroid dysfunction
      recommend defining reference ranges for thyroid hormones in each area through
      assessment of local population data considering the iodine nutritional status.
      The aim of this study was to define the reference ranges of free thyroxine (FT4),
      TSH, and thyroglobulin levels in a general population from Jaen, an area of
      southern Spain with an adequate iodine nutritional status, and whether they were
      associated with urinary iodine levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional
      study was conducted in 1,003 subjects of the general population of the Jaen
      Health District. Levels of urinary iodine, FT4, TSH, thyroglobulin, and thyroid
      peroxidase (TPO) antibodies were measured according to age and sex. RESULTS:
      Median and mean urinary iodine levels were 110.59MUg/L and 130.11MUg/L
      respectively. Median TSH level was 1.83MUIU/mL (p2.5=0.56MUIU/mL,
      p97.5=4.66MUIU/mL). Median FT4 level was 0.84ng/dL (p2.5=0.62ng/dL,
      p97.5=1.18ng/dL). TPO antibodies were detected in 5.7% of subjects. There was no
      correlation between urinary iodine levels and FT4, TSH or TPO antibodies.
      Subjects with positive TPO antibodies had higher TSH levels (3.34MUIU/L versus
      2.14MUIU/mL, P=.001; odds ratio=2.42). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary iodine levels in Jaen
      are optimal according to World Health Organization standards. Reference ranges of
      FT4, TSH, and thyroglobulin do not differ from those reported in the literature
      and are no associated to urinary iodine levels. The prevalence of positive TPO
      antibodies was similar to that reported in other Spanish areas.

PMID- 28895538
TI  - Body composition in a population of school adolescents: a comparison of simple
      anthropometric methods and bioelectrical impedance.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report the anthropometric characteristics and body composition and
      to analyze the potential sex-based differences in Spanish schoolchildren and
      adolescents living in Granada and Ceuta. To estimate body fat percentage using
      regression equations and bioelectrical impedance to check for sex differences. An
      additional objective was to see whether the body fat percentages obtained by
      these two methods were similar. METHODS: A cross-sectional study including 1,518
      children and adolescents (aged 9-16) from 12 primary and secondary schools in
      Ceuta and Granada. The nutritional status of the subjects was assessed and their
      body fat percentage was calculated. RESULTS: There was a strong sexual
      dimorphism, with higher prevalence rates of overweight in boys and obesity in
      girls. Girls had higher mean body fat levels regardless of the measuring method
      used (p<.001). Correlation between bioelectrical impedance analysis and
      regression equations was high (r=0.830), as was the internal correlation
      coefficient (ICC>0.75). A Bland-Altman comparison showed a high agreement between
      bioelectrical impedance and Behnke and Lohman equations. CONCLUSIONS: Specific
      equations considering subject sex and age should be used to estimate body
      density. Regardless of the method used, girls had higher body fat percentages.
      The Behnke and Lohman equations, combined with BIA, were found to be the most
      accurate methods for measuring body density in the study population.

PMID- 28895539
TI  - Frequency and clinical and molecular aspects of familial hypercholesterolemia in
      an endocrinology unit in Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency and the clinical, biochemical, and molecular
      aspects of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in subjects attending an
      endocrinology unit. METHODS: An observational, descriptive study evaluating 3,140
      subjects attending the endocrinology unit of Centro Medico Orinoco in Ciudad
      Bolivar, Venezuela, from 7 January 2013 to 9 December 2016. The index cases were
      selected using the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria. Plasma lipid levels were
      measured, and a molecular analysis was performed by DNA sequencing of the LDLR
      and APOB genes. RESULTS: Ten (0.32%) of the 3,140 study patients had clinical and
      biochemical characteristics consistent with FH. All but one were female. Three
      had first-degree relatives with prior premature coronary artery; and none had a
      personal history of this condition. Three patients were obese; three had high
      blood pressure; and no one suffered from diabetes. Three patients had a history
      of tendon xanthomas, and one of corneal arcus. LDL-C levels ranged from 191 to
      486mg/dL. Two patients were on statin therapy. The genetic causes of FH were
      identified in four patients, and were LDLR gene mutations in three of them and an
      APOB gene mutation in exon 26 in the other. CONCLUSION: Approximately, one out of
      every 300 people attending this endocrinology unit in those four years had FH,
      and LDLR gene mutations were the most prevalent cause.

PMID- 28895540
TI  - Polymorphism rs3123554 in the cannabinoid receptor gene type 2 (CNR2) reveals
      effects on body weight and insulin resistance in obese subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies assessing the relationship between single nucleotide
      polymorphisms in CNR2 and obesity or its related metabolic parameters are
      available. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of polymorphism rs3123554 in
      the CNR2 receptor gene on obesity anthropometric parameters, insulin resistance,
      and adipokines in subjects with obesity. DESIGN: The study population consisted
      of 1027 obese subjects, who were performed bioelectrical impedance analyses,
      blood pressure measurements, serial assessments of dietary intake during three
      days, and biochemical tests. RESULTS: Genotypes GG, GA, and AA were found in 339
      (33.0%), 467 (45.5%), and 221 (21.5%) respectively. Body mass index, weight, fat
      mass, waist circumference, insulin, HOMA-IR, and triglyceride and leptin levels
      were higher in A-allele carriers as compared to non A-allele carriers. No
      differences were seen in these parameters between the GA and AA genotypes. There
      were no statistical differences in dietary intake. CONCLUSION: The main study
      finding was the association of the minor allele of the SNP rs3123554 in the CNR2
      gene with body weight and triglyceride, HOMA-IR, insulin, and leptin levels.

PMID- 28895541
TI  - Financial impact of disease-related malnutrition at the San Pedro de Alcantara
      hospital. Estimated cost savings associated to a specialized nutritional survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: DRM is a highly prevalent condition in Spanish
      hospitals and is associated to increased healthcare costs. Costs associated to
      DRM were calculated using the methods of the PREDyCES study. The potential
      savings derived from specialized nutritional treatment were calculated by
      extrapolating the results of the SNAQ strategy. RESULTS: Median cost per
      procedure in patients with DRM was ?9,679.85, with a final cost of ?28,700,775.2.
      The cost of each patient with DRM was 2.63 times higher than the cost of patients
      with no DRM. The potential cost saving associated to specialized nutritional
      treatment was estimated at ?1,682,317.28 (5.86% of total cost associated to DRM).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DRM showed a higher consumption of financial resources
      as compared to well-nourished patients. Specialized nutritional treatment is a
      potential cost-saving procedure.

PMID- 28895542
TI  - Selective sentinel lymph node biopsy in papillary thyroid carcinoma in patients
      with no preoperative evidence of lymph node metastasis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lymphadenectomy is recommended during surgery for papillary thyroid
      carcinoma when there is evidence of cervical lymph node metastasis (therapeutic)
      or in high-risk patients (prophylactic) such as those with T3 and T4 tumors of
      the TNM classification. Selective sentinel lymph node biopsy may improve
      preoperative diagnosis of nodal metastases. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of
      selective sentinel lymph node biopsy in a group of patients with papillary
      thyroid carcinoma and no evidence of nodal involvement before surgery. PATIENTS
      AND METHOD: A retrospective, single-center study in patients with papillary
      thyroid carcinoma and no clinical evidence of lymph node involvement who
      underwent surgery between 2011 and 2013. The sentinel node was identified by
      scintigraphy. When the sentinel node was positive, the affected compartment was
      removed, and when sentinel node was negative, central lymph node dissection was
      performed. RESULTS: Forty-three patients, 34 females, with a mean age of 52.3 (+/
      17) years, were enrolled. Forty-six (27%) of the 170 SNs resected from 24 (55.8%)
      patients were positive for metastasis. In addition, 94 (15.6%) out of the 612
      lymph nodes removed in the lymphadenectomies were positive for metastases. Twelve
      of the 30 (40%) low risk patients (cT1N0 and cT2N0) changed their stage to pN1,
      whereas 12 of 13 (92%) high risk patients (cT3N0 and cT4N0) changed to pN1 stage.
      CONCLUSIONS: Selective sentinel lymph node biopsy changes the stage of more than
      50% of patients from cN0 to pN1. This confirms the need for lymph node resection
      in T3 and T4 tumors, but reveals the presence of lymph node metastases in 40% of
      T1-T2 tumors.

PMID- 28895543
TI  - Alcohol: are we enjoying responsibly?

PMID- 28895544
TI  - The subjective decision of cessation of colorectal cancer screening.

PMID- 28895545
TI  - Hepatitis C and the absence of genomic data in low-income countries: a barrier on
      the road to elimination?

PMID- 28895551
TI  - Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging in colorectal surgery: overview,
      applications, and future directions.
AB  - Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging is a surgical tool with increasing
      applications in colorectal surgery. This tool has received acceptance in various
      surgical disciplines as a potential method to enhance surgical field
      visualisation, improve lymph node retrieval, and decrease the incidence of
      anastomotic leaks. In colorectal surgery specifically, small studies have shown
      that intraoperative fluorescence imaging is a safe and feasible method to assess
      anastomotic perfusion, and its use might affect the incidence of anastomotic
      leaks. Controlled trials are ongoing to validate these conclusions. The number of
      new indications for indocyanine green continues to increase, including innovative
      options for detecting and guiding management of colorectal metastasis to the
      liver. These advances could offer great value for surgeons and patients, by
      improving the accuracy and outcomes of oncological resections.

PMID- 28895552
TI  - Measurement of track structure parameters of low and medium energy helium and
      carbon ions in nanometric volumes.
AB  - Ionization cluster size distributions produced in the sensitive volume of an ion
      counting wall-less nanodosimeter by monoenergetic carbon ions with energies
      between 45 MeV and 150 MeV were measured at the TANDEM-ALPI ion accelerator
      facility complex of the LNL-INFN in Legnaro. Those produced by monoenergetic
      helium ions with energies between 2 MeV and 20 MeV were measured at the
      accelerator facilities of PTB and with a 241Am alpha particle source. C3H8 was
      used as the target gas. The ionization cluster size distributions were measured
      in narrow beam geometry with the primary beam passing the target volume at
      specified distances from its centre, and in broad beam geometry with a fan-like
      primary beam. By applying a suitable drift time window, the effective size of the
      target volume was adjusted to match the size of a DNA segment. The measured data
      were compared with the results of simulations obtained with the PTB Monte Carlo
      code PTra. Before the comparison, the simulated cluster size distributions were
      corrected with respect to the background of additional ionizations produced in
      the transport system of the ionized target gas molecules. Measured and simulated
      characteristics of the particle track structure are in good agreement for both
      types of primary particles and for both types of the irradiation geometry. As the
      range in tissue of the ions investigated is within the typical extension of a
      spread-out Bragg peak, these data are useful for benchmarking not only 'general
      purpose' track structure simulation codes, but also treatment planning codes used
      in hadron therapy. Additionally, these data sets may serve as a data base for
      codes modelling the induction of radiation damages at the DNA-level as they
      almost completely characterize the ionization component of the nanometric track
      structure.

PMID- 28895553
TI  - Nanowire decorated, ultra-thin, single crystalline silicon for photovoltaic
      devices.
AB  - Reducing silicon (Si) wafer thickness in the photovoltaic industry has always
      been demanded for lowering the overall cost. Further benefits such as short
      collection lengths and improved open circuit voltages can also be achieved by Si
      thickness reduction. However, the problem with thin films is poor light
      absorption. One way to decrease optical losses in photovoltaic devices is to
      minimize the front side reflection. This approach can be applied to front
      contacted ultra-thin crystalline Si solar cells to increase the light absorption.
      In this work, homojunction solar cells were fabricated using ultra-thin and
      flexible single crystal Si wafers. A metal assisted chemical etching method was
      used for the nanowire (NW) texturization of ultra-thin Si wafers to compensate
      weak light absorption. A relative improvement of 56% in the reflectivity was
      observed for ultra-thin Si wafers with the thickness of 20 +/- 0.2 MUm upon NW
      texturization. NW length and top contact optimization resulted in a relative
      enhancement of 23% +/- 5% in photovoltaic conversion efficiency.

PMID- 28895554
TI  - Anomalous cyclotron mass dependence on the magnetic field and Berry's phase in
      (Cd1-x-y Zn x Mn y )3As2 solid solutions.
AB  - Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) effect and magnetoresistance measurements of single
      crystals of diluted II-V magnetic semiconductors (Cd1-x-y Zn x Mn y )3As2 (x  + 
      y  =  0.4, y  =  0.04 and 0.08) are investigated in the temperature range T  = 
      4.2 / 300 K and in transverse magnetic field B  =  0 / 25 T. The values of the
      cyclotron mass m c, the effective g-factor g*, and the Dingle temperature T D are
      defined. In one of the samples (y  =  0.04) a strong dependence of the cyclotron
      mass on the magnetic field m c(B)  =  m c(0)  +  alphaB is observed. The value of
      a phase shift close to beta  =  0.5 indicates the presence of Berry phase and 3D
      Dirac fermions in a single crystals of (Cd1-x-y Zn x Mn y )3As2 in one of the
      samples (y  =  0.08).

PMID- 28895555
TI  - Photonics surface waves on metamaterials interfaces.
AB  - A surface wave (SW) in optics is a light wave, which is supported at an interface
      of two dissimilar media and propagates along the interface with its field
      amplitude exponentially decaying away from the boundary. The research on surface
      waves has been flourishing in last few decades thanks to their unique properties
      of surface sensitivity and field localization. These features have resulted in
      applications in nano-guiding, sensing, light-trapping and imaging based on the
      near-field techniques, contributing to the establishment of the nanophotonics as
      a field of research. Up to present, a wide variety of surface waves has been
      investigated in numerous material and structure settings. This paper reviews the
      recent progress and development in the physics of SWs localized at metamaterial
      interfaces, as well as bulk media in order to provide broader perspectives on
      optical surface waves in general. For each type of the surface waves, we discuss
      material and structural platforms. We mainly focus on experimental realizations
      in the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges. We also address existing and
      potential application of SWs in chemical and biological sensing, and experimental
      excitation and characterization methods.

PMID- 28895556
TI  - Challenges in computational evaluation of redox and magnetic properties of Fe
      based sulfate cathode materials of Li- and Na-ion batteries [J. Phys.: Condens.
      Matter 29 (2017) 215701].
AB  - submitted as Erratum.

PMID- 28895557
TI  - Multi-level storage and ultra-high speed of superlattice-like Ge50Te50/Ge8Sb92
      thin film for phase-change memory application.
AB  - Superlattice-like Ge50Te50/Ge8Sb92 (SLL GT/GS) thin film was systematically
      investigated for multi-level storage and ultra-fast switching phase-change memory
      application. In situ resistance measurement indicates that SLL GT/GS thin film
      exhibits two distinct resistance steps with elevated temperature. The thermal
      stability of the amorphous state and intermediate state were evaluated with the
      Kissinger and Arrhenius plots. The phase-structure evolution revealed that the
      amorphous SLL GT/GS thin film crystallized into rhombohedral Sb phase first, then
      the rhombohedral GeTe phase. The microstructure, layered structure, and interface
      stability of SLL GT/GS thin film was confirmed by using transmission electron
      microscopy. The transition speed of crystallization and amorphization was
      measured by the picosecond laser pump-probe system. The volume variation during
      the crystallization was obtained from x-ray reflectivity. Phase-change memory
      (PCM) cells based on SLL GT/GS thin film were fabricated to verify the multi
      level switching under an electrical pulse as short as 30 ns. These results
      illustrate that the SLL GT/GS thin film has great potentiality in high-density
      and high-speed PCM applications.

PMID- 28895558
TI  - Combination photo and electron beam lithography with polymethyl methacrylate
      (PMMA) resist.
AB  - We describe techniques for performing photolithography and electron beam
      lithography in succession on the same resist-covered substrate. Larger openings
      are defined in the resist film through photolithography whereas smaller openings
      are defined through conventional electron beam lithography. The two processes are
      carried out one after the other and without an intermediate wet development step.
      At the conclusion of the two exposures, the resist film is developed once to
      reveal both large and small openings. Interestingly, these techniques are
      applicable to both positive and negative tone lithographies with both optical and
      electron beam exposure. Polymethyl methacrylate, by itself or mixed with a
      photocatalytic cross-linking agent, is used for this purpose. We demonstrate that
      such resists are sensitive to both ultraviolet and electron beam irradiation. All
      four possible combinations, consisting of optical and electron beam
      lithographies, carried out in positive and negative tone modes have been
      described. Demonstration grating structures have been shown and process
      conditions have been described for all four cases.

PMID- 28895559
TI  - Sustained releasing sponge-like 3D scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
      applications.
AB  - Tissue engineering (TE) is envisaged to play a vital role in improving quality of
      life by restoring, maintaining or enhancing tissue and organ functions. TE
      scaffolds that are two-dimensional in structure suffer from undesirable issues,
      such as pore blockage, and do not closely mimic the native extra-cellular matrix
      in tissues. Significant efforts have therefore been channeled to fabricate three
      dimensional (3D) scaffolds using various techniques, especially electrospinning.
      In this study, we propose a modified one-step electrospinning process to arrive
      at a 3D scaffold with highly interconnected pores. Using a blend of poly (L
      lactide)/polycaprolactone/poly (ethylene oxide), this mechanically viable, sponge
      like 3D scaffold exhibited sufficiently large pores and enabled cell penetration
      beyond 500 MUm. Dexamethasone (Dex) was loaded into the fibers and a sustained
      drug release was achieved. Further, the potential of this Dex-loaded 3D scaffold
      was evaluated for upregulation of osteogenic genes with mesenchymal stem cells.
      The as-produced Dex-loaded 3D scaffold possesses a unique intertwined sub-micron
      fibrous morphology that can be tailored for use in bone tissue engineering and
      beyond.

PMID- 28895561
TI  - Sexual medicine: Transdermal oestrogen is effective.

PMID- 28895560
TI  - Tyrosine kinase inhibition increases the cell surface localization of FLT3-ITD
      and enhances FLT3-directed immunotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) receptor has been extensively studied
      over the past two decades with regard to oncogenic alterations that do not only
      serve as prognostic markers but also as therapeutic targets in acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). Internal tandem duplications (ITDs) became of special interest in
      this setting as they are associated with unfavorable prognosis. Because of
      sequence-dependent protein conformational changes FLT3-ITD tends to
      autophosphorylate and displays a constitutive intracellular localization. Here,
      we analyzed the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on the localization
      of the FLT3 receptor and its mutants. TKI treatment increased the surface
      expression through upregulation of FLT3 and glycosylation of FLT3-ITD and FLT3
      D835Y mutants. In T cell-mediated cytotoxicity (TCMC) assays, using a bispecific
      FLT3 * CD3 antibody construct, the combination with TKI treatment increased TCMC
      in the FLT3-ITD-positive AML cell lines MOLM-13 and MV4-11, patient-derived
      xenograft cells and primary patient samples. Our findings provide the basis for
      rational combination of TKI and FLT3-directed immunotherapy with potential
      benefit for FLT3-ITD-positive AML patients.

PMID- 28895562
TI  - Focal ablation therapy for renal cancer in the era of active surveillance and
      minimally invasive partial nephrectomy.
AB  - Partial nephrectomy is the optimal surgical approach in the management of small
      renal masses (SRMs). Focal ablation therapy has an established role in the modern
      management of SRMs, especially in elderly patients and those with comorbidities.
      Percutaneous ablation avoids general anaesthesia and laparoscopic ablation can
      avoid excessive dissection; hence, these techniques can be suitable for patients
      who are not ideal surgical candidates. Several ablation modalities exist, of
      which radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation are most widely applied and for
      which safety and oncological efficacy approach equivalency to partial
      nephrectomy. Data supporting efficacy and safety of ablation techniques continue
      to mature, but they originate in institutional case series that are confounded by
      cohort heterogeneity, selection bias, and lack of long-term follow-up periods.
      Image guidance and surveillance protocols after ablation vary and no consensus
      has been established. The importance of SRM biopsy, its optimal timing, the type
      of biopsy used, and its role in treatment selection continue to be debated. As
      safety data for active surveillance and experience with minimally invasive
      partial nephrectomy are expanding, the role of focal ablation therapy in the
      treatment of patients with SRMs requires continued evaluation.

PMID- 28895565
TI  - Prostate cancer: CTC phenotype informs treatment type.

PMID- 28895563
TI  - Characteristics and clinical significance of histological variants of bladder
      cancer.
AB  - In the past 10 years evidence for the clinical relevance of variant histology in
      urinary bladder cancer has been increasing. This increase has resulted in new
      classifications of urothelial cancers by the WHO in 2016, highlighting the
      importance of an accurate morphological description of pathological specimens for
      the therapeutic management of patients with bladder cancer. The rising awareness
      of the importance of an accurate pathological report manifests itself in the
      increasing prevalence of reporting of variant histology in daily practice.
      Histological variants can generally be divided into urothelial and nonurothelial.
      Urothelial variants often have similar features that also have specific
      morphological phenotypes, whereas nonurothelial variants have independent
      features. Overall, histological variants follow a more aggressive clinical course
      than conventional urothelial carcinoma, but conclusive data on their effect on
      survival are currently lacking. The clinical relevance of variant histology can
      manifest at three different levels: diagnostic, as identification is challenging
      and misinterpretation is not uncommon; prognostic, for patient risk
      stratification and outcome estimation; and therapeutic, as particular variants
      could be responsive to specific treatment strategies. An accurate morphological
      description of histological variants is necessary for patient consultation and
      therapy planning. Moreover, the association of variant histology with specific
      mutation patterns promises to be helpful in discovering targeted therapeutic
      approaches based on specific molecular pathways.

PMID- 28895564
TI  - Frontiers in robot-assisted retroperitoneal oncological surgery.
AB  - Robot assistance has been rapidly adopted by urological surgeons and has become
      particularly popular for oncological procedures involving the retroperitoneal
      space. The wide dissemination of robot assistance probably reflects the limited
      amount of operating space available within the retroperitoneum and the advantages
      provided by robot-assisted approaches, including 3D imaging, wristed
      instrumentation and the shorter learning curve compared with that associated with
      the equivalent laparoscopic techniques. Surgical procedures that have
      traditionally been performed using an open or laparoscopic approach, such as
      partial nephrectomy, radical nephrectomy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection,
      nephroureterectomy and adrenalectomy, are now often being performed using robot
      assistance. The frontiers of robot-assisted retroperitoneal oncological surgery
      are constantly expanding, with an emphasis on maintaining oncological and
      functional outcomes, while minimizing the level of surgical invasiveness.

PMID- 28895567
TI  - Bladder cancer: IFNalpha-2b gene transfer: a new approach for BCG-resistant
      disease.

PMID- 28895568
TI  - Response to Targeted Cognitive Training Correlates with Change in Thalamic Volume
      in a Randomized Trial for Early Schizophrenia.
AB  - Reduced thalamic volume is consistently observed in schizophrenia, and correlates
      with cognitive impairment. Targeted cognitive training (TCT) of auditory
      processing in schizophrenia drives improvements in cognition that are believed to
      result from functional neuroplasticity in prefrontal and auditory cortices. In
      this study, we sought to determine whether response to TCT is also associated
      with structural neuroplastic changes in thalamic volume in patients with early
      schizophrenia (ESZ). Additionally, we examined baseline clinical, cognitive, and
      neural characteristics predictive of a positive response to TCT. ESZ patients
      were randomly assigned to undergo either 40 h of TCT (N=22) or a computer games
      control condition (CG; N=22 s). Participants underwent MRI, clinical, and
      neurocognitive assessments before and after training (4-month interval).
      Freesurfer automated segmentation of the subcortical surface was carried out to
      measure thalamic volume at both time points. Left thalamic volume at baseline
      correlated with baseline global cognition, while a similar trend was observed in
      the right thalamus. The relationship between change in cognition and change in
      left thalamus volume differed between groups, with a significant positive
      correlation in the TCT group and a negative trend in the CG group. Lower baseline
      symptoms were related to improvements in cognition and left thalamic volume
      preservation following TCT. These findings suggest that the cognitive gains
      induced by TCT in ESZ are associated with structural neuroplasticity in the
      thalamus. Greater symptom severity at baseline reduced the likelihood of response
      to TCT both with respect to improved cognition and change in thalamic volume.

PMID- 28895566
TI  - WNT signalling in prostate cancer.
AB  - Genome sequencing and gene expression analyses of prostate tumours have
      highlighted the potential importance of genetic and epigenetic changes observed
      in WNT signalling pathway components in prostate tumours - particularly in the
      development of castration-resistant prostate cancer. WNT signalling is also
      important in the prostate tumour microenvironment, in which WNT proteins secreted
      by the tumour stroma promote resistance to therapy, and in prostate cancer stem
      or progenitor cells, in which WNT-beta-catenin signals promote self-renewal or
      expansion. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the potential of inhibitors that
      target WNT receptor complexes at the cell membrane or that block the interaction
      of beta-catenin with lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 and the androgen
      receptor, in preventing prostate cancer progression. Some WNT signalling
      inhibitors are in phase I trials, but they have yet to be tested in patients with
      prostate cancer.

PMID- 28895570
TI  - Immunotherapy: Cancer vaccines on the move.

PMID- 28895569
TI  - The Effects of the Monoamine Stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 on Binge-Like Eating and Cue
      Controlled Food-Seeking Behavior in Rats.
AB  - Binge-eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurring episodes of excessive
      consumption of palatable food and an increased sensitivity to food cues. Patients
      with BED display an addiction-like symptomatology and the dopamine system might
      be a potential treatment target. The clinically safe monoamine stabilizer (-)
      OSU6162 (OSU6162) restores dopaminergic dysfunction in long-term alcohol-drinking
      rats and shows promise as a novel treatment for alcohol use disorder. Here, the
      effects of OSU6162 on consummatory (binge-like eating) and appetitive (cue
      controlled seeking) behavior motivated by chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets were
      evaluated in non-food-restricted male Lister Hooded rats. OSU6162 significantly
      reduced binge-like intake of chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets without affecting
      prior chow intake. Furthermore, OSU6162 significantly reduced the cue-controlled
      seeking of chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets under a second-order schedule of
      reinforcement before, but not after, the delivery and ingestion of reward,
      indicating a selective effect on incentive motivational processes. In contrast,
      the dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonist raclopride reduced the seeking of
      chocolate-flavored sucrose pellets both pre- and post reward ingestion and also
      reduced responding under simpler schedules of seeking behavior. The D1/5 receptor
      antagonist SCH23390 had no effect on instrumental behavior under any
      reinforcement schedule tested. Finally, local administration of OSU6162 into the
      nucleus accumbens core, but not dorsolateral striatum, selectively reduced cue
      controlled sucrose seeking. In conclusion, the present results show that OSU6162
      reduces binge-like eating behavior and attenuates the impact of cues on seeking
      of palatable food. This indicates that OSU6162 might serve as a novel BED
      medication.

PMID- 28895571
TI  - Corrigendum: Can we deliver randomized trials of focal therapy in prostate
      cancer?
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nrclinonc.2014.44.

PMID- 28895572
TI  - Manifesto for global women's health.

PMID- 28895573
TI  - Radiotherapy: Importantly, less is effective.

PMID- 28895574
TI  - Generating Rasch-based activity of daily living measures from the Spinal Cord
      Injury Longitudinal Aging Study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Longitudinal Study. OBJECTIVES: (1) To determine
      whether the Spinal Cord Injury Activities of Daily Living (SCI_ADL) measure shows
      adequate item-level and precision psychometrics; (2) to investigate whether the
      SCI_ADL measure effectively detects ADL changes across time; (3) to describe self
      care task(s) participants can and cannot do across time. SETTING: Two Midwestern
      hospitals and 1 Southeastern specialty hospital in 1993. METHODS: All
      participants were adults with traumatic SCI of at least 1-year duration at
      enrollment. We used 20-year (1993-2013) retrospective longitudinal data and
      categorized participants into three injury levels: C1-C4 (cervical; n=50), C5-C8
      (n=126) and T1-S5 (thoracic, lumbar and sacral; n=168). We first examined
      psychometrics of the SCI_ADL with factor and Rasch analyses; then we investigated
      longitudinal change of SCI_ADL scores at three time points over 20 years (1993,
      2003 and 2013) using generalized linear mixed modeling and post hoc analyses.
      RESULTS: The SCI_ADL measure demonstrated unidimensionality, person strata of
      2.9, high Cronbach's alpha (0.93) and fair person reliability (0.76). T1-S5 had
      the highest measures, following C5-C8 and C1-C4 at three time points (P<0.05).
      The C1-C4 and T1-S5 groups showed significant decreases from 2003 to 2013;
      however, none of the three groups showed significant differences from 1993 to
      2003 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The SCI_ADL measure could detect longitudinal ADL
      changes of the population with SCI across time. The C1-C4 group decreased the
      most in ADLs, indicating higher need of long-term services and rehabilitation.

PMID- 28895575
TI  - Predictors of pressure ulcer incidence following traumatic spinal cord injury: a
      secondary analysis of a prospective longitudinal study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study.
      OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify the medical and
      demographic factors associated with the development of pressure ulcers during
      acute-care hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation following acute spinal
      cord injury. SETTING: The study was carried out at acute hospitalization,
      inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient rehabilitation sites at a university
      medical center in the United States. METHODS: Adults with acute traumatic spinal
      cord injury (n=104) were recruited within 24-72 h of admission to the hospital.
      Pressure ulcer incidence was recorded. RESULTS: Thirty-nine participants out of
      104 (37.5%) developed at least one pressure ulcer during acute-care
      hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation. Univariate logistic regression
      analyses revealed significant association of pressure ulcer incidence for those
      with pneumonia and mechanical ventilation (P=0.01) and higher injury severity
      (ASIA A) (P=0.01). Multiple logistic regression showed that the odds of formation
      of a first pressure ulcer in participants with ASIA A was 4.5 times greater than
      that for participants with ASIA B, CI (1-20.65), P=0.05, and 4.6 times greater
      than that for participants with ASIA C, CI (1.3-16.63), P=0.01. CONCLUSION: Among
      individuals with acute traumatic SCI, those with high-injury severity were at an
      increased risk to develop pressure ulcers. Pneumonia was noted to be associated
      with the formation of pressure ulcers.

PMID- 28895576
TI  - SCIM III (Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III): reliability of
      assessment by interview and comparison with assessment by observation.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Psychometric study. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to
      examine the reliability of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM III) by
      interview and compare the findings with those of assessment by observation.
      SETTING: This study was conducted at Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital, Israel.
      METHODS: Thirty-five spinal cord lesion (SCL) patients who underwent
      rehabilitation at Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital in Israel were assessed
      during the last week before discharge with SCIM III by observation and by
      interview. Nineteen of the patients were also assessed by interview by a third
      rater to examine inter-rater reliability. Total agreement, kappa, Bland-Altman
      plots and intraclass correlation (ICC) were used for comparison between
      interviewers and between interviews and observations. RESULTS: Total agreement
      between the interviewers' scores and between interviews and observations was low
      to moderate (kappa coefficient 0.11-0.80). Bland-Altman analysis revealed good
      agreement, with low mean difference for almost all SCIM III subscales and total
      scores, between pairs of interviewers (bias -4.15, limits of agreement -22.51 to
      14.19, for total score) and between interviews and observations (bias 1.62,
      limits of agreement -20.55 to 23.81, for total score). ICC coefficients for the
      SCIM III subscales and total scores were high (0.637-0.916). CONCLUSION: The
      findings of this study support the reliability and validity of SCIM III by
      interview, which appears to be useful for research of SCL patient groups.
      Individual scoring of SCIM III by interview, however, varied prominently between
      raters. Therefore, SCIM III by interview should be used with caution for clinical
      purposes, probably by raters whose scoring deviation, in relation to observation
      scores, is known.

PMID- 28895577
TI  - A study of predictors for hyponatraemia in patients with cervical spinal cord
      injury.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were
      to investigate the predictors for hyponatraemia in patients with cervical spinal
      cord injuries (CSCIs) and to define the relationship between magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) scans and hyponatraemia. SETTING: The study was carried out at The
      First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. METHODS: A total of 292
      patients with CSCIs were retrospectively reviewed to determine the predictors of
      hyponatraemia. Fourteen variables were extracted from the medical records: age,
      sex, blood pressure (BP), tracheostomy, serum potassium, serum chloride, serum
      bicarbonate, serum albumin, intravenous fluid intake and urine volume for 24 h,
      haematocrit, haemoglobin, neurological assessment and four MRI signal patterns.
      Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the effect of each
      variable on hyponatraemia. RESULTS: Eighty-two of the 270 patients (30%)
      developed hyponatraemia. Univariate analyses indicated that the following
      variables were significant predictors of hyponatraemia: tracheostomy; the initial
      American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) A assessment;
      and haemorrhage changes on T2-weighted MRI scans, and low BP. Multivariate
      regression analyses revealed two variables were significant predictors of
      hyponatraemia: haemorrhage changes on T2-weighted MRI scans and low BP.
      CONCLUSIONS: Haemorrhage changes on MRI scans were closely associated with the
      onset of hyponatremia and could provide objective data for forecasting
      hyponatraemia in CSCI patients. Low BP was also a reasonable predictor of
      hyponatremia.

PMID- 28895578
TI  - Challenges in comprehensive management of spinal cord injury in India and in the
      Asian Spinal Cord network region: findings of a survey of experts, patients and
      consumers.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Online survey. OBJECTIVES: To understand the prevailing scenario of
      the comprehensive management of spinal cord injuries (SCI) in India and in the
      Asian Spinal Cord Network (ASCoN) region, especially with a view to document the
      challenges faced and its impact. SETTING: Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. METHODS:
      A questionnaire was designed which covered various aspects of SCI management.
      Patients, consumers (spinal injured patients discharged since at least 1 year)
      and experts in SCI management from different parts of India and the ASCoN region
      were approached to complete the survey. RESULTS: Sixty patients, 66 consumers and
      34 experts completed the survey. Difference of opinion was noticed among the
      three groups. Disposable Nelaton catheters were used by 57% consumers and 47%
      patients. For reusable catheter, 31% experts recommended processing with soap and
      running water and 45% recommended clean cotton cloth bag for storage. Pre
      hospital care and community inclusion pose the biggest challenges in management
      of SCI. More than 75% of SCI faced problems of access and mobility in the
      community. Awareness about SCI, illiteracy and inadequate patient education are
      the most important factors hindering pre- and in-hospital care. Inadequate
      physical as well as vocational rehabilitation and financial barriers are thought
      to be the major factors hindering integration of spinal injured into mainstream
      society. Strong family support helped in rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      brought out that SCI in India and ASCoN region face numerous challenges that
      affect access to almost all aspects of comprehensive management of SCI.

PMID- 28895579
TI  - A sexually dimorphic peptidergic system in the lower spinal cord controlling
      penile function in non-human primates.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Experimental animal study. OBJECTIVES: Although a population of
      gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) neurons in the lumbar spinal cord has an
      important role in erection and ejaculation in rats, little information exists on
      this GRP system in primates. To identify the male-specific GRP system in the
      primate spinal cord, we studied the lumbosacral cord in macaque monkeys as a non
      human primate model. SETTING: University laboratory in Japan. METHODS: To
      determine the gene sequence of GRP precursors, the rhesus macaque monkey genomic
      sequence data were searched, followed by phylogenetic analysis. Subsequently,
      immunocytochemical analysis for GRP was performed in the monkey spinal cord.
      RESULTS: We have used bioinformatics to identify the ortholog gene for GRP
      precursor in macaque monkeys. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that primate prepro
      GRP is separated from that of other mammalian species and clustered to an
      independent branch as primates. Immunocytochemistry for GRP further demonstrated
      that male-dominant sexual dimorphism was found in the spinal GRP system in
      monkeys as in rodents. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated in macaque monkeys that
      the GRP system in the lower spinal cord shows male-specific dimorphism and may
      have an important role in penile functions not only in rodents but also in
      primates. SPONSORSHIP: Tissues of Nihonzaru (Japanese macaque monkeys) were
      provided in part by National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) through the
      National Bio-Resource Project (NBRP) of the MEXT, Japan. This work was supported
      in part by KAKENHI from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (to
      KT; 15KK0343, 15J40220 and HS; 15K15202, 15KK0257, 15H05724).

PMID- 28895580
TI  - New path towards a better rice architecture.
AB  - New plant type (NPT) or ideal plant architecture (IPA) is an attractive way of
      increasing yield potential by promoting high resource use efficiency combined
      with better lodging resistance. In a recent paper in Cell Research, Wang et al.
      describe how a QTL they identified could bring about the desired NPT architecture
      by elucidating the role of its encoded gene in controlling the stability of
      IPA1/OsSPL14, a previously reported NPT protein, in the context of
      ubiquitination.

PMID- 28895581
TI  - Corrigendum: Improvement of Liver Fibrosis after Long-Term Antiviral Therapy
      Assessed by Fibroscan in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients With Advanced Fibrosis.

PMID- 28895582
TI  - Gastric Motor Dysfunction in Patients With Functional Gastroduodenal Symptoms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The pathophysiology of dyspeptic symptoms is complex. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the association of gastric emptying (GE), gastric
      accommodation (GA), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA, to assess vagal
      dysfunction) in a large cohort with functional gastroduodenal symptoms. METHODS:
      We reviewed demographic, clinical features, and results of gastric motor and
      vagal function studies of 1,287 patients (74.0% females, mean age 43.1+/-15.4
      years) who had undergone both single photon emission computed tomography GA and
      scintigraphic GE. Accommodation was based on postprandial to fasting gastric
      volume ratio (VR). Electrocardiograms were available and analyzed for RSA in 300
      patients. RESULTS: There were 29.8% patients with normal GE and GA, 21.9% with
      abnormal GA only, 27.1% with abnormal GE only, and 21.1% with abnormal GA and GE.
      There were numerical differences in GA among patients with normal, accelerated,
      and delayed GE (P=0.062, by chi2). Increased GA (VR >3.85) was more prevalent in
      patients with delayed GE compared to accelerated GE (14.0% vs. 6.8%, P=0.004).
      Decreased VRs (median 2.9) were observed with accelerated GE compared to normal
      GE (median 3.1, P<0.05). Nausea and vomiting were more prevalent (in contrast to
      the less prevalent bloating) in patients with delayed compared to accelerated or
      normal GE (all P<0.05). In patients with diminished RSA, there was higher
      prevalence of reduced GA (41.5%) compared to those with preserved RSA (29.2%,
      P=0.031). Multivariable analysis showed associations of the main abdominal
      symptoms with gender, body mass index, gastric emptying, diabetes, and prior
      abdominal surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with symptoms of functional
      gastroduodenal disorders may have one or more gastric motor dysfunctions and
      reduced RSA; among the patients with abnormal gastric motor functions, vomiting
      suggests delayed GE, whereas reduced RSA is associated with reduced GA.

PMID- 28895583
TI  - Psychosocial Distress and Quality of Life Impairment Are Associated With Symptom
      Severity in PPI Non-Responders With Normal Impedance-pH Profiles.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Up to 50% of patients with reflux symptoms do not manifest a
      satisfactory symptom response to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. Our primary
      aim in this study was to identify factors associated with symptom perception
      among PPI non-responder phenotypes. METHODS: This prospective observational
      cohort study was performed from September 2014 to January 2017 at a single
      academic medical center and included PPI non-responders who underwent 24-h
      impedance-pH monitoring and completed a questionnaire set measuring patient
      reported symptom severity, quality of life (QOL), and psychosocial distress.
      Participants were separated into cohorts based on impedance-pH results: on PPI: 
      acid exposure time (AET)/-symptom-reflux association (SRA), +AET, and -AET/+SRA;
      off PPI: functional (-AET/-SRA), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (+AET),
      and reflux hypersensitivity (RHS) (-AET/+SRA). The primary outcome was abnormal
      GERD symptom severity defined by GerdQ>=8. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-two
      participants were included. Impedance-pH on PPI was performed on 125: 72 (58%) 
      AET/-SRA, 42 (34%) +AET, and 11 (9%) -AET/+SRA. Among the -AET/-SRA group,
      younger age, higher dysphagia scores, QOL impairment, and higher brief symptom
      index were associated with GerdQ>=8. Among the +AET group, higher number of
      reflux-associated symptoms and lower distal contractile integral was associated
      with GerdQ>=8. Impedance-pH off PPI was performed on 67 participants: 39 (58%)
      functional, 16 (24%) GERD, and 12 (18%) RHS. Among the functional group, higher
      QOL impairment and dysphagia scores were seen with GerdQ>=8. CONCLUSIONS:
      Perceptions of reflux symptoms are associated with psychosocial distress, reduced
      QOL, and sensation of dysphagia among PPI non-responders with normal impedance
      pH. Among PPI refractory GERD patients, patient-reported symptom severity is
      associated with physiological differences, as opposed to psychosocial factors.

PMID- 28895584
TI  - Effects of lobeglitazone, a novel thiazolidinedione, on adipose tissue remodeling
      and brown and beige adipose tissue development in db/db mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effect of long-term treatment with
      lobeglitazone, a novel thiazolidinedione-based activator of peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor gamma, on adipose tissue (AT), focusing on its
      effects on insulin resistance in obese db/db mice. METHODS: Seven-week-old male
      db/db mice were assigned to either a vehicle-treated (n=8) or lobeglitazone
      treated (n=8) group. Lobeglitazone (1 mg kg-1 daily) was injected
      intraperitoneally for 20 weeks. RESULTS: Lobeglitazone treatment for 20 weeks
      resulted in a remarkably improved glycemic index, including significantly
      decreased glucose levels, enhanced insulin sensitivity and preserved pancreatic
      beta cells. Both whole body and subcutaneous AT weight increased in the
      lobeglitazone-treated group. However, lobeglitazone induced an increase in the
      number of small adipocyte in both epididymal and subcutaneous AT, with a
      significant weight decrease in the epididymal AT of db/db mice. Using flow
      cytometry, the CD11c-positive M1 macrophages and CD206-positive M2 macrophages in
      the epididymal AT were observed to exhibit a decreased M1-to-M2 ratio in
      lobeglitazone-treated db/db mice. Furthermore, in the lobeglitazone-treated
      group, interscapular brown AT was clearly visualized by 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D
      glucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (18F-FDG
      PET/CT) and its mass was significantly greater than that of the vehicle-treated
      group. In the lobeglitazone-treated group, beige-specific gene expression and the
      number of mitochondria in white AT were upregulated. Lobeglitazone, with
      upregulating interferon regulatory factor-4 (a key transcriptional regulator of
      thermogenesis), promoted the development of brown adipocytes and the
      differentiation of white adipocytes into beige adipocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term
      lobeglitazone treatment has a beneficial role in remodeling and ameliorating
      inflammation in white AT and in glycemic control, in relation to insulin
      sensitivity in obese db/db mice. Moreover, lobeglitazone induced the
      differentiation of brown and beige adipocytes. Collectively, our data suggest
      that lobeglitazone treatment provides promising effects on white and brown AT as
      well as great improvement in glycemic control, as a potent insulin sensitizer.

PMID- 28895585
TI  - Habitual sleep duration and sleep duration variation are independently associated
      with body mass index.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis and promoting
      health. Previous studies show that shorter sleep duration is associated with
      elevated body mass index (BMI) and other cardiovascular risk factors. The goal of
      this study was to investigate the effects of habitual sleep duration and nightly
      sleep duration variation based on daily device-recorded data on BMI and obesity
      related biomarkers. METHODS: In all, 748 individuals (50.6% females, 85.4%
      European-Americans, average age: 49.7 years old) participated in a commercial
      lifestyle coaching program beginning in July 2015. Daily sleep data were recorded
      by Fitbit Charge HR wristbands. Clinical laboratory blood tests were measured up
      to three times over a 12-month period. Linear regression models were used for
      cross-sectional analyses, and generalized estimating equations for longitudinal
      analyses. All models were adjusted for age, sex, geographic location, season,
      genetic ancestry inferred from whole genome sequencing data, and BMI (if
      applicable). Multiple testing issues were corrected by false discovery rate.
      RESULTS: We calculated habitual sleep duration and nightly sleep duration
      variation. In general, females slept 15-min longer on average than males. A
      negative correlation was found between habitual sleep duration and BMI (beta=
      1.12, standard error=0.25, P<0.001). Moreover, we identified a positive
      correlation between sleep duration variation and BMI (beta=2.97, standard
      error=0.79, P<0.001) while controlling for sleep duration, indicating that larger
      sleep duration variation is significantly and independently associated with
      increased BMI. CONCLUSIONS: We explored the impact of habitual sleep duration and
      sleep duration variation, and identified that shorter habitual sleep duration and
      larger duration variation were independently associated with increased BMI.

PMID- 28895586
TI  - Maresin 1 mitigates liver steatosis in ob/ob and diet-induced obese mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of
      Maresin 1 (MaR1) in obesity-related liver steatosis and the mechanisms involved.
      METHODS: MaR1 effects on fatty liver disease were tested in ob/ob (2-10 MUg kg-1
      i.p., 20 days) and in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice (2 MUg kg-1, i.p., or 50 MUg
      kg-1, oral gavage for 10 days), as well as in cultured hepatocytes. RESULTS: In
      ob/ob mice, MaR1 reduced liver triglycerides (TG) content, fatty acid synthase
      (FAS) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 protein expression, while increased acetyl
      CoA carboxylase (ACC) phosphorylation and LC3II protein expression, in parallel
      with a drop in p62 levels. Similar effects on hepatic TG, ACC phosphorylation,
      p62 and LC3II were observed in DIO mice after MaR1 i.p. injection. Interestingly,
      oral gavage of MaR1 also decreased serum transaminases, reduced liver weight and
      TG content. MaR1-treated mice exhibited reduced hepatic lipogenic enzymes content
      (FAS) or activation (by phosphorylation of ACC), accompanied by upregulation of
      carnitine palmitoyltransferase (Cpt1a), acyl-coenzyme A oxidase (Acox1) and
      autophagy-related proteins 5 and 7 (Atg5-7) gene expression, along with increased
      number of autophagic vacuoles and reduced p62 protein levels. MaR1 also induced
      AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in DIO mice and in primary
      hepatocytes, and AMPK inhibition completely blocked MaR1 effects on Cpt1a, Acox1,
      Atg5 and Atg7 expression. CONCLUSIONS: MaR1 ameliorates liver steatosis by
      decreasing lipogenic enzymes, while inducing fatty acid oxidation genes and
      autophagy, which could be related to AMPK activation. Thus, MaR1 may be a new
      therapeutic candidate for reducing fatty liver in obesity.

PMID- 28895587
TI  - A new animal diet based on human Western diet is a robust diet-induced obesity
      model: comparison to high-fat and cafeteria diets in term of metabolic and gut
      microbiota disruption.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a metabolic disorder that predisposes patients
      to numerous diseases and has become a major global public-health concern. Animal
      models of diet-induced obesity (DIO) are frequently used to study obesity, but
      which DIO model most accurately reflects the pathology of human obesity remains
      unclear. In this study, we designed a diet based on the human Western diet (WD)
      and compared it with the cafeteria diet (CAF) and high-fat diet (HFD) in order to
      evaluate which diet most closely mirrors human obesity. METHODS: Wistar rats were
      fed four different diets (WD, CAF, HFD and a low-fat diet) for 18 weeks.
      Metabolic parameters and gut microbiota changes were then characterized. RESULTS:
      Rats fed the four different diets exhibited completely different phenotypes,
      highlighting the importance of diet selection. This study also revealed that WD
      most effectively induced obesity and obesity-related disorders, and thus proved
      to be a robust model of human obesity. Moreover, WD-fed rats developed obesity
      and obesity-related comorbidities independent of major alterations in gut
      microbiota composition (dysbiosis), whereas CAF-fed rats developed the greatest
      dysbiosis independent of obesity. We also characterized gut microbiota after
      feeding on these four different diets and identified five genera that might be
      involved in the pathogenesis of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that
      diet, and not the obese state, was the major driving force behind gut microbiota
      changes. Moreover, the marked dysbiosis observed in CAF-fed rats might have
      resulted from the presence of several additives present in the CAF diet, or even
      a lack of essential vitamins and minerals. Based on our findings, we recommend
      the use of the prototypic WD (designed here) in DIO models. Conversely, CAF could
      be used to investigate the effects of excessive consumption of industrially
      produced and highly processed foods, which are characteristic of Western society.

PMID- 28895588
TI  - Immunology &Cell Biology Publication of the Year Awards 2016.

PMID- 28895589
TI  - Instant on-paper protein digestion during blood spot sampling.
AB  - A concept integrating sampling and protein digestion is introduced here combining
      fast and simple fabrication by wax printing on filter paper with trypsin
      immobilized polymer beads. The paper reactors showed promising results with a
      high degree of protein digestion within fifty minutes in model protein mixtures
      as well as in human blood. The model protein mixture was used for the evaluation
      of performance both with and without a reduction and alkylation step. The paper
      reactors without reduction and alkylation showed between 46% and 75% protein
      sequence coverage and between five and 20 high confidence peptides (one and five
      zero missed cleavage peptides, respectively). Compared to a conventional in
      solution approach, the paper reactor showed 10% less protein sequence coverage,
      29% fewer high confidence peptides and 19% fewer high confidence peptides with
      zero missed cleavages. Placement of the protein reduction and alkylation step
      (before or after protein digestion) was shown to be of low importance. The
      storage stability of the paper reactors with (six weeks) and without (twelve
      weeks) tryptic peptides was satisfactory. The ability of the paper reactors to
      digest complex biological samples was investigated by comparison with human whole
      blood samples prepared using a conventional dried blood spot (DBS) procedure with
      overnight digestion in non-targeted analysis. The reactors showed a comparable
      performance with 75 +/- 25 for the protein groups compared to 76 +/- 5 for the
      DBS samples. Additionally, 267 +/- 72 and 335 +/- 11 unique peptides (high
      confidence) were identified for on-paper digestion and DBS, respectively.

PMID- 28895590
TI  - Correction: Microchip in situ electrosynthesis of silver metallic oxide clusters
      for ultra-FAST detection of galactose in galactosemic newborns' urine samples.
AB  - Correction for 'Microchip in situ electrosynthesis of silver metallic oxide
      clusters for ultra-FAST detection of galactose in galactosemic newborns' urine
      samples by Laura Garcia-Carmona et al., Analyst, 2016, 141, 6002-6007.

PMID- 28895591
TI  - Development of drug-loaded polymer microcapsules for treatment of epilepsy.
AB  - Despite significant progress in developing new drugs for seizure control,
      epilepsy still affects 1% of the global population and is drug-resistant in more
      than 30% of cases. To improve the therapeutic efficacy of epilepsy medication, a
      promising approach is to deliver anti-epilepsy drugs directly to affected brain
      areas using local drug delivery systems. The drug delivery systems must meet a
      number of criteria, including high drug loading efficiency, biodegradability,
      neuro-cytocompatibility and predictable drug release profiles. Here we report the
      development of fibre- and sphere-based microcapsules that exhibit controllable
      uniform morphologies and drug release profiles as predicted by mathematical
      modelling. Importantly, both forms of fabricated microcapsules are compatible
      with human brain derived neural stem cells and differentiated neurons and
      neuroglia, indicating clinical compliance for neural implantation and therapeutic
      drug delivery.

PMID- 28895594
TI  - Determination of spectral markers of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity using in vitro
      Raman microspectroscopy: cellular responses to polyamidoamine dendrimer exposure.
AB  - Although consumer exposure to nanomaterials is ever increasing, with potential
      increased applications in areas such as drug and/or gene delivery, contrast
      agents and diagnosis, the determination of the cyto- and geno-toxic effects of
      nanomaterials on human health and the environment still remains challenging.
      Although many techniques have been established and adapted to determine the
      cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of nano-sized materials, these techniques remain
      limited by the number of assays required, total cost, and use of labels and they
      struggle to explain the underlying interaction mechanisms. In this study, Raman
      microspectroscopy is employed as an in vitro label-free, high content screening
      technique to observe toxicological changes within the cell in a multi-parametric
      fashion. The evolution of spectral markers as a function of time and applied dose
      has been used to elucidate the mechanism of action of polyamidoamine (PAMAM)
      dendrimers associated with cytotoxicity and their impact on nuclear biochemistry.
      PAMAM dendrimers are chosen as a model nanomaterial due to their widely studied
      cytotoxic and genotoxic properties and commercial availability. Point spectra
      were acquired from the cytoplasm to monitor the cascade of toxic events occurring
      in the cytoplasm upon nanoparticle exposure, whereas the spectra acquired from
      the nucleus and the nucleolus were used to explore PAMAM-nuclear material
      interaction as well as genotoxic responses.

PMID- 28895596
TI  - Electrochemical estimation of the active site density on metal-free nitrogen
      doped carbon using catechol as an adsorbate.
AB  - Carbon is heat-treated with a nitrogen-containing precursor (ammonia) to obtain
      nitrogen-doped carbon and the composition is estimated using CHN and XPS
      analysis. The active site density of the carbon and nitrogen-doped carbon is
      quantified using 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol) molecules as an adsorbate in
      phosphate buffer (pH 7) solution. The features of the voltammograms of the
      catechol-adsorbed high surface area carbon and nitrogen-doped carbon are similar
      to that of the polished nitrogen-grafted glassy carbon electrode (GCE) reported
      in the literature. At the same time, the polished GCE does not show any well
      defined catechol adsorption features. It is found that the adsorption charge
      (obtained by integrating the peak area, after subtracting the background) is in
      the order of N/C 900 > N/C 1000 > N/C 800 > N/C 700 > C. A similar trend is
      observed in their oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in 0.1 M KOH.
      Moreover, the turnover frequency (ToF) of the catalysts is calculated and it is
      comparable to that reported in the literature using other methods for non
      precious catalysts. Therefore, the adsorption charge can be correlated with the
      active site density of the carbon and nitrogen-doped carbon samples.

PMID- 28895597
TI  - Fragmentation of KrN+ clusters after electron impact ionization II. Long-time
      dynamics simulations of Kr7+ evolution and the role of initial electronic
      excitation.
AB  - Long time simulations, up to 100 ns, have been performed for the fragmentation of
      Kr7+ clusters after electron impact ionization. They rely on DIM approaches and
      hybrid non-adiabatic dynamics combining mean field and decoherence driven either
      by Tully fewest switches (TFS) algorithm or through electronic amplitude (AMP)
      calculations. With both methods, for the first time, when the initial electronic
      excited state belongs to group II correlating to P1/2 atomic ions, the
      fragmentation ratio in mainly monomer and dimer ions agrees very well with known
      experimental results. A complex non-adiabatic dynamics is found where initial
      neutral monomer evaporations due to gradual deexcitation over electronic states
      of group II are followed by a non-adiabatic transition across a wide energy gap
      of the spin-orbit origin to electronic states of group I. The resulting excess of
      kinetic energy causes the final fragmentation of charged intermediate fragments
      to stable ionic monomers or dimers. Characteristic times of these processes have
      been estimated. The kinetic energy distribution of the neutral and ionic monomers
      (the dominating final fragments) has been analyzed in detail. Interestingly they
      exhibit some signature of the initial excited electronic state which could allow
      for an experimental identification.

PMID- 28895598
TI  - Measurement of reaction kinetics of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE using a microfluidic
      system.
AB  - Microfluidic synthesis techniques can offer improvement over batch syntheses
      which are currently used for radiopharmaceutical production. These improvements
      are, for example, better mixing of reactants, more efficient energy transfer,
      less radiolysis, faster reaction optimization, and overall improved reaction
      control. However, scale-up challenges hinder the routine clinical use, so the
      main advantage is currently the ability to optimize reactions rapidly and with
      low reactant consumption. Translating those results to clinical systems could be
      done based on calculations, if kinetic constants and diffusion coefficients were
      known. This study describes a microfluidic system with which it was possible to
      determine the kinetic association rate constants for the formation of [177Lu]Lu
      DOTA-TATE under conditions currently used for clinical production. The kinetic
      rate constants showed a temperature dependence that followed the Arrhenius
      equation, allowing the determination of Arrhenius parameters for a Lu-DOTA
      conjugate (A = 1.24 +/- 0.05 * 1019 M-1 s-1, EA = 109.5 +/- 0.1 * 103 J mol-1)
      for the first time. The required reaction time for the formation of [177Lu]Lu
      DOTA-TATE (99% yield) at 80  degrees C was 44 s in a microfluidic channel (100
      MUm). Simulations done with COMSOL Multiphysics(r) indicated that processing
      clinical amounts (3 mL reaction solution) in less than 12 min is possible in a
      micro- or milli-fluidic system, if the diameter of the reaction channel is
      increased to over 500 MUm. These results show that a continuous, microfluidic
      system can become a viable alternative to the conventional, batch-wise
      radiolabelling technique.

PMID- 28895600
TI  - Synthesis and characterisation of new Bi(iii)-containing apatite-type oxide ion
      conductors: the influence of lone pairs.
AB  - Lone-pair cations are known to enhance oxide ion conductivity in fluorite- and
      Aurivillius-type materials. Among the apatite-type phases, the opposite trend is
      found for the more widely studied silicate oxide ion conductors, which exhibit a
      dramatic decrease in conductivity on Bi(iii) incorporation. In this work, the
      influence of lone-pair cations on the properties of apatite-type germanate oxide
      ion conductors has been investigated by preparing and characterising seven
      related compositions with varying Bi(iii) content, by X-ray and neutron powder
      diffraction and impedance spectroscopy. All materials are very good oxide ion
      conductors (with conductivities of up to 1.29 * 10-2 S cm-1 at 775  degrees C).
      Increasing Bi(iii) content leads to increases in conductivity by up to an order
      of magnitude, suggesting significant differences in the oxide-ion conduction
      mechanisms between lone-pair-containing apatite-type germanate and silicate solid
      electrolytes.

PMID- 28895601
TI  - N,N-Diethyl-diaminopropane-copper(ii) oxalate self-reducible complex for the
      solution-based synthesis of copper nanocrystals.
AB  - Metal oxalates (C2O42-, ox) have been explored as promising precursors for the
      direct transformation of their oxalate moieties into metallic or metal oxide
      crystals via thermal decomposition without the formation of any byproducts due to
      releasing CO2 gas. The copper(ii) oxalate (Cu(ox)) crystal is a coordination
      polymer composed of an infinite coordination network with a thermal decomposition
      temperature around 300  degrees C; however, their insoluble nature in any
      solvents and relatively high decomposition temperature do not allow the solution
      based syntheses of surface-modified metallic Cu nanocrystals (NCs) in the
      presence of various surfactants such as long-chain alkylamines and
      alkylcarboxylates which have been used for increasing the dispersibility of NCs
      in organic solvents. In this study, the insoluble nature of Cu(ox) is overcome by
      mixing Cu(ox) crystals and N,N-diethyl-1,3-diaminopropane (dedap) to form a
      discrete complex, [Cu(ox)(dedap)2], whose structure is determined by X-ray
      crystallographic analysis. The obtained complex is well soluble in polar solvents
      and miscible with surfactants. Furthermore, it is decomposed at a moderate
      temperature of <170  degrees C with the evolution of CO2 gas; as a result, Cu NCs
      dispersible in organic solvents have been synthesized in suitable surfactants,
      such as the mixture of oleic acid, dodecylamine, and octylamine utilized as a
      reaction solvent. In addition, their potential application of the surface
      modified Cu NCs as a conductive-ink has been preliminarily tested. The Cu film
      sintered at 280  degrees C exhibits a resistivity of 40 MUOmega cm.

PMID- 28895604
TI  - Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel hetero[5]helicene-like molecules and
      coumarin derivatives.
AB  - A concise and efficient approach to design and synthesize hetero[5]helicene-like
      molecules and coumarin derivatives is reported. Intriguingly, using the same
      catalyst (silica sulfuric acid), and a different solvent and reaction
      temperature, the reaction selectively afforded hetero[5]helicene-like molecules 3
      or coumarin derivatives 4. Product 4 has a highly planar geometry, and product 3
      can be regarded as hetero[5]helicene-like because of its helical conformation.

PMID- 28895607
TI  - Rubber-elasticity and electrochemical activity of iron(ii) tris(bipyridine)
      crosslinked poly(dimethylsiloxane) networks.
AB  - 2,2'-Bipyridine-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane)s (bpyPDMS) with number average
      molecular weights, MN, of 3300, 6100, 26 200, and 50 000 g mol-1 were
      synthesized. When mixed with Fe(BF4)2 at low concentrations, red solutions formed
      with UV-vis spectra that match those of iron(ii) tris(2,2'-bipyridine)
      (Fe(bpy)32+). Upon solvent evaporation, Fe(bpy)32+ crosslinked PDMS networks
      (bpyPDMS/Fe(ii)) formed, and were studied using oscillating shear rheometry. The
      shear storage moduli (0.084 to 2.6 MPa) were found to be inversely proportional
      to the MN of the PDMS, though the storage moduli at low molecular weights greatly
      exceeded the storage moduli of comparable covalently crosslinked PDMS networks.
      The shear storage moduli exhibited the characteristic rubbery plateau up to ~135 
      degrees C. Films of bpyPDMS/Fe(ii) coated onto electrodes were found to be
      electrochemically active, especially so when the PDMS MN is low. The Fe(bpy)32+
      crosslinks can be reversibly oxidized over ~500 nm away from the electrode
      surface in the presence of a suitable electrolyte.

PMID- 28895608
TI  - Surfactant effects on droplet dynamics and deposition patterns: a lattice gas
      model.
AB  - A coarse-grained lattice gas model is developed to study pattern forming
      processes in drying drops containing surfactant. By performing Monte Carlo
      simulations of the model, the coupled dynamics of surfactant and liquid
      evaporation and the resulting oscillatory dynamics at the contact line are
      elucidated. We show that the coupled drop dynamics and the resulting final
      deposition patterns can be altered by adsorption kinetics. For slow adsorption
      rates, surfactant molecules recirculate along with colloidal particles and the
      area covered by the surfactant on the surface grows from the contact line as the
      initial concentration of the surfactant increases. This leads to coffee-ring
      patterns with wide rim areas upon drying or to multi-ring patterns depending on
      the surfactant concentration. For fast adsorption rates, a surfactant skin covers
      the entire surface area during the early phase of evaporation. This suppresses
      the coffee ring effect, and uniform patterns are obtained independent of
      surfactant concentration. The results suggest that the distribution of surfactant
      on the surface is critical in determining final deposition patterns and that
      understanding of the skin-forming process of the surfactant on the surface can
      help in manipulating the delicate pattern forming process of particles in
      evaporating drops.

PMID- 28895610
TI  - Cancer vaccines using supramolecular hydrogels of NSAID-modified peptides as
      adjuvants abolish tumorigenesis.
AB  - Inflammatory responses play crucial roles in the development and progression of
      tumors. Tumor-associated inflammation not only promotes tumor growth but also
      induces the suppression of immune responses against tumors. We demonstrate in
      this study that hydrogels of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) modified
      D-tetrapeptides (GDFDFDY) are promising cancer vaccine adjuvants, especially for
      Fbp-gel and Car-gel. The hydrogels allow easy incorporation of a protein OVA
      antigen by vortexing. Our results indicate that vaccines based on Fbp-gel and Car
      gel increase IgG production by 1476- and 929-fold, compared with the OVA group,
      respectively. They exhibit higher IgG2a antibody titers and stimulate the
      production of IFN-gamma and IL-6 cytokines. Their higher antibody and cytokine
      eliciting properties in combination with their anti-inflammatory properties endow
      them with excellent tumor elimination properties in vivo. In a preventive immune
      assay against B16-OVA tumors, they totally prevent tumorigenesis. In a
      therapeutic immune assay against EG7-OVA tumors, they inhibit tumor growth by
      75%, compared with the PBS group. Our results suggest the great potential of our
      hydrogels in the development of vaccines to treat cancers.

PMID- 28895611
TI  - Velocity amplification in pressure-driven flows between superhydrophobic gratings
      of small solid fraction.
AB  - With diminishing fraction of their solid portion, compound gas-solid
      superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit a large amount of slip which allows for
      appreciable velocity amplification in pressure-driven microchannel flows. We
      address this small solid-fraction limit in the context of a grating-like
      configuration, where superhydrophobicity is provided by a periodic array of flat
      meniscus bubbles which are trapped in a Cassie state within the grooved channel
      walls. Asymptotic analysis for both longitudinal and transverse flows reveals a
      logarithmic scaling of the effective slip length in the solid fraction of the
      compound boundaries, thus refuting earlier claims of an algebraic singularity.
      The logarithmic scaling in the longitudinal problem is explained using an analogy
      between the unidirectional velocity and the velocity potential in two-dimensional
      irrotational flows. In the transverse problem it has to do with the Stokes
      paradox. The mechanisms identified herein explain the absence of slip-length
      singularity in the comparable asymmetric configuration, where only one of the
      channel walls is superhydrophobic.

PMID- 28895612
TI  - Achiral flexible liquid crystal trimers exhibiting gyroid-like surfaces in chiral
      conglomerate phases.
AB  - Chiral conglomerate phases have attracted much attention not only for the
      spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking but also for their nanostructures. We
      investigated both surface and bulk structures of a homologues series of an
      achiral liquid crystal trimer I-(n,m) exhibiting soft crystalline chiral
      conglomerate phases by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). The trimers were found to form bicontinuous networks. In
      particular, trimer I-(9,9) exhibited a single gyroid-like surface accompanying
      periodic distribution of dimples with a size of about 100 nm. It showed a sponge
      like structure in the bulk of the material. The twist conformation of the
      flexible trimer I-(n,m) can cause layer deformation, which produces bicontinuous
      networks exhibiting optical activity.

PMID- 28895613
TI  - [The G-Score - a Short Questionnaire for the Measurement of Subjective Physical
      Health].
AB  - AIM: The measurement of subjective physical health is important in clinical
      settings as well as for research purposes. In the present paper, the psychometric
      properties of the G-Score, a 4 item screening questionnaire for the self
      assessment of one's physical health, is explored. METHODS: The Objectivity,
      validity and reliability were estimated. Moreover, an item analysis and a
      suitable cut-off-value for the differentiation between healthy and presumably ill
      subjects were conducted. Data from the Saxony Longitudinal Study ("Sachsische
      Langsschnittstudie") 1998-2013 were analysed (N=324-417 healthy individuals).
      RESULTS: The objectivity of the G-Score is estimated as very good. As a cut off
      for the differentiation between healthy and presumably ill subjects, a G-Score of
      4 is suggested. The content validity is slightly lacking. Correlations with
      associated and non-associated constructs hint an interaction of physical with
      psychological discomfort. A good predictive validity of the instrument is
      assessed. Reliability estimates show acceptably good results. This indicates a
      high sensitivity for changes in the measured construct. CONCLUSION: Putting all
      results into consideration, a use of the G-Score as a screening questionnaire in
      research is recommended. However, more psychometric investigations with
      representative samples and objective comparative data should be carried out.

PMID- 28895614
TI  - [Negative Effects of Psychotherapy: Prevalence and Correlates in a Clinical
      Sample].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: So far, the prevalence of negative effects of psychotherapy and
      their correlates have rarely been investigated in a systematic manner. The
      prevalence of negative effects varied between 3 studies with the Inventory for
      Assessing Negative Effects of Psychotherapy (INEP) with 20, 84, and 93.8%
      substantially. Thereby, the impact of bias effects remains unclear. In addition,
      reported correlates of the number of negative effects were examined and augmented
      with further correlates. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For the study, a clinical sample
      of inpatients and day-patients (N=200) evaluated their previous psychotherapy
      retrospectively before their current admission with the Inventory for Assessing
      Negative Effects of Psychotherapy (INEP). Sociodemographic and clinical data of
      both patients and therapists as well as time-related and methodical aspects of
      the evaluated psychotherapy were examined as possible correlates. RESULTS: 70.5%
      (n=141) of the patients reported at least one negative effect (M=2.11, SD=2.23).
      The most common negative effects were "longer periods of negative mood" (39.9%)
      and "being offended by statements of the therapist" (28%). Higher symptom
      severity, lower subjective success of the evaluated therapy, as well as
      unfulfilled expectations regarding therapy outcome but not the quality of the
      therapeutic relationship were associated with a higher number of negative
      effects. Also female gender of patient and therapist and a younger age of the
      therapist were significantly associated with more negative therapy effects.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of negative effects was not negligible. In line with
      previous studies, the highest rates of negative effects were reported for
      "symptoms" and aspects of the "therapeutic relationship". The study confirms
      several correlates for the number of retrospectively assessed negative effects.
      Patients need to be informed about negative effects prior to psychotherapeutic
      treatment.

PMID- 28895615
TI  - [Methamphetamine Use in Central Germany: A Qualitative Study on Consumer Groups
      and Motives from the Experts' Perspective].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine is one of the most consumed illegal drugs worldwide.
      In Germany, Methamphetamine shows the highest rates of growth in comparison to
      other illegal substances in recent years. Particularly Central Germany has been
      struck by a high rise in consumption. International studies indicate that there
      is no specific group of people that can be identified as Methamphetamine users.
      Different consumption patterns in terms of Methamphetamine use can be identified
      within various social groups. This qualitative study will explore different
      consumer groups among methamphetamine users, their motives, and how they differ
      by drug addiction type. METHODS: The empirical data collection was carried out in
      a consecutive 2-stage process. Initially, 39 semi-structured individual
      interviews with experts from different clinical areas were carried out about
      their experience and perspectives on Methamphetamine use. The results of the
      individual interviews were subsequently discussed and validated within 2
      interdisciplinary focus groups. All interviews and focus groups were digitally
      recorded, transcribed and analyzed according to the method of Meuser & Nagel.
      RESULTS: Altogether, 3 consumer groups were identified: (1) Young parents, women
      and pregnant women, (2) young drug users and early adapters and (3) older drug
      users or late entrants. The guiding motive in terms of Methamphetamine use
      described by the experts was improved efficiency. Further motives are for
      instance overcoming stressful situations, enablement and improvement of sexual
      experiences, self-esteem enhancement, coping with crisis or trauma, curiosity and
      drug use as leisure time activity. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The results in terms of
      consumer groups and consumption motives are consistent with international
      findings and we were able to verify and expand them for Central Germany. The
      outcomes illustrated that there are different consumer groups among
      methamphetamine users that differ from consumer groups of other drug addiction
      types. Treatment and consultation have to anticipate these challenges and adapt
      their strategies to different needs. Finally, further improvement of
      accessibility for those affected persons is an imperative to the German
      healthcare system.

PMID- 28895616
TI  - ?

PMID- 28895617
TI  - Timing of Maternal Tobacco Exposure, Hypertension, and Risk of Singleton Small
      For-Gestational Age Infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  Small-for-gestational age infants are at an increased risk for
      disabilities and chronic health problems. Smoking and hypertension during
      pregnancy pose significant risks for fetal growth restriction. The study aims to
      identify whether (1) the timing of tobacco use modifies the risk of small-for
      gestational age, (2) there are differences in association by percentile of small
      for-gestational age (3rd, 5th, and 10th percentile), and (3) the effect of
      tobacco exposure on small-for-gestational age outcome is mediated by
      hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS:  Data were obtained from the 2009 Natality
      public use file available through the National Center for Health Statistics.
      Women were categorized into 11 groups depending on the trimester of tobacco
      exposure, the number of daily cigarettes smoked, and presence of hypertension.
      Multivariable log-linear regression models were performed to determine the
      association between percentile of singleton small-for-gestational age outcome
      (3rd, 5th, and 10th), trimester and degree of tobacco exposure, and hypertension.
      RESULTS:  Hypertension and smoking worked synergistically to restrict fetal
      growth. Hypertensive women who smoked heavily in all three trimesters were 4.34
      times more likely to give birth to a 3rd percentile small-for-gestational age
      infant compared with nonsmoking normotensive women. CONCLUSION:  The timing and
      duration of tobacco exposure mediates the risk and severity of fetal growth
      restriction.

PMID- 28895618
TI  - Acute Respiratory Distress in a Child with H3N2 Infection.

PMID- 28895619
TI  - Symptoms Of Common Mental Disorders In Professional Rugby: An International
      Observational Descriptive Study.
AB  - The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms of common mental
      disorders among professional rugby players across countries. A cross-sectional
      analysis of the baseline questionnaires from an ongoing prospective cohort study
      was conducted. Nine national players' associations and three rugby unions
      distributed questionnaires based on validated scales for assessing symptoms of
      common mental disorders. Among the whole study sample (N=990; overall response
      rate of 28%), prevalence (4-week) of symptoms of common mental disorders ranged
      from 15% for adverse alcohol use to 30% for anxiety/depression. These findings
      support the prevalence rates of symptoms of common mental disorders found in
      previous studies among professional (i. e., elite) athletes across other sports,
      and suggestions can be made that the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety/depression
      seems slightly higher in professional rugby than in other general/occupational
      populations. Awareness of the prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders
      should be improved in international rugby, and an interdisciplinary approach
      including psychological attention should be fostered in the medical care of
      professional rugby players. Adequate supportive measures to enhance awareness and
      psychological resilience would lead not only to improved health and quality of
      life among rugby players but arguably to enhanced performance in rugby.

PMID- 28895620
TI  - Epidemiology of Overuse Injuries in Youth Team Sports: A 3-year Prospective
      Study.
AB  - Prospective studies on overuse injuries and their impact on athletic training
      among youth team sports are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate
      the incidence, severity and player related risk factors of overuse injuries among
      young (12-20 years) basketball and floorball players. A total of 387 players
      participated in a 3-year prospective study. Each player completed a baseline
      questionnaire regarding their background information. Overuse injuries that
      prevented players to fully or partly participate in their regular training were
      collected. In all, 204 overuse injuries were registered (injury incidence 1.51
      injuries/1 000 h of exposure; 95% CI 1.35-1.78). Most of the injuries involved
      the knee (35%) and lower back (21%), and were classified as severe (44%). Injury
      incidence was 1.51 (95% CI 1.2-1.82) and 1.61 (95% CI 1.32-1.91) in basketball
      and floorball, respectively. Incidence was significantly higher among female
      compared with male players (incidence rate ratio 1.58; 95% CI 1.20-2.09).
      Previous injury and playing at adult level were the strongest factors associated
      with occurrence of an overuse injury. In conclusion, overuse injuries of the knee
      and low back are relatively common in youth basketball and floorball. Effective
      prevention strategies as well as training load monitoring is needed in youth team
      sports.

PMID- 28895621
TI  - Optimum Drop Jump Height in Division III Athletes: Under 75% of Vertical Jump
      Height.
AB  - Our purpose was to evaluate the vertical ground reaction force, impulse, moments
      and powers of hip, knee and ankle joints, contact time, and jump height when
      performing a drop jump from different drop heights based on the percentage of a
      performer's maximum vertical jump height (MVJH). Fifteen male Division III
      athletes participated voluntarily. Eleven synchronized cameras and two force
      platforms were used to collect data. One-way repeated-measures analysis of
      variance tests were used to examine the differences between drop heights. The
      maximum hip, knee and ankle power absorption during 125%MVJH and 150%MVJH were
      greater than those during 75%MVJH. The impulse during landing at 100%MVJH,
      125%MVJH and 150%MVJH were greater than 75%MVJH. The vertical ground reaction
      force during 150%MVJH was greater than 50%MVJH, 75%MVJH and 100%MVJH. Drop height
      below 75%MVJH had the most merits for increasing joint power output while having
      a lower impact force, impulse and joint power absorption. Drop height of 150%MVJH
      may not be desirable as a high-intensity stimulus due to the much greater impact
      force, increasing the risk of injury, without increasing jump height performance.

PMID- 28895622
TI  - Sciatic Nerve Conductivity is Impaired by Hamstring Strain Injuries.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess sciatic nerve conductivity in athletes with a
      history of hamstring strain injuries. Twenty-seven athletes with a history of
      hamstring strain injuries were included in the injured group. The control group
      consisted of 16 uninjured participants. We measured the proximal and distal
      latencies and calculated the sciatic nerve conduction velocity to evaluate
      neuronal conductivity. The results were expressed as median values and
      interquartile ranges. Both proximal latency and distal latency of the injured
      limb in the injured group were significantly longer than those of the uninjured
      limb (p<0.05). The nerve conduction velocity of the injured limb in the injured
      group was significantly lower than that of the uninjured limb (p<0.05). There
      were no significant side-to-side differences in the control group. Sciatic nerve
      conductivity impairments may exist in athletes with a history of hamstring strain
      injuries.

PMID- 28895623
TI  - Comprehensive Analytics of Actovegin(r) and Its Effect on Muscle Cells.
AB  - The ingredients of Actovegin(r) were analyzed and its effects on the muscle cell
      proliferation were investigated. C2C12 myoblasts were cultured in medium.
      Actovegin(r) was added in five different concentrations (1, 5, 25, 125, and 250
      ug) to the differentiation medium. The formations of proliferation factor Ki67
      and myosin heavy chains were measured by immunofluorescence. The first primary
      antibody was anti-Ki67 and anti-Mf20. Cells were washed and treated with the
      second fluorochrome. Thirty-one Actovegin(r) ingredients were found to contain
      significantly higher concentrations and twenty-nine ingredients were found to
      contain significantly lower concentrations, compared to the mean ranges as
      described in the literature for the normal physiological concentrations in human
      adult serum/plasma. A significant increase in the formation of Ki67 was observed
      in Actovegin(r) groups, compared to controls. The mean area of myotubes was
      significantly increased in Actovegin(r) groups. A significant decrease in the
      number of myotubes was observed. An increased myotube size (fusion) was observed.
      The intensity of Mf20 was significantly increased in Actovegin(r) groups. It
      could be demonstrated that Actovegin(r) contains many physiological substances in
      significantly higher and some in lower concentrations compared to human adult
      serum. Furthermore, it could be shown that Actovegin(r) improves muscle cell
      proliferation.

PMID- 28895624
TI  - Development of an Incremental Sit-to-Stand Exercise for Aerobic Fitness
      Evaluation.
AB  - Incremental sit-to-stand exercise (ISTS) is an incremental exercise test using
      external signals to control the sit-to-stand rate in a given time frame. This
      study aimed to investigate the concurrent validity and reproducibility of the
      ISTS in aerobic fitness evaluation among healthy elderly women. Sixteen elderly
      women performed the ISTS and cycle ergometer test at 3-day to 2-week intervals,
      and six of the participants performed the ISTS twice. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2),
      peak heart rate and completion time on the ISTS and cycle ergometer test were
      determined. Measured peak VO2 on the cycle ergometer test was significantly
      related to the peak VO2 (r=0.80, P<0.05) and the completion time (r=0.65, P<0.05)
      on the ISTS. The intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.96 for peak VO2
      values and 0.91 for the completion time values during the two ISTSs. In
      conclusion, the ISTS is a valid, reproducible and safe test for aerobic fitness
      evaluation in healthy elderly women.

PMID- 28895625
TI  - [Hot Topic: OCT-Angiography].

PMID- 28895626
TI  - [Learning from Mistakes].

PMID- 28895627
TI  - [Vitreous Substitute in Retinal Detachment Surgery - Why We Need a New Tamponade
      Strategy].
AB  - Pars plana vitrectomy combined with an endotamponade is the most important
      concept in retinal detachment surgery. Numerous advances in techniques and
      tamponade materials have been made, but the general problems of retinal
      detachment surgery are still unsolved: The primary success rate is not adequate,
      and there is no adequate strategy to address proliferative vitreoretinopathy,
      multiple retinal breaks or persistent hypotony. The story of tamponades is full
      of myths and misunderstandings. A critical review shows that tamponades have only
      a minor role in the history of retinal detachment surgery. One might assume that
      the value of tamponades is overestimated. This may be because the underlying
      concept is limited: All available tamponades are hydrophobic, so they act by
      buoyant force and surface tension. This narrow focus on the hydraulic function
      allows only one tamponade vector and makes complete filling of the vitreous body
      space impossible. The hydrophobic character of the materials has fundamental
      disadvantages that tend to increase the risk of new breaks or PVR formation.
      Thus, a critical revaluation of the value of current tamponades is necessary. One
      solution might be to develop hydrogels as vitreous body substitute. Such a
      hydrophilic vitreous body substitute fits the natural and complex function of a
      juvenile, healthy vitreous much better than gas or silicone oil.

PMID- 28895628
TI  - [Exudative AMD in OCT Angiography].
AB  - OCT angiography provides a combination of vascular and structural information. In
      contrast to conventional fluorescein angiography, there is no need for dye
      injection to give an image of choroidal neovascularisation. Although there is
      currently no classification of OCT angiography, different neovascular patterns
      can be observed, with criteria for activity. In the future, OCT angiography may
      help us to understand pathophysiological mechanisms and to develop therapeutic
      strategies.

PMID- 28895629
TI  - [Novel Examination Procedures for the Assessment of Retinal Artery Occlusion by
      OCT Angiography].
AB  - Background Retinal artery occlusion (RAO) is the most common primary angiopathy
      of the retina. With an incidence of 0.01 - 0.15%, this it is a rather rare
      disease, but is associated with irreversible damage to the retina and a poor
      prognosis for visual acuity. Since the 1960s - when fluorescence angiography (FA)
      was developed -, there has been little change in diagnostic investigations. FA is
      still the standard procedure for the assessment of retinal artery occlusions.
      With the development of OCT angiography (OCT-A), new multimodal imaging
      procedures have become possible. Patients/Methods We used Zeiss AngioPlex(r)-OCT
      A technology in combination with the CIRRUSTM HD-OCT 5000 (Carl Zeiss Meditec,
      Inc., Dublin, USA) to create 6 * 6 mm and 3 * 3 mm volume scans of the area of
      non-perfusion in patients with RAO. Qualitative OCT-A analysis was performed on
      retinal images segmented into the superficial and deep retinal capillary plexus.
      In addition to this, volumetric scans can be segmented to any specific depth of
      the retina. On the basis of 4 cases, we demonstrate that OCT-A can be used to
      evaluate RAO. We present typical OCT-A findings. Results OCT-A images allow the
      detection of non-perfused areas in patients with acute and chronic RAO. The zones
      of reduced vascular perfusion are differently distributed in the superficial and
      deep retinal capillary plexus. In both acute and chronic cases of RAO, OCT-A
      offers important information on retinal vascular perfusion. Conclusion OCT-A can
      be used in the diagnosis and monitoring of acute and chronic cases of RAO. The
      advantages of OCT-A are that this technique is non-invasive and allows three
      dimensional microvascular visualisation within seconds. Although artefacts and
      the currently limited field of view can make it difficult to interpret OCT-A
      images reliably, these findings suggest that OCT-A may in future replace FA in
      the assessment of RAO in most patients.

PMID- 28895630
TI  - [Changes in OCT Angiography of Type 2 CNV in Neovascular AMD during Anti-VEGF
      Treatment].
AB  - Purpose OCT-A is a new method to visualise the 2D and 3D structures of
      neovascular complexes in exudative AMD. The aim of the present study was to
      characterise type 2 CNV in different 2D segmentations and in 3D imaging and to
      investigate changes during anti-VEGF treatment. Methods 12 patients with type 2
      CNV in FA and SD-OCT were selected. OCT-A (Avanti, Optovue) was obtained
      initially and after the first three injections and thereafter, if "new activity"
      (increase in sub- or intraretinal fluid) occurred. The characteristics of the
      type 2 CNV were classified initially and during follow-up in different
      segmentations (outer retina, RPE, CC, choroidea), in respect to the size of the
      CNV, the flow area within the CNV and flow index (% of flow area within the total
      lesion). Results Comparison of the vessel characteristics before and after anti
      VEGF treatment showed a significant reduction in the size of CNV at every level
      (p < 0.05). This was most significant at the RPE level (p < 0.005). After new
      activity, a significant increase in size was only recognised at the CC level (p <
      0.05). Similarly, the most significant changes in the flow area were measured at
      the RPE level before and after treatment (p < 0.01) and at the CC level after new
      activity (p < 0.05). Demarcation from type 2 CNV of the bordering tissue was much
      better when activity occurred. Conclusions OCT-A provides a new opportunity for
      the assessment of vascular characteristics of type 2 CNV, and quantifies CNV size
      and vascularisation under anti-VEGF therapy. This may be used in further studies
      in combination with SD-OCT scans to describe characteristics of this type of CNV
      under treatment. OCT-A is an additional medical imaging procedure to SD-OCT and
      FA, but more experience is needed in distinguishing CNV in the active and non
      active stages.

PMID- 28895631
TI  - [OCT Angiography of RPE Tears in Exudative AMD: Morpohological Analysis of the
      Choriocapillaris and the RPE].
AB  - Background Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tears are a typical complication of
      vascular pigment epithelium detachment in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
      During proactive intense anti-VEGF therapy, stabilisation or improvement of
      function may occur. With the new method of OCT angiography (OCT-A), retinal
      vessels and flow density can be quantified. This pilot study investigates changes
      in the choriocapillars (CC) in areas with increasing FAF in OCT following an RPE
      tear. Methods In six eyes with an RPE-tear, prospectively initially and every
      three months thereafter, multimodal imaging was performed, including fundus
      autofluorescence (FAF) (HRA2, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Deutschland)
      and OCT-A (RTVue XR Avanti, SSDA-Modus, Angiovue, Optovue, Freemont, CA, USA).
      With interactive MATLAB-software (MATLAB, MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA), FAF and
      OCT were geometrically superimposed. With the help of the Fiji software (National
      Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA), areas with increasing FAF flow
      intensity in OCT-A with CC-segmentation were measured during an average follow-up
      period of 12 months. Results We measured a reduction in the RPE-free area - due
      to an increase in autofluorescence tissue - of an average of 2.94 mm2 (SD 2.1
      mm2; 42.1% of initial RPE-free area) in the boundary area of RPE-tears. At the
      end of the different follow-ups, some patients exhibited lower flow density in
      areas of regenerated autofluorescence than the initial findings. On the other
      hand, in some follow-ups, the same or increased flow density was seen. Conclusion
      In this pilot study, OCT-A was tested to analyse the structure of CC in areas of
      regenerated FAF after RPE-tears. Using external image editing software, FAF and
      OCT-A were compared during the follow-up. Thus apparent initial regression of the
      CC in the area mentioned above could be observed. During the follow-up and
      development of autofluorescent SHT, CC also regenerates up to the level of the
      initial findings of CC.

PMID- 28895632
TI  - [OCT Angiography in Exudative AMD with Detachment of Vascularised Retinal Pigment
      Epithelium].
AB  - Background The aim of the following extended case study was to analyse whether
      choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in vascularised epithelial detachments (PED)
      in OCT angiography (OCT-A) can be better visualised in OCT-A than in the
      established angiographic methods during the course of anti-VEGF therapy and if
      possible used to quantify the CNV size and flow area. These findings were
      compared with other SD-OCT characteristics of the lesion (PED height, retinal
      thickness). Patients and Methods 8 patients with PED and associated CNV were
      diagnosed with multimodal imaging and additionally OCT angiography was performed.
      The CNV region in the B-scan of the OCT-A was detected with a fine segmentation
      setting (20 um) parallel and just below the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The
      CNV area was manually marked, and the size of the CNV and the vessel section
      (flow area) were analysed with the evaluation tool of the device. This
      measurement was performed both initially and after anti-VEGF therapy (3
      injections). At the same time, the visual acuity (logMAR) and the SD-OCT
      parameters of PED height and retinal thickness were determined before and after
      therapy and also statistically compared. Results Initially, the size of CNV in
      OCT-A showed a large phenotypic range of variation (0.33 - 1.35 mm2, mean 0.71
      mm2). This decreased significantly under therapy (after therapy 0.44 - 0.84 mm2,
      mean 0.57 mm2, p = 0.02). The proportion of the vessels analysed within the CNV
      (flow area) varied as well (0.21 - 0.88 mm2, mean 0.45) and decreased under
      therapy (0.08 - 0.44 mm2 after therapy), mean 0.27 mm2, p = 0.07). The height of
      PED in SD-OCT was initially different (initially 274 - 1459 um, mean 607 um), but
      showed only small changes (132 - 1317 um, mean 524 um, p = 0.09) under therapy.
      This also applied to the mean retinal thickness (before therapy 315 um, after
      therapy 294 um, p = 0.5). Mean visual acuity also improved only slightly (p =
      0.7) after therapy. from initially 0.51 to 0.45 logMAR. Conclusions The
      combination of SD-OCT and OCT-A offers significantly improved visualisation and
      quantification of CNV in a vascularised PED. With the help of OCT-A imaging,
      changes in the perfusion/size of the CNV can be quantified. Together with the
      retinal activity signs, this allows a second activity assessment of the CNV under
      anti-VEGF therapy. Due to its three-dimensional structure, especially for this
      subtype of the exudative AMD, it is of the utmost importance to develop three
      dimensional imaging for both structural SD-OCT and the OCT-A.

PMID- 28895633
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Free ILM Autograft for Macular Hole.

PMID- 28895635
TI  - ?

PMID- 28895634
TI  - Reply: Letter to the Editor - Free ILM Autograft for Macular Hole.

PMID- 28895636
TI  - [Minimally invasive Therapy of lacrimal Drainage System Stenosis].
AB  - Epiphora is one of the most common symptoms for clinical ophthalmological
      consultation. This symptom is mostly caused by stenosis of the lacrimal drainage
      system. Over a century, external dacryocystostomy according to Toti was the
      treatment of choice. Today, new very encouraging minimally invasive techniques
      for recanalisation of the lacrimal drainage system, such as
      microdrilldacryoplasty or laserdacryoplasty, as well as bypass-based techniques,
      such as transcanalicular laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy, become more
      important in the treatment of dacryostenosis.

PMID- 28895637
TI  - Eating Frequency and Carbohydrate Intake in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes
      Differ from Those in Their Peers and are Associated with Glycemic Control.
AB  - AIM: The diet of people with type 1 diabetes may differ from that of healthy
      peers due to disease-related factors that may affect the course of diabetes. This
      cross-sectional study sought to compare meal and snacking frequency and
      corresponding carbohydrate intake among adolescents with intensively-treated type
      1 diabetes and healthy peers and to analyze their association with glycemic
      control among diabetes patients. METHODS: Nutritional data of 712 11- to <19-year
      olds from a nationwide population-based survey on early-onset type 1 diabetes
      (52.7% boys/men, mean age 15.6 years) were compared with 949 food records of 296
      healthy participants in the DONALD cohort study (49.7% boys, mean age 14.4 years)
      using linear mixed models. Furthermore, the association between eating frequency
      and/or carbohydrate intake with glycemic control (HbA1c) was analyzed with
      multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: After comprehensive adjustment,
      diabetes patients had, on average, 4.6 [95% confidence interval 3.6, 5.5] more
      meals or snacks/week but consumed 75.9 [64.5, 87.3] fewer grams of
      carbohydrates/day than the comparison group. Diabetes subjects also consumed
      breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks more frequently but ate fewer carbohydrates
      at all eating occasions. Total carbohydrate intake and carbohydrate intake at
      breakfast were associated with higher HbA1c levels, while increased breakfast
      frequency was associated with lower HbA1c levels. CONCLUSION: Eating frequency
      and carbohydrate intake differed between adolescents with early-onset type 1
      diabetes and non-diabetic peers. The observed associations with glycemic control
      challenge the concept of a completely unregulated eating frequency and
      carbohydrate intake for people on intensified insulin therapy.

PMID- 28895638
TI  - Gender and Age Differences in Lipid Profile Among Chinese Adults in Nanjing: a
      Retrospective Study of Over 230,000 Individuals from 2009 to 2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous national survey suggested that dyslipidemia is an increasing
      burden in China and more severe in urban population. In this study, we
      retrospectively analyzed the gender and age differences in lipids and
      lipoproteins in a large Chinese urban population in Nanjing city. METHODS: A
      total of 236, 945 adults (age >=20 years old) who undertook a health check
      between 2009 and 2015 in our medical examination center were involved in the
      analysis. Fasting total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol,
      low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) were measured by
      standard methods. RESULTS: The age-standardized estimates of serum total
      cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride were 4.77 (4.76
      4.79), 1.19 (1.18-1.19), 2.53 (2.52-2.54) and 1.74 (1.72-1.76) mmol/L in males
      (n=130954), and 4.79 (4.78-4.80), 1.46 (1.45-1.46), 2.44 (2.43-2.45) and 1.21
      (1.19-1.22) mmol/L in females (n=105991), respectively. The prevalence of
      dyslipidemia was significantly elevated in females above 50 years old, and the
      peak prevalence of dyslipidemia in males was in the age group of 40-59 years,
      earlier as compared to females (peaked at 60-69 years old). In addition, an
      increasing secular trend was observed in LDL cholesterol levels from 2009 to 2015
      in both males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Dyslipidemia is an increasing epidemic in
      China, characterized by a rising trend of LDL cholesterol. The gender and age
      differences in serum levels of lipid profile as well as prevalence of
      dyslipidemia suggested that the middle-age men and postmenopausal women should be
      the prioritized target for better control of dyslipidemia and early prevention of
      cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28895639
TI  - The PI3K/Akt1-FoxO1 Translocation Pathway Mediates EXf Effects on NIT-1 Cell
      Survival.
AB  - EXf, a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, stimulates beta-cell
      proliferation and reduces apoptosis in diabetic animal models, but the underlying
      mechanisms are not fully understood. We constructed a FoxO1-GFP fusion protein
      expression plasmid and transiently transfected it into NIT-1 cells to investigate
      whether FoxO1 mediates EXf effects on NIT-1 cell survival. Our results showed
      that EXf could increase cell viability by inhibiting apoptosis and stimulating
      proliferation, and it could also promote the translocation of the FoxO1-GFP
      fusion protein from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in NIT-1 cells. However, the
      above effects of EXf were suppressed by the inhibitor of PI3K. Comparative
      transcription analysis showed up-regulation of igf-1r, irs-2, pI3k, akt1 and pdx
      1 in NIT-1 cells after EXf treatment. Moreover, the up-regulation of PI3K and
      phosphorylation of Akt1 upon EXf treatment was confirmed by Western blot, both
      phenomena were abrogated by wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI3K. In summary, FoxO1
      may mediate the effects of EXf on NIT-1 cell survival by activating the PI3K/Akt1
      pathway.

PMID- 28895640
TI  - The Application of SUDOSCAN for Screening Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in
      Chinese Population.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diabetic peripheral neuropathies are the common chronic complications of
      diabetes, but the diagnosis is insensitive by physical examination in busy
      outpatients. Here we evaluated the performance of SUDOSCAN in screening diabetic
      peripheral neuropathies in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: The study
      enrolled 180 patients for annually screening. All patients underwent neurological
      symptoms assessment, clinical examination, nerve conduction studies and
      cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests. SUDOSCAN was tested and evaluated with
      electrochemical skin conductance in hands and feet, asymmetry ratio in hands and
      feet and predicted cardiac neuropathy. RESULTS: Patients enrolled had an average
      age of 56.1 years, 9.8 years of diabetic duration. Patients with diabetic
      sensorimotor polyneuropathy showed significantly lower electrochemical skin
      conductance in feet and higher asymmetry ratio in feet compared with those
      without. Sensitivity and specificity of asymmetry ratio in feet for diagnosing
      diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy were 88.2% and 46.9% and area under ROC
      curve was 0.713. Patients with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy showed
      significantly lower electrochemical skin conductance in hands and feet, and
      higher asymmetry ratio in feet and predicted cardiac neuropathy compared with
      those without. Sensitivity and specificity of electrochemical skin conductance in
      feet in diagnosing cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy were 85.6% and 76.1% with
      an area under ROC curve of 0.859. CONCLUSIONS: SUDOSCAN is a sensitive test to
      detect diabetic peripheral neuropathy in China and could be an effective
      screening tool in in busy outpatients and primary health care.

PMID- 28895641
TI  - Relationship between Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Dyslipidemia with Fatty
      Liver Index in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - INTRODUCTION/AIM: Considering the high prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD) in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), we aimed to
      investigate the potential benefit of determining markers of oxidative stress,
      inflammation and dyslipidemia for prediction of NAFLD, as estimated with fatty
      liver index (FLI) in individuals with DM2. METHODS: A total of 139 individuals
      with DM2 (of them 49.9% females) were enrolled in cross-sectional study.
      Anthropometric and biochemical parameters, as well as blood pressure were
      obtained. A FLI was calculated. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression
      analysis showed that high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and
      malondialdehyde (MDA) were independent predictors of higher FLI [Odds ratio
      (OR)=0.056, p=0.029; and OR=1.105, p=0.016, respectively]. In Receiver Operating
      Characteristic curve analysis, the addition of fatty liver risk factors (e. g.,
      age, gender, body height, smoking status, diabetes duration and drugs metabolized
      in liver) to each analysed biochemical parameter [HDL-c, non-HDL-c, high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), MDA and advanced oxidant protein products
      (AOPP)] in Model 1, increased the ability to discriminate patients with and
      without fatty liver [Area under the curve (AUC)=0.832, AUC=0.808, AUC=0.798,
      AUC=0.824 and AUC=0.743, respectively]. Model 2 (which included all five examined
      predictors, e. g., HDL-c, non-HDL-c, hsCRP, MDA, AOPP, and fatty liver risk
      factors) improved discriminative abilities for fatty liver status (AUC=0.909).
      Even more, Model 2 had the highest sensitivity and specificity (89.3% and 87.5%,
      respectively) together than each predictor in Model 1. CONCLUSION: Multimarker
      approach, including biomarkers of oxidative stress, dyslipidemia and
      inflammation, could be of benefit in identifying patients with diabetes being at
      high risk of fatty liver disease.

PMID- 28895642
TI  - Initiation of Basal Insulin Analog Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes and Reasons
      Behind Patients' Treatment Persistence Behavior: Real-World Data from Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor treatment persistence can affect the real-world effectiveness of
      insulin therapy. A cross-sectional online survey in 942 patients with type 2
      diabetes from 7 different countries evaluated patient experience when initiating
      basal insulin and the reasons behind insulin persistence patterns. Here, we
      report the quantitative results for the subset of patients from Germany. METHODS:
      Adults with type 2 diabetes who had initiated basal insulin during the last 3-24
      months, identified from market-research panels, participated in the survey.
      Patients were asked if they had >=7-day gaps in basal insulin treatment, and were
      then classified as "continuers" (no gap since starting insulin), "interrupters"
      (>=1 gap within the first 6 months after starting insulin and subsequently
      restarted insulin), or "discontinuers" (stopped insulin within the first 6 months
      after starting and had not restarted at the time of the survey). For each
      country, 50 participants were planned per persistence category. Enrollment ended
      if the target quota was reached or enrollment plateaued. Data were analyzed
      overall and separately for each persistence cohort. RESULTS: The 131 participants
      from Germany included 55 (42.0%) continuers, 50 (38.2%) interrupters and 26
      (19.9%) discontinuers. The most common motivations to initiate basal insulin
      therapy were encouragement by physician or other healthcare provider (HCP; 54.2%)
      and expectation to improve glycemic control (42.0%). More than 95% of
      participants received training before and during insulin initiation (considered
      as helpful by 81.7%); most (67.2%) preferred in-person training. Continuers more
      frequently felt that insulin would help to manage diabetes and that their own
      views were considered when initiating insulin, they reported less concerns and
      challenges before and during insulin initiation than interrupters or
      discontinuers. The most common motivations to continue basal insulin were
      improved glycemic control (72.7%), improved physical well-being (49.1%), and
      instruction by physician or other HCP (45.5%). The most common reasons
      contributing to interruption/discontinuation were perceived weight gain
      (52.0%/50.0%), hypoglycemia (22.0%/38.5%), and potential adverse effects
      (30.0%/26.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Quality interactions between physicians or other HCPs
      and their patients before and during the initiation of basal insulin may help to
      manage patient expectations and to improve persistence to insulin therapy.

PMID- 28895643
TI  - Thyroid Hormone-Induced Expression of the Hepatic Scaffold Proteins Sestrin2,
      beta-Klotho, and FRS2alpha in Relation to FGF21-AMPK Signaling.
AB  - Thyroid hormone (3,3',5-triiodothyronine, T3) accelerates energy metabolism in
      the liver through mechanisms involving upregulation of AMP-activated protein
      kinase (AMPK). This study aims to assess the influence of T3 on the expression of
      the scaffold proteins beta-Klotho, fibroblast growth factor receptor substrate
      2alpha (FRS2alpha), and Sestrin2 in relation to FGF21-AMPK signaling. Male
      Sprague-Dawley rats were given 0.1 mg T3/kg or hormone vehicle (controls) and
      studies were done 24 h after treatment. These include measurements of the mRNA
      expression (qPCR) of hepatic beta-Klotho, FGF21, FGF21 receptor-1 (FGFR1),
      extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), FRS2alpha, ribosomal S6
      kinase-1 (RSK1), liver kinase B1 (LKB1), AMPK, and Sestrin2. Also, protein levels
      of FGF21, FGFR1 (ELISA), and ERK1/2 (Western blot) were measured. T3 elicited a
      calorigenic response with higher hepatic mRNA expression of beta-Klotho,
      FRS2alpha, and FGF21, increased serum FGF21, without changes in liver FGFR1 mRNA
      and its plasma levels. In addition, T3 enhanced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and the
      mRNA expression of ERK1/2, RSK1, LKB1, AMPK, and Sestrin2. T3 administration
      enhances liver FGF21-AMPK signaling involving upregulation of the scaffold
      proteins beta-Klotho, FRS2alpha, and Sestrin2. beta-Klotho and FRS2 induction
      favours the operation of the FGF21-FGFR1-beta-Klotho complex as evidenced by the
      enhancement in ERK1/2 phosphorylation, whereas that of Sestrin2 recruits LKB1 to
      achieved AMPK activation, thus supporting a higher energy expenditure condition
      that may be desirable in some metabolic disorders.

PMID- 28895644
TI  - Relaxin Inhibits Cardiac Fibrosis in Diabetic Rats: Roles of Protein Kinase
      Cdelta.
AB  - Relaxin (Rlx) is known to antagonize diabetic cardiac fibrosis. However, its
      mechanism is poorly understood. Protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta) plays a crucial
      role in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). This study explored the involvement of
      PKCdelta in Rlx's capacity of suppressing cardiac fibrosis in a rat model of type
      2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Type 2 DM of 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats
      was induced by a high-fat diet and the injection of streptozocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg).
      Fourteen-week-old rats with DM and rats in control group which were pre-treated
      for 1 week with human recombinant relaxin (rhRlx, 30 MUg/kg.d), were assessed to
      detect cardiac fibrosis and PKCdelta expression with Western blot. Cardiac
      fibroblasts of neonatal rats were treated for 72 h with rhRlx (100 ng/ml) under
      high glucose (HG). Western blot was utilized for detecting the membranous and
      cytoplasmic protein expressions of PKCdelta. The effects of rhRlx and PKCdelta
      inhibitor (rottlerin) were assessed either alone or in combination on the HG
      induced proliferation and differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts and the release
      of collagen I.Rlx treatment inhibited the differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts
      and the expression of collagen I. The expression of PKCdelta was regulated by Rlx
      in diabetic rats and cardiac fibroblasts under HG condition. The effects of Rlx
      upon the proliferation and differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts and the
      excretion of collagen I under HG were blunted by rottlerin. Rlx suppressed
      cardiac fibrosis in type 2 diabetic rats. This beneficial effect was associated
      with its ability of modulating the expression of PKCdelta.

PMID- 28895645
TI  - Most Effective Regimen of Tranexamic Acid for Reducing Bleeding and Transfusions
      in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled
      Trials.
AB  - The use of tranexamic acid (TXA) during primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is
      well documented. However, considering the potential side effects, including deep
      vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), the ideal route of
      administration remains controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to
      compare the efficacy of topical versus intravenous TXA and explore the most
      effective regimen in patients undergoing primary TKA. We conducted a systematic
      literature search in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane database through July 2016
      to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and
      safety of topical and intravenous TXA in primary TKA. We assessed the risk of
      bias using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. We assessed the quality of evidence
      using the GRADE profiler software. A total of 15 RCTs including 1,240
      participants met the inclusion criteria. We found no statistically significant
      difference between topical and intravenous TXA in terms of transfusion rate (p =
      0.75), total blood loss (p = 0.51), total drain output (p = 0.60), maximum
      hemoglobin drop (p = 0.24), length of stay (p = 0.08), and thromboembolic
      complications (p = 0.73). Subgroup analyses showed that compared with 1 g topical
      TXA, 2 g topical TXA was more effective to reduce blood transfusion rate and
      total blood loss, and did not increase thromboembolic complications. We also
      found three times intravenous TXA was more effective than one time of intravenous
      TXA to reduce blood transfusion rate and total blood loss without increasing of
      thromboembolic complications. Topical TXA had a similar efficacy to intravenous
      TXA in reducing blood transfusion and blood loss, and did not increase the risk
      of thromboembolic complications in primary TKA. Besides, the current meta
      analysis suggested that three times of intravenous TXA is efficient and safe. We
      also recommended 2 g topical TXA instead of 1 g topical TXA because it was more
      efficient to reduce blood transfusion rate and total blood loss and did not
      increase thromboembolic complications.

PMID- 28895647
TI  - Sliding doors: heteromeric, volume-sensitive osmolyte channels.

PMID- 28895646
TI  - Transfusion Approaches and Mortality in Trauma Patients: A Narrative Review.

PMID- 28895648
TI  - Collateral impact: a dual role for climbing fibre collaterals to the cerebellar
      nuclei?

PMID- 28895649
TI  - Enhanced Trace Carbon Dioxide Capture on Heteroatom-Substituted RHO Zeolites
      under Humid Conditions.
AB  - Boron and copper heteroatoms were successfully incorporated into the frameworks
      of high-silica RHO zeolite by adopting a bulky alkali-metal-crown ether (AMCE)
      complex as the template. These heteroatom-doped zeolites show both larger
      micropore surface areas and volumes than those of their aluminosilicate analogue.
      Proton-type RHO zeolites were then applied for the separation of CO2 /CH4 /N2
      mixtures, as these zeolites have weaker electric fields and, thus, lower heats of
      adsorption. The adsorption results showed that a balance between working capacity
      and adsorption heat could be achieved for these heteroatom-doped zeolites. Ideal
      adsorbed solution theory predictions indicate that these zeolites should have
      high selectivities even for remarkably dilute sources of CO2 . Finally, the
      heteroatom-substituted zeolites, especially the boron-substituted one, could be
      thermally regenerated rapidly at 150  degrees C after full hydration and
      maintained high regenerability for up to 30 cycles; therefore, they are potential
      candidates for trace CO2 removal under humid conditions.

PMID- 28895650
TI  - Vestibular vertical: a balancing act between the upper and lower limbs.

PMID- 28895651
TI  - Modulating the Physical and Electronic Properties over Positional Isomerism: The
      Dispirofluorene-Dihydroindacenodithiophene (DSF-IDT) Family.
AB  - We report the first studies on the intrinsic properties of a meta-substituted
      dihydroindacenodithienyl fragment and more generally the strong impact of
      positional isomerism on dihydroindacenodithiophene derivatives. The influence of
      the para and meta linkages has notably been highlighted not only for the
      electronic properties in solution (electrochemical properties, anodic
      polymerization, HOMO/LUMO energy levels, optical transitions, fluorescence
      spectra) but also on the physical properties in the solid state (molecular
      organization, crystallinity, and phase transitions). The positional isomerism
      hence appears to be a very efficient tool to drastically tune the properties of
      dihydroindacenodithiophene derivatives.

PMID- 28895652
TI  - Quantitative Proteomics and Targeted Fatty Acids Analysis Reveal the Damage of
      Triptolide in Liver and Kidney.
AB  - Triptolide (TP), the major active component in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f.,
      is widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases.
      However, organ toxicity, especially hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, limits its
      clinical application. To fully understand the mechanism underlying TP toxicity,
      iTRAQ-based 2D-LC-MS/MS proteomics is used to detect differentially expressed
      proteins in the livers and kidneys of mice administered the LD50 dose of TP.
      Functional annotation revealed that multiple pathways are involved in TP
      toxicity, including acute-phase response signaling, the antigen presentation
      pathway, FXR/RXR activation, LPS/IL-1-mediated inhibition of RXR function, and
      EIF2 signaling. Members of the cytochrome P450 protein family that are involved
      in fatty acid (FA) metabolism, such as CYP2E1, show significant differences in
      expression among groups. Additionally, the proteomics data suggested that FAs are
      involved in TP-induced toxicity. FA analysis is conducted using HPLC-MRM to
      characterize the differences among various groups exposed to TP for different
      times. It has been found that 20 FAs in the liver show significant differences in
      abundance among groups, whereas in the kidneys, six FAs show significant
      differences in abundance. By integrating the proteomic and targeted FA analyses,
      it has been found that differently expressed proteins and FAs both participate in
      pathways including cellular lipolytic activity, peroxisomal fatty acid beta
      oxidation, and so on. Our data contribute to understanding the mechanisms
      underlying TP-induced organ toxicity. The results may help to improve the
      clinical efficacy and safety of TP in the future.

PMID- 28895653
TI  - Clinical interventions for Takayasu arteritis: A systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare systemic vasculitis that affects
      large vessels often resistant to treatment and associated with high morbidity and
      mortality. Treatment is defied by the relapsing nature of the disease and
      frequent adverse effects of corticosteroids and immunosuppressors, rendering
      failure of treatment in a significant portion of patients. Considering the low
      quantity and quality of published studies focusing on treatment of TA, synthesis
      and critical assessment of the available evidence is fundamental to establish
      recommendations for clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness
      and safety of clinical interventions for TA. METHODS: Systematic review conducted
      in accordance to recommendations stated in the Cochrane Handbook, with inclusion
      of all comparative studies focusing on any type of clinical intervention for TA.
      RESULTS: Five comparative studies were included (one randomised clinical trial,
      two non-randomised clinical trials, and two historical cohorts) totalling 342
      patients, aiming at the assessment of effectiveness of corticosteroids,
      immunosuppressors, biologics and other types of pharmacological treatment for
      distinct clinical presentations of TA. The quality of studies, assessed by the
      use of instruments developed specifically for each study design, was considered
      low. Data scarcity and clinical heterogeneity prevented quantitative synthesis
      (meta-analysis). CONCLUSION: Despite an extensive literature search, few
      comparative studies with small sample sizes were retrieved. The quality of these
      studies was considered low, preventing recommendations on effectiveness and
      safety of the studied interventions for clinical practice. Until new comparative
      studies with more robust sample sizes are conducted, treatment of TA should be
      guided individually taking into account the severity of disease and the
      availability of treatment options.

PMID- 28895654
TI  - Graft-accelerated virus-induced gene silencing facilitates functional genomics in
      rose flowers.
AB  - Rose has emerged as a model ornamental plant for studies of flower development,
      senescence, and morphology, as well as the metabolism of floral fragrances and
      colors. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) has long been used in functional
      genomics studies of rose by vacuum infiltration of cuttings or seedlings with an
      Agrobacterium suspension carrying TRV-derived vectors. However, VIGS in rose
      flowers remains a challenge because of its low efficiency and long time to
      establish silencing. Here we present a novel and rapid VIGS method that can be
      used to analyze gene function in rose, called 'graft-accelerated VIGS', where
      axillary sprouts are cut from the rose plant and vacuum infiltrated with
      Agrobacterium. The inoculated scions are then grafted back onto the plants to
      flower and silencing phenotypes can be observed within 5 weeks, post
      infiltration. Using this new method, we successfully silenced expression of the
      RhDFR1, RhAG, and RhNUDX1 in rose flowers, and affected their color, petal
      number, as well as fragrance, respectively. This grafting method will facilitate
      high-throughput functional analysis of genes in rose flowers. Importantly, it may
      also be applied to other woody species that are not currently amenable to VIGS by
      conventional leaf or plantlet/seedling infiltration methods.

PMID- 28895656
TI  - CsB4 O6 F: A Congruent-Melting Deep-Ultraviolet Nonlinear Optical Material by
      Combining Superior Functional Units.
AB  - The discovery of new nonlinear optical (NLO) materials for coherent light
      generation in the deep-ultraviolet (DUV, wavelength below 200 nm) region is
      essential for the development of laser technologies. Herein, we report a new
      material CsB4 O6 F (CBF), which combines the superior structural properties of
      two well-known NLO materials, beta-BaB2 O4 (BBO) and KBe2 BO3 F2 (KBBF). CBF
      exhibits excellent DUV optical properties including a short cutoff edge (155 nm),
      a large SHG response (~1.9*KDP), and a suitable birefringence that enables
      frequency doubling down to 171.6 nm. Remarkably, CBF melts congruently and shows
      an improved growth habit. In addition, our rational design strategy will
      contribute to the discovery of DUV NLO materials.

PMID- 28895655
TI  - Insulin resistance and cardiovascular outcomes in the ORIGIN trial.
AB  - AIMS: In the Outcome Reduction with an Initial Glargine Intervention (ORIGIN)
      trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT000069784), titrated doses of basal insulin
      glargine targeting fasting normoglycaemia had a neutral effect on cardiovascular
      outcomes. The dose of insulin required to achieve normoglycaemia provides a
      unique measurement of each individual's resistance to insulin's action, and was
      therefore used to examine the link between insulin resistance and cardiovascular
      outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Self-titration of insulin doses targeting a
      fasting plasma glucose <=5.3 mmoL/L (95 mg/dL) was promoted at every visit and
      cardiovascular and other serious health outcomes were ascertained. All analyses
      were restricted to participants allocated to insulin glargine, who added it to
      lifestyle or 1 glucose-lowering oral agent at randomization. Normoglycaemia was
      defined as a fasting plasma glucose <5.6 mmol/L and HbA1c <6% at the 2-year
      visit. The median of the natural logarithm of insulin doses (expressed per kg of
      fat-free mass), recorded at every visit from randomization until either the
      penultimate visit or the first occurrence of a cardiovascular outcome, was
      analysed. RESULTS: Higher median insulin doses did not reflect incident
      cardiovascular events overall or in the subset that achieved normoglycaemia. When
      the dose taken before a cardiovascular event or the penultimate visit was
      analysed, the adjusted hazard of the composite of cardiovascular death,
      myocardial infarction or stroke was 0.94 (95% CI 0.88, 1.00) per unit higher dose
      overall, and 0.91 (95% CI 0.81, 1.01) in the normoglycaemic subset. CONCLUSIONS:
      Insulin resistance may not promote cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with
      dysglycaemia.

PMID- 28895657
TI  - Identifying psychogenic seizures through comorbidities and medication history.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low-cost evidence-based tools are needed to facilitate the early
      identification of patients with possible psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
      (PNES). Prior to accurate diagnosis, patients with PNES do not receive
      interventions that address the cause of their seizures and therefore incur high
      medical costs and disability due to an uncontrolled seizure disorder. Both
      seizures and comorbidities may contribute to this high cost. METHODS: Based on
      data from 1,365 adult patients with video-electroencephalography-confirmed
      diagnoses from a single center, we used logistic and Poisson regression to
      compare the total number of comorbidities, number of medications, and presence of
      specific comorbidities in five mutually exclusive groups of diagnoses: epileptic
      seizures (ES) only, PNES only, mixed PNES and ES, physiologic nonepileptic
      seizurelike events, and inconclusive monitoring. To determine the diagnostic
      utility of comorbid diagnoses and medication history to differentiate PNES only
      from ES only, we used multivariate logistic regression, controlling for sex and
      age, trained using a retrospective database and validated using a prospective
      database. RESULTS: Our model differentiated PNES only from ES only with a
      prospective accuracy of 78% (95% confidence interval =72-84%) and area under the
      curve of 79%. With a few exceptions, the number of comorbidities and medications
      was more predictive than a specific comorbidity. Comorbidities associated with
      PNES were asthma, chronic pain, and migraines (p < 0.01). Comorbidities
      associated with ES were diabetes mellitus and nonmetastatic neoplasm (p < 0.01).
      The population-level analysis suggested that patients with mixed PNES and ES may
      be a population distinct from patients with either condition alone. SIGNIFICANCE:
      An accurate patient-reported medical history and medication history can be useful
      when screening for possible PNES. Our prospectively validated and objective score
      may assist in the interpretation of the medication and medical history in the
      context of the seizure description and history.

PMID- 28895658
TI  - Laparoscopic and robotic-assisted versus open radical prostatectomy for the
      treatment of localised prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is commonly diagnosed in men worldwide. Surgery, in
      the form of radical prostatectomy, is one of the main forms of treatment for men
      with localised prostate cancer. Prostatectomy has traditionally been performed as
      open surgery, typically via a retropubic approach. The advent of laparoscopic
      approaches, including robotic-assisted, provides a minimally invasive alternative
      to open radical prostatectomy (ORP). OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of
      laparoscopic radical prostatectomy or robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy
      compared to open radical prostatectomy in men with localised prostate cancer.
      SEARCH METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search using multiple databases
      (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE) and abstract proceedings with no restrictions on the
      language of publication or publication status, up until 9 June 2017. We also
      searched bibliographies of included studies and conference proceedings. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: We included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with a direct
      comparison of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and robotic-assisted
      radical prostatectomy (RARP) to ORP, including pseudo-RCTs. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently classified studies and abstracted
      data. The primary outcomes were prostate cancer-specific survival, urinary
      quality of life and sexual quality of life. Secondary outcomes were biochemical
      recurrence-free survival, overall survival, overall surgical complications,
      serious postoperative surgical complications, postoperative pain, hospital stay
      and blood transfusions. We performed statistical analyses using a random-effects
      model and assessed the quality of the evidence according to GRADE. MAIN RESULTS:
      We included two unique studies with 446 randomised participants with clinically
      localised prostate cancer. The mean age, prostate volume, and prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA) of the participants were 61.3 years, 49.78 mL, and 7.09 ng/mL,
      respectively. Primary outcomes We found no study that addressed the outcome of
      prostate cancer-specific survival. Based on data from one trial, RARP likely
      results in little to no difference in urinary quality of life (MD -1.30, 95% CI 
      4.65 to 2.05) and sexual quality of life (MD 3.90, 95% CI -1.84 to 9.64). We
      rated the quality of evidence as moderate for both quality of life outcomes,
      downgrading for study limitations. Secondary outcomes We found no study that
      addressed the outcomes of biochemical recurrence-free survival or overall
      survival.Based on one trial, RARP may result in little to no difference in
      overall surgical complications (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.04) or serious
      postoperative complications (RR 0.16, 95% CI 0.02 to 1.32). We rated the quality
      of evidence as low for both surgical complications, downgrading for study
      limitations and imprecision.Based on two studies, LRP or RARP may result in a
      small, possibly unimportant improvement in postoperative pain at one day (MD 
      1.05, 95% CI -1.42 to -0.68 ) and up to one week (MD -0.78, 95% CI -1.40 to 
      0.17). We rated the quality of evidence for both time-points as low, downgrading
      for study limitations and imprecision. Based on one study, RARP likely results in
      little to no difference in postoperative pain at 12 weeks (MD 0.01, 95% CI -0.32
      to 0.34). We rated the quality of evidence as moderate, downgrading for study
      limitations.Based on one study, RARP likely reduces the length of hospital stay
      (MD -1.72, 95% CI -2.19 to -1.25). We rated the quality of evidence as moderate,
      downgrading for study limitations.Based on two study, LRP or RARP may reduce the
      frequency of blood transfusions (RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.46). Assuming a
      baseline risk for a blood transfusion to be 8.9%, LRP or RARP would result in 68
      fewer blood transfusions per 1000 men (95% CI 78 fewer to 48 fewer). We rated the
      quality of evidence as low, downgrading for study limitations and indirectness.We
      were unable to perform any of the prespecified secondary analyses based on the
      available evidence. All available outcome data were short-term and we were unable
      to account for surgeon volume or experience. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no
      high-quality evidence to inform the comparative effectiveness of LRP or RARP
      compared to ORP for oncological outcomes. Urinary and sexual quality of life
      related outcomes appear similar.Overall and serious postoperative complication
      rates appear similar. The difference in postoperative pain may be minimal. Men
      undergoing LRP or RARP may have a shorter hospital stay and receive fewer blood
      transfusions. All available outcome data were short-term, and this study was
      unable to account for surgeon volume or experience.

PMID- 28895660
TI  - Epidemiology, molecular classification and WHO grading of ependymoma.
AB  - Ependymoma can arise throughout all compartments of the central nervous system
      with prevalence for intracranial and spinal location in children and adults,
      respectively. The current histopathology based WHO grading system distinguishes
      grade I, II 'classic', and III 'anaplastic' ependymoma. However, analysis of
      multiple cohorts of intracranial ependymoma demonstrate a wide variance in the
      utility of the grade II versus grade III distinction as a prognostic marker that
      may additionally be confounded by the anatomic compartment. Recent (epi)genomic
      profiling efforts have identified molecularly distinct groups of ependymoma
      arising from all three anatomic compartments of the central nervous system that
      outperform the current histopathological classification regarding clinical
      associations. These advances have led to the cognition that molecular
      classification should be part of all future clinical trials in ependymoma
      patients. Clinical management of intracranial ependymomas (WHO Grade II/III) is
      challenging and molecular classification based risk stratification may help to
      intensify treatment and surveillance in high-risk patients but to de-escalate
      therapy in certain patient groups at low risk for recurrence. Finally, experience
      of neurosurgeons, and other disciplines, as well as intensified co-operation
      between all stakeholders involved hold promise to finally improve outcome of
      patients affected with ependymoma.

PMID- 28895661
TI  - The role of endoscopy in anterior skull base surgery.

PMID- 28895662
TI  - A case of Zoon Balanitis in an immune-competent teenager.

PMID- 28895659
TI  - Implementation strategies for health systems in low-income countries: an overview
      of systematic reviews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A key function of health systems is implementing interventions to
      improve health, but coverage of essential health interventions remains low in low
      income countries. Implementing interventions can be challenging, particularly if
      it entails complex changes in clinical routines; in collaborative patterns among
      different healthcare providers and disciplines; in the behaviour of providers,
      patients or other stakeholders; or in the organisation of care. Decision-makers
      may use a range of strategies to implement health interventions, and these
      choices should be based on evidence of the strategies' effectiveness. OBJECTIVES:
      To provide an overview of the available evidence from up-to-date systematic
      reviews about the effects of implementation strategies for health systems in low
      income countries. Secondary objectives include identifying needs and priorities
      for future evaluations and systematic reviews on alternative implementation
      strategies and informing refinements of the framework for implementation
      strategies presented in the overview. METHODS: We searched Health Systems
      Evidence in November 2010 and PDQ-Evidence up to December 2016 for systematic
      reviews. We did not apply any date, language or publication status limitations in
      the searches. We included well-conducted systematic reviews of studies that
      assessed the effects of implementation strategies on professional practice and
      patient outcomes and that were published after April 2005. We excluded reviews
      with limitations important enough to compromise the reliability of the review
      findings. Two overview authors independently screened reviews, extracted data and
      assessed the certainty of evidence using GRADE. We prepared SUPPORT Summaries for
      eligible reviews, including key messages, 'Summary of findings' tables (using
      GRADE to assess the certainty of the evidence) and assessments of the relevance
      of findings to low-income countries. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 7272 systematic
      reviews and included 39 of them in this overview. An additional four reviews
      provided supplementary information. Of the 39 reviews, 32 had only minor
      limitations and 7 had important methodological limitations. Most studies in the
      reviews were from high-income countries. There were no studies from low-income
      countries in eight reviews.Implementation strategies addressed in the reviews
      were grouped into four categories - strategies targeting:1. healthcare
      organisations (e.g. strategies to change organisational culture; 1 review);2.
      healthcare workers by type of intervention (e.g. printed educational materials;
      14 reviews);3. healthcare workers to address a specific problem (e.g. unnecessary
      antibiotic prescription; 9 reviews);4. healthcare recipients (e.g. medication
      adherence; 15 reviews).Overall, we found the following interventions to have
      desirable effects on at least one outcome with moderate- or high-certainty
      evidence and no moderate- or high-certainty evidence of undesirable
      effects.1.Strategies targeted at healthcare workers: educational meetings,
      nutrition training of health workers, educational outreach, practice
      facilitation, local opinion leaders, audit and feedback, and tailored
      interventions.2.Strategies targeted at healthcare workers for specific types of
      problems: training healthcare workers to be more patient-centred in clinical
      consultations, use of birth kits, strategies such as clinician education and
      patient education to reduce antibiotic prescribing in ambulatory care settings,
      and in-service neonatal emergency care training.3. Strategies targeted at
      healthcare recipients: mass media interventions to increase uptake of HIV
      testing; intensive self-management and adherence, intensive disease management
      programmes to improve health literacy; behavioural interventions and mobile phone
      text messages for adherence to antiretroviral therapy; a one time incentive to
      start or continue tuberculosis prophylaxis; default reminders for patients being
      treated for active tuberculosis; use of sectioned polythene bags for adherence to
      malaria medication; community-based health education, and reminders and recall
      strategies to increase vaccination uptake; interventions to increase uptake of
      cervical screening (invitations, education, counselling, access to health
      promotion nurse and intensive recruitment); health insurance information and
      application support. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Reliable systematic reviews have
      evaluated a wide range of strategies for implementing evidence-based
      interventions in low-income countries. Most of the available evidence is focused
      on strategies targeted at healthcare workers and healthcare recipients and
      relates to process-based outcomes. Evidence of the effects of strategies
      targeting healthcare organisations is scarce.

PMID- 28895663
TI  - Dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy of osteoclastic deep benign
      fibrous histiocytoma.

PMID- 28895664
TI  - Severe and acute complications of biologics in psoriasis.
AB  - Biologic therapies have revolutionized the approach to immune-mediated diseases
      such as psoriasis. Due to their favorable safety profiles and excellent efficacy,
      biologic agents are considered the gold standard for moderate-to-severe
      psoriasis. The aim of this paper is to saliently review the severe and acute
      complications of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved biologic agents
      for psoriasis. Reviewed agents include tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors
      (etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab), interleukin 12/23 inhibitors
      (ustekinumab), and interleukin 17 (IL-17) inhibitors (secukinumab and
      ixekizumab). While malignancies, serious infections, and major adverse
      cardiovascular events have been reported, their association with biologic therapy
      are not hypothesized as causal. However, IL-17 inhibitors appear to cause
      exacerbations and new cases of inflammatory bowel disease. While more long-term
      studies are warranted in understanding the biologic's long-term side effect
      profile, short-term studies have confirmed that the biologics are some of the
      safest treatment options for psoriasis. Nevertheless, certain populations yield
      higher risk to acute complications with the biologics than others - physicians
      must use their judgement and vigilance when monitoring and treating patients
      undergoing therapy with biological agents.

PMID- 28895665
TI  - Clinical challenges faced in real-world management of moderate-to-severe
      psoriasis: a personal view.

PMID- 28895666
TI  - Current standards of surgical management in primary melanoma.
AB  - Melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer-related deaths, and its
      incidence continues to rise worldwide. While advanced disease has historically
      been associated with poor long-term survival, early-stage disease has a favorable
      prognosis and therefore, early diagnosis is paramount. Resection of primary
      melanoma requires a balance of maximizing oncological outcome while minimizing
      morbidity. Wide excision with 1-2 cm margins, depending on depth of the tumor, is
      the standard of care for surgical treatment of primary, invasive melanoma.
      Sentinel lymph node biopsy is indicated for patients with clinically node
      negative, intermediate-thickness primary melanomas but should also be considered
      in selected patients with thin and thick primaries. In this article, historical
      perspectives and key clinical trials regarding the current guidelines for the
      surgical management of primary melanoma are discussed.

PMID- 28895667
TI  - A review through the looking glass: new advances in dermoscopy.
AB  - Dermoscopy is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that facilitates the
      visualization of surface and subsurface structures of the skin. It has been
      proven to be an essential tool in the diagnosis of both malignant and benign
      cutaneous lesions. In this article, we review some of the most recent and
      noteworthy advances in dermoscopy. In addition, we discuss Reflectance Confocal
      Microscopy (RCM) and Optical Coherence Topography (OCT), two non-invasive imaging
      devices that may be used alongside dermoscopy to improve diagnostic accuracy.

PMID- 28895668
TI  - Concepts and controversies in the treatment of cutaneous lichen planus.
AB  - Cutaneous lichen planus (CLP) is a chronic autoimmune disease classically
      associated with severely pruritic, polygonal, violaceous, flat-topped papules and
      plaques. Subtypes such as hypertrophic and bullous lichen planus and lichen
      planus pigmentosus have been described. Treatment can be challenging, and
      prospective controlled studies are lacking. Corticosteroids remain the major
      options for topical and systemic treatment, although some non-steroidal options
      exist. Phototherapy, especially with narrow band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB), is
      effective, but caution must be taken because of the risk of keobnerization.
      Methotrexate and retinoids are an option for extensive disease, and are
      relatively well tolerated. Other treatments that have been investigated include
      sulfasalazine, low molecular weight heparin, griseofulvin, hydroxychloroquine,
      metronidazole and dapsone.

PMID- 28895669
TI  - Glycemic load and carbohydrates content in the diets of cancer patients
AB  - Background: Glycemic load (GL) is used to evaluate how various food products
      affect blood sugar level. According to some studies, high dietary GL may increase
      the risk of cancer development and recurrence. Objective: The aim of the study
      was to assess dietary glycemic load and intake of carbohydrates derived from
      various food products by patients staying on an oncological ward. Material and
      methods: The study group included 100 cancer patients aged 19-83 years (59.6 +/-
      11.3 years). GL, energy and nutrient intake was estimated based on the data from
      the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The correlations between dietary GL and
      consumption of 18 groups of products were assessed. Results: The average GL per
      1000 kcal was 61.0 +/- 8.6 g in the diets of men and 56.2 +/- 9.5 g in the diets
      of women. High GL (>120 g) was observed in 76% of analyzed diets. The diets of
      men had higher GL, energy and sucrose content than the diets of women. Men, in
      comparison to women, consumed more refined grain products (144.1 +/- 78.2 g vs.
      95.5 +/- 67.8 g), beverages (236.4 +/- 344.7 g vs. 69.2 +/- 173.0 g), honey and
      sugar (28.0 +/- 22.2 g vs. 16.7 +/- 18.0 g), dark chocolate (4.5 +/- 4.5 g vs.
      3.9 +/- 6.7 g), sweets (66.1 +/- 56.6 g vs. 38.8 +/- 39.5 g) and soups (313.3 +/-
      105.3 g vs. 260.8 +/- 160.3 g). Conclusions: Analyzed diets were characterized by
      high GL and simple sugars content. Men consumed more refined and sweetened
      products than women. The improvement of knowledge about proper nutrition is
      needed in studied group of cancer patients.

PMID- 28895670
TI  - Health risk assessment and dietary exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs), lead and cadmium from bread consumed in Nigeria.
AB  - Objective: A risk assessment and dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead and cadmium from bread, a common food consumed in
      Nigeria. Material and Methods: Sixty samples of bread were collected from
      different types of bakeries where the heat is generated by wood (42 samples) or
      by electricity (18 samples) from twenty bakeries located in Gusau Zamfara (B1-
      B14) and Port Harcourt Rivers States (B15-B20) in Nigeria. PAHs in bread were
      determined by gas chromatography. Lead and cadmium were determined using atomic
      absorption spectrophotometry. Results: Non-carcinogenic PAHs pyrene (13.72
      MUg/kg) and genotoxic PAHs (PAH8), benzo[a]anthracene (9.13 MUg/ kg) were at the
      highest concentrations. Total benzo[a]pyrene concentration of 6.7 MUg/kg was
      detected in 100% of tested samples. Dietary intake of total PAHs ranged between
      0.004-0.063 MUg/kg bw. day-1 (children), 0.002-0.028 MUg/kg day-1 (adolescents),
      0.01-0.017 MUg/kg day-1 (male), 0.002-0.027 MUg/kg day-1 (female), and 0.002
      0.025 MUg/kg day-1 (seniors). The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) for Pb and Cd were
      below 1. Lead ranged from 0.01-0.071 mg/kg with 10.85 and 100% of bread samples
      violating the permissible limit set by USEPA, WHO and EU respectively. Cadmium
      ranged from 0.01-0.03 mg/kg, with all bread samples below the permissible limits
      as set by US EPA, JECFA and EU. The daily intake of Pb and Cd ranged from 0.03
      0.23 MUg/kg bw day-1 and 0.033-0.36 MUg/kg bw day-1 respectively. Incremental
      lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was 3.8 x 10-7. Conclusions: The levels of these
      contaminants in bread if not controlled might present a possible route of
      exposure to heavy metals and PAHs additional to the body burden from other
      sources.

PMID- 28895671
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of 1,3,1,6 beta-D-glucan contents in wild-growing species
      of edible Polish mushrooms
AB  - Background: Macrofungal beta-glucans are mainly represented by compounds with
      beta-1,3- and beta-1,6 glycosidic bonds. They have been shown to have
      immunomodulatory, anticancer, and antioxidant properties. Although there are many
      reports on the bioactivity and structure of fungal glucans, studies on the
      quantitative assessment of these compounds are sparse. Objective: The aim of the
      study was to determine total beta-glucans and 1,3-1,6-beta-D-glucan contents in
      selected species of wild-growing edible Polish mushrooms. Material and methods:
      Eight species of wild-growing edible mushrooms Boletus pinophilus, Hydnum
      repandum, Craterellus cornucopioides, Suillus variegatus, Suillus granulatus,
      Gyroporus cyanescens, Tricholomopsis rutilans, and Auricularia auricula-judae and
      one species of cultivated mushroom for comparison purposes Agaricus bisporus,
      were analyzed. Quantitative analysis of 1,3-1,6-beta-D-glucans was done using a
      colorimetric method in accordance with Nitschke et al. Result: Mean total beta
      glucan content varied from 13.5 g/100 g dry mass in A. bisporus (portobello
      variety) to 40.9 g/100 g dry mass in T. rutilans. Mean 1,3-1,6-beta-D-glucan
      content in the analyzed fruiting bodies ranged from 3.9 g/100 g dry mass in
      Agaricus bisporus (cremini) to 16.8 g/100 g dry mass in Auricularia auricula
      judae (wood ear). The following mushrooms demonstrated the greatest percentage of
      1,3-1,6-beta-D-glucan contents in relation to the total beta-glucan content:
      Gyroporus cyanescens (54%), Suillus granulatus (49.8%), Auricularia auricula
      judae (47.9%), and Suillus variegatus (40.6%). Conclusions: Among the analyzed
      species, wild-growing mushrooms had a generally higher average 1,3-1,6-beta
      Dglucan content compared with cultivated mushrooms such as A. bisporus. The
      highest average content of these polysaccharides was observed in medicinal
      mushroom Auricularia auricula-judae. Comparable 1,3-1,6-beta-D-glucan content, in
      relation to this mushroom species, was found in Gyroporus cyanescens, Suillus
      granulatus and Suillus variegatus, which points to the possibility of the use of
      these species of mushrooms as medicinal foods.

PMID- 28895672
TI  - Meat and meat products - analysis of the most common threats in the years 2011
      2015 in Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)
AB  - Background: The key tool used in the European Union in order to eliminate the
      risks associated with the consumption of potentially hazardous food is RASFF -
      Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed Safety. The RASFF was established to
      increase accountability and strengthening cooperation between states of the
      European Union in the field of food safety control. Objective: The aim of this
      study was to explore the trends and temporal and spatial distribution of
      notifications on food safety hazards between January 2011 and December 2015 with
      a special emphasis on meat and meat products on the basis of notification from
      RASFF. Material and methods: The study analyzed notifications on the annual
      reports of the RASFF published by the European Commission and requests added to
      the portal RASFF in the period 01.01.2011 - 31.12.2015 on the category of "meat
      and meat products (other than poultry) and "poultry meat and poultry meat
      products". Analysis included detailed information on each notification, such as
      the classification and date, hazard category, notifying country, country origin.
      Results: The most common classifications of notification were 'alert' and 'border
      rejection'. Generally, basis of this notifications were 'company's own check' and
      'official control on the market'. Pathogenic microorganisms were the most often
      hazard of category in which the higher number of notifications concerned with
      Salmonella spp. Conclusion: Alert notification which is the most dangerous for
      consumers were the most common type of classification for notifications on 'meat
      and meat product' category. The most of notifications in category 'poultry meat
      and poultry meat products' were the result of border control. Pathogenic
      microorganisms were the reason for the huge number of notifications in studied
      product categories. Many of notifications were associated with products which
      origin countries were outside RASFF member states.

PMID- 28895673
TI  - The effect of interferential current therapy on patients with subacromial
      impingement syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although interferential current (IFC) is a common electrotherapeutic
      modality used to treat musculoskeletal pain, there is not any randomized
      controlled trial investigating its clinical efficacy in subacromial impingement
      syndrome (SAIS). AIM: Investigation of effectiveness of IFC treatment in patients
      with SAIS. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study. SETTING:
      Physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic. POPULATION: Patients
      (N.=65) between 25 and 65 years of age, with a diagnosis of SAIS according to
      clinical evaluation and subacromial injection test. METHODS: Patients were
      randomly distributed into two groups: 1) active IFC group (N.=33); 2) sham IFC
      group (N.=32). Exercise, cryotherapy, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
      (NSAID) were given to both groups. Ten sessions of IFC with bipolar method were
      applied to the active IFC group daily 20 minutes per session, 5 days per week,
      for 2 weeks while sham IFC was applied to the sham IFC group with the same
      protocol. Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Constant scores, and Shoulder Disability
      Questionnaire (SDQ) were used for evaluation at baseline, immediately post
      treatment, and 1 month post-treatment. Both the patients and the researcher who
      assessed the outcomes were blinded to the treatment protocol throughout the study
      period. RESULTS: Sixty of the 65 patients (active IFC group N.=30, sham IFC group
      N.=30) completed the study, 3 patients from active IFC, 2 from sham IFC group
      dropped during the follow up period. Statistically significant improvement was
      observed in all parameters of both groups immediately and 1 month post-treatment
      (P<0.01). There were no statistical differences between the active IFC group and
      sham IFC group in all outcome parameters (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      demonstrated that IFC therapy does not provide additional benefit to NSAID,
      cryotherapy, and exercise program in treatment of SAIS. CLINICAL REHABILITATION
      IMPACT: Our study responds to the needs of the lack of evidence in the field of
      rehabilitation. IFC therapy does not provide additional benefit for the treatment
      of SAIS.

PMID- 28895674
TI  - Activity of cesium 137Cs and potassium content in new potatoes imported to Poland
AB  - Background: Potatoes are an important component of the human diet. In addition to
      components which determine the nutrition and dietary values, potato tubers also
      contain anti-nutritional substances, inter alia radioactive elements. Natural and
      artifical radionuclides are released to the environment as a result of
      antropogenic activity, in a controlled or uncontrolled manner, and they are
      transferred to the human body through the food chain. Objective: The aim of the
      study was to determine the activity of radioactive cesium 137Cs isotope and
      potassium content, including the activity of 40K isotope, in new potatoes
      imported to Poland during the winter period from Mediterranean countries.
      Material and methods: The study material included new potatoes imported from
      Cyprus, Egypt and Israel, purchased in the city of Siedlce from the beginning of
      February to the end of March 2015. The activity of 137Cs and 40K isotopes in
      potato tubers was determined. Analyses were performed by gamma-spectrometric
      method. Laboratory tests were performed on a total of 18 samples. Based on the
      activity of 40K isotope, the total potassium content of potato tubers was
      calculated, with the assumption that 31.00 Bq 40K is equivalent to 1 g potassium.
      Results: The activity of 137Cs in most tested potato samples was below 0.2 Bq kg
      1 (limit of quantification), and in other samles it was from 0.3 Bq kg-1 to 5.4
      Bq kg-1. Potatoes of the same variety, originating from the same country,
      differed in terms of the activity of 137Cs. The highest activity of 137C,
      determined in potatoes imported from Cyprus, was seven times higher than the
      lowest value. The activity of 40K changed from 93.3 Bq kg-1 to 259.1 Bq kg-1. The
      average activity of 40K in potatoes imported from Cyprus, Egypt and Israel was at
      a similar level. The ratio of the activity of 137Cs determined in the tested
      potatoes to the activity of 40K changed from 0.00242 to 0.04163. The calculated
      potassium content in imported new potatoes was on average 4.376 g K kg-1 of the
      fresh weight of tubers and ranged from 3.010 g K kg-1 to 8.358 g K kg-1.
      Conclusions: The activity of the 137Cs cesium isotope in imported new potatoes in
      most tested samples was at a very low level (below the limit of quantification)
      and in other samples it did not exceed 5.5 Bq kg-1 and posed no threat to human
      lives. Potatoes originating from the same country differed in terms of the
      activity of 137Cs. The average activity of 40K in potatoes imported from Cyprus,
      Egypt and Israel was at a similar level and did not differ from the activity of
      40K in domestically produced potatoes. The potassium content in imported new
      potatoes was determined by the variety.

PMID- 28895675
TI  - Estrogenic activity of commercial milk as revealed in immature hamster
      uterotrophic assay - pilot study
AB  - Background: The risk for public health posed by endocrine disruptors present in
      food is relatively new issue. Our current understanding of human exposure is
      mainly based on the residue analysis of selected compounds. With such approach
      potential, effects of mixtures, including so-far unidentified compounds are not
      taken into consideration. Therefore, the knowledge of overall hormonal activity
      in food samples is of big importance. Objective: Milk and dairy products are a
      rich source of estrogens but very rarely undergo testing for estrogenic activity.
      For this reason the rodent uterotrophic bioassay is one of the most useful tool.
      This preliminary study was conducted in immature hamsters to assess commercially
      available milk. The endpoint measured was uterine weight increase. Material and
      methods: Fifteen-day old females received ad libitum throughout 7 days
      commercially available milk i.e. raw goat's, raw cow's, processed 3.2% UHT, and
      for comparison soy milk. The animals of negative control group received water but
      positive control group got 17beta - estradiol (E2) at the concentration of 100
      ng/ml. Results: All samples of milk showed estrogenic activity as follow: goat's
      >cow's >soy >processed milk. Significant increase of uteri weights were recorded
      in goat's (p<0.001) and cow's milk (p<0.01). However, the activity was
      approximately 5-fold lower than induced by 17beta-estradiol. The ratio uterine
      weight/body weight (%) in negative control was 0.096%, in milk experimental
      groups ranged from 0.112% to 0.153% and in positive control this value was
      0.493%. Conclusion: The results suggest that commercially available milk has a
      weak uterotrophic activity. Further in vivo and in vitro studies are warranted to
      gain more insight into the estrogenic risk from milk and other dairy products.

PMID- 28895676
TI  - Maria Sklodowska-Curie, her life and work - the 150 anniversary of her birthday
AB  - Maria Sklodowska was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw (Poland). Her parents
      were teachers. Maria's mother has died in 1878 of tuberculosis. In 1893 and 1894,
      respectively, Maria was awarded master's degrees in physics and in mathematics
      from the Sorbonne University. In 1895 Maria married Pierre Curie. In 1897 their
      daughter Irene was born. Maria investigated rays emitted by uranium salts. She
      hypothesized that the radiation come from atom and called this phenomenon
      "radioactivity". In 1898, Maria and Pierre discovered new radioactive elements
      polonium and radium. In 1902 she isolated pure radium chloride and defined radium
      atomic mass. In June 1903, Maria supervised by Professor Lippmann was awarded her
      doctorate in physics from the Sorbonne University of Paris after presentation of
      the thesis "Investigation of radioactive bodies". In December 1903, Maria was
      awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with her husband Pierre and Henri
      Becquerel, for their work on radioactivity. In 1904, the daughter Eve was born.
      On 19 April 1906, Pierre was killed in a road accident in Paris. In 1910 Maria
      isolated radium as a pure metal. She also defined an international standard for
      radioactive emissions (curie), published her fundamental results on radioactivity
      and textbook of radiology. She also defined the international pattern of radium.
      In 1911, she won her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her
      discovery of radium and polonium. In 1914 she was appointed director in the
      Radium Institute in Paris. During World War I, Maria became the director of the
      Red Cross Radiology Service and set up France's first military radiology centre.
      In May 1932 she has attended the official opening ceremony of the Radium
      Institute in Warsaw. On 4 July 1934, Maria Sklodowska-Curie has died aged 66
      years in Sancellemoz sanatorium (France) of aplastic anemia.

PMID- 28895677
TI  - Can babies oral wipes with fluoride and/or calcium glycerophosphate prevent
      cariogenic demineralization? An in-vitro study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The difficulties in reaching a good level of oral hygiene in young
      babies can be partly overcome with the use of baby oral wipes, which have been
      shown to effectively remove plaque from deciduous teeth. The presence of fluoride
      and calcium in these wipes could also prevent further demineralization of the
      teeth, as well as promote remineralization. The aim of this study is, therefore,
      was to analyze the preventive effect of OW containing F and CaGP on cariogenic
      demineralization in vitro. METHODS: For this, seventy enamel samples were treated
      with OW soaked in solutions containing different F concentrations (250 ppm; 500
      ppm and 1500 ppm) with or not with 0.13% CaGP and distilled water for the control
      group. The samples were submitted to an 8-day cariogenic pH cycling. The
      experimental solutions were applied twice per cycle, by immersing a dry inert
      oral tissue into 4 mL of the solution and rubbing it over the enamel surface.
      Enamel microhardness was measured initially and after the experimental cycles.
      Environmental scanning electron microscope was taken to visualize and quantify
      elements on the enamel surface. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed
      (P=0.694), but when the groups containing CaGP were compared to the negative
      control solution, a significant difference was found. CONCLUSIONS: The presence
      of 0.13% CaGP and fluoride in concentrations greater than 500 ppm were able to
      provide protection of dental enamel against demineralization.

PMID- 28895678
TI  - Prognosis and cost-effectiveness of IVF in poor responders according to the
      Bologna Criteria.
AB  - Poor ovarian response (POR) to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for in vitro
      fertilization (IVF) is one of the most challenging issue in the field of
      reproductive medicine. However, even if improving IVF outcome in poor responders
      (PORs) represents a main priority, the lack of a unique definition of POR has
      hampered research in this area. In order to overcome this impediment, an ESHRE
      Campus Workshop was organized in Bologna in 2010 and reached a consensus on the
      criteria for the diagnosis of POR ("Bologna Criteria"). In this review we aimed
      to estimate the prognostic potential of the ESHRE definition, to elucidate its
      possible weaknesses and to analyze the economic aspects of IVF in a population of
      poor responders (PORs). Available evidence confirmed that the Bologna criteria
      are able to select a population with a poor IVF prognosis thus supporting their
      validity. Nonetheless, different aspects of the definition have been criticized.
      The main points of debate concern the homogeneity of the population identified,
      the cut-off values chosen for the ovarian reserve tests and the risks factors
      other than age associated with POR. Data concerning the economic profile of IVF
      in PORs are scanty. The only published study on the argument showed that IVF in
      these cases is not cost-effective. However, considering the potential substantial
      impact of cost-effectiveness analyses on public health policies, there is the
      need for further and independent validations.

PMID- 28895679
TI  - A modern approach to the management of candidates for assisted reproductive
      technology procedures.
AB  - The growing use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and the incorrect
      information from mass media, determined in the public the wrong idea that the
      right moment of life for programming a pregnancy can be delayed well beyond the
      physiological fertile age. Spare and insufficient health authorities'
      interventions are driven to explain to the general population the reduction of
      the fertility potential of couples and particularly of women with advancing age.
      This situation, characterized by more and more women seeking for pregnancy after
      age 38-40 imposes to specialists in Reproductive Medicine an honest and
      transparent counselling. Today, more than ever, it is pertinent to talk about the
      need of an "ethic approach" to ART, by which the specialist takes care of all the
      aspects inherent to infertility, such as the strong motivations of the couples in
      searching a child, the wrong perception of ART infallibility, the incorrect
      advertising in the mass media about the pregnancy of elderly actresses and show
      girls, and finally, the enormous amount of commercial interests revolving around
      the "business" of in-vitro fertilization. In this context, the ideal policy that
      an ART center should adopt entails the correct and rapid identification of the
      characteristics of the couple, the exploitation of women ovarian reserve to
      obtain the right number of high quality oocytes, the protection of patients'
      health, the identification of the embryos with the highest chances of
      implantation and the reduction of the time to pregnancy. Here we analyse how to
      obtain each of these goals, through a literature review and expert clinical
      opinion.

PMID- 28895680
TI  - Optimizing preconception health in women of reproductive age.
AB  - There is a growing realization that efforts to optimize the health of women and
      reduce the risk of adverse maternal, perinatal and neonatal outcomes during
      pregnancy should commence in the preconception period. The preconception period
      (prior to or between pregnancies) provides an opportune time to address
      reproductive intentions and promote and support wellbeing and healthy behavior
      change regardless of pregnancy intention. Research over the last 30 years has
      explored the influence of a range of preconception risk factors and determinants
      of health on pregnancy and maternal and neonatal outcomes including: pregnancy
      planning, diet and micronutrient supplementation, physical activity, weight,
      smoking, recreational drug and alcohol use, mental health, oral hygiene, and
      chronic health and medical conditions. Preconception health messages,
      recommendations and guidelines originated in the USA and the preconception
      movement has gained momentum internationally with a variety of strategies
      developed and tested for improving preconception health, and related outcomes.
      The shift to integrate preconception health promotion into the continuum of
      women's healthcare requires a diverse multilevel and multistrategic approach
      involving a range of sectors and health professionals to address the determinants
      of health. This includes a system-wide effort to raise awareness of the
      importance of women's health prior to pregnancy, creating supportive environments
      as well as optimizing clinical practice, policy and programs informed by high
      quality research and longitudinal studies. While preconception health is relevant
      to both women and men globally, this review summarizes the predominant areas of
      preconception health for women in developed countries including the emergence of
      preconception health, the current health messages and evidence, the state of
      international guidelines and evidence-based interventions in preconception.

PMID- 28895681
TI  - How to complete gastroduodenal protection in patients with bleeding risk?

PMID- 28895682
TI  - Composite tissue flap transplantation for limb-salvage surgery in cases of severe
      lower limb burns.

PMID- 28895683
TI  - Clinical outcomes of two techniques in repairing rotator cuff tear: traditional
      double row vs. suture bridge.

PMID- 28895684
TI  - Changes in the definition of term infants and their implications in perinatal
      care: Are they being accomplished?

PMID- 28895685
TI  - Sharenting... should children's lives be disclosed on social media?

PMID- 28895686
TI  - Breastfeeding as a biological dialogue.

PMID- 28895687
TI  - Perceived health and its relation with macrosocial and individual factors in
      children from two departments of Tucuman, Argentina.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during
      childhood favors the identification of factors that affect growth and
      development. The objectives of this study were: a) to describe the HRQoL in
      children between 8.0 and 11.9 years old living in the Province of Tucuman; and b)
      to assess whether the HRQoL varies in relation to macrosocial (quality of life in
      the department, urban/rural household, socioeconomic status) and individual (age
      and sex) factors. POPULATION AND METHODS: Quantitative and cross-sectional study
      among students from the departments of Yerba Buena and Simoca. The KIDSCREEN-52
      questionnaire was administered to measure the HRQoL dimensions, and Student" s t
      tests, analysis of variance and multivariate logistic regression analysis to
      evaluate the data according to macrosocial and individual factors. RESULTS: A
      total of 1647 surveys were analyzed. Younger students and of male sex, in
      general, had a better perception of their health. Yerba Buena residents had mean
      scores that were significantly lower in the financial resources dimension, as
      compared to residents of Simoca (45.3 vs. 46.7, p: 0.01). There was no
      association between the socioeconomic status and the HRQoL. Children from rural
      areas had the lowest scores in most dimensions, with significant differences in
      selfperception (51.3 vs. 53.0, p: 0.01) and mood (43.2 vs. 44.5, p: 0.03).
      CONCLUSIONS: Perceived health of children from Yerba Buena and Simoca varied in
      relation to macrosocial and individual factors. In Yerba Buena, the perception of
      financial resources was worse than in Simoca. In general, the opinion of children
      from urban areas was more favorable than that of children from rural areas.
      Younger students and of male sex had a better perception of their health status.

PMID- 28895688
TI  - Breakfast, nutritional status, and socioeconomic outcome measures among primary
      school students from the City of Salta: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Socioeconomic context and family dynamics are determining factors
      when considering eating habits and nutritional status among students. It has been
      demonstrated that skipping breakfast or having a light breakfast has an
      unfavorable impact on nutritional status. OBJETIVE: To establish a relationship
      among breakfast, sociodemographic outcome measures, and nutritional status among
      students attending public schools in the urban and peri-urban areas of the City
      of Salta. POPULATION AND METHODS: Descriptive, crosssectional study. Purposive,
      non-probability sampling of students attending urban and periurban primary
      schools (aged 9-13, boys and girls). Outcome measures: breakfast at home (habit,
      "enKid" breakfast quality, frequency, duration), nutritional status (body mass
      index, Z-score, World Health Organization), and sociodemographic outcome measures
      (family type, level of education, employment, parents' breakfast habit,
      commensality). Analysis of frequency, associations, logistic regression, odds
      ratio, confidence interval, p < 0.05, WHO AnthroPlus and SPSS v18 software.
      RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-three students were assessed; 49.8% attended
      urban schools. Overweight or obesity was observed in 46.0%. Also, 55.1% skipped
      breakfast at home on the day of the assessment; among those who did have
      breakfast, 79.5% had a poor or very-poor quality meal. Among those who skipped
      breakfast, 40.7% of the girls and 54.7% of the boys were overweight or obese. A
      greater socioeconomic vulnerability and a higher percentage of students who
      attended school without having breakfast were observed in peri-urban schools.
      CONCLUSIONS: Eventually, the probability of skipping breakfast was associated
      with having a large family, absence of parental breakfast habit, a low level of
      maternal education, having breakfast alone, and being obese.

PMID- 28895689
TI  - A cost-benefit analysis of varicella vaccination in Aragon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Varicella, a contagious and infectious disease that is usually benign
      in children, may become complicated among adults and vulnerable children and may
      even be life-threatening. There are effective vaccines. A retrospective study was
      conducted about costs and resulting hospitalizations related to this disease in
      the population of Aragon in the 2004-2014 period. Costs were compared to the
      expenses that would have been incurred if those people had received the vaccine
      and also to the expenses of vaccinating the 1-year-old population over the entire
      period. A cost-benefit analysis was done to assess the economic impact of
      varicella vaccination. METHOD: Data for the 11-year period were provided by the
      Autonomous Community of Aragon (Spain) and included annual varicella incidence,
      hospital discharges of varicella cases, costs of primary health care visits and
      hospitalizations for each year, costs of each workday as per the minimum annual
      salary and of drugs used). Capitalized costs were estimated and compared to
      capitalized expenses of vaccination, and a sensitivity analysis was performed.
      RESULTS: A benefit-cost ratio of 1.6 was obtained considering that all children
      who had varicella had been vaccinated and had received a booster dose. A benefit
      cost ratio of 1.24 was obtained considering that the vaccine had been
      administered to every 1-year-old individual at a price of EUR 28.59 per vaccine.
      Over the 11-year period, 53% of hospitalizations corresponded to children younger
      than 5 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Public campaigns for the immunization of children
      younger than 4 years old with 2 doses lead to cost savings and are cost-effective
      because the vaccine price results in a benefit-cost ratio greater than 1. A major
      reduction is expected in the number of hospitalizations among children aged 3-4
      years.

PMID- 28895690
TI  - Instrument to assess educational programs for parents of children with congenital
      heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery.
AB  - OBJETIVE: To design and validate an instrument to assess the relevance of
      educational programs for parents of children with congenital heart disease (CHD)
      undergoing cardiac surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In October 2011, an instrument
      was designed based on Kaufman's model and on the bibliography, and a survey was
      developed in the form of a checklist with 32 close-ended questions about received
      education and desired education, categorized into 5 items: educator, time, place,
      means, and content. The survey was reviewed by 4 academic professionals and 9
      experts in the care of children with CHD, and the checklist was extended to
      include 42 close-ended questions and 5 open questions. The instrument was
      administered on the day before discharge to the parents of children with CHD
      undergoing cardiac surgery at the Department of Pediatrics between February and
      August 2013. The survey was self-administered by the first participants and
      administered by the investigator among the remaining participants. RESULTS: Fifty
      five children met inclusion criteria; a total of 60 parents took part in the
      study. Agreement was observed between received education and desired education,
      which was statistically significant only in terms of education provided by a
      cardiologist (p= 0.000, K= 0.659) and in the hall (p= 0.000, K= 0.655).
      Statistically significant differences were observed between the 19 self
      administered surveys and the 41 surveys administered by the investigator. Among
      the latter, a greater level of completion was observed for all items. CONCLUSION:
      A validated instrument was developed to assess the relevance of educational
      programs for parents of children with CHD undergoing cardiac surgery. This survey
      should be administered by a health care provider for a better understanding of
      information.

PMID- 28895691
TI  - Implementation of a checklist to increase adherence to evidence-based practices
      in a single pediatric intensive care unit.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The use of checklists to increase adherence to evidence-based
      practices is not yet widespread in pediatric intensive care units. The objective
      of this study was to achieve 90% compliance with studied practices using an ad
      hoc checklist. POPULATION AND METHDOS: Time series quasiexperimental study
      conducted in ventilated children hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care
      unit. Studied practices included sedation breaks, plateau pressure <= 30 cm H 2O,
      fraction of inspired oxygen <= 60%, maintenance of headboard at > 30 degrees ,
      chlorhexidine mouthwash, weekly ventilator circuit changes, preference for
      enteral feeding, reduction in the threshold for blood transfusions (hemoglobin: 7
      g/dL), daily consideration of spontaneous breathing trials and central venous
      catheter removal. The checklist was used during ward rounds by the staff
      physicians in charge of the pediatric intensive care unit as part of an
      intervention to increase adherence and as a tracking tool. Each form completed on
      a daily basis was considered an observation. Observations were classified as
      defective in the case of non-compliance with one or more items. Adherence (the
      rate of nondefective units of observation) is summarized in the control chart.
      RESULTS: The study period lasted 420 days. A total of 732 patients were
      hospitalized; 218 underwent mechanical ventilation; 1201 observations were made,
      and 1191 were included in the study. The control chart with a 14-month time
      horizon showed increased adherence, a special cause variation pattern in the last
      3 months of the study period, and > 90% compliance over the last 2 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a checklist increased adherence to studied
      practices and achieved more than 90% compliance over the last 2 months of the
      study period.

PMID- 28895692
TI  - Development of equations and proposed reference values to estimate body fat mass
      among Chilean children and adolescents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The assessment of body composition is relevant to establish
      nutritional status and identify potential health risks. OBJETIVE: a) To develop
      regression equations to predict fat mass (FM) using a dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry as reference method; b) to propose reference FM values based on
      chronological and biological age for Chilean children and adolescents.
      METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional study in children and adolescents aged 5.0 to 18.9
      years from the Maule Region (Chile). The sample was made up of 3593 subjects in a
      probabilistic fashion (stratified). Subjects' weight, standing height, sitting
      height, and waist circumference were assessed. Body mass index and age at peak
      development velocity (APGV) were estimated. Body composition (FM, fat-free mass,
      bone mass, and fat percentage) were established based on a dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry scan. RESULTS: APGV (biological age) was 14.9 +/- 0.9 years among
      boys and 11.5 +/- 0.7 among girls. Equations were developed to estimate FM among
      boys and girls using chronological age, APGV, and waist circumference as
      predictors. Percentiles were estimated to assess FM by dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry and regression equations. CONCLUSION: Equations were acceptable to
      establish FM; in addition, reference values were proposed to assess FM based on
      chronological and biological age.

PMID- 28895693
TI  - Relationship between infant mortality and altitude in the Northwest region of
      Argentina.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Given its location on the Andes, the Northwest region of Argentina
      is geographically, socioeconomically, culturally, and biologically heterogeneous,
      and this is reflected on an infant mortality rate (IMR) that is higher than in
      any other Argentine region. OBJETIVE: To estimate IMR, neonatal mortality rate
      (NMR), and post-neonatal mortality rate (PNMR), and to analyze their spatial and
      temporal variations using secular trends and the relative risk based on
      altitudinal zones. POPULATION AND METHOD: This was a retrospective, descriptive,
      correlational study based on birth and death data recorded in the Northwest
      region of Argentina (1998-2010); IMR, NMR, PNMR, secular trends, and the relative
      risk of death were calculated by district and altitudinal zone (districts at <
      2000 meters above sea level, lowlands; at > 2000 meters above sea level,
      highlands) by means of a cluster analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Rates were
      higher in the highlands; IMR was 29.8%o (versus 15.6%o in the lowlands); PNMR was
      17.7% in the highlands (versus 5.2% in the lowlands). In the highlands, there was
      an annual average reduction of 3.9% in IMR and of 4.1% in PNMR; in the lowlands,
      such reduction was of 7.0% in IMR and of 9.3% in PNMR. The relative risk of IMR
      and PNMR was significantly higher at high-altitude zones. NMR, its secular trend,
      and the relative risk did not show statistically significant differences between
      both altitudinal zones.

PMID- 28895694
TI  - Linezolid-related adverse effects in clinical practice in children.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Linezolid may cause adverse effects such as thrombocytopenia, which
      were found to be dependent on receiving linezolid for longer than 2 weeks. There
      are limited studies concerning the safety and timing of linezolid-related adverse
      effects in children. Objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of
      adverse effects associated with linezolid, with especially focusing on the time
      of occurrence. POPULATION AND METHODS: All children (<18 years of age) who
      received >3 days of linezolid therapy were included in this study. Adverse
      effects attributed to linezolid and time of occurrence of side effects was
      evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 179 children were enrolled to the study. The
      patients' median age was 4 years (6 days to 17 years). During linezolid
      treatment, 36 (20.1%) patients experienced adverse effects. The most common
      adverse effect was thrombocytopenia that was detected in 26 patients (14.5%).
      Other adverse effects were as following; elevated liver enzymes in 4 patients,
      leucopenia and anemia in 2 patients, renal function impairment in one patient,
      and serious skin reactions in 3 patients. Adverse effects were detected within
      median 7.5 days of therapy (ranging from 4 to 18 days). Among 36 patients, 26
      (72.2%) patients had adverse effect on the first 10 days of therapy. CONCLUSION:
      Transient adverse effects were detected in 20.1% of the patients during linezolid
      therapy. These adverse effects may be detected earlier than ten days of
      treatment. Linezolid should be prescribed safely in children with monitoring
      adverse effects especially platelet count and level of liver enzymes.

PMID- 28895695
TI  - Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: incidence and risk factors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is the most common chronic pulmonary
      sequela among very low birth weight infants. The objective of this study was to
      estimate its incidence in our Neonatal Unit over the past 5 years and analyze
      associated risk factors. POPULATION AND METHODS: An observational and analytical
      study was conducted in a retrospective cohort, using data obtained from a
      prospective database of infants born at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires with a
      birth weight of less than 1500 grams between January 2010 and December 2014. The
      incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and its association with several
      secondary outcome measures were studied. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-five
      patients were included. The incidence of moderate/severe bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia was 22%, and it was associated with a younger gestational age and lower
      birth weight. A significant association was observed with surfactant use,
      mechanical ventilation requirement, and length of mechanical ventilation.
      Patients with moderate/severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia had a higher incidence
      of patent ductus arteriosus and late-onset sepsis. A lower birth weight (adjusted
      odds ratio |-#91;aOR|-#93;: 0.99, 95% confidence interval |-#91;CI|-#93;: 0.991
      0.997, p< 0.001) and the length of mechanical ventilation (aOR: 1.08, 95% CI:
      1.01-1.15, p < 0.01) remained associated following adjustment for other outcome
      measures. In addition, an association was observed among patients with
      intrauterine growth restriction born at less than 32 weeks of gestational age
      (OR: 4.71, 95% CI: 1.68-13.2). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence ofbronchopulmonary
      dysplasia in our unit was associated with a lower birth weight and the length of
      mechanical ventilation. Among infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation,
      intrauterine growth restriction accounted for an additional risk.

PMID- 28895696
TI  - B-type natriuretic peptide: Usefulness in the management of critically-ill
      neonates.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is responsible for changes in the
      heart organogenesis and is associated with transition to extrauterine life. In
      the first week of life, BNP levels are high and return to normal with the
      physiological loss in weight. High BNP levels are associated with different
      conditions. OBJETIVE: To establish the relationship between BNP levels and
      criticality and the short-term clinical course among patients hospitalized in the
      neonatal intensive care unit. METHOD: Observational and analytical study
      conducted in a prospective cohort. Criticality was defined as a requirement for
      assisted mechanical ventilation with a fraction of inspired oxygen of more than
      50% and/or inotropes. Two blood samples were collected 72 hours apart. RESULTS:
      Seventy-three patients were included in the study. Depending on their clinical
      course on day 7, they were divided into 2 groups: patients with a good clinical
      course or a persistent, severe clinical course. The median baseline BNP level was
      similar in both groups (p: 0.15). The median BNP level at 72 hours was higher
      among patients with a persistent, severe clinical course (p: 0.005). The
      difference between both BNP values was calculated (DeltaBNP: BNP level at 72
      hours - BNP level at 0 hours). The DeltaBNP was positive among patients with a
      persistent, severe clinical course (X= 1260 pg/mL; range: 426-2094) and negative
      in the group with a good clinical course (X= -967 pg/mL; range: -1656/-278) (p:
      0.0002); sensitivity: 87%; specificity: 86%; positive predictive value: 74%; and
      negative predictive value: 93%. CONCLUSION: In this group of patients, the delta
      BNP value reflected the short-term clinical course.

PMID- 28895697
TI  - What is the value of neonatal autopsy? Pathological and clinical correlation in
      135 cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neonatal autopsy is a valuable, critical diagnostic method to
      provide genetic counseling for future pregnancies. POPULATION AND METHODS:
      Retrospective study including all neonatal autopsies performed on deceased
      neonates at Clinica y Maternidad Suizo Argentina between January 1998 and
      December 2006. The rate of autopsies was established; the diagnosis indicated in
      the medical record was compared to autopsy findings. RESULTS: Out of 227 deceased
      infants, 135 autopsies were performed (rate: 59.5%). Concordance was complete in
      25% of autopsies. New information was found in 26%, which had significant
      implications for genetic counseling. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of autopsies was
      59.5%. Pathological and clinical correlation and unsuspected findings with
      implications for genetic counseling demonstrate the relevance of performing
      neonatal autopsies systematically.

PMID- 28895698
TI  - Serum prolactin levels in atopic dermatitis and the relationship with disease
      severity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolactin performs as a neuroendocrine modulator of skin epithelial
      cell proliferation and the skin immune system. OBJETIVE: The aim was to assess
      the serum prolactin levels in patients with atopic dermatitis and the
      relationship with disease severity. METHODS: The study was performed on 46
      patients with atopic dermatitis and 100 healthy controls aged between 0.5 years
      and 19.5 years. The diagnosis of atopic dermatitis was based on clinical findings
      and the severity of the disease was documented. Venous blood sampling was
      performed in order to measure prolactin levels. RESULTS: Prolactin levels in
      atopic dermatitis were not different from controls and there was no relationship
      between the severity of atopic dermatitis and serum prolactin levels. Prolactin
      may not have a role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. Further studies
      with larger sample sizes and measurement of prolactin levels in the skin may help
      to understand the role of prolactin in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

PMID- 28895699
TI  - Association between sleep-related breathing disorders and academic performance
      among children from Concepcion, Chile.
AB  - The objective of this study was to establish an association between academic
      performance in Math, Language Arts, and Science and the presence of sleep-related
      breathing disorders (SRBDs) among healthy schoolchildren from the city of
      Concepcion, Chile. Healthy children were defined as those without comorbidities.
      Outcome measures of interest included the analysis of academic performance in
      Math, Language Arts, and Science and the presence of SRBD assessed using the
      Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire. Two-hundred and fifty-six children were included
      in the study (59.8% were boys). In the studied sample, SRBD prevalence was 24.6%.
      A significant association was observed between SRBD and a low performance in Math
      (odds ratio |-#91;OR|-#93;: 3.1, 1.5-6.8), Language Arts (OR:2.5, 1.1-5.5), and
      Science (OR: 4.2, 1.7-10.0). To conclude, in the studied sample, the presence of
      SRBD was associated with a low academic performance in Language Arts, Math, and
      Science.

PMID- 28895700
TI  - Conflict of interest: Nuances between principles and the aim.
AB  - A conflict of interest exists when a health care provider's primary interest is
      at risk of being biased by a secondary interest that would cause harm. This
      concerns the different fields of professional practice. Based on a supplement of
      the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) about conflicts of
      interest inviting to analyze the situation under the "Do No Harm" ethical
      principle, diverse scenarios are described, showing the intricacy and controversy
      of this topic. Elimination of conflict is not always possible, and there is
      consensus that science-based interactions among private organizations, health
      care providers and health institutions can be beneficial to patients. However, it
      is clear that such interaction requires transparent regulations to both manage
      conflict of interest and minimize bias.

PMID- 28895701
TI  - Management of cirrhotic ascites in children: Review and recommendations. Part 2:
      Electrolyte disturbances, nonelectrolyte disturbances, therapeutic options.
AB  - Ascites is a major complication of cirrhosis. There are several evidence-based
      articles and guidelines for the management of adults, but few data have been
      published in relation to children. In the case of a pediatric patient with
      cirrhotic ascites (PPCA), the following questions are raised: How are the
      clinical assessment and ancillary tests performed? When is ascites considered
      refractory? How is it treated? Should fresh plasma and platelets be infused
      before abdominal paracentesis to prevent bleeding? What are the hospitalization
      criteria? What are the indicated treatments? What complications can patients
      develop? When and how should hyponatremia be treated? What are the diagnostic
      criteria for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis? How is it treated? What is
      hepatorenal syndrome? How is it treated? When should albumin be infused? When
      should fluid intake be restricted? The recommendations made here are based on
      pathophysiology and suggest the preferred approach to diagnostic and therapeutic
      aspects, and preventive care.

PMID- 28895703
TI  - [Double aneuploidy: Klinefelter and Edwards syndromes (48,XXY,+18). Case report].
AB  - The co-existence of a double chromosomal abnormality in one individual is a rare
      event, even more the simultaneous presence of Klinefelter (XXY) and Edwards
      (trisomy 18) syndrome. The aim of this article is to report the case of a newborn
      with a double aneuploidy, which consists in the coexistence of Edwards and
      Klinefelter syndrome. The patient's phenotype correlates mainly with Edwards
      syndrome. The diagnosis is made by performing the cytogenetics (karyotype) of
      peripheral blood lymphocytes. Only 15 cases of patients with Klinefelter and
      Edwards syndromes had been reported in literature so far.

PMID- 28895702
TI  - [X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy: a report of three cases. The importance of early
      diagnosis].
AB  - X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy is the most common peroxisomal disorder. This
      disease is caused by a defect in the ABCD1 gen. Saturated very long chain fatty
      acids are accumulated in serum, adrenal cortex and central nervous system white
      matter. The clinical spectrum is characterized by progressive neurological
      dysfunction and adrenal insufficiency with a devastating prognosis. We report a
      first case of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy with fatal evolution which identified
      two asymptomatic family members and established a preventive treatment. Although
      there is no definitive cure, we stress the importance of family study and
      evaluation of the individual in situation of risk to establish an early
      preventive treatment and to give in each particular situation suitable
      professional advice.

PMID- 28895704
TI  - [Novel mutation in TSC2 gene in pediatric patient with clinical diagnosis of
      tuberous sclerosis].
AB  - Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a neurocutaneous autosomal dominant disorder
      that results from mutations within either the TSC1 gene or the TSC2 gene.
      Diagnosis is based on well-established clinical criteria or genetic criteria.
      Clinical features are highly variable and could be developing over the life. We
      present a case of TSC with a molecular test that identified a novel variant in
      TSC2 gene. It is a sporadic missense mutation which has not been previously
      reported in the literature. It is caused by premature termination of protein
      translation and results in the production of truncated and non-functional
      proteins. This mutation is considered as a pathogenic variant and allows to
      broaden the spectrum of variants of TSC2 gene as a cause of TSC.

PMID- 28895705
TI  - [Complete heart block and asystole in a child with ataxia-telangiectasia].
AB  - Ataxia-telangiectasia is a disorder characterized by cerebellar ataxia,
      telangiectasia, immunodeficiency, and increased predisposition to cancer
      susceptibility. Mutations in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated gene seem to play
      an important role in normal cell function and in cardiovascular remodeling. We
      report a case of a 14-year-old boy with ataxia-telangiectasia and high-grade B
      non-Hodgkin lymphoma who remained in continuous complete remission after
      chemotherapy and who was admitted into our Emergency Room presenting with
      episodes of presyncope. At admission he presented a complete atrioventricular
      block that evolved into asystole and required placement of a pacemaker.
      Cumulative cardiotoxic drugs received were at low risk. However, it is possible
      that this chronic degenerative disease may affect the cardiac conduction system
      over time. In the reviewed literature there are no or unknown reports of ataxia
      telangiectasia with malignant cardiac arrhythmias.

PMID- 28895706
TI  - [Neonatal renal abscess: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. A clinical
      case].
AB  - Renal abscess is a rare disease in newborn, but severe consequences can occur:
      sepsis with high mortality, renal scar formation and risk of chronic renal
      failure. A neonate with unilateral renal abscess due to Staphylococcus aureus is
      reported, with septicemia, with no other suppurative focus, nor with urinary
      malformation, with good clinical evolution with intravenous antibiotics and
      without surgical treatment, but with renal scars sequel. From this case, the
      strategies of diagnosis, treatment and followup of the renal abscess in a neonate
      are analyzed, emphasizing the early diagnosis to avoid renal scars.

PMID- 28895707
TI  - [Juvenile form of Sandhoff disease: first case reported in Argentina].
AB  - Sandhoff disease is a neurodegenerative, lysosomal and autosomal recessive
      disease caused by mutations in the HEXB gene. Three forms are recognized:
      infantile, juvenile and adult. Previously, an endogamous population in Cordoba,
      Argentina, was identified with a high incidence of Sandhoff disease, all reported
      cases were of the infantile type. In this work, we describe a child with the
      juvenile form of Sandhoff disease, the first case reported in Argentina. The
      patient is a 7-year-old boy presenting with ataxia, speech disturbances and
      global developmental delay, symptoms starting at the age of 2 years. Diagnosis
      was based on the hexosaminidase deficiency. Sequencing of genomic DNA revealed
      compound heterozygosity for two HEXB gene mutations: c.796T>G (p.Y266D) and
      c.1615C>T (p.R539C), both already reported.

PMID- 28895708
TI  - [Deep neck infections: Report of three pediatric cases].
AB  - Retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscesses are rare but associated with
      significant morbidity and potential mortality. In recent years, there has been an
      increase in the incidence of these infections, mainly due to a greater
      availability of computed tomography scan and a greater virulence of the germs
      (Group A b-hemolytic Streptococcus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus). They predominate in children younger than 5 years. Treatment of
      retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscesses consists of an intravenous
      antibiotic and eventually surgical drainage. Surgical treatment is indicated in
      patients with abscesses greater than 2 cm 3, with respiratory difficulty or poor
      response to initial antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study is to describe
      clinical features and treatment of three cases of deep neck abscesses presented
      at Hospital de Ninos Pedro de Elizalde, Otorhinolaryngology Department in the
      period of one year.

PMID- 28895709
TI  - Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator treatment for intracardiac vegetation in
      a very low birth weight infant.
AB  - Developing treatment options have resulted in prolonged admission and increased
      bacterial and fungal nosocomial infections as well as improved survival in
      neonatal intensive care unit. Invasive fungal infections in newborns are
      associated with significant morbidity and mortality and can cause endorgan
      dissemination such as endocarditis, endophthalmitis, septic arthritis,
      obstructive nephropathy and meningitis. Endocarditis requires aggressive systemic
      antifungal therapy and sometimes surgical intervention in neonates. We report a
      low birth weight premature infant with intracardiac vegetation that is rare and a
      life-threatening complication of invasive fungal infections. He was treated with
      caspofungin and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in stead of surgical
      intervention.

PMID- 28895710
TI  - [Trichosporon asahii sepsis associated with urinary catheter in a pediatric burn
      unit: 2 case reports].
AB  - Trichosporon asahii is a ubiquitous fungus that has been isolated as part of
      human microbiota. There has been an emergence of this pathogen in recent years,
      causing superficial and deep seated infections. There are scarce reports of
      urinary tract infections in pediatric intensive care burn units caused by this
      agent. We describe the cases of 2 pediatric patients with prolonged
      hospitalization due to severe burns that had received several antibiotic courses
      for previous infections. Both presented sepsis secondary to catheter related
      urinary tract infection by Trichosporon asahii. Both patients underwent urinary
      catheter replacement and were treated effectively with voriconazole for 10 days.
      In the cases presented, sepsis was assumed to be due to Trichosporon asahii since
      no other microorganism was identified and the patients showed favorable outcome
      with the prescribed treatment with voriconazole and replacement of the urinary
      catheter.

PMID- 28895711
TI  - [Post-intubation laryngeal granuloma: a rare complication of tracheal intubation
      in pediatrics. Case report].
AB  - Laryngeal granulomas are benign lesions located in the posterior third of the
      glottis, mainly at the level of the vocal apophysis of the arytenoid cartilage.
      They are typically associated with three etiological factors: endotracheal
      intubation, inappropriate voice use and/or gastroesophageal reflux. The formation
      of a post-intubation laryngeal granuloma is a late complication related to
      intubation injury. It is uncommon in the child, especially if the period of
      intubation is short. It is usually unilateral and produces dysphonia, pharyngeal
      foreign body sensation and cough. Treatment consists of surgical removal when the
      lesion is pediculated or causes respiratory compromise. We present a 14-year-old
      girl who developed a pediculated laryngeal granuloma after orotracheal intubation
      of less than 24 hours, which was evidenced 3 months after cardiac surgery. We
      describe the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of
      this pathology.

PMID- 28895713
TI  - [Hypochromic microcytic Anemias: Guideline for diagnosis.

PMID- 28895712
TI  - [Recommendations for the prevention of organic foreign bodies aspiration].
AB  - Foreign body aspiration remains a common and potentially serious pediatric
      problem. Most aspirated foreign bodies are food. The education of parents and
      caregivers about choking hazards and how to avoid them is critical to reduce the
      incidence of these events. The pediatricians play a key role in promoting injury
      prevention. We indicate the main characteristics of hazardous food and we present
      recommendations on age-appropriate meals, adequate forms of food preparation and
      behavioral rules at mealtimes in order to reduce food choking.

PMID- 28895714
TI  - Controllable Interface Junction, In-Plane Heterostructures Capable of
      Mechanically Mediating On-Demand Asymmetry of Thermal Transports.
AB  - Designing structures with thermal rectification performance that can be regulated
      by or adapted to mechanical deformation is in great demand in wearable
      electronics. Herein, using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation, we
      present an in-plane graphene-boron nitride heterostructure with a controlled
      interface junction and demonstrate that its thermal transport ability is
      asymmetric when reversing the direction of heat flow. Such thermal rectification
      performance can be further regulated by applying an external tensile loading due
      to the mitigation of stress concentration, phonon resonance, and phonon
      localization. The analyses on heat flow distribution, vibrational spectra, and
      phonon participation suggest that the out-of-plane phonon modes dominate thermal
      rectification at a small tensile strain, while the mechanical stress plays a
      dominant role in regulation at a large tensile strain due to the weakened
      localization of out-of-plane phonon modes. The effect of tensile loading on the
      thermal rectification is demonstrated by selective interface junction-enabled
      heterostructures, and the results indicate that both asymmetry and direction of
      thermal transport can be controlled by introducing defects to the interface
      junction and/or applying mechanical tensile strain. These findings and models are
      expected to provide an immediate guidance for designing and manufacturing 2D
      material-based devices with mechanically tunable thermal management capabilities.

PMID- 28895715
TI  - Pompon-like RuNPs-Based Theranostic Nanocarrier System with Stable Photoacoustic
      Imaging Characteristic for Accurate Tumor Detection and Efficient Phototherapy
      Guidance.
AB  - Even though numerous therapeutic methods exist for cancer treatment, many fail to
      achieve ideal outcomes or have severe side effects. Here, we describe a
      theranostic nanocarrier system with improved tumor vasculature detection and
      tumor margin quantification that increases the accuracy and guidance efficiency
      of phototherapy. Novel pompon-like RuNPs with superb photothermal properties and
      high encapsulation efficiency were first synthesized via the polyol reducing
      method. Based on these RuNPs, we then developed a multifunctional theranostic
      system, pRu-pNIPAM@RBT, composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) as the thermal
      response switch and of [Ru(bpy)2(tip)]2+ as the photosensitizer of PDT and the
      contrast agent of biomedical imaging. We demonstrate that the pRu-pNIPAM@RBT can
      generate intracellular hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species (ROS) for
      simultaneous photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) by laser
      activation. In contrast to other studies, our work highlights the integration of
      quantitative analysis of infrared thermal imaging and PA imaging data, which can
      distinguish between tumor and healthy tissues and guide the destructive but
      precise phototherapy and decrease nonspecific tissue injury. Considering the
      excellent in vivo antitumor phototherapeutic effects, this strategy may help
      preclinical researchers gain insight into theoretical as well as practical
      aspects of precision cancer therapy.

PMID- 28895716
TI  - Synthesis-Free Phase-Selective Gelator for Oil-Spill Remediation.
AB  - A new deep eutectic solvent (DES) was developed as a phase-selective gelator for
      oil-spill remediation. The newly designed nonionic DES is based on a combination
      of an amide (N-methylacetamide) and a long chain carboxylic acid (lauric acid)
      and does not require any synthetic procedure besides mixing. Our studies show
      that the DES works as gelator by forming a gel between lauric acid and the
      hydrocarbon, whereas the amide serves to form the DES and dissolves in water
      during the gelation process. In addition, the DES material has gelation
      properties comparable to those considered as state-of-the-art. Overall, the newly
      developed material shows a promising future in oil recovery methodologies.

PMID- 28895717
TI  - Backbone Circularization Coupled with Optimization of Connecting Segment in
      Effectively Improving the Stability of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor.
AB  - Backbone circularization of protein is a powerful method to improve its
      structural stability. In this paper, we presumed that a tight connection leads to
      much higher stability. Therefore, we designed circularized variants of a
      granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) with a structurally optimized
      terminal connection. To estimate the appropriate length of the connection, we
      surveyed the Protein Data Bank to find local structures as a model for the
      connecting segment. We set the library of local structures composed of "helix
      loop-helix," subsequently selected entries similar to the G-CSF terminus, and
      finally sorted the hit structures according to the loop length. Two, five, or
      nine loop residues were frequently observed; thus, three circularized variants
      (C163, C166, and C170) were constructed, prepared, and evaluated. All
      circularized variants demonstrated a higher thermal stability than linear G-CSF
      (L175). In particular, C166 that retained five connecting residues demonstrated
      apparent Tm values of 69.4  degrees C, which is 8.7  degrees C higher than that
      of the circularized variant with no truncation (C177), indicating that the
      optimization of the connecting segment is effective for enhancing the overall
      structural stability. C166 also showed higher proteolytic stability against both
      endoprotease and exopeptidase than L175. We anticipate that the present study
      will contribute to the improvement in the general design of circularized protein
      and development of G-CSF biobetters.

PMID- 28895718
TI  - Cold Crystallization of Glassy Polylactide during Solvent Crazing.
AB  - Uniaxial tension accompanied by the orientation and crystallization of polymer
      chains is one of the powerful methods for the improvement of mechanical
      properties. Crystallization of amorphous isotropic polylactide (PLA) at room
      temperature is studied for the first time during the drawing of films in the
      presence of liquid adsorption-active media (ethanol, water-ethanol mixtures, and
      n-heptane) by the solvent crazing mechanism. The crystalline structure arises
      only under simultaneous actions of a liquid medium and a tensile stress and does
      not depend on the nature of the environment. The degree of polymer crystallinity
      increases nearly linearly with the growth in the fraction of the fibrillar
      material and reaches a maximum value of 42-45%. It has been stated that polymer
      crystallization happens in crazes involving nanofibrils with a diameter of about
      10-20 nm without affecting the bulk polymer parts. Wide-angle X-ray scattering
      has been used to confirm that the crazing-induced crystallization is accompanied
      by the formation of the alpha'-crystalline phase with crystallite sizes (X-ray
      coherent scattering region) of 3-5 nm, depending on the nature of the liquid
      medium. After stretching in liquid media to a high tensile strain, the strength
      of a PLA film has increased to 200 MPa.

PMID- 28895720
TI  - Temperature-Insensitive Piezoelectric Performance in
      Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.42Sn0.02Nb0.04)O3 Ceramics Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering.
AB  - Dense Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.42Sn0.02Nb0.04)O3 high-performance piezoceramics were prepared
      by spark plasma sintering. Phase structure, domain structure, and temperature
      dependent electrical properties were systematically investigated. The spark
      plasma-sintered ceramics possess a pure perovskite structure with rhombohedral
      tetragonal (R-T) phase boundaries and a high Curie temperature of 347  degrees C.
      Reliable performance against temperature was observed. First, high strain
      behavior with a normalized strain d33* of 640 and 710 pm/V occurred at 25 and 150
      degrees C, respectively, varying less than 11%. Besides, a large remnant
      polarization Pr of 36.9 MUC/cm2 is observed at room temperature and varies less
      than 18% within the temperature range of 25-150  degrees C. In addition, an
      enhanced piezoelectric coefficient d33 of ~460 pm/V was attained at a high
      temperature of 150  degrees C, manifesting a 40% enhancement with respect to the
      d33 value (330 pm/V) obtained at room temperature.

PMID- 28895719
TI  - Radical S-Adenosylmethionine Enzymes Involved in RiPP Biosynthesis.
AB  - Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs)
      display a diverse range of structures and continue to expand as a natural product
      class. Accordingly, RiPPs exhibit a wide array of bioactivities, acting as broad
      and narrow spectrum growth suppressors, antidiabetics, and antinociception and
      anticancer agents. Because of these properties, and the complex repertoire of
      post-translational modifications (PTMs) that give rise to these molecules, RiPP
      biosynthesis has been intensely studied. RiPP biosynthesis often involves enzymes
      that perform unique chemistry with intriguing reaction mechanisms, which attract
      chemists and biochemists alike to study and re-engineer these pathways. One
      particular type of RiPP biosynthetic enzyme is the so-called radical S
      adenosylmethionine (rSAM) enzyme, which utilizes radical-based chemistry to
      install several distinct PTMs. Here, we describe the rSAM enzymes characterized
      over the past decade that catalyze six reaction types from several RiPP
      biosynthetic pathways. We present the current state of mechanistic understanding
      and conclude with possible directions for future characterization of this enzyme
      family.

PMID- 28895721
TI  - Eukaryotic Ribosomal Expansion Segments as Antimicrobial Targets.
AB  - Diversity in eukaryotic rRNA structure and function offers possibilities of
      therapeutic targets. Unlike ribosomes of prokaryotes, eukaryotic ribosomes
      contain species-specific rRNA expansion segments (ESs) with idiosyncratic
      structures and functions that are essential and specific to some organisms. Here
      we investigate expansion segment 7 (ES7), one of the largest and most variable
      expansions of the eukaryotic ribosome. We hypothesize that ES7 of the pathogenic
      fungi Candida albicans (ES7CA) could be a prototypic drug target. We show that
      isolated ES7CA folds reversibly to a native-like state. We developed a
      fluorescence displacement assay using an RNA binding fluorescent probe, F-neo. F
      neo binds tightly to ES7CA with a Kd of 2.5 * 10-9 M but binds weakly to ES7 of
      humans (ES7HS) with a Kd estimated to be greater than 7 MUM. The fluorescence
      displacement assay was used to investigate the affinities of a library of
      peptidic aminosugar conjugates (PAs) for ES7CA. For conjugates with highest
      affinities for ES7CA (NeoRH, NeoFH, and NeoYH), the lowest dose needed to induce
      mortality in C. albicans (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC) was determined.
      PAs with the lowest MIC values were tested for cytotoxicity in HEK293T cells.
      Molecules with high affinity for ES7CA in vitro induce mortality in C. albicans
      but not in HEK293T cells. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that ESs
      represent useful targets for chemotherapeutics directed against eukaryotic
      pathogens.

PMID- 28895722
TI  - Dielectric Sphere Clusters as a Model to Understand Infrared Spectroscopic
      Imaging Data Recorded from Complex Samples.
AB  - Understanding the infrared (IR) spectral response of materials as a function of
      their morphology is not only of fundamental importance but also of contemporary
      practical need in the analysis of biological and synthetic materials. While
      significant work has recently been reported in understanding the spectra of
      particles with well-defined geometries, we report here on samples that consist of
      collections of particles. First, we theoretically model the importance of
      multiple scattering effects and computationally predict the impact of local
      particles' environment on the recorded IR spectra. Both monodisperse and
      polydisperse particles are considered in clusters with various degrees of
      packing. We show that recorded spectra are highly dependent on the cluster
      morphology and size of particles but the origin of this dependence is largely due
      to the scattering that depends on morphology and not absorbance that largely
      depends on the volume of material. The effect of polydispersity is to reduce the
      fine scattering features in the spectrum, resulting in a closer resemblance to
      bulk spectra. Fourier transform-IR (FT-IR) spectra of clusters of
      electromagnetically coupled poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) spheres with
      wavelength-scale diameters were recorded and compared to simulated results.
      Measured spectra agreed well with those predicted. Of note, when PMMA spheres
      occupy a volume greater than 18% of the focal volume, the recorded IR spectrum
      becomes almost independent of the cluster's morphological changes. This
      threshold, where absorbance starts to dominate the signal, exactly matches the
      percolation threshold for hard spheres and quantifies the transition between the
      single particle and bulk behavior. Our finding enables an understanding of the
      spectral response of structured samples and points to appropriate models for
      recovering accurate chemical information from in IR microspectroscopy data.

PMID- 28895723
TI  - High-Efficiency Co/CoxSy@S,N-Codoped Porous Carbon Electrocatalysts Fabricated
      from Controllably Grown Sulfur- and Nitrogen-Including Cobalt-Based MOFs for
      Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries.
AB  - Developing bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts with superior catalytic
      activities of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen revolution reaction
      (OER) is crucial to their practical energy storage and conversion applications.
      In this work, we report the fabrication of Co/CoxSy@S,N-codoped porous carbon
      structures with various morphologies, specific surface areas, and pore
      structures, derived from controllably grown Co-based metal-organic frameworks
      with S- and N-containing organic ligands (thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate, Tdc; and
      4,4'-bipyridine, bpy) utilizing solvent effect (e.g., water and methanol) under
      room temperature and hydrothermal conditions. The results demonstrate that
      Co/CoxSy@S,N-codoped carbon fibers fabricated at a pyrolytic temperature of 800 
      degrees C (Co/CoxSy@SNCF-800) from Co-MOFs fibers fabricated in methanol under
      hydrothermal conditions as electrocatalysts exhibit superior bifunctional ORR and
      OER activities in alkaline media, endowing them as air cathodic catalysts in
      rechargeable zinc-air batteries with high power density and good durability.

PMID- 28895724
TI  - Investigation of Charge Transfer Kinetics at Carbon/Hydroquinone Interfaces for
      Redox-Active-Electrolyte Supercapacitors.
AB  - The redox-active electrolyte supercapacitor (RAES) is a relatively new type of
      energy storage device. Simple addition of selected redox species in the
      electrolyte can greatly enhance the energy density of supercapacitors relative to
      traditional electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) owing to redox reactions.
      Studies on the kinetics at the interface of the electrode and redox mediator are
      important when developing RAESs. In this work, we employ highly accurate scanning
      electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to extract the kinetic constants at
      carbon/hydroquinone interfaces. The charge transfer rate constants are 1.2 * 10-2
      and 1.3 * 10-2 cm s-1 for the carbon nanotube/hydroquinone and reduced graphene
      oxide/hydroquinone interfaces, respectively. These values are higher than those
      obtained by the conventional cyclic voltammetry method, approximately by an order
      of magnitude. The evaluation of heterogeneous rate constants with SECM would be
      the cornerstone for understanding and developing high performance RAESs.

PMID- 28895725
TI  - Luminescent and Photoconductive Layered Lead Halide Perovskite Compounds
      Comprising Mixtures of Cesium and Guanidinium Cations.
AB  - Interest in hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide compounds with perovskite-like
      two-dimensional crystal structures is growing due to the unique electronic and
      optoelectronic properties of these compounds. Herein, we demonstrate the
      synthesis, thermal and optical properties, and calculations of the electronic
      band structures for one- and two-layer compounds comprising both cesium and
      guanidinium cations: Cs[C(NH2)3]PbI4 (I), Cs[C(NH2)3]PbBr4 (II), and
      Cs2[C(NH2)3]Pb2Br7 (III). Compounds I and II exhibit intense photoluminescence at
      low temperatures, whereas compound III is emissive at room temperature. All of
      the obtained substances are stable in air and do not thermally decompose until
      300  degrees C. Since Cs+ and C(NH2)3+ are increasingly utilized in precursor
      solutions for depositing polycrystalline lead halide perovskite thin films for
      photovoltaics, exploring possible compounds within this compositional space is of
      high practical relevance to understanding the photophysics and atomistic chemical
      nature of such films.

PMID- 28895726
TI  - Susceptibility of Goethite to Fe2+-Catalyzed Recrystallization over Time.
AB  - Recent work has shown that iron oxides, such as goethite and hematite, may
      recrystallize in the presence of aqueous Fe2+ under anoxic conditions. This
      process, referred to as Fe2+-catalyzed recrystallization, can influence water
      quality by causing the incorporation/release of environmental contaminants and
      biological nutrients. Accounting for the effects of Fe2+-catalyzed
      recrystallization on water quality requires knowing the time scale over which
      recrystallization occurs. Here, we tested the hypothesis that nanoparticulate
      goethite becomes less susceptible to Fe2+-catalyzed recrystallization over time.
      We set up two batches of reactors in which 55Fe2+ tracer was added at two
      different time points and tracked the 55Fe partitioning in the aqueous and
      goethite phases over 60 days. Less 55Fe uptake occurred between 30 and 60 days
      than between 0 and 30 days, suggesting goethite recrystallization slowed with
      time. Fitting the data with a box model indicated that 17% of the goethite
      recrystallized after 30 days of reaction, and an additional 2% recrystallized
      between 30 and 60 days. The decreasing susceptibility of goethite to
      recrystallize as it reacted with aqueous Fe2+ suggested that recrystallization is
      likely only an important process over short time scales.

PMID- 28895727
TI  - Multifrequency Optomechanical Stiffness Measurement of Single Adherent Cells on a
      Solid Substrate with High Throughput.
AB  - Mechanical properties of a cell reflect its biological and pathological
      conditions and there have been active research efforts to develop high-throughput
      platforms to mechanically characterize single cells. Yet, many of these research
      efforts are focused on suspended cells and use a flow-through configuration. In
      this paper, the stiffness of single adherent cells are optomechanically
      characterized using the vibration-induced phase shift (VIPS) without detaching
      them from the substrate. With the VIPS measurements, the frequency and amplitude
      dependency of the cell stiffness is investigated and statistically significant
      difference in the cell stiffness is confirmed after exposure to various drugs
      affecting cytoskeleton network. Furthermore, a 3-dimensional finite element model
      of a cell on a vibrating substrate is developed to extract the mechanical
      property from the measured VIPS. The developed technique can characterize the
      mechanical properties of single adherent cells at multiple frequencies with high
      throughput and will provide valuable clues in understanding cell mechanics.

PMID- 28895728
TI  - Polycaprolactone Nanocomposites Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals Surface
      Modified via Covalent Grafting or Physisorption: A Comparative Study.
AB  - In the present work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have been surface-modified
      either via covalent grafting or through physisorption of poly(n-butyl
      methacrylate) (PBMA) and employed as reinforcement in PCL. Covalent grafting was
      achieved by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). Two
      approaches were utilized for the physisorption: using either micelles of
      poly(dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA
      b-PBMA) or latex nanoparticles of poly(dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate-co
      methacrylic acid)-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (P(DMAEMA-co-MAA)-b-PBMA).
      Block copolymers (PDMAEMA-b-PBMA)s were obtained by ATRP and subsequently
      micellized. Latex nanoparticles were produced via reversible addition
      fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) mediated surfactant-free emulsion
      polymerization, employing polymer-induced self-assembly (PISA) for the particle
      formation. For a reliable comparison, the amounts of micelles/latex particles
      adsorbed and the amount of polymer grafted onto the CNCs were kept similar. Two
      different chain lengths of PBMA were targeted, below and above the critical
      molecular weight for chain entanglement of PBMA (Mn,c ~ 56 000 g mol-1).
      Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) nanocomposites reinforced with unmodified and
      modified CNCs in different weight percentages (0.5, 1, and 3 wt %) were prepared
      via melt extrusion. The resulting composites were evaluated by UV-vis, scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and tensile
      testing. All materials resulted in higher transparency, greater thermal
      stability, and stronger mechanical properties than unfilled PCL and
      nanocomposites containing unmodified CNCs. The degradation temperature of PCL
      reinforced with grafted CNCs was higher than that of micelle-modified CNCs, and
      the latter was higher than that of latex-adsorbed CNCs with a long PBMA chain
      length. The results clearly indicate that covalent grafting is superior to
      physisorption with regard to thermal and mechanical properties of the final
      nanocomposite. This unique study is of great value for the future design of CNC
      based nanocomposites with tailored properties.

PMID- 28895729
TI  - Effect of Non-fullerene Acceptors' Side Chains on the Morphology and Photovoltaic
      Performance of Organic Solar Cells.
AB  - Three indacenodithieno[3,2-b]thiophene (IT) cored small molecular acceptors (ITIC
      SC6, ITIC-SC8, and ITIC-SC2C6) were synthesized, and the influence of side chains
      on their performances in solar cells was systematically probed. Our
      investigations have demonstrated the variation of side chains greatly affects the
      charge dissociation, charge mobility, and morphology of the donor:acceptor blend
      films. ITIC-SC2C6 with four branched side chains showed improved solubility,
      which can ensure the polymer donor to form favorable fibrous nanostructure during
      the drying of the blend film. Consequently, devices based on PBDB-ST:ITIC-SC2C6
      demonstrated higher charge mobility, more effective exciton dissociation, and the
      optimal power conversion efficiency up to 9.16% with an FF of 0.63, a Jsc of
      15.81 mA cm-2, and a Voc of 0.92 V. These results reveal that the side chain
      engineering is a valid way of tuning the morphology of blend films and further
      improving PCE in polymer solar cells.

PMID- 28895730
TI  - Rheostatic Control of Cas9-Mediated DNA Double Strand Break (DSB) Generation and
      Genome Editing.
AB  - We recently reported two novel tools for precisely controlling and quantifying
      Cas9 activity: a chemically inducible Cas9 variant (ciCas9) that can be rapidly
      activated by small molecules and a ddPCR assay for time-resolved measurement of
      DNA double strand breaks (DSB-ddPCR). Here, we further demonstrate the potential
      of ciCas9 to function as a tunable rheostat for Cas9 function. We show that a new
      highly potent and selective small molecule activator paired with a more tightly
      regulated ciCas9 variant expands the range of accessible Cas9 activity levels. We
      subsequently demonstrate that ciCas9 activity levels can be dose-dependently
      tuned with a small molecule activator, facilitating rheostatic time-course
      experiments. These studies provide the first insight into how Cas9-mediated DSB
      levels correlate with overall editing efficiency. Thus, we demonstrate that
      ciCas9 and our DSB-ddPCR assay permit the time-resolved study of Cas9 DSB
      generation and genome editing kinetics at a wide range of Cas9 activity levels.

PMID- 28895731
TI  - Ba5Zn4(BO3)6: A Nonlinear-Optical Material with Reinforced Interlayer Connections
      and Large Second-Harmonic-Generation Response.
AB  - A nonlinear-optical crystal Ba5Zn4(BO3)6 (BZBO) is obtained that is constructed
      with [Zn4(BO3)4O6]infinity units bridged by planar BO3 groups along the a axis
      based on the flexibility of the BO3 and ZnO4 groups. The distance between
      adjacent [Zn4(BO3)4O6]infinity layers in BZBO is 5.07 A, which is much shorter
      than those of KBe2BO3F2, Ba2Zn(BO3)2, and Na2CsBe6B5O15. The smaller interlayer
      spacing and stronger bond between neighboring layers of BZBO contribute to a
      better growth habit than those of the other three. Also, with the cooperation of
      two kinds of nonlinear-optical active groups, BO3 and ZnO4, BZBO exhibits a large
      second-harmonic-generation response of about 2.6 times that of KDP.

PMID- 28895732
TI  - A New Series of Succinimido-ferrociphenols and Related Heterocyclic Species
      Induce Strong Antiproliferative Effects, Especially against Ovarian Cancer Cells
      Resistant to Cisplatin.
AB  - Ferrociphenols are known to display anticancer properties by original mechanisms
      dependent on redox properties and generation of active metabolites such as
      quinone methides. Recent studies have highlighted the positive impact of
      oxidative stress on chemosensitivity and prognosis of ovarian cancer patients.
      Ovarian adenocarcinomas are shown to be an excellent model for defining the
      impact of selected ferrociphenols as new therapeutic drugs for such cancers. This
      work describes the syntheses and preliminary mechanistic research of
      unprecedented multitargeting heterocyclic ferrociphenols bearing either a
      succinimidyl or phthalimidyl group that show exceptional antiproliferative
      behavior against epithelial ovarian cancer cells resistant to cisplatin. Owing to
      the failure of the present pharmaceutical options, such as carboplatin a
      metallodrug based on Pt coordination chemistry, these species may help to
      overcome the problem of lethal resistance. Currently, ferrociphenolic entities
      generally operate via apoptotic and senescence pathways. We present here our
      first results in this new cyclic-imide series.

PMID- 28895733
TI  - Evidence for a Double Well in the First Triplet Excited State of 2-Thiouracil.
AB  - The computationally predicted presence of two structurally distinct minima in the
      first triplet excited (T1) state of 2-thiouracil (2TU) is substantiated by sub
      picosecond transient vibrational absorption spectroscopy (TVAS) in deuterated
      acetonitrile solution. Following 300 nm ultraviolet excitation to the second
      singlet excited state of 2TU, a transient infrared absorption band centered at
      1643 cm-1 is observed within our minimum time resolution of 0.3 ps. It is
      assigned either to 2TU molecules in the S1 state or to vibrationally hot T1-state
      molecules, with the latter assignment more consistent with recent computational
      and experimental studies. The 1643 cm-1 band decays with a time constant of 7.2
      +/- 0.8 ps, and there is corresponding growth of several further bands centered
      at 1234, 1410, 1424, 1443, 1511, 1626, and 1660 cm-1 which show no decline in
      intensity over the 1 ns time limit of our measurements. These spectral features
      are assigned to two different conformations of 2TU, corresponding to separate
      energy minima on the T1-state potential energy surface, on the basis of their
      extended lifetimes, computed infrared frequencies, and the observed quenching of
      the bands by addition of styrene. Corresponding measurements for the 4-thiouracil
      (4TU) isomer show sub-picosecond population of the T1 state, which vibrationally
      cools with a time constant of 5.2 +/- 0.6 ps. However, TVAS measurements in the
      carbonyl stretching region do not distinguish the two computed T1-state
      conformers of 4TU because of the similarity of their vibrational frequencies.

PMID- 28895734
TI  - Generalized Optimized Effective Potential for Orbital Functionals and Self
      Consistent Calculation of Random Phase Approximations.
AB  - A new self-consistent procedure for calculating the total energy with an orbital
      dependent density functional approximation (DFA), the generalized optimized
      effective potential (GOEP), is developed in the present work. The GOEP is a
      nonlocal Hermitian potential that delivers the sets of occupied and virtual
      orbitals and minimizes the total energy. The GOEP optimization leads to the same
      minimum as does the orbital optimization. The GOEP method is promising as an
      effective optimization approach for orbital-dependent functionals, as
      demonstrated for the self-consistent calculations of the random phase
      approximation (RPA) to the correlation functionals in the particle-hole (ph) and
      particle-particle (pp) channels. The results show that the accuracy in describing
      the weakly interacting van der Waals systems is significantly improved in the
      self-consistent calculations. In particular, the important single excitations
      contribution in non-self-consistent RPA calculations can be captured self
      consistently through the GOEP optimization, leading to orbital renormalization,
      without using the single excitations in the energy functional.

PMID- 28895737
TI  - Migration of Phospholipid Vesicles Can Be Selectively Driven by Concentration
      Gradients of Metal Chloride Solutions.
AB  - We have investigated the migrations of phospholipid vesicles under the
      concentration gradients of metal ions. We microinjected metal chloride solutions,
      monovalent (NaCl and KCl), divalent (CaCl2 and MgCl2), and trivalent (LaCl3)
      salts, toward phospholipid giant vesicles (GVs) composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn
      glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC). For NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2 solutions, the GVs
      migrated straight toward the tip of the micropipette in response to the
      concentration gradients, whereas for KCl and LaCl3, GVs moved to the opposite
      direction. Our motion tracking of lipid domains in a vesicle membrane showed no
      unidirectional flow in the membrane during the vesicle migration, indicating that
      the Marangoni mechanism is not responsible for the observed vesicle migration. We
      calculated the diffusiophoretic velocities for symmetric and asymmetrical
      electrolytes by solving the Stokes' equation numerically. The theoretical
      diffusiophoretic velocities described the observed migration velocities well.
      Thus, we can control the migration of vesicle in response to the concentration
      gradient by adapting the electrolytes and the lipids.

PMID- 28895735
TI  - Reduction-sensitive Paclitaxel Prodrug Self-assembled Nanoparticles with
      Tetrandrine Effectively Promote Synergistic Therapy Against Drug-sensitive and
      Multidrug-resistant Breast Cancer.
AB  - Codelivery of multiple drugs with complementary anticancer mechanisms by
      nanocarriers offers an effective strategy to treat cancers. Herein, conjugation
      (PTX-SS-VE) of paclitaxel (PTX) to vitamin E succinate (VE) self-assembled
      nanoparticles were used to load tetrandrine (TET) for combinational treatment
      against breast carcinoma. The ratio of PTX-SS-VE and TET was optimized. Compared
      with PTX, the TET/PTX-SS-VE coloaded nanoparticles (TPNPs) demonstrated superior
      cytotoxicity against both MCF-7 cells and MCF-7/Adr cells. TPNPs were facilitated
      to release PTX and TET under a highly reductive environment in tumor cells
      through the in vitro simulative release study. Cell apoptosis study and Western
      blotting analysis exhibited TPNPs could significantly increase cell apoptosis via
      modulating the levels of Bcl-2 protein and Caspase-3, which might be triggered by
      excess cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production through an intracellular
      ROS detection test. Cellular uptake study showed that TET could increase PTX
      accumulation in MCF-7/Adr cells but not in MCF-7 cells, which explained stronger
      synergetic efficacy of TPNPs on MCF-7/Adr cells. Overall, encapsulation of
      hydrophobic drugs, such as TET, in reduction-sensitive PTX-SS-VE nanoparticles
      provides a prospective strategy to effectively overcome the multidrug resistance
      of tumor cells in a synergistic manner. Such a uniquely small molecular weight
      prodrug-nanocarrier opens up new perspectives for the development of
      nanomedicines.

PMID- 28895736
TI  - InP Nanowire Biosensor with Tailored Biofunctionalization: Ultrasensitive and
      Highly Selective Disease Biomarker Detection.
AB  - Electrically active field-effect transistors (FET) based biosensors are of
      paramount importance in life science applications, as they offer direct, fast,
      and highly sensitive label-free detection capabilities of several biomolecules of
      specific interest. In this work, we report a detailed investigation on surface
      functionalization and covalent immobilization of biomarkers using biocompatible
      ethanolamine and poly(ethylene glycol) derivate coatings, as compared to the
      conventional approaches using silica monoliths, in order to substantially
      increase both the sensitivity and molecular selectivity of nanowire-based FET
      biosensor platforms. Quantitative fluorescence, atomic and Kelvin probe force
      microscopy allowed detailed investigation of the homogeneity and density of
      immobilized biomarkers on different biofunctionalized surfaces. Significantly
      enhanced binding specificity, biomarker density, and target biomolecule capture
      efficiency were thus achieved for DNA as well as for proteins from pathogens.
      This optimized functionalization methodology was applied to InP nanowires that
      due to their low surface recombination rates were used as new active transducers
      for biosensors. The developed devices provide ultrahigh label-free detection
      sensitivities ~1 fM for specific DNA sequences, measured via the net change in
      device electrical resistance. Similar levels of ultrasensitive detection of ~6 fM
      were achieved for a Chagas Disease protein marker (IBMP8-1). The developed InP
      nanowire biosensor provides thus a qualified tool for detection of the chronic
      infection stage of this disease, leading to improved diagnosis and control of
      spread. These methodological developments are expected to substantially enhance
      the chemical robustness, diagnostic reliability, detection sensitivity, and
      biomarker selectivity for current and future biosensing devices.

PMID- 28895738
TI  - Tailoring Ink-Substrate Interactions via Thin Polymeric Layers for High
      Resolution Printing.
AB  - The surface properties of a substrate are among the most important parameters in
      the printing technology of functional materials, determining not only the
      printing resolution but also the stability of the printed features. This paper
      addresses the wetting difficulties encountered during inkjet printing on
      homogeneous substrates as a result of improper surface properties. We show that
      the wetting of a substrate and, consequently, the quality of the printed pattern,
      can be mediated through the deposition of polymeric layers that are a few
      nanometers thick. The chemical nature of the polymers determines the surface
      energy and polarity of the thin layer. Some applications, however, require a
      rigorous adjustment of the surface properties. We propose a simple and precise
      method of surface-energy tailoring based on the thermal decomposition of
      poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) layers. A smooth transition in the wetting
      occurs when the thickness of the PMMA layer approaches zero, probably due to
      percolation of the underlying surface of the substrate, which enables the inkjet
      printing of complex structures with a high resolution. In particular, the wetting
      of three substrate-ink systems was successfully adjusted using the thin polymeric
      layer: (i) a tantalum-oxide-based ink on indium-tin-oxide-coated glass, (ii) a
      ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate ink on a platinized silicon substrate, and
      (iii) a silver nanoparticle ink on an alumina substrate.

PMID- 28895739
TI  - Metrics for Molecular Electronic Excitations: A Comparison between Orbital- and
      Density-Based Descriptors.
AB  - This study proposes a quantitative and qualitative comparison of two popular
      metrics used for time-dependent density functional simulations of chromophores
      when describing absorption and emission processes, with high discrimination power
      between short- and long-range character of involved electronic excitations and
      functional performances. To this end, a total of 160 absorption and emission
      electronic excitations of 80 molecular systems belonging to the "Real-Life
      Molecules" data set, recently introduced in literature, have been considered a
      relevant data set. The two selected indexes are based on density (the DCT one)
      and natural transition orbitals (the DeltarNTO one), respectively. For comparison
      purposes, an extension of the DCT index, in line with what exists for DeltarNTO,
      enabling to discriminate electronic transitions occurring in symmetric systems is
      also proposed. The results show that, independently of the exchange and
      correlation functional used, a good correlation between the natural transition
      orbital and density based descriptors is found, thus cross validating their use
      for the quantification of a large variety of transitions in chemically relevant
      molecular systems.

PMID- 28895740
TI  - Fluorine Functionalized Graphene Nano Platelets for Highly Stable Inverted
      Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - Edged-selectively fluorine (F) functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (EFGnPs-F)
      with a p-i-n structure of perovskite solar cells achieved 82% stability relative
      to initial performance over 30 days of air exposure without encapsulation. The
      enhanced stability stems from F-substitution on EFGnPs; fluorocarbons such as
      polytetrafluoroethylene are well-known for their superhydrophobic properties and
      being impervious to chemical degradation. These hydrophobic moieties tightly
      protect perovskite layers from air degradation. To directly compare the effect of
      similar hydrophilic graphene layers, edge-selectively hydrogen functionalized
      graphene nanoplatelet (EFGnPs-H) treated devices were tested under the same
      conditions. Like the pristine MAPbI3 perovskite devices, EFGnPs-H treated devices
      were completely degraded after 10 days. The hydrophobic properties of EFGnPs-F
      were characterized by contact angle measurement. The test results showed great
      water repellency compared to pristine perovskite films or EFGnPs-H coated films.
      This resulted in highly air-stable p-i-n perovskite solar cells.

PMID- 28895741
TI  - Minority Carrier Transport in Lead Sulfide Quantum Dot Photovoltaics.
AB  - Lead sulfide quantum dots (PbS QDs) are an attractive material system for the
      development of low-cost photovoltaics (PV) due to their ease of processing and
      stability in air, with certified power conversion efficiencies exceeding 11%.
      However, even the best PbS QD PV devices are limited by diffusive transport, as
      the optical absorption length exceeds the minority carrier diffusion length.
      Understanding minority carrier transport in these devices will therefore be
      critical for future efficiency improvement. We utilize cross-sectional electron
      beam-induced current (EBIC) microscopy and develop methodology to quantify
      minority carrier diffusion length in PbS QD PV devices. We show that holes are
      the minority carriers in tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI)-treated PbS QD films
      due to the formation of a p-n junction with an ethanedithiol (EDT)-treated QD
      layer, whereas a heterojunction with n-type ZnO forms a weaker n+-n junction.
      This indicates that modifying the standard device architecture to include a p
      type window layer would further boost the performance of PbS QD PV devices.
      Furthermore, quantitative EBIC measurements yield a lower bound of 110 nm for the
      hole diffusion length in TBAI-treated PbS QD films, which informs design rules
      for planar and ordered bulk heterojunction PV devices. Finally, the low-energy
      EBIC approach developed in our work is generally applicable to other emerging
      thin-film PV absorber materials with nanoscale diffusion lengths.

PMID- 28895742
TI  - Human Prestin: A Candidate PE1 Protein Lacking Stringent Mass Spectrometric
      Evidence?
AB  - The evidence that any protein exists in the Human Proteome Project (HPP; protein
      evidence 1 or PE1) has revolved primarily (although not exclusively) around mass
      spectrometry (MS) (93% of PE1 proteins have MS evidence in the latest neXtProt
      release), with robust and stringent, well-curated metrics that have served the
      community well. This has led to a significant number of proteins still considered
      "missing" (i.e., PE2-4). Many PE2-4 proteins have MS evidence of unacceptable
      quality (small or not enough unitypic peptides and unacceptably high
      protein/peptide FDRs), transcriptomic, or antibody evidence. Here we use a
      Chromosome 7 PE2 example called Prestin to demonstrate that clear and robust
      criteria/metrics need to be developed for proteins that may not or cannot produce
      clear-cut MS evidence while possessing significant non-MS evidence, including
      disease-association data. Many of the PE2-4 proteins are inaccessible,
      spatiotemporally expressed in a limited way, or expressed at such a very low copy
      number as to be unable to be detected by current MS methodologies. We propose
      that the HPP community consider and lead a communal initiative to accelerate the
      discovery and characterization of these types of "missing" proteins.

PMID- 28895743
TI  - Influence of Water on the Oxidation of Dimethyl Sulfide by the .OH Radical.
AB  - Oxidative stress of sulfur-containing biological molecules in aqueous
      environments may lead to the formation of adduct intermediates that are too short
      lived to be experimentally detectable. In this study we have modeled the simplest
      of such oxidative reactions: the attack of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) by a hydroxyl
      radical (.OH) to form a radical adduct, whose subsequent heterolytic dissociation
      leads to a radical cation (DMS+) that is important for further reactions. We have
      modeled the aqueous environment with a limited number of discrete water
      molecules, selected after an original multistep procedure, and further embedded
      in a polarizable continuum model, to observe the impact of the water
      configuration on the heterolytic dissociation of the radical adduct. Molecular
      dynamics and quantum chemical methods (DFT, MP2, and CCSD) were used to elucidate
      the lowest energy structures resulting from the .OH attack on DMS. Subsequent
      high level ab initio valence bond (BOVB) calculations revealed the possibility
      for the occurrence of subsequent heterolytic dissociation.

PMID- 28895744
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Hydroamination of Vinylarenes Using
      Anilines: A Wacker-Type Amination Pathway.
AB  - A palladium-catalyzed intermolecular hydroamination of vinylarene derivatives
      using anilines has been developed for the first time under aerobic conditions,
      where the regioselective formation of N-arylketimines is accomplished. The
      current aerobic oxidative hydroamination pathway of anilines is distinct from
      that of palladium-catalyzed hydroamination reactions that proceed to give sec
      arylethylamine and arylethylamine derivatives, identifying a longstanding missing
      reaction pathway, Wacker-type amination, to N-arylketimines using anilines. The
      ready availability of both starting materials, vinylarenes and anilines, offers
      an attractive and facile synthetic route to N-arylketimines in good to excellent
      yields.

PMID- 28895745
TI  - Probing the Interlayer Exciton Physics in a MoS2/MoSe2/MoS2 van der Waals
      Heterostructure.
AB  - Stacking atomic monolayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides
      (TMDs) has emerged as an effective way to engineer their properties. In
      principle, the staggered band alignment of TMD heterostructures should result in
      the formation of interlayer excitons with long lifetimes and robust valley
      polarization. However, these features have been observed simultaneously only in
      MoSe2/WSe2 heterostructures. Here we report on the observation of long-lived
      interlayer exciton emission in a MoS2/MoSe2/MoS2 trilayer van der Waals
      heterostructure. The interlayer nature of the observed transition is confirmed by
      photoluminescence spectroscopy, as well as by analyzing the temporal, excitation
      power, and temperature dependence of the interlayer emission peak. The observed
      complex photoluminescence dynamics suggests the presence of quasi-degenerate
      momentum-direct and momentum-indirect bandgaps. We show that circularly polarized
      optical pumping results in long-lived valley polarization of interlayer exciton.
      Intriguingly, the interlayer exciton photoluminescence has helicity opposite to
      the excitation. Our results show that through a careful choice of the TMDs
      forming the van der Waals heterostructure it is possible to control the circular
      polarization of the interlayer exciton emission.

PMID- 28895746
TI  - Growth of InAs Wurtzite Nanocrosses from Hexagonal and Cubic Basis.
AB  - Epitaxially connected nanowires allow for the design of electron transport
      experiments and applications beyond the standard two terminal device geometries.
      In this Letter, we present growth methods of three distinct types of wurtzite
      structured InAs nanocrosses via the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. Two methods use
      conventional wurtzite nanowire arrays as a 6-fold hexagonal basis for growing
      single crystal wurtzite nanocrosses. A third method uses the 2-fold cubic
      symmetry of (100) substrates to form well-defined coherent inclusions of zinc
      blende in the center of the nanocrosses. We show that all three types of
      nanocrosses can be transferred undamaged to arbitrary substrates, which allows
      for structural, compositional, and electrical characterization. We further
      demonstrate the potential for synthesis of as-grown nanowire networks and for
      using nanowires as shadow masks for in situ fabricated junctions in radial
      nanowire heterostructures.

PMID- 28895747
TI  - Probing Intrawire, Interwire, and Diameter-Dependent Variations in Silicon
      Nanowire Surface Trap Density with Pump-Probe Microscopy.
AB  - Surface trap density in silicon nanowires (NWs) plays a key role in the
      performance of many semiconductor NW-based devices. We use pump-probe microscopy
      to characterize the surface recombination dynamics on a point-by-point basis in
      301 silicon NWs grown using the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method. The surface
      recombination velocity (S), a metric of the surface quality that is directly
      proportional to trap density, is determined by the relationship S = d/4tau from
      measurements of the recombination lifetime (tau) and NW diameter (d) at distinct
      spatial locations in individual NWs. We find that S varies by as much as 2 orders
      of magnitude between NWs grown at the same time but varies only by a factor of 2
      or three within an individual NW. Although we find that, as expected, smaller
      diameter NWs exhibit shorter tau, we also find that smaller wires exhibit higher
      values of S; this indicates that tau is shorter both because of the geometrical
      effect of smaller d and because of a poorer quality surface. These results
      highlight the need to consider interwire heterogeneity as well as diameter
      dependent surface effects when fabricating NW-based devices.

PMID- 28895748
TI  - Multiple sclerosis among service members of the active and reserve components of
      the U.S. Armed Forces and among other beneficiaries of the Military Health
      System, 2007-2016.
AB  - During 2007-2016, a total of 2,031 active component service members received
      incident diagnoses of multiple sclerosis (MS), for an overall unadjusted
      incidence rate of 14.9 cases per 100,000 p-yrs. The average overall unadjusted
      rate among reserve/guard members during this surveillance period was 6.9 cases
      per 100,000 persons. In both components, women had a higher overall incidence of
      MS than men across all race/ethnicity groups. Overall rates of MS were highest
      among non-Hispanic black service members. Crude annual incidence rates among
      active component members decreased slightly during 2007-2016, while rates among
      reserve/guard members were relatively stable. Among active component members, the
      annual female-to-male incidence ratios decreased during the 10-year period (3.7:1
      in 2007 to 2.5:1 in 2016). Annual numbers of incident cases of MS decreased among
      non-service member Military Health System beneficiaries during this period. The
      median age at MS case-defining diagnosis was 32 years among active component
      members, 37 years among reserve/guard members, and 48 years among non-service
      member beneficiaries. The median time intervals between initial presentation and
      case-defining MS-related encounter ranged from 15 days among reserve/guard
      component members to 20 days among active component service members. This study
      makes a useful contribution to the literature on temporal changes in the
      incidence of MS by sex and race/ethnicity.

PMID- 28895749
TI  - Challenges with diagnosing and investigating suspected active tuberculosis
      disease in military trainees.
AB  - Between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2016, a total of 14 U.S. and international
      military personnel in training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, TX, were
      hospitalized due to suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB); of these, five
      personnel were diagnosed with active TB disease. Only one TB case had pulmonary
      symptoms, but these symptoms were not suggestive of TB. The incidence rate in the
      training population was 1.89 per 100,000 population (95% CI: 0.81, 4.42), with a
      higher rate when restricted to international military students attending the
      Defense Language Institute English Language Center. No instances of TB
      transmission were identified. The variety of atypical presentations and their
      resulting diagnostic and public health challenges prompted this retrospective
      review of all hospitalized cases. This case series highlights both the importance
      of a high index of clinical suspicion when TB is being considered in close
      congregate settings as well as the risk of overreliance on acid-fast bacilli
      staining and nucleic acid amplification testing for ruling out active pulmonary
      disease in young, otherwise healthy trainees. Practical solutions are suggested.

PMID- 28895750
TI  - Brief report: Mid-season influenza vaccine effectiveness estimates for the 2016
      2017 influenza season.

PMID- 28895751
TI  - Extreme skeletal open bite correction with vertical elastics.
AB  - Severe skeletal open bites may be ideally treated with a combined surgical
      orthodontic approach. Alternatively, compensations may be planned to camouflage
      the malocclusion with orthodontics alone. This case report describes the
      treatment of an 18-year-old man who presented with a severe open bite involving
      the anterior and posterior teeth up to the first molars, increased vertical
      dimension, bilateral Class III molar relationship, bilateral posterior crossbite,
      dental midline deviation, and absence of the maxillary right canine and the
      mandibular left first premolar. A treatment plan including the extraction of the
      mandibular right first premolar and based on uprighting and vertical control of
      the posterior teeth, combined with extrusion of the anterior teeth using
      multiloop edgewise archwire mechanics and elastics was chosen. After 6 months of
      alignment and 2 months of multiloop edgewise archwire mechanics, the open bite
      was significantly reduced. After 24 months of treatment, anterior teeth
      extrusion, posterior teeth intrusion, and counterclockwise mandibular rotation
      were accomplished. Satisfactory improvement of the overbite, overjet, sagittal
      malocclusion, and facial appearance were achieved. The mechanics used in this
      clinical case demonstrated good and stable results for open-bite correction at
      the 2-year posttreatment follow-up.

PMID- 28895753
TI  - Thermal Breakdown Kinetics of 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Ethylsulfate Measured
      Using Quantitative Infrared Spectroscopy.
AB  - In this work, the thermal stability of the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1
      ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate ([EMIM][EtSO4]) is investigated using
      infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Quantitative IR absorption spectral data are measured
      for heated [EMIM][EtSO4]. Spectra have been collected between 25 C and 100 C
      using a heated optical cell. Multiple samples and cell pathlengths are used to
      determine quantitative values for the molar absorptivity of [EMIM][EtSO4]. These
      results are compared to previous computational models of the ion pair. These
      quantitative spectra are used to measure the rate of thermal decomposition of
      [EMIM][EtSO4] at elevated temperatures. The spectroscopic measurements of the
      rate of decomposition show that thermogravimetric methods overestimate the
      thermal stability of [EMIM][EtSO4].

PMID- 28895752
TI  - Airflow Obstruction and Use of Solid Fuels for Cooking or Heating: BOLD Results.
AB  - RATIONALE: Evidence supporting the association of COPD or airflow obstruction
      with use of solid fuels is conflicting and inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: To assess the
      association of airflow obstruction with self-reported use of solid fuels for
      cooking or heating. METHODS: We analysed 18,554 adults from the BOLD study, who
      had provided acceptable post-bronchodilator spirometry measurements and
      information on use of solid fuels. The association of airflow obstruction with
      use of solid fuels for cooking or heating was assessed by sex, within each site,
      using regression analysis. Estimates were stratified by national income and meta
      analysed. We carried out similar analyses for spirometric restriction, chronic
      cough and chronic phlegm. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We found no association
      between airflow obstruction and use of solid fuels for cooking or heating
      (ORmen=1.20, 95%CI 0.94-1.53; ORwomen=0.88, 95%CI 0.67-1.15). This was true for
      low/middle and high income sites. Among never smokers there was also no evidence
      of an association of airflow obstruction with use of solid fuels (ORmen=1.00,
      95%CI 0.57-1.76; ORwomen=1.00, 95%CI 0.76-1.32). Overall, we found no association
      of spirometric restriction, chronic cough or chronic phlegm with the use of solid
      fuels. However, we found that chronic phlegm was more likely to be reported among
      female never smokers and those who had been exposed for >=20 years. CONCLUSION:
      Airflow obstruction assessed from post-bronchodilator spirometry was not
      associated with use of solid fuels for cooking or heating.

PMID- 28895754
TI  - Coenzyme Q10 and retinaldehyde co-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for
      efficacy evaluation in wrinkles.
AB  - This study depicts coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and retinaldehyde (RAL) co-loaded
      nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs); having activity on different targets of
      photoageing, which can overcome deficits of conventional topical dosage forms.
      The developed NLCs were characterised for particle size, polydispersity index and
      percent entrapment efficiency (%EE), followed by their incorporation into
      Carbopol(r) 934 P-NF gel. In vitro cellular uptake and cytotoxicity assay was
      performed to evaluate NLCs and in vivo study on ultraviolet- (UV) induced wrinkle
      model to determine efficacy of NLCs. The developed stable, homogenous and
      spherical NLCs with size range of 200-230 nm and more than 80 %EE, showed
      prolonged, biphasic in vitro release pattern for CoQ10 and RAL. Ex vivo study
      portrayed negligible permeation through skin but appreciable penetration and
      distribution in skin layers. This has shown good uptake of both drugs with least
      cytotoxicity in cell culture studies. In vivo irritation study on Sprague Dawley
      (SD) rats and pharmacodynamic study on female Swiss albino mice proved it less
      irritant and efficacious. The developed NLCs thus hold promise in the efficient
      management of wrinkle and their reduction as indicated by the data obtained.

PMID- 28895755
TI  - Hemodynamic characterization of hypertensive patients with an exaggerated
      orthostatic blood pressure variation.
AB  - : Exaggerated orthostatic blood pressure variation (EOV) is a poorly understood
      phenomenon related to high cardiovascular risk. We aimed to determine whether
      hypertensive patients with EOV have a distinct hemodynamic pattern, assessed
      through impedance cardiography. METHODS: In treated hypertensive patients, we
      measured the cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), blood
      pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) in the supine and standing (after 3 minutes)
      positions, defining three groups according to BP variation: 1) Normal orthostatic
      BP variation (NOV): standing systolic BP (stSBP)-supine systolic BP (suSBP)
      between -20 and 20 mmHg and standing diastolic BP (stDBP)-supine diastolic BP
      (suDBP) between -10 and 10 mmHg; 2) orthostatic hypotension (OHypo): stSBP
      suSBP<=-20 or stDBP-suDBP<=-10 mmHg; 3) orthostatic hypertension (OHyper): stSBP
      suSBP>=20 or stDBP-suDBP>=10 mmHg. We performed multivariable analyses to
      determine the association of hemodynamic variables with EOV. RESULTS: We included
      186 patients. Those with OHyper had lower suDBP and higher orthostatic SVRI
      variation compared to NOV. In multivariable analyses, orthostatic HR variation
      (OR = 1.06 (95%CI 1.01-1.13), p = 0.03) and orthostatic SVRI variation (OR = 1.16
      (95%CI 1.06-1.28), p = 0.002) were independently related to OHyper. No variables
      were independently associated with OHypo. CONCLUSION: Patients with OHyper have a
      distinct hemodynamic pattern, with an exaggerated increase in SVRI and HR when
      standing.

PMID- 28895756
TI  - Early treatment using fractional CO2 laser before skin suture during scar
      revision surgery in Asians.
AB  - Fractional CO2 laser is one of the most effective treatment options used to
      resurface scars. However, most previous studies have been performed on mature
      scars at least 2 months after surgery. Recent studies have emphasized the
      importance of early treatment to reduce scar formation. In the present study, we
      described our experience with fractional CO2 laser intervention before skin
      suture during scar revision surgery in Asians, and found the treatment was safe
      and effective.

PMID- 28895757
TI  - Intoxications in the STRIDA project involving a panorama of psychostimulant
      pyrovalerone derivatives, MDPV copycats.
AB  - CONTEXT: An increasing number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) of different
      chemical classes have become available through marketing and sale over the
      Internet. This report from the Swedish STRIDA project presents the prevalence,
      laboratory results, and clinical features in intoxications involving 11 stimulant
      pyrovalerone NPS derivatives over a 5-year period. STUDY DESIGN: Case series of
      consecutive patients with admitted or suspected intake of NPS presenting to
      Swedish hospitals for emergency treatment from January 2011 to March 2016.
      PATIENTS AND METHOD: Blood and urine samples were collected from intoxicated
      patients presenting to hospitals all over Sweden. Analyses of NPS and other drugs
      of abuse were performed by immunochemical and liquid chromatography-mass
      spectrometry multi-component methods. Clinical data were collected during
      consultation with the Swedish Poisons Information Centre (PIC), and retrieved
      from medical records. The study involved analytically confirmed cases with 11
      pyrovalerone drugs. RESULTS: During the study period, 114 intoxications were
      detected that involved any of 11 new pyrovalerone drugs. In addition to these new
      pyrovalerone derivatives, 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) was detected in
      17 of the cases and alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (alpha-PVP) in 45 cases.
      Identification was made according to forensic standards and comprised the
      following substances: 4F-alpha-PVP, alpha-PHP, PV8, 4Me-PPP, alpha-PBP, 4F-PV8,
      alpha-PPP, MDPHP, alpha-PVT, 4Cl-alpha-PVP, and 4F-alpha-PHP. The three most
      frequently detected drugs were alpha-PBP, MDPHP, and 4F-alpha-PVP. The age range
      of patients was 16-66 (median 30) years and 84% were males. The substance
      concentrations in urine and serum were highly variable, ranging from 1 ng/mL to
      300 ug/mL. Poly-drug use was common with only 8 of 114 cases (7%) involving one
      pyrovalerone drug. The additional substances comprised other NPS and classical
      psychoactive drugs. The patients showed a variety of clinical signs; agitation,
      delirium, hallucinations, excessive motor activity, seizures, tachycardia,
      hypertension, and/or hyperthermia. CONCLUSIONS: In analytically confirmed NPS
      related intoxications, 11 new pyrovalerone derivatives in addition to MDPV and
      alpha-PVP were found. The clinical features were consistent with a
      sympathomimetic toxidrome, but the urine and serum concentrations were highly
      variable. The results demonstrated that many novel pyrovalerone stimulants were
      introduced on the recreational NPS drugs market. Analytical investigations were
      necessary to obtain this information.

PMID- 28895759
TI  - Validation of plantar pressure simulations using finite and discrete element
      modelling in healthy and diabetic subjects.
AB  - Plantar pressure simulation driven by integrated 3D motion capture data, using
      both a finite element and a discrete element model, is compared for ten healthy
      and ten diabetic neuropathic subjects. The simulated peak pressure deviated on
      average between 16.7 and 34.2% from the measured peak pressure. The error in the
      position of the peak pressure was on average smaller than 4.2 cm. No method was
      more accurate than the other although statistical differences were found between
      them. Both techniques are thus complementary and useful tools to better
      understand the alteration of diabetic foot biomechanics during gait.

PMID- 28895758
TI  - Medication adherence and discontinuation of long-acting injectable versus oral
      antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
AB  - AIMS: To examine medication adherence and discontinuation in two separate groups
      of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (BD), who began receiving a
      long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI) versus those who changed to a
      different oral antipsychotic monotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Truven
      Health Analytics MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid claims database was used to
      identify patients with schizophrenia; Truven Health Analytics MarketScan
      Commercial and Medicaid claims databases were used to identify patients with BD.
      The analyses included adult patients (>=18 years) who either began receiving an
      LAI (no prior LAI therapy) or changed to a different oral antipsychotic
      (monotherapy). The first day of initiating an LAI or changing to a new oral
      antipsychotic was the index date. Linear and Cox regression models were conducted
      to estimate medication adherence (proportion of days covered [PDC]) and time to
      medication discontinuation (continuous medication gap >=60 days), respectively.
      Models adjusted for patient demographic and clinical characteristics, baseline
      medication use, and baseline ED or hospitalizations. RESULTS: Patients with
      schizophrenia (N = 5638) who began receiving LAIs had better medication adherence
      (5% higher adjusted mean adherence) during the 1 year post-index period and were
      20% less likely to discontinue their medication during the entire follow-up
      period than patients who changed to a different oral antipsychotic monotherapy,
      adjusting for differences between LAI users and oral users. Similarly, patients
      with BD (N = 11,344) who began receiving LAIs also had 5% better medication
      adherence and were 19% less likely to discontinue their medication than those
      using oral antipsychotics. LIMITATIONS: Clinical differences unmeasurable in this
      database may have been responsible for the choice of LAI versus oral
      antipsychotics, and these differences may be responsible for some of the
      adherence advantages observed. CONCLUSIONS: This real-world study suggests that
      patients with schizophrenia or BD who began receiving LAIs had better medication
      adherence and lower discontinuation risk than those who changed to a different
      oral antipsychotic monotherapy.

PMID- 28895760
TI  - Application of a semi-automatic cartilage segmentation method for biomechanical
      modeling of the knee joint.
AB  - Manual segmentation of articular cartilage from knee joint 3D magnetic resonance
      images (MRI) is a time consuming and laborious task. Thus, automatic methods are
      needed for faster and reproducible segmentations. In the present study, we
      developed a semi-automatic segmentation method based on radial intensity profiles
      to generate 3D geometries of knee joint cartilage which were then used in
      computational biomechanical models of the knee joint. Six healthy volunteers were
      imaged with a 3T MRI device and their knee cartilages were segmented both
      manually and semi-automatically. The values of cartilage thicknesses and volumes
      produced by these two methods were compared. Furthermore, the influences of
      possible geometrical differences on cartilage stresses and strains in the knee
      were evaluated with finite element modeling. The semi-automatic segmentation and
      3D geometry construction of one knee joint (menisci, femoral and tibial
      cartilages) was approximately two times faster than with manual segmentation.
      Differences in cartilage thicknesses, volumes, contact pressures, stresses, and
      strains between segmentation methods in femoral and tibial cartilage were mostly
      insignificant (p > 0.05) and random, i.e. there were no systematic differences
      between the methods. In conclusion, the devised semi-automatic segmentation
      method is a quick and accurate way to determine cartilage geometries; it may
      become a valuable tool for biomechanical modeling applications with large patient
      groups.

PMID- 28895763
TI  - Relationship of Eating Behaviors with Age, Anthropometric Measurements, and Body
      Composition Parameters among Professional Indian Women.
AB  - One hundred volunteer female college teachers were selected from Jalandhar,
      Punjab, India. General obesity was found in 56.6%, 76.9%, and 76.2%, abdominal
      obesity in 56.6%, 57.7%, and 81.0%, of 30- to 39-year-old (Group I), 40- to 49
      year-old, (Group II) and 50- to 59-year-old (Group III) participants,
      respectively. A significantly (p <= .05) lower mean value of uncontrolled eating
      domain was observed in the participants belonging to Group I in comparison to
      Groups II and III. The cognitive restraint was less in Group III (13.71%),
      followed by Group II (14.04%) and I (13.71%). The mean values of emotional eating
      domain revealed not much difference in Group I (12.19%), Group II (12.65%), and
      Group III (12.00%). Adiposity showed a significant (p <= .10, .05) relationship
      with age and eating behaviors. In conclusion, lesser cognitive dietary restraint
      and emotional eating were the variables associated with adiposity in the
      participants.

PMID- 28895764
TI  - Group A streptococcal brain abscess in children: two case reports and a review of
      the literature.
AB  - Brain abscesses caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS) are infrequently
      encountered in children. We present two cases of brain abscess (one cerebellar
      and one located in the temporal lobe) due to GAS infection occurring in close
      temporal proximity in previously healthy young children living in different
      geographic areas of southern Israel. The relevant literature since 2000, in the
      context of recent epidemiological data reporting an increase in the incidence of
      invasive GAS infections, is reviewed.

PMID- 28895765
TI  - Prevalence and Incidence of Optic Neuritis in Patients with Different Types of
      Uveitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: This database study aims to investigate the incidence and prevalence of
      optic neuritis (ON) among patients with different types of uveitis. METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis of the Truven Health MarketScan(r) database from 2000 to
      2014 was conducted. Patients with uveitis were followed until diagnosis of ON or
      until they were censored. Diagnosis of uveitis and demyelinating diseases of the
      central nervous system (DD) including ON were based on ICD-9 codes. Patients with
      a diagnosis of DD at or before the index date of diagnosis of uveitis were
      excluded from incidence calculation. In the prevalence analysis, any diagnoses of
      DD during continuous enrollment were counted. RESULTS: Among the 103,867 uveitis
      patients, 974 had ever been diagnosed with ON and 2121 with DD including ON
      during the continuous enrollment. Prevalence rates of ON in patients with
      intermediate, posterior and pan uveitis are approximately 2.0-2.5% while a lower
      prevalence (0.6%) of ON was observed in anterior uveitis. During a median follow
      up period of 2.2 years, 463 new cases of ON were diagnosed. The incidence rates
      of ON per 100 person-years (95% CI) were 0.12 (0.11-0.13), 0.28 (0.18-0.41), 0.29
      (0.23-0.35) and 0.38 (0.24-0.56), respectively, for anterior, intermediate,
      posterior and pan uveitis. CONCLUSION: Incidence and prevalence of ON among
      patients with intermediate, posterior and pan uveitis were comparable and higher
      than the rates in patients with anterior uveitis.

PMID- 28895766
TI  - Adherence, persistence, and inpatient utilization among adult schizophrenia
      patients using once-monthly versus twice-monthly long-acting atypical
      antipsychotics.
AB  - AIMS: This study compared healthcare resource utilization (HRU), healthcare
      costs, adherence, and persistence among adult patients with schizophrenia using
      once-monthly (OM) vs twice-monthly (TM) atypical long-acting injectable (LAI)
      antipsychotic (AP) therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A longitudinal retrospective
      cohort study was conducted using Medicaid claims data from six states. Patients
      initiated on aripiprazole or paliperidone palmitate were assigned to the OM
      cohort; risperidone-treated patients were assigned to the TM cohort. HRU and
      healthcare costs were assessed during the first 12 months following stabilization
      on the medication. Adherence was measured using the proportion of days covered
      (PDC) during the first year of follow-up. Persistence to the index medication was
      measured during the first 2 years following the index date. Comparison between
      the cohorts was achieved using multivariable generalized linear models, adjusting
      for demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Patients in the OM LAI
      cohort had lower inpatient HRU and medical costs when compared with patients in
      the TM cohort. Higher medical costs in the TM LAI cohort offset the higher
      pharmacy costs in the OM LAI cohort. Mean PDC during the first 12 months of
      follow-up was higher in the OM cohort than in the TM cohort (0.56 vs 0.50, p <
      .01). Median persistence was longer in the OM cohort than in the TM cohort (7.5
      months vs 5.5 months), as was the hazard of discontinuing the index medication
      (hazard ratio = 0.83, p = .01). Kaplan-Meier rates of persistence at 1 year were
      higher for OM patients than for TM patients (37.6% vs 29.6%, p < .01).
      LIMITATIONS: This was a Medicaid sample with few aripiprazole LAI patients (5.4%
      of OM cohort). Medication use was inferred from pharmacy claims. CONCLUSIONS:
      Among Medicaid patients in these six states, OM AP treatment was associated with
      lower HRU, better adherence and persistence, and similar total costs compared to
      patients on TM treatment.

PMID- 28895767
TI  - Promising galactose-decorated biodegradable poloxamer 188-PLGA diblock copolymer
      nanoparticles of resibufogenin for enhancing liver cancer therapy.
AB  - Liver cancer is one of the major diseases affecting human health. Modified drug
      delivery systems through the asialoglycoprotein receptor, which is highly
      expressed on the surface of hepatocytes, have become a research focus for the
      treatment of liver cancer. Resibufogenin (RBG) is a popular traditional Chinese
      medicine and natural anti-cancer drug that was isolated from Chansu, but its
      cardiotoxicity and hydrophobicity have limited its clinical applications.
      Galactosyl-succinyl-poloxamer 188 and galactosyl-succinyl-poloxamer 188
      polylactide-co-glycolide (Gal-SP188-PLGA) were synthesized using galactose, P188,
      and PLGA to achieve active liver-targeting properties. RBG-loaded Gal-SP188-PLGA
      nanoparticles (RGPPNs) and coumarin-6-loaded Gal-SP188-PLGA nanoparticles
      (CGPPNs) were prepared. The in vitro cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis
      of nanoparticles in HepG2 cells were analyzed. The in vivo therapeutic effects of
      nanoparticles were assessed in a hepatocarcinogenic mouse model. The results
      showed that Gal-SP188-PLGA was successfully synthesized. The cellular uptake
      assay demonstrated that CGPPNs had superior active liver-targeting properties.
      The ratio of apoptotic cells was increased in the RGPPN group. In comparison to
      the other groups, RGPPNs showed superior in vivo therapeutic effects and
      anticancer efficacy. Thus, the active liver-targeting RGPPNs, which can enhance
      the pharmacological effects and decrease the toxicity of RBG, are expected to
      become a promising and effective treatment for liver cancer.

PMID- 28895768
TI  - Protective effects of taurine against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats
      by inhibition of gelatinases, MMP-2 and MMP-9, and p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinase signaling.
AB  - Dysregulated expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is closely associated
      with the pathogenesis of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R). The production
      of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) causes tissue damage. Increased ROS
      production causes activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)
      signaling, which participates in gene regulation of MMPs, especially MMP-2 and
      MMP-9 (gelatinases). Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) in mammalian cells
      functions in bile acid conjugation, maintenance of calcium homeostasis,
      osmoregulation, membrane stabilization, and antioxidation, antiinflammatory, and
      antiapoptotic action. We investigated the effects of taurine and the possible
      role of p38 MAPK signaling on regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in a renal I/R injury
      model in rats. Rats were divided into three groups: sham, I/R, and I/R + taurine
      treated. After a right nephrectomy, I/R was induced by clamping the left renal
      pedicle for 1 h followed by 6 h reperfusion. Taurine was administered 45 min
      prior to induction of ischemia. Renal function was assessed by serum creatinine
      and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Tubule injury and structural changes were
      evaluated by light microscopy. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were analyzed by high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity
      levels were measured using a colorimetric kit. mRNA expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9
      was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities
      were measured using a fluorimetric kit. Phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) and total p38
      MAPK protein expressions were evaluated by western blot. Taurine pretreatment
      significantly attenuated renal dysfunction and histologic damage, such as renal
      tubule dilation and loss of brush borders. The pretreatment also decreased the
      MDA level and attenuated the reduction of SOD activity in the kidney during I/R.
      Taurine pretreatment also decreased significantly both MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA
      expression and MMP-9 activity induced by I/R. In addition, the activity of p38
      MAPK signaling was down-regulated significantly by taurine administration.
      Inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression and MMP-9 activity caused by taurine may
      be associated with suppression of p38 MAPK activation during I/R induced renal
      injury in rats. Therefore, taurine administration may prove to be a strategy for
      attenuating renal I/R injury.

PMID- 28895769
TI  - The cost-effectiveness of levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel compared to standard
      care in advanced Parkinson's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an incurable, progressive neurological
      condition, with symptoms impacting movement, walking, and posture that eventually
      become severely disabling. Advanced PD (aPD) has a significant impact on quality
      of-life (QoL) for patients and their caregivers/families. Levodopa/carbidopa
      intestinal gel (LCIG) is indicated for the treatment of advanced levodopa
      responsive PD with severe motor fluctuations and hyper-/dyskinesia when available
      combinations of therapy have not given satisfactory results. AIMS: To determine
      the cost-effectiveness of LCIG vs standard of care (SoC) for the treatment of aPD
      patients. METHODS: A Markov model was used to evaluate LCIG vs SoC in a
      hypothetical cohort of 100 aPD patients with severe motor fluctuations from an
      Irish healthcare perspective. Model health states were defined by Hoehn & Yahr
      (H&Y) scale-combined with amount of time in OFF-time-and death. SoC comprised of
      standard oral therapy +/- subcutaneous apomorphine infusion and standard follow
      up visits. Clinical efficacy, utilities, and transition probabilities were
      derived from published studies. Resource use was estimated from individual
      patient-level data from Adelphi 2012 UK dataset, using Irish costs, where
      possible. Time horizon was 20 years. Costs and outcomes were discounted at 4%.
      Both one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The
      incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for LCIG vs SOC was ?26,944/quality adjusted
      life year (QALY) (total costs and QALYs for LCIG vs SoC: ?537,687 vs ?514,037 and
      4.37 vs 3.49, respectively). LCIG is cost-effective at a payer threshold of
      ?45,000. The model was most sensitive to health state costs. CONCLUSION: LCIG is
      a cost-effective treatment option compared with SoC in patients with aPD.

PMID- 28895771
TI  - Platelet reactivity-adjusted antiplatelet therapy in patients with percutaneous
      coronary intervention: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - Numerous number of evidences show that high on-treatment platelet reactivity is a
      well-known risk factor for adverse events in patients after percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI). Controversial situations still exist regarding the
      effectiveness of tailoring antiplatelet therapy according to platelet function
      monitoring. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases were searched for
      randomized trials comparing platelet reactivity-adjusted antiplatelet therapy
      with conventional antiplatelet therapy in patients undergoing PCI. The primary
      end point was all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including
      cardiovascular (CV) death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), definite/probable
      stent thrombosis (ST), revascularization, and stroke or transient ischemic attack
      (TIA). The safety end point was defined as major bleeding events. We derived
      pooled risk ratios (RRs) with fixed-effect models. Six studies enrolling 6347
      patients were included. Compared with conventional treatment, tailoring
      antiplatelet failed to reduce all-cause mortality (RR: 0.89, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 0.63-1.24, P = 0.48), MACE (RR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.92-1.14, P =
      0.69), MI (RR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.95-1.21, P = 0.24), CV death (RR: 0.69, 95% CI:
      0.40-1.19, P = 0.09), ST (RR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.50-1.38, P = 0.23), stroke or TIA
      (RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.55-2.12, P = 0.83), revascularization (RR: 0.96, 95% CI:
      0.69-1.33, P = 0.79), and major bleeding events (RR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.53-1.17, P =
      0.24). Compared with traditional antiplatelet treatment, tailoring antiplatelet
      therapy according to platelet reactivity testing failed to reduce all-cause
      mortality, MACE, and major bleeding events in patients undergoing PCI.

PMID- 28895770
TI  - The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of gastrocnemius strains:
      a retrospective observational study.
AB  - The aim of the present retrospective observational study was to evaluate the time
      of functional recovery following a specific combined therapeutic approach
      characterized by an active exercise therapy carried out immediately after
      Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for the treatment of the muscular lesion of
      the distal musculotendinous junction of the gastrocnemius medial head.Medical
      records of 31 subjects treated with three PRP intra-lesional ultrasound guided
      injections and 30 patients treated with the standard therapeutic approach
      (control group) were analyzed. Both groups followed the same rehabilitation
      therapy. Patients in the control group were able to start active exercise with a
      significant delay when compared to the PRP treated subjects: 17 +/- 7.2 days and
      9 +/- 3.8 days (p = 0.0001), respectively. This delay was mainly due to the
      persistence of pain in the subjects in the control group. The time necessary to
      return to walk without pain was significantly shorter in the PRP treated group:
      24.27 +/- 12.36 days versus 52.4 +/- 20.03 days in the control group (p < 0.001)
      as well as the time needed to fully return to practice the previous sport
      activity: 53.33 +/- 27.74 days versus 119.3 +/- 43.87 days in the control group
      (p < 0.001).The present study showed that ultrasound guided delivery of PRP into
      the site of muscle injury has to be considered a valid therapeutic approach with
      the potentiality of significantly reduce time and costs for reaching a complete
      functional recovery.

PMID- 28895772
TI  - Flow cytometry-based platelet function testing is predictive of symptom burden in
      a cohort of bleeders.
AB  - Platelet function disorders (PFDs) are common in patients with mild bleeding
      disorders (MBDs), yet the significance of laboratory findings suggestive of a PFD
      remain unclear due to the lack of evidence for a clinical correlation between the
      test results and the patient phenotype. Herein, we present the results from a
      study evaluating the potential utility of platelet function testing using whole
      blood flow cytometry in a cohort of 105 patients undergoing investigation for
      MBD. Subjects were evaluated with a test panel comprising two different
      activation markers (fibrinogen binding and P-selectin exposure) and four
      physiologically relevant platelet agonists (ADP, PAR1-AP, PAR4-AP, and CRP-XL).
      Abnormal test results were identified by comparison with reference ranges
      constructed from 24 healthy controls or with the fifth percentile of the entire
      patient cohort. We found that the abnormal test results are predictive of
      bleeding symptom severity, and that the greatest predictive strength was achieved
      using a subset of the panel, comparing measurements of fibrinogen binding after
      activation with all four agonists with the fifth percentile of the patient cohort
      (p = 0.00008, hazard ratio 8.7; 95% CI 2.5-40). Our results suggest that whole
      blood flow cytometry-based platelet function testing could become a feasible
      alternative for the investigation of MBDs. We also show that platelet function
      testing using whole-blood flow cytometry could provide a clinically relevant
      quantitative assessment of platelet-related hemostasis.

PMID- 28895773
TI  - GATA1 gene variants associated with thrombocytopenia and anemia.

PMID- 28895774
TI  - Reduced platelet activation and platelet aggregation in patients with alcoholic
      liver cirrhosis.
AB  - Results from previous studies regarding platelet function in liver cirrhosis are
      discordant. The aim was to investigate platelet activation and platelet
      aggregation in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. We included 27 patients
      with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and 22 healthy individuals. A recently established
      flow cytometric approach was used to measure platelet activation and platelet
      aggregation independent of sample platelet count. Platelet aggregation was
      further investigated using light transmission aggregometry (LTA) (for platelet
      count >100 * 109/L). Platelet agonists were adenosine diphosphate, thrombin
      receptor-activating peptide, arachidonic acid, collagen, and collagen-related
      peptide. Patients had lower median platelet count than healthy individuals, 125 *
      109/L (interquartile range [IQR] 90-185) versus 240 * 109 (IQR 204-285), p <
      0.001. Platelet activation levels in stimulated samples were lower in patients
      versus healthy individuals, e.g., after collagen-related peptide stimulation, the
      median percentage of platelets positive for activated glycoprotein IIb/IIIa was
      85% (IQR 70-94) in patients versus 97% (IQR 94-99) in healthy individuals, p <
      0.001; lower platelet activation capacity being associated with low platelet
      count and Child-Pugh class B/C cirrhosis. Flow cytometric platelet aggregation
      was reduced in patients for collagen-related peptide and for adenosine
      diphosphate, e.g., platelet aggregation (mean +/- standard deviation) was 57% +/-
      4 in patients versus 70% +/- 1 in healthy individuals for collagen-related
      peptide, p = 0.01. Light LTA showed reduced collagen-induced platelet aggregation
      in some patients compared with healthy individuals. In conclusion, platelet
      function was reduced in some patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and the
      severity was associated with platelet count and severity of liver cirrhosis.

PMID- 28895775
TI  - The Prevalence of Corneal Opacity in Rural Areas in Iran: A Population-based
      Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of corneal opacity in rural areas in Iran: a
      population-based study Methods: This was a cross-sectional population-based study
      using multi-stage cluster sampling from rural-dwellers of villages in the north
      and southwest of Iran. All participants underwent vision testing including
      measurement of visual acuity and refraction followed by slit lamp examination by
      an ophthalmologist through which the presence of corneal opacity was determined.
      RESULTS: The participants were 3314 people (response rate = 86.5%), and 56.3%
      were female. The prevalence of corneal opacity in at least one eye in the studied
      subjects was 1.68% (95% CI: 1.08-2.27%); 1.07% (95% CI: 0.04-3.43%) and 2.47%
      (95% CI: 1.49-3.43%) in women and men, respectively, and 1.45% (95% CI: 0.4
      2.45%) and 1.97% (95% CI: 1.3-2.94%) in the southwest and north of the country,
      respectively. The prevalence of corneal opacity was related to male gender (OR =
      2.06, 95% CI: 1.13-3.74) and age (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04- 1.09) but not with
      education level. The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness among cases
      with corneal opacity was 46.2% and 19.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Given the
      high prevalence of corneal opacity in rural areas in Iran, it is essential to
      prioritize rural areas for allocation of resources and facilities for the
      diagnosis, screening, and necessary treatment measures.

PMID- 28895776
TI  - Evaluation of analgesic effect and absorption of buprenorphine after buccal
      administration in cats with oral disease.
AB  - Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effect and
      absorption of buprenorphine after buccal administration in cats with oral
      disease. Methods Six adult client-owned cats with chronic gingivostomatitis
      (weighing 5.1 +/- 1.1 kg) were recruited for a randomised, prospective, blinded,
      saline-controlled, crossover study. Pain scores, dental examination, stomatitis
      score and buccal pH measurement were conducted on day 1 under sedation in all
      cats. On day 2, animals were randomised into two groups and administered one of
      the two treatments buccally (group A received buprenorphine 0.02 mg/kg and group
      B received 0.9% saline) and vice versa on day 3. Pain scores and food consumption
      were measured at 30, 90 and 360 mins after the administration of buprenorphine.
      Blood samples were taken at the same time and plasma buprenorphine concentration
      was measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Data were statistically
      analysed as non-parametric and the level of significance was set as P <0.05.
      Results There were no major side effects after buprenorphine administration.
      Buccal pH values ranged between 8.5 and 9.1 and the stomatitis disease activity
      index between 10 and 22 (17.8 +/- 4.5), with the scale ranging from 0-30. The
      maximum buprenorphine plasma concentration (14.8 ng/ml) was observed 30 mins
      after administration and there was low inter-individual variability. There was a
      significant difference between baseline pain scores compared with pain scores
      after buprenorphine ( P <0.05), and between the saline and buprenorphine group at
      30 mins ( P = 0.04) and 90 mins ( P = 0.04). There was also a significant effect
      of the stomatitis index on the pain score. Regarding the pharmacokinetic
      parameters, cats with stomatitis showed lower bioavailability and shorter
      absorption half-life after buccal administration of buprenorphine compared with
      normal cats in previous studies. Conclusions and relevance Buccal administration
      of buprenorphine in cats with gingivostomatitis produces an analgesic effect and
      low inter-individual variability in plasma concentration, and it can be
      incorporated in their multimodal analgesia plan.

PMID- 28895777
TI  - Effects of Kinesio tape in individuals with lateral epicondylitis: A deceptive
      crossover trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the true and immediate effect of applying Kinesio tape
      (KT) on the pain intensity, pain-free grip strength, maximal grip strength, and
      electromyographic activity with facilitatory KT, inhibitory KT, sham KT, and
      untaped condition in patients with lateral epicondylitis (LE) who were ignorant
      about KT. DESIGN: Deceptive crossover trial. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three patients
      with unilateral chronic LE who were ignorant about KT, 30 of them were
      successfully deceived in this study. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly
      allocated into different sequences of four taping conditions: facilitatory KT,
      inhibitory KT, sham KT, and untaped condition. OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain intensity,
      pain-free grip strength, maximal grip strength, and electromyographic activity of
      wrist extensor muscles were assessed immediately after each tape application.
      RESULTS: No significant differences in the pain intensity (p = 0.321, eta2 =
      0.04); pain-free grip strength (p = 0.312, eta 2 = 0.04); maximal grip strength
      (p = 0.499, eta2 = 0.03); and electromyographic activity (maximal grip: p =
      0.774, eta2 = 0.01; and pain-free grip: p = 0.618, eta2 = 0.02) were recorded
      among various taping conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Neither facilitatory nor inhibitory
      effects were observed between different application techniques of KT in patients
      with LE. Hence, alternative intervention should be used to manage LE.

PMID- 28895778
TI  - Eosinophil Cationic Protein and Histamine Production by Neutrophils from
      Periodontitis Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periodontitis develops through an inflammatory process caused by an
      infection at the microbial biofilm, followed by tissue destruction mediated by
      leucocytes which clinically cause significant destruction of connective tissue
      and bone. Several elements derived from the bacteria cause the inflammatory
      response and the release of mediators involved in the destruction of the
      periodontium. There are number of inflammatory mediators released by leukocytes,
      mainly neutrophils, upon bacterial challenge. However, neutrophil-derived
      histamine and Eosinophil Cationin Protein production and their role has not been
      characterized in periodontal inflammation. We previously found that neutrophils
      produce and release Eosinophil Cationic Protein and histamine, two important
      inflammatory mediators previously described in the periodontitis disease. Thus,
      the purpose of this study is to investigate whether neutrophils from
      periodontitis patients are able to produce Eosinophil Cationic protein and
      histamine in response to Lipopolysaccharides. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed
      ECP and histamine production in response to LPS by ELISA. We also analyzed the
      expression of the Histidine decarboxylase and ECP by flow cytometry and
      fluorescence microscopy in neutrophils from periodontitis patients in response to
      LPS. RESULTS: We found that neutrophils from periodontitis patients express
      higher levels of histidine decarboxylase and ECP than those from healthy
      volunteers, and they also release higher levels of histamine. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings described could represent new knowledge of neutrophils as source of
      histamine and ECP in the progression of the periodontitis disease.

PMID- 28895779
TI  - Combination of Bone Graft and Resorbable Membrane for Alveolar Ridge
      Preservation: a Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) techniques are aimed to reduce
      the resorption after tooth extraction. The combination of a graft material
      covered with a resorbable membrane represent one of the most common strategies
      performed in the clinical practice. The aim of this systematic review was to
      analyse evidence regarding potential benefits of ARP procedures performed with
      allogenic/xenogenic grafts in combination with a resorbable membrane coverage in
      comparison to a spontaneous healing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic databases
      were screened independently by two authors in order to select studies suitable
      for inclusion in this revision. Horizontal Ridge Width Reduction (HRWR) and
      Vertical Ridge Height Reduction (VRHR) were investigated as primary outcomes and
      Volume Changes (VC) as secondary outcome. Meta-analysis was performed using the
      inverse of variance test with a random effect model. Adjustment for type I and II
      errors and analysis of the power of evidence was performed with Trial Sequential
      analysis (TSA). RESULTS: 7 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included
      in the quantitative synthesis. Meta-analysis revealed that the combination
      therapy resulted in a lower rate of resorption for both HRWR (-2.19 mm with 95%
      Confidence Interval (CI) [-2.67, -1.71]) and VRHR (-1.72 mm with 95% CI [-2.14, 
      1.30]). For VC no meta-analysis was performed due to insufficient data. Analysis
      of the power of the evidence performed with TSA, showed that the number of both
      studies and sockets analyzed is sufficient to validate such findings, despite the
      high rate of heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: The use of bone graft covered by a
      resorbable membrane is able to decrease the rate of alveolar ridge horizontal and
      vertical resorption after tooth extraction. The power and reliability of the
      evidences are strong enough to confirm the above-mentioned findings, despite the
      high rate of heterogeneity of included studies.

PMID- 28895780
TI  - miR-300 regulates cellular radiosensitivity through targeting p53 and apaf1 in
      human lung cancer cells.
AB  - microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in mediation of the cellular sensitivity
      to ionizing radiation (IR). Previous studies revealed that miR-300 was involved
      in the cellular response to IR or chemotherapy drug. However, whether miR-300
      could regulate the DNA damage responses induced by extrinsic genotoxic stress in
      human lung cancer and the underlying mechanism remain unknown. In this study, the
      expression of miR-300 was examined in lung cancer cells treated with IR, and the
      effects of miR-300 on DNA damage repair, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and
      senescence induced by IR were investigated. It was found that IR induced
      upregulation of endogenous miR-300, and ectopic expression of miR-300 by
      transfected with miR-300 mimics not only greatly enhanced the cellular DNA damage
      repair ability but also substantially abrogated the G2 cell cycle arrest and
      apoptosis induced by IR. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that p53 and apaf1 were
      potential targets of miR-300, and the luciferase reporter assay showed that miR
      300 significantly suppressed the luciferase activity through binding to the 3'
      UTR of p53 or apaf1 mRNA. In addition, overexpression of miR-300 significantly
      reduced p53/apaf1 and/or IR-induced p53/apaf1 protein expression levels. Flow
      cytomertry analysis and colony formation assay showed that miR-300 desensitized
      lung cancer cells to IR by suppressing p53-dependent G2 cell cycle arrest,
      apoptosis and senescence. These data demonstrate that miR-300 regulates the
      cellular sensitivity to IR through targeting p53 and apaf1 in lung cancer cells.

PMID- 28895781
TI  - Selective nitration of PsbO1, PsbO2, and PsbP1 decreases PSII oxygen evolution
      and photochemical efficiency in intact leaves of Arabidopsis.
AB  - Exposure of intact Arabidopsis leaves to 40 ppm nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in light
      resulted almost exclusively in nitration of PsbO1, PsbO2, and PsbP1 of
      photosystem II (PSII), with minor nitration of four non-PS II proteins, including
      peroxiredoxin II E, as reported previously. Our previous findings that light
      triggered selective nitration of PsbO1 decreased oxygen evolution and that
      inhibition of photoelectric electron transport inhibited nitration of PsbO1
      implied that the nitratable tyrosine residue of PsbO1 is redox-active. However,
      whether the nitratable tyrosine residues of PsbO2 and PsbP1 are redox-active is
      unknown. In this study, we determined the oxygen evolution and maximal
      photochemical efficiency of PSII in intact Arabidopsis leaves following exposure
      to 40 ppm NO2 in light and found that these parameters were decreased to 60 and
      70% of the non-exposed control, respectively. Because PsbO1, PsbO2, and PsbP1
      accounted for > 80% of anti-3-nitrotyrosine antibody signal intensities, observed
      decreases in the oxygen evolution and maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII
      were mainly attributable to nitration of the tyrosine residues of these PSII
      proteins. Thus, it is postulated that nitratable tyrosine residues of PsbO2 and
      PsbP1 are redox-active, as in the case of PsbO1. A new hypothetical model is
      proposed.

PMID- 28895783
TI  - The relationship between autobiographical memory, cognition, and emotion in older
      adults: a review.
AB  - Over the past 30 years, the concept of "autobiographical memory" has been
      highlighted in numerous behavioral and neuroanatomical studies. Importantly,
      episodic autobiographical memory, an aspect of autobiographical memory, has been
      shown to decrease with age but can be improved by training. Autobiographical
      memory is deeply associated with the default mode network (especially posterior
      cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex), which is particularly interesting
      in the context of better understanding the relationship between autobiographical
      memory, cognition, and emotion in older adults. This article provides an overview
      of the behavioral and neuroanatomical characteristics of autobiographical memory,
      as well as its relationship with the default mode network, cognition, emotion,
      and aging. This article also provides an overall review of autobiographical
      memory training.

PMID- 28895782
TI  - Dendritic cells as natural latency reversing agent: A wake-up call for HIV-1.

PMID- 28895784
TI  - Immunotherapy for IgE-mediated wheat allergy.
AB  - Among various routes of immunotherapy for food allergy, oral immunotherapy (OIT)
      appears to have a promising result due to its ability to modify abnormal
      immunologic mechanism of IgE-mediated food allergy. Other methods for
      immunomodulation such as sublingual (SLIT) or epicutaneous (EPIT) immunotherapy
      which carry lower rates of systemic reactions, may have less efficacy. Wheat has
      recently been recognized as a more common cause of food-induced anaphylaxis than
      previously recognized, especially among young children, around the world. In
      wheat allergic patients, avoidance recommended as standard recommendation is not
      easy to follow, because wheat has been used as a common constituents in various
      kinds of consumed foods in every day's life. Therefore, wheat OIT may be
      considered as an alternative treatments of those in which wheat avoidance is not
      sufficient to avert frequent events of anaphylaxis resulting from inadvertent
      exposure to small amount of wheat among this population. Currently, only few
      clinical trials about wheat OIT are available. In this review, we discuss
      available protocols of wheat OIT, initial starting dose, maintenance dose, and
      the strategies to minimize the side effects during the treatment.

PMID- 28895787
TI  - Internet-based acceptance and commitment therapy for psychological distress
      experienced by people with hearing problems: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
AB  - Psychological distress is common among people with hearing problems, but
      treatments that specifically target this aspect have been almost non-existent. In
      this pilot randomized controlled trial, an eight-week long Internet-based
      treatment, informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, was administered to
      explore the feasibility and efficacy of such a treatment. Included participants
      were randomized to either treatment (n = 31) or wait-list control (n = 30)
      condition. All participants were measured prior to randomization and immediately
      after treatment ended using standardized self-report instruments measuring
      hearing-related emotional and social adjustment (Hearing Handicap Inventory for
      the Elderly - S, HHIE-S), quality of life (Quality of Life Inventory, QOLI), and
      symptoms of depression and anxiety (Patient health Questionnaire, PHQ-9 and
      Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, GAD-7). Linear mixed effects regression
      analysis using the full intention-to-treat sample demonstrated that the treatment
      had superior outcomes on the main outcome measure as compared with the control
      group, Cohen's d = 0.93, 95% CI [0.24, 1.63]. The benefits of treatment over
      control were also evident in scores of depression, Cohen's d = 0.61, 95% CI
      [0.04, 1.19], and quality of life, Cohen's d = 0.88, 95% CI [0.14, 1.61]. The
      results provide preliminary support for Internet-delivered acceptance and
      commitment therapy as a potentially effective treatment of psychological symptoms
      associated with hearing problems.

PMID- 28895785
TI  - Preclinical pharmacokinetic characterization of an adipose tissue-targeting
      monoclonal antibody in obese and non-obese animals.
AB  - Target receptor levels can influence pharmacokinetics (PK) or pharmacodynamics
      (PD) of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and can affect drug development of this
      class of molecules. We generated an effector-less humanized bispecific antibody
      that selectively activates fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)1 and
      betaKlotho receptor, a FGF21 receptor complex highly expressed in both white and
      brown adipocytes. The molecule shows cross-species binding with comparable
      equilibrium binding affinity (Kd) for human, cynomolgus monkey, and mouse
      FGFR1/betaKlotho. To understand the PK/PD relationship in non-obese and obese
      animals, we evaluated the adipose tissue distribution of the antibody, serum
      exposures, and an associated PD marker (high-molecular-weight adiponectin), in
      both non-obese and obese mice and monkeys. Antibody uptake into fat tissue was
      found to be higher on a per gram basis in non-obese animals compared to obese
      animals. Since obesity has been reported to be associated with reduced expression
      of FGFR1 and betaKlotho receptor in white adipose tissues in mice, our results
      suggest that the distribution in adipose tissues was influenced by target
      expression levels. Even so, the overall dose-normalized serum exposures were
      comparable between non-obese and obese mice and monkeys, suggesting that adipose
      tissue uptake plays a limited role in overall systemic PK determination. It
      remains to be determined if and how obesity and receptor expression in humans
      influence the PK and PD profile of this novel therapeutic candidate.

PMID- 28895789
TI  - Future Doctors' Perceptions about Incorporating Nutrition into Standard Care
      Practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The increasing prevalence of chronic disease has been largely
      attributed to long-term poor nutrition and lifestyle choices. This study
      investigates the attitudes of our future physicians toward nutrition and the
      likelihood of incorporating nutrition principles into current treatment
      protocols. METHODS: Setting: The setting of this study was an Australian
      university medical school. SUBJECTS: Subjects including year 1-4 students (n =
      928) in a 4-year medical bachelor, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) degree program.
      Students were invited to participate in a questionnaire based on an existing
      instrument, the Nutrition in Patient Care Attitude (NIPC) Questionnaire, to
      investigate their attitudes toward nutrition in health care practices. RESULTS:
      Respondents indicated that "high risk patients should be routinely counseled on
      nutrition" (87%), "nutrition counseling should be routine practice" (70%), and
      "routine nutritional assessment and counseling should occur in general practice"
      (57%). However, despite overall student support of nutritional counseling (70%)
      and assessment (86%), students were reluctant to perform actual dietary
      assessments, with only 38% indicating that asking for a food diary or other
      measure of dietary intake was important. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate
      that future physicians are aware of the importance of considering nutrition
      counseling and assessment. However, students are unlikely to adequately integrate
      relevant nutritional information into their treatment protocols, evidenced by
      their limited use of a basic nutritional assessment. This is potentially the
      result of a lack of formal nutrition education within their basic training.

PMID- 28895788
TI  - Association between Serum Unmetabolized Folic Acid Concentrations and Folic Acid
      from Fortified Foods.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between serum unmetabolized folic acid
      (UMFA) concentrations and folic acid from fortified foods and nutrients known as
      dietary methyl-group donors (folate, methionine, choline, betaine and vitamins
      B2, B6 and B12) in participants exposed to mandatory fortification of wheat and
      maize flours with folic acid. METHODS: Cross-sectional study carried out with 144
      healthy Brazilian participants, both sexes, supplement nonusers. Serum folate,
      UMFA, vitamin B12 and total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) were biochemically
      measured. Dietary intake was assessed by 2 non-consecutive 24-hour dietary
      recalls (24-HRs) and deattenuated energy-adjusted nutrient data were used for
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: Ninety eight (68.1%) participants were women.
      Median (interquartile range) age was 35.5 (28.0-52.0) years. Elevated serum
      folate concentrations (>45 nmol/L) were found in 17 (11.8%), while folate
      deficiency (<7 nmol/L) in 10 (6.9%) participants. No one had vitamin B12
      deficiency (<148 pmol/L). An elevated serum UMFA concentration was defined as > 1
      nmol/L (90th percentile). UMFA concentrations were positively correlated with
      folic acid intake and negatively correlated to choline, methionine and vitamin B6
      intakes. Participants in the lowest quartile of UMFA concentrations had lower
      dietary intake of total folate (DFEs) and folic acid, and higher dietary intake
      of methionine, choline and vitamin B6 than participants in the highest quartile
      of UMFA. Folic acid intake (OR [95% CI] = 1.02 [1.01-1.04)] and being a male (OR
      [95% CI] = 0.40 [0.19-0.87) were associated with increased and reduced odds for
      UMFA concentrations > 0.55 nmol/L (median values), respectively. CONCLUSION: UMFA
      concentrations were directly influenced by folic acid intake from fortified foods
      in a healthy convenience sample of adult Brazilians exposed to mandatory flour
      fortification with folic acid.

PMID- 28895790
TI  - Experiential Avoidance and Bulimic Symptoms among Men in Residential Treatment
      for Substance Use Disorders: A Preliminary Examination.
AB  - There has been a growing focus on identifying factors that underlie and maintain
      bulimic symptoms and substance use disorders (SUDs), as both are associated with
      high mortality and poor clinical outcomes. Experiential avoidance has been an
      area of interest within both the eating disorder and SUD fields, as it is a
      robust risk factor for both disorders. No known research has examined the
      relationship between experiential avoidance and bulimic symptoms in a SUD
      treatment-seeking sample. Moreover, the extant literature has focused exclusively
      on female samples. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the
      relationship between bulimic symptoms and experiential avoidance within an
      understudied population: men in treatment for a SUD. Three separate hierarchical
      regression analyses were conducted to examine the following relationships: (1)
      experiential avoidance and bulimic symptoms; (2) experiential avoidance and
      alcohol use and problems; and (3) experiential avoidance and drug use and
      problems. Results demonstrated that, controlling for alcohol and drug use and
      problems, experiential avoidance was significantly associated with bulimic
      symptoms. Experiential avoidance was also significantly associated with alcohol
      use and problems and drug use and problems. These findings are preliminary and
      future research is needed to further examine this relationship.

PMID- 28895791
TI  - General Lack of Correlations between Age and Signs of the Metabolic Syndrome in
      Subjects with Non-diabetic Fasting Glucose Values.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance and advancing age are well-recognized risk factors
      for metabolic syndrome. Recent reports indicate that fasting glucose levels in
      non-diabetic patients correlate appropriately with the development of certain
      elements in metabolic syndrome, which suggest a cause-effect relationship with
      insulin resistance. OBJECTIVE: The present investigation assessed whether a
      significant association exists between chronological age and various elements of
      metabolic syndrome in this same group of subjects possessing non-diabetic fasting
      glucose levels. METHODS: Baseline data were taken from 288 subjects (age 17-87
      years) with fasting glucose levels <= 125 mg/dl. Correlations between
      chronological age and different metabolic parameters were assessed to determine
      any statistically significant relationships and compare these with previously
      demonstrated metabolic parameters. RESULTS: With the exception of systolic blood
      pressure, the following correlations between age and components of metabolic
      syndrome were not significant or even significant in the opposite direction
      compared to those found in the same population using fasting glucose as the
      independent variable: body weight, body fat, diastolic blood pressure, white
      blood cell count (WBC)/neutrophil count, and circulating levels of insulin, high
      density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive
      protein (hs-CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase
      (AST). Although systolic blood pressure still increased, it was to a lesser
      extent than might be expected. CONCLUSIONS: In the present investigation, a cross
      sectional analysis was carried out over a wide age range of subjects. It is
      noteworthy that fasting glucose levels and the other major elements of metabolic
      syndrome did not change significantly with advancing age. These results
      demonstrate that decreasing insulin resistance and fasting glucose levels may be
      an important way to overcome the adverse effects and perturbations of advancing
      age-induced consequences of metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 28895792
TI  - Rash Impulsiveness and Negative Mood, but not Alexithymia or Reward Sensitivity,
      Differentiate Young to Middle-Aged Chronic Daily Smokers from Never-Smokers.
AB  - Given the well-established associations of the personality traits alexithymia,
      impulsivity, and reward sensitivity with problematic use of a variety of
      substances, including alcohol and cannabis, the present study sought to determine
      whether daily tobacco smoking is similarly linked to these traits. Male and
      female adults aged 18 to 40 years were recruited from the local Australian
      community, allowing comparison of demographically similar samples of current
      daily smokers (n = 47) to never-smokers (n = 59) on the relevant self-report
      measures. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that current smokers
      scored significantly higher than never-smokers on indices of negative mood,
      impulsiveness, and risky alcohol use, after controlling for social desirability.
      No significant group differences were found on indices of alexithymia, reward
      sensitivity, or punishment sensitivity. Results suggest that chronic daily
      cigarette smoking may be an exception to the maladaptive behaviors associated
      with alexithymia, and is driven primarily by mood regulation and poor impulse
      control.

PMID- 28895793
TI  - Food Stabilizing Antioxidants Increase Nutrient Bioavailability in the in Vitro
      Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether antioxidants may enhance bioavailability of
      lipids and carbohydrates and therefore increase the risk of obesity development.
      METHODS: We tested how supplementation with antioxidants (0.01% butylated
      hydroxytoluene [BHT], alpha-tocopherol, and green tea catechins) of a diet
      containing butter and wheat bread affects bioavailability of fats and
      carbohydrates. The absorption of the in vitro digested diet was estimated in the
      intestinal epithelia model of the Caco-2 cells cultured in Transwell chambers.
      RESULTS: In the case of the antioxidant-supplemented diets, we observed increased
      bioavailability of glucose, cholesterol, and lipids, as well as elevated
      secretion of the main chylomicron protein apoB-48 to the basal compartment.
      Importantly, we did not detect any rise in the concentrations of lipid
      peroxidation products (malondialdehyde, MDA) in the control samples prepared
      without antioxidants. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of antioxidants (in particular BHT)
      to the diet increases bioavailability of lipids and carbohydrates, which
      consequently may increase the risk of obesity development. The dose of
      antioxidants is a factor of fundamental importance, particularly for catechins:
      low doses increase absorption of lipids, whereas high doses exert the opposite
      effect.

PMID- 28895794
TI  - Effect of a Short-Course Treatment with Synbiotics on Plasma p-Cresol
      Concentration in Kidney Transplant Recipients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether a short-term course with synbiotics may lower
      plasma p-Cresol concentrations in kidney transplant patients (KTRs) who
      accumulate this uremic toxin both because of increased production by their
      dysbiotic gut microbiome and because of reduced elimination by the transplanted
      kidneys. METHODS: Thirty-six KTRs (29 males, mean age 49.6 +/- 9.1 years) with
      transplant vintage > 12 months, stable graft function, and no episode of acute
      rejection or infection in the last 3 months were enrolled in this single-center,
      parallel-group, double-blinded, randomized (2:1 synbiotic to placebo) study.
      Synbiotic (Probinul Neutro, CadiGroup, Rome, Italy) or placebo was taken at home
      for 30 days, as 5 g powder packets dissolved in water three times a day far from
      meals. The main outcome measure was the decrease in total plasma p-Cresol
      measured by high-performance liquid chromatography at baseline and after 15 and
      30 days of placebo or synbiotic treatment. RESULTS: After 15 and 30 days of
      treatment, plasma p-Cresol decreased by 40% and 33% from baseline (both p <
      0.05), respectively, in the synbiotic group, whereas it remained stable in the
      placebo group. After 30 days of treatment, no significant change was observed in
      either group in renal function, glycemia, plasma lipids, or albumin
      concentration. Treatment was well tolerated and did not induce any change in
      stool characteristics. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study suggest that
      treatment with synbiotics may be effective to lower plasma p-Cresol
      concentrations in KTRs. Prospective larger scale, longer term studies are needed
      to establish whether cardiovascular prognosis could also be improved with this
      nutritional intervention.

PMID- 28895795
TI  - Glycan characterization of the NIST RM monoclonal antibody using a total
      analytical solution: From sample preparation to data analysis.
AB  - Glycosylation is an important attribute of biopharmaceutical products to monitor
      from development through production. However, glycosylation analysis has
      traditionally been a time-consuming process with long sample preparation
      protocols and manual interpretation of the data. To address the challenges
      associated with glycan analysis, we developed a streamlined analytical solution
      that covers the entire process from sample preparation to data analysis. In this
      communication, we describe the complete analytical solution that begins with a
      simplified and fast N-linked glycan sample preparation protocol that can be
      completed in less than 1 hr. The sample preparation includes labelling with
      RapiFluor-MS tag to improve both fluorescence (FLR) and mass spectral (MS)
      sensitivities. Following HILIC-UPLC/FLR/MS analyses, the data are processed and a
      library search based on glucose units has been included to expedite the task of
      structural assignment. We then applied this total analytical solution to
      characterize the glycosylation of the NIST Reference Material mAb 8761. For this
      glycoprotein, we confidently identified 35 N-linked glycans and all three major
      classes, high mannose, complex, and hybrid, were present. The majority of the
      glycans were neutral and fucosylated; glycans featuring N-glycolylneuraminic acid
      and those with two galactoses connected via an alpha1,3-linkage were also
      identified.

PMID- 28895796
TI  - Prevalence and severity of fatigue in adolescents and young adults with acquired
      brain injury: A nationwide study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and severity of fatigue in adolescents
      and young adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) compared with healthy controls
      (HCs) and to examine associations between fatigue and gender, age and level of
      education. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 15-30 year old patients
      with ABI and a convenience sample of 15-30 year old HCs. All participants
      completed the 20-item Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Pathological
      fatigue was defined as "General Fatigue" >=12. Adjusted mean differences between
      groups were calculated using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The
      adjusted prevalence proportion ratio (PPRadj) of pathological fatigue was
      calculated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: The patients (n = 334) had higher
      scores than the HCs (n = 168) on all MFI-20 subscales with adjusted mean
      differences ranging from 1.7 to 4.7 and a higher prevalence of pathological
      fatigue (73% versus 29%), PPRadj 2.7 (95% confidence interval 2.1-3.5). Female
      patients experienced more fatigue than males on the "General Fatigue" and
      "Reduced Activity" subscales, while no gender differences were found in the HC
      group. Patients and HCs with elementary education had elevated scores on the
      "Reduced Activity" and "Mental Fatigue" subscales. Age was not associated with
      any of the subscale scores. CONCLUSION: Young patients with ABI had markedly
      higher prevalence and severity of fatigue than HCs. Age (15-30 years) was not
      associated with fatigue. No clear patterns of associations were evident with
      gender and level of education. ABBREVIATIONS: ABI: acquired brain injury; CI:
      confidence interval; GF: general fatigue; GOSE: Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended;
      HC: healthy control; MANCOVA: multivariate analysis of covariance; MF: mental
      fatigue; MFI-20: Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20; PF: physical fatigue; RA:
      reduced activity; RM: reduced motivation; TBI: traumatic brain injury.

PMID- 28895799
TI  - Protective effects of bellidifolin in hypoxia-induced in pheochromocytoma cells
      (PC12) and underlying mechanisms.
AB  - Bellidifolin, a xanthone compound derived from plants of Gentiana species, is
      known to exert a variety of pharmacological activities including anti-oxidation,
      anti-inflammatory and antitumor actions as well as a protective effect on
      cerebral ischemic nerve injury. The aim of this study was to examine the
      protective effects of bellidifolin on nerve injury produced by hypoxia and
      possible underlying mechanisms using pheochromocytoma cells (PC12). Data showed
      that the viability of PC12 cells subjected to hypoxia resulted in a significant
      decrease; however; pretreatment with certain concentrations of bellidifolin (20
      or 40 MUmol/L) prior to hypoxia significantly increased the survival rate. The
      results of immunohistochemical staining analysis revealed that there were no
      marked alterations in the expression of pERK protein between all bellidifolin
      groups while the expression of p-p38MAPK protein was significantly enhanced by
      hypoxia. Pretreatment with different concentrations of bellidifolin followed by
      hypoxia significantly decreased the expression of p-p38MAPK protein. The results
      of western blot analysis showed that hypoxia induced the expression of the MAPK
      signaling pathway downstream of the key apoptosis factor caspase-3. Compared to
      hypoxia, the expression of caspase-3 in the presence of belliidifolin was
      significantly lower. Data suggest that bellidifolin may contribute to the
      protective effects associated with nerve injury initiated by hypoxia by
      mechanisms related to inhibition of cell apoptosis independent of the ERK
      pathway, but may involve blockade of p38MAPK signaling pathway activation and
      downstream caspase-3 expression.

PMID- 28895798
TI  - Nonmedical Opioid Use in Relation to Recency of Heroin Use in a Nationally
      Representative Sample of Adults in the United States.
AB  - Nonmedical opioid use has been linked to lifetime heroin use; however, research
      is needed to examine associations between nonmedical opioid use and current or
      recent heroin use, as current users appear to be at highest risk for harm. Data
      were from a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized adults (age
      18-64) in households participating in the National Survey of Drug Use and Health
      who reported lifetime heroin use (2005-2014, N = 7,111). We examined associations
      between frequency and recency of nonmedical opioid use and recency of heroin use.
      Most (86.7%) lifetime heroin users reported no heroin use in the last 12 months,
      while 6.1% reported current use (use in the last 30 days). The majority of the
      sample (69.3%) reported lifetime nonmedical opioid use; 14.3% reported nonmedical
      use in the last 30 days. Adjusted odds for current heroin use increased as
      frequency of past-year nonmedical opioid use increased, with a quarter (24.7%) of
      current heroin users reporting nonmedical opioid use on 157-365 days in the last
      year. Over half (54.7%) of current heroin users reported current nonmedical
      opioid use. Prevention efforts should consider that high-frequency and current
      nonmedical opioid use is a robust correlate of continued heroin use.

PMID- 28895800
TI  - Perpetrators of late life polyvictimization.
AB  - Most available data about perpetrators of elder abuse are included as part of the
      description of abuse experienced by older adults. Embedded within this literature
      is some evidence that perpetrators of elder abuse are involved in
      polyvictimization. Drawing upon prior empirical research of apparent cases of
      polyvictimization, this article focuses on what is known about the personal
      characteristics of perpetrators of polyvictimization, highlights the context of
      the relationship between perpetrators of polyvictimization and their older adult
      victims, addresses the potential consequences for perpetrators of
      polyvictimization, and provides recommendations for future research and practice.
      Findings elucidate characteristics of and potential outcomes for perpetrators of
      late life polyvictimization.

PMID- 28895801
TI  - Prevalence of Sexual Assault Victimization Among College Men, Aged 18-24: A
      Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The current review provides summary and evaluation of prevalence data
      for the sexual victimization of college men ages 18 - 24. METHODS: Potential
      studies were selected by searching electronic bibliographic databases. Studies
      were initially selected for inclusion if they (1) assessed prevalence rates of
      sexual victimization on college campuses and (2) were published in a scholarly
      journal (3) in the English language. Utilizing this strategy, 3,973 studies were
      initially identified, of which 5 underwent complete review. RESULTS: All 5
      studies returned results for sexual victimization of men on college campuses.
      However, identified prevalence data varies widely from 3.2% - 28.7% of the males
      surveyed. When incapacitation as a form of victimization was included in the
      study, college men as a whole appear to be most vulnerable to this form of sexual
      violence, though sexual minority males may have more heterogeneous experiences of
      victimization. CONCLUSIONS: Conceptualization of sexual victimization and wording
      of items attempting to assess prevalence rates likely lead to underestimation of
      true prevalence. Even with an incomplete understanding of prevalence, results
      suggest that continuing to assess prevalence may not be the most pressing need at
      this time. Research into the kinds of victimization college men face as well as
      education, prevention, and intervention within these areas may likely do more to
      positively advance the knowledge base.

PMID- 28895802
TI  - Slip and Trip Perturbations During an Object Transport Task Requiring a Lateral
      Change in Support.
AB  - The ability to counteract destabilizing external forces while simultaneously
      executing a complex task presents a novel way to ascertain one's ability to
      generate adaptive postural control responses to avoid a potential fall. In this
      study, participants performed an upper limb object transport task requiring a
      lateral change in support on a robotic platform that could remain fixed in space
      or translated (mimicking a slip or trip perturbation). No significant stability
      differences were observed at initial recovery step between slip and trip
      perturbations. Variability measures were greatest during the trip perturbations;
      though stability was at its greatest level preceding these perturbations. These
      results will aid in the design of future studies that will investigate adaptive
      postural control responses generated by older adults when executing similar,
      ongoing complex upper body tasks interrupted by a destabilizing support surface
      perturbation.

PMID- 28895803
TI  - "Otis": A Case Study of an Online Attempt to Purchase Children for Sex.
AB  - The researchers analyzed court documents to develop a case study of an individual
      convicted of buying sexual services from exploited children. Findings indicate
      that the subject deviates from preexisting victim selection processes and
      demonstrates characteristics inconsistent with existing sexual offender
      typologies that likens offender behaviors to the hunting techniques and behaviors
      of predatory animals. As evidenced in the case study, the individual perceived
      the victims solely as a means of deviant sexual satiation and did not participate
      in traditionally established victim acquisition techniques. In addition, the
      researchers propose adopting terminology that adheres to the term consumer rather
      than buyer as it better represents some offenders' disconnect and lack of empathy
      in the victim acquisition process.

PMID- 28895797
TI  - Neuroendocrine disruption of organizational and activational hormone programming
      in poikilothermic vertebrates.
AB  - In vertebrates, sexual differentiation of the reproductive system and brain is
      tightly orchestrated by organizational and activational effects of endogenous
      hormones. In mammals and birds, the organizational period is typified by a surge
      of sex hormones during differentiation of specific neural circuits; whereas
      activational effects are dependent upon later increases in these same hormones at
      sexual maturation. Depending on the reproductive organ or brain region, initial
      programming events may be modulated by androgens or require conversion of
      androgens to estrogens. The prevailing notion based upon findings in mammalian
      models is that male brain is sculpted to undergo masculinization and
      defeminization. In absence of these responses, the female brain develops. While
      timing of organizational and activational events vary across taxa, there are
      shared features. Further, exposure of different animal models to environmental
      chemicals such as xenoestrogens such as bisphenol A-BPA and ethinylestradiol-EE2,
      gestagens, and thyroid hormone disruptors, broadly classified as neuroendocrine
      disrupting chemicals (NED), during these critical periods may result in similar
      alterations in brain structure, function, and consequently, behaviors.
      Organizational effects of neuroendocrine systems in mammals and birds appear to
      be permanent, whereas teleost fish neuroendocrine systems exhibit plasticity.
      While there are fewer NED studies in amphibians and reptiles, data suggest that
      NED disrupt normal organizational-activational effects of endogenous hormones,
      although it remains to be determined if these disturbances are reversible. The
      aim of this review is to examine how various environmental chemicals may
      interrupt normal organizational and activational events in poikilothermic
      vertebrates. By altering such processes, these chemicals may affect reproductive
      health of an animal and result in compromised populations and ecosystem-level
      effects.

PMID- 28895808
TI  - Shared decision making after severe stroke-How can we improve patient and family
      involvement in treatment decisions?
AB  - People who are well may regard survival with disability as being worse than
      death. However, this is often not the case when those surviving with disability
      (e.g. stroke survivors) are asked the same question. Many routine treatments
      provided after an acute stroke (e.g. feeding via a tube) increase survival, but
      with disability. Therefore, clinicians need to support patients and families in
      making informed decisions about the use of these treatments, in a process termed
      shared decision making. This is challenging after acute stroke: there is
      prognostic uncertainty, patients are often too unwell to participate in decision
      making, and proxies may not know the patients' expressed wishes (i.e. values).
      Patients' values also change over time and in different situations. There is
      limited evidence on successful methods to facilitate this process. Changes
      targeted at components of shared decision making (e.g. decision aids to provide
      information and discussing patient values) increase patient satisfaction. How
      this influences decision making is unclear. Presumably, a "shared decision-making
      tool" that introduces effective changes at various stages in this process might
      be helpful after acute stroke. For example, by complementing professional
      judgement with predictions from prognostic models, clinicians could provide
      information that is more accurate. Decision aids that are personalized may be
      helpful. Further qualitative research can provide clinicians with a better
      understanding of patient values and factors influencing this at different time
      points after a stroke. The evaluation of this tool in its success to achieve
      outcomes consistent with patients' values may require more than one clinical
      trial.

PMID- 28895809
TI  - Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) curriculum
      integration and sustainability: Social work and nursing faculty perspectives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
      (SAMHSA) has funded grants to universities to provide training and conduct
      research on the dissemination of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to
      Treatment (SBIRT) to health care professionals. However, when it comes to
      integrating SBIRT content into an existing curriculum, difficulties can arise.
      When there is so much content already in the curriculum, adding more can be
      challenging. Additionally, some faculty believe that course curricula should be
      driven by the expertise and knowledge of faculty, not by opportunities afforded
      because of grant funding. METHODS: Using qualitative semi-structured faculty
      interviews and thematic data analysis, this study explored the process and
      content issues surrounding the integration of SBIRT content into the Masters of
      Social Work (MSW) and Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) curricula at one
      university. RESULTS: Guidelines for the successful integration of SBIRT content
      into MSW and MSN curricula fall into two thematic areas: 1. Encourage buy-in and
      ownership of SBIRT curriculum development by current faculty. 2. Use a scaffolded
      approach. SBIRT includes several unique content areas which should be integrated
      per competencies addressed in each course. SBIRT content areas lend themselves to
      integration into a range of courses, employing an array of learning techniques
      and teaching materials. Scaffolding content requires creativity, which serves as
      the basis of the six subthemes that guide a scaffolded SBIRT integration
      approach. CONCLUSIONS: SBIRT offers an evidence based intervention that uses a
      public health approach to reduce harm from substance use. As such, professional
      nursing and social work education programs should teach SBIRT to their master's
      level practitioners. This paper proposes guidelines for integrating that content
      into existing curricula.

PMID- 28895807
TI  - Global stroke statistics: An update of mortality data from countries using a
      broad code of "cerebrovascular diseases".
AB  - Background Current information on mortality attributed to stroke among different
      countries is important for policy development and monitoring prevention
      strategies. Unfortunately, mortality data reported to the World Health
      Organization by different countries are inconsistent. Aims and/or hypothesis To
      update the repository of the most recent country-specific data on mortality from
      stroke for countries that provide data using a broad code for "cerebrovascular
      disease." Methods Data on mortality from stroke were obtained from the World
      Health Organization mortality database. We searched for countries that provided
      data, since 1999, on a combined category of "cerebrovascular disease" (code 1609)
      that incorporated International Classification of Diseases (10th edition) codes
      I60-I69. Using population denominators provided by the World Health Organization
      for the same year when available, or alternatively estimates obtained from the
      United Nations, we calculated crude mortality from "cerebrovascular disease" and
      mortality adjusted to the World Health Organization world population. We used the
      most recent year reported to the World Health Organization, as well as comparing
      changes over time. Results Since 1999, seven countries have provided these
      mortality data. Among these countries, crude mortality was greatest in the
      Russian Federation (in 2011), Ukraine (2012), and Belarus (2011) and was greater
      in women than men in these countries. Crude mortality was positively correlated
      with the proportion of the population aged >=65 years but not with time. Age
      adjusted mortality was greatest in the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan, and
      greater in men than women. Over time, mortality declined, with the greatest
      decline per annum evident in Kazakhstan (8.7%) and the Russian Federation (7.0%).
      Conclusions Among countries that provided data to the World Health Organization
      using a broad category of "cerebrovascular disease," there was a decline in
      mortality in two of the countries that previously had some of the largest
      mortality rates for stroke.

PMID- 28895810
TI  - 10 Notables From Behind the Scenes of the Health Care Reform Debate.
AB  - This is not meant to be "the 10 most important" people in health care policy.
      It's a sample from a larger group, and a different group of 10 might have been
      selected and would have been just as worthy-kind of like admission to a selective
      college.

PMID- 28895811
TI  - Outcomes-based Pricing Program Puts Money in Beneficiaries' Pockets.
AB  - Harvard Pilgrim's program gives rebates to beneficiaries if Repatha doesn't help
      them avoid a heart attack or stroke. It's just the latest in a growing number of
      outcomes-based pricing agreements in which an insurer can get a discount from a
      drugmaker if a drug doesn't help patients as much as expected.

PMID- 28895812
TI  - Tom Price, the ACA's Ardent Foe, Pushes For Repeal and Replace-With a Smile.
AB  - Price, 62, with pure white hair, rimless glasses, and an easy, slightly cherubic
      smile, comes across like a friendly, family doctor, not the ambitious,
      politically-minded orthopedic surgeon that he is. He calls the ACA "useless"
      because of the high deductibles.

PMID- 28895813
TI  - Mark Bertolini Wants To Take the 'Nasty' Out of Insurance.
AB  - The CEO and chairman of Aetna has a penchant for pulling headline-grabbing moves
      lately, including a high-profile departure from the industry's leading trade
      association, America's Health Insurance Plans, and an attempt to acquire another
      big-five insurer, Humana, then pulling out when the Justice Department opposed
      it.

PMID- 28895814
TI  - Scott Gottlieb Believes a Nimbler, Speedier FDA Can Spur Competition, Lower
      Prices.
AB  - The new head of the FDA might as well be starring alongside Tom Cruise in the
      latest installment of Mission Impossible. Since being named commissioner in May,
      Gottlieb has said he wants the FDA to speed the approval process for generic
      drugs, introduce competition to drive down prices, and get the opioid crisis
      under control.

PMID- 28895816
TI  - Bernard Tyson Preaches Gospel of Tech-and Change.
AB  - Kaiser Permanente's CEO says that if he were redesigning Kaiser from the ground
      up, he would begin with a technology platform, not with hospitals, and that
      "telehealth is going to be our future." He sees a future in which consumers know
      their bodies at least as well as they know their cars.

PMID- 28895815
TI  - Seema Verma Does Her Homework, Pushes for Beneficiaries To Have More Skin in the
      Game.
AB  - The new head of CMS recently wrote the nation's governors urging that Medicaid
      recipients be required to pay premiums, be charged for ER visits, and be
      encouraged to get jobs or job training. This "skin in the game" approach appeals
      to conservatives, though critics say it can depress participation among the poor.

PMID- 28895817
TI  - Elizabeth Rosenthal, a Storyteller Who Hopes Her Telling Will Make a Difference.
AB  - As editor-in-chief of the increasingly influential Kaiser Health News, she hopes
      to push back against a health care system in which every sector seems rigged
      against the patient. She leads a staff of 25 editors and reporters that includes
      two deep-digging data whizzes.

PMID- 28895818
TI  - James Capretta, a Conservative Health Care Policy Expert, Is Suddenly a Hot
      Ticket.
AB  - The conservative voice of reason on American health care policy and a fellow at
      the American Enterprise Institute says that "It would be far preferable for the
      country to reach some stability around health policy that both parties bought
      into."

PMID- 28895819
TI  - Paula Steiner Brings Her Blues Back Into the Black.
AB  - The president and CEO of Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp. made tough
      decisions to raise premiums and narrow networks. But, at least for now, HCSC
      plans to stay in the ACA exchanges while other insurers are jumping ship.

PMID- 28895820
TI  - Bob Kocher Believes (With Missionary Zeal) That Venture Capital Can Start To Cure
      What Ails American Health Care.
AB  - This upbeat doctor-policymaker-entrepreneur sees opportunity where others see a
      federal policy train wreck these days. For instance, he's pleased that both
      political parties seem to endorse a shift from fee-for-service to value-based
      care. However, continuing uncertainty about the individual market may chill new
      investment in that area for a while.

PMID- 28895821
TI  - ACOs Sit Like Gibraltar in Rough Seas of Change.
AB  - The ACO, a creature of the ACA that often gets confused with its progenitor,
      seems like it will survive-and maybe even thrive-in whatever healthscape emerges
      from the Republican anti-ACA push. But just what will happen to the various forms
      of the ACO that are now in place?

PMID- 28895823
TI  - Medical Travel Helps Unions, Employers Improve Cost and Quality of Care.
AB  - Not all medical travel programs are created equal, so employers should shop with
      a discerning eye. Most programs use a "proprietary" method to evaluate and select
      high-quality providers for their networks. It is important to ask questions.

PMID- 28895822
TI  - Navigating the Changing Tides of Health Care: 5 Areas for Leaders To Watch.
AB  - Questions abound. Which trends will take hold-and which will fizzle? What will
      market conditions be like six, 12, or 18 months from now? Are there moves to make
      without compromising what you've worked so hard to achieve? Here's what to look
      for.

PMID- 28895824
TI  - Value-based Care Will Flop Without Clinical Integration.
AB  - Value-based payment is gaining traction and proving to be a major factor in
      health care reform. But the success of those value-based models will depend on
      true clinical integration of providers-not just lip service to coordination.

PMID- 28895825
TI  - Management of a Rare Disease Population: A Model for Identifying a Patient
      Population With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.
AB  - Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disorder affecting the brain
      and other vital organs with varying symptoms and severity among patients. This
      study developed and validated a risk model to identify patients with TSC using
      large databases of medical and pharmacy claims.

PMID- 28895826
TI  - Trying for Association Health Plans Again and Again and Again.
AB  - Business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of
      Independent Business endorse association health plans (AHPs) as a way to give
      employers more options beyond the strictures of the Affordable Care Act.

PMID- 28895827
TI  - After a Big Entrance, It's Just So-So for Entresto.
AB  - Some industry observers wonder why the wunderkind hasn't done more wonderfully on
      the market. As a brand name drug, Entresto costs substantially more than the
      generic ACE inhibitors and ARBs. GoodRx reports the average cash price for
      uninsured patients for Entresto is $504 per month, compared with $44 for
      enalapril.

PMID- 28895828
TI  - New Caution About Risk Adjustment After United Whistleblower Lawsuit.
AB  - Did UnitedHealthcare's risk adjustment department actually "turn on the gas," as
      one executive put it, in an illegal effort to increase revenue? That's the claim
      at the heart of two cases the federal Department of Justice brought this spring
      against the nation's largest health insurer. The industry is watching closely.

PMID- 28895829
TI  - In Utah, Process Measures Are Winning Friends, Influencing Outcomes.
AB  - Choosing the right blend of quality metrics for each DRG is one of the many
      intricacies of Value-Driven Outcomes (VDOs), Utah's answer to the challenge of
      how to "do" value-based care. An initiative five years in the making, VDO matches
      indicators of quality to DRGs with substantial variation in cost within Utah's
      own system.

PMID- 28895830
TI  - California Dreamin', But Will It Stay That Way?
AB  - Medicaid expansion and Covered California's $100 million marketing plan makes the
      individual insurance market viable. This, even though premiums have gone up in
      the past few years (4.2% in 2015, 4% in 2016, 13.3% in 2017), and a movement to
      install a single-payer system would blow up the private insurance market.

PMID- 28895831
TI  - Texas: A Health Insurance Two-Step.
AB  - The Lone Star State continues to lead the country in the percentage of its
      residents without health insurance, although a dent has been made. As of 2015,
      17% of Texans were uninsured, compared with 22% two years before, according to
      the most recent census bureau data.

PMID- 28895832
TI  - Sunny for Florida Blue, but It's Partly Cloudy in Sunshine State.
AB  - The ACA drove down the uninsured rate despite the lack of Medicare expansion, but
      major insurers have left the market. In some rural areas, Florida Blue is the
      only health plan in the game. Also in the mix: Consumers here usually pick the
      lowest-cost plan available.

PMID- 28895833
TI  - Tennessee: Individual Market Just Barely Viable-For Now.
AB  - Those who say the ACA is collapsing often point to Tennessee as evidence. And
      Gov. Bill Haslam has called it "ground zero" for plans pulling out of the ACA
      marketplaces. To give just one example, UnitedHealthcare left the individual
      market in the state at the end of 2016.

PMID- 28895834
TI  - Pennsylvania's Individual Market Seems To Be Slowly Stabilizing.
AB  - After premiums for 2017 increased, on average, by 32.5% over premiums for
      coverage in 2016, rate filings by insurers for 2018 show rates going up by only
      8.8% over 2017 rates. But it could take at least five years for the ACA exchanges
      to shake all the bugs out.

PMID- 28895835
TI  - Massachusetts: What Universal Coverage Could Look Like.
AB  - The lowest rate of uninsured, but costs are a concern. That's due, in part, to
      the clout of the state's large prestigious health care systems, especially
      Partners Healthcare in Boston, which includes Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts
      General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's hospitals.

PMID- 28895836
TI  - Demographics, Geography Make for an Uphill Battle.
AB  - Maine presents some daunting challenges when it comes to insurance coverage and
      health care costs because it's both the most rural state in the country and the
      one with the highest median age, two factors that drive up health spending.

PMID- 28895837
TI  - Minnesota: A Health Care Island Scrambles To Stay Afloat.
AB  - The Democratic governor and the Republican legislature have moved to shore up the
      individual market, but Minnesotans are leaving it in droves. About 167,000
      residents bought individual coverage this year, compared with 270,000 in 2016.
      Premium hikes have been caused, in part, by the consolidation of providers.

PMID- 28895838
TI  - Why a Strong Consumer-Centered Strategy Will Never Go Out of Style.
AB  - The awakening of the health care consumer is powerfully good news for the mission
      of providers and payers. In other industries, the same forces have led to
      innovation, cost reduction, and heightened value. We should expect health care to
      be no different.

PMID- 28895839
TI  - Ocrevus's Role in MS Battle May Signal Promising Trend.
AB  - With a list price that is 25% less than a competing drug, better outcomes, and
      less frequent dosing, maybe Ocrevus will start a new trend: better outcomes,
      easier administration-and a lower price. That trifecta is great news for people
      managing the cost and quality of MS care.

PMID- 28895841
TI  - From the Editor.

PMID- 28895840
TI  - Crucial role for T cell-intrinsic IL-18R-MyD88 signaling in cognate immune
      response to intracellular parasite infection.
AB  - MyD88 is the main adaptor molecule for TLR and IL-1R family members. Here, we
      demonstrated that T-cell intrinsic MyD88 signaling is required for proliferation,
      protection from apoptosis and expression of activation/memory genes during
      infection with the intracellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, as evidenced by
      transcriptome and cytometry analyses in mixed bone-marrow (BM) chimeras. The lack
      of direct IL-18R signaling in T cells, but not of IL-1R, phenocopied the absence
      of the MyD88 pathway, indicating that IL-18R is a critical MyD88-upstream pathway
      involved in the establishment of the Th1 response against an in vivo infection, a
      presently controvert subject. Accordingly, Il18r1-/- mice display lower levels of
      Th1 cells and are highly susceptible to infection, but can be rescued from
      mortality by the adoptive transfer of WT CD4+ T cells. Our findings establish the
      T-cell intrinsic IL-18R/MyD88 pathway as a crucial element for induction of
      cognate Th1 responses against an important human pathogen.

PMID- 28895843
TI  - Historical Perspective on the Current Renaissance for Hematopoietic Stem Cell
      Gene Therapy.
AB  - Gene therapy using hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) has developed over the past 3
      decades, with progressive improvements in the efficacy and safety. Autologous
      transplantation of HSC modified with murine gammaretroviral vectors first showed
      clinical benefits for patients with several primary immune deficiencies, but some
      of these patients suffered complications from vector-related genotoxicity.
      Lentiviral vectors have been used recently for gene addition to HSC and have
      yielded clinical benefits for primary immune deficiencies, metabolic diseases,
      and hemoglobinopathies, without vector-related complications. Gene editing using
      site-specific endonucleases is emerging as a promising technology for gene
      therapy and is moving into clinical trials.

PMID- 28895842
TI  - Adherence to antihypertensive medications and associations with blood pressure
      among African Americans with hypertension in the Jackson Heart Study.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to test the association between a self-report
      measure of 24-hour adherence to antihypertensive medication and blood pressure
      (BP) among African Americans. The primary analysis included 3558 Jackson Heart
      Study participants taking antihypertensive medication who had adherence data for
      at least one study examination. Nonadherence was defined by self-report of not
      taking one or more prescribed antihypertensive medications, identified during
      pill bottle review, in the past 24 hours. Nonadherence and clinic BP were
      assessed at Exam 1 (2000-2004), Exam 2 (2005-2008), and Exam 3 (2009-2013).
      Associations of nonadherence with clinic BP and uncontrolled BP (systolic BP >=
      140 mm Hg or diastolic BP >= 90 mm Hg) were evaluated using unadjusted and
      adjusted linear and Poisson repeated measures regression models. The prevalence
      of nonadherence to antihypertensive medications was 25.4% at Exam 1, 28.7% at
      Exam 2, and 28.5% at Exam 3. Nonadherence was associated with higher systolic BP
      (3.38 mm Hg) and diastolic BP (1.47 mm Hg) in fully adjusted repeated measures
      analysis. Nonadherence was also associated with uncontrolled BP (prevalence ratio
      = 1.26; 95% confidence interval = 1.16-1.37). This new self-report measure may be
      useful for identifying nonadherence to antihypertensive medication in future
      epidemiologic studies.

PMID- 28895844
TI  - Integrating Vectors for Gene Therapy and Clonal Tracking of Engineered
      Hematopoiesis.
AB  - Gene therapy using autologous or allogeneic cells offers promising possibilities
      to treat inherited and acquired diseases, ideally leading to a long-lasting
      therapeutic correction. This article summarizes efforts that use integrating
      vectors derived from retroviruses and transposons, and briefly explains
      integrating vector biology and integration site analysis and recent successful
      application of this technology in clinical trials. Moreover, outlined is how
      these vectors can be used for cancer gene discovery and clonal tracking of benign
      and malignant hematopoiesis to gain insights into the dynamics of hematopoiesis.

PMID- 28895845
TI  - Nonintegrating Gene Therapy Vectors.
AB  - Gene delivery vectors that do not rely on host cell genome integration offer
      several advantages for gene transfer, chiefly the avoidance of insertional
      mutagenesis and position effect variegation. However, unless engineered for
      replication and segregation, nonintegrating vectors will dilute progressively in
      proliferating cells, and are not exempt of epigenetic effects. This article
      provides an overview of the main nonintegrating viral (adenoviral, adeno
      associated viral, integration-deficient retro-lentiviral, poxviral), and nonviral
      (plasmid vectors, artificial chromosomes) vectors used for preclinical and
      clinical cell and gene therapy applications. Particular emphasis is placed on
      their use in hematologic disease.

PMID- 28895847
TI  - Therapeutic Gene Editing Safety and Specificity.
AB  - Therapeutic gene editing is significant for medical advancement. Safety is
      intricately linked to the specificity of the editing tools used to cut at precise
      genomic targets. Improvements can be achieved by thoughtful design of nucleases
      and repair templates, analysis of off-target editing, and careful utilization of
      viral vectors. Advancements in DNA repair mechanisms and development of new
      generations of tools improve targeting of specific sequences while minimizing
      risks. It is important to plot a safe course for future clinical trials. This
      article reviews safety and specificity for therapeutic gene editing to spur
      dialogue and advancement.

PMID- 28895846
TI  - In Vivo Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transduction.
AB  - Current protocols for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy, involving the
      transplantation of ex vivo lentivirus vector-transduced HSCs into myeloablated
      recipients, are complex and not without risk for the patient. In vivo HSC gene
      therapy can be achieved by the direct modification of HSCs in the bone marrow
      after intraosseous injection of gene delivery vectors. A recently developed
      approach involves the mobilization of HSCs from the bone marrow into peripheral
      the blood circulation, intravenous vector injection, and re-engraftment of
      genetically modified HSCs in the bone marrow. We provide examples for in vivo HSC
      gene therapy and discuss advantages and disadvantages.

PMID- 28895848
TI  - Gene Editing: Regulatory and Translation to Clinic.
AB  - The clinical application and regulatory strategy of genome editing for ex vivo
      cell therapy is derived from the intersection of two fields of study: viral
      vector gene therapy trials; and clinical trials with ex vivo purification and
      engraftment of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells, T cells, and tumor cell vaccines.
      This article covers the regulatory and translational preclinical activities
      needed for a genome editing clinical trial modifying hematopoietic stem cells and
      the genesis of this current strategy based on previous clinical trials using
      genome-edited T cells. The SB-728 zinc finger nuclease platform is discussed
      because this is the most clinically advanced genome editing technology.

PMID- 28895849
TI  - Opening Marrow Niches in Patients Undergoing Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell
      Gene Therapy.
AB  - Successful gene therapy for genetic disorders requires marrow niches to be opened
      to varying degrees to engraft gene-corrected hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). For
      example, in severe combined immunodeficiency, relatively limited chimerism is
      necessary for both T- and B-cell immune reconstitution, whereas for inborn errors
      of metabolism maximal donor chimerism is the goal. Currently, alkylating
      chemotherapy is used for this purpose. Significant pharmacokinetic variability
      exists in drug clearance in children less than 12 years old. Thus,
      pharmacokinetic monitoring is needed to achieve the targeted exposure goal for
      busulfan.

PMID- 28895850
TI  - Gene Therapy Approaches to Immunodeficiency.
AB  - Transfer of gene-corrected autologous hematopoietic stem cells in patients with
      primary immunodeficiencies has emerged as a new therapeutic approach. Patients
      with various conditions lacking a suitable donor have been treated with
      retroviral vectors and a gene-addition strategy. Initial promising results were
      shadowed by the occurrence of malignancies in some of these patients. Current
      trials, developed in the last decade, use safer viral vectors to overcome the
      risk of genotoxicity and have led to improved clinical outcomes. This review
      reflects the progresses made in specific disorders, including adenosine deaminase
      deficiency, X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, chronic granulomatous
      disease, and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

PMID- 28895852
TI  - Gene Therapy for Hemophilia.
AB  - The best currently available treatments for hemophilia A and B (factor VIII or
      factor IX deficiency, respectively) require frequent intravenous infusion of
      highly expensive proteins that have short half-lives. Factor levels follow a saw
      tooth pattern that is seldom in the normal range and falls so low that
      breakthrough bleeding occurs. Most hemophiliacs worldwide do not have access to
      even this level of care. In stark contrast, gene therapy holds out the hope of a
      cure by inducing continuous endogenous expression of factor VIII or factor IX
      following transfer of a functional gene to replace the hemophilic patient's own
      defective gene.

PMID- 28895851
TI  - Gene Therapy Approaches to Hemoglobinopathies.
AB  - Gene therapy for hemoglobinopathies is currently based on transplantation of
      autologous hematopoietic stem cells genetically modified with a lentiviral vector
      expressing a globin gene under the control of globin transcriptional regulatory
      elements. Preclinical and early clinical studies showed the safety and potential
      efficacy of this therapeutic approach as well as the hurdles still limiting its
      general application. In addition, for both beta-thalassemia and sickle cell
      disease, an altered bone marrow microenvironment reduces the efficiency of stem
      cell harvesting as well as engraftment. These hurdles need be addressed for gene
      therapy for hemoglobinopathies to become a clinical reality.

PMID- 28895853
TI  - Hematopoietic Gene Therapies for Metabolic and Neurologic Diseases.
AB  - Increasingly, patients affected by metabolic diseases affecting the central
      nervous system and neuroinflammatory disorders receive hematopoietic cell
      transplantation (HCT) in the attempt to slow the course of their disease, delay
      or attenuate symptoms, and improve pathologic findings. The possible replacement
      of brain-resident myeloid cells by the transplanted cell progeny contributes to
      clinical benefit. Genetic engineering of the cells to be transplanted
      (hematopoietic stem cell) may endow the brain myeloid progeny of these cells with
      enhanced or novel functions, contributing to therapeutic effects.

PMID- 28895854
TI  - Gene Therapy Approaches to Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Other Infectious
      Diseases.
AB  - Advances in gene therapy technologies, particularly in gene editing, are
      suggesting new avenues for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus and
      other infectious diseases. This article outlines recent developments in antiviral
      gene therapies, including those based on the disruption of entry receptors or
      that target viral genomes using targeted nucleases, such as the CRISPR/Cas9
      system. In addition, new ways to express circulating antiviral factors, such as
      antibodies, and approaches to harness and engineer the immune system to provide
      an antiviral effect that is not naturally achieved are described.

PMID- 28895855
TI  - Hematopoietic Stem Cell Approaches to Cancer.
AB  - Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are unique in their ability to self-renew and
      generate all blood lineages for the entire life. HSC modification affects red
      blood cells, platelets, lymphocytes, and myeloid cells. Chemotherapy can result
      in myelosuppression, limiting effective chemotherapy administration. For diseases
      like glioblastoma, high expression of methlylguanine methyltransferase can
      inactivate alkylating agent chemotherapy. Here we discuss how HSCs can be
      modified to overcome this resistance, permitting sensitization of tumors to
      chemotherapy while simultaneously protecting the hematopoietic system. We also
      discuss how HSCs can be harnessed to produce powerful tumor killing T cells,
      potentially benefitting and complementing T-cell-based immunotherapies.

PMID- 28895856
TI  - Gene Modified T Cell Therapies for Hematological Malignancies.
AB  - This article focuses on clinical applications of T cells transduced to express
      recombinant T cell receptor and chimeric antigen receptor constructs directed
      toward hematological malignancies, and considers newer strategies incorporating
      gene-editing technologies to address GvHD and host-mediated rejection. Recent
      data from clinical trials are reviewed, and an overview is provided of current
      and emerging manufacturing processes; consideration is also given to new
      developments in the pipeline.

PMID- 28895858
TI  - Getting the Right Answer: Four Statistical Principles.

PMID- 28895857
TI  - Gene Therapy.

PMID- 28895859
TI  - Evidence Supporting the Effectiveness of Transition Programs for Youth With
      Special Health Care Needs.
AB  - More than 90% of adolescents and young adults with chronic medical conditions
      will survive into adulthood. Transitioning from pediatric to adult health care
      services for these individuals has often times been associated with deterioration
      of their health and Quality of Life. Separation from their pediatric provider and
      lack of preparedness of the adult health care system has been identified as major
      barriers in preventing the successful transition of these individuals. The
      purpose of this review is to summarize the available data related to
      transitioning adolescents and young adults (AYA) with special health care needs
      into the adult health care system.

PMID- 28895860
TI  - A rapid IL-17 response to Cryptosporidium parvum in the bovine intestine.
AB  - Cryptosporidium parvum causes diarrhoea, due to villi damage, in livestock and
      humans globally. Immunity develops after repeated infections but initial
      infections can be severe, highlighting the importance of early infection
      dynamics. We have modelled early C. parvum infection in bovine jejunum biopsies.
      IL-17A accumulated over time peaking at 9h post-infection, with no effect of
      infection on IL-1beta; antibiotics positively influenced IL-17A as higher levels
      were found in cultures with antibiotics. Infection of primary fibroblasts
      resulted in lower plaque formation when fibroblasts were primed with IL-17A. Our
      results indicate a role for IL-17A in reducing C. parvum-dependent host cell
      damage.

PMID- 28895861
TI  - Integrated effect of seasons and lactation stages on the plasma inflammatory
      cytokines, function and receptor expression of milk neutrophils in Sahiwal (Bos
      indicus) cows.
AB  - Mastitis is a highly prevalent and one of the costliest diseases of dairy cows
      affecting the mammary gland. Milk neutrophils present in the mammary gland serve
      as an integral part of the mammary immunity, and their performance is influenced
      by different environmental conditions and lactation stages. To investigate the
      combined effects of seasons and lactation stages on the mammary immunity, milk
      and blood samples were collected from three groups of high producing indigenous
      Sahiwal cows. Function and receptor expression of milk neutrophils together with
      cortisol and inflammatory interleukins concentration in blood were studied. The
      first group of cows started their lactation in winter and completed their
      lactation in hot-humid season; the second group started their lactation in hot
      dry season and completed it in winter. The third group started their lactation in
      hot-humid and completed by the hot-dry season. Plasma cortisol levels were very
      high during early lactation in all seasons. An inverse relationship was observed
      between cortisol levels and glucocorticoid receptor. Elevated phagocytic activity
      and plasma interleukin-2 levels were seen in winter and during mid lactation of
      all seasons. A positive correlation was noticed between plasma IL-8, the
      percentage of milk neutrophils and expression of chemokine receptors (CXCR1 and
      CXCR2). The highest expression of toll-like receptors (TLR2 and TLR4) and
      chemokine receptors was in hot-humid season. Reduction in the phagocytic activity
      of neutrophils, pro-inflammatory cytokines and elevated levels of cortisol in
      cows which started their lactation and attained peak lactation during hot-humid
      season indicated more stress in them. Integrated influence of both seasons and
      lactation stages on the activity of milk neutrophils along with plasma
      interleukins and cortisol levels may be used to develop suitable managemental
      strategies to improve mammary health and increase milk production in indigenous
      dairy breeds experiencing harsh environmental conditions.

PMID- 28895862
TI  - Immunomodulatory effects of soluble factors secreted by feline adipose tissue
      derived mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have immunomodulatory functions and differentiation
      capacity, and their clinical use is increasing in veterinary species. Although
      MSCs have been applied in the treatment in various inflammatory diseases,
      mechanistic research on feline MSCs is lacking. Accordingly, in this study, we
      aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory mechanisms of MSCs isolated from feline
      adipose tissue (fATMSCs). fATMSCs from healthy cats were cultured in an
      appropriate manner and cocultured with transwell-separated allogeneic feline
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (fPBMCs) and RAW264.7 murine macrophages.
      After 48h of coculture, RNA was extracted from RAW264.7 cells and fPBMCs.
      Cytokine expression in these cells was measured using quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and compared according to the presence of
      fATMSCs. The mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, e.g., tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), inducible nitric oxide synthase, and interleukin (IL)
      1beta, were significantly decreased in cocultures of mitogen-stimulated RAW264.7
      cells with fATMSCs compared with that in the RAW264.7 cells control group.
      Additionally, changes in the expression of mRNAs extracted from fPBMCs were as
      follows: pro-inflammatory TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, and IL-6 were decreased,
      and anti-inflammatory IL-10 was increased during coculture of mitogen-stimulated
      allogeneic fPBMCs with fATMSCs. We also extracted RNA and collected supernatants
      from fATMSCs during transwell culture for measurement of the expression and
      secretion of soluble factors by qRT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays,
      respectively. The mRNA expression of immunomodulatory factors from fATMSCs,
      including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta,
      indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and hepatocyte growth factor, increased in the
      presence of RAW264.7 cells. Similarly, TGF-beta, COX-2, and IDO mRNA expression
      and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) secretion from fATMSCs increased in the presence of
      allogeneic fPBMCs. Finally, we measured the viability of fPBMCs under various
      conditions. Cell viability decreased in fPBMCs suspended in fATMSC-derived
      conditioned medium, and this reduction was alleviated in the group supplemented
      with NS-398 a PGE2 inhibitor. Our data suggested that soluble factors, including
      PGE2, secreted by fATMSCs played an important role in the immunomodulatory
      effects of these cells. These findings may be helpful in the application of
      fATMSCs to feline patients with immune-related diseases.

PMID- 28895863
TI  - A monoclonal antibody for detection of intracellular and secreted interleukin-2
      in horses.
AB  - Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a T cell growth factor and major modulator of T helper
      (Th) cell differentiation. Here, we have developed and characterized a monoclonal
      antibody to equine IL-2 (anti-IL-2 mAb, clone 158-1). The IL-2 mAb detected rIL-2
      by ELISA, intracellular staining and flow cytometry analysis and Western
      blotting. The IL-2 mAb was also paired with a polyclonal IL-2 detection antibody
      in both ELISA and a fluorescent bead-based assay. When these two assays were
      compared using identical reagents there was an improved analytical sensitivity
      (46pg/ml) and wider linear quantification range (46-100,000pg/ml) of IL-2
      quantification using the fluorescent bead assay. Equine rIL-2 standards were
      expressed in both yeast and mammalian cells but the mammalian cell-expressed rIL
      2 standard was found to be most accurate for native IL-2 quantification. Using
      this system we found that stimulation of equine peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells (PBMC) with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin induced IL
      2 secretion most potently. Pokeweed mitogen (PWM) consistently resulted in low
      amounts of IL-2 from PBMC, while concanavalin A (ConA), phytohemagglutinin-L (PHA
      L) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) either marginally stimulated or failed to
      stimulate IL-2 secretion from equine PBMC. After stimulation of equine PBMC with
      PMA and ionomycin, IL-2 production was detected in 13.0% (range 7.5-16.8%) of the
      lymphocytes by flow cytometric analysis. IL-2 expression was mainly stimulated in
      CD4+ cells, in a sub-population of CD8+ cells, and also in CD4-/CD8- cell
      population. In addition, both IFN-gamma+/IL-2+ and IL-4+/IL-2+ producing cells
      were observed. Testing of serum and colostrum samples from 15 healthy horses
      showed that IL-2 was not detectable in these samples (<46pg/ml). In summary, the
      equine IL-2 mAb provides a new tool for the characterization of IL-2 producing
      equine cells and the quantification of secreted equine IL-2 in sensitive assays.

PMID- 28895864
TI  - Immunomodulatory potential of beta-glucan as supportive treatment in porcine
      rotavirus enteritis.
AB  - A non-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted to assess the
      immunomodulatory potential of beta-glucan (BG) in piglet diarrhoea associated
      with type A rotavirus infection. A total of 12 rotavirus-infected diarrheic
      piglets were randomly divided into two groups: wherein six rotavirus-infected
      piglets were treated with supportive treatment (ST) and other six rotavirus
      infected piglets were treated with BG along with ST (ST-BG). Simultaneously, six
      healthy piglets were also included in the study which served as control. In
      rotavirus-infected piglets, marked increase of Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding
      Protein-2 (I-FABP2), nitric oxide (NOx), Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)
      concentrations and decrease of immunoglobulin G (IgG) were noticed compared to
      healthy piglets. The faecal consistency and dehydration scores were significantly
      higher in rotavirus-infected piglets than healthy piglets. The ST-BG treatment
      progressively reduced the I-FABP2 and increased the IgG concentrations over the
      time in rotavirus-infected piglets compared to piglets received only ST. A
      pronounced enhancement of NOx and IFN-gamma concentrations was observed initially
      on day 3 and thereafter the values reduced on day 5 in ST-BG treated piglets in
      comparison to piglets which received only ST. Additionally, ST-BG treatment
      significantly reduced faecal consistency and dehydration scores on day 3 compared
      to ST in rotavirus-infected piglets. These findings point that BG represents a
      potential additional therapeutic option to improve the health condition and
      reduce the piglet mortality from rotavirus associated diarrhoea where porcine
      rotavirus vaccine is not available.

PMID- 28895865
TI  - Long-term culture and differentiation of porcine red bone marrow hematopoietic
      cells co-cultured with immortalized mesenchymal cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal cells are multipotent stromal cells with self-renewal,
      differentiation and immunomodulatory capabilities. We aimed to develop a co
      culture model for differentiating hematopoietic cells on top of immortalized
      mesenchymal cells for studying interactions between hematopoietic and mesenchymal
      cells, useful for adequately exploring the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal
      cells. In this study, we investigated the survival, proliferation and
      differentiation of porcine red bone marrow hematopoietic cells co-cultured with
      immortalized porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells for a period of five weeks.
      Directly after collection, primary porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells adhered
      firmly to the bottom of the culture plates and showed a fibroblast-like
      appearance, one week after isolation. Upon immortalization, porcine bone marrow
      mesenchymal cells were continuously proliferating. They were positive for simian
      virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen and the mesenchymal cell markers CD44 and CD55.
      Isolated red bone marrow cells were added to these immortalized mesenchymal
      cells. Five weeks post-seeding, 92+/-6% of the red bone marrow hematopoietic
      cells were still alive and their number increased 3-fold during five weekly
      subpassages on top of the immortalized mesenchymal cells. The red bone marrow
      hematopoietic cells were originally small and round; later, the cells increased
      in size. Some of them became elongated, while others remained round. Tiny
      dendrites appeared attaching hematopoietic cells to the underlying immortalized
      mesenchymal cells. Furthermore, weekly differential-quick staining of the cells
      indicated the presence of monoblasts, monocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes in
      the co-cultures. At three weeks of co-culture, flow cytometry analysis showed an
      increased surface expression of CD172a, CD14, CD163, CD169, CD4 and CD8 up to
      37+/-0.8%, 40+/-8%, 41+/-4%, 23+/-3% and 19+/-5% of the hematopoietic cells,
      respectively. In conclusion, continuous mesenchymal cell cultures were
      successfully established and characterized and they supported the proliferation
      of red bone marrow hematopoietic cells, which finally differentiated into
      monocytic cells and CD4+ and CD8+ cells.

PMID- 28895866
TI  - Specific immunotypes of canine T cell lymphoma are associated with different
      outcomes.
AB  - Canine lymphoma is a heterogeneous disease with many different subtypes. Lymphoma
      of T cell type in particular is variable in outcome, and includes subtypes with
      non-progressive, slowly- and rapidly-progressive disease course. Association of
      immunotype with disease course is incompletely defined. Here, results of flow
      cytometric immunotyping of 127 canine T cell lymphomas were analyzed in relation
      to survival and progression free interval. Samples originated from 101
      multicentric, 8 mediastinal, 6 cutaneous, 5 hepatosplenic, 5 gastrointestinal and
      2 other anatomic subtypes of T cell lymphoma. Compared to multicentric T cell
      lymphoma, gastrointestinal lymphoma had shorter survival and progression free
      interval, and hepatosplenic lymphoma had shorter survival. Among dogs with
      multicentric T cell lymphoma, immunotypes of CD4+/CD8-/MHCII+, CD4-/CD8+/MHCII+
      and CD4-/CD8+/MHCII- were associated with longer survival times than the
      immunotype of CD4+/CD8-/MHCII-, and immunotypes of CD4+/CD8-/MHCII+, CD4
      /CD8+/MHCII-, and CD4-/CD8-/MHCII+ were associated with longer progression free
      intervals. Dogs with multicentric T cell lymphoma and concurrent leukemia had
      shorter survival but similar progression free interval compared to those without
      leukemia. Body weight, sex, hypercalcemia, cell size, expression of CD3 and use
      of combination or single agent chemotherapy did not significantly affect outcome
      of multicentric TCL.

PMID- 28895867
TI  - Markedly different immune responses and virus kinetics in littermates infected
      with porcine circovirus type 2 or porcine parvovirus type 1.
AB  - Porcine parvovirus type 1 (PPV1) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) are small
      single-stranded DNA viruses with high prevalence in the global pig population.
      The aim of this study was to compare and contrast PCV2 and PPV1 infections in
      high-health status pigs and to describe PCV2 long-term infection dynamics. Six
      caesarian-derived colostrum-deprived pigs were randomly divided into two groups
      and were experimentally infected with PCV2 or PPV1 at 5 weeks of age. All pigs
      had detectable viremia by day (D) 3 post-infection. Pigs infected with PPV1 had a
      detectable INF-alpha response by D3 followed by a high IFN-gamma response by D6.
      The PPV1 pigs developed antibodies against PPV1 by D6 resulting in decreasing
      virus titers until PPV1 DNA became undetectable from D28 until D42. In contrast,
      PCV2-infected pigs had no detectable INF-alpha or IFN-gamma response after PCV2
      infection. PCV2-infected pigs had no detectable anti-PCV2 humoral response until
      D49 and had a sustained high level of PCV2 DNA for the duration of the study.
      While PPV1-infected pigs were clinically normal, PCV2-infected pigs developed
      severe clinical illness including fatal systemic porcine circovirus associated
      disease (PCVAD) by D28, fatal enteric PCVAD by D56 and chronic PCVAD manifested
      as decreased weight gain and periods of diarrhea. Microscopically, all three PCV2
      infected pigs had lymphoid lesions consistent with PCVAD and associated with low
      (chronic disease) to high (acute disease) levels of PCV2 antigen. Under the study
      conditions, there was a lack of early IFN-gamma and INF-alpha activation followed
      by a delayed and low humoral immune response and persisting viremia with PCV2
      infection. In contrast, PPV1-infected pigs had IFN-gamma and INF-alpha activation
      and an effective immune response to the PPV1 infection.

PMID- 28895868
TI  - Identification of novel biomarkers for treatment monitoring in canine
      leishmaniosis by high-resolution quantitative proteomic analysis.
AB  - The objective of this study was to use the Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) isobaric label
      based proteomic approach, in order to identify new potential biomarkers for the
      treatment monitoring of canine leishmaniosis that could not be identified by the
      use of gel-based techniques. For this purpose serum samples were obtained from 5
      clinically diseased dogs before and one month after the treatment of canine
      leishmaniosis. The non-depleted serum samples were subjected to reduction,
      alkylation and trypsin digestion, and the resulting peptides were labeled using 6
      plex TMT reagents. To obtain information about protein identities and relative
      quantification, liquid chromatography-MS analysis of multiplexed TMT-labeled
      peptides was employed. This gel-free, label-based quantitative proteomic approach
      enabled identification of 117 canine proteins. Among these, 23 showed significant
      difference (p<0.05) in expression (two downregulated and 21 upregulated ranging
      from 1.25 to 2.5 fold change). Comparison of gel-free TMT-based quantification
      and a gel-based approach previously applied to the same samples resulted in the
      identification of some common markers (Apo-A1, vitamin D binding protein and
      RBP4). However, 20 additional differentially represented proteins were
      highlighted by the gel-free approach, 13 of which have not been previously
      reported in canine leishmaniosis. In conclusion, the TMT-based proteomic approach
      allowed identification of new serum proteins that significantly change in
      concentration after canine leishmaniosis treatment. These proteins are involved
      in various physiopathological processes such as inflammatory, coagulation or
      defense mechanisms, and could potentially be suitable biomarkers for treatment
      monitoring of this parasitic disease.

PMID- 28895869
TI  - Amiloride interferes with platelet- activating factor-induced respiratory burst
      and MMP-9 release in bovine neutrophils independent of Na+/H+ exchanger 1.
AB  - Cytoplasmic pH homeostasis is required for an appropriate response in
      polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). In these cells, chemotaxis and reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production are reduced by the use of Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE
      1) inhibitors, but these results are mainly obtained using amiloride, a non
      selective NHE-1 inhibitor. In bovine PMNs, the role of NHE-1 in functional
      responses has not been confirmed yet. The aim of this study was to determine the
      role of NHE-1 using amiloride and zoniporide in pH regulation, ROS production,
      matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) release and calcium flux in bovine PMNs
      induced by the platelet activation factor (PAF), additionally we evaluated the
      presence of NHE-1 and NHE-2 mRNA Our data show the presence only of NHE-1 but not
      NHE-2 in bovine PMNs. Amiloride or zoniporide inhibited the intracellular
      alkalization induced by PAF without affecting calcium flux. Amiloride diminished
      ROS production and MMP-9 release, while zoniporide enhanced ROS production
      without change the MMP-9 release induced by PAF. Our work led us to conclude that
      changes in intracellular pH induced by PAF are regulated by NHE-1 in bovine
      neutrophils, but the effects of amiloride on ROS production and MMP-9 release
      induced by PAF are not NHE-1 dependent.

PMID- 28895870
TI  - Protection of commercial turkeys following inactivated or recombinant H5 vaccine
      application against the 2015U.S. H5N2 clade 2.3.4.4 highly pathogenic avian
      influenza virus.
AB  - Between December 2014 and June 2015, North America experienced the largest
      recorded foreign animal disease outbreak with over 47 million poultry dead or
      euthanized from viral exposure to a clade 2.3.4.4 H5 highly pathogenic avian
      influenza (HPAI) epizootic. Soon after the epizootic began, the U.S. Department
      of Agriculture (USDA) began testing the efficacy of different vaccines as a
      possible future control strategy. The aim of these studies were to evaluate the
      efficacy three H5 vaccines to aid in control of HPAI in commercial turkeys. Three
      different vaccine technologies were evaluated for efficacy: 1) inactivated
      reverse genetic laboratory-generated virus encoding a clade 2.3.4.4 H5
      hemagglutinin (HA) gene (rgH5), 2) recombinant turkey herpesvirus encoding a
      clade 2.2. H5 HA (rHVT-AI), and 3) recombinant replication-deficient alphavirus
      RNA particle vaccine encoding a clade 2.3.4.4 H5 HA (RP-H5). All vaccines tested
      significantly (P<0.01) increased survival rates between vaccinated and sham
      vaccinated groups of poults challenged with A/turkey/Minnesota/12582/2015 clade
      2.3.4.4 H5N2 HPAI. The rgH5 vaccine had detectable serum hemagglutination
      inhibition (HI) antibody against the challenge virus, and significantly reduced
      the frequency and level of viral shedding from oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs at
      days 2 and 4 post-challenge. Vaccination with only rHVT-AI or RP-H5 was not 100%
      protective, and failed to significantly reduce viral shedding post-challenge. A
      combined prime and boost strategy with the rHVT-AI and RP-H5, or rHVT-AI and
      rgH5, was 100% protective against lethal H5N2 HPAI challenge. Results of these
      studies led to USDA conditional approval of commercially available recombinant
      vaccines for use in turkeys as a control measure for clade 2.3.4.4 H5 HPAI
      epizootics.

PMID- 28895871
TI  - Type I interferons in the pathogenesis and treatment of canine diseases.
AB  - Type I interferons (IFNs) such as IFN-alpha, IFN-beta, IFN-epsilon, IFN-kappa,
      and IFN-omega represent cytokines, which are deeply involved in the regulation
      and activation of innate and adaptive immune responses. They possess strong
      antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory activities allowing their use
      in the therapy of different viral diseases, neoplasms, and immune-mediated
      disorders, respectively. Initially, treatment strategies were based on
      nonspecific inducers of type I IFNs, which were soon replaced by different
      recombinant proteins. Drugs with type I IFNs as active agents are currently used
      in the treatment of hepatitis B and C virus infection, lymphoma, myeloid
      leukemia, renal carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and multiple sclerosis in humans.
      In addition, recombinant feline IFN-omega has been approved for the treatment of
      canine parvovirus, feline leukemia virus, and feline immunodeficiency virus
      infections. However, the role of type I IFNs in the pathogenesis of canine
      diseases remains largely undetermined so far, even though some share pathogenic
      mechanisms and clinical features with their human counterparts. This review
      summarizes the present knowledge of type I IFNs and down-stream targets such as
      Mx and 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase proteins in the pathogenesis of infectious
      and immune-mediated canine diseases. Moreover, studies investigating the
      potential use of type I IFNs in the treatment of canine lymphomas, melanomas,
      sarcomas, and carcinomas, canine distemper virus, parvovirus, and papillomavirus
      infections as well as immune-mediated keratoconjunctivitis sicca and atopic
      dermatitis are presented. A separate chapter is dedicated to the therapeutic
      potential of IFN-lambda, a type III IFN, in canine diseases. However, further
      future studies are still needed to unravel the exact functions of the different
      subtypes of type I IFNs and their target genes in healthy and diseased dogs and
      the full potential action of type I IFNs as treatment strategy.

PMID- 28895872
TI  - Highlights from the 19th Workshop on Vitamin D in Boston, March 29-31, 2016.

PMID- 28895874
TI  - Charge transport by inverse micelles in non-polar media.
AB  - Charged inverse micelles play an important role in the electrical charging and
      the electrodynamics of nonpolar colloidal dispersions relevant for applications
      such as electronic ink displays and liquid toner printing. This review examines
      the properties and the behavior of charged inverse micelles in microscale devices
      in the absence of colloidal particles. It is discussed how charge in nonpolar
      liquids is stabilized in inverse micelles and how conductivity depends on the
      inverse micelle size, water content and ionic impurities. Frequently used
      nonpolar surfactant systems are investigated with emphasis on aerosol-OT (AOT)
      and poly-isobutylene succinimide (PIBS) in dodecane. Charge generation in the
      bulk by disproportionation is studied from measurements of conductivity as a
      function of surfactant concentration and from generation currents in quasi steady
      state. When a potential difference is applied, the steady-state situation can
      show electric field screening or complete charge separation. Different regimes of
      charge transport are identified when a voltage step is applied. It is shown how
      the transient and steady-state currents depend on the rate of bulk generation, on
      insulating layers and on the sticking or non-sticking behavior of charged inverse
      micelles at interfaces. For the cases of AOT and PIBS in dodecane, the magnitude
      of the generation rate and the type of interaction at the interface are very
      different.

PMID- 28895875
TI  - Strong second harmonic generation in two-dimensional ferroelectric IV
      monochalcogenides.
AB  - The two-dimensional ferroelectrics GeS, GeSe, SnS and SnSe are expected to have
      large spontaneous in-plane electric polarization and enhanced shift-current
      response. Using density functional methods, we show that these materials also
      exhibit the largest effective second harmonic generation reported so far. It can
      reach magnitudes up to [Formula: see text] which is about an order of magnitude
      larger than that of prototypical GaAs. To rationalize this result we model the
      optical response with a simple one-dimensional two-band model along the
      spontaneous polarization direction. Within this model the second-harmonic
      generation tensor is proportional to the shift-current response tensor. The large
      shift current and second harmonic responses of GeS, GeSe, SnS and SnSe make them
      promising non-linear materials for optoelectronic applications.

PMID- 28895873
TI  - Prenatal Serum Concentrations of Brominated Flame Retardants and Autism Spectrum
      Disorder and Intellectual Disability in the Early Markers of Autism Study: A
      Population-Based Case-Control Study in California.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest neurodevelopmental impacts of polybrominated
      diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), but few have examined diagnosed developmental disorders.
      OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to determine whether prenatal exposure to brominated
      flame retardants (BFRs) is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or
      intellectual disability without autism (ID). METHODS: We conducted a population
      based case-control study including children with ASD (n=545) and ID (n=181)
      identified from the California Department of Developmental Services and general
      population (GP) controls (n=418) from state birth certificates. ASD cases were
      matched to controls by sex, birth month, and birth year. Concentrations of 10
      BFRs were measured in maternal second trimester serum samples stored from routine
      screening. Logistic regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted odds
      ratios (AOR) for associations with ASD, and separately for ID, compared with GP
      controls, by quartiles of analyte concentrations in primary analyses. RESULTS:
      Geometric mean concentrations of five of the six congeners with >=55% of samples
      above the limit of detection were lower in mothers of children with ASD or ID
      than in controls. In adjusted analyses, inverse associations with several
      congeners were found for ASD relative to GP (e.g., quartile 4 vs. 1, BDE-153:
      AOR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.84). When stratified by child sex (including 99 females
      with ASD, 77 with ID, and 73 with GP), estimates were consistent with overall
      analyses in boys, but in the opposite direction among girls, particularly for BDE
      28 and -47 (AOR=2.58, 95% CI: 0.86, 7.79 and AOR=2.64, 95% CI: 0.97, 7.19,
      respectively). Similar patterns overall and by sex were observed for ID.
      CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to expectation, higher PBDE concentrations were associated
      with decreased odds of ASD and ID, though not in girls. These findings require
      confirmation but suggest potential sexual dimorphism in associations with
      prenatal exposure to BFRs. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1079.

PMID- 28895876
TI  - Drilling High Precision Holes in Ti6Al4V Using Rotary Ultrasonic Machining and
      Uncertainties Underlying Cutting Force, Tool Wear, and Production Inaccuracies.
AB  - Ti6Al4V alloys are difficult-to-cut materials that have extensive applications in
      the automotive and aerospace industry. A great deal of effort has been made to
      develop and improve the machining operations of Ti6Al4V alloys. This paper
      presents an experimental study that systematically analyzes the effects of the
      machining conditions (ultrasonic power, feed rate, spindle speed, and tool
      diameter) on the performance parameters (cutting force, tool wear, overcut error,
      and cylindricity error), while drilling high precision holes on the workpiece
      made of Ti6Al4V alloys using rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM). Numerical results
      were obtained by conducting experiments following the design of an experiment
      procedure. The effects of the machining conditions on each performance parameter
      have been determined by constructing a set of possibility distributions (i.e.,
      trapezoidal fuzzy numbers) from the experimental data. A possibility distribution
      is a probability-distribution-neural representation of uncertainty, and is
      effective in quantifying the uncertainty underlying physical quantities when
      there is a limited number of data points which is the case here. Lastly, the
      optimal machining conditions have been identified using these possibility
      distributions.

PMID- 28895877
TI  - Recent Developments of Graphene Oxide-Based Membranes: A Review.
AB  - Membrane-based separation technology has attracted great interest in many
      separation fields due to its advantages of easy-operation, energy-efficiency,
      easy scale-up, and environmental friendliness. The development of novel membrane
      materials and membrane structures is an urgent demand to promote membrane-based
      separation technology. Graphene oxide (GO), as an emerging star nano-building
      material, has showed great potential in the membrane-based separation field. In
      this review paper, the latest research progress in GO-based membranes focused on
      adjusting membrane structure and enhancing their mechanical strength as well as
      structural stability in aqueous environment is highlighted and discussed in
      detail. First, we briefly reviewed the preparation and characterization of GO.
      Then, the preparation method, characterization, and type of GO-based membrane are
      summarized. Finally, the advancements of GO-based membrane in adjusting membrane
      structure and enhancing their mechanical strength, as well as structural
      stability in aqueous environment, are particularly discussed. This review
      hopefully provides a new avenue for the innovative developments of GO-based
      membrane in various membrane applications.

PMID- 28895878
TI  - Effect of Oral Pre-Meal Administration of Betaglucans on Glycaemic Control and
      Variability in Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - We conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover pilot study to
      investigate the effect of oat betaglucans (beta-glucan) on glycaemic control and
      variability in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D; n = 14). Stomacol(r) tablets
      (1.53 g of beta-glucan) or placebo (Plac) were administered three times daily
      before meals for two weeks. Glucose levels were monitored during the second week
      by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). There was an increase in basic measures
      of glycaemic control (maximal glucose value 341 +/- 15 vs. 378 +/- 13 mg/dL for
      Plac and beta-glucan, p = 0.004), and average daily risk range (62 +/- 5 vs. 79
      +/- 4 mg/dL for Plac and beta-glucan, p = 0.003) favouring Plac over beta-glucan,
      but no increase in the M-value (the weighted average of the glucose values) or
      other more complex measures. Basic measures of glucose variability were also
      slightly increased during beta-glucan treatment, with no difference in more
      complex measures. However, glycaemic variability increased between the first and
      last two CGM days on Plac, but remained unchanged on beta-glucan. In conclusion,
      in this pilot study we were unable to demonstrate a general positive effect of
      beta-glucan before meals on glucose control or variability in T1D.

PMID- 28895879
TI  - Wireless Technology Recognition Based on RSSI Distribution at Sub-Nyquist
      Sampling Rate for Constrained Devices.
AB  - Driven by the fast growth of wireless communication, the trend of sharing
      spectrum among heterogeneous technologies becomes increasingly dominant.
      Identifying concurrent technologies is an important step towards efficient
      spectrum sharing. However, due to the complexity of recognition algorithms and
      the strict condition of sampling speed, communication systems capable of
      recognizing signals other than their own type are extremely rare. This work
      proves that multi-model distribution of the received signal strength indicator
      (RSSI) is related to the signals' modulation schemes and medium access
      mechanisms, and RSSI from different technologies may exhibit highly distinctive
      features. A distinction is made between technologies with a streaming or a non
      streaming property, and appropriate feature spaces can be established either by
      deriving parameters such as packet duration from RSSI or directly using RSSI's
      probability distribution. An experimental study shows that even RSSI acquired at
      a sub-Nyquist sampling rate is able to provide sufficient features to
      differentiate technologies such as Wi-Fi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Digital
      Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) and Bluetooth. The usage of the RSSI
      distribution-based feature space is illustrated via a sample algorithm.
      Experimental evaluation indicates that more than 92% accuracy is achieved with
      the appropriate configuration. As the analysis of RSSI distribution is
      straightforward and less demanding in terms of system requirements, we believe it
      is highly valuable for recognition of wideband technologies on constrained
      devices in the context of dynamic spectrum access.

PMID- 28895880
TI  - The Role of Vitamin D in Thyroid Diseases.
AB  - The main role of vitamin D is regulating bone metabolism and calcium and
      phosphorus homeostasis. Over the past few decades, the importance of vitamin D in
      non-skeletal actions has been studied, including the role of vitamin D in
      autoimmune diseases, metabolic syndromes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and
      all-cause mortality. Recent evidence has demonstrated an association between low
      vitamin D status and autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis
      and Graves' disease, and impaired vitamin D signaling has been reported in
      thyroid cancers. This review will focus on recent data on the possible role of
      vitamin D in thyroid diseases, including autoimmune thyroid diseases and thyroid
      cancers.

PMID- 28895881
TI  - De Novo Assembly and Analysis of Polygonatum sibiricum Transcriptome and
      Identification of Genes Involved in Polysaccharide Biosynthesis.
AB  - Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharides (PSPs) are used to improve immunity,
      alleviate dryness, promote the secretion of fluids, and quench thirst. However,
      the PSP biosynthetic pathway is largely unknown. Understanding the genetic
      background will help delineate that pathway at the molecular level so that
      researchers can develop better conservation strategies. After comparing the PSP
      contents among several different P. sibiricum germplasms, we selected two groups
      with the largest contrasts in contents and subjected them to HiSeq2500
      transcriptome sequencing to identify the candidate genes involved in PSP
      biosynthesis. In all, 20 kinds of enzyme-encoding genes were related to PSP
      biosynthesis. The polysaccharide content was positively correlated with the
      expression patterns of beta-fructofuranosidase (sacA), fructokinase (scrK), UDP
      glucose 4-epimerase (GALE), Mannose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (GMPP), and
      UDP-glucose 6-dehydrogenase (UGDH), but negatively correlated with the expression
      of Hexokinase (HK). Through qRT-PCR validation and comprehensive analysis, we
      determined that sacA, HK, and GMPP are key genes for enzymes within the PSP
      metabolic pathway in P. sibiricum. Our results provide a public transcriptome
      dataset for this species and an outline of pathways for the production of
      polysaccharides in medicinal plants. They also present more information about the
      PSP biosynthesis pathway at the molecular level in P. sibiricum and lay the
      foundation for subsequent research of gene functions.

PMID- 28895882
TI  - Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L.
      ssp. Pekinensis) to Salt Stress.
AB  - Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that severely impact plant
      growth and development. In this study, we investigated the physiological and
      transcriptomic responses of Chinese cabbage "Qingmaye" to salt stress, a main
      variety in North China. Our results showed that the growth and photosynthesis of
      Chinese cabbage were significantly inhibited by salt treatment. However, as a
      glycophyte, Chinese cabbage could cope with high salinity; it could complete an
      entire life cycle at 100 mM NaCl. The high salt tolerance of Chinese cabbage was
      achieved by accumulating osmoprotectants and by maintaining higher activity of
      antioxidant enzymes. Transcriptomic responses were analyzed using the digital
      gene expression profiling (DGE) technique after 12 h of treatment by 200 mM NaCl.
      A total of 1235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) including 740 up- and 495
      down-regulated genes were identified. Functional annotation analyses showed that
      the DEGs were related to signal transduction, osmolyte synthesis, transcription
      factors, and antioxidant proteins. Taken together, this study contributes to our
      understanding of the mechanism of salt tolerance in Chinese cabbage and provides
      valuable information for further improvement of salt tolerance in Chinese cabbage
      breeding programs.

PMID- 28895883
TI  - The Effects of Resveratrol on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in a Rat Model of
      Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - Oxidative stress and inflammation are hypothesized to contribute to the
      pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Resveratrol (trans
      3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
      properties. The study aimed to investigate the effects of resveratrol in a rat
      model with COPD on the regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation via the
      activation of Sirtuin1 (SIRTl) and proliferator-activated receptor-gamma
      coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha). Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into
      three groups: control group, COPD group and resveratrol intervention group. The
      COPD model was established by instilling with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and
      challenging with cigarette smoke (CS). The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and
      interleukin-8 (IL-8) in serum were measured. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA)
      and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured. The expression
      levels of SIRT1 and PGC-1alpha in the lung tissues were examined by
      immunohistochemistry as well as real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain
      reaction (real-time RT-PCR) and western blotting analysis. After the treatment
      with resveratrol (50 mg/kg), compared with the COPD group, alleviation of
      inflammation and reconstruction in the small airways of the lungs were seen.
      Resveratrol might be correlated not only with the lower level of MDA and the
      higher activity of SOD, but also with the upregulation of SIRT1 and PGC-1alpha
      expression. Resveratrol treatment decreased serum levels of IL-6 and IL-8. Our
      findings indicate that resveratrol had a therapeutic effect in our rat COPD
      model, which is related to the inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory
      response. The mechanism may be related to the activation and upgrading of the
      SIRT1/PGC-1alpha signaling pathways. Thus resveratrol might be a therapeutic
      modality in COPD.

PMID- 28895884
TI  - Interaction of Recombinant Gallus gallus SEPT5 and Brain Proteins of H5N1-Avian
      Influenza Virus-Infected Chickens.
AB  - Septin forms a conserved family of cytoskeletal guanosine triphosphate (GTP)
      binding proteins that have diverse roles in protein scaffolding, vesicle
      trafficking, and cytokinesis. The involvement of septins in infectious viral
      disease pathogenesis has been demonstrated by the upregulation of SEPT5 protein
      and its mRNA in brain tissues of H5N1-infected chickens, thus, providing evidence
      for the potential importance of this protein in the pathogenesis of
      neurovirulence caused by the avian influenza virus. In this study, cloning,
      expression, and purification of Gallus gallus SEPT5 protein was performed in
      Escherichia coli. The SEPT5 gene was inserted into the pRSETB expression vector,
      transformed in the E. coli BL21 (DE3) strain and the expression of SEPT5 protein
      was induced by IPTG. The SEPT5 protein was shown to be authentic as it was able
      to be pulled down by a commercial anti-SEPT5 antibody in a co-immunoprecipitation
      assay. In vivo aggregation of the recombinant protein was limited by cultivation
      at a reduced temperature of 16  degrees C. Using co-immunoprecipitation
      techniques, the purified recombinant SEPT5 protein was used to pull down host's
      interacting or binding proteins, i.e., proteins of brains of chickens infected
      with the H5N1 influenza virus. Interacting proteins, such as CRMP2, tubulin
      proteins, heat-shock proteins and other classes of septins were identified using
      LCMS/MS. Results from this study suggest that the codon-optimized SEPT5 gene can
      be efficiently expressed in the E. coli bacterial system producing authentic
      SEPT5 protein, thus, enabling multiple host's proteins to interact with the SEPT5
      protein.

PMID- 28895885
TI  - Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase in Cutaneous Malignancies.
AB  - Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that has been
      implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of neoplasms. As suggested by its
      name, ALK was first described as part of a translocation product in cases of
      anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, with other genetic and cytogenetic ALK mutations
      subsequently coming to attention in the development of many other hematologic and
      solid organ malignancies. ALK has now been shown to play a role in the
      pathogenesis of several cutaneous malignancies, including secondary cutaneous
      systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) and primary cutaneous ALCL,
      melanoma, spitzoid tumors, epithelioid fibrous histiocytoma, Merkel cell
      carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. The characterization of ALK-positivity in
      these cutaneous malignancies presents exciting opportunities for utilizing ALK
      targeted inhibitors in the treatment of these diseases.

PMID- 28895887
TI  - A Micronutrient Fortified Beverage Given at Different Dosing Frequencies Had
      Limited Impact on Anemia and Micronutrient Status in Filipino Schoolchildren.
AB  - This study evaluated the effects of a multi-micronutrient fortified juice drink
      given in different frequencies of consumption on hemoglobin (Hb) concentration of
      schoolchildren. Hb was measured in 2423 schoolchildren aged 6- to 9-years-old at
      baseline. All anemic children (n = 246) were randomly allocated into groups:
      Daily dose (HD: high dose), 5X/week (MD: Moderate Dose), 3X/week (LD: Low Dose)
      and unfortified (Control). Pre- and post-study measurements of micronutrients
      were collected from 228 children. At the endpoint, significant Hb increases were
      observed in all groups, but there was no significant difference between groups.
      There was a significant reduction in anemia prevalence in all groups from 100% to
      36% (Control), 30% (LD), 23% (MD) and 26% (HD). No dose-response effect was
      observed in Hb in this population. Most likely, this resulted from better than
      expected micronutrient status and lower than expected severity of anemia and
      micronutrient deficiencies in this cohort. It is unlikely that the addition of a
      fortified beverage to school feeding programs in this population would have a
      positive impact. Whether such an intervention would be cost-effective as a
      preventative approach needs to be assessed. This study demonstrates the
      importance of targeting such interventions to appropriate populations.

PMID- 28895886
TI  - Immunopathogenesis of HPV-Associated Cancers and Prospects for Immunotherapy.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a causative factor for various cancers of
      the anogenital region and oropharynx, and is supposed to play an important
      cofactor role for skin carcinogenesis. Evasion from immunosurveillance favors
      viral persistence. However, there is evidence that the mere presence of oncogenic
      HPV is not sufficient for malignant progression and that additional tumor
      promoting steps are required. Recent studies have demonstrated that HPV
      transformed cells actively promote chronic stromal inflammation and conspire with
      cells in the local microenvironment to promote carcinogenesis. This review
      highlights the complex interplay between HPV-infected cells and the local immune
      microenvironment during oncogenic HPV infection, persistence, and malignant
      progression, and discusses new prospects for diagnosis and immunotherapy of HPV
      associated cancers.

PMID- 28895888
TI  - Health Effects of Ambient Air Pollution in Developing Countries.
AB  - The deleterious effects of ambient air pollution on human health have been
      consistently documented by many epidemiologic studies worldwide, and it has been
      calculated that globally at least seven million deaths are annually attributable
      to the effects of air pollution. The major air pollutants emitted into the
      atmosphere by a number of natural processes and human activities include nitrogen
      oxides, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter. In addition to the
      poor ambient air quality, there is increasing evidence that indoor air pollution
      also poses a serious threat to human health, especially in low-income countries
      that still use biomass fuels as an energy resource. This review summarizes the
      current knowledge on ambient air pollution in financially deprived populations.

PMID- 28895889
TI  - The Skin Bacterium Propionibacterium acnes Employs Two Variants of Hyaluronate
      Lyase with Distinct Properties.
AB  - Hyaluronic acid (HA) and other glycosaminoglycans are extracellular matrix
      components in the human epidermis and dermis. One of the most prevalent skin
      microorganisms, Propionibacterium acnes, possesses HA-degrading activity,
      possibly conferred by the enzyme hyaluronate lyase (HYL). In this study, we
      identified the HYL of P. acnes and investigated the genotypic and phenotypic
      characteristics. Investigations include the generation of a P. acneshyl knockout
      mutant and HYL activity assays to determine the substrate range and formed
      products. We found that P. acnes employs two distinct variants of HYL. One
      variant, HYL-IB/II, is highly active, resulting in complete HA degradation; it is
      present in strains of the phylotypes IB and II. The other variant, HYL-IA, has
      low activity, resulting in incomplete HA degradation; it is present in type IA
      strains. Our findings could explain some of the observed differences between P.
      acnes phylotype IA and IB/II strains. Whereas type IA strains are primarily found
      on the skin surface and associated with acne vulgaris, type IB/II strains are
      more often associated with soft and deep tissue infections, which would require
      elaborate tissue invasion strategies, possibly accomplished by a highly active
      HYL-IB/II.

PMID- 28895890
TI  - Skin Penetration Enhancement by Natural Oils for Dihydroquercetin Delivery.
AB  - Natural oils are commonly used in topical pharmaceutical formulations as
      emulsifiers, stabilizers or solubility enhancers. They are presented as safe and
      inert components, mainly used for formulation purposes. It is confirmed that
      natural oils can affect the skin penetration of various substances. Fatty acids
      are mainly responsible for this effect. Current understanding lacks reliable
      scientific data on penetration of natural oils into the skin and their skin
      penetration enhancement potential. In the current study, fatty acid content
      analysis was used to determine the principal fatty acids in soybean, olive,
      avocado, sea-buckthorn pulp, raspberry seed and coconut oils. Time of flight
      secondary ion mass spectrometry bioimaging was used to determine the distribution
      of these fatty acids in human skin ex vivo after application of the oils. Skin
      penetration enhancement ratios were determined for a perspective antioxidant
      compound dihydroquercetin. The results demonstrated skin penetration of fatty
      acids from all oils tested. Only soybean and olive oils significantly increased
      the skin distribution of dihydroquercetin and can be used as skin penetration
      enhancers. However, no correlation can be determined between the fatty acids'
      composition and skin penetration enhancement using currently available
      methodological approaches. This indicates that potential chemical penetration
      enhancement should be evaluated during formulation of topically applied products
      containing natural oils.

PMID- 28895892
TI  - A Robotic Platform for Corn Seedling Morphological Traits Characterization.
AB  - Crop breeding plays an important role in modern agriculture, improving plant
      performance, and increasing yield. Identifying the genes that are responsible for
      beneficial traits greatly facilitates plant breeding efforts for increasing crop
      production. However, associating genes and their functions with agronomic traits
      requires researchers to observe, measure, record, and analyze phenotypes of large
      numbers of plants, a repetitive and error-prone job if performed manually. An
      automated seedling phenotyping system aimed at replacing manual measurement,
      reducing sampling time, and increasing the allowable work time is thus highly
      valuable. Toward this goal, we developed an automated corn seedling phenotyping
      platform based on a time-of-flight of light (ToF) camera and an industrial robot
      arm. A ToF camera is mounted on the end effector of the robot arm. The arm
      positions the ToF camera at different viewpoints for acquiring 3D point cloud
      data. A camera-to-arm transformation matrix was calculated using a hand-eye
      calibration procedure and applied to transfer different viewpoints into an arm
      based coordinate frame. Point cloud data filters were developed to remove the
      noise in the background and in the merged seedling point clouds. A 3D-to-2D
      projection and an x-axis pixel density distribution method were used to segment
      the stem and leaves. Finally, separated leaves were fitted with 3D curves for
      morphological traits characterization. This platform was tested on a sample of 60
      corn plants at their early growth stages with between two to five leaves. The
      error ratios of the stem height and leave length measurements are 13.7% and
      13.1%, respectively, demonstrating the feasibility of this robotic system for
      automated corn seedling phenotyping.

PMID- 28895891
TI  - Alignment of Mitotic Chromosomes in Human Cells Involves SR-Like Splicing Factors
      Btf and TRAP150.
AB  - Serine-arginine-rich (SR) or SR-like splicing factors interact with exon junction
      complex proteins during pre-mRNA processing to promote mRNA packaging into mature
      messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) and to dictate mRNA stability, nuclear
      export, and translation. The SR protein family is complex, and while many
      classical SR proteins have well-defined mRNA processing functions, those of other
      SR-like proteins is unclear. Here, we show that depletion of the homologous non
      classical serine-arginine-rich (SR) splicing factors Bcl2-associated
      transcription factor (Btf or BCLAF) and thyroid hormone receptor-associated
      protein of 150 kDa (TRAP150) causes mitotic defects. We hypothesized that the
      depletion of these SR-like factors affects mitosis indirectly through an altered
      expression of mitotic checkpoint regulator transcripts. We observed an altered
      abundance of transcripts that encode mitotic regulators and mitotic chromosome
      misalignment defects following Btf and/or TRAP150 depletion. We propose that, in
      addition to their previously reported roles in maintaining mRNA distribution, Btf
      and TRAP150 control the abundance of transcripts encoding mitotic regulators,
      thereby affecting mitotic progression in human cells.

PMID- 28895893
TI  - Applying Nonparametric Methods to Analyses of Short-Term Fine Particulate Matter
      Exposure and Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular Diseases among Older Adults.
AB  - Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with
      increased risks of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but whether such associations
      are supportive of a causal relationship is unclear, and few studies have employed
      formal causal analysis methods to address this. We employed nonparametric methods
      to examine the associations between daily concentrations of PM2.5 and hospital
      admissions (HAs) for CVD among adults aged 75 years and older in Texas, USA. We
      first quantified the associations in partial dependence plots generated using the
      random forest approach. We next used a Bayesian network learning algorithm to
      identify conditional dependencies between CVD HAs of older men and women and
      several predictor variables. We found that geographic location (county), time
      (e.g., month and year), and temperature satisfied necessary information
      conditions for being causes of CVD HAs among older men and women, but daily PM2.5
      concentrations did not. We also found that CVD HAs of disjoint subpopulations
      were strongly predictive of CVD HAs among older men and women, indicating the
      presence of unmeasured confounders. Our findings from nonparametric analyses do
      not support PM2.5 as a direct cause of CVD HAs among older adults.

PMID- 28895894
TI  - An Insight into T-DNA Integration Events in Medicago sativa.
AB  - The molecular mechanisms of transferred DNA (T-DNA) integration into the plant
      genome are still not completely understood. A large number of integration events
      have been analyzed in different species, shedding light on the molecular
      mechanisms involved, and on the frequent transfer of vector sequences outside the
      T-DNA borders, the so-called vector backbone (VB) sequences. In this work, we
      characterized 46 transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants (events),
      generated in previous works, for the presence of VB tracts, and sequenced several
      T-DNA/genomic DNA (gDNA) junctions. We observed that about 29% of the transgenic
      events contained VB sequences, within the range reported in other species.
      Sequence analysis of the T-DNA/gDNA junctions evidenced larger deletions at LBs
      compared to RBs and insertions probably originated by different integration
      mechanisms. Overall, our findings in alfalfa are consistent with those in other
      plant species. This work extends the knowledge on the molecular events of T-DNA
      integration and can help to design better transformation protocols for alfalfa.

PMID- 28895895
TI  - Effects of Sleep Quality on Melatonin Levels and Inflammatory Response after
      Major Abdominal Surgery in an Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - Disruption of nocturnal sleep in an intensive care unit may remarkably affect
      production of melatonin, which is also known to have anti-inflammatory
      properties. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of sleep
      quality on melatonin levels and inflammation after surgery. Thus, we compared the
      patients, who were screened in the side-rooms where the lights were dimmed and
      noise levels were reduced, with the patients who received usual care.
      Preoperative and postoperative urine 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, serum interleukin-1
      (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and c-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured
      and data on sleep quality was collected using the Richards-Campbell Sleep
      Questionnaire. Postoperative CRP and IL-6 levels were greater in the control
      group than in the experimental group, whereas postoperative 24 h melatonin levels
      were greater than preoperative levels and the difference was steeper in the
      experimental group in concordance with sleep quality scores. Thus, the regulation
      of light and noise in ICUs may help the recovery after major surgeries in
      patients, potentially by increasing melatonin production, which has anti
      inflammatory properties.

PMID- 28895897
TI  - Accuracy of Base of Support Using an Inertial Sensor Based Motion Capture System.
AB  - The potential of miniature inertial sensors for human balance and gait analysis
      appears promising. Base of support (BOS), together with its interaction with
      center of mass, is a critical indicator in above mentioned research fields. This
      study aims to evaluate the accuracy of Xsens MVN BIOMECH, a commercial widely
      used inertial sensor-based motion capture system, for measuring static BOS and
      examine the effect of different task complexity on the accuracy. Eleven young
      males participated in this study and went through eleven different experimental
      tasks. Results showed there were considerable errors in estimating BOS area
      (error ranged from -12.6% to +64.6%) from Xsens MVN and a large error in foot
      separation distance when there was knee flexion. The estimated BOS area from MVN
      was smaller than the ground truth from footprint when there was no knee flexion,
      and larger when there was knee flexion, and it increased monotonically along with
      the knee flexion angles. Wrongly estimated foot separations, mainly caused by
      knee flexion, and the initial system estimation error on BOS, were two major
      reasons for error and instability of BOS estimation. The findings suggested that
      caution should be taken when using Xsens MVN BIOMECH to estimate BOS and foot
      position-related measurements, especially for postures/motions with knee flexion.

PMID- 28895896
TI  - Does the Host Contribute to Modulation of Mycotoxin Production by Fruit
      Pathogens?
AB  - Storage of freshly harvested fruit is a key factor in modulating their supply for
      several months after harvest; however, their quality can be reduced by pathogen
      attack. Fruit pathogens may infect their host through damaged surfaces, such as
      mechanical injuries occurring during growing, harvesting, and packing, leading to
      increased colonization as the fruit ripens. Of particular concern are fungal
      pathogens that not only macerate the host tissue but also secrete significant
      amounts of mycotoxins. Many studies have described the importance of
      physiological factors, including stage of fruit development, biochemical factors
      (ripening, C and N content), and environmental factors (humidity, temperature,
      water deficit) on the occurrence of mycotoxins. However, those factors usually
      show a correlative effect on fungal growth and mycotoxin accumulation. Recent
      reports have suggested that host factors can induce fungal metabolism, leading to
      the synthesis and accumulation of mycotoxins. This review describes the new
      vision of host-factor impact on the regulation of mycotoxin biosynthetic gene
      clusters underlying the complex regulation of mycotoxin accumulation in ripening
      fruit.

PMID- 28895898
TI  - Reducing the Shared Burden of Chronic Conditions among Persons Aging with
      Disability and Older Adults in the United States through Bridging Aging and
      Disability.
AB  - Persons aging with long-term disabilities such as spinal cord injury or multiple
      sclerosis and older adults share similar chronic conditions in mid and later life
      in the United States. The rising general interest and more prevalent federal
      requirements for use of evidence-based practices (EBP) in health promotion and
      chronic condition interventions highlight the gap between demand and the
      availability of EBPs for persons aging with disability in particular. Addressing
      this gap will require focused efforts that will benefit substantially by bridging
      the fields of aging and disability/rehabilitation to develop new EBPs, translate
      existing EBPs across populations, and borrow best practices across fields where
      there are few current EBPs. Understanding distinctions between disability-related
      secondary conditions and age-related chronic conditions is a first step in
      identifying shared conditions that are important to address for both mid-life and
      older adults with disabilities. This review articulates these distinctions,
      describes shared conditions, and discusses the current lack of EBPs for both
      populations. It also provides recommendations for bridging activities in the
      United States by researchers, professionals, and consumer advocates. We argue
      that these can more efficiently move research and practice than if activities
      were undertaken separately in each field (aging and disability/rehabilitation).

PMID- 28895899
TI  - Effects of Heat Stress on Construction Labor Productivity in Hong Kong: A Case
      Study of Rebar Workers.
AB  - Global warming is bringing more frequent and severe heat waves, and the result
      will be serious for vulnerable populations such as construction workers.
      Excessive heat stress has profound effects on physiological responses, which
      cause occupational injuries, fatalities and low productivity. Construction
      workers are particularly affected by heat stress, because of the body heat
      production caused by physically demanding tasks, and hot and humid working
      conditions. Field studies were conducted between August and September 2016 at two
      construction training grounds in Hong Kong. Onsite wet-bulb globe temperature
      (WBGT), workers' heart rate (HR), and labor productivity were measured and
      monitored. Based on the 378 data sets of synchronized environmental,
      physiological, construction labor productivity (CLP), and personal variables, a
      CLP-heat stress model was established. It was found that WBGT, percentage of
      maximum HR, age, work duration, and alcohol drinking habits were determining
      factors for predicting the CLP (adjusted R2 = 0.68, p < 0.05). The model revealed
      that heat stress reduces CLP, with the percentage of direct work time decreasing
      by 0.33% when the WBGT increased by 1  degrees C. The findings in this study
      extend the existing practice notes by providing scientific data that may be of
      benefit to the industry in producing solid guidelines for working in hot weather.

PMID- 28895900
TI  - Laser Indirect Shock Welding of Fine Wire to Metal Sheet.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to present an advanced method for welding fine wire
      to metal sheet, namely laser indirect shock welding (LISW). This process uses
      silica gel as driver sheet to accelerate the metal sheet toward the wire to
      obtain metallurgical bonding. A series of experiments were implemented to
      validate the welding ability of Al sheet/Cu wire and Al sheet/Ag wire. It was
      found that the use of a driver sheet can maintain high surface quality of the
      metal sheet. With the increase of laser pulse energy, the bonding area of the
      sheet/wire increased and the welding interfaces were nearly flat. Energy
      dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results show that the intermetallic phases were
      absent and a short element diffusion layer which would limit the formation of the
      intermetallic phases emerging at the welding interface. A tensile shear test was
      used to measure the mechanical strength of the welding joints. The influence of
      laser pulse energy on the tensile failure modes was investigated, and two failure
      modes, including interfacial failure and failure through the wire, were observed.
      The nanoindentation test results indicate that as the distance to the welding
      interface decreased, the microhardness increased due to the plastic deformation
      becoming more violent.

PMID- 28895901
TI  - Delayed Activation Kinetics of Th2- and Th17 Cells Compared to Th1 Cells.
AB  - During immune responses, different classes of T cells arise: Th1, Th2, and Th17.
      Mobilizing the right class plays a critical role in successful host defense and
      therefore defining the ratios of Th1/Th2/Th17 cells within the antigen-specific T
      cell repertoire is critical for immune monitoring purposes. Antigen-specific Th1,
      Th2, and Th17 cells can be detected by challenging peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells (PBMC) with antigen, and establishing the numbers of T cells producing the
      respective lead cytokine, IFN-gamma and IL-2 for Th1 cells, IL-4 and IL-5 for
      Th2, and IL-17 for Th-17 cells, respectively. Traditionally, these cytokines are
      measured within 6 h in flow cytometry. We show here that 6 h of stimulation is
      sufficient to detect peptide-induced production of IFN-gamma, but 24 h are
      required to reveal the full frequency of protein antigen-specific Th1 cells. Also
      the detection of IL-2 producing Th1 cells requires 24 h stimulation cultures.
      Measurements of IL-4 producing Th2 cells requires 48-h cultures and 96 h are
      required for frequency measurements of IL-5 and IL-17 secreting T cells.
      Therefore, accounting for the differential secretion kinetics of these cytokines
      is critical for the accurate determination of the frequencies and ratios of
      antigen-specific Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells.

PMID- 28895902
TI  - Millimeter Scale Track Irregularity Surveying Based on ZUPT-Aided INS with Sub
      Decimeter Scale Landmarks.
AB  - Railway track irregularity surveying is important for the construction and the
      maintenance of railway lines. With the development of inertial devices, systems
      based on Inertial Navigation System (INS) have become feasible and popular
      approaches in track surveying applications. In order to overcome the requirement
      of high precision control points, this paper proposes a railway track
      irregularity measurement approach using the INS combined with the Zero Velocity
      Updates (ZUPT) technique and sub-decimeter scale landmarks. The equations for
      calculating track irregularity parameters from absolute position errors are
      deduced. Based on covariance analysis, the analytical relationships among the
      track irregularity measurements with the drifts of inertial sensors, the initial
      attitude errors and the observations of velocity and position are established.
      Simulations and experimental results show that the relative accuracy for 30 m
      chord of the proposed approach for track irregularity surveying can reach
      approximately 1 mm (1sigma) with gyro bias instability of 0.01 degrees /h, random
      walk noise of 0.005  degrees  / h , and accelerometer bias instability of 50 MU g
      , random noise of 10 MU g / Hz , while velocity observations are provided by the
      ZUPT technique at about every 60 m intervals. This accuracy can meet the most
      stringent requirements of millimeter scale medium wavelength track irregularity
      surveying for railway lines. Furthermore, this approach reduces the requirement
      of high precision landmarks which can lighten the maintenance burden of control
      points and improve the work efficiency of railway track irregularity
      measurements.

PMID- 28895903
TI  - Performable Case Studies in Ethics Education.
AB  - Bioethics education often includes the study of short stories, novels, plays, and
      films, because such materials present case examples that can highlight relevant
      issues and questions especially vividly for a wide range of students. In
      addition, creative writing is widely used in the education of health professional
      students and in continuing education settings for health professionals. There are
      very few academic or professional disciplines that do not use case studies, but
      the case study in dialogic form has not been standard practice for thousands of
      years. Dramatic arts casuistry-the creation and performance of short case studies
      designed specifically to raise bioethics issues for discussion-represents an
      application of literature and the medical humanities that is both unique and
      uniquely valuable. This essay describes the development and history of a course
      that has been successfully taught to medical students and graduate bioethics
      students, in which the class researches, writes, and performs a case study
      designed to elicit reflection and discussion about a topic and set of bioethics
      issues of current interest to both academic and general audiences. The model is
      also suited to the presentation and discussion of existing case studies, both
      live and via on-demand audio.

PMID- 28895905
TI  - Fuzzy Risk Evaluation in Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Using a D Numbers
      Based Multi-Sensor Information Fusion Method.
AB  - Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a useful tool to define, identify, and
      eliminate potential failures or errors so as to improve the reliability of
      systems, designs, and products. Risk evaluation is an important issue in FMEA to
      determine the risk priorities of failure modes. There are some shortcomings in
      the traditional risk priority number (RPN) approach for risk evaluation in FMEA,
      and fuzzy risk evaluation has become an important research direction that
      attracts increasing attention. In this paper, the fuzzy risk evaluation in FMEA
      is studied from a perspective of multi-sensor information fusion. By considering
      the non-exclusiveness between the evaluations of fuzzy linguistic variables to
      failure modes, a novel model called D numbers is used to model the non-exclusive
      fuzzy evaluations. A D numbers based multi-sensor information fusion method is
      proposed to establish a new model for fuzzy risk evaluation in FMEA. An
      illustrative example is provided and examined using the proposed model and other
      existing method to show the effectiveness of the proposed model.

PMID- 28895904
TI  - Effect of Sex and Body Mass Index on Children's Physical Activity Intensity
      during Free Play at an Indoor Soft Play Center: An Exploratory Study.
AB  - Background: Indoor soft play can provide a safe but exciting physical activity
      opportunity regardless of environmental conditions. Relatively little is known
      about the quality or quantity of physical activity engaged in by children during
      indoor free soft play. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution
      indoor free soft play can make in enabling children to meet physical activity
      guidelines and to evaluate the effects of sex and body mass index category.
      Methods: Seventy-two boys and girls aged five to 10 years engaged in un
      controlled indoor free soft play with a mean duration of 120.7 (27.1) min, during
      which physical activity was monitored using Actigraph accelerometers. Results:
      Children spent an average of 61.7 (24.2) min engaging in moderate to vigorous
      physical activity (MVPA) and 51.4% (n = 37) achieved the recommended 60 min of
      MVPA through the single visit to the indoor soft play center. Boys (68.3 (25.7)
      min) engaged in significantly (p < 0.05) more MVPA than girls (55.8 (21.4) min).
      Normal weight (65.7 (23.3) min) children engaged in significantly more MVPA than
      overweight children (48.0 (18.9) min). Conclusions: Attendance at a soft play
      indoor center has the potential to support children to engage in sufficient MVPA
      and overcome environmental factors that can restrict physical activity
      opportunities.

PMID- 28895906
TI  - Silicon Nitride Photonic Integration Platforms for Visible, Near-Infrared and Mid
      Infrared Applications.
AB  - Silicon nitride photonics is on the rise owing to the broadband nature of the
      material, allowing applications of biophotonics, tele/datacom, optical signal
      processing and sensing, from visible, through near to mid-infrared wavelengths.
      In this paper, a review of the state of the art of silicon nitride strip
      waveguide platforms is provided, alongside the experimental results on the
      development of a versatile 300 nm guiding film height silicon nitride platform.

PMID- 28895907
TI  - The Anti-Proliferation Activity and Mechanism of Action of K12[V18O42(H2O)]?6H2O
      on Breast Cancer Cell Lines.
AB  - Polyoxometalates (POMs) are inorganic clusters that possess potential anti
      bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-tumor activities. Herein, the in vitro anti
      proliferation activities of K12[V18O42(H2O)]?6H2O (V18) have been investigated on
      the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The results indicated that V18 could inhibit
      the proliferation of MCF-7 (IC50, 11.95 MUM at 48 h) in a dose-dependent manner
      compared to the positive control, 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu, p < 0.05). The anti
      proliferation activity of V18 might be mediated by arrest of the MCF-7 cells in
      the G2/M phase and induction of apoptosis and necrosis. Moreover, V18 can
      effectively quench the fluorescence of ctDNA. The binding mode between them may
      be groove or outside stacking binding. V18 can also effectively quench the
      intrinsic fluorescence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin
      (HSA) via static quenching, and changed the conformation of BSA and HSA.

PMID- 28895908
TI  - A Robust Sparse Representation Model for Hyperspectral Image Classification.
AB  - Sparse representation has been extensively investigated for hyperspectral image
      (HSI) classification and led to substantial improvements in the performance over
      the traditional methods, such as support vector machine (SVM). However, the
      existing sparsity-based classification methods typically assume Gaussian noise,
      neglecting the fact that HSIs are often corrupted by different types of noise in
      practice. In this paper, we develop a robust classification model that admits
      realistic mixed noise, which includes Gaussian noise and sparse noise. We combine
      a model for mixed noise with a prior on the representation coefficients of input
      data within a unified framework, which produces three kinds of robust
      classification methods based on sparse representation classification (SRC), joint
      SRC and joint SRC on a super-pixels level. Experimental results on simulated and
      real data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and clear benefits
      from the introduced mixed-noise model.

PMID- 28895909
TI  - Measurement of Walking Ground Reactions in Real-Life Environments: A Systematic
      Review of Techniques and Technologies.
AB  - Monitoring natural human gait in real-life environments is essential in many
      applications, including quantification of disease progression, monitoring the
      effects of treatment, and monitoring alteration of performance biomarkers in
      professional sports. Nevertheless, developing reliable and practical techniques
      and technologies necessary for continuous real-life monitoring of gait is still
      an open challenge. A systematic review of English-language articles from
      scientific databases including Scopus, ScienceDirect, Pubmed, IEEE Xplore, EBSCO
      and MEDLINE were carried out to analyse the 'accuracy' and 'practicality' of the
      current techniques and technologies for quantitative measurement of the tri-axial
      walking ground reactions outside the laboratory environment, and to highlight
      their strengths and shortcomings. In total, 679 relevant abstracts were
      identified, 54 full-text papers were included in the paper and the quantitative
      results of 17 papers were used for meta-analysis and comparison. Three classes of
      methods were reviewed: (1) methods based on measured kinematic data; (2) methods
      based on measured plantar pressure; and (3) methods based on direct measurement
      of ground reactions. It was found that all three classes of methods have
      competitive accuracy levels with methods based on direct measurement of the
      ground reactions showing highest accuracy while being least practical for long
      term real-life measurement. On the other hand, methods that estimate ground
      reactions using measured body kinematics show highest practicality of the three
      classes of methods reviewed. Among the most prominent technical and technological
      challenges are: (1) reducing the size and price of tri-axial load-cells; (2)
      improving the accuracy of orientation measurement using IMUs; (3) minimizing the
      number and optimizing the location of required IMUs for kinematic measurement;
      (4) increasing the durability of pressure insole sensors, and (5) enhancing the
      robustness and versatility of the ground reactions estimation methods to include
      pathological gaits and natural variability of gait in real-life physical
      environment.

PMID- 28895910
TI  - A False Alarm Reduction Method for a Gas Sensor Based Electronic Nose.
AB  - Electronic noses (E-Noses) are becoming popular for food and fruit quality
      assessment due to their robustness and repeated usability without fatigue, unlike
      human experts. An E-Nose equipped with classification algorithms and having open
      ended classification boundaries such as the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), support
      vector machine (SVM), and multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN), are found
      to suffer from false classification errors of irrelevant odor data. To reduce
      false classification and misclassification errors, and to improve correct
      rejection performance; algorithms with a hyperspheric boundary, such as a radial
      basis function neural network (RBFNN) and generalized regression neural network
      (GRNN) with a Gaussian activation function in the hidden layer should be used.
      The simulation results presented in this paper show that GRNN has more correct
      classification efficiency and false alarm reduction capability compared to RBFNN.
      As the design of a GRNN and RBFNN is complex and expensive due to large numbers
      of neuron requirements, a simple hyperspheric classification method based on
      minimum, maximum, and mean (MMM) values of each class of the training dataset was
      presented. The MMM algorithm was simple and found to be fast and efficient in
      correctly classifying data of training classes, and correctly rejecting data of
      extraneous odors, and thereby reduced false alarms.

PMID- 28895912
TI  - CD64: An Attractive Immunotherapeutic Target for M1-type Macrophage Mediated
      Chronic Inflammatory Diseases.
AB  - To date, no curative therapy is available for the treatment of most chronic
      inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, or
      autoimmune disorders. Current treatments require a lifetime supply for patients
      to alleviate clinical symptoms and are unable to stop the course of disease. In
      contrast, a new series of immunotherapeutic agents targeting the Fc gamma
      receptor I (CD64) have emerged and demonstrated significant clinical potential to
      actually resolving chronic inflammation driven by M1-type dysregulated
      macrophages. This subpopulation plays a key role in the initiation and
      maintenance of a series of chronic diseases. The novel recombinant M1-specific
      immunotherapeutics offer the prospect of highly effective treatment strategies as
      they have been shown to selectively eliminate the disease-causing macrophage
      subpopulations. In this review, we provide a detailed summary of the data
      generated, together with the advantages and the clinical potential of CD64-based
      targeted therapies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 28895913
TI  - Dietary Factors Modulate Iron Uptake in Caco-2 Cells from an Iron Ingot Used as a
      Home Fortificant to Prevent Iron Deficiency.
AB  - Iron deficiency is a major public health concern and nutritional approaches are
      required to reduce its prevalence. The aim of this study was to examine the iron
      bioavailability of a novel home fortificant, the "Lucky Iron FishTM" (LIF)
      (www.luckyironfish.com/shop, Guelph, Canada) and the impact of dietary factors
      and a food matrix on iron uptake from LIF in Caco-2 cells. LIF released a
      substantial quantity of iron (about 1.2 mM) at pH 2 but this iron was only
      slightly soluble at pH 7 and not taken up by cells. The addition of ascorbic acid
      (AA) maintained the solubility of iron released from LIF (LIF-iron) at pH 7 and
      facilitated iron uptake by the cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In
      vitro digestion of LIF-iron in the presence of peas increased iron uptake 10
      fold. However, the addition of tannic acid to the digestion reduced the cellular
      iron uptake 7.5-fold. Additionally, LIF-iron induced an overproduction of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS), similar to ferrous sulfate, but this effect was
      counteracted by the addition of AA. Overall, our data illustrate the major
      influence of dietary factors on iron solubility and bioavailability from LIF, and
      demonstrate that the addition of AA enhances iron uptake and reduces ROS in the
      intestinal lumen.

PMID- 28895911
TI  - Therapeutic Implications of Autophagy Inducers in Immunological Disorders,
      Infection, and Cancer.
AB  - Autophagy is an essential catabolic program that forms part of the stress
      response and enables cells to break down their own intracellular components
      within lysosomes for recycling. Accumulating evidence suggests that autophagy
      plays vital roles in determining pathological outcomes of immune responses and
      tumorigenesis. Autophagy regulates innate and adaptive immunity affecting the
      pathologies of infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. In cancer,
      autophagy appears to play distinct roles depending on the context of the
      malignancy by either promoting or suppressing key determinants of cancer cell
      survival. This review covers recent developments in the understanding of
      autophagy and discusses potential therapeutic interventions that may alter the
      outcomes of certain diseases.

PMID- 28895914
TI  - A 24-GHz Front-End Integrated on a Multilayer Cellulose-Based Substrate for
      Doppler Radar Sensors.
AB  - This paper presents a miniaturized Doppler radar that can be used as a motion
      sensor for low-cost Internet of things (IoT) applications. For the first time, a
      radar front-end and its antenna are integrated on a multilayer cellulose-based
      substrate, built-up by alternating paper, glue and metal layers. The circuit
      exploits a distributed microstrip structure that is realized using a copper
      adhesive laminate, so as to obtain a low-loss conductor. The radar operates at 24
      GHz and transmits 5 mW of power. The antenna has a gain of 7.4 dBi and features a
      half power beam-width of 48 degrees. The sensor, that is just the size of a
      stamp, is able to detect the movement of a walking person up to 10 m in distance,
      while a minimum speed of 50 mm/s up to 3 m is clearly measured. Beyond this
      specific result, the present paper demonstrates that the attractive features of
      cellulose, including ultra-low cost and eco-friendliness (i.e., recyclability and
      biodegradability), can even be exploited for the realization of future high
      frequency hardware. This opens opens the door to the implementation on cellulose
      of devices and systems which make up the "sensing layer" at the base of the IoT
      ecosystem.

PMID- 28895917
TI  - UWB Monitoring System for AAL Applications.
AB  - Independent living of elderly persons in their homes requires support that can be
      provided with modern assistive technologies. Monitoring of elderly persons
      behaviour delivers valuable information that can be used for diagnosis and
      detection of health problems as well as triggering alerts in emergency
      situations. The paper includes a description of the ultra wideband system
      developed within Networked InfrasTructure for Innovative home Care Solutions
      (NITICS) Active and Assisted Living (AAL) project. The system can be used as a
      component of AAL platforms. It delivers data on users localization and has a fall
      detector functionality. The system also provides access to raw measurement
      results from Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors embedded in the device
      worn by the monitored person. These data can be used in solutions intended for
      elderly person's behaviour investigation. The system was investigated under
      laboratory conditions as well as in home environment. The detailed system
      description and results of performed tests are included in the article.

PMID- 28895915
TI  - "Autoimmune(-Like)" Drug and Herb Induced Liver Injury: New Insights into
      Molecular Pathogenesis.
AB  - Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and hepatic injury due to herbal
      and dietary supplements (HDS) can adapt clinical characteristics of autoimmune
      hepatitis (AIH), such as the appearance of autoantibodies and infiltration of the
      liver by immune competent cells. To describe these cases of DILI/HDS, the poorly
      defined term "autoimmune(-like)" DILI/HDS came up. It is uncertain if these cases
      represent a subgroup of DILI/HDS with distinct pathomechanistic and prognostic
      features different from "classical" DILI/HDS. Besides, due to the overlap of
      clinical characteristics of "immune-mediated" DILI/HDS and AIH, both entities are
      not easy to differentiate. However, the demarcation is important, especially with
      regard to treatment: AIH requires long-term, mostly lifelong immunosuppression,
      whereas DILI/HDS does not. Only through exact diagnostic evaluation, exclusion of
      differential diagnoses and prolonged follow-up can the correct diagnosis reliably
      be made. Molecular mechanisms have not been analysed for the subgroup of
      "autoimmune(-like)" DILI/HDS yet. However, several pathogenetic checkpoints of
      DILI/HDS in general and AIH are shared. An analysis of these shared mechanisms
      might hint at relevant molecular processes of "autoimmune(-like)" DILI/HDS.

PMID- 28895918
TI  - Trauma Affecting Asian-Pacific Islanders in the San Francisco Bay Area.
AB  - Trauma is a transgenerational process that overwhelms the community and the
      ability of family members to cope with life stressors. An anthropologist trained
      in ethnographic methods observed three focus groups from a non-profit agency
      providing trauma and mental health services to Asian Americans living in the San
      Francisco Bay Area of United States. Supplemental information also was collected
      from staff interviews and notes. Many of the clients were immigrants, refugees,
      or adult children of these groups. This report consisted of authentic
      observations and rich qualitative information to characterize the impact of
      trauma on refugees and immigrants. Observations suggest that collective trauma,
      direct or indirect, can impede the success and survivability of a population,
      even after many generations.

PMID- 28895916
TI  - MicroRNAs in Different Histologies of Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Comprehensive
      Review.
AB  - Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) constitute a rare tumour entity comprising over 50
      histological subtypes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-protein coding RNA
      molecules that regulate gene expression by targeting the 3'-untranslated region
      of messenger RNAs. They are involved in a variety of human diseases, including
      malignancies, such as endometrial cancer, osteosarcoma, bronchial carcinoma and
      breast cancer. In STS, various miRNAs are differentially expressed, thus
      contributing to development, progression and invasion. Therefore, the aim of the
      present review is to summarise current knowledge on the role of miRNAs in STS.
      Furthermore, the potential role of miRNAs as diagnostic, prognostic and
      predictive biomarkers is discussed.

PMID- 28895919
TI  - NAFLD: Is There Anything New under the Sun?
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an "umbrella" definition that
      encompasses a spectrum of histological liver changes ranging from simple
      steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with/without fibrosis,
      "cryptogenic" cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), occurring in a
      dysmetabolic milieu, though in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption and
      other competing etiologies of chronic liver disease [1].[...].

PMID- 28895920
TI  - EMT and Treatment Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the third leading cause of adult cancer mortality in
      the United States. The poor prognosis for patients with PC is mainly due to its
      aggressive course, the limited efficacy of active systemic treatments, and a
      metastatic behavior, demonstrated throughout the evolution of the disease. On
      average, 80% of patients with PC are diagnosed with metastatic disease, and the
      half of those who undergo surgery and adjuvant therapy develop liver metastasis
      within two years. Metastatic dissemination is an early event in PC and is mainly
      attributed to an evolutionary biological process called epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT). This innate mechanism could have a dual role during embryonic
      growth and organ differentiation, and in cancer progression, cancer stem cell
      intravasation, and metastasis settlement. Many of the molecular pathways decisive
      in EMT progression have been already unraveled, but little is known about the
      causes behind the induction of this mechanism. EMT is one of the most distinctive
      and critical features of PC, occurring even in the very first stages of tumor
      development. This is known as pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and
      leads to early dissemination, drug resistance, and unfavorable prognosis and
      survival. The intention of this review is to shed new light on the critical role
      assumed by EMT during PC progression, with a particular focus on its role in PC
      resistance.

PMID- 28895921
TI  - Food and Beverage Marketing in Schools: A Review of the Evidence.
AB  - Despite growing interest from government agencies, non-governmental organizations
      and school boards in restricting or regulating unhealthy food and beverage
      marketing to children, limited research has examined the emerging knowledge base
      regarding school-based food and beverage marketing in high-income countries. This
      review examined current approaches for measuring school food and beverage
      marketing practices, and evidence regarding the extent of exposure and
      hypothesized associations with children's diet-related outcomes. Five databases
      (MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycINFO) and six grey literature
      sources were searched for papers that explicitly examined school-based food and
      beverage marketing policies or practices. Twenty-seven papers, across four high
      income countries including Canada (n = 2), Ireland (n = 1), Poland (n = 1) and
      United States (n = 23) were identified and reviewed. Results showed that three
      main methodological approaches have been used: direct observation, self-report
      surveys, and in-person/telephone interviews, but few studies reported on the
      validity or reliability of measures. Findings suggest that students in the U.S.
      are commonly exposed to a broad array of food and beverage marketing approaches
      including direct and indirect advertising, although the extent of exposure varies
      widely across studies. More pervasive marketing exposure was found among
      secondary or high schools compared with elementary/middle schools and among
      schools with lower compared with higher socio-economic status. Three of five
      studies examining diet-related outcomes found that exposure to school-based food
      and beverage marketing was associated with food purchasing or consumption,
      particularly for minimally nutritious items. There remains a need for a core set
      of standard and universal measures that are sufficiently rigorous and
      comprehensive to assess the totality of school food and beverage marketing
      practices that can be used to compare exposure between study contexts and over
      time. Future research should examine the validity of school food and beverage
      marketing assessments and the impacts of exposure (and emerging policies that
      reduce exposure) on children's purchasing and diet-related knowledge, attitudes
      and behaviors in school settings.

PMID- 28895922
TI  - The Effect of Nutrition Therapy and Exercise on Cancer-Related Fatigue and
      Quality of Life in Men with Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improvements in diet and/or exercise are often advocated during
      prostate cancer treatment, yet the efficacy of, and optimal nutrition and
      exercise prescription for managing cancer-related fatigue and quality of life
      remains elusive. The aim of this study is to systematically review the effects of
      nutrition and/or exercise on cancer-related fatigue and/or quality of life.
      METHODS: A literature search was conducted in six electronic databases. The
      Delphi quality assessment list was used to evaluate the methodological quality of
      the literature. The study characteristics and results were summarized in
      accordance with the review's Population, Intervention, Control, Outcome (PICO)
      criteria. RESULTS: A total of 20 articles (one diet only, two combined diet and
      exercise, and seventeen exercise only studies) were included in the review. Soy
      supplementation improved quality of life, but resulted in several adverse
      effects. Prescribing healthy eating guidelines with combined resistance training
      and aerobic exercise improved cancer-related fatigue, yet its effect on quality
      of life was inconclusive. Combined resistance training with aerobic exercise
      showed improvements in cancer-related fatigue and quality of life. In isolation,
      resistance training appears to be more effective in improving cancer-related
      fatigue and quality of life than aerobic exercise. Studies that utilised an
      exercise professional to supervise the exercise sessions were more likely to
      report improvements in both cancer-related fatigue and quality of life than those
      prescribing unsupervised or partially supervised sessions. Neither exercise
      frequency nor duration appeared to influence cancer-related fatigue or quality of
      life, with further research required to explore the potential dose-response
      effect of exercise intensity. CONCLUSION: Supervised moderate-hard resistance
      training with or without moderate-vigorous aerobic exercise appears to improve
      cancer-related fatigue and quality of life. Targeted physiological pathways
      suggest dietary intervention may alleviate cancer-related fatigue and improve
      quality of life, however the efficacy of nutrition management with or without
      exercise prescription requires further exploration.

PMID- 28895923
TI  - ST-Producing E. coli Oppose Carcinogen-Induced Colorectal Tumorigenesis in Mice.
AB  - There is a geographic inequality in the incidence of colorectal cancer, lowest in
      developing countries, and greatest in developed countries. This disparity
      suggests an environmental contribution to cancer resistance in endemic
      populations. Enterotoxigenic bacteria associated with diarrheal disease are
      prevalent in developing countries, including enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)
      producing heat-stable enterotoxins (STs). STs are peptides that are structurally
      homologous to paracrine hormones that regulate the intestinal guanylyl cyclase C
      (GUCY2C) receptor. Beyond secretion, GUCY2C is a tumor suppressor universally
      silenced by loss of expression of its paracrine hormone during carcinogenesis.
      Thus, the geographic imbalance in colorectal cancer, in part, may reflect chronic
      exposure to ST-producing organisms that restore GUCY2C signaling silenced by
      hormone loss during transformation. Here, mice colonized for 18 weeks with
      control E. coli or those engineered to secrete ST exhibited normal growth, with
      comparable weight gain and normal stool water content, without evidence of
      secretory diarrhea. Enterotoxin-producing, but not control, E. coli, generated ST
      that activated colonic GUCY2C signaling, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)
      production, and cGMP-dependent protein phosphorylation in colonized mice.
      Moreover, mice colonized with ST-producing E. coli exhibited a 50% reduction in
      carcinogen-induced colorectal tumor burden. Thus, chronic colonization with ETEC
      producing ST could contribute to endemic cancer resistance in developing
      countries, reinforcing a novel paradigm of colorectal cancer chemoprevention with
      oral GUCY2C-targeted agents.

PMID- 28895924
TI  - Artificial Turf: Contested Terrains for Precautionary Public Health with
      Particular Reference to Europe?
AB  - Millions of adults, children and teenagers use artificial sports pitches and
      playgrounds globally. Pitches are artificial grass and bases may be made up of
      crumb rubber from recycled tires or new rubber and sand. Player injury on pitches
      was a major concern. Now, debates about health focus on possible exposure and
      uptake of chemicals within pitch and base materials. Research has looked at
      potential risks to users from hazardous substances such as metals, volatile
      organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons including benzo (a) (e)
      pyrenes and phthalates: some are carcinogens and others may be endocrine
      disruptors and have developmental reproductive effects. Small environmental
      monitoring and modelling studies, often with significant data gaps about
      exposure, range of substances monitored, occupational exposures, types of
      surfaces monitored and study length across seasons, indicated little risk to
      sports people and children but some risk to installation workers. A few, again
      often small, studies indicated potentially harmful human effects relating to
      skin, respiration and cancers. Only one widely cited biomonitoring study has been
      done and no rigorous cancer epidemiological studies exist. Unravelling exposures
      and uptake over decades may prove complex. European regulators have strengthened
      controls over crumb rubber chemicals, set different standards for toys and crumb
      rubber pitches. Bigger US studies now underway attempting to fill some of the
      data gaps will report between 2017 and 2019. Public health professionals in the
      meantime may draw on established principles to support greater caution in setting
      crumb rubber exposure limits and controls.

PMID- 28895926
TI  - Influence of Hot Rolling and Heat Treatment on the Microstructural Evolution of
      beta20C Titanium Alloy.
AB  - The microstructural evolution and underlying mechanism of a new high strength,
      high toughness near beta titanium alloy, beta20C, during hot deformation, and
      heat treatment were studied qualitatively and quantitatively. It was found that
      dynamic recovery occurs mainly in beta phase, while alpha phase undergoes both a
      dynamic recovery and continuous incomplete dynamic recrystallization with a
      fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (>=15 degrees ) of 21.1% under hot
      rolling. Subsequently, alpha phase undergoes static recrystallization with an
      increasing fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (21.1%->60.7%) under
      annealing, while the grains are equiaxed with refined grain sizes of 1.63 um
      observed from the rolling direction (RD) and 1.66 um observed from the transverse
      direction (TD). Moreover, the average aspect ratio of the lamellar alpha phase
      was 2.44 observed from the RD and 3.12 observed from the TD after hot rolling,
      but decreased to 2.20 observed from the RD, and 2.53 observed from the TD after
      annealing. Furthermore, the strict Burgers' relationship between alpha and beta
      phases changed after hot-rolling and remains the distortion, even after the
      static recrystallization process of alpha phase during annealing.

PMID- 28895925
TI  - Bovine Lactoferrin Inhibits Dengue Virus Infectivity by Interacting with Heparan
      Sulfate, Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor, and DC-SIGN.
AB  - Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) presents in milk and has been shown to inhibit several
      viral infections. Effective drugs are unavailable for the treatment of dengue
      virus (DENV) infection. In this study, we evaluated the antiviral effect of bLF
      against DENV infection in vivo and in vitro. Bovine LF significantly inhibited
      the infection of the four serotypes of DENV in Vero cells. In the time-of-drug
      addition test, DENV-2 infection was remarkably inhibited when bLF was added
      during or prior to the occurrence of virus attachment. We also revealed that
      bovine LF blocks binding between DENV-2 and the cellular membrane by interacting
      with heparan sulfate (HS), dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion
      molecule 3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN), and low-density lipoprotein receptors
      (LDLR). In addition, bLF inhibits DENV-2 infection and decreases morbidity in a
      suckling mouse challenge model. This study supports the finding that bLF may
      inhibit DENV infection by binding to the potential DENV receptors.

PMID- 28895927
TI  - Association between Childhood Diarrhoeal Incidence and Climatic Factors in Urban
      and Rural Settings in the Health District of Mbour, Senegal.
AB  - We assessed the association between childhood diarrhoeal incidence and climatic
      factors in rural and urban settings in the health district of Mbour in western
      Senegal. We used monthly diarrhoeal case records among children under five years
      registered in 24 health facilities over a four-year period (2011-2014). Climatic
      data (i.e., daily temperature, night temperature and rainfall) for the same four
      year period were obtained. We performed a negative binomial regression model to
      establish the relationship between monthly diarrhoeal incidence and climatic
      factors of the same and the previous month. There were two annual peaks in
      diarrhoeal incidence: one during the cold dry season and one during the rainy
      season. We observed a positive association between diarrhoeal incidence and high
      average temperature of 36  degrees C and above and high cumulative monthly
      rainfall at 57 mm and above. The association between diarrhoeal incidence and
      temperature was stronger in rural compared to urban settings, while higher
      rainfall was associated with higher diarrhoeal incidence in the urban settings.
      Concluding, this study identified significant health-climate interactions and
      calls for effective preventive measures in the health district of Mbour.
      Particular attention should be paid to urban settings where diarrhoea was most
      common in order to reduce the high incidence in the context of climatic
      variability, which is expected to increase in urban areas in the face of global
      warming.

PMID- 28895928
TI  - Collaborative Visual Analytics: A Health Analytics Approach to Injury Prevention.
AB  - Background: Accurate understanding of complex health data is critical in order to
      deal with wicked health problems and make timely decisions. Wicked problems refer
      to ill-structured and dynamic problems that combine multidimensional elements,
      which often preclude the conventional problem solving approach. This pilot study
      introduces visual analytics (VA) methods to multi-stakeholder decision-making
      sessions about child injury prevention; Methods: Inspired by the Delphi method,
      we introduced a novel methodology-group analytics (GA). GA was pilot-tested to
      evaluate the impact of collaborative visual analytics on facilitating problem
      solving and supporting decision-making. We conducted two GA sessions. Collected
      data included stakeholders' observations, audio and video recordings,
      questionnaires, and follow up interviews. The GA sessions were analyzed using the
      Joint Activity Theory protocol analysis methods; Results: The GA methodology
      triggered the emergence of 'common ground' among stakeholders. This common ground
      evolved throughout the sessions to enhance stakeholders' verbal and non-verbal
      communication, as well as coordination of joint activities and ultimately
      collaboration on problem solving and decision-making; Conclusions: Understanding
      complex health data is necessary for informed decisions. Equally important, in
      this case, is the use of the group analytics methodology to achieve 'common
      ground' among diverse stakeholders about health data and their implications.

PMID- 28895930
TI  - Dynamic Reconstruction Algorithm of Three-Dimensional Temperature Field
      Measurement by Acoustic Tomography.
AB  - Accuracy and speed of algorithms play an important role in the reconstruction of
      temperature field measurements by acoustic tomography. Existing algorithms are
      based on static models which only consider the measurement information. A dynamic
      model of three-dimensional temperature reconstruction by acoustic tomography is
      established in this paper. A dynamic algorithm is proposed considering both
      acoustic measurement information and the dynamic evolution information of the
      temperature field. An objective function is built which fuses measurement
      information and the space constraint of the temperature field with its dynamic
      evolution information. Robust estimation is used to extend the objective
      function. The method combines a tunneling algorithm and a local minimization
      technique to solve the objective function. Numerical simulations show that the
      image quality and noise immunity of the dynamic reconstruction algorithm are
      better when compared with static algorithms such as least square method,
      algebraic reconstruction technique and standard Tikhonov regularization
      algorithms. An effective method is provided for temperature field reconstruction
      by acoustic tomography.

PMID- 28895929
TI  - Effects of Oral Administration of Silymarin in a Juvenile Murine Model of Non
      alcoholic Steatohepatitis.
AB  - The increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in
      adolescents is challenging the global care system. No therapeutic strategies have
      been defined so far, and changes in the lifestyle remain the only alternative. In
      this study, we assessed the protective effects of silymarin in a juvenile non
      alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) model and the in vitro effects on fat-laden
      human hepatocytes. C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to HFHC diet immediately after
      weaning. After eight weeks, animals showed histological signs of NASH. Silymarin
      was added to the HFHC diet, the treatment continued for additional 12 weeks and
      the effects on BMI, hepatomegaly, visceral fat, lipid profile, transaminases,
      HOMA-IR, steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and apoptosis were
      determined. The switch from HFHC to control diet was used to mimic life style
      changes. In vitro experiments were performed in parallel in human hepatocytes.
      HFHC diet supplemented with silymarin showed a significant improvement in
      glycemia, visceral fat, lipid profile, and liver fibrosis. Moreover, it reduced
      (both in vitro and in vivo) ALT, hepatic inflammation, oxidative stress, and
      apoptosis. Lifestyle changes restored the control group parameters. The data
      presented show the beneficial effects of the oral administration of silymarin in
      the absence of changes in the dietary habits in a juvenile model of NASH.

PMID- 28895931
TI  - Wet-Chemical Synthesis of 3D Stacked Thin Film Metal-Oxides for All-Solid-State
      Li-Ion Batteries.
AB  - By ultrasonic spray deposition of precursors, conformal deposition on 3D surfaces
      of tungsten oxide (WO3) negative electrode and amorphous lithium lanthanum
      titanium oxide (LLT) solid-electrolyte has been achieved as well as an all-solid
      state half-cell. Electrochemical activity was achieved of the WO3 layers,
      annealed at temperatures of 500  degrees C. Galvanostatic measurements show a
      volumetric capacity (415 mAh.cm-3) of the deposited electrode material. In
      addition, electrochemical activity was shown for half-cells, created by coating
      WO3 with LLT as the solid-state electrolyte. The electron blocking properties of
      the LLT solid-electrolyte was shown by ferrocene reduction. 3D depositions were
      done on various micro-sized Si template structures, showing fully covering
      coatings of both WO3 and LLT. Finally, the thermal budget required for WO3 layer
      deposition was minimized, which enabled attaining active WO3 on 3D TiN/Si micro
      cylinders. A 2.6-fold capacity increase for the 3D-structured WO3 was shown, with
      the same current density per coated area.

PMID- 28895932
TI  - Synthesis and Antifungal Activity of Novel 3-Caren-5-One Oxime Esters.
AB  - A series of novel 3-caren-5-one oxime esters were designed and synthesized by
      multi-step reactions in an attempt to develop potent antifungal agents. Two E-Z
      stereoisomers of the intermediate 3-caren-5-one oxime were separated by column
      chromatography for the first time. The structures of all the intermediates and
      target compounds were confirmed by UV-Vis, FTIR, NMR, ESI-MS, and elemental
      analysis. The antifungal activity of the target compounds was preliminarily
      evaluated by the in vitro method against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum,
      Physalospora piricola, Alternaria solani, Cercospora arachidicola, Gibberella
      zeae,Rhizoeotnia solani, Bipolaris maydis, and Colleterichum orbicalare at 50
      ug/mL. The target compounds exhibited best antifungal activity against P.
      piricola, in which compounds (Z)-4r (R = beta-pyridyl), (Z)-4q (R = alpha
      thienyl), (E)-4f' (R = p-F Ph), (Z)-4i (R = m-Me Ph), (Z)-4j (R = p-Me Ph), and
      (Z)-4p (R = alpha-furyl) had inhibition rates of 97.1%, 87.4%, 87.4%, 85.0%,
      81.9%, and 77.7%, respectively, showing better antifungal activity than that of
      the commercial fungicide chlorothanil. Also, compound (Z)-4r (R = beta-pyridyl)
      displayed remarkable antifungal activity against all the tested fungi, with
      inhibition rates of 76.7%, 82.7%, 97.1%, 66.3%, 74.7%, 93.9%, 76.7% and 93.3%,
      respectively, showing better or comparable antifungal activity than that of the
      commercial fungicide chlorothanil. Besides, the E-Z isomers of the target oxime
      esters were found to show obvious differences in antifungal activity. These
      results provide an encouraging framework that could lead to the development of
      potent novel antifungal agents.

PMID- 28895934
TI  - Elimination of Coptotermes lacteus (Froggatt) (Blattodea: Rhinotemitidae)
      Colonies Using Bistrifluron Bait Applied through In-Ground Bait Stations
      Surrounding Mounds.
AB  - The efficacy of bistrifluron termite bait was evaluated using in-ground bait
      stations placed around Coptotermes lacteus mounds in south-eastern Australia
      during late summer and autumn (late February to late May 2012). Four in-ground
      bait stations containing timber billets were placed around each of twenty mounds.
      Once sufficient numbers of in-ground stations were infested by termites, mounds
      were assigned to one of four groups (one, two, three or four 120 g bait canisters
      or 120 to 480 g bait in total per mound) and bait canisters installed. One mound,
      nominally assigned treatment with two canisters ultimately had no termite
      interception in any of the four in-ground stations and not treated. Eighteen of
      the remaining 19 colonies were eliminated by 12 weeks after bait placement,
      irrespective of bait quantity removed (range 43 to 480 g). Measures of colony
      decline-mound repair capability and internal core temperature-did not accurately
      reflect the colony decline, as untreated colonies showed a similar pattern of
      decline in both repair capability and internal mound core temperature. However,
      during the ensuing spring-summer period, capacity to repair the mound was
      restored in untreated colonies and the internal core temperature profile was
      similar to the previous spring-summer period which indicated that these untreated
      colonies remained healthy.

PMID- 28895933
TI  - Higher Protein Intake Does Not Improve Lean Mass Gain When Compared with RDA
      Recommendation in Postmenopausal Women Following Resistance Exercise Protocol: A
      Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a higher protein intake on
      lean body mass (LBM) gain in postmenopausal women practicing resistance exercise
      and compare it to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) recommendation. Twenty
      three postmenopausal women (63.2 +/- 7.8 years) were randomized into two groups.
      The group with higher protein intake (n = 11) (HP) received a dietary plan with
      ~1.2 g.kg-1.day-1 of protein, while the normal protein (NP) group (n = 12) was
      instructed to ingest ~0.8 g.kg-1.day-1 of protein (RDA recommendation). Both
      groups performed the same resistance training protocol, 3 times a week, with
      progression of the number of sets (from 1 to 6 sets) and 8-12 repetitions. The
      intervention occurred over 10 weeks. Body composition evaluation was performed by
      dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The diet was evaluated by nine 24-h food recall
      summaries over the course of the study. During the intervention period, the HP
      group presented a higher protein (1.18 +/- 0.3 vs. 0.87 +/- 0.2 g.kg-1.day-1, p =
      0.008) and leucine (6.0 +/- 1.4 vs. 4.3 +/- 0.9 g/day, p < 0.001) intake than the
      NP group, respectively. At the end of the intervention, there were increases in
      LBM both in HP (37.1 +/- 6.2 to 38.4 +/- 6.5 kg, p = 0.004) and in NP (37.6 +/-
      6.2 to 38.8 +/- 6.4 kg, p < 0.001), with no differences between the groups (p =
      0.572). In conclusion, increased protein intake did not promote higher LBM gain
      when compared to RDA recommendation in postmenopausal women performing resistance
      exercise during 10 weeks. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as
      NCT03024125.

PMID- 28895936
TI  - Rapid and Highly Sensitive Non-Competitive Immunoassay for Specific Detection of
      Nodularin.
AB  - Nodularin (NOD) is a cyclic penta-peptide hepatotoxin mainly produced by
      Nodularia spumigena, reported from the brackish water bodies of various parts of
      the world. It can accumulate in the food chain and, for safety reasons, levels of
      NOD not only in water bodies but also in food matrices are of interest. Here, we
      report on a non-competitive immunoassay for the specific detection of NOD. A
      phage display technique was utilized to interrogate a synthetic antibody phage
      library for binders recognizing NOD bound to an anti-ADDA (3-Amino-9-methoxy
      2,6,8-trimethyl-10-phenyldeca-4(E),6(E)-dienoic acid) monoclonal antibody (Mab).
      One of the obtained immunocomplex binders, designated SA32C11, showed very high
      specificity towards nodularin-R (NOD-R) over to the tested 10 different
      microcystins (microcystin-LR, -dmLR, -RR, -dmRR, -YR, -LY, -LF, -LW, -LA, -WR).
      It was expressed in Escherichia coli as a single chain antibody fragment (scFv)
      fusion protein and used to establish a time-resolved fluorometry-based assay in
      combination with the anti-ADDA Mab. The detection limit (blank + 3SD) of the
      immunoassay, with a total assay time of 1 h 10 min, is 0.03 ug/L of NOD-R. This
      represents the most sensitive immunoassay method for the specific detection of
      NOD reported so far. The assay was tested for its performance to detect NOD using
      spiked (0.1 to 3 ug/L of NOD-R) water samples including brackish sea and coastal
      water and the recovery ranged from 79 to 127%. Furthermore, a panel of
      environmental samples, including water from different sources, fish and other
      marine tissue specimens, were analyzed for NOD using the assay. The assay has
      potential as a rapid screening tool for the analysis of a large number of water
      samples for the presence of NOD. It can also find applications in the analysis of
      the bioaccumulation of NOD in marine organisms and in the food chain.

PMID- 28895935
TI  - Evaluation of the Molecular Structural Parameters of Normal Rice Starch and Their
      Relationships with Its Thermal and Digestion Properties.
AB  - The molecular structural parameters of six normal rice starches with different
      amylose contents were investigated through their iodine absorption spectra and
      gel permeation chromatography of fully branched and debranched starches. The
      thermal and digestion properties of starches were also determined and their
      relationships with molecular structural parameters were analyzed. Results showed
      that the molecular structural parameters of maximum absorption wavelength, blue
      value (BV), optical density 620 nm/550 nm (OD 620/550), amylose, intermediate
      component, and amylopectin, including its short branch-chains, long branch
      chains, and branching degree, had high correlation in different determining
      methods. The intermediate component of starch was significantly positively
      related to amylose and negatively related to amylopectin, and the amylopectin
      branching degree was significantly positively related to amylopectin content and
      negatively related to amylose content. The gelatinization temperatures and
      enthalpy of native starch were significantly positively related to BV, OD
      620/550, and amylose content and negatively related to amylopectin short branch
      chains. The gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy of retrograded starch were
      significantly negatively related to amylopectin branching degree. The digestions
      of gelatinized and retrograded starches were significantly negatively related to
      the BV, OD 620/550, amylose, and intermediate component and positively related to
      amylopectin and its short branch-chains and branching degree.

PMID- 28895937
TI  - A Facile Oxidative Opening of the C-Ring in Luotonin A and Derivatives.
AB  - An oxidative ring opening reaction of the central ring C in the alkaloid Luotonin
      A and two of its derivatives was found to occur upon heating with an excess amine
      and potassium carbonate in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solution in the presence of
      air oxygen. The structure of the novel amide-type products was elucidated and a
      possible mechanism for this reaction is proposed. Four of the new compounds show
      moderate in vitro anticancer activity towards human colon adenocarcinoma cells.

PMID- 28895938
TI  - Functional Amyloid Protection in the Eye Lens: Retention of alpha-Crystallin
      Molecular Chaperone Activity after Modification into Amyloid Fibrils.
AB  - Amyloid fibril formation occurs from a wide range of peptides and proteins and is
      typically associated with a loss of protein function and/or a gain of toxic
      function, as the native structure of the protein undergoes major alteration to
      form a cross beta-sheet array. It is now well recognised that some amyloid
      fibrils have a biological function, which has led to increased interest in the
      potential that these so-called functional amyloids may either retain the function
      of the native protein, or gain function upon adopting a fibrillar structure.
      Herein, we investigate the molecular chaperone ability of alpha-crystallin, the
      predominant eye lens protein which is composed of two related subunits alphaA-
      and alphaB-crystallin, and its capacity to retain and even enhance its chaperone
      activity after forming aggregate structures under conditions of thermal and
      chemical stress. We demonstrate that both eye lens alpha-crystallin and alphaB
      crystallin (which is also found extensively outside the lens) retain, to a
      significant degree, their molecular chaperone activity under conditions of
      structural change, including after formation into amyloid fibrils and amorphous
      aggregates. The results can be related directly to the effects of aging on the
      structure and chaperone function of alpha-crystallin in the eye lens,
      particularly its ability to prevent crystallin protein aggregation and hence lens
      opacification associated with cataract formation.

PMID- 28895940
TI  - Genotoype-by-sequencing of three geographically distinct populations of Olympia
      oysters, Ostrea lurida.
AB  - Olympia oysters are found along the west coast of North America and as the only
      native oyster species in the region, receive considerable attention with regard
      to restoration and conservation. Knowledge of genetic structure of this species
      is essential for resource managers. Here we provide genetic data for three
      distinct populations of Olympia oysters in Puget Sound, Washington, USA in the
      form of genotype-by-sequencing data (GBS). Specifically, this includes
      description of sequence data and a derived table that provides single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) information for 10,363 loci. These data are valuable not only
      for resource managers responsible for restoration aquaculture practices, but can
      provide insight into ecological drivers of selection and diversity.

PMID- 28895939
TI  - Sleep Disorders in Childhood Neurogenetic Disorders.
AB  - enetic advances in the past three decades have transformed our understanding and
      treatment of many human diseases including neurogenetic disorders. Most
      neurogenetic disorders can be classified as "rare disease," but collectively
      neurogenetic disorders are not rare and are commonly encountered in general
      pediatric practice. The authors decided to select eight relatively well-known
      neurogenetic disorders including Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Prader-Willi
      syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome,
      achondroplasia, mucopolysaccharidoses, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Each
      disorder is presented in the following format: overview, clinical
      characteristics, developmental aspects, associated sleep disorders, management
      and research/future directions.

PMID- 28895941
TI  - Outcome reporting bias in randomized-controlled trials investigating
      antipsychotic drugs.
AB  - Recent literature hints that outcomes of clinical trials in medicine are
      selectively reported. If applicable to psychotic disorders, such bias would
      jeopardize the reliability of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating
      antipsychotics and thus their extrapolation to clinical practice. We therefore
      comprehensively examined outcome reporting bias in RCTs of antipsychotic drugs by
      a systematic review of prespecified outcomes on ClinicalTrials.gov records of
      RCTs investigating antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia and schizoaffective
      disorder between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2013. These outcomes were
      compared with outcomes published in scientific journals. Our primary outcome
      measure was concordance between prespecified and published outcomes; secondary
      outcome measures included outcome modifications on ClinicalTrials.gov after trial
      inception and the effects of funding source and directionality of results on
      record adherence. Of the 48 RCTs, 85% did not fully adhere to the prespecified
      outcomes. Discrepancies between prespecified and published outcomes were found in
      23% of RCTs for primary outcomes, whereas 81% of RCTs had at least one secondary
      outcome non-reported, newly introduced, or changed to a primary outcome in the
      respective publication. In total, 14% of primary and 44% of secondary
      prespecified outcomes were modified after trial initiation. Neither funding
      source (P=0.60) nor directionality of the RCT results (P=0.10) impacted
      ClinicalTrials.gov record adherence. Finally, the number of published safety
      endpoints (N=335) exceeded the number of prespecified safety outcomes by 5.5
      fold. We conclude that RCTs investigating antipsychotic drugs suffer from
      substantial outcome reporting bias and offer suggestions to both monitor and
      limit such bias in the future.

PMID- 28895943
TI  - Machine-learned and codified synthesis parameters of oxide materials.
AB  - Predictive materials design has rapidly accelerated in recent years with the
      advent of large-scale resources, such as materials structure and property
      databases generated by ab initio computations. In the absence of analogous ab
      initio frameworks for materials synthesis, high-throughput and machine learning
      techniques have recently been harnessed to generate synthesis strategies for
      select materials of interest. Still, a community-accessible, autonomously
      compiled synthesis planning resource which spans across materials systems has not
      yet been developed. In this work, we present a collection of aggregated synthesis
      parameters computed using the text contained within over 640,000 journal articles
      using state-of-the-art natural language processing and machine learning
      techniques. We provide a dataset of synthesis parameters, compiled autonomously
      across 30 different oxide systems, in a format optimized for planning novel
      syntheses of materials.

PMID- 28895942
TI  - Disrupted cortical brain network in post-traumatic stress disorder patients: a
      resting-state electroencephalographic study.
AB  - This study aimed to examine the source-level cortical brain networks of post
      traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the graph theory using
      electroencephalography (EEG). Sixty-six cortical source signals were estimated
      from 78 PTSD and 58 healthy controls (HCs) of resting-state EEG. Four global
      indices (strength, clustering coefficient (CC), path length (PL) and efficiency)
      and one nodal index (CC) were evaluated in six frequency bands (delta, theta,
      alpha, low beta, high beta and gamma). PTSD showed decreased global strength, CC
      and efficiency, in delta, theta, and low beta band and enhanced PL in theta and
      low beta band. In low beta band, the strength and CC correlated positively with
      the anxiety scores, while PL had a negative correlation. In addition, nodal CCs
      were reduced in PTSD in delta, theta and low beta band. Nodal CCs of theta band
      correlated negatively with rumination and re-experience symptom scores; while,
      nodal CCs in low beta band correlated positively with anxiety and pain severity.
      Inefficiently altered and symptom-dependent changes in cortical networks were
      seen in PTSD. Our source-level cortical network indices might be promising
      biomarkers for evaluating PTSD.

PMID- 28895944
TI  - Genome wide in vivo mouse screen data from studies to assess host regulation of
      metastatic colonisation.
AB  - The process of metastasis is a multi-stage cascade with prior studies suggesting
      that the colonisation of the secondary site is the rate limiting step. This
      process involves contributions from the tumour cells and also non-tumour
      intrinsic factors such as the stroma and the haematopoietic system. In this
      study, we present data from screening 810 genetically-modified mouse lines with
      the experimental metastasis assay where intravenous delivery of murine metastatic
      melanoma B16-F10 cells was used to assess the formation of pulmonary metastasic
      foci. To date, these data have been studied with a two-step process cumulating in
      an integrative data analysis to identify genes controlling metastatic
      colonisation. We present the raw data, and a description to support fresh
      analyses where researchers can look both within and across gene sets to further
      elucidate process that regulate metastatic colonisation.

PMID- 28895946
TI  - DNA-SIP based genome-centric metagenomics identifies key long-chain fatty acid
      degrading populations in anaerobic digesters with different feeding frequencies.
AB  - Fats, oils and greases (FOG) are energy-dense wastes that can be added to
      anaerobic digesters to substantially increase biomethane recovery via their
      conversion through long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). However, a better
      understanding of the ecophysiology of syntrophic LCFA-degrading microbial
      communities in anaerobic digesters is needed to develop operating strategies that
      mitigate inhibitory LCFA accumulation from FOG. In this research, DNA stable
      isotope probing (SIP) was coupled with metagenomic sequencing for a genome
      centric comparison of oleate (C18:1)-degrading populations in two anaerobic
      codigesters operated with either a pulse feeding or continuous-feeding strategy.
      The pulse-fed codigester microcosms converted oleate into methane at over 20%
      higher rates than the continuous-fed codigester microcosms. Differential coverage
      binning was demonstrated for the first time to recover population genome bins
      (GBs) from DNA-SIP metagenomes. About 70% of the 13C-enriched GBs were
      taxonomically assigned to the Syntrophomonas genus, thus substantiating the
      importance of Syntrophomonas species to LCFA degradation in anaerobic digesters.
      Phylogenetic comparisons of 13C-enriched GBs showed that phylogenetically
      distinct Syntrophomonas GBs were unique to each codigester. Overall, these
      results suggest that syntrophic populations in anaerobic digesters can have
      different adaptive capacities, and that selection for divergent populations may
      be achieved by adjusting reactor operating conditions to maximize biomethane
      recovery.

PMID- 28895945
TI  - Excess labile carbon promotes the expression of virulence factors in coral reef
      bacterioplankton.
AB  - Coastal pollution and algal cover are increasing on many coral reefs, resulting
      in higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. High DOC concentrations
      strongly affect microbial activity in reef waters and select for copiotrophic,
      often potentially virulent microbial populations. High DOC concentrations on
      coral reefs are also hypothesized to be a determinant for switching microbial
      lifestyles from commensal to pathogenic, thereby contributing to coral reef
      degradation, but evidence is missing. In this study, we conducted ex situ
      incubations to assess gene expression of planktonic microbial populations under
      elevated concentrations of naturally abundant monosaccharides (glucose,
      galactose, mannose, and xylose) in algal exudates and sewage inflows. We
      assembled 27 near-complete (>70%) microbial genomes through metagenomic
      sequencing and determined associated expression patterns through
      metatranscriptomic sequencing. Differential gene expression analysis revealed a
      shift in the central carbohydrate metabolism and the induction of
      metalloproteases, siderophores, and toxins in Alteromonas, Erythrobacter,
      Oceanicola, and Alcanivorax populations. Sugar-specific induction of virulence
      factors suggests a mechanistic link for the switch from a commensal to a
      pathogenic lifestyle, particularly relevant during increased algal cover and
      human-derived pollution on coral reefs. Although an explicit test remains to be
      performed, our data support the hypothesis that increased availability of
      specific sugars changes net microbial community activity in ways that increase
      the emergence and abundance of opportunistic pathogens, potentially contributing
      to coral reef degradation.

PMID- 28895947
TI  - Database of multi-parametric geophysical data from the TOMO-DEC experiment on
      Deception Island, Antarctica.
AB  - Deception Island volcano (Antarctica) is one of the most closely monitored and
      studied volcanoes on the region. In January 2005, a multi-parametric
      international experiment was conducted that encompassed both Deception Island and
      its surrounding waters. We performed this experiment from aboard the Spanish
      oceanographic vessel 'Hesperides', and from five land-based locations on
      Deception Island (the Spanish scientific Antarctic base 'Gabriel de Castilla' and
      four temporary camps). This experiment allowed us to record active seismic
      signals using a large network of seismic stations that were deployed both on land
      and on the seafloor. In addition, other geophysical data were acquired, including
      bathymetric high precision multi-beam data, and gravimetric and magnetic
      profiles. To date, the seismic and bathymetric data have been analysed but the
      magnetic and gravimetric data have not. We provide P-wave arrival-time picks and
      seismic tomography results in velocity and attenuation. In this manuscript, we
      describe the main characteristics of the experiment, the instruments, the data,
      and the repositories from which data and information can be obtained.

PMID- 28895948
TI  - Underwater recordings of the whistles of bottlenose dolphins in Fremantle Inner
      Harbour, Western Australia.
AB  - Dolphins use frequency-modulated whistles for a variety of social functions.
      Whistles vary in their characteristics according to context, such as activity
      state, group size, group composition, geographic location, and ambient noise
      levels. Therefore, comparison of whistle characteristics can be used to address
      numerous research questions regarding dolphin populations and behaviour. However,
      logistical and economic constraints on dolphin research have resulted in data
      collection biases, inconsistent analytical approaches, and knowledge gaps. This
      Data Descriptor presents an acoustic dataset of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops
      aduncus) whistles recorded in the Fremantle Inner Harbour, Western Australia.
      Data were collected using an autonomous recorder and analysed using a range of
      acoustic measurements. Acoustic data review identified 336 whistles, which were
      subsequently measured for six key characteristics using Raven Pro software. Of
      these, 164 'high-quality' whistles were manually measured to provide an
      additional five acoustic characteristics. Digital files of individual whistles
      and corresponding measurements make this dataset available to researchers to
      address future questions regarding variations within and between dolphin
      communities.

PMID- 28895950
TI  - Diabetes: Cardiovascular benefits of metformin in T1DM.

PMID- 28895951
TI  - Diabetes: The diabetic brain.

PMID- 28895949
TI  - Fish and fishery historical data since the 19th century in the Adriatic Sea,
      Mediterranean.
AB  - Historic data on biodiversity provide the context for present observations and
      allow studying long-term changes in marine populations. Here we present multiple
      datasets on fish and fisheries of the Adriatic Sea covering the last two
      centuries encompassing from qualitative observations to standardised scientific
      monitoring. The datasets consist of three groups: (1) early naturalists'
      descriptions of fish fauna, including information (e.g., presence, perceived
      abundance, size) on 255 fish species for the period 1818-1936; (2) historical
      landings from major Northern Adriatic fish markets (Venice, Trieste, Rijeka) for
      the period 1902-1968, Italian official landings for the Northern and Central
      Adriatic (1953-2012) and landings from the Lagoon of Venice (1945-2001); (3)
      trawl-survey data from seven surveys spanning the period 1948-1991 and including
      Catch per Unit of Effort data (kgh-1 and/or nh-1) for 956 hauls performed at 301
      stations. The integration of these datasets has already demonstrated to be useful
      to analyse historical marine community changes over time, and its availability
      through open-source data portal will facilitate analyses in the framework of
      marine historical ecology.

PMID- 28895952
TI  - [Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality due to all causes in the working age
      population of Poland in 2002 and 2011].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of education,
      marital status, employment status and place of residence on mortality in the
      working age population of Poland in 2002 and 2011. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All
      deaths of Poland's inhabitants aged 25-64, in 2002 (N = 97 004) and 2011 (N = 104
      598) were analyzed. For individual socio-economic groups standardized mortality
      rates (SDR) per 100 000 and rate ratio (RR) were calculated. RESULTS: In the
      group of economically inactive men SDR decreased from 2244.3 in 2002 to 1781.9 in
      2011, while in the group of economically active population increased from 253.8
      to 298.9 (RR drop from 8.8 to 6). In the group of economically inactive women SDR
      decreased from 579.5 to 495.2, and among the economically active women population
      it increased from 78.8 to 90.9 (RR drop from 7.4 to 5.4). In the group of men
      with higher education SDR decreased from 285.7 to 246, while among men with
      primary education it increased from 1141 to 1183 (RR increase from 4 to 4.8). In
      the group of women with higher education SDR decreased from 127.2 to 115.6 and
      among women with primary education it increased from 375.8 to 423.1 (RR increase
      from 3 to 3.7). In the group of divorced/separated SDR also increased - from
      1521.4 to 1729.8 among men and from 365.5 to 410.8 among women. CONCLUSIONS:
      Future prevention and educational programs should be addressed primarily to the
      population economically inactive, with primary education and those
      divorced/separated. Med Pr 2017;68(6):771-778.

PMID- 28895953
TI  - Curriculum United for Better Eczema Care: why, how, and what?
AB  - While various medical specialties treat eczema patients, care for these patients
      is largely fragmented and disorganized. Moreover, standardized treatment
      protocols that incorporate upcoming eczema therapies and emerging guidelines have
      yet to be established. Thus, there is both a need and an opportunity to equip
      clinicians to succeed in this novel and changing era of eczema care. The National
      Eczema Association's (NEA) strategic plan-developed through extensive discussions
      with patients who have atopic dermatitis and their caregivers, industry, and
      providers representing different specialties-called for the creation of an
      interdisciplinary coalition to steer this initiative. The Coalition United for
      Better Eczema Care (CUBE-C) is a network of cross-specialty leaders working to
      help construct an educational curriculum based on standards of effective
      treatment and disease management.

PMID- 28895954
TI  - Diagnosis, comorbidity, and psychosocial impact of atopic dermatitis.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, with a remitting
      relapsing course. The central diagnostic features of AD include pruritus,
      xerosis, eczematous lesions with a characteristic morphology and distribution,
      and a personal or family history of atopic disease. Several clinical studies have
      emphasized the link between AD and other atopic disorders including asthma,
      allergic rhinitis, and food allergies. More recent studies indicate possible
      links between AD and other nonatopic disorders, including ADHD, sleep
      disturbance, and mental health disorders, suggesting an even more profound impact
      of this disease. Furthermore, the social, emotional, and personal impact of AD
      for patients and their caregivers is substantial. Understanding both the clinical
      characteristics and implications of AD is critical to lessening the psychosocial,
      clinical, and economic burden of this disease.

PMID- 28895955
TI  - Atopic dermatitis: pathogenesis.
AB  - Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a complex inflammatory cutaneous disorder characterized
      by immune mediated inflammation and epidermal barrier dysfunction. Arising from a
      complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors, the definitive
      etiology of AD is perplexing and controversial. Advances in molecular medicine
      are radically transforming our understanding of AD pathogenesis. Increasing
      knowledge on the pathogenesis of AD results in novel therapeutic targets and
      pathways. This article details the pathogenesis section of the Curriculum United
      for Better Eczema Care (CUBE-C), facilitating primary care and sub-specialist
      education on the scientific advances driving recent AD therapeutic innovations.

PMID- 28895956
TI  - Atopic dermatitis: skin care and topical therapies.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) pathogenesis is strongly influenced by Type 2 innate
      lymphoid cell and T-helper cell type 2 lymphocyte-driven inflammation and skin
      barrier dysfunction. AD therapies attempt to correct this pathology, and
      guidelines suggest suggest basics of AD therapy, which include repair of the skin
      barrier through bathing practices and moisturizers, infection control, and
      further lifestyle modifications to avoid and reduce AD triggers.While some
      patients' AD may be controlled using these measures, inflammatory eczema
      including acute flares and maintenance therapy in more severe patients are
      treated with topical pharmacologic agents such as topical corticosteroids,
      topical calcineurin inhibitors, and, more recently, topical PDE-4 inhibitors.
      This model of basic skin therapy and, as needed, topical pharmacologic agents may
      be used to treat the vast majority of patients with AD and remains the staple of
      AD therapy.

PMID- 28895957
TI  - Atopic dermatitis: addressing allergy, infection, itch and complementary
      therapies.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex condition that results from the dynamic
      interplay between genetic predisposition, skin barrier defects, environmental
      factors, and a dysfunctional immune system. As a result, AD can be complicated by
      irritant and allergic contact dermatitis and imbalances in the skin microbiome,
      which can subsequently exacerbate the severity and complicate the course of
      preexisting atopic disease. Itch is an important symptom of AD, as it plays a
      large role in the quality of life of patients and their families. Since AD is a
      chronic, inflammatory disease that recrudesces throughout life, many have
      utilized alternative and/or complementary therapies, as monotherapy or in
      conjunction with conventional therapies, as a form of management.

PMID- 28895958
TI  - Atopic dermatitis: phototherapy and systemic therapy.
AB  - The majority of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients respond satisfactorily to gentle
      bathing, frequent moisturizing, and topical medications. Second-line therapies
      for AD should be used in recalcitrant cases or in patients with uncontrolled
      disease despite compliance with first-line measures and avoidance of allergens.
      Recommended advanced therapies include phototherapy, especially narrowband
      ultraviolet B, systemic immunosuppressants, and a new biologic agent. Few studies
      have compared head-to-head efficacy of the different immunosuppressant therapies
      such as cyclosporine, methotrexate, azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil.
      Therefore, the agent used is based on provider and patient preferences and can be
      decided on a case-by-case basis.

PMID- 28895959
TI  - Atopic dermatitis: emerging therapies.
AB  - Crisaborole and dupilumab represent the first 2 Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA)-approved therapies for atopic dermatitis (AD) in more than 15 years, and
      there are many promising drugs currently in development. This new wave of
      therapeutics capitalizes on the large body of work clarifying the pathogenesis of
      AD over the last several decades. In particular, type 2 cytokine-driven
      inflammation and skin barrier dysfunction are key processes underlying AD
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 28895960
TI  - Atopic dermatitis: therapeutic care delivery: therapeutic education, shared
      decision-making, and access to care.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin condition affecting children and adults,
      with a significant negative impact on patient and caregiver quality of life
      (QOL). Although effective treatments for AD are available, outcomes are often
      limited by poor adherence to treatment plans. Effective patient and caregiver
      education about the disease and its management is a necessary and important
      component of AD care. Therapeutic patient education (TPE) is a patient-centered
      process that aims to transfer information and skills necessary to manage and cope
      with a disease from health care professionals to patients and caregivers. Shared
      decision making between the health care provider and the patient/caregiver is an
      integral component of the TPE process and recognizes the importance of both the
      medical provider's clinical expertise, as well as the patient/caregiver's
      preferences and experiences regarding their own medical condition and its
      treatment. TPE programs for patients with AD and their caregivers are typically
      provided by multidisciplinary teams and utilize a number of different methods and
      tools to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills through both individual
      care and group-based educational sessions. TPE has been demonstrated to improve
      outcomes such as AD disease severity, treatment adherence, QOL, and coping with
      itch. It is important to consider strategies to reduce barriers to cost-effective
      accessible AD education and treatment.

PMID- 28895961
TI  - Microporous organic polymers involving thiadiazolopyridine for high and selective
      uptake of greenhouse gases at low pressure.
AB  - A new core of [1,2,5]-thiadiazolo-[3,4-c]-pyridine was employed for the
      fabrication of microporous organic polymers exhibiting a very high CO2 uptake of
      5.8 mmol g-1 (25.5 wt%) at 273 K and 1 bar. The presence of CO2-philic active
      sites and microporosity confer the high uptake and superior selectivity (61)
      towards CO2 over N2.

PMID- 28895962
TI  - How functional groups influence the ROS generation and cytotoxicity of graphene
      quantum dots.
AB  - Herein we selectively deactivate the ketonic carbonyl, carboxylic, or hydroxyl
      groups on GQDs and compare the ROS generation ability of different GQD
      derivatives. The results indicate that the ROS generation ability of GQDs is
      closely related to the ketonic carbonyl groups. Removal of the oxygen functional
      groups on GQDs can increase the photostability and lower the photoinduced
      cytotoxicity.

PMID- 28895963
TI  - Small-angle neutron scattering study of a dense microemulsion system formed with
      an ionic liquid.
AB  - Mixtures of water, octane and 1-octanol with 1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium
      chloride (C14MIM.Cl), often referred to as a surface active ionic liquid (SAIL),
      form water-in-oil microemulsions that have potential application as extraction
      media for various metal ions. Here, we present a structural study by small-angle
      neutron scattering (SANS) of dense microemulsions formed by surfactant-rich
      mixtures of these four compounds to understand how the SAIL can be used to tune
      the structures and properties of the microemulsions. The SANS experiments
      revealed that the microemulsions formed are composed of two phases, a water-in
      oil microemulsion and a bicontinuous microemulsion, which becomes the dominant
      phase at high surfactant concentration. In this concentration regime, the
      surfactant film becomes more rigid, having a higher bending modulus that results
      from the parallel stacking of the imidazolium ring of the SAIL. At lower
      surfactant concentrations, the molecular packing of the SAIL does not change with
      the water content of the microemulsion. The results presented here correlate well
      with previously observed changes in the interaction between the IL cation and
      metal ions (Y. Tong, L. Han and Y. Yang, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2012, 51, 16438
      16443), while the capacity of the microemulsion system for water remains high
      enough for using the system as an extraction medium.

PMID- 28895964
TI  - Dynamic SERS nanosensor for neurotransmitter sensing near neurons.
AB  - Current electrophysiology and electrochemistry techniques have provided
      unprecedented understanding of neuronal activity. However, these techniques are
      suited to a small, albeit important, panel of neurotransmitters such as
      glutamate, GABA and dopamine, and these constitute only a subset of the broader
      range of neurotransmitters involved in brain chemistry. Surface-enhanced Raman
      scattering (SERS) provides a unique opportunity to detect a broader range of
      neurotransmitters in close proximity to neurons. Dynamic SERS (D-SERS)
      nanosensors based on patch-clamp-like nanopipettes decorated with gold
      nanoraspberries can be located accurately under a microscope using techniques
      analogous to those used in current electrophysiology or electrochemistry
      experiments. In this manuscript, we demonstrate that D-SERS can measure in a
      single experiment ATP, glutamate (glu), acetylcholine (ACh), GABA and dopamine
      (DA), among other neurotransmitters, with the potential for detecting a greater
      number of neurotransmitters. The SERS spectra of these neurotransmitters were
      identified with a barcoding data processing method and time series of the
      neurotransmitter levels were constructed. The D-SERS nanosensor was then located
      near cultured mouse dopaminergic neurons. The detection of neurotransmitters was
      performed in response to a series of K+ depolarisations, and allowed the
      detection of elevated levels of both ATP and dopamine. Control experiments were
      also performed near glial cells, showing only very low basal detection
      neurotransmitter events. This paper demonstrates the potential of D-SERS to
      detect neurotransmitter secretion events near living neurons, but also
      constitutes a strong proof-of-concept for the broad application of SERS to the
      detection of secretion events by neurons or other cell types in order to study
      normal or pathological cell functions.

PMID- 28895965
TI  - Propagation of a thermo-mechanical perturbation on a lipid membrane.
AB  - The propagation of sound waves on lipid monolayers supported on water has been
      previously studied during the melting transition. Since changes in volume, area,
      and compressibility in lipid membranes have biological relevance, the observed
      sound propagation is of paramount importance. However, it is unknown what would
      occur on a lipid bilayer, which is a more approximate model of a cell membrane.
      With the aim to answer this relevant question, we built an experimental setup to
      assemble long artificial lipid membranes. We found that if these membranes are
      heated in order to force local melting, a thermo-mechanical perturbation
      propagates a long distance. Our findings may support the existence of solitary
      waves, postulated to explain the propagation of isentropic signals together with
      the action potential in neurons.

PMID- 28895966
TI  - Pd-PEPPSI: a general Pd-NHC precatalyst for Buchwald-Hartwig cross-coupling of
      esters and amides (transamidation) under the same reaction conditions.
AB  - Amides are of fundamental interest in many fields of chemistry involving organic
      synthesis, chemical biology and biochemistry. Here, we report the first catalytic
      Buchwald-Hartwig coupling of both common esters and amides by highly selective
      C(acyl)-X (X = O, N) cleavage to rapidly access aryl amide functionality via a
      cross-coupling strategy. Reactions are promoted by versatile, easily prepared,
      well-defined Pd-PEPPSI type precatalysts, and proceed in good to excellent yields
      and with excellent chemoselectivity for the acyl bond cleavage. The method is
      user friendly because it employs commercially-available, moisture- and air-stable
      precatalysts. Notably, for the first time we demonstrate selective C(acyl)-N and
      C(acyl)-O cleavage/Buchwald-Hartwig amination under the same reaction conditions,
      which allows for streamlining amide synthesis by avoiding restriction to a
      particular acyl metal precursor. Of broad interest, this study opens the door to
      using a family of well-defined Pd(ii)-NHC precatalysts bearing pyridine "throw
      away" ligands for the selective C(acyl)-amination of bench-stable carboxylic acid
      derivatives.

PMID- 28895967
TI  - Scavenging activity of Magneli phases as a function of Ti4+/Ti3+ ratios.
AB  - TiO2 is able to scavenge reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) in
      the absence of light. The scavenging mechanism has been related to the chemistry
      of defects (oxygen vacancy reduced oxidation states of Ti) but it is still
      unknown. This study describes the ROS scavenging activity of different titanium
      oxide phases and relates their scavenging activities with the Ti4+/Ti3+ molar
      ratio as well as the band gap value. The Ti5O9 phase, with a mixture of both
      oxidation states, presented a substantially higher percentage of 2,2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydracyl radicals (DPPH) eliminated per m2 of specific surface area in
      comparison to phases with predominant oxidation states Ti4+ or Ti3+ such as TiO2
      and Ti2O3, respectively. The obtained results indicate that the DPPH scavenging
      mechanism corresponds to a catalytic process on the Ti5O9 surface which is
      facilitated by the presence of charges that can easily move through the material.
      The mobility of charges and electrons in the semiconductor surface, related to
      the presence of oxidation states Ti4+ and Ti3+ and a small band gap, could create
      an attractive surface for radical species such as DPPH. This puts forward Ti5O9
      as a promising candidate coating for implantable biomedical devices, as an
      electrode, since it can cushion inflammatory processes which could lead to device
      encapsulation and, consequently, failure.

PMID- 28895968
TI  - Multiscale crack initiator promoted super-low ice adhesion surfaces.
AB  - Preventing icing on exposed surfaces is important for life and technology. While
      suppressing ice nucleation by surface structuring and local confinement is highly
      desirable and yet to be achieved, a realistic roadmap of icephobicity is to live
      with ice, but with lowest possible ice adhesion. According to fracture mechanics,
      the key to lower ice adhesion is to maximize crack driving forces at the ice
      substrate interface. Herein, we present a novel integrated macro-crack initiator
      mechanism combining nano-crack and micro-crack initiators, and demonstrate a new
      approach to designing super-low ice adhesion surfaces by introducing sub
      structures into smooth polydimethylsiloxane coatings. Our design promotes the
      initiation of macro-cracks and enables the reduction of ice adhesion by at least
      ~50% regardless of the curing temperature, weight ratio and size of internal
      holes, reaching a lowest ice adhesion of 5.7 kPa. The multiscale crack initiator
      mechanisms provide an unprecedented and versatile strategy towards designing
      super-low ice adhesion surfaces.

PMID- 28895969
TI  - Correction: Gold-loaded nanoporous iron oxide nanocubes: a novel dispersible
      capture agent for tumor-associated autoantibody analysis in serum.
AB  - Correction for 'Gold-loaded nanoporous iron oxide nanocubes: a novel dispersible
      capture agent for tumor-associated autoantibody analysis in serum' by Sharda
      Yadav et al., Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 8805-8814.

PMID- 28895970
TI  - Mechanisms and applications of terahertz metamaterial sensing: a review.
AB  - Terahertz (THz) technology has attracted great worldwide interest and novel high
      intensity THz sources and plasmonics are two of the most active fields of recent
      research. Being situated between infrared light and microwave radiation, the
      absorption of THz rays in molecular and biomolecular systems is dominated by the
      excitation of intramolecular and intermolecular vibrations. This indicates that
      THz technology is an effective tool for sensing applications. However, the low
      sensitivity of free-space THz detection limits the sensing applications, which
      gives a great opportunity to metamaterials. Metamaterials are periodic artificial
      electromagnetic media structured with a size scale smaller than the wavelength of
      external stimuli. They present localized electric field enhancement and large
      values of quality factor (Q factor) and show high sensitivity to minor
      environment changes. In the present work, the mechanism of THz metamaterial
      sensing and dry sample and microfluidic sensing applications based on
      metamaterials are introduced. Moreover, new directions of THz metamaterial
      sensing advancement and introduction of two-dimensional materials and
      nanoparticles for future THz applications are summarized and discussed.

PMID- 28895971
TI  - May-Thurner syndrome: missed diagnosis and missed early treatment?

PMID- 28895972
TI  - Motivators and Barriers to Walking in Older Adults With Peripheral Artery
      Disease.
AB  - The purpose of the current review is to provide, within the context of social
      cognitive theory, a current description of behavioral, personal, and
      environmental factors that motivate or prevent an individual with peripheral
      artery disease (PAD) from participating in activity. A comprehensive review to
      explore motivators and barriers to walking in older adults with PAD was performed
      to help guide development of interventions to increase activity. Several
      databases were used for the literature review, with inclusion criteria being all
      study designs with samples of older adults with PAD. From the initial yield of 22
      abstracts, and additional hand search, eight publications were used for this
      review. Social cognitive theory provided a context for understanding barriers and
      motivators to walking experienced by older adults with PAD. Nurses may contribute
      to walking self-efficacy with support and motivation. [Journal of Gerontological
      Nursing, 44(1), 43-50.].

PMID- 28895974
TI  - Intergenerational Program for Nursing Home Residents and Adolescents in Korea.
AB  - Structural changes in the Korean population, such as a growing trend toward
      nuclear families and urbanization, have given rise to a generational gap between
      older adults and the younger generation. The current study developed a 6-week
      intergenerational program to facilitate interactions between nursing home
      residents and high school students. The effects of the program were examined in
      120 participants (60 nursing home residents and 60 high school students) in the
      southern area of South Korea. The intergenerational program helped nursing home
      residents rediscover the value of their lives, have positive feelings about their
      lives, and adapt to circumstances through the sustained positive interactions
      with the younger generation. Adolescents obtained wisdom from older adults'
      experiences, understanding of the value of life, and positive perceptions of
      older adults through in-depth communication. The current findings suggest that
      the intergenerational program for nursing home residents and adolescents is a
      valuable nursing intervention in Korea to overcome the generational gap and
      achieve developmental tasks. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(1), 32-41.].

PMID- 28895973
TI  - Development and Testing of a Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Model in Mild Cognitive
      Impairment.
AB  - Neuropsychiatric symptoms are prevalent in individuals with mild cognitive
      impairment (MCI) and have a significant detrimental effect on health and quality
      of life. Identifying factors that contribute to their occurrence may enable
      prompt treatment and intervention. The current study entails the development and
      testing of a biopsychosocially based model to assist nurses in the identification
      of individuals with MCI who are most likely to experience symptoms of depression,
      apathy, and/or anxiety. Factors within the biological and sociodemographic
      domains of the Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in MCI (NPSMCI) model were tested using
      multivariate logistic regression analyses. Findings suggest that age, presence of
      an e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene, living situation, and degree of
      comorbid illness were associated with the occurrence of symptoms of depression
      and apathy. Further testing and refinement are necessary, but the findings
      provide guidance to nurses and alert them to assess individuals most likely to
      experience these symptoms. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(1), 21-30.].

PMID- 28895975
TI  - ?

PMID- 28895976
TI  - ?

PMID- 28895977
TI  - ?

PMID- 28895978
TI  - ?

PMID- 28895979
TI  - ?

PMID- 28895980
TI  - Coping with the pain of elderly pain patients: Nursing approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to examine methods used by elderly patients
      to cope with pain and serve as a guide for nurses. METHODS: This descriptive
      survey was carried out with geriatric patients (n=100) aged 60 years or more in
      inpatient Algology Unit of a university hospital between November 28, 2014 and
      January 28, 2015. Data were collected using descriptive characteristics
      questionnaire prepared based on review of the literature and via one-on-one
      interviews using Pain Coping Questionnaire (PCQ). Data were evaluated using
      descriptive statistical methods, Independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of
      variance test, and Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Duration of pain
      experienced by the patients ranged from 1 month to 40 years, with mean duration
      of 63.57+/-82.65 months. Mean subscale scores of PCQ were: self-management,
      19.22+/-6.54; helplessness, 13.45+/-3.86; conscious coping efforts, 11.90+/-3.97;
      and medical remedies, 12.62+/-3.98. Score of the patients who reported that they
      could manage their pain on their own (p<0.05), and of those who relied on medical
      remedies, believing that pain control is in the hands of nurses (p<0.05), were
      significantly higher. CONCLUSION: Means of coping with pain vary in geriatric
      patients and it is recommended that these differences be taken into account in
      nursing interventions.

PMID- 28895982
TI  - Prevalence of and risk factors for low back pain among healthcare workers in
      Denizli.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine personal, occupational, and
      psychosocial risk factors affecting prevalence of low back pain in healthcare
      workers. METHODS: Study included total of 1682 participants (1010 female, 672
      male) working at Denizli State Hospital. Low back pain section of Standardized
      Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (SNMA) was used to evaluate recent
      occurrence, pain experienced within previous year, and over lifetime. Perceived
      Stress Scale and Job Satisfaction Scale were also administered. RESULTS:
      Prevalence of lifetime low back pain in healthcare workers was determined to be
      53% based on SNMA. It was observed that low back pain was most common among
      medical secretaries (56.9%). Advanced age, female gender, high body mass index
      (p=0.002), being married (p=0.0001), lack of regular exercise (p=0.009), working
      for more than 4 hours while standing (p=0.012) or sitting at desk (p=0.021),
      using computer for more than 4 hours (p=0.0001), greater number of years of
      service (p=0.001), and low job satisfaction (p=0.001) were found to be factors
      increasing low back pain risk. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that healthcare
      workers are among group with high risk of low back pain.

PMID- 28895981
TI  - Radiofrequency thermocoagulation for the treatment of lower extremity ischemic
      pain: Comparison of monopolar and bipolar modes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) has been reported to be used
      safely to treat ischemic lower extremity pain. The objective of the present study
      was to evaluate efficiency of RFT for treatment of lower extremity ischemic pain
      and to compare effectiveness of monopolar RFT and bipolar RFT modes. METHODS:
      Following ethics committee approval, 30 American Society of Anesthesiologists
      classification I-III patients with ischemic lower extremity pain aged between 18
      and 65 years were recruited. Patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups: MRT
      group (n=15) received monopolar RFT (80 degrees C) for 2 minutes at L2-3 level,
      and BRT group (n=15) received bipolar RFT (80 degrees C) for 2 minutes at L2-3
      level. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, pain score, and
      supplemental analgesic requirements were recorded at 24 hours after application
      and at 7, 30, and 90 days. RESULTS: Numerical rating scale values in both groups
      decreased significantly over time and it was found to be significantly lower in
      BRT group after first and third months (p<0.05). Supplemental analgesic
      requirements were similar with no significant difference between the 2 groups at
      any point of study period (p>0.05). No adverse event or complication related to
      procedure or treatment was reported. CONCLUSION: In patients with ischemic lower
      extremity pain, both monopolar and bipolar RFT treatment modalities were found to
      significantly decrease pain levels. However, bipolar mode led to lower pain
      scores at 30 and 90 days, and longer duration of analgesia than monopolar mode.

PMID- 28895983
TI  - Primary headache associated with sexual activity: A case report.
AB  - Headaches provoked by triggering factors have been recognized for many decades.
      In many cases, the development of such headaches is secondary to an underlying
      pathology. However, in some cases, no abnormality can be identified. Primary
      headache associated with sexual activity (PHASA) is one of the subgroups of
      primary headaches. PHASA is a benign form of headache and lifetime prevalence is
      estimated to be 1% to 1.6% in the general population. A 38-year-old man was
      admitted to outpatient clinic reporting history of severe headaches during sexual
      intercourse for the last 2 months. Headaches occurred bilaterally in occipital
      area just after orgasm and lasted for about 2 hours. Propranolol 40 mg/ day was
      initiated and on followup, patient reported dramatic improvement in 2 weeks.
      Treatment was maintained for 6 months. Patient has been on regular follow-up for
      a year and had no recurrence of headache. This is a rare case PHASA. In this
      patient, prophylactic treatment with low dosage of propranolol was successful.

PMID- 28895985
TI  - [Antihistaminik kullanimi ile tetiklenen tekrarlayici bas agrisi ve reversible
      serebral vazokonstriksiyon sendromu].
AB  - Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), also known as Call-Fleming
      syndrome, is one of the rare causes of thunderclap headaches, which are most
      often seen in females aged 20-40 years and which can cause neurological deficits.
      The cause of RCVS is thought to be multifocal arterial constriction and
      dilatation caused by transient disregulation of cerebral vascular tonus.
      Presently described is case of 63-year-old female patient who presented with
      complaint of sudden onset of recurrent headaches located on the left side.
      Physical and neurological examinations were normal. Cranial magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) angiography examination showed vasoconstrictions in the distal,
      particularly in middle cerebral arteries and posterior cerebral arteries. Primary
      angitis of central nervous system (CNS), first considered in differential
      diagnosis, was excluded because no parenchymal lesion was seen in cranial MRI and
      no protein increase was observed in cerebrospinal fluid. Dexamethasone sodium
      phosphate 4 mg/mL (4 mg/day) and nimodipine 90 mg/day treatment was initiated.
      Nimodipine dose was gradually increased to 120 mg/day. Headache resolved
      significantly after discontinuation of antihistaminic agents. The most important
      feature of RCVS to be highlighted is that clinical signs are reversible, unlike
      subarachnoid hemorrhage or primary angitis of CNS, which have similar clinical
      presentations. Although clinical signs of RCVS usually resolve, it should be
      considered that permanent neurological deficits may occur.

PMID- 28895984
TI  - [A rare cause of analgesic-resistant chronic headache: Isolated aspergilloma of
      the sphenoid sinus].
AB  - The diagnosis of sphenoid sinus diseases is difficult due to nonspecific history
      and physical examination findings. Sphenoid sinus is a rare localization for
      aspergilloma. Delay in diagnosis and treatment can result in serious
      complications. Presently described is case of sphenoid sinus aspergilloma.
      Patient had been treated by department of psychiatry for many years due to sleep
      disturbances and headache. Clinical and radiological features of rare case of
      sphenoid sinus aspergilloma are discussed.

PMID- 28895986
TI  - An unusual complication of anesthesia: Unilateral spinal myoclonus.

PMID- 28895987
TI  - Sonoanatomic variation of the vasculature at infraclavicular region.

PMID- 28895988
TI  - Pain in women.
AB  - Men and women are different in response to experimental painful stimulation, in
      pain attitude such as reporting pain and pain coping behavior, in symptoms and
      signs of painful disorders and in response to pain treatment. Both acute and
      chronic pain conditions have diverse prevalence among the sexes. Overall, women
      have more than twice higher prevalence in painful disorders compared to men. Here
      I review putative mechanisms underlying sex differences in pain, including
      genetic factors that have sex-specific or sex-biased effects controlling pain and
      analgesia.

PMID- 28895989
TI  - Transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

PMID- 28895990
TI  - Cardiac fibroma in a neonate.

PMID- 28895991
TI  - Difficult diagnosis of Kawasaki disease in a patient with giant coronary artery
      aneurysms.

PMID- 28895992
TI  - Mass in a pacemaker pocket.

PMID- 28895993
TI  - Intramyocardial haemorrhage as a rare complication of myocardial infarction - the
      diagnostic value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.

PMID- 28895994
TI  - Asymptomatic course of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 28895995
TI  - Complete thrombosis of the ductus arteriosus could be the option to be alive in
      the seventh decade of life without specific symptoms.

PMID- 28895996
TI  - Transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Expert Consensus of the Association of
      Cardiovascular Interventions of the Polish Cardiac Society and the Polish Society
      of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons, approved by the Board of the Polish Cardiac
      Society....
AB  - Patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis have a poor prognosis with
      medical management alone, and surgical aortic valve replacement can improve
      symptoms and survival. In recent years, transcatheter aortic valve implantation
      (TAVI) has been demonstrated to improve survival in inoperable patients and to be
      an alternative treatment in patients in whom the risk of surgical morbidity or
      mortality is high or intermediate. A representative expert committee, summoned by
      the Association of Cardiovascular Interventions of the Polish Cardiac Society
      (ACVI) and the Polish Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons, devel-oped this
      Consensus Statement in transcatheter aortic valve implantation. It endorses the
      important role of a multi-disciplinary "TAVI team" in selecting patients for TAVI
      and defines operator and institutional requirements fundamental to the establish
      ment of a successful TAVI programme. The article summarises current evidence and
      provides specific recommendations on organisation and conduct of transcatheter
      treatment of patients with aortic valve disease in Poland.

PMID- 28895997
TI  - [Elevated incidence of cognitive impairment in patients with asymptomatic carotid
      stenosis].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Stroke is one of the main causes of mortality and functional
      disability in developed countries. Carotid stenosis (CS) is considered the reason
      for 20-30% of strokes. However, the studies that have gone into depth on the
      cognitive status of these patients are limited. AIM: To investigate the cognitive
      performance of CS patients and its relationship with clinical variables (carotid
      obstruction, lifestyle). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 33 CS patients were evaluated
      using a broad neuropsychological protocol, and were divided into two groups:
      symptomatic CS and asymptomatic CS. RESULTS: 50-57% of CS patients showed
      deficits in processing speed and visual memory (immediate recall). 41.9% showed
      altered performance in semantic fluency, whereas the percentage was 30% in digits
      subtest. The percentage of altered performance was 20-27% in verbal memory
      (learning curve, delayed recall) and visual memory (delayed recall). No
      significant differences were found between the symptomatic CS and asymptomatic CS
      groups. Cognitive performance correlated significantly with lifestyle scale
      factors, but not with the percentage of carotid obstruction. CONCLUSION: A high
      percentage of CS patients showed a clinically altered performance in different
      cognitive domains, regardless of suffering vascular neurological symptoms
      (symptomatic vs asymptomatic CS). A close relationship was found between
      lifestyle and cognitive status of CS patients.

PMID- 28895998
TI  - [Effects of an intensive thalassotherapy and aquatic therapy program in stroke
      patients. A pilot study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Stroke remains the leading cause of acquired disability. Health and
      social planning and management may vary and although prevention is crucial,
      having better treatments and strategies to reduce disability is needed. AIM: To
      determine the effect of an intensive program of thalassotherapy and aquatic
      therapy in stroke patients, valuing clinical parameters and functional validated
      scales. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental prospective study consisting
      of a specific program assessed pre- and post- 3 weeks treatment to 26 stroke
      patients with a mild-moderate disability. The outcomes measured were: Berg
      Balance scale, Timed Up and Go test, 10-meter walking test, 6-minute walking test
      and pain Visual Analogue Scale. RESULTS: After intervention, participants had a
      significant improvement in all outcomes measured. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest that an intensive program of thalassotherapy and aquatic therapy could be
      useful during stroke rehabilitation to improve balance, gait and pain.

PMID- 28895999
TI  - [Quality of life and associated characteristics of restless legs syndrome in the
      adult population of Burgos, Spain].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder with a
      prevalence of up to 15%, although little is known about its impact upon quality
      of life. AIM: To analyse the impact of RLS on health-related quality of life.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study. A random sample of
      1,275 subjects over 18 years old, stratified by age, was taken from the urban
      area of Burgos, with an estimated prevalence, 10%; alpha, 5%; accuracy, 3%; and
      losses, 70%, using a two-phase study (screening and diagnosis of cases of RLS and
      non-cases confirmed by a doctor). The clinical and sociodemographic data were
      collected by means of semi-structured questionnaires, the European Quality of
      Life-5 Dimensions, the Restless Legs Syndrome Quality of Life Questionnaire, the
      Epworth Scale, the Goldberg Scale, the Sleep Scale and the International Restless
      Legs Syndrome Rating Scale. RESULTS: The prevalence of RLS was 5.6% (CI 95%: 2.5
      8.7%). Of the total number of cases, 79.4% were women and only 7% had been
      previously diagnosed with RLS. Intense pain, insomnia and depression-anxiety were
      more frequent among the cases of RLS than in the controls (p < 0.001 in the three
      cases). The quality of life among the cases of RLS, especially in women, was
      poorer than among the controls (p < 0.001). For 11.7% of the cases, RLS made it
      difficult for the patients to work. CONCLUSIONS: RLS is associated with
      depression-anxiety, with a significant impact on sleep, on social and work
      relationships, and on the health-related quality of life.

PMID- 28896000
TI  - [Symptomatic absence seizures, the least known causation of absence seizures].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: According to the 1981 International League Against Epilepsy
      classification, absence seizures are the paradigm of idiopathic generalised
      seizures of childhood. Although absences are mainly of an idiopathic origin,
      there are also symptomatic absences, which account for 10% of all cases of
      absences. It is thought that a structural pathology can favour the appearance of
      absences in genetically predisposed individuals. CASE REPORTS: We report the
      cases of two patients with symptomatic absence seizures of childhood onset. The
      first presented thalamic damage of a perinatal origin and the second had glucose
      transporter deficiency in the brain. CONCLUSION: A percentage of absence seizures
      in childhood are of a symptomatic origin. This occurs more frequently in children
      who present other types of epilepsy, focal or diffuse brain damage, and in early
      onset absences.

PMID- 28896002
TI  - [Intracerebral pial arteriovenous fistula with giant venous varix].

PMID- 28896001
TI  - [Barriers impeding access to epilepsy surgery: a review of the literature].
AB  - Drug-resistant epilepsy, a chronic condition with long-term consequences can be
      treated with surgery. The efficacy and safety of surgery for temporal lobe
      epilepsy have been established through a large number of retrospective and
      prospective cohort studies and two randomized controlled clinical trials. Despite
      the excellent outcomes reported after surgery, the literature suggests that this
      procedure is an underutilized treatment. While evidence is lacking as to why
      epilepsy surgery is underused, cited reasons include: failure of primary care
      physicians and neurologists to provide information and identify patients who
      could be referred for surgery; different levels of technology at various centers,
      resulting in different candidate selection strategies; the belief that epilepsy
      surgery is a risky procedure and that it should be only viewed as the last
      option; patient preference to avoid surgery; parents wanting to wait until their
      child is old enough to participate in the decision-making process regarding
      surgery; unwillingness of insurers to cover the expenses associated with
      presurgical evaluations or lack of insurance; racial and social disparities,
      among others. In this paper we review the available epidemiological data about
      lack of utilization of epilepsy surgery.

PMID- 28896003
TI  - [XVI Reunion de la Sociedad Castellano-Manchega de Neurologia. Communications].

PMID- 28896004
TI  - [Trigeminal-autonomic cephalgia secondary to a spontaneous intra-orbital
      haematoma].

PMID- 28896005
TI  - [Miller Fisher syndrome following treatment with certolizumab in a patient with
      rheumatoid arthritis].

PMID- 28896006
TI  - [Kleine-Levin syndrome: immunogenetic hypothesis].

PMID- 28896007
TI  - Further Implications of Off-Label Use of Acetazolamide in the Management of
      Moyamoya Disease in Japan: Response.

PMID- 28896010
TI  - Index to Subjects.

PMID- 28896012
TI  - Erratum: Addendum.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 33 in vol. 50.].

PMID- 28896013
TI  - Clinical Evidence against the Contagiousness of Phthisis.

PMID- 28896014
TI  - Cystic Neuroma of the Posterior Tibial Nerve.

PMID- 28896015
TI  - A Case of Purulent Sub-Arachnitis, Probably Metastatic.

PMID- 28896016
TI  - Case of Very Large Meningocele.

PMID- 28896017
TI  - Three Cases of Puerperal Convulsions Treated by Venesection.

PMID- 28896018
TI  - Two Cases of Compression of the Spinal Cord by Sarcomatous Growths from the Soft
      Membranes.

PMID- 28896019
TI  - Gastrostomy for Malignant Stricture of the AEsophagus. Hydatid Cyst of Liver.

PMID- 28896020
TI  - Ulcerative Endocarditis of the Tricuspid Valve. Extensive Fibrinous Deposits.

PMID- 28896021
TI  - The Proofs of the Existence of a Phthisical Contagion.

PMID- 28896023
TI  - Congenital Deformity of Right Leg and Left Hand.

PMID- 28896022
TI  - Surgical Out-Patient Notes.

PMID- 28896024
TI  - Primary Scirrhus of the Upper Jaw in a Child Two Years Old.

PMID- 28896025
TI  - Recurrent Pendulous Fatty Tumour of Thigh.

PMID- 28896026
TI  - The Cardiograph in Medicine.

PMID- 28896027
TI  - A Study of "Medical Posture".

PMID- 28896028
TI  - Retinoscopy.

PMID- 28896029
TI  - Successful Termination of a Large Aneurism, without Surgical Interference.

PMID- 28896030
TI  - University College, Bristol. Medical School: Prize List.

PMID- 28896031
TI  - Malarial Poisoning: Inaugural Address.

PMID- 28896032
TI  - Cases of Muscular Atropy and Degeneration.

PMID- 28896033
TI  - Two Cases-One of Gouty Inflammation of the Testis, and Another the Testicle of
      Mumps.

PMID- 28896034
TI  - An Epidemic of Tetanus.

PMID- 28896035
TI  - Minute Haemorrhages in the Pia Mater.

PMID- 28896036
TI  - Note on the Utility of Iodoform in the Treatment of Phthisis, and Its Occasional
      Toxic Effects.

PMID- 28896037
TI  - A Case of Priapism.

PMID- 28896038
TI  - A Record of Twenty-One Cases of Placenta Praevia.

PMID- 28896039
TI  - Abdominal Section in Perforating-Ulcer of the Stomach. A Suggestion.

PMID- 28896040
TI  - Case of Spontaneous Cure of Spina Bifida, Followed by Hydrocephalus.

PMID- 28896041
TI  - On Giving Rest to the Digestive Organs by the Use of Peptonised Food.

PMID- 28896042
TI  - On Flat-Foot and Its Cure by Operation.

PMID- 28896043
TI  - Case of Death from Fat Embolism after Bone-Setting.

PMID- 28896044
TI  - Case of Diphtheria Treated by Tracheotomy, Peptonised Enemata and Iodoform.

PMID- 28896045
TI  - The Effects of Certain Anatomical Relations: A Lecture Delivered before the
      Medical Society, Charing Cross Hospital.

PMID- 28896046
TI  - Two Cases of Gastric Ulcer Treated by Peptonised Enemata.

PMID- 28896047
TI  - Case of Rupture of the Right Auricle of the Heart.

PMID- 28896048
TI  - Case of Successful Immediate Suturing of the Olecranon for Simple Fracture.

PMID- 28896049
TI  - Ingrowing Toe-Nail.

PMID- 28896050
TI  - The Nature and Treatment of Chorea.

PMID- 28896051
TI  - Case of Malignant Pustule.

PMID- 28896052
TI  - Case of Tumour (Columnar Papilloma) in Fourth Ventricle of Brain, with
      Hydrocephalus.

PMID- 28896053
TI  - Short Reports of Twelve Cases of Ligature of Some of the Main Arteries Occurring
      during the Past Few Months at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

PMID- 28896054
TI  - Case of Cerebral Abscess Following Slight Injury.

PMID- 28896055
TI  - Sudden Death from Asphyxia in a Phthisical Boy.

PMID- 28896056
TI  - Case of Subacute Poliomyelitis Anterior, with Commencing Phthisis.

PMID- 28896057
TI  - An Undescribed Form of Stricture at the Orifice of the Male Urethra.

PMID- 28896058
TI  - Notes of Cases of Diphtheritic Paralysis, with Remarks.

PMID- 28896059
TI  - Case of Subdiaphragmatic Abscess of the Left Side.

PMID- 28896060
TI  - Glaucoma.

PMID- 28896061
TI  - A New Neurosis. (Thomsen's Disease).

PMID- 28896062
TI  - Three Cases of Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 28896063
TI  - Note on the after Treatment of Scarlet Fever by Scalded Oatmeal.

PMID- 28896064
TI  - The Etiology of Catarrh: Inaugural Address.

PMID- 28896065
TI  - A Case of Laryngeal Phthisis, in Which the Windpipe Was Opened on Account of
      Dyspnoea.

PMID- 28896067
TI  - Two Cases of Haemophilia.

PMID- 28896066
TI  - On the Diagnosis of Abscess of the Liver.

PMID- 28896068
TI  - Lateral Sclerosis of the Spinal Cord.

PMID- 28896070
TI  - Discussion on Intestinal Obstruction at the Bristol Meeting of the Bath and
      Bristol Branch of the British Medical Association.

PMID- 28896069
TI  - Some Points in the Pathology of General Paralysis of the Insane.

PMID- 28896072
TI  - Retention and Accumulation of Faeces.

PMID- 28896071
TI  - Mangana Water.

PMID- 28896073
TI  - Compound Comminuted Fracture of the Left Femur, with Much Laceration of the Soft
      Parts and the Knee Joint Freely Opened.

PMID- 28896074
TI  - Pendulous Fatty Tumour of Thigh.

PMID- 28896075
TI  - A Case of Sudden Pulmonary Congestion Relieved by Aspiration of the Aorta.

PMID- 28896076
TI  - Five Cases Illustrating the Action of Intra-Pulmonary Injections.

PMID- 28896077
TI  - Two Cases of Intestinal Polypus.

PMID- 28896078
TI  - Case of Rupture of Aorta.

PMID- 28896079
TI  - A Method of Expressing Ear-Power in Degrees of a Fixed Scale.

PMID- 28896080
TI  - Case of Lumbar Spinal Caries, Psoas Abscess, Suppurative Cerebro-Spinal
      Meningitis, Suicidal Tendencies. Death, Necropsy.

PMID- 28896081
TI  - Enlargement of the Spleen.

PMID- 28896082
TI  - Rupture of the Aorta.

PMID- 28896083
TI  - Wounds of the Fingers, and How to Treat Them.

PMID- 28896084
TI  - A Case of Hyperpyrexia Following Measles, Treated Successfully by the Wet-Pack
      and Cold Douche.

PMID- 28896085
TI  - Case of Attempted Suicide, by Precipitation from Clifton Suspension Bridge.

PMID- 28896086
TI  - The Border-Land of Insanity.

PMID- 28896087
TI  - Case of Ruptured Aorta.

PMID- 28896089
TI  - A Few Remarks upon Aachen (Aix-La-Chapelle).

PMID- 28896088
TI  - On Diphtheria: With Cases.

PMID- 28896090
TI  - Cremation.

PMID- 28896092
TI  - A Case of Addison's Disease.

PMID- 28896091
TI  - Notes on Some Morbid Appearances in the Brain and Spinal Cord of a Lioness.

PMID- 28896093
TI  - History of a Case of Lymphadenosis.

PMID- 28896094
TI  - The Relations Existing between Facial Neuralgia, Frontal Headache and Dental
      Caries.

PMID- 28896095
TI  - Pyrexia: A Retrospect, a Review, and a Forecast: Inaugural Address at the Annual
      Meeting of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896096
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896097
TI  - Hoarseness and Loss of Voice.

PMID- 28896098
TI  - Latent Rheumatism.

PMID- 28896100
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896099
TI  - A Case of Tumour in the Orbit.

PMID- 28896101
TI  - Some Interesting Cases of Stone in the Bladder.

PMID- 28896102
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896103
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896105
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896104
TI  - Ought Craniotomy to Be Abolished?

PMID- 28896106
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896107
TI  - On Graves's Disease, with a Case: Read before the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28896108
TI  - Ill Effects of a Small Aneurism of the Aortic Arch Illustrated.

PMID- 28896109
TI  - A Case of Suppurating Middle Ear, Thrombosis and Phlebitis of Lateral Sinus,
      Death.

PMID- 28896110
TI  - Observations on Some of the New Hypnotics.

PMID- 28896111
TI  - Case of Aneurism of Orbit.

PMID- 28896112
TI  - The Treatment of Warts by Internal Administration of Arsenic.

PMID- 28896113
TI  - On a Case of Cystic Goitre Treated by "Shelling out".

PMID- 28896114
TI  - Shakspere and the Medical Sciences: The Presidential Address at the Opening, on
      October 12th, 1887, of the 14th Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28896116
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896115
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896117
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896118
TI  - Peripheral Neuritis: Read before the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896119
TI  - On Rhinitis.

PMID- 28896121
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896120
TI  - On a Case of Progressive Muscular Atrophy: Demonstrating the Nervous Origin and
      Nature of the Disease, and Its Amenability to Nervine Tonics.

PMID- 28896122
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896123
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896124
TI  - A Case of Caesarean Section for Obstruction of Labour by a Pelvic Tumour.

PMID- 28896125
TI  - A Case of AEstivo-Autumnal Malarial Fever with Parasites of an Unusual Type.

PMID- 28896126
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896127
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896128
TI  - Forms of Joint Disease Met with in Medical Practice.

PMID- 28896129
TI  - Notes on a Case of Blackwater Fever.

PMID- 28896130
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896131
TI  - Notes on Some Cases from an Electrical Department.

PMID- 28896133
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896132
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896134
TI  - A Case of Congenital Hypertrophic Stenosis of the Pylorus.

PMID- 28896135
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896136
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The First Annual Lecture Arranged by the Committee of the
      Long Fox Memorial, Delivered in the Medical Library, University College, Bristol
      on November 4th, 1904. The Right Hon. Lewis Fry in the Chair.

PMID- 28896137
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896138
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896139
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896141
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896140
TI  - Case of Mesenteric Cyst.

PMID- 28896143
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896142
TI  - Problems in Psychology: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 12th,
      1904, at the Opening of the Thirty-first Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896144
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896145
TI  - On Torsion of the Spermatic Cord, with the Report of a Recent Case.

PMID- 28896146
TI  - A Case of Laryngeal Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28896147
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896148
TI  - Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

PMID- 28896150
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896149
TI  - Puerperal Eclampsia.

PMID- 28896151
TI  - Case of Poisoning by Rhus Venenata.

PMID- 28896153
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896155
TI  - Virchow Testimonial Fund.

PMID- 28896157
TI  - Case of Septic Endocarditis with Cerebral Embolism.

PMID- 28896156
TI  - Health-Resorts in the West of England and South Wales: V. Malvern.

PMID- 28896158
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896159
TI  - Epilepsy Treated by Sulphonal.

PMID- 28896160
TI  - Medical Progress, Local and General: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      October 14th, 1891, at the Opening of the 18th Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896161
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896163
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896162
TI  - On Modern Methods of Diagnosis in Gastric Affections.

PMID- 28896165
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896164
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896167
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896168
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896169
TI  - Buxton: Its Baths and Climate.

PMID- 28896170
TI  - Chloroform versus Ether.

PMID- 28896171
TI  - Case of Tumour of the Pons.

PMID- 28896173
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896172
TI  - Cases of Septic Thrombosis of the Lateral Sinus.

PMID- 28896174
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896175
TI  - Subungual Exostosis.

PMID- 28896176
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896177
TI  - A Case of Tubal Gestation Producing Severe Hemorrhage without Rupture, Associated
      with the Presence of an Accessory Fallopian Tube.

PMID- 28896178
TI  - The Vagaries of Abdominal Tuberculosis: A Clinical Study.

PMID- 28896179
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896180
TI  - Mortality and Sickness in the City of Bristol for the Year 1903.

PMID- 28896181
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896182
TI  - Ethyl Chloride as a General Anaesthetic.

PMID- 28896183
TI  - The Present Position of Radiotherapy in Therapeutics.

PMID- 28896184
TI  - Note on the Subsequent History of a Case of Pylorectomy.

PMID- 28896185
TI  - Aneurysm of the Ascending Aorta.

PMID- 28896186
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896187
TI  - Leprosy in Jamaica.

PMID- 28896188
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896189
TI  - On Surgical Analgesia by Spinal Cocainisation.

PMID- 28896190
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896191
TI  - The Relationship of Chorea and Rheumatism.

PMID- 28896192
TI  - Lac Vinum Infantum: A Review of the Work of Infant Milk Depots.

PMID- 28896193
TI  - On the Throat as the Source of Systemic Infection in Acute Rheumatism.

PMID- 28896194
TI  - Some Observations on Tuberculous Disease of the Hip-Joint in Childhood and Youth:
      With Special Reference to Excision of the Joint.

PMID- 28896195
TI  - The Indications for Operation in Myo-Fibroma of the Uterus.

PMID- 28896197
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896196
TI  - The Induction of General Anaesthesia by Intra-Spinal Injections of Cocaine.

PMID- 28896198
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896199
TI  - Haematemesis Associated with Small White Kidneys.

PMID- 28896200
TI  - Notes on a Case of Infantilism.

PMID- 28896202
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896201
TI  - Ethyl Chloride: A Few Practical Remarks.

PMID- 28896203
TI  - The Recuperative Power of Old Age.

PMID- 28896204
TI  - Periscope of Medical and Surgical Progress.

PMID- 28896205
TI  - Cases of Vesical Calculi.

PMID- 28896206
TI  - Heart-Lesions in Relation to Mental Symptoms.

PMID- 28896207
TI  - A Case of Masked Epilepsy.

PMID- 28896208
TI  - A Case of Intestinal Intussusception.

PMID- 28896210
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896209
TI  - The Laryngoscope in Medicine.

PMID- 28896211
TI  - A Case of Emphysematous Abscess of Thigh, from Intestinal Injury.

PMID- 28896213
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896212
TI  - Some Remarks on the Surgery of the Upper Eyelid.

PMID- 28896214
TI  - Notes on Two Hundred and Twelve Consecutive Operations in Four Thousand Six
      Hundred and Ten Cases among the Medical Patients, Bristol Royal Infirmary.

PMID- 28896215
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896216
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896217
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896218
TI  - On Some of the Hemorrhages of Pregnancy.

PMID- 28896219
TI  - A Case of Paralysis of the Right Vocal Cord, Due to Thoracic Aneurysm.

PMID- 28896220
TI  - Some Cases of Displacement of Abdominal Viscera.

PMID- 28896221
TI  - The Fourteenth International Congress of Medicine.

PMID- 28896222
TI  - The Tuberculin Test in Cattle.

PMID- 28896223
TI  - The Clinical Significance of Chronic Hoarseness and Loss of Voice.

PMID- 28896224
TI  - Periscope of Medical and Surgical Progress.

PMID- 28896225
TI  - The Use of the Aspirator in Retention of Urine.

PMID- 28896226
TI  - The Treatment of Empyema by Incision and Drainage, as Illustrated by Forty Cases.

PMID- 28896227
TI  - Case of Aneurism of Aorta-Treatment by Galvano-Punctures: Result Encouraging.

PMID- 28896228
TI  - Case of Pernicious Anaemia.

PMID- 28896229
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896230
TI  - Presidential Address: Delivered before the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society,
      Session 1886-7.

PMID- 28896231
TI  - Some Recent Additions to the Dietary of the Sick.

PMID- 28896232
TI  - Excoriationes Narium.

PMID- 28896233
TI  - A Case of Dislocation of the Ulna Backwards and the Radius Forwards.

PMID- 28896235
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896234
TI  - Calculus on Foreign Body in Bladder; Perforation of Bladder. No Symptoms.

PMID- 28896237
TI  - Tonic Contraction of the Lower Extremities, or Tetany.

PMID- 28896236
TI  - Relation between Facial Neuralgia and Dental Irritation.

PMID- 28896238
TI  - Notes on Medical Therapeutics.

PMID- 28896239
TI  - Removal of the Uterine Appendages.

PMID- 28896240
TI  - Some Unusual Symptoms in a Case of Hydrocephalus.

PMID- 28896241
TI  - Notes on Practical Surgery.

PMID- 28896242
TI  - Notes on Ocular Therapeutics.

PMID- 28896243
TI  - Removal of the Uterine Appendages.

PMID- 28896244
TI  - Notes on a Case of Bronchial Croup.

PMID- 28896245
TI  - Case of Typhlitis.

PMID- 28896246
TI  - Microzymes in Nutrition.

PMID- 28896248
TI  - The Vomiting of Pregnancy.

PMID- 28896247
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896250
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896249
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896251
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896252
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896254
TI  - The Bristol Meeting of the British Medical Association, 1894: Part 1.

PMID- 28896253
TI  - Two Cysts of Unusual Origin.

PMID- 28896255
TI  - Ergot of Rye as an Oxytocic.

PMID- 28896257
TI  - The Bristol Meeting of the British Medical Association, 1894: Part 2.

PMID- 28896256
TI  - Case of Myxoedema.

PMID- 28896258
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896259
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896260
TI  - Laryngology.

PMID- 28896261
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896262
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896263
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896264
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896265
TI  - Cases of Senile Nerve Degeneration Resembling General Paralysis.

PMID- 28896266
TI  - Comparative Pathology: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 10th, 1894,
      at the Opening of the 21st Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896267
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896268
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896269
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896270
TI  - Appendicitis.

PMID- 28896271
TI  - Intussusception.

PMID- 28896274
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896273
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896272
TI  - So-Called "Duct Cancer" of the Breast, with the Account of a Case of Large
      Recurrent Duct Papilloma.

PMID- 28896276
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896275
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28896277
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896278
TI  - Statistics Concerning Consumption and Other Preventable Diseases.

PMID- 28896279
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896280
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896281
TI  - The Uses of Sanatoria for the Treatment of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28896282
TI  - Two Cases of Sarcoma of the Intestine, with Secondary Infection in One by a Gas
      Forming Bacillus.

PMID- 28896283
TI  - On the Question of the Advisability of Ligaturing the Jugular Vein in the
      Treatment of Sigmoid-Sinus Thrombosis.

PMID- 28896285
TI  - A Retrospect of a Third Series of Fifty Consecutive Intra-Abdominal Operations.

PMID- 28896284
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896286
TI  - Craniotomy, with the Implantation of Egg-Shell Membrane, for Jacksonian Epilepsy.

PMID- 28896287
TI  - Six Cases of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis.

PMID- 28896288
TI  - On the Advantages of Enucleation of the Tonsils over Their Removal by the
      Guillotine.

PMID- 28896289
TI  - Nephropexy by Means of the Application of Strong Carbolic Acid and Temporary
      Support, with Report of Eight Cases.

PMID- 28896291
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896290
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896292
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896293
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896295
TI  - Some Notes on Examinations for Life Assurance.

PMID- 28896294
TI  - The Prevention of Apoplexy.

PMID- 28896296
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28896297
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896298
TI  - Three Cases of Ovarian Tumour Complicating Pregnancy, Labour and the Puerperium
      Respectively.

PMID- 28896299
TI  - Somnambulism.

PMID- 28896300
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896301
TI  - Pigmentation in Amenorrhoea.

PMID- 28896303
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896302
TI  - Adherent Pericardium in Children.

PMID- 28896304
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896305
TI  - The International Congress of Hygiene and Demography.

PMID- 28896306
TI  - A Case of Syringomyelia.

PMID- 28896308
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896307
TI  - The William F. Jenks Memorial Prize.

PMID- 28896309
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896310
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896311
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896312
TI  - A Retrospect of a Third Series of Fifty Consecutive Intra-Abdominal Operations.

PMID- 28896313
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896314
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896315
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896316
TI  - A Case of Muscular Atrophy Due to Lead.

PMID- 28896317
TI  - X-Ray Photographs as Pictures: With Two Diagrams.

PMID- 28896318
TI  - A Case of Presentation of the Axilla at Full Term: Spontaneous Delivery of the
      Foetus.

PMID- 28896319
TI  - Case of Abscess in the Left Lateral Lobe of the Cerebellum, Successfully
      Evacuated: With Some Remarks on the Method of Operation Employed.

PMID- 28896321
TI  - A Case of Artificial Anus Following Herniotomy.

PMID- 28896320
TI  - The Origin of Gastric Ulcer.

PMID- 28896323
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896322
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896324
TI  - Backache, Sciatica and Ruptured Discs.

PMID- 28896325
TI  - The Effects of the Explosion.

PMID- 28896327
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28896326
TI  - Reiter's Syndrome.

PMID- 28896328
TI  - The Release of Atomic Energy and the Pathological Effects of Radiation.

PMID- 28896329
TI  - The Progress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

PMID- 28896330
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896331
TI  - On Some Symptoms of Cerebellar Tumours.

PMID- 28896332
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896333
TI  - The Causes and Treatment of Baldness.

PMID- 28896334
TI  - A New Scheme for Infant Milk Depots.

PMID- 28896335
TI  - Acne Vulgaris and Its Treatment.

PMID- 28896336
TI  - Sprue.

PMID- 28896337
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896338
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896339
TI  - Inebriety and the So-Called Cures.

PMID- 28896340
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896341
TI  - Cases of Joint Swellings Simulating Gout and Rheumatism.

PMID- 28896342
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896343
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28896344
TI  - A Note on Congenital Dilatation of the Ureters with Hydronephrosis.

PMID- 28896346
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896345
TI  - Twin X-Ray Representation and the Reflecting Stereoscope.

PMID- 28896347
TI  - A Study of the Records of One Hundred and Fifty-Five Cases of Operation for
      Appendicitis.

PMID- 28896349
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896348
TI  - The Surgical Aspect of Cholelithiasis.

PMID- 28896350
TI  - On Some Anomalous Cases of Locomotor Ataxy.

PMID- 28896351
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896352
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896353
TI  - The Relation of Medicine to the Natural Sciences: Presidential Address at the
      Annual Meeting of the Bath and Bristol Branch of the British Medical Association,
      June 28th, 1905.

PMID- 28896354
TI  - Notes on the Voluntary Notification of Phthisis, and on the Municipal Attitude in
      Bristol in Regard to the Disease.

PMID- 28896355
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896356
TI  - A Study of the Records of One Hundred and Fifty-Five Cases of Operation for
      Appendicitis.

PMID- 28896357
TI  - On Two Cases of Myasthenia Gravis.

PMID- 28896359
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896358
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The Pathology and Treatment of Graves's Disease.

PMID- 28896360
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896361
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896362
TI  - The Family Doctor: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 11th, 1905, at
      the Opening of the Thirty-Second Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28896363
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896364
TI  - Cretinism and the Puerperium: Sequel to a Recorded History.

PMID- 28896365
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896366
TI  - Small-Pox in Bristol and Neighbourhood (1908-9).

PMID- 28896367
TI  - A Family with a Congenital Deformity of the Nose, and the Results of Subcutaneous
      Injection of Wax.

PMID- 28896368
TI  - The Indications for Gastro-Enterostomy.

PMID- 28896369
TI  - Electricity in General Practice.

PMID- 28896370
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896371
TI  - A Case of Lead Encephalopathy.

PMID- 28896372
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896373
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896374
TI  - A Discussion on "Treatment by Ionisation or Cataphoresis".

PMID- 28896375
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896376
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896377
TI  - Referred Cardiac Pain.

PMID- 28896378
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896379
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896380
TI  - The Safety of the Patient in Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28896381
TI  - Theoretical Considerations of Pulmonary Percussion Notes.

PMID- 28896383
TI  - Sleep and the Modern Hypnotics.

PMID- 28896382
TI  - Tuberculosis of the Colon.

PMID- 28896384
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896386
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896385
TI  - Some Points in the Technique of the Radical Operation for Chronic Otitis Media
      Purulenta.

PMID- 28896387
TI  - The Adulteration of Milk in Bristol.

PMID- 28896388
TI  - Vomiting Connected with Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28896389
TI  - The Value of Some Lactic Acid Ferments.

PMID- 28896390
TI  - The Causes of Transient Cerebral Paralyses.

PMID- 28896391
TI  - Laryngology and Otology.

PMID- 28896392
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896393
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896394
TI  - Precautions to Be Observed in Administration of Milk in Disease.

PMID- 28896395
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896396
TI  - Some Impurities of Vended Milks.

PMID- 28896397
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896398
TI  - Thomas Dover: Physician and Merchant Adventurer.

PMID- 28896399
TI  - The Physique of Boys.

PMID- 28896400
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: Metastatic Inflammations of the Eye.

PMID- 28896402
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28896401
TI  - Milk from a Public Health Standpoint-City of Bristol.

PMID- 28896403
TI  - The Fourteenth International Congress of Medicine.

PMID- 28896404
TI  - Some Surgical Aspects of Meckel's Diverticulum.

PMID- 28896405
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896407
TI  - Notes on New Drugs and Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896406
TI  - Cystoscopy and Ureteral Catheterization: Observations on Twenty Examinations for
      Obscure Urinary and Abdominal Affections.

PMID- 28896408
TI  - The Progress in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Affections of the Throat, Nose,
      and Ear during the past Twenty Years: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      October 9th, 1901, at the Opening of the Twenty-Eighth Session of the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896409
TI  - The Quiet Production of Anaesthesia: A Clinical Lecture.

PMID- 28896410
TI  - Notes on Two Hundred and Twelve Consecutive Operations in Four Thousand Six
      Hundred and Ten Cases among the Medical Patients, Bristol Royal Infirmary.

PMID- 28896411
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896412
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896413
TI  - On Nephropexy.

PMID- 28896414
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896415
TI  - Intermittent Swelling of the Parotid Glands.

PMID- 28896416
TI  - Mixed Infections.

PMID- 28896418
TI  - Hypernephroma or Mesothelioma of the Kidney.

PMID- 28896419
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896420
TI  - A Case of Cervical Rib.

PMID- 28896421
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28896423
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896422
TI  - The Ethical Aspects of Physical Research.

PMID- 28896424
TI  - Medicine and Its Practitioners during the Earlier Years of the History of Bath.

PMID- 28896425
TI  - Three Cases of Ataxia.

PMID- 28896426
TI  - On Hemorrhagic Diseases of the New-Born, with Report of a Case Due to Duodenal
      Ulcer.

PMID- 28896428
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28896427
TI  - Maternity Service in Bristol.

PMID- 28896429
TI  - Bristol's New Health Centre: In Leinster Avenue, Knowle West.

PMID- 28896431
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28896430
TI  - Maternity Service in Bristol.

PMID- 28896432
TI  - Views Ancient and Modern on Placenta Praevia.

PMID- 28896433
TI  - The Prevention and Treatment of Postpartum Haemorrhage in Domiciliary Practice.

PMID- 28896434
TI  - The Symptoms and Clinical Diagnosis of Hiatus Hernia.

PMID- 28896435
TI  - Contact Dermatitis.

PMID- 28896436
TI  - Annotations.

PMID- 28896437
TI  - Reports of Meetings.

PMID- 28896439
TI  - Unexplained Pyrexia in a Child: Clinico-Pathological Report.

PMID- 28896438
TI  - On Reactions with the Newer Antibiotics.

PMID- 28896440
TI  - Maternity Service in Bristol.

PMID- 28896441
TI  - War Surgery in an Indian General Hospital in Mesopotamia.

PMID- 28896443
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896442
TI  - The Journal: A Swan-Song.

PMID- 28896444
TI  - Animal Disease in Relation to Man.

PMID- 28896445
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28896446
TI  - Diagnosis and Medical Treatment.

PMID- 28896447
TI  - Surgical Treatment.

PMID- 28896448
TI  - Tuberculous Meningitis.

PMID- 28896449
TI  - The William Budd Health Centre.

PMID- 28896450
TI  - Argyria from the Use of Nasal Drops.

PMID- 28896451
TI  - The Results in 178 Cases of Prefrontal Leucotomy at the Bristol Mental Hospitals.

PMID- 28896452
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28896453
TI  - Life for the Premature Baby.

PMID- 28896455
TI  - Reports of Meetings.

PMID- 28896454
TI  - Recent Trends in Blood Transfusion and Resuscitation.

PMID- 28896456
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 28896457
TI  - Visit of Dr. Alfred Blalock.

PMID- 28896458
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28896459
TI  - The Diagnosis of Abdominal Emergencies in Children.

PMID- 28896460
TI  - Gargoylism.

PMID- 28896461
TI  - Unilateral Papillary Necrosis of Kidney in a Diabetic : A Rare Complication of
      Enlargement of the Prostate Gland.

PMID- 28896462
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28896463
TI  - Maternity Service in Bristol.

PMID- 28896464
TI  - Unexplained Increase of Fatal Pulmonary Embolus at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in
      1950.

PMID- 28896466
TI  - Reports of Meetings.

PMID- 28896465
TI  - The Relation between Hypertension and the Kidney: A Review.

PMID- 28896467
TI  - On the Excision of Strictures of the Urethra.

PMID- 28896468
TI  - Hyoscine and the Mydriatic Alkaloids.

PMID- 28896469
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896470
TI  - The Medical Aspect of Boswell's "Life of Johnson," with Some Account of the
      Medical Men Mentioned in That Book: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      October 12th, 1910, at the Opening of the Thirty=Seventh Session of the Bristol
      Medico=Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896471
TI  - Remarks on the Surgical Aspect of Glycosuria, and on Diabetic Gangrene, with the
      Record of Three Cases in Which Amputation Was Performed for Gangrene in Diabetics
      under Spinal Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28896472
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896473
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896474
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896476
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896475
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896478
TI  - University College, Bristol. Faculty of Medicine.

PMID- 28896477
TI  - An Old-Time Syphilidiater.

PMID- 28896479
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896480
TI  - Health-Resorts in the West of England and South Wales. Cheltenham.

PMID- 28896481
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896482
TI  - Modern Medical Journalism: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 11th,
      1893, at the Opening of the 20th Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28896483
TI  - Three Cases of Umbilical Hemorrhage Occurring in the Same Family.

PMID- 28896484
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896485
TI  - Compression of the Umbilical Cord during Forceps Delivery.

PMID- 28896486
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896487
TI  - A Case of Double Empyema.

PMID- 28896488
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896489
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28896490
TI  - The XXXIX Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Some Food Infection Problems.

PMID- 28896491
TI  - Streptomycin.

PMID- 28896492
TI  - Blood Transfusion.

PMID- 28896493
TI  - Some Surgical Milestones: The Presidential Address, Delivered on Wednesday, 11th
      October, 1950 at the Opening of the Seventy-Second Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896494
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896495
TI  - Keratosis Pharyngis.

PMID- 28896497
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896496
TI  - The Presidency.

PMID- 28896499
TI  - Modern Developments.

PMID- 28896498
TI  - The Local Problem.

PMID- 28896500
TI  - Surgical Neurology.

PMID- 28896501
TI  - The Medical Problem of To-Day.

PMID- 28896502
TI  - Liver Function Tests.

PMID- 28896503
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28896504
TI  - Maternity Service in Bristol: Some Aspects of Integration and Possible
      Development.

PMID- 28896505
TI  - Eczema of the Colon: A New Conception of Ulcerative Colitis.

PMID- 28896506
TI  - Reports of Meetings.

PMID- 28896507
TI  - Poliomyelitis in Bristol, 1950.

PMID- 28896508
TI  - The Medical Witness for the Prosecution and the Defence.

PMID- 28896509
TI  - Society and Post-Graduate Programmes.

PMID- 28896510
TI  - Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.

PMID- 28896511
TI  - Annotations.

PMID- 28896512
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 28896513
TI  - Cases of Pneumonia.

PMID- 28896514
TI  - Vis Medicatrix Naturae: Inaugural Address at the Annual Meeting of the Bath and
      Bristol Branch of the British Medical Association, May 26th, 1909.

PMID- 28896515
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896517
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896516
TI  - The Mercurial Treatment of Tabes Dorsalis.

PMID- 28896519
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896518
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896520
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896521
TI  - The History and Practice of Surgery in Ancient and Mediaeval Times: The
      President's Address, Delivered on October 13th, 1909, at the Opening of the
      Thirty-Sixth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896522
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896523
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896524
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28896526
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896525
TI  - Infection of the Urinary Tract with Bacillus Coli.

PMID- 28896527
TI  - Diffuse Destructive Changes in the Liver Associated with Jaundice.

PMID- 28896529
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896528
TI  - Radium and Some of Its Physical and Therapeutic Properties.

PMID- 28896531
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896530
TI  - Hypnotism.

PMID- 28896533
TI  - Oriental Medicine-Stray Jottings.

PMID- 28896532
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896534
TI  - A Brief Account of Splenectomy with a Case of Simple Hypertrophy of the Spleen
      Treated by Operation.

PMID- 28896536
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896535
TI  - Radiographic Estimation of Simple Enlargement by Means of Visible Shadows.

PMID- 28896538
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896537
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896539
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896540
TI  - Post-Graduate Study: The Inaugural Address at the Annual Meeting of the Bath and
      Bristol Branch of the British Medical Association, 25th May, 1910.

PMID- 28896541
TI  - A Case of Anomalous Cutaneous Eruption Showing a Bacillus Morphologically
      Corresponding with the Klebs-Loeffler, and Clearing up under Diphtheritic
      Antitoxin.

PMID- 28896542
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896543
TI  - Cases of Leukaemia Treated by X-Rays.

PMID- 28896544
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896546
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896545
TI  - On the Occurrence of Serous Pleurisy Due to Pneumococci and Tubercle Bacilli.

PMID- 28896547
TI  - What Is an Accident?

PMID- 28896548
TI  - Methods of Diagnosis in Gastric Cancer.

PMID- 28896549
TI  - Pathology.

PMID- 28896550
TI  - Notes on Two Cases of Urinary Calculus.

PMID- 28896551
TI  - Urinary Products of Intestinal Intoxication.

PMID- 28896552
TI  - The Third South Midland Field Ambulance.

PMID- 28896553
TI  - Paroxysmal OEdema of the Lungs.

PMID- 28896554
TI  - On the Course of Pernicious Anaemia in Older Persons.

PMID- 28896555
TI  - Some Recent Cases of Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis.

PMID- 28896557
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896556
TI  - The Tuberculosis Officer and His Work.

PMID- 28896558
TI  - A Case in Which a Stone Formed in the Urethra around a Piece of Wood Introduced
      into the Urethra Twenty-Six Years before the Removal of the Stone.

PMID- 28896560
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896559
TI  - Iodoform and Thyroidism.

PMID- 28896561
TI  - Notes on Biliary and Intestinal Sand.

PMID- 28896562
TI  - Diseases of the Ear, Nose and Throat.

PMID- 28896563
TI  - Bromoform Poisoning.

PMID- 28896564
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896565
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896567
TI  - Notes on a Case of Oxycephaly.

PMID- 28896566
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896568
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896569
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The Development of the Human Skull.

PMID- 28896570
TI  - The Alleged Increase of Insanity.

PMID- 28896571
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896572
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896574
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896573
TI  - Laryngology.

PMID- 28896575
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896576
TI  - Lesion of the Cauda Equina: Operation-Relief of Symptoms.

PMID- 28896577
TI  - The Combination of Syphilis and Tuberculosis, Especially in Regard to Laryngeal
      Affections.

PMID- 28896579
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896578
TI  - Rotheln: A Summary.

PMID- 28896581
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28896580
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896582
TI  - Society Meetings.

PMID- 28896583
TI  - Pleural Effusions: Their Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 28896584
TI  - A Case of Extra-Uterine Gestation.

PMID- 28896586
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896585
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896587
TI  - Acute Inflammation around the Upper Cervical Vertebrae: A Subjective Clinical
      Study.

PMID- 28896589
TI  - New Drugs and Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896588
TI  - Chronic Appendicitis in Its Relation to Dyspepsia.

PMID- 28896590
TI  - Introduction to a Discussion on the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28896591
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896592
TI  - Notes on Plague in Bristol in 1916.

PMID- 28896593
TI  - Splenectomy for Splenomegaly.

PMID- 28896594
TI  - Specialism and the Medical Curriculum, Mainly in Reference to Otology, Rhinology
      and Laryngology: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 8th, 1913, at the
      Opening of the Fortieth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896595
TI  - Pericolitis.

PMID- 28896596
TI  - Splenectomy in Banti's Disease.

PMID- 28896598
TI  - Medical Observations in the Clifton Zoological Gardens, with Notes on the Birth
      of Two Russian Bear Cubs in Captivity.

PMID- 28896597
TI  - Protective Ferments.

PMID- 28896599
TI  - A Simple Apparatus for Intratracheal Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28896601
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28896600
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896602
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896603
TI  - An Apparatus for the Intratracheal Administration of Ether.

PMID- 28896605
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896606
TI  - Otology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28896607
TI  - On the Cerebral Symptoms of Lobar Pneumonia in Children.

PMID- 28896609
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896608
TI  - A Combined Manometer and Safety Valve for Intratracheal Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28896610
TI  - The Treatment of Chronic Constipation: A Discussion at the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society, February 12th, 1913.

PMID- 28896611
TI  - An Example of the Stokes-Adams Syndrome.

PMID- 28896612
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896614
TI  - Robert Shingleton Smith, M.D., B.Sc., F.R.C.P.: Editor, 1892-1912.

PMID- 28896613
TI  - Notes on a Case of Alternating Oxaluria and Phosphaturia.

PMID- 28896615
TI  - The Intravenous Administration of Neo-Salvarsan in Syphilis.

PMID- 28896616
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896617
TI  - A Case of Acute Septicaemia Due to the B. Pyocyaneus.

PMID- 28896618
TI  - Aleucocythaemic Leukaemia.

PMID- 28896619
TI  - A Case of Alternating Oxaluria and Phosphaturia.

PMID- 28896620
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896621
TI  - The End-Results of Cases Operated on for Gallstones.

PMID- 28896623
TI  - Acute Pancreatitis, with Special Reference to Its Treatment, and a Record of
      Three Cases Presenting Unusual Features.

PMID- 28896622
TI  - Gunshot Wounds of Peripheral Nerves.

PMID- 28896624
TI  - The Prevention of Sepsis in War Wounds, with Special Reference to the Carrel
      Dakin Method.

PMID- 28896625
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896626
TI  - Rectal Diverticula as a Causative Factor in Pelvic Inflammation in Women.

PMID- 28896628
TI  - The Hodgkins Fund Prizes.

PMID- 28896627
TI  - Fatigue Induced by Labour.

PMID- 28896629
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896630
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896631
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896633
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896632
TI  - A Case of Thrombosis of the Femoral Artery Leading to Gangrene.

PMID- 28896634
TI  - Health-Resorts in the West of England and South Wales. Torquay.

PMID- 28896636
TI  - Meetings of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896635
TI  - One View of Heredity.

PMID- 28896637
TI  - The Bristol Eye Hospital.

PMID- 28896638
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896639
TI  - Asthenopia and Ocular Headache.

PMID- 28896640
TI  - Two Cases of Branchial Fistulae.

PMID- 28896641
TI  - Note on the Technique of Sphenoidal Sinus Exploration for Meningococcal and Other
      Infections.

PMID- 28896643
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896642
TI  - Notes on the Enteric Group of Diseases as Seen in an Isolation Hospital in
      France.

PMID- 28896644
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896645
TI  - The Reduction of Disabilities from Wounds in War.

PMID- 28896646
TI  - Some Neuroses of the War.

PMID- 28896647
TI  - Forensic Examination of Blood-Stains in the Tropics.

PMID- 28896648
TI  - On the Work of a Military General Hospital in Egypt.

PMID- 28896649
TI  - Experiences of an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist at One of the Bases.

PMID- 28896650
TI  - Some Aspects of British Surgery in France.

PMID- 28896651
TI  - Medicine and Surgery in Mesopotamia.

PMID- 28896652
TI  - The Art of Medicine in the Age of Homer: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      November 8th, 1916, at the Opening of the Forty-Third Session of the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896653
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896654
TI  - Ten Months in France with a Field-Service X-Ray Outfit.

PMID- 28896655
TI  - The Effect of General Conditions on the Quality of the Teeth: The Presidential
      Address, Delivered on June 30th, 1915, at the Opening of the Session of the Bath
      and Bristol Branch of the British Medical Association.

PMID- 28896656
TI  - Notes on the Operation for Drainage of the Sphenoidal Sinus.

PMID- 28896658
TI  - Paralysis of the Accommodation-an a Posteriori View of Diphtheria.

PMID- 28896657
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896659
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896660
TI  - On the Use of Morphia in Uraemia.

PMID- 28896661
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896662
TI  - A Case of Ascites Due to Thrombosis of the Hepatic Veins.

PMID- 28896663
TI  - The Treatment of Certain Deformities, More Especially of the Nose, by the
      Subcutaneous Injection of Paraffin.

PMID- 28896664
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896665
TI  - Notes on Three Pathological Specimens.

PMID- 28896666
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896667
TI  - The Reputation of the Hotwells (Bristol) as a Health-Resort.

PMID- 28896668
TI  - The Unreliability of the Microscope in the Diagnosis of Malignant Disease.

PMID- 28896669
TI  - Notes on New Drugs and Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896670
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896671
TI  - Stereoscopic X-Ray Representation, with an Example.

PMID- 28896672
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896673
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896675
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896674
TI  - The Diagnosis of Oriental or Bubonic Plague.

PMID- 28896676
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896677
TI  - Diplococcal Bronchitis.

PMID- 28896679
TI  - Notes on New Drugs and Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896678
TI  - The Reputation of the Hotwells (Bristol) as a Health-Resort.

PMID- 28896680
TI  - Two Cases of Localised Necrosis of the Lung, with Recovery.

PMID- 28896682
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896681
TI  - Some Cases of Ptosis.

PMID- 28896683
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: Dermatitis from without and Dermatitis from Within.

PMID- 28896684
TI  - The Preservation of the Limb in the Treatment of Sarcoma of Bone: With the
      Account of a Case in Which the Upper Half of the Fibula was Excised for
      Periosteal Sarcoma.

PMID- 28896685
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896686
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896688
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896687
TI  - Fibroma of the Abdominal Wall.

PMID- 28896689
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896690
TI  - X-Ray Therapeutics: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 10th, 1906, at
      the Opening of the Thirty-Third Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28896691
TI  - Proteins and Protein Metabolism.

PMID- 28896692
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896693
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896694
TI  - Problems in the Treatment of Haemoptysis.

PMID- 28896695
TI  - Some Developments in Dermatology during the Last Thirty Years: Presidential
      Address, Delivered on 12th October, 1927, at the Opening of the Fifty-Fifth
      Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896696
TI  - The Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Reality of Delusions.

PMID- 28896697
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896698
TI  - Recent Experiences of Intussusception.

PMID- 28896699
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896700
TI  - Some Remarks upon the Finsen Light Treatment of Lupus.

PMID- 28896701
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896702
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896703
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896704
TI  - Missing Links in Joint Disease.

PMID- 28896705
TI  - Mobility.

PMID- 28896707
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896706
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896708
TI  - Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

PMID- 28896709
TI  - The Influence of the Auricles on the Percussion of the Heart.

PMID- 28896710
TI  - On the Diagnosis of Malignant Disease of the Body of the Uterus, with Notes of a
      Case Treated Twice by Curettage, and Finally by Hysterectomy.

PMID- 28896711
TI  - Meningococcal Septicaemia with a Report of a Case.

PMID- 28896712
TI  - The Value of the Chloride Content of the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid in Diagnosis and
      Prognosis.

PMID- 28896713
TI  - Indications for Manipulative Surgery.

PMID- 28896714
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28896716
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896715
TI  - The Lymphocytosis of Infection.

PMID- 28896717
TI  - Redundant Colon: A Group of Cases Exhibiting Symptoms Traceable to This
      Condition.

PMID- 28896718
TI  - Chemotherapeutic Researches on Cancer. A Review.

PMID- 28896719
TI  - The Colloidal State of Matter.

PMID- 28896720
TI  - The Symptoms and Signs of Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 28896721
TI  - Peri-Arterial Sympathectomy.

PMID- 28896722
TI  - The Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Relationship of Erythema Nodosum to
      Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28896723
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896724
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896725
TI  - The Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Insanity.

PMID- 28896727
TI  - The Medical Treatment of Duodenal Ulcer.

PMID- 28896726
TI  - Treatment of Infantile Paralysis of the Lower Limb.

PMID- 28896728
TI  - Sugar Tolerance Tests.

PMID- 28896729
TI  - The Evidences of Heart Failure, and the Signs and Symptoms of Three Cases
      Personally Examined.

PMID- 28896730
TI  - The Comparative Value of Radiation Therapy in Dermatology.

PMID- 28896732
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896731
TI  - A Note on the Pathology of Erythema Nodosum.

PMID- 28896733
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896734
TI  - Ocular Manifestations Following Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 28896735
TI  - A Case of Mitral Stenosis with Auricular Fibrillation, Treated with Digitalis by
      the Cary Eggleston Method.

PMID- 28896736
TI  - The Reputation of the Hotwells (Bristol) as a Health-Resort.

PMID- 28896737
TI  - A Case of Gastro-Jejunostomy for Cancer of the Pylorus.

PMID- 28896738
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896740
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896739
TI  - Notes on Ethyl Chloride as a General Anaesthetic.

PMID- 28896742
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896741
TI  - On Some Urinary Infections, with Especial Reference to Their Treatment by
      Urotropin.

PMID- 28896743
TI  - Notes on a Case of Variola Nigra. (Malignant or Black Smallpox.).

PMID- 28896744
TI  - A Retrospect of a Further Series of Intra-Abdominal Operations.

PMID- 28896745
TI  - The Use of X-Rays in the Diagnosis of Renal Calculi.

PMID- 28896747
TI  - Notes on New Drugs and Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896746
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896748
TI  - Why Defective Nasal Respiration Impedes Growth and Development.

PMID- 28896749
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896750
TI  - Clinical Note on a Case of Epithelioma of Tongue in a Young Woman.

PMID- 28896751
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896752
TI  - Some Effects of Fright in Medicine.

PMID- 28896753
TI  - The Prognosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28896755
TI  - Colitis Polyposa.

PMID- 28896754
TI  - Notes of a Case of Acute Yellow Atrophy of the Liver.

PMID- 28896756
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28896757
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896758
TI  - A Case of Acute Yellow Atrophy of the Liver in a Child.

PMID- 28896759
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896760
TI  - Notes on a Case of Splenomegalic Biliary Cirrhosis, in a Boy Aged Six Years.

PMID- 28896761
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896762
TI  - Anti-Tuberculous Vaccines and Sera.

PMID- 28896763
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896764
TI  - Eighty Cases of Lupus Vulgaris.

PMID- 28896765
TI  - The Value of Compression of the Aorta in the Treatment of Post-Partum Hemorrhage.

PMID- 28896766
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896767
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896768
TI  - A Case of Narcolepsy.

PMID- 28896769
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896770
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896771
TI  - Tumours and Tubercle in Monkeys.

PMID- 28896772
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896773
TI  - Cases Illustrating the More Unusual Complications of Pneumonia.

PMID- 28896774
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896775
TI  - Lumbago.

PMID- 28896776
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896777
TI  - Tubal Pregnancy-Its Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 28896778
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896779
TI  - Difficulties in the Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment of Cases Associated with
      Vomiting in Children.

PMID- 28896780
TI  - New Methods of Clinical Pathology.

PMID- 28896781
TI  - Health Notes in Bristol, 1905.

PMID- 28896782
TI  - The New Theory and Prophylaxis of Puerperal Eclampsia.

PMID- 28896783
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896784
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896785
TI  - The Relation of the Pelvic Floor to Pelvic Displacements and Pain in the Female.

PMID- 28896786
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896787
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28896788
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896789
TI  - The Uses of Static Electricity as an Aid to Recovery.

PMID- 28896790
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896792
TI  - On the Treatment of Diabetes with Secretin.

PMID- 28896791
TI  - The Adaptation of Means in the Prevention of Disease: An Essay to Illustrate the
      Importance Towards Prevention of a Careful Study of the Life History of
      Individual Diseases.

PMID- 28896793
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896794
TI  - A Case of Mesenteric Thrombosis.

PMID- 28896795
TI  - The Treatment of Tabetic Ataxia by Methodical Exercises.

PMID- 28896796
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896797
TI  - The Explanation of Alveolar Cleft Palate.

PMID- 28896798
TI  - The Doctor as Expert and Pioneer.

PMID- 28896799
TI  - On Some of the Initial Signs of Pleurisy.

PMID- 28896800
TI  - A Case of Banti's Disease, with Autopsy.

PMID- 28896801
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896802
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896803
TI  - Remarks on the "Light Treatment" of Lupus, Vulgaris and Erythematosus, and Rodent
      Ulcer, &c.: As Carried out at the Bristol General Hospital Since Dec. 9th, 1901,
      to the End of Dec., 1902.

PMID- 28896804
TI  - Two Cases of Ruptured Tubal Pregnancy.

PMID- 28896805
TI  - Perforated Typhoid Ulcer.

PMID- 28896806
TI  - On the Probable Rhythmical Contraction of the Bronchial Muscular Coat as a Factor
      in Pulmonary Disease.

PMID- 28896807
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896808
TI  - Therapeutics of a Sea Voyage.

PMID- 28896809
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896810
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896811
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896812
TI  - Electro-Therapeutics.

PMID- 28896813
TI  - A Contribution to the Conservative Surgery of the Uterine Appendages.

PMID- 28896814
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896815
TI  - Round the World : A Medical Traveller's Notes.

PMID- 28896816
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896818
TI  - A Case of Perforated Duodenal Ulcer, with Remarks.

PMID- 28896817
TI  - A Granuloma of the Nose, Due to Iodide of Potassium.

PMID- 28896819
TI  - The Practical Value of Blood-Counts.

PMID- 28896821
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896820
TI  - The Antibodies in Disease.

PMID- 28896822
TI  - Four Cases of Renal Calculi Treated Successfully by Lumbar Nephro-Lithotomy.

PMID- 28896823
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28896824
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896825
TI  - The Indications for Treatment in Nephroptosis.

PMID- 28896826
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28896827
TI  - Notes on New Drugs and Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896828
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896829
TI  - Tubal Abortion.

PMID- 28896830
TI  - Vasomotor and Ocular Phenomena in Relation to Rheumatoid Arthritis.

PMID- 28896831
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896832
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896833
TI  - The Results of Operation in Fifty-Four Cases of Cancer of the Breast.

PMID- 28896834
TI  - The Medical Life: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 8th 1902, at the
      Opening of the Twenty=Ninth Session of the Bristol Medico=Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896836
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896835
TI  - Observations on Cases of Appendicitis.

PMID- 28896838
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896837
TI  - A Case of Generalised Sarcoma, with Blood Changes.

PMID- 28896839
TI  - Syphilis: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 9th, 1907, at the
      Opening of the Thirty-Fourth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896840
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896841
TI  - Psychiatry.

PMID- 28896842
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896843
TI  - Proportional Representation and the Comparison of Radiographs.

PMID- 28896844
TI  - The Value of Compression of the Aorta in the Treatment of Post-Partum Hemorrhage.

PMID- 28896846
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896845
TI  - Public Health in Bristol, 1906-7.

PMID- 28896847
TI  - Some Remarks on Spinal Anaesthesia as Based upon the Personal Observation of
      Thirty Cases.

PMID- 28896848
TI  - Muscular Atrophy and Sclerodermia.

PMID- 28896849
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28896850
TI  - Note on Scurvy as a Cause of Haematuria in the Infant and in Old Age.

PMID- 28896851
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896853
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896852
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896854
TI  - Laryngology.

PMID- 28896855
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896856
TI  - A Case of Infantile Scurvy.

PMID- 28896857
TI  - Some Surprises in My Professional Career: The Presidential Address Deliverd on
      October 14th, 1903, at the Opening of the Thirtieth Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896859
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896858
TI  - Collargol: A Review of Some of Its Clinical Applications, with Experiments on Its
      Antiseptic Action.

PMID- 28896860
TI  - A Case of Infantile Scurvy or Scurvy-Rickets.

PMID- 28896861
TI  - Light Treatment.

PMID- 28896862
TI  - The Dangers of Delay in Ovariotomy.

PMID- 28896863
TI  - Trypanosomiasis.

PMID- 28896864
TI  - Dental Infections: Their Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 28896865
TI  - Stokes-Adams Syndrome Produced by Digitalis in a Case of Auricular Fibrillation.

PMID- 28896866
TI  - Clinics from the Brain Physiologist's Viewpoint.

PMID- 28896868
TI  - Work in Great Britain.

PMID- 28896867
TI  - Acute Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 28896869
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896870
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896872
TI  - Work in New York.

PMID- 28896871
TI  - Recent Dental Research.

PMID- 28896874
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896873
TI  - Changes in the Spleen in Acute Pyogenic Infections.

PMID- 28896875
TI  - Observations on Epilepsy.

PMID- 28896877
TI  - Five Years' Experience of Surgery in Exophthalmic Goitre.

PMID- 28896876
TI  - The Origin and Significance of Tuberculosis of the Tracheo-Bronchial Lymph Nodes
      of the Lung.

PMID- 28896878
TI  - A Case of Von Recklinghausen's Disease (Multiple Neurofibromata) with Spontaneous
      Fractures.

PMID- 28896880
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896879
TI  - The Treatment of Graves' Disease.

PMID- 28896881
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896883
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896882
TI  - The Sanatorium Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis-Is It a Success?

PMID- 28896884
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896885
TI  - Prognosis.

PMID- 28896886
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896887
TI  - Acquired Angioma of the Liver.

PMID- 28896888
TI  - Concluding Notes on a Case of Splenomegalic Cirrhosis in a Child Aged Seven
      Years.

PMID- 28896889
TI  - Some Notes on Styracol.

PMID- 28896890
TI  - Two Cases of Ruptured Intestine.

PMID- 28896891
TI  - Operations for Deflections and Spurs of the Nasal Septum, with Special Reference
      to Sub-Mucous Resection.

PMID- 28896893
TI  - Pathology.

PMID- 28896892
TI  - Cerebro-Spinal Fever (Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis).

PMID- 28896894
TI  - The Infective Factor in Thrombosis and Embolism.

PMID- 28896896
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896895
TI  - The Duty of Medicine to the Race: The Presidential Address, Delivered on 9th
      October, 1929, at the Opening of the Fifty-Seventh Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896897
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896898
TI  - Hospitals-Voluntary or Self-Supporting?

PMID- 28896899
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28896900
TI  - A Suggested Treatment for Functional Aphonia.

PMID- 28896901
TI  - A Case of Filariasis: Removal of Lymphatic Varix by Operation.

PMID- 28896902
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896903
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896904
TI  - Rheumatic Carditis in Childhood.

PMID- 28896905
TI  - Treatment of Graves's Disease by Anti-Thyreoid Serum and by X-Rays.

PMID- 28896906
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896907
TI  - Cerebral Lesions in Pregnancy and Parturition.

PMID- 28896909
TI  - The Medical Reading Society, Bristol.

PMID- 28896908
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896910
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896912
TI  - Five Cases of Injury to Main Vessels Occurring in Civil Practice.

PMID- 28896913
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896911
TI  - A Case of Typhoid Fever with Co-Existent Bacillus Coli Infection.

PMID- 28896914
TI  - The Beddoe Memorial Lecture: Anthropology: Old and New: Being an Account of What
      Dr. John Beddoe, a Physician of Bristol, Did for British Anthropology, Together
      with a Proposal for the Foundation of a Chair of Anthropology in the University
      of Bristol.

PMID- 28896915
TI  - Notes on the Treatment of Eclampsia.

PMID- 28896916
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896917
TI  - Perforation in Paratyphoid B.

PMID- 28896918
TI  - The Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Influence of Food on the Production and
      Prevention of Disease.

PMID- 28896920
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896919
TI  - Inebriety.

PMID- 28896921
TI  - A Case of Myxoedema. Congenital Heart Disease. Disseminated Sclerosis.

PMID- 28896923
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896922
TI  - Some Surgical Aspects of Carcinoma: The Presidential Address, Delivered Oct. 9th,
      1889, at the Opening of the 16th Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28896924
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896925
TI  - Dilatation of the Stomach.

PMID- 28896926
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896927
TI  - On the Treatment of Acute Inflammations of the Middle Ear.

PMID- 28896928
TI  - Bournemouth.

PMID- 28896930
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896929
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896931
TI  - Hydrate of Chloral: A Therapeutic Study.

PMID- 28896932
TI  - On "Birth Palsy," with Illustrative Cases.

PMID- 28896933
TI  - Cases of Oral Surgery.

PMID- 28896935
TI  - On the Treatment of Laryngeal Growths.

PMID- 28896934
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896936
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896937
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896938
TI  - Observations on the Normal Diet.

PMID- 28896939
TI  - Clifton.

PMID- 28896940
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28896941
TI  - Tubercle of Medulla Oblongata.

PMID- 28896942
TI  - Reminiscences of an Army Surgeon: An Address Delivered at the Annual Meeting of
      the Bath and Bristol Branch of the British Medical Association, June 26th, 1889.

PMID- 28896943
TI  - Accidental Haemorrhage.

PMID- 28896945
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896944
TI  - Chronic Pharyngitis with Elongated Uvula.

PMID- 28896946
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896947
TI  - Weston-Super-Mare.

PMID- 28896948
TI  - Personality-A Review.

PMID- 28896949
TI  - Uveo-Parotitic Paralysis. A Report of a Case and Some Account of Previous
      Instances.

PMID- 28896950
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896952
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896951
TI  - The Operative Treatment of Meningitis.

PMID- 28896953
TI  - Polyneuritis Preceded by Inflammation of the Parotid, Lachrymal and Mammary
      Glands.

PMID- 28896955
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896954
TI  - Rigid Rest in Rheumatic Carditis.

PMID- 28896956
TI  - The Treatment of Repressed Memories by Hypnotism.

PMID- 28896957
TI  - The Use of Insulin in Surgery.

PMID- 28896958
TI  - The Treatment of Lachrymal Obstruction.

PMID- 28896959
TI  - Kala Azar. Notes on the Disease and Its Treatment.

PMID- 28896960
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896961
TI  - Women Doctors with the Army in the Field.

PMID- 28896962
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896963
TI  - Neuritis: Its Definition and Successful Treatment.

PMID- 28896964
TI  - Cotton-Seed Dermatitis and Its Cause, Pediculoides Ventricosus.

PMID- 28896965
TI  - The Clinical Examination of Stools.

PMID- 28896966
TI  - The Relation of the Autonomic Nervous System to Clinical Medicine: Presidential
      Address, Delivered on June 30th, 1926, to the Bath and Bristol Branch of the
      British Medical Association.

PMID- 28896967
TI  - A Case of Severe Herpes Zoster and Varicella Occurring Simultaneously in an Aged
      Patient.

PMID- 28896968
TI  - The Treatment of Cervical Erosion, with Special Reference to the "Pre-Cancerous"
      Cervix.

PMID- 28896969
TI  - The Investigation of Surgical Cases of Renal Disease.

PMID- 28896970
TI  - The Pathology of Cervical Erosion.

PMID- 28896971
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28896972
TI  - The Health of the Nation-A Review.

PMID- 28896974
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896973
TI  - Acute Suffocative OEdema of the Lungs.

PMID- 28896975
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896976
TI  - The Hospitals of Madrid: a "Busman's Holiday".

PMID- 28896977
TI  - Two Cases of Angina Pectoris Following Sepsis.

PMID- 28896978
TI  - The Pathology of Coronary Occlusion.

PMID- 28896980
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896979
TI  - Coronary Obstruction.

PMID- 28896981
TI  - Observations on Pellagra: With an Account of a Case.

PMID- 28896983
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28896982
TI  - The Recommendations of the Royal Commission on Lunacy and Mental Disorder.

PMID- 28896984
TI  - Anaesthesia: Presidential Address, Delivered on 13th October, 1926, at the
      Opening of the Fifty-Fourth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28896985
TI  - The Central Nervous System in Addisonian Anaemia.

PMID- 28896986
TI  - Some Clinical Aspects of Sterility.

PMID- 28896987
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28896988
TI  - The Paralysis of Osteo-Arthritis.

PMID- 28896990
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28896989
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28896991
TI  - Buccal Glandular Tumours.

PMID- 28896992
TI  - Alcoholic Disease of the Heart.

PMID- 28896994
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28896993
TI  - Sarcomatous Tumour of the Shoulder-Centre in the Cortex of the Right Hemisphere:
      Operation, Improvement, Death.

PMID- 28896996
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28896995
TI  - Four Cases of Blood-Poisoning in Brothers.

PMID- 28896997
TI  - Pneumococci in the Urine.

PMID- 28896998
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28896999
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897000
TI  - Suprarenal Virilism. With an Account of a Case.

PMID- 28897001
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897002
TI  - The Ocular Signs of Migraine.

PMID- 28897003
TI  - The Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The AEtiology of Cardiac Disease.

PMID- 28897004
TI  - The Endometriomata.

PMID- 28897005
TI  - Early Medical Teaching in Bristol: The Bristol Medical School and Its Association
      with The University College.

PMID- 28897006
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897007
TI  - The Prophylaxis of Ophthalmia Neonatorum.

PMID- 28897008
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897009
TI  - The Significance of Vertigo.

PMID- 28897010
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897011
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897012
TI  - A Visit to the near East.

PMID- 28897013
TI  - The Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Some Considerations on the Cells and Liquids of
      the Body and the Oxygen-Content of These.

PMID- 28897014
TI  - Some Clinical Aspects of Dysmenorrhoea.

PMID- 28897015
TI  - Six Cases of Cancer Arising in Tissues within the Duodenal Loop.

PMID- 28897016
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897017
TI  - An Outbreak of Institutional Dysentery Due to the Y. Bacillus.

PMID- 28897018
TI  - ?

PMID- 28897020
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897019
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897022
TI  - Intestinal Stasis.

PMID- 28897023
TI  - On Toxic Polyneuritis of the Motor Type.

PMID- 28897024
TI  - Diseases of Children.

PMID- 28897026
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897025
TI  - On the Pernasal Operation for Frontal Sinus Suppuration.

PMID- 28897027
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897028
TI  - The Administration of Ether.

PMID- 28897029
TI  - On the Localisation of the Foramina at the Base of the Skull.

PMID- 28897030
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28897031
TI  - The Progress of Surgery in the Last Twenty-Five Years: The Presidential Address,
      Delivered on July 12th, 1895, at the Annual Meeting of the Oxfordshire Branch of
      the British Medical Association.

PMID- 28897032
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897033
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897034
TI  - On the Diagnosis of Cancer and of Simple Dilatation of the Stomach.

PMID- 28897035
TI  - The William F. Jenks Memorial Prize.

PMID- 28897036
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897037
TI  - Medical Organisation and the Growth of the Medical Sciences in the Seventeenth
      Century, Illustrated by the Lives of Local Worthies.

PMID- 28897038
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897039
TI  - The End-Results of Operations on the Stomach and Duodenum.

PMID- 28897041
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897040
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897042
TI  - Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897043
TI  - A Case of Hysterectomy for Fibroid Tumour of Uterus, with Intra-Abdominal
      Treatment of Pedicle.

PMID- 28897044
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897046
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897045
TI  - Achondroplasia.

PMID- 28897047
TI  - A Case of Acute Ulcerative Endocarditis.

PMID- 28897048
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897049
TI  - Tablets of Anatomy.

PMID- 28897050
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Myoma of the Uterus.

PMID- 28897051
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897052
TI  - Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897053
TI  - The Bacteriology of Some Suppurations Complicating Pulmonary Disease.

PMID- 28897054
TI  - Symphysiotomy.

PMID- 28897055
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897057
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897056
TI  - Herpes and Brachial Neuritis.

PMID- 28897058
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897060
TI  - Household Syphilis (Syphilis OEconomica), with Observations on Acquired Syphilis
      in Infants.

PMID- 28897059
TI  - The Bristol Medical Library.

PMID- 28897061
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897062
TI  - The Present Position of the Surgery of Malignant Growths: The Presidential
      Address, Delivered on October 11th, 1911, at the Opening of the Thirty-Eight
      Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897063
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897065
TI  - Some Observations on Tea-Poisoning.

PMID- 28897064
TI  - Cardiac Arrhythmia: Five Cases.

PMID- 28897066
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28897068
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897067
TI  - School Surgery: The Presidential Address, delivered on October 9th, 1895, at the
      Opening of the 22nd Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897069
TI  - Two Cases of Fibroid Degeneration of the Myocardium.

PMID- 28897070
TI  - Laryngology.

PMID- 28897071
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897072
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897073
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897074
TI  - Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897075
TI  - Notes on Egypt as a Health-Resort.

PMID- 28897076
TI  - Four Cases of Cysts in the Neck of Similar Character, and Possibly Developed in
      Connection with Branchial Clefts.

PMID- 28897078
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897077
TI  - Some Observations on School Hygiene.

PMID- 28897079
TI  - Furunculosis.

PMID- 28897081
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897080
TI  - The Medical Aspect of Boswell's "Life of Johnson," with Some Account of the
      Medical Men Mentioned in That Book: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      October 12th, 1910, at the Opening of the Thirty-Seventh Session of the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897082
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897083
TI  - On the Resection of the Posterior Spinal Nerve Roots.

PMID- 28897084
TI  - Auricular Fibrillation.

PMID- 28897086
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897085
TI  - Design for an Elementary Radiographic Camera.

PMID- 28897088
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897087
TI  - A Case of Ataxia in a Child Aged Three and a Half Years.

PMID- 28897089
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897090
TI  - The Nature and Treatment of Chorea.

PMID- 28897091
TI  - Defects in the Visual Field.

PMID- 28897092
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: Cerebro-Spinal Syphilis.

PMID- 28897093
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897094
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897095
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897096
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897097
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897098
TI  - Removal of Bullets and Other Metallic Foreign Bodies.

PMID- 28897099
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897100
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897101
TI  - Gunshot Injuries to the Eyes.

PMID- 28897102
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The Evolution of the Sense of Sight.

PMID- 28897103
TI  - Cardiac Diseases and Disorders in Warfare.

PMID- 28897104
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897105
TI  - The Foundation of the Medico-Chirurgical Society and The History of Military
      Medicine in England: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 13th, 1915,
      at the Opening of the Forty-Second Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28897106
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897107
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28897108
TI  - The Antiseptic and Disinfectant Properties of Soap.

PMID- 28897110
TI  - A Simple Form of Influence Machine for X-Ray Work.

PMID- 28897109
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897111
TI  - The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

PMID- 28897113
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897112
TI  - Some Groups of Interesting Cases of Abdominal Surgery.

PMID- 28897114
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897115
TI  - On the Treatment of Subacute Bronchitis.

PMID- 28897116
TI  - Congres International de Medecine.

PMID- 28897117
TI  - Some Unusual Operations on Lunatics and Their Results.

PMID- 28897118
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897119
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897120
TI  - On the Temperature in Cases of Apoplexy, and on the Occurrence (1) of OEdema and
      (2) of Loss of the Knee-Jerk in the Paralysed Limbs in Hemiplegia.

PMID- 28897121
TI  - A Case of Dislocation of the Hand and Carpus Backwards.

PMID- 28897122
TI  - Fracture of the Patella.

PMID- 28897123
TI  - Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897124
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897125
TI  - Idiopathic Thrombosis of the Portal and Contributory Veins.

PMID- 28897127
TI  - Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

PMID- 28897126
TI  - Devon and Exeter Medical Society.

PMID- 28897128
TI  - A Case of Extreme Bradycardia: With Notes on the Eye-Symptoms.

PMID- 28897130
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897129
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897131
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897132
TI  - The Varieties of Uterine Neoplasms and Their Relative Frequency.

PMID- 28897133
TI  - Medical Bristol in the Eighteenth Century: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      October 11th, 1899, at the Opening of the Twenty-Sixth Session of the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897134
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897135
TI  - A Case of Neuritic Muscular Atrophy ("Peroneal" Type).

PMID- 28897137
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28897136
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897138
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897139
TI  - The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

PMID- 28897140
TI  - Therapeutics.

PMID- 28897141
TI  - Irreducible Intussusception: With Notes on a Fatal Case.

PMID- 28897142
TI  - The Bacterioscopic Diagnosis of Diphtheria.

PMID- 28897143
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897144
TI  - Presentation to Dr. J. G. Swayne.

PMID- 28897145
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897146
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897147
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897148
TI  - Cystotomy for Bladder Tumours of Doubtful Malignancy.

PMID- 28897149
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897150
TI  - Extra-Peritoneal Closure of Artificial Anus and Faecal Fistula.

PMID- 28897151
TI  - The Administration of Nitrous Oxide as a Preliminary to Ether Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28897152
TI  - Some Clinical Notes on Membranous Enteritis.

PMID- 28897153
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897154
TI  - Menorrhagia, Etc., and Hygienics.

PMID- 28897156
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897155
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897157
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897158
TI  - A Case of Gouty Peripheral Neuritis.

PMID- 28897159
TI  - Significance of Hoarseness and Aphonia in Cases of Pulmonary Phthisis.

PMID- 28897160
TI  - Notes from the Out-Patient Department.

PMID- 28897161
TI  - Droitwich and Its Brine Baths.

PMID- 28897162
TI  - The Treatment of Incomplete Abortion.

PMID- 28897163
TI  - Notes on a Rare Case of Morbus Caeruleus.

PMID- 28897165
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897164
TI  - Two Cases of Phthisis Treated by Means of Subcutaneous and Intrapulmonary
      Injections of Carbolate of Camphor.

PMID- 28897167
TI  - Progressive Muscular Atrophy with Recovery.

PMID- 28897166
TI  - The Hour of Delivery.

PMID- 28897168
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897169
TI  - The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death.

PMID- 28897171
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897170
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897172
TI  - Menorrhagia, Etc., and Hygienics.

PMID- 28897173
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897174
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897175
TI  - Intubation of the Larynx: Read Before the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897176
TI  - A Case of Suicidal Perforation of the Stomach by a Red-Hot Iron, with Remarks.

PMID- 28897177
TI  - Notes on Disinfection.

PMID- 28897178
TI  - Notes of Out-Patient Cases.

PMID- 28897180
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897179
TI  - Some Recent Developments of the Germ Theory, More Particularly in Relation to the
      Treatment of Phthisis: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 10th, 1888,
      at the Opening of the 15th Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897181
TI  - Cases Illustrating the Surgery of the Thyroid Body.

PMID- 28897182
TI  - A Case of Raynaud's Disease.

PMID- 28897183
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897184
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897186
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897185
TI  - Epidemic Influenza.

PMID- 28897187
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897188
TI  - The Bristol Infirmary in My Student Days, 1822-1828.

PMID- 28897189
TI  - Clinical Studies of Disease in Children.

PMID- 28897191
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897190
TI  - A Case of Congenital Heart-Disease.

PMID- 28897192
TI  - Case of "Orbital Aneurism" Treated by Ligature of the Carotid.

PMID- 28897194
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897193
TI  - The Sequelae of Suppurative Otitis Media.

PMID- 28897195
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897196
TI  - The Symptoms and Treatment of Outgrowths from the Back of the Tongue.

PMID- 28897197
TI  - Case of Epithelioma of the Body of the Uterus.

PMID- 28897198
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897199
TI  - Post-Partum Complications.

PMID- 28897200
TI  - On Some Points in the Surgical Physiology of the Abdomen and Pelvis.

PMID- 28897201
TI  - A Case of Acute Ascending Paralysis (Landry's Paralysis).

PMID- 28897202
TI  - Factitious Urticaria.

PMID- 28897203
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897204
TI  - The International Medical Congress.

PMID- 28897205
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897206
TI  - A Case of Factitious Urticaria.

PMID- 28897207
TI  - Personal Methods Employed in the Radical Cure of Hernia-Inguinal, Femoral and
      Umbilical.

PMID- 28897209
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897208
TI  - The Sequelae of Suppurative Otitis Media.

PMID- 28897211
TI  - Periscope.

PMID- 28897210
TI  - On Some Varieties of Paraplegia with Lateral Sclerosis, with Cases.

PMID- 28897212
TI  - Multiple Cancellous Exostoses.

PMID- 28897213
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897214
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897216
TI  - Some Cases of Peripheral Neuritis.

PMID- 28897215
TI  - Health-Resorts in the West of England and South Wales: IV. Ilfracombe.

PMID- 28897217
TI  - Some Points in Lunacy Practice in Relation to the General Practitioner: Abstract
      of the Presidential Address Delivered on October 13th, 1897, at the Opening of
      the 24th Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897218
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897219
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897220
TI  - Cases of Hepatic and Intestinal Surgery.

PMID- 28897221
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897222
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897223
TI  - The Morphology and Pathology of the Pharyngeal Pouch of Rathke.

PMID- 28897224
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28897226
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897225
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28897227
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897228
TI  - A Case of Hystero-Epilepsy.

PMID- 28897229
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897230
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897231
TI  - On the Use of Oxygen in the Treatment of Anaemia, with a Case Treated by
      Transfusion of Blood.

PMID- 28897232
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897233
TI  - A Case of Needle in Foot Revealed by the X Rays.

PMID- 28897234
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28897235
TI  - The Causation and Treatment of Sudden Dyspnoea in Goitre: With Report of a Case
      in Which the Middle Lobe of the Thyroid Was Excised for Such a Condition.

PMID- 28897236
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897237
TI  - A Case of Hysterical Disease of Both Hips and Both Knees, with Extreme Distortion
      of the Lower Limbs.

PMID- 28897238
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897239
TI  - Three Cases of Vaginal Hysterectomy for Malignant Disease.

PMID- 28897240
TI  - The Effect of the Rontgen Rays on Calculi: With the Report of a Case of Renal
      Calculus in Which the Diagnosis Was Confirmed by Skiagraphy.

PMID- 28897241
TI  - The Symptoms and Treatment of Chronic Suppuration of the Maxillary Antrum.

PMID- 28897242
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897243
TI  - Secondary Rashes in Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 28897244
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897246
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897245
TI  - Two Cases of Compound Depressed Fracture of Frontal Bone.

PMID- 28897247
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897248
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28897249
TI  - A Case of Double Spasmodic Torticollis: Excision of Both Spinal Accessory Nerves.

PMID- 28897250
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897251
TI  - Notes on Self-Poisoning and Its Treatment, with Special Reference to Some
      Physical Methods.

PMID- 28897252
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897253
TI  - The Diagnosis and Treatment of Lumbago.

PMID- 28897254
TI  - The Evils of Marriage and Pregnancy in Women Who Do Not Possess Sound Pelvic
      Organs: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 14th, 1896, at the Opening
      of the 23rd Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897255
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897256
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897257
TI  - Laryngology.

PMID- 28897258
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897259
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28897260
TI  - The Causes of Death in Five Cases in a Colliery Explosion.

PMID- 28897261
TI  - Fifteen Years' Experience of Infectious Diseases in a Public School.

PMID- 28897262
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897263
TI  - Two Cases of Intubation in Adults.

PMID- 28897265
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897264
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897267
TI  - A Case of Haemophilia with Joint Lesions.

PMID- 28897266
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897268
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897269
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897270
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897272
TI  - Dermoid Cyst of a Branchial Cleft.

PMID- 28897271
TI  - Induced Premature Labour in Certain Diseases of the Mother Not Obstructing
      Delivery.

PMID- 28897274
TI  - International Congress of Dermatology.

PMID- 28897273
TI  - The Clinical Significance of the Human Hand.

PMID- 28897275
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897276
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897277
TI  - Chloroform or Ether?

PMID- 28897278
TI  - International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897279
TI  - A Case of Ligature and Division of the Vasa Deferentia for Prostatic Hypertrophy.

PMID- 28897280
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897282
TI  - Two Cases of Abdominal Section.

PMID- 28897281
TI  - A Case of Acute Miliary Tuberculosis: Treated with Antistreptococcic Serum on
      Account of the Presence in the Blood of the Streptococcus Pyogenes Albus.

PMID- 28897283
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897284
TI  - Paralysis of the Respiratory Centre from Intracranial Pressure.

PMID- 28897285
TI  - Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897286
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897288
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897287
TI  - Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897289
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897291
TI  - International Congress of Forensic Medicine.

PMID- 28897290
TI  - Paroxysmal Tachycardia.

PMID- 28897293
TI  - The Use of Alcohol from a Medical Standpoint.

PMID- 28897292
TI  - A Case of Ruptured Tubal Pregnancy.

PMID- 28897294
TI  - Induced Premature Labour in Certain Diseases of the Mother Not Obstructing
      Delivery.

PMID- 28897295
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897296
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897298
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897297
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897299
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897300
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897301
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897302
TI  - Notes on a Case of Exophthalmic Goitre.

PMID- 28897303
TI  - Extra-Peritoneal Suppuration in Perforating Appendicitis.

PMID- 28897305
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897304
TI  - Two Years' Experience of the Operation for Strangulated Hernia at the Bristol
      General Hospital: And Its Lessons.

PMID- 28897306
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897307
TI  - Medical Treatment of Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 28897308
TI  - Eczema and Dermatitis.

PMID- 28897309
TI  - Men-Midwives of the past.

PMID- 28897310
TI  - The Clinical Importance of the Intervertebral Discs, with Special Reference to
      Nuclear Prolapses.

PMID- 28897311
TI  - The Place of Surgery in Hyperthyroidism.

PMID- 28897312
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897313
TI  - Medical Practice in Palestine.

PMID- 28897314
TI  - Thomas Marryat, M.D.: A Memoir.

PMID- 28897316
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897315
TI  - The Evolution of British Orthopaedics.

PMID- 28897317
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897318
TI  - Treatment of Lachrymal Obstruction.

PMID- 28897320
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897319
TI  - Diseases of the Lachrymal Sac.

PMID- 28897321
TI  - Silicosis: I.-Administrative and Clinical.

PMID- 28897322
TI  - Cyanosis in the Fatal Broncho-Pneumonia of Influenza.

PMID- 28897323
TI  - Silicosis: II.-Radiology and Pathology.

PMID- 28897324
TI  - The Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Partnership between Anaesthesia and Surgery.

PMID- 28897326
TI  - Haematuria in the Pre-Eruptive Stage of Measles.

PMID- 28897325
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897328
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897327
TI  - Congenital Abnormalities of the External Ear.

PMID- 28897329
TI  - The Relation of Gynaecology to the Glands of Internal Secretion: The Presidential
      Address, Delivered on 8th October, 1930, at the Opening of the Fifty-Eighth
      Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897330
TI  - Necrosis of the Myocardium.

PMID- 28897331
TI  - Ectopic Pregnancy.

PMID- 28897332
TI  - Congenital Heart Disease as Seen in Elementary School Children.

PMID- 28897333
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897335
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897334
TI  - The Differential Diagnosis of Primary Iritis in the Early Stages.

PMID- 28897336
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897337
TI  - Focal Infection.

PMID- 28897338
TI  - The Diagnosis of Swellings of the Long Bones, with a Case of Periosteal Sarcoma
      of the Femur.

PMID- 28897339
TI  - The Association between Goitre and Atrophic Rhinitis.

PMID- 28897340
TI  - The Expulsion of Bile.

PMID- 28897341
TI  - A Case of Congenital Obstruction of the Bile-Duct.

PMID- 28897343
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897342
TI  - The Work of the University Centre of Cardiac Research, 1927-31.

PMID- 28897344
TI  - Tetany Following Thyroid Operations.

PMID- 28897345
TI  - Sterilization of the Unfit.

PMID- 28897346
TI  - A Review of Seven Hundred Cases of Acute Appendicitis.

PMID- 28897347
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897348
TI  - Abscess of the Brain: With Reports of Two Cases.

PMID- 28897349
TI  - Reform of the Medical Curriculum.

PMID- 28897350
TI  - The Twenty-Third Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Some Aspects of Heart Disease in
      Childhood.

PMID- 28897352
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897351
TI  - Cerebral Dermoid.

PMID- 28897354
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897353
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897356
TI  - Nervous Disorders in General Practice.

PMID- 28897355
TI  - Vaginal Discharge.

PMID- 28897357
TI  - Congenital Word-Blindness.

PMID- 28897359
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897358
TI  - Looking Back: The Presidential Address, Delivered on 11th October, 1933, at the
      Opening of the Sixty-First Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897360
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897361
TI  - Results of the Treatment of Mental Conditions.

PMID- 28897362
TI  - The Twenty-Fourth Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Observations on Pain.

PMID- 28897364
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897363
TI  - Clinical Record: A Case of Pulmonary Consolidation of Doubtful Origin.

PMID- 28897365
TI  - Strangulated Hernia.

PMID- 28897366
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897367
TI  - Some Disorders of Movement and Their Mechanism.

PMID- 28897368
TI  - Some Intestinal Malformations and Their Clinical Significance.

PMID- 28897369
TI  - The Modern Outlook on Mental Health.

PMID- 28897370
TI  - Licence to Practise and Liberty to Teach Medicine in the English Provinces.

PMID- 28897371
TI  - The Problem of Man's Origin: The Presidential Address, Delivered on 10th October,
      1934, at the Opening of the Sixty-Second Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897372
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897373
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897374
TI  - Habit and Illness.

PMID- 28897375
TI  - Light Ether Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28897376
TI  - Intracranial Tumours and the Occurrence of Papilloedema.

PMID- 28897378
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897377
TI  - Unsuccessful Tonsil and Adenoid Operations.

PMID- 28897379
TI  - Psychiatry.

PMID- 28897380
TI  - The Diagnosis of Peptic Ulcer and Its Bearings on Treatment.

PMID- 28897381
TI  - On the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus, with Special Reference to
      the Usages of Insulin.

PMID- 28897382
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897383
TI  - A Film Method for Determining the Reaction of the Liquids of the Body by
      Indicators.

PMID- 28897384
TI  - Disorders of Deglutition.

PMID- 28897386
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897385
TI  - Some Developments in Abdominal Surgery: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      12th December, 1917, at the Opening of the Forty-Fourth Session of the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897387
TI  - The Operative Findings in Thirty Cases of Gunshot Injury of Nerves, with Remarks
      on Diagnosis, Localisation, and the Technique of Operation.

PMID- 28897388
TI  - The Systematic Examination of the Abdomen: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      December 11th, 1918, at the Opening of the Forty-Fifth Session of the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897390
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897389
TI  - Postgraduate Study.

PMID- 28897391
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897392
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The Relation between Chemistry and Medicine.

PMID- 28897393
TI  - Hoarseness: The Importance of Early Laryngoscopy.

PMID- 28897395
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897394
TI  - Injuries to the Head Illustrating Functions of the Cortex.

PMID- 28897396
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897397
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28897399
TI  - Meetings of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897398
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897400
TI  - Presentation to Sir George Buchanan.

PMID- 28897401
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897402
TI  - Health Resorts in the West of England and South Wales. VI.-Tenby.

PMID- 28897404
TI  - Jefferson Medical College.

PMID- 28897403
TI  - Extra-Uterine Pregnancy.

PMID- 28897406
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897405
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897408
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897407
TI  - Hay Fever and Hay Asthma.

PMID- 28897409
TI  - Anaesthetics.

PMID- 28897410
TI  - The Association between Angioma of the Cerebellum, Polycystic Pancreas and Renal
      Adenoma (Lindau's Syndrome).

PMID- 28897411
TI  - Senile Arterial Changes in a Child Aged Seven Weeks.

PMID- 28897412
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897413
TI  - The Significance of Sleep Disorders.

PMID- 28897414
TI  - The Borderland between Surgery and Gynaecology.

PMID- 28897415
TI  - The Principles of Surgical Treatment of Infections of the Peritoneum.

PMID- 28897416
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897417
TI  - The Debt of Medicine to the Fine Arts: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      October 11th, 1922, at the Opening of the Fiftieth Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897419
TI  - The Physiology of Diet and Hygiene at the North Pole.

PMID- 28897418
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897420
TI  - Acquired Resistance to Tuberculosis: A Factor in Clinical Type and Prognosis.

PMID- 28897421
TI  - A Physiological Conception of Prolonged Hysterical Conditions.

PMID- 28897423
TI  - Robert Shingleton Smith.

PMID- 28897422
TI  - Discussion on Renal Efficiency: A Discussion Held at a Meeting of the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society on November 9th, 1921.

PMID- 28897425
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897424
TI  - Medicine and Psychology.

PMID- 28897426
TI  - A Case of Primary Sarcoma of the Spleen.

PMID- 28897427
TI  - Clinical Diagnosis of Primary Syphilis.

PMID- 28897428
TI  - Portal Pyaemia Following Diverticulitis, with Report of a Case.

PMID- 28897430
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897429
TI  - The Histology of the Aortic Wall in Acute Rheumatism.

PMID- 28897431
TI  - Foreign Bodies in the Gullet.

PMID- 28897432
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897433
TI  - An Epidemic of Virulent Diphtheria.

PMID- 28897434
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897435
TI  - The Early Treatment and Diagnosis of Anterior Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 28897436
TI  - The Treatment of Parenchymatous Goitre.

PMID- 28897438
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897437
TI  - Three Cases of Sino-Auricular Block.

PMID- 28897439
TI  - The Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Ten Years' Progress in Surgical Treatment.

PMID- 28897440
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897441
TI  - A Recent Outbreak of Rotheln.

PMID- 28897442
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28897443
TI  - International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897444
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897445
TI  - The Quantitative Estimation of the Knee-Jerk.

PMID- 28897446
TI  - On a Rare Form of Spina Bifida (Syringo-Myelocele).

PMID- 28897448
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897447
TI  - Alvarenga Prize of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

PMID- 28897450
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897451
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897453
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897452
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897454
TI  - A Case of Multiple Symmetrical Joint Lesions.

PMID- 28897456
TI  - Forceps Delivery during the Last Fifty Years.

PMID- 28897455
TI  - A Case of Large Ovarian Tumour in a Young Girl.

PMID- 28897457
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897458
TI  - The Role of Dilute Acids in Infection.

PMID- 28897459
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The Repair of Bone Injuries.

PMID- 28897460
TI  - Some Phases of Quackery in Relation to Diseases of the Eye: The Presidential
      Address, Delivered on October 12th, 1921, at the Opening of the Forty-Eight
      Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897461
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897462
TI  - Tuberculosis: The Inaugural Address at the Annual Meeting of the Bath and Bristol
      Branch of the British Medical Association, 19th June, 1912.

PMID- 28897463
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897464
TI  - The Relationship between Toxicity and Chemical Reactivity in Certain Benzene
      Derivatives.

PMID- 28897466
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897465
TI  - Raynaud's Disease.

PMID- 28897467
TI  - The Right and the Wrong Side of the X-Ray Picture; Has a Mistake Been Made?

PMID- 28897468
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897469
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897470
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897471
TI  - Some Remarks on Insanity; Its Classification and Nomenclature.

PMID- 28897472
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897473
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897474
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897475
TI  - The Present Position of Psychotherapy.

PMID- 28897476
TI  - The Teething Myth.

PMID- 28897477
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897478
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897480
TI  - Gynaecology.

PMID- 28897479
TI  - Some Problems in Surgical Treatment of Abdominal Conditions.

PMID- 28897481
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897483
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897482
TI  - The Teachings of Failure: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 12th.
      1892, at the Opening of the 19th Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28897484
TI  - Two Cases of Locomotor Ataxy with Charcot's Joint Disease.

PMID- 28897485
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897486
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897487
TI  - The Early History of the Bristol Medical School.

PMID- 28897488
TI  - Health-Resorts in the West of England and South Wales. Bath.

PMID- 28897490
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897489
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897492
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897491
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28897493
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28897495
TI  - Disease in Mesopotamia.

PMID- 28897494
TI  - Contemporary Medicine from the Standpoint of Pathology: The Presidential Address,
      Delivered on October 8th, 1919, at the Opening of the Forty-Sixth Session of the
      Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897496
TI  - Stammering as It Occurred in the War.

PMID- 28897497
TI  - On the Treatment of Ununited Fractures, with Especial Reference to the Use of
      Bone Grafts.

PMID- 28897498
TI  - The Therapeutic Uses of Radium.

PMID- 28897499
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897500
TI  - Recovery after Mechanical Obstruction Due to the Passage of a Gallstone through
      the Intestine, with Septic Peritonitis.

PMID- 28897501
TI  - Labyrinthitis: Remarks, with Special Reference to Treatment, on Cases Shown to
      the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society, May 14th, 1924.

PMID- 28897502
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897503
TI  - Diverticulitis of the Pelvic Colon.

PMID- 28897504
TI  - Lachrymal Obstruction: Its Results, Dangers and Treatment.

PMID- 28897505
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897506
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897507
TI  - Is Opsonic Treatment Useful in Phthisis?

PMID- 28897508
TI  - Some Notes on the Treatment of Haemoptysis in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28897509
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897510
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28897511
TI  - Some Clinical Points in the Early Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28897512
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897513
TI  - Case of Filariasis with Abscess.

PMID- 28897514
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897515
TI  - Calmette's Ophthalmic Reaction in Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28897516
TI  - Radium and Its Surgical Applications.

PMID- 28897517
TI  - Some Points on the Care and Treatment of Mental Defectives: The Presidential
      Address, Delivered on 10th October, 1928, at the Opening of the Fifty-Sixth
      Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897518
TI  - The Distal Phenomena That Accompany High Arterial Tension.

PMID- 28897519
TI  - A Case of Rectal Prolapse.

PMID- 28897520
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897521
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897522
TI  - The Role of Pyelography in Renal Disorders.

PMID- 28897524
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897523
TI  - The Management of the Normal Puerperium.

PMID- 28897525
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The Conditioned Response.

PMID- 28897526
TI  - Auricular Failure.

PMID- 28897527
TI  - A Few Suggestions in General Surgery.

PMID- 28897528
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897529
TI  - The Effects of the War on the Mental Condition of the Citizens of Bristol.

PMID- 28897530
TI  - On the Causes of Death in Lobar Pneumonia.

PMID- 28897531
TI  - An Operation for the Cure of Prolapse and Cystocele.

PMID- 28897532
TI  - Irritable Heart.

PMID- 28897533
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897534
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897535
TI  - A Case of Erythraemia or Splenic Polycythaemia.

PMID- 28897536
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897537
TI  - The Diagnosis of Torsion of the Great Omentum, Illustrated by Two Case-Histories.

PMID- 28897538
TI  - Tuberculosis and Consumption in Relation to Public Health.

PMID- 28897539
TI  - The Clinical Significance of Adsorption Phenomena.

PMID- 28897540
TI  - Medicine and Surgery: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 13th, 1920,
      at the Opening of the Forty-Seventh Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28897542
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897541
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897543
TI  - The Practical Importance of Posture in the Physical Examination of the Heart,
      with Some Remarks on Stethoscopes.

PMID- 28897544
TI  - Some Problems in Pulmonary Disease, with Special Reference to Radiography.

PMID- 28897545
TI  - Continuity and Change: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 14th, 1925,
      at the Opening of the Fifty-Third Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28897546
TI  - Remarks on Sinus Phlebitis and Thrombosis Complicating Suppurative Middle Ear
      Disease: With Notes of Nine Illustrative Cases.

PMID- 28897547
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897548
TI  - Progress in the Treatment of Empyema.

PMID- 28897549
TI  - A Case of Multiple Serositis (Pick's Disease) of Unusual Distribution.

PMID- 28897550
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897551
TI  - The Diagnosis of Scarlet Fever.

PMID- 28897552
TI  - The Comparative Efficiency of Local Anaesthetics.

PMID- 28897554
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897553
TI  - The Evolutionary History of Renal Surgery and of Temporal Bone Surgery: The
      Presidential Address, Delivered on October 10th, 1923, at the Opening of the
      Fifty-First Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897555
TI  - Cancer of the Breast.

PMID- 28897557
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897556
TI  - Grave Cardiac Symptoms Due to Multiple Dental Abscess.

PMID- 28897558
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897559
TI  - Presidential Address : Postgraduate Medical Education: The Presidential Address,
      Delivered on October 8th, 1924, at the Opening of the Fifty-Second Session of the
      Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897560
TI  - A Comparative Review of Spinal and Peripheral Nerve Injuries.

PMID- 28897562
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897561
TI  - Appendicitis as a Cause of Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 28897563
TI  - Vesical Calculus in a Urinary Typhoid Carrier.

PMID- 28897564
TI  - Poisoning by "Mustard" Gas.

PMID- 28897566
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897565
TI  - Famine-Dropsy as a Food-Deficiency Disease.

PMID- 28897567
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897568
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897570
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897569
TI  - A Note on Asthma.

PMID- 28897571
TI  - University of Bristol: Royal Opening of the New Buildings.

PMID- 28897572
TI  - Diagnosis of the Dyspepsias.

PMID- 28897573
TI  - A Case of Intrathecal Extramedullary Spinal Tumour: Confirmatory Localisation by
      Lipiodol, Relief by Operation.

PMID- 28897574
TI  - Some Points in the Differential Diagnosis of Focal Infection in the Nasal Sinuses
      Causing Ocular and Other Systemic Infections.

PMID- 28897575
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897576
TI  - The Present Position of Surgery of the Nervous System.

PMID- 28897577
TI  - Some Considerations on the Applications of Physiology to Medicine.

PMID- 28897578
TI  - On Cases of Encephalitis Lethargica in Bristol.

PMID- 28897579
TI  - The Modern Treatment of Tuberculosis of the Spine.

PMID- 28897581
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897580
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897583
TI  - Case of Lymphosarcoma of the Tonsil and Palate.

PMID- 28897582
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897584
TI  - Malaria: A Discussion at a Meeting of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society on
      December 10th, 1919.

PMID- 28897586
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897585
TI  - Queene Elizabethes Achademy: (British Museum, Lansdowne MS. 98.) A Sixteenth
      Century Scheme for a London University.

PMID- 28897588
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897587
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897590
TI  - The Leprosy Problem and Its Bearing on Tuberculosis: An Abstract of a
      Postgraduate Lecture at the University of Bristol.

PMID- 28897589
TI  - The Parkinsonian Syndrome : Some Points in Diagnosis and Treatment.

PMID- 28897591
TI  - The Evolutionary History of Renal Surgery and of Temporal Bone Surgery: The
      Presidential Address, Delivered on October 10th, 1923, at the Opening of the
      Fifty-First Session of the Btistol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897593
TI  - Abdominal Fibroma Simulating Splenomegaly.

PMID- 28897592
TI  - Duodenal Ulcers : Their Detection by Photography.

PMID- 28897594
TI  - Operative Interference in Carcinoma of the Pancreas.

PMID- 28897595
TI  - Case of Rupture of Middle Meningeal Artery: Operation; Recovery.

PMID- 28897596
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897597
TI  - Typhoid Fever and Typhoid Carriers.

PMID- 28897599
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897598
TI  - The Treatment of Spreading Peritonitis by Drainage, the Fowler Position, and
      Rectal Instillation of Saline Solution, with Notes of a Second Successful Case.

PMID- 28897600
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897601
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897602
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: Suppurative Disease in the Nose and Ear: With Special
      Reference to Some Newer Methods of Treatment.

PMID- 28897603
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897604
TI  - The Bristol Medical Library.

PMID- 28897605
TI  - The Barber Surgeons.

PMID- 28897606
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897607
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897609
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897608
TI  - Tuberculin and Immunity.

PMID- 28897610
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897611
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897612
TI  - The Problem of Medical Education: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October
      9th, 1912, at the Opening of the Thirty-Ninth Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897613
TI  - On Some Diseases Bearing Names of Saints.

PMID- 28897614
TI  - A Medical Naval Volunteer on Duty at Quebec, July, 1908.

PMID- 28897615
TI  - Recent Work on Leukaemia and Some Allied Affections: The President's Address,
      Delivered on October 14th, 1908, at the Opening of the Thirty-Fifth Session of
      the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897617
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897616
TI  - Dilatation of Posterior Cerebral Vessels with Basal Hemorrhage in a Girl Aged
      Sixteen.

PMID- 28897619
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897618
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897621
TI  - The Causation of Certain Mid-Diastolic Murmurs.

PMID- 28897620
TI  - Notes on Cases.

PMID- 28897622
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897623
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897624
TI  - The Management of the Ear, Nose and Throat in Influenza.

PMID- 28897625
TI  - Insomnia.

PMID- 28897627
TI  - Suprarenal Hypertrophy.

PMID- 28897626
TI  - Suprarenal Virilism.

PMID- 28897629
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897628
TI  - Notes on the Treatment of Some Common Ocular Affections.

PMID- 28897630
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897632
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897631
TI  - Notes on Surgical Jaundice.

PMID- 28897633
TI  - Sex Hormones and Blood Pressure.

PMID- 28897634
TI  - The Importance of the First Year of War in Mental Disease.

PMID- 28897635
TI  - Thyrotoxicosis.

PMID- 28897636
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897637
TI  - An Enemy of the People-Tuberculosis and Natural Selection.

PMID- 28897639
TI  - Notes on "Some Dreams and Their Significance".

PMID- 28897638
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897640
TI  - Intra-Cranial Complications of Ear Disease: A Discussion at the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society, March 13th, 1912.

PMID- 28897641
TI  - The Differential Diagnosis of Swelling in the Breast.

PMID- 28897642
TI  - The Artificial Production of Pneumothorax in Pathisis by Injection of Nitrogen.

PMID- 28897644
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897643
TI  - A Case of the Heroin Habit.

PMID- 28897645
TI  - Notes on an Unusual Case of Hodgkin's Disease.

PMID- 28897646
TI  - The Casualty Surgery of Air Raids.

PMID- 28897647
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897648
TI  - Medicine from Ancient Greece to Soviet Russia.

PMID- 28897649
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897650
TI  - Experiences of First Aid in Air Raids.

PMID- 28897651
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897652
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897653
TI  - Trigeminal Neuralgia.

PMID- 28897654
TI  - Some Observations on the Relative Efficacy of the Various Treatments of
      Pernicious Anaemia.

PMID- 28897655
TI  - Some Observations on the Relationship between Structure and Function: The
      Presidential Address, Delivered on 14th October, 1931, at the Opening of the
      Fifty-Ninth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897656
TI  - Human Improvability.

PMID- 28897657
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897658
TI  - The Fundamental Principles of Fracture Treatment.

PMID- 28897659
TI  - The Bristol Scheme for Dealing with an Outbreak of Typhus.

PMID- 28897660
TI  - Experiences of Typhus Fever.

PMID- 28897661
TI  - Inunction of Testosterone in Mental Disease.

PMID- 28897662
TI  - Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28897663
TI  - Some Gall-Bladder Cases Presenting Features of Interest.

PMID- 28897664
TI  - Direct Laryngoscopy, Bronchoscopy and OEsophagoscopy.

PMID- 28897665
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897666
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897667
TI  - The End-Results of Forty-One Operations for Internal Derangements of the Knee
      Joint.

PMID- 28897668
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897669
TI  - Lister: An Appreciation.

PMID- 28897671
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897670
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897672
TI  - Some Cases Illustrating the Difficulty and Importance of Early Diagnosis in Acute
      Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 28897673
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897674
TI  - Operations on the Uterus and Appendages during Pregnancy.

PMID- 28897675
TI  - Some Observations on Tuberculosis of the Nose and Pharynx.

PMID- 28897676
TI  - A Case of Chronic Interstitial Pancreatitis of Uncertain Origin.

PMID- 28897677
TI  - Some Complications of Ruptured Liver.

PMID- 28897678
TI  - On the Renal Changes in a Case of Hemorrhage into the Pons with Consequent High
      Blood Pressure.

PMID- 28897679
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897680
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897682
TI  - The Aural Complications of Influenza and Their Treatment.

PMID- 28897681
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897683
TI  - Early History of the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

PMID- 28897685
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897684
TI  - A Study of Ten Cases of Operation for Perforated Gastric Ulcer.

PMID- 28897686
TI  - A Case of Severe Trigeminal Neuralgia Successfully Treated by Excision of the
      Gasserian Ganglion.

PMID- 28897688
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897687
TI  - Surgical Aid in Chronic Ulcer of the Stomach.

PMID- 28897689
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897690
TI  - Midwifery in Bristol.

PMID- 28897691
TI  - The Bombing of Bristol.

PMID- 28897692
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897693
TI  - The Shelter Problem.

PMID- 28897694
TI  - The Twenty-Ninth Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Popular Misconceptions in Medical
      Matters.

PMID- 28897695
TI  - Induction of Labour by High Puncture of the Membranes: A Survey of Eighty-Seven
      Consecutive Cases Personally Induced during One Year-November, 1938-October,
      1939.

PMID- 28897696
TI  - Traumatic Extradural Haemorrhage. Part I.

PMID- 28897698
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897697
TI  - Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis in Bristol.

PMID- 28897699
TI  - Head Injuries in Wartime.

PMID- 28897701
TI  - University of Bristol Dental Hospital and School.

PMID- 28897700
TI  - Traumatic Extradural Haemorrhage. Part II: The Clinical Application of Electro
      Encephalograpy.

PMID- 28897702
TI  - Malum Immedicabile Cancer.

PMID- 28897704
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897705
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897703
TI  - Electro-Encephalography: An Aid to Diagnosis.

PMID- 28897706
TI  - Provincial Medical Journals.

PMID- 28897707
TI  - Note on a Case of Ponto-Cerebellar Tumour in a Girl of Six Years.

PMID- 28897708
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897709
TI  - The Long Fox Lecture: The Problem of Deafness.

PMID- 28897710
TI  - The Effects of Lightning: With Special Reference to the Nervous System.

PMID- 28897711
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897712
TI  - The Care and Management of Premature Infants.

PMID- 28897713
TI  - Prognosis in Coronary Thrombosis.

PMID- 28897714
TI  - The Thirty-First Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Experimental Study of
      Development.

PMID- 28897715
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897717
TI  - The Story of the Bristol Hospitals.

PMID- 28897716
TI  - Hospital Re-Organization.

PMID- 28897718
TI  - Albuminuria in Pregnancy.

PMID- 28897719
TI  - Medical Education.

PMID- 28897720
TI  - Dysphagia with Anaemia, with Reports on Five Cases.

PMID- 28897721
TI  - The British Pharmacopoeia, 1932.

PMID- 28897723
TI  - Notes on Female Circumcision as Practised by the Ameru.

PMID- 28897722
TI  - Mental Deficiency: An Analysis of the Mental, Physical and Medical
      Characteristics of a Group of One Hundred and Sixty-Two Adult Feeble-Minded
      Women.

PMID- 28897725
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897724
TI  - Albuminuria in Pregnancy.

PMID- 28897726
TI  - Social and Economic Conditions and the Incidence of Rheumatic Heart Disease.

PMID- 28897728
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897727
TI  - The Future of Health and Hospital Services from an Architect's Point of View.

PMID- 28897729
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897730
TI  - Bristol's Contributions to Medical Progress.

PMID- 28897731
TI  - The History of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Journal.

PMID- 28897732
TI  - The Centenary of the Foundation of the Bristol Medical School.

PMID- 28897733
TI  - Thirty Years' Progress in the Study of Rheumatic Heart Disease.

PMID- 28897734
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897735
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897736
TI  - Familial Multiple Telangiectases of the Skin and Mucous Membranes.

PMID- 28897737
TI  - Surgery for Pain.

PMID- 28897738
TI  - The Need for a Standard Method of Estimating the Blood-Pressure.

PMID- 28897740
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897739
TI  - Anterior Poliomyelitis, or Infantile Paralysis.

PMID- 28897742
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897741
TI  - Enlarged Prostate.

PMID- 28897743
TI  - A Surgical Adventure: An Autobiographical Sketch: The Presidential Address,
      Delivered on 12th October, 1932, at the Opening of the Sixtieth Session of the
      Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897745
TI  - The Twenty-Second Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Recent Advances in the AEtiology,
      Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer.

PMID- 28897744
TI  - The Use of the Ventral Position in the Treatment of Tuberculous Disease of the
      Spine in Children.

PMID- 28897746
TI  - Bristol University: Department of Preventive Medicine : Opening by the Minister
      of Health.

PMID- 28897748
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897747
TI  - Bacillus Coli Infections of the Female Urinary Tract.

PMID- 28897750
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897749
TI  - The Present Position of Radium Therapy.

PMID- 28897751
TI  - A Case of Laparotomy in Which a Large Pyosalpinx Simulating a Suppurating Tubo
      Ovarian Cyst Was Removed.

PMID- 28897752
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897753
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897754
TI  - Melancholia.

PMID- 28897755
TI  - Fifty Consecutive Intra-Abdominal Operations.

PMID- 28897756
TI  - Hysterical Paroxysmal OEdema.

PMID- 28897758
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897757
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28897759
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897760
TI  - On Some Diseases Occurring in Men Who Worked in a Sewer.

PMID- 28897761
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897762
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897763
TI  - The Treatment of Enteric Fever.

PMID- 28897764
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897765
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897766
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897767
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897768
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897769
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897771
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897770
TI  - On Occipital Presentations.

PMID- 28897772
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897773
TI  - A Suggestion for the Treatment of Graves's Disease.

PMID- 28897774
TI  - A Case Resembling in Many Respects the Condition Known as Mucous Colitis.

PMID- 28897775
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897776
TI  - Isolation after Diphtheria.

PMID- 28897777
TI  - Thot: An Exalted Surgeon and Physician.

PMID- 28897778
TI  - A Case of Cholecystotomy.

PMID- 28897779
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897780
TI  - Progress and Practice: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October 12th, 1898,
      at the Opening of the Twenty-Fifth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28897781
TI  - Operation Rooms, past and Present.

PMID- 28897782
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897783
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897784
TI  - Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897785
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897786
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28897787
TI  - A Suggested Method of Copying Sphygmograms.

PMID- 28897788
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28897789
TI  - The Radical Cure of Reducible Hernia by Kocher's Method of Invagination, with
      Lateral Displacement of the Neck, of the Sac.

PMID- 28897791
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897790
TI  - The Use of Protamine Insulin.

PMID- 28897792
TI  - Cerebral Malformations and Their Clinical Consequences.

PMID- 28897794
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897793
TI  - Psychological Factors in Disease.

PMID- 28897795
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897796
TI  - Some Recent Advances in Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897797
TI  - Some Medical Considerations of Sports and Games.

PMID- 28897798
TI  - Spasmodic Rhinorrhoea.

PMID- 28897799
TI  - The Seborrhoeic Dermatoses.

PMID- 28897800
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897801
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897802
TI  - The Twenty-Eighth Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Forest Folk: Modern Medicine in the
      Congo.

PMID- 28897803
TI  - Acute Appendicitis.

PMID- 28897804
TI  - War Surgery in Spain.

PMID- 28897805
TI  - The Prevention and Treatment of Prolapse.

PMID- 28897807
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897806
TI  - An Investigation into the Mental State of the Parents and Sibs of 1,050 Mentally
      Defective Persons.

PMID- 28897808
TI  - Basal Narcosis.

PMID- 28897810
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897809
TI  - Diet in Pregnancy.

PMID- 28897811
TI  - Some Clinical Applications of the Male and Female Sex Hormones.

PMID- 28897812
TI  - Thoracic Surgery.

PMID- 28897813
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897814
TI  - A Case of Lobectomy for Bronchiectasis.

PMID- 28897815
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897816
TI  - Medical Defence: The Presidential Address, Delivered on 13th October, 1937, at
      the Opening of the Sixty-Fifth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897817
TI  - Some Problems in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Intra-Cranial Tumours.

PMID- 28897818
TI  - The Vitamin B Complex.

PMID- 28897819
TI  - The Medicinal Waters at Burnham-On-Sea.

PMID- 28897820
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897821
TI  - Some Tuberculous Conditions.

PMID- 28897822
TI  - Medicine and the Drama: The Presidential Address, Delivered on 12th October,
      1938, at the Opening of the Sixty-Sixth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28897824
TI  - Recent Advances in Surgery.

PMID- 28897823
TI  - The Management of Some Obstetric Emergencies.

PMID- 28897825
TI  - The Twenty-Seventh Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Air as a Conductor of Electricity.

PMID- 28897826
TI  - Syphilis in the Tropics.

PMID- 28897827
TI  - A Guide Dog for the Blind.

PMID- 28897828
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897829
TI  - Drinker's "Iron Lung" and Other Artificial Respirators.

PMID- 28897830
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897831
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897833
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897832
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897834
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897836
TI  - Notes on Some Thermal, Hydro-Thermal, Electric and Hydro-Electric Procedures, and
      the Indications for Their Use.

PMID- 28897835
TI  - Vascular Caruncle of the Urethra.

PMID- 28897838
TI  - Non-Bacillary Croup.

PMID- 28897837
TI  - Ophthalmology.

PMID- 28897839
TI  - The Spontaneous Disappearance of a Sarcomatous Tumour.

PMID- 28897840
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897841
TI  - Rheumatic Disease of the Cardiac Muscle.

PMID- 28897842
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897843
TI  - Note on a Pre-Exanthematous Sign of Measles.

PMID- 28897844
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897846
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897845
TI  - Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897847
TI  - Abdominal Hysterectomy for Fibroids of the Uterus, with Retro-Peritoneal
      Treatment of the Stump, and Notes of Two Cases.

PMID- 28897848
TI  - Swedish Medical Gymnastics in Chronic Diseases of the Heart.

PMID- 28897849
TI  - Two Cases of the Sporadic Form of Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis.

PMID- 28897850
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897851
TI  - A Retrospect of a Second Series of Fifty Consecutive Intra-Abdominal Operations.

PMID- 28897852
TI  - Cases of Acute Intestinal Obstruction Treated by Operation.

PMID- 28897853
TI  - Presentation to Mr. L. M. Griffiths.

PMID- 28897854
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897855
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897856
TI  - The Inebriates' Acts, 1879-1899.

PMID- 28897857
TI  - One Thousand Consecutive Inductions of General Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28897859
TI  - The X-Ray History of a Fracture.

PMID- 28897858
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897860
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897861
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897862
TI  - Abdominal Incisions.

PMID- 28897864
TI  - The Dietetic Treatment of Zymotic Enteritis, Especially with Regard to the Use of
      Raw Meat Juice.

PMID- 28897863
TI  - Dermatology.

PMID- 28897866
TI  - Scraps.

PMID- 28897865
TI  - Reminiscences of the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

PMID- 28897867
TI  - The Technique of Halsted's Operation for Cancer of the Breast.

PMID- 28897868
TI  - Notes on Preparations for the Sick.

PMID- 28897869
TI  - Forty Cases for Operation for Appendicitis.

PMID- 28897871
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897870
TI  - A Case of Diffuse Leontiasis Ossea.

PMID- 28897872
TI  - Laryngology and Rhinology.

PMID- 28897873
TI  - Otology.

PMID- 28897874
TI  - Some Modern Aspects of Preventive Medicine: The Presidential Address, Delivered
      on October 10th, 1900, at the Opening of the Twenty-Seventh Session of the
      Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897876
TI  - Five Cases of Pelvic Disease Treated by Laparotomy.

PMID- 28897875
TI  - Medicine.

PMID- 28897877
TI  - A Plea for Sanatoria for the Poorer Consumptives.

PMID- 28897879
TI  - Three Abdominal Cases Presenting Some Unusual Features.

PMID- 28897878
TI  - Surgery.

PMID- 28897880
TI  - The Differential Diagnosis of Malignant Disease of the Caecum from Chronic and
      Subacute Appendicitis.

PMID- 28897881
TI  - The Bristol Medical Officer of Health.

PMID- 28897882
TI  - Oral Sepsis as a Source of Systemic Infections.

PMID- 28897883
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897884
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897885
TI  - The Clinical Manifestations and Treatment of Coliuria in Children.

PMID- 28897887
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897886
TI  - Notes on Some Bristol Medical Societies.

PMID- 28897889
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28897888
TI  - Some Impressions of the 1914 British Pharmacopoeia.

PMID- 28897890
TI  - The Evolution of Gynaecology: The Presidential Address, Delivered on October
      14th, 1914, at the Opening of the Forty-First Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897891
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897892
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28897893
TI  - Therapeutic Notes: Animal Extracts in Therapeutics.

PMID- 28897894
TI  - The Radiographic Centroscope and the Radiographic Episcope.

PMID- 28897895
TI  - A Case of Richter's Strangulated Hernia.

PMID- 28897896
TI  - Spiritual Healing: A Review.

PMID- 28897898
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897897
TI  - Local Analgesia in Surgical Operations.

PMID- 28897899
TI  - Therapeutic Notes: Cell Proliferants.

PMID- 28897900
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897901
TI  - Mixed Infections in Pulmonary Tuberculosis, and Some General Observations on
      Treatment with Tuberculin.

PMID- 28897902
TI  - Notes on a Case of Lymphatic Leukaemia in a Child Aged Three Years.

PMID- 28897904
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28897903
TI  - The Secondary Infections of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Their Treatment by
      Vaccines.

PMID- 28897905
TI  - On the Occurrence of Tachycardia in Association with Parenchymatous Goitre.

PMID- 28897907
TI  - Note on the Treatment of Laryngeal Tuberculosis by Tuberculin.

PMID- 28897906
TI  - Auto-Plastic Intra-Medullary Bone Pegging as a Method of Operative Treatment for
      Fractures.

PMID- 28897908
TI  - Fibroid Uterus.

PMID- 28897910
TI  - Progress of the Medical Sciences.

PMID- 28897909
TI  - Diseases of the Lungs Associated with the Presence of Friedlander's Bacillus.

PMID- 28897912
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897911
TI  - Hyperpiesis and Arterio-Sclerosis.

PMID- 28897914
TI  - Therapeutic Notes: Colloid Metals.

PMID- 28897913
TI  - The Simulation of Aortic Aneurysm by Some Other Aortic and Cardiac Diseases.

PMID- 28897915
TI  - Notes on the Electrical Reactions in Facial Paralysis, Especially in Reference to
      the Prognosis in Post-Operative Cases.

PMID- 28897916
TI  - On Digital Percussion and the Cardiac Sign in Carcinoma.

PMID- 28897918
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897917
TI  - Some Unusual Conditions Found in Operating for the Radical Cure of Hernia.

PMID- 28897919
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897920
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897921
TI  - Edward Tyson, M.D., F.R.S., 1650-1708: Anatomist and Anthropologist.

PMID- 28897922
TI  - "Look and See," Foreign Bodies in Air and Food Passages.

PMID- 28897923
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897924
TI  - The Goodenough Report on Medical Education: A Summary.

PMID- 28897925
TI  - The Thirty-Second Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Social Aspects of Acute
      Rheumatism.

PMID- 28897926
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897927
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897929
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897928
TI  - Selection of Medical Students.

PMID- 28897930
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897931
TI  - Ham Green Hospital Extensions: The Opening Address Delivered.

PMID- 28897932
TI  - The Burden Mental Research Trust: Its Present and Future.

PMID- 28897934
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897933
TI  - Sulphanilamide in Treatment.

PMID- 28897935
TI  - Prontosil in Obstetrics.

PMID- 28897937
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897936
TI  - Nutrition and Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28897938
TI  - Joseph Williams.

PMID- 28897939
TI  - A Treatment for Sciatica.

PMID- 28897941
TI  - Corneal Transplantation: Its History, Development and Practice.

PMID- 28897940
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897943
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897942
TI  - Bristol Eye Hospital.

PMID- 28897944
TI  - Photography and Medicine: The Presidential Address, Delivered on 9th October,
      1935, at the Opening of the Sixty-Third Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28897946
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897945
TI  - The Position of the Voluntary Hospitals in the National Health Services.

PMID- 28897948
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897947
TI  - Ultra-Microscopic Examination of the Blood-Serum in Disease.

PMID- 28897949
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897950
TI  - Some Reflections on Research in Medicine.

PMID- 28897951
TI  - How Bristol Royal Infirmary Has Watched the World Change.

PMID- 28897952
TI  - The Carey Coombs Memorial Lecture on the Pathology and Surgical Treatment of
      Cardiac Ischaemia.

PMID- 28897954
TI  - The Evolution of a Casualty Clearing Station on the Western Front: The
      Presidential Address, Delivered on 14th October, 1936, at the Opening of the
      Sixty-Fourth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897953
TI  - Spinal Anaesthesia.

PMID- 28897955
TI  - The Bristol Medical Dramatic Club.

PMID- 28897957
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897956
TI  - The Enlarged Prostate from the Point of View of Practitioner and Surgeon.

PMID- 28897958
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897959
TI  - The Therapeutic Value of Altitude.

PMID- 28897960
TI  - The Role of the Central Nervous System in Disease: Recent Experimental Work in
      the U.S.S.R.

PMID- 28897961
TI  - Primary Carcinoma of the Lung Radiologically Considered.

PMID- 28897962
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897963
TI  - A Fatal Case of Meningitis Due to Infection of the Sphenoidal Sinus by Pfeiffer's
      Bacillus, with a Short Review of Methods of Treatment.

PMID- 28897964
TI  - The Treatment of Carcinoma of the Lung.

PMID- 28897965
TI  - Surgical Clinics in Scandinavia.

PMID- 28897966
TI  - The Pathological Aspect.

PMID- 28897968
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897967
TI  - Clinical Features.

PMID- 28897969
TI  - Report of the Committee on the Scottish Health Services.

PMID- 28897970
TI  - A Lump in the Throat.

PMID- 28897971
TI  - Child Guidance.

PMID- 28897973
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897972
TI  - Meeting of Societies.

PMID- 28897974
TI  - The Bristol Royal Infirmary Bicentenary.

PMID- 28897975
TI  - The Twenty-Sixth Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Debt of Western Medicine to the
      East.

PMID- 28897976
TI  - The Twenty-Fifth Long Fox Memorial Lecture: Somerset Lake Villages.

PMID- 28897978
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897977
TI  - The Treatment of Tobacco Amblyopia by Acetyl-Choline.

PMID- 28897979
TI  - Abdominal Pain in Childhood.

PMID- 28897980
TI  - The History of the Bristol Medical Dramatic Club.

PMID- 28897981
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897982
TI  - House of John Wright: (John Wright & Sons Limited) Medical Printers and
      Publishers.

PMID- 28897983
TI  - Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 61 in vol. 64.].

PMID- 28897984
TI  - Clinical Note-Folic Acid.

PMID- 28897985
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897986
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897987
TI  - Surgical Treatment in Hypertension.

PMID- 28897988
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897989
TI  - Back to Work: The Presidential Address, Delivered on Wednesday, 9th October,
      1946, at the Opening of the Sixty-Eighth Session of the Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28897990
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897991
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897992
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897993
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897994
TI  - Thiouracil in Thyrotoxicosis.

PMID- 28897995
TI  - Non-Editorial Note.

PMID- 28897996
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28897997
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28897998
TI  - Editor's Report.

PMID- 28897999
TI  - Alfred, the Zoo Gorilla.

PMID- 28898000
TI  - Edward Jenner: The Presidential Address, Delivered on Wednesday, 8th October,
      1947, at the Opening of the Sixty-Ninth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical
      Society.

PMID- 28898001
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898002
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28898003
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28898004
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898005
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898006
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28898008
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898007
TI  - Corrigenda.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 7 in vol. 66.][This corrects the article on p.
      14 in vol. 66.][This corrects the article on p. 51 in vol. 66.][This corrects the
      article on p. 74 in vol. 66.].

PMID- 28898009
TI  - Editor's Report.

PMID- 28898010
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28898011
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898012
TI  - Some Recent Advances in Paediatrics.

PMID- 28898013
TI  - Gastric Ulcer with Perforation Into the Lesser Sac: Report of a Case.

PMID- 28898015
TI  - Epidemic Myalgia-Bornholm Disease.

PMID- 28898014
TI  - Poliomyelitis in Bristol, 1949.

PMID- 28898016
TI  - Congenital Atresia of the Oesophagus: Reports of Three Cases.

PMID- 28898018
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28898017
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Hypertension-II.

PMID- 28898020
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898019
TI  - The Prognosis in Hypertension.

PMID- 28898021
TI  - The Surgical Treatment of Hypertension-I.

PMID- 28898023
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898022
TI  - Some Post-Mortem Surprises: The Presidential Address to the Cornwall Clinical
      Society, June 6th, 1949.

PMID- 28898024
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28898025
TI  - Medicine in Eighteenth-Century Bristol: The Presidential Address, Delivered on
      Wednesday, 12th October, 1949, at the Opening of the Seventy-First Session of the
      Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28898026
TI  - Some Medical Problems in China To-Day.

PMID- 28898027
TI  - The XXXVIII Long Fox Memorial Lecture: The Use of Tracer Elements in Biology and
      Medicine.

PMID- 28898028
TI  - The General Use of Histamine Antagonists: With Special Reference to Therapy in
      Dermatological Disorders.

PMID- 28898029
TI  - The Value of X-Ray Therapy for Metastases in Bone from Carcinoma of the Breast.

PMID- 28898030
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898031
TI  - Impressions of American Rheumatology and Recent Advances in "Rheumocrinology".

PMID- 28898032
TI  - Editorial Note.

PMID- 28898033
TI  - The Work of a Department of Industrial Health.

PMID- 28898035
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898034
TI  - Meetings of Societies.

PMID- 28898036
TI  - Editorial Notes.

PMID- 28898037
TI  - Jenner.

PMID- 28898038
TI  - Some Reminiscences and a Forecast.

PMID- 28898040
TI  - Bronchoscopic Diagnosis of Carcinoma of the Lung.

PMID- 28898039
TI  - Spindle-Celled Sarcoma of the Hard Palate.

PMID- 28898041
TI  - Resilient Energy Storage under High-Temperature with In-Situ-Synthesized
      MnOx@Graphene as Anode.
AB  - An novel exfoliation strategy to few-layered graphene (FLG) combined with in situ
      synthesized amorphous MnOx has been established via a facile and robust ball
      milling route in the presence of KMnO4. The facile synthesis approach has the
      features of low cost, environmentally friendly nature and scalable capability. As
      an anode for lithium-ion batteries, amorphous MnOx@FLG delivered a wonderful
      electrochemical performance under extremely operational conditions, that is, an
      excellent reversible capacity of 856 mAh g-1 at a high current density of 1 A g-1
      after 75 cycles under a high temperature of 85  degrees C. Those excellent
      electrochemical performances could be ascribed to elaborately designed three
      dimensional nanostructure, the well-chosen electrolyte, significant incorporation
      of in situ Mn(IV) nanocrystal and few-layered graphene, and the contribution of
      pseudocapacitance. Remarkable electrochemical performance under a widely
      operational temperature window makes the amorphous MnOx@FLG composites promising
      anode of Li-ion batteries for heavy-duty application.

PMID- 28898042
TI  - Scalable Synthesis of Highly Crystalline MoSe2 and Its Ambipolar Behavior.
AB  - Atomically thin, two-dimensional material molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) has been
      shown to exhibit significant potential for diverse applications. The intrinsic
      band gap of MoSe2 allows it to overcome the shortcomings of the zero-band-gap
      graphene, while its higher electron mobilities when compared to molybdenum
      disulfide (MoS2) make it more appropriate for practical devices in electronics
      and optoelectronics. However, its controlled growth has been an ongoing challenge
      for investigations and practical applications of the material. Here, we present
      an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to achieve highly
      crystalline, single- and few-layered MoSe2 using a SiO2/Si substrate. Our
      findings suggested that careful optimization of the flow rate can result in the
      controlled growth of large-area MoSe2 with desired layer numbers due to the
      adjustment of gaseous MoSe2 partial pressure and nucleation density. The FETs
      fabricated on such as-synthesized MoSe2 displayed different transport behaviors
      depending on the layer numbers, which can be attributed to the formation of Se
      vacancies generated during low flow rates. Monolayer MoSe2 showed n-type
      characteristics with an Ion/Ioff ratio of ~106 and a carrier mobility of ~19 cm2
      V-1 s-1, whereas bilayer MoSe2 showed n-type-dominant ambipolar behavior with an
      Ion/Ioff ratio of ~105 and a higher mobility of ~65 cm2 V-1 s-1 for electrons as
      well as ~9 cm2 V-1 s-1 for holes. Our results provide a foundation for property
      controlled synthesis of MoSe2 and offer insight on the potential applications of
      our synthesized MoSe2 in electronics and optoelectronics.

PMID- 28898043
TI  - Orthogonally Functionalized Donor/Acceptor Homo- and Heterodimeric Dyes for Dye
      Sensitized Solar Cells: An Approach to Introduce Panchromaticity and Control the
      Charge Recombination.
AB  - Organic dyes possessing conjugated pi-framework forms closely packed monolayers
      on photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), because of the limitation to
      control the orientation and the extend of intermolecular pi-pi interaction, self
      aggregation of dyes leads to reduced cell performance. In this report, a series
      of homodimeric (D1-D1 and D2-D2) and heterodimeric (D1-D2 and D2-D4)
      donor/acceptor (D/A) dyes containing spiroBiProDOT pi-spacer were designed and
      synthesized by utilizing Pd-catalyzed direct arylation reaction and correlates
      the device performance with monomeric dyes (D1 and D2). Both the thiophenes (pi
      spacer) of spiroBiProDOT were functionalized with same or different donor groups
      which led to homodimeric and heterodimeric chromophores in a single sensitizer.
      The homodimeric spiro-dye D1-D1 showed higher power conversion efficiency (PCE),
      of 7.6% with a Voc and Jsc of 0.672 V and 16.16 mA/cm2, respectively. On the
      other hand, the monomeric D1 exhibited a PCE of 3.2% (Voc of 0.64 V and Jsc of
      7.2 mA/cm2), which is lower by 2.4 fold compared to dimeric analogue. The spiro
      unit provides flexibility between the incorporated chromophores to orient on TiO2
      due to four sp3-centers, which arrest the molecular motions after chemisorption.
      This study shows a new molecular approach to incorporate two chromophores in the
      dimeric dye possessing complementary absorption characteristics toward
      panchromatic absorption. The attenuated charge recombination at TiO2/Dye/redox
      couple interface in case of D1-D1, owing to better passivation of TiO2 surface,
      was elucidated through impedance analysis. The FT-IR spectrum of D1-D1 adsorbed
      on TiO2 film indicated both the carboxylic units were involved in chemisorption
      which makes strong coupling between dye and TiO2.

PMID- 28898044
TI  - Uric Acid as an Electrochemically Active Compound for Sodium-Ion Batteries:
      Stepwise Na+-Storage Mechanisms of pi-Conjugation and Stabilized Carbon Anion.
AB  - Developing efficient sodium-ion-storage mechanisms to increase the energy
      capacity in organic electrodes is a critical issue even after this period of
      prolonged effort. Uric acid (UA), a simple organic compound with three carbonyl
      groups is demonstrated to be electrochemically active in the insertion/extraction
      of Na ions. Theoretical calculations and experimental characterizations reveal
      that the sodium-ion storage by UA is a result of the stepwise mechanisms of p-pi
      conjugation and the carbon anion. Aside from C?O, the functional group C?C(NH-)2
      also provides an efficient Na-storage activated site in which the lone-pair
      electrons is stabilized through the planar-to-tetrahedral structural transition
      and low-energy orbital hybridization of N atoms. For further improvement of the
      electrochemical performance, a uric acid and carbon nanotube (UA@CNT) composite
      is prepared via a vacuum solution impregnation method. When employed as an anode
      material for sodium-ion batteries, the UA@CNT composite exhibits high specific
      capacity, excellent rate capability, and long cycling life even at high current
      densities. A reversible capacity of over 163 mA h g-1 is maintained even after
      150 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g-1. The present study paves a way to
      develop reversible high-capacity organic electrode materials for sodium-ion
      batteries by a carbon-anion stabilization mechanism.

PMID- 28898045
TI  - Impact of Heterointerfaces in Solar Cells Using ZnSnP2 Bulk Crystals.
AB  - We report on the optimization of interface structure in ZnSnP2 solar cells. The
      effects of back electrode materials and related interface on photovoltaic
      performance were investigated. It was clarified that a conventional structure
      Mo/ZnSnP2 showed a Schottky-behavior, while an ohmic-behavior was observed in the
      Cu/ZnSnP2 structure annealed at 300  degrees C. STEM-EDX analysis suggested that
      Cu-Sn-P ternary compound was formed at the interface. This compound is considered
      to play an important role to obtain the ohmic contact between ZnSnP2 and Cu. In
      addition, it was clarified that the aqua regia etching of ZnSnP2 bulk crystals
      before chemical bath deposition process for the preparation of buffer layer was
      effective to remove the layer including lattice defects introduced by mechanical
      polishing, which was supported by TEM observations and photoluminescence
      measurements. This means that the carrier transport across the interface was
      improved because of the reduced defect at the interface. Consequently, the
      conversion efficiency of approximately 2% was achieved with the structure of
      Al/ZnO;Al/ZnO/CdS/ZnSnP2/Cu, where the values of short circuit current density,
      JSC, open circuit voltage, VOC, and fill factor, FF, were 8.2 mA cm-2, 0.452 V,
      and 0.533, respectively. However, the value of VOC was largely low considering
      the bandgap value of ZnSnP2. To improve the conversion efficiency, the
      optimization of buffer layer material is considered to be essential in the
      viewpoint of band alignment.

PMID- 28898046
TI  - Linking Catalyst-Coated Isotropic Colloids into "Active" Flexible Chains Enhances
      Their Diffusivity.
AB  - Active colloids are not constrained by equilibrium: ballistic propulsion,
      superdiffusive behavior, or enhanced diffusivities have been reported for active
      Janus particles. At high concentrations, interactions between active colloids
      give rise to complex emergent behavior. Their collective dynamics result in the
      formation of several hundred particle-strong flocks or swarms. Here, we
      demonstrate significant diffusivity enhancement for colloidal objects that
      neither have a Janus architecture nor are at high concentrations. We employ
      uniformly catalyst-coated, viz. chemo-mechanically, isotropic colloids and link
      them into a chain to enforce proximity. Activity arises from hydrodynamic
      interactions between enchained colloidal beads due to reaction-induced phoretic
      flows catalyzed by platinum nanoparticles on the colloid surface. This results in
      diffusivity enhancements of up to 60% for individual chains in dilute solution.
      Chains with increasing flexibility exhibit higher diffusivities. Simulations
      accounting for hydrodynamic interactions between enchained colloids due to active
      phoretic flows accurately capture the experimental diffusivity. These simulations
      reveal that the enhancement in diffusivity can be attributed to the interplay
      between chain conformational fluctuations and activity. Our results show that
      activity can be used to systematically modulate the mobility of soft slender
      bodies.

PMID- 28898047
TI  - Transglutaminase-Catalyzed Bioconjugation Using One-Pot Metal-Free Bioorthogonal
      Chemistry.
AB  - General approaches for controlled protein modification are increasingly sought
      after in the arena of chemical biology. Here, using bioorthogonal reactions, we
      present combinatorial chemoenzymatic strategies to effectuate protein labeling. A
      total of three metal-free conjugations were simultaneously or sequentially
      incorporated in a one-pot format with microbial transglutaminase (MTG) to
      effectuate protein labeling. MTG offers the particularity of conjugating residues
      within a protein sequence rather than at its extremities, providing a route to
      labeling the native protein. The reactions are rapid and circumvent the
      incompatibility posed by metal catalysts. We identify the tetrazine ligation as
      most-reactive for this purpose, as demonstrated by the fluorescent labeling of
      two proteins. The Staudinger ligation and strain-promoted azide-alkyne
      cycloaddition are alternatives. Owing to the breadth of labels that MTG can use
      as a substrate, our results demonstrate the versatility of this system, with the
      researcher being able to combine specific protein substrates with a variety of
      labels.

PMID- 28898048
TI  - Dielectric Meta-Holograms Enabled with Dual Magnetic Resonances in Visible Light.
AB  - Efficient transmission-type meta-holograms have been demonstrated using high
      index dielectric nanostructures based on Huygens' principle. It is crucial that
      the geometry size of building blocks be judiciously optimized individually for
      spectral overlap of electric and magnetic dipoles. In contrast, reflection-type
      meta-holograms using the metal/insulator/metal scheme and geometric phase can be
      readily achieved with high efficiency and small thickness. Here, we demonstrate a
      general platform for design of dual magnetic resonance based meta-holograms based
      on the geometric phase using silicon nanostructures that are quarter wavelength
      thick for visible light. Significantly, the projected holographic image can be
      unambiguously observed without a receiving screen even under the illumination of
      natural light. Within the well-developed semiconductor industry, our ultrathin
      magnetic resonance-based meta-holograms may have promising applications in
      anticounterfeiting and information security.

PMID- 28898049
TI  - Analysis of Plasmodium vivax Chloroquine Resistance Transporter Mutant Isoforms.
AB  - Chloroquine (CQ) resistance (CQR) in Plasmodium falciparum malaria is widespread
      and has limited the use of CQ in many regions of the globe. Malaria caused by the
      related human parasite P. vivax is as widespread as is P. falciparum malaria and
      has been treated with CQ as extensively as has P. falciparum, suggesting that P.
      vivax parasites have been selected with CQ as profoundly as have P. falciparum
      parasites. Indeed, a growing number of clinical reports have presented data
      suggesting increased P. vivax CQR. Cytostatic (growth inhibitory) CQR for P.
      falciparum is caused by Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter
      (PfCRT) mutations, and it has been proposed that mutations in the PvCRT
      orthologue may simliarly cause P. vivax CQR via increasing CQ transport from the
      P. vivax digestive vacuole. Here we report the first quantitative analysis of
      drug transport mediated by all known mutant isoforms of Plasmodium vivax
      chloroquine resistance transporter (PvCRT) in order to test the protein's
      potential link to growing P. vivax CQR phenomena. Small, but statistically
      significant, differences in the transport of CQ and other quinoline antimalarial
      drugs were found for multiple PvCRT isoforms, relative to wild type PvCRT,
      suggesting that mutations in PvCRT can contribute to P. vivax CQR and other
      examples of quinoline antimalarial drug resistance.

PMID- 28898050
TI  - Direct Analysis of Aerosolized Chemical Warfare Simulants Captured on a Modified
      Glass-Based Substrate by "Paper-Spray" Ionization.
AB  - Paper spray ionization mass spectrometry offers a rapid alternative platform
      requiring no sample preparation. Aerosolized chemical warfare agent (CWA)
      simulants trimethyl phosphate, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and diisopropyl
      methylphosphonate were captured by passing air through a glass fiber filter disk
      within a disposable paper spray cartridge. CWA simulants were aerosolized at
      varying concentrations using an in-house built aerosol chamber. A custom 3D
      printed holder was designed and built to facilitate the aerosol capture onto the
      paper spray cartridges. The air flow through each of the collection devices was
      maintained equally to ensure the same volume of air sampled across methods. Each
      approach yielded linear calibration curves with R2 values between 0.98-0.99 for
      each compound and similar limits of detection in terms of disbursed aerosol
      concentration. While the glass fiber filter disk has a higher capture efficiency
      (~40%), the paper spray method produces analogous results even with a lower
      capture efficiency (~1%). Improvements were made to include glass fiber filters
      as the substrate within the paper spray cartridge consumable. Glass fiber filters
      were then treated with ammonium sulfate to decrease chemical interaction with the
      simulants. This allowed for improved direct aerosol capture efficiency (>40%).
      Ultimately, the limits of detection were reduced to levels comparable to current
      worker population limits of 1 * 10-6 mg/m3.

PMID- 28898051
TI  - Effect of Alzheimer Familial Chromosomal Mutations on the Amyloid Fibril
      Interaction with Different PET Tracers: Insight from Molecular Modeling Studies.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. Along
      with an increasing number of elderly worldwide, it poses a great challenge for
      the society and health care. Although sporadic AD is the common form of AD, 2-3%
      of the AD cases are expected to be due to mutations in the beta region of the
      amyloid precursor protein, which is referred to as autosomal dominant AD (ADAD).
      These mutations may cause changes in the secondary structure of the amyloid beta
      fibrils and may alter the fibrillization rate leading to changes in the disease
      development and could also affect the binding to tracers used in diagnosis. In
      particular, from some recent clinical studies using PET tracers for detection of
      fibrillar amyloids, it is evident that in ADAD patients with Arctic mutation no
      amyloid plaque binding can be detected with the 11C-Pittsburgh Compound B (11C
      PIB). However, for in vitro conditions, significant binding of 3H-PIB has been
      reported for the amyloid fibrils carrying the Arctic mutation. The aim of the
      present study is to investigate if there is any mutation specific binding of
      commonly used amyloid tracers, namely, florbetaben, florbetapir, FPIB, AZD4694,
      and AZD2184, by means of molecular modeling techniques. Other than Arctic, ADAD
      mutations, such as the Dutch, Italian, Iowa, and Flemish mutations, are
      considered in this study. We report that all tracers except florbetapir show
      reduced binding affinity toward amyloid beta fibrils with the Arctic mutation
      when compared to the native type. Moreover, florbetapir is the only tracer that
      binds to all mutants with increased affinity when compared to the native fibril.
      The results obtained from these studies could increase the understanding of the
      structural changes caused by mutation and concomitant changes in the interaction
      pattern of the PET tracers with the mutated variants, which in turn can be useful
      in selecting the appropriate tracers for the purpose of diagnosis as well as for
      designing new tracers with desirable properties.

PMID- 28898052
TI  - Heterogeneous Bimetallic Phosphide/Sulfide Nanocomposite for Efficient Solar
      Energy-Driven Overall Water Splitting.
AB  - Solar-driven overall water splitting is highly desirable for hydrogen generation
      with sustainable energy sources, which need efficient, earth-abundant, robust,
      and bifunctional electrocatalysts for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and
      hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we propose a heterogeneous bimetallic
      phosphide/sulfide nanocomposite electrocatalyst of NiFeSP on nickel foam
      (NiFeSP/NF), which shows superior electrocatalytic activity of low overpotentials
      of 91 mV at -10 mA cm-2 for HER and of 240 mV at 50 mA cm-2 for OER in 1 M KOH
      solution. In addition, the NiFeSP/NF presents excellent overall water splitting
      performance with a cell voltage as low as 1.58 V at a current density of 10 mA cm
      2. Combining with a photovoltaic device of a Si solar cell or integrating into
      photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems, the bifunctional NiFeSP/NF electrocatalyst
      implements unassisted solar-driven water splitting with a solar-to-hydrogen
      conversion efficiency of ~9.2% and significantly enhanced PEC performance,
      respectively.

PMID- 28898053
TI  - Graphene Oxide: An All-in-One Processing Additive for 3D Printing.
AB  - Many 3D printing technologies are based on the development of inks and pastes to
      build objects through droplet or filament deposition (the latter also known as
      continuous extrusion, robocasting, or direct ink writing). Controlling and tuning
      rheological behavior is key for successful manufacturing using these techniques.
      Different formulations have been proposed, but the search continues for
      approaches that are clean, flexible, robust and that can be adapted to a wide
      range of materials. Here, we show how graphene oxide (GO) enables the formulation
      of water-based pastes to print a wide variety of materials (polymers, ceramics,
      and steel) using robocasting. This work combines flow and oscillatory rheology to
      provide further insights into the rheological behavior of suspensions combining
      GO with other materials. Graphene oxide can be used to manipulate the
      viscoelastic response, enabling the formulation of pastes with excellent printing
      behavior that combine shear thinning flow and a fast recovery of their elastic
      properties. These inks do not contain other additives, only GO and the material
      of interest. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the 3D printing of additive
      free graphene oxide structures as well as polymers, ceramics, and steel. Due to
      its amphiphilic nature and 2D structure, graphene oxide plays multiple roles,
      behaving as a dispersant, viscosifier, and binder. It stabilizes suspensions of
      different powders, modifies the flow and viscoelasticity of materials with
      different chemistries, particle sizes and shapes, and binds the particles
      together, providing green strength for manual handling. This approach enables
      printing complex 3D ceramic structures using robocasting with similar properties
      to alternative formulations, thus demonstrating the potential of using 2D
      colloids in materials manufacturing.

PMID- 28898054
TI  - Synthesis, Radiolabeling, and Characterization of Plasma Protein-Binding Ligands:
      Potential Tools for Modulation of the Pharmacokinetic Properties of
      (Radio)Pharmaceuticals.
AB  - The development of (radio)pharmaceuticals with favorable pharmacokinetic profiles
      is crucial for allowing the optimization of the imaging or therapeutic potential
      and the minimization of undesired side effects. The aim of this study was,
      therefore, to evaluate and compare three different plasma protein binders (PPB
      01, PPB-02, and PPB-03) that are potentially useful in combination with
      (radio)pharmaceuticals to enhance their half-life in the blood. The entities were
      functionalized with a 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid
      (DOTA) chelator via a l-lysine and beta-alanine linker moiety using solid-phase
      peptide chemistry and labeled with 177Lu (T1/2 = 6.65 days), a clinically
      established radiometal. The binding capacities of these radioligands and 177Lu
      DOTA were evaluated using human plasma and solutions of human serum albumin
      (HSA), human alpha1-acid glycoprotein (alpha1-AGP), and human transthyretin
      (hTTR) by applying an ultrafiltration assay. 177Lu-DOTA-PPB-01 and 177Lu-DOTA-PPB
      02 bound to a high and moderate extent to human plasma proteins (>90% and ~70%,
      respectively), whereas the binding to hTTR was considered negligible (<10%).
      177Lu-DOTA-PPB-03 showed almost complete binding to human plasma proteins (>90%)
      with a high fraction bound to hTTR (~50%). Plasma protein binding of the 177Lu
      DOTA complex, which was used as a control, was not observed (<1%). 177Lu-DOTA-PPB
      01 and 177Lu-DOTA-PPB-02 were both displaced (>80%) from HSA by ibuprofen,
      specific for Sudlow's binding site II and coherent with the aromatic structures,
      and >80% by their respective binding entities. 177Lu-DOTA-PPB-03 was displaced
      from hTTR by the site-marker l-thyroxine (>60%) and by its binding entity PPB-03*
      (>80%). All three radioligands were investigated with regard to the in vivo blood
      clearance in normal mice. 177Lu-DOTA-PPB-01 showed the slowest blood clearance
      (T1/2,beta: >15 h) followed by 177Lu-DOTA-PPB-03 (T1/2,beta: ~2.33 h) and 177Lu
      DOTA-PPB-02 (T1/2,beta: ~1.14 h), which was excreted relatively fast. Our results
      confirmed the high affinity of the 4-(4-iodophenyl)-butyric acid entity (PPB-01)
      to plasma proteins, while replacement of the halogen by an ethynyl entity (PPB
      02) reduced the plasma protein binding significantly. An attractive approach is
      the application of the transthyretin binder (PPB-03), which shows high affinity
      to hTTR. Future studies in our laboratory will be focused on the application of
      these binding entities in combination with clinically relevant targeting agents
      for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in nuclear medicine.

PMID- 28898056
TI  - Pressure-Stabilized Semiconducting Electrides in Alkaline-Earth-Metal
      Subnitrides.
AB  - High pressure is able to modify profoundly the chemical bonding and generate new
      phase structures of materials with chemical and physical properties not
      accessible at ambient conditions. We here report an unprecedented phenomenon on
      the pressure-induced formation of semiconducting electrides via compression of
      layered alkaline-earth subnitrides Ca2N, Sr2N, and Ba2N that are conducting
      electrides with loosely confined electrons in the interlayer voids at ambient
      pressure. Our extensive first-principles swarm structure searches identified the
      high-pressure semiconducting electride phases of a tetragonal I42d structure for
      Ca2N and a monoclinic Cc structure shared by Sr2N and Ba2N, both of which contain
      atomic-size cavities with paring electrons distributed within. These electride
      structures are validated by the excellent agreement between the simulated X-ray
      diffraction patterns and the experimental data available. We attribute the
      emergence of the semiconducting electride phases to the p-d hybridization on
      alkaline-earth-metal atoms under compression as well as the filling of the p-d
      hybridized band due to the interaction between Ca and N. Our work provides a
      unique example of pressure-induced metal-to-semiconductor transition in compound
      materials and reveals unambiguously the electron-confinement topology change
      between different types of electrides.

PMID- 28898055
TI  - A Carbon Nanotube Optical Reporter Maps Endolysosomal Lipid Flux.
AB  - Lipid accumulation within the lumen of endolysosomal vesicles is observed in
      various pathologies including atherosclerosis, liver disease, neurological
      disorders, lysosomal storage disorders, and cancer. Current methods cannot
      measure lipid flux specifically within the lysosomal lumen of live cells. We
      developed an optical reporter, composed of a photoluminescent carbon nanotube of
      a single chirality, that responds to lipid accumulation via modulation of the
      nanotube's optical band gap. The engineered nanomaterial, composed of short,
      single-stranded DNA and a single nanotube chirality, localizes exclusively to the
      lumen of endolysosomal organelles without adversely affecting cell viability or
      proliferation or organelle morphology, integrity, or function. The emission
      wavelength of the reporter can be spatially resolved from within the
      endolysosomal lumen to generate quantitative maps of lipid content in live cells.
      Endolysosomal lipid accumulation in cell lines, an example of drug-induced
      phospholipidosis, was observed for multiple drugs in macrophages, and
      measurements of patient-derived Niemann-Pick type C fibroblasts identified lipid
      accumulation and phenotypic reversal of this lysosomal storage disease. Single
      cell measurements using the reporter discerned subcellular differences in
      equilibrium lipid content, illuminating significant intracellular heterogeneity
      among endolysosomal organelles of differentiating bone-marrow-derived monocytes.
      Single-cell kinetics of lipoprotein-derived cholesterol accumulation within
      macrophages revealed rates that differed among cells by an order of magnitude.
      This carbon nanotube optical reporter of endolysosomal lipid content in live
      cells confers additional capabilities for drug development processes and the
      investigation of lipid-linked diseases.

PMID- 28898057
TI  - The Too Many Faces of PD-L1: A Comprehensive Conformational Analysis Study.
AB  - In the current study, we focused on the immune-checkpoints PD-1 pathway and in
      particular on the ligand PD-L1. We studied the conformational dynamics of PD-L1
      through principal component analysis of existing crystal structures combined with
      classical and accelerated molecular dynamics simulations. We identified the
      maximum structural displacements that take place in all PD-L1 crystal structures
      and in the molecular dynamics trajectories. We found that these displacements are
      attributed to specific flexible regions in the protein. We also investigated the
      conformational preference for small molecule binding and highlighted a methionine
      residue at the binding site, which plays a key role in drug binding. The binding
      mechanism of PD-L1 to other binding partners is also discussed in detail from a
      computational perspective. We hope that the data presented here support the
      ongoing efforts to discover effective therapies targeting the PD-1 immune
      checkpoint pathway.

PMID- 28898058
TI  - Mechanoregulation of SM22alpha/Transgelin.
AB  - SM22alpha, also named transgelin, is an actin filament-associated protein in
      smooth muscle and fibroblasts. Three decades after its discovery, the biological
      function of SM22alpha remains under investigation. Here we report a novel finding
      that the expression and degradation of SM22alpha/transgelin are regulated by
      mechanical tension. Following a mass spectrometry identification of SM22alpha
      degradation in isolated and tension-unloaded mouse aorta, we developed specific
      monoclonal antibodies to study the regulation of SM22alpha in human fetal lung
      myofibroblast line MRC-5 and primary cultures of neonatal mouse skin fibroblasts.
      The level of SM22alpha is positively related to the mechanical tension in the
      cytoskeleton produced by the myosin II motor in response to the stiffness of the
      culture matrix. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
      demonstrated that the expression of SM22alpha is regulated at the transcriptional
      level. This mechanical regulation resembles that of calponin 2, another actin
      filament-associated protein. Immunofluorescent staining co-localized SM22alpha
      with F-actin, myosin, and calponin 2 in mouse skin fibroblasts. The close
      phylogenetic relationship between SM22alpha and the calponin family supports that
      SM22alpha is a calponin-like regulatory protein. The level of SM22alpha is
      decreased in skin fibroblasts isolated from calponin 2 knockout mice, suggesting
      interrelated regulation and function of the two proteins. On the other hand,
      SM22alpha expression was maximized at a matrix stiffness higher than that for
      calponin 2 in the same cell type, indicating differentiated regulation and
      tension responsiveness. The novel mechanoregulation of SM22alpha/transgelin lays
      the groundwork for understanding its cellular functions.

PMID- 28898059
TI  - Helix Propensities of Amino Acid Residues via Thioester Exchange.
AB  - We describe the use of thioester exchange equilibria to measure the propensities
      of amino acid residues to participate in helical secondary structure at room
      temperature in the absence of denaturants. Thermally or chemically induced
      unfolding has previously been employed to measure alpha-helix propensities among
      proteinogenic alpha-amino acid residues, and quantitative comparison with
      precedents indicates that the thioester exchange system is reliable for residues
      that lack side chain charge. This system allows the measurement of alpha-helix
      propensities for d-alpha-amino acid residues and propensities of residues with
      nonproteinogenic backbones, such as those derived from a beta-amino acid, to
      participate in an alpha-helix-like secondary structure.

PMID- 28898060
TI  - A Stable Neutral Compound with an Aluminum-Aluminum Double Bond.
AB  - Homodinuclear multiple-bonded neutral Al compounds, aluminum analogues of
      alkenes, have been a notoriously difficult synthetic target over the past several
      decades. Herein, we report the isolation of a stable neutral compound featuring
      an Al?Al double bond stabilized by N-heterocyclic carbenes. X-ray
      crystallographic and spectroscopic analyses demonstrate that the dialuminum
      entity possesses trans-planar geometry and an Al-Al bond length of 2.3943(16) A,
      which is the shortest distance reported for a molecular dialuminum species. This
      new species reacts with ethylene and phenyl acetylene to give the [2+2]
      cycloaddition products. The structure and bonding were also investigated by
      detailed density functional theory calculations. These results clearly
      demonstrate the presence of an Al?Al double bond in this molecule.

PMID- 28898062
TI  - Atomically Resolved Short-Range Order at the Nanoscale in the Ca-Mn-O System.
AB  - The elucidation of the reaction mechanisms involving redox processes in
      functional transition-metal oxides, which usually start in areas of very few
      nanometers in size, is yet a challenge to be satisfactorily achieved. Atomically
      resolved HAADF and EELS have provided both chemical and structural information at
      the nanoscale, which reveal the preservation of short-range cationic order in
      areas of 2-3 nm length as the driving force behind the reversibility of the
      Ca2Mn3O8-Ca2Mn3O5 redox process. Oxygen evolution is accommodated by cationic
      diffusion along the Ca and Mn layers of the cation-deficient Ca2Mn3O8 delafossite
      related structure, whereas Mn remains octahedrally coordinated.

PMID- 28898061
TI  - Postsynthetic Modification of Bacterial Peptidoglycan Using Bioorthogonal N
      Acetylcysteamine Analogs and Peptidoglycan O-Acetyltransferase B.
AB  - Bacteria have the natural ability to install protective postsynthetic
      modifications onto its bacterial peptidoglycan (PG), the coat woven into
      bacterial cell wall. Peptidoglycan O-acetyltransferase B (PatB) catalyzes the O
      acetylation of PG in Gram (-) bacteria, which aids in bacterial survival, as it
      prevents autolysins such as lysozyme from cleaving the PG. We explored the
      mechanistic details of PatB's acetylation function and determined that PatB has
      substrate specificity for bioorthgonal short N-acetyl cysteamine (SNAc) donors. A
      variety of functionality including azides and alkynes were installed on tri-N
      acetylglucosamine (NAG)3, a PG mimic, as well as PG isolated from various Gram
      (+) and Gram (-) bacterial species. The bioorthogonal modifications protect the
      isolated PG against lysozyme degradation in vitro. We further demonstrate that
      this postsynthetic modification of PG can be extended to use click chemistry to
      fluorescently label the mature PG in whole bacterial cells of Bacillus subtilis.
      Modifying PG postsynthetically can aid in the development of antibiotics and
      immune modulators by expanding the understanding of how PG is processed by lytic
      enzymes.

PMID- 28898063
TI  - Catalytic C(sp3)-H Alkylation via an Iron Carbene Intermediate.
AB  - The catalytic transformation of a C(sp3)-H bond to a C(sp3)-C bond via an iron
      carbene intermediate represents a long-standing challenge. Despite the success of
      enzymatic and small molecule iron catalysts mediating challenging C(sp3)-H
      oxidations and aminations via high-valent iron oxos and nitrenes, C(sp3)-H
      alkylations via isoelectronic iron carbene intermediates have thus far been
      unsuccessful. Iron carbenes have been inert, or shown to favor olefin
      cyclopropanation and heteroatom-hydrogen insertion. Herein we report an iron
      phthalocyanine-catalyzed alkylation of allylic and benzylic C(sp3)-H bonds.
      Mechanistic investigations support that an electrophilic iron carbene mediates
      homolytic C-H cleavage and rebounds from the resulting organoiron intermediate to
      form the C-C bond; both steps are tunable via catalyst modifications. These
      studies suggest that for iron carbenes, distinct from other late metal carbenes,
      C-H cleavage is partially rate-determining and must be promoted to effect
      reactivity.

PMID- 28898064
TI  - Correction to Kinetic Models of Cyclosporin A in Polar and Apolar Environments
      Reveal Multiple Congruent Conformational States.

PMID- 28898065
TI  - Synergistic Coupling between Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12 and Poly(vinylidene
      fluoride) Induces High Ionic Conductivity, Mechanical Strength, and Thermal
      Stability of Solid Composite Electrolytes.
AB  - Easy processing and flexibility of polymer electrolytes make them very promising
      in developing all-solid-state lithium batteries. However, their low room
      temperature conductivity and poor mechanical and thermal properties still hinder
      their applications. Here, we use Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12 (LLZTO) ceramics to
      trigger structural modification of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymer
      electrolyte. By combining experiments and first-principle calculations, we find
      that La atom of LLZTO could complex with the N atom and C?O group of solvent
      molecules such as N,N-dimethylformamide along with electrons enriching at the N
      atom, which behaves like a Lewis base and induces the chemical
      dehydrofluorination of the PVDF skeleton. Partially modified PVDF chains activate
      the interactions between the PVDF matrix, lithium salt, and LLZTO fillers, hence
      leading to significantly improved performance of the flexible electrolyte
      membrane (e.g., a high ionic conductivity of about 5 * 10-4 S cm-1 at 25  degrees
      C, high mechanical strength, and good thermal stability). For further
      illustration, a solid-state lithium battery of LiCoO2|PVDF-based membrane|Li is
      fabricated and delivers satisfactory rate capability and cycling stability at
      room temperature. Our study indicates that the LLZTO modifying PVDF membrane is a
      promising electrolyte used for all-solid-state lithium batteries.

PMID- 28898066
TI  - A Bimetallic Nickel-Gallium Complex Catalyzes CO2 Hydrogenation via the
      Intermediacy of an Anionic d10 Nickel Hydride.
AB  - Large-scale CO2 hydrogenation could offer a renewable stream of industrially
      important C1 chemicals while reducing CO2 emissions. Critical to this opportunity
      is the requirement for inexpensive catalysts based on earth-abundant metals
      instead of precious metals. We report a nickel-gallium complex featuring a Ni(0)
      >Ga(III) bond that shows remarkable catalytic activity for hydrogenating CO2 to
      formate at ambient temperature (3150 turnovers, turnover frequency = 9700 h-1),
      compared with prior homogeneous Ni-centered catalysts. The Lewis acidic Ga(III)
      ion plays a pivotal role in stabilizing catalytic intermediates, including a rare
      anionic d10 Ni hydride. Structural and in situ characterization of this reactive
      intermediate support a terminal Ni-H moiety, for which the thermodynamic hydride
      donor strength rivals those of precious metal hydrides. Collectively, our
      experimental and computational results demonstrate that modulating a transition
      metal center via a direct interaction with a Lewis acidic support can be a
      powerful strategy for promoting new reactivity paradigms in base-metal catalysis.

PMID- 28898067
TI  - Ligand-Targeted Drug Delivery.
AB  - Safety and efficacy constitute the major criteria governing regulatory approval
      of any new drug. The best method to maximize safety and efficacy is to deliver a
      proven therapeutic agent with a targeting ligand that exhibits little affinity
      for healthy cells but high affinity for pathologic cells. The probability of
      regulatory approval can conceivably be further enhanced by exploiting the same
      targeting ligand, conjugated to an imaging agent, to select patients whose
      diseased tissues display sufficient targeted receptors for therapeutic efficacy.
      The focus of this Review is to summarize criteria that must be met during design
      of ligand-targeted drugs (LTDs) to achieve the required therapeutic potency with
      minimal toxicity. Because most LTDs are composed of a targeting ligand (e.g.,
      organic molecule, aptamer, protein scaffold, or antibody), spacer, cleavable
      linker, and therapeutic warhead, criteria for successful design of each component
      will be described. Moreover, because obstacles to successful drug design can
      differ among human pathologies, limitations to drug delivery imposed by the
      unique characteristics of different diseases will be considered. With the
      explosion of genomic and transcriptomic data providing an ever-expanding
      selection of disease-specific targets, and with tools for high-throughput
      chemistry offering an escalating diversity of warheads, opportunities for
      innovating safe and effective LTDs has never been greater.

PMID- 28898068
TI  - Protein-Mediated Colloidal Assembly.
AB  - Programmable colloidal assembly enables the creation of mesoscale materials in a
      bottom-up manner. Although DNA oligonucleotides have been used extensively as the
      programmable units in this paradigm, proteins, which exhibit more diverse modes
      of association and function, have not been widely used to direct colloidal
      assembly. Here we use protein-protein interactions to drive controlled
      aggregation of polystyrene microparticles, either through reversible coiled-coil
      interactions or through intermolecular isopeptide linkages. The sizes of the
      resulting aggregates are tunable and can be controlled by the concentration of
      immobilized surface proteins. Moreover, particles coated with different protein
      pairs undergo orthogonal assembly. We demonstrate that aggregates formed by
      association of coiled-coil proteins, in contrast to those linked by isopeptide
      bonds, are dispersed by treatment with chemical denaturants or soluble competing
      proteins. Finally, we show that protein-protein interactions can be used to
      assemble complex core-shell aggregates. This work illustrates a versatile
      strategy for engineering colloidal systems for use in materials science and
      biotechnology.

PMID- 28898069
TI  - Correction to Covalent Co-O-V and Sb-N Bonds Enable Polyoxovanadate Charge
      Control.

PMID- 28898070
TI  - Multivariate Metal-Organic Frameworks for Dialing-in the Binding and Programming
      the Release of Drug Molecules.
AB  - We report the control of guest release profiles by dialing-in desirable
      interactions between guest molecules and pores in metal-organic frameworks
      (MOFs). The interactions can be derived by the rate constants that were
      quantitatively correlated with the type of functional group and its proportion in
      the porous structure; thus the release of guest molecules can be predicted and
      programmed. Specifically, three probe molecules (ibuprofen, rhodamine B, and
      doxorubicin) were studied in a series of robust and mesoporous MOFs with multiple
      functional groups [MIL-101(Fe)-(NH2)x, MIL-101(Fe)-(C4H4)x, and MIL-101(Fe)
      (C4H4)x(NH2)1-x]. The release rate can be adjusted by 32-fold [rhodamine from MIL
      101(Fe)-(NH2)x], and the time of release peak can be shifted by up to 12 days
      over a 40-day release period [doxorubicin from MIL-101(Fe)-(C4H4)x(NH2)1-x],
      which was not obtained in the physical mixture of the single component MOF
      counterparts nor in other porous materials. The corelease of two pro-drug
      molecules (ibuprofen and doxorubicin) was also achieved.

PMID- 28898071
TI  - Enhanced Catalytic Activity of Iridium(III) Complexes by Facile Modification of
      C,N-Bidentate Chelating Pyridylideneamide Ligands.
AB  - A set of aryl-substituted pyridylideneamide (PYA) ligands with variable donor
      properties owing to a pronounced zwitterionic and a neutral diene-type resonance
      structure were used as electronically flexible ligands at a
      pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) iridium center. The straightforward synthesis
      of this type of ligand allows for an easy incorporation of donor substituents
      such as methoxy groups in different positions of the phenyl ring of the C,N
      bidentate chelating PYA. These modifications considerably enhance the catalytic
      activity of the coordinated iridium center toward the catalytic aerobic transfer
      hydrogenation of carbonyls and imines as well as the hydrosilylation of
      phenylacetylene. Moreover, these PYA iridium complexes catalyze the base-free
      transfer hydrogenation of aldehydes, and to a lesser extent also of ketones.
      Under standard transfer hydrogenation conditions including base, aldehydes are
      rapidly oxidized to carboxylic acids rather than reduced to the corresponding
      alcohol, as is observed under base-free conditions.

PMID- 28898072
TI  - Does Urban Form Affect Urban NO2? Satellite-Based Evidence for More than 1200
      Cities.
AB  - Modifying urban form may be a strategy to mitigate urban air pollution. For
      example, evidence suggests that urban form can affect motor vehicle usage, a
      major contributor to urban air pollution. We use satellite-based measurements of
      urban form and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) to explore relationships between urban form
      and air pollution for a global data  set of 1274 cities. Three of the urban form
      metrics studied (contiguity, circularity, and vegetation) have a statistically
      significant relationship with urban NO2; their combined effect could be
      substantial. As illustration, if findings presented here are causal, that would
      suggest that if Christchurch, New Zealand (a city at the 75th percentile for all
      three urban-form metrics, and with a network of buses, trams, and bicycle
      facilities) was transformed to match the urban form of Indio - Cathedral City,
      California, United States (a city at the 25th percentile for those same metrics,
      and exhibiting sprawl-like suburban development), our models suggest that
      Christchurch's NO2 concentrations would be ~60% higher than its current level. We
      also find that the combined effect of urban form on NO2 is larger for small
      cities (beta * IQR = -0.46 for cities < ~300 000 people, versus -0.22 for all
      cities), an important finding given that cities less than 500 000 people contain
      a majority of the urban population and are where much of the future urban growth
      is expected to occur. This work highlights the need for future study of how
      changes in urban form and related land use and transportation policies impact
      urban air pollution, especially for small cities.

PMID- 28898074
TI  - Bistable Dithienylethene-Based Metal-Organic Framework Illustrating Optically
      Induced Changes in Chemical Separations.
AB  - Dithienylethene-containing molecules have been examined due to their
      photoswitching capabilities. We have prepared a bistable, optically triggered,
      metal-organic framework (MOF) containing a dithienylethene moiety that was
      synthesized and characterized. The advantage of this material is that, unlike
      other dithienylethene-containing MOFs, the properties of the pore can be changed
      via an optical trigger without the potential risk of structural damage to the
      framework. We illustrate the application of this MOF to chemical separations.
      With this class of materials, optically triggered conductivity, chemical storage
      and release, and sensing are possible.

PMID- 28898073
TI  - Immobilizing Arsenic and Copper Ions in Manure Using a Nanocomposite.
AB  - Livestock manure (Man) commonly contains a certain quantity of heavy metal ions,
      such as arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) ions, resulting in a high risk on soil
      contamination. To solve this problem, heavy metal of manure was immobilized into
      sodium carbonate/biosilica/attapulgite composite (Na2CO3/BioSi/Attp), which was
      developed using a nanocomposite consisting of anhydrous sodium carbonate
      (Na2CO3), straw ash-based biochar and biosilica (BioSi), and attapulgite (Attp).
      When Na2CO3/BioSi/Attp was mixed with Man/AsCu, the obtained nanocomposite
      (Na2CO3/BioSi/Attp/Man/AsCu) with a porous nano-network structure could
      effectively control the release of As and Cu ions from manure through adsorption
      and chemical reaction. Meanwhile, a pot experiment indicated that
      Na2CO3/BioSi/Attp/Man/AsCu could increase the pH value of acid soil, promote the
      growth of rice, and significantly decrease the uptake of As and Cu ions by rice.
      Therefore, this work provides a promising approach to immobilize heavy metal ions
      in manure and, thus, lower the contamination risk to the environment. Na2CO3,
      BioSi, and Attp powders were mixed evenly with a weight ratio of
      WNa2CO3/WBioSi/WAttp = 3:1:2.

PMID- 28898076
TI  - Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Alkaloids from the Whole Plants of Zephyranthes
      carinata.
AB  - Eleven new alkaloids (1-11), classified as the 12-acetylplicamine (1), N-deformyl
      seco-plicamine (2), plicamine (3-6), 4a-epi-plicamine (7), seco-plicamine (8),
      and lycorine (9-11) framework types, along with 15 known alkaloids (12-26) were
      isolated from the whole plants of Zephyranthes carinata. The structures of the
      new alkaloids 1-11 were established by extensive spectroscopic data
      interpretation. The absolute configurations of 9 and 10 were defined by single
      crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Zephycarinatines A (1), B (2), and G (7)
      represent the first examples of 12-acetylplicamine, N-deformyl-seco-plicamine,
      and 4a-epi-plicamine alkaloids, respectively. Alkaloids 6, 11, 17, and 20-23
      exhibited AChE inhibitory activities with IC50 values ranging from 1.21 to 184.05
      MUM, and a preliminary structure-activity relationship is discussed.

PMID- 28898075
TI  - Incorporation of Phosphorylated Tyrosine into Proteins: In Vitro Translation and
      Study of Phosphorylated IkappaB-alpha and Its Interaction with NF-kappaB.
AB  - Phosphorylated proteins play important roles in the regulation of many different
      cell networks. However, unlike the preparation of proteins containing unmodified
      proteinogenic amino acids, which can be altered readily by site-directed
      mutagenesis and expressed in vitro and in vivo, the preparation of proteins
      phosphorylated at predetermined sites cannot be done easily and in acceptable
      yields. To enable the synthesis of phosphorylated proteins for in vitro studies,
      we have explored the use of phosphorylated amino acids in which the phosphate
      moiety bears a chemical protecting group, thus eliminating the negative charges
      that have been shown to have a negative effect on protein translation. Bis-o
      nitrobenzyl protection of tyrosine phosphate enabled its incorporation into DHFR
      and IkappaB-alpha using wild-type ribosomes, and the elaborated proteins could
      subsequently be deprotected by photolysis. Also investigated in parallel was the
      re-engineering of the 23S rRNA of Escherichia coli, guided by the use of a
      phosphorylated puromycin, to identify modified ribosomes capable of incorporating
      unprotected phosphotyrosine into proteins from a phosphotyrosyl-tRNACUA by UAG
      codon suppression during in vitro translation. Selection of a library of modified
      ribosomal clones with phosphorylated puromycin identified six modified ribosome
      variants having mutations in nucleotides 2600-2605 of 23S rRNA; these had
      enhanced sensitivity to the phosphorylated puromycin. The six clones demonstrated
      some sequence homology in the region 2600-2605 and incorporated unprotected
      phosphotyrosine into IkappaB-alpha using a modified gene having a TAG codon in
      the position corresponding to amino acid 42 of the protein. The purified
      phosphorylated protein bound to a phosphotyrosine specific antibody and permitted
      NF-kappaB binding to a DNA duplex sequence corresponding to its binding site in
      the IL-2 gene promoter. Unexpectedly, phosphorylated IkappaB-alpha also mediated
      the exchange of exogenous DNA into an NF-kappaB-cellular DNA complex isolated
      from the nucleus of activated Jurkat cells.

PMID- 28898077
TI  - Simulation of Reversible Protein-Protein Binding and Calculation of Binding Free
      Energies Using Perturbed Distance Restraints.
AB  - Virtually all biological processes depend on the interaction between proteins at
      some point. The correct prediction of biomolecular binding free-energies has many
      interesting applications in both basic and applied pharmaceutical research. While
      recent advances in the field of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have proven
      the feasibility of the calculation of protein-protein binding free energies, the
      large conformational freedom of proteins and complex free energy landscapes of
      binding processes make such calculations a difficult task. Moreover, convergence
      and reversibility of resulting free-energy values remain poorly described. In
      this work, an easy-to-use, yet robust approach for the calculation of standard
      state protein-protein binding free energies using perturbed distance restraints
      is described. In the binding process the conformations of the proteins were
      restrained, as suggested earlier. Two approaches to avoid end-state problems upon
      release of the conformational restraints were compared. The method was evaluated
      by practical application to a small model complex of ubiquitin and the very
      flexible ubiquitin-binding domain of human DNA polymerase iota (UBM2). All
      computed free energy differences were closely monitored for convergence, and the
      calculated binding free energies had a mean unsigned deviation of only 1.4 or 2.5
      kJ.mol-1 from experimental values. Statistical error estimates were in the order
      of thermal noise. We conclude that the presented method has promising potential
      for broad applicability to quantitatively describe protein-protein and various
      other kinds of complex formation.

PMID- 28898079
TI  - A General Route to Include Pauli Repulsion and Quantum Dispersion Effects in
      QM/MM Approaches.
AB  - A methodology to account for nonelectrostatic interactions in Quantum Mechanical
      (QM)/Molecular Mechanics (MM) approaches is developed. Formulations for Pauli
      repulsion and dispersion energy, explicitly depending on the QM density, are
      derived. Such expressions are based on the definition of an auxiliary density on
      the MM portion and the Tkatchenko-Scheffler (TS) approach, respectively. The
      developed method is general enough to be applied to any QM/MM method and
      partition, provided an accurate tuning of a small number of parameters is
      obtained. The coupling of the method with both nonpolarizable and fully
      polarizable QM/fluctuating charge (FQ) approaches is reported and applied. A
      suitable parametrization for the aqueous solution, so that its most
      representative features are well reproduced, is outlined. Then, the obtained
      parametrization and method are applied to calculate the nonelectrostatic
      (repulsion and dispersion) interaction energy of nicotine in aqueous solution.

PMID- 28898080
TI  - Efficient Reconstruction of CAS-CI-Type Wave Functions for a DMRG State Using
      Quantum Information Theory and a Genetic Algorithm.
AB  - We improve the methodology to construct a complete active space-configuration
      interaction (CAS-CI) expansion for density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG)
      wave functions using a matrix-product state representation, inspired by the
      sampling-reconstructed CAS [SR-CAS; Boguslawski , K. ; J. Chem. Phys. 2011 , 134
      , 224101 ] algorithm. In our scheme, the genetic algorithm, in which the
      "crossover" and "mutation" processes can be optimized based on quantum
      information theory, is employed when reconstructing a CAS-CI-type wave function
      in the Hilbert space. Analysis of results for ground and excited state wave
      functions of conjugated molecules, transition metal compounds, and a lanthanide
      complex illustrate that our scheme is very efficient for searching the most
      important CI expansions in large active spaces.

PMID- 28898081
TI  - Scalable Electron Correlation Methods. 4. Parallel Explicitly Correlated Local
      Coupled Cluster with Pair Natural Orbitals (PNO-LCCSD-F12).
AB  - We present an efficient explicitly correlated pair natural orbital local coupled
      cluster (PNO-LCCSD-F12) method. The method is an extension of our previously
      reported PNO-LCCSD approach ( Schwilk et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2017 , 13 ,
      3650 - 3675 ). Near linear scaling with the molecular size is achieved by using
      pair, domain, and projection approximations, local density fitting and local
      resolution of the identity, and by exploiting the sparsity of the local molecular
      orbitals as well as of the projected atomic orbitals. The effect of the various
      domain approximations is tested for a wide range of chemical reactions and
      intermolecular interactions. In accordance with previous findings, it is
      demonstrated that the F12 terms significantly reduce the domain errors. The
      convergence of the reaction and interaction energies with respect to the
      parameters that determine the domain sizes and pair approximations is extensively
      tested. The results obtained with our default thresholds agree within a few
      tenths of a kcal mol-1 with the ones computed with very tight options. For cases
      where canonical calculations are still feasible, the relative energies of local
      and canonical calculations agree within similar error bounds. The PNO-LCCSD-F12
      method needs only 25-40% more computer time than a corresponding PNO-LCCSD
      calculation while greatly improving the accuracy. Our program is well
      parallelized and capable of computing accurate correlation energies for molecules
      with more than 150 atoms using augmented triple-zeta basis sets and more than
      5000 basis functions. Using several nodes of a small computer cluster, such
      calculations can be carried out within a few hours.

PMID- 28898082
TI  - Meroterpenoids from a Medicinal Fungus Antrodia cinnamomea.
AB  - Antrodia cinnamomea, a medicinal fungus indigenous to Taiwan, has been shown to
      exhibit a broad spectrum of bioactivities for the treatments of alcoholic
      intoxication, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fatigue, and a number of active
      principles have been identified. Among the bioactive entities, clinical trials of
      antroquinonol and 4-acetyl antroquinonol B are being carried out for curing
      cancer, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperlipidemia. The total synthesis of
      antroquinonol has been achieved; however, investigating the structure-activity
      relationship of this class of compounds remained difficult due to the lack of
      available analogues. Twenty antroquinonols isolated from A. cinnamomea IFS006 are
      reported herein. Their structures were elucidated using spectral analysis and by
      comparison with literature values. Of these, 11 antroquinonol analogues, namely,
      antroquinonols N-X (1-11), were previously unreported. The growth inhibitory
      activity of all the antroquinonol analogues was evaluated against human A549 and
      PC-3 cancer cell lines, and antroquinonol A exhibited the most potent activity,
      with GI50 values of 5.7 +/- 0.2 and 13.5 +/- 0.2 MUM, respectively.
      Antroquinonols V (9) and W (10) also showed growth inhibitory activity against
      A549 cells with GI50 values of 8.2 +/- 0.8 and 7.1 +/- 2.1 MUM, respectively,
      compared to 5-fluorouracil (GI50 = 4.2 +/- 0.2 MUM).

PMID- 28898083
TI  - The Direct C-H Difluoromethylation of Heteroarenes Based on the Photolysis of
      Hypervalent Iodine(III) Reagents That Contain Difluoroacetoxy Ligands.
AB  - In this letter, an efficient method for the photolytic generation of
      difluoromethyl radicals from [bis(difluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene reagents is
      described. The present approach enables the introduction of difluoromethyl groups
      into various heteroarenes under mild conditions in the absence of any additional
      reagents or catalysts.

PMID- 28898084
TI  - Asymmetric Nanoantennas for Ultrahigh Angle Broadband Visible Light Bending.
AB  - Wavefront manipulation in metasurfaces typically relies on phase mapping with a
      finite number of elements. In particular, a discretized linear phase profile may
      be used to obtain a beam bending functionality. However, discretization limits
      the applicability of this approach for high angle bending due to the drastic
      efficiency drop when the phase is mapped by a small number of elements. In this
      work, we discuss a novel concept for energy redistribution in diffraction
      gratings and its application in the visible spectrum range, which helps overcome
      the constraints of ultrahigh angle (above 80 degrees ) beam bending. Arranging
      asymmetric dielectric nanoantennas into diffractive gratings, we show that one
      can efficiently redistribute the power between the grating orders at will. This
      is achieved by precise engineering of the scattering pattern of the nanoantennas.
      The concept is numerically and experimentally demonstrated at visible frequencies
      using several designs of TiO2 (titanium dioxide) nanoantennas for medium (~55
      degrees ) and high (~80 degrees ) angle light bending. Results show efficient
      broadband visible-light operation (blue and green range) of transmissive devices,
      reaching efficiencies of ~90% and 50%, respectively, at the optimized wavelength.
      The presented design concept is general and can be applied for both transmission
      and reflection operation at any desired wavelength and polarization.

PMID- 28898085
TI  - Gelsekoumidines A and B: Two Pairs of Atropisomeric Bisindole Alkaloids from the
      Roots of Gelsemium elegans.
AB  - Two pairs of atropisomeric bisindole alkaloids, gelsekoumidines A (1) and B (2),
      with a new carbon skeleton, were isolated from the roots of Gelsemium elegans.
      Compounds 1 and 2 represent the first examples of seco-koumine-gelsedine type
      alkaloids, which feature an unprecedented 20,21-seco-koumine scaffold fused with
      a gelsedine framework via a double bond. Their structures including absolute
      stereochemistry were elucidated by spectroscopic data, single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. A plausible
      biogenetic pathway for the new compounds is also proposed. Compound 2 exhibited a
      moderate inhibitory effect against nitric oxide (NO) production.

PMID- 28898086
TI  - Theoretical Discovery of a Superconducting Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic
      Framework.
AB  - Superconductivity is a fascinating quantum phenomenon characterized by zero
      electrical resistance and the Meissner effect. To date, several distinct families
      of superconductors (SCs) have been discovered. These include three-dimensional
      (3D) bulk SCs in both inorganic and organic materials as well as two-dimensional
      (2D) thin film SCs but only in inorganic materials. Here we predict
      superconductivity in 2D and 3D organic metal-organic frameworks by using first
      principles calculations. We show that the highly conductive and recently
      synthesized Cu-benzenehexathial (BHT) is a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer SC.
      Remarkably, the monolayer Cu-BHT has a critical temperature (Tc) of 4.43 K, while
      Tc of bulk Cu-BHT is 1.58 K. Different from the enhanced Tc in 2D inorganic SCs
      which is induced by interfacial effects, the Tc enhancement in this 2D organic SC
      is revealed to be the out-of-plane soft-mode vibrations, analogous to surface
      mode enhancement originally proposed by Ginzburg. Our findings not only shed new
      light on better understanding 2D superconductivity but also open a new direction
      to search for SCs by interface engineering with organic materials.

PMID- 28898087
TI  - Phosphine-Catalyzed Diastereo- and Enantioselective Michael Addition of beta
      Carbonyl Esters to beta-Trifluoromethyl and beta-Ester Enones: Enhanced
      Reactivity by Inorganic Base.
AB  - A novel chiral biamide-phosphine multifunctional catalyst has been developed that
      mediates the asymmetric intermolecular Michael addition of beta-carbonyl esters
      to beta-trifluoromethyl enones and 3-aroyl acrylates in the presence of competing
      methyl acrylate and the inorganic base. This method provides a facile access to
      structurally diverse trifluoromethyl and quaternary stereogenic centers with
      excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) and good diastereoselectivity (up to
      13:1 dr). The addition of the inorganic base (K3PO4) does not cause the
      background racemic reaction and enhances the reactivity by serving as a co
      catalyst.

PMID- 28898088
TI  - Probing Single-Molecule Adhesion of a Stimuli Responsive Oligo(ethylene glycol)
      Methacrylate Copolymer on a Molecularly Smooth Hydrophobic MoS2 Basal Plane
      Surface.
AB  - Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been receiving increasing attention in scientific
      research due to its unique properties. Up to now, several techniques have been
      developed to prepare exfoliated nanosize MoS2 dispersions to facilitate its
      applications. To improve its desired performance, as-prepared MoS2 dispersion
      needs further appropriate modification by polymers. Thus, understanding polymer
      MoS2 interaction is of great scientific importance and practical interest. Here,
      we report our results on molecular interactions of a biocompatible stimuli
      responsive copolymer with the basal plane surface of MoS2 determined using single
      molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). Under isothermal conditions, the single
      molecule adhesion force of oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate copolymer was
      found to increase from 50 to 75 pN with increasing NaCl concentration from 1 mM
      to 2 M, as a result of increasing hydrophobicity of the polymers. The theoretical
      analysis demonstrated that single-molecule adhesion force is determined by two
      contributions: the adhesion energy per monomer and the entropic free energy of
      the stretched polymer chain. Further data analysis revealed a significant
      increase in the adhesion energy per monomer with a negligible change in the other
      contribution with increasing salt concentration. The hydrophobic attraction (HA)
      was found to be the main contribution for the higher adhesion energy in
      electrolyte solutions of higher NaCl concentrations where the zero-frequency of
      van der Waals interaction were effectively screened. The results illustrate that
      oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate copolymer is a promising polymer for
      functionalizing MoS2 and that one can simply change the salt concentration to
      modulate the single-molecule interactions for desired applications.

PMID- 28898089
TI  - A Novel Intrinsic Interface State Controlled by Atomic Stacking Sequence at
      Interfaces of SiC/SiO2.
AB  - On the basis of ab initio total-energy electronic-structure calculations, we find
      that electron states localized at the SiC/SiO2 interface emerge in the energy
      region between 0.3 eV below and 1.2 eV above the bulk conduction-band minimum
      (CBM) of SiC, being sensitive to the sequence of atomic bilayers in SiC near the
      interface. These new interface states unrecognized in the past are due to the
      peculiar characteristics of the CBM states that are distributed along the
      crystallographic channels. We also find that the electron doping modifies the
      energetics among the different stacking structures. Implication for performance
      of electron devices fabricated on different SiC surfaces is discussed.

PMID- 28898090
TI  - Tandem [3 + 2] Cycloaddition/1,4-Addition Reaction of Azomethine Ylides and Aza-o
      quinone Methides for Asymmetric Synthesis of Imidazolidines.
AB  - An enantioselective synthesis of biologically important imidazolidines has been
      achieved via a tandem [3 + 2] cycloaddition/1,4-addition reaction of azomethine
      ylide and aza-o-quinone methides. With the use of this tool, various
      imidazolidine derivatives are obtained in good yields with excellent
      diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.

PMID- 28898091
TI  - Directed Two-Photon Absorption in CdSe Nanoplatelets Revealed by k-Space
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - We show that two-photon absorption (TPA) is highly anisotropic in CdSe
      nanoplatelets, thus promoting them as a new class of directional two-photon
      absorbers with large cross sections. Comparing two-dimensional k-space
      spectroscopic measurements of the one-photon and two-photon excitation of an
      oriented monolayer of platelets, it is revealed that TPA into the continuum is a
      directional phenomenon. This is in contrast to one-photon absorption. The
      observed directional TPA is shown to be related to fundamental band anisotropies
      of zincblende CdSe and the ultrastrong anisotropic confinement. We recover the
      internal transition dipole distribution and find that this directionality arises
      from the intrinsic directionality of the underlying Bloch and envelope functions
      of the states involved. We note that the photoemission from the CdSe platelets is
      highly anisotropic following either one- or two-photon excitation. Given the
      directionality and high TPA cross-section of these platelets, they may, for
      example, find employment as efficient logic AND elements in integrated photonic
      devices, or directional photon converters.

PMID- 28898092
TI  - General Synthesis of the Nitropyrrolin Family of Natural Products via
      Regioselective CO2-Mediated Alkyne Hydration.
AB  - The total synthesis of the 2-nitropyrrole natural products nitropyrrolins A and B
      and the formal synthesis of nitropyrrolin D are reported. The key 2-nitro-4
      alkylpyrrole core was efficiently assembled by Sonogashira cross-coupling, with
      complete control of regioselectivity. An unusual carboxylative cyclization,
      sulfonylcarbamate formation, and base-promoted cleavage sequence enabled access
      to the key hydroxy ketone without affecting the protected 2-nitropyrrole unit.
      The total synthesis provides a general approach for preparation of the bioactive
      nitropyrrolin family of natural products.

PMID- 28898093
TI  - Synthesis of Stable Citrate-Capped Silver Nanoprisms.
AB  - Citrate-stabilized silver nanoprisms (AgNPrs) can be easily functionalized using
      well-developed thiol based surface chemistry that is an important requirement for
      biosensor applications utilizing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and
      surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Unfortunately, currently available
      protocols for synthesis of citrate-coated AgNPrs do not produce stable
      nanoparticles thus limiting their usefulness in biosensing applications. Here we
      address this problem by carrying out a systematic study of citrate-stabilized,
      peroxide-based synthesis of AgNPrs to optimize reaction conditions for production
      of stable and reproducible nanoprisms. Our analysis showed that concentration of
      secondary reducing agent, l-ascorbic acid, is critical to AgNPr stability.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that optimization of other synthesis conditions such
      as stabilizer concentration, rate of silver nitrate addition, and seed dilution
      result in highly stable nanoprisms with narrow absorbance peaks ranging from 450
      nm into near-IR. In addition, the optimized reaction conditions can be used to
      produce AgNPrs in a one-pot synthesis instead of a previously described two-step
      reaction. The resulting nanoprisms can readily interact with thiols for easy
      surface functionalization. These studies provide an optimized set of parameters
      for precise control of citrate stabilized AgNPr synthesis for biomedical
      applications.

PMID- 28898094
TI  - Low-Temperature Solid-State Synthesis of High-Purity BiFeO3 Ceramic for Ferroic
      Thin-Film Deposition.
AB  - The synthesis of high-purity BiFeO3 (BFO) ceramic by solid-state reaction is
      known to be very difficult due to inevitable formation of the secondary phases,
      mostly mullite-type Bi2Fe4O9 and sillenite-type Bi25FeO39. In particular, it is
      very difficult to completely remove the Bi-deficient Bi2Fe4O9 phase from sintered
      ceramic BFO targets. This problem consequently leads to the difficulty of
      fabricating high-quality BFO thin films using these sintered targets. Herein, we
      introduce a simple but effective low-temperature processing scheme for removing
      impurity phases in which optimized processing conditions are obtained by
      chemically correlating the first calcination step with the subsequent leaching
      and sintering steps. More specifically, we suitably avoid the formation of the
      high-temperature-stable Bi2Fe4O9 phase by performing the calcination at
      significantly low temperatures (between 650 and 675  degrees C) with Bi-excess
      starting powders. We have then fabricated epitaxially grown BFO thin films using
      these phase-pure ceramic targets and consequently achieved high-quality
      ferroelectricity and switchable photovoltaic responses. On the basis of the
      present experimental observations, we suggest that a low impurity concentration
      in the sintered BFO ceramic target, even with a low relative density, is
      advantageous for high-quality thin-film fabrication.

PMID- 28898096
TI  - Base-Promoted Cascade C-C Coupling/N-alpha-sp3C-H Hydroxylation for the
      Regiospecific Synthesis of 3-Hydroxyisoindolinones.
AB  - A base-promoted cascade reaction for the regiospecific synthesis of substituted 3
      hydroxyisoindolinones under transition-metal-free conditions is developed. The
      base-mediated C-C bond coupling and N-alpha-sp3C-H bond hydroxylation are
      involved in this procedure, which features high regioselectivity, efficiency, and
      environmental friendliness. Various substituted 3-hydroxyisoindolinones,
      including some bioactive molecules, were provided in up to 93% yield for 28
      examples.

PMID- 28898095
TI  - Activation of a Cryptic Gene Cluster in Lysobacter enzymogenes Reveals a
      Module/Domain Portable Mechanism of Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases in the
      Biosynthesis of Pyrrolopyrazines.
AB  - Lysobacter are considered "peptide specialists". However, many of the
      nonribosomal peptide synthetase genes are silent. Three new compounds were
      identified from L. enzymogenes upon activating the six-module-containing led
      cluster by the strong promoter PHSAF. Although ledD was the first gene under
      PHSAF control, the second gene ledE was expressed the highest. Targeted gene
      inactivation showed that the two-module LedE and the one-module LedF were
      selectively used in pyrrolopyrazine biosynthesis, revealing a module/domain
      portable mechanism.

PMID- 28898097
TI  - Synthesis of Dihydropyrazoles via Ligand-Free Pd-Catalyzed Alkene Aminoarylation
      of Unsaturated Hydrazones with Diaryliodonium Salts.
AB  - A ligand-free, palladium-catalyzed aminoarylation reaction of the unactivated
      alkenes in beta,gamma-unsaturated hydrazones is described. This protocol enables
      efficient and simultaneous formation of C(sp3)-N and C(sp3)-C(sp2) bonds under
      mild conditions, providing a practical and general approach to various diversely
      substituted dihydropyrazoles in generally good yields, without the use of any
      stoichiometric external oxidant.

PMID- 28898098
TI  - Substituent Effects on the Coordination Chemistry of Metal-Binding
      Pharmacophores.
AB  - A combination of XAS, UV-vis, NMR, and EPR was used to examine the binding of a
      series of alpha-hydroxythiones to CoCA. All three appear to bind preferentially
      in their neutral, protonated forms. Two of the three clearly bind in a
      monodentate fashion, through the thione sulfur alone. Thiomaltol (TM) appears to
      show some orientational preference, on the basis of the NMR, while it appears
      that thiopyromeconic acid (TPMA) retains rotational freedom. In contrast,
      allothiomaltol (ATM), after initially binding in its neutral form, presumably
      through the thione sulfur, forms a final complex that is five-coordinate via
      bidentate coordination of ATM. On the basis of optical titrations, we speculate
      that this may be due to the lower initial pKa of ATM (8.3) relative to those of
      TM (9.0) and TPMA (9.5). Binding through the thione is shown to reduce the
      hydroxyl pKa by ~0.7 pH unit on metal binding, bringing only ATM's pKa close to
      the pH of the experiment, facilitating deprotonation and subsequent coordination
      of the hydroxyl. The data predict the presence of a solvent-exchangeable proton
      on TM and TPMA, and Q-band 2-pulse ESEEM experiments on CoCA + TM suggest that
      the proton is present. ESE-detected EPR also showed a surprising frequency
      dependence, giving only a subset of the expected resonances at X-band.

PMID- 28898099
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Direct C3-Selective Arylation of N-Unsubstituted Indoles with
      Aryl Chlorides and Triflates.
AB  - The direct C3-arylation of N-unsubstituted indoles with aryl chlorides and
      triflates has been realized using a palladium-dihydroxyterphenylphosphine (DHTP)
      catalyst. The site selectivity is different from that obtained with other
      structurally related ligands. This unique feature of the DHTP ligand is
      attributed to complex formation between the lithium salts of the ligand and the
      indole. The method was applied to the late-stage derivatization of
      pharmaceuticals having a chloro group.

PMID- 28898100
TI  - Reactivity of Fe and Ru Complexes of Picolyl-Substituted N-Heterocyclic Carbene
      Ligand: Diverse Coordination Modes and Small Molecule Binding.
AB  - Complexes [MClCp*(HL)] (1[Fe]/1[Ru]) (where HL = 1-mesityl-3-(pyridin-2
      ylmethyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) were synthesized from the reaction of in situ
      generated HL ligand and [FeClCp*(TMEDA)] (where TMEDA is N,N,N',N'
      tetramethylethylenediamine) or [RuClCp*]4, respectively. The deprotonation of
      1[Fe]/1[Ru] with 1 equiv of LiHMDS led to cyclometalation through the o-Me of the
      mesityl group, forming [MCp*(L-kappaC,kappaC',kappaN)] 2[Fe]/2[Ru]. The
      coordinatively unsaturated compounds [MCp*(HL)]BPh4 3[Fe]/3[Ru] were prepared
      from 1[Fe]/1[Ru] and halide scavenger NaBPh4. Complex 3[Ru] showed agostic
      interactions between the o-Me group of the mesityl moiety and the metal center in
      solution and the solid state. When the vacant coordination site of 3[Fe]/3[Ru] is
      occupied by CO, the resulting [MCp*(CO)(HL)]BPh4 4[Fe]/4[Ru] can be deprotonated
      with 1 equiv of KHMDS at the pyridylic position to afford complexes [MCp*L'(CO)]
      5[Fe]/5[Ru], where the L'- ligand chelates to the metal center through the
      nitrogen donor atom of the dearomatized pyridine ring and the carbene carbon.
      Complex 2[Fe] reacted rapidly with CO to afford the simple ligand substitution
      product [FeCp*(L-kappaC,kappaC')(CO)] 6[Fe], where the L- acts as a bidentate
      chelating ligand through the carbene carbon and benzylic carbon. Under the same
      condition, the reaction of 2[Ru] with CO forms [RuCp*L"(CO)] 7[Ru], where the L"-
      ligand (an isomer of L- and L'-) chelates to the metal center through the carbene
      carbon and a pyridyl carbon. Complexes 3[Fe]/3[Ru] reversibly bind dinitrogen to
      form [MCp*(HL)(N2)]BPh4 8[Fe]/8[Ru]. 3[Ru] reversibly binds dihydrogen to give
      [MCp*(H2)(HL)]BPh4 9[Ru], while no reaction was observed between 3[Fe] and H2.
      The reaction of 3[Ru] with dioxygen led to the isolation of a stable side-on O2
      complex [RuCp*(HL)(O2)]BPh4 10[Ru], while the reaction of 3[Fe] with dioxygen led
      to an intractable mixture of products.

PMID- 28898101
TI  - Ph3P/I2-Mediated Synthesis of N,N',N"-Substituted Guanidines and 2
      Iminoimidazolin-4-ones from Aryl Isothiocyanates.
AB  - A convenient one-pot procedure for the synthesis of acyclic and cyclic guanidines
      mediated by the Ph3P/I2 system is described. Sequential condensation of aryl
      isothiocyanates with amines followed by dehydrosulfurization and guanylation
      could lead to both symmetric and unsymmetric N,N',N"-substituted derivatives.
      Through a tandem guanylation-cyclization, a series of 2-iminoimidazolin-4-ones
      could also be prepared in good yields from the reaction of aryl isothiocyanates
      with amino acid methyl esters.

PMID- 28898102
TI  - Site-Selective TiO2 Coating on Asymmetric Patchy Particles.
AB  - The successful fabrication of TiO2-faced asymmetric patchy particles consisting
      of polystyrene and a Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 part is described. Such particles can be of
      large interest for photochemistry. The used site-selective coating approach
      demonstrates a modification strategy for a special patchy particle family which
      may have a general character. The stability of the coating has been tested under
      several conditions with no sign of disruption. The influence of the prepared
      asymmetric particles on oil/water phase mixing behavior was tested and turned out
      to be very diverse. Oils with low polarity (e.g., hexadecane, cyclohexane,
      octadecane) can form Pickering emulsions by the help of these particles; oils
      with high polarity (e.g., 1-octanol) form monodisperse macrodroplet systems with
      unusual stability.

PMID- 28898103
TI  - Comparative Study of Secondary Structure and Interactions of the R5 Peptide in
      Silicon Oxide and Titanium Oxide Coprecipitates Using Solid-State NMR
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - A biomimetic, peptide-mediated approach to inorganic nanostructure formation is
      of great interest as an alternative to industrial production methods. To
      investigate the role of peptide structure on silica (SiO2) and titania (TiO2)
      morphologies, we use the R5 peptide domain derived from the silaffin protein to
      produce uniform SiO2 and TiO2 nanostructures from the precursor silicic acid and
      titanium bis(ammonium lactato)dihydroxide, respectively. The resulting biosilica
      and biotitania nanostructures are characterized using scanning electron
      microscopy. To investigate the process of R5-mediated SiO2 and TiO2 formation, we
      carry out 1D and 2D solid-state NMR (ssNMR) studies on R5 samples with uniformly
      13C- and 15N-labeled residues to determine the backbone and side-chain chemical
      shifts. 13C chemical shift data are in turn used to determine peptide backbone
      torsion angles and secondary structure for the R5 peptide neat, in silica, and in
      titania. We are thus able to assess the impact of the different mineral
      environments on peptide structure, and we can further elucidate from 13C chemical
      shifts change the degree to which various side chains are in close proximity to
      the mineral phases. These comparisons add to the understanding of the role of R5
      and its structure in both SiO2 and TiO2 formation.

PMID- 28898104
TI  - Rotator Cuff Calcific Tendinitis: Ultrasound-Guided Needling and Lavage Versus
      Subacromial Corticosteroids: Five-Year Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Barbotage (needling and lavage) is often applied in the treatment of
      calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff (RCCT). In a previously published
      randomized controlled trial, we reported superior clinical and radiological 1
      year outcomes for barbotage combined with a corticosteroid injection in the
      subacromial bursa (SAIC) compared with an isolated SAIC. There are no trials with
      a midterm or long-term follow-up of barbotage available. PURPOSE: To compare the
      5-year results of 2 regularly applied treatments of RCCT: ultrasound (US)-guided
      barbotage combined with a SAIC (group 1) versus an isolated US-guided SAIC (group
      2). STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS:
      Patients were randomly assigned to group 1 or 2 and evaluated before and after
      treatment at regular time points until 12 months and also at 5 years using the
      Constant score (CS), the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC), and the
      Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH). The calcification location and
      size and Gartner classification were assessed on radiographs. The rotator cuff
      condition was evaluated with US. Results were analyzed using t tests, linear
      regression, and a mixed model for repeated measures. RESULTS: Forty-eight
      patients were included (mean age, 52.0 +/- 7.3 years; 25 [52%] female) with a
      mean baseline CS of 68.7 +/- 11.9. After a mean follow-up of 5.1 +/- 0.5 years,
      the mean CS was 90 (95% CI, 83.0-95.9) in group 1 versus 87 (95% CI, 80.5-93.5)
      in group 2 ( P = .58). The mean improvement in the CS in group 1 was 18 (95% CI,
      12.3-23.0) versus 21 (95% CI, 16.2-26.2) in group 2 ( P = .32). There was total
      resorption in 62% of group 1 and 73% of group 2 ( P = .45). The US evaluation of
      the rotator cuff condition showed no significant differences between the groups.
      With the mixed model for repeated measures, taking into account the baseline CS
      and Gartner classification, the mean treatment effect for barbotage was 6 (95%
      CI, -8.9 to 21.5), but without statistical significance. Follow-up scores were
      significantly associated with baseline scores and the duration of follow-up.
      Results for the DASH and WORC were similar. There were no significant
      complications, but 4 patients in group 1 and 16 in group 2 underwent additional
      treatment during the follow-up period ( P < .001). CONCLUSION: No more
      significant differences were found in the clinical and radiological outcomes
      between barbotage combined with a SAIC versus an isolated SAIC after 5 years of
      follow-up. Registration: NTR2282 (Dutch Trial Registry).

PMID- 28898106
TI  - Anterolateral Tenodesis or Anterolateral Ligament Complex Reconstruction: Effect
      of Flexion Angle at Graft Fixation When Combined With ACL Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite numerous technical descriptions of anterolateral procedures,
      knowledge is limited regarding the effect of knee flexion angle during graft
      fixation. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of knee flexion angle during graft
      fixation on tibiofemoral joint kinematics for a modified Lemaire tenodesis or an
      anterolateral ligament (ALL) complex reconstruction combined with anterior
      cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory
      study. METHODS: Twelve cadaveric knees were mounted in a test rig with kinematics
      recorded from 0 degrees  to 90 degrees  flexion. Loads applied to the tibia were
      90-N anterior translation, 5-N.m internal tibial rotation, and combined 90-N
      anterior force and 5-N.m internal rotation. Intact, ACL-deficient, and combined
      ACL plus anterolateral-deficient states were tested, and then ACL reconstruction
      was performed and testing was repeated. Thereafter, modified Lemaire tenodeses
      and ALL procedures with graft fixation at 0 degrees , 30 degrees , and 60 degrees
      of knee flexion and 20-N graft tension were performed combined with the ACL
      reconstruction, and repeat testing was performed throughout. Repeated-measures
      analysis of variance and Bonferroni-adjusted t tests were used for statistical
      analysis. RESULTS: In combined ACL and anterolateral deficiency, isolated ACL
      reconstruction left residual laxity for both anterior translation and internal
      rotation. Anterior translation was restored for all combinations of ACL and
      anterolateral procedures. The combined ACL reconstruction and ALL procedure
      restored intact knee kinematics when the graft was fixed in full extension, but
      when the graft was fixed in 30 degrees  and 60 degrees , the combined procedure
      left residual laxity in internal rotation ( P = .043). The combined ACL
      reconstruction and modified Lemaire procedure restored internal rotation
      regardless of knee flexion angle at graft fixation. When the combined ACL
      reconstruction and lateral procedure states were compared with the ACL-only
      reconstructed state, a significant reduction in internal rotation laxity was seen
      with the modified Lemaire tenodesis but not with the ALL procedure. CONCLUSION:
      In a knee with combined ACL and anterolateral ligament injuries, the modified
      Lemaire tenodesis combined with ACL reconstruction restored normal laxities at
      all angles of flexion for graft fixation (0 degrees , 30 degrees , or 60 degrees
      ), with 20 N of tension. The combined ACL and ALL procedure restored intact knee
      kinematics when tensioned in full extension. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In combined
      anterolateral procedure plus intra-articular ACL reconstruction, the knee flexion
      angle is important when fixing the graft. A modified Lemaire procedure restored
      intact knee laxities when fixation was performed at 0 degrees , 30 degrees , or
      60 degrees  of flexion. The ALL procedure restored normal laxities only when
      fixation occurred in full extension.

PMID- 28898105
TI  - Gait Characteristics Associated With a Greater Increase in Medial Knee Cartilage
      T1rho and T2 Relaxation Times in Patients Undergoing Anterior Cruciate Ligament
      Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis of the medial tibiofemoral joint (MTFJ) is prevalent
      among patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).
      Magnetic resonance T1rho and T2 relaxation times provide noninvasive methods to
      quantify early cartilage degeneration. Altered sagittal-plane gait biomechanics
      have been observed after ACLR, but their associations with longitudinal changes
      in MTFJ cartilage T1rho and T2 remain unclear. Hypothesis/Purpose: To examine
      whether the peak knee flexion moment (KFM), knee flexion angle (KFA), and
      vertical ground-reaction force (vGRF) during gait are associated with prospective
      changes in medial tibiofemoral cartilage T1rho and T2 in ACL-reconstructed knees
      and to compare these gait characteristics between patients undergoing ACLR and
      healthy control participants. We hypothesized that a higher KFM, KFA, and vGRF
      would be associated with greater increases in cartilage relaxation times and that
      patients undergoing ACLR would demonstrate altered gait characteristics compared
      with healthy controls. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: Thirty
      three patients undergoing ACLR underwent gait analysis before and 6 months and 1
      year after ACLR and knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and 6 months, 1
      year, and 2 years after ACLR. Twelve healthy controls underwent knee MRI and gait
      analysis at baseline and 1 year. Cartilage T1rho and T2 were calculated for the
      medial tibia and medial femoral condyle. Linear regressions were used to evaluate
      associations between gait characteristics and changes in cartilage relaxation
      times from before ACLR to follow-up time points. Independent t tests were used to
      compare differences in gait between patients undergoing ACLR and control
      participants. RESULTS: A higher KFM and KFA before ACLR were related to greater
      increases in medial femoral condyle T1rho and T2 at 6 months after ACLR.
      Similarly, a higher KFM, KFA, and vGRF at 6 months were associated with greater
      increases in medial tibia and medial femoral condyle T1rho and T2 at 1 and 2
      years after ACLR. Gait characteristics at 1 year were not associated with changes
      in cartilage relaxation times at 2 years after ACLR. Compared with healthy
      controls, patients undergoing ACLR demonstrated a lower KFM at 6 months after
      ACLR. CONCLUSION/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings of this study revealed that a
      higher KFM, KFA, and vGRF during gait, especially at 6 months after ACLR, were
      associated with greater deterioration of MTFJ cartilage health at later time
      points.

PMID- 28898108
TI  - The safety of simultaneous cranioplasty and shunt implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large cranial defect combined with hydrocephalus is a frequent
      sequela of decompressive craniectomy (DC) performed to treat malignant
      intracranial hypertension. Currently, many neurosurgeons perform simultaneous
      cranioplasty and shunt implantation on such patients, but the safety of this
      combined procedure remains controversial. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated
      58 patients treated via cranioplasty and shunt implantation after DC. Twenty
      patients underwent simultaneous procedures (simultaneous operation group) and 38
      underwent staged procedures (staged operation group). We collected and analysed
      demographic data, information on disease histories, and clinical findings.
      RESULTS: The overall complication rate was 19%. The two groups did not
      significantly differ regarding the all-complication (30% vs. 13%), bleeding
      complication (0% vs. 5%), or treatment failure (15% vs. 3%) rates. However, the
      rate of surgical site infection/incision healing problems (25% vs. 3%) and the re
      operation rate (20% vs. 3%) were significantly higher in the simultaneous
      operation group. CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing simultaneous cranioplasty/shunt
      implantation may be at a higher risk of infectious complications than those
      undergoing staged operations.

PMID- 28898109
TI  - Factors associated with Type II trauma in occupational groups working with
      traumatised children: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is evidence that "Type II trauma" (TTT) - repeated exposure to
      traumatic events - can lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder
      (PTSD). TTT frequently occurs in occupational groups working with children who
      are themselves victims of trauma. AIM: To conduct a systematic review identifying
      risk factors for/protective factors against TTT-associated mental ill-health in
      employees working with traumatised children and explore how this type of work
      impacts upon social functioning. METHOD: Databases were searched for relevant
      studies and supplemented by hand searches. RESULTS: 836 papers were found and 13
      were included in the review. The key themes identified were coping mechanisms;
      social support; personality; demographics; occupational support; work-related
      stressors; traumatic exposure; organisational satisfaction; training/experience
      and impact on life. CONCLUSION: Unhelpful coping strategies (e.g. denial)
      appeared to increase the risk of TTT. Training and strong support may be
      protective and work-related stressors (e.g. excessive workload) appeared
      detrimental. Despite some positive impacts of the work (e.g. becoming more
      appreciative of life) many negative impacts were identified, demonstrating the
      importance of minimising risk factors and maximising protective factors for staff
      at risk of TTT.

PMID- 28898110
TI  - The perception of Malaysian pedestrians toward the use of footbridges.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The footbridge is a vital structure in the road network and a
      cornerstone among crossing facilities. Yet, it suffers from low usage by
      pedestrians as they try to cross the street on the level. This study aims to
      analyze the perceptions of Malaysian pedestrians toward the use of footbridges
      with the consideration of different factors. METHOD: The study was carried out by
      collecting data from field observation and questionnaire distribution on the
      street among the public. The data were statistically analyzed by applying
      multiple linear regression models and a series of chi-square tests. RESULTS: The
      study found that the most influential factor cited by pedestrians in decision
      making regarding using a footbridge is the existence of an escalator. Being in a
      hurry and the fear of heights were significantly associated with choosing not to
      use a footbridge. Zebra crossing was chosen as the most favorable type of
      crossing facility by the majority of respondents. In addition, installation of a
      fence and barriers was proposed as an effective procedure to prevent jaywalking.
      To construct new and efficient footbridges in the future, the study suggests
      consideration of traffic volume, posted speed limit, and the number of lanes,
      because these are the most influential factors to predict the usage rate.
      CONCLUSIONS: The study encourages decision makers and stakeholders to consider
      providing escalators for new footbridges to enhance the safety of pedestrians.

PMID- 28898111
TI  - Complications of Scleral-Fixated Intraocular Lenses.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Understanding the evolution of complications after scleral-fixated
      lens placement demonstrates advantageous surgical techniques and suitable
      candidates. MATERIALS/METHODS: A literature search in PubMed for several terms,
      including "scleral intraocular lens complication," yielded 17 relevant articles.
      RESULTS: Reviewing complication trends over time, lens tilt and suture erosion
      have decreased, cystoid macular edema has increased, and retinal detachment has
      remained the same after scleral-fixated lens placement. The successful reduction
      in complications are attributed to several alterations in technique, including
      positioning sclerotomy sites 180 degrees apart and using scleral flaps or pockets
      to bury sutures. Possible reduction in retinal risks have been proposed by
      performing an anterior vitrectomy prior to lens placement in certain settings.
      DISCUSSION: Complications after scleral-fixated lens placement should assist
      patient selection. Elderly patients with a history of hypertension should be
      counseled regarding risk of suprachoroidal hemorrhage, while young patients and
      postocular trauma patients should be considered for concurrent anterior
      vitrectomy.

PMID- 28898112
TI  - Functional Odontoblastic-Like Cells Derived from Human iPSCs.
AB  - The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have an intrinsic capability for
      indefinite self-renewal and large-scale expansion and can differentiate into all
      types of cells. Here, we tested the potential of iPSCs from dental pulp stem
      cells (DPSCs) to differentiate into functional odontoblasts. DPSCs were
      reprogrammed into iPSCs via electroporation of reprogramming factors OCT-4, SOX2,
      KLF4, LIN28, and L-MYC. The iPSCs presented overexpression of the reprogramming
      genes and high protein expressions of alkaline phosphatase, OCT4, and TRA-1-60 in
      vitro and generated tissues from 3 germ layers in vivo. Dentin discs with poly-L
      lactic acid scaffolds containing iPSCs were implanted subcutaneously into
      immunodeficient mice. After 28 d from implantation, the iPSCs generated a pulp
      like tissue with the presence of tubular dentin in vivo. The differentiation
      potential after long-term expansion was assessed in vitro. iPSCs and DPSCs of
      passages 4 and 14 were treated with either odontogenic medium or extract of
      bioactive cement for 28 d. Regardless of the passage tested, iPSCs expressed
      putative markers of odontoblastic differentiation and kept the same
      mineralization potential, while DPSC P14 failed to do the same. Analysis of these
      data collectively demonstrates that human iPSCs can be a source to derive human
      odontoblasts for dental pulp research and test bioactivity of materials.

PMID- 28898113
TI  - Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 Is Necessary for Salivary Glands and Pancreas
      Development.
AB  - Interferon regulatory factor 6 ( IRF6) acts as a tumor suppressor and controls
      cell differentiation in ectodermal and craniofacial tissues by regulating
      expression of target genes. Haploinsufficiency of IRF6 causes Van der Woude and
      popliteal pterygium syndrome, 2 syndromic forms of cleft lip and palate. Around
      85% of patients with Van der Woude express pits on the lower lip that
      continuously or intermittently drain saliva, and patients with the common cleft
      lip and palate have a higher prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis. This
      study aims to identify the role of IRF6 in development of exocrine glands,
      specifically the major salivary glands. Our transgenic mouse model that expresses
      LacZ reporter under the control of the human IRF6 enhancer element showed high
      expression of IRF6 in major and minor salivary glands and ducts. Immunostaining
      data also confirmed the endogenous expression of IRF6 in the developing ductal,
      serous, and mucous acinar cells of salivary glands. As such, we hypothesized that
      Irf6 is important for proper development of salivary glands and potentially other
      exocrine glands. Loss of Irf6 in mice causes an increase in the proliferation
      level of salivary cells, disorganized branching morphogenesis, and a lack of
      differentiated mucous acinar cells in submandibular and sublingual glands.
      Expression and localization of the acinar differentiation marker MIST1 were
      altered in Irf6-null salivary gland and pancreas. The RNA-Seq analysis
      demonstrated that 168 genes are differentially expressed and confer functions
      associated with transmembrane transporter activity, spliceosome, and
      transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, expression of genes involved in the EGF
      pathway-that is, Ereg, Ltbp4, Matn1, Matn3, and Tpo-was decreased at embryonic
      day 14.5, while levels of apoptotic proteins were elevated at postnatal day 0. In
      conclusion, our data report a novel role of Irf6 in exocrine gland development
      and support a rationale for performing exocrine functional tests for patients
      with IRF6-damaging mutations.

PMID- 28898114
TI  - Diagnostic challenges of kidney diseases in HIV-infected patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a prevalent comorbidity in persons
      living with HIV infection (PLWH) associated with an increase in cardiovascular
      morbidity and all-cause mortality. Furthermore, early diagnosis of CKD is
      difficult in PLWH. Areas covered: We reviewed the main diagnostic tools for CKD
      in PLWH, and discussed their strengths and limits. We performed a literature
      search on PubMed to identify reviews and clinical trials dealing with attractive
      kidney biomarkers of CKD in PLWH, with the following key words: 'HIV AND kidney',
      'HIV AND Kidney biomarkers', 'CKD AND Kidney biomarkers'. Expert commentary:
      Currently, CKD diagnosis is based on the estimation of Glomerular Filtration Rate
      (GFR), and measurement of proteinuria by urine protein/creatinine ratio (uPCR).
      These parameters are independent and complementary predictors of outcomes. GFR
      estimates are lacking in accuracy in PLWH. The best GFR estimate is CKD-EPI study
      equation. Moreover, low-grade proteinuria is associated with an increased risk of
      kidney disease progression in PLWH, and guidelines derived from the general
      population may lack sensitivity. Different biomarkers of kidney diseases like N
      acetyl beta glucosaminidase (NAG), Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1), and Alpha-1
      microglobulin may predict kidney disease progression and mortality in PLWH.
      Others may help clinicians detect antiretroviral-induced tubulopathy, or predict
      cardiovascular events. More studies are needed to validate the routine use of
      these types of biomarkers.

PMID- 28898117
TI  - What Is a Joint Torque for Joints Spanned by Multiarticular Muscles?

PMID- 28898115
TI  - Mannose-binding lectin deficiency and miscarriages in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between mannose-binding lectin (MBL)
      serum level and MBL2 polymorphisms, and the frequency of spontaneous miscarriages
      in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: One hundred seventy seven women
      (mean age 50 years) with RA from Southern Brazil were studied and 4.5% had a
      history of abortion (8/177). The MBL levels were determined by ELISA. MBL2
      polymorphisms in the promoter (-550H/L, -221X/Y), 5' untranslated region (4 P/Q)
      and exon 1 (p.Gly54Asp: B allele, p.Arg52Cys: D allele and p.Gly57Glu: C allele;
      collectively labelled O) were genotyped by sequencing. RESULTS: Mannose-binding
      lectin levels of RA patients ranged from <=100 ng/mL to 6640 ng/mL (median 541.5
      ng/mL). There was a significant difference in MBL median levels (100 ng/mL vs.
      625 ng/mL, respectively, p = .001) and frequency of MBL deficiency (75.0% vs.
      24.1%, p = .007, OR = 10.3, 95%CI = 1.9-55.4), in patients with a history of
      miscarriage vs those without it. Patients with RA and miscarriage had more
      frequently haplotypes related with low MBL levels (p = .007, OR = 10.5, 95%CI =
      1.3-84) than high producers. Moreover, LYPB haplotype and O allele were
      significantly associated with the occurrence of miscarriage (p = .001, OR = 9.7,
      95%CI = 2.4-39.1 and p = .009, OR = 5.9, 95%CI = 1.4-23.4, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that MBL deficiency and the presence of MBL2
      gene polymorphisms that lead to MBL deficiency are risk factors for the
      occurrence of miscarriage in patients with RA.

PMID- 28898118
TI  - High Bar Release in Triple Somersault Dismounts.
AB  - The release from the high bar was analyzed for six performances of triple
      backward somersaults. All 6 gymnasts released the bar with their mass centers
      below the level of the bar. The mean horizontal velocity of the mass center away
      from the bar was 1.2 m . s-1. This horizontal velocity was partitioned into
      contributions from the tangential and radial motions of the mass center relative
      to the bar and the movement of the bar relative to its neutral position. It was
      found that the tangential motion was the major contributor although the radial
      motion produced substantial positive contributions and the bar movement gave
      large negative contributions in two cases.

PMID- 28898116
TI  - Adaptive response criteria in road hazard detection among older drivers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The majority of existing investigations on attention, aging, and
      driving have focused on the negative impacts of age-related declines in attention
      on hazard detection and driver performance. However, driving skills and
      behavioral compensation may accommodate for the negative effects that age-related
      attentional decline places on driving performance. In this study, we examined an
      important question that had been largely neglected in the literature linking
      attention, aging, and driving: can top-down factors such as behavioral
      compensation, specifically adaptive response criteria, accommodate the negative
      impacts from age-related attention declines on hazard detection during driving?
      METHODS: In the experiment, we used the Drive Aware Task, a task combining the
      driving context with well-controlled laboratory procedures measuring attention.
      We compared younger (n = 16, age 21-30) and older (n = 21, age 65-79) drivers on
      their attentional processing of hazards in driving scenes, indexed by percentage
      of correct responses and reaction time of hazard detection, as well as
      sensitivity and response criteria using signal detection analysis. RESULTS: Older
      drivers, in general, were less accurate and slower on the task than younger
      drivers. However, results from this experiment revealed that older, but not
      younger, drivers adapted their response criteria when the traffic condition
      changed in the driving scenes. When there was more traffic in the driving scene,
      older drivers became more liberal in their responses, meaning that they were more
      likely to report that a driving hazard was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Older drivers
      adopt compensatory strategies for hazard detection during driving. Our findings
      showed that, in the driving context, even at an older age our attentional
      functions are still adaptive according to environmental conditions. This leads to
      considerations on potential training methods to promote adaptive strategies that
      may help older drivers maintain performance in road hazard detection.

PMID- 28898119
TI  - A New Method of Measuring 3-D Ground Reaction Forces under the Ski during Skiing
      on Snow.
AB  - A new method was developed for measuring the distribution of real time ground
      reaction forces under the snow ski. A platform composed of 20 separate beams was
      buried in snow under the ski track. Vertical, cross horizontal, and longitudinal
      horizontal force components were measured with strain gauge bridges separately on
      each beam, and the results were recorded with a data logger at 90 Hz. The test
      results for two types of skating skis are described. Anomalous behavior was
      observed in horizontal force components, where negative force values were
      recorded on some sections of the ski at the end of the initial kick phase. This
      suggests that some parts of the ski edge pushed in the opposite direction from
      the kicking force. This is interpreted to be due to a sharp bending along the
      bottom edge of the ski. It is concluded that the method could be used to measure
      3-D dynamic forces under snow.

PMID- 28898120
TI  - Body Segment Moments of Inertia of the Elderly.
AB  - The segment principal moments of inertia of a sample of 7 elderly males and 12
      elderly females were estimated using a model based on stacked elliptical
      cylinders at 2-cm intervals. Apart from the thigh, all male parameters were
      larger than female parameters. The largest differences were for the lower trunk
      and hand and for the forearm. The inertia parameters of the thigh for the males
      were about 12% smaller than the females. Nonlinear estimations of segment
      principal moments were then determined. The effect of the differences was tested
      by cross validating cadaver results against the elliptical model results. The
      regressions were then cross validated using an independent sample of 6 subjects.
      The standard errors of fit given as a percentage of the mean, Sf, were smaller
      than the cross validation results for the cadaver regressions and the differences
      were attributed to differences between cadavers and living subjects.

PMID- 28898121
TI  - Anterior Cruciate Ligament Forces in Alpine Skiing.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to estimate cruciate ligament forces in Alpine
      skiing during a movement that has been associated with anterior cruciate ligament
      (ACL) tears. Resultant knee joint forces and moments were obtained from two
      skiers during a World Cup Downhill race using an inverse dynamics approach and a
      2-D bilaterally symmetric system model. It was found that ACL forces were
      typically small for both skiers throughout the movement analyzed because
      quadriceps forces prevented anterior displacement of the tibia relative to the
      femur at the knee joint angles observed. However, for about 10 ms, loading
      conditions in the knee joint of Subject 2 (who displayed poor form) were such
      that large ACL forces may have been present. These particular loading conditions
      were never observed in Subject 1, who displayed good form. Since neither of the
      skiers was injured, it is not possible to draw firm conclusions about isolated
      ACL tears in Alpine skiing from the data at hand.

PMID- 28898124
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28898122
TI  - Use of Ground Reaction Force Parameters in Predicting Peak Tibial Accelerations
      in Running.
AB  - Ground reaction force data and tibial accelerations from a skin-mounted
      transducer were collected during rearfoot running at 3.3 m/s across a force
      platform. Five repetitive trials from 27 subjects in each of 19 different
      footwear conditions were evaluated. Ground reaction force as well as tibial
      acceleration parameters were found to be useful for the evaluation of the
      cushioning properties of different athletic footwear. The good prediction of
      tibial accelerations by the maximum vertical force rate toward the initial force
      peak (r2 = .95) suggests that the use of a force platform is sufficient for the
      estimation of shock-absorbing properties of sport shoes. If an even higher
      prediction accuracy is required a regression equation with two variables (maximum
      force rate, median power frequency) may be used (r2 = .97). To evaluate the
      influence of footwear on the shock traveling through the body, a good prediction
      of peak tibial accelerations can be achieved from force platform measurements.

PMID- 28898125
TI  - JOURNAL CLUB: Diagnostic Utility of MRI After Negative or Inconclusive
      Mammography for the Evaluation of Pathologic Nipple Discharge.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic utility of
      MRI after negative or inconclusive mammography for the evaluation of pathologic
      nipple discharge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of
      breast MRI examinations from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2015, that
      were performed after negative or inconclusive mammography for the evaluation of
      nipple discharge. Clinical notes, imaging findings, and pathology outcomes were
      reviewed. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen women (mean age, 49 years; range, 23-82
      years) underwent MRI for evaluation of nipple discharge, 105 (89.0%) of whom had
      surgical excision or at least 2-year imaging follow-up. A total of six patients
      (6/105; 5.7%) were diagnosed with malignancy (ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS] or
      invasive malignancy). Of 27 patients with positive MRI findings (final assessment
      of BI-RADS category 4), three (11.1%) were diagnosed with malignancy: DCIS grade
      2-3, DCIS with focus of microinvasive ductal carcinoma, and invasive papillary
      carcinoma. An additional three patients (without suspicious findings at MRI) were
      diagnosed with malignancy at surgical excision, all of which were grade 1 DCIS.
      For patients with negative MRI findings (BI-RADS category 1, 2, or 3), the
      negative predictive value of MRI for malignancy was 96.2% (75/78). CONCLUSION: In
      women with nipple discharge and negative or inconclusive mammography findings,
      the risk of malignancy is low, at 5.7%. With negative MRI findings (BI-RADS
      category 1, 2, or 3), the risk of malignancy is less than 4%. Surveillance rather
      than surgical excision may be a reasonable option for patients without suspicious
      findings at MRI.

PMID- 28898126
TI  - Computerized Bone Age Estimation Using Deep Learning Based Program: Evaluation of
      the Accuracy and Efficiency.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency
      of a new automatic software system for bone age assessment and to validate its
      feasibility in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Greulich-Pyle method
      based deep-learning technique was used to develop the automatic software system
      for bone age determination. Using this software, bone age was estimated from left
      hand radiographs of 200 patients (3-17 years old) using first-rank bone age
      (software only), computer-assisted bone age (two radiologists with software
      assistance), and Greulich-Pyle atlas-assisted bone age (two radiologists with
      Greulich-Pyle atlas assistance only). The reference bone age was determined by
      the consensus of two experienced radiologists. RESULTS: First-rank bone ages
      determined by the automatic software system showed a 69.5% concordance rate and
      significant correlations with the reference bone age (r = 0.992; p < 0.001).
      Concordance rates increased with the use of the automatic software system for
      both reviewer 1 (63.0% for Greulich-Pyle atlas-assisted bone age vs 72.5% for
      computer-assisted bone age) and reviewer 2 (49.5% for Greulich-Pyle atlas
      assisted bone age vs 57.5% for computer-assisted bone age). Reading times were
      reduced by 18.0% and 40.0% for reviewers 1 and 2, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Automatic software system showed reliably accurate bone age estimations and
      appeared to enhance efficiency by reducing reading times without compromising the
      diagnostic accuracy.

PMID- 28898127
TI  - Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Retrospective Cohort Study of the Predictive Value of
      Perfusion Defect Volume Measured With Dual-Energy CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to investigate dual-energy CT findings
      predictive of clinical outcome and to determine the incremental risk
      stratification benefit of dual-energy CT findings compared with CT ventricular
      diameter ratio in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A retrospective evaluation was conducted of the cases of 172 patients with acute
      pulmonary embolism who underwent dual-energy CT. Ventricular diameter ratio and
      relative perfusion defect volume were measured. The primary endpoints were death
      within 30 days and pulmonary embolism-related death. RESULTS: A ventricular
      diameter ratio of 1 or greater was associated with increased risk of death within
      30 days (hazard ratio, 3.822; p = 0.002) and pulmonary embolism-related death
      (hazard ratio, 18.051; p < 0.001). Relative perfusion defect volume was also
      associated with increased risk of death of any cause within 30 days (hazard
      ratio, 1.044; p = 0.014) and pulmonary embolism-related death (hazard ratio,
      1.046; p = 0.017). However, the addition of relative perfusion defect volume to
      ventricular diameter ratio had no added benefit for prediction of death of any
      cause within 30 days (concordance statistic, 0.833 vs 0.815; p = 0.187) or
      pulmonary embolism-related death (concordance statistic, 0.873 vs 0.874; p =
      0.866). CONCLUSION: Compared with ventricular diameter ratio alone, lung
      perfusion defect volume had no statistically significant added benefit for
      prediction of death of any cause within 30 days or of pulmonary embolism-related
      death among patients with acute PE.

PMID- 28898128
TI  - Technologist-Directed Repeat Musculoskeletal and Chest Radiographs: How Often Do
      They Impact Diagnosis?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Radiologic technologists may repeat images within a radiographic
      examination because of perceived suboptimal image quality, excluding these
      original images from submission to a PACS. This study assesses the
      appropriateness of technologists' decisions to repeat musculoskeletal and chest
      radiographs as well as the utility of repeat radiographs in addressing
      examinations' clinical indication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 95
      musculoskeletal and 87 chest radiographic examinations in which the technologist
      repeated one or more images because of perceived image quality issues, rejecting
      original images from PACS submission. Rejected images were retrieved from the
      radiograph unit and uploaded for viewing on a dedicated server. Musculoskeletal
      and chest radiologists reviewed rejected and repeat images in their timed
      sequence, in addition to the studies' remaining images. Radiologists answered
      questions regarding the added value of repeat images. RESULTS: The reviewing
      radiologist agreed with the reason for rejection for 64.2% of musculoskeletal and
      60.9% of chest radiographs. For 77.9% and 93.1% of rejected radiographs, the
      clinical inquiry could have been satisfied without repeating the image. For 75.8%
      and 64.4%, the repeated images showed improved image quality. Only 28.4% and 3.4%
      of repeated images were considered to provide additional information that was
      helpful in addressing the clinical question. CONCLUSION: Most repeated
      radiographs (chest more so than musculoskeletal radiographs) did not add
      significant clinical information or alter diagnosis, although they did increase
      radiation exposure. The decision to repeat images should be made after viewing
      the questionable image in context with all images in a study and might best be
      made by a radiologist rather than the performing technologist.

PMID- 28898129
TI  - Transatlantic Comparison of CT Radiation Doses in the Era of Radiation Dose
      Tracking Software.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to compare diagnostic reference levels
      from a local European CT dose registry, using radiation-tracking software from a
      large patient sample, with preexisting European and North American diagnostic
      reference levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data (n = 43,761 CT scans obtained over
      the course of 2 years) for the European local CT dose registry were obtained from
      eight CT scanners at six institutions. Means, medians, and interquartile ranges
      of volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), size-specific
      dose estimate, and effective dose values for CT examinations of the head,
      paranasal sinuses, thorax, pulmonary angiogram, abdomen-pelvis, renal-colic,
      thorax-abdomen-pelvis, and thoracoabdominal angiogram were obtained using
      radiation-tracking software. Metrics from this registry were compared with
      diagnostic reference levels from Canada and California (published in 2015), the
      American College of Radiology (ACR) dose index registry (2015), and national
      diagnostic reference levels from local CT dose registries in Switzerland (2010),
      the United Kingdom (2011), and Portugal (2015). RESULTS: Our local registry had a
      lower 75th percentile CTDIvol for all protocols than did the individual
      internationally sourced data. Compared with our study, the ACR dose index
      registry had higher 75th percentile CTDIvol values by 55% for head, 240% for
      thorax, 28% for abdomen-pelvis, 42% for thorax-abdomen-pelvis, 128% for pulmonary
      angiogram, 138% for renal-colic, and 58% for paranasal sinus studies. CONCLUSION:
      Our local registry had lower diagnostic reference level values than did existing
      European and North American diagnostic reference levels. Automated radiation
      tracking software could be used to establish and update existing diagnostic
      reference levels because they are capable of analyzing large datasets
      meaningfully.

PMID- 28898130
TI  - Imaging of Children With Nontraumatic Headaches.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Headache in children is a common symptom and often is worrisome for
      clinicians and parents because of the breadth of possible underlying significant
      abnormalities, including meningitis, brain neoplasms, and intracranial
      hemorrhage. For this reason, many children with headaches undergo neuroimaging.
      Most neuroimaging studies performed of children with headaches have normal
      findings but may lead to significant downstream effects, including unnecessary
      exposure to ionizing radiation or sedation, as well as unnecessary cost to the
      health care system. In this article, we review the current evidence and discuss
      the role of neuroimaging in the diagnosis and management of pediatric headaches,
      with a special focus on tools that may aid in increasing the rate of positive
      findings, such as classification systems, algorithms, and red flag criteria.
      CONCLUSION: Many tools exist that can help in improving the appropriateness of
      neuroimaging in pediatric headache. The main issues that remain to be addressed
      include scientific proof of safety and validity of these tools and clarity
      regarding the risks, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of CT versus MRI in various
      clinical settings and scenarios.

PMID- 28898131
TI  - Lung Cancer Risk Associated With New Solid Nodules in the National Lung Screening
      Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: As low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening moves into routine
      clinical practice, evaluation of nodules identified as new becomes critical. We
      examine the frequency and clinical outcomes of new lung nodules reported at the
      two postbaseline annual screening examinations (hereafter referred to as
      postbaseline time 1 [T1] and time 2 [T2]), compared with those detected at
      baseline in the National Lung Screening Trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Radiologists classified nodules detected at T1 and T2 as new or preexisting on
      the basis of comparison with findings from prior LDCT screening examinations.
      Subjects were tracked for lung cancer incidence and mortality. We examined the
      incidence of new nodules and their associated lung cancer risk by nodule size
      (i.e., mean diameter). RESULTS: A total of 25,002 subjects underwent the baseline
      LDCT screening examination and either a T1 or T2 LDCT screen. At both T1 and T2,
      2.6% of subjects had new solid nodules. Of the new solid nodules, 53.0% were < 6
      mm, 29.5% were 6 to < 10 mm, and 17.1% were >= 10 mm. Lung cancer risk (defined
      as diagnosis within 2 years of baseline) increased from 1.1% for nodules < 4 mm
      to 24.0% for those >= 20 mm. Compared with solid nodules detected at baseline,
      the cancer risk was higher for new solid nodules that were 4 to < 6 mm (p <
      0.001) and 6 to < 8 mm (p < 0.001) but lower for new nodules >= 20 mm (p = 0.03).
      Cancers associated with new nodules had significantly poorer survival than did
      those associated with baseline nodules and were significantly less likely to be
      adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: The incidence of new nodules was 2-3% annually, with
      the cancer risk increasing by nodule size. New nodules may convey differential
      lung cancer risks by size, compared with baseline nodules.

PMID- 28898133
TI  - Differential impact of treadmill training on stroke-induced neurological
      disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Physical exercise contributes to improving stability against nerve
      injury caused by ischaemic stroke. Here we aimed to preliminarily investigate the
      effects of continuous endurance training (CET) and high-intensity interval
      training (HIT) on stroke-associated anxiety, locomotion, neurological assessments
      and P70S6 Kinase (P70S6K) activation as well. To do this, rats were trained
      according to HIT and CET protocols for 2 months prior to being subject to middle
      cerebral artery occlusion surgery. METHODS: Twenty-four hours later behavioural
      examination was performed by elevated plus maze (EPM) testing, open field and
      neurological scoring followed by cortical and hippocampal P70S6Ks immunoblotting.
      RESULTS: According to the obtained data pre-ischaemic HIT and CET similarly
      improved neurological performance, anxiety levels and locomotion in EPM and open
      field tests following ischaemic stroke while there was a remarkable rise in
      hippocampal and cortical P70S6K activation in the HIT group compared to the CET
      counterparts. CONCLUSION: Behavioral and molecular data suggest that interval
      training is more beneficial rather than CET, but the distinct mechanisms of CET
      and HIT on memory are still topics to be discovered.

PMID- 28898132
TI  - Staged residential post-acute rehabilitation for adults following acquired brain
      injury: A comparison of functional gains rated on the UK Functional Assessment
      Measure (UK FIM+FAM) and the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory (MPAI-4).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the UK Functional Assessment Measure (UK FIM+FAM) and Mayo
      Portland Adaptability Inventory (MPAI-4) as measures of functional change in
      patients with brain injury receiving a staged residential post-acute community
      based rehabilitation programme. RESEARCH DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study of
      consecutive admissions (N = 42) over 3 years. METHODS: Patients were assessed at
      admission and discharge/annual review. We examined groups according to stage of
      independence on admission: Maximum support (stages 1 and 2: N = 17);
      moderate/maximum self-care/household support (stage 3: N = 15); minimal self-care
      and moderate household/community support (stages 4-6: N = 10). RESULTS: Median
      (IQR) age: 50 (37-56) years. Male:female ratio: (71%:29%). Aetiology: stroke
      (50%), traumatic (36%) and other brain injuries (14%). Both tools demonstrated
      significant gains in overall scores and all subscales (p < 0.01). However, the UK
      FIM+FAM provides more detailed evaluation of personal activities of daily living
      and mobility, which were most relevant in clients admitted in graduation stages 1
      and 2 of the programme, whereas the MPAI-4 was more sensitive to changes in
      adjustment and participation for clients admitted in the later stages (4-6).
      CONCLUSIONS: The UK FIM+FAM and MPAI-4 provide complementary evaluation across
      functional tasks ranging from self-care to participation. This study supports
      their use for longitudinal outcome evaluation in community residential
      rehabilitation services that take patients at different stages of recovery.

PMID- 28898134
TI  - The Management of Complex Pain in Children Referred to a Pain Clinic at a
      Tertiary Children's Hospital in Australia.
AB  - Synopsis One of the key aspects of good health care for children and young people
      is the prevention and management of pain. The experience of persistent pain in
      children and adolescents not only has a major impact on physical, emotional,
      social, and developmental well-being, but also impacts the broader world, which
      includes family, school, and social networks. The multidisciplinary pediatric
      pain clinic adopts a holistic approach to care through a biopsychosocial model.
      One outcome of an initial pediatric pain clinic review is the creation of a pain
      management plan that addresses the pharmacological, physical, psychological, and
      other domains of care. Pediatric pain clinics are improving access by embracing
      technology through tele-health and internet-based treatment options. Outcome
      measurement will guide the development of models of care in the future. J Orthop
      Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(10):806-813. Epub 12 Sep 2017.
      doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7355.

PMID- 28898135
TI  - Understanding Adolescent Low Back Pain From a Multidimensional Perspective:
      Implications for Management.
AB  - Synopsis Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. It
      often begins in adolescence, setting a course for later in life. We have tracked
      the course of LBP in the Raine Study cohort from the age of 14 years into early
      adulthood. Our work has found that LBP is already prevalent in individuals at 14
      years of age and increases throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. It is
      often comorbid with other musculoskeletal pain. For some adolescents, LBP has
      little impact; for others, its impact includes care seeking, taking medication,
      taking time off from school and work, as well as modifying physical and
      functional activity. Of concern is the increasing prevalence of LBP with impact
      across adolescence, reaching adult rates by 22 years of age. The predictors of
      disabling LBP in adolescence are multidimensional. They include female sex,
      negative back pain beliefs, poor mental health status, somatic complaints,
      involvement in sports, and altered stress responses. Genetics also plays a role.
      Ironically, the factors that we have historically thought to be important
      predictors of LBP, such as "poor" spinal posture, scoliosis, carrying school
      bags, joint hypermobility, and poor back muscle endurance, are not strong
      predictors. This challenges our clinical beliefs and highlights that adolescent
      LBP needs a flexible and targeted multidimensional approach to assessment and
      management. In most cases, we recommend a cognitive functional approach that
      challenges negative LBP beliefs, educates adolescents regarding factors
      associated with their LBP, restores functional capacity where it is impaired, and
      encourages healthy lifestyle habits. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(10):741
      751. Epub 12 Sep 2017. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7376.

PMID- 28898137
TI  - Pain-Related Fear and Its Disabling Impact in Hypermobile Adolescents With
      Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain.
AB  - Study Design Cross-sectional study. Background Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP)
      has a negative impact on physical functioning. During adolescence, joint
      hypermobility is a potential risk factor for developing CMP, and pain-related
      fear contributes to the persistence of CMP. Whether pain-related fear and
      hypermobility are related, and even reinforce each other, resulting in a stronger
      association with perceived level of disability, is still unknown. Objectives To
      evaluate whether pain-related fear has a stronger association with disability in
      hypermobile compared to nonhypermobile adolescents with CMP. Methods The study
      included 116 adolescents with CMP. The presence of hypermobility was assessed
      using the Beighton score. Measures of pain intensity, age, sex, and pain-related
      fear were collected and included in the multivariable model. Hierarchical
      regression analysis, with disability as the dependent variable, was used to
      examine the interaction between hypermobility and pain-related fear. Results
      Hypermobile adolescents with CMP do not have more pain-related fear compared to
      nonhypermobile adolescents with CMP. There was no interaction effect between
      hypermobility and pain-related fear in explaining disability (beta = .20, P =
      .42). Similarly, perceived harmfulness of balance-related activities was not more
      strongly associated with disability in hypermobile adolescents with CMP.
      Conclusion The association of pain-related fear with the perceived level of
      disability is not more pronounced in hypermobile compared to nonhypermobile
      adolescents with CMP. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(10):775-781. Epub 12 Sep
      2017. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7282.

PMID- 28898136
TI  - Accelerometer-Determined Physical Activity and Clinical Low Back Pain Measures in
      Adolescents With Chronic or Subacute Recurrent Low Back Pain.
AB  - Study Design Cross-sectional. Background Although low back pain (LBP) occurs
      commonly in adolescence, little is known about the relationship between
      objectively measured physical activity and chronic LBP. Objectives To assess the
      relationship between an objective physical activity measure (accelerometer) and
      standard clinical measures (pain intensity, disability, and quality of life) in a
      sample of adolescents with recurrent or chronic LBP. Methods The study included a
      subsample of 143 adolescents, 12 to 18 years of age, from a randomized clinical
      trial. Pearson correlations (r) and bivariate linear regression were used to
      assess the relationship between baseline measures of sedentary, light, and
      moderate-to-vigorous physical activity using accelerometers and clinical measures
      of LBP (pain intensity, disability, and quality of life). Results Participants
      spent an average of 610.5 minutes in sedentary activity, 97.6 minutes in light
      physical activity, and 35.6 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per
      day. Physical activity was very weakly associated with clinical measures of LBP
      (r<0.13). None of the assessed correlations were statistically significant, and
      bivariate regression models showed that physical activity measures explained very
      little of the variability for clinical measures of LBP (R2<0.02). Conclusion We
      found no important relationship between objectively measured physical activity
      and self-reported LBP intensity, disability, or quality of life in adolescents
      with recurrent or chronic LBP. The parent randomized clinical trial was
      registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01096628). J Orthop Sports Phys Ther
      2017;47(10):769-774. Epub 12 Sep 2017. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7345.

PMID- 28898139
TI  - Point-of-care ultrasound: its growing application in hospital medicine.
AB  - Point-of-care ultrasound is emerging as an important adjunct to the clinical
      examination. Ultrasonography has long been seen as a modality for experts but
      this is changing and it is hoped that, with appropriate training, point-of-care
      ultrasound will become a modern-day diagnostic necessity.

PMID- 28898138
TI  - Redox-sensitive transcription factors play a significant role in the development
      of rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease which is associated
      with significant morbidity. Redox sensitive transcription factors including NF
      kappaB, HIF, AP-1, and Nrf2 are intimately involved in the pathogenesis of RA.
      The treatment of this disease is limited by the elusive nature of the
      pathogenesis of RA. NF-kappaB is crucial for the maturation of immune cells as
      well as production of TNFalpha and MMPs, which escalate RA. HIF is essential for
      activation of inflammatory cells, angiogenesis and pannus formation in RA. AP-1
      regulates cytokine and MMP production as well as synovial hyperplasia which are
      key processes in RA. Nrf2 is involved with chondrogenesis, osteoblastogenesis,
      prostaglandin secretion and ROS production in RA. Targeting two or more of these
      transcription factors may result in increased efficacy than either therapy in
      isolation. This review will highlight the control specific mediators on these
      transcription factors, the subsequent effect of these transcription factors once
      activated, and then mesh this with the pathogenesis of RA. The elucidation of key
      transcription factor regulation in the pathogenesis of RA may highlight the novel
      therapy interventions which may prove to have a greater efficacy than those
      therapies currently available.

PMID- 28898140
TI  - Pneumocephalus after endoscopic sinus surgery.

PMID- 28898141
TI  - Documentation standards and clinical coding.

PMID- 28898142
TI  - Constructive criticism of critical psychiatry.

PMID- 28898143
TI  - James Learmonth: distinguished academic surgeon who operated on King George VI.

PMID- 28898144
TI  - The changing face of an epidemic: healthy old age with HIV.
AB  - The demographics of the HIV epidemic in the UK have changed significantly. Owing
      to a steady rate of new diagnoses and improved survival, the population of
      individuals living with HIV continues to increase. HIV is now widely considered
      to be a chronic condition and HIV-positive individuals are expected to live into
      old age. Increasing rates of age-related comorbidities challenge HIV care
      providers to deliver durable viral suppression, ensure long-term adherence to
      antiretroviral treatment and promote wellbeing into old age. High rates of mental
      health disorders and social stigma continue to have a negative impact on the
      quality of life of people living with HIV. Models of care must adapt to this
      evolving epidemic.

PMID- 28898145
TI  - Where is the optimum placement of an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block?

PMID- 28898147
TI  - How to improve psychiatric services: a perspective from critical psychiatry.
AB  - Concern has been expressed from both within and outwith psychiatry about the
      relative lack of improvement of mental health services. Critical psychiatry is an
      emerging school of thought, mainly the product of practicing clinicians, which
      could be useful in remedying this situation. This article outlines, for
      psychiatrists and doctors of other specialities, practices which could be
      improved, and the competencies required to achieve this, in terms of knowledge,
      skills and attitudes.

PMID- 28898148
TI  - IgG4-related disease as the differential diagnosis of hypophysitis.

PMID- 28898149
TI  - What do doctors and nurses think about development of clinical leadership?
AB  - Leadership development for health-care professionals is a priority within the
      NHS. Training is generally targeted at individual staff groups in isolation, even
      though contemporary leadership thinking recognizes the benefits of collaborative
      leadership between different clinical disciplines. Focussing on the attitudes and
      perceived training needs of undergraduate and qualified medical and nursing
      professionals, this article highlights the similarities and differences and will
      help to inform the design of existing and future leadership programmes.

PMID- 28898150
TI  - Fat 'fracture': a subcutaneous fat injury following a blunt trauma.

PMID- 28898151
TI  - Postoperative analgesia for shoulder surgery.
AB  - Both arthroscopic and open surgery of the shoulder are associated with
      significant postoperative pain. Use of opioids can result in adverse systemic
      effects, so a multi-modal analgesic approach and complementary analgesic
      techniques should be considered to minimize the postoperative opioid requirement.
      Single shot interscalene block provides effective pain control of early and
      limited duration which can be extended with a catheter. Continuous interscalene
      block should be considered for more invasive shoulder procedures. However,
      interscalene block is associated with hemidiaphragmatic paresis which is a
      substantial risk in patients with serious pulmonary pathology who could otherwise
      benefit most from a regional technique and the avoidance of opioids. Local
      infiltration analgesia, and suprascapular nerve block with or without axillary
      nerve block, have not been consistently shown to be superior to or as effective
      as interscalene block and there is insufficient evidence to support the use of
      supraclavicular block over interscalene block.

PMID- 28898152
TI  - Clinical News.

PMID- 28898154
TI  - Systemic anti-cancer therapy-induced diarrhoea.

PMID- 28898153
TI  - Diverticular disease of the terminal ileum mimics cancer.

PMID- 28898155
TI  - The value and challenges of collegiality in practice.

PMID- 28898156
TI  - Inspiring Change: a report on acute non-invasive ventilation.
AB  - The British Thoracic Society audit of non-invasive ventilation has shown that
      mortality rates are higher than expected and increasing. The National
      Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death undertook a detailed analysis
      of data from 432 patients treated with acute non-invasive ventilation to identify
      how clinical aspects of non-invasive ventilation treatment could be improved. The
      study 'Inspiring Change' was published in July 2017. This review summarizes some
      of the important findings and associated recommendations that will improve
      treatment of patients and help to reduce mortality rates.

PMID- 28898157
TI  - Intravenous immunoglobulin as adjunctive treatment for Fournier's gangrene.

PMID- 28898158
TI  - Non-invasive ventilation: initiation and initial management.

PMID- 28898159
TI  - Clinical negligence costs: can we create a system that is reasonable and
      affordable?

PMID- 28898160
TI  - The role of opioid analgesia in treating chronic pain.

PMID- 28898161
TI  - Prognostic Model to Predict Post-Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation Outcomes in
      Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma.
AB  - Purpose Our aim was to capture the biology of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) at
      the time of relapse and discover novel and robust biomarkers that predict
      outcomes after autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). Materials and Methods
      We performed digital gene expression profiling on a cohort of 245 formalin-fixed,
      paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 174 patients with cHL, including 71 with
      biopsies taken at both primary diagnosis and relapse, to investigate temporal
      gene expression differences and associations with post-ASCT outcomes. Relapse
      biopsies from a training cohort of 65 patients were used to build a gene
      expression-based prognostic model of post-ASCT outcomes (RHL30), and two
      independent cohorts were used for validation. Results Gene expression profiling
      revealed that 24% of patients exhibited poorly correlated expression patterns
      between their biopsies taken at initial diagnosis and relapse, indicating
      biologic divergence. Comparative analysis of the prognostic power of gene
      expression measurements in primary versus relapse specimens demonstrated that the
      biology captured at the time of relapse contained superior properties for post
      ASCT outcome prediction. We developed RHL30, using relapse specimens, which
      identified a subset of high-risk patients with inferior post-ASCT outcomes in two
      independent external validation cohorts. The prognostic power of RHL30 was
      independent of reported clinical prognostic markers (both at initial diagnosis
      and at relapse) and microenvironmental components as assessed by
      immunohistochemistry. Conclusion We have developed and validated a novel
      clinically applicable prognostic assay that at the time of first relapse
      identifies patients with unfavorable post-ASCT outcomes. Moving forward, it will
      be critical to evaluate the clinical use of RHL30 in the context of positron
      emission tomography-guided response assessment and the evolving cHL treatment
      landscape.

PMID- 28898163
TI  - Incorporating Interpersonal Skills into Otolaryngology Resident Selection and
      Training.
AB  - Increasing attention has been paid to the selection of otolaryngology residents,
      a highly competitive process but one with room for improvement. A recent
      commentary in this journal recommended that residency programs more thoroughly
      incorporate theory and evidence from personnel psychology (part of the broader
      field of organizational science) in the resident selection process. However, the
      focus of this recommendation was limited to applicants' cognitive abilities and
      independent work-oriented traits (eg, conscientiousness). We broaden this
      perspective to consider critical interpersonal skills and traits that enhance
      resident effectiveness in interdependent health care organizations and we expand
      beyond the emphasis on selection to consider how these skills can be honed during
      residency. We advocate for greater use of standardized team-based care
      simulations, which can aid in assessing and developing the key interpersonal
      leadership skills necessary for success as an otolaryngology resident.

PMID- 28898162
TI  - Modulation of protein A binding allows single-step purification of mouse
      bispecific antibodies that retain FcRn binding.
AB  - The increased number of bispecific antibodies (BsAb) under therapeutic
      development has resulted in a need for mouse surrogate BsAbs. Here, we describe a
      one-step method for generating highly pure mouse BsAbs suitable for in vitro and
      in vivo studies. We identify two mutations in the mouse IgG2a and IgG2b Fc
      region: one that eliminates protein A binding and one that enhances protein A
      binding by 8-fold. We show that BsAbs harboring these mutations can be purified
      from the residual parental monoclonal antibodies in one step using protein A
      affinity chromatography. The structural basis for the effects of these mutations
      was analyzed by X-ray crystallography. While the mutation that disrupted protein
      A binding also inhibited FcRn interaction, a bispecific mutant in which one
      subunit retained the ability to bind protein A could still interact with FcRn.
      Pharmacokinetic analysis of the serum half-lives of the mutants showed that the
      mutant BsAb had a serum half-life comparable to a wild-type Ab. The results
      describe a rapid method for generating panels of mouse BsAbs that could be used
      in mouse studies.

PMID- 28898164
TI  - Gossiping About Deviance: Evidence That Deviance Spurs the Gossip That Builds
      Bonds.
AB  - We propose that the gossip that is triggered when people witness behaviors that
      deviate from social norms builds social bonds. To test this possibility, we
      showed dyads of unacquainted students a short video of everyday campus life that
      either did or did not include an incident of negative or positive deviance
      (dropping or cleaning up litter). Study 1 showed that participants in the
      deviance conditions reported having a greater understanding of campus social
      norms than those in the control condition; they also expressed a greater desire
      to gossip about the video. Study 2 found that when given the opportunity,
      participants did gossip about the deviance, and this gossip was associated with
      increased norm clarification and (indirectly) social cohesion. These findings
      suggest that gossip may be a mechanism through which deviance can have positive
      downstream social consequences.

PMID- 28898165
TI  - Internalized stigma among patients with substance use disorders at a tertiary
      care center in India.
AB  - Internalized stigma among individuals with substance use disorders is a major
      barrier for accessing mental health services. This study aimed to assess
      internalized stigma among individuals with substance use disorders and to assess
      the relationship of internalized stigma with the quality of life. This cross
      sectional study recruited 201 patients with a clinical diagnosis of at least
      opioid or alcohol use disorder according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5
      at a public-funded tertiary care center in India. The study participants were
      interviewed using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Internalized Stigma of
      Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS), and the World Health Organization's Quality of Life
      (WHOQOL-Bref) questionnaire. Seven participants (3.5% of the sample) had mild
      stigma according to ISMI scores, 62 (30.8%) had moderate stigma, and 132 (65.7%)
      had severe stigma. The various quality-of-life domains generally had a negative
      correlation with the internalized stigma scores. Participants using opioids as
      the primary substance of use were more likely to have severe internalized stigma.
      The experience of internalized stigma and dissatisfaction with quality of life is
      quite high among people suffering with substance use disorders in India. These
      results emphasize the need for interventions to reduce internal perception of
      stigma and improve the quality of life of individuals with substance use
      disorders.

PMID- 28898167
TI  - Praising Young Children for Being Smart Promotes Cheating.

PMID- 28898166
TI  - Transport of oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, and ivermectin in surface runoff
      from irrigated pasture.
AB  - The transport of oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, and ivermectin from manure
      was assessed via surface runoff on irrigated pasture. Surface runoff plots in the
      Sierra Foothills of Northern California were used to evaluate the effects of
      irrigation water application rates, pharmaceutical application conditions,
      vegetative cover, and vegetative filter strip length on the pharmaceutical
      discharge in surface runoff. Experiments were designed to permit the maximum
      potential transport of pharmaceuticals to surface runoff water, which included
      pre-irrigation to saturate soil, trimming grass where manure was applied, and
      laying a continuous manure strip perpendicular to the flow of water. However, due
      to high sorption of the pharmaceuticals to manure and soil, less than 0.1% of
      applied pharmaceuticals were detected in runoff water. Results demonstrated an
      increase of pharmaceutical transport in surface runoff with increased
      pharmaceutical concentration in manure, the concentration of pharmaceuticals in
      runoff water remained constant with increased irrigation flow rate, and no
      appreciable decrease in pharmaceutical runoff was produced with the vegetative
      filter strip length increased from 30.5 to 91.5 cm. Most of the applied
      pharmaceuticals were retained in the manure or within the upper 5 cm of soil
      directly beneath the manure application sites. As this study evaluated conditions
      for high transport potential, the data suggest that the risk for significant
      chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, and ivermectin transport to surface water
      from cattle manure on irrigated pasture is low.

PMID- 28898168
TI  - Practice Evaluation Strategies Among Social Workers: Why an Evidence-Informed
      Dual-Process Theory Still Matters.
AB  - Practice evaluation strategies range in style from the formal-analytic tools of
      single-subject designs, rapid assessment instruments, algorithmic steps in
      evidence-informed practice, and computer software applications, to the informal
      interactive tools of clinical supervision, consultation with colleagues, use of
      client feedback, and clinical experience. The purpose of this article is to
      provide practice researchers in social work with an evidence-informed theory that
      is capable of explaining both how and why social workers use practice evaluation
      strategies to self-monitor the effectiveness of their interventions in terms of
      client change. The author delineates the theoretical contours and consequences of
      what is called dual-process theory. Drawing on evidence-informed advances in the
      cognitive and social neurosciences, the author identifies among everyday social
      workers a theoretically stable, informal-interactive tool preference that is a
      cognitively necessary, sufficient, and stand-alone preference that requires
      neither the supplementation nor balance of formal-analytic tools. The author's
      delineation of dual-process theory represents a theoretical contribution in the
      century-old attempt to understand how and why social workers evaluate their
      practice the way they do.

PMID- 28898170
TI  - Review of "Neuromuscular Disorders: Treatment and Management," by Tulio E.
      Bertorini.

PMID- 28898169
TI  - MiR-26b reverses temozolomide resistance via targeting Wee1 in glioma cells.
AB  - Emerging evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNA) play a critical role in
      chemotherapy-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in glioma. However,
      the underlying mechanism of chemotherapy-triggered EMT has not been fully
      understood. In the current study, we determined the role of miR-26b in regulation
      of EMT in stable temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant (TR) glioma cells, which have
      displayed mesenchymal features. Our results illustrated that miR-26b was
      significantly downregulated in TR cells. Moreover, ectopic expression of miR-26b
      by its mimics reversed the phenotype of EMT in TR cells. Furthermore, we found
      that miR-26b governed TR-mediate EMT partly due to governing its target Wee1.
      Notably, overexpression of miR-26b sensitized TR cells to TMZ. These findings
      suggest that upregulation of miR-26b or targeting Wee1 could serve as novel
      approaches to reverse chemotherapy resistance in glioma.

PMID- 28898171
TI  - Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES): A Literature Review and Case
      Study.
AB  - Febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES) is a catastrophic epileptic
      syndrome that strikes previously healthy children aged 3-15 years and has an
      unknown pathogenesis and few treatments. These children experience a nonspecific
      febrile illness that is followed by prolonged refractory status epilepticus.
      Although the etiology is unknown, FIRES has a biphasic presentation, with the
      acute phase beginning as seizure activity lasting 1-12 weeks, then followed by
      the chronic phase, which is characterized by refractory seizures that cluster
      every 2-4 weeks, and may continue to be multifocal and independent. Treatment of
      FIRES is difficult, typically unresponsive to antiepileptic drugs. Some children
      resolve temporarily with drug-induced burst suppression comas. Other therapies
      such as a ketogenic diet have limited benefit. The outcome varies with the length
      of the acute phase and is usually poor, with up to 30% of cases ending in death
      and 66-100% of survivors having intellectual disability. The authors present a
      case of a 6-year-old child presenting with FIRES and refractory status
      epilepticus, which continued despite multidrug therapy. The patient underwent
      immunomodulatory therapy with the eventual resolution of status, but she
      developed a chronic, moderately severe encephalopathy, including intractable
      epilepsy. This case highlights the challenges of FIRES and the potential of
      immunomodulatory therapies for children with this disorder.

PMID- 28898172
TI  - No Further Yield of Ambulatory EEG for Epileptiform Discharges Beyond 13 Hours.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed at evaluating the value added by 24-hour
      ambulatory EEG (AEEG) by comparing the presence of epileptiform discharges (EDs)
      between the first 30 minutes of recording versus the following 23.5 hours.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of AEEGs of subjects divided into
      two groups, epilepsy and undiagnosed episodes of loss of consciousness, was
      conducted. AEEGs were divided into early EEG (E-EEG) (first 30 minutes) and
      extended EEG (remaining 23.5 hours). Extended EEGs were further divided into
      segments (S): 31st minute to 8th hour (SI), 9th to 16th hours (SII) and 17th to
      24th hours (SIII). Each consecutive segment was reviewed to identify new EDs not
      seen previously. RESULTS: Fifty-seven AEEGs were included, the median age being
      36.3 years, the range being 18.7 to 78.6 years. There were 38 (66.6%) females.
      The collective yield of AEEG for detecting EDs was 19/57 (33.4%). The yield of E
      EEG of new EDs was 5/57 (9%). During extended EEG, the distribution of EDs was as
      follows: SI, 5/57 (9%); SII, 13/55 (24%); and SIII, 1/32 (3%). The yield,
      however, did not increase beyond the 13th hour. In undiagnosed episodes of loss
      of consciousness group (11), yield was 0/11 in all segments. CONCLUSIONS: (1)
      There was no value added for yield of EDs by extending the EEG recording beyond
      13 hours in epilepsy group. (2) The probability of capturing EDs is negligible if
      the clinical history does not clearly support the diagnosis of seizure or
      epilepsy.

PMID- 28898173
TI  - Utility of Stereoelectroencephalography in Children with Dysembryoplastic
      Neuroepithelial Tumor and Cortical Malformation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled seizures in children can contribute to irreversible
      cognitive impairment and developmental delay, in addition to placing them at risk
      for sudden unexplained death in epileptic patients (SUDEP). Since its
      introduction at Saint Ann Hospital in Paris in the 1960s,
      stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is increasingly being utilized at epilepsy
      centers in the United States as an invasive tool to help localize the seizure
      focus in drug-resistant focal epilepsy. INDICATIONS: Children with symptomatic
      epilepsy, commonly due to cortical dysplasia and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial
      tumor (DNET), may benefit from SEEG investigation. The arrangement of SEEG
      electrodes is individually tailored based on the suspected location of the
      epileptogenic zone (EZ). The implanted depth electrodes are used to electrically
      stimulate the corresponding cortices to obtain information about the topography
      of eloquent cortex and EZ. Morbidity: Surgical morbidity in these children
      undergoing SEEG investigation is low, but not negligible. The number of
      electrodes directly correlates with the risk of intraoperative complication. Thus
      a risk and benefit analysis needs to be carefully considered for each patient.
      Neurodiagnostic technology: Both during and after the SEEG electrode
      implantation, the intraoperative monitoring and EEG technologists play a vital
      role in the successful monitoring of the patient. CONCLUSION: SEEG is an
      important tool in the process of epilepsy surgery in children with symptomatic
      epilepsy, commonly due to cortical dysplasia and DNET.

PMID- 28898174
TI  - Waveform Window #41: Fact or Artifact, 3rd Edition.

PMID- 28898177
TI  - Credentialing Organizations.

PMID- 28898175
TI  - An Unusual Presentation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and an Example of How
      Hickam's Dictum and Ockham's Razor Can Both Be Right.
AB  - Patients can have more than one neurological problem, and sorting out acute from
      chronic disease can be challenging. The authors report a middle-aged patient who
      presented with ataxia, right hemiparesis, and abnormal nystagmus. Magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) showed a Chiari and an arachnoid cyst with brainstem
      compression that appeared to explain his abnormal examination. Shortly after
      admission, he was noted to have intermittent abnormal behavior and confusion.
      History from family revealed significant acute and chronic psychiatric problems
      that appeared to explain his abnormal mental status; this delayed the diagnosis
      of intermittent complex partial seizures. The multitude of various symptoms
      resulted in a delay of the final diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD),
      which in retrospect explained the entire new physical examination, seizures, and
      mental status changes.

PMID- 28898178
TI  - ASET-CEU Quiz.

PMID- 28898179
TI  - Renal Medullary Carcinoma Associated with Sickle Cell Trait.

PMID- 28898180
TI  - Invited Commentary on "Molecular Breast Imaging in Breast Cancer Screening and
      Problem Solving".

PMID- 28898181
TI  - Subfertility: What the Radiologist Needs to Know.
AB  - The role of imaging in subfertility is well established but is changing. In
      addition to traditional fertility assessments, there is an emerging role for the
      radiologist. The role of imaging in fertility-restoring procedures in benign
      disease and congenital malformations is evolving, and there is a growing need for
      accurate identification of young candidates suitable for fertility-preserving
      surgery in the oncologic setting. To facilitate this developing role, knowledge
      of the key imaging modalities used and potential therapeutic applications is
      important for accurate diagnosis and interpretation by the radiologist. (c)RSNA,
      2017.

PMID- 28898182
TI  - Invited Commentary on "CT Texture Analysis".

PMID- 28898183
TI  - Bronchiolitis: A Practical Approach for the General Radiologist-Erratum.

PMID- 28898184
TI  - Congratulations to the 2017 Editorial Fellows.

PMID- 28898186
TI  - Imaging of Breast Implant-associated Complications and Pathologic Conditions:
      Breast Imaging.

PMID- 28898187
TI  - Mature Cystic Teratoma: AIRP Best Cases in Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation.
AB  - Editor's Note.-RadioGraphics continues to publish radiologic-pathologic case
      material selected from the American Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP)
      "best case" presentations. The AIRP conducts a 4-week Radiologic Pathology
      Correlation Course, which is offered five times per year. On the penultimate day
      of the course, the best case presentation is held at the American Film Institute
      Silver Theater and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Md. The AIRP faculty
      identifies the best cases, from each organ system, brought by the resident
      attendees. One or more of the best cases from each of the five courses are then
      solicited for publication in RadioGraphics. These cases emphasize the importance
      of radiologic-pathologic correlation in the imaging evaluation and diagnosis of
      diseases encountered at the institute and its predecessor, the Armed Forces
      Institute of Pathology (AFIP).

PMID- 28898188
TI  - Contrast-enhanced US Approach to the Diagnosis of Focal Liver Masses.
AB  - Focal liver lesions are commonly encountered and often demonstrate nonspecific
      findings at initial imaging. Although most incidentally discovered liver lesions
      are benign, their noninvasive diagnosis is necessary, especially if they are
      large or atypical. Imaging characterization of focal liver lesions and exclusion
      of malignancy are of prime importance, particularly in high-risk populations.
      Contrast agent-enhanced ultrasonography of liver lesions is both accurate and
      reproducible for evaluation of benign and malignant liver tumors. Use of an
      imaging algorithm and a controlled sonographic technique, including dedicated
      arterial phase cine imaging and imaging every 30 seconds in the portal venous
      phase and the delayed (or late) phase, is essential for accurate
      characterization. This algorithmic analysis of focal liver lesions focuses first
      on the determination of malignancy by imaging the portal venous phase and the
      late phase; washout in these phases correlates with a malignant tumor, and
      sustained enhancement in these phases is suggestive that a lesion is benign. In
      addition, the timing and the intensity of washout differentiate hepatocellular
      malignancies from nonhepatocellular malignancies. Nonhepatocellular tumors
      demonstrate early and strong washout, whereas hepatocellular malignancies show
      delayed and weak washout. Subsequent analysis of dynamic real-time enhancement
      patterns in the arterial phase demonstrates specific enhancement patterns of
      common benign and malignant focal liver lesions. Hemangiomas show classic
      peripheral nodular enhancement, and spoke-wheel centrifugal enhancement is
      suggestive of focal nodular hyperplasia. Hepatic adenomas may show centripetal
      filling. However, arterial phase enhancement in malignancy has less specificity.
      Online supplemental material is available for this article. (c)RSNA, 2017 *.

PMID- 28898185
TI  - Thoracic Complications of Precision Cancer Therapies: A Practical Guide for
      Radiologists in the New Era of Cancer Care.
AB  - Recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer have opened a
      new era of precision medicine for cancer treatment. Precision cancer therapies
      target specific molecules that are responsible for cancer development and
      progression, and they achieve marked treatment benefits in specific cohorts of
      patients. However, these therapies are also associated with a variety of
      complications that are often unique to specific groups of anticancer agents. The
      rapidly increasing use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of
      various advanced malignancies has brought new challenges in diagnosing and
      monitoring a unique set of toxic effects termed immune-related adverse events.
      Familiarity with cutting-edge cancer treatment approaches and awareness of the
      emerging complications from novel therapies are essential for radiologists, who
      play a key role in the care of patients with cancer. This article provides a
      comprehensive review of the thoracic complications of precision cancer therapies,
      describes their imaging features and clinical characteristics, and discusses the
      role of radiologists in the diagnosis and monitoring of these entities. The
      authors also address the molecular mechanisms of anticancer agents that relate to
      thoracic complications and emphasize emerging challenges in novel cancer
      therapies. This article is designed to serve as a practical reference guide for
      day-to-day practice for radiologists in the era of precision cancer medicine.
      (c)RSNA, 2017.

PMID- 28898189
TI  - CT Texture Analysis: Definitions, Applications, Biologic Correlates, and
      Challenges.
AB  - This review discusses potential oncologic and nononcologic applications of CT
      texture analysis ( CTTA CT texture analysis ), an emerging area of "radiomics"
      that extracts, analyzes, and interprets quantitative imaging features. CTTA CT
      texture analysis allows objective assessment of lesion and organ heterogeneity
      beyond what is possible with subjective visual interpretation and may reflect
      information about the tissue microenvironment. CTTA CT texture analysis has shown
      promise in lesion characterization, such as differentiating benign from malignant
      or more biologically aggressive lesions. Pretreatment CT texture features are
      associated with histopathologic correlates such as tumor grade, tumor cellular
      processes such as hypoxia or angiogenesis, and genetic features such as KRAS or
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status. In addition, and likely
      as a result, these CT texture features have been linked to prognosis and clinical
      outcomes in some tumor types. CTTA CT texture analysis has also been used to
      assess response to therapy, with decreases in tumor heterogeneity generally
      associated with pathologic response and improved outcomes. A variety of
      nononcologic applications of CTTA CT texture analysis are emerging, particularly
      quantifying fibrosis in the liver and lung. Although CTTA CT texture analysis
      seems to be a promising imaging biomarker, there is marked variability in
      methods, parameters reported, and strength of associations with biologic
      correlates. Before CTTA CT texture analysis can be considered for widespread
      clinical implementation, standardization of tumor segmentation and measurement
      techniques, image filtration and postprocessing techniques, and methods for
      mathematically handling multiple tumors and time points is needed, in addition to
      identification of key texture parameters among hundreds of potential candidates,
      continued investigation and external validation of histopathologic correlates,
      and structured reporting of findings. (c)RSNA, 2017.

PMID- 28898191
TI  - Imaging Scales and Techniques Used in the 2015 Endovascular Stroke Trials and
      AHA/ASA Revised Guidelines for Acute Intervention: Neurologic/Head and Neck
      Imaging.

PMID- 28898190
TI  - Renal Tumors of Childhood: Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation Part 2. The 2nd
      Decade: From the Radiologic Pathology Archives.
AB  - Malignant renal tumors account for 7% of childhood cancers, and Wilms tumors are
      by far the most common-but not in older children and adolescents. Among
      individuals in the latter half of their 2nd decade of life, renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC) is more common than Wilms tumor. The histopathologic spectrum of RCCs in
      children differs from that in adults. The most common subtype of RCC in children
      and adolescents is Xp11.2 translocation RCC, which is distinguished by
      hyperattenuation at nonenhanced computed tomography, a defined capsule, and
      associated retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. Papillary RCC is the second most
      common histologic subtype. It enhances less intensely compared with the adjacent
      renal parenchyma and has a propensity for calcification. Clear cell RCC is seen
      in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease and is distinguished by its relatively
      hypervascular nature. Medullary carcinoma affects adolescents with the sickle
      cell trait and is characterized by an infiltrative growth pattern and extensive
      metastasis at presentation. Angiomyolipoma is seen in children with tuberous
      sclerosis complex and is often multifocal and hypervascular, with macroscopic
      fat. Metanephric tumors are central, circumscribed, and typically calcified.
      Lymphoma usually manifests as multifocal masses, but it may involve a solitary
      mass or infiltrative pattern. Extensive adenopathy and involvement of the
      gastrointestinal tract or other organs also may be seen. Primitive
      neuroectodermal tumor is an aggressive neoplasm that is typically quite large at
      diagnosis. Knowledge of the clinical, biologic, and histopathologic features of
      renal tumors in older children and adolescents and their effects on the imaging
      appearance can help the radiologist offer a useful preoperative differential
      diagnosis.

PMID- 28898192
TI  - Intracranial Teratoma: Imaging, Intraoperative, and Pathologic Features: AIRP
      Best Cases in Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation.
AB  - Editor's Note.-RadioGraphics continues to publish radiologic-pathologic case
      material selected from the American Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP)
      "best case" presentations. The AIRP conducts a 4-week Radiologic Pathology
      Correlation Course, which is offered five times per year. On the penultimate day
      of the course, the best case presentation is held at the American Film Institute
      Silver Theater and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Md. The AIRP faculty
      identifies the best cases, from each organ system, brought by the resident
      attendees. One or more of the best cases from each of the five courses are then
      solicited for publication in RadioGraphics. These cases emphasize the importance
      of radiologic-pathologic correlation in the imaging evaluation and diagnosis of
      diseases encountered at the institute and its predecessor, the Armed Forces
      Institute of Pathology (AFIP). Online supplemental material is available for this
      article.

PMID- 28898193
TI  - Molecular Breast Imaging in Breast Cancer Screening and Problem Solving.
AB  - In the United States, legislative actions in over 28 states require radiologists
      to notify women who undergo breast screening mammography of their breast density.
      This has led to increased public interest in supplemental screening, but
      radiologists have not come to a consensus on a supplemental screening modality.
      In choosing between the most common options, whole-breast ultrasonography (US)
      and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, one must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of
      each modality, as increased cancer detection may be accompanied by increased
      examination costs and biopsy rates. There has been recent interest in molecular
      breast imaging (MBI) for supplemental screening because of its high sensitivity,
      as well as its high specificity. This article describes how MBI fits into
      clinical practice alongside digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), targeted US, and
      MR imaging. The authors describe their approach to breast cancer screening, which
      uses DBT as the primary imaging modality. DBT is complemented by automated
      density calculations and supplemented with functional imaging techniques,
      including MR imaging or MBI, for women with dense breasts. An algorithm based on
      the patient's breast cancer risk is used to determine if either MR imaging or MBI
      for supplemental screening is appropriate. MBI is also used as a problem-solving
      tool for the evaluation of clinical indications following complex mammography or
      US, or for unexplained physical findings. This article describes aspects related
      to implementing MBI in clinical practice, including the clinical workflow,
      patient management, radioactive tracer administration, and procedure
      reimbursement. (c) RSNA, 2017.

PMID- 28898194
TI  - Correlate: A PACS- and EHR-integrated Tool Leveraging Natural Language Processing
      to Provide Automated Clinical Follow-up.
AB  - A major challenge for radiologists is obtaining meaningful clinical follow-up
      information for even a small percentage of cases encountered and dictated.
      Traditional methods, such as keeping medical record number follow-up lists,
      discussing cases with rounding clinical teams, and discussing cases at tumor
      boards, are effective at keeping radiologists informed of clinical outcomes but
      are time intensive and provide follow-up for a small subset of cases. To this
      end, the authors developed a picture archiving and communication system
      accessible electronic health record (EHR)-integrated program called Correlate,
      which allows the user to easily enter free-text search queries regarding desired
      clinical follow-up information, with minimal interruption to the workflow. The
      program uses natural language processing (NLP) to process the query and parse
      relevant future clinical data from the EHR. Results are ordered in terms of
      clinical relevance, and the user is e-mailed a link to results when these are
      available for viewing. A customizable personal database of queries and results is
      also maintained for convenient future access. Correlate aids radiologists in
      efficiently obtaining useful clinical follow-up information that can improve
      patient care, help keep radiologists integrated with other specialties and
      referring physicians, and provide valuable experiential learning. The authors
      briefly review the history of automated clinical follow-up tools and discuss the
      design and function of the Correlate program, which uses NLP to perform
      intelligent prospective searches of the EHR. (c) RSNA, 2017.

PMID- 28898196
TI  - Teens and Technology Transforming Acne Treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although the Internet contains many health Web sites with valid
      information, it also contains sites with false information. OBJECTIVE: To learn
      whether high school students searching health care information believe they are
      using evidence-based sites and to understand their topics of interest, frequently
      navigated sites, and trust/confidence in the credibility of information found.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Students at a private high school
      answered an anonymous survey inquiring about their belief that they were using
      evidence-based sites, topics of interest, search engines of choice, and their
      trust in information obtained. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis
      of variance were used to compare trends across grade levels. RESULTS: Of 705
      students enrolled, 24.7% were absent or declined to participate. For the
      remaining students, 497 completed the surveys, representing a response rate of
      70.5% (497/705) and a participation rate of 93.6% (497/531). Overall, 82% of
      students communicated that they believed they were using evidence-based sources
      when searching for health information (p < 0.0006). Findings showed that 42%
      searched general health information, and 43% investigated specific medical
      conditions; topics related to skin and acne were researched significantly more
      often (p < 0.05). Overall, most students (80%) reported using Google as their
      number 1 search engine (p < 0.004), 38% reported using WebMD Search (p < 0.0002),
      and 50% of students used Wikipedia (not significant). CONCLUSION: Most students
      trust health information they learn from the Internet. We found it chilling that
      less than half of students obtained their information from a Web site with health
      care professionals' oversight.

PMID- 28898195
TI  - User-Centered Design for Developing Interventions to Improve Clinician
      Recommendation of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted
      infection in the US and is associated with multiple types of cancer. Although
      effective HPV vaccines have been available since 2006, coverage rates in the US
      remain much lower than with other adolescent vaccinations. Prior research has
      shown that a strong recommendation from a clinician is a critical determinant in
      HPV vaccine uptake and coverage. However, few published studies to date have
      specifically addressed the issue of helping clinicians communicate more
      effectively with their patients about the HPV vaccine. OBJECTIVE: To develop one
      or more novel interventions for helping clinicians make strong and effective
      recommendations for HPV vaccination. METHODS: Using principles of user-centered
      design, we conducted qualitative interviews, interviews with persons from
      analogous industries, and a data synthesis workshop with multiple stakeholders.
      RESULTS: Five potential intervention strategies targeted at health care
      clinicians, youth, and their parents were developed. The two most popular choices
      to pursue were a values-based communication strategy and a puberty education
      workbook. CONCLUSION: User-centered design is a useful strategy for developing
      potential interventions to improve the rate and success of clinicians
      recommending the HPV vaccine. Further research is needed to test the
      effectiveness and acceptability of these interventions in clinical settings.

PMID- 28898197
TI  - Urgent Need for Improved Mental Health Care and a More Collaborative Model of
      Care.
AB  - Current treatments and the dominant model of mental health care do not adequately
      address the complex challenges of mental illness, which accounts for roughly one
      third of adult disability globally. These circumstances call for radical change
      in the paradigm and practices of mental health care, including improving
      standards of clinician training, developing new research methods, and re
      envisioning current models of mental health care delivery. Because of its
      dominant position in the US health care marketplace and its commitment to
      research and innovation, Kaiser Permanente (KP) is strategically positioned to
      make important contributions that will shape the future of mental health care
      nationally and globally.This article reviews challenges facing mental health care
      and proposes an agenda for developing a collaborative care model in primary care
      settings that incorporates conventional biomedical therapies and complementary
      and alternative medicine approaches. By moving beyond treatment delivery via
      telephone and secure video and providing earlier interventions through primary
      care clinics, KP is shifting the paradigm of mental health care to a
      collaborative care model focusing on prevention. Recommendations are to expand
      current practices to include integrative treatment strategies incorporating
      evidence-based biomedical and complementary and alternative medicine modalities
      that can be provided to patients using a collaborative care model.
      Recommendations also are made for an internal research program aimed at
      investigating the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of promising complementary and
      alternative medicine and integrative treatments addressing the complex needs of
      patients with severe psychiatric disorders, many of whom respond poorly to
      treatments available in KP mental health clinics.

PMID- 28898198
TI  - Appropriate Interval for Imaging Follow-up of Small Simple Pancreatic Cysts.
AB  - CONTEXT: The frequency at which patients should undergo follow-up imaging of
      small pancreatic cysts is problematic because different medical societies have
      different follow-up guidelines. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether short-term follow
      up of small pancreatic cysts is necessary to detect pancreatic cancer or cystic
      neoplasia. DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed all abdominal magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) studies obtained in a geographically isolated health maintenance
      organization between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2014, looking for
      pancreatic cysts. For each patient with one or more simple cysts, we recorded the
      size of the largest cyst. For patients with cysts, all their other computed
      tomography and MRI studies were reviewed to determine any change in size or
      morphology. The electronic medical record of every patient who underwent MRI was
      reviewed to determine development of pancreatic cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Change in cyst size on images. RESULTS: Of 1946 patients, 342 were found to have
      at least 1 pancreatic cyst. A total of 228 patients had additional imaging from
      which to determine rates of change. The mean rate (standard deviation) of change
      for these cysts was 0.1 +/- 2.0 mm/y. None of those cysts measuring 2 cm or
      smaller on MRI grew more than 5 mm in 2 years. CONCLUSION: Our data validate the
      clinical efficacy of obtaining follow-up imaging no sooner than 24 months after
      the initial detection of a simple pancreatic cyst 2 cm or smaller. Patients with
      cysts are more likely to have pancreatic cancer, but earlier follow-up imaging
      would not change their diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 28898200
TI  - Non-coding transcriptome in brain aging.

PMID- 28898201
TI  - AURKA inhibition mimics BRCAness.

PMID- 28898199
TI  - A druggable secretory protein maturase of Toxoplasma essential for invasion and
      egress.
AB  - Micronemes and rhoptries are specialized secretory organelles that deploy their
      contents at the apical tip of apicomplexan parasites in a regulated manner. The
      secretory proteins participate in motility, invasion, and egress and are
      subjected to proteolytic maturation prior to organellar storage and discharge.
      Here we establish that Toxoplasma gondii aspartyl protease 3 (ASP3) resides in
      the endosomal-like compartment and is crucially associated to rhoptry discharge
      during invasion and to host cell plasma membrane lysis during egress. A
      comparison of the N-terminome, by terminal amine isotopic labelling of substrates
      between wild type and ASP3 depleted parasites identified microneme and rhoptry
      proteins as repertoire of ASP3 substrates. The role of ASP3 as a maturase for
      previously described and newly identified secretory proteins is confirmed in vivo
      and in vitro. An antimalarial compound based on a hydroxyethylamine scaffold
      interrupts the lytic cycle of T. gondii at submicromolar concentration by
      targeting ASP3.

PMID- 28898202
TI  - Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) deficient mice are protected from adipose tissue
      inflammation in aging.
AB  - Adipose tissue (AT) inflammation is a central mechanism for metabolic dysfunction
      in both diet-induced obesity and age-associated obesity. Studies in diet-induced
      obesity have characterized the role of Fetuin A (Fet A) in Free Fatty Acids (FFA)
      mediated TLR4 activation and adipose tissue inflammation. However, the role of
      Fet A & TLR4 in aging-related adipose tissue inflammation is unknown. In the
      current study, analysis of epidymymal fat pads of C57/Bl6 male mice, we found
      that, in contrast to data from diet-induced obesity models, adipose tissue from
      aged mice have normal Fet A and TLR4 expression. Interestingly, aged TLR4
      deficient mice have diminished adipose tissue inflammation compared to normal
      controls. We further demonstrated that reduced AT inflammation in old TLR4
      deficient mice is linked to impaired ER stress, augmented autophagy activity, and
      diminished senescence phenomenon. Importantly, old TLR4-deficient mice have
      improved glucose tolerance compared to age-matched wild type mice, suggesting
      that the observed reduced AT inflammation in aged TLR4-deficient mice has
      important physiological consequences. Taken together, our present study
      establishes novel aspect of aging-associated AT inflammation that is distinct
      from diet-induced AT inflammation. Our results also provide strong evidence that
      TLR4 plays a significant role in promoting aging adipose tissue inflammation.

PMID- 28898203
TI  - Structure of electric double layers in capacitive systems and to what extent
      (classical) density functional theory describes it.
AB  - Ongoing scientific interest is aimed at the properties and structure of electric
      double layers (EDLs), which are crucial for capacitive energy storage, water
      treatment, and energy harvesting technologies like supercapacitors, desalination
      devices, blue engines, and thermocapacitive heat-to-current converters. A
      promising tool to describe their physics on a microscopic level is (classical)
      density functional theory (DFT), which can be applied in order to analyze pair
      correlations and charge ordering in the primitive model of charged hard spheres.
      This simple model captures the main properties of ionic liquids and solutions and
      it predicts many of the phenomena that occur in EDLs. The latter often lead to
      anomalous response in the differential capacitance of EDLs. This work
      constructively reviews the powerful theoretical framework of DFT and its recent
      developments regarding the description of EDLs. It explains to what extent
      current approaches in DFT describe structural ordering and in-plane transitions
      in EDLs, which occur when the corresponding electrodes are charged. Further, the
      review briefly summarizes the history of modeling EDLs, presents applications,
      and points out limitations and strengths in present theoretical approaches. It
      concludes that DFT as a sophisticated microscopic theory for ionic systems is
      expecting a challenging but promising future in both fundamental research and
      applications in supercapacitive technologies.

PMID- 28898204
TI  - Beneficial Effect of Beraprost Sodium Plus Aspirin in the Treatment of Acute
      Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND To investigate the combination of beraprost sodium (BPS) and aspirin
      in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). MATERIAL AND METHODS 308
      patients with acute cerebral infarction were randomly divided into two groups:
      experimental group (n=154), treated with BPS (40 MUg, tid) and aspirin (100 mg,
      qd); control group (n=154), treated with 100 mg of aspirin, qd). The antiplatelet
      therapy remained unchangeable until six months after hospital discharge. RESULTS
      Initially, no significant differences were found between the two groups. After
      six months, the relapse-free survival rate was similar between the treatment
      group (98.1%) and the control group (97.4%). One patient died from AIS in the
      control group. However, glomerular filtration rate was significantly higher;
      neurological function and functional ability of patients were better in patients
      treated with BPS plus aspirin (experimental group) than that in aspirin alone
      group. No significant difference was found in the function of the coagulation
      system, suggesting that BPS plus aspirin treatment did not increase the risk of
      bleeding. Serious adverse events did not occur in both groups. Facial flushing
      (one case) and mild gastrointestinal reaction (one case) were found in the
      treatment group without influencing treatment. CONCLUSIONS In our trial involving
      patients with acute cerebral infarction, BPS plus aspirin was not found to be
      superior to aspirin in reducing the recurrence of cerebral infarction or death.
      However, BPS plus aspirin treatment could improve renal function and neurological
      function without increasing the risk of bleeding.

PMID- 28898205
TI  - Tagging activated neurons with light.

PMID- 28898206
TI  - Reply: Greener revolutions for all require transparency and diversity, not
      secrecy.

PMID- 28898208
TI  - Interpreting the T-cell receptor repertoire.

PMID- 28898209
TI  - Neoantigen prediction and the need for validation.

PMID- 28898210
TI  - What's app? Helix wants you to quiz your genome-some of it for fun.

PMID- 28898212
TI  - Precision editing in the human embryo.

PMID- 28898213
TI  - 2Q17-Biotech stages a recovery.

PMID- 28898214
TI  - Blood feud erupts over Roche's bispecific antibody for hemophilia.

PMID- 28898215
TI  - Mouse phenotyping sheds light on rare disease.

PMID- 28898207
TI  - Shotgun metagenomics, from sampling to analysis.
AB  - Diverse microbial communities of bacteria, archaea, viruses and single-celled
      eukaryotes have crucial roles in the environment and in human health. However,
      microbes are frequently difficult to culture in the laboratory, which can
      confound cataloging of members and understanding of how communities function.
      High-throughput sequencing technologies and a suite of computational pipelines
      have been combined into shotgun metagenomics methods that have transformed
      microbiology. Still, computational approaches to overcome the challenges that
      affect both assembly-based and mapping-based metagenomic profiling, particularly
      of high-complexity samples or environments containing organisms with limited
      similarity to sequenced genomes, are needed. Understanding the functions and
      characterizing specific strains of these communities offers biotechnological
      promise in therapeutic discovery and innovative ways to synthesize products using
      microbial factories and can pinpoint the contributions of microorganisms to
      planetary, animal and human health.

PMID- 28898216
TI  - CRISPR patent estate splinters.

PMID- 28898218
TI  - Greener revolutions for all require transparency and diversity, not secrecy.

PMID- 28898220
TI  - Podcast: First rounders: Greg Winter.

PMID- 28898219
TI  - Nestle moves into gut microbiome tests.

PMID- 28898221
TI  - Go-ahead for first anti-IL-23 mAb to treat psoriasis.

PMID- 28898223
TI  - Recent patents related to clinical applications of sequencing.

PMID- 28898222
TI  - Around the world in a month.

PMID- 28898224
TI  - Buying time for transplants.

PMID- 28898225
TI  - Adenosine checkpoint agent blazes a trail, joins immunotherapy roster.

PMID- 28898226
TI  - After Myriad, what makes a gene patent claim 'markedly different' from nature?

PMID- 28898227
TI  - Challenges in the gene therapy commercial ecosystem.

PMID- 28898228
TI  - Vertex CF data wow Wall Street.

PMID- 28898229
TI  - What faculty hiring committees want.

PMID- 28898230
TI  - Massachusetts injects more cash into jobs.

PMID- 28898231
TI  - Albumin, bilirubin, uric acid and cancer risk: results from a prospective
      population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has long been proposed that albumin, bilirubin and uric acid may
      inhibit cancer development due to their anti-oxidative properties. However, there
      is a lack of population-based studies on blood levels of these molecules and
      cancer risk. METHODS: Associations between pre-diagnostic serum albumin,
      bilirubin and uric acid and the risks of common cancers as well as cancer death
      in the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort were evaluated by multivariable Cox regression
      analyses. A case-cohort sample including a random subcohort (n=2739) and all
      incident cases of breast (n=627), prostate (n=554), colorectal (n=256), and lung
      cancer (n=195) as well as cancer death (n=761) that occurred between baseline
      (1994-1998) and 2009 was used. RESULTS: Albumin levels were inversely associated
      with breast cancer risk (hazard ratioQuartile 4 vs Quartile 1 (95% CI): 0.71
      (0.51, 0.99), Plinear trend=0.004) and overall cancer mortality (HRQ4 vs Q1 (95%
      CI): 0.64 (0.48, 0.86), Plinear trend<0.001) after multivariable adjustment. Uric
      acid levels were also inversely associated with breast cancer risk (HRQ4 vs Q1
      (95% CI): 0.72 (0.53, 0.99), Plinear trend=0.043) and cancer mortality (HRQ4 vs
      Q1 (95% CI): 0.75 (0.58, 0.98), Plinear trend=0.09). There were no significant
      associations between albumin or uric acid and prostate, lung and colorectal
      cancer. Serum bilirubin was not associated with any cancer end point.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate that higher levels of albumin and uric
      acid are related to lower risks of breast cancer and cancer mortality. Further
      studies are needed to assess whether the observed associations are causal.

PMID- 28898232
TI  - Crosstalk between TEMs and endothelial cells modulates angiogenesis and
      metastasis via IGF1-IGF1R signalling in epithelial ovarian cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of death from
      gynaecologic malignancies and has a poor prognosis due to metastasis. Drugs
      targeting the angiogenesis pathway significantly improve patient outcome.
      However, the key factors linking angiogenesis and metastasis have not been
      elucidated. In this study, we found Tie2 expressing monocytes (CD14+Tie2+, TEMs)
      as key contributors to angiogenesis and metastasis of EOC. METHODS: Tissue slides
      were evaluated by immunofluorescence for the presence of total tissue macrophages
      and TEMs. The correlation between microvascular density (MVD) values and the TEMs
      number or ratio was calculated in both ovarian cancer tissues and peritoneum. The
      rate of TEMs in monocytes was evaluated in the peripheral blood of female healthy
      donors, benign cysts patients, and EOC patients using flow cytometry. The TEMs
      rate in ascites from EOC patients was also evaluated by flow cytometry. The
      concentration of Ang2, as the ligand of Tie2, was examined by ELISA in serum
      samples of EOC patients, benign cysts patients, and ascites samples of EOC
      patients. The effects of Ang2 on the migration and the cytokine expression of
      TEMs were further examined. The pro- angiogenesis activity of TEMs via IGF1 was
      performed in both in vivo and in vitro. And the IGF1 blocking test was performed
      using neutralising antibody. RESULTS: TEMs were significantly higher in tumour
      foci, peripheral blood and ascites in EOC patients. The proportion of TEMs among
      total tissue macrophages was positively correlated with tumour MVD. In vivo
      animal results showed that TEMs promoted EOC angiogenesis and metastasis. Further
      functional and mechanisms studies revealed that concentration of angiopoietin 2
      (Ang2), a ligand of Tie2, was elevated in EOC ascites which further recruit TEMs
      in a dose-dependent manner as a powerful chemokine to TEMs. Recruited TEMs
      promoted endothelial cell function through IGF1-activated downstream signalling.
      Blocking secreted IGF1 using inhibiting antibody reduced TEMs mediated
      angiogenesis and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: TEMs significantly increased in EOC
      patients and were recruited to tumour loci by the increased Ang2. The increased
      TEMs have diagnostic value in ovarian cancer and were positively correlated with
      the MVD in ovarian cancer tissue. Furthermore, TEMs promote angiogenesis via IGF1
      in both in vivo and in vitro experimental systems after stimulation by Ang2.
      Altogether, this study paves the way to develop novel therapy targets as the axis
      of Ang2-TEMs-IGF1 in EOC.

PMID- 28898233
TI  - Estimating the impact of a cancer diagnosis on life expectancy by socio-economic
      group for a range of cancer types in England.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Differences in cancer survival exist across socio-economic groups for
      many cancer types. Standard metrics fail to show the overall impact for patients
      and the population. METHODS: The available data consist of a population of ~2.5
      million patients and include all patients recorded as being diagnosed with
      melanoma, prostate, bladder, breast, colon, rectum, lung, ovarian and stomach
      cancers in England between 1998 and 2013. We estimated the average loss in
      expectation of life per patient in years and the proportion of life lost for a
      range of cancer types, separately by deprivation group. In addition, estimates
      for the total number of years lost due to each cancer were also obtained.
      RESULTS: Lung and stomach cancers result in the highest overall loss for males
      and females in all deprivation groups in terms of both absolute life years lost
      and loss as a proportion of expected life remaining. Female lung cancer patients
      in the least- and most-deprived group lose 14.4 and 13.8 years on average,
      respectively, that is translated as 86.1% and 87.3% of their average expected
      life years remaining. Melanoma, prostate and breast cancers have the lowest
      overall loss. On the basis of the number of patients diagnosed in 2013, lung
      cancer results in the most life years lost in total followed by breast cancer.
      Melanoma and bladder cancer account for the lowest total life years lost.
      CONCLUSIONS: There are wide differences in the impact of cancer on life
      expectancy across deprivation groups, and for most cancers the most affluent lose
      less years.

PMID- 28898234
TI  - Circulating cytokines and small molecules follow distinct expression patterns in
      acute myeloid leukaemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although aberrant expression of cytokines and small molecules
      (analytes) is well documented in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), their co
      expression patterns are not yet identified. In addition, plasma baselines for
      some analytes that are biomarkers for other cancers have not been previously
      reported in AML. METHODS: We used multiplex array technology to simultaneously
      detect and quantify 32 plasma analyte (22 reported analytes and 10 novel
      analytes) levels in 38 patients. RESULTS: In our study, 16 analytes are found to
      be significantly deregulated (13 higher, 3 lower, Mann-Whitney U-test, P-value
      <0.005), where 5 of them have never been reported before in AML. We predicted a
      seven-analyte-containing multiplex panel for diagnosis of AML and, among them,
      MIF could be a possible therapeutic target. In addition, we observed that
      circulating analytes show five co-expression signatures. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating
      analyte expression in AML significantly differs from normal, and follow distinct
      expression patterns.

PMID- 28898235
TI  - Associations of Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic atrophic gastritis with
      accelerated epigenetic ageing in older adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection and chronic atrophic gastritis
      (CAG) have shown strong associations with the development of gastric cancer. This
      study aimed to examine whether both risk factors are associated with accelerated
      epigenetic ageing, as determined by the 'DNA methylation age', in a population
      based study of older adults (n=1477). METHODS: Serological measurements of HP
      antibodies and pepsinogen I and II for CAG definition were obtained by ELISA
      kits. Whole blood DNA methylation profiles were measured by Illumina Human
      Methylation450K Beadchip. DNA methylation ages were calculated by two algorithms
      proposed by Horvath and Hannum et al. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential
      covariates in linear regression models, we found that HP infection, infection
      with virulent HP strains (CagA+) and severe CAG were significantly associated
      with an increase in DNA methylation age by ~0.4, 0.6 and 1 year (all P-values
      <0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that both CagA+ HP
      infection and CAG go along with accelerated epigenetic ageing.

PMID- 28898237
TI  - Nintedanib selectively inhibits the activation and tumour-promoting effects of
      fibroblasts from lung adenocarcinoma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nintedanib is a clinically approved multikinase receptor inhibitor to
      treat non-small cell lung cancer with adenocarcinoma (ADC) histology in
      combination with docetaxel, based on the clinical benefits reported on ADC but
      not on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which are the two most common histologic
      lung cancer subtypes. METHODS: We examined the potential role of tumour
      associated fibroblasts (TAFs) in the differential effects of nintedanib in ADC
      and SCC. Because TAFs are largely quiescent and activated in histologic sections,
      we focused on the antifibrotic effects of nintedanib on TAFs stimulated with the
      potent fibroblast activator TGF-beta1, which is upregulated in lung cancer.
      RESULTS: Nintedanib dose-dependently inhibited the TGF-beta1-induced expression
      of a panel of pro-fibrotic activation markers in both ADC-TAFs and control
      fibroblasts derived from uninvolved lung parenchyma, whereas such inhibition was
      very modest in SCC-TAFs. Remarkably, nintedanib abrogated the stimulation of
      growth and invasion in a panel of carcinoma cell lines induced by secreted
      factors from activated TAFs in ADC but not SCC, thereby supporting that TGF-beta
      signalling and aberrant TAF-carcinoma cross-talk is regulated by different
      mechanisms in ADC and SCC. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal that nintedanib is
      an effective inhibitor of fibrosis and its associated tumour-promoting effects in
      ADC, and that the poor antifibrotic response of SCC-TAFs to nintedanib may
      contribute to the differential clinical benefit observed in both subtypes. Our
      findings also support that preclinical models based on carcinoma-TAF interactions
      may help defining the mechanisms of the poor antifibrotic response of SCC-TAFs to
      nintedanib and testing new combined therapies to further expand the therapeutic
      effects of this drug in solid tumours.

PMID- 28898236
TI  - Smoking cessation and survival in lung, upper aero-digestive tract and bladder
      cancer: cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine the association between smoking cessation and
      prognosis in smoking-related cancer as it is unclear that cessation reduces
      mortality. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study from 1999 to 2013, we
      assessed the association between cessation during the first year after diagnosis
      and all-cause and cancer-specific mortality. RESULTS: Of 2882 lung, 757 upper
      aero-digestive tract (UAT) and 1733 bladder cancer patients 27%, 29% and 21% of
      lung, UAT and bladder cancer patients quit smoking. In lung cancer patients that
      quit, all-cause mortality was significantly lower (HR: 0.82 (0.74-0.92), while
      cancer-specific mortality (HR: 0.89 (0.76-1.04) and death due to index cancer
      (HR: 0.90 (0.77-1.05) were non-significantly lower. In UAT cancer, all-cause
      mortality (HR: 0.81 (0.58-1.14), cancer-specific mortality (HR: 0.84 (0.48-1.45),
      and death due to index cancer (HR: 0.75 (0.42-1.34) were non-significantly lower.
      There was no evidence of an association between quitting and mortality in bladder
      cancer. The HRs were 1.02 (0.81-1.30) for all-cause, 1.23 (0.81-1.86) for cancer
      specific, and 1.25 (0.71-2.20) for death due to index cancer. These showed a non
      significantly lower risk in sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: People with lung
      and possibly UAT cancer who quit smoking have a lower risk of mortality than
      people who continue smoking.

PMID- 28898238
TI  - Glucosamine stimulates pheromone-independent dimorphic transition in Cryptococcus
      neoformans by promoting Crz1 nuclear translocation.
AB  - Morphotype switch is a cellular response to external and internal cues. The
      Cryptococcus neoformans species complex can undergo morphological transitions
      between the yeast and the hypha form, and such morphological changes profoundly
      affect cryptococcal interaction with various hosts. Filamentation in Cryptococcus
      was historically considered a mating response towards pheromone. Recent studies
      indicate the existence of pheromone-independent signaling pathways but their
      identity or the effectors remain unknown. Here, we demonstrated that glucosamine
      stimulated the C. neoformans species complex to undergo self-filamentation.
      Glucosamine-stimulated filamentation was independent of the key components of the
      pheromone pathway, which is distinct from pheromone-elicited filamentation.
      Glucosamine stimulated self-filamentation in H99, a highly virulent serotype A
      clinical isolate and a widely used reference strain. Through a genetic screen of
      the deletion sets made in the H99 background, we found that Crz1, a transcription
      factor downstream of calcineurin, was essential for glucosamine-stimulated
      filamentation despite its dispensability for pheromone-mediated filamentation.
      Glucosamine promoted Crz1 translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus.
      Interestingly, multiple components of the high osmolality glycerol response (HOG)
      pathway, consisting of the phosphorelay system and some of the Hog1 MAPK module,
      acted as repressors of glucosamine-elicited filamentation through their
      calcineurin-opposing effect on Crz1's nuclear translocation. Surprisingly,
      glucosamine-stimulated filamentation did not require Hog1 itself and was distinct
      from the conventional general stress response. The results demonstrate that
      Cryptococcus can resort to multiple genetic pathways for morphological transition
      in response to different stimuli. Given that the filamentous form attenuates
      cryptococcal virulence and is immune-stimulatory in mammalian models, the
      findings suggest that morphogenesis is a fertile ground for future investigation
      into novel means to compromise cryptococcal pathogenesis.

PMID- 28898240
TI  - Prevalence of signs of trachoma, ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection and
      antibodies to Pgp3 in residents of Kiritimati Island, Kiribati.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In some Pacific Island countries, such as Solomon Islands and Fiji,
      active trachoma is common, but ocular Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection and
      trachomatous trichiasis (TT) are rare. On Tarawa, the most populous Kiribati
      island, both the active trachoma sign "trachomatous inflammation-follicular" (TF)
      and TT are present at prevalences warranting intervention. We sought to estimate
      prevalences of TF, TT, ocular Ct infection, and anti-Ct antibodies on Kiritimati
      Island, Kiribati, to assess local relationships between these parameters, and to
      help determine the need for interventions against trachoma on Kiribati islands
      other than Tarawa. METHODS: As part of the Global Trachoma Mapping Project
      (GTMP), on Kiritimati, we examined 406 children aged 1-9 years for active
      trachoma. We collected conjunctival swabs (for droplet digital PCR against Ct
      plasmid targets) from 1-9-year-olds with active trachoma, and a systematic
      selection of 1-9-year-olds without active trachoma. We collected dried blood
      spots (for anti-Pgp3 ELISA) from all 1-9-year-old children. We also examined 416
      adults aged >=15 years for TT. Prevalence of TF and TT was adjusted for age (TF)
      or age and gender (TT) in five-year age bands. RESULTS: The age-adjusted
      prevalence of TF in 1-9-year-olds was 28% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 24-35).
      The age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of TT in those aged >=15 years was 0.2%
      (95% CI: 0.1-0.3%). Twenty-six (13.5%) of 193 swabs from children without active
      trachoma, and 58 (49.2%) of 118 swabs from children with active trachoma were
      positive for Ct DNA. Two hundred and ten (53%) of 397 children had anti-Pgp3
      antibodies. Both infection (p<0.0001) and seropositivity (p<0.0001) were strongly
      associated with active trachoma. In 1-9-year-olds, the prevalence of anti-Pgp3
      antibodies rose steeply with age. CONCLUSION: Trachoma presents a public health
      problem on Kiritimati, where the high prevalence of ocular Ct infection and rapid
      increase in seropositivity with age suggest intense Ct transmission amongst young
      children. Interventions are required here to prevent future blindness.

PMID- 28898239
TI  - Sustained effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Counselling for Alcohol
      Problems, a brief psychological treatment for harmful drinking in men, delivered
      by lay counsellors in primary care: 12-month follow-up of a randomised controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Counselling for Alcohol Problems (CAP), a brief intervention
      delivered by lay counsellors, enhanced remission and abstinence over 3 months
      among male primary care attendees with harmful drinking in a setting in India. We
      evaluated the sustainability of the effects after treatment termination, the cost
      effectiveness of CAP over 12 months, and the effects of the hypothesized mediator
      'readiness to change' on clinical outcomes. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Male primary
      care attendees aged 18-65 years screening with harmful drinking on the Alcohol
      Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were randomised to either CAP plus
      enhanced usual care (EUC) (n = 188) or EUC alone (n = 189), of whom 89% completed
      assessments at 3 months, and 84% at 12 months. Primary outcomes were remission
      and mean standard ethanol consumed in the past 14 days, and the proposed
      mediating variable was readiness to change at 3 months. CAP participants
      maintained the gains they showed at the end of treatment through the 12-month
      follow-up, with the proportion with remission (AUDIT score < 8: 54.3% versus
      31.9%; adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.71 [95% CI 1.32, 2.22]; p < 0.001) and
      abstinence in the past 14 days (45.1% versus 26.4%; adjusted odds ratio 1.92 [95%
      CI 1.19, 3.10]; p = 0.008) being significantly higher in the CAP plus EUC arm
      than in the EUC alone arm. CAP participants also fared better on secondary
      outcomes including recovery (AUDIT score < 8 at 3 and 12 months: 27.4% versus
      15.1%; aPR 1.90 [95% CI 1.21, 3.00]; p = 0.006) and percent of days abstinent
      (mean percent [SD] 71.0% [38.2] versus 55.0% [39.8]; adjusted mean difference
      16.1 [95% CI 7.1, 25.0]; p = 0.001). The intervention effect for remission was
      higher at 12 months than at 3 months (aPR 1.50 [95% CI 1.09, 2.07]). There was no
      evidence of an intervention effect on Patient Health Questionnaire 9 score,
      suicidal behaviour, percentage of days of heavy drinking, Short Inventory of
      Problems score, WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 score, days unable to
      work, or perpetration of intimate partner violence. Economic analyses indicated
      that CAP plus EUC was dominant over EUC alone, with lower costs and better
      outcomes; uncertainty analysis showed a 99% chance of CAP being cost-effective
      per remission achieved from a health system perspective, using a willingness to
      pay threshold equivalent to 1 month's wages for an unskilled manual worker in
      Goa. Readiness to change level at 3 months mediated the effect of CAP on mean
      standard ethanol consumption at 12 months (indirect effect -6.014 [95% CI -13.99,
      -0.046]). Serious adverse events were infrequent, and prevalence was similar by
      arm. The methodological limitations of this trial are the susceptibility of self
      reported drinking to social desirability bias, the modest participation rates of
      eligible patients, and the examination of mediation effects of only 1 mediator
      and in only half of our sample. CONCLUSIONS: CAP's superiority over EUC at the
      end of treatment was largely stable over time and was mediated by readiness to
      change. CAP provides better outcomes at lower costs from a societal perspective.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN76465238.

PMID- 28898241
TI  - Alterations in the programming of energy metabolism in adolescents with
      background exposure to dioxins, dl-PCBs and PBDEs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Dioxins and PCBs are highly toxic and persistent environmental
      pollutants that are measurable in humans worldwide. These persistent organic
      pollutants are associated with a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus. We
      hypothesise that perinatal (background) exposure to industrial pollutants like
      dioxins also influences body mass development and energy metabolism in later
      life. STUDY DESIGN: In The Netherlands, the perinatal exposure (prenatal exposure
      and postnatal lactational intake) to dioxins has been studied prospectively since
      1987. Fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c and leptin were analysed in 33 children of
      the original cohort of 60. BMI, glucose:insulin and BMI:leptin ratios were
      calculated. Prenatal exposure, lactational intake and current serum levels of
      dioxins (PCDD/F), dl-PCBs and PBDE concentrations were determined using (HR)GC
      MS. RESULTS: Prenatal dioxin (PCDD/F) exposure was positively correlated to the
      glucose:insulin ratio (p = 0.024) and negatively correlated to the fasting
      insulin concentration (p = 0.017) in adolescence. Postnatal lactational PCDD/F
      intake was also negatively correlated to fasting insulin concentration (p =
      0.028). Current serum levels of PCDD/Fs and total TEQ (dl-PCBs+PCDD/Fs) were
      positively correlated to the fasting serum glucose concentration (p = 0.015 and p
      = 0.037, respectively).No metabolic effects were seen in association with current
      serum levels of PBDEs. A positive correlation between the insulin and leptin
      concentrations (p = 0.034) was observed. No effects were found on leptin levels,
      BMI:leptin ratio, HbA1c levels or BMI. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This study
      indicates that prenatal and lactational exposure influences glucose metabolism in
      adolescents, presumably through a negative effect on insulin secretion by
      pancreatic beta cells. Additionally, the very low recent background exposure to
      dioxins in puberty possibly has an effect on the glucose level.

PMID- 28898242
TI  - An iterative approach for the global estimation of sentence similarity.
AB  - Measuring the similarity between two sentences is often difficult due to their
      small lexical overlap. Instead of focusing on the sets of features in two given
      sentences between which we must measure similarity, we propose a sentence
      similarity method that considers two types of constraints that must be satisfied
      by all pairs of sentences in a given corpus. Namely, (a) if two sentences share
      many features in common, then it is likely that the remaining features in each
      sentence are also related, and (b) if two sentences contain many related
      features, then those two sentences are themselves similar. The two constraints
      are utilized in an iterative bootstrapping procedure that simultaneously updates
      both word and sentence similarity scores. Experimental results on SemEval 2015
      Task 2 dataset show that the proposed iterative approach for measuring sentence
      semantic similarity is significantly better than the non-iterative counterparts.

PMID- 28898244
TI  - NeuroPlace: Categorizing urban places according to mental states.
AB  - Urban spaces have a great impact on how people's emotion and behaviour. There are
      number of factors that impact our brain responses to a space. This paper presents
      a novel urban place recommendation approach, that is based on modelling in-situ
      EEG data. The research investigations leverages on newly affordable
      Electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets, which has the capability to sense mental
      states such as meditation and attention levels. These emerging devices have been
      utilized in understanding how human brains are affected by the surrounding built
      environments and natural spaces. In this paper, mobile EEG headsets have been
      used to detect mental states at different types of urban places. By analysing and
      modelling brain activity data, we were able to classify three different places
      according to the mental state signature of the users, and create an association
      map to guide and recommend people to therapeutic places that lessen brain fatigue
      and increase mental rejuvenation. Our mental states classifier has achieved
      accuracy of (%90.8). NeuroPlace breaks new ground not only as a mobile ubiquitous
      brain monitoring system for urban computing, but also as a system that can advise
      urban planners on the impact of specific urban planning policies and structures.
      We present and discuss the challenges in making our initial prototype more
      practical, robust, and reliable as part of our on-going research. In addition, we
      present some enabling applications using the proposed architecture.

PMID- 28898243
TI  - Neoatherosclerosis development following bioresorbable vascular scaffold
      implantation in diabetic and non-diabetic swine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DM remains a risk factor for poor outcome after stent-implantation,
      but little is known if and how DM affects the vascular response to BVS. AIM: The
      aim of our study was to examine coronary responses to bioresorbable vascular
      scaffolds (BVS) in swine with and without diabetes mellitus fed a 'fast-food'
      diet (FF-DM and FF-NDM, respectively) by sequential optical coherence tomography
      (OCT)-imaging and histology. METHODS: Fifteen male swine were evaluated. Eight
      received streptozotocin-injection to induce DM. After 9 months (M), 32 single BVS
      were implanted in epicardial arteries with a stent to artery (S/A)-ratio of 1.1:1
      under quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and OCT guidance. Lumen, scaffold,
      neointimal coverage and composition were assessed by QCA, OCT and near-infrared
      spectroscopy (NIRS) pre- and/or post-procedure, at 3M and 6M. Additionally,
      polarization-sensitive (PS)-OCT was performed in 7 swine at 6M. After sacrifice
      at 3M and 6M, histology and polymer degradation analysis were performed. RESULTS:
      Late lumen loss was high (~60%) within the first 3M after BVS-implantation
      (P<0.01 FF-DM vs. FF-NDM) and stabilized between 3M and 6M (<5% change in FF-DM,
      ~10% in FF-NDM; P>0.20). Neointimal coverage was highly heterogeneous in all
      swine (DM vs. NDM P>0.05), with focal lipid accumulation, irregular collagen
      distribution and neointimal calcification. Likewise, polymer mass loss was low
      (~2% at 3M, ~5% at 6M;P>0.20) and not associated with DM or inflammation.
      CONCLUSION: Scaffold coverage showed signs of neo-atherosclerosis in all FF-DM
      and FF-NDM swine, scaffold polymer was preserved and the vascular response to BVS
      was not influenced by diabetes.

PMID- 28898245
TI  - Improving data sharing in research with context-free encoded missing data.
AB  - Lack of attention to missing data in research may result in biased results, loss
      of power and reduced generalizability. Registering reasons for missing values at
      the time of data collection, or-in the case of sharing existing data-before
      making data available to other teams, can save time and efforts, improve
      scientific value and help to prevent erroneous assumptions and biased results. To
      ensure that encoding of missing data is sufficient to understand the reason why
      data are missing, it should ideally be context-free. Therefore, 11 context-free
      codes of missing data were carefully designed based on three completed randomized
      controlled clinical trials and tested in a new randomized controlled clinical
      trial by an international team consisting of clinical researchers and
      epidemiologists with extended experience in designing and conducting trials and
      an Information System expert. These codes can be divided into missing due to
      participant and/or participation characteristics (n = 6), missing by design (n =
      4), and due to a procedural error (n = 1). Broad implementation of context-free
      missing data encoding may enhance the possibilities of data sharing and pooling,
      thus allowing more powerful analyses using existing data.

PMID- 28898246
TI  - Cytotoxicity and anti-tumor effects of new ruthenium complexes on triple negative
      breast cancer cells.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer
      subtype. The high rate of metastasis associated to the fact that these cells
      frequently display multidrug resistance, make the treatment of metastatic disease
      difficult. Development of antitumor metal-based drugs was started with the
      discovery of cisplatin, however, the severe side effects represent a limitation
      for its clinical use. Ruthenium (Ru) complexes with different ligands have been
      successfully studied as prospective antitumor drugs. In this work, we
      demonstrated the activity of a series of biphosphine bipyridine Ru complexes (1)
      [Ru(SO4)(dppb)(bipy)], (2) [Ru(CO3)(dppb)(bipy)], (3) [Ru(C2O4)(dppb)(bipy)] and
      (4) [Ru(CH3CO2)(dppb)(bipy)]PF6 [where dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane
      and bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine], on proliferation of TNBC (MDA-MB-231), estrogen
      dependent breast tumor cells (MCF-7) and a non-tumor breast cell line (MCF-10A).
      Complex (4) was most effective among the complexes and was selected to be further
      investigated on effects on tumor cell adhesion, migration, invasion and in
      apoptosis. Moreover, DNA and HSA binding properties of this complex were also
      investigated. Results show that complex (4) was more efficient inhibiting
      proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells over non-tumor cells. In addition, complex (4)
      was able to inhibit MDA-MB231 cells adhesion, migration and invasion and to
      induce apoptosis and inhibit MMP-9 secretion in TNBC cells. Complex (4) should be
      further investigated in vivo in order to stablish its potential to improve breast
      cancer treatment.

PMID- 28898247
TI  - Prevalence of acromegaly in patients with symptoms of sleep apnea.
AB  - Acromegaly is a rare disease with nonspecific symptoms with acral enlargement
      being almost universally present at diagnosis. The estimated prevalence is 40-125
      cases/million but targeted universal screening studies have found a higher
      prevalence (about 10 fold). The aim of the ACROSAHS study was to investigate the
      prevalence of acromegaly and acromegaly comorbidities in patients with sleep
      apnea symptoms and acral enlargement. ACROSAHS was a Spanish prospective non
      interventional epidemiological study in 13 Hospital sleep referral units. Facial
      and acral enlargement symptoms including: ring size and shoe size increase,
      tongue, lips and jaws enlargement, paresthesia or carpal tunnel syndrome and
      widening of tooth spaces, as well as other typical acromegaly comorbidities were
      recorded with a self-administered questionnaire of patients who attended a first
      visit for sleep apnea symptoms between 09/2013 and 07/2014. Serum insulin-like
      growth factor type 1 (IGF1) was measured in patients with >=1 acral symptom to
      determine the prevalence of acromegaly. Of the 1557 patients enrolled, 1477 with
      complete data (72% male) were analyzed. 530 patients (36%) reported at least 1
      acral enlargement symptom and were tested for IGF-1, 41 were above range,
      persisted in 7, and among those, 2 cases of acromegaly were diagnosed (prevalence
      of at least 1.35 cases/1000). Overall, 1019 patients (69%) had >=2 acromegaly
      symptoms and should have been screened according to guidelines; moreover 373
      patients (25%) had >=1 symptom of acral enlargement plus >=3 other acromegaly
      symptoms. In conclusion, in patients with sleep apnea symptoms and acral
      enlargement, we found an acromegaly prevalence of at least 1.35 cases per 1000
      and a high prevalence of typical acromegaly symptoms. It is important that sleep
      specialists are aware of acromegaly symptoms to aid with acromegaly diagnosis.

PMID- 28898249
TI  - Projecting social contact matrices in 152 countries using contact surveys and
      demographic data.
AB  - Heterogeneities in contact networks have a major effect in determining whether a
      pathogen can become epidemic or persist at endemic levels. Epidemic models that
      determine which interventions can successfully prevent an outbreak need to
      account for social structure and mixing patterns. Contact patterns vary across
      age and locations (e.g. home, work, and school), and including them as predictors
      in transmission dynamic models of pathogens that spread socially will improve the
      models' realism. Data from population-based contact diaries in eight European
      countries from the POLYMOD study were projected to 144 other countries using a
      Bayesian hierarchical model that estimated the proclivity of age-and-location
      specific contact patterns for the countries, using Markov chain Monte Carlo
      simulation. Household level data from the Demographic and Health Surveys for nine
      lower-income countries and socio-demographic factors from several on-line
      databases for 152 countries were used to quantify similarity of countries to
      estimate contact patterns in the home, work, school and other locations for
      countries for which no contact data are available, accounting for demographic
      structure, household structure where known, and a variety of metrics including
      workforce participation and school enrolment. Contacts are highly assortative
      with age across all countries considered, but pronounced regional differences in
      the age-specific contacts at home were noticeable, with more inter-generational
      contacts in Asian countries than in other settings. Moreover, there were
      variations in contact patterns by location, with work-place contacts being least
      assortative. These variations led to differences in the effect of social
      distancing measures in an age structured epidemic model. Contacts have an
      important role in transmission dynamic models that use contact rates to
      characterize the spread of contact-transmissible diseases. This study provides
      estimates of mixing patterns for societies for which contact data such as POLYMOD
      are not yet available.

PMID- 28898248
TI  - Place field assembly distribution encodes preferred locations.
AB  - The hippocampus is the main locus of episodic memory formation and the neurons
      there encode the spatial map of the environment. Hippocampal place cells
      represent location, but their role in the learning of preferential location
      remains unclear. The hippocampus may encode locations independently from the
      stimuli and events that are associated with these locations. We have discovered a
      unique population code for the experience-dependent value of the context. The
      degree of reward-driven navigation preference highly correlates with the spatial
      distribution of the place fields recorded in the CA1 region of the hippocampus.
      We show place field clustering towards rewarded locations. Optogenetic
      manipulation of the ventral tegmental area demonstrates that the experience
      dependent place field assembly distribution is directed by tegmental dopaminergic
      activity. The ability of the place cells to remap parallels the acquisition of
      reward context. Our findings present key evidence that the hippocampal neurons
      are not merely mapping the static environment but also store the concurrent
      context reward value, enabling episodic memory for past experience to support
      future adaptive behavior.

PMID- 28898251
TI  - HbA1c for type 2 diabetes diagnosis in Africans and African Americans:
      Personalized medicine NOW!
AB  - Andrew Paterson discusses findings from a new study that shows HbA1c screening
      for diabetes will leave 2% of African Americans undiagnosed and how personalised
      medicine is needed.

PMID- 28898250
TI  - Effects of proteasome inhibitor MG-132 on the parasite Schistosoma mansoni.
AB  - Proteasome is a proteolytic complex responsible for intracellular protein
      turnover in eukaryotes, archaea and in some actinobacteria species. Previous work
      has demonstrated that in Schistosoma mansoni parasites, the proteasome inhibitor
      MG-132 affects parasite development. However, the molecular targets affected by
      MG-132 in S. mansoni are not entirely known. Here, we used expression microarrays
      to measure the genome-wide changes in gene expression of S. mansoni adult worms
      exposed in vitro to MG-132, followed by in silico functional analyses of the
      affected genes using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Scanning electron
      microscopy was used to document changes in the parasites' tegument. We identified
      1,919 genes with a statistically significant (q-value <= 0.025) differential
      expression in parasites treated for 24 h with MG-132, when compared with control.
      Of these, a total of 1,130 genes were up-regulated and 790 genes were down
      regulated. A functional gene interaction network comprised of MG-132 and its
      target genes, known from the literature to be affected by the compound in humans,
      was identified here as affected by MG-132. While MG-132 activated the expression
      of the 26S proteasome genes, it also decreased the expression of 19S chaperones
      assembly, 20S proteasome maturation, ubiquitin-like NEDD8 and its partner cullin
      3 ubiquitin ligase genes. Interestingly, genes that encode proteins related to
      potassium ion binding, integral membrane component, ATPase and potassium channel
      activities were significantly down-regulated, whereas genes encoding proteins
      related to actin binding and microtubule motor activity were significantly up
      regulated. MG-132 caused important changes in the worm tegument; peeling,
      outbreaks and swelling in the tegument tubercles could be observed, which is
      consistent with interference on the ionic homeostasis in S. mansoni. Finally, we
      showed the down-regulation of Bax pro-apoptotic gene, as well as up-regulation of
      two apoptosis inhibitor genes, IAP1 and BRE1, and in contrast, down-regulation of
      Apaf-1 apoptotic activator, thus suggesting that apoptosis is deregulated in S.
      mansoni exposed to MG-132. A considerable insight has been gained concerning the
      potential of MG-132 as a gene expression modulator, and overall the data suggest
      that the proteasome might be an important molecular target for the design of new
      drugs against schistosomiasis.

PMID- 28898253
TI  - Engineering human cell spheroids to model embryonic tissue fusion in vitro.
AB  - Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions drive embryonic fusion events during
      development, and perturbations of these interactions can result in birth defects.
      Cleft palate and neural tube defects can result from genetic defects or
      environmental exposures during development, yet very little is known about the
      effect of chemical exposures on fusion events during human development because of
      a lack of relevant and robust human in vitro assays of developmental fusion
      behavior. Given the etiology and prevalence of cleft palate and the relatively
      simple architecture and composition of the embryonic palate, we sought to develop
      a three-dimensional culture system that mimics the embryonic palate and could be
      used to study fusion behavior in vitro using human cells. We engineered size
      controlled human Wharton's Jelly stromal cell (HWJSC) spheroids and established
      that 7 days of culture in osteogenesis differentiation medium was sufficient to
      promote an osteogenic phenotype consistent with embryonic palatal mesenchyme.
      HWJSC spheroids supported the attachment of human epidermal keratinocyte
      progenitor cells (HPEKp) on the outer spheroid surface likely through deposition
      of collagens I and IV, fibronectin, and laminin by mesenchymal spheroids. HWJSC
      spheroids coated in HPEKp cells exhibited fusion behavior in culture, as
      indicated by the removal of epithelial cells from the seams between spheroids,
      that was dependent on epidermal growth factor signaling and fibroblast growth
      factor signaling in agreement with palate fusion literature. The method described
      here may broadly apply to the generation of three-dimensional epithelial
      mesenchymal co-cultures to study developmental fusion events in a format that is
      amenable to predictive toxicology applications.

PMID- 28898254
TI  - Serum levels of adiponectin and leptin as biomarkers of proteinuria in lupus
      nephritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There are controversial results about the role of serum leptin and
      adiponectin levels as biomarkers of the severity of proteinuria in lupus
      nephritis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship
      between serum leptin and adiponectin levels with severity of proteinuria
      secondary to lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 103 women
      with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were evaluated for kidney involvement. We
      compared 30 SLE patients with LN, all of them with proteinuria, versus 73 SLE
      patients without renal involvement (no LN). A comprehensive set of clinical and
      laboratory variables was assessed, including serum levels of leptin and
      adiponectin by ELISA. Multivariate analyses were used to adjust for potential
      confounders associated with proteinuria in LN. RESULTS: We found higher
      adiponectin levels in the LN group compared with the no LN group (20.4 +/- 10.3
      vs 15.6 +/- 7.8 MUg/mL; p = 0.02), whereas no differences were observed in leptin
      levels (33.3 +/- 31.4 vs 22.5 +/- 25.5 ng/mL; p = 0.07). Severity of proteinuria
      correlated with an increase in adiponectin levels (r = 0.31; p = 0.001), but no
      correlation was observed with leptin. Adiponectin levels were not related to anti
      dsDNA or anti-nucleosome antibodies. In the logistic regression, adiponectin
      levels were associated with a high risk of proteinuria in SLE (OR = 1.06; 95% CI
      1.01-1.12; p = 0.02). Instead, leptin was not associated with LN. CONCLUSION:
      These findings indicate that adiponectin levels are useful markers associated
      with proteinuria in LN. Further longitudinal studies are required to identify if
      these levels are predictive of renal relapse.

PMID- 28898255
TI  - Molecular and biochemical characterization of a potato collection with
      contrasting tuber carotenoid content.
AB  - After wheat and rice, potato is the third most important staple food worldwide. A
      collection of ten tetraploid (Solanum tuberosum) and diploid (S. phureja and S.
      chacoense) genotypes with contrasting carotenoid content was subjected to
      molecular characterization with respect to candidate carotenoid loci and
      metabolic profiling using LC-HRMS. Irrespective of ploidy and taxonomy, tubers of
      these genotypes fell into three groups: yellow-fleshed, characterized by high
      levels of epoxy-xanthophylls and xanthophyll esters and by the presence of at
      least one copy of a dominant allele of the beta-Carotene Hydroxylase 2 (CHY2)
      gene; white-fleshed, characterized by low carotenoid levels and by the presence
      of recessive chy2 alleles; and orange-fleshed, characterized by high levels of
      zeaxanthin but low levels of xanthophyll esters, and homozygosity for a
      Zeaxanthin Epoxidase (ZEP) recessive allele. Novel CHY2 and ZEP alleles were
      identified in the collection. Multivariate analysis identified several groups of
      co-regulated non-polar compounds, and resulted in the grouping of the genotypes
      according to flesh color, suggesting that extensive cross-talk exists between the
      carotenoid pathway and other metabolite pathways in tubers. Postharvest traits
      like tuber dormancy and weight loss during storage showed little correlation with
      tuber carotenoid content, with the exception of zeaxanthin and its esters. Other
      tuber metabolites, such as glucose, monogalactosyldiacyglycerol (a glycolipid),
      or suberin precursors, showed instead significant correlations with both traits.

PMID- 28898256
TI  - Carbidopa, a drug in use for management of Parkinson disease inhibits T cell
      activation and autoimmunity.
AB  - Carbidopa is a drug that blocks conversion of levodopa to dopamine outside of
      central nervous system (CNS) and thus inhibits unwanted side effects of levodopa
      on organs located outside of CNS during management of Parkinson's Disease (PD).
      PD is associated with increased expression of inflammatory genes in peripheral
      and central nervous system (CNS), infiltration of immune cells into brain, and
      increased numbers of activated/memory T cells. Animal models of PD have shown a
      critical role of T cells in inducing pathology in CNS. However, the effect of
      carbidopa on T cell responses in vivo is unknown. In this report, we show that
      carbidopa strongly inhibited T cell activation in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly,
      carbidopa mitigated myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide fragment 35-55
      (MOG-35-55) induced experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) and collagen
      induced arthritis in animal models. The data presented here suggest that in
      addition to blocking peripheral conversion of levodopa, carbidopa may inhibit T
      cell responses in PD individuals and implicate a potential therapeutic use of
      carbidopa in suppression of T cell mediated pathologies.

PMID- 28898257
TI  - Transiency of retinal ganglion cell action potential responses determined by PSTH
      time constant.
AB  - Retinal ganglion cells (RGC) have been described to react to light stimuli either
      by producing short bursts of spikes or by maintaining a longer, continuous train
      of action potentials. Fast, quickly decaying responses are considered to be
      transient in nature and encode information about movement and direction, while
      cell responses that show a slow, drawn-out response fall into the sustained
      category and are thought to be responsible for carrying information related to
      color and contrast. Multiple approaches have been introduced thus far to measure
      and determine response transiency. In this study, we adopted and slightly
      modified a method described by Zeck and Masland to characterize RGC response
      transiency values and compare them to those obtained by alternative methods. As
      the first step, RGC spike responses were elicited by light stimulation and
      peristimulus time histograms (PSTHs) were generated. PSTHs then were used to
      calculate the time constant (PSTHtau approach). We show that this method is
      comparable to or more reliable than alternative approaches to describe the
      temporal characteristics of RGC light responses. In addition, we also show that
      PSTHtau-s are compatible with time constants measured on RGC and/or bipolar cell
      graded potentials; thus they are suitable for studying signaling through parallel
      retinal pathways.

PMID- 28898258
TI  - Antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of propolis of Plebeia droryana and Apis
      mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apidae) from the Brazilian Cerrado biome.
AB  - Propolis is a complex bioactive mixture produced by bees, known to have different
      biological activities, especially in countries where there is a rich biodiversity
      of plant species. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical
      composition and evaluate the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of Brazilian
      propolis from the species Plebeia droryana and Apis mellifera found in Mato
      Grosso do Sul, Brazil. In the ethanolic extracts of P. droryana propolis (ExEP-P)
      and A. mellifera (ExEP-A) acids, phenolic compounds, terpenes and tocopherol were
      identified as major compounds. Both extracts presented antioxidant activity
      against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, the maximum
      activities being 500 MUg/mL (ExEP-P) and 300 MUg/mL (ExEP-A). However, only ExEP
      A was able to inhibit lipid peroxidation induced by the oxidizing agent 2,2'
      azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH), which inhibited oxidative
      hemolysis and reduced the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in human erythrocytes
      for 4 h of incubation. The extracts also reduced the cell viability of the K562
      erythroleukemia tumour line, with a predominance of necrotic death. Thus, it is
      concluded that the propolis produced by P. droryana and A. mellifera contain
      important compounds capable of minimizing the action of oxidizing substances in
      the organism and reducing the viability of erythroleukemia cells.

PMID- 28898259
TI  - Association between retinal vein occlusion and an increased risk of acute
      myocardial infarction: A nationwide population-based follow-up study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate a possible association between retinal vein occlusion
      (RVO) and an increased risk of developing acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
      DESIGN: A population-based retrospective cohort study using the entire population
      of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from 1st
      January, 2001 to 31st December, 2013. METHODS: A total of 37921 subjects with RVO
      were enrolled in the RVO group, and 113763 subjects without RVO were enrolled in
      the comparison group. The comparison group consisted of randomly selected
      individuals who were propensity score (PS)-matched with the RVO group at a ratio
      of 1:3, based on age, gender, obesity, stroke, hyperviscosity syndrome, glaucoma,
      and the use of antithrombotic drugs. A log-rank test was used to compare the
      cumulative hazard of AMI between the two groups. A multivariate Cox regression
      analysis was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of AMI, adjusted
      for PS, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, congestive heart failure, and
      chronic renal failure. RESULTS: The mean age of the cohort was 62.4+/-13.2 years.
      RVO patients had significantly higher proportions of diabetes, hypertension,
      hyperlipidemia, congestive heart failure, and chronic renal failure than the
      comparisons. The mean follow-up period was 5.52 years in the RVO group and 5.55
      years in the comparison group (p = 0.16). A log-rank test comparing the
      cumulative hazard curves of AMI for the two groups revealed a significant
      difference (p<0.0001). In the multivariate Cox regression after adjustment for PS
      and confounders, the RVO group had a significantly higher risk of AMI (adjusted
      HR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.30). When the RVO group was divided into central
      retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and
      analyzed separately, both groups had significantly higher adjusted HRs for
      developing AMI than the comparison group. Moreover, the CRVO group had a
      significantly higher risk of AMI than the BRVO group. CONCLUSIONS: People with
      RVO are at significantly greater risk of developing AMI than individuals without
      RVO.

PMID- 28898260
TI  - Hyperglycemia-related advanced glycation end-products is associated with the
      altered phosphatidylcholine metabolism in osteoarthritis patients with diabetes.
AB  - To test whether type 2 diabetic patients have an elevated level of advanced
      glycation end-products (AGEs) and responsible for altered phosphatidylcholine
      metabolism, which we recently found to be associated with osteoarthritis (OA) and
      diabetes mellitus (DM), synovial fluid (SF) and plasma samples were collected
      from OA patients with and without DM. Hyperglycemia-related AGEs including
      methylglyoxal (MG), free methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone (MG-H1), and
      protein bound N-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and N-(Carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL)
      levels were measured in both SF and plasma samples using liquid chromatography
      coupled tandem mass spectrometry methodology. The correlation between these AGEs
      and phosphatidylcholine acyl-alkyl C34:3 (PC ae C34:3) and C36:3 (PC ae C36:3)
      were examined. Eighty four patients with knee OA, including 46 with DM and 38
      without DM, were included in the study. There was no significant difference in
      plasma levels of MG, MG-H1, CML, and CEL between OA patients with and without DM.
      However, the levels of MG and MG-H1, but not CML and CEL in SF were significantly
      higher in OA patients with DM than in those without (all p <=0.04). This
      association strengthened after adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), sex and
      hexose level (p<0.02). Moreover, the levels of MG-H1 in SF was negatively and
      significantly correlated with PC ae C34:3 (rho = -0.34; p = 0.02) and PC ae C36:3
      (rho = -0.39; P = 0.03) after the adjustment of age, BMI, sex and hexose level.
      Our data indicated that the production of non-protein bound AGEs was increased
      within the OA-affected joint of DM patients. This is associated with changes in
      phosphatidylcholine metabolism and might be responsible for the observed
      epidemiological association between OA and DM.

PMID- 28898252
TI  - Impact of common genetic determinants of Hemoglobin A1c on type 2 diabetes risk
      and diagnosis in ancestrally diverse populations: A transethnic genome-wide meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is used to diagnose type 2 diabetes (T2D)
      and assess glycemic control in patients with diabetes. Previous genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) have identified 18 HbA1c-associated genetic variants.
      These variants proved to be classifiable by their likely biological action as
      erythrocytic (also associated with erythrocyte traits) or glycemic (associated
      with other glucose-related traits). In this study, we tested the hypotheses that,
      in a very large scale GWAS, we would identify more genetic variants associated
      with HbA1c and that HbA1c variants implicated in erythrocytic biology would
      affect the diagnostic accuracy of HbA1c. We therefore expanded the number of
      HbA1c-associated loci and tested the effect of genetic risk-scores comprised of
      erythrocytic or glycemic variants on incident diabetes prediction and on
      prevalent diabetes screening performance. Throughout this multiancestry study, we
      kept a focus on interancestry differences in HbA1c genetics performance that
      might influence race-ancestry differences in health outcomes. METHODS & FINDINGS:
      Using genome-wide association meta-analyses in up to 159,940 individuals from 82
      cohorts of European, African, East Asian, and South Asian ancestry, we identified
      60 common genetic variants associated with HbA1c. We classified variants as
      implicated in glycemic, erythrocytic, or unclassified biology and tested whether
      additive genetic scores of erythrocytic variants (GS-E) or glycemic variants (GS
      G) were associated with higher T2D incidence in multiethnic longitudinal cohorts
      (N = 33,241). Nineteen glycemic and 22 erythrocytic variants were associated with
      HbA1c at genome-wide significance. GS-G was associated with higher T2D risk
      (incidence OR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.04-1.06, per HbA1c-raising allele, p = 3 * 10-29);
      whereas GS-E was not (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.99-1.01, p = 0.60). In Europeans and
      Asians, erythrocytic variants in aggregate had only modest effects on the
      diagnostic accuracy of HbA1c. Yet, in African Americans, the X-linked G6PD G202A
      variant (T-allele frequency 11%) was associated with an absolute decrease in
      HbA1c of 0.81%-units (95% CI 0.66-0.96) per allele in hemizygous men, and 0.68%
      units (95% CI 0.38-0.97) in homozygous women. The G6PD variant may cause
      approximately 2% (N = 0.65 million, 95% CI 0.55-0.74) of African American adults
      with T2D to remain undiagnosed when screened with HbA1c. Limitations include the
      smaller sample sizes for non-European ancestries and the inability to classify
      approximately one-third of the variants. Further studies in large multiethnic
      cohorts with HbA1c, glycemic, and erythrocytic traits are required to better
      determine the biological action of the unclassified variants. CONCLUSIONS: As
      G6PD deficiency can be clinically silent until illness strikes, we recommend
      investigation of the possible benefits of screening for the G6PD genotype along
      with using HbA1c to diagnose T2D in populations of African ancestry or groups
      where G6PD deficiency is common. Screening with direct glucose measurements, or
      genetically-informed HbA1c diagnostic thresholds in people with G6PD deficiency,
      may be required to avoid missed or delayed diagnoses.

PMID- 28898261
TI  - Aged blood factors decrease cellular responses associated with delayed gingival
      wound repair.
AB  - Aging is a gradual biological process characterized by a decrease in cell and
      organism functions. Gingival wound healing is one of the impaired processes found
      in old rats. Here, we studied the in vivo wound healing process using a gingival
      repair rat model and an in vitro model using human gingival fibroblast for
      cellular responses associated to wound healing. To do that, we evaluated cell
      proliferation of both epithelial and connective tissue cells in gingival wounds
      and found decreased of Ki67 nuclear staining in old rats when compared to their
      young counterparts. We next evaluated cellular responses of primary gingival
      fibroblast obtained from young subjects in the presence human blood serum of
      individuals of different ages. Eighteen to sixty five years old masculine donors
      were classified into 3 groups: "young" from 18 to 22 years old, "middle-aged"
      from 30 to 48 years old and "aged" over 50 years old. Cell proliferation,
      measured through immunofluorescence for Ki67 and flow cytometry for DNA content,
      was decreased when middle-aged and aged serum was added to gingival fibroblast
      compared to young serum. Myofibroblastic differentiation, measured through alpha
      smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), was stimulated with young but not middle-aged or
      aged serum both the protein levels and incorporation of alpha-SMA into actin
      stress fibers. High levels of PDGF, VEGF, IL-6R were detected in blood serum from
      young subjects when compared to middle-aged and aged donors. In addition, the pro
      inflammatory cytokines MCP-1 and TNF were increased in the serum of aged donors.
      In old rat wound there is an increased of staining for TNF compared to young
      wound. Moreover, healthy gingiva (non injury) shows less staining compared to a
      wound site, suggesting a role in wound healing. Moreover, serum from middle-aged
      and aged donors was able to stimulate cellular senescence in young cells as
      determined by the expression of senescence associated beta-galactosidase and
      histone H2A.X phosphorylated at Ser139. Moreover, we detected an increased
      frequency of gamma-H2A.X-positive cells in aged rat gingival tissues. The present
      study suggests that serum factors present in middle-aged and aged individuals may
      be responsible, at least in part, for the altered responses observed during wound
      healing in aging.

PMID- 28898262
TI  - Climate and air pollution impacts on habitat suitability of Austrian forest
      ecosystems.
AB  - Climate change and excess deposition of airborne nitrogen (N) are among the main
      stressors to floristic biodiversity. One particular concern is the deterioration
      of valuable habitats such as those protected under the European Habitat
      Directive. In future, climate-driven shifts (and losses) in the species potential
      distribution, but also N driven nutrient enrichment may threaten these habitats.
      We applied a dynamic geochemical soil model (VSD+) together with a novel niche
      based plant response model (PROPS) to 5 forest habitat types (18 forest sites)
      protected under the EU Directive in Austria. We assessed how future climate
      change and N deposition might affect habitat suitability, defined as the capacity
      of a site to host its typical plant species. Our evaluation indicates that
      climate change will be the main driver of a decrease in habitat suitability in
      the future in Austria. The expected climate change will increase the occurrence
      of thermophilic plant species while decreasing cold-tolerant species. In addition
      to these direct impacts, climate change scenarios caused an increase of the
      occurrence probability of oligotrophic species due to a higher N immobilisation
      in woody biomass leading to soil N depletion. As a consequence, climate change
      did offset eutrophication from N deposition, even when no further reduction in N
      emissions was assumed. Our results show that climate change may have positive
      side-effects in forest habitats when multiple drivers of change are considered.

PMID- 28898264
TI  - Assessment of Listeria monocytogenes virulence in the Galleria mellonella insect
      larvae model.
AB  - Several animal models have been used to understand the molecular basis of the
      pathogenicity, infectious dose and strain to strain variation of Listeria
      monocytogenes. The greater wax worm Galleria mellonella, as an alternative model,
      provides some useful advantages not available with other models and has already
      been described as suitable for the virulence assessment of various pathogens
      including L. monocytogenes. The objectives of this study are: 1) confirming the
      usefulness of this model with a wide panel of Listeria spp. including non
      pathogenic L. innocua, L. seeligeri, L. welshimeri and animal pathogen L.
      ivanovii; 2) assessment of virulence of several isogenic in-frame deletion
      mutants in virulence and stress related genes of L. monocytogenes and 3)
      virulence assessment of paired food and clinical isolates of L. monocytogenes
      from 14 major listeriosis outbreaks occurred worldwide between 1980 and 2015.
      Larvae injected with different concentrations of Listeria were incubated at 37
      degrees C and monitored over seven days for time needed to kill 50% of larvae
      (LT50) and to determine change of bacterial population in G. mellonella, 2 and 24
      hours post-inoculation. Non-pathogenic members of Listeria and L. ivanovii showed
      significantly (P < 0.05) higher LT50 (lower virulence) than the wild type L.
      monocytogenes strains. Isogenic mutants of L. monocytogenes with the deletions in
      prfA, plcA, hly, actA and virR genes, also showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher
      LT50 than the wild type strain at the inoculum of 106CFU/larva. Food isolates had
      significantly (P < 0.05) lower virulence than the paired clinical isolates, at
      all three inoculum concentrations. L. monocytogenes strains related to non
      invasive (gastroenteritis) outbreaks of listeriosis showed significantly (P <
      0.05) lower virulence than isolates of the same serotype obtained from outbreaks
      with invasive symptoms. The difference, however, was dose and strain- dependent.
      No significant differences in virulence were observed among the serotype tested
      in this study.

PMID- 28898263
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of parent-of-origin interaction effects with environmental
      exposure (PoOxE): An application to European and Asian cleft palate trios.
AB  - Cleft palate only is a common birth defect with high heritability. Only a small
      fraction of this heritability is explained by the genetic variants identified so
      far, underscoring the need to investigate other disease mechanisms, such as gene
      environment (GxE) interactions and parent-of-origin (PoO) effects. Furthermore,
      PoO effects may vary across exposure levels (PoOxE effects). Such variation is
      the focus of this study. We upgraded the R-package Haplin to enable direct tests
      of PoOxE effects at the genome-wide level. From a previous GWAS, we had genotypes
      for 550 case-parent trios, of mainly European and Asian ancestry, and data on
      three maternal exposures (smoking, alcohol, and vitamins). Data were analyzed for
      Europeans and Asians separately, and also for all ethnicities combined. To
      account for multiple testing, a false discovery rate method was used, where q
      values were generated from the p-values. In the Europeans-only analyses,
      interactions with maternal smoking yielded the lowest q-values. Two SNPs in the
      'Interactor of little elongation complex ELL subunit 1' (ICE1) gene had a q-value
      of 0.14, and five of the 20 most significant SNPs were in the 'N-acetylated alpha
      linked acidic dipeptidase-like 2' (NAALADL2) gene. No evidence of PoOxE effects
      was found in the other analyses. The connections to ICE1 and NAALADL2 are novel
      and warrant further investigation. More generally, the new methodology presented
      here is easily applicable to other traits and exposures in which a family-based
      study design has been implemented.

PMID- 28898265
TI  - Sigma 1 receptor regulates ERK activation and promotes survival of optic nerve
      head astrocytes.
AB  - The sigma 1 receptor (S1R) is a unique transmembrane protein that has been shown
      to regulate neuronal differentiation and cellular survival. It is expressed
      within several cell types throughout the nervous system and visceral organs,
      including neurons and glia within the eye. S1R ligands are therapeutic targets
      for diseases ranging from neurodegenerative conditions to neoplastic disorders.
      However, effects of S1R activation and inhibition within glia cells are not well
      characterized. Within the eye, the astrocytes at the optic nerve head are crucial
      to the health and survival of the neurons that send visual information to the
      brain. In this study, we used the S1R-specific agonist, (+)-pentazocine, to
      evaluate S1R activation within optic nerve head-derived astrocytes (ONHAs).
      Treatment of ONHAs with (+)-pentazocine attenuated the level and duration of
      stress-induced ERK phosphorylation following oxidative stress exposure and
      promoted survival of ONHAs. These effects were specific to S1R activation because
      they were not observed in ONHAs that were depleted of S1R using siRNA-mediated
      knockdown. Collectively, our results suggest that S1R activation suppresses
      ERK1/2 phosphorylation and protects ONHAs from oxidative stress-induced death.

PMID- 28898267
TI  - Depolarization of the conductance-voltage relationship in the NaV1.5 mutant,
      E1784K, is due to altered fast inactivation.
AB  - E1784K is the most common mixed long QT syndrome/Brugada syndrome mutant in the
      cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.5. E1784K shifts the midpoint of the
      channel conductance-voltage relationship to more depolarized membrane potentials
      and accelerates the rate of channel fast inactivation. The depolarizing shift in
      the midpoint of the conductance curve in E1784K is exacerbated by low
      extracellular pH. We tested whether the E1784K mutant shifts the channel
      conductance curve to more depolarized membrane potentials by affecting the
      channel voltage-sensors. We measured ionic currents and gating currents at pH 7.4
      and pH 6.0 in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Contrary to our expectation, the movement
      of gating charges is shifted to more hyperpolarized membrane potentials by
      E1784K. Voltage-clamp fluorimetry experiments show that this gating charge shift
      is due to the movement of the DIVS4 voltage-sensor being shifted to more
      hyperpolarized membrane potentials. Using a model and experiments on fast
      inactivation-deficient channels, we show that changes to the rate and voltage
      dependence of fast inactivation are sufficient to shift the conductance curve in
      E1784K. Our results localize the effects of E1784K to DIVS4, and provide novel
      insight into the role of the DIV-VSD in regulating the voltage-dependencies of
      activation and fast inactivation.

PMID- 28898266
TI  - Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model
      of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.
AB  - Annotating the genotype-phenotype relationship, and developing a proper
      quantitative description of the relationship, requires understanding the impact
      of natural genomic variation on gene expression. We apply a sequence-level model
      of gap gene expression in the early development of Drosophila to analyze single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a panel of natural sequenced D. melanogaster
      lines. Using a thermodynamic modeling framework, we provide both analytical and
      computational descriptions of how single-nucleotide variants affect gene
      expression. The analysis reveals that the sequence variants increase (decrease)
      gene expression if located within binding sites of repressors (activators). We
      show that the sign of SNP influence (activation or repression) may change in time
      and space and elucidate the origin of this change in specific examples. The
      thermodynamic modeling approach predicts non-local and non-linear effects arising
      from SNPs, and combinations of SNPs, in individual fly genotypes. Simulation of
      individual fly genotypes using our model reveals that this non-linearity reduces
      to almost additive inputs from multiple SNPs. Further, we see signatures of the
      action of purifying selection in the gap gene regulatory regions. To infer the
      specific targets of purifying selection, we analyze the patterns of polymorphism
      in the data at two phenotypic levels: the strengths of binding and expression. We
      find that combinations of SNPs show evidence of being under selective pressure,
      while individual SNPs do not. The model predicts that SNPs appear to accumulate
      in the genotypes of the natural population in a way biased towards small
      increases in activating action on the expression pattern. Taken together, these
      results provide a systems-level view of how genetic variation translates to the
      level of gene regulatory networks via combinatorial SNP effects.

PMID- 28898268
TI  - Diet of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Gulf of Cadiz: Insights
      from stomach content and stable isotope analyses.
AB  - The ecological role of species can vary among populations depending on local and
      regional differences in diet. This is particularly true for top predators such as
      the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), which exhibits a highly varied diet
      throughout its distribution range. Local dietary assessments are therefore
      critical to fully understand the role of this species within marine ecosystems,
      as well as its interaction with important ecosystem services such as fisheries.
      Here, we combined stomach content analyses (SCA) and stable isotope analyses
      (SIA) to describe bottlenose dolphins diet in the Gulf of Cadiz (North Atlantic
      Ocean). Prey items identified using SCA included European conger (Conger conger)
      and European hake (Merluccius merluccius) as the most important ingested prey.
      However, mass-balance isotopic mixing model (MixSIAR), using delta13C and
      delta15N, indicated that the assimilated diet consisted mainly on Sparidae
      species (e.g. seabream, Diplodus annularis and D. bellottii, rubberlip grunt,
      Plectorhinchus mediterraneus, and common pandora, Pagellus erythrinus) and a
      mixture of other species including European hake, mackerels (Scomber colias, S.
      japonicus and S. scombrus), European conger, red bandfish (Cepola macrophthalma)
      and European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus). These contrasting results highlight
      differences in the temporal and taxonomic resolution of each approach, but also
      point to potential differences between ingested (SCA) and assimilated (SIA)
      diets. Both approaches provide different insights, e.g. determination of consumed
      fish biomass for the management of fish stocks (SCA) or identification of
      important assimilated prey species to the consumer (SIA).

PMID- 28898269
TI  - Faecal carriage of CTX-M extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae among street children dwelling in Mwanza city, Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on ESBL carriage of healthy people including children are scarce
      especially in developing countries. We analyzed the prevalence and genotypes of
      ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (EPE) in Tanzanian street children with rare
      contact to healthcare facilities but significant interactions with the
      environment, animals and other people. METHODOLOGY/ PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: Between
      April and July 2015, stool samples of 107 street children, who live in urban
      Mwanza were analyzed for EPE. Intestinal carriage of EPE was found in 34 (31.8%,
      95% CI; 22.7-40.3) children. Of the 36 isolates from 34 children, 30 (83.3%) were
      Escherichia coli (E. coli) and six Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae). Out of
      36 isolates, 36 (100%), 35 (97%), 25 (69%) and 16 (44%) were resistant to
      tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin,
      respectively. Beta-lactamase genes and the multilocus sequence types of E. coli
      and K. pneumoniae were characterized. ESBL gene blaCTX-M-15 was detected in 75%
      (27/36) of ESBL isolates. Sequence types (STs) 131, 10, 448 and 617 were the most
      prevalent in E. coli. Use of local herbs (OR: 3.5, 95% CI: 1.51-8.08, P = 0.003)
      and spending day and night on streets (OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.44-8.97, P = 0.005)
      were independent predictors of ESBL carriage. CONCLUSIONS/ SIGNIFICANCE: We
      observed a high prevalence of blaCTX-M-15 in EPE collected from street children
      in Tanzania. Detection of E. coli STs 131, 10, 38 and 648, which have been
      observed worldwide in animals and people, highlights the need for
      multidisciplinary approaches to understand the epidemiology and drivers of
      antimicrobial resistance in low-income countries.

PMID- 28898270
TI  - Cyclic stretch induced IL-33 production through HMGB1/TLR-4 signaling pathway in
      murine respiratory epithelial cells.
AB  - Interleukin 33 (IL-33), an inflammatory and mechanically responsive cytokine, is
      an important component of a TLR4-dependent innate immune process in mucosal
      epithelium. Although TLR4 also plays a role in sensing biomechanical stretch, a
      pathway of stretch-induced TLR4-dependent IL-33 biosynthesis has not been
      revealed. In the current study, we show that short term (6 h) cyclic stretch (CS)
      of cultured murine respiratory epithelial cells (MLE-12) increased intracellular
      IL-33 expression in a TLR4 dependent fashion. There was no detectable IL-33 in
      conditioned media in this interval. CS, however, increased release of the notable
      alarmin, HMGB1, and a neutralizing antibody (2G7) to HMGB1 completely abolished
      the CS mediated increase in IL-33. rHMGB1 increased IL-33 synthesis and this was
      partially abrogated by silencing TLR4 suggesting additional receptors for HMGB1
      are involved in its regulation of IL-33. Collectively, these data reveal a
      HMGB1/TLR4/IL-33 pathway in the response of respiratory epithelium to mechanical
      stretch.

PMID- 28898271
TI  - A neural network based computational model to predict the output power of
      different types of photovoltaic cells.
AB  - In this article, we introduced an artificial neural network (ANN) based
      computational model to predict the output power of three types of photovoltaic
      cells, mono-crystalline (mono-), multi-crystalline (multi-), and amorphous (amor
      ) crystalline. The prediction results are very close to the experimental data,
      and were also influenced by numbers of hidden neurons. The order of the solar
      generation power output influenced by the external conditions from smallest to
      biggest is: multi-, mono-, and amor- crystalline silicon cells. In addition, the
      dependences of power prediction on the number of hidden neurons were studied. For
      multi- and amorphous crystalline cell, three or four hidden layer units resulted
      in the high correlation coefficient and low MSEs. For mono-crystalline cell, the
      best results were achieved at the hidden layer unit of 8.

PMID- 28898272
TI  - Iron deficiency was not the major cause of anemia in rural women of reproductive
      age in Sidama zone, southern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anemia, which has many etiologies, is a moderate/severe public health
      problem in young children and women of reproductive age in many developing
      countries. The aim of this study was to investigate prevalence of iron
      deficiency, anemia, and iron deficiency anemia using multiple biomarkers and to
      evaluate their association with food insecurity and food consumption patterns in
      non-pregnant women from a rural area of southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was conducted in 202 rural women of reproductive age in southern
      Ethiopia. Anthropometrics and socio-demographic data were collected. A
      venipuncture blood sample was analyzed for hemoglobin (Hb) and for biomarkers of
      iron status. Biomarkers were skewed and were log transformed before analysis.
      Mean, median, Pearson's correlations and ordinary least-squares regressions were
      calculated. RESULTS: Median (IQR) Hb was 138 (127, 151) g/L. Based on an altitude
      adjusted (1708 m) cutoff of 125 g/L for Hb, 21.3% were anemic. Plasma ferritin
      was <15 MUg/L in 18.6% of the women. Only one woman had alpha-1-acid glycoprotein
      (AGP) >1.0 g/L; four women (2%) had > 5 mg/L of C-reactive protein (CRP). Of the
      43 women who were anemic, 23.3% (10 women) had depleted iron stores based on
      plasma ferritin. Three of these had elevated soluble transferrin receptors
      (sTfR). Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was negatively correlated with sTfR (r = 
      0.24, p = 0.001), and positively correlated with ferritin (r = 0.17, p = 0.018),
      plasma iron (r = 0.15, p = 0.046), transferrin saturation (TfS) (r = 0.15, p =
      0.04) and body iron (r = 0.14, p = 0.05). Overall prevalence of iron deficiency
      anemia was only 5%. CONCLUSION: Iron deficiency anemia was not prevalent in the
      study population, despite the fact that anemia would be classified as a moderate
      public health problem.

PMID- 28898273
TI  - The association of dietary pattern and breast cancer in Jiangsu, China: A
      population-based case-control study.
AB  - This study aims to examine the association of breast cancer with dietary patterns
      among Chinese women. A population-based case-control study was conducted in
      Jiangsu, China. Newly diagnosed primary breast cancer patients were recruited as
      cases (n = 818). Controls (n = 935), selected from the general population, were
      frequency matched to cases. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to
      assess dietary intake. Dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis and
      multivariable odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated.
      Four dietary patterns were identified: salty, vegetarian, sweet and traditional
      Chinese. The traditional Chinese pattern was found to be robustly associated with
      a lower risk of breast cancer among both pre- and post-menopausal women (4th vs.
      1st quartile: OR for pre- and post-menopausal women was 0.47 and 0.68,
      respectively). Women with high factor scores of the sweet pattern also showed a
      decreased risk of breast cancer (4th vs. 1st quartile: OR for pre- and post
      menopausal women was 0.47 and 0.68, respectively). No marked association was
      observed between a vegetarian pattern or a salty pattern and breast cancer. These
      findings indicate that dietary patterns of the traditional Chinese and the sweet
      may favorably associate with the risk of breast cancer among Chinese women.

PMID- 28898274
TI  - Periplasmic flagella in Borrelia burgdoferi function to maintain cellular
      integrity upon external stress.
AB  - Tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) in solution was used to analyze the
      role of the internally located periplasmic flagella (PFs) of the Lyme disease
      spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in withstanding externally applied cellular
      stresses. By systematically imaging immobilized spirochetes with increasing
      tapping forces, we found that mutants that lack PFs are more readily compressed
      and damaged by the imaging process compared to wild-type cells. This finding
      suggest that the PFs, aside from being essential for motility and involved in
      cell shape, play a cytoskeletal role in dissipating energy and maintaining
      cellular integrity in the presence of external stress.

PMID- 28898275
TI  - The early onset of peripheral neuropathy might be a robust predictor for time to
      treatment failure in patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving
      chemotherapy containing paclitaxel.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paclitaxel plays a central role in chemotherapy for breast cancer.
      Peripheral neuropathy, a well-known toxicity with paclitaxel, may be of interest
      in predicting the efficacy of paclitaxel therapy for patients with metastatic
      breast cancer. We performed a retrospective analysis assessing whether the early
      occurrence of peripheral neuropathy (EPN) was a predictive marker for better
      efficacy in patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving chemotherapy
      containing paclitaxel. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2000 and August
      2008, we examined the records of 168 patients with metastatic breast cancer
      treated with paclitaxel in our hospital. EPN was defined as a symptom of Grade 2
      or more during first three months of treatment. The overall response rate (ORR)
      and time to treatment failure (TTF) in each group were analyzed retrospectively.
      RESULTS: Of 168 patients with metastatic breast cancer who were treated with
      paclitaxel, EPN was documented in 101 patients (60.1%). The clinical benefit rate
      (CR, PR, and SD >= 6 months) was 72.3% in the EPN group and 49.3% in the non-EPN
      group (p = 0.002). The TTF of the EPN group (median 11.2 months, 95% CI: 9.5
      12.9) was significantly longer than that of the non-EPN group (5.7 months, 95%
      CI: 4.6-6.8) (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that EPN (p<0.001),
      dose intensity of less than 70% (p<0.001), and the history of microtubule agents
      (p = 0.001) were the significant favorable prognostic factors for TTF.
      CONCLUSION: The early onset of peripheral neuropathy might be a robust predictor
      for TTF in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with paclitaxel.

PMID- 28898276
TI  - Liver myofibroblasts of murine origins express mesothelin: Identification of
      novel rat mesothelin splice variants.
AB  - Liver myofibroblasts are specialized effector cells that drive hepatic fibrosis,
      a hallmark process of chronic liver diseases, leading to progressive scar
      formation and organ failure. Liver myofibroblasts are increasingly recognized as
      heterogeneous with regards to their origin, phenotype, and functions. For
      instance, liver myofibroblasts express cell markers that are universally
      represented such as, ItgalphaV and Pdgfrbeta, or restricted to a given
      subpopulation such as, Lrat exclusively expressed in hepatic stellate cells, and
      Gpm6a in mesothelial cells. To study liver myofibroblasts in vitro, we have
      previously generated and characterized a SV40-immortalized polyclonal rat
      activated portal fibroblast cell line called RGF-N2 expressing multiple
      mesothelin mRNA transcripts. Mesothelin, a cell-surface molecule expressed in
      normal mesothelial cells and overexpressed in several cancers such as,
      mesothelioma and cholangiocarcinoma, was recently identified as a key regulator
      of portal myofibroblast proliferation, and fibrosis progression in the setting of
      chronic cholestatic liver disease. Here, we identify novel mesothelin splice
      variants expressed in rat activated portal fibroblasts. RGF-N2 portal fibroblast
      cDNA was used as template for insertion of hemagglutinin tag consensus sequence
      into the complete open reading frame of rat mesothelin variant coding sequences
      by extension PCR. Purified amplicons were subsequently cloned into an expression
      vector for in vitro translation and transfection in monkey COS7 fibroblasts,
      before characterization of fusion proteins by immunoblot and immunofluorescence.
      We show that rat activated portal fibroblasts, hepatic stellate cells, and
      cholangiocarcinoma cells express wild-type mesothelin and additional splice
      variants, while mouse activated hepatic stellate cells appear to only express
      wild-type mesothelin. Notably, rat mesothelin splice variants differ from the
      wild-type isoform by their protein properties and cellular distribution in
      transfected COS7 fibroblasts. We conclude that mesothelin is a marker of
      activated murine liver myofibroblasts. Mesothelin gene expression and regulation
      may be critical in liver myofibroblasts functions and fibrosis progression.

PMID- 28898277
TI  - Iron imaging reveals tumor and metastasis macrophage hemosiderin deposits in
      breast cancer.
AB  - Iron-deposition is a metabolic biomarker of macrophages in both normal and
      pathological situations, but the presence of iron in tumor and metastasis
      associated macrophages is not known. Here we mapped and quantified hemosiderin
      laden macrophage (HLM) deposits in murine models of metastatic breast cancer
      using iron and macrophage histology, and in vivo MRI. Iron MRI detected high-iron
      pixel clusters in mammary tumors, lung metastasis, and brain metastasis as well
      as liver and spleen tissue known to contain the HLMs. Iron histology showed these
      regions to contain clustered macrophages identified by their common iron status
      and tissue-intrinsic association with other phenotypic macrophage markers. The in
      vivo MRI and ex vivo histological images were further processed to determine the
      frequencies and sizes of the iron deposits, and measure the number of HLMs in
      each deposit to estimate the in vivo MRI sensitivity for these cells. Hemosiderin
      accumulation is a macrophage biomarker and intrinsic contrast source for cellular
      MRI associated with the innate function of macrophages in iron metabolism
      systemically, and in metastatic cancer.

PMID- 28898278
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of Phytolacca americana L. in response to cadmium stress.
AB  - Phytolacca americana L. (pokeweed) has metal phytoremediation potential, but
      little is known about its metal accumulation-related genes. In this study, the de
      novo sequencing of total RNA produced 53.15 million reads covering 10.63
      gigabases of transcriptome raw data in cadmium (Cd)-treated and untreated
      pokeweed. Of the 97,502 assembled unigenes, 42,197 had significant matches in a
      public database and were annotated accordingly. An expression level comparison
      between the samples revealed 1515 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 923 down
      and 592 up-regulated under Cd treatment. A KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of
      DEGs revealed that they were involved in 72 metabolism pathways, with
      photosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, ribosome, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis,
      flavonoid biosynthesis and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms containing
      24, 18, 72, 14, 7 and 15 genes, respectively. Genes related to heavy metal
      tolerance, absorption, transport and accumulation were also identified, including
      11 expansins, 8 nicotianamine synthases, 6 aquaporins, 4 ZRT/IRT-like proteins, 3
      ABC transporters and 3 metallothioneins. The gene expression results of 12
      randomly selected DEGs were validated using quantitative real-time PCR, and
      showed different response patterns to Cd in their roots, stems and leaves. These
      results may be helpful in increasing our understanding of heavy metal
      hyperaccumulators and in future phytoremediation applications.

PMID- 28898279
TI  - Lifestyle factors and oncogenic papillomavirus infection in a high-risk male
      population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection in males is a
      health issue with implications for HPV-related lesions in their partners. The
      identification of risk factors for male infection may improve our understanding
      of HR-HPV transmission and prevention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      relationships between lifestyle, genital warts and HR-HPV infection. The study
      was focused on men with an increased risk of HR-HPV infection: male sexual
      partners of women diagnosed with high-grade squamous intraepithelial cervical
      lesions. METHODS: Men were enrolled and prospectively recruited within the first
      six months after diagnosis of cervical lesions in their female partners (n = 175,
      2013-2016). Epidemiological and sexual behaviour data were obtained. The presence
      of genital warts was established by visual inspection. Detection and genotyping
      of HR-HPV infection in genital samples were performed with a Linear Array HPV
      Genotyping Test. All HR-HPV positive men were offered a follow-up exam at 12
      months. SPSS version 19 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS AND
      DISCUSSION: The prevalence of HR-HPV infection in men was 45.1% (79/175). Genital
      warts were observed in 10.3% (18/175) of the subjects. Detection of genital warts
      (OR 3.5, p = 0.015), smoking habits (OR 2.3, p = 0.006) and sexual debut before
      16 years old (OR 2, p = 0.035) were associated with an increased risk for HR-HPV
      infection (univariate analysis). This association was also observed for genital
      warts and smoking status in a multivariate analysis. The same genotype was found
      after one year in 71.4% (20/28) of subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of genital
      warts and smoking habits seem to be associated with a higher risk of HR-HPV
      infection in males. Earlier sexual debut may increase this risk. Extensive
      knowledge of the natural history of HR-HPV infection in males is an absolute
      requirement for the design and implementation of prevention strategies for the
      general population as well as for specific populations such as couples after
      treatment for high-grade cervical lesions.

PMID- 28898280
TI  - ILC2s activated by IL-25 promote antigen-specific Th2 and Th9 functions that
      contribute to the control of Trichinella spiralis infection.
AB  - IL-25, an IL-17 family cytokine, derived from epithelial cells was shown to
      regulate Th2- and Th9-type immune responses. We previously reported that IL-25
      was important in promoting efficient protective immunity against T. spiralis
      infection; however, the cellular targets of IL-25 to elicit type-2 immunity
      during infection have not yet been addressed. Here, we investigated IL-25
      responding cells and their involvement in mediating type-2 immune response during
      T. spiralis infection. ILC2 and CD4+ Th2 cells residing in the gastrointestinal
      tract of T. spiralis infected mice were found to express high levels of surface
      interleukin-17 receptor B (IL-17RB), a component of the IL-25 receptor. Following
      T. spiralis infection, activated ILC2s upregulated surface MHCII expression and
      enhanced capacity of effector T helper cell in producing antigen-specific Th2 and
      Th9 cytokines through MHCII-dependent interactions. Reciprocally, lack of CD4+ T
      helper cells impaired ILC2 function to produce type 2-associated cytokines in
      responding to IL-25 during T. spiralis infection. Furthermore, mice deficient in
      IL-17RB showed markedly reduced ILC2 numbers and antigen-specific Th2 and Th9
      cytokine production during T. spiralis infection. The Il17rb-/- mice failed to
      mount effective antigen specific Th2 and Th9 functions resulting in diminished
      goblet cell and mast cell responses, leading to delayed worm expulsion in the
      intestines and muscles. Thus, our data indicated that ILC2s and CD4+ Th2 cells
      are the predominant cellular targets of IL-25 following T. spiralis infection and
      their collaborative interactions may play a key role in mounting effective
      antigen-specific Th2 and Th9 cytokine responses against T. spiralis infection.

PMID- 28898282
TI  - P2X3 receptor involvement in endometriosis pain via ERK signaling pathway.
AB  - The purinergic receptor P2X ligand-gated ion channel 3 (P2X3) is crucially
      involved in peripheral nociceptive processes of somatic and visceral pain.
      Endometriosis pain is considered as a kind of inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
      However, whether P2X3 is involved in endometriosis pain has not been reported up
      to date. Here, we aimed to determine whether P2X3 expression in endometriotic
      lesions is involved in endometriosis pain, which is regulated by inflammatory
      mediators through extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) signalling
      pathway. We found that P2X3 expressions in endometriosis endometrium and
      endometriotic lesions were both significantly higher as compared with control
      endometrium (P<0.05), and both positively correlated with pain (P<0.05). The
      expression levels of phosphorylated -ERK (p-ERK), phosphorylated-cAMP-response
      element binding protein (p-CREB), and P2X3 in endometriotic stromal cells (ESCs)
      were all significantly increased in comparison to the initial levels after
      treated with interleukin (IL)-1beta (P<0.05) or adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
      (P<0.05), respectively, and did not increase after the ESCs were pre-treated with
      ERK1/2 inhibitor. Additionally, P2X3 and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP)
      were co-expressed in endometriotic lesions. These obtained results suggest that
      P2X3 might be involved in endometriosis pain signal transduction via ERK signal
      pathway.

PMID- 28898281
TI  - Randomized prospective study evaluating tenofovir disoproxil fumarate prophylaxis
      against hepatitis B virus reactivation in anti-HBc-positive patients with
      rituximab-based regimens to treat hematologic malignancies: The Preblin study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients with resolved HBV
      infection (HBsAg negative, antiHBc positive) is uncommon, but potentially fatal.
      The role of HBV prophylaxis in this setting is uncertain. The aim of this study
      was to compare the efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) prophylaxis
      versus close monitoring in antiHBc-positive, HBsAg-negative patients under
      treatment with rituximab (RTX)-based regimens for hematologic malignancy.
      METHODS: PREBLIN is a phase IV, randomized, prospective, open-label, multicenter,
      parallel-group trial conducted in 17 hospitals throughout Spain. Anti-HBc
      positive, HBsAg-negative patients with undetectable HBV DNA were randomized to
      receive TDF 300 mg once daily (Group I) or observation (Group II). The primary
      endpoint was the percentage of patients showing HBV reactivation during 18 months
      following initiation of RTX treatment. Patients with detectable HBV DNA (Group
      III) received the same dose of TDF and were analyzed together with Group I to
      investigate TDF safety. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were enrolled in the study,
      33 in the TDF treatment group and 28 in the observation group. By ITT analysis,
      HBV reactivation was 0% (0/33) in the study group and 10.7% (3/28) in the
      observation group (p = 0.091). None of the patients in either group showed
      significant differences in liver function parameters between baseline and the
      last follow-up sample. TDF was generally well tolerated and there were no severe
      treatment-related adverse events. CONCLUSION: In patients with hematological
      malignancy and resolved hepatitis B infection receiving RTX-based regimens, HBV
      reactivation did not occur in patients given TDF prophylaxis.

PMID- 28898283
TI  - Sustained effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Healthy Activity Programme,
      a brief psychological treatment for depression delivered by lay counsellors in
      primary care: 12-month follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Healthy Activity Programme (HAP), a brief behavioural
      intervention delivered by lay counsellors, enhanced remission over 3 months among
      primary care attendees with depression in peri-urban and rural settings in India.
      We evaluated the sustainability of the effects after treatment termination, the
      cost-effectiveness of HAP over 12 months, and the effects of the hypothesized
      mediator of activation on clinical outcomes. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Primary care
      attendees aged 18-65 years screened with moderately severe to severe depression
      on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) were randomised to either HAP plus
      enhanced usual care (EUC) (n = 247) or EUC alone (n = 248), of whom 95% completed
      assessments at 3 months, and 91% at 12 months. Primary outcomes were severity on
      the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and remission on the PHQ-9. HAP
      participants maintained the gains they showed at the end of treatment through the
      12-month follow-up (difference in mean BDI-II score between 3 and 12 months = 
      0.34; 95% CI -2.37, 1.69; p = 0.74), with lower symptom severity scores than
      participants who received EUC alone (adjusted mean difference in BDI-II score = 
      4.45; 95% CI -7.26, -1.63; p = 0.002) and higher rates of remission (adjusted
      prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.36; 95% CI 1.15, 1.61; p < 0.009). They also fared
      better on most secondary outcomes, including recovery (aPR = 1.98; 95% CI 1.29,
      3.03; p = 0.002), any response over time (aPR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.27, 1.66; p <
      0.001), higher likelihood of reporting a minimal clinically important difference
      (aPR = 1.42; 95% CI 1.17, 1.71; p < 0.001), and lower likelihood of reporting
      suicidal behaviour (aPR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.51, 1.01; p = 0.06). HAP plus EUC also
      had a marginal effect on WHO Disability Assessment Schedule score at 12 months
      (aPR = -1.58; 95% CI -3.33, 0.17; p = 0.08); other outcomes (days unable to work,
      intimate partner violence toward females) did not statistically significantly
      differ between the two arms. Economic analyses indicated that HAP plus EUC was
      dominant over EUC alone, with lower costs and better outcomes; uncertainty
      analysis showed that from this health system perspective there was a 95% chance
      of HAP being cost-effective, given a willingness to pay threshold of Intl$16,060
      equivalent to GDP per capita in Goa-per quality-adjusted life year gained.
      Patient-reported behavioural activation level at 3 months mediated the effect of
      the HAP intervention on the 12-month depression score (beta = -2.62; 95% CI 
      3.28, -1.97; p < 0.001). Serious adverse events were infrequent, and prevalence
      was similar by arm. We were unable to assess possible episodes of remission and
      relapse that may have occurred between our outcome assessment time points of 3
      and 12 months after randomisation. We did not account for or evaluate the effect
      of mediators other than behavioural activation. CONCLUSIONS: HAP's superiority
      over EUC at the end of treatment was largely stable over time and was mediated by
      patient activation. HAP provides better outcomes at lower costs from a
      perspective covering publicly funded healthcare services and productivity impacts
      on patients and their families. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry
      ISRCTN95149997.

PMID- 28898285
TI  - Improving the community-temperature index as a climate change indicator.
AB  - Climate change indicators are tools to assess, visualize and communicate the
      impacts of climate change on species and communities. Indicators that can be
      applied to different taxa are particularly useful because they allow comparative
      analysis to identify which kinds of species are being more affected. A general
      prediction, supported by empirical data, is that the abundance of warm-adapted
      species should increase over time, relative to the cool-adapted ones within
      communities, under increasing ambient temperatures. The community temperature
      index (CTI) is a community weighted mean of species' temperature preferences and
      has been used as an indicator to summarize this temporal shift. The CTI has the
      advantages of being a simple and generalizable indicator; however, a core problem
      is that temporal trends in the CTI may not only reflect changes in temperature.
      This is because species' temperature preferences often covary with other species
      attributes, and these other attributes may affect species response to other
      environmental drivers. Here, we propose a novel model-based approach that
      separates the effects of temperature preference from the effects of other species
      attributes on species' abundances and subsequently on the CTI. Using long-term
      population data of breeding birds in Denmark and demersal marine fish in the
      southeastern North Sea, we find differences in CTI trends with the original
      approach and our model-based approach, which may affect interpretation of climate
      change impacts. We suggest that our method can be used to test the robustness of
      CTI trends to the possible effects of other drivers of change, apart from climate
      change.

PMID- 28898284
TI  - Optic nerve head and retinal blood flow regulation during isometric exercise as
      assessed with laser speckle flowgraphy.
AB  - : The aim of the present study was to investigate regulation of blood flow (BF)
      in the optic nerve head (ONH) and a peripapillary region (PPR) during an
      isometric exercise-induced increase in ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) using
      laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in healthy subjects. For this purpose, a total of
      27 subjects was included in this study. Mean blur rate in tissue (MT) was
      measured in the ONH and in a PPR as well as relative flow volume (RFV) in retinal
      arteries (ART) and veins (VEIN) using LSFG. All participants performed isometric
      exercise for 6 minutes during which MT and mean arterial pressure were measured
      every minute. From these data OPP and pressure/flow curves were calculated.
      Isometric exercise increased OPP, MTONH and MTPRR. The relative increase in OPP
      (78.5 +/- 19.8%) was more pronounced than the increase in BF parameters (MTONH:
      18.1 +/- 7.7%, MTPRR: 21.1 +/- 8.3%, RFVART: 16.5 +/-12.0%, RFVVEIN: 17.7 +/-
      12.4%) indicating for an autoregulatory response of the vasculature. The
      pressure/flow curves show that MTONH, MTPRR, RFVART, RFVVEIN started to increase
      at OPP levels of 51.2 +/- 2.0%, 58.1 +/- 2.4%, 45.6 +/- 1.9% and 45.6 +/- 1.9%
      above baseline. These data indicate that ONHBF starts to increase at levels of
      approx. 50% increase in OPP: This is slightly lower than the values we previously
      reported from LDF data. Signals from the PPR may have input from both, the retina
      and the choroid, but the relative contribution is unknown. In addition, retinal
      BF appears to increase at slightly lower OPP values of approximately 45%. LSFG
      may be used to study ONH autoregulation in diseases such as glaucoma. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02102880.

PMID- 28898287
TI  - Multimodal cues provide redundant information for bumblebees when the stimulus is
      visually salient, but facilitate red target detection in a naturalistic
      background.
AB  - Our understanding of how floral visitors integrate visual and olfactory cues when
      seeking food, and how background complexity affects flower detection is limited.
      Here, we aimed to understand the use of visual and olfactory information for
      bumblebees (Bombus terrestris terrestris L.) when seeking flowers in a visually
      complex background. To explore this issue, we first evaluated the effect of
      flower colour (red and blue), size (8, 16 and 32 mm), scent (presence or absence)
      and the amount of training on the foraging strategy of bumblebees (accuracy,
      search time and flight behaviour), considering the visual complexity of our
      background, to later explore whether experienced bumblebees, previously trained
      in the presence of scent, can recall and make use of odour information when
      foraging in the presence of novel visual stimuli carrying a familiar scent. Of
      all the variables analysed, flower colour had the strongest effect on the
      foraging strategy. Bumblebees searching for blue flowers were more accurate, flew
      faster, followed more direct paths between flowers and needed less time to find
      them, than bumblebees searching for red flowers. In turn, training and the
      presence of odour helped bees to find inconspicuous (red) flowers. When bees
      foraged on red flowers, search time increased with flower size; but search time
      was independent of flower size when bees foraged on blue flowers. Previous
      experience with floral scent enhances the capacity of detection of a novel colour
      carrying a familiar scent, probably by elemental association influencing
      attention.

PMID- 28898286
TI  - Structural investigation of C6/36 and Vero cell cultures infected with a
      Brazilian Zika virus.
AB  - Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of the flavivirus genus, and its genome is
      approximately 10.8 kilobases of positive-strand RNA enclosed in a capsid and
      surrounded by a membrane. Studies on the replication dynamics of ZIKV are scarce,
      which limits the development of antiviral agents and vaccines directed against
      ZIKV. In this study, Aedes albopictus mosquito lineage cells (C6/36 cells) and
      African green monkey kidney epithelial cells (Vero cells) were inoculated with a
      ZIKV sample isolated from a Brazilian patient, and the infection was
      characterized by immunofluorescence staining, phase contrast light microscopy,
      transmission electron microscopy and real-time RT-PCR. The infection was observed
      in both cell lineages, and ZIKV particles were observed inside lysosomes, the
      rough endoplasmic reticulum and viroplasm-like structures. The susceptibility of
      C6/36 and Vero cells to ZIKV infection was demonstrated. Moreover, this study
      showed that part of the replicative cycle may occur within viroplasm-like
      structures, which has not been previously demonstrated in other flaviviruses.

PMID- 28898288
TI  - Long-term no-till: A major driver of fungal communities in dryland wheat cropping
      systems.
AB  - In the dryland Pacific Northwest wheat cropping systems, no-till is becoming more
      prevalent as a way to reduce soil erosion and fuel inputs. Tillage can have a
      profound effect on microbial communities and soilborne fungal pathogens, such as
      Rhizoctonia. We compared the fungal communities in long-term no-till (NT) plots
      adjacent to conventionally tilled (CT) plots, over three years at two locations
      in Washington state and one location in Idaho, US. We used pyrosequencing of the
      fungal ITS gene and identified 422 OTUs after rarefication. Fungal richness was
      higher in NT compared to CT, in two of the locations. Humicola nigrescens,
      Cryptococcus terreus, Cadophora spp. Hydnodontaceae spp., and Exophiala spp. were
      more abundant in NT, while species of Glarea, Coniochaetales, Mycosphaerella
      tassiana, Cryptococcus bhutanensis, Chaetomium perlucidum, and Ulocladium
      chartarum were more abundant in CT in most locations. Other abundant groups that
      did not show any trends were Fusarium, Mortierella, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and
      Macroventuria. Plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia (Ceratobasidiaceae) were not
      abundant enough to see tillage differences, but Microdochium bolleyi, a weak root
      pathogen, was more abundant in NT. Our results suggest that NT fungi are better
      adapted at utilizing intact, decaying roots as a food source and may exist as
      root endophytes. CT fungi can utilize mature plant residues that are turned into
      the soil with tillage as pioneer colonizers, and then produce large numbers of
      conidia. But a larger proportion of the fungal community is not affected by
      tillage and may be niche generalists.

PMID- 28898291
TI  - Correction: Mucosal fluid glycoprotein DMBT1 suppresses twitching motility and
      virulence of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006392.].

PMID- 28898290
TI  - Comparative effectiveness and tolerance of immunosuppressive treatments for
      idiopathic membranous nephropathy: A network meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immunosuppressive agents in general are shown to prevent renal
      progression and all-cause mortality in idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN)
      patients with nephrotic syndrome. However, the efficacy and safety of different
      immunosuppressive treatments have not been systematic assessed and compared. A
      network meta-analysis was performed to compare different immunosuppressive
      treatment in IMN. METHODS: Cochrane library, MEDLINE, EMBASE and trial register
      system were searched for randomized controlled trials reporting the treatments
      for IMN to May 3, 2016. Composite endpoint of mortality or end-stage kidney
      disease (ESKD), complete or partial proteinuria remission and withdrawal because
      of treatment adverse events were compared combing direct and indirect comparison
      using network meta-analysis. Ranking different immunosuppressive treatments in
      the outcomes were analyzed by using surface under the cumulative ranking curve
      (SUCRA). RESULTS: Total 36 randomized controlled trials (n = 2018) covering 11
      kinds of treatments were included. Compared with non-immunosuppressive treatment,
      only cyclophosphamide (CTX) and chlorambucil significantly reduced the risk of
      composite outcome of mortality or ESKD while combining the direct and indirect
      comparison (OR = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.12-0.81 and OR = 0.33, 95%CI: 0.12-0.92). CTX
      increased the composite outcome of complete remission (CR) or partial remission
      (PR) (OR = 4.29, 95%CI: 2.30-8.00) but chlorambucil did not (OR = 1.58, 95%CI:
      0.80-3.12) as compared with non-immunosuppressive treatment. Chlorambucil also
      significantly increased the withdrawal risk (OR = 3.34, 95%CI: 1.37-8.17) as
      compared to CTX. Both tacrolimus (OR = 3.10, 95%CI: 1.36-7.09) and cyclosporine
      (CsA) (OR = 2.81, 95%CI: 1.08-7.32) also significantly increased the rate of CR
      or PR as compared with non-immunosuppressive treatment (without significant
      difference as compared with CTX), while ranking results showed that cyclosporine
      or tacrolimus was with less possibility of drug withdrawal as compared to CTX.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cyclophosphamide and chlorambucil reduce risk of ESKD or death in
      IMN with nephrotic range proteinuria, but carry substantial toxicity that may be
      lower for cyclophosphamide. Tacrolimus and cyclosporine increase the possibility
      of proteinuria remission with less drug withdrawal, but the effects on kidney
      failure remain uncertain.

PMID- 28898289
TI  - TRIM32-TAX1BP1-dependent selective autophagic degradation of TRIF negatively
      regulates TLR3/4-mediated innate immune responses.
AB  - Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated signaling are critical for host defense against
      pathogen invasion. However, excessive responses would cause harmful damages to
      the host. Here we show that deficiency of the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM32
      increases poly(I:C)- and LPS-induced transcription of downstream genes such as
      type I interferons (IFNs) and proinflammatory cytokines in both primary mouse
      immune cells and in mice. Trim32-/- mice produced higher levels of serum
      inflammatory cytokines and were more sensitive to loss of body weight and
      inflammatory death upon Salmonella typhimurium infection. TRIM32 interacts with
      and mediates the degradation of TRIF, a critical adaptor protein for TLR3/4, in
      an E3 activity-independent manner. TRIM32-mediated as well as poly(I:C)- and LPS
      induced degradation of TRIF is inhibited by deficiency of TAX1BP1, a receptor for
      selective autophagy. Furthermore, TRIM32 links TRIF and TAX1BP1 through distinct
      domains. These findings suggest that TRIM32 negatively regulates TLR3/4-mediated
      immune responses by targeting TRIF to TAX1BP1-mediated selective autophagic
      degradation.

PMID- 28898292
TI  - The effect of age on the intestinal mucus thickness, microbiota composition and
      immunity in relation to sex in mice.
AB  - A mucus layer covers and protects the intestinal epithelial cells from direct
      contact with microbes. This mucus layer not only prevents inflammation but also
      plays an essential role in microbiota colonization, indicating the complex
      interplay between mucus composition-microbiota and intestinal health. However, it
      is unknown whether the mucus layer is influenced by age or sex and whether this
      contributes to reported differences in intestinal diseases in males and females
      or with ageing. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effect of age on
      mucus thickness, intestinal microbiota composition and immune composition in
      relation to sex. The ageing induced shrinkage of the colonic mucus layer was
      associated with bacterial penetration and direct contact of bacteria with the
      epithelium in both sexes. Additionally, several genes involved in the
      biosynthesis of mucus were downregulated in old mice, especially in males, and
      this was accompanied by a decrease in abundances of various Lactobacillus species
      and unclassified Clostridiales type IV and XIV and increase in abundance of the
      potential pathobiont Bacteroides vulgatus. The changes in mucus and microbiota in
      old mice were associated with enhanced activation of the immune system as
      illustrated by a higher percentage of effector T cells in old mice. Our data
      contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between mucus-microbiota
      and immune responses and ultimately may lead to more tailored design of
      strategies to modulate mucus production in targeted groups.

PMID- 28898293
TI  - The Vibrio cholerae var regulon encodes a metallo-beta-lactamase and an
      antibiotic efflux pump, which are regulated by VarR, a LysR-type transcription
      factor.
AB  - The genome sequence of V. cholerae O1 Biovar Eltor strain N16961 has revealed a
      putative antibiotic resistance (var) regulon that is predicted to encode a
      transcriptional activator (VarR), which is divergently transcribed relative to
      the putative resistance genes for both a metallo-beta-lactamase (VarG) and an
      antibiotic efflux-pump (VarABCDEF). We sought to test whether these genes could
      confer antibiotic resistance and are organised as a regulon under the control of
      VarR. VarG was overexpressed and purified and shown to have beta-lactamase
      activity against penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems, having the highest
      activity against meropenem. The expression of VarABCDEF in the Escherichia coli
      (DeltaacrAB) strain KAM3 conferred resistance to a range of drugs, but most
      significant resistance was to the macrolide spiramycin. A gel-shift analysis was
      used to determine if VarR bound to the promoter regions of the resistance genes.
      Consistent with the regulation of these resistance genes, VarR binds to three
      distinct intergenic regions, varRG, varGA and varBC located upstream and adjacent
      to varG, varA and varC, respectively. VarR can act as a repressor at the varRG
      promoter region; whilst this repression was relieved upon addition of beta
      lactams, these did not dissociate the VarR/varRG-DNA complex, indicating that the
      de-repression of varR by beta-lactams is indirect. Considering that the genomic
      arrangement of VarR-VarG is strikingly similar to that of AmpR-AmpC system, it is
      possible that V. cholerae has evolved a system for resistance to the newer beta
      lactams that would prove more beneficial to the bacterium in light of current
      selective pressures.

PMID- 28898294
TI  - Causal illusions in children when the outcome is frequent.
AB  - Causal illusions occur when people perceive a causal relation between two events
      that are actually unrelated. One factor that has been shown to promote these
      mistaken beliefs is the outcome probability. Thus, people tend to overestimate
      the strength of a causal relation when the potential consequence (i.e. the
      outcome) occurs with a high probability (outcome-density bias). Given that
      children and adults differ in several important features involved in causal
      judgment, including prior knowledge and basic cognitive skills, developmental
      studies can be considered an outstanding approach to detect and further explore
      the psychological processes and mechanisms underlying this bias. However, the
      outcome density bias has been mainly explored in adulthood, and no previous
      evidence for this bias has been reported in children. Thus, the purpose of this
      study was to extend outcome-density bias research to childhood. In two
      experiments, children between 6 and 8 years old were exposed to two similar
      setups, both showing a non-contingent relation between the potential cause and
      the outcome. These two scenarios differed only in the probability of the outcome,
      which could either be high or low. Children judged the relation between the two
      events to be stronger in the high probability of the outcome setting, revealing
      that, like adults, they develop causal illusions when the outcome is frequent.

PMID- 28898295
TI  - Relationships between sleep duration, physical activity and body mass index in
      young New Zealanders: An isotemporal substitution analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evidence regarding the unique effect of sedentary behaviour on
      obesity among children is unclear. Moreover, the effect of substituting sedentary
      behaviour with physical activity of different intensities on the body composition
      of children has received limited empirical study. OBJECTIVE: To examine the
      mathematical effects on Body Mass Index (BMI) of substituting sedentary
      behaviours with physical activities of different intensities on children and
      youth aged 5-14 years old in New Zealand. METHODS: Secondary analysis of
      accelerometer data from the National Survey of Children and Young People's
      Physical Activity and Dietary Behaviours in New Zealand (2008/09) was conducted.
      A total of 1812 children and youth aged 5-24 years provided accelerometer-derived
      data on daily sedentary time (SB), light intensity physical activity (LPA) and
      moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Sleep time was assessed with a
      validated computerised use-of-time tool. BMI was assessed using anthropometric
      measurements. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the
      independent associations of SB, Sleep time, LPA, and MVPA on BMI. The isotemporal
      substitution approach was used to ascertain the mathematical effect of
      substituting each of the other behaviours on BMI. Analyses were stratified by age
      groups. RESULTS: SB showed a unique (inverse) association with BMI across all age
      groups (p<0.05) but 20-24 years (p>0.05). Similarly, MVPA was positively
      associated (p<0.001) across all age groups. Among age groups 5-9 years, 10-14
      years and 15-19 years, the estimated impact of replacing 60 min/day of SB with
      the same amount of MVPA time resulted in decreased BMI for all age groups
      (p<0.001), ranging from -1.26 (5-9 years) to -1.43 units (15-19 years). Similar
      results were achieved when SB was replaced with LPA or sleeping time for children
      (5-19 years). In young people (age group 20-24), the impact of replacing 30
      min/day of SB with MVPA resulted in an estimated -1 BMI units decrease (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: MVPA and SB have a unique effect on BMI. Further, substituting SB
      with LPA or MVPA was associated with a favourable effect on BMI across all age
      groups; with MVPA having the strongest association.

PMID- 28898296
TI  - Characterizing the interaction between physicians, pharmacists and pharmaceutical
      representatives in a middle-income country: A qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies around the world have shown that interactions between
      pharmaceutical companies, pharmacists and physicians have a great influence on
      prescribing and drug dispensing practices. In middle-income countries, the nature
      and extent of these interactions have not been well researched. Our objectives
      were to qualitatively explore the nature of the interactions between
      pharmaceutical companies, physicians and pharmacists, their impact on drug
      prescription and dispensing practices in Lebanon. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used
      grounded theory approach as well as the known sponsor, purposive, and snowballing
      sampling strategies to identify interviewees from the three respective groups:
      physicians, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical representatives. We conducted semi
      structured and analyzed transcripts thematically. This study encompassed 6
      pharmaceutical representatives, 13 physicians and 13 pharmacists. The following
      themes emerged: purpose and driver for the interactions, nature of the
      interactions, incentives, impact on prescription practices, ethical
      considerations, and suggestions for managing the interactions. The main purposes
      for the interaction were educational, promotional, and monitoring prescription
      practices and dispensing, while the main drivers for these interactions were
      market potential and neighborhood socio-economic status. Physicians, pharmacists
      and pharmaceutical representatives who engage in these interactions benefit from
      a variety of incentives, some of which were characterized as unethical. It
      appears that pharmaceutical companies give prominence to selected physicians
      within their communities. Although members of the three interviewed groups refer
      to some of the interactions as being problematic, they described a culture of
      acceptance of gift giving. We developed a framework that depicts the prevailing
      politico-cultural environment, the interactions between the three professional
      groups, and their impact on drug prescription. Underreporting is the main
      limitation of this study. CONCLUSION: Interactions between physicians,
      pharmacists and pharmaceutical representatives are frequent. Although these
      interactions can be beneficial, they still have a substantial effect on drug
      prescription and dispensing practices. Hence, the need for new policies that
      regulate these interactions and penalize any misconduct.

PMID- 28898298
TI  - [Evaluation of Significant Autobiographical Memories Scale: Design and structural
      validation at an exploratory level].
AB  - Personal memories are multimodal cognitive representations. Nowadays,
      psychometric instruments which aim to assess signifcant memories phenomenological
      features are scarce. Consequently, the Evaluation of Signifcant Autobiographical
      Memories Scale was constructed and structural validated at an exploratory level.
      A total of 404 individuals from Buenos Aires city (Argentina) participated in the
      research. Initially, an expert judgment and a pilot study administration were
      carried out. Next, a homogeneity and a principal components analysis were
      implemented. To assess the scale reliability, Cronbach's alphas coefficients were
      analyzed. The fnal version has 30 Likert response items gathered in 8 dimensions.
      Satisfactory psychometric proprieties were obtained - internal consistency of
      .892 and a total explained variance of 65.78%. The scale provides two main scores
      regarding the total quantity and intensity of the phenomenological components as
      well as a partial score per each dimension. It is stated that the test will prove
      to be useful in the research feld as well as in the clinical area.

PMID- 28898297
TI  - Effects and safety of oral tolvaptan in patients with congestive heart failure: A
      systematic review and network meta-analysis.
AB  - AIMS: Several studies reported treatment benefits of tolvaptan in patients with
      congestive heart failure (CHF). However, the optimal dosage remains unclear. We
      aimed to compare different dosage of tolvaptan to determine the optimal dosage in
      terms of the efficacy and safety. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE,
      Cochrane CENTRAL and ClinicalTrials.gov through Aug 31, 2016. Randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) comparing tolvaptan of different dosages or to placebo
      in patients with CHF were included. We used network meta-analysis to look for the
      optimal dosage in terms of effectiveness and safety. Urine output, body weight
      change and change in serum sodium were the main outcomes of efficacy. Adverse
      effects were the secondary outcomes. Quality was assessed by Cochrane risk-of
      bias tool. RESULTS: Twelve RCTs reporting 14 articles with 5793 patients (mean
      age, 65.7 +/- 11.9 years; 73.7% man) were included. Compared with placebo, the
      tolvaptan 30 mg had similar effects to tolvaptan 45-90 mg in terms of urine
      output (mean difference [MD] 2.03 liter; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3 to
      2.71), body weight change (MD -1.12 kg; 95% CI -1.37 to -0.88) and change in
      serum sodium (MD 3.06 meq/L; 95% CI 2.43 to 3.68). Compared with placebo,
      tolvaptan of different dosage showed a non-significant higher risk of adverse
      effects. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that tolvaptan 30 mg and 45 mg may
      be the optimum dosage for CHF patients, because of its ability to provide
      favourable clinical results without greater adverse effects. However, tolvaptan
      is not beneficial for reducing all-cause mortality in CHF patients.

PMID- 28898299
TI  - [Marijuana].

PMID- 28898300
TI  - [Marijuana: A toxicological approach].
AB  - From an adult perspective, both marijuana and alcohol consumption are becoming
      natural. Among illegal substances, marijuana has disseminated all over the word
      and specially in Argentina. Thus, a scientifc approach towards this issue must be
      developed and we should spread what we know about toxicity and adverse effects,
      particularly among adolescents. The impact of this kind of toxic during the
      neurodevelopmental period, both in cognitive and impulse control areas, may
      involve negative consequences for users at a later age.

PMID- 28898301
TI  - [Notes for a science of cannabis].
AB  - The therapeutic and recreational use of cannabis and its derived products has
      been known since ancient times. The debate regarding its properties and legal
      status, which has recently changed in several states, has grown in recent years.
      However, scientifc evidence for or against its use, as well as for potential
      toxic effects in the short or long term, is scarce. In spite of the promising
      perspectives for its therapeutic use, in particular for neurological diseases
      such as refractory epilepsy or multiple sclerosis, which certainly aim for a
      controlled administration, this opinion article advocates for a greater incidence
      of basic and clinical scientifc research that may take this debate further away
      from matters of belief or prejudice and put it where it belongs, together with
      evidence and rationality.

PMID- 28898302
TI  - [Belief system regarding Cannabis, its use and consequences: Users versus non
      users in colombian university students].
AB  - Descriptive and comparative study of cross-sectional that had as objective to
      evaluate and compare the beliefs about cannabis, its use and potential
      consequences between two groups of Colombian university students, matched by
      gender and age. The frst group consisted of ordinary consumers of cannabis (n=35)
      the second group consisted of students that have never tried cannabis (n=35). The
      results showed that the group of consumers presents a moderate risk of abuse and
      only the 20% fulflled dependence criteria. Furthermore, the non-consumers group
      was mostly agree about that the marijuana use: damages the memory, deteriorates
      the cognitive functions, creates dependency, can affect the neurons and mental
      health. Also, it can lead to legal problems, it is a harmful drug for the health,
      it affects the academic performance, it creates problems with the family,
      friends, couple and the like, it reduces the driving ability, and, that the
      marijuana that is sold in the street is always pure. The consumer group, instead,
      agreed that smoking tobacco affects the lungs more than smoking marijuana.
      Marijuana has a positive in?uence on the brain, it increases the creativity, and
      it is less damaging than alcohol and tobacco. Smart people smoke marijuana and it
      has medicinal effects. In conclusion, according to the kind of beliefs that they
      have about this drug, the cannabis consumers would have a decreased perception of
      risk in relation to the potential risk that the consumption brings from two
      points of view: a. They minimize the real risks of consuming and, b. They
      attribute some benefts and virtues to the cannabis. The kind of beliefs that the
      consumer have are maybe in?uenced, at least, in part, for experiences of family
      and other consumers and, furthermore, the reinforcement of the same consume.

PMID- 28898303
TI  - [Legal, illegal and legitimate in the use and misuse of substances].
AB  - his article attempts to establish a dialogue between existing laws, their
      effectiveness and the controversy within the context of the popularization of
      substance use in the country. To this end, the origin of the criminalization of
      substance use and the contradictory positions that have been adopted in laws and
      court rulings are tracked. All this is confronted with the growing habit of
      psychoactive substance use among general population, which no laws and rulings
      have yet managed to in?uence.

PMID- 28898304
TI  - [Use of Cannabis and incidence of psychotic symptoms: Evidence from Buenos
      Aires].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cannabis use has been frequently associated to the experience of
      psychotic symptoms in the research literature. The objective was to investigate
      the association between cannabis use and psychotic like experiences in the city
      of Buenos Aires. METHODS: A sample of 862 respondents of the metropolitan area of
      Buenos Aires, aged =18 years, was interviewed regarding their cannabis use, and
      presence of psychotic like experiences. RESULTS: Cannabis use was associated to
      psychotic like experiences, in particular to perceptual abnormalities (visual and
      auditory hallucinations). No association was found, however, between frequency of
      use and number of PLEs. CONCLUSIONS: Cannabis use could be related to the
      presence of PLEs. These results are pertinent regarding prevention, and could
      contribute to the analysis of the safety of cannabis use in the population
      studied.

PMID- 28898305
TI  - [Cannabis and its association with psychosis: What do we know?]
AB  - Psychoses are a group of diseases that cause enormous health and emotional burden
      for the patient and their families. In recent decades, the need for early
      intervention to improve their prognosis has been highlighted. It has long been
      postulated that cannabis use is a risk factor added to other factors such as
      genetics and developmental abnormalities. For this reason, and in the light of a
      growing movement for legalization of its use, it is vitally important to have
      reliable information to understand the details of the relationship between
      cannabis abuse and the development of psychosis. The purpose of this paper is to
      review the available information on the subject. Beyond some methodological
      criticisms, epidemiological fndings provide strong evidence that cannabis use may
      increase the risk of psychotic disorders, a public health message that should be
      spread.

PMID- 28898306
TI  - [Cannabis use in Epilepsy. Current situation in Argentina and abroad].
AB  - Although at present we have over 20 different types of drugs for epilepsy, 30 to
      40% of patients continue to have seizures. Preliminary data from human studies
      suggest that cannabis, cannabidiol in particular, is effective in the treatment
      of some patients with epilepsy. However, the available data are limited and do
      not allow defnitive conclusions. Only randomized clinical trials with controlled
      double-blind, placebo-controlled utilizing secure preparations and one or more
      cannabinoids, will provide comprehensive information on the effcacy and safety of
      use. In order to perform these trials it is necessary to have legislation
      authorizing the use of cannabis on epilepsy.

PMID- 28898307
TI  - ["Every use of cannabis is therapeutic"].

PMID- 28898308
TI  - [The treatment of cannabis dependence: Clinical work, psychotherapy and
      evidence].
AB  - Identifying compulsive consumption of marijuana in association with another
      mental disorder (attentional defcit disorder, bipolar disorder, depression or
      psychosis) presents the challenge of clarifying validated therapeutic strategies,
      especially within the teen population, in which it shows the highest prevalence.
      The ever-increasing prevalence and the need for regional treatments, demand that
      we approach this health matter as a public health issue. The ideological con?icts
      related to the necessary decriminalization of consumption and the current debate
      on the medical use of marijuana often confuse the urgent need to establish
      effective therapeutic strategies for the population affected by this mental
      disorder. Family therapy and community reinforcement are one of the most effcient
      interventions, other than the traditional individual and group therapies.
      Contingent, motivational and cognitive-behavioral tailored interventions appear
      to be most effcient and recommendable. Aerobic exercise and the use of mobile
      technology also show effectiveness. The administration of medications such as
      gabepentin, the aminoacid n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and the cannabinoid cannabidiol
      (CBD) appear to be very promising. Usual medications, such as valproic acid,
      quetiapine and bupropion, increase craving, therefore intensifying the need for
      consumption and thus yielding overall negative results.

PMID- 28898309
TI  - [Psychiatric complications of cannabis use].
AB  - atural and synthetic cannabinoids modify the modulatory activity of the
      endocannabinoid system. Psychiatric complications induced by cannabis are
      analyzed, i.e. those that start with intoxication but persist beyond the removal
      of the drug (cognitive, psychotic and anxiety disorders) and the development of
      addictive behavior. Adolescence is the period of greatest vulnerability to
      cognitive impact. Cannabis-induced psychosis has been linked to consumption of
      high concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol and personality traits of anxiety and
      somatization. The incidence of anxiety is related to the cannabinoid effect but
      even more with neurobiological changes of addiction.

PMID- 28898310
TI  - [Tuberculosis in children in Chile].

PMID- 28898311
TI  - [Breastfeeding, gross motor development and obesity, is there any causal
      association?]
AB  - Childhood obesity is the main nutritional and public health problem in Chile,
      being the principal causes, the increase in energy dense foods and the decline of
      physical activity. Interventions to prevent obesity at infancy are focused mainly
      in improving quality and quantity of dietary intake, without taking into account
      physical activity, which is expressed under two years of age, mainly by motor
      development. Some studies have proven that motor development at early age, may
      influence the ability to perform physical activity. Thus, infants scoring a lower
      motor development may have a greater risk of becoming obese. It isn?t know if
      childhood obesity causes lower motor development (given that children may have
      greater difficulty to move), or on the contrary, it is the lower ability to move,
      which increases the obesity risk. The objective of this manuscriptis analize the
      evidence regards the relation between breastfeeding, motor development and
      obesity in the childhood.To be able to understand this asocation and casual
      mecanism, it is important to develop stategys focused in early infancy to promote
      breastfeeding, healthy eating and early stimulation, starting in pediatric
      office.

PMID- 28898312
TI  - [Analysis of risk factors for neonatal death in Chile, 2010-2014].
AB  - AIM: To analyze socio-demographic as maternal and newborn factors associated with
      neonatal mortality in a tertiary hospital in Chile. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A
      retrospective analysis of case (neonatal death) and control (live births) was
      performed. A match 1:2 proportion considering year, month of birth and gender was
      made. By reviewing medical records and existing databases, we analyzed
      sociodemographic and pathophysiological variables of the mother and their newborn
      in a period between 2010 and 2014. RESULTS: During the period of study 81
      neonatal deaths occurred in the hospital, with an estimated rate of 5.8 per
      thousand live births. Sixty-five cases were recruted, who were compared with 130
      controls. The main causes of death were prematurity and congenital malformations.
      It was found that the presence of preterm birth (OR: 3; 95% CI 1.1-8.7), newborn
      small for gestational age (OR: 4; 95% CI 1.7-12.1) Apgar score at minute 4-7 (OR:
      4; 95% CI 1.8-10.5), maternal activity outside the household (OR: 4; 95% CI 2.3
      8.7), and cesarean delivery (OR: 3; 95% CI 1.5-5.6) were the most prevalent risk
      factors. CONCLUSION: Neonatal mortality is associated with prematurity. Therefore
      it is of relevance to continue promoting efforts to prevent preterm birth.

PMID- 28898313
TI  - [Death from external causes in infants in Colombia 2005-2013].
AB  - : Latin America has shown a significant reduction in infant mortality in recent
      years. The objective of this study was to analyze official data for children
      under five years of age in Colombia, emphasizing external causes of death, which
      have been less studied. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Descriptive cross-sectional design
      using secondary information from death records reported by the National
      Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) and information dynamic tables of
      vital statistics, taken from the official information system of the Ministry of
      Health and Social Protection (SISPRO), between 2005 and 2013 were reviewed. The
      information was organized in tables for descriptive analysis of variables such as
      age, sex, and specific cause of death, by departments. RESULTS: In this period
      106,339 children under 5 years died; 85,897 of them (81%) in the first year of
      life. The number of deaths decreased from 14.266 in 2005, to 9.499 in 2013. The
      main external cause of death was drowning, responsible for 1749 deaths, followed
      by traffic accidents, 1.282. Homicides were responsible for 692 deaths. In all
      the causes of death analyzed there was a decline over the decade. DISCUSSION:
      Colombia is accomplishing the fourth millennium goal, ?reduce the mortality of
      children under 5 years.? Progress has been made in deaths from external causes,
      but there is still some way to go.

PMID- 28898314
TI  - [Associated factors to non-operative management failure of hepatic and splenic
      lesions secondary to blunt abdominal trauma in children].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The non operative management (NOM) is the standard management of
      splenic and liver blunt trauma in pediatric patients.Hemodynamic instability and
      massive transfusions have been identified as management failures. Few studies
      evaluate whether there exist factors allowing anticipation of these events. The
      objective was to identify factors associated with the failure of NOM in splenic
      and liver injuries for blunt abdominal trauma. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Retrospective
      analysis between 2007-2015 of patients admitted to the pediatric surgery at
      University Hospital Saint Vincent Foundation with liver trauma and/or closed
      Spleen. RESULTS: 70 patients were admitted with blunt abdominal trauma, 3 were
      excluded for immediate surgery (2 hemodynamic instability, 1 peritoneal
      irritation). Of 67 patients who received NOM, 58 were successful and 9 showed
      failure (8 hemodynamic instability, 1 hollow viscera injury). We found 3 factors
      associated with failure NOM: blood pressure (BP) < 90 mmHg at admission (p =
      0.0126; RR = 5.19), drop in hemoglobin (Hb) > 2 g/dl in the first 24 hours (p =
      0.0009; RR = 15.3), and transfusion of 3 or more units of red blood cells (RBC)
      (0.00001; RR = 17.1). Mechanism and severity of trauma and Pediatric Trauma Index
      were not associated with failure NOM. CONCLUSIONS: Children with blunted hepatic
      or splenic trauma respond to NOM. Factors such as BP < 90 mmHg at admission, an
      Hb fall > 2 g/dl in the first 24 hours and transfusion of 3 or more units of RBC
      were associated with the failure in NOM.

PMID- 28898315
TI  - [Morbimortality associated to nutritional status and feeding path in children
      with cerebral palsy].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) have a high
      prevalence of malnutrition associated to poor prognosis. For an adequate
      nutritional assessment, new growth curves (Brooks, 2011) are available, in which
      precise cut-off points in Weight/Age index correlate to increased morbidity and
      mortality rate. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate risk of hospitalization and death in
      patients with CP, according to nutritional risk (NR). PATIENTS AND METHOD:
      Observational and prospective cohort study of patients with CP in an outpatient
      referral center. We registered demographic, socioeconomic data and nutritional
      assessment. During a one-year follow-up, hospitalizations and mortality were
      recorded. The correspondent committee extended an ethical approval. RESULTS: 81
      CP patients were recruit, age 131.6 +/- 60.4 months (25-313), 60 % male, 77.5 %
      without independent mobility. The 23 NR patients (28.4%) had lower muscle and fat
      mass (p = 0.000). During the follow-up, 29/81 patients required hospitalization
      (35.8%) and 4/81 died (4.9%). There was not an increased risk of hospitalization
      and/or mortality in NR group, but both were significantly higher in gastrostomy
      fed children (RR: 2,98 CI 95%: 1.32-6.75 combining both variables). CONCLUSIONS:
      In this study, children and adolescents with severe CP and nutritional risk had
      similar morbidity and mortality during a one-year follow-up, compared to those
      with acceptable nutritional status. Both risks were higher in gastrostomy-fed
      than the orally fed children.

PMID- 28898316
TI  - [Risk factors and biochemical markers in metabolic bone disease of premature
      newborns].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic bone disease (MBD) of prematurity is a complication of
      multifactorial aetiology, which has been increasing, due to progressive decrease
      in mortality of preterm newborns. The aim of the study was to analyze risk
      factors of severe MBD and its analytical markers. PATIENTS AND METHOD:
      Retrospective study involving preterm infants less than 32 weeks gestational age
      and/or weight less tan 1,500 g born between january 2012 and december 2014.
      Comparison was made according to the presence of severe MBD. RESULTS: 139
      patients were recruited. Mean value of 25(OH)D3 was 70.68 +/- 25.20 nmol/L, being
      higher in patients born in spring-summer than in autumn-winter (80.94 +/- 25.33
      vs 61.13 +/- 21.07; p = 0.000). Levels of 25(OH)D3 were similar in patients with
      severe MBD compared with the rest of patients (65.61 +/- 26.49 vs 72.07 +/-
      24.89, P = 0.283). Higher levels of alkaline phosphatase (AP, IU/L ) (1314.19 +/-
      506.67 vs 476.56 +/- 188.85; p = 0.000) were found in these patients. Cutoff
      point of AP 796.5 IU/L (S 95.2%, specificity 92.4%) was calculated by ROC curve.
      The risk factors most associated to severe EMO were restricted fetal growth,
      birth weight, duration of ventilation therapy and parenteral nutrition.
      CONCLUSIONS: AP levels were the best marker of severe MBD development. EMO risk
      increases with the number of risk factors and lower levels of 25(OH)D3. Levels of
      25(OH)D3 higher than 70nmol/L appear to protect from the development of severe
      MBD, even in patients with multiple risk factors.

PMID- 28898317
TI  - [Recommendations from parents of obese children in treatment to the health-care
      team: qualitative study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The family plays an essential role in the adherence and
      effectiveness in the treatment of childhood obesity. Caregivers? experience is
      fundamental for proper guidance. AIM: To describe the recommendations for the
      health-care team made by parents of children that are being treated for obesity.
      PATIENTS AND METHOD: Cross-sectional and descriptive study with a qualitative
      approach and purposeful sampling. In the first semester of 2015, interviews were
      conducted with nine parents of children from 4 to 10 years old that were being
      treated for obesity ad who had at least three medical appointments in the
      previous year. The data analysis was based on the Grounded Theory Approach
      through open coding. The study was ethically approved and informed parental
      consent was obtained. RESULTS: The results were grouped in the following main
      categories: a) Health-care team-caregiver relationship, b) Health-care team-child
      relationship, c) Encouraging family participation, d) Encouraging therapeutic
      adherence in the child and e) Frequency of medical appointments. CONCLUSION: From
      the perspective of this group of parents of obese children, the health-care team
      should establish a close therapeutic bond with the children and their parents
      during the treatment process, in addition to encouraging family participation.
      The importance of developing therapeutic interventions that consider the
      perspective of the patient?s system is emphasized.

PMID- 28898318
TI  - [Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis in a pediatric patient, a case
      report].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is a very rare
      disease, of unknown origin that affects primarily the metaphysis of long bones.
      It is characterized by an insidious onset of symptoms and multiple remissions.
      The chronicity of symptoms, the diagnostic imaging and the lack of response to
      first line antibiotic treatment, should be helpful for diagnostic. OBJECTIVE:
      Present a clinical case, based on clinical, laboratory, radiologic imaging and
      histopathological results, that ultimately led to the diagnostic of CRMO. CASE
      REPORT: 9 year old, female patient, with one month of bilateral knee and left
      ankle arthralgia. Bone Gammagraphy and full body MRI, showed multifocal bone
      inflammation. These findings led to a biopsy, that turned negative for malignancy
      and infection. Given all the information available from the laboratory test
      results, radiologic imaging and histopathological findings, CRMO diagnosis was
      made. NSAID treatment was order, with good results. CONCLUSIONS: CRMO is a rare
      disease that even to date and with cutting edge technology, still represents a
      diagnostic challenge that primarily relies on a high level of suspicion, for a
      timely and correct treatment.

PMID- 28898319
TI  - [Tetanus, a current disease in pediatric population: Case report].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tetanus is an acute disease caused by a toxin produced by
      Clostridium tetanii. The disease can affect people of any age, and the fatality
      rate is high. Thanks to immunization the number of cases of the disease has
      decreased, although they are still present in isolation in countries with social
      and economic backwardness. OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of a pediatric patient
      with generalized tetanus to reinforce the relevance of prophylaxis and early
      detection. CASE REPORT: 6 years old female patient, with only one dose of
      pentavalent vaccine, 10 days after sharps injury by wood chips, starts with
      fever, muscle pain and generalized contractions, Tetanus was diagnosed by
      clinical symptoms and history. The management was based on the latest
      recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO): Penicillin-Metronidazole
      antibiotic regimen, tetanus toxoid and tetanus high-dose gammaglobulin. After 2
      years of follow-up under physiotherapy support, slight motor sequelae were
      observed. CONCLUSION: Tetanus is still presented in the pediatric population,
      associated with lack of vaccination. It is necessary to know the disease to
      provide proper diagnosis and management according to international lineaments.

PMID- 28898320
TI  - [Peroxisomal disorder, rhizomelyc chondrodysplasia punctata type 1: case report].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peroxisomal diseases are a group of monogenic disorders that
      include defects in peroxisome biogenesis or enzyme dificiencies. Rhizomelic
      chondrodysplasia punctata type 1 (RCDP1) belongs to the first group, caused by
      autosomal recessive mutations on PEX7 gene, encoding for PTS2 receptor. The aims
      of this report are to describe a genetic disease of low prevalence, explaining
      its main characteristics and the importance of the diagnostic approach and
      genetic counseling. CASE REPORT: 13-month-old male infant with no medical
      history, family or consanguinity, demonstrate at birth upper limbs shortening.
      Surgery intervention at seven months old for bilateral cataract. Growth
      retardation, psychomotor retardation, minor craniofacial anomalies, rhyzomelic
      shortened upper limbs and lower limbs lesser degree. Punctata calcifications in
      patella cartilage. Also fatty acid phytanic and pristanic increased levels.
      Patient dead at age of 3 years. DISCUSSION: RCDP1 is a rare disease, with a
      prevalence of 1/100,000. Different mutations of PEX7 gene have been described,
      with variations in phenotype. The treatment is basically symptomatic and depends
      on the severity of clinical manifestations. The rhizomelic type has poor
      prognosis, most patients do not survive before the first decade of live. Genetic
      counseling is essential because it is consider a 25% risk of recurrence.

PMID- 28898321
TI  - [Cleidocranial dysplasia: a case report].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cleidocraneal dysplasia (CCD) is a rare skeletal autosomal dominant
      syndrome characterized by dental anomalies and bone abnormalities. These clinical
      manifestations do not require treatment in most cases. The disease is caused by
      mutation in the gene RUNX2 (CBAF1), located on the short arm of chromosome 6.
      OBJECTIVE: To report a case of CCD and perform a literature review focused on
      clinical manifestations and diagnosis. CASE REPORT: A 3 year old patient, who was
      clinically diagnosed with CCD since birth. The patient showed incomplete
      development of cranial bones, bell-shaped thorax, adequate dentition and presence
      of clavicles. Molecular analysis reported that the patient is carrying the
      pathogenic variant c.674G>A in the RUNX2 gene, confirming the diagnosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: The CCD is a rare condition, with special clinical features. It is
      important to establish early diagnosis in these patients in order to offer a
      better quality of life, and if necessary, appropriate treatment.

PMID- 28898322
TI  - [New mutation in ATM gen in patient whith Ataxia Telangiectasia: Clinical case].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The ataxia telangiectasia syndrome (AT) is a genetic disease with
      an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern, with multisystem involvement and a
      broad clinical spectrum. It is caused by the mutation of the ATM gene, causing
      reduction or absence of the ATM proteinkinase, altering processes in the cell
      cycle, DNA repair and apoptosis. The objective of this article is to report the
      case of a patient with ataxia telangiectasia syndrome, caused by a mutation not
      previously reported in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 14 year-old patient native
      to Colombia, with classic clinical and phenotypical manifestations of AT
      syndrome, which started at 6 years of age with pondostatural alteration,
      recurrent respiratory infections, oculocutaneus telangiectasias and progressive
      neurological disorder that included: regression in her psychomotor development,
      ataxia and oculomotor apraxia. ATM gene sequencing is performed evidencing a
      homozygous mutation not reported in literature. DISCUSSION: In Latin America are
      sparse the number of reports of patients with ataxia telangiectasia and only few
      of these describe their molecular findings. Molecular studies allow the diagnosis
      and a better orientation in the management and prognosis of patients with
      neurodegenerative diseases. The report of undescribed molecular variants is of
      great importance to establish the etiology of such diseases in diverse population
      groups, such as the countries of Latin America.

PMID- 28898324
TI  - [Probiotics: innocuousness, prevention and risks].
AB  - Probiotics have been defined as live microorganisms which, when ingested in
      adequate numbers, confer health benefits to the host. They are currently consumed
      without any age restrictions and adverse effects such as sepsis, a marker of the
      risk of invasion of the bloodstream, are extremely infrequent. However, some
      health professionals express doubts about probiotics being truly innocuous. This
      review discusses the incidence of sepsis secondary to probiotics use, mainly
      lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, evaluated through molecular biology or classic
      culture techniques, showing that sepsis in large numbers of individuals along
      decennia is extremely low, of the order of 0,02% en some centers or as low as 1
      case/million population in France. These data are important considering the use
      different species and strains of these microorganisms. Few studies which have
      reported other adverse effects but many of these have problems with their design
      that cast doubt about the validity of their results. On the contrary, it has been
      shown that probiotic microorganisms exert positive stimulatory effects on innate
      and acquired immunity, with decrease of the manifestations of atopy and eczema.
      These positive effects are further evidenced by the beneficial effects of many
      species of probiotics in preventing necrotizing enterocolitis in patients as
      functionally labile as premature-born babies.

PMID- 28898323
TI  - [Pontocerebellar hypoplasia secondary to CASK gene deletion: Case report].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH) is a reduction of the size of the
      cerebellum and pons secondary to an alteration in its development, and can be
      caused by neurodegenerative diseases of genetic origin, of which there are known
      10 subtypes (PCH 1-10), cortical malformations, metabolic and genetic diseases.
      OBJECTIVE: To present the case of a child with microcephaly, PCH and West
      syndrome, in which the genetic study allowed to make the diagnosis of a deletion
      on chromosome X. CASE REPORT: This is a female infant of 7-month at diagnosis,
      without family or obstetric history of interest, head circumference at birth -1.5
      standard deviations (SD). She had little weight and growth in head circumference
      progression. In addition, physical examination revealed no fixating gaze,
      hypotonia with preserved deep tendon reflexes. Progressively developed refractary
      seizures. Brainsteam Auditory Evoked Potential demonstrated involvement of
      pontomesencefphalic ways and neuroimaging Pontocerebellar hypoplasia. The genetic
      study (aCGH) showed heterozygous deletion on the X chromosome, affecting the CASK
      gene. CONCLUSIONS: Given the wide differential diagnosis proposed at the PCH, new
      cytogenetic techniques have improved the classification of HPC and in some cases
      establish their etiology, so in these cases can provide appropriate genetic
      counseling to families.

PMID- 28898325
TI  - [Life needs to be thought].

PMID- 28898326
TI  - [Comparative study of growth and morbid incidence among a group of infants born
      to mother with tuberculosis and a control group: Revista chilena de Pediatria
      1948].

PMID- 28898327
TI  - [Transition from pediatric to adult health care services for adolescents with
      chronic diseases: Recommendations from the Adolescent Branch from Sociedad
      Chilena de Pediatria].
AB  - The Adolescent Branch from Sociedad Chilena de Pediatria supports the
      implementation of planned programs for transition from child to adult health
      centers, oriented to adolescents with chronic diseases, in order to ensure an
      appropriate follow-up and a high-quality health care. Recommendations for care
      are set out in the FONIS and VRI PUC project carried out by the Division of
      Pediatrics of the Universidad Catolica de Chile: ?Transition process from
      pediatric to adult services: perspectives of adolescents with chronic diseases,
      caregivers and health professionals?, whose goal was to describe the experience,
      barriers, critical points, and facilitators in the transition process. Critical
      points detected in this study were: existence of a strong bond between
      adolescents, caregivers and the pediatric team, resistance to transition,
      difficulty developing autonomy and self-management among adolescents;
      invisibility of the process of adolescence; and lack of communication between
      pediatric and adult team during the transfer. According to these needs, barriers
      and critical points, and based on published international experiences,
      recommendations are made for implementation of gradual and planned transition
      processes, with emphasis on the design and implementation of transition policies,
      establishment of multidisciplinary teams and transition planning. We discuss
      aspects related to coordination of teams, transfer timing, self-care and
      autonomy, transition records, adolescent and family participation, need for
      emotional support, ethical aspects involved, importance of confidentiality, need
      for professional training, and the need for evaluation and further research on
      the subject.

PMID- 28898328
TI  - Afebrile dengue.

PMID- 28898330
TI  - [Analysis of Crowding in an Adult Emergency Department of a tertiary university
      hospital].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Crowding in Emergency Departments (ED), results from the imbalance
      between the simultaneous demand for health care and the ability of the system to
      respond. The NEDOCS scale (National Emergency Department Crowding Scale) measures
      the degree of crowding in an ED. AIM: To describe ED Crowding characteristics,
      using the NEDOCS scale, in an Argentinean hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      retrospective cohort study was conducted with all adult patient consultations
      between July 2013 and July 2014 at the ED of Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires.
      We included all hours in the analysis period (365 days x 24 h = 8,760). The
      NEDOCS value was calculated for each hour using an automatic algorithm and was
      quantified in a six points score. Levels 4 (overcrowded), 5 (severely
      overcrowded) and 6 (dangerously overcrowded) were defined as overcrowding.
      Contour plots analysis was applied to identify patterns. RESULTS: During the
      study period, 124,758 visits to the ED were registered. Overcrowding was present
      in 57.7% (5,055) of the analyzed hours. A predominance of scores between four and
      five was observed between 10:00 and 24:00 hours. The months with predominance of
      overcrowding were June, July and August (southern winter). CONCLUSIONS: The
      calculation of the NEDOCS score and the analysis of its temporal distribution are
      highly relevant to identify opportunities for improvement and to develop
      mechanisms to prevent the highest categories of overcrowding.

PMID- 28898331
TI  - [Coverage of a screening program and prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in
      primary carec].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy is the first cause of blindness during working
      years. AIM: Provide knowledge of screening coverage, prevalence and level of
      diabetic retinopathy in patients that belong to the Cardiovascular Health Program
      in primary care. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis of retinographies performed to
      9076 diabetic patients aged 61 +/- 13 years (61% women) adscribed to a
      Cardiovascular Health program in primary care centers of South-East Metropolitan
      Santiago. The examination was carried out by the evaluation of retinographies by
      trained optometrists. RESULTS: The coverage of the screening program was 21%. The
      prevalence of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy was 3,1%. The prevalence of
      these entities was 45% higher in people aged between 18 and 44 years than in
      older people. Their prevalence in urban communities was 32% higher than in rural
      locations. CONCLUSIONS: The coverage of the screening program is low. Diabetic
      patients aged 18 to 44 years and those coming from urban communities have a
      higher prevalence of severe non-proliferative and proliferative diabetic
      retinopathy.

PMID- 28898332
TI  - [Prediction of hospital mortality of ST elevation myocardial infarction using
      TIMI score].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction risk score (TIMI-RS) was
      designed to predict early mortality in patients with a ST elevation acute
      myocardial infarction (STEAMI). AIM: To evaluate the predictive capacity for
      hospital mortality of TIMI-RS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with <= 12-hour
      evolution STEAMI were selected from a prospective registry of all patients
      hospitalized in our coronary unity within January 1988 and December 2005.
      Observed mortality was analyzed according to TIMI-RS and its predictive capacity
      was estimated. RESULTS: We analyzed 1125 consecutive patients aged 61 +/- 13
      years (76% men). Fifty one percent were smokers, 47% hypertensive and 40% had a
      history of angina. Fifty eight percent of patients underwent reperfusion therapy.
      Most patients had TIMI-RS scores <= 5 points and only 3.6% had scores >= 10
      points. Overall mortality was 14.8% and there was an 80% concordance between
      observed mortality and that predicted with the TIMI-RS score. The area under the
      curve for the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.7. CONCLUSIONS:
      TIMI-RS was acceptably useful to predict in-hospital mortality in this group of
      patients with STEAMI. Differences between the observed and originally predicted
      mortality are explained by the clinical profile and therapeutic protocols applied
      to patients in different studies. Thus, caution needs to be taken when
      interpreting the risk associated to a specific score, particularly within non
      reperfused patients whose risk might be underestimated.

PMID- 28898333
TI  - [Usefulness of imaging studies in prostate cancer: Analysis of 241 patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of staging studies in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) is
      a topic of discussion. AIM: To evaluate the usefulness of imaging studies in
      patients with prostate cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We reviewed the pathology
      service records to identify patients with prostate cancer diagnosed between 2003
      and 2013. We reviewed the electronic medical records of those patients identified
      as having a prostate cancer. Patients were grouped according D?amico?s
      classification of cancer dissemination risk. We analized the frequency of imaging
      studies requested and their efficacy to detect metastases in each risk group.
      RESULTS: We identified 241 patients with a mean age of 67 years. Fifty two
      percent of patients were classified as low-risk, 32% as intermediate-risk and 16%
      as high risk. At least one imaging study was requested to 64% of patients (49, 78
      and 87% of patients with low, intermediate and high risk respectively). Among the
      155 patients in whom an imaging study was requested, no metastases were found in
      the low risk group. On the other hand, dissemination was found in 7% of the
      intermediate-risk group and 62% of the high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: Half of
      patients with prostate cancer were classified as low risk. In half of this group
      of low risk patients, staging studies were requested and the probability of
      detecting metastases was low or nil. The odds of detecting metastases increased
      in higher risk groups.

PMID- 28898334
TI  - [Effects of a lower body weight or waist circumference on cardiovascular risk].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overall and central obesity are important risk factors for
      cardiovascular disease. AIM: To investigate the association of body weight, body
      mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with cardiovascular risk factors in
      Chile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 5,157 participants from the National
      Health Survey 2009-2010. Prevalence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic
      syndrome and dyslipidemia (high total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and low
      HDL-cholesterol) were defined using international recommendations. BMI and WC
      were measured using standardized protocols. RESULTS: A five percent lower body
      weight, BMI and WC were associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular
      risk factors. For each 5% reduction in body weight, the risk for hypertension
      decreased by 8 and 9% in women and men respectively. Similar risk reductions were
      observed for diabetes (9 and 11% respectively), metabolic syndrome (23 and 30%
      respectively), low HDL cholesterol (13 and 13% respectively), high triglyceride
      levels (16 and 18% respectively) and total cholesterol (8 and 10% respectively).
      Similar findings were observed for BMI and WC. CONCLUSIONS: Lower body weight,
      BMI or WC are associated with important reductions in cardiovascular risk
      factors. A 5% reduction in these adiposity markers could be a perfectly feasible
      goal for lifestyle interventions.

PMID- 28898335
TI  - [The impact of a self-directed teaching approach on academic performance of
      medical students].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Students should be encouraged to become reflexive and develop
      autonomous, lifelong learning habits. Therefore, teachers should focus on
      learning strategies which stimulate autonomous learning. AIM: To assess the
      impact of a self-directed teaching methodology on the academic performance of
      medical students in cellular biology and biochemistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      During 2013, 85 students received a traditional teaching methodology and during
      2014, 85 students received a self-directed learning methodology. The grades
      obtained and the number of failures in the courses of cellular biology and
      biochemistry were compared in both groups. RESULTS: The percentages of students
      approved at the end of the courses during 2013 and 2014 were 64 and 96%
      respectively (p < 0.01). The grades obtained by the 2014 students were also
      significantly higher than those obtained by 2013 students. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study confirms that academic performance improves with a self-directed teaching
      approach.

PMID- 28898336
TI  - [Analysis of human cyst echinococcosis in a northern Chilean region from 2008 to
      2012].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Coquimbo Region in Chile has the highest incidence of hydatidosis
      in central and northern Chile. AIM: To analyze the incidence of human cystic
      echinococcosis (CE) in the Coquimbo Region between 2008 and 2012. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Official records of reported cases were analyzed. The association of the
      location, age and sex with the presence/absence of CE was analyzed by means of
      logistic regressions. The incidence was reported as cases per 100,000
      inhabitants. RESULTS: The mean annual incidence was 2.6 cases per 100,000
      inhabitants, which ranged from 3.1 (2010) to 1.9 (2012) cases. The districts with
      higher incidence were Punitaqui (21.2 cases), Paihuano (9 cases), Rio Hurtado (8
      cases), Canela (8.1 cases), Monte Patria (7.9 cases), Vicuna (6.9 cases) and
      Combarbala (6.9 cases). The incidence in these locations was significantly higher
      than elsewhere in the region. Males had a significantly higher incidence than
      females (3.3 and 1.8 respectively). Incidence increased significantly with age,
      notably increasing after 45 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Rural locations had the
      highest incidences of CE in the Coquimbo Region. The disease was reported more
      commonly in adults and mainly in men.

PMID- 28898337
TI  - [The influence of pedagogic and discipline training on the teaching quality of
      university professors].
AB  - BACKGROUND: University teachers prioritize acquiring knowledge about their
      disciplines over pedagogic training. However, the latter is becoming increasingly
      important in the present teaching scenario. AIM: To relate pedagogic practices
      with pedagogic training of teachers from health care careers of public and
      private universities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pedagogic practice and training
      activities participation questionnaires were answered by 296 teachers of
      undergraduate students from Chilean public and private universities. RESULTS:
      There was a direct correlation between discipline training and all pedagogic
      practice factors. However, pedagogic training correlated with all the factors
      with the exception of teacher centered learning. Teachers with a master degree
      had higher scores in factors related to teaching planning and process assessment.
      Having a doctor degree had no impact on these factors. A multiple regression
      analysis showed that both discipline and pedagogic training and having a master
      degree were associated with pedagogic practices of teachers. CONCLUSIONS: Both
      pedagogic and discipline training influence the quality of teaching provided by
      undergraduate teachers.

PMID- 28898338
TI  - [Response to ABVD chemotherapeutic protocol in patients with early stage
      Hodgkin?s lymphoma].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent trials show that > 90% of patients with early stage Hodgkin's
      Lymphoma (ESHL) can be cured, especially when using the ABVD (doxorubicin,
      bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) chemotherapeutic (CT) protocol. The use
      of radiotherapy (RT) is variable and can be selected according to the presence of
      specific risk factors, including PET-CT, as recently reported. AIM: To report the
      experience in the treatment of ESHL. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective and
      descriptive analysis of patients with ESHL treated at the Red de Salud UC
      Christus between 2011-2015. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were treated. In 73%,
      the tumor was of nodular sclerosis histologic type. Most patients (95%) were in
      stage II, and 78% had a favorable prognosis according to the Deutsche Hodgkin
      Studiengruppe (GHSG) criteria. All patients were stratified using PET-CT and
      treated using the ABVD CT protocol, for 4-6 cycles. Only 5 patients received RT.
      There was no change of conduct after interim-PET-CT results. Ninety one percent
      of patients achieved complete response and there were two cases of refractory
      disease. Both cases underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. After 17
      months of median follow-up, 91% of patients are relapse-free, and only one
      patient died (5%). CONCLUSIONS: ABVD offers excellent results for ESHL patients.
      The benefit of PET-CT should be evaluated with prospective protocols, aiming to
      select patients needing RT or to reduce the number of CT cycles.

PMID- 28898339
TI  - [Young woman, daughter of a father with Alport?s syndrome, debuts with a impure
      nephrotic syndrome].

PMID- 28898340
TI  - [From insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring to the artificial pancreas].
AB  - Technology for diabetes care has undergone major development during recent
      decades. These technological advances include continuous subcutaneous insulin
      infusion (CSII), also known as insulin pumps, and real-time continuous glucose
      monitoring system (RT-CGMS). The integration of CSII and RT-CGMS into a single
      device has led to sensor-augmented pump therapy and more recently, a technology
      that has automated delivery of basal insulin therapy, known as hybrid system.
      These new technologies have led to benefits in attaining better metabolic control
      and decreasing the incidence of severe hypoglycemia, especially in patients with
      type 1 diabetes. This review describes the types of technologies currently
      available or under investigation for these purposes, their benefits and
      disadvantages, recommendations and the appropriate patient selection for their
      use. The clinical use of the hybrid system and artificial pancreas seem to be
      possible in the near future.

PMID- 28898341
TI  - [Shared decision making in patients with diabetes mellitus].
AB  - Patients with diabetes mellitus often have several medical problems and carry a
      burden imposed by their illness and treatment. Health care often ignores the
      values, preferences and context of patients, leading to treatments that do not
      fit into patients? overwhelmed lives. Shared Decision Making (SDM) emerges as a
      way to answer the question: ?What?s best for the patient??. SDM promotes an
      empathic conversation between patients and clinicians that integrates the best
      evidence available with their values, preferences and context. We discuss three
      SDM approaches for patients with diabetes: one focused on sharing information,
      another on making choices, and a third one on helping patients and clinicians to
      talk about how to address the problems of living with diabetes and its
      comorbidities. Despite the benefits demonstrated in studies conducted in the U.S.
      and Europe, the implementation of SDM continues to be a challenge. In Latin
      America, healthcare and socio-economic conditions render the implementation of
      SDM more challenging. Research aimed to respond to this challenge is necessary.
      Meanwhile, clinicians can practice SDM by sharing evidence-based information,
      giving voice to patients? values and preferences in making choices, and creating
      empathic conversations aimed at decisions aligned with patients? context, dreams,
      goals, and life expectations.

PMID- 28898342
TI  - [An update on inpatient treatment of anorexia nervosa: practical
      recommendations].
AB  - Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is the psychiatric illness with the highest mortality,
      especially if it is associated with psychiatric and somatic comorbidity. Medical
      complications can be multiple and jeopardize the normal development of children
      and adolescents, even permanently. Although its prevalence is lower compared with
      other psychiatric disorders, its tendency to chronicity and the severity of its
      consequences are remarkable. Although outpatient treatment of anorexia is
      privileged as far as possible, the risks associated with poor response to
      treatment or lack of adherence of the patient or family, require the possibility
      of hospitalization at any time of the disease. We searched and analyzed the
      national and international literature available (especially clinical guidelines)
      about the indication for hospital treatment in AN and the interventions
      recognized as necessary and effective during hospitalization. Despite the lack of
      standardized criteria for hospitalization, the available information converge on
      the need for a multidisciplinary work by a specialist team, to make family
      interventions especially in adolescents and tailor treatment according to the
      individual physical, psychological and social needs.

PMID- 28898343
TI  - [Differential diagnosis of bone marrow and lung granulomas: Report of one case].
AB  - The differential diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and lymphoma with pulmonary
      infiltration is very difficult, given their similar clinical characteristics. We
      report a 59 year old female with weight loss, fever, dyspnea and cough of several
      months of duration. She had a cavitated mass in lung imaging. A positive
      conventional PCR lead to the diagnosis of tuberculosis, but she had negative
      smears and cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patient did not respond
      to treatment and her clinical condition worsened. A peripheral lymph node biopsy
      confirmed the presence of a diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Bone
      marrow pathology showed non caseating granulomas, again with negative
      microbiological tests for M. tuberculosis. Findings in the bone marrow were
      interpreted as a secondary sarcoid reaction to cancer and PCR results as a false
      positive. The lymphoma was treated, achieving complete remission. This case
      highlights the importance of the differential diagnosis between these two
      entities.

PMID- 28898344
TI  - [Lung epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: Report of one case].
AB  - Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a multifocal tumor that rarely metastasizes.
      It is difficult to diagnose, most often it is an incidental finding in young
      asymptomatic women. The radiologic pattern is heterogeneous. Histologic
      confirmation of Weibel-Palade bodies or immunohistochemistry based on specific
      tumor markers such as factor VIII and CD34 are the most important finding to
      confirm the diagnosis. We report a 21 years old woman Presenting with cough and
      dyspnea. A chest X ray was suggestive of tuberculosis. Sputum smears were
      negative for acid fat bacilli and the tuberculin test was negative. A chest CAT
      scan showed multiple nodular lesions. A surgical biopsy of the lesions confirmed
      the presence of a hemangioendothelioma. The patient was initially treated with
      prednisone and azathioprine without response. Thereafter, the patient is without
      treatment and without evidence of disease progression.

PMID- 28898345
TI  - [Endoscopic lung volume reduction in advanced pulmonary emphysema: initial
      experience in Chile].
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has no curative treatment, and in
      moderate to advanced stages, functional parameters and quality of life are
      affected. Lung volume reduction improves respiratory parameters and quality of
      life of these patients. Endoscopic lung volume reduction is a minimally invasive
      procedure that uses endobronchial valves or coils. Valves are unidirectional,
      blocking the air from entering the target lobe during inspiration, allowing the
      exit of air and secretions during expiration. Complete fissure and absence of
      collateral ventilation are needed for an adequate functioning of endobronchial
      valves. Endobronchial coils cause mechanical retraction of the lung parenchyma.
      We report two patients who underwent endoscopic lung volume reduction by
      endobronchial valves. One patient was on continuous positive pressure non
      invasive ventilation due to his severe emphysema.

PMID- 28898346
TI  - [Treatment of hyperthyroidism with radioiodine during hemodialysis: Report of one
      case].
AB  - Although radioiodine (131-I) can be used as treatment of hyperthyroidism for
      patients in hemodialysis, its use is limited and the experience is mainly related
      to differentiated thyroid carcinoma. We report a 58 years old female on
      hemodialysis with recurrent hyperthyroidism after propylthiouracil treatment. She
      was successfully treated with 131-I and four months after the intervention her
      euthyroid state was confirmed. We measured 131-I activity in blood, dialysate
      liquid and other waste products, as well as patient radiation exposure rates. We
      found that 131-I elimination was prolonged through time with no major dependence
      on hemodialysis, as opposed to the elimination of 131-I in patients with thyroid
      carcinoma. This was probably due to high radiotracer uptake in hyper functioning
      thyroid tissue. Conversely, radiation content in dialysate wastes or equipment
      was minimal. Furthermore, the rate of both environmental exposure and exposure of
      nursing staff in charge of hemodialysis sessions, was minimal and met
      international security standards. In conclusion, I-131 therapy showed both
      appropriate effectiveness and safety in this case and may be considered as a
      suitable treatment alternative to thyroidectomy when antithyroid drugs are
      unsuccessful.

PMID- 28898347
TI  - [The problem of medical approach to disability: An interdisciplinary challenge
      between health, education and law].

PMID- 28898348
TI  - [Feedback: Cornerstone of clinical teaching].

PMID- 28898349
TI  - [Teaching blindly: Need for surveys and evaluations in medical students and
      physicians from Peru].

PMID- 28898350
TI  - [Julio Nazer M.D. (1926-2016)].

PMID- 28898351
TI  - [CORRECTION].

PMID- 28898352
TI  - Approaches for in silico finishing of microbial genome sequences.
AB  - The introduction of next-generation sequencing (NGS) had a significant effect on
      the availability of genomic information, leading to an increase in the number of
      sequenced genomes from a large spectrum of organisms. Unfortunately, due to the
      limitations implied by the short-read sequencing platforms, most of these newly
      sequenced genomes remained as "drafts", incomplete representations of the whole
      genetic content. The previous genome sequencing studies indicated that finishing
      a genome sequenced by NGS, even bacteria, may require additional sequencing to
      fill the gaps, making the entire process very expensive. As such, several in
      silico approaches have been developed to optimize the genome assemblies and
      facilitate the finishing process. The present review aims to explore some free
      (open source, in many cases) tools that are available to facilitate genome
      finishing.

PMID- 28898353
TI  - In vivo chemotherapeutic insight of a novel isocoumarin (3-hexyl-5,7-dimethoxy
      isochromen-1-one): Genotoxicity, cell death induction, leukometry and phagocytic
      evaluation.
AB  - Chemotherapy is one of the major approaches for the treatment of cancer.
      Therefore, the development of new chemotherapy drugs is an important aspect of
      medicinal chemistry. Chemotherapeutic agents include isocoumarins, which are
      privileged structures with potential antitumoral activity. Herein, a new 3
      substituted isocoumarin was synthesized from 2-iodo-3,5-dimethoxy-benzoic acid
      and oct-1-yne in a cross-coupling Sonogashira reaction followed by a copper
      iodide-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization as key step using MeOH/Et3N as the
      solvent system. The present study also evaluated the leukometry, phagocytic
      activity, genotoxic potential and cell death induction of three different doses
      (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) of this newly synthesized isocoumarin, alone and
      in combination with the commercial chemotherapeutic agents cyclophosphamide (100
      mg/kg) and cisplatin (6 mg/kg) in male Swiss mice. The results suggest that the
      isocoumarin has genotoxicity and causes cell death. Noteworthy, this new compound
      can increase splenic phagocytosis and lymphocyte frequency, which are related to
      immunomodulatory activity. When combined with either cyclophosphamide or
      cisplatin, chemopreventive activity led to a reduction in the effects of both
      chemotherapeutic drugs. Thus, the new isocoumarin is not a candidate for
      chemotherapeutic adjuvant in treatments using cyclophosphamide or cisplatin.
      Nevertheless, the compound itself is an important prototype for the development
      of new antitumor drugs.

PMID- 28898354
TI  - Comparative genome-wide polymorphic microsatellite markers in Antarctic penguins
      through next generation sequencing.
AB  - Microsatellites are valuable molecular markers for evolutionary and ecological
      studies. Next generation sequencing is responsible for the increasing number of
      microsatellites for non-model species. Penguins of the Pygoscelis genus are
      comprised of three species: Adelie (P. adeliae), Chinstrap (P. antarcticus) and
      Gentoo penguin (P. papua), all distributed around Antarctica and the sub
      Antarctic. The species have been affected differently by climate change, and the
      use of microsatellite markers will be crucial to monitor population dynamics. We
      characterized a large set of genome-wide microsatellites and evaluated
      polymorphisms in all three species. SOLiD reads were generated from the libraries
      of each species, identifying a large amount of microsatellite loci: 33,677,
      35,265 and 42,057 for P. adeliae, P. antarcticus and P. papua, respectively. A
      large number of dinucleotide (66,139), trinucleotide (29,490) and tetranucleotide
      (11,849) microsatellites are described. Microsatellite abundance, diversity and
      orthology were characterized in penguin genomes. We evaluated polymorphisms in
      170 tetranucleotide loci, obtaining 34 polymorphic loci in at least one species
      and 15 polymorphic loci in all three species, which allow to perform comparative
      studies. Polymorphic markers presented here enable a number of ecological,
      population, individual identification, parentage and evolutionary studies of
      Pygoscelis, with potential use in other penguin species.

PMID- 28898355
TI  - Topical Cross-Linked HA-Based Hydrogel Accelerates Closure of Corneal Epithelial
      Defects and Repair of Stromal Ulceration in Companion Animals.
AB  - Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the safety of topical ocular
      administration of a cross-linked, modified hyaluronic acid (xCMHA-S) hydrogel,
      and its effectiveness in accelerating repair and closure of acute and nonhealing
      corneal ulcers in companion animals as a veterinary treatment and its utility as
      a model for therapy in human corneal ulceration. Methods: Two concentrations of
      xCMHA-S (0.33% and 0.75%) were topically administered to the eyes of rabbits six
      times daily for 28 days to assess safety. Then, 30 dogs and 30 cats with
      spontaneous acute corneal ulcers were treated with either xCMHA-S (0.75%) or a
      non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid (HA) solution (n = 15 per group for each
      species), three times daily until the ulcer had healed. Finally, 25 dogs with
      persistent nonhealing corneal ulcers were treated with xCMHA-S (0.75%) twice
      daily until the ulcer had healed. Results: Both concentrations of the xCMHA-S
      hydrogel were well tolerated, safe, and nontoxic in the 28-day exaggerated dosing
      study in healthy rabbits. Topically applied xCMHA-S significantly accelerated
      closure of acute corneal stromal ulcers in dogs and cats compared with a non
      cross-linked HA solution. Further, topical administration of the xCMHA-S aided in
      closure of nonhealing corneal stromal ulcers in dogs. Conclusions: Hyaluronic
      acid has previously been shown to aid in corneal wound repair. This study
      demonstrates that a cross-linked, modified HA hydrogel provides further benefit
      by accelerating time to corneal wound closure compared to a non-cross-linked HA
      solution in companion animals, and therefore may be beneficial in fulfilling an
      unmet need in humans.

PMID- 28898356
TI  - Structure-Function Relationships in Perimetric Glaucoma: Comparison of Minimum
      Rim Width and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Parameters.
AB  - Purpose: To test the hypotheses that: (1) structure-function (SF) relationships
      between visual fields (VF) and Bruch's membrane opening-based minimum rim width
      (BMO-MRW) measurements are superior to those for peripapillary retinal nerve
      fiber layer (pRNFL) in perimetric glaucoma; (2) BMO-MRW measurements may extend
      the utility of structural measurement across the range of glaucoma severity; and
      (3) to estimate the influence of Bruch's membrane opening (BMO) size on BMO-MRW
      measurements. Methods: One hundred eight perimetric glaucoma eyes (68 patients)
      with good quality spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images of the
      optic disc and pRNFL, and reliable VF within 6 months were recruited.
      Relationship of global and sectoral BMO-MRW and pRNFL thickness with
      corresponding VF parameters and the influence of normalizing BMO-MRW (on BMO
      circumference, nBMO-MRW) on SF relationships were investigated. Broken-stick
      models were used to compare the point at which pRNFL and BMO-MRW parameters
      reached their measurement floor. Results: The median (interquartile range) of VF
      mean deviation was -5.9 (-12.6 to -3.6) dB. Spearman correlation coefficients
      between pRNFL, BMO-MRW, and nBMO-MRW measures and corresponding VF cluster
      average deviations ranged between 0.55 to 0.80, 0.35 to 0.66, and 0.38 to 0.65,
      respectively. Bruch's membrane opening-MRW parameters demonstrated weaker SF
      relationships compared with pRNFL globally and in temporal, temporal-superior,
      and nasal-inferior sectors (P < 0.03). Normalization of BMO-MRW did not
      significantly influence SF relationships. Conclusions: Structure-function
      relationships were somewhat weaker with BMO-MRW parameters compared with pRNFL in
      eyes with perimetric glaucoma. Bruch's membrane opening-MRW normalization did not
      significantly change SF relationships in this group of eyes with mild departures
      from average BMO size.

PMID- 28898358
TI  - Relevance of the Implementation of Teeth in Three-Dimensional Vocal Tract Models.
AB  - Purpose: Recently, efforts have been made to investigate the vocal tract using
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Due to technical limitations, teeth were
      omitted in many previous studies on vocal tract acoustics. However, the knowledge
      of how teeth influence vocal tract acoustics might be important in order to
      estimate the necessity of implementing teeth in vocal tract models. The aim of
      this study was therefore to estimate the effect of teeth on vocal tract
      acoustics. Method: The acoustic properties of 18 solid (3-dimensional printed)
      vocal tract models without teeth were compared to the same 18 models including
      teeth in terms of resonance frequencies (fRn). The fRn were obtained from the
      transfer functions of these models excited by white noise at the glottis level.
      The models were derived from MRI data of 2 trained singers performing 3 different
      vowel conditions (/i/, /a/, and /u/) in speech and low-pitched and high-pitched
      singing. Results: Depending on the oral configuration, models exhibiting side
      cavities or side branches were characterized by major changes in the transfer
      function when teeth were implemented via the introduction of pole-zero pairs.
      Conclusions: To avoid errors in modeling, teeth should be included in 3
      dimensional vocal tract models for acoustic evaluation. Supplemental Material:
      https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5386771.

PMID- 28898359
TI  - Nanochip Turns Skin Into a Bioreactor.

PMID- 28898360
TI  - Lightweight Exosuit Could Help Patients Walk After Stroke.

PMID- 28898357
TI  - Photoreceptor Layer Thickness Changes During Dark Adaptation Observed With
      Ultrahigh-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - Purpose: To examine outer retinal band changes after flash stimulus and
      subsequent dark adaptation with ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography
      (UHR-OCT). Methods: Five dark-adapted left eyes of five normal subjects were
      imaged with 3-MUm axial-resolution UHR-OCT during 30 minutes of dark adaptation
      following 96%, 54%, 23%, and 0% full-field and 54% half-field rhodopsin bleach.
      We identified the ellipsoid zone inner segment/outer segment (EZ[IS/OS]), cone
      interdigitation zone (CIZ), rod interdigitation zone (RIZ), retinal pigment
      epithelium (RPE), and Bruch's membrane (BM) axial positions and generated two
      dimensional thickness maps of the EZ(IS/OS) to the four bands. The average
      thickness over an area of the thickness map was compared against that of the dark
      adapted baselines. The time-dependent thickness changes (photoresponses) were
      statistically compared against 0% bleach. Dark adaptometry was performed with the
      same bleaching protocol. Results: The EZ(IS/OS)-CIZ photoresponse was
      significantly different at 96% (P < 0.0001) and 54% (P = 0.006) bleach. At all
      three bleaching levels, the EZ(IS/OS)-RIZ, -RPE, and -BM responses were
      significantly different (P < 0.0001). The EZ(IS/OS)-CIZ and EZ(IS/OS)-RIZ time
      courses were similar to the recovery of rod- and cone-mediated sensitivity,
      respectively, measured with dark adaptometry. The maximal EZ(IS/OS)-CIZ and
      EZ(IS/OS)-RIZ response magnitudes doubled from 54% to 96% bleach. Both EZ(IS/OS)
      RPE and EZ(IS/OS)-BM responses resembled dampened oscillations that were graded
      in amplitude and duration with bleaching intensity. Half-field photoresponses
      were localized to the stimulated retina. Conclusions: With noninvasive, near
      infrared UHR-OCT, we characterized three distinct, spatially localized
      photoresponses in the outer retinal bands. These photoresponses have potential
      value as physical correlates of photoreceptor function.

PMID- 28898361
TI  - Expanded Tissue Samples Poised to Assist Pathologists.

PMID- 28898362
TI  - Antiphospholipid Antibodies.

PMID- 28898363
TI  - The Durability of Antireflux Surgery.

PMID- 28898364
TI  - Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Understanding Long-term Risks and Benefits.

PMID- 28898365
TI  - Breast Cancer Surgery: Less Is More.

PMID- 28898366
TI  - Acute Diarrheal Infections in Adults.

PMID- 28898368
TI  - "America's Health First": A Misnomer.

PMID- 28898369
TI  - Progress in Teaching Psychiatry: Adolf Meyer, M.D., Baltimore.

PMID- 28898370
TI  - Association Between Ruptured Distal Biceps Tendon and Wild-Type Transthyretin
      Cardiac Amyloidosis.

PMID- 28898371
TI  - Behavioral Economics and Health Insurance Reform.

PMID- 28898372
TI  - Medication Reconciliation vs Medication Review.

PMID- 28898373
TI  - Guideline Recommendations for Statin Therapy.

PMID- 28898374
TI  - Behavioral Economics and Health Insurance Reform-Reply.

PMID- 28898375
TI  - Medication Reconciliation vs Medication Review-Reply.

PMID- 28898376
TI  - Guideline Recommendations for Statin Therapy-Reply.

PMID- 28898377
TI  - Association Between Laparoscopic Antireflux Surgery and Recurrence of
      Gastroesophageal Reflux.
AB  - Importance: Cohort studies, mainly based on questionnaires and interviews, have
      reported high rates of reflux recurrence after antireflux surgery, which may have
      contributed to a decline in its use. Reflux recurrence after laparoscopic
      antireflux surgery has not been assessed in a long-term population-based study of
      unselected patients. Objectives: To determine the risk of reflux recurrence after
      laparoscopic antireflux surgery and to identify risk factors for recurrence.
      Design and Setting: Nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study in
      Sweden between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2014, based on all Swedish
      health care and including 2655 patients who underwent laparoscopic antireflux
      surgery according to the Swedish Patient Registry. Their records were linked to
      the Swedish Causes of Death Registry and Prescribed Drug Registry. Exposures:
      Primary laparoscopic antireflux surgery due to gastroesophageal reflux disease in
      adults (>18 years). Main Outcomes and Measures: The outcome was recurrence of
      reflux, defined as use of antireflux medication (proton pump inhibitors or
      histamine2 receptor antagonists for >6 months) or secondary antireflux surgery.
      Multivariable Cox regression was used to assess risk factors for reflux
      recurrence. Results: Among all 2655 patients who underwent antireflux surgery
      (median age, 51.0 years; interquartile range, 40.0-61.0 years; 1354 men [51.0%])
      and were followed up for a median of 5.6 years, 470 patients (17.7%) had reflux
      recurrence; 393 (83.6%) received long-term antireflux medication and 77 (16.4%)
      underwent secondary antireflux surgery. Risk factors for reflux recurrence
      included female sex (hazard ratio [HR], 1.57 [95% CI, 1.29-1.90]; 286 of 1301
      women [22.0%] and 184 of 1354 men [13.6%] had recurrence of reflux), older age
      (HR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.10-1.81] for age >=61 years compared with <=45 years;
      recurrence among 156 of 715 patients and 133 of 989 patients, respectively), and
      comorbidity (HR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.13-1.65] for Charlson comorbidity index score
      >=1 compared with 0; recurrence among 180 of 804 patients and 290 of 1851
      patients, respectively). Hospital volume of antireflux surgery was not associated
      with risk of reflux recurrence (HR, 1.09 [95% CI, 0.77-1.53] for hospital volume
      <=24 surgeries compared with >=76 surgeries; recurrence among 38 of 266 patients
      [14.3%] and 271 of 1526 patients [17.8%], respectively). Conclusions and
      Relevance: Among patients who underwent primary laparoscopic antireflux surgery,
      17.7% experienced recurrent gastroesophageal reflux requiring long-term
      medication use or secondary antireflux surgery. Risk factors for recurrence were
      older age, female sex, and comorbidity. Laparoscopic antireflux surgery was
      associated with a relatively high rate of recurrent gastroesophageal reflux
      disease requiring treatment, diminishing some of the benefits of the operation.

PMID- 28898378
TI  - Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Long-term All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality:
      The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Trials.
AB  - Importance: Health outcomes from the Women's Health Initiative Estrogen Plus
      Progestin and Estrogen-Alone Trials have been reported, but previous publications
      have generally not focused on all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Objective:
      To examine total and cause-specific cumulative mortality, including during the
      intervention and extended postintervention follow-up, of the 2 Women's Health
      Initiative hormone therapy trials. Design, Setting, and Participants:
      Observational follow-up of US multiethnic postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79
      years enrolled in 2 randomized clinical trials between 1993 and 1998 and followed
      up through December 31, 2014. Interventions: Conjugated equine estrogens (CEE,
      0.625 mg/d) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 2.5 mg/d) (n = 8506) vs
      placebo (n = 8102) for 5.6 years (median) or CEE alone (n = 5310) vs placebo (n =
      5429) for 7.2 years (median). Main Outcomes and Measures: All-cause mortality
      (primary outcome) and cause-specific mortality (cardiovascular disease mortality,
      cancer mortality, and other major causes of mortality) in the 2 trials pooled and
      in each trial individually, with prespecified analyses by 10-year age group based
      on age at time of randomization. Results: Among 27 347 women who were randomized
      (baseline mean [SD] age, 63.4 [7.2] years; 80.6% white), mortality follow-up was
      available for more than 98%. During the cumulative 18-year follow-up, 7489 deaths
      occurred (1088 deaths during the intervention phase and 6401 deaths during
      postintervention follow-up). All-cause mortality was 27.1% in the hormone therapy
      group vs 27.6% in the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.99 [95% CI, 0.94-1.03])
      in the overall pooled cohort; with CEE plus MPA, the HR was 1.02 (95% CI, 0.96
      1.08); and with CEE alone, the HR was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.88-1.01). In the pooled
      cohort for cardiovascular mortality, the HR was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.92-1.08 [8.9 %
      with hormone therapy vs 9.0% with placebo]); for total cancer mortality, the HR
      was 1.03 (95% CI, 0.95-1.12 [8.2 % with hormone therapy vs 8.0% with placebo]);
      and for other causes, the HR was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.88-1.02 [10.0% with hormone
      therapy vs 10.7% with placebo]), and results did not differ significantly between
      trials. When examined by 10-year age groups comparing younger women (aged 50-59
      years) to older women (aged 70-79 years) in the pooled cohort, the ratio of
      nominal HRs for all-cause mortality was 0.61 (95% CI, 0.43-0.87) during the
      intervention phase and the ratio was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.76-1.00) during cumulative
      18-year follow-up, without significant heterogeneity between trials. Conclusions
      and Relevance: Among postmenopausal women, hormone therapy with CEE plus MPA for
      a median of 5.6 years or with CEE alone for a median of 7.2 years was not
      associated with risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, or cancer mortality during a
      cumulative follow-up of 18 years. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov
      Identifier: NCT00000611.

PMID- 28898380
TI  - Pneumothorax.

PMID- 28898379
TI  - Effect of Axillary Dissection vs No Axillary Dissection on 10-Year Overall
      Survival Among Women With Invasive Breast Cancer and Sentinel Node Metastasis:
      The ACOSOG Z0011 (Alliance) Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - Importance: The results of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011
      (ACOSOG Z0011) trial were first reported in 2005 with a median follow-up of 6.3
      years. Longer follow-up was necessary because the majority of the patients had
      estrogen receptor-positive tumors that may recur later in the disease course (the
      ACOSOG is now part of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology). Objective:
      To determine whether the 10-year overall survival of patients with sentinel lymph
      node metastases treated with breast-conserving therapy and sentinel lymph node
      dissection (SLND) alone without axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is
      noninferior to that of women treated with axillary dissection. Design, Setting,
      and Participants: The ACOSOG Z0011 phase 3 randomized clinical trial enrolled
      patients from May 1999 to December 2004 at 115 sites (both academic and community
      medical centers). The last date of follow-up was September 29, 2015, in the
      ACOSOG Z0011 (Alliance) trial. Eligible patients were women with clinical T1 or
      T2 invasive breast cancer, no palpable axillary adenopathy, and 1 or 2 sentinel
      lymph nodes containing metastases. Interventions: All patients had planned
      lumpectomy, planned tangential whole-breast irradiation, and adjuvant systemic
      therapy. Third-field radiation was prohibited. Main Outcomes and Measures: The
      primary outcome was overall survival with a noninferiority hazard ratio (HR)
      margin of 1.3. The secondary outcome was disease-free survival. Results: Among
      891 women who were randomized (median age, 55 years), 856 (96%) completed the
      trial (446 in the SLND alone group and 445 in the ALND group). At a median follow
      up of 9.3 years (interquartile range, 6.93-10.34 years), the 10-year overall
      survival was 86.3% in the SLND alone group and 83.6% in the ALND group (HR, 0.85
      [1-sided 95% CI, 0-1.16]; noninferiority P = .02). The 10-year disease-free
      survival was 80.2% in the SLND alone group and 78.2% in the ALND group (HR, 0.85
      [95% CI, 0.62-1.17]; P = .32). Between year 5 and year 10, 1 regional recurrence
      was seen in the SLND alone group vs none in the ALND group. Ten-year regional
      recurrence did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Conclusions and
      Relevance: Among women with T1 or T2 invasive primary breast cancer, no palpable
      axillary adenopathy, and 1 or 2 sentinel lymph nodes containing metastases, 10
      year overall survival for patients treated with sentinel lymph node dissection
      alone was noninferior to overall survival for those treated with axillary lymph
      node dissection. These findings do not support routine use of axillary lymph node
      dissection in this patient population based on 10-year outcomes. Trial
      Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00003855.

PMID- 28898382
TI  - What Should I Do When I Hear the Call for Medical Assistance in a Plane?

PMID- 28898384
TI  - Lax Infection Control Consequences.

PMID- 28898385
TI  - Challenges in HCV Elimination.

PMID- 28898386
TI  - Pancreaticojejunostomy versus pancreaticogastrostomy reconstruction for the
      prevention of postoperative pancreatic fistula following pancreaticoduodenectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatoduodenectomy is a surgical procedure used to treat diseases
      of the pancreatic head and, less often, the duodenum. The most common disease
      treated is cancer, but pancreatoduodenectomy is also used for people with
      traumatic lesions and chronic pancreatitis. Following pancreatoduodenectomy, the
      pancreatic stump must be connected with the small bowel where pancreatic juice
      can play its role in food digestion. Pancreatojejunostomy (PJ) and
      pancreatogastrostomy (PG) are surgical procedures commonly used to reconstruct
      the pancreatic stump after pancreatoduodenectomy. Both of these procedures have a
      non-negligible rate of postoperative complications. Since it is unclear which
      procedure is better, there are currently no international guidelines on how to
      reconstruct the pancreatic stump after pancreatoduodenectomy, and the choice is
      based on the surgeon's personal preference. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of
      pancreaticogastrostomy compared to pancreaticojejunostomy on postoperative
      pancreatic fistula in participants undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. SEARCH
      METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL;
      2016, Issue 9), Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to 30 September 2016), Ovid Embase (1974 to 30
      September 2016) and CINAHL (1982 to 30 September 2016). We also searched clinical
      trials registers (ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO ICTRP) and screened references of
      eligible articles and systematic reviews on this subject. There were no language
      or publication date restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included all randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the clinical outcomes of PJ compared to PG in
      people undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used
      standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. We
      performed descriptive analyses of the included RCTs for the primary (rate of
      postoperative pancreatic fistula and mortality) and secondary outcomes (length of
      hospital stay, rate of surgical re-intervention, overall rate of surgical
      complications, rate of postoperative bleeding, rate of intra-abdominal abscess,
      quality of life, cost analysis). We used a random-effects model for all analyses.
      We calculated the risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes, and the mean
      difference (MD) for continuous outcomes (using PG as the reference) with 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) as a measure of variability. MAIN RESULTS: We included
      10 RCTs that enrolled a total of 1629 participants. The characteristics of all
      studies matched the requirements to compare the two types of surgical
      reconstruction following pancreatoduodenectomy. All studies reported incidence of
      postoperative pancreatic fistula (the main complication) and postoperative
      mortality.Overall, the risk of bias in included studies was high; only one
      included study was assessed at low risk of bias.There was little or no difference
      between PJ and PG in overall risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula (PJ 24.3%;
      PG 21.4%; RR 1.19, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.62; 7 studies; low-quality evidence).
      Inclusion of studies that clearly distinguished clinically significant pancreatic
      fistula resulted in us being uncertain whether PJ improved the risk of pancreatic
      fistula when compared with PG (19.3% versus 12.8%; RR 1.51, 95% CI 0.92 to 2.47;
      very low-quality evidence). PJ probably has little or no difference from PG in
      risk of postoperative mortality (3.9% versus 4.8%; RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.34;
      moderate-quality evidence).We found low-quality evidence that PJ may differ
      little from PG in length of hospital stay (MD 1.04 days, 95% CI -1.18 to 3.27; 4
      studies, N = 502) or risk of surgical re-intervention (11.6% versus 10.3%; RR
      1.18, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.61; 7 studies, N = 1263). We found moderate-quality
      evidence suggesting little difference between PJ and PG in terms of risk of any
      surgical complication (46.5% versus 44.5%; RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.18; 9
      studies, N = 1513). PJ may slightly improve the risk of postoperative bleeding
      (9.3% versus 13.8%; RR 0.69, 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.93; low-quality evidence; 8
      studies, N = 1386), but may slightly worsen the risk of developing intra
      abdominal abscess (14.7% versus 8.0%; RR 1.77, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.81; 7 studies, N
      = 1121; low quality evidence). Only one study reported quality of life (N = 320);
      PG may improve some quality of life parameters over PJ (low-quality evidence). No
      studies reported cost analysis data. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no reliable
      evidence to support the use of pancreatojejunostomy over pancreatogastrostomy.
      Future large international studies may shed new light on this field of
      investigation.

PMID- 28898387
TI  - Prevalence and Correlates of Elder Abuse in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of elder abuse and to investigate potential
      sociodemographic, health behavior, and medical correlates. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional data were collected in face-to-face assessments. SETTING: Sao Paulo and
      Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 60 to 75. MEASUREMENTS:
      Information on elder abuse was obtained using the Brazil-adapted, nine-item
      Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test. Sampling design-adjusted descriptive
      statistics and logistic regression were used in analyses. RESULTS: The overall
      prevalence of abuse was 14.4% (n = 46/259, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 9.82
      20.61) in Sao Paulo and 13.3% (n = 27/197, 95% CI = 8.76-19.74) in Rio de
      Janeiro. Unadjusted analyses indicated that poor education, low physical
      activity, unemployment, heart disease, and psychiatric problems were associated
      with abuse, but in adjusted analyses, self-reported elder abuse was significantly
      associated only with psychiatric problems (Sao Paulo: OR = 4.48, 95% CI = 1.75
      11.45; Rio de Janeiro: OR = 21.61, 95% CI = 6.39-73.14). CONCLUSION: Elder abuse
      is prevalent in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but whether concomitants of abuse
      are cause, effect, or both is unclear because this was a cross-sectional study.
      These findings highlight the importance of the problem, as well as the need to
      develop measures to increase awareness, facilitate prevention, and fight against
      abuse of elderly adults.

PMID- 28898388
TI  - Memory and Executive Functioning in 12-Year-Old Children With a History of
      Institutional Rearing.
AB  - We examined visual recognition memory and executive functioning (spatial working
      memory [SWM], spatial planning, rule learning, and attention shifting) in 12-year
      olds (n = 150) who participated in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a
      randomized controlled trial of foster care for institutionally reared children.
      Similar to prior reports at 8 years of age, institutionally reared children
      showed significant deficits in visual recognition memory and SWM. Deficits in
      attention shifting and rule learning were also apparent at this time point. These
      data suggest that early experiences continue to shape the development of memory,
      learning, and executive functioning processes in preadolescence, which may
      explain broader cognitive and learning difficulties commonly associated with
      severe early life neglect.

PMID- 28898389
TI  - Racial Differences in the Association Between Apolipoprotein E Risk Alleles and
      Overall and Total Cardiovascular Mortality Over 18 Years.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the difference in the association between apolipoprotein
      (APO)E allele and overall and cardiovascular mortality between African Americans
      (AAs) and European Americans (EAs). DESIGN: Longitudinal, cohort study of 18
      years. SETTING: Biracial urban US population sample. PARTICIPANTS: 4,917, 68% AA
      and 32% EA. MEASUREMENTS: APOE genotype and mortality based on National Death
      Index. RESULTS: A higher proportion of AAs than of EAs had an APOE epsilon2
      allele (epsilon2epsilon2/epsilon2epsilon3/epsilon2epsilon4; 22% vs 13%) and an
      APOE epsilon4 allele (epsilon3epsilon4/epsilon4epsilon4; 33% vs 24%). After
      adjusting for known risk factors, the risk of mortality was 19% less with the
      APOE epsilon2 allele (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) =
      0.76-0.87), and the risk of cardiovascular mortality was 35% less (HR = 0.65, 95%
      CI = 0.58-0.76) than with the epsilon3epsilon3 allele. The risk of mortality was
      10% greater with the APOE epsilon4 allele (HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.04-1.16), and
      the risk of cardiovascular mortality was 20% greater (HR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.07
      1.29) than with the epsilon3epsilon3 allele. No difference in the association
      between APOE allele and mortality was observed between AAs and EAs. CONCLUSION:
      The APOE epsilon4 allele increased the risk of overall and cardiovascular
      mortality, whereas the APOE epsilon2 allele decreased the risk of overall and
      cardiovascular mortality. There was no racial difference in the association
      between these alleles and mortality.

PMID- 28898390
TI  - Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multi-dimensional,
      multi-disciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic process conducted to determine the
      medical, mental, and functional problems of older people with frailty so that a
      co-ordinated and integrated plan for treatment and follow-up can be developed.
      This is an update of a previously published Cochrane review. OBJECTIVES: We
      sought to critically appraise and summarise current evidence on the effectiveness
      and resource use of CGA for older adults admitted to hospital, and to use these
      data to estimate its cost-effectiveness. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL,
      MEDLINE, Embase, three other databases, and two trials registers on 5 October
      2016; we also checked reference lists and contacted study authors. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: We included randomised trials that compared inpatient CGA (delivered on
      geriatric wards or by mobile teams) versus usual care on a general medical ward
      or on a ward for older people, usually admitted to hospital for acute care or for
      inpatient rehabilitation after an acute admission. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:
      We followed standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane and Effective
      Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC). We used the GRADE approach to assess
      the certainty of evidence for the most important outcomes. For this update, we
      requested individual patient data (IPD) from trialists, and we conducted a survey
      of trialists to obtain details of delivery of CGA. We calculated risk ratios
      (RRs), mean differences (MDs), or standardised mean differences (SMDs), and
      combined data using fixed-effect meta-analysis. We estimated cost-effectiveness
      by comparing inpatient CGA versus hospital admission without CGA in terms of cost
      per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, cost per life year (LY) gained, and
      cost per life year living at home (LYLAH) gained. MAIN RESULTS: We included 29
      trials recruiting 13,766 participants across nine, mostly high-income countries.
      CGA increases the likelihood that patients will be alive and in their own homes
      at 3 to 12 months' follow-up (risk ratio (RR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      1.01 to 1.10; 16 trials, 6799 participants; high-certainty evidence), results in
      little or no difference in mortality at 3 to 12 months' follow-up (RR 1.00, 95%
      CI 0.93 to 1.07; 21 trials, 10,023 participants; high-certainty evidence),
      decreases the likelihood that patients will be admitted to a nursing home at 3 to
      12 months follow-up (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.89; 14 trials, 6285 participants;
      high-certainty evidence) and results in little or no difference in dependence (RR
      0.97, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.04; 14 trials, 6551 participants; high-certainty
      evidence). CGA may make little or no difference to cognitive function (SMD ranged
      from -0.22 to 0.35 (5 trials, 3534 participants; low-certainty evidence)). Mean
      length of stay ranged from 1.63 days to 40.7 days in the intervention group, and
      ranged from 1.8 days to 42.8 days in the comparison group. Healthcare costs per
      participant in the CGA group were on average GBP 234 (95% CI GBP -144 to GBP 605)
      higher than in the usual care group (17 trials, 5303 participants; low-certainty
      evidence). CGA may lead to a slight increase in QALYs of 0.012 (95% CI -0.024 to
      0.048) at GBP 19,802 per QALY gained (3 trials; low-certainty evidence), a slight
      increase in LYs of 0.037 (95% CI 0.001 to 0.073), at GBP 6305 per LY gained (4
      trials; low-certainty evidence), and a slight increase in LYLAH of 0.019 (95% CI 
      0.019 to 0.155) at GBP 12,568 per LYLAH gained (2 trials; low-certainty
      evidence). The probability that CGA would be cost-effective at a GBP 20,000
      ceiling ratio for QALY, LY, and LYLAH was 0.50, 0.89, and 0.47, respectively (17
      trials, 5303 participants; low-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Older
      patients are more likely to be alive and in their own homes at follow-up if they
      received CGA on admission to hospital. We are uncertain whether data show a
      difference in effect between wards and teams, as this analysis was underpowered.
      CGA may lead to a small increase in costs, and evidence for cost-effectiveness is
      of low-certainty due to imprecision and inconsistency among studies. Further
      research that reports cost estimates that are setting-specific across different
      sectors of care are required.

PMID- 28898391
TI  - Recoding of synonymous genes to expand evolutionary landscapes requires control
      of secondary structure affecting translation.
AB  - Synthetic DNA design needs to harness the many information layers embedded in a
      DNA string. We previously developed the Evolutionary Landscape Painter (ELP), an
      algorithm that exploits the degeneracy of the code to increase protein
      evolvability. Here, we have used ELP to recode the integron integrase gene
      (intI1) in two alternative alleles. Although synonymous, both alleles yielded
      less IntI1 protein and were less active in recombination assays than intI1. We
      spliced the three alleles and mapped the activity decrease to the beginning of
      alternative sequences. Mfold predicted the presence of more stable secondary
      structures in the alternative genes. Using synonymous mutations, we decreased
      their stability and recovered full activity. Following a design-build-test
      approach, we have now updated ELP to consider such structures and provide
      streamlined alternative sequences. Our results support the possibility of
      modulating gene activity through the ad hoc design of 5' secondary structures in
      synthetic genes.

PMID- 28898392
TI  - Black Adolescent Males: Intersections Among Their Gender Role Identity and Racial
      Identity and Associations With Self-Concept (Global and School).
AB  - Intersectional approaches for understanding identity have gained momentum in the
      social sciences. Black adolescent males are often perceived as threatening,
      underachieving, and hypermasculine, which is reinforced through media outlets and
      psychological research that portray them as a monolith rather than a
      heterogeneous group with multiple intersecting identities. This cross-sectional
      study of 70 Black adolescent males between 14 and 18 years old simultaneously
      explores their race and gender identities and associations with self-concept
      (global and school). Results demonstrated that participants reported a
      combination of feminine and masculine gender roles, rather than hypermasculine. A
      canonical correlation analysis found that Black racial identity attitudes (RIAS
      L) and gender roles simultaneously contributed to significant relationships with
      total and school self-concept. Study limitations and future directions for
      research and practice are discussed.

PMID- 28898393
TI  - Is Behcet's disease a 'class 1-opathy'? The role of HLA-B*51 in the pathogenesis
      of Behcet's disease.
AB  - The association between carriage of the human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B*51 allele
      and development of Behcet's disease (BD) has been known since the early 1970s,
      but the exact mechanisms responsible for its role in pathogenesis remain much
      debated. In an effort to explain the disease process, it has been suggested that
      BD constitutes one of a newly termed group of diseases, the 'MHC-I-opathies'.
      Other MHC-I-opathies include ankylosing spondylitis and HLA-B*27-associated
      spondyloarthropathies and HLA-C*0602-associated skin psoriasis. Recent work
      analysing the peptidome of HLA-B*51 suggests that altered peptide presentation by
      HLA-B*51 is vital to the disease process. In this review, we argue that immune
      receptor interactions with HLA-B*51 or the HLA-B*51-peptide complex could lead to
      development of inflammation in BD. The evidence for CD8+ T cell involvement is
      weak, and based on emerging studies it seems more likely that natural killer (NK)
      or other cell interactions, perhaps mediated by leucocyte immunoglobulin-like
      receptor (LILR) or killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) receptors, are
      culpable in pathogenesis. HLA misfolding leading directly to inflammation is
      another hypothesis for BD pathogenesis that deserves greater investigation.
      Ultimately, greater understanding of HLA-B*51's unique role in BD will probably
      lead to improved development of therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28898394
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of serum antibodies to human papillomavirus type 16 early
      antigens in the detection of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because of the current epidemic of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related
      oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), a screening strategy is urgently needed. The presence
      of serum antibodies to HPV-16 early (E) antigens is associated with an increased
      risk for OPC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy
      of antibodies to a panel of HPV-16 E antigens in screening for OPC. METHODS: This
      case-control study included 378 patients with OPC, 153 patients with
      nonoropharyngeal head and neck cancer (non-OPC), and 782 healthy control
      subjects. The tumor HPV status was determined with p16 immunohistochemistry and
      HPV in situ hybridization. HPV-16 E antibody levels in serum were identified with
      an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A trained binary logistic regression model
      based on the combination of all E antigens was predefined and applied to the data
      set. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay for distinguishing HPV-related
      OPC from controls were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to
      calculate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for the association of head
      and neck cancer with the antibody status. RESULTS: Of the 378 patients with OPC,
      348 had p16-positive OPC. HPV-16 E antibody levels were significantly higher
      among patients with p16-positive OPC but not among patients with non-OPC or among
      controls. Serology showed high sensitivity and specificity for HPV-related OPC
      (binary classifier: 83% sensitivity and 99% specificity for p16-positive OPC).
      CONCLUSIONS: A trained binary classification algorithm that incorporates
      information about multiple E antibodies has high sensitivity and specificity and
      may be advantageous for risk stratification in future screening trials. Cancer
      2017;123:4886-94. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28898396
TI  - Biodiversity maintenance may be lower under partial niche differentiation than
      under neutrality.
AB  - Niche differentiation is normally regarded as a key promoter of species
      coexistence in competitive systems. One might therefore expect that relative to
      neutral assemblages, niche-differentiated communities should support more species
      with longer persistence and lower probability of extinction. Here we compare
      stochastic niche and neutral dynamics in simulated assemblages, and find that
      when local dynamics combine with immigration from a regional pool, the effect of
      niches can be more complex. Trait variation that lessens competition between
      species will not necessarily give all immigrating species their own niche to
      occupy. Such partial niche differentiation protects certain species from local
      extinction, but precipitates exclusion of others. Differences in regional
      abundances and intrinsic growth rates have similar impacts on persistence times
      as niche differentiation, and therefore blur the distinction between niche and
      neutral dynamical patterns-although niche dynamics will influence which species
      persist longer. Ultimately, unless the number of niches available to species is
      sufficiently high, niches may actually heighten extinction rates and lower
      species richness and local persistence times. Our results help make sense of
      recent observations of community dynamics, and point to the dynamical
      observations needed to discern the influence of niche differentiation.

PMID- 28898395
TI  - Endogenous lipid antigens for invariant natural killer T cells hold the reins in
      adipose tissue homeostasis.
AB  - The global obesity epidemic and its associated co-morbidities, including type 2
      diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers, have drawn
      attention to the pivotal role of adipocytes in health and disease. Besides their
      'classical' function in energy storage and release, adipocytes interact with
      adipose-tissue-resident immune cells, among which are lipid-responsive invariant
      natural killer T (iNKT) cells. The iNKT cells are activated by lipid antigens
      presented by antigen-presenting cells as CD1d/lipid complexes. Upon activation,
      iNKT cells can rapidly secrete soluble mediators that either promote or oppose
      inflammation. In lean adipose tissue, iNKT cells elicit a predominantly anti
      inflammatory immune response, whereas obesity is associated with declining iNKT
      cell numbers. Recent work showed that adipocytes act as non-professional antigen
      presenting cells for lipid antigens. Here, we discuss endogenous lipid antigen
      processing and presentation by adipocytes, and speculate on how these lipid
      antigens, together with 'environmental factors' such as tissue/organ environment
      and co-stimulatory signals, are able to influence the fate of adipose-tissue
      resident iNKT cells, and thereby the role of these cells in obesity and its
      associated pathologies.

PMID- 28898397
TI  - Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of senescence in repetitively infected
      memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
AB  - The immune system including antigen-specific CD8 T cells, which are cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes (CTLs), can acquire the potential for more effective elimination of
      the pathogen at re-infection. As memory CTLs could exert protective immunity
      after the next response, we aimed to elucidate the substantial change of
      repetitively infected memory CTLs. Currently, DNA methylation status in
      repetitively infected memory CTLs is unknown, so we performed next-generation
      sequencing to evaluate methylation status and transcriptional regulation of
      naive, primary and secondary memory CD8 T cells on the basis of transcription
      start sites (TSS). Notably, total CpG sites in the entire regions of all genes
      were significantly unmethylated in primary memory CTLs (young memory CTLs) and
      even more unmethylated in secondary memory CTLs (old memory CTLs). However, total
      proximal regions from TSS, which cover transcriptional promoters, were steadily
      methylated with repeated infections. In contrast, distal regions from TSS, which
      are the majority of entire regions and include transcriptional enhancers, were
      extensively unmethylated by infections. In association between transcriptional
      and methylation changes, accompanied by genes characteristic of the immune
      response, natural killer cell signature genes, known to be expressed in senescent
      CD8 T cells, were transcriptionally up-regulated and unmethylated in young memory
      CTLs, and more so in old memory CTLs, whereas ribosomal proteins were
      transcriptionally down-regulated and methylated in proximal region from the TSS
      by infections. Our results suggest that epigenetically augmented enhancers and
      suppressed promoters, which could consequently lead to global decline of
      transcription and translation, could represent the senescence of memory CTLs.

PMID- 28898399
TI  - Bias-corrected estimation of the Rudas-Clogg-Lindsay mixture index of fit.
AB  - Rudas, Clogg, and Lindsay (1994, J. R Stat Soc. Ser. B, 56, 623) introduced the
      so-called mixture index of fit, also known as pi-star (pi*), for quantifying the
      goodness of fit of a model. It is the lowest proportion of 'contamination' which,
      if removed from the population or from the sample, makes the fit of the model
      perfect. The mixture index of fit has been widely used in psychometric studies.
      We show that the asymptotic confidence limits proposed by Rudas et al. (1994, J.
      R Stat Soc. Ser. B, 56, 623) as well as the jackknife confidence interval by
      Dayton (, Br. J. Math. Stat. Psychol., 56, 1) perform poorly, and propose a new
      bias-corrected point estimate, a bootstrap test and confidence limits for pi
      star. The proposed confidence limits have coverage probability much closer to the
      nominal level than the other methods do. We illustrate the usefulness of the
      proposed method in practice by presenting some practical applications to log
      linear models for contingency tables.

PMID- 28898398
TI  - Integrating high-throughput screening and sequencing for monoclonal antibody
      discovery and engineering.
AB  - Monoclonal antibody discovery and engineering is a field that has traditionally
      been dominated by high-throughput screening platforms (e.g. hybridomas and
      surface display). In recent years the emergence of high-throughput sequencing has
      made it possible to obtain large-scale information on antibody repertoire
      diversity. Additionally, it has now become more routine to perform high
      throughput sequencing on antibody repertoires to also directly discover
      antibodies. In this review, we provide an overview of the progress in this field
      to date and show how high-throughput screening and sequencing are converging to
      deliver powerful new workflows for monoclonal antibody discovery and engineering.

PMID- 28898400
TI  - Intravesical electromotive drug administration for non-muscle invasive bladder
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electromotive drug administration (EMDA) is the use of electrical
      current to improve the delivery of intravesical agents to reduce the risk of
      recurrence in people with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). It is
      unclear how effective this is in comparison to other forms of intravesical
      therapy. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of intravesical EMDA for the treatment
      of NMIBC. SEARCH METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search using multiple
      databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE), two clinical trial registries and a grey
      literature repository. We searched reference lists of relevant publications and
      abstract proceedings. We applied no language restrictions. The last search was
      February 2017. SELECTION CRITERIA: We searched for randomised studies comparing
      EMDA of any intravesical agent used to reduce bladder cancer recurrence in
      conjunction with transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT). DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened the
      literature, extracted data, assessed risk of bias and rated quality of evidence
      (QoE) according to GRADE on a per outcome basis. MAIN RESULTS: We included three
      trials with 672 participants that described five distinct comparisons. The same
      principal investigator conducted all three trials. All studies used mitomycin C
      (MMC) as the chemotherapeutic agent for EMDA. 1. Postoperative MMC-EMDA induction
      versus postoperative Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) induction: based on one study
      with 72 participants with carcinoma in situ (CIS) and concurrent pT1 urothelial
      carcinoma, we are uncertain (very low QoE) about the effect of MMC-EMDA on time
      to recurrence (risk ratio (RR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64 to 1.76;
      corresponding to 30 more per 1000 participants, 95% CI 180 fewer to 380 more).
      There was no disease progression in either treatment arm at three months' follow
      up. We are uncertain (very low QoE) about serious adverse events (RR 0.75, 95% CI
      0.18 to 3.11). 2. Postoperative MMC-EMDA induction versus MMC-passive diffusion
      (PD) induction: based on one study with 72 participants with CIS and concurrent
      pT1 urothelial carcinoma, postoperative MMC-EMDA may (low QoE) reduce disease
      recurrence (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.98; corresponding to 147 fewer per 1000
      participants, 95% CI 235 fewer to 8 fewer). There was no disease progression in
      either treatment arm at three months' follow-up. We are uncertain (very low QoE)
      about the effect of MMC-EMDA on serious adverse events (RR 1.50, 95% CI 0.27 to
      8.45). 3. Postoperative MMC-EMDA with sequential BCG induction and maintenance
      versus postoperative BCG induction and maintenance: based on one study with 212
      participants with pT1 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder with or without CIS,
      postoperative MMC-EMDA with sequential BCG may result (low QoE) in a longer time
      to recurrence (hazard ratio (HR) 0.51, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.77; corresponding to 181
      fewer per 1000 participants, 95% CI 256 fewer to 79 fewer) and time to
      progression (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.75; corresponding to 63 fewer per 1000
      participants, 95% CI 82 fewer to 24 fewer). We are uncertain (very low QoE) about
      the effect of MMC-EMDA on serious adverse events (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.21 to 4.94).
      4. Single-dose, preoperative MMC-EMDA versus single-dose, postoperative MMC-PD:
      based on one study with 236 participants with primary pTa and pT1 urothelial
      carcinoma, preoperative MMC-EMDA likely (moderate QoE) results in a longer time
      to recurrence (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.69; corresponding to 247 fewer per 1000
      participants, 95% CI 341 fewer to 130 fewer) for a median follow-up of 86 months.
      We are uncertain (very low QoE) about the effect of MMC-EMDA on time to
      progression (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.00 to 259.93; corresponding to 34 fewer per 1000
      participants, 95% CI 193 fewer to 807 more) and serious adverse events (RR 0.79,
      95% CI 0.30 to 2.05). 5. Single-dose, preoperative MMC-EMDA versus TURBT alone:
      based on one study with 233 participants with primary pTa and pT1 urothelial
      carcinoma, preoperative MMC-EMDA likely (moderate QoE) results in a longer time
      to recurrence (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.57; corresponding to 304 fewer per 1000
      participants, 95% CI 390 fewer to 198 fewer) for a median follow-up of 86 months.
      We are uncertain (very low QoE) about the effect of MMC-EMDA on time to
      progression (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.00 to 247.93; corresponding to 49 fewer per 1000
      participants, 95% CI 207 fewer to 793 more) or serious adverse events (HR 1.74,
      95% CI 0.52 to 5.77). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: While the use of EMDA to administer
      intravesical MMC may result in a delay in time to recurrence in select patient
      populations, we are uncertain about its impact on serious adverse events in all
      settings. Common reasons for downgrading the QoE were study limitations and
      imprecision. A potential role for EMDA-based administration of MMC may lie in
      settings where more established agents (such as BCG) are not available. In the
      setting of low or very low QoE for most comparisons, our confidence in the effect
      estimates is limited and the true effect sizes may be substantially different
      from those reported here.

PMID- 28898401
TI  - Testing autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation: Asymptotic methods versus
      resampling techniques.
AB  - Autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation, which provide a mathematical tool to
      understand repeating patterns in time series data, are often used to facilitate
      the identification of model orders of time series models (e.g., moving average
      and autoregressive models). Asymptotic methods for testing autocorrelation and
      partial autocorrelation such as the 1/T approximation method and the Bartlett's
      formula method may fail in finite samples and are vulnerable to non-normality.
      Resampling techniques such as the moving block bootstrap and the surrogate data
      method are competitive alternatives. In this study, we use a Monte Carlo
      simulation study and a real data example to compare asymptotic methods with the
      aforementioned resampling techniques. For each resampling technique, we consider
      both the percentile method and the bias-corrected and accelerated method for
      interval construction. Simulation results show that the surrogate data method
      with percentile intervals yields better performance than the other methods. An R
      package pautocorr is used to carry out tests evaluated in this study.

PMID- 28898402
TI  - Interventions for obtaining and maintaining employment in adults with severe
      mental illness, a network meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with severe mental illness show high rates of unemployment and
      work disability, however, they often have a desire to participate in employment.
      People with severe mental illness used to be placed in sheltered employment or
      were enrolled in prevocational training to facilitate transition to a competitive
      job. Now, there are also interventions focusing on rapid search for a competitive
      job, with ongoing support to keep the job, known as supported employment.
      Recently, there has been a growing interest in combining supported employment
      with other prevocational or psychiatric interventions. OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      comparative effectiveness of various types of vocational rehabilitation
      interventions and to rank these interventions according to their effectiveness to
      facilitate competitive employment in adults with severe mental illness. SEARCH
      METHODS: In November 2016 we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, and
      CINAHL, and reference lists of articles for randomised controlled trials and
      systematic reviews. We identified systematic reviews from which to extract
      randomised controlled trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised
      controlled trials and cluster-randomised controlled trials evaluating the effect
      of interventions on obtaining competitive employment for adults with severe
      mental illness. We included trials with competitive employment outcomes. The main
      intervention groups were prevocational training programmes, transitional
      employment interventions, supported employment, supported employment augmented
      with other specific interventions, and psychiatric care only. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: Two authors independently identified trials, performed data extraction,
      including adverse events, and assessed trial quality. We performed direct meta
      analyses and a network meta-analysis including measurements of the surface under
      the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). We assessed the quality of the evidence for
      outcomes within the network meta-analysis according to GRADE. MAIN RESULTS: We
      included 48 randomised controlled trials involving 8743 participants. Of these,
      30 studied supported employment, 13 augmented supported employment, 17
      prevocational training, and 6 transitional employment. Psychiatric care only was
      the control condition in 13 studies. Direct comparison meta-analysis of obtaining
      competitive employmentWe could include 18 trials with short-term follow-up in a
      direct meta-analysis (N = 2291) of the following comparisons. Supported
      employment was more effective than prevocational training (RR 2.52, 95% CI 1.21
      to 5.24) and transitional employment (RR 3.49, 95% CI 1.77 to 6.89) and
      prevocational training was more effective than psychiatric care only (RR 8.96,
      95% CI 1.77 to 45.51) in obtaining competitive employment.For the long-term
      follow-up direct meta-analysis, we could include 22 trials (N = 5233). Augmented
      supported employment (RR 4.32, 95% CI 1.49 to 12.48), supported employment (RR
      1.51, 95% CI 1.36 to 1.68) and prevocational training (RR 2.19, 95% CI 1.07 to
      4.46) were more effective than psychiatric care only. Augmented supported
      employment was more effective than supported employment (RR 1.94, 95% CI 1.03 to
      3.65), transitional employment (RR 2.45, 95% CI 1.69 to 3.55) and prevocational
      training (RR 5.42, 95% CI 1.08 to 27.11). Supported employment was more effective
      than transitional employment (RR 3.28, 95% CI 2.13 to 5.04) and prevocational
      training (RR 2.31, 95% CI 1.85 to 2.89). Network meta-analysis of obtaining
      competitive employmentWe could include 22 trials with long-term follow-up in a
      network meta-analysis.Augmented supported employment was the most effective
      intervention versus psychiatric care only in obtaining competitive employment (RR
      3.81, 95% CI 1.99 to 7.31, SUCRA 98.5, moderate-quality evidence), followed by
      supported employment (RR 2.72 95% CI 1.55 to 4.76; SUCRA 76.5, low-quality
      evidence).Prevocational training (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.73 to 2.19; SUCRA 40.3, very
      low-quality evidence) and transitional employment were not considerably different
      from psychiatric care only (RR 1.00,95% CI 0.51 to 1.96; SUCRA 17.2, low-quality
      evidence) in achieving competitive employment, but prevocational training stood
      out in the SUCRA value and rank.Augmented supported employment was slightly
      better than supported employment, but not significantly (RR 1.40, 95% CI 0.92 to
      2.14). The SUCRA value and mean rank were higher for augmented supported
      employment.The results of the network meta-analysis of the intervention subgroups
      favoured augmented supported employment interventions, but also cognitive
      training. However, supported employment augmented with symptom-related skills
      training showed the best results (RR compared to psychiatric care only 3.61 with
      95% CI 1.03 to 12.63, SUCRA 80.3).We graded the quality of the evidence of the
      network ranking as very low because of potential risk of bias in the included
      studies, inconsistency and publication bias. Direct meta-analysis of maintaining
      competitive employment Based on the direct meta-analysis of the short-term follow
      up of maintaining employment, supported employment was more effective than:
      psychiatric care only, transitional employment, prevocational training, and
      augmented supported employment.In the long-term follow-up direct meta-analysis,
      augmented supported employment was more effective than prevocational training (MD
      22.79 weeks, 95% CI 15.96 to 29.62) and supported employment (MD 10.09, 95% CI
      0.32 to 19.85) in maintaining competitive employment. Participants receiving
      supported employment worked more weeks than those receiving transitional
      employment (MD 17.36, 95% CI 11.53 to 23.18) or prevocational training (MD 11.56,
      95% CI 5.99 to 17.13).We did not find differences between interventions in the
      risk of dropouts or hospital admissions. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Supported
      employment and augmented supported employment were the most effective
      interventions for people with severe mental illness in terms of obtaining and
      maintaining employment, based on both the direct comparison analysis and the
      network meta-analysis, without increasing the risk of adverse events. These
      results are based on moderate- to low-quality evidence, meaning that future
      studies with lower risk of bias could change these results. Augmented supported
      employment may be slightly more effective compared to supported employment alone.
      However, this difference was small, based on the direct comparison analysis, and
      further decreased with the network meta-analysis meaning that this difference
      should be interpreted cautiously. More studies on maintaining competitive
      employment are needed to get a better understanding of whether the costs and
      efforts are worthwhile in the long term for both the individual and society.

PMID- 28898403
TI  - Healthcare financing systems for increasing the use of tobacco dependence
      treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide,
      which makes it essential to stimulate smoking cessation. The financial cost of
      smoking cessation treatment can act as a barrier to those seeking support. We
      hypothesised that provision of financial assistance for people trying to quit
      smoking, or reimbursement of their care providers, could lead to an increased
      rate of successful quit attempts. This is an update of the original 2005 review.
      OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this review was to assess the impact of
      reducing the costs for tobacco smokers or healthcare providers for using or
      providing smoking cessation treatment through healthcare financing interventions
      on abstinence from smoking. The secondary objectives were to examine the effects
      of different levels of financial support on the use or prescription of smoking
      cessation treatment, or both, and on the number of smokers making a quit attempt
      (quitting smoking for at least 24 hours). We also assessed the cost effectiveness
      of different financial interventions, and analysed the costs per additional
      quitter, or per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. SEARCH METHODS: We
      searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group Specialised Register in September
      2016. SELECTION CRITERIA: We considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs),
      controlled trials and interrupted time series studies involving financial benefit
      interventions to smokers or their healthcare providers, or both. DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the quality
      of the included studies. We calculated risk ratios (RR) for individual studies on
      an intention-to-treat basis and performed meta-analysis using a random-effects
      model. MAIN RESULTS: In the current update, we have added six new relevant
      studies, resulting in a total of 17 studies included in this review involving
      financial interventions directed at smokers or healthcare providers, or both.Full
      financial interventions directed at smokers had a favourable effect on abstinence
      at six months or longer when compared to no intervention (RR 1.77, 95% CI 1.37 to
      2.28, I2 = 33%, 9333 participants). There was no evidence that full coverage
      interventions increased smoking abstinence compared to partial coverage
      interventions (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.48, I2 = 64%, 5914 participants), but
      partial coverage interventions were more effective in increasing abstinence than
      no intervention (RR 1.27 95% CI 1.02 to 1.59, I2 = 21%, 7108 participants). The
      economic evaluation showed costs per additional quitter ranging from USD 97 to
      USD 7646 for the comparison of full coverage with partial or no coverage.There
      was no clear evidence of an effect on smoking cessation when we pooled two trials
      of financial incentives directed at healthcare providers (RR 1.16, CI 0.98 to
      1.37, I2 = 0%, 2311 participants).Full financial interventions increased the
      number of participants making a quit attempt when compared to no interventions
      (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.17, I2 = 15%, 9065 participants). There was
      insufficient evidence to show whether partial financial interventions increased
      quit attempts compared to no interventions (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.31, I2 =
      88%, 6944 participants).Full financial interventions increased the use of smoking
      cessation treatment compared to no interventions with regard to various
      pharmacological and behavioural treatments: nicotine replacement therapy (NRT):
      RR 1.79, 95% CI 1.54 to 2.09, I2 = 35%, 9455 participants; bupropion: RR 3.22,
      95% CI 1.41 to 7.34, I2 = 71%, 6321 participants; behavioural therapy: RR 1.77,
      95% CI 1.19 to 2.65, I2 = 75%, 9215 participants.There was evidence that partial
      coverage compared to no coverage reported a small positive effect on the use of
      bupropion (RR 1.15, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.29, I2 = 0%, 6765 participants).
      Interventions directed at healthcare providers increased the use of behavioural
      therapy (RR 1.69, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.86, I2 = 85%, 25820 participants), but not the
      use of NRT and/or bupropion (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.18, I2 = 6%, 2311
      participants).We assessed the quality of the evidence for the main outcome,
      abstinence from smoking, as moderate. In most studies participants were not
      blinded to the different study arms and researchers were not blinded to the
      allocated interventions. Furthermore, there was not always sufficient information
      on attrition rates. We detected some imprecision but we judged this to be of
      minor consequence on the outcomes of this study. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Full
      financial interventions directed at smokers when compared to no financial
      interventions increase the proportion of smokers who attempt to quit, use smoking
      cessation treatments, and succeed in quitting. There was no clear and consistent
      evidence of an effect on smoking cessation from financial incentives directed at
      healthcare providers. We are only moderately confident in the effect estimate
      because there was some risk of bias due to a lack of blinding in participants and
      researchers, and insufficient information on attrition rates.

PMID- 28898404
TI  - High versus standard volume enteral feeds to promote growth in preterm or low
      birth weight infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast milk alone, given at standard recommended volumes (150 to 180
      mL/kg/d), is not adequate to meet the protein, energy, and other nutrient
      requirements of growing preterm or low birth weight infants. One strategy that
      may be used to address these potential nutrient deficits is to give infants
      enteral feeds in excess of 200 mL/kg/d ('high-volume' feeds). This approach may
      increase nutrient uptake and growth rates, but concerns include that high-volume
      enteral feeds may cause feed intolerance, gastro-oesophageal reflux, aspiration
      pneumonia, necrotising enterocolitis, or complications related to fluid overload,
      including patent ductus arteriosus and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. OBJECTIVES: To
      assess the effect on growth and safety of feeding preterm or low birth weight
      infants with high (> 200 mL/kg/d) versus standard (<= 200 mL/kg/d) volume of
      enteral feeds. Infants in intervention and control groups should have received
      the same type of milk (breast milk, formula, or both), the same fortification or
      micronutrient supplements, and the same enteral feeding regimen (bolus,
      continuous) and rate of feed volume advancement.To conduct subgroup analyses
      based on type of milk (breast milk vs formula), gestational age or birth weight
      category of included infants (very preterm or VLBW vs preterm or LBW), presence
      of intrauterine growth restriction (using birth weight relative to the reference
      population as a surrogate), and income level of the country in which the trial
      was conducted (low or middle income vs high income) (see 'Subgroup analysis and
      investigation of heterogeneity'). SEARCH METHODS: We used the Cochrane Neonatal
      standard search strategy, which included searches of the Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2017, Issue 2) in the Cochrane Library;
      MEDLINE (1946 to November 2016); Embase (1974 to November 2016); and the
      Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; 1982 to
      November 2016), as well as conference proceedings, previous reviews, and trial
      registries. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials
      that compared high-volume versus standard-volume enteral feeds for preterm or low
      birth weight infants. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors assessed
      trial eligibility and risk of bias and independently extracted data. We analysed
      treatment effects in individual trials and reported the risk ratio and risk
      difference for dichotomous data, and the mean difference for continuous data,
      with respective 95% confidence intervals. . We assessed the quality of evidence
      at the outcome level via the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: We found one eligible
      trial that included 64 infants. This trial was not blinded. Analysis showed a
      higher rate of weight gain in the high-volume feeds group: mean difference 6.20
      g/kg/d (95% confidence interval 2.71 to 9.69). There was no increase in the risk
      of feed intolerance or necrotising enterocolitis with high-volume feeds, but 95%
      confidence intervals around these estimates were wide. We assessed the quality of
      evidence for these outcomes as 'low' or 'very low' because of imprecision of the
      estimates of effect and concern about risk of bias due to lack of blinding in the
      included trial. Trial authors provided no data on other outcomes, including
      gastro-oesophageal reflux, aspiration pneumonia, necrotising enterocolitis,
      patent ductus arteriosus, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or long-term growth and
      neurodevelopment. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found only very limited data from one
      small unblinded trial on the effects of high-volume feeds on important outcomes
      for preterm or low birth weight infants. The quality of evidence is low to very
      low. Hence, available evidence is insufficient to support or refute high-volume
      enteral feeds in preterm or low birth weight infants. A large, pragmatic
      randomised controlled trial is needed to provide data of sufficient quality and
      precision to inform policy and practice.

PMID- 28898405
TI  - Phosphorylation of bacterial L9 and its functional implication in response to
      starvation stress.
AB  - The bacterial L9 (bL9) protein expressed and purified from Escherichia coli is
      stably phosphorylated. We mapped seven Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites, all of
      which but one are located at the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD). When a histidine
      tag is fused to the C-terminus, bL9 is no longer phosphorylated. Phosphorylation
      of bL9 causes complete disordering of its CTD and helps cell survival under
      nutrient-limiting conditions. Previous structural studies of the ribosome have
      shown that bL9 exhibits two distinct conformations, one of which competes with
      binding of RelA to the 30s rRNA and prevents RelA activation. Taken together, we
      suggest that the flexibility of the bL9 CTD enabled by phosphorylation would
      remove the steric hindrance, serving as a previously unknown mechanism to
      regulate RelA function and help cell survival under starvation stress.

PMID- 28898406
TI  - DC-SIGN reacts with TLR-4 and regulates inflammatory cytokine expression via NF
      kappaB activation in renal tubular epithelial cells during acute renal injury.
AB  - In the pathological process of acute kidney injury (AKI), innate immune receptors
      are essential in inflammatory response modulation; however, the precise molecular
      mechanisms are still unclear. Our study sought to demonstrate the inflammatory
      response mechanisms in renal tubular epithelial cells via Toll-like receptor-4
      (TLR-4) and dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing
      non-integrin 1 (DC-SIGN) signalling. We found that DC-SIGN exhibited strong
      expression in renal tubular epithelial cells of human acute renal injury tissues.
      DC-SIGN protein expression was increased significantly when renal tubular
      epithelial cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for a short period.
      Furthermore, DC-SIGN was involved in the activation of p65 by TLR-4, which
      excluded p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK). Interleukin (IL)-6 and tumour
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha expression was decreased after DC-SIGN knock-down,
      and LPS induced endogenous interactions and plasma membrane co-expression between
      TLR-4 and DC-SIGN. These results show that DC-SIGN and TLR-4 interactions
      regulate inflammatory responses in renal tubular epithelial cells and participate
      in AKI pathogenesis.

PMID- 28898407
TI  - Compassionate and self-image goals as interpersonal maintenance factors in
      clinical depression and anxiety.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Interpersonal models of depression and anxiety have not examined the
      role of interpersonal goals in shaping relationships and symptoms. Striving to
      promote/protect desired self-images (self-image goals) may undermine
      relationships and increase symptoms, whereas striving to support others
      (compassionate goals) may be protective, but clinical relevance is unknown.
      METHOD: We tested effects of compassionate versus self-image goals on
      interpersonal functioning and symptoms in clinically depressed and/or anxious
      participants (N = 47) during 10 days of experience sampling, over a 6-week follow
      up, and in a dyadic relationship. RESULTS: Participants reported higher conflict
      and symptoms on days that they most pursued self-image goals, but noted higher
      perceived support and lower symptoms when pursuing compassionate goals. Goals
      prospectively predicted symptom changes 6 weeks later. Lastly, informant-rated
      interpersonal goals predicted relationship satisfaction of both patients and
      significant others. CONCLUSION: Results suggest the relevance of self-image and
      compassionate goals for the interpersonal maintenance of depression and anxiety.

PMID- 28898408
TI  - Emotion-related impulsivity and rumination predict the perimenstrual severity and
      trajectory of symptoms in women with a menstrually related mood disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Women with menstrually related mood disorders (MRMDs) demonstrate
      clinically significant distress during the premenstrual week that remits with the
      onset of menses. Relatively little is known about psychosocial mechanisms of
      MRMDs. Given the core affective and behavioral symptoms of MRMDs, dysfunctional
      responses to emotion (e.g., difficulties with awareness and regulation of
      emotion; rumination and impulsive or maladaptive behavior in response to emotion)
      may be important factors to explore as cognitive and behavioral mechanisms in
      MRMDs. The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations of
      various dysfunctional responses to emotion (as measured using the Difficulties in
      Emotion Regulation Scale [DERS] and brooding on the Ruminative Responses Scale
      [RRS]) with premenstrual symptom severity and trajectory. METHOD: A total of 54
      women (mean age = 38.11; 65% Caucasian) with prospectively confirmed MRMDs
      completed the DERS and RRS, and provided 2-4 menstrual cycles of daily symptom
      reports. RESULTS: Only the emotion-related impulsivity subscale of the DERS was
      robustly associated with premenstrual symptom severity. Brooding rumination
      predicted a more rapid premenstrual increase and slower postmenstrual remission
      of some symptoms. CONCLUSION: Both rumination and emotion-related impulsivity may
      be important treatment targets in cognitive behavioral interventions aimed at
      reducing symptom severity and cyclicity in MRMDs.

PMID- 28898409
TI  - Combined Effect of Ultrasound and Mild Temperatures on the Inactivation of E.
      coli in Fresh Carrot Juice and Changes on its Physicochemical Characteristics.
AB  - : The combination of ultrasound and mild temperatures to process fruits and
      vegetables juices is a novel approach that is showing promising results for
      microbial inactivation and preservation of bioactive compounds and sensory
      attributes. This study centers on investigating the inactivation of Escherichia
      coli (ATCC 11755) in carrot juice as a result of the combined effect of
      ultrasound (24 kHz frequency, 120 MUm, and 400 W) with temperature (50, 54, and
      58  degrees C) and processing time (0 to 10 min). In addition, the possible
      changes in physicochemical properties and the retention of bioactive compounds
      after processing were analyzed. Microbial inactivation with ultrasound treatment
      at 50  degrees C resulted in 3.5 log reduction after 10 min, whereas at 54 
      degrees C almost 5 log reduction was attained in the same period of time;
      meanwhile, for treatment at 58  degrees C, no viable cells were detected (>5 log
      reduction) after 2 min. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) on pH
      (6.80 to 6.82),  degrees Brix (8.0 to 8.5), titratable acidity (0.29% to 0.30%),
      total carotenoid (1774 to 1835 MUg/100 mL), phenolic compounds (20.19 to 20.63
      MUg/mL), ascorbic acid (4.8 mg/100 mL), and color parameters between fresh and
      ultrasound treated samples at the studied temperatures. To predict the
      inactivation patterns, observed values were tested using 3 different general
      models: first-order, Weibull distribution, and biphasic. The Weibull and biphasic
      models show good correlation for inactivation under all processing conditions.
      Results show ultrasound in combination with mild temperature could be effectively
      used to process fresh carrot juice providing a safe product without affecting
      physicochemical characteristics. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The combination of
      ultrasound and mild temperatures is effective in reducing microbial load in
      carrot juice to safe levels. This combination would be beneficial in the
      industrial processing of carrot juice without altering the quality attributes or
      bioactive compounds.

PMID- 28898410
TI  - The client's perspective on (experiences of) psychotherapy: A practice friendly
      review.
AB  - Recent decades have seen a significant increase in the number of studies
      exploring client perspectives on, and experiences of, psychotherapy. The present
      article provides a practice friendly overview of this research, identifying
      common domains of inquiry, and providing examples of findings relevant to
      practitioners. Research in this area can be categorized in terms of the client's
      perspective pertaining to theoretical constructs, studies of client satisfaction,
      and qualitative studies that are either open-ended or explore specific aspects of
      client experiences. Examples of this latter category include studies looking at
      distinct processes (e.g., self-disclosure), particular theoretical constructs
      (e.g., therapeutic alliance), helpful versus unhelpful aspects of therapy, and
      significant events. Research suggests that therapist willingness to seek client
      perspectives, openness to hear what clients have to say, nondefensiveness in the
      face of negative feedback, and ability to modulate actions accordingly are all
      likely to contribute to stronger relationships with clients and stronger
      collaboration, correspondingly contributing to stronger therapeutic outcomes.

PMID- 28898411
TI  - 50 years of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), introduced by Albert Ellis
      in the late 1950s, is one of the main pillars of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
      Existing reviews on REBT are overdue by 10 years or more. We aimed to summarize
      the effectiveness and efficacy of REBT since its beginnings and investigate the
      alleged mechanisms of change. METHOD: Systematic search identified 84 articles,
      out of which 68 provided data for between-group analyses and 39 for within-group
      analyses. RESULTS: We found a medium effect size of REBT compared to other
      interventions on outcomes (d = 0.58) and on irrational beliefs (d = 0.70), at
      posttest. For the within-group analyses, we obtained medium effects for both
      outcomes (d = 0.56) and irrational beliefs (d = 0.61). Several significant
      moderators emerged. CONCLUSION: REBT is a sound psychological intervention.
      Directions for future studies are outlined, stemming from the limitations of
      existing ones.

PMID- 28898412
TI  - Antioxidant Activity of Chinese Shanxi Aged Vinegar and Its Correlation with
      Polyphenols and Flavonoids During the Brewing Process.
AB  - : One of the most famous Chinese vinegars, Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV), is produced
      with solid-state fermentation technology. Total antioxidant activity (TAC) is a
      special property for SAV. In this study, we investigate correlations between
      total antioxidant activity (TAC) and total polyphenol (TP) and total flavonoid
      (TF) contents of SAV, especially during the brewing process. For SAV, TAC, TP,
      and TF increased with the increase of aging time. The correlation coefficients
      between TAC and TP were 0.869 and 0.934, respectively, when analyzed with the
      method of ABTS and FRAP. They were 0.828 (ABTS) and 0.877 (FRAP) between the TAC
      and TF. In smoking pei stage that is a special technique for SAV different from
      other Chinese cereal vinegars, TAC increased by 120% (ABTS) and 111% (FRAP)
      mainly due to the increase of TP (89%) and TF (75%), which was more obvious than
      that during alcohol fermentation and acetic acid fermentation stages. Moreover,
      variation during brewing process of 8 main polyphenol compounds that were proved
      responsible for the TAC of SAV was analyzed. In addition to catechins and
      chlorogenic acid, gallic acid serves as one of the principal antioxidant
      ingredients in SAV. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Total antioxidant activity (TAC) of
      Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV), which is highly correlated with total polyphenol and
      total flavonoid, increased with aging time, however, there is a little loss of
      total antioxidant after more than 8 y. During the brewing process smoking pei
      technique is important for enhancing the TAC of SAV suggesting critical
      controlled and thoroughly study of smoking pei stage are needed to improve the
      quality of SAV.

PMID- 28898413
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28898414
TI  - BMP signaling regulates the skeletal and connective tissue differentiation during
      caudal fin regeneration in sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna).
AB  - Caudal fin regeneration in sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur 1821)
      involves an initial wound healing stage, followed by blastema that is formed of
      fast proliferating cells. In order to replicate the lost fin, correct
      differentiation of the blastemal cells into various tissues is the prime essence.
      Among the molecular signals governing proper differentiation of blastemal cells,
      members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family are crucial. Herein, we
      investigated the specific effects of inhibition of BMP signaling using LDN193189
      on skeletal and connective tissue formation in the regenerating tail fin of P.
      latipinna during early differentiation phase. It was observed that BMP inhibition
      leads to reduction in the length of regeneration, which can be correlated with
      compromised proliferation of blastemal cells. Decreased expression of cell
      proliferation marker like pcna together with reduced BrdU positive cells
      consolidate the above observation. Further, histological analysis revealed
      stunted progression of skeletal tissues and this correlated with the reduced
      expression of sox9, runx2 and dlx5, Osc and Osn genes in response to BMP
      inhibition. Also, defective bone patterning was observed due to BMP inhibition,
      which was associated with diminished levels of shh, ptc-1, gli2 and other BMP
      ligands. Moreover, histochemical analysis revealed that collagen, one of the most
      prominent components of connective tissue, was formed below par in treated fin
      tissues which was subsequently confirmed by biochemical and transcript level
      analyses. Overall our results highlight the importance of the BMP pathway in
      proper differentiation of skeletal and connective tissues during the
      differentiation stage of regenerating caudal fin.

PMID- 28898415
TI  - Co-occurrence of citrinin and ochratoxin A in rice in Asia and its implications
      for human health.
AB  - Citrinin (CIT) and ochratoxin A (OTA) are nephrotoxic mycotoxins, produced by
      several Aspergillus and Penicillium species and their co-occurrence in rice may
      cause health effects in humans. Rice is an important food crop worldwide and is a
      major staple food in Asia which may be invaded by CIT and OTA producing fungal
      spores in the field, during harvest and storage. Humans are exposed to these
      mycotoxins through ingestion of contaminated rice and other food commodities.
      Yet, data on the combined presence to these food contaminants are still
      insufficient to estimate human exposure in Asia. This review describes the
      prevalence of CIT and OTA in rice in Asia and its implications on human health,
      which may help in establishing and carrying out proper management strategies
      against mould development on rice. From the health point of view, combined
      exposition of CIT and OTA should be a public concern as both are nephrotoxic and
      long-term exposure can pose detrimental health effects. Thus, it is necessary for
      local farmers and food factories to implement strict measures and to improve
      methods for rice preservation during the distribution to consumers, particularly
      in the markets. Moreover, regular surveys for CIT and OTA occurrence in rice and
      human biomonitoring are recommended to reduce the health effects in Asian
      population. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28898416
TI  - Reporting and identifying child physical abuse: How well are we doing?
AB  - Entry into the child protection system in the US begins with a child maltreatment
      report. Some evidence suggests that report source and child age are related to
      report outcomes, but there has been no national study of these relationships. The
      purpose of this secondary data analysis was to describe the distribution of
      report sources for child physical abuse (CPA), and examine whether (a) the source
      of a report and (b) child age contribute to the likelihood of substantiation of
      the reported abuse. Multilevel logistic regressions were conducted using a US
      national sample of 204,414 children investigated for CPA in 2013 in a dataset
      obtained from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. Results showed
      that fewer than one in seven children reported for CPA were confirmed victims of
      abuse. Professionally mandated reporters initiated the majority of CPA reports,
      and their reports were more likely to be substantiated compared with
      nonprofessionals. However, reports made by even the most accurate professional
      group (legal/law enforcement) had only a 26% chance of substantiation, and some
      professional groups had a lower likelihood of substantiation than
      nonprofessionals. Reports made by professionals were less likely to be
      substantiated as child age increased. More research is warranted to develop and
      test the effectiveness of training programs to improve CPA reporting and
      identification.

PMID- 28898417
TI  - Exploring how viruses enhance plants' resilience to drought and the limits to
      this form of viral payback.
AB  - This article comments on: Virulence determines beneficial trade-offs in the
      response of virus-infected plants to drought via induction of salicylic acid.

PMID- 28898418
TI  - Matrix metalloproteinase-8 levels in periodontal disease patients: A systematic
      review.
AB  - Periodontal disease is characterized as a disorder of the oral microbiota
      resulting in an immune response which, in turn, leads to the destruction of
      periodontal tissue. Matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) has been reported as the
      major metalloproteinase involved in periodontal disease, being present at high
      levels in gingival crevicular fluid and salivary fluid (SF). The aim of this
      systematic review was to evaluate the scientific literature regarding the
      expression of MMP-8 in gingival crevicular fluid and SF in patients with
      periodontal disease, analyzing its validity as a possible biomarker in the
      diagnosis of periodontal disease. A systematic review of the literature was
      performed using the PubMed/Medline, CENTRAL and Science Direct databases. Studies
      concerning the use of MMP-8 in the diagnosis of periodontal disease that
      evaluated its effectiveness as a biomarker for periodontal disease were selected.
      The search strategy provided a total of 6483 studies. After selection, six
      articles met all the inclusion criteria and were included in the present
      systematic review. The studies demonstrated significantly higher concentrations
      of MMP-8 in patients with periodontal disease compared with controls, as well as
      in patients presenting more advanced stages of periodontal disease. The findings
      on higher MMP-8 concentrations in patients with periodontal disease compared with
      controls imply the potential adjunctive use of MMP-8 in the diagnosis of
      periodontal disease.

PMID- 28898419
TI  - A block matching based approach with multiple simultaneous templates for the real
      time 2D ultrasound tracking of liver vessels.
AB  - PURPOSE: The implementation of motion management techniques in radiation therapy
      can aid in mitigating uncertainties and reducing margins. For motion management
      to be effective, it is necessary to track key structures both accurately and at a
      real-time speed. Therefore, the focus of this work was to develop a 2D algorithm
      for the real-time tracking of ultrasound features to aid in radiation therapy
      motion management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The developed algorithm utilized a
      similarity measure-based block matching algorithm incorporating training methods
      and multiple simultaneous templates. The algorithm is broken down into three
      primary components, all of which use normalized cross-correlation (NCC) as a
      similarity metric. First, a global feature shift to account for gross
      displacements from the previous frame is determined using large block sizes which
      encompass the entirety of the feature. Second, the most similar reference frame
      is chosen from a series of training images that are accumulated during the first
      K frames of tracking to aid in contour consistency and provide a starting point
      for the localized template initialization. Finally, localized block matching is
      performed through the simultaneous use of both a training frame and the previous
      frame. The localized block matching utilizes a series of templates positioned at
      the boundary points of the training and previous contours. The weighted final
      boundary points from both the previous and the training frame are ultimately
      combined and used to determine an affine transformation from the previous frame
      to the current frame. RESULTS: A mean tracking error of 0.72 +/- 1.25 mm was
      observed for 85 point-landmarks across 39 ultrasound sequences relative to manual
      ground truth annotations. The image processing speed per landmark with the GPU
      implementation was between 41 and 165 frames per second (fps) during the training
      set accumulation, and between 73 and 234 fps after training set accumulation.
      Relative to a comparable multithreaded CPU approach using OpenMP, the GPU
      implementation resulted in speedups between -30% and 355% during training set
      accumulation, and between -37% and 639% postaccumulation. CONCLUSIONS: Initial
      implementations indicated an accuracy that was comparable to or exceeding those
      achieved by alternative 2D tracking methods, with a computational speed that is
      more than sufficient for real-time applications in a radiation therapy
      environment. While the overall performance reached levels suitable for
      implementation in radiation therapy, the observed increase in failures for
      smaller features, as well as the algorithm's inability to be applied to nonconvex
      features warrants additional investigation to address the shortcomings observed.

PMID- 28898420
TI  - Characterization of hyperbranched core-multishell nanocarriers as an innovative
      drug delivery system for the application at the oral mucosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the oral cavity, the mucosal tissues may develop a
      number of different pathological conditions, such as inflammatory diseases
      (gingivitis, periodontitis) and autoimmune disorders (eg, oral lichen planus)
      that require therapy. The application of topical drugs is one common therapeutic
      approach. However, their efficacy is limited. Dilution effects due to saliva
      hinder the adherence and the penetration of drug formulations. Therefore, the
      bioavailability of oral topical drugs is insufficient, and patients may suffer
      from disease over years, if not life-long. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the present
      study, we characterized core-multishell (CMS) nanocarriers for their potential
      use as drug delivery systems at oral mucosal tissues. For this purpose, we
      prepared porcine masticatory as well as buccal mucosa and performed Franz cell
      diffusion experiments. Penetration of fluorescently labeled CMS nanocarriers into
      the mucosal tissue was analyzed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Upon
      exposure to CMS nanocarriers, the metabolic and proliferative activity of
      gingival epithelial cells was determined by MTT and sulforhodamine B assays,
      respectively. RESULTS: Here, we could show that the carriers penetrate into both
      mucosal tissues, while particles penetrate deeper into the masticatory mucosa.
      Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the 3-carboxy-2,2,5,5
      tetramethyl-1-pyrrolidinyloxy-labeled glucocorticoid dexamethasone loaded on to
      the CMS nanocarriers was released from the carriers in both mucosal tissues but
      with a higher efficiency in the buccal mucosa. The release from the nanocarriers
      is in both cases superior compared to the release from a conventional cream,
      which is normally used for the treatment of inflammatory conditions in the oral
      cavity. The CMS nanocarriers exhibited neither cytotoxic nor proliferative
      effects in vitro. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that CMS nanocarriers
      might be an innovative approach for topical drug delivery in the treatment of
      oral inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 28898421
TI  - Tooth bleaching with low-temperature plasma lowers surface roughness and
      Streptococcus mutans adhesion.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the structural-morphological changes in enamel surface roughness
      and Streptococcus mutans adhesion after tooth bleaching using plasma in
      combination with a low concentration of 15% carbamide peroxide (CP). METHODOLOGY:
      Sixty pairs of premolars were randomly assigned to the treatment groups (n = 30;
      buccal surface, groups 1A/2A) or controls (n = 30; palatal surface, Groups
      1B/2B). Group 1A received a low concentration of 15% CP and low-temperature
      plasma. Premolars in group 1B were placed in phosphate-buffered saline and served
      as controls. The buccal surface of Groups 2A was subjected to 15% CP alone,
      whilst the palatal surface was subsequently immersed in PBS (group 2B). After
      bleaching, all teeth were soaked for 1 h in artificial saliva at 37  degrees C.
      Subsequently, teeth were placed in brain-heart infusion with S. mutans at 37 
      degrees C for 24 h. The assessment of the structural-morphological changes was
      carried out using a biofilm assay, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force
      microscopy. Statistical analysis of the data was performed with the SPSS (SPSS
      Inc., Version 18.0, Chicago, IL, USA). The Student's t-test was used to determine
      whether there was a significant difference in the structural-morphological
      effects with and without plasma. RESULTS: Significantly less S. mutans adhesion
      was observed in group 1A compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, the
      surface roughness was significantly greater in group 2A compared with the other
      groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The application of plasma did not result in any
      structural-morphological and topographic changes in the enamel. The combined
      bleaching method using plasma and a low concentration of 15% CP was less
      destructive, particularly with respect to tooth surface changes.

PMID- 28898422
TI  - Dynamic gastric digestion of a commercial whey protein concentrate?.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A dynamic gastrointestinal simulator, simgi(r) , has been applied to
      assess the gastric digestion of a whey protein concentrate. Samples collected
      from the outlet of the stomach have been compared to those resulting from the
      static digestion protocol INFOGEST developed on the basis of physiologically
      inferred conditions. RESULTS: Progress of digestion was followed by SDS-PAGE and
      LC-MS/MS. By SDS-PAGE, serum albumin and alpha-lactalbumin were no longer
      detectable at 30 and 60 min, respectively. On the contrary, beta-lactoglobulin
      was visible up to 120 min, although in decreasing concentrations in the dynamic
      model due to the gastric emptying and the addition of gastric fluids. Moreover,
      beta-lactoglobulin was partly hydrolysed by pepsin probably due to the presence
      of heat-denatured forms and the peptides released using both digestion models
      were similar. Under dynamic conditions, a stepwise increase in number of peptides
      over time was observed, while the static protocol generated a high number of
      peptides from the beginning of digestion. CONCLUSION: Whey protein digestion
      products using a dynamic stomach are consistent with those generated with the
      static protocol but the kinetic behaviour of the peptide profile emphasises the
      effect of the sequential pepsin addition, peristaltic shaking, and gastric
      emptying on protein digestibility. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28898423
TI  - Iterative volume of interest based 4D cone-beam CT.
AB  - PURPOSE: 4D cone-beam CT (CBCT) has potential applications in soft tissue
      alignment and tumor motion verification at the time of radiation treatment.
      However, prominent streak artifacts with conventional image reconstructions have
      limited its clinical use and alternative reconstructions are generally too
      computationally expensive for the time available. We propose an iterative volume
      of interest based (I4D VOI) reconstruction technique, where 4D reconstruction is
      only performed within a VOI, to limit streak artifacts with limited added
      computation time. METHODS: The I4D VOI technique is compared to standard cone
      beam filtered back projection (FDK), an FDK VOI technique, and unconstrained
      total variation (TV) minimization by comparing tumor motion quantification errors
      and image quality. 14 long CBCT scans (6.5 to 12 min) of patients receiving
      radiation treatment for lung cancer were used for the comparison. Rigid
      registration between phase images of FDK reconstructions using all projections
      were used to quantify the gold standard motion. Projections were removed to
      simulate 2 minute scans and these new projection sets were used for each of the
      test reconstructions. RESULTS: Excluding two patients where registration failed,
      the average root mean square (RMS) error for each method was as follows: 1.5 +/-
      0.2 mm for FDK, 1.4 +/- 0.2 mm for FDK VOI, 1.3 +/- 0.2 mm for I4D VOI, 1.7 +/-
      0.4 mm for low regularization TV minimization, and 1.1 +/- 0.2 mm for high
      regularization TV minimization. No significant difference was observed between
      RMS error for I4D VOI and the other methods, except for unsmoothed FDK VOI (P =
      0.02). An increase in RMS error difference between I4D VOI and smoothed FDK VOI
      was observed going from 2 min to 1 min scans (0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, P = 0.20 to P =
      0.09). CONCLUSIONS: I4D VOI and FDK VOI reconstruction measured tumor
      trajectories with equivalent accuracy as TV minimization with improved bony
      anatomy image quality and computation time (I4D VOI was approximately 15 and 95
      times faster than low and high regularization TV minimization, respectively).
      Within the VOI, streak artifact reduction compared to FDK VOI may be beneficial
      for tumor visualization and motion measurement, but requires further study.

PMID- 28898424
TI  - Relationship Between Consumer Acceptability and Pungency-Related Flavor Compounds
      of Vidalia Onions.
AB  - : A consumer study was conducted to evaluate preferences in Vidalia onions, and
      define consumer acceptability thresholds for commonly analyzed flavor compounds
      associated with pungency. Two varieties of Vidalia onions (Plethora and Sapelo
      Sweet) were grown at 3 fertilizer application rates (37.5 and 0; 134.5 and 59.4;
      and 190 and 118.8 kg/ha of nitrogen and sulfur, respectively), creating 6
      treatments with various flavor attributes to use in the study. Bulb soluble
      solids, sugars, pyruvic acid, lachrymatory factor (LF; propanethial S-oxide), and
      methyl thiosulfinate (MT) content were determined and compared to sensory
      responses for overall liking, intensity of the sharp/pungent/burning sensation
      (SPB), and intent to buy provided by 142 consumers. Onion pyruvate, LF, MT, and
      sugar content increased as fertilization rate increased, regardless of onion
      variety. Consumer responses showed participants preferred onions with low SPB,
      which correlated positively to lower pyruvate, LF and MT concentrations, but
      showed no relationship to total sugars in the onion bulb. Regression analyses
      revealed that the majority of consumers (>=55%) found the flavor of Vidalia
      onions acceptable when the concentrations of LF, pyruvic acid, and MT within the
      bulbs were below 2.21, 4.83, and 0.43 nmol/mL, respectively. These values will
      support future studies aimed at identifying the optimal cultivation practices for
      production of sweet Vidalia onions, and can serve as an industry benchmark for
      quality control, thus ensuring the flavor of Vidalia onions will be acceptable to
      the majority of consumers. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study identified the
      relationship between consumer preferences and commonly analyzed flavor compounds
      in Vidalia onions, and established thresholds for these compounds at
      concentrations which the majority of consumers will find desirable. These
      relationships and thresholds will support future research investigating how
      cultural practices impact onion quality, and can be used to assist growers in
      variety selection decisions. In addition, this information will provide a
      benchmark to Vidalia onion producers for quality control of the sweet onions
      produced, ensuring that the onions are consistently of a desired quality, thereby
      increasing consumer's reliability in the Vidalia onion brand.

PMID- 28898425
TI  - Response of porcine epithelial rests of Malassez to stimulation by interleukin-6.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the proliferation and migration of epithelial cell rests of
      Malassez (ERM) after stimulation with IL-6. METHODOLOGY: Porcine-derived ERM were
      seeded on Dulbecco's modified Eagle's Medium, and IL-6 (100 pg mL-1 ) was
      incorporated into the culture medium. The WST-1 assay was performed to evaluate
      cell proliferation, and absorption was measured at 450 nm. A wound-healing assay
      and immunofluorescence assay for integrin alpha3 were conducted to investigate
      migration. The Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U-test with Bonferroni
      correction were used to analyse data of WST-1 and wound-healing assays. RESULTS:
      Cell proliferation following the stimulation by IL-6 increased over time, with a
      significant increase being observed at 6 h (P < 0.05), but not in a concentration
      dependent manner. Cell proliferation was significantly greater in IL-6-treated
      ERM than in nontreated ERM (P < 0.05). The results of the wound-healing assay
      revealed earlier closure in IL-6-treated ERM (P < 0.05). In the
      immunofluorescence assay, integrin alpha3 was detected at the edge of cell
      processes adjacent to the wound area. A neutralized antibody abrogated the
      effects of the IL-6 stimulation in cell proliferation and migration. CONCLUSION:
      IL-6 promoted the proliferation and migration of porcine ERM in vitro.

PMID- 28898426
TI  - Differences between inflammatory and catabolic mediators of peri-implantitis and
      periodontitis lesions following initial mechanical therapy: An exploratory study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in
      inflammatory and catabolic mediators expressed in peri-implantitis compared to
      periodontitis lesions after non-surgical therapy. Peri-implantitis is associated
      with a faster rate of bone loss when compared with periodontitis, and peri
      implant non-surgical therapy is ineffective to cure peri-implantitis. This may be
      due to persistent inflammation in peri-implantitis tissues after initial
      mechanical treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eleven patients with peri-implantitis
      and 10 with severe chronic periodontitis received non-surgical therapy. They were
      included at re-evaluation (8 weeks) if they presented pocket depth >=6 mm with
      bleeding on probing, and the indication for open flap debridement surgery.
      Connective tissues were harvested during surgery from diseased sites. Healthy
      gingiva were harvested during third molar extraction in a third group of healthy
      patients (n=10). Explants were incubated for 24 hours in media culture and the
      release of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, osteoprotegerin, receptor
      activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), matrix metalloproteinase and
      tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP) in the conditioned media was
      analyzed by an exploratory multiplex immunoassay. When difference was found in
      the conditioned media, an immunohistochemistry was performed to compare
      expression in the tissues. RESULTS: Connective tissues from non-stabilized peri
      implantitis exhibited a distinct cytokine profile compared to periodontitis
      lesions that did not respond to initial therapy. Indeed, TIMP-2 was significantly
      increased in media from peri-implantitis (P<=.05). In addition, the in situ
      expression of TIMP-2, interleukin-10 and RANKL was also significantly increased
      in peri-implantitis tissues (P<=.05). However, the ratio of RANKL/osteoprotegerin
      positive cells did not vary (P>=.05). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that peri
      implantitis and periodontitis connective tissues exhibit differences in response
      to non-surgical treatment, which may contribute to a different pattern of disease
      evolution.

PMID- 28898427
TI  - The dental therapist movement in the United States: A critique of current trends.
AB  - Dental therapists are members of the oral health workforce in over 50 countries
      in the world typically caring for children in publically funded school-based
      programs. A movement has developed in the United States to introduce dental
      therapists to the oral health workforce in an attempt to improve access to care
      and to reduce disparities in oral health. This article critiques trends in the
      United States movement in the context of the history and success of dental
      therapists practicing internationally. While supporting the dental therapist
      movement, we challenge: a) the use of dental therapists treating adults, versus
      focusing on children; b) the use of dental therapists in the private versus the
      public/not-for-profit sector; and c) requirements that a dental therapist must
      also be credentialed as a dental hygienist.

PMID- 28898428
TI  - Soil CO2 venting as one of the mechanisms for tolerance of Zn deficiency by rice
      in flooded soils.
AB  - We sought to explain rice (Oryza sativa) genotype differences in tolerance of
      zinc (Zn) deficiency in flooded paddy soils and the counter-intuitive
      observation, made in earlier field experiments, that Zn uptake per plant
      increases with increasing planting density. We grew tolerant and intolerant
      genotypes in a Zn-deficient flooded soil at high and low planting densities and
      found (a) plant Zn concentrations and growth increased with planting density and
      more so in the tolerant genotype, whereas the concentrations of other nutrients
      decreased, indicating a specific effect on Zn uptake; (b) the effects of planting
      density and genotype on Zn uptake could only be explained if the plants induced
      changes in the soil to make Zn more soluble; and (c) the genotype and planting
      density effects were both associated with decreases in dissolved CO2 in the
      rhizosphere soil solution and resulting increases in pH. We suggest that the
      increases in pH caused solubilization of soil Zn by dissolution of alkali
      soluble, Zn-complexing organic ligands from soil organic matter. We conclude that
      differences in venting of soil CO2 through root aerenchyma were responsible for
      the genotype and planting density effects.

PMID- 28898429
TI  - TGACG-BINDING FACTOR 1 (TGA1) and TGA4 regulate salicylic acid and pipecolic acid
      biosynthesis by modulating the expression of SYSTEMIC ACQUIRED RESISTANCE
      DEFICIENT 1 (SARD1) and CALMODULIN-BINDING PROTEIN 60g (CBP60g).
AB  - Salicylic acid (SA) and pipecolic acid (Pip) play important roles in plant
      immunity. Here we analyzed the roles of transcription factors TGACG-BINDING
      FACTOR 1 (TGA1) and TGA4 in regulating SA and Pip biosynthesis in Arabidopsis
      thaliana. We quantified the expression levels of SYSTEMIC ACQUIRED RESISTANCE
      DEFICIENT 1 (SARD1) and CALMODULIN-BINDING PROTEIN 60g (CBP60g), which encode two
      master transcription factors of plant immunity, and the accumulation of SA and
      Pip in tga1-1 tga4-1 mutant plants. We tested whether SARD1 and CBP60g are direct
      targets of TGA1 by chromatin immunoprecipitation-polymerase chain reaction (ChIP
      PCR). In addition to promoting pathogen-induced SA biosynthesis, we found that
      SARD1 and CBP60g also positively regulated Pip biosynthesis by targeting genes
      encoding key biosynthesis enzymes of Pip. TGA1/TGA4 were required for full
      induction of SARD1 and CBP60g in plant defense. ChIP-PCR analysis showed that
      SARD1 was a direct target of TGA1. In tga1-1 tga4-1 mutant plants, the expression
      levels of SARD1 and CBP60g along with SA and Pip accumulation following pathogen
      infection were dramatically reduced compared with those in wild-type plants.
      Consistent with reduced expression of SARD1 and CBP60g, pathogen-associated
      molecular pattern (PAMP)-induced pathogen resistance and systemic acquired
      resistance were compromised in tga1-1 tga4-1. Our study showed that TGA1 and TGA4
      regulate Pip and SA biosynthesis by modulating the expression of SARD1 and
      CBP60g.

PMID- 28898430
TI  - Effect of drying methods on the structure, thermo and functional properties of
      fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) protein isolate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Different drying methods due to protein denaturation could alter the
      functional properties of proteins, as well as their structure. So, this study
      focused on the effect of different drying methods on amino acid content, thermo
      and functional properties, and protein structure of fenugreek protein isolate.
      RESULTS: Freeze and spray drying methods resulted in comparable protein
      solubility, dynamic surface and interfacial tensions, foaming and emulsifying
      properties except for emulsion stability. Vacuum oven drying promoted emulsion
      stability, surface hydrophobicity and viscosity of fenugreek protein isolate at
      the expanse of its protein solubility. Vacuum oven process caused a higher level
      of Maillard reaction followed by the spray drying process, which was confirmed by
      the lower amount of lysine content and less lightness, also more browning
      intensity. DeltaH of fenugreek protein isolates was higher than soy protein
      isolate, which confirmed the presence of more ordered structures. Also, the bands
      which are attributed to the alpha-helix structures in the FTIR spectrum were in
      the shorter wave number region for freeze and spray dried fenugreek protein
      isolates that show more possibility of such structures. CONCLUSION: This research
      suggests that any drying method must be conducted in its gentle state in order to
      sustain native structure of proteins and promote their functionalities. (c) 2017
      Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28898431
TI  - Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Schisandrin C promote
      mitochondrial biogenesis in human dental pulp cells.
AB  - AIM: To examine the properties of Schisandrin C as an anti-inflammatory and
      antioxidant compound, and whether its characteristics promote mitochondrial
      biogenesis in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs). METHODOLOGY: HDPCs were extracted
      from fresh third molars and cultured for experiments. Reactive oxidative stress
      (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) formation were analysed by a Muse cell analyser.
      Western blotting and gelatin zymography were used to identify the presence of
      antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory and mitochondrial biogenesis with
      specific antibody. An unpaired Student's t-test was used for statistical
      analysis. RESULTS: Schisandrin C inhibited lipopolysaccharide-stimulated
      inflammatory molecules; interleukin 1 beta, tumour necrosis factor alpha,
      intracellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 and -9, NO production, ROS formation, nuclear factor kappa B
      translocation (P < 0.05) through the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.
      Schisandrin C increased the expression of superoxide dismutase enzymes as well as
      haem oxygenase-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator
      1-alpha through the phosphorylated-protein kinase B (p-Akt) and nuclear factor
      erythroid 2-related factor-2 pathways (P < 0.05). The anti-inflammatory and
      antioxidant properties of Schisandrin C promoted mitochondrial biogenesis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Schisandrin C has the potential to reduce inflammation and oxidation
      and to promote mitochondrial biogenesis. Therefore, Schisandrin C may be
      considered for use as an anti-inflammatory compound for oral inflammation through
      mitochondrial biogenesis.

PMID- 28898432
TI  - Hyperglycemia on admission and hospitalization outcomes in patients with atrial
      fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated the association of admission blood glucose (ABG) and
      mortality in patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM) hospitalized for
      atrial fibrillation (AF). HYPOTHESIS: Hyperglycemia on admission is a bad
      prognostic marker in patients with AF. METHODS: Observational data were collected
      from electronic records of patients age >= 18 years hospitalized for AF in 2011
      2013. Twelve-month data were available in all cases. ABG levels were classified
      as follows: 70 to 110 mg/dL, normal; 111 to 140 mg/dL, mildly elevated; 141 to
      199 mg/dL, moderately elevated; >=200 mg/dL, markedly elevated. Cox proportional
      hazards model was used to assess overall survival by ABG categories, adjusted for
      study variables. Primary outcome measure was mortality at end of follow-up.
      RESULTS: The cohort included 1127 patients (45% male; median age, 75 +/- 13
      years), of whom 331 had DM. Mortality rates by ABG levels were 19% (77/407
      patients), normal ABG; 26% (92/353 patients), mildly elevated ABG; 28% (69/244
      patients), moderately elevated ABG; and 41% (50/123 patients), markedly elevated
      ABG. Data were analyzed for the entire cohort following adjustment for age, sex,
      CHADS2 score, ischemic heart disease, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Compared
      with normal ABG, the adjusted hazard ratio for mortality was higher in patients
      with moderately elevated ABG (2.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.19-7.94, P < 0.05)
      and markedly elevated ABG (1.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-5.31, P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: In patients with and without DM hospitalized for AF, moderately to
      markedly elevated ABG levels are associated with increased mortality.

PMID- 28898433
TI  - Changes in parameters of right ventricular function with cardiac
      resynchronization therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
      significantly improves right ventricle (RV) size and function in patients with
      heart failure (HF). HYPOTHESIS: CRT does not lead to improvement in RV function
      independent of baseline clinical variables. METHODS: A systematic search of
      studies published between 1966 to August 31, 2015 was conducted using Pub Med,
      CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL and the Web of Science databases. Studies reporting
      tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) or RV basal strain or RV long
      axis diameter or RV short axis diameter or RV fractional area change (FAC),
      before and after CRT, were identified. A meta-analysis was performed using random
      effects with inverse variance method to determine the pooled mean difference in
      various parameters of RV function after CRT. Meta-regression analysis was
      performed to test the relationship between change in various parameters of RV
      functions after CRT and covariates- age, QRS duration, and left ventricular
      ejection fraction (LVEF). RESULTS: Thirteen studies (N=1541) were selected for
      final analysis. CRT therapy led to statistically significant increases in TAPSE
      [1.21 (95% CI 0.55-1.86; p<0.001)], RV FAC [2.26 (95% CI 0.50-4.01; p<0.001)] and
      basal strain [2.82 (95% CI 0.59-5.05; p<0.001)] and statistically significant
      decreases in mean RV long axis diameter [-2.94 (95% CI -5.07- -0.82; p=0.005)]
      and short axis diameter [-1.39 (95% CI -2.10- -0.67; p=0.876)] after a mean
      follow up period of 9 months. However, after meta-regression analysis for age,
      QRS duration, and baseline LVEF as covariates, there was no significant
      improvement in any of the parameters of RV function after CRT. CONCLUSION: There
      was a statistically significant improvement in TAPSE, RV basal strain, RV
      fractional area, RV long axis and short axis with CRT. However, improvement in
      these echocardiographic parameters of RV function after CRT was not independent
      of baseline clinical variables but statistically dependent on age, QRS duration
      and baseline LVEF.

PMID- 28898434
TI  - Cold sensing in grapevine-Which signals are upstream of the microtubular
      "thermometer".
AB  - Plants can acquire freezing tolerance in response to cold but non-freezing
      temperatures. To efficiently activate this cold acclimation, low temperature has
      to be sensed and processed swiftly, a process that is linked with a transient
      elimination of microtubules. Here, we address cold-induced microtubules
      elimination in a grapevine cell line stably expressing a green fluorescent
      protein fusion of Arabidopsis TuB6, which allows to follow their response in vivo
      and to quantify this response by quantitative image analysis. We use time-course
      studies with several specific pharmacological inhibitors and activators to
      dissect the signalling events acting upstream of microtubules elimination. We
      find that microtubules disappear within 30 min after the onset of cold stress. We
      provide evidence for roles of calcium influx, membrane rigidification, and
      activation of NAD(P)H oxidase as factors in signal susception and amplification.
      We further conclude that a G-protein in concert with a phospholipase D convey the
      signal towards microtubules, whereas calmodulin seems to be not involved.
      Moreover, activation of jasmonate pathway in response to cold is required for an
      efficient microtubule response. We summarize our findings in a working model on a
      complex signalling hub at the membrane-cytoskeleton interphase that assembles the
      susception, perception and early transduction of cold signals.

PMID- 28898435
TI  - Wearable slot antenna at 2.45 GHz for off-body radiation: Analysis of efficiency,
      frequency shift, and body absorption.
AB  - The interaction of body-worn antennas with the human body causes a significant
      decrease in antenna efficiency and a shift in resonant frequency. A resonant slot
      in a small conductive box placed on the body has been shown to reduce these
      effects. The specific absorption rate is less than international health standards
      for most wearable antennas due to small transmitter power. This paper reports the
      linear relationship between power absorbed by biological tissues at different
      locations on the body and radiation efficiency based on numerical modeling (r =
      0.99). While the -10 dB bandwidth of the antenna remained constant and equal to
      12.5%, the maximum frequency shift occurred when the antenna was close to the
      elbow (6.61%) and on the thigh (5.86%). The smallest change was found on the
      torso (4.21%). Participants with body-mass index (BMI) between 17 and 29 kg/m2
      took part in experimental measurements, where the maximum frequency shift was
      2.51%. Measurements showed better agreement with simulations on the upper arm.
      These experimental results demonstrate that the BMI for each individual had
      little effect on the performance of the antenna. Bioelectromagnetics. 39:25-34,
      2018. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28898436
TI  - Letter to Liu et al.'s "Efficacy of Exenatide on weight loss, metabolic
      parameters and pregnancy in overweight/obese polycystic ovary syndrome".

PMID- 28898438
TI  - Collagen XI mutation lowers susceptibility to load-induced cartilage damage in
      mice.
AB  - Interactions among risk factors for osteoarthritis (OA) are not well understood.
      We investigated the combined impact of two prevalent risk factors: mechanical
      loading and genetically abnormal cartilage tissue properties. We used cyclic
      tibial compression to simulate mechanical loading in the cho/+ (Col11a1
      haploinsufficient) mouse, which has abnormal collagen fibrils in cartilage due to
      a point mutation in the Col11a1 gene. We hypothesized that the mutant collagen
      would not alter phenotypic bone properties and that cho/+ mice, which develop
      early onset OA, would develop enhanced load-induced cartilage damage compared to
      their littermates. To test our hypotheses, we applied cyclic compression to the
      left tibiae of 6-month-old cho/+ male mice and wild-type (WT) littermates for 1,
      2, and 6 weeks at moderate (4.5 N) and high (9.0 N) peak load magnitudes. We then
      characterized load-induced cartilage and bone changes by histology, microcomputed
      tomography, and immunohistochemistry. Prior to loading, cho/+ mice had less
      dense, thinner cortical bone compared to WT littermates. In addition, in loaded
      and non-loaded limbs, cho/+ mice had thicker cartilage. With high loads, cho/+
      mice experienced less load-induced cartilage damage at all time points and
      displayed decreased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 levels compared to WT
      littermates. The thinner, less dense cortical bone and thicker cartilage were
      unexpected and may have contributed to the reduced severity of load-induced
      cartilage damage in cho/+ mice. Furthermore, the spontaneous proteoglycan loss
      resulting from the mutant collagen XI was not additive to cartilage damage from
      mechanical loading, suggesting that these risk factors act through independent
      pathways. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. J Orthop Res 36:711-720, 2018.

PMID- 28898437
TI  - Regulation of fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) in chicken embryonic stem cells
      differentiation into spermatogonial stem cells.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are essential in regulating the formation of
      spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Here, we explored the effect of FGF8 on chicken
      SSCs formation by knockdown or overexpression of FGF8 in chicken embryonic stem
      cells (ESCs) both in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that knockdown of FGF8
      could facilitate the differentiation of ESCs into SSCs, overexpression of FGF8
      could promote PGCs self-renewal, inhibit SSCs formation. This study further
      revealed the positive correlation between the expression level of FGF8 and
      MAPK/ERK signal. In the absence of FGF8, the expression of downstream genes such
      as FGFR2, GRB2, RAS, BRAF, RAF1, and MEK2 was not maintained, while
      overexpressing FGF8 enhances them. Thus, our study demonstrated that FGF8 can
      regulate germ cell fate by modulating the dynamic equilibrium between
      differentiation and self-renewal, which provides a new idea for the study of germ
      cell regulatory network.

PMID- 28898439
TI  - Evaluation of the use of midazolam as a co-induction agent with ketamine for
      anaesthesia in sedated ponies undergoing field castration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited investigations comparing ketamine to a ketamine
      midazolam co-induction. OBJECTIVES: To compare quality and safety of general
      anaesthesia induced using ketamine alone with anaesthesia co-induced using
      ketamine and midazolam. STUDY DESIGN: Randomised, double blinded, placebo
      controlled trial. METHODS: After i.v. detomidine (20 MUg/kg) thirty-eight ponies
      undergoing field castration received either 0.06 mg/kg (0.6 mL/50 kg) midazolam
      (group M) or 0.6 mL/50 kg placebo (group P) with 2.2 mg/kg ketamine i.v. for
      anaesthetic induction. Quality of anaesthetic induction, endotracheal intubation,
      surgical relaxation and recovery were scored using combinations of simple
      descriptive and visual analogue scales. Time of sedation, induction, start of
      endotracheal intubation, first movement, sternal recumbency and standing were
      recorded, as were time, number and total quantity of additional i.v. detomidine
      and ketamine injections. Cardiorespiratory variables were assessed every 5 min.
      Adverse effects were documented. Data were tested for normality and analysed with
      a mixed model ANOVA, Fisher's exact test, unpaired Students' t test and Wilcoxon
      Rank-sum as appropriate; P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Group M had
      better scores for induction (P = 0.005), intubation (P<0.001) and surgical
      relaxation (P<0.001) and required fewer additional injections of detomidine and
      ketamine (P = 0.04). Time (minutes) from induction to first movement (P<0.001),
      sternal recumbency (P =< 0.001) and standing was longer (P = 0.05) in group M.
      Recoveries were uneventful with no difference in quality between groups (P =
      0.78). MAIN LIMITATIONS: Clinical study with noninvasive monitoring undertaken in
      field conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Ketamine-midazolam co-induction compared to
      ketamine alone improved quality of induction, ease of intubation and muscle
      relaxation without impacting recovery quality.

PMID- 28898441
TI  - Three-dimensional reconstruction of the pharyngeal gland cells in the predatory
      nematode Pristionchus pacificus.
AB  - Pristionchus pacificus is a model system in evolutionary biology and for
      comparison to Caenorhabditis elegans. As a necromenic nematode often found in
      association with scarab beetles, P. pacificus exhibits omnivorous feeding that is
      characterized by a mouth-form dimorphism, an example of phenotypic plasticity.
      Eurystomatous animals have a dorsal and a sub-ventral tooth enabling predatory
      feeding on other nematodes whereas stenostomatous animals have only a dorsal
      tooth and are microbivorous. Both mouth forms of P. pacificus, like all members
      of the Diplogastridae family, lack the grinder in the terminal bulb of the
      pharynx resulting in a fundamentally different organization of several pharynx
      associated structures. Here, we describe the three-dimensional reconstruction of
      the pharyngeal gland cells in P. pacificus based on serial transmission electron
      microscopical analysis of 2527 sections of 50 nm thickness. In comparison to C.
      elegans, P. pacificus lacks two gland cells (g2) usually associated with grinder
      function, whereas the three gland cells of g1 (g1D, g1VL, and g1VR) are very
      prominent. The largest expansion is seen for g1D, which has an anterior process
      that opens into the buccal cavity through a canal in the dorsal tooth. We provide
      the morphological description and fine structural analysis of the P. pacificus
      gland cells, the behavior of the pharynx and preliminary insight into exocytosis
      of gland cell vesicles in P. pacificus.

PMID- 28898440
TI  - Low Lactobacilli abundance and polymicrobial diversity in the lower reproductive
      tract of female rhesus monkeys do not compromise their reproductive success.
AB  - The lower reproductive tract of nonhuman primates is colonized with a diverse
      microbiota, resembling bacterial vaginosis (BV), a gynecological condition
      associated with negative reproductive outcomes in women. Our 4 aims were to: (i)
      assess the prevalence of low Lactobacilli and a BV-like profile in female rhesus
      monkeys; (ii) quantify cytokines in their cervicovaginal fluid (CVF); (iii)
      examine the composition and structure of their mucosal microbiota with culture
      independent sequencing methods; and (iv) evaluate the potential influence on
      reproductive success. CVF specimens were obtained from 27 female rhesus monkeys
      for Gram's staining, and to determine acidity (pH), and quantify proinflammatory
      cytokines. Based on Nugent's classification, 40% had a score of 7 or higher,
      which would be indicative of BV in women. Nugent scores were significantly
      correlated with the pH of the CVF. Interleukin-1beta was present at high
      concentrations, but not further elevated by high Nugent scores. Vaginal swabs
      were obtained from eight additional females to determine microbial diversity by
      rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. At the phylum level, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes
      ratio was low. The relative abundance of Lactobacilli was also low (between 3%
      and 17%), and 11 other genera were present at >1%. However, neither the microbial
      diversity in the community structure, nor high Nugent scores, was associated with
      reduced fecundity. Female monkeys provide an opportunity to understand how
      reproductive success can be sustained in the presence of a diverse polymicrobial
      community in the reproductive tract.

PMID- 28898442
TI  - Bayesian estimation of multivariate normal mixtures with covariate-dependent
      mixing weights, with an application in antimicrobial resistance monitoring.
AB  - Bacteria with a reduced susceptibility against antimicrobials pose a major threat
      to public health. Therefore, large programs have been set up to collect minimum
      inhibition concentration (MIC) values. These values can be used to monitor the
      distribution of the nonsusceptible isolates in the general population. Data are
      collected within several countries and over a number of years. In addition, the
      sampled bacterial isolates were not tested for susceptibility against one
      antimicrobial, but rather against an entire range of substances. Interest is
      therefore in the analysis of the joint distribution of MIC data on two or more
      antimicrobials, while accounting for a possible effect of covariates. In this
      regard, we present a Bayesian semiparametric density estimation routine, based on
      multivariate Gaussian mixtures. The mixing weights are allowed to depend on
      certain covariates, thereby allowing the user to detect certain changes over, for
      example, time. The new approach was applied to data collected in Europe in 2010,
      2012, and 2013. We investigated the susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolates
      against ampicillin and trimethoprim, where we found that there seems to be a
      significant increase in the proportion of nonsusceptible isolates. In addition, a
      simulation study was carried out, showing the promising behavior of the proposed
      method in the field of antimicrobial resistance.

PMID- 28898443
TI  - Re-evaluation of 33 'unclassified' eosinophilic renal cell carcinomas in young
      patients.
AB  - AIMS: We sought to determine if some unclassified renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) in
      children and young adults that are characterised by predominantly eosinophilic
      cytoplasm are related to the recently described succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)
      deficient RCC, fumarate hydratase (FH)-deficient RCC or eosinophilic solid and
      cystic (ESC) RCC. METHODS AND RESULTS: We reviewed 33 unclassified RCCs with
      predominantly eosinophilic cytoplasm in patients aged 35 years or younger.
      Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for SDHB, FH and CK20 (a marker of ESC) was performed
      in all cases. IHC for 2-succinocysteine (2SC) was performed on RCC with loss of
      FH labelling. Four RCC (12%) (median age 18 years) demonstrated loss of FH
      labelling as well as aberrant 2SC labelling, and were thus classified as FH
      deficient RCCs. Importantly, none of these cases demonstrated the characteristic
      macronucleoli typical of FH-deficient RCC. Eight RCC (24%) (median age 20.5
      years) demonstrated loss of SDHB and were reclassified as SDH-deficient RCCs.
      Importantly, only four of eight SDH-deficient RCC demonstrated the characteristic
      cytoplasmic vacuoles and inclusions of typical SDH-deficient RCC. Ten RCC (30%)
      (median age 27 years) were reclassified as ESC RCCs. Four of 10 ESC RCC were
      multifocal (one bilateral), four of 10 ESC RCC occurred in males and one patient
      presented with liver and lung metastases, all not described previously in ESC.
      Eleven RCC (33%) remained unclassified. CONCLUSIONS: Pathologists should have a
      low threshold for performing FH, SDHB and CK20 IHC when confronted with
      unclassified eosinophilic RCC or 'oncocytoma' in young patients.

PMID- 28898444
TI  - A sequential test for assessing observed agreement between raters.
AB  - Assessing the agreement between two or more raters is an important topic in
      medical practice. Existing techniques, which deal with categorical data, are
      based on contingency tables. This is often an obstacle in practice as we have to
      wait for a long time to collect the appropriate sample size of subjects to
      construct the contingency table. In this paper, we introduce a nonparametric
      sequential test for assessing agreement, which can be applied as data accrues,
      does not require a contingency table, facilitating a rapid assessment of the
      agreement. The proposed test is based on the cumulative sum of the number of
      disagreements between the two raters and a suitable statistic representing the
      waiting time until the cumulative sum exceeds a predefined threshold. We treat
      the cases of testing two raters' agreement with respect to one or more
      characteristics and using two or more classification categories, the case where
      the two raters extremely disagree, and finally the case of testing more than two
      raters' agreement. The numerical investigation shows that the proposed test has
      excellent performance. Compared to the existing methods, the proposed method
      appears to require significantly smaller sample size with equivalent power.
      Moreover, the proposed method is easily generalizable and brings the problem of
      assessing the agreement between two or more raters and one or more
      characteristics under a unified framework, thus providing an easy to use tool to
      medical practitioners.

PMID- 28898446
TI  - Contradictory effects of mitochondria- and non-mitochondria-targeted antioxidants
      on hepatocarcinogenesis by altering DNA repair in mice.
AB  - : Conflicting effects of antioxidant supplementation on cancer prevention or
      promotion is of great concern to healthy people and cancer patients. Despite
      recent studies about antioxidants accelerating the progression of lung cancer and
      melanoma, antioxidants may still play a role in cancer prevention. Both tumor and
      antioxidants types influence the actual efficacy. However, little is known about
      the impact of different types of antioxidants on primary hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC), including non-mitochondrial- and mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants.
      Utilizing mouse models of chemical hepatocarcinogenesis, we showed that
      administration of non-mitochondria-targeted antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
      and the soluble vitamin E analog, Trolox, prevented tumorigenesis, whereas
      administration of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants SS-31 (the mitochondria
      targeted peptide) and Mito-Q (a derivative of ubiquinone) facilitated
      tumorigenesis. RNA sequencing revealed that NAC and SS-31 caused very different
      changes in the oxidation-reduction state and DNA damage response. In
      diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-treated primary hepatocytes, NAC and Trolox alleviated
      DNA damage by activating ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/ATM and Rad3-related
      (ATR) for DNA repair whereas SS-31 and Mito-Q aggravated damage by inactivating
      them. Interestingly, partial recovery of SS-31-scavengened mitochondrial reactive
      oxygen species (mtROS) could alleviate SS-31-aggravated DNA damage. Localization
      of ATM between mitochondria and nuclei was altered after NAC and SS-31 treatment.
      Furthermore, blockage of phospho-ATR (p-ATR) led to the recurrence of NAC
      ameliorated DEN HCC. In contrast, reactivation of p-ATR blocked SS-31-promoted
      DEN HCC. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the type of antioxidants
      plays a previously unappreciated role in hepatocarcinogenesis, and provide a
      mechanistic rationale for exploring the therapeutic use of antioxidants for liver
      cancer. (Hepatology 2018).

PMID- 28898445
TI  - Characterizing adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and intellectual disability:
      outcomes of a case-finding study.
AB  - AIMS: To report the results of a case-finding study conducted during a
      feasibility trial of a supported self-management intervention for adults with
      mild to moderate intellectual disability and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and to
      characterize the study sample in terms of diabetes control, health, and access to
      diabetes management services and support. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional
      case-finding study in the UK (March 2013 to June 2015), which recruited
      participants mainly through primary care settings. Data were obtained from
      medical records and during home visits. RESULTS: Of the 325 referrals, 147
      eligible individuals participated. The participants' mean (sd) HbA1c
      concentration was 55 (15) mmol/mol [7.1 (1.4)%] and the mean (sd) BMI was 32.9
      (7.9) kg/m2 , with 20% of participants having a BMI >40 kg/m2 . Self-reported
      frequency of physical activity was low and 79% of participants reported
      comorbidity, for example, cardiovascular disease, in addition to Type 2 diabetes.
      The majority of participants (88%) had a formal or informal supporter involved in
      their diabetes care, but level and consistency of support varied greatly. Post
      hoc exploratory analyses showed a significant association between BMI and self
      reported mood, satisfaction with diet and weight. CONCLUSIONS: We found high
      obesity and low physical activity levels in people with intellectual disability
      and Type 2 diabetes. Glycaemic control was no worse than in the general Type 2
      diabetes population. Increased risk of morbidity in this population is less
      likely to be attributable to poor glycaemic control and is probably related, at
      least in part, to greater prevalence of obesity and inactivity. More research,
      focused on weight management and increasing activity in this population, is
      warranted.

PMID- 28898447
TI  - Complete response under sorafenib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma:
      Relationship with dermatologic adverse events.
AB  - : The clinical benefit of sorafenib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC) has been undervalued due to the absence of complete responses, even though
      patients who develop early dermatologic reactions have shown to have a positive
      outcome. In addition, sorafenib is described as an antiangiogenic drug, but it
      also acts on immunological cells. Thus, the goal of this study was to assess the
      complete response rate in a retrospective cohort of HCC patients treated with
      sorafenib and to describe the profile of the patients who achieve complete
      response for identifying factors related to this event and their connection with
      the immunological profile of sorafenib. Ten Spanish centers submitted cases of
      complete response under sorafenib. The baseline characteristics, development of
      early dermatologic reactions, and cause of treatment discontinuation were
      annotated. Radiological images taken before starting sorafenib, at first control,
      after starting sorafenib, at the time of complete response, and at least 1 month
      after treatment were centrally reviewed. Of the 1119 patients studied, 20 had
      been classified as complete responders by the centers, but eight of these
      patients were excluded after central review. Ten patients had complete
      disappearance of all tumor sites, and two had just a small residual fibrotic
      scar. Thus, 12 patients were classified as complete responders (58% HCV, median
      age 59.7 years, 83.4% Child-Pugh class A, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      performance status 0 91.7%, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C 83.3%). The
      median overall survival and treatment duration were 85.8 and 40.1 months,
      respectively. All but one patient developed early dermatologic reactions, and
      seven patients discontinued sorafenib after achieving complete response due to
      adverse events, patient decision, or liver decompensation. CONCLUSION: Complete
      response affects 1% of patients with HCC who are treated with sorafenib. The
      association of complete response with early dermatologic reactions supports the
      role of a specific immune/inflammatory patient profile in the improved response
      to sorafenib. (Hepatology 2017).

PMID- 28898448
TI  - Neutral glenoid alignment in reverse shoulder arthroplasty does not guarantee
      decreased risk of impingement.
AB  - Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty (RSA) has gained popularity over the recent years,
      but impingement concerns are still present. Surgeons aim to correct pre-operative
      glenoid deformities to reduce impingement but it can be challenging without
      assistance like patient specific guides. However, it is unclear how accurate
      glenoid correction affects the impingement. The main objective of this study was
      to determine whether accurate glenoid correction to neutral version and tilt can
      reduce the risk of impingement. Two types of virtual surgeries were performed on
      22 pre-operative arthritic shoulders: (i) "Interactive," the glenoid baseplate
      could be placed with accuracy, and (ii) "Blind," surgeons placed the RSA
      baseplate while they could only visualize the glenoid. The virtual models were
      then used in an RSA biomechanical model which recorded impingement for (i) four
      Range of Motion (ROM) tasks, (ii) ten Activities of Daily Living (ADL). The
      "Blind" method resulted in more variable glenoid placement (version and tilt)
      than the "Interactive" method (p = 0.001). However, both methods showed similar
      ROM and impingement occurrence in ADLs. The results suggest it is challenging for
      surgeons to accurately correct version and tilt on arthritic glenoids when only
      referencing off of the face of the glenoid. However, the variable glenosphere
      placement observed in the "Blind" method did not result in worse impingement
      compared to the accurate "Interactive" method. This was because both methods had
      similar inferior baseplate positioning which is more important than correcting
      version or tilt. Implantation accuracy remains important in RSA, but pre
      operative planning should not just target at correcting version and tilt. (c)
      2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop
      Res 36:1213-1219, 2018.

PMID- 28898449
TI  - In reply to Hynes et al.: 'Back to the future: routine morphological assessment
      of the tumour microenvironment is prognostic in stages II/III colon cancer in a
      large population-based study'.

PMID- 28898450
TI  - Why do you not call the condition takotsubo syndrome triggered by acute coronary
      ischemia?

PMID- 28898451
TI  - Comparative ultrastructure of coxal glands in unfed larvae of Leptotrombidium
      orientale (Schluger, 1948) (Trombiculidae) and Hydryphantes ruber (de Geer, 1778)
      (Hydryphantidae).
AB  - Coxal glands of unfed larvae Leptotrombidium orientale (Schluger, 1948)
      (Trombiculidae), a terrestrial mite parasitizing vertebrates, and Hydryphantes
      ruber (de Geer, 1778) (Hydryphantidae), a water mite parasitizing insects were
      studied using transmission electron microscopy. In both species, the coxal glands
      are represented by a paired tubular organ extending on the sides of the brain
      from the mouthparts to the frontal midgut wall and are formed of the cells
      arranged around the central lumen. As in other Parasitengona, the coxal glands
      are devoid of a proximal sacculus. The excretory duct, joining with ducts of the
      prosomal salivary glands constitutes the common podocephalic duct, opening into
      the subcheliceral space. The coxal glands of L. orientale are composed of a
      distal tubule with a basal labyrinth, an intermediate segment without labyrinth,
      and a proximal tubule bearing tight microvilli on the apical cell surface and
      coiled around the intermediate segment. The coxal glands of H. ruber mainly
      consist of the uniformly organized proximal tubule with apical microvilli of the
      cells lacking the basal labyrinth. This tubule shows several loops running
      backward and forward in a vertical plane on the side of the brain. In contrast to
      L. orientale, larvae of H. ruber reveal a terminal cuticular sac/bladder for
      accumulation of secreted fluids. Organization of the coxal glands depends on the
      ecological conditions of mites. Larvae of terrestrial L. orientale possess distal
      tubule functioning in re-absorption of ions and water. Conversely, water mite
      larvae H. ruber need to evacuate of the water excess, so the filtrating proximal
      tubule is prominent.

PMID- 28898452
TI  - Distinct histomorphology for growth arrest and digitate outgrowth in cultivated
      Haliclona sp. (Porifera: Demospongiae).
AB  - The use of sponges in biotechnological processes is limited by the supply
      problem, and sponge biomass production is becoming a current topic of research.
      The distinction between characteristics for growth and growth arrest is also
      important for environmental monitoring. In this study, we analyze the morphology
      of the digitate outgrowths from the sponge Haliclona sp. The sponge Haliclona sp.
      was successfully cultivated for 14 months in a closed system. The morphological
      characterization of growth arrest was performed after submitting explants to
      starvation-stress for approximately 2 weeks, to correlate morphology with growth
      and growth arrest. The digitate outgrowth showed three distinct regions: mature
      (MR), transition (TR) and immature (IR). Our data suggest a growth developmental
      program, with collagen fascicles guiding axial growth in IR, followed by
      progressive development of choanocyte chambers and large aquiferous systems at
      the more mature proximal region (choanosome). The intercalation of choanocyte
      chambers and small aquiferous systems inside collagen fascicles previously
      originated at the IR region can be responsible for thickening expansion and
      conversion of the collagen fascicles into columnar choanosome in MR. The growth
      arrest after starvation-stress assay showed morphological changes in the IR
      corroborating collagen in the extreme tip of the digitate outgrowth as an
      important role in guiding of axial growth of Haliclona sp. The identification of
      distinct morphologies for growth and growth arrest suggest a growth developmental
      program, and these data could be useful for further investigations addressing
      sponge biomass gain and environmental monitoring.

PMID- 28898453
TI  - Echocardiographic guidance and monitoring of left atrial appendage closure with
      AtriClip during open-chest cardiac surgery.
AB  - Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure prevents thromboembolic risk and avoids
      lifelong anticoagulation due to atrial fibrillation (AF). Nowadays, AtriClip, a
      modern epicardial device approved in June 2010, allows external and safe closure
      of LAA in patients undergoing cardiac surgery during other open-chest cardiac
      surgical procedures. Such a surgical approach and its epicardial deployment
      differentiates LAA closure with AtriClip from percutaneous closure techniques
      such as Watchman (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA), Lariat (SentreHEART
      Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA), and Amplatzer Amulet (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul,
      MN, USA) device procedures. AtriClip positioning must consider perioperative
      transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to confirm LAA anatomical features, to
      explore the links with neighboring structures, and finally to assess its
      successful closure. We report a sequence of images to document the role of
      intraoperative TEE during an elective aortic valve replacement and LAA external
      closure with AtriClip.

PMID- 28898454
TI  - Reverberation and multiple shadow artifacts recorded from patients with intra
      pericardial centrifugal continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.
AB  - Artifacts are by-products of ultrasound imaging that may cause confusion or
      misdiagnosis if not interpreted correctly. There are, however, several disorders
      where a specific pattern of artifacts can aid in diagnosis, especially when the
      object in question cannot be visualized directly. In this manuscript, we report
      two patients with reverberation and shadow artifacts originating from the housing
      and the propeller of a continuous-flow intra-pericardial left ventricular assist
      device. Visualization of the artifacts required modified transthoracic views, so
      these artifacts should not pose a diagnostic challenge during a routine
      echocardiographic evaluation. However, we consider that shadow artifacts might be
      used to evaluate pump thrombosis in patients with intra-pericardial assist
      devices.

PMID- 28898455
TI  - Coronary-pulmonary arterial fistula in a neonate with pulmonary atresia
      ventricular septal defect and single coronary artery.
AB  - In cases of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD), coronary
      pulmonary arterial fistula (CPAF) as the main source of pulmonary blood supply is
      extremely rare. These fistulae may arise from the left coronary artery, right
      coronary artery, or a single coronary artery. Fistulae from a single coronary
      artery are unusual. We are reporting a case of PA-VSD with single coronary artery
      and CPAF as the main source of pulmonary supply in addition to two major
      aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAS). Successful surgical correction with
      VSD closure and right ventricle (RV) to the pulmonary artery (PA) conduit was
      made.

PMID- 28898456
TI  - Urinary prostaglandin D2 metabolite excretion during the first six months of life
      was significantly lower in breast-fed than formula-fed infants.
AB  - AIM: The metabolic changes that occur during the postnatal weaning period appear
      to be particularly important for future health, and breast milk is considered to
      provide the optimal source of infant nutrition. This pilot study from September
      2013 to May 2015 examined the effect of breastfeeding on prostaglandin metabolism
      in healthy term infants. METHODS: Urine samples were collected from 19 infants at
      one month of age in the Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. The 13
      infants in the breast-fed group received less than 540 mL/week of their intake
      from formula, and the other six were exclusively fed on formula. At six months,
      we sampled 14 infants: nine breast-fed and five receiving formula. The infants
      were from normal single pregnancies and free from perinatal complications. We
      analysed urinary prostaglandin metabolites-tetranor prostaglandin E2 metabolite
      (t-PGEM) and tetranor prostaglandin D2 metabolite (t-PGDM)-using liquid
      chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Urinary t-PGDM excretion at one
      and six months was significantly lower in breast-fed infants than formula-fed
      infants. However, urinary t-PGEM excretion at one and six months was not
      significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the
      type of feeding in early infancy affected prostaglandin metabolism in healthy
      term infants.

PMID- 28898457
TI  - Organic solute transporter-beta (SLC51B) deficiency in two brothers with
      congenital diarrhea and features of cholestasis.
AB  - : Primary bile acid malabsorption is associated with congenital diarrhea,
      steatorrhea, and a block in the intestinal return of bile acids in the
      enterohepatic circulation. Mutations in the ileal apical sodium-dependent bile
      acid transporter (ASBT; SLC10A2) can cause primary bile acid malabsorption but do
      not appear to account for most familial cases. Another major transporter involved
      in the intestinal reclamation of bile acids is the heteromeric organic solute
      transporter alpha-beta (OSTalpha-OSTbeta; SLC51A-SLC51B), which exports bile acid
      across the basolateral membrane. Here we report the first patients with OSTbeta
      deficiency, clinically characterized by chronic diarrhea, severe fat soluble
      vitamin deficiency, and features of cholestatic liver disease including elevated
      serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity. Whole exome sequencing revealed a
      homozygous single nucleotide deletion in codon 27 of SLC51B, resulting in a
      frameshift and premature termination at codon 50. Functional studies in
      transfected cells showed that the SLC51B mutation resulted in markedly reduced
      taurocholic acid uptake activity and reduced expression of the OSTalpha partner
      protein. CONCLUSION: The findings identify OSTbeta deficiency as a cause of
      congenital chronic diarrhea with features of cholestatic liver disease. These
      studies underscore OSTalpha-OSTbeta's key role in the enterohepatic circulation
      of bile acids in humans. (Hepatology 2017).

PMID- 28898458
TI  - Different and Often Opposing Forces Drive the Encapsulation and Multiple Exterior
      Binding of Charged Guests to a M4 L6 Supramolecular Vessel in Water.
AB  - The supramolecular assembly [Ga4 L6 ]12- acts as a nanoscale flask to mediate the
      reactivity of encapsulated reactive guests and also functions as a catalyst to
      carry out enzyme-like chemical transformations. The guest binding to the interior
      cavity and exterior of this host is difficult to untangle because multiple
      equilibria occur in solution, and only when refining simultaneously data obtained
      from different techniques, such as NMR, UV/Vis, and calorimetry, can the accurate
      solution thermodynamics of these host-guest systems be determined. This study
      reports the driving forces for the inclusion and stepwise exterior guest binding
      of different aliphatic quaternary ammonium guests to the [Ga4 L6 ]12- assembly.
      Encapsulation into the host cavity was found to be an entropy-driven process,
      whereas exterior ion association is driven either by enthalpically favorable
      attractive forces or by the entropy gain due to desolvation, depending on guest
      size and character. The analysis of the energetics of reaction may help
      predicting and understanding the intimate role and contribution of the transition
      state in those rate-accelerated reactions involving this supramolecular assembly
      as an enzyme-like molecular flask.

PMID- 28898459
TI  - Transgastric: A forgotten view for atrial septal defect device closure
      procedures?
AB  - Percutaneous closure of an atrial septal defect in the cardiac catheterization
      laboratory requires noninvasive imaging to assist in characterization of the
      atrial septal defect and deployment of the device. Transesophageal
      echocardiography is the modality most often used in these circumstances.
      Transesophageal echocardiographic guidelines exist for the assessment and
      guidance for atrial septal defect closures, but these guidelines do not mention
      transgastric views. In this case, we demonstrate that transgastric views are
      helpful in describing the atrial septal defect, especially as it concerns the
      inferior vena cava rim.

PMID- 28898460
TI  - Burden of chronic urticaria relative to psoriasis in five European countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quantification of burden of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) vs.
      psoriasis (PsO) is limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the burden associated with CSU
      vs. PsO of all severities (overall PsO), mild and moderate/severe PsO. METHODS:
      This retrospective cross-sectional analysis compared data from adult patients
      with chronic urticaria (CU), used as a proxy for CSU, and PsO from the National
      Health and Wellness Survey in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United
      Kingdom. Outcomes included mental and physical component summary scores (MCS and
      PCS) calculated from the Short Form (SF)-36v2 or SF-12v2, SF-6D health utility
      scores, self-reported psychological complaints (anxiety, depression and sleep
      difficulties), work productivity and activity impairment, and self-reported
      healthcare resource utilization. Bivariate and multivariate analyses for each
      outcome and comparative groups were conducted. RESULTS: This analysis included
      769 CU and 7857 PsO (26.9% moderate/severe) patients. Following adjustment for
      covariates, CU patients showed a greater health-related quality of life (HRQoL)
      impairment vs. overall PsO (MCS: -2.4, PCS: -1.6, SF-6D: -0.03; all P < 0.001).
      CU patients showed a higher risk of anxiety, depression and sleep difficulties
      [odds ratio (OR): 1.63, 1.34 and 1.56, respectively; all P < 0.01] and greater
      healthcare resource use vs. overall PsO. The overall activity impairment was
      significantly greater in CU patients than in overall PsO patients (P = 0.001),
      while the impact on work was not significantly different. The results vs.
      moderate/severe PsO group showed no significant differences on all outcomes.
      CONCLUSION: Burden of illness in CU is higher than PsO of all severities but
      similar to that observed in moderate/severe PsO. Both diseases have a similar
      negative impact on work productivity.

PMID- 28898461
TI  - Risks of different skin tumour combinations after a first melanoma, squamous cell
      carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma in Dutch population-based cohorts: 1989-2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skin cancer patients are primarily at increased risk of developing
      subsequent skin cancers of the same type. Shared risk factors might also increase
      the occurrence of a different type of subsequent skin cancer. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate risks of different skin tumour combinations after a first melanoma,
      squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). METHODS: All
      melanoma and SCC patients included in the national Netherlands Cancer Registry
      (NCR) and all BCC patients included in the regional Eindhoven Cancer Registry
      (ECR) between 1989 and 2009 were followed until diagnosis of a subsequent
      different skin cancer (melanoma, SCC or BCC), date of death or end of study.
      Cumulative risks, standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and absolute excess risks
      (AER) of subsequent skin cancers were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 50 510
      melanoma patients and 64 054 patients with a SCC of the skin were included
      (national data NCR). The regional data of the ECR consisted of 5776 melanoma
      patients, 5749 SCC patients and 41 485 BCC patients. The 21-year cumulative risk
      for a subsequent melanoma after a first SCC or BCC was respectively 1.7% and 1.3%
      for males and 1.3% and 1.2% for females; SCC after melanoma or BCC was 4.6% and
      9.3% (males) and 2.6% and 4.1% (females); BCC after melanoma or SCC was
      respectively 13.2% and 27.8% (males) and 14.9% and 21.1% (females). SIRs and AERs
      remained elevated up to 21 years after the first melanoma, SCC or BCC.
      CONCLUSION: This large population-based study investigating risks of developing a
      different subsequent cutaneous malignancy showed high-cumulative risks of mainly
      KC and markedly increased relative and absolute risks of all tumour combinations.
      These estimates confirm a common carcinogenesis and can serve as a base for
      follow-up guidelines and patient education aiming for an early detection of the
      subsequent cancers.

PMID- 28898462
TI  - p0071 interacts with E-cadherin in the cytoplasm so as to promote the invasion
      and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - As a member of the p120-catenin (p120ctn) subfamily, the p0071 study in tumor is
      very limited. We demonstrated the clinicopathological significance of p0071 in
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as E-cadherin. Co-immunoprecipitation
      was used to detect the interaction of p0071 with E-cadherin in A549 and SPC cells
      (E-cadherin is mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of these cells). p0071
      cytoplasmic expression was knocked down by siRNA in these cells and this effect
      on the RhoA activity and cell invasion and migration ability were measured. p0071
      overexpression in the cytoplasm of tumor cell was correlated with lymphatic
      metastase and poor prognosis of NSCLC. The patients with both abnormal expression
      of p0071 and E-cadherin (cytoplasmic expression) had a statistically significant
      shorter survival than the patients without both abnormal expression (P  < 0.05).
      There is a significant correlation between cytoplasmic overexpression of p0071
      and E-cadherin in NSCLC tissues. p0071 interacted with E-cadherin in the
      cytoplasm of A549 and SPC cell lines. Treatment with siRNA-p0071 inhibited the
      invasion and migration ability of NSCLC cells. Above results confirmed that p0071
      interacted with E-cadherin in the cytoplasm so as to promote the invasion and
      metastasis of NSCLC.

PMID- 28898463
TI  - Update on the potential significance of psammoma bodies in lung adenocarcinoma
      from a modern perspective.
AB  - AIMS: Psammoma bodies are concentrically lamellated microscopic structures made
      of calcium. They are commonly observed in papillary carcinomas of the thyroid
      gland and serous papillary adenocarcinomas of the ovary, but are also
      occasionally detected in lung adenocarcinomas. Only one study, published in 1972,
      has systematically described the significance of psammoma bodies in lung
      adenocarcinomas. The aim of this study was to update the significance of psammoma
      bodies in lung adenocarcinomas from a modern perspective. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Psammoma bodies were detected in 7.2% (59/822) of the adenocarcinomas examined,
      among which the papillary (20.3%, 12/59) and acinar (44.1%, 26/59) histological
      subtypes, with the feature of a terminal respiratory unit (91.5%, 54/59), were
      dominant. Malignant potential (cell growth activity measured by Ki67 labelling,
      lymph node metastasis, and postoperative survival) did not significantly differ
      between adenocarcinomas with and without psammoma bodies. On the basis of
      cytogenetic features, adenocarcinomas with psammoma bodies were preferentially
      affected by tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-targetable driver mutations [EGFR
      (69.8%, 37/53), ALK (13.2%, 7/53), and ROS1 (1.9%, 1/53)]. Multivariate analyses
      confirmed that psammoma bodies may constitute an independent predictor for these
      mutations, particularly EGFR and ALK mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Psammoma bodies may
      predict a favourable response of lung adenocarcinomas to TKIs.

PMID- 28898464
TI  - Functionalized Ultrasmall Fluorinated Graphene with High NIR Absorbance for
      Controlled Delivery of Mixed Anticancer Drugs.
AB  - Fluorinated graphene (FG) possess distinctively novel properties different from
      graphene and is suitable for many biomedical applications. However, the
      hydrophobic nature and inert properties of FG limit its further application as a
      biological material. Here we show the preparation of nano-sized FG (ca. 60 nm)
      that exhibits high NIR absorbance for photothermal therapy. In order to make it
      stable in physiological solutions, the FG is enriched with oxygen and followed by
      covalent binding with chitosan as a novel pH-responsive nanocarrier. Furthermore,
      controlled loading of two anticancer drugs, doxorubicin (DOX) and camptothecin
      (CPT) has been realized and the functionalized ultrasmall FG shows remarkably
      high cytotoxicity toward Hela cancer cells compared to that loaded with either
      CPT or DOX only. This work established nano-sized FG as a novel photothermal
      agent due to its small size and can be used a stimulus-responsive nanocarrier for
      mixed drug delivery and combined therapy.

PMID- 28898465
TI  - Polar-Electrode-Bridged Electroluminescent Displays: 2D Sensors Remotely
      Communicating Optically.
AB  - A novel geometry for electroluminescent devices, which does not require
      transparent electrodes for electrical input, is demonstrated, theoretically
      analyzed, and experimentally characterized. Instead of emitting light through a
      conventional electrode, light emission occurs through a polar liquid or solid and
      input electrical electrodes are coplanar, rather than stacked in a sandwich
      configuration. This new device concept is scalable and easily deployed for a
      range of modular alternating-current-powered electroluminescent light sources and
      light-emitting sensing devices. The polar-electrode-bridged electroluminescent
      displays can be used as remotely readable, spatially responsive sensors that emit
      light in response to the accumulation and distribution of materials on the device
      surface. Using this device structure, various types of alternating current
      devices are demonstrated. These include an umbrella that automatically lights up
      when it rains, a display that emits light from regions touched by human fingers
      (or painted upon using a mixture of oil and water), and a sensor that lights up
      differently in different areas to indicate the presence of water and its
      freezing. This study extends the dual-stack, coplanar-electrode device geometry
      to provide displays that emit light from a figure drawn on an electroluminescent
      panel using a graphite pencil.

PMID- 28898466
TI  - An overview of genetically modified crop governance, issues and challenges in
      Malaysia.
AB  - The application of agricultural biotechnology attracts the interest of many
      stakeholders. Genetically modified (GM) crops, for example, have been rapidly
      increasing in production for the last 20 years. Despite their known benefits, GM
      crops also pose many concerns not only to human and animal health but also to the
      environment. Malaysia, in general, allows the use of GM technology applications
      but it has to come with precautionary and safety measures consistent with the
      international obligations and domestic legal frameworks. This paper provides an
      overview of GM crop technology from international and national context and
      explores the governance and issues surrounding this technology application in
      Malaysia. Basically, GM research activities in Malaysia are still at an early
      stage of research and development and most of the GM crops approved for release
      are limited for food, feed and processing purposes. Even though Malaysia has not
      planted any GM crops commercially, actions toward such a direction seem
      promising. Several issues concerning GM crops as discussed in this paper will
      become more complex as the number of GM crops and varieties commercialised
      globally increase and Malaysia starts to plant GM crops. (c) 2017 Society of
      Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28898468
TI  - Nanodroplet-Containing Polymers for Efficient Low-Power Light Upconversion.
AB  - Sensitized triplet-triplet-annihilation-based photon upconversion (TTA-UC)
      permits the conversion of light into radiation of higher energy and involves a
      sequence of photophysical processes between two dyes. In contrast to other
      upconversion schemes, TTA-UC allows the frequency shifting of low-intensity
      light, which makes it particularly suitable for solar-energy harvesting
      technologies. High upconversion yields can be observed for low viscosity
      solutions of dyes; but, in solid materials, which are better suited for
      integration in devices, the process is usually less efficient. Here, it is shown
      that this problem can be solved by using transparent nanodroplet-containing
      polymers that consist of a continuous polymer matrix and a dispersed liquid phase
      containing the upconverting dyes. These materials can be accessed by a simple one
      step procedure that involves the free-radical polymerization of a microemulsion
      of hydrophilic monomers, a lipophilic solvent, the upconverting dyes, and a
      surfactant. Several glassy and rubbery materials are explored and a range of dyes
      that enable TTA-UC in different spectral regions are utilized. The materials
      display upconversion efficiencies of up to ~15%, approaching the performance of
      optimized oxygen-free reference solutions. The data suggest that the matrix not
      only serves as mechanically coherent carrier for the upconverting liquid phase,
      but also provides good protection from atmospheric oxygen.

PMID- 28898467
TI  - Mohs micrographic surgery in the elderly: comparison of tumours, surgery and
      first-year follow-up in patients younger and older than 80 years old in
      REGESMOHS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The elderly population is increasing and more patients in this group
      undergo Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). The few publications investigating MMS
      in elderly people conclude that it is a safe procedure; however, these are single
      centre studies without a comparison group. OBJECTIVE: To compare the
      characteristics of patients, tumours, MMS and 1-year follow-up in patients
      younger than 80 years, with patients older than 80 years at the time of surgery.
      METHODS: Data was analysed from REGESMOHS, a prospective cohort study of patients
      treated with MMS. The participating centres were 19 Spanish hospitals where at
      least one MMS is performed per week. Data on characteristics of the patient,
      tumour and surgery were recorded. Follow-up data were collected from two visits;
      the first within 1 month postsurgery and the second within the first year.
      RESULTS: From July 2013 to October 2016, 2575 patients that underwent MMS were
      included in the registry. Of them, 1942 (75.4%) were aged <80 years and 633
      (24.6%) were >=80 years old. In the elderly, the tumour size was significantly
      higher with a higher proportion of squamous cell carcinoma. Regarding surgery,
      elderly more commonly had tumours with deeper invasion and required a higher
      number of Mohs surgery stages, leaving larger defects and requiring more time in
      the operating room. Despite this, the incidence of postoperative complications
      was the same in both groups (7%) and there were no significant differences in
      proportion of relapses in the first-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: The risk of short
      term complications and relapses were similar in elderly and younger groups. MMS
      is a safe procedure in the elderly.

PMID- 28898469
TI  - Establishing a regional paediatric registry improved the overview and detection
      of side effects in children on anticoagulants.

PMID- 28898470
TI  - Dichloro-Cycloazatriphosphane: The Missing Link between N2 P2 and P4 Ring Systems
      in the Systematic Development of NP Chemistry.
AB  - A dichloro-cycloazatriphosphane that incorporates a cyclic NP3 backbone could be
      synthesized using knowledge gained from the chemistry of N2 P2 and P4 ring
      systems. It fills the gap between the congeneric compounds [ClP(MU-NR)]2 and
      [ClP(MU-PR)]2 (R=sterically demanding substituent), and thus contributes to the
      systematic development of nitrogen-phosphorus chemistry in general. The title
      compound was studied with respect to its formation via a labile aminodiphosphene,
      which readily underwent different rearrangement reactions depending on the
      solvent. All compounds were fully characterized by experimental and computational
      methods.

PMID- 28898471
TI  - Response to 'Let's change the conversation'.

PMID- 28898472
TI  - Theoretical Evidence for the Utilization of Low-Valent Main-Group Complexes as
      Rare-Synthon Equivalents.
AB  - We examine by the means of computational chemistry the ability of two
      phosphasilenes to transfer the phosphinidene moiety to four double bonded organic
      functional groups (>C=C<, -N=N-, >C=O, and >C=S) in the presence of different
      bulky ligands. We show that large bulky groups in the reactants can sterically
      prohibit the otherwise favored association of reactants and phosphasilenes and
      instead a new phosphinidene transfer reaction can occur. We find that the
      transfer reaction mechanism is generally present independent from the functional
      group and by introducing large enough trimethylsilyl or tert-butyl-dimethylsilyl
      ligands it can be used to transfer phosphinidene to organic functional groups
      such as thioformaldehydes or diazenes, respectively. We propose that by
      exploiting the complex bonding nature of low-valent main group complexes they can
      act as synthetic equivalents of hitherto unknown very reactive synthons. We
      encourage experimentalists to explore the reactivity of their main-group
      complexes by varying the size of the bulky substituents on the reactants that can
      result in new unexpected chemistry.

PMID- 28898473
TI  - Influence of prucalopride on esophageal secondary peristalsis in reflux patients
      with ineffective motility.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) is associated with
      gastroesophageal reflux disease. Secondary peristalsis contributes to esophageal
      clearance. Prucalopride promotes secondary peristalsis by stimulating 5
      hydroxytrypatamine 4 receptors in the esophagus. We aimed to determine whether
      prucalopride would augment secondary peristalsis in gastroesophageal reflux
      disease patients with IEM. METHODS: After a baseline recording of primary
      peristalsis, secondary peristalsis was stimulated by slow and rapid mid
      esophageal injections of air in 15 patients with IEM. Two separate sessions with
      4-mg oral prucalopride or placebo were randomly performed. RESULTS: Prucalopride
      significantly increased primary peristaltic wave amplitude (68.1 +/- 10.0 vs 55.5
      +/- 8.8 mmHg, P = 0.02). The threshold volume for triggering secondary
      peristalsis was significantly decreased by prucalopride during slow (9.3 +/- 0.8
      vs 12.0 +/- 0.8 mL; P = 0.04) and rapid air injection (4.9 +/- 0.3 vs 7.1 +/- 0.1
      mL; P = 0.01). Secondary peristalsis was triggered more frequently after
      application of prucalopride (55% [43-70%]) than placebo (45% [33-50%]) (P =
      0.008). Prucalopride did not change pressure wave amplitudes during slow air
      injection (84.6 +/- 8.1 vs 57.4 +/- 13.8 mmHg; P = 0.19) or pressure wave
      amplitudes during rapid air injection (84.2 +/- 8.6 vs 69.5 +/- 12.9 mmHg; P =
      0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Prucalopride enhances primary peristalsis and
      mechanosensitivity of secondary peristalsis with limited impact on secondary
      peristaltic activities in IEM patients. Our study suggests that prucalopride
      appears to be useful in augmenting secondary peristalsis in patients with IEM
      only via sensory modulation of esophageal secondary peristalsis.

PMID- 28898475
TI  - Skin-to-skin back transfers provide a feasible, safe and low-stress alternative
      to conventional neonatal transport.

PMID- 28898474
TI  - Quality of life measurement in acne. Position Paper of the European Academy of
      Dermatology and Venereology Task Forces on Quality of Life and Patient Oriented
      Outcomes and Acne, Rosacea and Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
AB  - Acne causes profound negative psychological and social effects on the quality of
      life (QoL) of patients. The European Dermatology Forum S3-Guideline for the
      Treatment of Acne recommended adopting a QoL measure as an integral part of acne
      management. Because of constantly growing interest in health-related QoL
      assessment in acne and because of the high impact of acne on patients' lives, the
      European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Task Force on QoL and Patient
      Oriented Outcomes and the Task Force on Acne, Rosacea and Hidradenitis
      Suppurativa have documented the QoL instruments that have been used in acne
      patients, with information on validation, purposes of their usage, description of
      common limitations and mistakes in their usage and overall recommendations.

PMID- 28898477
TI  - Removing the Australian tax exemption on healthy food adds food stress to
      families vulnerable to poor nutrition.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of changing the Australian Goods and Services Tax
      (GST) on household food stress, which occurs when >25% of disposable income needs
      to be spent on food. METHODS: Weekly healthy meal plan costs for average-income
      (AI), low-income (LI) and welfare-dependent (WDI) families were calculated using
      the 2013 Western Australian (WA) Food Access and Costs Survey. Four GST scenarios
      were compared: 1) status quo; 2) increasing GST to 15%; 3) expanding base to
      include exempt foods at 10% GST; and 4) expanding base to include exempt foods
      and increasing the tax to 15%. RESULTS: Single-parent families risk food stress
      regardless of their income or the GST scenario (requiring 24-42% of disposable
      income). The probability of food stress in Scenario 1 is 100% for WDI two-parent
      families and 36% for LI earners. In Scenarios 3 and 4, food stress probability is
      60-72% for two-parent LI families and AI single-parent families, increasing to 88
      94% if residing in very remote areas. CONCLUSION: There is food stress risk among
      single-parent, LI and WDI families, particularly those residing in very remote
      areas. Implications for public health: Expanding GST places an additional burden
      on people who are already vulnerable to poor nutrition and chronic disease due to
      their socioeconomic circumstances.

PMID- 28898476
TI  - Proceeding report of the Symposium on Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances (SHSA).
AB  - Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic debilitating skin condition that
      impairs the productivity and the quality of patients' lives. HS has recently
      drawn lots of attention among scholars to further expand their knowledge but it
      still loads with uncertainties and gaps to be explored. This publication
      addresses these uncertainties, and provides a road-map for researchers, scholars
      and clinicians from different disciplines for their future studies about HS. This
      is a proceeding report of the first Symposium on Hidradenitis Suppurativa
      Advances (SHSA), and it reviews the scientific sessions about the epidemiology,
      pathophysiology, presentations, and management of HS. This symposium was a great
      opportunity for experts in the HS field to exchange their knowledge, and improve
      their mutual understanding of this disease.

PMID- 28898479
TI  - Synthesis of Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles using Self-Assembled Block
      Copolymers as Template.
AB  - Nowadays there is a high demand in specialized functional materials, for example,
      for applications as sensors in biomedicine. For the realization of such
      applications, nanostructures and the integration in a composite matrix are
      indispensable. Coordination polymers and networks, for example, with spin
      crossover properties, are a highly promising family of switchable materials in
      which the switching process can be triggered by various external stimuli. An
      overview over different strategies for the synthesis of nanoparticles of such
      systems is given. A special focus is set on the use of block copolymer micelles
      as templates for the synthesis of nanocomposites. The block copolymer defines the
      final size and shape of the nanoparticle core. Additionally it allows a further
      functionalization of the obtained nanoparticles by variation of the polymer
      blocks and an easy deposition of the composite material on surfaces.

PMID- 28898478
TI  - Electrocatalytic Azide Oxidation Mediated by a Rh(PNP) Pincer Complex.
AB  - One-electron oxidation of the rhodium(I) azido complex [Rh(N3 )(PNP)] (5),
      bearing the neutral, pyridine-based PNP ligand 2,6-bis(di-tert
      butylphosphinomethyl)pyridine, leads to instantaneous and selective formation of
      the mononuclear rhodium(I) dinitrogen complex [Rh(N2 )(PNP)]+ (9+ ).
      Interestingly, complex 5 also acts as a catalyst for electrochemical N3-
      oxidation (Ep ~-0.23 V vs. Fc+/0 ) in the presence of excess azide. This is of
      potential relevance for the design of azide-based and direct ammonia fuel cells,
      expelling only harmless dinitrogen as an exhaust gas.

PMID- 28898480
TI  - eta1 -Arene Complexes as Intermediates in the Preparation of Molecular
      Phosphorescent Iridium(III) Complexes.
AB  - Molecular phosphorescent heteroleptic bis-tridentate iridium(III) emitters have
      been prepared via eta1 -arene intermediates. In the presence of 4.0 mol of AgOTf,
      the complex [(IrCl{kappa3 -N,C,N-(pyC6 HMe2 py)})(MU-Cl)]2 (1; pyC6 H2 Me2 py=1,3
      di(2-pyridyl)-4,6-dimethylbenzene) reacted with 9-(6-phenylpyridin-2-yl)-9H
      carbazole (PhpyCzH) and 2-phenoxy-6-phenylpyridine (PhpyOPh) to give [Ir{kappa3 
      N,C,N-(pyC6 HMe2 py)}{kappa3 -C,N,C'-(C6 H4 pyCzH)}]OTf (2) and [Ir{kappa3 -N,C,N
      (pyC6 HMe2 py)}{kappa3 -C,N,C'-(C6 H4 pyOPh)}]OTf (3). The X-ray diffraction
      structures of 2 and 3 reveal that the carbazolyl and phenoxy substituents of the
      C,N,C' ligand coordinate to the metal center to form an eta1 -arene pi bond.
      Treatment of 2 and 3 with KOtBu led to the deprotonation of the coordinated
      carbon atom of the eta1 -arene group to afford the molecular phosphorescent
      [5t+4t'] heteroleptic iridium(III) complexes [Ir{kappa3 -N,C,N-(pyC6 HMe2
      py)}{kappa3 -C,N,C'-(C6 H4 pyCz)}] (4) and [Ir{kappa3 -N,C,N-(pyC6 HMe2
      py)}{kappa3 -C,N,C'-(C6 H4 pyOC6 H4 )}] (5). These complexes are green emitters
      that display short lifetimes and high quantum yields of 0.73 (4) and 0.87 (5) in
      the solid state.

PMID- 28898481
TI  - Escape from predators and genetic variance in birds.
AB  - Predation is a common cause of death in numerous organisms, and a host of
      antipredator defences have evolved. Such defences often have a genetic background
      as shown by significant heritability and microevolutionary responses towards
      weaker defences in the absence of predators. Flight initiation distance (FID) is
      the distance at which an individual animal takes flight when approached by a
      human, and hence, it reflects the life-history compromise between risk of
      predation and the benefits of foraging. Here, we analysed FID in 128 species of
      birds in relation to three measures of genetic variation, band sharing
      coefficient for minisatellites, observed heterozygosity and inbreeding
      coefficient for microsatellites in order to test whether FID was positively
      correlated with genetic variation. We found consistently shorter FID for a given
      body size in the presence of high band sharing coefficients, low heterozygosity
      and high inbreeding coefficients in phylogenetic analyses after controlling
      statistically for potentially confounding variables. These findings imply that
      antipredator behaviour is related to genetic variance. We predict that many
      threatened species with low genetic variability will show reduced antipredator
      behaviour and that subsequent predator-induced reductions in abundance may
      contribute to unfavourable population trends for such species.

PMID- 28898482
TI  - Impact of renal replacement therapy on survival in patients with KDIGO stage 3
      acute kidney injury: A propensity score matched analysis.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the impact of renal replacement therapy (RRT) on 90-day
      mortality in critically ill patients suffering from KDIGO stage 3 acute kidney
      injury (AKI) with or without life-threatening complications using propensity
      score matching analysis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of
      critically ill adult patients with KDIGO Stage 3 AKI with or without RRT during
      ICU stay between 1/1/2011-31/12/2013. Cox regression analysis and propensity
      score matching methods were used to determine predictors for 90-day mortality.
      RESULTS: Among 661 patients, 50.5% received RRT. The unadjusted 90-day mortality
      rate was 42.5% and 54.1% in patients who had or had not received RRT,
      respectively. After adjustment with propensity score based on the probability of
      receiving RRT, the cox regression analysis showed that RRT was associated with a
      lower 90-day mortality (p<0.001). Among 322 propensity-matched pairs, RRT was
      associated with lower ICU (23.6% vs. 39.8%, p=0.002), hospital (33.5% vs. 55.9%,
      p<0.001) and 90-day mortality (34.2% vs. 58.4%, p<0.001), and a higher 90-day
      renal recovery rate (57.8% vs. 45.3% full recovery, p=0.026) compared with no
      RRT. When an alternate propensity model was used, the benefits associated with
      RRT were very similar, except 90-day renal recovery became insignificant.
      CONCLUSION: Our observational study found that in critically ill patients with
      KDIGO Stage 3 AKI, RRT may be associated with lower 90-day mortality. The benefit
      of RRT on renal recovery was less prominent. Medical futility and practice
      variations may complicate study interpretation. To avoid these limitations, large
      scale multicenter, non-observational study is recommended.

PMID- 28898483
TI  - Functionalization of 3-Iridacyclopentenes.
AB  - Members of a series of iridacyclopentenes of composition [TpMe2 Ir(k2 -C,C-CH2
      CR'=CRCH2 )(CO)] (TpMe2 =hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate; R=R'=H, 1; R=Me,
      R'=H, 2; R=R'=Me, 3) have been subjected to common organic chemistry procedures
      for hydrogenation, cyclopropanation, epoxidation, water addition through
      hydroboration, cis-dihydroxylation, and ozonolysis. The stability of
      metallacycles 1-3, imparted by the presence of the co-ligands TpMe2 and CO,
      directs the reactivity towards the C=C double bonds, and furthermore the
      stereochemistry of the products formed is strongly dictated by the steric demands
      of the TpMe2 ligand. While the products obtained in some of the above-mentioned
      reactions are the expected ones from an organic chemistry point of view, in other
      cases the results differ from the outcomes of similar reactions carried out with
      the all-carbon counterparts.

PMID- 28898484
TI  - Prehospital Supraglottic Airway Was Associated With Good Neurologic Outcome in
      Cardiac Arrest Victims Especially Those Who Received Prolonged Cardiopulmonary
      Resuscitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We performed this study to investigate the association of prehospital
      supraglottic airway (SGA) on neurologic outcome in cardiac arrest victims with
      adjustment of postresuscitation variables as well as prehospital and
      resuscitation variables. METHODS: This study was a retrospective study based on a
      multicenter prospective cohort registry from December 2013 to April 2016.
      According to the 28-day cerebral performance categories (CPCs) scale, patients
      were divided into the good-outcome group (CPC 1-2) and the poor-outcome group
      (CPC 3-5). We compared the two groups with respect to demographic variables,
      prehospital and in-hospital resuscitation variables, and postresuscitation
      variables. RESULTS: A total of 869 cardiac arrest victims who received in
      progress cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were delivered to the emergency
      department of three hospitals, and 310 patients were admitted to the intensive
      care unit. The use of a prehospital SGA was independently associated with 28-day
      good neurologic outcome (odds ratio [OR] = 7.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] =
      1.33-46.53; p = 0.023] when postresuscitation variables were adjusted, although
      there were no significant association with the acquisition of sustained return of
      spontaneous circulation (OR = 0.992; 95% CI = 0.591-1.666; p = 0.976).
      Furthermore, a prehospital SGA was significantly associated with good neurologic
      outcome, especially in patients who received prolonged CPR (low flow time > 15
      minutes; OR = 3.41; 95% CI = 1.23-9.45; p = 0.018) rather than in patients with
      nonprolonged CPR (OR = 4.50; 95% CI = 0.75-27.13; p = 0.101). CONCLUSIONS: When
      postresuscitation variables were adjusted, the prehospital SGA was independently
      associated with 28-day good neurologic outcome in cardiac arrest victims.

PMID- 28898486
TI  - High-Pressure Chemistry and the Mechanochemical Polymerization of [5]-Cyclo-p
      phenylene.
AB  - Evidence for the surprising formation of polymeric phases under high pressure for
      conjugated nanohoop molecules was found. This paper represents one of the unique
      cases, in which the molecular-level effects of pressure in crystalline organic
      solids is addressed, and provides a general approach based on vibrational Raman
      spectroscopy combining experiments and computations. In particular, we studied
      the structural and supramolecular chemistry of the cyclic conjugated nanohoop
      molecule [5]cyclo-para-phenylene ([5]CPP) under high pressures up to 10 GPa
      experimentally and up to 20 GPa computationally. The theoretical modeling for
      periodic crystals predicts good agreements with the experimentally obtained Raman
      spectra in the molecular phase. In addition, we have discovered two stable
      polymeric phases that arise in the simulation. The critical pressures in the
      simulation are too high, but the formation of polymeric phases at high pressures
      provides a natural explanation for the observed irreversibility of the Raman
      spectra upon pressure release between 6 and 7 GPa. The geometric parameters show
      a deformation toward quinonoid structures at high pressures accompanied by other
      deformations of the [5]CPP nanohoops. The quinonoidization of the benzene rings
      is linked to the systematic change of the bond length alternation as a function
      of the pressure, providing a qualitative interpretation of the observed spectral
      shifts of the molecular phase.

PMID- 28898485
TI  - Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex
      inhibits medial orbitofrontal activity in smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Several studies have shown that repetitive transcranial
      magnetic stimulation (rTMS), applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (DLPFC), can reduce cue-elicited craving in smokers. Currently, the mechanism of
      this effect is unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to
      explore the effect of a single treatment of rTMS on cortical and sub-cortical
      neural activity in non-treatment seeking nicotine-dependent participants.
      METHODS: We conducted a randomized, counterbalanced, crossover trial in which
      participants attended two experimental visits separated by at least 1 week. On
      the first visit, participants received either active, or sham rTMS (10 Hz, 5 s
      on, 10 s-off, 100% motor threshold, 3,000 pulses) over the left DLPFC, and on the
      second visit they received the opposite condition (active or sham). Cue craving
      fMRI scans were completed before and after each rTMS session. RESULTS: A total of
      11 non-treatment seeking nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers were enrolled in
      the study [six female, average age 39.7 +/- 13.2, average cigarettes per day 17.3
      +/- 5.9]. Active rTMS decreased activity in the contralateral medial
      orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and ipsilateral nucleus accumbens (NAc) compared to
      sham rTMS. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary data suggests that one session of rTMS
      applied to the DLPFC decreases brain activity in the NAc and mOFC in smokers.
      SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: rTMS may exert its anti-craving effect by decreasing
      activity in the NAc and mOFC in smokers. Despite a small sample size, these
      findings warrant future rTMS/fMRI studies in addictions. (Am J Addict 2017;26:788
      794).

PMID- 28898487
TI  - Structural and thermodynamic characterization of metal binding in Vps29 from
      Entamoeba histolytica: implication in retromer function.
AB  - Vps29 is the smallest subunit of retromer complex with metallo-phosphatase fold.
      Although the role of metal in Vps29 is in quest, its metal binding mutants has
      been reported to affect the localization of the retromer complex in human cells.
      In this study, we report the structural and thermodynamic consequences of these
      mutations in Vps29 from the protozoan parasite, Entamoeba histolytica (EhVps29).
      EhVps29 is a zinc binding protein as revealed by X-ray crystallography and
      isothermal titration calorimetry. The metal binding pocket of EhVps29 exhibits
      marked differences in its 3-dimensional architecture and metal coordination in
      comparison to its human homologs and other metallo-phosphatases. Alanine
      substitutions of the metal-coordinating residues showed significant alteration in
      the binding affinity of EhVps29 for zinc. We also determined the crystal
      structures of metal binding defective mutants (D62A and D62A/H86A) of EhVps29.
      Based on our results, we propose that the metal atoms or the bound water
      molecules in the metal binding site are important for maintaining the structural
      integrity of the protein. Further cellular studies in the amoebic trophozoites
      showed that the overexpression of wild type EhVps29 leads to reduction in
      intracellular cysteine protease activity suggesting its crucial role in secretion
      of the proteases.

PMID- 28898488
TI  - Prevention of total thyroidectomy in noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with
      papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) based on combined interpretation of
      ultrasonographic and cytopathologic results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the potential preoperative ultrasonography (US) and
      cytopathological features to avoid total thyroidectomy in NIFTP. CONTEXT:
      Recently, it has been proposed that that noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasms
      with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) be classified as tumours, rather
      than cancer. PATIENTS: A total of 142 surgically proven follicular variant
      papillary thyroid carcinomas (FVPTCs; 45 NIFTP, 97 non-NIFTP; mean size: 20.4+/
      11.0 mm, range: 10.0-65.0 mm) from 142 patients were included in this study.
      MEASUREMENTS: Three preoperative features of thyroid nodules (each US finding, US
      and Bethesda category) were compared in NIFTP and non-NIFTP groups. The
      preoperative decision-making process to avoid total thyroidectomy in NIFTP was
      evaluated based on combination of those features. RESULTS: In each US finding,
      there was only significantly less macrocalcification in the NIFTP group than in
      the non-NIFTP group (8.8% [4/45] vs 32.0% [31/97], P = .006). In US category, all
      of the NIFTP nodules were a low or intermediate suspicion (100% [45/45]). In
      Bethesda category, 26.7% [12/45] of the NIFTP was diagnosed as either suspicious
      malignancy or malignant, which increased the risk of a total thyroidectomy. In
      our study, a total thyroidectomy might be avoided in all of the NIFTP cases if
      lobectomy was selected for the nodules classified as a low or intermediate
      suspicion in US, despite being classified as a suspicious malignancy or malignant
      by cytopathology. CONCLUSIONS: Combining the US and cytopathological results
      could sensitively reduce total thyroidectomy in cases of NIFTP.

PMID- 28898489
TI  - Let's change the conversation.

PMID- 28898490
TI  - Inclusion of equity in economic analyses of public health policies: systematic
      review and future directions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess current approaches to inclusion of equity in economic
      analysis of public health interventions and to recommend best approaches and
      future directions. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of studies that have
      used socioeconomic position (SEP) in cost-effectiveness analyses. Studies were
      identified using MedLine, EconLit and HEED and were evaluated based on their SEP
      specific inputs and methods of quantification of the health and financial
      inequalities. RESULTS: Twenty-nine relevant studies were identified. The majority
      of studies comparing two or more interventions left interpretation of the size of
      the health and financial inequality differences to the reader. Newer approaches
      include: i) use of health inequality measures to quantify health inequalities;
      ii) inclusion of financial impacts, such as out-of-pocket expenditures; and iii)
      use of equity weights. The challenge with these approaches is presenting results
      that policy makers can easily interpret. CONCLUSIONS: Using CEA techniques to
      generate new information about the health equity implications of alternative
      policy options has not been widely used, but should be considered to inform
      future decision making. Implications for public health: Inclusion of equity in
      economic analysis would facilitate a more nuanced comparison of interventions in
      relation to efficiency, equity and financial impact.

PMID- 28898492
TI  - Immunisation for refugees in Australia: a policy review and analysis across all
      States and Territories.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although people of refugee background are likely to be under-immunised
      before and after resettlement, no study to date has evaluated refugee specific
      immunisation policies in Australia. We developed a framework to analyse
      immunisation policies across Australia to highlight the strengths and gaps so as
      to inform development of more effective refugee specific immunisation policies.
      METHODS: We sourced publicly available immunisation policy documents from state
      and territory government websites. Content analysis of seven policy documents was
      undertaken using a developed framework comprising crucial policy determinants.
      RESULTS: Immunisation policy differed substantially across the jurisdictions.
      While most policies did not highlight the importance of data collection on
      immunisation for refugees and the public funding of vaccines for refugees, policy
      determinants such as accessibility and obligations were fulfilled by most
      jurisdictions. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate stark differences in
      immunisation policy for people of refugee background across Australia.
      Highlighted gaps demonstrate the need to revise current policies so that they are
      aligned with their intended outcome of enhancing uptake of vaccines and improving
      immunisation coverage among resettled refugees in Australia. Implications for
      public health: Immunisation policy development for refugees needs to be robust
      enough to ensure equitable health services to this group.

PMID- 28898491
TI  - Skin denervation does not alter cortical potentials to surface concentric
      electrode stimulation: A comparison with laser evoked potentials and contact heat
      evoked potentials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the neurophysiological assessment of patients with neuropathic
      pain, laser evoked potentials (LEPs), contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) and
      the evoked potentials by the intraepidermal electrical stimulation via concentric
      needle electrode are widely agreed as nociceptive specific responses; conversely,
      the nociceptive specificity of evoked potentials by surface concentric electrode
      (SE-PREPs) is still debated. METHODS: In this neurophysiological study we aimed
      at verifying the nociceptive specificity of SE-PREPs. We recorded LEPs, CHEPs and
      SE-PREPs in eleven healthy participants, before and after epidermal denervation
      produced by prolonged capsaicin application. We also used skin biopsy to verify
      the capsaicin-induced nociceptive nerve fibre loss in the epidermis. RESULTS: We
      found that whereas LEPs and CHEPs were suppressed after capsaicin-induced
      epidermal denervation, the surface concentric electrode stimulation of the same
      denervated skin area yielded unchanged SE-PREPs. CONCLUSION: The suppression of
      LEPs and CHEPs after nociceptive nerve fibre loss in the epidermis indicates that
      these techniques are selectively mediated by nociceptive system. Conversely, the
      lack of SE-PREP changes suggests that SE-PREPs do not provide selective
      information on nociceptive system function. SIGNIFICANCE: Capsaicin-induced
      epidermal denervation abolishes laser evoked potentials (LEPs) and contact heat
      evoked potentials (CHEPs), but leaves unaffected pain-related evoked potentials
      by surface concentric electrode (SE-PREPs). These findings suggest that unlike
      LEPs and CHEPs, SE-PREPs are not selectively mediated by nociceptive system.

PMID- 28898493
TI  - Egg shape mimicry in parasitic cuckoos.
AB  - Parasitic cuckoos lay their eggs in nests of host species. Rejection of cuckoo
      eggs by hosts has led to the evolution of egg mimicry by cuckoos, whereby their
      eggs mimic the colour and pattern of their host eggs to avoid egg recognition and
      rejection. There is also evidence of mimicry in egg size in some cuckoo-host
      systems, but currently it is unknown whether cuckoos can also mimic the egg shape
      of their hosts. In this study, we test whether there is evidence of mimicry in
      egg form (shape and size) in three species of Australian cuckoos: the fan-tailed
      cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis, which exploits dome nesting hosts, the brush
      cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus, which exploits both dome and cup nesting hosts, and
      the pallid cuckoo Cuculus pallidus, which exploits cup nesting hosts. We found
      evidence of size mimicry and, for the first time, evidence of egg shape mimicry
      in two Australian cuckoo species (pallid cuckoo and brush cuckoo). Moreover,
      cuckoo-host egg similarity was higher for hosts with open nests than for hosts
      with closed nests. This finding fits well with theory, as it has been suggested
      that hosts with closed nests have more difficulty recognizing parasitic eggs than
      open nests, have lower rejection rates and thus exert lower selection for mimicry
      in cuckoos. This is the first evidence of mimicry in egg shape in a cuckoo-host
      system, suggesting that mimicry at different levels (size, shape, colour pattern)
      is evolving in concert. We also confirm the existence of egg size mimicry in
      cuckoo-host systems.

PMID- 28898494
TI  - N-acetylcysteine in the treatment of craving in substance use disorders:
      Systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recent neurobiological evidences along with clinical
      observations justify the use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as a medication for
      craving. The objective of our study was to assess the evidence of efficacy of NAC
      for craving in substance use disorders in randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
      METHODS: Systematic review of the RCTs literature (PROSPERO number 56698) until
      February, 2017, using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and clinicaltrials.gov. We
      included seven RCTs (n = 245); most with small-to-moderate sample sizes. The main
      outcome was the Hedges' g for continuous scores in a random-effects model.
      Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I2 and the chi2 test. Publication bias was
      evaluated using the Begg's funnel plot and the Egger's test. Meta-regression was
      performed using the random-effects model. RESULTS: Comparing NAC versus placebo,
      NAC was significantly superior for craving symptoms (Hedges' g = 0.94; 95%CI 0.55
      1.33). The funnel plot showed the risk of publication bias was low and between
      study heterogeneity was not significant (I2  = 44.4%, p = 0.07 for the chi2
      test). A subgroup analysis performed using meta-regression showed no particular
      influence. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: NAC was superior to placebo for craving
      reduction in SUDs. The relatively small number of trials and their heterogeneous
      methodology were possible limitations; however, these positive thrilling results
      stimulate further studies for clarifying the potential impact of NAC for craving
      symptoms in SUDs. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: The safety profile of NAC and
      favorable tolerability, in addition to being an over-the-counter medication,
      presents with an interesting potential clinical use for craving in SUDs.
      SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: The safety profile of NAC and its favorable
      tolerability, in addition to being anover-the-counter medication, presents with
      an interesting potential clinical use for craving in SUDs. (Am J Addict
      2017;26:660-666).

PMID- 28898496
TI  - Cumulative incidence of admission to permanent residential aged care for
      Australian women - A competing risk analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide a direct estimate of the risk of admission to permanent
      residential aged care among older women while accounting for death, according to
      housing type and other variables. METHODS: A competing risk analysis from 8,867
      Australian women born 1921-26, using linked data from the Australian Longitudinal
      Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), Residential Aged Care (RAC), and the Australian
      National Death Index. RESULTS: After accounting for deaths, around 35% of women
      will be admitted to RAC between ages 73 and 90. The conditional cumulative
      incidence of admission to RAC was 26.9% if living in a house, compared to 36.0%
      from an apartment, 43.6% within a retirement village, and 37.1% if living in a
      mobile home. Each one-year increase in age was associated with a relative 17%
      increased risk of RAC. CONCLUSIONS: Around one-third of women will enter RAC
      between age 73 and 90. Living in a house had the lowest risk of entering
      residential aged care over time. Implications for public health: These findings
      have important implications for planning for aged care services, including the
      role of housing in delaying admission to residential aged care, and the need for
      residential care by a high proportion of women towards the end of life.

PMID- 28898495
TI  - Clinical features of cystatin A expression in patients with pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most lethal malignancy known, with
      an extremely poor prognosis due to the lack of an efficient diagnostic scheme and
      no radical treatment option, except surgery. Therefore, understanding the
      pathophysiology of, and finding a novel biomarker to detect, PDAC should be
      prioritized. We observed an increase in mRNA expression of the cysteine protease
      inhibitor cystatin A (CSTA) in CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood cells of nine
      patients with PDAC, compared with the expression in seven healthy volunteers.
      Moreover, we confirmed significantly higher CSTA mRNA expression in a larger
      cohort of 41 patients with PDAC compared with that in 20 healthy volunteers.
      Correspondingly, the serum CSTA concentrations in 36 patients with PDAC were
      higher than those in 37 healthy volunteers, and this increase was correlated with
      PDAC clinical stage. Furthermore, the expression of CSTA and cathepsin B, which
      is a lysosomal cysteine protease inhibited by CSTA, was observed in tumor tissues
      and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in 20 surgically resected PDAC tissues by
      immunohistochemical staining. Expression of CSTA was detected in some tumor
      tissues and many tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Cathepsin B expression was also
      observed in most tumor tissues and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. In
      conclusion, CSTA and its substrate cathepsin B are involved in PDAC-related
      inflammation. The increment of CSTA expression in peripheral blood of patients
      with PDAC may have a potential role as a PDAC immunopathologic biomarker.

PMID- 28898498
TI  - Recent Advances in Processing of Stereocomplex-Type Polylactide.
AB  - Over the past two decades, biomass-derived and biodegradable polylactide (PLA)
      has sparked tremendous attention as a sustainable alternative to traditional
      petroleum-derived polymers for diverse applications. Unfortunately, the current
      applications of PLA have been mainly limited to biomedical and commodity fields,
      mostly because the poor heat resistance (resulting from low melting temperature)
      and hydrolysis stability make it hard to use as an engineering plastic.
      Stereocomplexation between enantiomeric poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(d
      lactide) (PDLA) opens a new avenue toward PLA-based engineering plastics with
      improved properties. The formation, crystal structure, properties, and potential
      applications of stereocomplex-type PLA (SC-PLA) are summarized by some research
      groups. However, since it is challenging to achieve full stereocomplexation from
      high-molecular-weight PLLA/PDLA blends and to avoid serious thermal degradation
      of the PLAs after complete melting, the advances and progress in the processing
      of SC-PLA into useful products are quite rare in open publication. In this
      review, some important strategies for enhancing stereocomplex crystallization in
      practical processing operations are presented and recently developed processing
      technologies for SC-PLA are highlighted, such as low-temperature sintering.
      Furthermore, major challenges and future developments are briefly discussed. This
      review is expected to potentially open up new research activities in the
      processing of SC-PLA.

PMID- 28898497
TI  - A pediatric structural MRI analysis of healthy brain development from newborns to
      young adults.
AB  - Assessment of healthy brain maturation can be useful toward better understanding
      natural patterns of brain growth and toward the characterization of a variety of
      neurodevelopmental disorders as deviations from normal growth trajectories.
      Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides excellent soft-tissue
      contrast, which allows for the assessment of gray and white matter in the
      developing brain. We performed a large-scale retrospective analysis of 993
      pediatric structural brain MRI examinations of healthy subjects (n = 988, aged 0
      32 years) imaged clinically at 3 T, and extracted a wide variety of measurements
      such as white matter volumes, cortical thickness, and gyral curvature localized
      to subregions of the brain. All extracted structural biomarkers were tested for
      their correlation with subject age at time of imaging, providing measurements
      that may assist in the assessment of neurological maturation. Additional analyses
      were also performed to assess gender-based differences in the brain at a variety
      of developmental stages, and to assess hemispheric asymmetries. Results add to
      the literature by analyzing a realistic distribution of healthy participants
      imaged clinically, a useful cohort toward the investigation and creation of
      diagnostic tests for a variety of pathologies as aberrations from healthy growth
      trajectories. The next generation of diagnostic tests will be responsible for
      identifying pathological conditions from populations of healthy clinically imaged
      individuals. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5931-5942, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28898499
TI  - Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study: housing and psychological distress among
      Pacific mothers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In a sample of Pacific mothers living in New Zealand, we examined: 1)
      maternal reports about seven specific major housing problems (too small,
      difficult to get to from the street, in poor condition, damp, cold, presence of
      pests, too expensive); and 2) associations between these housing problems and
      maternal psychological distress, adjusting for some maternal sociodemographic
      characteristics. METHODS: The Pacific Islands Families longitudinal study follows
      a cohort of Pacific children born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2000 and their
      parents. At the 14-year phase, mothers (n=844) were asked about housing
      conditions and psychological distress. RESULTS: Mothers who reported having any
      major housing problem, particularly the presence of pests and poor housing
      conditions, were significantly more likely to report psychological distress after
      adjusting for sociodemographic confounders. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of housing on
      mental health is complex and may be influenced by social, health and
      sociodemographic characteristics of Pacific mothers. Implications for public
      health: The finding that housing problems are significantly associated with
      psychological distress among Pacific mothers in New Zealand is an important
      finding. However, more in-depth qualitative research is needed to provide a
      clearer understanding of the way housing problems affect mental health and to
      guide strategies that minimise this outcome for Pacific mothers.

PMID- 28898500
TI  - Offset analgesia: The role of peripheral and central mechanisms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Offset Analgesia (OA) can be evoked by a three-heat-stimulus train
      (T1-T2-T3), with T1 (5 s) and T3 (20 s) having the same temperature (e.g. 48 
      degrees C) and T2 (5 s) being slightly higher (1-3  degrees C). OA is defined as
      a disproportional pain reduction caused by the slight temperature decrease from
      T2 to T3. As the pain modulatory mechanisms behind OA are still poorly
      understood, the current study aimed to investigate the role of peripheral and
      central mechanisms by applying heat stimuli to the same location and to different
      unilateral and bilateral locations. METHOD: Young healthy volunteers participated
      in the study. A 'standard-OA' paradigm (48-49-48  degrees C) was applied to the
      non-dominant volar forearm (T1-T2-T3 applied on the same location). 'Unilateral
      OA' trials were applied on three different locations of the non-dominant volar
      forearm (the same dermatome). 'Bilateral-OA' trials were applied by shifting T1
      T2-T3 between dominant and non-dominant volar forearms. A constant stimulus of 48
      degrees C was applied as control for the evoked pain. The pain intensities were
      continuously recorded using an electronic visual analogue scale. RESULTS: The
      largest pain intensity reduction was reported for the 'standard-OA' paradigm (p <
      0.001) compared with the control stimulus. Both 'Unilateral-OA' and 'Bilateral
      OA' trials caused a significant pain reduction (p < 0.05) compared with the
      control; however, the pain reduction was less than that evoked by 'standard-OA'
      (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study showed that OA could be elicited when the
      stimuli were applied both to the same and to different locations (ipsi- and
      contralateral) indicating that peripheral as well as central mechanisms are
      involved in mediating OA. SIGNIFICANCE: This study investigated offset analgesia
      by applying thermal painful stimuli to the ipsi- and bilateral forearms in
      healthy subjects and found that both peripheral and central mechanisms seem to
      mediate offset analgesia.

PMID- 28898501
TI  - Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in zinc poor environments is promoted by a
      nicotianamine-related metallophore.
AB  - Previous studies have suggested that P. aeruginosa possesses redundant zinc
      uptake systems. To identify uncharacterized zinc transporters, we analyzed the
      genome-wide transcriptional responses of P. aeruginosa PA14 to zinc restriction.
      This approach led to the identification of an operon (zrmABCD) regulated by the
      zinc uptake regulator Zur, that encodes for a metallophore-mediated zinc import
      system. This operon includes the genes for an uncharacterized TonB-dependent
      Outer Membrane Protein (ZrmA) and for a putative nicotianamine synthase (ZrmB).
      The simultaneous inactivation of the ZnuABC transporter and of one of these two
      genes markedly decreases the ability of P. aeruginosa to grow in zinc-poor media
      and compromises intracellular zinc accumulation. Our data demonstrate that ZrmB
      is involved in the synthesis of a metallophore which is released outside the cell
      and mediates zinc uptake through the ZrmA receptor. We also show that alterations
      in zinc homeostasis severely affect the ability of P. aeruginosa to cause acute
      lung and systemic infections in C57BL/6 mice, likely due to the involvement of
      zinc in the expression of several virulence traits. These findings disclose a
      hitherto unappreciated role of zinc in P. aeruginosa pathogenicity and reveal
      that this microorganism can obtain zinc through a strategy resembling siderophore
      mediated iron uptake.

PMID- 28898502
TI  - Reduced range of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus) and a
      possible hybrid zone with Sapajus nigritus.
AB  - The crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus) is an endangered species endemic
      to the highly fragmented Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Surveys for S. robustus were
      carried out over a 25-month period (2003-2005) to obtain more precise
      geographical limits for the western range of the species. Previously published
      localities for S. robustus were mapped, and each point was given a 25-km radius
      "buffer zone." The largest forest remnants in the buffer zones (>300 ha) in Minas
      Gerais were visited in order to interview the local people and/or survey the
      forests directly using playback recordings of S. robustus. Camera traps were used
      in key localities if interviews suggested the presence of capuchins but no
      animals were sighted during the surveys. Of 127 valid interviews, only 39 people
      reported the presence of Sapajus in nearby forest fragments. We confirmed the
      presence of Sapajus in only 19 of these. S. robustus occurred in four, and S.
      libidinosus, S. nigritus, S. xanthosternos, or S. robustus * S. nigritus
      (hybrids?) occurred in the remaining 15. Based on our study, the estimated
      geographical distribution of S. robustus is 119,654 km2 , which represents a
      reduction of more than 70,000 km2 when compared to its formerly described range.
      The geographical limits as defined in this study are: northeast-the Jequitinhonha
      River; northwest and west-the Jequitinhonha River; southwest-the Suacui Grande
      River and the Espinhaco mountains; southeast-the Doce River; east-the Atlantic
      Ocean. A probable hybrid zone where capuchin monkeys have morphological features
      of both S. nigritus and S. robustus was found between the Santo Antonio and the
      Suacui Grande rivers. The elucidation of the geographical distribution of S.
      robustus is important for its conservation, facilitating the delineation of
      priority areas for the creation of reserves and the initiation of studies of the
      species' ecology and behavior.

PMID- 28898503
TI  - Using appreciative inquiry methodology to develop a weight management program for
      obese children in New Zealand.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Paediatric obesity predicts adult obesity, and alarming new data in
      New Zealand reveals that obesity among the young continues to rise. In this
      study, we used a novel solution-focused paradigm, or appreciative inquiry
      perspective, to explore the factors that influence not just obese but non-obese
      states (that is, healthy weight as well as obesity), in Pacific adolescents (aged
      13-17) living in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods. METHODS: Sixty-eight
      parents and adolescents from 30 families were recruited and interviewed,
      resulting in 15 obese and 15 healthy weight adolescents participating in the
      study. RESULTS: Our findings showed that, despite living in low socioeconomic
      circumstances, parents were able to alter their micro-environments to prevent
      obesity in their children. Parents with healthy weight adolescents had food rules
      in the home and monitored their children's eating and television viewing time.
      CONCLUSIONS: An appreciative inquiry approach to obesity research can uncover
      resiliency factors within families that can be applied to obesity prevention and
      treatment programs. Implications for public health: Appreciative inquiry
      methodology is a promising alternative qualitative research strategy for
      developing health interventions for low-income ethnic minority communities.

PMID- 28898504
TI  - Reversible DNA-Protein Cross-Linking at Epigenetic DNA Marks.
AB  - 5-Formylcytosine (5fC) is an endogenous DNA modification frequently found within
      regulatory elements of mammalian genes. Although 5fC is an oxidation product of 5
      methylcytosine (5mC), the two epigenetic marks show distinct genome-wide
      distributions and protein affinities, suggesting that they perform different
      functions in epigenetic signaling. A unique feature of 5fC is the presence of a
      potentially reactive aldehyde group in its structure. Herein, we show that 5fC
      bases in DNA readily form Schiff-base conjugates with Lys side chains of nuclear
      proteins in vitro and in vivo. These covalent protein-DNA complexes are
      reversible (t1/2 =1.8 h), suggesting that they contribute to transcriptional
      regulation and chromatin remodeling. On the other hand, 5fC-mediated DNA-protein
      cross-links, if present at replication forks or actively transcribed regions, may
      interfere with DNA replication and transcription.

PMID- 28898505
TI  - In Situ Synthesis of Imidazolium-Crosslinked Ionogels via Debus-Radziszewski
      Reaction Based on PAMAM Dendrimers in Imidazolium Ionic liquid.
AB  - This study reports a remarkably facile method to synthesize novel ionogels with
      imidazolium cycle crosslinks based on polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers via one
      pot, modified Debus-Radziszewski reaction in ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3
      methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM][OAc]). High room temperature ionic conductivity
      (up to 6.8 mS cm-1 ) is achieved, and more remarkably, it can still exceed 1 mS
      cm-1 when the dendrimer content reached 70% because PAMAM dendrimers are
      completely amorphous with many cavities and the newly formed imidazolium
      crosslinks contains ions. The elastic modulus of these ionogels can exceed 106 Pa
      due to the newly-formed rigid imidazolium crosslinks. Crucially, these ionogels
      are robust gels even at temperatures up to 160  degrees C. Such novel ionogels
      with high ionic conductivity, tunable modulus, and flexibility are desirable for
      use in high-temperature flexible electrochemical devices.

PMID- 28898506
TI  - Physical activity may decrease the likelihood of children developing
      constipation.
AB  - AIM: Childhood constipation is common. We evaluated children diagnosed with
      constipation, who were referred to an Icelandic paediatric emergency department,
      and determined the effect of lifestyle factors on its aetiology. METHODS: The
      parents of children who were diagnosed with constipation and participated in a
      phase IIB clinical trial on laxative suppositories answered an online
      questionnaire about their children's lifestyle and constipation in March-April
      2013. The parents of nonconstipated children that visited the paediatric
      department of Landspitali University Hospital or an Icelandic outpatient clinic
      answered the same questionnaire. RESULTS: We analysed responses regarding 190
      children aged one year to 18 years: 60 with constipation and 130 without. We
      found that 40% of the constipated children had recurrent symptoms, 27% had to
      seek medical attention more than once and 33% received medication per rectum. The
      47 of 130 control group subjects aged 10-18 were much more likely to exercise
      more than three times a week (72%) and for more than a hour (62%) than the 26 of
      60 constipated children of the same age (42% and 35%, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Constipation risk factors varied with age and many children diagnosed with
      constipation had recurrent symptoms. Physical activity may affect the likelihood
      of developing constipation in older children.

PMID- 28898507
TI  - Growth differentiation factor 15 predicts advanced fibrosis in biopsy-proven non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: We explored whether growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)
      affects the histological severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
      independent of insulin resistance. METHODS: In a biopsy-proven NAFLD cohort, we
      measured serum GDF15 levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS:
      Among 190 subjects (mean age, 53 +/- 14 years; men, 52.1%), 72 (men, 65.3%) and
      78 (men, 44.9%) were diagnosed with biopsy-proven non-alcoholic fatty liver
      (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) respectively. GDF15 levels were
      significantly higher in NASH patients than in controls (P = .010) or NAFL
      patients (P = .001). Subjects with advanced fibrosis (>=F3) also showed higher
      GDF15 levels compared to the others (F0-2; P < .001). Among NAFLD patients, the
      highest quartile of GDF15 levels was significantly associated with a risk of
      advanced fibrosis even after adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, smoking
      status, hypertension, diabetes, aspartate aminotransferase, platelet, albumin,
      insulin resistance and low skeletal muscle mass (odds ratio, 4.27; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.04-17.63), but not with NASH risk. GDF15 levels showed a significant
      positive correlation with liver stiffness (Spearman's rho, .525; P < .001).
      Palmitate treatment increased the GDF15 mRNA expression level significantly in
      Kupffer cells, but not in hepatocytes. In LX-2 cells, GDF15 treatment resulted in
      enhanced expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin and collagen I, as well as
      phosphorylation of SMAD2 and SMAD3. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that GDF15
      may serve as a novel biomarker of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD, thereby indicating
      the need for urgent anti-fibrotic pharmacotherapy.

PMID- 28898508
TI  - Hepatitis C virus core protein induces hepatic steatosis via Sirt1-dependent
      pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatic steatosis is a common feature of patients with chronic
      hepatitis C. Previous reports have shown that the overexpression of hepatitis C
      virus core-encoding sequences (hepatitis C virus genotypes 3a and 1b)
      significantly induces intracellular triglyceride accumulation. However, the
      underlying mechanism has not yet been revealed. METHODS: To investigate whether
      Sirt1 is involved in hepatitis C virus-mediated hepatic steatosis, the
      overexpression of hepatitis C virus core 1b protein and Sirt1 and the knockdown
      of Sirt1 in HepG2 cells were performed. To confirm the results of the cellular
      experiment liver-specific Sirt1 KO mice with lentivirus-mediated hepatitis C
      virus core 1b overexpression were studied. RESULTS: Our results show that
      hepatitis C virus core 1b protein overexpression led to the accumulation of
      triglycerides in HepG2 cells. Notably the expression of PPARgamma2 was
      dramatically increased at both the mRNA and protein levels by hepatitis C virus
      core 1b overexpression. The protein expression of Sirt1 is an upstream regulator
      of PPARgamma2 and was also significantly increased after core 1b overexpression.
      In addition, the overexpression or knockdown of Sirt1 expression alone was
      sufficient to modulate p300-mediated PPARgamma2 deacetylation. In vivo studies
      showed that hepatitis C virus core protein 1b-induced hepatic steatosis was
      attenuated in liver-specific Sirt1 KO mice by downregulation of PPARgamma2
      expression. CONCLUSIONS: Sirt1 mediates hepatitis C virus core protein 1b-induced
      hepatic steatosis by regulation of PPARgamma2 expression.

PMID- 28898509
TI  - What do we know about the diets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
      in Australia? A systematic literature review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of published research on the dietary intake of
      Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. METHODS: Peer-reviewed literature
      from 1990 to October 2016 was searched to identify studies that measured the
      dietary intake of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
      Study quality was assessed using a purposely devised quality appraisal tool. Meta
      analysis was not possible due to the heterogeneity in dietary intake assessment
      methods. A narrative synthesis of study findings, where key themes were compared
      and contrasted was completed. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles from twenty studies
      with outcome measures related to dietary intake were included. Dietary intake was
      assessed by electronic store sales, store turnover method, 24-hour dietary
      recall, food frequency questionnaire and short questions. Consistent findings
      were low reported intakes of fruit and vegetables and high intakes of total sugar
      and energy-dense, nutrient-poor food and beverages. CONCLUSIONS: While
      differences between studies and study quality limit the generalisability of the
      findings, most studies suggest that the diets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
      Islander peoples are inadequate. Implications for public health: A more concerted
      approach to understanding dietary patterns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
      Islander peoples is required to inform policy and practice to improve diet and
      nutrition.

PMID- 28898510
TI  - Multi-Photon Absorption in Metal-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - Multi-photon absorption (MPA) is among the most prominent nonlinear optical (NLO)
      effects and has applications, for example in telecommunications, defense,
      photonics, and bio-medicines. Established MPA materials include dyes, quantum
      dots, organometallics and conjugated polymers, most often dispersed in solution.
      We demonstrate how metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a novel NLO solid-state
      materials class, can be designed for exceptionally strong MPA behavior. MOFs
      consisting of zirconium- and hafnium-oxo-clusters and featuring a chromophore
      linker based on the tetraphenylethene (TPE) molecule exhibit record high two
      photon absorption (2PA) cross-section values, up to 3600 GM. The unique modular
      building-block principle of MOFs allows enhancing and optimizing their MPA
      properties in a theory-guided approach by combining tailored charge polarization,
      conformational strain, three-dimensional arrangement, and alignment of the
      chromophore linkers in the crystal.

PMID- 28898511
TI  - Mutations in the major gas vesicle protein GvpA and impacts on gas vesicle
      formation in Haloferax volcanii.
AB  - Gas vesicles are proteinaceous, gas-filled nanostructures produced by some
      bacteria and archaea. The hydrophobic major structural protein GvpA forms the
      ribbed gas vesicle wall. An in-silico 3D-model of GvpA of the predicted coil
      alpha1-beta1-beta2-alpha2-coil structure is available and implies that the two
      beta-chains constitute the hydrophobic interior surface of the gas vesicle wall.
      To test the importance of individual amino acids in GvpA we performed 85 single
      substitutions and analyzed these variants in Haloferax volcanii DeltaA + Amut
      transformants for their ability to form gas vesicles (Vac+ phenotype). In most
      cases, an alanine substitution of a non-polar residue did not abolish gas vesicle
      formation, but the replacement of single non-polar by charged residues in beta1
      or beta2 resulted in Vac- transformants. A replacement of residues near the beta
      turn altered the spindle-shape to a cylindrical morphology of the gas vesicles.
      Vac- transformants were also obtained with alanine substitutions of charged
      residues of helix alpha1 suggesting that these amino acids form salt-bridges with
      another GvpA monomer. In helix alpha2, only the alanine substitution of His53 or
      Tyr54, led to Vac- transformants, whereas most other substitutions had no effect.
      We discuss our results in respect to the GvpA structure and data available from
      solid-state NMR.

PMID- 28898512
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes and opinions towards measles and the MMR vaccine across two
      NSW cohorts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although the number of national measles cases has greatly decreased
      since 1980s, there has been resurgence in disease incidence in recent years.
      While parental knowledge and attitudes toward both disease and vaccinations are
      known to influence vaccine uptake, the contribution of these factors toward
      vaccination rates in NSW populations has not been studied. The aim of this study
      was to investigate the knowledge and opinions on measles and MMR vaccine in NSW
      Central and North Coast regions. METHODS: Parents (n=201) of children <12 years
      were surveyed with a purpose design survey at public beaches at the Central Coast
      and community markets at the North Coast. RESULTS: Eight per cent of respondents
      reported not immunising their child with MMR vaccine. Most respondents recognised
      that measles is a highly contagious disease. Non-immunisers were found to be
      older, had a lower perceived severity of measles, were less likely to agree with
      the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, and were more likely to have encountered
      someone who had suffered side-effects of the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: There is
      considerable concern over safety of MMR vaccine among non-immunisers.
      Implications for public health: Improving confidence in MMR vaccine should be a
      target of future public health interventions.

PMID- 28898513
TI  - Characterisation of a sucrose-independent in vitro biofilm model of supragingival
      plaque.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sugar consumption has been decreasing in Japan, suggesting higher
      rates of sucrose-independent supragingival plaque formation. For developing an in
      vitro biofilm model of sucrose-independent supragingival plaque, this study aimed
      to investigate the compositions and functions on contributing to cariogenicity in
      comparison with sucrose-dependent biofilm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An in vitro
      multispecies biofilm containing Actinomyces naeslundii, Streptococcus gordonii,
      S. mutans, Veillonella parvula and Fusobacterium nucleatum was formed on 24-well
      plates in the absence or presence of 1% sucrose. Compositions were assessed by
      plate culture, scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning
      microscopy after fluorescent in situ hybridisation or labelling of extracellular
      polymeric substances (EPS). Functions were assessed by acidogenicity, adherence
      strength and sensitivities to anticaries agents. RESULTS: Although both biofilms
      exhibited a Streptococcus predominant bacterial composition, there were
      differences in bacterial and EPS compositions; in particular, little glucan EPS
      was observed in sucrose-independent biofilm. Compared with sucrose-dependent
      biofilm, acidogenicity, adherence strength and antimicrobial resistance of
      sucrose-independent biofilm were only slightly lower. However, dextranase
      degradation was substantially lower in sucrose-independent biofilm. CONCLUSION:
      Our findings suggest that sucrose-independent biofilm may have cariogenicity as
      with sucrose-dependent biofilm. These in vitro models can help further elucidate
      plaque-induced caries aetiology and develop new anticaries agents.

PMID- 28898514
TI  - Risk of lower extremity amputations in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      treated with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in the USA: A
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - AIMS: To examine the incidence of amputation in patients with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM) treated with sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors
      overall, and canagliflozin specifically, compared with non-SGLT2 inhibitor
      antihyperglycaemic agents (AHAs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with T2DM newly
      exposed to SGLT2 inhibitors or non-SGLT2 inhibitor AHAs were identified using the
      Truven MarketScan database. The incidence of below-knee lower extremity (BKLE)
      amputation was calculated for patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors,
      canagliflozin, or non-SGLT2 inhibitor AHAs. Patients newly exposed to
      canagliflozin and non-SGLT2 inhibitor AHAs were matched 1:1 on propensity scores,
      and a Cox proportional hazards model was used for comparative analysis. Negative
      controls (outcomes not believed to be associated with any AHA) were used to
      calibrate P values. RESULTS: Between April 1, 2013 and October 31, 2016, 118 018
      new users of SGLT2 inhibitors, including 73 024 of canagliflozin, and 226 623 new
      users of non-SGLT2 inhibitor AHAs were identified. The crude incidence rates of
      BKLE amputation were 1.22, 1.26 and 1.87 events per 1000 person-years with SGLT2
      inhibitors, canagliflozin and non-SGLT2 inhibitor AHAs, respectively. For the
      comparative analysis, 63 845 new users of canagliflozin were matched with 63 845
      new users of non-SGLT2 inhibitor AHAs, resulting in well-balanced baseline
      covariates. The incidence rates of BKLE amputation were 1.18 and 1.12 events per
      1000 person-years with canagliflozin and non-SGLT2 inhibitor AHAs, respectively;
      the hazard ratio was 0.98 (95% confidence interval 0.68-1.41; P = .92, calibrated
      P = .95). CONCLUSIONS: This real-world study observed no evidence of increased
      risk of BKLE amputation for new users of canagliflozin compared with non-SGLT2
      inhibitor AHAs in a broad population of patients with T2DM.

PMID- 28898515
TI  - Age-related changes in and determinants of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform
      layer thickness in normal Chinese adults.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Consideration of age-related changes in macular ganglion cell-inner
      plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness are important for glaucoma progression
      analysis. BACKGROUND: To report age-related changes in and the determinants of
      high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) measurements of mGCIPL
      thickness. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: 326 healthy adults.
      METHODS: All subjects underwent Cirrus HD-OCT measurements of mGCIPL. One-way
      analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare mGCIPL thickness between 7
      decades based age groups and macular sectors. Multiple regression analysis
      determined the association between mGCIPL thickness and age, gender, intraocular
      pressure (IOP), peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (pRNFL) and
      spherical equivalent. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in mGCIPL thickness and
      determinants of thickness. RESULTS: Mean mGCIPL thickness in 295 subjects was
      80.80 +/- 6.42 MUm. Mean mGCIPL decreased by 0.12 MUm (95% CI [confidence
      interval], 0.09-0.16) with every year of age; 1.61 MUm (95% CI, 0.08-2.41) per
      decade. It showed two steep declines with age, first in the fifth and next in the
      seventh decade with relative stability between them. mGCIPL thickness was
      associated with pRNFL thickness (beta = 0.30, P < 0.001) and IOP (beta = -0.19, P
      = 0.03) but not with gender (beta = -1.09, P = 0.116) or spherical equivalent
      (beta = -0. 24, P = 0.145). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Mean mGCIPL thickness
      showed a small age-related linear decrease with two steep drops in the fifth and
      seventh decades. Thinner mGCIPL was independently associated with age, thinner
      pRNFL and higher IOP. These factors should be considered if using mGCIPL to
      detect progression of glaucoma and other optic neuropathies characterized by the
      loss of retinal ganglion cells.

PMID- 28898516
TI  - Structural and functional imaging of aqueous humour outflow: a review.
AB  - Maintaining healthy aqueous humour outflow (AHO) is important for intraocular
      cellular health and stable vision. Impairment of AHO can lead to increased
      intraocular pressure, optic nerve damage and concomitant glaucoma. An improved
      understanding of AHO will lead to improved glaucoma surgeries that enhance native
      AHO as well as facilitate the development of AHO-targeted pharmaceuticals. Recent
      AHO imaging has evolved to live human assessment and has focused on the
      structural evaluation of AHO pathways and the functional documentation of fluid
      flow. Structural AHO evaluation is predominantly driven by optical coherence
      tomography, and functional evaluation of flow is performed using various methods,
      including aqueous angiography. Advances in structural and functional evaluation
      of AHO are reviewed with discussion of strengths, weaknesses and potential future
      directions.

PMID- 28898517
TI  - Characterization of the functional activity of botulinum neurotoxin subtype B6.
AB  - Clostridium botulinum produces the highly potent neurotoxin, botulinum neurotoxin
      (BoNT), which is classified into seven serotypes (A-G); the subtype
      classification is confirmed by the diversity of amino acid sequences among the
      serotypes. BoNT from the Osaka05 strain is associated with type B infant botulism
      and has been classified as BoNT/B subtype B6 (BoNT/B6) by phylogenetic analysis
      and the antigenicity of its C-terminal heavy chain (HC ) domain. However, the
      molecular bases for its properties, including its potency, are poorly understood.
      In this study, BoNT/B6 holotoxin was purified and the biological activity and
      receptor binding activity of BoNT/B6 compared with those of the previously
      characterized BoNT/B1 and BoNT/B2 subtypes. The derivative BoNT/B6 was found to
      be already nicked and in an activated form, indicating that endogenous protease
      production may be higher in this strain than in the other two strains. BoNT/B1
      exhibited the greatest lethal activity in mice, followed by BoNT/B6, which is
      consistent with the sensitivity of PC12 cells. No significant differences were
      seen in the enzymatic activities of the BoNT/Bs against their substrate. HC /B1
      and HC /B6 exhibited similar binding affinities to synaptotagmin II (SytII),
      which is a specific protein receptor for BoNT/B. Binding to the SytII/ganglioside
      complex is functionally related to the toxic action; however, the receptor
      recognition sites are conserved. These results suggest that the distinct
      characteristics and differences in biological sensitivity of BoNT/B6 may be
      attributable to the function of its Hc .domain.

PMID- 28898518
TI  - Interaction of Ester-Functionalized Ionic Liquids with Atomically-Defined Cobalt
      Oxides Surfaces: Adsorption, Reaction and Thermal Stability.
AB  - Hybrid materials consisting of ionic liquid (ILs) films on supported oxides hold
      a great potential for applications in electronic and energy materials. In this
      work, we have performed surface science model studies scrutinizing the
      interaction of ester-functionalized ILs with atomically defined Co3 O4 (111) and
      CoO(100) surfaces. Both supports are prepared under ultra-high vacuum (UHV)
      conditions in form of thin films on Ir(100) single crystals. Subsequently, thin
      films of three ILs, 3-butyl-1-methyl imidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)
      imide ([BMIM][NTf2 ]), 3-(4-methoxyl-4-oxobutyl)-1-methylimidazolium
      bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl) imide ([MBMIM][NTf2 ]), and 3-(4-isopropoxy-4
      oxobutyl)-1-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl) imide ([IPBMIM][NTf2
      ]), were deposited on these surfaces by physical vapor deposition (PVD). Time
      resolved and temperature-programmed infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy
      (TR-IRAS, TP-IRAS) were applied to monitor in situ the adsorption, film growth,
      and thermally induced desorption. By TP-IRAS, we determined the multilayer
      desorption temperature of [BMIM][NTf2 ] (360+/-5 K), [MBMIM][NTf2 ] (380 K) and
      [IPBMIM][NTf2 ] (380 K). Upon deposition below the multilayer desorption
      temperature, all three ILs physisorb on both cobalt oxide surfaces. However,
      strong orientation effects are observed in the first monolayer, where the [NTf2 ]
      ion interacts with the surface through the SO2 groups and the CF3 groups point
      towards the vacuum. For the two functionalized ILs, the [MBMIM]+ and [IPBMIM]+
      interact with the surface Co2+ ions of both surfaces via the CO group of their
      ester function. A very different behavior is found, if the ILs are deposited
      above the multilayer desorption temperature (400 K). While for [BMIM][NTf2 ] and
      [MBMIM][NTf2 ] a molecularly adsorbed monolayer film is formed, [IPBMIM][NTf2 ]
      undergoes a chemical transformation on the CoO(100) surface. Here, the ester
      group is cleaved and the cation is chemically linked to the surface by formation
      of a surface carboxylate. The IL-derived species in the monolayer desorb at
      temperatures around 500 to 550 K.

PMID- 28898519
TI  - Near-Infrared Free-Radical and Free-Radical-Promoted Cationic
      Photopolymerizations by In-Source Lighting Using Upconverting Glass.
AB  - A method is presented for the initiation of free-radical and free-radical
      promoted cationic photopolymerizations by in-source lighting in the near-infrared
      (NIR) region using upconverting glass (UCG). This approach utilizes laser
      irradiation of UCG at 975 nm in the presence of fluorescein (FL) and
      pentamethyldiethylene triamine (PMDETA). FL excited by light emitted from the UCG
      undergoes electron-transfer reactions with PMDETA to form free radicals capable
      of initiating polymerization of methyl methacrylate. To execute the corresponding
      free-radical-promoted cationic polymerization of cyclohexene oxide, isobutyl
      vinyl ether, and N-vinyl carbazole, it was necessary to use FL, dimethyl aniline
      (DMA), and diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate as sensitizer, coinitiator, and
      oxidant, respectively. Iodonium ions promptly oxidize DMA radicals formed to the
      corresponding cations. Thus, cationic polymerization with efficiency comparable
      to the conventional irradiation source was achieved.

PMID- 28898520
TI  - Sugars and beyond. The role of sugars and the other nutrients and their potential
      impact on caries.
AB  - The traditional concept of caries as a multifactorial transmittable and
      infectious disease has been challenged. Novel conceptual ideas have come to add
      to the complexity of this highly prevalent disease worldwide. Current etiological
      understanding of the disease has emphasized the pivotal role of sugars in caries.
      In fact, current definition points toward an ecological disease caused by the
      commensal microbiota that under ecological imbalances, mainly due to high and or
      frequent sugars consumption, creates a state of dysbiosis in the dental biofilm.
      This modern conceptual idea, however, tends to underrate a key issue. As humans
      are omnivore and consume a mix diet composed by a multitude of substances, the
      role of the diet in caries must not be restricted only to the presence of
      fermentable sugars. This review explores the contribution of other food
      components, ubiquitous to the diet, mostly as potentially protective factors.
      Anticaries nutrients might determine an environmental change, affecting the
      ecology of the oral microbiome and partially mitigating the effect of sugars.
      Understanding the function of the food usually consumed by the people will
      contribute new knowledge on the mechanisms associated with the onset of caries,
      on new caries risk variables and on potential novel strategies for the prevention
      and treatment of the disease.

PMID- 28898521
TI  - Design and methodology of the Shanghai child and adolescent large-scale eye study
      (SCALE).
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Nearly half of children suffering vision impairment reside in China
      with myopia accounting for the vast majority. BACKGROUND: To describe the design
      and methodology of the Shanghai Child and Adolescent Large-scale Eye Study
      (SCALE). DESIGN: The SCALE was a city wide, school-based, prospective survey.
      PARTICIPANTS: Children and adolescents aged 4-14 years from kindergarten (middle
      and senior), primary schools and junior high schools of all 17 districts and
      counties of the city of Shanghai, China were examined in 2012-2013. METHODS: Each
      enrolled child underwent vision assessment (distance visual acuity; uncorrected
      and with corrective device if worn) and their parent/carer completed a
      questionnaire designed to elicit risk factors associated with myopia.
      Additionally, non-cycloplegic autorefraction and ocular axial length was measured
      in a subset of the larger sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and the
      associated factors of vision impairment, myopia and high myopia in Shanghai.
      RESULTS: In 2012-2013, a total of 910 245 of the eligible 1 196 763 children and
      adolescents identified from census (76%, mean age 9.0 +/- 2.7 years [4-14 years])
      were enrolled with visual acuity screened in the city of Shanghai. Of these, 610
      952 children (67% of the entire sample) underwent non-cycloplegic autorefraction
      and 219 188 (24% of the entire sample) had both non-cycloplegic autorefraction
      and axial length measurements. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The study results will
      provide insights on the burden of vision impairment, myopia and high myopia in
      children and adolescents in a metropolitan area of China, and contribute to the
      policies and strategies to address and limit the burden.

PMID- 28898522
TI  - Insecticide susceptibilities of the two rice planthoppers Nilaparvata lugens and
      Sogatella furcifera in East Asia, the Red River Delta, and the Mekong Delta.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The two rice planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella
      furcifera, have different life cycles in the regions of East Asia, the Red River
      Delta, and the Mekong Delta. The susceptibilities of these species to a range of
      insecticides have not previously been compared among the three regions over
      multiple years. Here, we describe the differences and similarities in insecticide
      susceptibilities of the two species among the three regions in 2006-2011.
      RESULTS: In all three regions in 2006 - 2011, N. lugens developed high and
      moderate levels of resistance to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, respectively, but
      this species did not develop resistance to fipronil. In contrast, S. furcifera
      developed a high level of resistance to fipronil. The ranges in 50% lethal dose
      (LD50 ) values for N. lugens treated with both imidacloprid and thiamethoxam were
      similar over time between East Asia and the Red River Delta, and were different
      in the Mekong Delta. CONCLUSION: The results support the idea that resistant
      populations migrate from the Red River Delta region to East Asia. Therefore,
      continuous monitoring of the susceptibility of N. lugens to insecticides in the
      Red River Delta is very important for insecticide resistance management in East
      Asia. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28898523
TI  - "Yubi-wakka" (finger-ring) test: A practical self-screening method for
      sarcopenia, and a predictor of disability and mortality among Japanese community
      dwelling older adults.
AB  - AIM: We developed a simple self-screening method, the "Yubi-wakka (finger-ring)"
      test to assess sarcopenia swiftly. This prospective cohort study aimed to examine
      the validity of this test as a practical method among community-dwelling older
      adults for identifying sarcopenia, and for predicting disability and mortality.
      METHODS: We followed 1904 older adults, and analyzed associations between this
      "Yubi-wakka" test result at baseline in 2012 and sarcopenia at baseline, new
      onset sarcopenia followed until 2014, and new-certification for the long-term
      care insurance and mortality followed until 2016. The "Yubi-wakka" test checks
      whether the maximum non-dominant calf circumference is bigger than the
      individual's own finger-ring circumference, which is formed by the thumb and
      forefinger of both hands. We divided participants into three groups, "bigger,"
      "just fits" and "smaller" based on a comparison between the calf and finger-ring
      circumference. RESULTS: Of 1904 participants (mean age 72.8 +/- 5.4 years), 53%
      were grouped as "bigger," 33% were in "just fits" and 14% were in "smaller."
      Relative to "bigger," the test results statistically associated with sarcopenia
      ("just fits" OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-4.1 and "smaller" OR 6.6, 95% CI 3.5-13), by
      multivariate analyses. The test results also increased the risk of new-onset
      sarcopenia ("just fits" HR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.8 and "smaller" HR 3.4, 95% CI 1.8
      6.4). Furthermore, the "smaller" had 2.0- and 3.2-fold increased risks for
      needing long-term care insurance services and mortality, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The "Yubi-wakka" test is an extremely practical method to identify
      older adults at risk of sarcopenia, disability and mortality. This test might
      contribute to increased primary prevention for sarcopenia by serving as an early
      wake-up call for older adults against becoming sarcopenic. Geriatr Gerontol Int
      2018; 18: 224-232.

PMID- 28898524
TI  - Enzymatic Addition of Alcohols to Terpenes by Squalene Hopene Cyclase Variants.
AB  - Squalene-hopene cyclases (SHCs) catalyze the polycyclization of squalene into a
      mixture of hopene and hopanol. Recently, amino-acid residues lining the catalytic
      cavity of the SHC from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius were replaced by small and
      large hydrophobic amino acids. The alteration of leucine 607 to phenylalanine
      resulted in increased enzymatic activity towards the formation of an
      intermolecular farnesyl-farnesyl ether product from farnesol. Furthermore, the
      addition of small-chain alcohols acting as nucleophiles led to the formation of
      non-natural ether-linked terpenoids and, thus, to significant alteration of the
      product pattern relative to that obtained with the wild type. It is proposed that
      the mutation of leucine at position 607 may facilitate premature quenching of the
      intermediate by small alcohol nucleophiles. This mutagenesis-based study opens
      the field for further intermolecular bond-forming reactions and the generation of
      non-natural products.

PMID- 28898526
TI  - Spin-State-Controlled Photodissociation of Iron(III) Azide to an Iron(V) Nitride
      Complex.
AB  - The generation of iron(V) nitride complexes, which are targets of biomimetic
      chemistry, is reported. Temperature-dependent ion spectroscopy shows that this
      reaction is governed by the spin-state population of their iron(III) azide
      precursors and can be tuned by temperature. The complex [(MePy2 TACN)Fe(N3 )]2+
      (MePy2 TACN=N-methyl-N,N-bis(2-picolyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) exists as a
      mixture of sextet and doublet spin states at 300 K, whereas only the doublet
      state is populated at 3 K. Photofragmentation of the sextet state complex leads
      to the reduction of the iron center. The doublet state complex photodissociates
      to the desired iron(V) nitride complex. To generalize these findings, we show
      results for complexes with cyclam-based ligands.

PMID- 28898525
TI  - Analyses of N-linked glycans of PrPSc revealed predominantly 2,6-linked sialic
      acid residues.
AB  - Mammalian prions (PrPSc ) consist of misfolded, conformationally altered, self
      replicating states of the sialoglycoprotein called prion protein or PrPC . Recent
      studies revealed that the sialylation status of PrPSc plays a major role in
      evading innate immunity and infecting a host. Establishing the type of linkage by
      which sialic acid residues are attached to galactose is important, as it helps to
      identify the sialyltransferases responsible for sialylating PrPC and outline
      strategies for manipulating the sialyation status of PrPSc . Using enzymatic
      treatment with sialidases and lectin blots, this study demonstrated that in N
      linked glycans of PrPSc , the sialic acid residues are predominantly alpha 2,6
      linked. High percentages of alpha 2,6-linked sialic acids were observed in PrPSc
      of three prion strains 22L, RML, and ME7, as well as PrPSc from brain, spleen, or
      N2a cells cultured in vitro. Moreover, the variation in the percentage of alpha
      2,3- versus 2,6-linked sialic acid was found to be relatively minor between brain
      , spleen-, or cell-derived PrPSc , suggesting that the type of linkage is
      independent of tissue type. Based on the current results, we propose that
      sialyltransferases of St6Gal family, which is responsible for attaching sialic
      acids via alpha 2,6-linkages to N-linked glycans, controls sialylation of PrPC
      and PrPSc .

PMID- 28898527
TI  - Voriconazole and squamous cell carcinoma after lung transplantation: A
      multicenter study.
AB  - This study evaluated the independent contribution of voriconazole to the
      development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in lung transplant recipients, by
      attempting to account for important confounding factors, particularly
      immunosuppression. This international, multicenter, retrospective, cohort study
      included adult patients who underwent lung transplantation during 2005-2008. Cox
      regression analysis was used to assess the effects of voriconazole and other
      azoles, analyzed as time-dependent variables, on the risk of developing biopsy
      confirmed SCC. Nine hundred lung transplant recipients were included. Median
      follow-up time from transplantation to end of follow-up was 3.51 years. In a Cox
      regression model, exposure to voriconazole alone (adjusted hazard ratio 2.39, 95%
      confidence interval 1.31-4.37) and exposure to voriconazole and other azole(s)
      (adjusted hazard ratio 3.45, 95% confidence interval 1.07-11.06) were associated
      with SCC compared with those unexposed after controlling for important
      confounders including immunosuppressants. Exposure to voriconazole was associated
      with increased risk of SCC of the skin in lung transplant recipients. Residual
      confounding could not be ruled out because of the use of proxy variables to
      control for some confounders. Benefits of voriconazole use when prescribed to
      lung transplant recipients should be carefully weighed versus the potential risk
      of SCC. EU PAS registration number: EUPAS5269.

PMID- 28898528
TI  - Posttransplant oxygen inhalation improves the outcome of subcutaneous islet
      transplantation: A promising clinical alternative to the conventional
      intrahepatic site.
AB  - Subcutaneous tissue is a promising site for islet transplantation, due to its
      large area and accessibility, which allows minimally invasive procedures for
      transplantation, graft monitoring, and removal of malignancies as needed.
      However, relative to the conventional intrahepatic transplantation site, the
      subcutaneous site requires a large number of islets to achieve engraftment
      success and diabetes reversal, due to hypoxia and low vascularity. We report that
      the efficiency of subcutaneous islet transplantation in a Lewis rat model is
      significantly improved by treating recipients with inhaled 50% oxygen, in
      conjunction with prevascularization of the graft bed by agarose-basic fibroblast
      growth factor. Administration of 50% oxygen increased oxygen tension in the
      subcutaneous site to 140 mm Hg, compared to 45 mm Hg under ambient air. In vitro,
      islets cultured under 140 mm Hg oxygen showed reduced central necrosis and
      increased insulin release, compared to those maintained in 45 mm Hg oxygen. Six
      hundred syngeneic islets subcutaneously transplanted into the prevascularized
      graft bed reversed diabetes when combined with postoperative 50% oxygen
      inhalation for 3 days, a number comparable to that required for intrahepatic
      transplantation; in the absence of oxygen treatment, diabetes was not reversed.
      Thus, we show oxygen inhalation to be a simple and promising approach to
      successfully establishing subcutaneous islet transplantation.

PMID- 28898529
TI  - The Design, Development, and Evaluation of a Qualitative Data Collection
      Application for Pregnant Women.
AB  - PURPOSE: This article explores the development and evaluation of a smartphone
      mobile software application (app) to collect qualitative data. The app was
      specifically designed to capture real-time qualitative data from women planning a
      vaginal birth after caesarean delivery. This article outlines the design and
      development of the app to include funding, ethics, and the recruitment of an app
      developer, as well as the evaluation of using the app by seven participants.
      ORGANIZING CONSTRUCT: Data collection methods used in qualitative research
      include interviews and focus groups (either online, face-to-face, or by phone),
      participant diaries, or observations of interactions. This article identifies an
      alternative data collection methodology using a smartphone app to collect real
      time data. CONCLUSIONS: The app provides real-time data and instant access to
      data alongside the ability to access participants from a variety of locations.
      This allows the researcher to gain insight into the experiences of participants
      through audio or video recordings in longitudinal studies without the need for
      constant interactions or interviews with participants. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Using
      smartphone applications can allow researchers to access participants who are
      traditionally hard to reach and access their data in real time. Evaluating these
      apps before use in research is invaluable.

PMID- 28898530
TI  - A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy Compared with
      Circumferential Lumbar Fusion.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cost-effectiveness analysis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost
      effectiveness of intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) relative to
      circumferential lumbar fusion with femoral ring allograft (FRA) in the United
      Kingdom. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Circumferential lumbar fusion is an
      established treatment for discogenic low back pain. However, IDET could be a cost
      effective treatment alternative as it can be carried out as a day case. METHODS:
      Patient-level data were available for patients with discogenic low back pain
      treated with FRA (n = 37) in a randomized trial of FRA vs. titanium cage, and for
      patients recruited to a separate study evaluating the use of IDET (n = 85). Both
      studies were carried out at a single institution in the United Kingdom. Patients
      were followed-up for 24 months, with data collected on low back disability
      (Oswestry Disability Index), back and leg pain (visual analog scale), quality of
      life (Short Form 36), radiographic evaluations, and U.K. National Health Service
      (NHS) resource use. Cost-effectiveness was measured by the incremental cost per
      quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. RESULTS: Both treatments produced
      statistically significant improvements in outcome at 24-month follow-up. NHS
      costs were significantly lower with IDET due to a shorter mean procedure time
      (377.4 minutes vs. 49.9 minutes) and length of stay (7 days vs. 1.2 days). At a
      threshold of L20,000 per QALY, the probability that IDET is cost effective is
      high. CONCLUSIONS: Both treatments led to significant improvements in patient
      outcomes that were sustained for at least 24 months. Costs were lower with IDET,
      and for appropriate patients IDET is an effective and cost-effective treatment
      alternative.

PMID- 28898531
TI  - Synergistic Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Effect of Artichoke, Fig, Blackberry
      Herbal Mixture on HepG2 Cells and Their Metabolic Profiling Using NMR Coupled
      with Chemometrics.
AB  - The edible plants have long been reported to possess a lot of biological
      activities. Herein, the hepatoprotective and the antioxidant activities of the
      aqueous infusion of the edible parts of Cynara cardunculus, Ficus carica, and
      Morus nigra and their herbal mixture (CFM) was investigated in vitro using CCl4
      induced damage in HepG2 cells. The highest amelioration was observed via the
      consumption of CFM at 1 mg/ml showing 47.00% and 37.09% decline in aspartate
      transaminase and alanine transaminase and 77.32% and 101.02% increase in reduced
      glutathione and superoxide dismutase comparable to CCl4 treated cells. Metabolic
      profiling of their aqueous infusions was done using nuclear magnetic resonance
      spectroscopic experiments coupled with chemometrics particularly hierarchical
      cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). The structural
      closeness of the various metabolites existing in black berry and the mixture as
      reflected in the PCA score plot and HCA processed from the 1 H-NMR spectral data
      could eventually explained the close values in their biological behavior. For fig
      and artichoke, the existence of different phenolic metabolites that act
      synergistically could greatly interpret their potent biological behavior. Thus,
      it can be concluded that a herbal mixture composed of black berry, artichoke, and
      fig could afford an excellent natural candidate to combat oxidative stress and
      counteract hepatic toxins owing to its phenolic compounds.

PMID- 28898532
TI  - Immunological efficacy of herbal medicines in prostate cancer patients treated by
      personalized peptide vaccine.
AB  - This randomized phase II study investigated the immunological efficacy of herbal
      medicines (HM) using Hochu-ekki-to and Keishi-bukuryo-gan in combination with
      personalized peptide vaccination (PPV) for castration-resistant prostate cancer
      (CRPC). Seventy patients with CRPC were assigned to two arms; PPV plus HM or PPV
      alone. Two to four peptides were chosen from 31 peptides derived from cancer
      antigens for a s.c. injection of PPV given eight times according to the patient's
      human leukocyte antigen type and levels of antigen-specific IgG titer before PPV
      treatment. Peptide-specific CTL, IgG, regulatory T cells (Treg), monocytic
      myeloid-derived suppressor cells (Mo-MDSC), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) responses
      were measured before and at the eighth vaccination. Clinical outcomes were also
      analyzed. Combination therapy of PPV with HM was well tolerated without severe
      adverse events. There was no significant change in antigen-specific IgG, CTL,
      Treg or clinical outcomes. Combination therapy of PPV with HM stabilized the
      frequency of Mo-MDSC (1.91%-1.92%, P = 0.96) and serum levels of IL-6 (19.2 pg/mL
      to 16.1 pg/mL, P = 0.63) during the treatment. In contrast, the frequency of Mo
      MDSC and levels of IL-6 in the PPV-alone group were significantly increased
      (0.91%-1.49% for Mo-MDSC and 9.2 pg/mL to 19.4 pg/mL for IL-6, respectively).
      These results suggest that the combined use of HM has the potential to prevent
      the immunosuppression induced by Mo-MDSC or IL-6 during immunotherapy. More
      research is needed to validate the findings of the present study.

PMID- 28898533
TI  - Optimization of the ultrasound-assisted extraction of antioxidant phloridzin from
      Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. using response surface methodology.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to optimize the extraction process of phloridzin
      from Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. leaves using response surface methodology and
      to determine the antioxidant capacity of the extract. A Box-Behnken design was
      used to analyze the effects of ethanol concentration, liquid-solid ratio, soak
      time and extraction time on the extraction yield of phloridzin. The content of
      phloridzin was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. To assess
      the antioxidant capacity of the extract, three in vitro test systems were used
      (1,1-,diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl radical scavenging test and reduction
      force). The optimal parameters obtained by response surface methodology were a
      volume fraction of ethanol of 64%, a liquid-solid ratio of 37:1, a soaking time
      of 35 h and a sonication time of 38 min. The proportion of the extraction of
      phloridzin from L. polystachyus under these industrial process conditions was
      3.83%. According to the obtained results, response surface methodology could be
      suggested as an adequate model for optimizing the extraction process of
      phloridzin from L. polystachyus. Ultrasound extraction significantly increased
      the extraction rate of phloridzin, which could be used as an antioxidant in
      pharmaceutical and food products.

PMID- 28898534
TI  - Proteomic Analysis of the Secretome of Porcine Alveolar Macrophages Infected with
      Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes porcine
      reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is characterized by
      reproductive failure and respiratory disorders. The secretome of PRRSV-infected
      porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), which are the primary target cells of PRRSV,
      was analyzed by label-free quantitative proteomics to gain a profile of proteins
      secreted during PRRSV infection. A total of 95 secreted proteins with
      differentially expressed levels between PRRSV- and mock-infected PAMs was
      screened. Among these, the expression levels of 49 and 46 proteins were up
      regulated and down-regulated, respectively, in PRRSV-infected cell supernatants,
      as compared with mock-infected cell supernatants. Bioinformatic analysis revealed
      that the differentially expressed proteins were enriched in several signaling
      pathways related to the immune and inflammatory responses, such as the Toll-like
      receptor signaling pathway and NF-kappa B signaling pathway, and involved in a
      great diversity of biological processes, such as protein binding and
      localization, as well as immune effector processes. In addition, PRRSV-infected
      cell supernatants induced significant expression of inflammatory cytokines in
      vascular endothelial cells. These findings suggest that the secreted proteins
      play potential roles in the host immune and inflammatory responses as well as
      PRRSV replication, thereby providing new insights into cell-to-cell communication
      during PRRSV infection.

PMID- 28898536
TI  - Treatment with Naloxegol Versus Placebo: Pain Assessment in Patients with
      Noncancer Pain and Opioid-Induced Constipation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarize results from pain and opioid use assessments with
      naloxegol in adults with opioid-induced constipation (OIC) and chronic noncancer
      pain. METHODS: Two phase 3 randomized, double-blind, 12-week studies evaluated
      the efficacy and safety of oral naloxegol (12.5 or 25 mg daily) in adults (18 to
      < 85 years) with confirmed OIC and chronic noncancer pain: KODIAC-04
      (NCT01309841) and KODIAC-05 (NCT01323790). Pain level was assessed daily (11
      point numeric rating scale [NRS]; 0 = no pain, 10 = worst imaginable pain).
      Changes from baseline in mean weekly pain scores and opioid dose (weeks 1 through
      12) were analyzed using mixed-model repeated measures. RESULTS: At baseline, mean
      daily NRS average pain scores ranged from 4.5 to 4.8 for all groups in KODIAC-04
      (N = 652) and were 4.6 for each group in KODIAC-05 (N = 700). Respective mean +/-
      SD changes from baseline average pain for placebo, naloxegol 12.5 mg, and
      naloxegol 25 mg were -0.2 +/- 1.07, -0.3 +/- 1.05 (P = 0.773 vs. placebo), and
      0.2 +/- 0.95 (P = 0.837 vs. placebo; KODIAC-04) and -0.1 +/- 0.94, -0.1 +/- 0.87
      (P = 0.744), and 0.0 +/- 1.18 (P = 0.572; KODIAC-05). At baseline, mean daily
      opioid doses ranged from 135.6 to 143.2 morphine equivalent units (MEUs)/day in
      KODIAC-04, and from 119.9 to 151.7 MEUs/day in KODIAC-05. Respective mean +/- SD
      changes from baseline dose were -1.8 +/- 30.19, -2.3 +/- 20.52 (P = 0.724 vs.
      placebo), and 0.4 +/- 13.01 (P = 0.188 vs. placebo; KODIAC-04) and -0.3 +/-
      17.14, -1.3 +/- 17.11 (P = 0.669 vs. placebo), and 0.1 +/- 8.54 (P = 0.863 vs.
      placebo; KODIAC-05). Changes in maintenance opioid dose were few; reasons for
      such changes were similar across treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Centrally mediated
      opioid analgesia was maintained during treatment with naloxegol in patients with
      noncancer pain and OIC.

PMID- 28898535
TI  - Characterization of social cognition impairment in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been associated with deficits
      in social cognition. However, little is known about which domains of social
      cognition are predominantly affected and what other factors are associated with
      it. The aim was (i) to characterize social cognition deficit in a group of MS
      outpatients and (ii) to relate impairment in social cognition to overall
      cognitive status, depression and fatigue. METHODS: Thirty-five MS patients (mean
      disease duration 12.9 years, median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 3 and
      34 healthy controls (HCs) were examined using the German version of the Geneva
      Social Cognition Scale to measure different domains of social cognition. Standard
      neuropsychological testing was applied to all patients and to 20 HCs. Patient
      reported outcomes included questionnaires for fatigue, depression, anxiety and
      executive-behavioural disturbances. RESULTS: The mean social cognition raw score
      was lower in the MS patients compared to the HCs (86.5 +/- 8.7 vs. 91.2 +/- 5.9,
      P = 0.005; d = 0.6) and did not correlate with EDSS or disease duration. The
      difference was driven by facial affect recognition and the understanding of
      complex social situations (14% and 23% of patients respectively under the cut
      off). The impairment in these two tasks did not correlate with general cognitive
      performance or depression but with fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: The impairment in our
      group was restricted to high order and affective social cognition tasks and
      independent of general cognitive performance, EDSS, disease duration and
      depression. Fatigue correlated with social cognition performance, which might be
      due to common underlying neuronal networks.

PMID- 28898537
TI  - Stabilizing an amyloidogenic lambda6 light chain variable domain.
AB  - : Light chain amyloidosis is a lethal disease where vital organs are damaged by
      the fibrillar aggregation of monoclonal light chains. lambda6a is an
      immunoglobulin light chain encoded by the germ-line gene segment implicated in
      this disease. AR is a patient-derived germ-line variant with a markedly low
      thermodynamic stability and prone to form fibrils in vitro in less than an hour.
      Here, we sought to stabilize this domain by mutating some residues back to the
      germ-line sequence, and the most stabilizing mutations were the single-mutant AR
      F21I and the double-mutant AR-F21/IV104L, both located in the hydrophobic core.
      While mutation Arg25Gly in 6aJL2 destabilized the domain, mutating Gly25 back to
      arginine in AR did not contribute to stabilization as expected. Crystallographic
      structures of AR and 6a-R25G were generated to explain this discrepancy. Finally,
      6a-R25G crystals revealed an octameric assembly which was emulated into 6aJL2 and
      AR crystals by replicating their structural parameters and suggesting a common
      assembly pattern. DATABASE: The atomic coordinates and structure factors have
      been deposited in the Protein Data Bank under the accession numbers 5IR3 and
      5C9K.

PMID- 28898538
TI  - Longitudinal slit procedure combined with negative-pressure wound therapy for
      exposed Achilles tendons.

PMID- 28898539
TI  - Plant Proteogenomics: Improvements to the Grapevine Genome Annotation.
AB  - Grapevine is an important perennial fruit to the wine industry, and has
      implications for the health industry with some causative agents proven to reduce
      heart disease. Since the sequencing and assembly of grapevine cultivar Pinot
      Noir, several studies have contributed to its genome annotation. This new study
      further contributes toward genome annotation efforts by conducting a
      proteogenomics analysis using the latest genome annotation from CRIBI, legacy
      proteomics dataset from cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon and a large RNA-seq dataset.
      A total of 341 novel annotation events are identified consisting of five frame
      shifts, 37 translated UTRs, 15 exon boundaries, one novel splice, nine novel
      exons, 159 gene boundaries, 112 reverse strands, and one novel gene event in 213
      genes and 323 proteins. From this proteogenomics evidence, the Augustus gene
      prediction tool predicted 52 novel and revised genes (54 protein isoforms), 11
      genes of which are associated with key traits such as stress tolerance and floral
      and fruity wine characteristics. This study also highlights a likely over
      assembly with the genome, particularly on chromosome 7.

PMID- 28898540
TI  - Compound heterozygous TRPV4 mutations in two siblings with a complex phenotype
      including severe intellectual disability and neuropathy.
AB  - TRPV4 encodes a polymodal calcium-permeable plasma membrane channel. Dominant
      pathogenic mutations in TRPV4 lead to a wide spectrum of abnormal phenotypes.
      This is the first report of biallelic TRPV4 mutations and we describe two
      compound heterozygous siblings presenting with a complex phenotype including
      severe neuromuscular involvement. In light of previously well described dominant
      inheritance for TRPV4-related neuromuscular disease, our study suggests a role
      for compound heterozygosity and loss-of-function as a potential novel disease
      mechanism for this group of disorders. Profound intellectual disability was also
      noted in both affected children, suggesting that TRPV4 may be necessary for
      normal brain development.

PMID- 28898541
TI  - Biologics combined with conventional systemic agents or phototherapy for the
      treatment of psoriasis: real-life data from PSONET registries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biologics have greatly improved psoriasis management. However,
      primary and secondary non-response to treatment requires innovative strategies to
      optimize outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of combined treatment of
      biologics with conventional systemic agents or phototherapy in daily clinical
      practice. METHODS: We collected data on frequency of use, demographics, treatment
      characteristics and drug survival of biologics combined with conventional
      systemic agents or phototherapy in five PSONET registries. RESULTS: Of 9922
      biologic treatment cycles, 982 (9.9%) were identified as combination treatment.
      72.9% of treatment cycles concerned concomitant use of methotrexate, 25.3%
      concerned concomitant UVB therapy, acitretin or cyclosporin and 1.8% concerned
      combined treatment with PUVA, fumaric acids or a second biologic. Substantial
      variation was detected in type and frequency of combination treatments prescribed
      across registries. Patients initiated on combined treatment had generally severe
      disease and were affected with psoriasis for many years. The extent to which
      patients had been priory treated with biologic monotherapy and the proportion of
      patients affected with psoriatic arthritis differed between registries. Survival
      rates for etanercept, adalimumab, infliximab and ustekinumab with methotrexate
      ranged between 43 and 92%, 28 and 83%, 65 and 87% and 53 and 77%, respectively,
      across registries after one year with no consistent superior survival for a
      particular biologic. Longest survival on a biologic combined with methotrexate,
      acitretin or cyclosporin was 103, 78 and 34 months, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Methotrexate was the most commonly used concomitant treatment for patients on a
      biologic. Wide geographical variations in treatment selection and persistence of
      combination treatment exist. Data derived from ongoing studies may help to
      determine whether combined treatment is superior to biologic monotherapy.

PMID- 28898542
TI  - Maximizing donor allocation: A review of UNOS region 9 donor heart turn-downs.
AB  - This study was performed to determine if organ selection practices for heart
      utilization by Region 9 transplant programs were optimal, and to identify
      opportunities to increase local organ recovery. A retrospective review of de
      identified region-wide donor data January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2013 was
      performed. Over the study period 537 heart donors were identified, of which 321
      (60%) were transplanted. Two hundred-sixteen consented hearts were not used; 190
      of these were not recovered, and 26 were recovered but not transplanted. Of
      these, 245/321 (76%) hearts were transplanted at one of 5 regional programs, 15
      (5%) were transplanted out of region as primary offers, and 61 (19%) were turned
      down in region and exported. Of the 61 exported hearts, 43 were turned down in
      region for donor-related "quality" codes (UNOS 830, 833-837) by at least one
      program, the remaining 18 hearts were turned down for non-"quality" reasons,
      primarily histocompatibility and size. Only 5/43 exported were turned down for
      "quality" reasons by all regional programs offered the organ. A review of
      consented, not recovered donor offers suggested an additional 28 organs were
      possibly appropriate for transplant. Our review of regional turn-downs suggests
      transplant centers could potentially identify additional usable organs without
      compromising short-term outcomes.

PMID- 28898543
TI  - Follicular and cystic regression of locally advanced basal cell carcinoma
      following short-term neoadjuvant vismodegib therapy.

PMID- 28898544
TI  - Direct preparation of a graphene oxide modified monolith in a glass syringe as a
      solid-phase extraction cartridge for the extraction of quaternary ammonium
      alkaloids from Chinese patent medicine.
AB  - Packed cartridges have been widely used in solid-phase extraction. However, there
      are still some drawbacks, such as they are blocked easily and the method is time
      consuming. In view of the advantages of monoliths, a monolithic extraction
      material has been directly synthesized in a glass syringe without any gap between
      the monolith and syringe inner wall. The monolithic syringe was modified with
      graphene oxide by loading graphene oxide dispersion onto it. The content of
      graphene oxide and the surface topography of the monolith have been evaluated by
      elemental analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively, which
      confirmed the successful modification. This prepared graphene oxide-modified
      monolithic syringe was directly used as a traditional solid-phase extraction
      cartridge. As expected, it shows good permeability and excellent capability for
      the extraction of quaternary ammonium alkaloids. The sample loading velocity (1-6
      mL/min) does not affect the recovery. Under the optimal conditions, good
      linearities (R = 0.9992-0.9998) were obtained for five quaternary ammonium
      alkaloids, and the limits of detection and quantification were 0.5-1 and 1-2
      MUg/L, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the
      analysis of quaternary ammonium alkaloids in Chinese patent medicine.

PMID- 28898545
TI  - Attitudes towards mental illness among medical students in China: Impact of
      medical education on stigma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Stigma towards people with mental illness impedes effective
      treatment. A recent study found that Chinese students were less socially
      accepting of people with mental illness than counterparts from other countries.
      The current study examined stigma among Chinese medical students at different
      levels of training. METHODS: Medical students (N = 1372 from 12 Chinese schools)
      were surveyed with a questionnaire addressing attitudes and beliefs about people
      with mental illness. Analysis of variance was used to compare responses from
      students: (1) with no psychiatry training; (2) who had only taken a didactic
      course; and (3) who had completed both a course and a clinical rotation. Specific
      attitudes were identified through factor analysis. Interest in further training
      and other personal experience were also examined. RESULTS: Factor analysis
      revealed attitudes favoring: (1) social acceptance of people with mental illness,
      (2) not believing in supernatural causes of mental illness, (3) bio-psycho-social
      causation, (4) rehabilitation, and (5) social integration. The absence of
      consistent trends across training levels suggested that education did not
      increase nonstigmatized attitudes. Areas of most stigmatization were low social
      acceptance and little favor for social integration. Measures most strongly
      correlated with nonstigmatized attitudes were as follows: interest in clinical
      psychiatry, belief that psychiatry should be more valued, and having friends with
      mental illness. DISCUSSION: Although medical school education showed little
      effect on attitudes, students with more individual experiences such as planning
      to continue clinical psychiatric training, believing psychiatry should be more
      valued, and having friends with mental illness had less stigmatized attitudes
      than others.

PMID- 28898546
TI  - Taking the challenge: A protocolized approach to optimize Pneumocystis pneumonia
      prophylaxis in renal transplant recipients.
AB  - While trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is considered first-line therapy for
      Pneumocystis pneumonia prevention in renal transplant recipients, reported
      adverse drug reactions may limit use and increase reliance on costly and less
      effective alternatives, often aerosolized pentamidine. We report our experience
      implementing a protocolized approach to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole adverse
      drug reaction assessment and rechallenge to optimize prophylaxis in this patient
      cohort. We retrospectively reviewed 119 patients receiving Pneumocystis pneumonia
      prophylaxis prior to and after protocol implementation. Forty-two patients (35%)
      had 48 trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole adverse drug reactions documented either at
      baseline or during the prophylaxis period, of which 83% were non-immune-mediated
      and 17% were immune-mediated. Significantly more patients underwent trimethoprim
      sulfamethoxazole rechallenge after protocol implementation (4/22 vs 23/27; P =
      .0001), with no recurrence of adverse drug reactions in 74%. In those who
      experienced a new or recurrent reaction (26%), all were mild and self-limiting
      with only 1 recurrence of an immune-mediated reaction. After protocol
      implementation, aerosolized pentamidine-associated costs were reduced. The
      introduction of a standard approach to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole rechallenge
      in the context of both prior immune and non-immune-mediated reactions was safe
      and successful in improving the uptake of first-line Pneumocystis pneumonia
      prophylaxis in renal transplant recipients.

PMID- 28898547
TI  - HLX is a candidate gene for a pattern of anomalies associated with congenital
      diaphragmatic hernia, short bowel, and asplenia.
AB  - Isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia is often a sporadic event with a low
      recurrence risk. However, underlying genetic etiologies, such as chromosome
      anomalies or single gene disorders, are identified in a small number of
      individuals. We describe two fetuses with a unique pattern of multiple congenital
      anomalies, including diaphragmatic hernia, short bowel and asplenia, born to
      first-cousin parents. Whole exome sequencing showed that both were homozygous for
      a missense variant, c.950A>C, predicting p.Asp317Ala, in the H.20-Like Homeobox 1
      (HLX1) gene. HLX is a homeobox transcription factor gene which is relatively
      conserved across species. Hlx homozygous null mice have a short bowel and reduced
      muscle cells in the diaphragm, closely resembling the anomalies in the two
      fetuses and we therefore suggest that the HLX mutation in this family could
      explain the fetal findings.

PMID- 28898548
TI  - Plasma Catechols After Eating Olives.
AB  - Olives contain 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl compounds (catechols)-especially 3,4
      dihydroxyphenylethanol (DOPET)-that have therapeutic potential as nutraceuticals.
      Whether olive ingestion affects plasma levels of free (unconjugated) catechols
      has been unknown. Arm venous blood was sampled before and 15, 30, 45, 60, 120,
      180, and 240 min after six healthy volunteers ate 10 Kalamata olives. Catechols
      were assayed by alumina extraction followed by liquid chromatography with series
      electrochemical detection. Plasma DOPET increased to 18.5 times baseline at 30
      min (area under the curve (AUC) 39.2 +/- 9.2 pmol-min/mL, P = 0.008). 3,4
      Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) increased markedly (peak 37.4 times baseline,
      AUC 23,490 +/- 4,151 pmol-min/mL, P = 0.002). The sum of 10 catechols increased
      12-fold (P < 0.0001). Eating olives produces large-magnitude increases in plasma
      levels of catechols, mainly DOPAC. DOPET seems to go undergo extensive hepatic
      metabolism to DOPAC.

PMID- 28898549
TI  - Filamin A (FLNA) mutation-A newcomer to the childhood interstitial lung disease
      (ChILD) classification.
AB  - AIM: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) in infants represents a rare and
      heterogenous group of disorders, distinct from those occurring in adults. In
      recent years a new entity within this category is being recognized, namely
      filamin A (FLNA) mutation related lung disease. Our aims are to describe the
      clinical and radiological course of patients with this disease entity to aid
      clinicians in the prognostic counseling and management of similar patients they
      may encounter. METHOD: A retrospective case note review was conducted of all
      patients treated at our institution (a specialist tertiary referral childrens'
      center) for genetically confirmed FLNA mutation related lung disease. The
      clinical presentation, evolution, management and radiological features were
      recorded and a medical literature review of Medline indexed articles was
      conducted. RESULTS: We present a case series of four patients with interstitial
      lung disease and genetically confirmed abnormalities within the FLNA gene. Their
      imaging findings all reveal a pattern of predominantly upper lobe overinflation,
      coarse pulmonary lobular septal thickening and diffuse patchy atelectasis. The
      clinical outcomes of our patients have been variable ranging from infant death,
      lobar resection and need for supplemental oxygen and bronchodilators. CONCLUSION:
      The progressive nature of the pulmonary aspect of this disorder and need for
      early aggressive supportive treatment make identification crucial to patient
      management and prognostic counseling.

PMID- 28898550
TI  - Rare, yet relevant tumor cells - A new twist to melanoma cell plasticity.

PMID- 28898551
TI  - Elucidation of GlcNAc-binding properties of type III intermediate filament
      proteins, using GlcNAc-bearing polymers.
AB  - Vimentin, desmin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and peripherin belong to
      type III intermediate filament family and are expressed in mesenchymal cells,
      skeletal muscle cells, astrocytes and peripheral neurons, respectively. Vimentin
      and desmin possess N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc)-binding properties on cell
      surfaces. The rod II domain of these proteins is a GlcNAc-binding site, which
      also exists in GFAP and peripherin. However, the GlcNAc-binding activities and
      behaviors of these proteins remain unclear. Here, we characterized the
      interaction and binding behaviors of these proteins, using various well-defined
      GlcNAc-bearing polymers synthesized by radical polymerization with a reversible
      addition-fragmentation chain transfer reagent. The small GlcNAc-bearing polymers
      strongly interacted with HeLa cells through vimentin expressed on the cell
      surface and interacted with vimentin-, desmin-, GFAP- and peripherin-transfected
      vimentin-deficient HeLa cells. These proteins present high affinity to GlcNAc
      bearing polymers, as shown by surface plasmon resonance. These results show that
      type III intermediate filament proteins possess GlcNAc-binding activities on cell
      surfaces. These findings provide important insights into novel cellular functions
      and physiological significance of type III intermediate filaments.

PMID- 28898552
TI  - A key tyrosine substitution restricts nucleotide hydrolysis by the ectoenzyme
      NPP5.
AB  - : The ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase (NPP) family of proteins
      mediates purinergic signaling by degrading extracellular nucleotides and also
      participates in phospholipid metabolism. NPP5 (ENPP5) is the least characterized
      member of this group and its specific role is unknown. This enzyme does not
      display activity on certain nucleotides and on other typical NPP substrates. In
      order to gain insights into its function, we determined the crystal structure of
      human and murine NPP5. Structural comparison with close homologs revealed a key
      phenylalanine to tyrosine substitution that prevents efficient hydrolysis of
      nucleotide diphosphates and triphosphates; reversal of this mutation enabled
      degradation of these molecules. Interestingly, NPP5 is able to cleave
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), suggesting a potential role of this
      enzyme in NAD-based neurotransmission. An NPP5-specific metal binding motif is
      found adjacent to the active site, although its significance is unclear. These
      findings expand our understanding of substrate specificity within the NPP family.
      DATABASE: Structural data are available in the Protein Data Bank under the
      accession numbers 5VEM, 5VEN, and 5VEO.

PMID- 28898554
TI  - Pulmonary blastoma in a child: Report of a case with cytological findings.
AB  - Pulmonary blastoma is an uncommon tumour. It constitutes <0.1% of all resected
      lung cancers. It is even more rare in children with only a few case reports
      describing this entity in them. Pulmonary blastoma should not be confused with
      pleuropulmonary blastoma which is a paediatric lung tumour with different
      morphology and better outcome. Here we take the opportunity of describing
      pulmonary blastoma in a 3 years old child along with its cytological findings.

PMID- 28898553
TI  - Rational Development of Neutral Aqueous Electrolytes for Zinc-Air Batteries.
AB  - Neutral aqueous electrolytes have been shown to extend both the calendar life and
      cycling stability of secondary zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Despite this promise,
      there are currently no modeling studies investigating the performance of neutral
      ZABs. Traditional continuum models are numerically insufficient to simulate the
      dynamic behavior of these complex systems because of the rapid, orders-of
      magnitude concentration shifts that occur. In this work, we present a novel
      framework for modeling the cell-level performance of pH-buffered aqueous
      electrolytes. We apply our model to conduct the first continuum-scale simulation
      of secondary ZABs using aqueous ZnCl2 -NH4 Cl as electrolyte. We first use our
      model to interpret the results of two recent experimental studies of neutral
      ZABs, showing that the stability of the pH value is a significant factor in cell
      performance. We then optimize the composition of the electrolyte and the design
      of the cell considering factors including pH stability, final discharge product,
      and overall energy density. Our simulations predict that the effectiveness of the
      pH buffer is limited by slow mass transport and that chlorine-containing solids
      may precipitate in addition to ZnO.

PMID- 28898555
TI  - Complementary and alternative medicine in US adults with diabetes: Reasons for
      use and perceived benefits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly
      used, little is known about the reasons for CAM use (treatment, wellness, or
      both), or the self-reported perceived benefits among US adults with diabetes. In
      this study we estimated prevalence rates of overall and specific types of CAM, as
      well as the perceived benefits of CAM, by reason for use among US diabetic
      adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 2012 National Health Interview
      Survey, which represents non-institutionalized adults with diabetes (n = 3386
      unweighted), were used to estimate prevalence rates of CAM use by reason.
      Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the odds of
      perceived benefits of CAM by reason for use after controlling for covariates.
      RESULTS: Of US diabetic adults, 26.2% reported using some form of CAM in the past
      year. Of these, 56.7% used CAM for both treatment and wellness, 28.3% used CAM
      for wellness only, and 15.0% used CAM for treatment only. Regardless of reasons
      for use, most commonly used CAM were herbal therapies (56.9%), followed by
      chiropractic (25.3%) and massage (20.2%). Those using CAM for a combination of
      both treatment and wellness had a higher likelihood of self-reporting a "better
      sense of control over their health" (P = 0.011) and "improved overall health and
      feeling better" (P = 0.014) than those using CAM for treatment only. CONCLUSION:
      Although CAM may be a promising approach to improving health-related quality of
      life, future research should address efficacy and patient safety.

PMID- 28898556
TI  - Critical Appraisal Tools and Reporting Guidelines for Evidence-Based Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nurses engaged in evidence-based practice (EBP) have two important
      sets of tools: Critical appraisal tools and reporting guidelines. Critical
      appraisal tools facilitate the appraisal process and guide a consumer of evidence
      through an objective, analytical, evaluation process. Reporting guidelines,
      checklists of items that should be included in a publication or report, ensure
      that the project or guidelines are reported on with clarity, completeness, and
      transparency. PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this paper is to help nurses
      understand the difference between critical appraisal tools and reporting
      guidelines. A secondary purpose is to help nurses locate the appropriate tool for
      the appraisal or reporting of evidence. METHODS: A systematic search was
      conducted to find commonly used critical appraisal tools and reporting guidelines
      for EBP in nursing. RATIONALE: This article serves as a resource to help nurse
      navigate the often-overwhelming terrain of critical appraisal tools and reporting
      guidelines, and will help both novice and experienced consumers of evidence more
      easily select the appropriate tool(s) to use for critical appraisal and reporting
      of evidence. Having the skills to select the appropriate tool or guideline is an
      essential part of meeting EBP competencies for both practicing registered nurses
      and advanced practice nurses (Melnyk & Gallagher-Ford, 2015; Melnyk, Gallagher
      Ford, & Fineout-Overholt, 2017). RESULTS: Nine commonly used critical appraisal
      tools and eight reporting guidelines were found and are described in this
      manuscript. Specific steps for selecting an appropriate tool as well as examples
      of each tool's use in a publication are provided. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION:
      Practicing registered nurses and advance practice nurses must be able to
      critically appraise and disseminate evidence in order to meet EBP competencies.
      This article is a resource for understanding the difference between critical
      appraisal tools and reporting guidelines, and identifying and accessing
      appropriate tools or guidelines.

PMID- 28898557
TI  - Improved Survival for Rural Trauma Patients Transported by Helicopter to a
      Verified Trauma Center: A Propensity Score Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent studies using advanced statistical methods to control for
      confounders have demonstrated an association between helicopter transport (HT)
      versus ground ambulance transport (GT) in terms of improved survival for adult
      trauma patients. The aim of this study was to apply a methodologically vigorous
      approach to determine if HT is associated with a survival benefit for when trauma
      patients are transported to a verified trauma center in a rural setting. METHODS:
      The ascertainment of trauma patients age >= 15 years (n = 469 cases) by HT and (n
      = 580 cases) by GT between 1999 and 2012 was restricted to the scene of injury in
      a rural area of 10 to 35 miles from the trauma center. The propensity score (PS)
      was determined using data including demographics, prehospital physiology,
      intubation, total prehospital time, and injury severity. The PS matching was
      performed with different calipers to select a higher percentage of matches of HT
      compared to GT patients. The outcome of interest was survival to discharge from
      hospital. Identical logistic regression analysis was done taking into account for
      each matched design to select an appropriate effect estimate and confidence
      interval (CI) controlling for initial vital signs in the emergency department,
      the need for urgent surgery, intensive care unit admission, and mechanical
      ventilation. RESULTS: Unadjusted mortalities for HT compared to GT were 7.7 and
      5.3%, respectively (p > 0.05). The adjusted rates were 4.0% for HT and 7.6% for
      GT (p < 0.05). In a PS well-matched data set, HT was associated with a 2.69-fold
      increase in odds of survival compared to GT patients (adjusted odds ratio = 2.69;
      95% CI = 1.21-5.97). CONCLUSIONS: In a rural setting, we demonstrated improved
      survival associated with HT compared to GT for scene transportation of adult
      trauma patients to a verified Level II trauma center using an advanced
      methodologic approach, which included adjustment for transport distance. The
      implication of survival benefit to rural population is discussed. We recommend
      larger studies with multiple trauma systems need to be repeated using similar
      study methodology to substantiate our findings.

PMID- 28898558
TI  - Combination of Capillaroscopic and Ultrasonographic Evaluations in Systemic
      Sclerosis: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare microvascular damages on nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) with
      macrovascular manifestations evaluated by hand power Doppler ultrasonography
      (PDUS) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, and to assess the associations of
      these damages with the main digital manifestations of the disease: digital
      ulcers, acroosteolysis, and calcinosis. METHODS: NFC, hand radiographs, and PDUS
      were systematically performed in 64 unselected SSc patients. PDUS evaluation with
      assessment of ulnar artery occlusion (UAO) and finger pulp blood flow (FPBF) were
      performed blinded for the results of radiographs and NFC. RESULTS: UAO and
      pathologic FPBF were associated with severe capillary loss (<4 capillaries/mm) on
      NFC (odds ratio [OR] 4.04 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.23-13.29]; P <
      0.05, and OR 3.38 [95% CI 1.03-11.05]; P < 0.05, respectively). Digital ulcer
      history was associated with UAO (OR 10.71 [95% CI 3.36-34.13]; P < 0.0001),
      pathologic FPBF (OR 7.67 [95% CI 2.52-23.28]; P < 0.0001), late NFC pattern (OR
      6.33 [95% CI 2.03-19.68]; P = 0.001), and severe capillary loss (OR 8.52 [95% CI
      2.15-33.78]; P = 0.001). Acroosteolysis was also associated with UAO (OR 15.83
      [95% CI 3.95-63.54]; P < 0.0001), pathologic FPBF (OR 5.52 [95% CI 1.71-17.90]; P
      = 0.003), late NFC pattern (OR 6.86 [95% CI 2.18-21.53]; P = 0.001), and severe
      capillary loss (OR 7.20 [95% CI 2.16-24.02]; P = 0.001). Calcinosis on
      radiographs was associated with late NFC pattern (OR 5.41 [95% CI 1.82-16.12]; P
      = 0.002), severe capillary loss (OR 12.69 [95% CI 3.14-51.26]; P < 0.0001), and
      UAO (OR 3.19 [95% CI 1.14-8.92]; P = 0.025). Combination of UAO and severe
      capillary loss in the same patient was especially associated with digital ulcer
      history (OR 18.60 [95% CI 2.24-154.34]; P = 0.001) and acroosteolysis (OR 10.83
      [95% CI 2.56-45.88]; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Microvascular damages evaluated by
      NFC and macrovascular features like UAO assessed by PDUS show concordant
      associations with the main digital manifestations of the disease.

PMID- 28898559
TI  - Changes in Physical Activity After Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis of Six- and Twelve-Month Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the extent to which physical activity (PA)
      levels change following total knee or hip joint replacement relative to pain,
      physical function, and quality of life. Our objective was to conduct a systematic
      review and meta-analysis on changes in PA relative to pain, quality of life, and
      physical function after total knee or hip joint replacement. METHODS: We searched
      the PubMed (Medline), Embase, and CINAHL databases for peer-reviewed, English
      language cohort studies measuring PA with an accelerometer from presurgery to
      postsurgery. Random-effects models were used to produce standardized mean
      differences (SMDs) for PA, quality of life, pain, and physical function outcomes.
      Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 . RESULTS: Seven studies (336 participants)
      met the eligibility criteria. No significant increase in PA was found at 6 months
      (SMD 0.14 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) -0.05, 0.34]; I2 = 0%) and a small to
      moderately significant effect was found for increasing PA at 12 months (SMD 0.43
      [95% CI 0.22, 0.64]; I2 = 0%). Large improvements were found at 6 months in
      physical function (SMD 0.97 [95% CI 0.12, 1.82]; I2 = 92.3%), pain (SMD -1.47
      [95% CI -2.28, -0.65]; I2 = 91.6%), and quality of life (SMD 1.02 [95% CI 0.30,
      1.74]; I2 = 83.2%). CONCLUSION: Physical activity did not change at 6 months, and
      a small to moderate improvement was found at 12 months postsurgery, despite large
      improvements in quality of life, pain, and physical function. Reasons for the
      lack of increased PA are unknown but may be behavioral in nature, as a sedentary
      lifestyle is difficult to change. Changing sedentary behavior should be a future
      focus of research in this subgroup.

PMID- 28898560
TI  - Off the beaten path: A case of mediastinal ectopic thyroid tissue.

PMID- 28898561
TI  - Haptic simulation of tissue tearing during surgery.
AB  - We present a method for the real-time, interactive simulation of tissue tearing
      during laparoscopic surgery. The method is designed to work at haptic feedback
      rates (ie, around 1 kHz). Tissue tearing is simulated under the general framework
      of continuum damage mechanics. The problem is stated as a general,
      multidimensional parametric problem, which is solved by means of proper
      generalized decomposition methods. One of the main novelties is the reduction of
      history-dependent problems, such as damage mechanics, by resorting to an approach
      in which a reduced-order field of initial damage values is considered as a
      parameter of the formulation. We focus on the laparoscopic cholecystectomy
      procedure as a general example of the performance of the method.

PMID- 28898562
TI  - Skipping breakfast among Australian children and adolescents; findings from the
      2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Skipping breakfast has been linked with poor diet quality, higher BMI
      and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. This study aimed to determine the
      prevalence and correlates of skipping breakfast among Australian children and
      adolescents. METHODS: A total of 1,592 2-17-year-olds completed two 24-hour
      recalls, collected via face-to-face and telephone interview, in the 2011-12
      National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Breakfast was an eating occasion
      of >=210kJ named as 'breakfast' by the participant. Child, household and adult
      correlates of skipping breakfast were reported. Odds ratios were calculated using
      ordinal regression. Linear regression was used to examine differences in dietary
      intake. Survey weights were applied to give nationally representative estimates.
      RESULTS: Most (86.8% of boys, 81.4% of girls) ate breakfast on both days, 11.8%
      of boys and 14.8% girls skipped on one day and 1.4% boys and 3.8% girls skipped
      on both days. Characteristics associated with skipping breakfast were being
      female, being older, being underweight or overweight/obese, poorer diet, lower
      physical activity, inadequate sleep, lower household income, greater
      socioeconomic disadvantage, and being from a single-parent home. CONCLUSION:
      Skipping breakfast was common among Australian adolescents but few consistently
      skipped. Implications for public health: Interventions to increase breakfast
      should target adolescents, particularly girls, and low SEP households.

PMID- 28898564
TI  - Pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma in New Zealand Maori.

PMID- 28898563
TI  - Direct-acting antiviral agent-based regimen for HCV recurrence after combined
      liver-kidney transplantation: Results from the ANRS CO23 CUPILT study.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with reduced patient survival
      following combined liver-kidney transplantation (LKT). The aim of this study was
      to assess the efficacy and safety of second-generation direct-acting antivirals
      (DAAs) in this difficult-to-treat population. The ANRS CO23 "Compassionate use of
      Protease Inhibitors in Viral C Liver Transplantation" (CUPILT) study is a
      prospective cohort including transplant recipients with recurrent HCV infection
      treated with DAAs. The present work focused on recipients with recurrent
      infection following LKT. The study population included 23 patients. All patients
      received at least one NS5B inhibitor (sofosbuvir) in their antiviral regimen an
      average of 90 months after LKT. Ninety-six percent of recipients achieved a
      sustained virological response (SVR) at week 12 (SVR12). In terms of tolerance,
      39% of recipients presented with at least one serious adverse event. None of the
      patients experienced acute rejection during therapy and there were no deaths
      during follow-up. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decreased significantly
      from baseline to the end of therapy. However, this study did not show that the
      decline in GFR persisted over time or that it was directly related to DAAs. The
      DAA-based regimen is well tolerated with excellent results in terms of efficacy.
      It will become the gold standard for the treatment of recurrent HCV following
      LKT.

PMID- 28898565
TI  - Projected Burden of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Australia: A
      Population-Level Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To forecast the prevalence and direct health care costs of
      osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Australia to the year 2030.
      METHODS: An epidemiologic model of the Australian population was developed. Data
      on the national prevalence of OA and RA were obtained from the Australian Bureau
      of Statistics (ABS) 2014-2015 National Health Survey. Future prevalence was
      estimated using ABS population projections for 2020, 2025, and 2030. Available
      government data on direct health care expenditure for OA and RA were modeled to
      forecast costs (in Australian $) for the years 2020, 2025, and 2030, from the
      perspective of the Australian public health care system. RESULTS: The number of
      people with OA is expected to increase nationally from almost 2.2 million in 2015
      to almost 3.1 million Australians in 2030. The number of people with RA is
      projected to increase from 422,309 in 2015 to 579,915 in 2030. Health care costs
      for OA were estimated to be over $2.1 billion in 2015; by the year 2030, these
      are forecast to exceed $2.9 billion ($970 for every person with the condition).
      Health care costs for RA were estimated to be over $550 million in 2015,
      including $273 million spent on biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.
      Health care costs for RA are projected to rise to over $755 million by the year
      2030. CONCLUSION: OA and RA are costly conditions that will impose an increasing
      health care burden at the population level. These projections provide tangible
      data that can be used to map future health service provision to expected need.

PMID- 28898566
TI  - Comparison of a new air-assisted sprayer and two conventional sprayers in terms
      of deposition, loss to the soil and residue of azoxystrobin and tebuconazole
      applied to sunlit greenhouse tomato and field cucumber.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plant protection products (PPPs) are applied in China and many other
      developing countries with knapsack sprayers at high volumes with coarse spray
      quality, resulting in a high percentage of pesticide losses. In this study, a new
      air-assisted electric knapsack sprayer and two conventional knapsack sprayers
      were evaluated in terms of pesticide deposition, residues and loss into the soil.
      Artificial targets fixed to the upper side and underside of the leaf surface in
      six zones (at two depths and three heights) were used to collect the deposition,
      which were analyzed by liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry.
      RESULTS: The air-assisted electric knapsack sprayer produced more deposition and
      better penetrability and uniformity than the two traditional spraying methods. In
      particular, the air-assisted electric knapsack sprayer reduced pesticide losses
      to the soil by roughly 37% to 75% and deposited 1.18 and 1.24 times more
      pesticide than the manual air-pressure and battery-powered knapsack sprayers,
      respectively. The residues of azoxystrobin and tebuconazole in tomato and
      cucumber were below the maximum residue limits (MRLs). CONCLUSION: In general,
      use of the the air-assisted electric knapsack sprayer in tomato and cucumber
      crops could improve the effectiveness of PPPs, reduce the risk of contamination
      and protect food safety. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28898567
TI  - Multicolor Photo-Crosslinkable AIEgens toward Compact Nanodots for Subcellular
      Imaging and STED Nanoscopy.
AB  - Aggregation induced emission (AIE) has attracted considerable interest for the
      development of fluorescence probes. However, controlling the bioconjugation and
      cellular labeling of AIE dots is a challenging problem. Here, this study reports
      a general approach for preparing small and bioconjugated AIE dots for specific
      labeling of cellular targets. The strategy is based on the synthesis of oxetane
      substituted AIEgens to generate compact and ultrastable AIE dots via photo
      crosslinking. A small amount of polymer enriched with oxetane groups is
      cocondensed with most of the AIEgens to functionalize the nanodot surface for
      subsequent streptavidin bioconjugation. Due to their small sizes, good stability,
      and surface functionalization, the cell-surface markers and subcellular
      structures are specifically labeled by the AIE dot bioconjugates. Remarkably,
      stimulated emission depletion imaging with AIE dots is achieved for the first
      time, and the spatial resolution is significantly enhanced to ~95 nm. This study
      provides a general approach for small functional molecules for preparing small
      sized and ultrastable nanodots.

PMID- 28898568
TI  - Application of Pulse Radiolysis to Mechanistic Investigations of Catalysis
      Relevant to Artificial Photosynthesis.
AB  - Taking inspiration from natural photosystems, the goal of artificial
      photosynthesis is to harness solar energy to convert abundant materials, such as
      CO2 and H2 O, into solar fuels. Catalysts are required to ensure that the
      necessary redox half-reactions proceed in the most energy-efficient manner. It is
      therefore critical to gain a detailed mechanistic understanding of these
      catalytic reactions to develop new and improved catalysts. Many of the key
      catalytic intermediates are short-lived transient species, requiring time
      resolved spectroscopic techniques for their observation. The two main methods for
      rapidly generating such species on the sub-microsecond timescale are laser flash
      photolysis and pulse radiolysis. These methods complement one another, and both
      provide important spectroscopic and kinetic information. However, pulse
      radiolysis proves to be superior in systems with significant spectroscopic
      overlap between the photosensitizer and other species present during the
      reaction. Herein, the pulse radiolysis technique and how it has been applied to
      mechanistic investigations of halfreactions relevant to artificial photosynthesis
      are reviewed.

PMID- 28898570
TI  - Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution via Band Alignment Tailoring:
      Controllable Transition from Type-I to Type-II.
AB  - Considering the sizable band gap and wide spectrum response of tin disulfide
      (SnS2 ), ultrathin SnS2 nanosheets are utilized as solar-driven photocatalyst for
      water splitting. Designing a heterostructure based on SnS2 is believed to boost
      their catalytic performance. Unfortunately, it has been quite challenging to
      explore a material with suitable band alignment using SnS2 nanomaterials for
      photocatalytic hydrogen generation. Herein, a new strategy is used to
      systematically tailor the band alignment in SnS2 based heterostructure to realize
      efficient H2 production under sunlight. A Type-I to Type-II band alignment
      transition is demonstrated via introducing an interlayer of Ce2 S3 , a potential
      photocatalyst for H2 evolution, between SnS2 and CeO2 . Subsequently, this
      heterostructure demonstrates tunability in light absorption, charge transfer
      kinetics, and material stability. The optimized heterostructure (SnS2 -Ce2 S3 
      CeO2 ) exhibits an incredibly strong light absorption ranging from deep UV to
      infrared light. Significantly, it also shows superior hydrogen generation with
      the rate of 240 umol g-1 h-1 under the illumination of simulated sunlight with a
      very good stability.

PMID- 28898571
TI  - Risk factors of post- endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis
      in biliary type sphincter of Oddi dysfunction in Japanese patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Suspected sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) is a well-known risk
      factor for post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
      pancreatitis (PEP). The indication of ERCP for suspected SOD patients was very
      low in Japan compared to other countries. Therefore, the risk of PEP may be
      different in Japanese SOD patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate
      the risk of PEP in suspected biliary type SOD in Japan. METHODS: From December
      1996 to January 2017, 72 patients were suspected as having biliary type SOD, by
      questionnaire, liver function tests, hepatobiliary scintigraphy, abdominal
      ultrasonography, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography and
      magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. Finally, 60 patients who underwent
      ERCP were included in this study, and the factors associated with PEP were
      evaluated. RESULTS: The overall PEP rate was 23.3% (n = 14). Diagnostic ERCP
      alone for SOD did not increase the risk of PEP. The correlation of PEP incidence
      with pancreatic duct guidewire (PGW) technique and endoscopic sphincterotomy
      (EST) was indicated in univariate and multivariate analysis. Pancreatic stent
      placement was a risk in univariate analysis but not in multivariate analysis.
      CONCLUSIONS: PGW technique and EST for biliary type SOD were important risk
      factors for PEP. Pancreatic stenting was ineffective for prevention of PEP.

PMID- 28898569
TI  - Altered task-related modulation of long-range connectivity in children with
      autism.
AB  - : Functional connectivity differences between children with autism spectrum
      disorder (ASD) and typically developing children have been described in multiple
      datasets. However, few studies examine the task-related changes in connectivity
      in disorder-relevant behavioral paradigms. In this paper, we examined the task
      related changes in functional connectivity using EEG and a movement-based
      paradigm that has behavioral relevance to ASD. Resting-state studies motivated
      our hypothesis that children with ASD would show a decreased magnitude of
      functional connectivity during the performance of a motor-control task. Contrary
      to our initial hypothesis, however, we observed that task-related modulation of
      functional connectivity in children with ASD was in the direction opposite to
      that of TDs. The task-related connectivity changes were correlated with clinical
      symptom scores. Our results suggest that children with ASD may have differences
      in cortical segregation/integration during the performance of a task, and that
      part of the differences in connectivity modulation may serve as a compensatory
      mechanism. Autism Res 2018, 11: 245-257. (c) 2017 International Society for
      Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Decreased connectivity
      between brain regions is thought to cause the symptoms of autism. Because most of
      our knowledge comes from data in which children are at rest, we do not know how
      connectivity changes directly lead to autistic behaviors, such as impaired
      gestures. When typically developing children produced complex movements,
      connectivity decreased between brain regions. In children with autism,
      connectivity increased. It may be that behavior-related changes in brain
      connectivity are more important than absolute differences in connectivity in
      autism.

PMID- 28898572
TI  - Editorial: Ratiometric Optical Imaging of Subclinical Inflammation With a
      Thrombin-Cleavable Probe: A Future Tool for the In Vivo Visualization of
      Clinically Silent Synovitis?

PMID- 28898573
TI  - Alternatives to Autopsy for Fetal and Early Neonatal (Perinatal) Deaths: Insights
      from the Wisconsin Stillbirth Service Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although autopsy is a key component of the etiologic evaluation
      following fetal and early neonatal death, and traditionally has been the
      preferred method to determine the cause of death, an alternative may be suitable
      when traditional autopsy by a perinatal pathologist is not available or declined.
      METHODS: Among 3137 cases evaluated through the Wisconsin Stillbirth Service
      Program (WiSSP), a community-based program for etiologic evaluation of second
      trimester miscarriage, stillbirth, and early neonatal death, most diagnoses are
      based on multiple types of data including placental pathology, clinical
      examination, photographs, maternal records, radiographs, and laboratory testing.
      RESULTS: Cases in the WiSSP cohort without autopsy have nearly the same overall
      rate of diagnosis as those with traditional autopsy (56% vs. 58%). Review of the
      literature shows that although recent systematic protocols including autopsy,
      placental pathology and genetic studies yield a definite or probable diagnosis in
      70% or more, both healthcare providers and families desire less invasive options.
      Several minimally invasive protocols substituting imaging, primarily MRI, for
      traditional autopsy have been proposed, but the numbers of deaths evaluated are
      still very small. CONCLUSION: We join others who have promoted the benefits of a
      targeted or less invasive protocol to study perinatal deaths, and emphasize
      integration of clinical data, selective imaging, genetic testing, and parental
      counseling. Birth Defects Research 109:1430-1441, 2017.(c) 2017 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28898574
TI  - Integrating kidney transplantation into value-based care for people with renal
      failure.
AB  - Healthcare reimbursement is increasingly tied to value instead of volume, with
      special attention paid to resource-intensive populations such as patients with
      renal disease. To this end, Medicare has sponsored pilot projects to encourage
      providers to develop care coordination and population health management
      strategies to provide quality care while reducing resource utilization. In this
      Personal Viewpoint essay, we argue in favor of expanding one such pilot project
      the Comprehensive ESRD Care (CEC) initiative-to include patients with advanced
      chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant recipients. The implementation of
      the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) offers a time-sensitive
      incentive for transplant centers in particular to align with extant CECs. An
      "expanded" CEC model proffers opportunity for robust cooperation between general
      nephrology practices, dialysis providers, and transplant centers to develop care
      coordination strategies for all patients with renal disease, realign incentives
      for all clinical stakeholders to increase kidney transplantation rates, and
      reduce total costs of care.

PMID- 28898576
TI  - Low-Temperature Solution Processed Random Silver Nanowire as a Promising
      Replacement for Indium Tin Oxide.
AB  - A low-temperature solution-based process for depositing silver nanowire (AgNW)
      networks for use as transparent conductive top electrode is demonstrated. These
      AgNWs when applied to Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells outperformed indium tin oxide as the
      top electrode. Thinner nanowires allow the use of lower temperatures during
      processing, while longer wires allow lowered sheet resistance for the same
      surface coverage of NWs, enhancing the transmittance/conductance trade-off.
      Conductive atomic force microscopy and percolation theory were used to study the
      quality of the NW network at the microscale. Our optimized network yielded a
      sheet resistance of 18 Omega/? and ~95% transmission across the entire wavelength
      range of interest for a deposition temperature as low as of 60  degrees C. Our
      results show that AgNWs can be used for low-temperature cell fabrication using
      cheap solution-based processes that could also be promising for other solar cells
      constrained to low processing temperatures such as organic and perovskite solar
      cells.

PMID- 28898575
TI  - A Green and Sustainable Route to Carbohydrate Vinyl Ethers for Accessing
      Bioinspired Materials with a Unique Microspherical Morphology.
AB  - Synthesizing chemicals and materials from renewable sources is one of the main
      aims of modern science. Carbohydrates represent excellent renewable natural raw
      materials that are ecofriendly, inexpensive, and biologically compatible. A green
      procedure has been developed for the vinylation of carbohydrates by using readily
      available calcium carbide. Various carbohydrates were utilized as starting
      materials, resulting in mono-, di-, and tetravinyl ethers in high to excellent
      yields (81-92 %). The synthesized biobased vinyl ethers were utilized as monomers
      in free radical and cationic polymerizations. A unique combination of a smooth
      surface and intrinsic microcompartments was achieved in the synthesized
      materials. Two types of biobased materials were prepared involving microspheres
      and intrinsic hollow compartments in polymers. Scanning electron microscopy with
      built-in ion beam cutting was applied to reveal the spatial hierarchical
      structures in 3D space.

PMID- 28898577
TI  - Regio- and Diastereoselective Construction of Spirocyclopenteneoxindoles through
      Phosphine-Catalyzed [3 + 2] Annulation of Methyleneindolinone with Alkynoate
      Derivatives.
AB  - A phosphine-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation of isatin-derived alpha,beta-unsaturated
      ketones with alkynoates for the synthesis of cyclopentene spiro-oxindole
      skeletons has been developed. This reaction afforded the desired products in high
      to excellent yields (up to 99%) with high regioselectivity and moderate to high
      diastereoselectivities (up to 20:1). This strategy allows facile
      diastereoselective preparation of biologically important spiro-(cyclopentene)
      oxindoles containing three contiguous stereocenters, including the quaternary
      stereogenic center joining the two rings.

PMID- 28898578
TI  - An Alternatively Packed Dry Molten Globule-like Intermediate in the Native State
      Ensemble of a Multidomain Protein.
AB  - It has been difficult to quantify the degree of side-chain conformational
      heterogeneity in the native (N) state ensemble of proteins and the relative
      energetic contributions of the side-chain packing and the hydrophobic effect in
      protein stability. Here, we show using multiple site-specific spectroscopic
      probes and tools of thermodynamics that the N state ensemble of a multidomain
      protein contains an equilibrium intermediate (I) whose interdomain region
      resembles a dry molten globule. In the I state, a tryptophan residue in the
      interdomain region is alternatively packed, but its secondary structure and
      intradomain packing are N-like. The I state also has a larger interdomain
      distance, but the domain-domain interface is dry and molten. Our results indicate
      that hydrophobic desolvation and side-chain packing are decoupled during protein
      folding and that interdomain packing interactions have an important energetic
      contribution in protein stability. Dynamic interconversion between alternatively
      packed N-like states could be important for multiple allosteric and ligand
      binding functions of this protein.

PMID- 28898579
TI  - Identifying the Oscillatory Mechanism of the Glucose Oxidase-Catalase Coupled
      Enzyme System.
AB  - We provide experimental evidence of periodic and aperiodic oscillations in an
      enzymatic system of glucose oxidase-catalase in a continuous-flow stirred reactor
      coupled by a membrane with a continuous-flow reservoir supplied with hydrogen
      peroxide. To describe such dynamics, we formulate a detailed mechanism based on
      partial results in the literature. Finally, we introduce a novel method for
      estimation of unknown kinetic parameters. The method is based on matching
      experimental data at an oscillatory instability with stoichiometric constraints
      of the mechanism formulated by applying the stability theory of reaction
      networks. This approach has been used to estimate rate coefficients in the
      catalase part of the mechanism. Remarkably, model simulations show good agreement
      with the observed oscillatory dynamics, including apparently chaotic intermittent
      behavior. Our method can be applied to any reaction system with an experimentally
      observable dynamical instability.

PMID- 28898580
TI  - Self-Assembled Cu-Sn-S Nanotubes with High (De)Lithiation Performance.
AB  - Through a gelation-solvothermal method without heteroadditives, Cu-Sn-S
      composites self-assemble to form nanotubes, sub-nanotubes, and nanoparticles. The
      nanotubes with a Cu3-4SnS4 core and Cu2SnS3 shell can tolerate long cycles of
      expansion/contraction upon lithiation/delithiation, retaining a charge capacity
      of 774 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles with a high initial Coulombic efficiency of
      82.5%. The importance of the Cu component for mitigation of the volume expansion
      and structural evolution upon lithiation is informed by density functional theory
      calculations. The self-generated template and calculated results can inspire the
      design of analogous Cu-M-S (M = metal) nanotubes for lithium batteries or other
      energy storage systems.

PMID- 28898581
TI  - Trapping and Structural Characterization of the XNO2.NO3- (X = Cl, Br, I) Exit
      Channel Complexes in the Water-Mediated X- + N2O5 Reactions with Cryogenic
      Vibrational Spectroscopy.
AB  - The heterogeneous reaction of N2O5 with sea spray aerosols yields the ClNO2
      molecule, which is postulated to occur through water-mediated charge separation
      into NO3- and NO2+ ions followed by association with Cl-. Here we address an
      alternative mechanism where the attack by a halide ion can yield XNO2 by direct
      insertion in the presence of water. This was accomplished by reacting X-(D2O)n (X
      = Cl, Br, I) cluster ions with N2O5 to produce ions with stoichiometry [XN2O5]-.
      These species were cooled in a 20 K ion trap and structurally characterized by
      vibrational spectroscopy using the D2 messenger tagging technique. Analysis of
      the resulting band patterns with DFT calculations indicates that they all
      correspond to exit channel ion-molecule complexes based on the association of NO3
      with XNO2, with the NO3- constituent increasingly perturbed in the order I > Br
      > Cl. These results establish that XNO2 can be generated even when more exoergic
      reaction pathways involving hydrolysis are available and demonstrate the role of
      the intermediate [XN2O5]- in the formation of XNO2.

PMID- 28898582
TI  - Spatiotemporal Distribution and Alpine Behavior of Short Chain Chlorinated
      Paraffins in Air at Shergyla Mountain and Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau of China.
AB  - Pristine high-altitude mountains are ideal areas for studying the potential
      mechanism behind the long-range transport and environmental behavior of
      persistent organic pollutants in remote areas. Short chain chlorinated paraffins
      (SCCPs) are the most complex halogenated contaminants in the environment, and
      have attracted extensive worldwide interest in recent years. In this study, the
      spatiotemporal concentrations and distributions of SCCPs in air collected from
      Shergyla Mountain (located in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau) and Lhasa
      were investigated during 2012-2015. Generally, the total SCCP levels at Shergyla
      Mountain and Lhasa were between 130 and 1300 pg/m3 and 1100-14440 pg/m3,
      respectively. C10 and C11 components were the most abundant homologue groups,
      indicating that lighter SCCP homologue groups are capable of relatively long
      range atmospheric transport. Relatively high but insignificant atmospheric SCCP
      concentrations at Shergyla Mountain area and Lhasa were observed from 2013 to
      2015 compared with 2012. At Shergyla Mountain, SCCP concentrations on the eastern
      and western slopes increased with altitude, implying that "mountain cold
      trapping" might occur for SCCPs. A back-trajectory model showed that SCCP sources
      at Shergyla Mountain and Lhasa were primarily influenced by the tropical monsoon
      from Southwest and South Asia.

PMID- 28898583
TI  - Electronic Structures of Small (RuO2)n (n = 1-4) Nanoclusters and Their Anions
      and the Hydrolysis Reactions with Water.
AB  - Group 8 (RuO2)n (n = 1-4) nanoclusters, their anions, and the hydrolysis
      reactions of the neutral clusters have been studied with the density functional
      theory (DFT) as well as coupled cluster CCSD(T) theory. The ground state is
      predicted to be a singlet and a doublet for the neutral RuO2 clusters and anionic
      clusters, respectively. The CCSD(T) method is required to predict the correct
      ground state. The calculated singlet-triplet gaps (<15 kcal/mol) and fluoride
      affinities (<95 kcal/mol) are smaller than those of the group 4 (MO2)n and group
      6 (MO3)n metal oxide clusters. The electron affinities range from 2.2 to 3.4 eV,
      showing that the RuO2 clusters are quite reducible. Clustering energies and heats
      of formation are calculated. The water physisorption energies are predicted to be
      -10 to -20 kcal/mol with the adsorption energy for the singlet being generally
      more exothermic than that for the triplet. The hydrolysis reactions are
      exothermic for the monomer and dimer clusters and are slightly endothermic or
      neutral for the trimer and tetramer. H2O is readily dissociated on the monomer
      and dimer but not on the trimer and tetramer. The physisorption and chemisorption
      energies are less exothermic, and the barriers for the hydrolysis reactions are
      larger for RuO2 nanoclusters than for the corresponding group 4 ZrO2
      nanoclusters.

PMID- 28898584
TI  - In Vitro Characterization of Ritonavir Drug Products and Correlation to Human in
      Vivo Performance.
AB  - Ritonavir (RTV) is a weakly basic drug with a pH-dependent solubility. In vitro
      dissolution and supersatuation behaviors of three Norvir oral products including
      the tablet, powder, and solution were investigated by two biorelevant dissolution
      methods with pH alteration: a two-stage dissolution test and a biphasic
      dissolution-partition test. The two-stage dissolution test revealed a high degree
      of supersaturation of RTV from these products accompanied by the occurrence of
      liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in biorelevant dissolution media. Higher,
      stable apparent RTV concentrations were observed in the FeSSIF-V2 as compared to
      those in the FaSSIF-V2, which suggested a food effect with higher exposure in the
      fed state. This is inconsistent with the evaluation in vivo. The biphasic test
      revealed significantly lower degrees of supersaturation of RTV in the aqueous
      media from these dosage forms as compared to results of the two-stage dissolution
      test. RTV concentrations in octanol at 6 h obtained from the tablet and powder
      with the use of the biorelevant media are consistent with corresponding in vivo
      AUC and Cmax under the fasting and moderate fat fed (MFF) states and predict the
      food effect. The underlying mechanisms responsible for the food effect are also
      proposed. Fractional partition profiles of RTV obtained in octanol from these
      three Norvir oral products are in agreement with the corresponding fractional
      absorption profiles in vivo under both the fasting and MFF states. This study
      reveals a complex interplay among the dissolution, precipitation, and partition
      processes from these formulations that dictate the oral exposure of RTV.

PMID- 28898585
TI  - Use of a High-Throughput Phenotypic Screening Strategy to Identify Amplifiers, a
      Novel Pharmacological Class of Small Molecules That Exhibit Functional Synergy
      with Potentiators and Correctors.
AB  - Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lethal genetic disorder caused by mutation of the
      cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Despite recent
      groundbreaking approval of genotype-specific small-molecule drugs, a significant
      portion of CF patients still lack effective therapeutic options that address the
      underlying cause of the disease. Through a phenotypic high-throughput screen of
      approximately 54,000 small molecules, we identified a novel class of CFTR
      modulators called amplifiers. The identified compound, the characteristics of
      which are represented here by PTI-CH, selectively increases the expression of
      immature CFTR protein across different CFTR mutations, including F508del-CFTR, by
      targeting the inefficiencies of early CFTR biosynthesis. PTI-CH also augments the
      activity of other CFTR modulators and was found to possess novel characteristics
      that distinguish it from CFTR potentiator and corrector moieties. The PTI-CH
      mediated increase in F508del-CFTR did not elicit cytosolic or endoplasmic
      reticulum-associated cellular stress responses. Based on these data, amplifiers
      represent a promising new class of CFTR modulators for the treatment of CF that
      can be used synergistically with other CFTR modulators.

PMID- 28898587
TI  - The antioxidant and antiapoptotic effect of boric acid on hepatoxicity in chronic
      alcohol-fed rats.
AB  - The harmful use of alcohol is a worldwide problem involving all ages. This study
      aims to investigate chronic alcohol exposure related hepatotoxicity on the rat
      liver and possible hepatoprotective effects of boric acid. Rats were separated
      into 4 different groups: control, ethanol, ethanol+boric acid, and boric acid. We
      measured (i) malondialdehyde (MDA), total sialic acid (TSA), superoxide dismutase
      (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels, which are known
      to be the markers of alcohol damage; and also (ii) caspase-3, tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick
      end labeling (TUNEL) as the markers of apoptosis. In the ethanol group, MDA, TSA,
      and TNF-alpha levels increased whereas SOD and CAT levels decreased compared with
      the control group. Ethanol+boric acid group MDA, TSA, caspase-3, and TNF-alpha
      levels decreased whereas SOD and CAT levels increased compared with the ethanol
      group. Using histopathological evaluation of light microscope images,
      immunohistochemical caspase-3 and TNF-alpha activity in the ethanol+boric acid
      group were shown to be decreased compared with that in the ethanol group. Our
      results revealed that ethanol is capable of triggering oxidative stress and
      apoptosis in the rat liver. We propose that boric acid is an effective compound
      in protecting the rat liver against ethanol.

PMID- 28898586
TI  - Transcerebral net exchange of vasoactive peptides and catecholamines during
      lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation in healthy humans.
AB  - The systemic inflammatory response triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is
      associated with cerebral vasoconstriction, but the underlying mechanisms are
      unknown. We therefore examined whether a 4-hour intravenous LPS infusion (0.3
      ng.kg-1) induces any changes in the transcerebral net exchange of the vasoactive
      peptides endothelin-1 (ET-1) and calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) and
      catecholamines in human volunteers. Cerebral blood flow was measured by the Kety
      Schmidt technique, and paired arterial-to-jugular venous blood samples were
      obtained for estimating the transcerebral exchange of ET-1, CGRP, and
      catecholamines by the Fick principle in 12 volunteers before and after LPS
      infusion. The cerebrovascular release of ET-1 was enhanced, whereas the
      transcerebral net exchange of CGRP and catecholamines was unaffected. Our
      findings thus point towards locally produced ET-1 within the cerebrovasculature
      as a contributor to cerebral vasoconstriction after LPS infusion.

PMID- 28898588
TI  - MicroRNAs in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes: new research progress and
      future direction.
AB  - miRNA is a short non-coding RNA that can influence mRNA processing at the post
      transcriptional level. A large number of miRNAs have been found in virtually all
      species so far, and these small molecules play an important role in many
      different physiological processes and various pathologic conditions, such as cell
      metabolism, cancer, autoimmune disease, and diabetes mellitus. T2D arises from a
      dysregulated response to the elevated glucose level in the circulation. The
      prevalence of T2D has increased dramatically in all age groups, and T2D in older
      adults is associated with more T2D complications and higher mortality. Despite
      the existing findings describing the pathological mechanism, T2D pathology is
      more complex and the pathophysiology of the disease is still not fully
      elucidated. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of miRNA
      mediated modulation of gene expression in T2D pathogenesis, as well as related
      signaling pathways, and insight into the important role of miRNA in various T2D
      complications. Furthermore, the potential therapeutic value of miRNA for T2D
      patients is also discussed in detail.

PMID- 28898589
TI  - Science of Biosimilars.
AB  - Biosimilar therapeutic proteins in oncology offer the potential to decrease costs
      while providing safety and efficacy profiles consistent with their respective
      reference or originator products. Biosimilars have a number of important
      differences from generic small-molecule drugs, including manufacturing processes
      that are unique from their reference products. These differences may affect
      biosimilars through posttranslational modifications that can occur in specific
      cellular production lines, and these modifications have potential effects on
      protein structure, function, clinical pharmacology, and immunogenicity.
      Regulatory agencies expect these differences to be identified, analyzed, and
      minimized through iterative processes and extensive preclinical efforts. Generic
      naming of biosimilars reflects the nonproprietary reference product name along
      with a meaningless four-letter suffix to ensure that each product can be uniquely
      identified for prescribing and pharmacovigilance purposes. Labeling information
      for biosimilars reflects a greater detail of comparisons to reference products
      than conventional generic drugs, which ensures that prescribers can understand
      the source of information and have a complete understanding of the therapeutic
      profile of each biosimilar agent. Postmarketing surveillance programs will be
      required to evolve and ensure optimal pharmacovigilance reporting, because the
      potential for unexpected adverse events with biosimilars is higher than with
      conventional generic agents as a result of different manufacturing processes and
      different clinical trial designs and durations. The existing filgrastim
      biosimilars are likely to be joined soon by therapeutic monoclonal antibodies,
      including rituximab, trastuzumab, and bevacizumab, on the basis of patent
      expiration dates and clinical trial results.

PMID- 28898591
TI  - Emerging Opportunities and Challenges of Biosimilars in Oncology Practice.

PMID- 28898590
TI  - Biosimilars: Reimbursement Issues in Your Oncology Practice.

PMID- 28898592
TI  - When One Is a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail.

PMID- 28898593
TI  - Biosimilars: Implications for Clinical Practice.
AB  - In 2015, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first
      biosimilar, filgrastim-sndz, a biosimilar of the granulocyte colony-stimulating
      factor filgrastim. Since that time, the FDA has approved four additional
      biosimilar tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors, and, in May 2017, the Oncology
      Drug Advisory Committee voted in favor of approval of an epoetin alfa biosimilar.
      The patents of several widely used biologic cancer therapies (including
      trastuzumab, rituximab, bevacizumab, cetuximab, and pegfilgrastim) are recently
      expired or due to expire in the near future, so the introduction of biosimilars
      into the oncology treatment armamentarium is imminent. However, their arrival
      also will introduce challenges, including pharmacy and supply chain management
      and the need for education of clinicians and patients about the efficacy and
      safety of these agents. These considerations, along with an overview of
      biosimilars in the oncology pipeline, will be discussed in this review.

PMID- 28898594
TI  - European Perspective on Biosimilars.

PMID- 28898595
TI  - Hematological Analysis of the Ascidian Botrylloides leachii (Savigny, 1816)
      During Whole-Body Regeneration.
AB  - Whole-body regeneration (WBR)-the formation of an entire adult from only a small
      fragment of its own tissue-is extremely rare among chordates. Exceptionally, in
      the colonial ascidian Botrylloides leachii (Savigny, 1816) a fully functional
      adult is formed from their common vascular system after ablation of all adults
      from the colony in just 10 d, thanks to their high blastogenetic potential. While
      previous studies have identified key genetic markers and morphological changes,
      no study has yet focused on the hematological aspects of regeneration despite the
      major involvement of the remaining vascular system and the contained hemocytes in
      this process. To dissect this process, we analyzed colony blood flow patterns
      using time-lapse microscopy to obtain a quantitative description of the velocity,
      reversal pattern, and average distance traveled by hemocytes. We also observed
      that flows present during regeneration are powered by temporally and spatially
      synchronized contractions of the terminal ampullae. In addition, we revised
      previous studies of B. leachii hematology as well as asexual development using
      histological sectioning and compared the role played by hemocytes during WBR. We
      found that regeneration starts with a rapid healing response characterized by
      hemocyte aggregation and infiltration of immunocytes, followed by increased
      activity of hemoblasts, recruitment of macrophage-like cells for clearing the
      tissues of debris, and their subsequent disappearance from the circulation
      concomitant with the maturation of a single regenerated adult. Overall, we
      provide a detailed account of the hematological properties of regenerating B.
      leachii colonies, providing novel lines of inquiry toward the decipherment of
      regeneration in chordates.

PMID- 28898596
TI  - Erratum: The Biological Bulletin, Volume 232, Number 1, pp. 19-29.

PMID- 28898598
TI  - Crossing the Divide: Admixture Across the Antarctic Polar Front Revealed by the
      Brittle Star Astrotoma agassizii.
AB  - The Antarctic Polar Front (APF) is one of the most well-defined and persistent
      oceanographic features on the planet and serves as a barrier to dispersal between
      the Southern Ocean and lower latitudes. High levels of endemism in the Southern
      Ocean have been attributed to this barrier, whereas the accompanying Antarctic
      Circumpolar Current (ACC) likely promotes west-to-east dispersal. Previous
      phylogeographic work on the brittle star Astrotoma agassizii Lyman, 1875 based on
      mitochondrial genes suggested isolation across the APF, even though populations
      in both South American waters and the Southern Ocean are morphologically
      indistinguishable. Here, we revisit this finding using a high-resolution 2b-RAD
      (restriction-site-associated DNA) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based
      approach, in addition to enlarged mitochondrial DNA data sets (16S rDNA, COI, and
      COII), for comparison to previous work. In total, 955 biallelic SNP loci
      confirmed the existence of strongly divergent populations on either side of the
      Drake Passage. Interestingly, genetic admixture was detected between South
      America and the Southern Ocean in five individuals on both sides of the APF,
      revealing evidence of recent or ongoing genetic contact. We also identified two
      differentiated populations on the Patagonian Shelf with six admixed individuals
      from these two populations. These findings suggest that the APF is a strong but
      imperfect barrier. Fluctuations in location and strength of the APF and ACC due
      to climate shifts may have profound consequences for levels of admixture or
      endemism in this region of the world.

PMID- 28898599
TI  - Transcriptomic Basis of Metamorphic Competence in the Salt-Marsh-Dwelling
      Polychaete Capitella teleta.
AB  - Marine invertebrate larvae typically take hours to weeks after being released
      into the plankton before becoming "competent" to metamorphose. The mechanisms
      that govern this transition between the precompetent and metamorphically
      competent states are unknown. We studied gene expression patterns in precompetent
      and competent larvae of the salt-marsh-dwelling polychaete worm Capitella teleta
      (Blake, Grassle & Eckelbarger, 2009)-a species in which precompetent larvae are
      unusually easy to distinguish from competent larvae-to determine differences in
      gene expression associated with the onset of metamorphic competence. More than
      1530 genes were more highly expressed in precompetent larvae, while more than
      1060 genes were more highly expressed in competent larvae. Competent larvae
      downregulated the expression of genes belonging to gene ontologies relating to
      growth and development and upregulated those associated with ligand-binding
      transmembrane channels with possible chemo- and mechanosensory functions. Most of
      these channels were annotated as being from the degenerin/epithelial sodium
      channel family or the G-protein-coupled receptor family; proteins from these
      families can have chemosensory functions. Serotonin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric
      acid) receptors are among the genes that were upregulated in competent larvae;
      both have been shown to induce larvae of C. teleta and other marine invertebrates
      to metamorphose and are thought to be components of the signal transduction
      pathway that leads to metamorphosis. Overall, it appears that once larvae of C.
      teleta have completed development of the internal structures and physiology
      required for juvenile life during the precompetent period, they then upregulate
      the expression of chemosensory proteins and neurotransmitter receptors that will
      enable them to detect and transduce a settlement cue signal.

PMID- 28898600
TI  - Rapid Associative Learning and Stable Long-Term Memory in the Squid Euprymna
      scolopes.
AB  - Learning and memory in cephalopod molluscs have received intensive study because
      of cephalopods' complex behavioral repertoire and relatively accessible nervous
      systems. While most of this research has been conducted using octopus and
      cuttlefish species, there has been relatively little work on squid. Euprymna
      scolopes Berry, 1913, a sepiolid squid, is a promising model for further
      exploration of cephalopod cognition. These small squid have been studied in
      detail for their symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria, and their
      short generation time and successful captive breeding through multiple
      generations make them appealing models for neurobiological research. However,
      little is known about their behavior or cognitive ability. Using the well
      established "prawn-in-the-tube" assay of learning and memory, we show that within
      a single 10-min trial E. scolopes learns to inhibit its predatory behavior, and
      after three trials it can retain this memory for at least 12 d. Rapid learning
      and very long-term retention were apparent under two different training
      schedules. To our knowledge, this study is the first demonstration of learning
      and memory in this species as well as the first demonstration of associative
      learning in any squid.

PMID- 28898601
TI  - Characterization of the Gray Whale Eschrichtius robustus Genome and a Genotyping
      Array Based on Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Candidate Genes.
AB  - Genetic and genomic approaches have much to offer in terms of ecology, evolution,
      and conservation. To better understand the biology of the gray whale Eschrichtius
      robustus (Lilljeborg, 1861), we sequenced the genome and produced an assembly
      that contains ~95% of the genes known to be highly conserved among eukaryotes.
      From this assembly, we annotated 22,711 genes and identified 2,057,254 single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using this assembly, we generated a curated list
      of candidate genes potentially subject to strong natural selection, including
      genes associated with osmoregulation, oxygen binding and delivery, and other
      aspects of marine life. From these candidate genes, we queried 92 autosomal
      protein-coding markers with a panel of 96 SNPs that also included 2 sexing and 2
      mitochondrial markers. Genotyping error rates, calculated across loci and across
      69 intentional replicate samples, were low (0.021%), and observed heterozygosity
      was 0.33 averaged over all autosomal markers. This level of variability provides
      substantial discriminatory power across loci (mean probability of identity of 1.6
      * 10-25 and mean probability of exclusion >0.999 with neither parent known),
      indicating that these markers provide a powerful means to assess parentage and
      relatedness in gray whales. We found 29 unique multilocus genotypes represented
      among our 36 biopsies (indicating that we inadvertently sampled 7 whales twice).
      In total, we compiled an individual data set of 28 western gray whales (WGSs) and
      1 presumptive eastern gray whale (EGW). The lone EGW we sampled was no more or
      less related to the WGWs than expected by chance alone. The gray whale genomes
      reported here will enable comparative studies of natural selection in cetaceans,
      and the SNP markers should be highly informative for future studies of gray whale
      evolution, population structure, demography, and relatedness.

PMID- 28898602
TI  - Parallel Patterns of Host-Specific Morphology and Genetic Admixture in Sister
      Lineages of a Commensal Barnacle.
AB  - Symbiotic relationships are often species specific, allowing symbionts to adapt
      to their host environments. Host generalists, on the other hand, have to cope
      with diverse environments. One coping strategy is phenotypic plasticity, defined
      by the presence of host-specific phenotypes in the absence of genetic
      differentiation. Recent work indicates that such host-specific phenotypic
      plasticity is present in the West Pacific lineage of the commensal barnacle
      Chelonibia testudinaria (Linnaeus, 1758). We investigated genetic and
      morphological host-specific structure in the genetically distinct Atlantic sister
      lineage of C. testudinaria. We collected adult C. testudinaria from loggerhead
      sea turtles, horseshoe crabs, and blue crabs along the eastern U.S. coast between
      Delaware and Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico off Mississippi. We find that
      shell morphology, especially shell thickness, is host specific and comparable in
      similar host species between the Atlantic and West Pacific lineages. We did not
      detect significant genetic differentiation related to host species when analyzing
      data from 11 nuclear microsatellite loci and mitochondrial sequence data, which
      is comparable to findings for the Pacific lineage. The most parsimonious
      explanation for these parallel patterns between distinct lineages of C.
      testudinaria is that C. testudinaria maintained phenotypic plasticity since the
      lineages diverged 4-5 mya.

PMID- 28898603
TI  - Strange Bedfellows No More: How Integrated Stem-Cell Transplantation and
      Palliative Care Programs Can Together Improve End-of-Life Care.
AB  - In the intense, cure-oriented setting of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation
      (HSCT), delivery of high-quality palliative and end-of-life care is a unique
      challenge. Although HSCT affords patients a chance for cure, it carries a
      significant risk of morbidity and mortality. During HSCT, patients usually
      experience high symptom burden and a significant decrease in quality of life that
      can persist for long periods. When morbidity is high and the chance of cure
      remote, the tendency after HSCT is to continue intensive medical interventions
      with curative intent. The nature of the complications and overall condition of
      some patients may render survival an unrealistic goal and, as such, continuation
      of artificial life-sustaining measures in these patients may prolong suffering
      and preclude patient and family preparation for end of life. Palliative care
      focuses on the well-being of patients with life-threatening conditions and their
      families, irrespective of the goals of care or anticipated outcome. Although not
      inherently at odds with HSCT, palliative care historically has been rarely
      offered to HSCT recipients. Recent evidence suggests that HSCT recipients would
      benefit from collaborative efforts between HSCT and palliative care services,
      particularly when initiated early in the transplantation course. We review
      palliative and end-of-life care in HSCT and present models for integrating
      palliative care into HSCT care. With open communication, respect for roles, and a
      spirit of collaboration, HSCT and palliative care can effectively join forces to
      provide high-quality, multidisciplinary care for these highly vulnerable patients
      and their families.

PMID- 28898604
TI  - The TEAM Approach: Mistaking Artifact for Art?

PMID- 28898605
TI  - The TEAM Approach to Improving Oncology Outcomes by Incorporating Palliative Care
      in Practice.
AB  - Palliative care (PC) concurrent with usual oncology care is now the standard of
      care that is recommended for any patient with advanced cancer to begin within 8
      weeks of diagnosis on the basis of evidence-driven national clinical practice
      guidelines; however, there are not enough interdisciplinary palliative care teams
      to provide such care. How and what can an oncology office incorporate into usual
      care, borrowing the tools used in PC randomized clinical trials (RCTs), to
      improve care for patients and their caregivers? We reviewed the multiple RCTs for
      common practical elements and identified methods and techniques that oncologists
      can use to deliver some parts of concurrent interdisciplinary PC. We recommend
      the standardized assessment of patient-reported outcomes, including the
      evaluation of symptoms with such tools as the Edmonton or Memorial Symptom
      Assessment Scales, spirituality with the FICA Spiritual History Tool or similar
      questions, and psychosocial distress with the Distress Thermometer. All patients
      should be assessed for how they prefer to receive information, their current
      understanding of their situation, and if they have considered some advance care
      planning. Approximately 1 hour of additional time with the patient is required
      each month. If the oncologist does not have established ties with spiritual care
      and social work, he or she should establish these relationships for counseling as
      required. Caregivers should be asked about coping and support needs. Oncologists
      can adapt PC techniques to achieve results that are similar to those in the RCTs
      of PC plus usual care compared with usual care alone. This is comparable to using
      data from RCTs of trastuzamab or placebo, adopting what was used in the RCTs
      without modification or dilution.

PMID- 28898606
TI  - Palliative Care Integration in Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation: The Need
      for Additional Research.

PMID- 28898607
TI  - [Diabetes in Coronary Disease: The Risk of Non-Diagnosis].

PMID- 28898608
TI  - [Health Governance and Proximity Management: The Need for Autonomy in Management
      in Primary Health Care Systems].

PMID- 28898609
TI  - [Diabetes Screening in Patients with Macrovascular Coronary Disease: Are the New
      European Guidelines a Step Backwards?]
AB  - BACKGROUND: The new European guidelines on diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular
      diseases propose that the FINnish Diabetes RIsk SCore should be used to evaluate
      the risk of diabetes mellitus and that diabetes mellitus screening in coronary
      artery disease patients should be based on fasting glucose and HbA1c. The 2 hour
      oral glucose tolerance test, recommended for all pts in the previous guidelines,
      is now only recommended for 'inconclusive' cases. We aimed to evaluate this new
      strategy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fasting glucose, HbA1c and glucose tolerance test
      (75 g, 2h) were prospectively evaluated in a consecutive group of pts with
      coronary artery disease. ADA criteria (both glucose tolerance test and HbA1c)
      were used to define diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes mellitus. Diabetes
      mellitus risk was evaluated according to the FINnish Diabetes RIsk SCore.
      RESULTS: A total of 135 patients were included (mean age 62.3 +/- 13.1 years, 99
      males). Glucose tolerance test and HbA1c together diagnosed 18 (13.3%) new cases
      of diabetes mellitus and 77 (57.0%) patients with pre-diabetes mellitus. Fasting
      glucose + HbA1c (guidelines strategy) identified 12/18 patients with diabetes
      mellitus (Sens 66.7%; negative predictive value 95.1%; Kappa 0.78; p < 0.0001)
      and 83/95 patients with glucose anomalies (pre- diabetes mellitus + diabetes
      mellitus) (Sens 87.4%; negative predictive value 76.9%). Performing glucose
      tolerance test in the 29 patients with an elevated FINnish Diabetes RIsk SCore
      would allow identifying 15/18 patients with diabetes mellitus (Sens 83.3%;
      negative predictive value 97.5%; Kappa 0.85; p < 0.0001) and 86/95 patients with
      glucose anomalies (Sens 90.5%; negative predictive value 81.6%). DISCUSSION:
      Although this strategy improved the screening accuracy, one in each six patients
      with diabetes mellitus would still remain undiagnosed, as compared to measuring
      HbA1c and performing an glucose tolerance test in all patients. CONCLUSION: Using
      the FINnish Diabetes RIsk SCore to select candidates to additional glucose
      tolerance test improves the accuracy for identifying diabetic patients, as
      compared with fasting glucose + HbA1c alone. However, 1/6 patients diabetes
      mellitus is still left undiagnosed with this strategy proposed by the current
      guidelines.

PMID- 28898610
TI  - [Visceral Leishmaniasis in HIV-Infected Patients: The Challenge of Relapse and
      Treatment Failure].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Visceral leishmaniasis is an endemic disseminated infection,
      considered to be the third most frequent opportunistic parasitic infection in
      Europe. It is especially prevalent in patients co-infected with human
      immunodeficiency virus, in whom it poses a great therapeutic challenge due to
      increased risk of relapse. The goal of this study is to characterize a population
      of co-infected patients, as well as the efficiency of the adopted treatment
      strategies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study with a sample composed of
      all patients with visceral leishmaniasis and human immunodeficiency virus
      admitted in an Infectious Diseases ward over a period of 10 years. RESULTS: Of
      the 23 enrolled patients, two were female (8.7%). The mean TCD4+ cell count was
      104.4 cells/uL (+/- 120.3cells/uL), only two patients had undetectable viral load
      (< 20 copies/mL) and 16 (69.6%) were not under antiretroviral therapy at the time
      of diagnosis. Treatment-wise, liposomal amphotericin B was used in 18 patients,
      meglumine antimoniate in four and miltefosine in one. Fourteen (60.9%) were
      adherent to secondary prophylaxis protocol. A relapse rate of 26.1% was observed
      (six patients). DISCUSSION: Co-infection is responsible for higher treatment
      failure rates and more relapses. TCD4+ cell count is the main predictive factor
      of relapse, and strict adherence to chemoprophylaxis protocols unequivocally
      results in a reduction of relapse rate. Combined treatment strategies using
      liposomal amphotericin B and miltefosine yield fewer therapeutic failures than
      the classic approach. CONCLUSION: We therefore conclude that alternative,
      combined therapeutic protocols seem to be a viable solution for these patients.

PMID- 28898611
TI  - A Retrospective Analysis of the Real-Life Utilization of Ranibizumab in Patients
      with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration from Portugal.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy has revolutionized
      the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration; however, it is important
      to monitor actual use of ranibizumab and related treatment outcomes in routine
      practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study to
      monitor the 2-year outcomes following ranibizumab treatment for wet age-related
      macular degeneration in Portugal. Patients treated between January 2009 and
      December 2009 were retrospectively evaluated. All decisions were made by the
      treating physician in accordance with their usual routine clinical practice. The
      primary assessment was mean change in visual acuity score using Early Treatment
      Diabetic Retinopathy Study or Snellen equivalent. RESULTS: A total of 128
      patients with wet age-related macular degeneration were analyzed (mean age 79.4
      years; mean visual acuity score 54.2 letters). Mean change in visual acuity score
      from baseline was -1.6 letters (n = 82) at year one and -5.1 letters (n = 72) at
      year two. The mean number of ranibizumab injections was 3.8 (year one) and 1.6
      (year two). On average, patients attended 8.6 and 5.0 visits and optical
      coherence tomography was used in 75.0% of patients in year one and in 56.3% of
      patients in year two, respectively. DISCUSSION: Despite a relatively high number
      of visits, including monitoring visits and use of optical coherence tomography -
      guided therapy, few injections were administered and visual acuity was not
      improved. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that as-needed treatment resulted
      in under-dosing in a real-life setting in Portugal. Such limitations may also be
      related to increasing numbers of patients, resulting in clinic saturation.

PMID- 28898612
TI  - [Paediatric Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Before Universal Vaccination: 1995 -
      2015].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was introduced in the private market
      in Portugal in 2001, reaching over the years a moderately high coverage. In July
      2015, it was included in the National Immunisation Program. The aim of this study
      was to characterize invasive pneumococcal disease in a pediatric hospital before
      universal use of the vaccine. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of
      medical records of all children with Streptococcus pneumoniae identified by
      culture and/or molecular biology (available since 2008), in products obtained
      from sterile sites, from January 1995 to June 2015. We evaluated demographic,
      clinical and microbiological data. Serotype results are available since 2004.
      RESULTS: Over those 20 years, 112 invasive pneumococcal disease cases were
      identified, with a median age of 15 months (1 month - 15 years). The median
      number of cases /year was 4, the highest between 2001 - 2002 (8/year) and 2007 -
      2012 (7 - 11/year). The identification occurred mostly in blood culture (72),
      cerebrospinal fluid (24), pleural fluid (11) an others (5). The most frequent
      diagnoses were pneumonia (38%), occult bacteraemia (34%) and meningitis (21%).
      Over the period under review, there was an increase of pneumonia and slight
      increase of OB, with meningitis cases remaining relatively unchanged. DISCUSSION:
      In the last two decades, there was no reduction in the number of cases of
      invasive pneumococcal disease. There was an increase in isolates from pneumonia
      and occult bacteraemia that might be due to the introduction of molecular
      biological methods for Streptococcus pneumoniae detection. Vaccine serotypes were
      predominant. CONCLUSION: This retrospective analysis before universal vaccination
      will contribute to evaluate the impact of vaccination in the Portuguese pediatric
      population.

PMID- 28898613
TI  - Functional, Sensorial, Mobility and Communication Difficulties in the Portuguese
      Oldest Old (80+).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The ageing of populations is evident in most developed countries,
      and the oldest old group is one of the segments with the fastest growing. The aim
      of this paper is to examine sociodemographic and health related characteristics
      of the portuguese oldest old, using a census-based approach. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A descriptive study considering all residents aged 80 years and older at
      the time of the 2011 Census (n = 532 219) was conducted. Information on
      sociodemographic characteristics, sensory functions (seeing, hearing), functional
      status (walking/climbing stairs, bathing/dressing alone), cognition
      (memory/concentration), and communication (understanding others/being understood)
      as assessed by the Portuguese census official questionnaires were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Findings revealed that most of the oldest old are women (64.5%), widowed
      (53.9%), illiterate (46.1%) and live in private households (88.8%).
      Walking/climbing stairs (57.1%), vision (39.1%) and hearing (35.1%) were the
      dimensions where the oldest old presented major constrains. In parallel,
      understanding others/being understood (25.9%) and memory/concentration (34.4%)
      were the dimensions with lower percentages of difficulties. Significant
      differences were found between octogenarians/nonagenarians and centenarians for
      vision, walk/climb stairs, and bathing/dressing alone, with centenarians
      presenting a higher percentage of difficulties. DISCUSSION: Portuguese oldest old
      showed significant difficulties in activities of daily living, nevertheless
      cognitive and communication capacities seem to be commonly maintained. Taken
      together, these findings suggest the need for functional assistance, which can be
      ultimately managed by the older person him/herself. CONCLUSION: Based on the
      observed differences between centenarians and younger oldest old, specific
      interventions should be equated to better respond to their potentially
      distinctive needs.

PMID- 28898614
TI  - [Fine-needle Aspiration of Thyroid Nodules: Is it Worth Repeating?]
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The fine-needle aspiration has a significant role in assessing the
      malignancy risk of thyroid nodules. There is uncertainty regarding the value of
      repeat fine-needle aspiration in benign nodules. This study aims to evaluate the
      concordance of results in consecutive fine-needle aspiration and to study the
      relevance of repetition in benign results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective
      study of the 4800 thyroid nodules fine-needle aspiration held in Instituto de
      Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto between January 1, 2014
      and May 2, 2016. Of the initial sample, we selected the repeated fine-needle
      aspiration on the same nodule. RESULTS: The first fine-needle aspiration result
      of the 309 nodules underwent revaluation was non-diagnostic in 103 (33.3%),
      benign in 120 (38.8%) and atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance
      in 86 (27.8%). The agreement between the first and second fine-needle aspiration
      was significantly higher in cases with an initial benign result (benign: 85.8%,
      non-diagnostic: 27.2% and atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance:
      17.4%, p < 0.005). The fine-needle aspiration repeating motifs in initially
      benign nodules (n = 78) were repetition suggestion in 58, nodule growth in 17 and
      suspicious ultrasonographic features in 3. DISCUSSION: The fine-needle aspiration
      repetition in nodules with initial non-diagnostic and atypia/follicular lesion of
      undetermined significance result changed the initial diagnosis in a significant
      proportion of patients, modifying their therapeutic approach. The high
      concordance of results in initially benign nodules makes fine-needle aspiration
      repetition not cost-effective in most cases. CONCLUSION: The fine-needle
      aspiration should be repeated when the initial cytology result is non-diagnostic
      or atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance.

PMID- 28898615
TI  - Breech Presentation: Vaginal Versus Cesarean Delivery, Which Intervention Leads
      to the Best Outcomes?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The best route of delivery for the term breech fetus is still
      controversial. We aim to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes between vaginal
      and cesarean term breech deliveries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Multicentric
      retrospective cohort study of singleton term breech fetuses delivered vaginally
      or by elective cesarean section from January 2012 - October 2014. Primary
      outcomes were maternal and neonatal morbidity or mortality. RESULTS: Sixty five
      breech fetuses delivered vaginally were compared to 1262 delivered by elective
      cesarean. Nulliparous women were more common in the elective cesarean group
      (69.3% vs 24.6%; p < 0.0001). Gestational age at birth was significantly lower in
      the vaginal delivery group (38 +/- 1 weeks vs 39 +/- 0.8 weeks; p = 0.0029) as
      was birth weight (2928 +/- 48.4 g vs 3168 +/- 11.3 g; p < 0.0001). Apgar scores
      below seven on the first and fifth minutes were more likely in the vaginal
      delivery group (1st minute: 18.5% vs 5.9%; p = 0.0006; OR 3.6 [1.9 - 7.0]; 5th
      minute: 3.1% vs 0.2%; p = 0.0133; OR 20.0 [2.8 - 144.4]), as was fetal trauma
      (3.1% vs 0.3%: p = 0.031; OR 9.9 [1.8-55.6]). Neither group had cases of fetal
      acidemia. Admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, maternal postpartum
      hemorrhage and the incidence of other obstetric complications were similar
      between groups. DISCUSSION: Although vaginal breech delivery was associated with
      lower Apgar scores and higher incidence of fetal trauma, overall rates of such
      events were low. Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit and maternal
      outcomes were similar. CONCLUSION: Both delivery routes seem equally valid,
      neither posing high maternal or neonatal complications' incidence.

PMID- 28898616
TI  - The Calcium/Phosphorus Homeostasis in Chronic Kidney Disease: From Clinical
      Epidemiology to Pathophysiology.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A simple data filtering process together with some basic concepts
      of control theory applied to electronically stored clinical data were used to
      identify some of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the perturbations
      of the calcium/phosphorus homeostasis in chronic kidney disease. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Retrospective data (a set per patient of serum single value
      concentrations of creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, parathormone, 25
      hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) from 2507 patients with stable
      chronic kidney disease not on renal replacement therapy were studied. The
      variables were paired and subjected sequentially to a moving average and
      partioned into frequency classes. The plots were interpreted using the concept of
      a feedback loop comprising two branches of opposite sign and of set point of the
      loop. The set point for each pair of variables is displaced in the course of the
      disease and this displacement indicates which of the two factors involved (the
      serum concentrations of calcium or parathormone, for example) is primarily
      affected. RESULTS: This analysis showed that in the course of the development of
      chronic kidney disease the relationships between the observed variables
      progressed following a monotonous, a biphasic or a triphasic pattern. DISCUSSION:
      As chronic kidney disease progresses, calcium/phosphorus metabolism regulation
      evolves through different phases. Later, there is a progressive loss of the
      parathyroid gland sensitivity to the control by the serum concentrations of
      calcium and phosphorus. The sensitivity to the inhibitory action of 1,25
      dihydroxyvitamin D decreases monotonously but never releases the gland.
      CONCLUSION: The clinical data analysis used permits to illustrate the underlying
      pathophysiological mechanisms.

PMID- 28898617
TI  - [Secondary Arterial Hypertension: Uncertainties in Diagnosis].
AB  - Arterial hypertension is regarded today as a global public health problem, and
      the prevalence rate in Portugal is 26.9%. According to the etiology, is
      classified into primary or secondary arterial hypertension. In about 90% of cases
      it is not possible to establish a cause, so is called primary arterial
      hypertension. In the remaining 5 to 10%, it can be identified secondary causes,
      which are potentially treatable. For secondary arterial hypertension study to be
      cost-effective, it is essential to understand which patients investigate, and
      evaluate the best strategy to adopt. The main causes identified as responsible
      for secondary arterial hypertension are: kidney disease; endocrine and vascular
      diseases and obstructive sleep apnea. Among these some are consensual, and others
      more controversial in the literature. In this regard we present two cases of
      arterial hypertension, which are potentially secondary in etiology, but still
      focus of debate.

PMID- 28898618
TI  - [Klebsiella pneumoniae from K1 and Hypervirulent Clone ST23: First Documented
      Case in Portugal].
AB  - The hypervirulent K1 serotype Klebsiella pneumoniae is responsible for a new
      invasive syndrome, typically associated to hepatic abscesses with extra-hepatic
      complications. Initially described in Taiwan, it has significantly spread to
      several Asian countries and more recently to Europe and North America, thus
      constituting an emerging and global problem. The authors describe a case report
      of a 64-years-old portuguese caucasian woman without any previous diseases or
      epidemiological risk factors such as trips or contact with Asian products or
      population, diagnosed with a pyogenic liver abscess with pleural effusion caused
      by this hyper-virulent strain. A successful clinical cure was achieved after the
      etiological identification and treatment with antimicrobial therapy combined with
      catheter drainage. This is the first identification of hypervirulent Klebsiella
      pneumonia ST 23 clone in Portugal in the context of an invasive syndrome.

PMID- 28898619
TI  - Target Sign: Endoscopic Sign of the Colonic Perforation.

PMID- 28898620
TI  - [Fatal Hemoptysis].

PMID- 28898622
TI  - Tensin-4-Dependent MET Stabilization Is Essential for Survival and Proliferation
      in Carcinoma Cells.

PMID- 28898621
TI  - [Investigation of Genetic Aetiology in Neurodegenerative Ataxias: Recommendations
      from the Group of Neurogenetics of Centro Hospitalar Sao Joao, Portugal].
AB  - In recent decades, a long and increasing list of monogenic neurodegenerative
      ataxias has been identified, allowing for better characterization of the
      pathophysiology, phenotype and prognosis of this heterogeneous group of
      disorders, while also revealing potential new therapeutic targets. However, the
      heterogeneity and complexity of the genotype-phenotype relationships and the high
      costs of molecular genetics often make it difficult for clinicians to decide on a
      molecular investigation based on an unbiased rational plan. Clinical history is
      essential to guide the diagnostic workup, but often the phenotype does not hold
      enough specificity to allow for predicting the genotype. The Group of
      Neurogenetics of the Centro Hospitalar Sao Joao, a multidisciplinary team of
      neurologists and geneticists with special interest in neurogenetic disorders,
      devised consensus recommendations for the investigation of the genetic aetiology
      of neurodegenerative ataxias in clinical practice, based on international
      consensus documents (currently containing potentially outdated information) and
      published scientific evidence on this topic. At the time these recommendations
      were written, there were around 10 well described autosomal recessive loci and
      more than 27 autosomal dominant loci for neurodegenerative ataxias. This document
      covers, in a pragmatic way, the rational process used for the genetic diagnosis
      of neurodegenerative ataxias, with specific recommendations for the various
      groups of these heterogeneous diseases, per the Portuguese reality.

PMID- 28898623
TI  - The Stimulus Selectivity and Connectivity of Layer Six Principal Cells Reveals
      Cortical Microcircuits Underlying Visual Processing.

PMID- 28898624
TI  - Effects of Cortical Microstimulation on Confidence in a Perceptual Decision.

PMID- 28898626
TI  - Molecular Architecture of the 40S?eIF1?eIF3 Translation Initiation Complex.

PMID- 28898625
TI  - Discovery of a Biomarker and Lead Small Molecules to Target r(GGGGCC)-Associated
      Defects in c9FTD/ALS.

PMID- 28898627
TI  - ATRX Directs Binding of PRC2 to Xist RNA and Polycomb Targets.

PMID- 28898628
TI  - The Genetics of Major Depression.

PMID- 28898629
TI  - Cingulate-Hippocampus Coherence and Trajectory Coding in a Sequential Choice
      Task.

PMID- 28898631
TI  - Neuronal Machinery of Sleep Homeostasis in Drosophila.

PMID- 28898630
TI  - Retraction Notice to: Dystroglycan and Perlecan Provide a Basal Cue Required for
      Epithelial Polarity during Energetic Stress.

PMID- 28898632
TI  - Astrocyte-Derived Endothelin-1 Inhibits Remyelination through Notch Activation.

PMID- 28898633
TI  - Delta Opioid Receptors Presynaptically Regulate Cutaneous Mechanosensory Neuron
      Input to the Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn.

PMID- 28898634
TI  - Retinal Input Directs the Recruitment of Inhibitory Interneurons into Thalamic
      Visual Circuits.

PMID- 28898635
TI  - The Breast Cancer Oncogene EMSY Represses Transcription of Antimetastatic
      microRNA miR-31.

PMID- 28898636
TI  - Coexistence of Two Forms of LTP in ACC Provides a Synaptic Mechanism for the
      Interactions between Anxiety and Chronic Pain.

PMID- 28898637
TI  - Interspecies Systems Biology Uncovers Metabolites Affecting C. elegans Gene
      Expression and Life History Traits.

PMID- 28898638
TI  - The Cell-Cycle State of Stem Cells Determines Cell Fate Propensity.

PMID- 28898639
TI  - VE-Cadherin Phosphorylation Regulates Endothelial Fluid Shear Stress Responses
      through the Polarity Protein LGN.

PMID- 28898640
TI  - Capsaspora owczarzaki.
AB  - Capsaspora owczarzaki is a unicellular eukaryote that is becoming pivotal to
      understanding the origin of animal multicellularity.

PMID- 28898641
TI  - Twitter as a means to study temporal behaviour.
AB  - Biomedical research has exploited vital and other statistics (e.g., birth or
      death rates) for almost 200 years [1]. The Internet has become a rich source of
      digital databases, which are being used for many lines of research (e.g.,
      circadian and seasonal [2] or metabolism [3,4]). Internet-based studies generally
      investigate large populations while individual social media accounts are rarely
      used to analyse, for example, individual sleep-wake behaviour (e.g.,
      youtu.be/wBNcP-LkpfA). I therefore applied time series analyses, commonly used in
      circadian and sleep research, to approximately 12,000 tweets sent from a single
      Twitter account (@realdonaldtrump; December, 2014 to March, 2017). The account
      was clearly used by different individuals/groups launching tweets from various
      devices. Among these, the Android phone was the most consistent over the years.
      Its tweet activity peaked twice a day (early morning and late night), and both
      peaks showed a strong seasonality by tracking dawn.

PMID- 28898642
TI  - Animal Navigation: A Novel Map Strategy.
AB  - Elegant new experiments show that migrant birds at high European latitudes can
      use magnetic declination to infer longitude.

PMID- 28898643
TI  - Place Cells: Knowing Where You Are Depends on Knowing Where You're Heading.
AB  - Knowing where you are and knowing where you are heading are both necessary for
      navigation. Does knowing where you are depend on knowing where you are heading,
      or is it the other way around? A new study suggests that knowing where you are
      heading allows you to know where you are.

PMID- 28898644
TI  - Centrosome Biology: Polymer-Based Centrosome Maturation.
AB  - The molecular mechanisms that control how the centrosome increases in size and
      microtubule nucleation capacity during mitosis have remained elusive. Recent work
      using in vitro assays provide exciting clues as to how this may occur.

PMID- 28898645
TI  - Sensory Neurobiology: Wet Fly Fishing.
AB  - A neuron responding to moist air and its ionotropic receptor have been identified
      in Drosophila melanogaster. Moreover, second-order neurons integrate temperature
      and humidity information before reaching higher brain centres.

PMID- 28898646
TI  - Plant Vasculature: Selective Membrane-to-Microtubule Tethering Patterns the Xylem
      Cell Wall.
AB  - To introduce pits into a cell wall, plants depolymerize cortical microtubules,
      which prevents subsequent secondary cell wall thickening. A newly identified
      protein tethers microtubules to the plasma membrane and contains this breakdown
      to defined regions, thereby shaping these holes.

PMID- 28898647
TI  - Genetics: Master Regulator or Master of Disguise?
AB  - The pha-1 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans was originally heralded as a master
      regulator of organ differentiation. A new study suggests instead that pha-1
      actually serves no role in development and instead is a component of a selfish
      genetic element.

PMID- 28898648
TI  - Motor Control: CRF Regulates Coordination and Gait.
AB  - The function of the olivo-cerebellar tract is not restricted to the supervision
      of plasticity in the cerebellar cortex. There is growing evidence that the
      climbing fibers also tune motor commands. A novel study unravels a role of
      corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in motor coordination and gait control.

PMID- 28898649
TI  - Morphogenesis: Shaping Tissues through Extracellular Force Gradients.
AB  - Organ sculpting requires directed physical force generation. Force imbalances are
      primarily thought to arise from within cells. A new study, however, demonstrates
      that an extracellular-matrix-based stiffness gradient in the Drosophila egg
      chamber instructs tissue elongation.

PMID- 28898650
TI  - Wilhelm Hofmeister and the foundations of plant science.
AB  - On January 12th 1877, the Grim Reaper visited Wilhelm Hofmeister (Figure 1) for
      the last time. Having recently witnessed the death of a wife, two daughters, and
      two sons (only two of his nine children survived him), the German botanist,
      perhaps succumbing to the weight of his own grief, suffered a series of strokes
      and then promptly died at the age of 52 in Lindenau, Germany. He has since faded
      into the dusty annals of 19th century botany, his contributions to our knowledge
      about plants, how they come into being, develop and interact with their
      environment, mostly forgotten. In an ode to Hofmeister marking 100 years since
      his birth, Douglas Haughton Campbell of Stanford University, referring to
      Hofmeister's studies in comparative morphology, wrote, "...there is no question
      that Hofmeister's work will remain as probably the most brilliant contribution
      ever made to this fundamental department of botany" [1]. And in an essay
      published in Plant Physiology, Donald Kaplan and Todd Cooke went further still,
      writing, "Frederich Wilhelm Benedikt Hofmeister stands as one of the most
      remarkable figures in the history of botany and one who made fundamental
      contributions to all areas of plant biology" [2]. If that wasn't enough, Kaplan
      and Cooke added "In terms of native genius, he is certainly the peer of both
      Darwin and Mendel and may have even exceeded them in the breadth and depth of his
      talents."

PMID- 28898651
TI  - From early farmers to Norman Borlaug - the making of modern wheat.
AB  - If we wander through the countryside, passing fields of wheat, it is apparent
      that this crop is reasonably short in stature and that the stems carry large
      ears. However, this was not always the case. If we take a look at depictions of
      wheat throughout history, we observe that wheat used to be fairly tall. It was
      not until the second half of the 20th century that dwarf wheat varieties started
      to dominate the agricultural landscape. Underlying this short stature are the
      Reduced height (Rht) genes, which encode DELLA proteins and which formed the
      cornerstone of the Green Revolution.

PMID- 28898652
TI  - Thigmomorphogenesis.
AB  - Braam and Chehab introduce thigmomorphogenesis - the phenomenon of touch-induced
      changes in plant growth and development.

PMID- 28898653
TI  - Apical dominance.
AB  - Barbier et al. give a quick guide to apical dominance, whereby a plant's main
      shoot dominates and inhibits the outgrowth of other shoots.

PMID- 28898655
TI  - Plant embryogenesis.
AB  - Land plants are called 'embryophytes' and thus, their collective name is defined
      by their ability to form embryos. Indeed, embryogenesis is a widespread
      phenomenon in plants, and much of our diet is composed of embryos (just think of
      grains, beans or nuts; Figure 1). However, in addition to embryos as a source of
      nutrition, they are also a fascinating study object. Some of the most fundamental
      decisions on fate and identity, as well as patterning and morphogenesis, are
      taken during the first days of plant life. Yet, embryos are diverse in structure
      and function, and embryogenesis in plants is by no means restricted to the zygote
      - the product of fertilization. In this Primer, we discuss the adventures of the
      young plant. We will consider what it means to be a plant embryo and how to
      become one. We will next highlight how the study of early embryogenesis can
      reveal principles underlying oriented cell division and developmental pattern
      formation in plants.

PMID- 28898654
TI  - Plant cell walls.
AB  - Plants are able to generate large leaf surfaces that act as two-dimensional solar
      panels with a minimum investment in building material, thanks to a hydrostatic
      skeleton. This requires high intracellular pressures (up to 1 MPa), which depend
      on the presence of strong cell walls. The walls of growing cells (also called
      primary walls), are remarkably able to reconcile extreme tensile strength (up to
      100 MPa) with the extensibility necessary for growth. All walled organisms are
      confronted with this dilemma - the need to balance strength and extensibility -
      and bacteria, fungi and plants have evolved independent solutions to cope. In
      this Primer, we discuss how plant cells have solved this problem, allowing them
      to support often very large increases in volume and to develop a broad variety of
      shapes (Figure 1A,B,D). This shape variation reflects the targeted deposition of
      wall material combined with local variations in cell-wall extensibility,
      processes that remain incompletely understood. Once the cell has reached its
      final size, it can lay down secondary wall layers, the composition and
      architecture of which are optimized to exert specific functions in different cell
      types (Figure 1E-G). Such functions include: providing mechanical support, for
      instance, for fibre cells in tree trunks or grass internodes; impermeabilising
      and strengthening vascular tissue to resist the negative pressure of the
      transpiration stream; increasing the surface area of the plasma membrane to
      facilitate solute exchange between cells (Figure 1C); or allowing important
      elastic deformation, for instance, to support the opening and closing of
      stomates. Specialized secondary walls, such as those constituting seed mucilage,
      are stored in a dehydrated form in seedcoat epidermis cells and show rapid
      swelling upon hydration of the seed. Other walls, in particular in reserve
      tissues, can accommodate large amounts of storage polysaccharides, which can be
      easily mobilized as a carbon source. Here we will discuss some general principles
      underlying wall architecture and wall growth that have emerged from recent
      studies, as well as future questions for investigation (Box 1).

PMID- 28898656
TI  - Seed dormancy and germination.
AB  - Reproduction is a critical time in plant life history. Therefore, genes affecting
      seed dormancy and germination are among those under strongest selection in
      natural plant populations. Germination terminates seed dispersal and thus
      influences the location and timing of plant growth. After seed shedding,
      germination can be prevented by a property known as seed dormancy. In practise,
      seeds are rarely either dormant or non-dormant, but seeds whose dormancy-inducing
      pathways are activated to higher levels will germinate in an ever-narrower range
      of environments. Thus, measurements of dormancy must always be accompanied by
      analysis of environmental contexts in which phenotypes or behaviours are
      described. At its simplest, dormancy can be imposed by the formation of a simple
      physical barrier around the seed through which gas exchange and the passage of
      water are prevented. Seeds featuring this so-called 'physical dormancy' often
      require either scarification or passage through an animal gut (replete with its
      associated digestive enzymes) to disrupt the barrier and permit germination. In
      other types of seeds with 'morphological dormancy' the embryo remains under
      developed at maturity and a dormant phase exists as the embryo continues its
      growth post-shedding, eventually breaking through the surrounding tissues. By
      far, the majority of seeds exhibit 'physiological dormancy' - a quiescence
      program initiated by either the embryo or the surrounding endosperm tissues.
      Physiological dormancy uses germination-inhibiting hormones to prevent
      germination in the absence of the specific environmental triggers that promote
      germination. During and after germination, early seedling growth is supported by
      catabolism of stored reserves of protein, oil or starch accumulated during seed
      maturation. These reserves support cell expansion, chloroplast development and
      root growth until photoauxotrophic growth can be resumed.

PMID- 28898657
TI  - Radial plant growth.
AB  - One of the extraordinary features of plants is their growth capacity. Depending
      on the species and the environment, body forms are manifold and, at the same
      time, constantly reshaped. An important basis of this plastic variation and life
      long accumulation of biomass is radial growth. Here, we use this term to describe
      the ability to grow in girth by the formation of wood, bast and cork. The more
      technical term for radial growth is secondary growth, which distinguishes the
      process from primary growth taking place at the tips of stems and roots during
      plant elongation.

PMID- 28898659
TI  - The ABC model of floral development.
AB  - Flowers are organized into concentric whorls of sepals, petals, stamens and
      carpels, with each of these floral organ types having a unique role in
      reproduction (Figure 1). Sepals enclose and protect the flower bud, while petals
      can be large and showy so as to attract pollinators (or people!). Stamens produce
      pollen grains that contain male gametes, while the carpels contain the ovules
      that when fertilized will produce the seeds. While the size, shape, number and
      elaboration of each of these organ types can be quite different, the same general
      organization of four floral organ types arranged in concentric whorls exists
      across all flowering plant (angiosperm) species. As I shall explain in this
      Primer, the 'ABC model' is a simple and satisfying explanation for how this
      conserved floral architecture is genetically specified.

PMID- 28898658
TI  - Phyllotaxis.
AB  - Leaves and flowers are arranged in regular patterns around the stem of a plant, a
      phenomenon known as phyllotaxis. Different arrangements occur, such as
      distichous, decussate or spiral (Figure 1). Most prevalent in nature are spirals
      in which the average divergence angles between successive organs are close to
      137.5 degrees , the so-called 'golden angle'. It is this exact number that has
      given phyllotaxis its special flavor as a quantitative developmental problem, and
      over the centuries, it has enjoyed the attention of scientists far beyond botany.
      In the 1830s mathematicians described the spirals as they related to the
      Fibonacci numbers, and in the 1860s improved microscopes made it possible for
      botanists to observe the initiation of leaf and flower primordia in a diversity
      of plants. This descriptive work led to the conclusion that new organ primordia
      form in the first available space between existing primordia, a conclusion still
      valid today. But how does it work? Ideas from the early 20th century suggested
      that an inhibitor produced by existing primordia diffuses towards the shoot
      apical meristem: where the concentration of the inhibitor falls below a threshold
      value, an organ is initiated. Other models dating back to the 1870s have tried to
      explain phyllotactic patterning by applying the laws of mechanics. Such models
      went through a long period of marginal interest, but have experienced a
      remarkable renaissance over the past 20 years. In this Primer I will give a broad
      overview of phyllotaxis, its emergence from the shoot apical meristem, how auxin
      and its transporter function as a 'pattern generator', and the role of tissue
      mechanics and computational modeling.

PMID- 28898660
TI  - Succulent plants.
AB  - The peculiar morphologies of succulent plants have been variously considered as
      grotesque monstrosities and exotic curiosities, but succulents have always been
      perceived as unique. The succulent syndrome is considered to be one of the most
      remarkable examples of convergent evolution across the plant kingdom. Common to
      all succulents is the presence of large cells for water storage. However,
      cellular succulence can occur in any vegetative plant organ, with the level of
      succulence in roots, stems, and leaves being subject to a certain degree of
      evolutionary coordination. Furthermore, cellular succulence scales up to
      morphological succulence according to various anatomical schemes that confer
      contrasting functional characteristics. This means that succulence is associated
      with a broad range of ecophysiological strategies and occurs in plants that have
      evolved in many different environments.

PMID- 28898661
TI  - How to make a domesticate.
AB  - The Neolithic Revolution brought about the transition from hunting and gathering
      to sedentary societies, laying the foundation for the development of modern
      civilizations. The primary innovation that facilitated these changes was the
      domestication of plants and animals. In the case of plants, this involved the
      cultivation and selection of individuals with larger edible parts, easier
      harvesting, and decreased defenses, traits that allowed for the production of a
      food surplus and occupational specialization. Plant domestication is a process
      which started approximately 10,000 years ago and has thereafter been repeated
      independently in many locales around the world. Here, we offer a perspective that
      seeks to predict what factors influence the success of domestication, how many
      genes contributed to the process, where these genes originated and the
      implications for de novo domestication.

PMID- 28898662
TI  - Size-dependent variation in plant form.
AB  - The study of organic form has a long and distinguished history going at least as
      far back as Aristotle's Historia Anima-lium, wherein he identified five basic
      biological processes that define the forms of animals (metabolism, temperature
      regulation, information processing, embryo development, and inheritance).
      Unfortunately, all of Aristotle's writings about plant forms are lost. We know of
      them only indirectly from his student Theophrastus's companion books,
      collectively called Historia Plantarum, wherein plant forms are categorized into
      annual herbs, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and trees. The study of plant forms
      did not truly begin until the romantic poet and naturalist Goethe proposed the
      concept of a hypothetical 'Plant Archetype', declared "Alles ist Blatt", and
      first coined the word morphologie, which inspired the French anatomist Cuvier
      (who established the field of comparative morphology), the English naturalist
      Darwin (who saw his theory of evolution reinforced by it), and the Scottish
      mathematician D'Arcy Thompson (who attempted to quantify it).

PMID- 28898663
TI  - Late Palaeozoic plants.
AB  - Land plants are one of the major constituents of terrestrial ecosystems on Earth,
      and play an irreplaceable role in human activities today. If we are to understand
      the extant plants, it is imperative that we have some understanding of the fossil
      plants from the deep geological past, particularly those that occurred during
      their early evolutionary history, in the late Palaeozoic.

PMID- 28898664
TI  - Growth and Development of Three-Dimensional Plant Form.
AB  - Plants can generate a spectacular array of complex shapes, many of which exhibit
      elaborate curvature in three dimensions, illustrated for example by orchid
      flowers and pitcher-plant traps. All of these structures arise through
      differential growth. Recent findings provide fresh mechanistic insights into how
      regional cell behaviours may lead to tissue deformations, including anisotropies
      and curvatures, which shape growing volumes and sheets of cells. Here were review
      our current understanding of how genes, growth, mechanics, and evolution interact
      to generate diverse structures. We illustrate problems and approaches with the
      complex three-dimensional trap of the bladderwort, Utricularia gibba, to show how
      a multidisciplinary approach can be extended to new model systems to understand
      how diverse plant shapes can develop and evolve.

PMID- 28898665
TI  - Shaping 3D Root System Architecture.
AB  - Plants are sessile organisms rooted in one place. The soil resources that plants
      require are often distributed in a highly heterogeneous pattern. To aid foraging,
      plants have evolved roots whose growth and development are highly responsive to
      soil signals. As a result, 3D root architecture is shaped by myriad environmental
      signals to ensure resource capture is optimised and unfavourable environments are
      avoided. The first signals sensed by newly germinating seeds - gravity and light 
      direct root growth into the soil to aid seedling establishment. Heterogeneous
      soil resources, such as water, nitrogen and phosphate, also act as signals that
      shape 3D root growth to optimise uptake. Root architecture is also modified
      through biotic interactions that include soil fungi and neighbouring plants. This
      developmental plasticity results in a 'custom-made' 3D root system that is best
      adapted to forage for resources in each soil environment that a plant colonises.

PMID- 28898666
TI  - Plant Strategies for Enhancing Access to Sunlight.
AB  - Light is a vital resource for plants, which compete for it particularly in dense
      communities. Plants have multiple photosensory receptors to detect the presence
      of competitors and thereby adjust their growth and developmental strategies
      accordingly. Broadly speaking, plants fall into two categories depending on their
      response to shading by leaves: shade tolerant or shade avoiding. Here, we
      describe the photoperception mechanisms and the growth responses elicited by the
      neighboring vegetation in shade-avoiding plants, focusing on Arabidopsis
      thaliana, where these responses are best understood. The type of response depends
      on plant density, ranging from neighbor detection modulating growth in
      anticipation of future shading to the response to canopy shade where light
      resources are limiting. These diverse environments are sensed by various
      photoreceptors, and we will describe our current understanding of signal
      integration triggered by distinct light cues in diverse light conditions.

PMID- 28898667
TI  - The Evolution of Diverse Floral Morphologies.
AB  - The angiosperm flower develops through a modular programme which, although
      ancient and conserved, provides the flexibility that has allowed an almost
      infinite variety of floral forms to emerge. In this review, we explore the
      evolution of floral diversity, focusing on our recent understanding of the
      mechanistic basis of evolutionary change. We discuss the various ways in which
      flower size and floral organ size can be modified, the means by which flower
      shape and symmetry can change, and the ways in which floral organ position can be
      varied. We conclude that many challenges remain before we fully understand the
      ecological and molecular processes that facilitate the diversification of flower
      structure.

PMID- 28898668
TI  - Understanding the Arbuscule at the Heart of Endomycorrhizal Symbioses in Plants.
AB  - Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form associations with most land plants and
      facilitate nutrient uptake from the soil, with the plant receiving mineral
      nutrients from the fungus and in return providing the fungus with fixed carbon.
      This nutrient exchange takes place through highly branched fungal structures
      called arbuscules that are formed in cortical cells of the host root. Recent
      discoveries have highlighted the importance of fatty acids, in addition to
      sugars, acting as the form of fixed carbon transferred from the plant to the
      fungus and several studies have begun to elucidate the mechanisms that control
      the plant processes necessary for fungal colonisation and arbuscule development.
      In this review, we analyse the mechanisms that allow arbuscule development and
      the processes necessary for nutrient exchange between the plant and the fungus.

PMID- 28898669
TI  - Molecular Mechanisms of Root Gravitropism.
AB  - Plant shoots typically grow against the gravity vector to access light, whereas
      roots grow downward into the soil to take up water and nutrients. These
      gravitropic responses can be altered by developmental and environmental cues. In
      this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms that govern the gravitropism of
      angiosperm roots, where a physical separation between sites for gravity sensing
      and curvature response has facilitated discovery. Gravity sensing takes place in
      the columella cells of the root cap, where sedimentation of starch-filled
      plastids (amyloplasts) triggers a pathway that results in a relocalization to the
      lower side of the cell of PIN proteins, which facilitate efflux of the plant
      hormone auxin efflux. Consequently, auxin accumulates in the lower half of the
      root, triggering bending of the root tip at the elongation zone. We review our
      understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control this process in primary
      roots, and discuss recent insights into the regulation of oblique growth in
      lateral roots and its impact on root-system architecture and soil exploration.

PMID- 28898670
TI  - Shoot-Root Communication in Flowering Plants.
AB  - As sessile organisms, terrestrial plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to
      coordinate the growth and development of two distinct systems, the shoot and the
      root, in response to environmental fluctuations. Adaptive systemic responses are
      accomplished by shoot-root communication, which involves diverse long-distance
      signalling molecules. During the last few decades, various genetic, biochemical,
      molecular, and grafting studies have identified multiple long-distance signalling
      molecules which are crucial for plants to adapt to external changes. In this
      minireview, the long-distance signals implicated in systemic responses to various
      environmental cues are discussed.

PMID- 28898671
TI  - Preterm newborn pain research review.
AB  - This narrative review is based on a literature search of PubMed and PsycINFO for
      research on preterm newborn pain published during the last ten years. The high
      prevalence of painful procedures being performed with preterm newborns without
      analgesia (79%), with a median of 75 painful procedures being received during
      hospitalization and as many as 51 painful procedures per day highlights the
      importance of this problem. This review covers the pain assessments that have
      been developed, the short-term effects of the painful procedures, the longer-term
      developmental outcomes and the pharmacological and alternative therapies that
      have been researched. The most immediate effects reported for repeated painful
      procedures include increased heart rate, oxidative stress and cortisol as well as
      decreased vagal activity. Lower body weight and head circumference have been
      noted at 32 weeks gestation. Blunted cortisol reactivity to stressors has been
      reported for three-month-olds and thinner gray matter in 21 of 66 cerebral
      regions and motor and cognitive developmental delays have been noted as early as
      eight months. Longer-term outcomes have been reported at school age including
      less cortical thickness, lower vagal activity, delayed visual- perceptual
      development, lower IQs and internalizing behavior. Pharmacological interventions
      and their side effects and non-pharmacological therapies are also reviewed
      including sucrose, milk and nonnutritive sucking which have been effective but
      thought to negatively affect breast-feeding. Full-body interventions have
      included tucking, swaddling, kangaroo care and massage therapy. Although these
      have been effective for alleviating immediate pain during invasive procedures,
      research is lacking on the routine use of these therapies for reducing long-term
      pain effects. Further, additional randomized controlled replication studies are
      needed.

PMID- 28898672
TI  - A BMPy Road for Venous Development.
AB  - Detailed molecular pathways for the specific growth of arteries and lymphatic
      vessels have been identified, but the mechanisms controlling venous vessel growth
      have been obscure. Tischfield and colleagues (2017) shed new light on this
      problem by identifying a role for BMP signaling in development of the cerebral
      venous system.

PMID- 28898673
TI  - Arp2/3: Not Absolutely Required After All?
AB  - The Arp2/3 complex nucleates branched actin networks and is thought to be
      essential for macrophage migration and phagocytosis. In this issue of
      Developmental Cell, Rotty et al. (2017) show that there is only a surprisingly
      specific requirement for Arp2/3 in integrin-dependent macrophage functions,
      including CR3 phagocytosis and haptotaxis on fibronectin.

PMID- 28898674
TI  - mRNAs on the Move after Lunch.
AB  - mRNA localization often contributes to translational control. Reporting in
      Science, Moor et al. (2017) now show that many mRNAs and ribosomes are
      asymmetrically distributed along the apical-basal axis of enterocytes.
      Remarkably, when starved mice are fed, mRNAs encoding ribosomal proteins rapidly
      move to the ribosome-rich apical side to activate translation.

PMID- 28898675
TI  - A DNA Crosslinker Collects Mitotic Chromosomes.
AB  - Incorporating each set of daughter chromosomes into a single nucleus at the end
      of mitosis is essential for genome stability. In a recent Cell paper, Samwer et
      al. (2017) show that by non-covalently crosslinking DNA, BAF promotes chromosome
      coalescence, preventing nuclear membranes from enwrapping individual chromosomes
      to form micronuclei.

PMID- 28898676
TI  - Developmental ERK Signaling Goes Digital.
AB  - Reporting in Developmental Cell, de la Cova et al. (2017) present a biosensor to
      measure ERK activity dynamics in C. elegans larvae. They find that fate decision
      signaling involves frequency-modulated, digital ERK activity pulses. These
      findings may explain how graded morphogen signals are converted into precise and
      robust cell fate patterns.

PMID- 28898677
TI  - Difference in Dachsous Levels between Migrating Cells Coordinates the Direction
      of Collective Cell Migration.
AB  - In contrast to extracellular chemotactic gradients, how cell-adhesion molecules
      contribute to directing cell migration remains more elusive. Here we studied the
      collective migration of Drosophila larval epidermal cells (LECs) along the
      anterior-posterior axis and propose a migrating cell group-autonomous mechanism
      in which an atypical cadherin Dachsous (Ds) plays a pivotal role. In each
      abdominal segment, the amount of Ds in each LEC varied along the axis of
      migration (Ds imbalance), which polarized Ds localization at cell boundaries.
      This Ds polarity was necessary for coordinating the migratory direction. Another
      atypical cadherin, Fat (Ft), and an unconventional myosin Dachs, both of which
      bind to Ds, also showed biased cell-boundary localizations, and both were
      required for the migration. Altogether, we propose that the Ds imbalance within
      the migrating tissue provides the directional cue and that this is decoded by Ds
      Ft-mediated cell-cell contacts, which restricts lamellipodia formation to the
      posterior end of the cell.

PMID- 28898678
TI  - Using language to get ready: Familiar labels help children engage proactive
      control.
AB  - A key developmental transition is the ability to engage executive functions
      proactively in advance of needing them. We tested the potential role of
      linguistic processes in proactive control. Children completed a task in which
      they could proactively track a novel (target) shape on a screen as it moved
      unpredictably amid novel distractors and needed to identify where it disappeared.
      Children almost always remembered which shape to track, but those who learned
      familiar labels for the target shapes before the task had nearly twice the odds
      of tracking the target compared with those who received experience with the
      targets but no labels. Children who learned labels were also more likely to
      spontaneously vocalize labels when the target appeared. These findings provide
      the first evidence of a causal role for linguistic processes in proactive control
      and suggest new ideas about how proactive control develops, why language supports
      a variety of executive functions, and how interventions might best be targeted.

PMID- 28898679
TI  - Systemic treatment of renal cell cancer: A comprehensive review.
AB  - Kidney cancer represents about 5% of all new cancer diagnoses. The most common
      form of kidney cancer arises from renal epithelium, named renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC). This entity comprises different histological and molecular subtypes.
      Unraveling the molecular biology and cytogenetic of RCC has enabled the
      development of several targeted agents that have improved treatment outcomes of
      these patients. This article reviews all the agents currently approved for the
      treatment of RCC, and discuss upcoming molecules. Mechanism of action,
      preclinical and clinical development and ongoing trials, are presented for each
      agent, providing a broad vision of the current state of targeted therapy in RCC
      and possible future developments.

PMID- 28898680
TI  - Dissecting the Tumor Myeloid Compartment Reveals Rare Activating Antigen
      Presenting Cells Critical for T Cell Immunity.

PMID- 28898681
TI  - Cancer-Selective Targeting of the NF-kappaB Survival Pathway with GADD45beta/MKK7
      Inhibitors.

PMID- 28898682
TI  - Global Reprogramming of the Cellular Translational Landscape Facilitates
      Cytomegalovirus Replication.

PMID- 28898683
TI  - Microcephaly-Associated Protein WDR62 Regulates Neurogenesis through JNK1 in the
      Developing Neocortex.

PMID- 28898684
TI  - Highly Efficient Targeted Mutagenesis of Drosophila with the CRISPR/Cas9 System.

PMID- 28898685
TI  - Avoidance of the vaginal incision site for mesh placement in vaginal wall
      prolapse surgery: A prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy of a minimal surface area, vaginally-installed
      polypropylene tape (VPT), avoiding insertion on the incision line to treat an
      anterior, posterior or anteroposterior vaginal wall prolapse. STUDY DESIGN:
      Patients with an anterior, posterior or anteroposterior vaginal wall prolapse
      waiting for surgical treatment were included in the study. Primary outcome was
      the incidence of prolapse recurrence reported with combined outcome measures and
      was reported with Kaplan-Meier cumulative incidence. Secondary outcomes were
      operative complications, adverse events, urinary, colorectal and sexual functions
      as well as quality of life. Participation in the study involved up to 8 visits
      over 5 years. At each visit, patients used a self-reported questionnaire to
      report symptoms related to pain, urinary, colorectal, sexual functions, and
      quality of life. A physical examination was also performed. Paired t-tests were
      used to investigate change in POP-Q and quality of life measurements since
      baseline. RESULTS: 71 patients underwent the procedure and were followed-up for
      an average (standard deviation) of 32.5 (18.7) months. Only 2 (2.8%) women
      experienced a recurrence of their pelvic organ prolapse. Only one case of erosion
      and no case of persistent pain have been recorded up to 5 years post-surgery.
      Quality of life was improved and then sustained throughout the follow-up period
      (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: This VPT surgical procedure is safe and has a high level of
      efficacy to treat anterior, posterior or anteroposterior vaginal wall prolapse.
      It is also associated with improvements in quality of life of patients which are
      sustained for many years.

PMID- 28898686
TI  - The impact of ovulation induction and ovarian stimulation on the risk of
      pregnancy-induced hypertension and on neonatal outcomes: A case/control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the role of ovarian stimulation procedures on the risk of
      pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus and neonatal
      outcomes according to women's characteristics and the causes of infertility.
      DESIGN: Retrospective, observational, case/control study. PATIENTS: Spontaneous
      pregnancies (group A, n=8107), pregnancies achieved after mild ovarian ovulation
      induction without other Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedures (group
      B, n=44), pregnancies after mild ovarian stimulation and ART procedures (group C,
      n=53) or pregnancies after multi (>2) follicular stimulation with gonadotrophin
      therapy and ART procedures (group D, n=133); all of the groups had identical
      protocols for prenatal care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Pregnancy-induced
      hypertension (PIH), fetal macrosomia (estimated fetal weight >90th percentile),
      gestational diabetes mellitus, caesarean section, and neonatal outcomes. RESULTS:
      The incidence rates of PIH (2.7, 11.6, 4.2, and 2.5%) in groups A, B, C and D,
      respectively, (p=0.004), fetal macrosomia (4.7, 7.0, 20.8, and 7.6%,
      respectively, p<0.001), caesarean section (21.8, 37.2, 21.7, and 17.6%,
      respectively, p=0.048), differed among the groups. The high incidence of PIH in
      pregnancies following ovulation induction was driven by polycystic ovarian
      syndrome (PCOS) per se. CONCLUSION: PCOS per se was associated with more PIH, and
      ART procedures after mild mono/bi follicular ovarian stimulation were associated
      with more fetal macrosomia.

PMID- 28898688
TI  - Improving non-technical skills (teamwork) in post-partum haemorrhage: A grouped
      randomised trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a decision support technology on teamwork
      and associated non-technical (NTS) and technical skills when teams manage post
      partum haemorrhage (PPH) in the simulated environment. METHODS: Multidisciplinary
      (MDT) maternity teams were taught how to manage post partum haemorrhage. They
      were randomised to the intervention: using a decision support mobile digital
      platform or a control group. Each team managed a post-partum simulation, which
      was recorded and reviewed by assessors. Primary outcome measures to assess teams
      NTS were the validated Global Assessment of Obstetric Team Performance (GAOTP)
      and Clinical Teamwork Scale (CTS). Secondary outcome measures were the 'friends
      and family test', technical skills, and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Sample
      size estimation was calculated by using 80% power 5% significance two tailed test
      (p1=85% p2=40%) n=34. RESULTS: 38 teams from August 2014-February 2016, were
      recruited, technical issues with failure of recording equipment meant 4 teams
      were excluded from teamwork analysis (1 intervention 3 control). Teamwork
      improved across all domains with the intervention (using a decision support
      mobile digital platform) p <0.01. CTS improved between 6.7-16.8% (average 14.2%)
      and GAOTP between 8.6-17.1% (average 13.5%) for all domains. Using the control
      group as baseline, the intervention improved teamwork by 25% using CTS and 22%
      using GAOTP. Fewer technical skills were missed with the intervention (p<0.01).
      There was no statistical difference in the time technical skills were achieved.
      Assessors were more likely to recommend intervention teams 87.5% (77/88) than
      control teams 63.6% (56/88) p<0.01 to their friends or family. The SUS was 'Good'
      (69) becoming excellently 'Usable' (81.6) over the study period. CONCLUSION: We
      report a decision support system, which improved NTS when managing PPH. Lack of
      teamwork is often cited as the cause of failures in care and we report a usable
      technology that assists with and improves teamwork during an emergency.

PMID- 28898687
TI  - Outcomes of mifepristone usage for cervical ripening and induction of labour in
      full-term pregnancy. Randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The most commonly used approved indications for mifepristone in
      obstetrics include: termination of early pregnancy, cervical dilatation prior to
      abortion, labour induction in case of fetal death in utero. Fewer studies have
      been conducted on the effect of mifepristone on cervical ripening and induction
      of labour in term pregnancy with a live fetus. The aim of our study was to
      evaluate efficacy and safety of mifepristone use for cervical ripening and
      induction of labour versus expectant management in full-term pregnancy. STUDY
      DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. 149 women were randomized, 74 for cervical
      ripening and induction with mifepristone (200mg orally at the moment of
      enrollment and, if applicable, second dose after 24h), 75 - expectant management.
      Primary outcomes: gain in Bishop Score within 24 and 48-h of mifepristone; number
      of women going into spontaneous labor within 24, 48 and 72-h of mifepristone;
      rate of failed induction or expectant management. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: enrollment
      induction to delivery interval; mode of delivery; requirement of oxytocin
      augmentation, neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: After 48h from enrollment mean gain in
      Bishop score was 2.58+/-1.33 in the induction group and 1.15+/-0.97 in the
      expectant group (<0.001). Failed management rate was 5.41% and 2.67%,
      respectively. Significantly more mifepristone treated women had labour within 24,
      48 and 72h from enrollment (RR 15.20 CI 95% 2.06-112.18; RR 6.08 CI 95% 2.73
      13.57; RR 2.14 CI 95% 1.04-4.42) (p<0.05). Enrollment-induction to delivery
      interval was significantly shorter in mifepristone group: 2.69+/-2.06 vs 3.77+/
      1.86days (p<0.001). Premature rupture of membranes, meconium-stained amniotic
      fluid were more common in expectant management, but regional analgesia and
      cephalopelvic disproportion - in induction group. There were no differences in
      mode of delivery, requirement of oxytocin augmentation and main neonatal
      outcomes. CONCLUSION: Mifepristone was efficient on inducing cervical ripening
      and labour in full-term pregnancy. There were no significant difference in main
      maternal and neonatal outcomes between mifepristone use and expectant management.
      There were no serious adverse side effects of mifepristone, but there were some
      features of the course of labor, like more painful uterine contractions and trend
      of higher rate of cephalopelvic disproportion, that might be directly related to
      the mifepristone action.

PMID- 28898689
TI  - Scratching the Surface of Immunotherapeutic Targets in Neuroblastoma.
AB  - In this issue of Cancer Cell, Bosse et al. report GPC2 as a therapeutic target in
      neuroblastoma. They show that GPC2 is selectively expressed on the cell surface
      of neuroblastoma and is a dependency in this disease. Moreover, they demonstrate
      the therapeutic potential of an antibody-drug conjugate targeting GPC2.

PMID- 28898690
TI  - When LMO1 Meets MYCN, Neuroblastoma Is Metastatic.
AB  - LMO1 is a high-risk neuroblastoma susceptibility gene, but how LMO1 cooperates
      with MYCN in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis is unclear. In this issue of Cancer
      Cell, Zhu et al. develop a novel zebrafish model that elucidates a mechanism by
      which LMO1 and MYCN synergistically initiate neuroblastoma and contribute to
      metastatic disease progression.

PMID- 28898691
TI  - Leukemic Cells "Gas Up" Leaky Bone Marrow Blood Vessels.
AB  - In this issue of Cancer Cell, Passaro et al. demonstrate how leukemia through
      aberrant induction of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production trigger
      marrow vessel leakiness, instigating pro-leukemic function. Disrupted tumor blood
      vessels promote exhaustion of non-malignant stem and progenitor cells and may
      facilitate leukemia relapse following chemotherapeutic treatment.

PMID- 28898692
TI  - Smoke-Induced Changes to the Epigenome Provide Fertile Ground for Oncogenic
      Mutation.
AB  - How genetic and epigenetic events synergize to generate the oncogenic state is
      not well understood. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Vaz et al. provide compelling
      evidence that exposure to chronic cigarette smoke causes progressive epigenetic
      alterations that prime for key genetic events to drive the development of lung
      cancer.

PMID- 28898693
TI  - No Oxygen? No Glucose? No Problem: Fatty Acid Catabolism Enhances Effector CD8+
      TILs.
AB  - The tumor microenvironment presents metabolic constraints to immunosurveiling
      cells. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Zhang et al. demonstrate that CD8+ TILs
      reprogram under hypoxic and hypoglycemic conditions, regaining effector function
      by engaging fatty acid catabolism, which is promoted by fenofibrate and
      synergistic with immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

PMID- 28898694
TI  - Intravascular Survival and Extravasation of Tumor Cells.
AB  - Most metastasizing tumor cells reach distant sites by entering the circulatory
      system. Within the bloodstream, they are exposed to severe stress due to loss of
      adhesion to extracellular matrix, hemodynamic shear forces, and attacks of the
      immune system, and only a few cells manage to extravasate and to form metastases.
      We review the current understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that
      allow tumor cells to survive in the intravascular environment and that mediate
      and promote tumor cell extravasation. As these processes are critical for the
      metastatic spread of tumor cells, we discuss implications for potential
      therapeutic approaches and future research.

PMID- 28898695
TI  - Identification of GPC2 as an Oncoprotein and Candidate Immunotherapeutic Target
      in High-Risk Neuroblastoma.
AB  - We developed an RNA-sequencing-based pipeline to discover differentially
      expressed cell-surface molecules in neuroblastoma that meet criteria for optimal
      immunotherapeutic target safety and efficacy. Here, we show that GPC2 is a strong
      candidate immunotherapeutic target in this childhood cancer. We demonstrate high
      GPC2 expression in neuroblastoma due to MYCN transcriptional activation and/or
      somatic gain of the GPC2 locus. We confirm GPC2 to be highly expressed on most
      neuroblastomas, but not detectable at appreciable levels in normal childhood
      tissues. In addition, we demonstrate that GPC2 is required for neuroblastoma
      proliferation. Finally, we develop a GPC2-directed antibody-drug conjugate that
      is potently cytotoxic to GPC2-expressing neuroblastoma cells. Collectively, these
      findings validate GPC2 as a non-mutated neuroblastoma oncoprotein and candidate
      immunotherapeutic target.

PMID- 28898696
TI  - A Dual Role of Caspase-8 in Triggering and Sensing Proliferation-Associated DNA
      Damage, a Key Determinant of Liver Cancer Development.
AB  - Concomitant hepatocyte apoptosis and regeneration is a hallmark of chronic liver
      diseases (CLDs) predisposing to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we
      mechanistically link caspase-8-dependent apoptosis to HCC development via
      proliferation- and replication-associated DNA damage. Proliferation-associated
      replication stress, DNA damage, and genetic instability are detectable in CLDs
      before any neoplastic changes occur. Accumulated levels of hepatocyte apoptosis
      determine and predict subsequent hepatocarcinogenesis. Proliferation-associated
      DNA damage is sensed by a complex comprising caspase-8, FADD, c-FLIP, and a
      kinase-dependent function of RIPK1. This platform requires a non-apoptotic
      function of caspase-8, but no caspase-3 or caspase-8 cleavage. It may represent a
      DNA damage-sensing mechanism in hepatocytes that can act via JNK and subsequent
      phosphorylation of the histone variant H2AX.

PMID- 28898699
TI  - Redefining Hormonal Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer: Results from the
      LATITUDE and STAMPEDE Studies.

PMID- 28898697
TI  - Chronic Cigarette Smoke-Induced Epigenomic Changes Precede Sensitization of
      Bronchial Epithelial Cells to Single-Step Transformation by KRAS Mutations.
AB  - We define how chronic cigarette smoke-induced time-dependent epigenetic
      alterations can sensitize human bronchial epithelial cells for transformation by
      a single oncogene. The smoke-induced chromatin changes include initial repressive
      polycomb marking of genes, later manifesting abnormal DNA methylation by 10
      months. At this time, cells exhibit epithelial-to-mesenchymal changes, anchorage
      independent growth, and upregulated RAS/MAPK signaling with silencing of
      hypermethylated genes, which normally inhibit these pathways and are associated
      with smoking-related non-small cell lung cancer. These cells, in the absence of
      any driver gene mutations, now transform by introducing a single KRAS mutation
      and form adenosquamous lung carcinomas in mice. Thus, epigenetic abnormalities
      may prime for changing oncogene senescence to addiction for a single key oncogene
      involved in lung cancer initiation.

PMID- 28898700
TI  - MUC1 and HIF-1alpha Signaling Crosstalk Induces Anabolic Glucose Metabolism to
      Impart Gemcitabine Resistance to Pancreatic Cancer.

PMID- 28898698
TI  - Enhancing CD8+ T Cell Fatty Acid Catabolism within a Metabolically Challenging
      Tumor Microenvironment Increases the Efficacy of Melanoma Immunotherapy.
AB  - How tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs) adapt to the metabolic constrains
      within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and to what degree this affects their
      ability to combat tumor progression remain poorly understood. Using mouse
      melanoma models, we report that CD8+ TILs enhance peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha signaling and catabolism of fatty acids (FAs)
      when simultaneously subjected to hypoglycemia and hypoxia. This metabolic switch
      partially preserves CD8+ TILs' effector functions, although co-inhibitor
      expression increases during tumor progression regardless of CD8+ TILs' antigen
      specificity. Further promoting FA catabolism improves the CD8+ TILs' ability to
      slow tumor progression. PD-1 blockade delays tumor growth without changing TIL
      metabolism or functions. It synergizes with metabolic reprogramming of T cells to
      achieve superior antitumor efficacy and even complete cures.

PMID- 28898701
TI  - Target virus log10 reduction values determined for two reclaimed wastewater
      irrigation scenarios in Japan based on tolerable annual disease burden.
AB  - Multiple-barriers are widely employed for managing microbial risks in water
      reuse, in which different types of wastewater treatment units (biological
      treatment, disinfection, etc.) and health protection measures (use of personal
      protective gear, vegetable washing, etc.) are combined to achieve a performance
      target value of log10 reduction (LR) of viruses. The LR virus target value needs
      to be calculated based on the data obtained from monitoring the viruses of
      concern and the water reuse scheme in the context of the countries/regions where
      water reuse is implemented. In this study, we calculated the virus LR target
      values under two exposure scenarios for reclaimed wastewater irrigation in Japan,
      using the concentrations of indigenous viruses in untreated wastewater and a
      defined tolerable annual disease burden (10-4 or 10-6 disability-adjusted life
      years per person per year (DALYpppy)). Three genogroups of norovirus (norovirus
      genogroup I (NoV GI), geogroup II (NoV GII), and genogroup IV (NoV GIV)) in
      untreated wastewater were quantified as model viruses using reverse transcription
      microfluidic quantitative PCR, and only NoV GII was present in quantifiable
      concentration. The probabilistic distribution of NoV GII concentration in
      untreated wastewater was then estimated from its concentration dataset, and used
      to calculate the LR target values of NoV GII for wastewater treatment. When an
      accidental ingestion of reclaimed wastewater by Japanese farmers was assumed, the
      NoV GII LR target values corresponding to the tolerable annual disease burden of
      10-6 DALYpppy were 3.2, 4.4, and 5.7 at 95, 99, and 99.9%tile, respectively.
      These percentile values, defined as "reliability," represent the cumulative
      probability of NoV GII concentration distribution in untreated wastewater below
      the corresponding tolerable annual disease burden after wastewater reclamation.
      An approximate 1-log10 difference of LR target values was observed between 10-4
      and 10-6 DALYpppy. The LR target values were influenced mostly by the change in
      the logarithmic standard deviation (SD) values of NoV GII concentration in
      untreated wastewater and the reliability values, which highlights the importance
      of accurately determining the probabilistic distribution of reference virus
      concentrations in source water for water reuse.

PMID- 28898702
TI  - Climate warming and cyanobacteria blooms: Looks at their relationships from a new
      perspective.
AB  - Climate warming and eutrophication are regarded as two important contributors to
      the occurrence of cyanobacteria blooms in aquatic ecosystems. However, the
      feedback of cyanobacteria blooms to climate warming and eutrophication is not
      fully clear. In this study, a microcosm system was established to simulate the
      decomposition processes of cyanobacteria blooms. It was observed that a large
      amount of nitrogen and phosphorus was released into the overlying water, and the
      concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were increased with the amount of added
      cyanobacteria bloom biomass addition. Subsequently, these released nutrients
      became available for primary production and intensified the eutrophic state of
      freshwater lakes. During the decomposition of cyanobacteria blooms, the
      microenvironment acquired low DO, low pH, and reductive conditions. Together with
      abundant organic matter in the water column and sediment, a large amount of CH4
      and CO2 produced through organic matter mineralization, in which CH4 was the
      dominant fraction, occupied 50%-92% in mass of emitted carbon. Furthermore, a
      certain amount of N2O, probably underestimated, was produced with a strong
      greenhouse effect, even though its magnitude was small. These observations
      clarify that the feedbacks among cyanobacteria blooms formation and climate
      warming as well as the eutrophication of freshwater lakes are not unidirectional,
      but bidirectional. Given that climate warming enhanced the occurrence of
      cyanobacteria blooms, it was proposed that there are two vicious loops between
      cyanobacteria blooms, lake eutrophication and climate warming, which should be
      considered in the future management of aquatic ecosystems.

PMID- 28898703
TI  - Investigation of the impact of trace elements on anaerobic volatile fatty acid
      degradation using a fractional factorial experimental design.
AB  - The requirement of trace elements (TE) in anaerobic digestion process is widely
      documented. However, little is understood regarding the specific requirement of
      elements and their critical concentrations under different operating conditions
      such as substrate characterisation and temperature. In this study, a flask batch
      trial using fractional factorial design is conducted to investigate volatile
      fatty acids (VFA) anaerobic degradation rate under the influence of the
      individual and combined effect of six TEs (Co, Ni, Mo, Se, Fe and W). The
      experiment inoculated with food waste digestate, spiked with sodium acetate and
      sodium propionate both to 10 g/l. This is followed by the addition of a selection
      of the six elements in accordance with a 26-2 fractional factorial principle. The
      experiment is conducted in duplicate and the degradation of VFA is regularly
      monitored. Factorial effect analysis on the experimental results reveals that
      within these experimental conditions, Se has a key role in promoting the
      degradation rates of both acetic and propionic acids; Mo and Co are found to have
      a modest effect on increasing propionic acid degradation rate. It is also
      revealed that Ni shows some inhibitory effects on VFA degradation, possibly due
      to its toxicity. Additionally, regression coefficients for the main and second
      order effects are calculated to establish regression models for VFA degradation.

PMID- 28898704
TI  - Interpretation of indeterminate HIV-1 PCR results are influenced by changing
      vertical transmission prevention regimens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Suppression of HIV by antiretroviral drugs may be one of the reasons
      that indeterminate HIV-1 PCR results are obtained from testing HIV-exposed
      infants. This complicates the early identification of infected infants,
      potentially delaying initiating treatment early. There is uncertainty as to how
      different vertical HIV transmission prevention regimens (VTP) affect the rate and
      predictive value of indeterminate PCR results. OBJECTIVES: To investigate rates
      of indeterminate PCR results, outcomes of subsequent samples and the predictive
      value of an indeterminate PCR for a later positive result in the setting of
      intensifying VTP in the Western Cape province of South Africa. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective laboratory data analysis. Diagnostic PCR data of a public health
      laboratory from June 2009 to October 2014 was analysed and categorised by South
      African VTP regimens. First indeterminate HIV-1 PCRs in patients younger than 12
      months were linked with follow-up HIV-1 PCRs and/or serological tests. Linked
      results sets were analysed by PCR amplification characteristics and subsequent
      patient outcome. RESULTS: Over intensified VTP regimens, the rate of
      indeterminate and positive PCRs decreased significantly (5.6-3.2% and 2.4-0.4%,
      respectively; both p<0.001). Most notably, significantly more patients with
      indeterminate results had positive PCRs on subsequent samples during WHO Option
      B+ use compared to older regimens (64.1% vs. 14.7%, p<0.001) at a median 28days
      later. CONCLUSIONS: Indeterminate HIV PCRs, although decreasing in frequency with
      Option B+, should be regarded with a high index of suspicion for being
      representative of true HIV-1 infections. Additional virological testing is
      required to arrive at a definitive diagnosis.

PMID- 28898705
TI  - Relationships of bullying involvement with intelligence, attention, and executive
      function in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder.
AB  - This study investigated the relationship of bullying victimization and
      perpetration with the levels of intelligence, attention, and executive function
      in children who had received a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder (ADHD). The experiences of bullying involvement in 105 children with
      ADHD were assessed using the Chinese version of the School Bullying Experience
      Questionnaire. Their scores for four intelligence indexes on the Wechsler
      Intelligence Scale for Children 4th Edition-Chinese version were determined.
      Their levels of attention and executive function were assessed using the
      Comprehensive Nonverbal Attention Test Battery. The results of logistic
      regression analyses indicated that a high Perceptual Reasoning Index was
      significantly associated with a decreased risk of being victims of bullying. A
      high level of executive function was significantly associated with a decreased
      risk of being victims and perpetrators of bullying. Bullying victimization and
      perpetration in children with ADHD having a low PRI and low executive function
      should be routinely surveyed.

PMID- 28898706
TI  - Profiles of pro-inflammatory cytokines in allogenic stem cell transplantation
      with post-transplant cyclophosphamide.
AB  - Large number of studies was published about predictive value of cytokines for
      graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
      Recently, there has been a growing interest in GVHD prophylaxis with post
      transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy). Clinical data on the dynamics of
      proinflammatory cytokines with this prophylaxis is lacking. In this study, we
      have measured the levels of IL-17, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in plasma
      on days -7, 0, +7, +14 and after engraftment in 20 patients with acute GVHD and
      40 matched control patients with PTCy-based prophylaxis. Low levels of IL-8
      (p=0.04) on day +7 and IFN-gamma (p=0.03) after engraftment were associated with
      grade II-IV acute GVHD. The same pattern was observed for severe acute GVHD. Low
      IFN-gamma after engraftment was also associated with increased non-relapse
      mortality (p=0.014). No impact of cytokine levels on overall survival and relapse
      incidence was observed (p>0.05). In conclusion, the dynamics of IL-8 and IFN
      gamma in GVHD patients after PTCy was different from previously reported after
      conventional prophylaxis.

PMID- 28898707
TI  - The effect of prenatal substance use and maternal contingent responsiveness on
      infant affect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of prenatal substance exposure on neurobehavioral
      outcomes are inherently confounded by the effects of the postnatal environment,
      making it difficult to disentangle their influence. The goal of this study was to
      examine the contributing effects of prenatal substance use and parenting style
      (operationalized as contingent responding during the play episodes of the Still
      face paradigm [SFP]) on infant affect. METHODS: A prospective cohort design was
      utilized with repeated assessment of substance use during pregnancy and the
      administration of the SFP, which measures infant response to a social stressor,
      at approximately 6months of age. Subjects included 91 dyads classified into four
      groups: 1) Control (n=34); 2) Medication assisted therapy for opioid dependence
      (MAT; n=19); 3) Alcohol (n=15); 4) Alcohol+MAT (n=23). Mean % of positive infant
      affect and mean % of maternal responsiveness (watching, attention seeking, and
      contingent responding) was compared among the five SFP episodes across the four
      study groups by MANOVA. Mixed effects modelling was used to estimate the
      contributing effects of the study groups and maternal responsiveness on infant
      affect. RESULTS: Maternal contingent responding was associated with increase
      (beta=0.84; p<0.0001) and attention seeking with decrease (beta=-0.78; p<0.0001)
      in infant positive affect. The combined effect of prenatal exposures and
      covariates explained 15.8% of the variability in infant positive affect, while
      the model including contingent responding and covariates explained 67.1% of the
      variability. CONCLUSIONS: Higher maternal responsiveness was a much stronger
      predictor of infant behavior than prenatal exposures, providing the basis for
      future intervention studies focusing on specific parenting strategies.

PMID- 28898708
TI  - Cue exposure therapy reduces overeating of exposed and non-exposed foods in obese
      adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study tested whether two sessions of food cue
      exposure therapy reduced eating in the absence of hunger (EAH), specified for
      exposed and non-exposed food, in overweight and obese adolescents, and whether
      habituation of food cue reactivity and reduced CS-US expectancies predicted a
      decrease in EAH. METHODS: 41 overweight adolescents (aged 12-18 years) were
      randomly assigned to a cue exposure intervention or a lifestyle intervention
      (control condition). Habituation of food cue reactivity (self-reported desire to
      eat and salivation) and CS-US expectancy were measured during both sessions, and
      EAH was measured at the end of session two. RESULTS: Compared to the control
      condition, the cue exposure condition showed less EAH for the exposed food item
      as well as for the non-exposed food items. Larger within-session (WSH) and
      between-session habituation (BSH) of cue reactivity were not related to less EAH,
      change in CS-US expectancy was unrelated to EAH. LIMITATIONS: The study was
      underpowered, and compliance to homework instructions between sessions was poor,
      intervention effects might have been larger when participants adhered to daily
      homework exercises. CONCLUSIONS: Food cue exposure was effective to reduce EAH of
      exposed and non-exposed food items, indicating generalisability of the exposure
      effect. In line with exposure effects in anxiety disorders, habituation was not
      found to benefit outcome, though the present data do also not provide evidence
      that CS-US expectancy violation predicts EAH.

PMID- 28898709
TI  - Pragmatic skills after childhood traumatic brain injury: Parents' perspectives.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to characterize pragmatic deficits after childhood
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) within the home environment social contexts where
      they occur. We used a descriptive qualitative approach to describe parents'
      experiences in communicating with their child with TBI. Participants were ten
      mothers of children ages 6-12 years who had sustained a moderate to severe TBI
      more than one year prior to the study. Mothers' experiences were collected
      through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Interviews were analyzed
      using a deductive framework to develop social contexts and pragmatic deficit
      themes for communication in the home. Overall, mothers primarily described their
      children with TBI as exhibiting average or near average pragmatic skills at home,
      but nine observed some pragmatic deficits and/or social behavior problems. There
      were four in-home social contexts in which pragmatic deficits were observed.
      Emergent themes also included outside-of-the home social contexts and social
      behavior problems. There was some overlap of pragmatic deficit and social
      behavior problem themes among contexts, but many deficits were context specific.
      This study's pragmatic deficit themes expanded on prior childhood TBI pragmatic
      investigations by identifying contexts in and outside of the home in which
      pragmatic deficits may occur after TBI. Learning Outcomes Readers will be able to
      describe the day-to-day social contexts that may be impacted by pragmatic
      deficits after childhood TBI. Readers will be able to compare the pragmatic
      deficit themes identified as occurring in the home to those occurring outside of
      the home.

PMID- 28898710
TI  - Effects of semantic weight on verb retrieval in individuals with aphasia: A
      different perspective.
AB  - The majority of people with aphasia have word retrieval difficulty and effective
      treatment remains elusive. There have been a few studies that have explored the
      effects of semantic complexity on verb retrieval in individuals with aphasia;
      each used a variation of Breedin et al.'s (1998) delayed repetition/story
      completion task. Although each subsequent investigator worked to address
      potential confounds in order to achieve more valid results that would give rise
      to a clearer understanding of these deficits, findings and their interpretations
      have varied. In our replication, groups of individuals with aphasia (9 agrammatic
      and 9 anomic) plus 12 age-matched controls participated in a story completion
      task that included novel distracter stories to prevent rehearsal. Additionally,
      stimuli were developed in strict adherence to novel semantic and syntactic
      templates to control for relevant factors, and stimuli were prerecorded to ensure
      uniform delivery. We calculated the number of target verbs produced and overall
      production of light and heavy verbs, and error analysis was performed with
      special attention to semantically appropriate substitutions. In contrast to
      previous studies, we found no significant performance differences on these
      measures within or between groups. Exploratory analyses were performed. Results
      are discussed in terms of relevant factors of verb retrieval and implications for
      future experimental design. Application to much-needed verb retrieval treatment
      is also considered.

PMID- 28898711
TI  - SJL bone marrow-derived macrophages do not have IRF3 mutations and are highly
      susceptible to Theiler's virus infection.
AB  - It is well known that SJL mice are susceptible to Theiler's murine
      encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV)-induced demyelinating disease while C57BL6 (B6)
      and B10 mice are resistant, and H-2s on a B10 background (B10.S) contributes
      modestly to susceptibility. A recent study linked two IRF3 non-conservative
      mutations in SJL compared to B10.S mice to resistance to TMEV infection of SJL
      peritoneal-derived macrophages, an observation of practical interest in light of
      the central role of IRF3 transcription factor in the type I interferon (IFN)
      response. However, we did not find these non-conservative mutations among SJL,
      B10.S, B6 and B10 mice in the IRF3 amino acid sequence, and show SJL bone marrow
      derived macrophages infected with TMEV exhibit increased virus RNA replication
      and infectious virus yields as well as greater IL-6 production than C57Bl strain
      (including B10.S) cultures.

PMID- 28898713
TI  - Longitudinal trends in HbA1c and associations with comorbidity and all-cause
      mortality in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes: A cohort study.
AB  - AIMS: This study examined longitudinal trends in HbA1c in a multi-ethnic Asian
      cohort of diabetes patients, and the associations of these trends with future
      risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, end stage renal failure (ESRD)
      and all-cause mortality. METHODS: 6079 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      in Singapore were included. HbA1c measurements for the five years previous to
      recruitment were used to identify patterns of HbA1c trends. Outcomes were
      recorded through linkage with the National Disease Registry. The median follow-up
      for longitudinal trends in HbA1c was 4.1years and for outcomes was between 7.0
      and 8.3years. HbA1c patterns were identified using latent class growth modeling,
      and associations with outcomes were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards
      models. RESULTS: Four distinct HbA1c patterns were observed; "low-stable"
      (72.2%), "moderate-stable" (22.0%), "moderate-increase" (2.9%), and "high
      decrease" (2.8%). The risk of comorbidities and death was significantly higher in
      moderate-increase and high-decrease groups compared to the low-stable group; the
      hazard ratios for stroke, ESRD, and death for moderate increase group were 3.22
      (95%CI 1.27-8.15), 4.76 (95%CI 1.92-11.83), and 1.88 (95%CI 1.15-3.07),
      respectively, and for high-decrease group were 2.16 (95%CI 1.02-4.57), 3.05
      (95%CI 1.54-6.07), and 2.79 (95%CI 1.97-3.95), respectively. Individuals in the
      moderate-increase group were significantly younger, with longer diabetes
      duration, and greater proportions of Malays and Indians. CONCLUSIONS:
      Deteriorating HbA1c pattern and extremely high initial HbA1c are associated with
      increased risk of long-term comorbidities and death. Therapeutic interventions to
      alter longitudinal HbA1c trends may be helpful in reducing this risk.

PMID- 28898712
TI  - Inhibition of the lytic cycle of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus by
      cohesin factors following de novo infection.
AB  - Establishment of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latency following
      infection is a multistep process, during which polycomb proteins are recruited
      onto the KSHV genome, which is crucial for the genome-wide repression of lytic
      genes during latency. Strikingly, only a subset of lytic genes are expressed
      transiently in the early phase of infection prior to the binding of polycomb
      proteins onto the KSHV genome, which raises the question what restricts lytic
      gene expression in the first hours of infection. Here, we demonstrate that both
      CTCF and cohesin chromatin organizing factors are rapidly recruited to the viral
      genome prior to the binding of polycombs during de novo infection, but only
      cohesin is required for the genome-wide inhibition of lytic genes. We propose
      that cohesin is required for the establishment of KSHV latency by initiating the
      repression of lytic genes following infection, which is an essential step in
      persistent infection of humans.

PMID- 28898714
TI  - Effect of follow-up by a hospital diabetes care team on diabetes control at one
      year after discharge from the hospital.
AB  - AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of continued follow-up by a
      hospital diabetes team on HbA1c at 1-year after discharge. METHODS: Adults with
      HbA1c >=8% (64mmol/mol), undergoing an elective surgery, were treated in the
      perioperative period and randomized to continued care (CC) or the usual care (UC)
      after discharge. Patients in the CC group received weekly to monthly phone calls
      from a diabetes specialist nurse practitioner (NP) to review their home blood
      glucose values, diet, exercise, and medications. Patients in the UC group
      followed with their diabetes care providers. RESULTS: Out of 151 patients, 77
      were randomized to the CC group and 74 to the UC group. HbA1c (%) at 1-year was
      8.2+/-1.4 in the CC group and 8.5+/-1.5 in the UC group (p=NS). Change in HbA1c
      from baseline was similar between the groups; -0.7+/-1.4 in the CC versus -0.7+/
      1.5 in the UC group (p=NS). A higher number of calls was not associated with
      lower HbA1c or reduction in HbA1c. There were 41 insulin-treated patients in the
      CC group and 53 in the UC group and among them, HbA1c reduction was 0.5+/-1.5 and
      0.6+/-1.3 respectively (p=NS). CONCLUSIONS: Optimal perioperative treatment of
      diabetes is associated with an improvement in HbA1c but continued follow-up by a
      hospital diabetes team after discharge does not have an additional impact on long
      term glycemic control. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02065050.

PMID- 28898715
TI  - Cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase trajectories following a group social
      evaluative stressor with adolescents.
AB  - Intraindividual variability in stress responsivity and the interrelationship of
      multiple neuroendocrine systems make a multisystem analytic approach to examining
      the human stress response challenging. The present study makes use of an
      efficient social-evaluative stress paradigm - the Group Public Speaking Task for
      Adolescents (GPST-A) - to examine the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA)
      axis and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) reactivity profiles of 54 adolescents
      with salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA). First, we account for
      individuals' time latency of hormone concentrations between individuals. Second,
      we use a two-piece multilevel growth curve model with landmark registration to
      examine the reactivity and recovery periods of the stress response separately.
      This analytic approach increases the models' sensitivity to detecting trajectory
      differences in the reactivity and recovery phases of the stress response and
      allows for interindividual variation in the timing of participants' peak response
      following a social-evaluative stressor. The GPST-A evoked typical cortisol and
      sAA responses in both males and females. Males' cortisol concentrations were
      significantly higher than females' during each phase of the response. We found no
      gender difference in the sAA response. However, the rate of increase in sAA as
      well as overall sAA secretion across the study were associated with steeper rates
      of cortisol reactivity and recovery. This study demonstrates a way to model the
      response trajectories of salivary biomarkers of the HPA-axis and ANS when taking
      a multisystem approach to neuroendocrine research that enables researchers to
      make conclusions about the reactivity and recovery phases of the HPA-axis and ANS
      responses. As the study of the human stress response progresses toward a
      multisystem analytic approach, it is critical that individual variability in peak
      latency be taken into consideration and that accurate modeling techniques capture
      individual variability in the stress response so that accurate conclusions can be
      made about separate phases of the response.

PMID- 28898716
TI  - Celebrity over science? An analysis of Lyme disease video content on YouTube.
AB  - Lyme disease has been a subject of medical controversy for several decades. In
      this study we looked at the availability and type of content represented in a (n
      = 700) selection of YouTube videos on the subject of Lyme disease. We classified
      video content into a small number of content areas, and studied the relationship
      between these content areas and 1) video views and 2) video likeability. We found
      very little content uploaded by government or academic institutions; the vast
      majority of content was uploaded by independent users. The most viewed videos
      tend to contain celebrity content and personal stories; videos with prevention
      information tend to be of less interest, and videos with science and medical
      information tend to be less liked. Our results suggest that important public
      health information on YouTube is very likely to be ignored unless it is made more
      appealing to modern consumers of online video content.

PMID- 28898717
TI  - Targeting dendritic cells through gold nanoparticles: A review on the cellular
      uptake and subsequent immunological properties.
AB  - Gold nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed as a highly potential tool in
      immunotherapies due to its advantageous properties including customizable size
      and shapes, surface functionality and biocompatibility. Dendritic cells (DCs),
      the sentinels of immune response, have been of interest to be manipulated by
      using gold NPs for targeted delivery of immunotherapeutic agent. Researches done
      especially in human DCs showed a variation of gold NPs effects on cellular uptake
      and internalization, DC maturation and subsequent T cells priming as well as
      cytotoxicity. In this review, we describe the synthesis and physiochemical
      properties of gold NPs as well as the importance of gold NPs in immunotherapies
      through their actions on human DCs.

PMID- 28898718
TI  - Interleukin 17 regulates SHP-2 and IL-17RA/STAT-3 dependent Cyr61, IL-23 and GM
      CSF expression and RANKL mediated osteoclastogenesis by fibroblast-like
      synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Interleukin (IL)-17 predominately produced by the Th17 cells, plays a crucial
      role in the fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) mediated disease process of
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA). IL-17 exerts its pathogenic effects in RA-FLS by IL
      17/IL-17RA/STAT-3 signaling. Recent studies have shown that RA-FLS produces SHP
      2, Cyr61, IL-23, GM-CSF and RANKL which results in worsening of the disease.
      However, whether IL-17/IL-17RA/STAT-3 signaling regulates SHP-2, Cyr61, IL-23, GM
      CSF and RANKL expressions in RA-FLS remains unknown. In this study, IL-17
      treatment dramatically induced the production of Cyr61, IL-23 and GM-CSF in FLS
      isolated from adjuvant induced arthritis (AA) rats. Conversely, IL-17 mediated
      production of Cyr61, IL-23 and GM-CSF was abrogated by knockdown of IL-17RA using
      a small interfering RNA or blockade of STAT-3 activation with S3I-201 in AA-FLS.
      Interestingly, IL-17 treatment noticeably increased the expression of IL-17RA and
      SHP-2 in AA-FLS. However, silencing of IL-17RA reversed the effect of IL-17 on
      the expression of IL-17RA and SHP-2 in AA-FLS. In addition, an increased number
      of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells were observed in a coculture system
      consisting of IL-17 treated AA-FLS and rat bone marrow derived
      monocytes/macrophages. Further, mechanistically we found that IL-17 upregulated
      RANKL expression in AA-FLS that was dependent on the IL-17/IL-17RA/STAT-3
      signaling cascade. Knockdown of IL-17RA or inhibition of STAT-3 activation
      decreased the IL- 17 induced RANKL expression by AA-FLS and their
      osteoclastogenic potential. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that IL-17
      regulates SHP-2 expression and IL-17RA/STAT-3 dependent production of Cyr61, IL
      23, GM-CSF and RANKL in AA-FLS and may reveal a new insight into the pathogenesis
      of RA.

PMID- 28898719
TI  - A cost-effective LC-MS/MS method for identification and quantification of alpha
      amanitin in rat plasma: Application to toxicokinetic study.
AB  - alpha-Amanitin is the main lethal component of amanita mushrooms, and data on its
      toxicokinetics are few. The aim of this study was to develop a sensitive and cost
      effective method to identify alpha-amanitin and investigate its toxicokinetic
      parameters using liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass
      spectrometry. The colchicine was used as the internal standard (IS). The
      compounds were extracted from plasma samples by protein precipitation with
      acetonitrile (containing 1% formic acid). The analysis was performed through
      multiple reactions monitoring. The molecular ions and fragment ions of alpha
      amanitin could be used as characteristic ions to perform qualitative analysis of
      alpha-amanitin. The assay was successfully validated by selectivity, linearity,
      matrix effect, precision and accuracy, recovery and stability according to the
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration Guidance, and applied to study the
      toxicokinetic profile of alpha-amanitin in rats after a single intraperitoneal
      administration.

PMID- 28898721
TI  - Multifunctional zirconium nitride/copper multilayer coatings on medical grade
      316L SS and titanium substrates for biomedical applications.
AB  - Protecting from wear and corrosion of many medical devices in the biomedical
      field is an existing scientific challenge. Surface modification with multilayer
      ZrN/Cu coating was deposited on medical grade stainless steel (SS) and titanium
      substrates to enhance their surface properties. Structural results revealed that
      the ZrN/Cu coatings are highly crystalline and uniform microstructure on both the
      substrates. Dry and wet tribological measurements of the coated titanium
      substrate exhibit enhanced wear resistance and low friction coefficient due to
      the improved microstructure. Similarly, the corrosion resistance was
      exceptionally improved on titanium substrates, resulting from the high inertness
      of coating to the SBF electrolyte solution. Antibacterial activity and
      epifluorescence results signify the effective killing of pathogens by means of
      ion release killing as well as contact killing mechanisms.

PMID- 28898722
TI  - Influence of gamma and electron beam sterilization on the stability of a premixed
      injectable calcium phosphate cement for trauma indications.
AB  - Premixed calcium phosphate cements (CPC's) are becoming the material of choice
      for injectable cements as a result of their effective delivery to the target
      implantation site. For orthopaedic use, it is of vital importance that the
      attributes of these CPC's are not compromised by irradiation sterilization.
      Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the influence of irradiation
      sterilization on a range of premixed CPC's, with an emphasis on improving product
      shelf life through the use of optimal packaging configurations and annealing
      steps. Electron spin resonance (ESR) confirmed the presence of free radicals in
      the inorganic phase of the CPC paste following irradiation. The inclusion of a 24
      h annealing step was the only successful method in reducing the degree of free
      radical formation. Based on the results of injectability force testing, it was
      revealed that an annealing step greater than 24-h significantly altered the
      viscosity, however; at 24-h the key attributes of the CPC paste were minimally
      effected. Overall, it was established that vacuum packing the CPC paste, placing
      the contents into a foil pouch, gamma irradiating at the minimal dose required
      and using an annealing step of <= 24-h, has the potential to extend the shelf
      life of the cement.

PMID- 28898720
TI  - Not so secret agents: Event-related potentials to semantic roles in visual event
      comprehension.
AB  - Research across domains has suggested that agents, the doers of actions, have a
      processing advantage over patients, the receivers of actions. We hypothesized
      that agents as "event builders" for discrete actions (e.g., throwing a ball,
      punching) build on cues embedded in their preparatory postures (e.g., reaching
      back an arm to throw or punch) that lead to (predictable) culminating actions,
      and that these cues afford frontloading of event structure processing. To test
      this hypothesis, we compared event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to averbal
      comic panels depicting preparatory agents (ex. reaching back an arm to punch)
      that cued specific actions with those to non-preparatory agents (ex. arm to the
      side) and patients that did not cue any specific actions. We also compared
      subsequent completed action panels (ex. agent punching patient) across
      conditions, where we expected an inverse pattern of ERPs indexing the
      differential costs of processing completed actions asa function of preparatory
      cues. Preparatory agents evoked a greater frontal positivity (600-900ms) relative
      to non-preparatory agents and patients, while subsequent completed actions panels
      following non-preparatory agents elicited a smaller frontal positivity (600
      900ms). These results suggest that preparatory (vs. non-) postures may
      differentially impact the processing of agents and subsequent actions in real
      time.

PMID- 28898723
TI  - Experimental and modeling investigation on the rheological behavior of collagen
      solution as a function of acetic acid concentration.
AB  - Systematic analysis of the rheological behavior of collagen solution (10mg/mL) as
      a function of acetic acid (AA) concentration (0.1-10M) was performed to achieve a
      deeper understanding about the interaction between collagen molecules and acidic
      solvent. Steady shear tests showed that all samples exhibited pseudo-plasticity
      with shear-thinning behavior. Viscosity decreased from 236.448 to 0.792Pa.s at
      0.1s-1 suggesting the flow ability of collagen solution improved with increasing
      AA concentration. Dynamic frequency sweep analysis revealed that the storage
      modulus, loss modulus, and complex viscosity decreased with the increased AA
      concentration due to the disentanglement of collagen molecules, while the loss
      tangent increased. Hysteresis loop areas of collagen solutions were determined by
      thixotropic measurement, which demonstrated that weaker thixotropic behavior was
      associated with higher AA concentrations. Furthermore, the ability to resist
      deformation and elasticity was lower at higher AA concentration. Maximum
      compliance values increased from 0.042 to 376.407Pa-1, and the recovery
      percentage decreased from 97.670% to 0.315%. Finally, corresponding mathematical
      models were employed to simulate and quantitatively assess the experimental data.

PMID- 28898724
TI  - Flexural strength of fiber reinforced posts after mechanical aging by simulated
      chewing forces.
AB  - This study evaluated the effect of simulated chewing forces on the flexural
      strength of fiber reinforced posts (FRPs). Four different brands of FRPs were
      selected as main group for the study: RelyX Fiber Post (RX), IceLight (ICE),
      Unicore Posts (UC), FlouroPost (FP). Ten posts in each main group didn't receive
      any aging process and tested as baseline (BL), other ten posts were subjected to
      simulated chewing forces/mechanical aging (MA) as follows: Post spaces were
      prepared in acrylic with drill. Depth of preparation was adjusted to leave 4-mm
      coronal part of posts protruding from canals. Coronal parts were incrementally
      restored with resin-composite (Clearfil Majesty Posterior A2, Kuraray, Osaka,
      Japan). Prepared samples were subjected to chewing cycles in a chewing simulator
      (Chewing Simulator CS-4, Mechatronik, Germany). Flexural strengths of all groups
      were measured with three-point bending test. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA
      and Tukey's test (alpha = 0.05). After MA, flexural strengths of all posts were
      significantly decreased when compared with BL for all FRPs tested (p < 0.05). At
      BL, highest flexural strength values were obtained for ICE. After MA, similar to
      BL, highest flexural strength values were obtained for ICE. Only RX showed
      statistically significant difference when compared with ICE (p < 0.05). UC and FP
      showed similar flexural strength values with ICE (p > 0.05). It may be concluded
      that chewing forces on post-core systems may reduce the flexural strengths of
      FRPs.

PMID- 28898725
TI  - Maximum insertion torque of a novel implant-abutment-interface design for PEEK
      dental implants.
AB  - Frequent reports attest to the various advantages of tapered implant/abutment
      interfaces (IAIs) compared to other types of interfaces. For this reason, a
      conical IAI was designed as part of the development of a PEEK
      (polyetheretherketone)-based dental implant. This IAI is equipped with an
      apically displaced anti-rotation lock with minimal space requirements in the form
      of an internal spline. The objective of this study was the determination of the
      average insertion torque (IT) at failure of this design, so as to determine its
      suitability for immediate loading, which requires a minimum IT of 32Ncm. 10
      implants each made of unfilled PEEK, carbon fiber reinforced ("CFR") PEEK (>
      50vol% continuous axially parallel fibers) as well as of titanium were produced
      and tested in a torque test bench. The average IT values at failure of the
      unfilled PEEK implants were measured at 22.6 +/- 0.5Ncm and were significantly
      higher than those of the CFR-Implants (20.2 +/- 2.5Ncm). The average IT values at
      failure of the titanium specimens were significantly higher (92.6 +/- 2.3Ncm)
      than those of the two PEEK variants. PEEK- and CFR-PEEK-implants in the present
      form cannot adequately withstand the insertion force needed to achieve primary
      stability for immediate loading. Nevertheless, the achievable torque resilience
      of the two PEEK-variants may be sufficient for a two-stage implantation
      procedure. To improve the torque resistance of the PEEK implant material the
      development of a new manufacturing procedure is necessary which reinforces the
      PEEK base with continuous multi-directional carbon fibers as opposed to the
      axially parallel fibers of the tested PEEK compound.

PMID- 28898726
TI  - Bioinspired surface functionalization of metallic biomaterials.
AB  - Metallic biomaterials are widely used for clinical applications because of their
      excellent mechanical properties and good durability. In order to provide
      essential biofunctionalities, surface functionalization is of particular interest
      and requirement in the development of high-performance metallic implants.
      Inspired by the functional surface of natural biological systems, many new
      designs and conceptions have recently emerged to create multifunctional surfaces
      with great potential for biomedical applications. This review firstly introduces
      the metallic biomaterials, important surface properties, and then elaborates some
      strategies on achieving the bioinspired surface functionalization for metallic
      biomaterials.

PMID- 28898727
TI  - Reconciling professional identity: A grounded theory of nurse academics' role
      modelling for undergraduate students.
AB  - Role modelling by experienced nurses, including nurse academics, is a key factor
      in the process of preparing undergraduate nursing students for practice, and may
      contribute to longevity in the workforce. A grounded theory study was undertaken
      to investigate the phenomenon of nurse academics' role modelling for
      undergraduate students. The study sought to answer the research question: how do
      nurse academics role model positive professional behaviours for undergraduate
      students? The aims of this study were to: theorise a process of nurse academic
      role modelling for undergraduate students; describe the elements that support
      positive role modelling by nurse academics; and explain the factors that
      influence the implementation of academic role modelling. The study sample
      included five second year nursing students and sixteen nurse academics from
      Australia and the United Kingdom. Data was collected from observation, focus
      groups and individual interviews. This study found that in order for nurse
      academics to role model professional behaviours for nursing students, they must
      reconcile their own professional identity. This paper introduces the theory of
      reconciling professional identity and discusses the three categories that
      comprise the theory, creating a context for learning, creating a context for
      authentic rehearsal and mirroring identity.

PMID- 28898728
TI  - Nursing students collaborating to develop multiple-choice exam revision
      questions: A student engagement study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nursing students find bioscience subjects challenging. Bioscience
      exams pose particular concerns for these students, which may lead to students
      adopting a surface-approach to learning. OBJECTIVES: To promote student
      collective understanding of bioscience, improve their confidence for the final
      exam, and improve deeper understanding of bioscience. DESIGN: In order to address
      exam anxiety, and improve student understanding of content, this student
      engagement project involved nursing students collaborating in small groups to
      develop multiple-choice questions and answers, which became available to the
      entire student cohort. SETTINGS: This study was conducted at two campuses of an
      Australian university, within a first year bioscience subject as part of the
      undergraduate nursing programme. PARTICIPANTS: All students enrolled in the
      subject were encouraged to attend face-to-face workshops, and collaborate in
      revision question writing. Online anonymous questionnaires were used to invite
      student feedback on this initiative; 79 respondents completed this feedback.
      METHODS: Students collaborated in groups to write revision questions as part of
      in-class activities. These questions were made available on the student online
      learning site for revision. An online feedback survey was deployed at the
      conclusion of all workshops for this subject, with questions rated using a Likert
      scale. RESULTS: Participants indicated that they enjoyed the opportunity to
      collaborate in this activity, and almost all of these respondents used these
      questions in their exam preparation. There was strong agreement that this
      activity improved their confidence for the final exam. Importantly, almost two
      thirds of respondents agreed that writing questions improved their understanding
      of content, and assisted in their active reflection of content. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overall, this initiative revealed various potential benefits for the students,
      including promoting bioscience understanding and confidence. This may improve
      their long-term understanding of bioscience for nursing practice, as registered
      nurses' bioscience knowledge can impact on patient outcomes.

PMID- 28898729
TI  - Evaluation of the multi-slice computed tomography outcomes in diaphragmatic
      injuries related to penetrating and blunt trauma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traumatic diaphragmatic rupture is a diagnostic challenge for both
      surgeons and radiologists and generally occurs secondary to blunt and penetrating
      trauma of thoracoabdominal region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 56 patients who
      underwent surgical procedure due to blunt or penetrating trauma were included to
      the study. RESULTS: There were 37 diaphragmatic ruptures in the left side and 19
      patients in the right side. The most common radiological finding was "the direct
      monitoring of defect" (54,3%). CONCLUSION: Findings suggestive of diaphragmatic
      rupture must be carefully evaluated in patients with blunt or penetrating
      thoracoabdominal trauma.

PMID- 28898730
TI  - Immunogenicity of ORFV-based vectors expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein in
      livestock species.
AB  - The parapoxvirus Orf virus (ORFV) encodes several immunomodulatory proteins
      (IMPs) that modulate host-innate and pro-inflammatory responses and has been
      proposed as a vaccine delivery vector for use in animal species. Here we describe
      the construction and characterization of two recombinant ORFV vectors expressing
      the rabies virus (RABV) glycoprotein (G). The RABV-G gene was inserted in the
      ORFV024 or ORFV121 gene loci, which encode for IMPs that are unique to
      parapoxviruses and inhibit activation of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway. The
      immunogenicity of the resultant recombinant viruses (ORFV?024RABV-G or
      ORFV?121RABV-G, respectively) was evaluated in pigs and cattle. Immunization of
      the target species with ORFV?024RABV-G and ORFV?121RABV-G elicited robust
      neutralizing antibody responses against RABV. Notably, neutralizing antibody
      titers induced in ORFV?121RABV-G-immunized pigs and cattle were significantly
      higher than those detected in ORFV?024RABV-G-immunized animals, indicating a
      higher immunogenicity of ORFVDelta121-based vectors in these animal species.

PMID- 28898731
TI  - Ferroelectric spontaneous polarization steering charge carriers migration for
      promoting photocatalysis and molecular oxygen activation.
AB  - Introducing a polarization electric field in photocatalyst system is regarded asa
      new concept for photocatalytic activity enhancement. In this work, we first
      unearth that the spontaneous polarization of ferroelectric BaTiO3 promotes the
      photocatalytic and molecular oxygen activation performance of the narrow-band-gap
      semiconductor BiOI. Ferroelectric tetragonal-phase BaTiO3 (T-BaTiO3) were
      prepared via calcination of nonferroelectric cubic-phase BaTiO3 (C-BaTiO3), and
      their polarization ability was verified via ultrasonication-assisted
      piezoelectric catalytic degradation. Then, the C-BaTiO3/BiOI and T-BaTiO3/BiOI
      heterostructures are fabricated by a soft-chemical method. To disclose the
      influence of ferroelectric spontaneous polarization on charge movement behavior,
      the photocatalytic and molecular oxygen activation properties are monitored by
      degradation of methyl orange (MO) and superoxide radical (O2-) evolution under
      visible light irradiation (lambda>420nm), respectively. The results demonstrated
      that T-BaTiO3/BiOI far outperforms C-BaTiO3/BiOI and pristine BiOI. The
      ferroelectric spontaneous polarization of T-BaTiO3 can steer the migration of
      photogenerated charge carriers and induce efficient separation, accounting for
      the strengthened photodegradation and reactive oxygen species O2- production rate
      (11.02*10-7molL-1h-1). The study may furnish a new reference for developing
      efficient tactics to advance the photocatalytic and molecular oxygen activation
      ability for environmental chemistry and biochemistry applications.

PMID- 28898732
TI  - Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites as thermoresponsive
      filling materials on dentinal surface and tubules.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Dental decay, asa consequence of exposure to acidic foods and drinks,
      represents one of the most important tooth pathologies. Recently, enamel and
      dentinal surface remineralization using hydroxyapatite nano- and microparticles
      has been proposed; however, commercial remineralizing toothpastes are quite
      expensive, mostly due to the high costs of hydroxyapatite. Hence, we propose a
      thermoresponsive hybrid nanocomposite material as filler for tooth defects. The
      use of thermoresponsive composite particles aims at filling exposed dentinal
      tubules in response to a change of temperature in the oral cavity. In addition,
      the presence of the organic matrix contributes to the occlusion of the dentinal
      tubules, therefore reducing the needed amount of hydroxyapatite. EXPERIMENTS:
      Poly-N-isopropylacrylamide microgels containing different amounts of
      hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were prepared via radical polymerization in the
      presence of N-N'-methylenebisacrylamide as cross-linker followed by mechanical
      grinding. The nano- and microstructure of the hydrogels and their thermal
      behavior were studied via small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Defected teeth were
      treated with a dispersion of nanocomposite microparticles to simulate toothpaste
      action. FINDINGS: The hydrogels maintain their structure and thermal
      responsiveness when loaded with an amount of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles up to
      2.3%w/w. In addition, the lower critical solution temperature is not affected by
      the presence of the mineral particles. Exposed dentinal tubules on the surface of
      test tooth samples were successfully occluded after 15 cycles of treatment with a
      dispersion of nanocomposite microparticles alternated with washing steps.

PMID- 28898733
TI  - Manipulation of Pickering emulsion rheology using hydrophilically modified silica
      nanoparticles in brine.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Previous work on Pickering emulsions has shown that bromohexadecane
      in-water emulsions (50% oil) stabilized with fumed and spherical particles
      modified with hexadecyl groups develop a noticeable zero shear elastic storage
      modulus (G'0) of 200Pa and 9Pa, respectively, while in just 50mM NaCl. This high
      G'0 can be problematic for subsurface applications where brine salinities are
      higher and on the order of 600mM NaCl. High reservoir salinity coupled with low
      formation pressure drops could prevent an emulsion with a high G'0 from
      propagating deep into formation. It is hypothesized that G'0 of an emulsion can
      be minimized by using sterically stabilized silica nanoparticles modified with
      the hydrophilic silane (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (glymo).
      EXPERIMENTS: Bromohexadecane-in-water emulsions were stabilized with low and high
      coverage glymo nanoparticles. Oscillatory rheology was used to monitor G'0 asa
      function of nanoparticle concentration, oil volume fraction, salinity, and pH.
      Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy was used to make observations on the
      emulsion microstructure. FINDINGS: G'0 of bromohexadecane-in-water emulsions were
      minimized by using particles with a high coverage of glymo on the particle
      surface, which reduced the Ca2+/silanol site interactions. Emulsions that were
      stabilized with low surface coverage particles had noticeably higher G'0,
      however, their G'0 could be reduced by a factor of 3.3 by simply lowering the
      solution pH to 3. Cryo-SEM images showed that nanoparticle bridging was more
      pronounced with nanoparticles that had low glymo coverage as opposed to high
      coverage.

PMID- 28898734
TI  - A facile, bio-based, novel approach for synthesis of covalently functionalized
      graphene nanoplatelet nano-coolants toward improved thermo-physical and heat
      transfer properties.
AB  - In this study, we synthesized covalently functionalized graphene nanoplatelet
      (GNP) aqueous suspensions that are highly stable and environmentally friendly for
      use as coolants in heat transfer systems. We evaluated the heat transfer and
      hydrodynamic properties of these nano-coolants flowing through a horizontal
      stainless steel tube subjected to a uniform heat flux at its outer surface. The
      GNPs functionalized with clove buds using the one-pot technique. We characterized
      the clove-treated GNPs (CGNPs) using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We then dispersed the CGNPs in distilled
      water at three particle concentrations (0.025, 0.075 and 0.1wt%) in order to
      prepare the CGNP-water nanofluids (nano-coolants). We used ultraviolet-visible
      (UV-vis) spectroscopy to examine the stability and solubility of the CGNPs in the
      distilled water. There is significant enhancement in thermo-physical properties
      of CGNPs nanofluids relative those for distilled water. We validated our
      experimental set-up by comparing the friction factor and Nusselt number for
      distilled water obtained from experiments with those determined from empirical
      correlations, indeed, our experimental set-up is reliable and produces results
      with reasonable accuracy. We conducted heat transfer experiments for the CGNP
      water nano-coolants flowing through the horizontal heated tube in fully developed
      turbulent condition. Our results are indeed promising since there is a
      significant enhancement in the Nusselt number and convective heat transfer
      coefficient for the CGNP-water nanofluids, with only a negligible increase in the
      friction factor and pumping power. More importantly, we found that there is a
      significant increase in the performance index, which is a positive indicator that
      our nanofluids have potential to substitute conventional coolants in heat
      transfer systems because of their overall thermal performance and energy savings
      benefits.

PMID- 28898735
TI  - Electrochemical co-preparation of cobalt sulfide/reduced graphene oxide composite
      for electrocatalytic activity and determination of H2O2 in biological samples.
AB  - In this work, we describe a simple approach for the preparation of cobalt
      sulfide/reduced graphene oxide (CoS/RGO) nanohybrids via single step
      electrochemical method. The electrocatalytic activity of the CoS/RGO nanohybrids
      was evaluated towards the detection hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The physiochemical
      properties of the prepared composite was characterized by means of field emission
      scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X
      ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction
      patterns. The CoS/RGO modified electrode showed superior electrocatalytic
      activity towards the detection of H2O2. The amperometric (i-t) studies revealed
      that the CoS/RGO performed well by attaining a wide linear response range of H2O2
      from 0.1 to 2542.4MUM with a lower detection limit 42nM and the sensitivity of
      2.519MUAMUM-1cm-2. Meanwhile, the CoS/RGO nanohybrids exhibited good selectivity,
      rapid and stable response towards H2O2. The practical applicability of the sensor
      was successfully evaluated in human serum and urine samples with satisfactory
      recoveries.

PMID- 28898736
TI  - Freestanding two-dimensional Ni(OH)2 thin sheets assembled by 3D nanoflake array
      as basic building units for supercapacitor electrode materials.
AB  - Freestanding two dimensional (2D) porous nanostructures have great potential in
      electrical energy storage. In the present work, we reported the first synthesis
      of two-dimensional (2D) beta-Ni(OH)2 thin sheets (CQU-Chen-Ni-O-H-1) assembled by
      3D nanoflake array as basic building units under acid condition by direct
      hydrothermal decomposition of the mixed solution of nickel nitrate (Ni(NO3)2) and
      acetic acid (CH3COOH, AA). The unique 3D nanoflake array assembled mesoporous 2D
      structures endow the thin sheets with a high specific capacitance of 1.78Fcm-2
      (1747.5Fg-1) at the current density of 1.02mAcm-2 and good rate capability of
      67.4% retain from 1.02 to 10.2mAcm-2. The corresponding assembled asymmetric
      supercapacitor (ASC) achieves (CQU-Chen-Ni-O-H-1//active carbon (AC)) a high
      voltage of 1.8V and an energy density of 23.45Whkg-1 with a maximum power density
      of 9kWkg-1, as well as cycability with 93.6% capacitance retention after 10,000
      cycles. These results show the mesoporous thin sheets have great potential for
      SCs and other energy storage devices.

PMID- 28898737
TI  - Light illumination intensity dependence of photovoltaic parameter in polymer
      solar cells with ammonium heptamolybdate as hole extraction layer.
AB  - A low-temperature, solution-processed molybdenum oxide (MoOX) layer and a facile
      method for polymer solar cells (PSCs) is developed. The PSCs based on a MoOX
      layer as the hole extraction layer (HEL) is a significant advance for achieving
      higher photovoltaic performance, especially under weaker light illumination
      intensity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS) measurements show that the (NH4)6Mo7O24 molecule decomposes
      and forms the molybdenum oxide (MoOX) molecule when undergoing thermal annealing
      treatment. In this study, PSCs with the MoOX layer as the HEL exhibited better
      photovoltaic performance, especially under weak light illumination intensity
      (from 100 to 10mWcm-2) compared to poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene
      sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-based PSCs. Analysis of the current density-voltage (J-V)
      characteristics at various light intensities provides information on the
      different recombination mechanisms in the PSCs with a MoOX and PEDOT:PSS layer as
      the HEL. That the slopes of the open-circuit voltage (VOC) versus light
      illumination intensity plots are close to 1 unity (kT/q) reveals that bimolecular
      recombination is the dominant and weaker monomolecular recombination mechanism in
      open-circuit conditions. That the slopes of the short-circuit current density
      (JSC) versus light illumination intensity plots are close to 1 reveals that the
      effective charge carrier transport and collection mechanism of the MoOX/indium
      tin oxide (ITO) anode is the weaker bimolecular recombination in short-circuit
      conditions. Our results indicate that MoOX is an alternative candidate for high
      performance PSCs, especially under weak light illumination intensity.

PMID- 28898738
TI  - Different magnesium release profiles from W/O/W emulsions based on crystallized
      oils.
AB  - Water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions based on crystallized oils were
      prepared and the release kinetics of magnesium ions from the internal to the
      external aqueous phase was investigated at T=4 degrees C, for different
      crystallized lipophilic matrices. All the emulsions were formulated using the
      same surface-active species, namely polyglycerol polyricinoleate (oil-soluble)
      and sodium caseinate (water-soluble). The external aqueous phase was a lactose or
      glucose solution at approximately the same osmotic pressure as that of the inner
      droplets, in order to avoid osmotic water transfer phenomena. We investigated two
      types of crystallized lipophilic systems: one based on blends of cocoa butter and
      miglyol oil, exploring a solid fat content from 0 to 90% and the other system
      based on milk fat fractions for which the solid fat content varies between 54 and
      86%. For double emulsions based on cocoa butter/miglyol oil, the rate of
      magnesium release was gradually lowered by increasing the % of fat crystals i.e.
      cocoa butter, in agreement with a diffusion/permeation mechanism. However for
      double emulsions based on milk fat fractions, the rate of magnesium release was
      independent of the % of fat crystals and remains the one at t=0. This difference
      in diffusion patterns, although the solid content is of the same order, suggests
      a different distribution of fat crystals within the double globules: a continuous
      fat network acting as a physical barrier for the diffusion of magnesium for
      double emulsions based on cocoa butter/miglyol oil and double globule/water
      interfacial distribution for milk fat fractions based double emulsions, through
      the formation of a crystalline shell allowing an effective protection of the
      double globules against diffusion of magnesium to the external aqueous phase.

PMID- 28898739
TI  - P-type conductive polymer/zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67)
      nanocomposite film: Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical performance
      as efficient electrode materials in pseudocapacitors.
AB  - In the present work, zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) was synthesized via
      chemical routes. For improving the electrochemical performance of the conductive
      polymer, POAP/ /ZIF-67 composite films were fabricated by POAP
      electropolymerization in the presence of ZIF-67 as active electrodes for
      electrochemical supercapacitors. The structural and the valance states of the
      prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission
      scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Different electrochemical methods,
      including galvanostatic charge discharge experiments, cyclic voltammetry, and
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, have been applied to study the system
      performance. The supercapacitive behavior of the composite film was attributed to
      the (i) high active surface area of the composite, the (ii) charge transfer along
      the polymer chain due to the conjugation form of the polymer, and finally, the
      (iii) synergism effect between the conductive polymer and ZIF-67.

PMID- 28898740
TI  - Transition from children's to adult services for young adults with life-limiting
      conditions: A realist review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improvements in care and treatment have led to more young adults with
      life-limiting conditions living beyond childhood, which means they must make the
      transition from children's to adult services. This has proved a challenging
      process for both young adults and service providers, with complex transition
      interventions interacting in unpredictable ways with local contexts. OBJECTIVES:
      To explain how intervention processes interact with contextual factors to help
      transition from children's to adult services for young adults with life-limiting
      conditions. DESIGN: Systematic realist review of the literature. DATA SOURCES:
      Literature was sourced from four electronic databases: Embase, MEDLINE, Science
      Direct and Cochrane Library from January 1995 to April 2016. This was
      supplemented with a search in Google Scholar and articles sourced from reference
      lists of included papers. REVIEW METHODS: Data were extracted using an adapted
      standardised data extraction tool which included identifying information related
      to interventions, mechanisms, contextual influences and outcomes. Two reviewers
      assessed the relevance of papers based on the inclusion criteria. Methodological
      rigor was assessed using the relevant Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tools.
      RESULTS: 78 articles were included in the review. Six interventions were
      identified related to an effective transition to adult services. Contextual
      factors include the need for children's service providers to collaborate with
      adult service providers to prepare an environment with knowledgeable staff and
      adequate resources. Mechanisms triggered by the interventions include a sense of
      empowerment and agency amongst all stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS: Early planning,
      collaboration between children's and adult service providers, and a focus on
      increasing the young adults' confidence in decision-making and engaging with
      adult services, are vital to a successful transition. Interventions should be
      tailored to their context and focused not only on organisational procedures but
      on equipping young adults, parents/carers and staff to engage with each other
      effectively.

PMID- 28898741
TI  - Comparative studies of cutins from lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and grapefruit
      (Citrus paradisi) after TFA hydrolysis.
AB  - Grapefruit and lime cutins were analyzed and compared in order to obtain
      information about their cutin architecture. This was performed using a sequential
      hydrolysis, first with trifluoroacetic acid to remove most of the polysaccharides
      present in the cutins, followed by an alkaline hydrolysis in order to obtain the
      main aliphatic compounds. Analysis by CPMAS 13C NMR and ATR FT-IR of the cutins
      after 2.0 M TFA revealed that grapefruit cutin has independent aliphatic and
      polysaccharide domains while in the lime cutin these components could be
      homogeneously distributed. These observations were in agreement with an AFM
      analysis of the cutins obtained in the hydrolysis reactions. The main aliphatic
      compounds were detected and characterized as 16-hydroxy-10-oxo-hexadecanoic acid
      and 10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acid. These were present in grapefruit cutin at
      35.80% and 21.86% and in lime cutin at 20.44% and 40.36% respectively.

PMID- 28898742
TI  - Neutrophil CD64, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin in the identification of
      sepsis in the ICU - Post-test probabilities.
AB  - PURPOSE: We were interested in whether C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin
      (PCT) distinguish sepsis from non-septic controls and whether a combination of
      CRP, PCT, and neutrophil CD64 improves identification of sepsis in the intensive
      care unit (ICU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the CRP and PCT
      concentrations from 27 patients with sepsis and 15 ICU controls. In addition,
      CD64 on neutrophils was measured using quantitative flow cytometry. We present a
      multiple marker analysis for sepsis diagnostics combining neutrophil CD64, CRP,
      and PCT using post-test analysis. RESULTS: The CRP and PCT values separated
      sepsis and non-septic ICU patients. In post-test analysis, CRP provided a
      positive probability of 0.48 and a negative probability of 0.053 for sepsis in
      the ICU; while, the corresponding values were 0.35 and 0.0059, respectively, for
      PCT and 0.62 and 0.0013, respectively, for neutrophil CD64. When neutrophil CD64
      was analyzed with PCT and CRP, the probabilities were 0.98 and <0.001,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Neutrophil CD64 expression was superior to PCT and CRP
      for the identification of sepsis in ICU. Positive post-test probability for any
      combinations of simultaneously analyzed CRP, PCT and CD64 showed improved
      diagnostic accuracy for sepsis. This approach may be useful for guiding
      antibiotic treatment in ICU.

PMID- 28898743
TI  - qSOFA score: Predictive validity in Enterobacteriaceae bloodstream infections.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment
      (qSOFA) retains predictive validity in patients with Enterobacteriaceae sepsis
      that all received appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Retrospective cohort at Barnes-Jewish Hospital including individuals
      with Enterobacteriaceae sepsis receiving appropriate initial antimicrobial
      therapy between 6/2009-12/2013. Outcomes were compared according to qSOFA score
      and sepsis classification. RESULTS: We identified 510 patients with
      Enterobacteriaceae sepsis; 67 (13.1%) died. Mortality was higher in patients with
      qSOFA scores of 2 or 3 than those with scores of 0 or 1 (13.3% and 42.4% versus
      5.1% and 1.8%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, altered mental
      status (AMS) alone or qSOFA score>=2 were both predictors of mortality with odds
      ratios of 8.01 and 5.39, respectively. Regardless of sepsis severity, non
      survivors were significantly more likely to have AMS than survivors. Sepsis
      severity, qSOFA, and AMS had comparable predictive validity for mortality.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results support qSOFA score, AMS, and sepsis severity as
      acceptable bedside tools for prognostication during initial clinical assessment
      in patients with sepsis. qSOFA retained its predictive validity in this cohort,
      suggesting that appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy is not an effect
      modifier for mortality when using qSOFA for prognostication.

PMID- 28898744
TI  - The ability of intensive care unit physicians to estimate long-term prognosis in
      survivors of critical illness.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the reliability of physicians' prognoses for intensive care
      unit (ICU) survivors with respect to long-term survival and health related
      quality of life (HRQoL). METHODS: We performed an observational cohort-study in a
      single mixed tertiary ICU in The Netherlands. ICU survivors with a length of stay
      >48h were included. At ICU discharge, one-year prognosis was estimated by
      physicians using the four-option Sabadell score to record their expectations. The
      outcome of interest was poor outcome, which was defined as dying within one-year
      follow-up, or surviving with an EuroQoL5D-3L index <0.4. RESULTS: Among 1399 ICU
      survivors, 1068 (76%) subjects were expected to have a good outcome; 243 (18%) a
      poor long-term prognosis; 43 (3%) a poor short-term prognosis, and 45 (3%) to die
      in hospital (i.e. Sabadell score levels). Poor outcome was observed in 38%, 55%,
      86%, and 100% of these groups respectively (concomitant c-index: 0.61). The
      expected prognosis did not match observed outcome in 365 (36%) patients. This was
      almost exclusively (99%) due to overoptimism. Physician experience did not affect
      results. CONCLUSIONS: Prognoses estimated by physicians incorrectly predicted
      long-term survival and HRQoL in one-third of ICU survivors. Moreover, inaccurate
      prognoses were generally the result of overoptimistic expectations of outcome.

PMID- 28898745
TI  - Glycosylation is important for FcXTH1 activity as judged by its structural and
      biochemical characterization.
AB  - Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolases (XTH) may have endotransglycosylase
      (XET) and/or hydrolase (XEH) activities. Previous studies suggest that XTHs might
      play a key role in ripening of Fragaria chiloensis fruit as FcXTH1 transcripts
      increase as fruit softens. FcXTH1 protein sequence contains a conserved N
      glycosylation site adjacent to catalytic residues. The FcXTH1 structure was built
      through comparative modeling methodology, the structure displays a beta-jellyroll
      type folding with a curvature generated by eight antiparallel beta-sheets that
      holds the catalytic motif that is oriented towards the central cavity of the
      protein. Through Molecular Dynamic Simulations (MDS) analyses the protein-ligand
      interactions of FcXTH1 were explored, finding a better interaction with
      xyloglucans than cellulose. Nevertheless, the stability of the protein-ligand
      complex depends on the glycosylation state of FcXTH1: better energy interactions
      were determined for the glycosylated protein. As a complement, the molecular
      cloning and heterologous expression of FcXTH1 in Pichia pastoris was performed,
      and the recombinant protein was active and displayed strict XET activity. A KM
      value of 17.0 MUM was determined for xyloglucan oligomer. The deglycosylation of
      FcXTH1 by PNGase-F treatment affects its biochemical properties (increase KM and
      reduce kcat/KM ratio) and reduces its stability. As a conclusion, glycosylation
      of FcXTH1 is important for its biological function.

PMID- 28898746
TI  - Plant growth-promoting endophyte Piriformospora indica alleviates salinity stress
      in Medicago truncatula.
AB  - Piriformospora indica, a cultivable root endophytic fungus, induces growth
      promotion as well as biotic stress resistance and tolerance to abiotic stress in
      a broad range of host plants. In this study, the potential protection for M
      Medicago truncatula plants from salinity stress by P. indica was explored. The
      improved plant growth under severe saline condition was exhibited in P. indica
      colonized lines. Moreover, the antioxidant enzymes activities and hyphae density
      in roots were increased by the endophyte under high salt concentration.
      Conversely, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) activity, Na+ content and relative
      electrolyte conductivity (REC) were observed in P. indica colonized plants.
      Especially, osmoprotectant proline accumulated and the expression of Delta 1
      Pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase gene (P5CS2) was induced. The defense related
      genes PR1 and PR10 and the transcription factors MtAlfin1-like and C2H2-type zinc
      finger protein MtZfp-c2h2 were induced by P. indica colonization as well. Further
      work indicated that salinity resistance was increased in overexpressing P5CS2,
      MtAlfin1-like and MtZfp-c2h2 transgenic M. truncatula plants. Interestingly, our
      data showed that the transcription factors MtAlfin1-like and MtZfp-c2h2 were
      positively contributed to P. indica colonization. These results demonstrate that
      tolerance to salinity stress was conferred by P. indica in M. truncatula via
      accumulation of osmoprotectant, stimulating antioxidant enzymes and the
      expression of defense-related genes. This work revealed the potential application
      of P. indica's as a plant growth-promoting fungus for the target improvement
      either in crop protection or in the salinized soil improvement indirectly.

PMID- 28898747
TI  - Contraction of the transverse abdominal muscle in pelvic girdle pain is enhanced
      by pain provocation during the task.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding of the pathogenesis of pain in the lumbopelvic region
      remains a challenge. It is suggested that lumbopelvic pain is related to
      decreased contraction of the transverse abdominal muscles (TrA). OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate how pain provoked by a task influences TrA contraction during that
      task. DESIGN: A case-control cross-sectional study. METHOD: We recruited 40 non
      pregnant women with persistent pregnancy-related posterior pelvic girdle pain
      (PGP) and 33 parous women (healthy controls) without PGP. TrA thickness was
      measured by ultrasound at various levels of bilateral hip adduction, with
      increments of 20 N from 0 to 140 N. Pain during the tests was registered.
      RESULTS: After correction for the level of adduction force, TrA thickness
      increase during pain-provoking tests of participants with PGP was 6.3 percentage
      points higher than in their pain-free tests (p = 0.01) and 0.91 percentage points
      higher than in the pain-free tests of healthy controls (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION:
      TrA contraction in PGP is enhanced when a task provokes pain. These results may
      have consequences for the treatment of persistent pregnancy-related posterior
      pelvic girdle pain.

PMID- 28898748
TI  - Behaviour change: Trialling a novel approach to reduce industrial stormwater
      pollution.
AB  - The evidence base for the performance and effectiveness of non-structural
      measures to manage stormwater pollution in industrial areas is relatively
      underdeveloped, despite their increased use in practice. This study aims to
      advance stormwater management practice and research by presenting a detailed case
      study of the development, implementation and evaluation of a targeted behaviour
      change trial that engaged small to medium industrial businesses in stormwater
      pollution prevention. Utilising a combination of different behaviour change
      strategies - including capacity building, social norms and commitment - a number
      of preventative stormwater pollution behaviours were changed in participating
      businesses. Our study provides a practice model for tackling stormwater pollution
      from a behavioural perspective that can be further developed by both
      practitioners and researchers to create effective and long-lasting change.

PMID- 28898749
TI  - Time-lagged response of carabid species richness and composition to past
      management practices and landscape context of semi-natural field margins.
AB  - Field margins are key features for the maintenance of biodiversity and associated
      ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. Little is known about the effects
      of management practices of old semi-natural field margins, and their historical
      dimension regarding past management practices and landscape context is rarely
      considered. In this paper, the relative influence of recent and past management
      practices and landscape context (during the last five years) were assessed on the
      local biodiversity (species richness and composition) of carabid assemblages of
      field margins in agricultural landscapes of northwestern France. The results
      showed that recent patterns of carabid species richness and composition were best
      explained by management practices and landscape context measured four or five
      years ago. It suggests the existence of a time lag in the response of carabid
      assemblages to past environmental conditions of field margins. The relative
      contribution of past management practices and past landscape context varied
      depending on the spatial scale at which landscape context was taken into account.
      Carabid species richness was higher in grazed or sprayed field margins probably
      due to increased heterogeneity in habitat conditions. Field margins surrounded by
      grasslands and crops harbored species associated with open habitats whilst forest
      species dominated field margins surrounded by woodland. Landscape effect was
      higher at fine spatial scale, within 50 m around field margins. The present study
      highlights the importance of considering time-lagged responses of biodiversity
      when managing environment. It also suggests that old semi-natural field margins
      should not be considered as undisturbed habitats but more as management units
      being part of farming activities in agricultural landscapes, as for arable
      fields.

PMID- 28898750
TI  - Assessment of the effectiveness of onsite exsitu remediation by enhanced natural
      attenuation in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria.
AB  - This study was conducted to quantify and rank the effectiveness of onsite exsitu
      remediation by enhanced natural attenuation using soil quality index. The
      investigation was conducted at three oil spill sites in the Niger Delta (5.317
      degrees N, 6.467 degrees E), Nigeria with a predominance of Oxisols. Baseline
      assessment and a two-step post-remediation monitoring of the sites were
      conducted. Target contaminants including total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and
      BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) were analyzed by gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results of the baseline assessment showed that
      TPH concentrations across the study sites averaged between 5113 and 7640 mg/kg at
      0- to 1-m depth, which was higher than the local regulatory value of 5000 mg/kg.
      The soil quality index across the sites ranged between 68 and 45, suggesting
      medium to high potential ecological health risks with medium to high priority for
      remediation. BTEX concentrations followed a similar trend. However, after
      remediation TPH degraded rapidly initially and then slowly but asymptotically
      during the post-remediation monitoring period. Then, soil quality index across
      the study sites ranged between 100 and 58, indicating very low to medium
      potential ecological health risks. This demonstrates the effectiveness of onsite
      exsitu remediation by enhanced natural attenuation as a remediation strategy for
      petroleum-contaminated soils, which holds great promise for the Niger Delta
      province.

PMID- 28898751
TI  - Treatment of model solutions and wastewater containing selected hazardous metal
      ions using a chitin/lignin hybrid material as an effective sorbent.
AB  - A chitin/lignin material with defined physicochemical and morphological
      properties was used as an effective adsorbent of environmentally toxic metals
      from model systems. Particularly significant is its use in the neutralization of
      real industrial wastes. The ions Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+ were adsorbed on the
      functional sorbent, confirming the high sorption capacity of the newly obtained
      product, primarily due to the presence on its surface of numerous active
      functional groups from the component biopolymers. The kinetics of the process of
      ion adsorption from model solution were investigated, and the experimental data
      were found to fit significantly better to a type 1 pseudo-second-order kinetic
      model, as confirmed by the high correlation coefficient of 0.999 for adsorption
      of both nickel(II) copper(II) zinc(II) and lead(II) ions. The experimental data
      obtained on the basis of adsorption isotherms corresponded to the Langmuir model.
      The sorption capacity of the chitin/lignin material was measured at 70.41
      mg(Ni2+)/g, 75.70 mg(Cu2+)/g, 82.41 mg(Zn2+)/g and 91.74 mg(Pb2+)/g. Analysis of
      thermodynamic parameters confirmed the endothermic nature of the process. It was
      also shown that nitric acid is a very effective desorbing (regenerating) agent,
      enabling the chitin/lignin material to be reused as an effective sorbent of metal
      ions. The sorption abilities of the chitin/lignin system with respect to
      particular metal ions can be ordered in the sequence Ni2+<Cu2+<Zn2+<Pb2+. Tests
      were also performed with the adsorption of ions of nickel(II), copper(II),
      zinc(II) and lead(II) from wastewater obtained from galvanization and battery
      production plants, confirming the ability of the chitin/lignin sorbent to adsorb
      harmful ions from real industrial wastes.

PMID- 28898752
TI  - The nickel ion removal prediction model from aqueous solutions using a hybrid
      neural genetic algorithm.
AB  - Prediction of Ni(II) removal during ion flotation is necessary for increasing the
      process efficiency by suitable modeling and simulation. In this regard, a new
      predictive model based on the hybrid neural genetic algorithm (GANN) was
      developed to predict the Ni(II) ion removal and water removal during the process
      from aqueous solutions using ion flotation. A multi-layer GANN model was trained
      to develop a predictive model based on the important effective variables on the
      Ni(II) ion flotation. The input variables of the model were pH, collector
      concentration, frother concentration, impeller speed and flotation time, while
      the removal percentage of Ni(II) ions and water during ion flotation were the
      outputs. The most effective input variables on Ni(II) removal and water removal
      were evaluated using the sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity analysis of the
      model shows that all input variables have a significant impact on the outputs.
      The results show that the proposed GANN models can be used to predict the Ni(II)
      removal and water removal during ion flotation.

PMID- 28898753
TI  - Efficiency of a nature-like bypass channel for restoring longitudinal
      connectivity for a river-resident population of brown trout.
AB  - Man-made, physical barriers have disrupted longitudinal connectivity for
      migratory fish in many river systems throughout the world for centuries. These
      barriers are considered to be a key reason for the decline of many fish species
      in river systems. To date, most research to ease movement of anadromous salmonids
      past such barriers to help dwindling populations has focused on the use of
      technical fishways. More recently emphasis has been placed on nature-like
      fishways to enable a wider range of fish species to bypass these barriers, but
      few studies have examined their efficacy. In this study, Passive Integrated
      Transponder (PIT) telemetry was used to assess the upstream-directed movements of
      111 river-resident brown trout (length, 151-510-mm) into and through a 150-m
      long, nature-like bypass on the River Aire, England. Attraction (51%), entrance
      (86%), passage (78%) and exit (97%) efficiencies were high, and trout of a wide
      range of sizes entered and exited (197-510 mm) the pass across a wide range of
      flows (entrance = 3.55-67.44 m3s-1 and exit = 3.89-35.5 m3s-1). There was
      evidence that two trout inhabited the pass during the day, entering at sunrise
      and exiting at sunset. This information is important to improve understanding of
      fish pass performance, thus informing future best practice guidance of fish
      passage designs.

PMID- 28898755
TI  - Biofuel cells - Activation of micro- and macro-electronic devices.
AB  - The article represents a short conceptual overview of biofuel cell applications,
      rather than their design and operation. Special attention is given to interfacing
      enzyme-based biofuel cells with power consuming microelectronic devices.
      Importance of electronic management of the power extracted from biological
      sources is emphasized. In addition to several briefly explained examples
      collected from recent publications, one system demonstrating powering of a
      standard glucometer with an implantable or wearable biofuel cell is described in
      details. The opinion on the biofuel cell applications and limitations represents
      the personal vision of the authors and might be not fully in accordance with the
      opinions of other experts.

PMID- 28898754
TI  - Antioxidant potential of Haematococcus pluvialis extract rich in astaxanthin on
      colour and oxidative stability of raw ground pork meat during refrigerated
      storage.
AB  - Astaxanthin is proven to be one of the most potent, naturally occurring
      antioxidants. A rich source of astaxanthin is algae Haematoccocus pluvialis (H.
      pluvialis). The aim of the study was to investigate antioxidant effect of H.
      pluvalis extract added in different levels (0.15, 0.3 or 0.45g/kg of meat) on
      colour and oxidative stability of raw ground pork meat during refrigerated
      storage (7days). Obtained data revealed that DPPH scavenging activity of the
      extract at the concentration of 0.45g/kg of meat was as high as 85%. Moreover,
      application of higher extract doses (0.3 and 0.45g/kg) delayed lipids oxidation
      (lower TBARS value than control) and improved colour stability (increased a*
      colour parameter). Additionally, usage of 0.3 and 0.45g/kg had a positive effect
      on meat acceptance declared by consumers' at the final day of storage. However,
      the extract of H. pluvialis had no antimicrobial or antioxidative activity
      against myoglobin oxidation.

PMID- 28898756
TI  - Bioreactor culture duration of engineered constructs influences bone formation by
      mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Perfusion culture of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seeded in biomaterial
      scaffolds provides nutrients for cell survival, enhances extracellular matrix
      deposition, and increases osteogenic cell differentiation. However, there is no
      consensus on the appropriate perfusion duration of cellular constructs in vitro
      to boost their bone forming capacity in vivo. We investigated this phenomenon by
      culturing human MSCs in macroporous composite scaffolds in a direct perfusion
      bioreactor and compared their response to scaffolds in continuous dynamic culture
      conditions on an XYZ shaker. Cell seeding in continuous perfusion bioreactors
      resulted in more uniform MSC distribution than static seeding. We observed
      similar calcium deposition in all composite scaffolds over 21 days of bioreactor
      culture, regardless of pore size. Compared to scaffolds in dynamic culture,
      perfused scaffolds exhibited increased DNA content and expression of osteogenic
      markers up to 14 days in culture that plateaued thereafter. We then evaluated the
      effect of perfusion culture duration on bone formation when MSC-seeded scaffolds
      were implanted in a murine ectopic site. Human MSCs persisted in all scaffolds at
      2 weeks in vivo, and we observed increased neovascularization in constructs
      cultured under perfusion for 7 days relative to those cultured for 1 day within
      each gender. At 8 weeks post-implantation, we observed greater bone volume
      fraction, bone mineral density, tissue ingrowth, collagen density, and
      osteoblastic markers in bioreactor constructs cultured for 14 days compared to
      those cultured for 1 or 7 days, and acellular constructs. Taken together, these
      data demonstrate that culturing MSCs under perfusion culture for at least 14 days
      in vitro improves the quantity and quality of bone formation in vivo. This study
      highlights the need for optimizing in vitro bioreactor culture duration of
      engineered constructs to achieve the desired level of bone formation.

PMID- 28898757
TI  - Extracellular matrix-derived extracellular vesicles promote cardiomyocyte growth
      and electrical activity in engineered cardiac atria.
AB  - Extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role in the provision of the
      necessary microenvironment for the proper regeneration of the cardiac tissue.
      However, specific mechanisms that lead to ECM-mediated cardiac regeneration are
      not well understood. To elucidate the potential mechanisms, we investigated ultra
      structures of the cardiac ECM using electron microscopy. Intriguingly, we
      observed large quantities of micro-vesicles from decellularized right atria. RNA
      and protein analyses revealed that these contained exosomal proteins and
      microRNAs (miRNAs), which we referred to herein as ECM-derived extracellular
      vesicles (ECM-EVs). One particular miRNA from ECM-EVs, miR-199a-3p, promoted cell
      growth of isolated neonatal cardiomyocytes and sinus nodal cells by repressing
      homeodomain-only protein (HOPX) expression and increasing GATA-binding 4 (Gata4)
      acetylation. To determine the mechanisms, we knocked down Gata4 and showed that
      miR-199a-3p actions required Gata4 for cell proliferation in isolated neonatal
      cardiomyocytes and sinus nodal cells. To further explore the role of this miRNA,
      we isolated neonatal cardiac cells and recellularized into atrial ECM, referred
      here has engineered atria. Remarkably, miR-199a-3p mediated the enrichment of
      cardiomyocyte and sinus nodal cell population, and enhanced electrocardiographic
      signal activity of sinus nodal cells in the engineered atria. Importantly,
      antisense of miRNA (antagomir) against miR-199a-3p was capable of abolishing
      these actions of miR-199a-3p in the engineered atria. We further showed in Ang II
      infused animal model of sinus nodal dysfunction that miR-199-3p-treated cardiac
      cells remarkably ameliorated and restored the electrical activity as shown by
      normalization of the ECG, in contrast to untreated cells, which did not show
      electrical recovery. In conclusion, these results provide clear evidence of the
      critical role of ECM, in not only providing a scaffold for cardiac tissue growth,
      but also in promoting atrial electrical function through ECM-derived miR-199a-3p.

PMID- 28898758
TI  - Modular flow chamber for engineering bone marrow architecture and function.
AB  - The bone marrow is a soft, spongy, gelatinous tissue found in the hollow cavities
      of flat and long bones that support hematopoiesis in order to maintain the
      physiologic turnover of all blood cells. Silk fibroin, derived from Bombyx mori
      silkworm cocoons, is a promising biomaterial for bone marrow engineering, because
      of its tunable architecture and mechanical properties, the capacity of
      incorporating labile compounds without loss of bioactivity and demonstrated
      ability to support blood cell formation. In this study, we developed a bone
      marrow scaffold consisting of a modular flow chamber made of
      polydimethylsiloxane, holding a silk sponge, prepared with salt leaching methods
      and functionalized with extracellular matrix components. The silk sponge was able
      to support efficient platelet formation when megakaryocytes were seeded in the
      system. Perfusion of the chamber allowed the recovery of functional platelets
      based on multiple activation tests. Further, inhibition of AKT signaling
      molecule, which has been shown to be crucial in regulating physiologic platelet
      formation, significantly reduced the number of collected platelets, suggesting
      the applicability of this tissue model for evaluation of the effects of bone
      marrow exposure to compounds that may affect platelet formation. In conclusion,
      we have bioengineered a novel modular system that, along with multi-porous silk
      sponges, can provide a useful technology for reproducing a simplified bone marrow
      scaffold for blood cell production ex vivo.

PMID- 28898760
TI  - Live cell imaging of mouse intestinal organoids reveals heterogeneity in their
      oxygenation.
AB  - Intestinal organoids are widely applied in stem cell research, regenerative
      medicine, toxicology, pharmacology, and host-microbe interactions research. The
      variability of oxidative metabolism for stem and differentiated cell types
      constituting organoid is known to be important but so far it has not been studied
      in details. Here, we report the use of live cell microscopy of oxygen via the
      phosphorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (PLIM) method to address the
      oxygenation and variability of aerobic metabolism of individual organoids in the
      culture. Using the cell-penetrating phosphorescent O2-sensitive probe, we found
      inhomogeneous O2 distribution in live organoids, with areas of relatively high
      oxygenation (up to 73 MUM in organoid compared to an average 40 MUM O2) and trans
      epithelial O2 microgradients (up to 0.6-0.83 MUM/MUm). We also demonstrated that
      intestinal organoid culture consists of units with different respiration activity
      and oxygenation (from 27 to 92 MUM, equal to 2.8-9.7% O2), depending on age of
      the culture and drug treatment. Collectively, our results indicate that ignoring
      the metabolic heterogeneity of organoid culture can be critical for proper data
      interpretation. The live cell imaging PLIM method demonstrates a clear advantage
      of using individual organoids as separate experimental units rather than 'bulk'
      organoid cultures.

PMID- 28898759
TI  - Cuprous oxide nanoparticles trigger ER stress-induced apoptosis by regulating
      copper trafficking and overcoming resistance to sunitinib therapy in renal
      cancer.
AB  - While the current standard first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC) is sunitinib, patients inevitably develop resistance to this drug. However,
      the rapid development of nanotechnology has provided emerging techniques for the
      treatment of advanced tumours, including RCC. In our previous research, cuprous
      oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) showed ideal anti-tumour effects and low systemic
      toxicity. While many inorganic nanomedicines, including CONPs, have similar
      pharmacological effects, their detailed mechanisms remain unknown. Copper
      chaperone proteins, which regulate the endocellular dosage and transport of
      copper, also play crucial roles in the progression of cancer. In this research,
      we discovered that CONPs can disrupt copper transportation by regulating the
      copper chaperone proteins ATOX1 and CCS in RCC cells and induce endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress in vitro and in vivo by promoting the accumulation of
      intracellular calcium and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, CONPs can
      initiate ER- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis by activating caspase-3,
      caspase-9 and caspase-12. In addition, CONPs downregulate the expression of AXL,
      MET, AKT, and ERK to recover sunitinib responsiveness in RCC cells with sunitinib
      resistance (SR) and may therefore facilitate the development of promising new
      pathways to treat patients with acquired SRRCC.

PMID- 28898761
TI  - State of diagnosing infectious pathogens using colloidal nanomaterials.
AB  - Infectious diseases are a major global threat that accounts for one of the
      leading causes of global mortality and morbidity. Prompt diagnosis is a crucial
      first step in the management of infectious threats, which aims to quarantine
      infected patients to avoid contacts with healthy individuals and deliver
      effective treatments prior to further spread of diseases. This review article
      discusses current advances of diagnostic systems using colloidal nanomaterials
      (e.g., gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles) for identifying
      and differentiating infectious pathogens. The challenges involved in the clinical
      translation of these emerging nanotechnology based diagnostic devices will also
      be discussed.

PMID- 28898762
TI  - Crystal structure of a novel RNA motif that allows for precise positioning of a
      single metal ion.
AB  - We have determined a crystal structure of an RNA duplex containing a novel metal
      binding motif. The motif is composed of two sheared G?A base pairs, two unpaired
      A residues and four phosphate groups in close proximity. Four A residues make an
      A-A-A-A stacking column at the minor groove side and two G bases are highly
      inclined, thereby forming the pocket-shaped motif at the major groove side. In
      the present structure, a hydrated Sr2+ ion exists in the pocket and binds to the
      O6 and N7 atoms of the two G bases and four phosphate groups. According to the
      previously-reported metal-binding properties to RNA molecules, many of divalent
      cations, such as Mg2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Zn2+, Ba2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+, may bind to the
      motif. This metal-binding motif can be used as a modular building block that
      allows for precise positioning of a single metal ion in functional nucleic acid
      molecules.

PMID- 28898763
TI  - Absolute quantification of poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) in microspheres using
      quantitative 1H NMR spectroscopy.
AB  - The complex nature and the manufacturing process of poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide)
      (PLGA), a key component of PLGA-based microspheres, have made the quantification
      of this copolymer difficult. The main purpose of the current study was to
      investigate the potential of three different methods for the quantitative
      analysis of the PLGA content of clinical products. In this regard, leuprorelin
      acetate microspheres from different vendors were chosen as templates to validate
      quantitative 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (qHNMR) spectroscopy, size exclusion
      chromatography (SEC), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods
      qHNMR proved to be an excellent and rapid PLGA quantification method compared to
      the other two. The recovery value was 99.12% and the linearity correlation
      coefficient was 0.9999. The results obtained from the qHNMR method were found to
      match the data provided by the vendor, suggesting that qHNMR can be utilized as a
      reliable quality control and inspection tool for PLGA-based clinical products.

PMID- 28898764
TI  - Sensitive analysis of bioactive secondary metabolites in lichen species using
      liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - Lichens are a large group of valuable lower plants with unique features and
      diverse applications worldwide such as in medicine, cosmetics, food, and textile
      industries. They are also well known for their potential in observing climate and
      environmental monitoring. Their successful exploitations require reliable
      analytical methods to check and maintain quality and efficacy of the products
      based on them. This study focuses on the development of a sensitive and reliable
      quantification method for the analysis of important depsides, depsidones,
      dibenzofuran and monocyclic phenols inseven known and an unidentified lichen
      species. Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) approach using UHPLC-QqQ-MS
      instrument was employed for the development of the quantitative method. Both LC
      and MS parameters were optimized to ensure maximum separation. High sensitivity,
      and selectivity. LODs and LOQs were found to be in the range of 2.1-71.5ng/mL and
      6.3-212.9ng/mL, respectively. The accuracy (% bias) and precision (% RSD) were
      found to be <5% in most cases. Metabolites 1-9 were found in the range of 0.5
      41429MUg/g in the analysed lichen extracts. The analysis revealed that
      metabolites 1, 2 and 3 are the predominant ones. This method can be used for the
      identification and absolute quantification of secondary metabolites in lichen
      extracts, and herbal or consumer products based upon them.

PMID- 28898765
TI  - Development of quantitative immunochromatographic assay for rapid and sensitive
      detection of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) in human plasma.
AB  - A quantitative immunochromatographic assay (QIA) was developed by using gold
      nanoparticle (GNP)-based lateral flow strip biosensor (LFSB) and a portable strip
      reader for rapid and sensitive quantitation of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA 19
      9) in human plasma. CA 19-9 is a biomarker that has been associated with cancers
      (such as pancreatic and colorectal cancers) and various non-cancerous diseases.
      The principle is based on sandwich-type immunoreactions between gold nanoparticle
      (GNP)-labelled detection antibody, anti-CA 19-9 capture antibody and CA 19-9to
      capture the GNPs on the test zone of LFSB. The accumulation of GNPs on the test
      zone gave a red line whose intensity was read with a portable strip reader to
      quantify the concentration of CA 19-9. Assay parameters including the membrane
      type, antibody concentration, amount of GNP-anti-CA 19-9 conjugates and the
      components of the running buffer were optimized to obtain the best sensitivity
      and reproducibility of the assay. The detection limit of the assay was determined
      to be 5UmL-1 (S/N=3) with a linear range of 5UmL-1-100UmL-1. CA 19-9
      concentrations in healthy human and pancreatic cancer patient plasma samples were
      successfully evaluated using the developed quantitative immunochromatographic
      assay (QIA), and the results were in accordance with that obtained with enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The developed assay shows great promise for
      clinical application and biomedical diagnosis, particularly in limited resource
      settings.

PMID- 28898766
TI  - Radiation dose to heart base linked with poorer survival in lung cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in radiotherapy (RT) have allowed an increased proportion of
      lung cancer patients to be treated curatively. High doses delivered to critical
      thoracic organs can result in excess mortality with tolerance doses poorly
      defined. This work presents a novel method of identifying anatomical dose
      sensitive regions within the thorax. METHODS: A high-resolution, normal-tissue
      dosimetric analysis was performed to identify regions in the heart that correlate
      with poorer survival. A total of 1101 patients treated with curative-intent RT
      were selected and all computed tomography imaging and dose distributions were
      deformed to a reference. Mean dose distributions were created for patients who
      survived versus those who did not at a set time point. Statistical significance
      of dose differences was investigated with permutation testing. The dose received
      by the most statistically significant region of the thorax was collected in all
      patients and included in a multivariate survival analysis. RESULTS: The
      permutation testing showed a highly significant region across the base of the
      heart, where higher doses were associated with worse patient survival (p <
      0.001). Cox-regression multivariate analysis showed region dose, tumour volume,
      performance status and nodal stage were significant factors associated with
      survival, whereas cardiac mean dose, V5 and V30 showed no significance. Survival
      curves, controlling for these factors, were plotted with patients receiving doses
      greater than 8.5 Gy to the identified region showing worse survival (log-rank p <
      0.001, hazard ratio 1.2). CONCLUSION: The application of this novel methodology
      in lung cancer patients identifies the base of the heart as a dose-sensitive
      region for the first time.

PMID- 28898767
TI  - What do we know about student resilience in health professional education? A
      scoping review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Resilience has been identified as a key capability to thrive in the
      complex changing work environment of the 21st century. Therefore, the aim of this
      scoping review was to investigate how resilience is understood in the context of
      pre-qualifying health education, if there is a need to build student resilience,
      and what approaches to enhancing student resilience are described in the
      literature. DESIGN AND DATA SOURCES: Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) literature
      scoping review design was adopted as it enables researchers to review, summarise
      and analyse the literature on a given topic. The databases searched were
      Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, Proquest,
      Medline, Science Direct, and Education Resources Information Centre. REVIEW
      METHOD: Four research questions informed the literature review: (1) how is
      resilience conceptualised in the literature?, (2) what evidence exists for the
      need for resilience enhancement?, (3) what resilience factors should inform
      resilience enhancement?, and (4) what resilience enhancement programs are
      described in the literature? RESULTS: A total of 36 papers were reviewed in
      detail. Whilst the need for a focus on resilience across the health professions
      was evident an array of definitions and conceptualisations of resilience were
      described. A small number of approaches to enhancing resilience were identified.
      CONCLUSION: Whilst widespread recognition of the importance of resilience in the
      health professions exists the area remains under theorised with limited
      conceptual models and robust interventions published to date.

PMID- 28898768
TI  - Immune-enhancing effects of polysaccharides extracted from Lilium lancifolium
      Thunb.
AB  - Lilium lancifolium Thunb. is a Chinese traditional plant with various health
      benefits. In this study, we purified and characterized the water-soluble
      polysaccharide fraction (LLP-1A) of L. lancifolium. We also investigated the in
      vitro immune-enhancing activity of LLP-1A in macrophages and the underlying
      molecular mechanism. Results showed that LLP-1A was mainly composed of mannose
      and glucose at a molar ratio of 1.77:1, and its molecular weight was
      approximately 78.61kDa. The Fourier transform-infrared spectra of LLP-1A also
      revealed typical polysaccharide characteristics: the presence of uronic acid,
      pyranose rings and beta-glycosidic bonds. With regard to its effects on
      macrophages, LLP-1A enhanced phagocytic activity and induced the NO production in
      a dose-dependent manner. Further, it induced expression of the cytokines
      interleukin-6, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and
      interleukin-1beta. With regard to the molecular mechanism, LLP-1A increased
      protein expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and phosphorylation of the inhibitor
      of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase, inhibitor of NF-kappaB, and nuclear factor
      kappa B in RAW 264.7 cells. Therefore, the data suggest that LLP-1A significantly
      upregulated the expression of immune reactive cytokines in RAW 264.7 macrophages
      through the TLR4-mediated NF-kappaB signal pathway. Thus, LLP-1A may have
      immunomodulatory functions that may prove beneficial for the treatment of immune
      related diseases.

PMID- 28898769
TI  - LOX-1 is involved in IL-1beta production and extracellular matrix breakdown in
      dental peri-implantitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore whether lectin-type oxidized LDL receptor 1 (LOX-1),
      interleukin 1 beta (IL-1beta), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and matrix
      metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) are involved in the nosogenesis of human dental peri
      implantitis and determine the role of LOX-1 in IL-1beta, MMP2 and MMP9 production
      in response to Porphyromonas gingivalis. METHODS: Peri-implant crevicular fluid
      (PICF) was collected from ten patients with healthy implants and ten patients
      with peri-implantitis. The LOX-1 protein in PICF was detected by Western-blot,
      and the expression of LOX-1 in superficial gingiva of peri-implantitis patients
      was detected by immunofluorescence staining. The IL-1beta, MMP2 and MMP9 proteins
      in PICF were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). THP-1
      macrophages were pretreated with neutralizing antibody (LOX-1) and inhibitors
      (LOX-1 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, JNK) to evaluate the role of LOX-1 and JNK in
      IL-1beta production, as well as the role of LOX-1 in MMP2 and MMP9 production in
      response to P. gingivalis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and
      Western-blot. RESULTS: LOX-1, IL-1beta, MMP2 and MMP9 increased in PICF of peri
      implantitis patients and in THP-1 macrophages on P. gingivalis stimulation. IL
      1beta, MMP2 and MMP9 production in response to P. gingivalis in THP-1 macrophages
      was dependent on LOX-1. JNK was responsible for LOX-1 induced IL-1beta production
      as a result of P. gingivalis infection. CONCLUSION: LOX-1 is involved in IL-1beta
      production and extracellular matrix breakdown is a novel inflammatory pathway
      trigger and potential drug target in human dental peri-implantitis.

PMID- 28898770
TI  - Immunoglobulin replacement therapy in primary and secondary antibody deficiency:
      The correct clinical approach.
AB  - Immunoglobulin therapy is the administration of human polyvalent IgG and
      represents the most effective treatment to prevent recurrent infections in
      antibody deficiency patients. Primary antibody deficiency represents the main
      indication of immunoglobulin replacement therapy and includes a wide range of
      disorders characterized by impaired antibody production in response to pathogens
      and recurrent infections. However, not all primary antibody deficiency patients
      require immunoglobulin replacement. Indeed, immunoglobulin preparations are
      expensive and, once prescribed, usually result in lifelong therapy. Moreover,
      many patients significantly benefit from a long-term antibiotic prophylaxis and a
      prompt begin of antibiotic therapy in case of infectious events. Even more
      controversial is the decision to initiate immunoglobulin replacement therapy in
      secondary antibody deficiency, a heterogeneous and expanding group including B
      cell lymphoproliferative syndromes, protein losing states and therapeutic agents.
      This review seeks to define the indication to immunoglobulin replacement in
      primary and secondary antibody deficiency disorders, distinguishing those in
      which the beginning of immunoglobulin therapy is always indicated at the same
      time as the diagnosis has been made, from those lacking of defined indication to
      replacement therapy. In addition, we propose a clinical approach, mainly based on
      the evaluation of infectious history, vaccine response and bronchiectasis
      finding, to support the decision to initiate immunoglobulin therapy in an
      individual patient.

PMID- 28898771
TI  - Contrast enhancement of spectral domain optical coherence tomography using
      spectrum correction.
AB  - We report a spectrum correction method to enhance the image contrast of spectral
      domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Our method treats SD-OCT signals as
      the product of harmonic signals backscattered from a sample comprising a series
      of discrete reflectors and a window corresponding to the light source spectrum.
      The method restores the magnitude of the main lobe of the axial point spread
      function (PSF) by estimating the magnitudes of the backscattered harmonic signals
      and strengthens OCT signals using these estimated values. Experimental results
      acquired from fresh rat corneas and fixed human aortic atherosclerosis tissues
      show that our method provides clearer microstructural information than the
      conventional methods by improving the contrast to noise ratios (CNRs) by 1.4779
      dB and 3.2595 dB, respectively. This improved image quality is obtained without
      any hardware change, making our method a cost-effective alternative to compete
      with hardware advances.

PMID- 28898772
TI  - Are pesticide residues in honey related to oilseed rape treatments?
AB  - Pesticide treatments before and during the flowering of honey bee forage crops
      may lead to residues in honey. In northern regions oilseed rape belongs to the
      main forage crops that is mostly cultivated by means of intensive agriculture,
      including several pesticide treatments. However, in addition to the focal forage
      crops, pesticides from non-forage crops can spread to wild flowers around fields,
      and thus the residues in honey would reflect the whole range of pesticides used
      in the agricultural landscape. The aim of our study was to clarify which
      currently used pesticides are present in honey gathered from heterogeneous
      agricultural landscapes after the end of flowering of oilseed crops. Honey
      samples (N = 33) were collected from beehives of Estonia during 2013 and 2014,
      and analysed for residues of 47 currently used agricultural pesticides using the
      multiresidue method with HPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS and a single residue method for
      glyphosate, aminopyralid and clopyralid. Residues of eight different active
      ingredients with representatives from all three basic pesticide classes were
      determined. Although no correlation was detected between the cumulative amount of
      pesticide residues and percent of oilseed crops in the foraging territory, most
      of the residues are those allowed for oilseed rape treatments. Among all
      pesticides, herbicide residues prevailed in 2013 but not in 2014. Despite the
      relatively small agricultural impact of Estonia, the detected levels of pesticide
      residues sometimes exceeded maximum residue level; however, these concentrations
      do not pose a health risk to consumers, also acute toxicity to honey bees would
      be very unlikely.

PMID- 28898773
TI  - Increased accumulation of Pb and Cd from contaminated soil with Scirpus triqueter
      by the combined application of NTA and APG.
AB  - Phytoremediation of heavy metals contaminated soils shows many advantages and it
      can be improved by adding chelating agents and surfactants. In this study, pot
      culture experiments were set up to explore the effect of alone application of
      nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and combined application of NTA and alkyl
      polyglucoside (APG) on changes in absorption and adsorption of heavy metals by
      root of Scirpus triqueter and bioaccumulation of metals in single or co
      contamination. Different additives were added into the soils artificially after
      10 d and heavy metals extracted from different plant tissues were analyzed after
      60 d. Results showed that more cadmium (Cd) was adsorbed on the root surface
      while more lead (Pb) was absorbed in root interior with the combined application
      of NTA and APG during phytoremediation of single contaminated soil. In co
      contaminated soils, such a combined application not only strengthened the plant
      growth, but also promoted accumulation of Pb and Cd by Scirpus triqueter. NTA
      improved absorption amounts of Pb (9.7-fold) and Cd (1.0-fold) in root interior
      significantly. APG induced more metals to gather on the root surface in the
      presence of NTA and the adsorption amounts of Pb and Cd ranged from 26.2 and 17.7
      mg kg-1 to 412 and 46.0 mg kg-1 respectively. Besides, the coexistence metal
      increased bioaccumulation of another metal under combined application of NTA and
      APG in co-contamination of Pb and Cd. In conclusion, the combined application of
      NTA and APG would be beneficial to accumulate Pb and Cd from contaminated soils
      by Scirpus triqueter.

PMID- 28898774
TI  - Toxicity of naproxen sodium and its mixture with tramadol hydrochloride on fish
      early life stages.
AB  - Pharmaceuticals occur in water bodies as a consequence of their incomplete
      removal during waste water treatment processes. The occurence of pharmaceuticals
      in surface waters as well as their possible impact on aquatic vertebrates have
      received considerable attention in recent years. However, there is still a lack
      of informations on the chronic effects of widely used drugs as well as their
      possible mixture toxicity on non-target aquatic vertebrates as well as their
      possible mixture toxicity. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of
      naproxen sodium on early life stages of fish and evaluate its mixture toxicity
      with tramadol hydrochloride, which was assessed in our earlier study as a single
      substance. Two embryo-larval toxicity tests with common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
      were performed according to the OECD guideline 210 (Fish, Early-life Stage
      Toxicity Test) in order to assess the subchronic toxicity of naproxen sodium and
      tramadol hydrochlorid-naproxen sodium mixture at the concentrations of 10; 50;
      100 and 200 MUg/L. These experiments were conducted for 32 days. The subchronic
      exposure to naproxen sodium and naproxen sodium and tramadol hydrochloride
      mixture had a strong effect on the early life stages of common carp. Hatching,
      developmental rate, morphology, histopathology and, in the case of the naproxen
      sodium and tramadol hydrochloride mixture, mortality were influenced. The
      bioindicators of oxidative stress were also influenced. The LOEC was determined
      at 10 MUg/L for both naproxen sodium and naproxen sodium and tramadol
      hydrochloride mixture.

PMID- 28898775
TI  - The effect of anthropogenic impoundment on dissolved organic matter
      characteristics and copper binding affinity: Insights from fluorescence
      spectroscopy.
AB  - Excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy combined with parallel
      factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D
      COS) were applied to evaluate the effects of anthropogenic impoundment on the
      characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its heavy metal binding
      affinity. Three field-sampling cruises conducted in Hongze Lake from 2015 to 2016
      were classified as early impoundment and late impoundment cruises according to
      the hydrological conditions. Five fluorescence components were derived from EEM
      PARAFAC, including three humic-like components (C1C3) and two protein-like
      components (C4 and C5). The results show a higher dissolved organic carbon
      concentration, humification degree, molecular size, and level of terrestrial
      humic-like substances (C1C3) for early impoundment DOM compared with late
      impoundment DOM, which were derived from the relatively high inflow discharges
      present before impoundment. Meanwhile, the relatively high autochthonous
      contribution and level of protein-like substances found in late impoundment DOM
      suggested that anthropogenic impoundment can influence the DOM composition in
      Hongze Lake. Increases in the binding affinities (log Km) of humic-like
      substances (C1 and C3) and decreases in the log Km of tryptophan-like substances
      (C4) were observed during the impoundment period. Additionally, 2D-COS results
      suggested that the preferential Cu(II) binding ligands in early and late
      impoundment DOM were tryptophan- (C4) and humic-like (C1) substances,
      respectively. These results indicated that impoundment-derived DOM composition
      alteration can decrease the bioavailability and toxicity of Cu in Hongze Lake.
      The results reported here will improve the understanding of DOM and heavy metal
      cycling in impoundment lakes.

PMID- 28898776
TI  - Effect of electro-activated solutions of sodium acetate and sodium propionate on
      geosmin producing Streptomyces avermitilis strain.
AB  - Electro-activated solutions of salts of weak organic acids are defined as novel
      potent disinfecting agents that can be used in the agri-food industry. The aim of
      the present work is to study and understand the destruction mechanism of electro
      activated solutions of sodium acetate (EAA) and sodium propionate (EAP) against
      Streptomyces avermitilis spores. The results of antibacterial activity showed
      high bacteriostatic effect for all the tested solutions, including sodium
      hypochlorite used as positive control. Under specific conditions, test on minimal
      inhibitory concentration demonstrated that the used electro-activated solutions
      have inhibition activity comparable or higher than the control solution, with the
      following inhibiting concentrations of 0.004, 0.002 and 0.073 mol/L, for EAA, EAP
      and NaOCl, respectively. The most active solutions resulted in destruction effect
      of more than 7 log CFU/mL. The physiological state of the S. avermitilis spores
      was assessed by transmission electron microscopy after treatments with the
      electro-activated organic solutions and NaOCl. The results displayed coreless
      and/or deformed cellular forms with ruptured membranes and released components of
      spores. The main practical importance of this study is that the targeted final
      objective is to develop safe and effective alternative to sodium hypochlorite to
      ensure microbial safety of fresh vegetables under storage conditions. In this
      context, we studied the potential of electro-activated solutions of sodium
      acetate and sodium propionate against spores of Streptomyces avermitilis and
      compared this activity with sodium hypochlorite, the mostly used disinfecting
      agent in the agri-food industry.

PMID- 28898777
TI  - Different impacts of manure and chemical fertilizers on bacterial community
      structure and antibiotic resistance genes in arable soils.
AB  - Both manure and chemical fertilizers are widely used in modern agriculture.
      However, the impacts of different fertilizers on bacterial community structure
      and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in arable soils still remain unclear. In
      this study, high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR were employed to
      investigate the bacterial community structure, ARGs and mobile genetic elements
      (MGEs) influenced by the application of different fertilizers, including chemical
      fertilizers, piggery manure and straw ash. The results showed that the
      application of fertilizers could significantly change the soil bacterial
      community and the abundance of Gaiella under phylum Actinobacteria was
      significantly reduced from 12.9% in unfertilized soil to 4.1%-7.4% in fertilized
      soil (P < 0.05). It was also found that the application of manure could cause a
      transient effect on soil resistome composition and the relative abundance of ARGs
      increased from 7.37 ppm to 32.10 ppm. The abundance of aminoglycoside,
      sulfonamide and tetracycline resistance genes greatly increased after manure
      fertilization and then gradually returned to normal levels with the decay of some
      intestinal bacteria carrying ARGs. In contrast, the application of chemical
      fertilizers and straw ash significantly changed the bacterial community structure
      but exerted little effect on soil resistome. Overall, the results of this study
      illustrated the different effects of different fertilizers on the soil resistome
      and revealed that the changes of soil resistome induced by manure application
      mainly resulted from alteration of bacteria community rather than the horizontal
      gene transfer.

PMID- 28898778
TI  - Effects of imidacloprid on Rana catesbeiana immune and nervous system.
AB  - Imidacloprid (IMD), a neonicotinoid, is generally considered to be of low
      toxicity in vertebrates. However, the inhibition of acetylcholine (ACh) receptors
      can have a profound effect on both the immune and nervous system due to the anti
      inflammatory effects of ACh. Vertebrates, such as amphibians, might be affected
      by IMD because they breed in wetlands where the concentration of IMD is high. In
      our study, we experimentally exposed Rana catesbeiana tadpoles to environmentally
      relevant IMD and then quantified the ACh and antibody to non-replicating
      antigens. We hypothesized that IMD exposure would result in higher AChE and
      antibody levels. We completed a factorial experiment in which tadpoles were
      divided into four groups, two of which were exposed to 100 ng/L of IMD. After
      five weeks, two groups were injected with the novel antigen keyhole limpet
      hemocyanin (KLH) and two injected with a control. Three weeks later, tadpoles
      were euthanized and blood samples collected. At 100 ng/L, IMD exposure did not
      cause a significant difference in AChE levels or KLH-specific IgY antibodies.
      However, tadpoles injected with KLH had slightly higher levels of AChE. In
      addition, we saw a trend in total IgM with higher levels in tadpoles exposed to
      IMD. While we found no effect of IMD at 100 ng/L on antibody response to a novel,
      non-replicating antigen nor on ACh production, further research is needed to
      determine if higher concentrations of IMD or parasite infection can influence
      development of R. catesbeiana.

PMID- 28898779
TI  - Ozone-cathode microbial desalination cell; An innovative option to bioelectricity
      generation and water desalination.
AB  - Microbial desalination cell (MDC) is a new approach of water desalination
      methods, which is based on ionic species removal from water in proportion to the
      electric current generated by bacteria. However, the low current generation and
      insufficient deionization in this technology have created challenges to improve
      the process. Here, the performance of MDC using ozone as a new electron acceptor
      (O3-MDC) was evaluated versus another operated independently with oxygen (O2
      MDC). Results showed the maximum open-circuit voltages of 628 and 1331 mV for 20
      g L-1 NaCl desalination in O2-MDC and O3-MDC, respectively. The O3-MDC produced a
      maximum power density of 4.06 W m-2 (about 11 times higher than O2-MDC) while at
      the same time was able to remove about 74% of salt (55.58% in the O2-MDC). Each
      cycle of O2-MDC and O3-MDC operation lasted about 66 and 94 h, respectively,
      indicating a more stable current profile in the O3-MDC. Moreover, sequencing test
      based on 16S rRNA gene showed that the anode biofilm had more diverse microbial
      community than anolyte sample. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Acidobacteria were
      from dominant microbial communities in anode biofilm sample. Accordingly, the
      results revealed that ozone can enhance MDC performance either as a desalination
      process or as a pre-treatment reactor for downstream desalination processes.

PMID- 28898780
TI  - Characteristics of PCDDs/PCDFs in stack gas from medical waste incinerators.
AB  - Toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans
      (PCDFs) in 45 stack gas samples were measured from 19 medical waste incinerators
      in South Korea using high-resolution gas chromatography equipped with a high
      resolution mass spectrometer. The average concentrations of the sum of 17 toxic
      PCDD/PCDF congeners emitted from the medical waste incinerators ranged from 0.153
      to 101.9 ng/Sm3. Based on the World Health Organization toxic equivalency factor,
      they ranged from 0.007 to 5.437 ng-TEQ/Sm3. The congener patterns of PCDDs/PCDFs
      were described using principal component analysis and presented four patterns. In
      the evaluation of annual average total TEQ concentrations, outlying stack gas
      samples were excluded. In this study, the number of chlorine substitutions was
      evaluated as an important factor in congener patterns. Coefficient of
      determination values were employed for evaluation of correlation between PCDDs
      and PCDFs. 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF was measured as the most emitted congener, while
      2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF was the greatest TEQ contributor.

PMID- 28898781
TI  - Thymus atrophy is an efficient marker of illicit treatment with dexamethasone in
      veal calves: Results from a triennial experimental study.
AB  - Glucocorticoids, used in a wide range of pathologies thank to their therapeutical
      properties, are also illegally used as growth-promoters in animal breeding even
      if the European Union regulates their use to protect consumers' health from the
      adverse effects of residues in food. The first aim of the study was to establish
      the applicability of two histological parameters - atrophy and cortex-medulla
      ratio - to detect glucocorticoids misuse in calves. The second aim was to
      concurrently test the potentiality of both parameters to discriminate between
      treated and untreated animals. One hundred and seventy-two male Friesian veal
      calves were raised for six months and divided into two groups: Group A (106
      calves) was given dexamethasone per os for twenty days (0.4mg/day), Group B (66
      calves) used as control. Thymic samples were microscopically examined. Fat
      infiltration was evaluated and a degree of atrophy, ranging from 1 to 3 (mild,
      moderate, severe) was attributed; thymic cortex-medulla ratio was calculated too.
      Fisher's exact test and a Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test were performed to
      investigate the differences in thymic atrophy and cortex-medulla ratio between
      the groups. Results demonstrate that the thymic atrophy grading was significantly
      increased in group A (p=0,006), whereas the cortex-medulla ratio was decreased
      (p<0,004) when compared to group B; moreover, the parallel testing with fixed
      degree of atrophy and cortex-medulla ratio cut-off thresholds optimize the
      sensitivity (90%) in the detection of glucocorticoids anabolic treatments. These
      data suggest that microscopic thymus analysis represent a valid tool for the
      screening and monitoring of glucocorticoid illicit treatments.

PMID- 28898782
TI  - Heart rate and blood pressure variations after transvascular patent ductus
      arteriosus occlusion in dogs.
AB  - The objective of the study was to retrospectively analyse the cardiovascular
      effects that occurs following the transvascular occlusion of patent ductus
      arteriosus in dogs. Sixteen anaesthesia records were included. Variables were
      recorded at the time of placing the arterial introducer, occlusion of the ductus,
      and from 5 to 60min thereafter, including, among the other, heart rate, systolic,
      diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure. The maximal percentage variation of
      the aforementioned physiological parameters within 60min of occlusion, compared
      with the values recorded at the introducer placing, was calculated. The time at
      which maximal variation occurred was also computed. Correlations between maximal
      percentage variation of physiological parameters and the diameter of the ductus
      and systolic and diastolic flow velocity through it were evaluated with linear
      regression analysis. Heart rate decreased after occlusion of the ductus with a
      mean maximal percentage variation of 41.0+/-14.8% after 21.2+/-13.7min. Mean and
      diastolic arterial blood pressure increased after occlusion with a mean maximal
      percentage variation of 30.6+/-18.1 and 55.4+/-27.1% after 19.6+/-12.1 and 15.7+/
      10.8min, respectively. Mean arterial blood pressure variation had a significant
      and moderate inverse correlation with diastolic and systolic flow velocity
      through the ductus. Transvascular patent ductus arteriosus occlusion in
      anaesthetised dogs causes a significant reduction in heart rate and an increase
      in diastolic and mean blood arterial pressure within 20min of closure of the
      ductus.

PMID- 28898783
TI  - Optimized decoupling schemes in ultrafast HSQC experiments.
AB  - Ultrafast (UF) 2D NMR, which enables the acquisition of 2D spectra within a
      single scan, is nowadays used in a large array of applications. However, the use
      of UF-HSQC experiments is still limited by the need to compromise between
      spectral widths and resolution. Interleaved acquisitions can overcome this
      limitation, albeit at the cost of strong artifacts. We show that the occurrence
      of these artifacts is mainly related to the discontinuous decoupling scheme which
      is generally used in UF-HSQC. In this paper, four continuous decoupling schemes
      using adiabatic pulses are optimized for this kind of experiments, giving access
      to full-range UF-HSQC spectra.

PMID- 28898784
TI  - Variable silver nanoparticle toxicity to Daphnia in boreal lakes.
AB  - Variable sensitivity of organisms to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) caused by
      changes in physico-chemical variables in aquatic ecosystems is receiving
      increasing attention. Variables such as dissolved organic carbon, pH, light, the
      presence of algae and bacteria, dissolved oxygen and different ions have all been
      studied individually, but it is still unclear how these variables in combination
      alter AgNP toxicity in natural ecosystems. Here we examined AgNP toxicity on
      survival of wild-caught Daphnia using AgNP suspensions placed in water from
      several different lakes at the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area, which span a
      gradient of water quality parameters. The partitioning of AgNPs between
      particulate and dissolved organic matter fractions was also assessed due to the
      potential for algal sequestration and detoxification of AgNPs. We found that
      toxicity varied between lakes with LC50 values ranging between 34 and 292MUg AgL
      1. Time of year in terms of days since ice-off and carbon to nitrogen ratios of
      particulate matter were the major predictors of toxicity between ecosystems.
      Total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, and particulate carbon to
      phosphorus ratios also played minor roles in influencing survival of Daphnia
      between water types. We found variable partitioning of silver into the
      particulate fraction within lakes and no significant differences between lakes.
      Silver associated with particulate organic matter increased with increasing
      concentrations of AgNPs in the ecosystem. Overall, we found strong evidence that
      AgNP toxicity is highly context dependent in natural lake ecosystems.

PMID- 28898785
TI  - Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate disrupts axonal growth, cholinergic system
      and motor behavior in early life zebrafish.
AB  - Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) could have neurotoxic effects and
      alter motor behaviors in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae, however, the underlying
      mechanisms are still unknown. In this study, zebrafish embryos were subjected to
      waterborne exposure of TDCIPP at 100, 300, 600, 900MUg/L from 2 to 120-h post
      fertilization (hpf). Behavioral measurements indicate that TDCIPP exposure
      significantly elevated spontaneous movement, and altered swimming behavior
      response of larvae to both light and dark stimulation. Interestingly, in
      accordance with these motor effects, TDCIPP significantly decreased expression of
      the neuron-specific GFP in transgenic (HuC-GFP) zebrafish larvae as well as
      decreased expression of the neural marker genes elavl3 and ngn1, inhibited the
      axonal growth of the secondary motoneurons and altered the expressions of axon
      related genes (alpha1-tubulin, shha and netrin2) in zebrafish larvae.
      Furthermore, TDCIPP exposure at 900MUg/L significantly increased the activity of
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme, and decreased the total acetylcholine (ACh)
      concentration. Our data indicate that the alteration in motor neuron and
      inhibition of cholinergic system could together lead to the TDCIPP induced motor
      behavior alterations in zebrafish larvae.

PMID- 28898786
TI  - Catalytic activation of O2 molecule by transition metal atoms deposited on the
      outer surface of BN nanocluster.
AB  - The activation of the O2 molecule and yielding two separated O atoms is an
      essential step for the oxygen reduction reaction processes. Dissociation of the
      strong bond in the O2 often involves large activation barriers on metal particles
      used as catalysts. Here, the catalytic activity for the O2 dissociation of the
      transition metals (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt, and Au) deposited on the
      BN nanocluster have been studied theoretically using density functional theory.
      The following outcomes can be derived from our calculations: (1) The strong
      interaction between the Fe and Ni metal atoms and boron atom in BN nanocluster
      suggests that these transition metals deposited on BN nanocluster should be
      stable under high temperatures. (2) Transition metal deposition enhances the
      reactivity of BN nanocluster, however, it is more effective in the case of Fe
      deposited on BN nanocluster. (3) Consistent with the prediction of reactivity
      descriptors, the maximum catalytic activity toward O2 dissociation is related to
      the Fe-deposited on BN nanoclusters. (4) The adsorption energies of the O2
      adsorbed on the metal-deposited BN nanoclusters increase with the increase
      transition metals positive charges. (5) The energy barrier of the O2 dissociation
      is significantly decreased by introducing extra positive charges into the metal
      deposited on the BN nanocluster. Our study demonstrates that the transition
      metals-deposited on the BN nanoclusters can act as driving force for O2
      dissociation. These predictions open the route for the experimental studies of
      catalysts that offer high activity for oxygen reduction reaction processes.

PMID- 28898788
TI  - Molecular modelling and quantum biochemistry computations of a naturally
      occurring bioremediation enzyme: Alkane hydroxylase from Pseudomonas putida P1.
AB  - Many species of bacteria involved in degradation of n-alkanes have an important
      constitutional metabolic enzyme, the alkane hydroxylase called AlkB, specialized
      in the conversion of hydrocarbons molecules that can be used as carbon and/or
      energy source. This enzyme plays an important role in the microbial degradation
      of oil, chlorinated hydrocarbons, fuel additives, and many other compounds. A
      number of these enzymes has been biochemically characterized in detail because
      the potential of alkane hydroxylases to catalyse high added-value reactions is
      widely recognized. Nevertheless, the industrial and process bioremediation
      application of them is restricted, owing to their complex biochemistry,
      challenging process requirements, and the limited number of their three
      dimensional structures. Furthermore, AlkB has great potential as biocatalysts for
      selective transformation of a wide range of chemically inert unreactive alkanes
      into reactive chemical precursors that can be used as tools for bioremediation
      and bioprocesses. Aiming to understand the possible ways the AlkB enzyme
      Pseudomonas putida P1 interacts with octane, octanol and 1-octyne, we consider
      its suitable biochemical structure taking into account a 3-D homology modelling.
      Besides, by using a quantum chemistry computational model based on the density
      functional theory (DFT), we determine possible protein-substrate interaction
      regions measured by means of its binding energy simulated throughout the
      Molecular Fractionation with Conjugated Caps (MFCC) approach.

PMID- 28898787
TI  - Theoretical investigation of the pi+-pi+ stacking interactions in substituted
      pyridinium ion.
AB  - The interaction between positively charged aromatic groups (pi+-pi+) is
      characterized by stacked pyridinium ion derivatives X-PyH+||X-PyH+ (XH, NH2, OH,
      CN, F, Br and Cl) at the M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory in the presence of
      three solvents. The results indicate the formation of pi+-pi+ stacking in a
      dielectric solvent can be due to the significant stability of the charge-charge
      repulsion forces. The trend in the absolute value of stacking interaction energy
      |DeltaEpi+?pi+| with respect to the solvent is formamide>water>acetone. In all
      complexes, the pi+-pi+ stacking interactions increase with the electron-donating
      substituents (EDSs) and decrease with the electron-withdrawing substituents
      (EWSs). Excellent correlations were found between the DeltaEpi+?pi+ values of the
      complexes and a combination of Hammett substituent constants. The results
      obtained from the atoms in molecules (AIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO)
      analysis show that the sum of electron densities calculated at BCPs and CCPs
      between the rings (?rBCP and ?rhoCCP) and the sum of donor-acceptor interaction
      energies (?E2) from one ring to other can be used as useful descriptors in the
      prediction of DeltaEpi+?pi+ values in the complexes.

PMID- 28898789
TI  - Transcriptome-wide identification and competitive disruption of sacum-binding
      partners in human colorectal cancer.
AB  - Human sacum is regulatory adaptor protein involved in cellular signaling network
      of colorectal cancer. Molecular evidence suggests that the protein is integrated
      into oncogenic signaling network by binding to SH3-containing proteins through
      its proline-rich motifs. In this study, we have performed a transcriptome-wide
      analysis and identification of sacum-binding partners in the genome profile of
      human colorectal cancer. The sacum-binding potency of SH3-containing proteins
      found in colorectal cancer was investigated by using bioinformatics modeling and
      intermolecular binding analysis. With the protocol we were able to predict those
      high-affinity domain binders of the proline-rich peptides of human sacum in a
      high-throughput manner, and to analyze sequence-specific interaction in the
      domain-peptide recognition at molecular level. Consequently, a number of putative
      domain binders with both high affinity and specificity were identified, from
      which the Src SH3 domain was selected as a case study and tested for its binding
      activity towards the sacum peptides. We also designed two peptide variants that
      may have potent capability to competitively disrupt sacum interaction with its
      partners.

PMID- 28898790
TI  - Cytotoxicity and potential anti-inflammatory activity of velutin on RAW 264.7
      cell line differentiation: Implications in periodontal bone loss.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) has been implicated in
      periodontal tissue inflammation and possibly in osteoclast differentiation, while
      polyphenols are known to be anti-inflammatory natural compounds that are capable
      of regulating the NF-kappaB protein complex pathway. The objective of this study
      was to investigate cytotoxicity and HIF-1alpha expression through the NF-kappaB
      pathway by polyphenol velutin (Euterpe oleracea Mart.), found in the pulp of acai
      fruit, during inflammatory RAW 264.7 differentiation. DESIGN: RAW 264.7 mouse
      monocyte macrophage cells were stimulated with RANKL (30ng/mL) and Porphyromonas
      gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (1MUg/mL). Cells were treated with various
      concentrations of velutin (0.5-2MUM) to check for viability, morphology,
      osteoclast differentiation, and HIF-1alpha expression (Western blot). RESULTS:
      Alamar blue cell viability assay showed no toxicity to RAW cells with the use of
      velutin in all concentrations tested (p>0.05). Velutin did not induce cell
      apoptosis based on caspase 3/7 assay (p>0.05). Fluorescence images stained by
      DAPI showed no alteration in the morphology of RAW cell nuclei (p>0.05) treated
      with velutin. TRAP assays demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in osteoclast
      formation by velutin when compared with control (p<0.05). Velutin showed a
      reduction in HIF-1alpha expression related to IkappaB phosphorylation when
      compared with control (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: At the tested concentrations,
      velutin was not cytotoxic to RAW 264.7 and differentiated cells. Velutin reduced
      osteoclast differentiation and downregulated HIF-1alpha through the NF-kappaB
      pathway.

PMID- 28898791
TI  - Overlooked complication of anticoagulant therapy: The intramural small bowel
      hematoma-A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intramural small bowel hematoma is a rare, and often overlooked
      consequence of anticoagulant therapy. In this report we present such a case in
      order to bring forth awareness to this entity, and its management. PRESENTATION
      OF CASE: We report a 81-year old male who presented with abdominal pain for
      2days. He had been under anticoagulant therapy with warfarin for 9 years,
      presenting with an elevated INR of 6,2. Intramural small bowel hematoma was
      confirmed with abdominal ultrasound and CT scan. The patient was treated
      conservatively with anticoagulant suspension and administration of antidote, and
      was subsequently discharged after 6days. DISCUSSION: Abdominal complaints and an
      elevated INR value point to the possible diagnosis of intramural small bowel
      hematoma, however these abdominal symptoms can vary between a mild pain and an
      established acute abdomen. CT scan showing symmetric bowel thickening associated
      with some luminal narrowing confirms the diagnosis. In terms of management, there
      are not sufficient papers to support a standardized treatment; currently the most
      accepted approach seems to be conservative treatment after the exclusion of
      complications that would call for surgery. CONCLUSION: Anticoagulant therapy is
      becoming a widespread prescription as the population ages, and intramural small
      bowel hematoma is one consequence in need of consideration.

PMID- 28898792
TI  - Laparoscopic management for spontaneous jejunal perforation caused by nonspecific
      ulcer: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nonspecific small bowel ulcers are rare and there have been limited
      reports. We applied laparoscopic surgery successfully for the perforation caused
      by this disease of jejunum. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 70-year-old man visited to
      our hospital with complaint of abdominal pain and fever. He was diagnosed
      abdominal peritonitis with findings of intraperitoneal gas and fluid. Emergency
      laparoscopic surgery was performed. A perforation 5mm in diameter was recognized
      in jejunum opposite side of mesentery. Partial resection of jejunum with end-to
      end anastomosis and peritoneal lavage were performed. Pathologically, an ulcer
      was recognized around the blowout perforation without specific inflammation. He
      was discharged uneventfully 12days after surgery. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic
      surgery has diagnostic and therapeutic advantages because of its lower invasion
      with a good operation view, and in case of the small bowel, it is easy to shift
      extra-corporeal maneuver.

PMID- 28898793
TI  - Displaced acromion fracture: A rare injury, case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acromion fractures are extremely rare. There are no common accepted
      treatment schemes and fixation methods We aimed to present a case which may
      contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of acromion fracture in a patient with
      polytrauma. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Acromion fracture associated with scapula and
      clavicle fractures was diagnosed in 40 years old patient and treated with open
      reduction and cannulated screw fixation. The fracture healing was completed
      without causing subacromial impingement. DISCUSSION: In patients with polytrauma,
      diagnosis and treatment of acromion fractures can be delayed or overlooked. In
      improperly treated acromion fractures; pain, movement restriction, subacromial
      impingement, rotator cuff injury and symptomatic nonunion can occur. CONCLUSION:
      We recommend early surgical treatment for displaced acromion fractures, reduction
      of subacromial space and disruption of the superior shoulder suspensory complex.

PMID- 28898794
TI  - Surgical management of late bullet embolization from the abdomen to the right
      ventricle: Case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Secondary embolus from gun projectile is a rare entity, it
      represents a clinical and therapeutic dilemma because the potential complications
      involving central and peripheral circulation. Each case reported in the
      literature represents a challenge because their unique and different clinical
      scenarios. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present the management of a 33-year-old man
      with past history of a gunshot wound on left flank with no evidence of any exit
      wounds, treated with exploratory laparotomy without removing the gunshot bullet
      from the abdomen. The patient presents 6 years later with non-productive cough
      and retrosternal pain with no other symptoms; the patient underwent a chest x
      ray, electrocardiogram, thoracoabdominal CT, echocardiogram and cardiac
      catheterization and showed a bullet in the right ventricular floor. The
      projectile was extracted by sternotomy with extracorporeal circulation through
      the right atrium, without any complications. DISCUSSION: In 1834, Thomas David
      reported for the first time a wood-fragment embolization. There have been
      reported less than 200 cases including embolization of other materials; most of
      the gunshot bullet embolization cases reported on literature were reported after
      war. Clinical manifestations are associated with the anatomical site of embolism
      and mortality rate for a retained bullet is 6% associated with complication in
      25% of cases. Mortality rate decreases to 1-2% if the bullet is removed.
      CONCLUSION: There are no established guidelines about the management of migrating
      foreign bodies or bullets, however, conservative, endovascular and surgical
      management have been proposed. In the cases of bullet embolization to the
      thoracic cavity, surgery represents a safe, low risk approach with high success
      rates.

PMID- 28898795
TI  - Intestinal perforation that developed after chemotherapy in a patient diagnosed
      with non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A case report and review of literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHL) appear with the malign transformation
      of mature lymphocytes. Intestinal perforations are one of the most well-known
      complications of NHLs. In this review, a 29-year-old male patient who was
      diagnosed with NHL with gastrointestinal involvement that developed intestinal
      perforation after chemotherapy is presented. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 29-year-old
      male patient who received systemic chemotherapy in another healthcare center due
      to Major B-Cell Lymphoma was examined because he had stomachache after the
      treatment. The patient was urgently taken to operation. In the exploration, there
      were partly mass lesions in all small intestine segments. It was determined that
      one of the lesion was perforated. Small intestine resection was applied. The
      pathology report on resection material was reported as High Grade Major B-Cell
      Lymphoma. DISCUSSION: In the treatment of Lymphoma with intestinal B-Cells, there
      is no consensus because this disease is rarely observed. Perforation may appear
      as a complication of the chemotherapy. Depending on the steroids given to the
      patient, perforation may develop, and the clinical symptoms may be masked.
      CONCLUSION: It must be born in mind that there may be intestinal involvement in
      patients diagnosed with NHL, and intestinal perforation may develop due to
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 28898796
TI  - Transjugular biopsy case report of inferior vena cava hepatocellular carcinoma
      with intracardiac extension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be established with
      near certainty by correlating radiological imaging with clinical presentation.
      However, in the absence of diagnostic certainty, biopsy of liver tissue is
      mandatory for optimal management. We present our management of a patient with
      advanced liver disease who presented with an IVC mass extending into the right
      atrium, with co-existing liver lesions not meeting criteria for an imaging
      diagnosis of HCC. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old male with Child-Pugh C liver
      cirrhosis presented with decompensated liver failure. Multiple imaging modalities
      demonstrated an inferior vena cava (IVC) mass extending into the right atrium
      with co-existing liver lesions not meeting radiological criteria for an imaging
      diagnosis of HCC. There was no contiguous evidence of HCC in the liver, yet there
      was extensive tumour burden in the IVC representing a separate metastatic lesion
      without any indication of direct tumour spread. Under fluoroscopic and
      angiographic guidance, a biopsy catheter was advanced through the right atrium
      into the IVC. Histology from the biopsy demonstrated fragments of malignant
      tumour with features consistent with moderately differentiated HCC without
      thrombus. Given the poor prognosis associated with metastatic HCC with IVC and
      intracardiac involvement, a multidisciplinary decision was made with the
      patient's family for palliation care. CONCLUSION: Transjugular biopsy of IVC
      masses can be performed effectively, in an awake patient, without the need for
      sedation or anaesthesia. Where multiple imaging modalities fail to confirm a
      diagnosis for liver or IVC pathology, transluminal biopsy can assist with
      definitive diagnosis and treatment planning.

PMID- 28898797
TI  - Scarless surgery for a huge liver cyst: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Symptomatic or complicated liver cysts sometimes require surgical
      intervention and laparoscopic fenestration is the definitive treatment for these
      cysts. We performed minimally invasive surgery, hybrid natural orifice
      transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) without scarring, for a huge liver cyst.
      PRESENTATION OF CASE: An 82-year-old female presented with a month-long history
      of right upper abdominal pain. We diagnosed her condition as a huge liver cyst by
      morphological studies. She denied any history of abdominal trauma. Her serum CEA
      and CA19-9 were normal and a serum echinococcus serologic test was negative.
      Laparoscopic fenestration, using a hybrid NOTES procedure via a transvaginal
      approach, was performed for a huge liver cyst because we anticipated difficulty
      with an umbilical approach, such as single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS).
      Her post-operative course was uneventful and she was discharged from our hospital
      three days after surgery. Pain killers were not required during and after
      hospitalization. No recurrence of the liver cyst or bulging was detected by
      clinical examination two years later. DISCUSSION: A recent trend of laparoscopic
      procedure has been towards minimizing the number of incisions to achieve less
      invasiveness. This hybrid NOTES, with a small incision for abdominal access,
      along with vaginal access, enabled painless operation for a huge liver cyst.
      CONCLUSION: We report a huge liver cyst treated by hybrid NOTES. This approach is
      safe, less invasive, and may be the first choice for a huge liver cyst.

PMID- 28898798
TI  - Free disease long-term survival in primary thoracic spine leiomyosarcoma after
      total en bloc spondylectomy: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To describe an unusual primary vertebral leiomyosarcoma in thoracic
      spine. PRESENTATION OF CASE: An isolated lesion of the T11 vertebra in a 62-year
      old woman with no neurologic deficit is reported. Imaging findings indicated a
      nonspecific high-grade malignant lesion. TC-guided biopsy failed thus open
      incisional biopsy was needed. A diagnosis of low-intermediate mesenchymal sarcoma
      was made. A total en bloc spondylectomy of T11 was performed with three-column
      reconstruction. The histology and immunostaining showed the appearance of
      leiomyosarcoma. After diagnosis, post-operative radiation therapy was performed.
      Metastatic lesion was ruled out by CT scans of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, in
      addition to total body radionuclide scanning and 18-F-FDG-PET. After five years
      of follow-up, no signs of local recurrence, metastasis or distant lesions
      suggesting a primary lesion were observed. DISCUSSION: Vertebral primary
      leiomyosarcoma is exceedingly rare. Primary vertebral leiomyosarcoma diagnosis
      must be performed when the metastatic origin is excluded. For the treatment of
      primary tumors, total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) is the technique of choice to
      achieve marginal or wide tumor resection, decrease the risk of local recurrence
      and remote lesions and increase survival. CONCLUSIONS: A well-planned pre
      operative study and a wide surgical excision can result in local tumor control
      and long-term survival. This case presents the longest disease-free survival
      period of a primary leiomyosarcoma in spinal location after total en bloc
      spondylectomy.

PMID- 28898799
TI  - Rare diagnosis of intestinal lipomatosis complicated by intussusception in an
      adult: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intestinal Lipomatosis consists of diffuse lipomas in various
      regions from the small to large bowel. They can remain asymptomatic or present
      with complications such as Intussusception. DISCUSSION: Intestinal lipomatosis
      complicated by Intussusception is a rare occurrence that has not been well
      documented. Rare condition management is difficult to approach because of the
      customizability each scenario requires. We hope through sharing our approach this
      can serve as a rough template to physicians who find themselves in a similar
      scenario. Overtime, as more case reports and surgical approaches are recorded we
      can establish future advancements in surgery. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present
      the case of a 47 year-old male who arrived at the Emergency Department with a
      chief complaint of abdominal pain. A CT scan revealed ileocolic intussusception.
      An intramural lipoma of the terminal ileum served as the lead point. Exploratory
      laparotomy confirmed the Intussusception and a right hemicolectomy was performed
      to repair the affected area. Examination of the resected large bowel showed
      diffuse thickening of the mucosa in the area of the cecum confirmed to be
      submucosal lipomatosis on histological examination. Patient was discharged on the
      fifth post-operative day. CONCLUSION: This case confirmed previous treatment
      modalities in the management of intussusception. It also corroborates the
      complication of intussusception with Intestinal lipomatosis. It teaches us the
      importance of keeping a wide differential when considering a diagnosis of bowel
      obstruction. Through imaging, surgical exploration, and pathological
      interpretation, this case, which began as a complaint of abdominal pain,
      concluded as a rare clinical entity.

PMID- 28898800
TI  - Texting during stair negotiation and implications for fall risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Walking requires the integration of the sensory and motor
      systems. Cognitive distractions have been shown to interfere with negotiation of
      complex walking environments, especially in populations at greater risk for falls
      (e.g. the elderly). With the pervasiveness of mobile messaging and the recent
      introduction of augmented reality mobile gaming, it is increasingly important to
      understand how distraction associated with the simultaneous use of a mobile
      device impacts navigation of the complex walking environments experienced in
      daily life. In this study, we investigated how gait kinematics were altered when
      participants performed a texting task during step negotiation. METHODS: Twenty
      participants (13 female, 7 males) performed a series of walking trials involving
      a step-deck obstacle, consisting of at least 3 texting trials and 3 non-texting
      trials. RESULTS: When texting, participants ascended more slowly and demonstrated
      reduced dual-step foot toe clearance. Participants similarly descended more
      slowly when texting and demonstrated reduced single-step foot heel clearance as
      well as reduced dual-step foot fore-aft heel clearance. CONCLUSION: These data
      support the conclusion that texting during stair negotiation results in changes
      to gait kinematics that may increase the potential for gait disruptions, falls,
      and injury. Further research should examine the effect texting has on performing
      other common complex locomotor tasks, actual fall risk, and the patterns of
      resulting injury rate and severity when negotiating complex environments.

PMID- 28898801
TI  - The free moment is associated with torsion between the pelvis and the foot during
      gait.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During walking, the friction between the foot and the ground surface
      causes a free moment (FM), which influences the torsional stress on the lower
      extremity. However, few studies have investigated the FM during natural walking.
      The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the FM and the
      absolute and relative rotation angles of the foot and pelvis. METHODS: The
      rotation angles of foot and pelvic were measured in 18 healthy men using a motion
      capture system. Rotation angles were measured in absolute and relative
      coordinates as well as in reference to the line connecting the center of pressure
      (CoP) line under the right and left feet to evaluate the effects of the opposite
      lower limb on the FM. The absolute and relative rotation angles of the foot and
      pelvis were entered into forced-entry linear regression models to evaluate the
      influence on the FM. FINDINGS: Only the relative angle of rotation between the
      foot and pelvis could explain the prediction equations significantly. In the
      Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient, the rotation angles of the foot
      and pelvis defined using the bilateral CoP points had not significantly
      correlated with FM. No joint rotation movement was correlated with FM.
      INTERPRETATION: The torsion of the entire lower extremity should be performed
      principally through hip internal rotation. When evaluating the FM as a torsional
      stress, focusing on the rotation of the entire lower extremity, rather than on
      one segment, is beneficial.

PMID- 28898802
TI  - Nucleases activities during French bean leaf aging and dark-induced senescence.
AB  - During leaf senescence resources are managed, with nutrients mobilized from older
      leaves to new sink tissues. The latter implies a dilemma in terms of resource
      utilization, the leaf senescence should increase seed quality whereas delay in
      senescence should improve the seed yield. Increased knowledge about nutrient
      recycling during leaf senescence could lead to advances in agriculture and
      improved seed quality. Macromolecules mobilized during leaf senescence include
      proteins and nucleic acids. Although nucleic acids have been less well studied
      than protein degradation, they are possible reservoirs of nitrogen and
      phosphorous. The present study investigated nuclease activities and gene
      expression patterns of five members of the S1/P1 family in French bean (Phaseolus
      vulgaris L. cv.)Page: 2 during leaf senescence. An in-gel assay was used to
      detect nuclease activity during natural and dark-induced senescence, with single
      stranded DNA (ssDNA) used as a substrate. The results revealed two nucleases
      (glycoproteins), with molecular masses of 34 and 39kDa in the senescent leaves.
      The nuclease activities were higher at a neutral than at an acidic pH. EDTA
      treatment inhibited the activities of the nucleases, and the addition of zinc
      resulted in the recovery of these activities. Both the 34 and 39kDa nucleases
      were able to use RNA and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) as substrates, although
      their activities were low when dsDNA was used as a substrate. In addition, two
      ribonucleases with molecular masses of 14 and 16kDa, both of which could only
      utilize RNA as a substrate, were detected in the senescent leaves. Two members of
      the S1/P1 family, PVN2 and PVN5, were expressed under the experimental
      conditions, suggesting that these two genes were involved in senescence. The
      nuclease activity of the glycoproteins and gene expression were similar under
      both natural senescence and dark-induced senescence conditions.

PMID- 28898803
TI  - Cytotoxic effects of commonly used nanomaterials and microplastics on cerebral
      and epithelial human cells.
AB  - Plastic wastes are among the major inputs of detritus into aquatic ecosystems.
      Also, during recent years the increasing use of new materials such as
      nanomaterials (NMs) in industrial and household applications has contributed to
      the complexity of waste mixtures in aquatic systems. The current effects and the
      synergism and antagonisms of mixtures of microplastics (MPLs), NMs and organic
      compounds on the environment and in human health have, to date, not been well
      understood but instead they are a cause for general concern. The aim of this work
      is to contribute to a better understanding of the cytotoxicity of NMs and
      microplastics/nanoplastics (MPLs/NPLs), at cell level in terms of oxidative
      stress (evaluating Reactive Oxygen Species effect) and cell viability. Firstly,
      the individual cytotoxicity of metal nanoparticles (NPs) (AgNPs and AuNPs), of
      metal oxide NPs (ZrO2NPs, CeO2NPs, TiO2NPs, and Al2O3NPs), carbon nanomaterials
      (C60fullerene, graphene), and MPLs of polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) has
      been evaluated in vitro. Two different cellular lines T98G and HeLa, cerebral and
      epithelial human cells, respectively, were employed. The cells were exposed
      during 24-48h to different levels of contaminants, from 10ng/mL to 10ug/mL, under
      the same conditions. Secondly, the synergistic and antagonistic relationships
      between fullerenes and other organic contaminants, including an organophosphate
      insecticide (malathion), a surfactant (sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate) and a
      plasticiser (diethyl phthalate) were assessed. The obtained results confirm that
      oxidative stress is one of the mechanisms of cytotoxicity at cell level, as has
      been observed for both cell lines and contributes to the current knowledge of the
      effects of NMs and MPLs-NPLs.

PMID- 28898804
TI  - Application of manure containing tetracyclines slowed down the dissipation of tet
      resistance genes and caused changes in the composition of soil bacteria.
AB  - Manure application contributes to the increased environmental burden of
      antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). We investigated the response of tetracycline
      (tet) resistance genes and bacterial taxa to manure application amended with
      tetracyclines over two months. Representative tetracyclines (oxytetracycline,
      chlorotetracycline and doxycycline), tet resistance genes (tet(M), tet(O),
      tet(W), tet(S), tet(Q) and tet(X)) and bacterial taxa in the untreated soil,
      +manure, and +manure+tetracyclines groups were analyzed. The abundances of all
      tet resistance genes in the +manure group were significantly higher than those in
      the untreated soil group on day 1. The abundances of all tet resistance genes
      (except tet(Q) and tet(X)) were significantly lower in the +manure group than
      those in the +manure+tetracyclines group on day 30 and 60. The dissipation rates
      were higher in the +manure group than those in the +manure+tetracyclines group.
      Disturbance of soil bacterial community composition imposed by tetracyclines was
      also observed. The results indicated that tetracyclines slowed down the
      dissipation of tet resistance genes in arable soil after manure application.
      Application of manure amended with tetracyclines may provide a significant
      selective advantage for species affiliated to the taxonomical families of
      Micromonosporaceae, Propionibacteriaceae, Streptomycetaceae, Nitrospiraceae and
      Clostridiaceae.

PMID- 28898805
TI  - Molecular changes in vitellogenin gene of Spodoptera exigua after long-time
      exposure to cadmium - Toxic side effect or microevolution?
AB  - The reproduction of pest insects is a continuously ongoing issue, especially in
      the environmental pollution context. Natural or artificial stressing factors
      enforce a kind of trade-off, most often between growth/survival and reproduction,
      which improves fitness of the organism. Harmful factors, such as cadmium, can
      affect the vitellogenesis leading to reduction of yolk synthesis and egg
      production. The aim of this study was to assess whether 130-generational
      selection to cadmium in food might have induced change in vitellogenesis of
      Spodoptera exigua. We analyzed the level of Vg gene expression in S. exigua from
      the control and the cadmium strain at regular time intervals within 48h after
      eclosion. The full sequence of Vg gene was also compared between strains. The
      vitellogenin gene expression in both strains was time-dependent. This dependence
      was more visible in the control strain. In the cadmium strain the vitellogenin
      expression was significantly lower, comparing with the control strain in the
      first day after eclosion but increased significantly in the second day. The
      sequenced CDS (5286bp long) of the control and the cadmium strains were
      translated into protein sequences containing both 1761 aa. The protein sequences
      comparison revealed that there is one amino acid change at aa position 1282.
      Multiple alignments of six orthologous proteins from different species showed
      that amino acid change is located in the conserved position. Long-lasting
      exposure to cadmium resulted in permanent mutation in vitellogenin gene. We do
      not know yet if the mutation can improve fitness of the cadmium-selected insects.
      However, we can suppose that the mutation is neutral or even beneficial. The
      mutation and most probably additional effects of cadmium exposure have an
      influence on the vitellogenin expression. Some modification in the expression of
      the vitellogenin receptor are also likely to be important.

PMID- 28898806
TI  - Benefits of switching to suvorexant for mild primary insomnia when sleepwalking
      episodes occur during zolpidem treatment.

PMID- 28898807
TI  - Social functioning in individuals with first episode psychosis: One-year follow
      up study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improvement in social functioning is important for recovery in first
      episode psychosis (FEP). METHODOLOGY: 51 individuals diagnosed with first episode
      psychosis were assessed for social functioning at baseline and one year follow
      up. RESULTS: Significant improvement was seen in certain domains of social
      functioning measured by LSP scale such as communication and non-turbulence while
      no significant changes were observed in self-care and social contact. CONCLUSION:
      At one year follow-up, partial improvement in social functioning is observed in
      individuals with first episode psychosis. This warrants inclusion of specific
      interventions to improve social functioning in the management plan of individuals
      with FEP.

PMID- 28898808
TI  - Associations between statewide prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP)
      requirement and physician patterns of prescribing opioid analgesics for patients
      with non-cancer chronic pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: State-level prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) have been
      implemented in most states. PDMPs enable registered prescribers to obtain real
      time information on patients' prescription history to reduce non-medical use of
      controlled drugs. This study examined whether PDMP implementation and different
      levels of PDMP requirements were associated with physicians' patterns of
      prescribing opioid analgesics for patients with non-cancer chronic pain. METHODS:
      This is a secondary analysis study using cross-sectional national data. Patients
      with non-cancer chronic pain from the 2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care
      Survey were included (weighted N=81,018,131; unweighted N=3295). Heckman two-step
      selection procedure employing two logistic regressions was used to explore the
      associations between PDMP requirements and physicians' prescribing behaviors,
      controlling for physician characteristics, patient characteristics, physician
      healthcare system interaction, and physician-patient relationship, guided by the
      Eisenberg's model of physician decision making. RESULTS: State PDMP
      implementation status and requirement levels were not associated with physician
      opioid prescribing for non-cancer chronic pain treatment (p's ranged 0.30-0.32).
      Patients with Medicare coverage were more likely to be prescribed opioid
      analgesics than those with private health insurance (OR=1.55, p<0.01). Hispanic
      patients were less likely to be prescribed opioid analgesics than non-Hispanic
      white patients (OR=0.61, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicated that the
      effectiveness of PDMPs on physicians' opioid prescribing tendency for non-cancer
      chronic pain treatment could not be supported. Policy makers should be aware of
      the need for redesigning PDMPs regarding requirements and enforcement for
      prescribers and related stakeholders. Future studies also are needed to identify
      characteristics contributing to PDMP effectiveness in reducing non-medical use of
      prescription opioids.

PMID- 28898809
TI  - Occurrence of nitro- and oxy-PAHs in agricultural soils in eastern China and
      excess lifetime cancer risks from human exposure through soil ingestion.
AB  - The quality of agricultural soil is vital to human health, however soil
      contamination is a severe problem in China. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs) have been found to be among the major soil contaminants in China. PAH
      derivatives could be more toxic but their measurements in soils are extremely
      limited. This study reports levels, spatial distributions and compositions of 11
      nitrated (nPAHs) and 4 oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) in agricultural soils covering 26
      provinces in eastern China to fill the data gap. The excess lifetime cancer risk
      (ELCR) from the exposure to them in addition to 21 parent PAHs (pPAHs) via soil
      ingestion has been estimated. The mean concentration of ?nPAHs and ?oPAHs in
      agricultural soils is 50+/-45MUg/kg and 9+/-8MUg/kg respectively. Both ?nPAHs and
      ?oPAHs follow a similar spatial distribution pattern with elevated concentrations
      found in Liaoning, Shanxi, Henan and Guizhou. However if taking account of pPAHs,
      the high ELCR by soil ingestion is estimated for Shanxi, Zhejiang, Liaoning,
      Jiangsu and Hubei. The maximum ELCR is estimated at ca.10-5 by both deterministic
      and probabilistic studies with moderate toxic equivalent factors (TEFs). If
      maximum TEFs available are applied, there is a 0.2% probability that the ELCR
      will exceed 10-4 in the areas covered. There is a great chance to underestimate
      the ELCR via soil ingestion for some regions if only the 16 priority PAHs in
      agricultural soils are considered. The early life exposure and burden are
      considered extremely important to ELCR. Emission sources are qualitatively
      predicted and for areas with higher ELCR such as Shanxi and Liaoning, new
      loadings of PAHs and derivatives are identified. This is the first large scale
      study on nPAHs and oPAHs contamination levels in agricultural soils in China. The
      risk assessment based on this underpins the policy making and is valuable for
      both scientists and policy makers.

PMID- 28898810
TI  - The European water-based environmental quality standard for pentachlorophenol is
      NOT protective of benthic organisms.
AB  - Risk management of toxic substances is often based on Environmental Quality
      Standards (EQS) set for the water compartment, assuming they will also protect
      benthic organisms. In the absence of experimental data, EQS for sediments can be
      estimated by the equilibrium partitioning approach. The present study
      investigates whether this approach is protective of benthic organisms against
      pentachlorophenol (PCP), a legacy contaminant and EU priority substance still
      used in some parts of the world. Three freshwater species of invertebrates with
      different life cycles and feeding behaviors (the oligochaetes Lumbriculus
      variegatus, Tubifex tubifex and the dipteran insect Chironomus riparius) were
      exposed to PCP spiked sediments (2.10-46.03mgPCP/kg d.w. plus controls) in
      laboratory standard tests. Exposure duration was 28days for T. tubifex and L.
      variegatus and 10 and 28days for C. riparius; according to the corresponding OECD
      guidelines. For each investigated end-point, dose-response data were normalized
      to the mean control and fitted to a four-parameter log-logistic model for
      calculating the corresponding EC50 and EC10. The ranges for EC50 and EC10
      estimates were 4.39 (Chironomus riparius-emergence)-27.50 (Tubifex tubifex
      cocoon) and 0.30 (T. tubifex-young worms) -16.70 (T. tubifex-cocoon) mg/kg d.w.,
      respectively. The EC50 and the EC10 values of L. variegatus were within these
      ranges. Following the EU Technical Guidance for deriving EQS, the lowest EC10
      value of 0.30mg/kg (T. tubifex-young worms) resulted in a PCP quality standard
      (QS) for sediments of 30ng/g, about one fourth of the tentative QS of 119ng/g
      estimated by the equilibrium partitioning (EqP) approach. The response of benthic
      biota to PCP varied across organisms and across end-points for the same organism,
      so that the use of sediment PCP-QS calculated using the EqP-approach may be under
      protective of the most sensitive organisms. Information on the possible effects
      of PCP on resident organisms must therefore be collected for appropriately
      managing aquatic systems.

PMID- 28898811
TI  - Modelling the correlations of e-waste quantity with economic increase.
AB  - Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE or e-waste) is regarded as
      one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world and is becoming an emerging
      issue owing to adverse consequences on the natural environment and the human
      health. This research article reveals the presence of a strong linear correlation
      among global e-waste generation and Gross Domestic Product. The obtained results
      indicate that the best fit for data can be reached by comparing e-waste collected
      volumes and GDP PPS. More in detail, an increase of 1000 GDP PPS means an
      additional 0.27kg of e-waste collected and 0.22kg of e-waste reused/recycled.
      Furthermore, for each additional citizen, there will be an increase of 7.7kg of e
      waste collected and 6.2kg of e-waste reused/recycled. The better collection of e
      waste acts an important role concerning the circular economy, and it can be an
      advantageous approach. Therefore, e-waste could be considered as an opportunity
      for recycling or recovery of valuable metals (e.g., copper, gold, silver, and
      palladium), given their significant content in precious metals than in mineral
      ores.

PMID- 28898812
TI  - Formation of hydroxylated and methoxylated polychlorinated biphenyls by Bacillus
      subtilis: New insights into microbial metabolism.
AB  - The detoxification and degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been
      studied. However, little information is available about the biological mechanisms
      involved in the metabolism of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs)
      and methoxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (MeO-PCBs) by specific microorganism.
      In this study, the simultaneous formation of OH-PCB (major metabolite) and MeO
      PCB (minor metabolite) was found in Bacillus subtilis after exposure to PCB.
      Interconversion between MeO-PCB and OH-PCB was also observed and the
      demethylation ratio of MeO-PCB was higher than the methylation ratio of OH-PCB.
      The high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) was conducted to analyze the genes
      involved in the metabolism processes. The potential metabolism pathways of PCB by
      Bacillus subtilis were proposed. PCB can be transformed to OH-PCB by Cytochrome
      P450 encoded by the genes bioI and cypA. The genes ycgJ and ycgI that are related
      with methyltransferase are potentially involved in the subsequent
      biotransformation from OH-PCB to MeO-PCB. MeO-PCB was prone to be transformed to
      OH-PCB by a group of hydrolases. This is the first study considering the
      mechanism involved in the interconversion between OH-PCBs and MeO-PCBs by
      microorganism. These findings broaden our insights into the biotransformation
      mechanism of PCBs in the environment.

PMID- 28898813
TI  - Insight into the modulation of intestinal proteome of juvenile common carp
      (Cyprinus carpio L.) after dietary exposure to ZnO nanoparticles.
AB  - ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in industrial and consumer products.
      Therefore understanding their interaction with biological systems is key to their
      safe application. Proteomics was applied to assess the sub-lethal effects of
      dietary ZnO NPs on two parts of carp intestine, the intestinal folds and the
      muscular parts. A commercial carp feed containing 500mgkg-1 of ZnO NPs was fed to
      fish for six weeks. The abundances of 32 proteins in the treated intestinal folds
      were significantly changed and in addition, 28 proteins were significantly
      changed in the muscular parts. Pathways analysis revealed downregulation of
      pathways attributed to protein synthesis in both parts of the treated intestine.
      Remodelling of actin cytoskeleton pathways were regulated positively and
      negatively in intestinal folds and muscular parts, respectively, albeit via
      different mechanisms. Apoptosis response was indicated in exposed intestinal
      folds, whereas elevated levels of protein associated with cancerous cell survival
      were observed in the muscular parts. Results showed that ZnO NPs affected the
      protein abundances associated with cell motility, immune system response,
      oxidative stress response, as well as cell metabolism. Data are available via
      ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD006867.

PMID- 28898814
TI  - The distribution of lumbar intervertebral angles in upright standing and
      extension is related to low back pain developed during standing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lumbar lordosis measures are poorly related to clinical low back
      pain, however using a controlled exposure such as prolonged standing to identify
      pain groups may clarify this relationship. The purpose of this study was to
      determine the distribution of lumbar intervertebral angles in asymptomatic
      persons who do (pain developers) and do not (non-pain developers) develop low
      back pain during standing. METHODS: Sagittal plane lumbar spine radiographs of
      eight pain developers and eight non-pain developers were taken in three poses:
      upright standing, full extension and full flexion. Measures of vertebral end
      plate orientations from L1 to S1 were taken in each pose to compute:
      intervertebral angles, contribution of each level to the total curve, total
      lordosis, ranges of motion, relative pose positioning within the range of motion,
      vertebral shape, and lumbar spine recurve. Measures were compared between pain
      groups and lumbar levels. FINDINGS: Pain group differences in intervertebral
      angles and level contributions were greatest in the full extension pose, with
      pain developers having greater contributions from higher lumbar levels and fewer
      contributions from lower levels than non-pain developers. Pain group differences
      in intervertebral angle distributions were less pronounced in upright standing
      and non-existent in full flexion. No other measures differentiated pain groups.
      INTERPRETATIONS: Although participants had similar gross-lumbar spine curvature
      characteristics, non-pain developers have more curvature at lower levels in
      upright standing and full extension. These differences in regional vertebral
      kinematics may partially be responsible for standing-induced low back pain.

PMID- 28898815
TI  - Biomechanical evaluation of different surgical procedures in single-level
      transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: A variety of improved surgical methods were adopted in the
      transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. A mechanical stability provides an ideal
      environment for the formation of a fusion mass and is the basis of their good
      outcomes. The object of this study is to evaluate the initial similarities and
      differences of four commonly-used posterior surgical procedures biomechanically.
      METHODS: Biomechanical testing was performed at L3-4 motion segment in 6 fresh
      frozen human cadaveric lumbar spines (L2-L5), including the following
      sequentially tested configurations: 1) intact motion segment; 2) bilateral
      pedicle screw fixation; 3) unilateral pedicle screw fixation; 4) unilateral
      pedicle screw plus contralateral translaminar facet joint screw fixation
      according to the Magerl technique; and 5) bilateral pedicle screw fixation with
      bilateral facetectomies. The range of motion, neutral zone and stiffness of each
      method and intact segment were collected and compared. FINDINGS: All of four
      methods reduce the range of motion significantly in flexion and extension and
      lateral bending but not in axial torsion compared with the native segment. There
      is no significant difference among four procedures about the range of motion in
      all loading modes. All of methods increase the stiffness of segmental motion
      compared with intact segment in all loading modes, but only bilateral pedicle
      screw fixation showed significant increases in stiffness in flexion and
      extension(p=0.02) and lateral bending(p=0.023). The stiffness offered by
      instrumented constructs in different methods showed no significant difference in
      all loading modes. INTERPRETATION: The stiffness offered by four different
      posterior fixations in single segmental transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion is
      not significantly different.

PMID- 28898816
TI  - Impaired heel to toe progression during gait is related to reduced ankle range of
      motion in people with Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gait impairment in people with Multiple Sclerosis results from
      neurological impairment, muscle weakness and reduced range of motion.
      Restrictions in passive ankle range of motion can result in abnormal heel-to-toe
      progression (weight transfer) and inefficient gait patterns in people with
      Multiple Sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations
      between gait impairment, heel-to-toe progression and ankle range of motion in
      people with Multiple Sclerosis. METHODS: Twelve participants with Multiple
      Sclerosis and twelve healthy age-matched participants were assessed.
      Spatiotemporal parameters of gait and individual footprint data were used to
      investigate group differences. A pressure sensitive walkway was used to divide
      each footprint into three phases (contact, mid-stance, propulsive) and calculate
      the heel-to-toe progression during the stance phase of gait. FINDINGS: Compared
      to healthy controls, people with Multiple Sclerosis spent relatively less time in
      contact phase (7.8% vs 25.1%) and more time in the mid stance phase of gait
      (57.3% vs 33.7%). Inter-limb differences were observed in people with Multiple
      Sclerosis between the affected and non-affected sides for contact (7.8% vs 15.3%)
      and mid stance (57.3% and 47.1%) phases. Differences in heel-to-toe progression
      remained significant after adjusting for walking speed and were correlated with
      walking distance and ankle range of motion. INTERPRETATION: Impaired heel-to-toe
      progression was related to poor ankle range of motion in people with Multiple
      Sclerosis. Heel-to-toe progression provided a sensitive measure for assessing
      gait impairments that were not detectable using standard spatiotemporal gait
      parameters.

PMID- 28898817
TI  - Long-term trends in incidence and survival of penile cancer in France.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Penile cancer is rare, and few population-based studies have
      described changes in time trend. This study aims to determine whether there has
      been an evolution in incidence and survival of penile cancer over time in France.
      METHODS: Rates of age world-standardized incidence (ASRW) and net survival (NS)
      between 1989 and 2011 were calculated using data from 16 French cancer
      registries. Time trend incidence and survival analysis were confined to the eight
      registries operating throughout the full period. Log-linear Poisson regression
      analysis was used to estimate the average annual percentage change (AAPC) in
      incidence rates. The incidence rate for the most recent period was also
      calculated from all 16 cancer registries operating during 2009-2011. Human
      papillomavirus (HPV) exposure was deduced from the morphological code. NS was
      estimated using the Pohar-Perme estimator of the net cumulative rate. RESULTS: No
      significant change in incidence was observed between 1989 and 2011 (AAPC: 0.08%;
      95%CI: -1.01%; +1.17%). The incidence increased with age. The ASRW in 16
      registries operating in 2009-2011 was 0.59 per 100,000 (95%CI: 0.50-0.68). The
      proportion of cases potentially linked to HPV was nearly 11% and did not change
      significantly over time. NS decreased with age but did not change over time
      (around 65% at 5 years). CONCLUSION: Penile cancer remains rare in France, but
      survival is still low - probably because of delays in diagnosis and limited
      improvements in care. International clinical trials are needed to develop care
      recommendations based on an adequate level of evidence.

PMID- 28898818
TI  - The impact of demographic factors, behaviors and environmental exposure to
      mercury content in the hair of the population living in the region of Lodz
      (central Poland).
AB  - The aim of this work was to access the influence of different factors such as
      sex, age, fish consumption, hair dyeing or smoking habit on the content of
      mercury in human hair samples. The research was carried on 444 samples (102 males
      and 342 females) collected from the population of people living in the region of
      Lodz (central Poland). The content of mercury in human hair samples was
      determined using the Mercury Analyzer MA 3000 (Nippon Instruments, Japan). The
      obtained results were elaborated using Statistica ver. 10.0 software. The mean
      value of mercury in investigated human hair samples was found to be 0.174+/
      0.137mg/kg. We observed the statistically significant correlations (p<0.05)
      between the content of Hg in hair of the studied population and factors such as
      gender, age, and fish consumption. However, no statistically significant
      differences were found in relation to cosmetic treatment such as hair dyeing or
      smoking.

PMID- 28898819
TI  - Characterization of UF foulants and fouling mechanisms when applying low in-line
      coagulant pre-treatment.
AB  - Fluorescence spectroscopy was used as a characterization method to examine
      organic fouling of single ultrafiltration (UF) fibres at bench-scale. Low doses
      of coagulant were applied to modify organic properties, without significant
      formation of precipitates. This approach compliments previous studies
      investigating coagulation as a pre-treatment method for UF fouling control, which
      have principally focused on reduction of foulant concentrations. Using a
      continuous system, short time-scale fluorescence results demonstrated significant
      adsorption of humic components to virgin membrane fibres. Following an initial
      adsorption phase, protein-like material was the only organic component to be
      significantly removed by UF. Low doses of coagulant (<1 mg/L as alum; < 0.043
      mg/L as Al3+) were observed to significantly reduce irreversible fouling rates
      for two different surface waters. Paralleling reduced irreversible fouling,
      surface tryptophan fluorescence resulting from material adsorbed to the fouled
      membrane increased, as measured using a fibre optic probe. Analysis of peak
      shifts in the protein-like component revealed a red-shift at low coagulant dose,
      possibly indicative of greater exposure of tryptophan residues resulting from
      conformational changes in the protein structure. It is hypothesized that low
      coagulant doses modified membrane-foulant interactions, resulting in increased
      adsorption of protein-like matter to the surface. Subsequent interactions of bulk
      foulants with the adsorbed organic monolayer discouraged further adsorption and
      reduced irreversible fouling potential.

PMID- 28898820
TI  - Terahertz spectroscopic investigation of gallic acid and its monohydrate.
AB  - The low-frequency spectra of gallic acid (GA) and its monohydrate were
      investigated by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the range of 0.5
      to 4.5THz. The dehydration process of GA monohydrate was monitored on-line. The
      kinetic mechanism of the dehydration process was analyzed depending on the THz
      spectral change at different temperatures. The results indicate that the
      diffusion of water molecule dominates the speed of the entire dehydration
      process. Solid-state density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the
      vibrational modes of both GA and its monohydrate were performed based on their
      crystalline structures for better interpreting the experimental THz spectra. The
      results demonstrate that the characterized features of GA mainly originate from
      the collective vibrations of molecules. And the interactions between GA and water
      molecules are responsible for THz fingerprint of GA monohydrate. Multi-techniques
      including differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry (DSC-TG) and
      powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) were also carried out to further investigate GA
      and its monohydrate.

PMID- 28898821
TI  - Topological analysis (BCP) of vibrational spectroscopic studies, docking, RDG,
      DSSC, Fukui functions and chemical reactivity of 2-methylphenylacetic acid.
AB  - Experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of 2-methylphenylacetic acid (MPA) were
      recorded and theoretical values are also analyzed. The non-linear optical (NLO)
      properties were evaluated by determination of first (5.5053*10-30 e.s.u.) and
      second hyper-polarizabilities (7.6833*10-36 e.s.u.) of the title compound. The
      Multiwfn package is used to find the weak non-covalent interaction (Van der Wall
      interaction) and strong repulsion (steric effect) of the molecule and examined by
      reduced density gradient. The molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) analysis
      used to find the most reactive sites for the electrophilic and nucleophilic
      attack. The chemical activity (electronegativity, hardness, chemical softness and
      chemical potential) of the title compound was predicted with the help of HOMO
      LUMO energy values. The natural bond orbital (NBO) has been analyzed the
      stability of the molecule arising from the hyper-conjugative interaction. DSSCs
      were discussed in structural modifications that improve the electron injection
      efficiency of the title compound (MPA). The Fukui functions are calculated in
      order to get information associated with the local reactivity properties of the
      title compound. The binding sites of the two receptors were reported by molecular
      docking field and active site bond distance is same 1.9A. The inhibitor of the
      title compound forms a stable complex with 1QYV and 2H1K proteins at the binding
      energies are -5.38 and -5.85 (?G in kcal/mol).

PMID- 28898822
TI  - Enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of eucalyptus by synergy of zinc chloride hydrate
      pretreatment and bovine serum albumin.
AB  - Enhancement of eucalyptus enzymatic saccharification by synergy of ZnCl2 hydrate
      pretreatment and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated in this study. The
      result showed that the ZnCl2 hydrate pretreatment could not only selectively
      extract up to ~100% of the hemicellulose from eucalyptus, but also convert
      portion of high crystalline cellulose I into low crystalline cellulose II, which
      both beneficial for enhancing subsequent pretreated solids enzymatic
      saccharification. The addition of BSA into enzymatic hydrolysis step could
      significantly promote the glucose release from pretreated solids, especially,
      under the low enzyme loading. Furthermore, the material balance indicated that
      the highest glucose yield of this study was 35.5g/100g raw material, which
      representing 90.3% of glucose in raw eucalyptus, combined with the xylose yield,
      13.9g/100g eucalyptus, it can be concluded that ZnCl2 hydrate pretreatment
      offered the potential to co-produce xylose and glucose from eucalyptus.

PMID- 28898824
TI  - Comparison of biochar, zeolite and their mixture amendment for aiding organic
      matter transformation and nitrogen conservation during pig manure composting.
AB  - The aim of this work was to compare the impact of biochar, zeolite and their
      mixture on nitrogen conservation and organic matter transformation during pig
      manure (PM) composting. Four treatments were set-up from PM mixed with wheat
      straw and then applied 10% biochar (B), 10% zeolite (Z) and 10% biochar+10%
      zeolite (B+Z) into composting mixtures (dry weight basis), while treatment
      without additives applied used as control. Results indicated that adding B, Z and
      B+Z could obviously (p<0.05) improve the organic matter degradation and decrease
      the nitrogen loss. And combined addition of B and Z further promoted the organic
      matter humification and reduced the heavy metals mobility. Meanwhile the highest
      mitigation of ammonia (63.40%) and nitrogen dioxide (78.13%) emissions was
      observed in B+Z added treatment. Comparison of organic matter transformation,
      nitrogen conservation and compost quality indicated that the combined use of
      biochar and zeolite could be more useful for PM composting.

PMID- 28898823
TI  - Highly porous carbon from a natural cellulose fiber as high efficiency sorbent
      for lead in waste water.
AB  - The persistence of hollow centre in the carbon obtained from milkweed floss
      provides exceptional sorption characteristics, not seen in common biomasses or
      their derivatives. A considerably high sorption of 320mg of lead per gram of
      milkweed carbon was achieved without any chemical modification to the biomass. In
      this research, we have carbonized milkweed floss and used the carbon as a sorbent
      for lead in waste water. A high surface area of 170m2g-1 and pore volume of
      1.07cm3g-1 was seen in the carbon. Almost complete removal (>99% efficiency) of
      lead could be achieved within 5min when the concentration of lead in the solution
      was 100ppm, close to that prevailing in industrial waste water. SEM images showed
      that the carbon was hollow and confocal images confirmed that the sorbate could
      penetrate inside the hollow tube.

PMID- 28898825
TI  - Evaluation of biochar powder on oxygen supply efficiency and global warming
      potential during mainstream large-scale aerobic composting.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of biochar powder on oxygen supply efficiency
      and global warming potential (GWP) in the large-scale aerobic composting pattern
      which includes cyclical forced-turning with aeration at the bottom of composting
      tanks in China. A 55-day large-scale aerobic composting experiment was conducted
      in two different groups without and with 10% biochar powder addition (by weight).
      The results show that biochar powder improves the holding ability of oxygen, and
      the duration time (O2>5%) is around 80%. The composting process with above
      pattern significantly reduce CH4 and N2O emissions compared to the static or
      turning-only styles. Considering the average GWP of the BC group was 19.82% lower
      than that of the CK group, it suggests that rational addition of biochar powder
      has the potential to reduce the energy consumption of turning, improve
      effectiveness of the oxygen supply, and reduce comprehensive greenhouse effects.

PMID- 28898826
TI  - Identification of hotspots for NO and N2O production and consumption in counter-
      and co-diffusion biofilms for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification.
AB  - A membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) provides a counter-current substrate
      diffusion geometry in which oxygen is supplied from a gas-permeable membrane on
      which a biofilm is grown. This study hypothesized that an MABR would mitigate NO
      and N2O emissions compared with those from a conventional biofilm reactor (CBR).
      Two laboratory-scale reactors, representing an MABR and CBR, were operated by
      feeding synthetic industrial wastewater. The surficial nitrogen removal rate for
      the MABR [4.51+/-0.52g-N/(m2day)] was higher than that for the CBR [3.56+/-0.81g
      N/(m2day)] (p<0.05). The abundance of beta-proteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing
      bacteria in the MABR biofilm aerobic zone was high. The NO and N2O concentrations
      at the biofilm-liquid interface in the MABR were 0.0066+/-0.0014 and 0.01+/
      0.0009mg-N/L, respectively, two and 28 times lower than those in the CBR. The NO
      and N2O production hotspots were closely located in the MABR aerobic zone.

PMID- 28898827
TI  - Purification and antioxidant activity of phycocyanin from Synechococcus sp. R42DM
      isolated from industrially polluted site.
AB  - The cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. R42DM, isolated from an industrially
      polluted site Vatva, Gujarat, India was recognized to produce phycocyanin (PC) as
      major phycobiliprotein. In present study, the combinatorial approach of chemical
      and physical methods i.e. Triton-X 100 treatment and ultra-sonication was
      designed for extraction of PC. From cell extract, the intact and functional-PC
      was purified up to purity 4.03 by ammonium sulphate fractionation and ion
      exchange chromatography. The PC displayed considerable in vitro antioxidant and
      radical-scavenging activity. This PC was further noticed to scavenge
      intracellular-ROS and to increase tolerance against thermal and oxidative stress
      in Caenorhabditis elegans. Moreover, the PC was noticed to improve the
      physiological behaviour and longevity of C. elegans. In addition, the PC showed
      remarkable stability under physico-chemical stressors, which is desirable for
      their use in biomedical applications. In conclusion, present paper added up
      evidence in support of the prospective use of PC as an antioxidant nutraceutical.

PMID- 28898828
TI  - In-situ biogas upgrading process: Modeling and simulations aspects.
AB  - Biogas upgrading processes by in-situ hydrogen (H2) injection are still
      challenging and could benefit from a mathematical model to predict system
      performance. Therefore, a previous model on anaerobic digestion was updated and
      expanded to include the effect of H2 injection into the liquid phase of a
      fermenter with the aim of modeling and simulating these processes. This was done
      by including hydrogenotrophic methanogen kinetics for H2 consumption and
      inhibition effect on the acetogenic steps. Special attention was paid to gas to
      liquid transfer of H2. The final model was successfully validated considering a
      set of Case Studies. Biogas composition and H2 utilization were correctly
      predicted, with overall deviation below 10% compared to experimental
      measurements. Parameter sensitivity analysis revealed that the model is highly
      sensitive to the H2 injection rate and mass transfer coefficient. The model
      developed is an effective tool for predicting process performance in scenarios
      with biogas upgrading.

PMID- 28898829
TI  - Sugarcane vinasse treatment by two-stage anaerobic membrane bioreactor: Effect of
      hydraulic retention time on changes in efficiency, biogas production and membrane
      fouling.
AB  - This research investigated the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on two
      stage anaerobic membrane bioreactor (2-SAnMBR) performance treating sugarcane
      vinasse. The experimental setup consisted of an upflow acidogenic reactor and a
      continuous stirred methanogenic reactor, fitted with submersed microfiltration
      hollow-fiber membranes. The results indicated excellent performance and
      robustness of 2-SAnMBR. The reduction in HRT of 5.3-3.1days did not cause loss of
      its performance. The 2-SAnMBR showed high capacity of removing organic matter
      (97%), producing biogas (6.3Nm3 of CH4 per m3 of treated vinasse) and did not
      completely remove important nutrients to fertigation. Reducing the HRT, the
      average mass of soluble microbial products (SMP) and extracellular polymeric
      substances (EPS) per mass of mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS)
      increased. Consequently, the transmembrane pressure (TPM) rate and fouling
      resistance rise. Despite the fouling effect, physical and chemical cleaning
      processes were able to recover operational permeability.

PMID- 28898830
TI  - Sugar and ethanol production from woody biomass via supercritical water
      hydrolysis in a continuous pilot-scale system using acid catalyst.
AB  - The aim of this study were to efficiently produce fermentable sugars by
      continuous type supercritical water hydrolysis (SCWH) of Quercus mongolica at the
      pilot scale with varying acid catalyst loading and to use the obtained sugars for
      ethanol production. The SCWH of biomass was achieved in under one second (380
      degrees C, 230bar) using 0.01-0.1% H2SO4. With 0.05% H2SO4, 49.8% of sugars,
      including glucose (16.5% based on biomass) and xylose monomers (10.8%), were
      liberated from biomass. The hydrolysates were fermented with S. cerevisiae DXSP
      and D452-2 to estimate ethanol production. To prepare the fermentation medium,
      the hydrolysates were detoxified using activated charcoal and then concentrated.
      The ethanol yield of fermentation with S. cerevisiae DXSP was 14.1% (based on
      biomass). The proposed system has potential for improvement in yield through
      process optimization. After further development, it is expected to be a
      competitive alternative to traditional systems for ethanol production from woody
      biomass.

PMID- 28898831
TI  - Improving nitrogen utilization efficiency of aquaponics by introducing algal
      bacterial consortia.
AB  - Aquaponics is a promising technology combining aquaculture with hydroponics. In
      this study, algal-bacterial consortia were introduced into aquaponics, i.e.,
      algal-bacterial based aquaponics (AA), to improve the nitrogen utilization
      efficiency (NUE) of aquaponics. The results showed that the NUE of AA was 13.79%
      higher than that of media-based aquaponics (MA). In addition, higher NO3- removal
      by microalgae assimilation led to better water quality in AA, which made up for
      the deficiencies of poor aquaponic management of nitrate. As a result of lower
      NO3- concentrations and dramatically higher dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations
      caused by microalgae photosynthesis in the photobioreactor, the N2O emission of
      AA was 89.89% lower than that of MA, although nosZ gene abundance in MA's
      hydroponic bed was approximately 30 times over that in AA. Considering the
      factors mentioned above, AA would improve the sustainability of aquaponics and
      have a good application foreground.

PMID- 28898832
TI  - Evaluation of integrated ammonia recovery technology and nutrient status with an
      in-vessel composting process for swine manure.
AB  - The study investigated the effect of different initial moisture (IM) content (55,
      60, 65, and 70%) of composting mixtures (swine manure and sawdust) for the
      production of nutrient rich manure, and the recovery of ammonia through a
      condensation process using a vertical cylindrical in-vessel composter for 56days.
      The composting resulted in a significant reduction in C:N ratio and electrical
      conductivity (EC), with a slight increase in pH in all products. The NH3 were
      emitted notably, and at the same time the NO3--N concentration gradually
      increased with the reduction of NH4+-N in the composting mixtures. The overall
      results confirmed, the 65% IM showed the maximum nutritional yield, maturity and
      non-phytotoxic effects (Lycopersicon esculentum L.), with the results of ideal
      compost product in the following order of IM: 65%>60%>70%>55%. Finally, the
      recovered condensed ammonia contained considerable ammonium nitrogen
      concentrations and could be used as fertilizer.

PMID- 28898833
TI  - Bioelectricity generation, contaminant removal and bacterial community
      distribution as affected by substrate material size and aquatic macrophyte in
      constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell.
AB  - Integrating microbial fuel cell with constructed wetland (CW-MFC) is a novel way
      to harvest bioelectricity during wastewater treatment. In this study, the
      bioelectricity generation, containment removal and microbial community
      distribution in CW-MFC as affected by substrate material sizes and aquatic
      macrophyte were investigated. The planted CW-MFC with larger filler size showed a
      significant promotion of the relative abundance of electrochemically active
      bacteria (beta-Proteobacteria), which might result in the increase of
      bioelectricity generation in CW-MFC (8.91mWm-2). Additionally, a sharp decrease
      of voltage was observed in unplanted CW-MFC with smaller filler size in Cycle
      eight. However, the peak COD (86.7%) and NO3-N (87.1%) removal efficiencies were
      observed in planted CW-MFC with smaller filler size, which was strongly related
      to the biodiversity of microorganisms. Generally, the acclimation of
      exoelectrogens as dominant microbes in the anode chamber of planted CW-MFC with
      larger filler size could promote the bioelectricity generation during wastewater
      treatment.

PMID- 28898834
TI  - Cometabolic degradation of low-strength coking wastewater and the bacterial
      community revealed by high-throughput sequencing.
AB  - Cometabolism technology was employed to degrade low-strength coking wastewater
      (CWW) in Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR). The bacterial community compositions
      were monitored by high-throughput sequencing. Cometabolic substrate effectively
      improved the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency in glucose-added
      system (A1) compared to glucose-free system (A0). Meanwhile, A1 exhibited larger
      biomass, better settlement performance, and higher dehydrogenase activity (DHA).
      More importantly, high-throughput sequencing revealed that dominant populations
      in A1 were quite different with A0. Thauera (9.27%), Thermogutta (7.58%), and
      Defluviimonas (4.6%) began to enrich in A1 after cometabolic substrate
      supplement. Especially, Thauera, as the most dominant populations in Al, could
      degrade a wide spectrum of aromatic compounds, which may contribute to the better
      system performance. This work would provide a novel option to treat low-strength
      CWW, discern the relationship between bacterial community and CWW quality, and
      further explore the cometabolic degradation through bacterial community
      structures.

PMID- 28898835
TI  - Assessment upon heterotrophic microalgae screened from wastewater microbiota for
      concurrent pollutants removal and biofuel production.
AB  - Heterotrophic microalgae, capable of converting organic carbons to biofuel, as
      well as assimilating nutrients, have a great prospective in wastewater treatment.
      Meanwhile, the knowledge about heterotrophic microalgae is still far less than
      the autotrophic conterpart. Hence, in this study, 20 heterotrophic microalgal
      strains were isolated from a domestic wastewater treatment plant, and identified
      according to morphology and partial 18S and 23S rRNA gene sequences. Further,
      their biological traits were assessed in terms of N, P, TOC removal efficiencies,
      growth parameters, self-settleability and lipids production, expressed through a
      comprehensive selection index. By such, the optimal strains were chosen and
      applied back to treat the real wastewater, with or without pretreatment of
      sterilization. An organic-adaptable strain, i.e., Botryococcus sp. NJD-1, was
      ultimately recommended to achieve the concurrent biofuel production (up to 61.7%
      lipid content) and pollutants removal (up to 64.5%, 89.8% and 67.9% for N, P and
      TOC) in pristine wastewater.

PMID- 28898837
TI  - Phase separation and microbial distribution in the hyperthermophilic-mesophilic
      type temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) of waste activated sludge
      (WAS).
AB  - In order to investigate the phase separation and microbial distribution in the
      TPAD, the conventional thermophilic-mesophilic type (TM-TPAD) and the
      hyperthermophilic-mesophilic type (HM-TPAD) were operated with a single-stage
      mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) as control. HM-TPAD accomplished the
      volatile solids destruction 14.5% higher than MAD. Calculating conversion
      efficiencies distinguished the separation of acidogenic and methanogenic phases
      in HM-TPAD, which was not found in TM-TPAD. The differences on microbial
      distributions also reflected the phase separation in HM-TPAD. The protein
      degraders, Coprothermobacter had higher abundance in the first stage than the
      second stage of HM-TPAD but it had similar abundance between the two stages of TM
      TPAD. Also, the archaeal communities from the two stages of HM-TPAD shared the
      least similarity but those from the two stages of TM-TPAD were closely similar.

PMID- 28898836
TI  - Ozonolysis of straw from Secale cereale L. for anaerobic digestion.
AB  - The effect of different ozonation conditions on straw from Secale cereale (rye
      straw) pretreatment has been investigated. Using the Taguchi method, this study
      analyzed the optimum conditions for pretreatment of rye straw by ozonation. After
      60min of rye straw ozonation the concentration of reducing sugars (RS) and
      volatile fatty acid (VFA), chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 7.4, 32.3 and 11.7
      times higher, respectively compared to samples raw rye straw. The most effective
      rye straw ozonation occurred while using the highest amount of the rye straw
      (15g) treated with lower ozone dose (100gO3/m3) in the longest period of time
      (60min). For this variant of experiment the increment of methane production was
      291.71dm3CH4/kgVS. Moreover, co-digestion of sewage sludge with addition of 20%
      ozonated rye straw allowed to obtain 269.1dm3CH4/kgVS. The positive effect of
      ozone on changes in the rye straw structure has been confirmed by SEM and FTIR
      analysis.

PMID- 28898838
TI  - Speciation of heavy metals and bacteria in cow dung after vermicomposting by the
      earthworm, Eisenia fetida.
AB  - This work was conducted to evaluate the total concentration and speciation of
      heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Cr) in vermicompost product (EFCD) by Eisenia fetida
      (EF) with cow dung (FCD). Meanwhile, the bacterial community and diversity of the
      three were compared by high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that heavy
      metal concentrations were declined significantly in EFCD. Sequential extraction
      indicated that the exchangeable fraction of Cd and Pb decreased markedly and the
      residual fractions increased in EFCD. Though the exchangeable fraction of Cr
      increased, the total concentration reduced greatly. Furthermore, the speciation
      of Cd, Pb and Cr bioaccumulated in EF were different. Besides, the bacterial
      diversity was highest in EFCD, and twelve genera with species having heavy metal
      resistance/tolerance were found from the genus of different abundance of the
      three. Vermicomposting effectively reduced the total concentration and toxicity
      for heavy metals, and the bacterial composition and diversity were changed
      greatly during vermicomposting.

PMID- 28898839
TI  - Bacteria-enhanced dilute acid pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass.
AB  - Pretreatment is indispensable for the large-scale and low-cost bio-products
      production from lignocellulosic biomass. Herein, a new bacteria-enhanced dilute
      acid pretreatment (BE-DAP) strategy was introduced. Cupriavidus basilensis B-8 as
      a potential bacterium for lignin degradation was employed. Multi-scale
      characterizations on the physicochemical structure of rice straw indicated that
      Cupriavidus basilensis B-8 could act on the lignin droplets formed in dilute acid
      pretreatment (DAP), and dig out these droplets to recover cracks and holes on
      rice straw surface, leaving an opened and porous structure for the easy access of
      enzyme to inner cellulose. Eventually, the enzymatic digestibility of RS was
      increased by 35-70% and 173-244% in BE-DAP compared to DAP pretreated and
      untreated RS, respectively. The BE-DAP strategy, as well as its physicochemical
      mechanism, opened new perspectives for lignocellulose pretreatment.

PMID- 28898840
TI  - Enhancement of solvent production by overexpressing key genes of the acetone
      butanol-ethanol fermentation pathway in Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1
      4.
AB  - Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 is well known as a hyper-butanol
      producing strain. However, little information is available concerning its butanol
      production mechanism and the development of more robust strains. In this study,
      key biosynthetic genes (either endogenous or exogenous) including the sol operon
      (bld-ctfA-ctfB-adc), adhE1, adhE1D485G, thl, thlA1V5A, thlAV5A and the expression
      cassette EC (thl-hbd-crt-bcd) were overexpressed in C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum
      N1-4 to evaluate their potential in enhancement of butanol production. The
      overexpression of sol operon increased ethanol production by 400%. The
      overexpression of adhE1 and adhED485G resulted in a 5.6- and 4.9-fold higher
      ethanol production, respectively, producing final acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE)
      titers (30.6 and 30.1gL-1) of among the highest as ever reported for
      solventogenic clostridia. The most significant increase of butanol production (by
      13.7%) and selectivity (73.7%) was achieved by the overexpression of EC. These
      results provides a solid foundation and essential references for the further
      development of more robust strains.

PMID- 28898841
TI  - Impact of mild alkali dosage on immobilized Exiguobacterium spp. mediated cost
      and energy efficient sludge disintegration.
AB  - Approaches to (extracellular polymeric substance) EPS removal were studied with
      major aim to enhance the biodegradability and sludge solubilization. In this
      study, a novel approach of entrapment of bacterial strain was carried out to
      achieve long term activity of protease secreting bacteria Exiguobacterium sp. A
      mild treatment of potassium hydroxide (KOH) was applied to remove EPS which was
      followed by entrapment under the biological pretreatment. The efficiency of
      Exiguobacterium was predicted through dissolvable organic and suspended solids
      (SS) reduction. The maximum dissolvable organic matter released was 2300mg/L with
      the solubilization of 23% which was obtained for sludge without EPS (SWOE). For
      dissolvable organic release, SWOE showed higher final methane production of
      232mL/g COD at the production rate of 16.2mL/g COD.d. The SWOE pretreatment was
      found to be cost effective and less energy intensive beneficial in terms of
      energy and cost (43.9KWh and -8.2USD) when compared to sludge with EPS (SWE)
      pretreatment (-177.6KWh and -91.23USD).

PMID- 28898842
TI  - Catalytic production of 1,4-pentanediol from corn stover.
AB  - A novel strategy of large-scale 1,4-pentanediol (1,4-PDO) production derived from
      corn stover is presented based on catalytic conversion experiments. In this
      strategy, cellulose and hemicellulose of corn stover are catalytically converted
      to GVL by using corn stover derived GVL asa reaction solvent, and GVL asa
      reaction intermediate is then upgraded to 1,4-PDO. In the strategy, three
      possible designs consisting of conversion and separation subsystems are developed
      in terms of biomass residues as electricity or fuel sources (A: electricity
      source, B: electricity and fuel sources, and C: fuel source). The economic
      feasibility of the process designs was demonstrated taking into account the
      minimum selling price (MSP; US$/kg) of 1,4-PDO with a comparison with the petro
      based process. Design C was the best MSP (US$ 1.25/kg) of those assessed because
      of its higher energy efficiency (69-82%) while meeting lower total annualized
      costs (4.7-6.5%) than Designs A and B.

PMID- 28898843
TI  - Co-pyrolysis behavior of fermentation residues with woody sawdust by
      thermogravimetric analysis and a vacuum reactor.
AB  - This study aimed at cost-effective utilization of fermentation residues (FR) from
      biogas project for bio-energy via co-pyrolysis of FR and woody sawdust (WS). In
      this study, a vacuum reactor was used to study the pyrolysis behaviors of
      individual and blend samples of FR and WS. Obvious synergistic effects were
      observed, resulting in a lower char yield but a higher gas yield. The presence of
      woody sawdust promoted the devolatilization of FR, and improved the syngas (H2
      and CO) content in the gaseous products. Compared to those of the char from
      pyrolysis of individual feedstock, co-pyrolysis of FR and WS in the vacuum
      reactor promoted the cracking reactions of large aromatic rings, enlarged the
      surface area and reduced the oxygenated groups of the resulted char.

PMID- 28898844
TI  - Polar aprotic solvent-water mixture as the medium for catalytic production of
      hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from bread waste.
AB  - Valorisation of bread waste for hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) synthesis was
      examined in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-, tetrahydrofuran (THF)-, acetonitrile
      (ACN)-, and acetone-water (1:1v/v), under heating at 140 degrees C with SnCl4 as
      the catalyst. The overall rate of the process was the fastest in ACN/H2O and
      acetone/H2O, followed by DMSO/H2O and THF/H2O due to the rate-limiting glucose
      isomerisation. However, the formation of levulinic acid (via rehydration) and
      humins (via polymerisation) was more significant in ACN/H2O and acetone/H2O. The
      constant HMF maxima (26-27mol%) in ACN/H2O, acetone/H2O, and DMSO/H2O indicated
      that the rates of desirable reactions (starch hydrolysis, glucose isomerisation,
      and fructose dehydration) relative to undesirable pathways (HMF rehydration and
      polymerisation) were comparable among these mediums. They also demonstrated
      higher selectivity towards HMF production over the side reactions than THF/H2O.
      This study differentiated the effects of polar aprotic solvent-water mediums on
      simultaneous pathways during biomass conversion.

PMID- 28898845
TI  - The transformation pathways of nitrogen in sewage sludge during hydrothermal
      treatment.
AB  - Hydrothermal treatment (HT) has been proved as a significant pretreatment in
      decreasing emissions of NOX pollutants from thermochemical utilization of sewage
      sludge (SS) derived solid fuel. This study aims to investigate the
      denitrification of HT and the redistribution of nitrogen (N) in different
      products so as to speculate the comprehensive pathway of N transformation during
      hydrothermal process. Results found that only 20% of N remained in hydrochar,
      whereas the rest of N (nearly 80%) was transformed into other phase. A majority
      of amino-N in SS was enriched in liquid phase in the form of Org-N at first, then
      further decomposed to NH4+-N. The remaining amino-N converted to pyrrole-N,
      pyridine-N and quaternary-N as temperature progresses. Meanwhile, amine-N derived
      from protein-N formed heterocyclic-N in oil phase via Diels-Alder reaction. NH3,
      the major nitrogenous gas, was dissolved in liquid as NH4+-N immediately after
      producing, but increased with prolonged reaction time.

PMID- 28898846
TI  - Synthesis of a novel magnetic nano-scale biosorbent using extracellular polymeric
      substances from Klebsiella sp. J1 for tetracycline adsorption.
AB  - The magnetic nano-scale biosorbent (Fe3O4/MFX) was synthesized by the chelation
      and cross-linking procedure with extracellular polymeric substances (MFX) and
      Fe3O4. Fe3O4/MFX possessed the porous structure and numerous functional groups
      (i.e., amino, carboxyl, and hydroxyl), and its core region had a typical size of
      ~11nm. The maximum adsorption capacity was 56.04mgg-1 at pH 6.0, 10mgL-1 of
      tetracycline, and 160mgL-1 of Fe3O4/MFX. The data is properly fitted by the
      Langmuir, Freundlich, and pseudo-second-order kinetics models. As elucidated by
      the model parameters and FTIR analysis, chemical ion exchange and COOH could
      mainly contribute to the adsorption. Meanwhile, the desorption and regeneration
      experiments implied the adsorption efficiency decreased by only 3.37-8.37% after
      five adsorption-desorption cycles, and the detection of iron leaching by ICP-OES
      showed a fine stability of Fe3O4/MFX. Therefore, this technically facile, easily
      recyclable, and environmentally friendly biosorbent has potential for practical
      applications in antibiotic removal.

PMID- 28898847
TI  - Environmentally-friendly strategy for separation of 1,3-propanediol using
      biocatalytic conversion.
AB  - Glycerol waste from the biodiesel production can be used as a carbon source in
      the production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) through microbial fermentation.
      However, downstream processing is a major bottleneck that restricts its
      biological production. Here, we investigated an environmentally-friendly method
      to enzymatically separate 1,3-PD. The transformation of 1,3-PD to an ester was
      achieved by exploiting the esterification reaction with fatty acids under lipase
      catalysis. The reaction efficiency was optimized using different poly-alcohols
      that were existed in the fermentation broth reacted with a fatty acid. Whereas
      the 1,3-PD conversion reached 62%, only a 0.06% and 0.08% conversion was reached
      for 2,3-butanediol and glycerol, illustrating the former's more efficient
      separation. The recovery efficiency of 1,3-PD was 96%. Finally, 1,3-PD was
      obtained by lipase-directed ester hydrolysis. Taken together, the bio-catalyzed
      separation process presented here is a novel and promising method for recovering
      1,3-PD.

PMID- 28898848
TI  - Comparative evaluation of piggery wastewater treatment in algal-bacterial
      photobioreactors under indoor and outdoor conditions.
AB  - This work evaluated the performance of four open algal-bacterial photobioreactors
      operated at ~26days of hydraulic retention time during the treatment of 10 (*10)
      and 20 (*20) times diluted piggery wastewater (PWW) under indoor (I) and outdoor
      (O) conditions for four months. The removal efficiencies (REs) of organic matter,
      nutrients and zinc from PWW, along with the dynamics of biomass concentration and
      structure of algal-bacterial population were assessed. The highest TOC-RE, TP-RE
      and Zn-RE (94+/-1%, 100% and 83+/-2%, respectively) were achieved indoors in *10
      PWW, while the highest TN-RE (72+/-8%) was recorded outdoors in *10 PWW.
      Chlorella vulgaris was the dominant species regardless of the ambient conditions
      and PWW dilution. Finally, DGGE-sequencing of the bacterial community revealed
      the occurrence of four phyla, Proteobacteria being the dominant phylum with 15
      out of the 23 most intense bands.

PMID- 28898849
TI  - Pyrolysis, kinetics analysis, thermodynamics parameters and reaction mechanism of
      Typha latifolia to evaluate its bioenergy potential.
AB  - This work was focused on understanding the pyrolysis of Typha latifolia.
      Kinetics, thermodynamics parameters and pyrolysis reaction mechanism were studied
      using thermogravimetric data. Based on activation energies and conversion points,
      two regions of pyrolysis were established. Region-I occurred between the
      conversion rate 0.1-0.4 with peak temperatures 538K, 555K, 556K at the heating
      rates of 10Kmin-1, 30Kmin-1, and 50Kmin-1, respectively. Similarly, the Region-II
      occurred between 0.4 and 0.8 with peak temperatures of 606K, 621K, 623K at same
      heating rates. The best model was diffusion mechanism in Region-I. In Region-II,
      the reaction order was shown to be 2nd and 3rd. The values of activation energy
      calculated using FWO and KAS methods (134-204kJmol-1) remained same in both
      regions reflecting that the best reaction mechanism was predicted. Kinetics and
      thermodynamic parameters including E, DeltaH, DeltaS, DeltaG shown that T.
      latifolia biomass is a remarkable feedstock for bioenergy.

PMID- 28898850
TI  - Impact of temperatures on microbial community structures of sewage sludge
      biological hydrolysis.
AB  - This study investigated the biological hydrolysis performance at 35 degrees C
      (BH35), 42 degrees C (BH42), and 55 degrees C (BH55) and the effect of
      temperatures on microbial communities of the hydrolyzed sludge. The results
      showed that the suspended solid reduction, volatile fatty acids (VFA) production,
      and biogas production increased with the BH temperatures. VFAs produced in the
      sludge BH included acetic acid, propionic acid, isobutyric acid, butyric acid,
      and isovaleric acid with the fractions of acetic acid increased with BH
      temperatures. The Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis showed that the microbial
      taxonomic structures of the BH systems varied with BH temperatures. It was found
      that Acidaminobacter at 35 degrees C, Proteiniphilum and Lutispor at 42 degrees
      C, and Gelria at 55 degrees C were the main protein fermenting bacteria genera,
      while the carbohydrate fermenting bacteria might belong to the genera of
      Macellibacteroides and Paludibacter at 35 degrees C, Fronticella at 42 degrees C,
      and Tepidimicrobium at 55 degrees C.

PMID- 28898851
TI  - Cellulose conversion of corn pericarp without pretreatment.
AB  - We report enzyme hydrolysis of cellulose in unpretreated pericarp at a cellulase
      loading of 0.25FPU/g pericarp solids using a phenol tolerant Aspergillus niger
      pectinase preparation. The overall protein added was 5mg/g and gave 98% cellulose
      conversion in 72h. However, for double the amount of enzyme from Trichoderma
      reesei, which is significantly less tolerant to phenols, conversion was only 16%.
      The key to achieving high conversion without pretreatment is combining phenol
      inhibition-resistant enzymes (such as from A. niger) with unground pericarp from
      which release of phenols is minimal. Size reduction of the pericarp, which is
      typically carried out in a corn-to-ethanol process, where corn is first ground to
      a fine powder, causes release of highly inhibitory phenols that interfere with
      cellulase enzyme activity. This work demonstrates hydrolysis without pretreatment
      of large particulate pericarp is a viable pathway for directly producing
      cellulose ethanol in corn ethanol plants.

PMID- 28898852
TI  - Enhanced production of astaxanthin by Chromochloris zofingiensis in a microplate
      based culture system under high light irradiation.
AB  - The green microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis is a promising producer of natural
      astaxanthin. In the present study, C. zofingiensis was first cultivated in shake
      flasks under low light irradiation and then subjected to continuous high light
      irradiation, which effectively promoted astaxanthin production. In addition, a
      microplate-based culture system in concert with high light irradiation from blue
      light and white light above 150MUmolm-2s-1 was constructed and applied to improve
      astaxanthin production. Blue light exerted more positive influences on
      astaxanthin accumulation, but when the light intensity was increased to 300MUmolm
      2s-1, astaxanthin biosynthesis was substantially inhibited. Conversely, in a
      nitrogen-deprived culture under white light, the highest astaxanthin content for
      C. zofingiensis, 7.1mg/g, was obtained. The highest astaxanthin yield achieved
      was 38.9mg/L in a culture with 0.1g/L nitrate under the same culture conditions.
      This study demonstrates that C. zofingiensis has great potential for natural
      astaxanthin production.

PMID- 28898853
TI  - Partially consolidated bioprocessing of mixed lignocellulosic feedstocks for
      ethanol production.
AB  - Rapid urbanization and industrialization have accelerated the energy demand which
      cannot be met by decreasing fossil fuels thereby substantiate the need for
      lignocellulosic ethanol. The present study is one such attempt towards bioethanol
      production in an eco-friendly manner using enzymes in which a mixture of
      lignocellulosic biomass namely, Ricinus communis, Saccharum officinarum (tops)
      and Saccharum spontaneum were taken as a substrate. The mixed biomass was
      processed through partially consolidated bioprocessing (PCBP) approach which
      involves a non-isothermal simultaneous pretreatment and saccharification step
      where a concoction of laccase (Pleurotus djamor) and holocellulase (Trichoderma
      reseei RUT C30) was used followed by co-fermentation within the same reactor. The
      process parameters influencing PCBP were optimized using feed-forward ANN model
      which resulted in a maximum ethanol concentration of 7.86% (v/v) (62.01g/L) at
      pentose to hexose strain ratio of 0.696 (v/v), substrate loading of 27.54% (w/v)
      and incubation time of 21.96h.

PMID- 28898854
TI  - Factors affecting seawater-based pretreatment of lignocellulosic date palm
      residues.
AB  - Seawater-based pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is an innovative process
      at research stage. With respect to process optimization, factors affecting
      seawater-based pretreatment of lignocellulosic date palm residues were studied
      for the first time in this paper. Pretreatment temperature (180 degrees C-210
      degrees C), salinity of seawater (0ppt-50ppt), and catalysts (H2SO4, Na2CO3, and
      NaOH) were investigated. The results showed that pretreatment temperature exerted
      the largest influence on seawater-based pretreatment in terms of the enzymatic
      digestibility and fermentability of pretreated solids, and the inhibition of
      pretreatment liquids to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Salinity showed the least
      impact to seawater-based pretreatment, which widens the application spectrum of
      saline water sources such as brines discharged in desalination plant. Sulfuric
      acid was the most effective catalyst for seawater-based pretreatment compared
      with Na2CO3 and NaOH.

PMID- 28898855
TI  - Cost effective dry anaerobic digestion in textile bioreactors: Experimental and
      economic evaluation.
AB  - The aim of this work was to study dry anaerobic digestion (dry-AD) of manure
      bedded with straw using textile-based bioreactor in repeated batches. The 90-L
      reactor filled with the feedstocks (22-30% total solid) and inoculum without any
      further treatment, while the biogas produced were collected and analyzed. The
      digestate residue was also analyzed to check its suitability as bio-fertilizer.
      Methane yield after acclimatization increased from 183 to 290NmlCH4/gVS,
      degradation time decreased from 136 to 92days and the digestate composition point
      to suitable bio-fertilizer. The results then used to carry out economical
      evaluation, which shows dry-AD in textile bioreactors is a profitable method of
      handling the waste with maximum payback period of 5years, net present value from
      $7,000 to $9,800,000 (small to large bioreactors) with internal rate of return
      from 56.6 to 19.3%.

PMID- 28898856
TI  - Acetate-assisted increase of butyrate production by Eubacterium limosum KIST612
      during carbon monoxide fermentation.
AB  - The acetate-assisted cultivation of Eubacterium limosum KIST612 was found to
      provide a way for enhancing cell mass, the carbon monoxide (CO) consumption rate,
      and butyrate production using CO as an electron and energy source. Cell growth
      (146%), MUmax (121%), and CO consumption rates (151%) increased significantly
      upon the addition of 30mM acetate to microbial cultures. The main product of CO
      fermentation by E. limosum KIST612 shifted from acetate to butyrate in the
      presence of acetate, and 5.72mM butyrate was produced at the end of the reaction.
      The resting cell experimental conditions indicated acetate uptake and an increase
      in the butyrate concentration. Three routes to acetate assimilation and energy
      conservation were suggested based on given experimental results and previously
      genome sequencing data. Acetate assimilation via propionate CoA-transferase (PCT)
      was expected to produce 1.5mol ATP/mol butyrate, and was thus anticipated to be
      the most preferred route.

PMID- 28898857
TI  - Production of eicosapentaenoic acid by high cell density cultivation of the
      marine oleaginous diatom Fistulifera solaris.
AB  - Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have
      attracted attention owing to their health benefits for humans, as well as their
      importance in aquaculture and animal husbandry. Establishing a sustainable PUFA
      supply based on fish oils has been difficult due to their increasing demand.
      Therefore, alternative sources of PUFAs are required. In this research, we
      examined the potential of the marine oleaginous diatom Fistulifera solaris as an
      alternative producer of PUFAs. Optimization of culture conditions was carried out
      for high cell density cultivation, and a maximal biomass productivity of 1.32+/
      0.13g/(L.day) was achieved. By slightly adjusting the culture conditions for EPA
      production, the maximal EPA productivity reached 135.7+/-10.0mg/(L.day). To the
      best of our knowledge, this is the highest EPA productivity among microalgae
      cultured under photoautotrophic conditions. This result indicates that F. solaris
      is a promising candidate host for sustainable PUFA production.

PMID- 28898858
TI  - Microbial community structure in aerobic and fluffy granules formed in a
      sequencing batch reactor supplied with 4-chlorophenol at different settling
      times.
AB  - Toxic compounds, such as 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), which is a common pollutant in
      wastewater, are removed efficiently from sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) by
      microorganisms. The bacterial community in aerobic granules formed during the
      removal of 4-CP in a SBR was monitored for 63days. The SBR reactor was operated
      with a constant filling and withdrawal time of 7 and 8min and decreasing settling
      time (30, 5, 3 and 2min) to induce the formation of aerobic granules. During the
      acclimation period lasting 15days (30min settling time) had a strong effect on
      the bacterial community. From day 18 onwards, Sphingobium and Comamonadaceae were
      detected. Rhizobiaceae were dominant from day 24 to day 28 when stable aerobic
      granules were formed. At day 35, fluffy granules were formed, but the bacterial
      community structure did not change, despite the changes in the reactor operation
      to inhibit filamentous bacteria growth. This is the first report on changes in
      the bacterial community structure of aerobic and fluffy granules during
      granulation process in a reactor fed with 4-CP and the prediction of its
      metabolic pathways.

PMID- 28898860
TI  - Direct detection of the triphenylpyrylium-derived short-lived intermediates in
      the photocatalyzed degradation of acetaminophen, acetamiprid, caffeine and
      carbamazepine.
AB  - Advanced oxidation processes are useful methodologies to accomplish abatement of
      contaminants; however, elucidation of the reaction mechanisms is hampered by the
      difficult detection of the short-lived primary key species involved in the
      photocatalytic processes. Nevertheless, herein the combined use of an organic
      photocatalyst such as triphenylpyrylium (TPP+) and photophysical techniques based
      on emission and absorption spectroscopy allowed monitoring the photocatalyst
      derived short-lived intermediates. This methodology has been applied to the
      photocatalyzed degradation of different pollutants, such as acetaminophen,
      acetamiprid, caffeine and carbamazepine. First, photocatalytic degradation of a
      mixture of the pollutants showed that acetaminophen was the most easily
      photodegraded, followed by carbamazepine and caffeine, being the abatement of
      acetamiprid almost negligible. This process was accompanied by mineralization, as
      demonstrated by trapping of carbon dioxide using barium hydroxide. Then, emission
      spectroscopy measurements (steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence) allowed
      demonstrating quenching of the singlet excited state of TPP+. Laser flash
      photolysis experiments with absorption detection showed that oxidation of
      contaminants is accompanied by TPP+ reduction, with formation of a pyranyl
      radical (TPP), that constituted a fingerprint of the redox nature of the
      occurring process. The relative amounts of TPP detected was also correlated with
      the efficiency of the photodegradation process.

PMID- 28898859
TI  - Antibacterial clay against gram-negative antibiotic resistant bacteria.
AB  - Antibiotic resistant bacteria persist throughout the world because they have
      evolved the ability to express various defense mechanisms to cope with
      antibiotics and the immune system; thus, low-cost strategies for the treatment of
      these bacteria are needed, such as the usage of environmental minerals. This
      paper reports the antimicrobial properties of a clay collected from Brunnenberg,
      Germany, that is composed of ferroan saponite with admixtures of quartz, feldspar
      and calcite as well as exposed or hidden (layered at inner regions) nano Fe(0).
      Based on the growth curves (log phase) of six antibiotic resistant bacteria (4
      gram-negative and 2 gram-positive), we concluded that the clay acted as a
      bacteriostat; however, the clay was only active against the gram-negative
      bacteria (except for resilient Klebsiella pneumonia). The bacteriostatic mode of
      action was evidenced by the initial lack of Colony Forming Units on agar plates
      with growth registered afterward, certainly after 24h, and can be explained
      because interactions between membrane lipopolysaccharides and the siloxane
      surfaces of the clay. Labile or bioavailable Fe in the clay (extracted by EDTA or
      DFO-B) induced the quantitative production of HO as well as oxidative stress,
      which, nevertheless, did not account for by its bacteriostatic activity.

PMID- 28898861
TI  - Removal and metabolism of triclosan by three different microalgal species in
      aquatic environment.
AB  - Triclosan, an antimicrobial additive widely used in personal care products, has
      caused the contamination of various aquatic environment. Biodegradation was
      proved to play a vital role in the treatment of triclosan in wastewater. However,
      there is limited information about the metabolic pathway. In this study, three
      common freshwater microalgae including Chlorella pyrenoidosa (C. pyrenoidosa),
      Desmodesmus sp., and Scenedesmus obliquus (S. obliquus) were applied to remove
      and biodegrade triclosan in aqueous culture medium. High removal rate up to 99.7%
      was observed during the treatment of 400MUgL-1 triclosan by the three microalgae
      for 1day. The removal of triclosan attributed to cellular uptake by C.
      pyrenoidosa, and biotransformation by Desmodesmus sp. and S. obliquus.
      Simultaneously, triclosan metabolites resulted from hydroxylation, reductive
      dechlorination, or ether bond cleavage and their conjugates produced through
      glucosylation and/or methylation were detected in the biodegradation samples.
      Metabolic pathway of triclosan by algae were firstly proposed in this work,
      shedding light on the environmental fate of triclosan.

PMID- 28898862
TI  - Degradation and intermediates of diclofenac as instructive example for
      decomposition of recalcitrant pharmaceuticals by hydroxyl radicals generated with
      pulsed corona plasma in water.
AB  - Seven recalcitrant pharmaceutical residues (diclofenac, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol,
      carbamazepine, ibuprofen, trimethoprim, diazepam, diatrizoate) were decomposed by
      pulsed corona plasma generated directly in water. The detailed degradation
      pathway was investigated for diclofenac and 21 intermediates could be identified
      in the degradation cascade. Hydroxyl radicals have been found primarily
      responsible for decomposition steps. By spin trap enhanced electron paramagnetic
      resonance spectroscopy (EPR), OH-adducts and superoxide anion radical adducts
      were detected and could be distinguished applying BMPO as a spin trap. The
      increase of concentrations of adducts follows qualitatively the increase of
      hydrogen peroxide concentrations. Hydrogen peroxide is eventually consumed in
      Fenton-like processes but the concentration is continuously increasing to about
      2mM for a plasma treatment of 70min. Degradation of diclofenac is inversely
      following hydrogen peroxide concentrations. No qualitative differences between
      byproducts formed during plasma treatment or due to degradation via Fenton
      induced processes were observed. Findings on degradation kinetics of diclofenac
      provide an instructive understanding of decomposition rates for recalcitrant
      pharmaceuticals with respect to their chemical structure. Accordingly,
      conclusions can be drawn for further development and a first risk assessment of
      the method which can also be applied towards other AOPs that rely on the
      generation of hydroxyl radicals.

PMID- 28898863
TI  - Efficient promotion of charge transfer and separation in hydrogenated TiO2/WO3
      with rich surface-oxygen-vacancies for photodecomposition of gaseous toluene.
AB  - Oxygen-deficient TiO2/WO3 constructed via the controllable temperature of
      hydrogen annealing is designed in view of combining the broad visible spectrum
      absorption with the prominent coupled semiconductor properties. Surface lattice
      disorder of TiO2/WO3 arises at hydrogen annealing temperature of 200 and 300
      degrees C, while critical phase transition from TiO2/WO3 to TiO2/WO2.9 occurs at
      400 degrees C, both of which can introduce oxygen vacancies. The hydrogenated
      TiO2/WO3 with rich surface-oxygen-vacancies exhibits much higher photocatalytic
      activity for decomposition of gaseous toluene than pristine TiO2/WO3 under
      visible-light illumination (lambda>420nm). The photoelectrochemical analysis
      shows that the improved electronic properties of oxygen-deficient TiO2/WO3 enable
      dramatically efficient promotion of photoinduced charge transfer and separation,
      which is the key factor for the improved photocatalytic activity. It is hoped
      that the present work could boost ongoing interest for preparing various
      hydrogenated coupled semiconductors with enhanced activity for diverse
      photocatalytic applications.

PMID- 28898864
TI  - What happens with organic micropollutants during UV disinfection in WWTPs? A
      global perspective from laboratory to full-scale.
AB  - The phototransformation of 18 organic micropollutants (OMPs) commonly detected in
      wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents was examined attempting to explain
      their fate during UV disinfection in WWTPs. For this purpose, a lab-scale UV
      reactor (lamp emitting at 254nm) was used to study the influence of the
      operational conditions (UV dose, temperature and water matrix) on OMPs abatement
      and disinfection efficiency. Chemical properties of OMPs and the quality of
      treated effluent were identified as key factors affecting the phototransformation
      rate of these compounds. Sampling campaigns were carried out at the inlet and
      outlet of UV systems of three WWTPs, and the results evidenced that only the most
      photosensitive compounds, such as sulfamethoxazole and diclofenac, are
      eliminated. Therefore, despite UV treatment is an effective technology to
      phototransform OMPs, the UV doses typically applied for disinfection (10
      50mJ/cm2) are not sufficient to remove them. Consequently, small modifications
      (increase of UV dose, use of catalysts) should be applied in WWTPs to enhance the
      abatement of OMPs in UV systems.

PMID- 28898865
TI  - Automatic Measurement of Fetal Brain Development from Magnetic Resonance Imaging:
      New Reference Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate fetal brain volume estimation is of paramount importance in
      evaluating fetal development. The aim of this study was to develop an automatic
      method for fetal brain segmentation from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data,
      and to create for the first time a normal volumetric growth chart based on a
      large cohort. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A semi-automatic segmentation method based on
      Seeded Region Growing algorithm was developed and applied to MRI data of 199
      typically developed fetuses between 18 and 37 weeks' gestation. The accuracy of
      the algorithm was tested against a sub-cohort of ground truth manual
      segmentations. A quadratic regression analysis was used to create normal growth
      charts. The sensitivity of the method to identify developmental disorders was
      demonstrated on 9 fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). RESULTS:
      The developed method showed high correlation with manual segmentation (r2 =
      0.9183, p < 0.001) as well as mean volume and volume overlap differences of 4.77
      and 18.13%, respectively. New reference data on 199 normal fetuses were created,
      and all 9 IUGR fetuses were at or below the third percentile of the normal growth
      chart. DISCUSSION: The proposed method is fast, accurate, reproducible, user
      independent, applicable with retrospective data, and is suggested for use in
      routine clinical practice.

PMID- 28898866
TI  - ENETS Newsletter Summer 2017.

PMID- 28898867
TI  - Cerebral Fat Embolism: Clinical Presentation, Diagnostic Steps and Long-Term
      Follow-Up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Symptomatic cerebral fat embolism (CFE) is a rare complication that
      occurs after a traumatic injury or orthopaedic surgery and is diagnostically
      challenging. No data is currently available concerning long-term follow-up.
      METHODS: We identified from medical records 9 patients with CFE and revised the
      clinical signs and the diagnostic process. We then analysed long-term follow-up
      data, targeting clinical course after discharge, neurological impairment, and
      current quality of life, using the Barthel index and the modified Rankin Scale.
      RESULTS: All 9 patients initially showed severe neurological deficits, including
      disturbance of consciousness ranging from somnolence to coma. During the follow
      up period for 3-58 months after the insult 2 patients had died. The 7 patients
      who remained alive had either recovered completely or showed only minor
      neurological deficits after rehabilitation. They were nearly independent in daily
      life and needed only minimal assistance. We performed the first brain biopsy in a
      patient with CFE. CONCLUSION: Most patients had a good outcome after long-term
      follow-up. In patients with an unexplained altered state of consciousness after a
      traumatic injury or an orthopaedic surgery, an MRI with diffusion-weighted
      imaging must be performed to uncover the characteristic pattern of disseminated
      hyperintense lesions in the white matter that are associated with CFE.

PMID- 28898868
TI  - Euflammation Attenuates Central and Peripheral Inflammation and Cognitive
      Consequences of an Immune Challenge after Tumor Development.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Repeated subthreshold bacterial exposures in rodents cause novel
      euflammation that attenuates neuroinflammation and sickness behaviors upon
      subsequent infectious challenges to the host without eliciting illness behavior.
      The investigation of bacterial exposure effects on brain and behavior is
      clinically relevant because bacterial-based antitumor treatments are used
      successfully, but are suboptimal due to their illness side effects. In addition,
      behavioral consequences (depression, cognitive impairments) to homeostatic
      challenges that are associated with inflammation are prevalent and reduce the
      quality of life in cancer patients and survivors. Therefore, this study tested
      the potential for euflammation to attenuate behavioral consequences of an immune
      challenge in tumor-bearing mice. METHODS: Mice with and without oral tumors in
      their flank underwent the established peripheral euflammatory protocol or vehicle
      treatment, followed by an acute peripheral immune challenge (lipopolysaccharide
      [LPS] injection) or PBS. Cognitive function and sickness behavior were assessed
      after the challenge, and peripheral and central inflammatory responses were
      measured. RESULTS: Euflammation reduced LPS-induced peripheral and central
      inflammation in all mice; however, neuroinflammation was less attenuated in tumor
      bearing mice compared with tumor-free controls. LPS-induced lethargy and
      cognitive impairments were more pronounced among tumor-bearing mice and were
      effectively attenuated with euflammation. Cognitive changes were independent of
      brain-derived growth factor gene expression in the hippocampus. CONCLUSION: These
      results suggest that induction of euflammation may be useful in alleviating the
      negative side effects of bacterial-based tumor treatments and in potentially
      attenuating common behavioral comorbidities associated with cancer or other
      chronic diseases.

PMID- 28898869
TI  - Disrupted Brain Network Hubs in Subtype-Specific Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The topological organization of brain functional networks is
      impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the altered patterns of functional
      network hubs in different subtypes of PD are not completely understood. METHODS:
      3T resting-state functional MRI and voxel-based graph-theory analysis were
      employed to systematically investigate the intrinsic functional connectivity
      patterns of whole-brain networks. We enrolled 31 patients with PD (12 tremor
      dominant [TD] and 19 with postural instability/gait difficulty [PIGD]) and 22
      matched healthy controls. Whole-brain voxel-wise functional networks were
      constructed by measuring the temporal correlations of each pair of brain voxels.
      Functional connectivity strength was calculated to explore the brain network
      hubs. RESULTS: We found that both the TD and PIGD subtypes had comprehensive
      disrupted regions. These mainly involved the basal ganglia, cerebellum, superior
      temporal gyrus, pre- and postcentral gyri, inferior frontal gyrus, middle
      temporal gyrus, lingual gyrus, insula, and parahippocampal gyrus. Furthermore,
      the PIGD subgroup had more disrupted hubs in the cerebellum than the TD subgroup.
      These disruptions of hub connectivity were not correlated with the HY stage or
      disease duration. CONCLUSION: Our results emphasize the subtype-specific PD
      related degeneration of brain hubs, providing novel insights into the
      pathophysiological mechanisms of connectivity dysfunction in different PD
      subgroups.

PMID- 28898870
TI  - Short-Term Vitamin D3 Supplementation in Children with Neurodisabilities:
      Comparison of Two Delivery Methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Vitamin D deficiency is common in children with
      neurodisabilities. Oral vitamin D3 may not be absorbed appropriately due to
      dysphagia and tube feeding. The aim of this study was to compare efficacy of
      vitamin D3 buccal spray with that of oral drops. METHODS: Twenty-four children
      with neurodisabilities (5-17 years) and vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D <=20 ng/mL)
      were randomized to receive vitamin D3 buccal spray 800 IU/daily (n = 12) or oral
      drops 750 IU/daily (n = 12) for 3 months during winter. RESULTS: Both groups had
      a significant increase in 25(OH)D (z = 150; p < 0.0001). The differences between
      baseline and final parathyroid hormone measurements did not reach significance in
      both groups. Markers of bone formation and resorption did not change
      significantly in both groups. The satisfaction with the formulation was
      significantly higher in the patients using spray. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D3
      supplementation with buccal spray and oral drops are equally effective in short
      term treatment of vitamin D deficiency in children with neurodisabilities. Buccal
      spray may be more acceptable by the patients.

PMID- 28898871
TI  - Placental Component and Pregnancy Outcome in Singleton versus Twin Pregnancies
      Complicated by Preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare placental histopathological lesions and pregnancy outcomes
      in singleton and twin pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (PE). METHODS:
      Maternal characteristics, neonatal outcomes, and placental histopathology reports
      of pregnancies complicated by PE between January 2008 and October 2016 were
      reviewed. Results were compared between singletons (singleton group) and
      dichorionic-diamniotic twins (twin group). Placental lesions were classified into
      maternal and fetal vascular supply lesions. Small for gestational age (SGA) was
      defined as birth weight <=10th percentile. Composite adverse neonatal outcome was
      defined as one or more early neonatal complications. RESULTS: Compared to the
      twin group (n = 67), the singleton group (n = 275) was characterized by lower
      maternal age (p = 0.003), higher gestational age (p < 0.001), higher rates of
      previous PE (p = 0.017), chronic hypertension (p = 0.036), and severe features (p
      < 0.001). Placentas from the singleton group were characterized by higher rates
      of maternal vascular malperfusion lesions (p < 0.001) and fetal vascular supply
      lesions (p = 0.002). Using multivariable regression analysis, composite maternal
      and fetal vascular malperfusion lesions were independently associated with
      singletons (aOR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.2-7.8, p < 0.001, and aOR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.2
      5.6, p = 0.025, respectively). SGA was more common in the singleton group (p =
      0.002). Neonatal outcome did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: Placentas
      from singleton pregnancies complicated by PE were characterized by higher rates
      of maternal and fetal vascular lesions compared to those from twin pregnancies,
      suggesting that different mechanisms participate in the development of PE in
      these two groups.

PMID- 28898872
TI  - Macrophage-Derived Chemokine: A Putative Marker of Pharmacological Therapy
      Response in Major Depression?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory processes play an important and complex role in the
      pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), but, so far, no specific
      investigation of chemokines exists. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the
      changes of plasma chemokine levels (eotaxin-1, eotaxin-3, IP-10, MCP-1, MCP-4,
      MDC, MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and TARC) in 47 MDD patients before (PRE) and after 1
      and 6 weeks of pharmacological treatment (POST1 and POST6) in relation to the
      response to antidepressive therapy. We hypothesized that the direction of
      alterations in levels of chemokines would significantly differ between the 2
      groups, responders and nonresponders. RESULTS: Among the investigated chemokines,
      only the level of macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) changed significantly in
      relation to therapy response. MDC levels were significantly elevated in the
      responder group at POST6. DISCUSSION: MDC is a constitutively expressed chemokine
      involved in the pathophysiology of infectious and neoplastic diseases. This is
      the first study providing valuable hints that MDC might serve as a marker of
      pharmacological therapy response in MDD.

PMID- 28898873
TI  - Two-Year Outcomes of a Treat-and-Extend Regimen Using Intravitreal Aflibercept
      Injections for Typical Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a treat-and-extend
      (TAE) regimen using intravitreal injection of aflibercept (IVA) for typical age
      related macular degeneration (tAMD). METHODS: We retrospectively studied 61
      treatment-naive eyes with tAMD. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central
      macular thickness (CMT), central choroidal thickness (CCT), number of injections,
      and complications during 2 years were evaluated. RESULTS: BCVA significantly
      improved by on average 0.13 logMAR units, and CMT and CCT significantly decreased
      after 2 years. The number of injections was on average 13.6. In the second year,
      eyes with classic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) needed significantly fewer
      treatments than eyes with occult CNV. Fourteen eyes, which developed subfoveal
      fibrosis, showed significantly poorer BCVA after 2 years. Subfoveal fibrosis was
      significantly common in classic CNV. CONCLUSION: A TAE regimen using IVA for tAMD
      might be effective for improving BCVA and exudative changes. The exudation may be
      suppressed with fewer treatments in classic CNV compared to occult CNV.

PMID- 28898874
TI  - Associations between Liver Enzyme Levels and Parameters of the Metabolic Syndrome
      in Obese Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is strongly associated with insulin resistance, hypertension,
      dyslipidemia, and therefore risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is an
      increasing problem in youth. The potential role of elevated liver enzyme levels
      in this context needs to be further investigated. METHODS: This paper provides a
      post hoc analysis of a cross-sectional study of 77 obese nondiabetic children
      (51% female; median age 11.7 years; BMI >97th percentile) enrolled at the
      University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Anthropometric parameters, lipid profiles,
      glycemic control, and liver enzyme levels were evaluated. Glucose and insulin
      levels were determined during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Gender- and
      age-specific cutoff values were used to assess MetS. RESULTS: A high prevalence
      of hypertension (51%), dyslipidemia (52%), elevated liver enzyme levels (51%),
      and hyperglycemia (24%) was found. There was considerable overlap between the
      presence of different MetS risk factors in individuals, and 40% of the
      participants had >=3 of a maximum of 5 MetS risk factors. Elevated liver enzyme
      levels were significantly associated with reduced insulin sensitivity, as the
      OGTT-insulin response was significantly higher in participants with elevated
      transaminases (p = 0.01). This association was independent of hyperglycemia and
      dyslipidemia (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that liver enzyme levels are
      related to insulin sensitivity in obese children and could therefore be an
      indirect indicator for MetS. Testing for disturbed glucose metabolism should be
      considered for obese children with elevated liver enzymes.

PMID- 28898875
TI  - Enteroendocrine Cells: Metabolic Relays between Microbes and Their Host.
AB  - Gut bacteria exert a variety of metabolic functions unavailable to the host and
      are increasingly seen as a virtual organ located inside our gastrointestinal
      tract. Scattered in our intestinal epithelium, enteroendocrine cells (EECs)
      regulate several aspects of the host's physiology and translate signals coming
      from the gut microbiota through their hormonal secretions. In this chapter, we
      will assess the interplay between the gut microbiota and EEC and its consequences
      for the physiology of the host. We will first describe alterations of different
      populations of EEC in germ-free animals. The role of mediators of this
      interaction, such as microbial metabolites and their receptors will also be
      discussed. Finally, different strategies harnessing host-microbe crosstalk for
      therapeutic purposes will be presented with an emphasis on obesity and related
      disorders.

PMID- 28898876
TI  - Filing Sources after Oral P2Y12 Platelet Inhibitors to the Food and Drug
      Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System
      (FAERS) is a global passive surveillance database that relies on voluntary
      reporting by health care professionals and consumers as well as required
      mandatory reporting by pharmaceutical manufacturers. However, the initial filers
      and comparative patterns for oral P2Y12 platelet inhibitor reporting are unknown.
      We assessed who generated original FAERS reports for clopidogrel, prasugrel, and
      ticagrelor in 2015. METHODS: From the FAERS database we extracted and examined
      adverse event cases coreported with oral P2Y12 platelet inhibitors. All adverse
      event filing originating sources were dichotomized into consumers, lawyers,
      pharmacists, physicians, other health care professionals, and unknown. RESULTS:
      Overall, 2015 annual adverse events were more commonly coreported with
      clopidogrel (n = 13,234) with known source filers (n = 12,818, or 96.9%) than
      with prasugrel (2,896; 98.9% out of 2,927 cases) or ticagrelor (2,163, or 82.3%,
      out of 2,627 cases, respectively). Overall, most adverse events were filed by
      consumers (8,336, or 44.4%), followed by physicians (5,290, or 28.2%), other
      health care professionals (2,997, or 16.0%), pharmacists (1,125, or 6.0%), and
      finally by lawyers (129, or 0.7%). The origin of 811 (4.7%) initial reports
      remains unknown. The adverse event filing sources differ among drugs. While
      adverse events coreported with clopidogrel and prasugrel were commonly originated
      by patients (40.4 and 84.3%, respectively), most frequently ticagrelor reports
      (42.5%) were filed by physicians. CONCLUSION: The reporting quality and initial
      sources differ among oral P2Y12 platelet inhibitors in FAERS. The ticagrelor
      surveillance in 2015 was inadequate when compared to clopidogrel and prasugrel.
      Patients filed most adverse events for clopidogrel and prasugrel, while
      physicians originated most ticagrelor complaints. These differences justify
      stricter compliance control for ticagrelor manufacturers and may be attributed to
      the confusion of treating physicians with unexpected fatal, cardiac, and
      thrombotic adverse events linked to ticagrelor.

PMID- 28898877
TI  - Identification of Small and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Markers in Peripheral
      Blood Using Cytokinesis-Blocked Micronucleus and Spectral Karyotyping Assays.
AB  - Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive form of lung cancer. There
      is an urgent need to develop tools to identify individuals at high risk of
      developing SCLC. We have previously reported that the cytokinesis-blocked
      micronucleus (CBMN) assay is a strong predictor of non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC). Here, we investigate the sensitivity of the CBMN endpoints as predictors
      of SCLC risk. We conducted the CBMN assay on SCLC patients (n = 216), NSCLC
      patients (n = 173), and healthy controls (n = 204). Per sample, 1,000 binucleated
      cells (BN) were scored, and 3 endpoints, micronuclei (BN-MN), nucleoplasmic
      bridges (BN-NPB), and nuclear buds(BN-BUD), were recorded. Spectral karyotyping
      was also conducted on SCLC patients (n = 116) and NSCLC patients (n = 137) to
      identify genomic regions unique to each disease. Significantly higher levels of
      CBMN endpoints were observed in both cancer groups compared to controls. BN-NPBs
      were significantly higher among SCLC patients compared to NSCLC patients (p <
      0.001). Chromosomes 5 and 17 were associated with BN-MN, and chromosomes 5, 18,
      20, and 22 were associated with BN-NPBs in SCLC patients. Given the high
      frequency of chromosome aberrations observed in SCLC, events such as reinsertion
      of the micronucleus and chromothripsis may be potential mechanisms for the
      genetic instability in these patients.

PMID- 28898878
TI  - Development of Laboratory Investigations in Disorders of Sex Development.
AB  - Scientific knowledge to understand the biological basis of sex development was
      prompted by the observation of variants different from the 2 most frequent body
      types, and this became one of the fields first studied by modern pediatric
      endocrinology. The clinical observation was supported by professionals working in
      different areas of laboratory sciences which led to the description of adrenal
      and gonadal steroidogenesis, the enzymes involved, and the different
      deficiencies. Steroid hormone measurements evolved from colorimetry to
      radioimmunoassay (RIA) and automated immunoassays, although gas and liquid
      chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry are now the gold standard techniques
      for steroid measurements. Peptide hormones and growth factors were purified, and
      their measurement evolved from RIA to automated immunoassays. Hormone action
      mechanisms were described, and their specific receptors were characterized and
      assayed in experimental materials and in patient tissues and cell cultures. The
      discovery of the genetic basis for variant sex developments began with the
      description of the sex chromosomes. Molecular technology allowed cloning of genes
      coding for the different proteins involved in sex determination and development.
      Experimental animal models aided in verifying the roles of proteins and also
      suggested new genes to be investigated. New candidate genes continue to be
      described based on experimental models and on next-generation sequencing of
      patient DNAs.

PMID- 28898879
TI  - Comparison of Clomethiazole and Diazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal
      Syndrome in Clinical Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the
      effectivity and tolerability of diazepam and clomethiazole in the treatment of
      alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) in a large clinical sample. METHODS: The data
      of 566 patients admitted to an intensive care psychiatric unit in Germany (2010
      2014) were evaluated. The course of withdrawal was analyzed on a matched sample
      (n = 152) consisting of a diazepam group (n = 76) and a clomethiazole group (n =
      76). Medical assessment was based on a standardized point-based symptom rating
      scale called AESB (Alkoholentzugssymptom-Bogen), a German modified version of the
      Revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale (CIWA-Ar).
      RESULTS: Although the mean daily symptom reduction did not differ significantly,
      patients treated with clomethiazole were treated significantly shorter and needed
      less concomitant antipsychotic medication. Numbers of complications and adverse
      events did not show significant differences. CONCLUSION: Both clomethiazole and
      diazepam were effective and equally safe in the treatment of AWS. Clomethiazole
      provided a faster withdrawal and required less concomitant antipsychotic
      medication and therefore might be the more favorable option for patients and
      physicians. Taken into account the methodological limitations of the study
      (retrospective design, secondary matching, missing randomization, use of
      clomethiazole as drug of first choice), further studies are needed to confirm
      this result.

PMID- 28898880
TI  - Personalized Management of Cardiovascular Disorders.
AB  - Personalized management of cardiovascular disorders (CVD), also referred to as
      personalized or precision cardiology in accordance with general principles of
      personalized medicine, is selection of the best treatment for an individual
      patient. It involves the integration of various "omics" technologies such as
      genomics and proteomics as well as other new technologies such as
      nanobiotechnology. Molecular diagnostics and biomarkers are important for linking
      diagnosis with therapy and monitoring therapy. Because CVD involve perturbations
      of large complex biological networks, a systems biology approach to CVD risk
      stratification may be used for improving risk-estimating algorithms, and modeling
      of personalized benefit of treatment may be helpful for guiding the choice of
      intervention. Bioinformatics tools are helpful in analyzing and integrating large
      amounts of data from various sources. Personalized therapy is considered during
      drug development, including methods of targeted drug delivery and clinical
      trials. Individualized recommendations consider multiple factors - genetic as
      well as epigenetic - for patients' risk of heart disease. Examples of
      personalized treatment are those of chronic myocardial ischemia, heart failure,
      and hypertension. Similar approaches can be used for the management of atrial
      fibrillation and hypercholesterolemia, as well as the use of anticoagulants.
      Personalized management includes pharmacotherapy, surgery, lifestyle
      modifications, and combinations thereof. Further progress in understanding the
      pathomechanism of complex cardiovascular diseases and identification of causative
      factors at the individual patient level will provide opportunities for the
      development of personalized cardiology. Application of principles of personalized
      medicine will improve the care of the patients with CVD.

PMID- 28898881
TI  - Performance of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration
      for the Diagnosis of Isolated Mediastinal and Hilar Lymphadenopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although many studies have assessed the diagnostic utility of
      endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in
      the context of a specific disease, few studies have assessed the overall
      diagnostic yield, sensitivity, and negative predictive value in patients with
      isolated mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy (IMHL). OBJECTIVE: We evaluated
      the performance of EBUS-TBNA for diagnosing IMHL in a population with a high
      prevalence of concurrent or preexisting non-pulmonary malignancy. METHODS: A
      retrospective chart review of patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA from October 2008
      to April 2014 was performed to identify patients with IMHL. Patients with known
      or suspected primary pulmonary malignancy were excluded. When available, EBUS
      TBNA results were cross-referenced with further diagnostic investigation or
      clinical diagnosis based on follow-up. RESULTS: EBUS-TBNA was used to sample 765
      lymph nodes from 350 patients. One hundred and fourteen (33.3%) patients had a
      concurrent or preexisting non-pulmonary malignancy. The overall yield of EBUS
      TBNA for specific diagnosis was 300/350 (86%). The diagnostic yield for
      sarcoidosis, lymphoproliferative disease, metastatic lymphadenopathy from
      extrathoracic malignancy, and necrotizing granuloma was 123/149 (83%), 27/33
      (82%), 20/25 (80%), and 13/19 (68%), respectively. Amongst 50 patients with non
      diagnostic EBUS-TBNA, 25 yielded an insufficient sample and another 25 yielded
      only benign lymphoid material which was not representative of the underlying
      pathology. Overall, EBUS-TBNA had a sensitivity of 89%, a diagnostic yield of
      86%, and a negative predictive value of 79%. CONCLUSION: For patients with
      isolated hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy and a high background prevalence of
      concurrent and preexisting non-pulmonary malignancy, EBUS-TBNA is a reliable
      first-line diagnostic investigation.

PMID- 28898882
TI  - Hospitalisation in Children with Adrenal Insufficiency and Hypopituitarism: Is
      There a Differential Burden between Boys and Girls and between Age Groups?
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine the burden of hospitalisation in children with
      adrenal insufficiency (AI)/hypopituitarism in Australia. METHODS: A retrospective
      study of Australian hospitalisation data. All admissions between 2001 and 2014
      for patients aged 0-19 years with a principal diagnosis of AI/hypopituitarism
      were included. Denominator populations were extracted from national statistics
      datasets. RESULTS: There were 3,779 admissions for treatment of
      AI/hypopituitarism in patients aged 0-19 years, corresponding to an average
      admission rate of 48.7 admissions/million/year. There were 470 (12.4%) admissions
      for an adrenal crisis (AC). Overall, admission for AI/hypopituitarism was
      comparable between the sexes. Admission rates for all AI, hypopituitarism,
      congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and "other and unspecified causes" of AI
      were highest among infants and decreased with age. Admissions for primary AI
      increased with age in both sexes. Males had significantly higher rates of
      admission for hypopituitarism. AC rates differed by both sex and age group.
      CONCLUSION: This nationwide study of the epidemiology of hospital admissions for
      a principal diagnosis of AI/hypopituitarism shows that admissions generally
      decreased with age; males had higher rates of admission for hypopituitarism;
      females had higher rates of admission for CAH and "other and unspecified causes"
      of AI; and AC incidence varied by age and sex. Increased awareness of AI and AC
      prevention strategies may reduce some of these admissions.

PMID- 28898883
TI  - Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition and Successful Ageing in Elderly Individuals: The
      Multinational MEDIS Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of diet and inflammation in successful ageing is not
      transparent, and as such, is still being investigated. The aim of the present
      work was to evaluate the inflammatory potential of dietary habits in the
      successful ageing of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean
      basin and who participated in the MEDIS (MEDiterranean ISlands) study. METHODS:
      During 2005-2016, 3,128 older adults (aged 65-100 years) from 24 Mediterranean
      islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece were enrolled in the
      study. A multidimensional successful ageing index consisting of 10 components was
      employed. A validated and reproducible Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was
      used to evaluate the dietary habits of the older adults. A nutrition anti
      inflammatory (NAI) score based on the participants' specific dietary habits was
      assessed. RESULTS: Participants with high NAI scores (proinflammatory nutrition)
      had a higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and lower levels of successful
      ageing. After adjusting for several confounders, the NAI score was associated
      with successful ageing (-0.03, 95% CI -0.5 to -0.006). Stratified analysis by
      gender and advanced age revealed heterogeneity in the NAI score, predicting
      successful ageing. CONCLUSIONS: The inflammatory potential of nutrition was
      reported as an important factor for successful ageing, suggesting that further
      research is needed on the role of anti- and proinflammatory dietary habits in
      healthy and successful ageing.

PMID- 28898884
TI  - Effects of Mucuna pruriens on Free Fatty Acid Levels and Histopathological
      Changes in the Brains of Rats Fed a High Fructose Diet.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate free fatty acid levels and histopathological changes in
      the brain of rats fed a high fructose diet (HFrD) and to evaluate the effects of
      Mucuna pruriens, known to have antidiabetic activity, on these changes. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The study comprised 28 mature female Wistar rats. The rats were
      divided into 4 groups, each included 7 rats. Group 1: control; group 2: fed an
      HFrD; group 3: fed normal rat chow and M. pruriens; group 4: fed an HFrD and M.
      pruriens for 6 weeks. At the end of 6 weeks, the rats were decapitated, blood and
      brain tissues were obtained. Serum glucose and triglyceride levels were measured.
      Free fatty acid levels were measured in 1 cerebral hemisphere of each rat and
      histopathological changes in the other. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to
      compare quantitative continuous data between 2 independent groups, and the
      Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare quantitative continuous data between more
      than 2 independent groups. RESULTS: Arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid
      levels were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p < 0.05). Free
      arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid levels in group 4 were significantly
      less than in group 2 (p < 0.05). Histopathological examination of group 2
      revealed extensive gliosis, neuronal hydropic degeneration, and edema. In group
      4, gliosis was much lighter than in group 2, and edema was not observed. Neuronal
      structures in group 4 were similar to those in group 1. CONCLUSIONS: The HFrD
      increased the levels of free arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid probably
      due to membrane degradation resulting from possible oxidative stress and
      inflammation in the brain. The HFrD also caused extensive gliosis, neuronal
      hydropic degeneration, and edema. Hence, M. pruriens could have therapeutic
      effects on free fatty acid metabolism and local inflammatory responses in the
      brains of rats fed an HFrD.

PMID- 28898885
TI  - Pilot Neonatal Screening Program for Central Congenital Hypothyroidism: Evidence
      of Significant Detection.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a heterogeneous entity.
      Neonatal screening programs based on thyrotropin (TSH) determination allow
      primary CH diagnosis but miss central CH (CCH). CCH causes morbidity, alerts to
      other pituitary deficiencies, and is more prevalent than previously thought. We
      aimed at developing a pilot neonatal screening program for CCH detection.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective 2-year pilot neonatal screening study based
      on simultaneous dried blood specimen TSH and thyroxine (T4) measurements was
      implemented in term newborns aged 2-7 days. Those with T4 <=4.5 ug/dL (-2.3 SDS)
      and TSH <10 mIU/L were recalled (suspicious of CCH) and underwent clinical and
      biochemical assessment performed by expert pediatric endocrinologists. RESULTS: A
      total of 67,719 newborns were screened. Primary CH was confirmed in 24 (1:
      2,821). Forty-four newborns with potential CCH were recalled (recall rate 0.07%)
      at a mean age of 12.6 +/- 4.8 days. In this group, permanent CCH was confirmed in
      3 (1: 22,573), starting L-T4 treatment at a mean age of 12.3 +/- 6.6 days; 14
      boys showed T4-binding globulin deficiency (1: 4,837); 24 had transient
      hypothyroxinemia (21 non-thyroidal illness and 3 healthy); and 3 died before the
      confirmation stage. According to initial free T4 measurements, CCH patients had
      moderate hypothyroidism. CONCLUSIONS: Adding T4 to TSH measurements enabled the
      identification of CCH as a prevalent condition and contributed to improving the
      care of newborns with congenital hypopituitarism and recognizing other thyroidal
      disorders.

PMID- 28898886
TI  - The Role of Dr. Francis Willis in the Madness of George III.
AB  - In the well-known story of the illness of King George III, what is often
      overlooked is the part played by Dr. Francis Willis, an inconspicuous doctor who
      with great success ran an asylum in Lincolnshire. In November 1788, he was called
      to attend the King whose mania was becoming uncontrollable. Because of his
      interventions there was a slow but marked improvement. The King's recovery in
      1789 increased Willis' reputation and expanded his practice.

PMID- 28898887
TI  - Angelman Syndrome due to a Maternally Inherited Intragenic Deletion Encompassing
      Exons 7 and 8 of the UBE3A Gene.
AB  - Angelman syndrome (AS) is characterised by developmental delay, lack of speech,
      seizures, a characteristic behavioural profile with a happy demeanour,
      microcephaly, and ataxia. More than two-thirds of cases are due to an
      approximately 5-Mb interstitial deletion of the imprinted region 15q11.2q13,
      which is usually de novo. The rest are associated with point mutations in the
      UBE3A gene, imprinting defects, and paternal uniparental disomy. Small intragenic
      UBE3A deletions have rarely been described. They are usually maternally
      inherited, increasing the recurrence risk to 50%, and may be missed by
      conventional testing (methylation studies and UBE3A gene sequencing). We describe
      a boy with AS due to an 11.7-kb intragenic deletion. The deletion was identified
      by array-CGH and was subsequently detected in his affected first cousin and
      unaffected maternal grandfather, mother, and aunt, confirming the silencing of
      the paternal allele. The patient had developmental delay, speech impairment, a
      happy demeanour, microcephaly, and an abnormal EEG, but no seizures by the age of
      4 years. Delineation of the underlying genetic mechanism is of utmost importance
      for reasons of genetic counselling, as well as appropriate management and
      prognosis. Alternative techniques, such as array-CGH and MLPA, are necessary when
      conventional testing for AS has failed to identify the underlying genetic
      mechanism.

PMID- 28898888
TI  - Outcome of Bronchopulmonary Sequestration with Massive Pleural Effusion after
      Intrafetal Vascular Laser Ablation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of 12 fetuses with bronchopulmonary
      sequestration (BPS) and massive pleural effusion after intrafetal vascular laser
      ablation (VLA). METHODS: All fetuses with BPS and massive pleural effusion that
      were treated with intrafetal VLA during a 5-year period (2012-2016) were reviewed
      for safety, intrauterine course, and postnatal outcome. RESULTS: In the study
      period, 12 fetuses with BPS were treated with VLA. In 7 (58.3%) fetuses, complete
      cessation of blood flow was achieved after the first VLA, while in 5 (41.7%)
      fetuses, residual perfusion of the feeding vessel was demonstrated at follow-up.
      A second intervention was successful in 4 of 5 (80%) fetuses. Overall, in 11 of
      12 (91.7%) fetuses, complete coagulation of the feeding vessel could be achieved,
      followed by a reduction in size or complete resolution of the BPS. All 11 fetuses
      with successful prenatal intervention were live-born at a median gestational age
      of 39+1 (range, 37+5-41+2) weeks. Postnatally, 2 (18.2%) of the 11 newborns
      underwent sequestrectomy, as well as the preterm newborn on which a second fetal
      intervention was not feasible. CONCLUSION: VLA is an effective and safe treatment
      of BPS that appears to be of benefit in improving prognosis and decreasing the
      need for postnatal sequestrectomy.

PMID- 28898889
TI  - Chrysotile Causes Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell Apoptosis in Response to the
      Fas-Mediated Apoptosis Pathway.
AB  - AIMS: Asbestos is harmful to human health. However, the pathogenicity of
      chrysotile is a controversial matter. This study aimed to investigate the
      apoptosis of a human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) exposed to
      chrysotile that may function in part through the Fas death receptor pathway.
      METHODS: Cultured human BEAS-2B cells were treated with chrysotile and cell
      viability was evaluated by CCK-8 assay. The induction of cell apoptosis was
      evaluated by FACS analysis. mRNA expression levels of Fas, caspase-3, and caspase
      8 were evaluated quantitatively by real-time PCR. The expression of Fas, caspase
      3, and caspase-8 proteins were evaluated by Western blot. Meanwhile, cells were
      preincubated with various concentrations of anti-Fas antibody (CH11) and
      antagonistic anti-Fas antibody (ZB4). RESULTS: Chrysotile inhibits proliferation,
      induces apoptosis, and upregulates the expression of Fas, caspase-3, and caspase
      8. The role of Fas as a regulator of chrysotile-induced apoptosis in BEAS-2B
      cells was tested by the prominent increase in and partial blockade of the
      apoptotic rate with CH11 and ZB4. When CH11 was pretreated, a synergistic effect
      was apparent on chrysotile-induced apoptosis and the mRNA and protein expression
      levels of Fas and cleaved caspase-3. CONCLUSION: Chrysotile causes the apoptosis
      of BEAS-2B cells via the Fas death receptor pathway. The Fas-mediated apoptosis
      pathway plays an important role in chrysotile-induced apoptosis of BEAS-2B cells
      in vitro.

PMID- 28898890
TI  - An Open-Label Study of the Long-Term Safety of Pirfenidone in Patients with
      Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (RECAP).
AB  - BACKGROUND: RECAP (NCT00662038) was an open-label extension study in patients
      with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who completed either the Assessment of
      Pirfenidone to Confirm Efficacy and Safety in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
      (ASCEND) 016 phase 3 trial or the Clinical Studies Assessing Pirfenidone in
      Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Research of Efficacy and Safety Outcomes
      (CAPACITY) 004/006 phase 3 trials. OBJECTIVE: To obtain long-term safety data for
      pirfenidone in patients with IPF in RECAP. METHODS: Of the 1,334 patients who
      participated in the phase 3 trials, 1,058 entered RECAP. The final analysis from
      enrollment (September 2008) to June 2015 is presented. RESULTS: Mean (SD) and
      median (range) pirfenidone exposures in RECAP were 122 (98) weeks and 88 (>0 to
      349) weeks, respectively, with a mean daily dose of 2,091.1 mg. Cumulative total
      exposure was 2,482 patient exposure years (PEY). The treatment-emergent adverse
      event (TEAE) rate was 701.9 per 100 PEY. The serious TEAE rate was 53.5 per 100
      PEY, with the most common serious TEAE being IPF (11.1 per 100 PEY). Of the 231
      deaths (9.3 per 100 PEY), the most common cause was IPF (5.4 per 100 PEY). The
      treatment discontinuation rate due to a TEAE was 17.9 per 100 PEY;
      discontinuations were due to IPF (7.2 per 100 PEY), pneumonia, respiratory
      failure, acute respiratory failure, rash (0.5 per 100 PEY each), and nausea (0.4
      per 100 PEY). For patients from CAPACITY 004/006 who entered RECAP, the mean
      change in percent predicted forced vital capacity from RECAP baseline at 180
      weeks was -9.6%. Median on-treatment survival from the first pirfenidone dose in
      RECAP was 77.2 months. CONCLUSIONS: RECAP provides long-term follow-up and safety
      data for pirfenidone that were consistent with the known profile, with no new
      safety signals observed.

PMID- 28898891
TI  - New Insights into the Natural History of Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome.
AB  - We describe the prenatal evolution of the brain findings in a patient with proved
      Zika virus infection at 8 weeks of gestation showing the very early appearance at
      17 weeks of ventriculomegaly and signs of brain parenchymal involvement without
      microcephaly. The involvement of the brain becomes more evident at 22 and 27
      weeks with the apparition of calcifications and microcephaly. Interestingly, the
      postnatal findings failed to show significant worsening when compared to these
      prenatal findings.

PMID- 28898892
TI  - Posterior Hemi-/Laminectomy and Facetectomy Approach for the Treatment of
      Dumbbell-Shaped Schwannomas in the Subaxial Cervical Spine: A Retrospective Study
      of 26 Cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It is difficult to completely and safely remove a tumor that is
      located in the subaxial cervical spine by using the posterior approach because of
      the anatomical characteristics. Previous reports regarding the total removal of
      subaxial schwannomas using the one-stage posterior approach are still limited.
      This study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of treating the dumbbell
      shaped schwannomas in the subaxial cervical spine using the one-stage posterior
      approach. METHODS: Patients with dumbbell-shaped schwannomas in the subaxial
      cervical spine were treated using the one-stage posterior approach. Surgical
      profile, clinical outcomes, MRI and X-ray images, and complications were
      investigated. Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and McCormick
      functional schema score were obtained. RESULTS: The average follow-up was 21.5 +/
      5.1 months, with a range of 12-31 months. Twenty-six patients were enrolled in
      the study. Total resection was achieved in all patients using the one-stage
      posterior approach with hemi- or laminectomy and facetectomy. All cases underwent
      lateral mass screw fixation and fusion. JOA improved significantly (p < 0.01).
      The McCormick score improved significantly (p < 0.05) after the surgery. No
      mortality, morbidity, or tumor recurrence was observed during the follow-up
      period. CONCLUSION: Our technique was feasible and effective for the treatment of
      dumbbell schwannomas in the subaxial cervical spine. The tumor could be totally
      removed in most cases safely.

PMID- 28898893
TI  - Effects of Artesunate on the Expressions of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1,
      Osteopontin and C-Telopeptides of Type II Collagen in a Rat Model of
      Osteoarthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study aims to explore the effects of artesunate on insulin-like
      growth factor-1 (IGF-1), Osteopontin (OPN), and C-telopeptides of type II
      collagen (CTX-II) in serum, synovial fluid (SF), and cartilage tissues of rats
      with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: OA models were established. Normal model,
      artesunate, and Viatril-S groups (20 rats respectively) were set. Enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay, IHC staining, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain
      reaction were conducted to calculate IGF-1, OPN, and CTX-II levels in serum, SF,
      and cartilage tissues of rats. The pathological changes in cartilage tissues were
      evaluated with Mankin score and Hematoxylin-Eosin staining. RESULTS: Compared
      with the normal group, the model group showed increased IGF-1 level; decreased
      OPN, CTX-II levels in the serum and SF; and contrary results were seen in the
      cartilage tissues. A gradual ascending IGF-1 level and descending OPN and CTX-II
      levels existed in the serum and SF in the artesunate and Viatril-S groups after 2
      weeks. The model group showed the most obvious pathological changes and highest
      Mankin score compared with the other groups. Higher IGF-1 level and lower OPN,
      CTX-II levels were exhibited in the cartilage tissue in the artesunate and
      Viatril-S groups but not in the model group. CONCLUSION: Artesunate and Viatril-S
      inhibit OA development by elevating IGF-1 level and reducing OPN and CTX-II
      levels.

PMID- 28898894
TI  - Editorial to Driving Ability and Psychotropic Drugs.

PMID- 28898895
TI  - Erratum: International Reports of Unexpected Low Plasma Concentrations of
      Dabigatran Suggest That More Frequent Measurements Will Add Value.

PMID- 28898896
TI  - Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Devastating Outcome of Congenital Bleeding Disorders
      Prevalence, Diagnosis, and Management, with a Special Focus on Congenital Factor
      XIII Deficiency.
AB  - Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a medical emergency. In congenital bleeding
      disorders, ICH is a devastating presentation accompanied with a high rate of
      morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of ICH is highly variable among
      congenital bleeding disorders, with the highest incidence observed in factor (F)
      XIII deficiency (FXIIID) (~30%). This life-threatening presentation is less
      common in afibrinogenemia, FVIII, FIX, FVII, and FX deficiencies, and is rare in
      severe FV and FII deficiencies, type 3 von Willebrand disease and inherited
      platelet function disorders (IPFDs). In FXIIID, this diathesis most often occurs
      after trauma in children, whereas spontaneous ICH is more frequent in adults.
      About 15% of patients with FXIIID and ICH die; the bleeding causes 80% of deaths
      in this coagulopathy. Although in FXIIID, the bleed most commonly is
      intraparenchymal (> 90%), epidural, subdural, and subarachnoid hemorrhages also
      have been reported, albeit rarely. As this life-threatening bleeding causes
      neurological complications, early diagnosis can prevent further expansion of the
      hematoma and secondary damage. Neuroimaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis
      of ICH, but signs and symptoms in patients with severe FXIIID should trigger
      replacement therapy even before establishment of the diagnosis. Although a high
      dose of FXIII concentrate can reduce the rate of morbidity and mortality of ICH
      in FXIIID, it may occasionally trigger inhibitor development, thus complicating
      ICH management and future prophylaxis. Nevertheless, replacement therapy is the
      mainstay of treatment for ICH in FXIIID. Neurosurgery is performed in patients
      with FXIIID and epidural hematoma and a hemorrhage diameter exceeding 2 cm or a
      volume of ICH is more than 30 cm3. Contact sports are not recommended in people
      with FXIIID as they can elicit ICH. However, a considerable number of safe sports
      and activities have been suggested to have more benefits than dangers for
      patients with congenital bleeding disorders, and are hence suitable for these
      patients.

PMID- 28898897
TI  - von Willebrand Factor and Venous Thromboembolism: Pathogenic Link and Therapeutic
      Implications.
AB  - Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent cause of disability and mortality
      worldwide. Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a major determinant of hemostasis and
      clot formation, in both arteries and veins. Although VWF is mainly known for its
      role in arterial thrombosis, several studies suggest a pathogenic role for VWF
      and its regulator ADAMTS-13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a
      thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) in venous thrombosis. Nongenetic and
      genetic factors, including gene mutations and polymorphisms, aging, hormone
      status, ABO blood groups, and systemic inflammation, have been involved in the
      modulation of both VTE predisposition and plasma levels of VWF. In several
      clinical settings, including inflammatory disease and cancer, VWF and ADAMTS-13
      are currently investigated as possible determinants of vein thrombosis. These
      data indicate VWF as a potential therapeutic target in the management of VTE.
      Several studies report unselective antagonism of VWF for drugs used in daily
      clinical practice, including heparin and statins. Selective inhibition of VWF
      pathway has recently been tested in animal models of arterial and venous
      thrombosis as a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent platelet aggregation and
      thrombosis, promote vein lumen recanalization, and improve vein valve competency
      with excellent safety profile. In this review, we summarize the role of VWF in
      VTE, focusing on clinical and potential therapeutic implications.

PMID- 28898898
TI  - Mechanisms of Platelet Dysfunction in Patients with Implantable Devices.
AB  - As treatment options in modern medicine continue to expand, physicians globally
      have witnessed a veritable explosion in the utility of therapeutic devices.
      Particularly within the spheres of cardiology and critical care medicine, a
      plethora of devices are now available with an ever-increasing range of clinical
      indications. Additionally, the advent of transcatheter-mounted devices has
      enabled patients unsuitable for more invasive procedures to benefit from
      intervention, thereby greatly expanding the cohort of device-eligible patients.
      However, despite advances in design and materials, as well as pharmacological
      prophylaxis, hemostatic complications continue to plague device recipients,
      contributing to morbidity and mortality. Elucidating the complex interplay
      between components of the hemostatic system and cardiac devices has been the
      subject of much recent research, with greater focus on the coagulation cascade
      and device-induced perturbations. However, less is known about impact of
      mechanical surfaces on platelets and the resultant clinical complications, both
      hemorrhagic and thrombotic. This review will focus on exploring the pathobiology
      of platelet-surface interactions, contextualized within the wider hemostatic
      system, with a focus on the increasingly utilized technologies of transcatheter
      aortic-valve implantation, ventricular assist devices, and extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation.

PMID- 28898900
TI  - The Complications of Vascular Access in Hemodialysis.
AB  - Complications related to hemodialysis vascular access continue to have a major
      impact on morbidity and mortality. Vascular access dysfunction is the single most
      important factor that determines the quality of dialysis treatment. Vascular
      access stenosis is a common complication that develops in a great majority of
      patients with an arteriovenous access and leads to access dysfunction. By
      restricting luminal diameter, this complication leads to a reduction in blood
      flow and places the access at risk for thrombosis. Similarly, the development of
      catheter-related fibroepithelial sheath also causes catheter dysfunction with its
      detrimental effects on blood flow. In this article, we discuss the most common
      complications associated with dialysis access and provide therapeutic options to
      manage these problems.

PMID- 28898901
TI  - The Lupus Anticoagulant Paradox.
AB  - Lupus anticoagulant (LA) represents the most enigmatic antibody population in
      patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and represents a paradox that is still
      unsolved. This class of antiphospholipid antibody causes a phospholipid-dependent
      prolongation of the clotting time but is associated with an increased risk of
      thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity. In this review, we will provide an overview
      of the different antibodies that have been associated with LA activity, their
      importance based on clinical studies, and address the question why this
      prolongation of the clotting time is associated with thrombosis rather than a
      bleeding tendency.

PMID- 28898899
TI  - Platelets as Modulators of Liver Diseases.
AB  - Platelets are key players in thrombosis and hemostasis. Alterations in platelet
      count and function are common in liver disease, and may contribute to bleeding or
      thrombotic complications in liver diseases and during liver surgery. In addition
      to their hemostatic function, platelets may modulate liver diseases by mechanisms
      that are incompletely understood. Here, we present clinical evidence for a role
      of platelets in the progression of chronic and acute liver diseases, including
      cirrhosis, acute liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. We also present
      clinical evidence that platelets promote liver regeneration following partial
      liver resection. Subsequently, we summarize studies in experimental animal models
      that support these clinical observations, and also highlight studies that are in
      contrast with clinical observations. The combined results of clinical and
      experimental studies suggest that platelets may be a therapeutic target in the
      treatment of liver injury and repair, but the gaps in our understanding of
      mechanisms involved in platelet-mediated modulation of liver diseases call for
      caution in clinical application of these findings.

PMID- 28898902
TI  - Bleeding and Thrombotic Complications in the Use of Extracorporeal Membrane
      Oxygenation.
AB  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used for >40 years to support
      lung and heart failure; however, bleeding and thrombosis remain serious
      complications. The known etiologies of bleeding include heparin effect or
      overdose, coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia, platelet dysfunction, acquired von
      Willebrand syndrome, and hyperfibrinolysis. Bleeding sites may include cannula
      insertion sites, recent surgical incisions, vascular access sites, lung,
      gastrointestinal tract, mouth, nose, thoracic cavity, abdominal cavity, and
      brain. Massive bleeding in the brain, the most feared bleeding complication, can
      be rapidly fatal because it occurs in a rigid closed space, is difficult to
      drain, and cannot be stopped with direct pressure to the bleeding site. Pulmonary
      hemorrhage may cause irreversible lung damage. Management should be swift and
      precise to prevent fatal bleeding. In contrast, etiologies of thrombosis include
      high fibrinogen and factor VIII levels, heparin resistance, and platelet
      activation. Achieving the optimal anticoagulation balance to prevent bleeding and
      thrombosis in ECMO patients is extremely complex. Experts in hemostasis should be
      a part of an institutional ECMO team and continuously available for immediate
      management.

PMID- 28898904
TI  - The Protective Effect of the Ethanol Leaf Extract of Andrographis Paniculata on
      Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Rats Through nrf2/KIM-1 Signalling
      Pathway.
AB  - The ethanol leaf extract of Andrographis paniculata was used to ameliorate the
      renal toxicity induced by cisplatin in 28 rats divided into four groups of seven
      rats per group. Group A received normal saline for the duration of the
      experiment. Group B animals were treated with cisplatin (10 mg/kg i.p) on day 1
      and 3 days after received normal saline for the next 7 days while groups C and D
      animals also received 10 mg/kg dose of cisplatin on day 1 but after 3 days were
      then respectively treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg doses of the extract of
      Andrographis paniculata for the remaining 7 days through oral administration.
      Serum chemistry was used for the determination of markers of oxidative stress,
      anti-oxidant enzymes, serum biomarkers etc. Histopathology and
      immunohistochemistry were also carried out. Results showed that all oxidative
      stress markers assayed were significantly increased in group B animals but
      reverse is the case for groups C and D. On the other hand, antioxidant enzymes
      assayed experienced significant increase for groups C and D while these
      parameters experienced significant decrease for group B animals. Histopathology
      showed severe infiltration of inflammatory cells into renal tissues of group B
      animals whereas for groups C and D animals, only moderate glomerular degeneration
      was noted. In immunohistochemistry, while there is higher expression of KIM-1 for
      group B, there was a lower expression in groups C and D. Again, there was lower
      expression of Nrf2 for group B but higher expressions in groups C and D animals.

PMID- 28898905
TI  - Taguchi Experimental Design for Optimization of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone
      Production in CHO Cell Lines and Comparing its Biological Activity with
      Prokaryotic Growth Hormone.
AB  - Growth hormone deficiency results in growth retardation in children and the GH
      deficiency syndrome in adults and they need to receive recombinant-GH in order to
      rectify the GH deficiency symptoms. Mammalian cells have become the favorite
      system for production of recombinant proteins for clinical application compared
      to prokaryotic systems because of their capability for appropriate protein
      folding, assembly, post-translational modification and proper signal. However,
      production level in mammalian cells is generally low compared to prokaryotic
      hosts. Taguchi has established orthogonal arrays to describe a large number of
      experimental situations mainly to reduce experimental errors and to enhance the
      efficiency and reproducibility of laboratory experiments.In the present study,
      rhGH was produced in CHO cells and production of rhGH was assessed using Dot
      blotting, western blotting and Elisa assay. For optimization of rhGH production
      in CHO cells using Taguchi method An M16 orthogonal experimental design was used
      to investigate four different culture components. The biological activity of rhGH
      was assessed using LHRE-TK-Luciferase reporter gene system in HEK-293 and
      compared to the biological activity of prokaryotic rhGH.A maximal productivity of
      rhGH was reached in the conditions of 1%DMSO, 1%glycerol, 25 uM ZnSO4 and 0 mM
      NaBu. Our findings indicate that control of culture conditions such as the
      addition of chemical components helps to develop an efficient large-scale and
      industrial process for the production of rhGH in CHO cells. Results of bioassay
      indicated that rhGH produced by CHO cells is able to induce GH-mediated
      intracellular cell signaling and showed higher bioactivity when compared to
      prokaryotic GH at the same concentrations.

PMID- 28898903
TI  - Inhibition of Factors XI and XII for Prevention of Thrombosis Induced by
      Artificial Surfaces.
AB  - Exposure of blood to a variety of artificial surface induces contact activation,
      a process that contributes to the host innate response to foreign substances. On
      the foreign surface, the contact factors, factor XII (FXII), and plasma
      prekallikrein undergo reciprocal conversion to their fully active protease forms
      (FXIIa and alpha-kallikrein, respectively) by a process supported by the cofactor
      high-molecular-weight kininogen. Contact activation can trigger blood coagulation
      by conversion of factor XI (FXI) to the protease FXIa. There is interest in
      developing therapeutic inhibitors to FXIa and FXIIa because these activated
      factors can contribute to thrombosis in certain situations. Drugs targeting these
      proteases may be particularly effective in thrombosis triggered by exposure of
      blood to the surfaces of implantable medical devices. Here, we review clinical
      data supporting roles for FXII and FXI in thrombosis induced by medical devices,
      and preclinical data suggesting that therapeutic targeting of these proteins may
      limit surface-induced thrombosis.

PMID- 28898906
TI  - Application of Spray Drying Technique for Flowability enhancement of Divalproex
      Sodium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tablets and capsules are the most accepted and widely used solid
      dosage forms in the medical therapy. Flow property of the powders is playing a
      key role in the various pharmaceutical fields especially in the fomulation of
      tablets and capsules. The high hygroscopic crystalline structure of anhydrous
      Divalproex sodium (DVX) makes it to be appear as waxy white flakes with almost no
      powder flowability which cause serious problems during the tabletting and capsule
      filling procedures. PURPOSE: The main objective of this study was to improve the
      flowability of DVX powder. METHODS: DVX was mixed with mannitol or lactos in
      different ratios, dissolved in water and differet binary mixtures of
      ethanol:water, and finally spray dried with different spray drying conditions.
      Particle size and powders morphology were assessed by Scanning Electron
      Microscopy (SEM). The poweder flowability was assessed by measurmet of Hausner
      ratio (HR), Carr's index (CI) and angle of repose (AOR) indexes. Furthermore, the
      content uniformity of DVX in spray-dried powders was determined by using a
      validated HPLC technique. RESULTS: The results showed that spray drying technique
      improved DVX flowability by forming spherical particles with narrow size
      distribution AOR value of DVX was decrease from not flowable to 36.1 degrees  in
      spray dried solid dispersion indicating the improvmet of powder flowability from
      very poor to fair/good condition. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the spray
      drying technique improves DVX flowability and may pave the way for improvement in
      the tabletting procedure of DVX.

PMID- 28898907
TI  - Effects of Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) on Gentamicin Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rat.
AB  - Background The main side effect of gentamicin is nephrotoxicity. The effect of
      cobalamin (Cob) was investigated on gentamicin nephrotoxicity in rats. Methods
      Renal injury induced by i.p. injection of gentamicin (100 mg/kg) for 8
      consecutive days. Cobalamin (6 mg/kg/day, i.p) treatment was done for 8
      consecutive days as co-treatment and post-treatment protocol. Results Cobalamin
      significantly increased creatinine clearance levels and renal blood flow which
      were reduced by gentamicin. Also, cobalamin significantly improved serum
      electrolytes (sodium and potassium) levels which were disturbed by gentamicin.
      Cobalamin significantly compensated deficits in the antioxidant defense
      mechanisms, suppressed lipid per oxidation and ameliorated renal tissue damage
      mediated by gentamicin. Conclusion The results of the current study indicated
      that cobalamin effectively protected the kidney tissue against gentamicin induced
      acute nephrotoxicity in rats. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities
      can be supposed the main factors responsible for the nephroprotective effect of
      cobalamin.

PMID- 28898908
TI  - Influence of High-Dose Folic Acid on Methotrexate Efficacies and Safety in
      Japanese Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.
AB  - Backgrounds Folic acid dose at ?5 mg/week has been recommended for rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) patients to decrease risk of methotrexate adverse effects.
      However, higher doses of folic acid is used in some cases. We examined the
      influence of high-dose folic acid on methotrexate efficacies and safety in
      Japanese RA patients. Methods 502 RA patients of four hospitals prescribed
      methotrexate and folic acid were included. These patients were divided into two
      subgroups according to the threshold of folic acid dose by 5 mg/week. Basic
      patient characteristics, methotrexate doses, and the efficacies or adverse
      effects of methotrexate were retrospectively compared between the two patient
      subgroups. Results The frequency of folic acid use at doses higher than 5 mg/week
      was significantly different between the four hospitals (P<0.001). The prevalence
      of methotrexate adverse effects was not significantly different between the
      patients taking folic acid less and more than 5 mg/week. However, in the lower
      dose methotrexate subgroup (?8 mg/week), the prevalence of patients exhibiting
      abnormal serum ALT concentrations in the patients using higher (>5 mg/week) dose
      of folic acid was significantly higher than that in the lower (?5 mg/week) folic
      acid-treated subgroup (P=0.029). Folic acid dose between patients taking
      methotrexate less and more than 8 mg/week was not significantly different. Major
      conclusion Folic acid dose was dependent on the hospitals, while efficacies and
      hepatotoxicity of methotrexate was not basically different between patients
      taking less and more than 5 mg/week of folic acid.

PMID- 28898909
TI  - Anti-Hyperglycaemic Effect of Cleome Rutidosperma in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic
      Albino Rats.
AB  - The hypoglycaemic and antihyperglycaemic effects of methanol extract of leaves of
      Cleome rutidosperma (Cr) DC (Family: Capparidaceae) was investigated in Wistar
      rats. Fifty normoglycaemic male rats (120 g-200 g) were divided into groups A
      (hypoglycaemic study; n=20) and B (antihyperglycaemic study; n=30). Each
      experiment had one control group and three groups administered with Cr (100, 200
      or 400 mg/kg) respectively. Group B had two additional groups of diabetic
      untreated rats and glibenclamide-treated diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in
      Group B rats (except control) fasted overnight for 12 h by intraperitoneal
      injection of Alloxan (100 mg/kg). Fasting blood glucose levels (FBGL) were
      determined and alloxan-treated rats with BGL >200 mg/dl 48 h post-induction were
      considered diabetic. Data obtained were analyzed using One-way ANOVA and Duncan
      Multiple Range Test (p<0.05). Cr-treated rats showed significant decline in BGL
      with noteworthy decline by day 3 post-treatment at the dose of 200 mg/kg
      (236.40+/-14.72 mg/dl) from 336.40+/-21.06 mg/dl. Cr at the dose of 200 mg/kg
      (72.20+/-6.18 mg/dl, 69.20+/-7.81 mg/dl, 137.80+/-7.15 mg/dl and 70.60+/-10.66
      mg/dl) showed better glycemic control compared to glibenclamide (194.50+/-7.75
      mg/dl, 253.75+/-7.20 mg/dl, 284.25+/-10.56 mg/dl and 156.00+/-10.80 mg/dl). Cr
      treated rats also showed progressive weight gain through the course of the study.
      This study demonstrated Cr has antihyperglycemic effect with more rapid onset of
      action and better glycemic control compared to glibenclamide.

PMID- 28898910
TI  - Balanced Coagonist of GLP-1 and Glucagon Receptors Corrects Dyslipidemia by
      Improving FGF21 Sensitivity in Hamster Model.
AB  - Hyperlipidemia is often associated with obesity and diabetes, and can lead to
      serious complications like atherosclerosis and fatty liver disease. Coagonist of
      GLP-1 and glucagon receptors is a therapy under clinical investigation for
      treatment of obesity and diabetes. In this study, we have characterized the
      mechanism of hypolipidemic effect of a balanced coagonist using high cholesterol
      fed hamsters. Tyloxapol-induced hypertriglyceridemia, lipolysis in adipose
      tissue, and bile homeostasis were assessed after repeated dose treatment of the
      coagonist of GLP-1 and glucagon receptors (Aib2 C24 chimera 2, SC). Antagonists
      of GLP-1, glucagon, and FGF21 receptors were coadministered, and FGF21
      sensitivity was determined in liver and adipose tissue. Repeated dose treatment
      of coagonist reduced cholesterol and increased FGF21 in blood and liver.
      Coagonist treatment reduced hepatic triglyceride secretion, increased lipolysis
      and reduced body weight. Antagonism of GLP-1 and glucagon receptors partially
      blocked the effect of the coagonist on lipid metabolism in circulation and liver,
      while FGF21 receptor antagonist completely abolished it. Glucagon and GLP-1
      receptors antagonists blocked the action of coagonist on cholesterol excretion
      and bile flow in liver, but FGF21 antagonist was not effective. Treatment with
      the coagonist increased expression of FGF21, FGF21R and cofactor betaKlotho in
      liver and adipose. In conclusion, coagonist of GLP-1 and glucagon receptors
      improved lipid metabolism in liver of dyslipidemic hamsters. This effect is
      partially mediated by GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, and the improved FGF21
      sensitivity could be the mechanism of hypolipidemic action of the coagonist of
      GLP-1/glucagon receptors.

PMID- 28898911
TI  - Lactobacilus Delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus Modulates the Secretion of Th1/Th2 and
      Treg Cell-Related Cytokines by PBMCs from Patients with Atopic Dermatitis.
AB  - Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease which may be
      due to the imbalance between Th1-, Th2 and Treg cell-related immune responses.
      Evidences suggest that appropriate stimulation with probiotics may correct the
      skewed immune response in children with AD. The aim was to determine the effects
      of the yogurt culture lactobacillus Bulgaricus on the secretion of Th1/Th2/Treg
      type cytokines by PBMCs from children with AD. MethodsL. Bulgaricus was
      cultivated on MRS broth. The PBMCs from 20 children with AD were separated by
      Ficoll-Hypaque centrifugation and co-cultured with different concentrations of UV
      killed bacteria in RPMI-1640 plus 10% FCS for 48/72 h. The levels of IL-10, IL-4,
      IL-12 and IFN-gamma were measured in supernatant of PBMCs by ELISA. ResultsL.
      Bulgaricus significantly up-regulated the secretion of IL-10, IL-12 and IFN
      gamma, whereas decreased the secretion of IL-4 by PBMCs at both incubation times
      48 h/72 h and both bacteria:PBMCs ratios 100:1/50:1, compared to control
      (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between incubation times 48 h and
      72 h regarding the secretion levels of IL-12, IFN-gamma and IL-4. However, the
      secretion of IL-10 by L. Bulgaricus-stimulated PBMCs at incubation time 72 h and
      in the presence of bacteria:PBMCs ratio 100:1 was significantly higher than in
      incubation time 48 h and in the presence of bacteria:PBMCs ratio 50:1 (P<0.000
      and P<0.00, respectively). Conclusion These data show that L. Bulgaricus may
      modulate the secretion of Th1-, Th2-Treg-related cytokines in AD patients.
      Therefore, the possible potential therapeutic of L. Bulgaricus for treatment of
      AD should be consider in further investigation.

PMID- 28898912
TI  - Application of Graphene and its Derivatives in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment.
AB  - Although chemotherapies are successful in some cases, systemic toxicity could be
      simultaneously observed due to the lack of drugs selectivity to cancerous
      tissues, leading to the failure of the chemotherapies. Furthermore, the
      therapeutic effects will be significantly improved if the anticancer drugs could
      be delivered to cancer cells with high selectivity. In recent years, there have
      been many advances in the field of diagnosis and treatment of cancer as a result
      of the development of novel materials with noticeable and often unique
      properties. Nanoparticles have unique biological properties, owing to their small
      size and large surface area-to-volume ratio, which allow them to bind, absorb,
      and carry compounds such as small molecule drugs, DNA, RNA, proteins, and probes
      with high efficiency. In the course of the last decade, Graphene and its
      derivatives have attracted growing interest in medicinal and pharmaceutical
      sciences, and many studies have focused on the potential of Graphene and its
      derivatives as carriers for targeted drug delivery intended for cancer diagnosis
      and therapies. In the present study, we will review the characteistics and
      application of Graphene and its different derivatives and finally discuss the
      opportunities, limitations, and challenges in this encouraging field.

PMID- 28898913
TI  - [Tuberculosis].

PMID- 28898914
TI  - [Neuroanatomy of the Oculomotor System].
AB  - After just a clinical examination, the experienced neurologist can assign
      specific symptoms quite precisely to distinct lesions within the brain and other
      parts of the nervous system, on the basis of his neuroanatomical knowledge. This
      also holds true for lesions affecting the oculomotor system. The aim of this
      article is to give a comprehensive overview of the neuroanatomical basis of the
      oculomotor system, in order to facilitate the precise spatial assignment of
      potential lesions affecting the control of eye movements. After a brief
      introduction, the components of the system are discussed, including the
      extraocular muscles and their innervating nerves. The following section will then
      cover the control of eye movements and will specifically address distinct
      patterns of eye movements and areas within the central nervous system controlling
      these. This article also gives a brief overview of the intraocular muscles and
      their control.

PMID- 28898915
TI  - [Current Therapies in Superficial Malignant Tumors].
AB  - This article is a review of diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities in common
      epibulbar malignant tumors, such as basal cell carcinoma, conjunctival lymphoma,
      squamous cell carcinoma and conjunctival melanoma. Most importantly, for every
      tumor patient there is a detailed anamnesis, split lamp examination and photo
      documentation. Further regular controls after therapy are required due to the
      risk of recurrences.Basal cell carcinoma is the most common tumor of the
      periocular skin, divided into three subtypes (nodular, superficial and morphea).
      The treatment consists of total excision with a sufficient safety margin.The most
      common tumor of the orbital and ocular adnexa are lymphoma. They can appear
      primary or secondary, as lymphatic system disease. The gold standard therapy is a
      percutaneous irradiation.Squamous cell carcinoma and its precancerous stages (CIN
      I - III) are frequently diagnosed on the conjunctiva. A complete tumor excision
      is required, but sometimes it is not possible due to large tumor growth.
      Therefore, an adjuvant therapy with mitomycin C eyedrops, brachytherapy with
      ruthenium plaque or proton radiotherapy is required.Conjunctival melanoma is a
      rare, but life-threatening disease. Melanosis with atypia has a high risk for
      degeneration and requires further treatment with mitomycin C eyedrops. In cases
      of malignant tumor growth, an excision with a non-touch technique and adjuvant
      therapy with brachy or proton irradiation should be applied.

PMID- 28898916
TI  - [Rehabilitation Following Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency: Current Treatment Options
      and Future Developments].
AB  - Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is a condition caused by the loss of corneal
      epithelial regenerative potential. The treatment of this condition is still a
      challenge. It results from various conditions both intrinsic as well as
      extrinsic. LSCD can be either uni- or bilateral and either partial or total.
      Today treatment options include a variety of techniques including transplantation
      of amniotic membrane and limbal tissue or tissue engineered cell sheets. This
      article summarizes the current techniques to treat LSCD and upcoming
      developments.

PMID- 28898917
TI  - Technical aspects of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided sampling in
      gastroenterology: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Technical
      Guideline - March 2017.
AB  - For routine EUS-guided sampling of solid masses and lymph nodes (LNs) ESGE
      recommends 25G or 22G needles (high quality evidence, strong recommendation);
      fine needle aspiration (FNA) and fine needle biopsy (FNB) needles are equally
      recommended (high quality evidence, strong recommendation).When the primary aim
      of sampling is to obtain a core tissue specimen, ESGE suggests using 19G FNA or
      FNB needles or 22G FNB needles (low quality evidence, weak recommendation).ESGE
      recommends using 10-mL syringe suction for EUS-guided sampling of solid masses
      and LNs with 25G or 22G FNA needles (high quality evidence, strong
      recommendation) and other types of needles (low quality evidence, weak
      recommendation). ESGE suggests neutralizing residual negative pressure in the
      needle before withdrawing the needle from the target lesion (moderate quality
      evidence, weak recommendation).ESGE does not recommend for or against using the
      needle stylet for EUS-guided sampling of solid masses and LNs with FNA needles
      (high quality evidence, strong recommendation) and suggests using the needle
      stylet for EUS-guided sampling with FNB needles (low quality evidence, weak
      recommendation).ESGE suggests fanning the needle throughout the lesion when
      sampling solid masses and LNs (moderate quality evidence, weak
      recommendation).ESGE equally recommends EUS-guided sampling with or without on
      site cytologic evaluation (moderate quality evidence, strong recommendation).
      When on-site cytologic evaluation is unavailable, ESGE suggests performance of
      three to four needle passes with an FNA needle or two to three passes with an FNB
      needle (low quality evidence, weak recommendation).For diagnostic sampling of
      pancreatic cystic lesions without a solid component, ESGE suggests emptying the
      cyst with a single pass of a 22G or 19G needle (low quality evidence, weak
      recommendation). For pancreatic cystic lesions with a solid component, ESGE
      suggests sampling of the solid component using the same technique as in the case
      of other solid lesions (low quality evidence, weak recommendation).ESGE does not
      recommend antibiotic prophylaxis for EUS-guided sampling of solid masses or LNs
      (low quality evidence, strong recommendation), and suggests antibiotic
      prophylaxis with fluoroquinolones or beta-lactam antibiotics for EUS-guided
      sampling of cystic lesions (low quality evidence, weak recommendation). ESGE
      suggests that evaluation of tissue obtained by EUS-guided sampling should include
      histologic preparations (e. g., cell blocks and/or formalin-fixed and paraffin
      embedded tissue fragments) and should not be limited to smear cytology (low
      quality evidence, weak recommendation).

PMID- 28898918
TI  - Insertion of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes with jejunal extensions
      using the "wedge" technique: a novel method to prevent retrograde tube migration
      into the stomach.
AB  - Background and study aim In percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) with
      jejunal extension (PEGJ) procedures, retrograde migration of the jejunal
      extension tube into the stomach during endoscope withdrawal is a frustrating
      problem. We describe the novel "wedge" technique for inserting the jejunal
      extension tube, utilizing single-balloon enteroscopy to anchor it in place.
      Patients and methods Prospective 1-year study of consecutive patients undergoing
      PEGJ insertion at a single tertiary care center. The primary outcome was number
      of pyloric intubations required to place the jejunal extension tube. Secondary
      outcomes included success rate, time, and complications related to jejunal
      extension tube insertion. Results 17 patients underwent the procedure. The
      jejunal extension tube was inserted at the first attempt in 15 patients (88.2 %)
      and 2 required another pyloric intubation. Abdominal X-ray showed that all PEGJ
      tubes were successfully seated in the proximal jejunum. The mean (SD) time
      required for jejunal extension insertion was 16.9 (8.6) minutes. Two adverse
      events occurred due to PEG insertion although none were related to the jejunal
      extension insertion itself. Conclusions: The "wedge" technique is an effective
      and easy method for inserting a jejunal extension tube after PEG insertion.

PMID- 28898919
TI  - Comparison of two fluoroscopic images to ensure efficient scope insertion for
      biliary intervention in patients with Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy.
AB  - Background and study aims No standard procedure for endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography is available for patients with Roux-en-Y
      hepaticojejunostomy (RYHJ) with side-to-end hepaticojejunostomy. We therefore
      explored methods of efficient scope insertion at a hepaticojejunostomy site.
      Patients and methods Patients with suspected biliary disease were prospectively
      enrolled. Based on two fluoroscopic images obtained on scope insertion into each
      lumen of a two-pronged Roux-en-Y anastomosis, we selected the lumen in which the
      distal end of the scope progressed toward the patient's liver or head. The
      accuracy of this method for selecting the correct lumen leading to the
      hepaticojejunostomy site was investigated. Results Of the 33 included patients,
      successful insertion to the hepaticojejunostomy site was achieved in 32 (97 %),
      26 (81 %) of whom had undergone the imaging method. The accuracy of the method
      was 88 % (23/26). The time required for insertion between the anastomotic site
      and the hepaticojejunostomy site was shorter when the lumen selection had been
      correct (13 minutes [7 - 30] (n = 23) vs. 18 minutes [8 - 28] (n = 9); P = 0.95).
      Conclusion This method based on two fluoroscopic images was useful for achieving
      efficient scope insertion in patients with RYHJ.Trial registered at University
      Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000014183).

PMID- 28898920
TI  - Higher adenoma detection rate with the endocuff: a randomized trial.
AB  - Background and study aim Different techniques have been introduced to improve the
      endoscopist's view and enhance the detection of polyps. The endocuff is a polymer
      sleeve cap that is connected to the tip of the colonoscope in order to improve
      visualization of the mucosa during colonoscopy. The aim of the study was to
      compare adenoma detection rates (ADR) of endocuff-assisted colonoscopy and
      conventional colonoscopy. Patients and methods Patients 50 years or older were
      randomized into two groups: an endocuff-assisted colonoscopy group and a
      conventional colonoscopy group without the endocuff. Results A total of 337
      patients were included: 174 in the endocuff group and 163 in the conventional
      group. The median age was 61 years (interquartile range 55 - 70 years), and 74 %
      were women. The ADR was higher in the endocuff group than in the conventional
      group (22.4 % vs. 13.5 %; P = 0.02). The mean number of adenomas was 0.30 (SD
      0.25) in the endocuff group and 0.21 (SD 0.26) in the conventional group (P  =
      0.02). The rate of ileal intubation was lower in the endocuff group (73 % vs. 87
      %; P < 0.001). No serious adverse events occurred with the use of the endocuff.
      Conclusions Endocuff colonoscopy achieved a greater ADR than conventional
      colonoscopy.Trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NTC02387593).

PMID- 28898921
TI  - Long-term quality of life after peroral endoscopic myotomy remains compromised in
      patients with achalasia type III.
AB  - Background and study aims Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an excellent
      endoscopic treatment for achalasia. Clinical and manometric parameters are used
      for evaluation and follow-up. However, clinical success does not guarantee high
      quality of life (QoL) scores, generating doubts about their direct relationship.
      We aimed to evaluate QoL scores before and after POEM at medium and long term, to
      evaluate differences between achalasia subtypes and find which factors related to
      low QoL scores. Patients and methods Achalasia-confirmed patients undergoing POEM
      between February 2012 and November 2016. and completing at least 1 year of follow
      up, were included. Assessment before and at 1, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months after
      POEM employed manometry, barium series, Eckardt score, and the AE-18 health
      related QoL scale. Demographic, clinical, and procedure characteristics were
      documented, with comparisons between subgroups. Multiple logistic regression
      analysis was done. Results 65 of 88 patients were included (38 women, 27 men;
      median age 47 years, interquartile range [IQR] 20 - 81), and 50 (76.9 %)
      completed 4 years of follow-up. Eckardt score improved (median, preprocedure 10
      vs. post-procedure 2; P = 0.002) and this persisted. There was initial
      improvement in median integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) (29.4 mmHg [16 - 55]
      vs. 10.3 mmHg [3 - 18]; P = 0.000) and median QoL scores (40 vs. 68 at 1 month; P
      = 0.002); however IRP increased and QoL scores decreased. Men with confirmed type
      III achalasia had low QoL scores. Conclusions All patients had significant
      clinical improvement after POEM, with medium- to long-term persistence. Though
      quality of life and IRP initially improved, they deteriorated in the long term.
      Male sex and type III achalasia seem to be associated with low QoL scores.

PMID- 28898922
TI  - Cold versus hot endoscopic mucosal resection for nonpedunculated colorectal
      polyps sized 6-10 mm: a randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Cold snare polypectomy is an established method for
      the resection of small colorectal polyps; however, significant incomplete
      resection rates still leave room for improvement. We aimed to assess the efficacy
      of cold snare endoscopic mucosal resection (CS-EMR), compared with hot snare
      endoscopic mucosal resection (HS-EMR), for nonpedunculated polyps sized 6 - 10
      mm. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was a dual-center, randomized,
      noninferiority trial. Consecutive adult patients with at least one
      nonpedunculated polyp sized 6 - 10 mm were enrolled. Eligible polyps were
      randomized (1:1) to be treated with either CS-EMR or HS-EMR. Both methods
      involved submucosal injection of a methylene blue-tinted normal saline solution.
      The primary noninferiority end point was histological eradication evaluated by
      postpolypectomy biopsies (noninferiority margin - 10 %). Secondary outcomes
      included occurrence of intraprocedural bleeding, clinically significant
      postprocedural bleeding, and perforation. RESULTS: Among 689 patients screened,
      155 patients with 164 eligible polyps were included (CS-EMR n = 83, HS-EMR n =
      81). The overall rate of histological complete resection was 92.8 % in the CS-EMR
      group and 96.3 % in the HS-EMR group (difference 3.5 %; 95 % confidence interval
      [CI] - 4.15 to 11.56), showing noninferiority of CS-EMR compared with HS-EMR. CS
      EMR was shown to be noninferior both for polyps measuring 6 - 7 mm (CS-EMR 93.3
      %; HS-EMR 100 %; 95 %CI - 7.95 to 21.3) and those of 8 - 10 mm (92.5 % vs. 94.7
      %, respectively; 95 %CI - 7.91 to 13.16). Rates of intraprocedural bleeding were
      similar between the two groups (CS-EMR 3.6 %, HS-EMR 1.2 %; P  = 0.30). No
      clinically significant postprocedural bleeding or perforation occurred in either
      group. CONCLUSIONS: CS-EMR appears to be a valuable modification of the standard
      cold snare technique, obviating the need to use diathermy for nonpedunculated
      colorectal polyps sized 6 - 10 mm.

PMID- 28898926
TI  - Hybrid cell-centred/vertex model for multicellular systems with equilibrium
      preserving remodelling.
AB  - We present a hybrid cell-centred/vertex model for mechanically simulating planar
      cellular monolayers undergoing cell reorganisation. Cell centres are represented
      by a triangular nodal network, while the cell boundaries are formed by an
      associated vertex network. The two networks are coupled through a kinematic
      constraint which we allow to relax progressively. Special attention is paid to
      the change of cell-cell connectivity due to cell reorganisation or remodelling
      events. We handle these situations by using a variable resting length and
      applying an Equilibrium-Preserving Mapping on the new connectivity, which
      computes a new set of resting lengths that preserve nodal and vertex equilibrium.
      We illustrate the properties of the model by simulating monolayers subjected to
      imposed extension and during a wound healing process. The evolution of forces and
      the Equilibrium-Preserving Mapping are analysed during the remodelling events. As
      a by-product, the proposed technique enables to recover fully vertex or fully
      cell-centred models in a seamless manner by modifying a numerical parameter of
      the model.

PMID- 28898923
TI  - Repurposing a novel parathyroid hormone analogue to treat hypoparathyroidism.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Human parathyroid hormone (PTH) is critical for
      maintaining physiological calcium homeostasis and plays an important role in the
      formation and maintenance of the bone. Full-length PTH and a truncated peptide
      form are approved for treatment of hypoparathyroidism and osteoporosis
      respectively. Our initial goal was to develop an improved PTH therapy for
      osteoporosis, but clinical development was halted. The novel compound was then
      repurposed as an improved therapy for hypoparathyroidism. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:
      A longer-acting form of PTH was synthesised by altering the peptide to increase
      cell surface residence time of the bound ligand to its receptor. In vitro
      screening identified a compound, which was tested in an animal model of
      osteoporosis before entering human trials. This compound was subsequently tested
      in two independent animal models of hypoparathyroidism. KEY RESULTS: The peptide
      identified, LY627-2K, exhibited delayed internalization kinetics. In an
      ovariectomy-induced bone loss rat model, LY627-2K demonstrated improved vertebral
      bone mineral density and biomechanical properties at skeletal sites and a modest
      increase in serum calcium. In a Phase I clinical study, dose-dependent increases
      in serum calcium were reproduced. These observations prompted us to explore a
      second indication, hypoparathyroidism. In animal models of this disease, LY627-2K
      restored serum calcium, comparing favourably to treatment with wild-type PTH.
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We summarize the repositioning of a therapeutic
      candidate with substantial preclinical and clinical data. Our results support its
      repurposing and continued development, from a common indication (osteoporosis) to
      a rare disease (hypoparathyroidism) by exploiting a shared molecular target.
      LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Inventing New
      Therapies Without Reinventing the Wheel: The Power of Drug Repurposing. To view
      the other articles in this section visit
      http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.2/issuetoc.

PMID- 28898924
TI  - Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders with and without Intellectual Disability
      by Gestational Age at Birth in the Stockholm Youth Cohort: a Register Linkage
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preterm birth has been linked to increased risk of autism spectrum
      disorders (ASD), but how this risk changes with gestational age at birth has not
      been well characterised, especially with regard to co-occurring intellectual
      disability (ID). METHODS: Register-based cohort study of singleton births in 1984
      2007 in Stockholm County, Sweden (N total: 480 728; n ASD: 10 025). We assessed
      overall and sex-specific, gestational week-specific prevalence estimates and risk
      ratios of ASD with and without ID. RESULTS: Preterm and postterm births were
      associated with elevated risk of ASD, and the relationship between gestational
      age at birth and ASD with and without ID differed in males and females. Risk of
      ASD without ID was higher in preterm births among both sexes and decreased
      continuously with increasing length of gestation. Risk of ASD with ID was higher
      in both preterm and postterm births among both sexes, with postterm birth in
      females being more highly associated with ASD with ID than that in males.
      CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between gestational age at birth and ASD differs by
      the presence/absence of co-occurring ID and fetal sex. Both preterm and postterm
      birth are associated with increased risk of ASD. Risk of ASD is not constant
      within conventionally defined gestational age at birth periods. Further research
      on mechanism underlying these associations is needed.

PMID- 28898927
TI  - In-hospital 'CODE STEMI' improves door-to-balloon time in patients undergoing
      primary percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Reducing time to reperfusion for ST-segment elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI) is essential in improving outcomes. Consequently, numerous
      strategies have been employed to reduce median door-to-balloon time (DTBT).
      METHODS: CODE STEMI is an ED physician-activated STEMI notification system. On
      activation, an announcement is made over the hospital's public announcement (PA)
      system. We prospectively analysed all in-hours STEMI patients who had primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) Pre-CODE STEMI (2014) and after CODE
      STEMI was implemented (2015). The primary end-points were median DTBT and the
      proportion of STEMI patients achieving a DTBT <=90 min. The secondary end-points
      were in-hospital outcomes, and a composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACE)
      and hospital readmission rates at 30 days and 12 months. RESULTS: There were 41
      and 42 patients in Pre-CODE STEMI and CODE STEMI groups respectively. Baseline
      characteristics were similar. DTBT was significantly reduced by 22.1 min from
      67.1 +/- 34.9 min Pre-CODE STEMI to 45.0 +/- 22.7 min (P = 0.001) in the CODE
      STEMI group. Door-to-door time (DTDT) was also reduced from 46.3 +/- 30.9 min to
      29.4 +/- 23.3 min (P = 0.006). A greater proportion of CODE STEMI patients
      achieved the target DTBT <=90 min (95.2% vs 73.2%, P = 0.007). CODE STEMI
      patients had less systolic dysfunction measured by a left ventricle ejection
      fraction of <=40% (10.0% vs 27.8%, P = 0.07). There were trends to lower in
      hospital mortality rates (4.8% vs 9.8%, P = 0.43), MACE at 30 days and 12 months
      (4.8% vs 9.8%, P = 0.43; 11.9% vs 22.0%, P = 0.25). CONCLUSION: The novel in
      hospital in-hours CODE STEMI notification system significantly reduced DTBT in
      patients undergoing PPCI.

PMID- 28898929
TI  - Dental management for patients undergoing heart valve surgery.
AB  - This study sought to review current guidelines and the most optimal dental
      management for patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery.

PMID- 28898928
TI  - Importance of the second extracellular loop for melatonin MT1 receptor function
      and absence of melatonin binding in GPR50.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent crystal structures of GPCRs have emphasized the
      previously unappreciated role of the second extracellular (E2) loop in ligand
      binding and gating and receptor activation. Here, we have assessed the role of
      the E2 loop in the activation of the melatonin MT1 receptor and in the
      inactivation of the closely related orphan receptor GPR50. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:
      Chimeric MT1 -GPR50 receptors were generated and functionally analysed in terms
      of 2-[125 I]iodomelatonin binding, Gi /cAMP signalling and beta-arrestin2
      recruitment. We also used computational molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. KEY
      RESULTS: MD simulations of 300 ns revealed (i) the tight hairpin structure of the
      E2 loop of the MT1 receptor (ii) the most suitable features for melatonin binding
      in MT1 receptors and (iii) major predicted rearrangements upon MT1 receptor
      activation, stabilizing interaction networks between Phe179 or Gln181 in the E2
      loop and transmembrane helixes 5 and 6. Functional assays confirmed these
      predictions, because reciprocal replacement of MT1 and GPR50 residues/domains led
      to the predicted loss- and gain-of-melatonin action of MT1 receptors and GPR50
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our work demonstrated the crucial
      role of the E2 loop for MT1 receptor and GPR50 function by proposing a model in
      which the E2 loop is important in stabilizing active MT1 receptor conformations
      and by showing how evolutionary processes appear to have selected for
      modifications in the E2 loop in order to make GPR50 unresponsive to melatonin.

PMID- 28898930
TI  - Impact and experiences of delayed discharge: A mixed-studies systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of delayed discharge on patients, health-care staff and
      hospital costs has been incompletely characterized. AIM: To systematically review
      experiences of delay from the perspectives of patients, health professionals and
      hospitals, and its impact on patients' outcomes and costs. METHODS: Four of the
      main biomedical databases were searched for the period 2000-2016 (February).
      Quantitative, qualitative and health economic studies conducted in OECD countries
      were included. RESULTS: Thirty-seven papers reporting data on 35 studies were
      identified: 10 quantitative, 8 qualitative and 19 exploring costs. Seven of ten
      quantitative studies were at moderate/low methodological quality; 6 qualitative
      studies were deemed reliable; and the 19 studies on costs were of moderate
      quality. Delayed discharge was associated with mortality, infections, depression,
      reductions in patients' mobility and their daily activities. The qualitative
      studies highlighted the pressure to reduce discharge delays on staff stress and
      interprofessional relationships, with implications for patient care and well
      being. Extra bed-days could account for up to 30.7% of total costs and cause
      cancellations of elective operations, treatment delay and repercussions for
      subsequent services, especially for elderly patients. CONCLUSIONS: The poor
      quality of the majority of the research means that implications for practice
      should be cautiously made. However, the results suggest that the adverse effects
      of delayed discharge are both direct (through increased opportunities for
      patients to acquire avoidable ill health) and indirect, secondary to the
      pressures placed on staff. These findings provide impetus to take a more holistic
      perspective to addressing delayed discharge.

PMID- 28898931
TI  - What Kind of Policies for Fertility Treatment would Improve Affordability and
      Outcomes for Individuals and the Public?

PMID- 28898932
TI  - Effects of thermopeaking on the thermal response of alpine river systems to
      heatwaves.
AB  - Within the past 30years there have been two major heatwave events (in 2003 and
      2006) that broke 500-year-old temperature records in Europe. Owing to the growing
      concern of rising temperatures, we analyzed the potential response in a number of
      river sections that are subject to hydropeaking and thermopeaking through the
      intermittent release of water from hydropower stations. Thermopeaking in alpine
      streams is known to intermittently cool down the river water in summer and to
      warm it up in winter. We analyzed the response of river water temperature to air
      temperature during heatwaves at 19 gauging stations across Switzerland, using a
      30-yr dataset at a 10-min resolution. Stations were either classified into
      "unpeaked" or "peaked" groups according to four statistical indicators related to
      hydropeaking and thermopeaking pressure. Peaked stations were exposed to reduced
      temporal variability in river water temperature, and it was determined that
      correlations between river water and air temperature were weaker for peaked
      stations compared with unpeaked stations. Similarly, peaked stations showed a
      much weaker response to heatwaves compared with unpeaked stations. It is
      important to note that this "cooling effect" created by hydro-thermopeaking was
      most pronounced during the two major heatwave events that took place in 2003 and
      2006. Furthermore, results from thermal stress events on the growth of a typical
      cold eurythermic fish species (brown trout) increased continuously in rivers
      subject to peaked station water release during heatwaves. While hydropower
      operations that take place high up on mountains releasing hypolimnetic water may
      mitigate the adverse effects of heatwaves on downstream alpine river ecosystems
      locally, our results show the complexity of an artificial physical template
      associated with flow regime regulation in alpine streams.

PMID- 28898933
TI  - Inside the guts of the city: Urban-induced alterations of the gut microbiota in a
      wild passerine.
AB  - Urbanisation represents one of the most radical forms of terrestrial land use
      change and has been shown to lead to alterations in ecosystem functioning and
      community dynamics and changes in individual phenotypic traits. While the recent
      surge in microbiome studies has brought about a paradigm shift by which
      individuals cannot truly be considered independently of the bacterial communities
      they host, the role of gut microbiota in organismal response to human-induced
      environmental change is still scarcely studied. Here, we applied a metabarcoding
      approach to examine the impact of urbanisation on the gut microbiota of Passer
      domesticus. We found urbanisation to be associated to lower microbiota species
      diversity, modifications in taxonomic composition and community structure, and
      changes in functional composition. The strength of these relationships, however,
      depended on the spatial scale and season at which they were considered. Such
      spatio-temporal effect suggests that urbanisation may dampen the natural seasonal
      variation of the gut microbiota observed in more pristine habitats, potentially
      influencing the fitness of urban organisms. Our results hence shed light on a
      hitherto little considered perspective, i.e. that the negative effects of
      urbanisation on city-dwelling organisms may extend to their microbiomes, causing
      potential dysbioses.

PMID- 28898934
TI  - The associations between phthalate exposure and insulin resistance, beta-cell
      function and blood glucose control in a population-based sample.
AB  - In developed countries, phthalate exposure is ubiquitous. Previous studies have
      shown an association between phthalate levels and health effects. To test
      associations between phthalate exposures, estimated from urinary phthalate
      metabolites, and insulin resistance, beta-cell function and glucose control. Data
      were obtained from a cross-sectional, nationally representative study; the
      Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS, 2009-2011). Participants under the age of
      12, those with diabetes, who were pregnant or who had not fasted overnight were
      excluded. Fasting blood glucose, insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C)
      levels were measured in a subset of participants, and urine was collected for
      creatinine and phthalate metabolites. We tested associations between these
      variables using linear regression analysis. Of 4437 participants (12-79years
      old), 2119 had fasting glucose measurements and at least one phthalate metabolite
      above detection limits. MBzP, MCPP, MEHP, MEHHP, MiBP, and the sum of DEHP
      metabolites were positively associated with increased HbA1C (p<0.05). DEHP
      metabolites were positively associated with increased fasting glucose, insulin,
      HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta. An interquartile increase in the sum of log transformed
      DEHP metabolites was associated with increases in HOMA-IR and HOMA-beta of 0.15
      (95% CI 0.04, 0.26) and 10.24 (95% CI 3.71, 16.77) respectively. Increased
      concentrations of all measured phthalate metabolites were associated with reduced
      blood glucose control. DEHP metabolites were also associated with increased
      glucose concentrations, and indicators of beta-cell function and insulin
      resistance. Our results suggest that exposure to phthalates may possibly impair
      control of blood glucose and thereby predispose to pre-diabetes.

PMID- 28898935
TI  - Monitoring hand, foot and mouth disease by combining search engine query data and
      meteorological factors.
AB  - Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has been recognized as a significant public
      health threat and poses a tremendous challenge to disease control departments. To
      date, the relationship between meteorological factors and HFMD has been
      documented, and public interest of disease has been proven to be trackable from
      the Internet. However, no study has explored the combination of these two factors
      in the monitoring of HFMD. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to develop
      an effective monitoring model of HFMD in Guangzhou, China by utilizing historical
      HFMD cases, Internet-based search engine query data and meteorological factors.
      To this end, a case study was conducted in Guangzhou, using a network-based
      generalized additive model (GAM) including all factors related to HFMD. Three
      other models were also constructed using some of the variables for comparison.
      The results suggested that the model showed the best estimating ability when
      considering all of the related factors.

PMID- 28898936
TI  - Aerobic composting reduces antibiotic resistance genes in cattle manure and the
      resistome dissemination in agricultural soils.
AB  - Composting has been suggested as a potential strategy to eliminate antibiotic
      residues and pathogens in livestock manure before its application as an organic
      fertilizer in agro-ecosystems. However, the impacts of composting on antibiotic
      resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock manure and their temporal succession
      following the application of compost to land are not well understood. We examined
      how aerobic composting affected the resistome profiles of cattle manure, and by
      constructing laboratory microcosms we compared the effects of manure and compost
      application to agricultural soils on the temporal succession of a wide spectrum
      of ARGs. The high-throughput quantitative PCR array detected a total of 144 ARGs
      across all the soil, manure and compost samples, with Macrolide-Lincosamide
      Streptogramin B, aminoglycoside, multidrug, tetracycline, and beta-lactam
      resistance as the most dominant types. Composting significantly reduced the
      diversity and relative abundance of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in
      the cattle manure. In the 120-day microcosm incubation, the diversity and
      abundance of ARGs in manure-treated soils were significantly higher than those in
      compost-treated soils at the beginning of the experiment. The level of antibiotic
      resistance rapidly declined over time in all manure- and compost-treated soils,
      coupled with similar temporal patterns of manure- and compost-derived bacterial
      communities as revealed by SourceTracker analysis. The network analysis revealed
      more intensive interactions/associations among ARGs and MGEs in manure-treated
      soils than in compost-treated soils, suggesting that mobility potential of ARGs
      was lower in soils amended with compost. Our results provide evidence that
      aerobic composting of cattle manure may be an effective approach to mitigate the
      risk of antibiotic resistance propagation associated with land application of
      organic wastes.

PMID- 28898937
TI  - Species- and habitat-specific bioaccumulation of total mercury and methylmercury
      in the food web of a deep oligotrophic lake.
AB  - Niche segregation between introduced and native fish in Lake Nahuel Huapi, a deep
      oligotrophic lake in Northwest Patagonia (Argentina), occurs through the
      consumption of different prey. Therefore, in this work we analyzed total mercury
      [THg] and methylmercury [MeHg] concentrations in top predator fish and in their
      main prey to test whether their feeding habits influence [Hg]. Results indicate
      that [THg] and [MeHg] varied by foraging habitat and they increased with greater
      percentage of benthic diet and decreased with pelagic diet in Lake Nahuel Huapi.
      This is consistent with the fact that the native creole perch, a mostly
      benthivorous feeder, which shares the highest trophic level of the food web with
      introduced salmonids, had higher [THg] and [MeHg] than the more pelagic feeder
      rainbow trout and bentho-pelagic feeder brown trout. This differential THg and
      MeHg bioaccumulation observed in native and introduced fish provides evidence to
      the hypothesis that there are two main Hg transfer pathways from the base of the
      food web to top predators: a pelagic pathway where Hg is transferred from water,
      through plankton (with Hg in inorganic species mostly), forage fish to salmonids,
      and a benthic pathway, as Hg is transferred from the sediments (where Hg
      methylation occurs mostly), through crayfish (with higher [MeHg] than plankton),
      to native fish, leading to one fold higher [Hg].

PMID- 28898938
TI  - Characterization of wash-off from urban impervious surfaces and SuDS design
      criteria for source control under semi-arid conditions.
AB  - Knowledge about pollutant wash-off from urban impervious surfaces is a key
      feature for developing effective management strategies. Accordingly, further
      information is required about urban areas under semi-arid climate conditions at
      the sub-catchment scale. This is important for designing source control systems
      for pollution. In this study, a characterization of pollutant wash-off has been
      performed over sixteen months, at the sub-catchment scale for urban roads as
      impervious surfaces. The study was conducted in Valencia, Spain, a city with a
      Mediterranean climate. The results show high event mean concentrations for
      suspended solids (98mg/l), organic matter (142mgCOD/l, 25mgBOD5/l), nutrients
      (3.7mgTN/l, 0.4mgTP/l), and metals (0.23, 0.32, 0.62 and 0.17mg/l for Cu, Ni, Pb,
      and Zn, respectively). The results of the runoff characterization highlight the
      need to control this pollution at its source, separately from wastewater because
      of their different characteristics. The wash-off, defined in terms of mobilized
      mass (g/m2) fits well with both process-based and statistical models, with the
      runoff volume and rainfall depth being the main explanatory variables. Based on
      these results and using information collected from hydrographs and pollutographs,
      an approach for sizing sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), focusing on
      water quality and quantity variables, has been proposed. By setting a
      concentration-based target (TSS discharged to receiving waters <35mg/l), the
      results indicate that for a SuDS type detention basin (DB), an off-line
      configuration performs better than an on-line configuration. The resulting design
      criterion, expressed as SuDS volume per unit catchment area, assuming a DB type
      SuDS, varies between 7 and 10l/m2.

PMID- 28898939
TI  - The effective mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies without
      compromising yield by early-season drainage.
AB  - Global rice production systems face two opposing challenges: the need to increase
      production to accommodate the world's growing population while simultaneously
      reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Adaptations to drainage regimes are one
      of the most promising options for methane mitigation in rice production. Whereas
      several studies have focused on mid-season drainage (MD) to mitigate GHG
      emissions, early-season drainage (ED) varying in timing and duration has not been
      extensively studied. However, such ED periods could potentially be very effective
      since initial available C levels (and thereby the potential for methanogenesis)
      can be very high in paddy systems with rice straw incorporation. This study
      tested the effectiveness of seven drainage regimes varying in their timing and
      duration (combinations of ED and MD) to mitigate CH4 and N2O emissions in a 101
      day growth chamber experiment. Emissions were considerably reduced by early
      season drainage compared to both conventional continuous flooding (CF) and the MD
      drainage regime. The results suggest that ED+MD drainage may have the potential
      to reduce CH4 emissions and yield-scaled GWP by 85-90% compared to CF and by 75
      77% compared to MD only. A combination of (short or long) ED drainage and one MD
      drainage episode was found to be the most effective in mitigating CH4 emissions
      without negatively affecting yield. In particular, compared with CF, the long
      early-season drainage treatments LE+SM and LE+LM significantly (p<0.01) decreased
      yield-scaled GWP by 85% and 87% respectively. This was associated with carbon
      being stabilised early in the season, thereby reducing available C for
      methanogenesis. Overall N2O emissions were small and not significantly affected
      by ED. It is concluded that ED+MD drainage might be an effective low-tech option
      for small-scale farmers to reduce GHG emissions and save water while maintaining
      yield.

PMID- 28898940
TI  - Levels and spatial distributions of levoglucosan and dissolved organic carbon in
      snowpits over the Tibetan Plateau glaciers.
AB  - In this study, we collected 60 snowpit samples in nine glaciers from the northern
      to the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP), to study the levels and spatial
      distributions of levoglucosan and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The lowest
      concentration of levoglucosan was found in the Yuzhufeng (YZF) glacier with a
      mean value of 0.24+/-0.08ngmL-1, while the highest concentration of levoglucosan
      was detected in the Gurenhekou (GRHK) glacier with a mean value of 11.72+/
      15.61ngmL-1. However, the average DOC concentration in TP glaciers were
      comparable, without significant regional differences. The levoglucosan/DOC ratio
      ranged from 0.02 to 6.03% in the Tibetan Plateau glaciers. This ratios and the
      correlations between levoglucosan and DOC suggested that biomass burning products
      contributed only marginally to DOC levels in the TP glaciers. Moreover, the
      analysis of air mass backward trajectories suggested that levoglucosan and DOC in
      TP glaciers should be transported from the northwestern TP, internal TP, Central
      Asia, South and East Asia regions.

PMID- 28898941
TI  - Facilitated transport of titanium dioxide nanoparticles via hydrochars in the
      presence of ammonium in saturated sands: Effects of pH, ionic strength, and ionic
      composition.
AB  - The widespread use of nanoparticles (NPs) has led to their inevitable
      introduction into environmental systems. How the existence of hydrochars in crop
      soils will affect the mobility of nanoparticle titanium dioxide (nTiO2),
      especially in the presence of ammonium (NH4+), remains unknown. Research is
      needed to study the effects of hydrochars on the transport and retention of nTiO2
      and to uncover the mechanisms of these effects on nTiO2 transport. Column
      experiments with nTiO2 and hydrochars were performed in various electrolyte
      (NaCl, NH4Cl, and CaCl2) solutions under a controlled pH (6.0 and 8.0).
      Additionally, the size distributions and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and
      transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of the NPs were observed. The
      experimental results suggested that the mobility of the hydrochars was much
      better than that of nTiO2. Thus, the mobility of nTiO2 was improved upon their
      attachment to the hydrochars. The facilitated transport of nTiO2 in the presence
      of hydrochars was stronger at pH8.0 than at pH6.0, and facilitated transport was
      nearly independent of the electrolyte cation at pH8.0. However, at pH6.0, the
      facilitated transport in various electrolytes had the following order:
      NaCl>NH4Cl>CaCl2. The conversion from a completely reversible to a partially
      irreversible deposition of nTiO2 in sand was induced by the partially
      irreversible retention of hydrochars, and this phenomenon was more pronounced in
      the presence of NH4+ than in the presence of Na+. In particular, the irreversible
      deposition of nTiO2-hydrochars was enhanced as the cation concentration
      increased. The increased irreversible retention of nTiO2 was related to the
      greater k2 value (irreversible attachment coefficients) on site 2 for hydrochars
      based on two-site kinetic retention modeling. Thus, there is a potential risk of
      contaminating crops, soil, and underground water when nTiO2 exists in a hydrochar
      amended environment, especially when associated with NH4-N fertilizer.

PMID- 28898942
TI  - Exposure of stone marten (Martes foina) and polecat (Mustela putorius) to
      anticoagulant rodenticides: Effects of regulatory restrictions of rodenticide
      use.
AB  - When anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are used to control rodent populations
      there is also a widespread secondary exposure of non-target predators to ARs. To
      reduce secondary exposure, regulatory restrictions in AR usage were tightened in
      Denmark in 2011. The restrictions included the cessation of AR use for plant
      protection and any use away from buildings, as well as limitations in private
      consumers' access to ARs. To quantify and evaluate the efficiency of the
      regulatory measures to reduce secondary exposure, we analysed ARs in liver tissue
      from 40 stone martens (Martes foina) and 40 polecats (Mustela putorius) collected
      before and 31 stone martens and 29 polecats collected after the restrictions were
      imposed. No declines in the prevalence ARs were detected following the regulatory
      restrictions in either stone marten (Before: 98%, After: 100%) or polecat
      (Before: 93%, After: 97%). The total AR concentration was higher in stone martens
      than in polecats in both sampling periods. Between the two sampling periods, the
      total AR concentrations in the mustelids increased (P<0.001). The increase was
      significant for stone marten (Before: 419ng/g ww, After: 1116ng/g ww, P<0.001),
      but not for polecat (Before: 170ng/g ww, After: 339ng/g ww). Overall, the total
      AR concentration was positively correlated to the urban area and the area used
      for Christmas tree production in which ARs were regularly used before 2011. The
      regulatory restrictions in AR usage did not reduce exposure of non-target stone
      martens and polecats. The temporal and spatial patterns of AR concentrations in
      predators indicate that chemical rodent control in and around buildings is the
      dominant source for the exposure of non-target predators in intensively human
      dominated landscapes in Denmark. The results suggest that non-chemical methods
      for rodents control at buildings are necessary to prevent widespread secondary AR
      exposure of predators in human modified landscapes.

PMID- 28898943
TI  - Physiographical variability in arsenic dynamics in Bangladeshi soils.
AB  - Rice plants grown on soils with elevated arsenic have been shown to have
      increased arsenic content in their grains. To gain a better understanding of the
      likelihood of high grain arsenic in rice grown in different soils, it is
      important to understand the factors affecting the bioavailability and mobility of
      arsenic. Paddy soils from six different physiographic regions of Bangladesh were
      collected, and diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) were used to assess the
      porewater and solid phase arsenic. While significant differences were identified
      in total soil arsenic (1.4-9.8mg/kg), porewater arsenic (AsCsoln) (5.6
      64.7MUg/l), labile arsenic (AsCDGT) (6.3-77.6MUg/l), and solid phase pool of
      arsenic (AsKd) (52-1057l/kg), importantly arsenic resupply capacity was not
      different between the physiographic regions. All soils had a high ratio of DGT to
      porewater arsenic (~1), this in conjunction with the porewater arsenic values and
      the high AsKd values suggesting a large solid phase pool of arsenic capable of
      contributing towards the resupply/transport of the labile pool of arsenic in the
      soil porewater. This indicates that there is less difference in soil arsenic
      availability than might be predicted based solely on total soil arsenic content
      between the physiographic regions.

PMID- 28898944
TI  - Associations between urinary total arsenic levels, fetal development, and
      neonatal birth outcomes: A cohort study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arsenic exposure is a global health concern. Several studies have
      focused on chronic arsenic exposure in adults; however, limited data are
      available regarding the potential adverse effects of prenatal exposure on fetuses
      and neonates. OBJECTIVES: To assess which time point maternal arsenic exposure
      may influence the fetus during pregnancy and birth outcomes. METHODS: In this
      study, total arsenic concentrations were analyzed in urine samples collected from
      130 women with singleton pregnancies (22-45years old) in Taiwan from March to
      December of 2010. All fetal biometric measurements in each trimester period and
      birth outcomes at delivery were obtained. We applied a generalized estimating
      equation model and multivariate regression models to evaluate the associations
      between maternal urinary total arsenic (UtAs) exposure during pregnancy, fetal
      biometric measurements, and neonatal birth outcomes. RESULTS: We observed
      statistically significant correlations between maternal UtAs levels and the fetal
      biparietal diameter over all three trimesters (beta=-1.046mm, p<0.05). Multiple
      regression analyses showed a negative association between maternal UtAs levels
      and chest circumference in the first trimester (beta=-0.721cm, p<0.05), and
      second-trimester UtAs exposure was associated with decreases in birth weight
      (beta=-173.26g, p<0.01), head circumference (beta=-0.611cm, p<0.05), and chest
      circumference (beta=-0.654cm, p<0.05). Dose-response relationships were also
      observed for maternal UtAs exposure and birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We
      identified a negative relationship between maternal UtAs levels during pregnancy,
      fetal development, and neonatal birth outcomes. These findings should be
      confirmed in future studies with large sample sizes.

PMID- 28898945
TI  - Microplastic and mesoplastic contamination in canned sardines and sprats.
AB  - No report was found on the occurrence of microplastics in processed seafood
      products that are manufactured for direct human consumption. This study
      investigates the potential presence of micro- and mesoplastics in 20 brands of
      canned sardines and sprats originating from 13 countries over 4 continents
      followed by their chemical composition determination using micro-Raman
      spectroscopy. The particles were further inspected for their inorganic
      composition through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Plastic particles
      were absent in 16 brands while between 1 and 3 plastic particles per brand were
      found in the other 4 brands. The most abundant plastic polymers were
      polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The presence of micro-
      and mesoplastics in the canned sardines and sprats might be due to the
      translocation of these particles into the edible tissues, improper gutting, or
      the result of contamination from the canneries. The low prevalence of micro- and
      mesoplastics sized >149MUm, and the absence of potentially hazardous inorganic
      elements on them, might indicate the limited health risks associated with their
      presence in canned sardines and sprats. Due to the possible increase in micro-
      and mesoplastic loads in seafood products over time, the findings of this study
      suggest their quantification to be included as one of the components of food
      safety management systems.

PMID- 28898946
TI  - Towards the understanding of antibiotic occurrence and transport in groundwater:
      Findings from the Baix Fluvia alluvial aquifer (NE Catalonia, Spain).
AB  - Antibiotics are an increasing focus of interest due to their high detection
      frequency in the environment. However, their presence in water bodies is not
      regulated by environmental policies. This field study investigates, for the first
      time, the occurrence, behavior and fate of a selection of 53 antibiotics,
      including up to 10 chemical groups, in an alluvial aquifer originated from manure
      application in an agricultural region using hydrogeological, hydrochemical and
      isotopic approaches. Up to 11 antibiotics were found in groundwater corresponding
      to 4 different chemical groups: fluoroquinolones, macrolides, quinolones and
      sulfonamides. In surface water, only 5 different antibiotics from 2 chemical
      groups: fluoroquinolones and sulfonamides, were quantified. The most frequent
      antibiotics were sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin. Concentrations of
      antibiotics were in the order of ng/L, with maximum concentrations of 300ng/L in
      groundwater. Hydrochemistry and isotopic data and geostatistics confirmed the
      spatial trend observed for nitrates, where nitrate concentrations tend to be
      higher in the margin areas of the study area, and lower concentrations are found
      nearby the river. On the other hand, no clear continuous spatial concentration
      trend of antibiotics was observed in the aquifer, supported by the short spatial
      correlation found in the variograms. This indicates that the physical-chemical
      properties and processes of each antibiotic (mainly, sorption and degradation),
      and other environmental issues, such as a patchy diffuse input and the manure
      antibiotic content itself, play an important role in their spatial distribution
      in groundwater. A discussion on the estimation of the antibiotic sorption
      parameter reveals the difficulties of describing such phenomena. Furthermore,
      retardation factors will extend over several orders of magnitude, which highly
      affects the movement of individual antibiotics within the aquifer. To summarize,
      this study points out the difficulties associated with antibiotic research in
      groundwater in order to define water resources quality management strategies and
      environmental regulations.

PMID- 28898947
TI  - Soil enzyme dynamics in chlorpyrifos-treated soils under the influence of
      earthworms.
AB  - Earthworms contribute, directly and indirectly, to contaminant biodegradation.
      However, most of bioremediation studies using these annelids focus on pollutant
      dissipation, thus disregarding the health status of the organism implied in
      bioremediation as well as the recovery of indicators of soil quality. A microcosm
      study was performed using Lumbricus terrestris to determine whether earthworm
      density (2 or 4individuals/kg wet soil) and the time of exposure (1, 2, 6, 12,
      and 18wk) could affect chlorpyrifos persistence in soil initially treated with
      20mg active ingredientkg-1 wet soil. Additionally, selected earthworm biomarkers
      and soil enzyme activities were measured as indicators of earthworm health and
      soil quality, respectively. After an 18-wk incubation period, no earthworm was
      killed by the pesticide, but clear signs of severe intoxication were detected,
      i.e., 90% inhibition in muscle acetylcholinesterase and carboxylesterase (CbE)
      activities. Unexpectedly, the earthworm density had no significant impact on
      chlorpyrifos dissipation rate, for which the measured half-life ranged between
      30.3d (control soils) and 44.5d (low earthworm density) or 36.7d (high earthworm
      density). The dynamic response of several soil enzymes to chlorpyrifos exposure
      was examined calculating the geometric mean and the treated-soil quality index,
      which are common enzyme-based indexes of microbial functional diversity. Both
      indexes showed a significant and linear increase of the global enzyme response
      after 6wk of chlorpyrifos treatment in the presence of earthworms. Examination of
      individual enzymes revealed that soil CbE activity could decrease chlorpyrifos
      oxon impact upon the rest of enzyme activities. Although L. terrestris was found
      not to accelerate chlorpyrifos dissipation, a significant increase in the
      activity of soil enzyme activities was achieved compared with earthworm-free,
      chlorpyrifos-treated soils. Therefore, the inoculation of organophosphorus
      contaminated soils with L. terrestris arises as a complementary bioremediation
      strategy in terms of recovery of soil biochemical performance and quality.

PMID- 28898948
TI  - Long-term characteristics of satellite-based PM2.5 over East China.
AB  - With the explosive economic development of China over the past few decades, air
      pollution has become a serious environmental problem and has attracted increasing
      global concern. Using satellite-based PM2.5 data from 2000 to 2015, we found that
      the temporal-spatial variation of PM2.5 in East China is characterized by high
      concentrations in the northern part and low concentrations in the southern part
      of East China, and by being seasonally high in autumn and winter but low in
      spring and summer. We also found that the regional average PM2.5 concentration
      shows an approximative peak pattern over the last 16years, with the highest,
      60.13MUgm-3, and the lowest, 46.18MUgm-3, occurring in 2007 and 2000,
      respectively. Despite obviously diminishing heavy polluted regions with a PM2.5
      of >80MUgm-3 after 2011, those cells dominated by natural background have still
      not recovered back to the clean level of 2000. These characteristics are valuable
      information to analyze the relative contributions of anthropogenic emissions and
      atmospheric conditions to the temporal-spatial variation characteristics of
      PM2.5.

PMID- 28898949
TI  - Efficiencies and mechanisms of ZSM5 zeolites loaded with cerium, iron, or
      manganese oxides for catalytic ozonation of nitrobenzene in water.
AB  - Discharge of industrial wastewater causes water pollution. It is therefore
      necessary to treat wastewater prior to discharge. Catalytic ozonation processes
      (COP) using ZSM5 zeolites loaded with metallic (Ce, Fe, or Mn) oxides to remove
      nitrobenzene from water were investigated. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal
      by the COP treatment with NaZSM5-38, HZSM5-38, and NaZSM5-100 were increased by
      6.7%, 23.1%, and 19.8%, respectively, in comparison with single ozonation
      efficiency (39.2%). The loadings of Ce, Fe, or Mn oxides increased the catalytic
      activity relative to ZSM5 zeolites alone. The Ce loaded material (Ce/NaZSM5-38)
      had the highest TOC removal (86.3%). The different-metallic-oxides loaded
      zeolites exhibited different chemical processes during the removal of
      nitrobenzene from water. During COP treatment, NaZSM5-38 zeolites removed
      nitrobenzene mainly via OH mediated oxidation. HZSM5-38 and NaZSM5-100 zeolites
      showed powerful adsorption toward nitrobenzene. Both adsorption and direct
      ozonation contribute the TOC removal in their early uses. The OH mediated
      oxidation dominates the TOC removal process as the adsorption became saturated
      after multiple uses. Surface SiO bonds and/or SiO(H)Al structures are the active
      sites for ZSM5 zeolites. Efficient surface dispersion of the metallic oxides
      enhances the catalytic activity. This study shows the high potentials of ZSM5
      zeolites as catalysts in COP to efficiently treat refractory wastewaters.

PMID- 28898950
TI  - Prenatal Bisphenol-A exposure affects fetal length growth by maternal glutathione
      transferase polymorphisms, and neonatal exposure affects child volume growth by
      sex: From multiregional prospective birth cohort MOCEH study.
AB  - We aimed to evaluate the effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA) exposure on fetal/child
      growth from the fetal period to 72months after birth. The MOCEH study is a
      prospective birth cohort study in Korea. A total of 788 mother-child pairs in the
      third trimester and 366 pairs in the neonatal period who completed BPA assessment
      and fetal/children growth outcomes were included. BPA assessments were conducted
      twice in the third trimester using maternal urines and the neonatal period using
      neonatal urines. Fetal femur length was measured with ultrasound, and estimated
      fetal-weight was calculated. Child growth outcomes including three z-scores for
      age-specific length, weight-for-length (WFL) and weight were calculated. Analysis
      was performed according to infant sex and maternal glutathione transferases
      (GSTs) polymorphisms. When maternal urinary BPA concentration in the third
      trimester increased by 1 log-transformed unit of BPA/Cr, the third trimester
      femur length decreased 0.03(0.01)cm in the whole and 0.06(0.02)cm in the
      GSTM1/GSTT1 either null group. Then, maternal urinary BPA levels and birth
      outcomes were positively correlated. When the prenatal BPA concentration is
      increased by 1 log-transformed unit of BPA/Cr, the z-score for weight at birth
      increased 0.05(0.02) in whole and 0.06(0.03) in boys and the z-score for WFL at
      birth increased 0.05(0.02) in whole and 0.07(0.03) in girls. In linear mixed
      models, significant positive effects of the neonatal urinary BPA were found on
      WFL over the 72months period. When the neonatal BPA concentration is increased by
      1 log-transformed unit of BPA concentration, the z-score for weight through 6
      72months increased 0.09(0.03) in whole and 0.12(0.05) in girls. Our study
      suggests BPA exposure is negatively associated with intrauterine linear growth,
      but has a positive association with volume growth during childhood. Furthermore,
      intrauterine growth was affected by maternal GSTs polymorphism, and child growth
      was affected by sex.

PMID- 28898951
TI  - Biocompatible hollow polymeric particles produced by a mild solvent- and template
      free strategy.
AB  - Macroscopic hollow polymeric particles are attractive materials for various
      applications such as surgery, food industry, agriculture, etc. However, protocols
      reporting their synthesis have hitherto made use of organic solvents and/or
      sacrificial templates, compromising the encapsulation of different bioactive
      compounds and the process yield. Here, millimeter-size, hollow polymeric
      particles were synthesized, for the first time, in a solvent- and template free
      manner onto superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS). The particles were produced upon
      assembly and double superficial crosslinking of liquid droplets of DNA and
      methacrylamide chitosan aqueous solutions (CH:MA), leading to liquid-core
      particles with a hardened hydrogel shell. The particles displayed appealing
      physical and biological properties. The millimeter-size hydrogel shell, resulting
      from the double ionic/covalent crosslinking of CH:MA, endowed the hollow
      particles with softness to the touch and an outstanding structural stability
      against manipulation by hand and with forceps. Meanwhile, the liquid DNA core
      guaranteed a biocompatible cell encapsulation followed by a superior release and
      proliferation of viable cells, as compared to solid CH:MA particles prepared as a
      blank. Particles with these characteristics show promise for surgical protocols
      practiced in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, where manipulable and
      biocompatible synthetic implants are often needed to supply living cells and
      other sensitive bioactive compounds.

PMID- 28898952
TI  - Temperature responsive fluorescent polymer nanoparticles (TRFNPs) for cellular
      imaging and controlled releasing of drug to living cells.
AB  - Recent studies have demonstrated that drug delivery by using functional
      nanomaterials with imaging capability could afford plenty of insightful
      information for the better control of the delivery process. In this work, we
      developed temperature responsive fluorescent nanoparticles (TRFNPs) for drug
      delivery and cellular imaging. The TRFNP was fabricated by one-pot co
      precipitation of thermal sensitive amphiphilic block copolymers polystyrene-b
      poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PS-b-PNIPAM) and fluorescent conjugated polymer
      poly [(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-co-(1,4-benzo(2,1',3)-thiadiazole)]
      (PFBT) in the presence of desired small guest molecules. The dynamic light
      scattering (DLS) measurements verified that this functional nanoparticle
      exhibited temperature dependent size variation, which could therefore regulate
      the releasing rate of loaded guest molecules (e.g. drugs) inside the polymer
      core. Besides, the TRFNPs displayed good photostability in terms of optical
      characterization. The cellular cytotoxicity characterization demonstrated that
      this nanoparticle exhibited good biocompatibility even under the mass
      concentration of 10MUg/mL. By using Nile Red as a model molecule, the temperature
      controlled releasing process from TRFNPs in solution as well as inside living
      cells was monitored directly according to the spectroscopic and microscopic
      characterizations. Furthermore, anti-cancer drug was successfully delivered into
      living cells via TRFNPs and released in a temperature dependent manner. As a
      consequence, owing the attractive merits as mentioned above, this nanostructure
      would find broad applications in nanomedicine in the future.

PMID- 28898953
TI  - Transfer of mercury and phenol derivatives across the placenta of Baltic grey
      seals (Halichoerus grypus grypus).
AB  - The placenta is an intermediary organ between the female and the developing
      foetus. Some chemical substances, including the most harmful ones, exhibit the
      ability to accumulate in or penetrate through the placenta. The aim of the study
      was to determine the role of the placenta of the Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus
      grypus grypus) in the transfer of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) -
      (bisphenol A, 4-tert- octylphenol, 4- nonylphenol), as well as total and organic
      mercury. 30 placentas were collected from grey seals pupping under human care at
      the Hel Marine Station in the years 2007-2016. The assays were conducted using
      the technique of high-preformance liquid chromatography (phenol derivatives) and
      atomic absorption spectrometry (mercury and selenium). A measurable level of EDCs
      was indicated in the placentas of grey seals. It was established that the
      inorganic Hg form was accumulated in the placenta, and that its concentrations
      were an order of magnitude higher than the concentrations of the organic form,
      which penetrated to the foetus. Similar observations were made for phenol
      derivatives - bisphenol A, 4-tert- octylphenol and 4-nonylphenol. For this
      compound group the placenta was a barrier, but the properties of phenol
      derivatives suggest the possibility of their penetration through this organ.

PMID- 28898954
TI  - Degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol with peroxymonosulfate catalyzed by soluble
      and supported iron porphyrins.
AB  - Degradation of 2,4,6-trichloropenol (TCP) with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) catalyzed
      by iron porphyrin tetrasulfonate ([FePTS)] was investigated in an 8-to-1 (v/v)
      CH3OH-H2O mixture. Typical reaction medium contained a 4.00 mL methanol solution
      of TCP (0.100 mmol), a 0.50 mL aqueous solution of catalyst (5.0 * 10-4 mmol),
      and 0.100 mmol PMS (as 0.031 g of Oxone). The reaction was performed at ambient
      temperature. The conversion of TCP was 74% in 30 min and 80% in 6 h when the
      catalyst was [FePTS]. Amberlite IRA-900 supported [FePTS] catalyst was also
      prepared. In the recycling experiments the homogeneous [FePTS] lost its activity
      after the first cycle, while [FePTS]-Amberlite IRA 900 maintained its activity
      for the first 2 cycles. After the second cycle, the conversion of TCP dropped to
      <10% for Amberlite IRA-900 supported [FePTS] catalyst. The degradation of TCP
      with PMS was also attempted using cobalt, copper, nickel and palladium porphyrin
      tetrasulfonate catalysts, however, no catalytic activity was observed with these
      structures.

PMID- 28898956
TI  - Long short-term memory neural network for air pollutant concentration
      predictions: Method development and evaluation.
AB  - Air pollutant concentration forecasting is an effective method of protecting
      public health by providing an early warning against harmful air pollutants.
      However, existing methods of air pollutant concentration prediction fail to
      effectively model long-term dependencies, and most neglect spatial correlations.
      In this paper, a novel long short-term memory neural network extended (LSTME)
      model that inherently considers spatiotemporal correlations is proposed for air
      pollutant concentration prediction. Long short-term memory (LSTM) layers were
      used to automatically extract inherent useful features from historical air
      pollutant data, and auxiliary data, including meteorological data and time stamp
      data, were merged into the proposed model to enhance the performance. Hourly
      PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5
      MUm) concentration data collected at 12 air quality monitoring stations in
      Beijing City from Jan/01/2014 to May/28/2016 were used to validate the
      effectiveness of the proposed LSTME model. Experiments were performed using the
      spatiotemporal deep learning (STDL) model, the time delay neural network (TDNN)
      model, the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model, the support vector
      regression (SVR) model, and the traditional LSTM NN model, and a comparison of
      the results demonstrated that the LSTME model is superior to the other statistics
      based models. Additionally, the use of auxiliary data improved model performance.
      For the one-hour prediction tasks, the proposed model performed well and
      exhibited a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 11.93%. In addition, we
      conducted multiscale predictions over different time spans and achieved
      satisfactory performance, even for 13-24 h prediction tasks (MAPE = 31.47%).

PMID- 28898955
TI  - Aging of microplastics promotes their ingestion by marine zooplankton.
AB  - Microplastics (<5 mm) are ubiquitous in the marine environment and are ingested
      by zooplankton with possible negative effects on survival, feeding, and
      fecundity. The majority of laboratory studies has used new and pristine
      microplastics to test their impacts, while aging processes such as weathering and
      biofouling alter the characteristics of plastic particles in the marine
      environment. We investigated zooplankton ingestion of polystyrene beads (15 and
      30 MUm) and fragments (<=30 MUm), and tested the hypothesis that microplastics
      previously exposed to marine conditions (aged) are ingested at higher rates than
      pristine microplastics. Polystyrene beads were aged by soaking in natural local
      seawater for three weeks. Three zooplankton taxa ingested microplastics,
      excluding the copepod Pseudocalanus spp., but the proportions of individuals
      ingesting plastic and the number of particles ingested were taxon and life stage
      specific and dependent on plastic size. All stages of Calanus finmarchicus
      ingested polystyrene fragments. Aged microbeads were preferred over pristine ones
      by females of Acartia longiremis as well as juvenile copepodites CV and adults of
      Calanus finmarchicus. The preference for aged microplastics may be attributed to
      the formation of a biofilm. Such a coating, made up of natural microbes, may
      contain similar prey as the copepods feed on in the water column and secrete
      chemical exudates that aid chemodetection and thus increase the attractiveness of
      the particles as food items. Much of the ingested plastic was, however, egested
      within a short time period (2-4 h) and the survival of adult Calanus females was
      not affected in an 11-day exposure. Negative effects of microplastics ingestion
      were thus limited. Our findings emphasize, however, that aging plays an important
      role in the transformation of microplastics at sea and ingestion by grazers, and
      should thus be considered in future microplastics ingestion studies and estimates
      of microplastics transfer into the marine food web.

PMID- 28898957
TI  - Persistent organic pollutants in krill from the Bellingshausen, South Scotia, and
      Weddell Seas.
AB  - Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) reach Antarctica through atmospheric
      transport, oceanic currents, and to minor extent, by migratory animals. The
      Southern Ocean is a net sink for many POPs, with a key contribution of the
      settling fluxes of POPs bound to organic matter (biological pump). However,
      little is known about POP transfer through the food web in the Southern Ocean and
      Antarctic waters, where krill is an important ecological node. In this study, we
      assessed the occurrence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans
      (PCDD/Fs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls
      (PCBs) in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) from the Bellingshausen, South
      Scotia and Weddell Seas around the Antarctic Peninsula. The concentrations of
      PCDD/Fs, PBDEs and PCBs in krill showed a large variability and the average were
      higher (generally within a factor 3) than those previously reported for eastern
      Antarctica. This result highlights regional differences related to atmospheric
      transport and deposition, and also probable regional sources due to human
      activities. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification factors for PCBs in krill were
      estimated using previously reported phytoplankton and seawater concentrations for
      this region. These suggested a near water-krill equilibrium for PCBs, which was
      not observed for water-phytoplankton partitioning. The estimated removal settling
      fluxes of PCBs due to the biological pump were several orders of magnitude higher
      than the estimated fluxes of PCBs transferred from phytoplankton to krill.

PMID- 28898958
TI  - Radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer-technical aspects and alternate fractionation.
AB  - Early laryngeal, especially glottic, cancer is a good candidate for radiotherapy
      because obvious early symptoms (e.g. hoarseness) make earlier treatment possible
      and with highly successful localized control. This type of cancer is also a good
      model for exploring the basic principles of radiation oncology and several key
      findings (e.g. dose, fractionation, field size, patient fixation, and overall
      treatment time) have been noted. For example, unintended poor outcomes have been
      reported during transition from 60Cobalt to linear accelerator installation in
      the 1960s, with usage of higher energy photons causing poor dose distribution. In
      addition, shell fixation made precise dose delivery possible, but simultaneously
      elevated toxicity if a larger treatment field was necessary. Of particular
      interest to the radiation therapy community was altered fractionation gain as a
      way to improve local tumor control and survival rate. Unfortunately, this
      interest ceased with advancements in chemotherapeutic agents because alternate
      fractionation could not improve outcomes in chemoradiotherapy settings. At
      present, no form of acceleration can potentially compensate fully for the lack of
      concurrent chemotherapy. In addition, the substantial workload associated with
      this technique made it difficult to add extra fractionation routinely in busy
      clinical hospitals. Hypofractionation, on the other hand, uses a larger single
      fractionation dose (2-3 Gy), making it a reasonable and attractive option for T1
      T2 early glottic cancer because it can improve local control without the
      additional workload. Recently, Japan Clinical Oncology Group study 0701 reprised
      its role in early T1-T2 glottic cancer research, demonstrating that this strategy
      could be an optional standard therapy. Herein, we review radiotherapy history
      from 60Cobalt to modern linear accelerator, with special focus on the role of
      alternate fractionation.

PMID- 28898960
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28898959
TI  - Cognitive Training Using a Novel Memory Game on an iPad in Patients with Amnestic
      Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI).
AB  - Background: Cognitive training is effective in patients with mild cognitive
      impairment but does not typically address the motivational deficits associated
      with older populations with memory difficulties. Methods: We conducted a
      randomized controlled trial of cognitive training using a novel memory game on an
      iPad in 42 patients with a diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment
      assigned to either the cognitive training (n=21; 8 hours of gameplay over 4
      weeks) or control (n=21; clinic visits as usual) groups. Results: Significant
      time-by-pattern-by-group interactions were found for cognitive performance in
      terms of the number of errors made and trials needed on the Cambridge
      Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Paired Associates Learning task
      (P=.044; P=.027). Significant time-by-group interactions were also found for the
      Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Paired Associates Learning
      first trial memory score (P=.002), Mini-Mental State Examination (P=.036), the
      Brief Visuospatial Memory Test (P=.032), and the Apathy Evaluation Scale
      (P=.026). Within-group comparisons revealed highly specific effects of cognitive
      training on episodic memory. The cognitive training group maintained high levels
      of enjoyment and motivation to continue after each hour of gameplay, with self
      confidence and self-rated memory ability improving over time. Conclusions:
      Episodic memory robustly improved in the cognitive training group. "Gamified"
      cognitive training may also enhance visuospatial abilities in patients with
      amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Gamification maximizes engagement with
      cognitive training by increasing motivation and could complement pharmacological
      treatments for amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease.
      Larger, more controlled trials are needed to replicate and extend these findings.

PMID- 28898961
TI  - The economic impact of workplace wellness programmes in Canada.
AB  - Background: The economic benefits of workplace wellness programmes (WWPs) are
      commonly cited as a reason for employers to implement such programmes; however,
      there is limited evidence outside of the US context exploring their economic
      impact. US evidence is less relevant in countries such as Canada with universal
      publicly funded health systems because of the lower potential employer savings
      from WWPs. Aims: To conduct a systematic review of the Canadian literature
      investigating the economic impact of WWPs from an employer perspective. The
      quality of that evidence was also assessed. Methods: We reviewed literature which
      included analyses of four economic outcomes: return on investment calculations;
      cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analyses; valuations of productivity,
      turnover, absenteeism and/or presenteeism costs; and valuations of health care
      utilization costs. We applied the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Economic
      Evaluation Working Party Checklist to evaluate the quality of this evidence.
      Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Although the studies showed
      that WWPs generated economic benefits from an employer perspective (largely from
      productivity changes), none of the reviewed studies were in the high-quality
      category (i.e. fulfilled at least 75% of the checklist criteria) and most had
      severe methodological issues. Conclusions: Though the Canadian literature
      pertaining to the economic impact of WWPs spans over three decades, robust
      evidence on this topic remains sparse. Future research should include a
      comparable control group, a time horizon of over a year, both direct and indirect
      costs, and researchers should apply analytical techniques that account for
      potential selection bias.

PMID- 28898962
TI  - Occupational rhinoconjunctivitis caused by the common indoor plant, Hoya
      compacta.
AB  - Background: Allergic reactions to the common house plant Hoya compacta (HC) have
      not previously been described. Aims: To confirm HC as the cause of
      rhinoconjunctivitis in three horticultural workers. Methods: Greenhouse working
      conditions were reproduced in our challenge chamber. Results: All three cases
      developed rhinoconjunctivitis when working with HC plants. A control challenge
      was performed in two cases with iceberg lettuce causing no symptoms. Nasal volume
      measured by acoustic rhinometry (AR) fell after all three active challenges, but
      also after one of the control challenges. Conclusions: Our study confirms that HC
      may cause occupational rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma through a Type I
      hypersensitivity reaction. Specific inhalation challenges, nasal nitric oxide
      measurement and AR may be useful additional tools in supporting such diagnoses
      for occupational physicians to consider.

PMID- 28898963
TI  - Job demands, resources and mental health in UK prison officers.
AB  - Background: Research findings indicate that working as a prison officer can be
      highly stressful, but the aspects of work that predict their mental health status
      are largely unknown. Aims: To examine, using elements of the demands-resources
      model, the extent to which work pressure and several potential resources (i.e.
      control, support from managers and co-workers, role clarity, effective working
      relationships and positive change management) predict mental health in a sample
      of UK prison officers. Methods: The Health and Safety Executive Management
      Standards Indicator Tool was used to measure job demands and resources. Mental
      health was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire-28. The effects of
      demands and resources on mental health were examined via linear regression
      analysis with GHQ score as the outcome. Results: The study sample comprised 1267
      prison officers (86% male). Seventy-four per cent met 'caseness' criteria for
      mental health problems. Job demands, poor interpersonal relationships, role
      ambiguity and, to a lesser extent, low job control and poor management of change
      were key predictors of mental health status. Conclusions: The findings of this
      study can help occupational health practitioners and psychologists develop
      structured interventions to improve well-being among prison officers.

PMID- 28898964
TI  - Comparison of clinic models for patients with work-related asthma.
AB  - Background: Work-related asthma (WRA) is a prevalent occupational lung disease
      that is associated with undesirable effects on psychological status, quality of
      life (QoL), workplace activity and socioeconomic status. Previous studies have
      also indicated that clinic structure may impact outcomes among patients with
      asthma. Aims: To identify the impact of clinic structure on psychological status,
      QoL, workplace limitations and socioeconomic status of patients with WRA among
      two different tertiary clinic models. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional
      analysis between two tertiary clinics: clinic 1 had a traditional referral base
      and clinical staffing while clinic 2 entirely comprised Worker's Compensation
      System referrals and included an occupational hygienist and a return-to-work
      coordinator. Beck Anxiety and Depression II Inventories (BAI and BDI-II), Marks'
      Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (M-AQLQ) and Work Limitation Questionnaire
      (WLQ) were used to assess outcomes for patients with WRA. Results: Clinic 2
      participants had a better psychological status across the four instruments
      compared with clinic 1 (for Beck 'Anxiety': P < 0.001 and 'Depression': P < 0.01,
      'Mood' domain of M-AQLQ: NS and 'Mental Demands' domain of WLQ: P < 0.01). Clinic
      2 had a greater proportion of participants with reduced income. Conclusions: Our
      study indicates that clinic structure may play a role in outcomes. Future
      research should examine this in larger sample sizes.

PMID- 28898966
TI  - Employment characteristics of a complex adult congenital heart disease cohort.
AB  - Background: Due to advances in surgical techniques and subsequent management,
      there have been remarkable improvements in the survival of patients with
      congenital heart disease. In particular, larger numbers of patients with complex
      disease are now living into adulthood and are entering the workforce. Aims: To
      establish the types of employment complex adult congenital heart disease (ACHD)
      patients are engaged in, based on the largest cohort of patients with a single
      ventricle circulation in the UK. Methods: Records of all patients with a
      univentricular (Fontan) circulation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital were
      reviewed. Employment status was categorized according to the Standard
      Occupational Classification criteria (2010). Results: A total of 210 patient
      records were reviewed. There was the same proportion of professionals in our
      cohort compared to the rest of the UK (20% versus 20%). There were greater
      proportions working in the caring, leisure and other service occupations (15%
      versus 9%), the elementary occupations (17% versus 11%), sales and customer
      service occupations (14% versus 8%) and administrative and secretarial
      occupations (12% versus 11%). The reverse trend was observed for associate
      professions and technical occupations (7% versus 14%), skilled trades (10% versus
      11%), process, plant and machine operatives (3% versus 6%) and managers,
      directors and senior officials (2% versus 10%). Conclusions: The data show that
      ACHD patients with a single ventricle are engaged in a diverse range of
      occupations. It is essential that early education and employment advice are given
      to this cohort to maximize future employment potential.

PMID- 28898965
TI  - Late boosting phenomenon in TST conversion among health care workers.
AB  - Background: Available information is insufficient to guide determination of
      whether tuberculin skin test (TST) conversions of health care workers (HCWs)
      within 2 years of two-step testing are related to occupational exposures or to
      other causes, including late boosting. Aims: To describe the epidemiologic
      factors of TST conversion in HCWs, comparing early TST conversion (<=2 years
      after two-step testing) with late conversion to possibly distinguish late
      boosting phenomenon from occupational TST conversion. Methods: Retrospective
      analysis of a database of TSTs of HCWs from 1 January 1998, through 31 May 2014,
      in the United States Midwest. Results: In total, 40142 HCWs had 197932 tests over
      the 16 years, with 123 conversions (conversion rate: 0.3%; 95% CI 0.3-0.4%).
      Among 61 HCWs with a negative two-step TST, 30 (49%) were found to have early TST
      conversion within 2 years; 31 (51%) had late conversion, with likely occupational
      exposure but no identifiable community risks. Persons with early conversion were
      more likely to be born outside the USA (89% versus 57%; P < 0.05), had a higher
      rate of prior bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination (89% versus 52%; P <
      0.05) and had no identifiable risk factors for conversion (63% versus 58%; P <
      0.05). Conclusions: Early conversions among HCWs after negative two-step TST are
      associated with various nonoccupational factors, including international birth
      and BCG vaccination history. Therefore, conversion is not a reliable indicator of
      recent tuberculosis contact in this population, and two-step TST is insufficient
      to discount a delayed boosting response for HCWs.

PMID- 28898967
TI  - Systematic review: Lost-time injuries in the US mining industry.
AB  - Background: The mining industry is associated with high levels of accidents,
      injuries and illnesses. Lost-time injuries are useful measures of health and
      safety in mines, and the effectiveness of its safety programmes. Aims: To
      identify the type of lost-time injuries in the US mining workforce and to examine
      predictors of these occupational injuries. Methods: Primary papers on lost-time
      injuries in the US mining sector were identified through a literature search in
      eight health, geology and mining databases, using a systematic review protocol
      tailored to each database. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP),
      Framework of Quality Assurance for Administrative Data Source and the Cochrane
      Collaboration 'Risk of bias' assessment tools were used to assess study quality.
      Results: A total of 1736 articles were retrieved before duplicates were removed.
      Fifteen articles were ultimately included with a CASP mean score of 6.33 (SD
      0.62) out of 10. Predictors of lost-time injuries included slips and falls,
      electric injuries, use of mining equipment, working in underground mining,
      worker's age and occupational experience. Conclusions: This is the first
      systematic review of lost-time injuries in the US mining sector. The results
      support the need for further research on factors that contribute to workplace
      lost-time injuries as there is limited literature on the topic. Safety analytics
      should also be applied to uncover new trends and predict the likelihood of future
      incidents before they occur. New insights will allow employers to prevent
      injuries and foster a safer workplace environment by implementing successful
      occupational health and safety programmes.

PMID- 28898968
TI  - Systematic review: Factors associated with return to work in burnout.
AB  - Background: Professional burnout predicts sick leave and even permanent
      withdrawal from the labour force. However, knowledge of the barriers to and
      facilitators of return to work (RTW) in such burnout is limited. Aims: To
      identify factors associated with RTW of burned-out individuals to inform
      occupational health care (OHC) RTW policy. Methods: A systematic search of peer
      reviewed quantitative and mixed-method studies published from January 2005 to
      July 2016 in English and Finnish in ARTO, CINAHL (EBSCO), Medic, PsycINFO
      (ProQuest), PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases, followed by a manual
      search. We included studies that identify burnout with valid burnout measures and
      measure the degree of RTW or sick leave as outcomes. We excluded studies with
      heterogeneous samples without subgroup analyses of RTW in burnout cases. Results:
      We included 10 studies (three experimental and seven observational) of the
      initial 1345 identified. The studies reported work-related factors; enhanced
      communication (positive association) and low control at work (negative
      association) and individual-related factors; male gender (positive association),
      covert coping (negative association), high over-commitment to work (positive
      association) and burnout-related factors; unimpaired sleep (positive
      association), duration of sick leave over 6 months (negative association) and
      part-time sick leave (positive association) associated with RTW in burnout.
      Associations between burnout rehabilitation and RTW, and the level of symptoms
      and cognitive impairment and RTW remained unclear. Conclusions: Few quantitative
      studies, of varied methodological quality, explore factors associated with RTW in
      burnout. Further research is needed to build an evidence base and develop
      guidelines for supportive OHC actions.

PMID- 28898970
TI  - Occupational metal exposures, smoking and diabetes.

PMID- 28898969
TI  - Job-specific mandatory medical examinations for the police force.
AB  - Background: Mandatory medical examinations (MMEs) of workers should be based on
      the health and safety requirements that are needed for effectively performing the
      relevant work. For police personnel in the Netherlands, no job-specific MME
      exists that takes the specific tasks and duties into account. Aims: To provide
      the Dutch National Police with a knowledge base for job-specific MMEs for police
      personnel that will lead to equitable decisions from an occupational health
      perspective about who can perform police duties. Methods: We used a stepwise
      mixed-methods approach in which we included interviews with employees and experts
      and a review of the national and international literature. We determined the job
      demands for the various police jobs, determined which were regarded as specific
      job demands and formulated the matching health requirements as specific as
      possible for each occupation. Results: A total of 21 specific job demands were
      considered relevant in different police jobs. These included biomechanical,
      physiological, physical, emotional, psychological/cognitive and sensory job
      demands. We formulated both police-generic and job-specific health requirements
      based on the specific job demands. Two examples are presented: bike patrol and
      criminal investigation. Conclusions: Our study substantiated the need for job
      specific MMEs for police personnel. We found specific job demands that differed
      substantially for various police jobs. The corresponding health requirements were
      partly police-generic, and partly job-specific.

PMID- 28898971
TI  - Organizational occupational health interventions: what works for whom in which
      circumstances?

PMID- 28898972
TI  - Revalidation, appraisal and multisource feedback for occupational physicians.

PMID- 28898973
TI  - Occupational medicine in the Middle East.

PMID- 28898974
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28898975
TI  - The MRC breathlessness scale.

PMID- 28898976
TI  - Regulation of immune and neural function via leukocyte Ig-like receptors.
AB  - Leukocyte Ig-like receptors (LILRs)/Ig-like transcripts (ILTs) are expressed on
      innate and adaptive immune cells and maintain immune homeostasis. LILRs consist
      of activating and inhibitory-type receptors that regulate adequate cellular
      functions. LILRs were firstly identified as MHC class I receptors, therefore
      expression and/or polymorphisms of LILRs are reported to associate with
      autoimmune disorders and transplant rejection; however, recent accumulating
      evidences have revealed that LILRs recognize with diverse ligands including
      bacteria and virus. In addition, inhibitory LILRB2 (ILT4) and murine relative
      paired Ig-like receptor (PIR)-B are expressed on neuron and is involved in the
      dysregulation of central nervous system via interaction with neuronal ligands
      including amyloid beta-protein. In this review, we summarize recent discoveries
      on the functions of inhibitory MHC class I receptors, and discuss their
      regulatory roles in immune responses and neural functions.

PMID- 28898977
TI  - From the Cover: Metabolomics Reveals a Role of Betaine in Prenatal DBP Exposure
      Induced Epigenetic Transgenerational Failure of Spermatogenesis in Rats.
AB  - There is increasing concern that early-life exposure to endocrine disruptors
      affects male offspring reproduction. However, whether di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP),
      a widely used endocrine disruptor, has transgenerational effects and, if so, the
      exact underlying molecular mechanisms involved remain unknown. In our study, 5 of
      time-mated pregnant SD rats were exposed to 0 and 500 mg/kg DBP with corn oil as
      the vehicle via oral gavage from embryonic days (E8-E14). Epigenetic and
      metabolomic of testis were analyzed after post-natal 60 days. Sperm and
      testicular cell functions were examined to confirm the transgenerational effects.
      DBP exposure significantly decreased the sperm counts in F1 through F3
      generation. We found distinct metabolic changes in the testis of both F1 and F3
      generation offspring, specifically, a significantly increased level of betaine,
      which is an important methyl donor. In contrast, the expression of betaine
      homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT), which catalyzes the transfer of methyl
      moiety from betaine to homocysteine, significantly decreased. There was
      accompanying global DNA hypomethylation, along with a reduction in follistatin
      like 3 (Fstl3) promoter hypomethylation, which is a known modulator of Sertoli
      cell number and spermatogenesis. In summary, we conclude that metabolomic and
      epigenetic changes induced by the aberrant expression of BHMT represent a novel
      mechanism linking in utero DBP exposure to transgenerational spermatogenesis
      failure.

PMID- 28898980
TI  - Free Testosterone: Pumping up the Tires or Ending the Free Ride?

PMID- 28898981
TI  - Performance of the cobas MRSA/SA Test for Simultaneous Detection of Methicillin
      Susceptible and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus From Nasal Swabs.
AB  - Objectives: Health care-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) infections are continuing problems. Rapidly
      determining the MRSA colonization status of a patient facilitates practice to
      reduce spread of MRSA clinical disease. Sensitive detection of all SA prior to
      surgery, followed by decolonization, can significantly reduce postoperative
      infection from this pathogen. Our goal was to validate a new automated assay for
      this testing. Methods: We compared performance of the cobas MRSA/SA Test on the
      cobas 4800 System to direct and enriched chromogenic culture using nasal swabs
      collected from patients at six United States sites. Results: Compared to direct
      and enriched culture, the sensitivity for MRSA and SA was 93.1% and 93.9%, and
      the specificity was 97.5% and 94.2%, respectively. After discrepancy analysis,
      the sensitivity for MRSA and SA was 97.1% and 98.6%, and the specificity was
      98.3% and 95.5%, respectively. Compared to direct culture, sensitivity for
      detecting any SA was 99.6%. Conclusions: The cobas MRSA/SA Test is an effective
      tool to simultaneously perform surveillance testing for nasal colonization of
      both MRSA and MSSA.

PMID- 28898982
TI  - Prevalence of Anal Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Performance of Cepheid Xpert
      and Hybrid Capture 2 (hc2) HPV Assays in South African HIV-Infected Women.
AB  - Objectives: This study investigated anal high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) prevalence in HIV
      infected women using the Cepheid Xpert HPV assay and compares its performance
      with that of Hybrid Capture-2 (hc2). Methods: A total of 199 HIV-infected women
      were recruited from Helen Joseph Hospital, Johannesburg. Stored ThinPrep anal
      swabs that had previously been tested using hc2 were tested for HPV using Xpert.
      Results: The HR-HPV prevalence by Xpert was 40.8% and similar to hc2 (41.8%) with
      overall agreement of 86.7%; Cohen's kappa 0.73 (95% CI 0.63-0.82). High grade
      squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) was associated with increasing number of
      multiple HPV infection (P < .001). Xpert and hc2 were similarly sensitive (77.4%
      and 77.4%, respectively) and specific (66.1% and 64.8% respectively) for HSIL
      detection. HPV16 (OR: 14.0, 95% CI: 3.9-48.0, P < .0001), HPV39/68/56/66 (OR:
      4.1, 95% CI: 1.4-12, P = .01) and HPV51/59 (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.1-7.6, P = .04)
      were independently associated with anal HSIL. Conclusions: Xpert HPV typing is a
      promising anal screening test in HIV-infected women that performs similarly to
      hc2.

PMID- 28898983
TI  - Ki-67 Expression in Breast Cancer Tissue Microarrays: Assessing Tumor
      Heterogeneity, Concordance With Full Section, and Scoring Methods.
AB  - Objectives: Ki-67 has been proposed to be used as a surrogate marker to
      differentiate luminal breast carcinomas (BCs). The purpose of this study was to
      determine the utility of and best approaches for using tissue microarrays (TMAs)
      and Ki-67 staining to distinguish luminal subtypes in large epidemiology studies
      of luminal/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative BC. Methods:
      Full-section and TMA (three 0.6-mm cores and two 1.0-mm cores) slides of 109
      cases were stained with Ki-67 antibody. We assessed two ways of collapsing TMA
      cores: a weighted approach and mitotically active approach. Results: For cases
      with at least a single 0.6-mm TMA core (n = 107), 16% were misclassified using a
      mitotically active approach and 11% using a weighted approach. For cases with at
      least a single 1.0-mm TMA core (n = 101), 5% were misclassified using either
      approach. For the 0.6-mm core group, there were 33.3% discordant cases. The
      number of discordant cases increased from 18% in the group of two cores to 40% in
      the group of three cores (P = .039). Conclusions: Ki-67 tumor heterogeneity was
      common in luminal/HER2- BC. Using a weighted approach was better than using a
      mitotically active approach for core to case collapsing. At least a single 1.0-mm
      core or three 0.6-mm cores are required when designing a study using TMA.

PMID- 28898984
TI  - Analysis of Daily Laboratory Orders at a Large Urban Academic Center: A
      Multifaceted Approach to Changing Test Ordering Patterns.
AB  - Objectives: We sought to address concerns regarding recurring inpatient
      laboratory test order practices (daily laboratory tests) through a multifaceted
      approach to changing ordering patterns. Methods: We engaged in an
      interdepartmental collaboration to foster mindful test ordering through clinical
      policy creation, electronic clinical decision support, and continuous auditing
      and feedback. Results: Annualized daily order volumes decreased from
      approximately 25,000 to 10,000 during a 33-month postintervention review. This
      represented a significant change from preintervention order volumes (95%
      confidence interval, 0.61-0.64; P < 10-16). Total inpatient test volumes were not
      affected. Conclusions: Durable changes to inpatient order practices can be
      achieved through a collaborative approach to utilization management that includes
      shared responsibility for establishing clinical guidelines and electronic
      decision support. Our experience suggests auditing and continued feedback are
      additional crucial components to changing ordering behavior. Curtailing daily
      orders alone may not be a sufficient strategy to reduce in-laboratory costs.

PMID- 28898985
TI  - Lineage Switch Between B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Acute Myeloid Leukemia
      Intermediated by "Occult" Myelodysplastic Neoplasm: Two Cases of Adult Patients
      With Evidence of Genomic Instability and Clonal Selection by Chemotherapy.
AB  - Objectives: Lineage switch occurs in rare leukemias, and the mechanism is
      unclear. We report two cases of B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) relapsed as
      acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: Retrospective review of clinical and
      laboratory data. Results: Complex cytogenetic abnormalities were detected in B
      ALL for both cases with subclone heterogeneity. Postchemotherapy marrow biopsies
      showed trilineage hematopoiesis without detectable B-ALL. Cytogenetics in both
      showed stemline abnormalities. The cases were considered "occult" myelodysplastic
      syndrome (MDS) preceding B-ALL. The patients relapsed 6.5 and 9 months following
      induction, respectively. Case 1 relapsed as AML-M5 initially, was treated as
      such, and then relapsed again as B-ALL. Case 2 relapsed as AML-M6. Cytogenetics
      demonstrated persistent abnormalities. Both patients died soon after relapse.
      Conclusions: Lineage switch between B-ALL and AML could be intermediated by
      occult MDS. A pluripotent progenitor likely undergoes neoplastic transformation,
      resulting in a genomically unstable clone. This leads to a repertoire of
      heterogeneous subclones that may be selected by chemotherapy. Lineage switch
      heralds a dismal clinical outcome.

PMID- 28898986
TI  - Building a New Transfusion Service.
AB  - Objectives: For over 60 years, Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in Seattle has
      received its blood components and pretransfusion testing from a centralized
      transfusion service operated by the regional blood supplier. In 2011, a hospital
      based transfusion service (HBTS) was activated. Methods: After 5 years of
      operation, we evaluated the effects of the HBTS by reviewing records of hospital
      blood use, quality system events, blood product delivery times, and costs.
      Furthermore, the effects of in-house expertise on laboratory medicine resident
      and medical laboratory scientist student training, as well as regulatory and
      accrediting agency concerns, were reviewed. Results: Blood use records from 2003
      to 2015 demonstrated large reductions in blood component procurement, allocation,
      transfusion, and wastage with decreases in costs temporally related to the change
      in service. The turnaround time for thawed plasma for trauma patients decreased
      from 90 to 3 minutes. Transfusion medicine education metrics for residents and
      laboratory technology students improved significantly. HMC researchers brought in
      $2 million in transfusion research funding. Conclusions: HMC successfully
      transitioned to an HBTS, providing world-class primary transfusion support to a
      level 1 trauma center. Near-term benefits in patient care, education, and
      research resulted. Blood support became faster, safer, and cheaper.

PMID- 28898987
TI  - Typical and Atypical Granular Cell Tumors of Soft Tissue: A Clinicopathologic
      Study of 50 Patients.
AB  - Objectives: Granular cell tumors are rare neoplasms of neural origin. Despite the
      mesenchymal nature of these tumors, they rarely occur in the soft tissue, and as
      a result, this subset is not well characterized. We present the largest case
      series to date comprising 50 patients with benign and atypical soft tissue
      granular cell tumors in an effort to better define the pathologic features in
      this subset of lesions. Methods: All cases of soft tissue granular cell tumors
      from the Ohio State Medical Center and the Medical College of Wisconsin over a 10
      year period were reviewed for histologic and clinical findings. Results: The most
      common location was the upper extremity. The mean age was 38.6 years, and the
      mean size of the tumor was 2.1 cm. An infiltrative growth pattern was seen in
      58.8% of cases, and positive margins were found in 68.2%. Eleven (21.6%) cases
      showed evidence of cytologic atypia and fulfilled the criteria for a diagnosis of
      atypical giant cell tumor. Two of 11 patients with long-term follow-up
      experienced local recurrence. Conclusions: Compared with granular cell tumors
      overall, the soft tissue subset shows a larger average size and higher propensity
      for incomplete resections, with atypical features being relatively common. Our
      findings suggest that soft tissue granular cell tumors may be slightly more
      aggressive than their dermal or organ-confined counterparts.

PMID- 28898979
TI  - Obesity Pathogenesis: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement.
AB  - Obesity is among the most common and costly chronic disorders worldwide.
      Estimates suggest that in the United States obesity affects one-third of adults,
      accounts for up to one-third of total mortality, is concentrated among lower
      income groups, and increasingly affects children as well as adults. A lack of
      effective options for long-term weight reduction magnifies the enormity of this
      problem; individuals who successfully complete behavioral and dietary weight-loss
      programs eventually regain most of the lost weight. We included evidence from
      basic science, clinical, and epidemiological literature to assess current
      knowledge regarding mechanisms underlying excess body-fat accumulation, the
      biological defense of excess fat mass, and the tendency for lost weight to be
      regained. A major area of emphasis is the science of energy homeostasis, the
      biological process that maintains weight stability by actively matching energy
      intake to energy expenditure over time. Growing evidence suggests that obesity is
      a disorder of the energy homeostasis system, rather than simply arising from the
      passive accumulation of excess weight. We need to elucidate the mechanisms
      underlying this "upward setting" or "resetting" of the defended level of body-fat
      mass, whether inherited or acquired. The ongoing study of how genetic,
      developmental, and environmental forces affect the energy homeostasis system will
      help us better understand these mechanisms and are therefore a major focus of
      this statement. The scientific goal is to elucidate obesity pathogenesis so as to
      better inform treatment, public policy, advocacy, and awareness of obesity in
      ways that ultimately diminish its public health and economic consequences.

PMID- 28898988
TI  - Comparison of Oncotype DX With Modified Magee Equation Recurrence Scores in Low
      Grade Invasive Carcinoma of Breast.
AB  - Objectives: Several specific histologic types of invasive carcinoma of breast,
      including invasive tubular carcinoma (ITC), invasive mucinous carcinoma (IMC),
      and classical invasive lobular carcinoma (CILC), are considered low-grade
      carcinomas with favorable outcomes. We aimed to investigate the utility of
      Oncotype DX test in these tumors by comparing its recurrence score (RS) with the
      modified Magee equation RS. Methods: Oncotype DX RSs were collected and modified
      Magee equation RSs were calculated in 163 low-grade invasive breast carcinomas,
      including 105 CILCs, 41 ITCs, and 17 IMCs. Results: In total, 105 (64.4%) cases
      had an Oncotype DX RS less than 18, 56 (34.4%) were between 18 and 30, and two
      (1.2%) were more than 30. Of the cases, 124 (76.1%) had a modified Magee RS less
      than 18, 39 (23.9%) were between 18 and 30, and no case was more than 30. The
      overall agreement between Oncotype DX RS and modified Magee RS risk categories
      was 68.7%. Two CILCs with an Oncotype DX RS more than 30 had modified Magee
      equation RSs of 20.3 and 20.0, respectively, and both had not shown recurrent
      disease. Conclusions: Performing Oncotype DX on low-grade invasive carcinomas is
      unlikely to provide additional useful information beyond Magee equation RS, and
      eliminating Oncotype DX from these cases could lead to substantial cost savings.

PMID- 28898989
TI  - Role of Histone H3K27 Trimethylation Loss as a Marker for Malignant Peripheral
      Nerve Sheath Tumor in Fine-Needle Aspiration and Small Biopsy Specimens.
AB  - Objectives: Accurate diagnosis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST)
      is often challenging on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or core needle biopsy.
      Recurrent mutations in EED and SUZ12, which encode subunits of polycomb
      repressive complex 2 (PRC2), have been identified in 70% to 92% of MPNSTs; PRC2
      inactivation leads to loss of trimethylation of lysine 27 of histone H3
      (H3K27me3). We evaluated the utility of H3K27me3 immunohistochemistry for
      distinguishing MPNST from its cytomorphologic mimics. Methods: H3K27me3
      immunohistochemistry was performed on 180 cases of spindle cell neoplasms sampled
      by FNA (n = 66) and needle biopsy (n = 114), and loss of nuclear staining was
      scored. Tumor types included MPNST, dedifferentiated liposarcoma, schwannoma,
      solitary fibrous tumor, leiomyosarcoma, melanoma, synovial sarcoma, sarcomatoid
      carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, desmoid fibromatosis, low-grade
      fibromyxoid sarcoma, and unclassified spindle cell sarcoma/undifferentiated
      pleomorphic sarcoma. Results: Complete loss of H3K27me3 was observed in 54%
      (13/24) of MPNSTs. In contrast, only two (of 156) histologic mimics showed
      complete loss of H3K27me3. Partial loss of H3K27me3 was present in a subset of
      cases (26/180), including both MPNST and non-MPNSTs. Conclusions: Complete loss
      of H3K27me3 is a highly specific (98.7%) marker of MPNST that can distinguish
      MPNST from cytomorphologic mimics in FNA cell block and small biopsy specimens.

PMID- 28898990
TI  - Real-Time Clinical Decision Support Decreases Inappropriate Plasma Transfusion.
AB  - Objectives: To curtail inappropriate plasma transfusions, we instituted clinical
      decision support as an alert upon order entry if the patient's recent
      international normalized ratio (INR) was 1.7 or less. Methods: The alert was
      suppressed for massive transfusion and within operative or apheresis settings.
      The plasma order was automatically removed upon alert acceptance while clinical
      exception reasons allowed for continued transfusion. Alert impact was studied
      comparing a 7-month control period with a 4-month intervention period. Results:
      Monthly plasma utilization decreased 17.4%, from a mean +/- SD of 3.40 +/- 0.48
      to 2.82 +/- 0.6 plasma units per hundred patient days (95% confidence interval
      [CI] of difference, -0.1 to 1.3). Plasma transfused below an INR of 1.7 or less
      decreased from 47.6% to 41.6% (P = .0002; odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.69-0.89).
      The alert recommendation was accepted 33% of the time while clinical exceptions
      were chosen in the remaining cases (active bleeding, 31%; other clinical
      indication, 33%; and apheresis, 2%). Alert acceptance rate varied significantly
      among different provider specialties. Conclusions: Clinical decision support can
      help curtail inappropriate plasma use but needs to be part of a comprehensive
      strategy including audit and feedback for comprehensive, long-term changes.

PMID- 28898991
TI  - Defining Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid: A Short Review and Analysis.
AB  - Objectives: To review how changes in the pathologic definitions for papillary
      tumors of the thyroid during recent decades have affected outcomes for patients
      with these tumors. Methods: Forty-nine previous reports or studies involving
      collectively 53,606 patients were reviewed, and new analyses were performed on
      the data to include analyses of agreement, incidence, survival, and diagnostic
      categories. Results: The past emphasis on cytologic features to define papillary
      tumors has not resulted in ideal pairwise agreement between pathologists and has
      produced incidence and survival data suggesting overdetection and overdiagnosis.
      Most recently, tissue patterns have been reemphasized. Conclusions: With the
      recent reemphasis on diagnostic tissue patterns (over cytologic criteria),
      agreements between pathologists for the diagnosis of papillary tumors should
      improve, and the incidence of papillary carcinoma should decline. Nevertheless,
      updated survival analyses demonstrate excellent long-term survival for most of
      those diagnosed with papillary carcinomas.

PMID- 28898992
TI  - Amphistomatic leaf surfaces independently regulate gas exchange in response to
      variations in evaporative demand.
AB  - The occurrence of amphistomatic leaves (stomata on both surfaces) versus
      hypostomatic leaves (stomata limited to the lower or abaxial surface) has strong
      associations with environment. Amphistomy provides the advantage of higher
      conductance of CO2 for photosynthesis, however, unless the stomata on both leaf
      surfaces can be independently controlled in response to environmental cues,
      amphistomy may lead to inefficient gas exchange. While previous studies have
      found evidence that stomata can operate independently across and between surfaces
      of dorsiventral leaves, we investigate whether an independent stomatal response
      can be induced for isobilateral leaves by largely natural conditions. Here, we
      exposed surfaces of isobilateral, amphistomatic Eucalyptus globulus Labill.
      leaves to natural diurnal variation in differential evaporative demand, using
      leaf orientation to drive differences in irradiance and heat load on leaf
      surfaces. We identified preferential closure of stomata on the surface exposed to
      higher irradiation (and therefore evaporative demand) during the afternoon under
      natural conditions and similarly induced differential stomatal closure under
      experimental conditions in the laboratory. The differential response confirms
      that sufficient hydraulic isolation exists for independent stomatal response to
      occur between surfaces of amphistomatic, isobilateral leaves, and importantly, we
      show that natural conditions can induce surface-specific stomatal closure.

PMID- 28898993
TI  - The phloem-xylem consortium: until death do them part.

PMID- 28898994
TI  - How well do growing season dynamics of photosynthetic capacity correlate with
      leaf biochemistry and climate fluctuations?
AB  - Accurate values of photosynthetic capacity are needed in Earth System Models to
      predict gross primary productivity. Seasonal changes in photosynthetic capacity
      in these models are primarily driven by temperature, but recent work has
      suggested that photoperiod may be a better predictor of seasonal photosynthetic
      capacity. Using field-grown kudzu (Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi), a nitrogen
      fixing vine species, we took weekly measurements of photosynthetic capacity, leaf
      nitrogen, and pigment and photosynthetic protein concentrations and correlated
      these with temperature, irradiance and photoperiod over the growing season.
      Photosynthetic capacity was more strongly correlated with photoperiod than with
      temperature or daily irradiance, while the growing season pattern in
      photosynthetic capacity was uncoupled from changes in leaf nitrogen, chlorophyll
      and Rubisco. Daily estimates of the maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco (Vcmax)
      based on either photoperiod or temperature were correlated in a non-linear
      manner, but Vcmax estimates from both approaches that also accounted for diurnal
      temperature fluctuations were similar, indicating that differences between these
      models depend on the relevant time step. We advocate for considering photoperiod,
      and not just temperature, when estimating photosynthetic capacity across the
      year, particularly as climate change alters temperatures but not photoperiod. We
      also caution that the use of leaf biochemical traits as proxies for estimating
      photosynthetic capacity may be unreliable when the underlying relationships
      between proxy leaf traits and photosynthetic capacity are established outside of
      a seasonal framework.

PMID- 28898995
TI  - Uncovering the arrhythmogenic potential of TRPM4 activation in atrial-derived HL
      1 cells using novel recording and numerical approaches.
AB  - Aims: Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily melastatin member 4
      (TRPM4), a Ca2+-activated nonselective cation channel abundantly expressed in the
      heart, has been implicated in conduction block and other arrhythmic propensities
      associated with cardiac remodelling and injury. The present study aimed to
      quantitatively evaluate the arrhythmogenic potential of TRPM4. Methods and
      results: Patch clamp and biochemical analyses were performed using expression
      system and an immortalized atrial cardiomyocyte cell line (HL-1), and numerical
      model simulation was employed. After rapid desensitization, robust reactivation
      of TRPM4 channels required high micromolar concentrations of Ca2+. However, upon
      evaluation with a newly devised, ionomycin-permeabilized cell-attached (Iono-C/A)
      recording technique, submicromolar concentrations of Ca2+ (apparent Kd = ~500 nM)
      were enough to activate this channel. Similar submicromolar Ca2+ dependency was
      also observed with sharp electrode whole-cell recording and in experiments
      coexpressing TRPM4 and L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Numerical
      simulations using a number of action potential (AP) models (HL-1, Nygren, Luo
      Rudy) incorporating the Ca2+- and voltage-dependent gating parameters of TRPM4,
      as assessed by Iono-C/A recording, indicated that a few-fold increase in TRPM4
      activity is sufficient to delay late AP repolarization and further increases (>=
      six-fold) evoke early afterdepolarization. These model predictions are consistent
      with electrophysiological data from angiotensin II-treated HL-1 cells in which
      TRPM4 expression and activity were enhanced. Conclusions: These results
      collectively indicate that the TRPM4 channel is activated by a physiological
      range of Ca2+ concentrations and its excessive activity can cause arrhythmic
      changes. Moreover, these results demonstrate potential utility of the first AP
      models incorporating TRPM4 gating for in silico assessment of arrhythmogenicity
      in remodelling cardiac tissue.

PMID- 28898996
TI  - The expression of the rare caveolin-3 variant T78M alters cardiac ion channels
      function and membrane excitability.
AB  - Aims: Caveolinopathies are a family of genetic disorders arising from alterations
      of the caveolin-3 (cav-3) gene. The T78M cav-3 variant has been associated with
      both skeletal and cardiac muscle pathologies but its functional contribution,
      especially to cardiac diseases, is still controversial. Here, we evaluated the
      effect of the T78M cav-3 variant on cardiac ion channel function and membrane
      excitability. Methods and results: We transfected either the wild type (WT) or
      T78M cav-3 in caveolin-1 knock-out mouse embryonic fibroblasts and found by
      immunofluorescence and electron microscopy that both are expressed at the plasma
      membrane and form caveolae. Two ion channels known to interact and co
      immunoprecipitate with the cav-3, hKv1.5 and hHCN4, interact also with T78M cav-3
      and reside in lipid rafts. Electrophysiological analysis showed that the T78M cav
      3 causes hKv1.5 channels to activate and inactivate at more hyperpolarized
      potentials and the hHCN4 channels to activate at more depolarized potentials, in
      a dominant way. In spontaneously beating neonatal cardiomyocytes, the expression
      of the T78M cav-3 significantly increased action potential peak-to-peak
      variability without altering neither the mean rate nor the maximum diastolic
      potential. We also found that in a small cohort of patients with supraventricular
      arrhythmias, the T78M cav-3 variant is more frequent than in the general
      population. Finally, in silico analysis of both sinoatrial and atrial cell models
      confirmed that the T78M-dependent changes are compatible with a pro-arrhythmic
      effect. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the T78M cav-3 induces complex
      modifications in ion channel function that ultimately alter membrane
      excitability. The presence of the T78M cav-3 can thus generate a susceptible
      substrate that, in concert with other structural alterations and/or genetic
      mutations, may become arrhythmogenic.

PMID- 28898998
TI  - Sirtuin 1 steers anti-inflammatory effects in vascular smooth muscle cells:
      protection without burden?

PMID- 28898997
TI  - Angiotensin II infusion into ApoE-/- mice: a model for aortic dissection rather
      than abdominal aortic aneurysm?
AB  - Aims: Angiotensin II-infused ApoE-/- mice are a popular mouse model for
      preclinical aneurysm research. Here, we provide insight in the often-reported but
      seldom-explained variability in shape of dissecting aneurysms in these mice.
      Methods and results: N = 45 excised aortas were scanned ex vivo with phase
      contrast X-ray tomographic microscopy. Micro-ruptures were detected near the
      ostium of celiac and mesenteric arteries in 8/11 mice that were sacrificed after
      3 days of angiotensin II-infusion. At later time points (after 10, 18, and 28
      days) the variability in shape of thoraco-abdominal lesions (occurring in 31/34
      mice) was classified into 7 different categories based on the presence or absence
      of a medial tear (31/31), an intramural hematoma (23/31) or a false channel
      (11/23). Medial tears were detected both in the thoracic and the abdominal aorta
      and were most prevalent at the left and ventral aspects of celiac and mesenteric
      arteries. The axial length of the hematoma strongly correlated to the total
      number of ruptured branch ostia (r2 = 0.78) and in 22/23 mice with a hematoma the
      ostium of the left suprarenal artery had ruptured. Supraceliac diameters at
      baseline were significantly lower for mice that did not develop an intramural
      hematoma, and the formation of a false channel within that intramural hematoma
      depended on the location, rather than the length, of the medial tear. Conclusion:
      Based on our observations we propose an elaborate hypothesis that explains how
      aortic side branches (i) affect the initiation and propagation of medial tears
      and the subsequent adventitial dissection and (ii) affect the variability in
      shape of dissecting aneurysms. This hypothesis was partially validated through
      the live visualization of a dissecting aneurysm that formed during micro-CT
      imaging, and led us to the conclusion that angiotensin II-infused mice are more
      clinically relevant for the study of aortic dissections than for the study of
      abdominal aortic aneurysms.

PMID- 28898999
TI  - Tweak up-regulates endothelin-1 system in mouse and human endothelial cells.

PMID- 28899000
TI  - RHOA-ROCK signalling is necessary for lateralization and differentiation of the
      developing sinoatrial node.
AB  - Aims: RHOA-ROCK signalling regulates cell migration, proliferation,
      differentiation, and transcription. RHOA is expressed in the developing cardiac
      conduction system in chicken and mice. In early development, the entire sinus
      venosus myocardium, including both the transient left-sided and the definitive
      sinoatrial node (SAN), has pacemaker potential. Later, pacemaker potential is
      restricted to the right-sided SAN. Disruption of RHOA expression in adult mice
      causes arrhythmias including bradycardia and atrial fibrillation, the mechanism
      of which is unknown but presumed to affect the SAN. The aim of this study is to
      assess the role of RHOA-ROCK signalling in SAN development in the chicken heart.
      Methods and results: ROCK signalling was inhibited chemically in embryonic
      chicken hearts using Y-27632. This prolonged the immature state of the sinus
      venosus myocardium, evidenced by up-regulation of the transcription factor ISL1,
      wide distribution of pacemaker potential, and significantly reduced heart rate.
      Furthermore ROCK inhibition caused aberrant expression of typical SAN genes:
      ROCK1, ROCK2, SHOX2, TBX3, TBX5, ISL1, HCN4, CX40, CAV3.1, and NKX2.5 and left
      right asymmetry genes: PITX2C and NODAL. Anatomical abnormalities in pulmonary
      vein development were also observed. Patch clamp electrophysiology confirmed the
      immature phenotype of the SAN cells and a residual left-sided sinus venosus
      myocardium pacemaker-like potential. Conclusions: RHOA-ROCK signalling is
      involved in establishing the right-sided SAN as the definitive pacemaker of the
      heart and restricts typical pacemaker gene expression to the right side of the
      sinus venosus myocardium.

PMID- 28899002
TI  - The unexpected intelligence: what is the naked mole-rat's secret to surviving
      oxygen deprivation?

PMID- 28899001
TI  - A role for autoantibodies in atherogenesis.
AB  - An increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has long been recognized
      amongst people with autoimmune disease. It has been unclear whether this is due
      mainly to the ensuing treatment, particularly steroids, or whether some of this
      risk is due to the autoimmune process itself with subsequent inflammation.
      Indeed, a large body of evidence supports a role for chronic inflammation in
      atherogenesis, and autoantibodies have been identified as mediators in this
      complex inflammatory environment. Our aim is to carry out a systematic review of
      existing literature in order to formally establish the strength of the
      association between autoantibodies and atherosclerosis, amongst individuals
      without clinical autoimmune disease. An electronic search of five databases to
      June 2016 was performed by two independent reviewers. Inclusion criteria were
      analytical studies of adults, with at least two studies per autoantibody. Quality
      analysis was carried out using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the Cochrane Risk
      of Bias Quality Assessment Tool where appropriate. Where possible, studies were
      pooled using random effects models. Raised levels of anti-cardiolipin (odds ratio
      [OR] = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.15-1.49) and anti-oxidized low-density lipoprotein
      Immunoglobulin (Ig) G (OR = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.11-1.41), unspecified anti-cyclic
      citrullinated protein (OR = 3.09; 95% CI: 1.49-6.41) and anti-human heat shock
      protein 60 IgA (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.15-2.16) were observed to increase the risk
      of cardiovascular outcomes. Alternatively, Anti-phosphorylcholine IgM (OR = 1.31;
      95% CI: 1.14-1.50) conferred protection against CVD. Our results support an
      important role for autoantibodies in mediating cardiovascular events, independent
      of therapeutic treatments. Future research may focus on the presence of
      autoantibodies as markers of immune dysregulation and CVD risk.

PMID- 28899003
TI  - The science of stents: angioplasty turns 40.

PMID- 28899004
TI  - Improving the outcome of primary PCI: protection from reperfusion injury.

PMID- 28899005
TI  - Young researchers enjoying great science and good company in the south of France
      in summer!

PMID- 28899006
TI  - Network medicine: a new paradigm for cardiovascular disease research and beyond.

PMID- 28899007
TI  - The spectrum of structural and functional network alterations in malformations of
      cortical development.
AB  - Neuroimaging studies of malformations of cortical development have mainly focused
      on the characterization of the primary lesional substrate, while whole-brain
      investigations remain scarce. Our purpose was to assess large-scale brain
      organization in prevalent cortical malformations. Based on experimental evidence
      suggesting that distributed effects of focal insults are modulated by stages of
      brain development, we postulated differential patterns of network anomalies
      across subtypes of malformations. We studied a cohort of patients with focal
      cortical dysplasia type II (n = 63), subcortical nodular heterotopia (n = 44),
      and polymicrogyria (n = 34), and compared them to 82 age- and sex-matched
      controls. Graph theoretical analysis of structural covariance networks indicated
      a consistent rearrangement towards a regularized architecture characterized by
      increased path length and clustering, as well as disrupted rich-club topology,
      overall suggestive of inefficient global and excessive local connectivity.
      Notably, we observed a gradual shift in network reconfigurations across
      subgroups, with only subtle changes in focal cortical dysplasia type II, moderate
      effects in heterotopia and maximal effects in polymicrogyria. Analysis of resting
      state functional connectivity also revealed gradual network changes, with most
      marked rearrangement in polymicrogyria; contrary to findings in the structural
      domain, however, functional architecture was characterized by decreases in both
      local and global parameters. Diverging results in the structural and functional
      domain were supported by formal structure-function coupling analysis. Our
      findings support the concept that time of insult during corticogenesis impacts
      the severity of topological network reconfiguration. Specifically, late-stage
      malformations, typified by polymicrogyria, may selectively disrupt the formation
      of large-scale cortico-cortical networks and thus lead to a more profound impact
      on whole-brain organization than early stage disturbances of predominantly radial
      migration patterns observed in cortical dysplasia type II, which likely affect a
      relatively confined cortical territory.

PMID- 28899009
TI  - In and out of control: brain mechanisms linking fluency of action selection to
      self-agency in patients with schizophrenia.
AB  - Sense of agency refers to the feeling of control over one's actions, and their
      consequences. It involves both predictive processes linked to action control, and
      retrospective 'sense-making' causal inferences. Schizophrenia has been associated
      with impaired predictive processing, but the underlying mechanisms that impair
      patients' sense of agency remain unclear. We introduce a new 'prospective' aspect
      of agency and show that subliminally priming an action not only influences
      response times, but also influences reported sense of agency over subsequent
      action outcomes. This effect of priming was associated with altered connectivity
      between frontal areas and the angular gyrus. The effects on response times and on
      frontal action selection mechanisms were similar in patients with schizophrenia
      and in healthy volunteers. However, patients showed no effects of priming on
      sense of agency, no priming-related activation of angular gyrus, and no priming
      related changes in fronto-parietal connectivity. We suggest angular gyrus
      activation reflects the experiences of agency, or non-agency, in part by
      processing action selection signals generated in the frontal lobes. The altered
      action awareness that characterizes schizophrenia may be due to impaired
      communication between these areas.

PMID- 28899008
TI  - Phenotypic analysis of 303 multiplex families with common epilepsies.
AB  - Gene identification in epilepsy has mainly been limited to large families
      segregating genes of major effect and de novo mutations in epileptic
      encephalopathies. Many families that present with common non-acquired focal
      epilepsies and genetic generalized epilepsies remain unexplained. We assembled a
      cohort of 'genetically enriched' common epilepsies by collecting and phenotyping
      families containing multiple individuals with unprovoked seizures. We aimed to
      determine if specific clinical epilepsy features aggregate within families, and
      whether this segregation of phenotypes may constitute distinct 'familial
      syndromes' that could inform genomic analyses. Families with three or more
      individuals with unprovoked seizures were studied across multiple international
      centres. Affected individuals were phenotyped and classified according to
      specific electroclinical syndromes. Families were categorized based on syndromic
      groupings of affected family members, examined for pedigree structure and
      phenotypic patterns and, where possible, assigned specific familial epilepsy
      syndromes. A total of 303 families were assembled and analysed, comprising 1120
      affected phenotyped individuals. Of the 303 families, 117 exclusively segregated
      generalized epilepsy, 62 focal epilepsy, and 22 were classified as genetic
      epilepsy with febrile seizures plus. Over one-third (102 families) were observed
      to have mixed epilepsy phenotypes: 78 had both generalized and focal epilepsy
      features within the same individual (n = 39), or within first or second degree
      relatives (n = 39). Among the genetic generalized epilepsy families, absence
      epilepsies were found to cluster within families independently of juvenile
      myoclonic epilepsy, and significantly more females were affected than males. Of
      the 62 familial focal epilepsy families, two previously undescribed familial
      focal syndrome patterns were evident: 15 families had posterior quadrant
      epilepsies, including seven with occipito-temporal localization and seven with
      temporo-parietal foci, and four families displayed familial focal epilepsy of
      childhood with multiple affected siblings that was suggestive of recessive
      inheritance. The findings suggest (i) specific patterns of syndromic familial
      aggregation occur, including newly recognized forms of familial focal epilepsy;
      (ii) although syndrome-specificity usually occurs in multiplex families, the one
      third of families with features of both focal and generalized epilepsy is
      suggestive of shared genetic determinants; and (iii) patterns of features
      observed across families including pedigree structure, sex, and age of onset may
      hold clues for future gene identification. Such detailed phenotypic information
      will be invaluable in the conditioning and interpretation of forthcoming
      sequencing data to understand the genetic architecture and inter-relationships of
      the common epilepsy syndromes.

PMID- 28899010
TI  - Modelling APOE E3/4 allele-associated sporadic Alzheimer's disease in an induced
      neuron.
AB  - The recent generation of induced neurons by direct lineage conversion holds
      promise for in vitro modelling of sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Here, we report
      the generation of induced neuron-based model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease in
      mice and humans, and used this system to explore the pathogenic mechanisms
      resulting from the sporadic Alzheimer's disease risk factor apolipoprotein E
      (APOE) E3/4 allele. We show that mouse and human induced neurons overexpressing
      mutant amyloid precursor protein in the background of APOE E3/4 allele exhibit
      altered amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, abnormally increased
      production of amyloid-beta42 and hyperphosphorylation of tau. Importantly, we
      demonstrate that APOE E3/4 patient induced neuron culture models can faithfully
      recapitulate molecular signatures seen in APOE E3/4-associated sporadic
      Alzheimer's disease patients. Moreover, analysis of the gene network derived from
      APOE E3/4 patient induced neurons reveals a strong interaction between APOE E3/4
      and another Alzheimer's disease risk factor, desmoglein 2 (DSG2). Knockdown of
      DSG2 in APOE E3/4 induced neurons effectively rescued defective APP processing,
      demonstrating the functional importance of this interaction. These data provide a
      direct connection between APOE E3/4 and another Alzheimer's disease
      susceptibility gene and demonstrate in proof of principle the utility of induced
      neuron-based modelling of Alzheimer's disease for therapeutic discovery.

PMID- 28899011
TI  - Neuronal intranuclear (hyaline) inclusion disease and fragile X-associated
      tremor/ataxia syndrome: a morphological and molecular dilemma.

PMID- 28899012
TI  - Reply: Neuronal intranuclear (hyaline) inclusion disease and fragile X-associated
      tremor/ataxia syndrome: a morphological and molecular dilemma.

PMID- 28899013
TI  - The fatigue conundrum.

PMID- 28899016
TI  - Reply: The phenotypic and molecular spectrum of PEHO syndrome and PEHO-like
      disorders.

PMID- 28899015
TI  - The phenotypic and molecular spectrum of PEHO syndrome and PEHO-like disorders.

PMID- 28899014
TI  - Slow wave sleep disruption increases cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-beta levels.
AB  - See Mander et al. (doi:10.1093/awx174) for a scientific commentary on this
      article.Sleep deprivation increases amyloid-beta, suggesting that chronically
      disrupted sleep may promote amyloid plaques and other downstream Alzheimer's
      disease pathologies including tauopathy or inflammation. To date, studies have
      not examined which aspect of sleep modulates amyloid-beta or other Alzheimer's
      disease biomarkers. Seventeen healthy adults (age 35-65 years) without sleep
      disorders underwent 5-14 days of actigraphy, followed by slow wave activity
      disruption during polysomnogram, and cerebrospinal fluid collection the following
      morning for measurement of amyloid-beta, tau, total protein, YKL-40, and
      hypocretin. Data were compared to an identical protocol, with a sham condition
      during polysomnogram. Specific disruption of slow wave activity correlated with
      an increase in amyloid-beta40 (r = 0.610, P = 0.009). This effect was specific
      for slow wave activity, and not for sleep duration or efficiency. This effect was
      also specific to amyloid-beta, and not total protein, tau, YKL-40, or hypocretin.
      Additionally, worse home sleep quality, as measured by sleep efficiency by
      actigraphy in the six nights preceding lumbar punctures, was associated with
      higher tau (r = 0.543, P = 0.045). Slow wave activity disruption increases
      amyloid-beta levels acutely, and poorer sleep quality over several days increases
      tau. These effects are specific to neuronally-derived proteins, which suggests
      they are likely driven by changes in neuronal activity during disrupted sleep.

PMID- 28899017
TI  - Cortical functional hyperconnectivity in a mouse model of depression and
      selective network effects of ketamine.
AB  - See Huang and Liston (doi:10.1093/awx166) for a scientific commentary on this
      article.Human depression is associated with glutamatergic dysfunction and
      alterations in resting state network activity. However, the indirect nature of
      human in vivo glutamate and activity assessments obscures mechanistic details.
      Using the chronic social defeat mouse model of depression, we determine how
      mesoscale glutamatergic networks are altered after chronic stress, and in
      response to the rapid acting antidepressant, ketamine. Transgenic mice (Ai85)
      expressing iGluSnFR (a recombinant protein sensor) permitted real-time in vivo
      selective characterization of extracellular glutamate and longitudinal imaging of
      mesoscale cortical glutamatergic functional circuits. Mice underwent chronic
      social defeat or a control condition, while spontaneous cortical activity was
      longitudinally sampled. After chronic social defeat, we observed network-wide
      glutamate functional hyperconnectivity in defeated animals, which was confirmed
      with voltage sensitive dye imaging in an independent cohort. Subanaesthetic
      ketamine has unique effects in defeated animals. Acutely, subanaesthetic ketamine
      induces large global cortical glutamate transients in defeated animals, and an
      elevated subanaesthetic dose resulted in sustained global increase in cortical
      glutamate. Local cortical inhibition of glutamate transporters in naive mice
      given ketamine produced a similar extracellular glutamate phenotype, with both
      glutamate transients and a dose-dependent accumulation of glutamate. Twenty-four
      hours after ketamine, normalization of depressive-like behaviour in defeated
      animals was accompanied by reduced glutamate functional connectivity strength.
      Altered glutamate functional connectivity in this animal model confirms the
      central role of glutamate dynamics as well as network-wide changes after chronic
      stress and in response to ketamine.

PMID- 28899018
TI  - Encephalitis lethargica: 100 years after the epidemic.

PMID- 28899019
TI  - Cerebral quantitative susceptibility mapping predicts amyloid-beta-related
      cognitive decline.
AB  - See Derry and Kent (doi:10.1093/awx167) for a scientific commentary on this
      article.The large variance in cognitive deterioration in subjects who test
      positive for amyloid-beta by positron emission tomography indicates that
      convergent pathologies, such as iron accumulation, might combine with amyloid
      beta to accelerate Alzheimer's disease progression. Here, we applied quantitative
      susceptibility mapping, a relatively new magnetic resonance imaging method
      sensitive to tissue iron, to assess the relationship between iron, amyloid-beta
      load, and cognitive decline in 117 subjects who underwent baseline magnetic
      resonance imaging and amyloid-beta positron emission tomography from the
      Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study (AIBL). Cognitive function
      data were collected every 18 months for up to 6 years from 100 volunteers who
      were either cognitively normal (n = 64) or diagnosed with mild cognitive
      impairment (n = 17) or Alzheimer's disease (n = 19). Among participants with
      amyloid pathology (n = 45), higher hippocampal quantitative susceptibility
      mapping levels predicted accelerated deterioration in composite cognition tests
      for episodic memory [beta(standard error) = -0.169 (0.034), P = 9.2 * 10-7],
      executive function [beta(standard error) = -0.139 (0.048), P = 0.004), and
      attention [beta(standard error) = -0.074 (0.029), P = 0.012]. Deteriorating
      performance in a composite of language tests was predicted by higher quantitative
      susceptibility mapping levels in temporal lobe [beta(standard error) = -0.104
      (0.05), P = 0.036] and frontal lobe [beta(standard error) = -0.154 (0.055), P =
      0.006]. These findings indicate that brain iron might combine with amyloid-beta
      to accelerate clinical progression and that quantitative susceptibility mapping
      could be used in combination with amyloid-beta positron emission tomography to
      stratify individuals at risk of decline.

PMID- 28899021
TI  - Cortex-wide optical imaging and network analysis of antidepressant effects.

PMID- 28899020
TI  - Progression marker of Parkinson's disease: a 4-year multi-site imaging study.
AB  - Progression markers of Parkinson's disease are crucial for successful therapeutic
      development. Recently, a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging analysis technique
      using a bitensor model was introduced allowing the estimation of the fractional
      volume of free water within a voxel, which is expected to increase in
      neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Prior work demonstrated
      that free water in the posterior substantia nigra was elevated in Parkinson's
      disease compared to controls across single- and multi-site cohorts, and increased
      over 1 year in Parkinson's disease but not in controls at a single site. Here,
      the goal was to validate free water in the posterior substantia nigra as a
      progression marker in Parkinson's disease, and describe the pattern of
      progression of free water in patients with a 4-year follow-up tested in a
      multicentre international longitudinal study of de novo Parkinson's disease
      (http://www.ppmi-info.org/). The analyses examined: (i) 1-year changes in free
      water in 103 de novo patients with Parkinson's disease and 49 controls; (ii) 2-
      and 4-year changes in free water in a subset of 46 patients with Parkinson's
      disease imaged at baseline, 12, 24, and 48 months; (iii) whether 1- and 2-year
      changes in free water predict 4-year changes in the Hoehn and Yahr scale; and
      (iv) the relationship between 4-year changes in free water and striatal binding
      ratio in a subgroup of Parkinson's disease who had undergone both diffusion and
      dopamine transporter imaging. Results demonstrated that: (i) free water level in
      the posterior substantia nigra increased over 1 year in de novo Parkinson's
      disease but not in controls; (ii) free water kept increasing over 4 years in
      Parkinson's disease; (iii) sex and baseline free water predicted 4-year changes
      in free water; (iv) free water increases over 1 and 2 years were related to
      worsening on the Hoehn and Yahr scale over 4 years; and (v) the 4-year increase
      in free water was associated with the 4-year decrease in striatal binding ratio
      in the putamen. Importantly, all longitudinal results were consistent across
      sites. In summary, this study demonstrates an increase over 1 year in free water
      in the posterior substantia nigra in a large cohort of de novo patients with
      Parkinson's disease from a multi-site cohort study and no change in healthy
      controls, and further demonstrates an increase of free water in Parkinson's
      disease over the course of 4 years. A key finding was that results are consistent
      across sites and the 1-year and 2-year increase in free water in the posterior
      substantia nigra predicts subsequent long-term progression on the Hoehn and Yahr
      staging system. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that free water in the
      posterior substantia nigra is a valid, progression imaging marker of Parkinson's
      disease, which may be used in clinical trials of disease-modifying therapies.

PMID- 28899022
TI  - Correlating quantitative susceptibility mapping with cognitive decline in
      Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 28899023
TI  - The circadian profile of epilepsy improves seizure forecasting.
AB  - It is now established that epilepsy is characterized by periodic dynamics that
      increase seizure likelihood at certain times of day, and which are highly patient
      specific. However, these dynamics are not typically incorporated into seizure
      prediction algorithms due to the difficulty of estimating patient-specific
      rhythms from relatively short-term or unreliable data sources. This work outlines
      a novel framework to develop and assess seizure forecasts, and demonstrates that
      the predictive power of forecasting models is improved by circadian information.
      The analyses used long-term, continuous electrocorticography from nine subjects,
      recorded for an average of 320 days each. We used a large amount of out-of-sample
      data (a total of 900 days for algorithm training, and 2879 days for testing),
      enabling the most extensive post hoc investigation into seizure forecasting. We
      compared the results of an electrocorticography-based logistic regression model,
      a circadian probability, and a combined electrocorticography and circadian model.
      For all subjects, clinically relevant seizure prediction results were
      significant, and the addition of circadian information (combined model) maximized
      performance across a range of outcome measures. These results represent a proof
      of-concept for implementing a circadian forecasting framework, and provide
      insight into new approaches for improving seizure prediction algorithms. The
      circadian framework adds very little computational complexity to existing
      prediction algorithms, and can be implemented using current-generation implant
      devices, or even non-invasively via surface electrodes using a wearable
      application. The ability to improve seizure prediction algorithms through
      straightforward, patient-specific modifications provides promise for increased
      quality of life and improved safety for patients with epilepsy.

PMID- 28899024
TI  - A restless night makes for a rising tide of amyloid.

PMID- 28899025
TI  - The nociferous influence of interictal discharges on memory.

PMID- 28899026
TI  - Dead salmon and voodoo correlations: should we be sceptical about functional MRI?

PMID- 28899027
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28899028
TI  - Street Audits to Measure Neighborhood Disorder: Virtual or In-Person?
AB  - Neighborhood conditions may influence a broad range of health indicators,
      including obesity, injury, and psychopathology. In particular, neighborhood
      physical disorder-a measure of urban deterioration-is thought to encourage crime
      and high-risk behaviors, leading to poor mental and physical health. In studies
      to assess neighborhood physical disorder, investigators typically rely on time
      consuming and expensive in-person systematic neighborhood audits. We compared 2
      audit-based measures of neighborhood physical disorder in the city of Detroit,
      Michigan: One used Google Street View imagery from 2009 and the other used an in
      person survey conducted in 2008. Each measure used spatial interpolation to
      estimate disorder at unobserved locations. In total, the virtual audit required
      approximately 3% of the time required by the in-person audit. However, the final
      physical disorder measures were significantly positively correlated at census
      block centroids (r = 0.52), identified the same regions as highly disordered, and
      displayed comparable leave-one-out cross-validation accuracy. The measures
      resulted in very similar convergent validity characteristics (correlation
      coefficients within 0.03 of each other). The virtual audit-based physical
      disorder measure could substitute for the in-person one with little to no loss of
      precision. Virtual audits appear to be a viable and much less expensive
      alternative to in-person audits for assessing neighborhood conditions.

PMID- 28899029
TI  - Invited Commentary: Observing Neighborhood Physical Disorder in an Age of
      Technological Innovation.
AB  - Researchers across several disciplines have argued that the characteristics of
      neighborhood environments can affect a variety of individual- and neighborhood
      level outcomes. Physical disorder is one feature of neighborhoods that scholars
      have argued is important, but data that capture physical disorder have been
      limited because of the time and resources required for in-person audits. The
      advent of Google Street View, which provides publicly available street-level
      imagery with nearly complete coverage of the United States, opens new
      possibilities for researchers. In this issue of the Journal, Mooney et al. (Am J
      Epidemiol. 2017;186(3):265-273) compare in-person and virtual audits in Detroit,
      Michigan, and demonstrate that virtual audits offer key advantages to measuring
      neighborhood physical disorder over in-person audits, including substantial
      reductions in time and resources with little to no loss of measurement precision.
      In this invited commentary, I welcome the use of virtual audits for advancing the
      study of neighborhoods and outline areas in which they can advance understanding
      of neighborhood effects. I also describe areas of caution in their implementation
      and outline how new innovations can advance the use of virtual audits for
      furthering understanding of neighborhood environments.

PMID- 28899030
TI  - Mooney et al. Respond to "Observing Neighborhood Physical Disorder".

PMID- 28899032
TI  - Mating response and construction of heterothallic strains of the fission yeast
      Schizosaccharomyces octosporus.
AB  - The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces octosporus is one of four species in the
      genus Schizosaccharomyces. Recently released genome sequence data provide useful
      information for comparative studies. However, Sz. octosporus has not yet been
      genetically characterized because there have been no heterothallic strains of
      this species. Here we report the construction of stable heterothallic strains of
      Sz. octosporus for genetic crosses. First, we continuously observed the mating
      process of a homothallic strain, yFS286, and determined the mating frequency of
      Sz. octosporus on various sporulation media. It showed, on average, 30% zygote
      formation on mating, and a higher frequency of zygotes (43.8 +/- 4.7%) on PMG
      medium. Regardless of sporulation, the number of spores within an ascus was
      variable. Schizosaccharomyces octosporus forms eight-spored asci, but
      preferentially produced four-spored asci on MEA or YMoA medium. To obtain
      heterothallic strains essential for genetic analyses, we isolated spontaneous
      mutants showing heterothallic-like phenotypes. We also constructed stable
      heterothallic strains by deleting the silent mat region. As a result, we
      established the following heterothallic strains, TS162 as h+ and TS150/TS161 as h
      , which successfully mated with each other. These genetic tools will be useful
      for yeast genetics such as molecular cloning, gene complementation tests and
      tetrad (octad) analysis.

PMID- 28899033
TI  - Recombination sites on hybrid chromosomes in Saccharomyces pastorianus share
      common sequence motifs and define a complex evolutionary relationship between
      group I and II lager yeasts.
AB  - Saccharomyces pastorianus, referred to as lager yeasts, are hybrids of S.
      cerevisiae and S. eubayanus. Isolates within the species are divided into two
      groups (I and II) based on chromosome structure and composition. Following the
      hybridisation, the parental chromosomes underwent homeologous recombination,
      generating a set of hybrid chromosomes unique to the species. Here, we assessed
      the recombination events in seven lager yeast genomes to more clearly define the
      evolutionary route of lager yeasts. Meta-analysis of the recombination
      epicentres, as well as a detailed analysis of recombination events at the MAT
      locus, reveals a more complex evolutionary relationship between the group I and
      II lager yeasts than previously considered and identifies several divergent
      routes of evolution leading to the current S. pastorianus strains. We show that
      recombination epicentres contain sequential runs of pyrimidines, often flanked by
      purines, on one strand of the DNA, and identify two common sequence motifs
      present in >80% of the recombination epicentres, indicating that a common
      mechanism might account for the recombination events. Taken together, the data
      support a sequential hybridisation model of evolution for the two types of lager
      yeasts and suggest that the genomes of this newly emerged species are highly
      dynamic and continually evolving.

PMID- 28899035
TI  - Advance, Adapt, Achieve: The 2016 Congress of Neurological Surgeons Presidential
      Address.

PMID- 28899036
TI  - Overlapping Surgery: A Review of the Controversy, the Evidence, and Future
      Directions.

PMID- 28899037
TI  - New Clinical-Pathological Classification of Intraspinal Injury Following
      Traumatic Acute Complete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury: Postdurotomy/Myelotomy
      Observations From the INSPIRE Trial.

PMID- 28899038
TI  - Achieving Optimal Outcome for Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: Randomized
      Controlled Trial Results.

PMID- 28899034
TI  - Genome-scale modeling of yeast: chronology, applications and critical
      perspectives.
AB  - Over the last 15 years, several genome-scale metabolic models (GSMMs) were
      developed for different yeast species, aiding both the elucidation of new
      biological processes and the shift toward a bio-based economy, through the design
      of in silico inspired cell factories. Here, an historical perspective of the
      GSMMs built over time for several yeast species is presented and the main
      inheritance patterns among the metabolic reconstructions are highlighted. We
      additionally provide a critical perspective on the overall genome-scale modeling
      procedure, underlining incomplete model validation and evaluation approaches and
      the quest for the integration of regulatory and kinetic information into yeast
      GSMMs. A summary of experimentally validated model-based metabolic engineering
      applications of yeast species is further emphasized, while the main challenges
      and future perspectives for the field are finally addressed.

PMID- 28899039
TI  - The Utility of Thromboelastography for Predicting The Risk of Progression of
      Intracranial Hemorrhage in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients.

PMID- 28899040
TI  - The Future of Cranial Neurosurgery-Adapting New Approaches.

PMID- 28899031
TI  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for second-generation ethanol production: from
      academic exploration to industrial implementation.
AB  - The recent start-up of several full-scale 'second generation' ethanol plants
      marks a major milestone in the development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains
      for fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates of agricultural residues and
      energy crops. After a discussion of the challenges that these novel industrial
      contexts impose on yeast strains, this minireview describes key metabolic
      engineering strategies that have been developed to address these challenges.
      Additionally, it outlines how proof-of-concept studies, often developed in
      academic settings, can be used for the development of robust strain platforms
      that meet the requirements for industrial application. Fermentation performance
      of current engineered industrial S. cerevisiae strains is no longer a bottleneck
      in efforts to achieve the projected outputs of the first large-scale second
      generation ethanol plants. Academic and industrial yeast research will continue
      to strengthen the economic value position of second-generation ethanol production
      by further improving fermentation kinetics, product yield and cellular robustness
      under process conditions.

PMID- 28899041
TI  - Translational Advances in the Management of Acute Spinal Cord Injury: What is
      New? What is Hot?

PMID- 28899042
TI  - Stereotactic Radiosurgery: The Revolutionary Advance in the Treatment of Spine
      Metastases.

PMID- 28899044
TI  - Japanese Congress of Neurological Surgeons Presidential Address-Treatment of
      Carotid Artery Stenosis Based on Plaque Imaging.

PMID- 28899043
TI  - GPR133 Promotes Glioblastoma Growth in Hypoxia.

PMID- 28899045
TI  - Recent Advances in Epilepsy Surgery and Achieving Best Outcomes Using High
      Frequency Oscillations, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Magnetoencephalography,
      Intraoperative Neuromonitoring, Focal Cortical Dysplasia, and Bottom of Sulcus
      Dysplasia.

PMID- 28899046
TI  - Human Neural Stem Cell Transplantation in Chronic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury:
      Functional Outcomes at 12 Months in a Phase II Clinical Trial.

PMID- 28899047
TI  - Quantification of Cordotomy Lesion Using Spinal Cord Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

PMID- 28899048
TI  - Growing Brains: How Adapting to Africa Advanced the Treatment of Infant
      Hydrocephalus.

PMID- 28899049
TI  - IDH1 Mutation and World Health Organization 2016 Diagnostic Criteria for Adult
      Diffuse Gliomas: Advances in Surgical Strategy.

PMID- 28899050
TI  - Advances in Genomics Explain Medulloblastoma Behavior at the Bedside.

PMID- 28899051
TI  - Neuroendoscopy to Achieve Superior Glioma Resection Outcomes.

PMID- 28899052
TI  - Preface to Clinical Neurosurgery Volume 64, Proceedings of the Congress of
      Neurological Surgeons 2016 Annual Meeting.

PMID- 28899053
TI  - Intracranial Meningiomas in the Era of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and
      Antiretroviral Therapies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: An Observational Case
      Control Study.

PMID- 28899054
TI  - Privademics: The Best of Both Worlds.

PMID- 28899055
TI  - Factors Associated With Playing Through a Sport-Related Concussion.

PMID- 28899056
TI  - Aspirin for the Prevention of Intracranial Aneurysm Rupture.

PMID- 28899057
TI  - Adapting Findings From Rare Peripheral Nerve Disorders Can Lead to Broad
      Applications in Neurosurgery.

PMID- 28899058
TI  - Distinct Radiomic Phenotypes Define Glioblastoma TP53-PTEN-EGFR Mutational
      Landscape.

PMID- 28899059
TI  - Targeting Neoantigens in Glioblastoma: An Overview of Cancer Immunogenomics and
      Translational Implications.

PMID- 28899061
TI  - Transsulcal Parafascicular Surgery Using Brain Path(r) for Subcortical Lesions.

PMID- 28899060
TI  - Scanning Fiber Angioscopy: A Multimodal Intravascular Imaging Platform for
      Carotid Atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28899062
TI  - A Focused Review of Clinical and Preclinical Studies of Cell-Based Therapies in
      Stroke.

PMID- 28899063
TI  - Disruptive Innovation in Neurovascular Disease.

PMID- 28899064
TI  - Effect of Complications within 90 Days on Cost Per Quality-Adjusted Life Year
      Gained Following Elective Surgery for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease.

PMID- 28899065
TI  - Strategies for Autonomous Sensor-Brain Interfaces for Closed-Loop Sensory
      Reanimation of Paralyzed Limbs.

PMID- 28899066
TI  - Pathogenesis of Chiari I - Pathophysiology of Syringomyelia: Implications for
      Therapy: A Summary of 3 Decades of Clinical Research.

PMID- 28899071
TI  - Honored Guest of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2016 Annual Meeting:
      Edward H. Oldfield, MD, FACS.

PMID- 28899067
TI  - Cushing's Disease: Lessons Learned From 1500 Cases.

PMID- 28899074
TI  - Thyroid-Specific T Cells in Patients With Differentiated Thyroid Cancer:
      Implications for Immune-Based Therapies?

PMID- 28899075
TI  - Letter to the Editor: "Normal Pubertal Development in Daughters of Women With
      PCOS: A Controlled Study".

PMID- 28899076
TI  - Letter to the Editor: The Effect of Genetic Factors on the Response to Vitamin D
      Supplementation May Be Mediated by Vitamin D-Binding Protein Concentrations.

PMID- 28899077
TI  - Cushing Disease: Are We Making Progress?

PMID- 28899078
TI  - Response to Letter: "Normal Pubertal Development in Daughters of Women With PCOS:
      A Controlled Study".

PMID- 28899079
TI  - Challenges for Zika prevention in Myanmar.

PMID- 28899080
TI  - Pulmonary fibrosis in connective tissue disease (CTD): urgent challenges and
      opportunities.

PMID- 28899081
TI  - 'Bending' models of halotropism: incorporating protein phosphatase 2A, ABCB
      transporters, and auxin metabolism.
AB  - Salt stress causes worldwide reductions in agricultural yields, a problem that is
      exacerbated by the depletion of global freshwater reserves and the use of
      contaminated or recycled water (i.e. effluent water). Additionally, salt stress
      can occur as cultivated areas are subjected to frequent rounds of irrigation
      followed by periods of moderate to severe evapotranspiration, which can result in
      the heterogeneous aggregation of salts in agricultural soils. Our understanding
      of the later stages of salt stress and the mechanisms by which salt is
      transported out of cells and roots has greatly improved over the last decade. The
      precise mechanisms by which plant roots perceive salt stress and translate this
      perception into adaptive, directional growth away from increased salt
      concentrations (i.e. halotropism), however, are not well understood. Here, we
      provide a review of the current knowledge surrounding the early responses to salt
      stress and the initiation of halotropism, including lipid signaling, protein
      phosphorylation cascades, and changes in auxin metabolism and/or transport.
      Current models of halotropism have focused on the role of PIN2- and PIN1-mediated
      auxin efflux in initiating and controlling halotropism. Recent studies, however,
      suggest that additional factors such as ABCB transporters, protein phosphatase 2A
      activity, and auxin metabolism should be included in the model of halotropic
      growth.

PMID- 28899082
TI  - Pollen tube vs CHUKNORRIS: the action is pulsatile.

PMID- 28899083
TI  - Plant membranes and border control.

PMID- 28899084
TI  - Comparison of liquid-based cytology (CellPrepPlus) and conventional smears in
      pancreaticobiliary disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUSFNA) and
      brushing cytology are used worldwide to diagnose pancreatic and biliary malignant
      tumors. Liquid-based cytology (LBC) has been developed and it is currently used
      to overcome the limitations of conventional smears (CS). In this study, the
      authors aimed to compare the diagnostic value of the CellPrepPlus (CP; Biodyne)
      LBC method with CS in samples obtained using EUS-FNA and brushing cytology.
      METHODS: This study prospectively enrolled 75 patients with pancreatic or biliary
      lesions from June 2012 to October 2013. For cytological analyses, including
      inadequate specimens, benign and atypical were further classified into benign,
      and suspicious and malignant were subcategorized as malignant. Sensitivity,
      specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive values (PPV) and negative
      predictive values (NPV) were evaluated. RESULTS: In the EUS-FNA based cytological
      analysis of pancreatic specimens, CP had a sensitivity of 60.7%; specificity,
      100%; accuracy, 77.1%; PPV, 100%; and NPV, 64.5%. CS had a sensitivity of 85.7%;
      specificity, 100%; accuracy, 91.7%; PPV, 100%; and NPV, 83.3%. In the brushing
      cytology based analysis of biliary specimens, CP had sensitivity of 53.1%;
      specificity, 100%; accuracy, 54.5%; PPV, 100%; and NPV, 6.3%. CS had a
      sensitivity of 78.1%; specificity, 100%; accuracy, 78.8%; PPV, 100%; and NPV,
      12.5%. CONCLUSION: Our study found that CP had a lower sensitivity because of low
      cellularity compared with CS. Therefore, CP (LBC) has a lower diagnostic accuracy
      for pancreatic EUS-FNA based and biliary brush cytology based analyses compared
      with CS.

PMID- 28899085
TI  - Correlation between NADPH oxidase-mediated oxidative stress and dysfunction of
      endothelial progenitor cell in hyperlipidemic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase
      (NOX)-mediated oxidative stress plays a key role in promotion of oxidative injury
      in the cardiovascular system. The aim of this study is to evaluate the status of
      NOX in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) of hyperlipidemic patients and to
      assess the correlation between NOX activity and the functions EPCs. METHODS: A
      total of 30 hyperlipidemic patients were enrolled for this study and 30 age
      matched volunteers with normal level of plasma lipids served as controls. After
      the circulating EPCs were isolated, the EPC functions (migration, adhesion and
      tube formation) were evaluated and the status of NOX (expression and activity)
      was examined. RESULTS: Compared to the controls, hyperlipidemic patients showed
      an increase in plasma lipids and a reduction in EPC functions including the
      attenuated abilities in adhesion, migration and tube formation, concomitant with
      an increase in NOX expression (NOX2 and NOX4), NOX activity, and reactive oxygen
      species production. The data analysis showed negative correlations between NOX
      activity and EPC functions. CONCLUSIONS: There is a positive correlation between
      the NOX-mediated oxidative stress and the dysfunctions of circulating EPCs in
      hyperlipidemic patients, and suppression of NOX might offer a novel strategy to
      improve EPCs functions in hyperlipidemia.

PMID- 28899086
TI  - Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydroboration of Unactivated 1,1-Disubstituted
      Alkenes.
AB  - We report an efficient and highly enantioselective hydroboration of aliphatic 1,1
      disubstituted alkenes with pinacolborane using a phosphine-Cu catalyst. The
      method allows facile preparation of enantiomerically enriched beta-chiral alkyl
      pinacolboronates from a range of 1,1-disubstituted alkenes with high
      enantioselectivity up to 99% ee. Unprecedented enantiodiscrimination between the
      geminal alkyl substituents was observed with functional group compatibility in
      the hydroboration. Furthermore, a catalyst loading as low as 1 mol % furnished
      the desired product without a decrease in yield or selectivity, demonstrating its
      efficiency in gram scale synthesis.

PMID- 28899087
TI  - Molecular Ion Formation by Photoinduced Electron Transfer at the
      Tetracyanoquinodimethane/Au(111) Interface.
AB  - Optically induced processes in organic materials are essential for light
      harvesting, switching, and sensor technologies. Here we studied the electronic
      properties of the tetracyanoquinodimethane(TCNQ)/Au(111) interface by using two
      photon photoemission spectroscopy. For this interface we demonstrated the lack of
      charge-transfer interactions, but we found a significant increase in the sample
      work function due to UV-light illumination, while the electronic structure of the
      TCNQ-derived states remain unaffected. Thereby the work function of the interface
      can be tuned over a wide range via the photon dose. We assigned this to a
      photoinduced metal-to-molecule electron transfer creating negative ions. The
      electrons are bound by a small potential barrier. Thus thermal activation
      reverses the process resulting in the original work function value. The presented
      photoinduced charge transfer at the TCNQ/Au(111) interface can be used for
      continuous work function tuning across the substrate's work function, which can
      be applied in device-adapted hole-injection layers or organic UV-light sensors.

PMID- 28899088
TI  - Identification of Siglec Ligands Using a Proximity Labeling Method.
AB  - Siglecs are a family of receptor-type glycan recognition proteins (lectins)
      involved in self-nonself discrimination by the immune system. Identification of
      Siglec ligands is necessary to understand how Siglec-ligand interaction
      translates into biological outcomes. However, this is challenging because the
      interaction is weak. To facilitate identification of Siglec ligands, we adopted a
      proximity labeling method based on the tyramide radicalization principle. Cells
      that express Siglec ligands were labeled with Siglec-peroxidase complexes and
      incubated with biotin tyramide and hydrogen peroxide to generate short-lived
      tyramide radicals that covalently label the proteins near the Siglec-peroxidase
      complex. A proof-of-principle experiment using CD22 (Siglec-2) probe identified
      its known ligands on B cells, including CD22 itself, CD45, and IgM, among others,
      demonstrating the validity of this method. The specificity of labeling was
      confirmed by sialidase treatment of target cells and using glycan recognition
      deficient mutant CD22 probes. Moreover, possible interactions between biotin
      labeled proteins were revealed by literature-based protein-protein interaction
      network analysis, implying the presence of a molecular cluster comprising CD22
      ligands. Further application of this method identified CD44 as a hitherto unknown
      Siglec-15 ligand on RAW264.7-derived osteoclasts. These results demonstrated the
      utility of proximity labeling for the identification of Siglec ligands, which may
      extend to other lectins.

PMID- 28899089
TI  - Highly Active Multimetallic Palladium Nanoalloys Embedded in Conducting Polymer
      as Anode Catalyst for Electrooxidation of Ethanol.
AB  - Fabrication of multimetallic nanocatalysts with controllable composition remains
      a challenge for the development of low-cost electrocatalysts, and incorporating
      metal-based catalysts into active carbon nanoarchitectures represents an emerging
      strategy to improve the catalytic performance of electrocatalysts. Herein, a
      facile method developed for Pd nanoparticle (NP)-based multimetallic alloys
      incorporated on polypyrrole (Ppy) nanofibers by in situ nucleation and growth of
      NPs using colloidal radiolytic technique is described. Electrochemical
      measurement suggests that the as-prepared catalysts demonstrate dramatically
      enhanced electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation in alkaline medium. The
      ultrasmall Pd30Pt29Au41/Ppy nanohybrids (~8 nm) exhibit excellent
      electrocatalytic activity, which is ~5.5 times higher than that of its
      monometallic counterparts (12 A/mg Pd, 5 times higher activity compared to that
      of Pd/C catalyst). Most importantly, the ternary nanocatalyst shows no obvious
      change in chemical structure and long-term stability, reflected in the 2% loss in
      forward current density during 1000 cycles. The superior catalytic activity and
      durability of the nanohybrids have been achieved due to the formation of Pt-Pd-Au
      heterojunctions with cooperative action of the three metals in the alloy
      composition, and the strong interactions between the Ppy nanofiber support with
      the metal NPs. The facile synthetic approach provides a new generation of polymer
      supported metal alloy hybrid nanostructures as potential electrocatalysts with
      superior catalytic activity for fuel cell applications.

PMID- 28899090
TI  - Synthesis and Sensory Characteristics of Kokumi gamma-[Glu]n-Phe in the Presence
      of Glutamine and Phenylalanine: Glutaminase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens or
      Aspergillus oryzae as the Catalyst.
AB  - The transpeptidase activity of glutaminase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (GBA)
      and Aspergillus oryzae (GAO) to yield gamma-[Glu]n-Phe peptides were verified for
      the first time. In the presence of Gln and Phe, gamma-Glu-Phe and gamma-Glu-gamma
      Glu-Phe were synthesized by GAO, and gamma-Glu-Phe, gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-Phe,
      gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-Phe, gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-Phe,
      and gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-gamma-Glu-Phe were synthesized by
      GBA. The Km values for the transpeptidation catalyzed by GBA and GAO were 47.88
      and 153.92 mM (Phe as the acceptor), 84.89 and 236.47 mM (gamma-Glu-Phe as the
      acceptor), indicating that GBA had a greater affinity than GAO for Phe and gamma
      Glu-Phe in the transpeptidation reaction. The Km values for the transpeptidation
      catalyzed by GBA against acceptors, Phe and gamma-[Glu](1<=n<5)-Phe (47.88-206.47
      mM), increased with an elevated number of gamma-glutamyl residue within the
      acceptor. The optimal conditions for gamma-[Glu]n-Phe synthesis were pH 10 and 37
      degrees C for 3 h, 300 mM Gln, 100 mM Phe, 0.05 U/mL GBA. All the gamma
      [Glu](1<=n<=5)-Phe exhibited astringency in water and imparted a kokumi taste to
      commercial soy sauce and model chicken broth. The astringent threshold values
      (2.5-3.92 mM) were approximately 3-fold of the kokumi threshold concentrations
      (0.78-1.53 mM). gamma-[Glu]n-Phe or the post-enzymatic reaction mixture enhanced
      the umami intensity of commercial soy sauce and model chicken broth.

PMID- 28899091
TI  - Thermodynamic Origin of Multilayer Structures in Langmuir Polymer Films.
AB  - The emergence of polymer-free water surface in a Langmuir polymer film at
      conditions where a homogeneous coverage has been expected previously is explained
      on the basis of the surface tensions of polymer and water, gammapv and gammawv,
      respectively, as well as the interfacial tension between the two materials,
      gammapw. The polymer molecules considered are 22-residue poly(gamma-benzyl-l
      glutamate) (PBLG) peptides in alpha-helical conformation. Values for gammapv and
      gammapw derived from MD simulations are consistent with values inferred from
      experiments considering the emergence of polymer-free surface area for ultrathin
      films studied using the surface forces apparatus in earlier work. Based on these
      surface properties, the behavior of individual PBLG peptides at the air-water
      interface, the dimerization of PBLG peptides, the equilibrium height and width of
      fibers with given cross section, and the lateral fusion of fibers are described.
      We show that a prerequisite for the emergence of multilayer structures, which
      appear locally in domains of sizes of tens to hundreds of micrometers in the
      considered Langmuir polymer film, is that the condition gammapv + gammapw -
      gammawv > 0 holds true.

PMID- 28899092
TI  - Spatiotemporal Organization of Catalysts Driven by Enhanced Diffusion.
AB  - Recently, both microfluidic and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy experiments
      have revealed that diffusion coefficients of active biological catalysts
      (enzymes) rise proportionately to their catalytic rate. Similar effects have also
      been observed for active material catalysts, such as platinum nanocatalysts in
      hydrogen peroxide solution. While differences in diffusion coefficients have
      recently been cleverly exploited to spatially separate active from inactive
      catalysts, here we investigate the consequences of these novel findings on the
      spatiotemporal organization of catalysts. In particular, we show that chemical
      reactions-such as coupled catalytic reactions-may drive effective attraction or
      repulsion between catalysts which in turn drives their spatiotemporal
      organization. This, we argue, may have implications for internal cell signaling.

PMID- 28899093
TI  - Investigation of Dioscorea bulbifera Rhizome-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats by a
      Multisample Integrated Metabolomics Approach.
AB  - The use of herbal medicines continues to expand globally, meanwhile, herb
      associated hepatotoxicity is becoming a safety issue. As a conventional Chinese
      medicinal herb, Dioscorea bulbifera rhizome (DBR) has been documented to cause
      hepatic toxicity. However, the exact underlying mechanism remains largely
      unexplored. In the present study, we aimed to profile entire endogenous
      metabolites in a biological system using a multisample integrated metabolomics
      strategy. Our findings offered additional insights into the molecular mechanism
      of the DBR-induced hepatotoxicity. We identified different metabolites from rat
      plasma, urine, and feces by employing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in
      combination with multivariate analysis. In total, 55 metabolites distributed in
      33 metabolic pathways were identified as being significantly altered in DBR
      treated rats. Correlation network analysis revealed that the hub metabolites of
      hepatotoxicity were mainly associated with amino acid, bile acid, purine,
      pyrimidine, lipid, and energy metabolism. As such, DBR affected the physiological
      and biological functions of liver via the regulation of multiple metabolic
      pathways to an abnormal state. Notably, our findings also demonstrated that the
      multisample integrated metabolomics strategy has a great potential to identify
      more biomarkers and pathways in order to elucidate the mechanistic complexity of
      toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28899094
TI  - Solvent Entropy Contributions to Catalytic Activity in Designed and Optimized
      Kemp Eliminases.
AB  - We analyze the role of solvation for enzymatic catalysis in two distinct,
      artificially designed Kemp Eliminases, KE07 and KE70, and mutated variants that
      were optimized by laboratory directed evolution. Using a spatially resolved
      analysis of hydration patterns, intermolecular vibrations, and local solvent
      entropies, we identify distinct classes of hydration water and follow their
      changes upon substrate binding and transition state formation for the designed
      KE07 and KE70 enzymes and their evolved variants. We observe that differences in
      hydration of the enzymatic systems are concentrated in the active site and
      undergo significant changes during substrate recruitment. For KE07, directed
      evolution reduces variations in the hydration of the polar catalytic center upon
      substrate binding, preserving strong protein-water interactions, while the
      evolved enzyme variant of KE70 features a more hydrophobic reaction center for
      which the expulsion of low-entropy water molecules upon substrate binding is
      substantially enhanced. While our analysis indicates a system-dependent role of
      solvation for the substrate binding process, we identify more subtle changes in
      solvation for the transition state formation, which are less affected by directed
      evolution.

PMID- 28899095
TI  - Nanodrops of Discotic Liquid Crystals: A Monte Carlo Study.
AB  - We study the morphologies of nematic nanodrops in a vapor of a discotic nematogen
      by Monte Carlo simulations. The fluid interactions are modeled by a Gay-Berne
      model with molecular elongations of kappa = 0.3 and 0.5 and different values of
      the energy anisotropy parameter kappa' in the range of temperature T in which the
      nematic coexists with a vapor phase. We considered nanodrops of N = 4000 and 32
      000 particles. For kappa > kappa', we observe that nanodrops are quite spherical
      (even for N = 4000 nanodrops), with a homogeneous director field for kappa = 0.3
      and a bipolar nematic configuration with tangential anchoring for kappa = 0.5. By
      increasing the value of kappa', nanodrops change from spherical to lens-shaped
      for kappa = 0.3, and for kappa = 0.5, spherical nanodrops with homeotropic
      anchoring and a disclination ring located on its equatorial plane are observed.
      Although no radial nanodrops are observed, isotropic liquid nanodrops with a
      paranematic shell and radial texture are observed for temperatures slightly above
      the vapor-isotropic-nematic triple point when the vapor-isotropic interface is
      completely wet by the nematic phase.

PMID- 28899096
TI  - Physical, Rheological, Functional, and Film Properties of a Novel Emulsifier:
      Frost Grape Polysaccharide from Vitis riparia Michx.
AB  - A novel emulsifier, Frost grape polysaccharide (FGP), isolated from natural
      exudate of the species Vitis riparia Michx, was physically and rheologically
      characterized. The determination of the physical, structural, thermodynamic,
      emulsification, film, and rheological properties of FGP provide essential details
      for the commercial adoption of this novel plant polysaccharide. FGP is capable of
      producing exceptionally stable emulsions when compared with the industrially
      ubiquitous gum arabic (GA). The FGP isolate contained a negligible amount of
      nitrogen (0.03%), indicating that it does not contain an associated glycoprotein,
      unlike GA. Solutions of FGP have a high degree of thermostability, displaying no
      loss in viscosity with temperature cycling and no thermal degradation when held
      at 90  degrees C. FGP is an excellent film former, producing high tensile
      strength films which remain intact at temperatures up to 200  degrees C. This
      work identified a number of potential food and pharmaceutical applications where
      FGP is significantly superior to GA.

PMID- 28899097
TI  - Optically Assisted Surface Functionalization for Protein Arraying in Aqueous
      Media.
AB  - Protein surface patterning is employed in a broad spectrum of applications
      ranging from protein microarray analysis to 2D cell organization. However,
      limitations arise because of the highly sensitive nature of proteins requiring
      careful handling to ensure their structural and functional integrity during the
      grafting process. Here, we describe a patterning protocol that keeps proteins in
      an aqueous environment during their immobilization, avoiding the loss of their
      biological activity. The procedure is based on the UV-mediated removal of
      polyethylene glycol self-assembled monolayers in a transparent microfluidic
      chamber, giving access to micrometric motifs of predefined geometries. Afterward,
      modified proteins can be grafted on the photopatterned domains. We also studied
      the influence of reactive oxygen species for a better understanding of the
      chemical mechanism involved in this process. Finally, as a proof of concept, a
      protein microarray was created with this process using cell-capturing antibodies
      to immobilize human blood cells, confirming the functionality of the arrayed
      proteins.

PMID- 28899098
TI  - Heterodimers Made of Upconversion Nanoparticles and Metal-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - Creating nanoparticle dimers has attracted extensive interest. However, it still
      remains a great challenge to synthesize heterodimers with asymmetric compositions
      and synergistically enhanced functions. In this work, we report the synthesis of
      high quality heterodimers composed of porphyrinic nanoscale metal-organic
      frameworks (nMOF) and lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). Due to
      the dual optical properties inherited from individual nanoparticles and their
      interactions, absorption of low energy photons by the UCNPs is followed by energy
      transfer to the nMOFs, which then undergo activation of porphyrins to generate
      singlet oxygen. Furthermore, the strategy enables the synthesis of heterodimers
      with tunable UCNP size and dual NIR light harvesting functionality. We
      demonstrated that the hybrid architectures represent a promising platform to
      combine NIR-induced photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy for efficient cancer
      treatment. We believe that such heterodimers are capable of expanding their
      potential for applications in solar cells, photocatalysis, and nanomedicine.

PMID- 28899099
TI  - Accurately Modeling the Conformational Preferences of Nucleosides.
AB  - Sugar puckering of nucleosides impacts nucleic acid structures; hence their
      biological function. Similarly, nucleoside-based therapeutics may adopt different
      conformations affecting their binding affinity, DNA incorporation, and excision
      rates. As a result, significant efforts have been made to develop nucleoside
      analogues adopting specific conformations to improve bioactivity and
      pharmacokinetic profiles of the corresponding nucleoside-containing drugs.
      Understanding and ultimately predicting these conformational preferences would
      significantly help in the design of more effective structures. We report herein a
      computational study based on hybrid QM/MM umbrella sampling simulations that
      allow the accurate prediction of the sugar conformational preferences of
      chemically modified nucleosides in solution. Moreover, we pair these simulations
      with natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis to gain key insights into the role of
      substituents in the conformational preferences of these nucleosides.

PMID- 28899100
TI  - Rust and Thinning Management Effect on Cup Quality and Plant Performance for Two
      Cultivars of Coffea arabica L.
AB  - Beverage quality is a complex attribute of coffee ( Coffea arabica L.). Genotype
      (G), environment (E), management (M), postharvest processing, and roasting are
      all involved. However, little is known about how G * M interactions influence
      beverage quality. We investigated how yield and coffee leaf rust (CLR) disease
      (caused by Hemileia vastatrix Berk. et Br.) management affect cup quality and
      plant performance, in two coffee cultivars. Sensory and chemical analyses
      revealed that 10 of 70 attributes and 18 of 154 chemical volatile compounds were
      significantly affected by G and M. Remarkably, acetaminophen was found for the
      first time in roasted coffee and in higher concentrations under more stressful
      conditions. A principal component analysis described 87% of the variation in
      quality and plant overall performance. This study is a first step in
      understanding the complexity of the physiological, metabolic, and molecular
      changes in coffee production, which will be useful for the improvement of coffee
      cultivars.

PMID- 28899101
TI  - Retention of qualified healthcare workers in rural Senegal: lessons learned from
      a qualitative study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Deployment and retention of a sufficient number of skilled and
      motivated human resources for health (HRH) at the right place and at the right
      time are critical to ensure people's right to access a universal quality of
      health care. Vision Tokyo 2010 Network, an international network of HRH managers
      at the ministry of health (MoH) level in nine Francophone African countries,
      identified maldistribution of a limited number of healthcare personnel and their
      retention in rural areas as overarching problems in the member countries. The
      network conducted this study in Senegal to identify the determining factors for
      the retention of qualified HRH in rural areas, and to explore an effective and
      feasible policy that the MoH could implement in the member countries. METHODS:
      Doctors, nurses, midwives and superior technicians in anesthesiology who were
      currently working (1) in a rural area and had been for more than 2 years, (2) in
      Dakar with experience of working in a rural area or (3) in Dakar without any
      prior experience working in a rural area were interviewed about their willingness
      and reasons for accepting work or continuing to work in a rural area and their
      suggested policies for deployment and retention of healthcare workers in rural
      areas. In-depth interviews were conducted with policy makers in MoH, asking for
      their perceptions on human resource management in health and about their
      suggested policies for deployment and retention. RESULTS: A total of 176
      healthcare workers and eight policy makers were interviewed. The willingness to
      face challenges in a new place was one of the main reasons for accepting work in
      rural areas. The identified factors to motivate or demotivate healthcare workers
      in rural areas were related to pre-service and in-service education, regulatory
      systems, financial and non-financial incentive schemes and environmental support.
      Factors not included in WHO's global recommendation but highly valued in this
      study were (1) the fairness, transparency and predictability of human resource
      management by the MoH and (2) employment status, ie permanent government staff
      versus contract staff. Financial incentive schemes were less commonly suggested.
      Family bonding and religious-related non-financial incentive schemes were found
      to be specific factors in Senegal, but would also be applicable in countries
      where family and religion play important roles in the values of healthcare
      workers. CONCLUSIONS: Improved HRH management, eg the transparency of human
      resource management by the MoH, was identified as a pre-condition of any policy
      implementation related to HRH. This factor can be considered in other countries
      struggling to retain healthcare workers in rural areas. The Vision Tokyo 2010
      Network or HRH managers' network in Francophone Africa, Senegal MoH and the
      research team plan to conduct a quantitative survey to confirm the
      generalizability of the results of this qualitative survey, and to identify the
      most effective combination of policies to improve the retention of qualified
      healthcare workers and seek their implementation in other countries in the region
      as network activities.

PMID- 28899102
TI  - Community Based Antiretroviral Treatment in Rural Zimbabwe.
AB  - Treatment of HIV has reduced HIV/AIDS-related mortality. Sustaining >90%
      virologic suppression in sub-Saharan Africa requires decentralized care and
      prevention services to rural communities. In Zimbabwe, the number of people
      receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) has increased rapidly. However, access
      to treatment monitoring tools such as viral load and drug resistance testing is
      limited. We assessed virologic treatment outcomes among ART recipients in
      Nyamutora, a rural community receiving bimonthly ART and prevention services. We
      enrolled all ART recipients (143) at 6-monthly visits in the Nyamutora community
      in 2014 and 2015. Whole blood samples were collected in K-EDTA tubes, transported
      to Harare for CD4 counts and viral load testing, and genotype was obtained in
      participants with viral loads >1,000 copies/ml. Ages ranged from 2 to 75 years
      (median 43 years) with a median 42 months on ART at follow-up. Eight of 143 (6%)
      had viral loads >1,000 copies/ml at one of the 3 visits, 7 on first-line
      nevirapine (NVP)-based ART and 1 on second-line LPV/r-based ART. Seven
      participants had sequence data available, and five had drug resistance mutations,
      K65R, T69N, K101E, K103N, Y181C/I, M184V, and G190A. Virologic failure (p = .001)
      and drug resistance mutations (p = .01) on first-line NVP-based ART were
      associated with younger age by univariate exact logistic regression. The
      participants had high viral suppression (94%) despite less than optimal (NVP
      based) ART regimens without laboratory monitoring. Virologic failure and drug
      resistance were higher among children and adolescents. Effective ART delivery to
      the community achieved high rates of virologic suppression and minimal drug
      resistance.

PMID- 28899103
TI  - drFrnE Represents a Hitherto Unknown Class of Eubacterial Cytoplasmic Disulfide
      Oxido-Reductases.
AB  - AIMS: Living cells employ thioredoxin and glutaredoxin disulfide oxido-reductases
      to protect thiol groups in intracellular proteins. FrnE protein of Deinococcus
      radiodurans (drFrnE) is a disulfide oxido-reductase that is induced in response
      to Cd2+ exposure and is involved in cadmium and radiation tolerance. The aim of
      this study is to probe structure, function, and cellular localization of FrnE
      class of proteins. RESULTS: Here, we show drFrnE as a novel cytoplasmic oxido
      reductase that could be functional in eubacteria under conditions where
      thioredoxin/glutaredoxin systems are inhibited or absent. Crystal structure
      analysis of drFrnE reveals thioredoxin fold with an alpha helical insertion
      domain and a unique, flexible, and functionally important C-terminal tail. The C
      tail harbors a novel 239-CX4C-244 motif that interacts with the active site 22
      CXXC-25 motif. Crystal structures with different active site redox states,
      including mixed disulfide (Cys22-Cys244), are reported here. The biochemical data
      show that 239-CX4C-244 motif channels electrons to the active site cysteines.
      drFrnE is more stable in the oxidized form, compared with the reduced form,
      supporting its role as a disulfide reductase. Using bioinformatics analysis and
      fluorescence microscopy, we show cytoplasmic localization of drFrnE. We have
      found "true" orthologs of drFrnE in several eubacterial phyla and, interestingly,
      all these groups apparently lack a functional glutaredoxin system. Innovation and
      Conclusion: We show that drFrnE represents a new class of hitherto unknown
      intracellular oxido-reductases that are abundantly present in eubacteria. Unlike
      other well-known oxido-reductases, FrnE harbors an additional dithiol motif that
      acts as a conduit to channel electrons to the active site during catalytic
      turnover. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 296-310.

PMID- 28899104
TI  - Therapeutic Vaccine Against HIV, Viral Variability, Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte
      Epitopes, and Genetics of Patients.
AB  - The scientific and medical community is seeking to cure HIV. Several pathways
      have been or are being explored including therapeutic vaccination.
      Viroimmunological studies on primary infection as well as on elite controllers
      have demonstrated the importance of the cytotoxic CD8 response and have mainly
      oriented research on vaccine constructs toward this type of response. The results
      of these trials are clearly not commensurate with the hope placed in them. Might
      there be one or more uncontrolled variables? The genetics of patients need to be
      taken into consideration, especially their human lymphocyte antigen (HLA)
      alleles. There is a need to find a balance between the conservation of cytotoxic
      T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes and presentation by HLA alleles. The pathway is a
      narrow one between adaptation of the virus to HLA I restriction and the
      definition of conserved proviral CTL epitopes presentable by HLA I alleles. It is
      likely that the genetics of patients will need to be considered for HIV-1 vaccine
      studies and that multidisciplinary collaboration will be essential in this field
      of infectious diseases.

PMID- 28899107
TI  - It's About Time: Temporality in Analysis.

PMID- 28899110
TI  - Unpleasant Business: Rat, Jew, Payment, and Covenant in Freud's RAT Man.
AB  - Freud's repression of Judaism and its cultural markers from the published "Rat
      Man" case history has been noted but never satisfactorily explained. This elision
      can be interpreted using Freud's suggestion that the paradigmatic "rat"
      represents (among other things) a circumcised penis marking an intergenerational,
      covenantal exchange. When read against the case study as originally published,
      Freud's process notes for the Rat Man's treatment (the only set of such notes on
      a published case that Freud didn't destroy) suggest that Freud chose to sanitize
      the published version of explicitly Jewish content, thus repeating a pattern of
      absence as a marker of debt. This debt only grows more tortuous and powerful the
      longer it remains unpaid. This system of elision in the Rat Man suggests that
      Freud understood deferral and denial to be built into the Jewish system of piety.
      Thus, it would seem that Freud used the Rat Man case history to explore Judaism
      through its repression; Freud's relation to and interpretation of Jewish values
      are revealed as a primary, if unconscious, subject of the text.

PMID- 28899105
TI  - A Summary of the Second Annual HIV Microbiome Workshop.
AB  - Commensal organisms appear to play significant roles in normal homeostasis as
      well as in the pathogenesis of HIV infection in a number of different organ
      systems. On November 17th and 18th, 2016, leading researchers from around the
      world met to discuss their insights on advances in our understanding of HIV and
      the microbiome at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda. Dr.
      Elhanan Borenstein of the University of Washington gave a keynote address where
      he discussed new developments in systems biology which hold the promise of
      illuminating the pathways by which these organisms interact with human
      physiology. He suggested that we need to get past correlations in microbiome
      research by using models and informatics which incorporate metagenomics to
      predict functional changes in the microbiome.

PMID- 28899111
TI  - Reconstruction in A Two-Person World May Be More About The Present Than The Past:
      Freud and The Wolf Man, an Illustration.
AB  - The psychoanalytic process of reconstruction has yet to be examined from the
      perspective of today's two-person psychologies. Earlier writers on the subject
      have implicated the analyst and his emotional involvement as influences that may
      distort the valid recovery of memories, while others have written that the
      transference and the reconstructed past are interdependent. By contrast with both
      views, it is suggested here that the reconstructed product itself may reflect the
      transference-countertransference engagement of the dyad: in some instances, and
      to some extent in all instances, the scene or story of the presumed past will be
      a version of the current analytic relationship. In certain cases consideration of
      the conscious and unconscious emotional entanglements of the dyad will reveal
      that the reconstruction says more about the analytic present than about the past.
      Freud's Wolf Man case provides a good illustration of this point. While a broad
      consensus exists that its famous primal scene reconstruction cannot be veridical,
      it has most often been dismissed as distorted by Freud's theoretical commitments.
      A closer examination of the relationship between Freud and Pankejeff reveals that
      the reconstruction is an accurate rendering of warded-off aspects of the dyad's
      way of being together. The potential clinical utility of adopting this
      perspective is that it encourages the analyst to reflect on his clinical
      reconstructions, interrogating them for clues to otherwise elusive aspects of the
      current clinical relationship.

PMID- 28899112
TI  - Response To Commentaries.

PMID- 28899113
TI  - Open-mouthed and Wide-eyed: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Curiosity.

PMID- 28899121
TI  - Unconscious Fantasy and The Priming Phenomenon.
AB  - This paper is the third in a series of investigations into (1) the nature and
      development of unconscious fantasy, (2) its place in a contemporary model of mind
      that, parenthetically, suggests a possible solution to the problem of theoretical
      pluralism, and (3) its mode of operation in the mind. The aim of these
      investigations is to update the notion of unconscious fantasy, an indispensable
      construct in psychoanalytic theories that assume out-of-awareness mentation, and
      to situate that construct within contemporary views of mental functioning in
      disciplines such as philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and developmental
      psychology. At the same time, data accessible only through psychoanalytic work
      challenge these fields with findings that indicate the need for further
      investigation. This paper argues that experimental evidence on the phenomenon of
      "priming" lends support to one of the seminal claims in our field, one frequently
      attacked as an outmoded shibboleth: that is, that the past matters, whether
      encoded in declarative or in procedural memory. In common parlance, we are
      "primed" to respond to some situations in predetermined ways; the past primes us
      to experience the present in often unique and personal ways. There is evidence
      too that the priming mechanism and the encoding of subjective experience in
      declarative and procedural memory operate from very early in life.

PMID- 28899122
TI  - The Primitive Edge of Creativity: Destruction and Reparation in Louise
      Bourgeois's Art.
AB  - Viewed within the psychic geography of Thomas Ogden's modes of generating and
      organizing experience, in particular the autistic-contiguous mode, Louise
      Bourgeois's creative imagination can be seen as originating on what Ogden (1989)
      has called the primitive edge of experience. This mode, dominated by the sensory,
      is characterized by chaos, fragmentation, and a loss of boundaries. In dynamic
      movements between the depressive and the autistic-contiguous positions, between
      destructive and reparative impulses, Bourgeois transforms experiences of chaos,
      as well as destructive aggression, into aesthetic order and form, into works of
      art. She is able to delve into the most elemental and presymbolic modes of
      psychic experience and artistically harness raw feelings and sensations on what
      can be called the primitive edge of creativity.

PMID- 28899123
TI  - Subchondral bone microarchitecture analysis in the proximal tibia at 7-T MRI.
AB  - Background Bone remodels in response to mechanical loads and osteoporosis results
      from impaired ability of bone to remodel. Bone microarchitecture analysis
      provides information on bone quality beyond bone mineral density (BMD). Purpose
      To compare subchondral bone microarchitecture parameters in the medial and
      lateral tibia plateau in individuals with and without fragility fractures.
      Material and Methods Twelve female patients (mean age = 58 +/- 15 years; six with
      and six without previous fragility fractures) were examined with dual-energy X
      ray absorptiometry (DXA) and 7-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the proximal
      tibia. A transverse high-resolution three-dimensional fast low-angle shot
      sequence was acquired (0.234 * 0.234 * 1 mm). Digital topological analysis (DTA)
      was applied to the medial and lateral subchondral bone of the proximal tibia. The
      following DTA-based bone microarchitecture parameters were assessed: apparent
      bone volume; trabecular thickness; profile-edge-density (trabecular bone erosion
      parameter); profile-interior-density (intact trabecular rods parameter); plate-to
      rod ratio; and erosion index. We compared femoral neck T-scores and bone
      microarchitecture parameters between patients with and without fragility
      fracture. Results There was no statistical significant difference in femoral neck
      T-scores between individuals with and without fracture (-2.4 +/- 0.9 vs. -1.8 +/-
      0.7, P = 0.282). Apparent bone volume in the medial compartment was lower in
      patients with previous fragility fracture (0.295 +/- 0.022 vs. 0.317 +/- 0.009; P
      = 0.016). Profile-edge-density, a trabecular bone erosion parameter, was higher
      in patients with previous fragility fracture in the medial (0.008 +/- 0.003 vs.
      0.005 +/- 0.001) and lateral compartment (0.008 +/- 0.002 vs. 0.005 +/- 0.001);
      both P = 0.025. Other DTA parameters did not differ between groups. Conclusion 7
      T MRI and DTA permit detection of subtle changes in subchondral bone quality when
      differences in BMD are not evident.

PMID- 28899124
TI  - Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) does not correlate with different
      serological parameters in myositis and myopathy.
AB  - Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used in several muscle
      disorders. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is an imaging modality, which can
      reflect microstructural tissue composition. The apparent diffusion coefficient
      (ADC) is used to quantify the random motion of water molecules in tissue. Purpose
      To investigate ADC values in patients with myositis and non-inflammatory myopathy
      and to analyze possible associations between ADC and laboratory parameters in
      these patients. Material and Methods Overall, 17 patients with several myositis
      entities, eight patients with non-inflammatory myopathies, and nine patients
      without muscle disorder as a control group were included in the study (mean age =
      55.3 +/- 14.3 years). The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology in every
      case. DWI was obtained in a 1.5-T scanner using two b-values: 0 and 1000 s/mm2.
      In all patients, the blood sample was acquired within three days to the MRI. The
      following serological parameters were estimated: C-reactive protein, lactate
      dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine
      kinase, and myoglobine. Results The estimated mean ADC value for the myositis
      group was 1.89 +/- 0.37 * 10-3 mm2/s and for the non-inflammatory myopathy group
      was 1.79 +/- 0.33 * 10-3 mm2/s, respectively. The mean ADC values (1.15 +/- 0.37
      * 10-3 mm2/s) were significantly higher to unaffected muscles (vs. myositis P =
      0.0002 and vs. myopathy P = 0.0021). There were no significant correlations
      between serological parameters and ADC values. Conclusion Affected muscles showed
      statistically significantly higher ADC values than normal muscles. No linear
      correlations between ADC and serological parameters were identified.

PMID- 28899125
TI  - Reduction of metal artifacts from unilateral hip arthroplasty on dual-energy CT
      with metal artifact reduction software.
AB  - Background The evaluation of hip arthroplasty is a challenge in computed
      tomography (CT). The virtual monochromatic spectral (VMS) images with metal
      artifact reduction software (MARs) in spectral CT can reduce the artifacts and
      improve the image quality. Purpose To evaluate the effects of VMS images and MARs
      for metal artifact reduction in patients with unilateral hip arthroplasty.
      Material and Methods Thirty-five patients underwent dual-energy CT. Four sets of
      VMS images without MARs and four sets of VMS images with MARs were obtained.
      Artifact index (AI), CT number, and SD value were assessed at the periprosthetic
      region and the pelvic organs. The scores of two observers for different images
      and the inter-observer agreement were evaluated. Results The AIs in 120 and 140
      keV images were significantly lower than those in 80 and 100 keV images. The AIs
      of the periprosthetic region in VMS images with MARs were significantly lower
      than those in VMS images without MARs, while the AIs of pelvic organs were not
      significantly different. VMS images with MARs improved the accuracy of CT numbers
      for the periprosthetic region. The inter-observer agreements were good for all
      the images. VMS images with MARs at 120 and 140 keV had higher subjective scores
      and could improve the image quality, leading to reliable diagnosis of prosthesis
      related problems. Conclusion VMS images with MARs at 120 and 140 keV could
      significantly reduce the artifacts from hip arthroplasty and improve the image
      quality at the periprosthetic region but had no obvious advantage for pelvic
      organs.

PMID- 28899127
TI  - Invited Readers 2016.

PMID- 28899126
TI  - Impact of region of interest (ROI) size on the diagnostic performance of shear
      wave elastography in differentiating solid breast lesions.
AB  - Background Shear wave elastography (SWE) using a region of interest (ROI) can
      demonstrate the quantitative elasticity of breast lesions. Purpose To
      prospectively evaluate the impact of two different ROI sizes on the diagnostic
      performance of SWE for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.
      Material and Methods A total of 154 breast lesions were included. Two types of
      ROIs were investigated: one involving an approximately 2-mm diameter, small round
      ROIs placed over the stiffest area of the lesion, as determined by SWE (ROI-S);
      and another ROI drawn along the margin of the lesion using a touch pen or track
      ball to encompass the entire lesion (ROI-M). Maximum elasticity (Emax), mean
      elasticity (Emean), minimum elasticity (Emin), and standard deviation (SD) were
      measured for the two ROIs. The area under the receiver operating characteristic
      curve (AUC) as well as the sensitivity and specificity of each elasticity value
      were determined. Results The AUCs for ROI-S were higher than those for ROI-M when
      differentiating benign and malignant breast solid lesions. The Emax, Emean, Emin,
      and SD of the elasticity values for ROI-S were 0.865, 0.857, 0.816, and 0.849,
      respectively, and for ROI-M were 0.820, 0.780, 0.724, and 0.837, respectively.
      However, only Emax ( P = 0.0024) and Emean ( P = 0.0015) showed statistically
      significant differences. For ROI-S, the sensitivity and specificity of Emax were
      78.8% and 84.3%, respectively, and those for Emean were 80.8% and 81.4%,
      respectively. Conclusion Using ROI-S with Emax and Emean has better diagnostic
      performance than ROI-M for differentiating between benign and malignant breast
      lesions.

PMID- 28899129
TI  - JAPA New Author Prize.

PMID- 28899131
TI  - How Psychoanalysis Lost the Birthing Body: Commentary on Balsam.

PMID- 28899135
TI  - Freud, The Birthing Body, and Modern Life.
AB  - Freud early on had an astute sense of the psychic impact of the bodily power of
      females' biological sex and childbearing potential. His early appreciation of the
      biological femaleness of a body, however, became gradually obscured after 1908,
      distorted by an exaggerated male view that was challenged in the 1920s and 1930s
      but then became fixed in stone by his followers. This strange but hegemonic view
      was once again challenged, especially in the U.S., in the 1970s. In spite of
      sporadic efforts after that, however, the impact of the female body qua female,
      in analysis and for the mind's functioning, has never been acknowledged in
      general in psychoanalytic thought (except as marked as an infantile archaic
      fantasy or sequestered into a special adult "women's issues" category). Given the
      vibrant culture of enacted gender multiplicities that we encounter clinically
      today, where does this confused lag in understanding leave us regarding
      psychoanalytic ideas about natally sexed procreative female (or male) bodies as
      they articulate with gender?

PMID- 28899136
TI  - Comings and Goings.

PMID- 28899138
TI  - Un Homme Manque: Freud's Engagement with Alfred Adler's Masculine Protest:
      Commentary on Balsam.

PMID- 28899137
TI  - Reply to Kravis.

PMID- 28899139
TI  - Moving from Within The Maternal: The Choreography of Analytic Eroticism.
AB  - With Kristeva's concept of maternal eroticism (2014) as starting point, the
      "multiverse" of mother/child erotic sensibilities-the dance of the semiotic chora
      is explored and a parallel engagement proposed within the analytic dyad. The
      dance of psychoanalysis is not the creative product of the patient's mind alone.
      Clinical work invites, requires, a choreographic engagement by the clinician in
      interplay with the patient. The clinician's analytic activity is thus akin to
      choreography: the structuring of a dance, or of a session, expresses an inner
      impulse brought into narrative form. The embodied art of dance parallels the
      clinician's creative vitality in contributing to the shaping of the movement of a
      session. Through formulation of an analytic eroticism, the terrain of what
      traditionally has been viewed as erotic transference and countertransference can
      be expanded to clinical benefit.

PMID- 28899141
TI  - ????? ?? ??? ?? ??(The Fundamental Rule and Fundamental Value of Psychoanalysis).

PMID- 28899140
TI  - Exploring Freud's Resistance to The Oceanic Feeling.
AB  - This paper takes up Romain Rolland's description of a nearly universal "oceanic
      feeling" and considers Freud's avowed disinterest in this concept. Herman
      Melville elaborates and expands the concept of the oceanic in the text of Moby
      Dick, juxtaposing Ishmael's oceanic reverie while up high on the masthead with
      Ahab's focused determination to destroy Moby Dick. Melville's extension of the
      concept recasts the oceanic as an aspect of Freud's recommendations about the
      necessary conditions for psychoanalytic process, inviting a comparison of going
      to sea with going into analysis. Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents allows
      for further thoughts about the danger Freud recognizes in this feeling, a way
      that the oceanic feeling may be an expression of the death instinct. Together,
      these explorations point in the direction both of a centrality of an oceanic
      experience in psychoanalysis and a recognition of the risks that the oceanic
      entails, deepening our understanding of the many reasons Freud might have wished
      to avoid it.

PMID- 28899145
TI  - Nathan Kravis on Shulman's "The Analyst's Pleasure".

PMID- 28899146
TI  - The Critique of Regression: The Person, The Field, The Lifespan.
AB  - The term regression refers to the idea that a person can return to earlier phases
      of mental development and the primitive modes of functioning associated with
      them. A core concept in both conflict and deficit models of development, the idea
      has nonetheless come under increasing scrutiny from critics who argue that it
      misleads us into a genetic fallacy whereby we reduce the issues of adolescent and
      adult development to their childhood precursors. Inderbitzen and Levy (2000)
      suggest that we focus on transformations, or shifts, in mental organization,
      instead of on regressions. But discarding the concept of regression has
      theoretical implications: to adopt instead a focus on shifts in mental
      organization we must (1) consider our object of study to be the meaning-making
      person, not isolated instincts or needs; (2) understand conscious and unconscious
      mental life to be embedded in the here-and-now relational field; and (3) adopt a
      lifespan model of development. The aim here is to outline a theoretical framework
      in which we can more fully explore the possibility of discarding "regression" in
      favor of a focus on transformations in the developmental present.

PMID- 28899147
TI  - Acknowledging the "Analyst as Person": A Developmental Achievement.

PMID- 28899150
TI  - Will This Case Count? The Influence of Training on Treatment.
AB  - Mandated use of the couch-whether specifically stated or tacitly communicated by
      supervisors and colleagues-to fulfill requirements for graduation or
      certification is a significant disservice to candidates and their patients. In
      its training standards, it is argued, APsaA and its member institutes should
      state explicitly that a treatment can qualify as a psychoanalysis, regardless of
      whether the patient is using the couch, as long as the process is analytic and
      the candidate's thinking is demonstrably analytic. The mandate, however conveyed,
      that one must use the couch interferes with candidates' optimal analytic
      functioning, jeopardizing their patients' analyses. Data from infant observation,
      neuroscience, and facial expression studies-unavailable to earlier generations of
      analysts-support a more nuanced view of use of the couch. Each analysis is
      unique, and some analyses might well benefit from use of both the couch and the
      chair at different phases of treatment, but unless this is spelled out by ApsaA
      and its member institutes, candidates and junior analysts will be prevented from
      freely contemplating the clinical benefits or detriments of their use in specific
      cases.

PMID- 28899152
TI  - Me Here, You There-Now What? Commentary on Kite, Morris, Wilson, and Kattlove.

PMID- 28899154
TI  - The Analyst's Offer.

PMID- 28899157
TI  - Don't Fence Me In: What is American About American Psychoanalysis?

PMID- 28899155
TI  - The Fundamental Ethical Ambiguity of the Analyst as Person.

PMID- 28899161
TI  - The Ethical Foundation of Analytic Action.

PMID- 28899167
TI  - University Forum: Revitalizing The South Side of Chicago.

PMID- 28899162
TI  - High levels of viral suppression among East African HIV-infected women and men in
      serodiscordant partnerships initiating antiretroviral therapy with high CD4
      counts and during pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People who are asymptomatic and feel healthy, including pregnant
      women, may be less motivated to initiate ART or achieve high adherence. We
      assessed whether ART initiation, and viral suppression 6, 12 and 24-months after
      ART initiation, were lower in HIV-infected members of serodiscordant couples who
      initiated during pregnancy or with higher CD4 counts. METHODS: We used data from
      the Partners Demonstration Project, an open-label study of the delivery of
      integrated PrEP and ART (at any CD4 count) for HIV prevention among high-risk HIV
      serodiscordant couples in Kenya and Uganda. Differences in viral suppression (HIV
      RNA <400 copies/ml) among people initiating ART at different CD4 count levels
      (<=350, 351-500, and >500 cells/mm3) and during pregnancy were estimated using
      Poisson regression. RESULTS: Of 865 HIV-infected participants retained after
      becoming eligible for ART during study follow-up, 95% initiated ART. Viral
      suppression 24-months after ART initiation was high overall (97%), and comparable
      among those initiating ART at CD4 counts >500, 351-500 and <=350 cells/mm3 (96%
      vs 97% vs 97%; relative risk [RR] 0.98; 95% CI: 0.93-1.03 for CD4 >500 vs <350
      and RR 0.99; 95% CI: (0.93-1.06) for CD4 351-500 vs <=350). Viral suppression was
      as likely among women initiating ART primarily to prevent perinatal transmission
      as ART initiation for other reasons (p=0.9 at 6 months and p=0.5 at 12 months).
      CONCLUSIONS: Nearly all HIV-infected partners initiating ART were virally
      suppressed by 24 months, irrespective of CD4 count or pregnancy status. These
      findings suggest that people initiating ART at high CD4 counts or due to
      pregnancy can adhere to ART as well as those starting treatment with symptomatic
      HIV disease or low CD4 counts.

PMID- 28899168
TI  - Patients' Illnesses: How They Affect Analysts and The Analytic Work.

PMID- 28899170
TI  - Freud as an Existential Humanistic Psychotherapist: The Case of Margarethe.

PMID- 28899171
TI  - Reflections On Mortality: A Patient Faces Death.

PMID- 28899173
TI  - The Presence of The Analyst in Lacanian Treatment.
AB  - Transference implies the actualization of the analyst in the analytic encounter.
      Lacan developed this idea through the syntagm presence of the analyst. In the
      course of his seminars, however, two completely different presences emerge, with
      major implications for how the treatment is directed. In the light of Lacan's
      idea that the transference is constituted in Real, Symbolic, and Imaginary
      dimensions, it can be seen how in his early work the analyst's presence is a
      phenomenon at the crossroads between signifiers and images. From the 1960s
      onward, however, the analyst's presence comes to necessarily involve the Real.
      This means it points to the moment at which symbolization reaches its limits. The
      clinical implications of this later interpretation of the presence of the analyst
      as incorporating the Real are manifold and affect psychoanalytic practice with
      regard to the position and the interventions of the analyst. Specifically,
      interventions targeted at provoking changes in defenses against experiences of
      excess or senselessness are discussed and illustrated with case vignettes and a
      published case. With transference considered "the navel of the treatment," the
      necessity that traumatic material will emerge in relation to the analyst becomes
      clear.

PMID- 28899175
TI  - Bion's Agony in The Long Week-End.
AB  - In The Long Week-End Wilfred Bion focuses on his emotional distress during the
      first twenty-one years of his life. Rarely employing psychoanalytic terminology,
      he attempts to explore his emotional experience directly, struggling to find a
      language that could capture the complexity of inner life. Central to The Long
      Week-End is his desire to communicate how easily he could feel unintelligent,
      inept, weak, ashamed, guilty, angry, frightened, and cowardly in various
      settings. This self-criticism at times undermines his theoretical stance in this
      work, as he emphasizes the importance of doubt and uncertainty when attempting to
      comprehend most dimensions of experience.

PMID- 28899177
TI  - ??????? ??? ?????? ???? "??? ??" ??? ????? ?? ?? (Reflections on the Analyst's
      "Good Enough" Capacity to Bear Disappointment, with Special Attention to
      Repetition).

PMID- 28899180
TI  - An Inclusive Psychoanalyst: Sidney Blatt's Contribution In Perspective.
AB  - Sidney Blatt personified in many ways the striving toward an inclusive, broad
      minded, nonsectarian, and nondogmatic psychoanalysis. Intrigued and inspired by
      many trends in psychoanalytic thought and neighboring disciplines, he believed
      deeply in the coexistence and mutual contributions of a psychoanalytic clinical
      practice and of systematic empirical research on development and its disruptions,
      evolving personality traits, and the ways psychoanalytic treatment becomes
      effective. Carl Rogers, David Rapaport, and John Bowlby were among the figures
      who played a significant role in the development of his rich and complex thinking
      and productive work.

PMID- 28899182
TI  - Cognitive-Humanistic Psychodynamics: Sidney Blatt's Theoretical-Philosophical
      Legacy.
AB  - A number of broad-based, theoretical-philosophical tenets are to be gleaned from
      Sidney Blatt's voluminous, extensive, and unique scholarly work. Dominant themes
      in Blatt's life and work include (1) his fascination with cognition, particularly
      mental maps, or representations, of reality; (2) the influence of humanistic
      values (e.g., agency, need for growth, gestalts, need for balance, and an
      optimistic focus on resilience); and (3) a steadfast adherence to Freud's
      revolutionary discovery of the dynamic unconscious. Philosophically speaking,
      Blatt has left a unique, integrative, and vibrant legacy for the field, one that
      might be called cognitive-humanistic psychodynamics.

PMID- 28899188
TI  - Commentary On Brown.

PMID- 28899184
TI  - The Broken Self: Injured States in The Transference-Countertransference Matrix.
AB  - Themes of injury and injuredness reverberate throughout the treatment of patients
      categorized as having disorders of the self. Aspects of the various
      identifications that these patients may make with clinicians who are visibly
      physically handicapped from the outset of treatment are explored. Vignettes from
      psychoanalytically informed psychotherapies conducted at frequencies of up to
      three times weekly reveal how these identifications are used to externalize a
      sense of internal psychic impairment and to shed defective introjects in an
      attempt to preserve a faltering self. Themes of injury and defectiveness resonate
      throughout the transference-countertransference matrix, leading either to a
      working through of the injured state or, in unfortunate cases, to the disabling
      of the treatment itself. Particular attention is paid to patients who reveal
      during treatment that they were raised by a physically ill or handicapped parent
      and are therefore particularly vulnerable to castrative or disintegrative
      anxiety. Implications for the use of the able-bodied clinician by such patients
      are also considered, as well as the use of the clinician's injuredness by less
      primitively organized patients. The limitations of these treatments are also
      addressed.

PMID- 28899190
TI  - Sidney Blatt's Psychoanalytic Legacy: An Introduction.

PMID- 28899191
TI  - Mental Representation in The Thought of Sidney Blatt: Developmental Processes.
AB  - Mental representation was a central construct in Sidney Blatt's contributions to
      psychology and psychoanalysis. This brief review demonstrates that Blatt's
      understanding of representation was always informed by basic psychoanalytic
      concepts like the centrality of early caregiver-infant relationships and of
      unconscious mental processes. Although Blatt's earlier writings were informed by
      psychoanalytic ego psychology and Piagetian cognitive developmental psychology,
      they focused nonetheless on how an individual uses bodily and relational
      experiences to construct an object world; they also consistently presented object
      representations as having significant unconscious dimensions. From the mid-1980s
      onward, Blatt's contributions, in dialogue with his many students, moved in an
      even more experiential/relational direction and manifested the influence of
      attachment theory, parent-infant interaction research, and intersubjectivity
      theory. They also incorporated contemporary cognitive psychology, with its
      emphasis on implicit or procedural, rather than explicit, dimensions as a means
      of accounting for aspects of object representations that are not in conscious
      awareness. Throughout his career, however, Blatt regarded mental representation
      as the construct that mediates between the child's earliest bodily and relational
      experiences and the mature adult's symbolic, most emotionally profound
      capacities.

PMID- 28899194
TI  - JAPA Prizes for 2016.

PMID- 28899196
TI  - On Psychic Determinism.
AB  - A confusion persists in the psychoanalytic literature regarding the concept of
      psychic determinism. Two authors are cited in whose works the concept is
      identified as foundational to psychoanalysis, in the one case as a "fundamental
      hypothesis" (Charles Brenner) and in the other as an "underlying presupposition"
      or assumption (Linda A.W. Brakel). Both claims are based on a conflation of the
      concept Freud had in mind with a philosophical doctrine going by the same name
      but meaning something quite different. The philosophical doctrine has no place in
      psychoanalysis at all, and Freud's concept does not play a foundational role
      there. In a second section a restricted concept of psychic determinism is
      critically examined. A third section deals with the impact of that restricted
      concept on clinical theory and contemporary controversies about clinical
      practice. Finally, some possible reasons for this confusion are suggested.

PMID- 28899193
TI  - Maternal Self-Critical and Dependent Personality Styles and Mother-Infant
      Communication.
AB  - This study investigated mother-infant communication in relation to Blatt's
      measures of adult personality organization, namely, interpersonal relatedness and
      self-definition, defining the higher ends of these two measures as dependency and
      self-criticism, respectively. A nonclinical sample of 126 mother-infant dyads
      provided the data. An evaluation of maternal self-criticism and dependency was
      made six weeks postpartum; four months postpartum, mother-infant self- and
      interactive contingencies during face-to-face play were studied and analyzed in
      conjunction with the earlier evaluation. Self- and interactive contingencies were
      defined by the predictability within, and between, the behaviors of each partner.
      This approach assesses the process of relating from moment to moment within a
      dyad. Self-contingency measures the degree of stability/variability of one
      person's ongoing rhythms of behavior; interactive contingency measures the
      likelihood that one person's behavior is influenced by the behavior of the
      partner. Infant and mother facial affect, gaze, and touch, and infant vocal
      affect, were coded second by second from split-screen videotape. Maternal self
      criticism and dependency had strikingly different effects on mother-infant
      communication. Self-critical mothers showed lowered attention and emotion
      coordination, staying more "separate" from infants in these realms, compromising
      infant interactive efficacy. This finding is consistent with Blatt and
      colleagues' descriptions of self-critical individuals as preoccupied with self
      definition, compromising relatedness. Dependent mothers and their infants showed
      reciprocal emotional vigilance, consistent with Blatt and colleague's description
      of dependent individuals as "empty" and "needy" of emotional supplies from their
      partner. The study documents that the influence of the mother's personality
      organization operates through both infant and maternal contributions, a co
      created process rather than a direct unilateral transmission from mother to
      infant.

PMID- 28899197
TI  - Personality, Psychopathology, and Health Through the Lens of Interpersonal
      Relatedness and Self-Definition.
AB  - Sidney Blatt's seminal contributions in the domain of personality development,
      psychopathology, and health rank among the best researched and most empirically
      supported theories in psychoanalysis. Blatt is known primarily for his two
      polarities model of personality development, which he viewed as evolving through
      a dialectical, synergistic interaction between two fundamental processes across
      the lifespan: the development of interpersonal relatedness on the one hand, and
      of self-definition on the other. In this model, psychopathology is viewed as an
      attempt to find a balance, however distorted, between relatedness and self
      definition. Neurobiological research has confirmed the intrinsic dialectical
      relationship between these two processes in the development of the neural
      circuits subserving these capacities, a finding with important implications for
      physical health. Research relevant to these ideas is reviewed, and the influence
      that Blatt's approach has had in reintroducing psychodynamic factors into
      contemporary psychology and psychiatry, as reflected in DSM-5, is discussed.

PMID- 28899198
TI  - Adaptive immune constraints on C. difficile vaccination.

PMID- 28899201
TI  - Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validation of the Korean version of
      the identification functional ankle instability (IdFAI).
AB  - PURPOSE: To cross-culturally adapt the Identification Functional Ankle
      Instability for use with Korean-speaking participants. METHODS: The English
      version of the IdFAI was cross-culturally adapted into Korean based on the
      guidelines. The psychometric properties in the Korean version of the IdFAI were
      measured for test-retest reliability, internal consistency, criterion-related
      validity, discriminative validity, and measurement error 181 native Korean
      speakers. RESULTS: Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) between the
      English and Korean versions of the IdFAI for test-retest reliability was 0.98
      (standard error of measurement = 1.41). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.89
      for the Korean versions of IdFAI. The Korean versions of the IdFAI had a strong
      correlation with the SF-36 (rs = -0.69, p < .001) and the Korean version of the
      Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (rs = -0.65, p < .001). The cutoff score of >10
      was the optimal cutoff score to distinguish between the group memberships. The
      minimally detectable change of the Korean versions of the IdFAI score was 3.91.
      CONCLUSION: The Korean versions of the IdFAI have shown to be an excellent,
      reliable, and valid instrument. The Korean versions of the IdFAI can be utilized
      to assess the presence of Chronic Ankle Instability by researchers and clinicians
      working among Korean-speaking populations. Implications for rehabilitation The
      high recurrence rate of sprains may result into Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI).
      The Identification of Functional Ankle Instability Tool (IdFAI) has been
      validated and recommended to identify patients with Chronic Ankle Instability
      (CAI). The Korean version of the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability
      Tool (IdFAI) may be also recommend to researchers and clinicians for assessing
      the presence of Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) in Korean-speaking population.

PMID- 28899200
TI  - Spoken language and everyday functioning in 5-year-old children using hearing
      aids or cochlear implants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the factors influencing 5-year language,
      speech and everyday functioning of children with congenital hearing loss. DESIGN:
      Standardised tests including PLS-4, PPVT-4 and DEAP were directly administered to
      children. Parent reports on language (CDI) and everyday functioning (PEACH) were
      collected. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the influence of a range
      of demographic variables on outcomes. STUDY SAMPLE: Participants were 339
      children enrolled in the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing
      Impairment (LOCHI) study. RESULTS: Children's average receptive and expressive
      language scores were approximately 1 SD below the mean of typically developing
      children, and scores on speech production and everyday functioning were more than
      1 SD below. Regression models accounted for 70-23% of variance in scores across
      different tests. Earlier CI switch-on and higher non-verbal ability were
      associated with better outcomes in most domains. Earlier HA fitting and use of
      oral communication were associated with better outcomes on directly administered
      language assessments. Severity of hearing loss and maternal education influenced
      outcomes of children with HAs. The presence of additional disabilities affected
      outcomes of children with CIs. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide strong evidence
      for the benefits of early HA fitting and early CI for improving children's
      outcomes.

PMID- 28899202
TI  - A serial mediation model of workplace social support on work productivity: the
      role of self-stigma and job tenure self-efficacy in people with severe mental
      disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE: Compared to groups with other disabilities, people with a severe mental
      illness face the greatest stigma and barriers to employment opportunities. This
      study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between workplace
      social support and work productivity in people with severe mental illness working
      in Social Enterprises by taking into account the mediating role of self-stigma
      and job tenure self-efficacy. METHOD: A total of 170 individuals with a severe
      mental disorder employed in a Social Enterprise filled out questionnaires
      assessing personal and work-related variables at Phase-1 (baseline) and Phase-2
      (6-month follow-up). Process modeling was used to test for serial mediation.
      RESULTS: In the Social Enterprise workplace, social support yields better
      perceptions of work productivity through lower levels of internalized stigma and
      higher confidence in facing job-related problems. When testing serial multiple
      mediations, the specific indirect effect of high workplace social support on work
      productivity through both low internalized stigma and high job tenure self
      efficacy was significant with a point estimate of 1.01 (95% CI = 0.42, 2.28).
      CONCLUSIONS: Continued work in this area can provide guidance for organizations
      in the open labor market addressing the challenges posed by the work integration
      of people with severe mental illness. Implications for Rehabilitation: Work
      integration of people with severe mental disorders is difficult because of
      limited access to supportive and nondiscriminatory workplaces. Social enterprise
      represents an effective model for supporting people with severe mental disorders
      to integrate the labor market. In the social enterprise workplace, social support
      yields better perceptions of work productivity through lower levels of
      internalized stigma and higher confidence in facing job-related problems.

PMID- 28899203
TI  - An Overview of the Advantages of KEAP1-NRF2 System Activation During Inflammatory
      Disease Treatment.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: Inflammation can be defined as a protective immune response against
      harmful exogenous and endogenous stimuli. Nevertheless, prolonged or autoimmune
      inflammatory responses are likely to cause pathological states that are
      associated with a production of inflammation-associated molecules along with
      reactive oxygen species (ROS). Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1-nuclear factor
      erythroid 2-related factor 2 (KEAP1-NRF2) signaling provides a cell protection
      mechanism against oxidative insults when endogenous stress defense mechanisms are
      imbalanced. Understanding the roles of the KEAP1-NRF2 system in inflammation
      caused by various types of stimuli may aid in the development of new therapies.
      Recent Advances: There have been tremendous advances in understanding the
      mechanism by which the KEAP1-NRF2 pathway abrogates inflammation. In addition to
      the well-established ROS-dependent pathway, recent studies have provided evidence
      of the direct repression of the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes,
      such as IL1b and IL6 (encoding Interleukin-1beta and Interleukin-6,
      respectively). Further, the expanding functions of NRF2 have elicited interest in
      the development of therapeutic modalities for inflammatory diseases, including
      multiple sclerosis and sickle cell disease. Critical Issues and Future
      Directions: Despite progress in the understanding of molecular mechanisms
      supporting the roles that NRF2 plays during inflammation, the relationship
      between NRF2 and other transcription factors and mediators of inflammation still
      remains ambiguous. Further studies are required to address the effects of
      functional polymorphisms in KEAP1 and NRF2 that modify susceptibility to specific
      disease-related inflammation. Comprehensive analyses in the future should explore
      tissue- or cell-type specific NRF2 activation to elaborate effects of NRF2
      induction. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 00, 000-000.

PMID- 28899199
TI  - Transcriptional Regulation by Nrf2.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor
      that coordinates the basal and stress-inducible activation of a vast array of
      cytoprotective genes. Understanding the regulation of Nrf2 activity and
      downstream pathways has major implications for human health. Recent Advances:
      Nrf2 regulates the transcription of components of the glutathione and thioredoxin
      antioxidant systems, as well as enzymes involved in phase I and phase II
      detoxification of exogenous and endogenous products, NADPH regeneration, and heme
      metabolism. It therefore represents a crucial regulator of the cellular defense
      mechanisms against xenobiotic and oxidative stress. In addition to antioxidant
      responses, Nrf2 is involved in other cellular processes, such as autophagy,
      intermediary metabolism, stem cell quiescence, and unfolded protein response.
      Given the wide range of processes that Nrf2 controls, its activity is tightly
      regulated at multiple levels. Here, we review the different modes of regulation
      of Nrf2 activity and the current knowledge of Nrf2-mediated transcriptional
      control. CRITICAL ISSUES: It is now clear that Nrf2 lies at the center of a
      complex regulatory network. A full comprehension of the Nrf2 program will require
      an integrated consideration of all the different factors determining Nrf2
      activity. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Additional computational and experimental studies
      are needed to obtain a more dynamic global view of Nrf2-mediated gene regulation.
      In particular, studies comparing how the Nrf2-dependent network changes from a
      physiological to a pathological condition can provide insight into mechanisms of
      disease and instruct new treatment strategies.

PMID- 28899204
TI  - Physical and functional properties of spray-dried powders from blackcurrant juice
      and extracts obtained from the waste of juice processing.
AB  - Blackcurrants contain high levels of polyphenolics, particularly flavonols and
      anthocyanins, which contribute to their high antioxidant activity. The aims of
      this work were the recovery of bioactive compounds from the remaining solid
      (waste) after processing blackcurrant juice and to obtain spray-dried powders
      from the blackcurrant juice and extracts. The extraction of bioactive compounds
      from the fruit pulp was performed by ultrasound-assisted extraction. Experiments
      were conducted to select the more suitable solvent, and citric acid was chosen.
      Then, to optimize the extraction conditions (time, solvent concentration, and
      amplitude) an experimental design using a Box-Behnken Design was done. Comparing
      the optimized extract with the fruit, 31% total monomeric anthocyanins, 19% total
      phenolic compounds, and 10% antioxidant capacity were obtained. The optimized
      extract and the juice were mixed and spray dried, using maltodextrin as carrier
      matrix. A blackcurrant powder with low hygroscopicity 14.46 +/- 0.13 (g a.w./100
      g d.m) and high solubility 94.25 +/- 4% was obtained. High concentration of
      bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity was recorded: Total monomeric
      anthocyanins 63.01 +/- 1 (mg cyn-3-glu/100 g.d.m), total phenolic content 116.87
      +/- 5 (mg gallic acid/100 g d.m.), and antioxidant capacity 144.40 +/- 0.11 (mg
      eq Trolox/100 g.d.m.).

PMID- 28899205
TI  - Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for the management of refractory primary
      chronic headaches: A real-world experience.
AB  - Background Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation has initial evidence of efficacy
      in migraine and cluster headache. However, little is known about its role in the
      management of refractory chronic headaches. Methods We evaluated the preventive
      and abortive effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in 41 consecutive
      patients with refractory primary chronic headaches in an open-label prospective
      clinical audit. Headache diaries were used to collect clinical information. Those
      who obtained at least 30% reduction in headache days/episodes after three months
      of treatment were considered responders and were offered treatment continuation.
      Results Twenty-three patients with chronic migraine, 12 with chronic cluster
      headache, four with hemicrania continua and two with short-lasting unilateral
      neuralgiform headache attacks with autonomic symptoms (SUNA) were treated. Two of
      23 chronic migraine patients, one of 12 chronic cluster headache patients, and
      two of four hemicrania continua patients were considered responders. None of the
      patients with SUNA benefited from the therapy. Two chronic migraine patients were
      able to reduce the pain severity of moderate migraines with non-invasive vagus
      nerve stimulation. Conclusion Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation may not
      constitute an effective acute nor preventive treatment in refractory chronic
      primary headaches. The encouraging effect in hemicrania continua warrants further
      evaluation in larger studies.

PMID- 28899206
TI  - Randomized single-blind multicenter trial comparing the effects of standard and
      augmented acupuncture protocols on sleep quality and depressive symptoms in
      patients with depression.
AB  - The study was aimed to compare the effects of standard and augmented acupuncture
      on depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances in patients with depression. This
      is a randomized, single-blind, multicenter trial. 140 subjects with clinical
      insomnia (score of >= 7 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) were
      randomized to the standard (LI4, LIV3, EX-HN3, and GV20) or augmented (LI4, LIV3,
      EX-HN3, GV20, LU7, and KID6, including intradermal needles for sustained
      treatment) acupuncture groups. Participants received two sessions weekly for six
      weeks. In trial, The primary outcomes were improvements in PSQI and the Hamilton
      Rating Scale (HAMD). Secondary outcomes were treatment credibility and adverse
      events. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, week 3, end of treatment, and 4-week
      follow-up. From the 105 randomized patients, 89 completed the trial and were
      included in the final analyses. Better efficacy was observed in the augmented
      group compared with the standard acupuncture to improve the PSQI and HAMD at week
      3, end of treatment, and 4-week follow-up (all p < .05). The HAMD scores improved
      with time, except between end of treatment and 4-week follow-up, while in the
      standard group, HAMD scored improved from baseline to week 3, and stopped
      improving thereafter. The PSQI scores improved with time in the two groups,
      except between end of treatment and 4-week follow-up. Compared with the standard
      protocol, the augmented acupuncture protocol had a better efficacy to treat
      depression and to improve sleep quality of patients with depression.

PMID- 28899207
TI  - Anti-Fragmentation of Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
      Connectivity Networks with Node-Wise Thresholding.
AB  - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based functional connectivity
      networks are often constructed by thresholding a correlation matrix of nodal time
      courses. In a typical thresholding approach known as hard thresholding, a single
      threshold is applied to the entire correlation matrix to identify edges
      representing superthreshold correlations. However, hard thresholding is known to
      produce a network with uneven allocation of edges, resulting in a fragmented
      network with a large number of disconnected nodes. It is suggested that an
      alternative network thresholding approach, node-wise thresholding, is able to
      overcome these problems. To examine this, various network characteristics were
      compared between networks constructed by hard thresholding and node-wise
      thresholding, with publicly available resting-state fMRI data from 123 healthy
      young subjects. It was found that networks constructed with hard thresholding
      included a large number of disconnected nodes, while such network fragmentation
      was not observed in networks formed with node-wise thresholding. Moreover, in
      hard thresholding networks, fragmentized modular organization was observed,
      characterized by a large number of small modules. On the contrary, such modular
      fragmentation was not observed in node-wise thresholding networks, producing
      modules that were robust at any threshold and highly consistent across subjects.
      These results indicate that node-wise thresholding may lead to less fragmented
      networks. Moreover, node-wise thresholding enables robust characterization of
      network properties without much influence by the selection of a threshold.

PMID- 28899208
TI  - The Regulation of NRF2 by Nutrient-Responsive Signaling and Its Role in Anabolic
      Cancer Metabolism.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: The stress responsive transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid
      2 p45-related factor 2, or NRF2, regulates the expression of many cytoprotective
      enzymes to mitigate oxidative stress under physiological conditions. NRF2 is
      activated in response to oxidative stress, growth factor signaling, and changes
      in nutrient status. In addition, somatic mutations that disrupt the interaction
      between NRF2 and its negative regulator Kelch-like erythroid cell-derived protein
      with CNC homology (ECH)-associated 1 (KEAP1) commonly occur in cancer and are
      thought to promote tumorigenesis. Recent Advances: While it is well established
      that aberrant NRF2 activation results in enhanced antioxidant capacity in cancer
      cells, recent exciting findings demonstrate a role for NRF2-mediated metabolic
      deregulation that supports cancer cell proliferation. CRITICAL ISSUES: In this
      review, we describe how the NRF2-KEAP1 signaling pathway is altered in cancer,
      how NRF2 is regulated by changes in cellular metabolism, and how NRF2 reprograms
      cellular metabolism to support proliferation. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Future studies
      will delineate the NRF2-regulated processes critical for metabolic adaptation to
      nutrient availability, cellular proliferation, and tumorigenesis. Antioxid. Redox
      Signal. 00, 000-000.

PMID- 28899209
TI  - Microneedle-mediated transdermal delivery of nanostructured lipid carriers for
      alkaloids from Aconitum sinomontanum.
AB  - A combination method using microneedle (MN) pretreatment and nanostructured lipid
      carriers (NLCs) was developed to improve the transdermal delivery of
      therapeutics. The MN treatment of the skin and co-administration of NLCs loaded
      with total alkaloids isolated from Aconitum sinomontanum (AAS-NLCs) significantly
      increased the skin permeation of the drugs. Fluorescence imaging confirmed that
      MNs could provide microchannels penetrating the stratum corneum, and delivery of
      NLCs through the channels led to their deeper permeation. In vivo studies showed
      that combination of AAS-NLCs with MNs (AAS-NLCs-MN) in transdermal delivery could
      improve the bioavailability and maintain stable drug concentrations in the blood.
      Moreover, AAS-NLCs-MN showed benefits in eliminating paw swelling, decreasing
      inflammation and pain, and regulating immune function in adjuvant arthritis rats.
      After administration of AAS-NLCs-MN, no skin irritation was observed in rabbits,
      and electrocardiograms of rats showed improved arrhythmia. These results
      indicated that the dual approach combining MN insertion and NLCs has the
      potential to provide safe transdermal delivery and to improve the therapeutic
      efficacy through sustained release of AAS.

PMID- 28899210
TI  - Competitive action video game players display rightward error bias during on-line
      video game play.
AB  - Research in asymmetrical visuospatial attention has identified a leftward bias in
      the general population across a variety of measures including visual attention
      and line-bisection tasks. In addition, increases in rightward collisions, or
      bumping, during visuospatial navigation tasks have been demonstrated in real
      world and virtual environments. However, little research has investigated these
      biases beyond the laboratory. The present study uses a semi-naturalistic approach
      and the online video game streaming service Twitch to examine navigational errors
      and assaults as skilled action video game players (n = 60) compete in Counter
      Strike: Global Offensive. This study showed a significant rightward bias in both
      fatal assaults and navigational errors. Analysis using the in-game ranking system
      as a measure of skill failed to show a relationship between bias and skill. These
      results suggest that a leftward visuospatial bias may exist in skilled players
      during online video game play. However, the present study was unable to account
      for some factors such as environmental symmetry and player handedness. In
      conclusion, video game streaming is a promising method for behavioural research
      in the future, however further study is required before one can determine whether
      these results are an artefact of the method applied, or representative of a
      genuine rightward bias.

PMID- 28899211
TI  - Factorial Validity of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd Edition
      (MABC-2) in 7-16-Year-Olds.
AB  - The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd Edition (MABC-2) is a test of
      motor development, widely used in clinical and research settings. To address
      which motor abilities are actually captured by the motor tasks in the two age
      versions of the MABC-2, the AB2 for 7- 10-year-olds and the AB3 for 11- 16-year
      olds, we examined AB2 and AB3 factorial validity. We conducted confirmatory
      factor analysis (SPSS AMOS 22.0) on data from the test's standardization samples
      of children aged 7-10, n = 483, and 11-16, n = 674, in order to find the best
      fitting models. The covariance matrix of AB2 and AB3 fit a three-factor model
      that included tasks of manual dexterity, aiming and catching, and balance.
      However, factor analytic models fitting AB2 and AB3 did not involve the dynamic
      balance tasks of hopping with the better leg and hopping with the other leg; and
      the drawing trail showed very low factor validity. In sum, both AB2 and AB3 of
      the MABC-2 test are able to discriminate between the three specific motor
      abilities; but due to questionable psychometric quality, the drawing trail and
      hopping tasks should be modified to improve the construct validity for both age
      versions of the MABC-2.

PMID- 28899212
TI  - This Issue Has Titles and Abstracts in English and French.

PMID- 28899213
TI  - Serum paraoxonase activity in patients with ischaemic and nonischaemic dilated
      cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examined whether the serum PON1 activity is different in
      patients with ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) and nonischaemic dilated
      cardiomyopathy (NDCM) and the relation between the serum PON1 activity and serum
      pro-BNP levels. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we enrolled 60 patients with
      left ventricular systolic failure (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class III
      IV) and a left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) < 40% as determined by
      echocardiography and 30 healthy subjects. The patients with systolic heart
      failure were divided into two groups: patients with IDCM and patients with NDCM.
      Blood samples were obtained to measure the serum PON1 activity and the serum pro
      BNP levels. The median serum PON1 activities were lower among the patients with
      IDCM or with NDCM compared with the control subjects (p < .001, p = .043,
      respectively). Compared with the control subjects, the patients with IDCM or with
      NDCM had higher serum pro-BNP levels (p < .001, p < .001, respectively). The
      serum PON1 activity was negatively correlated with the serum pro-BNP levels in
      patients with IDCM (r = -0.548, p < .001). The area under the ROC curve of the
      serum PON1 activity was 0.798. Using a serum PON1 activity of 201.3 U/L as a cut
      off value, the sensitivity was 86.84% and specificity was 66.67% for the
      diagnosis of IDCM. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the serum PON1 activity was
      significantly reduced in the patients with IDCM or with NDCM compared with the
      control subjects. The serum PON1 activity of the patients with IDCM was
      negatively correlated with the serum pro-BNP levels.

PMID- 28899214
TI  - Assaulted and Unheard: Violence Against Healthcare Staff.
AB  - Healthcare workers regularly face the risk of violent physical, sexual, and
      verbal assault from their patients. To explore this phenomenon, a collaborative
      descriptive qualitative study was undertaken by university-affiliated researchers
      and a union council representing registered practical nurses, personal support
      workers, and other healthcare staff in Ontario, Canada. A total of fifty-four
      healthcare workers from diverse communities were consulted about their
      experiences and ideas. They described violence-related physical, psychological,
      interpersonal, and financial effects. They put forward such ideas for prevention
      strategies as increased staffing, enhanced security, personal alarms, building
      design changes, "zero tolerance" policies, simplified reporting, using the
      criminal justice system, better training, and flagging. They reported such
      barriers to eliminating risks as the normalization of violence; underreporting;
      lack of respect from patients, visitors, higher status professionals, and
      supervisors; poor communication; and the threat of reprisal for speaking
      publicly. Inadequate postincident psychological and financial support compounded
      their distress.

PMID- 28899215
TI  - Effect of lysine succinylation on the regulation of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase
      inhibitor, OdhI, involved in glutamate production in Corynebacterium glutamicum.
AB  - In Corynebacterium glutamicum, the activity of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase
      (ODH) complex is negatively regulated by the unphosphorylated form of OdhI
      protein, which is critical for L-glutamate overproduction. We examined the
      potential impact of protein acylation at lysine (K)-132 of OdhI in C. glutamicum
      ATCC13032. The K132E succinylation-mimic mutation reduced the ability of OdhI to
      bind OdhA, the catalytic subunit of the ODH complex, which reduced the inhibition
      of ODH activity. In vitro succinylation of OdhI protein also reduced the ability
      to inhibit ODH, and the K132R mutation blocked the effect. These results suggest
      that succinylation at K132 may attenuate the OdhI function. Consistent with these
      results, the C. glutamicum mutant strain with OdhI-K132E showed decreased L
      glutamate production. Our results indicated that not only phosphorylation but
      also succinylation of OdhI protein may regulate L-glutamate production in C.
      glutamicum.

PMID- 28899216
TI  - A little bit of science.

PMID- 28899217
TI  - 'The psychological problem is looking at you, are you looking for it?':
      psychological associations with symptomatic musculoskeletal referrals.
AB  - It is important that paediatric orthopaedic surgeons recognise that psychological
      conditions may present with musculoskeletal symptoms. Identification through
      careful and sensitive history taking is vital. There is a lack of training in
      this regard in paediatric orthopaedics. We present a series of cases initially
      referred for a musculoskeletal complaint. Further probing revealed an underlying
      psychological problem which was neither picked up by the referring physician nor
      volunteered by the patient. In our opinion, it is important that this training
      omission is addressed as such psychological problems may be devastating for these
      individuals and their families.

PMID- 28899218
TI  - Relationship between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels and retinopathy of
      prematurity.
AB  - Aim To evaluate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D, 25 (OH) D,
      levels and retinopathy of prematurity. Methods and Results Serum 25 (OH) D levels
      were measured in 97 very low birth weight infants, prior to vitamin D
      supplementation. The development of retinopathy of prematurity and its treatment
      requirement were evaluated. At follow-up, retinopathy of prematurity developed in
      71 (73.2%) infants. Serum 25 (OH) D levels were significantly lower in infants
      with retinopathy of prematurity than ones without retinopathy of prematurity ( P
      < 0.001). The infants who required treatment had lower 25 (OH) D levels compared
      with the infants who did not required treatment (7.1 +/- 5.2 ng/ml vs. 11.9 +/-
      6.5 ng/ml; P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that lower serum 25 (OH) D
      levels may be a risk factor for retinopathy of prematurity development [OR: 1.14,
      95% CI (1.02-1.27), P = 0.02]. Conclusion Lower 25 (OH) D levels in the first
      days of life may be related to retinopathy of prematurity development and
      treatment requirement in premature infants.

PMID- 28899219
TI  - Adjunctive Treatments for Type 1 Diabetes.

PMID- 28899220
TI  - Diagnosis of mesial temporal sclerosis: sensitivity, specificity and predictive
      values of the quantitative analysis of magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - In the diagnosis of mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), sensitivity, specificity and
      predictive values of qualitative assessment using conventional magnetic resonance
      imaging are low, mainly in mild or bilateral atrophy. Quantitative analysis may
      improve this performance. We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of quantitative
      analysis using the hippocampal volumetric index (HVI) and hippocampal asymmetry
      index (HAI) compared with qualitative assessment in the MTS diagnosis. Twenty
      five patients diagnosed with MTS, and 25 healthy subjects underwent conventional
      magnetic resonance imaging. Hippocampal volumes were obtained using an automated
      software (FreeSurfer); HVI and HAI were calculated. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve analysis was performed to obtain the optimal threshold
      values. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were calculated.
      Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for qualitative analysis were 44.00%,
      96.00%, 91.67% and 63.16%, respectively. In the quantitative analysis, a
      threshold value of K = 0.22 for HVI provided a sensitivity value of 76.00%,
      specificity value of 96.00%, PPV of 95.00% and NPV of 80.00%. A threshold value
      of K = 0.06 for HAI provided the minimum C1 and C2 errors, with a sensitivity
      value of 88.00%, specificity value of 100%, PPV of 100% and NPV of 89.30%. A
      statistically significant difference was observed for HAI ( P < 0.0001), and
      ipsilateral HVI (left MTS, P = 0.0152; right MTS, P < 0.0001), between MTS and
      healthy groups. The HVI and HAI, both individually and in conjunction, improved
      the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of magnetic resonance imaging
      in the diagnosis of MTS compared to the qualitative analysis and other
      quantitative techniques. The HAI is highly accurate in the diagnosis of
      unilateral MTS, whereas the HVI may be better for bilateral MTS cases.

PMID- 28899221
TI  - Predictors of prolongation in radiation treatment time in a veteran population
      treated with chemoradiation for oropharyngeal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolonged radiation treatment time (RTT) is associated with worse
      tumor control. Here we identify and determine the implications of factors that
      predict treatment prolongation in Veterans Affairs (VA) patients undergoing
      chemoradiation. METHODS: Chart review from July 2000 to October 2013. 81 patients
      with advanced stage oropharyngeal cancer treated with chemoradiation. RESULTS:
      Twenty-nine patients (35.8%) had RTT prolonged by >=10 days. Prolongation mainly
      resulted from acute treatment toxicity (n = 22, 76%). There was no significant
      difference in RTT for patients treated with concurrent cisplatin versus
      cetuximab, or in patients treated with or without induction chemotherapy. One
      /three-year locoregional control and overall survival rates of 83.4%/76.3% and
      83.5%/63.6% for patients without prolonged RTT versus 61.8%/61.8% and 82.8%/73.8%
      for those with prolongation (p >.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged RTT is a significant
      predictor of worse locoregional control and predominantly resulted from treatment
      side effects. More aggressive regimens with induction and concurrent chemotherapy
      did not predispose to prolonged RTT.

PMID- 28899223
TI  - Triggers for attempted suicide in Istanbul youth, with special reference to their
      socio-demographic background.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Suicidal behavior of young people is a topic of utmost importance
      because suicide is irreversible, and should be prevented. Knowing about the
      psychosocial background and the triggering events could help in preventing
      suicidal behavior. We therefore aimed at identifying psychosocial factors that
      may trigger suicidal behavior in youth. METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively the
      standardized records of 2232 youths aged <=25 years, who were treated after a
      suicide attempt at emergency units of public hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey during
      a period of 1 year. We describe this population according to sex and socio
      economic conditions, like educational, occupational, relationship status and link
      them with their reported reasons for suicide attempts. RESULTS: The majority of
      patients were female (81.6%, N = 1822 females, 18.4%, N = 410 males). Independent
      of their educational and occupational background, patients indicated most
      frequently intra-familial problems (females 45.8%, males 30.5%), intrapersonal
      problems (females 19.9%, males 18.5%), and relationship problems (females 11.3%,
      males 23.9%) as triggering reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Because intra-familial problems
      were the most frequently reported triggers of suicide attempts, preventive
      measures should focus on handling intra-familial conflicts. As sex differences
      were observed for the second-most common trigger-reasons, prevention should also
      focus on differentially handling intrapersonal and relationship conflicts better.

PMID- 28899222
TI  - Effects of Sotagliflozin Added to Insulin in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In most patients with type 1 diabetes, adequate glycemic control is
      not achieved with insulin therapy alone. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of
      sotagliflozin, an oral inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporters 1 and 2, in
      combination with insulin treatment in patients with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: In
      this phase 3, double-blind trial, which was conducted at 133 centers worldwide,
      we randomly assigned 1402 patients with type 1 diabetes who were receiving
      treatment with any insulin therapy (pump or injections) to receive sotagliflozin
      (400 mg per day) or placebo for 24 weeks. The primary end point was a glycated
      hemoglobin level lower than 7.0% at week 24, with no episodes of severe
      hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis after randomization. Secondary end points
      included the change from baseline in glycated hemoglobin level, weight, systolic
      blood pressure, and mean daily bolus dose of insulin. RESULTS: A significantly
      larger proportion of patients in the sotagliflozin group than in the placebo
      group achieved the primary end point (200 of 699 patients [28.6%] vs. 107 of 703
      [15.2%], P<0.001). The least-squares mean change from baseline was significantly
      greater in the sotagliflozin group than in the placebo group for glycated
      hemoglobin (difference, -0.46 percentage points), weight (-2.98 kg), systolic
      blood pressure (-3.5 mm Hg), and mean daily bolus dose of insulin (-2.8 units per
      day) (P<=0.002 for all comparisons). The rate of severe hypoglycemia was similar
      in the sotagliflozin group and the placebo group (3.0% [21 patients] and 2.4%
      [17], respectively). The rate of documented hypoglycemia with a blood glucose
      level of 55 mg per deciliter (3.1 mmol per liter) or below was significantly
      lower in the sotagliflozin group than in the placebo group. The rate of diabetic
      ketoacidosis was higher in the sotagliflozin group than in the placebo group
      (3.0% [21 patients] and 0.6% [4], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with
      type 1 diabetes who were receiving insulin, the proportion of patients who
      achieved a glycated hemoglobin level lower than 7.0% with no severe hypoglycemia
      or diabetic ketoacidosis was larger in the group that received sotagliflozin than
      in the placebo group. However, the rate of diabetic ketoacidosis was higher in
      the sotagliflozin group. (Funded by Lexicon Pharmaceuticals; inTandem3
      ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02531035 .).

PMID- 28899224
TI  - Photo-cross-linked biodegradable hydrogels based on n-arm-poly(ethylene glycol),
      poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and/or methacrylic acid for controlled drug release.
AB  - In this paper, a novel kind of photo-cross-linked biodegradable hydrogels based
      on n-arm-poly(ethylene glycol) ( n = 2, 3, and 4) and poly(E-caprolactone) was
      prepared by ultraviolet-initiated free radical polymerization. The resulting n
      arm-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(E-caprolactone) and n-arm-poly(ethylene glycol)
      poly(E-caprolactone) acrylate (n-arm-PEG-PCL-AC, macromer) were characterized by
      proton nuclear magnetic resonance and fourier transform infrared spectra. The
      influences of arm numbers and concentration of macromer on the properties of
      hydrogel were researched systematically, and the results showed that the gelation
      time, equilibrium swelling ratio, in vitro degradation, and drug release rate
      decreased with the increase of arm numbers and concentration of macromer. The
      degradation and drug release rate could be controlled by varying the cross
      linking density of hydrogel, indicating a potential application as controlled
      drug delivery system. Cytotoxicity test of hydrogel extracts was conducted using
      L929 mouse fibroblasts, and the relative growth rate exceeded 75% (cytotoxicity
      type: class 1) after incubation for 24 h, showing excellent cytocompatibility. In
      addition, the paper presented a pH-sensitive hydrogel (G4pH) based on 4-arm-PEG
      PCL-AC and acrylic acid, and the influences of pH value on swelling behaviors and
      in vitro drug release of the pH-sensitive hydrogel were examined. The hydrogels
      shrank under acidic condition and would swell in neutral or basic medium. The pH
      dependent drug release behaviors indicated a promising application of the
      materials as oral drug delivery vehicles.

PMID- 28899225
TI  - International teleconsultation on conjoined twins leading to a successful
      separation: a case report.
AB  - Conjoined twins are identical twins that have incompletely separated in utero.
      The prognosis for conjoined twins is poor and management in a skilled tertiary
      care centre is paramount for definitive care. We describe our experience with a
      telemedical consultation on conjoined twins in The Dominican Republic from our
      eHealth centre in Valhalla, NY. The patients were two month old, female,
      pygopagus conjoined twins. A multidisciplinary teleconference was initiated with
      the patients, their family, the referring paediatrician and our team. Based on
      this teleconsultation, the team felt as though the twins may be amenable to a
      surgical separation. They presented to our centre in Valhalla, NY, for a detailed
      physical examination and series of imaging studies. Soon after, the patients
      underwent a successful 21 h separation procedure and were discharged 12 weeks
      later. To our knowledge, this is one of the first reports of an international
      teleconsultation leading to a successful conjoined twin separation procedure.

PMID- 28899226
TI  - Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck: a retrospective multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACCHN) is rare and
      difficult to study effective treatment at one institute. Our aim is to identify
      prognostic factors for this disease by conducting a multicenter study at 11
      institutions in Japan. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter study of ACCHN was
      performed. One hundred and three patients were identified between 2006 and 2015.
      The overall survival (OS) rate for all patients was calculated, and OS,
      locoregional control (LRC) rate, or no distant metastasis (NDM) rate was
      calculated for patients in that the surgery was performed without distant
      metastasis (DM). Statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: A significant
      difference with multivariate analysis was observed in patients in sublingual
      glands, stage IV and the use of radiation therapy >=60Gy (sufficient RT) in OS
      for all patients. A significant difference was observed in the use of sufficient
      postoperative RT in the OS and the LRC rate, and in pathological surgical margins
      in the NDM rate. CONCLUSION: Sublingual glands or stage IV was a poorer, and
      sufficient RT was a better prognostic factor for ACCHN. Sufficient RT was
      effective to prevent local recurrence after surgical resection. Positive surgical
      margins caused an increase in DM.

PMID- 28899227
TI  - Phenethyl isothiocyanate protects against H2O2-induced insulin resistance in 3T3
      L1 adipocytes.
AB  - Obesity is associated with systemic oxidative stress and leads to insulin
      resistance. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a natural dietary isothiocyanate,
      has been shown to have beneficial effects in improving cellular defense
      activities against oxidative stress through activation of nuclear factor
      erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway. However, little evidence exists if
      the antioxidative activity has beneficial effects on glucose metabolism. Here, we
      tested the preventive potential of PEITC for impaired insulin-induced glucose
      uptake by oxidative stress in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Treatment with PEITC increased
      the expression of antioxidative enzymes regulated by Nrf2 such as gamma
      glutamylcysteine-synthetase, heme oxygenase 1, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1
      and glutathione S-transferase, and reduced oxidative stress induced by H2O2.
      Furthermore, PEITC restored impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake,
      translocation of glucose transporter 4 and insulin signaling by H2O2. These
      results indicate that PEITC protected insulin-regulated glucose metabolism
      impaired by oxidative stress through the antioxidative activity in 3T3-L1
      adipocytes.

PMID- 28899228
TI  - Intraoperative venoplasty to facilitate placement of tunneled catheters for
      hemodialysis.
AB  - Objective With the implementation of the K-DOQI guidelines, more patients are in
      need of long-term dialysis catheters until maturation of the arteriovenous
      fistula. However, on occasion, when placing a tunneled cuffed catheter for
      hemodialysis, we have encountered difficulty with passing the guidewire in spite
      of demonstration of a patent cervical portion of the internal jugular vein on
      duplex. Herein, we review our experience with intraoperative venoplasty for
      placement of TesioTM catheters (Medcomp Harleysville, PA). Methods Of the 1147
      TesioTM catheters placed since 1997 by our service, 35 venograms were performed
      due to difficulty encountered with placement of the guidewire. Patent veins were
      all crossed with the use of angle-guiding catheters, angled glidewires, and a
      torque vise. If chronically occluded intrathoracic veins were identified, an
      alternate site was selected for the placement of the TesioTM catheter. Results Of
      the 35 cases with difficulty in catheter placement, venogram demonstrated a
      patent but tortuous vein in 9, chronically occluded intrathoracic veins in 6, and
      severe stenosis of the intrathoracic veins in 20. In 19 cases with severe
      stenosis of the intrathoracic veins, balloon angioplasty with an 8-mm balloon was
      successfully performed, which allowed successful placement of a functional
      TesioTM catheter. In the additional one case, the catheter was not able to be
      placed despite angioplasty. Seven lesions that underwent balloon angioplasty were
      in the innominate vein, 11 were in the proximal internal jugular vein, and two
      were in the superior vena cava. Conclusion Venous balloon angioplasty can be used
      to maintain options for the site of access for tunneled cuffed catheters and may
      be necessary to assist with placement of long term cuffed dialysis catheters.

PMID- 28899229
TI  - Thyroid Storm: A Japanese Perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thyroid storm (TS) is life threatening. In the mid-2000s, its
      incidence was poorly defined, peer-reviewed diagnostic criteria were not
      available, and management and treatment did not seem to be verified based upon
      evidence and latest advances in medicine. METHODS: First, diagnostic criteria
      were developed based on 99 patients in the literature and seven patients in this
      study. Then, initial and follow-up surveys were conducted from 2004 through 2008,
      targeting all hospitals in Japan to obtain and verify information on patients who
      met diagnostic criteria for TS. Based on these data, the diagnostic criteria were
      revised, and management and treatment guidelines were created. RESULTS: The
      incidence of TS in hospitalized patients in Japan was estimated to be 0.20 per
      100,000 per year and 0.22% of all thyrotoxic patients. The mortality rate was
      10.7%. Multiple organ failure was the most common cause of death, followed by
      congestive heart failure, respiratory failure, and arrhythmia. In the final
      diagnostic criteria for TS, the definition of jaundice as serum bilirubin
      concentration >3 mg/dL was added. Based upon nationwide surveys and the latest
      information, guidelines for the management and treatment for TS were extensively
      revised and algorithms were developed. CONCLUSIONS: TS remains a life-threatening
      disorder, with >10% mortality in Japan. New peer-reviewed diagnostic criteria for
      TS are presented and its clinical features, prognosis, and incidence are
      clarified based on nationwide surveys. Furthermore, this information helped to
      establish detailed guidelines for the management and treatment of TS. A
      prospective prognostic study to validate the guidelines is eagerly anticipated.

PMID- 28899230
TI  - Research on the alliance: Knowledge in search of a theory.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review paper is to summarize the challenges facing
      research on the alliance now and going forward. The review begins with a brief
      overview of the development of the concept of the alliance in historical context.
      METHOD: A summary of what has been accomplished both within the psychotherapy
      research community and in other professions is presented. Current challenges
      facing this line of research are identified, including the existence of a wide
      range of operational definitions that results in a diffusion of the identity of
      the alliance concept. It is argued that the current situation generates risks to
      incremental growth in several lines of research. CONCLUSIONS: A case is made that
      a lack of clarity regarding how several variables within the broader category of
      therapeutic relationships fit together, overlap, or complement each other is also
      potentially problematic. Efforts to resolve the lack of a consensual definition
      are reviewed, and in conclusion, it is argued that a resumption of a conversation
      about the relationship in the helping context in general, and the alliance in
      particular, should be resumed.

PMID- 28899231
TI  - Neuron-Type-Specific Utility in a Brain-Machine Interface: a Pilot Study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Firing rates of single cortical neurons can be volitionally modulated
      through biofeedback (i.e. operant conditioning), and this information can be
      transformed to control external devices (i.e. brain-machine interfaces; BMIs).
      However, not all neurons respond to operant conditioning in BMI implementation.
      Establishing criteria that predict neuron utility will assist translation of BMI
      research to clinical applications. FINDINGS: Single cortical neurons (n=7) were
      recorded extracellularly from primary motor cortex of a Long-Evans rat.
      Recordings were incorporated into a BMI involving up-regulation of firing rate to
      control the brightness of a light-emitting-diode and subsequent reward. Neurons
      were classified as 'fast-spiking', 'bursting' or 'regular-spiking' according to
      waveform-width and intrinsic firing patterns. Fast-spiking and bursting neurons
      were found to up-regulate firing rate by a factor of 2.43+/-1.16, demonstrating
      high utility, while regular-spiking neurons decreased firing rates on average by
      a factor of 0.73+/-0.23, demonstrating low utility. CONCLUSION/CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: The ability to select neurons with high utility will be important to
      minimize training times and maximize information yield in future clinical BMI
      applications. The highly contrasting utility observed between fast-spiking and
      bursting neurons versus regular-spiking neurons allows for the hypothesis to be
      advanced that intrinsic electrophysiological properties may be useful criteria
      that predict neuron utility in BMI implementation.

PMID- 28899232
TI  - RNA-Seq reveals a central role for lectin, C1q and von Willebrand factor A
      domains in the defensive glue of a terrestrial slug.
AB  - The tough, hydrogel glue produced by the slug Arion subfuscus achieves impressive
      performance through metal-based, protein cross-links. The primary sequence of
      these proteins was determined through transcriptome sequencing and proteome
      analysis by tandem mass spectrometry. The main proteins that correlate with
      adhesive function are a group of 11 small, highly abundant lectin-like proteins.
      These proteins matched the ligand-binding C-lectin, C1q or H-lectin domains. The
      variety of different lectin-like proteins and their potential for oligomerization
      suggests that they function as versatile and potent cross-linkers. In addition,
      the glue contains five matrilin-like proteins that are rich in von Willebrand
      factor A (VWA) and EGF domains. Both C-lectins and VWA domains are known to bind
      to ligands using divalent cations. These findings are consistent with the double
      network mechanism proposed for slug glue, with divalent ions serving as
      sacrificial bonds to dissipate energy.

PMID- 28899233
TI  - Differences in utility elicitation methods in cardiovascular disease: a
      systematic review.
AB  - AIMS: Utility values inform estimates of the cost-effectiveness of treatment for
      cardiovascular disease (CVD), but values can vary depending on the method used.
      The aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to explore how methods of
      elicitation impact utility values for CVD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review
      identified English-language articles in Embase, MEDLINE, and the gray literature
      published between September 1992 and August 2015 using keywords for "utilities"
      and "stroke", "heart failure", "myocardial infarction", or "angina". Variability
      in utility values based on the method of elicitation, tariff, or type of
      respondent was then reported. RESULTS: This review screened 4,341 citations; 290
      of these articles qualified for inclusion in the SLR because they reported
      utility values for one or more of the cardiovascular conditions of interest
      listed above. Of these 290, the 41 articles that provided head-to-head
      comparisons of utility methods for CVD were reviewed. In this sub-set, it was
      found that methodological differences contributed to variation in utility values.
      Direct methods often yielded higher scores than did indirect methods. Within
      direct methods, there were no clear trends in head-to-head studies (standard
      gamble [SG] vs time trade-off); but general population respondents often provided
      lower scores than did patients with the disease when evaluating the same health
      states with SG methods. When comparing indirect methods, the EQ-5D typically
      yielded higher values than the SF-6D, but also showed more sensitivity to
      differences in health states. CONCLUSIONS: When selecting CVD utility values for
      an economic model, consideration of the utility elicitation method is important,
      as this review demonstrates that methodology of choice impacts utility values in
      CVD.

PMID- 28899234
TI  - A Youth-Leader Program in Baltimore City Recreation Centers: Lessons Learned and
      Applications.
AB  - Peer-led interventions may be an effective means of addressing the childhood
      obesity epidemic; however, few studies have looked at the long-term
      sustainability of such programs. As part of a multilevel obesity prevention
      intervention, B'More Healthy Communities for Kids, 16 Baltimore college students
      were trained as youth-leaders (YLs) to deliver a skill-based nutrition curriculum
      to low-income African American children (10-14 years old). In April 2015,
      formative research was used to inform sustainability of the YL program in
      recreation centers. In-depth interviews were conducted with recreation center
      directors ( n = 4) and the YLs ( n = 16). Two focus groups were conducted with
      YLs ( n = 7) and community youth-advocates ( n = 10). Barriers to this program
      included difficulties with transportation, time constraints, and recruiting
      youth. Lessons learned indicated that improving trainings and incentives to youth
      were identified as essential strategies to foster continuity of the youth-led
      program and capacity building. High school students living close to the centers
      were identified as potential candidates to lead the program. Based on our
      findings, the initial intervention will be expanded into a sustainable model for
      implementation, using a train-the-trainer approach to empower community youth to
      be change agents of the food environment and role models.

PMID- 28899235
TI  - Oxidative status and reduced glutathione levels in premature coronary artery
      disease and coronary artery disease.
AB  - Identifying patients at risk of developing premature coronary artery disease
      (PCAD) which occurs at age below 45 years old and constitutes approximately 7-10%
      of coronary artery disease (CAD) worldwide remains a problem. Oxidative stress
      has been proposed as a crucial step in the early development of PCAD. This study
      was conducted to determine the oxidative status of PCAD in comparison to CAD
      patients. PCAD (<45 years old) and CAD (>60 years old) patients were recruited
      with age-matched controls (n = 30, each group). DNA damage score, plasma
      malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl content were measured for oxidative
      damage markers. Antioxidants such as erythrocyte glutathione (GSH), oxidised
      glutathione (GSSG), and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx), superoxide
      dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were also determined. DNA damage score and
      protein carbonyl content were significantly higher in both PCAD and CAD when
      compared to age-matched controls while MDA level was increased only in PCAD
      (p<.05). In contrast, GSH, GSH/GSSG ratio, alpha-tocotrienol isomer, and GPx
      activity were significantly decreased, but only in PCAD when compared to age
      matched controls. The decrease in GSH was associated with PCAD (OR = 0.569 95%CI
      [0.375 - 0.864], p = .008) and cut-off values of 6.69 MUM with areas under the
      ROC curves (AUROC) 95%CI: 0.88 [0.80-0.96] (sensitivity of 83.3%; specificity of
      80%). However, there were no significant differences in SOD and CAT activities in
      all groups. A higher level of oxidative stress indicated by elevated MDA levels
      and low levels of GSH, alpha-tocotrienol and GPx activity in patients below 45
      years old may play a role in the development of PCAD and has potential as
      biomarkers for PCAD.

PMID- 28899236
TI  - Looking forward: the effects of photographs on the qualities of future thinking.
AB  - Future episodic thinking relies on the reconstruction of remembered experiences.
      Photographs provide one means of remembering, acting as a "cognitive springboard"
      for generating related memory qualities. We wondered whether photographs would
      also invite embellishment of future thought qualities, particularly in the
      presence (or absence) of associated memories. In two studies participants
      generated future events in familiar (associated memories) and novel (no
      associated memories) locations. Half of the participants viewed scene location
      photographs during event generation. All participants then imagined the events
      for one minute and completed a self-report measure of content qualities. Results
      of the current set of studies suggested that for novel locations, no differences
      in qualities emerged; however, for familiar locations, photographs did not
      enhance qualities and, in some cases, actually constrained perceptual
      (Experiments 1 and 2) and sensory (Experiment 1) detail ratings of future
      thoughts. Thus, photographs did not invite embellishment of future thought
      details.

PMID- 28899237
TI  - Prisms Transform Perspectives.
AB  - In the following article, Lila Ortuno and Dr. Kristine Florczak describe the
      personal and professional growth gained by a graduate student undertaking a
      knowledge based personal reflection of practice.

PMID- 28899238
TI  - The Paradox of Transformational Learning in Academe.

PMID- 28899239
TI  - The Chains Around Academic Freedom in Teaching-Learning.
AB  - Freedom as a concept has been much debated. Is freedom an innate part of being,
      or does freedom even truly exists? These are questions that have gleaned
      countless hours of discourse over the years. Two components of freedom that can
      influence nurse higher education are freedom of speech, in the form of media, and
      academic freedom. The author of this column first introduces three views of
      freedom to demonstrate the differences surrounding it. A discussion of the
      media's use or misuse of freedom of speech and its influence on nursing education
      is then presented, followed by an examination of current threats to academic
      freedom in today's institutes of higher learning and specifically in the nursing
      education arena. The author concludes with suggestions on being a nurse educator
      through living as a humanbecoming professional while navigating issues
      surrounding nursing education.

PMID- 28899240
TI  - What Do I Do Now?
AB  - The author in this article reports a literature review on the core concepts of a
      Parse inquiry on the lived experience of feeling sad: unrelenting misery,
      pondering the irreplaceable (remembering), and persevering with adversity. New
      conceptualizations of sadness are presented and the question for health
      professionals is posed: What do we do now?

PMID- 28899241
TI  - The Syrian Refugee Crisis: What Nurses Need to Know.
AB  - The civil war in Syria that began in 2011 has displaced millions of Syrians of
      all ages. While the number that have arrived in the United States is small in
      comparison to many other countries, it is important that nurses and other
      healthcare workers here understand that many of them have faced considerable
      trauma and endured stresses. Most of them are Muslims. Muslims in the United
      States and elsewhere represent a heterogeneous group of people with a long
      intellectual and cultural history. Islamic cultural patterns do pose unique
      barriers to a primarily Anglo-Saxon medical system that medical practitioners
      need to consider in order to avoid misunderstanding and provide culturally
      sensitive care. The authors discuss the Syrian refugee crisis and the experience
      of being a Muslim or Arab American patient in U.S. healthcare settings.

PMID- 28899242
TI  - Transforming Nursing Education and the Formation of Students: Using the
      Humanbecoming Paradigm.
AB  - Transforming nursing education is a current focus across the country, the result
      of recent national reports that have made significant contributions for
      evaluating and changing curricula and ways students are taught. However, the need
      to ground these strategies for change within our discipline's ontological
      foundation through nursing theory must be addressed. The purpose of this article
      is to use Parse's Humanbecoming Paradigm to provide educators with exemplars of
      discipline-specific theory-based changes across educational levels. The exemplars
      are situated within the important tensions that educators face today in
      undergraduate, advanced practice, and doctoral programs. Conclusions are drawn
      regarding continuing efforts to ensure that nurse educators incorporate
      discipline-relevant theories when transforming nursing education.

PMID- 28899243
TI  - Understanding by Looking Through Prisms.
AB  - The authors of this column explore the transformational journey of a nursing
      student pursuing a graduate degree through the prisms of ethics, aesthetics, and
      nursing theory. The wisdom and insights gained contribute to an ever-changing
      worldview of humans and living experiences.

PMID- 28899244
TI  - Transformational Leadership in Nursing Education: Making the Case.
AB  - Transformational leadership is a trending style and competency that has been
      embraced by many industries and nursing practice settings. Similar positive
      influence on follower engagement, teamwork, and solidarity might be experienced
      if transformational leadership is employed by administration and faculty as a
      guiding framework for nursing education. The impact of embedding a teamwork
      culture in basic nursing education could be significant on students and
      ultimately on the nursing profession. Further research is needed to develop and
      test application of the transformational leadership framework in nursing
      education.

PMID- 28899245
TI  - Evaluation of Healthy Living Wellness Program With Minority Underserved
      Economically Disadvantaged Older Adults.
AB  - The purpose of this Roy adaptation model-guided study was to test the
      effectiveness of a student registered nurse intern-led nursing intervention
      entitled the Healthy Living Wellness Program. A one-group pretest/posttest
      preexperimental design was used. The intervention was imparted to minority,
      underserved, economically disadvantaged older adults ( N = 30). Significant
      findings pre- and postintervention were reported for body mass index, waist
      circumference, self-reported blood glucose, and weight. The findings supported
      the effectiveness of the nursing intervention, the Healthy Living Wellness
      Program, guided by the Roy adaptation model.

PMID- 28899246
TI  - What Families Want From Nurses.

PMID- 28899247
TI  - "Oh, the Places" Nurses "Go!": Leading-Following Within Rural Nursing.
AB  - It is interesting to imagine the many diverse places and settings that nurses
      "go" to serve individuals, families, and communities with their unique knowledge
      base. Nurses working in rural areas have many challenges and opportunities, since
      they work in isolated areas "in the wide open air" where there is limited access
      to healthcare.

PMID- 28899248
TI  - Shedding Light for Future Generations.

PMID- 28899249
TI  - Ethics With Mentoring.
AB  - The concept of mentoring is a phenomenon critical to teaching-learning in coming
      to know in the performing art of leadership. The author of this article discusses
      the mentoring relationship from an alternative view through the humanbecoming
      lens of understanding. Possibilities of ethical nurse practice with the art of
      mentoring from the humanbecoming perspective are illuminated.

PMID- 28899250
TI  - Again, What Is Nursing Science?
AB  - This article again asks, What is nursing science? Who knows? Who cares? The
      author describes the threat to the survival of nursing science grounded in
      nursing frameworks and theories. This threat is magnified by the proposal of the
      Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) to change the curricula of
      PhD education. The aim of CANS is to prepare nurse scientists for lifelong
      competitive careers in interdisciplinary research, often focused on funding
      priorities of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Curricula would
      include preparation for conducting research in topics such as omics, e-science,
      translation science, biobehavioral science, symptom science, and team science.
      How can this be nursing science? It is argued that this focus might obliterate
      nursing's discipline-specific phenomenon of concern, the human-universe-health
      process.

PMID- 28899251
TI  - Leading-Following in the Context of Rural Nursing.
AB  - Leading-following, as defined by Parse, is "deliberately innovating with potent
      engaging in persistently pursuing excellence. It is an indivisible,
      unpredictable, ever changing cocreation." Parse noted that processes forming the
      essence of leading-following require commitment, risk-taking, acknowledging
      ambiguity, respecting others, and vigilance. There is a bond between members of
      society and nurses-an expectation that nurses will provide care to individuals,
      families, and communities. Nursing is a profession where the potential to create
      meaning in healthcare has not yet been fully realized.

PMID- 28899252
TI  - Thoughts About Created Environment: A Neuman Systems Model Concept.
AB  - This essay is about the Neuman systems model concept of the created environment.
      The essay, based on work by Frans Verberk, a Neuman systems model scholar from
      the Netherlands, extends understanding of the created environment by explaining
      how this distinctive perspective of environment represents an elaboration of the
      physiological, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and spiritual
      variables, which are other central concepts of the Neuman Systems Model.

PMID- 28899255
TI  - Mentoring: An Evolving Relationship.
AB  - The column concerns itself with mentoring as an evolving relationship between
      mentor and mentee. The collegiate mentoring model, the transformational
      transcendence model, and the humanbecoming mentoring model are considered in
      light of a dialogue with mentors at a Midwest university and conclusions are
      drawn.

PMID- 28899256
TI  - The Experience of Feeling Disrespected: A Humanbecoming Perspective.
AB  - The concept of feeling disrespected was explored using the Parse research method.
      Ten women living with embodied largeness were asked, "What is the experience of
      feeling disrespected?" The structure of the living experience was feeling
      disrespected is mortifying disheartenment arising with disquieting irreverence,
      as distancing affiliations surface while enduring hardship. The findings provided
      new knowledge of living quality, advanced nursing practice, and presented future
      direction for research.

PMID- 28899257
TI  - Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations: An Alternate Factor Structure for
      Patient Experience Data?
AB  - A confirmatory factor analysis of data from the responses of 12,436 patients to
      16 items on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems-Hospital
      survey was used to test a latent factor structure based on Peplau's middle-range
      theory of interpersonal relations. A two-factor model based on Peplau's theory
      fit these data well, whereas a three-factor model also based on Peplau's theory
      fit them excellently and provided a suitable alternate factor structure for the
      data. Though neither the two- nor three-factor model fit as well as the original
      factor structure, these results support using Peplau's theory to demonstrate
      nursing's extensive contribution to the experiences of hospitalized patients.

PMID- 28899258
TI  - Do Persons Living with HIV Continue to Fill Prescriptions for Antiretroviral
      Drugs during a Gap in Care? Analysis of a Large Commercial Claims Database.
AB  - The significance of a gap in HIV care depends, at least partially, on whether
      patients continue to fill prescriptions for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs during the
      gap in care. We used a billing claims database to determine the proportion of
      persons who filled >=1 prescription for ARV drugs during a gap in care (no clinic
      visit in >6 months). Persons were stratified into 3 groups: "never"
      (prescriptions never filled), "sometimes" (prescriptions filled >0%-<100% of
      months), and "always" (prescriptions filled monthly). Logistic regression
      analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with "never" filling ARV
      drugs. Of 14 308 persons, 69% (n = 9817), 13% (n = 1928), and 18% (n = 2563)
      "never," "sometimes," and "always" filled ARV drugs during the gap in care.
      Persons aged 18 to 29 years (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]
      1.39-1.74), women (OR = 1.67, CI 1.52-1.83), and persons from the Northeast
      region of the United States (OR = 1.86, CI 1.69-2.03) were more likely to never
      fill ARV drugs than persons aged >=30 years, men, and persons outside the
      Northeast, respectively. Efforts should be made to minimize gaps in care,
      emphasize importance of therapy, and provide adherence support.

PMID- 28899260
TI  - Reduction in electrocardiographic lateral precordial voltage after subcutaneous
      implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation.

PMID- 28899259
TI  - Delivery of HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Support Services by HIV Care
      Providers in the United States, 2013 to 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about clinicians' adoption of recommendations of the
      International Association of Providers of AIDS Care and others for supporting
      adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: We surveyed a probability
      sample of US HIV care providers to estimate the percentage offering 3 ART
      adherence support services to most or all patients and assessed the
      characteristics of providers offering all 3 services (comprehensive support) to
      most or all patients. RESULTS: Almost all providers (95.5%) discussed ART
      adherence at every visit, 60.1% offered advice about tools to increase adherence,
      53.5% referred nonadherent patients for supportive services, and 42.8% provided
      comprehensive support. Nurse practitioners were more likely to offer
      comprehensive support as were providers who practiced at Ryan White HIV/AIDS
      Program-funded facilities, provided primary care, or started caring for HIV
      infected patients within 10 years. CONCLUSION: Less than half of HIV care
      providers offered comprehensive ART adherence support. Certain subgroups may
      benefit from interventions to increase delivery of adherence support.

PMID- 28899261
TI  - Nursing Home Referral Within the Veterans Health Administration: Practice
      Variation by Payment Source and Facility Type.
AB  - Veterans enrolled within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the U.S.
      Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may receive nursing home (NH) care in VHA
      operated Community Living Centers (CLCs), State Veterans Homes (SVHs), or
      community NHs, which may or may not be under contract with the VHA. This study
      examined VHA staff perceptions of how Veterans' eligibility for VA and other
      payment impacts NH referrals within VA Medical Centers (VAMCs). Thirty-five
      semistructured interviews were performed with discharge planning and contracting
      staff from 12 VAMCs from around the country. VA staff highlights the preeminent
      role that VA priority status played in determining placement in VA-paid NH care.
      VHA staff reported that Veterans' placement in a CLC, community NH, or SVH was
      contingent, in part, on potential payment source (VA, Medicare, Medicaid, and
      other) and anticipated length of stay. They also reported that variation in
      Veteran referral to VA-paid NH care across VAMCs derived, in part, from
      differences in local and regional policies and markets. Implications for NH
      referral within the VHA are drawn.

PMID- 28899262
TI  - Discrepancy detection in the retrieval-enhanced suggestibility paradigm.
AB  - Retrieval-enhanced suggestibility (RES) refers to the finding that immediately
      recalling the details of a witnessed event can increase susceptibility to later
      misinformation. In three experiments, we sought to gain a deeper understanding of
      the role that retrieval plays in the RES paradigm. Consistent with past research,
      initial testing did increase susceptibility to misinformation - but only for
      those who failed to detect discrepancies between the original event and the post
      event misinformation. In all three experiments, subjects who retrospectively
      detected discrepancies in the post-event narratives were more resistant to
      misinformation than those who did not. In Experiments 2 and 3, having subjects
      concurrently assess the consistency of the misinformation narratives negated the
      RES effect. Interestingly, in Experiments 2 and 3, subjects who had retrieval
      practice and detected discrepancies were more likely to endorse misinformation
      than control subjects who detected discrepancies. These results call attention to
      limiting conditions of the RES effect and highlight the complex relationship
      between retrieval practice, discrepancy detection, and misinformation
      endorsement.

PMID- 28899263
TI  - Seeing Beyond the At-Hand.

PMID- 28899264
TI  - Ubiquitous Technology in Healthcare and Teaching-Learning: Scourge or Blessing?
AB  - The author in this article introduces a discussion of one school of nursing's
      efforts integrating telehealth education into undergraduate and graduate
      curricula using King's theory of goal attainment as a guide. The introduction
      shares a story of loss in a rural setting without access to quality healthcare to
      highlight the blessing technology may be. However, challenges are discussed that
      arise through the ubiquitous use of technology in person-to-person communication
      and relationships.

PMID- 28899265
TI  - Enhancing Telehealth Education in Nursing: Applying King's Conceptual Framework
      and Theory of Goal Attainment.
AB  - Telehealth technologies are increasingly used in the provision of nursing care to
      clients and populations. The education of nurses must include content and
      practice with telehealth technologies. The authors of this article discuss how
      one school of nursing has infused telehealth content and resources into
      undergraduate and graduate curricula using King's conceptual system and theory of
      goal attainment as a guide.

PMID- 28899266
TI  - Graduate Students' Reflections on Elder and End-of-Life Care for Prisoners.
AB  - The focus of this report was graduate nursing students' reflections on elder and
      end-of-life care for prisoners. The personal reflections of 21 graduate nursing
      students who attended a presentation by Susan J. Loeb on October 26, 2016 were
      included in this report. The title of the presentation was "Enhancing End-of-Life
      Care for Prisoners Through Partnering With the Prison Community." The student
      essays were synthesized to construct a summary essay, from which four themes were
      identified: aging in prison, dying in prison, ethical and professional issues in
      the elder and end-of-life care of prisoners, and ethical and professional issues
      in research involving elderly and end-of-life care of prisoners. These findings
      were interpreted from a global perspective in light of two different nursing
      perspectives: the humanbecoming tradition and the science of unitary human
      beings.

PMID- 28899267
TI  - Benner's Novice to Expert Model: An Application for Simulation Facilitators.
AB  - This paper details the application of Benner's Novice to Expert Model to
      simulation educator knowledge, skills, and attitude for academic and practice
      settings. Facilitator development in the use of simulation methods is gaining
      more attention and support. If simulation is to continue to advance as a
      discipline, a theoretical basis is needed. The Novice to Expert Model provides
      the necessary conceptual structure to guide simulation facilitator development
      and assist in understanding learning trajectory. This theory-based approach that
      defines and operationalizes the five stages of development provides guidance for
      development resources, educational programs, and infrastructure needed at various
      program levels.

PMID- 28899268
TI  - Linking the Unitary Paradigm to Policy through a Synthesis of Caring Science and
      Integrative Nursing.
AB  - The principles of integrative nursing and caring science align with the unitary
      paradigm in a way that can inform and shape nursing knowledge, patient care
      delivery across populations and settings, and new healthcare policy. The proposed
      policies may transform the healthcare system in a way that supports nursing
      praxis and honors the discipline's unitary paradigm. This call to action provides
      a distinct and hopeful vision of a healthcare system that is accessible,
      equitable, safe, patient-centered, and affordable. In these challenging times, it
      is the unitary paradigm and nursing wisdom that offer a clear path forward.

PMID- 28899269
TI  - New Rogerian Theoretical Thinking About Unitary Science.
AB  - A theory of pandimensional awareness-integral presence is presented. The relation
      of wellbecoming and integral presence contributes to the theory, as well as
      discussion of human field image and human field hugs. Unitary patterning
      processes offer ways to participate in wellbecoming. New ways are suggested for
      education, practice, and research in a unitary science perspective.

PMID- 28899270
TI  - Liberating Discoveries.
AB  - The author in this article identifies two liberating discoveries that foster
      human flourishing: the potential of new knowledge and the importance of living
      gratitude. These two liberating discoveries are explored from the humanbecoming
      perspective and cite important inquiries that expand understanding of the
      phenomena of new knowledge and feeling grateful.

PMID- 28899271
TI  - Fit for Practice: Analysis and Evaluation of Watson's Theory of Human Caring.
AB  - The aim of the authors of this paper is to analyze Watson's theory of human
      caring for its usefulness and worth in education, practice, and research. The
      reason for undertaking this analysis is to evaluate if Watson's theory would be
      useful for nursing in those countries where such theories were not an established
      part of the nursing curriculum. Furthermore, in some European countries, their
      political past or cultural influences led to an unquestioned adoption of the
      biomedical model. As their political culture changes, many social structures have
      had to be revisited, and for nursing, this has meant the introduction of
      theoretical reasoning, teaching, and practice.

PMID- 28899272
TI  - The Living Experience of Feeling Playful.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the living experience of feeling
      playful. Parse's research method was used to answer the question: What is the
      structure of the living experience of feeling playful? The participants were 10
      persons, ages 9 to 83, living in the United States. The central finding of the
      study is the living experience of feeling playful is entertaining amusements amid
      burdens with uplifting endeavors strengthening affiliations with blissful moments
      of unfettered unfolding. The living experience of feeling playful is discussed in
      relation to the principles of the humanbecoming paradigm and in relation to how
      it can inform further research.

PMID- 28899273
TI  - Translating Nursing Philosophy for Practice and Healthcare Policy.
AB  - This article introduces the feature article on policy implications of integrative
      nursing. It describes unitary ontology in nursing, highlighting the Rogerian view
      of holism. The importance of linking philosophy to practice policy is emphasized.

PMID- 28899274
TI  - Kritek's Ethical Perspective for Nursing: Moral Courage.

PMID- 28899275
TI  - How Do Nurses Practice?
AB  - Understanding how nurses align theory with practice is key to the wellbeing of
      patients. In these times, there is a lack of regard for what patients want and
      need in living their quality of life. Since nurses are the facilitators of
      patient care, they must define how they are with patients and advocate for all
      people.

PMID- 28899276
TI  - The Dichotomy: How to Resolve.

PMID- 28899279
TI  - More Questions.

PMID- 28899277
TI  - Reflections on Moral Courage.
AB  - The author presents her reflections on the concept of moral courage that have
      evolved from her life's work in the area of conflict and conflict resolution. Her
      profound analysis uncovers issues behind nursing's collective silence when action
      may be needed.

PMID- 28899280
TI  - Ethics and Discovering New Meanings With Metaphors.
AB  - Metaphors are widely understood concepts or structures of human understanding
      undergirded with transformational creativity. The usages of metaphors are
      ubiquitous; they are used to convey unique meaning messages in healthcare
      disciplines. This article begins an ethical straight-thinking discussion of the
      defining aspects of metaphors and their usage in the discipline of nursing. The
      humanbecoming paradigm is used to discover new meanings of the metaphor hands-on
      and its ethical implications for understanding in the discipline of nursing.

PMID- 28899281
TI  - The Value of Developing a Mixed-Methods Program of Research.
AB  - This article contributes to the discussion of the value of utilizing mixed
      methodological approaches to conduct nursing research. To this end, the author of
      this article proposes creating a mixed-methods program of research over time,
      where both quantitative and qualitative data are collected and analyzed
      simultaneously, rather than focusing efforts on designing singular mixed-methods
      studies. A mixed-methods program of research would allow for the best of both
      worlds: precision through focus on one method at a time, and the benefits of
      creating a robust understanding of a phenomenon over the trajectory of one's
      career through examination from various methodological approaches.

PMID- 28899283
TI  - Optimal Aging: A Neuman Systems Model Perspective.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to describe aspects of optimal aging from the
      perspective of the Neuman systems model. An overview of the model is presented
      followed by a discussion of usual stressors encountered as people age and their
      common responses to these stressors. The position taken is that optimal aging for
      an individual is not necessarily equated with high-level wellness but rather is
      the best possible aging for that individual. A Neuman systems model practice
      methodology tool is used to illustrate how to apply the model to determine the
      optimal level of aging for individuals with and without chronic illnesses.

PMID- 28899284
TI  - Identifying and addressing the governance accountability problem.
AB  - Successive global health crises - from HIV and AIDS to SARS and H5N1 to Ebola -
      highlight one of the most pressing challenges to global health security: the GAP 
      the governance accountability problem. Introduced in 2014 in the book entitled,
      HIV/AIDS and the South African state: The responsibility to respond, this article
      takes up Alan Whiteside's challenges, in a book review in these pages, to offer a
      more comprehensive analysis of the GAP. The GAP [Sehovic, A. B. (2014). HIV/AIDS
      and the South African state: The responsibility to respond. Ashgate Global
      Health.] posits that there is a disconnect between ad hoc, state and non-state
      interventions to respond to an epidemic crisis, and the ultimate guarantee for
      health (security), which remains legally vested with the state. The existence and
      expansion of such ad hoc solutions result in a negligence: a failure of re
      ordering of health rights and responsibilities for health between such actors and
      the accountable state. The GAP aims to highlight this disjunction. This article
      first defines the GAP. Second, it asks two questions: First, what is the
      contribution of the GAP thesis to understanding the emerging health security
      landscape? Second, what can the GAP offer in terms of practical insight into
      viable solutions to the re-ordering of state/non-state-based responsibility and
      accountability for global health security?

PMID- 28899285
TI  - Predicting rehabilitation length of stay in Canada: It's not just about
      impairment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Current tertiary Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) rehabilitation funding
      and rehabilitation length of stay (R-LOS) in most North American jurisdictions
      are linked to an individual's impairment. Our objectives were to: 1) describe the
      impact of relevant demographic, impairment and medical complexity variables at
      rehabilitation admission on R-LOS among adult Canadians with traumatic SCI; and
      2) identify factors which extend R-LOS. METHODS: Data from 1,376 adults with
      traumatic SCI were obtained via chart abstraction and administrative data linkage
      from 15 Rick Hansen SCI Registry sites (2004-2014). Variables included age, sex,
      neurological impairment (level, severity), rehabilitation onset days, R-LOS,
      Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) at admission, prior ventilation or endotracheal tube
      (Vent/ETT), or indwelling bladder catheter at acute discharge, pain interference
      score, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and lower extremity motor
      scores (LEMS) at rehabilitation admission. Variables related to R-LOS in
      bivariate analysis were included in multivariate analysis to determine their
      impact on R-LOS. RESULTS: Prior Vent/ETT tube, indwelling bladder catheter, GCS,
      LEMS, and neurological impairment were related to R-LOS in bivariate analysis.
      Multivariate linear regression analyses identified five variables as significant
      predictors: age, Vent/ETT for >24 hours in acute care, indwelling bladder
      catheter at acute discharge, LEMS, and NLI/AIS subgroup at rehabilitation
      admission explained 32% of the variation in R-LOS (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Based
      on the enclosed formula, and knowledge of an individual's age at injury, spinal
      cord impairment (level and severity), prior Vent/ETT, presence of an indwelling
      bladder catheter, and LEMS at admission, administrators and clinicians may
      readily identify patients for whom an extended R-LOS beyond conventional LOS
      targets is likely.

PMID- 28899287
TI  - Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching-Learning Theory.

PMID- 28899286
TI  - Restless legs syndrome related to hemorrhage of a thoracic spinal cord cavernoma.
AB  - CONTEXT: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder
      characterized by an irresistible urge to move the lower limbs often accompanied
      by unpleasant sensations in the legs, worsened at rest and in the evening.
      Symptoms are improved by movement. Its pathophysiology remains poorly understood.
      Lesion-related RLS has been reported, mainly in cases of stroke-related RLS
      involving the brainstem and lenticulostriate nuclei. Only few data of RLS in a
      context of spinal cord injury have been reported. FINDINGS: We report the case of
      a woman with secondary RLS due to hemorrhage of a spinal cord cavernoma located
      at T9-T10. Following recovery from the acute phase of the hemorrhage, the patient
      began to complain about restlessness in her legs causing impaired sleep and
      daytime somnolence. Polysomnographic investigations found a high index of
      periodic leg movements during sleep (71/hour), but no sleep disordered breathing.
      Iron stores were normal. Relief of symptom's severity was obtained with
      gabapentin 600mg in the evening. CONCLUSION/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We hypothesize a
      possible involvement of the diencephalospinal pathway in the patient's RLS
      pathophysiology. A systematic study of focal lesions associated with RLS may
      contribute to improving our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms
      underlying this condition. The frequency of RLS associated with lesions of the
      spinal cord might be underestimated. Clinicians should be aware of spinal cord
      lesion-related RLS, especially as efficient treatments are available.

PMID- 28899288
TI  - Transitions and Transformations in Nursing Leadership.
AB  - The dialogue with Dr. Melanie Dreher focuses on a time of transition and her
      reflections on her career as a dean. Dr. Dreher shares from a personal and
      professional perspective.

PMID- 28899289
TI  - Pregnant With Promise for Far Too Long: Time to Deliver!
AB  - The meaning of the terms nursing science and science of nursing are briefly
      explored from an historical perspective than from a Rogerian nursing science
      perspective. Seminal ideas from Martha Rogers' writings, including an editorial
      from the inaugural issue of the journal Nursing Science, are noted. The author
      concludes with a Rogerian nursing science perspective of the unitary rhythm of
      dying-grieving with examples from participants of a qualitative study of the
      experience of relating to a loved one who has died.

PMID- 28899291
TI  - Ethics and Reverence for the Discipline of Nursing.
AB  - Healthcare disciplines, including nursing, are emerging sciences that contain
      discipline-specific theories that guide the activities of research, practice, and
      education. The term nursing science calls forth meaning that has long been
      accepted and referred to as the extant nursing theories undergirded with
      philosophy of science. Recent writings dispute the purposes and future usage of
      nursing theoretical frameworks in the science of nursing. The author of this
      article proposes new thinking about the importance of reverence and ethical
      implications for the future of formal inquiry in nursing science.

PMID- 28899292
TI  - Evidence or Clinicians or the Person: Who Should Be at the Center?
AB  - In this column, the issue of who should drive healthcare decision-making will be
      considered. To that end, evidence-based practice and evidence-informed practice
      models of care will be discussed. Problems with the use of each of these models
      will be brought to light followed by a presentation of a proposed model of care
      that puts the person at the center of healthcare decision- making.

PMID- 28899293
TI  - Feeling Comfortable: A Humanbecoming Perspective.
AB  - Feeling comfortable is a universal living experience. From the worldview of the
      humanbecoming paradigm, concept inventing is an appropriate method to expand
      understanding and knowledge of universal experiences. The purpose of this article
      is to provide a synthetic definition of feeling comfortable using the concept
      inventing process. Through concept inventing, a synthetic definition of feeling
      comfortable emerged as penetrating quietude amid potential upheaval arising with
      opportunities and restrictions with envisioning the familiar anew. Further
      development of the concept through qualitative research is recommended.

PMID- 28899294
TI  - Thoughts About Nursing Conceptual Models and the "Medical Model".
AB  - This essay, written to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Nursing Science
      Quarterly, focuses on the distinctions between the discipline of nursology and
      the trade of medicine. The distinctions are drawn from content found in nursing
      conceptual models and from literature about the elusive content of the so-called
      "medical model."

PMID- 28899295
TI  - Benner's Framework and Clinical Decision-Making in the Critical Care Environment.
AB  - Completed as part of a larger dissertational study, the purpose of this portion
      of this descriptive correlational study was to examine the relationships among
      registered nurses' clinical experiences and clinical decision-making processes in
      the critical care environment. The results indicated that there is no strong
      correlation between clinical experience in general and clinical experience in
      critical care and clinical decision-making. There were no differences found in
      any of the Benner stages of clinical experience in relation to the overall
      clinical decision-making process.

PMID- 28899296
TI  - Caring Science Conscious Dying: An Emerging Metaparadigm.
AB  - Caring science is an extant theory of human relationship, guiding the profession
      of nursing with the understanding and application of a moral-ethical praxis that
      promotes, protects, and provides human dignity throughout the life continuum.
      Over the past 30 or more years, caring science has transformed nursing by calling
      for a heightened ethical perspective of human dignity in how nurses practice,
      educate, research, and evolve the profession. Conscious dying is a framework
      rooted in a human caring ontology, which strives to deepen the nurse healer's
      awareness in tending to a patient's dying and death, returning death to its
      sacred place in the cycle of life. Reflective inventories are self-reflection
      tools that have been used to encourage nurses' personal growth and development
      and may be utilized in individual or group settings. The purpose herein is to
      introduce an emerging metaparadigm that links self to system, interweaving and
      integrating the teachings of caring science and conscious dying through the use
      of reflective inventories for both the individual nurse and collective of
      nursing.

PMID- 28899297
TI  - Thirty Years: Still Keeping the Dream Alive.

PMID- 28899299
TI  - Seeking Comfort.
AB  - This article introduces a concept inventing paper on feeling comfortable. The
      introduction describes a personal experience of seeking comfort, which includes
      serene calm amid distracting unrest.

PMID- 28899300
TI  - A Living Science, A Living Journal.

PMID- 28899301
TI  - Engaging and Honoring Older Adults in Research.
AB  - Research involving persons with cognitive changes associated with aging,
      including dementia, has increased dramatically in the past two decades, motivated
      in large part by an increasing number of older adults with such issues. Velzke in
      the paper that follows this introduction discusses why it is important and how to
      include older adults as participants in research. While focused primarily on
      elders and their caregivers in Scotland, the topic is a globally important one.

PMID- 28899302
TI  - Healthcare Crisis: Do Nurses Help or Hurt?
AB  - Healthcare is becoming a tangled web of dead ends, refusal of treatments by
      insurance companies who continue to report incredible profits, leaving many of
      the middle class and underserved without benefits, treatment, and care. The
      nursing profession must rise to this catastrophic state and strive for both in
      unison and individually so patients receive the care they need and deserve.

PMID- 28899303
TI  - Philosophical Clarity and Justifying the Scope of Advanced Practice Nursing.
AB  - The United States (US) Department of Veterans Affairs proposed a policy change
      for nursing practice that would grant full practice authority to advanced
      practice registered nurses (APRNs) nationwide. In this article, the author
      briefly explains this proposed policy and explores the relevance and implications
      of bringing philosophy into policy debates and discussions about the nature and
      scope of practice.

PMID- 28899304
TI  - Including the Voice of Older Adults in Research.
AB  - The authors of this paper discuss the use of participatory and visual research
      methods with older adults with daily care needs in the United Kingdom. The
      comments made by older adults and their caregivers in focus groups provided the
      narrative for this paper. The authors also discuss how to engage older adults in
      participatory research. Nursing research and practice both involve evaluating
      processes to gain a holistic understanding of patients through multiple means of
      data collection. In other words, how do nurses give voice to otherwise silent
      older adults, even in cases when their strength and recall is failing?

PMID- 28899305
TI  - Writing From the Edge.
AB  - On the 30th Anniversary of Nursing Science Quarterly, the 17-year journey of
      conceiving, launching, and guiding the "Teaching-Learning Column" was explored in
      this dialogue with Dr. Sandra Schmidt Bunkers, adjunct professor of nursing,
      South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota, founding contributing
      editor of the column, and Dr. Barbara Backer Condon, Professor of Nursing, Briar
      Cliff University, Sioux City, Iowa, contributing editor, 2012-2016. Reflecting on
      the shared stories, the challenge is offered to continue the tradition of the
      column in reading, writing, and thinking from the edge, to bravely consider what
      might be, daring to go beyond the confinements of mainstream thinking, and to
      vision as yet unimagined possibilities in teaching-learning in nursing.

PMID- 28899306
TI  - The Living Experience of Feeling Surprised.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to report the finding of a Parse research method
      study on the universal living experience of feeling surprised. In dialogical
      engagement with the researcher, eight participants described the experience. The
      structure of the living experience of feeling surprised was found to be: Feeling
      surprised is stunning amazement arising with shifting fortunes, as delight amid
      despair surfaces with diverse involvements.

PMID- 28899307
TI  - Atypical outbreak of Q fever affecting low-risk residents of a remote rural town
      in New South Wales.
AB  - We investigated an outbreak of Q fever in a remote rural town in New South Wales,
      Australia. Cases identified through active and passive case finding activities,
      and retrospective laboratory record review were interviewed using a standard
      questionnaire. Two sets of case-case analyses were completed to generate
      hypotheses regarding clinical, epidemiological and exposure risk factors
      associated with infection during the outbreak. Laboratory-confirmed outbreak
      cases (n=14) were compared with an excluded case group (n=16) and a group of
      historic Q fever cases from the region (n=106). In comparison with the historic
      case group, outbreak cases were significantly more likely to be female (43% vs.
      18% males, P = 0.04) and identify as Aboriginal (29% vs. 7% non-Aboriginal, P =
      0.03). Similarly, very few cases worked in high-risk occupations (21% vs. 84%, P
      < 0.01). Most outbreak cases (64%) reported no high-risk exposure activities in
      the month prior to onset. In comparison with the excluded case group, a
      significantly increased proportion of outbreak cases had contact with dogs (100%
      vs. 63%, P = 0.02) or sighted kangaroos on their residential property (100% vs.
      60%, P = 0.02). High rates of tick exposure (92%) were also reported, although
      this was not significantly different from the excluded case group. While a source
      of this outbreak could not be confirmed, our findings suggest infections likely
      occurred via inhalation of aerosols or dust contaminated by Coxiella burnetii,
      dispersed through the town from either an unidentified animal facility or from
      excreta of native wildlife or feral animals. Alternatively transmission may have
      occurred via companion animals or tick vectors.

PMID- 28899308
TI  - Demographic and geographical risk factors for gonorrhoea and chlamydia in greater
      Western Sydney, 2003-2013.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Notification rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have
      increased in New South Wales as elsewhere in Australia. Understanding trends in
      chlamydia and gonorrhoea notifications at smaller geographical areas may assist
      public health efforts to deliver targeted STI interventions. METHODS: Routinely
      collected disease notification data from 2 local health districts within the
      greater Western Sydney area were analysed. De-identified notifications of
      gonorrhoea and chlamydia were extracted for people aged over 15 years during the
      period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2013. Sex-specific and age-specific
      population notification rates for each infection were calculated. Incidence rate
      ratios were also calculated with age group, sex, year and local government area
      (LGA) of residence as explanatory variables. RESULTS: Rates of gonorrhoea and
      chlamydia increased among males and females over the period. Males had a 4-fold
      increased risk of gonorrhoea (P<0.0001). Compared with the 30-44 years age group,
      young people aged 15-29 years had a 70% increased risk of gonorrhoea and a 4-fold
      increased risk of chlamydia (P values < 0.0001). Chlamydia notifications
      demonstrated smaller and more uniform annual increases across LGAs compared with
      gonorrhoea notifications, which appeared more highly clustered. CONCLUSION:
      Analysis of notification rates of chlamydia and gonorrhoea in the greater Western
      Sydney area suggest that young people aged 15-29 years and residents of
      particular LGAs are at greater risk of infection. A limitation was the unknown
      effect of patterns of testing. Nevertheless, these results can support the
      planning of local sexual health clinical services as well as the design of
      targeted health promotion interventions.

PMID- 28899309
TI  - Waterparks are high risk for cryptosporidiosis: A case-control study in Victoria,
      2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An increase in notifications of cryptosporidiosis was observed in
      Victoria between March and April 2015. Cases mostly resided in one metropolitan
      region and hypothesis-generating interviews identified common exposures to
      aquatic facilities. We conducted a case-control study to determine exposure
      source(s) and facilitate control measures. METHODS: Laboratory-confirmed cases of
      cryptosporidiosis from the region of interest notified between 1 March and 23
      April 2015 were included. Controls residing in the same region were recruited
      from participants in a population health survey and frequency matched (2 per
      case) by age group. Details of exposure to potential risk factors were collected
      using a standardised telephone questionnaire for the 14-days prior to illness for
      cases, and an analogous exposure period for controls. Univariable and
      multivariable logistic regression were used to determine risk factors associated
      with illness using STATA SE 13.1. RESULTS: Thirty cases and 66 controls were
      included in the study. Half the cases were less than 12 years of age and 62% were
      female. Illness was most strongly associated with recreational water exposure at
      any waterpark (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=73.5; 95% confidence interval (CI):6.74
      802), and specifically at Victorian waterparks (aOR=45.6; 95% CI:5.20-399). Cases
      were linked with attendance at either a waterpark in the region or an adjacent
      region. As a result of this investigation, hyperchlorination was completed at
      identified facilities and swim hygiene information distributed. CONCLUSION: This
      study reinforces the potential for recreational water facilities, particularly
      waterparks, to act as a transmission source of Cryptosporidium infections.
      Continued communication to patrons is required to ensure healthy swimming
      practice in Victorian aquatic facilities.

PMID- 28899311
TI  - Australian National Enterovirus Reference Laboratory annual report, 2014.
AB  - Following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation, Australia conducts
      surveillance for cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in children less than 15
      years of age as the main method to monitor its polio-free status. Cases of AFP in
      children are notified to the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit or the
      Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance System and faecal specimens are
      referred for virological investigation to the National Enterovirus Reference
      Laboratory. In 2014, no cases of poliomyelitis were reported from clinical
      surveillance and Australia reported 1.4 non-polio AFP cases per 100,000 children,
      meeting the WHO performance criterion for a sensitive surveillance system. Non
      polio enteroviruses can also be associated with AFP and enterovirus A71 and
      echovirus types 6 and 7 were identified from clinical specimens from cases of
      AFP. Globally, 359 cases of polio were reported in 2014, with the 3 endemic
      countries, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, accounting for 95% of the cases. In
      May 2014, the WHO declared the international spread of wild poliovirus to be a
      public health emergency of international concern and has since maintained
      recommendations for polio vaccination of travellers from countries reporting
      cases of wild polio.

PMID- 28899310
TI  - Influenza viruses received and tested by the Melbourne WHO Collaborating Centre
      for Reference and Research on Influenza annual report, 2015.
AB  - As part of its role in the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Influenza
      Surveillance and Response System, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and
      Research on Influenza in Melbourne received a total of 5,557 influenza positive
      samples during 2015. Viruses were analysed for their antigenic, genetic and
      antiviral susceptibility properties. In 2015, influenza B viruses predominated
      over influenza A(H1)pdm09 and A(H3) viruses, accounting for a total of 58% of all
      viruses analysed. The vast majority of A(H1)pdm09, A(H3) and influenza B viruses
      analysed at the Centre were found to be antigenically similar to the respective
      WHO recommended vaccine strains for the Southern Hemisphere in 2015. However,
      phylogenetic analysis of a selection of viruses indicated that the majority of
      circulating A(H3) viruses were genetically distinct from the WHO recommended
      strain for 2015, resulting in an update to the recommended vaccine strain for the
      Southern Hemisphere for 2016. With an increasing predominance of B/Victoria
      lineage viruses over B/Yamagata lineage viruses through the course of 2015, WHO
      also updated the recommended influenza B strain in the trivalent influenza
      vaccine for 2016. Of more than 3,300 samples tested for resistance to the
      neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanamivir, only 1 A(H1)pdm09 virus
      showed highly reduced inhibition by oseltamivir. The Centre undertook primary
      isolation of candidate vaccine viruses directly into eggs, and in 2015 a total of
      45 viruses were successfully isolated in eggs.

PMID- 28899312
TI  - Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit annual report, 2015.

PMID- 28899313
TI  - OzFoodNet quarterly report, 1 January to 31 March 2015.

PMID- 28899314
TI  - National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 1 January to 31 March 2017.

PMID- 28899315
TI  - Australian Meningococcal Surveillance Programme, 1 January to 31 March 2017.

PMID- 28899316
TI  - Road safety: serious injuries remain a major unsolved problem.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate temporal trends in the incidence, mortality, disability
      adjusted life-years (DALYs), and costs of health loss caused by serious road
      traffic injury. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective review of data
      from the population-based Victorian State Trauma Registry and the National
      Coronial Information System on road traffic-related deaths (pre- and in-hospital)
      and major trauma (Injury Severity Score > 12) during 2007-2015.Main outcomes and
      measures: Temporal trends in the incidence of road traffic-related major trauma,
      mortality, DALYs, and costs of health loss, by road user type. RESULTS: There
      were 8066 hospitalised road traffic major trauma cases and 2588 road traffic
      fatalities in Victoria over the 9-year study period. There was no change in the
      incidence of hospitalised major trauma for motor vehicle occupants (incidence
      rate ratio [IRR] per year, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.99-1.01; P = 0.70), motorcyclists
      (IRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.01; P = 0.45) or pedestrians (IRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.97
      1.02; P = 0.73), but the incidence for pedal cyclists increased 8% per year (IRR,
      1.08; 95% CI; 1.05-1.10; P < 0.001). While DALYs declined for motor vehicle
      occupants (by 13% between 2007 and 2015), motorcyclists (32%), and pedestrians
      (5%), there was a 56% increase in DALYs for pedal cyclists. The estimated costs
      of health loss associated with road traffic injuries exceeded $14 billion during
      2007-2015, although the cost per patient declined for all road user groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: As serious injury rates have not declined, current road safety
      targets will be difficult to meet. Greater attention to preventing serious injury
      is needed, as is further investment in road safety, particularly for pedal
      cyclists.

PMID- 28899318
TI  - Understanding and managing the health impacts of poor air quality from landscape
      fires.

PMID- 28899319
TI  - Public reporting of clinician-level data.

PMID- 28899320
TI  - Extreme heat threatens the health of Australians.

PMID- 28899321
TI  - Thunderstorm asthma outbreak of November 2016: a natural disaster requiring
      planning.

PMID- 28899323
TI  - Insights into the origin and identity of the discipline of public health.

PMID- 28899322
TI  - Von Meyenburg complexes in a patient with obstructive jaundice.

PMID- 28899326
TI  - Is inpatient rehabilitation after a routine total knee replacement justified?

PMID- 28899327
TI  - Reducing the rate of serious injuries to cyclists.

PMID- 28899328
TI  - The value of inpatient rehabilitation after uncomplicated knee arthroplasty: a
      propensity score analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of rehabilitation after total knee
      arthroplasty (TKA) in models with or without an inpatient rehabilitation
      component. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A propensity score-matched cohort of
      privately insured patients with osteoarthritis who underwent primary, unilateral
      TKA in one of 12 Australian hospitals between August 2013 and January 2015 were
      included. Those discharged to an inpatient facility because of poor progress or
      who experienced significant complications within 90 days of surgery were
      excluded. INTERVENTION: Discharge after surgery to an inpatient rehabilitation
      facility or home. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient-reported knee pain and function
      (Oxford Knee Score; at 90 and 365 days after surgery) and health rating (EuroQol
      "today" health scale; at 35, 90 and 365 days). Inpatient and community-based
      rehabilitation provider charges were also assessed. RESULTS: 258 patients (129
      pairs) from a sample of 332 were matched according to their propensity scores for
      receiving inpatient rehabilitation; covariates used in the matching included age,
      sex, body mass index, and markers of health and impairment. The only significant
      difference in outcomes was that EuroQol health scores were better on Day 35 for
      patients not undergoing inpatient rehabilitation (median difference, 5; IQR, -10
      to 19; P = 0.01). Median rehabilitation provider charges were significantly
      higher for those discharged to inpatient therapy (total costs: median difference,
      $9500; IQR, $7000-11 497; P < 0.001; community therapy costs: median difference,
      $749; IQR, $0-1980; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation pathways
      incorporating inpatient rehabilitation did not achieve better joint-specific
      outcomes or health scores than alternatives not including inpatient
      rehabilitation. Given the substantial cost differences, better value alternatives
      should be considered for patients after uncomplicated TKA.

PMID- 28899329
TI  - Cataract surgery coverage rates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians:
      the National Eye Health Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine cataract surgery coverage rates for Indigenous and non
      Indigenous Australians. DESIGN: National cross-sectional population-based survey.
      SETTING: Thirty randomly selected Australian geographic sites, stratified by
      remoteness. PARTICIPANTS: 3098 non-Indigenous Australians aged 50 years or more
      and 1738 Indigenous Australians aged 40 years or more, recruited and examined in
      the National Eye Health Survey (NEHS) between March 2015 and April 2016. METHODS:
      Participants underwent an interviewer-administered questionnaire that collected
      socio-demographic information and past ocular care history, including cataract
      surgery. For those with visual acuity worse than 6/12, anterior segment
      photography and slit lamp examinations were conducted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Cataract surgery coverage rates according to WHO and NEHS definitions; associated
      risk factors. RESULTS: Cataract surgery coverage rates calculated with the NEHS
      definition 1 of vision impairment (visual acuity worse than 6/12) were lower for
      Indigenous than non-Indigenous participants (58.5% v 88.0%; odds ratio [OR],
      0.32; P < 0.001). According to the World Health Organization definition
      (eligibility criterion: best-corrected visual acuity worse than 6/18), coverage
      rates were 92.5% and 98.9% for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
      respectively. Greater age was significantly associated with higher cataract
      surgery coverage in Indigenous (OR, 1.41 per 10 years; P = 0.048) and non
      Indigenous Australians (OR, 1.58 per 10 years; P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The
      cataract surgery coverage rate was higher for non-Indigenous than Indigenous
      Australians, indicating the need to improve cataract surgery services for
      Indigenous Australians. The WHO definition of the coverage rate may overestimate
      the cataract surgery coverage rate in developed nations and should be applied
      with caution.

PMID- 28899330
TI  - REM sleep behaviour disorder: not just a bad dream.
AB  - Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia
      characterised by the loss of the normal atonia during the REM stage of sleep,
      resulting in overt motor behaviours that usually represent the enactment of
      dreams. Patients will seek medical attention due to sleep-related injuries or
      unpleasant dream content. Idiopathic RBD which occurs independently of any other
      disease occurs in up to 2% of the older population. Meanwhile, secondary RBD is
      very common in association with certain neurodegenerative conditions. RBD can
      also occur in the context of antidepressant use, obstructive sleep apnoea and
      narcolepsy. RBD can be diagnosed with a simple screening question followed by
      confirmation with polysomnography to exclude potential mimics. Treatment for RBD
      is effective and involves treatment of underlying causes, modification of the
      sleep environment, and pharmacotherapy with either clonazepam or melatonin. An
      important finding in the past decade is the recognition that almost all patients
      with idiopathic RBD will ultimately go on to develop Parkinson disease or
      dementia with Lewy bodies. This suggests that idiopathic RBD represents a
      prodromal phase of these conditions. Physicians should be aware of the risk of
      phenoconversion. They should educate idiopathic RBD patients to recognise the
      symptoms of these conditions and refer as appropriate for further testing and
      enrolment into research trials focused on neuroprotective measures.

PMID- 28899331
TI  - Influence of birth month on the probability of Western Australian children being
      treated for ADHD.

PMID- 28899332
TI  - Influence of birth month on the probability of Western Australian children being
      treated for ADHD.

PMID- 28899333
TI  - Invasive <em>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</em> producing pre-septal cellulitis and
      keratoconjunctivitis: diagnosis and management.

PMID- 28899334
TI  - The obesity epidemic and sugar-sweetened beverages: a taxing time.

PMID- 28899335
TI  - Family violence: an illustrated guide to the terminology.

PMID- 28899336
TI  - Around the universities and research institutes.

PMID- 28899338
TI  - Incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat: a randomized comparison of
      Glidescope with Macintosh laryngoscope.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative sore throat (POST) is a common problem following
      endotracheal (ET) intubation during general anesthesia. The objective was to
      compare the incidence and severity of POST during routine intubation with
      Glidescope (GL) and Macintosh laryngoscope (MCL). METHODS: One hundred forty
      adult patients ASA I and II with normal airway, scheduled to undergo elective
      surgery under GA requiring ET intubation were enrolled in this prospective
      randomized study and were randomly divided in two groups, GL and MCL. Incidence
      and severity of POST was evaluated at 0, 6, 12 and 24 h after surgery. RESULTS:
      At 0 h, the incidence of POST was more in MCL than GL (n = 41 v.s n = 22, P =
      0.001), and also at 6 h after surgery (n = 37 v.s n = 23, P = 0.017). Severity of
      POST was more at 0, 6 and 12 h after surgery in MCL (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, P =
      0.004 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Routine use of GL for ET tube placement results
      in reduction in the incidence and severity of POST compared to MCL. TRIAL
      REGISRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02848365 . Retrospectively Registered (Date of
      registration: July, 2016).

PMID- 28899339
TI  - Ciliate diversity and distribution patterns in the sediments of a seamount and
      adjacent abyssal plains in the tropical Western Pacific Ocean.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benthic ciliates and the environmental factors shaping their
      distribution are far from being completely understood. Likewise, deep-sea systems
      are amongst the least understood ecosystems on Earth. In this study, using high
      throughput DNA sequencing, we investigated the diversity and community
      composition of benthic ciliates in different sediment layers of a seamount and an
      adjacent abyssal plain in the tropical Western Pacific Ocean with water depths
      ranging between 813 m and 4566 m. Statistical analyses were used to assess shifts
      in ciliate communities across vertical sediment gradients and water depth.
      RESULTS: Nine out of 12 ciliate classes were detected in the different sediment
      samples, with Litostomatea accounting for the most diverse group, followed by
      Plagiopylea and Oligohymenophorea. The novelty of ciliate genetic diversity was
      extremely high, with a mean similarity of 93.25% to previously described
      sequences. On a sediment depth gradient, ciliate community structure was more
      similar within the upper sediment layers (0-1 and 9-10 cm) compared to the lower
      sediment layers (19-20 and 29-30 cm) at each site. Some unknown ciliate taxa
      which were absent from the surface sediments were found in deeper sediments
      layers. On a water depth gradient, the proportion of unique OTUs was between
      42.2% and 54.3%, and that of OTUs shared by all sites around 14%. However, alpha
      diversity of the different ciliate communities was relatively stable in the
      surface layers along the water depth gradient, and about 78% of the ciliate OTUs
      retrieved from the surface layer of the shallowest site were shared with the
      surface layers of sites deeper than 3800 m. Correlation analyses did not reveal
      any significant effects of measured environmental factors on ciliate community
      composition and structure. CONCLUSIONS: We revealed an obvious variation in
      ciliate community along a sediment depth gradient in the seamount and the
      adjacent abyssal plain and showed that water depth is a less important factor
      shaping ciliate distribution in deep-sea sediments unlike observed for benthic
      ciliates in shallow seafloors. Additionally, an extremely high genetic novelty of
      ciliate diversity was found in these habitats, which points to a hot spot for the
      discovery of new ciliate species.

PMID- 28899340
TI  - Regulatory network changes between cell lines and their tissues of origin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cell lines are an indispensable tool in biomedical research and often
      used as surrogates for tissues. Although there are recognized important cellular
      and transcriptomic differences between cell lines and tissues, a systematic
      overview of the differences between the regulatory processes of a cell line and
      those of its tissue of origin has not been conducted. The RNA-Seq data generated
      by the GTEx project is the first available data resource in which it is possible
      to perform a large-scale transcriptional and regulatory network analysis
      comparing cell lines with their tissues of origin. RESULTS: We compared 127
      paired Epstein-Barr virus transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) and whole
      blood samples, and 244 paired primary fibroblast cell lines and skin samples.
      While gene expression analysis confirms that these cell lines carry the
      expression signatures of their primary tissues, albeit at reduced levels, network
      analysis indicates that expression changes are the cumulative result of many
      previously unreported alterations in transcription factor (TF) regulation. More
      specifically, cell cycle genes are over-expressed in cell lines compared to
      primary tissues, and this alteration in expression is a result of less repressive
      TF targeting. We confirmed these regulatory changes for four TFs, including
      SMAD5, using independent ChIP-seq data from ENCODE. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      provide novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms controlling the expression
      differences between cell lines and tissues. The strong changes in TF regulation
      that we observe suggest that network changes, in addition to transcriptional
      levels, should be considered when using cell lines as models for tissues.

PMID- 28899341
TI  - Development of a home-based training program for post-ward geriatric
      rehabilitation patients with cognitive impairment: study protocol of a randomized
      controlled trail.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients with cognitive impairment (CI) show an increased
      risk for a negative rehabilitation outcome and reduced functional recovery
      following inpatient rehabilitation. Despite this obvious demand, evidence-based
      training programs at the transition from rehabilitation to the home environments
      are lacking. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a feasible and
      cost-effective home-based training program to improve motor performance and to
      promote physical activity, specifically-tailored for post-ward geriatric patients
      with CI. METHODS: A sample of 101 geriatric patients with mild to moderate stage
      CI following ward-based rehabilitation will be recruited for a blinded,
      randomized controlled trial with two arms. The intervention group will conduct a
      12 week home-based training, consisting of (1) Exercises to improve
      strength/power, and postural control; (2) Individual walking trails to enhance
      physical activity; (3) Implementation of patient-specific motivational strategies
      to promote behavioral changes. The control group will conduct 12 weeks of
      unspecific flexibility exercise. Both groups will complete a baseline measurement
      before starting the program, at the end of the intervention, and after 24 weeks
      for follow-up. Sensor-based as well as questionnaire-based measures will be
      applied to comprehensively assess intervention effects. Primary outcomes document
      motor performance, assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery, and level
      of physical activity (PA), as assessed by duration of active episodes (i.e., sum
      of standing and walking). Secondary outcomes include various medical, psycho
      social, various PA and motor outcomes, including sensor-based assessment as well
      as cost effectiveness. DISCUSSION: Our study is among the first to provide home
      based training in geriatric patients with CI at the transition from a
      rehabilitation unit to the home environment. The program offers several unique
      approaches, e.g., a comprehensive and innovative assessment strategy and the
      integration of individually-tailored motivational strategies. We expect the
      program to be safe and feasible in geriatric patients with CI with the potential
      to enhance the sustainability of geriatric rehabilitation programs in patients
      with CI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial
      (# ISRCTN82378327 ). Registered: August 10, 2015.

PMID- 28899342
TI  - Measuring the burden of treatment for chronic disease: implications of a scoping
      review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although there has been growing research on the burden of treatment,
      the current state of evidence on measuring this concept is unknown. This scoping
      review aimed to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge as well as
      clear recommendations for future research, within the context of chronic disease.
      METHODS: Four health-based databases, Scopus, CINAHL, Medline, and PsychInfo,
      were comprehensively searched for peer-reviewed articles published between the
      periods of 2000-2016. Titles and abstracts were independently read by two
      authors. All discrepancies between the authors were resolved by a third author.
      Data was extracted using a standardized proforma and a comparison analysis was
      used in order to explore the key treatment burden measures and categorize them
      into three groups. RESULTS: Database searching identified 1458 potential papers.
      After removal of duplications, and irrelevant articles by title, 1102 abstracts
      remained. An additional 22 papers were added via snowball searching. In the end,
      101 full papers were included in the review. A large number of the studies
      involved quantitative measures and conceptualizations of treatment burden (n =
      64; 63.4%), and were conducted in North America (n = 49; 48.5%). There was
      significant variation in how the treatment burden experienced by those with
      chronic disease was operationalized and measured. CONCLUSION: Despite significant
      work, there is still much ground to cover to comprehensively measure treatment
      burden for chronic disease. Greater qualitative focus, more research with
      cultural and minority populations, a larger emphasis on longitudinal studies and
      the consideration of the potential effects of "identity" on treatment burden,
      should be considered.

PMID- 28899343
TI  - Genome-wide gene expression analysis in the placenta from fetus with trisomy 21.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We performed whole human genome expression analysis in placenta
      tissue (normal and T21) samples in order to investigate gene expression into the
      pathogenesis of trisomy 21 (T21) placenta. We profiled the whole human genome
      expression of placental samples from normal and T21 fetuses using the GeneChip
      Human Genome U133 plus 2.0 array. Based on these data, we predicted the functions
      of differentially expressed genes using bioinformatics tools. RESULTS: A total of
      110 genes had different expression patterns in the T21 placentas than they did in
      the normal placentas. Among them, 77 genes were up-regulated in the T21 placenta
      and 33 genes were down-regulated compared to their respective levels in normal
      placentas. Over half of the up-regulated genes (59.7%, n = 46) were located on
      HSA21. Up-regulated genes in the T21 placentas were significantly associated with
      T21 and its complications including mental retardation and neurobehavioral
      manifestations, whereas down-regulated genes were significantly associated with
      diseases, such as cystitis, metaplasia, pathologic neovascularization, airway
      obstruction, and diabetes mellitus. The interactive signaling network showed that
      53 genes (40 up-regulated genes and 13 down-regulated genes) were an essential
      component of the dynamic complex of signaling (P < 1.39e-08). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings provide a broad overview of whole human genome expression in the
      placentas of fetuses with T21 and a possibility that these genes regulate
      biological pathways that have been involved in T21 and T21 complications.
      Therefore, these results could contribute to future research efforts concerning
      gene involvement in the disease's pathogenesis.

PMID- 28899344
TI  - Bacteriophages are the major drivers of Shigella flexneri serotype 1c genome
      plasticity: a complete genome analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shigella flexneri is the primary cause of bacillary dysentery in the
      developing countries. S. flexneri serotype 1c is a novel serotype, which is found
      to be endemic in many developing countries, but little is known about its genomic
      architecture and virulence signatures. We have sequenced for the first time, the
      complete genome of S. flexneri serotype 1c strain Y394, to provide insights into
      its diversity and evolution. RESULTS: We generated a high-quality reference
      genome of S. flexneri serotype 1c using the hybrid methods of long-read single
      molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology and short-read MiSeq (Illumina)
      sequencing technology. The Y394 chromosome is 4.58 Mb in size and shares the
      basic genomic features with other S. flexneri complete genomes. However, it
      possesses unique and highly modified O-antigen structure comprising of three
      distinct O-antigen modifying gene clusters that potentially came from three
      different bacteriophages. It also possesses a large number of hypothetical unique
      genes compared to other S. flexneri genomes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a high level of
      structural and functional similarities of Y394 genome with other S. flexneri
      genomes, there are marked differences in the pathogenic islands. The diversity in
      the pathogenic islands suggests that these bacterial pathogens are well adapted
      to respond to the selection pressures during their evolution, which might
      contribute to the differences in their virulence potential.

PMID- 28899346
TI  - One symptom, two arrhythmias: the rare and the even rarer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome and idiopathic left ventricular
      tachycardia (ILVT) are rare and up to now the coexistence of both entities has
      rarely been reported. In patients with ventricular preexcitation the underlying
      mechanism of paroxysmal tachycardia most likely is atrioventricular reentrant
      tachycardia (AVRT). However, without ECG documentation of the tachycardia
      diagnosis of the underlying mechanism cannot be made due to similar clinical
      presentation of AVRT and ILVT. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a two
      staged occurrence of two rare arrhythmias in a young adult, who was admitted to
      our hospital twice within 6 months because of paroxysmal tachycardia. WPW
      syndrome and ILVT as underlying arrhythmias have been diagnosed and were ablated
      successfully. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the diagnostic defiance of rare
      tachycardia entities and the paramount importance of ECG documentation and
      analysis of all available tachycardia ECGs.

PMID- 28899345
TI  - Phylogeographic structure, cryptic speciation and demographic history of the
      sharpbelly (Hemiculter leucisculus), a freshwater habitat generalist from
      southern China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Species with broad distributions frequently divide into multiple
      genetic forms and may therefore be viewed as "cryptic species". Here, we used the
      mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) and 12 nuclear DNA loci to investigate
      phylogeographic structures of the sharpbelly (Hemiculter leucisculus) in rivers
      in southern China and explored how the geological and climatic factors have
      shaped the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of this species. RESULTS:
      Our mitochondrial phylogenetic analysis identified three major lineages (lineages
      A, B, and C). Lineages B and C showed a relatively narrower geographic
      distribution, whereas lineage A was widely distributed in numerous drainages.
      Divergence dates suggested that H. leucisculus populations diverged between 1.61
      2.38 Ma. Bayesian species delimitation analysis using 12 nuclear DNA loci
      indicated the three lineages probably represented three valid taxa. Isolation
      with-migration (IM) analysis found substantial gene flow has occurred among the
      three lineages. Demographic analyses showed that lineages B and C have
      experienced rapid demographic expansion at 0.03 Ma and 0.08 Ma, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hemiculter leucisculus populations in drainages in southern China
      comprise three mtDNA lineages, and each of which may represent a separate
      species. Intense uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, evolution of Asian
      monsoons, changes in paleo-drainages, and poor dispersal ability may have driven
      the divergence of the three putative species. However, gene flow occurs among the
      three lineages. Climatic fluctuations have a prominent impact on the populations
      from the lineages B and C, but exerted little influence on the lineage A.

PMID- 28899347
TI  - Case report of hyperglycemic nonketotic chorea with rapid radiological
      resolution.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemichorea is a rare manifestation of nonketotic hyperglycemia that
      usually affects elderly Asian women with poor glycemic control. Non-contrast
      computerized Tomography and T1- weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging shows
      characteristic hyperintense basal ganglia lesions. CASE PRESENTATION: A Fifty
      seven year old Sri Lankan female presented with a two-day history of right upper
      limb chorea. She had been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus one year ago, but was
      not on any treatment and did not have any micro vascular or macro vascular
      complications. Random blood sugar was 420 mg/dl and full blood count, liver
      function tests, renal function tests, inflammatory markers, thyroid function
      tests, Urine protein / creatinine ratio, electrocardiogram and 2D Echo were
      normal. Arterial blood gas did not show acidosis and ketone bodies were not
      detected in urine. Non-contrast computerized Tomography brain on day 1 showed
      left side hyperdense lentiform and caudate nuclei and MRI on day 3 showed
      slightly high signal intensity of left side basal ganglia on T1- weighted images
      and low signal intensity on T2-weighted and Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery
      images. She was started on insulin and a low dose of clonazepam and glycemic
      control was achieved on day 3. Two days later, the chorea completely disappeared.
      CT brain was repeated 4 days and 10 days following glycemic control, which showed
      rapid resolution of CT changes. Clonazepam was stopped in 2 weeks and chorea did
      not recur. CONCLUSION: This is a rare manifestation of diabetes in Sri lanka and
      diagnosing this rare entity will direct clinicians to achieve optimum glycemic
      control as the treatment which will lead to rapid clinical response without any
      other medications. In this case report we high light that with the clinical
      improvement, repeating a CT scan even after a very short period like 2 weeks will
      show rapid radiological resolution. This repeat imaging can also be useful to
      confirm the diagnosis, which will minimize unnecessary investigations and
      treatments. Further cases of hyperglycemic nonketotic chorea with brain imaging
      performed within short intervals is needed to evaluate the nature of rapid
      radiological changes, which will be useful to understand the pathology of this
      condition.

PMID- 28899348
TI  - Cesarean section to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus in
      China: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is predominantly transmitted through mother
      to-child transmission (MTCT). To date, it remains unclear whether the method of
      parturition affects MTCT of HBV. In order to clarify whether cesarean section,
      when compared with vaginal delivery, could reduce the risk of MTCT of HBV in
      China, we conducted this meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic literature search
      was performed of the PubMed (Medline), Embase, ISI Web of Science, China
      Biological Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and VIP
      Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals databases for articles written in
      English or Chinese through July 2015.The reference lists of relevant articles
      were also scrutinized for additional papers. Randomized controlled trials, cohort
      studies, or case-control studies investigating the effect of delivery mode on
      MTCT of HBV were included. RESULTS: This analysis involved 28 articles containing
      30 datasets. The data encompassed 9906 participants. The MTCT rate of HBV was
      6.76% (670 of 9906) overall, with individual rates of 4.37% (223 of 5105) for
      mothers who underwent cesarean section and 9.31% (447 of 4801) for those who
      underwent vaginal delivery. The summary relative risk (RR) was 0.51 (95%CI: 0.44
      0.60, P < 0.001), indicating a statistically significant decrease in HBV vertical
      transmission via cesarean section compared with vaginal delivery. The
      heterogeneity among studies was moderate with an I 2 of29.3%.Publication bias was
      not detected by the Egger's and Begg's tests, and the funnel plot was symmetric.
      In the subgroup analyses, maternal hepatitis B e antigen status and follow-up
      time did not affect the significance of the results, but hepatitis B immune
      globulin (HBIG) administration to mother and infant did. CONCLUSIONS: Cesarean
      section could reduce the risk of MTCT of HBV in comparison to vaginal delivery in
      China. However, owing to several limitations of our meta-analysis, future well
      designed randomized controlled trials with adequate statistical power, might be a
      more appropriate next step.

PMID- 28899349
TI  - The safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization combined with
      sorafenib and sorafenib mono-therapy in patients with BCLC stage B/C
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sorafenib and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are recommended
      therapies for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but their combined
      efficacy remains unclear. METHODS: Between August 2004 and November 2014, 104
      patients with BCLC stage B/C HCC were enrolled at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital
      of Guangxi Medical University, China. Forty-eight patients were treated with
      sorafenib alone (sorafenib group) and 56 with TACE plus sorafenib (TACE +
      sorafenib group). Baseline demographic/clinical data were collected. The primary
      outcomes were median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).
      Secondary outcomes were overall response rate (ORR) and sorafenib-related adverse
      events (AEs). Baseline characteristics associated with disease prognosis were
      identified using multivariate Cox hazards regression. RESULTS: The mean age of
      the 104 patients (94 males; 90.38%) was 49.02 +/- 12.29 years. Of the baseline
      data, only albumin level (P = 0.028) and Child-Pugh class (P = 0.017) differed
      significantly between groups. Median OS did not differ significantly between the
      sorafenib and TACE + sorafenib groups (18.0 vs. 22.0 months, P = 0.223). Median
      PFS was significantly shorter in the sorafenib group than that in the TACE +
      sorafenib group (6.0 vs. 8.0 months, P = 0.004). Six months after treatments, the
      ORRs were similar between the sorafenib and TACE + sorafenib groups (12.50% vs.
      18.75%, P = 0.425). The rates of grade III-IV adverse events in sorafenib and
      TACE + sorafenib groups were 29.2% vs. 23.2%, respectively. TACE plus sorafenib
      treatment (HR = 0.498, 95% CI = 0.278-0.892), no vascular invasion (HR = 0.354,
      95% CI = 0.183-0.685) and Child-Pugh class A (HR = 0.308, 95% CI = 0.141-0.674)
      were significantly associated with better OS, while a larger tumor number was
      predictive of poorer OS (HR = 1.286, 95% CI = 1.031-1.604). TACE plus sorafenib
      treatment (HR = 0.461, 95% CI = 0.273-0.780) and no vascular invasion (HR =
      0.557, 95% CI = 0.314-0.988) were significantly associated with better PFS.
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with sorafenib alone, combining TACE with sorafenib might
      prolong survival and delay disease progression in patients with advanced HCC.

PMID- 28899350
TI  - Epidemiological profile and obstetric outcomes of patients with peripartum
      congestive heart failure in Taiwan: a retrospective nationwide study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During pregnancy, the hyperdynamic physiology of circulation can
      exacerbate many cardiovascular disorders. Congestive heart failure (CHF) usually
      occurs during late pregnancy, which is significantly associated with a high level
      of maternal and neonatal morbidities and mortalities. The profile of women who
      develop peripartum CHF (PCHF) is unknown. We investigated the epidemiological
      profiles of PCHF. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, PCHF patients were
      identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision,
      Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes in Taiwan's National Health Insurance
      Research Database. Risk factors and obstetric outcomes were compared in women
      with and without PCHF. RESULTS: From 2,115,873 birth-mothers in Taiwan between
      1997 and 2013, we identified 512 with PCHF (incidence: 24.20/105). More women
      with than without PCHF were older (>= 35, 18.16% vs. 9.62%), and had more
      multifetal gestations (7.42% vs. 1.40%), gestational hypertension (HTN) (19.2%
      vs. 1.31%), and gestational diabetes mellitus (4.10% vs. 0.67%). After the
      analysis had been adjusted for confounders, the leading comorbidities associated
      with PCHF were structural heart diseases (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 67.21; 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 54.29-83.22), pulmonary diseases (aOR: 13.12; 95% CI:
      10.28-16.75), chronic HTN (aOR: 11.27; 95% CI: 6.94-18.28), thyroid disease (aOR:
      9.53; 95% CI: 5.27-17.23), and gestational HTN (aOR: 5.16; 95% CI: 3.89-6.85).
      PCHF patients also had a higher rate of cesarean sections (66.41% vs. 34.46%; p <
      0.0001). CONCLUSION: Maternal structural heart diseases, pulmonary diseases,
      thyroid disorders, and preexisting or gestational HTN are associated with a
      higher risk of developing PCHF. Birth-mothers with PCHF also had a higher risk of
      caesarean section and adverse outcomes, including maternal death. Our findings
      should benefit healthcare providers, and government and health insurance policy
      makers.

PMID- 28899351
TI  - Association of plasma potassium with mortality and end-stage kidney disease in
      patients with chronic kidney disease under nephrologist care - The NephroTest
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low and high blood potassium levels are common and were both
      associated with poor outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
      Whether such relationships may be altered in CKD patients receiving optimized
      nephrologist care is unknown. METHODS: NephroTest is a hospital-based prospective
      cohort study that enrolled 2078 nondialysis patients (mean age: 59 +/- 15 years,
      66% men) in CKD stages 1 to 5 who underwent repeated extensive renal tests
      including plasma potassium (PK) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measured
      (mGFR) by 51Cr-EDTA renal clearance. Test reports included a reminder of
      recommended targets for each abnormal value to guide treatment adjustment. Main
      outcomes were cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality before end-stage kidney
      disease (ESKD), and ESKD. RESULTS: At baseline, median mGFR was 38.4
      mL/min/1.73m2; prevalence of low PK (<4 mmol/L) was 26.5%, and of high PK (>5
      mmol/L) 6.4%; 74.4% of patients used angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors
      (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). After excluding 137 patients with
      baseline GFR < 10 mL/min/1.73m2 or lost to follow-up, 459 ESKD events and 236
      deaths before ESKD (83 CV deaths) occurred during a median follow-up of 5 years.
      Compared to patients with PK within [4, 5] mmol/L at baseline, those with low PK
      had hazard ratios (HRs) [95% CI] for all-cause and CV mortality before ESKD, and
      for ESKD of 0.82 [0.58-1.16], 1.01 [0.52-1.95], and 1.14 [0.89-1.47],
      respectively, with corresponding figures for those with high PK of 0.79 [0.48
      1.32], 1.5 [0.69-3.3], and 0.92 [0.70-1.21]. Considering time-varying PK did not
      materially change these findings, except for the HR of ESKD associated with high
      PK, 1.39 [1.09-1.78]. Among 1190 patients with at least two visits, PK had
      normalized at the second visit in 39.9 and 54.1% respectively of those with
      baseline low and high PK. Among those with low PK that normalized, ARB or ACEi
      use increased between the visits (68.3% vs 81.8%, P < .0001), and among those
      with high PK that normalized, potassium-binding resin and bicarbonate use
      increased (13.0% vs 37.0%, P < .001, and 4.4% vs 17.4%, P = 0.01, respectively)
      without decreased ACEi or ARB use. CONCLUSION: In these patients under nephrology
      care, neither low nor high PK was associated with excess mortality.

PMID- 28899352
TI  - Integrator complex subunit 6 (INTS6) inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth by
      Wnt pathway and serve as a prognostic marker.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Integrator complex subunit 6 (INTS6) was found to play a tumour
      suppressing role in certain types of solid tumours. In this study, we wanted to
      determine the expression level of INTS6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and
      evaluate its clinical characteristics and mechanisms in HCC patients (Lui and Lu,
      European Journal of Cancer, 51:S94, 2015). METHODS: First, we used a microarray
      analysis to explore the mRNA expression levels in HCC and paired normal liver
      tissues; second, we used qRT-PCR to measure the INTS6 mRNA levels in a cohort of
      50 HCC tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues; third, we used Western blot
      analyses to detect the INTS6 protein levels in 20 paired HCC and normal liver
      tissues; fourth, we used immunohistochemistry to determine the INTS6 expression
      levels in 70 archived paraffin-embedded HCC samples. Finally, we investigated the
      suppressive function of INTS6 in the Wnt pathway. RESULTS: Herein, according to
      the microarray data analysis, the expression levels of INTS6 were dramatically
      down-regulated in HCC tissues vs. those in normal liver tissues (p<0.05). qRT-PCR
      and Western blot analyses showed that the INTS6 mRNA and protein expression was
      significantly down-regulated in tumour tissues compared to the adjacent normal
      liver tissues (p<0.05). Immunohistochemical assays revealed that decreased INTS6
      expression was present in 62.9% (44/70) of HCC patients. Correlation analyses
      showed that INTS6 expression was significantly correlated with serum alpha
      fetoprotein levels (AFP, p =0.004), pathology grade (p =0.005), and tumour
      recurrence (p =0.04). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with low INTS6
      expression levels had shorter overall and disease-free survival rates than
      patients with high INTS6 expression levels (p =0.001 and p =0.001). Multivariate
      regression analysis indicated that INTS6 was an independent predictor of overall
      survival and disease-free survival rates. Mechanistically, INTS6 increased WIF-1
      expression and then inhibited the Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway.
      CONCLUSION: The results of our study show that down-regulated INTS6 expression is
      associated with a poorer prognosis in HCC patients. This newly identified
      INTS6/WIF-1 axis indicates the molecular mechanism of HCC and may represent a
      therapeutic target in HCC patients.

PMID- 28899354
TI  - Conducting a team-based multi-sited focused ethnography in primary care.
AB  - Focused ethnography is an applied and pragmatic form of ethnography that explores
      a specific social phenomenon as it occurs in everyday life. Based on the
      literature a problem-focused research question is formulated before the data
      collection. The data generation process targets key informants and situations so
      that relevant results on the pre-defined topic can be obtained within a
      relatively short time-span. As part of a theory based evaluation of alternative
      forms of consultation (such as video, phone and email) in primary care we used
      the focused ethnographic method in a multisite study in general practice across
      the UK. To date there is a gap in the literature on using focused ethnography in
      healthcare research.The aim of the paper is to build on the various
      methodological approaches in health services research by presenting the
      challenges and benefits we encountered whilst conducing a focused ethnography in
      British primary care. Our considerations are clustered under three headings:
      constructing a shared understanding, dividing the tasks within the team, and the
      functioning of the focused ethnographers within the broader multi-disciplinary
      team.As a result of using this approach we experienced several advantages, like
      the ability to collect focused data in several settings simultaneously within in
      a short time-span. Also, the sharing of experiences and interpretations between
      the researchers contributed to a more holistic understanding of the research
      topic. However, mechanisms need to be in place to facilitate and synthesise the
      observations, guide the analysis, and to ensure that all researchers feel
      engaged. Reflection, trust and flexibility among the team members were crucial to
      successfully adopt a team focused ethnographic approach. When used for policy
      focussed applied healthcare research a team-based multi-sited focused ethnography
      can uncover practices and understandings that would not be apparent through
      surveys or interviews alone. If conducted with care, it can provide timely
      findings within the fast moving context of healthcare policy and research.

PMID- 28899353
TI  - Tissue-specific DNA methylation is conserved across human, mouse, and rat, and
      driven by primary sequence conservation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uncovering mechanisms of epigenome evolution is an essential step
      towards understanding the evolution of different cellular phenotypes. While
      studies have confirmed DNA methylation as a conserved epigenetic mechanism in
      mammalian development, little is known about the conservation of tissue-specific
      genome-wide DNA methylation patterns. RESULTS: Using a comparative epigenomics
      approach, we identified and compared the tissue-specific DNA methylation patterns
      of rat against those of mouse and human across three shared tissue types. We
      confirmed that tissue-specific differentially methylated regions are strongly
      associated with tissue-specific regulatory elements. Comparisons between species
      revealed that at a minimum 11-37% of tissue-specific DNA methylation patterns are
      conserved, a phenomenon that we define as epigenetic conservation. Conserved DNA
      methylation is accompanied by conservation of other epigenetic marks including
      histone modifications. Although a significant amount of locus-specific
      methylation is epigenetically conserved, the majority of tissue-specific DNA
      methylation is not conserved across the species and tissue types that we
      investigated. Examination of the genetic underpinning of epigenetic conservation
      suggests that primary sequence conservation is a driving force behind epigenetic
      conservation. In contrast, evolutionary dynamics of tissue-specific DNA
      methylation are best explained by the maintenance or turnover of binding sites
      for important transcription factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our study extends the limited
      literature of comparative epigenomics and suggests a new paradigm for epigenetic
      conservation without genetic conservation through analysis of transcription
      factor binding sites.

PMID- 28899355
TI  - Genetic tests for estimating dairy breed proportion and parentage assignment in
      East African crossbred cattle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smallholder dairy farming in much of the developing world is based on
      the use of crossbred cows that combine local adaptation traits of indigenous
      breeds with high milk yield potential of exotic dairy breeds. Pedigree recording
      is rare in such systems which means that it is impossible to make informed
      breeding decisions. High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays
      allow accurate estimation of breed composition and parentage assignment but are
      too expensive for routine application. Our aim was to determine the level of
      accuracy achieved with low-density SNP assays. METHODS: We constructed subsets of
      100 to 1500 SNPs from the 735k-SNP Illumina panel by selecting: (a) on high minor
      allele frequencies (MAF) in a crossbred population; (b) on large differences in
      allele frequency between ancestral breeds; (c) at random; or (d) with a
      differential evolution algorithm. These panels were tested on a dataset of 1933
      crossbred dairy cattle from Kenya/Uganda and on crossbred populations from
      Ethiopia (N = 545) and Tanzania (N = 462). Dairy breed proportions were estimated
      by using the ADMIXTURE program, a regression approach, and SNP-best linear
      unbiased prediction, and tested against estimates obtained by ADMIXTURE based on
      the 735k-SNP panel. Performance for parentage assignment was based on opposing
      homozygotes which were used to calculate the separation value (sv) between true
      and false assignments. RESULTS: Panels of SNPs based on the largest differences
      in allele frequency between European dairy breeds and a combined Nelore/N'Dama
      population gave the best predictions of dairy breed proportion (r2 = 0.962 to
      0.994 for 100 to 1500 SNPs) with an average absolute bias of 0.026. Panels of
      SNPs based on the highest MAF in the crossbred population (Kenya/Uganda) gave the
      most accurate parentage assignments (sv = -1 to 15 for 100 to 1500 SNPs).
      CONCLUSIONS: Due to the different required properties of SNPs, panels that did
      well for breed composition did poorly for parentage assignment and vice versa. A
      combined panel of 400 SNPs was not able to assign parentages correctly, thus we
      recommend the use of 200 SNPs either for breed proportion prediction or parentage
      assignment, independently.

PMID- 28899356
TI  - Barriers to lifestyle changes for prevention of cardiovascular disease - a survey
      among 40-60-year old Danes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elimination of modifiable risk factors including unhealthy lifestyle
      has the potential for prevention of 80% of cardiovascular disease cases. The
      present study focuses on disclosing barriers for maintaining specific lifestyle
      changes by exploring associations between perceiving these barriers and various
      sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. METHODS: Data were collected
      through a web-based questionnaire survey and included 962 respondents who
      initially accepted treatment for a hypothetical cardiovascular risk, and who
      subsequently stated that they preferred lifestyle changes to medication. Logistic
      regression was used to analyse associations between barriers to lifestyle changes
      and relevant covariates. RESULTS: A total of 45% of respondents were identified
      with at least one barrier to introducing 30 min extra exercise daily, 30% of
      respondents reported at least one barrier to dietary change, and among smokers at
      least one barrier to smoking cessation was reported by 62% of the respondents.
      The perception of specific barriers to lifestyle change depended on
      sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. CONCLUSION: We observed a
      considerable heterogeneity between different social groups in the population
      regarding a number of barriers to lifestyle change. Our study demonstrates that
      social inequality exists in the ability to take appropriate preventive measures
      through lifestyle changes to stay healthy. This finding underlines the challenge
      of social inequality even in populations with equal and cost-free access to
      health care. Our study suggests supplementing traditional public campaigns to
      counter cardiovascular disease by using individualized and targeted initiatives.

PMID- 28899358
TI  - Visualization of chromosome condensation in plants with large chromosomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most data concerning chromosome organization have been acquired from
      studies of a small number of model organisms, the majority of which are mammals.
      In plants with large genomes, the chromosomes are significantly larger than the
      animal chromosomes that have been studied to date, and it is possible that
      chromosome condensation in such plants was modified during evolution. Here, we
      analyzed chromosome condensation and decondensation processes in order to find
      structural mechanisms that allowed for an increase in chromosome size. RESULTS:
      We found that anaphase and telophase chromosomes of plants with large chromosomes
      (average 2C DNA content exceeded 0.8 pg per chromosome) contained chromatin-free
      cavities in their axial regions in contrast to well-characterized animal
      chromosomes, which have high chromatin density in the axial regions. Similar to
      animal chromosomes, two intermediates of chromatin folding were visible inside
      condensing (during prophase) and decondensing (during telophase) chromosomes of
      Nigella damascena: approximately 150 nm chromonemata and approximately 300 nm
      fibers. The spatial folding of the latter fibers occurs in a fundamentally
      different way than in animal chromosomes, which leads to the formation of
      chromosomes with axial chromatin-free cavities. CONCLUSION: Different compaction
      topology, but not the number of compaction levels, allowed for the evolution of
      increased chromosome size in plants.

PMID- 28899357
TI  - Comparative transcriptome analysis provides clues to molecular mechanisms
      underlying blue-green eggshell color in the Jinding duck (Anas platyrhynchos).
AB  - BACKGROUND: In birds, blue-green eggshell color (BGEC) is caused by biliverdin, a
      bile pigment derived from the degradation of heme and secreted in the eggshell by
      the shell gland. Functionally, BGEC might promote the paternal investment of
      males in the nest and eggs. However, little is known about its formation
      mechanisms. Jinding ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) are an ideal breed for research
      into the mechanisms, in which major birds lay BGEC eggs with minor individuals
      laying white eggs. Using this breed, this study aimed to provide insight into the
      mechanisms via comparative transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: Blue-shelled ducks
      (BSD) and white-shelled ducks (WSD) were selected from two populations, forming 4
      groups (3 ducks/group): BSD1 and WSD1 from population 1 and BSD2 and WSD2 from
      population 2. Twelve libraries from shell glands were sequenced using the
      Illumina RNA-seq platform, generating an average of 41 million clean reads per
      library, of which 55.9% were mapped to the duck reference genome and assembled
      into 31,542 transcripts. Expression levels of 11,698 genes were successfully
      compared between all pairs of 4 groups. Of these, 464 candidate genes were
      differentially expressed between cross-phenotype groups, but not for between same
      phenotype groups. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation showed that 390 candidate genes
      were annotated with 2234 GO terms. No candidate genes were directly involved in
      biosynthesis or transport of biliverdin. However, the integral components of
      membrane, metal ion transport, cholesterol biosynthesis, signal transduction,
      skeletal system development, and chemotaxis were significantly (P < 0.05)
      overrepresented by candidate genes. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified 464
      candidate genes associated with duck BGEC, providing valuable information for a
      better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this trait. Given the
      involvement of membrane cholesterol contents, ions and ATP levels in modulating
      the transport activity of bile pigment transporters, the data suggest a potential
      association between duck BGEC and the transport activity of the related
      transporters.

PMID- 28899359
TI  - Transcript profiling of the immunological interactions between Actinobacillus
      pleuropneumoniae serotype 7 and the host by dual RNA-seq.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The complexity of the pathogenic mechanism underlying the host immune
      response to Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia (App) makes the use of preventive
      measures difficult, and a more global view of the host-pathogen interactions and
      new insights into this process are urgently needed to reveal the pathogenic and
      immune mechanisms underlying App infection. Here, we infected specific pathogen
      free Mus musculus with App serotype 7 by intranasal inoculation to construct an
      acute hemorrhagic pneumonia infection model and isolated the infected lungs for
      analysis of the interactions by dual RNA-seq. RESULTS: Four cDNA libraries were
      constructed, and 2428 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the host and 333
      DEGs of App were detected. The host DEGs were mainly enriched in inflammatory
      signaling pathways, such as the TLR, NLR, RLR, BCR and TCR signaling pathways,
      resulting in large-scale cytokine up-regulation and thereby yielding a cytokine
      cascade for anti-infection and lung damage. The majority of the up-regulated
      cytokines are involved in the IL-23/IL-17 cytokine-regulated network, which is
      crucial for host defense against bacterial infection. The DEGs of App were mainly
      related to the transport and metabolism of energy and materials. Most of these
      genes are metabolic genes involved in anaerobic metabolism and important for
      challenging the host and adapting to the anaerobic stress conditions observed in
      acute hemorrhagic pneumonia. Some of these genes, such as adhE, dmsA, and aspA,
      might be potential virulence genes. In addition, the up-regulation of genes
      associated with peptidoglycan and urease synthesis and the restriction of major
      virulence genes might be immune evasion strategies of App. The regulation of
      metabolic genes and major virulence genes indicate that the dominant antigens
      might differ during the infection process and that vaccines based on these
      antigens might allow establishment of a precise and targeted immune response
      during the early phase of infection. CONCLUSION: Through an analysis of
      transcriptional data by dual RNA-seq, our study presents a novel global view of
      the interactions of App with its host and provides a basis for further study.

PMID- 28899360
TI  - Biological networks in Parkinson's disease: an insight into the epigenetic
      mechanisms associated with this disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent
      neurodegenerative disorders in the world. Studying PD from systems biology
      perspective involving genes and their regulators might provide deeper insights
      into the complex molecular interactions associated with this disease. RESULT: We
      have studied gene co-expression network obtained from a PD-specific microarray
      data. The co-expression network identified 11 hub genes, of which eight genes are
      not previously known to be associated with PD. Further study on the functionality
      of these eight novel hub genes revealed that these genes play important roles in
      several neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, we have studied the tissue
      specific expression and histone modification patterns of the novel hub genes.
      Most of these genes possess several histone modification sites those are already
      known to be associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Regulatory network namely
      mTF-miRNA-gene-gTF involves microRNA Transcription Factor (mTF), microRNA
      (miRNA), gene and gene Transcription Factor (gTF). Whereas long noncoding RNA
      (lncRNA) mediated regulatory network involves miRNA, gene, mTF and lncRNA. mTF
      miRNA-gene-gTF regulatory network identified a novel feed-forward loop. lncRNA
      mediated regulatory network identified novel lncRNAs of PD and revealed the two
      way regulatory pattern of PD-specific miRNAs where miRNAs can be regulated by
      both the TFs and lncRNAs. SNP analysis of the most significant genes of the co
      expression network identified 20 SNPs. These SNPs are present in the 3' UTR of
      known PD genes and are controlled by those miRNAs which are also involved in PD.
      CONCLUSION: Our study identified eight novel hub genes which can be considered as
      possible candidates for future biomarker identification studies for PD. The two
      regulatory networks studied in our work provide a detailed overview of the
      cellular regulatory mechanisms where the non-coding RNAs namely miRNA and lncRNA,
      can act as epigenetic regulators of PD. SNPs identified in our study can be
      helpful for identifying PD at an earlier stage. Overall, this study may impart a
      better comprehension of the complex molecular interactions associated with PD
      from systems biology perspective.

PMID- 28899361
TI  - Interactive visual exploration and refinement of cluster assignments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With ever-increasing amounts of data produced in biology research,
      scientists are in need of efficient data analysis methods. Cluster analysis,
      combined with visualization of the results, is one such method that can be used
      to make sense of large data volumes. At the same time, cluster analysis is known
      to be imperfect and depends on the choice of algorithms, parameters, and distance
      measures. Most clustering algorithms don't properly account for ambiguity in the
      source data, as records are often assigned to discrete clusters, even if an
      assignment is unclear. While there are metrics and visualization techniques that
      allow analysts to compare clusterings or to judge cluster quality, there is no
      comprehensive method that allows analysts to evaluate, compare, and refine
      cluster assignments based on the source data, derived scores, and contextual
      data. RESULTS: In this paper, we introduce a method that explicitly visualizes
      the quality of cluster assignments, allows comparisons of clustering results and
      enables analysts to manually curate and refine cluster assignments. Our methods
      are applicable to matrix data clustered with partitional, hierarchical, and fuzzy
      clustering algorithms. Furthermore, we enable analysts to explore clustering
      results in context of other data, for example, to observe whether a clustering of
      genomic data results in a meaningful differentiation in phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our methods are integrated into Caleydo StratomeX, a popular, web-based, disease
      subtype analysis tool. We show in a usage scenario that our approach can reveal
      ambiguities in cluster assignments and produce improved clusterings that better
      differentiate genotypes and phenotypes.

PMID- 28899362
TI  - Nationwide cross-sectional survey of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted
      helminthiasis in Sudan: study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STHs) are target
      neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of preventive chemotherapy, but the control
      and elimination of these diseases have been impeded due to resource constraints.
      Few reports have described study protocol to draw on when conducting a nationwide
      survey. We present a detailed methodological description of the integrated
      mapping of schistosomiasis and STHs on the basis of our experiences, hoping that
      this protocol can be applied to future surveys in similar settings. In addition
      to determining the ecological zones requiring mass drug administration
      interventions, we aim to provide precise estimates of the prevalence of these
      diseases. METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional design will be applied for the
      nationwide survey across Sudan. The survey is designed to cover all districts in
      every state. We have divided each district into 3 different ecological zones
      depending on proximity to bodies of water. We will employ a probability
      proportional-to-size sampling method for schools and systematic sampling for
      student selection to provide adequate data regarding the prevalence for
      schistosomiasis and STHs in Sudan at the state level. A total of 108,660 students
      will be selected from 1811 schools across Sudan. After the survey is completed,
      391 ecological zones will be mapped out. To carry out the survey, 655 staff
      members were recruited. The feces and urine samples are microscopically examined
      by the Kato-Katz method and the sediment smears for helminth eggs respectively.
      For quality control, a minimum of 10% of the slides will be rechecked by the
      federal supervisors in each state and also 5% of the smears are validated again
      within one day by independent supervisors. DISCUSSION: This nationwide mapping is
      expected to generate important epidemiological information and indicators about
      schistosomiasis and STHs that will be useful for monitoring and evaluating the
      control program. The mapping data will also be used for overviewing the status
      and policy formulation and updates to the control strategies. This paper, which
      describes a feasible and practical study protocol, is to be shared with the
      global health community, especially those who are planning to perform nationwide
      mapping of NTDs by feces or urine sampling.

PMID- 28899363
TI  - A phase I open-label dose-escalation study of the anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody
      LJM716 in patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus or head
      and neck and HER2-overexpressing breast or gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is important in
      maintaining epidermal growth factor receptor-driven cancers and mediating
      resistance to targeted therapy. A phase I study of anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody
      LJM716 was conducted with the primary objective to identify the maximum tolerated
      dose (MTD) and/or recommended dose for expansion (RDE), and dosing schedule.
      Secondary objectives were to characterize safety/tolerability, pharmacokinetics,
      pharmacodynamics, and preliminary antitumor activity. METHODS: This open-label,
      dose-finding study comprised dose escalation, followed by expansion in patients
      with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or esophagus, and HER2
      overexpressing metastatic breast cancer or gastric cancer. During dose
      escalation, patients received LJM716 intravenous once weekly (QW) or every two
      weeks (Q2W), in 28-day cycles. An adaptive Bayesian logistic regression model was
      used to guide dose escalation and establish the RDE. Exploratory pharmacodynamic
      tumor studies evaluated modulation of HER3 signaling. RESULTS: Patients received
      LJM716 3-40 mg/kg QW and 20 mg/kg Q2W (54 patients; 36 patients at 40 mg/kg QW).
      No dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were reported during dose-escalation. One
      patient experienced two DLTs (diarrhea, hypokalemia [both grade 3]) in the
      expansion phase. The RDE was 40 mg/kg QW, providing drug levels above the
      preclinical minimum effective concentration. One patient with gastric cancer had
      an unconfirmed partial response; 17/54 patients had stable disease, two lasting
      >30 weeks. Down-modulation of phospho-HER3 was observed in paired tumor samples.
      CONCLUSIONS: LJM716 was well tolerated; the MTD was not reached, and the RDE was
      40 mg/kg QW. Further development of LJM716 is ongoing. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinicaltrials.gov registry number NCT01598077 (registered on 4 May, 2012).

PMID- 28899364
TI  - Determination of risk factors affecting the in-hospital prognosis of patients
      with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary
      intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine the factors affecting the in-hospital prognosis of
      patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to establish its prognostic
      discriminant model. METHODS: A total of 701 consecutive STEMI patients undergoing
      PCI were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups, good
      prognosis and poor prognosis, based on whether the patient had adverse outcomes
      (death or heart function >= grade III) at discharge. Demographic and basic
      clinical characteristics, diagnosis at admission (e.g., ventricular function,
      complications, or hyperlipidemia), and biomedical indicators (e.g., blood count,
      basal metabolism and biochemical composition, blood lipid and glucose levels,
      myocardial biomarkers, and coagulation) were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: We
      determined 22 factors as risk factors for the in-hospital prognosis of STEMI
      patients after PCI: age, cardiac function during hospitalization, complications,
      history of diabetes mellitus, et al., among which the history of diabetes, uric
      acid, urea nitrogen, and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were
      independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: We identified four independent risk factors
      for the in-hospital prognosis of STEMI patients after PCI and generated a
      prognostic model to predict the adverse outcomes of these patients.

PMID- 28899365
TI  - Implementation of internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy within community
      mental health clinics: a process evaluation using the consolidated framework for
      implementation research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are prevalent and under treated conditions
      that create enormous burden for the patient and the health system. Internet
      delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) improves patient access to treatment
      by providing therapeutic information via the Internet, presented in sequential
      lessons, accompanied by brief weekly therapist support. While there is growing
      research supporting ICBT, use of ICBT within community mental health clinics is
      limited. In a recent trial, an external unit specializing in ICBT facilitated use
      of ICBT in community mental health clinics in one Canadian province
      (ISRCTN42729166; registered November 5, 2013). Patient outcomes were very
      promising and uptake was encouraging. This paper reports on a parallel process
      evaluation designed to understand facilitators and barriers impacting the uptake
      and implementation of ICBT. METHODS: Therapists (n = 22) and managers (n = 11)
      from seven community mental health clinics dispersed across one Canadian province
      who were involved in implementing ICBT over ~2 years completed an online survey
      (including open and closed-ended questions) about ICBT experiences. The questions
      were based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR),
      which outlines diverse constructs that have the potential to impact program
      implementation. RESULTS: Analyses suggested ICBT implementation was perceived to
      be most prominently facilitated by intervention characteristics (namely the
      relative advantages of ICBT compared to face-to-face therapy, the quality of the
      ICBT program that was delivered, and evidence supporting ICBT) and implementation
      processes (namely the use of an external facilitation unit that aided with
      engaging patients, therapists, and managers and ICBT implementation). The inner
      setting was identified as the most significant barrier to implementation as a
      result of limited resources for ICBT combined with greater priority given to face
      to-face care. CONCLUSIONS: The results contribute to understanding facilitators
      and barriers to using ICBT within community mental health clinics and serve to
      identify recommendations for improving uptake and implementation of ICBT in
      clinic settings.

PMID- 28899366
TI  - Effects of physical activity calorie expenditure (PACE) labeling: study design
      and baseline sample characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity and physical inactivity are responsible for more than 365,000
      deaths per year and contribute substantially to rising healthcare costs in the
      US, making clear the need for effective public health interventions. Calorie
      labeling on menus has been implemented to guide consumer ordering behaviors, but
      effects on calories purchased has been minimal. METHODS: In this project, we
      tested the effect of physical activity calorie expenditure (PACE) food labels on
      actual point-of-decision food purchasing behavior as well as physical activity.
      Using a two-group interrupted time series cohort study design in three worksite
      cafeterias, one cafeteria was assigned to the intervention condition, and the
      other two served as controls. Calories from food purchased in the cafeteria were
      assessed by photographs of meals (accompanied by notes made on-site) using a
      standardized calorie database and portion size-estimation protocol. Primary
      outcomes will be average calories purchased and minutes of moderate to vigorous
      physical activity (MVPA) by individuals in the cohorts. We will compare pre-post
      changes in study outcomes between study groups using piecewise generalized linear
      mixed model regressions (segmented regressions) with a single change point in our
      interrupted time-series study. The results of this project will provide evidence
      of the effectiveness of worksite cafeteria menu labeling, which could potentially
      inform policy intervention approaches. DISCUSSION: Labels that convey information
      in a more readily understandable manner may be more effective at motivating
      behavior change. Strengths of this study include its cohort design and its robust
      data capture methods using food photographs and accelerometry.

PMID- 28899367
TI  - Is economic environment associated with the physical activity levels and obesity
      in Chinese adults? A cross-sectional study of 30 regions in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Based on the 2014 survey of physical activity and physical fitness
      data of 20 - 69 year old Chinese, this study aims to investigate the relationship
      between economic development and people's physical activity in China. METHODS: A
      total of 43,389 adults from 30 different regions in mainland China were
      recruited. The GDP per capita of the 30 regions were determined based on the 2013
      annual statistical report released by the national bureau of statistics of China
      and provincial level statistics bureaus. A questionnaire was used to determine
      the participants' exercise frequency, duration, and intensity. RESULTS: For the
      30 regions surveyed, the correlation coefficients between GDP per capita and
      weekly activity were 0.23 for men and 0.15 for women. The correlation
      coefficients between GDP per capita and obesity rates were 0.52 for men and 0.39
      for women. CONCLUSIONS: Although people in economically advanced regions in China
      currently engage in more physical activities than those in less economically
      developed regions, overweight and obesity persist as serious problems.

PMID- 28899368
TI  - Neighborhood-resources for the development of a strong SOC and the importance of
      understanding why and how resources work: a grounded theory approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Providing individuals with psychosocial resources such as sense of
      coherence (SOC) seems a beneficial strategy for health promotion in the
      neighborhood. In order to become a supporting theory for health promotion,
      Salutogenesis should renew its focus on resources for health, and explore how the
      development of a strong SOC can be facilitated. METHODS: Relevant issues were
      explored using a Grounded Theory- approach. Three focus-group-sessions and three
      in-depth interviews were conducted with strategically sampled participants. The
      transcripts of the focus groups were initially analyzed line-by-line to ensure
      that insights emerged from the data. We then applied focused and systemic
      analyses to achieve axial coding, and to include insights into how social
      interactions during focus groups may reveal social processes in real-life
      neighborhoods. The data from the in-depth interviews were used to validate and
      fill emerging categories, as well as to ensure data-saturation. RESULTS: Findings
      indicate the importance of repeated experiences with resources and every-day
      challenges to develop a strong SOC. Active engagement with resources is a
      favorable condition for significant experiences, which enhance the
      internalization of resources. Core experiences are characterized by a re
      organization of resources. Participation in intellectual meaning-making through
      equal power dialogue seems to broaden perspectives and promote the strengthening
      of SOC. A strong SOC can also be described as a deeper understanding of how and
      why resources work, which allows for a more flexible use of resources, including
      replacing missing resources. CONCLUSION: A new understanding of SOC as an
      intuitive understanding of how, why and under which circumstances resources work,
      as well as a new focus on everyday life and repeated experiences might facilitate
      new approaches to a purposeful strengthening of SOC through the planning and
      implementation of public measures.

PMID- 28899369
TI  - Nursing care needs and services utilised by home-dwelling elderly with complex
      health problems: observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Norway, as in many Western countries, a shift from institutional
      care to home care is taking place. Our knowledge is limited regarding which needs
      for nursing interventions patients being cared for in their home have, and how
      they are met. We aimed at assessing aspects of health and function in a
      representative sample of the most vulnerable home-dwelling elderly, to identify
      their needs for nursing interventions and how these needs were met. METHODS: In
      this observational study we included patients aged 75+ living in their own homes
      in Oslo, who received daily home care, had three or more chronic diagnoses,
      received daily medication, and had been hospitalized during the last year.
      Focused attention and cognitive processing speed were assessed with the Trail
      Making Test A (TMT-A), handgrip strength was used as a measure of sarcopenia,
      mobility was assessed with the "Timed Up-and-Go" test, and independence in
      primary activities of daily living by the Barthel Index. Diagnoses and medication
      were collected from electronic medical records. For each diagnosis, medication
      and functional impairment, a consensus group defined which nursing service that
      the particular condition necessitated. We then assessed whether these needs were
      fulfilled for each participant. RESULTS: Of 150 eligible patients, 83 were
      included (mean age 87 years, 25% men). They had on average 6 diagnoses and used 9
      daily medications. Of the 83 patients, 61 (75%) had grip strength indicating
      sarcopenia, 27 (33%) impaired mobility, and 69 (83%) an impaired TMT-A score.
      Median amount of home nursing per week was 3.6 h (interquartile range 2.6 to
      23.4). Fulfilment of pre-specified needs was >60% for skin and wound care in
      patients with skin diseases, observation of blood glucose in patients taking
      antidiabetic drugs, and in supporting food intake in patients with eating
      difficulties. Most other needs as defined by the consensus group were fulfilled
      in <10% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a very frail group of home
      dwelling patients. For this group, resources for home nursing should probably be
      used in a more flexible and pro-active way to aim for preserving functional
      status, minimize symptom burden, and prevent avoidable hospitalisations.

PMID- 28899370
TI  - Resource utilization and costs associated with the addition of an antimuscarinic
      in patients treated with an alpha-blocker for the treatment of urinary symptoms
      linked to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

PMID- 28899371
TI  - Simultaneous detection of alpha-Lactoalbumin, beta-Lactoglobulin and Lactoferrin
      in milk by Visualized Microarray.
AB  - BACKGROUND: alpha-Lactalbumin (a-LA), beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) and
      lactoferrin (LF) are of high nutritional value which have made ingredients of
      choice in the formulation of modern foods and beverages. There remains an urgent
      need to develop novel biosensing methods for quantification featuring reduced
      cost, improved sensitivity, selectivity and more rapid response, especially for
      simultaneous detection of multiple whey proteins. RESULTS: A novel visualized
      microarray method was developed for the determination of a-LA, beta-LG and LF in
      milk samples without the need for complex or time-consuming pre-treatment steps.
      The measurement principle was based on the competitive immunological reaction and
      silver enhancement technique. In this case, a visible array dots as the
      detectable signals were further amplified and developed by the silver enhancement
      reagents. The microarray could be assayed by the microarray scanner. The
      detection limits (S/N = 3) were estimated to be 40 ng/mL (alpha-LA), 50 ng/mL
      (beta-LG), 30 ng/mL (LF) (n = 6). CONCLUSIONS: The method could be used to
      simultaneously analyze the whey protein contents of various raw milk samples and
      ultra-high temperature treated (UHT) milk samples including skimmed milk and high
      calcium milk. The analytical results were in good agreement with that of the high
      performance liquid chromatography. The presented visualized microarray has showed
      its advantages such as high-throughput, specificity, sensitivity and cost
      effective for analysis of various milk samples.

PMID- 28899372
TI  - The combination of recombinant and non-recombinant Bacillus subtilis spore
      display technology for presentation of antigen and adjuvant on single spore.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacillus subtilis spores can be used for presentation of heterologous
      proteins. Two main approaches have been developed, the recombinant one, requiring
      modification of bacterial genome to express a protein of interest as a fusion
      with spore-coat protein, and non-recombinant, based on the adsorption of a
      heterologous protein onto the spore. So far only single proteins have been
      displayed on the spore surface. RESULTS: We have used a combined approach to
      adsorb and display FliD protein of Clostridium difficile on the surface of
      recombinant IL-2-presenting spores. Such spores presented FliD protein with
      efficiency comparable to FliD-adsorbed spores produced by wild-type 168 strain
      and elicited FliD-specific immune response in intranasally immunized mice.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that such dual display technology may be useful
      in creation of spores simultaneously presenting adjuvant and antigen molecules.
      Regarding the characteristics of elicited immune response it seems plausible that
      such recombinant IL-2-presenting spores with adsorbed FliD protein might be an
      interesting candidate for vaccine against infections with Clostridium difficile.

PMID- 28899373
TI  - Maximizing the impact of malaria funding through allocative efficiency: using the
      right interventions in the right locations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The high burden of malaria and limited funding means there is a
      necessity to maximize the allocative efficiency of malaria control programmes.
      Quantitative tools are urgently needed to guide budget allocation decisions.
      METHODS: A geospatial epidemic model was coupled with costing data and an
      optimization algorithm to estimate the optimal allocation of budgeted and
      projected funds across all malaria intervention approaches. Interventions
      included long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying
      (IRS), intermittent presumptive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp), seasonal mass
      chemoprevention in children (SMC), larval source management (LSM), mass drug
      administration (MDA), and behavioural change communication (BCC). The model was
      applied to six geopolitical regions of Nigeria in isolation and also the nation
      as a whole to minimize incidence and malaria-attributable mortality. RESULTS:
      Allocative efficiency gains could avert approximately 84,000 deaths or 15.7
      million cases of malaria in Nigeria over 5 years. With an additional US$300
      million available, approximately 134,000 deaths or 37.3 million cases of malaria
      could be prevented over 5 years. Priority funding should go to LLINs, IPTp and
      BCC programmes, and SMC should be expanded in seasonal areas. To minimize
      mortality, treatment expansion is critical and prioritized over some LLIN
      funding, while to minimize incidence, LLIN funding remained a priority. For areas
      with lower rainfall, LSM is prioritized over IRS but MDA is not recommended
      unless all other programmes are established. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial reductions
      in malaria morbidity and mortality can be made by optimal targeting of
      investments to the right malaria interventions in the right areas.

PMID- 28899375
TI  - Erratum to: development and testing of a mobile application to support diabetes
      self-management for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a design
      thinking case study.

PMID- 28899374
TI  - Determinants of internal migrant health and the healthy migrant effect in South
      India: a mixed methods study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Internal labour migration is an important and necessary livelihood
      strategy for millions of individuals and households in India. However, the
      precarious position of migrant workers within Indian society may have
      consequences for the health of these individuals. Previous research on the
      connections between health and labour mobility within India have primarily
      focused on the negative health outcomes associated with this practice. Thus,
      there is a need to better identify the determinants of internal migrant health
      and how these determinants shape migrant health outcomes. METHODS: An exploratory
      mixed methods study was conducted in 26 villages in the Krishnagiri district of
      Tamil Nadu. Sixty-six semi-structured interviews were completed using snowball
      sampling, followed by 300 household surveys using multi-stage random sampling.
      For qualitative data, an analysis of themes and content was completed. For
      quantitative data, information on current participation in internal labour
      migration, in addition to self-reported morbidity and determinants of internal
      migrant health, was collected. Morbidity categories were compared between migrant
      and non-migrant adults (age 14-65 years) using a Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Of
      the 300 households surveyed, 137 households (45.7%) had at least one current
      migrant member, with 205 migrant and 1012 non-migrant adults (age 14-65 years)
      included in this study. The health profile of migrant and non-migrants was
      similar in this setting, with 53 migrants (25.9%) currently suffering from a
      health problem compared to 273 non-migrants (27.0%). Migrant households
      identified both occupational and livelihood factors that contributed to changes
      in the health of their migrant members. These determinants of internal migrant
      health were corroborated and further expanded on through the semi-structured
      interviews. CONCLUSIONS: Internal labour migration in and of itself is not a
      determinant of health, as participation in labour mobility can contribute to an
      improvement in health, a decline in health, or no change in health among migrant
      workers. Targeted public health interventions should focus on addressing the
      determinants of internal migrant health to enhance the contributions these
      individuals can make to their households and villages of origin.

PMID- 28899376
TI  - Perceptions about Iranian-Kurds' ethnic-inequality in health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence shows ethnic-inequality is a very effective variable in the
      Community and individual health associated outcomes. This study focused on
      gaining a deeper understanding of people's perception on inequality of health in
      Iranian-Kurds and its determinants. METHODS: The study was conducted in the three
      cities of Marivan, Sanandaj (capital of Kurdistan province in Iran) and Tehran
      (capital of the country). The study was conducted through 34 in-depth interviews
      and ten focus group discussions with health services users, academic graduates
      and health delivery service personnel. RESULTS: Consensus on social, mental and
      physical health inequality did not exist within the study participants. However,
      there were concerns about differences in healthcare access and utilization.
      Several participants believed that access to health services and socio-cultural
      differences of Kurds affected the healthcare utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Since,
      people perceived ethnic-inequality in healthcare access and utilization,
      ethnicity must be considered as a mandatory stratifier in monitoring health
      status and a concern during planning health interventions. People's awareness,
      resources management and allocation are factors requiring more consideration when
      choosing policy options.

PMID- 28899377
TI  - Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis of anterior talofibular
      ligament in lateral chronic ankle instability ankles pre- and postoperatively.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate and characterize
      the dimension and signal intensity of anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) using
      3.0 T MRI in the mechanical ankle instability group pre- and postoperatively.
      METHODS: A total of 97 participants were recruited retrospectively in this study,
      including 56 with mechanical chronic ankle instability (CAI group) and 41 without
      ankle instability (Control group). All the subjects accepted MRI preoperatively.
      Among the 56 CAI patients, 25 patients, who accepted modified Brostrom repair of
      ATFL, underwent a MRI scan at follow-up. The ATFL dimension (length and width)
      and signal/noise ratio (SNR) were measured based on MRI images. The results of
      the MRI studies were then compared between groups. RESULTS: The CAI group had a
      significantly higher ATFL length (p = 0.03) or ATFL width (p < 0.001) compared
      with the control group. The mean SNR value of the CAI group was significantly
      higher than that of the control group (p = 0.006). Furthermore, the mean SNR
      value of the ATFL after repair surgery (8.4 +/- 2.4) was significantly lower than
      that of the ATFL before surgery (11.2 +/- 3.4) (p < 0.001). However, no
      significant change of ATFL length or ATFL width were observed after repair
      surgery. CONCLUSIONS: CAI ankles had a higher ATFL length or width as well as
      higher signal intensity compared with stable ankles. After repair surgery, the
      mean SNR value of the ATFL decreased, indicating the relaxed ATFL becomes tight
      postoperatively.

PMID- 28899378
TI  - Prevalence rates of childhood trauma in medical students: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is known that medical students suffer from high rates of mental
      health difficulties. In recent years there has been an increasing focus on the
      need to improve support and treatment services for those in difficulty. In order
      to meet these needs it is important to clarify the relevant aetiological factors.
      There is robust evidence from general population studies that a history of
      childhood trauma (including physical and sexual abuse and emotional neglect)
      predisposes to the subsequent development of mental health difficulties in adult
      life. It has previously been speculated that students with a history of such
      trauma might preferentially apply to study medicine. METHODS: This systematic
      review seeks to examine the existing evidence base with regard to rates of
      childhood trauma in medical student populations. Articles were identified through
      a literature search of psychINFO, web of science, Embase and medline. RESULTS:
      This search generated 11 articles which were deemed to meet criteria for
      inclusion in this review. There is a wide range of results given for rates of
      childhood trauma in these studies. CONCLUSIONS: The published research which
      examines rates of childhood trauma affecting medical students is limited and
      difficult to generalise from, or to use to draw firm conclusions. Given the
      possible negative outcomes of a history of childhood trauma in medical students,
      including that such a history may be associated with difficulties in a student
      progressing in their undergraduate and postgraduate examinations, well-organised
      prospective studies are required.

PMID- 28899379
TI  - Spatial models for the rational allocation of routinely distributed bed nets to
      public health facilities in Western Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In high to moderate malaria transmission areas of Kenya, long-lasting
      insecticidal nets (LLINs) are provided free of charge to pregnant women and
      infants during routine antenatal care (ANC) and immunization respectively.
      Quantities of LLINs distributed to clinics are quantified based on a combination
      of monthly consumption data and population size of target counties. However, this
      approach has been shown to lead to stock-outs in targeted clinics. In this study,
      a novel LLINs need quantification approach for clinics in the routine
      distribution system was developed. The estimated need was then compared to the
      actual allocation to identify potential areas of LLIN over- or under-allocation
      in the high malaria transmission areas of Western Kenya. METHODS: A geocoded
      database of public health facilities was developed and linked to monthly LLIN
      allocation. A network analysis approach was implemented using the location of all
      public clinics and topographic layers to model travel time. Estimated travel
      time, socio-economic and ANC attendance data were used to model clinic catchment
      areas and the probability of ANC service use within these catchments. These were
      used to define the number of catchment population who were likely to use these
      clinics for the year 2015 equivalent to LLIN need. Actual LLIN allocation was
      compared with the estimated need. Clinics were then classified based on whether
      allocation matched with the need, and if not, whether they were over or under
      allocated. RESULTS: 888 (70%) public health facilities were allocated 591,880
      LLINs in 2015. Approximately 682,377 (93%) pregnant women and infants were likely
      to have attended an LLIN clinic. 36% of the clinics had more LLIN than was needed
      (over-allocated) while 43% had received less (under-allocated). Increasing
      efficiency of allocation by diverting over supply of LLIN to clinics with less
      stock and fully covering 43 clinics that did not receive nets in 2015 would allow
      for complete matching of need with distribution. CONCLUSION: The proposed spatial
      modelling framework presents a rationale for equitable allocation of routine
      LLINs and could be used for quantification of other maternal and child health
      commodities applicable in different settings. Western Kenya region received
      adequate LLINs for routine distribution in line with government of Kenya targets,
      however, the model shows important inefficiencies in the allocation of the LLINs
      at clinic level.

PMID- 28899380
TI  - Hotspots in research on the measurement of medical students' clinical competence
      from 2012-2016 based on co-word analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify hotspots in research on clinical
      competence measurements from 2012 to 2016. METHODS: The authors retrieved
      literature published between 2012 and 2016 from PubMed using selected medical
      subject headings (MeSH) terms. They used BibExcel software to generate high
      frequency MeSH terms and identified hotspots by co-word analysis and cluster
      analysis. RESULTS: The authors searched 588 related articles and identified 31
      high-frequency MeSH terms. In addition, they obtained 6 groups of high-frequency
      MeSH terms that reflected the domain hotspots. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified
      6 hotspots of domain research, including studies on influencing factors and
      perception evaluation, improving and developing measurement tools, feedback
      measurement, measurement approaches based on computer simulation, the measurement
      of specific students in different learning phases, and the measurement of
      students' communication ability. All of these research topics could provide
      useful information for educators and researchers to continually conduct in-depth
      studies.

PMID- 28899381
TI  - Ned-19 inhibition of parasite growth and multiplication suggests a role for NAADP
      mediated signalling in the asexual development of Plasmodium falciparum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although malaria is a preventable and curable human disease, millions
      of people risk to be infected by the Plasmodium parasites and to develop this
      illness. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new anti-malarial drugs.
      Ca2+ signalling regulates different processes in the life cycle of Plasmodium
      falciparum, representing a suitable target for the development of new drugs.
      RESULTS: This study investigated for the first time the effect of a highly
      specific inhibitor of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP)
      induced Ca2+ release (Ned-19) on P. falciparum, revealing the inhibitory effect
      of this compound on the blood stage development of this parasite. Ned-19 inhibits
      both the transition of the parasite from the early to the late trophozoite stage
      and the ability of the late trophozoite to develop to the multinucleated schizont
      stage. In addition, Ned-19 affects spontaneous intracellular Ca2+ oscillations in
      ring and trophozoite stage parasites, suggesting that the observed inhibitory
      effects may be associated to regulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the inhibitory effect of Ned-19 on progression
      of the asexual life cycle of P. falciparum. The observation that Ned-19 inhibits
      spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations suggests a potential role of NAADP in regulating
      Ca2+ signalling of P. falciparum.

PMID- 28899382
TI  - Carrion crows (Corvus corone) of southwest Germany: important hosts for
      haemosporidian parasites.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) and other Haemosporida
      (Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon spp.) form a diverse group of vector-transmitted
      blood parasites that are abundant in many bird families. Recent studies have
      suggested that corvids may be an important host for Plasmodium spp. and
      Leucocytozoon spp. METHODS: To investigate the diversity of Haemosporida of
      resident carrion crows (Corvus corone) and Eurasian Magpies (Pica pica) in
      southwest Germany, 100 liver samples of corvids were examined using a nested PCR
      method to amplify a 1063 bp fragment of the haemosporidian mitochondrial
      cytochrome b gene. The phylogenetic relationship of parasite lineages obtained
      from these birds was inferred. RESULTS: Haemosporidian DNA was detected in 85
      carrion crows (89.5%) and in all five Eurasian Magpies. The most abundant
      parasite genus was Leucocytozoon with a prevalence of 85.3% (n = 95). 65.3% of
      the samples (n = 62) contained multiple infections. Thirteen haemosporidian
      lineages were isolated from the corvid samples. Female carrion crows were more
      likely infected with haemosporidian parasites than males. DISCUSSION: This study
      provides the first insight into the diversity of haemosporidian parasites of
      corvids in Germany. Very high prevalences were found and based on the applied
      diagnostic method also a high amount of multiple infections could be detected.
      Due to the high diversity of haemosporidian parasites found in corvids, they seem
      to be excellent model organisms to test species deliminations in haemosporidian
      parasites.

PMID- 28899383
TI  - Paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation training program in Latin-America: the
      RIBEPCI experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To describe the design and to present the results of a paediatric and
      neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training program adapted to Latin
      America. METHODS: A paediatric CPR coordinated training project was set up in
      several Latin-American countries with the instructional and scientific support of
      the Spanish Group for Paediatric and Neonatal CPR. The program was divided into
      four phases: CPR training and preparation of instructors; training for
      instructors; supervised teaching; and independent teaching. Instructors from each
      country participated in the development of the next group in the following
      country. Paediatric Basic Life Support (BLS), Paediatric Intermediate (ILS) and
      Paediatric Advanced (ALS) courses were organized in each country adapted to local
      characteristics. RESULTS: Five Paediatric Resuscitation groups were created
      sequentially in Honduras (2), Guatemala, Dominican Republican and Mexico. During
      5 years, 6 instructors courses (94 students), 64 Paediatric BLS Courses (1409
      students), 29 Paediatrics ILS courses (626 students) and 89 Paediatric ALS
      courses (1804 students) were given. At the end of the program all five groups are
      autonomous and organize their own instructor courses. CONCLUSIONS: Training of
      autonomous Paediatric CPR groups with the collaboration and scientific assessment
      of an expert group is a good model program to develop Paediatric CPR training in
      low- and middle income countries. Participation of groups of different countries
      in the educational activities is an important method to establish a cooperation
      network.

PMID- 28899385
TI  - Coronary artery calcium score plays an important role for cardiovascular risk
      stratification in the statin benefit groups of asymptomatic individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the
      relationship between statin benefit groups based on statin-intensity class of
      drugs and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) using multidetector computed
      tomography (MDCT) in an asymptomatic Korean population. METHODS: A total of 3914
      asymptomatic individuals (mean age: 55 +/- 10 years; male: female = 2649: 1265)
      who underwent MDCT for health examination between January 2009 and December 2012
      were retrospectively enrolled. They were categorized into three groups based on
      statin-intensity class of drugs (high-intensity (n = 1284, 32.8%); moderate
      intensity (n = 1602, 40.9%) and low-intensity (n = 931, 23.8%) statin therapy
      groups) according to the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American heart
      Association (AHA) 2013 guideline and the relationship between CACS and statin
      benefit group was analyzed. The statin benefit group was defined as individuals
      who should be considered moderate- and high-intensity statin therapy. RESULTS:
      Ten-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD; 12.6 +/- 5.3% vs. 2.9 +/-
      1.9%, p < 0.001) and CACS (98 +/- 270 vs. 3 +/- 2, p < 0.001) were significantly
      higher in the high-intensity group compared to the moderate-intensity statin
      therapy group. In the high-intensity statin therapy group, age [odds ratio: 1.299
      (1.137-1.483), p < 0.001], male gender [odds ratio: 44.252 (1.959-999.784), p =
      0.001], and fasting blood glucose [odds ratio: 1.046 (1.007-1.087), p = 0.021]
      were independent risk factors associated with CACS >=300 on multivariate logistic
      regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: CACS on MDCT might be an important
      complementary tool for cardiovascular disease risk stratification. This study
      indicates that individualization of statin therapy as well as lifestyle
      modification will be useful in asymptomatic individuals, especially those in whom
      high-intensity statin therapy is required.

PMID- 28899386
TI  - Improved clinical outcome measures of knee pain and function with concurrent
      resolution of subchondral Bone Marrow Edema Lesion and joint effusion in an
      osteoarthritic patient following Pentosan Polysulphate Sodium treatment: a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At present, there are no registered products for the treatment of
      subchondral Bone Marrow Edema Lesion (BML) and associated knee pain. Patients who
      do not respond to current anti-inflammatory therapies are left with limited
      treatment options, and may resort to operative management with Total Knee
      Arthroplasty (TKA). We report the use of Pentosan Polysulphate Sodium (PPS) for
      the treatment of BMLs of the knee. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 70
      year-old female with knee osteoarthritis presenting with a high level of knee
      pain, scoring 8 on the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and functional limitation
      demonstrating a poor Lysholm Knee Score of 37. MRI scans of the knee revealed
      subchondral BML in the medial femoral condyle and medial tibial plateau. The
      patient was administered a course of Pentosan Polysulphate Sodium (PPS)
      intramuscularly twice weekly, for 3 weeks. MRI scans 2 weeks post-treatment
      showed complete resolution of the bone marrow edema at the medial femoral condyle
      and medial tibial plateau with concomitant recovery from pain (NRS pain score of
      0), and a 43% improvement of the Lysholm Knee Score. In addition, marked
      reduction in joint effusion was also demonstrated in the MRI scan post PPS
      therapy. CONCLUSION: The MRI interpretations demonstrate improved clinical
      outcome measures ensuing therapeutic intervention with PPS, and warranting
      further investigation into the efficacy of PPS in the treatment of BML associated
      pain and dysfunction in the osteoarthritic population via randomized controlled
      trial, or equivalent rigorous methodological technique.

PMID- 28899384
TI  - Systematic review of quantitative imaging biomarkers for neck and shoulder
      musculoskeletal disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study systematically summarizes quantitative imaging biomarker
      research in non-traumatic neck and shoulder musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
      There were two research questions: 1) Are there quantitative imaging biomarkers
      associated with the presence of neck and shoulder MSDs?, 2) Are there
      quantitative imaging biomarkers associated with the severity of neck and shoulder
      MSDs? METHODS: PubMed and SCOPUS were used for the literature search. One hundred
      and twenty-five studies met primary inclusion criteria. Data were extracted from
      49 sufficient quality studies. RESULTS: Most of the 125 studies were cross
      sectional and utilized convenience samples of patients as both cases and
      controls. Only half controlled for potential confounders via exclusion or in the
      analysis. Approximately one-third reported response rates. In sufficient quality
      articles, 82% demonstrated at least one statistically significant association
      between the MSD(s) and biomarker(s) studied. The literature synthesis suggested
      that neck muscle size may be decreased in neck pain, and trapezius myalgia and
      neck/shoulder pain may be associated with reduced vascularity in the trapezius
      and reduced trapezius oxygen saturation at rest and in response to upper
      extremity tasks. Reduced vascularity in the supraspinatus tendon may also be a
      feature in rotator cuff tears. Five of eight studies showed an association
      between a quantitative imaging marker and MSD severity. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      research on quantitative imaging biomarkers is still in a nascent stage, some MSD
      biomarkers were identified. There are limitations in the articles examined,
      including possible selection bias and inattention to potentially confounding
      factors. Recommendations for future studies are provided.

PMID- 28899387
TI  - Cognitive performance of children living in endemic areas for Plasmodium vivax.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of repeated episodes of malaria on the cognitive development
      of children is a relevant issue in endemic areas since it can have a long-lasting
      impact on individual lifespan. The aim of the current paper was to investigate
      whether the history of malaria can impair the verbal and performance skills of
      children living in an endemic area with low transmission of Plasmodium vivax
      malaria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with children living in
      an endemic area of P. vivax malaria in Brazilian Amazon basin. The history of
      episodes of malaria was used as criteria for inclusion of children in the groups.
      The cognitive performance was assessed by the Wechsler intelligence scale for
      children-III edition (WISC-III), which was applied to the participants of study
      by two trained psychologists. RESULTS: A total of 17 cases and 26 controls was
      included in the study. A significant low score of verbal quotient was found in
      the cases (p = 0.005), however, the performance IQ was similar in both groups (p
      = 0.304). The full-scale IQ was significantly lower in the cases when compared to
      the controls (p = 0.042). The factorials index showed significant difference only
      in the subtest of verbal comprehension with the lower values in the cases (p =
      0.0382), compared to the controls. The perceptual organization (p = 0.363),
      freedom from distractability (p = 0.180) and processing speed (p = 0.132) were
      similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Children with a history of vivax malaria has
      a significant impairment of verbal and full-scale quotients as well as a
      significant low index of verbal comprehension. These findings are likely due to
      the absenteeism caused by malaria and by the low parental education, which
      impairs an adequate response to the environmental stimulus.

PMID- 28899388
TI  - A review of Grey and academic literature of evaluation guidance relevant to
      public health interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Public Health evaluation is essential to understanding what does and
      does not work, and robust demonstration of effectiveness may be crucial to
      securing future funding. Despite this, programs are often implemented with poor,
      incomplete or no evaluation. Public health practitioners are frequently required
      to provide evidence for the effectiveness of their services; thus, there is a
      growing need for evaluation guidance on how to evaluate public health programs.
      The aim of this study is to identify accessible high-quality, evaluation
      guidance, available to researchers and practitioners and to catalogue, summarise
      and categorise the content of a subset of accessible, quality guides to
      evaluation. METHODS: We systematically reviewed grey and academic literature for
      documents providing support for evaluation of complex health interventions.
      Searches were conducted January to March 2015, and included academic databases,
      internet search engines, and consultations with academic and practicing public
      health experts. Data were extracted by two authors and sent to the authors of the
      guidance documents for comments. RESULTS: Our initial search identified 402
      unique documents that were screened to identify those that were (1) developed by
      or for a national or international organization (2) freely available to all (3)
      published during or after 2000 (4) specific to public health. This yielded 98
      documents from 43 organisations. Of these, 48 were reviewed in detail. This
      generated a detailed catalogue of quality evaluation guidance. The content
      included in documents covers 37 facets of evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: A wide range
      of guidance on evaluation of public health initiatives is available. Time and
      knowledge constraints may mean that busy practitioners find it challenging to
      access the most, up-to-date, relevant and useful guidance. This review presents
      links to and reviews of 48 quality guides to evaluation as well as categorising
      their content. This facilitates quick and each access to multiple selected
      sources of specific guidance.

PMID- 28899389
TI  - The utilization of formal and informal home care by older patients with cancer: a
      Belgian cohort study with two control groups.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the utilization of formal and
      informal home care among older patients with cancer (OCP) and to compare this
      with middle-aged patients with cancer (MCP) and older patients without cancer
      (ONC). Additionally, we examined predictors of transitions towards formal care
      one year after a cancer diagnosis. METHODS: OCP and MCP had to be recruited
      within three months after a cancer diagnosis and have an estimated life
      expectancy over six months. ONC consisted of patients without known cancer, seen
      by the general practitioner. Formal and informal care were compared between the
      patient groups at baseline, i.e. shortly after a cancer diagnosis and changes in
      care were studied after one year. RESULTS: A total of 844 patients were evaluable
      for formal care at baseline and 469 patients (56%) at follow-up. At baseline,
      about half of older adults and 18% of MCP used formal care, while about 85% of
      cancer patients and 57% ONC used informal care. Formal care increased for all
      groups after one year though not significantly in OCP. The amount of informal
      care only changed in MCP which decreased after one year. Cancer-related factors
      and changes in need factors predict a transition towards formal care after a
      cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: A cancer diagnosis has a different impact on the
      use of formal and informal care than ageing as such. The first year after a
      cancer diagnosis is an important time to follow-up on the patients' needs for
      home care.

PMID- 28899390
TI  - 'If it's a medical issue I would have covered it by now': learning about
      fibromyalgia through the hidden curriculum: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a long-term condition that affects
      between 1 and 5% of the general population and lies within the spectrum of
      medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). FMS can be difficult to diagnose and is
      usually done so as a diagnosis of exclusion. There is continuing debate regarding
      its legitimacy excluding other causes of symptoms. It is known that the diagnosis
      and management of MUS, including FMS, receives little attention in medical
      curricula and attitudes towards patients with FMS amongst medical professionals
      and trainees can be negative. The purpose of this study was to investigate how
      attitudes and perspectives of undergraduate medical students towards FMS are
      acquired during their training. METHODS: Qualitative interviews with 21 medical
      students were conducted to explore their views on FMS, encounters with patients
      with FMS, and where learning about FMS occurs. Participants were recruited from
      two English medical schools and the study was approved by two University Ethics
      committees. Interviews were digitally recorded with consent and data analysed
      thematically, using principles of constant comparison. RESULTS: The data were
      organised within three themes: i) FMS is a complex, poorly understood condition;
      ii) multiple sources for learning about FMS; and iii) consequences of negative
      attitudes for patients with FMS. CONCLUSION: Undergraduate medical students have
      limited understanding of, and are sceptical over the existence of FMS. These
      attitudes are influenced by the 'hidden curriculum' and witnessing attitudes and
      actions of their clinical teachers. Students interpret a lack of formal
      curriculum teaching around FMS to mean that it is not serious and hence a low
      priority. Encountering a patient, friend or family member with FMS can increase
      knowledge and lead to altered perceptions of the condition. Teaching and learning
      about FMS needs to be consistent to improve knowledge and attitudes of
      clinicians. Undergraduate students should be exposed to patients with FMS so that
      they better understand patients with FMS.

PMID- 28899391
TI  - Mixomics analysis of Bacillus subtilis: effect of oxygen availability on
      riboflavin production.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Riboflavin, an intermediate of primary metabolism, is one kind of
      important food additive with high economic value. The microbial cell factory
      Bacillus subtilis has already been proven to possess significant importance for
      the food industry and have become one of the most widely used riboflavin
      producing strains. In the practical fermentation processes, a sharp decrease in
      riboflavin production is encountered along with a decrease in the dissolved
      oxygen (DO) tension. Influence of this oxygen availability on riboflavin
      biosynthesis through carbon central metabolic pathways in B. subtilis is unknown
      so far. Therefore the unveiled effective metabolic pathways were still an
      unaccomplished task till present research work. RESULTS: In this paper, the
      microscopic regulation mechanisms of B. subtilis grown under different dissolved
      oxygen tensions were studied by integrating 13C metabolic flux analysis,
      metabolomics and transcriptomics. It was revealed that the glucose metabolic flux
      through pentose phosphate (PP) pathway was lower as being confirmed by smaller
      pool sizes of metabolites in PP pathway and lower expression amount of ykgB at
      transcriptional level. The latter encodes 6-phosphogluconolactonase (6-PGL) under
      low DO tension. In response to low DO tension in broth, the glucose metabolic
      flux through Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway was higher and the gene, alsS,
      encoding for acetolactate synthase was significantly activated that may result
      due to lower ATP concentration and higher NADH/NAD+ ratio. Moreover, ResE, a
      membrane-anchored protein that is capable of oxygen regulated phosphorylase
      activity, and ResD, a regulatory protein that can be phosphorylated and
      dephosphorylated by ResE, were considered as DO tension sensor and
      transcriptional regulator respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that
      integration of transcriptomics, 13C metabolic flux analysis and metabolomics
      analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of biosynthesized riboflavin's
      regulatory mechanisms in B. subtilis grown under different dissolved oxygen
      tension conditions. The two-component system, ResD-ResE, was considered as the
      signal receiver of DO tension and gene regulator that led to differences between
      biomass and riboflavin production after triggering the shifts in gene expression,
      metabolic flux distributions and metabolite pool sizes.

PMID- 28899393
TI  - The mixed benefit of low lipoprotein(a) in type 2 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), a variant low-density lipoprotein (LDL), is a
      major genetic risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is unknown whether an
      inverse relationship exists between Lp(a) and beta-cell function (BCF), as for
      LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering by statins. We therefore assessedthe
      cardiometabolic phenotype of 340 men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in
      relation to Lp(a), focusing on BCF and hyperbolic product [BxS], which adjusts
      BCF to insulin sensitivity and secretion. METHODS: Two groups were analyzed
      according to Lp(a) quartiles (Q): a (very-)low Lp(a) (Q1;n = 85) vs a normal-to
      high Lp(a) group (Q2-Q4;n = 255). RESULTS: In the overall cohort, mean Lp(a) was
      52 nmol.L-1. Median Lp(a) was 6 nmol.L-1 (Q1) vs 38 nmol.L-1 (Q2-Q4). There were
      no differences between groups regarding age; education; diabetes duration; body
      mass index; body composition and smoking. Q1 had significantly worse glycemic
      control, higher systolic blood pressure, more severe metabolic syndrome, and more
      frequent hepatic steatosis. Insulin sensitivity was significantly lower (- 37%)
      in Q1, who also had lesser hyperbolic product (- 27%), and higher [BxS] loss rate
      (+ 15%). Q1 also had higher frequency (+31%) and severity (+20%) of atherogenic
      dyslipidemia. Microangiopathy and neuropathy were higher in Q1 (+ 34% and + 48%,
      respectively), whereas Q2-Q4 patients had increased macroangiopathy (+ 51%) and
      coronary artery disease (CAD; + 94%). CONCLUSIONS: Low Lp(a) appears both
      beneficial and unhealthy in T2DM. It is associated with unfavourable
      cardiometabolic phenotype, lesser BCF, poorer glycemic control, and increased
      microvascular damage despite being linked to markedly reduced CAD, suggesting
      that Lp(a)-related vascular risk) follows a J-shaped curve.

PMID- 28899392
TI  - Care beyond the hospital ward: understanding the socio-medical trajectory of
      herpes simplex virus encephalitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is a life-threatening
      infection of the brain, which has significant physical, cognitive and social
      consequences for survivors. Despite increasing recognition of the long-term
      effects of encephalitis, research and policy remains largely focused on its acute
      management, meaning there is little understanding of the difficulties people face
      after discharge from acute care. This paper aims to chart the problems and
      challenges which people encounter when they return home after treatment for HSV
      encephalitis. METHODS: The paper reports on data from 30 narrative interviews
      with 45 people affected by HSV encephalitis and their significant others. The
      study was conducted as part of the ENCEPH-UK programme grant on Understanding and
      Improving the Outcome of Encephalitis. RESULTS: The findings show the diverse
      challenges which are experienced by people after treatment for HSV encephalitis.
      We first chart how peoples' everyday lives are fragmented following their
      discharge from hospital. Second, we document the social consequences which result
      from the longer-term effects of encephalitis. Finally, we show how the above
      struggles are exacerbated by the lack of support systems for the post-acute
      effects of encephalitis, and describe how people are consequently forced to
      devise their own care routines and strategies for managing their problems.
      CONCLUSION: The paper argues that in order to improve long-term outcomes in
      encephalitis, it is vital that we develop pathways of support for the condition
      beyond the acute hospital setting. We conclude by making recommendations to
      enhance communication and care for the post-acute consequences of encephalitis,
      to ensure those affected are fully supported through the chronic effects of this
      devastating disease.

PMID- 28899394
TI  - A two-state comparative implementation of peer-support intervention to link
      veterans to health-related services after incarceration: a study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 600,000 persons are released from prison annually in
      the United States. Relatively few receive sufficient re-entry services and are at
      risk for unemployment, homelessness, poverty, substance abuse relapse and
      recidivism. Persons leaving prison who have a mental illness and/or a substance
      use disorder are particularly challenged. This project aims to create a peer
      mentor program to extend the reach and effectiveness of reentry services provided
      by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA). We will implement a peer support for
      reentry veterans sequentially in two states. Our outcome measures are 1) fidelity
      of the intervention, 2) linkage to VA health care and, 3) continued engagement in
      health care. The aims for this project are as follows: (1) Conduct contextual
      analysis to identify VA and community reentry resources, and describe how reentry
      veterans use them. (2) Implement peer-support, in one state, to link reentry
      veterans to Veterans' Health Administration (VHA) primary care, mental health,
      and SUD services. (3) Port the peer-support intervention to another,
      geographically, and contextually different state. DESIGN: This intervention
      involves a 2-state sequential implementation study (Massachusetts, followed by
      Pennsylvania) using a Facilitation Implementation strategy. We will conduct
      formative and summative analyses, including assessment of fidelity, and a matched
      comparison group to evaluate the intervention's outcomes of veteran linkage and
      engagement in VHA health care (using health care utilization measures). The study
      proceeds in 3 phases. DISCUSSION: We anticipate that a peer support program will
      be effective at improving the reentry process for veterans, particularly in
      linking them to health, mental health, and SUD services and helping them to stay
      engaged in those services. It will fill a gap by providing veterans with access
      to a trusted individual, who understands their experience as a veteran and who
      has experienced justice involvement. The outputs from this project, including
      training materials, peer guidebooks, and implementation strategies can be adapted
      by other states and regions that wish to enhance services for veterans (or other
      populations) leaving incarceration. A larger cluster-randomized implementation
      effectiveness study is planned. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This protocol is registered
      with clinicaltrials.gov on November 4, 2016 and was assigned the number
      NCT02964897 .

PMID- 28899395
TI  - Role of Rab5 in the formation of macrophage-derived foam cell.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Foam cells play a key role in the occurrence and pathogenesis of
      atherosclerosis. Its formation starts with the ingestion of oxidized low-density
      lipoprotein (oxLDL). The process is associated with Ras related protein in brain
      5 (Rab5) which plays a critical role in regulating endocytosis and early
      endosomal trafficking. Base on this, we presumed that Rab5 might participate in
      the maturation of foam cell. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect
      of Rab5 on macrophage cholesterol during the evolvement of macrophage when
      induced by oxLDL to the formation of foam cell. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was
      performed to analyze the distribution of macrophages and Rab5 in atherosclerotic
      plaque. RNA inteference study and transfection of inactive mutant (GFP-Rab5-S34N)
      and active mutant (GFP-Rab5-Q79L) in U937-derived macrophage were utilized to
      investigate the impact of Rab5 on the process of macrophage cholesterol, which
      could be detected by oil red O staining, determination of intracellular lipid
      content, filipin staining, nile red staining and the costaining of early endosome
      antigen-1 (EEA-1) and 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylin dicarbocyanine
      (Dil)-labelled oxLDL (Dil-oxLDL). RESULTS: Rab5 was found abundantly localized in
      macrophage rich areas of human atherosclerotic lesions. On the foam cell study,
      the expression of Rab5 was increased after the incubation of oxLDL. The
      inteference study indicated the depletion of Rab5 led to the decreases of oil red
      O staining areas, total cholesterol and cholesterol esters in U937-derived
      marophages. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity of filipin and nile red staining
      were lower in GFP-Rab5-S34N as compared with GFP-Rab5-Q79L. The confocal study
      demonstrated less Dil-oxLDL was internalized in GFP-Rab5-S34N as compared with
      GFP-Rab5-Q79L; the result showed also the decrease in colocalization of
      internalized Dil-oxLDL and EEA-1 for GFP-Rab5-S34N as compared with GFP-Rab5
      Q79L. CONCLUSIONS: Rab5 plays an important role in modulating the intracellular
      cholesterol of macrophages and consequently mediating the formation of foam
      cells.

PMID- 28899396
TI  - Transcriptomic meta-analysis identifies gene expression characteristics in
      various samples of HIV-infected patients with nonprogressive disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A small proportion of HIV-infected patients remain clinically and/or
      immunologically stable for years, including elite controllers (ECs) who have
      undetectable viremia (<50 copies/ml) and long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs) who
      maintain normal CD4+ T cell counts for prolonged periods (>10 years). However,
      the mechanism of nonprogression needs to be further resolved. In this study, a
      transcriptome meta-analysis was performed on nonprogressor and progressor
      microarray data to identify differential transcriptome pathways and potential
      biomarkers. METHODS: Using the INMEX (integrative meta-analysis of expression
      data) program, we performed the meta-analysis to identify consistently
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in nonprogressors and further performed
      functional interpretation (gene ontology analysis and pathway analysis) of the
      DEGs identified in the meta-analysis. Five microarray datasets (81 cases and 98
      controls in total), including whole blood, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, were collected
      for meta-analysis. RESULTS: We determined that nonprogressors have reduced
      expression of important interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), CD38, lymphocyte
      activation gene 3 (LAG-3) in whole blood, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Gene ontology
      (GO) analysis showed a significant enrichment in DEGs that function in the type I
      interferon signaling pathway. Upregulated pathways, including the PI3K-Akt
      signaling pathway in whole blood, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction in CD4+
      T cells and the MAPK signaling pathway in CD8+ T cells, were identified in
      nonprogressors compared with progressors. In each metabolic functional category,
      the number of downregulated DEGs was more than the upregulated DEGs, and almost
      all genes were downregulated DEGs in the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and
      tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in the three types of samples. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      transcriptomic meta-analysis provides a comprehensive evaluation of the gene
      expression profiles in major blood types of nonprogressors, providing new
      insights in the understanding of HIV pathogenesis and developing strategies to
      delay HIV disease progression.

PMID- 28899397
TI  - Splatter: simulation of single-cell RNA sequencing data.
AB  - As single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have rapidly developed, so
      have analysis methods. Many methods have been tested, developed, and validated
      using simulated datasets. Unfortunately, current simulations are often poorly
      documented, their similarity to real data is not demonstrated, or reproducible
      code is not available. Here, we present the Splatter Bioconductor package for
      simple, reproducible, and well-documented simulation of scRNA-seq data. Splatter
      provides an interface to multiple simulation methods including Splat, our own
      simulation, based on a gamma-Poisson distribution. Splat can simulate single
      populations of cells, populations with multiple cell types, or differentiation
      paths.

PMID- 28899398
TI  - Associations of two-pore domain potassium channels and triple negative breast
      cancer subtype in The Cancer Genome Atlas: systematic evaluation of gene
      expression and methylation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: It is unclear whether 2-pore domain potassium channels are novel
      molecular markers with differential expression related to biologically aggressive
      triple-negative type breast tumors. Our objective was to systematically evaluate
      associations of 2-pore domain potassium channel gene expression and DNA
      methylation with triple-negative subtype in The Cancer Genome Atlas invasive
      breast cancer dataset. Methylation and expression data for all fifteen 2-pore
      domain potassium family genes were examined for 1040 women, and associations with
      triple-negative subtype (vs. luminal A) were evaluated using age/race adjusted
      generalized-linear models, with Bonferroni-corrected significance thresholds.
      Subtype associated CpG loci were evaluated for functionality related to
      expression using Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: Overexpression of KCNK5, KCNK9
      and KCNK12, and underexpression of KCNK6 and KCNK15, were significantly
      associated with triple-negative subtype (Bonferroni-corrected p < 0.0033). A
      total of 195 (114 hypomethylated and 81 hypermethylated) CpG loci were found to
      be significantly associated with triple-negative subtype (Bonferroni-corrected p
      < 8.22 * 10-8). Significantly negatively correlated expression patterns that were
      differentially observed in triple-negative vs. luminal A subtype were
      demonstrated for: KCNK2 (gene body: cg04923840, cg13916421), KCNK5 (gene body:
      cg05255811, cg18705155, cg09130674, cg21388745, cg00859574) and KCNK9 (TSS1500:
      cg21415530, cg12175729; KCNK9/TRAPPC9 intergenic region: cg17336929, cg25900813,
      cg03919980). CpG loci listed for KCNK5 and KCNK9 all showed relative
      hypomethylation for probability of triple-negative vs. luminal A subtype. Triple
      negative subtype was associated with distinct 2-pore domain potassium channel
      expression patterns. Both KCNK5 and KCNK9 overexpression appeared to be
      functionally related to CpG loci hypomethylation.

PMID- 28899399
TI  - A comparison of blood stream infections with extended spectrum beta-lactamase
      producing and non-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in pediatric patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid development and global spread of multidrug resistant Klebsiella
      pneumonia (K. pneumoniae) as a major cause of nosocomial infections is really
      remarkable. The aim of this study was to explore risk factors for health care
      associated blood stream infections (BSI) caused by ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae
      in children and analyze clinical outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective review of
      patients younger than 18 years-old with blood stream infection caused by K.
      pneumoniae was performed. Patients with ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates
      were compared with ESBL-non-producing isolates in terms of risk factors, outcome
      and mortality. RESULTS: Among 111 K. pneumoniae isolates 62% (n = 69) were ESBL 
      producing K. pneumoniae. The median total length of hospitalization and median
      length of stay in hospital before infection was significantly higher in patients
      with ESBL-producing isolates than ESBL-non-producing. Use of combined
      antimicrobial treatment was significantly different between ESBL-producing and
      ESBL-non-producing groups, 75.4% and 24.6%, respectively (p = 0.001). Previous
      aminoglycoside use was higher in cases with ESBL -producing isolates (p = 0.001).
      Logistic regression analysis showed a significant correlation between mortality
      and use of combined antibiotics (OR 4.22; p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: ESBL production
      in K. pneumoniae isolates has a significant impact on clinical course of BSIs.
      Total length of hospitalization, length of hospital stay before infection, prior
      combined antibiotic use and use of aminoglycosides were significant risk factors
      for development of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae related BSI.

PMID- 28899400
TI  - Impact of combined sodium chloride and saturated long-chain fatty acid challenge
      on the differentiation of T helper cells in neuroinflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been a marked increase in the incidence of autoimmune
      diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) in the last decades which is most likely
      driven by a change in environmental factors. Here, growing evidence suggests that
      ingredients of a Western diet like high intake of sodium chloride (NaCl) or
      saturated fatty acids may impact systemic immune responses, thus increasing
      disease susceptibility. Recently, we have shown that high dietary salt or long
      chain fatty acid (LCFA) intake indeed aggravates T helper (Th) cell responses and
      neuroinflammation. METHODS: Naive CD4+ T cells were treated with an excess of 40
      mM NaCl and/or 250 MUM lauric acid (LA) in vitro to analyze effects on Th cell
      differentiation, cytokine secretion, and gene expression. We employed ex vivo
      analyses of the model disease murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
      (EAE) to investigate whether salt and LCFA may affect disease severity and T cell
      activation in vivo. RESULTS: LCFA, like LA, together with NaCl enhance the
      differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells as well as pro-inflammatory cytokine and
      gene expression in vitro. In cell culture, we observed an additive effect of LA
      and hypertonic extracellular NaCl (NaCl + LA) in Th17 differentiation assays as
      well as on IL-17, GM-CSF, and IL-2 gene expression. In contrast, NaCl + LA
      reduced Th2 frequencies. We employed EAE as a model of Th1/Th17 cell-mediated
      autoimmunity and show that the combination of a NaCl- and LA-rich diet aggravated
      the disease course and increased T cell infiltration into the central nervous
      system (CNS) to the same extent as dietary NaCl. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      demonstrate a partially additive effect of NaCl and LA on Th cell polarization in
      vitro and on Th cell responses in autoimmune neuroinflammation. These data may
      help to better understand the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases such as MS.

PMID- 28899401
TI  - The impact of preload on 3-dimensional deformation parameters: principal strain,
      twist and torsion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strain analysis is feasible using three-dimensional (3D)
      echocardiography. This approach provides various parameters based on speckle
      tracking analysis from one full-volume image of the left ventricle; however,
      evidence for its volume independence is still lacking. METHODS: Fifty-eight
      subjects who were examined by transthoracic echocardiography immediately before
      and after hemodialysis (HD) were enrolled. Real-time full-volume 3D
      echocardiographic images were acquired and analyzed using dedicated software. Two
      dimensional (2D) longitudinal strain (LS) was also measured for comparison with
      3D strain values. RESULTS: Longitudinal (pre-HD: -24.57 +/- 2.51, post-HD: -21.42
      +/- 2.15, P < 0.001); circumferential (pre-HD: -33.35 +/- 3.50, post-HD: -30.90
      +/- 3.22, P < 0.001); and radial strain (pre-HD: 46.47 +/- 4.27, post-HD: 42.90
      +/- 3.61, P < 0.001) values were significantly decreased after HD. The values of
      3D principal strain (PS), a unique parameter of 3D images, were affected by acute
      preload changes (pre-HD: -38.10 +/- 3.71, post-HD: -35.33 +/- 3.22, P < 0.001).
      Twist and torsion values were decreased after HD (pre-HD: 17.69 +/- 7.80, post
      HD: 13.34 +/- 6.92, P < 0.001; and pre-HD: 2.04 +/- 0.86, post-HD:1.59 +/- 0.80,
      respectively, P < 0.001). The 2D LS values correlated with the 3D LS and PS
      values. CONCLUSION: Various parameters representing left ventricular mechanics
      were easily acquired from 3D echocardiographic images; however, like conventional
      parameters, they were affected by acute preload changes. Therefore, strain values
      from 3D echocardiography should be interpreted with caution while considering the
      preload conditions of the patients.

PMID- 28899402
TI  - The international food unit: a new measurement aid that can improve portion size
      estimation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Portion size education tools, aids and interventions can be effective
      in helping prevent weight gain. However consumers have difficulties in estimating
      food portion sizes and are confused by inconsistencies in measurement units and
      terminologies currently used. Visual cues are an important mediator of portion
      size estimation, but standardized measurement units are required. In the current
      study, we present a new food volume estimation tool and test the ability of young
      adults to accurately quantify food volumes. The International Food UnitTM (IFUTM)
      is a 4x4x4 cm cube (64cm3), subdivided into eight 2 cm sub-cubes for estimating
      smaller food volumes. Compared with currently used measures such as cups and
      spoons, the IFUTM standardizes estimation of food volumes with metric measures.
      The IFUTM design is based on binary dimensional increments and the cubic shape
      facilitates portion size education and training, memory and recall, and computer
      processing which is binary in nature. METHODS: The performance of the IFUTM was
      tested in a randomized between-subject experiment (n = 128 adults, 66 men) that
      estimated volumes of 17 foods using four methods; the IFUTM cube, a deformable
      modelling clay cube, a household measuring cup or no aid (weight estimation).
      Estimation errors were compared between groups using Kruskall-Wallis tests and
      post-hoc comparisons. RESULTS: Estimation errors differed significantly between
      groups (H(3) = 28.48, p < .001). The volume estimations were most accurate in the
      group using the IFUTM cube (Mdn = 18.9%, IQR = 50.2) and least accurate using the
      measuring cup (Mdn = 87.7%, IQR = 56.1). The modelling clay cube led to a median
      error of 44.8% (IQR = 41.9). Compared with the measuring cup, the estimation
      errors using the IFUTM were significantly smaller for 12 food portions and
      similar for 5 food portions. Weight estimation was associated with a median error
      of 23.5% (IQR = 79.8). CONCLUSIONS: The IFUTM improves volume estimation accuracy
      compared to other methods. The cubic shape was perceived as favourable, with
      subdivision and multiplication facilitating volume estimation. Further studies
      should investigate whether the IFUTM can facilitate portion size training and
      whether portion size education using the IFUTM is effective and sustainable
      without the aid. A 3-dimensional IFUTM could serve as a reference object for
      estimating food volume.

PMID- 28899403
TI  - Effects of HLA-DRB1 alleles on susceptibility and clinical manifestations in
      Japanese patients with adult onset Still's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HLA-DRB1 alleles are major determinants of genetic predisposition to
      rheumatic diseases. We assessed whether DRB1 alleles are associated with
      susceptibility to particular clinical features of adult onset Still's disease
      (AOSD) in a Japanese population by determining the DRB1 allele distributions.
      METHODS: DRB1 genotyping of 96 patients with AOSD and 1,026 healthy controls was
      performed. Genomic DNA samples from the AOSD patients were also genotyped for
      MEFV exons 1, 2, 3, and 10 by direct sequencing. RESULTS: In Japanese patients
      with AOSD, we observed a predisposing association of DRB1*15:01 (p = 8.60 * 10-6,
      corrected p (Pc) = 0.0002, odds ratio (OR) = 3.04, 95% confidence interval (95%
      CI) = 1.91-4.84) and DR5 serological group (p = 0.0006, OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.49
      3.83) and a protective association of DRB1*09:01 (p = 0.0004, Pc = 0.0110, OR =
      0.34, 95% CI = 0.18-0.66) with AOSD, and amino acid residues 86 and 98 of the
      DRbeta chain were protectively associated with AOSD. MEFV variants were
      identified in 49 patients with AOSD (56.3%). The predisposing effect of DR5 was
      confirmed only in patients with AOSD who had MEFV variants and not in those
      without MEFV variants. Additionally, DR5 in patients with AOSD are associated
      with macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and steroid pulse therapy. CONCLUSION:
      The DRB1*15:01 and DR5 are both associated with AOSD susceptibility in Japanese
      subjects. A protective association between the DRB1*09:01 allele and AOSD was
      also observed in these patients. Our data also highlight the effects of DRB1
      alleles in susceptibility to AOSD.

PMID- 28899405
TI  - Neonatal hemolytic anemia does not always indicate thalassemia: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital erythropoietic porphyria is a rare autosomal recessive
      disorder that affects heme-porphyrin synthesis. This disorder is due to the
      genetic defect of uroporphyrinogen III cosynthase. This defect results in the
      accumulation of high amounts of uroporphyrin I in all tissues, leading to
      clinical manifestations ranging from mild to severe chronic damage of the skin,
      cartilage and bone. Hypertrichosis, erythrodontia and reddish-colored urine are
      often present, as well as hemolytic anemia accompanied by hepatosplenomegaly.
      CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present a case of a 5-year-old male child of Middle
      Eastern origin who had been diagnosed as having alpha thalassemia and was
      undergoing chronic blood transfusions. He later presented with hypopigmented skin
      lesions and atrophy post-photosensitivity, persistent red-colored urine and
      hepatosplenomegaly. Laboratory investigations showed a high level of porphyrin
      metabolites in his plasma and erythrocytes. As a result, he was diagnosed as
      having Congenital erythropoietic porphyria. CONCLUSION: Here, we diagnose a case
      of congenital erythropoietic porphyria which was initially missed, although the
      clinical features were clear (red-colored urine, hepatosplenomegaly and hemolytic
      anemia were present since birth, and skin manifestations appeared at the age of
      22 months after being exposed to sunlight). After a DNA test was performed, the
      patient was initially diagnosed as having alpha thalassemia. We identified two
      causes of hemolytic anemia (congenital erythropoietic porphyria and alpha
      thalassemia) in this patient. The diagnosis of congenital erythropoietic
      porphyria was missed up until the child turned 5 years old. To our knowledge,
      this is the first case of hemolytic anemia to be reported with a diagnosis of
      both congenital erythropoietic porphyria and alpha thalassemia.

PMID- 28899406
TI  - Forecasting the regional distribution and sufficiency of physicians in Japan with
      a coupled system dynamics-geographic information system model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Japan, the shortage of physicians has been recognized as a major
      medical issue. In our previous study, we reported that the absolute shortage will
      be resolved in the long term, but maldistribution among specialties will persist.
      To address regional shortage, several Japanese medical schools increased existing
      quota and established "regional quotas." This study aims to assist policy makers
      in designing effective policies; we built a model for forecasting physician
      numbers by region to evaluate future physician supply-demand balances. METHODS:
      For our case study, we selected Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan, a region displaying
      disparities in healthcare services availability between urban and rural areas. We
      combined a system dynamics (SD) model with geographic information system (GIS)
      technology to analyze the dynamic change in spatial distribution of indicators.
      For Hokkaido overall and for each secondary medical service area (SMSA) within
      the prefecture, we analyzed the total number of practicing physicians. For
      evaluating absolute shortage and maldistribution, we calculated sufficiency
      levels and Gini coefficient. Our study covered the period 2010-2030 in 5-year
      increments. RESULTS: According to our forecast, physician shortage in Hokkaido
      Prefecture will largely be resolved by 2020. Based on current policies, we
      forecast that four SMSAs in Hokkaido will continue to experience physician
      shortages past that date, but only one SMSA would still be understaffed in 2030.
      CONCLUSION: The results show the possibility that diminishing imbalances between
      SMSAs would not necessarily mean that regional maldistribution would be
      eliminated, as seen from the sufficiency levels of the various SMSAs. Urgent
      steps should be taken to place doctors in areas where our forecasting model
      predicts that physician shortages could occur in the future.

PMID- 28899404
TI  - Extracellular vesicle-packaged miRNA release after short-term exposure to
      particulate matter is associated with increased coagulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased
      incidence of cardiovascular disease and increased coagulation, but the molecular
      mechanisms underlying these associations remain unknown. Obesity may increase
      susceptibility to the adverse effects of PM exposure, exacerbating the effects on
      cardiovascular diseases. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which travel in body
      fluids and transfer microRNAs (miRNAs) between tissues, might play an important
      role in PM-induced cardiovascular risk. We sought to determine whether the levels
      of PM with an aerodynamic diameter <= 10 MUm (PM10) are associated with changes
      in fibrinogen levels, EV release, and the miRNA content of EVs (EV-miRNAs),
      investigating 1630 overweight/obese subjects from the SPHERE Study. RESULTS:
      Short-term exposure to PM10 (Day before blood drawing) was associated with an
      increased release of EVs quantified by nanoparticle tracking analysis, especially
      EVs derived from monocyte/macrophage components (CD14+) and platelets (CD61+)
      which were characterized by flow cytometry. We first profiled miRNAs of 883
      subjects by the QuantStudioTM 12 K Flex Real Time PCR System and the top 40 EV
      miRNAs were validated through custom miRNA plates. Nine EV-miRNAs (let-7c-5p; miR
      106a-5p; miR-143-3p; miR-185-5p; miR-218-5p; miR-331-3p; miR-642-5p; miR-652-3p;
      miR-99b-5p) were downregulated in response to PM10 exposure and exhibited
      putative roles in cardiovascular disease, as highlighted by integrated network
      analysis. PM10 exposure was significantly associated with elevated fibrinogen
      levels, and five of the nine downregulated EV-miRNAs were mediators between PM10
      exposure and fibrinogen levels. CONCLUSIONS: Research on EVs opens a new path to
      the investigation of the adverse health effects of air pollution exposure. EVs
      have the potential to act both as markers of PM susceptibility and as potential
      molecular mechanism in the chain of events connecting PM exposure to increased
      coagulation, which is frequently linked to exposure and CVD development.

PMID- 28899407
TI  - Association of medial meniscal extrusion with medial tibial osteophyte distance
      detected by T2 mapping MRI in patients with early-stage knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medial meniscal extrusion (MME) is associated with progression of
      medial knee osteoarthritis (OA), but no or little information is available for
      relationships between MME and osteophytes, which are found in cartilage and bone
      parts. Because of the limitation in detectability of the cartilage part of
      osteophytes by radiography or conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the
      rate of development and size of osteophytes appear to have been underestimated.
      Because T2 mapping MRI may enable us to evaluate the cartilage part of
      osteophytes, we aimed to examine the association between MME and OA-related
      changes, including osteophytes, by using conventional and T2 mapping MRI.
      METHODS: Patients with early-stage knee OA (n = 50) were examined. MRI-detected
      OA-related changes, in addition to MME, were evaluated according to the Whole
      Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score. T2 values of the medial meniscus and
      osteophytes were measured on T2 mapping images. Osteophytes surgically removed
      from patients with end-stage knee OA were histologically analyzed and compared
      with findings derived by radiography and MRI. RESULTS: Medial side osteophytes
      were detected by T2 mapping MRI in 98% of patients with early-stage knee OA,
      although the detection rate was 48% by conventional MRI and 40% by radiography.
      Among the OA-related changes, medial tibial osteophyte distance was most closely
      associated with MME, as determined by multiple logistic regression analysis, in
      the patients with early-stage knee OA (beta = 0.711, p < 0.001). T2 values of the
      medial meniscus were directly correlated with MME in patients with early-stage
      knee OA, who showed >= 3 mm of MME (r = 0.58, p = 0.003). The accuracy of
      osteophyte evaluation by T2 mapping MRI was confirmed by histological analysis of
      the osteophytes removed from patients with end-stage knee OA. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study demonstrates that medial tibial osteophyte evaluated by T2 mapping MRI is
      frequently observed in the patients with early-stage knee OA, showing close
      association with MME, and that MME is positively correlated with the meniscal
      degeneration.

PMID- 28899408
TI  - Respiratory support in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: an
      expert opinion.
AB  - Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common condition in intensive
      care unit patients and remains a major concern, with mortality rates of around 30
      45% and considerable long-term morbidity. Respiratory support in these patients
      must be optimized to ensure adequate gas exchange while minimizing the risks of
      ventilator-induced lung injury. The aim of this expert opinion document is to
      review the available clinical evidence related to ventilator support and adjuvant
      therapies in order to provide evidence-based and experience-based clinical
      recommendations for the management of patients with ARDS.

PMID- 28899409
TI  - Alcohol consumption and breast tumor gene expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for breast cancer
      and the association generally appears stronger among estrogen receptor (ER)
      positive tumors. However, the biological mechanisms underlying this association
      are not completely understood. METHODS: We analyzed messenger RNA (mRNA)
      microarray data from both invasive breast tumors (N = 602) and tumor-adjacent
      normal tissues (N = 508) from participants diagnosed with breast cancer in the
      Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. Multivariable linear regression,
      controlling for other known breast cancer risk factors, was used to identify
      differentially expressed genes by pre-diagnostic alcohol intake. For pathway
      analysis, we performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Differentially
      expressed genes or enriched pathway-defined gene sets with false discovery rate
      (FDR) <0.1 identified in tumors were validated in RNA sequencing data of invasive
      breast tumors (N = 166) from The Cancer Genome Atlas. RESULTS: No individual
      genes were significantly differentially expressed by alcohol consumption in the
      NHS/NHSII. However, GSEA identified 33 and 68 pathway-defined gene sets at FDR
      <0.1 among 471 ER+ and 127 ER- tumors, respectively, all of which were validated.
      Among ER+ tumors, consuming 10+ grams of alcohol per day (vs. 0) was associated
      with upregulation in RNA metabolism and transport, cell cycle regulation, and DNA
      repair, and downregulation in lipid metabolism. Among ER- tumors, in addition to
      upregulation in RNA processing and cell cycle, alcohol intake was linked to
      overexpression of genes involved in cytokine signaling, including interferon and
      transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta signaling pathways, and translation and
      post-translational modifications. Lower lipid metabolism was observed in both ER+
      tumors and ER+ tumor-adjacent normal samples. Most of the significantly enriched
      gene sets identified in ER- tumors showed a similar enrichment pattern among ER-
      tumor-adjacent normal tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that moderate
      alcohol consumption (i.e. 10+ grams/day, equivalent to one or more drinks/day) is
      associated with several specific and reproducible biological processes and
      pathways, which adds potential new insight into alcohol-related breast
      carcinogenesis.

PMID- 28899410
TI  - Nucleolar and spindle associated protein 1 promotes the aggressiveness of
      astrocytoma by activating the Hedgehog signaling pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognosis of human astrocytoma is poor, and the molecular
      alterations underlying its pathogenesis still needed to be elucidated. Nucleolar
      and spindle associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) was observed in several types of
      cancers, but its role in astrocytoma remained unknown. METHODS: The expression of
      NUSAP1 in astrocytoma cell lines and tissues were measured with western blotting
      and Real-Time PCR. Two hundred and twenty-one astrocytoma tissue samples were
      analyzed by immunochemistry to demonstrate the correlation between the NUSAP1
      expression and clinicopathological characteristics. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)
      2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, colony formation, transwell matrix
      penetration assay, wound healing assay and anchorage-independent growth assay
      were used to investigate the biological effect of NUSAP1 in astrocytoma. An
      intracranial brain xenograft tumor model was used to confirm the oncogenic role
      of NUSAP1 in human astrocytoma. Luciferase reporter assay was used to investigate
      the effect of NUSAP1 on Hedgehog signaling pathway. RESULTS: NUSAP1 was markedly
      overexpressed in astrocytoma cell lines and tissues compared with normal
      astrocytes and brain tissues. NUSAP1 was found to be overexpressed in 152 of 221
      (68.78%) astrocytoma tissues, and was significantly correlated to poor survival.
      Further, ectopic expression or knockdown of NUSAP1 significantly promoted or
      inhibited, respectively, the invasive ability of astrocytoma cells. Moreover,
      intracranial xenografts of astrocytoma cells engineered to express NUSAP1 were
      highly invasive compared with the parental cells. With regard to its molecular
      mechanism, upregulation of NUSAP1 in astrocytoma cells promoted the nuclear
      translocation of GLI family zinc finger 1 (GLI1) and upregulated the downstream
      genes of the Hedgehog pathway. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that NUSAP1
      contributes to the progression of astrocytoma by enhancing tumor cell
      invasiveness via activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, and that NUSAP1
      might be a potential prognostic biomarker as well as a target in astrocytoma.

PMID- 28899411
TI  - Non-polio enteroviruses in faeces of children diagnosed with acute flaccid
      paralysis in Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The need to investigate the contribution of non-polio enteroviruses
      to acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cannot be over emphasized as we move towards a
      poliovirus free world. Hence, we aim to identify non-polio enteroviruses
      recovered from the faeces of children diagnosed with AFP in Nigeria. METHODS:
      Ninety-six isolates, (95 unidentified and one previously confirmed Sabin
      poliovirus 3) recovered on RD cell culture from the stool of children <15 years
      old diagnosed with AFP in 2014 were analyzed. All isolates were subjected to RNA
      extraction, cDNA synthesis and three different PCR reactions (one panenterovirus
      5'-UTR and two different VP1 amplification assays). VP1 amplicons were then
      sequenced and isolates identified. RESULTS: 92.71% (89/96) of the isolates were
      detected by at least one of the three assays as an enterovirus. Precisely, 79.17%
      (76/96), 6.25% (6/96), 7.30% (7/96) and 7.30% (7/96) of the isolates were
      positive for both, positive and negative, negative and positive, as well as
      negative for both the 5'-UTR and VP1 assays, respectively. In this study, sixty
      nine (69) of the 83 VP1 amplicons sequenced were identified as 27 different
      enterovirus types. The most commonly detected were CV-B3 (10 isolates) and EV-B75
      (5 isolates). Specifically, one, twenty-four and two of the enterovirus types
      identified in this study belong to EV-A, EV-B and EV-C respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study reports the circulating strains of 27 non-polio enterovirus types in
      Nigerian children with AFP in 2014 and Nigerian strains of CV-B2, CV-B4, E17, EV
      B80, EV-B73, EV-B97, EV-B93, EV-C99 and EV-A120 were reported for the first time.
      Furthermore, it shows that being positive for the 5'-UTR assay should not be the
      basis for subjecting isolates to the VP1 assays.

PMID- 28899413
TI  - Evolution and genome specialization of Brucella suis biovar 2 Iberian lineages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Swine brucellosis caused by B. suis biovar 2 is an emergent disease
      in domestic pigs in Europe. The emergence of this pathogen has been linked to the
      increase of extensive pig farms and the high density of infected wild boars (Sus
      scrofa). In Portugal and Spain, the majority of strains share specific molecular
      characteristics, which allowed establishing an Iberian clonal lineage. However,
      several strains isolated from wild boars in the North-East region of Spain are
      similar to strains isolated in different Central European countries. RESULTS:
      Comparative analysis of five newly fully sequenced B. suis biovar 2 strains
      belonging to the main circulating clones in Iberian Peninsula, with publicly
      available Brucella spp. genomes, revealed that strains from Iberian clonal
      lineage share 74% similarity with those reference genomes. Besides the 210 kb
      translocation event present in all biovar 2 strains, an inversion with 944 kb was
      presented in chromosome I of strains from the Iberian clone. At left and right
      crossover points, the inversion disrupted a TRAP dicarboxylate transporter, DctM
      subunit, and an integral membrane protein TerC. The gene dctM is well conserved
      in Brucella spp. except in strains from the Iberian clonal lineage. Intraspecies
      comparative analysis also exposed a number of biovar-, haplotype- and strain
      specific insertion-deletion (INDELs) events and single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) that could explain differences in virulence and host specificities. Most
      discriminative mutations were associated to membrane related molecules (29%) and
      enzymes involved in catabolism processes (20%). Molecular identification of both
      B. suis biovar 2 clonal lineages could be easily achieved using the target-PCR
      procedures established in this work for the evaluated INDELs. CONCLUSION: Whole
      genome analyses supports that the B. suis biovar 2 Iberian clonal lineage evolved
      from the Central-European lineage and suggests that the genomic specialization of
      this pathogen in the Iberian Peninsula is independent of a specific genomic
      event(s), but instead driven by allopatric speciation, resulting in the
      establishment of a new ecovar.

PMID- 28899414
TI  - The Zamvar pericardial fold.
AB  - This paper describes a pericardial fold that has not yet been mentioned in the
      Anatomy or Surgery literature.The "Zamvar" pericardial fold is formed by the
      parietal pericardium and the overlying fibrous pericardium folding back onto
      themselves over the left-sided pulmonary veins; it is 1 to 3 mm wide, and runs
      from the inferior edge of the left inferior pulmonary vein, to the superior edge
      of the left superior pulmonary vein. A similar fold is not seen on the right
      side.The presence of this fold allows for the safe placement of the deep
      pericardial retraction suture used during off-pump coronary artery surgery.

PMID- 28899412
TI  - The effect of information about the benefits and harms of mammography on women's
      decision-making: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The decision to participate or not in breast cancer screening is
      complex due to the trade-off between the expected benefit of breast cancer
      mortality reduction and the major harm of overdiagnosis. It seems ethically
      necessary to inform women so that they can actively participate in decision
      making and make an informed choice based on their values and preferences. The
      objective of this study is to assess the effects of receiving information about
      the benefits and harms of screening on decision-making, in women approaching the
      age of invitation to mammography screening. METHODS: A two-stage, randomized
      controlled trial (RCT). In the first stage, 40 Basic Health Areas (BHAs) will be
      selected and randomized to intervention or control. In the second stage, women
      within each BHA will be randomly selected (n = 400). Four breast cancer screening
      programs (BCSPs) of the Spanish public health system, three in Catalonia and one
      in the Canary Islands will participate in the study. Women in the intervention
      arm will receive a leaflet with detailed information on the benefits and harms of
      screening using mammography. Women in the control arm will receive a standard
      leaflet that does not mention harms and recommends accepting the invitation to
      participate in the biennial examinations of the BCSP. The primary outcome is
      informed choice, a dichotomous variable that combines knowledge, attitudes, and
      intentions. Secondary outcomes include decisional conflict; confidence in the
      decision made; anxiety about screening participation; worry about breast cancer;
      anticipated regret; time perspective; perceived importance of benefits/harms of
      screening; perceived risk of breast cancer; and leaflet acceptability. Primary
      and secondary outcomes are assessed 2-3 weeks after the intervention. DISCUSSION:
      This is the first RCT that assesses the effect of informing about the benefits
      and harms of breast cancer screening in Spain in women facing the decision to be
      screened using mammography. It aims to assess the impact of information on
      several decisional outcomes and to contribute to paving the road towards shared
      decision-making in breast cancer screening in our country. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.gov registry, ID: NCT03046004 . Retrospectively registered on 4
      February 2017. Trial name: InforMa study.

PMID- 28899415
TI  - The experiences of caregivers of children living with HIV and AIDS in Uganda: a
      qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Home-based care for HIV patients is popular in contexts severely
      affected by the epidemic and exacts a heavy toll on caregivers. This study aimed
      at understanding the experiences of caregivers and their survival strategies.
      METHODS: A total of 18 caregivers (3 males and 15 females) were interviewed using
      a semi-structured interview guide, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the
      data. RESULTS: Analysis suggests that the caregivers are burdened with insecure
      provisions for food and difficulties in accessing health care. They however
      survived these strains through managing their relationships, sharing burden with
      care-recipients, social networks and instrumental spirituality. These findings
      are discussed under two major themes: 1). Labour of caregiving and 2).
      Survivalism. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based care presents huge opportunities for
      community response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in African settings. It is however
      burdensome and thus should not be left for families alone to shoulder. There is
      therefore an urgent need for protecting home-based care for HIV children in
      Uganda. Implications for improving and strengthening social interventions in home
      based care of HIV/AIDS in the Ugandan context are addressed.

PMID- 28899416
TI  - Alzheimer's disease prevention: from risk factors to early intervention.
AB  - Due to the progressive aging of the population, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is
      becoming a healthcare burden of epidemic proportions for which there is currently
      no cure. Disappointing results from clinical trials performed in mild-moderate AD
      dementia combined with clear epidemiological evidence on AD risk factors are
      contributing to the development of primary prevention initiatives. In addition,
      the characterization of the long asymptomatic stage of AD is allowing the
      development of intervention studies and secondary prevention programmes on
      asymptomatic at-risk individuals, before substantial irreversible neuronal
      dysfunction and loss have occurred, an approach that emerges as highly
      relevant.In this manuscript, we review current strategies for AD prevention, from
      primary prevention strategies based on identifying risk factors and risk
      reduction, to secondary prevention initiatives based on the early detection of
      the pathophysiological hallmarks and intervention at the preclinical stage of the
      disease. Firstly, we summarize the evidence on several AD risk factors, which are
      the rationale for the establishment of primary prevention programmes as well as
      revising current primary prevention strategies. Secondly, we review the
      development of public-private partnerships for disease prevention that aim to
      characterize the AD continuum as well as serving as platforms for secondary
      prevention trials. Finally, we summarize currently ongoing clinical trials
      recruiting participants with preclinical AD or a higher risk for the onset of AD
      related cognitive impairment.The growing body of research on the risk factors for
      AD and its preclinical stage is favouring the development of AD prevention
      programmes that, by delaying the onset of Alzheimer's dementia for only a few
      years, would have a huge impact on public health.

PMID- 28899418
TI  - The effect of a national web course "Help-Brain-Heart" as a supplemental learning
      tool before CPR training: a cluster randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) learning
      methods is unclear. Our aim was to evaluate whether a web course before CPR
      training, teaching the importance of recognition of symptoms of stroke and acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI) and a healthy lifestyle, could influence not only
      theoretical knowledge but also practical CPR skills or willingness to act in a
      cardiac arrest situation. METHODS: Classes with 13-year-old students were
      randomised to CPR training only (control) or a web course plus CPR training
      (intervention). Data were collected (practical test and a questionnaire) directly
      after training and at 6 months. CPR skills were evaluated using a modified
      Cardiff test (12-48 points). Knowledge on stroke symptoms (0-7 points), AMI
      symptoms (0-9 points) and lifestyle factors (0-6 points), and willingness to act
      were assessed by the questionnaire. The primary endpoint was CPR skills at 6
      months. CPR skills directly after training, willingness to act and theoretical
      knowledge were secondary endpoints. Training and measurements were performed from
      December 2013 to October 2014. RESULTS: Four hundred and thirty-two students were
      included in the analysis of practical skills and self-reported confidence. The
      mean score for CPR skills was 34 points after training (control, standard
      deviation [SD] 4.4; intervention, SD 4.0; not significant [NS]); and 32 points at
      6 months for controls (SD 3.9) and 33 points for intervention (SD 4.2; NS). At 6
      months, 73% (control) versus 80% (intervention; P = 0.05) stated they would do
      compressions and ventilation if a friend had a cardiac arrest, whereas 31% versus
      34% (NS) would perform both if the victim was a stranger. One thousand, two
      hundred and thirty-two students were included in the analysis of theoretical
      knowledge; the mean scores at 6 months for the control and intervention groups
      were 2.8 (SD 1.6) and 3.2 (SD 1.4) points (P < 0.001) for stroke symptoms, 2.6
      (SD 2.0) and 2.9 (SD 1.9) points (P = 0.008) for AMI symptoms and 3.2 (SD 1.2)
      and 3.4 (SD 1.0) points (P < 0.001) for lifestyle factors, respectively.
      DISCUSSION: Use of online learning platforms is a fast growing technology that
      increases the flexibility of learning in terms of location, time and is available
      before and after practical training. CONCLUSIONS: A web course before CPR
      training did not influence practical CPR skills or willingness to act, but
      improved the students' theoretical knowledge of AMI, stroke and lifestyle
      factors.

PMID- 28899417
TI  - Serotonin augmentation therapy by escitalopram has minimal effects on amyloid
      beta levels in early-stage Alzheimer's-like disease in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dysfunction of the serotonergic (5-HTergic) system has been
      implicated in the cognitive and behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
      Accumulation of toxic amyloid-beta (Abeta) species is a hallmark of AD and an
      instigator of pathology. Serotonin (5-HT) augmentation therapy by treatment with
      selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in patients with AD has had mixed
      success in improving cognitive function, whereas SSRI administration to mice with
      AD-like disease has been shown to reduce Abeta pathology. The objective of this
      study was to investigate whether an increase in extracellular levels of 5-HT
      induced by chronic SSRI treatment reduces Abeta pathology and whether 5-HTergic
      deafferentation of the cerebral cortex could worsen Abeta pathology in the
      APPswe/PS1DeltaE9 (APP/PS1) mouse model of AD. METHODS: We administered a
      therapeutic dose of the SSRI escitalopram (5 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water of
      3-month-old APP/PS1 mice to increase levels of 5-HT, and we performed
      intracerebroventricular injections of the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine
      (DHT) to remove 5-HTergic afferents. We validated the effectiveness of these
      interventions by serotonin transporter autoradiography (neocortex 79.7 +/- 7.6%)
      and by high-performance liquid chromatography for 5-HT (neocortex 64% reduction).
      After 6 months of escitalopram treatment or housing after DHT-induced lesion, we
      evaluated brain tissue by mesoscale multiplex analysis and sections by IHC
      analysis. RESULTS: Amyloid-beta-containing plaques had formed in the neocortex
      and hippocampus of 9-month-old APP/PS1 mice after 6 months of escitalopram
      treatment and 5-HTergic deafferentation. Unexpectedly, levels of insoluble
      Abeta42 were unaffected in the neocortex and hippocampus after both types of
      interventions. Levels of insoluble Abeta40 increased in the neocortex of SSRI
      treated mice compared with those treated with vehicle control, but they were
      unaffected in the hippocampus. 5-HTergic deafferentation was without effect on
      the levels of insoluble/soluble Abeta42 and Abeta40 in both the neocortex and
      hippocampus. However, levels of soluble amyloid precursor protein alpha were
      reduced in the neocortex after 5-HTergic deafferentation. CONCLUSIONS: Because
      this study shows that modulation of the 5-HTergic system has either no effect or
      increases levels of insoluble/soluble Abeta42 and Abeta40 in the cerebral cortex
      of APP/PS1 mice, our observations do not support 5-HT augmentation therapy as a
      preventive strategy for reducing Abeta pathology.

PMID- 28899420
TI  - Prognostic value of systemic immune-inflammation index in patients with gastric
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammation-based indexes have been used to predict survival and
      recurrence in cancer patients. Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) was
      reported to be associated with prognosis in some malignant tumors. In the present
      study, we aimed to explore the association between SII and the prognosis of
      patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 444
      gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy at the First Affiliated
      Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 1994 and December 2005.
      Preoperative SII was calculated. The Chi square test or Fisher's exact test was
      used to determine the relationship between preoperative SII and clinicopathologic
      characteristics. Overall survival (OS) rates were estimated using the Kaplan
      Meier method, and the effect of SII on OS was analyzed using the Cox proportional
      hazards model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to
      compare the predictive ability of SII, NLR, and PLR. RESULTS: SII equal to or
      higher than 660 was significantly associated with old age, large tumor size,
      unfavorable Borrmann classification, advanced tumor invasion, lymph node
      metastasis, distant metastasis, advanced TNM stage, and high carcino-embryonic
      antigen level, high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and high platelet-lymphocyte
      ratio (all P < 0.05). High SII was significantly associated with unfavorable
      prognosis (P < 0.001) and SII was an independent predictor for OS (P = 0.015).
      Subgroups analysis further showed significant associations between high SII and
      short OS in stage I, II, III subgroups (all P < 0.05). SII was superior to NLR
      and PLR for predicting OS in patients with gastric cancer. CONCLUSION:
      Preoperative SII level is an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients
      with gastric cancer.

PMID- 28899421
TI  - Scrotoschisis: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scrotoschisis is a rare congenital anomaly of the scrotal wall with
      idiopathic etiology and unknown prevalence. This pathology is extremely rare. We
      report a new case and review the literature for relevant data. CASE PRESENTATION:
      A 3-day-old full-term baby boy of African ethnicity, who had a homebirth, with
      birth weight of 2.7 kg presented to our emergency department with exteriorization
      of left testis; after clinical examination and proper investigations the
      diagnosis was scrotoschisis. Surgical treatment was performed by primary closure
      with excellent follow-up. We reviewed the literature to elaborate on the etiology
      of this pathology and its management. CONCLUSIONS: Scrotoschisis is a rare
      congenital anomaly affecting healthy babies. Early management is substantial.
      Further studies are recommended to learn more about the etiology and long-term
      results, including the effect on the fertility.

PMID- 28899419
TI  - Increased plasma lipid levels exacerbate muscle pathology in the mdx mouse model
      of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by loss of dystrophin
      expression and leads to severe ambulatory and cardiac function decline. However,
      the dystrophin-deficient mdx murine model of DMD only develops a very mild form
      of the disease. Our group and others have shown vascular abnormalities in animal
      models of MD, a likely consequence of the fact that blood vessels express the
      same dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex (DGC) proteins as skeletal
      muscles. METHODS: To test the blood vessel contribution to muscle damage in DMD,
      mdx 4cv mice were given elevated lipid levels via apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene
      knockout combined with normal chow or lipid-rich Western diets. Ambulatory
      function and heart function (via echocardiogram) were assessed at 4 and 7 months
      of age. After sacrifice, muscle histology and aortic staining were used to assess
      muscle pathology and atherosclerosis development, respectively. Plasma levels of
      total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides, and creatine
      kinase (CK) were also measured. RESULTS: Although there was an increase in left
      ventricular heart volume in mdx-ApoE mice compared to that in mdx mice,
      parameters of heart function were not affected. Compared with wild-type and ApoE
      null, only mdx-ApoE KO mice showed significant ambulatory dysfunction. Despite no
      significant difference in plasma CK, histological analyses revealed that elevated
      plasma lipids in chow- and Western diet-fed mdx-ApoE mice was associated with
      severe exacerbation of muscle pathology compared to mdx mice: significant
      increase in myofiber damage and fibrofatty replacement in the gastrocnemius and
      triceps brachii muscles, more reminiscent of human DMD pathology. Finally,
      although both ApoE and mdx-ApoE groups displayed increased plasma lipids, mdx
      ApoE exhibited atherosclerotic plaque deposition equal to or less than that of
      ApoE mice. CONCLUSIONS: Since others have shown that lipid abnormalities
      correlate with DMD severity, our data suggest that plasma lipids could be primary
      contributors to human DMD severity and that the notoriously mild phenotype of mdx
      mice might be attributable in part to their endogenously low plasma lipid
      profiles. Hence, DMD patients may benefit from lipid-lowering and vascular
      targeted therapies.

PMID- 28899423
TI  - Comparative study on alkaloids and their anti-proliferative activities from three
      Zanthoxylum species.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alkaloids have been considered as the most promising bioactive
      ingredients in plant species from the genus Zanthoxylum. This study reports on
      the compositions and contents of the Zanthoxylum alkaloids (ZAs) from three
      Zanthoxylum species, and their potential anti-proliferation activities. METHODS:
      An HPLC-UV/ESI-MS/MS method was established and employed to analyze the alkaloids
      in different Zanthoxylum extracts. The common and unique peaks and their relative
      contents were summarized and compared to evaluate the similarity and
      dissimilarity of the three Zanthoxylum species. Meanwhile, inhibitory activity
      tests to four carcinoma cell lines, i.e., stomach tumor cells (SGC-7901),
      cervical tumor cells (Hela), colon tumor cells (HT-29) and Hepatic tumor cells
      (Hep G2), were carried out in vitro to evaluate the bioactivities of the ZAs.
      RESULTS: Seventy peaks were detected in the crude total alkaloid samples, and 58
      of them were identified. As a result, 13 common peaks were found in the extracts
      of all the three Zanthoxylum species, while some unique peaks were also observed
      in specific species, with 17 peaks in Z. simulans, 15 peaks in Z. ailanthoides
      and 11 peaks in Z. chalybeum, respectively. The comparison of the composition and
      relative contents indicated that alkaloids of benzophenanthridine type commonly
      present in all the three Zanthoxylum species with high relative contents among
      the others, which are 60.52% in Z. ailanthoides, 30.52% in Z. simulans and 13.84%
      in Z. chalybeum, respectively. In terms of activity test, Most of the crude
      alkaloids extracts showed remarkable inhibitory activities against various tumor
      cells, and the inhibitory rates ranged from 60.71 to 93.63% at a concentration of
      200 MUg/mL. However, SGC-7901 cells seemed to be more sensitive to the ZAs than
      the other three cancer cells. CONCLUSION: The alkaloid profiles detected in this
      work revealed significant differences in both structures and contents among
      Zanthoxylum species. The inhibitory rates for different cancer cells in this
      study indicated that the potential anti-cancer activity should be attributed to
      quaternary alkaloids in these three species, which will provide great guidance
      for further exploring this traditional medicinal resource as new healthcare
      products.

PMID- 28899422
TI  - Moderating effects of sex on the impact of diagnosis and amyloid positivity on
      verbal memory and hippocampal volume.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) impacts men and women differently, but the
      effect of sex on predementia stages is unclear. The objective of this study was
      to examine whether sex moderates the impact of florbetapir positron emission
      tomography (PET) amyloid positivity (A+) on verbal learning and memory
      performance and hippocampal volume (HV) in normal cognition (NC) and early mild
      cognitive impairment (eMCI). METHODS: Seven hundred forty-two participants with
      NC and participants with eMCI from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging
      Initiative (second cohort [ADNI2] and Grand Opportunity Cohort [ADNI-GO]) were
      included. All had baseline florbetapir PET measured, and 526 had screening visit
      HV measured. Regression moderation models were used to examine whether A+ effects
      on Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test learning and delayed recall and right and
      left HV (adjusted for total intracranial volume) were moderated by diagnosis and
      sex. Age, cognition at screening, education, and apolipoprotein E epsilon4
      carrier status were controlled. RESULTS: Women with A+, but not those with
      florbetapir PET amyloid negative (A-),eMCI showed poorer learning. For women with
      NC, there was no relationship of A+ with learning. In contrast, A+ men trended
      toward poorer learning regardless of diagnosis. A similar trend was found for
      verbal delayed recall: Women with A+, but not A-, eMCI trended toward reduced
      delayed recall; no effects were observed for women with NC or for men.
      Hippocampal analyses indicated that women with A+, but not those with A-, eMCI,
      trended toward smaller right HV; no significant A+ effects were observed for
      women with NC. Men showed similar, though nonsignificant, patterns of smaller
      right HV in A+ eMCI, but not in men with A- eMCI or NC. No interactive effects of
      sex were noted for left HV. CONCLUSIONS: Women with NC showed verbal learning and
      memory scores robust to A+, and women with A+ eMCI lost this advantage. In
      contrast, A+ impacted men's scores less significantly or not at all, and
      comparably across those with NC and eMCI. Sex marginally moderated the
      relationship of A+ and diagnosis with right HV, such that women with NC showed no
      A+ effect and women with A+ eMCI lost that advantage in neural integrity; the
      pattern in men was less clear. These findings show that women with A+ eMCI (i.e.,
      prodromal AD) have differential neural and cognitive decline, which has
      implications for considering sex in early detection of AD and development of
      therapeutics.

PMID- 28899424
TI  - Clade homogeneity and low rate of delta virus despite hyperendemicity of
      hepatitis B virus in Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) is hyperendemic and heterogeneous in
      its genetic diversity in Ethiopia, little is known about hepatitis D virus (HDV)
      circulating genotypes and molecular diversity. METHODS: A total of 321 hepatitis
      B surface antigen (HBsAg) positives (125 HIV co-infected, 102 liver disease
      patients and 94 blood donors) were screened for anti-HDV antibody. The anti-HDV
      positive sera were subjected to Real time PCR for HDV-RNA confirmation. The non
      coding genome region (spanning from 467 to 834 nucleotides) commonly used for HDV
      genotyping as well as complete HDV genome were sequenced for genotyping and
      molecular analysis. RESULTS: The anti-HDV antibody was found to be 3.2% (3) in
      blood donors, 8.0% (10) in HIV co-infected individuals and 12.7% (13) in liver
      disease patients. None of the HIV co-infected patients who revealed HBV
      lamivudine (3TC) resistance at tyrosine-methionine/isoleucine-aspartate-aspartate
      (YM(I)DD) reverse transcriptase (RT) motif with concomitant vaccine escape gene
      mutants was positive for anti-HDV antibody. The HDV viremia rate was 33.3%, 30.0%
      and 23.1% in respect to the above study groups. All the six isolates sequenced
      were phylogenetically classified as HDV genotype 1 (HDV-1) and grouped into two
      monophyletic clusters. Amino acid (aa) residues analysis of clathrin heavy chain
      (CHC) domain and the isoprenylation signal site (Py) at 19 carboxyl (C)-terminal
      amino acids (aa 196-214) and the HDV RNA binding domain (aa 79-107) were highly
      conserved and showed a very little nucleotide variations. All the sequenced
      isolates showed serine at amino acid position 202. The RNA editing targets of the
      anti-genomic HDV RNA (nt1012) and its corresponding genomic RNA (nt 580) showed
      nucleotides A and C, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The low seroprevalence and
      viraemic rates of HDV in particular during HIV-confection might be highly
      affected by HBV drug resistance selected HBsAg mutant variants in this setting,
      although HDV-1 sequences analysis revealed clade homogeneity and highly conserved
      structural and functional domains. Thus, the potential role of HBV drug
      resistance associated polymerase mutations and concomitant HBsAg protein
      variability on HDV viral assembly, secretion and infectivity needs further
      investigation.

PMID- 28899425
TI  - The physiological determinants of low-level urine cadmium: an assessment in a
      cross-sectional study among schoolchildren.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies in children have reported associations of urinary
      cadmium (U-Cd), used as biomarker of Cd body burden, with renal dysfunction,
      retarded growth and impaired cognitive development in children. Little is known,
      however, about factors influencing U-Cd in children and likely to act as
      confounders. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study involving 249 schoolchildren
      (mean age, 5.72 years; 138 boys), we measured the urine concentrations of
      cadmium, zinc, lead, albumin, alpha1-microglobulin (A1M), retinol-binding
      protein, beta2-microglobulin and club cell protein (CC16). Determinants of U-Cd
      expressed per creatinine or adjusted to specific gravity were identified by
      multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Girls and boys had similar median
      concentrations of U-Cd (0.22 and 0.24 MUg/L, 0.33 and 0.35 MUg/g creatinine,
      respectively). When models were run without including creatinine or specific
      gravity among independent variables, urinary zinc, urinary A1M and age emerged as
      the strongest predictors of U-Cd expressed per g creatinine or adjusted to SG.
      When adding creatinine among predictors, urinary creatinine emerged as an
      additional strong predictor correlating negatively with U-Cd per g creatinine.
      This strong residual influence of diuresis, not seen when adding specific gravity
      among predictors, linked U-Cd to U-A1M or U-CC16 through secondary associations
      mimicking those induced by Cd nephrotoxity. CONCLUSIONS: In young children U-Cd
      largely varies with diuresis, zinc metabolism and urinary A1M. These
      physiological determinants, unrelated to Cd body burden, may confound the child
      renal and developmental outcomes associated with low-level U-Cd.

PMID- 28899426
TI  - Benign metastasizing leiomyoma presenting as multiple cystic pulmonary nodules: a
      case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benign metastatic leiomyoma (BML) is an extremely rare disease.
      Although uterine leiomyomas are benign histologically, they can metastasize to
      distant sites. While the incidence is very low, the lung is the organ most
      frequently affected by BML. Pulmonary BML usually presents as numerous well
      defined nodules of various sizes, while the cavitary or cystic features in the
      nodules are rarely observed on radiologic images. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year
      old woman complained of cough and dyspnea for one month. She had been previously
      diagnosed with uterine leiomyoma and had undergone total hysterectomy about 14
      years prior. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) images showed that there
      were multiple cystic nodules of various sizes in both lungs. Pathologic
      examination revealed that the pulmonary nodule had complex branching glandular
      structures lined by a single layer of simple cuboidal to columnar epithelium that
      was surrounded by abundant spindle cells. Additional immunohistochemistry data
      suggested that pulmonary nodule diagnosis was BML-associated uterine leiomyoma.
      CONCLUSION: In this report, we introduce an interesting case of pulmonary BML
      that presented as a combination of various kinds of nodules including simple
      round nodules, simple cysts, and cysts with a solid portion, which are very rare
      radiologic features of BML in lung. In addition, when the patient is a woman of
      reproductive age, physicians should meticulously review the gynecological history
      and suspect BML when there are various cystic pulmonary lesions.

PMID- 28899427
TI  - Activation of dorsal horn cannabinoid CB2 receptor suppresses the expression of
      P2Y12 and P2Y13 receptors in neuropathic pain rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More evidence suggests that dorsal spinal cord microglia is an
      important site contributing to CB2 receptor-mediated analgesia. The upregulation
      of P2Y12 and P2Y13 purinoceptors in spinal dorsal horn microglia is involved in
      the development of pain behavior caused by peripheral nerve injury. However, it
      is not known whether the expression of P2Y12 and P2Y13 receptors at spinal dorsal
      horn will be influenced after CB2 receptor activation in neuropathic pain rats.
      METHODS: Chronic constriction injury (CCI) and intrathecal ADPbetaS injection
      were performed in rats to induce neuropathic pain. The paw withdrawal latency
      (PWL) was used to evaluate thermal hyperalgesia in neuropathic rats. The
      expression of P2Y12 and P2Y13 receptors, p-p38MAPK, and NF-kappaBp65 was detected
      with RT-PCR and western blotting analysis. RESULTS: Treatment with AM1241
      produces a pronounced inhibition of CCI-induced thermal hyperalgesia and
      significantly inhibited the increased expression of P2Y12 and P2Y13 receptors at
      the mRNA and protein levels, which open up the possibility that P2Y12 and P2Y13
      receptor expression are downregulated by CB2 receptor agonist AM1241 in CCI rats.
      Western blot analysis demonstrated that AM1241 reduced the elevated expression of
      p-p38MAPK and NF-kappaBp65 in the dorsal spinal cord induced by CCI. After
      administration with either SB203580 (p38MAPK inhibitor) or PDTC (NF-kappaB
      inhibitor), the levels of P2Y13 receptor expression in the dorsal spinal cord
      were lower than those in the CCI group. However, in CCI rats, the increased
      expression of P2Y12 receptor was prevented by intrathecal administration of PDTC
      but not by SB203580. In addition, minocycline significantly decreased the
      increased expression of P2Y12 and P2Y13 receptors. The similar results can be
      observed in ADPbetaS-treated rats. Intrathecal injection of ADPbataS causes
      thermal hyperalgesia and increased expression of P2Y12 and P2Y13 receptors in the
      dorsal spinal cord of naive rats. Moreover, intrathecal injection of AM1241
      alleviates pain response and reduces the elevated expression of P2Y12 and P2Y13
      receptors, p-p38MAPK, and NF-kappaBp65 in the dorsal spinal cord of ADPbetaS
      treated rats. Intrathecal injection of SB203580 significantly inhibited the
      ADPbetaS-induced P2Y13 receptor expression, without affecting P2Y12 receptor
      expression. However, treatment with either SB203580 or PDTC effectively inhibited
      P2Y13 receptor expression compared to ADPbetaS-treated rats. CONCLUSIONS: In CCI-
      and ADPbetaS-treated rats, AM1241 pretreatment could efficiently activate CB2
      receptor, while inhibiting p38MAPK and NF-kappaB activation in the dorsal spinal
      cord. CB2 receptor stimulation decreased P2Y13 receptor expression via p38MAPK/NF
      kappaB signaling. On the other hand, CB2 receptor activation decreased P2Y12
      receptor expression via p38MAPK-independent NF-kappaB signaling pathway.

PMID- 28899428
TI  - Proximal tibial trabecular bone mineral density is related to pain in patients
      with osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our objective was to examine the relationships between proximal
      tibial trabecular (epiphyseal and metaphyseal) bone mineral density (BMD) and
      osteoarthritis (OA)-related pain in patients with severe knee OA. METHODS: The
      knee was scanned preoperatively using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in
      42 patients undergoing knee arthroplasty. OA severity was classified using
      radiographic Kellgren-Lawrence scoring and pain was measured using the pain
      subsection of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index
      (WOMAC). We used three-dimensional image processing techniques to assess tibial
      epiphyseal trabecular BMD between the epiphyseal line and 7.5 mm from the
      subchondral surface and tibial metaphyseal trabecular BMD 10 mm distal from the
      epiphyseal line. Regional analysis included the total epiphyseal and metaphyseal
      region, and the medial and lateral epiphyseal compartments. The association
      between total WOMAC pain scores and BMD measurements was assessed using
      hierarchical multiple regression with age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) as
      covariates. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Total WOMAC
      pain was associated with total epiphyseal BMD adjusted for age, sex, and BMI (p =
      0.013) and total metaphyseal BMD (p = 0.017). Regionally, total WOMAC pain was
      associated with medial epiphyseal BMD adjusted for age, sex, and BMI (p = 0.006).
      CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that low proximal tibial trabecular BMD may
      have a role in OA-related pain pathogenesis.

PMID- 28899429
TI  - Amyloid-independent atrophy patterns predict time to progression to dementia in
      mild cognitive impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amyloid pathology in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is
      an important risk factor for progression to dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.
      Predicting the onset of dementia is challenging even in the presence of amyloid,
      as time to progression varies considerably among patients and depends on the
      onset of neurodegeneration. Survival analysis can account for variability in time
      to event, but has not often been applied to MRI measurements beyond singular
      predefined brain regions such as the hippocampus. Here we used a voxel-wise
      survival analysis to identify in an unbiased fashion brain regions where
      decreased gray matter volume is associated with time to dementia, and assessed
      the effects of amyloid on these associations. METHODS: We included 276 subjects
      with MCI (mean age 67 +/- 8, 41% female, mean Mini-Mental State Examination 26.6
      +/- 2.4), baseline 3D T1-weighted structural MRI, baseline cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) biomarkers, and prospective clinical follow-up. We fitted for each voxel a
      proportional Cox hazards regression model to study whether decreased gray matter
      volume predicted progression to dementia in the total sample, and stratified for
      baseline amyloid status. RESULTS: Dementia at follow-up occurred in 122 (44%)
      subjects over an average follow-up period of 2.5 +/- 1.5 years. Baseline amyloid
      positivity was associated with progression to dementia (hazard ratio 2.4, p <
      0.001). Within amyloid-positive subjects, decreased gray matter volume in the
      hippocampal, temporal, parietal, and frontal regions was associated with more
      rapid progression to dementia (median (interquartile range) hazard ratio across
      significant voxels 1.35 (1.32-1.40)). Repeating the analysis in amyloid-negative
      subjects revealed similar patterns (median (interquartile range) hazard ratio
      1.76 (1.66-1.91)). CONCLUSIONS: In subjects with MCI, both abnormal amyloid CSF
      and decreased gray matter volume were associated with future progression to
      dementia. The spatial pattern of decreased gray matter volume associated with
      progression to dementia was consistent for amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative
      subjects.

PMID- 28899430
TI  - The aberrant upstream pathway regulations of CDK1 protein were implicated in the
      proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Upregulation of Cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) protein is closely
      related with the prognosis of several malignant tumors. Chk1-CDC25C-CDK1
      signaling and P53-P21WAF1-CDK1 signaling pathways are closely related with the
      cell cycle G2/M phase regulation. The present study aimed to analyze the
      relationship between CDK1 and the proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer
      cells, investigate its molecular mechanism preliminarily. METHODS: The specific
      short-hair RNA (shRNA) plasmids and negative control plasmid of CDK1, checkpoint
      kinase 1 (CHK1) and p53 genes were transfected into ovarian cancer SK-OV-3 and
      OVCAR-3 cells respectively. The expressions of CDK1, CHK1 and p53 mRNA and CDK1,
      Chk1 and P53 protein were detected by sqRT-PCR and Western blot, levels of
      phospho-CDK1(Thr14/Tyr15), CyclinB1, phospho-Chk1(ser345), cell division cycle
      25C (CDC25C), phospho-CDC25C(ser216), P21WAF1, phospho-P53(ser15), proliferating
      cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Ki-67, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase8, Cleaved-caspase3 and
      Cytochrome C were examined by Western blot. The cell proliferation was measured
      by MTT and Trypan blue exclusion assay respectively, the cell cycle phase
      distribution and cell apoptosis rate were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) assay.
      RESULTS: As results of CDK1 inhibition by shRNA, the cell proliferation was
      repressed, the cell numbers of G2/M phase and cell apoptosis rate were increased
      in both SK-OV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells. After knockdown of CDK1, expressions of PCNA,
      Ki-67 and Bcl-2 protein were downregulated, expressions of Bax, Caspase8, Cleaved
      caspase3 and Cytochrome C were upregulated. While knockdown the CHK1 and p53 by
      shRNA respectively, the similar effects were observed on the cell proliferation,
      cell cycle phase distribution and apoptosis in both SK-OV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells, as
      well as the expressions of the proliferation and apoptosis related proteins
      mentioned above. Moreover, the levels of p-CDK1(Thr14/Tyr15) were increased after
      either CHK1 inhibition or p53 inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal activation of
      CDK1 was implicated in the proliferation and apoptosis regulation of ovarian
      cancer cells, which might be due to the aberrant regulations of the upstream Chk1
      CDC25C and P53-P21WAF1 signaling pathway.

PMID- 28899431
TI  - The role of perfusion and diffusion MRI in the assessment of patients affected by
      probable idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus. A cohort-prospective
      preliminary study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invasive tests measuring resistance to cerebral spinal fluid (CSF)
      outflow and the effect of temporary drainage of CSF are used to select candidates
      affected by idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) for shunt surgery.
      Neither test, however, completely excludes patients from treatment. Perfusion and
      diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are non-invasive techniques that might
      be of value in selecting patients for surgical treatment and understanding brain
      changes in iNPH patients. The aim of this study was to understand the role of
      perfusion and diffusion MRI in selecting candidates for shunt surgery and to
      investigate the relationship between cerebral perfusion and possible
      microstructural changes in brain tissue before and after invasive tests, and
      after ventricular-peritoneal (VP) shunt implantation, to better clarify
      pathophysiological mechanisms underlying iNPH. METHODS: Twenty-three consecutive
      patients with probable iNPH were included in this study. Patients underwent a
      clinical and neuroradiological evaluation before and after invasive tests, and
      after surgery. Only patients who showed a positive result in at least one of the
      invasive tests were submitted for VP shunt implantation. Perfusion and diffusion
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed before and after invasive tests
      and after shunt surgery. RESULTS: Thirteen patients underwent surgery and all
      showed clinical improvement after VP shunt implantation and a significant
      increase in perfusion in both periventricular white matter (PVWM) and basal
      ganglia (BG) regions. The 10 patients that did not have surgery showed after
      invasive tests, a significant reduction in perfusion in both PVWM and BG regions.
      Comparing the changes in perfusion with those of diffusion in positive patients
      we found a significant positive correlation in BG and a significant inverse
      correlation in PVWM area. CONCLUSIONS: Perfusion MRI is a non-invasive technique
      that could be useful together with invasive tests in selecting patients for
      surgical treatment. Furthermore, the relationship between perfusion and diffusion
      data could better clarify pathophysiological mechanisms underlying iNPH. In PVWM
      area we suggest that interstitial edema could reduce microvascular blood flow and
      interfere with the blood supply to these regions. In BG regions we suggest that a
      chronic hypoxic insult caused by blood hypo-perfusion produces a chronic
      cytotoxic edema. Both in PVWM and in BG regions, pathophysiological mechanisms
      could be modified after VP-shunt implantation.

PMID- 28899432
TI  - Prevalence and associations of microalbuminuria in proteinuria-negative patients
      with type 2 diabetes in two regional hospitals in Cameroon: a cross-sectional
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria (MA) is the earliest clinical evidence of diabetic
      nephropathy, but most patients in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) only have access to
      much cheaper dipstick proteinuria as a means to screen for diabetic nephropathy.
      The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associations of MA
      among proteinuria-negative type 2 diabetic patients in a SSA setting. METHODS: In
      this cross-sectional study, patients with type 2 diabetes screened negative for
      dipstick proteinuria in a primary healthcare hospital were assessed. Detection of
      microalbuminuria was carried out in two steps: qualitative detection using
      special microalbumin urine strip, and quantitative laboratory measurement and
      calculation of urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). Microalbuminuria was
      defined as UACR of 30-300 mg/g. RESULTS: A total of 162 type 2 diabetic patients
      were included. Using quantitative assessment, the prevalence of microalbuminuria
      was 14.2% (95% CI 8.8-19.6) whereas 26.5% (95% CI 19.8-34.0) had microalbuminuria
      with urine strip. The mean systolic blood pressure (p = 0.032), diastolic blood
      pressure (p = 0.032) and serum creatinine concentration (p < 0.001) were higher
      in people with microalbuminuria as compared to those with normoalbuminuria,
      whereas the mean body mass index (p = 0.046) and mean eGFR (p < 0.001) were lower
      in the albuminuria group. In multiple linear regression, eGFR (p = 0.001) and
      serum creatinine concentration (p = 0.003) were independently associated with
      increased UACR. CONCLUSIONS: One in every seven proteinuria-negative type 2
      diabetic patients has microalbuminuria in primary care setting in Cameroon;
      microalbuminuria is associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure,
      and declining kidney function. Our results emphasize the urgent need to increase
      the accessibility to microalbuminuria testing to ensure that all diabetic
      patients with negative dipstick proteinuria can benefit.

PMID- 28899433
TI  - Wearable sensors to predict improvement following an exercise intervention in
      patients with knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Muscle strengthening exercises consistently demonstrate improvements
      in the pain and function of adults with knee osteoarthritis, but individual
      response rates can vary greatly. Identifying individuals who are more likely to
      respond is important in developing more efficient rehabilitation programs for
      knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if pre
      intervention multi-sensor accelerometer data (e.g., back, thigh, shank, foot
      accelerometers) and patient reported outcome measures (e.g., pain, symptoms,
      function, quality of life) can retrospectively predict post-intervention response
      to a 6-week hip strengthening exercise intervention in a knee OA cohort. METHODS:
      Thirty-nine adults with knee osteoarthritis completed a 6-week hip strengthening
      exercise intervention and were sub-grouped as Non-Responders, Low-Responders, or
      High-Responders following the intervention based on their change in patient
      reported outcome measures. Pre-intervention multi-sensor accelerometer data
      recorded at the back, thigh, shank, and foot and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis
      Outcome Score subscale data were used as potential predictors of response in a
      discriminant analysis of principal components. RESULTS: The thigh was the single
      best placement for classifying responder sub-groups (74.4%). Overall, the best
      combination of sensors was the back, thigh, and shank (81.7%), but a simplified
      two sensor solution using the back and thigh was not significantly different
      (80.0%; p = 0.27). CONCLUSIONS: While three sensors were best able to identify
      responders, a simplified two sensor array at the back and thigh may be the most
      ideal configuration to provide clinicians with an efficient and relatively
      unobtrusive way to use to optimize treatment.

PMID- 28899434
TI  - Effective delivery of social and behavior change communication through a Care
      Group model in a supplementary feeding program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2014, an intervention aimed at increasing the oil in corn soy
      blend (CSB) porridge prepared by caregivers of children with moderate acute
      malnutrition was implemented in Southern Malawi. This analysis describes the flow
      of key messages delivered through the Care Group model during this intervention.
      METHODS: The intervention provided a supplementary food ration of CSB and oil and
      used a Care Group model in which healthcare workers were trained to deliver
      social and behavior change communication (SBCC) to care group volunteers who then
      delivered messages to caregivers of beneficiary children. Healthcare workers also
      delivered messages to caregivers directly. Interviews and focus groups were
      conducted with all three groups in order to determine the exchange of key
      messages about ingredient use, storage, and purpose, which were analyzed
      descriptively. RESULTS: Analysis of SBCC flow and information exchange showed
      that 100% of caregivers reported learning about the amounts of oil and CSB to use
      while preparing porridge and over 90% of caregivers, healthcare workers, and care
      group volunteers reported talking about it. Focus groups confirmed an effective
      flow of communication among these three groups. CONCLUSION: This analysis
      evaluated the flow of key SBCC messages through multiple, overlapping lines of
      communication among healthcare workers, care group volunteers, and caregivers;
      the effective transmission of these SBCC messages through this model may
      contribute to the success of a supplementary feeding intervention program. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT01873196 ).

PMID- 28899435
TI  - Optimizing Visits to the Site of Death for Bereaved Families After Disasters and
      Terrorist Events.
AB  - In recent years it has been common after disasters and terrorist events to offer
      bereaved families the opportunity to visit the place where their loved ones died.
      Many report that such visits are beneficial in processing their loss. Various
      factors, both cognitive (eg, counteracting disbelief) and existential or
      emotional (eg, achieving a sense of closeness to the deceased), are associated
      with the experienced benefit. Nonetheless, exacerbations of trauma and grief
      reactions (eg, re-enactment fantasies) are common, with some of the bereaved also
      reporting adverse reactions after the visit. Subsequently, proper preparations
      are a prerequisite before such visits take place. This article describes how to
      optimize collective visits to the site of death after disasters or terrorist
      events for bereaved families. Important questions-for example, concerning those
      who should be responsible for organizing a visit and those who should be invited,
      the timing of the visit, what can be done at the site, the need for support
      personnel, and other practical issues-are discussed and general guidelines are
      recommended. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:523-527).

PMID- 28899436
TI  - Educational level and employment status in adults with congenital heart disease.
AB  - : Purpose Through this study we aimed to assess the educational level and
      employment status of adults with CHD in Germany. METHODS: Data were acquired from
      an online survey carried out in 2015 by the German National Register for
      Congenital Heart Defects. A total of 1458 adults with CHD participated in the
      survey (response rate: 37.6%). For 1198 participants, detailed medical
      information, such as main cardiac diagnosis and information from medical reports,
      was available. RESULTS: Of the participants surveyed (n=1198), 54.5% (n=653) were
      female, and the mean age was 30 years. The majority of respondents (59.4%) stated
      that they had high education levels and that they were currently employed
      (51.1%). Patients with simple CHD had significantly higher levels of education
      (p<0.001) and were more likely to be employed (p=0.01) than were patients with
      complex CHD. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the participants had high education
      levels and the majority were employed. The association between CHD and its
      severity and individuals' educational attainment should be investigated more
      closely in future studies.

PMID- 28899437
TI  - Novel Method for Preparing Transmission Electron Microscopy Samples of Micrometer
      Sized Powder Particles by Using Focused Ion Beam.
AB  - The preparation of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples from powders is
      quite difficult and challenging. For powders with particles in the 1-5 MUm size
      range, it is especially difficult to select an adequate sample preparation
      technique. Epoxy is commonly used to bind powder, but drawbacks, such as
      differential milling originating from unequal milling rates between the epoxy and
      powder, remain. We propose a new, simple method for preparing TEM samples. This
      method is especially useful for powders with particles in the 1-5 MUm size range
      that are vulnerable to oxidation. The method uses solder as an embedding agent
      together with focused ion beam (FIB) milling. The powder was embedded in low
      temperature solder using a conventional hot-mounting instrument. Subsequently,
      FIB was used to fabricate thin TEM samples via the lift-out technique. The solder
      proved to be more effective than epoxy in producing thin TEM samples with large
      areas. The problem of differential milling was mitigated, and the solder binder
      was more stable than epoxy under an electron beam. This methodology can be
      applied for preparing TEM samples from various powders that are either vulnerable
      to oxidation or composed of high atomic number elements.

PMID- 28899438
TI  - Facilitators and Barriers to Preparedness Partnerships: A Veterans Affairs
      Medical Center Perspective.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study sought to understand facilitators and barriers faced by
      local US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) emergency managers
      (EMs) when collaborating with non-VA entities. METHODS: Twelve EMs participated
      in semi-structured interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes discussing their
      collaboration with non-VAMC organizations. Sections of the interview transcripts
      concerning facilitators and barriers to collaboration were coded and analyzed.
      Common themes were organized into 2 categories: (1) internal (ie, factors
      affecting collaboration from within VAMCs or by VA policy) and (2) external (ie,
      interagency or interpersonal factors). RESULTS: Respondents reported a range of
      facilitators and barriers to collaboration with community-based agencies.
      Internal factors facilitating collaboration included items such as leadership
      support. An internal barrier example included lack of clarity surrounding the
      VAMC's role in community disaster response. External factors noted as
      facilitators included a shared goal across organizations while a noted barrier
      was a perception that potential partners viewed a VAMC partnership with
      skepticism. CONCLUSION: Federal institutions are important partners for the
      success of community disaster preparedness and response. Understanding the
      barriers that VAMCs confront, as well as potential facilitators to collaboration,
      should enhance the development of VAMC-community partnerships and improve
      community health resilience. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness.
      2018;12:431-436).

PMID- 28899439
TI  - Psychological morbidity and parenting stress in mothers of primary school
      children by timing of acquisition of HIV infection: a longitudinal cohort study
      in rural South Africa.
AB  - Longitudinal maternal mental health data are needed from high HIV prevalence
      settings. The Siyakhula Cohort (SC) is a population-based cohort of HIV-positive
      and negative mothers (n=1506) with HIV-negative children (n=1536) from rural
      South Africa. SC includes 767 HIV-negative mothers; 465 HIV-positive in
      pregnancy; 272 HIV-positive since pregnancy (n=2 missing HIV status). A subgroup
      (n=890) participated in a non-randomized breastfeeding intervention [Vertical
      Transmission Study (VTS)]; the remaining (n=616) were resident in the same area
      and received antenatal care at the time of the VTS, but were not part of the VTS,
      instead receiving the standard of care Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
      (PMTCT) Programme. In secondary analysis we investigated the prevalence of, and
      factors associated with, psychological morbidity amongst mothers who were still
      the primary caregiver of the child (1265 out of 1506) at follow-up (7-11 years
      post-birth). We measured maternal depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9),
      anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder Scale-7) and parenting stress (Parenting Stress
      Index-36), using standardized cut-offs and algorithms. In total, 75 (5.9%)
      mothers met criteria for depression, 37 (2.9%) anxiety and 134 (10.6%) parenting
      stress. Using complete case logistic regression (n=1206 out of 1265 mothers) as
      compared to being HIV-negative, testing HIV-positive in pregnancy doubled odds of
      depression [adjusted odd ratios (aOR)=1.96 [1.0-3.7] P=0.039]. Parenting stress
      was positively associated with acquisition of HIV after pregnancy (aOR=3.11 [1.9
      5.2] P<0.001) and exposure to household crime (aOR=2.02 [1.3-3.2] P=0.003);
      negatively associated with higher maternal education (aOR=0.29 [0.1-0.8]
      P=0.014), maternal employment (aOR=0.55 [0.3-0.9] P=0.024). Compared with the
      standard of care PMTCT, VTS mothers had reduced odds of parenting stress
      (aOR=0.61 [0.4-0.9] P=0.016). Integrating parental support into mostly bio
      medical treatment programmes, during and beyond pregnancy, is important.

PMID- 28899440
TI  - The impact of social media promotion with infographics and podcasts on research
      dissemination and readership.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In 2015 and 2016, the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine (CJEM)
      Social Media (SoMe) Team collaborated with established medical websites to
      promote CJEM articles using podcasts and infographics while tracking
      dissemination and readership. METHODS: CJEM publications in the "Original
      Research" and "State of the Art" sections were selected by the SoMe Team for
      podcast and infographic promotion based on their perceived interest to emergency
      physicians. A control group was composed retrospectively of articles from the
      2015 and 2016 issues with the highest Altmetric score that received standard
      Facebook and Twitter promotions. Studies on SoMe topics were excluded.
      Dissemination was quantified by January 1, 2017 Altmetric scores. Readership was
      measured by abstract and full-text views over a 3-month period. The number needed
      to view (NNV) was calculated by dividing abstract views by full-text views.
      RESULTS: Twenty-nine of 88 articles that met inclusion were included in the
      podcast (6), infographic (11), and control (12) groups. Descriptive statistics
      (mean, 95% confidence interval) were calculated for podcast (Altmetric: 61, 42
      80; Abstract: 1795, 1135-2455; Full-text: 431, 0-1031), infographic (Altmetric:
      31.5, 19-43; Abstract: 590, 361-819; Full-text: 65, 33-98), and control
      (Altmetric: 12, 8-15; Abstract: 257, 159-354; Full-Text: 73, 38-109) articles.
      The NNV was 4.2 for podcast, 9.0 for infographic, and 3.5 for control articles.
      Discussion Limitations included selection bias, the influence of SoMe promotion
      on the Altmetric scores, and a lack of generalizability to other journals.
      CONCLUSION: Collaboration with established SoMe websites using podcasts and
      infographics was associated with increased Altmetric scores and abstract views
      but not full-text article views.

PMID- 28899441
TI  - Use of proton-pump inhibitors is associated with depression: a population-based
      study.
AB  - Treatment with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) might be associated with
      neuropsychological side effects. We examined the association between use of PPIs
      and depressive symptoms in an elderly population. Mood was assessed by the 30
      item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in all 344 inhabitants of Tuscania (Italy)
      aged 75 years and over, without exclusion criteria; depression was defined by a
      GDS score >=11. Use of PPIs was associated with a higher GDS score in linear
      regression analysis (B = 2.43; 95% CI = 0.49-4.38; p = 0.014) after adjusting;
      also, use of PPIs was associated with increased adjusted probability of
      depression in logistic regression (OR = 2.38; 95% CI = 1.02-5.58; p = 0.045).
      Higher PPIs dosages were associated with increased probability of depression (p
      for trend = 0.014). This association was independent of the diagnosis of peptic
      disease, as well as the use of antidepressant medications. No association was
      found between use of H2-blockers or antacids and the GDS score. Calculation of
      the population attributable risk indicated that 14% of depression cases could be
      avoided by withdrawal of PPIs. Use of PPIs might represent a frequent cause of
      depression in older populations; thus, mood should be routinely assessed in
      elderly patients on PPIs.

PMID- 28899442
TI  - Applications of 256-Slice, Spiral Computed Tomography Perfusion Scanning in Limb
      Salvage After High-Voltage Electrical Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the applications of intelligent 256
      slice computed tomography (iCT) perfusion imaging in high-voltage electrical
      injuries (HVEIs). METHODS: 256-slice iCT was used to perform perfusion scanning
      for 48 patients with HVEI to detect the perfusion parameters. RESULTS: The blood
      flow (BF) and peak enhancement intensity (PEI) values of the plane lower than the
      amputation level of the diseased side (ALD) were smaller than those of the
      corresponding healthy side (P<0.05); therefore, the differences were
      statistically significant. The BF value of the plane beyond the ALD was bigger
      than that of the ALD (t=2.99 and P=0.042); therefore, the difference was
      statistically significant. The BF, PEI, and blood volume values of the plane
      below the ALD were smaller than those of the ALD (P<0.05); therefore, the
      differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The technique of 256
      slice iCT perfusion imaging could provide richer and more comprehensive imaging
      data for the clinical treatment of HVEIs, thus exhibiting its benefit in reducing
      the disability of patients with HVEIs. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness.
      2018;12:478-485).

PMID- 28899443
TI  - Geriatric gambling disorder: challenges in clinical assessment.
AB  - To the Editor: The gaming industry is growing rapidly, as is the proportion of
      older adults aged 65 years or older who participate in gambling (Tse et al.,
      2012). With casinos tailoring their venues and providing incentives to attract
      older adults, and with the increasing popularity of "pleasure trips" to casinos
      organized by retirement homes, plus active promotion of government-operated
      lotteries in many countries, this trend is likely to continue. Gambling disorder
      (GD) or "pathological" or "problem" gambling presents a public health concern in
      the geriatric population. However, ascertainment of its prevalence and diagnostic
      accuracy have proven challenging. This is largely due to the absence of
      diagnostic criteria specific to the geriatric age and rating scales validated for
      use in this population.

PMID- 28899444
TI  - Use of Implementation Science for a Sustained Reduction of Central-Line
      Associated Bloodstream Infections in a High-Volume, Regional Burn Unit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE We describe the use of implementation science at the unit level and
      organizational level to guide an intervention to reduce central-line-associated
      bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in a high-volume, regional, burn intensive care
      unit (BICU). DESIGN A single center observational quasi-experimental study.
      SETTING A regional BICU in Maryland serving 300-400 burn patients annually.
      INTERVENTIONS In 2011, an organizational-level and unit-level intervention was
      implemented to reduce the rates of CLABSI in a high-risk patient population in
      the BICU. At the organization level, leaders declared a goal of zero infections,
      created an infrastructure to support improvement efforts by creating a
      coordinating team, and engaged bedside staff. Performance data were transparently
      shared. At the unit level, the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP)/
      Translating Research Into Practice (TRIP) model was used. A series of
      interventions were implemented: development of new blood culture procurement
      criteria, implementation of chlorhexidine bathing and chlorhexidine dressings,
      use of alcohol impregnated caps, routine performance of root-cause analysis with
      executive engagement, and routine central venous catheter changes. RESULTS The
      use of an implementation science framework to guide multiple interventions
      resulted in the reduction of CLABSI rates from 15.5 per 1,000 central-line days
      to zero with a sustained rate of zero CLABSIs over 3 years (rate difference,
      15.5; 95% confidence interval, 8.54-22.48). CONCLUSIONS CLABSIs in high-risk
      units may be preventable with the a use a structured organizational and unit
      level paradigm. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1306-1311.

PMID- 28899446
TI  - Affective and emotional dysregulation as pre-dementia risk markers: exploring the
      mild behavioral impairment symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability, and
      euphoria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Affective and emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety,
      euphoria, and irritability are common neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in pre
      dementia and cognitively normal older adults. They comprise a domain of Mild
      Behavioral Impairment (MBI), which describes their emergence in later life as an
      at-risk state for cognitive decline and dementia, and as a potential
      manifestation of prodromal dementia. This selective scoping review explores the
      epidemiology and neurobiological links between affective and emotional symptoms,
      and incident cognitive decline, focusing on recent literature in this expanding
      field of research. METHODS: Existing literature in prodromal and dementia states
      was reviewed, focusing on epidemiology, and neurobiology. Search terms included:
      "mild cognitive impairment," "dementia," "prodromal dementia," "preclinical
      dementia," "Alzheimer's," "depression," "dysphoria," "mania," "euphoria,"
      "bipolar disorder," and "irritability." RESULTS: Affective and emotional
      dysregulation are common in preclinical and prodromal dementia syndromes, often
      being harbingers of neurodegenerative change and progressive cognitive decline.
      Nosological constraints in distinguishing between pre-existing psychiatric
      symptomatology and later life acquired NPS limit historical data utility, but
      emerging research emphasizes the importance of addressing time frames between
      symptom onset and cognitive decline, and age of symptom onset. CONCLUSION:
      Affective symptoms are of prognostic utility, but interventions to prevent
      dementia syndromes are limited. Trials need to assess interventions targeting
      known dementia pathology, toward novel pathology, as well as using psychiatric
      medications. Research focusing explicitly on later life onset symptomatology will
      improve our understanding of the neurobiology of NPS and neurodegeneration,
      enrich the study sample, and inform observational and clinical trial design for
      prevention and treatment strategies.

PMID- 28899445
TI  - Microbial Disruption Indices to Detect Colonization With Multidrug-Resistant
      Organisms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE To characterize the microbial disruption indices of hospitalized
      patients to predict colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).
      DESIGN A cross-sectional survey of the fecal microbiome was conducted in a
      tertiary referral, acute-care hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS The
      study population consisted of adult patients hospitalized in general
      medical/surgical wards. METHODS Rectal swabs were obtained from patients within
      48 hours of hospital admission and screened for MDRO colonization using
      conventional culture techniques. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced
      to assess the fecal microbiome. Microbial diversity and composition, as well as
      the functional potential of the microbial communities present in fecal samples,
      were compared between patients with and without MDRO colonization. RESULTS A
      total of 44 patients were included in the study, of whom 11 (25%) were colonized
      with at least 1 MDRO. Reduced microbial diversity and high abundance of metabolic
      pathways associated with multidrug-resistance mechanisms characterized the fecal
      microbiome of patients colonized with MDRO at hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS Our
      data suggest that microbial disruption indices may be key to predicting MDRO
      colonization and could provide novel infection control approaches. Infect Control
      Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1312-1318.

PMID- 28899447
TI  - Shifting care from community hospitals to intensive community support: a mixed
      method study.
AB  - : Aim To examine how the introduction of intensive community support (ICS)
      affected admissions to community hospital (CH) and to explore the views of
      patients, carers and health professionals on this transition. BACKGROUND: ICS was
      introduced to provide an alternative to CH provision for patients (mostly very
      elderly) requiring general rehabilitation. METHOD: Routine data from both
      services were analysed to identify the number of admissions and length of stay
      between September 2012 and September 2014. In total, 10 patients took part in
      qualitative interviews. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were undertaken
      with 19 staff members, including managers and clinicians. Findings There were
      5653 admissions to CH and 1710 to ICS between September 2012 and September 2014.
      In the five months before the introduction of ICS, admission rates to CH were on
      average 217/month; in the final five months of the study, when both services were
      fully operational, average numbers of patients admitted were: CH 162 (a 25%
      reduction), ICS 97, total 259 (a 19% increase). Patients and carers rated both
      ICS and CH favourably compared with acute hospital care. Those who had
      experienced both services felt each to be appropriate at the time; they
      appreciated the 24 h availability of staff in CH when they were more dependent,
      and the convenience of being at home after they had improved. In general, staff
      welcomed the introduction of ICS and appreciated the advantages of home-based
      rehabilitation. Managers had a clearer vision of ICS than staff on the ground,
      some of whom felt underprepared to work in the community. There was a consensus
      that ICS was managing less complex and dependent patients than had been
      envisaged. CONCLUSION: ICS can provide a feasible adjunct to CH that is
      acceptable to patients. More work is needed to promote the vision of ICS amongst
      staff in both community and acute sectors.

PMID- 28899448
TI  - Is it possible to register the ideas, concerns and expectations behind the reason
      for encounter as a means of classifying patient preferences with ICPC-2?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Family practice aims to recognize the health problems and needs
      expressed by the person rather than only focusing on the disease. Documenting
      person-related information will facilitate both the understanding and delivery of
      person-focused care. Aim To explore if the patients' ideas, concerns and
      expectations (ICE) behind the reason for encounter (RFE) can be coded with the
      International Classification of Primary Care, version 2 (ICPC-2) and what kinds
      of codes are missing to be able to do so. METHODS: In total, 613 consultations
      were observed, and patients' expressions of ICE were narratively recorded. These
      descriptions were consequently translated to ICPC codes by two researchers.
      Descriptions that could not be translated were qualitatively analysed in order to
      identify gaps in ICPC-2. RESULTS: In all, 613 consultations yielded 672 ICE
      expressions. Within the 123 that could not be coded with ICPC-2, eight categories
      could be defined: concern about the duration/time frame; concern about the
      evolution/severity; concern of being contagious or a danger to others; patient
      has no concern, but others do; expects a confirmation of something; expects a
      solution for the symptoms without specification of what it should be; expects a
      specific procedure; and expects that something is not done. Discussion Although
      many ICE can be registered with ICPC-2, adding eight new categories would capture
      almost all ICE.

PMID- 28899449
TI  - The provider perspective: investigating the effect of the Electronic Patient
      Reported Outcome (ePRO) mobile application and portal on primary care provider
      workflow.
AB  - : Aim This qualitative study investigates how the Electronic Patient-Reported
      Outcome (ePRO) mobile application and portal system, designed to capture patient
      reported measures to support self-management, affected primary care provider
      workflows. BACKGROUND: The Canadian health system is facing an ageing population
      that is living with chronic disease. Disruptive innovations like mobile health
      technologies can help to support health system transformation needed to better
      meet the multifaceted needs of the complex care patient. However, there are
      challenges with implementing these technologies in primary care settings, in
      particular the effect on primary care provider workflows. METHODS: Over a six
      week period interdisciplinary primary care providers (n=6) and their complex care
      patients (n=12), used the ePRO mobile application and portal to collaboratively
      goal-set, manage care plans, and support self-management using patient-reported
      measures. Secondary thematic analysis of focus groups, training sessions, and
      issue tracker reports captured user experiences at a Toronto area Family Health
      Team from October 2014 to January 2015. Findings Key issues raised by providers
      included: liability concerns associated with remote monitoring, increased
      documentation activities due to a lack of interoperability between the app and
      the electronic patient record, increased provider anxiety with regard to the
      potential for the app to disrupt and infringe upon appointment time, and
      increased demands for patient engagement. Primary care providers reported the app
      helped to focus care plans and to begin a collaborative conversation on goal
      setting. However, throughout our investigation we found a high level of provider
      resistance evidenced by consistent attempts to shift the app towards fitting with
      existing workflows rather than adapting much of their behaviour. As health
      systems seek innovative and disruptive models to better serve this complex
      patient population, provider change resistance will need to be addressed. New
      models and technologies cannot be disruptive in an environment that is resisting
      change.

PMID- 28899450
TI  - Joining forces to prevent dementia: The International Research Network On
      Dementia Prevention (IRNDP).
AB  - Dementia is a neurodegenerative disorder with global impact, with the largest
      proportion of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries. It is
      estimated that there are 46.8 million cases globally with approximately 10
      million new cases each year or a new case occurring every 3 sec (Prince et al.,
      2015). For comparison there are 36.7 million HIV cases with an estimated 2
      million new cases each year (WHO, 2017). The rise in dementia prevalence is
      largely due to population ageing, with the oldest being at highest risk. To date
      there are no diseases modifying medications for Alzheimer's disease or the other
      causes of dementia. Academics and research groups are increasingly focused on
      prevention or delay of dementia (Brayne and Miller, 2017) and a number of
      organizations now prioritize dementia, indicating a strong and coherent
      international effort to address this problem. Examples include the World Health
      Organisation (WHO), which has established a Global Dementia Observatory; the
      World Dementia Council; the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
      Development (OECD); the U.S. National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA); and the
      Global Council on Brain Health.

PMID- 28899451
TI  - Hand Hygiene Improvement and Sustainability: Assessing a Breakthrough
      Collaborative in Western Switzerland.
AB  - OBJECTIVE To assess hand hygiene improvement and sustainability associated with a
      Breakthrough Collaborative. DESIGN Multicenter analysis of hand hygiene
      compliance through direct observation by trained observers. SETTING A total of 5
      publicly funded hospitals in 14 locations, with a total of 1,152 beds, in the
      County of Vaud, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS Clinical staff. INTERVENTIONS In total,
      59,272 opportunities for hand hygiene were monitored for the duration of the
      study, for an average of 5,921 per audit (range, 5,449-6,852). An 18-month Hand
      Hygiene Breakthrough Collaborative was conducted to implement the WHO multimodal
      promotional strategy including improved access to alcohol-based hand rub,
      education, performance measurement and feedback, reminders and communication,
      leadership engagement, and safety culture. RESULTS Overall hand hygiene
      compliance improved from 61.9% to 88.3% (P<.001) over 18 months and was sustained
      at 88.9% (P=.248) 12 months after the intervention. Hand hygiene compliance among
      physicians increased from 62% to 85% (P<.001) and finally 86% at follow-up
      (P=.492); for nursing staff, compliance improved from 64% to 90% (P<.001) and
      finally 90% at follow-up (P=.464); for physiotherapists compliance improved from
      50% to 90% (P<.001) and finally 91% at follow-up (P=.619); for X-ray technicians
      compliance improved from 45% to 80% (P<.001) and finally 81% at follow-up
      (P=.686). Hand hygiene compliance also significantly increased with sustained
      improvement across all hand hygiene indications and all hospitals. CONCLUSIONS A
      rigorously conducted multicenter project combining the Breakthrough Collaborative
      method for its structure and the WHO multimodal strategy for content and
      measurement was associated with significant and substantial improvement in
      compliance across all professions, all hand hygiene indications, and all
      participating hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1420-1427.

PMID- 28899452
TI  - LC-HRMS for Characterizing Durum Wheat Pasta Production Variability and Consumer
      Overall Liking.
AB  - Semolina pasta represents one of the most important dishes in Italian cuisine
      worldwide. Italy is the leader in its production and, recently, the worldwide
      diffusion of its production has begun to grow tremendously. The perceived quality
      of a food product, such as pasta, is a key feature that allows a company to
      increase and maintain the competitive advantage of a specific brand. The overall
      flavor perception of the consumer, therefore, has become as important as other
      key quality factors such as texture and color; thus, the food industry needs to
      meet consumer expectations and needs the tools to objectively "measure" the
      quality of food products. Untargeted fingerprinting by means of coupling LC with
      high-resolution MS (HRMS) has been well received within the analytical community,
      and different studies exploiting this approach for the characterization of high
      value food products have recently been reported in the literature. In the present
      work, a tentative application of the sensomics approach to cluster analysis of
      semolina pasta obtained using different production conditions was developed to
      objectively define target molecules that correlate with consumer overall liking
      of an industrial standard product. Principal component analysis of chemical and
      physical testing, GC-MS, LC-HRMS, and sensory data were performed with the aim of
      identifying the main parameters to discern similarities and differences among
      samples and clustering them according to these features. The correlation between
      analytical data and compounds related to sensory data was further investigated,
      and lastly, a partial least-squares regression model for the prediction of
      consumer overall liking was reported.

PMID- 28899453
TI  - Application of MALDI-TOF MS Systems in the Rapid Identification of Campylobacter
      spp. of Public Health Importance.
AB  - Campylobacteriosis is an infectious gastrointestinal disease caused by
      Campylobacter spp. In most cases, it is either underdiagnosed or underreported
      due to poor diagnostics and limited databases. Several DNA-based molecular
      diagnostic techniques, including 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequence typing, have
      been widely used in the species identification of Campylobacter. Nevertheless,
      these assays are time-consuming and require a high quality of bacterial DNA.
      Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) MS is an
      emerging diagnostic technology that can provide the rapid identification of
      microorganisms by using their intact cells without extraction or purification. In
      this study, we analyzed 24 American Type Culture Collection reference isolates of
      16 Campylobacter spp. and five unknown clinical bacterial isolates for rapid
      identification utilizing two commercially available MADI-TOF MS platforms, namely
      the bioMerieux VITEK(r) MS and Bruker Biotyper systems. In addition, 16S rRNA
      sequencing was performed to confirm the species-level identification of the
      unknown clinical isolates. Both MALDI-TOF MS systems identified the isolates of
      C. jejuni, C. coli, C. lari, and C. fetus. The results of this study suggest that
      the MALDI-TOF MS technique can be used in the identification of Campylobacter
      spp. of public health importance.

PMID- 28899454
TI  - Determination of Carotenoids in Infant, Pediatric, and Adult Nutritionals by HPLC
      with UV-Visible Detection: Single-Laboratory Validation, First Action 2017.04.
AB  - This reversed-phase HPLC method uses C30 chromatography and UV-Vis spectroscopy
      to determine cis and trans isomers of lutein, beta-carotene, and lycopene in
      infant, pediatric, and adult nutritionals. Samples are saponified with a mixture
      of potassium hydroxide, tetrahydrofuran, and methanol, and carotenoids are
      extracted from saponified samples with 75 + 25 hexane-methyl tertiary butyl ether
      (MtBE). After extraction, a portion of the organic layer is evaporated to
      dryness, and the residue is dissolved in 75 + 25 10% butylated hydroxytoluene in
      methanol-MtBE. Prepared samples are injected into a C30 HPLC column where cis and
      trans isomers of lutein, beta-carotene, and lycopene are separated with a
      methanol-MtBE gradient and detected with UV-Vis spectroscopy at 445 nm. Total
      carotenoid concentrations are calculated by comparison of sample peak areas with
      the areas of trans carotenoid standards of known concentration. During a single
      laboratory validation of this method, total lutein repeatability and intermediate
      precision ranged from 1.89 to 14.9 and 1.93 to 14.0%, respectively, in infant and
      adult nutritional matrixes with concentrations >1 MUg/100 g. Total beta-carotene
      repeatability and intermediate precision ranged from 1.81 to 6.77 and 3.07 to
      16.2%, respectively, in infant and adult nutritional matrixes with concentrations
      >1 MUg/100 g, and total lycopene repeatability and intermediate precision ranged
      from 3.01 to 6.37 and 4.29 to 10.3%, respectively, in infant and adult
      nutritional matrixes with concentrations >1 MUg/100 g. Mean overspike recoveries
      ranged from 90.3 to 95.3, 89.3 to 108, and 97.3 to 109% for lutein, beta
      carotene, and lycopene, respectively. The method also demonstrated good
      linearity. For lutein, r averaged 0.99991 over a standard range of approximately
      10-250 ug/L trans-lutein. with average calibration errors of <1%. For beta
      carotene and lycopene, r averaged 0.99993 and 0.9998 over standard ranges of
      approximately 25-500 and 5-100 ug/L with calibration errors of <1 and <1.5%,
      respectively. Lutein, beta-carotene, and lycopene LOQs in ready-to-feed
      nutritionals were estimated to be 0.4, 0.1, and 0.3 ug/100 g, respectively. This
      method met AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals
      Standard Method Performance Requirements and was approved as a First Action
      Official Method at the AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2017 midyear meeting.

PMID- 28899455
TI  - Mitotic Arrest-Deficient Protein 2B Overexpressed in Lung Cancer Promotes
      Proliferation, EMT, and Metastasis.
AB  - As the non-catalytic subunit of mammalian DNA polymerase, mitotic arrest
      deficient protein 2B (MAD2B) has been reportedto play a role in cell-cycle
      regulation, DNA damage tolerance, gene expression and carcinogenesis. Although
      its expression is known to be associated with poor prognosis in several types of
      human cancers, the significance of MAD2B expression in lung malignancies is still
      unclear. Our study showed that MAD2B expression significantly increased in lung
      cancer, especially in the metastatic tissues. We also found that knockdown of
      MAD2B inhibited the migration, invasion and epithelialmesenchymal transitions of
      lung cancer cells in vitro and the metastasis in vivo, while over-expression of
      MAD2B had the opposite effect. Microarray and western blotting data indicated
      that slug might be its downstream target since knockdown of MAD2B inhibited the
      expression while over-expression increased the expression of slug. Moreover, the
      expression of MAD2B was found positively correlated with slug in lung cancer
      tissues, as well. Collectively, these findings indicate an oncogenic role of
      MAD2B in lung cancer, and slug might be involved in the process.

PMID- 28899456
TI  - ClC5 Decreases the Sensitivity of Multiple Myeloma Cells to Bortezomib via
      Promoting Prosurvival Autophagy.
AB  - Resistance to bortezomib (BZ) is the major problem that largely limits its
      clinical application in multiple myeloma treatment. In the current study, we
      investigated whether ClC5, a member of the chloride channel family, is involved
      in this process. The MTT assay showed that BZ treatment decreased cell viability
      in three multiple myeloma cell lines (ARH77, U266, and SKO-007), with IC50 values
      of 2.83, 4.37, and 1.91 nM, respectively. Moreover, BZ increased the conversion
      of LC3B-I to LC3B-II and expressions of beclin-1 and ATG5, concomitantly with a
      decreased p62 expression. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagy with 3-MA
      facilitated cell death in response to BZ treatment. Additionally, BZ increased
      ClC5 protein expression in ARH77, U266, and SKO-007 cells. Knockdown of ClC5 with
      small interfering RNA sensitized cells to BZ treatment, and upregulation of ClC5
      induced chemoresistance to BZ. Furthermore, ClC5 downregulation promoted BZ
      induced LC3B-I to LC3B-II conversion and beclin-1 expression, whereas
      overexpression of ClC5 showed the opposite results in ARH77 cells. Finally, BZ
      induced dephosphorylation of AKT and mTOR, which was significantly attenuated by
      ClC5 inhibition. However, ClC5 upregulation further enhanced AKT and mTOR
      dephosphorylation induced by BZ. Our study demonstrates that ClC5 induces
      chemoresistance of multiple myeloma cells to BZ via increasing prosurvival
      autophagy by inhibiting the AKT-mTOR pathway. These data suggest that ClC5 may
      play a critical role in future multiple myeloma treatment strategies.

PMID- 28899458
TI  - Long Noncoding RNA MALAT1 Functions as a Sponge of MiR-200c in Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - Previous researches have revealed that alteration of non-coding RNAs expression
      level in malignancies can significantlymodify the course of diseases. Current
      study was aimed to investigate the biological functions of lncRNA MALAT1 and miR
      200c, as well as the interaction between them. Quantitative real-time polymerase
      chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed that lncRNA MALAT1 was overexpressed in ovarian
      cancer tissues and cell lines in compare to adjacent normal tissue and normal
      human ovarian surface epithelial cells (HOSEPiCs). Contrarily, miR-200c
      expression was significantly decreased in ovarian cancer, which is negatively
      correlated with MALAT1 expression. In addition, overexpression of lncRNA MALAT1
      appeared to be related to worse prognosis and higher metastasis. In consistent
      with clinical outcomes, down-regulation of lncRNA MALAT1 suppressed the cell
      viability, migration and invasion abilities of ovarian cancer cell lines.
      Moreover, bioinformatics analysis suggested that3'-UTR of lncRNA MALAT1 and miR
      200c have a complementarity region. Rescue experiments confirmed that miR-200c
      could reverse the tumor-suppressive effect of knock-down of lncRNA MALAT1 on
      ovarian cancer cells. Nevertheless, luciferase assays verified the existence of
      direct binding between miR-200c and lncRNA MALAT1. In general, results of this
      study indicated that lncRNA MALAT1 is a oncogene in ovarian cancer, involved in
      the regulation of cell viability, migration and invasion abilities of ovarian
      cancer cells, which achieved its biological function by regulating miR-200c
      expression. Therefore, lncRNA MALAT1 could be a promising prognostic biomarker
      and therapeutic target for ovarian cancer and its relation with miR-200c might be
      a starting point for future researches.

PMID- 28899457
TI  - Swainsonine Inhibits Invasion and the EMT Process in Esophageal Carcinoma Cells
      by Targeting Twist1.
AB  - Esophageal cancer is a common gastrointestinal cancer, with a very high mortality
      rate in patients with metastasis. Swainsonine, a cytotoxic fungal alkaloid, has
      been shown to inhibit cell growth in esophageal cancer. In the present study, we
      explored the effects of swainsonine on cell invasion and metastasis in esophageal
      cancer cells. Human esophageal carcinoma cells were treated with different doses
      of swainsonine, and then cell viability, invasion, and apoptosis were measured.
      The mRNA and protein expressions of Twist1, apoptosis- and EMT-related factors,
      and PI3K/AKT pathway factors were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot.
      Swainsonine had no effect on esophageal cancer cell viability and apoptosis, but
      it significantly decreased cell invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Swainsonine
      increased the expression of E-cadherin but decreased the expression of N
      cadherin, vimentin, ZEB1, and snail in a dose-dependent manner, thereby
      inhibiting EMT. Last, we found that swainsonine inhibits cell invasion and EMT in
      the esophageal carcinoma cells by downregulation of Twist1 and deactivation of
      the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

PMID- 28899459
TI  - [Ring 14 chromosome syndrome in a boy mainly manifesting as drug-resistant
      epilepsy].

PMID- 28899460
TI  - [Genetic variations and epilepsy].

PMID- 28899461
TI  - [Alternating hemiplegia of childhood and epilepsy in an infant].

PMID- 28899462
TI  - [Diagnosis of alternating hemiplegia of childhood].

PMID- 28899463
TI  - [Bone metabolism disorders caused by sodium valproate therapy in children with
      epilepsy and the prevention of the disorders by supplementation of calcium and
      vitamin D].

PMID- 28899464
TI  - [Effect of sodium valproate therapy on bone metabolism].

PMID- 28899465
TI  - [Clinical features and MYO5B mutations of a family affected by microvillus
      inclusion disease].
AB  - Microvillus inclusion disease (MVID) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by
      biallelic mutations in the MYO5B or STX3 gene. Refractory diarrhea and
      malabsorption are the main clinical manifestations. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the clinical features and MYO5B gene mutations of an infant with
      MVID. A 21-day-old female infant was referred to the hospital with the complaint
      of diarrhea for 20 days. On physical examination, growth retardation of the body
      weight and length was found along with moderately jaundiced skin and sclera.
      Breath sounds were clear in the two lungs and the heart sounds were normal. The
      abdomen was distended and the veins in the abdominal wall were observed. The
      liver and spleen were not palpable. Biochemical analysis revealed raised serum
      total bile acids, bilirubin, transaminases and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase
      while decreased levels of serum sodium, chloride, phosphate and magnesium. Blood
      gas analysis indicated metabolic acidosis. The preliminary diagnosis was
      congenital diarrhea, and thus parenteral nutrition was given along with other
      symptomatic and supportive measures. However, diarrhea, metabolic acidosis and
      electrolyte disturbance were intractable, and the cholestatic indices, including
      transaminases, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, bilirubin and total bile acids,
      remained at increased levels. One month later, the patient was discharged and
      then lost contact. On genetic analysis, the infant was proved to be a compound
      heterozygote of the c.310+2Tdup and c.1966C>T(p.R656C) variants of the gene
      MYO5B, with c.310+2Tdup being a novel splice-site mutation. MVID was thus
      definitely diagnosed.

PMID- 28899466
TI  - [Clinical features and ETFDH mutations of children with late-onset glutaric
      aciduria type II: a report of two cases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and genetic features of two families with
      late-onset glutaric aciduria type II caused by ETFDH mutations. METHODS: Target
      gene sequence capture and next generation sequencing were used for sequencing of
      suspected patients and their family members. The patients' clinical features were
      retrospectively analyzed and literature review was performed. RESULTS: The
      probands of the two families had a clinical onset at the ages of 10 years and 5.5
      years respectively, with the clinical manifestations of muscle weakness and
      muscle pain. Laboratory examinations revealed significant increases in the serum
      levels of creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, and lactate dehydrogenase. Tandem
      mass spectrometry showed increases in various types of acylcarnitines. The
      analysis of urine organic acids showed an increase in glutaric acid.
      Electromyography showed myogenic damage in both patients. Gene detection showed
      two novel mutations in the ETFDH gene (c.1331T>C from the mother and c.824C>T
      from the father) in patient 1, and the patient's younger brother carried the
      c.1331T>C mutation but had a normal phenotype. In patient 2, there was a novel
      mutation (c.177insT from the father) and a known mutation (c.1474T>C from the
      mother) in the ETFDH gene. Several family members carried such mutations. Both
      patients were diagnosed with glutaric aciduria type II. Their symptoms were
      improved after high-dose vitamin B2 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with
      unexplained muscle weakness and pain, serum creatine kinase, acylcarnitines, and
      urinary organic acids should be measured, and the possibility of glutaric
      aciduria type II should be considered. Genetic detection is helpful to make a
      confirmed diagnosis.

PMID- 28899467
TI  - [Clinical significance of fractional exhaled nitric oxide combined with in vitro
      allergen test in identifying children at a high risk of asthma among those with
      recurrent wheezing].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical value of combined determination of in
      vitro allergens and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in indentifying
      children at a high risk of asthma among those with recurrent wheezing. METHODS: A
      total of 148 children with recurrent wheezing (0.5-6 years old) were enrolled as
      study subjects, and 80 healthy children who underwent physical examination were
      enrolled as the control group. Pharmacia UniCAP immunoassay analyzer was used to
      measure specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE). Nano Coulomb Nitric Oxide Analyzer was
      used to measure FeNO. The asthma predictive index (API) was evaluated. RESULTS:
      The recurrent wheezing group had a significantly higher proportion of children
      with positive sIgE than the control group [68.9% (102/148) vs 11.3% (9/80);
      P<0.05]. The recurrent wheezing group also had significantly higher levels and
      positive rate of FeNO than the control group (P<0.05). The overall positive rate
      of API in children with wheezing was 32.4%, and the API-positive children had a
      significantly higher FeNO value than the API-negative children (51+/-6 ppb vs
      13+/-5 ppb; P<0.05). The detection rate of API was 40.2% (41/102) in positive
      sIgE children and 50.1% (38/73) in FeNO-positive children, and there was no
      significant difference between these two groups. The children with positive sIgE
      and FeNO had a significantly higher detection rate of API (81.4%) than those with
      positive sIgE or FeNO (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Combined determination of FeNO and
      in vitro allergens is more sensitive in detecting children at a high risk of
      asthma than FeNO or in vitro allergens determination alone and provides a good
      method for early identification, diagnosis, and intervention of asthma in
      children.

PMID- 28899468
TI  - [Pathogen distribution and bacterial resistance in children with severe community
      acquired pneumonia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of pathogens and bacterial resistance
      in children with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: A total of
      522 children with severe CAP who were hospitalized in 2016 were enrolled as study
      subjects. According to their age, they were divided into infant group (402
      infants aged 28 days to 1 year), young children group (73 children aged 1 to 3
      years), preschool children group (35 children aged 3 to 6 years), and school-aged
      children group (12 children aged >=6 years). According to the onset season, all
      children were divided into spring group (March to May, 120 children), summer
      group (June to August, 93 children), autumn group (September to November, 105
      children), and winter group (December to February, 204 children). Sputum
      specimens from the deep airway were collected from all patients. The phoenix-100
      automatic bacterial identification system was used for bacterial identification
      and drug sensitivity test. The direct immunofluorescence assay was used to detect
      seven common respiratory viruses. The quantitative real-time PCR was used to
      detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). RESULTS: Of all
      the 522 children with severe CAP, 419 (80.3%) were found to have pathogens, among
      whom 190 (45.3%) had mixed infection. A total of 681 strains of pathogens were
      identified, including 371 bacterial strains (54.5%), 259 viral strains (38.0%),
      12 fungal strains (1.8%), 15 MP strains (2.2%), and 24 CT strains (3.5%). There
      were significant differences in the distribution of bacterial, viral, MP, and
      fungal infections between different age groups (P<0.05). There were significant
      differences in the incidence rate of viral infection between different season
      groups (P<0.05), with the highest incidence rate in winter. The drug-resistance
      rates of Streptococcus pneumoniae to erythromycin, tetracycline, and clindamycin
      reached above 85%, and the drug-resistance rates of Staphylococcus aureus to
      penicillin, erythromycin, and clindamycin were above 50%; they were all sensitive
      to vancomycin and linezolid. The drug-resistance rates of Haemophilus influenzae
      to cefaclor and cefuroxime were above 60%, but it was sensitive to cefotaxime.
      The drug-resistance rates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae to
      ampicillin, cefotaxime, and ceftriaxone were above 60%, but they were sensitive
      to carbapenems and compound preparation of enzyme inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS:
      Bacteria are the main pathogens in children with severe CAP and mixed infection
      is prevalent. The drug-resistance rates of these pathogenic bacteria are high.

PMID- 28899469
TI  - [Association between family environment and developmental coordination disorder
      in preschool children].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of family environment on developmental
      coordination disorder (DCD) in preschool children. METHODS: Stratified random
      cluster sampling was used to select 1 727 children (4-6 years old). The Movement
      Assessment Battery for Children was used to screen out the children with DCD. The
      Family Environment Scale on Motor Development for Preschool Urban Children and a
      self-designed questionnaire were used to assess family environment. RESULTS: A
      total of 117 children were confirmed with DCD. There were significant differences
      in mother's education level and family structure between the DCD and normal
      control groups. There were also significant differences in the scores of "Let
      children manage their daily items" and "Arrange all affairs" between the DCD and
      normal control groups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated
      that when children's age and gender were controlled, mother's education level,
      family structure, "Let children manage their daily items", and "Arrange all
      affairs" were main factors influencing the development of DCD in children
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Family environment may affect the development of DCD in
      preschool children. Therefore, parents should not arrange all affairs for
      children and should provide more opportunities for children to manage their daily
      life, in order to promote the development of early motor coordination and prevent
      the development of DCD.

PMID- 28899470
TI  - [Association between depression during pregnancy and low birth weight in
      neonates: a Meta analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the association between depression during pregnancy and low
      birth weight in neonates, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention of
      low birth weight. METHODS: Cohort studies on the association between depression
      during pregnancy and low birth weight were collected and a Meta analysis was
      performed. Data were extracted independently by two investigators, and quality
      assessment was performed according to Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The Egger's test
      was used to evaluate publication bias. RESULTS: A total of 12 cohort studies with
      37 192 samples were included. The results of the Meta analysis showed that
      depression during pregnancy was associated with low birth weight (Z=2.08,
      P=0.038), and the neonates whose mothers had depression during pregnancy tended
      to have a high risk of low birth weight (RR=1.303, 95%CI: 1.015-1.672). The
      sensitivity analysis showed that the results of this Meta analysis were stable
      and reliable, and the Egger's test showed no publication bias. CONCLUSIONS:
      Depression during pregnancy may be a risk factor for low birth weight in
      neonates.

PMID- 28899471
TI  - [A report of two children with fever, headache, and purpura].
AB  - In this study, two school-aged children had an acute onset in spring and had the
      manifestations of fever, headache, vomiting, disturbance of consciousness,
      purpura and ecchymosis, and positive meningeal irritation sign. There were
      increases in peripheral white blood cells and neutrophils, but reductions in the
      hemoglobin level and platelet count in the two children. They had a significant
      increase in C-reactive protein. There were hundreds or thousands of white blood
      cells in the cerebrospinal fluid, mainly neutrophils. Increased protein contents
      but normal levels of glucose and chloride in the cerebrospinal fluid were found.
      Head CT scan showed multiple hematomas in the right cerebellum and both
      hemispheres in one child. Bone marrow cytology indicated infection in the bone
      marrow, and both blood culture and bone marrow culture showed methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Both patients had cardiac murmurs and
      progressive reductions in the hemoglobin level and platelet count during
      treatment, and echocardiography showed the formation of vegetation in the aortic
      valve. Therefore, the patients were diagnosed with infectious endocarditis (IE).
      Vancomycin was used as the anti-infective therapy based on the results of drug
      sensitivity test. One child was cured after 6 weeks, and the other child was
      withdrawn from the treatment and then died. Dynamic monitoring of cardiac murmurs
      should be performed for children with unexplained fever, and echocardiography
      should be performed in time to exclude IE. IE should also be considered for
      children with purulent meningitis and skin and mucosal bleeding which cannot be
      explained by the reduction in platelet count.

PMID- 28899472
TI  - [Long-term effect of oligodendrocyte precursor cell transplantation on a rat
      model of white matter injury in the preterm infant].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term effect of oligodendrocyte precursor cell
      (OPC) transplantation on a rat model of white matter injury (WMI) in the preterm
      infant. METHODS: A total of 80 Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3 days were randomly
      divided into sham-operation group, model control group, 5-day ventricular/white
      matter transplantation group, 9-day ventricular/white matter transplantation
      group, 14-day ventricular/white matter transplantation group (n=10 each). All
      groups except the sham-operation group were treated with right common carotid
      artery ligation and hypoxia for 80 minutes to establish a rat model of WMI in the
      preterm infant. OPCs were prepared from the human fetal brain tissue (10-12
      gestational weeks). At 5, 9, and 14 days after modeling, 3*105 OPCs were injected
      into the right lateral ventricle or white matter in each transplantation group,
      and myelin sheath and neurological function were evaluated under an electron
      microscope at ages of 60 and 90 days. RESULTS: Electron microscopy showed that at
      an age of 60 days, each transplantation group had a slight improvement in myelin
      sheath injury compared with the model control group; at an age of 90 days, each
      transplantation group had significantly thickened myelin sheath and reduced
      structural damage compared with the model control group, and the 14-day
      transplantation groups had the most significant changes. There were no
      significant differences in the degree of myelin sheath injury between the
      ventricular and white matter transplantation groups at different time points. At
      an age of 60 or 90 days, the transplantation groups had a significantly higher
      modified neurological severity score (mNSS) than the sham-operation group and a
      significantly lower mNSS than the model control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: OPC
      transplantation may have a long-term effect in the treatment of WMI in the
      preterm infant, and delayed transplantation may enhance its therapeutic effect.

PMID- 28899473
TI  - [Effect of corticosterone on lissencephaly 1 expression in developing cerebral
      cortical neurons of fetal rats cultured in vitro].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of corticosterone on the expression of the
      neuronal migration protein lissencephaly 1 (LIS1) in developing cerebral cortical
      neurons of fetal rats. METHODS: The primary cultured cerebral cortical neurons of
      fetal Wistar rats were divided into control group, low-dose group, and high-dose
      group. The neurons were exposed to the medium containing different concentrations
      of corticosterone (0 MUmol/L for the control group, 0.1 MUmol/L for the low-dose
      group, and 1.0 MUmol/L for the high-dose group). The neurons were collected at 1,
      4, and 7 days after intervention. Western blot and immunocytochemical staining
      were used to observe the change in LIS1 expression in neurons. RESULTS: Western
      blot showed that at 7 days after intervention, the low- and high-dose groups had
      significantly higher expression of LIS1 in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cerebral
      cortical neurons than the control group (P<0.05), and the high-dose group had
      significantly lower expression of LIS1 in the cytoplasm of cerebral cortical
      neurons than the low-dose group (P<0.05). Immunocytochemical staining showed that
      at 1, 4, and 7 days after corticosterone intervention, the high-dose group had a
      significantly lower mean optical density of LIS1 than the control group and the
      low-dose group (P<0.05). At 7 days after intervention, the low-dose group had a
      significantly lower mean optical density of LIS1 than the control group (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Corticosterone downregulates the expression of the neuronal
      migration protein LIS1 in developing cerebral cortical neurons of fetal rats
      cultured in vitro, and such effect depends on the concentration of corticosterone
      and duration of corticosterone intervention.

PMID- 28899474
TI  - [Effect of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase gene silencing and high-concentration
      lysine on the viability of BRL hepatocytes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) gene
      silencing and accumulation of lysine metabolites on the viability of hepatocytes.
      METHODS: BRL cells were divided into normal control group, negative control
      group, and GCDH silencing group. The shRNA lentiviral vector for silencing GCDH
      gene was constructed, and the BRL hepatocytes in the GCDH silencing group and the
      negative control group were infected with this lentivirus and negative control
      virus respectively, and then cultured in a medium containing 5 mmol/L lysine.
      Immunofluorescence assay was used to measure the infection efficiency of
      lentivirus. Western blot was used to measure the expression of GCDH protein. MTT
      assay was used to evaluate cell viability. Hoechest33342 staining was used to
      measure cell apoptosis. Western blot was used to measure the expression of
      Caspase-3, an index of cell apoptosis. RESULTS: The lentivirus constructed
      effectively silenced the GCDH gene in hepatocytes (P<0.01). MTT assay and
      Hoechest 33342 staining showed no significant differences in cell viability and
      apoptosis between groups (P>0.05). There was also no significant difference in
      the expression of Caspase-3 protein between groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: GCDH
      gene silencing and accumulation of lysine metabolites may not cause marked
      hepatocyte injury.

PMID- 28899475
TI  - [Gene mutations in a newborn infant with hypermethioninemia].

PMID- 28899476
TI  - [Advances in genetic research of cerebral palsy].
AB  - Cerebral palsy is a group of syndromes caused by non-progressive brain injury in
      the fetus or infant and can cause disabilities in childhood. Etiology of cerebral
      palsy has always been a hot topic for clinical scientists. More and more studies
      have shown that genetic factors are closely associated with the development of
      cerebral palsy. With the development and application of various molecular and
      biological techniques such as chromosome microarray analysis, genome-wide
      association study, and whole exome sequencing, new achievements have been made in
      the genetic research of cerebral palsy. Chromosome abnormalities, copy number
      variations, susceptibility genes, and single gene mutation associated with the
      development of cerebral palsy have been identified, which provides new
      opportunities for the research on the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy. This
      article reviews the advances in the genetic research on cerebral palsy in recent
      years.

PMID- 28899477
TI  - [Research advances in pharmacogenomics of mercaptopurine].
AB  - Mercaptopurine is a common chemotherapeutic drug and immunosuppressive agent and
      plays an important role in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and
      inflammatory bowel disease. It may cause severe adverse effects such as
      myelosuppression, which may result in the interruption of treatment or
      complications including infection or even threaten patients' lives. However, the
      adverse effects of mercaptopurine show significant racial and individual
      differences, which reveal the important role of genetic diversity. Recent
      research advances in pharmacogenomics have gradually revealed the genetic nature
      of such differences. This article reviews the recent research advances in the
      pharmacogenomics and individualized application of mercaptopurine.

PMID- 28899478
TI  - Clinically-diagnosed Susac syndrome in a 50-year-old.

PMID- 28899479
TI  - Olfactory ensheathing cell tumor: a case presentation.

PMID- 28899480
TI  - Variability in hemoglobin levels in hemodialysis patients in the current era: a
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given regulatory and reimbursement changes in anemia management, we
      examined hemoglobin variability in a contemporary cohort of maintenance
      hemodialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included >
      200,000 hemodialysis patients with Medicare parts A and B as primary payer on
      October 1, 2012. Based on 25th and 75th percentiles, monthly hemoglobin values
      were categorized as low, intermediate, or high. Six variability categories were
      created by patterns during the 6-month observation period. Stable categories
      were: always-low, alwaysintermediate, always-high; variable patterns were:
      varying between low and intermediate, intermediate and high, low and high
      (mostvariable). Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the
      association between hemoglobin variability and all-cause mortality or major
      adverse cardiac events (MACE). RESULTS: The 25<sup>th</sup> and 75<sup>th</sup>
      hemoglobin percentiles were 10.2 and 11.5 g/dL, respectively, in 2012, vs. 11 and
      12.5 g/dL in 2004. ESA doses were lower in all categories in 2012 and transfusion
      rates higher, particularly for always-low patients. Hemoglobin variability
      decreased modestly: in 2004, 6.0% were always-intermediate, vs. 9.5% in 2012. In
      2012, more patients were always-high and fewer were most-variable. Mortality
      hazard ratios (HRs) were higher for patients with any low hemoglobin: always-low
      (HR, 95% CI: 2.07, 1.84 - 2.31), varying between low and intermediate (1.37, 1.29
      - 1.45), and most-variable (1.23, 1.16 - 1.31); the pattern was similar for MACE.
      CONCLUSIONS: In 2012 vs. 2004, hemoglobin levels decreased, the range of levels
      narrowed, and variability decreased modestly; transfusions increased. The highest
      risk of mortality and MACE appeared to occur in patients with persistently low,
      rather than highly variable, hemoglobin levels.

PMID- 28899481
TI  - CAL-B-Catalyzed deacylation of benzylic acetates: Effect of amines addition.
      Comparison of several approaches.
AB  - Herein, we report an efficient enantioselective cleavage of the acyl-moity of
      some secondary benzylic acetate derivatives catalyzed by lipase B from Candida
      antarctica (CAL-B) in the presence of triethylamine, as additive, in non aqueous
      media. The influence of the hydrophobicity of two solvent, the basicity of three
      amines and the amount of CAL-B were studied in the presence/absence of molecular
      sieves 4A. The best results in term of selectivity are achieved using the
      triethylamine as basic additive and in that case, the reactivity is only best at
      low conversion. To establish the effect of the parallel and/or competitive
      hydrolysis and its impact on the reactivity and selectivity of the enzymatic
      resolution, the kinetic profiles of three CAL-B-deacylation approaches of
      phenylethylacetate have been compared, using different nucleophiles in
      competition with the internal water mediated by: Na2CO3, EtOH and by using the
      Et3N as additive. Furthermore, a comparison between these deacylations with the
      acylation of 1-phenylethanol with isopropenylacetate, has been made. The
      appropriate modulation of some crucial parameters allows an optimal conversion
      and a high selectivity depending on the acetate structure and the introduced
      base. In the majority of cases, the (R)-alcohols are obtained with ee>99% and
      selectivities E>200 under mild conditions.

PMID- 28899482
TI  - Enzymatic synthesis of chlorogenic acid glucoside using dextransucrase and its
      physical and functional properties.
AB  - Chlorogenic acid, a major polyphenol in edible plants, possesses strong
      antioxidant activity, anti-lipid peroxidation and anticancer effects. It used for
      industrial applications; however, this is limited by its instability to heat or
      light. In this study, we for the first time synthesized chlorogenic acid
      glucoside (CHG) via transglycosylation using dextransucrase from Leuconostoc
      mesenteroides and sucrose. CHG was purified and its structure determined by
      nuclear magnetic resonance and matrix-associated laser desorption ionization-time
      of-flight mass spectroscopy. The production yield of CHG was 44.0% or 141mM, as
      determined by response surface methodology. CHG possessed a 65% increased water
      solubility and 2-fold browning resistance while it displayed stronger inhibition
      of lipid peroxidation and of colon cancer cell growth by MTT assay, compared to
      chlorogenic acid. Therefore, this study may expand the industrial applications of
      chlorogenic acid as water-soluble or browning resistant compound (CHG) through
      enzymatic glycosylation.

PMID- 28899483
TI  - Preparation, activity and structure of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs)
      with nanoparticle.
AB  - Cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) have emerged as an interesting biocatalyst
      design for enzyme immobilization. However, the commercialization of CLEAs is
      often hampered by their shortcomings, such as poor-controlled particle size, low
      activity and sticky characteristic. In order to overcome these drawbacks, five
      nanoparticles (NPs) (nano-TiO2, nano-MgO, nano-Ni, nano-Cu and nano-Fe3O4) were
      used to improve CLEAs activity and structure in this study. Results showed that
      moderate dosage of nano-TiO2 addition increased CLEAs activity, and the most
      increment was 15.2% relative to CLEAs without NPs. This was possibly due to more
      channels and smaller size particle of CLEAs after nano-TiO2 addition. Moreover,
      nano-TiO2 addition not only decreased fluorescence intensity but also caused the
      red shift in tryptophan (Trp) and tyrosine (Typ) residues. Nano-TiO2 addition
      decreased Km and increased Vmax of CLEAs. These changes were benefit to the
      activity and structure of CLEAs. However, addition of other four NPs (nano-MgO,
      nano-Ni, nano-Cu and nano-Fe3O4) did not increase CLEAs activity and even
      decrease CLEAs activity due to less amorphous cavities and larger or discrete
      particle size than CLEAs without NPs. In addition, FT-IR results showed that NPs
      addition increases the content of regular structure of CLEAs, and causes a
      partial transformation of beta-turn into beta-sheet. This study showed that it
      was potential to improve CLEAs performance by nano-TiO2 addition.

PMID- 28899484
TI  - Rational design of Kluyveromyces marxianus ZJB14056 aldo-keto reductase KmAKR to
      enhance diastereoselectivity and activity.
AB  - t-Butyl 6-cyano-(3R,5R)-dihydroxyhexanoate ((3R,5R)-1b) is a valuable chiral
      synthon of atorvastatin calcium. A novel NADPH-specific aldo-keto reductase (AKR)
      was identified from a thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus ZJB14056 by
      genome database mining, displaying t-butyl 6-cyano-(5R)-hydroxy-3-oxohexanoate
      ((5R)-1a) reducing activity and moderate diastereoselectivity (dep~80.5%).
      Molecular homology modeling and docking studies demonstrated that the side chain
      of Trp297 blocks binding of (5R)-1a to KmAKR. The mutation of Trp297 to His led
      to dramatic conformational changes and significant improvement in both
      diastereoselectivity and activity. In comparison with KmAKR, KmAKR-W297H
      displayed strict diastereoselectivity, and 2.8-fold, 3.9-fold improvement in kcat
      and kcat/Km toward (5R)-1a, which were 10.36s-1 and 6.56s-1.mM-1 respectively.
      Coupling KmAKR-W297H with Exiguobacterium sibiricum glucose dehydrogenase (EsGDH)
      for coenzyme regeneration, 100mM (5R)-1a was completely reduced to (3R,5R)-1b
      within 12h, in a dep >99.5%.

PMID- 28899485
TI  - Fluorescent CdSe QDs containing Bacillus licheniformis bioprobes for Copper (II)
      detection in water.
AB  - Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) that offer valuable
      functionality for cellular labeling, drug delivery, solar cells and quantum
      computation. In this study, we reported that CdSe QDs could be bio-synthesized in
      Bacillus licheniformis. After optimization, the obtained CdSe QDs exhibited a
      uniform particle size of 3.71+/-0.04nm with a maximum fluorescence emission
      wavelength at 550nm and the synthetical positive ratio can reach up to 87%.
      Spectral properties, constitution, particle sizes and crystalline phases of the
      CdSe QDs were systematically and integrally investigated. The CdSe QD-containing
      Bacillus licheniformis cells were further used as whole fluorescent bio-probes to
      detect copper (II) (Cu2+) in water, which demonstrated a low limit of detection
      (0.91MUM). The assay also showed a good selectivity for Cu2+ over other ions
      including Al3+, Cd2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, NH4+, Zn2+, CH3COO+, Pb2+ and I-. Our study
      suggests the fluorescent CdSe QDs-containing Bacillus licheniformis bio-probes as
      a promising approach for detection of Cu2+ in complex solution environment.

PMID- 28899486
TI  - Immobilization on graphene oxide improves the thermal stability and bioconversion
      efficiency of D-psicose 3-epimerase for rare sugar production.
AB  - D-Psicose (D-ribo-2-hexulose or D-allulose), an epimer of D-fructose is
      considered as a rare low-calorie sugar displaying important physiological
      functions. Enzymatic production using ketose 3-epimerases is the feasible process
      for the production of D-Psicose. However, major drawbacks in application of
      ketose 3-epimerases are bioconversion efficiency and reusability of the enzyme.
      We have attempted immobilization of ketose 3-epimerases from Agrobacterium
      tumefaciens (agtu) D-psicose 3-epimerase (DPEase) on graphene oxide. Scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and
      Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the enzyme was successfully
      immobilized on the graphene oxide. Graphene oxide immobilized agtu-DPEase (GO
      agtu-DPEase) shows pH optima at 7.5 and 60 degrees C as higher working
      temperature. Significant improvement in thermal stability was observed which
      showed half-life of 720min at 60 degrees C whereas Agrobacterium tumefaciens
      (agtu) DPEase displayed 3.99min. At equilibrium, 40:60 (D-psicose: D-fructose)
      the bioconversion efficiency was accounted for Graphene oxide immobilized DPEase
      which is higher than the agtu-DPEase. Graphene oxide immobilized DPEase showed
      bioconversion efficiency up to 10 cycles of reusability.

PMID- 28899488
TI  - Investigating the structural and functional features of representative
      recombinants of chondroitinase ABC I.
AB  - Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans (CSPGs) are the main inhibitors for axon
      regeneration after damaging of Central Nervous System (CNS). Chondroitinase ABC I
      (cABC I) can degrade CSPGs by removing chondroitin and dermatan sulfate side
      chains from proteoglycans. Hence, it may be considered as an attractive candidate
      in biomedicine. For practical applications of this enzyme, increasing the
      effective circulating level and reducing the number and volume of injections for
      patients is one of the main concerns which is directly related to conformational
      stability and catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. Structural examination of C
      terminal domain of cABC I reveals that there are a few numbers of residues in
      helical conformation which are positioned at the context of a cohesive structural
      organization of beta-strands. In line with our previous studies on C-terminal
      domain of cABC I and regarding the residues in alpha-helix conformation; we
      designed and constructs some representative mutants including M889K, M889L,
      L679D/M889K and L679S/M889K. According to structural and functional
      characterization of protein variants and regarding the wide range of variability
      in determining parameters for beta-sheet conformation, we proposed a model in
      which the structural integrity of beta-strands at C-terminal domain can be
      manipulated and directed toward a new patterns of organization, some of them may
      have positive effects on the structural and functional features of the enzyme.
      Using this strategy it may be possible to improve functional and structural
      features of the enzyme by engineering the intra-molecular interactions in
      positions far from the active site of the enzyme.

PMID- 28899487
TI  - Discovery, cloning and characterisation of proline specific prolyl endopeptidase,
      a gluten degrading thermo-stable enzyme from Sphaerobacter thermophiles.
AB  - Gluten free products have emerged during the last decades, as a result of a
      growing public concern and technological advancements allowing gluten reduction
      in food products. One approach is to use gluten degrading enzymes, typically at
      low or ambient temperatures, whereas many food production processes occur at
      elevated temperature. We present in this paper, the discovery, cloning and
      characterisation of a novel recombinant thermostable gluten degrading enzyme, a
      proline specific prolyl endoprotease (PEP) from Sphaerobacter thermophiles. The
      molecular mass of the prolyl endopeptidase was estimated to be 77kDa by using SDS
      PAGE. Enzyme activity assays with a synthetic dipeptide Z-Gly-Pro-p-nitroanilide
      as the substrate revealed that the enzyme had optimal activity at pH 6.6 and was
      most active from pH 5.0-8.0. The optimum temperature was 63  degrees C and
      residual activity after one hour incubation at 63  degrees C was higher than 75
      %. The enzyme was activated and stabilized by Co2+ and inhibited by Mg2+, K+ and
      Ca2+ followed by Zn2+, Na+, Mn2+, Al3+, and Cu2+. The Km and kcat values of the
      purified enzyme for different substrates were evaluated. The ability to degrade
      immunogenic gluten peptides (PQPQLPYPQPQLPY (a-gliadin) and SQQQFPQPQQPFPQQP
      (gamma-hordein)) was also confirmed by enzymatic assays and mass spectrometric
      analysis of cleavage fragments. Addition of the enzyme during small scale mashing
      of barley malt reduced the gluten content. The findings here demonstrate the
      potential of enzyme use during mashing to produce gluten free beer, and provide
      new insights into the effects of proline specific proteases on gluten
      degradation.

PMID- 28899489
TI  - Enhanced production of xylitol from xylose by expression of Bacillus subtilis
      arabinose:H+ symporter and Scheffersomyces stipitis xylose reductase in
      recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Inefficient transport of xylose into Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a major hurdle
      for production of xylitol, a natural sweetener with five carbons. To facilitate
      the xylose transport and hence increase xylose conversion to xylitol, the araE
      gene encoding an arabinose:H+ symporter (AraE) from Bacillus subtilis and the
      XYL1 gene from Scheffersomyces stipitis were expressed in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae EBY.VW4000, a hxt null mutant. The resulting strain of EXHA exhibited
      4.1 fold increases in xylose consumption rate and xylitol productivity, relative
      to the control strain without AraE. Also, overexpression of AraE in wild type S.
      cerevisiae D452-2 having all hexose transporters and the XYL1 gene increased both
      xylose consumption and xylitol production considerably. In a glucose-limited fed
      batch culture with intermittent addition of xylose, the DXXA strain with multiple
      copies of araE and XYL1 produced 177.8g/L xylitol with 2.47g/L-h productivity,
      which were 26.9 and 17.6 times higher than those for a batch culture of the DX
      strain expressing the XYL1 gene only, respectively. It was concluded that B.
      subtilis AraE might be a potent xylose transporter and conferred much higher
      xylose-consuming and xylitol-producing abilities to S. cerevisiae.

PMID- 28899490
TI  - A new pH indicator dye-based method for rapid and efficient screening of l
      asparaginase producing microorganisms.
AB  - l-asparaginase is a pharmaceutically and industrially important enzyme as it has
      potential to treat different cancers and inhibit acrylamide formation in fried
      and baked food products. In the present study, an attempt was made to screen for
      new and novel l-asparaginase producers using a widely applied phenol red and
      bromothymol blue (BTB)1 dye-based plate assay. Screening of four different soil
      samples for l-asparaginase producers resulted in the isolation of three new
      potential l-asparaginase producing bacteria. These three strains identified (by
      16S rRNA sequencing) as a Pseudomonas resinovorans strain IGS-131, a Bacillus
      safensis strain IGS-81, and a Glutamicibacter arilaitensis strain ICS-13 with
      enzyme activities of 10.91 IU/ml, 6.65 IU/ml, and 1.47 IU/ml, respectively. These
      three strains of bacteria have not been reported as l-asparaginase producers
      previously. Also, we developed a new pH indicator dye-based plate assay for the
      screening of l-asparaginase producers after testing eight different pH indicator
      dyes. This cresol red dye-based method gave a better differentiable zone of
      hydrolysis and consistent results as compared to previously reported phenol red
      and BTB-based plate assay. It was also found to be efficient in comparison to all
      other dyes studied. It produced a bright yellow color at acidic pH (5.5) and
      turned into a dark red or maroon color when pH was increased (above 7.5). This
      finding is expected to make screening of all kinds of l-asparaginases more
      comfortable, rapid, and efficient.

PMID- 28899491
TI  - Association between selenium and lycopene supplementation and incidence of
      prostate cancer: Results from the post-hoc analysis of the procomb trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many potential chemopreventive agents have been used in PCa
      prevention, including selenium (Se) and lycopene (Ly). However, their role has
      been matter of debate over the years, due to potential of promotion of PCa.
      PURPOSE: In this study we aimed at evaluating the incidence risk of prostate
      cancer (PCa) in a cohort of patients treated with Se and Ly. METHODS: The Procomb
      trial design has been previously published (ISRCTN78639965). From April 2012 to
      April 2014 209 patients were followed and underwent prostate biopsy when PSA >=4
      ng/ml and/or suspicion of PCa. The all cohort was composed by patients treated
      with Se and Ly (Group A = 134 patients) and control (Group B = 75 patients).
      RESULTS: During the follow-up time of 2 years, a total of 24 patients (11.5%)
      underwent prostate biopsy, of which 9 (4.3%) where diagnosed with PCa and 15
      (7.2%) where diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia. We did not observe
      statistical differences in terms of mean changes of PSA between the two groups (p
      value for trend = 0.33). The relative risk (RR) for PCa was 1.07 and 0.89 in
      group A and B, respectively (p = 0.95). At the multivariate Cox regression
      analysis supplementation with Se and Ly was not associated with greater risk of
      PCa (hazard ratio: 1.38; p = 0.67). CONCLUSION: In this analysis we did not show
      evidences supporting a detrimental role of Selenium and Lycopene supplementation
      in increasing PCa after 2 years of therapy, nor supporting a protective role.

PMID- 28899492
TI  - Tilianin pretreatment prevents myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via
      preservation of mitochondrial function in rat heart.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tilianin has been demonstrated to exert protective effects on the
      heart against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, yet whether it is beneficial to
      the mitochondria during myocardial I/R is unclear. METHODS: In this study, we
      demonstrated that pretreatment with Tilianin dose-dependently raised the levels
      of ATP of the myocardium, and protected the microstructures and functions of
      mitochondria in rats. Furthermore, the cytoprotective effect of Tilianin has been
      confirmed in vivo and in the H9c2 cardiomyoblast cell line with enhancing
      activities of the mitochondria, controlling the levels of Ca2+ and reactive
      oxygen species (ROS), and inhibiting the expression of caspase-3 and AIF in
      cytoplasm. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the study suggests that Tilianin may be of
      clinical value for the protective effects of cardiomyocytes and mitochondria by
      inhibiting myocardium energy metabolism and apoptosis during myocardial ischemia
      reperfusion injury (MIRI).

PMID- 28899493
TI  - Protective effects of Paeoniflorin against AOPP-induced oxidative injury in
      HUVECs by blocking the ROS-HIF-1alpha/VEGF pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paeoniflorin, a monoterpene glycoside, exerts protective vascular
      effects, showing good antioxidant properties. However, whether Paeoniflorin has
      protective effect against the oxidative damage induced by advanced oxidation
      protein products (AOPPs) in Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) is
      unknown, as is the underlying mechanism. PURPOSE: The present study was designed
      to investigate the effect of Paeoniflorin on oxidative damage of HUVECs and
      elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The fluorescence
      intensity of 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining was detected
      for intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The increases
      mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured via flow cytometry and
      confocal microscopy using MitoTracker(r) Deep Red/ MitoTracker(r) Green staining.
      The intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was measured by ATP Determination
      Kit according to the manufacturer's protocol. Nox2, Nox4, hypoxia inducible
      factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) p65 expressions were detected by western blot. RESULTS:
      Our results showed that Paeoniflorin increases MMP and ATP levels of HUVECs
      induced by AOPPs, and attenuates NF-kappaB p65 expression on HUVECs might mainly
      result from its antioxidant capability by suppressing ROS production. Moreover,
      we also found that Paeoniflorin can suppress HIF-1alpha and VEGF protein
      expression through a decrease of ROS production via down-regulation of Nox2/Nox4
      expression in HUVECs. AOPP-induced RAGE mRNA up-regulation was blocked by
      Paeoniflorin treatment in HUVECs. CONCLUSION: Our results provided the first
      experimental that Paeoniflorin protects against AOPP-induced oxidative damage in
      HUVECs, mainly through a mechanism involving a decrease in ROS production by the
      inhibition of Nox2/Nox4 and RAGE expression; restored ATP depletion and
      mitochondria dysfunction via ROS suppression; and down-regulated HIF-1alpha/VEGF,
      possibly via the ROS-NF-kappaB axis.

PMID- 28899494
TI  - Intranasal co-administration of 1,8-cineole with influenza vaccine provide cross
      protection against influenza virus infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaccination is the most efficient means for protection against
      influenza. However, the various vaccines have low efficacy to protect against
      pandemic strains because of antigenic drift and recombination of influenza virus.
      Adjuvant therapy is one of the attempts to improve influenza vaccine effective
      cross-protection against influenza virus infection. Our previous study confirmed
      that 1,8-cineole inhibits the NF-kappaB, reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines, and
      relieves the pathological changes of viral pneumonia in mice infected with
      influenza virus. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: 1,8-cineole, administered via intranasal
      (i.n.) route, may also have the capacity to be an adjuvant of the influenza
      vaccine. This study was designed to investigate the potential use of i.n. co
      administration of 1,8-cineole, a major component of the Eucalyptus essential
      oils, with influenza vaccine and whether could provide cross-protection against
      influenza virus infection in a mouse model. STUDY DESIGN: I.n. co-administration
      of 1,8-cineole in two doses (6.25 and 12.5 mg/kg) with influenza vaccine was
      investigated in a mouse model in order to see whether it could provide cross
      protection against influenza virus infection. METHODS: The mice were intranasally
      immunized three times at the 0, 7 and 14 day with vaccine containing 0.2 ug
      hemagglutinin (HA) and/or without 1,8-cineole. Seven days after the 3rd
      immunization dose, the mice were infected with 50 ul of 15 LD50 (50% mouse lethal
      dose) influenza virus A/FM/1/47 (H1N1). On day 6 post-infection, 10 mice per
      group were sacrificed to collect samples, to take the body weight and lung, and
      detect the viral load, pathological changes in the lungs and antibody, etc. The
      collected samples included blood serum and nasal lavage fluids. In addition, the
      survival experiments were carried out  to investigate the survival of mice.
      RESULTS: Mice i.n. inoculated with influenza vaccine and 12.5 mg/kg 1,8-cineole
      increased the production of influenza-specific serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G2a
      antibodies, stimulated mucosal secretive IgA (s-IgA) responses at the nasal
      cavity, improved the expression of respiratory tract intraepithelial lymphocytes
      (IELs) in the upper respiratory tract, and promoted dendritic cell (DC)
      maturation and the expression of co-stimulatory molecules cluster of
      differentiation (CD)40, CD80 and CD86 in peripheral blood. Importantly, mice that
      had received 1,8-cineole-supplemented influenza vaccine showed longer survival
      time, milder inflammation, less weight loss and mortality rate and lower lung
      index and viral titers compared to that of mice immunized a non-1,8-cineole
      adjuvanted split vaccine. Thus, i.n. immunization with 1,8-cineole-adjuvanted
      vaccine induces a superior cross-protective immunity against infection with
      influenza than an inactivated vaccine only. CONCLUSION: These results suggest
      that 1,8-cineole (12.5 mg/kg) has a cross-protection against influenza virus, co
      administered with inactivated influenza viral antigen in a mouse model.

PMID- 28899495
TI  - Cytotoxic activities of Telectadium dongnaiense and its constituents by
      inhibition of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway is a potential target for the
      treatment of human colon cancer. Thus, the inhibitory effects of various plant
      extracts on cell proliferation and Wnt signal transduction were evaluated to
      discover a Wnt signaling inhibitor. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to
      investigate the cytotoxicity involved in Wnt pathway of the MeOH extract from
      Telectadium dongnaiense bark (TDB) and to identify its bioactive constituents by
      bioassay-guided fractionation. METHODS: The sulforhodamine B-based proliferation
      assay and the beta-catenin/TCF-responsive reporter gene assay were employed as
      screening systems. The isolation and identification of compounds were elucidated
      on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Inhibitory effects on the expression
      levels of Wnt target genes were determined by real-time PCR and western blotting.
      RESULTS: The extract of TDB most strongly inhibited cell proliferation and
      TOPflash activity (IC50 = 1.5 and 2.0 ug/ml), which was correlated with its
      inhibitory effects on the expression of Wnt target genes. Three major compounds
      were isolated from bioactive fractions and were identified as 1,4
      dicaffeoylquinic acid (1), quercetin 3-rutinoside (2), and periplocin (3). Only
      compound 3 showed anti-proliferative activity (IC50 = 0.06 uM) and exhibited Wnt
      signaling inhibitory effects in HCT116 colon cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study contributes to understanding the cytotoxic properties of TDB extract and
      its constituents and provides a potent strategy for its further application.

PMID- 28899496
TI  - Neem (Azadirachta indica): An indian traditional panacea with modern molecular
      basis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For centuries, agents derived from natural sources (mother nature),
      especially plants have been the primary source of medicine. Neem, also referred
      to as Azadirachta indica is one such plant that has been so named because it
      provides freedom from all diseases, and used for thousands of years in Indian and
      African continents. Different parts of the plant including flowers, leaves, seeds
      and bark have been used to treat both acute and chronic human diseases; and used
      as insecticide; antimicrobial, larvicidal, antimalarial, antibacterial,
      antiviral, and spermicidal. PURPOSE: What is there in neem and how it manifests
      its wide variety of effects is the focus of this review. How neem and its
      constituents modulate various cellular pathways is discussed. The animal and
      human studies carried out with neem and its constituents is also discussed.
      CONCLUSION: Over 1000 research articles published on neem has uncovered over 300
      structurally diverse constituents, one third of which are limonoids including
      nimbolide, azadarachtin, and gedunin. These agents manifest their effects by
      modulating multiple cell signaling pathways.

PMID- 28899497
TI  - Molecular targets and anticancer potential of sanguinarine-a benzophenanthridine
      alkaloid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer is an enormous global health burden, and should be effectively
      addressed with better therapeutic strategies. Currently, over 60% of the
      clinically approved anticancer agents are either directly isolated from natural
      sources or are modified from natural lead molecules. Sanguinarine (SNG), a
      quaternary benzophenanthridine alkaloid has gained increasing attention in recent
      years as a potential anticancer agent. PURPOSE: There is a large untapped source
      of phytochemical-based anticancer agents remaining to be explored. This review
      article aims to recapitulate different anticancer properties of SNG, and
      describes some of the molecular targets involved in exerting its effect. It also
      depicts the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of SNG, two parameters
      important in determining the druggability of a molecule. METHODS: Numerous in
      vivo and in vitro published studies have signified the anticancer properties of
      SNG. In order to collate and decipher these properties, an extensive literature
      search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus using keywords followed
      by the evaluation of the relevant articles where the relevant reports are
      integrated and analyzed. RESULTS: Apart from inducing cell death, SNG inhibits
      pro-tumorigenic processes such as invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis in
      different cancers. Moreover, SNG has been shown to synergistically enhance the
      sensitivity of several chemotherapeutic agents and is effective against a variety
      of multi-drug resistant cancers.

PMID- 28899498
TI  - Galangin ameliorates cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in vivo by modulation of
      oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation through interplay of MAPK signaling
      cascade.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent but now
      a-days its usage is limited in clinical chemotherapy because of its severe
      nephrotoxic effect on renal tissues. Galangin, a flavonoid obtained from ginger
      family has been demonstrated to have antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti
      inflammatory properties. This study is aimed to investigate the possible
      ameliorative effect of galangin in a rodent model of cisplatin-induced
      nephrotoxicity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adult male albino wistar rats were divided
      into six groups (n=6) viz normal, cisplatin-control, galangin (25, 50 and
      100mg/kg p.o.) and per se (100mg/kg galangin, p.o.). Galangin was administrated
      orally to the rats for a period of 10 days. On the 7th day of the treatment,
      nephrotoxicity was induced in all the groups by a single dose of cisplatin
      (8mg/kg, i.p.) (except normal and per se group). On the 11th day, the rats were
      anaesthetized and blood was withdrawn via direct heart puncture for biochemical
      estimation. Rats were sacrificed and kidneys were isolated and preserved for
      evaluation of histopathological, ultra structural immunohistochemical studies and
      western blot analysis. RESULTS: Cisplatin significantly impaired renal function
      and increased oxidative stress and inflammation. It also increased expression of
      pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 and decreased the expression of the anti
      apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Histological and ultrastructural findings were also
      supportive of renal tubular damage. Pretreatment with galangin (100mg/kg p.o.)
      preserved renal function, morphology, suppressed oxidative stress, inflammation
      and the activation of apoptotic pathways. TUNEL assay showed decreased DNA
      fragmentation on galangin pre-treatment. Furthermore, galangin (100mg/kg) pre
      treatment also reduced the expression of NFkappaB along with proteins MAPK
      pathway i.e. p38, JNK and ERK1/2. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, Galangin (100mg/kg,
      p.o.) significantly ameliorated cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity by suppressing
      MAPK induced inflammation and apoptosis.

PMID- 28899499
TI  - Mechanisms underlying antiatherosclerotic properties of an enriched fraction
      obtained from Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil. var. paraguariensis (Aquifoliaceae)
      popularly known as 'mate' is an important species native to South America.
      Despite numerous studies showing significant antioxidant and lipid lowering
      properties, the antiatherosclerotic mechanisms of this species remain unknown.
      PURPOSE: To evaluate the possible antiatherosclerotic effects of a butanolic
      fraction (n-BFIP) obtained from I. paraguariensis and to investigate the
      molecular mechanisms involved in this activity. METHODS: First, n-BFIP was
      obtained from the hydroalcoholic extract and a detailed phytochemical
      investigation about its main secondary metabolites was performed. Then, during 8
      experimental weeks, rabbits received diet supplemented with 1% cholesterol (CRD).
      After 4 weeks of CDR, animals were redistributed into five groups (n = 6) and
      treated (p.o.) with n-BFIP (10, 30 and 100 mg/kg), simvastatin (5 mg/kg), or
      vehicle (filtered water, 1 ml/kg) once daily for 4 weeks. An additional group was
      fed with cholesterol-free diet and treated with vehicle. At the end of 8 weeks,
      serum samples were obtained for the measurement of serum lipids, lipid and
      protein oxidation and indirect nitric oxide levels. In addition, serum IL-1beta,
      IL-6, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, and intracellular cGMP levels in rabbit aortic rings were
      measured. Samples from the aortic arch and thoracic segment were collected for
      histopathological analysis. RESULTS: CRD induced oxidative and nitrosative stress
      and increased serum lipids, IL-1beta, IL-6, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1 levels. In
      addition, structural changes in the intima layers of different arterial branches
      were also found. Although it did not change serum lipids, n-BFIP reverted
      oxidative and nitrosative stress and reduced IL-1beta, IL-6, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1
      levels, besides to increasing intracellular levels of cGMP in vitro. In addition,
      the formation of atherosclerotic plaques was reduced to values close to those of
      animals fed with cholesterol-free diet. CONCLUSIONS: A 4-week n-FBIP treatment
      reduces the progression of the atherosclerotic disease in New Zealand rabbits.
      These effects are associated with an attenuation of oxidative and nitrosative
      stress, affecting IL-1beta, IL-6, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 levels.

PMID- 28899500
TI  - Calebin A, a novel component of turmeric, suppresses NF-kappaB regulated cell
      survival and inflammatory gene products leading to inhibition of cell growth and
      chemosensitization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While the anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential of curcumin,
      which is derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been studied extensively,
      very little is known about Calebin A, another novel compound from the same
      source. PURPOSE: To determine whether Calebin A exhibits anti-inflammatory and
      anticancer potential. METHODS: We examined the anti-inflammatory potential of
      Calebin A by DNA binding of NF-kappaB. Anticancer properties of Calebin were
      determined by MTT and FACS analysis and NF-kappaB regulated expression of
      proteins was assessed by western blotting. RESULTS: Calebin A suppressed NF
      kappaB activation induced by various stimuli. This inhibition of NF-kappaB
      activation was mediated through the suppression of direct binding of NF
      kappaB/p65 to the DNA. This inhibitory effect was reversed by a reducing agent,
      and mutation of the Cys38 of p65 to serine abolished the effect of Calebin A on
      this binding. Suppression of NF-kappaB activation by Calebin A resulted in the
      down-regulation of the expression of proteins involved in tumor cell survival,
      proliferation, inflammation, and metastasis. Furthermore, Calebin A inhibited
      proliferation and induced apoptosis in a wide variety of tumor cells, as examined
      by various assays. It enhanced apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic agents.
      CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that Calebin A inhibits NF-kappaB activation
      pathway through interaction with p65 and potentiates apoptosis in cancer cells;
      thus, it has potential in the treatment of cancer. However, further in vivo
      studies are warranted to define its anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential.

PMID- 28899501
TI  - Modulation of P-glycoprotein by Stemona alkaloids in human multidrug resistance
      leukemic cells and structural relationships.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major reason for the failure of
      chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients. P-gp over-expression in MDR
      cancer cells is a multifactorial phenomenon with biochemical resistance
      mechanisms. Stemofoline (STF), isolated from Stemona bukillii, has been reported
      to be an MDR reversing compound. PURPOSE: This study investigated whether other
      Stemona alkaloids that had been purified from Stemonaceae plants exerted MDR
      modulation activity. METHODS: MTT assay was performed to determine the MDR
      reversing property of the alkaloids. Modulation of P-gp function by these
      compounds was investigated using cell cycle analysis and P-gp fluorescent
      substrate accumulation assays. P-gp expression was determined by Western blot
      analysis. We preliminarily examined the safety of these compounds in normal human
      fibroblasts and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using the MTT
      assay, and in red blood cells (human and rat) through in vitro hemolysis assays.
      RESULTS: Three of the eight alkaloids tested, isostemofoline (ISTF), 11Z 
      didehydrostemofoline (11Z-DSTF) and 11E-didehydrostemofoline (11E-DSTF), enhanced
      the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of MDR leukemic K562/Adr cells, which
      overexpressed P-gp. The P-gp functional studies showed that these three alkaloids
      increased the accumulation of P-gp substrates, calcein-AM (C-AM) and rhodamine123
      (Rho 123) in K562/Adr cells, while this effect was not seen in drug sensitive
      parental K562 cells. Whereas, the alkaloids did not alter P-gp expression as was
      determined by Western blotting analysis. CONCLUSION: The alkaloids reversed MDR
      via the inhibition of P-gp function. For pharmaceutical safety testing, the
      alkaloids were found to be not toxic to normal human fibroblasts and PBMCs.
      Moreover, the effective compounds did not induce hemolysis in either human or rat
      erythrocytes. These compounds may be introduced as potential candidate molecules
      for treating cancers exhibiting P-gp-mediated MDR.

PMID- 28899502
TI  - Melaleuca quinquenervia essential oil inhibits alpha-melanocyte-stimulating
      hormone-induced melanin production and oxidative stress in B16 melanoma cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Essential oils are odorous, volatile products of plant secondary
      metabolism, which are found in many leaves and stems. They show important
      biological activities, which account for the development of aromatherapy used in
      complementary and alternative medicine. The essential oil extracted from
      Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.T. Blake (paperbark) (MQ-EO) has various
      functional properties. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the
      chemical composition of MQ-EO by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC
      MS) and evaluate its tyrosinase inhibitory activity. METHODS: Gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolomics was used to identify 18 components
      in MQ-EO. The main components identified were 1,8-cineole (21.60%), alpha-pinene
      (15.93%), viridiflorol (14.55%), and alpha-terpineol (13.73%). B16 melanoma cells
      were treated with alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) in the
      presence of various concentrations of MQ-EO or its major compounds. Cell
      viability was accessed by MTT assay and cellular tyrosinase activity and melanin
      content were determined by using spectrophotographic methods. The antioxidant
      mechanism of MQ-EO in alpha-MSH stimulated B16 cells was also investigated.
      RESULTS: In alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH)-stimulated murine
      B16 melanoma cells, MQ-EO, 1,8-cineole, alpha-pinene, and alpha-terpineol
      significantly reduced melanin content and tyrosinase activity. Moreover, MQ-EO,
      1,8-cineole, alpha-pinene, and alpha-terpineol decreased malondialdehyde (MDA)
      levels. In addition, restored glutathione (GSH) levels, glutathione peroxidase
      (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase activities were increased in
      alpha-MSH-stimulated B16 cells. MQ-EO not only decreased apoptosis but also
      reduced DNA damage in alpha-MSH stimulated B16 cells. These results showed that
      MQ-EO and its main components, 1,8-cineole, alpha-pinene, and alpha-terpineol,
      possessed potent anti-tyrosinase and anti-melanogenic activities besides the
      antioxidant properties. CONCLUSIONS: The active functional components of MQ-EO
      were found to be 1,8-cineole, alpha-pinene, and alpha-terpineol. Consequently,
      the results of present study suggest that MQ-EO is non-cytotoxic and can be used
      as a skin-whitening agent, both medically and cosmetically.

PMID- 28899503
TI  - Salicylate-based phytopharmaceuticals induce adaptive cytokine and chemokine
      network responses in human fibroblast cultures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytokines and chemokines (CC) play a central role in immunoregulatory
      and inflammatory processes. Neutralising antibodies for single proinflammatory
      cytokines have developed into a powerful, though expensive and not always
      curative therapeutic strategy for severe diseases. Considering the redundancy of
      CC functions, network (N) rather than single target approaches are essential.
      Phytopharmaceuticals, common adjuvant therapies, are known modulators of a broad
      spectrum of CCs, but as complex mixtures with multiple targets they have not been
      systematically investigated. We investigated the effect of clinically established
      salicylate-based phytopharmaceuticals alone or in combination on CCNs under non
      inflammatory and inflammatory conditions, using fibroblasts being a major source
      of cytokines in connective tissue diseases. METHODS: Synchronised human skin
      fibroblasts (HSKF) were treated for 6 h with standardised fluid plant extracts
      (E) of Populus tremula L. [end concentration: 0.06%, 0.1%], Solidago virgaurea L.
      [0.02%, 0.1%], Fraxinus excelsior L. [0.02%, 0.1%], an established combination of
      the three extracts-STW1 [0.05, 0.1%] and acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) [30 ug/ml],
      individually or in the presence of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) [10 ug/ml]. Cell
      lysates were profiled for 23 cytokines. Supernatants were investigated for IL-6
      and IL-8 release (ELISA). Total RNA was isolated for gene-expression profiling.
      RESULTS: Under non-inflammatory conditions P. tremula E and ASA increased
      cellular proteins (P) IL-8 and IL-10; S. virgaurea E modulated IL-1alpha, IL-10,
      IL-15 and Groalpha (P). F. excelsior decreased IL-1alpha and IL-15 (P). The
      combination of the three extracts (STW1) modulated IL-1alpha, IL-3 and TNF-beta
      (P). LPS stimulation increased cellular IL-8, Groalpha, MCP-1 and RANTES (P) and
      increased the secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 into the medium. Under these
      inflammatory conditions F. excelsior reduced GMCSF, GCSF and RANTES. STW1 reduced
      IL-1alpha, IL-8, Groalpha, and MCP-1(P). Secretion of IL-8 and IL-6 was reduced
      by STW1 and ASA. Gene expression profiles supported non-additive CCN profiles.
      CONCLUSION: Salicylate based phytopharmaceuticals provoke cellular pro-and anti
      inflammatory CCN responses under non-stress conditions, which adapt to anti
      inflammatory responses after LPS-stimulation. CCN-profiles of the single extracts
      are not additives in combination. A simultaneous activation of cellular pro- and
      anti-inflammatory cytokines might heighten the immunological reactivity status of
      a cell.

PMID- 28899504
TI  - Horizontal natural product transfer: A potential source of alkaloidal
      contaminants in phytopharmaceuticals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It was recently shown that nicotine and pyrrolizidine alkaloids that
      leach out from decomposing plant material (donor plants) are subsequently taken
      up by the roots of acceptor plants and translocated into their leaves.
      Furthermore, it is well established that plant roots take up xenobiotics,
      generally by simple diffusion, and that this passive import depends on the
      physico-chemical properties of the substances. HYPOTHESIS: Based on the well
      known uptake of xenobiotics, we assumed that in analogy, the uptake of alkaloids,
      which are leached out from plant material (donor plants) represents a quite
      general feature of plant biology. METHODS: Using barley as a model plant, we
      analyzed the uptake of alkaloids by applying them to Hordeum vulgare seedlings.
      Based on HPLC analyses, the presence of the particular alkaloids in the acceptor
      plants was determined. RESULTS: We demonstrated that numerous alkaloids of
      different structural types are able to diffuse through biomembranes and are taken
      up by acceptor plants. In contrast, an uptake of quaternary alkaloids, with a
      permanent positive charge, could not be detected. CONCLUSION: As most alkaloidal
      plants generally die back afield, and the corresponding natural products are
      leached out into the soil. Our findings have substantial relevance for all plant
      derived commodities, especially for the production of phytopharmaceuticals and
      the related safety issues. Moreover, the evidence that plants are inherently able
      to take up alkaloids from the soil, which are derived from other plants, will
      alter our appraisal of plant-plant interactions. In this context, the classical
      definition of xenobiotics, which are considered as "non-natural" substances,
      might be also extended by including natural products leached out into the soil.

PMID- 28899505
TI  - An alkaloid extract obtained from Phlegmariurus Saururus induces neuroprotection
      after status epilepticus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The brain is exposed to many excitotoxic insults that can lead to
      neuronal damage. Among these, Epilepsy is a neurological disease that affects a
      large percentage of world population and is commonly associated with cognitive
      disorders and excitotoxic neuronal death. Most experimental strategies are
      focused on preventing Status Epilepticus (SE), but once it has already occurred,
      the key question is whether it is possible to save neurons. PURPOSE: The aim of
      this study was to determine if a purified alkaloid extract (AE) obtained from
      Phlegmariurus saururus, a genus of Lycophyte plants (sometimes known as
      firmossesor fir club mosses) could induce neuroprotection following SE. METHODS:
      In vitro and in vivo techniques were applied for this purpose. Protein levels
      were measured by western blotting procedures. Neuronal death analysis was
      performed by calcein-ethidium staining and the presence of the NeuN protein as a
      marker for presence or absence of cells (in vitro experiments) and by Fluoro Jade
      B staining for the in vivo experiments. RESULTS: The effect of AE in the
      hippocampal neurons culture was the first determination, where we found an
      increase in neuronal survival and in the level of pErk and TrkB activation, 24 h
      after the addition of AE. In a well-established in vitro model of SE, we found
      that 24 h after being added to the hippocampal neuron-astrocyte co-culture, the
      AE induces a significant increase in neuronal survival. In addition to this, in
      the in vivo Li-pilocarpine model of SE, the AE induced a remarkable
      neuroprotection in areas such as the entorhinal cortex and hippocampal CA1 area.
      CONCLUSION: These results make the AE an excellent candidate for potential
      clinical use in neurological disorders where memory impairment and neuronal death
      occurs.

PMID- 28899506
TI  - Green tea effects on cognition, mood and human brain function: A systematic
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is a beverage consumed for thousands of
      years. Numerous claims about the benefits of its consumption were stated and
      investigated. As green tea is experiencing a surge in popularity in Western
      culture and as millions of people all over the world drink it every day, it is
      relevant to understand its effects on the human brain. PURPOSE: To assess the
      current state of knowledge in the literature regarding the effects of green tea
      or green tea extracts, l-theanine and epigallocatechin gallate both components of
      green tea-on general neuropsychology, on the sub-category cognition and on brain
      functions in humans. METHODS: We systematically searched on PubMed database and
      selected studies by predefined eligibility criteria. We then assessed their
      quality and extracted data. We structured our effort according to the PRISMA
      statement. OUTCOME: We reviewed and assessed 21 studies, 4 of which were
      randomised controlled trials, 12 cross-over studies (both assessed with an
      adapted version of the DELPHI-list), 4 were cross-sectional studies and one was a
      cohort study (both assessed with an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa
      assessment scale). The average study quality as appraised by means of the DELPHI
      list was good (8.06/9); the studies evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa-scale
      were also good (6.7/9). CONCLUSIONS: The reviewed studies presented evidence that
      green tea influences psychopathological symptoms (e.g. reduction of anxiety),
      cognition (e.g. benefits in memory and attention) and brain function (e.g.
      activation of working memory seen in functional MRI). The effects of green tea
      cannot be attributed to a single constituent of the beverage. This is exemplified
      in the finding that beneficial green tea effects on cognition are observed under
      the combined influence of both caffeine and l-theanine, whereas separate
      administration of either substance was found to have a lesser impact.

PMID- 28899507
TI  - Ziziphus spinosa seeds for insomnia: A review of chemistry and
      psychopharmacology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Chinese medicine, Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex
      H. F. Chou is widely used for the treatment of insomnia. PURPOSE/SECTIONS: This
      paper summarises the chemistry, psychopharmacology, and compares the
      pharmaceutical effects of the seeds of Ziziphus jujuba plant, Ziziphus spinosa
      (ZS) seeds, with benzodiazepines. Whole extracts and constituent compounds have
      been evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies. CONCLUSIONS: ZS secondary
      metabolites modulate GABAergic activity and the serotonergic system. The actual
      therapeutic agents require further confirmation/identification so that new
      insomnia phytomedicines can be discovered.

PMID- 28899508
TI  - Pellitorine, an extract of Tetradium daniellii, is an antagonist of the ion
      channel TRPV1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) confers noxious heat
      and inflammatory pain signals in the peripheral nervous system. Clinical trial of
      resiniferatoxin from Euphorbia species is successfully aimed at TRPV1 in cancer
      pain management and heading toward new selective painkiller status that further
      validates this target for drug discovery efforts. Evodia species, used in
      traditional medicine for hundreds of years, are a recognised source of different
      TRPV1 agonists, but no antagonist has yet been reported. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: In a
      search for painkiller leads, we noted for the first time a TRPV1 antagonist
      activity in the fresh fruits of Tetradium daniellii (Benn.) T.G. Hartley (syn.
      Evodia hupehensis Dode). METHODS: Through a combination of extraction and
      purification methods with functional TRPV1-specific Ca2+ uptake assays
      (bioactivity-guided fractionation/isolation/purification); we isolated a new
      painkiller candidate that is a distant structural homologue of capsiate
      exovanilloids and endovanilloids such as anandamide, but a putative competitive
      inhibitor of the TRPV1. Four additional inactive compounds (N-isobutyl-4,5-epoxy
      2E-decadienamide, geranylpsoralen, 8-(7',8'-epoxygeranyloxy)psoralen, and
      xanthotoxol) were also co-purified with pellitorine. Their structures were
      established by extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic analysis. RESULTS: 1H- and
      13C NMR determination of the chemical structure revealed it to be pellitorine,
      (2E,4E)-N-(2-methylpropyl)deca-2,4-dienamide, which can compete structurally with
      algesics released in inflammation. In contrast to previous isolates from Evodia
      species, pellitorine blocked capsaicin-evoked Ca2+ uptake with an IC50 of 154
      ug/ml (0.69 mM/l). N-Isobutyl-4,5-epoxy-2E-decadienamide and geranylpsoralen, 8
      (7',8'-epoxygeranyloxy)psoralen, and xanthotoxol did not affect the TRPV1.
      CONCLUSION: This is the first evidence that pellitorine, an aliphatic alkylamide
      analogue of capsaicin, can serve as an antagonist of the TRPV1 and may inhibit
      exovanilloid-induced pain.

PMID- 28899509
TI  - A standardized Humulus lupulus (L.) ethanol extract partially prevents
      ovariectomy-induced bone loss in the rat without induction of adverse effects in
      the uterus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hops (Humulus lupulus (L.)) dietary supplements are of interest as
      herbal remedies to alleviate menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes, depression
      and anxiety. So far, the evidence regarding estrogenic and related properties of
      hops preparations has been considered insufficient for a market authorization for
      menopausal indications. PURPOSE: The study aims to investigate a chemically
      standardized hops extract regarding its safety in the uterus, as wells as its
      efficacy to prevent bone loss in the ovariectomized rat model. STUDY
      DESIGN/METHODS: Female Wistar rats were ovariectomized and divided into a control
      group receiving phytoestrogen-free diet, a group treated with E2benzoate (0.93
      mg/kg body weight/d) and a group treated with the standardized hops extract (60
      mg/kg body weight/d) for 8 weeks. Micro-computed tomography of the tibiae and
      vertebrae, as wells as histological changes in the uterus and tibia were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Neither uterotrophic nor proliferative effects were observed
      in the endometrium in response to the oral 8-week administration of the hops
      extract. However, site-dependent skeletal effects were observed. The hops extract
      significantly decreased the number of osteoclasts in the tibial metaphysis and
      prevented reduction of the trabecular thickness that resulted from estradiol
      depletion. In contrast, the hops extract did not prevent the ovariectomy-induced
      micro-architectural changes in the lumbar vertebra. Certain parameters (e.g.
      thickness and number of trabeculae) were even found to be below the values
      determined in the ovariectomized control group. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the
      results provide evidence for the safety of the standardized hops extract and
      point to a weak bone type-specific, protective effect on bone loss following
      estradiol depletion.

PMID- 28899510
TI  - Screening of hepatoprotective compounds from licorice against carbon
      tetrachloride and acetaminophen induced HepG2 cells injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Licorice and its constituents, especially licorice flavonoids have
      been reported to possess significant hepatoprotective activities. However,
      previous studies mainly focus on the extract and major compounds, and few reports
      are available on other licorice compounds. PURPOSE: This work aims to evaluate
      the in vitro hepatoprotective activities of licorice compounds and screen active
      compounds, and to establish the structure-activity relationship. METHODS: A
      compound library consisting of 180 compounds from three medicinal licorice
      species, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, G. glabra and G. inflata was established. HepG2
      cells were incubated with the compounds, together with the treatment of 0.35%
      CCl4 for 6 h and 14 mM APAP for 24 h, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 62
      compounds at 10 uM showed protective effects against CCl4 to improve cell
      viability from 52.5% to >60%, and compounds 5 (licoflavone A), 104 (3,4
      didehydroglabridin), 107 (isoliquiritigenin), 108 (3,4,3',4'
      tetrahydroxychalcone), and 111 (licochalcone B) showed the most potent
      activities, improving cell viability to >80%. And 64 compounds showed protective
      effects against APAP to improve cell viability from 52.0% to >60%, and compounds
      47 (derrone), 76 (xambioona), 77 ((2S)-abyssinone I), 107 (isoliquiritigenin),
      118 (licoagrochalcone A), and 144 (2'-O-demethybidwillol B) showed the most
      potent activities, improving cell viability to >80%. Preliminary structure
      activity analysis indicated that free phenolics compounds especially chalcones
      showed relatively stronger protective activities than other types of compounds.
      CONCLUSION: Compounds 5, 76, 104, 107, 111, 118 and 144 possess potent activities
      against both CCl4 and APAP, and 5, 76 and 118 were reported for the first time.
      They could be the major active compounds of licorice for the treatment of liver
      injury.

PMID- 28899511
TI  - Safflower bud inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and prevents bone
      loss in ovariectomized mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The powder and extract of safflower seeds are known to be effective
      in the prevention of bone loss in ovariectomized animals. However, the inhibitory
      effect and molecular mechanisms of safflower bud (SB), the germinated safflower,
      on bone destruction is unclear. PURPOSE: The present study was designed to
      investigate the inhibitory effect and molecular mechanism of SB on osteoclastic
      differentiation and on bone loss in ovarietomized (OVX) mice. METHODS:
      Osteoclastogenesis was determined by TRAP staining, F-actin ring formation, and
      bone resorption assay. NF-kappaB and MAPKs activation was analyzed by
      transfection assay and Western blot, respectively. Real-time PCR was performed to
      examine the expression of osteoclastogenesis-related genes. Histological changes,
      increases in TRAP-positive cells, and cathepsin K expression were examined in the
      metaphysis of OVX mice. Density of bone marrow was evaluated by uCT. RESULTS: SB
      inhibited the RANKL-induced differentiation of BMDMs into osteoclasts in a dose
      dependent manner. F-actin ring formation and bone resorption were also reduced by
      SB in RANKL-treated BMDMs. In addition, SB decreased the activation of NF-kappaB
      and MAPKs and the expression of osteoclastogenesis-related genes in BMDMs treated
      with RANKL. Feeding of SB-included diet prevented bone loss in OVX mice. The
      number of TRAP-positive cells and level of protein expression of cathepsin K was
      reduced and bone mineral density was increased in the metaphysis of mice fed SB
      compared with OVX mice. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that SB can be a
      preventive and therapeutic candidate for destructive bone diseases.

PMID- 28899512
TI  - Nepeta deflersiana attenuates isoproterenol-induced myocardial injuries in rats:
      Possible involvement of oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation through nuclear
      factor (NF)-kappaB downregulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nepeta deflersiana (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb used in the Saudi
      and Yemeni folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, carminative, and antirheumatic
      agent. PURPOSE: This study explores the phytochemistry of the plant and the
      cardioprotective effect of N. deflersiana ethanolic extract (NDEE) against
      isoproterenol (ISP)-induced myocardial injury in rats. DESIGN/METHODS: Cardiac
      function, serum cardiac enzymes, myocardial antioxidants, inflammatory, and
      apoptotic biomarkers, and histopathological parameters were studied in ISP
      injured Wistar rat heart tissues. RESULTS: To the best of our knowledge, this is
      the first study to report the isolation of nine secondary metabolites from this
      plant: 1alpha-hydroxy-7alpha,14alpha,18-triacetoxy-isopimara-8,15-diene (1), beta
      sitosterol (2), lupeol (3), ursolic acid (4), 2,3-dihydroxy ursolic acid (5),
      caffeic acid (6), methyl rosmarinate (7), rosmarinic acid (8), and an irridoid
      glucoside 8-epi-7-deoxyloganic acid (9). To explain the mechanisms underlying the
      cardioprotective effect of NDEE, we evaluated the redox-sensitivity of NDEE in
      ISP-induced cardiac injury. The oral administration of NDEE (50 and 100 mg/kg
      b.w) prevented the depletion of endogenous antioxidants (CAT, SOD, NP-SH, and NO)
      and myocyte injury marker enzymes and inhibited lipid peroxidation (MDA, MPO).
      Moreover, NDEE downregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines
      (TNFalpha, IL-6, and IL-10) and apoptotic markers (caspase-3 and Bax) and
      upregulated the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2. Furthermore, NDEE pretreatment
      significantly downregulated cardiac NF-kappaB (p65) expression, NF-kappaB-DNA
      binding activity, and MPO activity. Histological data showed that NDEE
      pretreatment reduced myonecrosis, edema, and infiltration of inflammatory cells
      and restored the architecture of cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSION: NDEE demonstrated
      strong antioxidant, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic
      potential against myocardial damage. This further endorses the use of N.
      deflersiana in Yemeni folk medicine against cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 28899513
TI  - Mechanisms underlying the wound healing potential of propolis based on its in
      vitro antioxidant activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Propolis is a resinous substance collected by honeybees, Apis
      mellifera, from various plant sources. Having various pharmacological and
      biological activities, it has been used in folk medicine and complementary
      therapies since ancient times. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects and underlying
      mechanism of the protective effects of the ethanol extract of Chinese propolis
      (EECP) on L929 cells injured by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). STUDY DESIGN: The wound
      healing activities of EECP in L929 cells with H2O2-induced damage were
      investigated. METHODS: The main components of EECP were analyzed by RP-HPLC, and
      the free radical scavenging capacity and reducing power were also measured. The
      effects of EECP on the expression of antioxidant-related genes in fibroblast L929
      cells were determined using qRT-PCR and western blotting. RESULTS: EECP had
      significant protective effects against cell death induced by H2O2 and
      significantly inhibited the decline of collagen mRNA expression caused by H2O2 in
      L929 cells. CONCLUSION: EECP induced the expression of antioxidant-related genes,
      such as HO-1, GCLM, and GCLC, which has great implications for the potential of
      propolis to alleviate oxidative stress in wound tissues. The protective effects
      of propolis have great implications for using propolis as a wound healing regent.

PMID- 28899514
TI  - Citral, a monoterpenoid aldehyde interacts synergistically with norfloxacin
      against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus (SA), is a major human pathogen causing wide
      range of clinical infections, which has been further complicated by drug
      resistance like methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), vancomycin intermediate
      S. aureus (VISA)/vancomycin resistant S. aureus (VRSA), etc. The present study
      was aimed at determining anti-staphylococcal potential of citral against drug
      resistant clinical isolates alone and in combination with antibiotics. PURPOSE:
      To assess the potential of citral in combination with norfloxacin in treating
      drug resistant infections of SA. STUDY DESIGN: In the present study, synergistic
      interaction of citral and norfloxacin against drug resistant SA strains was
      evaluated. Further the efficacy and possible mechanism of action of the
      combination was also evaluated using in vitro and in vivo assays. METHOD: The
      anti-staphylococcal activity of each of the monoterpene and the antibiotic was
      determined in terms of MIC and the effective concentration of both compounds in
      combination was obtained by checkerboard assay. In vivo efficacy and oral acute
      toxicity was evaluated in Swiss albino mice model. To understand the mechanism of
      action, time-kill curve, bacteriolysis, leakage, membrane depolarization, salt
      tolerance and ethidium bromide efflux assays were performed. RESULTS: Citral was
      found effective against clinical isolates of SA with MIC values ranging from 75
      to 150 ug ml-1 exhibiting bacteriostatic activity. Citral interacted
      synergistically, reducing MIC of norfloxacin up to 32-folds with FICI <= 0.50.
      Citral did not affect cell wall, but could damage cell membrane, inhibit efflux
      pump and affect the membrane potential. Citral could reduce the staphylococcal
      load of spleen and liver tissues in a dose-dependent manner which was further
      reduced when used in combination with norfloxacin. Citral did not exhibit any
      mortality or morbidity up to 500 mg kg-1 body weight and found to prolong the
      post-antibiotic effect of norfloxacin. CONCLUSION: Based on these observations,
      citral could be a lead candidate phytomolecule for further developing it into an
      anti-staphylococcal agent. The observations of combination study will help in
      reducing the burden of antibiotics leading to delayed resistance development.

PMID- 28899515
TI  - The water extract of Liuwei dihuang possesses multi-protective properties on
      neurons and muscle tissue against deficiency of survival motor neuron protein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deficiency of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, which is encoded
      by the SMN1 and SMN2 genes, induces widespread splicing defects mainly in spinal
      motor neurons, and leads to spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Currently, there is no
      effective treatment for SMA. Liuwei dihuang (LWDH), a traditional Chinese herbal
      formula, possesses multiple therapeutic benefits against various diseases via
      modulation of the nervous, immune and endocrine systems. Previously, we
      demonstrated water extract of LWDH (LWDH-WE) protects dopaminergic neurons and
      improves motor activity in models of Parkinson's disease. PURPOSE: This study
      aimed to investigate the potential protection of LWDH-WE on SMN deficiency
      induced neurodegeneration and muscle weakness. STUDY DESIGN: The effects of LWDH
      WE on SMN deficiency-induced neurotoxicity and muscle atrophy were examined by
      using SMN-deficient NSC34 motor neuron-like cells and SMA-like mice,
      respectively. METHODS: Inducible SMN-knockdown NSC34 motor neuron-like cells were
      used to mimic SMN-deficient condition. Doxycycline (1 ug/ml) was used to induce
      SMN deficiency in stable NSC34 cell line carrying SMN-specific shRNA. SMADelta7
      mice were used as a severe type of SMA mouse model. Cell viability was measured
      by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and
      lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. Apoptotic cells and neurite length were
      observed by inverted microscope. Protein expressions were examined by western
      blots. Muscle strength of animals was evaluated by hind-limb suspension test.
      RESULTS: LWDH-WE significantly increased SMN protein level, mitochondrial
      membrane potential and cell viability of SMN-deficient NSC34 cells. LWDH-WE
      attenuated SMN deficiency-induced down-regulation of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)
      and up-regulation of cytosolic cytochrome c and cleaved caspase-3. Moreover, LWDH
      WE prevented SMN deficiency-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth and
      activation of Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA)/ Rho-associated protein
      kinase (ROCK2)/ phospho-LIM kinase (p-LIMK)/ phospho-cofilin (p-cofilin) pathway.
      Furthermore, in SMA-like mice, LWDH-WE improved muscle strength and body weight
      accompanied with up-regulation of SMN protein in spinal cord, brain, and
      gastrocnemius muscle tissues. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that
      LWDH-WE protects motor neurons against SMN deficiency-induced neurodegeneration,
      and it also improves the muscle strength of SMA-like mice, suggesting the
      potential benefits of LWDH-WE as a complementary prescription for SMN deficiency
      related diseases.

PMID- 28899516
TI  - Erratum to "Discovery of compounds that protect tyrosine hydroxylase activity
      through different mechanisms" [Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1854/9 (2015) 1078-1089].

PMID- 28899517
TI  - Metabolic biomarkers in community obese children: effect of obstructive sleep
      apnea and its treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea in children have been associated
      with metabolic morbidities. The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of
      metabolic alterations among obese children recruited from the community, with and
      without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), and the impact of treatment of
      OSAS on metabolic profiles. METHODS: A cross-sectional, prospective, multicenter
      study of Spanish children aged 3-14 years with a body mass index (BMI) >=95th
      percentile for age and sex were randomly selected in the first phase. Four groups
      emerged for follow-up: (1) no treatment; (2) dietary intervention; (3) surgical
      treatment of OSA; and (4) continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of
      OSA. Fasting blood tests were performed at baseline (T0) and approximately one
      year after the intervention (T1). RESULTS: A total of 113 obese children with a
      mean age of 11.3 +/- 2.9 years completed T0 and T1 assessments. Their mean BMI z
      score at T1 was 1.34 +/- 0.59, and mean Respiratory Disturbance Index was 8.6 +/-
      13.0 at T0 and 3.3 +/- 4.0/hour total sleep time at T1. Only glucose fasting
      levels differed among metabolic parameters in obese children with OSAS and
      without OSAS at baseline (T0) (p = 0.018). There were statistically significant
      differences between surgically treated OSAS (p = 0.002), and CPAP-treated OSAS (p
      = 0.024) versus the non-OSAS group in the glucose levels between baseline (T0)
      and follow-up (T1) after controlling for age and change in BMI. Significant
      univariate associations between BMI and C-reactive protein, insulin, and
      homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance emerged at both T0 and T1.
      CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent obesity and OSAS could promote metabolic and inflammatory
      alterations, and the latter appeared to be sensitive to OSAS treatment outcomes.
      ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01322763.

PMID- 28899518
TI  - Relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and neuroimaging signatures of
      cerebral small vessel disease in community-dwelling older adults. The Atahualpa
      Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence of a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea
      (OSA) and neuroimaging signatures of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is
      limited. The present study aimed to evaluate this association in older adults
      living in rural Ecuador, where small vessel disease is a major pathogenetic
      mechanism underlying stroke. METHODS: A representative random sample of Atahualpa
      residents aged >=60 years enrolled in the Atahualpa Project neuroimaging substudy
      underwent a single-night diagnostic polysomnography. We evaluated whether OSA
      associates with severity of white matter hyperintensities (WMH), silent lacunar
      infarctions and deep cerebral microbleeds, using multivariate models adjusted for
      relevant confounders. RESULTS: Of 351 candidates, 104 (30%) were randomly
      selected. Of these, 97 individuals (mean age 72.3 +/- 7 years, 65% women) had
      adequate recordings and were included. Mean apnea/hypopnea index was 13.8 +/-
      14.1 episodes per hour; 27 persons (28%) had >=15 episodes per hour and were
      considered to have moderate-to-severe OSA. Moderate-to-severe WMH were noticed in
      25 individuals (25.8%), silent lacunar infarctions in 22 (22.7%) and deep
      cerebral microbleeds in 12 (12.4%). In multivariate models, OSA was associated
      with moderate-to-severe WMH (OR: 3.94; 95% C.I.: 1.09-14.97; p = 0.037), but not
      with silent lacunar infarctions (p = 0.195) or deep cerebral microbleeds (p =
      0.405). A linear regression model confirmed the independent association between
      the apnea/hypopnea index and moderate-to-severe WMH (beta: -7.14; 95% C.I.: -13.6
      to -0.69; p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with moderate-to-severe OSA are
      almost four times more likely to have diffuse subcortical damage of vascular
      origin than those with none-to-mild OSA, independently of demographics and
      cardiovascular risk factors.

PMID- 28899519
TI  - The association between daytime napping and risk of diabetes: a systematic review
      and meta-analysis of observational studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between daytime napping and
      prevalent/incident diabetes mellitus (DM) based on systematic review and meta
      analytic data. METHODS: The electronic databases of Embase, Medline, Pubmed and
      Web of Science were searched. Relevant studies were extracted by two reviewers
      independently. The associations between daytime napping (irrespective of
      duration), long nap (>=1 h/day) and short nap (<1 h/day), and risk of DM were
      assessed according to study types. Overall estimates were pooled using either
      fixed- or random-effect with inverse variance meta-analysis. Heterogeneity of
      included studies was assessed using the I2 test and possible cause of the
      heterogeneity was examined by meta-regression analyses. RESULTS: Ten studies
      (four cross-sectional and six longitudinal cohort) comprising a total of 304,885
      individuals and 20,857 cases of DM were included in the systematic review, with
      an average napping prevalence of 47%. Nappers were found to have increased risk
      of DM in both cross-sectional and cohort studies. However, significant
      heterogeneity was present. Long nap (>=1 h/day) was associated with both
      prevalent and incident DM; in particular, those with a daily nap over 1 h had a
      31% increased risk of developing DM during follow-up (95% confidence interval: 2
      67%). Conversely, no such association was found in individuals with short naps
      (<1 h/day) in cohort studies. CONCLUSIONS: Long daytime napping over 1 h per day
      was associated with increased risk of both prevalent and incident DM. Further
      studies are needed to confirm the findings.

PMID- 28899520
TI  - Cholinergic neurotransmission and olfactory function in obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome: a TMS study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Odor identification and discrimination are reduced in
      subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), but the pathophysiology of
      the olfactory dysfunction in OSAS is still poorly understood. Experimental
      evidence suggests that olfactory impairment could be related to central
      cholinergic dysfunction. Short latency afferent inhibition (SAI) is a paired
      pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol that gives the opportunity
      to test an inhibitory cholinergic circuit in the human cerebral motor cortex. The
      objective of the study was to assess the cholinergic function, as measured by
      SAI, in OSAS patients with olfactory impairment. METHODS: We applied SAI
      technique in 20 patients with OSAS and in 20 healthy control subjects; SAI values
      were correlated with the Sniffin' Sticks olfactory test results. RESULTS: SAI was
      reduced in OSAS patients when compared with control subjects. We also found a
      strong negative correlation between olfactory parameters and SAI. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings suggest that cholinergic dysfunction is a robust determinant of
      hyposmia also in OSAS patients. Reduced SAI values and presence of olfactory
      impairment might indicate an increased risk of cognitive decline in patients with
      OSAS.

PMID- 28899521
TI  - Summertime blues? A re-examination of the seasonality of web searches for
      restless legs and leg cramps.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Studies that examined Internet searches for restless legs and leg
      cramps have found a strong seasonal effect with peaks in summer and troughs in
      winter months. The present study used an econometric approach to examine the
      seasonality of such searches in greater detail. METHODS: Monthly relative search
      volumes for 'restless legs' and 'leg cramps' from 2004 to March 2017 in the
      United Kingdom (UK) and Australia were obtained from Google Trends. Average
      percentage change from winter to summer months was examined. The TRAMO-SEATS
      procedure from the DEMETRA statistical software was used to decompose the data
      into trend, seasonal and noise components and to determine whether a combined
      seasonality test was positive. RESULTS: There were substantial percentage
      increases in Google Trends searches between winter and summer months regarding
      restless legs in the UK (median increase 46%) and Australia (33%) and regarding
      leg cramps in the UK (95%) and Australia (50%). However, the combined seasonality
      test was positive only for leg cramps and not for restless legs in both
      countries: although there was significant stable seasonality in restless legs
      searches, this was outweighed by substantial moving seasonality and noise
      components. CONCLUSIONS: Examination of average percentage increase in search
      volume from winter to summer exaggerates the degree of seasonality. Seasonal
      effects for restless legs searches are non-significant when the trend and noise
      components of the data are considered, although this does not exclude a clinical
      significance for the identified stable seasonality. Significant seasonality, with
      a summer peak, is present for leg cramps searches and suggests an increase in the
      incidence or severity of leg cramps in summer.

PMID- 28899523
TI  - Validation of the screening tool ApneaLink(r) in comparison to polysomnography
      for the diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing in children and adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While out-of-center testing was introduced as an alternative for the
      diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea in adults, polysomnography (PSG) is still
      considered mandatory in the diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in
      children. The purpose of this study was to validate the outpatient screening
      device ApneaLink(r) in comparison to PSG in children and adolescents for the
      diagnosis of SDB. METHODS: Sixty consecutive children and adolescents (10.4 +/-
      6.2, 0-22 years) with suspected SDB admitted to the sleep laboratory underwent
      simultaneous recording with full PSG and the screening device ApneaLink(r) based
      on flow measurement and oxygen saturation. RESULTS: The mean apnea-hypopnea index
      (AHI) was 11.8 +/- 19.7 in PSG and 10.3 +/- 12.0 in ApneaLink(r). When the AHI
      threshold was set to 5/h to diagnose SDB, the overall sensitivity for
      ApneaLink(r) was 79% and the specificity was 63%. After reducing the AHI
      threshold to 1/h, the sensitivity and specificity were 94% and 29%. In children
      older than 10 years, the performance of ApneaLink(r) improved (AHI 5/h:
      sensitivity 80%, specificity 64%; AHI 1/h: sensitivity 100%, specificity 50%).
      CONCLUSION: These results show that the outpatient screening device ApneaLink(r)
      reliably identifies SDB in preselected children older than 10 years. In contrast,
      it may not be used for the exclusion of SDB.

PMID- 28899522
TI  - Actigraphy scoring for sleep outcome measures in chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Actigraphy is commonly used to measure sleep outcomes so that sleep
      can be measured conveniently at home over multiple nights. Actigraphy has been
      validated in people with sleep disturbances; however, the validity of scoring
      settings in people with chronic medical illnesses such as chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease remains unclear. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to
      compare actigraphy-customized scoring settings with polysomnography (PSG) for the
      measurement of sleep outcomes in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease who have insomnia. METHODS: Participants underwent overnight sleep
      assessment simultaneously by PSG and actigraphy at the University of Illinois of
      Chicago Sleep Science Center. Fifty participants (35 men and 15 women) with mild
      to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and co-existing insomnia were
      included in the analysis. Sleep onset latency, total sleep time (TST), wake after
      sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE) were calculated independently from
      data derived from PSG and actigraphy. Actigraphy sleep outcome scores obtained at
      the default setting and several customized actigraphy settings were compared to
      the scored PSG results. RESULTS: Although no single setting was optimal for all
      sleep outcomes, the combination of 10 consecutive immobile minutes for sleep
      onset or end and an activity threshold of 10 worked well. Actigraphy
      overestimated TST and SE and underestimated WASO, but there was no difference in
      variance between PSG and actigraphy in TST and SE when the 10 * 10 combination
      was used. As the average TST and SE increased, the agreement between PSG and
      actigraphy appeared to increase, and as the average WASO decreased, the agreement
      between PSG and actigraphy appeared to increase. CONCLUSION: Results support the
      conclusion that the default actigraphy settings may not be optimal for people
      with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and co-existing insomnia.

PMID- 28899524
TI  - Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure improves attention/psychomotor
      function and sleepiness: a bias-reduction method with further assessment of
      APPLES.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Variable adherence to prescribed therapies for sleep
      disorders is commonplace. This study was designed to integrate three available
      statistical technologies (instrumental variables, residual inclusion, and
      shrinkage) to allow sleep investigators to employ data on variable adherence in
      the estimation of the causal effect of treatment as received on clinical
      outcomes. PATIENTS/METHODS: Using data from the Apnea Positive Pressure Long-term
      Efficacy Study (APPLES), regression adjustment for observed and unobserved
      confounders was applied to two primary neurocognitive outcomes, plus two measures
      of sleepiness. We demonstrate how to obtain estimates of reduced uncertainty for
      the causal effect of treatment as received for continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) within clinical subpopulations (defined by baseline disease
      severity) of sleep apnea patients. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Following six months
      of treatment, statistically significant improvements caused by device adherence
      were detected for subjective sleepiness in mild, moderate, and severe disease,
      objective sleepiness in severe disease, and attention and psychomotor function in
      moderate disease. Some evidence for worsening of learning and memory due to
      increased adherence in moderate disease was also detected. Application to APPLES
      illustrates that this method can yield bias corrections for unobserved
      confounders that are substantial-revealing new clinical findings. Use of this
      fully general method throughout sleep research could sharpen understanding of the
      true efficacy of pharmacotherapies, medical devices, and behavioral
      interventions. Extensive technical appendices are provided to facilitate
      application of this general method. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00051363.

PMID- 28899525
TI  - Restless legs syndrome after high-risk TIA and minor stroke: association with
      reduced quality of life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a movement disorder that is
      associated with poor quality of life and depressive symptoms in the general
      population. Emerging evidence suggests that RLS is closely associated with
      cerebrovascular disease. We assessed the effect of RLS on quality of life after
      stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHODS: In this single-center
      prospective study, we recruited patients within 14 days of high-risk TIA or minor
      stroke. Patients were diagnosed with RLS using a questionnaire based on the 2003
      International RLS Study Group criteria, and diagnoses were confirmed by a sleep
      neurologist. Follow-up assessments were conducted within 2-6 months of
      recruitment. The outcome of quality of life was measured using the Stroke
      specific Quality of Life (SS-QoL). RESULTS: Of the 94 patients recruited into the
      study, 23 (24.4%) were diagnosed with RLS: 11 were newly diagnosed with RLS and
      12 had RLS preceding the index stroke/TIA. There were no significant differences
      in baseline characteristics between those with or without RLS. Median SS-QoL in
      patients with RLS was lower at baseline (p = 0.008) and at follow-up (p = 0.002).
      RLS patients had more depressive symptoms at follow-up (p = 0.007). Ordinal
      logistic regression demonstrated that RLS was negatively associated with quality
      of life at baseline (OR = 0.28; p = 0.010) and at follow-up (OR = 0.14; p =
      0.029), independent of functional outcome and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      RLS is common after stroke or TIA and negatively affects the quality of life.
      Screening for RLS after cerebrovascular events may be warranted, and future
      research should assess whether treatment of RLS can improve post-stroke quality
      of life.

PMID- 28899526
TI  - Association between severity of untreated sleep apnoea and postoperative
      complications following major cardiac surgery: a prospective observational cohort
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether untreated sleep apnoea is associated with prolonged
      Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay and increased frequency of postoperative ICU
      complications, in patients undergoing major cardiac surgery. PATIENTS/METHODS:
      Adult patients, undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting with or
      without cardiac valve surgery, between March 2013 and July 2014, were considered.
      We excluded patients participating in other interventional studies, those who had
      a tracheostomy before surgery, required emergency surgery or were due to be
      admitted on the day of surgery. Patients underwent inpatient overnight oximetry
      on the night prior to their surgery to assess for the presence of sleep apnoea.
      Since oximetry alone cannot differentiate obstructive from central apnoea, the
      results are reported as sleep apnoea which was diagnosed in patients with an
      arterial oxygen desaturation index (ODI) >= 5/h. RESULTS: The primary outcome
      measure was length of stay (LoS) in ICU in days. The secondary outcome was a
      composite measure of postoperative complications in ICU. Multivariate models were
      developed to assess associations between ODI and the primary and secondary
      outcome measures, adjusting for preselected predictor variables, relative to
      primary and secondary outcomes. There was no significant association between ODI
      and ICU LoS, HR 1.0, 95% CI 0.99-1.02; p = 0.12. However we did find a
      significant association between ODI and postoperative complications in the ICU,
      OR = 1.1; 95% CI 1.02-1.17; p = 0.014. The probability of developing
      complications rose with higher ODI, reflecting sleep apnoea severity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Acknowledging the limitations of this prospective study, untreated
      sleep apnoea did not predict an increased length of stay in ICU but we do report
      an association with postoperative complications in patients undergoing major
      cardiac surgery.

PMID- 28899527
TI  - Restless legs syndrome is highly prevalent in patients with post-polio syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Few studies have quantified the prevalence of restless legs syndrome
      (RLS) in patients with post-polio syndrome (PPS). Our objective was to assess the
      prevalence and severity of RLS in patients with PPS and to examine the
      demographic characteristics of this population. METHOD: This was a cross
      sectional study conducted from April 2010 to May 2012 at the outpatient
      Neuromuscular Disorders clinic of Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo,
      Brazil. We evaluated 119 patients with PPS, consecutively recruited, and
      investigated for RLS based on the diagnostic criteria established by the
      International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG). Patients were
      evaluated with the Brazilian version of the IRLSSG severity scale. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of RLS was 36% (n = 43; 32 women and 11 men). The ages at onset of RLS
      (median = 41 years) and PPS (median = 41 years) were concurrent, and the
      correlation between onset of symptoms of RLS and onset of symptoms of PPS was
      positive and very strong (Spearman r = 0.93, p = 0.01). The median RLS severity
      was 23 (range, 20-28). Low educational achievement and depression were predictive
      of RLS development. CONCLUSION: In the largest population of patients with PPS
      studied to date, our results indicate a high prevalence of RLS, marked disease
      severity, and concomitant onset of both conditions in many patients with PPS.
      Further studies are needed to elucidate a possible pathophysiologic mechanism
      linking these two conditions. We suggest that all post-polio patients with
      sensory and motor complaints in the legs be investigated for RLS.

PMID- 28899528
TI  - Back to sleep or not: the effect of the supine position on pediatric OSA:
      Sleeping position in children with OSA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In both adults and children, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has
      significant adverse cardiovascular consequences. In adults, sleeping position has
      a marked effect on the severity of OSA; however, the limited number of studies
      conducted in children have reported conflicting findings. We aimed to evaluate
      the effect of sleeping position on OSA severity and the cardiovascular
      consequences in preschool-aged children. METHODS: This was a retrospective
      analysis of children (3-5 years of age) diagnosed with OSA (n = 75) and
      nonsnoring controls (n = 25). Sleeping position was classified as supine, semi
      supine, left lateral, right lateral, prone, and semi-prone by using video
      recordings during one night of attended polysomnography. OSA severity and
      cardiovascular parameters were compared between the positions. RESULTS: All
      children spent significantly more sleep time in the supine position than in any
      other position. The obstructive apnea-hypopnea index was higher in the supine
      position than in the other sleeping positions during NREM (p < 0.05), higher in
      the moderate/severe OSA group when sleeping in the supine position than when
      sleeping in the left and right lateral positions (p < 0.05 for both) and prone
      position (p = 0.007) during REM. Sympathovagal balance was decreased in children
      with OSA in the supine and lateral positions (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      identified that preschool-aged children, whether nonsnoring controls or children
      with OSA, predominately sleep in the supine position, and OSA was more severe in
      the supine position. We suggest that to avoid the supine sleep position,
      positional therapy has the potential to ameliorate OSA severity, and the known
      cardiovascular consequences.

PMID- 28899529
TI  - QT interval variability index and QT interval duration during different sleep
      stages in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of obstructive
      sleep apnea (OSA) on the QT interval variability and duration in patients during
      different sleep stages. METHODS: Polysomnographic recordings of 28 (13 male, 15
      female) patients with OSA and 30 (15 male, 15 female) patients without OSA were
      analyzed. The QT interval variability index (QTVI) and the corrected QT interval
      (QTc) analyses were performed using two awake, 3-4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM)
      and three rapid eye movement (REM) sleep episodes (each 300 s). The Bazett
      formula, linear, and parabolic heart rate correction formulas with two separate
      alpha values were used. RESULTS: QTVI was statistically higher in OSA than in non
      OSA patients for males while awake (awake -0.7 +/- 0.3 vs -1.2 +/- 0.2, p =
      0.001; NREM -0.9 +/- 0.4 vs -1.1 +/- 0.3, p = 0.110; REM -1.1 +/- 0.3 vs -1.3 +/-
      0.2, p = 0.667) and for females in all wake-sleep stages (awake -0.3 +/- 0.7 vs 
      0.9 +/- 0.5, p = 0.001; NREM -0.3 +/- 0.5 vs -0.8 +/- 0.4, p = 0.002; REM -0.3 +/
      0.5 vs -1.0 +/- 0.4, p < 0.001). QTVI was significantly higher during awake
      compared to sleep stages in OSA males (p < 0.05); no difference between wake
      sleep stages was found in females (p > 0.05). Significant gender differences in
      QTVI existed in OSA patients during sleep (p < 0.05) but not while awake. No
      significant differences in QTc between patients groups were observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: OSA is associated with increased QT variability. REM sleep per se
      does not increase QTVI. In OSA patients, QTVI might be a more useful measure to
      detect ventricular repolarization abnormality than measures of QTc.

PMID- 28899530
TI  - Associations between sleep duration and physical activity and dietary behaviors
      in Chinese adolescents: results from the Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys of
      2015.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between sleep duration and physical activity
      and dietary behaviors among adolescents in a representative sample. METHODS: The
      analysis was performed using data from the 2015 Ningbo Youth Risk Behavior
      Survey. Associations between physical activity and dietary behaviors and sleep
      duration were examined on weighted data using logistic regression. RESULTS: Of
      the 10726 students, roughly 40% reported sleep duration <8 h. Longer sleep
      duration was associated with higher likelihood of milk intake, fruit consumption,
      vegetable consumption, water consumption, moderate physical activity, and muscle
      strengthening physical activity, and with a lower likelihood of cigarette use,
      alcohol use, sweets intake, Western fast food intake, and breakfast skipping.
      CONCLUSION: Insufficient sleep may be common among Chinese adolescents. Sleep
      duration was associated with dietary behaviors, physical activity, and other
      health-related behaviors. These findings suggest that sleep duration could be a
      potential target for many health-risk behaviors in young adolescents.

PMID- 28899531
TI  - Sleep disorders and allergic diseases in Chinese toddlers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Optimal sleep is important for child growth, development, and immune
      function. We aimed to explore whether sleep disorders were associated with the
      risk of allergic diseases in Chinese toddlers. METHODS: This study included 566
      children (aged 23.9 +/- 0.7 months; 51.1% boys) in Shanghai, China. Sleep
      parameters (total sleep time, sleep onset latency, nocturnal awaking and snoring)
      were assessed by an expanded version of the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire
      (BISQ-expanded). Information on four allergic diseases (wheeze, eczema, food
      allergy, and allergic rhinitis) in the past year was collected via standard
      questionnaire and judged by pediatricians. We used logistic regression to
      calculate odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for having
      any/and each of the four allergic diseases, based on sleep parameters, adjusting
      for children's age and gender, mode of delivery, any breastfeeding duration,
      children's body mass index (BMI), children's exposure to passive smoking,
      maternal education, family income, family allergic history, and children's
      antibiotic use. RESULTS: There were 23.3% of children with at least one of the
      four allergic diseases. Snoring was significantly associated with increased odds
      of having any allergy (adjusted OR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.26), eczema (OR =
      1.83, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.23) and food allergy (OR = 4.31, 95% CI: 1.23, 15.14),
      after adjustment for potential confounders. Nocturnal awaking >=2 times per night
      was associated with higher risk of food allergy (OR = 3.92, 95% CI: 1.00, 15.35)
      and wheeze (OR = 6.16, 95% CI: 1.28, 29.74). CONCLUSION: In this study, presence
      of certain sleep disorders was associated with higher risk of having allergic
      diseases in Chinese toddlers.

PMID- 28899532
TI  - The association between Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder symptoms and sleep
      problems in children with and without ADHD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many youth experience persistent irritability and recurrent temper
      outbursts, conceptualized by DSM-5 as Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
      (DMDD). Sleep deprivation impairs emotion regulation which could increase rates
      of DMDD symptoms, especially in those with preexisting regulatory impairments, as
      seen with ADHD. However, there has been little examination of the relationship
      between chronic sleep problems and DMDD symptoms. METHODS: Associations between
      DMDD symptoms and sleep parameters in children were assessed using parent-report
      and objective measures of sleep in a general population sample (N = 665) and an
      ADHD sample (N = 784). Irritability, temper outbursts, sleep problems and other
      psychological problems were assessed with the Pediatric Behavior Scale. The
      general population study also completed overnight polysomnography (PSG). RESULTS:
      DMDD symptoms were reported in 9.2% of the community sample and 31.4% of the ADHD
      sample. In both samples, children with DMDD symptoms had significantly higher
      parent-reported sleep problems than children without DMDD symptoms. Children with
      sleep problems had significantly higher DMDD scores than children without sleep
      problems. However, DMDD symptoms were most strongly associated with oppositional
      behavior. Sleep problems were not a significant contributor. Hyperactivity
      impulsivity was most strongly associated with sleep problems, and DMDD was not a
      significant contributor. Children with and without DMDD symptoms did not differ
      significantly on any PSG parameter. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between parent
      reported sleep problems and DMDD symptoms were due to their shared relationship
      with other behavioral problems. Therefore, chronic sleep problems do not appear
      to be a primary source of DMDD symptoms in children with or without ADHD.

PMID- 28899533
TI  - The increased risk of stroke in early insomnia following traumatic brain injury:
      a population-based cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Insomnia, a common symptom after traumatic brain injury (TBI), may be
      a pre-symptom for developing stroke. This study aims to investigate whether
      insomnia is a potential risk factor for stroke after TBI, especially early
      insomnia. METHODS: Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 from 1999
      to 2013 was used in this cohort study. TBI patients with insomnia were selected
      based on the ICD-9-CM code (TBI: 801-804 and 850-854; insomnia: 307.4, 327, and
      780.5). The outcome we were interested in was stroke (ICD-9-CM: 430-438). The
      incidence rate ratio of stroke between TBI with insomnia and the general
      population with insomnia was calculated by Poisson regression. The relative risk
      adjusted for potential confounding variables was estimated by Cox regression.
      RESULTS: For 1174 TBI patients with insomnia and 5870 general patients with
      insomnia, TBI patients have 209.85 incidence risk of new-onset stroke if they
      have insomnia. TBI patients have 2.28-fold (95% CI: 1.70-3.06) risk of new-onset
      stroke compared with the general population, even when controlling for age,
      gender, socioeconomic status, and comorbidities. The hazard ratio of new-onset
      stroke among different phases of new-onset insomnia after TBI surgery is 1.95
      fold (95% CI: 1.05-3.62), 2.75-fold (95% CI: 1.73-4.37), and 2.66-fold (95% CI:
      1.68-4.21) at <=3, 3-12, and 12-24 months, compared with the general population
      with insomnia, respectively. CONCLUSION: TBI patients with insomnia have a higher
      risk of stroke compared with the general population with insomnia. Early new
      onset insomnias after TBI will have higher risk of stroke. Therefore, we consider
      that insomnia could be a signal of the development of new-onset stroke in TBI
      patients.

PMID- 28899534
TI  - Gene-by-environment interactions of the CLOCK, PEMT, and GHRELIN loci with
      average sleep duration in relation to obesity traits using a cohort of 643 New
      Zealand European children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Modern technology may have desensitised the 'biological clock' to
      environmental cues, disrupting the appropriate co-ordination of metabolic
      processes. Susceptibility to misalignment of circadian rhythms may be partly
      genetically influenced and effects on sleep quality and duration could predispose
      to poorer health outcomes. Shorter sleep duration is associated with obesity
      traits, which are brought on by an increased opportunity to eat and/or a shift of
      hormonal profile promoting hunger. We hypothesised that increased sleep duration
      will offset susceptible genetic effects, resulting in reduced obesity risk.
      METHODS: We recruited 643 (male: 338; female: 305) European children born to
      participants in the New Zealand centre of the International Screening for
      Pregnancy Endpoints sleep study. Ten genes directly involved in the circadian
      rhythm machinery and a further 20 genes hypothesised to be driven by cyclic
      oscillations were evaluated by Sequenom assay. Multivariable regression was
      performed to test the interaction between gene variants and average sleep length
      (derived from actigraphy), in relation to obesity traits (body mass index (BMI) z
      scores and percentage body fat (PBF)). RESULTS: No association was found between
      average sleep length and BMI z-scores (p = 0.056) or PBF (p = 0.609). Uncorrected
      genotype associations were detected between STAT-rs8069645 (p = 0.0052) and
      ADIPOQ-rs266729 (p = 0.019) with differences in average sleep duration. Evidence
      for uncorrected gene-by-sleep interactions of the CLOCK-rs4864548 (p = 0.0039),
      PEMT-936108 (p = 0.016) and GHRELIN-rs696217 (p = 0.046) were found in relation
      to BMI z-scores but not for PBF. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that children
      may have different genetic susceptibility to the effects of sleep duration on
      obesity. Further confirmatory studies are required in other population cohorts of
      different age groups.

PMID- 28899535
TI  - Efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment on primary insomnia: a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      acupuncture treatment for primary insomnia. METHODS: We conducted a single
      center, single-blinded, and randomized controlled clinical trial. Seventy-two
      patients with primary insomnia were randomly assigned into two groups - the
      acupuncture group, who received acupuncture treatment, and the control group, who
      received sham acupuncture treatment. The treatment was given three times a week
      for four weeks. Patients were asked to wear sleep monitors and complete
      questionnaires every two weeks for a total of eight weeks. The primary outcome
      was the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The secondary outcomes were sleep
      parameters including sleep efficiency (SE), sleep awakenings (SA) and total sleep
      time (TST) recorded by the Actigraphy, as well as scores of the Self-Rating
      Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). RESULTS: Compared
      with pretreatment baseline, patients in both groups had varying degrees of
      improvements in their sleep conditions. Paired t-test showed that there was a
      significant difference in all indicators in the acupuncture group before and
      after acupuncture treatment. One-way analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline
      scores indicated that the ISI improved dramatically in the acupuncture group at
      two weeks post-treatment (F = 11.3, p = 0.001), four weeks post-treatment (F =
      33.6, p < 0.001), 2 weeks follow-up (F = 39.4, p < 0.001) and four weeks follow
      up (F = 34.1, p < 0.001). Similar significant improvements can also be observed
      in the SE, TST and SDS scores. Although no differences in SA and SAS were shown
      between the two groups until the end of the treatment, remarkable decrements in
      SA and SAS were found in the acupuncture treatment group after the two-week and
      four-week follow-ups. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture treatment is more effective than
      sham acupuncture treatment in increasing insomnia patients' sleep quality and
      improving their psychological health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial
      Registry: Chi CTR-TRC-14004859.

PMID- 28899536
TI  - Utility of new-generation pacemakers in sleep apnea screening.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with cardiac pacemakers present a high prevalence of
      undiagnosed sleep apnea syndrome (SAS). New-generation pacemakers have algorithms
      that identify sleep respiratory events. Our aim was to evaluate their accuracy in
      the diagnosis of SAS. METHODS: We performed a prospective study that included
      patients with new-generation pacemakers (Reply 200 pacemakers). All patients
      underwent a polysomnography (PSG). On the same night, the respiratory disturbance
      index of the PSG (RDI-PSG) and of the pacemaker (RDI-PM) were recorded. The
      agreement between methods was assessed using the kappa coefficient, Bland and
      Altman statistics and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS:
      Sixty patients were recruited but the RDI-PM for the PSG night was not available
      in six patients. PSG diagnosed SAS in 74% of patients (20% severe, 19% moderate,
      35% mild). Besides snoring (63%), most patients had no SAS symptoms. There was a
      strong positive correlation between RDI-PSG and RDI-PM (r = 0.522, p < 0.001),
      but the level of agreement between methods regarding SA diagnosis/severity was
      poor (k = 0.167). ROC curves identified a RDI-PM of 10 events/h as the optimal
      cut-off point for diagnosing SAS (area under the curve (AUC): 0.81, sensitivity:
      80%, specificity: 79%, positive predictive value: 91%, negative predictive value:
      58%). The best cut-off for identifying moderate/severe SAS was at 13 events/h
      (AUC: 0.86, sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 70%, positive predictive value: 68%,
      negative predictive value: 100%). CONCLUSIONS: SAS prevalence in patients with
      pacemakers is high (74%). Most are asymptomatic, which could delay the diagnosis.
      Patients with clinical indication for a pacemaker may benefit from a device with
      sleep apnea monitoring.

PMID- 28899537
TI  - Severity of individual obstruction events increases with age in patients with
      obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age is a risk factor of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It has been
      shown that OSA progresses over time, although conflicting results have been
      reported. However, the effect of age on the severity of OSA and individual
      obstruction events has not been investigated within different OSA severity
      categories by taking the most prominent confounding factors (i.e., body mass
      index, gender, smoking, daytime sleepiness, snoring, hypertension, heart failure,
      and proportion of supine sleep) into account. METHODS: Polygraphic data of 1090
      patients with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >=5 were retrospectively reanalyzed. The
      effect of age on the severity of OSA and obstruction events was investigated in
      general, within different OSA severity categories, and in different age groups
      (age <40, 40<= age <50, 50<= age <60, and age >=60 years). RESULTS: In the whole
      population, AHI and durations of apneas, hypopneas, and desaturations increased
      with increasing age (B >= 0.108, p <= 0.010). In more detailed analysis, AHI
      increased with age only in the moderate OSA category (B = 0.075, p = 0.022),
      although durations of apneas increased in mild and severe OSA categories (B >=
      0.076, p <= 0.038). Furthermore, durations of hypopneas increased with age in
      mild and moderate OSA categories (B >= 0.105, p <= 0.038), and durations of
      desaturations (B >= 0.120, p <= 0.013) in all OSA severity categories. AHI was
      not statistically significantly different between the age groups, although
      durations of obstruction events tended to increase towards older age groups.
      CONCLUSION: As obstruction event severity was more strongly dependent on the age
      than it was dependent on AHI, considering the severity of obstruction events
      could be beneficial while estimating the long-term effects of the treatments and
      prognosticating the disease progression.

PMID- 28899538
TI  - Relationship between stress coping and sleep disorders among the general Japanese
      population: a nationwide representative survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To clarify the prevalence of stress, and examine the relationship
      between sleep disorders and stress coping strategies among highly stressed
      individuals in the general Japanese population. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      nationwide survey was undertaken in November 2007. Men and women were randomly
      selected from 300 districts throughout Japan. Data from 7671 (3532 men (average
      age 53.5 +/- 17.0 years) and 4139 women (average age 53.9 +/- 17.7 years)) were
      analyzed. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire on stress, sleep
      disorders, and stress coping strategies in the previous month. RESULTS: Highly
      stressed individuals comprised 16.6% (95% confidence interval 15.8-17.5%) of the
      total sample, and most were aged 20-49 years. In multiple logistic regression,
      symptoms of insomnia (ie, difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining
      sleep, and early morning awakening), excessive daytime sleepiness, nightmares,
      daytime malfunction, and lack of rest due to sleep deprivation were more prone to
      occur in highly stressed individuals. In addition, logistic regression analysis
      controlling for other adjustment factors revealed that stress coping strategies
      such as 'giving up on problem-solving', 'enduring problems patiently', 'smoking'
      and 'drinking alcohol' were positively associated with the above-mentioned sleep
      disorders. On the other hand, stress coping strategies such as 'exercising',
      'enjoying hobbies', and 'sharing worries' were inversely associated with the
      above-mentioned sleep disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Distraction-based stress coping
      (eg, hobbies, exercise, and optimistic thinking) was found to be preferable to
      problem-based stress coping in a highly stressed Japanese general population.

PMID- 28899539
TI  - Can the analysis of built-in software of CPAP devices replace polygraphy in
      children?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for the scoring of
      residual respiratory events during continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
      Studies comparing PSG scoring with automatic scoring by the built-in software of
      CPAP devices have reported acceptable agreements except for the hypopnea index
      (HI) in adult patients, but no study has yet been conducted in children. The aim
      of the present study was to compare the automatic scoring by CPAP device and
      manual scoring using the software tracings of the CPAP device integrating pulse
      oximetry (SpO2) with in-lab polygraphy (PG). METHODS: Consecutive clinically
      stable children treated with constant CPAP (ResMed) for at least one month and
      scheduled for a nocturnal PG were recruited. A pulse oximeter was connected to
      the CPAP device. The PG apnea-hypopnea index (AHIPG), scored according to
      modified AASM guidelines, was compared with the automatic AHI reported by the
      CPAP device (AHIA CPAP) and the manual scoring of the AHI on the CPAP software
      (AHIM CPAP). RESULTS: Fifteen children (1.5-18.6 years) were included. Mean
      residual AHIPG was 0.9 +/- 1.2/hour (0.0-4.6/hour) vs. AHIA CPAP of 3.6 +/-
      3.6/hour (0.5-14.7/hour) (p < 0.001), and AHIM CPAP of 1.2 +/- 1.6/hour (0.0
      5.1/hour) (p = 0.01). Correlation between AHIPG and AHIA CPAP was good (r =
      0.667; p = 0.007), and improved when considering AHIM CPAP (r = 0.933; p <
      0.001). Strong correlations were also observed between the PG apnea index (AI)
      and HI, and the manually scored AI and HI on CPAP, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Manual scoring of respiratory events on the built-in software tracings of CPAP
      devices integrating SpO2 signal may be helpful. These results have to be
      confirmed in patients with higher AHI.

PMID- 28899540
TI  - Moving into poverty during childhood is associated with later sleep problems.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A social gradient in sleep has been demonstrated across the life span,
      but previous studies have been cross-sectional and used self-reported
      socioeconomic status (SES) indicators. Using registry-based data on family income
      trajectories, the current study examined the association between relative poverty
      in childhood and subsequent sleep in adolescence. METHODS: Data on family income
      during 2004-2010 was obtained from the National Income Registry. Poverty was
      defined as household income <60% of the mean national income. Information on self
      reported sleep was based the youth@hordaland-survey (n = 8873) conducted in 2012
      when the adolescents were 16-19 years old. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used
      to identify trajectories of family household poverty, and analysis of variance
      and general linear models were used to examine associations between income
      trajectories and sleep, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: LCA identified four
      classes: 'never poor', two classes characterized by moving in or out of poverty,
      and 'chronically poor'. Compared to the 'never poor' group, adolescents from
      families in the 'moving into poverty' group displayed worse sleep across most
      sleep measures, including shorter sleep, lower sleep efficiency, and more
      nocturnal wake time (but not sleep onset latency). Neither adolescents from
      families who had moved out of poverty by increasing family income, nor the
      'chronically poor' group differed significantly from the reference group.
      CONCLUSIONS: The study found that downward socioeconomic mobility was associated
      with increased adolescent sleep problems. More studies are required on the
      mechanisms that may account for the association, to find targeted and effective
      strategies to prevent short sleep duration in adolescents from families with
      unstable financial circumstances.

PMID- 28899541
TI  - Sleep problems, short sleep and a combination of both increase the risk of
      depressive symptoms in older people: a 6-year follow-up investigation from the
      English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether sleep problems, sleep duration
      and a combination of short or long sleep with sleep problems were predictive of
      depressive symptoms six years later. METHODS: Participants were 4545 men and
      women aged 50 years or older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Sleep
      problems were indexed through self-report enquiring about the most frequent
      insomnia symptoms including difficulties falling asleep, waking up several times
      a night and waking up in the morning feeling tired. Sleep duration was
      ascertained by asking about average sleep in the weeknight. Depressive symptoms
      were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.
      RESULTS: Sleep problems were predictive of elevated depressive symptoms at follow
      up (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19-1.56). When
      explored separately, waking up in the morning feeling tired (OR = 1.71, 95% CI =
      1.24-2.37) followed by difficulties falling asleep (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.06
      2.11) were also predictors of future depressive symptoms. Compared to optimal
      duration, short (OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.34-2.71) but not long sleep hours were
      also linked to elevated depressive symptoms. Participants reporting short sleep
      hours combined with high sleep problems also had an elevated risk of depressive
      symptoms six years later (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.15-3.00). Long sleep combined
      with high sleep problems was not predictive of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      Short and disturbed sleep and their combination increase the risk of future
      depressive symptoms in older adults.

PMID- 28899542
TI  - Predominant obstructive or central sleep apnea in patients with atrial
      fibrillation: influence of characterizing apneas versus apneas and hypopneas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is common in patients with
      atrial fibrillation (Afib). Although a high proportion of respiratory events are
      hypopneas, previous studies have only used apneas to differentiate obstructive
      (OSA) from central (CSA) sleep apnea. This study investigated the impact of using
      apneas and hypopneas versus apneas only to define the predominant type of SDB in
      Afib patients with preserved ejection fraction. PATIENTS/METHODS: This
      retrospective analysis was based on high-quality cardiorespiratory polygraphy
      (PG) recordings (07/2007-03/2016) that were re-analyzed using 2012 American
      Academy of Sleep Medicine criteria, with differentiation of apneas and hypopneas
      as obstructive or central. Classification of predominant (>50% of events) OSA and
      CSA was defined based on apneas only (OSAAI and CSAAI) or apneas and hypopneas
      (OSAAHI and CSAAHI). SDB was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index >=5/h. RESULTS: A
      total of 211 patients were included (146 male, age 68.7 +/- 8.5 y). Hypopneas
      accounted for >50% of all respiratory events. Based on apneas only, 46% of
      patients had predominant OSA and 44% had predominant CSA. Based on apneas and
      hypopneas, the proportion of patients with OSA was higher (56%) and that with CSA
      was lower (36%). In the subgroup of patients with moderate to severe SDB (AHI >=
      15/h), the proportion with predominant CSA was 55.2% based on apneas only versus
      42.1% with apneas and hypopneas. CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized patients with Afib
      and SDB, use of apneas and hypopneas versus apneas alone had an important
      influence on the proportion of patients classified as having predominant OSA or
      CSA.

PMID- 28899543
TI  - Autocannibalism induced by obstructive sleep apnea.

PMID- 28899544
TI  - Periorbital integrated potentials: useful phasic REM sleep markers.

PMID- 28899545
TI  - A different rhythm of life: sleep patterns in the first 4 years of life and
      associated sociodemographic characteristics in a large Brazilian birth cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sleep is an important marker of healthy development and has been
      associated with emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development. There is
      limited longitudinal data on children's sleep with only a few reports from low-
      and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigate sleep parameters and
      associated sociodemographic characteristics in a population-based longitudinal
      study in Pelotas, Brazil. METHODS: Data from the Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort were
      used (N = 3842). Infant sleep was collected through maternal report at 3, 12, 24,
      and 48 months: sleep duration, bed and wake time, nighttime awakenings, co
      sleeping and sleep disturbances (24 and 48 months). RESULTS: Compared to children
      in high-income countries (HICs), children in Brazil showed a substantial shift in
      rhythms with later bed and wake times by approximately 2 hours. These remain
      stable throughout the first 4 years of life. This population also shows high
      levels of co-sleeping which remain stable throughout (49.0-52.2%). Later bedtime
      was associated with higher maternal education and family income. Higher rates of
      co-sleeping were seen in families with lower income and maternal education and
      for children who were breastfed. All other sleep parameters were broadly similar
      to data previously reported from HICs. CONCLUSION: The shift in biological
      rhythms in this representative community sample of children in Brazil challenges
      our understanding of optimal sleep routine and recommendations.

PMID- 28899547
TI  - Linear dimensions of normal upper airway structure by magnetic resonance imaging
      in Chinese Han infants and preschool children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish normative data of upper airway structure in Chinese Han
      infants and preschool children. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
      of 521 Chinese Han infants and preschool children (225 girls, 296 boys) aged from
      1 day to 72 months were selected from the children who underwent head MRI at the
      Capital Institute of Pediatrics Affiliated Children Hospital, Beijing, China. No
      subjects had sleep-disordered breathing or associated conditions that may have
      affected the upper airway anatomy. The upper airway dimensions and surrounding
      soft tissue sizes were measured along the mid-sagittal and axial images. RESULTS:
      On images from the mid-sagittal image, the normative values of the following were
      obtained for all age group: thickness of the adenoid and nasopharyngeal area,
      length and thickness of the soft palate, length and height of the tongue, length
      of upper airway, distance between the mental spine and clivus, and the adenoid
      oblique width, soft palate oblique width, and tongue oblique width along the
      mental spine-clivus line. Normative values of the mean tonsillar width and
      intertonsillar space on the axial images were also obtained. There were no
      differences in any measurements between boys and girls in either infants or
      preschool children. Older children had larger airway dimensions, as expected.
      CONCLUSION: Normative values for upper airway structure in Chinese Han infants
      and preschool children assessed by MRI were established. The upper airway
      dimension and surrounding soft tissues size, including soft palate, adenoid,
      tongue, and tonsils, were increased with age. There were no gender differences
      during the first six years of life. These data may prove useful when studying
      airway disease in Chinese Han children.

PMID- 28899546
TI  - Exploring the nap paradox: are mid-day sleep bouts a friend or foe?
AB  - The mid-day nap, sometimes called a siesta, is a ubiquitous occurrence across the
      lifespan. It is well established that in addition to reducing sleepiness, mid-day
      naps offer a variety of benefits: memory consolidation, preparation for
      subsequent learning, executive functioning enhancement, and a boost in emotional
      stability. These benefits are present even if a sufficient amount of sleep is
      obtained during the night prior. However, we present a paradox: in spite of these
      reported benefits of naps, frequent napping has also been associated with
      numerous negative outcomes (eg, cognitive decline, hypertension, diabetes),
      particularly in older populations. This association exists even when
      statistically controlling for relevant health- and sleep-affecting determinants.
      An emerging hypothesis suggests inflammation is a mediator between mid-day naps
      and poor health outcomes, yet further research is necessary. Given this, it may
      be premature to 'prescribe' naps as a health enhancer. Herein, we aggregate
      findings from several branches of sleep research (eg, developmental neuroscience,
      cognitive neuroscience, sleep medicine) to critically examine the paradoxical
      role of naps in cognitive and somatic health. This review uncovers gaps in the
      literature to guide research opportunities in the field.

PMID- 28899548
TI  - Magnet foreign body ingestion: rare occurrence but big consequences.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review the outcomes of magnet ingestions from two children's
      hospitals and develop a clinical management pathway. METHODS: Children <18years
      old who ingested a magnet were reviewed from 1/2011 to 6/2016 from two tertiary
      center children's hospitals. Demographics, symptoms, management and outcomes were
      analyzed. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2016, there were 89 magnet ingestions (50 from
      hospital 1 and 39 from hospital 2); 50 (56%) were males. Median age was 7.9 (4.0
      12.0) years; 60 (67%) presented with multiple magnets or a magnet and a second
      metallic co-ingestion. Suspected locations found on imaging were: stomach (53%),
      small bowel (38%), colon (23%) and esophagus (3%). Only 35 patients (39%)
      presented with symptoms and the most common symptom was abdominal pain (33%). 42
      (47%) patients underwent an intervention, in which 20 (23%) had an abdominal
      operation. For those undergoing abdominal surgery, an exact logistic regression
      model identified multiple magnets or a magnet and a second metallic object co
      ingestion (OR 12.9; 95% CI, 2.4 - Infinity) and abdominal pain (OR 13.0; 95% CI,
      3.2-67.8) as independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: Magnets have a high risk of
      requiring surgical intervention for removal. Therefore, we developed a management
      algorithm for magnet ingestion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

PMID- 28899549
TI  - Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: What we know about the effects of oil
      on birds?

PMID- 28899550
TI  - Geometric effects on OO bond scission of copper(II)-alkylperoxide complexes.
AB  - Copper(II) complexes supported by N3-tridentate ligands, consisting of a rigid
      cyclic diamine (8-membered cyclic-diamine; L8 or 7-membered cyclic-diamine; L7)
      and a 2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl (-CH2CH2Py) group, were synthesized and structurally
      characterized. Reaction of the copper(II) complexes and cumene hydroperoxide
      (CmOOH) in the presence of triethylamine in CH3CN gave the corresponding
      cumylperoxide complexes L8CuIIOOCm and L7CuIIOOCm. The UV-vis and EPR spectra
      suggested that L8CuIIOOCm takes a tetrahedrally distorted structure, whereas
      L7CuIIOOCm has a planar geometry in solution. Resonance Raman spectra of these
      alkylperoxide complexes indicated that the O-O stretching vibration energy of
      L8CuIIOOCm (nuO-O=878cm-1) is somewhat lower than that of L7CuIIOOCm (nuO-O=881cm
      1). Such a difference in O-O bond strength is reflected to the reactivity
      difference of these two alkylperoxide complexes. Namely, the reactivity
      L8CuIIOOCm toward CHD (1,4-cyclohexadiene) as well as solvent molecule (CH3CN) is
      higher than that of L7CuIIOOCm due to the weaker O-O bond of the former complex
      as compared to that of the latter complex. Geometric effects on the reactivity
      induced by the supporting ligands are discussed.

PMID- 28899551
TI  - Relationship between neuronal network architecture and naming performance in
      temporal lobe epilepsy: A connectome based approach using machine learning.
AB  - Impaired confrontation naming is a common symptom of temporal lobe epilepsy
      (TLE). The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this impairment are poorly
      understood but may indicate a structural disorganization of broadly distributed
      neuronal networks that support naming ability. Importantly, naming is frequently
      impaired in other neurological disorders and by contrasting the neuronal
      structures supporting naming in TLE with other diseases, it will become possible
      to elucidate the common systems supporting naming. We aimed to evaluate the
      neuronal networks that support naming in TLE by using a machine learning
      algorithm intended to predict naming performance in subjects with medication
      refractory TLE using only the structural brain connectome reconstructed from
      diffusion tensor imaging. A connectome-based prediction framework was developed
      using network properties from anatomically defined brain regions across the
      entire brain, which were used in a multi-task machine learning algorithm followed
      by support vector regression. Nodal eigenvector centrality, a measure of regional
      network integration, predicted approximately 60% of the variance in naming. The
      nodes with the highest regression weight were bilaterally distributed among
      perilimbic sub-networks involving mainly the medial and lateral temporal lobe
      regions. In the context of emerging evidence regarding the role of large
      structural networks that support language processing, our results suggest intact
      naming relies on the integration of sub-networks, as opposed to being dependent
      on isolated brain areas. In the case of TLE, these sub-networks may be
      disproportionately indicative naming processes that are dependent semantic
      integration from memory and lexical retrieval, as opposed to multi-modal
      perception or motor speech production.

PMID- 28899552
TI  - The use of dissolvable layered double hydroxide components in an in situ solid
      phase extraction for chromatographic determination of tetracyclines in water and
      milk samples.
AB  - This research presents a simple and green in situ solid phase extraction (is-SPE)
      combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the simultaneous
      analysis of tetracyclines (TCs) including tetracycline, oxytetracycline, and
      chlortetracycline. In is-SPE, TCs were efficiently extracted through the
      precipitation formation of dissolvable layered double hydroxides (LDHs) by mixing
      the LDH components such as magnesium and aluminum ions (both in metal chloride
      salts) thoroughly in an alkaline sample solution. After the centrifugation, the
      precipitate was completely dissolved with trifluoroacetic acid to release the
      enriched TCs, and then analyzed by HPLC. Under optimized conditions, this method
      gave good enrichment factors (EFs) of 41-93 with low limits of detection (LODs)
      of 0.7-6MUg/L and limits of quantitation (LOQs) of 3-15MUg/L. Also, the proposed
      method was successfully applied for the determination of TCs in water and milk
      samples with the recoveries ranging from 81.7-108.1% for water and 55.7-88.7% for
      milk.

PMID- 28899553
TI  - Hollow mesoporous carbon spheres-based fiber coating for solid-phase
      microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
AB  - In this study, a novel hollow mesoporous carbon spheres-based fiber (HMCSs-F) was
      fabricated to immobilize HMCSs onto a stainless steel wire for solid-phase
      microextraction (SPME). Characterization results showed that the HMCSs-F
      possessed a large specific surface area, high porosity and uniform pore size. To
      demonstrate the extraction performance, a series of polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs) was chosen as target analytes. The experimental parameters
      including extraction and desorption conditions were optimized. Compared to
      commercial fibers, the HMCSs-F exhibited better extraction efficiency for PAHs.
      More interestingly, a good extraction selectivity for PAHs from the complex
      matrix was observed in these HMCSs-F. The enhanced SPME performance was
      attributed to the unique pore structure and special surface properties of the
      HMCSs. Furthermore, under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection (LODs)
      for the HMCSs-F were in the range of 0.20-1.15ngL-1 with a corresponding relative
      standard deviation that was below 8.6%. The method was successfully applied for
      the analysis of PAHs in actual environmental water samples with recoveries
      ranging from 85.9% to 112.2%. These results imply that the novel HMCSs-F have
      potential application in environmental water analysis.

PMID- 28899554
TI  - Construction of a hydrazone-linked chiral covalent organic framework-silica
      composite as the stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), as an emerging class of crystalline porous
      organic polymers, have great potential for applications in chromatographic
      separation owning to their fascinating crystalline structures and outstanding
      properties. However, development of COF materials as novel stationary phases in
      high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is just in its infancy. Herein, we
      report the design and construction of a new hydrazone-linked chiral COF, termed
      BtaMth COF, from a chiral hydrazide building block (Mth) and present a one-pot
      synthetic method for the fabrication of BtaMth@SiO2 composite for HPLC separation
      of isomers. The as-synthesized BtaMth chiral COF displays good crystallinity,
      high porosity, as well as excellent chemical stability. Meanwhile, the fabricated
      HPLC column by using BtaMth@SiO2 composite as the new stationary phase exhibits
      high resolution performances for the separation of positional isomers including
      nitrotoluene and nitrochlorobenzene, as well as cis-trans isomers including beta
      cypermethrin and metconazole. Additionally, some effects such as the composition
      of the mobile phase and column temperature for HPLC separations on the
      BtaMth@SiO2 packed column also have been studied in detail. The successful
      applications indicate the great potentials of hydrazone-linked chiral COF-silica
      composite as novel stationary phase for the efficient HPLC separation.

PMID- 28899555
TI  - Comprehensive two dimensional liquid chromatography as analytical strategy for
      pharmaceutical analysis.
AB  - Comprehensive on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LCxLC) is expected
      to generate impressive peak capacities, which makes it a method of choice for the
      analysis of complex samples such as pharmaceuticals. A comparative study of
      different sets of chromatographic conditions including stationary phase, pH
      additive and organic modifier was carried out with two real pharmaceutical
      samples in order to find out the best analytical conditions for implementation of
      one or several generic on-line LCxLC separations. Our choice was based on the
      evaluation of both degree of orthogonality and practical sample peak capacity
      under linear gradient conditions. The potential of 190 combinations of
      chromatographic systems was compared. A set of 3 RPLCxRPLC configurations was
      found to be very attractive for both samples and in good agreement with the
      findings of a previous study carried out with 17 model compounds, thereby
      supporting the idea of using generic LCxLC conditions in the pharmaceutical area.
      The three selected 2D-systems were implemented for the on-line RPLCxRPLC-UV/MS
      analysis of two pharmaceutical samples. It was shown, for each sample, that these
      2D-systems were able to generate an effective peak capacity close to 1000 in less
      than 50min. For each sample, baseline separation was obtained for every known
      compound and furthermore a large number of unknown impurities could also be
      separated and identified. Finally, in the proposed conditions, the total number
      of compounds detected was significantly improved from one RPLC separation to one
      RPLCxRPLC separation. Only a small additional gain was observed by performing a
      second RPLCxRPLC separation or even a third one.

PMID- 28899556
TI  - A Multi-institutional Comparison of SBRT and IMRT for Definitive Reirradiation of
      Recurrent or Second Primary Head and Neck Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Two modern methods of reirradiation, intensity modulated radiation
      therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), are established
      for patients with recurrent or second primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head
      and neck (rSCCHN). We performed a retrospective multi-institutional analysis to
      compare methods. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Data from patients with unresectable
      rSCCHN previously irradiated to >=40 Gy who underwent reirradiation with IMRT or
      SBRT were collected from 8 institutions. First, the prognostic value of our IMRT
      based recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) separating those patients with
      unresectable tumors with an intertreatment interval >2 years or those with <=2
      years and without feeding tube or tracheostomy dependence (class II) from other
      patients with unresected tumors (class III) was investigated among SBRT patients.
      Overall survival (OS) and locoregional failure were then compared between IMRT
      and SBRT by use of 2 methods to control for baseline differences: Cox regression
      weighted by the inverse probability of treatment and subset analysis by RPA
      classification. RESULTS: The study included 414 patients with unresectable
      rSCCHN: 217 with IMRT and 197 with SBRT. The unadjusted 2-year OS rate was 35.4%
      for IMRT and 16.3% for SBRT (P<.01). Among SBRT patients, RPA classification
      retained an independent association with OS. On Cox regression weighted by the
      inverse probability of treatment, no significant differences in OS or
      locoregional failure between IMRT and SBRT were demonstrated. Analysis by RPA
      class showed similar OS between IMRT and SBRT for class III patients. In all
      class II patients, IMRT was associated with improved OS (P<.001). Further subset
      analysis demonstrated comparable OS when >=35 Gy was delivered with SBRT to small
      tumor volumes. Acute grade >=4 toxicity was greater in the IMRT group than in the
      SBRT group (5.1% vs 0.5%, P<.01), with no significant difference in late
      toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Reirradiation both with SBRT and with IMRT appear
      relatively safe with favorable toxicity compared with historical studies.
      Outcomes vary by RPA class, which informs clinical trial design. Survival is poor
      in class III patients, and alternative strategies are needed.

PMID- 28899557
TI  - Can the recovery of lower limb fractures be achieved by use of 3D printing mirror
      model?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The mirror imaging 3D printing model can be used a as a reference
      for anatomical reduction in unilateral lower limb fractures. However, the premise
      of using mirror technology is that the bilateral lower limb bones are similar
      enough. Because one side had a fracture, it was impossible to compare this
      directly to the other side. Usually, surgeons think that the bilateral bones are
      symmetrical and use mirror technology without judging their symmetry. METHODS: In
      patients with a unilateral lower limb bone fracture, we measured the long axis
      and short axis of the three selected transverse sections of the bilateral long
      bone for comparison to judge the symmetry of the bilateral long bones on CT
      images. Then, we printed a life-size normal mirror image of the long bone that is
      similar to the affected side. The model was used as a reference for the
      anatomical reduction of fractures and preoperative practice. RESULTS: Seventy
      eight patients with lower limb bone fracture were included in this study. 24
      groups of data were generated according to the same level and same axis. There
      were significant differences between the short axis of the left and right femoral
      condyle 5cm from the intercondylar keel (p=0.011), and the short axis of the
      distal tibia 15cm from the ankle dome (p=0.026). There was no significant
      difference between the left and right sides in the other 22 groups. Of all of the
      patients in our research, 3 patients decided to forego the surgical treatment and
      the operation was performed on the model instead, and the lengths of 2 patients
      showed deviation in actual operations, preventing anatomical reduction. The
      remaining 73 patients used the pre-bended plates and screws from preoperative
      practice in the actual operations, and postoperative X-ray examinations showed
      that the length of the deviation was within the permissible range. CONCLUSION:
      The "Comparison of long axis and short axis of three equidistant transverse
      sections" method makes it easy to judge the symmetry of the bilateral long bones,
      and prevents the blindness of preoperative planning using the contralateral
      mirror model directly.

PMID- 28899558
TI  - Arthroscopically measured syndesmotic stability after screw vs. suture button
      fixation in a cadaveric model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Appropriate management of ankle syndesmotic instability is needed to
      prevent the development of complications. Previous biomechanical studies have
      evaluated movement of the fibula after screw or suture button fixations with
      different results, most likely being caused by variations in experimental setups
      that did not mirror the in vivo clinical setting. This study aimed to
      arthroscopically compare in a cadaveric model the stability of syndesmotic
      fixation with either a suture button or syndesmotic screw. METHODS: Eight fresh
      matched pairs of human ankle cadaver specimens (above knee) underwent
      arthroscopic assessment with (1) intact ligaments, (2) after complete disruption,
      and (3) after repair with either a quadracortical syndesmotic screw or suture
      button construct. In every stage, four loading conditions were considered under
      100N of direct force: 1) unstressed, 2) lateral hook test, 3) anterior to
      posterior (AP) translation test, and 4) posterior to anterior (PA) translation
      test. Coronal plane tibiofibular diastasis, as well as sagittal plane
      tibiofibular translation, were arthroscopically measured. RESULTS: Coronal plane
      anterior and posterior tibiofibular diastasis and sagittal plane tibiofibular
      translation were measured using probes of increasing diameters. Following screw
      fixation, syndesmotic stability was similar to the uninjured syndesmosis in the
      coronal plane (anterior, median 0.0mm [IQR 0.0-0.3] vs. 0.3mm [IQR 0.2-0.3];
      p=0.57; posterior, median 0.1mm [IQR 0.0-0.4] vs. 0.2mm [IQR 0.1-0.3]; p=1.0) but
      more rigid in the sagittal plane (median 0.0mm [IQR 0.0-0.1] vs. 1.0mm [IQR 0.4
      1.5]; p=0.012). Repairing the unstable syndesmosis with a suture button construct
      resulted in coronal plane stability similar to the uninjured syndesmosis
      (anterior, median 0.2mm [IQR 0.1-0.3] vs. 0.2mm [IQR 0.1-0.3]; p=0.48; posterior,
      median 0.2mm [IQR 0.1-0.3] vs. 0.3mm [IQR 0.1-0.5]; p=0.44). However, sagittal
      plane fibular motion remained unstable as compared to the uninjured syndesmosis
      (median 2.2mm [IQR 1.6-2.6] vs. 0.8mm [IQR 0.4-1.3]; p=0.012). CONCLUSION:
      Current fixation methods for syndesmotic disruption maintain coronal plane
      fibular stability. Screw and suture button constructs, however, respectively
      resulted in greater or insufficient constraint to fibular motion in the sagittal
      plane as compared to the intact syndesmotic ligament. These findings suggest that
      neither traditional screw nor suture button fixations optimally stabilize the
      syndesmosis, which may have implications for postoperative care and clinical
      outcomes.

PMID- 28899559
TI  - Emergency general surgery and trauma: Outcomes from the first consultant-led
      service in Singapore.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a significant burden on public health systems from
      emergency surgical and trauma (ESAT) patients. In Western countries, the response
      has been to separate acute and elective surgery with the creation of a new sub
      specialty: acute care surgery. Dedicated acute units have shown improvements in
      efficiency and clinical outcomes for patients. The aim of this study was to
      assess the results of the first such unit in Singapore. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis was performed of a 12-month period of acute admissions
      between May 2014 and April 2015, with comparison of 6-months before and after the
      creation of the ESAT service. The ESAT service was a consultant led dedicated
      team managing all daily acute and trauma patients. Demographic, efficiency and
      clinical outcome key performance indicators were compared. RESULTS: There were
      2527 acute admissions split between the two time periods. The ESAT service
      (N=1279) managed soft tissue infections (257, 20%), appendicitis (199, 16%) and
      biliary disease (175, 14%) most commonly. The most common of the 573 procedures
      performed were incision and drainage (242, 42%), appendicectomy (188, 33%) and
      laparotomy (84, 16%). Clinical outcome during the ESAT service included reduction
      in overall mean length of stay (4.5d to 3.5d, P<0.01) and mortality (24/1248
      (1.9%) to 11/1279 (0.9%), P=0.03). Efficiency gains in theatre booking time, ED
      surgical review and overall costs were also noted. CONCLUSION: The creation of an
      ESAT service has led to improved efficiency of care with no worsening of clinical
      outcomes for acute general surgical and trauma patients.

PMID- 28899560
TI  - Nerve injuries to the volar aspect of the hand: A comparison of the reliability
      of the Weber static test versus the gauze test.
AB  - When examining lacerations to the volar aspect of the hand a gauze test may
      usually be performed to detect nerve injuries. However, published literature
      suggests that its sensitivity and specificity are lower than 100%. The aim of
      this study was to determine whether a Weber static (main hypothesis) and dynamic
      test or a Semmes-Weinstein test (secondary hypotheses) could be a more reliable
      test than the gauze test to rule out any nerve injury and avoid unnecessary wound
      explorations. Our case series included a total of 102 patients presenting with
      123 palmar lacerations and 158 nerve injuries. On arrival at the emergency
      department, every patient was tested for epicritic sensation at the pulp of the
      injured and contralateral fingers with the Weber static and dynamic tests and the
      Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test. All lacerations underwent exploration under
      anesthetic to rule out nerve injury. The sensitivities of the gauze test, the
      Weber static test, the Weber dynamic test and the Semmes Weinstein monofilament
      test were proven to be 82.5%, 98.6%, 97.9% and 86.7% respectively. The
      specificities of the gauze test, the Weber static test, the Weber dynamic test
      and the Semmes Weinstein monofilament test were 79%, 79%, 79% and 78.9%
      respectively. Examination of lacerations to the volar aspect of the hand to rule
      out any nerve injuries should include a Weber static test instead of a gauze
      test. A negative Weber static test should not however discourage a surgical
      exploration of the laceration to rule out tendinous or vascular injury.

PMID- 28899561
TI  - Letter to Editor regarding "Can intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) reduce
      time to surgery for malleolar fractures?" by K.B. Arndt et al.

PMID- 28899562
TI  - The design, production and clinical application of 3D patient-specific implants
      with drilling guides for acetabular surgery.
AB  - An innovative procedure for the development of 3D patient-specific implants with
      drilling guides for acetabular fracture surgery is presented. By using CT data
      and 3D surgical planning software, a virtual model of the fractured pelvis was
      created. During this process the fracture was virtually reduced. Based on the
      reduced fracture model, patient-specific titanium plates including polyamide
      drilling guides were designed, 3D printed and milled for intra-operative use. One
      of the advantages of this procedure is that the personalised plates could be
      tailored to both the shape of the pelvis and the type of fracture. The optimal
      screw directions and sizes were predetermined in the 3D model. The virtual plan
      was translated towards the surgical procedure by using the surgical guides and
      patient-specific osteosynthesis. Besides the description of the newly developed
      multi-disciplinary workflow, a clinical case example is presented to demonstrate
      that this technique is feasible and promising for the operative treatment of
      complex acetabular fractures.

PMID- 28899563
TI  - Treating osteomyelitis of major limb amputations with a modified Lautenbach
      technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Major lower limb amputation significantly increases the energy cost
      of walking for patients. Complications such as osteomyelitis may require further
      surgery, and can lead to shortening of the stump. In these cases, the aim should
      be to treat infection without shortening the limb further. We present a series of
      patients with established osteomyelitis of the amputation stump, managed using a
      modified Lautenbach technique. METHOD: Six patients with either above or below
      knee amputations, in the practice of a single orthopaedic surgeon, were studied.
      Ages range from 39 to 64 years, and reasons for amputation included infection,
      pain, and necrosis. All patients had osteomyelitis in the amputation stump
      confirmed on MRI. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 3.75 years (range 7 months to 6
      years) all six patients had no clinical or haematological evidence of infection,
      and had returned to independent living. Stump length was preserved in all cases,
      including in one patient who underwent two procedures to ensure complete
      debridement. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that this case series is the largest so far
      published regarding this modification of the Lautenbach Procedure. This operation
      treats infection effectively without further loss of bone length, and no patients
      so far have developed significant complications.

PMID- 28899564
TI  - Avoiding delayed diagnosis of significant blunt bowel and mesenteric injuries:
      Can a scoring tool make the difference? A 7-year retrospective cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Significant blunt bowel and mesenteric injuries (sBBMI) are
      frequently missed despite the widespread use of computed tomography (CT). Early
      treatment improves the outcome related to these injuries. The aim of this study
      was to assess the prevalence of sBBMI, the incidence of delayed diagnosis and to
      test the performance of the Bowel Injury Prediction Score (BIPS), determined by
      the white blood cell (WBC) count, presence or absence of abdominal tenderness and
      CT grade of mesenteric injury. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Single-centre, registry
      based retrospective cohort study, screening all consecutive trauma patients
      admitted to Lausanne University Hospital Trauma Centre from 2008 to 2015 after a
      road traffic accident. All patients with reliable information about the presence
      or absence of sBBMI who underwent abdominal CT and for whom calculation of the
      BIPS was possible were included for analysis. The incidence of delayed (>24h
      after admission) diagnosis in the patient group with sBBMI was determined and the
      diagnostic performance of the BIPS for sBBMI was assessed. RESULTS: For analysis,
      766 patients with reliable information about the presence or absence of sBBMI
      were included. The prevalence of sBBMI was 3.1% (24/766). In 24% (5/21) of stable
      trauma patients undergoing CT, a diagnostic delay of more than 24h occurred.
      Abdominal tenderness (p<0.0001) and CT grade >=4 (p<0.0001) were associated with
      sBBMI, whereas CT grade 4 alone (p=0.93) and WBC count >=17G/l (p=0.30) were not.
      A BIPS >=2 had a sensitivity of 89% (95% CI, 67-99), specificity of 89% (95% CI,
      86-91), positive likelihood ratio of 8 (95% CI, 6.1-10), negative likelihood
      ratio of 0.12 (95% CI, 0.03-0.44), positive predictive value (PPV) of 19% (95%
      CI, 15-24) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.7% (95% CI, 98.7-99.9). CT
      alone identified 79% (15/19) and the BIPS 89% (17/19) of patients with sBBMI
      (p=0.66). CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic delays in patients with sBBMI are common (24%),
      despite the routine use of abdominal CT. Application of the BIPS on the present
      cohort would have led to a high number of non-therapeutic abdominal explorations
      without identifying significantly more sBBMI early than CT alone.

PMID- 28899565
TI  - Local neighbors as positives, regional neighbors as negatives: Competing channels
      in the relationship between others' income, health, and happiness.
AB  - That well-being is decreasing in others' income is termed the "relative income
      hypothesis" (RIH) by scholars of subjective well-being (SWB) and has substantial
      empirical support. Some studies, however, present evidence of both positive and
      negative explanatory channels in the relationship between others' income and SWB.
      We develop a theoretical framework integrating four distinct channels through
      which neighbors' income can affect utility: public goods, cost of living,
      expectations of future income, and direct effects (RIH or altruism). We estimate
      the relationship with SWB data from the U.S. Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index
      and median-income data from the American Community Survey for ZIP codes and MSAs.
      The relationship is proximity-dependent: positive (negative) when using ZIP-code
      (MSA) median income as reference income, suggesting that positive (negative)
      channels dominate locally (regionally) and reconciling the literature's seemingly
      divergent results. These findings are consistent across SWB measures and many
      health-related indices. Additional analyses support the public-goods and cost-of
      living channels.

PMID- 28899566
TI  - Unemployment, drugs and attitudes among European youth.
AB  - This paper studies changes in the patterns of drug consumption and attitudes
      towards drugs in relation to sky-high (youth) unemployment rates brought about by
      the Great Recession. Our analysis is based on data for 28 European countries that
      refer to young people. We find that the consumption of cannabis and 'new
      substances' is positively related to increasing unemployment rates. An increase
      of 1% in the regional unemployment rate is associated with an increase of 0.7
      percentage points in the ratio of young people who state that they have consumed
      cannabis at some point in time. Our findings also indicate that higher
      unemployment may be associated with more young people perceiving that access to
      drugs has become more difficult, particularly access to ecstasy, cocaine and
      heroin. According to young Europeans, when the economy worsens, anti-drug
      policies should focus on the reduction of poverty and unemployment, and not on
      implementing tougher measures against users.

PMID- 28899567
TI  - Spontaneous uterine rupture due to pyometra, a case report.

PMID- 28899568
TI  - Long-term survival after acute kidney injury following ruptured abdominal aortic
      aneurysm repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major complication of ruptured
      abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA). Severe AKI is associated with high morbidity
      and mortality in the short term. The objective of this study was to determine the
      association between AKI after RAAA repair and long-term survival. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients undergoing RAAA repair in
      three hospitals between 2004 and 2011. Outcomes were long-term survival after
      RAAA repair, incidence of postoperative AKI, and chronic dialysis rates. Survival
      rates were compared between different AKI groups (no AKI, Risk, Injury, Failure)
      with Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and log-rank tests. Univariable and
      multivariable Cox regression analyses were carried out to assess the association
      of survival with AKI, preoperative shock, postoperative shock, and sex. The main
      analysis focused on the group of patients surviving initial hospital stay.
      RESULTS: Our study encompassed 362 patients with RAAA. AKI occurred in 267 of 362
      patients (74%). At discharge, 267 patients were alive (74%). Median survival in
      this group was 7.2 years. Survival was not significantly different between the
      four AKI groups (P = .07). However, the univariable Cox regression analysis
      demonstrated a significant association between Failure and reduced long-term
      survival compared with having no AKI (hazard ratio, 1.85; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.15-2.97). This association did not remain significant after
      multivariable adjustment. Four patients were discharged with chronic dialysis,
      and four other patients needed chronic dialysis later after discharge.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates no significant independent association
      between AKI after RAAA repair and long-term survival. Only a small proportion of
      patients developed end-stage renal disease at a later stage in life.

PMID- 28899569
TI  - On the influence of wall calcification and intraluminal thrombus on prediction of
      abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Parameters other than maximum diameter that predict rupture of
      abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) may be helpful for risk-benefit analysis in
      individual patients. The aim of this study was to characterize the biomechanical
      structural characteristics associated with AAA walls to better identify the
      related mechanistic variables required for an accurate prediction of rupture
      risk. METHODS: Anterior AAA wall (n = 40) and intraluminal thrombus (ILT; n =
      114) samples were acquired from 18 patients undergoing open surgical repair.
      Biomechanical characterization was performed using controlled circumferential
      stretching tests combined with a speckle-strain tracking technique to quantify
      the spatial heterogeneity in deformation and localized strains in the AAA walls
      containing calcification. After mechanical testing, the accompanying
      microstructural characteristics of the AAA wall and ILT types were examined using
      electron microscopy. RESULTS: No significant correlation was found between the
      AAA diameter and the wall mechanical properties in terms of Cauchy stress (rs = 
      0.139; P = .596) or stiffness (rs = -0.451; P = .069). Quantification of
      significant localized peak strains, which were concentrated in the tissue regions
      surrounding calcification, reveals that peak strains increased by a mean of 174%
      as a result of calcification and corresponding peak stresses by 18.2%. Four ILT
      types characteristic of diverse stages in the evolving tissue microstructure were
      directly associated with distinct mechanical stiffness properties of the ILT and
      underlying AAA wall. ILT types were independent of geometric factors, including
      ILT volume and AAA diameter measures (ILT stiffness and AAA diameter [rs = 
      0.511; P = .074]; ILT stiffness and ILT volume [rs = -0.245; P = .467]).
      CONCLUSIONS: AAA wall stiffness properties are controlled by the load-bearing
      capacity of the noncalcified tissue portion, and low stiffness properties
      represent a highly degraded vulnerable wall. The presence of calcification that
      is contiguous with the inner wall causes severe tissue overstretching in
      surrounding tissue areas. The results highlight the use of additional
      biomechanical measures, detailing the biomechanical-structural characteristics of
      AAA tissue, that may be a helpful adjunct to improve the accuracy of rupture
      prediction.

PMID- 28899570
TI  - Prevalence of iron deficiency without anaemia in inflammatory bowel disease and
      impact on health-related quality of life.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Iron deficiency without anaemia (IDWA) is commonly found in
      outpatients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in an even higher proportion
      than anaemia. However, its true prevalence and possible impact on health-related
      quality of life (HRQoL) are unknown. The objectives of this study were: to
      establish the prevalence of IDWA, identify possible associated factors and
      measure their impact on HRQoL. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 127 patients with IBD in an
      outpatient setting were consecutively included in an observational, descriptive,
      cross-sectional study. IDWA was defined as ferritin levels of <100 ng/ml with
      inflammatory activity or <=30 ng/ml without it, with transferrin saturation of
      <=16%, and with normal haemoglobin levels. HRQoL was assessed using two
      questionnaires: the IBDQ-9 for symptoms related to IBD and the FACIT-F to measure
      the presence of fatigue. Fatigue was considered extreme with a score of <=30
      points. RESULTS: The prevalence of IDWA was 37%. Variables associated with its
      occurrence were female gender (OR=2.9; p=.015) and the presence of inflammatory
      activity (OR=9.4; p=.001). Patients with IDWA presented HRQoL questionnaires with
      lower overall scores; decreases of 6.6 (p<.001) and 4.3 (p=.037) points in the
      IBDQ-9 and the FACIT-F were recorded, respectively. In addition, an increase of
      29.4% in the presence of extreme fatigue was observed. CONCLUSION: The prevalence
      of IDWA is considerable in outpatients with IBD. IDWA is associated with female
      gender and inflammatory activity. It has a clear negative impact on HRQoL. A more
      active approach is needed to treat this complication.

PMID- 28899571
TI  - Simultaneous recovery of calcium phosphate granules and methane in anaerobic
      treatment of black water: Effect of bicarbonate and calcium fluctuations.
AB  - Calcium phosphate (CaP) granules were discovered in the anaerobic treatment of
      vacuum collected black water (BW), using upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB)
      technology. This allows simultaneous recovery of CaP granules and methane in the
      UASB reactor. However, the role of BW composition on CaP granulation is not yet
      understood. Moreover, CaP granulation was not observed in previous research on
      anaerobic treatment of BW, although similar treatment conditions were applied.
      Therefore, this study shows specifically the influence of bicarbonate and calcium
      fluctuations in BW on the phosphorus accumulation in the UASB reactor, which
      directly affects CaP granulation. Without calcium addition, 5% of the total
      phosphorus (P) fed was found as CaP granules in the reactor (61 mgP g-1dried
      matter), after 260 days of operation. Simultaneously, 65% of the COD in BW was
      efficiently converted into methane at 25  degrees C. Variations of bicarbonate
      and calcium concentrations in raw BW showed a significant influence on phosphorus
      accumulation in the UASB reactor. Geochemical modelling showed that the increase
      of soluble calcium from 39 to 54 mg L-1 in BW triggers supersaturation for
      calcium phosphate precursors (Cax(PO4)y). Concurrently, bicarbonate decreased
      from 2.7 to 1.2 g L-1, increasing further the ionic activity of calcium.
      Formation and accumulation of seed particles possibly enhanced CaP granulation.
      Preliminary results showed that addition of calcium (Ca2+/PO43- molar ratio of 3)
      increased the accumulation of total P in the UASB reactor to more than 85%. This
      further increases the granulation rate and consequently, the process feasibility.

PMID- 28899572
TI  - Hypoglossal nerve palsy in the course of dissection of the internal carotid
      arteries - Case reports.
AB  - : Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) has become an increasingly recognized
      cause of cerebrovascular accidents in young and middle-aged patients. We report 2
      cases of hypoglossal nerve palsy in the course of dissection of the internal
      carotid arteries. The first patient was admitted to the Department of Neurology
      due to swallowing difficulty, speech articulation disorders and numbness of the
      right half of the tongue for 4 weeks. Extracranial vessel ultrasound (US) and
      transcranial colour Doppler (TCD) visualized thrombus causing occlusion of the
      right internal carotid artery (RICA). Angio-CT revealed a compression on right
      XII nerve and a dissection of the RICA. The second patient was referred to the
      Department of Neurology due to articulation disorders and swallowing
      difficulties. On admission, neurological examination revealed tongue deviation
      towards the right side with evidence of atrophy of the right half of the tongue,
      deviation of the uvula to the right side, absence of palatal and pharyngeal
      reflexes, rhinolalia and dysphagia. Vessel imaging was taken using angio-MR
      showing mural thrombus of the RICA. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of spontaneous non
      traumatic dissection of the carotid arteries is a major challenge for clinicians.
      ICAD must be considered for young and middle-aged patients when severe headache
      is preceded by the co-existence of focal neurological symptoms. The probability
      of ICAD increases in the presence of predisposing diseases. The final diagnosis
      is based on imaging studies: color duplex ultrasound, CT angiography or MR
      angiography.

PMID- 28899573
TI  - Split-spectrum processing technique for SNR enhancement of ultrasonic guided
      wave.
AB  - Ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) systems are broadly used in several branches of
      industry where the structural integrity is of concern. In those systems, signal
      interpretation can often be challenging due to the multi-modal and dispersive
      propagation of UGWs. This results in degradation of the signals in terms of
      signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spatial resolution. This paper employs the split
      spectrum processing (SSP) technique in order to enhance the SNR and spatial
      resolution of UGW signals using the optimized filter bank parameters in real time
      scenario for pipe inspection. SSP technique has already been developed for other
      applications such as conventional ultrasonic testing for SNR enhancement. In this
      work, an investigation is provided to clarify the sensitivity of SSP performance
      to the filter bank parameter values for UGWs such as processing bandwidth, filter
      bandwidth, filter separation and a number of filters. As a result, the optimum
      values are estimated to significantly improve the SNR and spatial resolution of
      UGWs. The proposed method is synthetically and experimentally compared with
      conventional approaches employing different SSP recombination algorithms. The
      Polarity Thresholding (PT) and PT with Minimization (PTM) algorithms were found
      to be the best recombination algorithms. They substantially improved the SNR up
      to 36.9dB and 38.9dB respectively. The outcome of the work presented in this
      paper paves the way to enhance the reliability of UGW inspections.

PMID- 28899574
TI  - Orbital Implants in Enucleation Surgery: A Report by the American Academy of
      Ophthalmology.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the motility and complication rates of porous and nonporous
      implants after enucleation surgery. METHODS: Literature searches of the PubMed
      and Cochrane Library databases were last performed in February 2017 to identify
      studies published between 2003 and 2017 on outcomes after enucleation surgeries
      in which a variety implants were used. The searches were limited to the English
      language with abstracts and yielded 43 articles, which the Ophthalmic Technology
      Assessment Committee Oculoplastics and Orbit Panel reviewed for relevancy. Twenty
      five articles were considered to have met the search strategy, and the panel
      methodologist assigned ratings to them according to the level of evidence.
      RESULTS: Only 2 of the 25 articles identified met the criteria for level I
      evidence. Eighteen of the studies did not assess motility after enucleation
      surgery, and the 7 that did evaluate this metric involved porous implants. The
      studies that analyzed this outcome reported favorable results, but the results
      were not uniformly based on objective analysis. Both porous and nonporous
      implants were well tolerated, and complication rates were generally low for both
      types. CONCLUSIONS: In keeping with increasing surgeon preference for porous
      implants, most studies identified in this literature search involved the use of
      this type of implant. These implants resulted in excellent motility after
      enucleation surgery, although many studies did not assess this outcome.
      Regardless of implant type, major complications were rare, and infection was
      exceptionally uncommon after enucleation. Given the paucity of data on motility
      and the absence of direct, objective comparisons of porous and nonporous
      implants, definitive conclusions about the impact of implant material on motility
      cannot be made. Since few studies evaluated nonporous implants, direct
      comparisons cannot be made definitively between implant types, and future
      investigations are needed to enable a critical assessment.

PMID- 28899575
TI  - eHealth in integrated care programs for people with multimorbidity in Europe:
      Insights from the ICARE4EU project.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Care for people with multimorbidity requires an integrated approach
      in order to adequately meet their complex needs. In this respect eHealth could be
      of help. This paper aims to describe the implementation, as well as benefits and
      barriers of eHealth applications in integrated care programs targeting people
      with multimorbidity in European countries, including insights on older people
      65+. METHODS: Within the framework of the ICARE4EU project, in 2014, expert
      organizations in 24 European countries identified 101 integrated care programs
      based on selected inclusion criteria. Managers of these programs completed a
      related on-line questionnaire addressing various aspects including the use of
      eHealth. In this paper we analyze data from this questionnaire, in addition to
      qualitative information from six programs which were selected as 'high potential'
      for their innovative approach and studied in depth through site visits. RESULTS:
      Out of 101 programs, 85 adopted eHealth applications, of which 42 focused
      explicitly on older people. In most cases Electronic Health Records (EHRs),
      registration databases with patients' data and tools for communication between
      care providers were implemented. Percentages were slightly higher for programs
      addressing older people. eHealth improves care integration and management
      processes. Inadequate funding mechanisms, interoperability and technical support
      represent major barriers. CONCLUSION: Findings seems to suggest that eHealth
      could support integrated care for (older) people with multimorbidity.

PMID- 28899576
TI  - Neuroscience and everyday life: Facing the translation problem.
AB  - To enable the impact of neuroscientific insights on our daily lives, careful
      translation of research findings is required. However, neuroscientific
      terminology and common-sense concepts are often hard to square. For example, when
      neuroscientists study lying to allow the use of brain scans for lie-detection
      purposes, the concept of lying in the scientific case differs considerably from
      the concept in court. Furthermore, lying and other cognitive concepts are used
      unsystematically and have an indirect and divergent mapping onto brain activity.
      Therefore, scientific findings cannot inform our practical concerns in a
      straightforward way. How then can neuroscience ultimately help determine if a
      defendant is legally responsible, or help someone understand their addiction
      better? Since the above-mentioned problems provide serious obstacles to move from
      science to common-sense, we call this the 'translation problem'. Here, we
      describe three promising approaches for neuroscience to face this translation
      problem. First, neuroscience could propose new 'folk-neuroscience' concepts,
      beyond the traditional folk-psychological array, which might inform and alter our
      phenomenology. Second, neuroscience can modify our current array of common-sense
      concepts by refining and validating scientific concepts. Third, neuroscience can
      change our views on the application criteria of concepts such as responsibility
      and consciousness. We believe that these strategies to deal with the translation
      problem should guide the practice of neuroscientific research to be able to
      contribute to our day-to-day life more effectively.

PMID- 28899577
TI  - Real-time discrete suboptimal control for systems with input and state delays:
      Experimental tests on a dehydration process.
AB  - This article presents a suboptimal control strategy with finite horizon for
      affine nonlinear discrete systems with both state and input delays. The Dynamic
      Programming Approach is used to obtain the suboptimal control sequence, but in
      order to avoid the computation of the Bellman functional, a numerical
      approximation of this function is proposed in every step. The feasibility of our
      proposal is demonstrated via an experimental test on a dehydration process and
      the obtained results show a good performance and behavior of this process. Then
      in order to demonstrate the benefits of using this kind of control strategy, the
      results are compared with a non optimal control strategy, particularly with
      respect to results produced by an industrial Proportional Integral Derivative
      (PID) Honeywell controller, which is tuned using the Ziegler-Nichols method.

PMID- 28899578
TI  - Fault detection for piecewise affine systems with application to ship propulsion
      systems.
AB  - In this paper, the design approach of non-synchronized diagnostic observer-based
      fault detection (FD) systems is investigated for piecewise affine processes via
      continuous piecewise Lyapunov functions. Considering that the dynamics of
      piecewise affine systems in different regions can be considerably different, the
      weighting matrices are used to weight the residual of each region, so as to
      optimize the fault detectability. A numerical example and a case study on a ship
      propulsion system are presented in the end to demonstrate the effectiveness of
      the proposed results.

PMID- 28899579
TI  - CXCL4-induced macrophages in human atherosclerosis.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is considered an inflammatory disease of the arterial wall.
      Monocytes and monocyte-derived cells (most often termed macrophages) play an
      essential role in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions, as they take up
      lipids leading to subsequent foam cell formation accompanied by release of pro
      inflammatory cytokines. Similarly, platelets have been discovered to represent an
      important cell type mediating inflammatory and immune processes in atherogenesis,
      mainly by secreting chemokines, which are stored in the platelets' alpha
      granules, upon platelet activation. Therefore, the interaction between monocyte
      derived cells and platelets is of exceptional importance. In this review, we
      specifically focus on the chemokine (platelet factor-4, PF4) and its effects on
      monocytes and monocyte-derived cells. By formation of heterodimers dimers and 
      oligomers with CCL5, CXCL4 induces binding of monocytes cells to endothelial cell
      and thereby promotes diapedesis of monocytes into the subendothelial space. CXCL4
      also affects the differentiation of monocytes as it induces a specific macrophage
      phenotype, which we suggested to term "M4". For example, CXCL4-induced
      macrophages irreversibly lose the hemoglobin-haptoglobin scavenger receptor
      CD163. The combination of CD68, S100A8, and MMP7 turned out to reliably identify
      M4 macrophages both in vitro and in vivo within atherosclerotic lesions. In human
      atherosclerotic plaques, M4 macrophages are predominantly present in the
      adventitia and the intima and their prevalence is associated with plaque
      instability suggesting that they are a marker of pro-inflammatory activity.
      Overall, CXCL4-induced M4 macrophages may represent a target for diagnostic and
      therapeutic interventions in human atherosclerotic disease.

PMID- 28899580
TI  - The interplay between cytokines and the Kynurenine pathway in inflammation and
      atherosclerosis.
AB  - The kynurenine pathway (KP) is the major metabolic route of tryptophan (Trp)
      metabolism. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1), the enzyme responsible for the
      first and rate-limiting step in the pathway, as well as other enzymes in the
      pathway, have been shown to be highly regulated by cytokines. Hence, the KP has
      been implicated in several pathologic conditions, including infectious diseases,
      psychiatric disorders, malignancies, and autoimmune and chronic inflammatory
      diseases. Additionally, recent studies have linked the KP with atherosclerosis,
      suggesting that Trp metabolism could play an essential role in the maintenance of
      immune homeostasis in the vascular wall. This review summarizes experimental and
      clinical evidence of the interplay between cytokines and the KP and the potential
      role of the KP in cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 28899581
TI  - Deconstructing Superorganisms and Societies to Address Big Questions in Biology.
AB  - Social insect societies are long-standing models for understanding social
      behaviour and evolution. Unlike other advanced biological societies (such as the
      multicellular body), the component parts of social insect societies can be easily
      deconstructed and manipulated. Recent methodological and theoretical innovations
      have exploited this trait to address an expanded range of biological questions.
      We illustrate the broadening range of biological insight coming from social
      insect biology with four examples. These new frontiers promote open-minded,
      interdisciplinary exploration of one of the richest and most complex of
      biological phenomena: sociality.

PMID- 28899583
TI  - What could be learned from a decade with standardized remission criteria in
      schizophrenia spectrum disorders: An exploratory follow-up study.
AB  - A decade has passed since the standardized remission criteria of schizophrenia
      spectrum disorders-the Andreasen Criteria-were defined. Over 2000 studies have
      been published, but only a few describe symptomatic remission over time. In this
      prospective study we followed patients for 3 and 5years, respectively. The aim
      was to investigate how different symptoms affect the occurrence of remission and
      how the remission cut-off level affects remission sustainability. The
      participants were patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (DSM
      IV). First, the importance of each core symptom for remission was examined using
      the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (n=274). Second, we investigated which
      items affect patients to either go in and out of remission or never achieve
      remission (n=154). Third, we investigated how the sustainability of remission is
      affected by a cut-off set to 2 (minimal) and 3 (mild) points, respectively
      (n=154). All core symptoms affected the occurence of remission, to a higher or
      lesser extent. Delusions and Hallucinatory behavior contributed the strongest to
      fluctuation between remission and non-remission, while the contribution of
      Mannerism and posturing was very marginal. Negative symptoms were enhanced when
      remission was never achieved. Moreover, the study found that remission duration
      was significantly longer for the cut-off score 2 rather than 3. The study shows
      that, over time, remission criteria discriminate between being stable, unstable,
      or never in remission. Patients with only a minimal occurrence of symptom
      intensity exhibit a significantly longer remission duration compared to patients
      with mild symptom intensity, indicating that the treatment goal should be minimal
      symptom intensity.

PMID- 28899582
TI  - FGF2-mediated attenuation of myofibroblast activation is modulated by distinct
      MAPK signaling pathways in human dermal fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous human and animal studies have demonstrated the ability of
      exogenously administered basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) to act as an
      antifibrotic agent in the skin. Though the activity of FGF2 as an anti-scarring
      agent is well-established for fibrotic skin wounds, the mechanisms by which FGF2
      exerts these actions are not entirely understood. Canonical FGF2 signaling
      proceeds in part via FGFR/MAPK pathways in human dermal fibroblasts, and FGF2 has
      been described to prevent or reverse the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition,
      which is driven by TGFbeta signaling and understood to be an important step in
      the formation of a fibrotic scar in vivo. Thus, we set out to investigate the
      antagonistic effects of FGF2 on TGFbeta signaling as well as the broader effects
      of MAPK inhibition on the TGFbeta-mediated induction of myofibroblast gene
      expression. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the effects of FGF2 signaling
      pathways on myofibroblastic gene expression and cell phenotypes. METHODS: Human
      dermal fibroblasts were cultured in vitro in the presence of FGF2, TGFbeta,
      and/or MAPK inhibitors, and the effects of these agents were investigated by
      molecular biology techniques including qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, Western blot,
      and flow cytometry. RESULTS: FGF2 inhibited TGFbeta-mediated fibroblast
      activation, resulting in more rapidly proliferating, spindle-shaped cells,
      compared to the more slowly proliferating, flatter TGFbeta-treated cells.
      Treatment with FGF2 also attenuated TGFbeta-mediated increase in expression of
      myofibroblast markers smooth muscle alpha-actin, calponin, transgelin, connective
      tissue growth factor, ED-A fibronectin, and collagen I. FGF2-mediated antagonism
      of the TGFbeta-mediated fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition was reversed by
      small molecule inhibition of ERK or JNK, and it was potentiated by inhibition of
      p38. MAPK inhibition was demonstrated to have qualitatively similar effects even
      in the absence of exogenous FGF2, and small molecule inhibition of p38 MAPK was
      sufficient to attenuate TGFbeta-mediated fibroblast activation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Inhibition of select MAPK signaling pathways can reverse or potentiate anti
      fibrotic FGF2 effects on human dermal fibroblasts, as well as exert their effects
      independently of exogenous FGF2 supplementation.

PMID- 28899584
TI  - Evaluating the past to improve the future - A qualitative study of ICU patients'
      experiences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recovery period for patients who have been in an intensive care
      unitis often prolonged and suboptimal. Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic
      stress disorder are common psychological problems. Intensive care staff offer
      various types of intensive aftercare. Intensive care follow-up aftercare services
      are not standard clinical practice in Norway. OBJECTIVE: The overall aim of this
      study is to investigate how adult patients experience theirintensive care stay
      their recovery period, and the usefulness of an information pamphlet. METHOD: A
      qualitative, exploratory research with semi-structured interviews of 29 survivors
      after discharge from intensive care and three months after discharge from the
      hospital. RESULTS: Two main themes emerged: "Being on an unreal, strange journey"
      and "Balancing between who I was and who I am" Patients' recollection of their
      intensive care stay differed greatly. Continuity of care and the nurse's ability
      to see and value individual differences was highlighted. The information pamphlet
      helped intensive care survivors understand that what they went through was
      normal. CONCLUSIONS: Continuity of care and an individual approach is crucial to
      meet patients' uniqueness and different coping mechanisms. Intensive care
      survivors and their families must be included when information material and
      rehabilitation programs are designed and evaluated.

PMID- 28899585
TI  - Response to "Re: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Association Between
      C-reactive Protein and Major Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Peripheral
      Artery Disease".

PMID- 28899586
TI  - Dissociative sensibility disorders - A retrospective case series and systematic
      literature review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Dissociative disorders present a huge challenge in clinical settings. In
      contrast to other dissociative symptoms, dissociative sensibility disorders are
      rarely focused on. OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinical characteristics and
      outcomes of dissociative sensibility disorders in children and adolescents, and
      to review the use of diagnostic procedures. DATA SOURCES: For the review, a
      literature search used Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and PubPsych (to 02/2015)
      and the reference lists of the studies identified. STUDY SELECTION: Screening of
      titles and abstracts; full-text assessment by two reviewers. DATA SELECTION: The
      original case series was identified by using the local data register. DATA
      EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently reviewed the data and, if they agreed on
      the relevance, extracted the data. In the original case series, data were
      extracted retrospectively from the records. RESULTS: Sixteen studies and seven
      case reports were identified, including 931 cases with dissociative disorders. In
      210 cases the patient suffered either from a single sensibility disorder or
      predominantly from sensibility disorders. We identified thirteen further cases in
      our cohort. In both groups there was female predominance; the mean age of
      manifestation was early adolescence. The timing of admissions was variable. In
      approximately 50% of cases a premorbid stressful life event could be identified.
      Over 75% of cases had a good prognosis with complete resolution. LIMITATIONS:
      Retrospective character of our own data collection, partially missing
      differentiation between the subgroups of dissociative disorders in the reviewed
      studies. CONCLUSIONS: There is no uniform procedure for diagnostic work-up. The
      overall short-term prognosis is good.

PMID- 28899587
TI  - Gradual Onset Diseases: Misperception of Disease Onset.
AB  - PURPOSE: Gradual onset diseases (eg, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel
      syndrome, and trapeziometacarpal arthrosis) tend to go unnoticed for years. When
      a slowly progressive disease transitions from asymptomatic to symptomatic, it may
      seem like an acute event. The primary aim of this study was to determine the
      percentage of patients who perceive the slowly progressive disease as having
      started within 1 year. We also hypothesized that (1) there would be no factors
      associated with perception of an onset of disease within 1 year, more
      specifically among patients with advanced disease; and (2) there would be no
      difference in a decision to pursue operative treatment between patients who
      perceived the onset of the disease to be recent and those who perceived it to be
      long-standing. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the medical
      records of 732 patients newly diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (n = 114),
      cubital tunnel syndrome (n = 276), or trapeziometacarpal arthrosis (n = 342), for
      the onset of symptoms. Multiple factors were assessed for (1) association with
      perception of disease onset within 1 year, and (2) choice for operative treatment
      in bivariate and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: A total of 69% of all subjects
      and 68% of patients with advanced disease perceived the disease as having started
      within 1 year. A perceived provocation (such as an injury or surgery) was
      associated with a perception of recent onset. A decision to pursue operative
      treatment was not different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Slowly progressive
      diseases are often misperceived as relatively new. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Effective
      communication strategies are important to ensure that people make choices
      consistent with their values and not based on misconceptions.

PMID- 28899588
TI  - Costs Associated With Single-Use and Conventional Sets for Distal Radius Plating.
AB  - PURPOSE: Volar plating of distal radius fractures is an increasingly common
      procedure. Presterilized, single-use volar plate fixation sets have been
      purported to increase operating room efficiency and decrease cost. The purpose of
      this study was to compare the actual cost of using a conventional set compared
      with the projected cost of using its single-use counterpart. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed 30 consecutive cases of volar plate fixation in which
      conventional instrument sets were used. Hardware and processing costs were
      calculated for the conventional sets and compared with the projected cost of
      using single-use sets. RESULTS: The mean total cost of hardware and processing
      for the conventional sets was $2,728, whereas the projected cost for the single
      use sets was slightly higher at $2,868. Twenty-three of the 30 cases would have
      required additional screws not available in the single-use set. The cost of the
      additional screws needed to supplement the single-use set would have added an
      average of $282/case. Overall, the combined hardware and processing cost was
      lower for conventional sets in 25 of the 30 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Although the
      price of the single-use set is less than the mean charge for use of a
      conventional set, additional screws not available in the single-use set were
      required in 77% of cases and consequently rendered the conventional set cheaper
      in 83% of cases. Stocking the single-use sets with additional screws to reflect
      the most commonly used screw lengths could make these sets more cost effective in
      the future. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic and decision analysis IV.

PMID- 28899589
TI  - Trapeziectomy With Suspension-Interposition Arthroplasty for Thumb
      Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Use
      of Allograft Versus Flexor Carpi Radialis Tendon.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to compare the 12
      month postoperative Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) total score
      between patients with osteoarthritis (OA) at the first carpometacarpal (CMC I)
      joint who underwent trapeziectomy with suspension-interposition arthroplasty
      using the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) tendon and those receiving a human dermal
      collagen template (allograft). METHODS: We included 60 patients with CMC I OA who
      met the indications for surgery. They were randomized into 1 of 2 groups:
      trapeziectomy using the FCR tendon or trapeziectomy with the allograft for
      suspension-interposition. Patients completed a set of questionnaires including
      the MHQ and were clinically assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12
      months after surgery. Complications were recorded. RESULTS: We operated on 29
      patients using the FCR tendon; 31 patients received an allograft. Baseline MHQ
      total scores significantly increased from 51 (95% confidence interval [CI], 46
      56) to 83 (95% CI, 78-87) and 53 (95% CI, 47-58) to 76 (95% CI, 69-84) by 12
      months in the FCR and allograft groups, respectively. We found similar outcomes
      for both groups at all follow-up assessments. Five complications occurred in the
      FCR group, and 10 in the allograft group. Revision surgery was required for one
      allograft patient. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the FCR tendon or allograft for
      trapeziectomy with suspension-interposition arthroplasty in patients with CMC I
      OA leads to similar outcomes with more complications, mainly tendon irritations,
      associated with the latter. Therefore, we only use the allograft in cases of
      severe instability requiring a larger amount of suspension-interposition material
      or for revision procedures after failed suspension-interposition with the FCR
      tendon. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic I.

PMID- 28899590
TI  - An investigation of co-combustion municipal sewage sludge with biomass in a 20kW
      BFB combustor under air-fired and oxygen-enriched condition.
AB  - The behavior of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) with biomass (Guar stalks (GS),
      Mustard Husk (MH), Prosopis Juliflora Wood (PJW)) has been investigated in a 20kW
      bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) combustor under both air-fired (A-F) and oxygen
      enriched (O-E) conditions. The work presented is divided into three parts, first
      part cover the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), second part cover the
      experimental investigation of BFB combustor, and third part covers the ash
      analysis. TGA was performed with a ratio of 50%MSS/50%biomass (GS, MH, PJW) and
      results show that 50%MSS/50%GS has highest combustion characteristic factor
      (CCF). The experimental investigation of BFB combustor was performed for two
      different ratios of MSS/biomass (50%/50% and 25%/75%) and the combustion
      characteristics of blends were distinctive under both A-F and O-E condition.
      Despite 50%MSS/50%GS showing the highest combustion performance in TGA analysis,
      it formed agglomerates during burning in BFB. Due to this formation of large
      amount of agglomerates, de-fluidization was observed in the combustor bed after
      65-75min in A-F conditions. The rate of de-fluidization increased under O-E
      condition. The de-fluidization problem disappeared when the share of MSS was
      reduced to 25%, but small amounts of the agglomerate were still present in the
      bed. With oxygen enhancement, the combustion efficiency of BFB combustor was
      improved and flue gasses were found within permissible limit. The maximum
      conceivable combustion efficiency (97.1%) for BFB combustor was accomplished by
      using 50% MSS/50%PJW under O-E condition. Results show that a ratio of
      25%MSS/75%biomass combusted successfully inside the BFB combustor and extensive
      work is required for efficient utilization of significant share of MSS with
      biomass. SEM/EDS analyses were performed for agglomerate produced and for the
      damaged heater to study the surface morphology and compositions. The elemental
      heterogeneity of fly ash generated during MSS/biomass combustion was analyzed
      using Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES).

PMID- 28899591
TI  - Robust assessment of both biochemical methane potential and degradation kinetics
      of solid residues in successive batches.
AB  - The well-known batch assay test is used worldwide to determine the biochemical
      methane potential (BMP) of solid substrates in a single batch but its use to
      estimate the degradation kinetics may lead to underestimations. To overcome this
      problem, a different approach was carried out to characterize simultaneously both
      BMP of solid substrates and their degradation kinetics in successive batches,
      i.e. after an acclimation period. In a second step, a simple model was developed
      based on the methane production curve in batch mode for dividing the organic
      matter of the substrate into three sub-fractions according to their degradation
      rates (rapid, moderate and slow). The protocol developed was applied to 50
      different substrates and a database was built. This database includes: the
      overall BMP (mL CH4/g VS) and the degradation kinetics for each substrate, i.e.
      the global specific organic degradation rate (g VS/g VSS.d) along with the 3 sub
      fractions and their specific degradation rates. The comparison with the BMP from
      the literature did not highlight significant difference with the BMP measured in
      this study. Furthermore, the degradation rates seem to be specific
      characteristics for each substrate and no clear correlation was found between the
      degradation kinetics and the kind of substrates. The information available in the
      database will be useful for the design and operation of anaerobic digesters:
      Optimization of the mix of co-substrates, choice of the applied OLR, simulation
      of methane production and of the rate of substrate degradation.

PMID- 28899592
TI  - The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      Surgical Risk Calculator Has a Role in Predicting Discharge to Post-Acute Care in
      Total Joint Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient demand and increasing cost awareness have led to the creation
      of surgical risk calculators that attempt to predict the likelihood of adverse
      events and to facilitate risk mitigation. The American College of Surgeons
      National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Surgical Risk Calculator is an
      online tool available for a wide variety of surgical procedures, and has not yet
      been fully evaluated in total joint arthroplasty. METHODS: A single-center,
      retrospective review was performed on 909 patients receiving a unilateral primary
      total knee (496) or hip (413) arthroplasty between January 2012 and December
      2014. Patient characteristics were entered into the risk calculator, and
      predicted outcomes were compared with observed results. Discrimination was
      evaluated using the receiver-operator area under the curve (AUC) for 90-day
      readmission, return to operating room (OR), discharge to skilled nursing facility
      (SNF)/rehab, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and periprosthetic joint infection
      (PJI). RESULTS: The risk calculator demonstrated adequate performance in
      predicting discharge to SNF/rehab (AUC 0.72). Discrimination was relatively
      limited for DVT (AUC 0.70, P = .2), 90-day readmission (AUC 0.63), PJI (AUC
      0.67), and return to OR (AUC 0.59). Risk score differences between those who did
      and did not experience discharge to SNF/rehab, 90-day readmission, and PJI
      reached significance (P < .01). Predicted length of stay performed adequately,
      only overestimating by 0.2 days on average (rho = 0.25, P < .001). CONCLUSION:
      The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      Surgical Risk Calculator has fair utility in predicting discharge to SNF/rehab,
      but limited usefulness for 90-day readmission, return to OR, DVT, and PJI.
      Although length of stay predictions are similar to actual outcomes, statistical
      correlation remains relatively weak.

PMID- 28899593
TI  - Radiographic Findings in Patients With Catastrophic Varus Collapse After Total
      Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catastrophic varus collapse is an uncommon mechanism of failure in
      primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Varus collapse has been associated with
      obesity and smaller implant sizes. However, to our knowledge, preoperative
      radiographic characterization of this cohort has not been performed. Therefore,
      the following study evaluated preoperative alignment and how this correlates with
      the degree of eventual varus collapse identified in this patient population prior
      to revision. METHODS: Utilizing our institutional database, 1106 revision TKAs
      were performed from 2004 to 2017. Of these, 35 patients were revised secondary to
      tibial varus collapse. Twenty-seven patients had their primary TKA performed at
      our institution. Coronal alignment of the knee was recorded from anteroposterior
      knee radiographs. Medial tibial bone loss was recorded at final follow-up.
      RESULTS: The average body mass index was 38 kg/m2. Twenty-six of 27 patients had
      a preoperative varus deformity (4.2 degrees  varus) and all were corrected to a
      valgus coronal alignment immediately postoperatively (5.2 degrees  valgus, P =
      .0001). Twenty-four of 27 patients' coronal alignment after varus collapse was
      within 2 degrees  of their preoperative alignment (5.8 degrees  varus). Twenty
      five of 27 patients had radiographic medial tibial bone loss prior to varus
      collapse. CONCLUSION: Tibial varus collapse in an uncommon cause of failure after
      primary TKA. Preoperative varus deformity, postoperative medial tibial bone loss,
      and obesity were common findings in this series of patients. Therefore, increased
      tibial stem lengths should be considered in patients with a preoperative varus
      deformity, small tibial implant size, and a body mass index >=35 kg/m2 undergoing
      primary TKA.

PMID- 28899594
TI  - Delayed Detection of Spontaneous Bilateral Tubal Ectopic Pregnancies After
      Methotrexate Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bilateral tubal ectopic pregnancies are a rare subset of ectopic
      pregnancy that can pose a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians. There is no distinct
      clinical presentation for bilateral tubal ectopic pregnancies, although they are
      typically associated with assistive reproductive techniques. In addition, there
      is no single diagnostic feature to help clinicians delineate bilateral tubal
      ectopic pregnancies from other types of ectopic pregnancy prior to passing the
      discriminatory zone (such as heterotopic pregnancy or twin ectopic [two
      gestational sacs in one tube]). Diagnosis is typically made via direct
      visualization intraoperatively and therefore treatment is usually surgical. CASE
      REPORT: We present a case of spontaneous bilateral tubal ectopic pregnancies
      diagnosed 7 days apart via transvaginal ultrasound. The patient presented to the
      emergency department with pelvic pain on the contralateral side of her previously
      diagnosed ectopic pregnancy and vaginal spotting. Bilateral adnexal masses were
      visualized on ultrasound and her serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin level
      had a 5.9% decline from day 4 to day 7 after methotrexate administration 7 days
      prior; gynecology was consulted. The patient was successfully treated with an
      additional dose of intramuscular methotrexate without any complications. WHY
      SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: The implications of this case
      suggest that diagnosis of bilateral tubal ectopic pregnancies requires clinicians
      to have a high level of suspicion in any pregnant female with a suspected or
      known ectopic pregnancy who presents with pelvic pain regardless of prior
      diagnosis or treatment.

PMID- 28899595
TI  - Peripheral nerve pathology at fixed stage in spinal muscular atrophy with
      respiratory distress type 1.
AB  - Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) is
      characterized by severe respiratory failure due to diaphragmatic paralysis and
      distal muscular weakness in early infancy. After an initial decline in
      respiratory state and motor function until 1-2years of age, residual capabilities
      reach a plateau. We report the peripheral neuropathological findings of a patient
      with SMARD1 at 1year and 1month of age, when his muscle strength and respiratory
      symptoms had deteriorated and then stabilized for several months. Peripheral
      nerve biopsy revealed severely progressed axonal degeneration. This finding
      suggests the rapid progression of peripheral axonal neuropathy in SMARD1 that
      leads to its characteristic clinical course of respiratory failure and paralysis
      in the early infantile period.

PMID- 28899596
TI  - FRAX vs CAROC for the Canadian Imaging Physician: An Existential Dilemma.

PMID- 28899598
TI  - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment and sea urchin (Echinometra
      mathaei) from the intertidal ecosystem of the northern Persian Gulf:
      Distribution, sources, and bioavailability.
AB  - The distribution, sources and bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs) in sediment and sea urchin (Echinometra mathaei) from the intertidal zone
      of the northern Persian Gulf were investigated. Total PAH concentrations varied
      from 12.8 to 81.25 and from 16.7 to 35 MUgKg-1 dry weight in sediment and
      Echinometra mathaei, respectively. The PAH concentrations can be classified as
      low. Source identification and apportionment using diagnostic ratios and
      principal component analysis demonstrate that the combustion of fossil fuels,
      road traffic, combustion of natural gas and biomass, and oil spill could be
      considered as the main sources of PAH contamination. The first PAH biota-sediment
      accumulation factors (BSAF) data from sediment to Echinometra mathaei in the
      intertidal zone of the northern Persian Gulf were calculated, indicating
      accumulation of both lower and higher molecular weight PAHs, with a preferential
      accumulation of lower molecular weight PAHs.

PMID- 28899597
TI  - Playing Well with Others: Extrinsic Cues Regulate Neural Progenitor Temporal
      Identity to Generate Neuronal Diversity.
AB  - During neurogenesis, vertebrate and Drosophila progenitors change over time as
      they generate a diverse population of neurons and glia. Vertebrate neural
      progenitors have long been known to use both progenitor-intrinsic and progenitor
      extrinsic cues to regulate temporal patterning. In contrast, virtually all
      temporal patterning mechanisms discovered in Drosophila neural progenitors
      (neuroblasts) involve progenitor-intrinsic temporal transcription factor
      cascades. Recent results, however, have revealed several extrinsic pathways that
      regulate Drosophila neuroblast temporal patterning: nutritional cues regulate the
      timing of neuroblast proliferation/quiescence and a steroid hormone cue that is
      required for temporal transcription factor expression. Here, we discuss newly
      discovered extrinsic cues regulating neural progenitor temporal identity in
      Drosophila, highlight conserved mechanisms, and raise open questions for the
      future.

PMID- 28899599
TI  - Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) in seawater of the northern
      Arabian Gulf - Baseline measurements.
AB  - This study focuses on creating baseline for 238U, 235U, 234U, 210Pb, 210Po and
      40K concentrations in the northern Arabian Gulf. The respective concentration
      ranges were 0.047-0.050, 0.00186-0.00198, 0.054-0.057, 0.00085-0.00092, 0.00051
      0.00062 and 18.6-19.1Bql-1. These results suggest that the levels are generally
      comparable to other marine waters in the northern hemisphere. There were no hot
      spots observed from oil and gas industry. These data will serve as a baseline to
      gauge possible future inputs of TENORMs in the northern Gulf. A positive and
      linear correlation was observed between 238,234U, 40K isotopes and seawater
      salinity. The results also suggest significant fractionation between 210Po and
      210Pb, attributed to rapid removal of 210Po by biota compared to 210Pb. The mean
      residence time for 210Po in the study area was 371days. The 234U/238U and
      238U/235U activity ratios in seawater samples vary between 1.14-1.15, and 0.038
      0.040. The 234U/238U and 235U/238U ratio is similar to the expected composition
      of seawater (1.148+/-0.002) and 0.0462.

PMID- 28899601
TI  - Baclofen Toxicity in Kidney Disease.
AB  - Baclofen, a commonly prescribed muscle relaxant, is primarily excreted via the
      kidneys; toxicity is a potentially serious adverse outcome in patients with
      decreased kidney function. We describe a patient with end-stage kidney disease
      receiving hemodialysis who developed neurotoxicity and hemodynamic instability
      after receiving baclofen for muscle spasms. In this case, prompt recognition of
      baclofen toxicity and urgent hemodialysis were effective in reversing this
      toxicity. This case is used to examine the pharmacokinetics and pathophysiology
      of baclofen toxicity and discuss appropriate diagnosis and management of baclofen
      toxicity. We recommend reducing the baclofen dose in patients who have moderately
      reduced kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, 30
      60mL/min/1.73m2) and avoiding use in patients with severely reduced kidney
      function (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30mL/min/1.73m2) or on renal
      replacement therapy.

PMID- 28899602
TI  - An Increasingly Complex Relationship Between Salt and Water.

PMID- 28899600
TI  - Rebuilding Chromosomes After Catastrophe: Emerging Mechanisms of Chromothripsis.
AB  - Cancer genome sequencing has identified chromothripsis, a complex class of
      structural genomic rearrangements involving the apparent shattering of an
      individual chromosome into tens to hundreds of fragments. An initial error during
      mitosis, producing either chromosome mis-segregation into a micronucleus or
      chromatin bridge interconnecting two daughter cells, can trigger the catastrophic
      pulverization of the spatially isolated chromosome. The resultant chromosomal
      fragments are religated in random order by DNA double-strand break repair during
      the subsequent interphase. Chromothripsis scars the cancer genome with localized
      DNA rearrangements that frequently generate extensive copy number alterations,
      oncogenic gene fusion products, and/or tumor suppressor gene inactivation. Here
      we review emerging mechanisms underlying chromothripsis with a focus on the
      contribution of cell division errors caused by centromere dysfunction.

PMID- 28899603
TI  - Anaemia, but not iron deficiency, is associated with clinical symptoms and
      quality of life in patients with severe heart failure and palliative home care: A
      substudy of the PREFER trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To explore the relationships between anaemia or iron deficiency (ID)
      and symptoms, quality of life (QoL), morbidity, and mortality. METHODS: A post
      hoc, non-prespecified, explorative substudy of the prospective randomized PREFER
      trial. One centre study of outpatients with severe HF and palliative need managed
      with advanced home care. Associations between anaemia, ID, and the Edmonton
      Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), Euro QoL (EQ-5D), Kansas City Cardiomyopathy
      Questions (KCCQ) were examined only at baseline but at 6months for morbidity and
      mortality. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (51 males, 21 females), aged 79.2+/
      9.1years. Thirty-nine patients (54%) had anaemia and 34 had ID (47%). Anaemia was
      correlated to depression (r=0.37; p=0.001), anxiety (r=0.25; p=0.04), and reduced
      well-being (r=0.26; p=0.03) in the ESAS; mobility (r=0.33; p=0.005),
      pain/discomfort (r=0.27; p=0.02), and visual analogue scale of health state (r=
      0.28; p=0.02) in the EQ-5D; and physical limitation (r=-0.27; p=0.02), symptom
      stability; (r=-0.43; p<0.001); (r=-0.25; p=0.033), social limitation;(r=-0.26;
      p=0.03), overall summary score; (r=-0.24, p=0.046) and clinical summary score;
      (r=-0.27; p=0.02) in the KCCQ. ID did not correlate to any assessment item.
      Anaemia was univariably associated with any hospitalization (OR: 3.0; CI: 1.05
      8.50, p=0.04), but not to mortality. ID was not significantly associated with any
      hospitalization or mortality. CONCLUSION: Anaemia, but not ID, was associated
      although weakly with symptoms and QoL in patients with advanced HF and palliative
      home care.

PMID- 28899605
TI  - World Apheresis Association Registry Update.

PMID- 28899604
TI  - Clinical and epidemiological use of nested PCR targeting the repetitive element
      IS1111 associated with the transposase gene from Coxiella burnetii.
AB  - Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii-a small obligate
      intracellular Gram-negative bacterium found in a variety of animals. It is
      transmitted to humans by inhalation of contaminated aerosols from urine, feces,
      milk, amniotic fluid, placenta, abortion products, wool, and rarely by ingestion
      of raw milk from infected animals. Nested PCR can improve the sensitivity and
      specificity of testing while offering a suitable amplicon size for sequencing.
      Serial dilutions were performed tenfold to test the limit of detection, and the
      result was 10* detection of C. burnetti DNA with internal nested PCR primers
      relative to trans-PCR. Different biological samples were tested and identified
      only in nested PCR. This demonstrates the efficiency and effectiveness of the
      primers. Of the 19 samples, which amplify the partial sequence of C. burnetii, 12
      were positive by conventional PCR and nested PCR. Seven samples-five spleen
      tissue samples from rodents and two tick samples-were only positive in nested
      PCR. With these new internal primers for trans-PCR, we demonstrate that our
      nested PCR assay for C. burnetii can achieve better results than conventional
      PCR.

PMID- 28899606
TI  - Is tissue engineering of patient-specific oral mucosa grafts the future of
      urethral reconstruction?

PMID- 28899607
TI  - The scholarly productivity and work environments of academic pharmacists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Productive faculty are key to generating new knowledge and advancing
      pharmacy practice. The work environments of academic pharmacists are critical to
      their vitality, commitment, and longevity. OBJECTIVES: To (1) identify correlates
      of faculty scholarly productivity and teaching effectiveness, considering
      personal and environmental characteristics; (2) determine the relationship
      between a faculty's perception of organizational citizenship behaviors they
      witness with the organizational culture of their employing college/school of
      pharmacy; and (3) describe the relationship between organizational climate, job
      satisfaction, and commitment of academic pharmacists. METHODS: A self
      administered survey was disseminated to a random sample of U.S. academic
      pharmacists acquired from AACP list-servs. The survey measured perceptions of
      their organization's culture, the organizational citizenship behaviors they
      witness at their institution, their job satisfaction, teaching load and
      productivity, and scholarly productivity based upon peer-reviewed scholarly
      papers accepted. Both bivariate and multivariate (regression) procedures were
      employed to identify factors most responsible for explaining academic
      pharmacist's work environment. RESULTS: Responses were received from 177 of 600
      survey recipients. Faculty reported having had accepted 10.9 +/- 13.6 papers in
      peer-reviewed journals during the previous 5 years, with most of those in
      journals with relatively low Impact Factor scores. Faculty productivity was
      related to type of academic institution employed, teaching effectiveness, job
      satisfaction, and other factors. Organizational citizenship behaviors and
      organizational culture was seen similarly by faculty of varied ranks and
      experience levels. Commitment to remain at the current college/school of pharmacy
      was highly associated with culture, climate, and job satisfaction conditions.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results provided evidence for a strong connection or nexus
      between teaching and research effectiveness. Organizational culture of academic
      pharmacy programs is highly important for faculty vitality and commitment. The
      findings should be helpful for academic leaders in devising programs for
      mentoring, development, and retention of faculty.

PMID- 28899608
TI  - [The new AEP: innvoation, investigation, union and indepenence. Leadership and
      generational handover].

PMID- 28899610
TI  - Nosocomial-acquired and community-onset Clostridium difficile infection at an
      academic hospital in Italy: Epidemiology, recurrences and toxin genes
      distribution.
AB  - Toxinogenic Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of
      infectious diarrhea. In this retrospective cohort study the molecular
      epidemiology of hospital-acquired and community-associated CDI was investigated
      in patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital. CD in stools samples was
      revealed by a two steps diagnostic algorithm, firstly screening for positivity to
      GDH antigen and thereafter RT-PCR analysis. Increased CDI incidence was observed
      ranging from 1.70episodes/10000patient-days in the 1st year, to 2.62 in the 2nd
      year, mostly hospitalized in the medicine wards, followed by outpatients (5.74
      and 5.12episodes/10.000patient-days respectively). CDI positive were older than
      CDI negative patients and presented increased trend of diarrhea episodes as the
      patients' age increased. RT-PCR positive patients (n degrees  = 314) were
      classified according to the CD toxin producing genes in three groups (1-3,
      carrying tcdB, both tcdB and cdt, and the two genes plus the deletion Delta117 of
      tcdC, respectively). The incidence of the group 2 and 3 increased statistically
      with the age of the patients showing correlation with the gender. Higher
      frequency of patients belonging to group 1 and group 3 was observed in the
      medical wards. Of note was the high incidence of group 3 in outpatients.
      Interestingly, patients with previous health care contacts had higher risk (RR =
      1.88) of being infected by CD strains with higher toxicity than community
      patients. Recurrence rate was 15.9%. In conclusion the knowledge of the toxigenic
      profiles and of their relationships to gender, age and wards distribution may
      help the clinicians in the clinical management of the disease.

PMID- 28899611
TI  - Normal uric acid levels in nascent metabolic syndrome patients residing in
      northern California.

PMID- 28899609
TI  - Constructing Experience: Event Models from Perception to Action.
AB  - Mental representations of everyday experience are rich, structured, and
      multimodal. In this article we consider the adaptive pressures that led to human
      construction of such representations, arguing that structured event
      representations enable cognitive systems to more effectively predict the
      trajectory of naturalistic everyday activity. We propose an account of how
      cortical systems and the hippocampus (HPC) interact to construct, maintain, and
      update event representations. This analysis throws light on recent research on
      story comprehension, event segmentation, episodic memory, and action planning. It
      also suggests how the growing science base can be deployed to diagnose
      impairments in event perception and memory, and to improve memory for everyday
      events.

PMID- 28899612
TI  - The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief lacks measurement invariance
      across three countries.
AB  - The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) is a commonly-used tool
      for measuring schizotypal personality traits and due to its wide application, its
      cross-cultural validity is of interest. Previous studies suggest that the SPQ-B
      either has a three- or four-factor structure, but the majority of studies have
      been conducted in Western contexts and little is known about the psychometric
      properties of the scale in other populations. In this study factorial invariance
      testing across three cultural contexts-Australia, China and Chile was conducted.
      In total, 729 young adults (Mean age = 23.99 years, SD = 9.87 years)
      participated. Invariance testing did not support the four-factor model across
      three countries. Confirmatory Factor Analyses revealed that neither the four- nor
      three-factor model had strong fit in any of the settings. However, in comparison
      with other competing models, the four-factor model showed the best for the
      Australian sample, while the three-factor model was the most reasonable for both
      Chinese and Chilean samples. The reliability of the SPQ-B scores, estimated with
      Omega, ranged from 0.86 to 0.91. These findings suggest that the SPQ-B factors
      are not consistent across different cultural groups. We suggest that these
      differences could be attributed to potential confounding cultural and translation
      issues.

PMID- 28899613
TI  - Psychiatric comorbidity pattern in treatment-seeking veterans.
AB  - This study investigated comorbidity patterns in treatment-seeking veterans and
      currently-serving Canadian Forces members of an outpatient mental health clinic
      from September 2006-September 2014. Using a retrospective cohort design, latent
      class analysis was conducted to determine latent classes of comorbidity
      (including posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], major depressive disorder [MDD],
      generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and alcohol use disorder [AUD]).
      Multiple logistic regression was used to determine which covariates (age, gender,
      number of deployments, and service duration) were predictors of latent class
      membership. Among the 486 participants, 79.2% had more than one probable mental
      health condition. The most common comorbidity was PTSD and MDD (61.5%), followed
      by PTSD and GAD (52.3%). Among those with PTSD, almost all (95%) had a subsequent
      condition, predominantly MDD (82.6% of those with PTSD had MDD). A two-class
      model was the best fitting model with a high comorbidity and a low comorbidity
      class. Older age and shorter service duration significantly increased the
      probability of being in the high comorbidity class when not controlling for
      member status. Results showed that treatment-seeking veterans and military
      personnel have high rates of comorbidity, particularly alongside PTSD. Therefore,
      it is critical for clinicians to be able to assess and treat comorbidity.

PMID- 28899614
TI  - Measuring pathology using the PANSS across diagnoses: Inconsistency of the
      positive symptom domain across schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and bipolar
      disorder.
AB  - Although the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was developed for use
      in schizophrenia (SZ), antipsychotic drug trials use the PANSS to measure symptom
      change also for bipolar (BP) and schizoaffective (SA) disorder, extending beyond
      its original indications. If the dimensions measured by the PANSS are different
      across diagnoses, then the same score change for the same drug condition may have
      different meanings depending on which group is being studied. Here, we evaluated
      whether the factor structure in the PANSS was consistent across schizophrenia (n
      = 3647), bipolar disorder (n = 858), and schizoaffective disorder (n = 592).
      Along with congruency coefficients, Hancock's H, and Jaccard indices, we used
      target rotations and statistical tests of invariance based on confirmatory factor
      models. We found the five symptom dimensions measured by the 30-item PANSS did
      not generalize well to schizoaffective and bipolar disorders. A model based on an
      18-item version of the PANSS generalized better across SZ and BP groups, but
      significant problems remained in generalizing some of the factors to the SA
      sample. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed greater similarity in factor
      structure than did schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. The
      Anxiety/Depression factor was the most consistent across disorders, while the
      Positive factor was the least consistent.

PMID- 28899615
TI  - Metrology for decommissioning nuclear facilities: Partial outcomes of joint
      research project within the European Metrology Research Program.
AB  - Decommissioning of nuclear facilities incurs high costs regarding the accurate
      characterisation and correct disposal of the decommissioned materials. Therefore,
      there is a need for the implementation of new and traceable measurement
      technologies to select the appropriate release or disposal route of radioactive
      wastes. This paper addresses some of the innovative outcomes of the project
      "Metrology for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities" related to mapping of
      contamination inside nuclear facilities, waste clearance measurement, Raman
      distributed temperature sensing for long term repository integrity monitoring and
      validation of radiochemical procedures.

PMID- 28899616
TI  - Risk factors for dental problems: Recommendations for oral health in infancy.
AB  - Primary care providers, gynaecologists and paediatricians have to be aware of the
      importance of oral health in infancy and possible consequences for child's
      development, growth, health and quality of life. Oral diseases, particularly
      dental caries, developmental defects of the dental tissues and periodontal or
      orthodontic issues have a complex and interrelated aetiology with common,
      primarily behavioral based risk factors. A sugar-rich diet is the key risk factor
      with detrimental consequences for general and oral health, particularly in
      combination with an insufficient oral hygiene. Therefore, daily tooth brushing
      with fluoride toothpaste and reducing of sugar intake are the key pillars to
      prevent oral diseases, including a positive effect on numerous chronic diseases.
      Future preventive approaches should focus on pregnant women and mothers of
      infants with a common vision of health and a shared responsibility for children's
      oral health care to promote healthy lifestyles and self-care practices in
      families.

PMID- 28899617
TI  - Better medicines for neonates: Improving medicine development, testing, and
      prescribing.
AB  - Pharmacotherapy is a powerful tool to improve the outcome of neonates.
      Unfortunately, the potential health impact of pharmacotherapy in neonates remains
      underexplored. This necessitates a structured approach to go beyond the current
      practice of trial and error, reflected in off-label prescription. The existing
      regulatory framework hereby provides a structure to reflect about aspects like
      pharmacokinetic models for dose selection and outcome assessment, including long
      term safety. Future medicine development should also be driven by neonatal needs,
      diseases and pathophysiology, since surfactant is the latest product developed
      for preterm neonates. The potential impact is illustrated by ongoing repurposing
      (propranolol, allopurinol, erythropoietin, Insulin-like Growth Factor-1)
      projects. Clinical researchers will be crucial to close the knowledge gap by
      developing dose selection tools and outcome assessment tools and by exploring
      pathophysiological mechanisms. The final step of such a structured approach cycle
      is the subsequent translation of accumulated knowledge into improved prescribing.

PMID- 28899618
TI  - Smell and taste in the preterm infant.
AB  - Olfaction and gustation are critical for the enjoyment of food but also have
      important metabolic roles, initiating the cephalic phase response that sets in
      train secretion of hormones important for metabolism and digestion before any
      food is actually ingested. Smell and taste receptors are functional in the fetus
      and there is evidence for antenatal learning of odours. Despite enteral nutrition
      and metabolism being major issues in the care of very preterm infants, often
      little consideration is given to the potential role of smell and taste in
      supporting these processes, or in the role they may have in encoding hypothalamic
      circuitry in a way that promotes healthy metabolism in the post-neonatal period.
      This review will discuss the evidence for the role of smell and taste in the
      newborn infant.

PMID- 28899619
TI  - First do the experiment: Do computerised interpretation of cardiotocography and
      other widely used interventions improve newborn outcomes?
AB  - The introduction of continuous electronic fetal heart rate monitoring (EFM) in
      labour has coincided with a steady and remarkable fall in perinatal mortality.
      Whether this is cause or coincidence remains unclear because randomised trials
      have been underpowered. Attempts to improve the sensitivity and specificity of
      fetal compromise detection using fetal blood sampling and pH measurement, pulse
      oximetry, and fetal electrocardiogram analysis have failed to provide evidence of
      additional value in randomised trials. Recently, litigation to obtain
      compensation for obstetric and midwifery error, often reported to be failure to
      recognise abnormal EFM traces, has escalated. The hypothesis that computerised
      heart rate pattern recognition could reduce adverse outcomes was tested in a
      randomised controlled trial of 46,000 labours but showed no benefit. It seems
      that complicating risk factors such as fetal growth restriction, meconium liquor,
      pyrexia in labour, and excessive use of oxytocin, are more important than
      previously realised.

PMID- 28899620
TI  - The Action Radius of Oxytocin Release in the Mammalian CNS: From Single Vesicles
      to Behavior.
AB  - The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has attracted the attention both of
      the scientific community and a general audience because of its prosocial effects
      in mammals, and OT is now seen as a facilitator of mammalian species propagation.
      Furthermore, OT is a candidate for the treatment of social deficits in several
      neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. Despite such possibilities
      and a long history of studies on OT behavioral effects, the mechanisms of OT
      actions in the brain remain poorly understood. In the present review, based on
      anatomical, biochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral studies, we propose
      a novel model of local OT actions in the central nervous system (CNS) via focused
      axonal release, which initiates intracellular signaling cascades in specific OT
      sensitive neuronal populations and coordinated brain region-specific behaviors.

PMID- 28899621
TI  - Hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis to sphenoid and cavernous sinus: An
      unexpected cause of ptosis.

PMID- 28899622
TI  - E-health in inflammatory bowel diseases: More challenges than opportunities?
AB  - Patients with inflammatory bowel disease need close monitoring for an optimal
      disease management. For this, e-health technologies are promising tools. But the
      current evidence for the implementation of e-health in inflammatory bowel disease
      is weak. For this a critical evaluation of the existing evidence is presented.
      Furthermore some essential conditions need to be full-filled. We need a robust
      digital infrastructure that is workable for the patient and the healthcare
      provider. Important legal issues need to be solved to protect the patient. And
      the e-health technologies will have to proof their durability, feasibility and
      acceptance for the patient on the long term.

PMID- 28899623
TI  - TYMS Gene Polymorphisms in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving 5-Fluorouracil-Based
      Chemotherapy.

PMID- 28899624
TI  - Desiring assemblages: A case for desire over pleasure in critical drug studies.
AB  - While critical drug researchers have long pushed for an acknowledgement of
      pleasure in discourses of drug use, few have explored the alternative
      possibilities offered by Deleuze and Guattari's concept of desire. In this paper
      I map out some of the conceptual differences between pleasure and desire and
      explore the opportunities opened up by attending more closely to desire in
      critical drug studies. I suggest that while discourses of pleasure do make an
      important intervention into and against dominant narratives of risk, harm, and
      addiction, they may inadvertently be working to keep in place the very binaries
      and forms of neoliberal western subjectivity that support those narratives. I
      argue that a Deleuzo-Guattarian ontology of desire is a better tool with which to
      make sense of the complex relations that form between drugs and bodies, challenge
      medical and criminal responses to drug use, and bring forth assemblages that
      enhance, rather than diminish, bodily capacities.

PMID- 28899625
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination in the context of high cervical cancer
      incidence and low screening coverage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estonia has high cervical cancer incidence and low screening
      coverage. We modelled the impact of population-based bivalent, quadrivalent or
      nonavalent HPV vaccination alongside cervical cancer screening. METHODS: A Markov
      cohort model of the natural history of HPV infection was used to assess the cost
      effectiveness of vaccinating a cohort of 12-year-old girls with bivalent,
      quadrivalent or nonavalent vaccine in two doses in a national, school-based
      vaccination programme. The model followed the natural progression of HPV
      infection into subsequent genital warts (GW); premalignant lesions (CIN1-3);
      cervical, oropharyngeal, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancer. Vaccine coverage was
      assumed to be 70%. A time horizon of 88years (up to 100years of age) was used to
      capture all lifetime vaccination costs and benefits. Costs and utilities were
      discounted using an annual discount rate of 5%. RESULTS: Vaccination of 12-year
      old girls alongside screening compared to screening alone had an incremental cost
      effectiveness ratio (ICER) of ?14,007 (bivalent), ?14,067 (quadrivalent) and
      ?11,633 (nonavalent) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) in the base-case
      scenario and ranged between ?5367-21,711, ?5142-21,800 and ?4563-18,142,
      respectively, in sensitivity analysis. The results were most sensitive to changes
      in discount rate, vaccination regimen, vaccine prices and cervical cancer
      screening coverage. CONCLUSION: Vaccination of 12-year-old girls alongside
      current cervical cancer screening can be considered a cost-effective intervention
      in Estonia. Adding HPV vaccination to the national immunisation schedule is
      expected to prevent a considerable number of HPV infections, genital warts,
      premalignant lesions, HPV related cancers and deaths. Although in our model ICERs
      varied slightly depending on the vaccine used, they generally fell within the
      same range. Cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination was found to be most dependent
      on vaccine cost and duration of vaccine immunity, but not on the type of vaccine
      used.

PMID- 28899626
TI  - Influenza A haemagglutinin specific IgG responses in children and adults after
      seasonal trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccination.
AB  - Influenza is a major respiratory pathogen and vaccination is the main method of
      prophylaxis. In 2012, the trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV3) was
      licensed in Europe for use in children. Vaccine-induced antibodies directed
      against the main viral surface glycoprotein, haemagglutinin (HA), play an
      important role in virus neutralization through different mechanism. The objective
      of this study was to dissect the HA specific antibody responses induced after
      LAIV3 immunization to the influenza A viruses in children and adults. Plasma was
      collected from 20 children and 20 adults pre- and post-LAIV3 vaccination (up to
      ayear) and analysed by the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) and ELISA assays. We
      found that LAIV3 boosted the HA specific IgG response against the head and the
      full-length of H3N2 in children, but not adults. Adults had higher levels of pre
      existing stalk antibodies (towards H3N2 and H1N1), but these were not boosted by
      LAIV3. Importantly, we observed a trend in boosting of H1N1 HA stalk specific
      antibodies in children after LAIV3. Whereas, heterosubtypic H5 and H7 full-length
      HA specific antibodies were not boosted in either children or adults. In
      conclusion, LAIV3 elicited H3-head and low levels of H1 stalk specific antibody
      responses in children, supporting the prophylactic use of LAIV in children.

PMID- 28899627
TI  - Passive, health center-based assessment of adverse events following oral cholera
      immunization in Nampula city, Mozambique.

PMID- 28899629
TI  - What is 'confidence' and what could affect it?: A qualitative study of mothers
      who are hesitant about vaccines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Public confidence in immunization is critical to maintaining high
      vaccine-coverage rates needed to protect individuals and communities from vaccine
      preventable diseases. Recent attention has been placed on factors influencing
      confidence in vaccination in the US and globally, but comprehensive understanding
      of what drives or hinders confidence in childhood vaccination is yet to be
      reached. As such, assessing parents' confidence in childhood vaccination and the
      ways in which educational materials affect confidence is needed. OBJECTIVE: We
      sought to (1) learn how mothers who are hesitant about vaccination characterize
      confidence in health-related products for young children, including the
      recommended vaccines; (2) gain insights on what influences vaccine confidence
      beliefs; and (3) assess whether short, education materials affect parental
      confidence in childhood vaccinations. METHODS: Eight moderator-lead focus groups
      (n=61), stratified by socioeconomic status, were undertaken with mothers of
      children 5years of age of less who are hesitant about vaccines. Four of the
      groups were held in the Philadelphia, PA area and four were held in the San
      Francisco/Oakland, CA area. Three educational material pairs, each consisting of
      a 2-3min video and an infographic poster about an immunization-related topic,
      were reviewed and assessed for influence on confidence. RESULTS: Qualitative data
      analysis was used to identify overarching themes across the focus groups. Themes,
      insights, and illustrative quotes were identified and provided for each of the
      major discussion areas: primary health concerns for young children; confidence
      beliefs and perceptions, including for recommended vaccines; facilitators and
      barriers to confidence; and reactions to the educational materials. CONCLUSIONS:
      Results provide helpful insights into how mothers who are hesitant about vaccines
      perceive confidence in childhood vaccines and health-related products,
      suggestions for how to improve confidence, and support for the value and use of
      short videos as part of vaccination education efforts. Findings can aid those
      developing vaccination education materials and resources designed to foster
      vaccine confidence.

PMID- 28899628
TI  - A novel approach to a rabies vaccine based on a recombinant single-cycle
      flavivirus vector.
AB  - The RepliVax(r) vaccine (RV) platform is based on flavivirus genomes that are
      rationally attenuated by deletion. These single-cycle RV vaccine candidates
      targeting flavivirus pathogens have been demonstrated to be safe, highly
      immunogenic, and efficacious in animal models, including non-human primates. Here
      we show utility of the technology for delivery of a non-flavivirus immunogen by
      engineering several West Nile-based RV vectors to express full-length rabies
      virus G protein. The rabies virus G protein gene was incorporated in place of
      different West Nile structural protein gene deletions. The resulting RV-RabG
      constructs were demonstrated to replicate to high titers (8 log10 infectious
      particles/ml) in complementing helper cells. Following infection of normal cells,
      they provided efficient rabies virus G protein expression, but did not spread to
      surrounding cells. Expression of rabies virus G protein was stable and maintained
      through multiple rounds of in vitro passaging. A sensitive neurovirulence test in
      2-3 day old neonatal mice demonstrated that RV-RabG candidates were completely
      avirulent indicative of high safety. We evaluated the RV-RabG variants in several
      animal models (mice, dogs, and pigs) and demonstrated that a single dose elicited
      high titers of rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies and protected animals from
      live rabies virus challenge (mice and dogs). Importantly, dogs were protected at
      both one and two years post-immunization, demonstrating durable protective
      immunity. The data demonstrates the potential of the RepliVax(r) technology as a
      potent vector delivery platform for developing vaccine candidates against non
      flavivirus targets.

PMID- 28899630
TI  - Protection against infectious bronchitis virus by spike ectodomain subunit
      vaccine.
AB  - The avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) S1 subunit of the spike
      (S) glycoprotein mediates viral attachment to host cells and the S2 subunit is
      responsible for membrane fusion. Using IBV Arkansas-type (Ark) S protein
      histochemistry, we show that extension of S1 with the S2 ectodomain improves
      binding to chicken tissues. Although the S1 subunit is the major inducer of
      neutralizing antibodies, vaccination with S1 protein has been shown to confer
      inadequate protection against challenge. The demonstrated contribution of S2
      ectodomain to binding to chicken tissues suggests that vaccination with the
      ectodomain might improve protection compared to vaccination with S1 alone.
      Therefore, we immunized chickens with recombinant trimeric soluble IBV Ark-type
      S1 or S-ectodomain protein produced from codon-optimized constructs in mammalian
      cells. Chickens were primed at 12days of age with water-in-oil emulsified S1 or S
      ectodomain proteins, and then boosted 21days later. Challenge was performed with
      virulent Ark IBV 21days after boost. Chickens immunized with recombinant S
      ectodomain protein showed statistically significantly (P<0.05) reduced viral
      loads 5days post-challenge in both tears and tracheas compared to chickens
      immunized with recombinant S1 protein. Consistent with viral loads, significantly
      reduced (P<0.05) tracheal mucosal thickness and tracheal lesion scores revealed
      that recombinant S-ectodomain protein provided improved protection of tracheal
      integrity compared to S1 protein. These results indicate that the S2 domain has
      an important role in inducing protective immunity. Thus, including the S2 domain
      with S1 might be promising for better viral vectored and/or subunit vaccine
      strategies.

PMID- 28899631
TI  - Biochemical differences in the mass and activity tests of lipoprotein-associated
      phospholipase A2 explain the discordance in results between the two assay
      methods.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There are two platforms for the detection of Lp-PLA2 in sera or
      plasmas: by its enzymatic activity (PLAC(r) activity test) and by its mass
      concentration (PLAC(r) mass test). It has been long recognized that these two
      platforms are not correlated well. The underlying cause for this is therefore
      investigated by the biochemical characterization of the two PLAC tests. DESIGN &
      METHODS: Human sera with and without the treatment by detergent were fractionated
      by using a Superose-6 column in phosphate buffered saline and the phospholipid
      associated Lp-PLA2 was assessed by both PLAC mass and activity tests. The Lp-PLA2
      values of the two PLAC tests were compared under such conditions. RESULTS:
      Fractionation of sera and plasmas indicates that the association of Lp-PLA2 with
      phospholipids, especially LDL and other large size phospholipid vesicles, may
      block the detection of the enzyme by antibodies in the immunoassay format under
      the conditions of the PLAC mass test. Inclusion of high concentration (>CMC,
      critical micelle concentration) of detergents in the assay buffer of PLAC mass
      test dissociates Lp-PLA2 from phospholipid vesicles and results in the full
      detection of all Lp-PLA2 in sera or plasmas for concentration. Such assay
      modification significantly improves the correlation between the PLAC mass and
      PLAC activity tests. CONCLUSIONS: PLAC mass test only detects a small portion of
      the total Lp-PLA2, mainly the Lp-PLA2 associated with HDL. This is the main cause
      of the discordance and poor correlation between the PLAC mass and activity tests.
      Our results demonstrate the PLAC activity test is more accurate in assessing the
      total level of circulating Lp-PLA2.

PMID- 28899632
TI  - The deposition of anti-DNA IgG contributes to the development of cutaneous lupus
      erythematosus.
AB  - Anti-DNA IgG is a hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus and induces internal
      injuries in patients. It is known that cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE)
      involves the deposition of autoantibodies in the dermoepidermal junction of the
      skin and that anti-DNA IgG binds specifically to keratinocytes. However, the
      definite role of anti-DNA IgG in CLE remains unclear. The purpose of this study
      was to elucidate the effect of anti-DNA IgG on keratinocytes in CLE. Skin tissues
      were collected from patients with CLE and healthy controls. Also, murine anti-DNA
      IgG was incubated with frozen sections of murine skin or PAM212 keratinocytes.
      The chemotaxis of J774.2 macrophages was evaluated in special chambers with
      keratinocytes under anti-DNA IgG stimulation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,
      flow cytometry, Western blot, and surface plasmon resonance were used to
      quantitate the interaction between anti-DNA IgG and keratinocyte-related self
      antigens. The results showed that anti-DNA IgG could be eluted from the lesional
      tissues of CLE patients, depending on the serum positivity. Murine anti-DNA IgG
      bound preferably to the dermoepidermal zones of normal skin and specifically to
      collagen III and the suppressor of cytokine signalling 1 (SOCS1) but not to Ro52.
      Moreover, the chemotaxis of macrophages was promoted by the incubation of anti
      DNA IgG with keratinocytes. Interestingly, anti-DNA IgG exaggerated both the
      expression and the activation of fibroblast growth factor inducible 14 (Fn14) in
      keratinocytes and regulated SOCS1 signals in a time-dependent manner. In
      conclusion, anti-DNA IgG may contribute to the development of CLE through binding
      to keratinocyte-related antigens, exacerbating inflammatory infiltration, and
      modulating Fn14 and SOCS1 pathways.

PMID- 28899633
TI  - Intussusception in a preterm newborn.

PMID- 28899634
TI  - Corrigendum to "Early erythropoietin administration does not increase the risk of
      retinopathy in preterm infants" [PEDN 58 (2017) 48-56].

PMID- 28899635
TI  - Fast technique for the identification of Gilbertella persicaria via optical
      microscopy.
AB  - Gilbertella persicaria is an important phytopathogen that is confused with Mucor
      spp. and Rhizopus spp. The main distinguishing characteristic of G. persicaria is
      the presence of appendages in sporangiospores, and their observation by
      conventional staining techniques generally fails. A technique is described using
      light microscopy for fast and reliable diagnosis.

PMID- 28899636
TI  - Target and distractor processing and the influence of load on the allocation of
      attention to task-irrelevant threat.
AB  - This study investigated the characteristics of two distinct mechanisms of
      attention - stimulus enhancement and stimulus suppression - using an event
      related potential (ERP) approach. Across three experiments, participants viewed
      sparse visual search arrays containing one target and one distractor. The main
      results of Experiments 1 and 2 revealed that whereas neural signals for stimuli
      that are not inherently salient could be directly suppressed without prior
      attentional enhancement, this was not the case for stimuli with motivational
      relevance (human faces). Experiment 3 showed that as task difficulty increased,
      so did the need for suppression of distractor stimuli. It also showed the
      preferential attentional enhancement of angry over neutral distractor faces, but
      only under conditions of high task difficulty, suggesting that the effects of
      distractor valence on attention are greatest when there are fewer available
      resources for distractor processing. The implications of these findings are
      considered in relation to contemporary theories of attention.

PMID- 28899637
TI  - Predictors of emergency department discharge following pediatric drowning.

PMID- 28899638
TI  - Subpectoral Biceps Tenodesis for Treatment of Isolated Type II SLAP Lesions in a
      Young and Active Population.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes following open
      subpectoral biceps tenodesis for the treatment of isolated type II SLAP lesions
      in patients 45 years of age or younger and evaluate the rate of return to sport.
      METHODS: All patients included in the study were at least 2 years out from open
      subpectoral biceps tenodesis for treatment of an isolated type II SLAP lesion and
      were treated between December 2007 and March 2015. All patients older than 45,
      those who had prior surgery on the index shoulder, and those who had any
      concomitant reconstructive shoulder procedures were excluded. American Shoulder
      and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand
      (QuickDASH), Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), and Short-Form 12
      Physical Component Summary (SF-12 PCS) scores were collected pre- and
      postoperatively along with postoperative patient satisfaction. Patient return to
      sport was evaluated by questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty patients with a mean age of
      38 years (range 21-45) were included, of which 16 were available for follow-up.
      There was significant improvement in median pre- to postoperative outcome scores
      (ASES, 66-94 points, P = .001; QuickDASH, 31-8, P = .003; SANE, 60-92, P = .001,
      SF-12 PCS, 41-52 points, P = .002), with a median patient satisfaction of 8.5
      points (range 1-10) at a mean follow-up of 3.4 years (range, 2.0-6.3 years). At
      final follow-up, all patients had returned to sport, with 73% of patients
      indicating a return to their previous or comparable level of sports. Subgroup
      analysis showed 80% of overhead athletes returned to the same or a comparable
      level postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that young patients
      around their 30s participating in sport at a recreational level may benefit from
      open subpectoral biceps tenodesis for a primary isolated SLAP II tear and would
      experience excellent outcomes, high satisfaction, and a high rate of return to
      sport. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case study.

PMID- 28899639
TI  - Prevalence of double diabetes in youth onset diabetes patients from east Delhi
      and neighboring NCR region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is being increasingly reported that some of the youth onset
      diabetes patients cannot be classified clearly as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)
      or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on usual criteria and the term double
      diabetes (DD) coined for these cases. AIM: The objective of the study was to find
      out the prevalence of DD in youth onset diabetes patients from east Delhi and
      neighboring NCR region. METHODS: A total of 200 patients with youth onset
      diabetes below 25 years of age were recruited from a tertiary care hospital in
      East Delhi. Clinical history, family history of diabetes and anthropometry of
      patients were recorded. Fasting serum C-peptide, Anti-IA2-antibody and Anti-GAD
      antibody were measured in all patients. Patients positive for Anti-GAD-antibody
      (>1.05U/ml) and C-peptide level >0.3nmol/l were characterized as DD patients.
      Patients negative for Anti-GAD-antibody and C-peptide >0.3nmol/l were kept under
      the category of T2DM. Patients with low C-peptide level along with one of the
      following, positive Anti-GAD-antibody, positive Anti-IA2-antibody and diabetic
      ketoacidosis (DKA) were considered as T1DM. Remaining patients were kept under
      the unknown category. RESULTS: Mean age of study subjects was 18.2+/-7.1years.
      Seven percent (7%) of the subjects were classified as DD, 51% as T1DM, 13% as
      T2DM and 29% were kept under the unknown category. Mean age of subjects with
      22.2+/-9.7, 16.9+/-6.7, 20.6+/-7.7 and 19.4+/-7.4 years in DD, T1DM, T2DM and
      unknown category respectively. Mean BMI of subjects with DD, T1DM, T2DM and
      unknown category was 19.8+/-5.7, 16.6+/-3.7, 19.3+/-4.1 and 18.0+/-4.6 kg/m2
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Double diabetes is an important occurrence among youth
      onset diabetes subjects. Only half of the subjects with youth onset of diabetes
      had T1DM.

PMID- 28899640
TI  - Status epilepticus in pregnancy: Etiology, management, and clinical outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Status epilepticus (SE) in pregnancy carries significant risk to both
      mother and fetus. There is limited literature available on SE occurring in
      pregnancy world-over, with majority being from obstetric centers. METHODS: All
      women who developed SE related to pregnancy (gestation, labor, or puerperium)
      between January 2000 and December 2016 were included in the study. Data were
      collected from our SE registry, maintained, and archived in the institute. The
      variables influencing the maternal and fetal outcome were compared using
      Student's t-test for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for discrete
      variables. RESULTS: During the 16-year study period, a total of 348 SE events
      were recorded in 294 patients. Among these, there were 138 women, of which 17 had
      SE related to pregnancy. The etiology of SE was remote symptomatic in two and
      acute symptomatic in 15 patients. The various causes detected after initial
      evaluation for acute symptomatic SE were eclampsia (n=4), posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome due to various causes other than eclampsia (n=6),
      cortical venous thrombosis (n=3), subarachnoid hemorrhage (n=1), and NMDA
      receptor antibody-mediated encephalitis (n=1).13 of 17 women with SE (76%) had
      good outcome. Majority of the fetuses had good outcomes, i.e., Category 1 (n=9,
      57%). Duration of intensive care unit stay (p=0.029) and Status Epilepticus
      Severity Score (p=0.0324) at admission, were found to be significantly associated
      with poor outcomes. CONCLUSION: In any patient presenting with SE occurring in
      pregnancy, though eclampsia is presumed to be the most common overall cause; it
      is relevant to consider other etiologies such as posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome, cortical venous thrombosis, and autoimmune encephalitis
      especially in cases presenting with refractory SE. Posterior reversible
      encephalopathy may occur in pregnancy due to diverse etiologies other than
      eclampsia.

PMID- 28899641
TI  - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Use in Adolescents: The
      Patient's Perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to gain more insight into the attitudes of
      adolescents using medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study among adolescents (aged 12-18 years) who filled
      at least two prescriptions for ADHD medication in the preceding year was
      conducted. Adolescents were invited to fill in an online questionnaire containing
      questions on sociodemographics, health status, illness perceptions, medication
      adherence, and medication beliefs. RESULTS: We invited 1,200 adolescents of whom
      181 adolescents (122 males, mean age 14.2 +/- 1.7 years) completed the online
      questionnaire. They mostly used methylphenidate (n = 167; 92%) as a
      pharmacological treatment for ADHD. Half of the study population (n = 93; 51%)
      experienced side effects, such as decreased appetite and sleep problems. Most
      participants (n = 150; 83%) had an indifferent attitude (perceived low necessity
      and low concerns) toward their ADHD medication. More than half of the study
      population (n = 111; 61%) reported to be nonadherent based on the Medication
      Adherence Report Scale. The highest score of the Brief Illness Perception
      Questionnaire was on "treatment control," suggesting that adolescents do think
      their medication is effective, despite their indifferent drug attitude.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most adolescents using ADHD medication had an indifferent attitude
      toward their medication and reported low adherence rates. These findings should
      be taken into account when treating adolescents with ADHD; regular counseling and
      monitoring of the pharmacological treatment might be useful to optimize
      treatment.

PMID- 28899642
TI  - Evaluation of Myocardial Function According to Early Diastolic Intraventricular
      Pressure Difference in Fetuses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intraventricular pressure difference (IVPD), the diastolic suction
      during early diastole, is known as a useful marker of myocardial diastolic
      function in adults with different heart diseases, but there are no studies of
      fetal IVPD. The aim of this study was to determine whether IVPD exists and
      changes prenatally and whether IVPD correlates with preexisting parameters to
      evaluate fetal cardiac diastolic function and ventricular dominance. METHODS:
      Cross-sectional study data (stroke volume, fetal cardiac output, E/A ratio, and
      myocardial performance index) from 117 healthy fetuses at 17 to 36 weeks of
      gestation were retrospectively evaluated. The total IVPD was calculated using
      Euler's equation with color M-mode data. Segmental IVPD was evaluated as apical,
      mid, and basal IVPDs. RESULTS: The total IVPD in the right ventricle and left
      ventricle significantly increased in late gestation compared with that in
      different fetuses studied at midgestation (right and left ventricles, rho = 0.813
      and rho = 0.895, respectively; P < .001). In both ventricles, the apical IVPD
      percentage, but not basal or mid IVPD, significantly increased at late gestation
      compared with that in different fetuses studied at midgestation. Both stroke
      volumes were correlated with IVPD (right and left ventricles, rho = 0.796 and rho
      = 0.784, respectively; P < .001). Although myocardial performance index in the
      left ventricle did not show a significant correlation with IVPD, the E/A ratio
      had a very weak correlation with IVPD (right ventricle, rho = 0.576, P < .001;
      left ventricle, rho = 0.338, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: IVPD has been proved to exist
      in both ventricles during the fetal stage. The total IVPD increased in late
      gestation, and the ventricular length increased because of increased apical IVPD
      in both ventricles. Furthermore, the increase of IVPD in both ventricles was
      correlated with stroke volume and, accordingly, cardiac output. Left ventricular
      dominance in IVPD from the fetal stage may offer interesting insight into fetal
      cardiac development.

PMID- 28899643
TI  - Towards semisynthetic natural compounds with a biaryl axis: Oxidative phenol
      coupling in Aspergillus niger.
AB  - Regio- and stereoselective phenol coupling is difficult to achieve using
      synthetic strategies. However, in nature, cytochrome P450 enzyme-mediated routes
      are employed to achieve complete axial stereo- and regiocontrol in the
      biosynthesis of compounds with potent bioactivity. Here, we report a synthetic
      biology approach whereby the bicoumarin metabolic pathway in Aspergillus niger
      was specifically tailored towards the formation of new coupling products. This
      strategy represents a manipulation of the bicoumarin pathway in A. niger via
      interchange of the phenol-coupling biocatalyst and could be applied to other
      components of the pathway to access a variety of atropisomeric natural product
      derivatives.

PMID- 28899644
TI  - Transcriptomics reveals tissue/organ-specific differences in gene expression in
      the starfish Patiria pectinifera.
AB  - Starfish (Phylum Echinodermata) are of interest from an evolutionary perspective
      because as deuterostomian invertebrates they occupy an "intermediate"
      phylogenetic position with respect to chordates (e.g. vertebrates) and
      protostomian invertebrates (e.g. Drosophila). Furthermore, starfish are model
      organisms for research on fertilization, embryonic development, innate immunity
      and tissue regeneration. However, large-scale molecular data for starfish
      tissues/organs are limited. To provide a comprehensive genetic resource for the
      starfish Patiria pectinifera, we report de novo transcriptome assemblies and
      global gene expression analysis for six P. pectinifera tissues/organs - body wall
      (BW), coelomic epithelium (CE), tube feet (TF), stomach (SM), pyloric caeca (PC)
      and gonad (GN). A total of 408 million high-quality reads obtained from six cDNA
      libraries were assembled de novo using Trinity, resulting in a total of 549,598
      contigs with a mean length of 835 nucleotides (nt), an N50 of 1473nt, and GC
      ratio of 42.5%. A total of 126,136 contigs (22.9%) were obtained as predicted
      open reading frames (ORFs) by TransDecoder, of which 102,187 were annotated with
      NCBI non-redundant (NR) hits, and 51,075 and 10,963 were annotated with Gene
      Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) using the
      Blast2GO program, respectively. Gene expression analysis revealed that
      tissues/organs are grouped into three clusters: BW/CE/TF, SM/PC, and GN, which
      likely reflect functional relationships. 2408, 8560, 2687, 1727, 3321, and 2667
      specifically expressed genes were identified for BW, GN, PC, CE, SM and TF,
      respectively, using the ROKU method. This study provides a valuable transcriptome
      resource and novel molecular insights into the functional biology of different
      tissues/organs in starfish as a model organism.

PMID- 28899645
TI  - Transcriptome-based discovery of pathways and genes related to reproduction of
      the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon).
AB  - The black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) is an aquatic animal with considerable
      economic importance. Poor reproductive maturation in captivity impedes
      sustainable aquaculture production of this species. This study aims to provide
      transcriptomic information on reproductive organs using 454 pyrosequencing
      technology. The transcriptome analysis of ovaries and testes revealed 41,136
      transcripts with 20,192 contigs. We found novel sets of transcripts completing
      several important reproductive pathways such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone
      (GnRH) signaling and progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation. In addition, we
      found transcripts encoding for receptors crucial for initiation of the maturation
      process, such as GnRH receptor (GnRHR), voltage-dependent calcium channel L type
      alpha-1C (CACNA1C) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Moreover, we
      found a putative novel vigillin encoding for an estrogen-induced polysome
      associated protein, which has not been reported in penaeid shrimp. These results
      suggest that the regulatory mechanism of the pathways important to reproductive
      maturation might be similar to those in the vertebrate. The obtained data will
      consequently accelerate the study of reproductive biology of this important
      species to ensure a sustainable shrimp farming industry.

PMID- 28899646
TI  - Early life adversity potentiates expression of addiction-related traits.
AB  - Many individuals sporadically and circumstantially sample addictive drugs, yet
      few become addicted. The individual vulnerabilities underlying the development of
      addiction are not well understood. Correlational findings show that early life
      adversity is associated with a greater propensity to develop drug addiction.
      However, the mechanisms by which early life adversity increases addiction
      vulnerability are unknown. Separate lines of research have found that several
      traits are associated with addiction. Here, we examined the effects of early life
      adversity on addiction-related traits in adulthood. We weaned male and female
      Sprague-Dawley rats (postnatal day - PND21) and randomly assigned them to either
      a non-adversity group (N-ADV) or an adversity group (ADV). ADV rats experienced
      adversity from PND 21-35, they were: a) singly housed, b) food restricted for
      12h/day, c) subjected to forced-swim sessions, and d) restrained and exposed to
      predator odour (1h). As adults, rats were tested for impulsivity, anxiety-like
      behaviour, novelty preference, and attribution of incentive salience to a reward
      cue. ADV rats showed enhanced novelty preference and attributed greater incentive
      value to a reward cue. Compared to N-ADV rats, a greater proportion of ADV rats
      expressed multiple addiction risk traits. Furthermore, fewer ADV rats expressed
      no addiction risk traits. This effect was most evident in female ADV rats.

PMID- 28899647
TI  - Improving gene transfer in Clostridium pasteurianum through the isolation of rare
      hypertransformable variants.
AB  - Effective microbial metabolic engineering is reliant on efficient gene transfer.
      Here we present a simple screening strategy that may be deployed to isolate rare,
      hypertransformable variants. The procedure was used to increase the frequency of
      transformation of the solvent producing organism Clostridium pasteurianum by
      three to four orders of magnitude.

PMID- 28899649
TI  - Small field characterization of a Nanochamber prototype under flattening filter
      free photon beams.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nanochambers present some advantages in terms of energy
      independence and absolute dose measurement for small field dosimetry in the SBRT
      scenario. Characterization of a micro-chamber prototype was carried out both
      under flattened and flattening-filter-free (FFF) beams with particular focus on
      stem effect. METHODS: The study included characterization of leakage and stem
      effects, dose rate and dose per pulse dependence, measurement of profiles, and
      percentage depth doses (PDDs). Ion collection efficiency and polarity effects
      were measured and evaluated against field size and dose per pulse. The 6_MV,
      6_MV_FFF and 10_MV FFF beams of a Varian EDGE were used. Output factors were
      measured for field sizes ranging from 0.8*0.8cm2 to 20*20cm2 and were compared
      with other detectors. RESULTS: The 2mm diameter of this chamber guarantees a high
      spatial resolution with low penumbra values. In orthogonal configuration a strong
      stem (and cable) effect was observed for small fields. Dose rate and dose per
      pulse dependence were <0.3% and 0.6% respectively for the whole range of
      considered values. The Nanochamber exhibits a field size (FS) dependence of the
      polarity correction >2%. The OF values were compared with other small field
      detectors showing a good agreement for field sizes >2*2cm2. The large field over
      response was corrected applying kpol(FS). CONCLUSIONS: Nanochamber is an
      interesting option for small field measurements. The spherical shape of the
      active volume is an advantage in terms of reduced angular dependence. An
      interesting feature of the Nanochamber is its beam quality independence and, as a
      future development, the possibility to use it for small field absolute dosimetry.

PMID- 28899648
TI  - Italian folk plant-based remedies to heal headache (XIX-XX century).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Headache has been recognized since antiquity. From the late
      nineteenth to the early to mid-twentieth century, Italian folk remedies to treat
      headache were documented in a vast corpus of literature sources. AIM: The purpose
      of this paper is to bring to light the plant-based treatments utilized by Italian
      folk medicine to heal headache in an attempt to discuss these remedies from a
      modern pharmacological point of view. Moreover, we compare the medical
      applications described by Hippocrates, Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides, Galen and
      Serenus Sammonicus with those utilized by Italian folk medicine to check if they
      result from a sort of continuity of use by over two thousand years. RESULTS: A
      detailed search of the scientific data banks such as Medline and Scopus was
      undertaken to uncover recent results concerning the anti-inflammatory, anti
      nociceptive and analgesic activities of the plants. Fifty-eight (78.4%) plant
      based remedies have shown in vivo, in vitro or in human trials a large spectrum
      of anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and analgesic activities. Moreover, thirty
      one of remedies (41.9%) were already included in the pharmacopoeia between the
      5th century BC and the 2nd century AD. CONCLUSION: Italian folk medicine could be
      a promising source of knowledge and could provide evidences for active principles
      that have not as of yet been fully used for their potential.

PMID- 28899650
TI  - Micropatterned surface electrode for massive selective stimulation of
      intraepidermal nociceptive fibres.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No satisfactory neurophysiological test for nociceptive afferents is
      available to date. Laser stimuli present risks of skin damage, whilst electrical
      stimulation through specially designed electrodes is not selective enough. NEW
      METHOD: We present a new electrode designed according to critical issues
      identified in preliminary computer simulations concerning electric field gradient
      through the skin. To provide selective stimulation the activating electric field
      must be limited to intraepidermal free nerve endings. To this end, a new
      interdigitated electrode (IDE) was made of conductive rails arranged in a comb
      like micropattern, situated only 150MUm apart from each other (150 IDE) and
      alternately connected to the opposite poles of the stimulator. RESULTS: Evoked
      potentials recorded from the scalp were obtained after stimulation with the 150
      IDE and with a similarly designed, but more widely spaced electrode (1000MUm, or
      1000 IDE). Small amplitude early and medium latency components were recorded with
      the 1000 IDE, suggesting activation of Abeta fibres. On the other hand, the 150
      IDE only evoked late responses, confirming sufficient selectivity in small fibre
      activation. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S): The main differences with
      existing electrodes are: 1) Microspaced interdigitated conductive rails. 2) The
      potentially unlimited surface of stimulation and high efficiency per surface
      unit, resulting in large numbers of activated nociceptors. CONCLUSIONS: A new
      electrode providing selective stimulation of nociceptive nerve free endings is
      presented. It is non-invasive, and its surface can be enlarged at will. It is
      expected that it may greatly help in neurophysiological assessment of conditions
      affecting the nociceptive pathway.

PMID- 28899651
TI  - Is higher formula intake and limited dietary diversity in Australian children at
      14 months of age associated with dietary quality at 24 months?
AB  - A varied and diverse diet in childhood supports optimum long-term preferences and
      growth. Previous analysis from 14-month-old Australian children in the NOURISH
      and South Australian Infants Dietary Intake (SAIDI) studies found higher formula
      intake was associated with lower dietary diversity. This analysis investigated
      whether formula intake and dietary diversity at 14 months of age is associated
      with dietary quality at 24 months. This is a secondary analysis of intake data
      from NOURISH and SAIDI cohorts. Scores for dietary diversity, fruit variety,
      vegetable variety and meat/alternative variety were combined using structural
      equation modelling to form the latent variable 'Dietary quality' (DQ) at age 24
      months. A longitudinal model examined influence of formula (grams), cow's milk
      (grams) and dietary diversity at 14 months and covariates, on DQ. At age 24
      months (n = 337) 27% of children obtained a maximum dietary diversity score
      (5/5). Variety scores were relatively low - with mean variety scores (and
      possible range) being four for fruit (0-30); five for vegetables (0-36); and
      three for meat/alternatives (0-8). Dietary diversity at 14 months (beta = 0.19, p
      = 0.001), maternal age (beta = 0.24, p < 0.001) and education (beta = 0.22, p <
      0.001) predicted DQ at 24 months while Child Food Neophobia Score was negatively
      associated with DQ (beta = -0.30, p < 0.001). Formula intake was negatively
      associated with diversity at 14 months, but not DQ at 24. Diversity and variety
      were limited despite sociodemographic advantage of the sample. Diversity at 14
      months, degree of neophobia and sociodemographic factors predicted DQ at 24
      months. There is an ongoing need to emphasise the importance of repeated early
      exposure to healthy foods, such that children have the opportunity to learn to
      like a range of tastes and texture, thereby maximising dietary diversity and
      quality in infancy and early toddlerhood.

PMID- 28899652
TI  - Predicting preschool children's eating in the absence of hunger from maternal
      pressure to eat: A longitudinal study of low-income, Latina mothers.
AB  - Early work by Klesges et al. (1983, 1986) suggested that mothers who frequently
      prompt their children to eat have children at greater risk for obesity. This is
      consistent with the hypothesis that controlling feeding practices override
      children's responsiveness to their internal fullness cues, increasing the risk of
      overeating and obesity (e.g., Johnson & Birch, 1994). Subsequent cross-sectional
      research on pressure to eat, however, has been inconsistent. Most studies have
      shown that maternal self-reports of pressure to eat are negatively associated
      with childhood obesity, and observational studies showed inconsistent
      relationships with child weight status. In the present study we examined the
      association between low-income, Latina mothers' pressure to eat and their
      preschool children's eating in the absence of hunger using both self-report and
      observational measures of feeding practices. A longitudinal design examined
      eating in the absence of hunger over 18 months; children's BMI at the initial
      timepoint was statistically controlled to address the tendency of mothers of
      underweight children to pressure their children to eat. At each timepoint,
      mothers completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire (Birch et al., 2001) and were
      observed feeding their child a meal in a laboratory setting. Eating in the
      absence of hunger (Fisher & Birch, 1999) was assessed at both timepoints as well.
      A cross-lagged panel model showed that observed maternal prompts to eat a
      different food at time one predicted kcal consumed in the absence of hunger at
      time two (controlling for kcal consumed in the absence of hunger at first
      timepoint: beta = 0.20, p < 0.05). Results suggest that pressure to eat alone may
      not be what contributes to eating in the absence of hunger, but that the nature
      of that pressure may be more important.

PMID- 28899654
TI  - Deciphering the loss of metal binding due to mutation D83G of human SOD1 protein
      causing FALS disease.
AB  - Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) protein are found to be the
      causative factor, behind the majority of familial amyotrophic later sclerosis
      (FALS) cases. The mutations particularly on the metal (Zn) binding residues are
      found to increase the disease onset in the individuals suffering from FALS, while
      the presence of the metal ion (Zn) is essential for the catalytic activity and
      retaining the protein stability. Thus in our study, we focused on one such metal
      binding mutant (D83G) and assessed the impact of the mutation on protein
      structure and function. The influence of mutation was examined dynamically, using
      discrete molecular dynamics on both the native and mutant SOD1 protein
      respectively. Accordingly, the variation in conformational stability, residual
      flexibility and protein compactness along with the change in conformational free
      energy were monitored over the entire dynamic period. Moreover, the motion of
      native and mutant SOD1 was also observed via the essential dynamics. Besides, the
      disparity in Zn ion binding was inspected through distance analysis and steered
      molecular dynamics, correspondingly. Therefore, the study provides a better
      understanding over the profound effect of mutation on SOD1, both structurally and
      functionally, using computational approaches.

PMID- 28899653
TI  - Role of autophagy in Zika virus infection and pathogenesis.
AB  - Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular pathway that culminates in
      lysosomal degradation of selected substrates. Autophagy can serve dual roles in
      virus infection with either pro- or antiviral functions depending on the virus
      and the stage of the viral replication cycle. Recent studies have suggested a
      role for autophagy in Zika virus (ZIKV) replication by demonstrating the
      accumulation of autophagic vesicles following ZIKV infection in both in vitro and
      in vivo models. In human fetal neural stem cells, ZIKV inhibits Akt-mTOR
      signaling to induce autophagy, increase virus replication and impede
      neurogenesis. However, autophagy also has the potential to limit ZIKV
      replication, with separate studies demonstrating antiviral roles for autophagy at
      the maternal-placental-fetal interface, and more specifically, at the endoplasmic
      reticulum where virus replication is established in an infected cell.
      Interestingly, ZIKV (and related flaviviruses) has evolved specific mechanisms to
      overcome autophagy at the ER, thus demonstrating important roles for these
      autophagic pathways in virus replication and host response. This review
      summarizes the known roles of autophagy in ZIKV replication and how they might
      influence virus tissue tropism and disease.

PMID- 28899655
TI  - Characteristics of physical activity interventions and effects on
      cardiorespiratory fitness in children aged 6-12 years-A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the characteristics of physical activity (PA)
      interventions and the effects on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in healthy
      children based on treatment theory. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: PubMed
      and Embase were searched for studies published between 2003 and 2016. Inclusion
      criteria were: Participants: healthy children aged 6-12. INTERVENTIONS:
      interventions with activities to increase PA behaviour or physical fitness (PF)
      regardless of setting. CONTROL: no or alternative intervention. OUTCOME: exercise
      based CRF measure with appropriate analysis of CRF effects. STUDY DESIGN:
      randomized controlled trial. Effect size was calculated using dppc2 and the
      methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro scale.
      RESULTS: Of 1002 studies screened, 23 met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen of the
      23 studies found statistically significant improvements in CRF and eight studies
      showed medium to high effect sizes. Interventions with medium to high effect
      sizes focused more often on PF than PA behaviour, had slightly higher frequencies
      of activities and had a shorter duration than the less effective interventions.
      CONCLUSIONS: The fact that thirteen studies demonstrated statistically
      significant improvements in CRF is promising but also emphasizes the need to keep
      improving research methods and the development and execution of interventions.
      Interventions with larger effect sizes appear to be more controlled, as they
      usually relied on smaller sample sizes and the components of these interventions
      encompassed protocolled training sessions which defined and monitored the
      relative training intensity intended. A duration of at least six weeks and a
      frequency of three to four times a week is recommended.

PMID- 28899656
TI  - Greater ankle strength, anaerobic and aerobic capacity, and agility predict
      Ground Combat Military Occupational School graduation in female Marines.
AB  - : Women can serve in all military occupational specialties (MOS); however,
      musculoskeletal and physiological characteristics that predict successful
      completion of ground combat MOS schools by female Marines are unknown.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine which demographic, musculoskeletal, and physiological
      characteristics predict graduation from infantry and vehicle ground combat MOS
      schools in female Marines. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Prior to
      MOS school, the following were assessed in 62 female Marines (22.0+/-3.0yrs,
      163.9+/-5.8cm, 63.4+/-7.2kg): isokinetic shoulder, trunk, and knee and isometric
      ankle strength; body composition; anaerobic power (AP)/capacity (AC); maximal
      oxygen uptake (VO2max); and field-based fitness tests (broad jump, medicine ball
      throw, pro-agility). Both absolute and normalized (%body mass: %BM) values were
      utilized for strength, AP, AC, and VO2max. Select tests from each Marine's most
      recent Physical Fitness Test (PFT: abdominal crunches, 3-mile run time) and
      Combat Fitness Test (CFT: Maneuver Under Fire, Movement to Contact) were
      recorded. Participants were classified as graduated (N=46) or did not graduate
      (N=16). Simple logistic regression was performed to determine predictors of MOS
      school graduation. Statistical significance was set a priori at alpha=0.05.
      RESULTS: Absolute and normalized ankle inversion and eversion strength,
      normalized anaerobic capacity, absolute and normalized VO2max, right pro-agility,
      and PFT 3-mile run time significantly predicted MOS school graduation (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Greater ankle strength, better agility, and greater anaerobic and
      aerobic capacity are important for successful completion of ground combat MOS
      school in female Marines. Prior to entering ground combat MOS school, it is
      recommended that female Marines should train to optimize these mobility-centric
      characteristics.

PMID- 28899657
TI  - HIF-1alpha/Ascl2/miR-200b regulatory feedback circuit modulated the epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT) in colorectal cancer cells.
AB  - We have reported that Achaete scute-like 2 (Ascl2) transcriptionally repressed
      miR-200 family members and affected the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) plasticity in colorectal cancer (CRC)
      cells. However, little is known about the regulation of the Ascl2/miR-200 axis.
      Here, we found that hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) mRNA levels were
      positively correlated with Ascl2 mRNA levels and inversely correlated with miR
      200b in CRC samples. Mechanistically, we showed that Ascl2 was a downstream
      target of HIF-1alpha and had a critical role in the EMT phenotype induced by
      hypoxia or HIF-1alpha over-expression. Hypoxia or HIF-1alpha over-expression
      activated Ascl2 expression in CRC cells in a direct transcriptional mechanism via
      binding with the hypoxia-response element (HRE) at the proximal Ascl2 promoter.
      HIF-1alpha-induced Ascl2 expression repressed miR-200b expression to induce EMT
      occurrence. Furthermore, we found HIF-1alpha was a direct target of miR-200b. MiR
      200b bound with the 3'-UTR of HIF-1alpha in CRC cells. HIF-1alpha/Ascl2/miR-200b
      regulatory feedback circuit modulated the EMT-MET plasticity of CRC cells. Our
      results confirmed a novel HIF-1alpha/Ascl2/miR-200b regulatory feedback circuit
      in modulating EMT-MET plasticity of CRC cells, which could serve as a possible
      therapeutic target.

PMID- 28899658
TI  - Knockdown of LRP/LR induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer and neuroblastoma
      cells through activation of caspases.
AB  - The 37kDa/67kDa laminin receptor (LRP/LR) serves various physiological and
      pathological roles such as enhancing tumour-related processes including
      metastasis, angiogenesis, cellular viability and telomerase activation in
      cancerous cell lines. The present study investigates the effect of siRNA mediated
      downregulation of LRP/LR on pancreatic cancer (AsPC-1) and neuroblastoma (IMR-32)
      cells. MTT and BrdU assays revealed that siRNA mediated downregulation of LRP
      resulted in a significant reduction in cell viability and cell proliferation. In
      addition, knock-down of LRP resulted in phosphatidylserine externalization,
      diminished nuclear integrity and significantly enhanced caspase-3 activity, which
      is indicative of apoptosis. LRP downregulation resulted in a significant increase
      in caspase-8 activity in IMR-32 cells and enhanced caspase-8 and 9 activity in
      AsPC-1 cells. These data recommend siRNA mediated knock-down of LRP as a
      potential therapeutic avenue for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and
      neuroblastoma.

PMID- 28899660
TI  - Effects of Legal Access to Cannabis on Scheduled II-V Drug Prescriptions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Co-prescribing of scheduled drugs is endemic in the United Sates,
      increasing health risks to patients and the burden on healthcare systems.
      PURPOSE: We conducted a pragmatic historical cohort study to measure the effect
      of enrollment in a state-authorized United States' Medical Cannabis Program (MCP)
      on scheduled II-V drug prescription patterns. PROCEDURES: Eighty-three chronic
      pain patients, who enrolled in the New Mexico MCP between April 1, 2010 and
      October 3, 2015, were compared with 42 nonenrolled patients over a 24-month
      period (starting 6 months before enrollment for the MCP patients) using the
      Prescription Monitoring Program. The outcome variables include baseline levels
      and pre- and postenrollment monthly trends in the number of drug prescriptions,
      distinct drug classes, dates prescription drugs were filled, and prescribing
      providers. FINDINGS: Twenty-eight MCP patients (34%) and 1 comparison group
      patient (2%) ceased the use of all scheduled prescription medications by the last
      6 months of the observation period. Age- and sex-adjusted regressions show that,
      although no statistically significant differences existed in pre-enrollment
      levels and trends, the postenrollment trend among MCP patients is statistically
      significantly negative for all 4 measures (decreases in counts of -0.02 to -0.04,
      P values between <.001 and .017), whereas the postenrollment trend is 0 among the
      comparison group. Controlling for time-invariant patient characteristics
      suggested that MCP patients showed statistically significantly lower levels
      across all 4 measures by 10 months postenrollment. CONCLUSIONS: Legal access to
      cannabis may reduce the use of multiple classes of dangerous prescription
      medications in certain patient populations.

PMID- 28899659
TI  - BRG1 promotes VEGF-A expression and angiogenesis in human colorectal cancer
      cells.
AB  - Angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor growth and progression in solid
      tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most critical and
      specific factors that stimulate both physiological and pathological angiogenesis.
      Here, we report a novel role of BRG1, the core subunit of SWI/SNF family
      complexes, in angiogenesis. In this study, we demonstrate that BRG1 is
      overexpressed in colorectal cancer and decreased expression of BRG1 not only
      blocks cell proliferation but remarkably inhibits the ability of HUVECs to form
      capillary-like structures. Moreover, our study shows that BRG1 can regulate the
      expression of VEGF-A by interacting with HIF-1alpha. Furthermore, we find VEGF-A
      is overexpressed in colorectal cancer and is positively correlated with BRG1
      expression. Taken together, our study demonstrated that BRG1 can promote VEGF-A
      expression and angiogenesis in colorectal cancer and BRG1 may be a novel drug
      target for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28899662
TI  - Baseline Association of Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome With Sustained Attention,
      Memory, and Global Cognition.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Slow gait has been shown to be a good predictor of declining
      cognitive function in healthy older adults. Motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome
      is a new construct incorporating slow gait and subjective cognitive complaints in
      individuals without dementia who have preserved activities of daily living. This
      analysis investigated the prevalence of MCR and factors associated with MCR in a
      nationally representative population. In addition, cross-sectional associations
      between MCR and cognitive domains, an relationship yet to be fully elucidated in
      literature, was investigated. MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed a
      comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and gait analysis at a health
      assessment center. Logistic regression was employed to examine associated health
      factors. Composite scores reflecting global cognition, memory, sustained
      attention, executive function, and processing speed were constructed using
      neuropsychological test scores. Associations between MCR and these composites
      were quantified using multivariate generalized linear modelling. All analyses
      were weighted to be nationally representative. SETTING: Community-dwelling adults
      in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) completed an interview and a
      center-based health assessment. PARTICIPANTS: Participants aged 60 years and over
      (n = 2151, age; mean: 67.84 years, range: 60-93) were included. Participants with
      a Mini-Mental State Examination score of below 24, a diagnosis of serious memory
      impairment, Parkinson disease, dementia, or Alzheimer disease were excluded.
      RESULTS: MCR prevalence was estimated at 2.56% (95% confidence interval 1.97,
      3.31). Significant risk factors for MCR were antidepressant use [odds ratio (OR)
      4.46, P < .001], self-reported poor vision (OR 4.92, P < .05), and obesity (OR
      2.29, P < .01). Individuals with MCR performed worse on tests that assess memory
      (B: -0.58, P < .001), global cognition (B: -0.42, P < .001), and sustained
      attention (B: -0.34, P < .05) with robust adjustment made for confounding
      demographic and health variables. CONCLUSIONS: MCR is characterized by strong
      negative associations with global cognition, attention, and memory. This may be
      indicative of the underlying pathology of MCR. The effect of antidepressant use
      on MCR is novel and may represent an important consideration in future studies.

PMID- 28899661
TI  - Frailty, Polypharmacy, and Health Outcomes in Older Adults: The Frailty and
      Dependence in Albacete Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To investigate if polypharmacy modifies the association
      between frailty and health outcomes in older adults. DESIGN: Ongoing cohort
      study. SETTING: Albacete City, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: A total for 773 participants,
      457 women (59.1%), over age 70 years from the FRADEA Study. MEASUREMENTS: Frailty
      phenotype, polypharmacy considered as the chronic use of 5 or more drugs, and
      comorbidity were collected at the baseline visit. Participants were categorized
      in 6 groups according to frailty and polypharmacy, and were followed up for 5.5
      years (mean 1057 days, range 1-2007). Mortality or incident disability in basic
      activities of daily living was considered the main outcome variable.
      Hospitalization and visits to the emergency department were also recorded. The
      adjusted association between combined frailty status and polypharmacy with
      outcome variables was analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of study population was
      78.5 years. In this population, we identified a 15.3% (n = 118) of frail with
      polypharmacy, 3.4% (n = 26) of frail without polypharmacy, 35.3% (n = 273) of
      prefrail with polypharmacy, 20.3% (n = 157) of prefrail without polypharmacy,
      10.3% (n = 80) of nonfrail with polypharmacy, and 15.4% (n = 119) of nonfrail
      participants without polypharmacy. Participants with frailty and polypharmacy had
      a higher adjusted risk of mortality or incident disability [odds ratio (OR) 5.3;
      95% confidence interval (CI) 2.3-12.5] and hospitalization (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.2
      4.4), compared with those without frailty and polypharmacy. Frail and prefrail
      participants with polypharmacy had a higher adjusted mortality risk compared with
      the nonfrail without polypharmacy, hazard ratio 5.8 (95% CI 1.9-17.5) and hazard
      ratio 3.1 (95% CI 1.1-9.1), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy is associated
      with mortality, incident disability, hospitalization, and emergency department
      visits in frail and prefrail older adults, but not in nonfrail adults.
      Polypharmacy should be monitored in these patient subgroups to optimize health
      outcomes.

PMID- 28899663
TI  - Prevalence of antibodies against severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome
      virus in shelter dogs in the Republic of Korea.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of antibodies
      against severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) in shelter dogs
      in the Republic of Korea (ROK) using an indirect immunofluorescence assay and
      virus neutralization test. Sera were collected from 426 dogs in 12 animal
      shelters throughout the ROK from March 2016 to November 2016. Overall, 59 of 426
      (13.9%) samples were seropositive for antibodies against SFTSV. A significant
      difference was observed in accordance with the sampling region (p<0.001), but not
      according to the sex (p=0.279) or breed (p=0.729) of the dogs. The seroprevalence
      of SFTSV showed an inversely proportional trend to the latitude of the sampling
      regions: the highest rate was observed in the southern region followed by the
      Jeju-do region. This is the first report on the nationwide prevalence of
      antibodies against SFTSV in companion dogs in animal shelters throughout the ROK.

PMID- 28899665
TI  - Toxin composition of the 2016 Microcystis aeruginosa bloom in the St. Lucie
      Estuary, Florida.
AB  - A bloom of the cyanobacteria, Microcystis aeruginosa occurred in the St. Lucie
      Estuary during the summer of 2016, stimulated by the release of waters from Lake
      Okeechobee. This cyanobacterium produces the microcystins, a suite of
      heptapeptide hepatotoxins. The toxin composition of the bloom was analyzed and
      was compared to an archived bloom sample from 2005. Microcystin-LR was the most
      abundant toxin with lesser amounts of microcystin variants. Nodularin,
      cylindrospermopsin and anatoxin-a were not detected.

PMID- 28899664
TI  - Implant for autologous soft tissue reconstruction using an adipose-derived stem
      cell-colonized alginate scaffold.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adipose-derived stem cells represent an interesting option for soft
      tissue replacement as they are easy to procure and can generate their own blood
      supply through the production of angiogenic factors. We seeded adipose-derived
      stem cells on a bioresorbable, biocompatible polymer alginate scaffold to
      generate autologous soft tissue constructs for repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      built and optimized an alginate scaffold and tested its biocompatibility using
      the MTT assay and its hydration capacity. We then isolated, characterized, and
      differentiated murine, porcine, and human adipose-derived stem cells. We
      characterized their angiogenic potential in vitro by VEGF ELISA and HUVEC tube
      formation assay in traditional cell culture substrate and in the actual three
      dimensional scaffold. We assessed the angiogenic potential of adipose-derived
      stem cell-colonized scaffolds in ovo by chorion allantois membrane angiogenesis
      assay. RESULTS: Adipose-derived stem cells differentiated into adipocytes within
      the alginate scaffolds and demonstrated angiogenic activity. VEGF secretion by
      adipose-derived stem cells decreased significantly over the 21-day course of
      adipocyte differentiation in traditional cell culture substrate, but not in
      scaffolds. Adipose-derived stem cells differentiated for 21 days in scaffolds led
      to the longest HUVEC tube formation. Scaffolds colonized with adipose-derived
      stem cells resulted in significantly improved vascularization in ovo.
      CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate the feasibility of implant production based on
      adipose-derived stem cell-colonized alginate scaffolds. The implants demonstrate
      biocompatibility and promote angiogenesis in vitro and in ovo. Therefore, they
      provide a combination of essential properties for an implant intended for soft
      tissue replacement.

PMID- 28899666
TI  - Stem cells and the circadian clock.
AB  - The circadian timing system is a complex biological network of interacting
      circadian clocks that regulates 24h rhythms of behavioral and physiological
      processes. One intriguing observation is that stem cell homeostasis is subject to
      circadian clock regulation. Rhythmic oscillations have been observed in a variety
      of embryonic and adult stem cell dependent processes, such as hematopoietic
      progenitor cell migration, the hair follicle cycle, bone remodeling, regenerative
      myogenesis and neurogenesis. This review aims to discuss the nature of the
      circadian clock in embryonic stem cells and how it changes during
      differentiation. Furthermore, it will examine how the circadian clock contributes
      to adult stem cell function in different tissues of the body with an emphasis on
      the brain and adult neurogenesis.

PMID- 28899668
TI  - The sp7 gene is required for maturation of osteoblast-lineage cells in medaka
      (Oryzias latipes) vertebral column development.
AB  - Sp7 is a zinc finger transcription factor that is essential for osteoblast
      differentiation in mammals. To verify the characteristic features of osteoblast
      lineage cells in teleosts, we established medaka sp7 mutants using a
      transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) genome editing system.
      These mutants showed severe defects in the formation of skeletal structures. In
      particular, the neural and the hemal arches were not formed, although the chordal
      centra were formed. Analysis of the transgenic medaka revealed that sp7 mutant
      had normal distribution of type X collagen a1 a (col10a1a)-positive osteoblast
      like cells around the centrum and at the proximal region of the vertebral arch.
      The sp7 mutant phenotype could be rescued by exogenous sp7 expression in col10a1a
      positive cells, as well as in sp7-positive osteoblast cells. Furthermore, runx2
      positive osteoblast progenitors were observed on the vertebral arches, but not on
      the centrum, during vertebral column development. In addition, these osteoblast
      progenitors differentiated into the col10a1a-positive cells. In sp7 mutant, the
      runx2-positive cells were normally distributed at the region of unformed
      vertebral arch but failed to differentiate into col10a1a-positive cells. These
      results indicate that osteoblast-lineage cells undergo two distinct
      differentiation processes during development of the vertebral arch and the
      centrum. Nevertheless, our results verified that sp7 gene expression in
      osteoblast-lineage cells is required for differentiation into mature osteoblasts
      to form the vertebral column and other skeletal structures.

PMID- 28899669
TI  - Successful Treatment of a Patient With Gastric Mucosa-Associated Lymphoma.

PMID- 28899667
TI  - bHLH-O proteins balance the self-renewal and differentiation of Drosophila neural
      stem cells by regulating Earmuff expression.
AB  - Balancing self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells requires differential
      expression of self-renewing factors in two daughter cells generated from the
      asymmetric division of the stem cells. In Drosophila type II neural stem cell (or
      neuroblast, NB) lineages, the expression of the basic helix-loop-helix-Orange
      (bHLH-O) family proteins, including Deadpan (Dpn) and E(spl) proteins, is
      required for maintaining the self-renewal and identity of type II NBs, whereas
      the absence of these self-renewing factors is essential for the differentiation
      of intermediate neural progenitors (INPs) generated from type II NBs. Here, we
      demonstrate that Dpn maintains type II NBs by suppressing the expression of
      Earmuff (Erm). We provide evidence that Dpn and E(spl) proteins suppress Erm by
      directly binding to C-sites and N-boxes in the cis-regulatory region of erm.
      Conversely, the absence of bHLH-O proteins in INPs allows activation of erm and
      Erm-mediated maturation of INPs. Our results further suggest that Pointed P1
      (PntP1) mediates the dedifferentiation of INPs resulting from the loss of Erm or
      overexpression of Dpn or E(spl) proteins. Taken together, these findings reveal
      mechanisms underlying the regulation of the maintenance of type II NBs and
      differentiation of INPs through the differential expression of bHLH-O family
      proteins.

PMID- 28899670
TI  - Definition, Pathogenesis, and Management of That Cursed Dyspepsia.
AB  - Dyspepsia is an umbrella term used to encompass a number of symptoms thought to
      originate from the upper gastrointestinal tract. These symptoms are relatively
      nonspecific; not surprisingly, therefore, a myriad of conditions may present with
      any one or a combination of these symptoms. Therein lays the clinician's first
      challenge: detecting the minority who may have a potentially life-threatening
      disorder, such as gastric cancer, from a population whose symptoms are, for the
      most part, considered functional in origin. The second challenge lies in the
      definition and management of those individuals with functional dyspepsia (FD);
      the major focus of this review. The Rome process has addressed the issue of FD
      definition and a look back at the evolution of Rome criteria for this disorder
      illustrates the complexities that have so frustrated us. There has been no
      shortage of hypotheses to explain symptom pathogenesis in FD; initially focused
      on gastric sensorimotor dysfunction, these have now strayed well into the
      duodenum and have come to entertain such factors as immune responses and the
      microbiome. FD has proven to be an equally challenging area for therapeutics;
      while the staple approaches of acid suppression and eradication of Helicobacter
      pylori have some limited efficacy in select populations, strategies to ameliorate
      symptoms in the majority of sufferers based on presumed pathophysiology have
      largely foundered. Lacking a validated biomarker(s) FD continues to be an elusive
      target and is likely to remain so until we can better define the various
      phenotypes that it must surely contain.

PMID- 28899671
TI  - Obesity, but Not Physical Activity, Is Associated With Higher Prevalence of
      Asymptomatic Diverticulosis.

PMID- 28899672
TI  - Large Meckel's Diverticulum and Dilated Adjacent Small Intestine Presenting With
      Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 28899673
TI  - Detection of Arteriovenous Malformations on the Underside of the Duodenal
      Papilla.

PMID- 28899674
TI  - Pretreatment of agricultural biomass for anaerobic digestion: Current state and
      challenges.
AB  - The anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural biomass is an attractive second
      generation biofuel with potential environmental and economic benefits. Most
      agricultural biomass contains lignocellulose which requires pretreatment prior to
      AD. For optimization, the pretreatment methods need to be specific to the
      characteristics of the biomass feedstock. In this review, cereal residue, fruit
      and vegetable wastes, grasses and animal manure were selected as the agricultural
      biomass candidates, and the fundamentals and current state of various
      pretreatment methods used for AD of these feedstocks were investigated. Several
      nonconventional methods (electrical, ionic liquid-based chemicals, ruminant
      biological pretreatment) offer potential as targeted pretreatments of
      lignocellulosic biomass, but each comes with its own challenges. Pursuing an
      energy-intensive route, a combined bioethanol-biogas production could be a
      promising a second biofuel refinery option, further emphasizing the importance of
      pretreatment when lignocellulosic feedstock is used.

PMID- 28899675
TI  - Kraft lignin biorefinery: A perspective.
AB  - Lignin is a huge energy and carbon reserve but owing to its highly biologically
      recalcitrant nature it is commonly regarded as a waste in lignocellulosic biomass
      biorefinery. To realize the lignin biorefinery, it is proposed to use Kraft
      lignin, isolated from black liquor from Kraft pulping mills, as starting material
      to be fragmented by fast pyrolysis or selective catalysis to aromatic sub-units
      and to be post-refining with additional cleavage reaction and
      separation/purification as commodity aromatics pool in chemical industries. This
      Note calls for research efforts on detailed investigation of the feasibility of
      this proposed scenario.

PMID- 28899676
TI  - Self-recoverable voltage reversal in stacked microbial fuel cells due to biofilm
      capacitance.
AB  - In order to assess the effects of biofilm capacitance on self-recovering voltage
      reversals, the restored current is determined and compared with the measured
      biofilm capacitance by analyzing the results of electrochemical impedance
      spectroscopy. This comparison demonstrates that self-recovering voltage reversals
      are caused by temporary damage to, and the recovery of, biofilm capacitance which
      arises due to the ability of redox enzymes in the electron transfer system to
      temporarily store electrons. Thus, the development of procedures for voltage
      reversal control and for the maintenance of serially connected microbial fuel
      cells (MFCs) should take into account such temporary voltage reversal phenomenon.
      This discovery and characterization of self-recovering voltage reversals is
      expected to be practically useful to enhance the reliability of MFCs to be scaled
      up and implemented in practical systems.

PMID- 28899677
TI  - Evaluation of humic substances during co-composting of sewage sludge and corn
      stalk under different aeration rates.
AB  - Sewage sludge and corn stalk were co-composted under different aeration rates
      0.12 (AR0.12), 0.24 (AR0.24), 0.36 (AR0.36)L.kg-1DMmin-1, respectively.
      Transformation of humic substance was evaluated by a series of chemical and
      spectroscopic methods to reveal compost humification. Results showed that
      aeration rate could significantly affect compost stability and humification
      process. Humic acid contents in AR0.24 were significantly higher than those in
      the other two treatments. The final humic acid/fulvic acid ratios in AR0.12,
      AR0.24 and AR0.36 treatment were 1.0, 1.9 and 0.8, respectively, corresponding to
      the final E4/E6 of 4.7, 3.2 and 5.5. Moreover, compost in AR0.24 treatment had a
      high stability degree due to the low C/N atom ratio and high C/H atom ratio.
      However, it is noteworthy that composting could not significantly affect the
      structure of HA in a 35-day period. These results indicate that composting with
      the aeration rate of 0.24L.kg-1DMmin-1 could accelerated the humification
      process.

PMID- 28899678
TI  - Behavior of nitrogen removal in an aerobic sponge based moving bed biofilm
      reactor.
AB  - This study aims to investigate the behavior of nitrogen removal in an aerobic
      sponge based moving bed biofilm reactor by evaluating nitrification and
      denitrification rates of sponge biocarriers from three aerobic moving bed biofilm
      reactors (MBBRs) with filling ratios of 10% (R-10), 20% (R-20) and 30% (R-30).
      Results showed that the highest removal efficiencies of total nitrogen in three
      reactors were 84.5% (R-10), 93.6% (R-20) and 95.3% (R-30). Correspondingly,
      simultaneous nitrification and denitrification rate (SND) was 90.9%, 97.6% and
      100%, respectively. Although R-20 had the highest attached-growth biomass (AGB)
      per gram of sponge compared to the other two reactors, R-30 showed the maximum
      ammonium oxidation rate (AOR) (2.1826+/-0.0717mgNH4+-N/gAGB/h) and
      denitrification rate (DNR) (5.0852+/-0.0891mgNO3--N/gAGB/h), followed by R-20 and
      R-10. These results indicated AOR, DNR and AGB were affected by the filling ratio
      under the same operation mode.

PMID- 28899679
TI  - Anaerobic treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater: A critical review.
AB  - Pharmaceutical wastewaters are usually produced by chemical-synthetic process,
      and thus contain high levels of organic pollutants, biotoxicity and salinity.
      Anaerobic technology is a viable option for treating pharmaceutical wastewater
      owing to its advantages of withstanding high organic-loading, less sludge
      production and lower operating cost as compared with conventional activated
      sludge process. In this paper, several types of modern anaerobic or hybrid
      systems were reviewed on their pollutant reduction performance and operating
      conditions for treating pharmaceutical wastewater. Meanwhile, the typical
      predominant microbial populations found in anaerobic process treating
      pharmaceutical wastewater were summarized. Moreover, the environmental impact of
      antibiotic residues and health risk of spreading of antibiotic resistant genes
      (ARGs) were also assessed to offer an in-depth understanding of the growing
      concern on the discharge of treated pharmaceutical effluent.

PMID- 28899681
TI  - Comparative Degradomics of Porcine and Human Wound Exudates Unravels Biomarker
      Candidates for Assessment of Wound Healing Progression in Trauma Patients.
AB  - Impaired cutaneous wound healing is a major complication in elderly people and
      patients suffering from diabetes, the rate of which is rising in industrialized
      countries. Heterogeneity of clinical manifestations hampers effective molecular
      diagnostics and decisions for appropriate therapeutic regimens. Using a
      customized positional quantitative proteomics workflow, we have established a
      time-resolved proteome and N-terminome resource from wound exudates in a
      clinically relevant pig wound model that we exploited as a robust template to
      interpret a heterogeneous dataset from patients undergoing the same wound
      treatment. With zyxin, IQGA1, and HtrA1, this analysis and validation by targeted
      proteomics identified differential abundances and proteolytic processing of
      proteins of epidermal and dermal origin as prospective biomarker candidates for
      assessment of critical turning points in wound progression. Thus, we show the
      possibility of using a fine-tuned animal wound model to bridge the translational
      gap as a prerequisite for future extended clinical studies with large cohorts of
      individuals affected by healing impairments. Data are available via
      ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD006674.

PMID- 28899682
TI  - Caveolin-1 Controls Hyperresponsiveness to Mechanical Stimuli and Fibrogenesis
      Associated RUNX2 Activation in Keloid Fibroblasts.
AB  - Keloids are pathological scars characterized by excessive extracellular matrix
      production that are prone to form in body sites with increased skin tension.
      CAV1, the principal coat protein of caveolae, has been associated with the
      regulation of cell mechanics, including cell softening and loss of stiffness
      sensing ability in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Although CAV1 is present in low amounts in
      keloid fibroblasts (KFs), the causal association between CAV1 down-regulation and
      its aberrant responses to mechanical stimuli remain unclear. In this study,
      atomic force microscopy showed that KFs were softer than normal fibroblasts with
      a loss of stiffness sensing. The decrease of CAV1 contributed to the
      hyperactivation of fibrogenesis-associated RUNX2, a transcription factor germane
      to osteogenesis/chondrogenesis, and increased migratory ability in KFs. Treatment
      of KFs with trichostatin A, which increased the acetylation level of histone H3,
      increased CAV1 and decreased RUNX2 and fibronectin. Trichostatin A treatment also
      resulted in cell stiffening and decreased migratory ability in KFs. Collectively,
      these results suggest a role for CAV1 down-regulation in linking the aberrant
      responsiveness to mechanical stimulation and extracellular matrix accumulation
      with the progression of keloids, findings that may lead to new developments in
      the prevention and treatment of keloid scarring.

PMID- 28899680
TI  - The cephalic phase insulin response to nutritive and low-calorie sweeteners in
      solid and beverage form.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to examine the role of the cephalic phase insulin
      response (CPIR) following exposure to nutritive and low-calorie sweeteners in
      solid and beverage form in overweight and obese adults. In addition, the role of
      learning on the CPIR to nutritive and low-calorie sweetener exposure was tested.
      Sixty-four overweight and obese adults (age: 18-50years, BMI: 24-37kg/m2, body
      fat percentage>25% for men and >32% for women) were sham-fed (at 2-minute
      intervals for 14min) a randomly assigned test load comprised of a nutritive
      (sucrose) or low-calorie sweetener (sucralose) in beverage or solid form in phase
      1 of the study. A 2-3ml blood sample was collected before and 2, 6, 10, 14, 61,
      91 and 121min after oral exposure for serum insulin and glucose analysis. During
      phase 2, participants underwent a 2-week training period to facilitate
      associative learning between the sensory properties of test loads and their post
      ingestive effects. In phase 3, participants were retested for their cephalic
      phase responses as in phase 1. Participants were classified as responders if they
      demonstrated a positive insulin response (rise of serum insulin above baseline
      i.e. Delta insulin) 2min post-stimulus in phase 1. Among responders exposed to
      the same sweetener in Phases 1 and 3, the proportion of participants that
      displayed a rise of insulin with oral exposure to sucralose was significantly
      greater when the stimulus was in the solid form compared to the beverage form.
      Sucralose and sucrose exposure elicited similarly significant increases in serum
      insulin 2min after exposure and significant decreases after 2min in responders in
      both food forms. The solid food form elicited greater CPIR over 2, 6 and 10min
      than the beverage form. There was no effect of learning on insulin responses
      after training. The results indicate the presence of a significant CPIR in a
      subset of individuals with overweight or obesity after oral exposure to
      sucralose, especially when present in solid food form. Future studies must
      confirm the reliability of this response.

PMID- 28899683
TI  - A Missense Mutation within the Helix Termination Motif of KRT25 Causes Autosomal
      Dominant Woolly Hair/Hypotrichosis.

PMID- 28899684
TI  - Glycoprotein Nonmelanoma Clone B Regulates the Crosstalk between Macrophages and
      Mesenchymal Stem Cells toward Wound Repair.
AB  - The process of wound repair requires the coordinated participation of multiple
      types of cells, which are sequentially recruited during the healing process. In
      response to tissue injury, both macrophages and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are
      recruited to the site of injury, where they participate in the repair process.
      Despite considerable understanding of the role of each cell type in the process
      of wound repair, the nature of the dynamic interplay between these two cell types
      and how this interaction influences the process of wound repair are not well
      understood. Here, using an in vivo model of cutaneous wound healing in mice, we
      provide evidence that GPNMB is functionally important in promoting the
      recruitment of MSCs to the site of skin injury, which in turn modulates
      inflammatory responses by directing the M2 polarization of macrophages in acute
      wound healing. Furthermore, we show that GPNMB activity is impaired in a diabetic
      wound environment, which is associated with impaired MSC recruitment that is
      reversed by the topical administration of recombinant GPNMB protein to the wounds
      of diabetic mice. Our study provides important insight into the crosstalk between
      macrophages and endogenous MSCs toward wound repair.

PMID- 28899685
TI  - The Tumor-Promoting Role of TRIP4 in Melanoma Progression and its Involvement in
      Response to BRAF-Targeted Therapy.
AB  - TRIP4 was identified as having a proliferation promoting effect in melanoma cells
      based on small interfering RNA library screening, however, its precise function
      in melanoma progression is completely unknown. Here, we explored the carcinogenic
      role of TRIP4 in melanoma. The high expression of TRIP4 was observed in human
      melanoma cells and tissues. Its knockdown suppressed melanoma progression in
      vitro and in vivo, including melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion
      inhibition and apoptosis induction. Further mechanistic analysis showed that
      TRIP4 promoted melanoma growth through modulation of COX-2 and iNOS expression
      partially by activating NF-kappaB signaling indirectly and partially by the
      direct anchoring of itself at COX-2 and iNOS promoter via synergy with p300.
      TRIP4 was confirmed to regulate the sensitivity to anti-BRAF targeted agents in
      BRAF-mutant human melanoma cells and xenografts. In addition, clinical data
      showed that high expression of TRIP4 was positively correlated with increased
      expression of COX-2 and iNOS and predicted poor prognosis in a cohort of 100
      melanoma patients. Collectively, these results show a pro-tumorigenic role of
      TRIP4, provide an insight into the mechanism of TRIP4 as a candidate therapeutic
      target, and suggest the potential of TRIP4 and BRAF dual targeting as an
      effective therapeutic strategy for melanoma.

PMID- 28899686
TI  - The Anti-C1s Antibody TNT003 Prevents Complement Activation in the Skin Induced
      by Bullous Pemphigoid Autoantibodies.

PMID- 28899687
TI  - Proteomic Profiling of Sweat Exosome Suggests its Involvement in Skin Immunity.
AB  - Healthy human skin sustains an effective immune defense mechanism, formed by a
      complex physical and chemical epidermal barrier that coordinates with different
      cellular components of the skin immune system. However, the mechanism by which
      skin cells regulate local immune homeostasis in health and disease contexts is
      not well known. To investigate whether exosomes exist in sweat, sweat samples
      from healthy individuals were collected after aerobic exercise. Sweat exosome was
      isolated via differential ultracentrifugation, observed under transmission
      electron microscopy, measured by dynamic light scattering, and confirmed by
      immunoblot. Further, shotgun liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS
      analysis was conducted to investigate the proteomic profiling of sweat exosome.
      Secreted exosome was detected in human sweat. A total of 1,062 proteins were
      identified in sweat exosome, including 997 different proteins compared with sweat
      proteomics and 896 unique proteins compared with urine, saliva, and plasma
      exosomes. Diverse antimicrobial peptides and immunological factors were found in
      sweat exosome, suggesting the involvement of exosome in skin immunity. This study
      provides direct evidence that secreted exosomes exist in human sweat. The
      proteomic profiling of sweat exosome provides insight into sweat features and the
      potential physiological significance of exosomes in immune homeostasis.

PMID- 28899688
TI  - Keratins Regulate the Adhesive Properties of Desmosomal Cadherins through
      Signaling.
AB  - Tightly controlled intercellular adhesion is crucial for the integrity and
      function of the epidermis. The keratin filament cytoskeleton anchors desmosomes,
      supramolecular complexes required for strong intercellular adhesion. We tested
      whether keratin filaments control cell adhesion by regulating the adhesive
      properties of desmosomal cadherins such as desmoglein (Dsg) 3. Atomic force
      microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments showed
      reduced Dsg3 adhesive forces and membrane stability in murine keratinocytes
      lacking all keratin filaments. Impairment of the actin cytoskeleton also resulted
      in decreased Dsg3 immobilization but did not affect Dsg3 binding properties,
      indicating that the latter are exclusively controlled by keratins. Reduced
      binding forces were dependent on p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity,
      which was deregulated in keratin-deficient cells. In contrast, inhibition of
      protein kinase C signaling, which is known to be controlled by keratins, promoted
      and spatially stabilized Dsg3-mediated interactions in the membrane. These
      results show a previously unreported mechanism for how keratins stabilize
      intercellular adhesion on the level of single desmosomal adhesion molecules.

PMID- 28899689
TI  - Enhanced Expression of Genes Related to Xenobiotic Metabolism in the Skin of
      Patients with Atopic Dermatitis but Not with Ichthyosis Vulgaris.
AB  - Previous transcriptome analyses underscored the importance of immunological and
      skin barrier abnormalities in atopic dermatitis (AD). We sought to identify
      pathogenic pathways involved in AD by comparing the transcriptomes of AD patients
      stratified for filaggrin (FLG)-null mutations to those of both healthy donors and
      patients with ichthyosis vulgaris. We applied RNA sequencing to analyze the whole
      transcriptome of nonlesional skin. We found that 607 genes (476 up-regulated and
      131 down-regulated by >2-fold) and 193 genes (172 up-regulated and 21 down
      regulated by >2-fold) were differentially expressed when all AD or ichthyosis
      vulgaris patients were compared with healthy donors, respectively. Expression of
      genes involved in RNA/protein turnover and adenosine triphosphate synthesis, as
      well as genes involved in cell death, response to oxidative stress, DNA
      damage/repair, and autophagy, were significantly enriched in AD skin and, to a
      lesser extent, in ichthyosis vulgaris skin. FLG-null mutations appear to hardly
      interfere with current observations. Genes related to xenobiotic metabolism were
      up-regulated in AD skin only, as were genes related to arachidonic, linoleic, and
      alpha-linolenic acid metabolism. Thus, this work newly links AD pathogenesis to
      aberrant expression of genes related to xenobiotic metabolism.

PMID- 28899691
TI  - Transcriptome modulation of bovine trophoblast cells in vitro by Neospora
      caninum.
AB  - Neospora caninum is one of the most efficient transplacentally transmitted
      pathogens in cattle and is a cause of abortion in this domestic species. The
      invasion and proliferation of Neospora caninum in the placenta and its
      dissemination to the foetus are crucial events in the outcome of an infection. In
      the bovine placenta, the placentomes are formed by maternal caruncles, which are
      delimited by a maternal epithelium and foetal cotyledons, which are delimited by
      an epithelial layer named the trophoblast. These epithelia form a physical
      barrier against foetal infection. Furthermore, trophoblast cells act as an innate
      immune defence at the foetal-maternal interface. Neospora caninum invades and
      proliferates in trophoblast cells in vitro, but it is unknown whether host cell
      modulation events, which affect the immune response and other processes in the
      trophoblast, occur. In this work, we investigated the transcriptomic modulation
      by Neospora caninum infection in the bovine trophoblast cell line F3. In
      addition, two Neospora caninum isolates with marked differences in virulence, Nc
      Spain1H and the Nc-Spain7, were used in this study to investigate the influence
      of these isolates in F3 modulation. The results showed a clear influence on
      extracellular matrix reorganisation, cholesterol biosynthesis and the
      transcription factor AP-1 network. Interestingly, although differences in the
      transcriptome profiles induced by each isolate were observed, specific isolate
      modulated processes were not identified, suggesting very similar regulation in
      both isolates. Differential expression of the N. caninum genes between both
      isolates was also investigated. Genes involved in host cell attachment and
      invasion (SAG-related and microneme proteins), glideosome, rhoptries, metabolic
      processes, cell cycle and stress response were differentially expressed between
      the isolates, which could explain their variability. This study provides a global
      view of Neospora caninum interactions with bovine trophoblast cells and of the
      intra-specific differences between two Neospora caninum isolates with biological
      differences.

PMID- 28899690
TI  - Advances in bumped kinase inhibitors for human and animal therapy for
      cryptosporidiosis.
AB  - Improvements have been made to the safety and efficacy of bumped kinase
      inhibitors, and they are advancing toward human and animal use for treatment of
      cryptosporidiosis. As the understanding of bumped kinase inhibitor
      pharmacodynamics for cryptosporidiosis therapy has increased, it has become clear
      that better compounds for efficacy do not necessarily require substantial
      systemic exposure. We now have a bumped kinase inhibitor with reduced systemic
      exposure, acceptable safety parameters, and efficacy in both the mouse and
      newborn calf models of cryptosporidiosis. Potential cardiotoxicity is the
      limiting safety parameter to monitor for this bumped kinase inhibitor. This
      compound is a promising pre-clinical lead for cryptosporidiosis therapy in
      animals and humans.

PMID- 28899693
TI  - Clinical efficacy of botulinum toxin in salivary duct stenosis: A preliminary
      study of six cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Salivary duct stenosis is the second most common cause of
      obstructive pathology after lithiases, and it primarily affects the parotid
      gland. Salivary duct stenosis is treated with drug therapy and/or sialendoscopy.
      If unsuccessful, surgical removal of the gland is indicated, but it is associated
      with a high risk of facial morbidity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the
      clinical efficacy of an alternate treatment, botulinum toxin, in salivary duct
      stenosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a preliminary retrospective study from January
      2011 to December 2014, six patients with parotid duct stenosis received 50IU of
      botulinum toxin in three injections in the parotid gland. The frequency of
      relapses and the intensity of pain and swelling were recorded before and after
      treatment. The onset of action and duration of efficacy were also assessed.
      RESULTS: Four of six patients showed a decrease in the frequency of swelling
      episodes and greater pain relief during the first year of treatment, but to a
      lesser extent after 2years. The mean duration of efficacy was 3.5months with an
      interval between two injections of 5.7months. Only one parotidectomy had to be
      performed. No major side effects were observed, with only one case of local
      infection at the injection site. CONCLUSION: Botulinum toxin appears to be a
      viable alternative in treating salivary duct stenosis before resorting to
      surgical gland removal.

PMID- 28899692
TI  - In vitro efficacy of bumped kinase inhibitors against Besnoitia besnoiti
      tachyzoites.
AB  - Besnoitia besnoiti is an apicomplexan parasite responsible for bovine
      besnoitiosis, a chronic and debilitating disease that causes systemic and skin
      manifestations and sterility in bulls. Neither treatments nor vaccines are
      currently available. In the search for therapeutic candidates, calcium-dependent
      protein kinases have arisen as promising drug targets in other apicomplexans
      (e.g. Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium spp. and Eimeria spp.) and
      are effectively targeted by bumped kinase inhibitors. In this study, we
      identified and cloned the gene coding for BbCDPK1. The impact of a library of
      nine bumped kinase inhibitor analogues on the activity of recombinant BbCDPK1 was
      assessed by luciferase assay. Afterwards, those were further screened for
      efficacy against Besnoitiabesnoiti tachyzoites grown in Marc-145 cells. Primary
      tests at 5uM revealed that eight compounds exhibited more than 90% inhibition of
      invasion and proliferation. The compounds BKI 1294, 1517, 1553 and 1571 were
      further characterised, and EC99 (1294: 2.38uM; 1517: 2.20uM; 1553: 3.34uM; 1571:
      2.78uM) were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 3
      day proliferation assays. Exposure of infected cultures with EC99 concentrations
      of these drugs for up to 48h was not parasiticidal. The lack of parasiticidal
      action was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, which showed that
      bumped kinase inhibitor treatment interfered with cell cycle regulation and non
      disjunction of tachyzoites, resulting in the formation of large multi-nucleated
      complexes which co-existed with viable parasites within the parasitophorous
      vacuole. However, it is possible that, in the face of an active immune response,
      parasite clearance may occur. In summary, bumped kinase inhibitors may be
      effective drug candidates to control Besnoitiabesnoiti infection. Further in vivo
      experiments should be planned, as attainment and maintenance of therapeutic blood
      plasma levels in calves, without toxicity, has been demonstrated for BKIs 1294,
      1517 and 1553.

PMID- 28899694
TI  - Anti-atherosclerotic effect of hesperidin in LDLr-/- mice and its possible
      mechanism.
AB  - Hesperidin, a citrus bioflavonoid, exerts numerous pharmacological activities.
      However, its protective effect against atherosclerosis in vivo remains poorly
      understood. In the present study, we aimed to observe the effects of hesperidin
      on high fat diet (HFD)-induced atherosclerosis using LDL receptor deficient (LDLr
      /-) mice. After 12 weeks of treatment, the animals were sacrificed. The blood
      samples were collected for further analysis. Mouse peritoneal macrophages were
      collected. Hepatic lipid content, quantification of atherosclerosis, assessment
      of oxidative stress and inflammation, gene expressions were performed on liver
      and aorta samples. The data showed that hesperidin ameliorated HFD-induced weight
      gain, improved insulin resistance and ameliorated hyperlipidemia. Hesperidin
      suppressed HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, atherosclerotic plaque area and
      macrophage foam cell formation. Further study showed that hesperidin down
      regulated expressions of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase alpha (ACCalpha) and fatty
      acid synthase (FAS) which are two key enzymes in fatty acid and triglyceride
      synthesis in liver; and upregulated expression of hepatic ATP-binding cassette
      transporters G8 (ABCG8), macrophage ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 (ABCA1)
      and G1 (ABCG1) which are transporters involved in the process of reverse
      cholesterol transport. Hesperidin also reduced oxidative stress by normalizing
      activities of antioxidant enzymes and inflammation in HFD-fed LDLr-/- mice. These
      findings suggest that hesperidin reduced atherosclerosis via its pleiotropic
      effects, including improvement of insulin resistance, amelioration of lipid
      profiles, inhibition of macrophage foam cell formation, anti-oxidative effect and
      anti-inflammatory action.

PMID- 28899695
TI  - Preeclampsia and coronary plaque erosion: Manifestations of endothelial
      dysfunction resulting in cardiovascular events in women.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is the major underlying pathology of cardiovascular disease
      (CVD). The risk for CVD is increased in women with a history of preeclampsia.
      Multiple studies have indicated that accelerated atherosclerosis underlies this
      increased CVD risk. Furthermore, it has been suggested that endothelial
      dysfunction and inflammation play an important role in the increased CVD risk of
      women with preeclampsia. Rupture or erosion of atherosclerotic plaques can induce
      the formation of thrombi that underlie the onset of acute clinical CVD such as
      myocardial infarction and stroke. In relatively young women, cardiovascular
      events are mainly due to plaque erosions. Eroded plaques have a distinct
      morphology compared to ruptured plaques, but have been understudied as a
      substrate for CVD. The currently available evidence points towards lesions with
      features of stability such as high collagen content and smooth muscle cells and
      with distinct mechanisms that further promote the pro-thrombotic environment such
      as Toll Like Receptor (TLR) signaling and endothelial apoptosis. These suggested
      mechanisms, that point to endothelial dysfunction and intimal thickening, may
      also play a role in preeclampsia. Pregnancy is considered a stress test for the
      cardiovascular system with preeclampsia as an additional pathological substrate
      for earlier manifestation of vascular disease. This review provides a summary of
      the possible common mechanisms involved in preeclampsia and accelerated
      atherosclerosis in young females and highlights plaque erosion as a likely
      substrate for CVD events in women with a history of preeclampsia.

PMID- 28899696
TI  - Serotonin 2A receptor disulfide bridge integrity is crucial for ligand binding to
      different signalling states but not for its homodimerization.
AB  - The serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) with a
      conserved disulfide bridge formed by Cys148 (transmembrane helix 3, TM3) and
      Cys227 (extracellular loop 2, ECL-2). We hypothesized that disulfide bridges may
      determine serotonin 5-HT2A receptor functions such as receptor activation,
      functional selectivity and ligand recognition. We used the reducing agent
      dithiothreitol (DTT) to determine how the reduction of disulfide bridges affects
      radioligand binding, second messenger mobilization and receptor dimerization. A
      DTT-induced decrease in the number of binding sites (1190 +/- 63.55 fmol/mg
      protein for control cells compared with 921.2 +/- 60.84 fmol/mg protein for DTT
      treated cells) as well as in the efficacy of both signalling pathways
      characterized was observed, although the affinity and potency were unchanged.
      Bioluminiscence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assays revealed the DTT
      treatment did not modify the homodimeric nature of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. In
      molecular dynamic simulations, the ECL-2 of the receptor with a broken cysteine
      bond adopts a wider variety of conformations, some of which protrude deeper into
      the receptor orthosteric binding pocket leading to collapse of the pocket. A
      shrunken binding pocket would be incapable of accommodating lysergic acid
      diethylamide (LSD). Our findings suggest that the decrease of efficacy may be due
      to disruption of disulfide bridge between TM3 and ECL-2. This reveals the
      integrity of the ECL-2 epitope, which should be explored in the development of
      novel ligands acting as allosteric modulators of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors.

PMID- 28899697
TI  - Implementation of a human podocyte injury model of chronic kidney disease for
      profiling of renoprotective compounds.
AB  - Degradation of podocyte structural integrity and function are hallmarks of
      proteinuric chronic kidney disease. In vivo, injury of podocytes manifests itself
      in the form of disruption of foot process morphology and associated cytoskeletal
      architecture, de-differentiation, and loss of adhesion to the glomerular basement
      membrane. Given the critical role played by this highly specialized cell type in
      maintaining glomerular filtration, there is a need for improved physiologically
      relevant cellular models that enable detection of disease-relevant indicators of
      podocyte perturbation. We have addressed this need by evaluating a subclone of
      conditionally immortalized human podocytes through quantitative benchmarking
      against freshly isolated primary human podocytes. Benchmarking was performed by
      measuring key phenotypic parameters, expression of podocyte specific proteins and
      multiparametric responses to stressors that model different aspects of podocyte
      perturbation. We subsequently employed the subcloned cells to profile the
      protective activity of structurally distinct adenosine kinase inhibitors. Our
      results support the translatability of our cellular model and set the stage for
      broader screening of renoprotective compounds with a view to eventually treat
      proteinuric kidney disease.

PMID- 28899698
TI  - Betulinic acid derivative BA5, a dual NF-kB/calcineurin inhibitor, alleviates
      experimental shock and delayed hypersensitivity.
AB  - Betulinic acid (BA) is a naturally occurring triterpenoid with several biological
      properties already described, including immunomodulatory activity. Here we
      investigated the immunomodulatory activity of eight semi-synthetic amide
      derivatives of betulinic acid. Screening of derivatives BA1-BA8 led to the
      identification of compounds with superior immunomodulatory activity than BA on
      activated macrophages and lymphocytes. BA5, the most potent derivative, inhibited
      nitric oxide and TNFalpha production in a concentration-dependent manner, and
      decreased NF-kappaB activation in Raw 264.7 cells. Additionally, BA5 inhibited
      the proliferation of activated lymphocytes and the secretion of IL-2, IL-4 IL-6,
      IL-10, IL-17A and IFNgamma, in a concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometry
      analysis in lymphocyte cultures showed that treatment with BA5 induces cell cycle
      arrest in pre-G1 phase followed by cell death by apoptosis. Moreover, BA5 also
      inhibited the activity of calcineurin, an enzyme that plays a critical role in
      the progression of cell cycle and T lymphocyte activation. BA5 has a synergistic
      inhibitory effect with dexamethasone on lymphoproliferation, showing a promising
      profile for drug combination. Finally, we observed immunosuppressive effects of
      BA5 in vivo in mouse models of lethal endotoxemia and delayed type
      hypersensitivity. Our results reinforce the potential use of betulinic acid and
      its derivatives in the search for potent immunomodulatory drugs.

PMID- 28899699
TI  - Factors associated with lumbar disc hernia recurrence after microdiscectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lumbar disc hernias are a common cause of spinal surgery. Hernia
      recurrence is a prevalent complication. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the risk factors
      associated with hernia recurrence in patients undergoing surgery in our
      institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lumbar microdiscectomies between 2010 and
      2014 were analysed, patients with previous surgeries, extraforaminales and
      foraminal hernias were excluded. Patients with recurrent hernia were the case
      group and those who showed no recurrence were the control group. RESULTS: 177
      patients with lumbar microdiscectomy, of whom 30 experienced recurrence (16%),
      and of these 27 were reoperated. Among the risk factors associated with
      recurrence, we observed a higher rate of disc height, higher percentage of spinal
      canal occupied by the hernia and presence of degenerative facet joint changes; we
      observed no differences in sex, body mass index or age. DISCUSSION: Previous
      studies show increased disc height and young patients as possible factors
      associated with recurrence. CONCLUSION: In our series we found that the higher
      rate of disc height, the percentage of spinal canal occupied by the hernia and
      degenerative facet joint changes were associated with hernia recurrence.

PMID- 28899700
TI  - The Agony of It All: Musculoskeletal Discomfort in the Reading Room.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and severity of
      musculoskeletal discomfort in radiologists using a standardized tool, the Cornell
      Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). In addition, we evaluated the
      influence of demographic factors on the frequency of symptoms, degree of
      discomfort, interference of symptoms with ability to work, and overall pain.
      METHODS: The CMDQ was distributed via an anonymous link to all radiology trainees
      and faculty at our institution. The questionnaire assessed frequency and location
      of pain, severity of symptoms, and degree to which discomfort interfered with
      work. In addition, demographic data were collected. RESULTS: The survey was
      completed by 99 radiologists (39% response rate). The majority (80%) of
      respondents spent greater than 7 hours per workday at a diagnostic workstation.
      The neck (66%), lower back (61%), upper back (43%), right shoulder (36%), and
      right wrist (33%) were the areas where radiologists most frequently reported
      ache, pain, or discomfort at least once per week. More than 7 hours per day at a
      computer workstation was significantly associated with higher total pain.
      CONCLUSIONS: Musculoskeletal discomfort in the week before the survey was
      reported by the majority of radiologists and was significantly influenced by
      demographic factors. Further investigation is needed to understand the causes of
      radiologists' discomfort at work and to evaluate interventions to ameliorate
      these symptoms.

PMID- 28899701
TI  - Evolution in Trainee Participation in Global Health.

PMID- 28899702
TI  - Giving, Taking, and Matching: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Collaborative
      Behaviors to Build a Successful Radiology Team.
AB  - Within a radiology team, members individually lean toward being givers or takers.
      Radiology leadership must recognize this characteristic and leverage the
      strengths of givers and takers to best assist the team and to provide effective
      motivation. Understanding the importance of balancing these qualities within a
      team improves productivity and morale and reduces burnout.

PMID- 28899703
TI  - Image Gently Have-A-Heart Campaign.

PMID- 28899704
TI  - 2017 ACR Annual Meeting Open-Microphone Session: Navigating the Landscape of
      Changing Practice Models: Private Practice, Corporate Radiology, and Enterprise
      Systems.
AB  - Many practice groups are considering adopting new practice models, primarily to
      secure their practices by adapting to new payment models, government compliance
      and regulation, and increasing IT and infrastructure costs. As we move toward
      value-based care and capitation, the value equation (value = quality/cost) will
      lead us to also compete on cost to improve value. No matter what payment models
      ultimately dominate, we need to be prepared to lead in a value-based care
      environment. Measures of value will either be defined by radiologists or imposed
      by outside entities. It is critical to our continued success that practices and
      practice leaders continue to fully and strongly support the ACR to avoid the
      possibility of a decline in membership that may accompany a lack of practice
      engagement. Consolidation appears inevitable, but with the help of the ACR,
      radiologists should have a vibrant future if investments are made now in
      determining appropriate radiology-specific value measures that are meaningful in
      consolidated health care environments.

PMID- 28899705
TI  - Disparities in Care Among Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices
      Undergoing MRI.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Abundant data now demonstrate safe use of MRI for patients with non
      MR conditional cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). However, CMS does
      not currently reimburse these examinations. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether
      differences in reimbursement between commercial insurance carriers and CMS are
      impacting the completion rates of MRI examinations ordered in patients with non
      MR conditional CIEDs. METHODS: This study retrospectively examined patients with
      non-MR conditional CIEDs for whom an MRI was ordered between January 1, 2015, and
      August 31, 2016. Completion rates of MRI in patients with Medicare or Medicaid
      insurance were compared with those in patients with commercial insurance. Before
      November 7, 2015, all patients with non-MR conditional CIEDs underwent MRI
      examinations at no charge to the patient regardless of insurance. After that
      date, outpatients with only Medicare or Medicaid insurance coverage received an
      Advanced Beneficiary Notice that informed them that they would have to pay out of
      pocket for the entire cost of their MRI examinations. RESULTS: Of 143 MRI
      examinations ordered, 127 met inclusion criteria for analysis. In the post
      Advanced Beneficiary Notice period, outpatients with commercial insurance were
      significantly more likely to complete their MRI examinations (19 of 22 patients,
      86%) when compared with patients with Medicare or Medicaid insurance (1 of 36
      patients, 3%; P <.0001). No significant difference was observed in the inpatient
      setting. CONCLUSIONS: Due to CMS coverage policies based on now outdated concepts
      about MRI safety, patients with non-MR conditional CIEDs and Medicare or Medicaid
      insurance are undergoing significantly fewer appropriate diagnostic MRI
      examinations than patients with commercial insurance.

PMID- 28899706
TI  - Big Data and Machine Learning: A Resident's Perspective of the 2016 Intersociety
      Conference.

PMID- 28899707
TI  - Collaborative Branding of Partnered Health Systems in Radiology.
AB  - In an effort to expand clinical reach and achieve economies of scale, academic
      radiology practices are strategically expanding into the community by
      establishing partnerships with existing community health systems. A challenge
      with this model is to effectively brand the collaboration in a way that
      underscores the strengths of both partners. In this article, the authors look at
      the benefits and risks of cobranding and review cobranding strategies for
      implementation by academic radiology practices considering partnership-based
      network expansion.

PMID- 28899708
TI  - The Reading Room Coordinator: Reducing Radiologist Burnout in the Digital Age.

PMID- 28899709
TI  - Phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor at serine 1047 in cultured
      lung alveolar epithelial cells by bradykinin B2 receptor stimulation.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is
      desensitized by phosphorylation of serine 1047 (Ser1047). We and other groups
      have reported that stimulation of a receptor of tumor-necrosis factor alpha
      (TNFalpha) and Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) induced the phosphorylation of Ser1047
      through activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in cultured
      lung alveolar epithelial A549 cells. However, phosphorylation of EGFR at Ser1047
      by stimulation of any G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) has not been reported
      in any cultured cells. In the present study, we first confirmed that A549 cells
      expressed bradykinin (BK) B2 receptor, and then, we examined whether BK treatment
      of A549 cells activated MAPKs and induced the phosphorylation of EGFR at Ser1047.
      Immunoblotting analysis and reporter gene assays indicated that BK activated the
      pathways of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 MAPK. Inhibitor
      studies suggested that Gq/11 was mainly involved in the activation of ERK and p38
      MAPK. We found that stimulation of the BK B2 receptor, but not the BK B1
      receptor, induced phosphorylation of EGFR at Ser1047. Pharmacological experiments
      indicated that both ERK and p38 MAPK were involved in the phosphorylation of
      EGFR. These results strongly suggested that BK regulates EGFR functions in lung
      alveolar epithelial cells. In addition, we found that BK treatment increased the
      mRNA level of dual specificity MAPK phosphatase 5 (DUSP5) in an ERK-dependent
      manner, which suggested that a negative feedback mechanism of ERK existed in the
      cells.

PMID- 28899710
TI  - Health literacy and coronary artery disease: A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Identify health literacy (HL) screening instruments available to CAD
      patients; describe the prevalence of low HL; explore the predictors of low HL;
      and, identify the association between HL, health behaviors, and outcomes among
      these patients. METHODS: A literature search of electronic databases was
      conducted for published articles from database inception to February 2017.
      Eligible articles included the assessment of HL in CAD patients. Health behaviors
      and outcomes included diet, exercise, smoking, medication use, hospital
      readmission, knowledge, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and psychosocial
      indicators. RESULTS: Overall, ten articles were included, of which two were RCTs,
      and seven were considered "good" quality. The most used screening instruments
      were REALM and TOFHLA. The average prevalence of low HL was 30.5%. Low HL
      participants were more likely to be older, male, from a non-white ethnic group,
      have many CVD comorbidities, lower educational level, disadvantaged socioeconomic
      position, and less likely to be employed. Low HL was consistently associated with
      hospital readmissions, low HRQoL, higher anxiety and lower social support.
      CONCLUSION: The literature on HL in CAD patients is very limited. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare providers should start adopting strategies that can
      potentially mitigate the impact of low HL in the care of CAD patients.

PMID- 28899711
TI  - Colorectal cancer screening: Associations between information provision,
      attitudes and intended participation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Properly informing target audiences is crucial in population-based
      screening programs. We aimed to evaluate the impact of information about CRC
      screening on attitudes and intended participation in a screening-naive
      population. METHODS: 614 persons (aged 55-75 years) received a survey.
      Information on CRC and screening was provided piece by piece, and per piece its
      impact on attitudes and intended participation was assessed. All persons received
      the same information content, but the sequence of information differed per
      condition: information on the high mortality rate of colorectal cancer was
      presented in the first or the second piece. Educational levels, the extent people
      considered future consequences, and value concordance between attitudes and
      intentions were assessed. RESULTS: 436 persons (response 71%) completed the
      survey. Overall most respondents reported positive attitudes towards CRC
      screening (78%) and intentions to participate in CRC screening (83%), independent
      of sequence of information provision. Intentions about participation were value
      concordant in the majority (88%). Results were similar in low educated groups.
      CONCLUSION: Providing balanced information about CRC screening (also addressing
      negative effects) did not impede value concordance and high rates of intended
      participation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: High rates of screening intentions are
      possible without omitting threatening health information in communication
      materials.

PMID- 28899712
TI  - An empirical test of the Health Empowerment Model: Does patient empowerment
      moderate the effect of health literacy on health status?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Health Empowerment Model (Schulz & Nakamoto, 2013) advocates that
      the effects of health literacy and empowerment are intertwined on health
      outcomes. This study aims to test this assumption in the context of health status
      as a patient outcome. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a
      sample of 302 participants between June and December 2015. The participants'
      health literacy (using the NVS and S-TOFHLA tests), empowerment and self-reported
      health status were assessed. RESULTS: The participants having a high level of
      patient empowerment and concurrent adequate health literacy (the so-called
      'effective self-managers') reported better health status compared to patients who
      had either lower health literacy and/or lower empowerment scores (P<0.05).
      Moreover, the meaningfulness (b=0.053, t(297)=2.29, P=0.02) and competence
      (b=0.07, t(297)=2.47, P=0.01) sub-dimensions of patient empowerment moderated the
      effect of the NVS on current health status. CONCLUSION: The study provides
      evidence for the independence of health literacy and empowerment and partial
      evidence for their interaction predicting health status. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
      Our findings highlight that health literacy and patient empowerment (in
      particular its competence and meaningfulness sub-facets) are crucial patient
      related variables, to be taken into consideration simultaneously, during
      screening and health promotion campaigns fostering health status in the general
      population.

PMID- 28899713
TI  - Interrater reliability of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool
      (PEMAT).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the interrater reliability (IRR) and usability of the
      Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and the relationship between
      PEMAT scores and readability levels. METHODS: One hundred ten materials (80
      print, 30 audiovisual) were evaluated, each by two raters, using the PEMAT. IRR
      was calculated using Gwet's AC1 and summarized across items in each PEMAT domain
      (understandability and actionability) and by material type. A survey was
      conducted to solicit raters' experience using the PEMAT. Readability of each
      material was assessed using the SMOG Index. RESULTS: The median IRR was 0.92 for
      understandability and 0.93 for actionability across all relevant items,
      indicating good IRR. Eight PEMAT items had Gwet's AC1 values less than 0.81.
      PEMAT and SMOG Index scores were inversely correlated, with a Spearman's rho of 
      0.20 (p=0.081) for understandability and -0.15 (p=0.194) for actionability. While
      92% of raters agreed the PEMAT was easy to use, survey results suggested specific
      items for clarification. CONCLUSION: While the PEMAT demonstrates moderate to
      excellent IRR overall, amendments to items with lower IRR may increase the
      usefulness of the tool. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The PEMAT is a useful supplement
      to reading level alone in the assessment of educational materials.

PMID- 28899714
TI  - Qualitative evaluation of a narrative reflection program to help medical trainees
      recognize and avoid overuse: "Am I doing what's right for the patient?"
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Do No Harm Project is a novel reflective writing program that
      encourages medical trainees to reflect on and write up clinical narratives about
      instances of avoidable medical overuse. Our goal is to describe this program and
      to explore the effect of the program on those participating. METHODS: Semi
      structured interviews were conducted to explore how participating in the project
      influenced the thinking, attitudes, and behaviors of participating internal
      medicine residents. Interviews were conducted with 20 out of the 24 participants
      from the first 15 months of the program. RESULTS: The following themes emerged
      from our analysis: 1) learning through reflection (with three sub-themes: empathy
      for the patient perspective, a critical approach to one's own clinical practice,
      and awareness of the problem of overuse); 2) empowerment to discuss instances of
      overuse and act before it occurs; and 3) perceptions of enhanced evidence-based
      practice and shared decision-making. CONCLUSION: Trainees volunteering to
      complete a reflective writing exercise perceived improved ability to avoid
      overuse and improved self-efficacy to change clinical behaviors that do not align
      with optimal patient care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Reflective writing may help
      trainees recognize and avoid medical overuse.

PMID- 28899715
TI  - The relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and liver enzymes in
      overweight or obese adults: Cross-sectional and interventional outcomes.
AB  - Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. However, there is limited and
      inconsistent data on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on liver function.
      Hepatic enzymes have been used as surrogate markers for NAFLD and have been
      associated with metabolic syndrome. We examined the relationships between 25
      hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in 120 drug-naive individuals
      with no history of liver disease. In addition, the effect of vitamin D
      supplementation (100,000 loading dose of cholecalciferol followed by 4000IU daily
      for 16 weeks) on hepatic enzymes was investigated in a subgroup of 54 vitamin D
      deficient overweight or obese individuals (28 randomised to cholecalciferol and
      26 to placebo). Hepatic enzymes, anthropometric parameters, lipid profile,
      insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp, M value) and high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured before and after the
      intervention. In the cross-sectional study, levels of GGT and ALT were higher in
      men compared to women (both p=0.001). There were no significant differences in
      GGT, ALT and ALP between vitamin D categories (25(OH)D<25nmol/L, 25-50nmol/L, and
      >50nmol/L) and no relationships were found between the three enzymes and 25(OH)D
      before and after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, WHR, and insulin sensitivity (all
      p>0.5). In the randomised trial, 25(OH)D concentrations increased in the vitamin
      D group (mean change 57.0+/-21.3nmol/L) compared to the placebo group (mean
      change 1.9+/-15.1nmol/L). Mean changes in GGT, ALT and ALP were not significantly
      different between vitamin D and placebo groups (all p>0.2). Change in 25(OH)D
      concentration was not correlated with changes in GGT, ALT and ALP before and
      after adjustments for age and sex (all p>0.1). In summary, 25(OH)D concentrations
      were not related to hepatic enzymes in drug-naive adults with no history of liver
      disease, and vitamin D supplementation had no effect on the serum levels of
      hepatic enzymes in vitamin D-deficient and overweight or obese, otherwise healthy
      individuals. Hence, vitamin D supplementation is unlikely to prevent incident
      NAFLD.

PMID- 28899716
TI  - From birth to death: A role for reactive oxygen species in neuronal development.
AB  - Historically, ROS have been considered toxic molecules, especially when their
      intracellular concentration reaches high values. However, physiological levels of
      ROS support crucial cellular processes, acting as second messengers able to
      regulate intrinsic signaling pathways. Specifically, both the central and
      peripheral nervous systems are especially susceptible to changes in the redox
      state, developing either a defense or adaptive response depending on the
      concentration, source and duration of the pro-oxidative stimuli. In this review,
      we summarize classical and modern concepts regarding ROS physiology, with an
      emphasis on the role of the NADPH oxidase (NOX) complex, the main enzymatic and
      regulated source of ROS in the nervous system. We discuss how ROS and redox state
      contribute to neurogenesis, polarization and maturation of neurons, providing a
      context for the spatio-temporal conditions in which ROS modulate neural fate,
      discriminating between "oxidative distress", and "oxidative eustress". Finally,
      we present a brief discussion about the "physiological range of ROS
      concentration", and suggest that these values depend on several parameters,
      including cell type, developmental stage, and the source and type of pro
      oxidative molecule.

PMID- 28899717
TI  - Early patterns of activity in the developing cortex: Focus on the sensorimotor
      system.
AB  - Early development of somatotopic cortical maps occurs during the fetal period in
      humans and during the postnatal period in rodents. During this period, the
      sensorimotor cortex expresses transient patterns of correlated neuronal activity
      including delta waves, gamma- and spindle-burst oscillations. These early
      activity patterns are largely driven by the thalamus and triggered, in a
      topographic manner, by sensory feedback resulting from spontaneous movements.
      Early cortical activities are instrumental for competitive interactions between
      sensory inputs for the cortical territories, they prevent cortical neurons from
      apoptosis and their alteration may lead to disturbances in cortical network
      development in a number of neurodevelopmental diseases.

PMID- 28899718
TI  - Molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells-from bench to bedside.
AB  - Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells discovered in cancer patients'
      peripheral blood that successfully escape from the primary tumor site and/or
      metastases, struggle to survive in the bloodstream, and have potential for
      seeding metastases. Numerous methods have been proposed to capture CTCs. The
      value of CTCs as a means of understanding cancer metastasis and a major form of
      'liquid biopsy' has been widely demonstrated. Recently, single-cell molecular
      analyses of CTCs have provided profound biological insights into tumor
      heterogeneity, mechanism of metastasis and tumor evolution. In addition, because
      CTC analysis is non-invasive, CTCs exhibit great potential as biomarkers for
      assessment of cancer prognosis and therapy response. In this review, we summarize
      modern technologies for CTC detection and isolation, single-cell
      genomic/transcriptomic characterization of CTCs, and prospective clinical
      applications of CTCs. We expect that, after further technical improvements in
      methods of detection and sequencing, CTC analyses will shed new light on the
      mechanisms driving cancer metastasis and benefit many cancer patients.

PMID- 28899719
TI  - Hepatic Masses in a Patient With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PMID- 28899720
TI  - A 59-Year-Old Man With New Jaundice.

PMID- 28899721
TI  - Endoscopic Resection of Esophageal Mucosal Bridge.

PMID- 28899722
TI  - Effect of Nonurothelial Histologic Variants on the Outcomes of Radical Cystectomy
      for Nonmetastatic Muscle-invasive Urinary Bladder Cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Knowledge of the comparative oncologic outcomes of histologic
      variants after radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)
      relies on small case series. We compared the effect of pure squamous cell
      carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and neuroendocrine carcinoma compared with pure
      urothelial carcinoma (PUC) on overall survival (OS) and pathologic tumor, lymph
      node, and surgical margin status after RC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using the
      National Cancer Database, we retrospectively examined patients undergoing RC for
      MIBC from 2003 to 2011. Our cohort was stratified according to histologic type
      and included only pure variants: squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine,
      and PUC. Inverse probability weighting-adjusted and facility-clustered Cox and
      logistic regression analyses were used to assess the effect of histologic
      variants versus PUC on OS and pathologic outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 475 (4.4%),
      224 (2.1%), 155 (1.4%), and 10,033 (92.2%) patients underwent RC for MIBC with
      pure squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, and PUC,
      respectively. In inverse probability weighting-adjusted analyses, squamous cell
      (hazard ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.49; P = .006) and
      neuroendocrine (hazard ratio, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.21-1.95; P < .001) types were
      associated with worse OS relative to PUC. Squamous cell carcinoma (odds ratio
      [OR], 1.58; 95% CI, 1.23-2.04; P < .001), adenocarcinoma (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.04
      2.14; P = .030), and neuroendocrine carcinoma (OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.58-3.55; P <
      .001) at diagnosis were associated with greater odds of >= pT3 disease. The
      squamous cell and neuroendocrine variants were associated with decreased (OR,
      0.66; 95% CI, 0.48-0.91; P = .012) and increased (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.06-2.37; P
      = .026) odds of pN+ disease, respectively. Adenocarcinoma was associated with
      greater odds of positive margins (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.39-3.30; P = .001).
      CONCLUSION: Pure squamous cell and neuroendocrine carcinoma histologic types were
      associated with worse OS relative to PUC. However, no difference was found
      between adenocarcinoma and PUC. All histologic variants were associated with
      higher tumor stage at surgery compared with PUC.

PMID- 28899723
TI  - Characterization of Differences Between Prostate Cancer Patients Presenting With
      De Novo Versus Primary Progressive Metastatic Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Men who present with metastatic disease can have de novo or primary
      progressive disease. We characterized and compared the outcomes between these 2
      groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis from a
      single institution of de novo versus primary progressive metastatic patients
      during a 2-year consecutive period was undertaken. Patient characteristics such
      as demographics, Gleason score, duration of hormone sensitivity, and treatment
      were obtained. The t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher exact test were used
      to test differences in patient and disease characteristics between the de novo
      and primary progressive metastatic groups. Differences in the Kaplan-Meier
      survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: A total of 90
      patients (n = 38 with de novo and 52 with primary progressive disease) were
      included. Statistically significant median differences were found for the
      prostate-specific antigen level at the development of metastases: de novo 63.1
      ng/ml vs primary progressive 12.5 ng/ml, p= <.001; albumin and hemoglobin, P =
      .03 and P = .045, respectively). The median duration of hormone sensitivity was
      372 days (range, 54-3753 days) in the de novo group versus 1613 days (range, 7
      4314 days) in the primary progressive group (P = .00006). Overall survival was
      worse in the de novo arm, with a median survival of 6.2 years compared with a
      median survival in the primary progressive group of 11.6 years (P = .027).
      CONCLUSION: Although the reported samples were small, our data revealed a
      potential difference in disease aggressiveness in those presenting with de novo
      metastatic cancer with higher risk disease and shorter time to castration
      resistance and worse survival. These data could have implications for earlier and
      more aggressive treatment for men presenting with de novo metastatic prostate
      cancer.

PMID- 28899724
TI  - Neo-semiotics: Introducing zeroness into Peircean semiotics may bridge the
      knowable and the unknowable.

PMID- 28899726
TI  - Benefit-risk of corticosteroids in acute gout patients: An updated meta-analysis
      and economic evaluation.
AB  - The efficacy, safety and health-economic outcomes were compared between
      corticosteroid and non-corticosteroid treatments in acute gout patients. All
      electronic literatures comparing the curative effects or full economic
      evaluations of corticosteroids versus non-corticosteroids on acute pain in acute
      gout patients and published until June 30, 2017 in any language were searched
      through PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials. Pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and
      standard(or weighted) mean difference were calculated using random-or fixed
      effects models according to the I2 statistic test of heterogeneity. Economic
      elevations were combined through qualitative narrative synthesis. Finally, seven
      randomized controlled trials(RCTs) involving 929 patients were included here and
      suggested corticosteroids had comparable analgesic efficacy to non
      corticosteroids on day 5. As for inflammation and PGA, corticosteroids might
      outperform non-corticosteroids in reducing tenderness and swelling.
      Corticosteroids versus non-corticosteroids could significantly reduce incidence
      of only serious adverse advents, but not total adverse advents, with substantial
      heterogeneity. Qualitative narrative synthesis of economic elevation involving
      only one study shows corticosteroids are more cost-effective than indomethacin.
      The existing RCTs do not provide sufficient or precise evidence that
      corticosteroids are superior to non-corticosteroids in pain relief of acute gout
      patients. Therefore, studies on chronic use of corticosteroids or comparative
      studies with colchicine, tramadol and/or opiates may be needed in the future, as
      is patient satisfaction with analgesic control.

PMID- 28899727
TI  - The clinical profile of patients with cardiac arrest induced by hemorrhagic
      stroke.

PMID- 28899725
TI  - Nitric oxide donor [Ru(terpy)(bdq)NO]3+ induces uncoupling and phosphorylation of
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase promoting oxidant production.
AB  - [Ru(terpy)(bdq)NO]3+ (TERPY) is a nitric oxide (NO) donor that promotes
      relaxation of the mesenteric artery and aorta in rats. We sought to investigate
      whether it acts as both an NO donor and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activator,
      as shown previously for nitroglycerin. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells
      (HUVECs) and human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with empty vector (HEK)
      or eNOS cDNA (HEK-eNOS) were treated with TERPY (1uM) for different lengths of
      time. eNOS expression, dimerization, and Ser1177 phosphorylation, caveolin-1 (Cav
      1) oligomerization, Cav-1 Tyr14 phosphorylation were evaluated by Western
      blotting. Studies also assessed the production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen
      species (ROS/RNS) in HUVECs and HEK-eNOS cells. In HEK cells devoid of eNOS,
      TERPY released NO without additional stimulus indicating that is an NO donor.
      Moreover, in HEK-eNOS cells, TERPY-induced NO production that was blocked by L
      NAME. In addition, TERPY increased ROS and ONOO- production which were blocked by
      more than 80% by BH4 (essential eNOS co-factor) and eNOS siRNA. These results
      suggest that TERPY-induced ROS and ONOO- production were originated from eNOS.
      HUVECs stimulated with TERPY showed increased eNOS Ser1177 and Cav-1 Tyr14
      phosphorylation, and decreased eNOS dimerization, Cav-1 oligomerization, and Cav
      1/eNOS interaction after 20min. It suggests that TERPY induces eNOS
      hyperactivation and uncoupling by disrupting Cav-1/eNOS interaction and depleting
      BH4. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to NO donor TERPY is
      associated with eNOS activation and uncoupling, and thereby appears to be
      mediated, at least in part, via eNOS-dependent ROS/RNS production.

PMID- 28899728
TI  - Maslinic acid ameliorates NMDA receptor blockade-induced schizophrenia-like
      behaviors in mice.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a chronic psychotic disorder characterized by positive,
      negative, and cognitive symptoms. Primary treatments for schizophrenia relieve
      the positive symptoms but are less effective against the negative and cognitive
      symptoms. In the present study, we investigated whether maslinic acid, isolated
      from Syzygium aromaticum (clove), can ameliorate schizophrenia-like behaviors in
      mice induced by MK-801, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. After
      maslinic acid treatment in the MK-801 model, we examined the behavioral
      alteration and signaling pathways in the prefrontal cortex. Mice were treated
      with maslinic acid (30 mg/kg), and their behaviors were evaluated through an
      array of behavioral tests. The effects of maslinic acid were also examined in the
      signaling pathways in the prefrontal cortex. A single administration of maslinic
      acid blocked the MK-801-induced hyperlocomotion and reversed the MK-801-induced
      sensorimotor gating deficit in the acoustic startle response test. In the social
      novelty preference test, maslinic acid ameliorated the social behavior deficits
      induced by MK-801. The MK-801-induced attention and recognition memory
      impairments were also alleviated by a single administration of maslinic acid.
      Furthermore, maslinic acid normalized the phosphorylation levels of Akt-GSK-3beta
      and ERK-CREB in the prefrontal cortex. Overall, maslinic acid ameliorated the
      schizophrenia-like symptoms induced by MK-801, and these effects may be partly
      mediated through Akt-GSK-3beta and ERK-CREB activation. These findings suggest
      that maslinic acid could be a candidate for the treatment of several symptoms of
      schizophrenia, including positive symptoms, sensorimotor gating disruption,
      social interaction deficits, and cognitive impairments.

PMID- 28899729
TI  - Serotonin gating of cortical and thalamic glutamate inputs onto principal neurons
      of the basolateral amygdala.
AB  - The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key site for crossmodal association of
      sensory stimuli and an important relay in the neural circuitry of emotion.
      Indeed, the BLA receives substantial glutamatergic inputs from multiple brain
      regions including the prefrontal cortex and thalamic nuclei. Modulation of
      glutamatergic transmission in the BLA regulates stress- and anxiety-related
      behaviors. Serotonin (5-HT) also plays an important role in regulating stress
      related behavior through activation of both pre- and postsynaptic 5-HT receptors.
      Multiple 5-HT receptors are expressed in the BLA, where 5-HT has been reported to
      modulate glutamatergic transmission. However, the 5-HT receptor subtype mediating
      this effect is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to use patch-clamp
      recordings from BLA neurons in an ex vivo slice preparation to examine 1) the
      effect of 5-HT on extrinsic sensory inputs, and 2) to determine if any pathway
      specificity exists in 5-HT regulation of glutamatergic transmission. Two
      independent input pathways into the BLA were stimulated: the external capsule to
      mimic cortical input, and the internal capsule to mimic thalamic input. Bath
      application of 5-HT reversibly reduced the amplitude of evoked excitatory
      postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) induced by stimulation of both pathways. The
      decrease was associated with an increase in the paired-pulse ratio and
      coefficient of variation of eEPSC amplitude, suggesting 5-HT acts
      presynaptically. Moreover, the effect of 5-HT in both pathways was mimicked by
      the selective 5-HT1B receptor agonist CP93129, but not by the 5-HT1A receptor
      agonist 8-OH DPAT. Similarly the effect of exogenous 5-HT was blocked by the 5
      HT1B receptor antagonist GR55562, but not affected by the 5-HT1A receptor
      antagonist WAY 100635 or the 5-HT2 receptor antagonists pirenperone and MDL
      100907. Together these data suggest 5-HT gates cortical and thalamic
      glutamatergic inputs into the BLA by activating presynaptic 5-HT1B receptors.

PMID- 28899730
TI  - A green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate enhances neuroregeneration
      after spinal cord injury by altering levels of inflammatory cytokines.
AB  - Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition which is characterized by an
      extended secondary injury due to the presence of inflammatory local milieu.
      Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) appears to possess strong neuroprotective
      properties. Here, we evaluated the beneficial effect of EGCG on recovery from
      SCI. Male Wistar rats were given either EGCG or saline directly to the injured
      spinal cord and thereafter a daily IP injection. Behavior recovery was monitored
      by BBB, plantar, rotarod and flat-beam tests. The levels of inflammatory
      cytokines were determined on days 1, 3, 7, 10 and 14 after SCI. Additionally, NF
      kappaB pathway activity was evaluated. The results demonstrated that EGCG-treated
      rats displayed a superior behavioral performance in a flat beam test, higher
      axonal sprouting and positive remodelation of glial scar. Cytokine analysis
      revealed a reduction in IL-6, IL2, MIP1alpha and RANTES levels on days 1 and 3,
      and an upregulation of IL-4, IL-12p70 and TNFalpha 1 day following SCI in EGCG
      treated rats. Treatment with EGCG was effective in decreasing the nuclear
      translocation of subunit p65 (RelA) of the NF-kappaB dimer, and therefore
      canonical NF-kappaB pathway attenuation. A significant increase in the gene
      expression of growth factors (FGF2 and VEGF), was noted in the spinal cord of
      EGCG-treated rats. Further, EGCG influenced expression of M1 and M2 macrophage
      markers. Our results have demonstrated a therapeutic value of EGCG in SCI, as
      observed by better behavioral performance measured by flat beam test, modulation
      of inflammatory cytokines and induction of higher axonal sprouting.

PMID- 28899731
TI  - Combined physical-cognitive training enhances postural performances during daily
      life tasks in older adults.
AB  - Physical-cognitive interventions seem promising to improve balance and gait
      performances and prevent falls in the elderly. Although these beneficial effects,
      it is still not clear whether these physical-cognitive training modalities leads
      to more general non-specific adaptations that can be transferred to some measures
      reflecting every day abilities. This randomized controlled trial examined
      postural (center of pressure oscillations), physical (lower body strength, gait
      speed, functional mobility, dynamic balance) and cognitive performances (reaction
      time) and postural performance during daily life tasks (walking while conversing
      on a phone and maintaining an upright standing posture while buttoning a shirt)
      in older adults (66.29+/-3.61years) pre- and post- 6-months physical and physical
      cognitive interventions. Results showed that both training modalities improve
      balance (p<0.001), physical functions (p<0.01) and attention (p<0.001) in older
      adults. Only simultaneous physical-cognitive training enhances performance in
      daily life tasks. Three months after the intervention, these improvements were
      generally maintained for physical functions and attention and were not maintained
      for the postural performances in daily life task. In conclusion, physical
      training improves postural balance, mobility, attention and physical functions in
      older adults. Only simultaneous physical-cognitive training modality enhances
      performance in some tasks relative to every day abilities. Nonetheless, these
      gains were lost after 3 months of detraining period suggesting a need for older
      people to participate regularly in such training for their daily life
      independence.

PMID- 28899732
TI  - Administration of tranexamic acid to reduce maternal mortality related to
      postpartum haemorrhage: comments on the WOMAN trial.

PMID- 28899733
TI  - Paralysis analysis - does choice of muscle relaxant for obstetric general
      anaesthesia influence neonatal outcomes?

PMID- 28899734
TI  - Anaesthetic management of pregnant patients with cardiac implantable electronic
      devices: case reports and review.
AB  - Heart disease is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Pregnant
      women with structural, conduction or degenerative cardiac disease who require
      rhythm control or who are at high risk of sudden cardiac death may carry a
      cardiac implantable electronic device or may occasionally require the insertion
      of one during their pregnancy. These women are now encountered more frequently in
      clinical practice, and it is essential that a multidisciplinary approach,
      beginning from the early antenatal phase, be adopted in their counselling and
      management. Contemporary cardiac rhythm control devices are a constantly evolving
      technology with increasingly sophisticated features; anaesthetists should
      therefore have an adequate understanding of the principles of their operation and
      the special considerations for their use, in order to enable their safe
      management in the peripartum period. Of particular importance is the potential
      adverse effect of electromagnetic interference, which may cause device
      malfunction or damage, and the precautions required to reduce this risk. The
      ultimate goal in the management of this patient subgroup is to minimise the
      disruption to cardiovascular physiology that may occur near the time of labour
      and delivery and to control the factors that impact on device integrity and
      function. We present the ante- and peripartum management of two pregnant women
      with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, followed by a review and update
      of the anaesthetic management of parturients with cardiac implantable electronic
      devices.

PMID- 28899735
TI  - A randomised comparison of bolus phenylephrine and ephedrine for the management
      of spinal hypotension in patients with severe preeclampsia and fetal compromise.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies in healthy patients undergoing elective caesarean delivery
      show that, compared with phenylephrine, ephedrine used to treat spinal
      hypotension is associated with increased fetal acidosis. This has not been
      investigated prospectively in women with severe preeclampsia. METHODS: Patients
      with preeclampsia requiring caesarean delivery for a non-reassuring fetal heart
      tracing were randomised to receive either bolus ephedrine (7.5-15mg) or
      phenylephrine (50-100ug), to treat spinal hypotension. The primary outcome was
      umbilical arterial base excess. Secondary outcomes were umbilical arterial and
      venous pH and lactate concentration, venous base excess, and Apgar scores.
      RESULTS: Among 133 women, 64 who required vasopressor treatment were randomised
      into groups of 32 with similar patient characteristics. Pre-delivery blood
      pressure changes were similar. There was no difference in mean [standard
      deviation] umbilical artery base excess (-4.9 [3.7] vs -6.0 [4.6] mmol/L for
      ephedrine and phenylephrine respectively; P=0.29). Mean umbilical arterial and
      venous pH and lactate concentrations did not significantly differ between groups
      (7.25 [0.08] vs 7.22 [0.10], 7.28 [0.07] vs 7.27 [0.10], and 3.41 [2.18] vs 3.28
      [2.44] mmol/L respectively). Umbilical venous oxygen tension was higher in the
      ephedrine group (2.8 [0.7] vs 2.4 [0.62]) kPa, P=0.02). There was no difference
      in 1- or 5-min Apgar scores, numbers of neonates with 1-min Apgar scores <7 or
      with a pH <7.2. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe preeclampsia and fetal
      compromise, fetal acid-base status is independent of the use of bolus ephedrine
      versus phenylephrine to treat spinal hypotension.

PMID- 28899736
TI  - Characterization of genome-wide copy number aberrations in colonic mixed
      adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma reveals recurrent
      amplification of PTGER4 and MYC genes.
AB  - Colonic mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) is an aggressive neoplasm
      with worse prognosis compared with adenocarcinoma. To gain a better understanding
      of the molecular features of colonic MANEC, we characterized the genome-wide copy
      number aberrations of 14 MANECs and 5 neuroendocrine carcinomas using the
      OncoScan FFPE (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) assay. Compared with 269 colonic
      adenocarcinomas, 19 of 42 chromosomal arms of MANEC exhibited a similar frequency
      of major aberrant events as adenocarcinomas, and 13 chromosomal arms exhibited a
      higher frequency of copy number gains. Among them, the most significant
      chromosomal arms were 5p (77% versus 13%, P = .000012) and 8q (85% versus 33%, P
      = .0018). The Genomic Identification of Significant Targets in Cancers algorithm
      identified 7 peaks that drive the tumorgenesis of MANEC. For all except 5p13.1,
      the peaks largely overlapped with those of adenocarcinoma. Two tumors exhibited
      MYC amplification localized in 8q24.21, and 2 tumors exhibited PTGER4
      amplification localized in 5p13.1. A total of 8 tumors exhibited high copy number
      gain of PTGER4 and/or MYC. Whereas the frequency of MYC amplification was similar
      to adenocarcinoma (10.5% versus 4%, P = .2), the frequency of PTGER4
      amplification was higher than adenocarcinoma (10.5% versus 0.3%, P = .01). Our
      study demonstrates similar, but also distinct, copy number aberrations in MANEC
      compared with adenocarcinoma and suggests an important role for the MYC pathway
      of colonic carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. The discovery of
      recurrent PTGER4 amplification implies a potential of exploring targeting therapy
      to the prostaglandin synthesis pathways in a subset of these tumors.

PMID- 28899737
TI  - Expression of YES-associated protein (YAP) and its clinical significance in
      breast cancer tissues.
AB  - The transcriptional co-activator YES-associated protein (YAP) has been reported
      to act as both an oncogene and tumor suppressor in breast cancers. In this study,
      we evaluated YAP expression immunohistochemically in 324 breast cancer tissues
      and correlated the expression with clinicopathological findings and patient
      survival data. Additionally, we reviewed the literature to clarify the role of
      YAP in breast cancer. We detected YAP, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor
      (PR), and human epidermal growth receptor-2 (HER2) expression and a Ki67 labeling
      index >20% in 53.4%, 49.0%, 45.0%, 28.3%, and 57.4% of invasive ductal carcinoma
      tissues, respectively. YAP is mainly localized within the tumor cell nuclei, and
      its expression was associated with the PR status and luminal A subtype. YAP
      expression also inversely correlated with the HER2 and Ki67 levels and lymph node
      metastasis. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed associations of YAP expression with
      favorable disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival in patients with
      luminal A breast cancer and with favorable DFS association among patients with
      invasive ductal carcinoma, luminal B (HER2-), and luminal B (HER2+) breast
      cancers. A multivariate Cox analysis revealed that YAP expression and PR status
      were independent favorable predictors of DFS and overall survival, respectively,
      among patients with breast cancer, whereas tumor-node-metastasis stage and an old
      age were independent predictors of a poor DFS. Our results, together with the
      literature review findings, suggest that YAP could be a prognostic marker in
      patients with breast cancer.

PMID- 28899738
TI  - Angiomyomatous hamartoma of lymph nodes, revisited: clinicopathologic study of 21
      cases, emphasizing its distinction from lymphangioleiomyomatosis of lymph nodes.
AB  - Angiomyomatous hamartoma of lymph nodes (AMH-LN) is an uncommon benign
      proliferation of smooth muscle, blood vessels, collagenous stroma, and
      adipocytes, most commonly affecting inguinal LN. A similar constellation of cell
      types constitutes various members of the perivascular epithelioid cell tumor
      (PEComa) family, including lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), which can involve LN
      in women. Because some LN-LAM patients have tuberous sclerosis complex and/or
      other PEComa family lesions, it is clinically relevant to distinguish LN-LAM from
      AMH-LN. Given their similar features, however, the possibility that AMH-LN is a
      morphologic variant of LN-LAM merits inquiry. The dual melanocytic and myoid
      immunophenotype distinguishes the PEComa family from its mimics. Cathepsin K has
      recently emerged as a more sensitive marker for the PEComa family than HMB-45,
      which can be weak and focal, but cathepsin K has not been studied in AMH-LN. This
      study evaluated 21 AMH-LNs for clinical, morphologic, and immunophenotypic
      features of LN-LAM. None (0/21) had tuberous sclerosis complex or PEComas.
      Thirteen (62%) were male, unlike LN-LAM, which is restricted to women. All cases
      exhibited intraparenchymal proliferation of variable-sized, thick-walled blood
      vessels within collagenous stroma containing a sparse to focally cellular
      population of haphazardly distributed smooth muscle cells. Admixed adipocytes
      were commonly present. None exhibited classical features of LN-LAM such as
      subcapsular localization, extranodal extension, intralymphatic growth, compact
      nests, branching lymphatic channels, plump cell shape, or foamy/clear cytoplasm.
      None exhibited any staining for cathepsin K, HMB-45, or microphthalmia
      transcription factor. There is no clinical, morphologic, or immunohistochemical
      evidence to suggest that AMH-LN is a variant of LN-LAM.

PMID- 28899739
TI  - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition of tumor budding in colorectal cancer: the
      mystery of CD44-positive stromal cells.

PMID- 28899740
TI  - Histone 3.3 mutations in giant cell tumor and giant cell-rich sarcomas of bone.
AB  - Mutually exclusive histone 3.3 gene mutations have been recognized in
      chondroblastoma and giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB), which may be useful for
      differential diagnostic purposes in morphologically ambiguous cases. Although
      more than 90% of GCTBs present histone 3.3 variants exclusively in the H3F3A
      gene, chondroblastoma is mutated mainly in H3F3B. In this study, we examined a
      series of giant cell-rich primary bone tumors, aiming to evaluate the possible
      diagnostic role of histone 3.3 mutations in the differential diagnosis between
      GCTB and giant cell-rich sarcomas. Sixteen cases of nonmetastatic GCTB, 9 GCTBs
      with lung metastases, and 35 giant cell-rich sarcomas were selected from our
      institutional archives. Eight chondroblastomas were used as controls. Direct
      sequencing for the presence of H3F3A and H3F3B variants in coding region between
      codons 1 and 42, including the hotspot codons (28, 35, and 37), was performed on
      DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue using conventional
      polymerase chain reaction and fast coamplification at lower denaturation
      temperature-polymerase chain reaction. Overall, 24 GCTBs (96%) presented a
      mutation in the H3F3A gene (15 of 16 nonmetastatic and 9 of 9 metastatic). Five
      sarcomas harbored an H3F3A mutation (3 p.G35W, 1 p.G35L, and 1 p.G35E), and these
      were all secondary malignant GCTBs. In conclusion, we confirm that H3F3A
      mutational testing may be a useful adjunct to differentiate GCTB from giant cell
      rich sarcomas. Although the presence of H3F3A mutations does not exclude with
      certainty a diagnosis of sarcoma, the possibility of a malignant evolution of
      GCTB should also be considered.

PMID- 28899741
TI  - Small bowel stenosis: a manifestation of chronic graft-versus-host disease in
      children?
AB  - Digestive graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a frequent complication after bone
      marrow transplantation, but small bowel obstruction is an extremely rare event.
      We present herein the first pediatric series of 4 cases of small bowel
      obstruction after bone marrow transplantation with detailed gross, histological
      data and their genetic status of the NOD2 gene. All patients had a history of
      severe acute GVHD treated by immunosuppressive agents and/or infliximab (in 3
      cases). Acute or progressively worsening abdominal pain accompanied by small
      bowel occlusion occurred 5-16 months after graft, and computed tomographic scan
      revealed multiple small intestinal stenoses. Failure of intensive medical
      treatment led to surgical resection of affected loops. Stigmata of acute
      (apoptosis of crypts and satellitosis) and chronic GVHD features (submucosal
      fibrosis and serosae sclerolipomatosis), as well as extensive ulcerations, were
      observed in all ileal specimens. NOD2 mutation was found in only 1 patient. The
      follow-up showed successful outcome after surgery.

PMID- 28899742
TI  - ICN_Atlas: Automated description and quantification of functional MRI activation
      patterns in the framework of intrinsic connectivity networks.
AB  - Generally, the interpretation of functional MRI (fMRI) activation maps continues
      to rely on assessing their relationship to anatomical structures, mostly in a
      qualitative and often subjective way. Recently, the existence of persistent and
      stable brain networks of functional nature has been revealed; in particular these
      so-called intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) appear to link patterns of
      resting state and task-related state connectivity. These networks provide an
      opportunity of functionally-derived description and interpretation of fMRI maps,
      that may be especially important in cases where the maps are predominantly task
      unrelated, such as studies of spontaneous brain activity e.g. in the case of
      seizure-related fMRI maps in epilepsy patients or sleep states. Here we present a
      new toolbox (ICN_Atlas) aimed at facilitating the interpretation of fMRI data in
      the context of ICN. More specifically, the new methodology was designed to
      describe fMRI maps in function-oriented, objective and quantitative way using a
      set of 15 metrics conceived to quantify the degree of 'engagement' of ICNs for
      any given fMRI-derived statistical map of interest. We demonstrate that the
      proposed framework provides a highly reliable quantification of fMRI activation
      maps using a publicly available longitudinal (test-retest) resting-state fMRI
      dataset. The utility of the ICN_Atlas is also illustrated on a parametric task
      modulation fMRI dataset, and on a dataset of a patient who had repeated seizures
      during resting-state fMRI, confirmed on simultaneously recorded EEG. The proposed
      ICN_Atlas toolbox is freely available for download at http://icnatlas.com and at
      http://www.nitrc.org for researchers to use in their fMRI investigations.

PMID- 28899743
TI  - cTBS disruption of the supplementary motor area perturbs cortical sequence
      representation but not behavioural performance.
AB  - Neuroimaging studies have repeatedly emphasized the role of the supplementary
      motor area (SMA) in motor sequence learning, but interferential approaches have
      led to inconsistent findings. Here, we aimed to test the role of the SMA in motor
      skill learning by combining interferential and neuroimaging techniques. Sixteen
      subjects were trained on simple finger movement sequences for 4 days. Afterwards,
      they underwent two neuroimaging sessions, in which they executed both trained and
      novel sequences. Prior to entering the scanner, the subjects received inhibitory
      transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the SMA or a control site. Using
      multivariate fMRI analysis, we confirmed that motor training enhances the neural
      representation of motor sequences in the SMA, in accordance with previous
      findings. However, although SMA inhibition altered sequence representation (i.e.
      between-sequence decoding accuracy) in this area, behavioural performance
      remained unimpaired. Our findings question the causal link between the
      neuroimaging correlate of elementary motor sequence representation in the SMA and
      sequence generation, calling for a more thorough investigation of the role of
      this region in performance of learned motor sequences.

PMID- 28899745
TI  - Primatologist: A modular segmentation pipeline for macaque brain morphometry.
AB  - Because they bridge the genetic gap between rodents and humans, non-human
      primates (NHPs) play a major role in therapy development and evaluation for
      neurological disorders. However, translational research success from NHPs to
      patients requires an accurate phenotyping of the models. In patients, magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) combined with automated segmentation methods has offered
      the unique opportunity to assess in vivo brain morphological changes. Meanwhile,
      specific challenges caused by brain size and high field contrasts make existing
      algorithms hard to use routinely in NHPs. To tackle this issue, we propose a
      complete pipeline, Primatologist, for multi-region segmentation. Tissue
      segmentation is based on a modular statistical model that includes random field
      regularization, bias correction and denoising and is optimized by expectation
      maximization. To deal with the broad variety of structures with different
      relaxing times at 7 T, images are segmented into 17 anatomical classes, including
      subcortical regions. Pre-processing steps insure a good initialization of the
      parameters and thus the robustness of the pipeline. It is validated on 10 T2
      weighted MRIs of healthy macaque brains. Classification scores are compared with
      those of a non-linear atlas registration, and the impact of each module on
      classification scores is thoroughly evaluated.

PMID- 28899746
TI  - Performance of five research-domain automated WM lesion segmentation methods in a
      multi-center MS study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In vivoidentification of white matter lesions plays a key
      role in evaluation of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Automated lesion
      segmentation methods have been developed to substitute manual outlining, but
      evidence of their performance in multi-center investigations is lacking. In this
      work, five research-domain automated segmentation methods were evaluated using a
      multi-center MS dataset. METHODS: 70 MS patients (median EDSS of 2.0 [range 0.0
      6.5]) were included from a six-center dataset of the MAGNIMS Study Group
      (www.magnims.eu) which included 2D FLAIR and 3D T1 images with manual lesion
      segmentation as a reference. Automated lesion segmentations were produced using
      five algorithms: Cascade; Lesion Segmentation Toolbox (LST) with both the Lesion
      growth algorithm (LGA) and the Lesion prediction algorithm (LPA); Lesion-Topology
      preserving Anatomical Segmentation (Lesion-TOADS); and k-Nearest Neighbor with
      Tissue Type Priors (kNN-TTP). Main software parameters were optimized using a
      training set (N = 18), and formal testing was performed on the remaining patients
      (N = 52). To evaluate volumetric agreement with the reference segmentations,
      intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) as well as mean difference in lesion
      volumes between the automated and reference segmentations were calculated. The
      Similarity Index (SI), False Positive (FP) volumes and False Negative (FN)
      volumes were used to examine spatial agreement. All analyses were repeated using
      a leave-one-center-out design to exclude the center of interest from the training
      phase to evaluate the performance of the method on 'unseen' center. RESULTS:
      Compared to the reference mean lesion volume (4.85 +/- 7.29 mL), the methods
      displayed a mean difference of 1.60 +/- 4.83 (Cascade), 2.31 +/- 7.66 (LGA), 0.44
      +/- 4.68 (LPA), 1.76 +/- 4.17 (Lesion-TOADS) and -1.39 +/- 4.10 mL (kNN-TTP). The
      ICCs were 0.755, 0.713, 0.851, 0.806 and 0.723, respectively. Spatial agreement
      with reference segmentations was higher for LPA (SI = 0.37 +/- 0.23), Lesion
      TOADS (SI = 0.35 +/- 0.18) and kNN-TTP (SI = 0.44 +/- 0.14) than for Cascade (SI
      = 0.26 +/- 0.17) or LGA (SI = 0.31 +/- 0.23). All methods showed highly similar
      results when used on data from a center not used in software parameter
      optimization. CONCLUSION: The performance of the methods in this multi-center MS
      dataset was moderate, but appeared to be robust even with new datasets from
      centers not included in training the automated methods.

PMID- 28899747
TI  - A neural signature of food semantics is associated with body-mass index.
AB  - Visual recognition of objects may rely on different features depending on the
      category to which they belong. Recognizing natural objects, such as fruits and
      plants, weighs more on their perceptual attributes, whereas recognizing man-made
      objects, such as tools or vehicles, weighs more upon the functions and actions
      they enable. Edible objects are perceptually rich but also prepared for specific
      functions, therefore it is unclear how perceptual and functional attributes
      affect their recognition. Two event-related potentials experiments investigated:
      (i) whether food categorization in the brain is differentially modulated by
      sensory and functional attributes, depending on whether the food is natural or
      transformed; (ii) whether these processes are modulated by participants' body
      mass index. In experiment 1, healthy normal-weight participants were presented
      with a sentence (prime) and a photograph of a food. Primes described either a
      sensory feature ('It tastes sweet') or a functional feature ('It is suitable for
      a wedding party') of the food, while photographs depicted either a natural (e.g.,
      cherry) or a transformed food (e.g., pizza). Prime-feature pairs were either
      congruent or incongruent. This design aimed at modulating N400-like components
      elicited by semantic processing. In experiment 1, N400-like amplitude was
      significantly larger for transformed food than for natural food with sensory
      primes, and vice versa with functional primes. In experiment 2, underweight and
      obese women performed the same semantic task. We found that, while the N400-like
      component in obese participants was modulated by sensory-functional primes only
      for transformed food, the same modulation was found in underweight participants
      only for natural food. These findings suggest that the level of food
      transformation interacts with participants' body mass index in modulating food
      perception and the underlying brain processing.

PMID- 28899748
TI  - Biomonitoring of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and degradation products in the marine
      environment with transplanted blue mussels (M. edulis).
AB  - Since World War I considerable amounts of warfare material have been dumped at
      sea worldwide, but little is known about the fate of the explosive components in
      the marine environment. Sea dumped munitions are able to contaminate the
      surroundings because of the release of explosive chemicals due to corrosion and
      breaching or by detonation after blast-operations. This implies the risk of
      accumulation of toxic compounds in human and wildlife food chains. With the help
      of divers, we performed an active biomonitoring study with transplanted blue
      mussels (M. edulis) in a burdened area (Kolberger Heide, Germany) with explosive
      compounds near blast craters over an exposure time of 93days. With this
      biomonitoring system, we could show that blue mussels accumulate 2,4,6
      trinitrotoluene (TNT) and its metabolites 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT) and
      4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT) in their tissues. In all mussels deployed at
      the ground, we found a body burden with 2-ADNT of 103.75+/-12.77ng/g wet weight
      and with 4-ADNT of 131.31+/-9.53ng/g wet weight. TNT itself has been found in six
      mussels with an average concentration of 31.04+/-3.26ng/g mussel wet weight. In
      the mussels positioned at one meter above the ground no TNT nor 2-ADNT could be
      detected, but 4-ADNT was found in all samples with an average concentration of
      8.71+/-2.88ng/g mussel wet weight. To the best of our knowledge, this is the
      first study using blue mussels M. edulis as an active biomonitoring system for
      TNT and its metabolites 2-ADNT and 4-ADNT in a free field experiment in a
      burdened area. Moreover, with this system, we unequivocally proved that these
      toxic explosives accumulate in the marine biota resp. in the marine food chain,
      thereby posing a possible risk to the marine ecosphere and human health.

PMID- 28899744
TI  - Neural and metabolic basis of dynamic resting state fMRI.
AB  - Resting state fMRI (rsfMRI) as a technique showed much initial promise for use in
      psychiatric and neurological diseases where diagnosis and treatment were
      difficult. To realize this promise, many groups have moved towards examining
      "dynamic rsfMRI," which relies on the assumption that rsfMRI measurements on
      short time scales remain relevant to the underlying neural and metabolic
      activity. Many dynamic rsfMRI studies have demonstrated differences between
      clinical or behavioral groups beyond what static rsfMRI measured, suggesting a
      neurometabolic basis. Correlative studies combining dynamic rsfMRI and other
      physiological measurements have supported this. However, they also indicate
      multiple mechanisms and, if using correlation alone, it is difficult to separate
      cause and effect. Hypothesis-driven studies are needed, a few of which have begun
      to illuminate the underlying neurometabolic mechanisms that shape observed
      differences in dynamic rsfMRI. While the number of potential noise sources,
      potential actual neurometabolic sources, and methodological considerations can
      seem overwhelming, dynamic rsfMRI provides a rich opportunity in systems
      neuroscience. Even an incrementally better understanding of the neurometabolic
      basis of dynamic rsfMRI would expand rsfMRI's research and clinical utility, and
      the studies described herein take the first steps on that path forward.

PMID- 28899749
TI  - CYP4A/CYP2C modulation of the interaction of calcium channel blockers with
      cyclosporine on EDHF-mediated renal vasodilations in rats.
AB  - The endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) serves as a back-up
      mechanism that compensates for reduced nitric oxide (NO)/prostanoids
      bioavailability. Here we investigated whether (i) under conditions of vascular
      endothelium dysfunction, the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine (CSA)
      upregulates EDHF-dependent renal vasodilations through altering CYP4A/CYP2C
      signaling, and (ii) calcium channel blockers modulate the CSA/EDHF/CYP
      interaction. Rats were treated with CSA, verapamil, nifedipine, or their
      combinations for 7days. Blood pressure (BP) was measured by tail-cuff
      plethysmography. Kidneys were then isolated, perfused with physiological solution
      containing L-NAME (NOS inhibitor) and diclofenac (cyclooxygenase inhibitor, DIC),
      and preconstricted with phenylephrine. CSA (25mgkg-1day-1 for 7days) increased BP
      and augmented carbachol renal vasodilations. The co-treatment with verapamil
      (2mgkg-1day-1) or nifedipine (3mgkg-1day-1) abolished CSA hypertension and
      conversely affected carbachol vasodilations (increases vs. decreases). Infusion
      of MSPPOH (epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, EETs, inhibitor) reduced carbachol
      vasodilations in kidneys of all rat groups, suggesting the importance of EETs in
      these responses. By contrast, 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acid (20-HETE)
      inhibition by HET0016 increased carbachol vasodilations in control rats, an
      effect that disappeared by CSA treatment, and reappeared in rats treated with
      CSA/verapamil or CSA/nifedipine. Renal protein expression of CYP2C and CYP4A as
      well as their vasoactive products (EETs/20-HETE) were increased in CSA-treated
      rats. Whereas the CYP2C/EETs effects of CSA were abolished by verapamil and
      intensified by nifedipine, the CYP4A/20-HETE effects were reduced by either CCB.
      Overall, nifedipine and verapamil blunts CSA hypertension but variably affected
      concomitantly enhanced EDHF-dependent renal vasodilations and alterations in
      CYP2C/CYP4A signaling.

PMID- 28899750
TI  - Downregulation of UBE2E2 in rat liver cells after hepatocarcinogen treatment
      facilitates cell proliferation and slowing down of DNA damage response in GST-P
      expressing preneoplastic lesions.
AB  - We previously found downregulation of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2E 2 (UBE2E2)
      in GST-P-positive (+) proliferative lesions produced by tumor promotion from
      early hepatocarcinogenesis stages in rats. Here we investigated the role of
      UBE2E2 downregulation in preneoplastic lesions of the liver and other target
      organs produced by tumor promotion in rats. Increased number of UBE2E2-related
      ubiquitination target proteins, phosphorylated c-MYC, KDM4A and KMT5A, was found
      in the UBE2E2-downregulated GST-P+ foci, compared with GST-P+ foci expressing
      UBE2E2. However, p21WAF1/CIP1, another UBE2E2 target protein, did not increase in
      the positive cells. Furthermore, the numbers of PCNA+ cells and gammaH2AX+ cells
      were increased in UBE2E2-downregulated foci. These results suggest sustained
      activation of c-MYC and stabilization of KMT5A to result in c-MYC-mediated
      transcript upregulation and following KMT5A-mediated protein stabilization of
      PCNA in GST-P+ foci, as well as KDM4A stabilization resulting in slowing down of
      DNA damage response in these lesions. Similar results were also observed in GST
      P+ foci produced by repeated treatment of rats with a hepatocarcinogen,
      thioacetamide, for 90days. Hepatocarcinogen treatment for 28 or 90days also
      increased the numbers of liver cells expressing UBE2E2-related ubiquitination
      target proteins, as well as PCNA+ or gammaH2AX+ cells. Conversely, UBE2E2
      downregulation was lacking in PPARalpha agonist-induced hepatocarcinogenesis, as
      well as in carcinogenic processes targeting other organs, suggestive of the loss
      of UBE2E2-related ubiquitination limited to hepatocarcinogenesis producing GST-P+
      proliferative lesions. Our results suggest that repeated hepatocarcinogen
      treatment of rats causes stabilization of UBE2E2-related ubiquitination target
      proteins in liver cells to promote carcinogenesis.

PMID- 28899751
TI  - Homeostatic and circadian mechanisms of bioluminescence regulation differ between
      a forest and a facultative cave species of glowworm, Arachnocampa.
AB  - Glowworms, members of the keroplatid fly genus, Arachnocampa, glow to attract
      prey. Here we describe substantial differences in the bioluminescence regulatory
      systems of two species; one is a troglophile with populations both in caves and
      outside of caves in wet forest (Arachnocampa tasmaniensis) and the other has no
      known cave populations (Arachnocampa flava). We find that A. tasmaniensis is
      ready to initiate bioluminescence at any time darkness is encountered. In
      contrast, A. flava shows a homeostatic control of bioluminescence; it is unlikely
      to initiate bioluminescence when exposed to dark pulses during the photophase and
      it does so with a long latency. Another difference between the two species is
      that A. tasmaniensis individuals synchronize their bioluminescence in the dark
      zone of caves under the control of the circadian system and A. flava individuals
      do not synchronize to each other, rather their circadian control system entrains
      to the light:dark cycle to promote nocturnal bioluminescence. Consequently, we
      produced a phase-response curve in response to photic entrainment under constant
      darkness for both species. The shape of the phase-response curves differs between
      the two species as does the overall sensitivity to the identical entrainment
      conditions. The phase-response curve of A. tasmaniensis facilitates
      synchronization whereas that of A. flava facilitates nocturnal glowing. The two
      species comparison highlights possible pathways of divergence of circadian
      control of physiological functions that could be associated with the extreme
      ecological differences experienced in cave and surface habitats.

PMID- 28899752
TI  - Are adult life history traits in oriental fruit moth affected by a mild pupal
      heat stress?
AB  - Thermal stress at one life stage can affect fitness at a later stage in
      ectotherms with complex life cycles. Most relevant studies have focused on
      extreme stress levels, but here we also show substantial fitness effects in a
      moth when pupae are exposed to a relatively mild and sublethal heat stress. We
      consider the impact of a 35 degrees C heat stress of 2h in three geographically
      separate populations of the oriental fruit moth (OFM, Grapholita molesta) from
      northern, middle and southern China. Heat stress negatively affected fecundity
      but increased adult heat resistance and adult longevity. Fitness effects were
      mostly consistent across populations but there were also some population
      differences. In the Shenyang population from northern China, there was a hormetic
      effect of heat on female longevity not evident in the other populations. Adults
      from all populations had higher LT50s due to heat stress after pupal exposure to
      the sublethal stress. These results highlight that the pupal stage is a
      particularly sensitive window for development and they have implications for
      seasonal adaptation in uncertain environments as well as changes in pest dynamics
      under climate warming.

PMID- 28899753
TI  - Precise gene editing of chicken Na+/H+ exchange type 1 (chNHE1) confers
      resistance to avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J).
AB  - Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), first isolated in the late 1980s, has
      caused economic losses to the poultry industry in many countries. As all chicken
      lines studied to date are susceptible to ALV infection, there is enormous
      interest in developing resistant chicken lines. The ALV-J receptor, chicken
      Na+/H+ exchange 1 (chNHE1) and the critical amino acid sequences involved in
      viral attachment and entry have already been characterized. However, there are no
      reported attempts to induce resistance to the virus by targeted genome
      modification of the receptor sequences. In an attempt to induce resistance to ALV
      J infection, we used clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats
      (CRISPR)-associated (CRISPR/Cas9)-based genome editing approaches to modify
      critical residues of the chNHE1 receptor in chicken cells. The susceptibility of
      the modified cell lines to ALV-J infection was examined using enhanced green
      fluorescent protein (EGFP)-expressing marker viruses. We showed that modifying
      the chNHE1 receptor by artificially generating a premature stop codon induced
      absolute resistance to viral infection, with mutations of the tryptophan residue
      at position 38 (Trp38) being very critical. Single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide
      (ssODN)-mediated targeted recombination of the Trp38 region revealed that
      deletions involving the Trp38 residue were most effective in conferring
      resistance to ALV-J. Moreover, protein structure analysis of the chNHE1 receptor
      sequence suggested that its intrinsically disordered region undergoes local
      conformational changes through genetic alteration. Collectively, these results
      demonstrate that targeted mutations on chNHE1 alter the susceptibility to ALV-J
      and the technique is expected to contribute to develop disease-resistant chicken
      lines.

PMID- 28899754
TI  - On the Whereabouts of HIV-1 Cellular Entry and Its Fusion Ports.
AB  - HIV-1 disseminates to diverse tissues through different cell types and
      establishes long-lived reservoirs. The exact cellular compartment where fusion
      occurs differs depending on the cell type and mode of viral transmission. This
      implies that HIV-1 may modulate a number of common host cell factors in different
      cell types. In this review, we evaluate recent advances on the host cell factors
      that play an important role in HIV-1 entry and fusion. New insights from
      restriction factors inhibiting virus-cell fusion in vitro may contribute to the
      development of future therapeutic interventions. Collectively, novel findings
      underline the need for potent, host-directed therapies that disrupt the earliest
      stages of the virus life cycle and preclude the emergence of resistant viral
      variants.

PMID- 28899755
TI  - NAD+ in Aging: Molecular Mechanisms and Translational Implications.
AB  - The coenzyme NAD+ is critical in cellular bioenergetics and adaptive stress
      responses. Its depletion has emerged as a fundamental feature of aging that may
      predispose to a wide range of chronic diseases. Maintenance of NAD+ levels is
      important for cells with high energy demands and for proficient neuronal
      function. NAD+ depletion is detected in major neurodegenerative diseases, such as
      Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, cardiovascular disease and muscle atrophy.
      Emerging evidence suggests that NAD+ decrements occur in various tissues during
      aging, and that physiological and pharmacological interventions bolstering
      cellular NAD+ levels might retard aspects of aging and forestall some age-related
      diseases. Here, we discuss aspects of NAD+ biosynthesis, together with putative
      mechanisms of NAD+ action against aging, including recent preclinical and
      clinical trials.

PMID- 28899756
TI  - Stability-based sorting: The forgotten process behind (not only) biological
      evolution.
AB  - Natural selection is considered to be the main process that drives biological
      evolution. It requires selected entities to originate dependent upon one another
      by the means of reproduction or copying, and for the progeny to inherit the
      qualities of their ancestors. However, natural selection is a manifestation of a
      more general persistence principle, whose temporal consequences we propose to
      name "stability-based sorting" (SBS). Sorting based on static stability, i.e.,
      SBS in its strict sense and usual conception, favours characters that increase
      the persistence of their holders and act on all material and immaterial entities.
      Sorted entities could originate independently from each other, are not required
      to propagate and need not exhibit heredity. Natural selection is a specific form
      of SBS-sorting based on dynamic stability. It requires some form of heredity and
      is based on competition for the largest difference between the speed of
      generating its own copies and their expiration. SBS in its strict sense and
      selection thus have markedly different evolutionary consequences that are
      stressed in this paper. In contrast to selection, which is opportunistic, SBS is
      able to accumulate even momentarily detrimental characters that are advantageous
      for the long-term persistence of sorted entities. However, it lacks the
      amplification effect based on the preferential propagation of holders of
      advantageous characters. Thus, it works slower than selection and normally is
      unable to create complex adaptations. From a long-term perspective, SBS is a
      decisive force in evolution-especially macroevolution. SBS offers a new
      explanation for numerous evolutionary phenomena, including broad distribution and
      persistence of sexuality, altruistic behaviour, horizontal gene transfer,
      patterns of evolutionary stasis, planetary homeostasis, increasing ecosystem
      resistance to disturbances, and the universal decline of disparity in the
      evolution of metazoan lineages. SBS acts on all levels in all biotic and abiotic
      systems. It could be the only truly universal evolutionary process, and an
      explanatory framework based on SBS could provide new insight into the evolution
      of complex abiotic and biotic systems.

PMID- 28899757
TI  - Segmentation of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus in the human brain: A white
      matter dissection and diffusion tensor tractography study.
AB  - The inferior longitudinal fascicle (ILF) is one of the major occipital-temporal
      association pathways. Several studies have mapped its hierarchical segmentation
      to specific functions. There is, however, no consensus regarding a detailed
      description of ILF fibre organisation. The aim of this study was to establish
      whether the ILF has a constant number of subcomponents. A secondary aim was to
      determine the quantitative diffusion proprieties of each subcomponent and assess
      their anatomical trajectories and connectivity patterns. A white matter
      dissection of 14 post-mortem normal human hemispheres was conducted to define the
      course of the ILF and its subcomponents. These anatomical results were then
      investigated in 24 right-handed, healthy volunteers using in vivo diffusion
      tensor imaging (DTI) and streamline tractography. Fractional anisotropy (FA),
      volume, fibre length and the symmetry coefficient of each fibre group were
      analysed. In order to show the connectivity pattern of the ILF, we also conducted
      an analysis of the cortical terminations of each segment. We confirmed that the
      main structure of the ILF is composed of three constant components reflecting the
      occipital terminations: the fusiform, the lingual and the dorsolateral-occipital.
      ILF volume was significantly lateralised to the right. The examined indices of
      ILF subcomponents did not show any significant difference in lateralisation. The
      connectivity pattern and the quantitative distribution of ILF subcomponents
      suggest a pivotal role for this bundle in integrating information from highly
      specialised modular visual areas with activity in anterior temporal territory,
      which has been previously shown to be important for memory and emotions.

PMID- 28899758
TI  - Chronic global analysis of vascular permeability and cerebral blood flow after
      bone marrow stromal cell treatment of traumatic brain injury in the rat: A long
      term MRI study.
AB  - Vascular permeability and hemodynamic alteration in response to the
      transplantation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hMSCs) after traumatic brain
      injury (TBI) were longitudinally investigated in non directly injured and normal
      appearing cerebral tissue using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Male Wistar
      rats (300-350g, n=30) subjected to controlled cortical impact TBI were
      intravenously injected with 1ml of saline (at 6-h or 1-week post-injury,
      n=5/group) or with hMSCs in suspension (~3*106 hMSCs, at 6-h or 1-week post
      injury, n=10/group). MRI measurements of T2-weighted imaging, cerebral blood flow
      (CBF) and blood-to-brain transfer constant (Ki) of gadolinium-diethylenetriamine
      pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA), and neurological behavioral estimates were performed
      on all animals at multiple time points up to 3-months post-injury. Our long-term
      imaging data show that blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and hemodynamic
      disruption after TBI, as revealed by Ki and CBF, respectively, affect both
      hemispheres of the brain in a diffuse manner. Our data reveal a sensitive
      vascular permeability and hemodynamic reaction in response to the time-dependent
      transplantation of hMSCs. A more rapid reduction of Ki following cell treatment
      is associated with a higher level of CBF in the injured brain, and acute (6h)
      cell administration leads to enhanced therapeutic effects on both the recovery of
      vascular integrity and stabilization of cerebral perfusion compared to delayed
      (1w) cell engraftment. Our results indicate that cell-enhanced BBB reconstitution
      plays an important role in underlying the restoration of CBF in the injured
      brain, which in turn, contributes to the improvement of functional outcome.

PMID- 28899759
TI  - Hippocampal metabolism and prefrontal brain structure: A combined 1H-MR
      spectroscopy, neuropsychological, and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study.
AB  - Hippocampal structural and functional integrity impacts on multiple remote areas
      of the brain, and this connectivity is central to multiple cognitive functions in
      healthy and disease. We studied associations of hippocampal metabolic markers N
      acetyl aspartate (NAA) and glutamate (Glu and Glx; assessed with 1H magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy) and brain grey matter (studied with voxel-based
      morphometry, VBM) in 20 healthy subjects. We found a significant correlation
      between right hippocampal NAA and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortical grey
      matter (TFCE, p<0.05, FWE-corrected), as well as verbal fluency markers, and
      right hippocampal Glx (glutamate/glutamine) and left cerebellar volume. Our
      studies demonstrate a structure-function correlation that might underlie the
      interaction of the hippocampus with prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, which might
      be central to several neurological and psychiatric disorders, including
      schizophrenia or depression.

PMID- 28899760
TI  - Chronic atypical antipsychotics, but not haloperidol, increase neurogenesis in
      the hippocampus of adult mouse.
AB  - It is suggested that altered neuroplasticity contributes to the pathophysiology
      of schizophrenia and antipsychotics may exhibit some of their therapeutic
      efficacies by improving neurogenesis and/or proliferation of neural progenitors.
      The aim of this study is to investigate whether chronic antipsychotics treatment
      affect neurogenesis in adult mouse hippocampus. Animals were administered
      olanzapine, quetiapine, clozapine, risperidone, aripiprazole, or haloperidol via
      the osmotic minipump for 21days and then injected with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine
      (BrdU) to label mitotic cells. BrdU-positive cells in the hippocampus were
      quantified by stereology. Aripiprazole, quetiapine, clozapine, and olanzapine
      significantly increased density of BrdU-positive cells in the hippocampus.
      Interestingly, other antipsychotic drugs had tendency to increasing BrdU-positive
      cells, whereas haloperidol had propensity to decrease with a marginal
      significance. These results suggest that differences of neurogenesis among these
      drugs may, at least in part, account for their pharmacological profiles.

PMID- 28899761
TI  - Major contraindication to the endotoxemia activity assay in septic shock
      patients.

PMID- 28899762
TI  - The role of non-endothelial cells on the penetration of nanoparticles through the
      blood brain barrier.
AB  - The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a well-established cell-based membrane that
      circumvents the central nervous system (CNS), protecting it from harmful
      substances. Due to its robustness and cell integrity, it is also an outstanding
      opponent when it comes to the delivery of several therapeutic agents to the
      brain, which requires the crossing through its highly-organized structure. This
      regulation and cell-cell communications occur mostly between astrocytes,
      pericytes and endothelial cells. Therefore, alternative ways to deliver drugs to
      the CNS, overcoming the BBB are required, to improve the efficacy of brain target
      drugs. Nanoparticles emerge here as a promising drug delivery strategy, due to
      their ability of high drug loading and the capability to exploit specific
      delivery pathways that most drugs are unable to when administered freely,
      increasing their bioavailability in the CNS. Thus, further attempts to assess the
      possible influence of non-endothelial may have on the BBB translocation of
      nanoparticles are here revised. Furthermore, the use of macrophages and/or
      monocytes as nanoparticle delivery cells are also approached. Lastly, the
      temporarily disruption of the overall organization and normal structure of the
      BBB to promote the penetration of nanoparticles aimed at the CNS is described, as
      a synergistic path.

PMID- 28899763
TI  - Provoking an end-to-end continuous direct compression line with raw materials
      prone to segregation.
AB  - Continuous manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms is promising for increasing
      the efficiency and quality of pharmaceutical production and products. In this
      study a whole train continuous direct compression (CDC) line has been provoked
      using challenging formulations typically prone to segregation in batch powder
      processing. Industrial compositions including components with variable size, bulk
      density and cohesive nature were selected. An experimental design, including
      variables such as API/mannitol particle size, API amount, powder feed rate and
      mixer speed, enabled the output quality of the provoked process to be assessed.
      Contrary to previous studies, a broader range of finished tablet quality
      attributes were probed, including content, uniformity of content, tensile
      strength as well as release performance. Overall, the continuous direct
      compression line was found to be a capable and efficient manufacturing process
      for the challenging compositions studied and surprisingly tolerable to handle the
      materials susceptible to segregation in typical batch settings. As expected, and
      given the 'fixed' apparatus configuration used in this study, the particulate
      material properties were found to have the most significant impact on the
      finished tablet quality attributes. The results emphasize the importance for
      taking a holistic approach when developing the operational windows and the
      strategy for control, e.g. by integrating the appropriate material properties,
      the actual apparatus design, and the relevant formulation design. The CDC line's
      ability to handle cohesive materials also seem to be one of the key advantages,
      thus confirming the recent promising results from other continuous direct
      compression studies.

PMID- 28899764
TI  - Iron oxide core oil-in-water nanoemulsion as tracer for atherosclerosis MPI and
      MRI imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: For early atherosclerosis imaging, magnetic oil-in-water nanoemulsion
      (NE) decorated with atheroma specific monoclonal antibody was designed for
      Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MPI is an
      emerging technique based on direct mapping of superparamagnetic nanoparticles
      which may advantageously complement MRI. METHODS: NE oily droplets were loaded
      with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles of 7, 11 and 18nm and
      biofunctionalized with atheroma specific scFv-Fc TEG4-2C antibody. RESULTS:
      Inclusion of nanoparticles inside NE did not change the hydrodynamic diameter of
      the oil droplets, close to 180nm, nor the polydispersity. The droplets were
      negatively charged (zeta=-30mV). In vitro MPI signal was assessed by Magnetic
      Particle Spectroscopy (MPS). NE displayed MRI and MPS signals confirming its
      potential as new contrast agent. NE MPS signal increase with NPs size close to
      the gold standard (Resovist). In MRI, NE displayed R2* transversal relaxivity of
      45.45, 96.04 and 218.81mM-1s-1 for 7, 11 and 18nm respectively. NE selectively
      bind atheroma plaque both in vitro and ex vivo in animal models of
      atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION: Magnetic NE showed reasonable MRI/MPS signals and a
      significant labelling of the atheroma plaque. These preliminary results support
      that NE platform could selectively image atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28899765
TI  - Mechanical particle coating using polymethacrylate nanoparticle agglomerates for
      the preparation of controlled release fine particles: The relationship between
      coating performance and the characteristics of various polymethacrylates.
AB  - We aimed to understand the factors controlling mechanical particle coating using
      polymethacrylate. The relationship between coating performance and the
      characteristics of polymethacrylate powders was investigated. First, theophylline
      crystals were treated using a mechanical powder processor to obtain theophylline
      spheres (<100MUm). Second, five polymethacrylate latexes were powdered by spray
      freeze drying to produce colloidal agglomerates. Finally, mechanical particle
      coating was performed by mixing theophylline spheres and polymethacrylate
      agglomerates using the processor. The agglomerates were broken under mechanical
      stress to coat the spheres effectively. The coating performance of
      polymethacrylate agglomerates tended to increase as their pulverization
      progressed. Differences in the grindability of the agglomerates were attributed
      to differences in particle structure, resulting from consolidation between
      colloidal particles. High-grindability agglomerates exhibited higher
      pulverization as their glass transition temperature (Tg) increased and the
      further pulverization promoted coating. We therefore conclude that the
      minimization of polymethacrylate powder by pulverization is an important factor
      in mechanical particle coating using polymethacrylate with low deformability.
      Meanwhile, when product temperature during coating approaches Tg of polymer,
      polymethacrylate was soften to show high coating performance by plastic
      deformation. The effective coating by this mechanism may be accomplished by
      adjusting the temperature in the processor to the Tg.

PMID- 28899766
TI  - Health relevance of the modification of low grade inflammation in ageing
      (inflammageing) and the role of nutrition.
AB  - Ageing of the global population has become a public health concern with an
      important socio-economic dimension. Ageing is characterized by an increase in the
      concentration of inflammatory markers in the bloodstream, a phenomenon that has
      been termed "inflammageing". The inflammatory response is beneficial as an acute,
      transient reaction to harmful conditions, facilitating the defense, repair,
      turnover and adaptation of many tissues. However, chronic and low grade
      inflammation is likely to be detrimental for many tissues and for normal
      functions. We provide an overview of low grade inflammation (LGI) and determine
      the potential drivers and the effects of the "inflamed" phenotype observed in the
      elderly. We discuss the role of gut microbiota and immune system crosstalk and
      the gut-brain axis. Then, we focus on major health complications associated with
      LGI in the elderly, including mental health and wellbeing, metabolic
      abnormalities and infections. Finally, we discuss the possibility of manipulating
      LGI in the elderly by nutritional interventions. We provide an overview of the
      evidence that exists in the elderly for omega-3 fatty acid, probiotic, prebiotic,
      antioxidant and polyphenol interventions as a means to influence LGI. We conclude
      that slowing, controlling or reversing LGI is likely to be an important way to
      prevent, or reduce the severity of, age-related functional decline and the onset
      of conditions affecting health and well-being; that there is evidence to support
      specific dietary interventions as a strategy to control LGI; and that a continued
      research focus on this field is warranted.

PMID- 28899767
TI  - Effects of hexavalent chromium on mouse splenic T lymphocytes.
AB  - Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is widely used in various industrial processes and
      has been recognized as a carcinogen. As the first line of host defense system,
      the immune system can be a primary target of Cr(VI). T cell population represents
      a major arm of the immune system that plays a critical role in host anti-tumor
      immunity. Dysfunction of T cells, such as exhaustion under the persistent
      presence of tumor antigen, compromise host anti-tumor immunity resulting in
      oncogenesis. Previous studies have shown Cr(VI) exposure alters the phenotype of
      human peripheral blood lymphocytes. However, the mechanism of the alteration and
      whether such an alteration in immunity affects immunosurveillance and promotes
      carcinogenicity are not clear. Using a culture of mouse splenic T cells as an in
      vitro model system, the present study assessed the effects of Cr(VI) on T cells,
      as the first step in our investigation of the mechanism underlying Cr(VI)
      inhibited immunosurveillance and carcinogenesis. Our results showed that Cr(VI)
      decreased the viability of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and inhibited their activation,
      proliferation, cytokine release and cytolytic function.

PMID- 28899768
TI  - Missed Opportunities to Decrease Radiation Exposure in Children with Renal
      Trauma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Efforts have been made to reduce use of computerized tomography in
      children with blunt abdominal injury. Computerized tomography may be overused in
      pediatric patients with renal trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective chart review of all renal trauma patients younger than 18 years old
      treated at 2 urban trauma centers from 2002 to 2016. We collected demographic and
      clinical characteristics, renal trauma grades, urological interventions, and
      timing and use of computerized tomography and renal ultrasound. RESULTS: During
      the study period 145 patients presented with blunt renal trauma. During
      hospitalization 46 patients (32%) underwent repeat computerized tomography. About
      20% of repeat computerized tomograms were performed less than 48 hours after the
      first scan. After controlling for center, isolated injury (yes/no), stent
      placement, age and surgical interventions (yes/no) patients who underwent delayed
      imaging on their first scan had decreased odds of undergoing a second
      computerized tomogram (adjusted OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.05-0.9, p = 0.04). Number needed
      to treat to prevent 1 repeat scan in high grade renal trauma patients was 3 (95%
      CI 2-4). Estimated sensitivity and specificity for ultrasound monitoring to
      detect an abnormality requiring urological intervention are 50% and 94%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Repeat computerized tomography in pediatric patients
      with renal trauma is common. Obtaining delayed imaging on the initial scan in
      patients with high grade renal trauma may prevent repeat scans. Renal ultrasound
      provides diagnostic usefulness in monitoring kidney injuries and should be
      considered before repeating computerized tomography.

PMID- 28899769
TI  - Incidence and Predictors of Complications due to Urethral Stricture in Patients
      Awaiting Urethroplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: We examined the incidence and predictors of complications due to
      urethral stricture in patients awaiting urethroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients who underwent urethroplasty from
      2009 to 2013. The primary outcome was complications, defined as any unplanned
      interaction with the health care system due to urethral stricture during the
      period between the decision to perform surgery and urethroplasty. RESULTS: A
      total of 276 patients were identified for analysis. Median stricture length was
      4.0 cm and 67.4% of strictures were in the bulbar urethra. The most common
      stricture etiologies were idiopathic in 47.8% of cases and traumatic in 15.9%.
      Overall 15.9% of patients presented with a complication with a median time to
      complication of 43 days. Median surgical wait time was 151 days. Complications
      included urinary tract infections in 56.8% of patients, acute urinary retention
      in 20.5%, genitourinary pain in 5.8% and catheter related issues in 15.9%.
      Univariate analysis suggested that catheter dependent status, number of prior
      endoscopic treatments, a hypospadias and/or trauma etiology, and prior
      urethroplasty were potential significant predictors of complications.
      Multivariate analysis yielded only catheter dependent status (HR 5.2, 95% CI 2.4
      11.3, p <0.0001) and prior failed urethroplasty (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.3, p =
      0.03) as significantly associated with complications. CONCLUSIONS: To our
      knowledge our study is the first to examine and quantify the morbidity of
      urethroplasty wait time. Approximately 16% of patients experienced a complication
      while awaiting urethroplasty. The optimal wait time should be less than 43 days.
      Patients with prior urethroplasty and catheters at the time of the surgical
      decision should be prioritized as they may be more likely to experience
      complications.

PMID- 28899770
TI  - Use of non-prescription analgesics and male reproductive function.
AB  - We studied the association between intake of non-prescription analgesics and
      semen quality and male reproductive hormone levels in a cross-sectional study
      among 1493 men. The men provided one semen (n=1493) and blood sample (n=1056) and
      filled in questionnaires on use of non-prescription analgesics (paracetamol,
      NSAIDs and combination drugs (yes/no)). Adjusting for age, study and other
      covariates, we observed no association between intake of non-prescription
      analgesics and markers of semen quality. Adjusting for age and time of day of
      blood sampling, users of non-prescription analgesics had a 10.4% (95% confidence
      interval (CI) 4.0-17.1%) higher testosterone level than non-users. When we
      stratified by medication type, the association between analgesics and higher
      testosterone was observed between users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs) and combination drugs but not paracetamol. This study suggests that use
      of non-prescription analgesics is associated with slightly higher serum
      testosterone levels than non-use.

PMID- 28899771
TI  - Effectiveness of mechanical debridement with and without adjunct antimicrobial
      photodynamic therapy in the treatment of periodontal inflammation among patients
      with prediabetes.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of mechanical
      debridement (MD) with and without adjunct antimicrobial photodynamic therapy
      (aPDT) in the treatment of periodontal inflammation among patients with
      prediabetes. METHODS: Demographic information was collected using a
      questionnaire. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were measured at baseline and at 3
      and 6 months' follow-up. TREATMENT: Individuals were randomly divided into 2
      groups as follows: (a) Group-1, participants underwent full-mouth MD; and Group
      2: participants underwent full-mouth MD with adjunct aPDT. In groups 1 and 2,
      full-mouth plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP) and probing pocket depth
      (PPD) were measured at baseline and at 3 and 6 months' follow-up. In both groups,
      full-mouth digital intraoral radiographs were also taken. Sample-size was
      estimated and statistical analysis was performed with level of significance set
      as P<0.05. RESULTS: In total, 70 prediabetic male individuals (35 patients in
      group-1 and 35 in group-2) were included. At baseline, PI, BOP, number of sites
      with PPD >=4mm were comparable among individuals in groups 1 and 2. In groups 1
      and 2, PI (P<0.05), BOP (P<0.05), number of sites with PPD >=4mm (P<0.05) were
      significantly higher at baseline compared with 3 months' follow-up. There was no
      statistically significant difference in PI, BOP, number of sites with PPD >=4mm
      at 3 and 6 months' follow-up. At 6 months' follow-up, PI, BOP, number of sites
      with PPD >=4mm were comparable to their respective baseline values. There was no
      statistically significant difference in CBL in both groups at 3 and 6 months'
      follow-up. There was no statistically significant difference in HbA1c levels
      among individuals in groups 1 and 2 at all-time intervals. CONCLUSION: In the
      short-term, MD is effective in reducing periodontal inflammation among patients
      with prediabetes. The contribution of adjunct aPDT in this regard is
      insignificant.

PMID- 28899772
TI  - Change in plasma membrane potential of rat thymocytes by tert-butylhydroquinone,
      a food additive: Possible risk on lymphocytes.
AB  - Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is a food additive and has various beneficial
      actions under in vitro and in vivo experimental conditions. Therefore, it is
      necessary to collect additional data on the toxicity of TBHQ in order to avoid
      adverse effects during clinical applications. Changes in plasma membrane
      potential are associated with changes in physiological functions even in non
      excitable cells such as lymphocytes. Thus, compounds that affect membrane
      potential may modify some lymphocytic functions. The effect of TBHQ on plasma
      membrane potential was examined in rat thymocytes using flow cytometric
      techniques. Treatment of rat thymocytes with TBHQ caused hyperpolarization and
      then depolarization. The TBHQ-induced hyperpolarization was due to the activation
      of Ca2+-dependent K+ channels. TBHQ elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels. The
      depolarization by TBHQ was caused by a nonspecific increase in membrane ionic
      permeability. Both the sustained depolarization and elevation of intracellular
      Ca2+ level by TBHQ are thought to be adverse for thymocytes because such changes
      disturb membrane and intracellular signaling. The thymus is most active during
      neonatal and pre-adolescent periods. If TBHQ exerts adverse actions on
      thymocytes, it may result in an immunotoxic effect in neonates and adolescents.

PMID- 28899773
TI  - Hepatoprotective effects of raspberry (Rubus coreanus Miq.) seed oil and its
      major constituents.
AB  - Raspberry seed is a massive byproduct of raspberry juice and wine but usually
      discarded. The present study employed a microwave-assisted method for extraction
      of raspberry seed oil (RSO). The results revealed that omega-6 fatty acids
      (linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid) were the major constituents in RSO.
      Cellular antioxidant enzyme activity such as superoxide dismutase (SOD),
      glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) were investigated in HepG2 cells
      treated with RSO. Induction of the synthesis of several antioxidants in H2O2
      exposed HepG2 cells was found. RSO increased the enzyme activity of SOD, CAT, and
      GPx in H2O2-exposed HepG2. Furthermore, RSO inhibited the phosphorylation of
      upstream mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) such as c-Jun N-terminal kinase
      (c-JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Taken together, the
      possible mechanisms to increase antioxidant enzyme activities in HepG2 may
      through the suppression of ERK and JNK phosphorylation. Raspberry seed oil
      exhibited good effects on the activities of the intracellular antioxidant enzymes
      and seems to protect the liver from oxidative stress through the inhibition of
      MAPKs.

PMID- 28899774
TI  - Further insights on tomato plant: Cytotoxic and antioxidant activity of leaf
      extracts in human gastric cells.
AB  - This study focused the toxicity against human gastric adenocarcinoma cells (AGS)
      and the antioxidant activity of hydromethanol (HME), acetone (AcE) and alkaloid
      (AE) extracts prepared from the leaves of tomato plant cultivars (Caramba,
      Valentine, Negro, Abuela, and Anairis). AE, HME and AcE extracts of all cultivars
      reduced cell viability, IC50 values ranging from 9 +/- 2 to 55 +/- 11, from 103
      +/- 25 to 171 +/- 29 and from 291 +/- 26 to 459 +/- 14 MUg mL-1, respectively.
      Moreover, both HME and AcE extracts scavenged *NO (IC50 values ranged from 0.87
      +/- 0.12 to 1.54 +/- 0.23 and from 0.90 +/- 0.01 to 2.23 +/- 0.14 mg mL-1,
      respectively), but only HMEs was able to scavenge O2*- showing IC50 values from
      0.12 +/- <=0.01 to 0.43 +/- 0.08 mg mL-1. Our results demonstrate that tomato
      leaves, a by-product of tomato processing industry, are a valuable source of
      bioactive compounds, providing beneficial properties for human health.

PMID- 28899775
TI  - Unique phagocytic properties of hemocytes of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas
      against yeast and yeast cell-wall derivatives.
AB  - For a marine bivalve mollusk such as Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, the
      elimination of foreign particles via hemocyte phagocytosis plays an important
      role in host defense mechanisms. The hemocytes of C. gigas have a high phagocytic
      ability for baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and its cell-wall product
      zymosan. C. gigas hemocytes might phagocytose yeast cells after binding to
      polysaccharides on the cell-wall surface, but it is unknown how and what kinds of
      polysaccharide molecules are recognized. We conducted experiments to determine
      differences in the phagocytic ability of C. gigas hemocytes against heat-killed
      yeast (HK yeast), zymosan and zymocel, which are similarly sized and shaped but
      differ in the polysaccharide composition of their particle surface. We found that
      both the agranulocytes and granulocytes exerted strong phagocytic ability on all
      tested particles. The phagocytic index (PI) of granulocytes for zymosan was 9.4
      +/- 1.7, which significantly differed with that for HK yeast and zymocel (P <
      0.05). To evaluate the PI for the three types of particles, and especially to
      understand the outcome of the much higher PI for zymosan, PI was gauged in
      increments of 5 (1-5, 6-10, 11-15, and >=16), and the phagocytic frequencies were
      compared according to these increments. The results show that a markedly high PI
      of >=16 was exhibited by 18.1% of granulocytes for zymosan, significantly higher
      than 1.7% and 3.9% shown for HK yeast and zymocel, respectively (P < 0.05). These
      findings indicate that the relatively high PI for zymosan could not be attributed
      to a situation wherein all phagocytic hemocytes shared a high mean PI, but rather
      to the ability of some hemocytes to phagocytose a larger portion of zymosan. To
      determine whether the phagocytosis of these respective particles depended on the
      recognition of specific polysaccharide receptors on the hemocyte surface, C.
      gigas hemocytes were pretreated with soluble alpha-mannan or beta-laminarin and
      then allowed to phagocytose the three types of the particles. The percentage of
      phagocytic cells of beta-laminarin-treated granulocytes decreased significantly
      for zymosan and zymocel, but not for yeast. These results suggest that C. gigas
      might possess at least two types of hemocytes, and that one type of the hemocytes
      (granulocytes) is more active for phagocytosis. The granulocytes were found to
      have multiple subtypes with different phagocytic abilities and multiple
      phagocytic receptors. Some of the granulocyte subtypes revealed a much stronger
      phagocytic ability, depending on the presence of beta-glucan receptors for
      phagocytosis.

PMID- 28899776
TI  - The effect of temperature on the mucosal IgM antibody response to DNP-KLH in
      channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).
AB  - Bath immersion remains a practical route for immunizing against disease in
      channel catfish; however research efforts in this area have revealed variable
      results when activating mucosal Ab responses with different antigens. This is
      likely due to a number of factors including the individual species, age of the
      fish, preparation of the immunogens, and differences in the overall dosage and
      the duration of exposure to vaccines. The current study sought to evaluate the
      effect of water temperature on the in vivo mucosal adaptive immune response in
      channel catfish to a protein-hapten antigen, DNP-KLH. Fish were bath immersed at
      different water temperatures and periodically evaluated over an eighteen week
      period for the development of serum and mucosal IgM antibodies to DNP-KLH using
      an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. None of the temperature groups
      produced a serum antibody response; however there were detectable DNP-KLH
      specific IgM antibodies in the mucus starting at week eight. The extent of the
      mucosal antibody response and duration differed between the treatments. Our
      results show that there are intrinsic differences in the capacity to generate in
      vivo mucosal Ab responses in the skin at different water temperatures and the
      implications of these findings to channel catfish farming will be discussed.

PMID- 28899777
TI  - Jerusalem artichoke enriched diet on growth performance, immuno-hematological
      changes and disease resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila in Asian seabass
      (Lates calcarifer).
AB  - A 45 days feeding trial was conducted to study the effect of Jerusalem artichoke
      (JA) on growth performance, body composition, biochemical, immuno-hematological
      parameters and disease resistance in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) fingerlings
      against Aeromonas hydrophila. JA was supplemented at three different levels viz.,
      control 0, 5, 10, and 20 g kg-1 in the commercial diet (403 g kg-1protein and 89
      g kg -1lipid) in L. calcarifer. The results showed that there were no significant
      (P > 0.05) differences in various growth parameters, while the whole body
      composition showed significant differences (P < 0.05) between control and
      treatment groups. Hematological parameters showed that red blood cells (RBC),
      white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), pack cell volume (PCV), mean
      corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
      (MCHC) were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by dietary supplementation of
      JA at different concentration. However, the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was
      significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the fish fed with 20 g kg-1 JA supplemented
      diet. Biochemical parameters revealed that glucose, urea, cholesterol, and
      triglyceride showed significant (P < 0.05) differences between control and
      treatments groups. Interestingly, 20 g kg-1 JA supplemented diet significantly
      modulates the innate immune response and disease resistance against Aeromonas
      hydrophila compared with control and other treatment groups. The results of the
      study revealed that 20 g kg-1 JA supplementation has a beneficial effect in the
      biochemical, immunological and disease resistance in L. calcarifer juveniles.

PMID- 28899778
TI  - Vma3p protects cells from programmed cell death through the regulation of Hxk2p
      expression.
AB  - In yeast, the vacuolar proton-pumping ATPase (V-ATPase) acidifies vacuoles to
      maintain pH of cytoplasm. Yeast cells lacking V-ATPase activity, due to a
      disruption of any VMA (vacuolar membrane ATPase) gene, remain viable but
      demonstrate growth defects. Although it has been suggested that VMA genes are
      critical for phospholipid biosynthesis, the link between VMA genes and
      phospholipid biosynthesis is still uncertain. Here, we found that cells lacking
      Vma3p, one of the major V-ATPase assembly genes, had a growth defect in the
      absence of inositol, suggesting that Vma3p is important in phospholipid
      biosynthesis. Through real-time PCR, we found that cells lacking Vma3p down
      regulated HXK2 expression. Furthermore, acetic acid sensitivity assay showed that
      cells lacking Vma3p were more sensitive to acetic acid than WT cells. HXK2
      encodes hexokinase 2 which can phosphorylate glucose during phospholipid
      biosynthesis. Since cells lacking HXK2 are sensitive to acetic acid and this is
      an indicator of programmed cell death, our observations suggest that Vma3p plays
      an important role in programmed cell death. Taken together, we have proposed a
      working model to describe how Vma3p protects cells against apoptosis through the
      regulation of HXK2 expression.

PMID- 28899779
TI  - Eupatilin with PPARalpha agonistic effects inhibits TNFalpha-induced MMP
      signaling in HaCaT cells.
AB  - Eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyflavone) is a flavonoid compound
      exhibiting several beneficial biological activities, including neuroprotection,
      anti-cancer, antinociception, chondroprotection, anti-oxidation, and anti
      inflammation. Our previous study demonstrated that eupatilin specifically
      activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) through
      direct binding. The PPAR subfamily includes ligand-dependent transcription
      factors that consist of three isotypes: PPARalpha, PPARbeta/delta, and PPARgamma.
      All isotypes are involved in inflammation, epidermal
      proliferation/differentiation and skin barrier function. Among them, PPARalpha
      regulates lipid and glucose metabolism and skin homeostasis. In this study, we
      confirm that the ability of eupatilin as a PPARalpha activator significantly
      inhibited tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-induced matrix metalloproteinase
      (MMP)-2/-9 expression and proteolytic activity in HaCaT human epidermal
      keratinocytes. Furthermore, we found that eupatilin subsequently suppressed
      IkappaBalpha phosphorylation, blocked NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation and
      down-regulated MAPK/AP-1 signaling via PPARalpha activation. Taken together, our
      data suggest that eupatilin inhibits TNFalpha-induced MMP-2/-9 expression by
      suppressing NF-kappaB and MAPK/AP-1 pathways via PPARalpha. Our findings suggest
      the usefulness of eupatilin for preventing skin aging.

PMID- 28899780
TI  - Hydrogen peroxide production is affected by oxygen levels in mammalian cell
      culture.
AB  - Although oxygen levels in the extracellular space of most mammalian tissues are
      just a few percent, under standard cell culture conditions they are not regulated
      and are often substantially higher. Some cellular sources of reactive oxygen
      species, like NADPH oxidase 4, are sensitive to oxygen levels in the range
      between 'normal' physiological (typically 1-5%) and standard cell culture (up to
      18%). Hydrogen peroxide in particular participates in signal transduction
      pathways via protein redox modifications, so the potential increase in its
      production under standard cell culture conditions is important to understand. We
      measured the rates of cellular hydrogen peroxide production in some common cell
      lines, including C2C12, PC-3, HeLa, SH-SY5Y, MCF-7, and mouse embryonic
      fibroblasts (MEFs) maintained at 18% or 5% oxygen. In all instances the rate of
      hydrogen peroxide production by these cells was significantly greater at 18%
      oxygen than at 5%. The increase in hydrogen peroxide production at higher oxygen
      levels was either abolished or substantially reduced by treatment with GKT
      137831, a selective inhibitor of NADPH oxidase subunits 1 and 4. These data
      indicate that oxygen levels experienced by cells in culture influence hydrogen
      peroxide production via NADPH oxidase 1/4, highlighting the importance of
      regulating oxygen levels in culture near physiological values. However, we
      measured pericellular oxygen levels adjacent to cell monolayers under a variety
      of conditions and with different cell lines and found that, particularly when
      growing at 5% incubator oxygen levels, pericellular oxygen was often lower and
      variable. Together, these observations indicate the importance, and difficulty,
      of regulating oxygen levels experienced by cells in culture.

PMID- 28899781
TI  - Direct effects of mitochondrial dysfunction on poor bone health in Leigh
      syndrome.
AB  - Mitochondrial diseases are the result of aberrant mitochondrial function caused
      by mutations in either nuclear or mitochondrial DNA. Poor bone health has
      recently been suggested as a symptom of mitochondrial diseases; however, a direct
      link between decreased mitochondrial function and poor bone health in
      mitochondrial disease has not been demonstrated. In this study, stem cells from
      human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) were isolated from a child with Leigh
      syndrome (LS), a mitochondrial disease, and the effects of decreased
      mitochondrial function on poor bone health were analyzed. Compared with control
      SHED, LS SHED displayed decreased osteoblastic differentiation and calcium
      mineralization. The intracellular and mitochondrial calcium levels were lower in
      LS SHED than in control SHED. Furthermore, the mitochondrial activity of LS SHED
      was decreased compared with control SHED both with and without osteoblastic
      differentiation. Our results indicate that decreased osteoblast differentiation
      potential and osteoblast function contribute to poor bone health in mitochondrial
      diseases.

PMID- 28899782
TI  - WITHDRAWN: The lncRNA-GAS5/miR-23a/Foxo3a axis regulates cardiac hypertrophy by
      Wnt/beta-catenin signal pathway.
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 https://www.elsevier.com/about/our
      business/policies/article-withdrawal.

PMID- 28899783
TI  - Induced sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors is mediated by palmitoylated cysteine 1025
      of EGFR and requires oncogenic Kras.
AB  - Currently, there are no effective therapeutic strategies targeting Kras driven
      cancers, and therefore, identifying new targeted therapies and overcoming drug
      resistance have become paramount for effective long-term cancer therapy. We have
      found that reducing expression of the palmitoyl transferase DHHC20 increases cell
      death induced by the EGFR inhibitor gefitinib in Kras and EGFR mutant cell lines,
      but not MCF7 cells harboring wildtype Kras. We show that the increased gefitinib
      sensitivity in cancer cells induced by DHHC20 inhibition is mediated directly
      through loss of palmitoylation on a previously identified cysteine residue in the
      C-terminal tail of EGFR. We utilized an EGFR point mutant in which the
      palmitoylated cysteine 1025 is mutated to alanine (EGFRC1025A), that results in
      receptor activation. Expression of the EGFR mutant alone in NIH3T3 cells does not
      increase sensitivity to gefitinib-induced cell death. However, when EGFRC1025A is
      expressed in cells expressing activated KrasG12V, EGFR inhibitor induced cell
      death is increased. Surprisingly, lung cancer cells harboring the EGFR inhibitor
      resistant mutation, T790M, become sensitive to EGFR inhibitor treatment when
      DHHC20 is inhibited. Finally, the small molecule, 2-bromopalmitate, which has
      been shown to inhibit palmitoyl transferases, acts synergistically with gefitinib
      to induce cell death in the gefitinib resistant cell line NCI-H1975.

PMID- 28899784
TI  - MiR-181b regulates steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via targeting
      SIRT1.
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) is one of the leading cause of chronic
      liver diseases in the world. However, the pathogenesis of NAFLD is still unclear.
      Emerging studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRs) are profoundly involved
      in NAFLD and related metabolic diseases. Here, we investigated the mechanisms by
      which miR-181b influences NAFLD via direct targeting SIRT1. The expression of
      miR181b was up-regulated while SIRT1 was down-regulated in both human NAFLD
      patients and high fat diet (HFD) induced NAFDL mice model. And palmitic acid (PA)
      treatment increased the miR-181b expression while decreased SIRT1 expression in
      HepG2 cells. Further, we identified that SIRT1 is a direct downstream target of
      miR-181b. Ectopic expression of miR-181b significantly repressed the 3'-UTR
      reporter activities of SIRT1 in a dose-dependent manner, while the effect of miR
      181b was interrupted when the binding site of miR-181b within the SIRT1 3'-UTR
      was mutated. And overexpression of miR-181b reduced both the mRNA and protein
      levels of SIRT1 in HepG2 cells. We also found that inhibition of miR-181b
      expression alleviates hepatic steatosis both in vitro and in vivo. And the effect
      of miR-181b on steatosis was blocked by SIRT1 overexpression. Taken together, our
      data indicated that increased expression of miR-181b potentially contributes to
      altered lipid metabolism in NAFLD. Downregulation of miR-34a may be a therapeutic
      strategy against NAFLD by regulating its target SIRT1.

PMID- 28899785
TI  - Capacity and tendency: A neuroscientific framework for the study of emotion
      regulation.
AB  - It is widely accepted that the ability to effectively regulate one's emotions is
      a cornerstone of physical and mental health. As such, it should come as no
      surprise that the number of neuroimaging studies focused on emotion regulation
      and associated processes has increased exponentially in the past decade. To date,
      neuroimaging research on this topic has examined two distinct but complementary
      features of emotion regulation - the capacity to effectively utilize a strategy
      to regulate emotion and to a lesser extent, the tendency to choose to regulate.
      However, theoretical accounts of emotion regulation have only recently begun to
      distinguish capacity from tendency. In the present review, we provide a novel
      framework for conceptualizing these two intertwined, yet distinct, facets of
      emotion regulation. First we characterize brain regions that support emotion
      generation and are thus targeted by emotion regulation. Next, we synthesize
      findings from the dozens of neuroimaging studies that have examined emotion
      regulation capacity, focusing in particular on the most commonly studied emotion
      regulation strategy - reappraisal. Finally, we discuss emerging neuroimaging
      research examining state and trait regulatory tendencies. We conclude by
      integrating findings from neuroimaging research on emotion regulation capacity
      and tendency and suggest ways that this integrated model can inform basic and
      translational neuroscientific research on emotion regulation.

PMID- 28899786
TI  - Artemin transiently increases iNOS expression in primary cultured trigeminal
      ganglion neurons.
AB  - Artemin, a member of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family, is
      an important cytokine and a critical participant in trigeminal pain disorders
      such as tongue pain and migraine. However, the mechanisms underlying artemin's
      activity are largely unknown. In the present study, we used primary cultured
      trigeminal ganglion neurons (TGNs) to determine the effect of artemin on the
      expression of the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which is
      released in response to painful and inflammatory stimuli. Following artemin
      treatment, western blot analysis showed that the protein level of iNOS was
      transiently elevated after artemin treatment for 15min (p<0.05).
      Immunofluorescence revealed that both the expressions of iNOS and GFRalpha3 were
      significantly up-regulated after artemin treatment for 15min. In addition, iNOS
      expression induced by artemin was co-localized with GFRalpha3 and TUJ-1 in
      primary cultured TGNs, respectively. Our results indicate a previously unknown
      role of artemin in regulating iNOS expression in primary cultured TGNs, and
      regulation of iNOS might be involved in the mechanism through which artemin
      participates in the trigeminal pain pathway.

PMID- 28899787
TI  - Differential expression of ryanodine receptor isoforms after spinal cord injury.
AB  - Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are highly conductive intracellular Ca2+ release
      channels and are widely expressed in many tissues, including the central nervous
      system. RyRs have been implicated in intracellular Ca2+ overload which can drive
      secondary damage following traumatic injury to the spinal cord (SCI), but the
      spatiotemporal expression of the three isoforms of RyRs (RyR1-3) after SCI
      remains unknown. Here, we analyzed the gene and protein expression of RyR
      isoforms in the murine lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and the spinal cord
      lesion site at 1, 2 and 7 d after a mild contusion SCI. Quantitative RT PCR
      analysis revealed that RyR3 was significantly increased in lumbar DRGs and at the
      lesion site at 1 and 2 d post contusion compared to sham (laminectomy only)
      controls. Additionally, RyR2 expression was increased at 1 d post injury within
      the lesion site. RyR2 and -3 protein expression was localized to lumbar DRG
      neurons and their spinal projections within the lesion site acutely after SCI. In
      contrast, RyR1 expression within the DRG and lesion site remained unaltered
      following trauma. Our study shows that SCI initiates acute differential
      expression of RyR isoforms in DRG and spinal cord.

PMID- 28899788
TI  - The translocator protein ligand XBD173 improves clinical symptoms and
      neuropathological markers in the SJL/J mouse model of multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a severe autoimmune disease characterized by
      inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative components causing motor,
      sensory, visual and/or cognitive symptoms. The relapsing-remitting MS affecting
      85% of patients is reliably mimicked by the proteolipid-protein (PLP)-induced
      experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) SJL/J-mouse model. Significant
      progress was made for MS treatment but the development of effective therapies
      devoid of severe side-effects remains a great challenge. Here, we combine
      clinical, behavioral, histopathological, biochemical and molecular approaches to
      demonstrate that low and well tolerated doses (10-20mg/kg) of TSPO ligand XBD173
      (Emapunil) efficiently ameliorate clinical signs and neuropathology of PLP-EAE
      mice. In addition to the conventional clinical scoring of symptoms, we applied
      the robust behavioral Catwalk-method to confirm that XBD173 (10mg/kg) increases
      the maximum contact area parameter at EAE-disease peak, indicating an
      improvement/recovery of motor functions. Consistently, histopathological studies
      coupled with microscope-cellSens quantification and RT-qPCR analyzes showed that
      XBD173 prevented demyelination by restoring normal protein and mRNA levels of
      myelin basic protein that was significantly repressed in PLP-EAE mice spinal cord
      and brain. Interestingly, ELISA-based measurement revealed that XBD173 increased
      allopregnanolone concentrations in PLP-EAE mice spinal and brain tissues.
      Furthermore, flow cytometry assessment demonstrated that XBD173 therapy decreased
      serum level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-17A, Interleukin
      6 and tumor-necrosis-factor alpha in PLP-EAE mice. As the optimal XBD173 dosing
      exerting the maximal beneficial action in EAE mice is the lower 10mg/kg dose, the
      paper opens interesting perspectives for the development of efficient and safe
      therapies against MS with slight or no side-effects.

PMID- 28899789
TI  - The evolutionary logic of sepsis.
AB  - The recently proposed Microbiome Mutiny Hypothesis posits that members of the
      human microbiome obtain information about the host individuals' health status
      and, when host survival is compromised, switch to an intensive exploitation
      strategy to maximize residual transmission. In animals and humans, sepsis is an
      acute systemic reaction to microbes invading the normally sterile body
      compartments. When induced by formerly mutualistic or neutral microbes, possibly
      in response to declining host health, sepsis appears to fit the 'microbiome
      mutiny' scenario except for its apparent failure to enhance transmission of the
      causative organisms. We propose that the ability of certain species of the
      microbiome to induce sepsis is not a fortuitous side effect of within-host
      replication, but rather it might, in some cases, be the result of their adaptive
      evolution. Whenever host health declines, inducing sepsis can be adaptive for
      those members of the healthy human microbiome that are capable of colonizing the
      future cadaver and spread by cadaver-borne transmission. We hypothesize that such
      microbes might exhibit switches along the 'mutualist - lethal pathogen -
      decomposer - mutualist again' scenario, implicating a previously unsuspected,
      surprising level of phenotypic plasticity. This hypothesis predicts that those
      species of the healthy microbiome that are recurring causative agents of sepsis
      can participate in the decomposition of cadavers, and can be transmitted as soil
      borne or water-borne infections. Furthermore, in individual sepsis cases, the
      same microbial clones that dominate the systemic infection that precipitates
      sepsis, should also be present in high concentration during decomposition
      following death: this prediction is testable by molecular fingerprinting in
      experimentally induced animal models. Sepsis is a leading cause of human death
      worldwide. If further research confirms that some cases of sepsis indeed involve
      the 'mutiny' (facultative phenotypic switching) of normal members of the
      microbiome, then new strategies could be devised to prevent or treat sepsis by
      interfering with this process.

PMID- 28899790
TI  - Alisporivir rescues defective mitochondrial respiration in Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy.
AB  - Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscle disease of known etiology
      without effective, or generally applicable therapy. Mitochondria are affected by
      the disease in animal models but whether mitochondrial dysfunction is part of the
      pathogenesis in patients remains unclear. We show that primary cultures obtained
      from muscle biopsies of DMD patients display a decrease of the respiratory
      reserve, a consequence of inappropriate opening of the permeability transition
      pore (PTP). Treatment with the cyclophilin inhibitor alisporivir - a cyclosporin
      A derivative that desensitizes the PTP but does not inhibit calcineurin - largely
      restored the maximal respiratory capacity without affecting basal oxygen
      consumption in cells from patients, thus reinstating a normal respiratory
      reserve. Treatment with alisporivir, but not with cyclosporin A, led to a
      substantial recovery of respiratory function matching improved muscle
      ultrastructure and survival of sapje zebrafish, a severe model of DMD where
      muscle defects are close to those of DMD patients. Alisporivir was generally well
      tolerated in HCV patients and could be used for the treatment of DMD.

PMID- 28899791
TI  - Toward a hierarchical virtual screening and toxicity risk analysis for
      identifying novel CA XII inhibitors.
AB  - Carbonic anhydrase isoform XII (CA XII) is a potential target for cancer
      treatment. In this study, pharmacophore modeling, hierarchical virtual screening,
      and toxicity risk analysis were performed for identifying novel CA XII
      inhibitors. A pharmacophore model of two classes of CA XII inhibitors was
      generated. The pharmacophore model indicated the important features of inhibitors
      for the binding with the CA XII. The model was then utilized to screen the ZINC
      and CoCoCo databases for retrieving potential hit compounds of CA XII. For
      accurate conclusions about the selectivity of inhibitors, the retrieved molecules
      which obey of Lipinski's rule of five (RO5) and have no toxicity risk were docked
      in a CA XII 3D structure by smina. Finally, on the basis of binding affinity and
      the binding mode of the molecules, twelve molecules were prioritized as promising
      hits. It should be noted that two of hits H5 and H6 were previously reported in
      the CHEMBL database. This hierarchical method is worthy of reducing the time and
      using almost all information available. The final hits may be used as a lead to
      discovery novel CA XII inhibitors.

PMID- 28899793
TI  - Comprehensive assessment for serum treatment for single antigen test for
      detection of HLA antibodies.
AB  - The single antigen test is widely used in the field of transplantation to
      determine the specificity of HLA antibodies. It will be beneficial to standardize
      the procedure of the single antigen test among HLA laboratories. It is not
      uncommon that single antigen testing on native sera fails to detect antibodies
      with very high concentrations. It has been shown that cleavage products of
      activated complement components may mask strongly binding antibodies in single
      antigen testing. To overcome inhibition by the activated complement products,
      sera are pretreated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), dithiothreitol
      (DTT), or heat inactivation before single antigen testing. However, no studies
      have been published to systemically compare the impact of these treatments on
      single antigen testing. The aim of this study is to understand the different
      effects these treatments may have on single antigen test results. We found that
      mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) obtained from sera treated with EDTA and heat
      inactivation were nearly identical, while DTT treatment was less potent to remove
      the inhibition. In addition, sera dilution did not further increase MFI of
      antibodies after EDTA treatment. Our results provide guidance to choose a
      pretreatment reagent for single antigen testing, and to compare studies obtained
      from laboratories using different treatments.

PMID- 28899792
TI  - Evidence for non-linear metabolism at low benzene exposures? A reanalysis of
      data.
AB  - The presence of a high-affinity metabolic pathway for low level benzene exposures
      of less than one part per million (ppm) has been proposed although a pathway has
      not been identified. The variation of metabolite molar fractions with increasing
      air benzene concentrations was suggested as evidence of significantly more
      efficient benzene metabolism at concentrations <0.1 ppm The evidence for this
      pathway is predicated on a rich data set from a study of Chinese shoe workers
      exposed to a wide range of benzene concentrations (not just "low level"). In this
      work we undertake a further independent re-analysis of this data with a focus on
      the evidence for an increase in the rate of metabolism of benzene exposures of
      less than 1 ppm. The analysis dataset consisted of measurements of benzene and
      toluene from personal air samplers, and measurements of unmetabolised benzene and
      toluene and five metabolites (phenol hydroquinone, catechol, trans, trans-muconic
      acid and s-phenylmercapturic acid) from post-shift urine samples for 213 workers
      with an occupational exposure to benzene (and toluene) and 139 controls.
      Measurements from control subjects were used to estimate metabolite
      concentrations resulting from non-occupational sources, including environmental
      sources of benzene. Data from occupationally exposed subjects were used to
      estimate metabolite concentrations as a function of benzene exposure. Correction
      for background (environmental exposure) sources of metabolites was achieved
      through a comparison of geometric means in occupationally exposed and control
      populations. The molar fractions of the five metabolites as a function of benzene
      exposure were computed. A supra-linear relationship between metabolite
      concentrations and benzene exposure was observed over the range 0.1-10 ppm
      benzene, however over the range benzene exposures of between 0.1 and 1 ppm only a
      modest departure from linearity was observed. The molar fractions estimated in
      this work were near constant over the range 0.1-10 ppm. No evidence of high
      affinity metabolism at these low level exposures was observed. Our reanalysis
      brings in to question the appropriateness of the dataset for commenting on low
      dose exposures and the use of a purely statistical approach to the analysis.

PMID- 28899794
TI  - Female rats exhibit less avoidance than male rats of a cocaine-, but not a
      morphine-paired, saccharin cue.
AB  - Rats avoid intake of an otherwise palatable taste cue when paired with drugs of
      abuse (Grigson and Twining, 2002). In male rats, avoidance of drug-paired taste
      cues is associated with conditioned blunting of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens
      (Grigson and Hajnal, 2007), conditioned elevation in circulating corticosterone
      (Gomez et al., 2000), and greater avoidance of the drug-paired cue predicts
      greater drug-taking (Grigson and Twining, 2002). While female rats generally are
      more responsive to drug than male rats, in this self-administration model, female
      rats consume more of a cocaine-paired saccharin cue and take less drug than males
      (Cason and Grigson, 2013). What is not known, however, is whether the same is
      true when a saccharin cue predicts availability of an opiate, particularly when
      the amount of drug experienced is held constant via passive administration by the
      experimenter. Here, avoidance of a saccharin cue was evaluated following pairings
      with experimenter delivered cocaine or morphine in male and female rats. Results
      showed that males and females avoided intake of a taste cue when paired with
      experimenter administered morphine or cocaine, and individual differences emerged
      whereby some male and female rats exhibited greater avoidance of the drug-paired
      cue than others. Female rats did not drink more of the saccharin cue than males
      when paired with morphine in Experiment 1, however, they did drink more of the
      saccharin cue than male rats when paired with cocaine in Experiment 2. While no
      pattern with estrous cycle emerged, avoidance of the cocaine-paired cue, like
      avoidance of a morphine-paired cue (Gomez et al., 2000), was associated with a
      conditioned elevation in corticosterone in both male and female rats.

PMID- 28899795
TI  - MicroRNA-137 and its downstream target LSD1 inversely regulate anesthetics
      induced neurotoxicity in dorsal root ganglion neurons.
AB  - PURPOSE: Anesthetic reagents, such as bupivacaine (Bv), induce significant
      neurotoxicity in dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGNs). In this study, we
      investigated the expression, function and cross-association of microRNA-137-3p
      (miR-137-3p) and lysine (K)-specific demethylase 1A (LSD1) in a murine model of
      Bv-induced neural injury in DRGNs. METHODS: Murine DRGNs were culture in vitro
      and treated with Bv. QPCR was used to evaluate miR-137-3p expression in Bv
      injured DRGNs. MiR-137-3p was genetically downregulated to evaluate its rescuing
      effect on Bv-induced DRGN apoptosis and neurite retraction. The association of
      miR-137-3p on its downstream target, LSD1 coding gene KDM1A, was evaluated by
      dual-luciferase activity assay and qPCR. In miR-137-3p-downregulated DRGNs, KDM1A
      was inhibited to evaluate its involvement in miR-137-3p-mediated modulation on Bv
      induced DRGN neurotoxicity. Furthermore, KDM1A expression in Bv-injured DRGN was
      evaluated by qPCR, and LSD1 was overexpressed in DRGN to evaluate its direct
      effect on Bv-induced neurotoxicity. RESULTS: MiR-137-3p was upregulated in Bv
      injured DRGNs. MiR-137-3p downregulation rescued Bv-induced DRGN apoptosis and
      neurite retraction. LSD1 was demonstrated to be downstream to, and inversely
      modulated by miR-137-3p in DRGN. In Bv-injured DRGNs, LSD1 downregulation
      reversed miR-137-3p-downregualtion-induced neural protection. Furthermore, LSD1
      upregulation directly rescued Bv-induced apoptosis and neurite retraction in
      DRGNs. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-137-3p and its downstream target LSD1 are inversely
      associated to regulate anesthetics-induced neurotoxicity in DRGN. This signaling
      pathway may be a therapeutic candidate to reduce anesthetics-induced neurological
      damage in human patients.

PMID- 28899796
TI  - Once is too much: Early development of the opponent process in taste reactivity
      behavior is associated with later escalation of cocaine self-administration in
      rats.
AB  - Evidence suggests that the addiction process may begin immediately in some
      vulnerable subjects. Specifically, some rats have been shown to exhibit aversive
      taste reactivity (gapes) following the intraoral delivery of a cocaine-predictive
      taste cue after as few as 1-2 taste-drug pairings. After only 3-4 trials, the
      number of gapes becomes a reliable predictor of later cocaine self
      administration. Given that escalation of drug-taking behavior over time is
      recognized as a key feature of substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction, the
      present study examined the relationship between early aversion to the cocaine
      predictive flavor cue and later escalation of cocaine self-administration in an
      extended-access paradigm. The data show that rats who exhibit the greatest
      conditioned aversion early in training to the intraorally delivered cocaine
      paired cue exhibit the greatest escalation of cocaine self-administration over 15
      extended-access trials. This finding suggests that early onset of the conditioned
      opponent process (i.e., the near immediate shift from ingestion to rejection of
      the drug-paired cue) is a reliable predictor of future vulnerability and
      resilience to cocaine addiction-like behavior. Future studies must determine the
      underlying neural mechanisms associated with this early transition and, hence,
      with early vulnerability to the later development of SUD and addiction. In so
      doing, we shall be in position to discover novel diagnostics and novel avenues of
      prevention and treatment.

PMID- 28899797
TI  - Should we treat congenital heart block with fluorinated corticosteroids?

PMID- 28899798
TI  - Is ACPA positivity the main driver for rheumatoid arthritis treatment? Pros and
      cons.
AB  - Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune chronic disease that is characterized
      by the positivity of various antibodies, the most specific being autoantibodies
      against citrullinated antigens (ACPA). Despite ACPA are not arthritogenic by
      themselves, ACPA positive individuals have high risk of RA development and ACPA
      positivity is associated with severe erosive phenotype and higher mortality rate
      compared to seronegative RA. Moreover, ACPA status is associated with favorable
      response to biologics targeting pathways involving autoantibody producing cells
      as B lymphocytes. In the current review we have discussed the pros and cons on
      the available scientific evidences, regarding the diagnostic, prognostic and
      management implications of ACPAs in RA.

PMID- 28899799
TI  - Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in autoimmune diseases: A comprehensive
      review.
AB  - Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are fibrous networks which protrude from
      the membranes of activated neutrophils. NETs are found in a variety of conditions
      such as infection, malignancy, atherosclerosis, and autoimmune diseases including
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), anti-neutrophil
      cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), psoriasis, and gout.
      Studies suggest that an imbalance between "NETosis," which is a process by which
      NETs are formed, and NET degradation may be associated with autoimmune diseases.
      Neutrophils, interleukin-8, ANCA and other inflammatory molecules are considered
      to play a key role in NET formation. Prolonged exposure to NETs-related cascades
      is associated with autoimmunity and increases the chance of systemic organ
      damage. In this review, we discuss the roles of various inflammatory molecules in
      relation to NETs. We also describe the role of NETs in the pathogenesis of
      autoimmune diseases and discuss the possibility of using targeted therapies
      directed to NETs and associated molecules to treat autoimmune diseases.

PMID- 28899800
TI  - Bone mineral density and vitamin D status in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE):
      A systematic review.
AB  - Despite the improvement in the quality of life of patients with SLE due to
      scientific and technological advances, SLE remains a disease that over the years
      may produce irreversible damage to patients. Osteoporosis and secondary bone
      fractures are two of the major causes of irreparable injury in patients with SLE.
      Vitamin D insufficiency may play a vital role both in reduced bone mineral
      density (BMD) and in the appearance of fractures, although its mechanisms of
      action are still unclear. We performed a systematic review of the literature in
      order to determine the prevalence and predictors of reduced vitamin D plasma
      levels, bone loss and the presence of fractures in SLE patients. Our review
      encompassed all English-language publications using Medline and EMBase electronic
      databases from their inception (1966 and 1980, respectively) to December 2016. We
      included all intervention studies and observational studies in which vitamin D
      plasma levels, BMD and bone loss were measured and applied to patients with SLE.
      Previous studies suggested an increase in bone loss and fracture in patients with
      SLE compared with general population and although there is a high prevalence of
      vitamin D insufficiency in the general population, previous studies had
      demonstrated lower vitamin D levels in patients with SLE compared to age-matched
      controls. The etiology of reduced bone mass and reduced vitamin D plasma levels
      in SLE is multifactorial and includes a variety of intrinsic factors related to
      the disease itself and treatment side effects. SLE patients are at risk for
      developing these two comorbidities (reduced vitamin D plasma levels and low BMD)
      and it is therefore essential to study, monitor, prevent and treat bone
      metabolism disorders in SLE patients.

PMID- 28899801
TI  - Is PET/CT essential in the diagnosis and follow-up of temporal arteritis?
AB  - The increasing availability and improvement of imaging techniques are deeply
      influencing diagnosis and work-up of patients affected with vasculitis,
      particularly those with large vessel vasculitis (LVV). Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F
      FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), especially when integrated with computed
      tomography (CT), is taking hold as a useful diagnostic technique to examine the
      aorta and the other large vessels in giant cell arteritis (GCA) with concomitant
      large vessel involvement (LV-GCA). In this paper we examined the progresses
      performed in this field in the last twenty years and the evidence available so
      far according to two different points of view ('pros' and 'cons'), in order to
      give a comprehensive answer to a still open question about the role of PET/CT in
      the diagnosis and follow-up of GCA.

PMID- 28899802
TI  - The new targeted therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus: Is the glass half-full
      or half-empty?
AB  - Biologic therapy is still limited in lupus, where chronic steroid exposure and
      wide-spectrum immunosuppression are major triggers of organ damage. In this
      viewpoint, the authors summarize their views for a "half-full or half-empty"
      glass on targeted therapy in SLE. The are several reasons for seeing the glass
      half-empty and in this section the authors propose a critical reflection on
      scarceness of novel targeted lupus therapies. They show how hard it is to
      identify suitable biological and clinical targets and to choose the patients that
      may best fit those targets, as well as to stratify patients according to disease
      subtype and response, all contributing to the final outcome. On the other hand,
      reasons are emerging to see the glass half-full, including the growing evidence
      that disease activity and damage can both be hindered by the proper use of novel
      drugs and that promising molecules are upcoming. In this section, the authors
      contextualize potentials and failures of new drugs, providing a critical reading
      of disappointing results and underlining the concrete benefits obtainable through
      a wise use of available treatments. Indeed, combining medications with new
      therapeutic strategies such as the treat-to-target seems the right approach to
      add some water to a filling glass.

PMID- 28899803
TI  - Humanistic and cost burden of systemic sclerosis: A review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc), or systemic scleroderma, is a chronic
      multisystem autoimmune disease characterised by widespread vascular injury and
      progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Patients with SSc have
      decreased survival, with pulmonary involvement as the main cause of death.
      Current treatments for SSc manage a range of symptoms but not the cause of the
      disease. Our review describes the humanistic and cost burden of SSc. METHODS: A
      structured review of the literature was conducted, using predefined search
      strategies to search PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Grey literature
      searches also were conducted. RESULTS: In total, 2226 articles were identified in
      the databases and 52 were included; an additional 10 sources were included from
      the grey literature. The review identified six studies reporting relevant cost
      estimates conducted in five different countries and four studies that assessed
      the humanistic burden of SSc. Total direct annual medical costs per patient for
      Europe varied from ?3544 to ?8452. For Canada, these costs were reported to be
      from Can$5038 to Can$10,673. In the United States, the total direct health care
      costs were reported to be US$17,365 to US$18,396. Different key drivers of direct
      costs were reported, including hospitalisations, outpatients, and medication. The
      total annual costs per patient were reported at Can$18,453 in Canada and varied
      from ?11,074 to ?22,459 in Europe. Indirect costs represented the largest
      component of the total costs. EQ-5D utility scores were lower for patients with
      SSc than those observed in the general population, with reported mean values of
      0.49 and 0.68, respectively. The average value of the Health Assessment
      Questionnaire for patients with SSc was significantly higher than the control
      population (0.94), and the average value of the SF-36 was significantly lower
      than the control population: 49.99 for the physical dimension and 58.42 for the
      mental dimension. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there is a paucity of information on the
      burden of SSc. Nonetheless, our review indicates that the quality of life of
      patients with SSc is considerably lower than that of the general population. In
      addition, SSc places a considerable economic burden on health care systems and
      society as a whole.

PMID- 28899804
TI  - Can we withdraw anticoagulation in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome after
      seroconvertion?
AB  - The current mainstay of treatment in patients with thrombotic antiphospholipid
      syndrome (APS) is long-term anticoagulation, mainly with Vitamin K antagonist
      agents. Some recently available studies have created new ground for discussion
      about the possible discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy in patients with a
      history of thrombotic APS in whom antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are not
      detected any longer (i.e. aPL seroconversion). We report the main points
      discussed at the last CORA Meeting regarding the issue whether or not
      anticoagulation can be stopped after aPL seroconversion. In particular, we
      systematically reviewed the available evidence investigating the clinical outcome
      of APS patients with aPL seroconversion in whom anticoagulation was stopped when
      compared to those in whom therapy was continued regardless the aPL profile.
      Furthermore, the molecular basis for the aPL pathogenicity, the available
      evidence of non-criteria aPL and their association with thrombosis are addressed.
      To date, available evidence is still limited to support the indication to stop
      oral anticoagulation therapy in patients with a previous diagnosis of thrombotic
      APS who subsequently developed a negative aPL profile. The identification of the
      whole risk profile for cardiovascular manifestations and possibly of a second
      level aPL testing in selected patients with aPL might support the eventual
      clinical decision but further investigation is warranted.

PMID- 28899805
TI  - Performance of GenoType(r) MTBDRplus assay in the diagnosis of drug-resistant
      tuberculosis in Tangier, Morocco.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In Morocco, tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem with
      high morbidity and mortality. The main problem faced by the national TB programme
      is the high rate of drug-resistant (DR), particularly multi-drug resistant (MDR)
      strains. Diagnosis of DR-TB is mainly performed by conventional techniques that
      are time consuming with limited efficacy. In 2014, the GenoType(r) MTBDRplus
      assay was introduced in Morocco for drug susceptibility testing (DST). In this
      regard, the present study was planned to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the
      GenoType(r) MTBDRplus assay. METHODS: A total of 70 samples from suspected TB
      cases in Tangier (Morocco) were analysed by conventional DST and GenoType(r)
      MTBDRplus assay. RESULTS: Among the 70 samples, 37.1% were MDR, whereas
      monoresistance to isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) was detected in 186% and
      17.1% of strains, respectively, by DST. Using the GenoType(r) MTBDRplus approach,
      12 isolates (17.1%) were identified as INH monoresistant, 9 (12.9%) as RIF
      monoresistant and 26 (37.1%) as MDR. rpoB531 and katG315 mutations were the most
      common mutations associated with resistance to RIF and INH, respectively.
      Significantly, all phenotypically MDR strains were also MDR by GenoType(r)
      MTBDRplus. The sensitivity of GenoType(r) MTBDRplus was 92.1% for RIF resistance
      and 97.4% for INH resistance, whereas the specificity was 100% for the two tested
      drugs. CONCLUSIONS: GenoType(r) MTBDRplus assay is a rapid, reliable and accurate
      tool for the detection of DR-TB in clinical specimens. Its routine use will be of
      a great interest to prevent the dissemination of DR-TB in the community.

PMID- 28899806
TI  - First report of ceftriaxone-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis in
      Belarus.

PMID- 28899807
TI  - Tn2008-driven carbapenem resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from a
      period of increased incidence of infections in a Southwest Virginia hospital
      (USA).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were (i) to determine the genetic basis
      for carbapenem resistance in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii
      strains isolated from patients affected by a sudden increase in the incidence of
      infections by such organisms in a tertiary care hospital in Virginia, USA, in
      2009-2010 and (ii) to examine whether such strains are commonly encountered in
      the hospital setting. METHODS: The whole genomes of one outbreak strain as well
      as one carbapenem-resistant and one carbapenem-sensitive strain from sporadic
      infections in 2010-2012 were sequenced and analysed. Then, 5 outbreak isolates
      and 57 sporadic isolates (of which 39 were carbapenem-resistant) were screened by
      PCR for relevant DNA elements identified in the genomics investigation. RESULTS:
      All three strains for which whole-genome sequences were obtained carried
      resistance genes linked to MDR phenotypes and a ca. 111-kbp plasmid (pCMCVTAb1)
      without drug resistance genes. Of these, the two carbapenem-resistant strains
      possessed a ca. 74-kbp plasmid (pCMCVTAb2) carrying a Tn2008 transposon that
      provides high-level carbapenem resistance. PCR analysis showed that all of the
      outbreak isolates carried both plasmids and Tn2008, and of the sporadic isolates
      88% carried pCMCVTAb1, 25% contained pCMCVTAb2 and 50% of the latter group
      carried Tn2008. CONCLUSIONS: Carbapenem resistance in outbreak strains and 12% of
      sporadic isolates was due to the pCMCVTAb2-borne Tn2008. This is the first report
      of a Tn2008-driven outbreak of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii infections in
      the Commonwealth of Virginia, which followed similar cases in Pennsylvania and
      Ohio.

PMID- 28899808
TI  - Complete genome sequence of the nematicidal Bacillus thuringiensis MYBT18247.
AB  - The Gram-positive spore forming bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis MYBT18247
      encodes three cry toxin genes, (cry6Ba2, cry6Ba3 and cry21-like) which are active
      against nematodes. For a better understanding of the evolution of virulence and
      cry toxins, we present here the complete genome sequence of Bacillus
      thuringiensis MYBT18247. Various additional virulence factors such as
      bacteriocins, proteases and hemolysins were identified. In addition, the
      methylome and the metabolic potential of the strain were analyzed and the strain
      phylogenetically classified.

PMID- 28899809
TI  - Estimation of Drug Particle Size in Intact Tablets by 2-Dimensional X-Ray
      Diffractometry.
AB  - The average grain size of a crystalline material can be determined from the gamma
      profile of Debye rings in 2-dimensional X-ray diffraction frames. Our objectives
      were to: (1) validate the method for organic powders and use it to determine the
      grain size in intact tablets, and (2) demonstrate the pharmaceutical application
      of this technique by determining the grain size of the active pharmaceutical
      ingredient in marketed formulations. Six sieve fractions of sucrose were prepared
      and the particle size distribution was confirmed by laser diffraction. Their
      average grain size was determined from the 2-dimensional X-ray diffraction frames
      by the gamma-profile method. For particles <90 MUm (based on sieving), the
      average particle size determined by the 3 methods were in good agreement. When
      these particles were compressed, there was no discernible change in the sucrose
      grain size in tablets. When the particles were >250 MUm, compression resulted in
      a mixture of large grains and fine powder. The grain size of acetaminophen in 11
      marketed tablet formulations was determined to be either ~35 MUm or ~80 MUm. This
      nondestructive technique can therefore be potentially useful to estimate the
      grain size of crystalline formulation components in intact tablets.

PMID- 28899810
TI  - Quantity discrimination in canids: Dogs (Canis familiaris) and wolves (Canis
      lupus) compared.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that animals are able to discriminate between
      quantities. Recent studies have shown that dogs' and coyotes' ability to
      discriminate between quantities of food items decreases with increasing numerical
      ratio. Conversely, wolves' performance is not affected by numerical ratio. Cross
      species comparisons are difficult because of differences in the methodologies
      employed, and hence it is still unclear whether domestication altered
      quantitative abilities in canids. Here we used the same procedure to compare pet
      dogs and wolves in a spontaneous food choice task. Subjects were presented with
      two quantities of food items and allowed to choose only one option. Four
      numerical contrasts of increasing difficulty (range 1-4) were used to assess the
      influence of numerical ratio on the performance of the two species. Dogs'
      accuracy was affected by numerical ratio, while no ratio effect was observed in
      wolves. These results align with previous findings and reinforce the idea of
      different quantitative competences in dogs and wolves. Although we cannot exclude
      that other variables might have played a role in shaping quantitative abilities
      in these two species, our results might suggest that the interspecific
      differences here reported may have arisen as a result of domestication.

PMID- 28899811
TI  - Group selection in behavioral evolution.
AB  - How may patterns of behavior change over an organism's lifetime? The answer is
      that they evolve (behavioral evolution) as species evolve over generations
      (biological evolution). In biological evolution, under certain conditions, groups
      of cooperative organisms would be selected over groups of non-cooperative
      organisms, even when cooperation imposes a cost to individuals. Analogously, in
      behavioral evolution, patterns of acts may be selected even when each individual
      act in the pattern is costly. Although there is considerable debate among
      biologists whether the conditions for group selection are met in biological
      evolution, it is argued here that they are met in behavioral evolution (as well
      as in cultural evolution). The article shows how selection of patterns can
      explain the learning of self-control and altruism.

PMID- 28899812
TI  - The starving brain: Overfed meets undernourished in the pathology of mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
AB  - Type II Diabetes affects 400 million people worldwide (IDF, 2013). The pathology
      is paradoxical: internal starvation activated by overfeeding. Hyperinsulinemic
      impairments of glucose homeostasis are treated with anti-hyperglycemics
      exacerbating cell starvation, inducing hypoglycemia and raising respiratory
      quotient. Reductions in hyperglycemia are achieved at the expense of glucose
      dependency and metabolic inflexibility (Gibas & Gibas, 2017). The brain is not
      immune from these cycles of starvation. The bioenergetic model characterizes
      propagation of late-onset, sporadic Alzheimer's disease as loss of molecular
      fidelity and compromised energy originating in brain networks with highest
      metabolic demand. Impaired networks function as hubs of connectivity with other
      "at risk" regions causing propagation of disease to neighboring cells and
      compensatory up-regulation in protein synthesis, including amyloid precursor
      protein (Demetrius et al., 2014). Impaired brain circuits are hypo-metabolic.
      Cerebral energy declines after stages of quasi-stable, hyper-metabolism. Elevated
      insulin with low bioavailable glucose cross the BBB hyper-activating neurons to
      preserve brain function, thereby overloading the astrocyte-neuron lactate
      shuttle. Sustained deficits reprogram the neural phenotype toward lactate driven,
      OXPHOS. Increased OXPHOS fosters competition between normal and "metabolically
      charged" neurons for limited fuel. Cerebral starvation causes apoptosis of
      healthy neurons due to selective disadvantage. The neuroenergetic model defines
      late-onset neural decline as symptomatic of "brain starvation" resulting from a
      physiological paradox, concurrent hyperinsulinemia and hypoglycemia, without an
      evolved cellular response. Catabolic degeneration occurs on a spectrum linear to
      energy deficit ranging from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's
      disease (AD); this pathology of cerebral starvation is known as Type III
      diabetes.

PMID- 28899813
TI  - Re-inventing drug development: A case study of the I-SPY 2 breast cancer clinical
      trials program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this case study, we profile the I-SPY 2 TRIAL (Investigation of
      Serial studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And molecular
      anaLysis 2), a unique breast cancer clinical trial led by researchers at 20
      leading cancer centers across the US, and examine its potential to serve as a
      model of drug development for other disease areas. This multicenter collaboration
      launched in 2010 to reengineer the drug development process to be more efficient
      and patient-centered. METHODS: We conduct several interviews with the I-SPY
      leadership as well as a literature review of relevant publications to assess the
      I-SPY 2 initiative. RESULTS: To date, six drugs have graduated from I-SPY 2,
      identified as excellent candidates for phase 3 trials in their corresponding
      tumor subtype, and several others have been or are still being evaluated. These
      trials are also more efficient, typically involving fewer subjects and reaching
      conclusions more quickly, and candidates have more than twice the predicted
      likelihood of success in a smaller phase 3 setting compared to traditional
      trials. CONCLUSIONS: We observe that I-SPY 2 possesses several novel features
      that could be used as a template for more efficient and cost effective drug
      development, namely its adaptive trial design; precompetitive network of
      stakeholders; and flexible infrastructure to accommodate innovation.

PMID- 28899814
TI  - Single immunization with MF59-adjuvanted inactivated whole-virion H7N9 influenza
      vaccine provides early protection against H7N9 virus challenge in mice.
AB  - H7N9 influenza infection in humans would result in severe respiratory illness.
      Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza virus. In this paper, we
      investigated the effect of early protection provided by inactivated whole-virion
      H7N9 influenza vaccine in a mouse model. Mice were immunized intramuscularly once
      with different doses of inactivated whole-virion H7N9 influenza vaccine alone or
      in combination with MF59 adjuvant. Specific IgM and IgG antibody titers in sera
      of mice were detected by ELISA 3, 5 and 7days after immunization. To evaluate the
      early protection provided by the vaccine, mice were challenged with lethal dose
      (40LD50) of homologous virus 3, 5 and 7 days after immunization respectively. The
      survival rate and body weight change of mice during 21 days after challenge and
      the residual lung virus titer on 3rd day after challenge were determined. The
      results demonstrated that mice could obtain effective protection 3 days after
      immunization with the vaccine at a high dose, and 5-7 days after immunization
      even at a low dose. Thus early immune responses induced by inactivated whole
      virion H7N9 vaccine could provide effective protection.

PMID- 28899815
TI  - Blockage of regulatory T cells augments induction of protective immune responses
      by influenza virus-like particles in aged mice.
AB  - Elderly humans over 65 years old are at great risk to pathogenesis by influenza
      virus infection. However, although influenza vaccines provide effective
      protection in healthy young adults, protection of elderly adults is substantially
      lower even with a good match between the vaccine and the circulating influenza
      virus. To gain insight of the underlying mechanism for the reduced immunogenicity
      of influenza vaccines in the aged population, we investigated immunogenicity of
      influenza virus-like particle vaccines in aged mice, which represent a useful
      model for studying aging associated impairment in immune responses. Specifically,
      we investigated the effect of inhibiting regulatory T cells in aged mice on
      induction of protective immune responses by influenza vaccines. Our results
      showed that injecting anti-CD25 antibodies could down-regulate CD25 on the
      surface of regulatory T cells and significantly increase the levels of antibody
      responses induced by VLP immunization in aged mice. Further, the profiles of
      antibody responses were also changed towards Th1 type by regulatory T cell
      blockage in aged mice. Moreover, aged mice that were treated by anti-CD25
      antibodies prior to vaccination were more effectively protected against lethal
      influenza virus challenge.

PMID- 28899816
TI  - Enzyme-crosslinked gene-activated matrix for the induction of mesenchymal stem
      cells in osteochondral tissue regeneration.
AB  - : The development of osteochondral tissue engineering is an important issue for
      the treatment of traumatic injury or aging associated joint disease. However, the
      different compositions and mechanical properties of cartilage and subchondral
      bone show the complexity of this tissue interface, making it challenging for the
      design and fabrication of osteochondral graft substitute. In this study, a
      bilayer scaffold is developed to promote the regeneration of osteochondral tissue
      within a single integrated construct. It has the capacity to serve as a gene
      delivery platform to promote transfection of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs)
      and the functional osteochondral tissues formation. For the subchondral bone
      layer, the bone matrix with organic (type I collagen, Col) and inorganic
      (hydroxyapatite, Hap) composite scaffold has been developed through
      mineralization of hydroxyapatite nanocrystals oriented growth on collagen
      fibrils. We also prepare multi-shell nanoparticles in different layers with a
      calcium phosphate core and DNA/calcium phosphate shells conjugated with
      polyethyleneimine to act as non-viral vectors for delivery of plasmid DNA
      encoding BMP2 and TGF-beta3, respectively. Microbial transglutaminase is used as
      a cross-linking agent to crosslink the bilayer scaffold. The ability of this
      scaffold to act as a gene-activated matrix is demonstrated with successful
      transfection efficiency. The results show that the sustained release of plasmids
      from gene-activated matrix can promote prolonged transgene expression and
      stimulate hMSCs differentiation into osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages by
      spatial and temporal control within the bilayer composite scaffold. This improved
      delivery method may enhance the functionalized composite graft to accelerate
      healing process for osteochondral tissue regeneration. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:
      In this study, a gene-activated matrix (GAM) to promote the growth of both
      cartilage and subchondral bone within a single integrated construct is developed.
      It has the capacity to promote transfection of human mesenchymal stem cells
      (hMSCs) and the functional osteochondral tissues formation. The results show that
      the sustained release of plasmids including TGF-beta and BMP-2 from GAM could
      promote prolonged transgene expression and stimulate hMSCs differentiation into
      the osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages by spatial control manner. This improved
      delivery method should enhance the functionalized composite graft to accelerate
      healing process in vitro and in vivo for osteochondral tissue regeneration.

PMID- 28899817
TI  - Acute oral toxicity study of magnesium oxide nanoparticles and microparticles in
      female albino Wistar rats.
AB  - Advancements in nanotechnology have led to the development of the nanomedicine,
      which involves nanodevices for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A key
      requirement for the successful use of the nanoparticles (NPs) in biomedical
      applications is their good dispensability, colloidal stability in biological
      media, internalization efficiency, and low toxicity. Therefore, toxicological
      profiling is necessary to understand the mechanism of NPs and microparticles
      (MPs). MgO NPs have attracted wide scientific interest due to ease of synthesis,
      chemical stability and unique properties. However, their toxic effects on humans
      should also be of concern with the increased applications of nano MgO. The
      present study was aimed to assess the toxicological potential of MgO NPs in
      comparison to their micron counterparts in female Wistar rats. Toxicity was
      evaluated using genotoxicity, histological, biochemical, antioxidant and
      biodistribution parameters post administration of MgO particles to rats through
      oral route. The results obtained from the investigation revealed that the acute
      exposure to the high doses of MgO NPs produced significant (p < 0.01) DNA damage
      and biochemical alterations. Antioxidant assays revealed prominent oxidative
      stress at the high dose level for both the particles. Toxicokinetic analysis
      showed significant levels of Mg accumulation in the liver and kidney tissues
      apart from urine and feces. Further, mechanistic investigational reports are
      warranted to document safe exposure levels and health implications post exposure
      to high levels of NPs.

PMID- 28899818
TI  - Familial 9q33q34 microduplication in siblings with developmental disorders and
      macrocephaly.
AB  - Because several genes responsible for epileptic encephalopathy are located on the
      9q33q34 region, patients with chromosomal deletions of this region often show
      intractable epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disability. Contrary to these
      findings, chromosomal duplications of this region have never been reported
      previously. We identified a first case of 9q33q34 microduplications in siblings
      associated with developmental disorders and macrocephaly. Their mother was a
      mosaic carrier of this duplication. Duplicated regions involved STXBP1; the gene
      related to epileptic encephalopathy. Neurological features including
      developmental delay and macrocephaly observed in the present siblings may be
      derived from the extra-copy of STXBP1.

PMID- 28899819
TI  - Information content of dendritic spines after motor learning.
AB  - Dendritic spines, small protrusions emerging from the dendrites of most
      excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain, are highly dynamic structures and
      their shape and number is continuously modulated by memory formation and other
      adaptive changes of the brain. In this study, using a behavioral paradigm of
      motor learning, we applied the non-linear analysis of dendritic spines to study
      spine complexity along dendrites of cortical and subcortical neural systems, such
      as the basal ganglia, that sustain important motor learning processes. We show
      that, after learning, the spine organization has greater complexity, as indexed
      by the maximum Lyapunov exponent (LyE). The positive value of the exponent
      demonstrates that the system is chaotic, while recurrence plots show that the
      system is not simply composed by random noise, but displays quasi-periodic
      behavior. The increase in the maximum LyE and in the system entropy after
      learning was confirmed by the modification of the reconstructed trajectories in
      phase-space. Our results suggest that the remodeling of spines, as a result of a
      chaotic and non-random dynamical process along dendrites, may be a general
      feature associated with the structural plasticity underlying processes such as
      long-term memory maintenance. Furthermore, this work indicates that the non
      linear method is a very useful tool to allow the detection of subtle stimulus
      induced changes in dendritic spine dynamics, giving a key contribution to the
      study of the relationship between structure and function of spines.

PMID- 28899820
TI  - A facilitating role for the primary motor cortex in action sentence processing.
AB  - The involvement of the motor system in action language comprehension is a hotly
      debated topic in cognitive neuroscience and psychology. Recent studies suggest
      that primary motor cortex (M1) response to action language is context-sensitive
      rather than automatic and necessary. Specifically, semantic polarity (i.e.
      affirmative/negative valence) appears to modulate the intensity of this response,
      which is stronger for affirmative action sentences. The aim of our study was to
      examine further the context sensitivity of M1 response. More specifically, we
      aimed to determine whether M1 response follows semantic polarity or the core
      meaning of the sentence using two-part action sentences containing interacting
      polarities. Modulations of M1 activity were recorded using surface
      electromyography of the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the right hand in 22
      healthy participants. Our results show an increase in M1 activity during the
      first part of the sentence, regardless of semantic polarity. This response was
      then modulated by the polarity of the second part of the sentence, which carried
      crucial information regarding the action. These observations suggest that M1
      differentially responds to different aspects of action sentences, one response
      being automatic and the other following the core meaning of the sentence. Our
      results thus contribute to clarifying the nature of the motor response to action
      language, which is key to develop more comprehensive and plausible
      neurobiological models of language processing.

PMID- 28899821
TI  - Correlation between brain circuit segregation and obesity.
AB  - Obesity is a major public health problem. Herein, we aim to identify the
      correlation between brain circuit segregation and obesity using multimodal
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques and analysis. Twenty
      obese patients (BMI=37.66+/-5.07) and 30 healthy controls (BMI=22.64+/-3.45) were
      compared using neuroimaging and assessed for symptoms of anxiety and depression
      using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). All participants
      underwent resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and T1-weighted imaging using a 1.5T MRI.
      Multimodal MRI techniques and analyses were used to assess obese patients,
      including the functional connectivity (FC), amplitude of low-frequency
      fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), graph theoretical analysis
      (GTA), and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Correlations between brain circuit
      segregation and obesity were also calculated. In the VBM, obese patients showed
      altered gray matter volumes in the amygdala, thalamus and putamen. In the FC, the
      obesity group showed increased functional connectivity in the bilateral anterior
      cingulate cortex and decreased functional connectivity in the frontal gyrus of
      default mode network. The obesity group also exhibited altered ALFF and ReHo in
      the prefrontal cortex and precuneus. In the GTA, the obese patients showed a
      significant decrease in local segregation and a significant increase in global
      integration, suggesting a shift toward randomization in their functional
      networks. Our results may provide additional evidence for potential structural
      and functional imaging markers for clinical diagnosis and future research, and
      they may improve our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of obesity.

PMID- 28899822
TI  - Early strength recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the
      fascia lata.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: After undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction,
      patients must recover at least 80% of their hamstring and quadriceps strength to
      be able to return to sports without risk to the graft. Harvesting of the patellar
      tendon leads to large deficits in quadriceps strength, while harvesting the
      hamstring tendons leads to large deficits in hamstring strength. However, there
      are no published studies on the strength deficit after ACL reconstruction with
      the fascia lata. The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of
      isokinetic testing in patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with a fascia
      lata graft and to analyze the individual factors affecting these results. The
      hypothesis was that preserving the quadriceps and hamstrings would lead to
      satisfactory isokinetic testing results by preserving the physiological balance
      between the flexor and extensor mechanisms in the leg. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      this retrospective, single-center study, 53 patients had their quadriceps and
      hamstring strength recovery evaluated 6 months and 1 year post-ACL reconstruction
      by concentric isometric testing at a slow (90 degrees /s) and fast velocity (240
      degrees /s). These results were analyzed as a function of individual
      characteristics such as age, sex, preinjury level and type of sports activity,
      and IKDC and Lysholm scores. RESULTS: The quadriceps strength deficit at the slow
      and fast velocities was 27.5% and 22.5% at 6 months and 15.5% and 11% at 1 year,
      respectively. The hamstring strength deficit at the slow and fast velocities was
      12.1% and 7% at 6 months and 8% and 6.4% at 1 year, respectively. The quadriceps
      to hamstring ratio at the slow and fast velocities was 66.7+/-16.5 and 71.3+/
      15.5 at 6 months, and 61.1+/-14.9 and 67.6+/-12.5 at 1 year. Being less than 25
      years of age, having a subjective IKDC grade or Lysholm score above 90, and being
      a professional athlete were significant predictors of better muscle strength
      recovery. DISCUSSION: Isokinetic testing at 6 months and 1 year after ACL
      reconstruction surgery using the fascia lata showed that the quadriceps to
      hamstring ratio is close to physiological standards. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV
      retrospective study.

PMID- 28899824
TI  - Group- and Individual-Level Responsiveness of the 3-Point Berg Balance Scale and
      3-Point Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine both group- and individual-level responsiveness of the 3
      point Berg Balance Scale (BBS-3P) and 3-point Postural Assessment Scale for
      Stroke Patients (PASS-3P) in patients with stroke, and to compare the
      responsiveness of both 3-point measures versus their original measures (Berg
      Balance Scale [BBS] and Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients [PASS]) and
      their short forms (short-form Berg Balance Scale [SFBBS] and short-form Postural
      Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients [SFPASS]) and between the BBS-3P and PASS
      3P. DESIGN: Data were retrieved from a previous study wherein 212 patients were
      assessed at 14 and 30 days after stroke with the BBS and PASS. SETTING: Medical
      center. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=212) with first onset of stroke within 14 days
      before hospitalization. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Group-level responsiveness was examined by the standardized response mean (SRM),
      and individual-level responsiveness was examined by the proportion of patients
      whose change scores exceeded the minimal detectable change of each measure. The
      responsiveness was compared using the bootstrap approach. RESULTS: The BBS-3P and
      PASS-3P had good group-level (SRM, .60 and SRM, .56, respectively) and individual
      level (48.1% and 44.8% of the patients with significant improvement,
      respectively) responsiveness. Bootstrap analyses showed that the BBS-3P generally
      had superior responsiveness to the BBS and SFBBS, and the PASS-3P had similar
      responsiveness to the PASS and SFPASS. The BBS-3P and PASS-3P were equally
      responsive to both group and individual change. CONCLUSIONS: The responsiveness
      of the BBS-3P and PASS-3P was comparable or superior to those of the original and
      short-form measures. We recommend the BBS-3P and PASS-3P as responsive outcome
      measures of balance for individuals with stroke.

PMID- 28899823
TI  - A predictive radiological analysis of short stems versus both shortened and long
      stems in primary hip replacement: A case-control study of 100 cases of Metha
      versus ABG II and Omnifit HA at 2-8years' follow-up.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Short hip stems, intended to conserve bone stock and ensure a more
      physiological distribution of stress in the femur under loading, are meeting with
      renewed interest. Radiologic semiology is not known exactly, particularly in
      relation to conventional implants; we therefore conducted a case-control study of
      3 types of implant differing only in stem length: short, shortened or long. The
      aim was: (1) to compare radiographic aspects, (2) to attempt to systematize
      medium-term radiologic status for the 3 types, and (3) to assess the impact of
      radiographic aspect on loosening and revision rates. HYPOTHESIS: The short Metha
      stem is better adapted to the recipient bone than longer stems, without
      sacrificing stability. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective series comprising the
      first 100 selected cases of hip replacement using the short Metha stem was
      compared to two other series of 100 "long" (Omnifit HA) and 100 "shortened" (ABG
      II) stems at comparable follow-up: 4.05+/-1.44years (range: 2-8years) for Metha,
      4.48+/-0.97years (range: 2-8years) for Omnifit, and 4.75+/-2.07years (range: 2
      8years) for ABG II. Selection criteria in this initial phase were very strict:
      young age and/or high activity level, with good bone stock and femoral morphology
      suited to fitting a Metha stem (no "stovepipe" or "champagne-flute" femurs), for
      which 12.8% of primary hip replacements were selected. Matching was performed by
      sampling on criteria of age, gender, body-mass index and etiology. Radiographic
      parameters were compared between the short stem group and the two control groups
      and classified according to Engh-Massin score (10 points for fixation and 17 for
      stability). RESULTS: The short Metha stem provided excellent fixation scores:
      7.65/10, versus 7.16 (P=0.003) and 5.92 (P=0.0001) for ABG II and Omnifit,
      respectively. Likewise, stability was scored 14.23/17 for Metha, vs. 14.51 (NS)
      and 11.83 (P=0.0001) respectively, and the total score was higher for Metha
      (21.88/27) than ABG II (21.67; P=0.03) or, more particularly, Omnifit (17.83;
      P=0.0001). The Metha stem was never associated with thigh pain or periprosthetic
      fracture. 8-year survival was 100%, without significant difference with respect
      to ABG II (100%; NS) or Omnifit (98.8%; 95% CI: 0.964-1; NS). DISCUSSION: The
      apparent radiologic superiority of the short Metha stem requires long-term
      confirmation in non-selected series. Meanwhile, Metha can be asserted to have
      demonstrated optimal compromise between lasting bone anchorage and respect of
      bone physiology under loading at medium term. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, case
      control study.

PMID- 28899826
TI  - Comparative Efficacy of Intra-Articular Steroid Injection and Distension in
      Patients With Frozen Shoulder: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of intra-articular (IA) steroid injection and
      distension in patients with frozen shoulder. DATA SOURCES: Databases, including
      MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, were searched for
      studies published up to November 2016. STUDY SELECTION: We included all published
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental studies, and
      observational studies investigating the effectiveness of IA steroid injection,
      distension, and physiotherapy in patients with frozen shoulder. Sixteen RCTs and
      1 observational study were enrolled in meta-analysis. DATA EXTRACTION: Full texts
      were independently reviewed, and quality of RCTs was assessed with The Cochrane
      Collaboration's tool. The primary outcome was functional improvement; the
      secondary outcomes included pain reduction and external rotation (ER)
      improvement. DATA SYNTHESIS: In pairwise meta-analysis, pooled standardized mean
      difference (SMD) of functional improvement and pain reduction revealed equal
      efficacy at 3 follow-up time points. With respect to ER improvement, distension
      has a superior effect compared with IA steroid injection in the short term [(2
      4wk; SMD, -.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], -.68 to -.04) and medium term (6
      16wk; SMD, -0.80; 95% CI, -1.32 to -0.29). The network meta-analysis indicated a
      better efficacy for distension than for IA steroid injection in ER improvement
      only in the medium term (6-16wk; SMD, -0.70; 95% CI, -1.19 to -0.21).
      CONCLUSIONS: IA steroid injection was as effective as distension in shoulder
      function improvement, pain reduction, and increasing ER of the shoulder.
      Distension yielded better ER improvement in the medium term but to a minor extent
      in the long term. For patients with predominant ER limitation, early distension
      could be considered the primary choice of treatment.

PMID- 28899825
TI  - Long-Term Performance and User Satisfaction With Implanted Neuroprostheses for
      Upright Mobility After Paraplegia: 2- to 14-Year Follow-Up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantify the long-term (>2y) effects of lower extremity (LE)
      neuroprostheses (NPs) for standing, transfers, stepping, and seated stability
      after spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Single-subject design case series with
      participants acting as their own concurrent controls, including retrospective
      data review. SETTING: Hospital-based clinical biomechanics laboratory with
      experienced (>20y in the field) research biomedical engineers, a physical
      therapist, and medical monitoring review. PARTICIPANTS: Long-term (6.2+/-2.7y) at
      home users (N=22; 19 men, 3 women) of implanted NPs for trunk and LE function
      with chronic (14.4+/-7.1y) spinal cord injury resulting in full or partial
      paralysis. INTERVENTIONS: Technical and clinical performance measurements, along
      with user satisfaction surveys. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Knee extension moment,
      maximum standing time, body weight supported by lower extremities, 3 functional
      standing tasks, 2 satisfaction surveys, NP usage, and stability of implanted
      components. RESULTS: Stimulated knee extension strength and functional
      capabilities were maintained, with 94% of implant recipients reporting being very
      or moderately satisfied with their system. More than half (60%) of the
      participants were still using their implanted NPs for exercise and function for
      >10min/d on nearly half or more of the days monitored; however, maximum standing
      times and percentage body weight through LEs decreased slightly over the follow
      up interval. Stimulus thresholds were uniformly stable. Six-year survival rates
      for the first-generation implanted pulse generator (IPG) and epimysial electrodes
      were close to 90%, whereas those for the second-generation IPG along with the
      intramuscular and nerve cuff electrodes were >98%. CONCLUSIONS: Objective and
      subjective measures of the technical and clinical performances of implanted LE
      NPs generally remained consistent for 22 participants after an average of 6 years
      of unsupervised use at home. These findings suggest that implanted LE NPs can
      provide lasting benefits that recipients value.

PMID- 28899827
TI  - Randomized Trial of Clitoral Vacuum Suction Versus Vibratory Stimulation in
      Neurogenic Female Orgasmic Dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the safety and efficacy of using a clitoral vacuum suction
      device (CVSD) versus vibratory stimulation (V) to treat orgasmic dysfunction in
      women with multiple sclerosis (MS) or spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN:
      Randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Two academic medical centers. PARTICIPANTS:
      Women (N=31) including 20 with MS and 11 with SCI. INTERVENTION: A 12-week trial
      of the use of a CVSD versus V. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Female Sexual Function
      Inventory (FSFI) and Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS). RESULTS: Twenty-three
      women (18 MS, 5 SCI) completed the study including 13 of 16 randomized to CVSD
      and 10 of 15 randomized to V. There was a statistically significant increase in
      total FSFI score (P=.011), desire (P=.009), arousal (P=.009), lubrication
      (P=.008), orgasm (P=.012), and satisfaction (P=.049), and a significant decrease
      in distress as measured by FSDS (P=.020) in subjects using the CVSD. In subjects
      who used V, there was a statistically significant increase in the orgasm subscale
      of the FSFI (P=.028). Subjects using the CVSD maintained improvements 4 weeks
      after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: CVSD is safe and overall efficacious to treat
      female neurogenic sexual dysfunction related to MS and SCI. V is also safe and
      efficacious for female neurogenic orgasmic dysfunction; however, results were
      limited to the active treatment period. Because of ease of access and cost,
      clinicians can consider use of V for women with MS or SCI with orgasmic
      dysfunction. CVSD is recommended for women with multiple sexual dysfunctions or
      for whom V is ineffective.

PMID- 28899828
TI  - Borderline Ovarian Tumor in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population: A Case
      Series and Literature Review.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnosis, management, and outcome for children
      and adolescents with borderline ovarian tumor (BOT), and to provide a review of
      the literature on BOT in children and adolescents. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort
      study of female adolescents younger than age 21 years diagnosed with BOT between
      January 2001 and May 2016. SETTING: Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas.
      PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen patients (ages 12 to 18 years) diagnosed with BOT. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical presentation, preoperative characteristics, surgical
      technique, cancer stage, histology, treatment, and recurrence. RESULTS: Median
      age at diagnosis was 15.5 years, with most postmenarchal. Abdominal mass/pain
      were the most common presenting symptoms. Median tumor size was 16.6 cm (range, 4
      32 cm). Preoperative cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) was elevated in 54% (7/13) of
      cases. All patients had fertility-preserving surgery, either cystectomy (CY) or
      unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO): 5 via laparoscopy (LSC) and 9 via
      laparotomy. Most were stage I with 5 serous and 9 mucinous BOT histology. No one
      received adjuvant chemotherapy. Two patients had recurrence. One had ipsilateral
      recurrence 2 months after LSC CY for FIGO stage IC1 mucinous BOT. The second had
      contralateral recurrence 15 months after laparotomy, right USO for FIGO stage
      IIIC serous BOT treated with LSC CY, then a second recurrence treated with USO
      after oocyte cryopreservation for fertility preservation. All patients were alive
      at last follow-up, 1 with disease. CONCLUSIONS: BOT in children and adolescents
      can be treated conservatively with fertility-preserving techniques and
      surveillance with good outcome. The role of adjuvant therapy is not known.

PMID- 28899829
TI  - Multi-scale mechanical characterization of prostate cancer cell lines: Relevant
      biological markers to evaluate the cell metastatic potential.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Considering the importance of cellular mechanics in the birth and
      evolution of cancer towards increasingly aggressive stages, we compared nano
      mechanical properties of non-tumoral (WPMY-1) and highly aggressive metastatic
      (PC-3) prostate cell lines both on cell aggregates, single cells, and membrane
      lipids. METHODS: Cell aggregate rheological properties were analyzed during
      dynamic compression stress performed on a homemade rheometer. Single cell visco
      elasticity measurements were performed by Atomic Force Microscopy using a
      cantilever with round tip on surface-attached cells. At a molecular level, the
      lateral diffusion coefficient of total extracted lipids deposited as a Langmuir
      monolayer on an air-water interface was measured by the FRAP technique. RESULTS:
      At cellular pellet scale, and at single cell scale, PC-3 cells were less stiff,
      less viscous, and thus more prone to deformation than the WPMY-1 control.
      Interestingly, stress-relaxation curves indicated a two-step response, which we
      attributed to a differential response coming from two cell elements, successively
      stressed. Both responses are faster for PC-3 cells. At a molecular scale, the
      dynamics of the PC-3 lipid extracts are also faster than that of WPMY-1 lipid
      extracts. CONCLUSIONS: As the evolution of cancer towards increasingly aggressive
      stages is accompanied by alterations both in membrane composition and in
      cytoskeleton dynamical properties, we attribute differences in viscoelasticity
      between PC-3 and WPMY-1 cells to modifications of both elements. GENERAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: A decrease in stiffness and a less viscous behavior may be one of
      the diverse mechanisms that cancer cells adopt to cope with the various
      physiological conditions that they encounter.

PMID- 28899830
TI  - Simple Lateral Suboccipital Approach and Modification for Vertebral Artery
      Aneurysms: A Study of 52 Cases Over 10 Years.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Complex skull base approaches are frequently used to treat
      intracranial vertebral artery (VA) and proximal posterior inferior cerebellar
      artery (PICA) aneurysms. These complex procedures are associated with higher risk
      of neurovascular injury. Hence, a less-invasive surgical approach is needed to
      improve the efficacy and safety of treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis
      was conducted on clinical and radiologic data from surgeries in which simple
      lateral suboccipital and "lateral-enough" approaches were used to clip VA
      aneurysms in the Department of Neurosurgery at Helsinki University Central
      Hospital from 2000 to 2009. RESULTS: Fifty-two VA or PICA aneurysms were treated
      using the simple lateral suboccipital approach. Sixteen patients (31%) presented
      with an unruptured aneurysm, 21 patients (40%) with World Federation of
      Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grade 1-3, and 15 patients (29%) with World
      Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade 4-5. The aneurysms were saccular in
      48 cases (92%), dissecting in 3 cases (6%), and fusiform in 1 case (2%). The most
      common aneurysm location was the VA-PICA junction (81%). The mean final modified
      Rankin Scale score was 2, and in unruptured cases, all patients had favorable
      clinical outcomes. The main causes of unfavorable outcome were poor preoperative
      clinical grade (P = 0.002), preoperative intraventricular hemorrhage (P = 0.008),
      postoperative hydrocephalus (P = 0.003), brain infarction (P = 0.005), and
      postoperative pneumonia (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We describe a 10-year
      experience using a simple lateral suboccipital approach and its modification by
      the senior author (J.H.) to treat VA and proximal PICA aneurysms. Unfavorable
      outcome was related to the poor preoperative clinical grade, preoperative
      intraventricular hemorrhage, and postoperative pneumonia.

PMID- 28899831
TI  - Acquired Chiari I Malformation with Syringomyelia Secondary to Colloid Cyst with
      Hydrocephalus-Case Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acquired Chiari malformation and associated syringomyelia have been
      previously described following lumbar puncture/drainage, lumboperitoneal shunts,
      and spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leakage. In addition to these etiologies,
      space-occupying lesions such as meningiomas, epidermoid cysts, medulloblastomas,
      and arachnoid cysts are rare causes of acquired Chiari malformation and
      syringomyelia. We report a rare case of colloid cyst with hydrocephalus causing
      secondary Chiari malformation with syringomyelia. CASE REPORT: A 58-year-old lady
      presented with neck pain and difficulty in walking and numbness of all 4 limbs of
      1-year duration. Diagnostics with magnetic resonance imaging of the head and the
      cervical spine were done in the referring hospital. The patients was then
      referred with the diagnosis of colloid cyst with hydrocephalus and Chiari
      malformation 1 with cervicodorsal syringomyelia. She underwent colloid cyst
      excision through the transcallosal approach. Postoperatively the patient showed
      improvement in her symptomatology. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and
      cervical spine at 6 months' follow-up showed resolved Chiari malformation and
      resolving syrinx. CONCLUSIONS: Colloid cyst with hydrocephalus is a rare cause of
      secondary Chiari malformation with syringomyelia. Surgical management of the
      underlying lesion improves acquired Chiari malformation and associated
      syringomyelia.

PMID- 28899832
TI  - Radiologic Predictors for Extent of Resection in Pituitary Adenoma Surgery. A
      Single-Center Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preoperative radiologic evaluation of pituitary adenomas is
      essential. Despite the efforts made to determine the achieved resection grade
      after pituitary adenoma surgery, there is a high level of disagreement among all
      the available classifications and measurement methods used. Our study aimed to
      determine pituitary adenoma imaging features, easily obtained from preoperative
      magnetic resonance, which could be used as resection predictor variables. Second,
      we analyzed the usefulness of the ellipsoid method in pituitary adenoma volume
      determination. METHODS: Two-hundred and ninety-four pituitary adenomas, which
      were surgically treated in our department, were retrospectively analyzed. Age,
      gender, surgical approach, hormonal status, greater tumor diameter, volume,
      cavernous sinus invasion, and extent of resection were evaluated. RESULTS: One
      hundred and forty-eight surgical procedures were conducted with a microsurgical
      transsphenoidal approach whereas 146 were conducted with an endoscopic endonasal
      approach. Gross total resection was achieved in 54.08% of cases. There were no
      significant differences in the extent of resection regarding the approach used,
      age, gender, or hormonal production by the tumor. Only Knosp grade (P < 0.001)
      and tumor volume (P < 0.05) had a statistically and independent significant
      relationship with the extent of resection. Furthermore, we found a high
      correlation between the calculated volume, using the ellipsoid method, and the
      volume measurement obtained with complex planimetry methods. CONCLUSIONS:
      Pituitary adenoma volume and cavernous sinus invasion, graded with the Knosp
      scale, are 2 pituitary tumor features that, when used in combination, predict the
      complexity of the surgery and the difficulty of achieving gross total resection
      in pituitary adenoma surgery.

PMID- 28899833
TI  - A Pilot Study of the Level of Evidence and Collaboration in Published
      Neurosurgical Research.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Large-scale studies analyzing neurosurgical published research are
      lacking. This pilot study was designed to assess feasibility of an ongoing annual
      neurosurgical literature and research analysis of published articles in English
      language neurosurgery journals. METHODS: All scientific articles published during
      2015 in the print version of 14 English-language neurosurgery journals were
      reviewed individually. RESULTS: During 2015, 4065 articles were published in 14
      neurosurgical journals. Of these, 1116 (27.5%) were nonscientific articles and
      were excluded from the analysis, and 2949 scientific articles were analyzed. Of
      these, 2% and 8.5% of publications met criteria for levels of evidence 1 and 2,
      respectively. One third of published manuscripts (33.2%) were retrospective chart
      reviews. There were 1742 different centers (mean 1.95 centers per article; range,
      1-19) represented in 2949 articles from 67 countries (mean 1.23 countries per
      article; range, 1-12). Multicenter collaboration was present in 47.5% of
      published articles, and international collaboration was present in 17.5%. The
      highest numbers of U.S. author international collaborations were with Canada (70
      collaborations), China (33 collaborations) and Italy (25 collaborations). Data
      for levels of evidence, multicenter collaborations, and international
      collaborations are presented for each individual journal and subject within
      neurosurgery. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot analysis provides a descriptive assessment
      of levels of evidence and collaboration based on journal, general subject matter,
      and subcategories of subject allowing for comparison. This methodology may be
      used on an annual basis to establish neurosurgery publication trends and to
      identify underrepresented areas of research within the specialty.

PMID- 28899834
TI  - Hyponatremia in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Practical Management Protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia (defined as serum sodium <135 mEq/L) is the most common
      electrolyte abnormality in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is also an
      independent predictor of poor neurologic outcome. The reported incidence of
      hyponatremia varies widely in literature reports, and there is continuing
      difficulty in clearly differentiating between the 2 common causes of hyponatremia
      with natriuresis: the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion
      (SIADH) and cerebral salt wasting (CSW). We encounter hyponatremia frequently in
      our practice, and we therefore decided to review data from our center to estimate
      the incidence of hyponatremia and the results of our management strategies, and
      attempt to formulate simple guidelines for the correction of hyponatremia in TBI.
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 1500 consecutively admitted patients with
      TBI was performed by the use of electronic records and radiographic review.
      Hyponatremia was defined as serum sodium <135 mEq/L, and natriuresis as a urine
      spot sodium of more than >40 mEq/L. The incidence of TBI, its management, and the
      effect of fludrocortisone were evaluated. RESULTS: The incidence of hyponatremia
      was 13.2%. Early therapy with fludrocortisone significantly reduced the duration
      of hospital stay (P < 0.05). Traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage was the most
      common abnormality on the admission computed tomographic scan in patients who
      experienced hyponatremia. CONCLUSION: Early initiation of fludrocortisone in the
      setting of hyponatremia with natriuresis decreases the hospital stay. This
      protocol is probably safer in a tropical country where fluid restriction might be
      harmful. It also eliminates the need to differentiate between SIADH and CSW.

PMID- 28899835
TI  - Successful Treatment with Microvascular Decompression Surgery of a Patient with
      Hemiparesis Caused by Vertebral Artery Compression of the Medulla Oblongata: Case
      Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are few reports on hemiparesis caused by vascular medullary
      compression, which can occur because of dolichoectasia of the vertebrobasilar
      arterial system. In this article, we report a case of vertebral artery
      compression of the medulla oblongata in a 67-year-old woman. CASE DESCRIPTION:
      The patient was hypertensive, and she developed hemiparesis and intermittent
      spasms over 5 years. These spasms had worsened during the last year. Cranial
      nerve magnetic resonance imaging showed compression of the medulla oblongata by
      the left vertebral artery. A motor evoked potential (MEP) examination showed
      abnormal conduction of MEPs of bilateral toe abductors. The patient underwent
      microvascular decompression surgery under general anesthesia through a
      retrosigmoid keyhole approach. This operation led to relief of vascular
      compression and symptomatic improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Our case suggests that
      detailed history, imaging studies, and electrophysiologic studies help lead to a
      correct and early diagnosis of hemiparesis caused by vascular compression of the
      rostral ventrolateral medulla. Microvascular decompression surgery improves
      patient symptoms, and intraoperative electrophysiologic monitoring helps to avoid
      injury to important adjacent nerves.

PMID- 28899836
TI  - Spinal Hydatid Cyst Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A hydatic cyst (HC) is a zoonotic infection affecting the liver and
      lungs, with rare spinal involvement. We discuss the long-term results in 8
      patients with spinal HC who were monitored at our clinic for 7 to 15 years.
      METHODS: The demographic data and clinicopathologic characteristics of 8 patients
      with spinal HC diagnosed between 2000 and 2016 were evaluated for their
      contribution to recurrence, and the long-term follow-up results were examined.
      RESULTS: Four male and 4 female patients with a median age of 30.75 years (range,
      17-45 years) at the first surgery were included. Infections were localized in the
      thoracic (3), thoracolumbar (1), lumbar (1), sacral (1), cervicothoracic (1), and
      lumbosacral (1) regions. Two patients had secondary HCs that spread from another
      organ (lung and kidney). Patients underwent 2 to 5 surgeries during the study
      period, with an average follow-up time of 8.5 years (range, 7-15 years) after the
      first surgery. The surgical treatments included an anterior corpectomy and
      anterior plate for a patient with cervical localization and cystectomy for a
      patient with sacral localization; the other patients underwent cystectomy with
      corpectomy and stabilization with an anterior approach, cyst excision and
      laminectomy with a posterior approach, or additional posterior transpedicular
      screw stabilization. The patients were prescribed albendazole. CONCLUSIONS:
      Spinal HC treatment is difficult, particularly in patients with vertebral and
      paraspinal involvement, spinal instability, and recurrence. Long-term follow-up
      is critical, and patients require medical and surgical treatment, with regular
      clinical, radiologic, and serologic examinations. The cysts must be removed
      without rupture during surgery, and the surgical area must be irrigated with
      hypertonic saline solution to reduce the risk of recurrence.

PMID- 28899837
TI  - An integrative taxonomic study of Pavanelliella spp. (Monogenoidea,
      Dactylogyridae) with the description of a new species from the nasal cavities of
      an Amazon pimelodid catfish.
AB  - The present study is an integrative taxonomic analysis of Pavanelliella spp.
      (Monogenoidea, Dactylogyridae), and describes a new species from the nasal
      cavities of the Amazonian pimelodid catfish Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii
      (Siluriformes Pimelodidae) from the Tapajos River (Amazon Basin, Para state,
      Brazil). Pavanelliella jarii sp. n. is characterized by the presence of 3-4 rings
      in the male copulatory organ, the absence of rings around the vaginal atrium and
      by its sinuous vaginal canal, which sometimes forms 0.5-1 rings in the distal
      portion. The sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal DNA (ssrDNA) and internal
      transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) of three species of Pavanelliella, Vancleaveus
      cicinnus, and an undetermined dactylogyrid allowed the phylogenetic
      reconstruction of these dactylogyrids. The analysis indicated that P. jarii sp.
      n. is closely related to Pavanelliella takemotoi and Pavanelliella pavanellii,
      which formed a sister clade to ancylodiscoidines parasites of siluriform fish
      from the Oriental and Afrotropical regions. The analysis also corroborated the
      non-monophyly of Ancyrocephalinae, revealing that ancylodiscoidines arose between
      ancyrocephalines lineages, in a sister relationship to
      pseudodactylogyrines+marine ancyrocephalines+ancyrocephalines parasites of
      afrotropical perciforms+dactylogyrines. Cladistical analysis indicates that the
      haptoral anchor/bar complex has been lost several times in the evolutionary
      history of Dactylogyridae. The analysis also indicated that Dactylogyrus is
      polyphyletic, as Acolpenteron ureteroecetes and Dactylogyroides longicirrus arose
      between the three lineages formed by Dactylogyrus spp.

PMID- 28899838
TI  - Design and evaluation of novel natriuretic peptide derivatives with improved
      pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties.
AB  - C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and its receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor B
      (NPR-B), are potent positive regulators of endochondral bone growth, making the
      CNP pathway one of the most promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of
      growth failure. However, the administration of exogenous CNP is not fully
      effective, due to its rapid clearance in vivo. Modification of CNP to potentially
      druggable derivatives may result in increased resistance to proteolytic
      degradation, longer plasma half-life (T1/2), and better distribution to target
      tissues. In the present study, we designed and evaluated CNP/ghrelin chimeric
      peptides as novel CNP derivatives. We have previously reported that the ghrelin C
      terminus increases peptide metabolic stability. Therefore, we combined the 17
      membered, internal disulfide ring portion of CNP with the C-terminal portion of
      ghrelin. The resultant peptide displayed improved biokinetics compared to CNP,
      with increased metabolic stability and longer plasma T1/2. Repeated subcutaneous
      administration of the chimeric peptide to mice resulted in a significant
      acceleration in longitudinal growth, whereas CNP(1-22) did not. These results
      suggest that the ghrelin C-terminus improves the stability of CNP, and the
      chimeric peptide may be useful as a novel therapeutic agent for growth failure
      and short stature.

PMID- 28899839
TI  - No evidence for major adverse events related to suspicion of Ebola in France,
      2014-2015.

PMID- 28899840
TI  - Estimation of seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness using data collected in
      primary care in France: comparison of the test-negative design and the screening
      method.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We discussed which method between the test-negative design (TND) and
      the screening method (SM) could provide more robust real-time and end-of-season
      vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates using data collected from routine influenza
      surveillance in primary care. METHODS: We used data collected during two
      influenza seasons, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Using the SM, we estimated end-of-season
      VE in preventing medically attended influenza-like illness and laboratory
      confirmed influenza among the population at risk. Using the TND, we estimated end
      of-season VE in preventing influenza among both the general and the at-risk
      population. We estimated real-time VE using both methods. RESULTS: For the SM,
      the overall adjusted end-of-season VE was 24% (95% confidence interval (CI), 16
      to 32) and 12% (95% CI, -16 to 33) during season 2014-15, and 53% (95% CI, 44 to
      60) and 47% (95% CI, 23 to 64) during season 2015-16, in preventing influenza
      like illness and laboratory-confirmed influenza, respectively. For the TND, the
      overall adjusted end-of-season VE was -17% (95% CI, -79 to 24) and -38% (95% CI, 
      199 to 13) in 2014-15, and 10% (95% CI, -31 to 39) and 18% (95% CI, -33 to 50) in
      2015-16, among the general and at-risk population, respectively. Real-time VE
      estimates obtained through the TND showed more variability across each season and
      lower precision than those estimated with the SM. CONCLUSIONS: Although the
      worldwide use of the TND allows for comparison of overall VE estimates among
      countries, the SM performs better in providing robust real-time VE estimates
      among the population at risk.

PMID- 28899841
TI  - Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome-associated
      encephalopathy/encephalitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus has a
      variety of central nervous system (CNS) manifestations. However, there are
      limited data regarding SFTS-associated encephalopathy/encephalitis (SFTSAE) and
      its mechanism. METHODS: All patients with confirmed SFTS who underwent
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination due to suspected acute encephalopathy were
      enrolled in three referral hospitals between January 2013 and October 2016. Real
      time RT-PCR for SFTS virus and chemokine/cytokines levels from blood and CSF were
      analysed. RESULTS: Of 41 patients with confirmed SFTS by RT-PCR for SFTS virus
      using blood samples, 14 (34%) underwent CSF examination due to suspected SFTSAE.
      All 14 patients with SFTSE revealed normal protein and glucose levels in CSF, and
      CSF pleocytosis was uncommon (29%, 4/14). Of the eight patients whose CSF was
      available for further analysis, six (75%) yielded positive results for SFTS
      virus. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) level
      in CSF were significantly higher than those in serum (geometric mean 1889 pg/mL
      in CSF versus 264 pg/mL in serum for MCP-1, p = 0.01, and geometric mean 340
      pg/mL in CSF versus 71 pg/mL in serum for IL-8, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The CNS
      manifestation of SFTS as acute encephalopathy/encephalitis is a common
      complication of SFTS. Although meningeal inflammation was infrequent in patients
      with SFTSAE, SFTS virus was frequently detected in CSF with elevated MCP-1 and IL
      8. These findings indicate that possible direct invasion of the CNS by SFTS virus
      with the associated elevated cytokine levels in CSF may play an important role in
      the pathogenesis of SFTSAE.

PMID- 28899842
TI  - Identifying Which Urban Children With Asthma Benefit Most From Clinician
      Prompting: Subgroup Analyses From the Prompting Asthma Intervention in Rochester
      Uniting Parents and Providers (PAIR-UP) Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinician prompts increase the likelihood of guideline-recommended
      corrective actions (preventive medication prescription, dose change, and/or
      adherence promotion) for symptomatic children with poorly controlled or
      persistent asthma in the primary care setting, but it is unclear if all children
      equally benefit. The objectives of this study were to identify whether asthma
      severity, visit type, and current preventive medication use were predictive of
      corrective actions during visits for children with symptomatic asthma, and
      determine whether these factors modified the effect of a prompting intervention.
      METHODS: We conducted prespecified subgroup analyses of a cluster randomized
      controlled trial of physician prompting that promoted guideline-based asthma
      management for urban children with symptomatic asthma. We tested predictors of
      corrective actions with bivariate and multivariate multilevel logistic
      regressions, compared intervention effects across factor categories via
      stratified analyses, and characterized effect modification with interaction term
      analyses. RESULTS: Prompting intervention exposure, moderate/severe disease,
      asthma-focused visits, and current preventive medication use were predictive of
      corrective actions. The prompting intervention significantly increased the rate
      of corrective actions for children across categories of disease severity, visit
      type, and preventive medication use. However, the intervention effect was
      significantly smaller for children already using a preventive medication
      (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-3.38)
      compared with children without preventive medication use (adjusted OR, 6.25; 95%
      CI, 3.39-11.54). CONCLUSIONS: Prompting increases the likelihood of corrective
      actions during clinic encounters; however, children already using preventive
      medication benefit less. It is critical for providers to recognize the need for
      corrective actions among these symptomatic children.

PMID- 28899843
TI  - A machine learning approach for the identification of new biomarkers for knee
      osteoarthritis development in overweight and obese women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is among the higher contributors to global
      disability. Despite its high prevalence, currently, there is no cure for this
      disease. Furthermore, the available diagnostic approaches have large precision
      errors and low sensitivity. Therefore, there is a need for new biomarkers to
      correctly identify early knee OA. METHOD: We have created an analytics pipeline
      based on machine learning to identify small models (having few variables) that
      predict the 30-months incidence of knee OA (using multiple clinical and
      structural OA outcome measures) in overweight middle-aged women without knee OA
      at baseline. The data included clinical variables, food and pain questionnaires,
      biochemical markers (BM) and imaging-based information. RESULTS: All the models
      showed high performance (AUC > 0.7) while using only a few variables. We
      identified both the importance of each variable within the models as well its
      direction. Finally, we compared the performance of two models with the state-of
      the-art approaches available in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: We showed the
      potential of applying machine learning to generate predictive models for the knee
      OA incidence. Imaging-based information were found particularly important in the
      proposed models. Furthermore, our analysis confirmed the relevance of known BM
      for knee OA. Overall, we propose five highly predictive small models that can be
      possibly adopted for an early prediction of knee OA.

PMID- 28899844
TI  - A new lipid formulation of low dose ibuprofen shows non-inferiority to high dose
      standard ibuprofen: the FLARE study (flaring arthralgia relief evaluation in
      episodic flaring knee pain) - a randomised double-blind study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate short-term efficacy and safety of a novel lipid
      ibuprofen formulation 1200 mg/day compared with standard ibuprofen 1200 mg/day
      and 2400 mg/day in episodic knee arthralgia/flaring pain. DESIGN: Multicentre,
      randomised, double-blind, 3-arm, non-inferiority trial conducted at 27 primary
      care centres. Adults with >=1 knee flare episode within 12 months were recruited
      within 24 h of new flare with pain severity >=5 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale
      (NRS). Primary outcome was change from baseline in WOMAC pain subscale over 5
      days. Main secondary outcome was Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS)
      change from baseline. Other endpoints included assessment of WOMAC total subscale
      scores and self-reported NRS for pain, subject nominated activity, stiffness and
      swelling. RESULTS: 462 patients were enrolled (58.9% males; mean age 52.2 years).
      Treatment allocation comprised 148 lipid 1200 mg, 155 soft-gel 1200 mg, 159 soft
      gel 2400 mg. WOMAC pain subscale scores decreased in all groups, with lipid 1200
      mg being non-inferior to soft-gel 1200 mg (adjusted mean difference -0.26 [95%
      confidence interval [CI] -0.69, 0.17]) and to soft-gel 2400 mg (difference 0.19
      [95% CI -0.24, 0.62]). No differences were seen in mean GSRS total scores. NRS
      secondary endpoints suggested greater improvements in the lipid 1200 mg group
      compared to soft-gel 1200 mg, with similar results to soft-gel 2400 mg. The most
      frequent drug-related adverse events (AEs) were gastrointestinal (GI) disorders,
      with statistically fewer events for lipid 1200 mg vs soft-gel 2400 mg (P = 0.01,
      post-hoc analysis). CONCLUSIONS: Ibuprofen 1200 mg/day lipid formulation was non
      inferior to standard ibuprofen soft-gel capsules 1200 mg and 2400 mg/day in
      relieving flaring knee pain. NRS endpoints showed lipid 1200 mg was numerically
      similar to soft-gel 2400 mg. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: EudraCT number: 2014
      004254-33.

PMID- 28899845
TI  - Upwelling-derived oceanographic conditions impact growth performance and growth
      related gene expression in intertidal fish.
AB  - Growth is one of the main biological processes in aquatic organisms that is
      affected by environmental fluctuations such as upwelling (characterized by food
      rich waters). In fish, growth is directly related with skeletal muscle increase;
      which represents the largest tissue of body mass. However, the effects of
      upwelling on growth, at the physiological and molecular level, are unknown. This
      study used Girella laevifrons (one of the most abundant intertidal fish in
      Eastern South Pacific) as a biological model, considering animals from upwelling
      (U) and non-upwelling (NU) areas. Here, we evaluated the effect of nutritional
      composition and food availability on growth performance and expression of key
      growth-related genes (insulin-kike growth factor 1 (igf1) and myosin heavy-chain
      (myhc)) and atrophy-related genes (muscle ring-finger 1 (murf1), F-box only
      protein 32 (atrogin-1) and BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19kDa-interacting protein 3
      (bnip3)). We reported that, among zones, U fish displayed higher growth
      performance in response to nutritional composition, specifically between protein-
      and fiber-rich diets (~1g). We also found in NU fish that atrophy-related genes
      were upregulated with fiber-rich diet and during fasting (~2-fold at minimum
      respect U). In conclusion, our results suggest that the growth potential of
      upwelling fish may be a consequence of differential muscle gene expression. Our
      data provide a preliminary approach contributing on how upwelling influence fish
      growth at the physiological and molecular levels. Future studies are required to
      gain further knowledge about molecular differences between U and NU animals, as
      well as the possible applications of this knowledge in the aquaculture industry.

PMID- 28899846
TI  - Quality of Patient Information Websites About Congenital Heart Defects: Mixed
      Methods Study of Perspectives Among Individuals With Experience of a Prenatal
      Diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When a heart defect is prenatally diagnosed in the fetus, expectant
      parents experience a great need for information about various topics. After the
      diagnosis, the Web is used for supplemental information, and the scarcity of
      research calls attention to the need to explore patient information websites from
      the perspectives of the intended consumers. OBJECTIVE: The overarching aim of
      this study was to explore the quality of Swedish patient information websites
      about congenital heart defects, from the perspectives of individuals with
      experience of a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect in the fetus.
      METHODS: This was a mixed-methods study of websites identified through systematic
      searches in the two most used Web-based search engines. Of the total 80 screened
      hits, 10 hits led to patient information websites about congenital heart defects.
      A quality assessment tool inspired by a previous study was used to evaluate each
      website's appearance, details, relevance, suitability, information about
      treatment choices, and overall quality. Answers were given on a 5-point Likert
      scale, ranging from 1, representing the lowest score, to 5, representing the
      highest score. Each website was assessed individually by persons with experience
      of continued (n=4) and terminated (n=5) pregnancy following a prenatal diagnosis.
      Assessments were analyzed with Kendall's coefficient of concordance W, Mann
      Whitney U test, Friedman's test, and a Wilcoxon-Nemenyi-McDonald-Thompson test.
      In addition, each assessor submitted written responses to open-ended questions in
      the quality assessment tool, and two joint focus group discussions were conducted
      with each group of assessors. The qualitative data were analyzed with inductive
      manifest content analysis. RESULTS: Assessments represented a low score
      (median=2.0) for treatment choices and moderate scores (median=3.0) for
      appearance, details, relevance, suitability, and overall quality. No website had
      a median of the highest achievable score for any of the questions in the quality
      assessment tool. Medians of the lowest achievable score were found in questions
      about treatment choices (n=4 websites), details (n=2 websites), suitability (n=1
      website), and overall quality (n=1 website). Websites had significantly different
      scores for appearance (P=.01), details (P<.001), relevance (P<.001), suitability
      (P<.001), treatment choices (P=.04), and overall quality (P<.001). The content
      analysis of the qualitative data generated six categories: (1) advertisements,
      (2) comprehensiveness, (3) design, (4) illustrations and pictures, (5) language,
      and (6) trustworthiness. Various issues with the included websites were
      highlighted, including the use of inappropriate advertisements, biased
      information, poor illustrations, complex language, and poor trustworthiness.
      CONCLUSIONS: From the perspectives of the intended consumers, patient information
      websites about congenital heart defects are, to a large extent, inadequate tools
      for supplemental information following a prenatal diagnosis. Health professionals
      should initiate discussions with patients about their intentions to use the Web,
      inform them about the varied quality in the Web-based landscape, and offer
      recommendations for appropriate Web-based sources.

PMID- 28899847
TI  - Enhancing Seasonal Influenza Surveillance: Topic Analysis of Widely Used
      Medicinal Drugs Using Twitter Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uptake of medicinal drugs (preventive or treatment) is among the
      approaches used to control disease outbreaks, and therefore, it is of vital
      importance to be aware of the counts or frequencies of most commonly used drugs
      and trending topics about these drugs from consumers for successful
      implementation of control measures. Traditional survey methods would have
      accomplished this study, but they are too costly in terms of resources needed,
      and they are subject to social desirability bias for topics discovery. Hence,
      there is a need to use alternative efficient means such as Twitter data and
      machine learning (ML) techniques. OBJECTIVE: Using Twitter data, the aim of the
      study was to (1) provide a methodological extension for efficiently extracting
      widely consumed drugs during seasonal influenza and (2) extract topics from the
      tweets of these drugs and to infer how the insights provided by these topics can
      enhance seasonal influenza surveillance. METHODS: From tweets collected during
      the 2012-13 flu season, we first identified tweets with mentions of drugs and
      then constructed an ML classifier using dependency words as features. The
      classifier was used to extract tweets that evidenced consumption of drugs, out of
      which we identified the mostly consumed drugs. Finally, we extracted trending
      topics from each of these widely used drugs' tweets using latent Dirichlet
      allocation (LDA). RESULTS: Our proposed classifier obtained an F1 score of 0.82,
      which significantly outperformed the two benchmark classifiers (ie, P<.001 with
      the lexicon-based and P=.048 with the 1-gram term frequency [TF]). The classifier
      extracted 40,428 tweets that evidenced consumption of drugs out of 50,828 tweets
      with mentions of drugs. The most widely consumed drugs were influenza virus
      vaccines that had around 76.95% (31,111/40,428) share of the total; other notable
      drugs were Theraflu, DayQuil, NyQuil, vitamins, acetaminophen, and oseltamivir.
      The topics of each of these drugs exhibited common themes or experiences from
      people who have consumed these drugs. Among these were the enabling and deterrent
      factors to influenza drugs uptake, which are keys to mitigating the severity of
      seasonal influenza outbreaks. CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed the
      feasibility of using tweets of widely consumed drugs to enhance seasonal
      influenza surveillance in lieu of the traditional or conventional surveillance
      approaches. Public health officials and other stakeholders can benefit from the
      findings of this study, especially in enhancing strategies for mitigating the
      severity of seasonal influenza outbreaks. The proposed methods can be extended to
      the outbreaks of other diseases.

PMID- 28899849
TI  - David Oliver: What GPs told me about how they see the future.

PMID- 28899848
TI  - A Multi-Level, Mobile-Enabled Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Older
      Adults in the Primary Care Setting (iCanFit 2.0): Protocol for a Cluster
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most older adults do not adhere to the US Centers for Disease Control
      physical activity guidelines; their physical inactivity contributes to overweight
      and multiple chronic conditions. An urgent need exists for effective physical
      activity-promotion programs for the large number of older adults in the United
      States. OBJECTIVE: This study presents the development of the intervention and
      trial protocol of iCanFit 2.0, a multi-level, mobile-enabled, physical activity
      promotion program developed for overweight older adults in primary care settings.
      METHODS: The iCanFit 2.0 program was developed based on our prior mHealth
      intervention programs, qualitative interviews with older patients in a primary
      care clinic, and iterative discussions with key stakeholders. We will test the
      efficacy of iCanFit 2.0 through a cluster randomized controlled trial in six
      pairs of primary care clinics. RESULTS: The proposed protocol received a high
      score in a National Institutes of Health review, but was not funded due to
      limited funding sources. We are seeking other funding sources to conduct the
      project. CONCLUSIONS: The iCanFit 2.0 program is one of the first multi-level,
      mobile-enabled, physical activity-promotion programs for older adults in a
      primary care setting. The development process has actively involved older
      patients and other key stakeholders. The patients, primary care providers, health
      coaches, and family and friends were engaged in the program using a low-cost, off
      the-shelf mobile tool. Such low-cost, multi-level programs can potentially
      address the high prevalence of physical inactivity in older adults.

PMID- 28899850
TI  - Oral surgeon whose misconduct was "serious, persistent, and shocking" is struck
      off.

PMID- 28899853
TI  - The potential for chemotherapy-free strategies in mantle cell lymphoma.
AB  - Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) may be 1 of the few cancers for which multiple
      chemotherapy and nonchemotherapy regimens are considered as standard. Despite the
      significant activity of chemotherapy in the first-line setting and beyond, its
      limitations are reflected in the relatively poor ultimate outcomes of patients
      with MCL treated in the real world. Patients with highly proliferative MCL and
      those with TP53 mutations tend to respond poorly despite intensive cytotoxic
      therapies. Patients with comorbidities and those who are geographically isolated
      may not have access to the regimens that may appear most promising in clinical
      trials. Thoughtfully directed, nonchemotherapy agents might overcome some of the
      factors associated with a poor prognosis, such at TP53 mutation, and might
      resolve some of the challenges related to the toxicity and deliverability of
      standard chemotherapy regimens. Several clinical trials have already demonstrated
      that combinations of nonchemotherapy plus chemotherapy drugs can impact outcomes,
      whereas data with nonchemotherapy agents alone or in combination have suggested
      that some patients might be well suited to treatment without chemotherapy at all.
      However, challenges including chronic or unexpected toxicities, the rational vs
      practical development of combinations, and the financial acceptability of new
      strategies abound. The nonchemotherapy era is here: how it unfolds will depend on
      how we meet these challenges.

PMID- 28899852
TI  - Identification of extant vertebrate Myxine glutinosa VWF: evolutionary
      conservation of primary hemostasis.
AB  - Hemostasis in vertebrates involves both a cellular and a protein component.
      Previous studies in jawless vertebrates (cyclostomes) suggest that the protein
      response, which involves thrombin-catalyzed conversion of a soluble plasma
      protein, fibrinogen, into a polymeric fibrin clot, is conserved in all
      vertebrates. However, similar data are lacking for the cellular response, which
      in gnathostomes is regulated by von Willebrand factor (VWF), a glycoprotein that
      mediates the adhesion of platelets to the subendothelial matrix of injured blood
      vessels. To gain evolutionary insights into the cellular phase of coagulation, we
      asked whether a functional vwf gene is present in the Atlantic hagfish, Myxine
      glutinosa We found a single vwf transcript that encodes a simpler protein
      compared with higher vertebrates, the most striking difference being the absence
      of an A3 domain, which otherwise binds collagen under high-flow conditions.
      Immunohistochemical analyses of hagfish tissues and blood revealed Vwf expression
      in endothelial cells and thrombocytes. Electron microscopic studies of hagfish
      tissues demonstrated the presence of Weibel-Palade bodies in the endothelium.
      Hagfish Vwf formed high-molecular-weight multimers in hagfish plasma and in
      stably transfected CHO cells. In functional assays, botrocetin promoted VWF
      dependent thrombocyte aggregation. A search for vwf sequences in the genome of
      sea squirts, the closest invertebrate relatives of hagfish, failed to reveal
      evidence of an intact vwf gene. Together, our findings suggest that VWF evolved
      in the ancestral vertebrate following the divergence of the urochordates some 500
      million years ago and that it acquired increasing complexity though sequential
      insertion of functional modules.

PMID- 28899854
TI  - Nonclassical FCGR2C haplotype is associated with protection from red blood cell
      alloimmunization in sickle cell disease.
AB  - Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are of vital importance in patients with sickle
      cell disease (SCD). However, a major complication of transfusion therapy is
      alloimmunization. The low-affinity Fcgamma receptors, expressed on immune cells,
      are important regulators of antibody responses. Genetic variation in FCGR genes
      has been associated with various auto- and alloimmune diseases. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the association between genetic variation of FCGR and RBC
      alloimmunization in SCD. In this case-control study, DNA samples from 2 cohorts
      of transfused SCD patients were combined (France and The Netherlands). Cases had
      a positive history of alloimmunization, having received >=1 RBC unit. Controls
      had a negative history of alloimmunization, having received >=20 RBC units.
      Single nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variation of the FCGR2/3 gene
      cluster were studied in a FCGR-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe
      amplification assay. Frequencies were compared using logistic regression. Two
      hundred seventy-two patients were included (130 controls, 142 cases). The
      nonclassical open reading frame in the FCGR2C gene (FCGR2C.nc-ORF) was strongly
      associated with a decreased alloimmunization risk (odds ratio [OR] 0.26, 95%
      confidence [CI] 0.11-0.64). This association persisted when only including
      controls with exposure to >=100 units (OR 0.30, CI 0.11-0.85) and appeared even
      stronger when excluding cases with Rh or K antibodies only (OR 0.19, CI 0.06
      0.59). In conclusion, SCD patients with the FCGR2Cnc-ORF polymorphism have over a
      3-fold lower risk for RBC alloimmunization in comparison with patients without
      this mutation. This protective effect was strongest for exposure to antigens
      other than the immunogenic Rh or K antigens.

PMID- 28899855
TI  - A simple method of measuring the wear of explanted acetabular component inserts.
AB  - AIMS: The determination of the volumetric polyethylene wear on explanted material
      requires complicated equipment, which is not available in many research
      institutions. Our aim in this study was to present and validate a method that
      only requires a set of polyetheretherketone balls and a laboratory balance to
      determine wear. METHODS: The insert to be measured was placed on a balance, and a
      ball of the appropriate diameter was inserted. The cavity remaining between the
      ball and insert caused by wear was filled with contrast medium and the weight of
      the contrast medium was recorded. The volume was calculated from the known
      density of the liquid. The precision, inter- and intraobserver reliability, were
      determined by four investigators on four days using nine inserts with specified
      wear (0.094 ml to 1.626 ml), and the intra-class correlation coefficient was
      calculated. The feasibility of using this method in routine clinical practice and
      the time required for measurement were tested on 84 explanted inserts by one
      investigator. RESULTS: In order to get the mean for all investigators and
      determinations, the deviation between the measured and specified wear was -0.08
      ml (sd 0.12; -0.21 to 0.11). The interobserver reliability was 0.989 ml (95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.964 to 0.997) and the intraobserver reliability was
      0.941 for observer 1 (95% CI 0.846 to 0.985), 0.983 for observer 2 (95% CI 0.956
      to 0.995), 0.939 for observer 3 (95% CI 0.855 to 0.984), and 0.934 for observer 4
      (95% CI 0.790 to 0.984). The mean time required to examine the samples was two
      minutes (sd 2; 1 to 5). CONCLUSION: The method presented here was shown to be
      sufficiently precise for many settings and is a cost-effective and quick method
      of determining the volumetric wear of explanted acetabular components. However,
      the measurement of wear for scientific purposes will probably continue to involve
      more accurate and dedicated laboratory equipment.Cite this article: Bone Joint
      Res 2017;6:530-534.

PMID- 28899856
TI  - Release of the tourniquet immediately after the implantation of the components
      reduces the incidence of deep vein thrombosis after primary total knee
      arthroplasty.
AB  - AIMS: The length of the tourniquet time during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is
      related to the incidence of post-operative deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Our aim in
      this study was to investigate the effect of the early release of the tourniquet
      on the incidence of DVT in patients undergoing TKA. METHODS: A total of 200
      patients who underwent TKA between November 2015 and November 2016 were
      prospectively enrolled. The tourniquet was inflated before surgery and released
      immediately after the introduction of the components (early release group). This
      group was compared with a retrospective cohort of 200 primary TKAs, in which the
      tourniquet was released after the dressings had been applied (late release
      group). The presence of a DVT was detected using bilateral lower limb
      ultrasonography. Peri-operative clinical and follow-up data were collected for
      analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of DVT in the early release group (9 of 196,
      4.6%) was significantly lower compared with the late release group (24 of 200,
      12%; odds ratio (OR) 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.16 to 0.78, p = 0.008).
      The incidence of proximal DVT in the early release group (1 of 196 (0.5%)) was
      significantly lower than in the late release group (8 of 196, 4%; OR 0.12, 95% CI
      0.02 to 0.99, p = 0.020). Although the mean intra-operative blood loss was higher
      in the early release group, the mean post-operative drainage, total blood loss,
      transfusion requirements and complications were not significantly different in
      the two groups. CONCLUSION: In patients who undergo TKA, releasing the tourniquet
      early is associated with a decreased incidence of DVT, without increasing the
      rate of complications.Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2017;6:535-541.

PMID- 28899859
TI  - Development of a Surveillance System for Pediatric Hospital-Acquired Venous
      Thromboembolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pediatric hospital-acquired (HA) venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a
      vexing problem with improvement efforts hampered by lack of robust surveillance
      methods to establish accurate rates of HA-VTE. METHODS: At a freestanding
      children's hospital, a multidisciplinary team worked to develop a comprehensive
      surveillance strategy for HA-VTE. Starting with diagnosis codes, we implemented
      complementary detection methods, including clinical and radiology data, to
      develop a robust surveillance system. HA-VTE events were tracked by using
      descriptive statistics and a statistical process control chart. Detection methods
      were evaluated via retrospective application of each method to every identified
      HA-VTE. Initial detection method was tracked. RESULTS: A total of 68 HA-VTE
      events were identified and the median number of events per 1000 patient days
      increased from 0.18 to 0.34. No single detection method would have identified all
      events. Each detection method initially identified HA-VTE events. CONCLUSIONS:
      Implementation of multiple detection methods has optimized timely detection of HA
      VTE. This allows the establishment of a reliable baseline rate, enabling quality
      improvement efforts to address HA-VTE.

PMID- 28899860
TI  - Getting Closer to Optimizing the Prevention and Detection of VTE in Hospitalized
      Children.

PMID- 28899857
TI  - High-fat, high-fructose, high-cholesterol feeding causes severe NASH and cecal
      microbiota dysbiosis in juvenile Ossabaw swine.
AB  - Pediatric obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are on the rise in
      industrialized countries, yet our ability to mechanistically examine this
      relationship is limited by the lack of a suitable higher animal models. Here, we
      examined the effects of high-fat, high-fructose corn syrup, high-cholesterol
      Western-style diet (WD)-induced obesity on NASH and cecal microbiota dysbiosis in
      juvenile Ossabaw swine. Juvenile female Ossabaw swine (5 wk old) were fed WD
      (43.0% fat; 17.8% high-fructose corn syrup; 2% cholesterol) or low-fat diet
      (CON/lean; 10.5% fat) for 16 wk ( n = 6 each) or 36 wk ( n = 4 each). WD-fed pigs
      developed obesity, dyslipidemia, and systemic insulin resistance compared with
      CON pigs. In addition, obese WD-fed pigs developed severe NASH, with hepatic
      steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning, inflammatory cell infiltration, and fibrosis
      after 16 wk, with further exacerbation of histological inflammation and fibrosis
      after 36 wk of WD feeding. WD feeding also resulted in robust cecal microbiota
      changes including increased relative abundances of families and genera in
      Proteobacteria ( P < 0.05) (i.e., Enterobacteriaceae, Succinivibrionaceae, and
      Succinivibrio) and LPS-containing Desulfovibrionaceae and Desulfovibrio and a
      greater ( P < 0.05) predicted microbial metabolic function for LPS biosynthesis,
      LPS biosynthesis proteins, and peptidoglycan synthesis compared with CON-fed
      pigs. Overall, juvenile Ossabaw swine fed a high-fat, high-fructose, high
      cholesterol diet develop obesity and severe microbiota dysbiosis with a
      proinflammatory signature and a NASH phenotype directly relevant to the
      pediatric/adolescent and young adult population.

PMID- 28899858
TI  - REDD1 induction regulates the skeletal muscle gene expression signature following
      acute aerobic exercise.
AB  - The metabolic stress placed on skeletal muscle by aerobic exercise promotes acute
      and long-term health benefits in part through changes in gene expression.
      However, the transducers that mediate altered gene expression signatures have not
      been completely elucidated. Regulated in development and DNA damage 1 (REDD1) is
      a stress-induced protein whose expression is transiently increased in skeletal
      muscle following acute aerobic exercise. However, the role of this induction
      remains unclear. Because REDD1 altered gene expression in other model systems, we
      sought to determine whether REDD1 induction following acute exercise altered the
      gene expression signature in muscle. To do this, wild-type and REDD1-null mice
      were randomized to remain sedentary or undergo a bout of acute treadmill
      exercise. Exercised mice recovered for 1, 3, or 6 h before euthanization. Acute
      exercise induced a transient increase in REDD1 protein expression within the
      plantaris only at 1 h postexercise, and the induction occurred in both cytosolic
      and nuclear fractions. At this time point, global changes in gene expression were
      surveyed using microarray. REDD1 induction was required for the exercise-induced
      change in expression of 24 genes. Validation by RT-PCR confirmed that the
      exercise-mediated changes in genes related to exercise capacity, muscle protein
      metabolism, neuromuscular junction remodeling, and Metformin action were negated
      in REDD1-null mice. Finally, the exercise-mediated induction of REDD1 was
      partially dependent upon glucocorticoid receptor activation. In all, these data
      show that REDD1 induction regulates the exercise-mediated change in a distinct
      set of genes within skeletal muscle.

PMID- 28899861
TI  - Quality Initiative to Introduce Pediatric Venous Thromboembolism Risk Assessment
      for Orthopedic and Surgery Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pediatric hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism
      (VTE) is costly, has high morbidity, and is often preventable. The objective of
      this quality-improvement effort was to increase the percentage of general surgery
      and orthopedic patients >=10 years of age screened for VTE risk from 0% to 80%.
      METHODS: At a freestanding children's hospital, 2 teams worked to implement VTE
      risk screening for postoperative inpatients. The general surgery team used
      residents and nurse practitioners to perform screening whereas the orthopedic
      team initially used bedside nursing staff. Both groups employed multiple small
      tests of change. Shared key interventions included refinement of a screening
      tool, provider education, mitigation of failures, and embedding the risk
      assessment task into staff workflow. The primary outcome measure, the percentage
      of eligible patients with a completed VTE risk assessment, was plotted on run
      charts. Secondary outcome measures for screened patients included the level of
      risk, the use of appropriate prophylaxis, and VTE events. RESULTS: Median weekly
      percentage of general surgery patients screened for VTE risk increased from 0% to
      86% within 12 months, and median weekly percentage of orthopedic patients
      screened for VTE risk increased from 0% to 46% within 8 months. Among screened
      patients, the majority were at low or moderate risk for VTE and received
      prophylaxis in accordance with or beyond guideline recommendations. No screened
      patients developed VTE. CONCLUSIONS: Quality-improvement methods were used to
      implement a VTE risk screening process for postoperative patients. Using
      providers as screeners, as opposed to bedside nurses, led to a greater percentage
      of patients screened.

PMID- 28899862
TI  - Challenges and opportunity in the era of quantitative echocardiography.
AB  - The advancement of echocardiography in the past two decades is more than
      downsizing of the machines and improvement of image quality, but introduction of
      new imaging modalities leading to the ability of performing quantitative
      analysis. This function is greatly facilitated by the integration of echo
      machines with high performance computers, software programming and establishment
      of workstation for offline analysis. Today, echo examination is more than
      estimation of ejection fraction (EF) and patterns of left ventricular (LV)
      diastolic dysfunction. Echosonographers are facing a large number of quantitative
      parameters for interpretation. In newer imaging modalities such as tissue Doppler
      imaging, speckle tracking, 3-dimensional echocardiography and 3D-transoesophageal
      echocardiography, quantitative echocardiographic assessment has important roles.
      These have brought many opportunities but also challenges in our echo practice.

PMID- 28899865
TI  - Lasker Awards Honor Three Researchers.
AB  - Three top cancer researchers were among recipients of the prestigious Albert and
      Mary Lasker Foundation awards. Douglas R. Lowy, MD, and John T. Schiller, PhD,
      were honored for research leading to the development of the first human
      papillomavirus vaccine. The prize for basic medical research went to Michael N.
      Hall, PhD, who discovered the TOR signaling pathway and its role in regulating
      cell growth and metabolism.

PMID- 28899864
TI  - Early Detection of Molecular Residual Disease in Localized Lung Cancer by
      Circulating Tumor DNA Profiling.
AB  - Identifying molecular residual disease (MRD) after treatment of localized lung
      cancer could facilitate early intervention and personalization of adjuvant
      therapies. Here, we apply cancer personalized profiling by deep sequencing (CAPP
      seq) circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis to 255 samples from 40 patients
      treated with curative intent for stage I-III lung cancer and 54 healthy adults.
      In 94% of evaluable patients experiencing recurrence, ctDNA was detectable in the
      first posttreatment blood sample, indicating reliable identification of MRD.
      Posttreatment ctDNA detection preceded radiographic progression in 72% of
      patients by a median of 5.2 months, and 53% of patients harbored ctDNA mutation
      profiles associated with favorable responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitors or
      immune checkpoint blockade. Collectively, these results indicate that ctDNA MRD
      in patients with lung cancer can be accurately detected using CAPP-seq and may
      allow personalized adjuvant treatment while disease burden is
      lowest.Significance: This study shows that ctDNA analysis can robustly identify
      posttreatment MRD in patients with localized lung cancer, identifying
      residual/recurrent disease earlier than standard-of-care radiologic imaging, and
      thus could facilitate personalized adjuvant treatment at early time points when
      disease burden is lowest. Cancer Discov; 7(12); 1394-403. (c)2017 AACR.See
      related commentary by Comino-Mendez and Turner, p. 1368This article is
      highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1355.

PMID- 28899863
TI  - A Unified Approach to Targeting the Lysosome's Degradative and Growth Signaling
      Roles.
AB  - Lysosomes serve dual roles in cancer metabolism, executing catabolic programs
      (i.e., autophagy and macropinocytosis) while promoting mTORC1-dependent
      anabolism. Antimalarial compounds such as chloroquine or quinacrine have been
      used as lysosomal inhibitors, but fail to inhibit mTOR signaling. Further, the
      molecular target of these agents has not been identified. We report a screen of
      novel dimeric antimalarials that identifies dimeric quinacrines (DQ) as potent
      anticancer compounds, which concurrently inhibit mTOR and autophagy. Central
      nitrogen methylation of the DQ linker enhances lysosomal localization and
      potency. An in situ photoaffinity pulldown identified palmitoyl-protein
      thioesterase 1 (PPT1) as the molecular target of DQ661. PPT1 inhibition
      concurrently impairs mTOR and lysosomal catabolism through the rapid accumulation
      of palmitoylated proteins. DQ661 inhibits the in vivo tumor growth of melanoma,
      pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer mouse models and can be safely combined
      with chemotherapy. Thus, lysosome-directed PPT1 inhibitors represent a new
      approach to concurrently targeting mTORC1 and lysosomal catabolism in
      cancer.Significance: This study identifies chemical features of dimeric compounds
      that increase their lysosomal specificity, and a new molecular target for these
      compounds, reclassifying these compounds as targeted therapies. Targeting PPT1
      blocks mTOR signaling in a manner distinct from catalytic inhibitors, while
      concurrently inhibiting autophagy, thereby providing a new strategy for cancer
      therapy. Cancer Discov; 7(11); 1266-83. (c)2017 AACR.See related commentary by
      Towers and Thorburn, p. 1218This article is highlighted in the In This Issue
      feature, p. 1201.

PMID- 28899866
TI  - Subacute endovascular recanalization of symptomatic cerebral artery occlusion: a
      propensity score-matched analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The interval between the onset of cerebral vessel occlusion and
      recanalization has been shown to be an independent predictor of poor outcomes.
      However, endovascular recanalization of symptomatic cerebral vessel occlusion in
      the subacute period has not been well documented. We investigated the safety and
      efficacy of subacute recanalization of occluded cerebral vessels in patients with
      ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). METHODS: Between 2014 and
      2015, 98 patients were admitted to the emergency room for ischemic stroke or TIA
      with a small infarct core, which was defined as modest early ischemic change on
      non-contrast CT or overt diffusion-perfusion mismatch. All patients underwent pre
      transfemoral cerebral angiography and post-endovascular treatment. The patients
      were classified according to acute (onset-to-groin puncture time <=6 hours) or
      subacute (onset-to-groin puncture time >6 hours) recanalization. Using propensity
      score analysis, recipients of acute and subacute recanalization underwent 1:1
      matching. RESULTS: Following 1:1 propensity score matching, 32 patients who
      underwent acute and 32 who underwent subacute intra-arterial thrombolysis were
      matched. There were no significant differences in National Institutes of Health
      Stroke Scale at discharge, modified Rankin scale (mRS), the proportion of
      patients with an mRS value of 0-2, mortality at discharge, intracerebral
      bleeding, postprocedural infarct extension, newly detected infarction, and
      hyperintense acute reperfusion marker on follow-up images between the acute and
      subacute recanalization groups. CONCLUSIONS: In selected patients with clinically
      unstable cerebral artery occlusions, a diffusion-perfusion mismatch and small CT
      lesions, subacute and acute recanalization has comparable safety and efficacy
      rates.

PMID- 28899867
TI  - Epidural interlaminar injections in severe degenerative lumbar spine: fluoroscopy
      should not be a luxury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess technical efficacy, accuracy, and safety of epidural
      (interlaminar) injections performed blindly in patients with a severely
      degenerated lumbar spine. METHODS: Over 12 consecutive months, 138 patients with
      a severe degenerative lumbar spine underwent epidural (interlaminar) injection as
      therapy for low back pain and neuralgia. Patients had already undergone a blind
      epidural infiltration with minimum or no pain reduction. The session was repeated
      in the angiography suite. Patients were placed in the lateral decubitus position.
      The injection was performed without image guidance by an anaesthesiologist; the
      target level was defined before the beginning of the procedure. Once air
      resistance loss was felt it was presumed that the needle was inside the epidural
      space. Verification of needle position was performed by injection of 1-3 mL of
      iodinated contrast medium under fluoroscopy in a lateral projection. RESULTS:
      Correct needle position inside the epidural space was documented in 82/138 cases
      (59.4%); unexpected extraepidural location was seen in 56/138 cases (40.6%).
      Target level was reached in 96/138 cases (69.6%); in 42/138 cases (30.4%) the
      needle was positioned in a non-target level. In 5/138 (3.6%) cases, there was
      inadvertent intradural position of the needle. Image guidance was subsequently
      used for correct positioning of the needle, which was feasible in all cases.
      CONCLUSION: Blind interlaminar epidural injections lack the accuracy of exact
      needle location that imaging guidance offers in approximately 40% of cases, when
      there is difficult spine anatomy and the initial epidural approach has failed to
      provide pain relief. Image guidance for interlaminar epidural injection ensures
      accurate needle placement, enhancing the safety and efficacy of the procedure.

PMID- 28899868
TI  - B cell-derived IL-6 initiates spontaneous germinal center formation during
      systemic autoimmunity.
AB  - Recent studies have identified critical roles for B cells in triggering
      autoimmune germinal centers (GCs) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other
      disorders. The mechanisms whereby B cells facilitate loss of T cell tolerance,
      however, remain incompletely defined. Activated B cells produce interleukin 6 (IL
      6), a proinflammatory cytokine that promotes T follicular helper (TFH) cell
      differentiation. Although B cell IL-6 production correlates with disease severity
      in humoral autoimmunity, whether B cell-derived IL-6 is required to trigger
      autoimmune GCs has not, to our knowledge, been addressed. Here, we report the
      unexpected finding that a lack of B cell-derived IL-6 abrogates spontaneous GC
      formation in mouse SLE, resulting in loss of class-switched autoantibodies and
      protection from systemic autoimmunity. Mechanistically, B cell IL-6 production
      was enhanced by IFN-gamma, consistent with the critical roles for B cell
      intrinsic IFN-gamma receptor signals in driving autoimmune GC formation.
      Together, these findings identify a key mechanism whereby B cells drive
      autoimmunity via local IL-6 production required for TFH differentiation and
      autoimmune GC formation.

PMID- 28899869
TI  - Autism-like behavior caused by deletion of vaccinia-related kinase 3 is improved
      by TrkB stimulation.
AB  - Vaccinia-related kinases (VRKs) are multifaceted serine/threonine kinases that
      play essential roles in various aspects of cell signaling, cell cycle
      progression, apoptosis, and neuronal development and differentiation. However,
      the neuronal function of VRK3 is still unknown despite its etiological potential
      in human autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we report that VRK3-deficient mice
      exhibit typical symptoms of autism-like behavior, including hyperactivity,
      stereotyped behaviors, reduced social interaction, and impaired context-dependent
      spatial memory. A significant decrease in dendritic spine number and arborization
      were identified in the hippocampus CA1 of VRK3-deficient mice. These mice also
      exhibited a reduced rectification of AMPA receptor-mediated current and changes
      in expression of synaptic and signaling proteins, including tyrosine receptor
      kinase B (TrkB), Arc, and CaMKIIalpha. Notably, TrkB stimulation with 7,8
      dihydroxyflavone reversed the altered synaptic structure and function and
      successfully restored autism-like behavior in VRK3-deficient mice. These results
      reveal that VRK3 plays a critical role in neurodevelopmental disorders and
      suggest a potential therapeutic strategy for ASD.

PMID- 28899871
TI  - Migration Experiences and Reported Sexual Behavior Among Young, Unmarried Female
      Migrants in Changzhou, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: China has a large migrant population, including many young unmarried
      women. Little is known about their sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and risk
      of unintended pregnancy. METHODS: 475 unmarried female migrants aged 15-24,
      working in 1 of 6 factories in 2 districts of Changzhou city, completed an
      anonymous self-administered questionnaire in May 2012 on demographic
      characteristics, work and living situation, and health. We examined demographic
      and migration experience predictors of sexual and contraceptive behavior using
      bivariate and multivariate regressions. RESULTS: 30.1% of the respondents were
      sexually experienced, with the average age at first sex of 19 years (standard
      deviation=3). 37.8% reported using contraception at first sex, 58.0% reported
      using consistent contraception during the past year, and 28.0% reported having at
      least 1 unintended pregnancy with all unintended pregnancies resulting in
      abortion. Those who had had at least 1 abortion reported having on average 1.6
      abortions [SD=1] in total. Migrating with a boyfriend and changing jobs fewer
      times were associated with being sexually experienced. Younger age, less
      education, and changing jobs more times were associated with inconsistent
      contraceptive use. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate there is an unmet need
      for reproductive health education and services where these women work as well as
      in their hometown communities. This education must begin early to reach young
      women before they migrate.

PMID- 28899873
TI  - Toxic multinodular goitre: a surprising finding.

PMID- 28899870
TI  - Mbd3/NuRD controls lymphoid cell fate and inhibits tumorigenesis by repressing a
      B cell transcriptional program.
AB  - Differentiation of lineage-committed cells from multipotent progenitors requires
      the establishment of accessible chromatin at lineage-specific transcriptional
      enhancers and promoters, which is mediated by pioneer transcription factors that
      recruit activating chromatin remodeling complexes. Here we show that the
      Mbd3/nucleosome remodeling and deacetylation (NuRD) chromatin remodeling complex
      opposes this transcriptional pioneering during B cell programming of multipotent
      lymphoid progenitors by restricting chromatin accessibility at B cell enhancers
      and promoters. Mbd3/NuRD-deficient lymphoid progenitors therefore prematurely
      activate a B cell transcriptional program and are biased toward overproduction of
      pro-B cells at the expense of T cell progenitors. The striking reduction in early
      thymic T cell progenitors results in compensatory hyperproliferation of immature
      thymocytes and development of T cell lymphoma. Our results reveal that Mbd3/NuRD
      can regulate multilineage differentiation by constraining the activation of
      dormant lineage-specific enhancers and promoters. In this way, Mbd3/NuRD protects
      the multipotency of lymphoid progenitors, preventing B cell-programming
      transcription factors from prematurely enacting lineage commitment. Mbd3/NuRD
      therefore controls the fate of lymphoid progenitors, ensuring appropriate
      production of lineage-committed progeny and suppressing tumor formation.

PMID- 28899872
TI  - Fever, bone pain and erectile dysfunction. Where is the cat?
AB  - Cat-scratch disease is due to Bartonella henselae and commonly presents as a
      localised papular lesion with regional lymphadenopathy. We report the case of a
      young man suffering general symptoms and dysautonomy characterised by an erectile
      dysfunction due to an invasive cat-scratch disease. He was successfully treated
      by tetracyclines during 3 weeks.

PMID- 28899874
TI  - Pulsus alternans: a visual clue to a grave disorder!

PMID- 28899876
TI  - Treatment and management of children with haemolytic uraemic syndrome.
AB  - Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), comprising microangiopathic haemolytic
      anaemia, thrombocytopaenia and acute kidney injury, remains the leading cause of
      paediatric intrinsic acute kidney injury, with peak incidence in children aged
      under 5 years. HUS most commonly occurs following infection with Shiga toxin
      producing Escherichia coli (STEC-HUS). Additionally, HUS can occur as a result of
      inherited or acquired dysregulation of the alternative complement cascade
      (atypical HUS or aHUS) and in the setting of invasive pneumococcal infection. The
      field of HUS has been transformed by the discovery of the central role of
      complement in aHUS and the dawn of therapeutic complement inhibition. Herein, we
      address these three major forms of HUS in children, review the latest evidence
      for their treatment and discuss the management of STEC infection from
      presentation with bloody diarrhoea, through to development of fulminant HUS.

PMID- 28899875
TI  - Stridor is not always croup: infantile haemangioma in the airway.

PMID- 28899877
TI  - Multiresistant E. coli urine infections in children: a case-control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by resistant organisms are
      increasing which poses challenges when selecting empirical antimicrobial therapy.
      The aim of this study is to determine risk factors for multiresistant Escherichia
      coli UTIs in children. DESIGN: We included all reported urinary isolates from a
      children's hospital collected between January 2010 and June 2013. Patients who
      had multiresistant E. coli UTIs were identified and a retrospective review of
      medical records performed. Patient-specific clinical and demographic factors were
      compared with age-matched and gender-matched controls with non-multiresistant E.
      coli UTIs. Univariable and multivariable statistical analysis were performed to
      determine significant risk factors for multiresistant organism E.coli UTIs.
      RESULTS: In total, there were 2692 positive urine cultures, 1676 (62.3%) from
      1169 patients were E. coli. Multiresistant E. coli was isolated from 139 (8.3% of
      all E. coli) cultures in 99 patients. Thirteen incomplete medical records were
      excluded, leaving 86 patients, matched with 86 controls. In multivariable
      regression, the only significant risk factor was antibiotic use in the previous
      month (adjusted OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.4 to 6.2), but not previous hospital admission
      (adjusted OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.6 to 2.9), being an inpatient at the time of diagnosis
      (adjusted OR 2.4, 95% CI 0.8 to 7.4) and previous instrumentation (adjusted OR
      1.0, 95% CI 0.4 to 2.4). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first case-control study to
      examine multiresistant UTI in Australian children. Clinicians should be judicious
      in the use of antibiotics in treatment and prophylaxis of UTIs. In children
      presenting with UTI and recent antibiotic exposure, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid
      appears to be an appropriate empiric antibiotic choice in our population.

PMID- 28899878
TI  - Endothelial cells promote triple-negative breast cancer cell metastasis via PAI-1
      and CCL5 signaling.
AB  - Endothelial cells (ECs) in the tumor microenvironment have been reported to play
      a more active role in solid tumor growth and metastatic dissemination than simply
      providing the physical structure to form conduits for blood flow; however, the
      involvement of ECs in the process of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)
      metastasis has not been addressed. Here, we demonstrate that ECs-when mixed with
      TNBC cells-could increase TNBC cell metastatic potency. After treatment with TGF
      beta to induce endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), TNBC cells could produce
      plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and stimulate the expression and
      secretion of the chemokine, CCL5, from ECs, which then acts in a paracrine
      fashion on TNBC cells to enhance their migration, invasion, and metastasis. CCL5,
      in turn, accelerates TNBC cell secretion of PAI-1 and promotes TNBC cell
      metastasis, thus forming a positive feedback loop. Moreover, this enhanced
      metastatic ability is reversible and dependent on CCL5 signaling via the
      chemokine receptor, CCR5. Of importance, key features of this pathway are
      manifested in patients with TNBC and in The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Taken
      together, our results suggest that ECs enhance EMT-induced TNBC cell metastasis
      via PAI-1 and CCL5 signaling and illustrate the potential of developing new PAI-1
      and CCL5-targeting therapy for patients with TNBC.-Zhang, W., Xu, J., Fang, H.,
      Tang, L., Chen, W., Sun, Q., Zhang, Q., Yang, F., Sun, Z., Cao, L., Wang, Y.,
      Guan, X. Endothelial cells promote triple-negative breast cancer cell metastasis
      via PAI-1 and CCL5 signaling.

PMID- 28899879
TI  - Pronounced energy restriction with elevated protein intake results in no change
      in proteolysis and reductions in skeletal muscle protein synthesis that are
      mitigated by resistance exercise.
AB  - Preservation of lean body mass (LBM) may be important during dietary energy
      restriction (ER) and requires equal rates of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and
      muscle protein breakdown (MPB). Currently, the relative contribution of MPS and
      MPB to the loss of LBM during ER in humans is unknown. We aimed to determine the
      impact of dietary protein intake and resistance exercise on MPS and MPB during a
      controlled short-term energy deficit. Adult men (body mass index, 28.6 +/- 0.6
      kg/m2; age 22 +/- 1 yr) underwent 10 d of 40%-reduced energy intake while
      performing unilateral resistance exercise and consuming lower protein (1.2
      g/kg/d, n = 12) or higher protein (2.4 g/kg/d, n = 12). Pre- and postintervention
      testing included dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, primed constant infusion of
      ring-[13C6]phenylalanine, and 15[N]phenylalanine to measure acute postabsorptive
      MPS and MPB; D2O to measure integrated MPS; and gene and protein expression.
      There was a decrease in acute MPS after ER (higher protein, 0.059 +/- 0.006 to
      0.051 +/- 0.009%/h; lower protein, 0.061 +/- 0.005 to 0.045 +/- 0.006%/h; P <
      0.05) that was attenuated with resistance exercise (higher protein, 0.067 +/-
      0.01%/h; lower protein, 0.061 +/- 0.006%/h), and integrated MPS followed a
      similar pattern. There was no change in MPB (energy balance, 0.080 +/- 0.01%/hr;
      ER rested legs, 0.078 +/- 0.008%/hr; ER exercised legs, 0.079 +/- 0.006%/hr). We
      conclude that a reduction in MPS is the main mechanism that underpins LBM loss
      early in ER in adult men.-Hector, A. J., McGlory, C., Damas, F., Mazara, N.,
      Baker, S. K., Phillips, S. M. Pronounced energy restriction with elevated protein
      intake results in no change in proteolysis and reductions in skeletal muscle
      protein synthesis that are mitigated by resistance exercise.

PMID- 28899880
TI  - Effects of aging and resistance training in rat tendon remodeling.
AB  - In elderly persons, weak tendons contribute to functional limitations, injuries,
      and disability, but resistance training can attenuate this age-related decline.
      We evaluated the effects of resistance training on the extracellular matrix (ECM)
      of the calcaneal tendon (CT) in young and old rats and its effect on tendon
      remodeling. Wistar rats aged 3 mo (young, n = 30) and 20 mo (old, n = 30) were
      divided into 4 groups: young sedentary, young trained, old sedentary (OS), and
      old trained (OT). The training sessions were conducted over a 12-wk period. Aging
      in sedentary rats showed down-regulation in key genes that regulated ECM
      remodeling. Moreover, the OS group showed a calcification focus in the distal
      region of the CT, with reduced blood vessel volume density. In contrast,
      resistance training was effective in up-regulating connective tissue growth
      factor, VEGF, and decorin gene expression in old rats. Resistance training also
      increased proteoglycan content in young and old rats in special small leucine
      rich proteoglycans and blood vessels and prevented calcification in OT rats.
      These findings confirm that resistance training is a potential mechanism in the
      prevention of aging-related loss in ECM and that it attenuates the detrimental
      effects of aging in tendons, such as ruptures and tendinopathies.-Marqueti, R.
      C., Durigan, J. L. Q., Oliveira, A. J. S., Mekaro, M. S., Guzzoni, V., Aro, A.
      A., Pimentel, E. R., Selistre-de-Araujo, H. S. Effects of aging and resistance
      training in rat tendon remodeling.

PMID- 28899881
TI  - Tet1 overexpression leads to anxiety-like behavior and enhanced fear memories via
      the activation of calcium-dependent cascade through Egr1 expression in mice.
AB  - Ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (Tet1) initiates DNA
      demethylation by converting 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5
      hmC) at CpG-rich regions of genes, which have key roles in adult neurogenesis and
      memory. In addition, the overexpression of Tet1 with 5-hmC alteration in patients
      with psychosis has also been reported, for instance in schizophrenia and bipolar
      disorders. The mechanism underlying Tet1 overexpression in the brain; however, is
      still elusive. In the present study, we found that Tet1-transgenic (Tet1-TG) mice
      displayed abnormal behaviors involving elevated anxiety and enhanced fear
      memories. We confirmed that Tet1 overexpression affected adult neurogenesis with
      oligodendrocyte differentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Tet1-TG mice.
      In addition, Tet1 overexpression induced the elevated expression of immediate
      early genes, such as Egr1, c-fos, Arc, and Bdnf, followed by the activation of
      intracellular calcium signals (i.e., CamKII, ERK, and CREB) in prefrontal and
      hippocampal neurons. The expression of GABA receptor subunits (Gabra2 and Gabra4)
      fluctuated in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. We evaluated the effects of
      Tet1 overexpression on intracellular calcium-dependent cascades by activating the
      Egr1 promoter in vitro Tet1 enhanced Egr1 expression, which may have led to
      alterations in Gabra2 and Gabra4 expression in neurons. Taken together, we
      suggest that the Tet1 overexpression in our Tet1-TG mice can be applied as an
      effective model for studying various stress-related diseases that show
      hyperactivation of intracellular calcium-dependent cascades in the brain.-Kwon,
      W., Kim, H.-S., Jeong, J., Sung, Y., Choi, M., Park, S., Lee, J., Jang, S., Kim,
      S. H., Lee, S., Kim, M. O., Ryoo, Z. Y. Tet1 overexpression leads to anxiety-like
      behavior and enhanced fear memories via the activation of calcium-dependent
      cascade through Egr1 expression in mice.

PMID- 28899884
TI  - Supraventricular tachycardia diagnosed by smartphone ECG.
AB  - Diagnosis of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) may be difficult due
      to its episodic nature, which can be brief and self-limited, limiting the ability
      for clinicians to diagnose the specific rhythm disorder in a timely manner. We
      present a case of PSVT, which was unable to be diagnosed through typical
      evaluation with an event monitor despite several years of symptoms. The patient
      was ultimately diagnosed using the AliveCor Mobile ECG, a smartphone-based ECG
      device and application, which he purchased himself and captured a typical
      atrioventricular node re-entrant tachycardia. The patient was then able to email
      his cardiologist the tracing, which led to an electrophysiology study and
      successful slow pathway ablation procedure. Smartphone-based technology has the
      potential to push diagnostic evaluations outside of the healthcare system and
      empower patients.

PMID- 28899882
TI  - Chromosome 15 structural abnormalities: effect on IGF1R gene expression and
      function.
AB  - Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), mapping on the 15q26.3 chromosome,
      is required for normal embryonic and postnatal growth. The aim of the present
      study was to evaluate the IGF1R gene expression and function in three unrelated
      patients with chromosome 15 structural abnormalities. We report two male patients
      with the smallest 15q26.3 chromosome duplication described so far, and a female
      patient with ring chromosome 15 syndrome. Patient one, with a 568 kb pure
      duplication, had overgrowth, developmental delay, mental and psychomotor
      retardation, obesity, cryptorchidism, borderline low testis volume, severe
      oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and gynecomastia. We found a 1.8-fold increase in
      the IGF1R mRNA and a 1.3-fold increase in the IGF1R protein expression (P <
      0.05). Patient two, with a 650 kb impure duplication, showed overgrowth,
      developmental delay, mild mental retardation, precocious puberty, low testicular
      volume and severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. The IGF1R mRNA and protein
      expression was similar to that of the control. Patient three, with a 46,XX r(15)
      (p10q26.2) karyotype, displayed intrauterine growth retardation, developmental
      delay, mental and psychomotor retardation. We found a <0.5-fold decrease in the
      IGF1R mRNA expression and an undetectable IGF1R activity. After reviewing the
      previously 96 published cases of chromosome 15q duplication, we found that
      neurological disorders, congenital cardiac defects, typical facial traits and
      gonadal abnormalities are the prominent features in patients with chromosome 15q
      duplication. Interestingly, patients with 15q deletion syndrome display similar
      features. We speculate that both the increased and decreased IGF1R gene
      expression may play a role in the etiology of neurological and gonadal disorders.

PMID- 28899883
TI  - MicroRNA-146a Mimics Reduce the Peripheral Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Mice.
AB  - MicroRNA-146a (miR-146a) regulates multiple immune diseases. However, the role of
      miR-146a in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) has not been investigated. We
      found that mice (db/db) with type 2 diabetes exhibited substantial downregulation
      of miR-146a in sciatic nerve tissue. Systemic administration of miR-146a mimics
      to diabetic mice elevated miR-146a levels in plasma and sciatic nerve tissue and
      substantially increased motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities by 29 and
      11%, respectively, and regional blood flow by 50% in sciatic nerve tissue.
      Treatment with miR-146a mimics also considerably decreased the response in db/db
      mice to thermal stimuli thresholds. Histopathological analysis showed that miR
      146a mimics markedly augmented the density of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran
      perfused blood vessels and increased the number of intraepidermal nerve fibers,
      myelin thickness, and axonal diameters of sciatic nerves. In addition, miR-146a
      treatment reduced and increased classically and alternatively activated
      macrophage phenotype markers, respectively. Analysis of miRNA target array
      revealed that miR-146a mimics greatly suppressed expression of many
      proinflammatory genes and downstream related cytokines. Collectively, our data
      indicate that treatment of diabetic mice with miR-146a mimics robustly reduces
      DPN and that suppression of hyperglycemia-induced proinflammatory genes by miR
      146a mimics may underlie its therapeutic effect.

PMID- 28899885
TI  - Dilation of epidural space and posterior soft tissue veins in Hirayama disease.

PMID- 28899886
TI  - Brainstem encephalitis and acute polyneuropathy associated with hepatitis E
      infection.
AB  - A 59-year-old man presented with feverish illness. His Glasgow Coma Scale was 15,
      had reduced visual acuity in the left eye with partial left ptosis and mild left
      hemiparesis with an extensor left plantar. Over 48 hours, he accrued multiple
      cranial nerves palsies and progressed to a flaccid paralysis necessitating
      admission to an intensive care unit.Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) study showed 20
      lymphocytes and raised protein. Viral and bacterial PCRs were negative. Samples
      for Lyme, blood-borne viruses, syphilis and autoantibodies were also negative.
      MRI brain showed T2 abnormalities within the brainstem. Nerve conduction studies
      revealed an acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy pattern of Guillian Barre
      Syndrome (GBS). The patient was treated for both infective and inflammatory
      causes of brainstem encephalitis and GBS.Retrospective studies confirmed the
      presence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA in CSF and serum studies showed positive
      HEV IgG and IgM prior to intravenous infusion. After 3 months of intensive
      rehabilitation, the patient was discharged home walking with a frame.

PMID- 28899887
TI  - Strategies for research engagement of clinicians in allied health (STRETCH): a
      mixed methods research protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Allied health professionals (AHPs) report positive attitudes to
      using research evidence in clinical practice, yet often lack time, confidence and
      skills to use, participate in and conduct research. A range of multifaceted
      strategies including education, mentoring and guidance have been implemented to
      increase AHPs' use of and participation in research. Emerging evidence suggests
      that knowledge brokering activities have the potential to support research
      engagement, but it is not clear which knowledge brokering strategies are most
      effective and in what contexts they work best to support and maintain clinicians'
      research engagement. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This protocol describes an exploratory
      concurrent mixed methods study that is designed to understand how allied health
      research fellows use knowledge brokering strategies within tailored evidence
      based interventions, to facilitate research engagement by allied health
      clinicians. Simultaneously, a realist approach will guide a systematic process
      evaluation of the research fellows' pattern of use of knowledge brokering
      strategies within each case study to build a programme theory explaining which
      knowledge brokering strategies work best, in what contexts and why. Learning and
      behavioural theories will inform this critical explanation. ETHICS AND
      DISSEMINATION: An explanation of how locally tailored evidence-based
      interventions improve AHPs use of, participation in and leadership of research
      projects will be summarised and shared with all participating clinicians and
      within each case study. It is expected that local recommendations will be
      developed and shared with medical and nursing professionals in and beyond the
      health service, to facilitate building research capacity in a systematic and
      effective way.

PMID- 28899888
TI  - Protocol for a systematic review of instruments for the assessment of quality of
      life and well-being in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of physical disability in
      children and adolescents and is associated with impairments that may reduce the
      quality of life (QOL) of this population. Patient-reported outcome measures
      (PROMs) can facilitate the assessment of the effect of disease and treatment on
      QOL, from a patient viewpoint. The purpose of this systematic review is to
      identify PROMs that are used to measure QOL and subjective well-being (SWB)
      outcomes in young people with cerebral palsy and to evaluate the suitability of
      these PROMs for application in economic evaluations within this population.
      METHODS AND ANALYSIS: MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core
      Collection, EconLit, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE and Informit will be systematically
      searched from inception to date of search. Published peer-reviewed, English
      language articles reporting PROMs measuring QOL or SWB outcomes in children and
      adolescents with cerebral palsy will be included. One reviewer will conduct the
      initial search and screen titles and abstracts for potentially eligible studies.
      The search will be performed in November 2017. To reduce the likelihood of
      reviewer selection bias, two other reviewers will independently screen a randomly
      selected subsample (10%) of the citations. Two reviewers will then retrieve full
      texts of potentially eligible studies and assess them against predefined
      inclusion criteria. The suitability of selected PROMs for use in economic
      evaluations of young people with cerebral palsy will be assessed using the
      International Society of Quality of Life Research recommended Minimum Standards
      and the Patient-Centered Outcomes and Comparative Effectiveness Research
      checklist. A narrative synthesis of extracted data will be presented including
      study descriptive data, PROMs measurement properties, settings in which they were
      applied and the valuation methods. Recommendations for practice on the selection
      of PROMs for use in economic evaluations of children and adolescents with
      cerebral palsy will be presented. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is
      not required as the proposed systematic review will not use primary data. The
      results of this study will be widely disseminated through publication in a peer
      reviewed journal and conference presentation(s). SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews number:
      CRD42016049746.

PMID- 28899889
TI  - Neck circumference and clustered cardiovascular risk factors in children and
      adolescents: cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Early detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as
      obesity, is crucial to prevent adverse long-term effects on individuals' health.
      Therefore, the aims were: (1) to explore the robustness of neck circumference
      (NC) as a predictor of CVD and examine its association with numerous
      anthropometric and body composition indices and (2) to release sex and age
      specific NC cut-off values to classify youths as overweight/obese. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study. SETTING: 23 primary schools and 17 secondary schools from Spain.
      PARTICIPANTS: 2198 students (1060 girls), grades 1-4 and 7-10. MEASURES: Pubertal
      development, anthropometric and body composition indices, systolic and diastolic
      blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively), cardiorespiratory fitness, blood
      sampling triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), glucose and
      inflammatory markers. Homoeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and cluster of CVD
      risk factors were calculated. RESULTS: NC was negatively associated with maximum
      oxygen consumption (R2=0.231, P<0.001 for boys; R2=0.018, P<0.001 for girls) and
      adiponectin (R2=0.049, P<0.001 for boys; R2=0.036, P<0.001 for girls); and
      positively associated with SBP, DBP, TC/HDL-c, TG, HOMA, complement factors C-3
      and C-4, leptin and clustered CVD risk factor in both sexes (R2 from 0.035 to
      0.353, P<0.01 for boys; R2 from 0.024 to 0.215, P<0.001 for girls). Moreover, NC
      was positively associated with serum C reactive protein and LDL-c only in boys
      (R2 from 0.013 to 0.055, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: NC is a simple, low-cost and
      practical screening tool of excess of upper body obesity and CVD risk factors in
      children and adolescents. Paediatricians can easily use it as a screening tool
      for overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. For this purpose, sex and age
      specific thresholds to classify children and adolescents as normal weight or
      overweight/obese are provided.

PMID- 28899890
TI  - What is the impact of research champions on integrating research in mental health
      clinical practice? A quasiexperimental study in South London, UK.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Key challenges for mental health healthcare professionals to
      implement research alongside clinical activity have been highlighted, such as
      insufficient time to apply research skills and lack of support and resources. We
      examined the impact of employing dedicated staff to promote research in community
      mental health clinical settings. DESIGN: Quasiexperiment before and after study.
      SETTING: South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust.
      PARTICIPANTS: 4455 patients receiving care from 15 community mental health teams
      between 1 December 2013 and 31 December 2014. OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion of
      patients approached for research participation in clinical services where
      research champions were present (intervention group), and where research
      champions were not present (comparison group). RESULTS: Patients in the
      intervention group were nearly six times more likely to be approached for
      research participation (Adj. OR=5.98; 95% CI 4.96 to 7.22). CONCLUSIONS:
      Investing in staff that promote and drive research in clinical services increases
      opportunities for patients to hear about and engage in clinical research studies.
      However, investment needs to move beyond employing short-term staff.

PMID- 28899891
TI  - Effect of anesthesia depth on postoperative clinical outcome in patients with
      supratentorial tumor (DEPTH): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have shown that deep anaesthesia is associated with
      poor outcomes. However, no randomised controlled trials have been conducted to
      test the causality in patients undergoing brain tumour resection. METHODS AND
      ANALYSIS: DEPTH is a multicenter, randomised, parallel-group, blind trial. The
      depth of general anaesthesia will be monitored using the bispectral index (BIS).
      Patients elected for supratentorial tumour resection will be randomly allocated
      to the deep or the light anaesthesia group in which the target BIS value is 35 or
      50, respectively. BIS will be maintained at the target value for more than 90% of
      the total anaesthesia period. The primary outcome is the disability-free survival
      rate at postoperative 30 days and 1 year. The secondary outcomes are the
      mortality and morbidity within 30 days after surgery. ETHICS APPROVAL AND
      DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been granted by the Medical Ethics Committee
      of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medicine University. The reference number is
      KY2016-059-02. The results of this study will be disseminated through
      presentations at scientific conferences and publication in scientific journals.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03033693.

PMID- 28899892
TI  - Does internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy reduce healthcare costs and
      resource use in treatment of social anxiety disorder? A cost-minimisation
      analysis conducted alongside a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) can be effectively treated with
      internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT), but studies on long-term
      cost minimisation from a healthcare provider perspective in comparison to an
      evidence-based control treatment of therapeutic equivalence are lacking. The
      objective of the study was to determine whether ICBT reduces healthcare costs and
      use of healthcare resources compared with cognitive behavioural group therapy
      (CBGT). DESIGN: A cost-minimisation study alongside a randomised controlled trial
      where participants (n=126) with SAD were randomised to ICBT or to CBGT. Costs
      measured from a healthcare provider perspective were estimated using time-driven
      activity-based costing alongside health status over 4 years from baseline
      measured with EQ-5D. SETTING: A psychiatric outpatient clinic in Stockholm,
      Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 126 individuals with SAD. PRIMARY OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Changes in EQ-5D and costs. INTERVENTIONS: Participants received either
      CBGT or ICBT for a duration of 15 weeks. RESULTS: ICBT minimised healthcare costs
      and demonstrated health improvements within the non-inferiority margin. Assuming
      a practical work capacity for personnel varying between 100%, 80% and 50% of
      theoretical full capacity, the cost for ICBT varied in the range between 400?,
      463? and 654 ?, while the cost for CBGT varied between 699?, 806? and 1134?.
      Within-group effect size was -0.36 (95% CI -0.70 to -0.01) for ICBT and -0.25
      (95% CI -0.60 to 0.10) for CBGT. Mean use of effective psychologist time in ICBT
      was 189.60 (SD=53.77) minutes compared with 499.78 (SD=30.91) in the CBGT group.
      CONCLUSIONS: In treatment of SAD, ICBT is equally effective but is associated
      with more efficient staff utilisation and less costs compared with CBGT. From a
      healthcare provider perspective, ICBT is an advantageous treatment option. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: 

PMID- 28899893
TI  - Acute In Vivo Analysis of ATP Release in Rat Kidneys in Response to Changes of
      Renal Perfusion Pressure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ATP and derivatives are recognized to be essential agents of
      paracrine signaling. It was reported that ATP is an important regulator of the
      pressure-natriuresis mechanism. Information on the sources of ATP, the mechanisms
      of its release, and its relationship to blood pressure has been limited by the
      inability to precisely measure dynamic changes in intrarenal ATP levels in vivo.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Newly developed amperometric biosensors were used to assess
      alterations in cortical ATP concentrations in response to changes in renal
      perfusion pressure (RPP) in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. RPP was monitored
      via the carotid artery; ligations around the celiac/superior mesenteric arteries
      and the distal aorta were used for manipulation of RPP. Biosensors were acutely
      implanted in the renal cortex for assessment of ATP. Rise of RPP activated
      diuresis/natriuresis processes, which were associated with elevated ATP. The
      increases in cortical ATP concentrations were in the physiological range (1-3
      MUmol/L) and would be capable of activating most of the purinergic receptors.
      There was a linear correlation with every 1-mm Hg rise in RPP resulting in a 70
      nmol/L increase in ATP. Furthermore, this elevation of RPP was accompanied by a
      2.5-fold increase in urinary H2O2. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in RPP directly correlate
      with renal sodium excretion and the elevation of cortical ATP. Given the known
      effects of ATP on regulation of glomerular filtration and tubular transport, the
      data support a role for ATP release in the rapid natriuretic responses to acute
      increases in RPP.

PMID- 28899894
TI  - Variation in Management of Patients With Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease:
      Insights From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment and Reporting Tool (VA
      CART) Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about facility-level variation in the use of
      revascularization procedures for the management of stable obstructive coronary
      artery disease. Furthermore, it is unknown if variation in the use of coronary
      revascularization is associated with use of other cardiovascular procedures.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated all elective coronary angiograms performed in
      the Veterans Affairs system between September 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011,
      using the Clinical Assessment and Reporting Tool and identified patients with
      obstructive coronary artery disease. Patients were considered managed with
      revascularization if they received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or
      coronary artery bypass grafting within 30 days of diagnosis. We calculated risk
      adjusted facility-level rates of overall revascularization, PCI, and coronary
      artery bypass grafting. In addition, we determined the association between
      facility-level rates of revascularization and post-PCI stress testing. Among 15
      650 patients at 51 Veterans Affairs sites who met inclusion criteria, the median
      rate of revascularization was 59.6% (interquartile range, 55.7%-66.7%). Across
      all facilities, risk-adjusted rates of overall revascularization varied from
      41.5% to 88.1%, rate of PCI varied from 23.2% to 80.6%, and rate of coronary
      artery bypass graftingvariedfrom 7.5% to 36.5%. Of 6179 patients who underwent
      elective PCI, the median rate of stress testing in the 2 years after PCI was
      33.7% (interquartile range, 30.7%-47.1%). There was no evidence of correlation
      between facility-level rate of revascularization and follow-up stress testing.
      CONCLUSIONS: Within the Veterans Affairs system, we observed large facility-level
      variation in rates of revascularization for obstructive coronary artery disease,
      with variation driven primarily by PCI. There was no association between facility
      level use of revascularization and follow-up stress testing, suggesting use rates
      are specific to a particular procedure and not a marker of overall facility-level
      use.

PMID- 28899895
TI  - Biomechanical and Hemodynamic Measures of Right Ventricular Diastolic Function:
      Translating Tissue Biomechanics to Clinical Relevance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) diastolic function has been associated with
      outcomes for patients with pulmonary hypertension; however, the relationship
      between biomechanics and hemodynamics in the right ventricle has not been
      studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: Rat models of RV pressure overload were obtained
      via pulmonary artery banding (PAB; control, n=7; PAB, n=5). At 3 weeks after
      banding, RV hemodynamics were measured using a conductance catheter. Biaxial
      mechanical properties of the RV free wall myocardium were obtained to extrapolate
      longitudinal and circumferential elastic modulus in low and high strain regions
      (E1 and E2, respectively). Hemodynamic analysis revealed significantly increased
      end-diastolic elastance (Eed) in PAB (control: 55.1 mm Hg/mL [interquartile
      range: 44.7-85.4 mm Hg/mL]; PAB: 146.6 mm Hg/mL [interquartile range: 105.8-155.0
      mm Hg/mL]; P=0.010). Longitudinal E1 was increased in PAB (control: 7.2 kPa
      [interquartile range: 6.7-18.1 kPa]; PAB: 34.2 kPa [interquartile range: 18.1
      44.6 kPa]; P=0.018), whereas there were no significant changes in longitudinal E2
      or circumferential E1 and E2. Last, wall stress was calculated from hemodynamic
      data by modeling the right ventricle as a sphere:
      stress=Pressure*radius2*thickness. CONCLUSIONS: RV pressure overload in PAB rats
      resulted in an increase in diastolic myocardial stiffness reflected both
      hemodynamically, by an increase in Eed, and biomechanically, by an increase in
      longitudinal E1. Modest increases in tissue biomechanical stiffness are
      associated with large increases in Eed. Hemodynamic measurements of RV diastolic
      function can be used to predict biomechanical changes in the myocardium.

PMID- 28899896
TI  - Impact of Worsened Metabolic Syndrome on the Risk of Dementia: A Nationwide
      Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship of alteration of metabolic syndrome (MetS) with
      dementia remains unclear. The purpose of study was to evaluate the association
      between dynamic change in MetS status around a 5-year period and dementia.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: The cohort study was conducted from the Taiwanese Survey on
      Prevalence of Hypertension, Hyperglycemia, and Hyperlipidemia in 2002, with
      follow-up in 2007. The sample was subsequently linked to the National Health
      Insurance Research Database. Participants were divided into 3 groups: persistent
      MetS (MetS both in 2002 and 2007); nonpersistent MetS (MetS either in 2002 or
      2007); and non-MetS (MetS neither in 2002 nor 2007). Furthermore, the individuals
      with nonpersistent MetS were categorized as improved MetS (MetS in 2002 but not
      in 2007) and worsened MetS (MetS not in 2002 but in 2007). Each participant was
      tracked until the end of 2011 to identify the development of dementia. In total,
      3458 participants aged 40 to 80 years were included. Up to 10 years and 31 741
      person-years of follow-up, 76 patients developed dementia. Only a relationship
      was found between the nonpersistent MetS and dementia (adjusted hazard
      ratio=1.93; 95% confidence interval =1.17-3.19; P=0.010). Moreover, a
      significantly higher dementia risk was observed in patients with worsened MetS
      (adjusted hazard ratio=2.22; 95% confidence interval=1.32-3.72; P=0.003), but not
      those with persistent (P=0.752) or improved (P=0.829) MetS. Similar results were
      detected in participants aged >=65 years. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with worsened
      MetS had an increased dementia risk during the 10-year follow-up period in a
      population-based sample.

PMID- 28899897
TI  - Transfusion of Polynitroxylated Pegylated Hemoglobin Stabilizes Pial Arterial
      Dilation and Decreases Infarct Volume After Transient Middle Cerebral Artery
      Occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polynitroxylation of hemoglobin confers superoxide dismutase-mimetic
      and peroxidase activity and may protect from reperfusion injury in addition to
      facilitating oxygen transport. We determined whether transfusion of
      polynitroxylated PEGylated hemoglobin (PNPH) is protective in the rat filament
      model of 2 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Transfusion of 10 mL/kg of PNPH at 20 minutes of MCAO reduced infarct volume by
      over 70% (n=10). To determine whether PNPH might act by promoting vasodilation,
      pial arteriolar diameter in the distal MCA border region was measured in closed
      cranial windows. With no transfusion, MCAO induced an initial dilation (36+/-2%
      +/-SE) that subsided by 2 hours (5+/-4%; n=8). With PNPH transfusion at 20
      minutes of MCAO, the initial dilation (31+/-3%) was better maintained at 2 hours
      (21+/-4%; n=7; P<0.02). Delaying PNPH transfusion until 90 minutes of MCAO
      increased perfusion in the border region from 48+/-6% of the preischemic baseline
      to 67+/-8% (n=8; P<0.005). The effect of PNPH transfusion after reperfusion was
      also tested. Compared with the control median hemispheric infarct volume of 22%
      (13% to 34% interquartiles; n=15), infarct volume was reduced to 7% (3% to 13%;
      n=14 P<0.05) when PNPH was transfused at 4 hours after MCAO (2 hours of
      reperfusion) but not significantly when transfused at 6 hours (8%; 3% to 35%;
      n=14) or at 8 hours (12%; 10% to 25%; n=14) after MCAO. CONCLUSIONS: PNPH
      transfusion has a significant therapeutic window for protection during and after
      transient MCAO and may act, in part, by stabilizing vascular function and
      improving collateral blood flow.

PMID- 28899898
TI  - Investigating the association of rs2910164 with cancer predisposition in an Irish
      cohort.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that exert
      post-transcriptional effects on gene expression by binding with cis-regulatory
      regions in target messenger RNA (mRNA). Polymorphisms in genes encoding miRNAs or
      in miRNA-mRNA binding sites confer deleterious epigenetic effects on cancer risk.
      miR-146a has a role in inflammation and may have a role as a tumour suppressor.
      The polymorphism rs2910164 in the MIR146A gene encoding pre-miR-146a has been
      implicated in several inflammatory pathologies, including cancers of the breast
      and thyroid, although evidence for the associations has been conflicting in
      different populations. We aimed to further investigate the association of this
      variant with these two cancers in an Irish cohort. METHODS: The study group
      comprised patients with breast cancer (BC), patients with differentiated thyroid
      cancer (DTC) and unaffected controls. Germline DNA was extracted from blood or
      from saliva collected using the DNA Genotek Oragene 575 collection kit, using
      crystallisation precipitation, and genotyped using TaqMan-based PCR. Data were
      analysed using SPSS, v22. RESULTS: The total study group included 1516
      participants. This comprised 1386 Irish participants; 724 unaffected individuals
      (controls), 523 patients with breast cancer (BC), 136 patients with
      differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and three patients with dual primary breast
      and thyroid cancer. An additional cohort of 130 patients with DTC from the South
      of France was also genotyped for the variant. The variant was detected with a
      minor allele frequency (MAF) of 0.19 in controls, 0.22 in BC and 0.27 and 0.26 in
      DTC cases from Ireland and France, respectively. The variant was not
      significantly associated with BC (per allele odds ratio = 1.20 (0.98-1.46), P  =
      0.07), but was associated with DTC in Irish patients (per allele OR = 1.59 (1.18
      2.14), P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The rs2910164 variant in MIR146A is significantly
      associated with DTC, but is not significantly associated with BC in this cohort.

PMID- 28899899
TI  - Dual function of UPF3B in early and late translation termination.
AB  - Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a cellular surveillance pathway that
      recognizes and degrades mRNAs with premature termination codons (PTCs). The
      mechanisms underlying translation termination are key to the understanding of RNA
      surveillance mechanisms such as NMD and crucial for the development of
      therapeutic strategies for NMD-related diseases. Here, we have used a fully
      reconstituted in vitro translation system to probe the NMD proteins for
      interaction with the termination apparatus. We discovered that UPF3B (i)
      interacts with the release factors, (ii) delays translation termination and (iii)
      dissociates post-termination ribosomal complexes that are devoid of the nascent
      peptide. Furthermore, we identified UPF1 and ribosomes as new interaction
      partners of UPF3B. These previously unknown functions of UPF3B during the early
      and late phases of translation termination suggest that UPF3B is involved in the
      crosstalk between the NMD machinery and the PTC-bound ribosome, a central
      mechanistic step of RNA surveillance.

PMID- 28899901
TI  - Do the stars align? Distribution of high-quality ratings of healthcare sectors
      across US markets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The US government created five-star rating systems to evaluate
      hospital, nursing homes, home health agency and dialysis centre quality. The
      degree to which quality is a property of organisations versus geographical
      markets is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether high-quality healthcare
      service sectors are clustered within US healthcare markets. DESIGN: Using data
      from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Hospital, Dialysis, Nursing
      Home and Home Health Compare databases, we calculated the mean star ratings of
      four healthcare sectors in 304 US hospital referral regions (HRRs). For each
      sector, we ranked HRRs into terciles by mean star rating. Within each HRR, we
      assessed concordance of tercile rank across sectors using a multirater kappa.
      Using t-tests, we compared characteristics of HRRs with three to four top-ranked
      sectors, one to two top-ranked sectors and zero top-ranked sectors. RESULTS: Six
      HRRs (2.0% of HRRs) had four top-ranked healthcare sectors, 38 (12.5%) had three
      top-ranked health sectors, 71 (23.4%) had two top-ranked sectors, 111 (36.5%) had
      one top-ranked sector and 78 (25.7%) HRRs had no top-ranked sectors. A multirater
      kappa across all sectors showed poor to slight agreement (K=0.055). Compared with
      HRRs with zero top-ranked sectors, those with three to four top-ranked sectors
      had higher median incomes, fewer black residents, lower mortality rates and were
      less impoverished. Results were similar for HRRs with one to two top-ranked
      sectors. CONCLUSIONS: Few US healthcare markets exhibit high-quality performance
      across four distinct healthcare service sectors, suggesting that high-quality
      care in one sector may not be dependent on or improve care quality in other
      sectors. Policies that promote accountability for quality across sectors (eg,
      bundled payments and shared quality metrics) may be needed to systematically
      improve quality across sectors.

PMID- 28899902
TI  - Pharmacological inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B protects against
      atherosclerotic plaque formation in the LDLR-/- mouse model of atherosclerosis.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most prevalent cause of mortality among
      patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, due to accelerated atherosclerosis.
      Recent evidence suggests a strong link between atherosclerosis and insulin
      resistance, due to impaired insulin receptor (IR) signalling. Here, we
      demonstrate that inhibiting the activity of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B
      (PTP1B), the major negative regulator of the IR prevents and reverses
      atherosclerotic plaque formation in an LDLR-/- mouse model of atherosclerosis.
      Acute (single dose) or chronic PTP1B inhibitor (trodusquemine) treatment of LDLR
      /- mice decreased weight gain and adiposity, improved glucose homeostasis and
      attenuated atherosclerotic plaque formation. This was accompanied by a reduction
      in both, circulating total cholesterol and triglycerides, a decrease in aortic
      monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression levels and
      hyperphosphorylation of aortic Akt/PKB and AMPKalpha. Our findings are the first
      to demonstrate that PTP1B inhibitors could be used in prevention and reversal of
      atherosclerosis development and reduction in CVD risk.

PMID- 28899900
TI  - Ret receptor tyrosine kinase sustains proliferation and tissue maturation in
      intestinal epithelia.
AB  - Expression of the Ret receptor tyrosine kinase is a defining feature of enteric
      neurons. Its importance is underscored by the effects of its mutation in
      Hirschsprung disease, leading to absence of gut innervation and severe
      gastrointestinal symptoms. We report a new and physiologically significant site
      of Ret expression in the intestine: the intestinal epithelium. Experiments in
      Drosophila indicate that Ret is expressed both by enteric neurons and adult
      intestinal epithelial progenitors, which require Ret to sustain their
      proliferation. Mechanistically, Ret is engaged in a positive feedback loop with
      Wnt/Wingless signalling, modulated by Src and Fak kinases. We find that Ret is
      also expressed by the developing intestinal epithelium of mice, where its
      expression is maintained into the adult stage in a subset of
      enteroendocrine/enterochromaffin cells. Mouse organoid experiments point to an
      intrinsic role for Ret in promoting epithelial maturation and regulating Wnt
      signalling. Our findings reveal evolutionary conservation of the positive Ret/Wnt
      signalling feedback in both developmental and homeostatic contexts. They also
      suggest an epithelial contribution to Ret loss-of-function disorders such as
      Hirschsprung disease.

PMID- 28899903
TI  - SOCS3 expression in SF1 cells regulates adrenal differentiation and exercise
      performance.
AB  - Many hormones/cytokines are secreted in response to exercise and cytokine
      signaling may play a pivotal role in the training adaptations. To investigate the
      importance of cytokine signaling during vertical ladder climbing, a resistance
      exercise model, we produced mice lacking SOCS3 protein exclusively in
      steroidogenic factor-1 (SF1) cells (SF1 Socs3 KO mice). SF1 expression is found
      in steroidogenic cells of the adrenal cortex and gonads, as well as in neurons of
      the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. Histological markers of the fetal
      adrenal zone (or X-zone in rodents) were still present in adult males and
      postpartum SF1 Socs3 KO females, suggesting a previously unrecognized effect of
      SOCS3 on the terminal differentiation of the adrenal gland. This change led to a
      distinct distribution of lipid droplets along the adrenal cortex. Under basal
      conditions, adult SF1 Socs3 KO mice exhibited similar adrenal weight, and plasma
      ACTH and corticosterone concentrations. Nonetheless, SF1 Socs3 KO mice exhibited
      a blunted ACTH-induced corticosterone secretion. The overall metabolic responses
      induced by resistance training remained unaffected in SF1 Socs3 KO mice,
      including changes in body adiposity, glucose tolerance and energy expenditure.
      However, training performance and glucose control during intense resistance
      exercise were impaired in SF1 Socs3 KO mice. Furthermore, a reduced counter
      regulatory response to 2-deoxy-d-glucose was observed in mutant mice. These
      findings revealed a novel participation of SOCS3 regulating several endocrine and
      metabolic aspects. Therefore, cytokine signaling in SF1 cells exerts an important
      role to sustain training performance possibly by promoting the necessary
      metabolic adjustments during exercise.

PMID- 28899904
TI  - GP referrals under fire.

PMID- 28899905
TI  - On revalidation the GMC is listening to you.

PMID- 28899906
TI  - Does the doctrine of double effect apply to the prescription of barbiturates?
      Syme vs the Medical Board of Australia.
AB  - The doctrine of double effect (DDE) is a principle of crucial importance in law
      and medicine. In medicine, the principle is generally accepted to apply in cases
      where the treatment necessary to relieve pain and physical suffering runs the
      risk of hastening the patient's death. More controversially, it has also been
      used as a justification for withdrawal of treatment from living individuals and
      physician-assisted suicide. In this paper, I will critique the findings of the
      controversial Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing Syme vs
      the Medical Board of Australia In that hearing, Dr Rodney Syme, a urologist and
      euthanasia advocate, was defending his practice of prescribing barbiturates to
      terminally ill patients. Syme claimed that he prescribed the drugs with the
      intention of relieving their existential suffering and not to assist in suicide;
      he argued that the DDE could be applied. Pace VCAT, I argue that this is an
      illegitimate application of DDE. I argue that a close scrutiny of Syme's actions
      reveals that, at the very least, he intended to give patients the option of
      suicide. He furthermore used what on a traditional definition of DDE would be
      considered a 'bad' means-the prescription of Nembutal-to achieve a 'good' end-the
      relief of suffering. The case demonstrates the crucial importance of analysing an
      agent's 'intention' and the 'effects' of their actions when applying DDE.
      Ethicists and, indeed, the judiciary need to attend to the ethical complexities
      of DDE when they assess the applicability of DDE to end of life care. If they
      fail to do this, the doctrine risks losing its legitimacy as an ethical
      principle.

PMID- 28899907
TI  - A novel function of CXCL10 in mediating monocyte production of proinflammatory
      cytokines.
AB  - IFN-gamma-inducible protein 10 (CXCL10), a chemokine that is abundantly secreted
      in response to inflammatory stimuli, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of
      multiple inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease. Whereas
      CXCL10 is traditionally recognized for recruiting pathogenic T cells to inflamed
      sites, its nonchemotactic role during inflammation remains poorly defined. In
      this report, we identified a novel function of CXCL10 in the regulation of the
      inflammatory potential of human monocytes to produce cytokines. We found that
      CXCL10 was necessary and sufficient for IFN-gamma-primed human monocytes to
      induce a robust production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-12 and IL-23.
      CXCL10-induced monocyte production of these cytokines depended on CXCR3 receptor
      engagement as well as on the Ikappa B kinase and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. By
      using an innate-mediated murine colitis model, we demonstrated that anti-CXCL10
      Ab treatment robustly suppressed the local production of myeloid-derived
      inflammatory cytokines and intestinal tissue damage. Together, our data unravel a
      previously unappreciated role of CXCL10 in the amplification of myeloid cell
      mediated inflammatory responses. Targeting CXCL10 is therefore an attractive
      approach to treating inflammatory diseases that are driven by innate and adaptive
      immunity.

PMID- 28899908
TI  - Activation of the "Splenocardiac Axis" by electronic and tobacco cigarettes in
      otherwise healthy young adults.
AB  - The "Splenocardiac Axis" describes an inflammatory signaling network underlying
      acute cardiac ischemia, characterized by sympathetic nerve stimulation of
      hematopoietic tissues, such as the bone marrow and spleen, which then release
      proinflammatory monocytes that populate atherosclerotic plaques, thereby
      promoting ischemic heart disease. Electronic (e) cigarettes, like tobacco
      cigarettes trigger sympathetic nerve activation, but virtually nothing is known
      about their influence on hematopoietic and vascular tissues and cardiovascular
      risks. The objective of this study was to determine if the Splenocardiac Axis is
      activated in young adults who habitually use either tobacco or e-cigarettes. In
      otherwise healthy humans who habitually use tobacco cigarettes or e-cigarettes
      (not both), we used 18F-flurorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer
      tomography (FDG-PET/CT) to test the hypothesis that tobacco or e-cigarettes
      increased metabolic activity of the hematopoietic and vascular tissues. FDG
      uptake in the spleen increased from nonuser controls (1.62 +/- 0.07), to the e
      cigarette users (1.73 +/- 0.04), and was highest in tobacco cigarette smokers
      (1.82 +/- 0.09; monotone P = 0.05). Similarly, FDG uptake in the aorta increased
      from the nonuser controls (1.87 +/- 0.07) to the e-cigarette users (1.98 +/-
      0.07), and was highest in tobacco cigarette smokers (2.10 +/- 0.07; monotone P =
      0.04). FDG uptake in the skeletal muscle, which served as a control tissue, was
      not different between the groups. In conclusion, these findings are consistent
      with activation of the Splenocardiac Axis by emissions from tobacco cigarettes
      and e-cigarettes. This activation suggests a mechanism by which tobacco
      cigarettes, and potentially e-cigarettes, may lead to increased risk of future
      cardiovascular events.

PMID- 28899909
TI  - Depletion of the mRNA translation initiation inhibitor, programmed cell death
      protein 4 (PDCD4), impairs L6 myotube formation.
AB  - The mechanistic (mammalian) target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling is
      vital for optimal muscle mass and function. Although the significance of mTORC1
      in stimulating muscle growth is unequivocal, evidence in support of its role
      during muscle regeneration is less clear. Here, we showed that the abundance
      (protein and mRNA) of the mTORC1/S6K1 substrate, programmed cell death protein 4
      (PDCD4), is upregulated at the onset of differentiation of L6 and C2C12 cells.
      The increase in PDCD4 was not associated with any changes in S6K1 activation, but
      the abundance of beta transducing repeat-containing protein (beta-TrCP), the
      ubiquitin ligase that targets PDCD4 for degradation, increased. Myoblasts lacking
      PDCD4 showed impaired myotube formation and had markedly low levels of MHC-1.
      Analysis of poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP), caspase 7 and caspase 3
      indicated reduced apoptosis in PDCD4-deficient cells. Our data demonstrate a role
      for PDCD4 in muscle cell formation and suggest that interventions that target
      this protein may hold promise for managing conditions associated with impaired
      myotube formation.

PMID- 28899910
TI  - Human hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is unaltered by 8 h of preceding
      isocapnic hyperoxia.
AB  - Exposure to sustained hypoxia of 8 h duration increases the sensitivity of the
      pulmonary vasculature to acute hypoxia, but it is not known whether exposure to
      sustained hyperoxia affects human pulmonary vascular control. We hypothesized
      that exposure to 8 h of hyperoxia would diminish the hypoxic pulmonary
      vasoconstriction (HPV) that occurs in response to a brief exposure to hypoxia.
      Eleven healthy volunteers were studied in a crossover protocol with randomization
      of order. Each volunteer was exposed to acute isocapnic hypoxia (end-tidal PO2 =
      50 mmHg for 10 min) before and after 8 h of hyperoxia (end-tidal PO2 = 420 mmHg)
      or euoxia (end-tidal PO2 = 100 mmHg). After at least 3 days, each volunteer
      returned and was exposed to the other condition. Systolic pulmonary artery
      pressure (an index of HPV) and cardiac output were measured, using Doppler
      echocardiography. Eight hours of hyperoxia had no effect on HPV or the response
      of cardiac output to acute hypoxia.

PMID- 28899911
TI  - Correlation of end tidal carbon dioxide, amplitude spectrum area, and coronary
      perfusion pressure in a porcine model of cardiac arrest.
AB  - Amplitude Spectrum Area (AMSA) values during ventricular fibrillation (VF)
      correlate with myocardial energy stores and predict defibrillation success. By
      contrast, end tidal CO2 (ETCO2) values provide a noninvasive assessment of
      coronary perfusion pressure and myocardial perfusion during cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation (CPR). Given the importance of the timing of defibrillation shock
      delivery on clinical outcome, we tested the hypothesis that AMSA and ETCO2
      correlate with each other and can be used interchangably to correlate with
      myocardial perfusion in an animal laboratory preclinical, randomized, prospective
      investigation. After 6 min of untreated VF, 12 female pigs (32 +/- 1 Kg),
      isoflurane anesthetized pigs received sequentially 3 min periods of standard (S)
      CPR, S-CPR+ an impedance threshold device (ITD), and then active compression
      decompression (ACD) + ITD CPR Hemodynamic, AMSA, and ETCO2 measurements were made
      with each method of CPR The Spearman correlation and Friedman tests were used to
      compare hemodynamic parameters. ETCO2, AMSA, coronary perfusion pressure,
      cerebral perfusion pressure were lowest with STD CPR, increased with STD CPR +
      ITD and highest with ACD CPR + ITD Further analysis demonstrated a positive
      correlation between AMSA and ETCO2 (r = 0.37, P = 0.025) and between AMSA and key
      hemodynamic parameters (P < 0.05). This study established a moderate positive
      correlation between ETCO2 and AMSA These findings provide the physiological basis
      for developing and testing a novel noninvasive method that utilizes either ETCO2
      alone or the combination of ETCO2 and AMSA to predict when defibrillation might
      be successful.

PMID- 28899912
TI  - Do nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase contribute to sweating response
      during passive heating in endurance-trained athletes?
AB  - The aim of our study was to determine if habitual endurance training can
      influence the relative contribution of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and
      cyclooxygenase (COX) in the regulation of sweating during a passive heat stress
      in young adults. Ten trained athletes and nine untrained counterparts were
      passively heated until oral temperature (as estimated by sublingual temperature,
      Tor) increased by 1.5 degrees C above baseline resting. Forearm sweat rate
      (ventilated capsule) was measured at three skin sites continuously perfused with
      either lactated Ringer's solution (Control), 10 mmol/L NG -nitro-L-arginine
      methyl ester (L-NAME, non-selective NOS inhibitor), or 10 mmol/L ketorolac
      (Ketorolac, non-selective COX inhibitor) via intradermal microdialysis. Sweat
      rate was averaged for each 0.3 degrees C increase in Tor Sweat rate at the L-NAME
      site was lower than Control following a 0.9 and 1.2 degrees C increase in Tor in
      both groups (all P <= 0.05). Relative to the Control site, NOS-inhibition reduced
      sweating similarly between the groups (P = 0.51). Sweat rate at the Ketorolac
      site was not different from the Control at any levels of Tor in both groups (P >
      0.05). Nevertheless, a greater sweat rate was measured at the end of heating in
      the trained as compared to the untrained individuals (P <= 0.05). We show that
      NOS contributes similarly to sweating in both trained and untrained individuals
      during a passive heat stress. Further, no effect of COX on sweating was measured
      for either group. The greater sweat production observed in endurance-trained
      athletes is likely mediated by factors other than NOS- and COX-dependent
      mechanisms.

PMID- 28899913
TI  - Central chemoreflex activation induces sympatho-excitation without altering
      static or dynamic baroreflex function in normal rats.
AB  - Central chemoreflex activation induces sympatho-excitation. However, how central
      chemoreflex interacts with baroreflex function remains unknown. This study aimed
      to examine the impact of central chemoreflex on the dynamic as well as static
      baroreflex functions under open-loop conditions. In 15 anesthetized, vagotomized
      Sprague-Dawley rats, we isolated bilateral carotid sinuses and controlled intra
      sinus pressure (CSP). We then recorded sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) at the
      celiac ganglia, and activated central chemoreflex by a gas mixture containing
      various concentrations of CO2 Under the baroreflex open-loop condition (CSP = 100
      mmHg), central chemoreflex activation linearly increased SNA and arterial
      pressure (AP). To examine the static baroreflex function, we increased CSP
      stepwise from 60 to 170 mmHg and measured steady-state SNA responses to CSP
      (mechanoneural arc), and AP responses to SNA (neuromechanical arc). Central
      chemoreflex activation by inhaling 3% CO2 significantly increased SNA
      irrespective of CSP, indicating resetting of the mechanoneural arc, but did not
      change the neuromechanical arc. As a result, central chemoreflex activation did
      not change baroreflex maximum total loop gain significantly (-1.29 +/- 0.27 vs. 
      1.68 +/- 0.74, N.S.). To examine the dynamic baroreflex function, we randomly
      perturbed CSP and estimated transfer functions from 0.01 to 1.0 Hz. The transfer
      function of the mechanoneural arc approximated a high-pass filter, while those of
      the neuromechanical arc and total (CSP-AP relationship) arcs approximated a low
      pass filter. In conclusion, central chemoreflex activation did not alter the
      transfer function of the mechanoneural, neuromechanical, or total arcs. Central
      chemoreflex modifies hemodynamics via sympatho-excitation without compromising
      dynamic or static baroreflex AP buffering function.

PMID- 28899914
TI  - Military training elicits marked increases in plasma metabolomic signatures of
      energy metabolism, lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation, and ketogenesis.
AB  - Military training studies provide unique insight into metabolic responses to
      extreme physiologic stress induced by multiple stressor environments, and the
      impacts of nutrition in mediating these responses. Advances in metabolomics have
      provided new approaches for extending current understanding of factors modulating
      dynamic metabolic responses in these environments. In this study, whole-body
      metabolic responses to strenuous military training were explored in relation to
      energy balance and macronutrient intake by performing nontargeted global
      metabolite profiling on plasma collected from 25 male soldiers before and after
      completing a 4-day, 51-km cross-country ski march that produced high total daily
      energy expenditures (25.4 MJ/day [SD 2.3]) and severe energy deficits (13.6
      MJ/day [SD 2.5]). Of 737 identified metabolites, 478 changed during the training.
      Increases in 88% of the free fatty acids and 91% of the acylcarnitines, and
      decreases in 88% of the mono- and diacylglycerols detected within lipid
      metabolism pathways were observed. Smaller increases in 75% of the tricarboxylic
      acid cycle intermediates, and 50% of the branched-chain amino acid metabolites
      detected were also observed. Changes in multiple metabolites related to lipid
      metabolism were correlated with body mass loss and energy balance, but not with
      energy and macronutrient intakes or energy expenditure. These findings are
      consistent with an increase in energy metabolism, lipolysis, fatty acid
      oxidation, ketogenesis, and branched-chain amino acid catabolism during strenuous
      military training. The magnitude of the energy deficit induced by undereating
      relative to high energy expenditure, rather than macronutrient intake, appeared
      to drive these changes, particularly within lipid metabolism pathways.

PMID- 28899915
TI  - Conditional Deletion of the L-Type Calcium Channel Cav1.2 in NG2-Positive Cells
      Impairs Remyelination in Mice.
AB  - Exploring the molecular mechanisms that drive the maturation of oligodendrocyte
      progenitor cells (OPCs) during the remyelination process is essential to
      developing new therapeutic tools to intervene in demyelinating diseases such as
      multiple sclerosis. To determine whether L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (L
      VGCCs) are required for OPC development during remyelination, we generated an
      inducible conditional knock-out mouse in which the L-VGCC isoform Cav1.2 was
      deleted in NG2-positive OPCs (Cav1.2KO). Using the cuprizone (CPZ) model of
      demyelination and mice of either sex, we establish that Cav1.2 deletion in OPCs
      leads to less efficient remyelination of the adult brain. Specifically, Cav1.2KO
      OPCs mature slower and produce less myelin than control oligodendrocytes during
      the recovery period after CPZ intoxication. This reduced remyelination was
      accompanied by an important decline in the number of myelinating oligodendrocytes
      and in the rate of OPC proliferation. Furthermore, during the remyelination phase
      of the CPZ model, the corpus callosum of Cav1.2KO animals presented a significant
      decrease in the percentage of myelinated axons and a substantial increase in the
      mean g-ratio of myelinated axons compared with controls. In addition, in a mouse
      line in which the Cav1.2KO OPCs were identified by a Cre reporter, we establish
      that Cav1.2KO OPCs display a reduced maturational rate through the entire
      remyelination process. These results suggest that Ca2+ influx mediated by L-VGCCs
      in oligodendroglial cells is necessary for normal remyelination and is an
      essential Ca2+ channel for OPC maturation during the remyelination of the adult
      brain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Ion channels implicated in oligodendrocyte
      differentiation and maturation may induce positive signals for myelin recovery.
      Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) are important for normal myelination by
      acting at several critical steps during oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC)
      development. To determine whether voltage Ca2+ entry is involved in
      oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination, we used a conditional knockout
      mouse for VGCCs in OPCs. Our results indicate that VGCCs can modulate
      oligodendrocyte maturation in the demyelinated brain and suggest that voltage
      gated Ca2+ influx in OPCs is critical for remyelination. These findings could
      lead to novel approaches for obtaining a better understanding of the factors that
      control OPC maturation in order to stimulate this pool of progenitors to replace
      myelin in demyelinating diseases.

PMID- 28899916
TI  - GD1a Overcomes Inhibition of Myelination by Fibronectin via Activation of Protein
      Kinase A: Implications for Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Remyelination failure by oligodendrocytes contributes to the functional
      impairment that characterizes the demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS).
      Since incomplete remyelination will irreversibly damage axonal connections,
      treatments effectively promoting remyelination are pivotal in halting disease
      progression. Our previous findings suggest that fibronectin aggregates, as an
      environmental factor, contribute to remyelination failure by perturbing
      oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) maturation. Here, we aim at elucidating
      whether exogenously added gangliosides (i.e., cell surface lipids with a
      potential to modulate signaling pathways) could counteract fibronectin-mediated
      inhibition of OPC maturation. Exclusive exposure of rat oligodendrocytes to GD1a,
      but not other gangliosides, overcomes aggregated fibronectin-induced inhibition
      of myelin membrane formation, in vitro, and OPC differentiation in fibronectin
      aggregate containing cuprizone-induced demyelinated lesions in male mice. GD1a
      exerts its effect on OPCs by inducing their proliferation and, at a late stage,
      by modulating OPC maturation. Kinase activity profiling revealed that GD1a
      activated a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent signaling pathway and increased
      phosphorylation of the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding
      protein. Consistently, the effect of GD1a in restoring myelin membrane formation
      in the presence of fibronectin aggregates was abolished by the PKA inhibitor H89,
      whereas the effect of GD1a was mimicked by the PKA activator dibutyryl-cAMP.
      Together, GD1a overcomes the inhibiting effect of aggregated fibronectin on OPC
      maturation by activating a PKA-dependent signaling pathway. Given the persistent
      presence of fibronectin aggregates in MS lesions, ganglioside GD1a might act as a
      potential novel therapeutic tool to selectively modulate the detrimental
      signaling environment that precludes remyelination.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT As an
      environmental factor, aggregates of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin
      perturb the maturation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), thereby
      impeding remyelination, in the demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS).
      Here we demonstrate that exogenous addition of ganglioside GD1a overcomes the
      inhibiting effect of aggregated fibronectin on OPC maturation, both in vitro and
      in vivo, by activating a PKA-dependent signaling pathway. We propose that
      targeted delivery of GD1a to MS lesions may act as a potential novel molecular
      tool to boost maturation of resident OPCs to overcome remyelination failure and
      halt disease progression.

PMID- 28899917
TI  - Activity-Dependent Dysfunction in Visual and Olfactory Sensory Systems in Mouse
      Models of Down Syndrome.
AB  - Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity plays a critical role in the refinement of
      circuitry during postnatal development and may be disrupted in conditions that
      cause intellectual disability, such as Down syndrome (DS). To test this
      hypothesis, visual cortical plasticity was assessed in Ts65Dn mice that harbor a
      chromosomal duplication syntenic to human chromosome 21q. We find that Ts65Dn
      mice demonstrate a defect in ocular dominance plasticity (ODP) following
      monocular deprivation. This phenotype is similar to that of transgenic mice that
      express amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is duplicated in DS and in Ts65DN
      mice; however, normalizing APP gene copy number in Ts65Dn mice fails to rescue
      plasticity. Ts1Rhr mice harbor a duplication of the telomeric third of the Ts65Dn
      duplicated sequence and demonstrate the same ODP defect, suggesting a gene or
      genes sufficient to drive the phenotype are located in that smaller duplication.
      In addition, we find that Ts65Dn mice demonstrate an abnormality in olfactory
      system connectivity, a defect in the refinement of connections to second-order
      neurons in the olfactory bulb. Ts1Rhr mice do not demonstrate a defect in
      glomerular refinement, suggesting that distinct genes or sets of genes underlie
      visual and olfactory system phenotypes. Importantly, these data suggest that
      developmental plasticity and connectivity are impaired in sensory systems in DS
      model mice, that such defects may contribute to functional impairment in DS, and
      that these phenotypes, present in male and female mice, provide novel means for
      examining the genetic and molecular bases for neurodevelopmental impairment in
      model mice in vivoSIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our understanding of the basis for
      intellectual impairment in Down syndrome is hindered by the large number of genes
      duplicated in Trisomy 21 and a lack of understanding of the effect of disease
      pathology on the function of neural circuits in vivo This work describes early
      postnatal developmental abnormalities in visual and olfactory sensory systems in
      Down syndrome model mice, which provide insight into defects in the function of
      neural circuits in vivo and provide an approach for exploring the genetic and
      molecular basis for impairment in the disease. In addition, these findings raise
      the possibility that basic dysfunction in primary sensory circuitry may
      illustrate mechanisms important for global learning and cognitive impairment in
      Down syndrome patients.

PMID- 28899918
TI  - Adaptation of Thalamic Neurons Provides Information about the Spatiotemporal
      Context of Stimulus History.
AB  - Adaptation of neural responses due to the history of sensory input has been
      observed across all sensory modalities. However, the computational role of
      adaptation is not fully understood, especially when one considers neural coding
      problems in which adaptation increases the ambiguity of the neural responses to
      simple stimuli. To address this, we quantified the impact of adaptation on the
      information conveyed by thalamic neurons about paired whisker stimuli in male
      rat. At the single neuron level, although paired-pulse adaptation reduces the
      information about the present stimulus, the information per spike increases.
      Moreover, the adapted response can convey significant amounts of information
      about whether, when and where a previous stimulus occurred. At the population
      level, ambiguity of the adapted responses about the present stimulus can be
      compensated for by large numbers of neurons. Therefore, paired-pulse adaptation
      does not reduce the discriminability of simple stimuli. It provides information
      about the spatiotemporal context of stimulus history.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The
      present work provides a computational framework that demonstrates how adaptation
      allows neurons to encode spatiotemporal dynamics of stimulus history.

PMID- 28899921
TI  - Author's reply to Hawkins.

PMID- 28899920
TI  - The TRPM1 Channel Is Required for Development of the Rod ON Bipolar Cell-AII
      Amacrine Cell Pathway in the Retinal Circuit.
AB  - Neurotransmission plays an essential role in neural circuit formation in the
      central nervous system (CNS). Although neurotransmission has been recently
      clarified as a key modulator of retinal circuit development, the roles of
      individual synaptic transmissions are not yet fully understood. In the current
      study, we investigated the role of neurotransmission from photoreceptor cells to
      ON bipolar cells in development using mutant mouse lines of both sexes in which
      this transmission is abrogated. We found that deletion of the ON bipolar cation
      channel TRPM1 results in the abnormal contraction of rod bipolar terminals and a
      decreased number of their synaptic connections with amacrine cells. In contrast,
      these histological alterations were not caused by a disruption of total glutamate
      transmission due to loss of the ON bipolar glutamate receptor mGluR6 or the
      photoreceptor glutamate transporter VGluT1. In addition, TRPM1 deficiency led to
      the reduction of total dendritic length, branch numbers, and cell body size in
      AII amacrine cells. Activated Goalpha, known to close the TRPM1 channel,
      interacted with TRPM1 and induced the contraction of rod bipolar terminals.
      Furthermore, overexpression of Channelrhodopsin-2 partially rescued rod bipolar
      cell development in the TRPM1-/- retina, whereas the rescue effect by a
      constitutively closed form of TRPM1 was lower than that by the native form. Our
      results suggest that TRPM1 channel opening is essential for rod bipolar pathway
      establishment in development.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neurotransmission has been
      recognized recently as a key modulator of retinal circuit development in the CNS.
      However, the roles of individual synaptic transmissions are not yet fully
      understood. In the current study, we focused on neurotransmission between rod
      photoreceptor cells and rod bipolar cells in the retina. We used genetically
      modified mouse models which abrogate each step of neurotransmission: presynaptic
      glutamate release, postsynaptic glutamate reception, or transduction channel
      function. We found that the TRPM1 transduction channel is required for the
      development of rod bipolar cells and their synaptic formation with subsequent
      neurons, independently of glutamate transmission. This study advances our
      understanding of neurotransmission-mediated retinal circuit refinement.

PMID- 28899919
TI  - Astrocyte-Mediated Neuronal Synchronization Properties Revealed by False
      Gliotransmitter Release.
AB  - Astrocytes spontaneously release glutamate (Glut) as a gliotransmitter (GT),
      resulting in the generation of extrasynaptic NMDAR-mediated slow inward currents
      (SICs) in neighboring neurons, which can increase local neuronal excitability.
      However, there is a deficit in our knowledge of the factors that control
      spontaneous astrocyte GT release and the extent of its influence. We found that,
      in rat brain slices, increasing the supply of the physiological transmitter Glut
      increased the frequency and signaling charge of SICs over an extended period.
      This phenomenon was replicated by exogenous preexposure to the amino acid D
      aspartate (D-Asp). Using D-Asp as a "false" GT, we determined the extent of local
      neuron excitation by GT release in ventrobasal thalamus, CA1 hippocampus, and
      somatosensory cortex. By analyzing synchronized neuronal NMDAR-mediated
      excitation, we found that the properties of the excitation were conserved in
      different brain areas. In the three areas, astrocyte-derived GT release
      synchronized groups of neurons at distances of >;200 MUm. Individual neurons
      participated in more than one synchronized population, indicating that individual
      neurons can be excited by more than one astrocyte and that individual astrocytes
      may determine a neuron's synchronized network. The results confirm that
      astrocytes can act as excitatory nodes that can influence neurons over a
      significant range in a number of brain regions. Our findings further suggest that
      chronic elevation of ambient Glut levels can lead to increased GT Glut release,
      which may be relevant in some pathological states.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
      Astrocytes spontaneously release glutamate (Glut) and other gliotransmitters
      (GTs) that can modify neuronal activity. Exposing brain slices to Glut and D
      aspartate (D-Asp) before recording resulted in an increase in frequency of GT
      mediated astrocyte-neuron signaling. Using D-Asp, it was possible to investigate
      the effects of specific GT release at neuronal NMDARs. Calcium imaging showed
      synchronized activity in groups of neurons in cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus.
      The size of these populations was similar in all areas and some neurons were
      involved in more than one synchronous group. The findings show that GT release is
      supply dependent and that the properties of the signaling and activated networks
      are largely conserved between different brain areas.

PMID- 28899922
TI  - Changes in admission thresholds in English emergency departments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most common route to a hospital bed in an emergency is via an
      Emergency Department (ED). Many recent initiatives and interventions have the
      objective of reducing the number of unnecessary emergency admissions. We aimed to
      assess whether ED admission thresholds had changed over time taking account of
      the casemix of patients arriving at ED. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective
      cross-sectional analysis of more than 20 million attendances at 47 consultant-led
      EDs in England between April 2010 and March 2015. We used mixed-effects logistic
      regression to estimate the odds of a patient being admitted to hospital and the
      impact of a range of potential explanatory variables. Models were developed and
      validated for four attendance subgroups: ambulance-conveyed children, walk-in
      children, ambulance-conveyed adults and walk-in adults. RESULTS: 23.8% of
      attendances were for children aged under 18 years, 49.7% were female and 30.0%
      were conveyed by ambulance. The number of ED attendances increased by 1.8% per
      annum between April 2010-March 2011 (year 1) and April 2014-March 2015 (year 5).
      The proportion of these attendances that were admitted to hospital changed
      negligiblybetween year 1 (27.0%) and year 5 (27.5%). However, after adjusting for
      patient and attendance characteristics, the odds of admission over the 5-year
      period had reduced by 15.2% (95% CI 13.4% to 17.0%) for ambulance-conveyed
      children, 22.6% (95% CI 21.7% to 23.5%) for walk-in children, 20.9% (95% CI 20.4%
      to 21.5%) for ambulance conveyed adults and 22.9% (95% CI 22.4% to 23.5%) for
      walk-in adults. CONCLUSIONS: The casemix-adjusted odds of admission via ED to NHS
      hospitals in England have decreased since April 2010. EDs are admitting a similar
      proportion of patients to hospital despite increases in the complexity and acuity
      of presenting patients. Without these threshold changes, the number of emergency
      admissions would have been 11.9% higher than was the case in year 5.

PMID- 28899923
TI  - A retrospective analysis of 34 potentially missed cases of female genital
      mutilation in the emergency department.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To discover if healthcare professionals working within an ED are able
      to make a diagnosis of female genital mutilation (FGM) in those patients who have
      previously undergone the procedure and report it as per UK law. DESIGN: A
      retrospective analysis of patients' notes who were assigned an FGM code during
      the period of May 2015 to August 2016. SETTING: Single-centre, large UK major
      trauma centre offering a tertiary FGM clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Any woman coded
      during the study period as having undergone FGM. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Number of FGM
      cases identified by the ED. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Mean age, presenting complaint,
      discharge diagnosis, genitourinary exam and defibulation status. RESULTS: 34
      patients were identified as having undergone FGM, 19 had previously attended ED
      and none had their FGM identified during their ED attendance. The age range of
      those identified was 23 to 40 years. None had undergone defibulation. CONCLUSION:
      This study demonstrates that the identification of FGM victims by an ED is very
      poor, and more work needs to be done to increase awareness of the subject by
      front-line staff.

PMID- 28899924
TI  - Relationship between UGT1A9 gene polymorphisms, efficacy, and safety of propofol
      in induced abortions amongst Chinese population: a population-based study.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the influence of UGT1A9 gene polymorphisms
      on the efficacy of propofol in patients undergoing the painless induced abortion
      method. A total of 156 women seeking voluntary pregnancy termination procedures
      were selected for the study, and subsequently underwent painless induced
      abortions, following anesthesia by means of propofol administration. PCR
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed to detect the
      polymorphisms of UGT1A9 gene at -440C/T, -1818C/T, and -1887T/G loci. The time,
      effect-site concentration, and bispectral index (BIS) for the Observer's
      Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (OAA/S) (up to 4 points) were observed and
      recorded in patients following discontinuation of propofol. The time and effect
      site concentration for BIS reaching 80 in patients following the discontinuation
      of propofol were observed and recorded. Postoperative observations of adverse
      reactions, such as nausea, vomiting, and respiratory depression were all made
      record of. In comparison with patients with UGT1A9 -440C/T CT and TT, those with
      UGT1A9 -440C/T CC displayed shorter durations of OAA/S by up to 4 points, shorter
      BIS times reaching 80, as well as higher corresponding effect-site
      concentrations. No significant differences were detected in the patients with 
      440C/T, -1818T/C, and -1887T/G in incidence of nausea, vomiting, and respiratory
      depression. The findings of the study highlighted correlation between UGT1A9 
      440C/T gene polymorphisms and positive propofol efficacy in patients undergoing
      painless induced pregnancy termination procedures.

PMID- 28899925
TI  - X-ray data processing.
AB  - The method of molecular structure determination by X-ray crystallography is a
      little over a century old. The history is described briefly, along with
      developments in X-ray sources and detectors. The fundamental processes involved
      in measuring diffraction patterns on area detectors, i.e. autoindexing, refining
      crystal and detector parameters, integrating the reflections themselves and
      putting the resultant measurements on to a common scale are discussed, with
      particular reference to the most commonly used software in the field.

PMID- 28899926
TI  - Peptides mediating DNA transport on microtubules and their impact on non-viral
      gene transfer efficiency.
AB  - Synthetic vectors such as cationic polymers and cationic lipids remain attractive
      tools for non-viral gene transfer which is a complex process whose effectiveness
      relies on the ability to deliver a plasmid DNA (pDNA) into the nucleus of non
      dividing cells. Once in the cytosol, the transport of pDNAs towards the nuclear
      envelope is strongly impaired by their very low cytosolic mobility due to their
      large size. To promote their movement towards the cell nucleus, few strategies
      have been implemented to exploit dynein, the microtubule's (MT's) motor protein,
      for propagation of cytosolic pDNA along the MTs towards the cell nucleus. In the
      first part of this review, an overview on MTs, dynein, dynein/virus interaction
      feature is presented followed by a summary of the results obtained by
      exploitation of LC8 and TCTEL1 dynein light chain association sequence (DLC-AS)
      for non-viral transfection. The second part dedicated to the adenoviral protein
      E3-14.7K, reports the transfection efficiency of polyplexes and lipoplexes
      containing the E3-14.7K-derived P79-98 peptide linked to pDNA. Here, several
      lines of evidence are given showing that dynein can be targeted to improve
      cytosolic pDNA mobility and accumulate pDNA near nuclear envelope in order to
      facilitate its transport through the nuclear pores. The linkage of various DLC-AS
      to pDNA carriers led to modest transfection improvements and their direct
      interaction with MTs was not demonstrated. In contrast, pDNA linked to the P79-98
      peptide interacting with TCTEL1 via a cytosolic protein (fourteen seven K
      interacting protein-1 (FIP-1)), interaction with MTs is evidenced in cellulo and
      transfection efficiency is improved.

PMID- 28899927
TI  - MiR-138 protects cardiac cells against hypoxia through modulation of glucose
      metabolism by targetting pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1.
AB  - Dysfunction of cardiac cells under hypoxia has been identified as an essential
      event leading to myocytes functional failure. MiRNAs are importantly regulatory
      small-noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression through the direct
      binding of 3'-UTR region of their target mRNAs. Recent studies have demonstrated
      that miRNAs are aberrantly expressed in the cardiovascular system under
      pathological conditions.Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) is a kinase which
      phosphorylates pyruvate dehydrogenase to inactivate it, leading to elevated
      anaerobic glycolysis and decreased cellular respiration. In the present study, we
      report that miR-138 expressions were significantly suppressed under long exposure
      to hypoxia. In addition, overexpression of miR-138 protects human cardiac cells
      against hypoxia. We observed miR-138 inhibits glycolysis but promotes
      mitochondrial respiration through directly targetting PDK1. Moreover, we
      demonstrate that hypoxia induces cardiac cell death through increased glycolysis
      and decreased mitochondrial respiration. Inhibition of glycolysis by either
      glycolysis inhibitor or knockdown glycolysis enzymes, Glucose transportor 1
      (Glut1) or PDK1 contributes to cardiac cells' survival. The cell sentivity to
      hypoxia was recovered when the PDK1 level was restored in miR-138 overexpressing
      cardiac cells. The present study leads to the intervention of novel therapeutic
      strategies against cardiac cells dysfunction during surgery or ischemia.

PMID- 28899928
TI  - Treatment of hypertension by increasing impaired endothelial TRPV4-KCa2.3
      interaction.
AB  - The currently available antihypertensive agents have undesirable adverse effects
      due to systemically altering target activity including receptors, channels, and
      enzymes. These effects, such as loss of potassium ions induced by diuretics,
      bronchospasm by beta-blockers, constipation by Ca2+ channel blockers, and dry
      cough by ACEI, lead to non-compliance with therapies (Moser, 1990). Here, based
      on new hypertension mechanisms, we explored a new antihypertensive approach. We
      report that transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) interacts with Ca2+
      activated potassium channel 3 (KCa2.3) in endothelial cells (ECs) from small
      resistance arteries of normotensive humans, while ECs from hypertensive patients
      show a reduced interaction between TRPV4 and KCa2.3. Murine hypertension models,
      induced by high-salt diet, N(G)-nitro-l-arginine intake, or angiotensin II
      delivery, showed decreased TRPV4-KCa2.3 interaction in ECs. Perturbation of the
      TRPV4-KCa2.3 interaction in mouse ECs by overexpressing full-length KCa2.3 or
      defective KCa2.3 had hypotensive or hypertensive effects, respectively. Next, we
      developed a small-molecule drug, JNc-440, which showed affinity for both TRPV4
      and KCa2.3. JNc-440 significantly strengthened the TRPV4-KCa2.3 interaction in
      ECs, enhanced vasodilation, and exerted antihypertensive effects in mice.
      Importantly, JNc-440 specifically targeted the impaired TRPV4-KCa2.3 interaction
      in ECs but did not systemically activate TRPV4 and KCa2.3. Together, our data
      highlight the importance of impaired endothelial TRPV4-KCa2.3 coupling in the
      progression of hypertension and suggest a novel approach for antihypertensive
      drug development.

PMID- 28899929
TI  - Pathogen-specific B-cell receptors drive chronic lymphocytic leukemia by light
      chain-dependent cross-reaction with autoantigens.
AB  - Several lines of evidence indirectly suggest that antigenic stimulation through
      the B-cell receptor (BCR) supports chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
      development. In addition to self-antigens, a number of microbial antigens have
      been proposed to contribute to the selection of the immunoglobulins expressed in
      CLL. How pathogen-specific BCRs drive CLL development remains, however, largely
      unexplored. Here, we utilized mouse models of CLL pathogenesis to equip B cells
      with virus-specific BCRs and study the effect of antigen recognition on leukemia
      growth. Our results show that BCR engagement is absolutely required for CLL
      development. Unexpectedly, however, neither acute nor chronic exposure to virus
      derived antigens influenced leukemia progression. Rather, CLL clones
      preferentially selected light chains that, when paired with virus-specific heavy
      chains, conferred B cells the ability to recognize a broad range of autoantigens.
      Taken together, our results suggest that pathogens may drive CLL pathogenesis by
      selecting and expanding pathogen-specific B cells that cross-react with one or
      more self-antigens.

PMID- 28899931
TI  - Social media and JNIS: expanding the digital clique.

PMID- 28899930
TI  - Therapeutic gene editing in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors from Fanconi anemia
      patients.
AB  - Gene targeting constitutes a new step in the development of gene therapy for
      inherited diseases. Although previous studies have shown the feasibility of
      editing fibroblasts from Fanconi anemia (FA) patients, here we aimed at
      conducting therapeutic gene editing in clinically relevant cells, such as
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). In our first experiments, we showed that zinc
      finger nuclease (ZFN)-mediated insertion of a non-therapeutic EGFP-reporter donor
      in the AAVS1 "safe harbor" locus of FA-A lymphoblastic cell lines (LCLs),
      indicating that FANCA is not essential for the editing of human cells. When the
      same approach was conducted with therapeutic FANCA donors, an efficient
      phenotypic correction of FA-A LCLs was obtained. Using primary cord blood CD34+
      cells from healthy donors, gene targeting was confirmed not only in in vitro
      cultured cells, but also in hematopoietic precursors responsible for the
      repopulation of primary and secondary immunodeficient mice. Moreover, when
      similar experiments were conducted with mobilized peripheral blood CD34+ cells
      from FA-A patients, we could demonstrate for the first time that gene targeting
      in primary hematopoietic precursors from FA patients is feasible and compatible
      with the phenotypic correction of these clinically relevant cells.

PMID- 28899933
TI  - Chemistry in a vesicle.

PMID- 28899932
TI  - Utility of perfusion imaging in acute stroke treatment: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variability in imaging protocols and techniques has resulted in a
      lack of consensus regarding the incorporation of perfusion imaging into stroke
      triage and treatment. The objective of our study was to evaluate the available
      scientific evidence regarding the utility of perfusion imaging in determining
      treatment eligibility in patients with acute stroke and in predicting their
      clinical outcome. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature
      using PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library focusing on themes of medical
      imaging, stroke, treatment, and outcome (CRD42016037817). We included randomized
      controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-controlled studies published from
      2011 to 2016. Two independent reviewers conducted the study appraisal, data
      abstraction, and quality assessments of the studies. RESULTS: Our literature
      search yielded 13 studies that met our inclusion criteria. In total, 994 patients
      were treated with the aid of perfusion imaging compared with 1819 patients
      treated with standard care. In the intervention group 51.1% of patients had a
      favorable outcome at 3 months compared with 45.6% of patients in the control
      group (p=0.06). Subgroup analysis of studies that used multimodal therapy (IV
      tissue plasminogen activator, endovascular thrombectomy) showed a significant
      benefit of perfusion imaging (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.43 to 2.51, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS:
      Perfusion imaging may represent a complementary tool to standard radiographic
      assessment in enhancing patient selection for reperfusion therapy, with a subset
      of patients having up to 1.9 times the odds of achieving independent functional
      status at 3 months. This is particularly important as patients selected based on
      perfusion status often included individuals who did not meet the current
      treatment eligibility criteria.

PMID- 28899934
TI  - Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and obesity in middle age: insights from an
      Australian cohort.
AB  - The association between obesity and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is
      incompletely characterised. Using the 2006 follow-up of the Tasmanian
      Longitudinal Health Study, we measured the association between obesity and BHR
      and whether it was mediated by small airway closure or modified by asthma and sex
      of the patient.A methacholine challenge measured BHR. Multivariable logistic
      regression measured associations between body mass index (BMI) and BHR, adjusting
      for sex, asthma, smoking, corticosteroid use, family history and lung function.
      Mediation by airway closure was also measured.Each increase in BMI of 1 kg.m-2
      was associated with a 5% increase in the odds of BHR (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09)
      and 43% of this association was mediated by airway closure. In a multivariable
      model, BMI (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00-1.16) was associated with BHR independent of
      female sex (OR 3.26, 95% CI 1.95-5.45), atopy (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.34-3.94),
      current asthma (OR 5.74, 95% CI 2.79-11.82), remitted asthma (OR 2.35, 95% CI
      1.27-4.35), low socioeconomic status (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.03-4.31) and forced
      expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.82-0.91).
      Asthma modified the association with an increasing probability of BHR as BMI
      increased, only in those with no or remitted asthma.An important fraction of the
      BMI/BHR association was mediated via airway closure. Conflicting findings in
      previous studies could be explained by failure to consider this intermediate
      step.

PMID- 28899935
TI  - Macrophage dysfunction in the pathogenesis and treatment of asthma.
AB  - Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition frequently associated with aberrant
      airway and systemic inflammation. Various inflammatory phenotypes in asthmatic
      airways have been described that relate to clinical phenotypes and impact on
      responses to conventional and novel asthma therapies. Macrophages are abundant
      immunocytes in the lung, capable of mounting diverse responses required for
      homeostasis and defence against pathogens.Here, we summarise the clinical
      evidence regarding macrophage dysfunction in asthma. We also describe evidence
      supporting the role of macrophages as therapeutic targets in asthma. We conclude
      that macrophage dysfunction in asthma is highly prevalent and heterogeneous, and
      hypothesise that macrophages may play roles in promoting the discrete
      inflammatory phenotypes of asthma.These clinical findings, along with recent
      ground-breaking insights into the ontogeny, behavioural complexity and longevity
      of pulmonary macrophages, support continued research into the role of macrophages
      as disease modifiers, biomarkers and therapeutic targets in asthma.

PMID- 28899936
TI  - Bosutinib-related pneumonitis.

PMID- 28899938
TI  - Phase three studies of biologics for severe asthma: could do better?

PMID- 28899937
TI  - Treating breathlessness via the brain: changes in brain activity over a course of
      pulmonary rehabilitation.
AB  - Breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often
      discordant with airway pathophysiology ("over-perception"). Pulmonary
      rehabilitation profoundly affects breathlessness, without influencing lung
      function. Learned associations influence brain mechanisms of sensory perception.
      We hypothesised that improvements in breathlessness with pulmonary rehabilitation
      may be explained by changing neural representations of learned associations.In 31
      patients with COPD, we tested how pulmonary rehabilitation altered the
      relationship between brain activity during a breathlessness-related word-cue task
      (using functional magnetic resonance imaging), and clinical and psychological
      measures of breathlessness.Changes in ratings of breathlessness word cues
      positively correlated with changes in activity in the insula and anterior
      cingulate cortex. Changes in ratings of breathlessness-anxiety negatively
      correlated with activations in attention regulation and motor networks. Baseline
      activity in the insula, anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex
      correlated with improvements in breathlessness and breathlessness
      anxiety.Pulmonary rehabilitation is associated with altered neural responses
      related to learned breathlessness associations, which can ultimately influence
      breathlessness perception. These findings highlight the importance of targeting
      learned associations within treatments for COPD, demonstrating how neuroimaging
      may contribute to patient stratification and more successful personalised
      therapy.

PMID- 28899939
TI  - Work productivity loss in mild to moderate COPD: lessons learned from the CanCOLD
      study.

PMID- 28899940
TI  - Treating anxious expectations can improve dyspnoea in patients with COPD.

PMID- 28899941
TI  - After the asthmas: Star Wars and Star Trek.

PMID- 28899942
TI  - Trz1, the long form RNase Z from yeast, forms a stable heterohexamer with
      endonuclease Nuc1 and mutarotase.
AB  - Proteomic studies have established that Trz1, Nuc1 and mutarotase form a complex
      in yeast. Trz1 is a beta-lactamase-type RNase composed of two beta-lactamase-type
      domains connected by a long linker that is responsible for the endonucleolytic
      cleavage at the 3'-end of tRNAs during the maturation process (RNase Z activity);
      Nuc1 is a dimeric mitochondrial nuclease involved in apoptosis, while mutarotase
      (encoded by YMR099C) catalyzes the conversion between the alpha- and beta
      configuration of glucose-6-phosphate. Using gel filtration, small angle X-ray
      scattering and electron microscopy, we demonstrated that Trz1, Nuc1 and
      mutarotase form a very stable heterohexamer, composed of two copies of each of
      the three subunits. A Nuc1 homodimer is at the center of the complex, creating a
      two-fold symmetry and interacting with both Trz1 and mutarotase. Enzymatic
      characterization of the ternary complex revealed that the activities of Trz1 and
      mutarotase are not affected by complex formation, but that the Nuc1 activity is
      completely inhibited by mutarotase and partially by Trz1. This suggests that
      mutarotase and Trz1 might be regulators of the Nuc1 apoptotic nuclease activity.

PMID- 28899943
TI  - The chromatin remodeling Isw1a complex is regulated by SUMOylation.
AB  - The ISWI class of proteins consists of a family of chromatin remodeling ATPases
      that is ubiquitous in eukaryotes and predominantly functions to slide nucleosomes
      laterally. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Isw1 partners with several non
      essential alternative subunits - Ioc2, Ioc3, or Ioc4 - to form two distinct
      complexes Isw1a and Isw1b. Besides its ATPase domain, Isw1 presents a C-terminal
      region formed by HAND, SANT, and SLIDE domains responsible for interaction with
      the Ioc proteins and optimal association of Isw1 to chromatin. Despite diverse
      studies on the functions of the Isw1-containing complexes, molecular evidence for
      a regulation of this chromatin remodeling ATPase is still elusive. Results
      presented here indicate that Isw1 is not only ubiquitylated but also strongly
      SUMOylated on multiple lysine residues by the redundant Siz1/Siz2 SUMO E3
      ligases. However, Isw1 is a poor substrate of the Ulp1 and Ulp2 SUMO proteases,
      thus resulting in a high level of modification. Extensive site-directed
      mutagenesis allowed us to identify the major SUMOylation sites and develop a SUMO
      defective mutant of Isw1. Using this molecular tool, we show that SUMOylation of
      Isw1 specifically facilitates and/or stabilizes its interaction with its cofactor
      Ioc3 and consequently the efficient recruitment of the Isw1-Ioc3 complex onto
      chromatin. Together these data reveal a new regulatory mechanism for this
      fascinating remodeling factor.

PMID- 28899945
TI  - Bindings of NO, CO, and O2 to multifunctional globin type dehaloperoxidase follow
      the 'sliding scale rule'.
AB  - Dehaloperoxidase-hemoglobin (DHP), a multifunctional globin protein, not only
      functions as an oxygen carrier as typical globins such as myoglobin and
      hemoglobin, but also as a peroxidase, a mono- and dioxygenase, peroxygenase, and
      an oxidase. Kinetics of DHP binding to NO, CO, and O2 were characterized for wild
      type DHP A and B and the H55D and H55V DHP A mutants using stopped-flow methods.
      All three gaseous ligands bind to DHP significantly more weakly than sperm whale
      myoglobin (SWMb). Both CO and NO bind to DHP in a one-step process to form a
      stable six-coordinate complex. Multiple-step NO binding is not observed in DHP,
      which is similar to observations in SWMb, but in contrast with many heme sensor
      proteins. The weak affinity of DHP for O2 is mainly due to a fast O2 dissociation
      rate, in accordance with a longer epsilonN-Fe distance between the heme iron and
      distal histidine in DHP than that in Mb, and an open-distal pocket that permits
      ligand escape. Binding affinities in DHP show the same 3-4 orders separation
      between the pairs NO/CO and CO/O2, consistent with the 'sliding scale rule'
      hypothesis. Strong gaseous ligand discrimination by DHP is very different from
      that observed in typical peroxidases, which show poor gaseous ligand selectivity,
      correlating with a neutral proximal imidazole ligand rather than an imidazolate.
      The present study provides useful insights into the rationale for DHP to function
      both as mono-oxygenase and oxidase, and is the first example of a globin
      peroxidase shown to follow the 'sliding scale rule' hypothesis in gaseous ligand
      discrimination.

PMID- 28899944
TI  - Novel endogenous retrovirus-derived transcript expressed in the bovine placenta
      is regulated by WNT signaling.
AB  - Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are involved in placentation; perhaps, the most
      well-known ERVs are the syncytins, actively transcribed env genes involved in
      cell-cell fusion and possible morphological variations. However, ERVs other than
      syncytins that play an important role in placental development have not been well
      characterized. To identify ERV genes expressed during the onset of placentation
      in the bovine species, we characterized the expression profiles of bovine
      conceptus transcripts during the peri-attachment period using RNA-seq analysis,
      and confirming some candidates through real-time PCR. Using in silico and PCR
      analyses, we identified a novel ERV proviral sequence derived from a gag region,
      designated bovine endogenous retroviruses (BERV)-K3, containing Gag_p10 and
      Gag_p24, zinc finger domain. Initial expression of this ERV in bovine conceptuses
      was on day 20 (day 0 = day of estrus), soon after conceptus attachment to the
      endometrial epithelium, and its high placental expression was maintained up to
      the middle of pregnancy. The BERV-K3 transcript was also found in the uterine
      luminal and glandular epithelia, liver, kidney, intestine, and skin. BERV-K3 is
      located on chromosome 7 and integrated within LOC100848658, from which noncoding
      RNA could be transcribed. Furthermore, the expression of endogenous BERV-K3 in
      bovine trophoblast cell lines was induced by a WNT agonist, a signaling system
      common to genes expressed in placentas. These data support the argument that
      during the evolutionary process, mammals incorporated not only similar ERV
      sequences, but also ERVs unique to individual species. BERV-K3 is in the latter
      case, likely providing functions unique to ruminant gestation.

PMID- 28899946
TI  - Secondary prevention treatment after acute stroke in older South Asian, Chinese
      and other Canadians: a retrospective data analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about whether there are differences in medication use
      between older patients of Chinese descent, those of South Asian descent and other
      Canadian patients after acute ischemic or primary intracerebral hemorrhagic
      stroke. The aim of this population-based study was to evaluate potential ethnic
      differences in secondary prevention pharmacotherapy after acute stroke. METHODS:
      Using health administrative data, we conducted a retrospective analysis of all
      patients aged 66 years or more admitted to hospital with acute stroke in Ontario
      (1997-2011) and British Columbia (1997-2009). We compared prescriptions filled
      for statins, warfarin, any antihypertensive agent, the recommended combination of
      angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and diuretic, and the combination
      of ACE inhibitor, diuretic and statin within 1 year after ischemic or primary
      intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke. RESULTS: There were 118 362 patients with acute
      stroke (3430 Chinese, 2075 South Asian and 112 857 other Canadians). Among those
      with ischemic stroke (n = 108 699), Chinese patients were less likely than other
      Canadian patients to fill prescriptions for the combination of ACE inhibitor,
      diuretic and statin (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.64 [95% confidence interval (CI)
      0.55-0.74]) and, in those with atrial fibrillation, for warfarin (adjusted OR
      0.75 [95% CI 0.59-0.95]). There were no differences in filling of prescriptions
      for antihypertensive therapy overall between the 3 groups. Among patients with
      intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (n = 9663), Chinese patients were less likely
      than other Canadian patients to fill prescriptions for the combination of ACE
      inhibitor and diuretic (adjusted OR 0.51 [95% CI 0.38-0.69]), and South Asians
      were more likely than other Canadian patients to fill prescriptions for any
      antihypertensive agent (adjusted OR 1.73 [95% CI 1.21-2.49]). INTERPRETATION: We
      identified ethnic differences in filling of prescriptions for several secondary
      prevention medications after acute stroke. The reasons underlying these
      differences need to be investigated.

PMID- 28899947
TI  - Is lobbying legislation chilling public debate on health?

PMID- 28899948
TI  - Happy 20th anniversary MEN1: from positional cloning to gene function
      restoration.

PMID- 28899950
TI  - Prevalence and Prognostic Significance of Left Ventricular Noncompaction in
      Patients Referred for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Presence of prominent left ventricular trabeculation satisfying
      criteria for left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) on routine cardiac magnetic
      resonance examination is frequently encountered; however, the clinical and
      prognostic significance of these findings remain elusive. This registry aimed to
      assess LVNC prevalence by 4 current criteria and to prospectively evaluate an
      association between diagnosis of LVNC by these criteria and adverse events.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: There were 700 patients referred for cardiac magnetic
      resonance: 42% were women, median age was 70 years (range, 45-71 years), mean
      left ventricular ejection fraction was 51% (+/-17%), and 32% had late gadolinium
      enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance. The cohort underwent diagnostic
      assessment for LVNC by 4 separate imaging criteria-referenced by their authors as
      Petersen, Stacey, Jacquier, and Captur, with LVNC prevalence of 39%, 23%, 25% and
      3%, respectively. Primary clinical outcome was combined end point of time to
      death, ischemic stroke, ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation, and
      heart failure hospitalization. Secondary clinical outcomes were (1) all-cause
      mortality and (2) time to the first occurrence of any of the following events:
      cardiac death, ischemic stroke, ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation,
      or heart failure hospitalization. During a median follow-up of 7 years, there
      were no statistically significant differences in assessed outcomes noted between
      patients with and without LVNC irrespective of the applied criteria. CONCLUSIONS:
      Current criteria for the diagnosis of LVNC leads to highly variable disease
      prevalence in patients referred for cardiac magnetic resonance. The diagnosis of
      LVNC, by any current criteria, was not associated with adverse clinical events on
      nearly 7 years of follow-up. Limited conclusions can be made for Captur criteria
      due to low observed prevalence.

PMID- 28899952
TI  - Excessive Trabeculations and Prognosis: The Plot Thickens.

PMID- 28899953
TI  - Interleukin Antagonists: Have We Found the Right One to Block? Are Cardiovascular
      Effects of Biologic Therapies Similar?

PMID- 28899951
TI  - Lowering Interleukin-12 Activity Improves Myocardial and Vascular Function
      Compared With Tumor Necrosis Factor-a Antagonism or Cyclosporine in Psoriasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-12 activity is involved in the pathogenesis of
      psoriasis and acute coronary syndromes. We investigated the effects of IL-12
      inhibition on vascular and left ventricular (LV) function in psoriasis. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: One hundred fifty psoriasis patients were randomized to receive an
      anti-IL-12/23 (ustekinumab, n=50), anti-tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-alpha;
      etanercept, n=50), or cyclosporine treatment (n=50). At baseline and 4 months
      post-treatment, we measured (1) LV global longitudinal strain, twisting, and
      percent difference between peak twisting and untwisting at mitral valve opening
      (%untwMVO) using speckle-tracking echocardiography, (2) coronary flow reserve,
      (3) pulse wave velocity and augmentation index, (4) circulating NT-proBNP (N
      terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17,
      malondialdehyde, and fetuin-a. Compared with baseline, all patients had improved
      global longitudinal strain (median values: -17.7% versus -19.5%), LV twisting
      (12.4 degrees  versus 14 degrees ), %untwMVO (27.8% versus 35%), and coronary
      flow reserve (2.8 versus 3.1) and reduced circulating NT-proBNP, IL-17, TNF
      alpha, and IL-6 post-treatment (P<0.05). Compared with anti-TNF-alpha and
      cyclosporine, anti-IL-12/23 treatment resulted in a greater improvement of global
      longitudinal strain (25% versus 17% versus 6%,), LV twist (27% versus 17% versus
      1%), %untwMVO (31% versus 27% versus 17%), and coronary flow reserve (14% versus
      11% versus 4%), as well as a greater reduction of IL-12 (-25% versus -4% versus 
      2%), malondialdehyde (-27% versus +5% versus +26%), and NT-proBNP(-26% versus 
      13.6% versus 9.1%) and increase of fetuin-a (P<0.01). Pulse wave velocity and
      augmentation index were improved only after anti-IL-12/23 treatment and
      correlated with changes in global longitudinal strain, LV twisting-untwisting
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In psoriasis, IL-12/23 inhibition results in a greater
      improvement of coronary, arterial, and myocardial function than TNF-alpha
      inhibition or cyclosporine treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02144857.

PMID- 28899949
TI  - The future: genetics advances in MEN1 therapeutic approaches and management
      strategies.
AB  - The identification of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene in 1997
      has shown that germline heterozygous mutations in the MEN1 gene located on
      chromosome 11q13 predisposes to the development of tumors in the MEN1 syndrome.
      Tumor development occurs upon loss of the remaining normal copy of the MEN1 gene
      in MEN1-target tissues. Therefore, MEN1 is a classic tumor suppressor gene in the
      context of MEN1. This tumor suppressor role of the protein encoded by the MEN1
      gene, menin, holds true in mouse models with germline heterozygous Men1 loss,
      wherein MEN1-associated tumors develop in adult mice after spontaneous loss of
      the remaining non-targeted copy of the Men1 gene. The availability of genetic
      testing for mutations in the MEN1 gene has become an essential part of the
      diagnosis and management of MEN1. Genetic testing is also helping to exclude
      mutation-negative cases in MEN1 families from the burden of lifelong clinical
      screening. In the past 20 years, efforts of various groups world-wide have been
      directed at mutation analysis, molecular genetic studies, mouse models, gene
      expression studies, epigenetic regulation analysis, biochemical studies and anti
      tumor effects of candidate therapies in mouse models. This review will focus on
      the findings and advances from these studies to identify MEN1 germline and
      somatic mutations, the genetics of MEN1-related states, several protein partners
      of menin, the three-dimensional structure of menin and menin-dependent target
      genes. The ongoing impact of all these studies on disease prediction, management
      and outcomes will continue in the years to come.

PMID- 28899954
TI  - Differentiating the QRS Morphology of Posterior Fascicular Ventricular
      Tachycardia From Right Bundle Branch Block and Left Anterior Hemiblock Aberrancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left posterior fascicular ventricular tachycardia (LPF-VT) is
      frequently misdiagnosed as supraventricular tachycardia with aberrant right
      bundle branch block (RBBB) and left anterior hemiblock (LAHB). The purpose of the
      present study was to define the morphological ECG characteristics of LPF-VT and
      attempt to differentiate it from RBBB and LAHB aberrancy. METHODS AND RESULTS: A
      systematic Medline search was used to identify or locate ECG tracings from
      patients with LPF-VTs. ECGs with LPF-VT were also collected from patients who
      underwent ablation of this arrhythmia at the Tel Aviv and Sheba Medical Centers.
      These ECGs were compared with ECGs of consecutive patients with RBBB and LAHB and
      no obvious cardiac pathology by echocardiography. Overall, 183 ECGs of LPF-VT
      were compared with 61 ECGs showing RBBB and LAHB. Univariate analysis
      demonstrated differences in QRS axis, limb (I, aVr), and precordial (V1, V2, V6)
      ECG leads. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, LPF-VT was more often
      associated with atypical RBBB-like V1 morphology (odds ratio, 5.1; P=0.004),
      positive QRS in aVr (odds ratio, 19.2; P<0.001), V6 R/S ratio <=1 (odds ratio,
      6.7; P=0.01), and QRS <=140 ms (odds ratio, 7.7; P<0.001). Using these 4
      variables, a prediction model was developed that predicted LPF-VT with
      sensitivity and specificity of 82.1% and 78.3%, respectively. Patients with 3 of
      4 positive variables had high probability of having LPF-VT, whereas patients with
      <=1 positive variable always had RBBB plus LAHB. CONCLUSIONS: The morphological
      ECG characteristics of LPF-VT were defined, and a high accurate tool for
      correctly differentiating LPF-VT from RBBB and LAHB aberrancy was developed.

PMID- 28899955
TI  - Natural History and Clinical Predictors of Atrial Tachycardia in Adults With
      Congenital Heart Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial tachycardias (ATs) are a significant source of morbidity in
      adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). This study evaluates the incidence
      and clinical predictors of AT in a cohort of patients with CHD. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We included 3311 adults (median age at entry 22.6 years, 50.6% males)
      with CHD (49% simple, 39% moderate, and 12% complex) prospectively followed up in
      a tertiary center for 37 607 person-years. Predictors of AT were identified by
      multivariable Cox regression analysis accounting for left truncation. An external
      validation was performed in a contemporary cohort of 1432 patients. Overall, 153
      (4.6%) patients presented AT. AT burden was highest in complex CHD, such as
      single ventricle (22.8%) and d-transposition of the great arteries (22.1%).
      Hazard rates of AT across lifetime, age at presentation, and the time lapse
      between surgery and the first AT episode varied among the most common CHD.
      Independent risk factors for developing AT were univentricular physiology,
      previous intracardiac repair, systemic right ventricle, pulmonary hypertension,
      pulmonary regurgitation, pulmonary atrioventricular valve regurgitation,
      pulmonary and systemic ventricular dysfunction. At the age of 40 years, AT-free
      survival in patients with 0, 1, 2, and >=3 risk factors was 100%, 94%, 76%, and
      50%, respectively. These findings were confirmed in the validation cohort.
      CONCLUSIONS: Natural history of AT differed among the most common forms of CHD.
      Simple clinical parameters, easily obtained by noninvasive means, were
      independent predictors of AT in adults with CHD. Although risk was negligible in
      patients without any of these factors, their addition progressively increased AT
      burden.

PMID- 28899956
TI  - Atrial Tachyarrhythmia in Congenital Heart Disease: Beyond the Suture Lines.

PMID- 28899957
TI  - Electrocardiographic Findings of Fascicular Ventricular Tachycardia Versus
      Supraventricular Tachycardia With Aberrancy: Why the Difference?

PMID- 28899958
TI  - Serotonin transporter binding and anxiety symptoms in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anxiety is a common neuropsychiatric symptom in Parkinson's disease
      (PD), yet the neural mechanisms have been scarcely investigated. Disturbances in
      dopaminergic and serotonergic signalling may play a role in its pathophysiology.
      123I-N-omega-fluoropropyl-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl)nortropane (123I
      FP-CIT) is a single-photon emission CT radiotracer, and its binding in striatal
      and extrastriatal subcortical brain areas represents predominant binding to the
      presynaptic dopamine transporter (DAT) and the serotonin transporter (SERT),
      respectively. Availability of DAT and SERT may thus provide an in vivo measure
      for the integrity of both dopamine and serotonin neurons. METHODS: We studied the
      association between anxiety symptoms, measured with an affective subscale of the
      Beck Anxiety Inventory, and (extra)striatal 123I-FP-CIT binding in 127 non
      demented patients with PD with a median disease duration of 2.55 (IQR 2.90)
      years. We conducted the analyses on patients currently on or not on dopamine
      replacement therapy (DRT). RESULTS: Severity of anxiety symptoms showed a
      significant negative association with 123I-FP-CIT binding ratios in the right
      thalamus (beta=-0.203, p=0.019; DeltaR2=0.040) (multiple testing pcorr <0.020).
      In the subgroup of patients not on DRT (n=81), we found a significant negative
      association between anxiety and thalamic 123I-FP-CIT binding ratios bilaterally
      (right: beta=-0.349, p=0.001, DeltaR2=0.119; left: beta=-0.269, p=0.017,
      DeltaR2=0.071) (pcorr <0.020). CONCLUSION: This study shows that higher levels of
      anxiety in patients with PD are associated with lower thalamic 123I-FP-CIT
      binding, pointing towards a contribution of serotonergic degeneration to anxiety
      symptoms in PD.

PMID- 28899959
TI  - Impaired Malate and Fumarate Accumulation Due to the Mutation of the Tonoplast
      Dicarboxylate Transporter Has Little Effects on Stomatal Behavior.
AB  - Malate is a central metabolite involved in a multiplicity of plant metabolic
      pathways, being associated with mitochondrial metabolism and playing significant
      roles in stomatal movements. Vacuolar malate transport has been characterized at
      the molecular level and is performed by at least one carrier protein and two
      channels in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) vacuoles. The absence of the
      Arabidopsis tonoplast Dicarboxylate Transporter (tDT) in the tdt knockout mutant
      was associated previously with an impaired accumulation of malate and fumarate in
      leaves. Here, we investigated the consequences of this lower accumulation on
      stomatal behavior and photosynthetic capacity as well as its putative metabolic
      impacts. Neither the stomatal conductance nor the kinetic responses to dark,
      light, or high CO2 were highly affected in tdt plants. In addition, we did not
      observe any impact on stomatal aperture following incubation with abscisic acid,
      malate, or citrate. Furthermore, an effect on photosynthetic capacity was not
      observed in the mutant lines. However, leaf mitochondrial metabolism was affected
      in the tdt plants. Levels of the intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle
      were altered, and increases in both light and dark respiration were observed. We
      conclude that manipulation of the tonoplastic organic acid transporter impacted
      mitochondrial metabolism, while the overall stomatal and photosynthetic capacity
      were unaffected.

PMID- 28899960
TI  - Overexpression of RING Domain E3 Ligase ZmXerico1 Confers Drought Tolerance
      through Regulation of ABA Homeostasis.
AB  - Drought stress is one of the main environmental problems encountered by crop
      growers. Reduction in arable land area and reduced water availability make it
      paramount to identify and develop strategies to allow crops to be more resilient
      in water-limiting environments. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays an
      important role in the plants' response to drought stress through its control of
      stomatal aperture and water transpiration, and transgenic modulation of ABA
      levels therefore represents an attractive avenue to improve the drought tolerance
      of crops. Several steps in the ABA-signaling pathway are controlled by
      ubiquitination involving really interesting new genes (RING) domain-containing
      proteins. We characterized the maize (Zea mays) RING protein family and
      identified two novel RING-H2 genes called ZmXerico1 and ZmXerico2 Expression of
      ZmXerico genes is induced by drought stress, and we show that overexpression of
      ZmXerico1 and ZmXerico2 in Arabidopsis and maize confers ABA hypersensitivity and
      improved water use efficiency, which can lead to enhanced maize yield performance
      in a controlled drought-stress environment. Overexpression of ZmXerico1 and
      ZmXerico2 in maize results in increased ABA levels and decreased levels of ABA
      degradation products diphaseic acid and phaseic acid. We show that ZmXerico1 is
      localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, where ABA 8'-hydroxylases have been shown
      to be localized, and that it functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase. We demonstrate
      that ZmXerico1 plays a role in the control of ABA homeostasis through regulation
      of ABA 8'-hydroxylase protein stability, representing a novel control point in
      the regulation of the ABA pathway.

PMID- 28899961
TI  - Abscisic Acid Down-Regulates Hydraulic Conductance of Grapevine Leaves in
      Isohydric Genotypes Only.
AB  - Plants evolved different strategies to cope with water stress. While isohydric
      species maintain their midday leaf water potential (PsiM) under soil water
      deficit by closing their stomata, anisohydric species maintain higher stomatal
      aperture and exhibit substantial reductions in PsiM It was hypothesized that
      isohydry is related to a locally higher sensitivity of stomata to the drought
      hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Interestingly, recent lines of evidence in
      Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) suggested that stomatal responsiveness is also
      controlled by an ABA action on leaf water supply upstream from stomata. Here, we
      tested the possibility in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) that different genotypes
      ranging from near isohydric to more anisohydric may have different sensitivities
      in these ABA responses. Measurements on whole plants in drought conditions were
      combined with assays on detached leaves fed with ABA. Two different methods
      consistently showed that leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) was down-regulated by
      exogenous ABA, with strong variations depending on the genotype. Importantly,
      variation between isohydry and anisohydry correlated with Kleaf sensitivity to
      ABA, with Kleaf in the most anisohydric genotypes being unresponsive to the
      hormone. We propose that the observed response of Kleaf to ABA may be part of the
      overall ABA regulation of leaf water status.

PMID- 28899962
TI  - Pollen Aperture Factor INP1 Acts Late in Aperture Formation by Excluding Specific
      Membrane Domains from Exine Deposition.
AB  - Accurate placement of extracellular materials is a critical part of cellular
      development. To study how cells achieve this accuracy, we use formation of pollen
      apertures as a model. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), three regions on the
      pollen surface lack deposition of pollen wall exine and develop into apertures.
      In developing pollen, Arabidopsis INAPERTURATE POLLEN1 (INP1) protein acts as a
      marker for the preaperture domains, assembling there into three punctate lines.
      To understand the mechanism of aperture formation, we studied the dynamics of
      INP1 expression and localization and its relationship with the membrane domains
      at which it assembles. We found that INP1 assembly occurs after meiotic
      cytokinesis at the interface between the plasma membrane and the overlying
      callose wall, and requires the normal callose wall formation. Sites of INP1
      localization coincide with positions of protruding membrane ridges in proximity
      to the callose wall. Our data suggest that INP1 is a late-acting factor involved
      in keeping specific membrane domains next to the callose wall to prevent
      formation of exine at these sites.

PMID- 28899964
TI  - The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Long-term studies of oil spill responders are urgently needed as oil
      spills continue to occur. To this end, we established the prospective Deepwater
      Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort study. METHODS: DWH oil spill
      responders (n=8696) and non-responders (n=44 823) who were members of the US
      Coast Guard (20 April-17 December 2010) were included. This cohort uses both
      prospective, objective health data from military medical encounters and cross
      sectional survey data. Here, we describe the cohort, present adjusted prevalence
      ratios (PRs) estimating cross-sectional associations between crude oil exposure
      (none, low/medium, high) and acute physical symptoms, and present adjusted
      relative risks (RRs) based on longitudinal medical encounter data (2010-2012) for
      responders/non-responders and responders exposed/not exposed to crude oil.
      RESULTS: Responders and non-responders in this large cohort (n=53 519) have
      similar characteristics. Crude oil exposure was reported by >50% of responders.
      We found statistically significant associations for crude oil exposure with
      coughing (PRhigh=1.78), shortness of breath (PRhigh=2.30), wheezing
      (PRhigh=2.32), headaches (PRhigh=1.46), light-headedness/dizziness (PRhigh=1.96),
      skin rash/itching (PRhigh=1.87), diarrhoea (PRhigh=1.76), stomach pain
      (PRhigh=1.67), nausea/vomiting (PRhigh=1.48) and painful/burning urination
      (PRhigh=2.89) during deployment. Longitudinal analyses revealed that responders
      had elevated RRs for dermal conditions (RR=1.09), as did oil-exposed responders
      for chronic respiratory conditions (RR=1.32), asthma (RR=1.83) and dermal
      conditions (RR=1.21). CONCLUSIONS: We found positive associations between crude
      oil exposure and various acute physical symptoms among responders, as well as
      longer term health effects. This cohort is well positioned to evaluate both short
      term and long-term effects of oil spill exposures using both self-reported and
      clinical health data.

PMID- 28899963
TI  - S5H/DMR6 Encodes a Salicylic Acid 5-Hydroxylase That Fine-Tunes Salicylic Acid
      Homeostasis.
AB  - The phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) plays essential roles in biotic and abiotic
      responses, plant development, and leaf senescence. 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5
      DHBA or gentisic acid) is one of the most commonly occurring aromatic acids in
      green plants and is assumed to be generated from SA, but the enzymes involved in
      its production remain obscure. DMR6 (Downy Mildew Resistant6; At5g24530) has been
      proven essential in plant immunity of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), but its
      biochemical properties are not well understood. Here, we report the discovery and
      functional characterization of DMR6 as a salicylic acid 5-hydroxylase (S5H) that
      catalyzes the formation of 2,5-DHBA by hydroxylating SA at the C5 position of its
      phenyl ring in Arabidopsis. S5H/DMR6 specifically converts SA to 2,5-DHBA in
      vitro and displays higher catalytic efficiency (Kcat/Km = 4.96 * 104 m-1 s-1)
      than the previously reported S3H (Kcat/Km = 6.09 * 103 m-1 s-1) for SA.
      Interestingly, S5H/DMR6 displays a substrate inhibition property that may enable
      automatic control of its enzyme activities. The s5h mutant and s5hs3h double
      mutant overaccumulate SA and display phenotypes such as a smaller growth size,
      early senescence, and a loss of susceptibility to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato
      DC3000. S5H/DMR6 is sensitively induced by SA/pathogen treatment and is expressed
      widely from young seedlings to senescing plants, whereas S3H is more specifically
      expressed at the mature and senescing stages. Collectively, our results disclose
      the identity of the enzyme required for 2,5-DHBA formation and reveal a mechanism
      by which plants fine-tune SA homeostasis by mediating SA 5-hydroxylation.

PMID- 28899965
TI  - Economic evaluation of occupational health services: necessary, challenging and
      promising.

PMID- 28899966
TI  - Factors associated with work productivity among people with COPD: Birmingham COPD
      Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more
      likely to take time off work (absenteeism) and report poor performance at work
      (presenteeism) compared to those without COPD. Little is known about the
      modifiable factors associated with these work productivity outcomes. AIM: To
      assess the factors associated with work productivity among COPD patients.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a subsample (those in
      paid employment) of the Birmingham COPD Cohort study. Absenteeism was defined by
      self-report over the previous 12 months. Presenteeism was assessed using the
      Stanford Presenteeism Scale. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the
      effects of sociodemographic, clinical and occupational characteristics on work
      productivity. RESULTS: Among 348 included participants, increasing dyspnoea was
      the only factor associated with both absenteeism and presenteeism (p for
      trend<0.01). Additionally, increasing history of occupational exposure to
      vapours, gases, dusts or fumes (VGDF) was independently associated with
      presenteeism (p for trend<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to identify
      important factors associated with poor work productivity among patients with
      COPD. Future studies should evaluate interventions aimed at managing
      breathlessness and reducing occupational exposures to VGDF on work productivity
      among patients with COPD.

PMID- 28899967
TI  - Circulating Cell-free DNA for Metastatic Cervical Cancer Detection, Genotyping,
      and Monitoring.
AB  - Purpose: Circulating cell-free (ccf) human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA may serve as
      a unique tumor marker for HPV-associated malignancies, including cervical cancer.
      We developed a method to genotype and quantify circulating HPV DNA in patients
      with HPV16- or HPV18-positive metastatic cervical cancer for potential disease
      monitoring and treatment-related decision making.Experimental Design: In this
      retrospective study, HPV ccfDNA was measured in serum samples from 19 metastatic
      cervical cancer patients by duplex digital droplet PCR (ddPCR). Nine patients had
      received tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) immunotherapy. ccfDNA data were
      aligned with the tumor HPV genotype, drug treatment, and clinical
      outcome.Results: In blinded tests, HPV ccfDNA was detected in 19 of 19 (100%)
      patients with HPV-positive metastatic cervical cancer but not in any of the 45
      healthy blood donors. The HPV genotype harbored in the patients' tumors was
      correctly identified in 87 of 87 (100%) sequential patient serum samples from 9
      patients who received TIL immunotherapy. In three patients who experienced
      objective cancer regression after TIL treatment, a transient HPV ccfDNA peak was
      detected 2-3 days after TIL infusion. Furthermore, persistent clearance of HPV
      ccfDNA was only observed in two patients who experienced complete response (CR)
      after TIL immunotherapy.Conclusions: HPV ccfDNA represents a promising tumor
      marker for noninvasive HPV genotyping and may be used in selecting patients for
      HPV type-specific T-cell-based immunotherapies. It may also have value in
      detecting antitumor activity of therapeutic agents and in the long-term follow-up
      of cervical cancer patients in remission. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 6856-62.
      (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899968
TI  - Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) of Human Breast Cancer.
AB  - Purpose: In a pilot study, we introduce fast handheld multispectral optoacoustic
      tomography (MSOT) of the breast at 28 wavelengths, aiming to identify high
      resolution optoacoustic (photoacoustic) patterns of breast cancer and
      noncancerous breast tissue.Experimental Design: We imaged 10 female patients ages
      48-81 years with malignant nonspecific breast cancer or invasive lobular
      carcinoma. Three healthy volunteers ages 31-36 years were also imaged. Fast-MSOT
      was based on unique single-frame-per-pulse (SFPP) image acquisition employed to
      improve the accuracy of spectral differentiation over using a small number of
      wavelengths. Breast tissue was illuminated at the 700-970 nm spectral range over
      0.56 seconds total scan time. MSOT data were guided by ultrasonography and X-ray
      mammography or MRI.Results: The extended spectral range allowed the computation
      of oxygenated hemoglobin (HBO2), deoxygenated hemoglobin (HB), total blood volume
      (TBV), lipid, and water contributions, allowing first insights into in vivo high
      resolution breast tissue MSOT cancer patterns. TBV and Hb/HBO2 images resolved
      marked differences between cancer and control tissue, manifested as a vessel-rich
      tumor periphery with highly heterogeneous spatial appearance compared with
      healthy tissue. We observe significant TBV variations between different tumors
      and between tumors over healthy tissues. Water and fat lipid layers appear
      disrupted in cancer versus healthy tissue; however, offer weaker contrast
      compared with TBV images.Conclusions: In contrast to optical methods, MSOT
      resolves physiologic cancer features with high resolution and revealed patterns
      not offered by other radiologic modalities. The new features relate to
      personalized and precision medicine potential. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 6912-22.
      (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899969
TI  - TMEM16A/ANO1 Inhibits Apoptosis Via Downregulation of Bim Expression.
AB  - Purpose: TMEM16A is a calcium-activated chloride channel that is amplified in a
      variety of cancers, including 30% of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
      (HNSCCs), raising the possibility of an anti-apoptotic role in malignant cells.
      This study investigated this using a multimodal, translational
      investigation.Experimental Design: Combination of (i) in vitro HNSCC cell culture
      experiments assessing cell viability, apoptotic activation, and protein
      expression (ii) in vivo studies assessing similar outcomes, and (iii) molecular
      and staining analysis of human HNSCC samples.Results: TMEM16A expression was
      found to correlate with greater tumor size, increased Erk 1/2 activity, less Bim
      expression, and less apoptotic activity overall in human HNSCC. These findings
      were corroborated in subsequent in vitro and in vivo studies and expanded to
      include a cisplatin-resistant phenotype with TMEM16A overexpression. A cohort of
      41 patients with laryngeal cancer demonstrated that cases that recurred after
      chemoradiation failure were associated with a greater TMEM16A overexpression rate
      than HNSCC that did not recur.Conclusions: Ultimately, this study implicates
      TMEM16A as a contributor to tumor progression by limiting apoptosis and as a
      potential biomarker of more aggressive disease. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7324-32.
      (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899970
TI  - Targeting Prostate Cancer Subtype 1 by Forkhead Box M1 Pathway Inhibition.
AB  - Purpose: Prostate cancer was recently classified to three clinically relevant
      subtypes (PCS) demarcated by unique pathway activation and clinical
      aggressiveness. In this preclinical study, we investigated molecular targets and
      therapeutics for PCS1, the most aggressive and lethal subtype, with no treatment
      options available in the clinic.Experimental Design: We utilized the PCS1 gene
      set and our model of enzalutamide (ENZR) castration-resistant prostate cancer
      (CRPC) to identify targetable pathways and inhibitors for PCS1. The findings were
      evaluated in vitro and in the ENZR CRPC xenograft model in vivoResults: The
      results revealed that ENZR CRPC cells are enriched with PCS1 signature and that
      Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) pathway is the central driver of this subtype. Notably,
      we identified Monensin as a novel FOXM1-binding agent that selectively targets
      FOXM1 to reverse the PCS1 signature and its associated stem-like features and
      reduces the growth of ENZR CRPC cells and xenograft tumors.Conclusions: Our
      preclinical data indicate FOXM1 pathway as a master regulator of PCS1 tumors,
      namely in ENZR CRPC, and targeting FOXM1 reduces cell growth and stemness in ENZR
      CRPC in vitro and in vivo These preclinical results may guide clinical evaluation
      of targeting FOXM1 to eradicate highly aggressive and lethal PCS1 prostate cancer
      tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 6923-33. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899971
TI  - Matrix Screen Identifies Synergistic Combination of PARP Inhibitors and
      Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) Inhibitors in Ewing Sarcoma.
AB  - Purpose: Although many cancers are showing remarkable responses to targeted
      therapies, pediatric sarcomas, including Ewing sarcoma, remain recalcitrant. To
      broaden the therapeutic landscape, we explored the in vitro response of Ewing
      sarcoma cell lines against a large collection of investigational and approved
      drugs to identify candidate combinations.Experimental Design: Drugs displaying
      activity as single agents were evaluated in combinatorial (matrix) format to
      identify highly active, synergistic drug combinations, and combinations were
      subsequently validated in multiple cell lines using various agents from each
      class. Comprehensive metabolomic and proteomic profiling was performed to better
      understand the mechanism underlying the synergy. Xenograft experiments were
      performed to determine efficacy and in vivo mechanism.Results: Several promising
      candidates emerged, including the combination of small-molecule PARP and
      nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) inhibitors, a rational combination
      as NAMPTis block the rate-limiting enzyme in the production of nicotinamide
      adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a necessary substrate of PARP. Mechanistic drivers
      of the synergistic cell killing phenotype of these combined drugs included
      depletion of NMN and NAD+, diminished PAR activity, increased DNA damage, and
      apoptosis. Combination PARPis and NAMPTis in vivo resulted in tumor regression,
      delayed disease progression, and increased survival.Conclusions: These studies
      highlight the potential of these drugs as a possible therapeutic option in
      treating patients with Ewing sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7301-11. (c)2017
      AACR.

PMID- 28899972
TI  - Immunotherapy of Lymphoma and Myeloma: Facts and Hopes.
AB  - Immune checkpoint blockade has driven a revolution in modern oncology, and robust
      drug development of immune checkpoint inhibitors is underway in both solid tumors
      and hematologic malignancies. High response rates to programmed cell death 1 (PD
      1) blockade using nivolumab or pembrolizumab in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL)
      and several variants of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) revealed an intrinsic
      biological sensitivity to this approach, and work is ongoing exploring
      combinations with immune checkpoint inhibitors in both cHL and NHL. There are
      also preliminary data suggesting antitumor efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors used in
      combination with immunomodulatory drugs in multiple myeloma, and effects of novel
      monoclonal antibody therapies on the tumor microenvironment may lead to synergy
      with checkpoint blockade. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors are generally
      well tolerated, clinicians must use caution and remain vigilant when treating
      patients with these agents in order to identify immune-related toxicities and
      prevent treatment-related morbidity and mortality. Autologous stem cell
      transplant is a useful tool for treatment of hematologic malignancies and has
      potential as a platform for use of immune checkpoint inhibitors. An important
      safety signal has emerged surrounding the risk of graft-versus-host disease
      associated with use of PD-1 inhibitors before and after allogeneic stem cell
      transplant. We aim to discuss the facts known to date in the use of immune
      checkpoint inhibitors for patients with lymphoid malignancies and our hopes for
      expanding the benefits of immunotherapy to patients in the future. Clin Cancer
      Res; 24(5); 1002-10. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899974
TI  - Genomic Characterization of Vulvar (Pre)cancers Identifies Distinct Molecular
      Subtypes with Prognostic Significance.
AB  - Purpose: Vulvar cancer (VC) can be subclassified by human papillomavirus (HPV)
      status. HPV-negative VCs frequently harbor TP53 mutations; however, in-depth
      analysis of other potential molecular genetic alterations is lacking. We
      comprehensively assessed somatic mutations in a large series of vulvar
      (pre)cancers.Experimental Design: We performed targeted next-generation
      sequencing (17 genes), p53 immunohistochemistry and HPV testing on 36 VC and 82
      precursors (sequencing cohort). Subsequently, the prognostic significance of the
      three subtypes identified in the sequencing cohort was assessed in a series of
      236 VC patients (follow-up cohort).Results: Frequent recurrent mutations were
      identified in HPV-negative vulvar (pre)cancers in TP53 (42% and 68%), NOTCH1 (28%
      and 41%), and HRAS (20% and 31%). Mutation frequency in HPV-positive vulvar
      (pre)cancers was significantly lower (P = 0.001). Furthermore, a substantial
      subset of the HPV-negative precursors (35/60, 58.3%) and VC (10/29, 34.5%) were
      TP53 wild-type (wt), suggesting a third, not-previously described, molecular
      subtype. Clinical outcomes in the three different subtypes (HPV+, HPV-/p53wt, HPV
      /p53abn) were evaluated in a follow-up cohort consisting of 236 VC patients.
      Local recurrence rate was 5.3% for HPV+, 16.3% for HPV-/p53wt and 22.6% for HPV
      /p53abn tumors (P = 0.044). HPV positivity remained an independent prognostic
      factor for favorable outcome in the multivariable analysis (P =
      0.020).Conclusions: HPV- and HPV+ vulvar (pre)cancers display striking
      differences in somatic mutation patterns. HPV-/p53wt VC appear to be a distinct
      clinicopathologic subgroup with frequent NOTCH1 mutations. HPV+ VC have a
      significantly lower local recurrence rate, independent of clinicopathological
      variables, opening opportunities for reducing overtreatment in VC. Clin Cancer
      Res; 23(22); 6781-9. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899973
TI  - TOP2A and EZH2 Provide Early Detection of an Aggressive Prostate Cancer Subgroup.
AB  - Purpose: Current clinical parameters do not stratify indolent from aggressive
      prostate cancer. Aggressive prostate cancer, defined by the progression from
      localized disease to metastasis, is responsible for the majority of prostate
      cancer-associated mortality. Recent gene expression profiling has proven
      successful in predicting the outcome of prostate cancer patients; however, they
      have yet to provide targeted therapy approaches that could inhibit a patient's
      progression to metastatic disease.Experimental Design: We have interrogated a
      total of seven primary prostate cancer cohorts (n = 1,900), two metastatic
      castration-resistant prostate cancer datasets (n = 293), and one prospective
      cohort (n = 1,385) to assess the impact of TOP2A and EZH2 expression on prostate
      cancer cellular program and patient outcomes. We also performed IHC staining for
      TOP2A and EZH2 in a cohort of primary prostate cancer patients (n = 89) with
      known outcome. Finally, we explored the therapeutic potential of a combination
      therapy targeting both TOP2A and EZH2 using novel prostate cancer-derived murine
      cell lines.Results: We demonstrate by genome-wide analysis of independent primary
      and metastatic prostate cancer datasets that concurrent TOP2A and EZH2 mRNA and
      protein upregulation selected for a subgroup of primary and metastatic patients
      with more aggressive disease and notable overlap of genes involved in mitotic
      regulation. Importantly, TOP2A and EZH2 in prostate cancer cells act as key
      driving oncogenes, a fact highlighted by sensitivity to combination-targeted
      therapy.Conclusions: Overall, our data support further assessment of TOP2A and
      EZH2 as biomarkers for early identification of patients with increased metastatic
      potential that may benefit from adjuvant or neoadjuvant targeted therapy
      approaches. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 7072-83. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899975
TI  - Antagonism of EG-VEGF Receptors as Targeted Therapy for Choriocarcinoma
      Progression In Vitro and In Vivo.
AB  - Purpose: Choriocarcinoma (CC) is the most malignant gestational trophoblastic
      disease that often develops from complete hydatidiform moles (CHM). Neither the
      mechanism of CC development nor its progression is yet characterized. We recently
      identified endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (EG-VEGF)
      as a novel key placental growth factor that controls trophoblast proliferation
      and invasion. EG-VEGF acts via two receptors, PROKR1 and PROKR2. Here, we
      demonstrate that EG-VEGF receptors can be targeted for CC therapy.Experimental
      Design: Three approaches were used: (i) a clinical investigation comparing
      circulating EG-VEGF in control (n = 20) and in distinctive CHM (n = 38) and CC (n
      = 9) cohorts, (ii) an in vitro study investigating EG-VEGF effects on the CC cell
      line JEG3, and (iii) an in vivo study including the development of a novel CC
      mouse model, through a direct injection of JEG3-luciferase into the placenta of
      gravid SCID-mice.Results: Both placental and circulating EG-VEGF levels were
      increased in CHM and CC (*5) patients. EG-VEGF increased JEG3 proliferation,
      migration, and invasion in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D)
      culture systems. JEG3 injection in the placenta caused CC development with large
      metastases compared with their injection into the uterine horn. Treatment of the
      animal model with EG-VEGF receptor's antagonists significantly reduced tumor
      development and progression and preserved pregnancy. Antibody-array and
      immunohistological analyses further deciphered the mechanism of the antagonist's
      actions.Conclusions: Our work describes a novel preclinical animal model of CC
      and presents evidence that EG-VEGF receptors can be targeted for CC therapy. This
      may provide safe and less toxic therapeutic options compared with the currently
      used multi-agent chemotherapies. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 7130-40. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28899978
TI  - New chapter in tackling antimicrobial resistance in Thailand.

PMID- 28899976
TI  - Core Concept: Human artificial chromosomes offer insights, therapeutic
      possibilities, and challenges.

PMID- 28899979
TI  - Clinical performance evaluation of the Idylla NRAS-BRAF mutation test on
      retrospectively collected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded colorectal cancer
      tissue.
AB  - AIMS: Understanding the molecular mechanisms of underlying disease has led to a
      movement away from the one-drug-fits-all paradigm towards treatment tailored to
      the genetic profile of the patient. The Biocartis Idylla platform is a novel
      fully automated, real-time PCR-based in vitro diagnostic system. The Idylla NRAS
      BRAF mutation test has been developed for the qualitative detection of mutations
      in NRAS and BRAF oncogenes, facilitating genetic profiling of patients with
      cancer. The aim of this study was to carry out a formal clinical performance
      evaluation. METHODS: Two-hundred and forty-two formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded
      (FFPE) human malignant colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue samples were identified in
      departmental archives and tested with both the Idylla NRAS-BRAF mutation test and
      the Agena Bioscience MassARRAY test. RESULTS: The overall concordance between the
      Idylla NRAS-BRAF mutation test and the MassARRAY comparator reference test result
      was 241/242 (99.59%, lower bound of one-sided 95% CI=98.1%) for NRAS and 242/242
      (lower bound of 95% one-sided 95% CI=98.89%) for BRAF. The Idylla NRAS-BRAF test
      detected one NRAS mutation that had not been reported by the MassARRAY comparator
      reference test. Reanalysis of this sample by droplet digital PCR confirmed that
      the mutation was present, but at an allelic frequency below the stated
      sensitivity level of the MassARRAY system. CONCLUSION: These results confirm that
      the Idylla NRAS-BRAF mutation test has high concordance with a widely used NRAS
      BRAF test, and is therefore suitable for use as an in vitro diagnostic device for
      this application.

PMID- 28899980
TI  - Standardisation of practice for Canadian pathologists' assistants.

PMID- 28899982
TI  - CORRECTION.

PMID- 28899981
TI  - Evidence for a Role of ANAC082 as a Ribosomal Stress Response Mediator Leading to
      Growth Defects and Developmental Alterations in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Ribosome-related mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana share several notable
      characteristics regarding growth and development, which implies the existence of
      a common pathway that responds to disorders in ribosome biogenesis. As a first
      step to explore this pathway genetically, we screened a mutagenized population of
      root initiation defective2 (rid2), a temperature-sensitive mutant that is
      impaired in pre-rRNA processing, and isolated suppressor of root initiation
      defective two1 (sriw1), a suppressor mutant in which the defects of cell
      proliferation observed in rid2 at the restrictive temperature was markedly
      rescued. sriw1 was identified as a missense mutation of the NAC transcription
      factor gene ANAC082 The sriw1 mutation greatly alleviated the developmental
      abnormalities of rid2 and four other tested ribosome-related mutants, including
      rid3 However, the impaired pre-rRNA processing in rid2 and rid3 was not relieved
      by sriw1 Expression of ANAC082 was localized to regions where phenotypic effects
      of ribosome-related mutations are readily evident and was elevated in rid2 and
      rid3 compared with the wild type. These findings suggest that ANAC082 acts
      downstream of perturbation of biogenesis of the ribosome and may mediate a set of
      stress responses leading to developmental alterations and cell proliferation
      defects.

PMID- 28899984
TI  - Non-invasive diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma revisited.

PMID- 28899983
TI  - Regulatory NK cells mediated between immunosuppressive monocytes and
      dysfunctional T cells in chronic HBV infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: HBV infection represents a major health problem worldwide,
      but the immunological mechanisms by which HBV causes chronic persistent infection
      remain only partly understood. Recently, cell subsets with suppressive features
      have been recognised among monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. Here we
      examine the effects of HBV on monocytes and NK cells. METHODS: Monocytes and NK
      cells derived from chronic HBV-infected patients and healthy controls were
      purified and characterised for phenotype, gene expression and cytokines secretion
      by flow cytometry, quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR, ELISA and western blotting.
      Culture and coculture of monocytes and NK cells were used to determine NK cell
      activation, using intracellular cytokines staining. RESULTS: In chronic HBV
      infection, monocytes express higher levels of PD-L1, HLA-E, interleukin (IL)-10
      and TGF-beta, and NK cells express higher levels of PD-1, CD94 and IL-10,
      compared with healthy individuals. HBV employs hepatitis B surface antigen
      (HBsAg) to induce suppressive monocytes with HLA-E, PD-L1, IL-10 and TGF-beta
      expression via the MyD88/NFkappaB signalling pathway. HBV-treated monocytes
      induce NK cells to produce IL-10, via PD-L1 and HLA-E signals. Such NK cells
      inhibit autologous T cell activation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal an
      immunosuppressive cascade, in which HBV generates suppressive monocytes, which
      initiate regulatory NK cells differentiation resulting in T cell inhibition.

PMID- 28899985
TI  - Young woman with segmental colitis.

PMID- 28899986
TI  - Perioperative Spending on Spinal Fusion for Scoliosis for Children With Medical
      Complexity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Global payment is used with surgeries to optimize health, lower
      costs, and improve quality. We assessed perioperative spending on spinal fusion
      for scoliosis to inform how this might apply to children. METHODS: Retrospective
      analysis of 1249 children using Medicaid and aged >=5 years with a complex
      chronic condition undergoing spinal fusion in 2013 from 12 states. From
      perioperative health services measured 6 months before and 3 months after spinal
      fusion, we simulated a spending reallocation with increased preoperative care and
      decreased hospital care. RESULTS: Perioperative spending was $112 353 per
      patient, with 77.9% for hospitalization, 12.3% for preoperative care, and 9.8%
      for postdischarge care. Primary care accounted for 0.2% of total spending; 15.4%
      and 49.2% of children had no primary care visit before and after spinal fusion,
      respectively. Compared with having no preoperative primary care visit, 1 to 2
      visits were associated with a 12% lower surgery hospitalization cost (P = .05)
      and a 9% shorter length of stay (LOS) (P = .1); >=3 visits were associated with a
      21% lower hospitalization cost (P < .001) and a 14% shorter LOS (P = .01). Having
      >=3 preoperative primary care visits for all children would increase total
      perioperative spending by 0.07%. This increased cost could be underwritten by a
      0.1% reduction in hospital LOS or a 1.0% reduction in 90-day hospital
      readmissions. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital care accounted for most perioperative
      spending in children undergoing spinal fusion. Multiple preoperative primary care
      visits were associated with lower hospital costs and shorter hospitalizations.
      Modestly less hospital resource use could underwrite substantial increases in
      children's preoperative primary care.

PMID- 28899987
TI  - Heart Failure-Related Hyperphosphorylation in the Cardiac Troponin I C Terminus
      Has Divergent Effects on Cardiac Function In Vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In human heart failure, Ser199 (equivalent to Ser200 in mouse) of
      cTnI (cardiac troponin I) is significantly hyperphosphorylated, and in vitro
      studies suggest that it enhances myofilament calcium sensitivity and alters
      calpain-mediated cTnI proteolysis. However, how its hyperphosphorylation affects
      cardiac function in vivo remains unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: To address the
      question, 2 transgenic mouse models were generated: a phospho-mimetic cTnIS200D
      and a phospho-silenced cTnIS200A, each driven by the cardiomyocyte-specific alpha
      myosin heavy chain promoter. Cardiac structure assessed by echocardiography and
      histology was normal in both transgenic models compared with littermate controls
      (n=5). Baseline in vivo hemodynamics and isolated muscle studies showed that
      cTnIS200D significantly prolonged relaxation and lowered left ventricular peak
      filling rate, whereas ejection fraction and force development were normal (n=5).
      However, with increased heart rate or beta-adrenergic stimulation, cTnIS200D mice
      had less enhanced ejection fraction or force development versus controls, whereas
      relaxation improved similarly to controls (n=5). By contrast, cTnIS200A was
      functionally normal both at baseline and under the physiological stresses. To
      test whether either mutation impacted cardiac response to ischemic stress,
      isolated hearts were subjected to ischemia/reperfusion. cTnIS200D were protected,
      recovering 88+/-8% of contractile function versus 35+/-15% in littermate controls
      and 28+/-8% in cTnIS200A (n=5). This was associated with less cTnI proteolysis in
      cTnIS200D hearts. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperphosphorylation of this serine in cTnI C
      terminus impacts heart function by depressing diastolic function at baseline and
      limiting systolic reserve under physiological stresses. However, paradoxically,
      it preserves heart function after ischemia/reperfusion injury, potentially by
      decreasing proteolysis of cTnI.

PMID- 28899989
TI  - Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors and Risk of Heart Failure in Patients With Type
      2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Population-Based Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between dipeptidyl-peptidase IV inhibitors (DPP-4i)
      and heart failure (HF) remains unclear. In 1 randomized controlled trial and some
      observational studies, DPP-4i reportedly increased the risk of HF, but 2 other
      randomized controlled trials and observational studies have shown no such risk.
      Here, we evaluated the risk of HF and cardiovascular outcomes of DPP-4i compared
      with sulfonylureas. METHODS AND RESULTS: A population-based retrospective cohort
      study was conducted using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment
      Service database from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2015. Incident users of
      sulfonylurea and DPP-4i who were not prescribed the comparator drug in the year
      before treatment initiation were included. DPP-4i-treated and sulfonylurea
      treated patients were matched on propensity score, calculated with >40 variables.
      The risk of hospitalization for HF was evaluated with a Cox proportional hazards
      model in 255 691 matched pairs. Analyses were conducted in the total patient
      population and in both strata divided by the presence of cardiovascular disease
      during the baseline period. The hazard ratios (HRs) of hospitalization for HF for
      DPP-4i-treated patients were 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.86) in
      all of the patients, 0.77 (95% CI, 0.68-0.79) in patients with baseline
      cardiovascular disease, and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.56-0.90) in patients without baseline
      cardiovascular disease compared with HRs for sulfonylurea-treated patients.
      Sitagliptin and linagliptin showed statistically lower risk for hospitalization
      for HF (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.67-0.86 for sitagliptin-prescribed patients; HR,
      0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.92 for linagliptin-prescribed patients) than for
      sulfonylurea. The HRs for hospitalization for myocardial infarction and stroke
      with the use of a DPP-4i versus sulfonylurea were HR, 0.76 (95% CI, 0.67-0.87)
      and HR, 0.63 (95% CI, 0.60-0.67), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest
      that DPP-4i use did not increase the risk of HF compared with sulfonylurea. In
      addition, the risks for cardiovascular outcomes were not elevated in DPP-4i
      treated patients compared with sulfonylurea-treated patients.

PMID- 28899988
TI  - Impact of Incident Heart Failure on Body Composition Over Time in the Health,
      Aging, and Body Composition Study Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevalence of heart failure (HF) increases significantly with age,
      coinciding with age-related changes in body composition that are common and
      consequential. Still, body composition is rarely factored in routine HF care.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition study is a
      prospective cohort study of nondisabled adults. Using yearly dual-energy x-ray
      absorptiometry, body composition was assessed in the Health, Aging, and Body
      Composition study over 6 years, comparing those who developed incident HF versus
      those who did not. Among 2815 Health, Aging, and Body Composition participants
      (48.5% men; 59.6% whites; mean age, 73.6+/-2.9 years), 111 developed incident HF
      over the 6-year study period. At entry into the Health, Aging, and Body
      Composition study, men and women who later developed HF had higher total body
      mass when compared with those versus those who did not develop HF (men, 80.9+/-10
      versus 78.6+/-12.9 kg, P=0.05; women, 72.7+/-15.0 versus 68.2+/-14.2 kg, P=0.01,
      respectively). However, after developing HF, loss of total lean body mass was
      disproportionate; men with HF lost 654.6 versus 391.4 g/y in non-HF participants,
      P=0.02. Loss of appendicular lean mass was also greater with HF (-419.9 versus 
      318.2 g/y; P=0.02), even after accounting for total weight change. Among women
      with HF, loss of total and appendicular lean mass were also greater than in non
      HF participants but not to the extent seen among men. CONCLUSIONS: Incident HF in
      older adults was associated with disproportionate loss of lean mass, particularly
      among men. Prognostic implications are significant, with key sex-specific
      inferences on physical function, frailty, disability, and pharmacodynamics that
      all merit further investigation.

PMID- 28899990
TI  - Generalist physicians' challenges in understanding specialists' clinic notes.

PMID- 28899992
TI  - Depletion of Progranulin Reduces GluN2B-Containing NMDA Receptor Density, Tau
      Phosphorylation, and Dendritic Arborization in Mouse Primary Cortical Neurons.
AB  - Loss-of-function mutations in the progranulin (PGRN) gene are a common cause of
      familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). This age-related
      neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by brain atrophy in the frontal and
      temporal lobes and such typical symptoms as cognitive and memory impairment,
      profound behavioral abnormalities, and personality changes is thought to be
      related to connectome dysfunctions. Recently, PGRN reduction has been found to
      induce a behavioral phenotype reminiscent of FTLD symptoms in mice by affecting
      neuron spine density and morphology, suggesting that the protein can influence
      neuronal structural plasticity. Here, we evaluated whether a partial
      haploinsufficiency-like PGRN depletion, achieved by using RNA interference in
      primary mouse cortical neurons, could modulate GluN2B-containing N-methyl-d
      aspartate (NMDA) receptors and tau phosphorylation, which are crucially involved
      in the regulation of the structural plasticity of these cells. In addition, we
      studied the effect of PGRN decrease on neuronal cell arborization both in the
      presence and absence of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor stimulation. We found
      that PGRN decline diminished GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor levels and density
      as well as NMDA-dependent tau phosphorylation. These alterations were accompanied
      by a marked drop in neuronal arborization that was prevented by an acute GluN2B
      containing NMDA receptor stimulation. Our findings support that PGRN decrease,
      resulting from pathogenic mutations, might compromise the trophism of cortical
      neurons by affecting GluN2B-contaning NMDA receptors. These mechanisms might be
      implicated in the pathogenesis of FTLD.

PMID- 28899991
TI  - Infographic: Consensus statement on concussion in sport.

PMID- 28899993
TI  - Sixty seconds on . . . upselling.

PMID- 28899994
TI  - Heterodimeric capping protein is required for stereocilia length and width
      regulation.
AB  - Control of the dimensions of actin-rich processes like filopodia, lamellipodia,
      microvilli, and stereocilia requires the coordinated activity of many proteins.
      Each of these actin structures relies on heterodimeric capping protein (CAPZ),
      which blocks actin polymerization at barbed ends. Because dimension control of
      the inner ear's stereocilia is particularly precise, we studied the CAPZB subunit
      in hair cells. CAPZB, present at ~100 copies per stereocilium, concentrated at
      stereocilia tips as hair cell development progressed, similar to the CAPZB
      interacting protein TWF2. We deleted Capzb specifically in hair cells using Atoh1
      Cre, which eliminated auditory and vestibular function. Capzb-null stereocilia
      initially developed normally but later shortened and disappeared; surprisingly,
      stereocilia width decreased concomitantly with length. CAPZB2 expressed by in
      utero electroporation prevented normal elongation of vestibular stereocilia and
      irregularly widened them. Together, these results suggest that capping protein
      participates in stereocilia widening by preventing newly elongating actin
      filaments from depolymerizing.

PMID- 28899995
TI  - HIV seroconversion among Baltimore City residents tested at a mobile van
      programme.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many individuals with HIV in the USA are unaware of their diagnosis,
      and therefore cannot be engaged in treatment services, have worse clinical
      outcomes and are more likely to transmit HIV to others. Mobile van testing may
      increase HIV testing and diagnosis. Our objective was to characterise risk
      factors for HIV seroconversion among individuals using mobile van testing.
      METHODS: A case cohort study (n=543) was conducted within an HIV surveillance
      dataset of mobile van testing users with at least two HIV tests between September
      2004 and August 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. A subcohort (n=423) was randomly
      selected; all additional cases were added from the parent cohort. Cases (n=122
      total, two from random subcohort) had documented seroconversion at the follow-up
      visit. A unique aspect of the analysis was use of Department of Corrections data
      to document incarceration between the times of initial and subsequent testing.
      Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare HIV
      transmission risk factors between individuals who seroconverted and those who did
      not. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-two HIV seroconversions occurred among 8756
      individuals (1.4%), a rate higher than that in Baltimore City Health Department's
      STD Clinic clients (1%). Increased HIV seroconversion risk was associated with
      men who have sex with men (MSM) (HR 32.76, 95% CI 5.62 to 191.12), sex with an
      HIV positive partner (HR 70.2, 95% CI 9.58 to 514.89), and intravenous drug use
      (IDU) (HR 5.65, 95% CI 2.41 to 13.23). CONCLUSIONS: HIV testing is a crucial
      first step in the HIV care continuum and an important HIV prevention tool. This
      study confirmed the need to reach high-risk populations (MSM, sex with HIV
      positive individuals, individuals with IDU) and to increase comprehensive
      prevention services so that high-risk individuals stay HIV uninfected. HIV
      testing in mobile vans may be an effective outreach strategy for identifying
      infection in certain populations at high risk for HIV.

PMID- 28899996
TI  - Prediction and Subtyping of Hypertension from Pan-Tissue Transcriptomic and
      Genetic Analyses.
AB  - Hypertension (HT) is a complex systemic disease involving transcriptional changes
      in multiple organs. Here we systematically investigate the pan-tissue
      transcriptional and genetic landscape of HT spanning dozens of tissues in
      hundreds of individuals. We find that in several tissues, previously identified
      HT-linked genes are dysregulated and the gene expression profile is predictive of
      HT. Importantly, many expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) SNPs associated
      with the population variance of the dysregulated genes are linked with blood
      pressure in an independent genome-wide association study, suggesting that the
      functional effect of HT-associated SNPs may be mediated through tissue-specific
      transcriptional dysregulation. Analyses of pan-tissue transcriptional
      dysregulation profile, as well as eQTL SNPs underlying the dysregulated genes,
      reveals substantial heterogeneity among the HT patients, revealing two broad
      groupings - a Diffused group where several tissues exhibit HT-associated
      molecular alterations and a Localized group where such alterations are localized
      to very few tissues. These two patient subgroups differ in several clinical
      phenotypes including respiratory, cerebrovascular, diabetes, and heart disease.
      These findings suggest that the Diffused and Localized subgroups may be driven by
      different molecular mechanisms and have different genetic underpinning.

PMID- 28899997
TI  - Improving Disease Prediction by Incorporating Family Disease History in Risk
      Prediction Models with Large-Scale Genetic Data.
AB  - Despite the many successes of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the known
      susceptibility variants identified by GWAS have modest effect sizes, leading to
      notable skepticism about the effectiveness of building a risk prediction model
      from large-scale genetic data. However, in contrast to genetic variants, the
      family history of diseases has been largely accepted as an important risk factor
      in clinical diagnosis and risk prediction. Nevertheless, the complicated
      structures of the family history of diseases have limited their application in
      clinical practice. Here, we developed a new method that enables incorporation of
      the general family history of diseases with a liability threshold model, and
      propose a new analysis strategy for risk prediction with penalized regression
      analysis that incorporates both large numbers of genetic variants and clinical
      risk factors. Application of our model to type 2 diabetes in the Korean
      population (1846 cases and 1846 controls) demonstrated that single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms accounted for 32.5% of the variation explained by the predicted
      risk scores in the test data set, and incorporation of family history led to an
      additional 6.3% improvement in prediction. Our results illustrate that family
      medical history provides valuable information on the variation of complex
      diseases and improves prediction performance.

PMID- 28899998
TI  - Correction for Wang et al., "Nucleophosmin, a Critical Bax Cofactor in Ischemia
      Induced Cell Death".

PMID- 28899999
TI  - Correction for Bagarova et al., "Constitutively Active ALK2 Receptor Mutants
      Require Type II Receptor Cooperation".

PMID- 28900000
TI  - Correction for Lecona et al., "USP7 Cooperates with SCML2 To Regulate the
      Activity of PRC1".

PMID- 28900001
TI  - Samd7 is a cell type-specific PRC1 component essential for establishing retinal
      rod photoreceptor identity.
AB  - Precise transcriptional regulation controlled by a transcription factor network
      is known to be crucial for establishing correct neuronal cell identities and
      functions in the CNS. In the retina, the expression of various cone and rod
      photoreceptor cell genes is regulated by multiple transcription factors; however,
      the role of epigenetic regulation in photoreceptor cell gene expression has been
      poorly understood. Here, we found that Samd7, a rod-enriched sterile alpha domain
      (SAM) domain protein, is essential for silencing nonrod gene expression through
      H3K27me3 regulation in rod photoreceptor cells. Samd7-null mutant mice showed
      ectopic expression of nonrod genes including S-opsin in rod photoreceptor cells
      and rod photoreceptor cell dysfunction. Samd7 physically interacts with
      Polyhomeotic homologs (Phc proteins), components of the Polycomb repressive
      complex 1 (PRC1), and colocalizes with Phc2 and Ring1B in Polycomb bodies. ChIP
      assays showed a significant decrease of H3K27me3 in the genes up-regulated in the
      Samd7-deficient retina, showing that Samd7 deficiency causes the derepression of
      nonrod gene expression in rod photoreceptor cells. The current study suggests
      that Samd7 is a cell type-specific PRC1 component epigenetically defining rod
      photoreceptor cell identity.

PMID- 28900002
TI  - Modeling Parkinson's disease pathology by combination of fibril seeds and alpha
      synuclein overexpression in the rat brain.
AB  - Although a causative role of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) is well established in
      Parkinson's disease pathogenesis, available animal models of synucleinopathy do
      not replicate the full range of cellular and behavioral changes characteristic of
      the human disease. This study was designed to generate a more faithful model of
      Parkinson's disease by injecting human alpha-syn fibril seeds into the rat
      substantia nigra (SN), in combination with adenoassociated virus (AAV)-mediated
      overexpression of human alpha-syn, at levels that, by themselves, are unable to
      induce acute dopamine (DA) neurodegeneration. We show that the ability of human
      alpha-syn fibrils to trigger Lewy-like alpha-synuclein pathology in the affected
      DA neurons is dramatically enhanced in the presence of elevated levels of human
      alpha-syn. This synucleinopathy was fully developed already 10 days after fibril
      injection, accompanied by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in SN,
      neuritic swelling, reduced striatal DA release, and impaired motor behavior.
      Moreover, a prominent inflammatory response involving both activation of resident
      microglia and infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes was observed.
      Hypertrophic microglia were found to enclose or engulf cells and processes
      containing Lewy-like alpha-syn aggregates. alpha-Syn aggregates were also
      observed inside these cells, suggesting transfer of phosphorylated alpha-syn from
      the affected nigral neurons. The nigral pathology triggered by fibrils in
      combination with AAV-mediated overexpression of alpha-syn reproduced many of the
      cardinal features of the human disease. The short time span and the distinct
      sequence of pathological and degenerative changes make this combined approach
      attractive as an experimental model for the assessment of neuroprotective and
      disease-modifying strategies.

PMID- 28900003
TI  - Local optical control of ferromagnetism and chemical potential in a topological
      insulator.
AB  - Many proposed experiments involving topological insulators (TIs) require spatial
      control over time-reversal symmetry and chemical potential. We demonstrate
      reconfigurable micron-scale optical control of both magnetization (which breaks
      time-reversal symmetry) and chemical potential in ferromagnetic thin films of Cr
      (Bi,Sb)2Te3 grown on SrTiO3 By optically modulating the coercivity of the films,
      we write and erase arbitrary patterns in their remanent magnetization, which we
      then image with Kerr microscopy. Additionally, by optically manipulating a space
      charge layer in the underlying SrTiO3 substrates, we control the local chemical
      potential of the films. This optical gating effect allows us to write and erase p
      n junctions in the films, which we study with photocurrent microscopy. Both
      effects are persistent and may be patterned and imaged independently on a few
      micron scale. Dynamic optical control over both magnetization and chemical
      potential of a TI may be useful in efforts to understand and control the edge
      states predicted at magnetic domain walls in quantum anomalous Hall insulators.

PMID- 28900004
TI  - Network of microbial and antibiotic interactions drive colonization and infection
      with multidrug-resistant organisms.
AB  - The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) across global
      healthcare networks poses a serious threat to hospitalized individuals.
      Strategies to limit the emergence and spread of MDROs include oversight to
      decrease selective pressure for MDROs by promoting appropriate antibiotic use via
      antibiotic stewardship programs. However, restricting the use of one antibiotic
      often requires a compensatory increase in the use of other antibiotics, which in
      turn selects for the emergence of different MDRO species. Further, the downstream
      effects of antibiotic treatment decisions may also be influenced by functional
      interactions among different MDRO species, with the potential clinical
      implications of such interactions remaining largely unexplored. Here, we attempt
      to decipher the influence network between antibiotic treatment, MDRO
      colonization, and infection by leveraging active surveillance and antibiotic
      treatment data for 234 nursing home residents. Our analysis revealed a complex
      network of interactions: antibiotic use was a risk factor for primary MDRO
      colonization, which in turn increased the likelihood of colonization and
      infection by other MDROs. When we focused on the risk of catheter-associated
      urinary tract infections (CAUTI) caused by Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and
      Staphylococcus aureus we observed that cocolonization with specific pairs of
      MDROs increased the risk of CAUTI, signifying the involvement of microbial
      interactions in CAUTI pathogenesis. In summary, our work demonstrates the
      existence of an underappreciated healthcare-associated ecosystem and strongly
      suggests that effective control of overall MDRO burden will require stewardship
      interventions that take into account both primary and secondary impacts of
      antibiotic treatments.

PMID- 28900006
TI  - From understanding of color perception to dynamical systems by manifold learning.

PMID- 28900005
TI  - Shocking superantigens promote establishment of bacterial infection.

PMID- 28900007
TI  - E46K alpha-synuclein pathological mutation causes cell-autonomous toxicity
      without altering protein turnover or aggregation.
AB  - alpha-Synuclein (aSyn) is the main driver of neurodegenerative diseases known as
      "synucleinopathies," but the mechanisms underlying this toxicity remain poorly
      understood. To investigate aSyn toxic mechanisms, we have developed a primary
      neuronal model in which a longitudinal survival analysis can be performed by
      following the overexpression of fluorescently tagged WT or pathologically mutant
      aSyn constructs. Most aSyn mutations linked to neurodegenerative disease hindered
      neuronal survival in this model; of these mutations, the E46K mutation proved to
      be the most toxic. While E46K induced robust PLK2-dependent aSyn phosphorylation
      at serine 129, inhibiting this phosphorylation did not alleviate aSyn toxicity,
      strongly suggesting that this pathological hallmark of synucleinopathies is an
      epiphenomenon. Optical pulse-chase experiments with Dendra2-tagged aSyn versions
      indicated that the E46K mutation does not alter aSyn protein turnover. Moreover,
      since the mutation did not promote overt aSyn aggregation, we conclude that E46K
      toxicity was driven by soluble species. Finally, we developed an assay to assess
      whether neurons expressing E46K aSyn affect the survival of neighboring control
      neurons. Although we identified a minor non-cell-autonomous component spatially
      restricted to proximal neurons, most E46K aSyn toxicity was cell autonomous.
      Thus, we have been able to recapitulate the toxicity of soluble aSyn species at a
      stage preceding aggregation, detecting non-cell-autonomous toxicity and
      evaluating how some of the main aSyn hallmarks are related to neuronal survival.

PMID- 28900009
TI  - On the origin of shape fluctuations of the cell nucleus.
AB  - The nuclear envelope (NE) presents a physical boundary between the cytoplasm and
      the nucleoplasm, sandwiched in between two highly active systems inside the cell:
      cytoskeleton and chromatin. NE defines the shape and size of the cell nucleus,
      which increases during the cell cycle, accommodating for chromosome
      decondensation followed by genome duplication. In this work, we study nuclear
      shape fluctuations at short time scales of seconds in human cells. Using spinning
      disk confocal microscopy, we observe fast fluctuations of the NE, visualized by
      fluorescently labeled lamin A, and of the chromatin globule surface (CGS)
      underneath the NE, visualized by fluorescently labeled histone H2B. Our findings
      reveal that fluctuation amplitudes of both CGS and NE monotonously decrease
      during the cell cycle, serving as a reliable cell cycle stage indicator.
      Remarkably, we find that, while CGS and NE typically fluctuate in phase, they do
      exhibit localized regions of out-of-phase motion, which lead to separation of NE
      and CGS. To explore the mechanism behind these shape fluctuations, we use
      biochemical perturbations. We find the shape fluctuations of CGS and NE to be
      both thermally and actively driven, the latter caused by forces from chromatin
      and cytoskeleton. Such undulations might affect gene regulation as well as
      contribute to the anomalously high rates of nuclear transport by, e.g., stirring
      of molecules next to NE, or increasing flux of molecules through the nuclear
      pores.

PMID- 28900008
TI  - Targeting CXCR4-dependent immunosuppressive Ly6Clow monocytes improves
      antiangiogenic therapy in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Antiangiogenic therapy with antibodies against VEGF (bevacizumab) or VEGFR2
      (ramucirumab) has been proven efficacious in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
      However, the improvement in overall survival is modest and only in combination
      with chemotherapy. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify potential underlying
      mechanisms of resistance specific to antiangiogenic therapy and develop
      strategies to overcome them. Here we found that anti-VEGFR2 therapy up-regulates
      both C-X-C chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in
      orthotopic murine CRC models, including SL4 and CT26. Blockade of CXCR4 signaling
      significantly enhanced treatment efficacy of anti-VEGFR2 treatment in both CRC
      models. CXCR4 was predominantly expressed in immunosuppressive innate immune
      cells, which are recruited to CRCs upon anti-VEGFR2 treatment. Blockade of CXCR4
      abrogated the recruitment of these innate immune cells. Importantly, these
      myeloid cells were mostly Ly6Clow monocytes and not Ly6Chigh monocytes. To
      selectively deplete individual innate immune cell populations, we targeted key
      pathways in Ly6Clow monocytes (Cx3cr1-/- mice), Ly6Chigh monocytes (CCR2-/-
      mice), and neutrophils (anti-Ly6G antibody) in combination with CXCR4 blockade in
      SL4 CRCs. Depletion of Ly6Clow monocytes or neutrophils improved anti-VEGFR2
      induced SL4 tumor growth delay similar to the CXCR4 blockade. In CT26 CRCs,
      highly resistant to anti-VEGFR2 therapy, CXCR4 blockade enhanced anti-VEGFR2
      induced tumor growth delay but specific depletion of Ly6G+ neutrophils did not.
      The discovery of CXCR4-dependent recruitment of Ly6Clow monocytes in tumors
      unveiled a heretofore unknown mechanism of resistance to anti-VEGF therapies. Our
      findings also provide a rapidly translatable strategy to enhance the outcome of
      anti-VEGF cancer therapies.

PMID- 28900010
TI  - Prior expectations induce prestimulus sensory templates.
AB  - Perception can be described as a process of inference, integrating bottom-up
      sensory inputs and top-down expectations. However, it is unclear how this process
      is neurally implemented. It has been proposed that expectations lead to
      prestimulus baseline increases in sensory neurons tuned to the expected stimulus,
      which in turn, affect the processing of subsequent stimuli. Recent fMRI studies
      have revealed stimulus-specific patterns of activation in sensory cortex as a
      result of expectation, but this method lacks the temporal resolution necessary to
      distinguish pre- from poststimulus processes. Here, we combined human
      magnetoencephalography (MEG) with multivariate decoding techniques to probe the
      representational content of neural signals in a time-resolved manner. We observed
      a representation of expected stimuli in the neural signal shortly before they
      were presented, showing that expectations indeed induce a preactivation of
      stimulus templates. The strength of these prestimulus expectation templates
      correlated with participants' behavioral improvement when the expected feature
      was task-relevant. These results suggest a mechanism for how predictive
      perception can be neurally implemented.

PMID- 28900012
TI  - Meta-analysis of field experiments shows no change in racial discrimination in
      hiring over time.
AB  - This study investigates change over time in the level of hiring discrimination in
      US labor markets. We perform a meta-analysis of every available field experiment
      of hiring discrimination against African Americans or Latinos (n = 28). Together,
      these studies represent 55,842 applications submitted for 26,326 positions. We
      focus on trends since 1989 (n = 24 studies), when field experiments became more
      common and improved methodologically. Since 1989, whites receive on average 36%
      more callbacks than African Americans, and 24% more callbacks than Latinos. We
      observe no change in the level of hiring discrimination against African Americans
      over the past 25 years, although we find modest evidence of a decline in
      discrimination against Latinos. Accounting for applicant education, applicant
      gender, study method, occupational groups, and local labor market conditions does
      little to alter this result. Contrary to claims of declining discrimination in
      American society, our estimates suggest that levels of discrimination remain
      largely unchanged, at least at the point of hire.

PMID- 28900011
TI  - Robust mechanobiological behavior emerges in heterogeneous myosin systems.
AB  - Biological complexity presents challenges for understanding natural phenomenon
      and engineering new technologies, particularly in systems with molecular
      heterogeneity. Such complexity is present in myosin motor protein systems, and
      computational modeling is essential for determining how collective myosin
      interactions produce emergent system behavior. We develop a computational
      approach for altering myosin isoform parameters and their collective
      organization, and support predictions with in vitro experiments of motility
      assays with alpha-actinins as molecular force sensors. The computational approach
      models variations in single myosin molecular structure, system organization, and
      force stimuli to predict system behavior for filament velocity, energy
      consumption, and robustness. Robustness is the range of forces where a filament
      is expected to have continuous velocity and depends on used myosin system energy.
      Myosin systems are shown to have highly nonlinear behavior across force
      conditions that may be exploited at a systems level by combining slow and fast
      myosin isoforms heterogeneously. Results suggest some heterogeneous systems have
      lower energy use near stall conditions and greater energy consumption when
      unloaded, therefore promoting robustness. These heterogeneous system capabilities
      are unique in comparison with homogenous systems and potentially advantageous for
      high performance bionanotechnologies. Findings open doors at the intersections of
      mechanics and biology, particularly for understanding and treating myosin-related
      diseases and developing approaches for motor molecule-based technologies.

PMID- 28900013
TI  - Optimal deployment of resources for maximizing impact in spreading processes.
AB  - The effective use of limited resources for controlling spreading processes on
      networks is of prime significance in diverse contexts, ranging from the
      identification of "influential spreaders" for maximizing information
      dissemination and targeted interventions in regulatory networks, to the
      development of mitigation policies for infectious diseases and financial
      contagion in economic systems. Solutions for these optimization tasks that are
      based purely on topological arguments are not fully satisfactory; in realistic
      settings, the problem is often characterized by heterogeneous interactions and
      requires interventions in a dynamic fashion over a finite time window via a
      restricted set of controllable nodes. The optimal distribution of available
      resources hence results from an interplay between network topology and spreading
      dynamics. We show how these problems can be addressed as particular instances of
      a universal analytical framework based on a scalable dynamic message-passing
      approach and demonstrate the efficacy of the method on a variety of real-world
      examples.

PMID- 28900014
TI  - Regulation of the cell cycle and centrosome biology by deubiquitylases.
AB  - Post-translational modification of proteins by ubiquitylation is increasingly
      recognised as a highly complex code that contributes to the regulation of diverse
      cellular processes. In humans, a family of almost 100 deubiquitylase enzymes
      (DUBs) are assigned to six subfamilies and many of these DUBs can remove
      ubiquitin from proteins to reverse signals. Roles for individual DUBs have been
      delineated within specific cellular processes, including many that are
      dysregulated in diseases, particularly cancer. As potentially druggable enzymes,
      disease-associated DUBs are of increasing interest as pharmaceutical targets. The
      biology, structure and regulation of DUBs have been extensively reviewed
      elsewhere, so here we focus specifically on roles of DUBs in regulating cell
      cycle processes in mammalian cells. Over a quarter of all DUBs, representing four
      different families, have been shown to play roles either in the unidirectional
      progression of the cell cycle through specific checkpoints, or in the DNA damage
      response and repair pathways. We catalogue these roles and discuss specific
      examples. Centrosomes are the major microtubule nucleating centres within a cell
      and play a key role in forming the bipolar mitotic spindle required to accurately
      divide genetic material between daughter cells during cell division. To enable
      this mitotic role, centrosomes undergo a complex replication cycle that is
      intimately linked to the cell division cycle. Here, we also catalogue and discuss
      DUBs that have been linked to centrosome replication or function, including
      centrosome clustering, a mitotic survival strategy unique to cancer cells with
      supernumerary centrosomes.

PMID- 28900016
TI  - Geometries of vasculature bifurcation can affect the level of trophic damage
      during formation of a brain ischemic lesion.
AB  - Ischemic lesion is a common cause of various diseases in humans. Brain tissue is
      especially sensitive to this type of damage. A common reason for the appearance
      of an ischemic area is a stop in blood flow in some branch of the vasculature
      system. Then, a decreasing concentration gradient results in a low mean level of
      oxygen in surrounding tissues. After that, the biochemical ischemic cascade
      spreads. In this review, we examine these well-known events from a new angle. It
      is stressed that there is essential evidence to predict the formation of an
      ischemic micro-area at the base of vascular bifurcation geometries. Potential
      applications to improve neuroprotection are also discussed.

PMID- 28900017
TI  - Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: from molecules to man.
AB  - Inappropriate, excessive or uncontrolled inflammation contributes to a range of
      human diseases. Inflammation involves a multitude of cell types, chemical
      mediators and interactions. The present article will describe nutritional and
      metabolic aspects of omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids and explain the
      roles of bioactive members of those fatty acid families in inflammatory
      processes. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are n-3
      fatty acids found in oily fish and fish oil supplements. These fatty acids are
      capable of partly inhibiting many aspects of inflammation including leucocyte
      chemotaxis, adhesion molecule expression and leucocyte-endothelial adhesive
      interactions, production of eicosanoids like prostaglandins and leukotrienes from
      the n-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
      In addition, EPA gives rise to eicosanoids that often have lower biological
      potency than those produced from arachidonic acid, and EPA and DHA give rise to
      anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving mediators called resolvins,
      protectins and maresins. Mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of
      EPA and DHA include altered cell membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition,
      disruption of lipid rafts, inhibition of activation of the pro-inflammatory
      transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB so reducing expression of inflammatory
      genes and activation of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor gamma. Animal experiments demonstrate benefit
      from EPA and DHA in a range of models of inflammatory conditions. Human trials
      demonstrate benefit of oral n-3 fatty acids in rheumatoid arthritis and in
      stabilizing advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Intravenous n-3 fatty acids may
      have benefits in critically ill patients through reduced inflammation. The anti
      inflammatory and inflammation resolving actions of EPA, DHA and their derivatives
      are of clinical relevance.

PMID- 28900015
TI  - Structure and function of Pif1 helicase.
AB  - Pif1 family helicases have multiple roles in the maintenance of nuclear and
      mitochondrial DNA in eukaryotes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1 is involved in
      replication through barriers to replication, such as G-quadruplexes and protein
      blocks, and reduces genetic instability at these sites. Another Pif1 family
      helicase in S. cerevisiae, Rrm3, assists in fork progression through replication
      fork barriers at the rDNA locus and tRNA genes. ScPif1 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      Pif1) also negatively regulates telomerase, facilitates Okazaki fragment
      processing, and acts with polymerase delta in break-induced repair. Recent
      crystal structures of bacterial Pif1 helicases and the helicase domain of human
      PIF1 combined with several biochemical and biological studies on the activities
      of Pif1 helicases have increased our understanding of the function of these
      proteins. This review article focuses on these structures and the mechanism(s)
      proposed for Pif1's various activities on DNA.

PMID- 28900018
TI  - Distinct Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Peptidoglycan Synthesis between Mycobacterium
      smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Peptidoglycan (PG), a polymer cross-linked by d-amino acid-containing peptides,
      is an essential component of the bacterial cell wall. We found that a fluorescent
      d-alanine analog (FDAA) incorporates chiefly at one of the two poles in
      Mycobacterium smegmatis but that polar dominance varies as a function of the cell
      cycle in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: immediately after cytokinesis, FDAAs are
      incorporated chiefly at one of the two poles, but just before cytokinesis, FDAAs
      are incorporated comparably at both. These observations suggest that
      mycobacterial PG-synthesizing enzymes are localized in functional compartments at
      the poles and septum and that the capacity for PG synthesis matures at the new
      pole in M. tuberculosis Deeper knowledge of the biology of mycobacterial PG
      synthesis may help in discovering drugs that disable previously unappreciated
      steps in the process.IMPORTANCE People are dying all over the world because of
      the rise of antimicrobial resistance to medicines that could previously treat
      bacterial infections, including tuberculosis. Here, we used fluorescent d-alanine
      analogs (FDAAs) that incorporate into peptidoglycan (PG)-the synthesis of which
      is an attractive drug target-combined with high- and super-resolution microscopy
      to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of PG synthesis in M. smegmatis and M.
      tuberculosis FDAA incorporation predominates at one of the two poles in M.
      smegmatis In contrast, while FDAA incorporation into M. tuberculosis is also
      polar, there are striking variations in polar dominance as a function of the cell
      cycle. This suggests that enzymes involved in PG synthesis are localized in
      functional compartments in mycobacteria and that M. tuberculosis possesses a
      mechanism for maturation of the capacity for PG synthesis at the new pole. This
      may help in discovering drugs that cripple previously unappreciated steps in the
      process.

PMID- 28900019
TI  - The Human Salivary Microbiome Is Shaped by Shared Environment Rather than
      Genetics: Evidence from a Large Family of Closely Related Individuals.
AB  - The human microbiome is affected by multiple factors, including the environment
      and host genetics. In this study, we analyzed the salivary microbiomes of an
      extended family of Ashkenazi Jewish individuals living in several cities and
      investigated associations with both shared household and host genetic
      similarities. We found that environmental effects dominated over genetic effects.
      While there was weak evidence of geographical structuring at the level of cities,
      we observed a large and significant effect of shared household on microbiome
      composition, supporting the role of the immediate shared environment in dictating
      the presence or absence of taxa. This effect was also seen when including adults
      who had grown up in the same household but moved out prior to the time of
      sampling, suggesting that the establishment of the salivary microbiome earlier in
      life may affect its long-term composition. We found weak associations between
      host genetic relatedness and microbiome dissimilarity when using family pedigrees
      as proxies for genetic similarity. However, this association disappeared when
      using more-accurate measures of kinship based on genome-wide genetic markers,
      indicating that the environment rather than host genetics is the dominant factor
      affecting the composition of the salivary microbiome in closely related
      individuals. Our results support the concept that there is a consistent core
      microbiome conserved across global scales but that small-scale effects due to a
      shared living environment significantly affect microbial community
      composition.IMPORTANCE Previous research shows that the salivary microbiomes of
      relatives are more similar than those of nonrelatives, but it remains difficult
      to distinguish the effects of relatedness and shared household environment.
      Furthermore, pedigree measures may not accurately measure host genetic
      similarity. In this study, we include genetic relatedness based on genome-wide
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rather than pedigree measures) and shared
      environment in the same analysis. We quantify the relative importance of these
      factors by studying the salivary microbiomes in members of a large extended
      Ashkenazi Jewish family living in different locations. We find that host genetics
      plays no significant role and that the dominant factor is the shared environment
      at the household level. We also find that this effect appears to persist in
      individuals who have moved out of the parental household, suggesting that aspects
      of salivary microbiome composition established during upbringing can persist over
      a time scale of years.

PMID- 28900020
TI  - Petrobactin Is Exported from Bacillus anthracis by the RND-Type Exporter ApeX.
AB  - Bacillus anthracis-a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium-causes anthrax, a
      highly lethal disease with high bacteremia titers. Such rapid growth requires
      ample access to nutrients, including iron. However, access to this critical metal
      is heavily restricted in mammals, which requires B. anthracis to employ
      petrobactin, an iron-scavenging small molecule known as a siderophore.
      Petrobactin biosynthesis is mediated by asb gene products, and import of the iron
      bound (holo)-siderophore into the bacterium has been well studied. In contrast,
      little is known about the mechanism of petrobactin export following its
      production in B. anthracis cells. Using a combination of bioinformatics data,
      gene deletions, and laser ablation electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
      (LAESI-MS), we identified a resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type
      transporter, termed ApeX, as a putative petrobactin exporter. Deletion of apeX
      abrogated export of intact petrobactin, which accumulated inside the cell.
      However, growth of DeltaapeX mutants in iron-depleted medium was not affected,
      and virulence in mice was not attenuated. Instead, petrobactin components were
      determined to be exported through a different protein, which enables iron
      transport sufficient for growth, albeit with a slightly lower affinity for iron.
      This is the first report to identify a functional siderophore exporter in B.
      anthracis and the in vivo functionality of siderophore components. Moreover, this
      is the first application of LAESI-MS to sample a virulence factor/metabolite
      directly from bacterial culture media and cell pellets of a human
      pathogen.IMPORTANCEBacillus anthracis requires iron for growth and employs the
      siderophore petrobactin to scavenge this trace metal during infections. While we
      understand much about petrobactin biosynthesis and ferric petrobactin import, how
      apo-petrobactin (iron free) is exported remains unknown. This study used a
      combination of bioinformatics, genetics, and mass spectrometry to identify the
      petrobactin exporter. After screening 17 mutants with mutations of candidate
      exporter genes, we identified the apo-petrobactin exporter (termed ApeX) as a
      member of the resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) family of transporters.
      In the absence of ApeX, petrobactin accumulates inside the cell while continuing
      to export petrobactin components that are capable of transporting iron. Thus, the
      loss of ApeX does not affect the ability of B. anthracis to cause disease in
      mice. This has implications for treatment strategies designed to target and
      control pathogenicity of B. anthracis in humans.

PMID- 28900021
TI  - Another Brick in the Wall: a Rhamnan Polysaccharide Trapped inside Peptidoglycan
      of Lactococcus lactis.
AB  - Polysaccharides are ubiquitous components of the Gram-positive bacterial cell
      wall. In Lactococcus lactis, a polysaccharide pellicle (PSP) forms a layer at the
      cell surface. The PSP structure varies among lactococcal strains; in L. lactis
      MG1363, the PSP is composed of repeating hexasaccharide phosphate units. Here, we
      report the presence of an additional neutral polysaccharide in L. lactis MG1363
      that is a rhamnan composed of alpha-l-Rha trisaccharide repeating units. This
      rhamnan is still present in mutants devoid of the PSP, indicating that its
      synthesis can occur independently of PSP synthesis. High-resolution magic-angle
      spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HR-MAS NMR) analysis of whole bacterial
      cells identified a PSP at the surface of wild-type cells. In contrast, rhamnan
      was detected only at the surface of PSP-negative mutant cells, indicating that
      rhamnan is located underneath the surface-exposed PSP and is trapped inside
      peptidoglycan. The genetic determinants of rhamnan biosynthesis appear to be
      within the same genetic locus that encodes the PSP biosynthetic machinery, except
      the gene tagO encoding the initiating glycosyltransferase. We present a model of
      rhamnan biosynthesis based on an ABC transporter-dependent pathway. Conditional
      mutants producing reduced amounts of rhamnan exhibit strong morphological defects
      and impaired division, indicating that rhamnan is essential for normal growth and
      division. Finally, a mutation leading to reduced expression of lcpA, encoding a
      protein of the LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) family, was shown to severely affect cell wall
      structure. In lcpA mutant cells, in contrast to wild-type cells, rhamnan was
      detected by HR-MAS NMR, suggesting that LcpA participates in the attachment of
      rhamnan to peptidoglycan.IMPORTANCE In the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria,
      the peptidoglycan sacculus is considered the major structural component,
      maintaining cell shape and integrity. It is decorated with other glycopolymers,
      including polysaccharides, the roles of which are not fully elucidated. In the
      ovococcus Lactococcus lactis, a polysaccharide with a different structure between
      strains forms a layer at the bacterial surface and acts as the receptor for
      various bacteriophages that typically exhibit a narrow host range. The present
      report describes the identification of a novel polysaccharide in the L. lactis
      cell wall, a rhamnan that is trapped inside the peptidoglycan and covalently
      bound to it. We propose a model of rhamnan synthesis based on an ABC transporter
      dependent pathway. Rhamnan appears as a conserved component of the lactococcal
      cell wall playing an essential role in growth and division, thus highlighting the
      importance of polysaccharides in the cell wall integrity of Gram-positive
      ovococci.

PMID- 28900022
TI  - Binding of NAD+-Glycohydrolase to Streptolysin O Stabilizes Both Toxins and
      Promotes Virulence of Group A Streptococcus.
AB  - The globally dominant, invasive M1T1 strain of group A Streptococcus (GAS)
      harbors polymorphisms in the promoter region of an operon that contains the genes
      encoding streptolysin O (SLO) and NAD+-glycohydrolase (NADase), resulting in high
      level expression of these toxins. While both toxins have been shown
      experimentally to contribute to pathogenesis, many GAS isolates lack detectable
      NADase activity. DNA sequencing of such strains has revealed that reduced or
      absent enzymatic activity can be associated with a variety of point mutations in
      nga, the gene encoding NADase; a commonly observed polymorphism associated with
      near-complete abrogation of activity is a substitution of aspartic acid for
      glycine at position 330 (G330D). However, nga has not been observed to contain
      early termination codons or mutations that would result in a truncated protein,
      even when the gene product contains missense mutations that abrogate enzymatic
      activity. It has been suggested that NADase that lacks NAD-glycohydrolase
      activity retains an as-yet-unidentified inherent cytotoxicity to mammalian cells
      and thus is still a potent virulence factor. We now show that expression of
      NADase, either enzymatically active or inactive, augments SLO-mediated toxicity
      for keratinocytes. In culture supernatants, SLO and NADase are mutually
      interdependent for protein stability. We demonstrate that the two proteins
      interact in solution and that both the translocation domain and catalytic domain
      of NADase are required for maximal binding between the two toxins. We conclude
      that binding of NADase to SLO stabilizes both toxins, thereby enhancing GAS
      virulence.IMPORTANCE The global increase in invasive GAS infections in the 1980s
      was associated with the emergence of an M1T1 clone that harbors a 36-kb
      pathogenicity island, which codes for increased expression of toxins SLO and
      NADase. Polymorphisms in NADase that render it catalytically inactive can be
      detected in clinical isolates, including invasive strains. However, such isolates
      continue to produce full-length NADase. The rationale for this observation is not
      completely understood. This study characterizes the binding interaction between
      NADase and SLO and reports that the expression of each toxin is crucial for
      maximal expression and stability of the other. By this mechanism, the presence of
      both toxins increases toxicity to keratinocytes and is predicted to enhance GAS
      survival in the human host. These observations provide an explanation for
      conservation of full-length NADase expression even when it lacks enzymatic
      activity and suggest a critical role for binding of NADase to SLO in GAS
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 28900023
TI  - Gene Expression in Leishmania Is Regulated Predominantly by Gene Dosage.
AB  - Leishmania tropica, a unicellular eukaryotic parasite present in North and East
      Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, has been linked to large
      outbreaks of cutaneous leishmaniasis in displaced populations in Iraq, Jordan,
      and Syria. Here, we report the genome sequence of this pathogen and 7,863
      identified protein-coding genes, and we show that the majority of clinical
      isolates possess high levels of allelic diversity, genetic admixture,
      heterozygosity, and extensive aneuploidy. By utilizing paired genome-wide high
      throughput DNA sequencing (DNA-seq) with RNA-seq, we found that gene dosage, at
      the level of individual genes or chromosomal "somy" (a general term covering
      disomy, trisomy, tetrasomy, etc.), accounted for greater than 85% of total gene
      expression variation in genes with a 2-fold or greater change in expression. High
      gene copy number variation (CNV) among membrane-bound transporters, a class of
      proteins previously implicated in drug resistance, was found for the most highly
      differentially expressed genes. Our results suggest that gene dosage is an
      adaptive trait that confers phenotypic plasticity among natural Leishmania
      populations by rapid down- or upregulation of transporter proteins to limit the
      effects of environmental stresses, such as drug selection.IMPORTANCELeishmania is
      a genus of unicellular eukaryotic parasites that is responsible for a spectrum of
      human diseases that range from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucocutaneous
      leishmaniasis (MCL) to life-threatening visceral leishmaniasis (VL).
      Developmental and strain-specific gene expression is largely thought to be due to
      mRNA message stability or posttranscriptional regulatory networks for this
      species, whose genome is organized into polycistronic gene clusters in the
      absence of promoter-mediated regulation of transcription initiation of nuclear
      genes. Genetic hybridization has been demonstrated to yield dramatic structural
      genomic variation, but whether such changes in gene dosage impact gene expression
      has not been formally investigated. Here we show that the predominant mechanism
      determining transcript abundance differences (>85%) in Leishmania tropica is that
      of gene dosage at the level of individual genes or chromosomal somy.

PMID- 28900024
TI  - Metabolic Roles of Uncultivated Bacterioplankton Lineages in the Northern Gulf of
      Mexico "Dead Zone".
AB  - Marine regions that have seasonal to long-term low dissolved oxygen (DO)
      concentrations, sometimes called "dead zones," are increasing in number and
      severity around the globe with deleterious effects on ecology and economics. One
      of the largest of these coastal dead zones occurs on the continental shelf of the
      northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM), which results from eutrophication-enhanced
      bacterioplankton respiration and strong seasonal stratification. Previous
      research in this dead zone revealed the presence of multiple cosmopolitan
      bacterioplankton lineages that have eluded cultivation, and thus their metabolic
      roles in this ecosystem remain unknown. We used a coupled shotgun metagenomic and
      metatranscriptomic approach to determine the metabolic potential of Marine Group
      II Euryarchaeota, SAR406, and SAR202. We recovered multiple high-quality, nearly
      complete genomes from all three groups as well as candidate phyla usually
      associated with anoxic environments-Parcubacteria (OD1) and Peregrinibacteria Two
      additional groups with putative assignments to ACD39 and PAUC34f supplement the
      metabolic contributions by uncultivated taxa. Our results indicate active
      metabolism in all groups, including prevalent aerobic respiration, with
      concurrent expression of genes for nitrate reduction in SAR406 and SAR202, and
      dissimilatory nitrite reduction to ammonia and sulfur reduction by SAR406. We
      also report a variety of active heterotrophic carbon processing mechanisms,
      including degradation of complex carbohydrate compounds by SAR406, SAR202, ACD39,
      and PAUC34f. Together, these data help constrain the metabolic contributions from
      uncultivated groups in the nGOM during periods of low DO and suggest roles for
      these organisms in the breakdown of complex organic matter.IMPORTANCE Dead zones
      receive their name primarily from the reduction of eukaryotic macrobiota
      (demersal fish, shrimp, etc.) that are also key coastal fisheries. Excess
      nutrients contributed from anthropogenic activity such as fertilizer runoff
      result in algal blooms and therefore ample new carbon for aerobic microbial
      metabolism. Combined with strong stratification, microbial respiration reduces
      oxygen in shelf bottom waters to levels unfit for many animals (termed hypoxia).
      The nGOM shelf remains one of the largest eutrophication-driven hypoxic zones in
      the world, yet despite its potential as a model study system, the microbial
      metabolisms underlying and resulting from this phenomenon-many of which occur in
      bacterioplankton from poorly understood lineages-have received only preliminary
      study. Our work details the metabolic potential and gene expression activity for
      uncultivated lineages across several low DO sites in the nGOM, improving our
      understanding of the active biogeochemical cycling mediated by these "microbial
      dark matter" taxa during hypoxia.

PMID- 28900025
TI  - Psp Stress Response Proteins Form a Complex with Mislocalized Secretins in the
      Yersinia enterocolitica Cytoplasmic Membrane.
AB  - The bacterial phage shock protein system (Psp) is a conserved extracytoplasmic
      stress response that is essential for the virulence of some pathogens, including
      Yersinia enterocolitica It is induced by events that can compromise inner
      membrane (IM) integrity, including the mislocalization of outer membrane pore
      forming proteins called secretins. In the absence of the Psp system, secretin
      mislocalization permeabilizes the IM and causes rapid cell death. The Psp
      proteins PspB and PspC form an integral IM complex with two independent roles.
      First, the PspBC complex is required to activate the Psp response in response to
      some inducing triggers, including a mislocalized secretin. Second, PspBC are
      sufficient to counteract mislocalized secretin toxicity. Remarkably, secretin
      mislocalization into the IM induces psp gene expression without significantly
      affecting the expression of any other genes. Furthermore, psp null strains are
      killed by mislocalized secretins, whereas no other null mutants have been found
      to share this specific secretin sensitivity. This suggests an exquisitely
      specific relationship between secretins and the Psp system, but there has been no
      mechanism described to explain this. In this study, we addressed this deficiency
      by using a coimmunoprecipitation approach to show that the Psp proteins form a
      specific complex with mislocalized secretins in the Y. enterocolitica IM.
      Importantly, analysis of different secretin mutant proteins also revealed that
      this interaction is absolutely dependent on a secretin adopting a multimeric
      state. Therefore, the Psp system has evolved with the ability to detect and
      detoxify dangerous secretin multimers while ignoring the presence of innocuous
      monomers.IMPORTANCE The phage shock protein (Psp) response has been linked to
      important phenotypes in diverse bacteria, including those related to antibiotic
      resistance, biofilm formation, and virulence. This has generated widespread
      interest in understanding various aspects of its function. Outer membrane
      secretin proteins are essential components of export systems required for the
      virulence of many bacterial pathogens. However, secretins can mislocalize into
      the inner membrane, and this induces the Psp response in a highly specific manner
      and kills Psp-defective strains with similar specificity. There has been no
      mechanism described to explain this exquisitely specific relationship between
      secretins and the Psp system. Therefore, this study provides a critical advance
      by discovering that Psp effector proteins form a complex with secretins in the
      Yersinia enterocolitica inner membrane. Remarkably, this interaction is
      absolutely dependent on a secretin adopting its multimeric state. Therefore, the
      Psp system detects and detoxifies dangerous secretin multimers, while ignoring
      the presence of innocuous secretin monomers.

PMID- 28900026
TI  - Activity-Related Conformational Changes in d,d-Carboxypeptidases Revealed by In
      Vivo Periplasmic Forster Resonance Energy Transfer Assay in Escherichia coli.
AB  - One of the mechanisms of beta-lactam antibiotic resistance requires the activity
      of d,d-carboxypeptidases (d,d-CPases) involved in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis,
      making them putative targets for new antibiotic development. The activity of PG
      synthesizing enzymes is often correlated with their association with other
      proteins. The PG layer is maintained in the periplasm between the two membranes
      of the Gram-negative cell envelope. Because no methods existed to detect in vivo
      interactions in this compartment, we have developed and validated a Forster
      resonance energy transfer assay. Using the fluorescent-protein donor-acceptor
      pair mNeonGreen-mCherry, periplasmic protein interactions were detected in fixed
      and in living bacteria, in single samples or in plate reader 96-well format. We
      show that the d,d-CPases PBP5, PBP6a, and PBP6b of Escherichia coli change dimer
      conformation between resting and active states. Complementation studies and
      changes in localization suggest that these d,d-CPases are not redundant but that
      their balanced activity is required for robust PG synthesis.IMPORTANCE The
      periplasmic space between the outer and the inner membrane of Gram-negative
      bacteria contains many essential regulatory, transport, and cell wall
      synthesizing and -hydrolyzing proteins. To date, no assay is available to
      determine protein interactions in this compartment. We have developed a
      periplasmic protein interaction assay for living and fixed bacteria in single
      samples or 96-well-plate format. Using this assay, we were able to demonstrate
      conformation changes related to the activity of proteins that could not have been
      detected by any other living-cell method available. The assay uniquely expands
      our toolbox for antibiotic screening and mode-of-action studies.

PMID- 28900028
TI  - Education and health and well-being: direct and indirect effects with multiple
      mediators and interactions with multiple imputed data in Stata.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous methods for assessing mediation assume no multiplicative
      interactions. The inverse odds weighting (IOW) approach has been presented as a
      method that can be used even when interactions exist. The substantive aim of this
      study was to assess the indirect effect of education on health and well-being via
      four indicators of adult socioeconomic status (SES): income, management position,
      occupational hierarchy position and subjective social status. METHODS: 8516 men
      and women from the Tromso Study (Norway) were followed for 17 years. Education
      was measured at age 25-74 years, while SES and health and well-being were
      measured at age 42-91 years. Natural direct and indirect effects (NIE) were
      estimated using weighted Poisson regression models with IOW. Stata code is
      provided that makes it easy to assess mediation in any multiple imputed dataset
      with multiple mediators and interactions. RESULTS: Low education was associated
      with lower SES. Consequently, low SES was associated with being unhealthy and
      having a low level of well-being. The effect (NIE) of education on health and
      well-being is mediated by income, management position, occupational hierarchy
      position and subjective social status. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the
      literature on mediation analysis, as well as the literature on the importance of
      education for health-related quality of life and subjective well-being. The
      influence of education on health and well-being had different pathways in this
      Norwegian sample.

PMID- 28900027
TI  - Sirtuin Lipoamidase Activity Is Conserved in Bacteria as a Regulator of Metabolic
      Enzyme Complexes.
AB  - Lipoic acid is an essential metabolic cofactor added as a posttranslational
      modification on several multimeric enzyme complexes. These protein complexes,
      evolutionarily conserved from bacteria to humans, are core regulators of cellular
      metabolism. While the multistep enzymatic process of adding lipoyl modifications
      has been well characterized in Escherichia coli, the enzyme required for the
      removal of these lipoyl moieties (i.e., a lipoamidase or delipoylase) has not yet
      been identified. Here, we describe our discovery of sirtuins as lipoamidases in
      bacteria and establish their conserved substrates. Specifically, by using a
      series of knockout, overexpression, biochemical, in vitro, proteomic, and
      functional assays, we determined the substrates of sirtuin CobB in E. coli as
      components of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase
      (KDH), and glycine cleavage (GCV) complexes. In vitro assays provided direct
      evidence for this specific CobB activity and its NAD+ dependence, a signature of
      all sirtuins. By designing a targeted quantitative mass spectrometry method, we
      further measured sirtuin-dependent, site-specific lipoylation on these
      substrates. The biological significance of CobB-modulated lipoylation was next
      established by its inhibition of both PDH and KDH activities. By restricting the
      carbon sources available to E. coli, we demonstrated that CobB regulates PDH and
      KDH under several growth conditions. Additionally, we found that SrtN, the
      sirtuin homolog in Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, can also act as a
      lipoamidase. By demonstrating the evolutionary conservation of lipoamidase
      activity across sirtuin homologs, along with the conservation of common
      substrates, this work emphasizes the significance of protein lipoylation in
      regulating central metabolic processes.IMPORTANCE Here, we demonstrate that
      sirtuin lipoamidase activity exists in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative
      bacteria and establishing its conservation from bacteria to humans. Specifically,
      we discovered that CobB and SrtN act as lipoamidases in E. coli and B. subtilis,
      respectively. Intriguingly, not only is this sirtuin enzymatic activity
      conserved, but also the lipoylated substrates and functions are conserved, as
      bacterial sirtuins negatively regulate the lipoylation levels and activities of
      PDH and KDH. Considering that PDH and KDH regulate two carbon entry points into
      the tricarboxylic acid cycle, our finding highlights lipoylation as a conserved
      molecular toggle that regulates central metabolic pathways. Indeed, our findings
      from tests in which we limited nutrient availability support this. Furthermore,
      this study illustrates how the integration of technologies from different
      disciplines provides avenues to uncover enzymatic activities at the core of
      cellular metabolism regulation.

PMID- 28900029
TI  - Young adulthood and adulthood adiposity in relation to incidence of pancreatic
      cancer: a prospective study of 0.5 million Chinese adults and a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adult adiposity is positively associated with pancreatic cancer in
      Western populations. Little is known, however, about the association in China
      where many have lower body mass index (BMI) or about the relevance of young
      adulthood adiposity for pancreatic cancer in both Western and East Asian
      populations. METHODS: The China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) recruited 512 891 adults
      aged 30-79 years during 2004-2008, recording 595 incident cases of pancreatic
      cancer during 8-year follow-up. Cox regression yielded adjusted HRs for
      pancreatic cancer associated with self-reported young adulthood (mean ~25 years)
      BMI and with measured adulthood (mean ~52 years) BMI and other adiposity measures
      (eg, waist circumference (WC)). These were further meta-analysed with published
      prospective studies. RESULTS: Overall, the mean BMI (SD) was 21.9 (2.6) at age 25
      years and 23.7 (3.3) kg/m2 at age 52 years. Young adulthood BMI was strongly
      positively associated with pancreatic cancer in CKB (adjusted HR=1.36, 95% CI
      1.16 to 1.61, per 5 kg/m2 higher BMI) and in meta-analysis of CKB and four other
      studies (1.18, 1.12 to 1.24). In CKB, there was also a positive association of
      pancreatic cancer with adulthood BMI (1.11, 0.97 to 1.27, per 5 kg/m2), similar
      in magnitude to that in meta-analyses of East Asian studies using measured BMI
      (n=2; 1.08, 0.99 to 1.19) and of Western studies (n=25; 1.10, 1.06 to 1.12).
      Likewise, meta-analysis of four studies, including CKB, showed a positive
      association of adulthood WC with pancreatic cancer (1.10, 1.06 to 1.14, per 10
      cm). CONCLUSIONS: In both East Asian and Western populations, adiposity was
      positively associated with risk of pancreatic cancer, with a somewhat stronger
      association for young than late-life adiposity.

PMID- 28900030
TI  - Multiple mechanisms contribute to increased neutral lipid accumulation in yeast
      producing recombinant variants of plant diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1.
AB  - The apparent bottleneck in the accumulation of oil during seed development in
      some oleaginous plant species is the formation of triacylglycerol (TAG) by the
      acyl-CoA-dependent acylation of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol catalyzed by diacylglycerol
      acyltransferase (DGAT, EC 2.3.1.20). Improving DGAT activity using protein
      engineering could lead to improvements in seed oil yield (e.g. in canola-type
      Brassica napus). Directed evolution of B. napus DGAT1 (BnaDGAT1) previously
      revealed that one of the regions where amino acid residue substitutions lead to
      higher performance in BnaDGAT1 is in the ninth predicted transmembrane domain
      (PTMD9). In this study, several BnaDGAT1 variants with amino acid residue
      substitutions in PTMD9 were characterized. Among these enzyme variants, the
      extent of yeast TAG production was affected by different mechanisms, including
      increased enzyme activity, increased polypeptide accumulation, and possibly
      reduced substrate inhibition. The kinetic properties of the BnaDGAT1 variants
      were affected by the amino acid residue substitutions, and a new kinetic model
      based on substrate inhibition and sigmoidicity was generated. Based on sequence
      alignment and further biochemical analysis, the amino acid residue substitutions
      that conferred increased TAG accumulation were shown to be present in the DGAT1
      PTMD9 region of other higher plant species. When amino acid residue substitutions
      that increased BnaDGAT1 enzyme activity were introduced into recombinant Camelina
      sativa DGAT1, they also improved enzyme performance. Thus, the knowledge
      generated from directed evolution of DGAT1 in one plant species can be
      transferred to other plant species and has potentially broad applications in
      genetic engineering of oleaginous crops and microorganisms.

PMID- 28900031
TI  - The metal chaperone Atox1 regulates the activity of the human copper transporter
      ATP7B by modulating domain dynamics.
AB  - The human transporter ATP7B delivers copper to the biosynthetic pathways and
      maintains copper homeostasis in the liver. Mutations in ATP7B cause the
      potentially fatal hepatoneurological disorder Wilson disease. The activity and
      intracellular localization of ATP7B are regulated by copper, but the molecular
      mechanism of this regulation is largely unknown. We show that the copper
      chaperone Atox1, which delivers copper to ATP7B, and the group of the first three
      metal-binding domains (MBD1-3) are central to the activity regulation of ATP7B.
      Atox1-Cu binding to ATP7B changes domain dynamics and interactions within the
      MBD1-3 group and activates ATP hydrolysis. To understand the mechanism linking
      Atox1-MBD interactions and enzyme activity, we have determined the MBD1-3
      conformational space using small angle X-ray scattering and identified changes in
      MBD dynamics caused by apo-Atox1 and Atox1-Cu by solution NMR. The results show
      that copper transfer from Atox1 decreases domain interactions within the MBD1-3
      group and increases the mobility of the individual domains. The N-terminal
      segment of MBD1-3 was found to interact with the nucleotide-binding domain of
      ATP7B, thus physically coupling the domains involved in copper binding and those
      involved in ATP hydrolysis. Taken together, the data suggest a regulatory
      mechanism in which Atox1-mediated copper transfer activates ATP7B by releasing
      inhibitory constraints through increased freedom of MBD1-3 motions.

PMID- 28900032
TI  - Nucleolar and spindle-associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) interacts with a SUMO E3
      ligase complex during chromosome segregation.
AB  - The mitotic spindle is composed of dynamic microtubules and associated proteins
      that together direct chromosome movement during mitosis. The spindle plays a
      vital role in accurate chromosome segregation fidelity and is a therapeutic
      target in cancer. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms by which many spindle
      associated proteins function remains unknown. The nucleolar and spindle
      associated protein NUSAP1 is a microtubule-binding protein implicated in spindle
      stability and chromosome segregation. We show here that NUSAP1 localizes to
      dynamic spindle microtubules in a unique chromosome-centric pattern, in the
      vicinity of overlapping microtubules, during metaphase and anaphase of mitosis.
      Mass spectrometry-based analysis of endogenous NUSAP1 interacting proteins
      uncovered a cell cycle-regulated interaction between the RanBP2-RanGAP1-UBC9 SUMO
      E3 ligase complex and NUSAP1. Like NUSAP1 depletion, RanBP2 depletion impaired
      the response of cells to the microtubule poison Taxol. NUSAP1 contains a
      conserved SAP domain (SAF-A/B, Acinus, and PIAS). SAP domains are common among
      many other SUMO E3s, and are implicated in substrate recognition and ligase
      activity. We speculate that NUSAP1 contributes to accurate chromosome segregation
      by acting as a co-factor for RanBP2-RanGAP1-UBC9 during cell division.

PMID- 28900033
TI  - High-resolution structure of a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase from Hypocrea
      jecorina reveals a predicted linker as an integral part of the catalytic domain.
AB  - For decades, the enzymes of the fungus Hypocrea jecorina have served as a model
      system for the breakdown of cellulose. Three-dimensional structures for almost
      all H. jecorina cellulose-degrading enzymes are available, except for HjLPMO9A,
      belonging to the AA9 family of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). These
      enzymes enhance the hydrolytic activity of cellulases and are essential for cost
      efficient conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Here, using structural and
      spectroscopic analyses, we found that native HjLPMO9A contains a catalytic domain
      and a family-1 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM1) connected via a linker
      sequence. A C terminally truncated variant of HjLPMO9A containing 21 residues of
      the predicted linker was expressed at levels sufficient for analysis. Here, using
      structural, spectroscopic, and biochemical analyses, we found that this truncated
      variant exhibited reduced binding to and activity on cellulose compared with the
      full-length enzyme. Importantly, a 0.95-A resolution X-ray structure of truncated
      HjLPMO9A revealed that the linker forms an integral part of the catalytic domain
      structure, covering a hydrophobic patch on the catalytic AA9 module. We noted
      that the oxidized catalytic center contains a Cu(II) coordinated by two His
      ligands, one of which has a His-brace in which the His-1 terminal amine group
      also coordinates to a copper. The final equatorial position of the Cu(II) is
      occupied by a water-derived ligand. The spectroscopic characteristics of the
      truncated variant were not measurably different from those of full-length
      HjLPMO9A, indicating that the presence of the CBM1 module increases the affinity
      of HjLPMO9A for cellulose binding, but does not affect the active site.

PMID- 28900034
TI  - beta-Catenin directs the transformation of testis Sertoli cells to ovarian
      granulosa-like cells by inducing Foxl2 expression.
AB  - Sertoli and granulosa cells are two major types of somatic cells in male and
      female gonads, respectively. Previous studies have shown that Sertoli and
      granulosa cells are derived from common progenitor cells and that differentiation
      of these two cell types is regulated by sex differentiation genes. The signaling
      pathway including the adhesion and transcription factor Ctnnb1 (cadherin
      associated protein, beta1, also known as beta-catenin) regulates differentiation
      of granulosa cells in the absence of the transcription factor Sry, and
      overactivation of beta-catenin in the presence of Sry leads to granulosa prior to
      sex determination. Surprisingly, our previous study found that beta-catenin
      overactivation in Sertoli cells after sex determination can also cause disruption
      of the testicular cord and aberrant testis development. However, the underlying
      molecular mechanism was unclear. In this study, we found that constitutive
      activation of Ctnnb1 in Sertoli cells led to ectopic expression of the granulosa
      cell-specific marker FOXL2 in testes. Co-staining experiments revealed that FOXL2
      positive cells were derived from Sertoli cells, and Sertoli cells were
      transformed into granulosa-like cells after Ctnnb1 overactivation. Further
      studies demonstrated that CTNNB1 induced Foxl2 expression by directly binding to
      transcription factor Tcf/Lef-binding sites in the FOXL2 promoter region. We also
      found that direct overexpression of Foxl2 decreased the expression of Sertoli
      cell-specific genes in primary Sertoli cells. Taken together, these results
      demonstrate that repression of beta-catenin (CTNNB1) signaling is required for
      lineage maintenance of Sertoli cells. Our study provides a new mechanism for
      Sertoli cell lineage maintenance during gonad development.

PMID- 28900035
TI  - Prion protein is required for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-triggered
      nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling and cytokine production.
AB  - The expression of normal cellular prion protein (PrP) is required for the
      pathogenesis of prion diseases. However, the physiological functions of PrP
      remain ambiguous. Here, we identified PrP as being critical for tumor necrosis
      factor (TNF) alpha-triggered signaling in a human melanoma cell line, M2, and a
      pancreatic ductal cell adenocarcinoma cell line, BxPC-3. In M2 cells, TNFalpha up
      regulates the expression of p-IkappaB-kinase alpha/beta (p-IKKalpha/beta), p-p65,
      and p-JNK, but down-regulates the IkappaBalpha protein, all of which are
      downstream signaling intermediates in the TNF receptor signaling cascade. When
      PRNP is deleted in M2 cells, the effects of TNFalpha are no longer detectable.
      More importantly, p-p65 and p-JNK responses are restored when PRNP is
      reintroduced into the PRNP null cells. TNFalpha also activates NF-kappaB and
      increases TNFalpha production in wild-type M2 cells, but not in PrP-null M2
      cells. Similar results are obtained in the BxPC-3 cells. Moreover, TNFalpha
      activation of NF-kappaB requires ubiquitination of receptor-interacting
      serine/threonine kinase 1 (RIP1) and TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2).
      TNFalpha treatment increases the binding between PrP and the deubiquitinase tumor
      suppressor cylindromatosis (CYLD), in these treated cells, binding of CYLD to
      RIP1 and TRAF2 is reduced. We conclude that PrP traps CYLD, preventing it from
      binding and deubiquitinating RIP1 and TRAF2. Our findings reveal that PrP
      enhances the responses to TNFalpha, promoting proinflammatory cytokine
      production, which may contribute to inflammation and tumorigenesis.

PMID- 28900036
TI  - Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) overexpression enhances ionizing radiation-induced
      cancer formation in mice.
AB  - Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a serine/threonine protein kinase normally expressed
      in mitosis, is frequently up-regulated in multiple types of human tumors
      regardless of the cell cycle stage. However, the causal relationship between Plk1
      up-regulation and tumorigenesis is incompletely investigated. To this end, using
      a conditional expression system, here we generated Plk1 transgenic mouse lines to
      examine the role of Plk1 in tumorigenesis. Plk1 overexpression in mouse embryonic
      fibroblasts prepared from the transgenic mice led to aberrant mitosis followed by
      aneuploidy and apoptosis. Surprisingly, Plk1 overexpression had no apparent
      phenotypes in the mice. Given that no malignant tumor formation was observed even
      after a long period of Plk1 overexpression, we reasoned that additional factors
      are required for tumorigenesis in Plk1-overexpressing mice. Because Plk1 can
      directly participate in the regulation of the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway,
      we challenged Plk1-overexpressing mice with ionizing radiation (IR) and found
      that Plk1-overexpressing mice are much more sensitive to IR than their wild-type
      littermates. Analysis of tumor development in the Plk1-overexpressing mice
      indicated a marked decrease in the time required for tumor emergence after IR. At
      the molecular level, Plk1 overexpression led to reduced phosphorylation of the
      serine/threonine kinases ATM and Chk2 and of histone H2AX after IR treatment both
      in vivo and in vitro Furthermore, RNA-Seq analysis suggested that Plk1 elevation
      decreases the expression of several DDR genes. We conclude that Plk1
      overexpression may contribute to tumor formation by both inducing chromosomal
      instability and suppressing the DDR pathway.

PMID- 28900037
TI  - ZNF143 protein is an important regulator of the myeloid transcription factor
      C/EBPalpha.
AB  - The transcription factor C/EBPalpha is essential for myeloid differentiation and
      is frequently dysregulated in acute myeloid leukemia. Although studied
      extensively, the precise regulation of its gene by upstream factors has remained
      largely elusive. Here, we investigated its transcriptional activation during
      myeloid differentiation. We identified an evolutionarily conserved octameric
      sequence, CCCAGCAG, ~100 bases upstream of the CEBPA transcription start site,
      and demonstrated through mutational analysis that this sequence is crucial for
      C/EBPalpha expression. This sequence is present in the genes encoding C/EBPalpha
      in humans, rodents, chickens, and frogs and is also present in the promoters of
      other C/EBP family members. We identified that ZNF143, the human homolog of the
      Xenopus transcriptional activator STAF, specifically binds to this 8-bp sequence
      to activate C/EBPalpha expression in myeloid cells through a mechanism that is
      distinct from that observed in liver cells and adipocytes. Altogether, our data
      suggest that ZNF143 plays an important role in the expression of C/EBPalpha in
      myeloid cells.

PMID- 28900038
TI  - SOCS1 is an inducible negative regulator of interferon lambda (IFN-lambda)
      induced gene expression in vivo.
AB  - Type I (alpha and beta) and type III (lambda) IFNs are induced upon viral
      infection through host sensory pathways that activate IFN regulatory factors
      (IRFs) and nuclear factor kappaB. Secreted IFNs induce autocrine and paracrine
      signaling through the JAK-STAT pathway, leading to the transcriptional induction
      of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes, among them sensory pathway components such
      as cGAS, STING, RIG-I, MDA5, and the transcription factor IRF7, which enhance the
      induction of IFN-alphas and IFN-lambdas. This positive feedback loop enables a
      very rapid and strong host response that, at some point, has to be controlled by
      negative regulators to maintain tissue homeostasis. Type I IFN signaling is
      controlled by the inducible negative regulators suppressor of cytokine signaling
      1 (SOCS1), SOCS3, and ubiquitin-specific peptidase 18 (USP18). The physiological
      role of these proteins in IFN-gamma signaling has not been clarified. Here we
      used knockout cell lines and mice to show that IFN-lambda signaling is regulated
      by SOCS1 but not by SOCS3 or USP18. These differences were the basis for the
      distinct kinetic properties of type I and III IFNs. We found that IFN-alpha
      signaling is transient and becomes refractory after hours, whereas IFN-lambda
      provides a long-lasting IFN-stimulated gene induction.

PMID- 28900039
TI  - The Contributing Risk of Tobacco Use for ARDS Development in Burn-Injured Adults
      With Inhalation Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to determine the relationship between tobacco use,
      inhalation injury, and ARDS in burn-injured adults. METHODS: This study was an
      observational cohort of 2,485 primary burn admissions to a referral burn center
      between January 1, 2008 and March 15, 2015. Subjects were evaluated by methods
      used to account for mediation and traditional approaches (multivariable logistic
      regression and propensity score analysis). Mediation analysis examined both the
      (1) indirect effect of tobacco use via inhalation injury as the mediator on ARDS
      development and (2) the direct effect of tobacco use alone on ARDS development.
      RESULTS: ARDS development occurred in 6.8% (n = 170) of the cohort. Inhalation
      injury occurred in 5.0% (n = 125) of the cohort, and ARDS developed in 48.8% (n =
      83) of the subjects with inhalation injury. Tobacco use was 2-fold more common in
      subjects with ARDS. In the mediated model, the direct effect of tobacco use on
      ARDS, including interaction between tobacco use and inhalation injury, was not
      significant (odds ratio [OR] 1.63, 95% CI 0.91-2.92, P = .10). However, the
      indirect effect of tobacco use via inhalation injury as the mediator was
      significant (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.25-2.07, P < .001), and the proportion of the
      total effect of tobacco use operating through the mediator was 55.6%. In the non
      mediation models (multivariable logistic regression and propensity score
      analysis), which controlled for inhalation injury and other covariables, the OR
      for the association between tobacco use and ARDS was 1.84 (95% CI 1.22-2.81, P <
      .001) and 1.69 (95% CI 1.04-2.75, P = .03), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In
      mediation analysis, inhalation injury was the overwhelming predictor for ARDS
      development, whereas tobacco use has its strongest effect indirectly through
      inhalation injury. Patients with at least moderate inhalation injury are at
      greatest risk for ARDS development despite baseline risk factors like tobacco
      use.

PMID- 28900040
TI  - Reduced Diaphragm Excursion During Reflexive Citric Acid Cough Test in Subjects
      With Subacute Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diaphragm excursion is limited during respiratory maneuvers after a
      stroke. How the diaphragm is limited during reflexive coughs and affects the
      effectiveness of cough in stroke patients is unclear. This study aimed to measure
      reflexive cough strength by cough peak flow (CPF) induced by citric acid
      nebulization (2.8 mol/L), record diaphragm excursions during reflexive coughs in
      stroke subjects at risk of silent aspiration, and compare these values with those
      of stroke subjects without risk of aspiration or dysphagia. METHODS: Twenty-one
      subjects with subacute stroke (mean stroke onset, 13.6 d) at risk of silent
      aspiration (penetration-aspiration scale, 8) and 21 stroke subjects without
      dysphagia or aspiration (controls) were included. Diaphragmatic excursions were
      assessed using real-time sonography in all subjects; the main outcome measure was
      reflexive CPF induced by citric acid nebulization. RESULTS: The median
      (interquartile range) values of citric acid-induced CPF values were significantly
      more reduced in the 21 subjects with silent aspiration (45 [0-83] L/min) than in
      the control subjects (97 [66-162] L/min) (P = .004). Diaphragmatic excursions
      during the reflexive coughs were also significantly reduced (P < .001), although
      both groups had a similar range in the initial National Institutes of Health
      Stroke Scale scores and level of disability, as measured by the modified Barthel
      index. Citric acid-induced CPF was significantly correlated with the number of
      generated coughs (rs = 0.69), voluntary cough CPF (rs = 0.85), and degree of
      diaphragm excursion on both sides (rs = 0.50 [hemiplegic] and rs = 0.55
      [nonhemiplegic]) but not correlated with the degree of hemiparesis, National
      Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, or modified Barthel index scores. The 6
      month follow up revealed that 7 subjects in group A experienced aspiration
      pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke subjects at risk of silent aspiration showed
      reduced CPF and more limited diaphragm excursion during the citric acid-induced
      reflexive cough test. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT02080988.).

PMID- 28900042
TI  - Classic Spotlight, 2004 and 2005: Articles of Significant Interest Selected from
      the Journal of Virology Archives by the Editors.

PMID- 28900041
TI  - Predicting Extubation Outcome by Cough Peak Flow Measured Using a Built-in
      Ventilator Flow Meter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Successful weaning from mechanical ventilation depends on the
      patient's ability to cough efficiently. Cough peak flow (CPF) could predict
      extubation success using a dedicated flow meter but required patient
      disconnection. We aimed to predict extubation outcome using an overall model,
      including cough performance assessed by a ventilator flow meter. METHODS: This
      was a prospective observational study conducted from November 2014 to October
      2015. Before and after a spontaneous breathing trial, subjects were encouraged to
      cough as strongly as possible before freezing the ventilator screen to assess CPF
      and tidal volume (VT) in the preceding inspiration. Early extubation success rate
      was defined as the proportion of subjects not re-intubated 48 h after extubation.
      Diagnostic performance of CPF and VT was assessed by using the area under the
      curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve. Cut-off values for CPF and
      VT were defined according to median values and used to describe the performance
      of a predictive test combining them with risk factors of early extubation
      failure. RESULTS: Among 673 subjects admitted, 92 had a cough assessment before
      extubation. For the 81 subjects with early extubation success, the median CPF was
      -67.7 L/min, and median VT was 0.646 L. For the 11 subjects with early extubation
      failure, the median CPF was -57.3 L/min, and median VT was 0.448 L. Area under
      the curve was 0.61 (95% CI 0.37-0.83) for CPF and 0.64 (95% CI 0.42-0.84) for
      CPF/VT combined. After dichotomization (CPF < -60 L/min or VT > 0.55 L), there
      was a synergistic effect to predict early extubation success (P < .001). The
      predictive value of success reached 94.2% for CPF/VT combined. The overall model
      including pH before extubation < 7.45 reached a 66.7% predictive value of
      failure. CONCLUSIONS: CPF measured using the flow meter of an ICU ventilator was
      able to predict extubation success and to build a composite score to predict
      extubation failure. The results were close to that found in previous studies that
      used a dedicated flow meter. This could help to identify high-risk subjects to
      prevent extubation failure. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT02847221.).

PMID- 28900045
TI  - GBCAs and Risk for Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis: A Literature Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the risks of using of gadolinium-based contrast agents
      (GBCAs) in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and explore strategies to reduce the
      likeliness of adverse effects in patients who might be at risk for developing
      nephrogenic system fibrosis (NSF). METHODS: A search of 3 scholarly databases was
      performed to identify articles that discuss adverse reactions to GBCAs,
      specifically relating to kidney function, in MR examinations. A total of 20 peer
      reviewed articles were analyzed. DISCUSSION: Safety of contrast media is related
      to the stability of the chelate bond (ie, macrocyclic or linear). Patients who
      have decreased kidney function or chronic kidney disease are at higher risk for
      an adverse reaction to GBCAs; typically, macrocyclic contrast agents are
      considered safer than linear contrast agents for patients at risk for developing
      NSF because of their higher kinetic stability. Recommended doses of gadolinium
      should be adhered to carefully for all patients in conjunction with the
      glomerular filtration rate guidelines for contrast administration defined by the
      American College of Radiology. CONCLUSION: Although there are advantages to
      contrast use in MR examinations, technologists should work closely with referring
      physicians and radiologists to minimize risks for developing NSF in patients who
      have decreased kidney function.

PMID- 28900046
TI  - Student Incivility in Radiography Education.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine student incivility in radiography classrooms by exploring the
      prevalence of uncivil behaviors along with the classroom management strategies
      educators use to manage and prevent classroom disruptions. METHODS: A survey was
      designed to collect data on the severity and frequency of uncivil student
      behaviors, classroom management strategies used to address minor and major
      behavioral issues, and techniques to prevent student incivility. The participants
      were educators in radiography programs accredited by the Joint Review Committee
      on Education in Radiologic Technology. RESULTS: Findings indicated that severe
      uncivil student behaviors in radiography classrooms do not occur as often as
      behaviors classified as less severe. Radiography educators in this study used a
      variety of strategies and techniques to manage and prevent student incivility;
      however, radiography educators who received formal training in classroom
      management reported fewer incidents of student incivility than those who had not
      received formal training. DISCUSSION: The participants in this study took a
      proactive approach to addressing severe behavioral issues in the classroom. Many
      radiography educators transition from the clinical environment to the classroom
      setting with little to no formal training in classroom management. Radiography
      educators are encouraged to attend formal training sessions to learn how to
      manage the higher education classroom effectively. CONCLUSION: Student incivility
      is present in radiography classrooms. This study provides a foundation for future
      research on incivility.

PMID- 28900044
TI  - Regulation of autophagy, NF-kappaB signaling, and cell viability by miR-124 in
      KRAS mutant mesenchymal-like NSCLC cells.
AB  - KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be classified into epithelial
      or mesenchymal subtypes. Despite having the same "driver" mutation, mesenchymal
      NSCLCs are less responsive than are epithelial NSCLCs to inhibition of the RAS
      pathway. Identifying alternative networks that promote survival specifically in
      mesenchymal NSCLC may lead to more effective treatments for this subtype. Through
      their numerous targets in cellular signaling pathways, noncoding microRNAs
      (miRNAs) often function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. In particular, some
      miRNAs regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We derived an EMT
      related miRNA signature by profiling the abundance of miRNAs in a panel of
      epithelial (KE) or mesenchymal (KM) KRAS mutant NSCLC cell lines. This signature
      revealed a number of suppressed miRNAs in KM cell lines, including members of the
      miR-200 family, which can suppress tumor progression by inhibiting EMT.
      Reconstituting KM cells with one of these miRNAs, miR-124, disrupted autophagy
      and decreased cell survival by reducing the abundance of p62, which is both an
      adaptor for selective autophagy and a regulator of the transcription factor
      nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB). Suppression of p62 by miR-124 correlated with
      reduced abundance of the autophagy activator beclin 1 (BECN1), the ubiquitin
      ligase TRAF6, and the NF-kappaB subunit RELA/p65. The abundance of miR-124
      inversely correlated with the expression of BECN1 and TRAF6 in patient NSCLC
      samples. These findings reveal how the loss of miR-124 promotes cell survival
      networks in the aggressive mesenchymal subtype of KRAS mutant NSCLC, which might
      lead to improved subtype-selective therapeutic strategies for patients.

PMID- 28900043
TI  - A natural ligand for the orphan receptor GPR15 modulates lymphocyte recruitment
      to epithelia.
AB  - GPR15 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is found in
      lymphocytes. It functions as a co-receptor of simian immunodeficiency virus and
      HIV-2 and plays a role in the trafficking of T cells to the lamina propria in the
      colon and to the skin. We describe the purification from porcine colonic tissue
      extracts of an agonistic ligand for GPR15 and its functional characterization. In
      humans, this ligand, which we named GPR15L, is encoded by the gene C10ORF99 and
      has some features similar to the CC family of chemokines. GPR15L was found in
      some human and mouse epithelia exposed to the environment, such as the colon and
      skin. In humans, GPR15L was also abundant in the cervix. In skin, GPR15L was
      readily detected after immunologic challenge and in human disease, for example,
      in psoriatic lesions. Allotransplantation of skin from Gpr15l-deficient mice onto
      wild-type mice resulted in substantial graft protection, suggesting nonredundant
      roles for GPR15 and GPR15L in the generation of effector T cell responses.
      Together, these data identify a receptor-ligand pair that is required for immune
      homeostasis at epithelia and whose modulation may represent an alternative
      approach to treating conditions affecting the skin such as psoriasis.

PMID- 28900047
TI  - Serving, Following, and Leading in Health Care.
AB  - Radiologic technologists often perform diverse roles throughout the workday, and
      they should have at least a minimal understanding of the responsibility and
      effects of these roles on the patient and organization. Although technologists
      can practice independently or as part of a work group, individuals should be
      prepared to improve patient care and to function as a servant, follower, and
      leader for the overall success of the organization. This article examines those
      roles, emphasizing servantship.

PMID- 28900048
TI  - Community-acquired Pneumonia.
AB  - The most commonly ordered radiologic examination is the chest radiograph, and it
      is considered the gold standard for diagnosing pneumonia. For this reason, it is
      essential that radiologic technologists understand the disease and how it affects
      patients. This article discusses the anatomy of the lungs, along with the
      epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, signs and symptoms, diagnosis,
      treatment, and complications of community-acquired pneumonia.

PMID- 28900049
TI  - New Datasets Advance Visualization of the Pancreas.

PMID- 28900050
TI  - Transitioning From the Classroom to the Clinical Environment.

PMID- 28900051
TI  - Interpreting Statistics and the Language of Research.

PMID- 28900053
TI  - JRCERT Accreditation Standards: Focus on Safety.

PMID- 28900054
TI  - Whole-brain Volume Perfusion Computed Tomography: Acquisition Techniques and
      Radiation Dose.

PMID- 28900055
TI  - Enriching a Culture of Radiation Safety Excellence Using a Patient Radiation Dose
      Monitoring Program.

PMID- 28900056
TI  - A Qualitative Study of Minority Radiologic Science Students' Clinical
      Experiences.

PMID- 28900057
TI  - Exploring the Idea of a New Form of External-beam Therapy.

PMID- 28900059
TI  - Neuroimaging of Sports Concussions.
AB  - Concussions resulting from sports activities have received attention in recent
      years, and failure to prevent head injury has undergone scrutiny. Although many
      factors contribute to sports concussion incidence, determining when an athlete
      can return to play is crucial to minimizing long-term effects of concussion. To
      date, neuroimaging plays a limited role in concussion evaluation, but
      conventional and advanced neuroimaging techniques are contributing to the body of
      research on their future use in evaluation.

PMID- 28900060
TI  - [The Role of Microglia in Neuroinflammation].
AB  - Microglia play a critical role in innate immunity in the central nervous system
      (CNS). The activation of these calls is also observed in various psycho
      neurological disorders. In this context, microglia may control the pathological
      processes to maintain the homeostasis of the CNS. However, microglia are also key
      players in neuroinflammation and induce chronic neuronal damage. Thus, microglial
      activation represents a potential therapeutic target in various neurological
      disorders.

PMID- 28900061
TI  - [Microglia in Brain Development].
AB  - Microglia, traditionally known as resident immune cells in the brain, have been
      recently identified as one of the important cell types engaging in the formation
      and maintenance of neural circuitry, especially during the development. In this
      review, I describe the diversity of microglial functions revealed in different
      phases of development, ranging from neurogenesis to circuit formation. In
      particular, microglia possess dual functions in supporting the survival of
      neuronal structures or neural cells themselves, and removing excess neural
      components. Understanding these processes and underlying molecular mechanisms
      will provide important insights into the regulation of neural circuitry
      development. It further implicates the involvement of microglial dysfunction in
      neurodevelopmental disorders.

PMID- 28900062
TI  - [Roles of Microglia in Neurodegenerative Diseases].
AB  - Recent advances in glial research have elucidated the roles of microglia under
      various contexts in health and disease. Microglial activation used to be
      considered only as a consequence of neuronal damage. However, a series of studies
      using mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal
      neurodegenerative disease selectively affecting motor neurons, indicated that
      microglia actively influence the disease course. In this review, we summarize the
      growing evidence that microglia play a critical role in the survival and demise
      of motor neurons in ALS. These observations suggest microglia as a promising
      therapeutic target of neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 28900063
TI  - [Translational Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Focusing on Microglia
      Hypothesis].
AB  - Microglia-immune cells in the brain-have recently been highlighted to understand
      the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression,
      and autism. In this review paper, we introduce the microglia hypothesis for
      psychiatric disorders. In addition, we introduce our novel translational research
      approach to psychiatric disorders using microglia-like (iMG) cells directly
      induced from human blood, these iMG cells can be produced from peripheral
      monocytes within two weeks using two cytokines: granulocyte-macrophage colony
      stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-34 (IL-34).

PMID- 28900064
TI  - [Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Microglia in Diagnosis of Dementia].
AB  - Neuroinflammation which involves microglial activation is believed to be closely
      associated with the progression of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. The
      activation of microglia is receiving rising attention as a diagnostic and
      therapeutic target; however, it is important to distinguish its state and
      phenotype of the microglia. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive
      method that can help visualize the changes of molecules associated with
      microglial activation in neurological disease under in vivo conditions. In this
      review, recent PET preclinical and clinical studies, and new molecular targets
      for the imaging of microglia are described.

PMID- 28900065
TI  - [Establishment and Maintenance of Adult Neural Stem Cells].
AB  - Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mammalian brain produce new neurons
      throughout life. Defects in adult neurogenesis can influence neurodegenerative
      and psychiatric disorders. Hence, understanding long-term maintenance of adult
      NSCs is crucial. Cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic factors contribute to long-term
      maintenance of adult NSCs, and we have previously reported that NSCs produce
      their own niches that send a feedback signal for their own maintenance. In
      addition, we have identified a slowly dividing subpopulation of embryonic neural
      progenitor cells that is set aside during development, and later becomes a
      substantial fraction of NSCs in the adult subventricular zone. Here, we review
      the mechanisms of long-term maintenance and embryonic origin of adult NSCs. We
      also discuss current topics on adult NSCs and future perspectives in this field
      of study.

PMID- 28900066
TI  - [To Test Glutamate Hypothesis for Schizophrenia Utilizing Proton Magnetic
      Resonance Spectroscopy].
AB  - Recent advancement in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has elucidated the
      pathophysiology of mental illness, including schizophrenia. MRS is a neuroimaging
      technique that non-invasively measures chemicals, using nuclear magnetic
      resonance. This narrative review explains proton MRS (<sup>1</sup>H-MRS) and
      introduces pivotal studies to examine a glutamate hypothesis for schizophrenia,
      employing <sup>1</sup>H-MRS.

PMID- 28900067
TI  - [Dimethyl Fumarate in Multiple Sclerosis].
AB  - At the end of 2016, dimethyl fumarate (DMF) was approved as the sixth disease
      modifying drug for multiple sclerosis by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices
      Agency of Japan. Two randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III studies (DEFINE
      and CONFIRM) showed beneficial effects in patients in Western countries, with
      relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Some of the benefits included a
      decreased annual relapse rate, inhibition of disease activity (shown using brain
      magnetic resonance imaging), and a decreased proportion of patients with
      confirmed disease progression. The APEX study, which included Japanese patients
      with RRMS, also showed similar results, but reported some adverse effects.
      Flushing and gastrointestinal events (e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and
      diarrhea) occurring within 1 month of the initiation of DMF treatment are major
      causes of discontinuation of the drug. The most serious adverse event is
      progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which was reported in four
      patients with MS treated with DMF, worldwide. Grade 3 lymphopenia (less than
      500/mm<sup>3</sup>) due to apoptosis occurs in some DMF-treated patients with MS
      and is more prevalent among older patients. A reduction in CD8<sup>+</sup> T
      cells is more pronounced than that in CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells. Patients with
      grade 3 lymphopenia, aged more than 50 years, are at a risk for PML development.
      Further studies are needed to determine the appropriate final dose and an
      acceptable dose-escalation method for DMF treatment, to prevent or decrease
      adverse effects in Japanese patients with MS.

PMID- 28900068
TI  - [Efficacy of Topical Agents for Symptomatic Treatment of Rotigotine Patch-Induced
      Skin Disorders].
AB  - Since the effect of a percutaneous absorption-type dopamine agonist (DA)
      preparation, rotigotine patch, stably persists by once-a-day application, this
      dosage form is appropriate for Parkinson's disease patients showing levodopa
      induced wearing off phenomenon. On the other hand, skin disorders, mainly
      application site reaction, are characteristic problems associated with use of the
      patch. In this study, to clarify the influence of a topical agent used to prevent
      or treat rotigotine patch-induced skin disorder on continuation of the patch
      application, patients who started rotigotine patch application at our hospital
      were retrospectively surveyed. The one-year continuation rate of rotigotine patch
      application was 37.3% (53 of 142 cases). It was insufficient to prevent skin
      disorders, only by the pre-treatment of a moisturizing agent alone. Regarding the
      effective rate of topical agents used to treat skin disorders, that of very
      strong-class steroids was 89.5%, being significantly higher than those of weak
      steroids, moisturizing agents, and antihistamines. It was suggested that for
      countermeasures against rotigotine patch-induced skin disorders, treatment with
      very strong-class steroids for external use early after development of skin
      disorders is more effective than preventive treatment with topical agents
      regardless of the type. (Received March 30, 2017; Accepted May 16, 2017;
      Published September 1, 2017).

PMID- 28900069
TI  - Current issues and areas for improvement in the Korean Dental Hygienist National
      Licensing Examination: an expert Delphi survey among dental hygienists.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate current issues and areas for improvement
      in the Korean Dental Hygienist National Licensing Examination (KDHNLE) through an
      expert Delphi survey. METHODS: A Delphi survey was conducted from May through
      August 2016 in Korea. This Delphi survey included 20 persons representing the
      field of dental hygiene (7 groups from various dental hygiene-related
      organizations). The Delphi survey was administered through e-mail as 3 rounds of
      questionnaire surveys regarding the issues facing the KDHNLE and potential
      solutions to those challenges. The primary Delphi survey was an open
      questionnaire. In each round, subjects' responses were categorized according to
      the detailed themes of their responses. The minimum value of the content validity
      ratio of the survey results was determined by the number of panels participating
      in the Delphi survey. RESULTS: Issues facing the KDHNLE were identified from the
      results of the Delphi survey. The following 4 items had an average importance
      score of 4.0 or higher and were considered as important by over 85% of the
      panels: the failure of the practical test to reflect actual clinical settings,
      the focus of the practical test on dental scaling, the gap between the items
      evaluated on the national examination and actual practical work, and
      insufficiency in strengthening the expertise of licensed dental hygienists. The
      following items were suggested for improvement: more rigorous rater training,
      adjustment of the difficulty of the licensing examination, the introduction of a
      specialized dental hygienist system, and more rigorous refresher training for
      licensed dental hygienists. CONCLUSION: Based on the above results, the KDHNLE
      should be improved according to the core competencies of dental hygienists,
      including on-site clinical practice experience.

PMID- 28900070
TI  - Item development process and analysis of 50 case-based items for implementation
      on the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to improve the quality of items on the
      Korean Nursing Licensing Examination by developing and evaluating case-based
      items that reflect integrated nursing knowledge. METHODS: We conducted a cross
      sectional observational study to develop new case-based items. The methods for
      developing test items included expert workshops, brainstorming, and verification
      of content validity. After a mock examination of undergraduate nursing students
      using the newly developed case-based items, we evaluated the appropriateness of
      the items through classical test theory and item response theory. RESULTS: A
      total of 50 case-based items were developed for the mock examination, and content
      validity was evaluated. The question items integrated 34 discrete elements of
      integrated nursing knowledge. The mock examination was taken by 741 baccalaureate
      students in their fourth year of study at 13 universities. Their average score on
      the mock examination was 57.4, and the examination showed a reliability of 0.40.
      According to classical test theory, the average level of item difficulty of the
      items was 57.4% (80%-100% for 12 items; 60%-80% for 13 items; and less than 60%
      for 25 items). The mean discrimination index was 0.19, and was above 0.30 for 11
      items and 0.20 to 0.29 for 15 items. According to item response theory, the item
      discrimination parameter (in the logistic model) was none for 10 items (0.00),
      very low for 20 items (0.01 to 0.34), low for 12 items (0.35 to 0.64), moderate
      for 6 items (0.65 to 1.34), high for 1 item (1.35 to 1.69), and very high for 1
      item (above 1.70). The item difficulty was very easy for 24 items (below -2.0),
      easy for 8 items (-2.0 to -0.5), medium for 6 items (-0.5 to 0.5), hard for 3
      items (0.5 to 2.0), and very hard for 9 items (2.0 or above). The goodness-of-fit
      test in terms of the 2-parameter item response model between the range of 2.0 to
      0.5 revealed that 12 items had an ideal correct answer rate. CONCLUSION: We
      surmised that the low reliability of the mock examination was influenced by the
      timing of the test for the examinees and the inappropriate difficulty of the
      items. Our study suggested a methodology for the development of future case-based
      items for the Korean Nursing Licensing Examination.

PMID- 28900071
TI  - A Case of Non-Islet Cell Tumor Hypoglycemia (NICTH) Associated with
      Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST).
AB  - BACKGROUND Non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH) is a newly recognized, but
      uncommon, paraneoplastic syndrome that is associated with tumors of mesenchymal
      origin. We report a case of NICTH associated with a gastrointestinal stromal
      tumor (GIST). CASE REPORT A 60-year-old man presented to the emergency department
      of our hospital after being found unconscious in his home. His serum blood
      glucose on hospital admission was 40 mg/dL. He reported a three-month history of
      diffuse abdominal pain, fatigue, and blurred vision. Laboratory medicine
      investigations showed reduced levels of insulin, C-peptide, insulin-like growth
      factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, but his
      IGFBP-2 was increased. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest and abdomen
      showed an abdominal mass that involved the small bowel, mesentery, and omentum,
      with lesions in the right lung and the left rib. Histopathology of a CT-guided
      biopsy of the abdominal mass showed a low-grade sarcomatous spindle cell neoplasm
      that was positive for CD117 using immunohistochemistry and with an exon 11 c-KIT
      mutation. These findings were consistent with a diagnosis of GIST and treatment
      with imatinib commenced. CONCLUSIONS This case report has shown that hypoglycemia
      in the setting of low levels of insulin, C-peptide, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3 is
      suggestive of a diagnosis of NICTH, which should be investigated for an
      underlying source, which in this case, was confirmed to be a malignant GIST.

PMID- 28900072
TI  - No Awakening in Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage Is Potentially Caused by
      Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND Acute supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) with secondary
      sepsis is increasing in frequency. We investigated whether no awakening (NA)
      after sICH with coma is potentially caused by sepsis-associated encephalopathy
      (SAE). MATERIAL AND METHODS A case-control study of 147 recruited sICH cases with
      NA and 198 sICH controls with subsequent awakening (SA) was performed at 2
      centers in China. All patients underwent brain computed tomography (CT) scans on
      admission. The odds ratio (OR) of NA was calculated using logistic regression.
      RESULTS During the study period, 56.5% (83/147) of the patients with sICH with
      coma and NA had SAE, and 10% (20/198) with sICH with coma and SA had SAE; this
      difference between the 2 groups was significant (p<0.000). The sICH patients with
      coma and NA exhibited a longer median time from onset to coma (2.0 days vs. 0.5
      days), more frequent confirmed infection (98.0% vs. 24.2%), and a higher
      Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (6.3+/-1.5 vs. 3.4+/-0.8). These
      patients also exhibited lower hematoma volume (28.0+/-18.8 vs. 38.3+/-24), a
      lower initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (19.5+/-6.6 vs.
      30.3+/-6.8), more frequent brain midline shift (59.2% vs. 27.8%), more frequent
      diffuse cerebral swelling (64.6% vs. 16.0%), and higher 30-day mortality (54.4%
      vs. 0.0%) than the patients who did awaken. Logistic multivariable regression
      analyses revealed that only a higher SOFA score (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.079-1.767;
      p=0.010) and SAE (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.359-6.775; p=0.001) were associated with NA
      events in patients with sICH. CONCLUSIONS NA in sICH patients with coma is
      potentially caused by secondary SAE.

PMID- 28900073
TI  - [Molecular Mechanisms of HIV-1 Genetic Diversity].
AB  - High genetic diversity of HIV-1 is the main factor behind the fact that HIV
      infection is widespread and difficult to treat. Although a limited number (or
      only one) of virus particles enters the blood upon infection, the particles are
      replicated in infected cells and rapidly produce new genetic variants that are
      resistant to the host immune system and antiretroviral drugs. This circumstance
      hampers the development of anti-HIV-1 vaccines and requires new antiretroviral
      drugs to be designed. The cause of the high variation of HIV-1 is related to the
      properties of its reverse transcriptase, which is error prone and often makes
      mistakes when transcribing virus RNA. Moreover, host APOBEC3-family proteins
      deaminate cytosines in the resulting minus strand DNA copy, leading to C/G-T/A
      transitions. The review considers several mechanisms that generate HIV-1
      variants, including multiple recombination events between two different RNA
      copies colocated within one capsid. To understand the mechanisms of high genetic
      diversity of HIV-1 is essential for designing basically new approaches to
      treatment of HIV infection and AIDS.

PMID- 28900074
TI  - [Regulation of microRNA Activity in Stress].
AB  - Stressors substantially affect the physiology of cells. Depending on the severity
      and duration of stress exposure, cells either strive to maintain homeostasis or
      adapt by adjusting their gene expression patterns. One of the mechanisms to
      change gene expression is regulating the microRNA (miRNA) levels and activities
      of microRNA-protein complexes. A fine tuning of the interaction of miRNAs with
      their mRNA targets determines the specificity of protein synthesis and the
      quantitative composition of the protein pool in stress. The review considers the
      mechanisms that regulate miRNA biogenesis, miRNA-mediated mRNA repression, and
      activity of miRNA-protein complexes in animal cells exposed to various stress
      factors.

PMID- 28900076
TI  - [CRISPR/CAS9, the King of Genome Editing Tools].
AB  - The discovery of CRISPR/Cas9 brought a hope for having an efficient, reliable,
      and readily available tool for genome editing. CRISPR/Cas9 is certainly easy to
      use, while its efficiency and reliability remain the focus of studies. The review
      describes the general principles of the organization and function of Cas
      nucleases and a number of important issues to be considered while planning genome
      editing experiments with CRISPR/Cas9. The issues include evaluation of the
      efficiency and specificity for Cas9, sgRNA selection, Cas9 variants designed
      artificially, and use of homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining
      in DNA editing.

PMID- 28900075
TI  - [Circulating microRNAs in the Identification of Biological Fluids: A New Approach
      to Standardization of Expression-Based Diagnostics].
AB  - Molecular profiling of normal tissues is a regular and necessary step when
      developing systems for expression analyses in biological samples, including
      diagnostic panels for various diseases and conditions. Yet there are still no
      rigorous criteria to allow precise typing of normal tissues. A main problem is
      that the methods employed in diagnostic expression testing are difficult to
      standardize. While various technologies, instruments, and reagents are available,
      universal protocols of handling biological material are lacking, thus impairing
      the reproducibility of data from independent studies. The review describes a new
      approach to standardizing circulating microRNA studies in forensic biology, which
      has relatively recently (7-8 years ago) come to employ RNA markers in molecular
      typing of tissues and biological fluids. Forensic biology is now one of the few
      disciplines where several panels of tissue mRNA markers have been developed
      within a short period of time and a number of specific microRNA markers have been
      established and validated for several biological fluids. To allow their
      successful use, new protocols have been combined with the available, rigidly
      standardized system of genetic personal identification. Although a ready
      diagnostic product has still not been obtained with this well-working approach,
      the apparent efficiency of the standardization methods clearly demonstrates that
      the problem is possible to solve in other biomedical fields, including those
      where RNA-based diagnostic protocols are still under development.

PMID- 28900077
TI  - [The Spectrum of Mutations in Genes Associated with Resistance to Rifampicin,
      Isoniazid, and Fluoroquinolones in the Clinical Strains of M. tuberculosis
      Reflects the Transmissibility of Mutant Clones].
AB  - To study the transmissibility of drug resistant mutant clones, M. tuberculosis
      samples were isolated from the patients of the clinical department and the
      polyclinic of the Central TB Research Institute (n = 1455) for 2011-2014. A
      number of clones were phenotypically resistant to rifampicin (n = 829), isoniazid
      (n = 968), and fluoroquinolones (n = 220). We have detected 21 resistance
      associated variants in eight codons of rpoB, six variants in three codons of
      katG, three variants in two positions of inhA, four variants in four positions of
      ahpC, and nine variants in five codons of gyrA, which were represented in the
      analyzed samples with varied frequencies. Most common mutations were rpoB 531 Ser
      >Leu (77.93%), katG 315 (Ser->Thr) (94.11%), and gyrA 94 (Asp->Gly) (45.45%). We
      found that the mutations at position 15 of inhA (C->T) (frequency of 25.72%) are
      commonly associated with katG 315 (Ser->Thr). This association of two DNA
      variants may arise due to the double selection by coexposure of M. tuberculosis
      to isoniazid and ethionamide. The high transmissibility of mutated strains was
      observed, which may be explained by the minimal influence of the resistance
      determinants on strain viability. The high transmissibility of resistant variants
      may also explain the large populational prevalence of drug-resistant TB strains.

PMID- 28900079
TI  - [Hsp70 Genes of the Megaphragma amalphitanum (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)
      Parasitic Wasp].
AB  - Miniaturization is an evolutionary process that is widely represented in both
      invertebrates and vertebrates. Miniaturization frequently affects not only the
      size of the organism and its constituent cells, but also changes the genome
      structure and functioning. The structure of the main heat shock genes (hsp70 and
      hsp83) was studied in one of the smallest insects, the Megaphragma amalphitanum
      (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) parasitic wasp, which is comparable in size with
      unicellular organisms. An analysis of the sequenced genome has detected six genes
      that relate to the hsp70 family, some of which are apparently induced upon heat
      shock. Both induced and constitutively expressed hsp70 genes contain a large
      number of introns, which is not typical for the genes of this family. Moreover,
      none of the found genes form clusters, and they are all very heterogeneous
      (individual copies are only 75-85% identical), which indicates the absence of
      gene conversion, which provides the identity of genes of this family in
      Drosophila and other organisms. Two hsp83 genes, one of which contains an intron,
      have also been found in the M. amalphitanum genome.

PMID- 28900078
TI  - [Polymorphic Variants of Glutamate Receptor (GRIK5, GRIN2B) and Serotonin
      Receptor (HTR2A) Genes Are Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
      Disease].
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex chronic inflammatory
      disease of the respiratory system that affects primarily distal respiratory
      pathways and lung parenchyma. Smoking tobacco is a major risk factor for COPD.
      The relationship of HTR4 (rs3995090), HTR2A (rs6313), GRIK5 (rs8099939), GRIN2B
      (rs2268132), and CHRNB4 (rs1948) gene polymorphisms and COPD, as well as the
      contribution of these polymorphisms to the variations in quantitative
      characteristics that describe respiratory function, smoking behavior, and
      nicotine dependence was assessed in an ethnically homogeneous Tatar population.
      The polymorphisms of HTR2A (rs6313) (P = 0.026, OR = 1.42 for the CC genotype)
      and GRIN2B (rs2268132) (P = 0.0001, OR = 2.39 for the TT genotype) were
      significantly associated with increased risk of COPD. The AA genotype of GRIK5
      (rs8099939) had a protective effect (P = 0.02, OR = 0.61). Importantly, the HTR2A
      (rs6313), GRIN2B (rs2268132), and GRIK5 (rs8099939) polymorphisms were only
      associated with COPD in smokers. Smoking index (pack-years) was significantly
      higher in carriers of the GRIK5 genotype AC (rs8099939) (P = 0.0027). The TT
      genotype of GRIN2B (rs2268132) was associated with COPD in subjects with high
      nicotine dependence according to the Fagerstrom test (P = 0.002, OR = 2.98). The
      TT genotype of HTR2A (rs6313) was associated with a reduced risk of the disease
      in the group with moderate nicotine dependence (P = 0.02, OR = 0.22). The CC
      genotype of HTR2A (rs6313) and the TT genotype of GRIN2B (rs2268132) were
      associated with higher levels of nicotine dependence according to the Fagerstrom
      test (P = 0.0011 and P = 0.037). Our results may provide insight into potential
      molecular mechanisms that involve the glutamate (GRIK5, GRIN2B) and serotonin
      (HTR2A) receptor genes in the pathogenesis of COPD.

PMID- 28900080
TI  - [Dynamics of LINE-1 Retrotransposon Methylation Levels in Circulating DNA from
      Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Antitumor Therapy].
AB  - Malignant cell transformation is accompanied with abnormal DNA methylation, such
      as the hypermethylation of certain gene promoters and hypomethylation of
      retrotransposons. In particular, the hypomethylation of the human-specific family
      of LINE-1 retrotransposons was observed in lung cancer tissues. It is also known
      that the circulating DNA (cirDNA) of blood plasma and cell-surface-bound
      circulating DNA (csb-cirDNA) of cancer patients accumulate tumor-specific
      aberrantly methylated DNA fragments, which are currently considered to be
      valuable cancer markers. This work compares LINE-1 retrotransposon methylation
      patterns in cirDNA of 16 lung cancer patients before and after treatment. CirDNA
      was isolated from blood plasma, and csb-cirDNA fractions were obtained by
      successive elution with EDTA-containing phosphate buffered saline and trypsin.
      Concentrations of methylated LINE-1 region 1 copies (LINE-1-met) were assayed by
      real-time methylation-specific PCR. LINE-1 methylation levels were normalized to
      the concentration of LINE-1 region 2, which was independent of the methylation
      status (LINE-1-Ind). The concentrations of LINE-1-met and LINE-1-Ind in csb
      cirDNA of lung cancer patients exhibited correlations before treatment (r =
      0.54), after chemotherapy (r = 0.72), and after surgery (r = 0.83) (P < 0.05,
      Spearman rank test). In the total group of patients, the level of LINE-1
      methylation (determined as the LINE-1-met/LINE-1-Ind ratio) was shown to increase
      significantly during the follow-up after chemotherapy (P < 0.05, paired t test)
      and after surgery compared to the level of methylation before treatment (P <
      0.05, paired t test). The revealed association between the level of LINE-1
      methylation and the effect of antitumor therapy was more pronounced in squamous
      cell lung cancer than in adenocarcinoma (P < 0.05 and P > 0.05, respectively).
      These results suggest a need for the further investigation of dynamic changes in
      levels of LINE-1 methylation depending on the antitumor therapy.

PMID- 28900081
TI  - [miR-218 Promoted the Apoptosis of Human Ovarian Carcinoma Cells via Suppression
      of the WNT/beta-Catenin Signaling Pathway].
AB  - MicroRNA-218 (miR-218) is a short, noncoding RNA, with multiple biological
      functions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential effects of miR
      218 on the apoptosis of human ovarian carcinoma cells and the underlying
      mechanisms by which miR-218 exerted its actions. After over-expressing miR-218 in
      human ovarian carcinoma (OVCAR3) cells, cell viability was determined by MTT
      method, cell apoptosis was observed by flow cytometry (FCM), mRNA expression of
      miR-218, Bcl2, Bax was measured by RT-PCR and protein expression levels of Wnt,
      tankyrase and beta-catenin were quantified by Western blots. Over-expression of
      miR-218 potently suppressed cell viability and promoted the apoptosis of human
      ovarian carcinoma cells in a time-dependent manner. In addition, the down
      regulation of tankyrase expression level was detected in miR-218-over-expressed
      cells. Following the block of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway using the
      inhibitor XAV-939, the effects of miR-218 on the proliferation and apoptosis of
      human ovarian carcinoma cells were significantly suppressed. Augmenting
      expression of miR-218 and/or miRNA-218 mimicking therapeutics may provide viable
      avenue for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

PMID- 28900082
TI  - [Inhibition of Invasive Properties of Murine Melanoma by Bovine Pancreatic DNase
      I In Vitro and In Vivo].
AB  - After a long pause, the accumulation of data on the involvement of tumor-specific
      DNA and extracellular DNA in metastasis has again placed enzymes with
      deoxyribonuclease activity in the focus of the search for antitumor and
      antimetastatic drugs. In this work, the ability of bovine pancreatic DNase I to
      reduce the invasive potential of B16 melanoma has been investigated in vitro and
      in vivo. It was found that DNase I had a cytotoxic effect on B16 melanoma cells
      (IC50 ~ 10^(4) U/mL). At the same time, significantly lower doses of DNase I
      (10^(2)-10^(3) U/mL) inhibited the migratory activity of melanoma cells in vitro,
      causing a decrease in the distance of cell front migration and in the area of
      scratch healing 48 h after the enzyme addition, as well as reducing the rate of
      cell migration. In mice with B16 metastatic melanoma, intramuscular
      administration of DNase I in the dose range of 0.12-1.20 mg/kg resulted in a two-
      to threefold decrease in the number of surface lung metastases and caused
      nonspecific antigenic immune stimulation.

PMID- 28900083
TI  - [The Effects of Chronic Alcoholization on the Expression of Brain-Derived
      Neurotrophic Factor and Its Receptors in the Brains of Mice Genetically
      Predisposed to Depressive-Like Behavior].
AB  - Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in mechanisms of
      depression. Precursor protein of this factor (proBDNF) can initiate apoptosis in
      the brain, while the mature form of BDNF is involved in neurogenesis. It is known
      that chronic alcoholization leads to the activation of apoptotic processes,
      neurodegeneration, brain injury, and cognitive dysfunction. In this work, we have
      studied the influence of long-term ethanol exposure on the proBDNF and BDNF
      protein levels, as well as on the expression of genes that encode these proteins
      in the brain structures of ASC mice with genetic predisposition to depressive
      like behavior and in mice from parental nondepressive CBA strain. It was shown
      that chronic alcoholization results in a reduction of the BDNF level in the
      hippocampus and an increase in the amount of TrkB and p75 receptors in the
      frontal cortex of nondepressive CBA mice. At the same time, the long-term
      alcoholization of depressive ASC mice results in an increase of the proBDNF level
      in the frontal cortex and a reduction in the p75 protein level in the
      hippocampus. It has also been shown that, in depressive ASC mice, proBDNF and
      BDNF levels are significantly lower in the hippocampus and the frontal cortex
      compared with nondepressive CBA strain. However, no significant differences in
      the expression of genes encoding the studied proteins were observed. Thus,
      changes in the expression patterns of proBDNF, BDNF, and their receptors under
      the influence of alcoholization in the depressive ASC strain and nondepressive
      CBA strain mice are different.

PMID- 28900084
TI  - [A Betasatellite-Encoded Protein Regulates Key Components of Gene Silencing
      System in Plants].
AB  - Small circular single-stranded DNA satellites, called betasatellites, have been
      found in association with some monopartite begomovirus infections. The Cotton
      leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB) is known to influence symptom induction
      in cotton leaf curl disease. CLCuMuB contains a single gene, betaC1, whose
      product is a pathogenicity determinant and a suppressor of RNA silencing.
      Although induction of RNA silencing by RNA and DNA viruses has been well
      documented in plants, the interactions between betasatellites and the host's
      silencing machinery remain poorly understood. In this study, the transgenic
      expression of betaC1 from CLCuMuB in Arabidopsis thaliana plants produced severe
      developmental abnormalities, which resembled those produced by mutations in the
      key genes of the gene silencing pathway. Analysis of transgenic plants expressing
      CLCuMuB betaC1 using real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of both AGO1
      and DCL1 genes were significantly increased. In contrast, the expression of HEN1
      gene in the betaC1-expressing leaf tissues was similar to that of wild-type
      plants. The CLCuMuB betaC1 protein was found to physically interact with the AGO1
      protein in a yeast two-hybrid system. It is possible that specific targeting of
      the gene silencing key components by the CLCuMuB betaC1 inhibits the RNA
      silencing-based host defence.

PMID- 28900085
TI  - [Expression of miR-21 and Its Acat1, Armcx1, and Pten Target Genes in Liver of
      Female Rats Treated with DDT and Benzo[a]pyrene].
AB  - MiR-21 is the most studied cancer-promoting oncomiR, which target numerous tumor
      suppressor genes associated with proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. Here we
      have studied the synthesis of miR-21 and quantified the mRNA and protein levels
      for miR-21 potential target genes, i.e., Acat1, Armcx1, and Pten, in the livers
      of female Wistar rats after their treatment with either 1,1-trichloro-2,2-di(4
      chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) or benzo[a]pyrene (BP). The most important finding
      appears to be the significant decrease in the miR-21 level the day after
      treatment with DDT with subsequent rebound. These changes are accompanied by an
      increase and subsequent drop in the levels of mRNAs and proteins of the Acat1,
      Armcx1, and Pten genes. These observations indicate the involvement of miR-21 in
      the posttranscriptional regulation of the Acat1, Armcx1, and Pten genes in
      response to xenobiotics. We hypothesize that the toxic effects of xenobiotics may
      be indirect and may manifest by inducing epigenetic changes, particularly through
      the regulation of miRNAs and their target genes.

PMID- 28900086
TI  - [Optimal Artificial Mini-Introns for Transgenic Expression in the Cells of Mice
      and Hamsters].
AB  - Introns can frequently enhance transgene expression, and sometimes they are
      absolutely substantial. Based on an analysis of murine genes, in which mRNA does
      not have alternative splicing, a universal design of the efficiently spliced
      artificial introns of small sizes has been proposed. These introns are shown to
      be efficiently spliced in CHO cells from hamster ovaries. The proposed strategy
      can be used to include introns in cDNA, which would elevate the production of
      recombinant proteins in cell culture, as well as in transgenic animals.

PMID- 28900087
TI  - [Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex as Tissue-Specific Cofactor during
      Germinal Cell Differentiation in Drosophila Testes].
AB  - During the process of spermatogenesis, the proliferation of spermatogonia (stem
      cell descendants) is replaced by their differentiation in growing spermatocytes
      responsible for the preparation to meiosis, which is accompanied by a cardinal
      change in transcriptional programs. We have demonstrated that, in drosophila,
      this process is accompanied by a splash of the expression of beta-subunit of
      nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) associated by ribosomes. Nascent
      polypeptide-associated complex is known as a chaperone involved in co
      translational protein folding. This is the first case of the detection of tissue
      specific co-translational NAC cofactor in multicellular eukaryotes. It is
      proposed that spermatocyte specific NAC is involved in the modulation of the
      expression of the proteins that provide the functioning of subsequent stages of
      spermatogenesis.

PMID- 28900088
TI  - [Estimation of Time-Dependent microRNA Expression Patterns in Brain Tissue,
      Leukocytes, and Blood Plasma of Rats under Photochemically Induced Focal Cerebral
      Ischemia].
AB  - miRNA expression over different time periods (24 and 48 h) using the quantitative
      RT-PCR and deep sequencing has been evaluated in a model of photochemically
      induced thrombosis. A combination of two approaches allowed us to determine the
      miRNA expression patterns caused by ischemia. Nine miRNAs, including let-7f-5p,
      miR-221-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-30c-5p, miR-30a-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-23a-3p, miR-22-5p,
      and miR-99a-5p, were differentially expressed in brain tissue and leukocytes of
      rats 48 h after onset of ischemia. In addition, six miRNAs were differentially
      expressed in the brain tissue and blood plasma of rats 24 h after exposure, among
      which miR-145-3p and miR-375-3p were downregulated and miR-19a-3p, miR-92a-3p,
      miR-188-5p, and miR-532-5p were upregulated. In our opinion, miR-188-5p and miR
      532-5p may be considered to be new potential markers of ischemic injury. The
      level of miRNA expression tended to increase 48 h after the onset of ischemia in
      brain tissue and leukocytes, which reflects not only the local response in brain
      tissue due to inflammation, vascular endothelial dysfunction, and disorders of
      the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, but also the systemic response of
      the organism to multifactor molecular processes induced by ischemic injury.

PMID- 28900089
TI  - [High-Content siRNA Screen of the Kinome Identifies Kinases Involved in Git2
      Induced Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition].
AB  - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its reverse process mesenchymal
      epithelial transition (MET) programs are involced in the metastatic process. More
      and more evidence confirms that EMT is vital for the initiation and dissemination
      of cancer cells whereas MET is critical for successful metastatic colonization of
      a secondary organ. The regulating mechanism of EMT mediated cancer progression
      and metastasis has been deeply investigated. However, what processes are
      dependent on MET in metastatic cascades remains unclear. Here, we created a cell
      based high-content siRNA screen using the breast cancer cell line 4TO7 to search
      for kinases that were involved in Git2-induced MET. Our results revealed that 58
      kinases including transferase, phosphorylation regulators, ATP/nucleotide
      partners potentially participate in Git2-induced MET. Our preliminary data is
      expected to facilitate elucidation of the mechanism on how MET is initiated
      during cancer metastasis.

PMID- 28900090
TI  - [Method for the Molecular Cytogenetic Visualization of Fragile Site FRAXA].
AB  - Fragile X syndrome is one of the most common reasons for human hereditary mental
      retardation. It is associated with the expansion of CGG repeats in the 5'
      untranslated region of the FMR1 gene, which results in the suppression of its
      expression and the development of the disease. At present, methods based on PCR
      and Southern blot analysis are used for diagnostics of the fragile X syndrome.
      The presence of a fragile site FRAXA on the X chromosome is typical for patients
      with this pathology. We developed a method of visualizing this site in cell
      cultures obtained from patients using the fluorescent in situ hybridization
      (FISH) and the combination of two probes. The method allows one to detect five
      types of signals on the X chromosome, three of which are normal, while two are
      associated with the emergence of fragile site FRAXA. An analysis of the
      distribution of all signal types in cell lines from healthy individuals and
      patients with fragile X syndrome demonstrated that the method allows one to
      determine differences between lines with a high statistical significance and that
      it is applicable to detecting cells that are carriers of the syndrome.

PMID- 28900091
TI  - [Secondary Structure of Abeta(1-16) Complexes with Zinc: A Study in the Gas Phase
      Using Deuterium/Hydrogen Exchange and Ultra-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry].
AB  - Complexes of peptide fragment 1-16 of beta-amyloid with transition metals play an
      important role in the development of a broad class of neurodegenerative diseases,
      which determines the interest in investigating the structures of these complexes.
      In this work, we have applied the method of the deuterium/hydrogen exchange in
      combination with ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry to study conformational
      changes in (1-16) beta-amyloid peptide induced by binding of zinc(II) atoms. The
      efficiency of the deuterium/hydrogen exchange depended on the number of zinc
      atoms bound to the peptide and on the temperature of the ionization source
      region. Deuterium/hydrogen exchange reactions have been performed directly in the
      ionization source. The number of exchanges decreased considerably with an
      increasing numbers of zinc atoms. The relationship has been described with a
      damped exponential curve, which indicated that the binding of zinc atoms altered
      the conformation of the peptide ion by making it less open, which limits the
      access to inner areas of the molecule.

PMID- 28900092
TI  - [Impact of Delivery Method on Antiviral Activity of Phosphodiester,
      Phosphorothioate, and Phosphoryl Guanidine Oligonucleotides in MDCK Cells
      Infected with H5N1 Bird Flu Virus].
AB  - We have previously described nanocomposites containing conjugates or complexes of
      native oligodeoxyribonucleotides with poly-L-lysine and TiO2 nanoparticles. We
      have shown that these nanocomposites efficiently suppressed influenza A virus
      reproduction in MDCK cells. Here, we have synthesized previously undescribed
      nanocomposites that consist of TiO2 nanoparticles and polylysine conjugates with
      oligonucleotides that contain phosphoryl guanidine or phosphorothioate
      internucleotide groups. These nanocomposites have been shown to exhibit antiviral
      activity in MDCK cells infected with H5N1 influenza A virus. The nanocomposites
      containing phosphorothioate oligonucleotides inhibited virus replication ~130
      fold. More potent inhibition, i.e., ~5000-fold or ~4600-fold, has been
      demonstrated by nanocomposites that contain phosphoryl guanidine or
      phosphodiester oligonucleotides, respectively. Free oligonucleotides have been
      nearly inactive. The antiviral activity of oligonucleotides of all three types,
      when delivered by Lipofectamine, has been significantly lower compared to the
      oligonucleotides delivered in the nanocomposites. In the former case, the
      phosphoryl guanidine oligonucleotide has appeared to be the most efficient; it
      has inhibited the virus replication by a factor of 400. The results make it
      possible to consider phosphoryl guanidine oligonucleotides, along with other
      oligonucleotide derivatives, as potential antiviral agents against H5N1 avian flu
      virus.

PMID- 28900093
TI  - [Synthesis of Circular DNA Templates with T4 RNA Ligase for Rolling Circle
      Amplification].
AB  - Currently, isothermal methods of nucleic acid amplification have been well
      established; in particular, rolling circle amplification is of great interest. In
      this approach, circular ssDNA molecules have been used as a target that can be
      obtained by the intramolecular template-dependent ligation of an oligonucleotide
      C-probe. Here, a new method of synthesizing small circular DNA molecules via the
      cyclization of ssDNA based on T4 RNA ligase has been proposed. Circular ssDNA is
      further used as the template for the rolling circle amplification. The maximum
      yield of the cyclization products was observed in the presence of 5-10%
      polyethylene glycol 4000, and the optimum DNA length for the cyclization
      constituted 50 nucleotides. This highly sensitive method was shown to detect less
      than 10^(2) circular DNA molecules. The method reliability was proved based on
      artificially destroyed dsDNA, which suggests its implementation for analyzing any
      significantly fragmented dsDNA.

PMID- 28900094
TI  - [Protein-Protein Interactions of Huntingtin in the Hippocampus].
AB  - Huntingtin (HTT) occurs in the neuronal cytoplasm and can interact with
      structural elements of synapses. Huntington's disease (HD) results from
      pathological expansion of a polyglutamine stretch in the HTT molecule, being
      probably associated with aberrant protein-protein interactions. The pathogenetic
      mechanism is still incompletely understood. Alterations of the synaptic structure
      and plasticity in the hippocampus are observed in early HD. The objective of the
      study was to theoretically evaluate the HTT contribution to changes in synaptic
      plasticity by integrating the available experimental data. HTT protein complexes
      are involved in maintaining the efficiency of synaptic transmission. A pathogenic
      HTT form (polyQ-HTT) probably disrupts the protein-protein interactions in
      distorts the dynamics of molecular processes in the synapsis. It was assumed that
      polyQ-HTT may compete with postsynaptic density proteins and proteins regulating
      cytoskeleton remodeling.

PMID- 28900095
TI  - Discovery of a proteolytic flagellin family in diverse bacterial phyla that
      assembles enzymatically active flagella.
AB  - Bacterial flagella are cell locomotion and occasional adhesion organelles
      composed primarily of the polymeric protein flagellin, but to date have not been
      associated with any enzymatic function. Here, we report the bioinformatics-driven
      discovery of a class of enzymatic flagellins that assemble to form
      proteolytically active flagella. Originating by a metallopeptidase insertion into
      the central flagellin hypervariable region, this flagellin family has expanded to
      at least 74 bacterial species. In the pathogen, Clostridium haemolyticum,
      metallopeptidase-containing flagellin (which we termed flagellinolysin) is the
      second most abundant protein in the flagella and is localized to the
      extracellular flagellar surface. Purified flagellar filaments and recombinant
      flagellin exhibit proteolytic activity, cleaving nearly 1000 different peptides.
      With ~ 20,000 flagellin copies per  ~ 10-MUm flagella this assembles the largest
      proteolytic complex known. Flagellum-mediated extracellular proteolysis expands
      our understanding of the functional plasticity of bacterial flagella, revealing
      this family as enzymatic biopolymers that mediate interactions with diverse
      peptide substrates.So far no enzymatic activity has been attributed to flagellin,
      the major component of bacterial flagella. Here the authors use bioinformatic
      analysis and identify a metallopeptidase insertion in flagellins from 74
      bacterial species and show that recombinant flagellin and flagellar filaments
      have proteolytic activity.

PMID- 28900098
TI  - Preprints under peer review.

PMID- 28900096
TI  - Comparison of quality of life between Billroth-I and Roux-en-Y anastomosis after
      distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - Studies comparing Billroth-I (B-I) with Roux-en-Y (R-Y) anastomosis are still
      lacking and inconsistent. The aim of this trial was to compare the quality of
      life (QoL) of B-I with R-Y reconstruction after curative distal gastrectomy for
      gastric cancer. A total of 140 patients were randomly assigned to the B-I group
      (N = 70) and R-Y group (N = 70) with the comparable baseline characteristics. The
      overall postoperative morbidity rates were 18.6% and 25.7% in the B-I group and R
      Y group without significant difference. More estimated blood loss and longer
      surgical duration were found in the R-Y group. At the postoperative 1 year time
      point, the B-I group had a higher score in pain, but lower score in global
      health. However, the R-Y anastomosis was associated with lower incidence of
      reflux symptoms at postoperative 6 months (P = 0.002) and postoperative 9 months
      (P = 0.007). The multivariable analyses of variance did not show any interactions
      between the time trend and grouping. For the results of endoscopic examination,
      the degree and extent of remnant gastritis were milder significantly in the R-Y
      group. The stronger anti-reflux capability of R-Y anastomosis contributes to the
      higher QoL by reducing the reflux related gastritis and pain symptoms, and
      promotes a better global health.

PMID- 28900097
TI  - Electrical properties and thermal stability in stack structure of HfO2/Al2O3/InSb
      by atomic layer deposition.
AB  - Changes in the electrical properties and thermal stability of HfO2 grown on Al2O3
      passivated InSb by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were investigated. The deposited
      HfO2 on InSb at a temperature of 200  degrees C was in an amorphous phase with
      low interfacial defect states. During post-deposition annealing (PDA) at 400 
      degrees C, In-Sb bonding was dissociated and diffusion through HfO2 occurred. The
      diffusion of indium atoms from the InSb substrate into the HfO2 increased during
      PDA at 400  degrees C. Most of the diffused atoms reacted with oxygen in the
      overall HfO2 layer, which degraded the capacitance equivalent thickness (CET).
      However, since a 1-nm-thick Al2O3 passivation layer on the InSb substrate
      effectively reduced the diffusion of indium atoms, we could significantly improve
      the thermal stability of the capacitor. In addition, we could dramatically reduce
      the gate leakage current by the Al2O3 passivation layer. Even if the border traps
      measured by C-V data were slightly larger than those of the as-grown sample
      without the passivation layer, the interface trap density was reduced by the
      Al2O3 passivation layer. As a result, the passivation layer effectively improved
      the thermal stability of the capacitor and reduced the interface trap density,
      compared with the sample without the passivation layer.

PMID- 28900099
TI  - Rapid global ocean-atmosphere response to Southern Ocean freshening during the
      last glacial.
AB  - Contrasting Greenland and Antarctic temperatures during the last glacial period
      (115,000 to 11,650 years ago) are thought to have been driven by imbalances in
      the rates of formation of North Atlantic and Antarctic Deep Water (the 'bipolar
      seesaw'). Here we exploit a bidecadally resolved 14C data set obtained from New
      Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) to undertake high-precision alignment of key
      climate data sets spanning iceberg-rafted debris event Heinrich 3 and Greenland
      Interstadial (GI) 5.1 in the North Atlantic (~30,400 to 28,400 years ago). We
      observe no divergence between the kauri and Atlantic marine sediment 14C data
      sets, implying limited changes in deep water formation. However, a Southern Ocean
      (Atlantic-sector) iceberg rafted debris event appears to have occurred
      synchronously with GI-5.1 warming and decreased precipitation over the western
      equatorial Pacific and Atlantic. An ensemble of transient meltwater simulations
      shows that Antarctic-sourced salinity anomalies can generate climate changes that
      are propagated globally via an atmospheric Rossby wave train.A challenge for
      testing mechanisms of past climate change is the precise correlation of
      palaeoclimate records. Here, through climate modelling and the alignment of
      terrestrial, ice and marine 14C and 10Be records, the authors show that Southern
      Ocean freshwater hosing can trigger global change.

PMID- 28900100
TI  - Oscillations of ultra-weak photon emission from cancer and non-cancer cells
      stressed by culture medium change and TNF-alpha.
AB  - Cells spontaneously emit photons in the UV to visible/near-infrared range (ultra
      weak photon emission, UPE). Perturbations of the cells' state cause changes in
      UPE (evoked UPE). The aim of the present study was to analyze the evoked UPE
      dynamics of cells caused by two types of cell perturbations (stressors): (i) a
      cell culture medium change, and (ii) application of the pro-inflammatory cytokine
      tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Four types of human cell lines were used
      (squamous cell carcinoma cells, A431; adenocarcinomic alveolar basal epithelial
      cells, A549; p53-deficient keratinocytes, HaCaT, and cervical cancer cells,
      HeLa). In addition to the medium change, TNF-alpha was applied at different
      concentrations (5, 10, 20, and 40 ng/mL) and UPE measurements were performed
      after incubation times of 0, 30, 60, 90 min, 2, 5, 12, 24, 48 h. It was observed
      that (i) the change of cell culture medium (without added TNF-alpha) induces a
      cell type-specific transient increase in UPE with the largest UPE increase
      observed in A549 cells, (ii) the addition of TNF-alpha induces a cell type
      specific and dose-dependent change in UPE, and (iii) stressed cell cultures in
      general exhibit oscillatory UPE changes.

PMID- 28900101
TI  - Impact of Comorbidity on Fatality Rate of Patients with Middle East Respiratory
      Syndrome.
AB  - To date, 1841 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
      infection have been reported worldwide, with 652 deaths. We used a publically
      available case line list to explore the effect of relevant factors, notably
      underlying comorbidities, on fatal outcome of Middle East respiratory syndrome
      (MERS) cases up to the end of October 2016. A Bayesian Weibull proportional
      hazards regression model was used to assess the effect of comorbidity, age,
      epidemic period and sex on the fatality rate of MERS cases and its variation
      across countries. The crude fatality rate of MERS cases was 32.1% (95%
      credibility interval (CI): 29.9%, 34.3%). Notably, the incremental change of
      daily death rate was most prominent during the first week since disease onset
      with an average increase of 13%, but then stabilized in the remaining two weeks
      when it only increased 3% on average. Neither sex, nor country of infection were
      found to have a significant impact on fatality rates after taking into account
      the age and comorbidity status of patients. After adjusting for age, epidemic
      period, MERS patients with comorbidity had around 4 times the risk for fatal
      infection than those without (adjusted hazard ratio of 3.74 (95% CI: 2.57,
      5.67)).

PMID- 28900102
TI  - Photobleaching in STED nanoscopy and its dependence on the photon flux applied
      for reversible silencing of the fluorophore.
AB  - In STED (stimulated emission depletion) nanoscopy, the resolution and signal are
      limited by the fluorophore de-excitation efficiency and photobleaching. Here, we
      investigated their dependence on the pulse duration and power of the applied STED
      light for the popular 750 nm wavelength. In experiments with red- and orange
      emitting dyes, the pulse duration was varied from the sub-picosecond range up to
      continuous-wave conditions, with average powers up to 200 mW at 80 MHz repetition
      rate, i.e. peak powers up to 1 kW and pulse energies up to 2.5 nJ. We demonstrate
      the dependence of bleaching on pulse duration, which dictates the optimal
      parameters of how to deliver the photons required for transient fluorophore
      silencing. Measurements with the dye ATTO647N reveal that the bleaching of
      excited molecules scales with peak power with a single effective order ~1.4. This
      motivates peak power reduction while maintaining the number of STED-light
      photons, in line with the superior resolution commonly achieved for nanosecond
      STED pulses. Other dyes (ATTO590, STAR580, STAR635P) exhibit two distinctive
      bleaching regimes for constant pulse energy, one with strong dependence on peak
      power, one nearly independent. We interpret the results within a photobleaching
      model that guides quantitative predictions of resolution and bleaching.

PMID- 28900104
TI  - Geometrically-controlled polarisation processing in femtosecond-laser-written
      photonic circuits.
AB  - Polarisation of light is a powerful and widely used degree of freedom to encode
      information, both in classical and quantum applications. In particular, quantum
      information technologies based on photons are being revolutionised by the use of
      integrated photonic circuits. It is therefore very important to be able to
      manipulate the polarisation of photons in such circuits. We experimentally
      demonstrate the fabrication by femtosecond laser micromachining of components
      such as polarisation insensitive and polarising directional couplers, operating
      at 1550 nm wavelength, where the two opposite behaviours are achieved just by
      controlling the geometric layout of the photonic circuits, being the waveguides
      fabricated with the same irradiation recipe. We expect to employ this approach in
      complex integrated photonic devices, capable of a full control of the photons
      polarisation for quantum cryptography, quantum computation and quantum
      teleportation experiments.

PMID- 28900103
TI  - YeeJ is an inverse autotransporter from Escherichia coli that binds to
      peptidoglycan and promotes biofilm formation.
AB  - Escherichia coli is a commensal or pathogenic bacterium that can survive in
      diverse environments. Adhesion to surfaces is essential for E. coli colonization,
      and thus it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms that promote this
      process in different niches. Autotransporter proteins are a class of cell-surface
      factor used by E. coli for adherence. Here we characterized the regulation and
      function of YeeJ, a poorly studied but widespread representative from an emerging
      class of autotransporter proteins, the inverse autotransporters (IAT). We showed
      that the yeeJ gene is present in ~40% of 96 completely sequenced E. coli genomes
      and that YeeJ exists as two length variants, albeit with no detectable functional
      differences. We demonstrated that YeeJ promotes biofilm formation in different
      settings through exposition at the cell-surface. We also showed that YeeJ
      contains a LysM domain that interacts with peptidoglycan and thus assists its
      localization into the outer membrane. Additionally, we identified the
      Polynucleotide Phosphorylase PNPase as a repressor of yeeJ transcription.
      Overall, our work provides new insight into YeeJ as a member of the recently
      defined IAT class, and contributes to our understanding of how commensal and
      pathogenic E. coli colonise their environments.

PMID- 28900106
TI  - Practical passive decoy state measurement-device-independent quantum key
      distribution with unstable sources.
AB  - Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) with the active
      decoy state method can remove all detector loopholes, and resist the
      imperfections of sources. But it may lead to side channel attacks and break the
      security of QKD system. In this paper, we apply the passive decoy state method to
      the MDI-QKD based on polarization encoding mode. Not only all attacks on
      detectors can be removed, but also the side channel attacks on sources can be
      overcome. We get that the MDI-QKD with our passive decoy state method can have a
      performance comparable to the protocol with the active decoy state method. To fit
      for the demand of practical application, we discuss intensity fluctuation in the
      security analysis of MDI-QKD protocol using passive decoy state method, and
      derive the key generation rate for our protocol with intensity fluctuation. It
      shows that intensity fluctuation has an adverse effect on the key generation rate
      which is non-negligible, especially in the case of small data size of total
      transmitting signals and long distance transmission. We give specific simulations
      on the relationship between intensity fluctuation and the key generation rate.
      Furthermore, the statistical fluctuation due to the finite length of data is also
      taken into account.

PMID- 28900105
TI  - A genome-wide association study identifies a novel susceptibility locus for the
      immunogenicity of polyethylene glycol.
AB  - Conjugation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to therapeutic molecules can improve
      bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. However, some healthy individuals have
      pre-existing anti-PEG antibodies and certain patients develop anti-PEG antibody
      during treatment with PEGylated medicines, suggesting that genetics might play a
      role in PEG immunogenicity. Here we perform genome-wide association studies for
      anti-PEG IgM and IgG responses in Han Chinese with 177 and 140 individuals,
      defined as positive for anti-PEG IgM and IgG responses, respectively, and with
      492 subjects without either anti-PEG IgM or IgG as controls. We validate the
      association results in the replication cohort, consisting of 211 and 192 subjects
      with anti-PEG IgM and anti-PEG IgG, respectively, and 596 controls. We identify
      the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus to be associated with anti-PEG IgM
      response at genome-wide significance (P = 2.23 * 10-22). Our findings may provide
      novel genetic markers for predicting the immunogenicity of PEG and efficacy of
      PEGylated therapeutics.Some individuals develop antibodies against the
      polyethylene glycol that is commonly used in therapeutic preparations. Here the
      authors conduct a GWAS in Han Chinese and find the IGH locus is associated with
      anti-PEG IgM.

PMID- 28900107
TI  - Giant magnetoelectric effects achieved by tuning spin cone symmetry in Y-type
      hexaferrites.
AB  - Multiferroics materials, which exhibit coupled magnetic and ferroelectric
      properties, have attracted tremendous research interest because of their
      potential in constructing next-generation multifunctional devices. The
      application of single-phase multiferroics is currently limited by their usually
      small magnetoelectric effects. Here, we report the realization of giant
      magnetoelectric effects in a Y-type hexaferrite Ba0.4Sr1.6Mg2Fe12O22 single
      crystal, which exhibits record-breaking direct and converse magnetoelectric
      coefficients and a large electric-field-reversed magnetization. We have uncovered
      the origin of the giant magnetoelectric effects by a systematic study in the Ba2
      x Sr x Mg2Fe12O22 family with magnetization, ferroelectricity and neutron
      diffraction measurements. With the transverse spin cone symmetry restricted to be
      two-fold, the one-step sharp magnetization reversal is realized and giant
      magnetoelectric coefficients are achieved. Our study reveals that tuning magnetic
      symmetry is an effective route to enhance the magnetoelectric effects also in
      multiferroic hexaferrites.Control of the electrical properties of materials by
      means of magnetic fields or vice versa may facilitate next-generation spintronic
      devices, but is still limited by their intrinsically weak magnetoelectric effect.
      Here, the authors report the existence of an enhanced magnetoelectric effect in a
      Y-type hexaferrite, and reveal its underlining mechanism.

PMID- 28900108
TI  - Nanograin size effects on the strength of biphase nanolayered composites.
AB  - In this work, we employ atomic-scale simulations to uncover the interface-driven
      deformation mechanisms in biphase nanolayered composites. Two internal boundaries
      persist in these materials, the interlayer crystalline boundaries and intralayer
      biphase interfaces, and both have nanoscale dimensions. These internal surfaces
      are known to control the activation and motion of dislocations, and despite the
      fact that most of these materials bear both types of interfaces. From our
      calculations, we find that the first defect event, signifying yield, is
      controlled by the intralayer spacing (grain size, d), and not the intralayer
      biphase spacing (layer thickness, h). The interplay of two internal sizes leads
      to a very broad transition region from grain boundary sliding dominated flow,
      where the material is weak and insensitive to changes in h, to grain boundary
      dislocation emission and glide dominated flow, where the material is strong and
      sensitive to changes in h. Such a rich set of states and size effects are not
      seen in idealized materials with one of these internal surfaces removed. These
      findings provide some insight into how changes in h and d resulting from
      different synthesis processes can affect the strength of nanolayered materials.

PMID- 28900109
TI  - Region-specific differential corneal and scleral mRNA expressions of MMP2, TIMP2,
      and TGFB2 in highly myopic-astigmatic chicks.
AB  - Myopia and astigmatism, two common refractive errors frequently co-exist, are
      affecting vision at all working distances in the affected populations worldwide.
      Eyeballs having these refractive errors are known to exhibit abnormal eye shape
      at the anterior and posterior eye segments, but whether the outer coats of these
      abnormal eyeballs, cornea anteriorly and sclera posteriorly, are regulated by
      region-specific molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here we presented the
      changes in mRNA expression levels of three genes (MMP2, TIMP2, and TGFB2), all
      known to participate in extracellular matrix organization, at five regions of the
      cornea and sclera in chickens developing high myopia and astigmatism induced by
      form deprivation. We found that, compared to normal chicks, the highly myopic
      astigmatic chicks had significantly higher expression of all three genes in the
      superior sclera (Mann-Whitney tests, all p <= 0.05), as well as higher TIMP2
      expression in the central cornea and nasal sclera (Mann-Whitney tests, both p <=
      0.05). Strikingly, the superior scleral region stood out as showing the strongest
      and most widespread correlations between mRNA expression and biometry parameters
      including axial and astigmatic components (r = + 0.52~ + 0.85, all p < 0.05).
      These results imply that local molecular mechanism may manipulate the eye shape
      remodeling across the globe during refractive-error development.

PMID- 28900110
TI  - Enhancement of Environmental Hazard Degradation in the Presence of Lignin: a
      Proteomics Study.
AB  - Proteomics studies of fungal systems have progressed dramatically based on the
      availability of more fungal genome sequences in recent years. Different
      proteomics strategies have been applied toward characterization of fungal
      proteome and revealed important gene functions and proteome dynamics. Presented
      here is the application of shot-gun proteomic technology to study the bio
      remediation of environmental hazards by white-rot fungus. Lignin, a naturally
      abundant component of the plant biomass, is discovered to promote the degradation
      of Azo dye by white-rot fungus Irpex lacteus CD2 in the lignin/dye/fungus system.
      Shotgun proteomics technique was used to understand degradation mechanism at the
      protein level for the lignin/dye/fungus system. Our proteomics study can identify
      about two thousand proteins (one third of the predicted white-rot fungal
      proteome) in a single experiment, as one of the most powerful proteomics
      platforms to study the fungal system to date. The study shows a significant
      enrichment of oxidoreduction functional category under the dye/lignin combined
      treatment. An in vitro validation is performed and supports our hypothesis that
      the synergy of Fenton reaction and manganese peroxidase might play an important
      role in DR5B dye degradation. The results could guide the development of
      effective bioremediation strategies and efficient lignocellulosic biomass
      conversion.

PMID- 28900111
TI  - Carrier re-sequencing reveals rare but benign variants in recessive deafness
      genes.
AB  - For recessive Mendelian disorders, determining the pathogenicity of rare, non
      synonymous variants in known causative genes can be challenging without expanded
      pedigrees and/or functional analysis. In this study, we proposed to establish a
      database of rare but benign variants in recessive deafness genes by systematic
      carrier re-sequencing. As a pilot study, 30 heterozygous carriers of pathogenic
      variants for deafness were identified from unaffected family members of 18 deaf
      probands. The entire coding regions of the corresponding genes were re-sequenced
      in those carriers by targeted next-generation sequencing or Sanger sequencing. A
      total of 32 non-synonymous variants were identified in the normal-hearing
      carriers in trans with the pathogenic variant and therefore were classified as
      benign. Among them were five rare (minor allele frequencies less than 0.005)
      variants that had previously undefined, disputable or even misclassified
      function: p.A434T (c.1300 G > A) in SLC26A4, p.R266Q (c.797 G > A) in LOXHD1,
      p.K96Q (c.286 A > C) in MYO15A, p.T123N (c.368 C > A) in GJB2 and p.V1299I (c.797
      G > A) in CDH23. Our results suggested that large scale carrier re-sequencing may
      be warranted to establish a database of rare but benign variants in causative
      genes in order to reduce false positive genetic diagnosis of recessive Mendelian
      disorders.

PMID- 28900112
TI  - Genomic comparison of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its precursor
      lesions by multi-region whole-exome sequencing.
AB  - Esophageal squamous dysplasia is believed to be the precursor lesion of
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC ); however, the genetic evolution from
      dysplasia to ESCC remains poorly understood. Here, we applied multi-region whole
      exome sequencing to samples from two cohorts, 45 ESCC patients with matched
      dysplasia and carcinoma samples, and 13 tumor-free patients with only dysplasia
      samples. Our analysis reveals that dysplasia is heavily mutated and harbors most
      of the driver events reported in ESCC. Moreover, dysplasia is polyclonal, and
      remarkable heterogeneity is often observed between tumors and their neighboring
      dysplasia samples. Notably, copy number alterations are prevalent in dysplasia
      and persist during the ESCC progression, which is distinct from the development
      of esophageal adenocarcinoma. The sharp contrast in the prevalence of the 'two
      hit' event on TP53 between the two cohorts suggests that the complete
      inactivation of TP53 is essential in promoting the development of ESCC.The
      pathogenesis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma is a multi-step process but
      the genetic determinants behind this progression are unknown. Here the authors
      use multi-region exome sequencing to comprehensively investigate the genetic
      evolution of precursor dysplastic lesions and untransformed oesophagus.

PMID- 28900113
TI  - Abnormalities of signal transduction networks in chronic schizophrenia.
AB  - : Schizophrenia is a serious neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by
      disruptions of brain cell metabolism, microstructure, and neurotransmission. All
      of these processes require coordination of multiple kinase-mediated signaling
      events. We hypothesize that imbalances in kinase activity propagate through an
      interconnected network of intracellular signaling with potential to
      simultaneously contribute to many or all of the observed deficits in
      schizophrenia. We established a workflow distinguishing schizophrenia-altered
      kinases in anterior cingulate cortex using a previously published kinome array
      data set. We compared schizophrenia-altered kinases to haloperidol-altered
      kinases, and identified systems, functions, and regulators predicted using
      pathway analyses. We used kinase inhibitors with the kinome array to test
      hypotheses about imbalance in signaling and conducted preliminary studies of
      kinase proteins, phosphoproteins, and activity for kinases of interest. We
      investigated schizophrenia-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in one of
      these kinases, AKT, for genotype-dependent changes in AKT protein or activity.
      Kinome analyses identified new kinases as well as some previously implicated in
      schizophrenia. These results were not explained by chronic antipsychotic
      treatment. Kinases identified in our analyses aligned with cytoskeletal
      arrangement and molecular trafficking. Of the kinases we investigated further,
      AKT and (unexpectedly) JNK, showed the most dysregulation in the anterior
      cingulate cortex of schizophrenia subjects. Changes in kinase activity did not
      correspond to protein or phosphoprotein levels. We also show that AKT single
      nucleotide polymorphism rs1130214, previously associated with schizophrenia,
      influenced enzyme activity but not protein or phosphoprotein levels. Our data
      indicate subtle changes in kinase activity and regulation across an interlinked
      kinase network, suggesting signaling imbalances underlie the core symptoms of
      schizophrenia. DISEASE MECHANISMS: A SIGNALING IMBALANCE: A study by US
      scientists indicates that changes in the activity of key signaling proteins may
      underlie core symptoms of schizophrenia. Protein kinases mediate the activation
      of intracellular signaling events and analyses of the kinome, the complete set of
      protein kinases encoded in the genome, previously revealed significant changes in
      phosphorylation patterns in postmortem brain tissue from patients with
      schizophrenia. Based on these findings, Jennifer McGuire at the University of
      Cincinnati and colleagues investigated the upstream regulation of these proteins.
      They identified both established and novel proteins associated with schizophrenia
      in the anterior cingulate cortex, with JNK and AKT activity being the most
      disrupted in schizophrenia patients. Their findings highlight how subtle changes
      in the activity of a small number of signaling proteins can propagate and have
      major consequences for mental health.

PMID- 28900114
TI  - Programmed Self-Assembly of a Biochemical and Magnetic Scaffold to Trigger and
      Manipulate Microtubule Structures.
AB  - Artificial bio-based scaffolds offer broad applications in bioinspired chemistry,
      nanomedicine, and material science. One current challenge is to understand how
      the programmed self-assembly of biomolecules at the nanometre level can dictate
      the emergence of new functional properties at the mesoscopic scale. Here we
      report a general approach to design genetically encoded protein-based scaffolds
      with modular biochemical and magnetic functions. By combining chemically induced
      dimerization strategies and biomineralisation, we engineered ferritin nanocages
      to nucleate and manipulate microtubule structures upon magnetic actuation.
      Triggering the self-assembly of engineered ferritins into micrometric scaffolds
      mimics the function of centrosomes, the microtubule organizing centres of cells,
      and provides unique magnetic and self-organizing properties. We anticipate that
      our approach could be transposed to control various biological processes and
      extend to broader applications in biotechnology or material chemistry.

PMID- 28900115
TI  - A Phase II Study of Arginine Deiminase (ADI-PEG20) in Relapsed/Refractory or Poor
      Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients.
AB  - Exogenous arginine is required for growth in some argininosuccinate synthetase
      (ASS)-deficient cancers. Arginine deiminase (ADI) inhibits growth in various ASS
      deficient cancers by depleting arginine. The efficacy of pegylated ADI (ADI
      PEG20) in relapsed/refractory/poor-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was
      evaluated in 43 patients in a prospective, phase II trial (NCT01910012
      (10/07/2013), https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01910012?term = ADI
      PEG20&rank = 12 ). Despite almost all pre-treatment tumor samples showing ASS
      deficiency, the best response among 21 evaluable patients was complete response
      (CR) in 2 (9.5%) and stable disease in 7 (33.3%), yielding a disease control rate
      (DCR) of 42.9%. The response durations of the two patients with CR were 7.5 and
      8.8 months. DCR was correlated with a median of 8 weeks of arginine depletion to
      <=10 MUM. Using whole transcriptome sequencing, we compared gene expression
      profiling of pre- and post-treatment bone marrow samples of the two responders
      and three non-responders. The expression levels of some markers for AML subtypes
      and c-MYC regulated genes were considered potential predictors of response to ADI
      PEG20. These results suggest that ASS deficiency is a prerequisite but not a
      sufficient condition for response to ADI-PEG20 monotherapy in AML. Predictive
      biomarkers and mechanistic explorations will be critical for identifying
      appropriate patients for future AML trials of ADI-PEG20.

PMID- 28900116
TI  - Response induced in Mycoplasma gallisepticum under heat shock might be relevant
      to infection process.
AB  - Despite the fact the term "proteome" was proposed to characterize a set of
      proteins in one of mycoplasma species, proteome response to various exposures in
      this bacteria are still obscure. Commonly, authors studying proteomic response on
      perturbation models in mycoplasmas use single approach and do not confirm their
      findings by alternative methods. Consequently, the results of proteomic analysis
      should be validated by complementary techniques. In this study we utilized three
      complementary approaches (SWATH, MRM, 2D-DIGE) to assess response of Mycoplasma
      gallisepticum under heat stress on proteomic level and combined these findings
      with metabolic response and the results of transcriptional profiling. We divide
      response into two modes - one is directly related to heat stress and other is
      triggered during heat stress, but not directly relevant to it. The latter
      includes accumulation of ATP and shedding of antigens. Both of these phenomena
      may be relevant to evasion of host's immune system and dissemination during
      mycoplasmosis in vivo.

PMID- 28900117
TI  - Dextromethorphan Exhibits Anti-inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects in a
      Murine Model of Collagen-Induced Arthritis and in Human Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Dextromethorphan (d-3-methoxy-17-methylmorphinan, DXM) is a commonly used
      antitussive with a favorable safety profile. Previous studies have demonstrated
      that DXM has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties; however, the
      effect of DXM in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unknown. Herein, we found that
      DXM treatment attenuated arthritis severity and proinflammatory cytokine
      expression levels, including TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-17A, in paw tissues of CIA
      mice. DXM treatment also reduced serum TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-17A levels of CIA
      mice and patients with RA. DXM further decreased the production of anti-CII IgG,
      IFN-gamma, and IL-17A in collagen-reactive CD4+ T cells extracted from the lymph
      nodes of CIA mice. In vitro incubation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells
      with DXM limited CD4+ T-cell proliferation and inflammatory cytokine secretion.
      In conclusion, our results showed that DXM attenuated arthritis symptoms in CIA
      mice and significantly reduced proinflammatory cytokines in patients with RA,
      suggesting that it can be used as an anti-arthritic agent.

PMID- 28900118
TI  - Arf6 in lymphatic endothelial cells regulates lymphangiogenesis by controlling
      directional cell migration.
AB  - The small GTPase Arf6 plays pivotal roles in a wide variety of cellular events
      such as endocytosis, exocytosis, and actin cytoskeleton reorganization. However,
      the physiological functions of Arf6 at the whole animal level have not yet been
      thoroughly understood. Here, we show that Arf6 regulates developmental and tumor
      lymphangiogenesis in mice. Lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC)-specific Arf6
      conditional knockout (LEC-Arf6 cKO) mouse embryos exhibit severe skin edema and
      impairment in the formation of lymphatic vessel network at the mid-gestation
      stage. Knockdown of Arf6 in human LECs inhibits in vitro capillary tube formation
      and directed cell migration induced by vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF
      C) by inhibiting VEGF-C-induced internalization of beta1 integrin. Finally, we
      found that LEC-Arf6 cKO mice transplanted with B16 melanoma cells attenuated
      tumor lymphangiogenesis and progression. Collectively, these results demonstrate
      that Arf6 in LECs plays a crucial role in physiological and pathological
      lymphangiogenesis.

PMID- 28900119
TI  - Analysis of potential protein-modifying variants in 9000 endometriosis patients
      and 150000 controls of European ancestry.
AB  - Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified 19 independent common risk
      loci for endometriosis. Most of the GWA variants are non-coding and the genes
      responsible for the association signals have not been identified. Herein, we
      aimed to assess the potential role of protein-modifying variants in endometriosis
      using exome-array genotyping in 7164 cases and 21005 controls, and a replication
      set of 1840 cases and 129016 controls of European ancestry. Results in the
      discovery sample identified significant evidence for association with coding
      variants in single-variant (rs1801232-CUBN) and gene-level (CIITA and PARP4) meta
      analyses, but these did not survive replication. In the combined analysis, there
      was genome-wide significant evidence for rs13394619 (P = 2.3 * 10-9) in GREB1 at
      2p25.1 - a locus previously identified in a GWA meta-analysis of European and
      Japanese samples. Despite sufficient power, our results did not identify any
      protein-modifying variants (MAF > 0.01) with moderate or large effect sizes in
      endometriosis, although these variants may exist in non-European populations or
      in high-risk families. The results suggest continued discovery efforts should
      focus on genotyping large numbers of surgically-confirmed endometriosis cases and
      controls, and/or sequencing high-risk families to identify novel rare variants to
      provide greater insights into the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.

PMID- 28900120
TI  - Recurrent network dynamics reconciles visual motion segmentation and integration.
AB  - In sensory systems, a range of computational rules are presumed to be implemented
      by neuronal subpopulations with different tuning functions. For instance, in
      primate cortical area MT, different classes of direction-selective cells have
      been identified and related either to motion integration, segmentation or
      transparency. Still, how such different tuning properties are constructed is
      unclear. The dominant theoretical viewpoint based on  a linear-nonlinear feed
      forward cascade does not account for their complex temporal dynamics and their
      versatility when facing different input statistics. Here, we demonstrate that a
      recurrent network model of visual motion processing can reconcile these different
      properties. Using a ring network, we show how excitatory and inhibitory
      interactions can implement different computational rules such as vector
      averaging, winner-take-all or superposition. The model also captures ordered
      temporal transitions between these behaviors. In particular, depending on the
      inhibition regime the network can switch from motion integration to segmentation,
      thus being able to compute either a single pattern motion or to superpose
      multiple inputs as in motion transparency. We thus demonstrate that recurrent
      architectures can adaptively give rise to different cortical computational
      regimes depending upon the input statistics, from sensory flow integration to
      segmentation.

PMID- 28900121
TI  - Dominance of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis over the renin-angiotensin
      aldosterone system is a risk factor for decreased insulin secretion.
AB  - How the association between the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the
      renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) affects glucose metabolism were not
      well examined in a general population. Participants of the population-based 2015
      Iwaki study were enrolled (n: 1,016; age: 54.4 +/- 15.1 years). Principal
      component (PC) analysis identified two PCs: PC1 represented levels of the HPA
      axis (serum cortisol) and the RAAS (plasma aldosterone) as a whole, and PC2
      represented the HPA axis relative to the RAAS (HPA axis dominance). We examined
      the association between these PCs and glucose metabolism using homeostasis model
      assessment indices of reduced insulin sensitivity (HOMA-R) and secretion (HOMA
      beta). Univariate linear regression analyses showed a correlation between PC2 and
      HOMA-beta (beta = -0.248, p < 0.0001), but not between PC1 and HOMA-beta (beta = 
      0.004, p = 0.9048). The correration between PC2 and HOMA-beta persisted after
      adjustment for multiple factors (beta = -0.101, p = 0.0003). No correlations were
      found between the PCs and HOMA-R. When subjects were tertiled based on PC2, the
      highest tertile was at greater risk of decreased insulin secretion (defined as
      the lower one third of HOMA-beta (<=68.9)) than the lowest tertile after
      adjustment for multiple factors (odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.35
      2.97). The HPA axis dominance is associated with decreased insulin secretion in a
      Japanese population.

PMID- 28900122
TI  - Projection Stereolithographic Fabrication of BMP-2 Gene-activated Matrix for Bone
      Tissue Engineering.
AB  - Currently, sustained in vivo delivery of active bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP
      2) protein to responsive target cells, such as bone marrow-derived mesenchymal
      stem cells (BMSCs), remains challenging. Ex vivo gene transfer method, while
      efficient, requires additional operation for cell culture and therefore, is not
      compatible with point-of-care treatment. In this study, two lentiviral gene
      constructs - (1) Lv-BMP/GFP, containing human BMP-2 and green fluorescent protein
      (GFP) gene (BMP group); or (2) Lv-GFP, containing GFP gene (GFP group) - were
      incorporated with human BMSCs into a solution of photocrosslinkable gelatin,
      which was then subjected to visible light-based projection stereolithographic
      printing to form a scaffold with desired architectures. Upon in vitro culture,
      compared to the GFP group, cells from BMP group showed >1,000-fold higher BMP-2
      release, and the majority of them stained intensely for alkaline phosphatase
      activity. Real-time RT-PCR also showed dramatically increased expression of
      osteogenesis marker genes only in the BMP group. 3.5 months post-implantation
      into SCID mice, the micro-computed tomography imaging showed detectable
      mineralized areas only in the BMP group, which was restricted within the
      scaffolds. Alizarin red staining and immunohistochemistry of GFP and osteocalcin
      further indicated that the grafted hBMSCs, not host cells, contributed primarily
      to the newly formed bone.

PMID- 28900123
TI  - Effects of low intraperitoneal pressure and a warmed, humidified carbon dioxide
      gas in laparoscopic surgery: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - Laparoscopic surgery technology continues to advance. However, much less
      attention has been focused on how alteration of the laparoscopic surgical
      environment might improve clinical outcomes. We conducted a randomized, 2 * 2
      factorial trial to evaluate whether low intraperitoneal pressure (IPP) (8 mmHg)
      and/or warmed, humidified CO2 (WH) gas are better for minimizing the adverse
      impact of a CO2 pneumoperitoneum on the peritoneal environment during
      laparoscopic surgery and for improving clinical outcomes compared to the standard
      IPP (12 mmHg) and/or cool and dry CO2 (CD) gas. Herein we show that low IPP and
      WH gas may decrease inflammation in the laparoscopic surgical environment,
      resulting in better clinical outcomes. Low IPP and/or WH gas significantly
      lowered expression of inflammation-related genes in peritoneal tissues compared
      to the standard IPP and/or CD gas. The odds ratios of a visual analogue scale
      (VAS) pain score >30 in the ward was 0.18 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.52) at 12 hours and
      0.06 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.26) at 24 hours in the low IPP group versus the standard
      IPP group, and 0.16 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.49) at 0 hours and 0.29 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.79)
      at 12 hours in the WH gas group versus the CD gas group.

PMID- 28900124
TI  - Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to further explore growth and trade-off
      effects in myostatin-mutated F4 medaka (Oryzias latipes).
AB  - Myostatin (MSTN) suppresses skeletal muscle development and growth in mammals,
      but its role in fish is less well understood. Here we used CRISPR/Cas9 to mutate
      the MSTN gene in medaka (Oryzias latipes) and evaluate subsequent growth
      performance. We produced mutant F0 fish that carried different frameshifts in the
      OlMSTN coding sequence and confirmed the heritability of the mutant genotypes to
      the F1 generation. Two F1 fish with the same heterozygous frame-shifted genomic
      mutations (a 22 bp insertion in one allele; a 32 bp insertion in the other) were
      then crossbred to produce subsequent generations (F2~F5). Body length and weight
      of the MSTN-/- F4 medaka were significantly higher than in the wild type fish,
      and muscle fiber density in the inner and outer compartments of the epaxial
      muscles was decreased, suggesting that MSTN null mutation induces muscle
      hypertrophy. From 3~4 weeks post hatching (wph), the expression of three major
      myogenic related factors (MRFs), MyoD, Myf5 and Myogenin, was also significantly
      upregulated. Some medaka had a spinal deformity, and we also observed a trade-off
      between growth and immunity in MSTN-/- F4 medaka. Reproduction was unimpaired in
      the fast-growth phenotypes.

PMID- 28900125
TI  - Mergeable nervous systems for robots.
AB  - Robots have the potential to display a higher degree of lifetime morphological
      adaptation than natural organisms. By adopting a modular approach, robots with
      different capabilities, shapes, and sizes could, in theory, construct and
      reconfigure themselves as required. However, current modular robots have only
      been able to display a limited range of hardwired behaviors because they rely
      solely on distributed control. Here, we present robots whose bodies and control
      systems can merge to form entirely new robots that retain full sensorimotor
      control. Our control paradigm enables robots to exhibit properties that go beyond
      those of any existing machine or of any biological organism: the robots we
      present can merge to form larger bodies with a single centralized controller,
      split into separate bodies with independent controllers, and self-heal by
      removing or replacing malfunctioning body parts. This work takes us closer to
      robots that can autonomously change their size, form and function.Robots that can
      self-assemble into different morphologies are desired to perform tasks that
      require different physical capabilities. Mathews et al. design robots whose
      bodies and control systems can merge and split to form new robots that retain
      full sensorimotor control and act as a single entity.

PMID- 28900127
TI  - Orbital bistatic radar observations of asteroid Vesta by the Dawn mission.
AB  - We present orbital bistatic radar observations of a small-body, acquired during
      occultation by the Dawn spacecraft at asteroid Vesta. The radar forward
      scattering properties of different reflection sites are used to assess the
      textural properties of Vesta's surface at centimeter-to-decimeter scales and are
      compared to subsurface hydrogen concentrations observed by Dawn's Gamma Ray and
      Neutron Detector to assess potential volatile occurrence in the surface and
      shallow subsurface. We observe significant differences in surface radar
      reflectivity, implying substantial spatial variations in centimeter-to-decimeter
      scale surface roughness. Our results suggest that unlike the Moon, Vesta's
      surface roughness variations cannot be explained by cratering processes only. In
      particular, the occurrence of heightened hydrogen concentrations within large
      smoother terrains (over hundreds of square kilometers) suggests that potential
      ground-ice presence may have contributed to the formation of Vesta's current
      surface texture. Our observations are consistent with geomorphological evidence
      of transient water flow from Dawn Framing Camera images.The Dawn spacecraft has
      provided orbital bistatic radar observations of a small body in the solar system.
      Here, the authors present results from Vesta suggesting that smooth terrains with
      heightened hydrogen concentrations indicate that ground-ice presence potentially
      helped shape Vesta's current surface texture.

PMID- 28900126
TI  - A new mild hyperthermia device to treat vascular involvement in cancer surgery.
AB  - Surgical margin status in cancer surgery represents an important oncologic
      parameter affecting overall prognosis. The risk of disease recurrence is
      minimized and survival often prolonged if margin-negative resection can be
      accomplished during cancer surgery. Unfortunately, negative margins are not
      always surgically achievable due to tumor invasion into adjacent tissues or
      involvement of critical vasculature. Herein, we present a novel intra-operative
      device created to facilitate a uniform and mild heating profile to cause
      hyperthermic destruction of vessel-encasing tumors while safeguarding the encased
      vessel. We use pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma as an in vitro and an in vivo
      cancer model for these studies as it is a representative model of a tumor that
      commonly involves major mesenteric vessels. In vitro data suggests that mild
      hyperthermia (41-46  degrees C for ten minutes) is an optimal thermal dose to
      induce high levels of cancer cell death, alter cancer cell's proteomic profiles
      and eliminate cancer stem cells while preserving non-malignant cells. In vivo and
      in silico data supports the well-known phenomena of a vascular heat sink effect
      that causes high temperature differentials through tissues undergoing
      hyperthermia, however temperatures can be predicted and used as a tool for the
      surgeon to adjust thermal doses delivered for various tumor margins.

PMID- 28900128
TI  - The L-type Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel co-localizes with Syntaxin 1A in nano
      clusters at the plasma membrane.
AB  - The secretory signal elicited by membrane depolarization traverses from the Ca2+
      bound alpha11.2 pore-forming subunit of the L-type Ca2+-channel (Cav1.2) to
      syntaxin 1 A (Sx1A) via an intra-membrane signaling mechanism. Here, we report
      the use of two-color Photo-Activated-Localization-Microscopy (PALM) to determine
      the relation between Cav1.2 and Sx1A in single-molecule detail. We observed
      nanoscale co-clusters of PAmCherry-tagged Sx1A and Dronpa-tagged alpha11.2 at a
      ~1:1 ratio. PAmCherry-tagged Sx1AC145A, or PAmCherry-tagged Sx2, an inactive
      Cav1.2 modulator, in which Cys145 is a Ser residue, showed no co-clustering.
      These results are  consistent with the crucial role of the single cytosolic
      Sx1ACys145 in clustering with Cav1.2. Cav1.2 and the functionally inactive
      transmembrane-domain double mutant Sx1AC271V/C272V engendered clusters with a
      ~2:1 ratio. A higher extent of co-clustering, which coincides with compromised
      depolarization-evoked transmitter-release, was observed also by oxidation of
      Sx1ACys271 and Cys272. Our super-resolution-imaging results set the stage for
      studying co-clustering of the channel with other exocytotic proteins at a single
      molecule level.

PMID- 28900129
TI  - Multiple P450s and Variation in Neuronal Genes Underpins the Response to the
      Insecticide Imidacloprid in a Population of Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Insecticide resistance is an economically important example of evolution in
      response to intense selection pressure. Here, the genetics of resistance to the
      neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid is explored using the Drosophila Genetic
      Reference Panel, a collection of inbred Drosophila melanogaster genotypes derived
      from a single population in North Carolina. Imidacloprid resistance varied
      substantially among genotypes, and more resistant genotypes tended to show
      increased capacity to metabolize and excrete imidacloprid. Variation in
      resistance level was then associated with genomic and transcriptomic variation,
      implicating several candidate genes involved in central nervous system function
      and the cytochrome P450s Cyp6g1 and Cyp6g2. CRISPR-Cas9 mediated removal of
      Cyp6g1 suggested that it contributed to imidacloprid resistance only in
      backgrounds where it was already highly expressed. Cyp6g2, previously implicated
      in juvenile hormone synthesis via expression in the ring gland, was shown to be
      expressed in metabolically relevant tissues of resistant genotypes. Cyp6g2
      overexpression was shown to both metabolize imidacloprid and confer resistance.
      These data collectively suggest that imidacloprid resistance is influenced by a
      variety of previously known and unknown genetic factors.

PMID- 28900130
TI  - Nectin-like molecule-4/cell adhesion molecule 4 inhibits the ligand-induced
      dimerization of ErbB3 with ErbB2.
AB  - The ligand-induced dimerization of cell surface single-transmembrane receptors is
      essential for their activation. However, physiological molecules that inhibit
      their dimerization and activation have not been identified. ErbB3 dimerizes with
      ErbB2 upon binding of heregulin (HRG) to ErbB3, causing the ErbB2-catalyzed
      tyrosine phosphorylation of ErbB3, which leads to the activation of the
      signalling pathways for cell movement and survival. Genetic disorders of this
      receptor cause tumorigenesis and metastasis of cancers. We show here that nectin
      like molecule-4/cell adhesion molecule 4, known to serve as a tumour suppressor,
      interacts with ErbB3 in the absence of HRG and inhibits the HRG-induced
      dimerization of ErbB3 with ErbB2 and its activation. The third immunoglobulin
      like domain of nectin-like molecule-4 cis-interacts with the extracellular domain
      3 of ErbB3. We describe here a novel regulatory mechanism for the activation and
      signalling of cell surface single-transmembrane receptors.

PMID- 28900131
TI  - Partitioning the roles of CYP6G1 and gut microbes in the metabolism of the
      insecticide imidacloprid in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Resistance to insecticides through enhanced metabolism is a worldwide problem.
      The Cyp6g1 gene of the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a paradigm for
      the study of metabolic resistance. Constitutive overexpression of this gene
      confers resistance to several classes of insecticides, including the
      neonicotinoid imidacloprid (IMI). The metabolism of IMI in this species has been
      previously shown to yield oxidative and nitro-reduced metabolites. While levels
      of the oxidative metabolites are correlated with CYP6G1 expression, nitro-reduced
      metabolites are not, raising the question of how these metabolites are produced.
      Some IMI metabolites are known to be toxic, making their fate within the insect a
      second question of interest. These questions have been addressed by coupling the
      genetic tools of gene overexpression and CRISPR gene knock-out with the mass
      spectrometric technique, the Twin-Ion Method (TIM). Analysing axenic larvae
      indicated that microbes living within D. melanogaster are largely responsible for
      the production of the nitro-reduced metabolites. Knock-out of Cyp6g1 revealed
      functional redundancy, with some metabolites produced by CYP6G1 still detected.
      IMI metabolism was shown to produce toxic products that are not further
      metabolized but readily excreted, even when produced in the Central Nervous
      System (CNS), highlighting the significance of transport and excretion in
      metabolic resistance.

PMID- 28900132
TI  - The lipid-sensor TREM2 aggravates disease in a model of LCMV-induced hepatitis.
AB  - Lipid metabolism is increasingly being appreciated to affect immunoregulation,
      inflammation and pathology. In this study we found that mice infected with
      lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) exhibit global perturbations of
      circulating serum lipids. Mice lacking the lipid-sensing surface receptor
      triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2 -/-) were protected from
      LCMV-induced hepatitis and showed improved virus control despite comparable virus
      specific T cell responses. Non-hematopoietic expression of TREM2 was found to be
      responsible for aggravated hepatitis, indicating a novel role for TREM2 in the
      non-myeloid compartment. These results suggest a link between virus-perturbed
      lipids and TREM2 that modulates liver pathogenesis upon viral infection. Targeted
      interventions of this immunoregulatory axis may ameliorate tissue pathology in
      hepatitis.

PMID- 28900133
TI  - FCN1 (M-ficolin), which directly associates with immunoglobulin G1, is a
      molecular target of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for Kawasaki disease.
AB  - Kawasaki disease (KD), an acute systemic vasculitis of early childhood, is of
      unknown etiology. High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an effective
      treatment, but its molecular target remains elusive. DNA microarray analysis of
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) revealed that at least 21 genes are
      drastically down-regulated after IVIG treatment in most KD patients. qRT-PCR
      analysis confirmed that the mRNA levels of five of these genes were considerably
      reduced in almost all KD patients after IVIG treatment. Western blot (Wb) of PBMC
      extracts revealed that levels of FCN1 (M-ficolin), a protein of the complement
      system that defends against infectious agents, were reduced after IVIG treatment
      in many KD patients. In another set of KD patients, Wb confirmed that levels of
      both FCN1 were greatly reduced after IVIG therapy. Wb revealed that the collagen
      like domain of FCN1 directly bound to IgG1 in vitro through a portion of the CH1
      and CH3 domains, and synthetic peptides corresponding to these domains of IgG1
      efficiently inhibited these associations. These results suggest that FCN1 is a
      molecular target of intravenous IVIG in KD patients. We propose that these
      peptides and a humanized monoclonal antibody against FCN1 could be useful in
      combination therapy with IVIG.

PMID- 28900134
TI  - Minimally Invasive Micro-Indentation: mapping tissue mechanics at the tip of an
      18G needle.
AB  - Experiments regarding the mechanical properties of soft tissues mostly rely on
      data collected on specimens that are extracted from their native environment.
      During the extraction and in the time period between the extraction and the
      completion of the measurements, however, the specimen may undergo structural
      changes which could generate unwanted artifacts. To further investigate the role
      of mechanics in physiology and possibly use it in clinical practices, it is thus
      of paramount importance to develop instruments that could measure the
      viscoelastic response of a tissue without necessarily excising it. Tantalized by
      this opportunity, we have designed a minimally invasive micro-indenter that is
      able to probe the mechanical response of soft tissues, in situ, via an 18G
      needle. Here, we discuss its working principle and validate its usability by
      mapping the viscoelastic properties of a complex, confined sample, namely, the
      nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. Our findings show that the
      mechanical properties of a biological tissue in its local environment may be
      indeed different than those that one would measure after excision, and thus
      confirm that, to better understand the role of mechanics in life sciences, one
      should always perform minimally invasive measurements like those that we have
      here introduced.

PMID- 28900135
TI  - Hedgehog signalling is required for cell survival in Drosophila wing pouch cells.
AB  - An appropriate balance between cell survival and cell death is essential for
      correct pattern formation in the animal tissues and organs. Previous studies have
      shown that the short-range signalling molecule Hedgehog (Hh) is required for cell
      proliferation and pattern formation in the Drosophila central wing discs. Signal
      transduction by one of the Hh targets, the morphogen Decapentaplegic (Dpp), is
      required for not only cell proliferation, but also cell survival in the pouch
      cells. However, Hh function in cell survival and cell death has not been
      revealed. Here, we found that loss of Hh signal activity induces considerable
      Caspase-dependent cell death in the wing pouch cells, and this process was
      independent of both Dpp signalling and Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) signalling.
      Loss of Hh induced activation of the pro-apoptotic gene hid and inhibition of
      diap1. Therefore, we identified an important role of Hh signalling in cell
      survival during Drosophila wing development.

PMID- 28900136
TI  - Differential effects of soluble and aggregating polyQ proteins on cytotoxicity
      and type-1 myosin-dependent endocytosis in yeast.
AB  - Huntington's disease develops when the polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat in the
      Huntingtin (Htt) protein is expanded to over 35 glutamines rendering it
      aggregation-prone. Here, using Htt exon-1 as a polyQ model protein in a genome
      wide screen in yeast, we show that the normal and soluble Htt exon-1 is toxic in
      cells with defects in type-1 myosin-dependent endocytosis. The toxicity of Htt is
      linked to physical interactions with type-1 myosins, which occur via the Htt
      proline-rich region, leading to a reduction in actin patch polarization and
      clathrin-dependent endocytosis. An expansion of the polyQ stretch from 25 to 103
      glutamines, which causes Htt aggregation, alleviated Htt toxicity in cells
      lacking Myo5 or other components involved in early endocytosis. The data suggest
      that the proline-rich stretch of Htt interacts with type-1 myosin/clathrin
      dependent processes and demonstrate that a reduction in the activity of such
      processes may result in a positive selection for polyQ expansions.

PMID- 28900137
TI  - Tailoring Eigenmodes at Spectral Singularities in Graphene-based PT Systems.
AB  - The spectral singularity existing in PT-synthetic plasmonic system has been
      widely investigated. Only lasing-mode can be excited resulting from the passive
      characteristic of metallic materials. Here, we investigated the spectral
      singularity in the hybrid structure composed of the photoexcited graphene and one
      dimensional PT-diffractive grating. In this system, both lasing- and absorption
      modes can be excited with the surface conductivity of photoexcited graphene being
      loss and gain, respectively. Remarkably, the spectral singularity will disappear
      with the optically pumped graphene to be lossless. In particular, we find that
      spectral singularities can exhibit symmetry-modes, when the loss and gain of the
      grating is unbalanced. Meanwhile, by tuning the loss (gain) of graphene and non
      PT diffraction grating, lasing- and absorption-modes can also be excited. We hope
      that tunable optical modes at spectral singularities can have some applications
      in designing novel surface-enhanced spectroscopies and plasmon lasers.

PMID- 28900138
TI  - Adaptation of influenza A (H7N9) virus in primary human airway epithelial cells.
AB  - Influenza A (H7N9) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen with pandemic potential. To
      understand its adaptation capability, we examined the genetic changes and
      cellular responses following serial infections of A (H7N9) in primary human
      airway epithelial cells (hAECs). After 35 serial passages, six amino acid
      mutations were found, i.e. HA (R54G, T160A, Q226L, H3 numbering), NA (K289R, or
      K292R for N2 numbering), NP (V363V/I) and PB2 (L/R332R). The mutations in HA
      enabled A(H7N9) virus to bind with higher affinity (from 39.2% to 53.4%) to
      sialic acid alpha2,6-galactose (SAalpha2,6-Gal) linked receptors. A greater
      production of proinflammatory cytokines in hAECs was elicited at later passages
      together with earlier peaking at 24 hours post infection of IL-6, MIP-1alpha, and
      MCP-1 levels. Viral replication capacity in hAECs maintained at similar levels
      throughout the 35 passages. In conclusion, during the serial infections of hAECs
      by influenza A(H7N9) virus, enhanced binding of virion to cell receptors with
      subsequent stronger innate cell response were noted, but no enhancement of viral
      replication could be observed. This indicates the existence of possible
      evolutional hurdle for influenza A(H7N9) virus to transmit efficiently from human
      to human.

PMID- 28900139
TI  - Gene expression profiling of calcifications in breast cancer.
AB  - We investigated the gene expression profiles of calcifications in breast cancer.
      Gene expression analysis of surgical specimen was performed using Affymetrix
      GeneChip(r) Human Gene 2.0 ST arrays in 168 breast cancer patients. The
      mammographic calcifications were reviewed by three radiologists and classified
      into three groups according to malignancy probability: breast cancers without
      suspicious calcifications; breast cancers with low-to-intermediate suspicious
      calcifications; and breast cancers with highly suspicious calcifications. To
      identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these three groups, a one
      way analysis of variance was performed with post hoc comparisons with Tukey's
      honest significant difference test. To explore the biological significance of
      DEGs, we used DAVID for gene ontology analysis and BioLattice for clustering
      analysis. A total of 2551 genes showed differential expression among the three
      groups. ERBB2 genes are up-regulated in breast cancers with highly suspicious
      calcifications (fold change 2.474, p < 0.001). Gene ontology analysis revealed
      that the immune, defense and inflammatory responses were decreased in breast
      cancers with highly suspicious calcifications compared to breast cancers without
      suspicious calcifications (p from 10-23 to 10-8). The clustering analysis also
      demonstrated that the immune system is associated with mammographic
      calcifications (p < 0.001). Our study showed calcifications in breast cancers are
      associated with high levels of mRNA expression of ERBB2 and decreased immune
      system activity.

PMID- 28900140
TI  - Seed germination of Caragana species from different regions is strongly driven by
      environmental cues and not phylogenetic signals.
AB  - Seed germination behavior is an important factor in the distribution of species.
      Many studies have shown that germination is controlled by phylogenetic
      constraints, however, it is not clear whether phylogenetic constraints or
      environmental cues explain seed germination of a genus from a common ancestor. In
      this study, seed germination under different temperature- and water-regimes
      [induced by different osmotic potentials of polyethylene glycol (PEG)] was
      investigated in the phylogenetically-related Caragana species that thrive in
      arid, semiarid, semihumid and humid environments. The results showed that the
      final percentage germination (FPG) decreased from 95% in species from arid
      habitats to 0% in species from humid habitats, but with no significant
      phylogenetic signal. Rather, the response of seed germination to temperature and
      PEG varied greatly with species from arid to humid habitats and was tightly
      linked to the ecological niche of the species, their seed coat structure and
      abscisic acid concentration. The findings are not consistent with the hypothesis
      that within a family or a genus, seed germination strategies can be a stable
      evolutionary trait, thus constraining interspecific variation, but the results
      clearly show that seed germination of Caragana species distributed across a range
      of habitats has adapted to the environment of that habitat.

PMID- 28900141
TI  - Dianxianning improved amyloid beta-induced pathological characteristics partially
      through DAF-2/DAF-16 insulin like pathway in transgenic C. elegans.
AB  - Dianxianning (DXN) is a traditional Chinese formula, and has been approved in
      China for treating epilepsy since 1996. Here anti-Alzheimer's disease activity of
      DXN has been reported. DXN improved AD-like symptoms of paralysis and 5-HT
      sensitivity of transgenic Abeta1-42 C. elegans. In worms, DXN significantly
      increased Abeta monomers and decreased the toxic Abeta oligomers, thus reducing
      Abeta toxicity. DXN significantly suppressed the expression of hsp-16.2 induced
      by juglone, and up-regulated sod-3 expression. These results indicated that DXN
      increased stress resistance and protected C. elegans against oxidative stress.
      Furthermore, DXN could significantly promote DAF-16 nuclear translocation, but it
      did not activate SKN-1. The inhibitory effect of DXN on the Abeta toxicity was
      significantly reverted by daf-16 RNAi, rather than skn-1 RNAi or hsf-1 RNAi.
      These results indicated that DAF-16 is at least partially required for the anti
      AD effect of DXN. In conclusion, DXN improved Abeta-induced pathological
      characteristics partially through DAF-2/DAF-16 insulin like pathway in transgenic
      worms. Together with our data obtained by Morris water maze test, the results
      showed that DXN markedly ameliorated cognitive performance impairment induced by
      scopolamine in mice. All the results support that DXN is a potential drug
      candidate to treat Alzheimer's diseases.

PMID- 28900142
TI  - Earth system feedback statistically extracted from the Indian Ocean deep-sea
      sediments recording Eocene hyperthermals.
AB  - Multiple transient global warming events occurred during the early Palaeogene.
      Although these events, called hyperthermals, have been reported from around the
      globe, geologic records for the Indian Ocean are limited. In addition, the
      recovery processes from relatively modest hyperthermals are less constrained than
      those from the severest and well-studied hothouse called the Palaeocene-Eocene
      Thermal Maximum. In this study, we constructed a new and high-resolution
      geochemical dataset of deep-sea sediments clearly recording multiple Eocene
      hyperthermals in the Indian Ocean. We then statistically analysed the high
      dimensional data matrix and extracted independent components corresponding to the
      biogeochemical responses to the hyperthermals. The productivity feedback commonly
      controls and efficiently sequesters the excess carbon in the recovery phases of
      the hyperthermals via an enhanced biological pump, regardless of the magnitude of
      the events. Meanwhile, this negative feedback is independent of nannoplankton
      assemblage changes generally recognised in relatively large environmental
      perturbations.

PMID- 28900143
TI  - A unique case of human Zika virus infection in association with severe liver
      injury and coagulation disorders.
AB  - ABSATRCT: Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused major concern globally due to its rapid
      dissemination and close association with microcephaly in children and Gullian
      Barr syndrome in adults. In this study, we identified a patient returned from
      Cambodia who experienced high fever, chill and myalgia. Lab tests discovered sign
      of severe liver injury including significantly elevated serum transaminases'
      level, decreased serum albumin level, and markedly increased levels of lactic
      dehydrogenase, alpha-hydroxybutyric dehydrogenase and creatine kinase in serum.
      Moreover, severe thrombocytopenia and altered blood levels of fibrinogen and
      fibrinogen degradation product were also observed, indicating the existence of
      clotting disorders. A ZIKV strain clustered into the Asian lineage was isolated
      from the patient's serum. When inoculated into suckling mice, this virus
      significantly retarded mouse body-weight gain and caused 70% mortality. Our
      results demonstrate a close association between ZIKV and severe liver injury and
      coagulation disorders and suggest that clinicians should be aware of compatible
      symptoms in patients and manage them accordingly.

PMID- 28900144
TI  - Structural and functional insights into the periplasmic detector domain of the
      GacS histidine kinase controlling biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium responsible for
      both acute and chronic infections and has developed resistance mechanisms due to
      its ability to promote biofilm formation and evade host adaptive immune
      responses. Here, we investigate the functional role of the periplasmic detector
      domain (GacSPD) from the membrane-bound GacS histidine kinase, which is one of
      the key players for biofilm formation and coordination of bacterial lifestyles. A
      gacS mutant devoid of the periplasmic detector domain is severely defective in
      biofilm formation. Functional assays indicate that this effect is accompanied by
      concomitant changes in the expression of the two RsmY/Z small RNAs that control
      activation of GacA-regulated genes. The solution NMR structure of GacSPD reveals
      a distinct PDC/PAS alpha/beta fold characterized by a three-stranded beta-sheet
      flanked by alpha-helices and an atypical major loop. Point mutations in a
      putative ligand binding pocket lined by positively-charged residues originating
      primarily from the major loop impaired biofilm formation. These results
      demonstrate the functional role of GacSPD, evidence critical residues involved in
      GacS/GacA signal transduction system that regulates biofilm formation, and
      document the evolutionary diversity of the PDC/PAS domain fold in bacteria.

PMID- 28900145
TI  - Characterization of influenza A viruses with polymorphism in PB2 residues 701 and
      702.
AB  - The 701 and 702 positions of influenza PB2 polymerase subunit are previously
      shown to have roles on host range. Limited polymorphisms at these two residues
      are identified in natural isolates, thereby limiting the study of their role in
      the polymerase. In this study, we generated 31 viable viruses by random
      mutagenesis at this region, indicating that these positions can tolerate a wide
      range of amino acids. These mutants demonstrated varying polymerase activities
      and viral replication rates in mammalian and avian cells. Notably, some mutants
      displayed enhanced polymerase activity, yet their replication kinetics were
      comparable to the wild-type virus. Surface electrostatic charge predication on
      the PB2 structural model revealed that the viral polymerase activity in mammalian
      cells generally increases as this region becomes more positively charged. One of
      the mutants (701A/702E) showed much reduced pathogenicity in mice while others
      had a pathogenicity similar to the wild-type level. Distinct tissue tropisms of
      the PB2-701/702 mutants were observed in infected chicken embryos. Overall, this
      study demonstrates that the PB2-701/702 region has a high degree of sequence
      plasticity and sequence changes in this region can alter virus phenotypes in
      vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28900146
TI  - A bead-assisted flow cytometry method for the semi-quantitative analysis of
      Extracellular Vesicles.
AB  - Most experimental approaches commonly employed for the characterization and
      quantitation of EVs are time consuming, require of specialized instrumentation
      and often are rather inaccurate. To circumvent the caveats imposed by EV small
      size, we used general and specific membrane markers in bead assisted flow
      cytometry, to provide a semi-quantitative measure of EV content in a given
      sample. EVs were isolated from in vitro cultured cells-conditioned medium and
      biological fluids by size exclusion chromatography and coupled to latex beads to
      allow their detection by standard flow cytometers. Our analyses demonstrate a
      linear correlation between EV concentration and Mean Fluorescence Intensity
      values in samples cleared of protein contaminants. Comparison with one of the
      most widespread method such as NTA, suggests a similar linear range and reliable
      accuracy to detect saturation. However, although detection of the different
      biomarkers is feasible when tested on ultracentrifugation-enriched samples,
      protein contamination impairs quantitation of this type of samples by bead-based
      flow cytometry. Thus, we provide evidence that bead-assisted flow cytometry
      method is an accurate and reliable method for the semiquantitative bulk analysis
      of EVs, which could be easily implemented in most laboratories.

PMID- 28900147
TI  - Depletion of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by heat dried biomass of a newly
      isolated fungus Arthrinium malaysianum: A mechanistic approach.
AB  - For the first time, the heat dried biomass of a newly isolated fungus Arthrinium
      malaysianum was studied for the toxic Cr(VI) adsorption, involving more than one
      mechanism like physisorption, chemisorption, oxidation-reduction and chelation.
      The process was best explained by the pseudo-second order kinetic model and
      Redlich-Peterson isotherm with maximum predicted biosorption capacity (Q m ) of
      100.69 mg g-1. Film-diffusion was the rate-controlling step and the adsorption
      was spontaneous, endothermic and entropy-driven. The mode of interactions between
      Cr(VI) ions and fungal biomass were investigated by several methods [Fourier
      Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Energy
      Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX)]. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)
      studies confirmed significant reduction of Cr(VI) into non-toxic Cr(III) species.
      Further, a modified methodology of Atomic Force Microscopy was successfully
      attempted to visualize the mycelial ultra-structure change after chromium
      adsorption. The influence of pH, biomass dose and contact time on Cr(VI)
      depletion were evaluated by Response Surface Model (RSM). FESEM-EDX analysis also
      exhibited arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) peaks on fungus surface upon treating with
      synthetic solutions of NaAsO2 and Pb(NO3)2 respectively. Additionally, the
      biomass could also remove chromium from industrial effluents, suggesting the
      fungal biomass as a promising adsorbent for toxic metals removal.

PMID- 28900148
TI  - Evaluation of Bleb Fluid After Baerveldt Glaucoma Implantation Using Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging.
AB  - We evaluated bleb fluid images taken after Baerveldt glaucoma implantation. T2
      weighted images of bleb fluid were scanned with 3 Tesla magnetic resonance
      imaging in 52 patients who had undergone tube-shunt surgery using the 350-mm2
      endplate Baerveldt glaucoma implant; three-dimensional images were constructed
      from these images. Bleb fluid images were classified into either a layer of bleb
      fluid on either side of the endplate (double bleb layer group; n = 24) or one
      layer outside the endplate (single bleb layer group; n = 28). Despite there being
      no correlation between the bleb volume and the postoperative IOP (r = -0.080; P =
      0.57), the double bleb layer group had significantly lower postoperative IOPs
      than the single bleb layer group (12.3 +/- 3.8 mmHg vs. 14.7 +/- 4.1 mmHg,
      respectively; P = 0.033). The single bleb layer was significantly related to
      higher numbers of prior intraocular surgeries (relative risk = 2.85; P = 0.0014).
      Formation of a layer of bleb fluid on either side of the endplate may have
      resulted in the lower postoperative IOPs after Baerveldt glaucoma implantation.
      Repeated intraocular surgery adversely affects formation of the double bleb
      layer.

PMID- 28900149
TI  - Assessment of T-cell receptor repertoire and clonal expansion in peripheral T
      cell lymphoma using RNA-seq data.
AB  - T-cell clonality of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is routinely evaluated with
      a PCR-based method using genomic DNA. However, there are limitations with this
      approach. The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of RNA-seq for
      assessing T-cell clonality and T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) repertoire of the
      neoplastic T-cells in 108 PTCL samples. TCR transcripts, including
      complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) sequences, were assessed. In normal T
      cells, the CDR3 sequences were extremely diverse, without any clonotype
      representing more than 2% of the overall TCR population. Dominant clones could be
      identified in 65 out of 76 PTCL cases (86%) with adequate TCR transcript
      expression. In monoclonal cases, the dominant clone varied between 11% and 99% of
      TCRbeta transcripts. No unique Valpha or Vbeta usage was observed. Small T-cell
      clones were often observed in T- and NK-cell tumors in a percentage higher than
      observed in reactive conditions. gamma chain expression was very low in tumors
      expressing TCRalphabeta, but its expression level was high and clonality was
      detected in a TCRgammadelta expressing tumor. NK cell lymphoma (NKCL) did not
      express significant levels of TCR Vbeta or Vgamma genes. RNA-seq is a useful tool
      for detecting and characterizing clonal TCR rearrangements in PTCL.

PMID- 28900150
TI  - High throughput data analyses of the immune characteristics of Microtus fortis
      infected with Schistosoma japonicum.
AB  - Microtus fortis exhibits natural resistance against Schistosoma japonicum, and
      the parasite cannot grow and develop in M. fortis. Extensive research has been
      carried out, however, the associated mechanism remains unclear. In the present
      study, we analysed the combined data obtained from a cytokine chip assay,
      transcriptome, and metabolome. The cytokine profile from C57BL/6 and M. fortis
      mice was assessed before and after infection. Several cytokines increased during
      the second and third week post-infection. Some transcripts related to cytokine
      genes and associated proteins were also highly expressed (i.e., Hgf, C3, and
      Lbp). The liver metabolism of M. fortis following infection with S. japonicum was
      assessed. We identified 25 different metabolites between the uninfected and
      infected M. fortis, and 22 different metabolites between infected M. fortis and
      C57BL/6 mice. The metabolomic pathways of these differential metabolites were
      then analysed with MetPA, revealing that they were involved in histidine
      metabolism, valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosyntheses, and lysine degradation.
      Thus, the elevated expression of these metabolites and pathways may promote the
      phagocytic function of the neutrophils and natural killer cell activity following
      TLR activation. These results provide novel insight into the resistance mechanism
      of M. fortis against S. japonicum.

PMID- 28900151
TI  - In situ vocal fold properties and pitch prediction by dynamic actuation of the
      songbird syrinx.
AB  - The biomechanics of sound production forms an integral part of the
      neuromechanical control loop of avian vocal motor control. However, we critically
      lack quantification of basic biomechanical parameters describing the vocal organ,
      the syrinx, such as material properties of syringeal elements, forces and torques
      exerted on, and motion of the syringeal skeleton during song. Here, we present a
      novel marker-based 3D stereoscopic imaging technique to reconstruct 3D motion of
      servo-controlled actuation of syringeal muscle insertions sites in vitro and
      focus on two muscles controlling sound pitch. We furthermore combine kinematic
      analysis with force measurements to quantify elastic properties of sound
      producing medial labia (ML). The elastic modulus of the zebra finch ML is 18 kPa
      at 5% strain, which is comparable to elastic moduli of mammalian vocal folds.
      Additionally ML lengthening due to musculus syringealis ventralis (VS) shortening
      is intrinsically constraint at maximally 12% strain. Using these values we
      predict sound pitch to range from 350-800 Hz by VS modulation, corresponding well
      to previous observations. The presented methodology allows for quantification of
      syringeal skeleton motion and forces, acoustic effects of muscle recruitment, and
      calibration of computational birdsong models, enabling experimental access to the
      entire neuromechanical control loop of vocal motor control.

PMID- 28900152
TI  - A 3D magnetic tissue stretcher for remote mechanical control of embryonic stem
      cell differentiation.
AB  - The ability to create a 3D tissue structure from individual cells and then to
      stimulate it at will is a major goal for both the biophysics and regenerative
      medicine communities. Here we show an integrated set of magnetic techniques that
      meet this challenge using embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We assessed the impact of
      magnetic nanoparticles internalization on ESCs viability, proliferation,
      pluripotency and differentiation profiles. We developed magnetic attractors
      capable of aggregating the cells remotely into a 3D embryoid body. This magnetic
      approach to embryoid body formation has no discernible impact on ESC
      differentiation pathways, as compared to the hanging drop method. It is also the
      base of the final magnetic device, composed of opposing magnetic attractors in
      order to form embryoid bodies in situ, then stretch them, and mechanically
      stimulate them at will. These stretched and cyclic purely mechanical stimulations
      were sufficient to drive ESCs differentiation towards the mesodermal cardiac
      pathway.The development of embryoid bodies that are responsive to external
      stimuli is of great interest in tissue engineering. Here, the authors culture
      embryonic stem cells with magnetic nanoparticles and show that the presence of
      magnetic fields could affect their aggregation and differentiation.

PMID- 28900153
TI  - Genetic Ablation of Fgf23 or Klotho Does not Modulate Experimental Heart
      Hypertrophy Induced by Pressure Overload.
AB  - Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) ultimately leads to heart failure in
      conditions of increased cardiac pre- or afterload. The bone-derived phosphaturic
      and sodium-conserving hormone fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) and its co
      receptor Klotho have been implicated in the development of uremic LVH. Using
      transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in gene-targeted mouse models, we examine
      the role of Fgf23 and Klotho in cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction induced by
      pressure overload. TAC profoundly increases serum intact Fgf23 due to increased
      cardiac and bony Fgf23 transcription and downregulation of Fgf23 cleavage.
      Aldosterone receptor blocker spironolactone normalizes serum intact Fgf23 levels
      after TAC by reducing bony Fgf23 transcription. Notably, genetic Fgf23 or Klotho
      deficiency does not influence TAC-induced hypertrophic remodelling, LV functional
      impairment, or LV fibrosis. Despite the profound, aldosterone-mediated increase
      in circulating intact Fgf23 after TAC, our data do not support an essential role
      of Fgf23 or Klotho in the pathophysiology of pressure overload-induced cardiac
      hypertrophy.

PMID- 28900154
TI  - Synthesis and Evaluation of GM2-Monophosphoryl Lipid A Conjugate as a Fully
      Synthetic Self-Adjuvant Cancer Vaccine.
AB  - An efficient method was developed for the synthesis of a GM2 derivative suitable
      for the conjugation with various biomolecules. This GM2 derivative was covalently
      linked to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) to
      form novel therapeutic cancer vaccines. Immunological evaluations of the
      resultant conjugates in mice revealed that they elicited robust GM2-specific
      overall and IgG antibody responses. Moreover, the GM2-MPLA conjugate was
      disclosed to elicit strong immune responses without the use of an adjuvant,
      proving its self-adjuvant property. The antisera of both conjugates showed strong
      binding and mediated similarly effective complement-dependent cytotoxicity to GM2
      expressing cancer cell line MCF-7. Based on these results, it was concluded that
      both GM2-MPLA and GM2-KLH are promising candidates as therapeutic cancer
      vaccines, whereas fully synthetic GM2-MPLA, which has homogeneous and well
      defined structure and self-adjuvant property, deserves more attention and
      studies.

PMID- 28900155
TI  - Inflexible neurobiological signatures precede atypical development in infants at
      high risk for autism.
AB  - Variability in neurobiological signatures is ubiquitous in early life but the
      link to adverse developmental milestones in humans is unknown. We examined how
      levels of signal and noise in movement signatures during the 1st year of life
      constrain early development in 71 healthy typically developing infants, either at
      High or Low familial Risk (HR or LR, respectively) for developing Autism Spectrum
      Disorders (ASD). Delays in early learning developmental trajectories in HR
      infants (validated in an analysis of 1,445 infants from representative inf ant
      sibling studies) were predicted by worse stochastic patterns in their spontaneous
      head movements as early as 1-2 months after birth, relative to HR infants who
      showed more rapid developmental progress, as well as relative to all LR infants.
      While LR 1-2 mo-old infants' movements were significantly different during a
      language listening task compared to during sleep, HR infants' movements were more
      similar during both conditions, a striking lack of diversity that reveals context
      inflexible experience of ambient information. Contrary to expectation, it is not
      the level of variability per se that is particularly detrimental in early life.
      Rather, inflexible sensorimotor systems and/or atypical transition between
      behavioral states may interfere with the establishment of capacity to extract
      structure and important cues from sensory input at birth, preceding and
      contributing to an atypical brain developmental trajectory in toddlerhood.

PMID- 28900156
TI  - Dual Roles of Two Isoforms of Autophagy-related Gene ATG10 in HCV-Subgenomic
      replicon Mediated Autophagy Flux and Innate Immunity.
AB  - Autophagy and immune response are two defense systems that human-body uses
      against viral infection. Previous studies documented that some viral mechanisms
      circumvented host immunity mechanisms and hijacked autophagy for its replication
      and survival. Here, we focus on interactions between autophagy mechanism and
      innate-immune-response in HCV-subgenomic replicon cells to find a mechanism
      linking the two pathways. We report distinct effects of two autophagy-related
      protein ATG10s on HCV-subgenomic replication. ATG10, a canonical long isoform in
      autophagy process, can facilitate HCV-subgenomic replicon amplification by
      promoting autophagosome formation and by combining with and detaining
      autophagosomes in cellular periphery, causing impaired autophagy flux. ATG10S, a
      non-canonical short isoform of ATG10 proteins, can activate expression of IL28A/B
      and immunity genes related to viral ds-RNA including ddx-58, tlr-3, tlr-7, irf-3
      and irf-7, and promote autophagolysosome formation by directly combining and
      driving autophagosomes to perinuclear region where lysosomes gather, leading to
      lysosomal degradation of HCV-subgenomic replicon in HepG2 cells. ATG10S also can
      suppress infectious HCV virion replication in Huh7.5 cells. Another finding is
      that IL28A protein directly conjugates ATG10S and helps autophagosome docking to
      lysosomes. ATG10S might be a new host factor against HCV replication, and as a
      target for screening chemicals with new anti-virus mechanisms.

PMID- 28900157
TI  - Synergy of two low-affinity NLSs determines the high avidity of influenza A virus
      nucleoprotein NP for human importin alpha isoforms.
AB  - The influenza A virus nucleoprotein (NP) is an essential multifunctional protein
      that encapsidates the viral genome and functions as an adapter between the virus
      and the host cell machinery. NPs from all strains of influenza A viruses contain
      two nuclear localization signals (NLSs): a well-studied monopartite NLS1 and a
      less-characterized NLS2, thought to be bipartite. Through site-directed
      mutagenesis and functional analysis, we found that NLS2 is also monopartite and
      is indispensable for viral infection. Atomic structures of importin alpha bound
      to two variants of NLS2 revealed NLS2 primarily binds the major-NLS binding site
      of importin alpha, unlike NLS1 that associates with the minor NLS-pocket. Though
      peptides corresponding to NLS1 and NLS2 bind weakly to importin alpha, the two
      NLSs synergize in the context of the full length NP to confer high avidity for
      importin alpha7, explaining why the virus efficiently replicates in the
      respiratory tract that exhibits high levels of this isoform. This study, the
      first to functionally characterize NLS2, demonstrates NLS2 plays an important and
      unexpected role in influenza A virus infection. We propose NLS1 and NLS2 form a
      bipartite NLS in trans, which ensures high avidity for importin alpha7 while
      preventing non-specific binding to viral RNA.

PMID- 28900158
TI  - Dynamic oropharyngeal and faecal microbiota during treatment in infants
      hospitalized for bronchiolitis compared with age-matched healthy subjects.
AB  - Bronchiolitis is one of the most severe diseases affecting infants worldwide. An
      imbalanced oropharynx (OP) microbiota has been reported in infants hospitalized
      with bronchiolitis; however, the microbiota dynamics in the OP and faeces during
      therapy remain unexplored. In total, 27 infants who were hospitalized with
      bronchiolitis were selected for this study, and sampling was conducted before
      therapy and after clinical recovery. We also recruited 22 age-matched healthy
      infants for this study. The faecal and OP microbiota diversity in the patients
      was lower than that in the healthy children. The faecal microbiota (FM) in the
      diseased children significantly differed from that in the healthy subjects and
      contained accumulated Bacteroides and Streptococcus. The OP microbiota in both
      the healthy and diseased infants was dominated by Streptococcus. After the
      treatment, the FM and OP microbiota in the patients was comparable to that before
      the treatment. This study may serve as an additional reference for future
      bronchiolitis studies, and the "risk microbiota model" of clinically recovered
      infants suggests an increased susceptibility to pathogen intrusion.

PMID- 28900159
TI  - Computational Cell Cycle Profiling of Cancer Cells for Prioritizing FDA-Approved
      Drugs with Repurposing Potential.
AB  - Discovery of first-in-class medicines for treating cancer is limited by concerns
      with their toxicity and safety profiles, while repurposing known drugs for new
      anticancer indications has become a viable alternative. Here, we have developed a
      new approach that utilizes cell cycle arresting patterns as unique molecular
      signatures for prioritizing FDA-approved drugs with repurposing potential. As
      proof-of-principle, we conducted large-scale cell cycle profiling of 884 FDA
      approved drugs. Using cell cycle indexes that measure changes in cell cycle
      profile patterns upon chemical perturbation, we identified 36 compounds that
      inhibited cancer cell viability including 6 compounds that were previously
      undescribed. Further cell cycle fingerprint analysis and 3D chemical structural
      similarity clustering identified unexpected FDA-approved drugs that induced DNA
      damage, including clinically relevant microtubule destabilizers, which was
      confirmed experimentally via cell-based assays. Our study shows that
      computational cell cycle profiling can be used as an approach for prioritizing
      FDA-approved drugs with repurposing potential, which could aid the development of
      cancer therapeutics.

PMID- 28900160
TI  - Induction of oxidative metabolism by the p38alpha/MK2 pathway.
AB  - Adequate responses to environmental stresses are essential for cell survival. The
      regulation of cellular energetics that involves mitochondrial energy production
      and oxidative stress is central in the process of stress adaptation and response.
      The p38alpha signalling pathway plays a key role in the response to stress
      stimuli by orchestrating multiple cellular processes. However, prolonged
      activation of the p38alpha pathway results in impaired cell proliferation and can
      lead to cell death. Here we use a system to specifically activate p38alpha
      signalling and show that sustained activation of this pathway suffices to induce
      important metabolic changes, including high dependence on glucose for cell
      survival, increased consumption of glutamine, enhanced respiration rate and
      elevated production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, we
      provide evidence that increased production of mitochondrial superoxide as a
      consequence of elevated mitochondria activity, contributes to the p38alpha
      reduced cell survival triggered by sustained p38alpha activation. We also show
      that the p38alpha-activated kinase MAPKAPK2 (MK2) plays an important role
      orchestrating the observed metabolic changes. Our results illustrate a new
      function of p38alpha signalling in the regulation of cellular metabolism, which
      may lead to cell death upon persistent activation of the pathway.

PMID- 28900161
TI  - Acetyl-4'-phosphopantetheine is stable in serum and prevents phenotypes induced
      by pantothenate kinase deficiency.
AB  - Coenzyme A is an essential metabolite known for its central role in over one
      hundred cellular metabolic reactions. In cells, Coenzyme A is synthesized de novo
      in five enzymatic steps with vitamin B5 as the starting metabolite,
      phosphorylated by pantothenate kinase. Mutations in the pantothenate kinase 2
      gene cause a severe form of neurodegeneration for which no treatment is
      available. One therapeutic strategy is to generate Coenzyme A precursors
      downstream of the defective step in the pathway. Here we describe the synthesis,
      characteristics and in vivo rescue potential of the acetyl-Coenzyme A precursor S
      acetyl-4'-phosphopantetheine as a possible treatment for neurodegeneration
      associated with pantothenate kinase deficiency.

PMID- 28900162
TI  - New model for predicting preterm delivery during the second trimester of
      pregnancy.
AB  - In this study, a new model for predicting preterm delivery (PD) was proposed. The
      primary model was constructed using ten selected variables, as previously defined
      in seventeen different studies. The ability of the model to predict PD was
      evaluated using the combined measurement from these variables. Therefore, a
      prospective investigation was performed by enrolling 130 pregnant patients whose
      gestational ages varied from 17+0 to 28+6 weeks. The patients underwent
      epidemiological surveys and ultrasonographic measurements of their cervixes, and
      cervicovaginal fluid and serum were collected during a routine speculum
      examination performed by the managing gynecologist. The results showed eight
      significant variables were included in the present analysis, and combination of
      the positive variables indicated an increased probability of PD in pregnant
      patients. The accuracy for predicting PD were as follows: one positive - 42.9%;
      two positives - 75.0%; three positives - 81.8% and four positives - 100.0%. In
      particular, the combination of >=2* positives had the best predictive value, with
      a relatively high sensitivity (82.6%), specificity (88.1%) and accuracy rate
      (79.2%), and was considered the cut-off point for predicting PD. In conclusion,
      the new model provides a useful reference for evaluating the risk of PD in
      clinical cases.

PMID- 28900163
TI  - Spatio-temporal and dynamic regulation of neurofascin alternative splicing in
      mouse cerebellar neurons.
AB  - Alternative splicing is crucial for molecular diversification, which greatly
      contributes to the complexity and specificity of neural functions in the central
      nervous system (CNS). Neurofascin (NF) is a polymorphic cell surface protein that
      has a number of splicing isoforms. As the alternative splicing of the neurofascin
      gene (Nfasc) is developmentally regulated, NF isoforms have distinct functions in
      immature and mature brains. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the
      alternative splicing of Nfasc in neurons are not yet understood. Here, we
      demonstrate that, alongside developmental regulation, Nfasc alternative splicing
      is spatially controlled in the mouse brain. We then identified distinct Nfasc
      splicing patterns at the cell-type level in the cerebellum, with Nfasc186 being
      expressed in Purkinje cells and absent from granule cells (GCs). Furthermore, we
      show that high K+-induced depolarization triggers a shift in splicing from
      Nfasc140 to Nfasc186 in cerebellar GCs. Finally, we identified a neural RNA
      binding protein, Rbfox, as a key player in neural NF isoform selection,
      specifically controlling splicing at exons 26-29. Together, our results show that
      Nfasc alternative splicing is spatio-temporally and dynamically regulated in
      cerebellar neurons. Our findings provide profound insight into the mechanisms
      underlying the functional diversity of neuronal cell-adhesive proteins in the
      mammalian CNS.

PMID- 28900164
TI  - Enhancing laser-driven proton acceleration by using micro-pillar arrays at high
      drive energy.
AB  - The interaction of micro- and nano-structured target surfaces with high-power
      laser pulses is being widely investigated for its unprecedented absorption
      efficiency. We have developed vertically aligned metallic micro-pillar arrays for
      laser-driven proton acceleration experiments. We demonstrate that such targets
      help strengthen interaction mechanisms when irradiated with high-energy-class
      laser pulses of intensities ~1017-18 W/cm2. In comparison with standard planar
      targets, we witness strongly enhanced hot-electron production and proton
      acceleration both in terms of maximum energies and particle numbers. Supporting
      our experimental results, two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show an
      increase in laser energy conversion into hot electrons, leading to stronger
      acceleration fields. This opens a window of opportunity for further improvements
      of laser-driven ion acceleration systems.

PMID- 28900165
TI  - GCN5L1 modulates cross-talk between mitochondria and cell signaling to regulate
      FoxO1 stability and gluconeogenesis.
AB  - The mitochondrial enriched GCN5-like 1 (GCN5L1) protein has been shown to
      modulate mitochondrial protein acetylation, mitochondrial content and
      mitochondrial retrograde signaling. Here we show that hepatic GCN5L1 ablation
      reduces fasting glucose levels and blunts hepatic gluconeogenesis without
      affecting systemic glucose tolerance. PEPCK and G6Pase transcript levels are
      downregulated in hepatocytes from GCN5L1 liver specific knockout mice and their
      upstream regulator, FoxO1 protein levels are decreased via proteasome-dependent
      degradation and via reactive oxygen species mediated ERK-1/2 phosphorylation. ERK
      inhibition restores FoxO1, gluconeogenic enzyme expression and glucose
      production. Reconstitution of mitochondrial-targeted GCN5L1 blunts mitochondrial
      ROS, ERK activation and increases FoxO1, gluconeogenic enzyme expression and
      hepatocyte glucose production. We suggest that mitochondrial GCN5L1 modulates
      post-translational control of FoxO1, regulates gluconeogenesis and controls
      metabolic pathways via mitochondrial ROS mediated ERK activation. Exploring
      mechanisms underpinning GCN5L1 mediated ROS signaling may expand our
      understanding of the role of mitochondria in gluconeogenesis control.Hepatic
      gluconeogenesis is tightly regulated at transcriptional level and is essential
      for survival during prolonged fasting. Here Wang et al. show that the
      mitochondrial enriched GCN5-like 1 protein controls hepatic glucose production by
      regulating FoxO1 protein levels via proteasome-dependent degradation and, in
      turn, gluconeogenic gene expression.

PMID- 28900166
TI  - Development of novel Meju starter culture using plant extracts with reduced
      Bacillus cereus counts and enhanced functional properties.
AB  - We developed a novel type of Meju starter culture using single and combined
      extracts of Allium sativum (garlic clove), Nelumbo nucifera (lotus leaves), and
      Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo leaves) to improve the quality and functionality of Meju
      based fermented products. Meju samples fermented with plant extracts (10 mg/ml)
      showed phenolic contents of 11.4-31.6 mg/g (gallic acid equivalents). Samples of
      extracts (garlic clove, lotus leaves, ginkgo leaves and their combination)
      fermented with Meju strongly inhibited tyrosinase, alpha-glucosidase, and
      elastase activities by 36.43-64.34%, 45.08-48.02%, and 4.52-10.90%, respectively.
      Specifically, ginkgo leaves extract added to fermented Meju samples at different
      concentrations (1% and 10%) strongly inhibited tyrosinase, alpha-glucosidase, and
      elastase activities and exhibited a potent antibacterial effect against Bacillus
      cereus with a significant reduction in bacterial counts compared with the effects
      observed for garlic clove and lotus leaf added to Meju samples. Scanning electron
      microscopy revealed severe morphological alterations of the B. cereus cell wall
      in response to ginkgo leaf extracts. Gas chromatographic mass spectroscopic
      analysis of plant extract-supplemented Meju samples and control Meju samples
      identified 113 bioactive compounds representing 98.44-99.98% total extract. The
      proposed approach may be useful for the development of various fermented
      functional foods at traditional and commercial levels.

PMID- 28900167
TI  - Unexpected viscoelastic deformation of tight sandstone: Insights and predictions
      from the fractional Maxwell model.
AB  - Tight gas is one important unconventional hydrocarbon resource that is stored in
      tight sandstone, whose mechanical property greatly influences the tight gas
      production process and is commonly believed to be simply elastic when designing
      the stimulation plan. However, the experimental evidence provided in this work
      surprisingly shows that tight sandstone can deform in a viscoelastic way. Such an
      unexpected observation poses a challenge in accurately modelling the deformation
      process. We solve this problem by adopting the fractional Maxwell model to
      successfully derive the constitutive equation of tight sandstone, based on which
      not only all the experimental data can be interpreted quantitatively, but also
      reasonable and consistent predictions as to tight sandstone's long-term
      deformation behaviour can be made. We then investigate the typicality of our
      results in China's Changqing oilfield, which is one major centre of tight gas
      production and where the rock samples for experiments are obtained. It is
      estimated that a non-negligible portion of 18% tight sandstone samples in this
      area will probably display viscoelasticity. Finally, our work implies that the
      mechanical properties of other materials may also need further scrutiny to
      possibly uncover any unexpected behaviour, overlooking which may result in
      misleading predictions.

PMID- 28900168
TI  - Identification of key metabolic changes during liver fibrosis progression in rats
      using a urine and serum metabolomics approach.
AB  - Reversibility of hepatic fibrosis is an intrinsic response to chronic injury, and
      with on-going damage, fibrosis can progress to its end-stage consequence,
      cirrhosis. Non-invasive and reliable biomarkers for early detection of liver
      fibrosis are needed. Based on the CCl4-induced liver fibrosis rat model, urinary
      and serum metabolic profiling performed by LC-QTOF-MS associated with
      histological progression were utilized to identify liver fibrosis-specific
      potential biomarkers for early prediction and to reveal significant fibrotic
      pathways and their dynamic changes in different stages of liver fibrosis.
      Finally, nine differential metabolites in urine and ten in serum were selected
      and identified involving the most relevant metabolic pathways. Perturbations of
      tryptophan, valine, leucine, isoleucine, and citrate (TCA) cycle metabolites,
      along with sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid metabolites, occurred from the
      onset of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, dysregulation of valine and bile acid
      biosynthesis metabolites occurred in the intermediate and advanced stages. More
      importantly, among these metabolites, urinary kynurenic acid, 5
      hydroxyindoleacetyl glycine, 4-(2-amino-3-hydroxyphenyl)-2,4-dioxobutanoic acid
      and serum sphinganine, sphingomyelin,  L-leucine, L-tryptophan, and LysoPC(17:0)
      changed at all time points and may serve as potential early biomarkers for the
      diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis and as therapeutic targets. Overall, this work
      evaluates the potential of these metabolites for the early detection of liver
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28900169
TI  - Negative Differential Conductance & Hot-Carrier Avalanching in Monolayer WS2
      FETs.
AB  - The high field phenomena of inter-valley transfer and avalanching breakdown have
      long been exploited in devices based on conventional semiconductors. In this
      Article, we demonstrate the manifestation of these effects in atomically-thin WS2
      field-effect transistors. The negative differential conductance exhibits all of
      the features familiar from discussions of this phenomenon in bulk semiconductors,
      including hysteresis in the transistor characteristics and increased noise that
      is indicative of travelling high-field domains. It is also found to be sensitive
      to thermal annealing, a result that we attribute to the influence of strain on
      the energy separation of the different valleys involved in hot-electron transfer.
      This idea is supported by the results of ensemble Monte Carlo simulations, which
      highlight the sensitivity of the negative differential conductance to the
      equilibrium populations of the different valleys. At high drain currents (>10
      MUA/MUm) avalanching breakdown is also observed, and is attributed to trap
      assisted inverse Auger scattering. This mechanism is not normally relevant in
      conventional semiconductors, but is possible in WS2 due to the narrow width of
      its energy bands. The various results presented here suggest that WS2 exhibits
      strong potential for use in hot-electron devices, including compact high
      frequency sources and photonic detectors.

PMID- 28900170
TI  - Protein arginylation targets alpha synuclein, facilitates normal brain health,
      and prevents neurodegeneration.
AB  - Alpha synuclein (alpha-syn) is a central player in neurodegeneration, but the
      mechanisms triggering its pathology are not fully understood. Here we found that
      alpha-syn is a highly efficient substrate for arginyltransferase ATE1 and is
      arginylated in vivo by a novel mid-chain mechanism that targets the acidic side
      chains of E46 and E83. Lack of arginylation leads to increased alpha-syn
      aggregation and causes the formation of larger pathological aggregates in
      neurons, accompanied by impairments in its ability to be cleared via normal
      degradation pathways. In the mouse brain, lack of arginylation leads to an
      increase in alpha-syn's insoluble fraction, accompanied by behavioral changes
      characteristic for neurodegenerative pathology. Our data show that lack of
      arginylation in the brain leads to neurodegeneration, and suggests that alpha-syn
      arginylation can be a previously unknown factor that facilitates normal alpha-syn
      folding and function in vivo.

PMID- 28900171
TI  - Mechanistic insight into internal conversion process within Q-bands of
      chlorophyll a.
AB  - The non-radiative relaxation of the excitation energy from higher energy states
      to the lowest energy state in chlorophylls is a crucial preliminary step for the
      process of photosynthesis. Despite the continuous theoretical and experimental
      efforts to clarify the ultrafast dynamics of this process, it still represents
      the object of an intense investigation because the ultrafast timescale and the
      congestion of the involved states makes its characterization particularly
      challenging. Here we exploit 2D electronic spectroscopy and recently developed
      data analysis tools to provide more detailed insights into the mechanism of
      internal conversion within the Q-bands of chlorophyll a. The measurements
      confirmed the timescale of the overall internal conversion rate (170 fs) and
      captured the presence of a previously unidentified ultrafast (40 fs) intermediate
      step, involving vibronic levels of the lowest excited state.

PMID- 28900172
TI  - Cultural and Developmental Influences on Overt Visual Attention to Videos.
AB  - Top-down influences on observers' overt attention and how they interact with the
      features of the visual environment have been extensively investigated, but the
      cultural and developmental aspects of these modulations have been understudied.
      In this study we investigated these effects for US and Yucatec Mayan infants,
      children, and adults. Mayan and US participants viewed videos of two actors
      performing daily Mayan and US tasks in the foreground and the background while
      their eyes were tracked. Our region of interest analysis showed that viewers from
      the US looked significantly less at the foreground activity and spent more time
      attending to the 'contextual' information (static background) compared to Mayans.
      To investigate how and what visual features of videos were attended to in a
      comprehensive manner, we used multivariate methods which showed that visual
      features are attended to differentially by each culture. Additionally, we found
      that Mayan and US infants utilize the same eye-movement patterns in which
      fixation duration and saccade amplitude are altered in response to the visual
      stimuli independently. However, a bifurcation happens by age 6, at which US
      participants diverge and engage in eye-movement patterns where fixation durations
      and saccade amplitudes are altered simultaneously.

PMID- 28900174
TI  - A broadband photodetector based on Rhodamine B-sensitized ZnO nanowires film.
AB  - A broadband photodetector has been developed on the basis of ZnO nanowires
      (NWs)/Rhodamine B (RhB) hybrid system. The device is fabricated by spraying NWs
      on to gold interdigital electrodes followed by modifying the NWs via an RhB
      solution-casting process. Measurements show that the as-fabricated device
      demonstrates photoresponsivity ranging from 300 nm to 700 nm with a bandwidth as
      large as 400 nm. The role of the dye sensitizer adsorbed on the surface of NWs is
      modeled to alter the transportation path of photo-generated carriers. The
      calculations based on the measurements reveal that the device exhibits a
      prominent responsivity in the interested band with maximum responsivity of 5.5
      A/W for ultraviolet (UV) light and 3 A/W for visible (VIS) light under 8 V bias,
      respectively. The sensitization not only widens the response spectrum with
      external quantum efficiency leaping up to 771% at VIS but also improves UV
      responsivity with maximum 51% enhancement. From the time-dependent photo-current
      measurement, it is found that the response time (rise and decay times in total)
      of the device largely reduced from 17.5 s to 3.3 s after sensitization. A
      comparison of the obtained photodetector with other ZnO-based photodetectors is
      summarized from the view point of responsivity and bandwidth.

PMID- 28900173
TI  - FGFR inhibitor, AZD4547, impedes the stemness of mammary epithelial cells in the
      premalignant tissues of MMTV-ErbB2 transgenic mice.
AB  - The fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) family of receptor tyrosine kinases
      (RTKs) regulates signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation and
      differentiation. Currently, the anti-tumor properties of FGFR inhibitors are
      being tested in preclinical and clinical studies. Nevertheless, reports on FGFR
      inhibitor-mediated breast cancer prevention are sparse. In this study, we
      investigated the anti-cancer benefits of AZD4547, an FGFR1-3 inhibitor, in ErbB2
      overexpressing breast cancer models. AZD4547 (1-5 uM) demonstrated potent anti
      proliferative effects, inhibition of stemness, and suppression of FGFR/RTK
      signaling in ErbB2-overexpressing human breast cancer cells. To study the in vivo
      effects of AZD4547 on mammary development, mammary epithelial cell (MEC)
      populations, and oncogenic signaling, MMTV-ErbB2 transgenic mice were
      administered AZD4547 (2-6 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks during the 'risk window' for
      mammary tumor development. AZD4547 significantly inhibited ductal branching and
      MEC proliferation in vivo, which corroborated the in vitro anti-proliferative
      properties. AZD4547 also depleted CD24/CD49f-sorted MEC populations, as well as
      the CD61highCD49fhigh tumor-initiating cell-enriched population. Importantly,
      AZD4547 impaired stem cell-like characteristics in primary MECs and spontaneous
      tumor cells. Moreover, AZD4547 downregulated RTK, mTOR, and Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling pathways in premalignant mammary tissues. Collectively, our data
      provide critical preclinical evidence for AZD4547 as a potential breast cancer
      preventative and therapeutic agent.

PMID- 28900177
TI  - Comparison of soil analytical methods for estimating wheat potassium fertilizer
      requirements in response to contrasting plant K demand in the glasshouse.
AB  - The traditional soil potassium (K) testing methods fail to accurately predict K
      requirement by plants. The Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) method is
      promising, but the relationship between the DGT-measured K pool and plant
      available K is not clear. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Frame) was grown in 9
      Australian broad acre agricultural soils in a glasshouse trial until the end of
      tillering growth stage (GS30) with different plant K demands generated by varying
      plant numbers and pot sizes. Different K concentrations in soils were varied by 4
      rates of K fertilizer application. The relative dry matter and K uptake were
      plotted against the soil K test value (CaCl2, Colwell and NH4OAc and DGT K
      measurements). To obtain 90% of maximum relative dry matter at low root density
      (closest to field conditions), the critical value of the NH4OAc K method was 91
      (R2 = 0.56) mg kg-1. The DGT K method was not able to accurately predict relative
      dry matter or K uptake due to a weak extraction force for K from soils with high
      CEC values. Further endeavor on increasing K extraction force of the DGT method
      is warranted to obtain accurate plant available K results.

PMID- 28900175
TI  - Dynamic and Kinetic Elements of u-Opioid Receptor Functional Selectivity.
AB  - While the therapeutic effect of opioids analgesics is mainly attributed to u
      opioid receptor (MOR) activation leading to G protein signaling, their side
      effects have mostly been linked to beta-arrestin signaling. To shed light on the
      dynamic and kinetic elements underlying MOR functional selectivity, we carried
      out close to half millisecond high-throughput molecular dynamics simulations of
      MOR bound to a classical opioid drug (morphine) or a potent G protein-biased
      agonist (TRV-130). Statistical analyses of Markov state models built using this
      large simulation dataset combined with information theory enabled, for the first
      time: a) Identification of four distinct metastable regions along the activation
      pathway, b) Kinetic evidence of a different dynamic behavior of the receptor
      bound to a classical or G protein-biased opioid agonist, c) Identification of
      kinetically distinct conformational states to be used for the rational design of
      functionally selective ligands that may eventually be developed into improved
      drugs; d) Characterization of multiple activation/deactivation pathways of MOR,
      and e) Suggestion from calculated transition timescales that MOR conformational
      changes are not the rate-limiting step in receptor activation.

PMID- 28900176
TI  - Network attributes underlying intellectual giftedness in the developing brain.
AB  - Brain network is organized to maximize the efficiency of both segregated and
      integrated information processing that may be related to human intelligence.
      However, there have been surprisingly few studies that focus on the topological
      characteristics of brain network underlying extremely high intelligence that is
      intellectual giftedness, particularly in adolescents. Here, we examined the
      network topology in 25 adolescents with superior intelligence (SI-Adol), 25
      adolescents with average intelligence (AI-Adol), and 27 young adults with AI (AI
      Adult). We found that SI-Adol had network topological properties of high global
      efficiency as well as high clustering with a low wiring cost, relative to AI
      Adol. However, contrary to the suggested role that brain hub regions play in
      general intelligence, the network efficiency of rich club connection matrix,
      which represents connections among brain hubs, was low in SI-Adol in comparison
      to AI-Adol. Rather, a higher level of local connection density was observed in SI
      Adol than in AI-Adol. The highly intelligent brain may not follow this efficient
      yet somewhat stereotypical process of information integration entirely. Taken
      together, our results suggest that a highly intelligent brain may communicate
      more extensively, while being less dependent on rich club communications during
      adolescence.

PMID- 28900178
TI  - Uniformly dispersed platinum-cobalt alloy nanoparticles with stable compositions
      on carbon substrates for methanol oxidation reaction.
AB  - Alloying platinum (Pt) with suitable transition metals is effective way to
      enhance their catalytic performance for methanol oxidation reaction, and reduce
      their cost at mean time. Herein, we report our investigation on the synthesis of
      bimetallic platinum-cobalt (PtCo) alloy nanoparticles, their activation, as well
      as the catalytic evaluation for methanol oxidation reaction. The strategy starts
      with the synthesis of PtCo alloy nanoparticles in an organic medium, followed by
      loading on carbon substrates. We then remove the capping agent by refluxing the
      carbon-supported PtCo particles in acetic acid before electrochemical
      measurements. We emphasize the change in composition of the alloys during
      refluxing process, and the initial PtCo alloys with Pt/Co ratio of 1/2 turns into
      stable alloys with Pt/Co ratio of 3/1. The final Pt3Co particles have uniform
      distribution on carbon substrates, and exhibit activity with 2.4 and 1.5 times of
      that for commercial Pt/C and PtRu/C for methanol oxidation reaction.

PMID- 28900179
TI  - MicroRNA-28 potentially regulates the photoreceptor lineage commitment of Muller
      glia-derived progenitors.
AB  - Retinal degenerative diseases ultimately result into irreversible photoreceptor
      death or loss. At present, the most promising treatment for these diseases is
      cell replacement therapy. Muller glia are the major glia in the retina,
      displaying cardinal features of retinal progenitor cells, and can be candidate of
      seed cells for retinal degenerative diseases. Here, mouse retinal Muller glia
      dissociated and cultured in vitro amplified and were dedifferentiated into Muller
      glia-derived progenitors (MGDPs), demonstrating expression of stem/progenitor
      cell markers Nestin, Sox2 and self-renewal capacity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play
      unique roles in the retinogenesis, so we hypothesized miRNAs would contribute to
      photoreceptor lineage commitment of MGDPs. By TargetScan, Miranda, and Pictar
      bioinformatics, gain/loss-of-function models, dual luciferase assay, we
      identified and validated that miR-28 targeted the photoreceptor-specific CRX
      transcription factor. Anti-miR-28 could induce MGDPs to differentiate into
      neurons strongly expressing CRX and Rhodopsin, while miR-28 mimic suppressed CRX
      and Rhodopsin expression. Knockdown of CRX by siRNA blocked the expression of CRX
      and Rhodospin upregulated by anti-miR-28, indicating that anti-miR-28 potentially
      induced photoreceptor commitment of MGDPs by targeting CRX, but more experiments
      are necessary to confirm their role in differentiation.

PMID- 28900180
TI  - Emotion perception improvement following high frequency transcranial random noise
      stimulation of the inferior frontal cortex.
AB  - Facial emotion perception plays a key role in interpersonal communication and is
      a precursor for a variety of socio-cognitive abilities. One brain region thought
      to support emotion perception is the inferior frontal cortex (IFC). The current
      study aimed to examine whether modulating neural activity in the IFC using high
      frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) could enhance emotion
      perception abilities. In Experiment 1, participants received either tRNS to IFC
      or sham stimulation prior to completing facial emotion and identity perception
      tasks. Those receiving tRNS significantly outperformed those receiving sham
      stimulation on facial emotion, but not identity, perception tasks. In Experiment
      2, we examined whether baseline performance interacted with the effects of
      stimulation. Participants completed a facial emotion and identity discrimination
      task prior to and following tRNS to either IFC or an active control region (area
      V5/MT). Baseline performance was a significant predictor of emotion
      discrimination performance change following tRNS to IFC. This effect was not
      observed for tRNS targeted at V5/MT or for identity discrimination. Overall, the
      findings implicate the IFC in emotion processing and demonstrate that tRNS may be
      a useful tool to modulate emotion perception when accounting for individual
      differences in factors such as baseline task performance.

PMID- 28900181
TI  - Heterogeneity Aware Random Forest for Drug Sensitivity Prediction.
AB  - Samples collected in pharmacogenomics databases typically belong to various
      cancer types. For designing a drug sensitivity predictive model from such a
      database, a natural question arises whether a model trained on diverse inter
      tumor heterogeneous samples will perform similar to a predictive model that takes
      into consideration the heterogeneity of the samples in model training and
      prediction. We explore this hypothesis and observe that ensemble model
      predictions obtained when cancer type is known out-perform predictions when that
      information is withheld even when the samples sizes for the former is
      considerably lower than the combined sample size. To incorporate the
      heterogeneity idea in the commonly used ensemble based predictive model of Random
      Forests, we propose Heterogeneity Aware Random Forests (HARF) that assigns
      weights to the trees based on the category of the sample. We treat heterogeneity
      as a latent class allocation problem and present a covariate free class
      allocation approach based on the distribution of leaf nodes of the model
      ensemble. Applications on CCLE and GDSC databases show that HARF outperforms
      traditional Random Forest when the average drug responses of cancer types are
      different.

PMID- 28900182
TI  - Conservation performance of different conservation governance regimes in the
      Peruvian Amazon.
AB  - State-controlled protected areas (PAs) have dominated conservation strategies
      globally, yet their performance relative to other governance regimes is rarely
      assessed comprehensively. Furthermore, performance indicators of forest PAs are
      typically restricted to deforestation, although the extent of forest degradation
      is greater. We address these shortfalls through an empirical impact evaluation of
      state PAs, Indigenous Territories (ITs), and civil society and private
      Conservation Concessions (CCs) on deforestation and degradation throughout the
      Peruvian Amazon. We integrated remote-sensing data with environmental and socio
      economic datasets, and used propensity-score matching to assess: (i) how
      deforestation and degradation varied across governance regimes between 2006-2011;
      (ii) their proximate drivers; and (iii) whether state PAs, CCs and ITs avoided
      deforestation and degradation compared with logging and mining concessions, and
      the unprotected landscape. CCs, state PAs, and ITs all avoided deforestation and
      degradation compared to analogous areas in the unprotected landscape. CCs and ITs
      were on average more effective in this respect than state PAs, showing that local
      governance can be equally or more effective than centralized state regimes.
      However, there were no consistent differences between conservation governance
      regimes when matched to logging and mining concessions. Future impact assessments
      would therefore benefit from further disentangling governance regimes across
      unprotected land.

PMID- 28900183
TI  - A Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Mimetic Is Sufficient to Restore Cone
      Photoreceptor Visual Function in an Inherited Blindness Model.
AB  - Controversially, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are in clinical trial for
      the treatment of inherited retinal degeneration. Utilizing the zebrafish dye ucd6
      model, we determined if treatment with HDACi can rescue cone photoreceptor
      mediated visual function. dye exhibit defective visual behaviour and retinal
      morphology including ciliary marginal zone (CMZ) cell death and decreased
      photoreceptor outer segment (OS) length, as well as gross morphological defects
      including hypopigmentation and pericardial oedema. HDACi treatment of dye results
      in significantly improved optokinetic (OKR) (~43 fold, p < 0.001) and visualmotor
      (VMR) (~3 fold, p < 0.05) responses. HDACi treatment rescued gross morphological
      defects and reduced CMZ cell death by 80%. Proteomic analysis of dye eye extracts
      suggested BDNF-TrkB and Akt signaling as mediators of HDACi rescue in our
      dataset. Co-treatment with the TrkB antagonist ANA-12 blocked HDACi rescue of
      visual function and associated Akt phosphorylation. Notably, sole treatment with
      a BDNF mimetic, 7,8-dihydroxyflavone hydrate, significantly rescued dye visual
      function (~58 fold increase in OKR, p < 0.001, ~3 fold increase in VMR, p <
      0.05). In summary, HDACi and a BDNF mimetic are sufficient to rescue retinal cell
      death and visual function in a vertebrate model of inherited blindness.

PMID- 28900184
TI  - Survivin and XIAP - two potential biological targets in follicular thyroid
      carcinoma.
AB  - Follicular thyroid carcinoma's (FTC) overall good prognosis deteriorates if the
      tumour fails to retain radioactive iodine. Therefore, new druggable targets are
      in high demand for this subset of patients. Here, we investigated the prognostic
      and biological role of survivin and XIAP in FTC. Survivin and XIAP expression was
      investigated in 44 FTC and corresponding non-neoplastic thyroid specimens using
      tissue microarrays. Inhibition of both inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) was
      induced by shRNAs or specific small molecule antagonists and functional changes
      were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Survivin and XIAP were solely expressed
      in FTC tissue. Survivin expression correlated with an advanced tumour stage and
      recurrent disease. In addition, survivin proved to be an independent negative
      prognostic marker. Survivin or XIAP knockdown caused a significant reduction in
      cell viability and proliferation, activated caspase3/7 and was associated with a
      reduced tumour growth in vivo. IAP-targeting compounds induced a decrease of cell
      viability, proliferation and cell cycle activity accompanied by an increase in
      apoptosis. Additionally, YM155 a small molecule inhibitor of survivin expression
      significantly inhibited tumour growth in vivo. Both IAPs demonstrate significant
      functional implications in the oncogenesis of FTCs and thus prove to be viable
      targets in patients with advanced FTC.

PMID- 28900185
TI  - Anti-Abeta single-chain variable fragment antibodies restore memory acquisition
      in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder triggered by
      the accumulation of soluble assemblies of the amyloid-beta42 (Abeta42) peptide.
      Despite remarkable advances in understanding the pathogenesis of AD, the
      development of palliative therapies is still lacking. Engineered anti-Abeta42
      antibodies are a promising strategy to stall the progression of the disease.
      Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies increase brain penetration and
      offer flexible options for delivery while maintaining the epitope targeting of
      full antibodies. Here, we examined the ability of two anti-Abeta scFv antibodies
      targeting the N-terminal (scFv9) and C-terminal (scFv42.2) regions of Abeta42 to
      suppress the progressive memory decline induced by extracellular deposition of
      Abeta42 in Drosophila. Using olfactory classical conditioning, we observe that
      both scFv antibodies significantly improve memory performance in flies expressing
      Abeta42 in the mushroom body neurons, which are intimately involved in the coding
      and storage of olfactory memories. The scFvs effectively restore memory at all
      ages, from one-day post-eclosion to thirty-day-old flies, proving their ability
      to prevent the toxicity of different pathogenic assemblies. These data support
      the application of this paradigm of Abeta42-induced memory loss in Drosophila to
      investigate the protective activity of Abeta42-binding agents in an AD-relevant
      functional assay.

PMID- 28900186
TI  - Improvement of the glycoproteomic toolbox with the discovery of a unique C
      terminal cleavage specificity of flavastacin for N-glycosylated asparagine.
AB  - To determine all potential N-glycosylation sites of a glycoprotein, one central
      aspect of every bottom-up N-glycoproteomic strategy is to generate suitable N
      glycopeptides that can be detected and analyzed by mass spectrometry. Specific
      proteases, such as trypsin, bear the potential of generating N-glycopeptides that
      either carry more than one N-glycosylation site or are too long to be readily
      analyzed by mass spectrometry- both due to the lack of tryptic cleavage sites
      near the N-glycosylation site. Here, we present a newly identified cleavage
      specificity of flavastacin, a protease from Flavobacterium menigosepticum, which 
      up to now - was only reported to cleave peptide bonds N-terminal to aspartic
      acid residues. In contrast to literature, we could not confirm this N-terminal
      specificity of flavastacin for aspartic acid. However, for the first time, we
      show a unique cleavage specificity of flavastacin towards the C-terminus of N
      glycosylated asparagine residues. Implemented in an N-glycoproteomic workflow the
      use of flavastacin can thus not only render data analysis much easier, it can
      also significantly increase the confidence of MS-based N-glycoproteomic analyses.
      We demonstrate this newly discovered specificity of flavastacin by in-depth LC
      MS(/MS) analysis of complex-type glycosylated human lactotransferrin and bovine
      serum albumin peptides and N-glycopeptides that were generated by trypsin and
      flavastacin digestion. Following to this work, further elucidation of the
      efficiency, specificity and mode of action of flavastacin is needed, but we
      believe that our discovery has great potential to facilitate and improve the
      characterization of N-glycoproteomes.

PMID- 28900187
TI  - Electrostatics of non-neutral biological microdomains.
AB  - Voltage and charge distributions in cellular microdomains regulate
      communications, excitability, and signal transduction. We report here new
      electrical laws in a biological cell, which follow from a nonlinear electro
      diffusion model. These newly discovered laws derive from the geometrical cell
      membrane properties, such as membrane curvature, volume, and surface area. The
      electro-diffusion laws can now be used to predict and interpret voltage
      distribution in cellular microdomains such as synapses, dendritic spine, cilia
      and more.

PMID- 28900188
TI  - Decoding finger movement in humans using synergy of EEG cortical current signals.
AB  - The synchronized activity of neuronal populations across multiple distant brain
      areas may reflect coordinated interactions of large-scale brain networks.
      Currently, there is no established method to investigate the temporal transitions
      between these large-scale networks that would allow, for example, to decode
      finger movements. Here we applied a matrix factorization method employing
      principal component and temporal independent component analyses to identify brain
      activity synchronizations. In accordance with previous studies investigating
      "muscle synergies", we refer to this activity as "brain activity synergy". Using
      electroencephalography (EEG), we first estimated cortical current sources (CSs)
      and then identified brain activity synergies within the estimated CS signals. A
      decoding analysis for finger movement in eight directions showed that such CS
      synergies provided more information for dissociating between movements than EEG
      sensor signals, EEG synergy, or CS signals, suggesting that temporal activation
      patterns of the synchronizing CSs may contain information related to motor
      control. A quantitative analysis of features selected by the decoders further
      revealed temporal transitions among the primary motor area, dorsal and ventral
      premotor areas, pre-supplementary motor area, and supplementary motor area, which
      may reflect transitions in motor planning and execution. These results provide a
      proof of concept for brain activity synergy estimation using CSs.

PMID- 28900189
TI  - Misalignment with the external light environment drives metabolic and cardiac
      dysfunction.
AB  - Most organisms use internal biological clocks to match behavioural and
      physiological processes to specific phases of the day-night cycle. Central to
      this is the synchronisation of internal processes across multiple organ systems.
      Environmental desynchrony (e.g. shift work) profoundly impacts human health,
      increasing cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk, yet the underlying
      mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we characterise the impact of desynchrony
      between the internal clock and the external light-dark (LD) cycle on mammalian
      physiology. We reveal that even under stable LD environments, phase misalignment
      has a profound effect, with decreased metabolic efficiency and disrupted cardiac
      function including prolonged QT interval duration. Importantly, physiological
      dysfunction is not driven by disrupted core clock function, nor by an internal
      desynchrony between organs, but rather the altered phase relationship between the
      internal clockwork and the external environment. We suggest phase misalignment as
      a major driver of pathologies associated with shift work, chronotype and social
      jetlag.The misalignment between internal circadian rhythm and the day-night cycle
      can be caused by genetic, behavioural and environmental factors, and may have a
      profound impact on human physiology. Here West et al. show that desynchrony
      between the internal clock and the external environment alter metabolic
      parameters and cardiac function in mice.

PMID- 28900190
TI  - Soil microbial carbon utilization, enzyme activities and nutrient availability
      responses to Bidens pilosa and a non-invasive congener under different
      irradiances.
AB  - Two Bidens species (Bidens pilosa and B. bipinnata) that originate from America
      have been introduced widely in pan-tropics, with the former regarded as a noxious
      invasive weed whereas the latter naturalized as a plant resource. Whether the two
      species exhibit different effects on the belowground system remains rarely
      studied. This study was conducted to investigate soil microbial carbon (C)
      utilization, enzyme activities and available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
      contents under the two species in a subtropical garden soil of southern China
      under different levels of light intensity. Results showed that the microbial C
      utilization and enzyme activities were not significantly different under the two
      species, implying that the strong invasiveness of B. pilosa could not be due to
      the plant-soil microbe interactions, at least plant-induced alterations of
      microbial community function to utilize C substrates. Alternatively, available
      soil nitrogen and potassium contents were significantly higher under B. pilosa
      than under B. bipinnata in full sun, indicating that the strong invasiveness of
      B. pilosa could result from rapid nutrient mobilizations by B. pilosa. However,
      the differences turned non-significant as light intensity decreased, suggesting
      that light availability could substantially alter the plant effects on soil
      nutrient mobilizations.

PMID- 28900191
TI  - Broadband biphoton generation and statistics of quantum light in the UV-visible
      range in an AlGaN microring resonator.
AB  - We present a physical investigation on the generation of correlated photon pairs
      that are broadly spaced in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible spectrum on a
      AlGaN/AlN integrated photonic platform which is optically transparent at these
      wavelengths. Using spontaneous four wave mixing (SFWM) in an AlGaN microring
      resonator, we show design techniques to satisfy the phase matching condition
      between the optical pump, the signal, and idler photon pairs, a condition which
      is essential and is a key hurdle when operating at short wavelength due to the
      strong normal dispersion of the material. Such UV-visible photon pairs are quite
      beneficial for interaction with qubit ions that are mostly in this wavelength
      range, and will enable heralding the photon-ion interaction. As a target
      application example, we present the systematic AlGaN microresonator design for
      generating signal and idler photon pairs using a blue wavelength pump, while the
      signal appears at the transition of ytterbium ion (171Yb+, 369.5 nm) and the
      idler appears in the far blue or green range. The photon pairs have minimal
      crosstalk to the pump power due to their broad spacing in spectral wavelength,
      thereby relaxing the design of on-chip integrated filters for separating pump,
      signal and idler.

PMID- 28900192
TI  - Comparative transcriptome analysis of axillary buds in response to the shoot
      branching regulators gibberellin A3 and 6-benzyladenine in Jatropha curcas.
AB  - Cytokinin (CK) is the primary hormone that positively regulates axillary bud
      outgrowth. However, in many woody plants, such as Jatropha curcas, gibberellin
      (GA) also promotes shoot branching. The molecular mechanisms underlying GA and CK
      interaction in the regulation of bud outgrowth in Jatropha remain unclear. To
      determine how young axillary buds respond to GA3 and 6-benzyladenine (BA), we
      performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of the young axillary buds of
      Jatropha seedlings treated with GA3 or BA. Two hundred and fifty genes were
      identified to be co-regulated in response to GA3 or BA. Seven NAC family members
      were down-regulated after treatment with both GA3 and BA, whereas these genes
      were up-regulated after treatment with the shoot branching inhibitor
      strigolactone. The expressions of the cell cycle genes CDC6, CDC45 and GRF5 were
      up-regulated after treatment with both GA3 and BA, suggesting they may promote
      bud outgrowth via regulation of the cell cycle machinery. In the axillary buds,
      BA significantly increased the expression of GA biosynthesis genes JcGA20oxs and
      JcGA3ox1, and down-regulated the expression of GA degradation genes JcGA2oxs.
      Overall, the comprehensive transcriptome data set provides novel insight into the
      responses of young axillary buds to GA and CK.

PMID- 28900193
TI  - Synchrotron-based nu-XRF mapping and MU-FTIR microscopy enable to look into the
      fate and effects of tattoo pigments in human skin.
AB  - The increasing prevalence of tattoos provoked safety concerns with respect to
      particle distribution and effects inside the human body. We used skin and
      lymphatic tissues from human corpses to address local biokinetics by means of
      synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques at both the micro (MU) and nano
      (nu) scale. Additional advanced mass spectrometry-based methodology enabled to
      demonstrate simultaneous transport of organic pigments, heavy metals and titanium
      dioxide from skin to regional lymph nodes. Among these compounds, organic
      pigments displayed the broadest size range with smallest species preferentially
      reaching the lymph nodes. Using synchrotron MU-FTIR analysis we were also able to
      detect ultrastructural changes of the tissue adjacent to tattoo particles through
      altered amide I alpha-helix to beta-sheet protein ratios and elevated lipid
      contents. Altogether we report strong evidence for both migration and long-term
      deposition of toxic elements and tattoo pigments as well as for conformational
      alterations of biomolecules that likely contribute to cutaneous inflammation and
      other adversities upon tattooing.

PMID- 28900194
TI  - Live imaging reveals the dynamics and regulation of mitochondrial nucleoids
      during the cell cycle in Fucci2-HeLa cells.
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is organized in nucleoprotein complexes called
      mitochondrial nucleoids (mt-nucleoids), which are critical units of mtDNA
      replication and transmission. In humans, several hundreds of mt-nucleoids exist
      in a cell. However, how numerous mt-nucleoids are maintained during the cell
      cycle remains elusive, because cell cycle synchronization procedures affect mtDNA
      replication. Here, we analyzed regulation of the maintenance of mt-nucleoids in
      the cell cycle, using a fluorescent cell cycle indicator, Fucci2. Live imaging of
      mt-nucleoids with higher temporal resolution showed frequent attachment and
      detachment of mt-nucleoids throughout the cell cycle. TFAM, an mtDNA packaging
      protein, was involved in the regulation of this dynamic process, which was
      important for maintaining proper mt-nucleoid number. Both an increase in mt
      nucleoid number and activation of mtDNA replication occurred during S phase. To
      increase mt-nucleoid number, mtDNA replication, but not nuclear DNA replication,
      was necessary. We propose that these dynamic and regulatory processes in the cell
      cycle maintain several hundred mt-nucleoids in proliferating cells.

PMID- 28900196
TI  - Characterization of a new pathway that activates lumisterol in vivo to
      biologically active hydroxylumisterols.
AB  - Using LC/qTOF-MS we detected lumisterol, 20-hydroxylumisterol, 22
      hydroxylumisterol, 24-hydroxylumisterol, 20,22-dihydroxylumisterol,
      pregnalumisterol, 17-hydroxypregnalumisterol and 17,20-dihydroxypregnalumisterol
      in human serum and epidermis, and the porcine adrenal gland. The
      hydroxylumisterols inhibited proliferation of human skin cells in a cell type
      dependent fashion with predominant effects on epidermal keratinocytes. They also
      inhibited melanoma proliferation in both monolayer and soft agar. 20
      Hydroxylumisterol stimulated the expression of several genes, including those
      associated with keratinocyte differentiation and antioxidative responses, while
      inhibiting the expression of others including RORA and RORC. Molecular modeling
      and studies on VDRE-transcriptional activity excludes action through the genomic
      site of the VDR. However, their favorable interactions with the A-pocket in
      conjunction with VDR translocation studies suggest they may act on this non
      genomic VDR site. Inhibition of RORalpha and RORgamma transactivation activities
      in a Tet-on CHO cell reporter system, RORalpha co-activator assays and inhibition
      of (RORE)-LUC reporter activity in skin cells, in conjunction with molecular
      modeling, identified RORalpha and RORgamma as excellent receptor candidates for
      the hydroxylumisterols. Thus, we have discovered a new biologically relevant,
      lumisterogenic pathway, the metabolites of which display biological activity.
      This opens a new area of endocrine research on the effects of the
      hydroxylumisterols on different pathways in different cells and the mechanisms
      involved.

PMID- 28900197
TI  - Structural insights into the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus 4a
      protein and its dsRNA binding mechanism.
AB  - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has evolved to navigate
      through the sophisticated network of a host's immune system. The immune evasion
      mechanism including type 1 interferon and protein kinase R-mediated antiviral
      stress responses has been recently attributed to the involvement of MERS-CoV
      protein 4a (p4a) that masks the viral dsRNA. However, the structural mechanism of
      how p4a recognizes and establishes contacts with dsRNA is not well explained. In
      this study, we report a dynamic mechanism deployed by p4a to engage the viral
      dsRNA and make it unavailable to the host immune system. Multiple variants of p4a
      dsRNA were created and investigated through extensive molecular dynamics
      procedures to highlight crucial interfacial residues that may be used as
      potential pharmacophores for future drug development. The structural analysis
      revealed that p4a exhibits a typical alphabetabetabetaalpha fold structure, as
      found in other dsRNA-binding proteins. The alpha1 helix and the beta1-beta2 loop
      play a crucial role in recognizing and establishing contacts with the minor
      grooves of dsRNA. Further, mutational and binding free energy analyses suggested
      that in addition to K63 and K67, two other residues, K27 and W45, might also be
      crucial for p4a-dsRNA stability.

PMID- 28900198
TI  - Analysis and comparison of the wolf microbiome under different environmental
      factors using three different data of Next Generation Sequencing.
AB  - Next Generation Sequencing has been widely used to characterize the prevalence of
      fecal bacteria in many different species. In this study, we attempted to employ a
      low-cost and high-throughput sequencing model to discern information pertaining
      to the wolf microbiota. It is hoped that this model will allow researchers to
      elucidate potential protective factors in relation to endangered wolf species. We
      propose three high-throughput sequencing models to reveal information pertaining
      to the micro-ecology of the wolf. Our analyses advised that, among the three
      models, more than 100,000 sequences are more appropriate to retrieve the
      communities' richness and diversity of micro-ecology. In addition, the top five
      wolf microbiome OTUs (99%) were members of the following five phyla:
      Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria.
      While Alloprevotella, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Anaerobiospirillum,
      Faecalibactreium and Streptococcus were shared by all samples, their relative
      abundances were differentially represented between domestic dogs and other
      wolves. Our findings suggest that altitude, human interference, age, and climate
      all contribute towards the micro-ecology of the wolf. Specifically, we observed
      that genera Succinivibrio and Turicibacter are significantly related to altitude
      and human interference (including hunting practices).

PMID- 28900195
TI  - Genetic Interactions with Age, Sex, Body Mass Index, and Hypertension in Relation
      to Atrial Fibrillation: The AFGen Consortium.
AB  - It is unclear whether genetic markers interact with risk factors to influence
      atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. We performed genome-wide interaction analyses
      between genetic variants and age, sex, hypertension, and body mass index in the
      AFGen Consortium. Study-specific results were combined using meta-analysis
      (88,383 individuals of European descent, including 7,292 with AF). Variants with
      nominal interaction associations in the discovery analysis were tested for
      association in four independent studies (131,441 individuals, including 5,722
      with AF). In the discovery analysis, the AF risk associated with the minor
      rs6817105 allele (at the PITX2 locus) was greater among subjects <= 65 years of
      age than among those > 65 years (interaction p-value = 4.0 * 10-5). The
      interaction p-value exceeded genome-wide significance in combined discovery and
      replication analyses (interaction p-value = 1.7 * 10-8). We observed one genome
      wide significant interaction with body mass index and several suggestive
      interactions with age, sex, and body mass index in the discovery analysis.
      However, none was replicated in the independent sample. Our findings suggest that
      the pathogenesis of AF may differ according to age in individuals of European
      descent, but we did not observe evidence of statistically significant genetic
      interactions with sex, body mass index, or hypertension on AF risk.

PMID- 28900199
TI  - Sorafenib suppresses extrahepatic metastasis de novo in hepatocellular carcinoma
      through inhibition of mesenchymal cancer stem cells characterized by the
      expression of CD90.
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a pivotal target for eradicating hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). We previously reported that distinctive CSCs regulating
      tumorigenicity (EpCAM+ CSCs) and metastasis (CD90+ CSCs) have different
      epithelial/mesenchymal gene expression signatures. Here, we examined the
      influence of sorafenib, a multiple-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used as a
      first-line treatment for advanced HCC, on EpCAM+ and CD90+ CSCs. CD90+ cells
      showed higher c-Kit gene/protein expression than EpCAM+ cells. Sorafenib
      treatment reduced the number of CD90+ cells with attenuated c-Kit
      phosphorylation, whereas it enriched the EpCAM+ cell population. We evaluated the
      role of CD90+ and EpCAM+ CSCs in vivo by subcutaneously injecting these CSCs
      together in immune-deficient mice. We observed that sorafenib subtly affected the
      suppression of primary tumor growth maintained by EpCAM+ CSCs, but completely
      inhibited the lung metastasis mediated by CD90+ CSCs. We further evaluated the
      effect of sorafenib on extracellular vesicle (EV) production and found that
      sorafenib suppressed the production of EVs containing TGF-beta mRNA in CD90+
      cells and inhibited the cell-cell communication and motility of EpCAM+ cells. Our
      data suggest the following novel effects of sorafenib: suppressing CD90+ CSCs and
      inhibiting the production of EVs regulating distant metastasis.

PMID- 28900200
TI  - Differential landscape of non-CpG methylation in embryonic stem cells and neurons
      caused by DNMT3s.
AB  - Methylated non-CpGs (mCpH; H means A, C, and T) have emerged as key epigenetic
      marks in mammalian embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and neurons, regulating cell type
      specific functions. In these two cell types, mCpHs show distinct motifs and
      correlations to transcription that could be a key in understanding the cell type
      specific regulations. Thus, we attempted to uncover the underlying mechanism of
      the differences in ESCs and neurons by conducting a comprehensive analysis of
      public whole genome bisulfite sequencing data. Remarkably, there were cell type
      specific mCpH patterns around methylated CpGs (mCpGs), resulted from preferential
      methylation at different contexts by DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) 3a and 3b.
      These DNMTs are differentially expressed in ESCs and brain tissues, resulting in
      distinct mCpH motifs in these two cell types. Furthermore, in ESCs, DNMT3b
      interacts with histone H3 tri-methylated at lysine 36 (H3K36me3), resulting in
      hyper-methylation at CpHs upon actively transcribed genes, including those
      involved in embryo development. Based on the results, we propose a model to
      explain the differential establishment of mCpHs in ESCs and neurons, providing
      insights into the mechanism underlying cell type-specific formation and function
      of mCpHs.

PMID- 28900202
TI  - Pixelated Checkerboard Metasurface for Ultra-Wideband Radar Cross Section
      Reduction.
AB  - In this paper we designed and fabricated a metasurface working as a radar cross
      section (RCS) reducer over an ultra wide band of frequency from 3.8 to 10.7 GHz.
      The designed metasurface is a chessboard-like surface made of alternating tiles,
      with each tile composed of identical unit cells. We develop a novel, simple,
      highly robust and fully automated approach for designing the unit cells. First, a
      topology optimization algorithm is used to engineer the shape of the two unit
      cells. The area of each unit cell is pixelated. A particle swarm optimization
      algorithm is applied wherein each pixel corresponds to a bit having a binary
      value of 1 or 0 indicating metallization or no metallization. With the objective
      of reducing the RCS over a specified frequency range, the optimization algorithm
      is then linked to a full wave three-dimensional electromagnetic simulator. To
      validate the design procedure, a surface was designed, fabricated and
      experimentally tested showing significantly enhanced performance than previous
      works. Additionally, angular analysis is also presented showing good stability
      and wide-angle behavior of the designed RCS reducer. The automated design
      procedure has a wide range of applications and can be easily extended to design
      surfaces for antennas, energy harvesters, noise mitigation in electronic circuit
      boards amongst others.

PMID- 28900201
TI  - Deep sequencing reveals the first fabavirus infecting peach.
AB  - A disease causing smaller and cracked fruit affects peach [Prunus persica (L.)
      Batsch], resulting in significant decreases in yield and quality. In this study,
      peach tree leaves showing typical symptoms were subjected to deep sequencing of
      small RNAs for a complete survey of presumed causal viral pathogens. The results
      revealed two known viroids (Hop stunt viroid and Peach latent mosaic viroid), two
      known viruses (Apple chlorotic leaf spot trichovirus and Plum bark necrosis stem
      pitting-associated virus) and a novel virus provisionally named Peach leaf
      pitting-associated virus (PLPaV). Phylogenetic analysis based on RNA-dependent
      RNA polymerase placed PLPaV into a separate cluster under the genus Fabavirus in
      the family Secoviridae. The genome consists of two positive-sense single-stranded
      RNAs, i.e., RNA1 [6,357 nt, with a 48-nt poly(A) tail] and RNA2 [3,862 nt, with a
      25-nt poly(A) containing two cytosines]. Biological tests of GF305 peach
      indicator seedlings indicated a leaf-pitting symptom rather than the smaller and
      cracked fruit symptoms related to virus and viroid infection. To our knowledge,
      this is the first report of a fabavirus infecting peach. PLPaV presents several
      new molecular and biological features that are absent in other fabaviruses,
      contributing to an overall better understanding of fabaviruses.

PMID- 28900203
TI  - Metabolic engineering for recombinant major ampullate spidroin 2 (MaSp2)
      synthesis in Escherichia coli.
AB  - In this research, metabolic engineering was employed to synthesize the artificial
      major ampullate spidroin 2 (MaSp2) in the engineered Escherichia coli. An
      iterative seamless splicing strategy was used to assemble the MaSp2 gene, which
      could reach 10000 base pairs, and more than 100 kDa protein was expected.
      However, only 55 kDa recombinant MaSp2 was obtained. Because MaSp2 is rich in
      alanine and glycine residues, Glycyl/alanyl-tRNA pool and extra amino acids
      adding were adopted in order to supplement alanine and glycine in the protein
      translation process. With the supplementary alanine and glycine (0.05 wt%) in the
      medium, MaSp2 constructed in pET28a(+) and Gly/Ala-tRNA constructed in pET22b(+)
      were co-expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). As results, the artificial
      MaSp2 with 110 kDa molecular weight was obtained in the present work. This work
      demonstrates a successful example of applying metabolic engineering approaches
      and provided a potential way with the enhanced Glycyl/alanyl-tRNA pool to achieve
      the expression of high molecular weight protein with the repeated motifs in the
      engineered Escherichia coli.

PMID- 28900204
TI  - Monovision by Implantation of Posterior Chamber Phakic Intraocular Lens with a
      Central Hole (Hole ICL) for Early Presbyopia.
AB  - This study was aimed to evaluate visual performance at near to far distances in
      early presbyopic patients undergoing monovision by implantation of an ICL with a
      central hole (hole ICL). This pilot study comprised thirty-four eyes of 17 early
      presbyopic patients (age, 40 to 53 years) who underwent hole ICL implantation,
      and whose targeted refraction was set at emmetropia for the dominant eye, and at
      slight myopia (-0.5 to -1.0 diopters (D)) for the non-dominant eye. Corrected
      distance visual acuity was significantly improved, from -0.11 +/- 0.07
      preoperatively to -0.19 +/- 0.09 logMAR postoperatively (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon
      signed-rank test). Uncorrected distance visual acuity was also significantly
      improved from 1.43 +/- 0.35 preoperatively to -0.04 +/- 0.18 logMAR
      postoperatively (p < 0.001). The mean binocular visual acuity was 0.01 logMAR or
      better at all distances (5.0, 3.0, 2.0, 1.0, 0.7, 0.5, and 0.3 m). All eyes were
      within +/- 0.5 D of the targeted correction. All patients had within the normal
      range of near stereopsis. Neither cataract formation, significant intraocular
      pressure rise, nor vision-threatening complications occurred. Monovision by hole
      ICL implantation provided good binocular vision at near to far distances, without
      developing cataract, suggesting its feasibility as a new surgical presbyopic
      approach for early presbyopia.

PMID- 28900206
TI  - Hybrid organic-inorganic polariton laser.
AB  - Organic materials exhibit exceptional room temperature light emitting
      characteristics and enormous exciton oscillator strength, however, their low
      charge carrier mobility prevent their use in high-performance applications such
      as electrically pumped lasers. In this context, ultralow threshold polariton
      lasers, whose operation relies on Bose-Einstein condensation of polaritons - part
      light part-matter quasiparticles, are highly advantageous since the requirement
      for high carrier injection no longer holds. Polariton lasers have been
      successfully implemented using inorganic materials owing to their excellent
      electrical properties, however, in most cases their relatively small exciton
      binding energies limit their operation temperature. It has been suggested that
      combining organic and inorganic semiconductors in a hybrid microcavity,
      exploiting resonant interactions between these materials would permit to
      dramatically enhance optical nonlinearities and operation temperature. Here, we
      obtain cavity mediated hybridization of GaAs and J-aggregate excitons in the
      strong coupling regime under electrical injection of carriers as well as
      polariton lasing up to 200 K under non-resonant optical pumping. Our
      demonstration paves the way towards realization of hybrid organic-inorganic
      microcavities which utilise the organic component for sustaining high temperature
      polariton condensation and efficient electrical injection through inorganic
      structure.

PMID- 28900205
TI  - ApoE4-associated phospholipid dysregulation contributes to development of Tau
      hyper-phosphorylation after traumatic brain injury.
AB  - The apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) genotype combines with traumatic brain injury (TBI)
      to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, the
      underlying mechanism(s) is not well-understood. We found that after exposure to
      repetitive blast-induced TBI, phosphoinositol biphosphate (PIP2) levels in
      hippocampal regions of young ApoE3 mice were elevated and associated with
      reduction in expression of a PIP2 degrading enzyme, synaptojanin 1 (synj1). In
      contrast, hippocampal PIP2 levels in ApoE4 mice did not increase after blast TBI.
      Following blast TBI, phospho-Tau (pTau) levels were unchanged in ApoE3 mice,
      whereas in ApoE4 mice, levels of pTau were significantly increased. To determine
      the causal relationship between changes in pTau and PIP2/synj1 levels after TBI,
      we tested if down-regulation of synj1 prevented blast-induced Tau hyper
      phosphorylation. Knockdown of synj1 decreased pTau levels in vitro, and abolished
      blast-induced elevation of pTau in vivo. Blast TBI increased glycogen synthase
      kinase (GSK)-3beta activities in ApoE4 mice, and synj1 knockdown inhibited
      GSK3beta phosphorylation of Tau. Together, these data suggest that ApoE proteins
      regulate brain phospholipid homeostasis in response to TBI and that the ApoE4
      isoform is dysfunctional in this process. Down-regulation of synj1 rescues blast
      induced phospholipid dysregulation and prevents development of Tau hyper
      phosphorylation in ApoE4 carriers.

PMID- 28900207
TI  - Reevaluating the prognostic significance of male gender for papillary thyroid
      carcinoma and microcarcinoma: a SEER database analysis.
AB  - The prognostic significance of gender remains controversial for papillary thyroid
      carcinoma (PTC). In this study, we investigated the associations between gender
      and prognosis in a large cohort of patients with PTC or PTMC that was diagnosed
      in 2010-2013 and recorded in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results
      cancer registry. The mean +/- standard deviation duration of survival for all
      patients with PTC during the study period was 21.47 +/- 14.04 months. In Kaplan
      Meier analyses of the entire cohort of PTC patients, survival curves for all
      cause death and cancer-specific death declined more sharply for men than for
      women. Similar results were observed in analyses of patients with PTCs > 1 cm and
      PTMC. After adjusting for potential confounders, hazard rates indicated
      significantly elevated all-cause mortality for men in analyses of all PTCs, PTCs
      > 1 cm, and PTMCs. However, in a confounder-adjusted analysis of patients with
      PTMC, the hazard rate did not indicate significantly higher mortality for men
      than for women. Our study demonstrated that male gender is an independent poor
      prognostic factor for all PTCs and for PTCs > 1 cm. However, gender is not an
      independent prognostic factor for cause-specific survival in PTMC.

PMID- 28900208
TI  - Qualitative and quantitative responses to press perturbations in ecological
      networks.
AB  - Predicting the sign of press perturbation responses in ecological networks is
      challenging, due to the poor knowledge of the strength of the direct interactions
      among the species, and to the entangled coexistence of direct and indirect
      effects. We show in this paper that, for a class of networks that includes
      mutualistic and monotone networks, the sign of press perturbation responses can
      be qualitatively determined based only on the sign pattern of the community
      matrix, without any knowledge of parameter values. For other classes of networks,
      we show that a semi-qualitative approach yields sufficient conditions for
      community matrices with a given sign pattern to exhibit mutualistic responses to
      press perturbations; quantitative conditions can be provided as well for
      community matrices that are eventually nonnegative. We also present a
      computational test that can be applied to any class of networks so as to check
      whether the sign of the responses to press perturbations is constant in spite of
      parameter variations.

PMID- 28900209
TI  - Iron oxide nanoparticles can cross plasma membranes.
AB  - Iron deficiency is a major global public health problem despite decades of
      efforts with iron supplementation and fortification. The issue lies on the poor
      tolerability of the standard of care soluble iron salts, leading to non
      compliance and ineffective correction of iron-deficiency anaemia. Iron
      nanoformulations have been proposed to fortify food and feed to address these
      issues. Since it was just postulated that some nanoparticles (NPs) might cross
      the plasma membrane also by a non-endocytotic pathway gaining direct access to
      the cytoplasm, we have studied iron NP uptake under this perspective. To this
      aim, we have used a recently tested protocol that has proven to be capable of
      following the cytoplasmic changes of iron concentration dynamics and we have
      demonstrated that iron oxide NPs, but not zerovalent iron NPs nor iron oxide NPs
      that were surrounded by a protein corona, can cross plasma membranes. By
      electrophysiology, we have also shown that a small and transient increase of
      membrane conductance parallels NP crossing of plasma membrane.

PMID- 28900211
TI  - The controllable destabilization route for synthesis of low cytotoxic magnetic
      nanospheres with photonic response.
AB  - We present a new approach for obtaining magnetic nanospheres with tunable size
      and high magnetization. The method is implemented via controllable
      destabilization of a stable magnetite hydrosol with glycerol, leading to the
      formation of aggregates followed by their stabilization with the citrate shell.
      This inexpensive, simple and easily scalable approach required no special
      equipment. The obtained samples were characterized by high stability and
      magnetization over 80 emu/g. Effects of synthetic conditions on physicochemical
      properties of nanospheres were monitored by hydrodynamic size, zeta potential,
      and polydispersity of magnetite aggregates. The size of the resulting aggregates
      varied between 650 nm and 40 nm, and the zeta potential from +30 mV to -43 mV by
      changing the ratio of the reagents. Under optimal conditions the clusters with a
      diameter of 80 nm were produced with a narrow size distribution +/-3 nm. These
      characteristics allowed for optical response to the external magnetic field,
      thereby producing a magnetic photon liquid. Due to biocompatibility of the
      reagents used in the synthesis the nanospheres evoked a negligible cytotoxicity
      for human non-malignant and tumor cell lines. These results make new materials
      valuable in photonics and biomedicine.

PMID- 28900212
TI  - A nano-mechanical instability as primary contribution to rolling resistance.
AB  - Rolling resistance ranks among the top ten automobile megatrends, because it is
      directly linked to fuel efficiency and emissions reduction. The mechanisms
      controlling this phenomenon are hidden deeply inside the complexity of tire tread
      materials and do elude direct experimental observation. Here we use atomistic
      molecular modelling to identify a novel nano-mechanical mechanism for dissipative
      loss in silica filled elastomers when the latter are subjected to dynamic strain.
      The force-vs-particle separation curve of a single silica particle-to-silica
      particle contact, embedded inside a polyisoprene rubber matrix, is obtained,
      while the contact is opened and closed by a cyclic force. We confirm the
      occurrence of spontaneous relative displacements ('jolts') of the filler
      particles. These jolts give rise to energy dissipation in addition to the usual
      viscous loss in the polymer matrix. As the temperature is increased the new loss
      mechanism becomes dominant. This has important technical implications for the
      control and reduction of tire rolling resistance as well as for many other
      elastomer composite applications involving dynamic loading.

PMID- 28900210
TI  - Alterations of Brain Functional Architecture Associated with Psychopathic Traits
      in Male Adolescents with Conduct Disorder.
AB  - Psychopathic traits of conduct disorder (CD) have a core callous-unemotional (CU)
      component and an impulsive-antisocial component. Previous task-driven fMRI
      studies have suggested that psychopathic traits are associated with dysfunction
      of several brain areas involved in different cognitive functions (e.g., empathy,
      reward, and response inhibition etc.), but the relationship between psychopathic
      traits and intrinsic brain functional architecture has not yet been explored in
      CD. Using a holistic brain-wide functional connectivity analysis, this study
      delineated the alterations in brain functional networks in patients with conduct
      disorder. Compared with matched healthy controls, we found decreased anti
      synchronization between the fronto-parietal network (FPN) and default mode
      network (DMN), and increased intra-network synchronization within the
      frontothalamic-basal ganglia, right frontoparietal, and temporal/limbic/visual
      networks in CD patients. Correlation analysis showed that the weakened FPN-DMN
      interaction was associated with CU traits, while the heightened intra-network
      functional connectivity was related to impulsivity traits in CD patients. Our
      findings suggest that decoupling of cognitive control (FPN) with social
      understanding of others (DMN) is associated with the CU traits, and hyper
      functions of the reward and motor inhibition systems elevate impulsiveness in CD.

PMID- 28900213
TI  - Copine-7 binds to the cell surface receptor, nucleolin, and regulates
      ciliogenesis and Dspp expression during odontoblast differentiation.
AB  - Tooth development is a progressive process regulated by interactions between
      epithelial and mesenchymal tissues. Our previous studies showed that copine-7
      (Cpne7), a dental epithelium-derived protein, is a signalling molecule that is
      secreted by preameloblasts and regulates the differentiation of preodontoblasts
      into odontoblasts. However, the mechanisms involved in the translocation of Cpne7
      from preameloblasts to preodontoblasts and the functions of Cpne7 during
      odontogenesis are poorly understood. Here, we showed that the internalization of
      Cpne7 was mediated primarily by caveolae. This process was initiated by Cpne7
      binding to the cell surface protein, nucleolin. Treatment with recombinant Cpne7
      protein (rCpne7) in human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) caused an increase in the
      number of ciliated cells. The expression level of cilium components, Ift88 and
      Kif3a, and Dspp were increased by rCpne7. Treatment with Ift88 siRNA in hDPCs and
      MDPC-23 cells significantly down-regulated the expression of Dspp, an
      odontoblastic differentiation marker gene. Furthermore, the treatment with
      nucleolin siRNA in MDPC-23 cells decreased the expression of Dmp1, Dspp, and
      cilium components. Our findings suggested that the binding of Cpne7 with its
      receptor, nucleolin, has an important function involving Cpne7 internalization
      into preodontoblasts and regulation of Dspp expression through ciliogenesis
      during odontoblast differentiation.

PMID- 28900215
TI  - Highly Effective Broad Spectrum Chimeric Larvicide That Targets Vector Mosquitoes
      Using a Lipophilic Protein.
AB  - Two mosquitocidal bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) and
      Lysinibacillus sphaericus (Ls) are the active ingredients of commercial
      larvicides used widely to control vector mosquitoes. Bti's efficacy is due to
      synergistic interactions among four proteins, Cry4Aa, Cry4Ba, Cry11Aa, and
      Cyt1Aa, whereas Ls's activity is caused by Bin, a heterodimer consisting of BinA,
      the toxin, and BinB, a midgut-binding protein. Cyt1Aa is lipophilic and
      synergizes Bti Cry proteins by increasing midgut binding. We fused Bti's Cyt1Aa
      to Ls's BinA yielding a broad-spectrum chimeric protein highly mosquitocidal to
      important vector species including Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus, and
      Aedes aegypti, the latter an important Zika and Dengue virus vector insensitive
      to Ls Bin. Aside from its vector control potential, our bioassay data, in
      contrast to numerous other reports, provide strong evidence that BinA does not
      require conformational interactions with BinB or microvillar membrane lipids to
      bind to its intracellular target and kill mosquitoes.

PMID- 28900216
TI  - Elastic properties of single-walled carbon nanotube thin film by nanoindentation
      test.
AB  - This paper carries out a preliminary study for the elastic properties of single
      walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin film. The SWCNT thin films (~250 nm) are
      prepared by a simple and cost effective method of spin-coating technology.
      Nanoindentation test with a Berkovich indenter is used to determine the hardness
      and elastic modulus of the SWCNT thin film. It is important to note that the
      elastic properties of SWCNT film are indirectly derived from the information of
      load and displacement of the indenter under certain assumptions, deviation of the
      'test value' is inevitable. In this regard, uncertainty analysis is an effective
      process in guarantying the validity of the material properties. This paper
      carries out uncertainty estimation for the tested elastic properties of SWCNT
      film by nanoindentation. Experimental results and uncertainty analysis indicates
      that nanoindentation test could be an effective and reliable method in determine
      the elastic properties of SWCNT thin film. Moreover, the obtained values of
      hardness and elastic modulus can further benefit the design of SWCNT thin film
      based components.

PMID- 28900214
TI  - Structure-function correlations in Retinitis Pigmentosa patients with partially
      preserved vision: a voxel-based morphometry study.
AB  - Retinitis Pigmentosa is a group of hereditary retinal dystrophy disorders
      associated with progressive peripheral visual field loss. The impact of this
      retinal loss in cortical gray matter volume has not been addressed before in
      Retinitis Pigmentosa patients with low vision. Voxel-based morphometry was
      applied to study whole brain gray matter volume changes in 27 Retinitis
      Pigmentosa patients with partially preserved vision and 38 age- and gender
      matched normally sighted controls to determine whether peripheral visual loss can
      lead to changes in gray matter volume. We found significant reductions in gray
      matter volume that were restricted to the occipital cortex of patients. The
      anteromedial pattern of reduced gray matter volume in visual primary and
      association cortices was significantly correlated with the extent of the
      peripheral visual field deficit in this cohort. Moreover, this pattern was found
      to be associated with the extent of visual field loss. In summary, we found
      specific visual cortical gray matter loss in Retinitis Pigmentosa patients
      associated with their visual function profile. The spatial pattern of gray matter
      loss is consistent with disuse-driven neuronal atrophy which may have clinical
      implications for disease management, including prosthetic restoration strategies.

PMID- 28900217
TI  - Large strain synergetic material deformation enabled by hybrid nanolayer
      architectures.
AB  - Nanolayered metallic composites are much stronger than pure nanocrystalline
      metals due to their high density of hetero-interfaces. However, they are usually
      mechanically instable due to the deformation incompatibility among the soft and
      hard constituent layers promoting shear instability. Here we designed a hybrid
      material with a heterogeneous multi-nanolayer architecture. It consists of
      alternating 10 nm and 100 nm-thick Cu/Zr bilayers which deform compatibly in both
      stress and strain by utilizing the layers' intrinsic strength, strain hardening
      and thickness, an effect referred to as synergetic deformation. Micropillar tests
      show that the 6.4 GPa-hard 10 nm Cu/Zr bilayers and the 3.3 GPa 100 nm Cu layers
      deform in a compatible fashion up to 50% strain. Shear instabilities are entirely
      suppressed. Synergetic strengthening of 768 MPa (83% increase) compared to the
      rule of mixture is observed, reaching a total strength of 1.69 GPa. We present a
      model that serves as a design guideline for such synergetically deforming nano
      hybrid materials.

PMID- 28900218
TI  - Sources of Variation in the Gut Microbial Community of Lycaeides melissa
      Caterpillars.
AB  - Microbes can mediate insect-plant interactions and have been implicated in major
      evolutionary transitions to herbivory. Whether microbes also play a role in more
      modest host shifts or expansions in herbivorous insects is less clear. Here we
      evaluate the potential for gut microbial communities to constrain or facilitate
      host plant use in the Melissa blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa). We conducted a
      larval rearing experiment where caterpillars from two populations were fed plant
      tissue from two hosts. We used 16S rRNA sequencing to quantify the relative
      effects of sample type (frass versus whole caterpillar), diet (plant species),
      butterfly population and development (caterpillar age) on the composition and
      diversity of the caterpillar gut microbial communities, and secondly, to test for
      a relationship between microbial community and larval performance. Gut microbial
      communities varied over time (that is, with caterpillar age) and differed between
      frass and whole caterpillar samples. Diet (host plant) and butterfly population
      had much more limited effects on microbial communities. We found no evidence that
      gut microbe community composition was associated with caterpillar weight, and
      thus, our results provide no support for the hypothesis that variation in
      microbial community affects performance in L. melissa.

PMID- 28900219
TI  - Rapid Staining of Circulating Tumor Cells in Three-Dimensional Microwell Dialysis
      (3D-MUDialysis) Chip.
AB  - The conventional techniques to detect circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are lengthy
      and the use of centrifugal forces in this technique may cause cell mortality. As
      the number of CTCs in patients is quite low, the present study aims towards a
      gentler diagnostic procedure so as not to lose too many CTCs during the sample
      preparation process. Hence, a Three-Dimensional Microwell dialysis (3D
      MUDialysis) chip was designed in this study to perform gentle fluorescence
      removal process by using dialysis-type flow processes without centrifuging. This
      leads to a minimum manual handling of CTCs obtained in our study without any
      contamination. In addition, a rapid staining process which necessitates only
      about half the time of conventional techniques (35 minutes instead of 90 minutes)
      is being illustrated by the employment of dialysis process (by dynamically
      removing water and waste at once) instead of only static diffusion (by statically
      removing only waste by diffusion). Staining efficiency of our technique is
      improved over conventional staining because of the flow rate in 3D-MUDialysis
      staining. Moreover, the staining process has been validated with clinical whole
      blood samples from three TNM stage IV colon cancer patients. The current
      technique may be termed as "miniature rapid staining and dialysing system".

PMID- 28900220
TI  - Diffusion kurtosis imaging evaluating epithelial-mesenchymal transition in
      colorectal carcinoma xenografts model: a preliminary study.
AB  - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in aggravating
      invasiveness and metastatic behavior of colorectal cancer (CRC). Identification
      of EMT is important for structuring treatment strategy, but has not yet been
      studied by using noninvasive imaging modality. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)
      is an advanced diffusion weighted model that could reflect tissue microstructural
      changes in vivo. In this study, EMT was induced in CRC cells (HCT116) by
      overexpressing Snail1 gene. We aimed to investigate the value of DKI in
      identifying EMT in CRC and decipher the correlations between DKI-derived
      parameters and EMT biomarker E-cadherin and cell proliferative index Ki-67
      expression. Our results revealed that HCT116/Snail1 cells presented changes
      consistent with EMT resulting in significant increase in migration and invasion
      capacities. DKI could identify CRC with EMT, in which the DKI-derived parameter
      diffusivity was significantly lower, and kurtosis was significantly higher than
      those in the CRC/Control. Diffusivity was negatively and kurtosis was positively
      correlated with Ki-67 expression, whereas diffusivity was positively and kurtosis
      was negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression. Therefore, our study
      concluded that DKI can identify EMT in CRC xenograft tumors. EMT-contained CRC
      tumors with high Ki-67 and low E-cadherin expression were vulnerable to have
      lower diffusivity and higher kurtosis coefficients.

PMID- 28900221
TI  - Lasing by driven atoms-cavity system in collective strong coupling regime.
AB  - The interaction of laser cooled atoms with resonant light is determined by the
      natural linewidth of the excited state. An optical cavity is another optically
      resonant system where the loss from the cavity determines the resonant optical
      response of the system. The near resonant combination of an optical Fabry-Perot
      cavity with laser cooled and trapped atoms couples two distinct optical
      resonators via light and has great potential for precision measurements and the
      creation of versatile quantum optics systems. Here we show how driven magneto
      optically trapped atoms in collective strong coupling regime with the cavity
      leads to lasing at a frequency red detuned from the atomic transition. Lasing is
      demonstrated experimentally by the observation of a lasing threshold accompanied
      by polarization and spatial mode purity, and line-narrowing in the outcoupled
      light. Spontaneous emission into the cavity mode by the driven atoms stimulates
      lasing action, which is capable of operating as a continuous wave laser in steady
      state, without a seed laser. The system is modeled theoretically, and qualitative
      agreement with experimentally observed lasing is seen. Our result opens up a
      range of new measurement possibilities with this system.

PMID- 28900222
TI  - A mesocosm study of oxygen and trace metal dynamics in sediment microniches of
      reactive organic material.
AB  - Deposition of particulate organic matter (POM) induces diagenetic hot spots at
      the sediment-water interface (SWI). Here we explore the effects of intensive POM
      degradation for metal mobilization at the SWI. By using a combined planar optode
      DGT (diffusive gradient in thin-films) sensor we obtained simultaneous
      measurements of dissolved O2 and trace metal dynamics around an aggregate of
      reactive organic matter placed on the SWI of a sediment mesocosm. The aggregate
      induced a rapid, highly localized, decrease in O2 concentration, resulting in an
      anoxic feature at the SWI. Co-located with this feature, we observed intense Fe
      and Mn mobilization, removal of Co, Ni and Zn and found evidence for the
      concurrent release and precipitation of Pb within a small confined volume. We
      also identified two small microniches in the anoxic sediment below the SWI,
      defined by elevated trace metal mobilization. Differences between the metal
      release rates in these two microniches indicate that they were formed by the
      mineralisation of different types of organic matter buried in the sediment. Our
      results provide direct empirical evidence for the potential importance of POM
      induced reactive microniches when considering the fluxes of metals from and
      within aquatic sediments, and suggest that other elements' cycles may also be
      affected.

PMID- 28900223
TI  - Accurate Design of Low Backscattering Metasurface Using Iterative Fourier
      Transform Algorithm.
AB  - An accurate method is proposed to design low-backscattering metasurfaces
      efficiently using an iterative Fourier transform algorithm, which avoids the
      large amount of time-consuming numerical simulations of complicated
      electromagnetic problems and provides satisfactory performance to reduce the
      backward scattering. As an example of the application, a broadband low
      backscattering metasurface is designed, fabricated, and characterized. Both full
      wave simulation and measured results reveal that the proposed method offers a
      rapid and efficient tool to manipulate the scattering behaviors of the
      metasurface, and thus realizes significant scattering reductions.

PMID- 28900224
TI  - Magnetoelectric oxide based stochastic spin device towards solving combinatorial
      optimization problems.
AB  - Solving combinatorial optimization problems is challenging. Mapping onto the
      ground-state search problem of the Ising Hamiltonian is a promising approach in
      this field, where the components of the optimization set are modeled as
      artificial spin units. The search for a suitable physical system to realize these
      spin units is an active area of research. In this work, we have demonstrated a
      scheme to model the Ising Hamiltonian with multiferroic oxide/nanomagnet units.
      Although nanomagnet-based implementation has been shown before, we have utilized
      the magnetoelectric effect of the multiferroics to make voltagecontrolled spin
      units with less current flow in the network. Moreover, we have proposed a unique
      approach of configuring the coupling network of the system directly from the
      Ising Hamiltonian of a traveling salesman problem (TSP). We have developed a
      coupled micromagnetic simulation framework and solved TSPs of size 26-city and 15
      city with an accuracy of 100% for the latter.

PMID- 28900225
TI  - The neural basis of spatial vision losses in the dysfunctional visual system.
AB  - Human vision relies on correct information processing from the eye to various
      visual areas. Disturbances in the visual perception of simple features are
      believed to come from low-level network (e.g., V1) disruptions. In the present
      study, we modelled monocular losses in spatial vision through plausible multiple
      network modifications in early visual coding. We investigated perceptual deficits
      in anisometropic amblyopia and used the monocular tilt illusion as a probe of
      primary visual cortex orientation coding and inhibitory interactions. The
      psychophysical results showed that orientation misperception was higher in
      amblyopic eyes (AE) than in the fellow and neurotypical eyes and was correlated
      with the subject's AE peak contrast sensitivity. The model fitted to the
      experimental results allowed to split these observations between different
      network characteristics by showing that these observations were explained by
      broader orientation tuning widths in AEs and stronger lateral inhibition in
      abnormal amblyopic system that had strong contrast sensitivity losses. Through
      psychophysics measures and computational modelling of V1, our study links
      multiple perceptual changes with localized modifications in the primary visual
      cortex.

PMID- 28900226
TI  - A Controllable and Integrated Pump-enabled Microfluidic Chip and Its Application
      in Droplets Generating.
AB  - A microfluidic chip with a controllable and integrated piezoelectric pump was
      proposed and demonstrated, where the pump was designed as a micro-actuator based
      on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) organic piezoelectric film. In this case, the
      pump should integrate with the microfluidics device very well into one chip. The
      flow rate can be precisely controlled in the range of 0-300 ul/min for water by
      tuning the Vpp and frequency of Alternating Current (AC) voltage applied on the
      diaphragm. To analyze the relationship between the flow rate and the deflection
      of diaphragm, the deformations of diaphragm at different voltages were
      researched. The displacement of diaphragm was defined as 17.2 um at the voltages
      of 3.5 kV, 5 Hz when the pump chamber was full of water. We have used the
      integrated microfluidic chip with two pumps for droplet generation to demonstrate
      its great potential for application in droplet-based microfluidic chip.

PMID- 28900228
TI  - Fabrication and characterisation of magnetic graphene oxide incorporated
      Fe3O4@polyaniline for the removal of bisphenol A, t-octyl-phenol, and alpha
      naphthol from water.
AB  - In this study, we fabricated a novel material composed of magnetic graphene oxide
      incorporated Fe3O4@polyaniline (Fe3O4@PANI-GO) using a modified Hummers' method,
      solvothermal, and two-step polymerisation method. The resulting products were
      characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated
      that magnetic Fe3O4@PANI particles were successfully loaded onto the surface of
      the graphene oxide. Further Fe3O4@PANI-GO was investigated to remove bisphenol
      A(BPA), alpha-naphthol, and t-octyl-phenol (t-OP) from water samples by magnetic
      solid phase extraction. Under the optimal conditions, the Fe3O4@PANI-GO composite
      exhibited good adsorption capacity for t-OP, BPA, and alpha-naphthol, and the
      adsorption of these followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Adsorption
      isotherms fit the Langmuir model, and the adsorption was an endothermic and
      spontaneous process. This work indicated that Fe3O4@PANI-GO earned great
      application prospect for removing phenolic contaminants from polluted water.

PMID- 28900227
TI  - Long noncoding RNAs in the model species Brachypodium distachyon.
AB  - Eukaryotic genomes are pervasively transcribed and only a small portion of the
      transcribed sequences belongs to protein coding genes. High-throughput sequencing
      technology contributed to consolidate this perspective, allowing the
      identification of numerous noncoding RNAs with key roles in biological processes.
      Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nt with limited
      phylogenetic conservation, expressed at low levels and characterized by
      tissue/organ specific expression profiles. Although a large set of lncRNAs has
      been identified, the functional roles of lncRNAs are only beginning to be
      recognized and the molecular mechanism of lncRNA-mediated gene regulation remains
      largely unexplored, particularly in plants where their annotation and
      characterization are still incomplete. Using public and proprietary poly-(A)+ RNA
      seq data as well as a collection of full length ESTs from several organs,
      developmental stages and stress conditions in three Brachypodium distachyon
      inbred lines, we describe the identification and the main features of thousands
      lncRNAs. Here we provide a genome-wide characterization of lncRNAs, highlighting
      their intraspecies conservation and describing their expression patterns among
      several organs/tissues and stress conditions. This work represents a fundamental
      resource to deepen our knowledge on long noncoding RNAs in C3 cereals, allowing
      the Brachypodium community to exploit these results in future research programs.

PMID- 28900229
TI  - A Class II small heat shock protein OsHsp18.0 plays positive roles in both biotic
      and abiotic defense responses in rice.
AB  - Bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is one of the most
      devastating diseases of rice. However, the molecular mechanism underpinning the
      Xoo resistance of rice is still not fully understood. Here, we report that a
      class II small heat shock protein gene, OsHsp18.0, whose expression was
      differentially induced between a resistant and a susceptible variety in response
      to Xoo infection, plays positive roles in both biotic and abiotic resistance. The
      molecular chaperone activity of OsHsp18.0 was confirmed by a bacterium-expressed
      glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. Overexpression of OsHsp18.0 in a
      susceptible rice variety significantly enhanced its resistance to multiple Xoo
      strains, whereas silencing of OsHsp18.0 in a resistant variety drastically
      increased its susceptibility. The enhanced Xoo resistance in OsHsp18.0
      overexpressing lines was positively correlated with the sensitized salicylic acid
      dependent defense responses. In addition to disease resistance, the OsHsp18.0
      overexpressing and silencing lines exhibited enhanced and reduced tolerance,
      respectively, to heat and salt treatments. The subcellular localization study
      revealed that the green fluorescent protein-OsHsp18.0 was enriched on the nuclear
      envelope, suggesting a potential role of OsHsp18.0 in the nucleo-cytoplasmic
      trafficking. Together, our results reveal that the rice OsHsp18.0 is a positive
      regulator in both biotic and abiotic defense responses.

PMID- 28900230
TI  - The Influence of the Position of the Double Bond and Ring Size on the Stability
      of Hydrogen Bonded Complexes.
AB  - To study the influence of the position of the double bond and ring size on the
      stability of hydrogen bonded complexes, the 1:1 complexes formed between 2,2,2
      trifluoroethanol (TFE) and three heterocyclic compounds including 2,3
      dihydrofuran (2,3-DHF), 2,5-dihydrofuran (2,5-DHF) and 3,4-dihydropyran (3,4-DHP)
      were investigated systematically. The formation of hydrogen bonded TFE-2,3-DHF,
      TFE-2,5-DHF and TFE-3,4-DHP complexes were identified by gas phase FTIR
      spectroscopy at room temperature, and the OH-stretching fundamental transition of
      TFE was red shifted upon complexation. The competition between the O atom and pi
      electrons bonding sites within the complexes was studied, and the O-H...pi type
      hydrogen bond was found to be less stable than the O-H...O in all three cases.
      The observed red shifts of the OH-stretching fundamental transitions in the
      complexes were attributed to the formation of O-H...O hydrogen bond. Equilibrium
      constants of the complexation reactions were determined from measured and
      calculated OH-stretching fundamental intensities. Both theoretical calculations
      and experimental results reveal that the hydrogen bond strengths in the complexes
      follow the sequence: TFE-2,5-DHF > TFE-2,3-DHF ~ TFE-3,4-DHP, thus the position
      of the double bond exerts significantly larger influence than ring size on the
      stability of the selected hydrogen bonded complexes.

PMID- 28900232
TI  - Three novel structural phenomena in the cellular ontogeny of Oenococcus oeni from
      northern China.
AB  - Stress resistance and growth are important aspects to consider when engineering
      Oenococcus oeni strains for winemaking. We identified 3 previously unreported
      structural phenomena in the cell ontogeny of O. oeni sampled in northern China.
      We show that budding and binary fission (BBF) occur simultaneously in the growth
      process; that a novel 'pomegranate-shaped structure' (PSS) occurs mainly in the
      stationary and death phases; and that symbiosis and cyclical phenomena (SCP)
      occur throughout the various cell growth phases. These observations add to the
      current knowledge of the cell growth process of O. oeni. BBF, PSS, and SCP
      sufficiently describe the characteristics of the cellular ontogeny of O. oeni. We
      highlight a newly identified structure that explains the complex cell growth
      process. These findings will help understand the growth and development of O.
      oeni, supplementing the knowledge base of the established phases and providing
      new perspectives into its complex growth patterns.

PMID- 28900231
TI  - Functional neural changes associated with acquired amusia across different stages
      of recovery after stroke.
AB  - Brain damage causing acquired amusia disrupts the functional music processing
      system, creating a unique opportunity to investigate the critical neural
      architectures of musical processing in the brain. In this longitudinal fMRI study
      of stroke patients (N = 41) with a 6-month follow-up, we used natural vocal music
      (sung with lyrics) and instrumental music stimuli to uncover brain activation and
      functional network connectivity changes associated with acquired amusia and its
      recovery. In the acute stage, amusic patients exhibited decreased activation in
      right superior temporal areas compared to non-amusic patients during instrumental
      music listening. During the follow-up, the activation deficits expanded to
      comprise a wide-spread bilateral frontal, temporal, and parietal network. The
      amusics showed less activation deficits to vocal music, suggesting preserved
      processing of singing in the amusic brain. Compared to non-recovered amusics,
      recovered amusics showed increased activation to instrumental music in bilateral
      frontoparietal areas at 3 months and in right middle and inferior frontal areas
      at 6 months. Amusia recovery was also associated with increased functional
      connectivity in right and left frontoparietal attention networks to instrumental
      music. Overall, our findings reveal the dynamic nature of deficient activation
      and connectivity patterns in acquired amusia and highlight the role of dorsal
      networks in amusia recovery.

PMID- 28900233
TI  - COPT2, a plasma membrane located copper transporter, is involved in the uptake of
      Au in Arabidopsis.
AB  - The mechanism of gold nanoparticle formation and genes involved in such
      processes, especially Au transport in plants are not understood. Previous reports
      pointed to the probable role of COPT2 in Au transport based on the transcript
      accumulation of COPT2 under Au exposure. Here, we provide evidence revealing the
      additional role of COPT2 for Au mobilization in yeast and Arabidopsis. The COPT2
      transcripts significantly accumulated in the root of Arabidopsis under Au
      exposure. The expression of COPT2 restores Cu uptake ability in
      ctr1Deltactr3Delta mutants and leads to Au sensitivity in yeast, which is
      comparable to Cu in growth kinetics experiments. The metal measurement data
      showed that the Au level was increased in COPT2, expressing yeast cells compared
      to vector transformed control. The copt2 mutant of Arabidopsis displayed a
      similar growth pattern to that of Col-0 under Au treatment. However, a notable
      phenotypic difference was noticed in three-week-old plants treated with and
      without Au. Consistent with yeast, Au uptake was reduced in the copt2 mutant of
      Arabidopsis. Together, these results clearly reveal the Au uptake capability of
      COPT2 in yeast and Arabidopsis. This is the first report showing the potential
      role of any transporter towards uptake and accumulation of Au in plants.

PMID- 28900234
TI  - Urea deep placement reduces yield-scaled greenhouse gas (CH4 and N2O) and NO
      emissions from a ground cover rice production system.
AB  - Ground cover rice production system (GCRPS), i.e., paddy soils being covered by
      thin plastic films with soil moisture being maintained nearly saturated status,
      is a promising technology as increased yields are achieved with less irrigation
      water. However, increased soil aeration and temperature under GCRPS may cause
      pollution swapping in greenhouse gas (GHG) from CH4 to N2O emissions. A 2-year
      experiment was performed, taking traditional rice cultivation as a reference, to
      assess the impacts of N-fertilizer placement methods on CH4, N2O and NO emissions
      and rice yields under GCRPS. Averaging across all rice seasons and N-fertilizer
      treatments, the GHG emissions for GCRPS were 1973 kg CO2-eq ha-1 (or 256 kg CO2
      eq Mg-1), which is significantly lower than that of traditional cultivation (4186
      kg CO2-eq ha-1or 646 kg CO2-eq Mg-1). Furthermore, if urea was placed at a 10-15
      cm soil depth instead of broadcasting, the yield-scaled GHG emissions from GCRPS
      were further reduced from 377 to 222 kg CO2-eq Mg-1, as N2O emissions greatly
      decreased while yields increased. Urea deep placement also reduced yield-scaled
      NO emissions by 54%. Therefore, GCRPS with urea deep placement is a climate- and
      environment-smart management, which allows for maximal rice yields at minimal GHG
      and NO emissions.

PMID- 28900235
TI  - Neural correlates of ambient thermal sensation: An fMRI study.
AB  - An increasing number of biometeorological and psychological studies have
      demonstrated the importance and complexity of the processes involved in
      environmental thermal perception in humans. However, extant functional imaging
      data on thermal perception have yet to fully reveal the neural mechanisms
      underlying these processes because most studies were performed using local
      thermal stimulation and did not dissociate thermal sensation from comfort. Thus,
      for the first time, the present study employed functional magnetic resonance
      imaging (fMRI) and manipulated ambient temperature during brain measurement to
      independently explore the neural correlates of thermal sensation and comfort.
      There were significant correlations between the sensation of a lower temperature
      and activation in the left dorsal posterior insula, putamen, amygdala, and
      bilateral retrosplenial cortices but no significant correlations were observed
      between brain activation and thermal comfort. The dorsal posterior insula
      corresponds to the phylogenetically new thermosensory cortex whereas the limbic
      structures (i.e., amygdala and retrosplenial cortex) and dorsal striatum may be
      associated with supramodal emotional representations and the behavioral
      motivation to obtain heat, respectively. The co-involvement of these
      phylogenetically new and old systems may explain the psychological processes
      underlying the flexible psychological and behavioral thermo-environmental
      adaptations that are unique to humans.

PMID- 28900236
TI  - India plate angular velocity and contemporary deformation rates from continuous
      GPS measurements from 1996 to 2015.
AB  - We estimate a new angular velocity for the India plate and contemporary
      deformation rates in the plate interior and along its seismically active margins
      from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements from 1996 to 2015 at 70
      continuous and 3 episodic stations. A new India-ITRF2008 angular velocity is
      estimated from 30 GPS sites, which include stations from western and eastern
      regions of the plate interior that were unrepresented or only sparsely sampled in
      previous studies. Our newly estimated India-ITRF2008 Euler pole is located
      significantly closer to the plate with ~3% higher angular velocity than all
      previous estimates and thus predicts more rapid variations in rates and
      directions along the plate boundaries. The 30 India plate GPS site velocities are
      well fit by the new angular velocity, with north and east RMS misfits of only 0.8
      and 0.9 mm/yr, respectively. India fixed velocities suggest an approximate of 1-2
      mm/yr intra-plate deformation that might be concentrated along regional
      dislocations, faults in Peninsular India, Kachchh and Indo-Gangetic plain.
      Relative to our newly-defined India plate frame of reference, the newly estimated
      velocities for 43 other GPS sites along the plate margins give insights into
      active deformation along India's seismically active northern and eastern
      boundaries.

PMID- 28900237
TI  - Difference in gating and doping effects on the band gap in bilayer graphene.
AB  - A band gap is opened in bilayer graphene (BLG) by applying an electric field
      perpendicular to the layer, which offers versatility and controllability in
      graphene-based electronics. The presence of the band gap has been confirmed using
      double-gated BLG devices in which positive and negative gate voltages are applied
      to each side of BLG. An alternative method to induce the electric field is
      electron and hole doping of each side of BLG using electron-transfer adsorbates.
      However, the generation of the band gap by carrier doping is still under
      investigation. Here, we determined whether the electron/hole doping can produce
      the electric field required to open the band gap by measuring the temperature
      dependence of conductivity for BLG placed between electron-donor self-assembled
      monolayers (SAMs) and electron-acceptor molecules. We found that some devices
      exhibited a band gap and others did not. The potentially irregular and variable
      structure of SAMs may affect the configuration of the electric field, yielding
      variable electronic properties. This study demonstrates the essential differences
      between gating and doping.

PMID- 28900238
TI  - Limitations of Qdot labelling compared to directly-conjugated probes for single
      particle tracking of B cell receptor mobility.
AB  - Single-particle tracking (SPT) is a powerful method for exploring single-molecule
      dynamics in living cells with nanoscale spatiotemporal resolution. Photostability
      and bright fluorescence make quantum dots (Qdots) a popular choice for SPT.
      However, their large size could potentially alter the mobility of the molecule of
      interest. To test this, we labelled B cell receptors on the surface of B
      lymphocytes with monovalent Fab fragments of antibodies that were either linked
      to Qdots via streptavidin or directly conjugated to the small organic fluorophore
      Cy3. Imaging of receptor mobility by total internal reflection fluorescence
      microscopy (TIRFM), followed by quantitative single-molecule diffusion and
      confinement analysis, definitively showed that Qdots sterically hinder lateral
      mobility regardless of the substrate to which the cells were adhered. Qdot
      labelling also drastically altered the frequency with which receptors
      transitioned between apparent slow- and fast-moving states and reduced the size
      of apparent confinement zones. Although we show that Qdot-labelled probes can
      detect large differences in receptor mobility, they fail to resolve subtle
      differences in lateral diffusion that are readily detectable using Cy3-labelled
      Fabs. Our findings highlight the utility and limitations of using Qdots for TIRFM
      and wide-field-based SPT, and have significant implications for interpreting SPT
      data.

PMID- 28900239
TI  - Siglec-5 is a novel marker of critical limb ischemia in patients with diabetes.
AB  - Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) is common but uncommonly diagnosed. Improved
      recognition and early diagnostic markers for CLI are needed. Therefore, the aim
      of our study was to identify plasma biomarkers of CLI in patients with type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this study, antibody-coated glass slide arrays were
      used to determine the plasma levels of 274 human cytokines in four matched cases
      of diabetes with and without CLI. Potential biomarkers were confirmed in an
      independent cohort by ELISA. After adjusting for confounding risk factors, only
      plasma level of Siglec-5 remained significantly associated with an increased odds
      ratio (OR) for diabetes with CLI by binary logistic regression analysis. Receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed the optimal cut-off points
      for Siglec-5 was 153.1 ng/ml. After entering Siglec-5, the AUC was 0.99, which
      was higher than that of confounding risk factors only (AUC = 0.97, P < 0.05).
      Siglec-5 was expressed in plaques, but not in healthy artery wall in T2DM
      patients. Elevated plasma Siglec-5 was independently associated with CLI in T2DM.
      Plasma Siglec-5 levels are implicated as an early diagnostic marker of CLI in
      T2DM patients and it may become a target for the prevention or treatment of CLI
      in diabetes.

PMID- 28900240
TI  - Gut microbiota: Microbial metabolites as mimickers of human molecules.

PMID- 28900241
TI  - Propolis envelope in Apis mellifera colonies supports honey bees against the
      pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae.
AB  - Honey bees have immune defenses both as individuals and as a colony (e.g.,
      individual and social immunity). One form of honey bee social immunity is the
      collection of antimicrobial plant resins and the deposition of the resins as a
      propolis envelope within the nest. In this study, we tested the effects of the
      propolis envelope as a natural defense against Paenibacillus larvae, the
      causative agent of American foulbrood (AFB) disease. Using colonies with and
      without a propolis envelope, we quantified: 1) the antimicrobial activity of
      larval food fed to 1-2 day old larvae; and 2) clinical signs of AFB. Our results
      show that the antimicrobial activity of larval food was significantly higher when
      challenged colonies had a propolis envelope compared to colonies without the
      envelope. In addition, colonies with a propolis envelope had significantly
      reduced levels of AFB clinical signs two months following challenge. Our results
      indicate that the propolis envelope serves as an antimicrobial layer around the
      colony that helps protect the brood from bacterial pathogen infection, resulting
      in a lower colony-level infection load.

PMID- 28900242
TI  - Dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as lysophosphatidylcholine, but not as free
      acid, enriches brain DHA and improves memory in adult mice.
AB  - Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is uniquely concentrated in the brain, and is
      essential for its function, but must be mostly acquired from diet. Most of the
      current supplements of DHA, including fish oil and krill oil, do not
      significantly increase brain DHA, because they are hydrolyzed to free DHA and are
      absorbed as triacylglycerol, whereas the transporter at blood brain barrier is
      specific for phospholipid form of DHA. Here we show that oral administration of
      DHA to normal adult mice as lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (40 mg DHA/kg) for 30
      days increased DHA content of the brain by >2-fold. In contrast, the same amount
      of free DHA did not increase brain DHA, but increased the DHA in adipose tissue
      and heart. Moreover, LPC-DHA treatment markedly improved the spatial learning and
      memory, as measured by Morris water maze test, whereas free DHA had no effect.
      The brain derived neurotrophic factor increased in all brain regions with LPC
      DHA, but not with free DHA. These studies show that dietary LPC-DHA efficiently
      increases brain DHA content and improves brain function in adult mammals, thus
      providing a novel nutraceutical approach for the prevention and treatment of
      neurological diseases associated with DHA deficiency, such as Alzheimer's
      disease.

PMID- 28900243
TI  - Normothermic Microwave Irradiation Induces Death of HL-60 Cells through Heat
      Independent Apoptosis.
AB  - Microwaves have been used in various cancer therapies to generate heat and
      increase tumor cell temperature; however, their use is limited by their side
      effects in normal cells and the acquisition of heat resistance. We previously
      developed a microwave irradiation method that kills cultured cancer cells,
      including a human promyelomonocytic leukemia (HL-60) cell line, by maintaining a
      cellular temperature of 37  degrees C during treatment. In the present study, we
      investigated the mechanisms underlying HL-60 cell death during this treatment.
      The microwave-irradiated HL-60 cells appear to undergo caspase-independent
      apoptosis, whereby DNA fragmentation was induced by mitochondrial dysfunction
      related expression of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). Caspase-dependent
      apoptosis was also interrupted by the loss of apoptotic protease-activating
      factor 1 (Apaf-1) and caspase 9. Moreover, these cells did not exhibit a heat
      stress response, as shown by the lack of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70)
      upregulation. Alternatively, in HL-60 cells heated at 42.5  degrees C, HSP70
      expression was upregulated and a pathway resembling death receptor-induced
      apoptosis was activated while mitochondrial function was maintained.
      Collectively, these results suggest that the cell death pathway activated by our
      37  degrees C microwave irradiation method differs from that induced during other
      heating methods and support the use of normothermic microwave irradiation in
      clinical cancer treatments.

PMID- 28900244
TI  - IL-4 enhances IL-10 production in Th1 cells: implications for Th1 and Th2
      regulation.
AB  - IL-10 is an immunomodulatory cytokine with a critical role in limiting
      inflammation in immune-mediated pathologies. The mechanisms leading to IL-10
      expression by CD4+ T cells are being elucidated, with several cytokines
      implicated. We explored the effect of IL-4 on the natural phenomenon of IL-10
      production by a chronically stimulated antigen-specific population of
      differentiated Th1 cells. In vitro, IL-4 blockade inhibited while addition of
      exogenous IL-4 to Th1 cultures enhanced IL-10 production. In the in vivo setting
      of peptide immunotherapy leading to a chronically stimulated Th1 phenotype, lack
      of IL-4Ralpha inhibited the induction of IL-10. Exploring the interplay of Th1
      and Th2 cells through co-culture, Th2-derived IL-4 promoted IL-10 expression by
      Th1 cultures, reducing their pathogenicity in vivo. Co-culture led to upregulated
      c-Maf expression with no decrease in the proportion of T-bet+ cells in these
      cultures. Addition of IL-4 also reduced the encephalitogenic capacity of Th1
      cultures. These data demonstrate that IL-4 contributes to IL-10 production and
      that Th2 cells modulate Th1 cultures towards a self-regulatory phenotype,
      contributing to the cross-regulation of Th1 and Th2 cells. These findings are
      important in the context of Th1 driven diseases since they reveal how the Th1
      phenotype and function can be modulated by IL-4.

PMID- 28900245
TI  - The role of metronomic capecitabine for treatment of recurrent hepatocellular
      carcinoma after liver transplantation.
AB  - The management of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma untreatable with surgical
      options is based on systemic therapy with sorafenib. Due to the high rates of
      adverse events connected to the therapy with sorafenib, metronomic capecitabine
      seems a promising strategy for these patients. We analyzed the data of 38
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma recurrent after liver transplantation
      performed at our center. We compared the outcome of 17 patients receiving
      metronomic capecitabine versus 20 patients experiencing best supportive care and
      versus the data of the literature about treatment with sorafenib. In the group
      treated with metronomic capecitabine we observed an increased survival after
      tumor recurrence at the univariate and multivariate analysis compared to the
      group of best supportive care (median 22 months vs. 7 months, p < 0.01). Data
      from the literature on the use of sorafenib showed outcomes like our study group,
      with similar patient and tumoral features. The episodes of acute rejection and
      the tumor stage at the recurrence showed a correlation with patient survival at
      the univariate analysis. The metronomic capecitabine for hepatocellular cancer
      recurrent after liver transplantation seems effective without important adverse
      events and comparable results to sorafenib.

PMID- 28900246
TI  - MALDI-TOF-MS based identification and molecular characterization of food
      associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Food-borne methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is involved in two
      fold higher mortality rate compared to methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA).
      Eventhough Mysuru recognized as cleanest city in the world, prevalence of food
      contamination is not detailed. The aim is to screen food samples from Mysuru area
      and to characterize MRSA strain, employing MALDI-Biotyper, multiplex PCR to
      distinguish between MRSA and MSSA by PCR-coupled single strand conformation
      polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). Of all the food-borne pathogens, S. aureus contamination
      accounts for 94.37 +/- 0.02% (P < 0.01), strains characterized by means of nuc
      genes, followed by species specific identification by Coa, Eap and SpA genes and
      multiplex PCR to confirm the presence of three methicillin resistant
      staphylococcal species simultaneously using nuc and phoP genes. Amplification of
      mecA gene in 159 isolates confirmed that all strains are methicillin resistant,
      except UOM160 (MSSA) and multi-drug resistant (MDR) in 159 isolates confirmed by
      22 sets of beta-lactam antibiotics. MSSA and MDR-MRSA were discriminated by PCR
      SSCP using nuc gene for the first time. From the present studies, compared to
      conventional methods MALDI-Biotyper emerged as an effective, sensitive (>99%),
      robust (<2 min), and alternative tool for pathogen identification, and we
      developed a PCR-SSCP technique for rapid detection of MSSA and MRSA strains.

PMID- 28900247
TI  - Effects of protease-treated royal jelly on muscle strength in elderly nursing
      home residents: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-response
      study.
AB  - Although we have found that protease-treated royal jelly (pRJ) benefit for the
      skeletal muscle mass and strength in the aged animals, the potential beneficial
      effects have not been evaluated in humans. The aim of this study was to determine
      whether pRJ intake had beneficial effects on muscle strength in elderly nursing
      home residents. One hundred and ninety-four subjects enrolled into this
      multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Subjects
      received either placebo(Group 1), pRJ 1.2 g/d(Group 2), or 4.8 g/d(Group 3). Data
      through 1 year are reported for 163 subjects. The primary outcome measure is
      handgrip strength. Secondary outcomes include several physical performance tests
      (six-minute walk test, timed up and go test, and standing on one leg with eyes
      closed). The dropout rate was 16.0%. The means (95% confidence interval) of
      change in handgrip strength for placebo, low-dose, and high-dose groups are 
      0.98(-2.04,0.08), 0.50(-0.65,1.65) and 1.03(-0.37,2.44) kg (P = 0.06, P for trend
      = 0.02), respectively. No significant effects of the interventions were observed
      for physical performances. These findings suggest that pRJ treatment might not
      improve, but rather attenuate the progression of decrease in muscle strength in
      elderly people. In addition, we have not found that pRJ intervention can achieve
      improvement or attenuating the decrease in physical performance.

PMID- 28900248
TI  - High extinction ratio electromagnetically induced transparency analogue based on
      the radiation suppression of dark modes.
AB  - A high extinction ratio (ER) electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)
      analogue based on single-layer metamaterial is designed and experimentally
      demonstrated in this paper. This design involves four mirror-like symmetrically
      coupled split ring resonators (SRRs) that exhibit a bright-dark-dark-bright mode
      configuration. The EIT-like effect is realized by coupling between the bright
      resonators and dark resonators. The high ER feature is achieved from the
      suppression of radiative losses, due to opposite directions of electric and
      magnetic dipoles of two dark modes in the unit cell. Classical coupled resonator
      model is used to theoretically analyze the device transmission performances and
      to characterize parameter influence of the ER. Both numerical simulation and
      experiment results demonstrate that the ER of this device can reach more than 21
      dB, which is 11 dB higher than that of conventional bright-dark coupling SRR
      arrangement. Finally, the potential multi-channel sensing utility of this device
      is demonstrated to show the importance of high ER feature.

PMID- 28900249
TI  - Effect of efflux pump inhibition on Pseudomonas aeruginosa transcriptome and
      virulence.
AB  - Efflux pumps of the resistance-nodulation-cell-division (RND) family increase
      antibiotic resistance in many bacterial pathogens, representing candidate targets
      for the development of antibiotic adjuvants. RND pumps have also been proposed to
      contribute to bacterial infection, implying that efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs)
      could also act as anti-virulence drugs. Nevertheless, EPIs are usually
      investigated only for their properties as antibiotic adjuvants, while their
      potential anti-virulence activity is seldom taken into account. In this study it
      is shown that RND efflux pumps contribute to Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1
      pathogenicity in an insect model of infection, and that the well-characterized
      EPI Phe-Arg-beta-naphthylamide (PAbetaN) is able to reduce in vivo virulence of
      the P. aeruginosa PAO1 laboratory strain, as well as of clinical isolates. The
      production of quorum sensing (QS) molecules and of QS-dependent virulence
      phenotypes is differentially affected by PAbetaN, depending on the strain.
      Transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses showed that the protection exerted by
      PAbetaN from P. aeruginosa PAO1 infection in vivo correlates with the down
      regulation of key virulence genes (e.g. genes involved in iron and phosphate
      starvation). Since PAbetaN impacts P. aeruginosa virulence, anti-virulence
      properties of EPIs are worthy to be explored, taking into account possible strain
      specificity of their activity.

PMID- 28900250
TI  - 5,7-Di-N-acetyl-8-epiacinetaminic acid: A new non-2-ulosonic acid found in the
      K73 capsule produced by an Acinetobacter baumannii isolate from Singapore.
AB  - Nonulosonic acids are found in the surface polysaccharides of many bacterial
      species and are often implicated in pathogenesis. Here, the structure of a novel
      5,7-diacetamido-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxynon-2-ulosonic acid recovered from the capsular
      polysaccharide of a multiply antibiotic resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolate
      was determined. The isolate carries a sugar synthesis module that differs by only
      a single gene from the module for the synthesis of 5,7-diacetamido-3,5,7,9
      tetradeoxy-L-glycero-L-altro-non-2-ulosonic acid or 5,7-di-N-acetylacinetaminic
      acid, recently discovered in the capsule of another A. baumannii isolate. The new
      monosaccharide is the C8-epimer of acinetaminic acid (8eAci; 5,7-diacetamido
      3,5,7,9-tetradeoxy-D-glycero-L-altro-non-2-ulosonic acid) and the C7-epimer of
      legionaminic acid. This monosaccharide had not previously been detected in a
      biological sample but had been synthesized chemically.

PMID- 28900251
TI  - Integration of c-axis oriented Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti2.95Hf0.05O12/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3
      ferromagnetic-ferroelectric composite film on Si substrate.
AB  - A La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) ferromagnetic layer and a Nd3+/Hf4+ co-substituted
      Bi4Ti3O12 (Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3-xHfxO12 (BNTHx, x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15))
      ferroelectric layer were successively deposited onto the (00 l)-oriented LaNiO3
      (LNO) layer buffered (001) Si substrate via all chemical solution deposition
      (CSD) method. As a result, the BNTHx/LSMO ferromagnetic-ferroelectric composite
      films integrated on Si substrate exhibit high c-axis orientation. The Nd3+/Hf4+
      co-substituted BNTHx films have the lower leakage current and the better
      ferroelectric properties than the mono-substituted Bi4Ti3O12 (Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12
      and Bi4Ti2.95Hf0.05O12) films. In particular, the BNTH0.05/LSMO/LNO film has the
      lowest leakage current density of 2.5 * 10-7 A/cm2 at 200 kV/cm, and the highest
      remnant polarization (Pr) of 27.3 MUC/cm2. The BNTH0.05/LSMO/LNO composite film
      also exhibits the soft ferromagnetism characteristics with a high saturated
      magnetization of 258 emu/cm3 at 300 K, and the excellent magnetoelectric (ME)
      effect. The variations of ME voltage coefficient alpha E values with DC bias
      magnetic field H bias shows that the BNTH0.05/LSMO/LNO film has the high alpha E
      value at near zero H bias. Moreover, at H bias = 0 Oe, the alpha E value
      gradually increases from zero with the increasing of the AC magnetic field
      frequency, and eventually reaches about 18.9 V/cm.Oe at 100 kHz, suggesting the
      existence of self-biased ME effect.

PMID- 28900253
TI  - Leaf thermotolerance in tropical trees from a seasonally dry climate varies along
      the slow-fast resource acquisition spectrum.
AB  - Knowledge of the upper limits of temperature tolerance is essential to understand
      how tropical trees will respond to global warming. We quantified leaf
      thermotolerance in 41 tree species growing in a seasonally dry tropical region of
      the Indian subcontinent to examine: (1) differences between evergreen and
      deciduous species; (2) relationships with leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf size;
      and, (3) seasonal variation in thermotolerance. Thermotolerance ranged from 45.5 
      degrees C to 50.5  degrees C among species, was higher for evergreen than
      deciduous species, and was negatively related to a continuous estimate of
      deciduousness. Species with higher LMA had higher thermotolerance, but we did not
      detect any relationship between leaf size and thermotolerance. Seasonal changes
      in thermotolerance varied among species implying that species' capacity to
      acclimate may differ. Thermal safety margins, the difference between
      thermotolerance and maximum habitat temperatures indicate that most species may
      be highly vulnerable to future warming. Overall our results show that deciduous,
      and fast growing species with low LMA are likely to be more negatively affected
      by global warming. This differential vulnerability may lead to directional
      changes in composition in dry tropical forests, and such changes could alter
      vegetation-atmosphere feedbacks and further exacerbate global warming.

PMID- 28900252
TI  - Profiling of the metabolic transcriptome via single molecule molecular inversion
      probes.
AB  - Cancer-specific metabolic alterations are of high interest as therapeutic
      targets. These alterations vary between tumor types, and to employ metabolic
      targeting to its fullest potential there is a need for robust methods that
      identify candidate targetable metabolic pathways in individual cancers.
      Currently, such methods include 13C-tracing studies and mass spectrometry/
      magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging. Due to high cost and complexity, such
      studies are restricted to a research setting. We here present the validation of a
      novel technique of metabolic profiling, based on multiplex targeted next
      generation sequencing of RNA with single molecule molecular inversion probes
      (smMIPs), designed to measure activity of and mutations in genes that encode
      metabolic enzymes. We here profiled an isogenic pair of cell lines, differing in
      expression of the Von Hippel Lindau protein, an important regulator of hypoxia
      inducible genes. We show that smMIP-profiling provides relevant information on
      active metabolic pathways. Because smMIP-based targeted RNAseq is cost-effective
      and can be applied in a medium high-throughput setting (200 samples can be
      profiled simultaneously in one next generation sequencing run) it is a highly
      interesting approach for profiling of the activity of genes of interest,
      including those regulating metabolism, in a routine patient care setting.

PMID- 28900254
TI  - Large manipulative experiments revealed variations of insect abundance and
      trophic levels in response to the cumulative effects of sheep grazing.
AB  - Livestock grazing can affect insects by altering habitat quality; however, the
      effects of grazing years and intensities on insect abundance and trophic level
      during manipulative sheep grazing are not well understood. Therefore, we
      investigated these effects in a large manipulative experiment from 2014 to 2016
      in the eastern Eurasian steppe, China. Insect abundance decreased as sheep
      grazing intensities increased, with a significant cumulative effect occurring
      during grazing years. The largest families, Acrididae and Cicadellidae, were
      susceptible to sheep grazing, but Formicidae was tolerant. Trophic primary and
      secondary consumer insects were negatively impacted by increased grazing
      intensities, while secondary consumers were limited by the decreased primary
      consumers. Poor vegetation conditions caused by heavy sheep grazing were
      detrimental to the existence of Acrididae, Cicadellidae, primary and secondary
      consumer insects, but were beneficial to Formicidae. This study revealed
      variations in insect abundance and trophic level in response to continuous sheep
      grazing in steppe grasslands. Overall, our results indicate that continuous years
      of heavy- and over- sheep grazing should be eliminated. Moreover, our findings
      highlight the importance of more flexible sheep grazing management and will be
      useful for developing guidelines to optimize livestock production while
      maintaining species diversity and ecosystem health.

PMID- 28900255
TI  - Saturated mutagenesis of ketoisovalerate decarboxylase V461 enabled specific
      synthesis of 1-pentanol via the ketoacid elongation cycle.
AB  - Iterative ketoacid elongation has been an essential tool in engineering
      artificial metabolism, in particular the synthetic alcohols. However, precise
      control of product specificity is still greatly challenged by the substrate
      promiscuity of the ketoacid decarboxylase, which unselectively hijacks ketoacid
      intermediates from the elongation cycle along with the target ketoacid. In this
      work, preferential tuning of the Lactococcus lactis ketoisovalerate decarboxylase
      (Kivd) specificity toward 1-pentanol synthesis was achieved via saturated
      mutagenesis of the key residue V461 followed by screening of the resulting
      alcohol spectrum. Substitution of V461 with the small and polar amino acid
      glycine or serine significantly improved the Kivd selectivity toward the 1
      pentanol precursor 2-ketocaproate by lowering its catalytic efficiency for the
      upstream ketoacid 2-ketobutyrate and 2-ketovalerate. Conversely, replacing V461
      with bulky or charged side chains displayed severely adverse effect. Increasing
      supply of the iterative addition unit acetyl-CoA by acetate feeding further drove
      2-ketoacid flux into the elongation cycle and enhanced 1-pentanol productivity.
      The Kivd V461G variant enabled a 1-pentanol production specificity around 90% of
      the total alcohol content with or without oleyl alcohol extraction. This work
      adds insight to the selectivity of Kivd active site.

PMID- 28900256
TI  - Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the toluene degrading black yeast
      Cladophialophora immunda.
AB  - Cladophialophora immunda is an ascomycotal species belonging to the group of the
      black yeasts. These fungi have a thick and melanized cell wall and other
      physiological adaptations that allows them to cope with several extreme physical
      and chemical conditions. Member of the group can colonize some of the most
      extremophilic environments on Earth. Cladophialophora immunda together with a few
      other species of the order Chaetothyriales show a special association with
      hydrocarbon polluted environments. The finding that the fungus is able to
      completely mineralize toluene makes it an interesting candidate for
      bioremediation purposes. The present study is the first transcriptomic
      investigation of a fungus grown in presence of toluene as sole carbon and energy
      source. We could observe the activation of genes involved in toluene
      degradatation and several stress response mechanisms which allowed the fungus to
      survive the toluene exposure. The thorough comparative genomics analysis allowed
      us to identify several events of horizontal gene transfer between bacteria and
      Cladophialophora immunda and unveil toluene degradation steps that were
      previously reported in bacteria. The work presented here aims to give new
      insights into the ecology of Cladophialophora immunda and its adaptation
      strategies to hydrocarbon polluted environments.

PMID- 28900257
TI  - Subtle shifts in microbial communities occur alongside the release of carbon
      induced by drought and rewetting in contrasting peatland ecosystems.
AB  - Peat represents a globally significant pool of sequestered carbon. However,
      peatland carbon stocks are highly threatened by anthropogenic climate change,
      including drought, which leads to a large release of carbon dioxide. Although the
      enzymatic mechanisms underlying drought-driven carbon release are well
      documented, the effect of drought on peatland microbial communities has been
      little studied. Here, we carried out a replicated and controlled drought
      manipulation using intact peat 'mesocosm cores' taken from bog and fen habitats,
      and used a combination of community fingerprinting and sequencing of marker genes
      to identify community changes associated with drought. Community composition
      varied with habitat and depth. Moreover, community differences between mesocosm
      cores were stronger than the effect of the drought treatment, emphasising the
      importance of replication in microbial marker gene studies. While the effect of
      drought on the overall composition of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities was
      weak, a subset of the microbial community did change in relative abundance,
      especially in the fen habitat at 5 cm depth. 'Drought-responsive' OTUs were
      disproportionately drawn from the phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria.
      Collectively, the data provide insights into the microbial community changes
      occurring alongside drought-driven carbon release from peatlands, and suggest a
      number of novel avenues for future research.

PMID- 28900258
TI  - Single Cell Oxygen Mapping (SCOM) by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Uncovers
      Heterogeneous Intracellular Oxygen Consumption.
AB  - We developed a highly sensitive oxygen consumption scanning microscopy system
      using platinized platinum disc microelectrodes. The system is capable of reliably
      detecting single-cell respiration, responding to classical regulators of
      mitochondrial oxygen consumption activity as expected. Comparisons with
      commercial multi-cell oxygen detection systems show that the system has
      comparable errors (if not smaller), with the advantage of being able to monitor
      inter and intra-cell heterogeneity in oxygen consumption characteristics. Our
      results uncover heterogeneous oxygen consumption characteristics between cells
      and within the same cell's microenvironments. Single Cell Oxygen Mapping (SCOM)
      is thus capable of reliably studying mitochondrial oxygen consumption
      characteristics and heterogeneity at a single-cell level.

PMID- 28900259
TI  - Selective tubular activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-2alpha has dual effects
      on renal fibrosis.
AB  - Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a key transcriptional factor in the response to
      hypoxia. Although the effect of HIF activation in chronic kidney disease (CKD)
      has been widely evaluated, the results have been inconsistent until now. This
      study aimed to investigate the effects of HIF-2alpha activation on renal fibrosis
      according to the activation timing in inducible tubule-specific transgenic mice
      with non-diabetic CKD. HIF-2alpha activation in renal tubular cells upregulated
      mRNA and protein expressions of fibronectin and type 1 collagen associated with
      the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. In CKD mice, activation
      of HIF-2alpha at the beginning of CKD significantly aggravated renal fibrosis,
      whereas it did not lead to renal dysfunction. However, activation at a late-stage
      of CKD abrogated both renal dysfunction and fibrosis, which was associated with
      restoration of renal vasculature and amelioration of hypoxia through increased
      renal tubular expression of VEGF and its isoforms. As with tubular cells with HIF
      2alpha activation, those under hypoxia also upregulated VEGF, fibronectin, and
      type 1 collagen expressions associated with HIF-1alpha activation. In conclusion,
      late-stage renal tubular HIF-2alpha activation has protective effects on renal
      fibrosis and the resultant renal dysfunction, thus it could represent a
      therapeutic target in late stage of CKD.

PMID- 28900260
TI  - High sulfur-containing carbon polysulfide polymer as a novel cathode material for
      lithium-sulfur battery.
AB  - The lithium-sulfur battery, which offers a high energy density and is
      environmental friendly, is a promising next generation of rechargeable energy
      storage system. However, despite these attractive attributes, the
      commercialization of lithium-sulfur battery is primarily hindered by the
      parasitic reactions between the Li metal anode and dissolved polysulfide species
      from the cathode during the cycling process. Herein, we synthesize the sulfur
      rich carbon polysulfide polymer and demonstrate that it is a promising cathode
      material for high performance lithium-sulfur battery. The electrochemical studies
      reveal that the carbon polysulfide polymer exhibits superb reversibility and
      cycle stability. This is due to that the well-designed structure of the carbon
      polysulfide polymer has several advantages, especially, the strong chemical
      interaction between sulfur and the carbon framework (C-S bonds) inhibits the
      shuttle effect and the pi electrons of the carbon polysulfide compound enhance
      the transfer of electrons and Li+. Furthermore, as-prepared carbon polysulfide
      polymer-graphene hybrid cathode achieves outstanding cycle stability and
      relatively high capacity. This work highlights the potential promise of the
      carbon polysulfide polymer as the cathode material for high performance lithium
      sulfur battery.

PMID- 28900261
TI  - A Phytochemical Approach to Promotion of Self-renewal in Murine Spermatogonial
      Stem Cell by Using Sedum Sarmentosum Extract.
AB  - Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the basis of spermatogenesis, which is
      dependent on the ability to self-renew and differentiation. Controlling self
      renewal and differentiation of SSCs could apply to treatment of disease such as
      male infertility. Recently, in the field of stem cell research, it was
      demonstrated that effective increase in stem cell activity can be achieved by
      using growth factors derived from plant extracts. In this study, our aim is to
      investigate components from natural plant to improve the self-renewal of SSCs. To
      find the components, germ cells were cultured with comprehensive natural plant
      extracts, and then the more pure fraction, and finally single compound at
      different concentrations. As a result, we found 5H-purin-6-amine at 1 ug/mL,
      originated from Sedum sarmentosum, was a very effective compound induced SSCs
      proliferation. Our data showed that germ cells cultured with 5H-purin-6-amine
      could maintain their stable characteristics. Furthermore, transplantation results
      demonstrated that 5H-purin-6-amine at 1 ug/mL increased the activity of SSCs,
      indicating the compound could increase true SSC concentration within germ cells
      to 1.96-fold. These findings would be contributed to improve further reproductive
      research and treat male infertility by using natural plant extracts.

PMID- 28900262
TI  - Microwave properties of the single-layer periodic structure composites composed
      of ethylene-vinyl acetate and polycrystalline iron fibers.
AB  - A single-layer microwave absorbing structure composed of the ethylene-vinyl
      acetate (EVA) powders and polycrystalline iron fibers (PIFs) with thickness of 2
      mm, which has a periodic array of circular hole, is designed and fabricated using
      the mechanical method. We show that the reflection loss (RL) can be easily
      adjusted by changing the geometric parameters. The maximum RL is 18.7 dB at 15
      GHz, and the effective absorption bandwidth of 1.7 GHz for the diameter of
      circular hole is 10 mm, and enhanced to be 23.7 dB at 15.1 GHz with the
      corresponding bandwidth of 7.2 GHz when the diameter decreases to 5 mm. The
      measured absorption of the composite is in good accordance with the simulation
      results. Furthermore, the possible absorption mechanism of the composite has been
      discussed. Our results illustrate that the integration of frequency selective
      surface (FSS) with traditional PIFs can achieve a wide frequency range of a
      strong absorption.

PMID- 28900263
TI  - Physicochemical stability and transfection efficiency of cationic amphiphilic
      copolymer/pDNA polyplexes for spinal cord injury repair.
AB  - Multiple age-related and injury-induced characteristics of the adult central
      nervous system (CNS) pose barriers to axonal regeneration and functional recovery
      following injury. In situ gene therapy is a promising approach to address the
      limited availability of growth-promoting biomolecules at CNS injury sites. The
      ultimate goal of our work is to develop, a cationic amphiphilic copolymer for
      simultaneous delivery of drug and therapeutic nucleic acids to promote axonal
      regeneration and plasticity after spinal cord injury. Previously, we reported the
      synthesis and characterization of a cationic amphiphilic copolymer, poly (lactide
      co-glycolide)-graft-polyethylenimine (PgP) and its ability to efficiently
      transfect cells with pDNA in the presence of serum. We also demonstrated the
      efficacy of PgP as a therapeutic siRhoA carrier in a rat compression spinal cord
      injury model. In this work, we show that PgP/pDNA polyplexes provide improved
      stability in the presence of competing polyanions and nuclease protection in
      serum relative to conventional branched polyethylenimine control. PgP/pDNA
      polyplexes maintain bioactivity for transfection after
      lyophilization/reconstitution and during storage at 4  degrees C for up to 5
      months, important features for commercial and clinical application. We also
      demonstrate that PgP/pDNA polyplexes loaded with a hydrophobic fluorescent dye
      are retained in local neural tissue for up to 5 days and that PgP can efficiently
      deliver pbeta-Gal in a rat compression SCI model.

PMID- 28900264
TI  - Measuring Spectral Inconsistency of Multispectral Images for Detection and
      Segmentation of Retinal Degenerative Changes.
AB  - Multispectral imaging (MSI) creates a series of en-face fundus spectral sections
      by leveraging an extensive range of discrete monochromatic light sources and
      allows for an examination of the retina's early morphologic changes that are not
      generally visible with traditional fundus imaging modalities. An
      Ophthalmologist's interpretation of MSI images is commonly conducted by
      qualitatively analyzing the spectral consistency between degenerated areas and
      normal ones, which characterizes the image variation across different spectra.
      Unfortunately, an ophthalmologist's interpretation is practically difficult
      considering the fact that human perception is limited to the RGB color space,
      while an MSI sequence contains typically more than ten spectra. In this paper, we
      propose a method for measuring the spectral inconsistency of MSI images without
      supervision, which yields quantitative information indicating the pathological
      property of the tissue. Specifically, we define mathematically the spectral
      consistency as an existence of a pixel-specific latent feature vector and a
      spectrum-specific projection matrix, which can be used to reconstruct the
      representative features of pixels. The spectral inconsistency is then measured
      using the number of latent feature vectors required to reconstruct the
      representative features in practice. Experimental results from 54 MSI sequences
      show that our spectral inconsistency measurement is potentially invaluable for
      MSI-based ocular disease diagnosis.

PMID- 28900265
TI  - Urban heat island impacted by fine particles in Nanjing, China.
AB  - Atmospheric aerosol particles (especially particles with aerodynamic diameters
      equal to or less than 2.5 MUm, called PM2.5) can affect the surface energy
      balance and atmospheric heating rates and thus may impact the intensity of urban
      heat islands. In this paper, the effect of fine particles on the urban heat
      island intensity in Nanjing was investigated via the analysis of observational
      data and numerical modelling. The observations showed that higher PM2.5
      concentrations over the urban area corresponded to lower urban heat island (UHI)
      intensities, especially during the day. Under heavily polluted conditions, the
      UHI intensity was reduced by up to 1 K. The numerical simulation results
      confirmed the weakening of the UHI intensity due to PM2.5 via the higher PM2.5
      concentrations present in the urban region than those in the suburban areas. The
      effects of the fine particles on the UHI reduction were limited to the lowest 500
      1000 m. The daily range of the surface air temperature was also reduced by up to
      1.1 K due to the particles' radiative effects. In summary, PM2.5 noticeably
      impacts UHI intensity, which should be considered in future studies on air
      pollution and urban climates.

PMID- 28900266
TI  - CHA2DS2-VASc score as predictor of ischemic stroke in patients undergoing
      coronary artery bypass grafting and percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - Ischemic stroke following coronary revascularization procedures remains one of
      the most potentially devastating complications. CHA2DS2-VASc score has been
      widely used for stroke risk stratification in AF patients. The aim of this
      nationwide study was to examine the association between the CHA2DS2-VASc score
      and ischemic stroke following coronary revascularization procedures. We
      identified patients undergoing coronary revascularization procedures, coronary
      artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), using
      the electronic Hospitalization Summary Reports. Logistic regression models were
      applied to evaluate the association of CHA2DS2-VASc score with the risk of post
      procedural ischemic stroke. We identified 54,714 patients undergoing CABG and
      263,063 patients undergoing PCI from 2013 to 2015. The CHA2DS2-VASc score had a
      positive graded association with the risk of post-procedural ischemic stroke in
      both CABG and PCI (P for trend <0.001). The adjusted risk of post-procedural
      ischemic stroke increased by an estimated 122.4% (odds ratio [OR], 2.22; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 2.11-2.35) and 34.7% (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.31-1.39) for
      each additional 1 point in the CHA2DS2-VASc score in CABG and PCI, respectively.
      In conclusion, these findings suggested that CHA2DS2-VASc score was an
      independent predictor of the development of post-procedural ischemic stroke in
      patients undergoing CABG and PCI.

PMID- 28900267
TI  - Investigating the neural correlates of smoking: Feasibility and results of
      combining electronic cigarettes with fMRI.
AB  - Cigarette addiction is driven partly by the physiological effects of nicotine,
      but also by the distinctive sensory and behavioural aspects of smoking, and
      understanding the neural effects of such processes is vital. There are many
      practical difficulties associated with subjects smoking in the modern
      neuroscientific laboratory environment, however electronic cigarettes obviate
      many of these issues, and provide a close simulation of smoking tobacco
      cigarettes. We have examined the neural effects of 'smoking' electronic
      cigarettes with concurrent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The
      results demonstrate the feasibility of using these devices in the MRI
      environment, and show brain activation in a network of cortical (motor cortex,
      insula, cingulate, amygdala) and sub-cortical (putamen, thalamus, globus
      pallidus, cerebellum) regions. Concomitant relative deactivations were seen in
      the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. These results reveal the brain
      processes involved in (simulated) smoking for the first time, and validate a
      novel approach to the study of smoking, and addiction more generally.

PMID- 28900268
TI  - Interrogation of gamma-tubulin alleles using high-resolution fitness measurements
      reveals a distinct cytoplasmic function in spindle alignment.
AB  - gamma-Tubulin has a well-established role in nucleating the assembly of
      microtubules, yet how phosphorylation regulates its activity remains unclear.
      Here, we use a time-resolved, fitness-based SGA approach to compare two gamma
      tubulin alleles, and find that the genetic interaction profile of gammatub-Y362E
      is enriched in spindle positioning and cell polarity genes relative to that of
      gammatub-Y445D, which is enriched in genes involved in spindle assembly and
      stability. In gammatub-Y362E cells, we find a defect in spindle alignment and an
      increase in the number of astral microtubules at both spindle poles. Our results
      suggest that the gammatub-Y362E allele is a separation-of-function mutation that
      reveals a role for gamma-tubulin phospho-regulation in spindle alignment. We
      propose that phosphorylation of the evolutionarily conserved Y362 residue of
      budding yeast gamma-tubulin contributes to regulating the number of astral
      microtubules associated with spindle poles, and promoting efficient pre-anaphase
      spindle alignment.

PMID- 28900269
TI  - Predicted effects of observed changes in the mRNA and microRNA transcriptome of
      lung neutrophils during S. pneumoniae pneumonia in mice.
AB  - The complex role of neutrophils in modulating the inflammatory response is
      increasingly appreciated. Our studies profiled the expression of mRNAs and
      microRNAs (miRs) in lung neutrophils in mice during S. pneumoniae pneumonia and
      performed in depth in silico analyses. Lung neutrophils were isolated 24 hours
      after intratracheal instillation of PBS or S. pneumoniae, and differentially
      expressed (DE) mRNAs and miRs were identified. Lung neutrophils from mice with S.
      pneumoniae pneumonia contained 4127 DE mRNAs, 36% of which were upregulated at
      least 2-fold. During pneumonia, lung neutrophils increase expression of pattern
      recognition receptors, receptors for inflammatory mediators, transcription
      factors including NF-kappaB and AP-1, Nrf2 targets, cytokines, chemokines and
      other inflammatory mediators. Interestingly, neutrophils responded to Type I
      interferons, whereas they both produced and responded to Type II interferon.
      Expression of regulators of the inflammatory and immune response was verified at
      the mRNA and protein level. Of approximately 1100 miRs queried, 31 increased and
      67 decreased more than 2-fold in neutrophils from S. pneumoniae pneumonia.
      Network analyses of potential DE miR-target DE mRNA interactions revealed
      candidate key regulatory miRs. Thus, S. pneumoniae modulates mRNA and miR
      expression by lung neutrophils, increasing their ability to respond and
      facilitating host defense.

PMID- 28900270
TI  - Multiplex quantitative analysis of microRNA expression via exponential isothermal
      amplification and conformation-sensitive DNA separation.
AB  - Expression profiling of multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) generally provides valuable
      information for understanding various biological processes. Thus, it is necessary
      to develop a sensitive and accurate miRNA assay suitable for multiplexing.
      Isothermal exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR) has received significant
      interest as an miRNA analysis method because of high amplification efficiency.
      However, EXPAR cannot be used for a broader range of applications owing to
      limitations such as complexity of probe design and lack of proper detection
      method for multiplex analysis. Here, we developed a sensitive and accurate
      multiplex miRNA profiling method using modified isothermal EXPAR combined with
      high-resolution capillary electrophoresis-based single-strand conformation
      polymorphism (CE-SSCP). To increase target miRNA specificity, a stem-loop probe
      was introduced instead of a linear probe in isothermal EXPAR to allow specific
      amplification of multiple miRNAs with minimal background signals. CE-SSCP, a
      conformation-dependent separation method, was used for detection. Since CE-SSCP
      eliminates the need for probes to have different lengths, easier designing of
      probes with uniform amplification efficiency was possible. Eight small RNAs
      comprising six miRNAs involved in Caenorhabditis elegans development and two
      controls were analyzed. The expression patterns obtained using our method were
      concordant with those reported in previous studies, thereby supporting the
      proposed method's robustness and utility.

PMID- 28900271
TI  - Transgenerational exposure of North Atlantic bivalves to ocean acidification
      renders offspring more vulnerable to low pH and additional stressors.
AB  - While early life-stage marine bivalves are vulnerable to ocean acidification,
      effects over successive generations are poorly characterized. The objective of
      this work was to assess the transgenerational effects of ocean acidification on
      two species of North Atlantic bivalve shellfish, Mercenaria mercenaria and
      Argopecten irradians. Adults of both species were subjected to high and low pCO2
      conditions during gametogenesis. Resultant larvae were exposed to low and ambient
      pH conditions in addition to multiple, additional stressors including thermal
      stress, food-limitation, and exposure to a harmful alga. There were no
      indications of transgenerational acclimation to ocean acidification during
      experiments. Offspring of elevated pCO2-treatment adults were significantly more
      vulnerable to acidification as well as the additional stressors. Our results
      suggest that clams and scallops are unlikely to acclimate to ocean acidification
      over short time scales and that as coastal oceans continue to acidify, negative
      effects on these populations may become compounded and more severe.

PMID- 28900272
TI  - From malaria to cancer: Computational drug repositioning of amodiaquine using
      PLIP interaction patterns.
AB  - Drug repositioning identifies new indications for known drugs. Here we report
      repositioning of the malaria drug amodiaquine as a potential anti-cancer agent.
      While most repositioning efforts emerge through serendipity, we have devised a
      computational approach, which exploits interaction patterns shared between
      compounds. As a test case, we took the anti-viral drug brivudine (BVDU), which
      also has anti-cancer activity, and defined ten interaction patterns using our
      tool PLIP. These patterns characterise BVDU's interaction with its target s.
      Using PLIP we performed an in silico screen of all structural data currently
      available and identified the FDA approved malaria drug amodiaquine as a promising
      repositioning candidate. We validated our prediction by showing that amodiaquine
      suppresses chemoresistance in a multiple myeloma cancer cell line by inhibiting
      the chaperone function of the cancer target Hsp27. This work proves that PLIP
      interaction patterns are viable tools for computational repositioning and can
      provide search query information from a given drug and its target to identify
      structurally unrelated candidates, including drugs approved by the FDA, with a
      known safety and pharmacology profile. This approach has the potential to reduce
      costs and risks in drug development by predicting novel indications for known
      drugs and drug candidates.

PMID- 28900273
TI  - Laminarinase from Flavobacterium sp. reveals the structural basis of
      thermostability and substrate specificity.
AB  - Laminarinase from Flavobacterium sp. strain UMI-01, a new member of the glycosyl
      hydrolase 16 family of a marine bacterium associated with seaweeds, mainly
      degrades beta-1,3-glucosyl linkages of beta-glucan (such as laminarin) through
      the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds. We determined the crystal structure of
      ULam111 at 1.60-A resolution to understand the structural basis for its
      thermostability and substrate specificity. A calcium-binding motif located on the
      opposite side of the beta-sheet from catalytic cleft increased its degrading
      activity and thermostability. The disulfide bridge Cys31-Cys34, located on the
      beta2-beta3 loop near the substrate-binding site, is responsible for the
      thermostability of ULam111. The substrates of beta-1,3-linked laminarin and beta
      1,3-1,4-linked glucan bound to the catalytic cleft in a completely different mode
      at subsite -3. Asn33 and Trp113, together with Phe212, formed hydrogen bonds with
      preferred substrates to degrade beta-1,3-linked laminarin based on the structural
      comparisons. Our structural information provides new insights concerning
      thermostability and substrate recognition that will enable the design of
      industrial biocatalysts.

PMID- 28900275
TI  - 87Sr/86Sr evidence from the epeiric Martin Ridge Basin for enhanced carbonate
      weathering during the Hirnantian.
AB  - A pronounced positive delta13C excursion in the Hirnantian Age has been
      documented globally, reflecting large perturbations of carbon cycling in the Late
      Ordovician oceans. Increased organic-carbon burial or enhanced carbonate
      weathering during glacioeustatic sea-level regression has been proposed to
      account for this anomalous C-isotope excursion. To test the two competing
      hypotheses, we measured 87Sr/86Sr and delta13C of carbonates from the Copenhagen
      Canyon section in Nevada, USA. Our data reveal two rapid negative 87Sr/86Sr
      shifts that coincide with two prominent positive delta13C excursions and glacial
      advances. Numerical model simulations suggest that enhanced weathering of
      carbonates driven by glacio-eustatically controlled sea-level fall is required to
      produce the observed drops of 87Sr/86Sr and the coeval large positive delta13C
      excursions, possibly with or without increased organic carbon burial.

PMID- 28900276
TI  - Highly variable lifespan in an annual reptile, Labord's chameleon (Furcifer
      labordi).
AB  - Among tetrapods, the current record holder for shortest lifespan is Labord's
      chameleon, Furcifer labordi. These reptiles from the arid southwest of Madagascar
      have a reported lifespan of 4-5 months during the annual rainy season and spend
      the majority of their life (8-9 months) as a developing embryo. This semelparous,
      annual life history is unique among tetrapods, but only one population (Ranobe)
      in the southernmost distribution range has been studied. We therefore
      investigated the potential for environmentally-dependent variability in lifespan
      in a population in Kirindy Forest, which has a much longer warm rainy season.
      While no adults were found after March in Ranobe, the disappearance of adults was
      delayed by several months in Kirindy. Our data also revealed sex-biased
      mortality, suggesting that females have a longevity advantage. Furthermore, we
      found that, after an unusually long previous rainy season, one female was capable
      of surviving until a second breeding season. Keeping F. labordi in cages under
      ambient conditions demonstrated that also males can also survive until the next
      season of activity under these conditions. Our study therefore revealed
      considerable variability in the extreme life history of this tetrapod that is
      linked to variation in ecological factors.

PMID- 28900274
TI  - Characterization and Identification of a woody lesion mimic mutant lmd, showing
      defence response and resistance to Alternaria alternate in birch.
AB  - Lesion mimic mutants (LMM) usually show spontaneous cell death and enhanced
      defence responses similar to hypersensitive response (HR) in plants. Many LMM
      have been reported in rice, wheat, maize, barley, Arabidopsis, etc., but little
      was reported in xylophyta. BpGH3.5 is an early auxin-response factor which
      regulates root elongation in birch. Here, we found a T-DNA insertion mutant in a
      BpGH3.5 transgenic line named lmd showing typical LMM characters and early leaf
      senescence in Betula platyphylla * B. pendula. lmd showed H2O2 accumulation,
      increased SA level and enhanced resistance to Alternaria alternate, compared with
      oe21 (another BpGH3.5 transgenic line) and NT (non-transgenic line). Cellular
      structure observation showed that programmed cell death occurred in lmd leaves.
      Stereomicroscope observation and Evans' blue staining indicated that lmd is a
      member of initiation class of LMM. Transcriptome analysis indicated that defence
      response-related pathways were enriched. Southern-blot indicated that there were
      two insertion sites in lmd genome. Genome re-sequencing and thermal asymmetric
      interlaced PCR (TAIL-PCR) confirmed the two insertion sites, one of which is a T
      DNA insertion in the promoter of BpEIL1 that may account for the lesion mimic
      phenotype. This study will benefit future research on programmed cell death, HR
      and disease resistance in woody plants.

PMID- 28900277
TI  - Nepenthes pitchers are CO2-enriched cavities, emit CO2 to attract preys.
AB  - Carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes supplement their nutrient deficiency by
      capturing arthropods or by mutualistic interactions, through their leaf-evolved
      biological traps (pitchers). Though there are numerous studies on these traps,
      mostly on their prey capture mechanisms, the gas composition inside them remains
      unknown. Here we show that, Nepenthes unopened pitchers are CO2-enriched
      'cavities', when open they emit CO2, and the CO2 gradient around open pitchers
      acts as a cue attracting preys towards them. CO2 contents in near mature,
      unopened Nepenthes pitchers were in the range 2500-5000 ppm. Gas collected from
      inside open N. khasiana pitchers showed CO2 at 476.75 +/- 59.83 ppm. CO2-enriched
      air-streaming through N. khasiana pitchers (at 619.83 +/- 4.53 ppm) attracted
      (captured) substantially higher number of aerial preys compared to air-streamed
      pitchers (CO2 at 412.76 +/- 4.51 ppm). High levels of CO2 dissolved in acidic
      Nepenthes pitcher fluids were also detected. We demonstrate respiration as the
      source of elevated CO2 within Nepenthes pitchers. Most unique features of
      Nepenthes pitchers, viz., high growth rate, enhanced carbohydrate levels,
      declined protein levels, low photosynthetic capacity, high respiration rate and
      evolved stomata, are influenced by the CO2-enriched environment within them.

PMID- 28900278
TI  - Function Coupling Mechanism of PhuS and HemO in Heme Degradation.
AB  - Most bacteria possess only one heme-degrading enzyme for obtaining iron, however
      few bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa express two, namely PhuS and HemO.
      While HemO is a well-known heme oxygenase, previously we discovered that PhuS
      also possesses heme degradation activity and generates verdoheme, an intermediate
      of heme breakdown. To understand the coexistence of these two enzymes, using the
      DFT calculation we reveal that PhuS effectively enhances heme degradation through
      its participation in heme hydroxylation, the rate limiting reaction. Heme is
      converted to verdoheme in this reaction and the energy barrier for PhuS is
      substantially lower than for HemO. Thus, HemO is mainly involved in the ring
      opening reaction which converts verdoheme to biliverdin and free iron. Our
      kinetics experiments show that, in the presence of both PhuS and HemO, complete
      degradation of heme to biliverdin is enhanced. We further show that PhuS is more
      active than HemO using heme as a substrate and generates more CO. Combined
      experimental and theoretical results directly identify function coupling of this
      two-enzyme system, resulting in more efficient heme breakdown and utilization.

PMID- 28900279
TI  - Next Generation Sequencing Plus (NGS+) with Y-chromosomal Markers for Forensic
      Pedigree Searches.
AB  - There is high demand for forensic pedigree searches with Y-chromosome short
      tandem repeat (Y-STR) profiling in large-scale crime investigations. However,
      when two Y-STR haplotypes have a few mismatched loci, it is difficult to
      determine if they are from the same male lineage because of the high mutation
      rate of Y-STRs. Here we design a new strategy to handle cases in which none of
      pedigree samples shares identical Y-STR haplotype. We combine next generation
      sequencing (NGS), capillary electrophoresis and pyrosequencing under the term
      'NGS+' for typing Y-STRs and Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y
      SNPs). The high-resolution Y-SNP haplogroup and Y-STR haplotype can be obtained
      with NGS+. We further developed a new data-driven decision rule, FSindex, for
      estimating the likelihood for each retrieved pedigree. Our approach enables
      positive identification of pedigree from mismatched Y-STR haplotypes. It is
      envisaged that NGS+ will revolutionize forensic pedigree searches, especially
      when the person of interest was not recorded in forensic DNA database.

PMID- 28900280
TI  - Metagenomic insight into the microbial networks and metabolic mechanism in
      anaerobic digesters for food waste by incorporating activated carbon.
AB  - Powdered activated carbon (AC) is commonly used as an effective additive to
      enhance anaerobic digestion (AD), but little is known about how the metabolic
      pathways resulting from adding AC change the microbial association network and
      enhance food waste treatment. In this work, the use of AC in an anaerobic
      digestion system for food waste was explored. Using bioinformatics analysis,
      taxonomic trees and the KEGG pathway analysis, changes in microbial network and
      biometabolic pathways were tracked. The overall effect of these changes were used
      to explain and validate improved digestion performance. The results showed that
      AC accelerated the decomposition of edible oil in food waste, enhancing the
      conversion of food waste to methane with the optimized dosage of 12 g AC per
      reactor. Specifically, when AC was added, the proponoate metabolic pathway that
      converts propanoic acid to acetic acid became more prominent, as measured by 16S
      rRNA in the microbial community. The other two metabolic pathways, Lipid
      Metabolism and Methane Metabolism, were also enhanced. Bioinformatics analysis
      revealed that AC promoted the proliferation of syntrophic microorganisms such as
      Methanosaeta and Geobacter, forming a highly intensive syntrophic microbial
      network.

PMID- 28900281
TI  - Oleic acid induces apoptosis and autophagy in the treatment of Tongue Squamous
      cell carcinomas.
AB  - Oleic acid (OA), a main ingredient of Brucea javanica oil (BJO), is widely known
      to have anticancer effects in many tumors. In this study, we investigated the
      anticancer effect of OA and its mechanism in tongue squamous cell carcinoma
      (TSCC). We found that OA effectively inhibited TSCC cell proliferation in a dose-
      and time-dependent manner. OA treatment in TSCC significantly induced cell cycle
      G0/G1 arrest, increased the proportion of apoptotic cells, decreased the
      expression of CyclinD1 and Bcl-2, and increased the expression of p53 and cleaved
      caspase-3. OA also obviously induced the formation of autolysosomes and decreased
      the expression of p62 and the ratio of LC3 I/LC3 II. The expression of p-Akt, p
      mTOR, p-S6K, p-4E-BP1 and p-ERK1/2 was significantly decreased in TSCC cells
      after treatment with OA. Moreover, tumor growth was significantly inhibited after
      OA treatment in a xenograft mouse model. The above results indicate that OA has a
      potent anticancer effect in TSCC by inducing apoptosis and autophagy via blocking
      the Akt/mTOR pathway. Thus, OA is a potential TSCC drug that is worthy of further
      research and development.

PMID- 28900282
TI  - A novel non prophage(-like) gene-intervening element within gerE that is
      reconstituted during sporulation in Bacillus cereus ATCC10987.
AB  - Gene rearrangement is a widely-shared phenomenon in spore forming bacteria, in
      which prophage(-like) elements interrupting sporulation-specific genes are
      excised from the host genome to reconstitute the intact gene. Here, we report a
      novel class of gene-intervening elements, named gin, inserted in the 225 bp gerE
      coding region of the B. cereus ATCC10987 genome, which generates a sporulation
      specific rearrangement. gin has no phage-related genes and possesses three site
      specific recombinase genes; girA, girB, and girC. We demonstrated that the gerE
      rearrangement occurs at the middle stage of sporulation, in which site-specific
      DNA recombination took place within the 9 bp consensus sequence flanking the
      disrupted gerE segments. Deletion analysis of gin uncovered that GirC and an
      additional factor, GirX, are responsible for gerE reconstitution. Involvement of
      GirC and GirX in DNA recombination was confirmed by an in vitro recombination
      assay. These results broaden the definition of the sporulation-specific gene
      rearrangement phenomenon: gene-intervening elements are not limited to phage DNA
      but may include non-viral genetic elements that carry a developmentally-regulated
      site-specific recombination system.

PMID- 28900283
TI  - A multiplex preclinical model for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary gland
      identifies regorafenib as a potential therapeutic drug.
AB  - Adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) are rare salivary gland cancers with a high
      incidence of metastases. In order to study this tumor type, a reliable model
      system exhibiting the molecular features of this tumor is critical, but none
      exists, thereby inhibiting in-vitro studies and the analysis of metastatic
      behavior. To address this deficiency, we have coupled an efficient method to
      establish tumor cell cultures, conditional reprogramming (CR), with a rapid,
      reproducible and robust in-vivo zebrafish model. We have established cell
      cultures from two individual ACC PDX tumors that maintain the characteristic MYB
      translocation. Additional mutations found in one ACC culture also seen in the PDX
      tumor. Finally, the CR/zebrafish model mirrors the PDX mouse model and identifies
      regorafenib as a potential therapeutic drug to treat this cancer type that mimic
      the drug sensitivity profile in PDX model, further confirming the unique
      advantages of multiplex system.

PMID- 28900284
TI  - MiR-503 modulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition in silica-induced pulmonary
      fibrosis by targeting PI3K p85 and is sponged by lncRNA MALAT1.
AB  - Silicosis is a kind of chronic, progressive and incurable lung fibrotic diseases
      with largely unknown and complex pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms. Mounting
      evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are involved in the pathogenesis
      of silicosis. Our previous study based on miRNA microarray had shown that the
      expression levels of miR-503 were down-regulated in mouse lung tissues of silica
      induced pulmonary fibrosis. Here, we validated the decreased expression of miR
      503 in the fibrotic mouse lung tissues, human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE)
      and human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells which were exposed to silica. In
      addition, overexpressed miR-503 inhibited silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis by
      attenuating the severity and the distribution of lesions in vivo and limiting the
      process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Our molecular study
      further demonstrated that PI3K p85 is one of the target genes of miR-503 and the
      downstream molecules (Akt, mTOR and Snail) are tightly associated with EMT.
      Furthermore, the up-regulated lncRNA Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma
      transcript 1 (MALAT1), acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), can directly
      bound to miR-503, which indicated that lncRNA MALAT1 may modulate the expression
      of miR-503 thus triggering the activation of downstream fibrotic signaling
      pathways. Taken together, our data suggested that MALAT1-miR-503
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR/Snail pathway plays critical roles in silica-induced pulmonary
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28900285
TI  - Clinical characteristics and risk factors for developing bone metastases in
      patients with breast cancer.
AB  - The risk factors for predicting bone metastases in patients with breast cancer
      are still controversial. Here, a total of 2133 patients with breast cancer,
      including 327 with bone metastases (15.33%) and 1806 without bone metastases
      (84.67%) were retrospective reviewed from January 2005 to December 2015. The
      spine was found to be the most common site for bone metastases, followed by ribs
      (57.5%), pelvis (54.1%) and sternum (44.3%). The results indicated that axillary
      lymph node metastases and the concentrations of CA125, CA153, ALP and hemoglobin
      were the independent risk factors for bone metastases in patients with breast
      cancer. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves showed that combined
      axillary lymph node metastases, high CA153 and ALP, with low hemoglobin were the
      most accurate biomarkers for predicting bone metastases in breast cancer [area
      under the curve = 0.900], and the sensitivity and specificity for the prediction
      were 78.5% and 87.8%, respectively. Therefore, breast cancer patients with more
      axillary lymph node metastases, high serum concentrations of CA125, CA153, ALP
      and low level of hemoglobin were closely related to bone metastases. Combined
      axillary lymph node metastases, CA153, ALP with hemoglobin have the highest
      predictive accuracy for bone metastases in breast cancer.

PMID- 28900287
TI  - Quantitative Characterization of Structural and Mechanical Properties of Boron
      Nitride Nanotubes in High Temperature Environments.
AB  - The structural stability and mechanical integrity of boron nitride nanotubes
      (BNNTs) in high temperature environments are of importance in pursuit of their
      applications that are involved with extreme thermal processing and/or working
      conditions, but remain not well understood. In this paper, we perform an
      extensive study of the impacts of high temperature exposure on the structural and
      mechanical properties of BNNTs with a full structural size spectrum from nano- to
      micro- to macro-scale by using a variety of in situ and ex situ material
      characterization techniques. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high resolution
      transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the structures of
      individual BNNTs can survive at up to 850  degrees C in air and capture the signs
      of their structural degradation at 900  degrees C or above. In situ Raman
      spectroscopy measurements reveal that the BN bonds in BNNT micro-fibrils undergo
      substantial softening at elevated temperatures of up to 900  degrees C. The AFM
      based nanomechanical compression measurements demonstrate that the mechanical
      integrity of individual BNNTs remain intact after being thermally baked at up to
      850  degrees C in air. The studies reveal that BNNTs are structurally and
      mechanically stable materials in high temperature environments, which enables
      their usages in high temperature applications.

PMID- 28900286
TI  - Adolescent THC Exposure Causes Enduring Prefrontal Cortical Disruption of
      GABAergic Inhibition and Dysregulation of Sub-Cortical Dopamine Function.
AB  - Chronic adolescent marijuana use has been linked to the later development of
      psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia. GABAergic hypofunction in the
      prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a cardinal pathological feature of schizophrenia and
      may be a mechanism by which the PFC loses its ability to regulate sub-cortical
      dopamine (DA) resulting in schizophrenia-like neuropsychopathology. In the
      present study, we exposed adolescent rats to Delta-9-tetra-hydrocannabinol (THC),
      the psychoactive component in marijuana. At adulthood, we characterized the
      functionality of PFC GABAergic neurotransmission and its regulation of sub
      cortical DA function using molecular, behavioral and in-vivo electrophysiological
      analyses. Our findings revealed a persistent attenuation of PFC GABAergic
      function combined with a hyperactive neuronal state in PFC neurons and associated
      disruptions in cortical gamma oscillatory activity. These PFC abnormalities were
      accompanied by hyperactive DAergic neuronal activity in the ventral tegmental
      area (VTA) and behavioral and cognitive abnormalities similar to those observed
      in psychiatric disorders. Remarkably, these neuronal and behavioral effects were
      reversed by pharmacological activation of GABAA receptors in the PFC. Together,
      these results identify a mechanistic link between dysregulated frontal cortical
      GABAergic inhibition and sub-cortical DAergic dysregulation, characteristic of
      well-established neuropsychiatric endophenotypes.

PMID- 28900288
TI  - Optical source of individual pairs of colour-conjugated photons.
AB  - We theoretically demonstrate that Kerr nonlinearity in optical circuits can lead
      to both resonant four-wave mixing and photon blockade, which can be used for high
      yield generation of high-fidelity individual photon pairs with conjugated
      frequencies. We propose an optical circuit, which, in the optimal pulsed-drive
      regime, would produce photon pairs at the rate up to 5 * 105  s -1 (0.5 pairs per
      pulse) with [Formula: see text] for one of the conjugated frequencies. We show
      that such a scheme can be utilised to generate colour-entangled photons.

PMID- 28900289
TI  - Spatiotemporal brain dynamics of auditory temporal assimilation.
AB  - Time is a fundamental dimension, but millisecond-level judgments sometimes lead
      to perceptual illusions. We previously introduced a "time-shrinking illusion"
      using a psychological paradigm that induces auditory temporal assimilation (ATA).
      In ATA, the duration of two successive intervals (T1 and T2), marked by three
      auditory stimuli, can be perceived as equal when they are not. Here, we
      investigate the spatiotemporal profile of human temporal judgments using
      magnetoencephalography (MEG). Behavioural results showed typical ATA:
      participants judged T1 and T2 as equal when T2 - T1 <= +80 ms. MEG source
      localisation analysis demonstrated that regional activity differences between
      judgment and no-judgment conditions emerged in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ)
      during T2. This observation in the TPJ may indicate its involvement in the
      encoding process when T1 ? T2. Activation in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was
      enhanced irrespective of the stimulus patterns when participants engaged in
      temporal judgment. Furthermore, just after the final marker, activity in the IFG
      was enhanced specifically for the time-shrinking pattern. This indicates that
      activity in the IFG is also related to the illusory perception of time-interval
      equality. Based on these observations, we propose neural signatures for judgments
      of temporal equality in the human brain.

PMID- 28900290
TI  - Alteration of PD-L1 expression and its prognostic impact after concurrent
      chemoradiation therapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
AB  - Concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) is the treatment of choice for locally
      advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC). Several clinical trials that
      combine programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) axis inhibitors with radiotherapy are in
      development for patients with LA-NSCLC. However, the effect of CCRT on programmed
      cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression on tumor cells is unknown. In this study,
      we analysed paired NSCLC specimens that had been obtained pre- and post-CCRT. PD
      L1 expression on tumor cells was studied by immunohistochemistry. A total of 45
      patients with LA-NSCLC were included, among which there were sufficient pre- and
      post-CCRT specimens in 35 patients. Overall, the percentage of tumor cells with
      PD-L1 expression significantly decreased between pre- and post-CCRT specimens (P
      = 0.024). Sixteen, 15, and 4 patients had decreased, unchanged, or increased PD
      L1 expression after CCRT, respectively. Median OS of patients with decreased,
      unchanged, or increased PD-L1 expression was 85.1, 92.8, and 14.6 months,
      respectively (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the percentage of PD-L1-positive tumor
      cells significantly decreased after CCRT. Alteration of PD-L1 expression after
      neoadjuvant CCRT was associated with prognosis in patients with LA-NSCLC. These
      data should be considered when developing the optimal approach of integrating PD
      1 axis inhibitors with CCRT.

PMID- 28900291
TI  - Assessing the expected response to genomic selection of individuals and families
      in Eucalyptus breeding with an additive-dominant model.
AB  - We report a genomic selection (GS) study of growth and wood quality traits in an
      outbred F2 hybrid Eucalyptus population (n=768) using high-density single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. Going beyond previous reports in forest
      trees, models were developed for different selection targets, namely, families,
      individuals within families and individuals across the entire population using a
      genomic model including dominance. To provide a more breeder-intelligible
      assessment of the performance of GS we calculated the expected response as the
      percentage gain over the population average expected genetic value (EGV) for
      different proportions of genomically selected individuals, using a rigorous cross
      validation (CV) scheme that removed relatedness between training and validation
      sets. Predictive abilities (PAs) were 0.40-0.57 for individual selection and 0.56
      0.75 for family selection. PAs under an additive+dominance model improved
      predictions by 5 to 14% for growth depending on the selection target, but no
      improvement was seen for wood traits. The good performance of GS with no
      relatedness in CV suggested that our average SNP density (~25 kb) captured some
      short-range linkage disequilibrium. Truncation GS successfully selected
      individuals with an average EGV significantly higher than the population average.
      Response to GS on a per year basis was ~100% more efficient than by phenotypic
      selection and more so with higher selection intensities. These results contribute
      further experimental data supporting the positive prospects of GS in forest
      trees. Because generation times are long, traits are complex and costs of DNA
      genotyping are plummeting, genomic prediction has good perspectives of adoption
      in tree breeding practice.

PMID- 28900292
TI  - A Bayesian test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium of biallelic X-chromosomal
      markers.
AB  - The X chromosome is a relatively large chromosome, harboring a lot of genetic
      information. Much of the statistical analysis of X-chromosomal information is
      complicated by the fact that males only have one copy. Recently, frequentist
      statistical tests for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium have been proposed specifically
      for dealing with markers on the X chromosome. Bayesian test procedures for Hardy
      Weinberg equilibrium for the autosomes have been described, but Bayesian work on
      the X chromosome in this context is lacking. This paper gives the first Bayesian
      approach for testing Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with biallelic markers at the X
      chromosome. Marginal and joint posterior distributions for the inbreeding
      coefficient in females and the male to female allele frequency ratio are
      computed, and used for statistical inference. The paper gives a detailed account
      of the proposed Bayesian test, and illustrates it with data from the 1000 Genomes
      project. In that implementation, a novel approach to tackle multiple testing from
      a Bayesian perspective through posterior predictive checks is used.

PMID- 28900293
TI  - Dogs are not better than humans at detecting coherent motion.
AB  - The ability to perceive motion is one of the main properties of the visual
      system. Sensitivity in detecting coherent motion has been thoroughly investigated
      in humans, where thresholds for motion detection are well below 10% of coherence,
      i.e. of the proportion of dots coherently moving in the same direction, among a
      background of randomly moving dots. Equally low thresholds have been found in
      other species, including monkeys, cats and seals. Given the lack of data from the
      domestic dog, we tested 5 adult dogs on a conditioned discrimination task with
      random dot displays. In addition, five adult humans were tested in the same
      condition for comparative purposes. The mean threshold for motion detection in
      our dogs was 42% of coherence, while that of humans was as low as 5%. Therefore,
      dogs have a much higher threshold of coherent motion detection than humans, and
      possibly also than phylogenetically closer species that have been tested in
      similar experimental conditions. Various factors, including the relative role of
      global and local motion processing and experience with the experimental stimuli
      may have contributed to this result. Overall, this finding questions the general
      claim on dogs' high performance in detecting motion.

PMID- 28900294
TI  - Timing for Surgical Stabilization with K-wires after Open Fractures of Proximal
      and Middle Phalangeal Shaft.
AB  - The optimal timing for surgical stabilization after open fractures of proximal
      and middle phalangeal shaft remained unclear. Total 147 patients with single open
      fracture in proximal or middle phalangeal shaft (arrived within 8 hours) who
      received K-wire fixation from June 2012 to June 2015 were included for analysis.
      The timing for surgical stabilization of fractures (immediate or delayed) was
      decided according to the surgeons' preferences. The Michigan hand outcomes
      questionnaire (MHQ) scores, grip strength and total active motion (TAM) one year
      after the initial surgery were similar between the two groups. There was no
      significant difference in the incidence of tenosynovitis, bone nonunion. The
      overall infection rate in immediate fixation group was slightly but not
      significantly higher compared with the delayed fixation group (29.2% versus 20.7%
      P = 0.212). However, patients with both palmar and dorsal wounds who received
      immediate fixation had much higher infection rate compared with delayed fixation
      (52.6% versus 22.7%, P = 0.047). The immediate fixation could reduce costs and
      the period of hospitalization. Open fractures with both palmar and dorsal wounds
      should be treated with delayed fixation of K-wires otherwise stabilized
      immediately after injury.

PMID- 28900295
TI  - An autocrine purinergic signaling controls astrocyte-induced neuronal excitation.
AB  - Astrocyte-derived gliotransmitters glutamate and ATP modulate neuronal activity.
      It remains unclear, however, how astrocytes control the release and coordinate
      the actions of these gliotransmitters. Using transgenic expression of the light
      sensitive channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) in astrocytes, we observed that
      photostimulation reliably increases action potential firing of hippocampal
      pyramidal neurons. This excitation relies primarily on a calcium-dependent
      glutamate release by astrocytes that activates neuronal extra-synaptic NMDA
      receptors. Remarkably, our results show that ChR2-induced Ca2+ increase and
      subsequent glutamate release are amplified by ATP/ADP-mediated autocrine
      activation of P2Y1 receptors on astrocytes. Thus, neuronal excitation is promoted
      by a synergistic action of glutamatergic and autocrine purinergic signaling in
      astrocytes. This new mechanism may be particularly relevant for pathological
      conditions in which ATP extracellular concentration is increased and acts as a
      major danger signal.

PMID- 28900296
TI  - The causes and ecological correlates of head scale asymmetry and fragmentation in
      a tropical snake.
AB  - The challenge of identifying the proximate causes and ecological consequences of
      phenotypic variation can be facilitated by studying traits that are usually but
      not always bilaterally symmetrical; deviations from symmetry likely reflect
      disrupted embryogenesis. Based on a 19-year mark-recapture study of >1300 slatey
      grey snakes (Stegonotus cucullatus) in tropical Australia, and incubation of >700
      eggs, we document developmental and ecological correlates of two morphological
      traits: asymmetry and fragmentation of head scales. Asymmetry was directional
      (more scales on the left side) and was higher in individuals with lower
      heterozygosity, but was not heritable. In contrast, fragmentation was heritable
      and was higher in females than males. Both scale asymmetry and fragmentation were
      increased by rapid embryogenesis but were not affected by hydric conditions
      during incubation. Snakes with asymmetry and fragmentation exhibited slightly
      lower survival and increased (sex-specific) movements, and females with more
      scale fragmentation produced smaller eggs. Counterintuitively, snakes with more
      asymmetry had higher growth rates (possibly reflecting trade-offs with other
      traits), and snakes with more fragmentation had fewer parasites (possibly due to
      lower feeding rates). Our data paint an unusually detailed picture of the complex
      genetic and environmental factors that, by disrupting early embryonic
      development, generate variations in morphology that have detectable correlations
      with ecological performance.

PMID- 28900297
TI  - Screening candidate microRNA-mRNA regulatory pairs for predicting the response to
      chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer by a bioinformatics approach.
AB  - Extensive efforts have been undertaken in search of biomarkers for predicting the
      chemoradiotherapy response in rectal cancer. However, most attention on treatment
      efficiency prediction in carcinoma is addicted to single or limited molecules.
      Network biomarkers are considered to outperform single molecules in predictive
      power. In this study, candidate microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified from the
      PubMed citations and miRNA expression profiles. Targets of miRNAs were obtained
      from four experimentally confirmed interactions and three computationally
      predicted databases. Functional enrichment analysis of all the targets revealed
      their associations with chemoradiotherapy response, indicating they could be
      promising biomarkers. Two lists of key target mRNAs of the candidate miRNAs were
      retrieved from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and mRNA expression
      profiles, respectively. Pathway analysis and literature validation revealed that
      the mRNA lists were highly related to the ionizing radiation. The above miRNAs
      along with the key miRNA targets provide potential miRNA-mRNA regulatory pairs as
      network biomarkers in which all the network components may be used for predicting
      the chemoradiotherapy response. These results demonstrated that the network
      biomarkers could provide a useful model for predicting the chemoradiotherapy
      response and help in further understanding the molecular basis of response
      differences, which should be prioritized for further study.

PMID- 28900298
TI  - Sclerostin induced tumor growth, bone metastasis and osteolysis in breast cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women
      worldwide. Many patients suffer from bone metastasis. Sclerostin, a key regulator
      of normal bone remodeling, is critically involved in osteolytic bone diseases.
      However, its role in breast cancer bone metastasis remains unknown. Here, we
      found that sclerostin was overexpressed in breast cancer tumor tissues and cell
      lines. Inhibition of sclerostin by antibody (Scl-Ab) significantly reduced
      migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells in a time- and dose
      dependent manner. In xenograft model, sclerostin inhibition improved survival of
      nude mice and prevented osteolytic lesions resulting from tumor metastasis. Taken
      together, sclerostin promotes breast cancer cell migration, invasion and bone
      osteolysis. Inhibition of sclerostin may serve as an efficient strategy for
      interventions against breast cancer bone metastasis or osteolytic bone diseases.

PMID- 28900299
TI  - Social resource foraging is guided by the principles of the Marginal Value
      Theorem.
AB  - Optimality principles guide how animals adapt to changing environments. During
      foraging for nonsocial resources such as food and water, species across taxa obey
      a strategy that maximizes resource harvest rate. However, it remains unknown
      whether foraging for social resources also obeys such a strategic principle. We
      investigated how primates forage for social information conveyed by conspecific
      facial expressions using the framework of optimal foraging theory. We found that
      the canonical principle of Marginal Value Theorem (MVT) also applies to social
      resources. Consistent with MVT, rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) spent more time
      foraging for social information when alternative sources of information were
      farther away compared to when they were closer by. A comparison of four models of
      patch-leaving behavior confirmed that the MVT framework provided the best fit to
      the observed foraging behavior. This analysis further demonstrated that patch
      leaving decisions were not driven simply by the declining value of the images in
      the patch, but instead were dependent upon both the instantaneous social value
      intake rate and current time in the patch.

PMID- 28900301
TI  - Geometric Phase Generated Optical Illusion.
AB  - An optical illusion, such as "Rubin's vase", is caused by the information
      gathered by the eye, which is processed in the brain to give a perception that
      does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source. Metasurfaces
      are metamaterials of reduced dimensionality which have opened up new avenues for
      flat optics. The recent advancement in spin-controlled metasurface holograms has
      attracted considerate attention, providing a new method to realize optical
      illusions. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a metasurface device to
      generate an optical illusion. The metasurface device is designed to display two
      asymmetrically distributed off-axis images of "Rubin faces" with high fidelity,
      high efficiency and broadband operation that are interchangeable by controlling
      the helicity of the incident light. Upon the illumination of a linearly polarized
      light beam, the optical illusion of a 'vase' is perceived. Our result provides an
      intuitive demonstration of the figure-ground distinction that our brains make
      during the visual perception. The alliance between geometric metasurface and the
      optical illusion opens a pathway for new applications related to encryption,
      optical patterning, and information processing.

PMID- 28900300
TI  - Rogdi Defines GABAergic Control of a Wake-promoting Dopaminergic Pathway to
      Sustain Sleep in Drosophila.
AB  - Kohlschutter-Tonz syndrome (KTS) is a rare genetic disorder with neurological
      dysfunctions including seizure and intellectual impairment. Mutations at the
      Rogdi locus have been linked to development of KTS, yet the underlying mechanisms
      remain elusive. Here we demonstrate that a Drosophila homolog of Rogdi acts as a
      novel sleep-promoting factor by supporting a specific subset of gamma
      aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission. Rogdi mutant flies displayed insomnia-like
      behaviors accompanied by sleep fragmentation and delay in sleep initiation. The
      sleep suppression phenotypes were rescued by sustaining GABAergic transmission
      primarily via metabotropic GABA receptors or by blocking wake-promoting
      dopaminergic pathways. Transgenic rescue further mapped GABAergic neurons as a
      cell-autonomous locus important for Rogdi-dependent sleep, implying metabotropic
      GABA transmission upstream of the dopaminergic inhibition of sleep. Consistently,
      an agonist specific to metabotropic but not ionotropic GABA receptors titrated
      the wake-promoting effects of dopaminergic neuron excitation. Taken together,
      these data provide the first genetic evidence that implicates Rogdi in sleep
      regulation via GABAergic control of dopaminergic signaling. Given the strong
      relevance of GABA to epilepsy, we propose that similar mechanisms might underlie
      the neural pathogenesis of Rogdi-associated KTS.

PMID- 28900302
TI  - Functional dissection of hematopoietic stem cell populations with a stemness
      monitoring system based on NS-GFP transgene expression.
AB  - Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in a steady state can be efficiently purified by
      selecting for a combination of several cell surface markers; however, such
      markers do not consistently reflect HSC activity. In this study, we successfully
      enriched HSCs with a unique stemness-monitoring system using a transgenic mouse
      in which green florescence protein (GFP) is driven by the promoter/enhancer
      region of the nucleostemin (NS) gene. We found that the phenotypically defined
      long-term (LT)-HSC population exhibited the highest level of NS-GFP intensity,
      whereas NS-GFP intensity was strongly downregulated during differentiation in
      vitro and in vivo. Within the LT-HSC population, NS-GFPhigh cells exhibited
      significantly higher repopulating capacity than NS-GFPlow cells. Gene expression
      analysis revealed that nine genes, including Vwf and Cdkn1c (p57), are highly
      expressed in NS-GFPhigh cells and may represent a signature of HSCs, i.e., a
      stemness signature. When LT-HSCs suffered from remarkable stress, such as
      transplantation or irradiation, NS-GFP intensity was downregulated. Finally, we
      found that high levels of NS-GFP identified HSC-like cells even among CD34+
      cells, which have been considered progenitor cells without long-term
      reconstitution ability. Thus, high NS-GFP expression represents stem cell
      characteristics in hematopoietic cells, making this system useful for identifying
      previously uncharacterized HSCs.

PMID- 28900303
TI  - Exploring priming responses involved in peach fruit acclimation to cold stress.
AB  - Cold storage of fruit may induce the physiological disorder chilling injury (CI);
      however, the molecular basis of CI development remains largely unexplored.
      Simulated conditions of CI priming and suppression provided an interesting
      experimental system to study cold response in fruit. Peaches (cv. June Gold) at
      the commercial harvest (CH) or tree-ripe (TR) stages were immediately exposed to
      cold treatment (40 d, 0  degrees C) and an additional group of CH fruits were pre
      conditioned 48 h at 20  degrees C prior to low-temperature exposure (pre
      conditioning, PC). Following cold treatment, the ripening behaviour of the three
      groups of fruits was analysed (3 d, 20  degrees C). Parallel proteomic,
      metabolomic and targeted transcription comparisons were employed to characterize
      the response of fruit to CI expression. Physiological data indicated that PC
      suppressed CI symptoms and induced more ethylene biosynthesis than the other
      treatments. Differences in the protein and metabolic profiles were identified,
      both among treatments and before and after cold exposure. Transcriptional
      expression patterns of several genes were consistent with their protein abundance
      models. Interestingly, metabolomic and gene expression results revealed a
      possible role for valine and/or isoleucine in CI tolerance. Overall, this study
      provides new insights into molecular changes during fruit acclimation to cold
      environment.

PMID- 28900304
TI  - The campaign for a National Strategy for Gypsy site provision and the role of
      Public Health activism in the 1960-1970s.
AB  - We trace the post-war evolution of a national approach to providing caravan sites
      for Gypsies and Travellers-something essential to protect the health of that
      population in the United Kingdom (UK). Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the late
      Norman Dodds MP championed in Parliament the plight of the UK's Gypsies and other
      nomads. He was instrumental in galvanising support for the 1968 Caravan Sites
      Act. The vision of influential individuals working in public and environmental
      health surmounted practical considerations and local opposition to implement the
      national programme of site provision envisioned by the Act. We detail this
      hitherto neglected aspect of Gypsy politics and policy development. In doing so,
      we highlight the transformative potential of public health and argue for a return
      to the comprehensive vision motivating these pioneers in the 1960s and 1970s.

PMID- 28900305
TI  - Berberine ameliorates fatty acid-induced oxidative stress in human hepatoma
      cells.
AB  - Oxidative stress is thought to be critical for the pathogenesis of hepatic
      steatosis and its progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Berberine (BBR) can
      improve hepatic steatosis. In this study, we investigated the role of BBR in
      ameliorating oxidative stress. Lipid accumulation was measured in the livers of
      C57BL/6 mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) or a normal diet for 8 weeks, then either
      received BBR or vehicle for the study duration. Nrf2 distribution was detected in
      male Sprague-Dawley rats' livers in vivo and in Huh7 cells in vitro. ROS
      generation and mitochondrial complex expression was measured in Huh7 cells. HepG2
      cells were employed for the measurement of oxygen consumption rates. Our results
      showed that BBR reduced triglyceride accumulation in the liver of HFD-fed mice.
      The activation and nuclear distribution of Nrf2 was decreased in the hepatocytes
      of rats that received BBR treatment, while on a HFD. BBR also markedly reduced
      Nox2-dependent cytoplasmic ROS production and mitochondrial ROS production, which
      was mediated by the down-regulation of Complex I and III expression. In
      conclusion, BBR has a great potential to reduce the effects of oxidative stress,
      which likely contributes to its protective effect in inhibiting the progression
      of hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis.

PMID- 28900307
TI  - Marine microbiology: Algal virus boosts nitrogen uptake in the ocean.

PMID- 28900306
TI  - Effect of HNO3 concentration on a novel silica-based adsorbent for separating
      Pd(II) from simulated high level liquid waste.
AB  - A new kind of silica-based (Crea + TODGA)/SiO2-P adsorbent with high selectivity
      adsorption for palladium (Pd) was synthesized to examined the applicability for
      partitioning process of high level liquid waste (HLLW). Adsorption behavior of
      Pd(II) towards (Crea + TODGA)/SiO2-P adsorbent and stability of adsorbent against
      HNO3 solution were investigated by batch method. The degradation parts of (Crea +
      TODGA)/SiO2-P dissolved in liquid phase were estimated by total organic carbon
      (TOC) analyzer. (Crea + TODGA)/SiO2-P adsorbent showed good selectivity
      adsorption for Pd(II) and reached equilibrium within 24 hr. The adsorption
      ability of (Crea + TODGA)/SiO2-P for Pd(II) and the content of TOC leaked
      decreased with the increasing of HNO3 concentration. In 3 M HNO3, the average of
      K d values were 85.03 cm3/g and 26.10 cm3/g after contact time one to 28 days at
      298 K and 323 K, respectively. While the content of TOC leaked from the adsorbent
      after 28 days were 1095 ppm (298 K) and 2989 ppm (323 K), respectively.
      Therefore, the adsorbent showed good stability at 298 K after contact with nitric
      acid for a long time. All results indicated (Crea + TODGA)/SiO2-P can be proposed
      as an applicable and efficient absorbent for separation of Pd(II) in 3 M HNO3 at
      298 K.

PMID- 28900308
TI  - Bacterial pathogenesis: Rewiring cellular dynamics and metabolism.

PMID- 28900309
TI  - Viral infection: A bacteriophage-like entry pathway in eukaryotes.

PMID- 28900310
TI  - Microbiome: Copy-catting host signalling molecules.

PMID- 28900311
TI  - Archaeal biology: Plasmid propagation by virus-like particles.

PMID- 28900312
TI  - Dynamic patterns of overexploitation in fisheries.
AB  - Understanding overfishing and regulating fishing quotas is a major global
      challenge for the 21st Century both in terms of providing food for humankind and
      to preserve the oceans' ecosystems. However, fishing is a complex economic
      activity, affected not just by overfishing but also by such factors as pollution,
      technology, financial factors and more. For this reason, it is often difficult to
      state with complete certainty that overfishing is the cause of the decline of a
      fishery. In this study, we developed a simple dynamic model specifically designed
      to isolate and to study the role of depletion on production. The model is based
      on the well-known Lotka-Volterra model, or Prey-Predator mechanism, assuming that
      the fish stock and the fishing industry are coupled variables that dynamically
      affect each other. In the model, the fishing industry acts as the "predator" and
      the fish stock as the "prey". If the model can fit historical data, in particular
      relative to the productive decline of specific fisheries, then we have a strong
      indication that the decline of the fish stock is driving the decline of the
      fishery production. The model doesn't pretend to be a general description of the
      fishing industry in all its varied forms; however, the data reported here show
      that the model can describe several historical cases of fisheries whose
      production decreased and collapsed, indicating that the overexploitation of the
      fish stocks is an important factor in the decline of fisheries.

PMID- 28900314
TI  - Evaluation of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Factors in Children Affected by
      Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obesity is among the medical problems in survivors of childhood
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). These patients are at risk of metabolic
      syndrome (MS). The present study aimed to follow the patients with ALL regarding
      the incidence of MS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on all
      patients who referred to the oncology clinic from July 2012 to July 2013. The
      exclusion criteria of the study were ALL relapse, secondary malignancy,
      hypothyroidism, Down syndrome, and below 2 years of age. ALL had to be diagnosed
      at least 12 months before enrollment into this study. MS was assessed by serum
      triglyceride, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, leptin, and insulin levels.
      Besides, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) were measured at diagnosis
      and at the last visit. RESULTS: This study was conducted on 53 patients (male =
      35, female = 18). At the end of the study, 13 patients (24.53%) were overweight
      compared to 3 patients at diagnosis (P = 0.04). The mean blood leptin level was
      higher in overweight patients compared to the others (P = 0.001). MS was detected
      in 21 patients (39.6%), including 12 males and 9 females. In addition, the BMI Z
      score significantly increased over the study period (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Being overweight is a complication of ALL treatment, which is associated with
      elevated blood leptin level and BMI Z-score. Therefore, MS criteria, such as BP,
      weight, and serum triglyceride level, should be taken into account in each visit.

PMID- 28900313
TI  - Selective ATP-Binding Cassette Subfamily C Gene Expression and Proinflammatory
      Mediators Released by BEAS-2B after PM2.5, Budesonide, and Cotreated Exposures.
AB  - ATP-binding cassette subfamily C (ABCC) genes code for phase III metabolism
      proteins that translocate xenobiotic (e.g., particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5)) and
      drug metabolites outside the cells. IL-6 secretion is related with the activation
      of the ABCC transporters. This study assesses ABCC1-4 gene expression changes and
      proinflammatory cytokine (IL-6, IL-8) release in human bronchial epithelial cells
      (BEAS-2B) exposed to PM2.5 organic extract, budesonide (BUD, used to control
      inflammation in asthmatic patients), and a cotreatment (Co-T: PM2.5 and BUD). A
      real-time PCR assay shows that ABCC1 was upregulated in BEAS-2B exposed after 6
      and 7 hr to PM2.5 extract or BUD but downregulated after 6 hr of the Co-T. ABCC3
      was downregulated after 6 hr of BUD and upregulated after 6 hr of the Co-T
      exposures. ABCC4 was upregulated after 5 hr of PM2.5 extract, BUD, and the Co-T
      exposures. The cytokine assay revealed an increase in IL-6 release by BEAS-2B
      exposed after 5 hr to PM2.5 extract, BUD, and the Co-T. At 7 hr, the Co-T
      decreases IL-6 release and IL-8 at 6 hr. In conclusion, the cotreatment showed an
      opposite effect on exposed BEAS-2B as compared with BUD. The results suggest an
      interference of the BUD therapeutic potential by PM2.5.

PMID- 28900315
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Deferasirox in Pediatric Patients of Thalassemia at a
      Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy, safety and utilization pattern of deferasirox in
      paediatric patients of transfusion dependant beta Thalassemia Major at a tertiary
      care teaching hospital in Gujarat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational,
      prospective-retrospective, single centre, continuous study was conducted in a
      tertiary care teaching hospital among paediatric patients of transfusion
      dependent beta Thalassemia Major. Patients treated with deferasirox for not more
      than 12 weeks were enrolled. Details of blood transfusions, relevant
      investigations performed every 3 weeks and 3 months and drugs used were recorded
      in a pretested case record form. Parents were provided with a diary to record the
      details of ADRs. Data were analyzed for demographic characteristics, number and
      mean volume of blood transfusions, changes in serum ferritin and iron levels,
      number and types of ADRs and progression, causality, severity and preventability
      of ADRs. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients enrolled, one patient was lost to follow up
      and four withdrew their consent. Of the remaining 55 patients, 36 were boys and
      19 were girls (mean age: 6 +/- 3.14 years), including patients of 1-3 years (11),
      4-6 years (24), 7-10 years (12) and 11-12 years (8). Thirty six patients were
      born of consanguineous marriages. Adherence to blood transfusion guidelines and
      deferasirox prescribing and administration guidelines was observed. A serial and
      significant decrease in mean serum ferritin and serum iron at 3 weeks and 3
      months with deferasirox treatment was observed in all age groups except that of
      11-12 years. A total of 117 ADRs were observed in 52 patients from 19498 doses,
      most common being diarrhea (24), raised serum creatinine (15), raised hepatic
      enzymes (14), abdominal pain (14) and rashes (14). A reduction in dose was
      required in 32 cases, while a temporary stoppage was indicated in 41 cases.
      Deferasirox was the possible and probable cause of 65 and 51 ADRs respectively as
      assessed by WHO-UMC scale. Majority of ADRs were definitely preventable and mild
      in nature. CONCLUSION: beta Thalassemia Major is more common in males. A rational
      prescribing of deferasirox was observed. Deferasirox effectively reduced serum
      ferritin and serum iron levels in these patients.

PMID- 28900316
TI  - Benson's Relaxation Effect in Comparing to Systematic Desensitization on Anxiety
      of Female Nurses: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nursing staffs expose to a high level of anxiety. This study aimed
      to compare the effect of Benson's relaxation and systematic desensitization
      methods for decreasing the anxiety score of nurses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a
      randomized clinical trial, 72 female nurses were assigned randomly to three
      different groups. Benson's relaxation and systematic desensitization were used as
      intervention beside control group. After intervention, the Spielberger state
      trait anxiety inventory was used for measuring the anxiety score. Analysis of
      variance (ANOVA), Tukey test, and paired t-test were applied for comparing three
      group scores. RESULTS: The ANOVA test showed that a significant difference among
      three groups regarding scores of posttrait and poststate anxiety (P < 0.05). The
      Tukey test showed that both Benson's relaxation and systematic desensitization
      methods were effective in decreasing of the anxiety score of nurses. Moreover,
      the mean change in trait and state anxiety scores at Benson's relaxation and
      systematic desensitization groups was more than control group, respectively, and
      was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Both Benson's relaxation and
      systematic desensitization methods are effective in improvement of the state and
      trait dimensions of anxiety. However, these methods could be applied in stressful
      situation among medical staffs of students.

PMID- 28900317
TI  - Evaluation of Cytotoxicity Effects of Oleo-Gum-Resin and Its Essential Oil of
      Ferula assa-foetida and Ferulic Acid on 4T1 Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer causes significant morbidity and mortality and is a major
      public health problem worldwide. Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer
      associated mortality in women, and the incidence is also on the rise in the
      entire world. Medicinal plants have been an important source of several
      clinically useful anticancer agents. AIM: In this study, we studied the growth
      inhibitory effect of asafoetida and its essential oil and ferulic acid on
      antitumor activity using mouse breast cancer cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      For this aim, cells were exposed to these components at different concentrations
      and for different time durations. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was carried out to characterize the
      cytotoxicity of the constituents used. RESULTS: Our results showed that all three
      constituents could inhibit 4T1 cell proliferation. Our MTT assay results showed a
      significant cytotoxicity effect in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. It
      also demonstrated that essential oil of asafoetida has a stronger effect in
      decreasing viability breast cancer cells. Ferulic acid showed a significant
      effect only at a dose of 500 MUg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of
      cellular carried out in this study, we could demonstrate that asafoetida and its
      essential oil and ferulic acid have inhibitory effect on the growth of breast
      cancer cell line. As evidenced from these preliminary results, asafoetida and its
      derivative constituents may be considered as attractive alternatives to serve as
      lead compounds in drug development for breast cancer as an adjuvant therapy.
      However, much remains to be done before such agent could be introduced to the
      clinic.

PMID- 28900318
TI  - Normal Tissue Complications following Hypofractionated Chest Wall Radiotherapy in
      Breast Cancer Patients and Their Correlation with Patient, Tumor, and Treatment
      Characteristics.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Normal tissue complications following chest wall radiotherapy (RT)
      are inevitable, and the long-term data on hypofractionation are still limited. To
      quantify the late effects of hypofractionated RT on cardiac, pulmonary, brachial
      plexus, and regional lymphatics and their correlation with patient, tumor, and
      treatment characteristics is the main objective of this study. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Two hundred and sixteen breast cancer patients following mastectomy were
      treated with hypofractionated schedules either 40 Gy in 15 fractions or 42.5 Gy
      in 16 fractions. Common Toxicity Criteria version 3.0 was utilized to quantify
      the late effects of hypofractionation on cardiac, pulmonary, brachial plexus, and
      lymphedema at a maximum follow-up of 5 years. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 42
      months. Median age was 49 years. 14.8% developed >=Grade (Gr) 2 late cardiac
      toxicity. 10.2% developed >=Gr2 late pulmonary toxicity. There were 28.7%
      patients who developed >=Gr2 lymphedema. Sixty-seven out of 216 patients had
      symptomatic brachial plexopathy at 5-year follow-up. Variables found to increase
      the incidence of these adverse events included smoking, hypertension, diabetes
      mellitus, body mass index >=25, extent of axillary dissection, and use of
      supraclavicular field. CONCLUSION: Hypofractionation leads to increased risk of
      normal tissue complications partly influenced by some patient- and treatment
      related factors, but these were manageable and minimally disabling.

PMID- 28900319
TI  - Investigation of Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Pediatric Patients with
      Brain Cancer.
AB  - AIM: In recent years, it is believed that Vitamin D may play a protective role in
      some cancer types. Certain regions of the Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene may show
      a genetic difference in structure. The most frequent polymorphisms in this gene
      are in Taq-1, Fok-1, and Bsm-1 regions. Some adult cancer types are associated
      with VDR gene polymorphism such as; colorectal carcinoma, breast carcinoma, and
      prostate carcinoma. Reviewing the medical literature, no such study had been done
      on children so far. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the association of the
      three most common gene polymorphisms (Taq-1, Fok-1, and Bsm-1 regions) in VDR
      gene in 32 children with brain tumors and forty control healthy volunteers.
      RESULTS: We could not find any relationship between childhood brain tumors and
      VDR gene polymorphism in these three regions. CONCLUSION: The present results
      suggest that the Taq-1, Fok-1, and Bsm-1 polymorphism in the VDR gene and
      pediatric brain cancers have no association.

PMID- 28900320
TI  - A Cross-sectional Survey Assessing Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding
      Oral Cancer among Private Medical and Dental Practitioners in Bhubaneswar City.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral cancer is a public health problem giving rise to a great
      number of disabilities and deaths, but the possibility of survival is
      astonishingly higher when detected early. Health professionals therefore have an
      important role and responsibility in the prevention and early detection of oral
      cancer. They should be in a position to identify all suspicious lesions and to
      search for specialist opinion as promptly as possible when unsure, while also
      referring to the most appropriate discipline. AIM: This study aimed to assess the
      knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) regarding oral cancer among private
      medical practitioners (MPs) and private dental practitioners (DPs). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among 334 MPs
      and 201 DPs in Bhubaneswar. A self-designed, close-ended questionnaire containing
      28 items was delivered to the practitioners in their clinics. Correlation between
      KAP among MPs and DPs was done by Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient test.
      Student's t-test was used to compare the KAP among the practitioners. RESULTS: Of
      the 535 practitioners approached, 513 filled the questionnaire with a response
      rate of 95.88%. Significantly, the mean knowledge index was higher among DPs
      (10.96 +/- 1.85). The attitude index was higher in the MPs (6.89 +/- 1.11), and
      the practice index was higher among the DPs (4.95 +/- 0.91). CONCLUSION: The
      study puts forward the need of further training for both MPs and DPs to increase
      awareness and to strengthen their abilities to diagnose potentially cancerous
      intra-oral lesions.

PMID- 28900321
TI  - Pattern of Adverse Drug Reactions to Anticancer Drugs: A Quantitative and
      Qualitative Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anticancer drugs contribute significantly to the global burden of
      adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Any attempt to quantify their magnitude and
      provide upgraded knowledge would help oncologists in writing safer prescriptions.
      AIM: This observational follow-up study was conducted on newly diagnosed cancer
      patients receiving anticancer therapy with an aim to determine the frequency,
      severity, causality, predictability, and preventability of ADRs. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: The patients were followed up for 6 months for the appearance of adverse
      events. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0.
      (Armonk, NY) and presented in the form of descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Each
      patient was prescribed approximately 6.85 +/- 1.51 (mean +/- standard error)
      drugs on average. All the patients (100%) receiving anticancer chemotherapy had
      ADRs. Alopecia, nausea and vomiting, burning tingling, and numbness were the most
      frequently encountered ADRs. The incidence of alopecia (P < 0.0004), nausea (P <
      0.03), and oral ulceration (P < 0.02) was higher in females. Maximum reactions
      were of Grade 2 (69.53%). Most of the reactions (75.80%) appeared within 10 days
      of receiving the first cycle. 99.58% reactions were not serious. According to the
      WHO - The Uppsala Monitoring Centre criteria, 99.47% ADRs fell in possible
      category. According to the Naranjo's algorithm, 100% ADRs fell in probable
      category. About 94.80% reactions were found to be predictable. About 56.47%
      reactions were probably preventable, and 43.53% reactions were not preventable.
      CONCLUSION: Multiple ADRs were seen in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Most of
      them were predictable, of mild-to-moderate severity, nonserious, and preventable.
      A majority of the ADRs recovered over time.

PMID- 28900322
TI  - Stigma Perceived by Women Following Surgery for Breast Cancer.
AB  - CONTEXT: Women undergoing treatment for breast cancer often have psychological
      morbidity and body image difficulties. The risk factors for increased levels of
      stigma in women with breast cancer have not been adequately studied. AIMS: This
      study aimed at investigating the associations of high levels of stigma in women
      with breast cancer. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted
      in a comprehensive cancer center in India and recruited women (n = 134)
      undergoing surgical treatment for breast cancer. METHODS: Body image
      difficulties, including stigma and affective symptoms, were quantified, alongside
      disease- and treatment-related variables using standardized questionnaires.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Univariate analysis followed by multivariate logistic
      regression was performed to find the risk factors of high levels of stigma
      related to body image. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, high levels of stigma
      were associated with lesser educational attainment (odds ratio [OR] =2.92,
      confidence interval [CI] 1.25-6.8, P = 0.01), breast conservation surgery (BCS)
      as opposed to mastectomy (OR = 4.78, CI 2.07-11.03, P < 0.001), having an anxiety
      disorder (OR = 2.4, CI 1.09-5.33, P = 0.03), and depression (OR = 3.08, CI 1.37
      6.89, P < 0.01). On multivariate logistic regression, with stigma as the
      dependent variable, being less educated (adjusted OR [AOR] 3.08, CI 1.18-8.04, P
      = 0.02) and opting for BCS (AOR 6.12, CI 2.41-15.5, P < 0.001) were associated
      with higher stigma. CONCLUSIONS: Women with breast cancer should be screened for
      distress and stigma. Women opting for BCS may still have unmet emotional needs on
      completion of surgery and should have access to psychological interventions to
      address stigma, affective symptoms, and body image problems.

PMID- 28900323
TI  - Detection and Significance of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Expression
      in Gastric Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is involved in the
      pathogenesis of several types of cancer, including gastric cancer. Overexpression
      of HER2 is noted in 10%-22.8% of gastric adenocarcinoma and its identification is
      of immense importance for management by targeted drugs. Detection of HER2
      expression in gastric malignancies has not been undertaken previously in the
      local population. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain HER2 immunohistochemical expression in
      gastric adenocarcinoma and its relationship with the anatomic location and
      histomorphology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 47 cases of gastric
      adenocarcinoma diagnosed over 2 years constituted the study group. Clinical
      history, type of operation, gross morphology, and hematoxylin and eosin (H and E)
      stained sections were reviewed. Two paraffin blocks were selected, immunostain
      was performed using rabbit monoclonal HER2 antibody and Hoffmann scoring system
      was applied. RESULTS: Most of gastric carcinomas occurred in male (42 cases),
      having a mean age of 53.6 years. A total of eight cases (17.1%) had expressed a
      score of 3+ HER2 positivity. All positivity was noted in intestinal type
      according to Lauren classification (25%) and none in diffuse type. All HER2 score
      of 3+ was noted in histological grade of well and moderately differentiated
      adenocarcinoma. Score 2+ was noted in seven cases, among them, only two were
      poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: HER2 overexpression was
      noticeably associated with an intestinal subtype, and well and moderately
      differentiated adenocarcinomas. Such cases of gastric adenocarcinoma are
      considered for targeted therapy with trastuzumab in the local population.

PMID- 28900324
TI  - A Significant Breakthrough in the Incidence of Childhood Cancers and Evaluation
      of its Risk Factors in Southern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study investigates epidemiologic and practical
      information about the incidence and risk factors of childhood cancer in a
      population of Southern Iranian children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total number of
      300 cancer patients along with 600 age- and gender-matched healthy control were
      interviewed by a trained physician regarding their demographic characteristics,
      and major family-associated risk factors, childhood malignancies. RESULTS: The
      average annual percentage change for cancers in the studied population is
      calculated as 45%. Our study indicated that possible risk factors which could
      contribute to the development of childhood cancer are maternal oral contraceptive
      pill use during pregnancy, exposure to radiation during pregnancy, parental
      smoking, residence near high voltage electricity lines, exposure to pesticides
      and fertilizers, patient allergy, contact with domestic animals and father's
      educational degree. Furthermore, new ecological risk factors such as air
      pollution due to nonstandard petroleum or toxic inhalant particles, nonhealthy
      food consumption, and satellite jamming are other predisposing factors.
      CONCLUSION: Our study reported a higher average annual percentage change of
      childhood cancers in our area, compared to the existing literature. In
      conclusion, detection and prevention of the consistent and possible new
      environmental risk factors such as nonstandard petroleum or satellite jamming
      from all around the country should be taking into consideration.

PMID- 28900325
TI  - Symptom Burden and Quality of Life Issues among Patients of Chronic Myeloid
      Leukemia on Long-term Imatinib Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib have improved survival in
      chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Imatinib can cause chronic side effects which are
      not considered serious but can impact the quality of life (QoL) of the patient.
      METHODS: The results of a detailed symptom burden analysis and its impact on QoL
      scores in a cohort of patients on long-term imatinib is presented in this study.
      Symptom burden was assessed using the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory specific
      for CML patients. An indigenously developed QoL questionnaire (Cancer Institute
      Quality of Life II) was administered simultaneously. RESULTS: Of 221 patients of
      CML (M:F = 133:88; median age: 39 years [18-65], median duration of imatinib: 4
      years), QoL scores were high in 46%, average in 39%, and low in 14%. QoL scores
      were negatively correlated with general symptoms (r = -0.612, P < 0.001), CML
      specific symptoms (r = -0.513, P < 0.001), and interference of symptoms (r = 
      0.596, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Significant impairment of QoL was noted among
      patients with CML primarily due to the burden of symptom related to side effects
      of imatinib. This issue must be addressed both in the clinic as well as in all
      studies of CML.

PMID- 28900326
TI  - The Relationship between Serum Selenium and Zinc with Gastroesophageal Cancers in
      the Southeast of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) have antioxidant and anticancer
      properties. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of
      Se and Zn and the correlation between the levels of these two elements with risk
      of incidence of esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In a case-control study, we selected sixty patients with GC or EC as the
      intervention group and 120 age-matched individuals as the control group.
      Exclusion criteria were the individuals with kidney and liver failure and the
      consumer of dietary supplements such as Se and Zn. Measurement of serum Se was
      done in a graphite furnace system and atomic absorption device of Varian and of
      serum Zn was done by a flame photometer system (flame) and atomic absorption
      device of Varian. RESULTS: In thirty patients of ECs, 90% were squamous cell
      carcinoma and 10% adenocarcinoma, and out of thirty patients of GCs, 90% were
      intestinal type and 10% diffuse type. The level of two elements in cancer
      patients was lower than the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant
      different between two cancer groups for level of Se and Zn, but there was a
      significant difference between the control group with two other groups.
      CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed the findings from previous prospective studies
      and randomized trials that reducing of lower levels of Se and Zn can effect on
      incidence of cancer.

PMID- 28900327
TI  - Metastatic Ewing's Sarcoma: Revisiting the "Evidence on the Fence".
AB  - Metastatic Ewing's sarcoma is a challenging disease for oncology care providers
      with wide spectrum of disease at presentation, widely varying approach to the
      treatment and varied outcomes. The paucity of randomized evidence is a barrier in
      developing a consensus. This perspective provides the evidence "for and against"
      the benefit of aggressive approach including local and systemic therapy in
      patients presenting with metastatic Ewing's sarcoma and provide general
      recommendations so as to help select patients who will benefit with definitive
      intent treatment and also, avoid aggressive approach in patients with dismal
      outcome.

PMID- 28900328
TI  - Immune Checkpoint Blockers and Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - Although the idea, called "cancer immunotherapy," is very appealing and has
      previously been shown to work in several mouse models of cancer, it has in
      general been very difficult to translate cancer immunotherapy approaches to
      humans. Because of this frustration, by the 1990s, many scientists and
      biotechnology companies had given up on the idea of cancer immunotherapy. After
      few years, first detection T-cell suppression of effect of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte
      antigen-4 (CTLA4) molecule was established. Antibody (Ab) to CTLA4 could increase
      T-cell starting a completely new age of tumor immunology. Immune checkpoints are
      new ways in manipulation of immunological control over malignant tumors. It has
      lent an important measure to manage, especially recurrent and refractory cancers
      and those cancer where there is an unmet need like recurrent melanoma, renal cell
      carcinoma, and recurrent ovarian cancer. As a new development, this subject is
      experiencing rapid progress, and multiple avenues are opening up. Although there
      are many hurdles to overcome this needs constant updating, especially for
      students of ovarian cancer who are looking at it with much hope.

PMID- 28900329
TI  - Cytotoxic Drug Dispersal, Cytotoxic Safety, and Cytotoxic Waste Management:
      Practices and Proposed India-specific Guidelines.
AB  - This article deals with practices related to cytotoxic drug dispersal, cytotoxic
      safety, and cytotoxic waste management and attempts at India-specific guidelines
      for their dispersal and disposal. The articles related to cytotoxic drug
      dispersal, cytotoxic safety, and cytotoxic waste management were reviewed from
      PubMed and their applicability in Indian health-care facilities (HCFs) was also
      reviewed. All HCFs dealing with cytotoxic drugs should consider cytotoxic policy,
      patient safety and health-care worker safety, and environmental monitoring
      program as per the available international guidelines customized as per Indian
      conditions. Utmost care in handling cytotoxic waste is quintessential. The
      formation of India-specific cytotoxic guidelines requires the inputs from all
      stakeholders. Cytotoxic waste, cytotoxic safety, and cytotoxic waste management
      should be the subject of a national strategy with an infrastructure, cradle-to
      grave legislation, competent regulatory authority, and trained personnel.

PMID- 28900331
TI  - Solid Pseudopapillary Tumor of Pancreas: A Case Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas is one of the rarest forms of
      pancreatic neoplasm. It was also known as Franz's tumor or Hamoudi tumor until
      WHO labeled it as solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) in 1996. It typically affects
      young non-Caucasian females in their second or third decade of life. Treatment
      involves complete excision of the tumor which results in complete cure in
      majority of the cases. We present here a report of 11-year-old girl with SPT and
      also do a review of literature for this rare tumor.

PMID- 28900332
TI  - A Case of Mature Cystic Teratoma in an 8-year-old Girl: A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Ovarian tumors are commonly seen in reproductive age group in women. However,
      when they occur at extremes of age, the suspicion of malignancy increases. The
      detection of dermoid cyst at 8 years of age is uncommon and hence is being
      reported to acquaint the doctors of this possibility. Awareness of benign tumors
      in small children can help in proper counseling of patient party and planning the
      surgical procedure.

PMID- 28900330
TI  - Role of Insulin-like Growth Factor, Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptors, and
      Insulin-like Growth Factor-binding Proteins in Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - Insulin and IGFs play an important role in cancer initiation and progression,
      including ovarian cancer (OC). Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most
      frequent type of OC in women and it is the most lethal gynecological malignancy
      worldwide. Generally, insulin is associated with metabolism, whereas Insulin like
      growth factors (IGFs) are involved in cell proliferation. Hence, Insulin-like
      growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) determines the bioavailability of IGFs in
      circulation. The interplay between these molecules such as insulin, IGFs, IGFBPs
      and insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R) may be crucial for ovarian
      cancer cell biology and cancer progression. However, the IGF1R inhibitors
      exhibiting potent activity on IGF/IGF1R also demonstrated activity against OC
      cells. The combination therapy of drugs may prove to be beneficial in clinical
      management of OC. This review describes both molecular and clinical associations
      between insulin and IGF1 signaling pathways in ovarian cancer. The data was
      collected using PubMed search engine with the following key words such as ovarian
      cancer, IGFs, IGFBP, IGF1Rs and ovarian cancer.

PMID- 28900333
TI  - Ruptured Malignant Ovarian Tumor in an Adolescent Girl: A Rare Case Report.
AB  - Germ cell tumors which arise mainly in pediatric and adolescent age group,
      account for 30% of all ovarian tumors, but constitute only 5% of all malignant
      ovarian tumors. The presentation is usually insidious with the patient presenting
      with abdominal swelling and dull aching pain. We report a rare case of a
      malignant germ cell tumor in a 12-year-old girl who presented with acute abdomen
      due to spontaneous rupture of tumor resulting in hemoperitoneum. The patient was
      taken up for emergency laparotomy and left salpingo-opherectomy with omentectomy
      and drainage of hemoperitoneum was done. The authors conclude that ruptured
      malignant ovarian tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any
      young girl presenting with abdominal mass and acute abdominal pain.

PMID- 28900334
TI  - Massive Hemoptysis: A Rare Presentation of Anterior Mediastinal Teratoma in an
      Adolescent.
AB  - Germ cell tumors are predominantly found in the gonads, and the most common
      extragonadal site is anterior mediastinum. Usual symptoms are cough, dyspnea, and
      fever, chest pain due to mass effect or intrapulmonary invasion but hemoptysis is
      rare and may result from either communication with tracheobronchial tree or may
      result from bronchial bleeding due to irritation by tumor. As in our case,
      patient presenting with massive hemoptysis and shock are the rarest presentation
      of a benign teratoma.

PMID- 28900335
TI  - Rhabdoid Meningioma of Brain - A Rare Aggressive Tumor.
AB  - Rhabdoid meningioma is a rare aggressive variant of meningioma, regarded as WHO
      Grade III type. Histologically and cytologically, it is distinctive type having
      abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, cytoplasmic inclusion with eccentrically placed
      vesicular nuclei and prominent nucleoli. High recurrence rate and poor outcome
      are important features. Here, we are presenting a rare case of rhabdoid
      meningioma found in a recurrent meningioma of the posterior fossa in a middle
      aged female. We emphasized the squash cytology and histology finding of the rare
      neoplasm.

PMID- 28900336
TI  - Prosthetic Management of Hard Palate Perforation in a Child with Acute
      Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - Palatal perforation is an uncommon complication seen in children with acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia undergoing chemotherapy. This may impact basic functions,
      such as speech, swallowing, chewing, affecting the quality of life (QOL).
      Prosthetic rehabilitation of the palatal perforation with obturator can optimally
      restore function, thereby improving and enhancing the QOL of these patients.

PMID- 28900337
TI  - Mammary Myofibroblastoma with Unusual Morphological and Immunohistochemical
      Features.
AB  - Mammary myofibroblastoma (MFB) is a rare mesenchymal tumor, derived from mammary
      stromal fibro/myofibroblasts, which has various morphological features and
      characteristic immunohistochemical staining. The epithelioid morphologic variant
      is defined, accordingly, as a proliferation of exclusively or predominantly
      (>50%) epithelioid cells, variably embedded in a myxoid to fibrous stroma. These
      histological and cytological features may pose a diagnostic challenge mainly with
      metaplastic carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast. Thus,
      immunohistochemical staining by myofibroblastic markers is helpful for confirming
      diagnosis. Herein, we present a case of MFB in a 43-year-old female. This case
      report emphasizes the role of immunohistochemistry as gold standard in the
      diagnosis of MFB. This case is also being presented because of its unusual
      radiologic findings, its epithelioid histologic variant mimicking malignancy, and
      its uncommon immunohistochemical phenotype.

PMID- 28900338
TI  - Bulky Pelvic Hodgkin Lymphoma in a Prepubertal Girl.
AB  - Pure infra-diaphragmatic presentation is rare in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).
      Isolated pelvic presentation is restricted to case reports in adults. We describe
      a unique presentation of HL as a primary pelvic disease in an 11-year-old
      prepubertal girl. She was treated based on the Euronet-Paediatric Hodgkin's
      Lymphoma Group protocol (EuroNet-PHL-C1) recommendations and assigned to
      treatment Group 2 (Stage IIB). The patient had bulky disease and a suboptimal
      response on interim 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. The child
      was administered chemotherapy alone. Pelvic radiotherapy was consciously avoided
      due to the high risk of gonadal failure. She remains disease-free for 18 months
      now. Treatment of pediatric HL necessitates a delicate balance between achieving
      cure as well as avoiding serious late effects of therapy.

PMID- 28900339
TI  - Metastatic Primary Angiosarcoma of the Breast: Can We Tame It the Metronomic Way.
AB  - Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a highly aggressive but rare malignant
      neoplasm. Palliative chemotherapy with different agents and combinations has been
      tried in the metastatic setting with poor results. We present the case of a young
      woman with this disease describing her aggressive course. We used a metronomic
      combination of oral drugs due to her poor general condition and achieved disease
      stabilization although not durable.

PMID- 28900340
TI  - Primary Intraosseous Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor of Metacarpal Bones
      of the Hand in a Patient Without Neurofibromatosis 1: Report of a Rare Case.
AB  - Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) usually arises in peripheral
      nerve sheath cells. The intraosseous location of MPNST is rare. Mandible is the
      most common site of bony involvement. Involvement of bones of the hand is quite
      unusual. We report a case of MPNST involving metacarpal bones of the left hand
      treated with surgery followed by adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy and review
      the pertinent literature.

PMID- 28900341
TI  - Hepatic Amyloidosis: Something That Can camouflage and Deceive our Perception!
AB  - Amyloidosis is a multi-systemic diffusely infiltrating disease due to
      extracellular deposition of protein-mucopolysaccharide complexes. The type of
      protein deposited determines the subgroup of amyloid. Hepatic amyloidosis is a
      rare infiltrating disease affecting the hepatic parenchyma. A wide range of
      clinical presentation and atypical imaging findings delay the diagnosis of
      amyloidosis, while tissue biopsy demonstrating amyloid deposits is vital for a
      definitive diagnosis.

PMID- 28900342
TI  - Incidence and Pattern of Childhood Cancers in India: Findings from Population
      based Cancer Registries.
AB  - Childhood cancers have different characteristics than those occurring among
      adults and described as cancers occurring below 15 years of age. In developed
      countries, its incidence is relatively rare but it's a leading cause of death.
      More than 80% of the childhood cancers are occurring in low and middle income
      countries. Based on data from population based cancer registries under National
      Cancer Registry Programme, in this commentary, we described the incidence and
      pattern of Childhood cancers in India and its implications.

PMID- 28900343
TI  - Two Cases of Acinic Cell Carcinoma of Parotid Gland - Rare Papillary Cystic
      Variant: One Unusual Presentation in Older Male Patient.

PMID- 28900344
TI  - Primary Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma of the Breast: A Rare Case and Review of
      Literature.

PMID- 28900345
TI  - Alternative Ketogenic Diet with Coconut Milk in a Case with Underlying Colorectal
      Cancer.

PMID- 28900346
TI  - Toxoplasmosis and Lymphoma: The Mimickers.

PMID- 28900348
TI  - Improvement in vaccination knowledge among health students following an
      integrated extra curricular intervention, an explorative study in the University
      of Palermo.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vaccination coverages threaten to decrease because of false beliefs
      in their unsafety and inefficacy. Therefore formation of future health-care
      workers on this topic is fundamental to deal with any doubt and to promote active
      immunization among general population. METHODS: In order to assess health-care
      students' knowledge about vaccination before an integrated seminar on this topic,
      and to evaluate their improvement after the educational intervention, an
      integrated educational intervention was held by a multidisciplinary team. Before
      and after the seminar, 118 students of medicine and biology schools at Palermo
      University were asked to answer 10 multiple-choice questions regarding vaccine
      history, mechanism of action, side effects, composition, use and nowadays issues
      (hesitancy). Two more questions investigating possible changes on students'
      attitudes towards vaccination and the usefulness of the formative intervention,
      were added at the post-test phase of the survey. RESULTS: Eighty-one out of 118
      students (68.6%) answered to both pre- and post-test questions. 97.6% and 81.5%
      of the participating group also completed the two additional questions about
      their improvement in knowledge (question 11) and attitudes (question 12) towards
      vaccinations. The post-test results showed a significant improvement for all
      questions administered, except for number 3 (about a specific immunological
      content), with an overall percentage of correct answers increasing from 38.8% to
      77.6% (p(c)< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present explorative study put the basis for
      future studies, stronger in the methodology, and highlights the importance of
      educating health-care professions students by integrated extra-curricular
      intervention to be held early in their degree curricula and in order to improve
      knowledge and attitudes towards vaccinations and to prepare them to promote
      vaccines among the general population.

PMID- 28900349
TI  - Knowledge and behaviour of nursing students on the prevention of healthcare
      associated infections.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hospital infections, or "healthcare associated infections" (HAI)
      represent the most common and serious complications of healthcare. Adoption of
      safe care practices able to prevent or control the transmission of infections,
      both in hospitals and in other healthcare settings is crucial. The aim of the
      study is to assess the awareness about the risk factors and the most effective
      measures of prevention of HAI in the University of Ferrara nursing school
      students, giving particular attention to the hand hygiene practices and the use
      of standard precautions. METHODS: 339 students attending all the three years of
      course of the same academic year were enrolled. An anonymous questionnaire was
      administered in order to investigate the knowledge about three specific areas:
      infections associated with healthcare practices (HAI), standard precautions (SP)
      and hand hygiene (HH). RESULTS: A sufficient level of knowledge by all the three
      groups of students was observed only in the SP area. A barely sufficient score
      was reached only by the third year students with regard to the proper HH. The
      level of knowledge about HAI was inadequate. CONCLUSIONS: A periodically check of
      nursing students' knowledge would be advisable in order to fill any gaps, improve
      training, reduce HAI and increase prevention measures compliance.

PMID- 28900350
TI  - Influence of physical activity and interest for food and sciences versus weight
      disorders in children aged 8 to 18 years.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Being overweight and obesity are a growing problem and are often
      related to a lack of physical activity among younger people. This study aims to
      describe the prevalence of weight disorders in Belgian schoolchildren. Secondly,
      this study examines the association between physical activity, weight disorders
      and the interest in food and sciences. METHODS: We examined 525 children aged
      between 8 and 18 years old, who attended the Brussels Food Fair or the Belgian
      Science Day in 2013. They completed a standardized questionnaire about lifestyle
      and physical activity. Their weight, height, blood pressure and waist
      circumference were measured. The physical condition of participants was estimated
      using the Ruffier test. RESULTS: The average age of all participants was 11.2
      years (95% CI: 8.7-13.7), the prevalence of being overweight and obesity was
      16.3% and 5.4%, respectively. For all participants in the representative group
      the affiliation to a sports club was associated with a normal weight (P < 0.05).
      According to this study, the kind of transportation to school (foot/bike or
      car/bus) had no effect on their body mass index (BMI). Neither was there a
      significant relationship between the physical activity of the children and the
      result of their Ruffier test. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of being overweight and
      obesity in children aged 8 to 18 years is alarming. Membership to a sports club
      was linked significantly to a normal weight and a lower prevalence of being
      overweight and obesity.

PMID- 28900351
TI  - An overview of different health indicators used in the European Health Systems.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the European Union three different health systems could be
      defined according to service delivery, financing, and economic policies:
      Beveridge, Bismarck and Mixed system. Although health systems are hardly to
      compare, various organizations are developing methods assessing performance. In
      the present work the performance of the three systems were evaluated using
      European Community Health Indicators according to Organization for Economic
      Cooperation and Development. METHODS: The study has been conducted among the 28
      states of the European Union using the following indicators: Standardized death
      rate for diseases of the circulatory system, standardized death rate of malignant
      neoplasms, road traffic accidents with injury, life expectancy at birth,
      incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), infant deaths, pure alcohol
      consumption, infants vaccinated against Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis (DTP),
      public and total expenditure on health over the period 2001-2010. RESULTS: The
      variation of health indicators over the observational time shows similar trend of
      circulatory system diseases and malignant neoplasms death rates, road accidents
      with injury, infant deaths, life expectancy at birth, public and total health
      expenditure. Some differences in the trend of HIV incidence, alcohol intake and
      DTP vaccination rates arise among systems. Grouping countries by health system
      paradigm and geographical area, resulted in a relevant heterogeneity (I2 >= 90%,
      Pvalue < 0.0001). No clear superiority of a given health delivery system was
      found with respect to other paradigms. CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with the
      evidence of our study, it can be stated that best performances are more likely to
      be linked to country specific economic factors. In conclusion, it was not
      possible to identify the best health system model.

PMID- 28900347
TI  - Campylobacter: from microbiology to prevention.
AB  - In last years, Campylobacter spp has become one of the most important foodborne
      pathogens even in high-income countries. Particularly, in Europe,
      Campylobacteriosis is, since 2005, the foodborne disease most frequently notified
      and the second in USA, preceded by the infection due to Salmonella spp.
      Campylobacter spp is a commensal microorganism of the gastrointestinal tract of
      many wild animals (birds such as ducks and gulls), farm animals (cattle and pigs)
      and companion animals (such as dogs and cats) and it is responsible for zoonoses.
      The transmission occurs via the fecal-oral route through ingestion of
      contaminated food and water. The disease varied from a watery diarrhea to a
      severe inflammatory diarrhea with abdominal pain and fever and can be burdened by
      some complications. The main recognized sequelae are Guillain-Barre Syndrome
      (GBS), the Reactive Arthritis (REA) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recently,
      many cases of Campylobacter spp isolated from human infections, showed an
      important resistance to various antibiotics such as tetracyclines and
      fluoroquinolones. For these reasons, the prevention of this infection plays an
      essential role. Many preventive measures exist to limit the transmission of the
      pathogens and the subsequent disease such as the health surveillance, the
      vaccination of the poultry and the correct food hygiene throughout the entire
      production chain. A global surveillance of Campylobacteriosis is desirable and
      should include data from all countries, including notifications of cases and the
      microbiological data typing of strains isolated from both human and animal cases.

PMID- 28900352
TI  - Exploring patient safety culture in preventive medicine settings: an experience
      from Northern Italy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patient safety and quality in healthcare are inseparable. Examining
      patient safety culture in staff members contributes to further develop quality in
      healthcare. In Italy there has been some experience in assessing patient safety
      culture in staff working in hospital. In this pilot study we explored patient
      safety culture in public health staff working in Italian Local Health
      Authorities. METHODS: We carried out a descriptive cross sectional study in four
      Italian territorial Prevention facilities in Northern Italy. We administrated an
      adapted Italian version of the US Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture to
      all the staff within these facilities. The survey consisted of 10 dimensions
      based on 33 items, according to the results of a previous psychometric
      validation. RESULTS: Seventy per cent of the staff responded to the survey (N =
      479). Overall, six out of the 10 dimensions exhibited composite scores of
      positive response frequency for patient safety culture below 50%. While
      "communication openness" (65%) was the most developed factor, "teamwork across
      Units" (37%) was the least developed. The work areas with the highest composite
      scores were Management and the Public Health Laboratory, while in terms of
      professional categories, Physicians had the highest scores. Patient safety
      culture in the staff participating in this study was lower than in hospital
      staff. DISCUSSION: Our descriptive cross sectional study is the first to be
      carried out in Preventive medicine settings in Italy. It has clearly indicated
      the need of improvement. Consequently, several interventions with this aim have
      been implemented.

PMID- 28900353
TI  - Brain doping: stimulants use and misuse among a sample of Italian college
      students.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) has become
      the subject of great interest for its diffusion among university students, who
      abuse these substances to cope with the increasing load of academic stress. NMUPS
      has been widely investigated in the U.S. due to its increasing trend; this
      behavior, however, has also been reported in Europe. The aim of this cross
      sectional study was to examine stimulants misuse in a Northern Italian geographic
      area, identifying possible developments of the phenomenon in Italy. METHODS: To
      evaluate academic and extra-academic NMUPS (Methylphenidate and Amphetamines), an
      anonymous multiplechoice questionnaire was administrated to a sample of
      Bachelor's and Master's degrees students attending a University North East of
      Italy. Data elaboration and CI 95% were performed with Excel software 2013.
      Fisher's exact tests were performed using Graph- Pad INSTAT software. RESULTS:
      Data from 899 correctly completed questionnaires were analyzed in this study.
      11.3% of students reported NMUPS, with an apparent greater use by students aged
      18-22 years (73.5%) and without any statistically significant gender
      predominance. Fifty-seven point eight percent of students used stimulants at most
      five times in six months, and the most frequent academic and extra-academic
      reasons to use them were respectively to improve concentration while studying
      (51.0%) and sports performance (25.5%). NMUPS was higher among working students
      than nonworking ones (p < 0.05), suggesting a use of stimulants to cope with
      stress by the first ones. CONCLUSIONS: These exploratory and preliminary data
      suggest that NMUPS is quite relevant in Northern Italy, suggesting a need for
      preventive and monitoring measures, as well as future analysis via a longitudinal
      multicenter study.

PMID- 28900354
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of Occupational Physicians towards
      seasonal influenza vaccination: a cross-sectional study from North-Eastern Italy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The present study aims to characterize personal attitudes and
      knowledge of a sample of Italian Occupational Physicians (OPh) towards Seasonal
      Influenza Vaccine (SIV) in healthcare workers (HCWs). METHODS: In total, 92 OPh
      (42.4% males, 57.6% females, mean age of 47.3 +/- 10.4 years, 50 specialists in
      Occupational Medicine, 42 specialists in Hygiene and Public Health) were asked
      about their attitudes towards influenza vaccine, their general knowledge of
      vaccine practice, their propensity towards vaccines and, eventually, their risk
      perception about the influenza and influenza vaccine was investigated. A
      regression analysis was then performed in order to better characterize predictive
      factors for vaccine propensity. RESULTS: Influenza was recognized as a
      vaccination recommended for HCWs in 89/92 of the sampled OPh (96.7%). However,
      prevalence of misconceptions about vaccines was relatively high, with 26/92
      (28.3%) and 24/92 (26.1%) referring vaccinations as eliciting allergic and
      autoimmune diseases, respectively and identifying lethargic encephalitis (18/92,
      19.6%), autism (17/92, 18.5%), diabetes mellitus (15/92, 16.3%) and multiple
      sclerosis (13/92, 14.1%) as causatively vaccine-related. Propensity towards
      influenza vaccination found a significant predictor in the general knowledge
      (beta coefficient 0.213, p value = 0.043), risk perception (beta coefficient
      0.252, p value = 0.018) and general propensity towards vaccinations (beta
      coefficient 0.384, p value = 0.002). DISCUSSION: In spite of a diffuse propensity
      towards SIV, adherence of OPh was still < 50% of the sample. Moreover, sharing of
      misbeliefs and misconceptions was significant. As knowledge and risk perceptions
      were identified as significant predictors of vaccine propensity, our results
      suggest that information and training programs for OPh should be appropriately
      designed.

PMID- 28900355
TI  - Distribution of blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M genes among ESBL-producing P.
      aeruginosa isolated from Qazvin and Tehran hospitals, Iran.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is as an important opportunistic human
      pathogen, which is associated with several clinical infections that are usually
      difficult to treat because of resistance to multiple antimicrobials. The
      production of extendedspectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) is an important mechanism
      of beta-lactam resistance. The aims of this study were to determine the
      prevalence of ESBLs, antimicrobial susceptibility, and to detect the blaTEM,
      blaSHV, and blaCTX-M genes. METHODS: In this study, carried out from March 2013
      to December 2014, 266 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from patients
      admitted to teaching hospitals of Qazvin and Tehran, Iran. All isolates were
      initially screened for ESBL production by disk diffusion method and were further
      confirmed using a combined disk method. Antimicrobial susceptibility of ESBL
      producing isolates was determined by standard disk diffusion method. Polymerase
      Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing techniques were employed for detection of
      blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M genes. RESULTS: In total, 262 (98.5%) P. aeruginosa
      isolates were nonsusceptible to the used extended spectrum cephalosporins, and,
      among these, 75 (28.6%) isolates were ESBL producers. Fifty-nine (78.7%) of ESBL
      producing isolates showed multidrug-resistance pattern. Of 75 ESBL-positive
      isolates, the blaTEM-1 (26.7%) was the most common gene, followed by blaCTX-M-15
      (17.3%), blaSHV-1 (6.7%), and blaSHV-12 (4%), either alone or in combination.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed the notable prevalence of ESBLs
      among the clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa in Iran, indicating the urgency for
      the implementation of appropriate follow-up measures for infection control and
      proper administration of antimicrobial agents in our medical settings.

PMID- 28900356
TI  - Humidifiers for oxygen therapy: what risk for reusable and disposable devices?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nosocomial pneumonia accounts for the vast majority of healthcare
      associated infections (HAI). Although numerous medical devices have been
      discussed as potential vehicles for microorganisms, very little is known about
      the role played by oxygen humidifiers as potential sources of nosocomial
      pathogens. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the safety of the reuse
      of humidifiers by analysing the rate of microbial contamination in reusable and
      disposable oxygen humidifiers used during therapy, and then discuss their
      potential role in the transmission of respiratory pathogens. METHODS: Water
      samples from reusable and disposable oxygen humidifiers were collected from
      different wards of the University Hospital of Messina, Italy, where nosocomial
      pneumonia has a higher incidence rate due to the "critical" clinical conditions
      of inpatients. In particular, we monitored the Internal Medicine and Pulmonology
      wards for the medical area; the General Surgery and Thoracic and Cardiovascular
      Surgery wards for the surgical area and the Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal
      Intensive Care Unit for the emergency area. The samples were always collected
      after a period of 5 days from initial use for both types of humidifiers. Samples
      were processed using standard bacteriological techniques and microbial colonies
      were identified using manual and automated methods. RESULTS: High rates of
      microbial contamination were observed in samples from reusable oxygen humidifiers
      employed in medical (83%), surgical (77%) and emergency (50%) areas. The most
      relevant pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, amongst the Gram-negative
      bacteria, and Staphylococcus aureus, amongst the Gram-positive bacteria. Other
      pathogens were detected in lower percentage. The disposable oxygen humidifier
      samples showed no contamination. CONCLUSIONS: This research presents evidence of
      the high rate and type of microbial contamination of reusable humidifiers
      employed for oxygen therapy. These devices may thus be involved in the
      transmission of potential pathogens. It could be important, for the prevention of
      nosocomial pneumonia, to replace them with singleuse humidifiers for which the
      absence of microbial contamination has been confirmed.

PMID- 28900357
TI  - Five-year microbiological monitoring of wards and operating theatres in southern
      Italy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nosocomial infections are one of the greatest problems in public
      health. Several studies have highlighted the role played by the hospital
      environment as a possible source of transmission of nosocomial pathogens.
      METHODS: A five-year monitoring of bacterial contamination on healthcare workers
      hands, surfaces most closely in contact with inpatient wards, operating theatres
      and "at rest" and "in use" operating theatre air samples. For the samples, we
      used sterile swabs, contact slides, manual API, and automated VITEK systems for
      identification. RESULTS: In the five-year period, a total of 9396 samples were
      collected and analysed. In ward patients, 4398 samplings were carried out with
      4.7%, 9.4%, 7%, 10.8% and 7.9% positive results respectively from 2010 to 2014.
      For hands, 648 samplings were carried out, with a positivity of 40.74%. In
      operating theatres, 4188 samples were taken, with a positivity of 11.9%.
      Regarding air in empty and full theatres, 1962 samplings were carried out with a
      positivity rate equal to 31.9%. The monitoring showed a low rate of contamination
      with a progressive decrease in the fiveyear period on operating theatres surfaces
      and hands, while there was an increase in the surgical site wards and in the air
      of operating rooms. CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation has revealed the presence of
      pathogens on the assessed surfaces and the need for environmental monitoring,
      which can be a valuable tool for reducing contamination.

PMID- 28900358
TI  - Risk assessment of legionellosis in cardiology units.
AB  - Infective Endocarditis (IE) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality.
      Nowadays, in addition to classic pathogens were isolated exigent Gram negative
      bacteria as A. baumannii, A. lwoffii, C. burnetii, Bartonella, Chlamydia and
      Legionella. We present our experience of Legionella isolations in environmental
      sample (water and air) collected from the Cardiology units belonging to two
      hospitals in Messina (Italy). A total of 80 samples were carried out, 30 and 50,
      respectively in the first and in the second structure: 55 of water and 25 of
      aerosol. The positivity of 30% of the water samples analyzed and 15% of those
      aerosol strengthens the conviction of the need for greater environmental
      monitoring, especially in the wards at high risk.

PMID- 28900359
TI  - Effectiveness of ATP bioluminescence to assess hospital cleaning: a review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Contamination of hospital surfaces plays an important role in the
      transmission of several healthcare-associated microorganisms, therefore methods
      for evaluating hospital surfaces' cleaning gain particular importance. Among
      these, there are visual inspection, quantitative microbiology, fluorescent
      markers and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence. The latter seems to
      provide interesting features, detecting the presence of ATP on surface (as
      Relative Light Units, RLU), a proxy of organic matter and microbial
      contamination. Several studies have investigated the effectiveness of this
      technology; with this research, we aim to summarize the most significant results.
      METHODS: A systematic review was conducted. The keywords (namely, "ATP",
      "bioluminescence", "hospital" and "surfaces") were searched in PubMed/MEDLINE and
      Scopus databases, in order to find relevant data, from January 2000 to October
      2014. After the selection, we globally considered 27 articles. RESULTS: Most of
      the studies were conducted in United Kingdom and in USA. Different threshold RLU
      benchmark values were identified by analyzed studies. Fourteen of these
      researches compared the ATP bioluminescence with microbiological methods, 11
      identified a significant correlation between the two methods, although poor or
      not complete for 5. DISCUSSION: ATP bioluminescence is not a standardized
      methodology: each tool has different benchmark values, not always clearly
      defined. At the moment, we can say that the technique could be used to assess, in
      real time, hospital surfaces where cleanliness is required, but not sterility.

PMID- 28900360
TI  - Resource allocation criteria in a hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Allocate fixed resources among competing users is a challenge in
      terms of hospital management in order to obtain the best performance considering
      strategic objectives. In order to address this need, a system of evaluation in an
      important research and teaching hospital was designed. This study describes
      resource allocation criteria in a hospital focusing on the evaluation system and
      its developed application methodology. METHODS: The indicator system allows the
      strategic management to rapidly detect the priorities in the evaluations of the
      Strategic, Organizational, Managerial, Economic, Research and Qualitative
      conditions of each unit. The chosen indicators are expressed with three numerical
      values, (1 indicating critical status, 2 acceptable conditions and 3 a good
      operational situation). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The adopted evaluation system
      considered different thematic areas: Strategic, Organizational, Managerial,
      Economic, Research and Qualitative. In order to define each area, 3 fields of
      evaluation have been chosen. The indicators have been structured according to a
      pyramid system allowing creating a single indicator for each area for each unit.
      Furthermore, a single indicator has been fixed in order to facilitate a first
      consideration on whether to carry out or not closer examinations of the most
      critical units. This manuscript describes an attempt to define objective criteria
      for the allocation of scarce resources in order to achieve the hospital's
      strategic objectives. The indicators identified allow to obtain an overall score
      for each unit, which allows the management to prioritize the needs.

PMID- 28900361
TI  - Developing a Stoma Acceptance Questionnaire to improve motivation to adhere to
      enterostoma self-care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In stoma care, patient education is often weak in terms of
      improving patients' level of acceptance of living with a stoma. Self-care
      educational interventions in enterostomal patients, which according to Orem's
      Theory should take into account these patients' specific needs, require
      instruments that measure patients' stoma acceptance to improve motivation based
      on the resumption of activities they used to carry out before having a stoma. The
      aim of the study was to develop an instrument that measures the level of stoma
      acceptance to improve motivation to adhere to enterostoma self-care. METHODS:
      Aspects that improve stoma acceptance and consequently motivation to adhere to
      enterostoma self-care were identified through 10 focus groups. In the focus
      groups, the motivation indicators were grouped, categorised and results entered
      into a Stoma Acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ was then piloted with 104
      enterostomal patients from three general hospitals. To assess the construct
      validity of the SAQ, Mokken Scaling was used to explore the latent structure of
      the SAQ. Mokken scaling is a non-parametric method that falls under the umbrella
      of methods described as item response theories (IRT). RESULTS: The theme "Living
      with a stoma"; "Autonomy"; "Support"; "Ability to deal with stoma", plus a common
      underlying theme: "Stoma acceptance" were dissussed by the Focus Groups. The
      experts identified the items of the (SAQ) through these themes. Mokken Scaling
      identified the "resumption of enterostomal patients' normal activities" as a
      measure of stoma acceptance, thus confirming the construct validity of the SAQ.
      CONCLUSIONS: The tool proposed affords a pioneering example of how this gap can
      be bridged. Indeed, the SAQ could enable nurses adopting a standardized approach
      for the assessment of enterostomal patients' motivation to resume their normal
      activities and identify needs linked to this. The SAQ could also be used to
      measure the effectiveness of psychosocial and educational interventions aimed at
      improving stoma acceptance.

PMID- 28900362
TI  - Knowledge and training needs on built environment and indoor health of Italian
      public health residents: a national survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Working Group for Hygiene of Built Environment and the National
      Council of Residents of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and
      Public Health conducted a nation-wide survey to evaluate the knowledge and
      training needs on Built Environment and Indoor Health of Italian public health
      residents. RESULTS: The compliance was very high (52,4%), covering the totality
      of Italian postgraduate schools. The results underline a severe lack of
      theoretical formation and practical training, but also diffuse discrepancies
      across the country, and show a strong interest of residents on this topic.
      CONCLUSIONS: The authors propose to adopt a national core curriculum, and suggest
      some strategies to improve learning.

PMID- 28900363
TI  - Concerning the vitamin D reference range: pre-analytical and analytical
      variability of vitamin D measurement.
AB  - Unlike other vitamins, the vitamin D concentration in blood varies cyclically
      over the course of the year in relation to genetic (gender, ethnicity,
      polymorphisms) and environmental factors (sunlight exposure, diet, food-related
      or direct vitamin D supplementation, skin pigmentation). Although the major
      diagnostics manufacturers have recently developed improved automated 25-hydroxy
      vitamin D immunoassays, the intra- and inter-laboratory variability is still high
      (especially at low vitamin D concentrations) which might lead to incorrect
      vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency diagnosis. Moreover, despite recent efforts to
      standardize the assay and minimize its variability, the current bias for measured
      vitamin D concentrations is often still above the desirable +/- 10% criterion.
      Because the implications of low vitamin D concentrations in non-skeletal diseases
      are still partially unknown, international guideline recommendations for
      establishing meaningful ranges, at any time over the course of the year,
      irrespective not only of environmental and personal factors but also of
      instrumental variability, are needed. In this review, we discuss the main factors
      that influence the variability of vitamin D concentrations and whether a centile
      curve, individually calculated by a theoretical equation considering such
      factors, might be better suited than a fixed limit to assess abnormal vitamin D
      concentrations in otherwise healthy subjects. Vitamin D reference ranges during
      pregnancy, childhood, or diagnosed illnesses, which merit separate discussion,
      are beyond the scope of this review.

PMID- 28900364
TI  - Performance characteristics of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity
      assay on the Dimension Vista analyser and preliminary study of a healthy Italian
      population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a marker of
      vascular inflammation associated with coronary heart disease and stroke. We
      evaluated analytical performance of the PLAC(r) Activity Test on Siemens
      Dimension Vista(r) 1500 analyzer and measured Lp-PLA2 activity in Italian adults
      to establish reference intervals (RIs) and evaluate correlation with circulating
      lipids and age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The evaluation protocol consisted of
      precision, linearity, sensitivity, method comparison, substrate depletion
      ("hook") effect and interference assessment. Inhibitor (Darapladib) effect was
      also evaluated. Lp-PLA2 activity was measured in 250 healthy donors (123 males,
      127 females, aged 18-70 years). Central 95% RIs were established using
      nonparametric statistics. RESULTS: Intra-assay and inter-assay precision showed
      CVs of 0.6% - 1.4% and 0.9% - 2.0%, respectively. Linearity replicates showed R2
      > 0.98. Limit of quantitation was 5.8 U/L (CV = 9.4%). Bland Altman plot showed
      bias - 0.9, 95% limits of agreement -6.5 - 4.72. Passing-Bablok regression showed
      excellent correlation (Slope = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.03; Intercept = - 1.86,
      95% CI: - 3.08 to - 1.26; R2 = 0.999). No "hook effect" was observed at Lp-PLA2
      activities <= 1000 U/L. Average Lp-PLA2 activity in 250 healthy donors was 182 +/
      44 U/L (mean +/- SD). Males showed statistically significant higher activities
      than females (P < 0.001). RIs were 107 - 265 U/L for males and 84 - 225 U/L for
      females. Moderate significant correlation (r = 0.29, P < 0.001) was found between
      Lp-PLA2 activity and total cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: The PLAC(r) Activity Test
      shows very good performance characteristics on Dimension Vista(r) 1500.

PMID- 28900365
TI  - Changing reference intervals for haemoglobin in Denmark: Clinical and financial
      aspects.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Based on international experiences and altering demography the
      reference intervals (RI) for haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations in blood were
      changed in Denmark in 2013 from 113 - 161 g/L to 117 - 153 g/L for women and from
      129 - 177 g/L to 134 - 170 g/L for men. The aim of this study was to determine
      the derived change in prevalence of anaemia and the change in yearly health care
      costs of diagnostic investigations associated with the expected, as we
      hypothesized, increased prevalence and health care costs. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Data from 96,314 non-hospitalised patients (55,341 females and 40,973 males, aged
      18 - 105 years) from general practitioners and community specialists of Funen,
      Denmark, were extracted from the laboratory information system. The prevalence of
      anaemia according to the new and the old RI were investigated, and additional
      costs were calculated based on estimated additional blood analyses and nationally
      recommended endoscopic procedures. RESULTS: Changing the Hb RI increased the
      number of anaemic patients by 52% (3450 patients) over a two-year period. With
      new RI the proportion of anaemic elderly above 80 years was 20.5% for females and
      43.9% for males. Annual costs of derived additional assessments due to the
      altered RI were estimated to be 5.7 million ?, which equals the cost of 1214 knee
      replacement surgeries in Denmark. CONCLUSIONS: Changing the Hb RI has been
      expensive, despite the fact that no outcome studies have justified the
      alteration. The methodological approach for establishing new RI, here
      particularly for Hb, should be thoroughly considered. In general, physicians
      should use RI with caution.

PMID- 28900366
TI  - Tau protein as a possible marker of cerebrospinal fluid leakage in cerebrospinal
      fluid rhinorrhoea: A pilot study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The management of posttraumatic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      rhinorrhoea remains a clinical challenge. Cerebrospinal fistula is a dural defect
      responsible for possible CSF leakage into the contiguous air-filled cavities
      located at the skull base. The risk of central nervous system infection in these
      conditions is severe and can be life threatening. Consequently, a specific CSF
      biomarker might be used in case of difficult diagnosis of CSF rhinorrhoea. CSF
      Tau protein is a neuronal protein, commonly assessed for diagnosis of Alzheimer
      Disease (AD). The aim of this study was to determine whether the Tau protein
      could be a relevant marker of CSF leakage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tau protein
      measurement was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 13 patients
      with CSF leakage (CSF rhinorrhoea group), and 8 patients with spontaneous aqueous
      rhinorrhoea (non-CSF leakage group). The serum concentration of Tau protein was
      measured by ELISA in both CSF rhinorrhoea group and non-CSF leakage group.
      RESULTS: In patients with CSF leakage, CSF Tau protein median concentration was
      479 ng/L (197 - 2325 ng/L). On the other hand, the Tau protein concentration was
      below the lower limit of quantification (LLoQ) (< 87 ng/L) in non-CSF leakage
      group. Serum Tau protein concentration by ELISA was also below LLoQ (< 87 ng/L)
      for all subjects. CONCLUSION: ELISA measurement of Tau protein in rhinorrhoea
      fluid may be a reliable and relevant marker for detecting the presence of CSF in
      the nasal discharge and sign the existence of a CSF leakage.

PMID- 28900367
TI  - Measurement of HbA1c and HbA2 by Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing HbA1c programme for
      simultaneous management of diabetes and screening for thalassemia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thalassemia could interfere with some assays for haemoglobin A1c
      (HbA1c) measurement, therefore, it is useful to be able to screen for thalassemia
      while measuring HbA1c. We used Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing (Capillarys 2FP) HbA1c
      programme to simultaneously measure HbA1c and screen for thalassemia. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Samples from 498 normal controls and 175 thalassemia patients were
      analysed by Capillarys 2FP HbA1c programme (Sebia, France). For method
      comparison, HbA1c was quantified by Premier Hb9210 (Trinity Biotech, Ireland) in
      98 thalassaemia patients samples. For verification, HbA1c from eight thalassaemia
      patients was confirmed by IFCC reference method. RESULTS: Among 98 thalassaemia
      samples, Capillarys 2FP did not provide an HbA1c result in three samples with HbH
      due to the overlapping of HbBart's with HbA1c fraction; for the remaining 95
      thalassaemia samples, Bland-Altman plot showed 0.00 +/- 0.35% absolute bias
      between two systems, and a significant positive bias above 7% was observed only
      in two HbH samples. The HbA1c values obtained by Capillarys 2FP were consistent
      with the IFCC targets (relative bias below +/- 6%) in all of the eight samples
      tested by both methods. For screening samples with alpha (alpha-) thalassaemia
      silent/trait or beta (beta-) thalassemia trait, the optimal HbA2 cut-off values
      were <= 2.2% and > 2.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated the
      Capillarys 2FP HbA1c system could report an accurate HbA1c value in thalassemia
      silent/trait, and HbA2 value (<= 2.2% for alpha-thalassaemia silent/trait and >
      2.8% for beta-thalassemia trait) and abnormal bands (HbH and/or HbBart's for HbH
      disease, HbF for beta-thalassemia) may provide valuable information for
      screening.

PMID- 28900368
TI  - Testing lupus anticoagulants in a real-life scenario - a retrospective cohort
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lupus anticoagulant (LAC) testing is challenging. Most data are
      derived from a well-controlled study environment with potential alterations to
      daily routines. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to assess the
      capacity of various LAC screening tests and derived mixing tests to predict a
      positive result in subsequent confirmation tests in a large cohort of patients.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 5832 individuals, we retrospectively evaluated the
      accuracy of the aPTT-A, aPTT-LAscreen, aPTT-FS and dRVVTscreen and of their
      derived mixing tests in detecting a positive confirmation test result within the
      same blood specimen. The group differences, degree of correlation and the
      predictive accuracy of LAC coagulation tests were analysed using the Mann-Whitney
      U test, the Spearman-rank-correlation and by area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) analysis. ROC-AUCs were compared with the
      Venkatraman's permutation test. RESULTS: The pre-test probability of patients
      with clinically suspected LAC was 36% in patients without factor deficiency or
      anticoagulation therapy. The aPTT-LAscreen showed the best diagnostic accuracy
      with a ROC-AUC of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.82 - 0.86). No clear advantage of the dRVVT
      derived mixing test was detectable when compared to the dRVVTscreen (P = 0.829).
      Usage of the index of circulating anticoagulant (ICA) did not improve the
      diagnostic power of respective mixing tests. CONCLUSIONS: Among the parameters
      evaluated, aPTT-LAscreen and derived mixing test parameters were the most
      accurate tests. In our study cohort, neither other mixing test nor the ICA
      presented any further advantage in LAC diagnostics.

PMID- 28900369
TI  - The local clinical validation of a new lithium heparin tube with a barrier: BD
      Vacutainer(r) Barricor LH Plasma tube.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although serum-providing blood tubes with a barrier are still
      widely used due to their significant advantages, the use of blood tubes with a
      barrier to provide plasma is becoming widespread. We compared 22 analytes in a BD
      Vacutainer(r) Barricor LH Plasma tube for local clinical validation of this new
      lithium heparin tube with a barrier. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples from 44
      volunteers were collected in different tubes (Becton Dickinson and Company): Z
      tube without additive (reference), clot-activator tube with gel (SST), lithium
      heparin tube without gel (LiH), and lithium heparin tube with barrier (Barricor).
      Analyte concentrations in different tubes were compared with the reference tube.
      All tubes were also evaluated according to additional testing (different
      centrifugation durations, blood-sampling techniques and individual differences).
      RESULTS: Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose (Glc), potassium (K), lactate
      dehydrogenase (LD), sodium (Na), and total protein (TP) had a significant bias in
      Barricor (9.19%, - 3.24%, - 4.88%, 21.60%, - 0.40%, 5.03%, respectively) relative
      to the reference tube. There was no statistical difference between different
      centrifugation durations and individual differences for AST, K and LD in LiH
      and/or Barricor (P > 0.05). There was a significant bias for LD between LiH and
      Barricor in terms of blood-sampling techniques (21.2% and 12.4%, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: Recently, the use of plasma has become prominent due to some of its
      advantages. In this study, plasma AST, K, LD, Glc and TP levels in Barricor were
      clinically different in comparison to serum. The results of additional tests
      showed that higher levels of LD in Barricor did not result from haemolysis, and
      they might be related to other factors including number of platelets, cellular
      fragility, or functional environment.

PMID- 28900370
TI  - Utility of routine laboratory preoperative tests based on previous results: Time
      to give up.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The usefulness and cost-effectiveness of routine laboratory
      preoperative tests (POTs) have been challenged recently. In fact, the American
      Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Task Force has stated that test results
      obtained from the medical record within 6 months of surgery generally are mostly
      acceptable. The aim of our study was to evaluate the degree of utility of POTs
      and their clinical benefit based on this recommendation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      studied retrospectively every routine POT request from 8 randomly selected weeks
      in 2016. Every POT contained glucose, creatinine, haemoglobin and coagulation
      tests (PT-INR). Each pathological result for these tests was registered and
      classified as "expected" (if previous pathological result within 6 months existed
      for that test) or "unexpected" (if previous pathological result within 6 months
      did not exist for that test). Results of ASA physical status classification (a
      system for assessing the fitness of patients before surgery) and changes in
      patient management after POTs were retrieved from medical history as well.
      RESULTS: A total of 4516 tests (from 1129 patients) were analysed and 498 results
      were found pathological (11%). Of these, 403 were expected (8.9%) and 95
      unexpected (2.1%). There was not any change in anaesthetic management for any
      patient due to these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Routine POTs are an inefficient and
      low-value service. POTs have to be always ordered selectively after a previous
      consideration of specific information obtained from several sources (medical
      records, interviews, examinations, type of surgery) and only if the information
      obtained will result in changes in the management of the patient.

PMID- 28900372
TI  - Psychological stress has a higher rate of developing addictive behaviors compared
      to physical stress in rat offspring.
AB  - Prenatal stress could have great influence on development of offspring and might
      alter cognitive function and other physiological processes of children. The
      current study was conducted to study the effect of physical or psychological
      prenatal stress on addictive and anxiety-like behavior of male and female
      offspring during their adolescence period (postnatal day (PND) 40). Adult female
      rats were exposed to physical (swimming) or psychological (observing another
      female rat swimming) stress from day six of gestation for 10 days. Male and
      female offspring were assayed for anxiety-like behavior, motor and balance
      function and morphine conditioned place preference using the open field, elevated
      plus maze (EPM), rotarod and wire grip assay and conditioned place preference.
      Offspring in both physical and psychological prenatal stress groups demonstrated
      significant increase in anxiety-like behavior in EPM paradigm, but no alterations
      were observed in motor and balance function of animals. Offspring in the
      psychological prenatal stress group had an increased preference for morphine in
      comparison to control and physical prenatal stress groups. Results of the current
      study demonstrated that animals exposed to psychological stress during fetal
      development are at a higher risk of developing addictive behaviors. Further
      research might elucidate the exact mechanisms involved to provide better
      preventive and therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 28900371
TI  - Biochemical Measurements of Free Opsin in Macular Degeneration Eyes: Examining
      the 11-CIS Retinal Deficiency Hypothesis of Delayed Dark Adaptation (An American
      Ophthalmological Society Thesis).
AB  - PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that delayed dark adaptation in patients with
      macular degeneration is due to an excess of free unliganded opsin (apo-opsin) and
      a deficiency of the visual chromophore, 11-cis retinal, in rod outer segments.
      METHODS: A total of 50 human autopsy eyes were harvested from donors with and
      without macular degeneration within 2-24 hrs. postmortem. Protocols were
      developed which permitted dark adaptation of normal human eyes after death and
      enucleation. Biochemical methods of purifying rod outer segments were optimized
      and the concentration of rhodopsin and apo-opsin was measured with UV-visible
      scanning spectroscopy. The presence of apo-opsin was calculated by measuring the
      difference in the rhodopsin absorption spectra before and after the addition of
      11-cis retinal. RESULTS: A total of 20 normal eyes and 16 eyes from donors with
      early, intermediate and advanced stages of macular degeneration were included in
      the final analysis. Dark adaptation was achieved by harvesting whole globes in
      low light, transferring into dark (light-proof) canisters and dissecting the
      globes using infrared light and image converters for visualization. Apo-opsin was
      readily detected in positive controls after the addition of 11-cis retinal.
      Normal autopsy eyes showed no evidence of apo-opsin. Eyes with macular
      degeneration also showed no evidence of apo-opsin, regardless of the severity of
      disease. CONCLUSIONS: Methods have been developed to study dark adaptation in
      human autopsy eyes. Eyes with age-related macular degeneration do not show a
      deficiency of 11-cis retinal or an excess of apo-opsin within rod outer segments.

PMID- 28900373
TI  - MafB silencing in macrophages does not influence the initiation and growth of
      lung cancer induced by urethane.
AB  - An increased number of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) that exhibit the M2
      macrophage phenotype is related to poorer prognosis in cancer patients. MafB is a
      transcription factor regulating the differentiation of macrophages. However,
      involvement of MafB for the development of TAMs is unknown. This study was
      designed to investigate the role of MafB in a murine urethane-induced lung cancer
      model. Urethane was injected intraperitoneally into wild-type and dominant
      negative MafB transgenic mice. Twenty-four weeks later, mice were sacrificed and
      their lungs removed for pathological analysis. The numbers and mean areas of lung
      cancer were evaluated. In addition, the numbers of Mac-3-positive macrophages
      were evaluated in each tumor. The numbers and mean areas of lung cancer induced
      by urethane administration were not significantly different between wild-type and
      dominant-negative MafB transgenic mice. The numbers of TAMs in lung cancer tissue
      were not significantly different between the two groups. MafB silencing using
      dominant-negative MafB did not influence the initiation and growth of lung cancer
      in mice exposed to urethane. These data suggest that MafB may not be related to
      the development of TAMs.

PMID- 28900374
TI  - Association between polymorphisms in the promoter region of the apolipoprotein E
      (APOE) gene and Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis.
AB  - Several studies have evaluated the role of polymorphisms in the promoter region
      of APOE gene that encodes apolipoprotein E (APOE) and the susceptibility to
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this literature review and meta-analysis was
      to investigate the relationship between the APOE promoter region single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs449647, -491A/T; rs769446, -427T/C and
      rs405509 -219T/G) and the risk of developing AD. Eligible controlled studies
      published up to November 2016 were retrieved from main online scientific and
      medical databases. Odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) were used to
      calculate the strength of the relationship. A total of 23 publications (19 for
      rs449647, ten for rs769446 and ten for rs405509) were retrieved that included
      5,703 patients with AD and 5,692 controls. The C allele of the rs769446 variant
      of the promoter region of APOE gene was significantly associated with an increase
      of risk of AD (OR = 1.271, 95 % CI = 1.114-1.449, P < 0.0001), while other
      genetic models of this variant were not related with susceptibility to AD.
      Rs449647 and rs405509 polymorphisms of APOE gene were not associated with an
      increase of risk of AD. The findings of this literature review and meta-analysis
      have shown that rs769446 polymorphism in the promoter region of APOE gene could
      be a risk factor for AD. Future large-scale studies on the role of polymorphisms
      in the promoter region of APOE gene in AD are still awaited.

PMID- 28900375
TI  - Expression and purification of untagged GlnK proteins from actinobacteria.
AB  - The PII protein family constitutes one of the most conserved and well distributed
      family of signal transduction proteins in nature. These proteins play key roles
      in nitrogen and carbon metabolism. PII function has been well documented in Gram
      negative bacteria. However, there are very few reports describing the in vitro
      properties and function of PII derived from Gram-positive bacteria. Here we
      present the heterologous expression and efficient purification protocols for
      untagged PII from three Actinobacteria of medical and biotechnological interest
      namely: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Rhodococcus jostii and Streptomyces
      coelicolor. Circular dichroism and gel filtration analysis supported that the
      purified proteins are correctly folded. The purification protocol described here
      will facilitate biochemical studies and help to uncover the biochemical functions
      of PII proteins in Actinobacteria.

PMID- 28900377
TI  - Serum soluble receptor of advanced glycation end products and risk of metabolic
      syndrome in Egyptian obese women.
AB  - Obesity is one of the diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome (MS). It is
      correlated with insulin resistance (IR) and high vascular risk as well. Advanced
      glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) play an important role in
      abnormal metabolic components in obese women. This study aimed to explore the
      serum levels of sRAGE in Egyptian obese women and compare with healthy non-obese
      controls and investigate the relationship between serum sRAGE, metabolic
      parameters, and obesity complications. The soluble form of receptor for advanced
      glycation end products (sRAGE), anthropometry, metabolic and biochemical
      biomarkers were measured in 100 obese women and 100 age-matched healthy control
      non-obese women. The homeostasis model assessment estimate of insulin resistance
      (HOMA-IR) has been determined from serum insulin and glucose values. Serum sRAGE
      levels were significantly lower in obese cases than controls and inversely
      correlated with obesity and metabolic parameters. Results of univariate and
      multivariate analyses for determinants of serum sRAGE levels in obese cases
      showed that parameters statistically and significantly related were body mass
      index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), LDL-C, TG, BP, HOMA-IR, ALT and AST. sRAGE
      is a novel biomarker for metabolic dysfunction in Egyptian obese women and might
      predict the future cardio-metabolic events.

PMID- 28900376
TI  - Physical activity and beta-amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease: A sound mind
      in a sound body.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia worldwide. Since
      curative treatment has not been established for AD yet and due to heavy financial
      and psychological costs of patients' care, special attention has been paid to
      preventive interventions such as physical activity. Evidence shows that physical
      activity has protective effects on cognitive function and memory in AD patients.
      Several pathologic factors are involved in AD-associated cognitive impairment
      some of which are preventable by physical activity. Also, various experimental
      and clinical studies are in progress to prove exercise role in the beta-amyloid
      (Abeta) pathology as a most prevailing hypothesis explaining AD pathogenesis.
      This study aims to review the role of physical activity in Abeta-related
      pathophysiology in AD.

PMID- 28900378
TI  - Steroid resistance and concomitant respiratory infections: A challenging battle
      in pulmonary clinic.

PMID- 28900379
TI  - Postmenopausal hormone and the risk of nephrolithiasis: A meta-analysis.
AB  - Menopause is reported to be associated with increased urinary calcium excretion,
      which may enhance the risk for the development of calcium kidney stones. However,
      it remains controversial about whether high level of postmenopausal hormone (PMH)
      is a risk factor for formation of nephrolithiasis. Several observational studies
      have shown that PMH is protective based on 24-hour urinary parameters. Recent
      clinical trials provided evidence to conclude that estrogen therapy increases the
      risk of nephrolithiasis in healthy postmenopausal women. Our study aimed to
      comprehensively assess clinical evidence on the relationship between
      postmenopausal hormone level and risk of nephrolithiasis. To conduct systematic
      review, we pooled total 98 potentially related articles in Cochrane library,
      Medline, and Embase. Three studies with a total of 71101 study participants that
      included two clinical trials, 4 stratified and potentially usable results by the
      status of menopause and type of PMH use derived from one prospective cohort
      study, and one case-control studies were selected to pool relative risk using
      random-effect model. How the difference in menopause status, whether naturally
      menopausal or surgically menopausal, influenced the pooled relative risk was
      included in the subgroup analysis. The study population aged from 45 to 70 years
      old. The follow-up year and adjusted confounders differed across different
      studies. The pooled relative risk for the 7 stratified studies was 0.91 (95 %
      confidence interval (CI): [0.72, 1.14]). In the menopausal status-specific
      analysis, the pooled relative risk for naturally menopausal women was 0.92 (95 %
      CI, [0.64, 1.27]; I2 = 82.74 %) whereas the pooled relative risk for surgically
      postmenopausal women is 0.90 (95 % CI, [0.63, 1.29]; I2 = 78.47 %). The above
      results suggested that there was no significant association between PMH and the
      risk of nephrolithiasis. The difference in menopausal status did not influence
      the relationship between PMH and the risk of kidney stone formation.

PMID- 28900380
TI  - Meta-analysis of neuron specific enolase in predicting pediatric brain injury
      outcomes.
AB  - A reliable biomarker has not been identified to predict the outcome of traumatic
      brain injury (TBI) in children. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta
      analysis aimed to assess the association between neuron specific enolase (NSE)
      and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children. Two independent reviewers searched
      electronic databases of EMBASE, Cochrane library, Medline and Scopus and then
      they summarized the results and did a quality control check. At the end,
      standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) and
      performance of NSE were assessed. 10 studies were included in the present meta
      analysis. Average serum (SMD=1.3; 95 % CI: 0.5 to 2.1; p=0.001) and CSF levels
      (SMD=2.45; 95 % CI: 1.04 to 3.8; p<0.0001) of NSE biomarker were significantly
      higher in children with TBI with unfavorable outcome compared with other
      children. Serum NSE had an area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity of
      0.75 (95 % CI: 0.72 to 0.79), 0.74 (95 % CI: 0.64 to 0.82) and 0.69 (95 % CI:
      0.59 to 0.77), respectively in prediction outcome of TBI. Positive likelihood
      ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio of serum NSE were 2.4
      (95 % CI: 1.7 to 3.3), 0.38 (95 % CI: 0.26 to 0.55) and 6.0 (95 % CI: 3.0 to
      12.0), respectively. The results show that the performance of NSE is in a
      moderate level in prediction of unfavorable outcome in children with TBI.
      However, data in this aspect is not sufficient and more studies are needed.

PMID- 28900381
TI  - The association of vimentin and fibronectin gene expression with epithelial
      mesenchymal transition and tumor malignancy in colorectal carcinoma.
AB  - Colorectal cancer is the most common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract
      with very high mortality. One of the most distinguishing features for the
      establishment of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype is the alteration
      of mesenchymal markers expression and structural adhesion proteins. We evaluated
      the significance of vimentin and fibronectin gene expression in relation to
      invasion and metastasis in CRC patients. Tissue specimens were collected
      consecutively from forty-five colorectal carcinoma patients during surgeries.
      Tissues were divided into two separate parts for pathological and molecular
      assays. In order to histological staging, tissue sections were prepared from
      formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin.
      To quantify gene expression, specimens were dissected and homogenized. Moreover,
      SW480, SW48, SW948, Caco-2, HT-29 and LS174T as human colon cancer cell lines
      were obtained and cultured, then molecular analyzing was performed. As results
      the expression of VIM gene increased in SW480, SW48 and SW948 while it decreased
      in Caco-2, HT-29 and LS174T. Moreover, FN was up-regulated in Caco-2, HT-29 and
      SW948, while it was down-regulated in SW480, SW48 and LS174T. In tissues,
      vimentin and fibronectin expression significantly increased in stromal cells,
      whereas vimentin decreased in colonic epithelial cells and fibronectin had no
      significant change. Vimentin and fibronectin expression were changed in tumor
      tissues. It was found an association between vimentin expression with age and
      tumor size; over-expression in older age and decreasing in larger tumor size.
      Furthermore, fibronectin over-expression is correlated to older age and high
      tumor stages; up-regulation with increasing age and high tumor stages.

PMID- 28900382
TI  - Immunization enhances the natural antibody repertoire.
AB  - The role of immunization in the production of antibodies directed against
      immunogens is widely appreciated in laboratory animals and in humans. However,
      the role of immunization in the development of "natural antibodies" has not been
      investigated. Natural antibodies are those antibodies present without known
      history of infection or immunization, and react to a wide range of targets,
      including "cryptic" self-antigens that are exposed upon cell death. In this
      study, the ability of immunization to elicit the production of natural antibodies
      in laboratory rats was evaluated. Laboratory rats were immunized with a series of
      injections using peanut extracts (a common allergen), a high molecular weight
      protein conjugated to hapten (FITC-KLH), and a carbohydrate conjugated to hapten
      (DNP-Ficall). Significantly greater binding of antibodies from immunized animals
      compared to controls was observed to numerous autologous organ extracts (brain,
      kidney, liver, lung, prostate, and spleen) for both IgM and IgG, although the
      effect was more pronounced for IgM. These studies suggest that immunization may
      have at least one unforeseen benefit, enhancing networks of natural antibodies
      that may be important in such processes as wound repair and tumor surveillance.
      Such enhancement of natural antibody function may be particularly important in
      Western society, where decreased exposure to the environment may be associated
      with a weakened natural antibody repertoire.

PMID- 28900383
TI  - Effects of platelet rich plasma and chondrocyte co-culture on MSC chondrogenesis,
      hypertrophy and pathological responses.
AB  - Regarding the inadequate healing capability of cartilage tissue, cell-based
      therapy is making the future of cartilage repair and regeneration. Mesenchymal
      stem cells (MSC) have shown great promise in cartilage regeneration. However, a
      yet-unresolved issue is the emergence of hypertrophic and pathologic markers
      during in vitro MSC chondrogenesis. Articular chondrocytes (AC) can suppress the
      undesired hypertrophy when co-cultured with MSC. On the other hand, platelet rich
      plasma (PRP), is considered potentially effective for cartilage repair and in
      vitro chondrogenesis. We thus aimed to harness chondro-promotive effects of PRP
      and hypertrophic-suppressive effects of AC:MSC co-culture to achieve a more
      functional cartilage neo-tissue. We used PRP or conventional-differentiation
      chondrogenic media (ConvDiff) in MSC mono-cultures and AC:MSC co-cultures. We
      assessed gene expression of chondrogenic and hypertrophic markers using real-time
      RT-PCR and immunostaining. Alkaline-phosphatase activity (ALP) and calcium
      content of the pellets were quantified. We also measured VEGF and TNF-alpha
      secretion via ELISA. We showed PRP had higher chondrogenic potential (in mRNA and
      protein level) and hypertrophic-suppressive effects than Conv-Diff (mRNA level).
      Co-culturing reduced ALP while PRP increased calcium deposition. In all four
      groups, TNF-alpha was down-regulated compared to MSC controls, with co-cultures
      receiving ConvDiff media secreting the least. Meanwhile, the only group with
      increased VEGF secretion was PRP-mono-cultures. We observed synergistic effects
      for PRP and AC:MSC co-culture in enhancing chondrogenesis. Inclusion of AC
      reduced hypertrophic markers and angiogenic potential in PRP groups. We thus
      propose that combination of PRP and co-culture would favor chondrogenesis while
      alleviate but not totally eradicate undesired hypertrophic and pathologic
      responses.

PMID- 28900384
TI  - Cancer chemoprevention by oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifoli L.) fruit extract in a
      model of hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine in rats.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent and fatal human cancer with poor
      diagnosis that accounts for over half a million deaths each year worldwide.
      Elaeagnus angustifolia L. known as oleaster has a wide range of pharmacological
      activities. This study aimed to investigate the chemopreventive effect of aqueous
      extract of E. angustifolia fruit (AEA) against diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced
      HCC in rats. HCC was induced in rats by a single injection of DEN (200 mg/kg) as
      an initiator. After two weeks, rats were orally administered 2
      acetylaminofluorene or 2-AAF (30 mg/kg) as a promoter for two weeks. Oleaster
      treated rats were orally pretreated with the increasing doses of AEA two weeks
      prior to DEN injection that continued until the end of the experiment. In the
      current study, a significant decrease in serum biomarkers of liver damage and
      cancer, including alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT),
      alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) was observed in AEA
      treated rats when compared to HCC rats. Furthermore, the oleaster extract
      exhibited in vivo antioxidant activity by elevating reduced glutathione (GSH)
      contents as well as preventing lipid peroxidation in the liver tissues of DEN
      treated rats. The relative weight of liver, a prognostic marker of HCC, was also
      reduced in oleaster-treated rats. To conclude, our results clearly demonstrated
      that oleaster fruit possesses a significant chemopreventive effect against
      primary liver cancer induced by DEN in rats. It can be suggested that the
      preventive activity of oleaster against hepatocarcinogenesis may be mediated
      through the antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and antimutagenic effects of the
      fruit.

PMID- 28900385
TI  - The impact of stress on body function: A review.
AB  - Any intrinsic or extrinsic stimulus that evokes a biological response is known as
      stress. The compensatory responses to these stresses are known as stress
      responses. Based on the type, timing and severity of the applied stimulus, stress
      can exert various actions on the body ranging from alterations in homeostasis to
      life-threatening effects and death. In many cases, the pathophysiological
      complications of disease arise from stress and the subjects exposed to stress,
      e.g. those that work or live in stressful environments, have a higher likelihood
      of many disorders. Stress can be either a triggering or aggravating factor for
      many diseases and pathological conditions. In this study, we have reviewed some
      of the major effects of stress on the primary physiological systems of humans.

PMID- 28900386
TI  - Altered Developmental Expression of the Astrocyte-Secreted Factors Hevin and
      SPARC in the Fragile X Mouse Model.
AB  - Astrocyte dysfunction has been indicated in many neurodevelopmental disorders,
      including Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). FXS is caused by a deficiency in fragile X
      mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP regulates the translation of numerous
      mRNAs and its loss disturbs the composition of proteins important for dendritic
      spine and synapse development. Here, we investigated whether the astrocyte
      derived factors hevin and SPARC, known to regulate excitatory synapse
      development, have altered expression in FXS. Specifically, we analyzed the
      expression of these factors in wild-type (WT) mice and in fragile X mental
      retardation 1 (Fmr1) knock-out (KO) mice that lack FMRP expression. Samples were
      collected from the developing cortex and hippocampus (regions of dendritic spine
      abnormalities in FXS) of Fmr1 KO and WT pups. Hevin and SPARC showed altered
      expression patterns in Fmr1 KO mice compared to WT, in a brain-region specific
      manner. In cortical tissue, we found a transient increase in the level of hevin
      in postnatal day (P)14 Fmr1 KO mice, compared to WT. Additionally, there were
      modest decreases in Fmr1 KO cortical levels of SPARC at P7 and P14. In the
      hippocampus, hevin expression was much lower in P7 Fmr1 KO mice than in WT. At
      P14, hippocampal hevin levels were similar between genotypes, and by P21 Fmr1 KO
      hevin expression surpassed WT levels. These findings imply aberrant astrocyte
      signaling in FXS and suggest that the altered expression of hevin and SPARC
      contributes to abnormal synaptic development in FXS.

PMID- 28900387
TI  - Social Isolation in Early versus Late Adolescent Mice Is Associated with
      Persistent Behavioral Deficits That Can Be Improved by Neurosteroid-Based
      Treatment.
AB  - Early trauma and stress exposure during a critical period of life may increase
      the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder
      (PTSD) in adulthood. The first-choice treatment for MDD and PTSD are selective
      serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. Unfortunately, half of MDD
      and PTSD patients show resistance to the therapeutic effects of these drugs and
      more efficient treatments are essential. Both MDD and PTSD patients present
      reduced levels of allopregnanolone (Allo), a potent endogenous positive
      allosteric modulator of GABA action at GABAA receptors which are normalized by
      SSRIs in treatment responders. Thus, Allo analogs or drugs that stimulate its
      levels may offer an alternative in treating SSRIs-non-responders. We tested
      several drugs on the aggressive behavior of early and late adolescent socially
      isolated (SI) mice, a model of PTSD. Isolation in early adolescence (PND 21)
      induced more severe aggression than mice isolated at PND 45. A single non
      sedating administration of S-fluoxetine (S-FLX; 0.375-1.5 mg/kg), or of the Allo
      analogs ganaxolone (GNX; 10 mg/kg), BR351 (1-5 mg/kg), or BR297 (0.3125-2.5
      mg/kg), or of the endocannabinoid, N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA; 5-20 mg/kg) all
      decreased aggression more effectively in late than early adolescent SI mice.
      Importantly, the number of drug non-responders was higher in early than late SI
      mice for all the drugs tested. The non-responder rate was more elevated (12-64%)
      after S-FLX treatment, while 100% of mice responded to a single administration of
      PEA at the dose range of 15-20 mg/kg. Moreover, GNX, BR351, and BR297's
      antiaggressive effect persisted longer than S-FLX in both late and early SI mice.
      All drugs tested failed to alter locomotor activity of SI mice. Our results show
      that drugs that mimic Allo's action or that induce Allo biosynthesis may be
      valuable for the treatment of "SSRIs non-responder" patients.

PMID- 28900388
TI  - DISC1 Regulates the Proliferation and Migration of Mouse Neural Stem/Progenitor
      Cells through Pax5, Sox2, Dll1 and Neurog2.
AB  - Background: Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) regulates neurogenesis and is a
      genetic risk factor for major psychiatric disorders. However, how DISC1
      dysfunction affects neurogenesis and cell cycle progression at the molecular
      level is still unknown. Here, we investigated the role of DISC1 in regulating
      proliferation, migration, cell cycle progression and apoptosis in mouse neural
      stem/progenitor cells (MNSPCs) in vitro. Methods: MNSPCs were isolated and
      cultured from mouse fetal hippocampi. Retroviral vectors or siRNAs were used to
      manipulate DISC1 expression in MNSPCs. Proliferation, migration, cell cycle
      progression and apoptosis of altered MNSPCs were analyzed in cell proliferation
      assays (MTS), transwell system and flow cytometry. A neurogenesis specific
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array was used to identify genes downstream of
      DISC1, and functional analysis was performed through transfection of expression
      plasmids and siRNAs. Results: Loss of DISC1 reduced proliferation and migration
      of MNSPCs, while an increase in DISC1 led to increased proliferation and
      migration. Meanwhile, an increase in the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase was
      concomitant with reduced levels of DISC1, but significant changes were not
      observed in the number MNSPCs undergoing apoptosis. Paired box gene 5 (Pax5), sex
      determining region Y-box 2 (Sox2), delta-like1 (Dll1) and Neurogenin2 (Neurog2)
      emerged as candidate molecules downstream of DISC1, and rescue experiments
      demonstrated that increased or decreased expression of either molecule regulated
      proliferation and migration in DISC1-altered MNSPCs. Conclusion: These results
      suggest that Pax5, Sox2, Dll1 and Neurog2 mediate DISC1 activity in MNSPC
      proliferation and migration.

PMID- 28900389
TI  - Cerebellar Atrophy and Changes in Cytokines Associated with the CACNA1A R583Q
      Mutation in a Russian Familial Hemiplegic Migraine Type 1 Family.
AB  - Background: Immune mechanisms recently emerged as important contributors to
      migraine pathology with cytokines affecting neuronal excitation. Therefore,
      elucidating the profile of cytokines activated in various forms of migraine,
      including those with a known genetic cause, can help in diagnostic and
      therapeutic approaches. Methods: Here we (i) performed exome sequencing to
      identify the causal gene mutation and (ii) measured, using Bio-Plex technology,
      22 cytokines in serum of patients with familial migraine (two with hemiplegic
      migraine and two with migraine with aura) from a Russian family that ethnically
      belongs to the Tatar population. MRI scanning was used to assess cerebellar
      atrophy associated with migraine in mutation carriers. Results: Whole-exome
      sequencing revealed the R583Q missense mutation in the CACNA1A gene in the two
      patients with hemiplegic migraine and cerebellar ataxia with atrophy, confirming
      a FHM1 disorder. Two further patients did not have the mutation and suffered from
      migraine with aura. Elevated serum levels of pro-inflammatory and pro-nociceptive
      IL-6 and IL-18 were found in all four patients (compared to a reference panel),
      whereas pro-apoptotic SCGF-beta and TRAIL were higher only in the patients with
      the FHM1 mutation. Also, cytokines CXCL1, HGF, LIF, and MIF were found
      particularly high in the two mutation carriers, suggesting a possible role of
      vascular impairment and neuroinflammation in disease pathogenesis. Notably, some
      "algesic" cytokines, such as beta-NGF and TNFbeta, remained unchanged or even
      were down-regulated. Conclusion: We present a detailed genetic, neurological, and
      biochemical characterization of a small Russian FHM1 family and revealed evidence
      for higher levels of specific cytokines in migraine patients that support
      migraine-associated neuroinflammation in the pathology of migraine.

PMID- 28900391
TI  - Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Reveals an Association between Brain Iron
      Load and Depression Severity.
AB  - Previous studies have detected abnormal serum ferritin levels in patients with
      depression; however, the results have been inconsistent. This study used
      quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for the first time to examine brain
      iron concentration in depressed patients and evaluated whether it is related to
      severity. We included three groups of age- and gender-matched participants: 30
      patients with mild-moderate depression (MD), 14 patients with major depression
      disorder (MDD) and 20 control subjects. All participants underwent MR scans with
      a 3D gradient-echo sequence reconstructing for QSM and performed the 17-item
      Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) test. In MDD, the susceptibility value in
      the bilateral putamen was significantly increased compared with MD or control
      subjects. In addition, a significant difference was also observed in the left
      thalamus in MDD patients compared with controls. However, the susceptibility
      values did not differ between MD patients and controls. The susceptibility values
      positively correlated with the severity of depression as indicated by the HDRS
      scores. Our results provide evidence that brain iron deposition may be associated
      with depression and may even be a biomarker for investigating the
      pathophysiological mechanism of depression.

PMID- 28900392
TI  - Corrigendum: The Impact of Aerobic Exercise on Fronto-Parietal Network
      Connectivity and Its Relation to Mobility: An Exploratory Analysis of a 6-Month
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 344 in vol. 11, PMID: 28713255.].

PMID- 28900390
TI  - Genetically-Driven Enhancement of Dopaminergic Transmission Affects Moral
      Acceptability in Females but Not in Males: A Pilot Study.
AB  - Moral behavior has been a key topic of debate for philosophy and psychology for a
      long time. In recent years, thanks to the development of novel methodologies in
      cognitive sciences, the question of how we make moral choices has expanded to the
      study of neurobiological correlates that subtend the mental processes involved in
      moral behavior. For instance, in vivo brain imaging studies have shown that
      distinct patterns of brain neural activity, associated with emotional response
      and cognitive processes, are involved in moral judgment. Moreover, while it is
      well-known that responses to the same moral dilemmas differ across individuals,
      to what extent this variability may be rooted in genetics still remains to be
      understood. As dopamine is a key modulator of neural processes underlying
      executive functions, we questioned whether genetic polymorphisms associated with
      decision-making and dopaminergic neurotransmission modulation would contribute to
      the observed variability in moral judgment. To this aim, we genotyped five
      genetic variants of the dopaminergic pathway [rs1800955 in the dopamine receptor
      D4 (DRD4) gene, DRD4 48 bp variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR), solute
      carrier family 6 member 3 (SLC6A3) 40 bp VNTR, rs4680 in the catechol-O-methyl
      transferase (COMT) gene, and rs1800497 in the ankyrin repeat and kinase domain
      containing 1 (ANKK1) gene] in 200 subjects, who were requested to answer 56 moral
      dilemmas. As these variants are all located in genes belonging to the
      dopaminergic pathway, they were combined in multilocus genetic profiles for the
      association analysis. While no individual variant showed any significant effects
      on moral dilemma responses, the multilocus genetic profile analysis revealed a
      significant gender-specific influence on human moral acceptability. Specifically,
      those genotype combinations that improve dopaminergic signaling selectively
      increased moral acceptability in females, by making their responses to moral
      dilemmas more similar to those provided by males. As females usually give more
      emotionally-based answers and engage the "emotional brain" more than males, our
      results, though preliminary and therefore in need of replication in independent
      samples, suggest that this increase in dopamine availability enhances the
      cognitive and reduces the emotional components of moral decision-making in
      females, thus favoring a more rationally-driven decision process.

PMID- 28900393
TI  - Postural Hand Synergies during Environmental Constraint Exploitation.
AB  - Humans are able to intuitively exploit the shape of an object and environmental
      constraints to achieve stable grasps and perform dexterous manipulations. In
      doing that, a vast range of kinematic strategies can be observed. However, in
      this work we formulate the hypothesis that such ability can be described in terms
      of a synergistic behavior in the generation of hand postures, i.e., using a
      reduced set of commonly used kinematic patterns. This is in analogy with previous
      studies showing the presence of such behavior in different tasks, such as
      grasping. We investigated this hypothesis in experiments performed by six
      subjects, who were asked to grasp objects from a flat surface. We quantitatively
      characterized hand posture behavior from a kinematic perspective, i.e., the hand
      joint angles, in both pre-shaping and during the interaction with the
      environment. To determine the role of tactile feedback, we repeated the same
      experiments but with subjects wearing a rigid shell on the fingertips to reduce
      cutaneous afferent inputs. Results show the persistence of at least two postural
      synergies in all the considered experimental conditions and phases. Tactile
      impairment does not alter significantly the first two synergies, and contact with
      the environment generates a change only for higher order Principal Components. A
      good match also arises between the first synergy found in our analysis and the
      first synergy of grasping as quantified by previous work. The present study is
      motivated by the interest of learning from the human example, extracting lessons
      that can be applied in robot design and control. Thus, we conclude with a
      discussion on implications for robotics of our findings.

PMID- 28900394
TI  - Navigation and Self-Semantic Location of Drones in Indoor Environments by
      Combining the Visual Bug Algorithm and Entropy-Based Vision.
AB  - We introduce a hybrid algorithm for the self-semantic location and autonomous
      navigation of robots using entropy-based vision and visual topological maps. In
      visual topological maps the visual landmarks are considered as leave points for
      guiding the robot to reach a target point (robot homing) in indoor environments.
      These visual landmarks are defined from images of relevant objects or
      characteristic scenes in the environment. The entropy of an image is directly
      related to the presence of a unique object or the presence of several different
      objects inside it: the lower the entropy the higher the probability of containing
      a single object inside it and, conversely, the higher the entropy the higher the
      probability of containing several objects inside it. Consequently, we propose the
      use of the entropy of images captured by the robot not only for the landmark
      searching and detection but also for obstacle avoidance. If the detected object
      corresponds to a landmark, the robot uses the suggestions stored in the visual
      topological map to reach the next landmark or to finish the mission. Otherwise,
      the robot considers the object as an obstacle and starts a collision avoidance
      maneuver. In order to validate the proposal we have defined an experimental
      framework in which the visual bug algorithm is used by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
      (UAV) in typical indoor navigation tasks.

PMID- 28900395
TI  - Astrocyte Senescence and Metabolic Changes in Response to HIV Antiretroviral
      Therapy Drugs.
AB  - With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) survival rates
      among patients infected by HIV have increased. However, even though survival has
      increased HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) still persist,
      suggesting that HAART-drugs may play a role in the neurocognitive impairment
      observed in HIV-infected patients. Given previous data demonstrating that
      astrocyte senescence plays a role in neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's
      disease (AD), we examined the role of HAART on markers of senescence in primary
      cultures of human astrocytes (HAs). Our results indicate HAART treatment induces
      cell cycle arrest, senescence-associated beta-galactosidase, and the cell cycle
      inhibitor p21. Highly active antiretroviral therapy treatment is also associated
      with the induction of reactive oxygen species and upregulation of mitochondrial
      oxygen consumption. These changes in mitochondria correlate with increased
      glycolysis in HAART drug treated astrocytes. Taken together these results
      indicate that HAART drugs induce the senescence program in HAs, which is
      associated with oxidative and metabolic changes that could play a role in the
      development of HAND.

PMID- 28900397
TI  - The Comparative Efficiency of Intraperitoneal and Intravitreous Injection of
      Hydrogen Rich Saline against N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea Induced Retinal Degeneration:
      A Topographic Study.
AB  - Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) comprises a heterogeneous group of inherited retinal
      diseases leading to blindness. The present study explored the protective effects
      of hydrogen rich saline (HRS) against the photoreceptor degeneration in the N
      Methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) administrated rat, a pharmacologically induced RP
      model. The therapeutic effects of intraperitoneal (IP) and intravitreous (IV)
      injections of HRS on regional retina was quantified via topographic measurements.
      The MNU administrated rats received IV or IP injections of HRS, and then they
      were subjected to electroretinography, multi electrode array, histological and
      immunohistochemistry examinations. The concentrations of the retinal
      malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the mRNA levels of
      apoptotic-associated genes were quantified. The IP and IV delivery pathways of
      HRS were both effective to ameliorate MNU induced photoreceptor degeneration.
      Moreover, the IV acted as a more efficient delivery method than the IP in terms
      of therapeutic effects. Particularly, the topographic measurements suggested that
      the IV delivery of HRS could alleviate MNU induced photoreceptor degeneration in
      the posterior retina. The immunostaining experiments also verified the
      comparative efficiency between IV and IP delivery of HRS on regional cone
      photoreceptors. Focal cone photoreceptors showed different susceptibilities to
      HRS and exhibited as a distinct spatial disequilibrium: cone photoreceptors in
      the ST quadrant were preferentially rescued; meanwhile, HRS induced protection
      was feeblest in the IN quadrant. Furthermore, the HRS treatment increased the
      level of retinal SOD, while reduce the level of retinal MDA in MNU administered
      rats. The expression levels of sever apoptotic -associated genes were
      significantly altered by HRS treatment. Collectively, these findings suggest that
      the IV space is an excellent target for HRS delivery. The IV delivery of HRS can
      efficiently alleviate the photoreceptors (especially these locate at the
      posterior retina) from MNU toxicity and act as a candidate treatment for RP.

PMID- 28900399
TI  - Acacetin from Traditionally Used Saussurea involucrata Kar. et Kir. Suppressed
      Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Attenuated Lipid Accumulation in Obese
      Mice.
AB  - Acacetin, a flavone that can be isolated from the Saussurea involucrata plant,
      has anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties that ameliorate airway
      hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic mice. This study investigated whether acacetin
      has anti-adipogenic effects in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and whether it regulates the
      inflammatory response in adipocytes and macrophages. It also investigated whether
      acacetin ameliorates lipid accumulation in high-fat diet- (HFD) induced obese
      mice. Differentiated 3T3-L1 cells were treated with acacetin. The glycerol levels
      in the culture medium were measured, and the expression of proteins and genes
      involved in adipogenesis and lipolysis were assayed by Western blot and real-time
      PCR, respectively. Inflammatory cytokine signaling pathway activity was assessed
      in macrophages that were treated with acacetin and cultured with differentiated
      medium from 3T3-L1 cells. Intraperitoneal injections of acacetin were
      administered to HFD-induced obese mice twice a week for 10 weeks. Acacetin
      significantly increased the levels of glycerol in the culture medium and
      significantly inhibited lipid accumulation in adipocytes. Acacetin reduced the
      expression of adipogenesis-related transcription factors, including the
      expression of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein; it also increased sirtuin 1
      expression and AMPK phosphorylation in adipocytes. In macrophages cultured with
      differentiated media from 3T3-L1 adipocytes, acacetin reduced the levels of
      inflammatory mediators and the activity of the mitogen-activated protein kinase
      and NF-kappaB pathways. In obese mice, acacetin reduced both body weight and
      visceral adipose tissue weight. These results demonstrate that acacetin inhibited
      adipogenesis in adipocytes and in obese mice. Acacetin also reduced the
      inflammatory response of macrophages that were stimulated with differentiated
      media from 3T3-L1 cells.

PMID- 28900398
TI  - Role of Hydrogen Sulfide in Retinal Diseases.
AB  - As the third gasotransmitter, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays a crucial role in the
      physiology and pathophysiology of many systems in the body, such as the nervous,
      cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. The mechanisms for its
      effects, including inhibiting ischemic injury, reducing oxidative stress damage,
      regulating apoptosis, and reducing the inflammation reaction in different
      systems, have not been fully understood. Recently, H2S and its endogenous
      synthesis pathway were found in the mammalian retina. This review describes the
      production and the metabolism of H2S and the evidence of a role of H2S in the
      retina physiology and in the different retinal diseases, including retinal
      degenerative diseases and vascular diseases. In the retina, H2S is generated in
      the presence of cystathionine-beta-synthase, cystathionine-gamma-lyase, and 3
      mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase from L-cysteine. The role of endogenous H2S
      and its physiologic effect in the retina are still elusive. However, strong
      evidence shows that retina-derived H2S might play protective or deleterious role
      in the pathogenesis of retinal diseases. For example, by regulating Ca2+ influx,
      H2S can protect retinal neurons against light-induced degeneration. H2S
      preconditioning can mediate the anti-apoptotic effect of retinal ganglion cells
      in retinal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Treatment with H2S in rats relieves
      diabetic retinopathy by suppressing oxidative stress and reducing inflammation.
      Further studies would greatly improve our understanding of the pathophysiologic
      mechanisms responsible for retinal diseases and the potential for the H2S-related
      therapy of the retinal diseases as well.

PMID- 28900400
TI  - Fractional Stability of Trunk Acceleration Dynamics of Daily-Life Walking: Toward
      a Unified Concept of Gait Stability.
AB  - Over the last decades, various measures have been introduced to assess stability
      during walking. All of these measures assume that gait stability may be equated
      with exponential stability, where dynamic stability is quantified by a Floquet
      multiplier or Lyapunov exponent. These specific constructs of dynamic stability
      assume that the gait dynamics are time independent and without phase transitions.
      In this case the temporal change in distance, d(t), between neighboring
      trajectories in state space is assumed to be an exponential function of time.
      However, results from walking models and empirical studies show that the
      assumptions of exponential stability break down in the vicinity of phase
      transitions that are present in each step cycle. Here we apply a general non
      exponential construct of gait stability, called fractional stability, which can
      define dynamic stability in the presence of phase transitions. Fractional
      stability employs the fractional indices, alpha and beta, of differential
      operator which allow modeling of singularities in d(t) that cannot be captured by
      exponential stability. The fractional stability provided an improved fit of d(t)
      compared to exponential stability when applied to trunk accelerations during
      daily-life walking in community-dwelling older adults. Moreover, using
      multivariate empirical mode decomposition surrogates, we found that the
      singularities in d(t), which were well modeled by fractional stability, are
      created by phase-dependent modulation of gait. The new construct of fractional
      stability may represent a physiologically more valid concept of stability in
      vicinity of phase transitions and may thus pave the way for a more unified
      concept of gait stability.

PMID- 28900401
TI  - Development and Testing of a Novel Arm Cranking-Powered Watercraft.
AB  - There is a lack of human-powered watercrafts for people with lower-body
      disabilities. The purpose of this study was therefore to develop a watercraft for
      disabled people and investigate the metabolic cost and efficiency when pedaling.
      The watercraft was designed by combining parts of a waterbike and a handbike.
      Nine able-bodied subjects pedaled the watercraft at different speeds on a lake to
      provide steady-state metabolic measurements, and a deceleration test was
      performed to measure the hydrodynamic resistance of the watercraft. The results
      showed a linear correlation between metabolic power and mechanical power (r2 =
      0.93). Metabolic expenditure when pedaling the watercraft was similar to other
      physical activities performed by people with lower-body disabilities. Moreover,
      the efficiency of the watercraft showed to be comparable to other human-powered
      watercraft and could, as a result, be an alternative fitness tool especially for
      people with lower-body disabilities, who seek water activities. A number of
      suggestions are proposed however, to improve the efficiency and ergonomics of the
      watercraft.

PMID- 28900402
TI  - Shaving Bridges and Tuning Kitaraa: The Effect of Language Switching on Semantic
      Processing.
AB  - Language switching has been repeatedly found to be costly. Yet, there are reasons
      to believe that switches in language might benefit language comprehension in some
      groups of people, such as less proficient language learners. This study therefore
      investigated the interplay between language switching and semantic processing in
      groups with varying language proficiency. EEG was recorded while L2 learners of
      English with intermediate and high proficiency levels read semantically congruent
      or incongruent sentences in L2. Translations of congruent and incongruent target
      words were additionally presented in L1 to create intrasentential language
      switches. A control group of English native speakers was tested in order to
      compare responses to non-switched stimuli with those of L2 learners. An omnibus
      ANOVA including all groups revealed larger N400 responses for non-switched
      incongruent stimuli compared to congruent stimuli. Additionally, despite switches
      to L1 at target word position, semantic N400 responses were still elicited in
      both L2 learner groups. Further switching effects were reflected by an N400-like
      effect and a late positivity complex, pointing to possible parsing efforts after
      language switches. Our results therefore show that although language switches are
      associated with increased mental effort, switches may not necessarily be costly
      on the semantic level. This finding contributes to the ongoing discussion on
      language inhibition processes, and shows that, in these intermediate and high
      proficient L2 learners, semantic processes look similar to those of native
      speakers of English.

PMID- 28900403
TI  - (Bad) Feelings about Meeting Them? Episodic and Chronic Intergroup Emotions
      Associated with Positive and Negative Intergroup Contact As Predictors of
      Intergroup Behavior.
AB  - Based on two cross-sectional probability samples (Study 1: N = 1,382, Study 2: N
      = 1,587), we studied the interplay between positive and negative intergroup
      contact, different types of intergroup emotions (i.e., episodic intergroup
      emotions encountered during contact and more general chronic intergroup
      emotions), and outgroup behavior in the context of intergroup relations between
      non-immigrant Germans and foreigners living in Germany. In Study 1, we showed
      that positive and negative contact are related to specific episodic intergroup
      emotions (i.e., anger, fear and happiness). Results of Study 2 indicate an
      indirect effect of episodic intergroup emotions encountered during contact
      experiences on specific behavioral tendencies directed at outgroup members via
      more chronic situation-independent intergroup emotions. As expected, anger
      predicted approaching (discriminatory) behavioral tendencies (i.e., aggression)
      while fear predicted avoidance. The results extend the existing literature on
      intergroup contact and emotions by addressing positive and negative contact
      simultaneously and differentiating between situation-specific episodic and
      chronic intergroup emotions in predicting discriminatory behavioral tendencies.

PMID- 28900404
TI  - Cantonese-Speaking Children Do Not Acquire Tone Perception before Tone Production
      A Perceptual and Acoustic Study of Three-Year-Olds' Monosyllabic Tones.
AB  - Models of phonological development assume that speech perception precedes speech
      production and that children acquire suprasegmental features earlier than
      segmental features. Studies of Chinese-speaking children challenge these
      assumptions. For example, Chinese-speaking children can produce tones before two
      and-a-half years but are not able to discriminate the same tones until after 6
      years of age. This study compared the perception and production of monosyllabic
      Cantonese tones directly in 3 -year-old children. Twenty children and their
      mothers identified Cantonese tones in a picture identification test and produced
      monosyllabic tones in a picture labeling task. To control for lexical biases on
      tone ratings, the mother- and child-productions were low-pass filtered to
      eliminate lexical information and were presented to five judges for tone
      classification. Detailed acoustic analysis was performed. Contrary to the view
      that children master lexical tones earlier than segmental phonemes, results
      showed that 3-year-old children could not perceive or produce any Cantonese tone
      with adult-like proficiency and incorrect tone productions were acoustically
      different from criterion. In contrast to previous findings that Cantonese
      speaking children mastered tone production before tone perception, we observed
      more accuracy during speech perception than production. Findings from Cantonese
      speaking children challenge some of the established tenets in theories of
      phonological development that have been tested mostly with native English
      speakers.

PMID- 28900405
TI  - The Minimal and Short-Lived Effects of Minority Language Exposure on the
      Executive Functions of Frisian-Dutch Bilingual Children.
AB  - Various studies have shown that bilingual children need a certain degree of
      proficiency in both languages before their bilingual experiences enhance their
      executive functioning (EF). In the current study, we investigated if degree of
      bilingualism in Frisian-Dutch children influenced EF and if this effect was
      sustained over a 3-year period. To this end, longitudinal data were analyzed from
      120 Frisian-Dutch bilingual children who were 5- or 6-years-old at the first time
      of testing. EF was measured with two attention and two working memory tasks.
      Degree of bilingualism was defined as language balance based on receptive
      vocabulary and expressive morphology scores in both languages. In a context with
      a minority and a majority language, such as the Frisian-Dutch context, chances
      for becoming proficient in both languages are best for children who speak the
      minority language at home. Therefore, in a subsequent analysis, we examined
      whether minority language exposure predicted language balance and whether there
      was a relationship between minority language exposure and EF, mediated by
      language balance. The results showed that intensity of exposure to Frisian at
      home, mediated by language balance, had an impact on one of the attention tasks
      only. It predicted performance on this task at time 1, but not at time 2 and 3.
      This partially confirms previous evidence that the cognitive effects of
      bilingualism are moderated by degree of bilingualism and furthermore reveals that
      substantial minority language exposure at home indirectly affects bilingual
      children's cognitive development, namely through mediation with degree of
      bilingualism. However, the findings also demonstrate that the effect of
      bilingualism on EF is limited and unstable.

PMID- 28900406
TI  - Neural Representation. A Survey-Based Analysis of the Notion.
AB  - The word representation (as in "neural representation"), and many of its related
      terms, such as to represent, representational and the like, play a central
      explanatory role in neuroscience literature. For instance, in "place cell"
      literature, place cells are extensively associated with their role in "the
      representation of space." In spite of its extended use, we still lack a clear,
      universal and widely accepted view on what it means for a nervous system to
      represent something, on what makes a neural activity a representation, and on
      what is re-presented. The lack of a theoretical foundation and definition of the
      notion has not hindered actual research. My aim here is to identify how active
      scientists use the notion of neural representation, and eventually to list a set
      of criteria, based on actual use, that can help in distinguishing between genuine
      or non-genuine neural-representation candidates. In order to attain this
      objective, I present first the results of a survey of authors within two domains,
      place-cell and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) research. Based on the
      authors' replies, and on a review of neuroscientific research, I outline a set of
      common properties that an account of neural representation seems to require. I
      then apply these properties to assess the use of the notion in two domains of the
      survey, place-cell and MVPA studies. I conclude by exploring a shift in the
      notion of representation suggested by recent literature.

PMID- 28900396
TI  - Corrigendum: Conversion Discriminative Analysis on Mild Cognitive Impairment
      Using Multiple Cortical Features from MR Images.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 146 in vol. 9, PMID: 28572766.].

PMID- 28900407
TI  - Psychometric Properties of a Multidimensional Scale of Sense of Community in the
      School.
AB  - Sense of community in the school has been associated with a range of important
      outcomes for students. However, there are currently no standard definitions of
      sense of community in the school with corresponding measures with established
      psychometric properties. To fill this gap, the main aim of the present study was
      to propose a model of sense of community in the school, its operationalization
      and to examine its key psychometric properties (factorial structure, reliability,
      differential item functioning, differential test functioning of the scale and
      discriminant, convergent, and criterion validity). Participants were 1,076
      students from 22 public middle schools and 724 students from 22 public high
      schools located in the Italian city of Genoa and its province. To test the
      dimensionality of the scale, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor
      analysis under the Item Response Theory paradigm. Exploratory factor analysis
      confirmed three dimensions: Membership, Emotional connection, and Opportunities.
      A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the bifactor model exhibited the
      largest improvement in fit. Cronbach's alpha, omega total, and omega hierarchical
      indicated a good reliability for the measure. Internal consistency was
      satisfactory, considering Cronbach's alpha and omega. Analysis of differential
      item/test functioning of the scale showed that girls and boys as well as students
      attending middle school and those attending high school responded in largely
      similar ways to the measure. Finally, the instrument demonstrated good
      discriminant, convergent, and criterion validity. Together, these findings
      indicate that our theory driven model of sense of community in the school is
      valid and that the instrument is a reliable measure for assessing sense of
      community in the school.

PMID- 28900408
TI  - Corrigendum: Two Sides of Emotion: Exploring Positivity and Negativity in Six
      Basic Emotions across Cultures.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 610 in vol. 8, PMID: 28473791.].

PMID- 28900410
TI  - Human Connections and Their Roles in the Occupational Well-being of Healthcare
      Professionals: A Study on Loneliness and Empathy.
AB  - Human connections are key to the promotion of health and prevention of illness;
      moreover, illness can cause deterioration of human connections. Healthcare
      professional-patient relationships are key to ensuring the preservation of
      adequate human connections. It is important for healthcare professionals to
      develop their ability to foster satisfactory human connections because: (i) they
      represent social support for patients; and (ii) they prevent work-related stress.
      In this study we assessed the relationship between absence (loneliness) and
      presence (empathy) of human connections with the occupational well-being of
      healthcare professionals. The Scale of Collateral Effects, which measures
      somatization, exhaustion, and work alienation; the Jefferson Scale of Empathy;
      and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, were mailed to 628
      healthcare professionals working in Spanish public healthcare institutions. The
      following explanatory variables were used to evaluate work well-being: (a)
      empathy, as a professional competence; (b) loneliness, age, and family burden, as
      psychological indicators; and (c) professional experience, work dedication, and
      salary, as work indicators. Comparison, correlation, and regression analyses were
      performed to measure the relationships among these variables and occupational
      well-being. Of 628 surveys mailed, 433 (69% response rate) were returned fully
      completed. Adequate reliability was confirmed for all instruments. The entire
      sample was divided into four groups, based on the combined variable, "occupation
      by sex." Comparative analyses demonstrated differences among "occupation by sex"
      groups in collateral effects (p = 0.03) and empathy (p = 0.04), but not
      loneliness (p = 0.84). Inverse associations between empathy and collateral
      effects were confirmed for somatization (r = -0.16; p < 0.001), exhaustion (r = 
      0.14; p = 0.003), and work alienation (r = -0.16; p < 0.001). Furthermore,
      loneliness was positively associated with collateral effects (r = 0.22; p <
      0.001). Neither family burden, nor work dedication to clinics or management
      activities were associated with the three collateral effects measured. These
      findings support an important role for empathy in the prevention of work stress
      in healthcare professionals. They also confirm that loneliness, as a
      multidimensional and domain specific experience, is detrimental to occupational
      well-being.

PMID- 28900409
TI  - Learning to Dislike Chocolate: Conditioning Negative Attitudes toward Chocolate
      and Its Effect on Chocolate Consumption.
AB  - Evaluative conditioning (EC) procedures can be used to form and change attitudes
      toward a wide variety of objects. The current study examined the effects of a
      negative EC procedure on attitudes toward chocolate, and whether it influenced
      chocolate evaluation and consumption. Participants were randomly assigned to the
      experimental condition in which chocolate images were paired with negative
      stimuli, or the control condition in which chocolate images were randomly paired
      with positive stimuli (50%) and negative stimuli (50%). Explicit and implicit
      attitudes toward chocolate images were collected. During an ostensible taste
      test, chocolate evaluation and consumption were assessed. Results revealed that
      compared to participants in the control condition, participants in the
      experimental condition showed more negative explicit and implicit attitudes
      toward chocolate images and evaluated chocolate more negatively during the taste
      test. However, chocolate consumption did not differ between experimental and
      control conditions. These findings suggest that pairing chocolate with negative
      stimuli can influence attitudes toward chocolate, though behavioral effects are
      absent. Intervention applications of EC provide avenues for future research and
      practices.

PMID- 28900411
TI  - Can We Retrieve the Information Which Was Intentionally Forgotten?
      Electrophysiological Correlates of Strategic Retrieval in Directed Forgetting.
AB  - Retrieval inhibition hypothesis of directed forgetting effects assumed TBF (to-be
      forgotten) items were not retrieved intentionally, while selective rehearsal
      hypothesis assumed the memory representation of retrieved TBF (to-be-forgotten)
      items was weaker than TBR (to-be-remembered) items. Previous studies indicated
      that directed forgetting effects of item-cueing method resulted from selective
      rehearsal at encoding, but the mechanism of retrieval inhibition that affected
      directed forgetting of TBF (to-be-forgotten) items was not clear. Strategic
      retrieval is a control process allowing the selective retrieval of target
      information, which includes retrieval orientation and strategic recollection.
      Retrieval orientation via the comparison of tasks refers to the specific form of
      processing resulted by retrieval efforts. Strategic recollection is the type of
      strategies to recollect studied items for the retrieval success of targets. Using
      a "directed forgetting" paradigm combined with a memory exclusion task, our
      investigation of strategic retrieval in directed forgetting assisted to explore
      how retrieval inhibition played a role on directed forgetting effects. When TBF
      items were targeted, retrieval orientation showed more positive ERPs to new
      items, indicating that TBF items demanded more retrieval efforts. The results of
      strategic recollection indicated that: (a) when TBR items were retrieval targets,
      late parietal old/new effects were only evoked by TBR items but not TBF items,
      indicating the retrieval inhibition of TBF items; (b) when TBF items were
      retrieval targets, the late parietal old/new effect were evoked by both TBR items
      and TBF items, indicating that strategic retrieval could overcome retrieval
      inhibition of TBF items. These findings suggested the modulation of strategic
      retrieval on retrieval inhibition of directed forgetting, supporting that
      directed forgetting effects were not only caused by selective rehearsal, but also
      retrieval inhibition.

PMID- 28900412
TI  - Corrigendum: Influence of Landmarks on Wayfinding and Brain Connectivity in
      Immersive Virtual Reality Environment.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 1220 in vol. 8, PMID: 28775698.].

PMID- 28900413
TI  - Impaired Cerebellum to Primary Motor Cortex Associative Plasticity in Parkinson's
      Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional perturbation of the cerebellum (CB)-motor cortex (M1)
      interactions may underlie pathophysiology of movement disorders, such as
      Parkinson's disease (PD) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). Recently, M1
      motor excitability can be bidirectionally modulated in young subjects by
      corticocortical paired associative stimulation (PAS) on CB and contralateral M1
      with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), probably through the cerebello
      dentato-thalamo-cortical (CDTC) circuit. In this study, we investigated the CB to
      M1-associative plasticity in healthy elderly PD and SCA3. METHODS: Ten right
      handed PD patients, nine gene-confirmed SCA3 patients, and 10 age-matched healthy
      controls (HC) were studied. One hundred and twenty pairs of TMS of the left M1
      preceded by right lateral CB TMS at an interstimulus interval of 2 (CB -> M1
      PAS2ms) and 6 ms (CB -> M1 PAS6ms) were, respectively, applied with at least 1
      week interval. M1 excitability was assessed by motor-evoked potential (MEP)
      amplitude, short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical
      facilitation (ICF), and cerebellar inhibition (CBI) at the first dorsal
      interosseous muscle of the right hand before and after the CB -> M1 PAS. RESULTS:
      The M1 excitability represented by MEP amplitude was significantly facilitated
      and suppressed in the HC group by CB -> M1 PAS2ms and CB -> M1 PAS6ms,
      respectively. The bidirectional modulation on MEP amplitude was absent in the PD
      and SCA3 groups. SICI and the baseline CBI were significantly reduced in the SCA3
      group compared to those of the HC group irrespective of the CB -> M1 PAS
      protocols. There was a significant reduction of CBI immediately and 60 min after
      the CB -> M1 PAS protocols in the HC group but not in the patient groups. No
      significant change of ICF was found. CONCLUSION: Corticocortical CB -> M1 PAS can
      induce bidirectional motor cortical plasticity in M1 for healthy aged subjects.
      The modulation may be independent of the inhibitory neurocircuits, such as SICI
      and CBI, and the facilitatory mechanism like ICF. Both patients with PD and SCA3
      showed impairment of such plasticity, suggesting significant functional
      perturbation of the CDTC circuit.

PMID- 28900414
TI  - Alterations in Spectral Attributes of Surface Electromyograms after Utilization
      of a Foot Drop Stimulator during Post-Stroke Gait.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A foot drop stimulator (FDS) is a rehabilitation intervention that
      stimulates the common peroneal nerve to facilitate ankle dorsiflexion at the
      appropriate time during post-stroke hemiplegic gait. Time-frequency analysis
      (TFA) of non-stationary surface electromyograms (EMG) and spectral variables such
      as instantaneous mean frequency (IMNF) can provide valuable information on the
      long-term effects of FDS intervention in terms of changes in the motor unit (MU)
      recruitment during gait, secondary to improved dorsiflexion. OBJECTIVE: The aim
      of this study was to apply a wavelet-based TFA approach to assess the changes in
      neuromuscular activation of the tibialis anterior (TA), soleus (SOL), and
      gastrocnemius (GA) muscles after utilization of an FDS during gait post-stroke.
      METHODS: Surface EMG were collected bilaterally from the TA, SOL, and GA muscles
      from six participants (142.9 +/- 103.3 months post-stroke) while walking without
      the FDS at baseline and 6 months post-FDS utilization. Continuous wavelet
      transform was performed to get the averaged time-frequency distribution of band
      pass filtered (20-300 Hz) EMGs during multiple walking trials. IMNFs were
      computed during normalized gait and were averaged during the stance and swing
      phases. Percent changes in the energies associated with each frequency band of 25
      Hz between 25 and 300 Hz were computed and compared between visits. RESULTS:
      Averaged time-frequency representations of the affected TA, SOL, and GA EMG show
      altered spectral attributes post-FDS utilization during normalized gait. The mean
      IMNF values for the affected TA were significantly lower than the unaffected TA
      at baseline (p = 0.026) and follow-up (p = 0.038) during normalized stance. The
      mean IMNF values significantly increased (p = 0.017) for the affected GA at
      follow-up during normalized swing. The frequency band of 250-275 Hz significantly
      increased in the energies post-FDS utilization for all muscles. CONCLUSION: The
      application of wavelet-based TFA of EMG and outcome measures (IMNF, energy)
      extracted from the time-frequency distributions suggest alterations in MU
      recruitment strategies after the use of FDS in individuals with chronic stroke.
      This further establishes the efficacy of FDS as a rehabilitation intervention
      that may promote motor recovery in addition to treating the secondary
      complications of foot drop due to post-stroke hemiplegia.

PMID- 28900415
TI  - Perinatal Western Diet Consumption Leads to Profound Plasticity and GABAergic
      Phenotype Changes within Hypothalamus and Reward Pathway from Birth to Sexual
      Maturity in Rat.
AB  - Perinatal maternal consumption of energy dense food increases the risk of obesity
      in children. This is associated with an overconsumption of palatable food that is
      consumed for its hedonic property. The underlying mechanism that links perinatal
      maternal diet and offspring preference for fat is still poorly understood. In
      this study, we aim at studying the influence of maternal high-fat/high-sugar diet
      feeding [western diet (WD)] during gestation and lactation on the reward pathways
      controlling feeding in the rat offspring from birth to sexual maturity. We
      performed a longitudinal follow-up of WD and Control offspring at three critical
      time periods (childhood, adolescence, and adulthood) and focus on investigating
      the influence of perinatal exposure to palatable diet on (i) fat preference, (ii)
      gene expression profile, and (iii) neuroanatomical/architectural changes of the
      mesolimbic dopaminergic networks. We showed that WD feeding restricted to the
      perinatal period has a clear long-lasting influence on the organization of
      homeostatic and hedonic brain circuits but not on fat preference. We demonstrated
      a period specific evolution of the preference for fat that we correlated with
      specific brain molecular signatures. In offspring from WD fed dams, we observed
      during childhood the existence of fat preference associated with a higher
      expression of key gene involved in the dopamine (DA) systems; at adolescence, a
      high-fat preference for both groups, progressively reduced during the 3 days test
      for the WD group and associated with a reduced expression of key gene involved in
      the DA systems for the WD group that could suggest a compensatory mechanism to
      protect them from further high-fat exposure; and finally at adulthood, a
      preference for fat that was identical to control rats but associated with
      profound modification in key genes involved in the gamma-aminobutyric acid
      network, serotonin receptors, and polysialic acid-NCAM-dependent remodeling of
      the hypothalamus. Altogether, these data reveal that maternal WD, restricted to
      the perinatal period, has no sustained impact on energy homeostasis and fat
      preference later in life even though a strong remodeling of the hypothalamic
      homeostatic and reward pathway involved in eating behavior occurred. Further
      functional experiments would be needed to understand the relevance of these
      circuits remodeling.

PMID- 28900416
TI  - Effect of Thermophilic Nitrate Reduction on Sulfide Production in High
      Temperature Oil Reservoir Samples.
AB  - Oil fields can experience souring, the reduction of sulfate to sulfide by sulfate
      reducing microorganisms. At the Terra Nova oil field near Canada's east coast,
      with a reservoir temperature of 95 degrees C, souring was indicated by increased
      hydrogen sulfide in produced waters (PW). Microbial community analysis by 16S
      rRNA gene sequencing showed the hyperthermophilic sulfate-reducing archaeon
      Archaeoglobus in Terra Nova PWs. Growth enrichments in sulfate-containing media
      at 55-70 degrees C with lactate or volatile fatty acids yielded the thermophilic
      sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) Desulfotomaculum. Enrichments at 30-45 degrees C
      in nitrate-containing media indicated the presence of mesophilic nitrate-reducing
      bacteria (NRB), which reduce nitrate without accumulation of nitrite, likely to
      N2. Thermophilic NRB (tNRB) of the genera Marinobacter and Geobacillus were
      detected and isolated at 30-50 degrees C and 40-65 degrees C, respectively, and
      only reduced nitrate to nitrite. Added nitrite strongly inhibited the isolated
      thermophilic SRB (tSRB) and tNRB and SRB could not be maintained in co-culture.
      Inhibition of tSRB by nitrate in batch and continuous cultures required
      inoculation with tNRB. The results suggest that nitrate injected into Terra Nova
      is reduced to N2 at temperatures up to 45 degrees C but to nitrite only in zones
      from 45 to 65 degrees C. Since the hotter zones of the reservoir (65-80 degrees
      C) are inhabited by thermophilic and hyperthermophilic sulfate reducers, souring
      at these temperatures might be prevented by nitrite production if nitrate
      reducing zones of the system could be maintained at 45-65 degrees C.

PMID- 28900418
TI  - LMOf2365_0442 Encoding for a Fructose Specific PTS Permease IIA May Be Required
      for Virulence in L. monocytogenes Strain F2365.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis, which is
      a major public health concern due to the high fatality rate. LMOf2365_0442, 0443,
      and 0444 encode for fructose-specific EIIABC components of phosphotransferase
      transport system (PTS) permease that is responsible for sugar transport. In
      previous studies, in-frame deletion mutants of a putative fructose-specific PTS
      permease (LMOf2365_0442, 0443, and 0444) were constructed and analyzed. However,
      the virulence potential of these deletion mutants has not been studied. In this
      study, two in vitro methods were used to analyze the virulence potential of these
      L. monocytogenes deletion mutants. First, invasion assays were used to measure
      the invasion efficiencies to host cells using the human HT-29 cell line. Second,
      plaque forming assays were used to measure cell-to-cell spread in host cells. Our
      results showed that the deletion mutant DeltaLMOf2365_0442 had reduced invasion
      and cell-to-cell spread efficiencies in human cell line compared to the parental
      strain LMOf2365, indicating that LMOf2365_0442 encoding for a fructose specific
      PTS permease IIA may be required for virulence in L. monocytogenes strain F2365.
      In addition, the gene expression levels of 15 virulence and stress-related genes
      were analyzed in the stationary phase cells of the deletion mutants using RT-PCR
      assays. Virulence-related gene expression levels were elevated in the deletion
      mutants DeltaLMOf2365_0442-0444 compared to the wild type parental strain
      LMOf2365, indicating the down-regulation of virulence genes by this PTS permease
      in L. monocytogenes. Finally, stress-related gene clpC expression levels were
      also increased in all of the deletion mutants, suggesting the involvement of this
      PTS permease in stress response. Furthermore, these deletion mutants displayed
      the same pressure tolerance and the same capacity for biofilm formation compared
      to the wild-type parental strain LMOf2365. In summary, our findings suggest that
      the LMOf2365_0442 gene can be used as a potential target to develop inhibitors
      for new therapeutic and pathogen control strategies for public health.

PMID- 28900417
TI  - Integrated Translatome and Proteome: Approach for Accurate Portraying of
      Widespread Multifunctional Aspects of Trichoderma.
AB  - Genome-wide studies of transcripts expression help in systematic monitoring of
      genes and allow targeting of candidate genes for future research. In contrast to
      relatively stable genomic data, the expression of genes is dynamic and regulated
      both at time and space level at different level in. The variation in the rate of
      translation is specific for each protein. Both the inherent nature of an mRNA
      molecule to be translated and the external environmental stimuli can affect the
      efficiency of the translation process. In biocontrol agents (BCAs), the molecular
      response at translational level may represents noise-like response of absolute
      transcript level and an adaptive response to physiological and pathological
      situations representing subset of mRNAs population actively translated in a cell.
      The molecular responses of biocontrol are complex and involve multistage
      regulation of number of genes. The use of high-throughput techniques has led to
      rapid increase in volume of transcriptomics data of Trichoderma. In general,
      almost half of the variations of transcriptome and protein level are due to
      translational control. Thus, studies are required to integrate raw information
      from different "omics" approaches for accurate depiction of translational
      response of BCAs in interaction with plants and plant pathogens. The studies on
      translational status of only active mRNAs bridging with proteome data will help
      in accurate characterization of only a subset of mRNAs actively engaged in
      translation. This review highlights the associated bottlenecks and use of state
      of-the-art procedures in addressing the gap to accelerate future accomplishment
      of biocontrol mechanisms.

PMID- 28900419
TI  - Enhanced Killing and Antibiofilm Activity of Encapsulated Cinnamaldehyde against
      Candida albicans.
AB  - Candida sp. impelled opportunistic infection in immune-compromised patients
      ensuing from asymptomatic colonization to pathogenic forms. Moreover, slow spread
      of Candida species inducing refractory mucosal and invasive infections brings
      acute resistance to antifungal drugs. Hence, here we probed the effect of
      encapsulated preparation of cinnamaldehyde (CNMA) in multilamellar liposomes (ML)
      against Candida albicans. The efficacy of ML-CNMA against Candida biofilm was
      assessed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, as
      well as light microscopy and its percent inhibition, was determined by XTT [2,3
      bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide] and crystal
      violet assay. ML-CNMA showed more fungicidal activity than free CNMA as well as
      multilamellar liposomal amphotericin B (ML-Amp B), which was further confirmed by
      spot test assay and Log-logistic dose-response analysis. Antifungal activity was
      driven by reactive oxygen species and cellular damage by sustained release of
      CNMA. Effect on hyphal formation during 48 h in presence/absence of ML-CNMA was
      observed under a microscope and further substantiated by RT-PCR by amplifying
      HWP1, the gene responsible for hyphal wall protein formation. Apoptotic
      programmed cell death was analyzed by FACS analysis which was further confirmed
      by cytochrome C release assay. This study elucidates the mechanistic insight of
      the enhanced antifungal activity of ML preparation of CNMA against Candida
      infections.

PMID- 28900420
TI  - Seed and Root Endophytic Fungi in a Range Expanding and a Related Plant Species.
AB  - Climate change is accelerating the spread of plants and their associated species
      to new ranges. The differences in range shift capacity of the various types of
      species may disrupt long-term co-evolved relationships especially those
      belowground, however, this may be less so for seed-borne endophytic microbes. We
      collected seeds and soil of the range-expanding Centaurea stoebe and the
      congeneric Centaurea jacea from three populations growing in Slovenia (native
      range of both Centaurea species) and the Netherlands (expanded range of C.
      stoebe, native range of C. jacea). We isolated and identified endophytic fungi
      directly from seeds, as well as from roots of the plants grown in Slovenian,
      Dutch or sterilized soil to compare fungal endophyte composition. Furthermore, we
      investigated whether C. stoebe hosts a reduced community composition of
      endophytes in the expanded range due to release from plant-species specific fungi
      while endophyte communities in C. jacea in both ranges are similar. We cultivated
      46 unique and phylogenetically diverse endophytes. A majority of the seed
      endophytes resembled potential pathogens, while most root endophytes were not
      likely to be pathogenic. Only one endophyte was found in both roots and seeds,
      but was isolated from different plant species. Unexpectedly, seed endophyte
      diversity of southern C. stoebe populations was lower than of populations from
      the north, while the seed endophyte community composition of northern C. stoebe
      populations was significantly different southern C. stoebe as well as northern
      and southern C. jacea populations. Root endophyte diversity was considerably
      lower in C. stoebe than in C. jacea independent of plant and soil origin, but
      this difference disappeared when plants were grown in sterile soils. We conclude
      that the community composition of fungal endophytes not only differs between
      related plant species but also between populations of plants that expand their
      range compared to their native habitat. Our results suggest that fungal
      endophytes of two Centaurea species are not able to systemically infect plants.
      We highlight that endophytes remain poorly studied and further work should
      investigate the functional importance of endophytes.

PMID- 28900421
TI  - Efficacy Analysis of Combinatorial siRNAs against HIV Derived from One Double
      Hairpin RNA Precursor.
AB  - Combinatorial small interfering RNA duplexes (siRNAs) have the potential to be a
      gene therapy against HIV-1, and some studies have reported that transient
      combinatorial siRNA expression represses HIV replication, but the effects of long
      term siRNA expression on HIV replication have not been studied in detail. In this
      study, HIV-1 replication under the influence of stable combinatorial siRNA
      expression from a single RNA transcript was analyzed. First, a series of
      cassettes encoding short hairpin RNA (shRNA)/long hairpin RNA (lhRNA)/double long
      hairpins (dlhRNA) was constructed and subjected to an analysis of inhibitory
      efficacy. Next, an optimized dlhRNA encoding cassette was selected and inserted
      into lentiviral delivery vector FG12. Transient dlhRNA expression reduced
      replication of HIV-1 in TZM-bl cells and CD4+ T cells successfully. HIV-1
      susceptible TZM-bl cells were transducted with the dlhRNA expressing lentiviral
      vector and sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting to obtain stable dlhRNA
      expressing cells. The generation of four anti-HIV siRNAs in these dlhRNA
      expressing cells was verified by stem-loop RT-PCR assay. dlhRNA expression did
      not activate a non-specific interferon response. The dlhRNA expressing cells were
      also challenged with HIV-1 NL4-3, which revealed that stable expression of
      combinatorial siRNAs repressed HIV-1 replication for 8 days, after which HIV-1
      overcame the inhibitory effect of siRNA expression by expressing mutant versions
      of RNAi targets. The results of this evaluation of the long-term inhibitory
      effects of combinatorial siRNAs against HIV-1 provide a reference for researchers
      who utilize combinatorial RNA interference against HIV-1 or other error-prone
      viruses.

PMID- 28900422
TI  - Rab3a-Bound CD63 Is Degraded and Rab3a-Free CD63 Is Incorporated into HIV-1
      Particles.
AB  - CD63, a member of the tetraspanin family, is involved in virion production by
      human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), but its mechanism is unknown. In
      this study, we showed that a small GTP-binding protein, Rab3a, interacts with
      CD63. When Rab3a was exogenously expressed, the amounts of CD63 decreased in
      cells. The Rab3a-mediated reduction of CD63 was suppressed by lysosomal and
      proteasomal inhibitors. The amount of CD63 was increased by reducing the
      endogenous Rab3a level using a specific shRNA. These results indicate that Rab3a
      binds to CD63 to induce the degradation of CD63. Rab3a is thought to be involved
      in exocytosis, but we found that another function of Rab3a affects the fate of
      CD63 in lysosomes. CD63 interacted with Rab3a and was incorporated into HIV-1
      particles. However, Rab3a was not detected in HIV-1 virions, thereby indicating
      that Rab3a-free CD63, but not Rab3a-bound CD63, is incorporated into HIV-1
      particles. Overexpression or silencing of Rab3a moderately reduced HIV-1 virion
      formation. Overexpression of Rab3a decreased CD63 levels, but did not affect the
      incorporation of CD63 into HIV-1 particles. This study showed that Rab3a binds to
      CD63 to induce the degradation of CD63, and only Rab3a-free CD63 is incorporated
      into HIV-1 particles.

PMID- 28900423
TI  - EsrE-A yigP Locus-Encoded Transcript-Is a 3' UTR sRNA Involved in the Respiratory
      Chain of E. coli.
AB  - The yigP locus is widely conserved among gamma-proteobacteria. Mutation of the
      yigP locus impacts aerobic growth of Gram-negative bacteria. However, the
      underlying mechanism of how the yigP locus influences aerobic growth remains
      largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that the yigP locus in Escherichia coli
      encodes two transcripts; the mRNA of ubiquinone biosynthesis protein, UbiJ, and
      the 3' untranslated region small regulatory RNA (sRNA), EsrE. EsrE is an
      independent transcript that is transcribed using an internal promoter of the yigP
      locus. Surprisingly, we found that both the EsrE sRNA and UbiJ protein were
      required for Q8 biosynthesis, and were sufficient to rescue the growth defect
      ascribed to deletion of the yigP locus. Moreover, our data showed that EsrE
      targeted multiple mRNAs involved in several cellular processes including murein
      biosynthesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Among these targets, sdhD mRNA
      that encodes one subunit of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), was significantly
      activated. Our findings provided an insight into the important function of EsrE
      in bacterial adaptation to various environments, as well as coordinating
      different aspects of bacterial physiology.

PMID- 28900424
TI  - The Impact of the Staphylococcus aureus Virulome on Infection in a Developing
      Country: A Cohort Study.
AB  - We performed a cohort study to analyze the virulome of Staphylococcus aureus from
      the Democratic Republic of the Congo using whole genome sequencing and to assess
      its impact on the course of S. aureus infections. Community-associated S. aureus
      from nasal colonization (n = 100) and infection (n = 86) were prospectively
      collected. Phenotypic susceptibility testing and WGS was done for each isolate.
      WGS data were used to screen for 79 different virulence factors and for
      genotyping purposes (spa typing, multilocus sequence typing). The majority of the
      79 virulence factors were equally distributed among isolates from colonization
      and infection. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and the non-truncated hemolysin
      beta were associated with skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) and recurrence of
      disease but did not influence the course of infection (i.e., mortality, surgical
      intervention). For the first time, we show that not only PVL but also hemolysin
      beta could contribute to the development of SSTI in PVL-endemic areas such as
      Africa.

PMID- 28900425
TI  - Corrigendum: Zika Virus: An Emerging Worldwide Threat.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 1417 in vol. 8, PMID: 28798738.].

PMID- 28900426
TI  - Interleukin (IL)-18 Binding Protein Deficiency Disrupts Natural Killer Cell
      Maturation and Diminishes Circulating IL-18.
AB  - The cytokine interleukin (IL)-18 is a crucial amplifier of natural killer (NK)
      cell function. IL-18 signaling is regulated by the inhibitory effects of IL-18
      binding protein (IL-18BP). Using mice deficient in IL-18BP (IL-18BPKO), we
      investigated the impact of mismanaged IL-18 signaling on NK cells. We found an
      overall reduced abundance of splenic NK cells in the absence of IL-18BP. Closer
      examination of NK cell subsets in spleen and bone marrow using CD27 and CD11b
      expression revealed that immature NK cells were increased in abundance, while the
      mature population of NK cells was reduced. Also, NK cells were polarized to
      greater production of TNF-alpha, while dedicated IFN-gamma producers were
      reduced. A novel subset of IL-18 receptor alpha- NK cells contributed to the
      expansion of immature NK cells in IL-18BPKO mice. Splenocytes cultured with IL-18
      resulted in alterations similar to those observed in IL-18BP deficiency. NK cell
      changes were associated with significantly reduced levels of circulating plasma
      IL-18. However, IL-18BPKO mice exhibited normal weight gain and responded to LPS
      challenge with a >10-fold increase in IFN-gamma compared to wild type. Finally,
      we identified that the source of splenic IL-18BP was among dendritic
      cells/macrophage localized to the T cell-rich regions of the spleen. Our results
      demonstrate that IL-18BP is required for normal NK cell abundance and function
      and also contributes to maintaining steady-state levels of circulating IL-18.
      Thus, IL-18BP appears to have functions suggestive of a carrier protein, not just
      an inhibitor.

PMID- 28900428
TI  - C-Reactive Protein Binds to Cholesterol Crystals and Co-Localizes with the
      Terminal Complement Complex in Human Atherosclerotic Plaques.
AB  - Inflammation is a part of the initial process leading to atherosclerosis and
      cholesterol crystals (CC), found in atherosclerotic plaques, which are known to
      induce complement activation. The pentraxins C-reactive protein (CRP), long
      pentraxin 3 (PTX3), and serum amyloid P component (SAP) are serum proteins
      associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and these proteins have
      been shown to interact with the complement system. Whether the pentraxins binds
      to CC and mediate downstream complement-dependent inflammatory processes remains
      unknown. Binding of CRP, PTX3, and SAP to CC was investigated in vitro by flow
      cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. CRP, PTX3, and SAP bound to CC in a
      concentration-dependent manner. CRP and PTX3 interacted with the complement
      pattern recognition molecule C1q on CC by increasing the binding of both purified
      C1q and C1q in plasma. However, CRP was the strongest mediator of C1q binding and
      also the pentraxin that most potently elevated C1q-mediated complement
      activation. In a phagocytic assay using whole blood, we confirmed that
      phagocytosis of CC is complement dependent and initiated by C1q-mediated
      activation. The pathophysiological relevance of the in vitro observations was
      examined in vivo in human atherosclerotic plaques. CRP, PTX3, and SAP were all
      found in atherosclerotic plaques and were located mainly in the cholesterol-rich
      necrotic core, but co-localization with the terminal C5b-9 complement complex was
      only found for CRP. In conclusion, this study identifies CRP as a strong C1q
      recruiter and complement facilitator on CC, which may be highly relevant for the
      development of atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28900427
TI  - Catalog of Differentially Expressed Long Non-Coding RNA following Activation of
      Human and Mouse Innate Immune Response.
AB  - Despite increasing evidence to indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are
      novel regulators of immunity, there has been no systematic attempt to identify
      and characterize the lncRNAs whose expression is changed following the induction
      of the innate immune response. To address this issue, we have employed next
      generation sequencing data to determine the changes in the lncRNA profile in four
      human (monocytes, macrophages, epithelium, and chondrocytes) and four mouse cell
      types (RAW 264.7 macrophages, bone marrow-derived macrophages, peritoneal
      macrophages, and splenic dendritic cells) following exposure to the pro
      inflammatory mediators, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), or interleukin-1beta. We show
      differential expression of 204 human and 210 mouse lncRNAs, with positional
      analysis demonstrating correlation with immune-related genes. These lncRNAs are
      predominantly cell-type specific, composed of large regions of repeat sequences,
      and show poor evolutionary conservation. Comparison within the human and mouse
      sequences showed less than 1% sequence conservation, although we identified
      multiple conserved motifs. Of the 204 human lncRNAs, 21 overlapped with syntenic
      mouse lncRNAs, of which five were differentially expressed in both species. Among
      these syntenic lncRNA was IL7-AS (antisense), which was induced in multiple cell
      types and shown to regulate the production of the pro-inflammatory mediator
      interleukin-6 in both human and mouse cells. In summary, we have identified and
      characterized those lncRNAs that are differentially expressed following
      activation of the human and mouse innate immune responses and believe that these
      catalogs will provide the foundation for the future analysis of the role of
      lncRNAs in immune and inflammatory responses.

PMID- 28900429
TI  - Plasma-Derived Polyreactive Secretory-Like IgA and IgM Opsonizing Salmonella
      enterica Typhimurium Reduces Invasion and Gut Tissue Inflammation through
      Agglutination.
AB  - Due to the increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of
      enteropathogenic bacteria, development of alternative treatments to fight against
      gut infections is a major health issue. While vaccination requires that a proper
      combination of antigen, adjuvant, and delivery route is defined to elicit
      protective immunity at mucosae, oral delivery of directly active antibody
      preparations, referred to as passive immunization, sounds like a valuable
      alternative. Along the gut, the strategy suffers, however, from the difficulty to
      obtain sufficient amounts of antibodies with the appropriate specificity and
      molecular structure for mucosal delivery. Physiologically, at the antibody level,
      the protection of gastrointestinal mucosal surfaces against enteropathogens is
      principally mediated by secretory IgA and secretory IgM. We previously
      demonstrated that purified human plasma-derived IgA and IgM can be associated
      with secretory component to generate biologically active secretory-like IgA and
      IgM (SCIgA/M) that can protect epithelial cells from infection by Shigella
      flexneri in vitro. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the protective potential
      of these antibody preparations in vivo. We now establish that such polyreactive
      preparations bind efficiently to Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and trigger
      bacterial agglutination, as observed by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Upon
      delivery into a mouse ligated intestinal loop, SCIgA/M-mediated aggregates
      persist in the intestinal environment and limit the entry of bacteria into
      intestinal Peyer's patches via immune exclusion. Moreover, oral administration to
      mice of immune complexes composed of S. Typhimurium and SCIgA/M reduces mucosal
      infection, systemic dissemination, and local inflammation. Altogether, our data
      provide valuable clues for the future appraisal of passive oral administration of
      polyreactive plasma-derived SCIgA/M to combat infection by a variety of
      enteropathogens.

PMID- 28900430
TI  - PRINS Non-Coding RNA Regulates Nucleic Acid-Induced Innate Immune Responses of
      Human Keratinocytes.
AB  - Cytosolic DNA fragments are recognized as pathogen- and danger-associated
      molecular patterns that induce a cascade of innate immune responses. Moreover,
      excessive cytosolic DNA can enhance chronic inflammation, predominantly by
      activating inflammasomes, and thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of chronic
      diseases, such as psoriasis. Psoriasis associated non-protein coding RNA induced
      by stress (PRINS) is a long non-coding RNA, which has been shown to be associated
      with psoriasis susceptibility and cellular stress responses; however, the precise
      mechanism of its action has not been determined. Here, we provide evidence that,
      in addition to inflammasome activation, cytosolic DNA induces intracellular
      inflammatory reactions while decreasing PRINS gene expression. Furthermore, PRINS
      overexpression can ameliorate the inflammatory-mediator production of
      keratinocytes induced by cytosolic DNA. Overexpression of PRINS resulted in
      decreased interleukin-6 (IL-6) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL-5)
      expression and secretion. In silico analysis predicted direct binding sites
      between PRINS and the mRNAs, which was confirmed by an in vitro binding assay and
      on cellular level. Our results indicated that PRINS binds directly to the mRNAs
      of IL-6 and CCL-5 at specific binding sites and eventually destabilizes these
      mRNAs, leading to a decrease in their expression and secretion of the
      corresponding proteins. These results may indicate a restrictive role for PRINS
      in inflammatory processes.

PMID- 28900431
TI  - Genome-Wide Identification and Evaluation of Reference Genes for Quantitative RT
      PCR Analysis during Tomato Fruit Development.
AB  - Gene expression analysis in tomato fruit has drawn increasing attention nowadays.
      Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a routine technique for gene expression
      analysis. In qPCR operation, reliability of results largely depends on the choice
      of appropriate reference genes (RGs). Although tomato is a model for fruit
      biology study, few RGs for qPCR analysis in tomato fruit had yet been developed.
      In this study, we initially identified 38 most stably expressed genes based on
      tomato transcriptome data set, and their expression stabilities were further
      determined in a set of tomato fruit samples of four different fruit developmental
      stages (Immature, mature green, breaker, mature red) using qPCR analysis. Two
      statistical algorithms, geNorm and Normfinder, concordantly determined the
      superiority of these identified putative RGs. Notably, SlFRG05 (Solyc01g104170),
      SlFRG12 (Solyc04g009770), SlFRG16 (Solyc10g081190), SlFRG27 (Solyc06g007510), and
      SlFRG37 (Solyc11g005330) were proved to be suitable RGs for tomato fruit
      development study. Further analysis using geNorm indicate that the combined use
      of SlFRG03 (Solyc02g063070) and SlFRG27 would provide more reliable normalization
      results in qPCR experiments. The identified RGs in this study will be beneficial
      for future qPCR analysis of tomato fruit developmental study, as well as for the
      potential identification of optimal normalization controls in other plant
      species.

PMID- 28900433
TI  - Changes in Species Diversity Patterns and Spatial Heterogeneity during the
      Secondary Succession of Grassland Vegetation on the Loess Plateau, China.
AB  - Analyzing the dynamic patterns of species diversity and spatial heterogeneity of
      vegetation in grasslands during secondary succession could help with the
      maintenance and management of these ecosystems. Here, we evaluated the influence
      of secondary succession on grassland plant diversity and spatial heterogeneity of
      abandoned croplands on the Loess Plateau (China) during four phases of recovery:
      1-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-30 years. The species composition and dominance of the
      grassland vegetation changed markedly during secondary succession and formed a
      clear successional series, with the species assemblage dominated by Artemisia
      capillaris-> Heteropappus altaicus-> A. sacrorum. The diversity pattern was one
      of low-high-low, with diversity peaking in the 10-20 year phase, thus
      corresponding to a hump-backed model in which maximum diversity occurring at the
      intermediate stages. A spatially aggregated pattern prevailed throughout the
      entire period of grassland recovery; this was likely linked to the dispersal
      properties of herbaceous plants and to high habitat heterogeneity. We conclude
      that natural succession was conducive to the successful recovery of native
      vegetation. From a management perspective, native pioneer tree species should be
      introduced about 20 years after abandoning croplands to accelerate the natural
      succession of grassland vegetation.

PMID- 28900434
TI  - Contrasting Effects of Extreme Drought and Snowmelt Patterns on Mountain Plants
      along an Elevation Gradient.
AB  - Despite the evidence that increased frequency and magnitude of extreme climate
      events (ECE) considerably affect plant performance, there is still a lack of
      knowledge about how these events affect mountain plant biodiversity and mountain
      ecosystem functioning. Here, we assessed the short-term (one vegetation period)
      effects of simulated ECEs [extreme drought (DR), advanced and delayed snowmelt
      (AD and DE), respectively] on the performance of 42 plant species occurring in
      the Bavarian Alps (Germany) along an elevational gradient of 600-2000 m a.s.l. in
      terms of vegetative growth and reproduction performance. We demonstrate that
      plant vegetative and generative traits respond differently to the simulated ECEs,
      but the nature and magnitude treatment effects strongly depend on study site
      location along the elevational gradient, species' altitudinal origin and plant
      functional type (PFT) of the target species. For example, the negative effect of
      DR treatment on growth (e.g., lower growth rates and lower leaf nitrogen content)
      and reproduction (e.g., lower seed mass) was much stronger in upland sites, as
      compared to lowlands. Species' response to the treatments also differed according
      to their altitudinal origin. Specifically, upland species responded negatively to
      extreme DR (e.g., lower growth rates and lower leaf carbon concentrations,
      smaller seed set), whereas performance of lowland species remained unaffected
      (e.g., stable seed set and seed size) or even positively responded (e.g., higher
      growth rates) to that treatment. Furthermore, we were able to detect some
      consistent differences in responses to the ECEs among three PFTs (forbs,
      graminoids, and legumes). For instance, vegetative growth and sexual reproduction
      of highly adaptable opportunistic graminoids positively responded to nearly all
      ECEs, likely on the costs of other, more conservative, forbs and legumes. Our
      results suggest that ECEs can significantly modify the performance of specific
      plant groups and therefore lead to changes in plant community structure and
      composition under ongoing climate change. Our study therefore underlines the need
      for more experimental studies on the effects of extreme climate events to
      understand the potential consequences of climate change for the alpine ecosystem.

PMID- 28900435
TI  - An Integrated Method to Analyze Farm Vulnerability to Climatic and Economic
      Variability According to Farm Configurations and Farmers' Adaptations.
AB  - The need to adapt to decrease farm vulnerability to adverse contextual events has
      been extensively discussed on a theoretical basis. We developed an integrated and
      operational method to assess farm vulnerability to multiple and interacting
      contextual changes and explain how this vulnerability can best be reduced
      according to farm configurations and farmers' technical adaptations over time.
      Our method considers farm vulnerability as a function of the raw measurements of
      vulnerability variables (e.g., economic efficiency of production), the slope of
      the linear regression of these measurements over time, and the residuals of this
      linear regression. The last two are extracted from linear mixed models
      considering a random regression coefficient (an intercept common to all farms), a
      global trend (a slope common to all farms), a random deviation from the general
      mean for each farm, and a random deviation from the general trend for each farm.
      Among all possible combinations, the lowest farm vulnerability is obtained
      through a combination of high values of measurements, a stable or increasing
      trend and low variability for all vulnerability variables considered. Our method
      enables relating the measurements, trends and residuals of vulnerability
      variables to explanatory variables that illustrate farm exposure to climatic and
      economic variability, initial farm configurations and farmers' technical
      adaptations over time. We applied our method to 19 cattle (beef, dairy, and
      mixed) farms over the period 2008-2013. Selected vulnerability variables, i.e.,
      farm productivity and economic efficiency, varied greatly among cattle farms and
      across years, with means ranging from 43.0 to 270.0 kg protein/ha and 29.4-66.0%
      efficiency, respectively. No farm had a high level, stable or increasing trend
      and low residuals for both farm productivity and economic efficiency of
      production. Thus, the least vulnerable farms represented a compromise among
      measurement value, trend, and variability of both performances. No specific
      combination of farmers' practices emerged for reducing cattle farm vulnerability
      to climatic and economic variability. In the least vulnerable farms, the
      practices implemented (stocking rate, input use...) were more consistent with the
      objective of developing the properties targeted (efficiency, robustness...). Our
      method can be used to support farmers with sector-specific and local insights
      about most promising farm adaptations.

PMID- 28900436
TI  - Molecular Resources from Transcriptomes in the Brassicaceae Family.
AB  - The rapidly falling costs and the increasing availability of large DNA sequence
      data sets facilitate the fast and affordable mining of large molecular markers
      data sets for comprehensive evolutionary studies. The Brassicaceae (mustards) are
      an important species-rich family in the plant kingdom with taxa distributed
      worldwide and a complex evolutionary history. We performed Simple Sequence
      Repeats (SSRs) mining using de novo assembled transcriptomes from 19 species
      across the Brassicaceae in order to study SSR evolution and provide comprehensive
      sets of molecular markers for genetic studies within the family. Moreover, we
      selected the genus Cochlearia to test the transferability and polymorphism of
      these markers among species. Additionally, we annotated Cochlearia pyrenaica
      transcriptome in order to identify the position of each of the mined SSRs. While
      we introduce a new set of tools that will further enable evolutionary studies
      across the Brassicaceae, we also discuss some broader aspects of SSR evolution.
      Overall, we developed 2012 ready-to-use SSR markers with their respective primers
      in 19 Brassicaceae species and a high quality annotated transcriptome for C.
      pyrenaica. As indicated by our transferability test with the genus Cochlearia
      these SSRs are transferable to species within the genus increasing exponentially
      the number of targeted species. Also, our polymorphism results showed substantial
      levels of variability for these markers. Finally, despite its complex
      evolutionary history, SSR evolution across the Brassicaceae family is highly
      conserved and we found no deviation from patterns reported in other Angiosperms.

PMID- 28900437
TI  - Genetics of Resistance and Pathogenicity in the Maize/Setosphaeria turcica
      Pathosystem and Implications for Breeding.
AB  - Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), the most devastating leaf pathogen in maize
      (Zea mays L.), is caused by the heterothallic ascomycete Setosphaeria turcica.
      The pathogen population shows an extremely high genetic diversity in tropical and
      subtropical regions. Varietal resistance is the most efficient technique to
      control NCLB. Host resistance can be qualitative based on race-specific Ht genes
      or quantitative controlled by many genes with small effects. Quantitative
      resistance is moderately to highly effective and should be more durable
      combatting all races of the pathogen. Quantitative resistance must, however, be
      analyzed in many environments (= location * year combinations) to select stable
      resistances. In the tropical and subtropical environments, quantitative
      resistance is the preferred option to manage NCLB epidemics. Resistance level can
      be increased in practical breeding programs by several recurrent selection cycles
      based on disease severity rating and/or by genomic selection. This review aims to
      address two important aspects of the NCLB pathosystem: the genetics of the fungus
      S. turcica and the modes of inheritance of the host plant maize, including
      successful breeding strategies regarding NCLB resistance. Both drivers of this
      pathosystem, pathogen, and host, must be taken into account to result in more
      durable resistance.

PMID- 28900432
TI  - Assessing and Exploiting Functional Diversity in Germplasm Pools to Enhance
      Abiotic Stress Adaptation and Yield in Cereals and Food Legumes.
AB  - There is a need to accelerate crop improvement by introducing alleles conferring
      host plant resistance, abiotic stress adaptation, and high yield potential. Elite
      cultivars, landraces and wild relatives harbor useful genetic variation that
      needs to be more easily utilized in plant breeding. We review genome-wide
      approaches for assessing and identifying alleles associated with desirable
      agronomic traits in diverse germplasm pools of cereals and legumes. Major
      quantitative trait loci and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated
      with desirable agronomic traits have been deployed to enhance crop productivity
      and resilience. These include alleles associated with variation conferring
      enhanced photoperiod and flowering traits. Genetic variants in the florigen
      pathway can provide both environmental flexibility and improved yields. SNPs
      associated with length of growing season and tolerance to abiotic stresses
      (precipitation, high temperature) are valuable resources for accelerating
      breeding for drought-prone environments. Both genomic selection and genome
      editing can also harness allelic diversity and increase productivity by improving
      multiple traits, including phenology, plant architecture, yield potential and
      adaptation to abiotic stresses. Discovering rare alleles and useful haplotypes
      also provides opportunities to enhance abiotic stress adaptation, while
      epigenetic variation has potential to enhance abiotic stress adaptation and
      productivity in crops. By reviewing current knowledge on specific traits and
      their genetic basis, we highlight recent developments in the understanding of
      crop functional diversity and identify potential candidate genes for future use.
      The storage and integration of genetic, genomic and phenotypic information will
      play an important role in ensuring broad and rapid application of novel genetic
      discoveries by the plant breeding community. Exploiting alleles for yield-related
      traits would allow improvement of selection efficiency and overall genetic gain
      of multigenic traits. An integrated approach involving multiple stakeholders
      specializing in management and utilization of genetic resources, crop breeding,
      molecular biology and genomics, agronomy, stress tolerance, and reproductive/seed
      biology will help to address the global challenge of ensuring food security in
      the face of growing resource demands and climate change induced stresses.

PMID- 28900438
TI  - Chloroplasts Isolation from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under Nitrogen Stress.
AB  - Triacylglycerols are produced in abundance through chloroplast and endoplasmic
      reticulum pathways in some microalgae exposed to stress, though the relative
      contribution of either pathway remains elusive. Characterization of these
      pathways requires isolation of the organelles. In this study, an efficient and
      reproducible approach, including homogenous batch cultures of nitrogen-deprived
      algal cells in photobioreactors, gentle cell disruption using a simple custom
      made disruptor with mechanical shear force, optimized differential centrifugation
      and Percoll density gradient centrifugation, was developed to isolate
      chloroplasts from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii subjected to nitrogen stress. Using
      this approach, the maximum limited stress duration was 4 h and the stressed cells
      exhibited 19 and 32% decreases in intracellular chlorophyll and nitrogen content,
      respectively. Chloroplasts with 48 - 300 MUg chlorophyll were successfully
      isolated from stressed cells containing 10 mg chlorophyll. These stressed
      chloroplasts appeared intact, as monitored by ultrastructure observation and a
      novel quality control method involving the fatty acid biomarkers. This approach
      can provide sufficient quantities of intact stressed chloroplasts for subcellular
      biochemical studies in microalgae.

PMID- 28900439
TI  - A Comparative Study of Sample Preparation for Staining and Immunodetection of
      Plant Cell Walls by Light Microscopy.
AB  - Staining and immunodetection by light microscopy are methods widely used to
      investigate plant cell walls. The two techniques have been crucial to study the
      cell wall architecture in planta, its deconstruction by chemicals or cell wall
      degrading enzymes. They have been instrumental in detecting the presence of cell
      types, in deciphering plant cell wall evolution and in characterizing plant
      mutants and transformants. The success of immunolabeling relies on how plant
      materials are embedded and sectioned. Agarose coating, wax and resin embedding
      are, respectively, associated with vibratome, microtome and ultramicrotome
      sectioning. Here, we have systematically carried out a comparative analysis of
      these three methods of sample preparation when they are applied for cell wall
      staining and cell wall immunomicroscopy. In order to help the plant community in
      understanding and selecting adequate methods of embedding and sectioning for cell
      wall immunodetection, we review in this article the advantages and limitations of
      these three methods. Moreover, we offer detailed protocols of embedding for
      studying plant materials through microscopy.

PMID- 28900440
TI  - Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging Uncovers Photosynthetic Fingerprint of Citrus
      Huanglongbing.
AB  - Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus, which has
      posed a serious threat to the global citrus production. This research was aimed
      to explore the use of chlorophyll fluorescence imaging combined with feature
      selection to characterize and detect the HLB disease. Chlorophyll fluorescence
      images of citrus leaf samples were measured by an in-house chlorophyll
      fluorescence imaging system. The commonly used chlorophyll fluorescence
      parameters provided the first screening of HLB disease. To further explore the
      photosynthetic fingerprint of HLB infected leaves, three feature selection
      methods combined with the supervised classifiers were employed to identify the
      unique fluorescence signature of HLB and perform the three-class classification
      (i.e., healthy, HLB infected, and nutrient deficient leaves). Unlike the commonly
      used fluorescence parameters, this novel data-driven approach by using the
      combination of the mean fluorescence parameters and image features gave the best
      classification performance with the accuracy of 97%, and presented a better
      interpretation for the spatial heterogeneity of photochemical and non
      photochemical components in HLB infected citrus leaves. These results imply the
      potential of the proposed approach for the citrus HLB disease diagnosis, and also
      provide a valuable insight for the photosynthetic response to the HLB disease.

PMID- 28900441
TI  - Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Confers Tolerance to Various Abiotic Stresses and
      Modulates Plant Response to Phytohormones through Osmoprotection and Gene
      Expression Regulation in Rice.
AB  - Being sessile in nature, plants have to withstand various adverse environmental
      stress conditions including both biotic and abiotic stresses. Comparatively,
      abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, high temperature, and cold pose major
      threat to agriculture by negatively impacting plant growth and yield worldwide.
      Rice is one of the most widely consumed staple cereals across the globe, the
      production and productivity of which is also severely affected by different
      abiotic stresses. Therefore, several crop improvement programs are directed
      toward developing stress tolerant rice cultivars either through marker assisted
      breeding or transgenic technology. Alternatively, some known rhizospheric
      competent bacteria are also known to improve plant growth during abiotic
      stresses. A plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), Bacillus
      amyloliquefaciens NBRI-SN13 (SN13) was previously reported by our lab to confer
      salt stress tolerance to rice seedlings. However, the present study investigates
      the role of SN13 in ameliorating various abiotic stresses such as salt, drought,
      desiccation, heat, cold, and freezing on a popular rice cv. Saryu-52 under
      hydroponic growth conditions. Apart from this, seedlings were also exogenously
      supplied with abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and
      ethephon (ET) to study the role of SN13 in phytohormone-induced stress tolerance
      as well as its role in abiotic and biotic stress cross-talk. All abiotic stresses
      and phytohormone treatments significantly affected various physiological and
      biochemical parameters like membrane integrity and osmolyte accumulation. SN13
      also positively modulated stress-responsive gene expressions under various
      abiotic stresses and phytohormone treatments suggesting its multifaceted role in
      cross-talk among stresses and phytohormones in response to PGPR. To the best of
      our knowledge, this is the first report on detailed analysis of plant growth
      promotion and stress alleviation by a PGPR in rice seedlings subjected to various
      abiotic stresses and phytohormone treatments for 0, 1, 3, 10, and 24 h.

PMID- 28900443
TI  - HSV-1 Encephalitis: High Index of Clinical Suspicion, Prompt Diagnosis, and Early
      Therapeutic Intervention Are the Triptych of Success-Report of Two Cases and
      Comprehensive Review of the Literature.
AB  - Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) encephalitis is an acute infectious disease of the
      Central Nervous System (CNS), usually affecting the limbic structures, the median
      temporal cortex, and the orbitofrontal regions. Its annual incidence has
      significantly increased over the last 20 years and the mortality rate is 7%, if
      early diagnosed and treated, and 70%, if left untreated, while it is associated
      with high rates of morbidity. It should be noted that even when Cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF) analysis seems normal, imaging studies are not specific and HSV
      Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is negative; the clinician should be more
      aggressive, if clinical presentation is indicative for HSV encephalitis, by
      administrating acyclovir early after patient's admission. The latter may be a
      vital intervention for the patient, modifying the patient's clinical course.
      Through the presentation of two cases of HSV-1 encephalitis that we managed in
      our department over the last 1 year and after systematic and comprehensive
      research of the relevant literature, we aim at showing the crucial role of
      medical history and physical examination, along with the high index of clinical
      suspicion, in order to make promptly the diagnosis and administer timely
      intravenous acyclovir, limiting the possibility of complications during the
      disease's course.

PMID- 28900442
TI  - Impact of Preoperative Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography Cholangiography on
      Postoperative Resection Margin Status in Patients Operated due to Hilar
      Cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to analyse the value of 3-dimensional
      computed tomography cholangiography (3D-ERC) compared to conventional retrograde
      cholangiography in the preoperative diagnosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC)
      with special regard to the resection margin status (R0/R1). PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      All hepatic resections performed between January 2011 and November 2013 in
      patients with HC at the Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery of
      the RWTH Aachen University Hospital were analysed. All patients underwent an ERC
      and contrast-enhanced multiphase CT scan or a 3D-ERC. RESULTS: The patient
      collective was divided into two groups (group ERC: n = 17 and group 3D-ERC: n =
      16). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups
      with regard to patient characteristics or intraoperative data. Curative liver
      resection with R0 status was reached in 88% of patients in group ERC and 87% of
      patients in group 3D-ERC (p = 1.00). We could not observe any differences with
      regard to postoperative complications, hospital stay, and mortality rate between
      both groups. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, preoperative imaging with 3D-ERC
      has no benefit for operative planning and R0 resection status. It cannot replace
      the exploration by an experienced surgeon in a centre for hepatobiliary surgery.

PMID- 28900444
TI  - More Than a Decade of Misdiagnosis of Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood with
      Catastrophic Outcome.
AB  - Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a distinct clinical disorder
      characterized by recurrent episodes of hemiplegia, abnormal ocular movement, and
      progressive developmental delay. It is an extremely rare genetic disorder related
      to ATP1A3 gene mutations. In this paper, we present a case of AHC in which the
      diagnosis was missed for many years until severe hypoxic brain insult occurred
      from prolonged status epilepticus. Not only we are presenting an interesting
      clinical entity and radiological images, but also we are shedding the light on a
      rare genetic disease with catastrophic sequelae. The challenges in diagnosis and
      treatment lead to a poor outcome as seen in our case. Although early recognition
      and accurate diagnosis and treatment of the disease may not change the outcome,
      counseling of the family may change their expectation and reduce their
      frustration. Referral to a center with expertise in genetic disorders and access
      to genetic laboratories is of paramount importance in the diagnosis of this
      disease. Due to the rarity of this disease in Saudi Arabia, a genotype-phenotype
      correlation is not feasible.

PMID- 28900445
TI  - Anaphylactoid Purpura Associated with Streptococcal Cellulitis: A Case Report and
      Literature Review.
AB  - A 54-year-old Japanese man noticed painful swelling and redness of his left leg.
      He was admitted for treatment of cellulitis, which was accompanied with increased
      anti-streptolysin O and anti-streptokinase titers in his clinical course. After
      Piperacillin/Tazobactam administration, the skin lesion resolved. However, the
      patient then developed arthritis, palpable purpura, and intermittent abdominal
      pain, later found to be secondary to a severe duodenal ulcer. He was diagnosed
      with cellulitis-associated anaphylactoid purpura and was given prednisolone,
      which dramatically improved his symptoms. The anaphylactoid purpura was likely
      caused by Streptococcus-induced cellulitis, which was successfully treated with
      prednisolone. Association between these diseases is rare.

PMID- 28900447
TI  - Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water and Evaluation of Potential Health
      Risks of Long-Term Exposure in Nigeria.
AB  - Levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water from water treatment plants
      (WTPs) in Nigeria were studied using a gas chromatograph (GC Agilent 7890A with
      autosampler Agilent 7683B) equipped with electron capture detector (ECD). The
      mean concentrations of the trihalomethanes ranged from zero in raw water samples
      to 950 MUg/L in treated water samples. Average concentration values of THMs in
      primary and secondary disinfection samples exceeded the standard maximum
      contaminant levels. Results for the average THMs concentrations followed the
      order TCM > BDCM > DBCM > TBM. EPA-developed models were adopted for the
      estimation of chronic daily intakes (CDI) and excess cancer incidence through
      ingestion pathway. Higher average intake was observed in adults (4.52 * 10-2
      mg/kg-day), while the ingestion in children (3.99 * 10-2 mg/kg-day) showed
      comparable values. The total lifetime cancer incidence rate was relatively higher
      in adults than children with median values 244 and 199 times the negligible risk
      level.

PMID- 28900448
TI  - Scolicidal agents for protoscolices of Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst:
      Review of literature.
AB  - Hydatid cyst is the larval stage of dog tape worm Echinococcus granulosus.
      Protoscolices are parasite larvae that develop into adult worms in the final host
      intestine. During surgical treatment of human hydatidsosis spillage of live
      protoscolices is the major cause of hydatidosis recurrence. To prevent this
      problem scolicidal agent such as hypertonic salt are used to kill the
      protoscolices that may disseminate into the patient's tissues during surgery.
      However, they may have some unacceptable side effects. To find scolicidal agents
      with high efficacy, the effect of different compounds on protoscolices of hydatid
      cyst in vitro has been reviewed. Using PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and SID
      databases articles about scolicidal effects of different agents on protoscolices
      of hydatid cyst in vitro were collected. Foeniculum vulgare after 5 min,
      metalonic extracts of Allium sativum and hypertonic saline after 10 min, and warm
      water after 2 min kill all alive protoscolices. The above agents that in minimum
      time and minimum concentration have 100% scolicidal activity, could be good
      candidates for further investigations.

PMID- 28900449
TI  - The aware, alert, avert strategy for immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
      in HIV/AIDS.

PMID- 28900446
TI  - Endothelial Progenitor Cells for Ischemic Stroke: Update on Basic Research and
      Application.
AB  - Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of human death and disability
      worldwide. So far, ultra-early thrombolytic therapy is the most effective
      treatment. However, most patients still live with varying degrees of neurological
      dysfunction due to its narrow therapeutic time window. It has been confirmed in
      many studies that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), as a kind of adult stem
      cells, can protect the neurovascular unit by repairing the vascular endothelium
      and its secretory function, which contribute to the recovery of neurological
      function after an ischemic stroke. This paper reviews the basic researches and
      clinical trials of EPCs especially in the field of ischemic stroke and addresses
      the combination of EPC application with new technologies, including neurovascular
      intervention, synthetic particles, cytokines, and EPC modification, with the aim
      of shedding some light on the application of EPCs in treating ischemic stroke in
      the future.

PMID- 28900450
TI  - The convergence of considerations in aluminum phosphide poisoning: The occurrence
      of injuries beyond the metabolic manifestations.

PMID- 28900451
TI  - Procalcitonin levels and other biochemical parameters in patients with or without
      diabetic foot complications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of infection in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is not always
      simple. The analytic precision of procalcitonin (PCT) was evaluated to clarify
      the use of PCT for distinguish the presence of infection in DFU in comparison to
      other inflammatory markers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study comprised 88
      subjects distributed into four groups: 16 nondiabetic healthy subjects (group
      control), 17 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without foot Complication
      (group DM), 25 patients with noninfected diabetic foot (group NIDF), and 30
      patients with infected diabetic foot (group IDF). Fasting blood samples were
      taken for measurement of glucose, hemoglobin A1C, lipid profile, renal function,
      erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood cell (WBC) and its
      derivatives. Plasma PCT was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay. RESULTS: PCT, WBC, ESR, and neutrophils (NEU) were found significantly
      higher in IDF group than other groups. The receiver operating characteristic
      analysis showed that sensitivity, specificity, the best cutoff value, and the
      area under the curve were for ESR (100%, 93%, 31.5 mm/h, 1; P < 0.001), for PCT
      (87.5%, 86.7%, 66.55 pg/dl, 0.977; P < 0.001), for NEU (93.8%, 93.3%, 5.35,
      0.957; P < 0.001) and for WBC (93.8%, 90%, 9.29 * 109/L, 0.942; P < 0.001),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study recommend that PCT can be an
      asymptomatic marker in the diagnosis of infection in DFU with higher Wagner
      grades in combination with different inflammatory markers.

PMID- 28900453
TI  - Periprocedural anticoagulation in transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Heparin
      vs bivalirudin.

PMID- 28900452
TI  - Postpartum home care and its effects on mothers' health: A clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postpartum home care plays an important role in prevention of
      postpartum complications. Regular visits of mothers during this period are
      imperative. This study aimed to provide postpartum home care for mothers to
      assess its effects on mothers' health in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study
      was carried out in two phases. First, a comprehensive postpartum home care
      program was compiled by performing a comparative study, using the available
      guidelines in this regard in different countries and based on the opinions of the
      experts. Next, a clinical trial was carried out on 276 women who gave birth in
      the university hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical
      Sciences. There were 92 mothers in the intervention and 184 in the control group.
      The intervention group mothers were provided with postpartum home care service
      while the control group did not receive such a service. RESULTS: Outcome
      assessment at 60 days' postpartum revealed a significant difference between the
      two groups in terms of the use of supplements, birth control methods, postpartum
      depression, breastfeeding problems, constipation, and fatigue (P < 0.05). No
      significant differences were noted between the two groups with regard to
      hospitalization, hemorrhoids, backache and lumbar pain (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      The postpartum home care program had a positive effect on some aspects of the
      mothers' health status and their satisfaction in our society.

PMID- 28900454
TI  - The effect of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation on anthropometric indices and
      food intake in patients who experienced stroke: A randomized, double-blind,
      placebo-controlled clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke as a devastating condition is a major cause of death
      worldwide. It is accountable for long-term disability with high personal and
      social cost in adults. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is an eight-carbon, sulfur
      containing compound with antioxidant properties which reduces body weight,
      changes other anthropometric indices, and regulates food intake by suppressing
      appetite and increasing metabolism This study was designed to evaluate the
      possible effects of ALA supplementation on anthropometric indices and dietary
      intake in patients with stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized, double
      blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 67 patients with stroke were randomly
      allocated to two groups (taking a 600 mg ALA supplement or placebo daily for 12
      weeks). Weight, waist circumference, energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat
      intake were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated before and after
      intervention. Dietary intake and statistical analyses were carried out using
      Nutritionist IV and SPSS (version 16; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software,
      respectively. RESULTS: Primary features were similar in the intervention and
      placebo groups (P > 0.05). Waist circumference (P < 0.001), energy, carbohydrate,
      protein, and fat intake (P < 0.001) decreased significantly, after the
      intervention period, in ALA group compared with placebo. While no significant
      change was observed in weight (P = 0.26) and BMI (P = 0.56) in ALA
      supplementation group compared with placebo. CONCLUSION: Results of this trial
      indicated that 12-week supplementation with 600 mg ALA can decrease waist
      circumference and food intake (energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat) in
      patients with stroke.

PMID- 28900455
TI  - Diverse pattern of gap junction beta-2 and gap junction beta-4 genes mutations
      and lack of contribution of DFNB21, DFNB24, DFNB29, and DFNB42 loci in autosomal
      recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss patients in Hormozgan, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the contribution of four DFNB loci and mutation
      analysis of gap junction beta-2 (GJB2) and GJB4 genes in autosomal recessive
      nonsyndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) in South of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      total of 36 large ARNSHL pedigrees with at least two affected subjects were
      enrolled in the current study. The GJB2 and GJB4 genes mutations were screened
      using direct sequencing method. The GJB2 and GJB4 negative families were analyzed
      for the linkage to DFNB21, DFNB24, DFNB29, and DFNB42 loci by genotyping the
      corresponding STR markers using polymerase chain reaction-PAGE method. RESULTS:
      We found a homozygous nonsense mutation W77X and a homozygous missense mutation
      C169W in 5.55% of studied families in GJB2 and GJB4 genes, respectively. Five
      heterozygous mutations including V63G, A78T, and R127H in GJB2 gene, and R103C
      and R227W in GJB4 gene were detected. We identified two novel variations V63G in
      GJB2 and R227W in GJB4. In silico analysis predicted that both novel variations
      are deleterious mutations. We did not unveil any linkage between DFNB21, DFNB24,
      DFNB29, and DFNB42 loci and ARNSHL among studied families. CONCLUSION: This is
      the first report of GJB2 and GJB4 mutations from Hormozgan population. According
      to the previous publications regarding GJB2 and GJB4 mutations, the distribution
      of the mutations is different from other parts of Iran that should be considered
      in primary health-care programs. Further investigations are needed to evaluate
      the contribution of other loci in ARNSHL subjects in South of Iran.

PMID- 28900456
TI  - Identification a novel mononucleotide deletion mutation in GAA in pompe disease
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutations in the acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) gene usually lead to
      reduced GAA activity. In this study, we analyzed the mutations of GAA and GAA
      enzyme activity from one sibling suspected Pompe disease and their first-degree
      relatives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, GAA enzyme
      activity assay was assessed using tandem mass spectrometry. Polymerase chain
      reaction and Sanger sequencing were performed for GAA analysis. RESULTS: GAA
      enzyme activity was significantly decreased in patients compared to the normal
      range (P = 0.02). Two individuals showed ten alterations in the GAA sequence, in
      which one of them (c. 1650del G) has not been previously described in the
      literature. A single Guanine deletion (del-G) was detected at codon 551 in exon
      12. CONCLUSION: According to the literature, the detected change is a novel
      mutation. We hypothesized that the discovered deletion in the GAA might lead to a
      reduced activity of the gene product.

PMID- 28900457
TI  - Comprehensibility of selected United States Pharmacopeia pictograms by illiterate
      and literate Farsi speakers: The first experience in Iran - Part II.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conveying information to patients on how to use medications at the
      dispensing sessions and retention of this information by the patients is
      essential to the good pharmaceutical care. The aim of our study was to examine
      the comprehensibility of the selected three potentially usable pictograms by five
      groups of subjects who had different levels of literacy in both before and after
      mini educational sessions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine experienced pharmacists
      selected three potentially usable pictograms in Isfahan pharmacies: Pictograms D
      through F representing respectively: "do not take medication during pregnancy,"
      "keep medication in the refrigerator," and "take medication with plenty of
      water." Then, graduate students of two major universities (Groups 1 and 2), low
      literate and illiterate individuals (Groups 3 and 4), and walk - in patients in
      the pharmacies affiliated to the Isfahan School of Pharmacy (Group 5) were asked
      about the comprehensibility of these pictograms before and after mini-education
      sessions. The American National Standard Institute and International Organization
      for Standardization standards were used for comparisons. RESULTS: In the pre
      follow-up period, D and E pictograms were most understandable (87.4%, 87.2%). In
      the post-follow-up, E and D pictograms were understood most (98.0%, 95.3%),
      followed by F (92.9%). Among the improvements measured in post-follow-up,
      pictogram F showed the biggest improvement (P = 0.0). CONCLUSION: Pictograms
      depicting the use of medications during pregnancy (D) and storing medication in
      the refrigerator (E) was easier to understand by our study population. The groups
      with the high level of literacy interpreted the pictograms better than those with
      lower levels of literacy.

PMID- 28900458
TI  - Effects of Angelica dahurica and Rheum officinale Extracts on Excisional Wound
      Healing in Rats.
AB  - The main objective of wound treatments is to restore the functional skin
      properties and prevent infection. Traditional Chinese medicine provides
      alternative anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound healing therapies. Both
      Angelica dahurica extract (AE) and Rheum officinale extract (RE) possess
      antimicrobial activity. In this study, AE and RE were applied in wound treatment
      to investigate their healing effects. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats with dorsal full
      thickness skin excision were divided into normal saline (NS), AE, RE, AE plus RE
      (ARE), and Biomycin (BM) groups. The treatment and area measurement of wounds
      were applied daily for 21 days. Wound biopsies and blood samples were obtained
      for histology examinations and cytokine analysis. Results showed that wound
      contraction in ARE group was significantly higher than that in NS and BM groups
      (P < 0.05). Histological analysis showed that more inflammatory cell
      infiltration, collagen fibers, and myofibroblasts were observed in ARE treated
      group than those in NS group on days 3-5. In ARE group, plasma IL-6 levels were
      elevated during days 3-5 (P > 0.05), and plasma TGF-beta1 levels were
      significantly lower than those in the NS group on days 3-4 (P < 0.05). In
      conclusion, ARE accelerates wound healing during inflammation and proliferation
      phases.

PMID- 28900459
TI  - Protective Effects of Bogijetong Decoction and Its Selected Formula on
      Neuropathic Insults in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Animals.
AB  - Bogijetong decoction (BGJTD) is a mixture of herbal formulation which is used in
      the traditional Korean medicine for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by
      diabetes. Here, we investigated the regulatory effects of BGJTD and its
      reconstituted decoction subgroups on the neuropathic responses in streptozotocin-
      (STZ-) induced diabetic animals. Be decoction (BeD) was formulated by selecting
      individual herbal components that induced neurite outgrowth most efficiently in
      each subgroup. BeD induced the neurite outgrowth in DRG neurons most efficiently
      among decoction subgroups and downregulated the production of TNF-alpha from the
      sciatic nerves in STZ-diabetic animals. While the levels of phospho-Erk1/2 were
      elevated in the sciatic nerves of STZ-diabetic animals by BGJTD and BeD
      treatments, p38 level was downregulated by BGJTD and BeD. A single herbal
      component of BeD induced neurite outgrowth comparable to BeD and was involved in
      the regulation of Erk1/2 activation and TNF-alpha production in DRG neurons. Oral
      administration of BGJTD and BeD in STZ-diabetic animals reduced the latency time
      responding to thermal stimulation. Our results suggest that the reconstituted
      formulation is as effective as conventional BGJTD in inducing biochemical and
      behavioral recoveries from the neuropathy in peripheral nerves and thus the
      experimental reductionism may be applied to develop the methodology for
      compositional analysis of herbal decoctions.

PMID- 28900460
TI  - Manual Acupuncture at PC6 Ameliorates Acute Restraint Stress-Induced Anxiety in
      Rats by Normalizing Amygdaloid Noradrenergic Response.
AB  - Acupuncture improves ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety in rats in an acupoint
      dependent manner. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of acupuncture
      on acute restraint stress- (ARS-) induced anxiety. Male rats were exposed to ARS
      for 3 h followed by acupuncture at either PC6 (Neiguan), HT7 (Shenmen), or a
      nonacupoint (tail) once a day for three consecutive days. Five minutes after the
      third acupuncture treatment, anxiety-like behavior was evaluated in an elevated
      plus maze (EPM). Additionally, plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels were measured
      by radioimmunoassay and the concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) and 3-methoxy-4
      hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG) in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) were
      determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Acupuncture at PC6, but
      not HT7 or a nonacupoint, attenuated anxiety-like behavior, but this attenuation
      was abolished by a postacupunctural intra-CeA infusion of NE. Acupuncture at PC6
      also reduced the oversecretion of plasma CORT and inhibited increases in
      amygdaloid NE and MHPG induced by ARS. Further, Western blot analyses and real
      time polymerase chain reaction assays revealed that acupuncture at PC6 prevented
      ARS-induced enhancements in the protein and mRNA expressions of tyrosine
      hydroxylase in the CeA. These results suggest that acupuncture performed
      specifically at acupoint PC6 reduces ARS-induced anxiety-like behavior by
      dampening amygdaloid noradrenergic responses.

PMID- 28900461
TI  - Effects of Wannachawee Recipe with Antipsoriatic Activity on Suppressing
      Inflammatory Cytokine Production in HaCaT Human Keratinocytes.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory and immune-mediated skin disease. The
      pathogenesis involves T cells activation via the IL-23/Th17 axis. Conventional
      treatments of psoriasis have adverse events influencing patients' adherence.
      Wannachawee Recipe (WCR) has been effectively used as Thai folk remedy for
      psoriasis patients; however, preclinical evidence defining how WCR works is still
      lacking. This study defined mechanisms for its antiproliferation and anti
      inflammatory effects in HaCaT cells. The cytotoxicity and antiproliferation
      results from SRB and CCK-8 assays showed that WCR inhibited the growth and
      viability of HaCaT cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The distribution of
      cell cycle phases determined by flow cytometry showed that WCR did not interrupt
      cell cycle progression. Interestingly, RT-qPCR revealed that WCR significantly
      decreased the mRNA expression of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-23, and
      TNF-alpha but induced IL-10 expression in TNF-alpha- and IFN-gamma-induced HaCaT
      cells. At the protein level determined by ELISA, WCR significantly reduced the
      secretion of IL-17A, IL-22, and IL-23. The WCR at low concentrations was proved
      to possess anti-inflammatory effect without cytotoxicity and it did not interfere
      with cell cycle of keratinocytes. This is the first study to provide convincing
      evidence that WCR is a potential candidate for development of effective psoriasis
      therapies.

PMID- 28900462
TI  - Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Acupuncture at PC6 and ST36 for Chronic
      Myocardial Ischemia.
AB  - We aimed to compare the differences of the effects on chronic myocardial ischemia
      (MI) of acupuncture at PC6 and ST36. The chronic MI model of minipigs was created
      by implanting an Ameroid constrictor on the left anterior descending coronary
      artery (LAD) and then two weeks' acupuncture was stimulated at PC6 or ST36,
      respectively. The results showed that both acupoints' stimulation decreased the
      serous cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and ischemia modified albumin (IMA)
      significantly and improved the ischemic ECG changes. The amplitude of
      pathological Q wave in the PC6 group decreased more significantly than that of
      the ST36 group. The cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) results
      showed that the decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was not
      improved obviously in both groups. The left ventricular end-diastolic volume
      (LVEDV) and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) enlarged progressively
      even after acupuncture. The left ventricular wall mass (LVWM) in the ST36 group
      increased more obviously than that of the PC6 group, which paralleled the
      decreasing angiotensin II (Ang II) concentration in the plasma. These results
      suggested that acupuncture at PC6 or ST36 was effective for protecting the
      myocardium from chronic ischemic injury, and the effect of PC6 seemed to be
      better.

PMID- 28900463
TI  - Researches on Transcriptome Sequencing in the Study of Traditional Chinese
      Medicine.
AB  - Due to its incomparable advantages, the application of transcriptome sequencing
      in the study of traditional Chinese medicine attracts more and more attention of
      researchers, which greatly promote the development of traditional Chinese
      medicine. In this paper, the applications of transcriptome sequencing in
      traditional Chinese medicine were summarized by reviewing recent related papers.

PMID- 28900465
TI  - Cytologic features of tubular adenoma of ampulla causing distal common bile duct
      stricture: A case report and review of the literature.
AB  - Adenomas of the ampulla of Vater are distinctly rare, representing <10% of
      periampullary neoplasms. Very few reports of the cytologic features of ampullary
      adenomas are present in literature, particularly in bile duct brushing samples. A
      case report and review of the literature is presented. The typical cytologic
      features of ampullary adenomas on cytologic preparations include tall, thin
      columnar cells with mildly hyperchromatic elongated nuclei and nuclear
      pseudostratification, in a relatively clean background. The key differential
      diagnostic entities include invasive adenocarcinoma, thermal artifact, and
      reactive atypia.

PMID- 28900464
TI  - Synergistic Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects between Modified Citrus
      Pectin and Honokiol.
AB  - Inflammation is a normal physiological process; however, dysregulation of this
      process may contribute to inflammatory-based chronic disorders and diseases in
      animals and humans. Therefore, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
      of natural products, often recognized in traditional medicine systems, represent
      therapeutic modalities to reduce or prevent uncontrolled inflammatory processes
      which in turn potentially ameliorate or prevent sequelae of inflammatory-based
      symptoms of chronic diseases. We have investigated the antioxidant and anti
      inflammatory effects of honokiol (HNK) and modified citrus pectin (MCP) in vitro
      and examined whether the MCP : HNK combination has synergistic effects on
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Although both HNK and MCP induced a
      dose-dependent increase in antioxidant activity, the latter has a consistently
      higher antioxidant effect. The MCP : HNK (9 : 1) combination induced a
      synergistic effect on antioxidant activity suggesting that the combination is
      significantly more efficacious than individual compounds. In mouse monocytes, the
      lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced tumor necrosis-alpha (TNF-alpha) synthesis was
      significantly inhibited by HNK and the MCP : HNK combination in a dose-dependent
      manner and synergistic effects were clearly demonstrated with the combination on
      TNF-alpha inhibition. This combination effect was also evident on inhibition of
      nuclear factor-kappa B activity, cyclooxygenase-II activity, and lipid
      peroxidation in mouse monocytes. Further research into the combination is
      warranted.

PMID- 28900466
TI  - Can an inadequate cervical cytology sample in ThinPrep be converted to a
      satisfactory sample by processing it with a SurePath preparation?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Norwegian Cervical Cancer Screening Program recommends screening
      every 3 years for women between 25 and 69 years of age. There is a large
      difference in the percentage of unsatisfactory samples between laboratories that
      use different brands of liquid-based cytology. We wished to examine if inadequate
      ThinPrep samples could be satisfactory by processing them with the SurePath
      protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 187 inadequate ThinPrep specimens
      from the Department of Clinical Pathology at University Hospital of North Norway
      were sent to Akershus University Hospital for conversion to SurePath medium.
      Ninety-one (48.7%) were processed through the automated "gynecologic" application
      for cervix cytology samples, and 96 (51.3%) were processed with the
      "nongynecological" automatic program. RESULTS: Out of 187 samples that had been
      unsatisfactory by ThinPrep, 93 (49.7%) were satisfactory after being converted to
      SurePath. The rate of satisfactory cytology was 36.6% and 62.5% for samples run
      through the "gynecology" program and "nongynecology" program, respectively. Of
      the 93 samples that became satisfactory after conversion from ThinPrep to
      SurePath, 80 (86.0%) were screened as normal while 13 samples (14.0%) were given
      an abnormal diagnosis, which included 5 atypical squamous cells of undetermined
      significance, 5 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, 2 atypical glandular
      cells not otherwise specified, and 1 atypical squamous cells cannot exclude high
      grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. A total of 2.1% (4/187) of the women got a
      diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or higher at a later follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Converting cytology samples from ThinPrep to SurePath processing can
      reduce the number of unsatisfactory samples. The samples should be run through
      the "nongynecology" program to ensure an adequate number of cells.

PMID- 28900467
TI  - Products of Compartmental Models in Epidemiology.
AB  - We show that many structured epidemic models may be described using a
      straightforward product structure in this paper. Such products, derived from
      products of directed graphs, may represent useful refinements including
      geographic and demographic structure, age structure, gender, risk groups, or
      immunity status. Extension to multistrain dynamics, that is, pathogen
      heterogeneity, is also shown to be feasible in this framework. Systematic use of
      such products may aid in model development and exploration, can yield insight,
      and could form the basis of a systematic approach to numerical structural
      sensitivity analysis.

PMID- 28900469
TI  - Necrotic ulcerated and bleeding striae distensae following bevacizumab in a
      palliative setting for gliobastomatosis cerebri.
AB  - Glioblastoma cerebri is a rare paediatric malignancy with dismal prognosis
      [Chappe C, Riffaud L, and Treguier C et al (2013) Primary gliomatosis cerebri
      involving gray matter in pediatrics: a distinct entity? A multicenter study of 14
      casesChilds Nerv Syst29 565-571 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-012-2016-1 PMID:
      23306961] and no established standard of care. Here, we report a case of
      ulcerated and bleeding striae distensae in a teenage girl following palliative
      treatment with bevacizumab and steroids.

PMID- 28900468
TI  - Cancer of childhood in sub-Saharan Africa.
AB  - Measurement of incidence rates of childhood cancer in Africa is difficult. The
      study 'Cancer of Childhood in sub Saharan Africa' brings together results from 16
      population-based registries which, as members of the African Cancer Registry
      Network (AFCRN), have been evaluated as achieving adequate coverage of their
      target population. The cancers are classified according to the third revision of
      the International Classification of Childhood Cancer (ICCC-3) and recorded rates
      in Africa are compared with those in childhood populations in the UK, France, and
      the USA. It is clear that, in many centres, lack of adequate diagnostic and
      treatment facilities leads to under-diagnosis (and enumeration) of leukaemias and
      brain cancers. However, for several childhood cancers, incidence rates in Africa
      are higher than those in high-income countries. This applies to infection-related
      cancers such as Kaposi sarcoma, Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and
      hepatocellular carcinoma, and also to two common embryonal cancers -
      retinoblastoma and nephroblastoma. These (and other) observations are unlikely to
      be artefact, and are of considerable interest when considering possible
      aetiological factors, including ethnic differences in risk (and hence
      genetic/familial antecedents). The data reported are the most extensive so far
      available on the incidence of cancer in sub Saharan Africa, and clearly indicate
      the need for more resources to be devoted to cancer registration, especially in
      the childhood age range, as part of an overall programme to improve the
      availability of diagnosis and treatment of this group of cancers, many of which
      have-potentially-an excellent prognosis.

PMID- 28900470
TI  - Mutational frequency of KRAS, NRAS, IDH2, PIK3CA, and EGFR in North Indian
      gallbladder cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has a peculiar geographical distinction,
      with a high prevalence seen in North India and Chile. There are various
      aetiopathogenetic mechanisms of GBC causation; one of them is a series of
      pathogenic mutations, which is responsible for the malignant transformation of
      gallbladder epithelium. Therefore, the present study aimed to find out cancer
      specific hot spot mutations in five major cancer-related genes KRAS exon1 &2,
      NRAS exon1, IDH2 exon, PIK3CA exon 20, IDH2 exon 4 and EGFR exon 20 in North
      Indian GBC patients and their association with clinicopathological variables.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 34 histopathologically confirmed GBC
      cases. The clinical material consisted of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE)
      blocks of the patients. DNA isolation was done from FFPE tissue. DNA sequencing
      was performed by the capillary electrophoresis method. The chi-square (chi2) test
      was used to test for a statistically significant relationship between two
      categorical study variables. RESULTS: The overall incidence of somatic mutations
      in KRAS exon 1&2, NRAS exon1, IDH2 exon4, PIK3CA exon20, and EGFR exon 20 in
      Indian GBC patients was found in 8/34 (23.5%), 3/34 (8.8%), 4/34 (11.7%), 7/34
      (20.6%), 7/34 (20.6%), respectively. KRAS exon 1 and two mutations were found to
      be significantly associated with advanced stage GBC patients. CONCLUSION: KRAS,
      PIK3CA, and EGFR were found to be the most frequently mutated genes among the
      five tested in this study.

PMID- 28900471
TI  - Metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland.
AB  - Salivary gland tumours are estimated to represent approximately 3% of all head
      and neck tumours. About 70-80% of these neoplasms occur in the major salivary
      glands, with the parotid gland being the most commonly affected site. The
      metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma (MPA) has histological characteristics of
      pleomorphic adenoma, but it has the capacity to generate local recurrences and
      distant metastases (mainly bones, lungs, and lymph nodes). Despite the fact that
      some authors consider it to be a benign neoplasia, the 2015 World Health
      Organisation (WHO) classification of head and neck tumours considers it to be
      malignant. We present a highly unusual case of metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma
      of the parotid gland and a bibliographic review.

PMID- 28900472
TI  - Predictive and prognostic impact of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in triple
      negative breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In locally and locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer
      (TNBC), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) only induces a pCR in 30-35% of patients.
      Clinical and pathological factors are not enough to distinguish the patients who
      have no chance of a pCR or not. The tumour microenvironment is critical for
      cancer and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Moreover, the NAC scenario is
      the perfect setting to study possible changes in TIL levels. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Using our prospective maintained breast cancer (BC) database, we
      identified 164 TNBC patients treated with NAC between 1998 and 2015 with enough
      samples of diagnostic biopsy and after surgery. Evaluation of TILs before and
      after NAC followed a standardised methodology for visual assessment on
      haematoxylin-eosin sections and the amounts of TILs were quantitated in deciles.
      We categorised lymphocyte-predominant breast cancer cutoff according to a
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. We categorised LPBC as
      involving > 40% lymphocytic infiltration tumour stroma. The primary end point was
      predictive value of TILs to NAC, and the secondary end point was disease-free
      survival (DFS). DFS was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the groups
      were compared with a long-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox models were
      used to generate hazard ratios for determining associations between variables
      such as TIL after NAC and DFS. RESULTS: A total of 164 TNBC patients were treated
      with NAC and surgery. The main patients' characteristics are listed in Table 1.
      We identify different pathological complete response to anthracycline and taxane
      based NAC; LPBC subgroup 51 from 58 patients (88%) pCR versus non- lymphocyte
      predominant breast cancer (LPBC) subgroup 10 from 106 (9%) pCR, p = 0.001. At a
      median follow-up of 78 months, LPBC was associated with better DFS; the three
      year Kaplan-Meier estimates for DFS were 2% and 30 % for patients with LPBC and
      non-LPBC, respectively, p = 0.01. Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed
      TIL to be an independent prognostic marker of DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Tumour
      infiltrating lymphocytes could be routinely used in locally advanced TNBC treated
      with anthracycline and taxane, such as biomarker, to be enabled the
      identification of different two subgroups: LPBC patients have a very high
      response to NAC pCR 88%, meanwhile non-LPBC patients only achieve 9%. Moreover,
      non-LPBC patients have a worse prognosis than LPBC patients. This data verified
      the predictive and prognostic value of TIL.

PMID- 28900473
TI  - Resection of rectal GIST using a novel technique: a report of two cases.
AB  - Rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are uncommon tumours and usually
      present with large sizes. We present two cases of rectal GIST. Imatinib was used
      in the setting of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy. Both tumours were resected
      transanally by the transanal endoscopic operation (TEO) platform. Oncosurgeons
      are recommended to implement sphincter-sparing surgeries for these cases.

PMID- 28900474
TI  - Malignant extra-adrenal pelvic paraganglioma in a paediatric patient.
AB  - The extra-adrenal paraganglioma is a neoplasm originating in regional structures,
      uncommon in paediatrics. We report on a case of a 13-year-old patient who began
      with severe arterial hypertension, tachycardia, dilated cardiomyopathy and
      elevated levels of catecholamines in the blood and urine. The presence of a
      retrovesical pelvic mass in contact with the right vaginal dome was determined by
      imaging studies. A diagnosis of malignant extra-adrenal pelvic paraganglioma with
      lymph node metastases was reached through biopsy and the surgical resection of
      subsequent local recurrences. Paragangliomas are usually located in the
      paravertebral zones from the base of the skull to the retroperitoneum and are
      benign in 90% of cases. This kind of neoplasia is uncommon in paediatrics,
      especially those located in the pelvis. In cases of masses of a gynaecological
      origin, a differential diagnosis should be considered, and a histological and
      immunohistochemical study is essential in certifying the diagnosis.

PMID- 28900475
TI  - Serum biomarkers to predict risk of testicular and penile cancer in AMORIS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between commonly measured serum biomarkers
      of inflammation and penile and testicular cancer risk in the Swedish
      Apolipoprotein-related MORtality RISk (AMORIS) study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      total of 205,717 subjects had baseline measurements of C-reactive protein,
      albumin, and haptoglobin. The association between quartiles and dichotomised
      values of inflammatory markers and penile and testicular cancer risk were
      analysed by using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: A total
      of 125 men were diagnosed with testicular cancer and 50 with penile cancer during
      a mean follow-up of 20.3 years. No statistically significant trends were seen
      between serum inflammatory markers and risk of penile cancer, but higher albumin
      levels increased the risk of testicular cancer [HR for albumin (g/L): 1.10 (95%
      CI: 1.03-1.18)]. However, this trend was not observed when using medical cut-offs
      of albumin. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we did not find support for an
      association between commonly used markers of inflammation and risk of testicular
      or penile cancer. The role of inflammation may be more complicated and require
      assessment of more specialised measurements of inflammation in future studies.

PMID- 28900477
TI  - Breast density and impacts on health.
AB  - The World Health Organization states 'Early detection in order to improve breast
      cancer outcome and survival remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control'
      [WHO (World Health Organization) (2017) Breast cancer: prevention and control
      Available from: http://www.who.int/cancer/detection/breastcancer/en/]. Breast
      Density Matters UK is a non-profit breast cancer organization. The organization's
      mission is to educate about breast density and its screening and risk
      implications with the goal of achieving the earliest stage diagnosis possible for
      women with dense breasts. This educational mission is endorsed by breast imaging
      experts worldwide [Berg WA (2015-2017) Dense Breast-info Inc Available from:
      http://densebreast-info.org/about.aspx].

PMID- 28900476
TI  - Breast cancer in Angola, molecular subtypes: a first glance.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the breast cancer (BC)
      molecular subtypes according to its surrogate immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers.
      We conducted a preliminary study, to correlate the clinical pathological profiles
      and molecular subtypes of breast cancer in Luanda, Angola. METHODS: From January
      2011 to 30 December 2014, 140 consecutive cases of microscopically confirmed
      invasive breast carcinoma were classified regarding histology and IHC (ER, PR,
      HER2, and Ki-67). Surrogate molecular subtypes were classified according to ESMO
      recommendations. RESULTS: All patients were female; the median age was 47 years
      (24-84 years). Invasive carcinoma NST was the most common type (91.4%) and grade
      2 was prevalent (70.7%). Most tumours were locally advanced (stage III - 65% and
      stage IV - 3.6%). In 140 studied cases, 74 (52.8%) malignancies were hormone
      receptor positive; 25.7% were luminal A like, 19.3% luminal B and HER2 negative
      like, 7.9% luminal B and HER2-positive like, 15.7% HER2 positive, and 31.4% were
      triple negative. CONCLUSION: Women's BC in Luanda-Angola is diagnosed at a young
      age and at an advanced stage. The two predominant molecular subtypes are HR
      positive and triple negative. The percentage of HER2-positive BC cases was high.
      Determining the molecular subtype using surrogate IHC markers has important
      treatment and prognostic implications for Angolan women with BC. There is an
      urgent need to study a prospective BC series in order to confirm the present
      results.

PMID- 28900478
TI  - Esophageal Cancer in Israel has Unique Clinico-Pathological Features: A
      Retrospective Study.
AB  - Introduction: Data regarding esophageal cancer (EC) in Israel are limited. The
      aim of this study was hence to characterize this entity in the Israeli population
      and to compare it to the literature. Patients/Methods: This is a retrospective
      study of all consecutive EC patients treated at our institution between 1997
      2013. Data were retrieved from patients' medical files. Results: Two hundred
      patients were included. The median age at diagnosis was 70.5 years; 63.5% were
      males; 63% were Ashkenazi Jews, 29% were Sephardic Jews, and 0.5% were Arabs.
      Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was predominant: 52% versus 45.5% with
      adenocarcinoma (ADC). SCC was common even in the distal esophagus (45%). The
      overall 5-year survival rate was 25.5%. A temporal trend (2006-2013 vs 1997-2005)
      shows a decline in the proportion of SCC (47% vs 63%, p=0.061) and a rise in ADC
      (50% vs 33%, p=0.041), with a parallel decrease in patients' age (median: 68.5 vs
      73 years, p=0.014). In the later period, patients received more treatment for
      localized and metastatic disease, with a trend for improved median survival (20.1
      vs 14.9 months, p=0.658). Ashkenazi Jews were diagnosed at an older age than
      Sephardic Jews (median: 73 vs. 65 years, p=0.001), had a higher rate of family
      history of GI cancer (34% vs. 17%, p=0.026) and a higher rate of cardiovascular
      co-morbidity (41% vs. 24%, p=0.041). Conclusion: EC in Israel represents an
      intermediate entity between the Western and the endemic subtypes, showing some
      unique features. These included delayed reversal of the SCC/ADC ratio, commonness
      of SCC in the distal esophagus, prevalence of other malignancies and predominance
      of Ashkenazi ethnicity. The reason for these findings is unclear and its further
      evaluation is warranted.

PMID- 28900480
TI  - HPV test results and histological follow-up results of patients with LSIL
      Cervical Cytology from the Largest CAP-certified laboratory in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age-adjusted evaluations have explored the possible utility of (HPV
      test results in women with LSIL Pap. We investigated HPV test results and
      histopathologic follow-up results of LSIL patients from China's largest CAP
      certified laboratory. METHODS: Patients with LSIL between 2011 and 2015 from the
      Guangzhou Kingmed Diagnostics were retrospectively retrieved and their hrHPV test
      results and histological follow-up results were collected and analyzed. RESULTS:
      LSIL result was identified in 37,895 cases from 2,206,588 Pap tests (1.7%)
      including 1,513,265 liquid-based cytology and 693,323 conventional Pap tests. The
      average of these women was 38.4 years (15-88). The LSIL reporting rate in women
      <30 years was significantly higher than that in women > 30 years (2.1% vs 1.7%).
      The age specific reporting LSIL rates declined with increased age. 8,014 of
      37,895 (21.2%) women with LSIL cytology also had HC2 HPV test results. 75.8% of
      women with LSIL Pap tests were hrHPV+ and the HPV+ rates declined with increased
      age except in patients older than 60 years. Overall histopathologic diagnoses
      within 6 months after LSIL were identified in 5,987 of 37,895 patients at
      Guangzhou Kingmed Diagnostics. CIN2/3 was identified in 15.2% patients, CIN1 in
      66.9%, negative in 14.9% patients. No invasive carcinoma was found in all
      patients. Of 8014 patients with LSIL Pap test and HPV testing results, 1727
      patients had histological follow-up within 6 months after Pap cytology test and
      HPV testing. The detection rate of CIN2/3 was significantly higher in patients
      with positive HPV testing result than that in patients with negative HPV testing
      result (17.8% vs. 8.1%). Among patients with LSIL/HPV negative tests, CIN2/3 was
      detected in 1 of 30 (3.3%) women aged 50 years and above, appearing lower than
      those in women less than 50 years (8.0%, 28/351, P=0.357). CONCLUSION: This is
      the largest histological follow-up study in women with LSIL Pap from China and
      the data are helpful in establishing a baseline for better understanding the
      status of cervical screening in China. The 85.1% positive predict value of LSIL
      Pap cytology for follow-up CIN lesion was within currently recognized benchmark
      ranges.

PMID- 28900479
TI  - Loss of Tff1 Promotes Pro-Inflammatory Phenotype with Increase in the Levels of
      RORgammat+ T Lymphocytes and Il-17 in Mouse Gastric Neoplasia.
AB  - Background: TFF1 deficiency induces a mucosal pro-inflammatory phenotype that
      contributes to gastric tumorigenesis in mouse and human. Methods: We utilized the
      Tff1-KO mouse model to assess the impact of TFF1 loss on immune cells
      infiltration in the stomach. We used single cell suspension, flow cytometry,
      immunohistochemistry, and quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays. Results: The Tff1-KO
      gastric mucosa demonstrated high chronic inflammatory scores (score: 3-4) at age
      2 months, which exacerbated at age 8 months (score: 4-6). We next used single
      cell suspensions for flow cytometry analysis of total leukocytes (CD45+ cells),
      total T lymphocytes (CD45+CD3+cells), T cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+, and CD3+CD4-CD8
      cells), and monocytes/macrophages (CD45+F4/80+cells). The results demonstrated an
      age-dependent (2 -> 8 month age) significant increase of leukocytes (p<0.05), T
      cells (p<0.05), and monocytes/macrophages (p<0.001) in the gastric mucosa of the
      Tff1-KO mice, as compared to Tff1-WT. A similar increase was observed in blood
      samples (p<0.05). Using ionomycin to activate CD4+ splenocytes, the results
      indicated that Tff1-KO CD4+ splenocytes secreted higher levels of IL-17A (p<0.05
      at 2 and p<0.001 at 8 months) and IL-17F (p<0.05 at 2 and 8 months) than Tff1-WT
      splenocytes. Conversely, Tff1-KO CD8+-cells secreted less IL-17F, but comparable
      levels of IL-17A. In addition, we detected a significant upregulation of Il-17
      mRNA expression in gastric tissues in the Tff1-KO, as compared to Tff1-WT
      (p<0.001). Conclusions: The results identify TFF1 loss as a major pro
      inflammatory step that modulates the tumor microenvironment and immune cell
      infiltration in the stomach. Furthermore, the data suggest that the increase of
      IL-17A and IL-17F in Th17 cells, derived from CD4+ T cells, reflects the chronic
      inflammation in gastric mucosa, whereas the absence of change of IL-17A and
      decrease of IL-17F in CD8+Tc17 cells suggest loss of cytotoxic function of
      CD8+Tc17 cells during gastric tumorigenesis of the Tff1-KO mice.

PMID- 28900481
TI  - Routine Pre-Treatment MRI for Breast Cancer in a Single-Payer Medical Center:
      Effects on Surgical Choices, Timing and Outcomes.
AB  - Introduction: Pre-operative MRI is being used with increasing frequency to
      evaluate breast cancer patients, but the debate surrounding risks and benefits of
      this use continues. At our institution, we instituted a standardized protocol for
      pre-operative MRI. Here, we compare patients seen prior to routine use of MRI to
      those seen after and examine effects on surgical choices, timing and outcomes.
      Methods: This is a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of
      all new invasive breast cancers seen from January 2007 to December 2012. The
      control group (CG) did not receive MRI, while the MRI group (MRG) underwent MRI
      according to our pretreatment protocol. Groups were compared with regards to
      basic demographics, initial surgical choices, need for re-excision, and surgical
      timing. The electronic medical records of patients in the MRG who underwent
      mastectomy as their initial surgery were examined closely to determine the main
      factors leading to their choice of surgery. Finally, correlation between findings
      on MRI and final surgical pathology was analyzed. Results: Of 282 patients
      included, 38 were in the CG and 244 in the MRG; the groups were well matched. The
      MRG had a significantly higher percentage of patients choosing initial mastectomy
      (MRG: 47.1% vs CG 21.1%, p=0.003). Patients seen in the first 2 years of the
      study were less likely to choose mastectomy than those enrolled in the latter
      years (29.2%vs 48.6%, p=0.004). The MRG had a lower chance of return to the
      operating room for re-excision (15.2% vs 28.9%, p=0.035). The average time from
      initial imaging to initial surgery was approximately the same between groups
      (MRG: 39.7 days vs CG 42.1 days, p=0.45) and the MRG actually had shorter time to
      definitive (margin-negative) surgical management (MRG: 43.5 days vs CG: 50.3
      days, p=0.079). One hundred-fifteen patients in the MRG underwent mastectomy as
      initial surgery. Of these, 64 (55.7%) had no additional findings on MRI and chose
      mastectomy based on patient preference; 30 patients (26.1%) (29 unilateral, 1
      bilateral) had mastectomy because of MRI findings. Of the 31 breasts removed (29
      unilateral and 1 bilateral mastectomies) because of MRI findings, 26 (83.9%) had
      histologic findings that correlated with the MRI findings, while 5 (16.1%) did
      not. Conclusion: Patients receiving routine pre-treatment MRI had an increased
      mastectomy rate, but had a lower re-excision rate. We found no delay to initial
      surgical therapy and, perhaps more importantly, a slight decrease in time to
      margin-negative surgical therapy in the MRI group. Women choosing mastectomy
      after MRI did so because of personal preference over half of the time, while MRI
      findings influenced this choice in 26% of these women. When MRI findings did lead
      to mastectomy, these findings were confirmed by pathology results in the vast
      majority of cases.

PMID- 28900482
TI  - Study on Inhibitory Effect of MaiMenDong Decoction and WeiJing Decoction
      Combination with Cisplatin on NCI-A549 Xenograft in Nude Mice and Its Mechanism.
AB  - MaiMenDong Decoction and WeiJing Decoction (Jin formula) is a traditional Chinese
      medication that consists of 8 medicinal plants, which recorded in the classical
      TCM literature Jin Kui Yao Lue and has been utilized in the treatment of lung
      diseases for hundreds of years in China. The present study aimed to determine the
      anti-tumor activity and the underlying mechanisms of Jin formula combined with
      cisplatin in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Xenograft model
      of NCI-A549 was established in Balb/c nude mice. Five groups, including normal,
      MOCK, Jin, cisplatin (DDP), and Jin+DDP were included in the study. We found that
      Jin formula ameliorated the body weight loss caused by DDP 15 days after drug
      administration. Moreover, the combination of Jin with DDP enhanced the anti-tumor
      function of DDP. Microarray analysis showed that Jin suppressed gene expression
      of certain pathways which regulating cell cycle and apoptosis. Furthermore, DDP
      mainly decreased the gene expression level of angiogenesis associated factors,
      such as VEGFA, TGF-beta and MMP-1. Moreover, co-treatment with Jin and DDP not
      only down-regulated Bcl-2 and E2F1, but also decreased the expression of MYC,
      MET, and MCAM. In addition, co-formula decreased the levels of p-AKT (thr308) and
      p-PTEN, increased Bax/Bcl-2 value, and resulted in apoptosis of tumor cells.
      Taken together, Jin+DDP significantly inhibited the growth of A549 cell
      transplanted solid tumor with slight side effect compared to the treatment by DDP
      only, and had a better effect than the Jin group. The mechanisms may be mainly
      associated with inactivation of PI3K/AKT pathway and apoptosis induction.

PMID- 28900483
TI  - Sulforaphane Induced Apoptosis via Promotion of Mitochondrial Fusion and ERK1/2
      Mediated 26S Proteasome Degradation of Novel Pro-survival Bim and Upregulation of
      Bax in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells.
AB  - Previous studies in our laboratory showed that sulforaphane (SFN) induced
      apoptosis by sustained activation of extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2
      (ERK1/2). However, the underlying mechanisms associated with SFN-induced
      apoptosis and downstream cascades which are modulated by ERK1/2 were not
      elucidated. Herein we demonstrated for the first time that alteration of
      mitochondrial dynamics contributed to SFN-induced apoptosis in human non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Reports showed that protein Bim not only induced
      apoptosis but also promoted proliferation under certain circumstances. We found
      that Bim was related to cell growth in NSCLC cells. Pro-survival Bim
      downregulation was shown to induce apoptosis in response to SFN. Further, Using
      the ERK1/2 inhibitor, PD98059, we found that SFN upregulated Bax and
      downregulated Bim through the ERK1/2-dependent signaling pathway. Furthermore,
      SFN activated ERK1/2 to increase 26S proteasome activity to degrade Bim, while
      the proteasome inhibitor MG132 reversed this effect. Therefore, SFN
      phosphorylated ERK1/2 and activated the proteasome system leading to the
      degradation of Bim, which contributed to apoptosis in NSCLC cells. These findings
      provided a novel insight into SFN-related therapeutics in cancer treatment.

PMID- 28900484
TI  - Chemokine Receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 are Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness and
      Prognosis in Extramammary Paget Disease.
AB  - Chemokines are involved in many aspects of oncogenesis, including regulation of
      cancer cell growth, dissemination and host-tumor response. However, the potential
      of the chemokine receptors, CXCR4 and CXCR7, in serving as biomarkers in
      extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) has been rarely examined. Expressions of
      CXCR4 and CXCR7 were evaluated in 92 EMPD specimens by immunohistochemistry. High
      expression of CXCR4 and CXCR7 were both correlated with regional lymph node
      metastasis and presence of lymphovascular invasion. High expression of CXCR7 also
      correlated with the depth of invasion. The prognostic value of these two
      chemokines were also investigated in progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer
      specific survival (CSS). Both high expression of CXCR4 and CXCR7 were indicative
      of shorter PFS and CSS. In the combined prognostic model, concomitant high
      expression of CXCR4 and CXCR7 were suggestive of poor prognosis compared with the
      other two groups. In the multivariate analysis, depth of invasion, combined
      prognostic model and regional lymph node metastasis at diagnosis were the
      independent prognostic factors for EMPD patients for PFS, and the former two
      factors independently impacted CSS. Our results demonstrated that CXCR4 and CXCR7
      can be used as prognostic biomarkers and prediction of aggressiveness of EMPD.
      Therapy targeting CXCR4 and CXCR7 may helpful to prevent EMPD progression and
      improve the prognosis of EMPD.

PMID- 28900485
TI  - Uncarboxylated Osteocalcin Induces Antitumor Immunity against Mouse Melanoma Cell
      Growth.
AB  - Because of the poor response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, new treatment
      approaches by immune-based therapy involving activated T cells are required for
      melanoma. We previously reported that the uncarboxylated form of osteocalcin
      (GluOC), derived from osteoblasts, potentially suppresses human prostate cancer
      cell proliferation by direct suppression of cell growth. However, the mechanisms
      in vivo have not been elucidated. In this study, we found that GluOC suppressed
      tumor growth of B16 mouse melanoma transplants in C57Bl/6N wild-type mice. Our
      data demonstrated that GluOC suppressed cell growth by downregulating
      phosphorylation levels of receptor tyrosine kinases and inducing apoptosis in
      vitro. Additionally, stimulation of primary mouse splenocytes with concanavalin
      A, a polyclonal T-cell mitogen, in the presence of GluOC increased T cell
      proliferation and their interferon-gamma production. Taken together, we
      demonstrate that GluOC exerts multiple antitumor effects not only in vitro, but
      also in vivo through cellular immunostimulatory effects against B16 mouse
      melanoma cells.

PMID- 28900486
TI  - Upregulation of Serum miR-10b Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with
      Melanoma.
AB  - Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) are believed to play a central role in
      the initiation and development of cancer. The aim of our study was to determine
      the clinical significance of serum miR-10b in melanoma. A total of 85 and 30
      serum samples were obtained from patients with melanoma and healthy volunteers
      respectively. qRT-PCR was performed to evaluate the expression level of miR-10b
      in the melanoma cell lines and the serum samples from the participants. Then the
      clinical significance of serum miR-10b was further determined. Our results showed
      that the expression level of miR-10b was significantly increased in metastasis
      melanoma cells and melanoma patients compared to their respective controls. In
      addition, serum miR-10b expression level was able to discriminate melanoma
      patients from healthy volunteers as well differentiate melanoma patients at
      different clinical stage with high accuracy. Moreover, upregulation of serum miR
      10b was positively associated with enhanced lymph node metastasis, advanced
      clinical stage and a shortened survival rate. Finally serum miR-10b was an
      independent prognostic factor for melanoma. Collectively, our study suggests that
      serum miR-10b level is upregulated in melanoma and associated with poor
      prognosis. It may be used as a potential prognostic biomarker for melanoma.

PMID- 28900487
TI  - Chromosomal and Genomic Variations in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A
      Review of Technologies, Applications, and Prospections.
AB  - Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common malignant
      tumors with poor prognosis worldwide. The poor prognosis is due to the advanced
      stage at the time of diagnosis and the limited clinical staging lacking
      significant molecular biomarkers to effectively stratify patients for treatment
      options. As cancer is a disease of genome instability and a resulting of
      accumulation of genetic alteration, mounting chromosomal and genomic technologies
      were developed and progressed rapidly which could be used for characterizing
      patients in genomics level. In this review, we summarized applications of
      multiple technologies and research progress at chromosomal and genomic level in
      ESCC.

PMID- 28900488
TI  - miR-618 Inhibits Prostate Cancer Migration and Invasion by Targeting FOXP2.
AB  - miRNAs play critical role in the development and progression of prostate cancer.
      Here we studied the role of miR-618 in prostate cancer migration and invasion.
      miR-618 was downregulated in metastatic androgen-independent prostate cancer
      (AIPC), patients with low miR-618 had poor outcome. Overexpression of miR-618
      inhibited migration and invasion and induced mesenchymal to epithelial transition
      (MET). Conversely, knockdown of miR-618 promoted migration and invasion and
      induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). FOXP2 was the direct target
      of miR-618, and promoted TGF-beta expression, inhibition of TGF-beta reversed the
      effect of miR-618 knockdown. We further analyzed the correlation between miR-618
      expression and FOXP2 in human prostate cancer tissues, and found there was a
      negative correlation between miR-618 expression and FOXP2 levels. In conclusion,
      we found miR-618 inhibited prostate cancer migration and invasion by targeting
      FOXP2 and inhibiting TGF-beta.

PMID- 28900489
TI  - Rac3 Regulates Cell Invasion, Migration and EMT in Lung Adenocarcinoma through
      p38 MAPK Pathway.
AB  - Background: The role of Rac3 in cell proliferation in lung adenocarcinoma has
      been tackled in our previous study. However, the role of Rac3 in cell invasion
      and migration of lung adenocarcinoma is still not clear. Methods: The expression
      of Rac3 in lung adenocarcinoma specimens and paired noncancerous normal tissues
      were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference
      (RNAi) was employed to silence Rac3 in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and
      H1299. A p38 MAPK inhibitor (LY2228820) was employed to inhibit activity of p38
      MAPK pathway. Cell invasion and migration in vitro were examined by invasion and
      migration assays, respectively. PathScan(r) intracellular signaling array kit and
      western blot were employed in mechanism investigation. Results: Rac3 expression
      was frequently higher in lung adenocarcinoma than paired noncancerous normal
      tissues. Rac3 expression was an independent risk factor for lymphonode
      metastasis, and was associated with worse survival outcome. Silencing of Rac3
      inhibited cell invasion and cell migration in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines.
      Knockdown of Rac3 decreased activity of p38 MAPK pathway. LY2228820, which was an
      important p38 MAPK inhibitor, inhibited Rac3-induced cell invasion and migration
      of lung adenocarcinoma. E-cadherin expression was increased and vimentin
      expression was decreased after silencing of Rac3 or following the treatment of
      LY2228820. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that Rac3 regulates cell invasion,
      migration and EMT via p38 MAPK pathway. Rac3 may be a potential biomarker of
      invasion and metastasis for lung adenocarcinoma, and knockdown of Rac3 may
      potentially serve as a promising therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 28900490
TI  - Wnt3a Expression Is Associated with Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Impacts
      Prognosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients.
AB  - Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in
      the invasion and migration during cancer metastasis. Wnt3a is one of the ligands
      in canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, which contributes to the
      carcinogenesis and progression of lung cancer cell lines. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate the association between Wnt3a and EMT-related proteins (E
      cadherin and N-cadherin), and to further investigate its impact on prognosis of
      lung adenocarcinoma patients. Methods: A total of 147 lung adenocarcinoma
      patients were included and their clinicopathological characteristics were
      collected in this retrospective study. The expression levels of Wnt3a, E-cadherin
      and N-cadherin in post-surgery cancerous and adjacent normal tissues were
      assessed by immunohistochemistry. The association between Wnt3a and EMT-related
      proteins and their prognostic values were systematically evaluated. HCC827 and
      PC9 cell lines were treated with Wnt3a to detect the expression of EMT-related
      and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling-associated proteins, as well as the in vitro
      migration and invasion abilities. Results: High Wnt3a expression level was
      significantly associated with low E-cadherin (P<0.001) and high N-cadherin
      (P<0.001) expression levels in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Besides, high Wnt3a
      level predicted poorer lung adenocarcinoma survival by univariate Cox analysis
      (P=0.001), while the multivariate result was not significant (P=0.355). Subgroup
      analysis suggested that the prognostic value of Wnt3a expression level was
      significant in stage T1-T2 (log rank P=0.003) and stage N0 (log rank P=0.031)
      patients. The multivariate Cox analysis suggested N-cadherin was an independent
      prognostic factor for lung adenocarcinoma patients (P=0.012). After including
      these markers into a nomogram, the Harrell's C-index of the nomogram was 0.755.
      The decision-curve analysis of our nomogram performed net benefit at the
      threshold probability from 21.6% to 82.0%, and the current model had a better
      prognostic value than TNM-classification with a lower Akaike information
      criterion (AIC) value of 166.54. In vitro experiments suggested that Wnt3a could
      regulate EMT-related proteins and promotes in vitro invasion and migration
      abilities. Conclusions: Wnt3a could regulate EMT-related proteins and promote the
      migration and invasion process of lung adenocarcinoma. Although its value as an
      independent prognostic factor was limited, the combined model suggested good
      prognostic performance for lung adenocarcinoma patients.

PMID- 28900491
TI  - The Clinical Effect of Metformin on the Survival of Lung Cancer Patients with
      Diabetes: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Retrospective
      Studies.
AB  - Preclinical investigations have revealed an anti-cancer effect of metformin.
      Several studies of metformin treatment have demonstrated the improved clinical
      outcomes of lung cancer patients with diabetes; however, the results have been
      inconsistent among studies. Our systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to
      summarize the up-to-date effects of metformin on diabetic lung cancer patients. A
      systematic search was performed for studies published. Then, these studies were
      evaluated for inclusion, and relevant data was extracted. The summary risk
      estimates for the associations of metformin treatment with overall survival (OS)
      and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed using random/fixed-effects
      models. Analyses stratified by histological type were also conducted. Based on
      the 10 studies included in our analysis, metformin treatment was found to
      significantly improve survival, corresponding to reductions of 23% and 47% in OS
      [hazard ratio (HR)=0.77, 95% confidence interval (95%CI)=0.66-0.9, p=0.001] and
      PFS (HR=0.53, 95%CI=0.41-0.68, p<0.001), respectively. In addition, significant
      improvements in the OS for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (HR=0.77,
      95%CI=0.71-0.84, p=0.002) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (HR=0.52, 95%CI=0.29
      0.91, p=0.022) were observed in association with metformin treatment in analysis
      stratified by histological type. This stratified analysis also revealed a
      significant improvement in PFS for both NSCLC (HR=0.53, 95%CI=0.39-0.71, p<0.001)
      and SCLC (HR=0.54, 95%CI=0.34-0.84, p=0.007). We found that metformin treatment
      significantly improved the OS and PFS of diabetic lung cancer patients, and our
      findings suggest that metformin might be an effective treatment option for
      diabetic patients with lung cancer.

PMID- 28900492
TI  - Identification of Novel Epitopes with Agonistic Activity for the Development of
      Tumor Immunotherapy Targeting TRAIL-R1.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor-1/2
      (TRAIL-R1/R2), also known as death receptors, are expressed in a wide variety of
      tumor cells. Although TRAIL can induce cell apoptosis by engaging its cognate
      TRAIL-R1/R2, some tumor cells are or become resistant to TRAIL treatment.
      Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against TRAIL-R1/R2 have been developed to use as
      potential antitumor therapeutic agents instead of TRAIL. However, TRAIL-R1/R2
      based tumor therapy has not yet been realized. We previously generated a series
      of fully human monoclonal antibodies against TRAIL-R1 (TR1-mAbs) that induced
      tumor cell apoptosis. In this study, we identified the antigenic binding sites of
      these TR1-mAbs and proposed two major epitopes on the extracellular domain of
      TRAIL-R1. The analysis revealed that the epitopes of some TR1-mAbs partially
      overlaps with the beginning of TRAIL-binding sites, and other epitopes are
      located within the TRAIL-binding region. Among these mAbs, TR1-422 and TR1-419
      mAbs have two antigenic binding sites that bound to the same binding region, but
      they have different essential amino acid residues and binding site sizes.
      Furthermore, we investigated the apoptosis activity of TR1-419 and TR1-422 mAbs
      in the form of IgG and IgM. In contrast to the IgG-type TR1-419 and TR1-422 mAbs,
      which enhanced and inhibited TRAIL-induced apoptosis, respectively, both IgM-type
      TR1-419 and TR1-422 mAb strongly induced cell apoptosis with or without soluble
      TRAIL (sTRAIL). Moreover, the results showed that IgM-type TR1-419 and TR1-422
      mAbs alone can sufficiently activate the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis
      signaling pathways and suppress tumor growth in vivo. Consequently, we identified
      two antigenic binding sites with agonistic activity, and their specific IgM-type
      mAbs exhibited strong cytotoxic activity in tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.
      Thus, these agonistic antigenic binding sites may be useful for the development
      of effective Ab-based drugs or Ab-based cell immunotherapy for various human
      solid tumors.

PMID- 28900493
TI  - A Multi-Center Prospective Study to Validate an Algorithm Using Urine and Plasma
      Biomarkers for Predicting Gleason >=3+4 Prostate Cancer on Biopsy.
AB  - Background: Unnecessary biopsies and overdiagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa)
      remain a serious healthcare problem. We have previously shown that urine- and
      plasma-based prostate-specific biomarkers when combined can predict high grade
      prostate cancer (PCa). To further validate this test, we performed a prospective
      multicenter study recruiting patients from community-based practices. Patients
      and Methods: Urine and plasma samples from 2528 men were tested prospectively.
      Results were correlated with biopsy findings, if a biopsy was performed as deemed
      necessary by the practicing urologist. Of the 2528 patients, biopsy was performed
      on only 524 (21%) patients. Results: Of the 524 patients, Gleason>=3+4 PCa was
      found in 161 (31%) and Gleason >=4+3 was found in 62 (12%) of the patients. The
      urine/plasma biomarkers algorithm showed sensitivity and specificity of 75% and
      69% for predicting Gleason >=3+4. However, upon incorporating prostate size and
      prior history of biopsy in the algorithm, we achieved a sensitivity between 97%
      and 86% and a specificity between 36% and 57%, dependent on the used cut-off
      point. Sensitivity for predicting PCa Gleason >=4+3 was between 96% and 99% and
      specificity between 59% and 37%, dependent on the cut-off point. Diagnosis of
      Gleason >=3+4 was missed in 1% to 3% of tested patients and of Gleason >=4+3 in
      0.2% to 1%. Conclusion: This test when integrated with prostate volume and the
      prior prostate biopsy enhance the sensitivity and specificity for predicting the
      presence of high grade prostate cancer with negative predictive value (NPV) of
      90% to 97% for Gleason >=3+4 and between 98% to 99% for Gleason >=4+3.

PMID- 28900494
TI  - LHX6, An Independent Prognostic Factor, Inhibits Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression
      through Transcriptional Silencing of beta-catenin.
AB  - Introduction: Our previous study identified LIM homeobox domain 6 (LHX6) as a
      frequently epigenetically silenced tumor-suppressor gene in lung cancer. However,
      its clinical value has never been evaluated, and the in-depth anti-tumor
      mechanism remains unclear. Methods: Public database was used for lung cancer,
      lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous carcinoma patients and tissue microarray
      data was used for lung adenocarcinoma patients to study prognostic outcome of
      LHX6 expression by Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression analysis. In vitro
      proliferation, metastasis and in vivo nude mice model were used to evaluate the
      anti-tumor effect of LHX6 on lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. The mechanisms were
      explored using western blot, TOP/FOP flash assays and luciferase reporter assays.
      LHX6 expression and clinical stages data were collected from The Cancer Genome
      Atlas database (TCGA). Results: Expression of LHX6 was found to be a favorable
      independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) of total lung
      adenocarcinoma patients (P=0.014) and patients with negative lymph nodes status
      (P=0.014) but not related the prognostic outcome of lung squamous cell carcinoma
      patients. The expression status of LHX6 significantly correlated to histological
      grade (P<0.01), tumor size (P=0.026), lymph node status (P=0.039) and clinical
      stages (P<0.01) of lung adenocarcinoma patients. Functionally, LHX6 inhibited the
      proliferation and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.
      Furthermore, LHX6 suppressed the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway through
      transcriptionally silencing the expression of beta-catenin, and the promoter
      region (-1161 bp to +27 bp) was crucial for its inhibitory activity. Conclusions:
      Our data indicate that the expression of LHX6 may serve as a favorable prognostic
      biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma patients and provide a novel mechanism of LHX6
      involving in the tumorigenesis of lung adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 28900495
TI  - Differentially Expressed lncRNAs in Gastric Cancer Patients: A Potential
      Biomarker for Gastric Cancer Prognosis.
AB  - Current studies indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently
      aberrantly expressed in cancers and implicated with prognosis in gastric cancer
      (GC). We intended to generate a multi-lncRNA signature to improve prognostic
      prediction of GC. By analyzing ten paired GC and adjacent normal mucosa tissues,
      339 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified as the candidate prognostic
      biomarkers in GC. Then we used LASSO Cox regression method to build a 12-lncRNA
      signature and validated it in another independent GEO dataset. An innovative 12
      lncRNA signature was established, and it was significantly associated with the
      disease free survival (DFS) in the training dataset. By applying the 12-lncRNA
      signature, the training cohort patients could be categorized into high-risk or
      low-risk subgroup with significantly different DFS (HR = 4.52, 95%CI= 2.49-8.20,
      P < 0.0001). Similar results were obtained in another independent GEO dataset
      (HR=1.58, 95%CI=1.05 - 2.38, P=0.0270). Further analysis showed that the
      prognostic value of this 12-lncRNA signature was independent of AJCC stage and
      postoperative chemotherapy. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis
      showed that the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of
      combined model reached 0.869. Additionally, a well-performed nomogram was
      constructed for clinicians. Moreover, single-sample gene-set enrichment analysis
      (ssGSEA) showed that a group of pathways related to drug resistance and cancer
      metastasis significantly enriched in the high risk patients. A useful innovative
      12-lncRNA signature was established for prognostic evaluation of GC. It might
      complement clinicopathological features and facilitate personalized management of
      GC.

PMID- 28900496
TI  - Decreased Overall and Cancer-Specific Mortality with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in
      Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated by Intensity-modulated
      Radiotherapy: Multivariate Competing Risk Analysis.
AB  - Background: Value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is still controversial in
      locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). Based on competing
      risk analysis model, we aim at evaluating the efficacy of NACT in decreasing
      cancer-specific mortality for LA-NPC (except T3-4N0) treated by intensity
      modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods: Data on 957 patients with LA-NPC were
      retrospectively reviewed. The cumulative incidence of cancer-specific and non
      cancer-specific (competing) mortality was determined by univariate and
      multivariate competing risk analysis. Results: 542 (56.6%) patients received NACT
      using docetaxel with cisplatin (TP) or fluorouracil with cisplatin (PF) regimens.
      The median follow-up duration was 57.23 months (range, 1.27-78.53 months). In
      total, 161/957 (16.8%) patients died, with 140 cancer-specific and 21 non-cancer
      specific deaths were observed, respectively. In univariate analysis, the 3- and 5
      year cumulative cancer-specific mortality rates for NACT vs. non-NACT group were
      8.58% vs. 7.32% and 14.74% vs. 14.52% (P = 0.95), respectively. With regard to
      competing mortality, the 3- and 5-year cumulative rates (0.93% vs. 1.22% and
      1.31% vs. 3.06%; P = 0.196) were comparable between the two groups. Multivariate
      competing risk analysis established NACT as an independent prognostic factor in
      decreasing cancer-specific mortality (HR, 0.681; 95% CI, 0.488-0.951; P = 0.016)
      and overall mortality (HR, 0.654; 95% CI, 0.471-0.909; P = 0.011). Conclusions:
      NACT may be a powerful approach in decreasing cancer-specific mortality and
      overall mortality in LA-NPC treated by IMRT, and our findings would strengthen
      the role of NACT.

PMID- 28900497
TI  - Pretreatment Nomograms for Local and Regional Recurrence after Radical Radiation
      Therapy for Primary Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.
AB  - Background: The aim of this study was to build nomograms to predict local
      recurrence (LR) and regional recurrence (RR) in patients with nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma (NPC) underwent intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Patients
      and Methods : A total of 1811 patients with non-metastatic NPC treated with IMRT
      (with or without chemotherapy) between October 2009 and February 2012 at our
      center were involved for building the nomograms. Nomograms for LR-free rate and
      RR-free rate at 3- and 5- year were generated as visualizations of Cox
      proportional hazards regression models, and validated using bootstrap resampling,
      estimating discrimination and calibration. Results: With a median follow up of
      49.50 months, the 3- and 5- year LR-free rate were 95.43% and 94.30%
      respectively; the 3- and 5- year RR-free rate were 95.94% and 95.41%
      respectively. The final predictive model for LR included age, the
      neutrophil/leukocyte ratio (NWR), pathological type, primary gross tumor volume,
      maxillary sinus invasion, ethmoidal sinus invasion and lacerated foramen
      invasion; the model for RR involved NWR, plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA copy
      number, cervical lymph node volume and N category. The models showed fairly good
      discriminatory ability with concordance indices (c-indices) of 0.76 and 0.74 for
      predicting LR and RR, respectively, as well as good calibration. The proposed
      stratification of risk groups based on the nomograms allowed significant
      distinction between Kaplan-Meier curves for LR and RR. Conclusions: The proposed
      nomograms resulted in more-accurate prognostic prediction for LR and RR with a
      high concordance, hence to inform patients with high risk of recurrence on more
      aggressive therapy. The prognostic nomograms could better stratify patients into
      different risk groups.

PMID- 28900498
TI  - Correlation between ERG Fusion Protein and Androgen Receptor Expression by
      Immunohistochemistry in Prostate, Possible Role in Diagnosis and Therapy.
AB  - Background: Recent discovery of gene rearrangements have brought a new look to
      the molecular pathogenesis of cancer. Gene fusions occur in nearly 60% of
      prostate adenocarcinoma, being the TMPRSS2-ERG one of the most common. Evidence
      supports the role of ERG fusion in tumorigenesis, progression and invasion via
      effecting pathways such as WNT, MYC, uPA, PI3K/AKT/PTEN, RAS/RAF/MAPF, NKX3.1,
      GST-pi and androgen receptor (AR) mediated signaling. Most of the ERG fusions
      involve 5'-partners androgen responsive. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate AR and
      ERG fusion protein expression on prostate tissue to find clinicopathological
      applications and possible role in therapy. Methods: One hundred three samples,
      including prostate core biopsies and radical prostatectomy specimens, were
      evaluated for ERG and AR expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). ERG
      rearrangement was done by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on 11
      randomly selected cases and correlated with IHC results. Results: From the total
      of 103 samples, eight (8/103) were benign, fourteen (14/103) had atypical glands,
      two (2/103) had prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), and seventy nine
      (79/103) showed prostate adenocarcinoma. Forty four (44/79) tumor cases were
      Gleason score (GS) 6-7 (lower GS), and thirty five (35/79) were GS of 8-10
      (higher GS). ERG immunoreaction was observed in 27.8% (22/79) of the tumor cases,
      showing higher expression in those with lower GS (68.2%, 15/22) compared to
      higher GS (31.8%, 7/22). Neither benign glands nor PIN stained with ERG. AR
      expression was observed in 75% of benign samples, 78.5% of atypical glands, 100%
      of PIN, and in 87.3% of tumor cases with no significant difference based on GS.
      Co-expression of ERG and AR was evaluated on all the tumor samples. ERG+/AR+ was
      seen in 77.3% (17/22) of the ERG+ tumor cases, with higher frequency in lower GS
      (64.7%, 11/17) compared to those with higher GS (35.3%, 6/17). All but five
      corresponding ERG+ tumor samples were negative for AR. Only 5 samples were ERG
      /AR- corresponding to adenocarcinoma GS of 6. Presence or absence of ERG
      rearrangement was confirmed by FISH and correlated with IHC results. Conclusions:
      Characterization of ERG status by IHC in prostate tissue has an excellent
      correlation with FISH. It may also assist in diagnosis since none of the benign
      glands stained with ERG. Co-expression of ERG+/AR+ in prostate tumor by IHC may
      suggest gene fusion between ERG and a 5'-partner driven by androgen signaling
      such as TMPRSS2, which it could represent an important ancillary test for
      clinical management and development of new therapeutic targets.

PMID- 28900499
TI  - Profiling chemotherapy-associated myelotoxicity among Chinese gastric cancer
      population receiving cytotoxic conventional regimens: epidemiological features,
      timing, predictors and clinical impacts.
AB  - Objectives: We aim to evaluate the epidemiological features, timing, predictors
      and clinical impacts of chemotherapy-associated myelotoxicity in Chinese gastric
      cancer population receiving six established cytotoxic conventional regimens
      (CF/XP, EC(O)F/EC(O)X, DC(O)F/DC(O)X, PC(O)F/PC(O)X, FOLFOX4, or mFOLFOX7/XELOX).
      Patients and methods: A 4-year multicenter, prospective, observational study was
      conducted in multiple hospitals/institutes spanning three major regions in China.
      A total of 1,285 patients with gastric cancer, treated with six selected regimens
      between 2010 and 2014 were included. Kaplan-meier analysis was applied to
      estimate the time to develop myelotoxicity events for each regimen. Multivariable
      logistic regression model was built to identify predictors associated with
      chemotherapy-induced myelotoxicity, evaluating detailed specific factors of
      patients, disease and treatment patterns. Results: Triplet regimens were
      associated with more moderate-to-severe myelotoxicity events than doublet
      regimens. DC(O)F/DC(O)X group presented with moderate-to-severe anaemia,
      thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia earlier than other regimen groups, with median
      time of 3.5, 4.8 and 3.3 cycles, respectively. PC(O)F/PC(O)X group had a shortest
      time to develop Moderate-to-Severe neutropenia (median time, 3.3 cycles).
      Multivariate analysis identified several independent predictors for moderate-to
      severe myelotoxicity, including: baseline Hb<12.0 g/dL, male gender, KPS<80,
      previously treated with surgery, tumor located at gastroesophageal junction(GEJ),
      DC(O)F/DC(O)X regimen, palliative intent, triplet combination therapy and No. of
      cycles received>=4. Dose reductions>=20% occurred in 16.7% of patients and
      treatment delays>=7 days presented in 21.1% of patients, resulting in patients
      receiving an actual average Relative Dose Intensity (RDI) of 0.733. Conclusions:
      Myelotoxicity events were frequently observed within the gastric cancer
      population undertaking multicycle polychemotherapy. Predictive models based on
      risk factors identified for moderate-to-severe myelotoxicity should enable the
      targeted use of appropriate supportive care in an effort to facilitate the
      delivery of full chemotherapy doses on schedule.

PMID- 28900500
TI  - CDC27 Induces Metastasis and Invasion in Colorectal Cancer via the Promotion of
      Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition.
AB  - Distant metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related death among patients
      with colorectal cancer (CRC), and the discovery of novel therapeutic targets by
      further exploring the molecular mechanisms of CRC metastasis is therefore
      urgently needed. We previously illustrated that CDC27 overexpression promoted
      proliferation in CRC, but no studies have emphasized the role of CDC27 in cancer
      metastasis thus far. Our previous data indicated that the expression of CDC27 was
      significantly associated with distant metastasis in patient tissues, and
      therefore, in this study, we focused on the investigation of the potential
      mechanisms of CDC27 in CRC metastasis. The results revealed that CDC27 promoted
      the metastasis, invasion and sphere-formation capacity of DLD1 cells, but that
      the inhibition of CDC27 in HCT116 cells suppressed metastasis both in vitro and
      in vivo. Mechanistic analyses revealed that CDC27 promoted epithelial-to
      mesenchymal transition (EMT), as demonstrated by the reduced expression of the
      epithelial markers ZO-1 and E-cadherin and the enhanced expression of the
      mesenchymal markers ZEB1 and Snail in HCT116 and DLD1 cells. Further mechanistic
      investigation indicated that CDC27 promoted metastasis and sphere-formation
      capacity in an ID1-dependent manner. In conclusion, we first demonstrated the
      role of CDC27 in cancer metastasis and showed that CDC27 may serve as a promising
      therapeutic target for CRC.

PMID- 28900501
TI  - Metformin Sensitizes Leukemia Cells to Vincristine via Activation of AMP
      activated Protein Kinase.
AB  - Vincristine is extensively used chemotherapeutic medicine to treat leukemia.
      However, it remains a critical clinical problem with regard to its toxicity and
      drug-resistance. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an energy sensor that is
      pivotal in maintaining cell metabolic homeostasis. It is reported that AMPK is
      involved in vincristine-induced apoptosis. However, whether AMPK is involved in
      chemotherapy-resistance is largely unclear. It is well-documented that metformin,
      a widely used medicine to treat type II diabetes, possesses anti-cancer
      activities, yet whether metformin affects leukemia cell viability via vincristine
      is unknown. In this study, we showed that both AMPKalpha1 mRNA and phosphorylated
      AMPK protein levels were significantly decreased in clinical leukemia samples. We
      further demonstrated that metformin sensitized leukemia cells to vincristine
      induced apoptosis in an AMPK-dependent manner. In addition, knockdown of
      AMPKalpha1 significantly reduced the effects of metformin on vincristine-induced
      apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that AMPK activation is
      critical in metformin effects on vincristine-induced apoptosis and suggest a
      putative strategy of a combination therapy using metformin and vincristine in
      treatment of leukemia.

PMID- 28900502
TI  - A BAP1 Mutation-specific MicroRNA Signature Predicts Clinical Outcomes in Clear
      Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients with Wild-type BAP1.
AB  - Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent
      histologic subtype of kidney cancers in adults, which could be divided into two
      distinct subgroups according to the BRCA1 associated protein-1 (BAP1) mutation
      status. In the current study, we comprehensively analyzed the genome-wide
      microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in ccRCC, with the aim to identify the
      differentially expressed miRNAs between BAP1 mutant and wild-type tumors, and
      generate a BAP1 mutation-specific miRNA signature for ccRCC patients with wild
      type BAP1. Methods: The BAP1 mutation status and miRNA profiles in BAP1 mutant
      and wild-type tumors were analyzed. Subsequently, the association of the
      differentially expressed miRNAs with patient survival was examined, and a BAP1
      mutation-specific miRNA signature was generated and examined with Kaplan-Meier
      survival, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Finally, the
      bioinformatics methods were adopted for the target prediction of selected miRNAs
      and functional annotation analyses. Results: A total of 350 treatment-naive
      primary ccRCC patients were selected from The Cancer Genome Atlas project, among
      which 35 (10.0%) subjects carried mutant BAP1 and had a shorter overall survival
      (OS) time. Furthermore, 33 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed
      between BAP1 mutant and wild-type tumors, among which 11 (miR-149, miR-29b-2, miR
      182, miR-183, miR-21, miR-365-2, miR-671, miR-365-1, miR-10b, miR-139, and miR
      181a-2) were significantly associated with OS in ccRCC patients with wild-type
      BAP1. Finally, a BAP1 mutation-specific miRNA signature consisting of 11 miRNAs
      was generated and validated as an independent prognostic parameter. Conclusions:
      In summary, our study identified a total of 33 miRNAs differentially expressed
      between BAP1 mutant and wild-type tumors, and generated a BAP1 mutation-specific
      miRNA signature including eleven miRNAs, which could serve as a novel prognostic
      biomarker for ccRCC patients with wild-type BAP1.

PMID- 28900503
TI  - Label-free Rapid Viable Enrichment of Circulating Tumor Cell by Photosensitive
      Polymer-based Microfilter Device.
AB  - We present a clinical device for simple, rapid, and viable isolation of
      circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from cancer patient bloods. In spite of the
      clinical importance of CTCs, the lack of easy and non-biased isolation methods is
      a big hurdle for implementing CTC into clinical use. The present device made of
      photosensitive polymer was designed to attach to conventional syringe to isolate
      the CTCs at minimal resources. Its unique tapered-slits on the filter are capable
      not only to isolate the cell based on their size and deformability, but also to
      increase sample flow rate, thus achieving label-free rapid viable CTC isolation.
      We verified our device performance using 9 different types of cancer cells at the
      cell concentration from 5 to 100cells/ml, showing that the device capture 77.7%
      of the CTCs while maintaining their viability of 80.6%. We extended our study
      using the 18 blood samples from lung, colorectal, pancreatic and renal cancer
      patients and captured 1-172 CTCs or clustered CTCs by immunofluorescent or
      immunohistochemical staining. The captured CTCs were also molecularly assayed by
      RT-PCR with three cancer-associated genes (CK19, EpCAM, and MUC1). Those
      comprehensive studies proved to use our device for cancer study, thereby
      inaugurating further in-depth CTC-based clinical researches.

PMID- 28900504
TI  - Platelet-Targeted Delivery of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to the Ischemic
      Heart Restores Cardiac Function after Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.
AB  - One of the major hurdles in intravenous regenerative cell therapy is the low
      homing efficiency to the area where these cells are needed. To increase cell
      homing toward areas of myocardial damage, we developed a bispecific tandem single
      chain antibody (Tand-scFvSca-1+GPIIb/IIIa) that binds with high affinity to
      activated platelets via the activated glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa receptor, and to
      a subset of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) which express the stem cell
      antigen-1 (Sca-1) receptor. Methods: The Tand-scFvSca-1+GPIIb/IIIa was
      engineered, characterized and tested in a mouse model of ischemia-reperfusion
      (IR) injury applying left coronary artery occlusion for 60 min. Fluorescence cell
      tracking, cell infiltration studies, echocardiographic and histological analyses
      were performed. Results: Treatment of mice undergoing myocardial infarction with
      targeted-PBMCs led to successful cell delivery to the ischemic-reperfused
      myocardium, followed by a significant decrease in infiltration of inflammatory
      cells. Homing of targeted-PBMCs as shown by fluorescence cell tracking ultimately
      decreased fibrosis, increased capillary density, and restored cardiac function 4
      weeks after ischemia-reperfusion injury. Conclusion: Tand-scFvSca-1+GPIIb/IIIa is
      a promising candidate to enhance therapeutic cell delivery in order to promote
      myocardial regeneration and thereby preventing heart failure.

PMID- 28900505
TI  - Iron Oxide Nanozyme: A Multifunctional Enzyme Mimetic for Biomedical
      Applications.
AB  - Iron oxide nanoparticles have been widely used in many important fields due to
      their excellent nanoscale physical properties, such as
      magnetism/superparamagnetism. They are usually assumed to be biologically inert
      in biomedical applications. However, iron oxide nanoparticles were recently found
      to also possess intrinsic enzyme-like activities, and are now regarded as novel
      enzyme mimetics. A special term, "Nanozyme", has thus been coined to highlight
      the intrinsic enzymatic properties of such nanomaterials. Since then, iron oxide
      nanoparticles have been used as nanozymes to facilitate biomedical applications.
      In this review, we will introduce the enzymatic features of iron oxide nanozyme
      (IONzyme), and summarize its novel applications in biomedicine.

PMID- 28900506
TI  - Combination of AAV-TRAIL with miR-221-Zip Therapeutic Strategy Overcomes the
      Resistance to TRAIL Induced Apoptosis in Liver Cancer.
AB  - TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) possesses the capacity to induce
      apoptosis in a wide variety of tumor cells without affecting most normal cells.
      However, it has now emerged that many primary cancer cells are resistant to TRAIL
      monotherapy. Overcoming the intrinsic or acquired TRAIL resistance is desirable
      for TRAIL-mediated cancer therapy. In this study, we found that the miR-221/222
      cluster was up-regulated in TRAIL-resistant liver cancer cells. Specific
      inhibitors of miR-221 and/or miR-222, called sponge, TuD and miR-Zip were
      constructed, and their ability to overcome TRAIL resistance was compared. Among
      them, AAV-mediated gene therapy using co-expression of TRAIL with miR-221-Zip
      showed the most synergistic activity in the induction of apoptosis in vitro. In
      vivo treatment of nude mice bearing human TRAIL-resistant liver cancer xenografts
      with AAV-TRAIL-miR-221-Zip also led to growth inhibition. This sensitizing effect
      of miR-221-Zip was associated with increased expression of PTEN, the miR-221
      target, as well as with decreasing levels of Survivin. Moreover, miR-221
      expression was concomitant with promotion of Survivin expression and suppression
      of PTEN expression. TRAIL sensitivity of cancer cells isolated from liver cancer
      tissues or from patients was significantly correlated with miR-221 expression.
      And miR-221 blood expression levels in liver cancer patients were correlated with
      TRAIL sensitivity, thus it had the potential to be a predictor of TRAIL
      sensitivity in liver cancer. These data suggested the potential of combining AAV
      TRAIL with miR-221-Zip as a therapeutic intervention for liver cancer.

PMID- 28900508
TI  - Direct Macromolecular Drug Delivery to Cerebral Ischemia Area using Neutrophil
      Mediated Nanoparticles.
AB  - Delivery of macromolecular drugs to the brain is impeded by the blood brain
      barrier. The recruitment of leukocytes to lesions in the brain, a typical feature
      of neuroinflammation response which occurs in cerebral ischemia, offers a unique
      opportunity to deliver drugs to inflammation sites in the brain. In the present
      study, cross-linked dendrigraft poly-L-lysine (DGL) nanoparticles containing cis
      aconitic anhydride-modified catalase and modified with PGP, an endogenous
      tripeptide that acts as a ligand with high affinity to neutrophils, were
      developed to form the cl PGP-PEG-DGL/CAT-Aco system. Significant binding
      efficiency to neutrophils, efficient protection of catalase enzymatic activity
      from degradation and effective transport to receiver cells were revealed in the
      delivery system. Delivery of catalase to ischemic subregions and cerebral
      neurocytes in MCAO mice was significantly enhanced, which obviously reducing
      infarct volume in MCAO mice. Thus, the therapeutic outcome of cerebral ischemia
      was greatly improved. The underlying mechanism was found to be related to the
      inhibition of ROS-mediated apoptosis. Considering that neuroinflammation occurs
      in many neurological disorders, the strategy developed here is not only promising
      for treatment of cerebral ischemia but also an effective approach for various CNS
      diseases related to inflammation.

PMID- 28900509
TI  - Biodegradable Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Regulating Tumor
      Microenvironment and Enhancing Antitumor Efficiency.
AB  - There is accumulating evidence that regulating tumor microenvironment plays a
      vital role in improving antitumor efficiency. Herein, to remodel tumor immune
      microenvironment and elicit synergistic antitumor effects, lipid-coated
      biodegradable hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticle (dHMLB) was constructed with
      co-encapsulation of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), doxorubicin (DOX) and
      interleukin-2 (IL-2) for chemo-immunotherapy. The nanoparticle-mediated
      combinational therapy provided a benign regulation on tumor microenvironment
      through activation of tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes and natural killer cells,
      promotion of cytokines secretion of IFN-gamma and IL-12, and down-regulation of
      immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells, cytokine IL-10 and TGF-beta.
      ATRA/DOX/IL-2 co-loaded dHMLB demonstrated significant tumor growth and
      metastasis inhibition, and also exhibited favorable biodegradability and safety.
      This nanoplatform has great potential in developing a feasible strategy to
      remodel tumor immune microenvironment and achieve enhanced antitumor effect.

PMID- 28900510
TI  - EGLN1/c-Myc Induced Lymphoid-Specific Helicase Inhibits Ferroptosis through Lipid
      Metabolic Gene Expression Changes.
AB  - Ferroptosis is a newly discovered form of non-apoptotic cell death in multiple
      human diseases. However, the epigenetic mechanisms underlying ferroptosis remain
      poorly defined. First, we demonstrated that lymphoid-specific helicase (LSH),
      which is a DNA methylation modifier, interacted with WDR76 to inhibit ferroptosis
      by activating lipid metabolism-associated genes, including GLUT1, and ferroptosis
      related genes SCD1 and FADS2, in turn, involved in the Warburg effect. WDR76
      targeted these genes expression in dependent manner of LSH and chromatin
      modification in DNA methylation and histone modification. These effects were
      dependent on iron and lipid reactive oxygen species. We further demonstrated that
      EGLN1 and c-Myc directly activated the expression of LSH by inhibiting HIF
      1alpha. Finally, we demonstrated that LSH functioned as an oncogene in lung
      cancer in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, our study elucidates the molecular basis
      of the c-Myc/EGLN1-mediated induction of LSH expression that inhibits
      ferroptosis, which can be exploited for the development of therapeutic strategies
      targeting ferroptosis for the treatment of cancer.

PMID- 28900507
TI  - Targeting MicroRNAs in Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy.
AB  - Radiotherapy is one of the most important treatment options for localized early
      stage or advanced-stage prostate cancer (CaP). Radioresistance (relapse after
      radiotherapy) is a major challenge for the current radiotherapy. There is great
      interest in investigating mechanisms of radioresistance and developing novel
      treatment strategies to overcome radioresistance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small,
      non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level,
      participating in numerous physiological and pathological processes including
      cancer invasion, progression, metastasis and therapeutic resistance. Emerging
      evidence indicates that miRNAs play a critical role in the modulation of key
      cellular pathways that mediate response to radiation, influencing the
      radiosensitivity of the cancer cells through interplaying with other biological
      processes such as cell cycle checkpoints, apoptosis, autophagy, epithelial
      mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells. Here, we summarize several
      important miRNAs in CaP radiation response and then discuss the regulation of the
      major signalling pathways and biological processes by miRNAs in CaP radiotherapy.
      Finally, we emphasize on microRNAs as potential predictive biomarkers and/or
      therapeutic targets to improve CaP radiosensitivity.

PMID- 28900511
TI  - A Nanosystem of Amphiphilic Oligopeptide-Drug Conjugate Actualizing Both
      alphavbeta3 Targeting and Reduction-Triggered Release for Maytansinoid.
AB  - To design a prodrug-based self-assembling nanosystem with both ligand targeting
      and stimuli-responsive features, and elucidate the superiority of each targeting
      strategy and the synergistic effect between them, we synthesized four small
      molecule amphiphilic peptide-drug conjugates (APDCs) using maytansinoid (DM1) as
      a cytotoxic agent, cRGDfK as a homing peptide, and disulfide (SS) or thioether
      (SMCC) as linker. Owing to their amphiphilicity, the APDCs could self-assemble
      into nanoparticles (APDC@NPs) which were evaluated in vitro in three different
      cell lines and in vivo in tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mice. The RSSD@NPs showed the
      strongest interaction with alphavbeta3 integrin, highest cell uptake and
      intracellular free drug level, and best antitumor efficacy in vitro and in vivo,
      while it shared the same goodness with other test nanosystems in terms of high
      drug loading, EPR effect and free of potentially toxic polymers. Especially, the
      in vivo efficacy of RSSD@NPs was 2 fold of free DM1 which is too cytotoxic to be
      a drug, while the active targeted APDC@NPs demonstrated acceptable system, tissue
      and blood compatibility. In alphavbeta3-positive cells or tumors, the RGD
      targeting contributed much more than disulfide in anticancer effect. The maximum
      synergism of the two strategies reached to 22 fold in vitro and 3 fold in vivo.
      Generally, the active targeting, prodrug and nanosystem could significantly
      decrease the toxicity of free DM1 and improve its therapy outcome via combining
      active targeting, prodrug and nanopreparation, especially the dual targeting
      strategies and their synergism.

PMID- 28900512
TI  - Aptavalve-gated Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres image Cellular Mucin and provide On
      demand Targeted Drug Delivery.
AB  - In this report, we present a mesoporous carbon nanosphere that can target drugs
      to tumors and image tumor biomarkers. A single-strand DNA (P0 aptamer) aptavalve
      was capped on the surface of doxorubicin-loaded oxide mesoporous carbon
      nanospheres (Dox-OMCN-P0) through pi-pi stacking for real-time imaging-guided on
      demand targeting drug delivery. The Dox-OMCN-P0 could not only realize the
      detection of MUC1 tumor marker with a wide linear range (0.1 - 10.6 MUmol/L) and
      a low detection limit (17.5 nmol) based on different apparatuses, but also
      achieve in-situ targeting imaging of cellular MUC1 concentration in vitro and in
      vivo via "off-on" fluorescence biosensing. Much attractively, as a real-time
      feedback of the diagnostic/imaging outcomes, Dox-OMCN-P0 accomplished the on
      demand targeting drug delivery in quantitative response to MUC1. Controllable
      chemotherapy with sustained release and pH-sensitiveness, together with the
      potential photothermal therapy, were also clearly demonstrated. This is a simple
      but advanced platform, which could well achieve the real-time switchable imaging
      of cellular mucin for targeting cancer therapy.

PMID- 28900513
TI  - In Vivo Cancer Cells Elimination Guided by Aptamer-Functionalized Gold-Coated
      Magnetic Nanoparticles and Controlled with Low Frequency Alternating Magnetic
      Field.
AB  - Biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles under the influence of a
      magnetic field have been proved useful beyond expectations in cancer therapy.
      Magnetic nanoparticles are effective heat mediators, drug nanocarriers, and
      contrast agents; various strategies have been suggested to selectively target
      tumor cancer cells. Our study presents magnetodynamic nanotherapy using DNA
      aptamer-functionalized 50 nm gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles exposed to a low
      frequency alternating magnetic field for selective elimination of tumor cells in
      vivo. The cell specific DNA aptamer AS-14 binds to the fibronectin protein in
      Ehrlich carcinoma hence helps deliver the gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles to
      the mouse tumor. Applying an alternating magnetic field of 50 Hz at the tumor
      site causes the nanoparticles to oscillate and pull the fibronectin proteins and
      integrins to the surface of the cell membrane. This results in apoptosis followed
      by necrosis of tumor cells without heating the tumor, adjacent healthy cells and
      tissues. The aptamer-guided nanoparticles and the low frequency alternating
      magnetic field demonstrates a unique non-invasive nanoscalpel technology for
      precise cancer surgery at the single cell level.

PMID- 28900514
TI  - MicroRNA-647 Targets SRF-MYH9 Axis to Suppress Invasion and Metastasis of Gastric
      Cancer.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulating tumour development and
      progression. Here we show that miR-647 is repressed in gastric cancer (GC), and
      associated with GC metastasis. Moreover, we identify that miR-647 can suppress GC
      cell migration and invasion in vitro. Mechanistically, we confirm miR-647
      directly binds to the 3' untranslated regions of SRF mRNA, and SRF binds to the
      CArG box located at the MYH9 promoter. CCG-1423, an inhibitor of RhoA/SRF
      mediated gene transcription, inhibits the expression of MYH9, especially in SRF
      downregulated cells. Overexpression of miR-647 inhibits MGC 80-3 cells'
      metastasis in orthotropic GC models, but increasing SRF expression in these cells
      reverses this change. Importantly, we found the synergistic inhibition effect of
      CCG-1423 and agomir-647, an engineered miRNA mimic, on cancer metastasis in
      orthotropic GC models. Our study demonstrates that miR-647 functions as a tumor
      metastasis suppressor in GC by targeting SRF/MYH9 axis.

PMID- 28900515
TI  - Fluorocarbons Enhance Intracellular Delivery of Short STAT3-sensors and Enable
      Specific Imaging.
AB  - Short oligonucleotide sequences are now being widely investigated for their
      potential therapeutic properties. The modification of oligonucleotide termini
      with short fluorinated residues is capable of drastically altering their behavior
      in complex in vitro and in vivo systems, and thus may serve to greatly enhance
      their therapeutic potential. The main goals of our work were to explore: 1) how
      modification of STAT3 transcription factor-binding oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN)
      duplexes (ODND) with one or two short fluorocarbon (FC)-based residues would
      change their properties in vitro and in vivo, and if so, how this would affect
      their intracellular uptake by cancer cells, and 2) the ability of such modified
      ODND to form non-covalent complexes with FC-modified carrier macromolecule. The
      latter has an inherent advantage of producing a 19F-specific magnetic resonance
      (MR) imaging signature. Thus, we also tested the ability of such copolymers to
      generate 19F-MR signals. Materials and Methods. Fluorinated nucleic acid residues
      were incorporated into ODN by using automated synthesis or via activated esters
      on ODN 5'-ends. To quantify ODND uptake by the cells and to track their
      stability, we covalently labeled ODN with fluorophores using internucleoside
      linker technology; the FC-modified carrier was synthesized by acylation of
      pegylated polylysine graft copolymer with perfluoroundecanoic acid (M5-gPLL
      PFUDA). Results. ODN with a single FC group exhibited a tendency to form duplexes
      with higher melting points and with increased stability against degradation when
      compared to control non-modified ODNs. ODND carrying fluorinated residues showed
      complex formation with M5-gPLL-PFUDA as predicted by molecular dynamics
      simulations. Moreover, FC groups modulated the specificity of ODND binding to the
      STAT3 target. Finally, FC modification resulted in greater cell uptake (2 to 4
      fold higher) when compared to the uptake of non-modified ODND as determined by
      quantitative confocal fluorescence imaging of A431 and INS-1 cells. Conclusion.
      ODND modification with FC residues enables fine-tuning of protein binding
      specificity to double-strand binding motifs and results in an increased
      internalization by A431 and INS-1 cells in culture. Our results show that
      modification of ODN termini with FC residues is both a feasible and powerful
      strategy for developing more efficient nucleic acid-based therapies with the
      added benefit of allowing for non-invasive MR imaging of ODND therapeutic
      targeting and response.

PMID- 28900516
TI  - Sensitive in vivo Visualization of Breast Cancer Using Ratiometric Protease
      activatable Fluorescent Imaging Agent, AVB-620.
AB  - With the goal of improving intraoperative cancer visualization, we have developed
      AVB-620, a novel intravenously administered, in vivo fluorescent peptide dye
      conjugate that highlights malignant tissue and is optimized for human use. Matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMPs) hydrolyze AVB-620 triggering tissue retention and a
      ratiometric fluorescence color change which is visualized using camera systems
      capable of imaging fluorescence and white light simultaneously. AVB-620 imaging
      visualizes primary tumors and demonstrated high in vivo diagnostic sensitivity
      and specificity (both >95%) for identifying breast cancer metastases to lymph
      nodes in two immunocompetent syngeneic mouse models. It is well tolerated and
      single-dose toxicology studies in rats determined a no-observed-adverse-effect
      level (NOAEL) at >110-fold above the imaging and estimated human dose. Protease
      specificity and hydrolysis kinetics were characterized and compared using
      recombinant MMPs. To understand the human translation potential, an in vitro
      diagnostic study was conducted to evaluate the ability of AVB-620 to
      differentiate human breast cancer tumor from healthy adjacent tissue. Patient
      tumor tissue and healthy adjacent breast tissue were homogenized, incubated with
      AVB-620, and fluorogenic responses were compared. Tumor tissue had 2-3 fold
      faster hydrolysis than matched healthy breast tissue; generating an assay
      sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 88%. AVB-620 has excellent sensitivity and
      specificity for identifying breast cancer in mouse and human tissue. Significant
      changes were made in the design of AVB-620 relative to previous ratiometric
      protease-activated agents. AVB-620 has pharmaceutical properties, fluorescence
      ratio dynamic range, usable diagnostic time window, a scalable synthesis, and a
      safety profile that have enabled it to advance into clinical evaluation in breast
      cancer patients.

PMID- 28900517
TI  - Bone-Inspired Spatially Specific Piezoelectricity Induces Bone Regeneration.
AB  - The extracellular matrix of bone can be pictured as a material made of parallel
      interspersed domains of fibrous piezoelectric collagenous materials and non
      piezoelectric non-collagenous materials. To mimic this feature for enhanced bone
      regeneration, a material made of two parallel interspersed domains, with higher
      and lower piezoelectricity, respectively, is constructed to form microscale
      piezoelectric zones (MPZs). The MPZs are produced using a versatile and effective
      laser-irradiation technique in which K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN) ceramics are selectively
      irradiated to achieve microzone phase transitions. The phase structure of the
      laser-irradiated microzones is changed from a mixture of orthorhombic and
      tetragonal phases (with higher piezoelectricity) to a tetragonal dominant phase
      (with lower piezoelectricity). The microzoned piezoelectricity distribution
      results in spatially specific surface charge distribution, enabling the MPZs to
      bear bone-like microscale electric cues. Hence, the MPZs induce osteogenic
      differentiation of stem cells in vitro and bone regeneration in vivo even without
      being seeded with stem cells. The concept of mimicking the spatially specific
      piezoelectricity in bone will facilitate future research on the rational design
      of tissue regenerative materials.

PMID- 28900518
TI  - Nail unit ultrasound: a complete guide of the nail diseases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The nails have a functional and esthetic importance for patients.
      Almost always, the nail disorders are diagnosed on the basis of clinical
      findings, but imaging methods may be required for a better assessment. These
      imaging methods, such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance, may help to establish
      an accurate diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging is not widely available and
      sometimes may be very expensive; that is why, ultrasound is an excellent imaging
      modality. Our objective is to expose the nail unit anatomy, the nail unit anatomy
      in ultrasound, and some of the frequent pathologies found in our daily practice.
      METHODS: A review of the literature was done to review the anatomy, technical
      aspects, and different findings in normal and abnormal nail unit ultrasound.
      RESULTS: Ultrasound offers an appropriate alternative for the evaluation of the
      nail unit, allows a real-time evaluation of each one of the components of the
      nail unit with an optimal visualization of these structures, and allows the
      evaluation of the thickness of the components, the vascularity, and blood flow by
      Doppler application. In addition, the nail unit disorder, such as infectious
      diseases, inflammatory and rheumatologic conditions, nail tumors, among others,
      may be assessed, not only in the diagnosis but also in the follow-up. Pre
      surgical evaluation, surgical follow-up, and some procedures, such as biopsies,
      may be done by this technique. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound is an excellent technique
      for evaluation of normal anatomy, diagnosis, and follow-up of patients with nail
      unit diseases. This is an alternative for other imaging methods and may be used
      for an accurate diagnosis approach.

PMID- 28900519
TI  - Point-of-care ultrasound in cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a concise review.
AB  - Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a widely used tool in critical care areas,
      allowing for the performance of accurate diagnoses and thus enhancing the
      decision-making process. Every major organ or system can be safely evaluated with
      POCUS. In that respect, the utility of POCUS in cardiac arrest is gaining
      interest. In this article, we will review the actual role of ultrasound in
      cardiac arrest and the main POCUS protocols focused to this scenario as well as
      discuss the potential role of POCUS in monitoring the efficacy of the chest
      compressions.

PMID- 28900520
TI  - First-year medical students use of ultrasound or physical examination to diagnose
      hepatomegaly and ascites: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare point-of-care ultrasound and physical examination (PEx), each
      performed by first-year medical students after brief teaching, for assessing
      ascites and hepatomegaly. Ultrasound and PEx were compared on: (1) reliability,
      validity and performance, (2) diagnostic confidence, ease of use, utility, and
      applicability. METHODS: A single-center, randomized controlled trial was
      performed at a tertiary centre. First-year medical students were randomized to
      use ultrasound or PEx to assess for ascites and hepatomegaly. Cohen's kappa and
      interclass coefficient (ICC) were used to measure interrater reliability between
      trainee assessments and the reference standard (a same day ultrasound by a
      radiologist). Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value
      (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were compared. A ten-point Likert
      scale was used to assess trainee diagnostic confidence and perceptions of
      utility. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in interobserver
      reliability, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, or NPV between the
      ultrasound and PEx groups. However, students in the ultrasound group provided
      higher scores for perceived utility (ascites 8.38 +/- 1.35 vs 7.08 +/- 1.86, p =
      0.008; hepatomegaly 7.68 +/- 1.52 vs 5.36 +/- 2.48, p < 0.001) and likelihood of
      adoption (ascites 8.67 +/- 1.61 vs 7.46 +/- 1.79, p = 0.02; hepatomegaly 8.12 +/-
      1.90 vs 5.92 +/- 2.32, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: When performed by first-year
      medical students, the validity and reliability of ultrasound is comparable to
      PEx, but with greater perceived utility and likelihood of adoption. With
      similarly brief instruction, point-of-care ultrasonography can be as effectively
      learned and performed as PEx, with a high degree of interest from trainees.

PMID- 28900521
TI  - Effectiveness of ultrasonography and computed tomography in assessing thyroid
      cartilage invasion in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adequacy of ultrasonography (US) and computed
      tomography (CT) in the assessment of thyroid cartilage invasion in patients with
      airway cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-two consecutive patients referred to
      our institute underwent US and CT to stage laryngeal (n = 27) or hypopharyngeal
      (n = 35) cancer in this prospective study. Two radiologists, who were blinded to
      the patients' clinical histories and histopathology, evaluated thyroid cartilage
      invasion on US and CT separately and independently. Fifty-eight of the 64
      patients (90%) underwent surgery. The histopathologic findings were used as the
      standard of reference for comparison and statistical analysis. RESULTS: For
      thyroid cartilage invasion, the detection rate on CT and US was 98%. CT achieved
      a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 75%, while US attained a sensitivity of
      98% and a specificity of 75%. The difference between CT and US in terms of
      sensitivity was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: US and CT have high
      diagnostic performance in evaluating thyroid cartilage invasion. US is more
      sensitive than CT in diagnosing invasion of the thyroid cartilage; however, the
      difference is not statistically significant. US can be used to solve the
      diagnostic dilemma of the presence or absence of cartilage invasion when CT is
      inconclusive, as CT is more widely used in staging laryngeal and hypopharyngeal
      cancers.

PMID- 28900523
TI  - Sonography in diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: a case-control
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Adhesive capsulitis (AC) of the shoulder has been a diagnosis of
      exclusion on sonography due to lack of specific diagnostic criteria. This study
      prospectively assesses the efficacy of sonography using multiple static and
      dynamic parameters for diagnosis of AC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Shoulder
      sonography was performed independently by two musculoskeletal radiologists on 90
      subjects (60 symptomatic and 30 controls). All symptomatic subjects were
      subjected to an MRI. Based on clinical and MRI diagnosis, three groups were made:
      AC (n = 30), painful shoulders (PS) (n = 30), and control group (CL) (n = 30).
      The sonographic parameters studied were: coracohumeral ligament (CHL) thickness,
      increased soft tissue in rotator interval (static parameters) and restriction of
      abduction and external rotation on dynamic scanning. These were compared within
      the three groups and the accuracy of each parameter in isolation and in
      combination for diagnosis of AC was calculated. RESULTS: Sonographic
      visualisation of CHL (96.7%) and its mean thickness (1.2 mm) were highest in the
      AC group (p < 0.01). A cut-off value of 0.7 mm was found to be accurate
      (sensitivity 93.1%, specificity 94.4%) for diagnosing AC. Increased soft tissue
      in the rotator interval was seen in the AC group and had a high sensitivity of
      86.2% and specificity of 92.8%. On dynamic scanning, restriction of external
      rotation was specific (sensitivity 86.2%, specificity 92.8%), whereas restriction
      in abduction was non-specific (specificity 6.7%). Inter-observer agreement was
      substantial for CHL visualisation (kappa 0.66). Overall, sonography, using
      multiple parameters, revealed a high sensitivity and specificity (100 and 87%,
      respectively) for diagnosis of AC of the shoulder. CONCLUSION: Sonography
      revealed a high accuracy for diagnosing AC of the shoulder and in differentiating
      it from other causes of painful shoulder. It, thus, has the potential to be
      adopted as a preferred imaging modality.

PMID- 28900522
TI  - Point shear wave ultrasound elastography with Esaote compared to real-time 2D
      shear wave elastography with supersonic imagine for the quantification of liver
      stiffness.
AB  - PURPOSE: Different shear wave elastography (SWE) machines able to quantify liver
      stiffness (LS) have been recently introduced by various companies. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the agreement between point SWE with Esaote MyLab
      Twice (pSWE.ESA) and 2D SWE with Aixplorer SuperSonic (2D SWE.SSI). Moreover, we
      assessed the correlation of these machines with Fibroscan in a subgroup of
      patients. METHODS: A total of 81 liver disease patients and 27 subjects without
      liver disease accessing the ultrasound lab were considered. Exclusion criteria
      were liver nodules, BMI >35, and severe comorbidities. LS was sampled from the
      same intercostal space with both pSWE.ESA and 2D SWE.SSI and values were tested
      with Lin's analysis and Bland-Altman analysis (B&A). Agreement between each SWE
      machine and Fibroscan was assessed in 26 liver disease patients with Spearman
      correlation. RESULTS: Precision and accuracy between pSWE.ESA and 2D SWE.SSI
      were, respectively, 0.839 and 0.999. B&A showed a mean of only -0.2 kPa, with no
      systematic deviation between the techniques and limits of agreement at -11.6 and
      11.3 kPa. Spearman's rho correlation versus Fibroscan was 0.849 for pSWE.ESA and
      0.878 for 2D SWE.SSI. The relationship became less strict in the higher range of
      LS (>=15.2 kPa), corresponding to cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: The overall degree of
      concordance of pSWE.ESA and 2D SWE.SSI in measuring LS resulted remarkable, also
      when compared with Fibroscan. The less strict correlation for patients with LS in
      the higher range would not affect the staging of disease as such patients are
      anyhow classified as cirrhotic.

PMID- 28900524
TI  - Distal intersection syndrome progressing to extensor pollicis longus tendon
      rupture: a case report with sonographic findings.
AB  - The purpose of this case report is to describe the value of musculoskeletal
      ultrasound (US) in diagnosing both distal intersection syndrome (DIS) and rupture
      of the extensor pollicis longus (EPL) tendon in the same patient. A 38-year-old
      female presented for evaluation of a painful bump of unknown etiology on the
      dorsolateral aspect of her non-dominant wrist. US demonstrated tenosynovitis
      distal to Lister's tubercle of the EPL and extensor carpi radialis tendon
      sheaths, consistent with DIS. Immobilization therapy was employed, during which
      time the patient suffered rupture of the EPL tendon. Follow-up US examination
      confirmed this additional diagnosis. Characteristic US findings of DIS and EPL
      tendon rupture were observed. Surgical intervention was required and the patient
      recovered without complication. Although EPL rupture is relatively common in the
      literature, DIS is rare. This is the first known case of imaging-proven DIS
      progressing to EPL tendon rupture. This case underscores the value of US as a
      widely available, cost effective, and dynamic imaging modality for evaluation of
      wrist complaints.

PMID- 28900525
TI  - A case of Legionella pneumophila evaluated with CT and ultrasound.
AB  - A 36-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department of "SS Annunziata"
      hospital in Chieti complaining of a sharp chest pain arisen some hours before
      admission. On examination, the patient looked sweaty; his vital signs showed
      tachycardia and augmented breath rate; sinus tachycardia and normal ventricular
      repolarization were observed on ECG, and no abnormalities were observed in the
      echoscan of the hearth. According to the clinical and electrocardiographic
      findings, and to previous episode of DVT in anamnesis, a thorax CT scan was
      performed in order to rule out pulmonary embolism. It showed an "area of
      parenchymal consolidation involving almost all the left lower lobe with patent
      bronchial structures"; given the patient's CURB 65 score, he was then admitted to
      the pneumology ward where empiric treatment with levofloxacin (750 mg PO once
      daily) was initiated. Thoracic ultrasound was performed using a multifrequency
      convex transducer, and the posterior left area was examined through intercostal
      approach, placing the patient in a sitting position. A subpleural patchy
      hypoechoic lesion with irregular boundaries was detected; the maximum diameter
      was 11 cm, and the multiple hyperechoic spots inside it (elsewhere defined as
      "air bronchogram") showed no Doppler signal. Given the positive result of the
      Legionella urinary antigen test, antibiotic treatment was switched to
      Levofloxacin 1000 mg PO once daily and Claritromicin 500 mg PO twice daily. After
      3 days, his clinical conditions improved dramatically. Ultrasound performed after
      5 days from the diagnosis showed decreased dimensions of the lesion previously
      identified (maximum diameter 8.25 cm) and a marked reduction of the hyperechoic
      spots in it. The patient was discharged in good clinical conditions, and both
      thorax CT scan obtained after 1 and 4 months from the diagnosis showed
      radiological resolution of the parenchymal consolidation. The key to ultrasound
      visualization of pneumonia is its contact with the pleural surface (86-98% in
      cases of CAP) and the relative loss of aeration of the portion involved by the
      infection and a concomitant increase in the fluid content. A paradigmatic US
      image for parenchymal inflammatory infiltrate has not been established yet;
      anyway, some typical findings, when combined with the clinical features, can
      confirm the diagnostic hypothesis.

PMID- 28900526
TI  - Lung US features of severe interstitial pneumonia: case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumonia is reported to account for a relatively large
      number of cases of CAP. In elderly patients in particular, the clinical
      presentation can be a severe form of diffuse interstitial pneumonia. The chest X
      ray presentation is aspecific. Lung US can show a typical pattern of diffuse
      interstitial lung syndrome; in some cases, like the present one, the association
      of multiple B lines with a coarse and thickened pleural line points to a more
      likely diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia. CASE REPORT: We present the case of
      an 87-year-old woman with severe interstitial chlamydial pneumonia, for whom lung
      US was very useful for directing diagnosis and for follow-up during therapy.
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of lung US in the diagnosis of interstitial syndrome is
      likely to improve the care of patients in whom the diagnosis is a consideration;
      it offers better characterization than a chest X-ray and is free from CT
      radiation. Furthermore, the concept of using lung US for monitoring a patient is
      one of the major innovations that has emerged from recent studies.

PMID- 28900527
TI  - Copeman nodule: a case report.
AB  - The Copeman nodule is a disease of the subcutaneous soft tissue consisting in
      subcutaneous adipose tissue herniation through the superficial muscular fascia. A
      30-year-old female patient presented with chronic left pain just above the iliac
      crest. Ultrasound examination showed subcutaneous adipose tissue herniation
      through the superficial muscular fascia with a hernia gap of 15.9 mm in diameter.
      Then the patient underwent surgery under local anesthesia with suturing of the
      hernia gap and immediate regression of chronic pain. Ultrasound can accurately
      highlight or exclude the presence of Copeman nodule and, in our view, should be
      used as first examination in patients with superficial chronic pain to the right
      or left side.

PMID- 28900528
TI  - Neonatal adrenal hemorrhage presenting as "Acute Scrotum"-looking beyond the
      obvious: a sonographic insight.
AB  - Acute swelling and discoloration of scrotum in new born can have many localized
      causes like testicular torsion, inguinal hernia, scrotal or testicular edema,
      hydrocele, or even remote causes like adrenal hemorrhage. We report a neonate of
      adrenal hemorrhage presenting clinically as acute scrotum misguiding the
      clinician to rule out a local scrotal pathology. As the local clinical
      examination is not reliable in a newborn, it definitely requires an imaging
      evaluation to establish the diagnosis. This case report emphasizes being aware of
      the clinical association of acute adrenal hemorrhage and an acute scrotum and the
      role of ultrasonography in the evaluation of the various differential diagnoses
      leading to an acute scrotum. An optimum sonographic examination helps in
      suspecting an abdominal pathology as a cause of acute scrotum and in establishing
      the specific diagnosis of adrenal hemorrhage to avoid an unnecessary surgical
      exploration.

PMID- 28900530
TI  - Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia presenting as accessory axillary breast
      tissue.

PMID- 28900529
TI  - High-resolution ultrasonography and shear-wave sonoelastography of a cystic
      radial nerve Schwannoma.
AB  - Peripheral nerve tumors are often evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI), although there are many advantages offered with high-resolution
      ultrasonography (HRUS). This case report emphasizes the value of HRUS in the
      diagnosis and management of a patient with a cystic radial nerve Schwannoma. In
      addition, information on tumor stiffness, obtained with shear-wave
      sonoelastography (SWE), is presented.

PMID- 28900531
TI  - A Pedunculated Neoplasm of the Thigh.

PMID- 28900533
TI  - Seabuckthorn Paste Protects Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice
      through Attenuation of Oxidative Stress.
AB  - Oxidative stress is one of the major mechanisms implicated in endotoxin-induced
      acute lung injury. Seabuckthorn paste (SP), a traditional Tibetan medicine with
      high content of polyphenols and remarkable antioxidant activity, is commonly used
      in treating pulmonary diseases. In the present study, the protective effects and
      possible underlying mechanisms of SP on lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced acute
      lung injury in mice were investigated. It was found that body weight loss, lung
      tissue microstructure lesions, transvascular leakage increase, malondialdehyde
      augmentation, and the reduction of superoxide dismutase and glutathione
      peroxidase levels caused by LPS challenge were all consistently relieved by SP
      treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, accumulation of nuclear factor
      erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in lung nuclei caused by SP treatment was
      observed. Our study demonstrated that SP can provide significant protection
      against LPS-induced acute lung injury through maintaining redox homeostasis, and
      its mechanism involves Nrf2 nuclear translocation and activation.

PMID- 28900532
TI  - Mitochondrial Function and Mitophagy in the Elderly: Effects of Exercise.
AB  - Aging is a natural, multifactorial and multiorganic phenomenon wherein there are
      gradual physiological and pathological changes over time. Aging has been
      associated with a decrease of autophagy capacity and mitochondrial functions,
      such as biogenesis, dynamics, and mitophagy. These processes are essential for
      the maintenance of mitochondrial structural integrity and, therefore, for cell
      life, since mitochondrial dysfunction leads to an impairment of energy metabolism
      and increased production of reactive oxygen species, which consequently trigger
      mechanisms of cellular senescence and apoptotic cell death. Moreover, reduced
      mitochondrial function can contribute to age-associated disease phenotypes in
      model organisms and humans. Literature data show beneficial effects of exercise
      on the impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics and on the decrease in
      the mitophagic capacity associated to aging. Thus, exercise could have effects on
      the major cell signaling pathways that are involved in the mitochondria quality
      and quantity control in the elderly. Although it is known that several exercise
      protocols are able to modify the activity and turnover of mitochondria, further
      studies are necessary in order to better identify the mechanisms of interaction
      between mitochondrial functions, aging, and physical activity, as well as to
      analyze possible factors influencing these processes.

PMID- 28900534
TI  - Resveratrol-Enriched Rice Attenuates UVB-ROS-Induced Skin Aging via
      Downregulation of Inflammatory Cascades.
AB  - The skin is the outermost protective barrier between the internal and external
      environments in humans. Chronic exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major
      cause of skin aging. UVB radiation penetrates the skin and induces ROS production
      that activates three major skin aging cascades: matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP-)
      1-mediated aging; MAPK-AP-1/NF-kappaB-TNF-alpha/IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2-mediated
      inflammation-induced aging; and p53-Bax-cleaved caspase-3-cytochrome C-mediated
      apoptosis-induced aging. These mechanisms are collectively responsible for the
      wrinkling and photoaging characteristic of UVB-induced skin aging. There is an
      urgent requirement for a treatment that not only controls these pathways to
      prevent skin aging but also avoids the adverse effects often encountered when
      applying bioactive compounds in concentrated doses. In this study, we
      investigated the efficacy of genetically modified normal edible rice (NR) that
      produces the antiaging compound resveratrol (R) as a treatment for skin aging.
      This resveratrol-enriched rice (RR) overcomes the drawbacks of R and enhances its
      antiaging potential by controlling the abovementioned three major pathways of
      skin aging. RR does not exhibit the toxicity of R alone and promisingly
      downregulates the pathways underlying UVB-ROS-induced skin aging. These findings
      advocate the use of RR as a nutraceutical for antiaging purposes.

PMID- 28900535
TI  - The Effects of Aerobic Exercises and 25(OH) D Supplementation on GLP1 and DPP4
      Level in Type II Diabetic Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week
      aerobic exercise and supplementation of 25(OH)D3 on GLP1 and DDP4 levels in men
      with type II diabetes. METHODS: In this semiexperimental research, among 40-60
      year-old men with type II diabetes who were referred to the diabetic center of
      Isabn-E Maryam hospital in Isfahan; of whom, 48 patients were voluntarily
      accepted and then were randomly divided into 4 groups: aerobic exercise group,
      aerobic exercise with 25(OH) D supplement group, 25(OH) D supplement group, and
      the control group. An aerobic exercise program was conducted for 8 weeks (3
      sessions/week, each session 60 to75 min with 60-80% HRmax). The supplement user
      group received 50,000 units of oral Vitamin D once weekly for 8 weeks. The GLP1,
      DPP4, and 25(OH) D levels were measured before and after the intervention. At
      last, the data were statistically analyzed using the ANCOVA and post hoc test of
      least significant difference. RESULTS: The results of ANCOVA showed a significant
      difference between the GLP1 and DPP4 levels in aerobic exercise with control
      group while these changes were not statistically significant between the 25(OH) D
      supplement group with control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Aerobic exercises
      have resulted an increase in GLP1 level and a decrease in DPP4 level. However,
      consumption of Vitamin D supplement alone did not cause any changes in GLP1and
      DPP4 levels but led to an increase in 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level.

PMID- 28900536
TI  - Construct and Criterion Validity of the PedsQLTM 4.0 Instrument (Pediatric
      Quality of Life Inventory) in Colombia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed at determining the validity of the Pediatric Quality
      of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQLTM 4.0) for the measurement of health-related
      quality of life (HRQOL) in Colombian children. METHODS: Validation study of
      measurement instruments. The PedsQLTM 4.0 was applied by convenience sampling to
      375 pairs of children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 and to their
      parents-caregivers, as well as to 125 parents-caregivers of children between the
      ages of 2 and 4 in five cities of Colombia (Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla
      and Bucaramanga). Construct validity was assessed through the use of exploratory
      and confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion validity was assessed by
      correlations between the PedsQLTM 4.0 and the KIDSCREEN-27. RESULTS: The
      instrument was applied to 375 children (ages 5-18) and 125 parents of children
      between the ages of 2 and 4. Factor analysis revealed four factors considered
      suitable for the sample in both the child and parent reports, whereas Bartlett's
      test of sphericity showed inter-correlation between variables. Scale and
      subscales showed proper indicators of internal consistency. It is recommended not
      to include or review some of the items in the Colombian version of the scale.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version for Colombia of the PedsQLTM 4.0 displays
      suitable indicators of criterion and construct validity, therefore becoming a
      valuable tool for measuring HRQOL in children in our country. Some modifications
      are recommended for the Colombian version of the scale.

PMID- 28900537
TI  - Protective Effect of Two Extracts of Cydonia oblonga Miller (Quince) Fruits on
      Gastric Ulcer Induced by Indomethacin in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In various studies, Cydonia oblonga Miller (quince) has been reported
      to have many properties such as antioxidant and anti-ulcerative effects. This
      study has aimed to investigate the protective effects of quince aqueous extract
      (QAE) and quince hydroalcoholic extract (QHE) on gastric ulcer caused by
      indomethacin and the relevant macroscopic, histopathology, and biochemical
      factors in rats. METHODS: Ten groups of male Wistar rats, six in each, were used
      in this study. These groups included: normal (distilled water), control
      (distilled water + indomethacin), reference (ranitidine or sucralfate +
      indomethacin), and test groups (QAE or QHE + indomethacin) treated with three
      increasing doses (200, 500, and 800 mg/kg). Extracts and drugs were given orally
      to rats 1 h before injecting the indomethacin (25 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Six
      hours later, the abdomen of rats was exposed, its pylorus was legated, gastric
      acid content was extracted, and its pH and the amount of pepsin secreted were
      measured by Anson method. Then, histopathology indices, ulcer area, ulcer index,
      and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured in gastric mucus. RESULTS: Both
      extracts of quince were effective to reduce the acidity of stomach and pepsin
      activity. Compared to control group, the average of enzyme activity of MPO was
      significantly declined in all treated groups. Control group had the highest level
      of gastric ulcer indices including severity, area, and index while the evaluated
      parameters had decreased in all extract treated groups although it seems that QAE
      was somewhat more effective. CONCLUSIONS: Protective effect of QAE and QHE on
      gastric ulcer was done by undermining offensive factors including decreasing the
      secretion of gastric acid and pepsin activity and by strengthening the protective
      factors of gastric mucus including antioxidant capacity.

PMID- 28900538
TI  - Corrigendum: A 4-study replication of the moderating effects of greed on
      socioeconomic status and unethical behaviour.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2016.120.].

PMID- 28900539
TI  - Probing the internal micromechanical properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      biofilms by Brillouin imaging.
AB  - Biofilms are organised aggregates of bacteria that adhere to each other or
      surfaces. The matrix of extracellular polymeric substances that holds the cells
      together provides the mechanical stability of the biofilm. In this study, we have
      applied Brillouin microscopy, a technique that is capable of measuring mechanical
      properties of specimens on a micrometre scale based on the shift in frequency of
      light incident upon a sample due to thermal fluctuations, to investigate the
      micromechanical properties of an active, live Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm.
      Using this non-contact and label-free technique, we have extracted information
      about the internal stiffness of biofilms under continuous flow. No correlation
      with colony size was found when comparing the averages of Brillouin shifts of two
      dimensional cross-sections of randomly selected colonies. However, when focusing
      on single colonies, we observed two distinct spatial patterns: in smaller
      colonies, stiffness increased towards their interior, indicating a more compact
      structure of the centre of the colony, whereas, larger (over 45 MUm) colonies
      were found to have less stiff interiors.

PMID- 28900540
TI  - Treatment of diabetic mice with the SGLT2 inhibitor TA-1887 antagonizes diabetic
      cachexia and decreases mortality.
AB  - A favorable effect of an inhibitor of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2i)
      on mortality of diabetic patients was recently reported, although mechanisms
      underlying that effect remained unclear. Here, we examine SGLT2i effects on
      survival of diabetic mice and assess factors underlying these outcomes. To
      examine SGLT2i treatment effects in a model of severe diabetes, we fed
      genetically diabetic db/db mice a high-fat diet and then assessed outcomes
      including diabetic complications between SGLT2i TA-1887-treated and control mice.
      We also compare effects of SGLT2i TA-1887 with those of lowering blood glucose
      levels via insulin treatment. Untreated db/db mice showed remarkable weight loss,
      or cachexia, while TA-1887-treated mice did not but rather continued to gain
      weight at later time points and decreased mortality. TA-1887 treatment prevented
      pancreatic beta cell death, enhanced preservation of beta cell mass and
      endogenous insulin secretion, and increased insulin sensitivity. Moreover, TA
      1887 treatment attenuated inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular
      senescence, especially in visceral white adipose tissue, and antagonized
      endothelial dysfunction. Insulin treatment of db/db mice also prevented weight
      loss and antagonized inflammation and oxidative stress. However, insulin
      treatment had less potent effects on survival and prevention of cellular
      senescence and endothelial dysfunction than did TA-1887 treatment. SGLT2i
      treatment prevents diabetic cachexia and death by preserving function of beta
      cells and insulin target organs and attenuating complications. SGLT2i treatment
      may be a promising therapeutic strategy for type 2 diabetes patients with morbid
      obesity and severe insulin resistance.

PMID- 28900541
TI  - Simultaneous silencing of ACSL4 and induction of GADD45B in hepatocellular
      carcinoma cells amplifies the synergistic therapeutic effect of aspirin and
      sorafenib.
AB  - Sorafenib is currently the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved
      molecular inhibitor for the systemic therapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC). Aspirin has been studied extensively as an anti-inflammation, cancer
      preventive and therapeutic agent. However, the potential synergistic therapeutic
      effects of sorafenib and aspirin on advanced HCC treatment have not been well
      studied. Drug combination studies and their synergy quantification were performed
      using the combination index method of Chou-Talalay. The synergistic therapeutic
      effects of sorafenib and aspirin were evaluated using an orthotopic mouse model
      of HCC and comprehensive gene profiling analyses were conducted to identify key
      factors mediating the synergistic therapeutic effects of sorafenib and aspirin.
      Sorafenib was determined to act synergistically on HCC cells with aspirin in
      vitro. Using Hep3B and HuH7 HCC cells, it was demonstrated that sorafenib and
      aspirin acted synergistically to induce apoptosis. Mechanistic studies
      demonstrated that combining sorafenib and aspirin yielded significant
      synergistically anti-tumor effects by simultaneously silencing ACSL4 and the
      induction of GADD45B expression in HCC cells both in vitro and in the orthotopic
      HCC xenograft mouse model. Importantly, clinical evidence has independently
      corroborated that survival of HCC patients expressing ACSL4highGADD45Blow was
      significantly poorer compared to patients with ACSL4lowGADD45Bhigh, thus
      demonstrating the potential clinical value of combining aspirin and sorafenib for
      HCC patients expressing ACSL4highGADD45Blow. In conclusion, sorafenib and aspirin
      provide synergistic therapeutic effects on HCC cells that are achieved through
      simultaneous silencing of ACSL4 and induction of GADD45B expression. Targeting
      HCC with ACSL4highGADD45Blow expression with aspirin and sorafenib could provide
      potential synergistic therapeutic benefits.

PMID- 28900543
TI  - Switching to Aflibercept in Diabetic Macular Edema Not Responding to Ranibizumab
      and/or Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess short-term functional and anatomical outcomes of refractory
      diabetic macular edema (DME) following a switch from ranibizumab or dexamethasone
      to aflibercept. METHODS: We included retrospectively eyes with persistent DME
      after at least 3 ranibizumab and/or one dexamethasone implant intravitreal
      injections (IVI). The primary endpoint was the mean change in visual acuity (VA)
      at month 6 (M6) after switching. RESULTS: Twenty-five eyes were included. Before
      switching to aflibercept, 23 eyes received a median of 9.5 ranibizumab, and among
      them, 6 eyes received one dexamethasone implant after ranibizumab and 2 eyes
      received only one dexamethasone implant. Baseline VA, before any IVI, was 52.9 +/
      16.5 letters, and preswitch VA was 57.1 +/- 19.6 letters. The mean VA gain was
      +8 letters (p = 0.01) between preswitch and M6. The mean central retinal
      thickness was 470.8 +/- 129.9 MUm before the switch and 303.3 +/- 59.1 MUm at M6
      (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Switching to aflibercept in refractory DME results in
      significant functional and anatomical improvement. The study was approved by the
      France Macula Federation ethical committee (FMF 2017-138).

PMID- 28900544
TI  - Effect of Spherical Aberration on the Optical Quality after Implantation of Two
      Different Aspherical Intraocular Lenses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the effect of spherical aberration on optical quality in eyes
      with two different aspherical intraocular lenses. METHODS: 120 eyes of 60
      patients underwent phacoemulsification. In patients' eyes, an aberration-free IOL
      (Aspira-aA; Human Optics) or an aberration-correcting aspherical IOL (Tecnis
      ZCB00; Abott Medical Optics) was randomly implanted. After surgery, contrast
      sensitivity and wavefront measurements as well as tilt and decentration
      measurements were performed. RESULTS: Contrast sensitivity was significantly
      higher in eyes with Aspira lens under mesopic conditions with 12 cycles per
      degree (CPD) and under photopic conditions with 18 CPD (p = 0.02). Wavefront
      measurements showed a higher total spherical aberration with a minimal pupil size
      of 4 mm in the Aspira group (0.05 +/- 0.03) than in the Tecnis group (0.03 +/-
      0.02) (p = 0.001). Strehl ratio was higher in eyes with Tecnis (0.28 +/- 0.17)
      with a minimal pupil size larger than 5 mm than that with Aspira (0.16 +/- 0.14)
      (p = 0.04). In pupils with a minimum diameter of 4 mm spherical aberration had a
      significant effect on Strehl ratio, but not in pupils with a diameter less than 4
      mm. CONCLUSIONS: Optical quality was better in eyes with the aberration
      correcting Tecnis IOL when pupils were large. In contrast, this could not be
      shown in eyes with pupils under 4 mm or larger. This trial is registered with
      Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03224728.

PMID- 28900542
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes induce differential patterns of DNA methylation that
      result in differential chromosomal gene expression patterns.
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA copy number is strictly regulated during development as naive
      cells differentiate into mature cells to ensure that specific cell types have
      sufficient copies of mitochondrial DNA to perform their specialised functions.
      Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes are defined as specific regions of mitochondrial DNA
      that cluster with other mitochondrial sequences to show the phylogenetic origins
      of maternal lineages. Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes are associated with a range of
      phenotypes and disease. To understand how mitochondrial DNA haplotypes induce
      these characteristics, we used four embryonic stem cell lines that have the same
      set of chromosomes but possess different mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. We show
      that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes influence changes in chromosomal gene
      expression and affinity for nuclear-encoded mitochondrial DNA replication factors
      to modulate mitochondrial DNA copy number, two events that act synchronously
      during differentiation. Global DNA methylation analysis showed that each
      haplotype induces distinct DNA methylation patterns, which, when modulated by DNA
      demethylation agents, resulted in skewed gene expression patterns that highlight
      the effectiveness of the new DNA methylation patterns established by each
      haplotype. The haplotypes differentially regulate alpha-ketoglutarate, a
      metabolite from the TCA cycle that modulates the TET family of proteins, which
      catalyse the transition from 5-methylcytosine, indicative of DNA methylation, to
      5-hydroxymethylcytosine, indicative of DNA demethylation. Our outcomes show that
      mitochondrial DNA haplotypes differentially modulate chromosomal gene expression
      patterns of naive and differentiating cells by establishing mitochondrial DNA
      haplotype-specific DNA methylation patterns.

PMID- 28900545
TI  - Outcomes of Laparoscopic Gastric Greater Curvature Plication in Morbidly Obese
      Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic gastric greater curvature plication (LGGCP) is a
      restrictive bariatric procedure without gastrectomy. However, limited literature
      on effectiveness of gastric plication exists. OBJECTIVES: We assessed LGGCP's
      efficacy, effects on associated comorbidities, safety and the rate of
      complications, and patient satisfaction with LGGCP's outcomes among morbidly
      obese patients. METHOD: Analysis of retrospectively data collected from medical
      records of 26 patients who had undergone LGGCP at Hamad General Hospital, Qatar,
      during 2011-2012. RESULTS: Most patients (92%) were Qatari nationals. The
      sample's mean age was 35.1 years. Mean duration of hospital stay was 3.9 +/- 1.2
      days. Mean preoperative BMI was 40.7 kg/m2 that decreased at 2 years to 34.6
      kg/m2. LGGCP's effects on comorbidities were such that 7.6% of patients
      experienced resolutions of their comorbidities. There were no mortality or
      postoperative complications that required reoperation. Six patients (23%) were
      satisfied with the LGGCP's outcomes while 10 patients (38.5%) underwent sleeve
      gastrectomy subsequently. CONCLUSION: LGGCP had acceptable short term weight loss
      results, exhibited almost no postoperative complications, and improved patients'
      comorbidities. Despite the durability of the gastric fold, some patients regained
      weight. Future research may assess the possibility of an increase in the gastric
      pouch size postplication associated with weight regain.

PMID- 28900546
TI  - Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of an Exercise-Based Patient Education Programme
      in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study.
AB  - Background. Although people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) benefit from physical
      exercise, they still show reduced physical activity and exercise behaviour. This
      study aimed to investigate short- and long-term effects of an exercise-based
      patient education programme (ePEP) that focuses on empowering pwMS to a
      sustainable and self-regulated exercise training management. Methods. Fourteen
      pwMS were randomly assigned to immediate experimental group (EG-I: n = 8) and
      waitlist-control group (EG-W: n = 6) and attended biweekly in a six-week ePEP.
      All participants were measured for walking ability, quality of life, fatigue, and
      self-efficacy towards physical exercise before and after the ePEP, after 12
      weeks, and one year after baseline. Short-term effects were analysed in a
      randomised control trial and long-term effects of all ePEP participants (EG-I +
      EG-W = EG-all) in a quasi-experimental design. Results. Only functional gait
      significantly improved in EG-I compared to EG-W (p = 0.008, r = -0.67). Moderate
      to large effects were found in EG-all for walking ability. Not significant,
      however, relevant changes were detected for quality of life and fatigue. Self
      efficacy showed no changes. Conclusion. The ePEP seems to be a feasible option to
      empower pwMS to a self-regulated and sustainable exercise training management
      shown in long-term walking improvements.

PMID- 28900547
TI  - Chagas Cardiomyopathy Presenting as Symptomatic Bradycardia: An Underappreciated
      Emerging Public Health Problem in the United States.
AB  - Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCM) is traditionally considered a disease restricted to
      areas of endemicity. However, an estimated 300,000 people living in the United
      States today have CCM, of which its majority is undiagnosed. We present a case of
      CCM acquired in an endemic area and detected in its early stage. A 42-year-old El
      Salvadoran woman presented with recurrent chest pain and syncopal episodes.
      Significant family history includes a sister in El Salvador who also began
      suffering similar episodes. Physical exam and ancillary studies were only
      remarkable for sinus bradycardia. The patient was diagnosed with symptomatic
      sinus bradycardia and a pacemaker was placed. During her hospital course, Chagas
      serology was ordered given the epidemiological context from which she came. With
      no other identifiable cause, CCM was the suspected etiology. This case highlights
      the underrecognized presence of Chagas in the United States and the economic and
      public health importance of its consideration in the etiological differential
      diagnosis of electrocardiographic changes among Latin American immigrants. While
      the United States is not considered an endemic area for Chagas disease, the
      influx of Latin American immigrants has created a new challenge to identify at
      risk populations, diagnose suspected cases, and provide adequate treatment for
      this disease.

PMID- 28900548
TI  - A Case of Female Acute Urinary Retention Presenting to the ED.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acute urinary retention is a rare occurrence in women necessitating
      further investigation. Potential underlying causes may be broadly classified into
      obstructive, neurological, pharmacological, and psychogenic categories. CASE: A
      36-year-old nulliparous female presented to the Emergency Department with a two
      day history of acute urinary retention. Point-of-care ultrasonography and CT scan
      imaging confirmed the presence of a large uterine mass causing compression of the
      bladder. The acute retention was relieved with urethral catheterization. A
      Uterine leiomyoma was confirmed on histology after hysterectomy. DISCUSSION: Once
      the acute urinary retention has been relieved by insertion of a urethral
      catheter, the underlying cause of the obstruction must be determined. Although
      uterine leiomyoma is a fairly common finding in the general population, it is an
      extremely rare cause of acute urinary retention in women with just a handful of
      reported cases in the literature.

PMID- 28900549
TI  - Myoepithelioma of the Parotid Gland: A Case Report with Review of the Literature
      and Classic Histopathology.
AB  - Myoepithelioma is a rare salivary gland neoplasm. They most commonly affect the
      major and minor salivary glands with the parotid gland being the most common,
      approximately 40%. Only 1% of all salivary gland neoplasms are myoepitheliomas.
      Myoepithelioma is usually a benign tumor arising from neoplastic myoepithelial or
      basket cells which are found between the basement membrane and the basal plasma
      membrane of acinar cells. They also contain multiple cellular elements. We
      present a case of a 73-year-old female with myoepithelioma of the parotid gland,
      an extremely rare neoplasm. There have been approximately 42 cases reported
      through 1985 and fewer than 100 cases through 1993. We will discuss the clinical
      presentation, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of such neoplasms.

PMID- 28900550
TI  - Bilateral Mesenchymal Hamartoma of the Chest Wall in a 3-Month-Old Boy: A Case
      Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall is a well-recognized but extremely rare
      entity. This entity is believed to be benign with no propensity for invasion or
      metastasis. Although the lesion manifests with alarming aggressive clinical,
      radiological, and histological features, it is considered benign and carries an
      excellent outcome. Therefore it is important to recognize this benign entity to
      avoid the possible misdiagnosis of malignancy and the unnecessary use of
      chemotherapy. We present a case of bilateral multifocal mesenchymal hamartomas of
      the chest wall in a male infant and a literature review of this entity. Our aim
      is to improve the awareness of this condition and highlight its benign behavior
      and satisfactory outcome following complete surgical resection.

PMID- 28900551
TI  - Appendicitis Caused by Primary Varicella Zoster Virus Infection in a Child with
      DiGeorge Syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chickenpox is caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV). Although
      predominantly a mild disease, it can cause considerable morbidity and in rare
      occasions even mortality in healthy children as well as increased morbidity and
      mortality in immunocompromised patients. The aetiology of appendicitis is largely
      unknown but is thought to be multifactorial. Appendicitis is a suspected, but not
      well documented, complication from varicella zoster virus infection. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A five-year-old girl diagnosed with DiGeorge syndrome and a
      prolonged primary VZV infection was admitted due to abdominal pain, increasing
      diarrhoea, vomiting, and poor general condition. She developed perforated
      appendicitis and an intraperitoneal abscess. VZV DNA was detected by PCR in two
      samples from the appendix and pus from the abdomen, respectively. The child was
      treated with acyclovir and antibiotics and the abscess was drained twice. She was
      discharged two weeks after referral with no sequela. CONCLUSION: Abdominal pain
      in children with viral infections can be a challenge, and appendicitis has to be
      considered as a complication to acute viral diseases, especially if the child is
      immunocompromised.

PMID- 28900552
TI  - Electronic Cigarette Use among Mississippi Adults, 2015.
AB  - Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered devices that deliver
      nicotine in the form of aerosol. We identify differences and associations in e
      cigarette use by sociodemographic characteristics and describe the reported
      reasons for initiating use among Mississippi adults. We used the 2015 Mississippi
      Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which collected information on e
      cigarette use from 6,035 respondents. The prevalence of current e-cigarette use
      and having ever tried an e-cigarette was determined overall and by
      sociodemographic characteristics. Weighted prevalences and 95% confidence
      intervals were calculated, and prevalences for subgroups were compared using the
      X2 tests and associations were assessed using logistic regression. In 2015, 4.7%
      of Mississippi adults currently used e-cigarettes, while 20.5% had ever tried an
      e-cigarette. The prevalence of current e-cigarette use was significantly higher
      for young adults, whites, men, individuals unable to work, those with income
      $35,000-$49,999, and current smokers compared to their counterparts. Similar
      results were observed for having ever tried an e-cigarette. E-cigarette use was
      associated with age, race, income, and smoking status. Most (71.2%) of current e
      cigarette users and over half (52.1%) of those who have ever tried e-cigarettes
      reported that a main reason for trying or using e-cigarettes was "to cut down or
      quit smoking."

PMID- 28900553
TI  - Treatment of Partial Rotator Cuff Tear with Ultrasound-guided Platelet-rich
      Plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment of symptomatic partial rotator cuff tear has presented
      substantial challenge to orthopaedic surgeons as it can vary from conservative to
      surgical repair. Researches have established the influence of platelet rich
      plasma in healing damaged tissue. Currently very few data are available regarding
      the evidence of clinical and radiological outcome of partial rotator cuff tear
      treated with ultrasound guided platelet rich plasma injection in English
      literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 patients with symptomatic partial rotator
      cuff tears were treated with ultrasound guided platelet rich plasma injection.
      Before and after the injection of platelet rich plasma scoring was done with
      visual analogue score, Constant shoulder score, and UCLA shoulder score at 8
      weeks and third month. A review ultrasound was performed 8 weeks after platelet
      rich plasma injection to assess the rotator cuff status. RESULTS: Our study
      showed statistically significant improvements in 17 patients in VAS pain score,
      constant shoulder score and UCLA shoulder score. No significant changes in ROM
      were noted when matched to the contra-lateral side (P < 0.001) at the 3 month
      follow-up. The study also showed good healing on radiological evaluation with
      ultrasonogram 8 weeks after platelet rich plasma injection. CONCLUSION:
      Ultrasound guided platelet rich plasma injection for partial rotator cuff tears
      is an effective procedure that leads to significant decrease in pain, improvement
      in shoulder functions, much cost-effective and less problematic compared to a
      surgical treatment.

PMID- 28900554
TI  - Primary Epithelioid Angiosarcoma of Lung: Radiologic and Clinicopathologic
      Correlation.
AB  - Primary pulmonary angiosarcoma is extremely rare. It is often characterized by a
      clinically indolent course and delayed diagnosis. To date, there have been <20
      cases reported. By far, little article correlates the clinical presentation, the
      imaging findings with the pathology. The authors present a case of middle-aged
      gentleman with primary pulmonary epithelioid angiosacroma which we initially
      thought as tuberculosis (TB) infection. A 60-year-old gentleman, with a history
      of 6 months on and off blood stained sputum, was admitted for an episode of
      massive hemoptysis. Urgent computed tomography (CT) bronchial arteriogram
      excluded any dilated bronchial artery. Patchy consolidation with multiple small
      centrilobular ground-glass nodules was noted at left upper lobe. The bronchoscopy
      was negative for malignancy and infection. Autoimmune workup was negative.
      Despite negative bronchoscopy, fungal, acid-fast bacilli culture and cytology,
      and anti-TB treatment were empirically given. However, his hemoptysis was
      unresolved. He was followed up with high-resolution CT after a month showed an
      enlarging left upper lobe mass surrounding by a ground glass halo. Left
      thoracotomy and left upper lobe lobectomy were performed. Epithelioid
      angiosacroma was found in histology. Radiologic and clinical-pathological
      findings were correlated in this paper.

PMID- 28900555
TI  - The Utility of Dual Energy Computed Tomography in Musculoskeletal Imaging.
AB  - The objective of this article is to review the mechanisms, advantages and
      disadvantages of dual energy computed tomography (DECT) over conventional
      tomography (CT) in musculoskeletal imaging as DECT provides additional
      information about tissue composition and artifact reduction. This provides
      clinical utility in detection of urate crystals, bone marrow edema, reduction of
      beam hardening metallic artifact, and ligament and tendon analysis.

PMID- 28900556
TI  - THE DYNAMIC LEAP AND BALANCE TEST (DLBT): A TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY STUDY.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a need for new clinical assessment tools to test dynamic
      balance during typical functional movements. Common methods for assessing dynamic
      balance, such as the Star Excursion Balance Test, which requires controlled
      movement of body segments over an unchanged base of support, may not be an
      adequate measure for testing typical functional movements that involve controlled
      movement of body segments along with a change in base of support.
      PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of
      the Dynamic Leap and Balance Test (DLBT) by assessing its test-retest
      reliability. It was hypothesized that there would be no statistically significant
      differences between testing days in time taken to complete the test. STUDY
      DESIGN: Reliability study. METHODS: Thirty healthy college aged individuals
      participated in this study. Participants performed a series of leaps in a
      prescribed sequence, unique to the DLBT test. Time required by the participants
      to complete the 20-leap task was the dependent variable. Subjects leaped back and
      forth from peripheral to central targets alternating weight bearing from one leg
      to the other. Participants landed on the central target with the tested limb and
      were required to stabilize for two seconds before leaping to the next target.
      Stability was based upon qualitative measures similar to Balance Error Scoring
      System. Each assessment was comprised of three trials and performed on two days
      with a separation of at least six days. RESULTS: Two-way mixed ANOVA was used to
      analyze the differences in time to complete the sequence between the three trial
      averages of the two testing sessions. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC3,1)
      was used to establish between session test-retest reliability of the test trial
      averages. Significance was set a priori at p <= 0.05. No significant differences
      (p > 0.05) were detected between the two testing sessions. The ICC was 0.93 with
      a 95% confidence interval from 0.84 to 0.96. CONCLUSION: This test is a cost
      effective, easy to administer and clinically relevant novel measure for assessing
      dynamic balance that has excellent test-retest reliability. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      As a new measure of dynamic balance, the DLBT has the potential to be a cost
      effective, challenging and functional tool for clinicians. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28900557
TI  - INTER- AND INTRA-RATER RELIABILITY OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES COLLECTED WITH A
      SINGLE-CAMERA MOTION ANALYSIS SYSTEM.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous reliability investigations of single-camera three
      dimensional (3D) motion analysis systems have reported mixed results. PURPOSE:
      The purpose of the current study was to determine the intra- and inter-rater
      reliability of a single-camera 3D motion analysis system for subject standing
      height, vertical jump height, and broad jump length. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental
      in vivo reliability study. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve subjects (age 20.6 +/- 4.9 years)
      from a cohort that included high school to adult athletes who participated in
      sports at a recreational or competitive level entered and completed the study.
      Performance measurements were collected by a single-camera 3D motion analysis
      system and two human testers for standard clinical techniques. Inter- and intra
      class correlation coefficients (ICC (2,k), ICC (2,1)) were determined. RESULT:
      Intra-tester and inter-tester reliability were excellent (ICC >= 0.935) for
      single-camera system measured variables. Single-camera system measurements were
      slightly more reliable than clinical measurements for intra-tester ratings (ICC
      difference 0.020) for the standing broad jump. Single-camera system measurements
      were slightly less reliable than clinical measures for both intra- and inter
      specimen standing height (mean ICC difference 0.003 and 0.043, respectively) and
      vertical jump height (mean ICC difference 0.017 and 0.036, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: The excellent reliability and previously demonstrated validity of
      the single-camera system along the anterior-posterior axis indicates that single
      camera motion analysis may be a valid surrogate for clinically accepted manual
      measurements of performance in the horizontal plane. However, this single-camera
      3D motion analysis system is likewise reliable, but inaccurate, for vertically
      oriented performance measurements. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28900558
TI  - VALIDITY OF ATHLETIC TASK PERFORMANCE MEASURES COLLECTED WITH A SINGLE-CAMERA
      MOTION ANALYSIS SYSTEM AS COMPARED TO STANDARD CLINICAL MEASUREMENTS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous investigations of single-camera 3D motion analysis camera
      systems validity have yielded mixed results for clinical applications. PURPOSE:
      The purpose of the current study was to determine the validity of a single-camera
      3D motion analysis system for subject standing height, vertical jump height, and
      broad jump length. It was hypothesized that single-camera system values would
      demonstrate high correlation to the values obtained from accepted standard
      clinical measurements. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental in vivo validation study.
      METHODS: Twelve subjects (age 20.6 +/- 4.9 years) from a cohort that included
      high school to adult athletes who participate in sports at a recreational or
      competitive level entered and completed the study. Performance measurements for
      standing height, vertical jump height, and broad jump length were measured with
      standard clinical measurements and a single-camera 3D motion system. RESULT:
      Single-camera system measurements were significantly different than clinical
      measures for standing height (p < 0.01) and vertical jump height (p < 0.01).
      There was no statistically significant difference between single-camera system
      measures and clinical measures for broad jump distance (p > 0.07). The relative
      performance of subjects was highly correlated between single-camera and clinical
      measurements (r2 > 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: Single-camera measurements lacked
      precision along the vertical axis of motion, but correlated well with clinically
      accepted measurements for standing height, broad jump length, and vertical jump
      height. The single-camera system may be capable of making accurate performance
      assessments in the horizontal plane, but should be limited to relative
      assessments along the vertical axis of motion. Additional refinement to increase
      the data reporting accuracy of the motion system along the vertical axis should
      be considered before relying on this single-camera 3D motion analysis system over
      clinical techniques to measure vertical jump and standing broad jump
      performances. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28900559
TI  - PEAK HIP MUSCLE TORQUE MEASUREMENTS ARE INFLUENCED BY SAGITTAL PLANE HIP
      POSITION.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An optimal position for strength testing of the hip musculature has
      not been identified. However, sagittal plane hip position during testing has been
      shown to influence hip external rotation strength. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The
      purpose of this study was to compare hip extension, external rotation, and
      abduction isometric torque at positions with differing degrees of hip flexion
      using a handheld dynamometer. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional laboratory study.
      METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy and physically active females participated in this
      study. Peak isometric contractions were measured with a handheld dynamometer
      secured with a non-elastic strap and then converted to torque using segment
      lengths. Hip external rotation and extension were tested at 0 degrees , 30
      degrees , and 90 degrees  of hip flexion. Hip abduction was tested at 0 degrees 
      and 30 degrees  of hip flexion and 5 degrees  of extension. Testing was
      randomized and counterbalanced. Repeated measures ANOVAs with Sidak's test for
      multiple comparisons were used for statistical analysis. Significance was set at
      p<0.05. RESULTS: Significant main effects were found for hip extension (p<0.001)
      and external rotation (p<0.027), but not for abduction (p=0.085). Pairwise
      comparisons showed significant differences between all three testing positions
      for hip extension torque (0 degrees v30 degrees  : p<0.001, 0 degrees v90 degrees
      : p<0.001, 30 degrees v90 degrees : p=0.002). Extension torque was highest in 90
      degrees  of flexion (1.43 +/- 0.50 Nm/kg*m) and lowest in 0 degrees  of flexion
      (0.83 +/- 0.30 Nm/kg*m). Comparisons of hip external rotation torque tested at 0
      degrees v90 degrees  (p=0.096) and 30 degrees v90 degrees  (p=0.080) were not
      significantly different but did have medium effect sizes. External rotation
      torque was highest in 90 degrees  of flexion (0.29 +/- 0.13 Nm/kg*m).
      CONCLUSIONS: Direct comparisons of torque values of hip extension and external
      rotation tested at different sagittal plane positions should be cautioned due to
      differences. Hip extension and external rotation should be measured in consistent
      sagittal plane positions across examiners and testing sessions. Test position
      will be dependent upon the goals of strength testing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28900560
TI  - BUILDING A BETTER GLUTEAL BRIDGE: ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF HIP MUSCLE
      ACTIVITY DURING MODIFIED SINGLE-LEG BRIDGES.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gluteal strength plays a role in injury prevention, normal gait
      patterns, eliminating pain, and enhancing athletic performance. Research shows
      high gluteal muscle activity during a single-leg bridge compared to other gluteal
      strengthening exercises; however, prior studies have primarily measured muscle
      activity with the active lower extremity starting in 90  degrees  of knee flexion
      with an extended contralateral knee. This standard position has caused reports of
      hamstring cramping, which may impede optimal gluteal strengthening.
      HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine which modified
      position for the single-leg bridge is best for preferentially activating the
      gluteus maximus and medius. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-Sectional. METHODS: Twenty-eight
      healthy males and females aged 18-30 years were tested in five different,
      randomized single-leg bridge positions. Electromyography (EMG) electrodes were
      placed on subjects' gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, rectus femoris, and biceps
      femoris of their bridge leg (i.e., dominant or kicking leg), as well as the
      rectus femoris of their contralateral leg. Subjects performed a maximal voluntary
      isometric contraction (MVIC) for each tested muscle prior to performing five
      different bridge positions in randomized order. All bridge EMG data were
      normalized to the corresponding muscle MVIC data. RESULTS: A modified bridge
      position with the knee of the bridge leg flexed to 135  degrees  versus the
      traditional 90  degrees  of knee flexion demonstrated preferential activation of
      the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius compared to the traditional single-leg
      bridge. Hamstring activation significantly decreased (p < 0.05) when the dominant
      knee was flexed to 135  degrees  (23.49% MVIC) versus the traditional 90  degrees
      (75.34% MVIC), while gluteal activation remained similarly high (51.01% and
      57.81% MVIC in the traditional position, versus 47.35% and 57.23% MVIC in the
      modified position for the gluteus maximus and medius, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Modifying the traditional single-leg bridge by flexing the active knee to 135 
      degrees  instead of 90  degrees  minimizes hamstring activity while maintaining
      high levels of gluteal activation, effectively building a bridge better suited
      for preferential gluteal activation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28900561
TI  - EFFECTS OF A BAND LOOP ON LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND KINEMATICS DURING
      THE BARBELL SQUAT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medial knee collapse can signal an underlying movement issue that, if
      uncorrected, can lead to a variety of knee injuries. Placing a band around the
      distal thigh may act as a proprioceptive aid to minimize medial collapse of the
      knee during squats; however, little is known about EMG and biomechanics in
      trained and untrained individuals during the squat with an elastic band added.
      HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of the TheraBand(r) Band Loop on
      kinematics and muscle activity of the lower extremity during a standard barbell
      back squat at different intensities in both trained and untrained individuals.
      STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, repeated measures. METHODS: Sixteen healthy, male,
      university aged-participants were split into two groups of eight, consisting of a
      trained and untrained group. Participants performed both a 3-repetition maximum
      (3-RM) and a bodyweight load squat for repetitions to failure. Lower extremity
      kinematics and surface electromyography of four muscles were measured bilaterally
      over two sessions, an unaided squat and a band session (band loop placed around
      distal thighs). Medial knee collapse, measured as a knee width index, and maximum
      muscle activity were calculated. RESULTS: During the 3-RM, squat weight was
      unaffected by band loop intervention (p = 0.486) and the trained group lifted
      more weight than the untrained group (p<0.007). The trained group had a greater
      squat depth for both squat conditions, regardless of the band (p = 0.0043). Knee
      width index was not affected by the band during the eccentric phase of bodyweight
      squats in the trained (band: 0.76 +/- 0.08, no band: 0.73 +/- 0.08) or untrained
      group (band: 0.77 +/- 0.70, no band: 0.75 +/- 0.13) (p = 0.670). During the
      concentric phase, knee width index was significantly lower for 3-RM squats,
      regardless of group. CONCLUSION: Despite minimal changes in kinematics for the
      untrained group, increased muscle activity with the band loop may suggest that a
      training aid may, over time, lead to an increase in barbell squat strength by
      increasing activation of agonist muscles more than traditional, un-banded squats.
      Greater maximal muscle activity in most muscles during band loop sessions may
      provide enhanced knee stability via increased activation of stabilizing muscles.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28900562
TI  - A Biomechanical Comparison Among Three Kinds of Rebound-Type Jumps in Female
      Collegiate Athletes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-legged drop jumps (SDJ), single-legged repetitive jumps (SRJ),
      and single-legged side hops (SSH) are often used as plyometric training and
      functional performance tests. Differences in the kinetics and kinematic
      characteristics of lower extremity joints during these jumps are unclear.
      HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the joint motion
      and mechanical work of the takeoff leg from foot contact to foot-off during SDJ,
      SRJ, and SSH in the sagittal and frontal planes in female athletes. It was
      hypothesized that the joint motion and mechanical work of the lower extremity
      joints during the SDJ and SRJ would be larger than the SSH in the sagittal plane,
      those during the SSH would be larger than the SDJ and SRJ in the frontal plane,
      and during SRJ would be larger than SDJ. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
      METHODS: Seventeen female collegiate athletes participated and performed the SDJ
      (0.15-m box height), and SRJ and SSH (by crossing two lines 0.3 m apart). Three
      dimensional coordinate data and ground reaction forces were collected. Contact
      time, jump height, jump index (i.e., the jump height divided by the contact time)
      of the SDJ and SRJ, and the total times of the SSH were calculated. Range of
      motion (ROM) from touchdown to the lowest center of mass, and the positive and
      negative (mechanical) work from touchdown to foot-off were analyzed. RESULTS:
      There were no significant differences in jump performance variables. Compared to
      the SSH, the SDJ and SRJ had significantly larger ankle and knee ROM and positive
      and negative work at the lower extremity joints, except for positive work at the
      hip joint, in the sagittal plane (p < 0.05). Compared to the SDJ and SRJ, the SSH
      had a significantly larger ankle ROM and positive work at the knee joint in the
      frontal plane (p < 0.05). Compared to the SDJ, the SRJ had a significantly larger
      ROM and negative work at each lower extremity joint in the frontal plane (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Although there were no significant differences in the jump
      performance variables, different characteristics of the takeoff leg ROM and
      mechanical work were found between three kinds of rebound-type jump tests. These
      findings may help clinicians choose jump methods to assess lower extremity
      function and to design plyometric training programs in sports and clinical
      fields. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b.

PMID- 28900563
TI  - CADAVERIC EVALUATION OF THE LATERAL-ANTERIOR DRAWER TEST FOR EXAMINING POSTERIOR
      CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INTEGRITY.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Common clinical tests often fail to identify posterior cruciate
      ligament (PCL) ruptures, leading to undetected tears and potential degenerative
      changes in the knee. The lateral-anterior drawer (LAD) test has been proposed but
      not yet evaluated regarding its effectiveness for diagnosing PCL-ruptures.
      HYPOTHESIS: The LAD will show greater tibial translation values in lateral
      anterior direction in a PCL-Cut condition compared to a PCL-Intact condition,
      thus serving as a useful test for clinical diagnosis of PCL integrity. STUDY
      DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: Threaded markers were inserted
      into the distal femur and proximal tibia in eighteen cadaveric knees. Each femur
      was stabilized and the tibia translated in lateral-anterior direction for the LAD
      test versus in a straight posterior direction for the posterior sag sign (PSS).
      Each test was repeated three times with the PCL both intact and then cut, in that
      order. During each trial, digital images were captured at start and finish
      positions for the evaluation of tibial marker displacement. Tibial marker
      translation during each trial was digitally analyzed using photography. The PSS
      values served as a reference standard. RESULTS: The LAD tibial translation was
      significantly greater (U=-3.680; p<;0.002) during the PCL-Cut (10.6+/-5.6mm)
      versus PCL-Intact (7.7+/-5.1mm) conditions. The PSS tibial translation was
      significantly greater (U=-3.724; p<0.002) during the PCL-Cut (11.0+/-5.3mm)
      versus PCL-Intact (6.4+/-3.5mm) conditions. There was no significant difference
      (t=2.029; p=0.07) in mean tibial translation in respective directions after PCL
      dissection during the LAD test (2.9+/-2.1mm) versus the PSS (4.6+/-2.8mm).
      CONCLUSION: The LAD test detected changes in cadaveric tibial translation
      corresponding with changes in PCL integrity to a degree at least as effective for
      assessing PCL integrity as the PSS. Further clinical study will be required to
      assess the utility of the LAD as a physical examination tool for diagnosing PCL
      injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 (laboratory study).

PMID- 28900564
TI  - RELATIONSHIPS AMONG COMMON VISION AND VESTIBULAR TESTS IN HEALTHY RECREATIONAL
      ATHLETES.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disruption of the visual and vestibular systems is commonly observed
      following concussion. Researchers have explored the utility of screening tools to
      identify deficits in these systems in concussed patients, but it is unclear if
      these tests are measuring similar or distinct phenomena. PURPOSE: To determine
      the relationships between common vestibular tests including the King-Devick (K-D)
      test, Sensory Organization Test (SOT), Head Shake-Sensory Organization Test (HS
      SOT), and Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) test, when administered contiguously, to
      healthy recreational athletes aged 14 to 24 years. STUDY DESIGN: This study used
      a prospective design to evaluate relationships between the K-D, SOT, HS-SOT, and
      DVA tests in 60 healthy individuals. METHODS: Sixty participants (30 males, 30
      females; mean age, 19.9 +/- 3.74 years) completed the four tests in a single
      testing session. RESULTS: Results did not support a relationship between any pair
      of the K-D, SOT, HS-SOT, and DVA tests. Pearson correlations between tests were
      poor, ranging from 0.14 to 0.20. As expected the relationship between condition 2
      of the SOT and HS-SOT fixed was strong (ICC=0.81) as well as condition 5 of the
      SOT with HS-SOT sway (ICC=0.78). The test-retest reliability of all 4 tests was
      evaluated to ensure the relationships of the 4 tests were consistent between test
      trials and reliability was excellent with intraclass correlations ranging from
      0.79 to 0.97. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of relationships in these tests is clinically
      important because it suggests that the tests evaluate different aspects of visual
      and vestibular function. Further, these results suggest that a comprehensive
      assessment of visual and vestibular deficits following concussion may require a
      multifaceted approach. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b: Individual Cohort Study.

PMID- 28900565
TI  - COMPARISON OF A HEAD MOUNTED IMPACT MEASUREMENT DEVICE TO THE HYBRID III
      ANTHROPOMORPHIC TESTING DEVICE IN A CONTROLLED LABORATORY SETTING.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reports estimate that 1.6 to 3.8 million cases of concussion occur in
      sports and recreation each year in the United States. Despite continued efforts
      to reduce the occurrence of concussion, the rate of diagnosis continues to
      increase. The mechanisms of concussion are thought to involve linear and
      rotational head accelerations and velocities. One method of quantifying the
      kinematics experienced during sport participation is to place measurement devices
      into the athlete's helmet or directly on the athlete's head. PURPOSE: The purpose
      of this research to determine the accuracy of a head mounted device for measuring
      the head accelerations experienced by the wearer. This will be accomplished by
      identifying the error in Peak Linear Acceleration (PLA), Peak Rotational
      Acceleration (PRA) and Peak Rotational Velocity (PRV) of the device. STUDY
      DESIGN: Laboratory study. METHODS: A helmeted Hybrid III 50th percentile male
      headform was impacted via a pneumatic ram from the front, side, rear, front
      oblique and rear oblique at speeds from 1.5 to 5 m/s. The X2 Biosystems xPatch(r)
      (Seattle, WA) sensor was placed on the headform's right side at the approximate
      location of the mastoid process. Measures of PLA, PRA, PRV from the xPatch (r)
      and Hybrid III were analyzed for Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Absolute and
      Relative Error (AE, RE). RESULT: Seventy-six impacts were analyzed. All measures
      of correlation, fixed through the origin, were found to be strong: PLA R2=0.967
      p<0.01, PRA R2=0.933 p<0.01, PRV R2=0.999 p<0.00. PLA RMSE was 34%, RE 31.0%+/
      14.0, and AE 31.1%+/-13.7. PRA RMSE was 23.4%, RE -6.7 +/- 22.4 and AE 18.9%+/
      13.8. PRV RMSE was 2.2%, RE 0.1 +/- 2.2, and AE 1.8 +/- 1.3. CONCLUSION: Without
      including corrections for effect of skin artifact, the xPatch(r) produces
      measurements highly correlated with the gold standard yet above the average error
      of testing devices in both PLA and PRA, but a low error in PRV. PLA measures from
      the xPatch(r) system demonstrated a high level of correlation with the PLA data
      from the Hybrid III mounted data collection system. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28900566
TI  - TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS ELASTICITY DURING VARIOUS EXERCISES: A SHEAR WAVE
      ULTRASOUND ELASTOGRAPHY STUDY.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the transversus abdominis (TrA) is considered to play a
      significant role in maintaining trunk stability, there is little information
      regarding the type of exercise that best facilitates the development of tension
      in the TrA. Muscle elasticity shows a strong association with muscle tension.
      Shear wave ultrasound elastography provides a means by which the tension of TrA
      can be noninvasively estimated, by quantifying it's elasticity. PURPOSE: The
      purpose of this study was to examine the TrA elasticity during several exercises
      as measured by shear wave ultrasound elastography, and to determine which of the
      studied exercises demonstrated the greatest tension. METHODS: Ten healthy men
      performed abdominal hollowing, abdominal bracing, a hanging deadlift, elbow-toe
      plank with contralateral arm and leg lift, and back bridge with single leg lift.
      During these exercises, TrA elasticity was measured using ultrasound
      elastography. The same measurements were performed at rest before and after these
      exercises. RESULT: No significant difference was found for rest conditions
      measured before and after the exercises (p = 0.63). Abdominal bracing showed a
      significantly higher elasticity value than the other exercises (p < 0.05), except
      for hanging deadlift. CONCLUSION: Among the exercises, abdominal bracing was the
      exercise that elevated the TrA tension the most. The present results also
      suggested that hanging deadlift also produced comparably high TrA tension with
      abdominal bracing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2c.

PMID- 28900567
TI  - THE COMPARISON OF THE LUMBAR MULTIFIDUS MUSCLES FUNCTION BETWEEN GYMNASTIC
      ATHLETES WITH SWAY-BACK POSTURE AND NORMAL POSTURE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of sway back posture (SBP) is very high among elite
      gymnasts. This posture may be partly due to the improper function of lumbar
      multifidus muscles (LMM) as lumbar stabilizers muscles. PURPOSE: The aim of this
      study was to compare the thicknesses of LMM measured at rest and during the
      contraction elicited during an arm lift between elite gymnasts with SBP and
      normal posture. STUDY DESIGN: Observational, descriptive, comparative. METHODS:
      The participants consist of twenty gymnasts between the ages of 17 and 30 who had
      trained in gymnastics for more than ten years. They were assigned to two groups:
      SBP (n=10) and control (n=10). Posture analysis with grid paper and plumb line
      was performed for all subjects. The thickness of LMM on dominant side of spinal
      column was measured by a real-time ultrasound at five lumbar levels. The
      thickness of the LMM was measured both at rest and during the contraction
      elicited during an arm lift. The variation between the LMM thickness between the
      muscle at rest and muscle at the peak of contraction was regarded as LMM muscle
      function. RESULT: The thickness of LMM was less in SBP group than the control
      group at all lumbar segments. The variation in LMM thickness between the state of
      rest and muscle contraction was significantly less in athletes with SBP than
      controls when compared at all levels of the lumbar spine (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      The function of LMM may be disturbed in athletes with SBP as demonstrated by
      decreased thicknesses of LMM found in gymnasts with SBP. Additionally, the
      thickness of the LMM as a strong antigravity and stabilizing muscle group was
      decreased during arm raising in gymnasts with SBP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3a.

PMID- 28900568
TI  - CAN RUNNERS PERCEIVE CHANGES IN HEEL CUSHIONING AS THE SHOE AGES WITH INCREASED
      MILEAGE?
AB  - BACKGROUND: For those runners who utilize footwear and have a rearfoot strike
      pattern, the durability of the midsole heel region has been shown to deteriorate
      as shoe mileage increases. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was threefold: 1)
      to determine if the runner can self-report changes in heel cushioning properties
      of the midsole after an extended period of distance running, 2) to determine if
      force and plantar pressures measured in the heel region of the midsole using a
      capacitance sensor insole change after running 640 km, and 3) to determine if a
      durometer could be used clinically to objectively measure changes in the hardness
      of the material in the heel region of the midsole. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional
      Study. METHODS: Fifteen recreational runners voluntarily consented to participate
      and were provided with a new pair of running shoes. Each participant's running
      style was observed and classified as having a rearfoot strike pattern. Inclusion
      criteria included running at least 24 km per week, experience running on a
      treadmill, no history of lower extremity congenital or traumatic deformity, or
      acute injury six months prior to the start of the study. The ability of each
      participant to self-perceive changes in shoe cushioning, comfort and fit was
      assessed using the Footwear Comfort Assessment Tool (FCAT). In-shoe plantar
      pressures and vertical forces were assessed using a capacitance sensor insole
      while runners ran over a 42-meter indoor runway. A Shore A durometer was used to
      measure the hardness of the midsole in the heel region. All measures were
      completed at baseline (zero km) and after running 160, 320, 480, and 640 km. In
      addition to descriptive statistics, a repeated measures analysis of variance was
      used to determine if the FCAT, pressures, forces, or midsole hardness changed
      because of increased running mileage. RESULT: While plantar pressures and
      vertical forces were significantly reduced in the midsole heel region, none of
      the runners self-reported a significant reduction in heel cushioning based on
      FCAT scores after running 640 km. The use of a durometer provided an objective
      measure of the changes in the heel region of the midsole that closely matched the
      reductions observed in pressure and force values. CONCLUSION: The results
      indicated that runners who have a rearfoot strike pattern will have a 16% to 33%
      reduction in the amount of cushioning in the heel region of the midsole after
      running 480 km. Although there were significant reductions in heel cushioning,
      the experienced recreational runners in this study were not able to self-perceive
      these changes after running 640 km. In addition, the use of a durometer provides
      a quick and accurate way to assess changes in the hardness of the heel region of
      the midsole as running mileage increases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3, Controlled
      laboratory study.

PMID- 28900569
TI  - THERE ARE NO BIOMECHANICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RUNNERS CLASSIFIED BY THE
      FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREEN.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Running has been one of the main choices of physical activity in
      people seeking an active lifestyle. The Functional Movement Screen (FMSTM) is a
      screening tool that aims to discern movement competency. PURPOSE: The purposes of
      this study were to compare biomechanical characteristics between two groups rated
      using the composite FMSTM score, and to analyze the influence of specific
      individual tests. The hypothesis was that the group that scored above 14 would
      demonstrate better performance on biomechanical tests than the group that scored
      below 14. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-Sectional Study. METHODS: Runners were screened
      using the FMSTM and were dichotomized into groups based on final score:
      Functional, where the subjects scored a 14 or greater (G>=14, n = 16) and
      dysfunctional, when the subjects scored less than 14 (G < 14, n = 16). All
      runners were evaluated using measures for flexibility, postural balance, muscle
      strength, knee dynamic valgus during forward step down test and time for the
      electromyographic response of the transversus abdominis and fibularis longus
      muscles. All data were analyzed with SPSS (p <= 0.05) and the index of asymmetry
      (IS) was calculated with the mean score of nondominant limb divided by the mean
      score of the dominant limb, multiplied by 100. RESULTS: There were no
      statistically significant differences in flexibility, muscle strength, knee
      dynamic valgus, or myoelectric response time of the transversus abdominis and
      long fibular muscles. Index of asymmetry (IS) of global stability was 3.26 +/-
      26.79% in G>=14 and 31.72 +/- 52.69% in G<14 (p = 0.02). In-line lunge and active
      straight-leg raise tests showed no significant difference between the groups (p >
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there were no biomechanical differences between the
      groups of runners as classified by the FMSTM. In addition, in-line lunge and
      active strength-leg raise tests did not influence on the FMSTM final score. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28900570
TI  - RUNNING INJURY DEVELOPMENT: THE ATTITUDES OF MIDDLE- AND LONG-DISTANCE RUNNERS
      AND THEIR COACHES.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Behavioral science methods have rarely been used in running injury
      research. Therefore, the attitudes amongst runners and their coaches regarding
      factors leading to running injuries warrants formal investigation. PURPOSE: To
      investigate the attitudes of middle- and long-distance runners able to compete in
      national championships and their coaches about factors associated with running
      injury development. METHODS: A link to an online survey was distributed to middle
      and long-distance runners and their coaches across 25 Danish Athletics Clubs.
      The main research question was: "Which factors do you believe influence the risk
      of running injuries?". In response to this question, the athletes and coaches had
      to click "Yes" or "No" to 19 predefined factors. In addition, they had the
      possibility to submit a free-text response. RESULTS: A total of 68 athletes and
      19 coaches were included in the study. A majority of the athletes (76% [95%CI:
      66%; 86%]) and coaches (79% [95%CI: 61%; 97%]) reported "Ignoring pain" as a risk
      factor for running injury. A majority of the coaches reported "Reduced muscle
      strength" (79% [95%CI: 61%; 97%]) and "high running distance" (74% [95%CI: 54%;
      94%]) to be associated with injury, while half of the runners found "insufficient
      recovery between running sessions" (53% [95%CI: 47%; 71%]) important. CONCLUSION:
      Runners and their coaches emphasize ignoring pain as a factor associated with
      injury development. The question remains how much running, if any at all, runners
      having slight symptoms or mild pain, are able to tolerate before these symptoms
      develop into a running-related injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b.

PMID- 28900571
TI  - CAVITATION SOUNDS DURING CERVICOTHORACIC SPINAL MANIPULATION.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No study has previously investigated the side, duration or number of
      audible cavitation sounds during high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust
      manipulation to the cervicothoracic spine. PURPOSE: The primary purpose was to
      determine which side of the spine cavitates during cervicothoracic junction (CTJ)
      HVLA thrust manipulation. Secondary aims were to calculate the average number of
      cavitations, the duration of cervicothoracic thrust manipulation, and the
      duration of a single cavitation. STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study. METHODS:
      Thirty-two patients with upper trapezius myalgia received two cervicothoracic
      HVLA thrust manipulations targeting the right and left T1-2 articulation,
      respectively. Two high sampling rate accelerometers were secured bilaterally 25
      mm lateral to midline of the T1-2 interspace. For each manipulation, two audio
      signals were extracted using Short-Time Fourier Transformation (STFT) and
      singularly processed via spectrogram calculation in order to evaluate the
      frequency content and number of instantaneous energy bursts of both signals over
      time for each side of the CTJ. RESULT: Unilateral cavitation sounds were detected
      in 53 (91.4%) of 58 cervicothoracic HVLA thrust manipulations and bilateral
      cavitation sounds were detected in just five (8.6%) of the 58 thrust
      manipulations; that is, cavitation was significantly (p<0.001) more likely to
      occur unilaterally than bilaterally. In addition, cavitation was significantly
      (p<0.0001) more likely to occur on the side contralateral to the clinician's
      short-lever applicator. The mean number of audible cavitations per manipulation
      was 4.35 (95% CI 2.88, 5.76). The mean duration of a single manipulation was
      60.77 ms (95% CI 28.25, 97.42) and the mean duration of a single audible
      cavitation was 4.13 ms (95% CI 0.82, 7.46). In addition to single-peak and multi
      peak energy bursts, spectrogram analysis also demonstrated high frequency sounds,
      low frequency sounds, and sounds of multiple frequencies for all 58
      manipulations. DISCUSSION: Cavitation was significantly more likely to occur
      unilaterally, and on the side contralateral to the short-lever applicator
      contact, during cervicothoracic HVLA thrust manipulation. Clinicians should
      expect multiple cavitation sounds when performing HVLA thrust manipulation to the
      CTJ. Due to the presence of multi-peak energy bursts and sounds of multiple
      frequencies, the cavitation hypothesis (i.e. intra-articular gas bubble collapse)
      alone appears unable to explain all of the audible sounds during HVLA thrust
      manipulation, and the possibility remains that several phenomena may be occurring
      simultaneously. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

PMID- 28900572
TI  - RETURN TO RUNNING FOLLOWING A KNEE DISARTICULATION AMPUTATION: A CASE REPORT.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The evolution of running-specific prostheses has
      empowered athletes with lower extremity amputations to run farther and faster
      than previously thought possible; but running with proper mechanics is still
      paramount to an injury-free, active lifestyle. The purpose of this case report
      was to describe the successful alteration of intact limb mechanics from a
      Rearfoot Striking (RFS) to a Non-Rearfoot Striking (NRFS) pattern in an
      individual with a knee disarticulation amputation, the associated reduction in
      Average Vertical Loading Rate (AVLR), and the improvement in functional
      performance following the intervention. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 30 year-old male with
      a traumatic right knee disarticulation amputation reported complaints of residual
      limb pain with running distances greater than 5 km, limiting his ability to train
      toward his goal of participating in triathlons. Qualitative assessment of his
      running mechanics revealed a RFS pattern with his intact limb and a NRFS pattern
      with his prosthetic limb. A full body kinematic and kinetic running analysis
      using 3D motion capture and force plates was performed. The average intact limb
      loading rate was four-times greater (112 body weights/s) than in his prosthetic
      limb which predisposed him to possible injury. He underwent a three week running
      intervention with a certified running specialist to learn a NRFS pattern with his
      intact limb. OUTCOMES: Immediately following the running intervention, he was
      able to run distances of over 10 km without pain. On a two-mile fitness test, he
      decreased his run time from 19:54 min to 15:14 min. Additionally, the intact limb
      loading rate was dramatically reduced to 27 body weights/s, nearly identical to
      the prosthetic limb (24 body weights/s). DISCUSSION: This case report outlines a
      detailed return to run program that targets proprioceptive and neuromuscular
      components, injury prevention, and specificity of training strategies. The
      outcomes of this case report are promising as they may spur additional research
      toward understanding how to eliminate potential injury risk factors associated
      with running after limb loss. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28900573
TI  - THE EFFECTS OF A MULTIMODAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM ON PAIN, KINESIOPHOBIA AND
      FUNCTION IN A RUNNER WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multimodal interventions possess the strongest evidence
      in the long-term management of patellofemoral pain, but despite receiving
      evidence-based treatments that are initially effective many patients report
      recurrent or persistent symptoms for years after the initial diagnosis. Untreated
      psychological factors could be a possible explanation for persistent symptoms and
      poor treatment outcome. The purpose of this case report was to describe and
      evaluate the effects of a multimodal rehabilitation program that included pain
      education, a graded program of lower limb strengthening, and running retraining
      on pain, kinesiophobia, and function in a runner with patellofemoral pain. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: The subject was a 37-year-old female runner reporting a 12-month
      history of anterior knee pain with previous failed physiotherapeutic treatment.
      She discontinued running when symptoms gradually worsened, approximately six
      months after initial onset. She was advised to avoid painful activities. Clinical
      examination revealed pain during the performance of a weight-bearing functional
      task, fear of movement, and functional limitations. Treatment focused on pain
      education, self-management strategies, and progressive loading of the involved
      tissues through a graduated program of exercises and running retraining.
      OUTCOMES: Clinically meaningful improvements were seen in pain, kinesiophobia,
      and function following a 21-week multimodal rehabilitation program. DISCUSSION:
      This case report illustrates several important aspects of clinical reasoning
      contributing to successful outcomes for a runner with patellofemoral pain. The
      multimodal rehabilitation program utilized was based upon the neurophysiology of
      pain (pain education) rather than the tissue pathology model. The findings from
      this case report may be used to benefit clinicians with similar subject
      presentations and drive future research into the use of these interventions based
      upon neurophysiology models of pain in the treatment of patellofemoral pain.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

PMID- 28900574
TI  - A FOUR-PHASE PHYSICAL THERAPY REGIMEN FOR RETURNING ATHLETES TO SPORT FOLLOWING
      HIP ARTHROSCOPY FOR FEMOROACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT WITH ROUTINE CAPSULAR CLOSURE.
AB  - : Hip preservation surgery has become more common over the past decade and is now
      a preferred treatment modality for an increasingly diverse array of pathology in
      the young, active patient with hip pain. In particular, hip arthroscopy has
      become an increasingly popular treatment choice for active patients diagnosed
      with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Appropriate postoperative rehabilitation
      is critical for overall patient success and optimal long-term outcome. As
      surgical techniques continue to evolve, rehabilitation protocols must adapt to
      accommodate changes in the surgical procedure and ultimately provide the safest
      and fastest recovery of function for the patient. One such surgical modification
      has been the incorporation of routine capsular closure as part of the treatment
      of FAI in the young, active patient. The purpose of this clinical commentary is
      to present a four-phase rehabilitation protocol for returning to sport following
      arthroscopic correction of FAI with routine capsular closure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      5.

PMID- 28900575
TI  - ENERGY SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND LOAD MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE REHABILITATION AND
      RETURN TO PLAY PROCESS.
AB  - : Return-to-play from injury is a complex process involving many factors
      including the balancing of tissue healing rates with the development of biomotor
      abilities. This process requires interprofessional cooperation to ensure success.
      An often-overlooked aspect of return-to-play is the development and maintenance
      of sports specific conditioning while monitoring training load to ensure that the
      athlete's training stimulus over the rehabilitation period is appropriate to
      facilitate a successful return to play. The purpose of this clinical commentary
      is to address the role of energy systems training as part of the return-to-play
      process. Additionally the aim is to provide practitioners with an overview of
      practical sports conditioning training methods and monitoring strategies to allow
      them to direct and quantify the return-to-play process. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 28900576
TI  - Comparison of Saccadic Vector Optokinetic Perimetry and Standard Automated
      Perimetry in Glaucoma. Part I: Threshold Values and Repeatability.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated threshold saccadic vector optokinetic perimetry (SVOP) and
      compared results to standard automated perimetry (SAP). METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was done including 162 subjects (103 with glaucoma and 59 healthy
      subjects) recruited at a university hospital. All subjects underwent SAP and
      threshold SVOP. SVOP uses an eye tracker to monitor eye movement responses to
      stimuli and determines if stimuli have been perceived based on the vector of the
      gaze response. The test pattern used was equivalent to SAP 24-2 and stimuli were
      presented at Goldmann III. Average and pointwise sensitivity values obtained from
      both tests were compared using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Two versions of
      SVOP were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 124 tests were performed with SAP and
      SVOP version 2. There was excellent agreement between mean threshold values
      obtained using SVOP and SAP (r = 0.95, P < 0.001). Excluding the blind spot,
      correlation between SVOP and SAP individual test point sensitivity ranged from
      0.61 to 0.90, with 48 of 54 (89%) test points > 0.70. Overall SVOP showed good
      repeatability with a Pearson correlation of 0.88. The repeatability on a point-by
      point basis ranged from 0.66 to 0.98, with 45 of 54 points (83%) > 0.80.
      Repeatability of SAP was 0.87, ranging from 0.69 to 0.96, with 47 of 54 (87%)
      points > 0.80. CONCLUSION: Eye-tracking perimetry is repeatable and compares well
      with the current gold standard of SAP. The technique has advantages over
      conventional perimetry and could be useful for evaluating glaucomatous visual
      field loss, particularly in patients who may struggle with conventional
      perimetry. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: Suprathreshold SVOP already is in the field.
      To our knowledge, this is the first report of threshold SVOP and provides a
      benchmark for future iterations.

PMID- 28900577
TI  - Comparison of Threshold Saccadic Vector Optokinetic Perimetry (SVOP) and Standard
      Automated Perimetry (SAP) in Glaucoma. Part II: Patterns of Visual Field Loss and
      Acceptability.
AB  - PURPOSE: We compared patterns of visual field loss detected by standard automated
      perimetry (SAP) to saccadic vector optokinetic perimetry (SVOP) and examined
      patient perceptions of each test. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done of 58
      healthy subjects and 103 with glaucoma who were tested using SAP and two versions
      of SVOP (v1 and v2). Visual fields from both devices were categorized by masked
      graders as: 0, normal; 1, paracentral defect; 2, nasal step; 3, arcuate defect;
      4, altitudinal; 5, biarcuate; and 6, end-stage field loss. SVOP and SAP
      classifications were cross-tabulated. Subjects completed a questionnaire on their
      opinions of each test. RESULTS: We analyzed 142 (v1) and 111 (v2) SVOP and SAP
      test pairs. SVOP v2 had a sensitivity of 97.7% and specificity of 77.9% for
      identifying normal versus abnormal visual fields. SAP and SVOP v2 classifications
      showed complete agreement in 54% of glaucoma patients, with a further 23%
      disagreeing by one category. On repeat testing, 86% of SVOP v2 classifications
      agreed with the previous test, compared to 91% of SAP classifications; 71% of
      subjects preferred SVOP compared to 20% who preferred SAP. CONCLUSIONS: Eye
      tracking perimetry can be used to obtain threshold visual field sensitivity
      values in patients with glaucoma and produce maps of visual field defects, with
      patterns exhibiting close agreement to SAP. Patients preferred eye-tracking
      perimetry compared to SAP. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: This first report of
      threshold eye tracking perimetry shows good agreement with conventional automated
      perimetry and provides a benchmark for future iterations.

PMID- 28900578
TI  - Restoration of Cone Photoreceptor Function in Retinitis Pigmentosa.

PMID- 28900579
TI  - Factors Inhibiting Physical Activity as Treatment for Diabetic Chuukese in Chuuk
      and Hawai'i.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes is epidemic in the US Pacific. Developing culturally sensitive
      physical activities and anti-sedentary interventions may reduce morbidity and
      mortality associated with type 2 diabetes. The purpose of the study was to
      identify sedentary and physical activity factors related to diabetes prevention
      and control among Chuukese living in Chuuk and Hawai'i. This study utilized
      grounded theory to identify socio-cultural influences that hinder or facilitate
      adherence to physical activity recommendations. Data was gathered through focus
      group discussions with individuals with diabetes and their caretakers. Findings
      include in-depth and detailed information on five different types of sedentary
      behaviors (purposeful sitting, lazy sitting, wasting time, resting and recreation
      sitting, and no-can move) and environmental factors that influenced participants'
      sedentary behaviors and physical activity. These findings underscore the need for
      physical activity and anti-sedentary interventions that are purposeful,
      collectivistic, age and gender appropriate and church based.

PMID- 28900581
TI  - Medical School Hotline: Connecting with Patients through Humanism and Humility.

PMID- 28900580
TI  - A Case Report of a Left Atrial Mass: The Importance of a Detailed Physical Exam.
AB  - Cardiac myxomas are rare clinical findings. They are frequently found in the left
      atrium and more commonly affect women. Clinical presentation can vary widely and
      symptoms can be vague and non-specific. We present a case of a 67-year-old woman
      presenting with 3 weeks of progressive heart failure symptoms that failed to
      respond to oral diuretic therapy. On physical exam, she was found to have a
      diastolic murmur, rumble and an early diastolic plop. Transthoracic
      echocardiogram revealed a 5.6 cm * 2.5 cm * 4.3 cm left atrial mass attached to
      the mitral valve causing left atrial outflow obstruction. The patient
      subsequently underwent surgical resection of the mass with resolution of symptoms
      immediately thereafter. Lack of recognition of this pathologic process as a cause
      of heart failure symptoms and lack of a quality physical exam can lead to a delay
      in diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 28900582
TI  - Insights in Public Health: Improving Reproductive Life Planning in Hawai'i: One
      Key Question(r).

PMID- 28900583
TI  - The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy Scripts: Precision Medicine Through the
      Use of Pharmacogenomics: Current Status and Barriers to Implementation.
AB  - The precision medicine initiative brought forth by President Barack Obama in 2015
      is an important step on the journey to truly personalized medicine. A broad
      knowledge and understanding of the implications of the pharmacogenomic literature
      will be critical to the achievement of this goal. While a great amount of data
      has been published in the areas of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, there
      are still relatively few instances in which the need for clinical intervention
      can be stated without doubt, and which are widely accepted and practiced by the
      medical community. As our knowledge base rapidly expands, issues such as
      insurance reimbursement for genetic testing and education of the health care
      workforce will be paramount to achieving the goal of precision medicine for all
      patients.

PMID- 28900584
TI  - Gold Humanism Honor Society Application Essay - On Humanist Medicine.

PMID- 28900586
TI  - Correction: Biochemistry in Endeavor Adventure Racers Study (BEARS).
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.1024.].

PMID- 28900587
TI  - Prevalence and Predictors of Depression Amongst Hypertensive Individuals in
      Karachi, Pakistan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While studies evaluating the prevalence of depression and hypertension
      have been extensively carried out in high income countries, there is a paucity of
      information assessing the prevalence of depression within hypertensive patients
      in low income nations. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the
      prevalence of undiagnosed depression in hypertensive patients within a tertiary
      care facility in Karachi, Pakistan. The secondary objective was to assess factors
      associated with undiagnosed depression in this group. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      study was conducted at the Civil Hospital Karachi Outpatient Department from
      January 2017 to April 2017. The sample population was composed of 411
      hypertensive patients. Interviews were conducted after taking informed consent,
      with data concerning basic demographic details and lifestyle habits gathered.
      Blood pressure was recorded and its severity was classified as per the Joint
      National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High
      Blood Pressure (JNC-7) guidelines. Depression was evaluated and its severity
      classified as per the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale, with a score
      of 10 or above set as the cut-off point. Data were entered and analyzed using the
      IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 23.0. (IBM, NY, USA). RESULTS:
      The prevalence of depression within 411 hypertensive patients was 40.1% (n =
      165). The mean age of the sample was 45.7 +/- 11.2 years, and the majority were
      females (72%, n = 295), unemployed (72%, n = 296), had primary or no education
      (67%, n = 277), and were of low socioeconomic status (78%, n = 321). The average
      systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 143.8 +/- 21.7 and 93.3 +/- 15.5 mm
      Hg, respectively. Factors which had a significant association with depression
      were gender (p = 0.009), age class (p = 0.035), educational status (p = 0.000),
      employment status (p = 0.003), socioeconomic status (p = 0.008), physical
      activity (p = 0.025), smoking (p = 0.017), and family history of hypertension (p
      = 0.022). CONCLUSION: With such a high prevalence rate of undiagnosed depression
      within hypertensive patients, it is pertinent to establish screening programs for
      early detection and community programs to raise awareness regarding long-term
      complications of untreated depression.

PMID- 28900588
TI  - Correction: Hydration Status as a Predictor of High-altitude Mountaineering
      Performance.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.918.].

PMID- 28900589
TI  - The use of a genetically encoded molecular crowding sensor in various biological
      phenomena.
AB  - We evaluated usability of a previously developed genetically encoded molecular
      crowding sensor in various biological phenomena. Molecular crowding refers to
      intracellular regions that are occupied more by proteins and nucleotides than by
      water molecules and is thought to have a strong effect on protein function. To
      evaluate intracellular molecular crowding, usually the diffusion coefficient of a
      probe is used because it is related to mobility of the surrounding molecular
      crowding agents. Recently, genetically encoded molecular crowding sensors based
      on Forster resonance energy transfer were reported. In the present study, to
      evaluate the usability of a genetically encoded molecular crowding sensor,
      molecular crowding was monitored during several biological events. Changes in
      molecular crowding during stem cell differentiation, cell division, and focal
      adhesion development and difference in molecular crowding in filopodia locations
      were examined. The results show usefulness of the genetically encoded molecular
      crowding sensor for understanding the biological phenomena relating to molecular
      crowding.

PMID- 28900590
TI  - High-speed atomic force microscopy imaging of live mammalian cells.
AB  - Direct imaging of morphological dynamics of live mammalian cells with nanometer
      resolution under physiological conditions is highly expected, but yet
      challenging. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is a unique technique
      for capturing biomolecules at work under near physiological conditions. However,
      application of HS-AFM for imaging of live mammalian cells was hard to be
      accomplished because of collision between a huge mammalian cell and a cantilever
      during AFM scanning. Here, we review our recent improvements of HS-AFM for
      imaging of activities of live mammalian cells without significant damage to the
      cell. The improvement of an extremely long (~3 MUm) AFM tip attached to a
      cantilever enables us to reduce severe damage to soft mammalian cells. In
      addition, a combination of HS-AFM with simple fluorescence microscopy allows us
      to quickly locate the cell in the AFM scanning area. After these improvements, we
      demonstrate that developed HS-AFM for live mammalian cells is possible to image
      morphogenesis of filopodia, membrane ruffles, pits open-close formations, and
      endocytosis in COS-7, HeLa cells as well as hippocampal neurons.

PMID- 28900591
TI  - Comprehensive Raman study of epitaxial silicene-related phases on Ag(111).
AB  - The investigation of the vibrational properties of epitaxial silicene and two
      dimensional (2D) Si structures on the silver(111) surface aims for a better
      understanding of the structural differences and of the simplification of the
      seemingly complex phase diagrams reported over the last years. The spectral
      signatures of the main silicene phases epitaxially grown on Ag(111) were obtained
      using in situ Raman spectroscopy. Due to the obvious 2D nature of various
      epitaxial silicene structures, their fingerprints consist of similar sets of
      Raman modes. The reduced phase diagram also includes other Si phases, such as
      amorphous and crystalline silicon, which emerge on the Ag surface at low and high
      preparation temperatures, respectively. The Raman signatures obtained along with
      their interpretations provide the referential basis for further studies and for
      potential applications of epitaxial silicene.

PMID- 28900592
TI  - Micro- and nano-surface structures based on vapor-deposited polymers.
AB  - Vapor-deposition processes and the resulting thin polymer films provide
      consistent coatings that decouple the underlying substrate surface properties and
      can be applied for surface modification regardless of the substrate material and
      geometry. Here, various ways to structure these vapor-deposited polymer thin
      films are described. Well-established and available photolithography and soft
      lithography techniques are widely performed for the creation of surface patterns
      and microstructures on coated substrates. However, because of the requirements
      for applying a photomask or an elastomeric stamp, these techniques are mostly
      limited to flat substrates. Attempts are also conducted to produce patterned
      structures on non-flat surfaces with various maskless methods such as light
      directed patterning and direct-writing approaches. The limitations for patterning
      on non-flat surfaces are resolution and cost. With the requirement of chemical
      control and/or precise accessibility to the linkage with functional molecules,
      chemically and topographically defined interfaces have recently attracted
      considerable attention. The multifunctional, gradient, and/or synergistic
      activities of using such interfaces are also discussed. Finally, an emerging
      discovery of selective deposition of polymer coatings and the bottom-up
      patterning approach by using the selective deposition technology is demonstrated.

PMID- 28900594
TI  - Adsorption and electronic properties of pentacene on thin dielectric decoupling
      layers.
AB  - With the increasing use of thin dielectric decoupling layers to study the
      electronic properties of organic molecules on metal surfaces, comparative studies
      are needed in order to generalize findings and formulate practical rules. In this
      paper we study the adsorption and electronic properties of pentacene deposited
      onto h-BN/Rh(111) and compare them with those of pentacene deposited onto KCl on
      various metal surfaces. When deposited onto KCl, the HOMO and LUMO energies of
      the pentacene molecules scale with the work functions of the combined KCl/metal
      surface. The magnitude of the variation between the respective KCl/metal systems
      indicates the degree of interaction of the frontier orbitals with the underlying
      metal. The results confirm that the so-called IDIS model developed by
      Willenbockel et al. applies not only to molecular layers on bare metal surfaces,
      but also to individual molecules on thin electronically decoupling layers.
      Depositing pentacene onto h-BN/Rh(111) results in significantly different
      adsorption characteristics, due to the topographic corrugation of the surface as
      well as the lateral electric fields it presents. These properties are reflected
      in the divergence from the aforementioned trend for the orbital energies of
      pentacene deposited onto h-BN/Rh(111), as well as in the different adsorption
      geometry. Thus, the highly desirable capacity of h-BN to trap molecules comes at
      the price of enhanced metal-molecule interaction, which decreases the HOMO-LUMO
      gap of the molecules. In spite of the enhanced interaction, the molecular
      orbitals are evident in scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) and their shapes
      can be resolved by spectroscopic mapping.

PMID- 28900593
TI  - Deposition of exchange-coupled dinickel complexes on gold substrates utilizing
      ambidentate mercapto-carboxylato ligands.
AB  - The chemisorption of magnetically bistable transition metal complexes on planar
      surfaces has recently attracted increased scientific interest due to its
      potential application in various fields, including molecular spintronics. In this
      work, the synthesis of mixed-ligand complexes of the type [NiII2L(L')](ClO4),
      where L represents a 24-membered macrocyclic hexaazadithiophenolate ligand and L'
      is a omega-mercapto-carboxylato ligand (L' = HS(CH2)5CO2- (6), HS(CH2)10CO2- (7),
      or HS(C6H4)2CO2- (8)), and their ability to adsorb on gold surfaces is reported.
      Besides elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass
      spectrometry (ESIMS), UV-vis spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography (for 6 and
      7), the compounds were also studied by temperature-dependent magnetic
      susceptibility measurements (for 7 and 8) and (broken symmetry) density
      functional theory (DFT) calculations. An S = 2 ground state is demonstrated by
      temperature-dependent susceptibility and magnetization measurements, achieved by
      ferromagnetic coupling between the spins of the Ni(II) ions in 7 (J = +22.3 cm-1)
      and 8 (J = +20.8 cm-1; H = -2JS1S2). The reactivity of complexes 6-8 is
      reminiscent of that of pure thiolato ligands, which readily chemisorb on Au
      surfaces as verified by contact angle, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and
      spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. The large [Ni2L] tail groups, however,
      prevent the packing and self-assembly of the hydrocarbon chains. The smaller film
      thickness of 7 is attributed to the specific coordination mode of the coligand.
      Results of preliminary transport measurements utilizing rolled-up devices are
      also reported.

PMID- 28900595
TI  - Low uptake of silica nanoparticles in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial barriers.
AB  - Cellular barriers, such as the skin, the lung epithelium or the intestinal
      epithelium, constitute one of the first obstacles facing nanomedicines or other
      nanoparticles entering organisms. It is thus important to assess the capacity of
      nanoparticles to enter and transport across such barriers. In this work, Caco-2
      intestinal epithelial cells were used as a well-established model for the
      intestinal barrier, and the uptake, trafficking and translocation of model silica
      nanoparticles of different sizes were investigated using a combination of
      imaging, flow cytometry and transport studies. Compared to typical observations
      in standard cell lines commonly used for in vitro studies, silica nanoparticle
      uptake into well-developed Caco-2 cellular barriers was found to be very low.
      Instead, nanoparticle association to the apical outer membrane was substantial
      and these particles could easily be misinterpreted as internalised in the absence
      of imaging. Passage of nanoparticles through the barrier was very limited,
      suggesting that the low amount of internalised nanoparticles was due to reduced
      uptake into cells, rather than a considerable transport through them.

PMID- 28900596
TI  - A review of demodulation techniques for amplitude-modulation atomic force
      microscopy.
AB  - In this review paper, traditional and novel demodulation methods applicable to
      amplitude-modulation atomic force microscopy are implemented on a widely used
      digital processing system. As a crucial bandwidth-limiting component in the z
      axis feedback loop of an atomic force microscope, the purpose of the demodulator
      is to obtain estimates of amplitude and phase of the cantilever deflection signal
      in the presence of sensor noise or additional distinct frequency components.
      Specifically for modern multifrequency techniques, where higher harmonic and/or
      higher eigenmode contributions are present in the oscillation signal, the
      fidelity of the estimates obtained from some demodulation techniques is not
      guaranteed. To enable a rigorous comparison, the performance metrics tracking
      bandwidth, implementation complexity and sensitivity to other frequency
      components are experimentally evaluated for each method. Finally, the
      significance of an adequate demodulator bandwidth is highlighted during high
      speed tapping-mode atomic force microscopy experiments in constant-height mode.

PMID- 28900597
TI  - Spin-chemistry concepts for spintronics scientists.
AB  - Spin chemistry and spintronics developed independently and with different
      terminology. Until now, the interaction between the two fields has been very
      limited. In this review, we compile the two "languages" in an effort to enhance
      communication. We expect that knowledge of spin chemistry will accelerate
      progress in spintronics.

PMID- 28900598
TI  - Cationic PEGylated polycaprolactone nanoparticles carrying post-operation
      docetaxel for glioma treatment.
AB  - Background: Brain tumors are the most common tumors among adolescents. Although
      some chemotherapeutics are known to be effective against brain tumors based on
      cell culture studies, the same effect is not observed in clinical trials. For
      this reason, the development of drug delivery systems is important to treat brain
      tumors and prevent tumor recurrence. The aim of this study was to develop core
      shell polymeric nanoparticles with positive charge by employing a chitosan
      coating. Additionally, an implantable formulation for the chemotherapeutic
      nanoparticles was developed as a bioadhesive film to be applied at the tumor site
      following surgical operation for brain glioma treatment. To obtain positively
      charged, implantable nanoparticles, the effects of preparation technique,
      chitosan coating concentration and presence of surfactants were evaluated to
      obtain optimal nanoparticles with a diameter of less than 100 nm and a net
      positive surface charge to facilitate cellular internalization of drug-loaded
      nanoparticles. Hydroxypropyl cellulose films were prepared to incorporate these
      nanoparticle dispersions to complete the implantable drug delivery system.
      Results: The diameter of core-shell nanoparticles were in the range of 70-270 nm,
      depending on the preparation technique, polymer type and coating. Moreover, the
      chitosan coating significantly altered the surface charge of the nanoparticles to
      net positive values of +30 to +50 mV. The model drug docetaxel was successfully
      loaded into all particles, and the drug release rate from the nanoparticles was
      slowed down to 48 h by dispersing the nanoparticles in a hydroxypropyl cellulose
      film. Cell culture studies revealed that docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles cause
      higher cytotoxicity compared to the free docetaxel solution in DMSO. Conclusion:
      Docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles dispersed in a bioadhesive film were shown to be
      suitable for application of chemotherapeutics directly to the action site during
      surgical operation. The system was found to release chemotherapeutics for several
      days at the tumor site and neighboring tissue. This can be suggested to result in
      a more effective brain tumor treatment when compared to chemotherapeutics
      administered as an intravenous bolus infusion.

PMID- 28900599
TI  - Development of polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles for anticancer
      drug delivery.
AB  - Background: Paclitaxel is a potent anticancer drug that is effective against a
      wide spectrum of cancers. To overcome its bioavailability problems arising from
      very poor aqueous solubility and tendency to recrystallize upon dilution,
      paclitaxel is commercially formulated with co-solvents such as Cremophor EL(r)
      that are known to cause serious side effects during chemotherapy. Amphiphilic
      cyclodextrins are favored oligosaccharides as drug delivery systems for
      anticancer drugs, having the ability to spontaneously form nanoparticles without
      surfactant or co-solvents. In the past few years, polycationic, amphiphilic
      cyclodextrins were introduced as effective agents for gene delivery in the form
      of nanoplexes. In this study, the potential of polycationic, amphiphilic
      cyclodextrin nanoparticles were evaluated in comparison to non-ionic amphiphilic
      cyclodextrins and core-shell type cyclodextrin nanoparticles for paclitaxel
      delivery to breast tumors. Pre-formulation studies were used as a basis for
      selecting the suitable organic solvent and surfactant concentration for the novel
      polycationic cyclodextrin nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were then extensively
      characterized with particle size distribution, polydispersity index, zeta
      potential, drug loading capacity, in vitro release profiles and cytotoxicity
      studies. Results: Paclitaxel-loaded cyclodextrin nanoparticles were obtained in
      the diameter range of 80-125 nm (depending on the nature of the cyclodextrin
      derivative) where the smallest diameter nanoparticles were obtained with
      polycationic (PC) betaCDC6. A strong positive charge also helped to increase the
      loading capacity of the nanoparticles with paclitaxel up to 60%. Interestingly,
      cyclodextrin nanoparticles were able to stabilize paclitaxel in aqueous solution
      for 30 days. All blank cyclodextrin nanoparticles were demonstrated to be non
      cytotoxic against L929 mouse fibroblast cell line. In addition, paclitaxel-loaded
      nanoparticles have a significant anticancer effect against MCF-7 human breast
      cancer cell line as compared with a paclitaxel solution in DMSO. Conclusion:
      According to the results of this study, both amphiphilic cyclodextrin derivatives
      provide suitable nanometer-sized drug delivery systems for safe and efficient
      intravenous paclitaxel delivery for chemotherapy. In the light of these studies,
      it can be said that amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles of different surface
      charge can be considered as a promising alternative for self-assembled nanometer
      sized drug carrier systems for safe and efficient chemotherapy.

PMID- 28900600
TI  - Formation of ferromagnetic molecular thin films from blends by annealing.
AB  - We report on a new approach for the fabrication of ferromagnetic molecular thin
      films. Co-evaporated films of manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc) and
      tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) have been produced by organic molecular beam
      deposition (OMBD) on rigid (glass, silicon) and flexible (Kapton) substrates kept
      at room temperature. The MnPc:TCNQ films are found to be entirely amorphous due
      to the size mismatch of the molecules. However, by annealing while covering the
      samples highly crystalline MnPc films in the beta-polymorph can be obtained at 60
      degrees C lower than when starting with pure MnPc films. The resulting films
      exhibit substantial coercivity (13 mT) at 2 K and a Curie temperature of 11.5 K.

PMID- 28900601
TI  - Development of a nitrogen-doped 2D material for tribological applications in the
      boundary-lubrication regime.
AB  - The present paper describes a facile synthesis method for nitrogen-doped reduced
      graphene oxide (N-rGO) and the application of N-rGO as an effective additive for
      improving the tribological properties of base oil. N-rGO has been characterized
      by different characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning
      electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. N-rGO-based nanolubricants are prepared and
      their tribological properties are studied using a four-ball tester. The
      nanolubricants show excellent stability over a period of six months and a
      significant decrease in coefficient of friction (25%) for small amounts of N-rGO
      (3 mg/L). The improvement in tribological properties can be attributed to the
      sliding mechanism of N-rGO accompanied by the high mechanical strength of
      graphene. Further, the nanolubricant is prepared at large scale (700 liter) and
      field trials are carried out at one NTPC thermal plant in India. The
      implementation of the nanolubricant in an induced draft (ID) fan results in the
      remarkable decrease in the power consumption.

PMID- 28900602
TI  - Calcium fluoride based multifunctional nanoparticles for multimodal imaging.
AB  - New multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) that can be used as contrast agents (CA)
      in different imaging techniques, such as photoluminescence (PL) microscopy and
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), open new possibilities for medical imaging,
      e.g., in the fields of diagnostics or tissue characterization in regenerative
      medicine. The focus of this study is on the synthesis and characterization of
      CaF2:(Tb3+,Gd3+) NPs. Fabricated in a wet-chemical procedure, the spherical NPs
      with a diameter of 5-10 nm show a crystalline structure. Simultaneous doping of
      the NPs with different lanthanide ions, leading to paramagnetism and
      fluorescence, makes them suitable for MR and PL imaging. Owing to the Gd3+ ions
      on the surface, the NPs reduce the MR T1 relaxation time constant as a function
      of their concentration. Thus, the NPs can be used as a MRI CA with a mean
      relaxivity of about r = 0.471 mL.mg-1.s-1. Repeated MRI examinations of four
      different batches prove the reproducibility of the NP synthesis and determine the
      long-term stability of the CAs. No cytotoxicity of NP concentrations between 0.5
      and 1 mg.mL-1 was observed after exposure to human dermal fibroblasts over 24 h.
      Overall this study shows, that the CaF2:(Tb3+,Gd3+) NPs are suitable for medical
      imaging.

PMID- 28900603
TI  - A nanocomplex of C60 fullerene with cisplatin: design, characterization and
      toxicity.
AB  - The self-organization of C60 fullerene and cisplatin in aqueous solution was
      investigated using the computer simulation, dynamic light scattering and atomic
      force microscopy techniques. The results evidence the complexation between the
      two compounds. The genotoxicity of S60 fullerene, Cis and their complex was
      evaluated in vitro with the comet assay using human resting lymphocytes and
      lymphocytes after blast transformation. The cytotoxicity of the mentioned
      compounds was estimated by Annexin V/PI double staining followed by flow
      cytometry. The results clearly demonstrate that water-soluble C60 fullerene
      nanoparticles (0.1 mg/mL) do not induce DNA strand breaks in normal and
      transformed cells. C60 fullerene in the mixture with Cis does not influence
      genotoxic Cis activity in vitro, affects the cell-death mode in treated resting
      human lymphocytes and reduces the fraction of necrotic cells.

PMID- 28900604
TI  - Light-induced magnetoresistance in solution-processed planar hybrid devices
      measured under ambient conditions.
AB  - We report light-induced negative organic magnetoresistance (OMAR) measured in
      ambient atmosphere in solution-processed 6,13
      bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) planar hybrid devices
      with two different device architectures. Hybrid electronic devices with trench
      isolated electrodes (HED-TIE) having a channel length of ca. 100 nm fabricated in
      this work and, for comparison, commercially available pre-structured organic
      field-effect transistor (OFET) substrates with a channel length of 20 um were
      used. The magnitude of the photocurrent as well as the magnetoresistance was
      found to be higher for the HED-TIE devices because of the much smaller channel
      length of these devices compared to the OFETs. We attribute the observed light
      induced negative magnetoresistance in TIPS-pentacene to the presence of electron
      hole pairs under illumination as the magnetoresistive effect scales with the
      photocurrent. The magnetoresistance effect was found to diminish over time under
      ambient conditions compared to a freshly prepared sample. We propose that the
      much faster degradation of the magnetoresistance effect as compared to the
      photocurrent was due to the incorporation of water molecules in the TIPS
      pentacene film.

PMID- 28900605
TI  - Histopathological analysis of infiltrating T cell subsets in acute T cell
      mediated rejection in the kidney transplant.
AB  - AIM: To compare the differential immune T cell subset composition in patients
      with acute T cell-mediated rejection in the kidney transplant with subset
      composition in the absence of rejection, and to explore the association of their
      respective immune profiles with kidney transplant outcomes. METHODS: A pilot
      cross-sectional histopathological analysis of the immune infiltrate was performed
      using immunohistochemistry in a cohort of 14 patients with acute T cell-mediated
      rejection in the kidney transplant and 7 kidney transplant patients with no
      rejection subjected to biopsy to investigate acute kidney transplant dysfunction.
      All patients were recruited consecutively from 2012 to 2014 at the Singapore
      General Hospital. Association of the immune infiltrates with kidney transplant
      outcomes at up to 54 mo of follow up was also explored prospectively. RESULTS: In
      comparison to the absence of rejection, acute T cell-mediated rejection in the
      kidney transplant was characterised by numerical dominance of cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes over Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, but did not reach statistical
      significance owing to the small sample size in our pilot study. There was no
      obvious difference in absolute numbers of infiltrating cytotoxic T lymphocytes,
      Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and Th17 cells between the two patient groups when
      quantified separately. Our exploratory analysis on associations of T cell subset
      quantifications with kidney transplant outcomes revealed that the degree of Th17
      cell infiltration was significantly associated with shorter time to doubling of
      creatinine and shorter time to transplant loss. CONCLUSION: Although this was a
      small pilot study, results support our suspicion that in kidney transplant
      patients the immune balance in acute T cell-mediated rejection is tilted towards
      the pro-rejection forces and prompt larger and more sophisticated studies.

PMID- 28900606
TI  - Lymphocyte recovery is an independent predictor of relapse in allogeneic
      hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients for acute leukemia.
AB  - AIM: To examine the optimal absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) cut-off utilizing
      receiver operator characteristics (ROC) in addition to graft characteristics
      associated with early ALC recovery. METHODS: Patients who received T-cell replete
      peripheral hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for acute leukemia were
      identified. ALC cut-off was established using ROC analysis and subsequently the
      cohort was stratified. Time to endpoint analysis and cox regression modelling was
      computed to analyze outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 72 patients met the inclusion
      criteria and were analyzed. Optimal ALC cut-off was established to be on day 14
      (D14) with ALC > 0.3 * 109/L. At 2 years, cumulative incidence of relapse was
      16.9% vs 46.9% (P = 0.025) for early and delayed lymphocyte recovery cohorts,
      respectively. Chronic graft vs host disease was more prevalent in the early
      lymphocyte recovery (ELR) group at 70% vs 27%, respectively (P = 0.0006). On
      multivariable analysis for relapse, ELR retained its prognostic significance with
      HR = 0.27 (0.05-0.94, P = 0.038). CONCLUSION: ELR is an independent predictor for
      relapse in patients receiving allogeneic HCT for acute leukemia. ELR was
      influenced by graft characteristics particularly CD34 count.

PMID- 28900607
TI  - De novo intraocular amyloid deposition after hepatic transplantation in familial
      amyloidotic polyneuropathy.
AB  - The familiar amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is a rare autosomal-dominant systemic
      amyloidosis. Amyloid deposition occurs more frequently and extensively in the
      vitq. The increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) is a result of deposition of
      transthyretin (TTR) in trabecular meshwork. Rarely, the amyloid deposition in
      anterior segment can be more exuberant than in posterior segment. A 42 years old
      man, with FAP (Val30Met mutation), liver transplantation in 1997. He was
      asymptomatic, without any significant ocular abnormality until 2011. In 2011 he
      had an episode of pain in right eye (RE). Scalloped pupils, pupillary amyloid
      deposits and subtle vitreous opacities were detected. The IOP was 40 mmHg in RE
      and 28 mmHg in left eye (LE) with open angle. Optical coherence tomography
      detected a temporal superior retinal nerve fiber layer defect in LE and perimetry
      was normal. Topical timolol was initiated, and brimonidine was subsequently added
      to improve IOP control, which was achieved with topical medication until last
      evaluation. No progression occurred since 2011. Actually, with longer life
      expectancies, there is an increased risk of ocular involvement in FAP, even after
      liver transplantation. Although rare, a more exuberant amyloid deposition in
      anterior segment vs posterior segment can occur, and supports an important role
      of amyloid production in ciliary pigment epithelium in these patients. Medical
      control of IOP and a stable course are unusual in this secondary glaucoma.
      Ophthalmologists have an important task in the follow-up of patients and early
      diagnosis of risk factors for secondary glaucoma, such as scalloped pupils with
      amyloid deposits.

PMID- 28900608
TI  - Comparative Analysis of MicroRNA Expression among Benign and Malignant Tongue
      Tissue and Plasma of Patients with Tongue Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identification of a microRNA (miRNA) pattern to be used as a
      biomarker for HNSCC is challenging given the heterogeneity of the disease and
      different methodologies used. To better define the field, we performed a
      prospective analysis of blood, tumor, and paired benign tissues in tongue
      squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients. METHODS: Plasma samples were collected
      prior to surgery, and paired tumor and benign tissue blocks were collected from
      tongue cancer resections. Circulating free and exosomal miRNA, and paired tumor
      and benign tissues miRNA were analyzed. TaqMan-based miRNA arrays were used to
      quantitate the expression of 747 human miRNAs. The comparative Ct method assessed
      the miRNA profile results, and Student's t-test determined statistical
      significance between tumor and benign samples. RESULTS: Sixteen of 359 miRNAs
      detected were differentially expressed between paired tumor and benign tissue.
      Nine were upregulated, and seven downregulated in tumor tissue. All nine
      upregulated and six of seven downregulated tumor miRNAs were expressed in
      circulating exosomes. In contrast, eight of nine upregulated and four of seven
      downregulated tumor miRNAs were circulating free in the plasma. CONCLUSION: An
      aberrantly expressed pattern of miRNA was identified in both tumor and plasma of
      patients with tongue SCC, suggesting this may be a biomarker for SCC of the oral
      tongue. Circulating exosomes appear to be a more reliable method for evaluation
      of circulating tumor-miRNA expression. Further studies with a larger cohort of
      patients and serial blood samples are needed to validate our findings.

PMID- 28900610
TI  - The Role of Intraoperative Thyroglobuline Level of Lymph Node in the Management
      of Papillary Thyroid Cancer (Determination of a Cutoff Point).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown that a preoperative high concentration of
      thyroglobulin (Tg) in wash out of fine-needle aspiration cytology of cervical
      lymph nodes mandate therapeutic lymph node dissection. However, there is
      disagreement about the minimum concentration of Tg which could have diagnostic
      value. Hence, according to our literature review, this study is the first one
      which designed to do intraoperatively. Therefore, this study was conducted and
      aimed to determine the clinical diagnostic value of Tg lymph nodes in the
      diagnosis of metastatic thyroid cancer. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 65
      patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) who were thyroidectomy candidates
      were chosen and during surgery, before the removal of lymph nodes in the neck,
      fine-needle sampling was performed and the level of Tg in the samples, nature of
      the sample sent for biopsy and Tg levels in affected and unaffected lymph nodes
      were determined. RESULTS: The mean levels of washout Tg in malignant and
      nonmalignant lymph nodes were 622.1 +/- 66.2 and 1.38 +/- 0.43 ng/ml,
      respectively, and the difference between the two groups was significant (P <
      0.001). The Tg cut-off point for the detection of lymph node metastases was 0.7
      ng/dl, and according to it, Tg washout sensitivity was 93.8%, specificity of
      92.4%, false positives 7.76%, false negatives 6.3%, positive predictive value was
      92.3%, and negative predictive value was 93.8% and accuracy was 93.1%.
      CONCLUSION: Based on the results, Tg level of cervical lymph nodes in patients
      with PTC is a suitable criterion for the diagnosis of lymph node which can be
      determined through fine-needle biopsy. Therefore, it is suggested that in
      patients with suspicion of lymph nodes involvement during surgery, fine-needle
      biopsy and determination of the Tg level performed.

PMID- 28900611
TI  - The Protective Effect of L-arginine in Cisplatin-induced Nephrotoxicity in
      Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (CP) is accompanied with a nephrotoxicity. L-arginine (LA)
      plays an important role in the regulation of renal function. The present study
      was designed to investigate the protective role of LA supplementation in CP
      induced nephrotoxicity in a diabetic rat's model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen
      adult female and male Wistar rats were used and they received a single dose of
      streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg i.p.). Diabetic female and male rats were arranged
      as groups 1-5 and groups 6-10, respectively. Groups 1 and 6 (LA groups) received
      LA alone. Groups 2 and 7 (CP groups) received CP alone. Groups 3 and 8 (CP + LA
      [PT] groups) received LA as prophylaxis and then treated with LA and CP. Groups 4
      and 9 (CP + LA [T] groups) were treated with LA and CP simultaneously. Groups 5
      and 10 (CP + LA [P] groups) received LA as prophylaxis and then treated with CP.
      RESULTS: The serum creatinine (Cr) level of males in Groups 8 and 9 was
      significantly increased when compared with LA and CP (P < 0.05), whereas no
      differences were observed in Cr level in female groups. Blood urea nitrogen/Cr
      ratio and kidney weight were reduced in all CP-receiving male rats. Such
      observation was not seen in female rats. Different results related to weight loss
      were obtained between male and female animals. The kidney tissue damage score in
      CP + LA (PT) male group was significantly greater than CP group (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that administration of LA in female and male
      rats has no protective effect on the severity of nephrotoxicity induced by CP in
      diabetic rats.

PMID- 28900612
TI  - Coexistence of Multiple Sclerosis and Brain Tumor: An Uncommon Diagnostic
      Challenge.
AB  - Nonneoplastic demyelinating processes of the brain with mass effect on magnetic
      resonance imaging can cause diagnostic difficulties. It requires differential
      diagnosis between the tumefactive demyelinating lesion and the coexistence of
      neoplasm. We document the case of 41-year-old woman with clinical and
      radiological findings suggestive of multiple sclerosis. Additional investigations
      confirmed the coexistence of astrocytoma. This report emphasizes the importance
      of considering brain tumors in the differential diagnosis of primary
      demyelinating disease presenting with a cerebral mass lesion.

PMID- 28900609
TI  - Genes Contributing to Porphyromonas gingivalis Fitness in Abscess and Epithelial
      Cell Colonization Environments.
AB  - Porphyromonas gingivalis is an important cause of serious periodontal diseases,
      and is emerging as a pathogen in several systemic conditions including some forms
      of cancer. Initial colonization by P. gingivalis involves interaction with
      gingival epithelial cells, and the organism can also access host tissues and
      spread haematogenously. To better understand the mechanisms underlying these
      properties, we utilized a highly saturated transposon insertion library of P.
      gingivalis, and assessed the fitness of mutants during epithelial cell
      colonization and survival in a murine abscess model by high-throughput sequencing
      (Tn-Seq). Transposon insertions in many genes previously suspected as
      contributing to virulence showed significant fitness defects in both screening
      assays. In addition, a number of genes not previously associated with P.
      gingivalis virulence were identified as important for fitness. We further
      examined fitness defects of four such genes by generating defined mutations.
      Genes encoding a carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, a replication-associated
      recombination protein, a nitrosative stress responsive HcpR transcription
      regulator, and RNase Z, a zinc phosphodiesterase, showed a fitness phenotype in
      epithelial cell colonization and in a competitive abscess infection. This study
      verifies the importance of several well-characterized putative virulence factors
      of P. gingivalis and identifies novel fitness determinants of the organism.

PMID- 28900613
TI  - Screening for Developmental Disorders in 3- and 4-Year-Old Italian Children: A
      Preliminary Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The "Osserviamo" project, coordinated by the Municipality of Rome and
      the Department of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry of Sapienza University,
      aimed to validate an Italian version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 and
      to collect, for the first time in Italy, data on developmental disorders in a
      sample of 4,000 children aged 3 and 4 years. The present paper presents the
      preliminary results of the "Osserviamo" project. METHODS: 600 parents of children
      between 39 and 50 months of age (divided in two age stages: 42 and 48 months)
      were contacted from 15 kindergarden schools. RESULTS: 23.35% of the whole sample
      scored in the risk range of at least one developmental area of the Ages and
      Stages Questionnaire-3rd Edition (ASQ-3) and 7.78% scored in the clinical range.
      Specifically, 23.97% of the children in the 42-month age stage scored in the risk
      range and 5.79% scored in the clinical range. Males scored lower than females in
      the fine motor skills and personal-social development domains. Moreover, 22.79%
      of the children in the 48-month age stage scored in the risk range, while 9.55%
      scored in the clinical range. Males scored lower than females in fine motor
      skills. CONCLUSION: Italian validation of the ASQ-3 and recruitment of all 4,000
      participants will allow these data on the distribution of developmental disorders
      to be extended to the general Italian pediatric population. One main limitation
      of the study is the lack of clinical confirmation of the data yielded by the
      screening programme, which the authors aim to obtain in later stages of the
      study.

PMID- 28900614
TI  - Echocardiographic Evaluation of Pulmonary Pressures and Right Ventricular
      Function after Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: A Simple Approach for the Intensivist.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is diagnosed using cardiac catheterization and is
      defined as an elevation of mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) greater than 25
      mmHg. Although invasive hemodynamics remains the gold standard and is mandatory
      for disease confirmation, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is an extremely
      useful non-invasive and widely available tool that allows for screening and
      follow-up, in particular, in the acute setting. TTE may be a valuable
      alternative, allowing for direct measurement and/or indirect assessment of PAP.
      Because of the complex geometric shape and pattern of contraction of the right
      ventricle (RV), as well as the inherent complexity of cardiac repair, no single
      view or measurement can provide definite information on RV function and PAP
      and/or pulmonary vascular resistance. In addition, specific training and
      expertise may be necessary to obtain the views and measurements required. Some
      simple measurements may be of help when rapid evaluation is mandatory and
      potentially life saving: the assessment of tricuspid and/or pulmonary valve
      regurgitant jet and the use of the Bernoulli equation allow for measurement of
      PAP. Measurements such as the analysis of the pulmonary Doppler wave flow, the
      septal curvature, or the eccentricity index, assessing ventricular
      interdependence, are useful for indirect assessment. A four-chamber view of the
      RV gives information on its size, hypertrophy, function (fractional area change),
      and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion as an evaluation of the
      longitudinal function. Based on these simple measurements, TTE can provide
      detection of PH, measurement or estimation of PAP, and assessment of cardiac
      function. TTE is also of importance in follow up of PH as well as providing an
      assessment of therapeutic strategies in the postoperative setting of cardiac
      surgery. However, PAP may be misleading as it is dependent on cardiac output and
      requires accurate measurements. In the presence of residual lesions, analyses of
      some Doppler measurements may be misleading and not reflect real PAP. Should the
      TTE evaluation reveal non-conclusive, invasive hemodynamics remains the gold
      standard.

PMID- 28900615
TI  - Exploring Genetic Numeracy Skills in a Sample of U.S. University Students.
AB  - Misconceptions concerning numerical genetic risk exist even within educated
      populations. To more fully characterize and understand the extent of these risk
      misunderstandings, which have large potential impact on clinical care, we
      analyzed the responses from 2,576 students enrolled at 2 Southwestern
      universities using the PGRID tool, a 138-item web-based survey comprising
      measures of understanding of genetics, genetic disease, and genetic risk. The
      primary purpose of this study was to characterize the intersection of risk
      perception and knowledge, termed genetic numeracy (GN). Additionally, we identify
      sociodemographic factors that might shape varying levels of GN skills within the
      study sample and explore the impact of GN on genetic testing intentions using
      both the Marascuilo procedure and logistic regression analysis. Despite having
      some college coursework or at least one college degree, most respondents lacked
      high-level aptitude in understanding genetic inheritance risk, especially with
      respect to recessive disorders. Prior education about genetics and biology, as
      well as exposure to biomedical models of genetics, was associated with higher GN
      levels; exposure to popular media models of genetics was inversely associated
      with higher GN levels. Differing GN levels affects genetic testing intentions. GN
      will become more relevant as genetic testing is increasingly incorporated into
      general clinical care.

PMID- 28900616
TI  - Implementing Precision Antimicrobial Therapy for the Treatment of Bovine
      Respiratory Disease: Current Limitations and Perspectives.
AB  - The therapeutic efficacy of an early treatment protocol with an infection-stage
      adjusted fluoroquinolone regimen was evaluated in a field study on young bulls
      (YBs) presenting signs of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). A total of 195 YB
      (Charolais, Limousin, and Rouge-des-Pres breeds) from 6 farms implementing or not
      prophylactic antimicrobial treatments (PROPHY or absence) were randomly assigned
      to 1 of 2 experiment groups based on time of detection of BRD and first-line
      marbofloxacin regimen, early adjusted dose [Early 2 (E2)] or late standard dose
      [Late 10 (L10)]. Each YB was administered orally a reticulo-rumen bolus, allowing
      continuous monitoring of ruminal temperature. In the E2 group, YB presenting
      early signs of BRD, i.e., an increase in ruminal temperature over 40.2 degrees C
      and persisting more than 12 h, confirmed by a clinical examination showing no or
      mild signs of BRD, were given 2 mg/kg of marbofloxacin. In the L10 group, YBs
      presenting moderate or severe signs of BRD at visual inspection, confirmed at
      clinical examination, were given 10 mg/kg of marbofloxacin. If needed, YBs were
      given a relapse treatment. The YBs were followed for 30 days. The proportions of
      first and relapse treatments were calculated, as well as the therapeutic efficacy
      at day 10. In the E2 group, the first-line treatments' proportion was
      significantly higher (P < 0.05), while the relapse treatments' proportion tended
      to be higher (P = 0.08), than in the L10 group. Evolution of clinical scores
      (CSs) of diseased YB was followed for 10 days. In both groups, CS and rectal
      temperature decreased significantly 24 h after treatment (P < 0.05). Treatment
      incidences (TI) representing antimicrobial consumption assessed on used daily
      doses (UDD) were calculated. Antimicrobial consumption of marbofloxacin and
      relapse treatments were not significantly different between the groups. These
      values were strongly influenced by the recourse to a prophylactic antimicrobial
      treatment, accounting for more than 90% of the antimicrobial amount in the herds
      implementing prophylaxis. The higher number of treatments in the groups treated
      on the basis of ruminal temperature monitoring, the accuracy of the detection
      method, and the necessary conditions to implement precision antimicrobial therapy
      in the field are discussed in this article.

PMID- 28900617
TI  - Serum and Brain Metabolomic Variations Reveal Perturbation of Sleep Deprivation
      on Rats and Ameliorate Effect of Total Ginsenoside Treatment.
AB  - Sleep loss or sleep deprivation (SD) refers to shorter sleep than average
      baseline need, and SD has been a serious problem of modern societies which
      affects health and well-being. Panax ginseng is a well-known traditional Chinese
      medicine (TCM). Our previous study has demonstrated that total ginsenosides (GS),
      the extracts from Panax ginseng, could effectively improve cognition and behavior
      on SD rats. However, little is known about its metabolomic study. In this study,
      serum and brain metabolomic method based on gas chromatography coupled with mass
      spectrometry (GC/MS) was employed to evaluate the efficacy and study the
      mechanism of GS on a rat model of SD. With pattern recognition analysis of serum
      and brain tissue metabolite profile, a clear separation of the model group and
      control group was acquired for serum and brain tissue samples; the MGS (model +
      GS) group showed a tendency of recovering when compared to control group, which
      was consistent with behavioral and biochemical parameters. 39 and 40 potential
      biomarkers of brain tissues and serum samples, respectively, were identified and
      employed to explore the possible mechanism. Our work revealed that GS has
      significant protective effects on SD, and metabolomics is a useful tool for
      evaluating efficacy and elucidating mechanism in TCM.

PMID- 28900618
TI  - Comparative Genomic In Situ Hybridization and the Possible Role of Retroelements
      in the Karyotypic Evolution of Three Akodontini Species.
AB  - South American Akodontini rodents are characterized by a large number of
      chromosome rearrangements. Among them, the genus Akodon has been extensively
      analyzed with classical and molecular cytogenetics, which allowed the
      identification of a large number of intra- and interspecific chromosomal
      variation due to Robertsonian rearrangements, pericentric inversions, and
      heterochromatin additions/deletions. In order to shed some light on the cause of
      these rearrangements, we comparatively analyzed the karyotypes of three
      Akodontini species, Akodon cursor (2n = 14, FN = 19), A. montensis (2n = 24, FN =
      42), and Necromys lasiurus (2n = 34, FN = 34), after GTG- and CBG-banding. The
      karyotypes differed by Robertsonian rearrangements, pericentric inversions,
      centromere repositioning, and heterochromatin variation. Genome comparisons were
      performed through interspecific fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with
      total genomic DNAs of each species as probes (GISH). Our results revealed
      considerable conservation of the euchromatic portions among the three karyotypes
      suggesting that they mostly differ in their heterochromatic regions. FISH was
      also performed to assess the distribution of telomeric sequences, long and short
      interspersed repetitive elements (LINE-1 and B1 SINE) and of the endogenous
      retrovirus mysTR in the genomes of the three species. The results led us to infer
      that transposable elements have played an important role in the enormous
      chromosome variation found in Akodontini.

PMID- 28900619
TI  - Aquatic Plant Genomics: Advances, Applications, and Prospects.
AB  - Genomics is a discipline in genetics that studies the genome composition of
      organisms and the precise structure of genes and their expression and regulation.
      Genomics research has resolved many problems where other biological methods have
      failed. Here, we summarize advances in aquatic plant genomics with a focus on
      molecular markers, the genes related to photosynthesis and stress tolerance,
      comparative study of genomes and genome/transcriptome sequencing technology.

PMID- 28900620
TI  - Can Mixed Parasite Infections Thwart Targeted Malaria Elimination Program in
      India?
AB  - India is highly endemic to malaria with prevalence of all five species of human
      malaria parasites of Plasmodium genus. India is set for malaria elimination by
      2030. Since cases of mixed Plasmodium species infections remain usually
      undetected but cause huge disease burden, in order to understand the
      distributional prevalence of both monospecies infections and mixed species
      infections in India, we collated published data on the differential infection
      incidences of the five different malaria parasites based on PCR diagnostic assay.
      About 11% of total cases were due to mixed species infection. Among several
      interesting observations on both single and mixed parasitic infections,
      incidences of Plasmodium falciparum monoinfection were found to be significantly
      higher than P. vivax monoinfection. Also, P. malariae seems to be emerging as a
      potential malaria threat in India. Putting all the facts together, it appears
      that the dream of achieving malaria elimination in India will not be completely
      successful without dealing with mixed species infection.

PMID- 28900621
TI  - Using a Cloud Computing System to Reduce Door-to-Balloon Time in Acute ST
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Transferred for Percutaneous Coronary
      Intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the impact on clinical outcomes using a cloud
      computing system to reduce percutaneous coronary intervention hospital door-to
      balloon (DTB) time for ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
      METHODS: A total of 369 patients before and after implementation of the transfer
      protocol were enrolled. Of these patients, 262 were transferred through protocol
      while the other 107 patients were transferred through the traditional referral
      process. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in DTB time, pain to door
      of STEMI receiving center arrival time, and pain to balloon time between the two
      groups. Pain to electrocardiography time in patients with Killip I/II and
      catheterization laboratory to balloon time in patients with Killip III/IV were
      significantly reduced in transferred through protocol group compared to in
      traditional referral process group (both p < 0.05). There were also no remarkable
      differences in the complication rate and 30-day mortality between two groups. The
      multivariate analysis revealed that the independent predictors of 30-day
      mortality were elderly patients, advanced Killip score, and higher level of
      troponin-I. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that patients transferred through our
      present protocol could reduce pain to electrocardiography and catheterization
      laboratory to balloon time in Killip I/II and III/IV patients separately.
      However, this study showed that using a cloud computing system in our present
      protocol did not reduce DTB time.

PMID- 28900622
TI  - Biomechanical Measurement Error Can Be Caused by Fujifilm Thickness: A
      Theoretical, Experimental, and Computational Analysis.
AB  - This is the first study to quantify the measurement error due to the physical
      thickness of Fujifilm for several material combinations relevant to orthopaedics.
      Theoretical and experimental analyses were conducted for cylinder-on-flat
      indentation over a series of forces (750 and 3000 N), cylinder diameters (0 to 80
      mm), and material combinations (metal-on-metal, MOM; metal-on-polymer, MOP; metal
      on-bone, MOB). For the scenario without Fujifilm, classic Hertzian theory
      predicted the true line-type contact width as WO = {(8FDcyl)/(piLcyl)[(1 -
      nucyl2)/Ecyl + (1 - nuflat2)/Eflat]}1/2, where F is compressive force, Dcyl is
      cylinder diameter, Lcyl is cylinder length, nucyl and nuflat are cylinder and
      flat Poisson's ratios, and Ecyl and Eflat are cylinder and flat elastic moduli.
      For the scenario with Fujifilm, experimental measurements resulted in contact
      widths of WF = 0.1778 * F0.2273 * D0.2936 for MOM tests, WF = 0.0449 * F0.4664 *
      D0.4201 for MOP tests, and WF = 0.1647 * F0.2397 * D0.3394 for MOB tests, where F
      is compressive force and D is cylinder diameter. Fujifilm thickness error ratio
      WF /WO showed a nonlinear decrease versus cylinder diameter, whilst error graphs
      shifted down as force increased. Computational finite element analysis for
      several test cases agreed with theoretical and experimental data, respectively,
      to within 3.3% and 1.4%. Despite its wide use, Fujifilm's measurement errors must
      be kept in mind when employed in orthopaedic biomechanics research.

PMID- 28900623
TI  - Impact of Thyroid Hormone Levels on Functional Outcome in Neurological and
      Neurosurgical Early Rehabilitation Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation (NNER) is a
      specialized treatment option for patients with severe neurological disorders. The
      present study investigated whether thyroid hormone levels on admission have an
      impact on the outcome of NNER patients. METHOD: The study included 500 NNER
      patients who were admitted to the BDH-Clinic Hessisch Oldendorf between 2009 and
      2010. Data such as age, sex, diagnoses, comorbidities, Glasgow Coma Scale score,
      length of stay, and thyroid hormone levels (obtained as part of clinical routine
      care) were analyzed retrospectively. Improvement in the Early Rehabilitation
      Barthel Index (ERBI) at the end of the NNER treatment was defined as outcome
      parameter. RESULTS: Most patients made functional progress during treatment, as
      reflected in significant enhancements of the ERBI. Approximately half of the
      patients were transferred to further rehabilitation treatment. Young age, early
      onset of NNER treatment, low functional impairment on admission, and, in
      particular, low total T3 levels were independently associated with a good
      outcome. CONCLUSION: Age, severity of disease, and time between injury and
      admission are known to predict outcome. The present study confirms the influence
      of these general factors. In addition, an association between thyroid hormones
      and functional outcome was demonstrated for NNER patients.

PMID- 28900624
TI  - Ultrasound Mediated Microbubbles Destruction Augmented Sonolysis: An In Vitro and
      In Vivo Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at exploring ultrasound mediated microbubbles
      destruction (UMMD) assisted sonolysis in both the in vitro and in vivo clots.
      METHODS: Therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) and lipid microbubbles (MBs) were used in
      whole blood clots and divided into the control, TUS group, and TUS + MB group.
      Thrombolytic rates and microscopy were performed. Color Doppler flow imaging
      (CDFI) and angiography were performed to evaluate the recanalization rates and
      flow scores in femoral arterial thrombus (FAT) in rabbits. FAT were dyed with
      H&E. RESULTS: The average thrombolytic ratios of TUS + MB group were
      significantly higher than those of TUS group and the control group (both P <
      0.05). Clots had different pathological changes. Recanalization rates and flow
      scores in TUS + MB group were significantly higher than the control and TUS
      group. Flow scores and recanalization ratios were grade 0 in 0% of the control
      group, grade I in 25% of TUS group, and grade II or higher in 87.5% of TUS + MB
      group after 30 min sonolysis. CONCLUSIONS: Both the in vitro and in vivo
      sonolysis can be significantly augmented by the introduction of MBs without
      thrombolytic agents, which might be induced by the enhanced cavitation via UMMD.

PMID- 28900625
TI  - Direct Assessment of Wall Shear Stress by Signal Intensity Gradient from Time-of
      Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography.
AB  - The aim of the study was to calculate the arterial wall signal intensity gradient
      (SIG) from time-of-flight MR angiography (TOF-MRA) and represent arterial wall
      shear stress. We developed a new algorithm that uses signal intensity (SI) of a
      TOF-MRA to directly calculate the signal intensity gradient (SIG). The results
      from our phantom study showed that the TOF-MRA SIG could be used to distinguish
      the magnitude of blood flow rate as high (mean SIG +/- SD, 2.2 +/- 0.4 SI/mm for
      12.5 +/- 2.3 L/min) and low (0.9 +/- 0.3 SI/mm for 8.5 +/- 2.6 L/min) in vessels
      (p < 0.001). Additionally, we found that the TOF-MRA SIG values were highly
      correlated with various flow rates (beta = 0.96, p < 0.001). Remarkably, the
      correlation coefficient between the WSS obtained from the computational fluid
      dynamics (CFD) analysis and the TOF-MRA SIG was greater than 0.8 in each section
      at the carotid artery (p < 0.001 for all beta values). This new technique using
      TOF-MRA could enable the rapid calculation of the TOF-MRA SIG and thereby the
      WSS. Thus, the TOF-MRA SIG can provide clinicians with an accurate and efficient
      screening method for making rapid decisions on the risk of vascular disease for a
      patient in clinical practice.

PMID- 28900626
TI  - Emotion Recognition from EEG Signals Using Multidimensional Information in EMD
      Domain.
AB  - This paper introduces a method for feature extraction and emotion recognition
      based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD). By using EMD, EEG signals are
      decomposed into Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) automatically. Multidimensional
      information of IMF is utilized as features, the first difference of time series,
      the first difference of phase, and the normalized energy. The performance of the
      proposed method is verified on a publicly available emotional database. The
      results show that the three features are effective for emotion recognition. The
      role of each IMF is inquired and we find that high frequency component IMF1 has
      significant effect on different emotional states detection. The informative
      electrodes based on EMD strategy are analyzed. In addition, the classification
      accuracy of the proposed method is compared with several classical techniques,
      including fractal dimension (FD), sample entropy, differential entropy, and
      discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Experiment results on DEAP datasets demonstrate
      that our method can improve emotion recognition performance.

PMID- 28900627
TI  - Predictors of Hypertension among Nonpregnant Females Attending Health Promotion
      Clinic with Special Emphasis on Smokeless Tobacco: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - AIM: To determine the predictors of hypertension among nonpregnant females
      attending a health promotion clinic. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study
      was conducted during March to June 2016, at the National Institute of Cancer
      Prevention and Research, India. METHODS: The study included 319 nonpregnant
      females of age 20-70 years. Demographics such as age, literacy, and income were
      noted. History regarding use, frequency, and quantity of smokeless tobacco was
      taken. Height, weight, and blood pressure were measured and body mass index was
      calculated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Pearson's product-moment correlation
      coefficient was calculated between each of the variables of age, smokeless
      tobacco consumption, and body mass index versus systolic and diastolic blood
      pressure, respectively. The linear as well as multiple linear regression analysis
      was employed to identify the risk factors for hypertension. RESULTS: A univariate
      linear regression analysis showed that age, smokeless tobacco consumption, and
      body mass index were associated with systolic blood pressure (P value < 0.001 for
      each). For diastolic blood pressure, high body mass index was a predictor.
      Multiple linear regression analysis showed that both systolic and diastolic
      hypertension were associated with high body mass index and low level of
      education. Moreover, the systolic hypertension was associated with higher age and
      smokeless tobacco use. CONCLUSION: Health promotion requires control of body mass
      index and smokeless tobacco cessation for preventing hypertension and its
      complications.

PMID- 28900628
TI  - Gene Expression Profiling Identifies Downregulation of the Neurotrophin-MAPK
      Signaling Pathway in Female Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients.
AB  - Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes
      mellitus (DM). It is not diagnosed or managed properly in the majority of
      patients because its pathogenesis remains controversial. In this study, human
      whole genome microarrays identified 2898 and 4493 differentially expressed genes
      (DEGs) in DM and DPN patients, respectively. A further KEGG pathway analysis
      indicated that DPN and DM share four pathways, including apoptosis, B cell
      receptor signaling pathway, endocytosis, and Toll-like receptor signaling
      pathway. The DEGs identified through comparison of DPN and DM were significantly
      enriched in MAPK signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and
      neurotrophin signaling pathway, while the "neurotrophin-MAPK signaling pathway"
      was notably downregulated. Seven DEGs from the neurotrophin-MAPK signaling
      pathway were validated in additional 78 samples, and the results confirmed the
      initial microarray findings. These findings demonstrated that downregulation of
      the neurotrophin-MAPK signaling pathway may be the major mechanism of DPN
      pathogenesis, thus providing a potential approach for DPN treatment.

PMID- 28900629
TI  - SIAE Rare Variants in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Primary Antibody
      Deficiencies.
AB  - Sialic acid acetylesterase (SIAE) deficiency was suggested to lower the levels of
      ligands for sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like receptors, decreasing the
      threshold for B-cell activation. In humans, studies of rare heterozygous loss-of
      function mutations in SIAE gene in common autoimmune diseases, including juvenile
      idiopathic arthritis (JIA), yielded inconsistent results. Considering the
      distinct pathogenesis of the two main subtypes of JIA, autoinflammatory systemic
      (sJIA) and autoimmune oligo/polyarticular (aJIA), and a predisposition to
      autoimmunity displayed by patients and families with primary antibody
      deficiencies (PADs), the aim of our study was to analyze whether SIAE rare
      variants are associated with both the phenotype of JIA and the autoimmunity risk
      in families with PADs. A cohort of 69 patients with JIA, 117 healthy children, 54
      patients, and family members with PADs were enrolled in the study. Three novel
      SIAE variants (p.Q343P, p.Y495X, and c.1320+33T>C) were found only in patients
      with aJIA but interestingly also in their healthy relatives without autoimmunity,
      while none of PAD patients or their relatives carried SIAE defects. Our results
      show that SIAE rare variants are not causative of autoimmunity as single defects.

PMID- 28900630
TI  - Determination of Vitamin D Status in a Population of Ecuadorian Subjects.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D is a preprohormone known to play a key role in
      phosphocalcic metabolism; its main source comes from the synthesis at the skin
      level by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to
      determine the levels of vitamin D in an Ecuadorian population. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Retrospective study of Ecuadorian subjects from the city of Guayaquil,
      who had an initial study of 25 (OH)-D serum, as the indicator of Vitamin D
      status, in the period of 2015-2016. RESULTS: A total of 269 Ecuadorian subjects
      were analyzed, with a mean age of 54.73 +/- 16.58; 85% (229) were females and 15%
      (41) males; mean vitamin D was 27.29 +/- 10.12 ng/dl [6.41-88.74]; 70% of the
      population showed levels below 30 ng/dL of vitamin D, whereas only 30% (81) had
      normal values. 69% (185) had levels between 29 and 10 ng/dl and 1% (3) levels
      below 10 ng/dl. High levels of vitamin D were evidenced in the summer months in
      relation to the winter months. CONCLUSION: It is evident that, despite the
      location of Ecuador and the intensity of UV rays it receives throughout the year,
      Ecuadorian subjects have insufficient levels of vitamin D.

PMID- 28900631
TI  - Single-Cell Phosphospecific Flow Cytometric Analysis of Canine and Murine Adipose
      Derived Stem Cells.
AB  - This study aimed to demonstrate single-cell phosphospecific flow cytometric
      analysis of canine and murine adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ADSCs). ADSCs
      were obtained from clinically healthy laboratory beagles and C57BL/6 mice. Cell
      differentiation into adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes was observed for
      the cultured canine ADSCs (cADSCs) and murine ADSCs (mADSCs) to determine their
      multipotency. We also performed single-cell phosphospecific flow cytometric
      analysis related to cell differentiation and stemness. Cultured cADSCs and mADSCs
      exhibited the potential to differentiate into adipocytes, osteocytes, and
      chondrocytes. In addition, single-cell phosphospecific flow cytometric analysis
      revealed similar beta-catenin and Akt phosphorylation between mADSCs and cADSCs.
      On the other hand, it showed the phosphorylation of different Stat proteins. It
      was determined that cADSCs and mADSCs show the potential to differentiate into
      adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. Furthermore, a difference in protein
      phosphorylation between undifferentiated cADSCs and mADSCs was identified.

PMID- 28900632
TI  - Clinical outcomes in ER+ HER2 -node-positive breast cancer patients who were
      treated according to the Recurrence Score results: evidence from a large
      prospectively designed registry.
AB  - The Recurrence Score(r) is increasingly used in node-positive ER+ HER2-negative
      breast cancer. This retrospective analysis of a prospectively designed registry
      evaluated treatments/outcomes in node-positive breast cancer patients who were
      Recurrence Score-tested through Clalit Health Services from 1/2006 through
      12/2011 (N = 709). Medical records were reviewed to verify
      treatments/recurrences/survival. Median follow-up, 5.9 years; median age, 62
      years; 53.9% grade 2; 69.8% tumors <= 2 cm; 84.5% invasive ductal carcinoma;
      42.0% N1mi, and 37.2%/15.5%/5.2% with 1/2/3 positive nodes; 53.4% Recurrence
      Score < 18, 36.4% Recurrence Score 18-30, and 10.2% Recurrence Score >= 31.
      Overall, 26.9% received adjuvant chemotherapy: 7.1%, 39.5%, and 86.1% in the
      Recurrence Score < 18, 18-30, and >= 31 group, respectively. The 5-year Kaplan
      Meier estimates for distant recurrence were 3.2%, 6.3%, and 16.9% for these
      respective groups and the corresponding 5-year breast cancer death estimates were
      0.5%, 3.4%, and 5.7%. In Recurrence Score < 18 patients, 5-year distant
      recurrence rates for N1mi/1 positive node/2-3 positive nodes were 1.2%/4.4%/5.4%.
      As patients were not randomized to treatment and treatment decision is heavily
      influenced by Recurrence Score, analysis of 5-year distant recurrence by
      chemotherapy use was exploratory and should be interpreted cautiously: In
      Recurrence Score < 18, recurrence rate was 7.7% in chemotherapy-treated (n = 27)
      and 2.9% in chemotherapy-untreated patients (n = 352); P = 0.245. In Recurrence
      Score 18-30, recurrence rate in chemotherapy-treated patients (n = 102) was
      significantly lower than in untreated patients (n = 156) (1.0% vs. 9.7% P =
      0.019); in Recurrence Score <= 25 (the RxPONDER study cutoff), recurrence rate
      was 2.3% in chemotherapy-treated (n = 89) and 4.4% in chemotherapy-untreated
      patients (n = 488); P = 0.521. In conclusion, our findings support using
      endocrine therapy alone in ER+ HER2-negative breast cancer patients with
      micrometastases/1-3 positive nodes and Recurrence Score < 18.

PMID- 28900635
TI  - How many surface atoms in Co3O4 take part in oxygen evolution? Isotope labeling
      together with differential electrochemical mass spectrometry.
AB  - Understanding the mechanism underlying the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on
      oxides is crucial for the development of many energy storage systems. Here, the
      mechanism of OER on a Co3O4 spinel catalyst is investigated in alkaline media
      using 18O-labeling combined with differential electrochemical mass spectrometry
      (DEMS). This work unravels the role of surface oxygen of the oxide in the OER. It
      is shown that in H218O-containing electrolyte the amount of 18O16O evolved
      increases from cycle to cycle together with a concomitant decrease of the amount
      of 16O2 with each cycle before reaching a steady-state value. 18O16O is also
      evolved from a H216O solution on a Co3O4 electrode pre-treated in H218O
      containing solution, indicating the formation of the 18O-labeled oxide in the
      previous step. Therefore, the oxide layer takes part in OER via an oxygen
      exchange mechanism. The total number of oxygen atoms of the oxide participating
      in OER is 0.1 to 0.2% of the total oxide loading, corresponding to about 10-30%
      of the surface atoms; these represent the catalytically active sites. Moreover,
      the real surface area of the catalyst is estimated using different methods
      (namely the ball model, double layer capacitance method, redox peak method,
      isotope exchange), and compared to the BET data. The surface areas calculated
      from the BET data, ball model and redox peak method are similar for small
      particles, which indicates their smooth surface; however they are smaller than
      that estimated from double-layer capacitance. For larger particles, the much
      larger surface area estimated from the redox peak in comparison to that expected
      from the ball model seems to be due to their roughness. Thus, this work
      highlights the importance of probing the mechanism when investigating the OER
      activity of a catalyst.

PMID- 28900634
TI  - Synergistic enhancement in the drug sequestration power and reduction in the
      cytotoxicity of surfactants.
AB  - Surfactants have often been employed for the sequestration of drugs from DNA.
      However, for an effective sequestration, the concentration of the surfactant
      needs to be higher than its critical micellar concentration (CMC). Use of such
      high concentrations of the surfactant may limit its practical usage as a
      sequestering agent due to its cytotoxicity. In the present study we have shown
      that sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) itself at a concentration less than its CMC
      failed to sequester a drug from DNA. However, the sequestration power of SDS at
      sub-CMC concentration could be enhanced to a significant extent when incorporated
      into Pluronic polymer micelles in the form of supramolecular assemblies. Such a
      sequestration process was monitored through detailed photophysical properties of
      a model drug using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence techniques. It has
      also been demonstrated that unlike a conventional surfactant, the sequestration
      of drugs by SDS-polymer supramolecular assemblies can be controlled by their
      compositions. Two Pluronic polymers with different compositions have been used to
      understand the effect of polymer composition on the sequestration process. It has
      been shown that with the increase in the length of the hydrophilic blocks of the
      polymer, the extent of sequestration decreases due to the decrease in the
      sequestering force exerted on the intercalated drug. Most importantly, our in
      vitro cell viability studies show that the toxicity of the SDS surfactant is
      reduced to a remarkable extent due to its incorporation into the polymer
      micelles.

PMID- 28900633
TI  - Clinical outcomes in patients with node-negative breast cancer treated based on
      the recurrence score results: evidence from a large prospectively designed
      registry.
AB  - The 21-gene Recurrence Score(r) (RS) assay is a validated prognostic/predictive
      tool in ER + early-stage breast cancer. However, clinical outcome data from
      prospective studies in RS >= 11 patients are lacking, as are relevant real-life
      clinical practice data. In this retrospective analysis of a prospectively
      designed registry, we evaluated treatments/clinical outcomes in patients
      undergoing RS-testing through Clalit Health Services. The analysis included N0 ER
      + HER2-negative breast cancer patients who were RS-tested from 1/2006 through
      12/2010. Medical records were reviewed to verify treatments/recurrences/survival.
      The cohort included 1801 patients (median follow-up, 6.2 years). Median age was
      60 years, 50.4% were grade 2 and 81.1% had invasive ductal carcinoma; 48.9% had
      RS < 18, 40.7% RS 18-30, and 10.4% RS >= 31, with chemotherapy use of 1.4, 23.7,
      and 87.2%, respectively. The 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates for distant recurrence
      were 0.8, 3.0, and 8.6%, for patients with RS < 18, RS 18-30 and RS >= 31,
      respectively; the corresponding 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates for breast cancer
      death were 0.0, 0.9, and 6.2%. Chemotherapy-untreated patients with RS < 11 (n =
      304) and 11-25 (n = 1037) (TAILORx categorization) had 5-year Kaplan-Meier
      estimates for distant recurrence risk/breast cancer death of 1.0%/0.0% and
      1.3%/0.4%, respectively. Our results extend those of the prospective TAILORx
      trial: the 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates for distant recurrence and breast cancer
      death rate for the RS < 18 patients were very low supporting the use of endocrine
      therapy alone. Furthermore, in chemotherapy-untreated patients with RS 11-25
      (where TAILORx patients were randomized to chemoendocrine or endocrine therapy
      alone), 5-year distant recurrence rates were also very low, suggesting that
      chemotherapy would not have conferred clinically meaningful benefit.

PMID- 28900636
TI  - Examination of molecular packing in orthogonal smectic liquid crystal phases: a
      guide for molecular design of functional smectic phases.
AB  - The reported layer spacings (dsmectic) of six homologues of mesogens exhibiting
      orthogonal smectic phases (SmE, SmB, and SmA phases) are reexamined. The slopes
      of the linear dependences on chain length (n, the number of carbon atoms in the
      hydrocarbon chain) are clearly categorized into two groups: 1.9 A (CH2)-1 and 1.4
      A (CH2)-1. It is clarified that in the former the molecules take a rod-like form
      (rod-form; category-I), whereas in the latter the molecules are bent around the
      connection between the core and chain moieties (bent-form; category-II). The
      average relative positions of adjacent molecules within the smectic structures
      are deduced from the intercept of the linear functions of dsmectic against n. The
      relation between and the features of molecules belonging to the two categories
      are discussed for molecular design of functional smectic liquid crystals.

PMID- 28900637
TI  - Beta transmutations in apatites with ferric iron as an electron acceptor -
      implication for nuclear waste form development.
AB  - Apatite-structured materials have been considered for the immobilization of a
      number of fission products from reprocessing nuclear fuel because of their
      chemical durability as well as compositional and structural flexibility. It is
      hypothesized that the effect of beta decay on the stability can be mitigated by
      introducing an appropriate electron acceptor at the neighboring sites in the
      structure. The decay series 137Cs -> 137Ba and 90Sr -> 90Y -> 90Zr were
      investigated using a spin-polarized DFT approach to test the hypothesis. Apatites
      with compositions of Ca10(PO4)6F2 and Ca4Y6(SiO4)6F2 were selected as model
      systems for the incorporation of radionuclides Cs and Sr, respectively. Ferric
      iron was introduced in the structure as an electron acceptor. Electron density of
      states, crystal and defect structures, and energies before and after beta decay
      were calculated. The calculated electron density of states suggests that the
      extra electron is localized at the ferric iron, which changes its oxidation state
      and becomes ferrous iron. The crystal and defect structures were analyzed based
      on the volume, lattice parameters, radial distribution functions, metal cation to
      coordinating oxygen distances, and the metaprism twist angle of the apatite
      crystal structure. The results show that there are minor changes in the crystal
      and defect structures of CsFeCa8(PO4)6F2 with Cs+ and Fe3+ substitutions
      undergoing the Cs -> Ba transmutation, and of Ca3SrY4Fe2(SiO4)6F2 with Sr2+ and
      Fe3+ substitutions undergoing the Sr -> Y -> Zr transmutations. The last decay
      change, from Y3+ -> Zr4+, causes relatively larger changes in the local defect
      structure around Zr involving the coordination environment but the change is not
      significant to the crystal structure. The results on calculated cohesive energy
      suggest that the transmutations Cs+ -> Ba2+ and Sr2+ -> Y3+ -> Zr4+ in both
      apatite compositions are energetically favorable, which is consistent with the
      minor structure distortions. Increased stability with favorable energetics and
      structural distortion by incorporating ferric ion is significant with respect
      without variable valence ions. The results confirm the structural and
      compositional adaptability of apatites upon beta transmutations. The study
      suggests that apatite-structured materials could be promising nuclear waste forms
      to mitigate the beta decay induced instability, by incorporating variable valence
      cations such as ferric iron in the structure. The study demonstrates a
      methodology which evaluates the structural stability of waste forms incorporating
      fission products undergoing beta decay.

PMID- 28900638
TI  - Acid- and hydrogen-bonding-induced switching between 22-pi and 18-pi electron
      conjugations in 2-aminothiazolo[4,5-c]porphycenes.
AB  - 2-Aminothiazolo[4,5-c]porphycenes are a novel class of 22-pi electron aromatic
      porphycene derivatives prepared by click reaction of porphycene isothiocyanates
      with primary and secondary amines with high potential as near-infrared
      theranostic labels. Herein, the optical and photophysical properties of 2
      aminothiazolo[4,5-c]porphycenes have been studied, revealing a strong dependence
      on hydrogen bond donor solvents and acids. High hydrogen bond donor solvents and
      acids shift the absorption and fluorescence emission of 2-aminothiazolo[4,5
      c]porphycenes to the blue due to a contraction of their aromatic system from 22
      pi to 18-pi electrons. Finally, the aromatic shift has been successfully used to
      measure the pH using 2-aminothiazoloporphycene-labelled gold nanoclusters, paving
      the way for the use of these compounds as near infrared pH-sensitive probes.

PMID- 28900639
TI  - Geometric and electronic properties of ultrathin anatase TiO2(001) films.
AB  - Ultrathin anatase TiO2(001) films have recently been shown to exhibit many exotic
      properties, which are not observed in their thick counterpart. In this work, the
      dependence of the geometric and electronic properties of ultrathin anatase
      TiO2(001) films on the number of O-Ti-O trilayers is investigated on the basis of
      first-principles calculations. It is interesting to find that the lattice
      parameters, intertrilayer distances, electronic band gap and the position of the
      valence band edge for the films depend strongly on the number of trilayers, and
      they exhibit pronounced odd-even oscillations with the number of trilayers.
      Moreover, the convergence of geometric and electronic properties with the number
      of trilayers is rather slow, and not achieved even in films with 12 trilayers
      (~2.7 nm). In addition, the adsorption state of the H2O molecule on the surface
      depends strongly on the thickness of the film. On the other hand, because the
      TiO2(001) surface is well described by a (001) film containing more than four
      trilayers, films with different lattice parameters and more than four trilayers
      may also be regarded as (001) surfaces that have been strained to different
      extents. Then, the above results from them also apply to the strained TiO2(001)
      surfaces. These results not only present new physics of the TiO2(001) films and
      surfaces, but also are helpful for understanding and modulating their performance
      in photocatalytic water splitting.

PMID- 28900640
TI  - PPh4Cl in aqueous solution - the aggregation behavior of an antagonistic salt.
AB  - The initial definition of hydrotropy by Neuberg in 1916 describes a hydrotrope as
      a molecule which enhances the solubilization of hydrophobic substances in water.
      Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium xylene sulfonate (SXS) are typical
      representatives fulfilling this old definition. They are either surfactants with
      a critical micellar concentration (CMC) or hydrotropes in the current sense of
      the term, showing a minimum hydrotrope concentration (MHC), respectively. In the
      present contribution, we consider the antagonistic salt PPh4Cl as a hydrotrope.
      Surface tension measurements and solubilization experiments on a hydrophobic dye
      confirm the solubilization behavior of PPh4Cl, which is in-between the one of SDS
      and SXS. With the help of scattering techniques (DLS, SLS, SAXS), NMR and
      conductivity measurements, we show that in contrast to SDS as a hydrotrope with
      an inherent CMC, PPh4Cl does not exhibit mesoscale aggregation. Therefore, PPh4Cl
      can be classified rather as a hydrotrope in the modern sense, with an inherent
      MHC just as SXS.

PMID- 28900641
TI  - Core-shell colloidal particles with dynamically tunable scattering properties.
AB  - We design polystyrene-poly(N'-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) core-shell
      particles that exhibit dynamically tunable scattering. We show that under normal
      solvent conditions the shell is nearly index-matched to pure water, and the
      particle scattering is dominated by Rayleigh scattering from the core. As the
      temperature or salt concentration increases, both the scattering cross-section
      and the forward scattering increase, characteristic of Mie scatterers. The
      magnitude of the change in the scattering cross-section and scattering anisotropy
      can be controlled through the solvent conditions and the size of the core. Such
      particles may find use as optical switches or optical filters with tunable
      opacity.

PMID- 28900643
TI  - Unidirectional rotation of cholesteric droplets driven by UV-light irradiation.
AB  - We investigated the novel photo-induced dynamics of azobenzene-doped cholesteric
      (Ch) droplets coexisting with the isotropic (Iso) phase. When the hemispherical
      Ch droplets initially stuck to glass substrates were irradiated by UV-light, they
      were parted from the substrates due to the surface disordering caused by the
      photo-isomerization of azobenzene. Then, the spherical droplets floating in the
      Iso phase exhibited an unexpected motion - a continuous and unidirectional
      rotation along the light propagation direction. The rotational direction was
      reversed by the inversion of either the sample's chirality or the UV irradiation
      direction, and the rotational velocity increased with both the UV-light intensity
      and the concentration of the doped azobenzene, the dependences of which were
      described by linear and relaxation functions, respectively. We proposed a
      possible scenario based on Leslie's theory combining mass fluxes and torques,
      which well explained the photo-driven rotation of the Ch droplets.

PMID- 28900644
TI  - Properties of kinetic transition networks for atomic clusters and glassy solids.
AB  - A database of minima and transition states corresponds to a network where the
      minima represent nodes and the transition states correspond to edges between the
      pairs of minima they connect via steepest-descent paths. Here we construct
      networks for small clusters bound by the Morse potential for a selection of
      physically relevant parameters, in two and three dimensions. The properties of
      these unweighted and undirected networks are analysed to examine two features:
      whether they are small-world, where the shortest path between nodes involves only
      a small number or edges; and whether they are scale-free, having a degree
      distribution that follows a power law. Small-world character is present, but
      statistical tests show that a power law is not a good fit, so the networks are
      not scale-free. These results for clusters are compared with the corresponding
      properties for the molecular and atomic structural glass formers ortho-terphenyl
      and binary Lennard-Jones. These glassy systems do not show small-world
      properties, suggesting that such behaviour is linked to the structure-seeking
      landscapes of the Morse clusters.

PMID- 28900642
TI  - A mutation-resistant deoxyribozyme OR gate for highly selective detection of
      viral nucleic acids.
AB  - Highly selective probes hybridize only to fully complementary DNA or RNA
      sequences and, therefore, often fail to recognize mutated viral genomes. Here we
      designed a probe that possesses two seemingly incompatible properties: it
      tolerates some point mutations in genome, while it remains selective towards
      others. An OR deoxyribozyme logic gate was designed to fluorescently report the
      sequences of enterovirus 71 (EV71) covering ~90% of all known EV71 strains.
      Importantly, sequences of closely related coxsackieviruses that differed by
      single nucleotides were reliably differentiated in 7 out of 8 cases.

PMID- 28900645
TI  - Role of intermolecular charge delocalization and its dimensionality in efficient
      band-like electron transport in crystalline 2,5-difluoro-7,7,8,8
      tetracyanoquinodimethane (F2-TCNQ).
AB  - Theoretical understanding of charge transport in organic semiconductors is
      exclusively important for organic electronics, but still remains a subject of
      debate. The recently discovered record-high band-like electron mobility in single
      crystals of 2,5-difluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F2-TCNQ) is
      challenging from the theoretical viewpoint. First, the very small size of the F2
      TCNQ molecule implies high reorganization energy that seems incompatible with
      efficient charge transport. Second, it is not clear why the crystals of a similar
      compound, 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), show an inefficient hopping
      electron transport mechanism. To address these issues, we apply DFT and QM/MM
      calculations to the Fn-TCNQ (n = 0,2,4) crystal series. We show that
      multidimensional intermolecular charge delocalization is of key importance for
      efficient charge transport in materials consisting of small-sized molecules, and
      commonly used guidelines for the search for high-mobility organic semiconductors
      are to be corrected.

PMID- 28900647
TI  - A first-principles study on zigzag phosphorene nanoribbons passivated by iron
      group atoms.
AB  - We performed a first-principles study on Fe-, Co-, and Ni-terminated zigzag
      phosphorene nanoribbons (ZPNRs) with different widths. Magnetic edges were
      observed for Fe- and Co-terminated ZPNRs, whereas Ni-terminated ZPNRs were
      nonmagnetic. Interestingly, magnetism could be induced in Ni-ZPNRs by external
      electric fields, and the distribution of the magnetic moments could be tuned by
      the direction of the electric fields. Furthermore, Fe-ZPNRs and Co-ZPNRs exhibit
      semi-metallic and metallic characteristics, respectively, whereas Ni-ZPNRs are
      mainly semiconductors with band gaps generally increasing monotonously with the
      increase in nanoribbon width. These fascinating properties of iron-group atom
      terminated ZPNRs indicate their great potential applications in future
      spintronics, optoelectronics, and information technologies.

PMID- 28900646
TI  - Excited state dynamics of symmetric and asymmetric Cr3(dpa)4Cl2 measured using
      femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy.
AB  - Herein, the excited-state dynamics of an extended metal atom chain complex,
      Cr3(dpa)4Cl2 (dpa = dipyridylamide), in tetrahydrofuran solution were
      investigated using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Upon excitation
      at a wavelength of 330 nm, two distinct excited-state absorption species with
      varied dynamics were identified and assigned to the symmetric (s-) and
      unsymmetric (u-) Cr3(dpa)4Cl2. The major species is s-Cr3(dpa)4Cl2 that undergoes
      rapid conversion at less than 100 fs from the ligand-centred pi-pi* state, which
      is the initially accessed state, to the metal-centred d-d state and then
      vibrational cooling accompanying the structural relaxation at a time constant
      ~2.2 ps. Most of the s-form is recovered to the ground state at ~200 ps. For u
      Cr3(dpa)4Cl2, a similar rapid conversion to d-d states is observed, and the
      geometric/vibrational relaxation is ~0.8 ps. The second recovery of the ground
      state with approximately equal amplitude is observed at a time constant of ~5 ns.
      This might be because many d-d states exist and about half of them inefficiently
      couple with the ground state surface.

PMID- 28900648
TI  - Structure and crystallization of SiO2 and B2O3 doped lithium disilicate glasses
      from theory and experiment.
AB  - Solid solutions of SiO2 and B2O3 in Li2O.2SiO2 are synthesized and characterized
      for the first time. Their structure and crystallization mechanisms are
      investigated employing a combination of simulations at the density functional
      theory level and experiments on the crystallization of SiO2 and B2O3 doped
      lithium disilicate glasses. The remarkable agreement of calculated and
      experimentally determined cell parameters reveals the preferential, kinetically
      controlled incorporation of [SiO4] and [BO4] at the Li+ lattice sites of the
      Li2O.2SiO2 crystal structure. While the addition of SiO2 increases the glass
      viscosity resulting in lower crystal growth velocities, glasses containing B2O3
      show a reduction of both viscosities and crystal growth velocities. These
      observations could be rationalized by a change of the chemical composition of the
      glass matrix surrounding the precipitated crystal phase during the course of
      crystallization, which leads to a deceleration of the attachment of building
      units required for further crystal growth at the liquid-crystal interface.

PMID- 28900649
TI  - Ionic effects on the proton transfer mechanism in aqueous solutions.
AB  - Proton dissociation (PD) reactions of weak acids and proton transfer (PT)
      processes in aqueous solutions are strongly influenced by ions. However, a
      detailed molecular picture that describes how ions affect the rates of PD and PT
      processes is still missing. Here, we utilize time-resolved fluorescence
      spectroscopy combined with quantum chemical calculations to investigate the
      excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) reaction of a photoacid in aqueous metal
      chloride solutions. The activation energy (Ea) for the ESPT of the photoacid
      increases with increasing charge density of cations (rhocat). The local hydrogen
      bond (H-bond) structure of the photoacid in the ionic hydration shell is strongly
      related to both the Ea and the rhocat. Most importantly, the proton's positive
      charge in the transition state, which is delocalized through the H-bonded water
      channel, is more destabilized with an increase in the rhocat, leading to a higher
      Ea. Our experimental and computational results allow us to elucidate the
      underlying mechanism for the ionic effect on PD and the subsequent PT process at
      the molecular level.

PMID- 28900650
TI  - Sensitive detection of microRNAs by duplex specific nuclease-assisted target
      recycling and pyrene excimer switching.
AB  - Herein, we develop a simple fluorescence method for the sensitive detection of
      microRNAs based on duplex specific nuclease-assisted target recycling and pyrene
      excimer switching. This method is extremely sensitive with a detection limit of
      0.58 fM, and it can be applied to absolutely detect endogenous microRNAs in
      cancer cells, holding great potential for clinical diagnosis and biomedical
      research studies.

PMID- 28900651
TI  - Erratum to: Silencing of a second dimethylallyltryptophan synthase of Penicillium
      roqueforti reveals a novel clavine alkaloid gene cluster.

PMID- 28900652
TI  - [Medical examination: Preparation for ENT specialisation : Part 32].

PMID- 28900653
TI  - [Surgery and prognosis of malignent-functioning neuroendocrine tumors of the
      pancreas].

PMID- 28900654
TI  - [Importance of portal vein embolization depending on the underlying hepatic
      malignancy].

PMID- 28900655
TI  - [(Partial) arthrodesis of the hand and wrist].

PMID- 28900657
TI  - ?.

PMID- 28900656
TI  - [Upgrade of the resident's job exchange platform].

PMID- 28900659
TI  - Delayed presentation of uterine rupture in a didelphys uterus misdiagnosed as
      appendicitis: a case report and review of the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Uterine rupture during pregnancy caused by uterine dysplasia, such
      as the double uterus, is very rare and easily overlooked by the surgeon. CASE: A
      25-year-old woman, at 17 weeks of gestation presented to our emergency center
      with acute right lower abdominal pain for more than 10 h. The initial diagnosis
      is acute appendicitis, but during the exploration, we found about 2500 mL of
      intraperitoneal hemorrhage, appendix was normal, pregnancy in one of the double
      uterine and ruptured at the right bottom. The pregnancy was removed and the
      uterine defect was repaired. CONCLUSION: Uterine rupture caused by double uterus
      is very rare and easily Ignored by the surgeon. The survival of patients suffered
      from uterine rupture depends on the time interval between rupture and
      intervention.

PMID- 28900660
TI  - [The drama of aging in film : Dramaturgic notes on a storybook about films about
      aging].

PMID- 28900662
TI  - Erratum to: Tubulin-related cerebellar dysplasia: definition of a distinct
      pattern of cerebellar malformation.

PMID- 28900663
TI  - [Costs of allergic diseases and saving potential by allergen-specific
      immunotherapy : A personal assessment].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The burden of allergic diseases is of particular relevance for the
      economy and the social welfare and health insurance framework. Allergic rhinitis
      (AR) has a life-time prevalence of approximately 30% and is one of the most
      common chronic diseases with considerable socioeconomic impact thus leading to
      substantial direct, indirect and intangible costs. This article explores the
      common hypothesis that allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) saves national
      economic expenses in the long term in comparison to other standard symptomatic
      treatment or no therapy. METHODS: We conducted a selective search and analysis of
      the literature in PubMed and Medline including otherwise listed publications in
      German. Using a predefined model and data extrapolation over 9 years for data
      from different sources and short-term clinical studies we further discuss the
      problems and difficulties in analyzing heterogeneous datasets. RESULTS: Using a
      health-economic model with currently available and accepted variables ASIT proves
      to be cost-effective in comparison to symptomatic treatment in allergic rhinitis;
      however, numerous parameters from other models have to be controlled, such as
      adherence to therapy and therapy discontinuation, heterogeneous costs for
      different treatment modalities, effect sizes with respect to symptoms including
      cross-influences with symptomatic rescue medication, duration of efficacy after
      treatment discontinuation and asthma protection. DISCUSSION: The personal
      appraisal of the authors demonstrates not only the current knowledge but also the
      problems in health economical evaluation of ASIT in allergic diseases.

PMID- 28900664
TI  - [Prehospital care for stroke patients].
AB  - The effectiveness of thrombolysis or mechanical recanalization for acute stroke
      is higher, the sooner these therapies are started. Therefore, acute stroke
      patients need to be evaluated by qualified staff for these therapies as soon as
      possible. Lay persons need to identify the typical symptoms of stroke as an
      emergency and act accordingly by calling the emergency medical system (EMS). The
      EMS team reassesses the symptoms and prompts cerebral imaging. Cerebral imaging
      is performed ideally in hospitals with a stroke unit where subsequent (stroke)
      treatments occur. On the way, the emergency team will measure and stabilize vital
      functions and obtain further important clinical information. Telemedicine allows
      communicating exact time of onset and severity of symptoms, as well as
      comorbidities and medication of the patient to the respective hospital. Thereby,
      the intrahospital workload will be disencumbered and accelerated. Some EMS
      vehicles now carry point-of-care laboratories and may measure lab values en route
      (glucose and INR [International Normalized Ratio] for example). Some ambulances
      are not only equipped with qualified staff, telemedicine technique, and point-of
      care labs but even computer tomography (CT) to perform imaging. Such mobile
      stroke emergency mobiles (STEMO) or mobile stroke units may perform thrombolysis
      prehospitally. Prehospital thrombolysis has been proven to be initiated faster
      and is safe. Preliminary results even suggest superiority to intrahospital
      thrombolysis with respect to clinical outcome. Moreover, STEMO may perform CT
      angiography and assess intracranial large-vessel status. If intracranial large
      vessel occlusion is present, patients will be brought directly to hospitals able
      to perform mechanical recanalization. Thus, secondary transports are no longer
      required.

PMID- 28900665
TI  - [Questionnaire for the utilization of the Emergency Department : Implications for
      the patient survey].
AB  - BACKGROUND: For several years, Emergency Departments (ED) in Germany have
      observed increasing patient numbers, resulting in ED crowding. This leads to the
      question of whether patients with nonurgent conditions could also receive
      adequate treatment in primary care. Our objective was to develop a quantitative
      questionnaire to investigate in a larger patient group the reasons for this and
      to describe the implications for a patient survey in the ED. METHODS: The
      development of the questionnaire was based on a literature search and the results
      of the qualitative EPICS-2 study. Two pretest surveys were conducted in three EDs
      at the Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin. We included patients aged >= 18
      years with outpatient treatment and the categories blue (nonurgent), green
      (standard), or yellow (urgent) according to the Manchester Triage System (MTS).
      RESULTS: In total, 189 patients were recruited in two surveys (pretest 1: n = 89,
      pretest 2 n = 100). The final questionnaire includes 24 items, which were
      evaluated and adapted during both pretests. The items evaluate basic clinical
      characteristics, reasons for choosing the ED, prior contacts in primary care,
      utilization of primary care after-hours services as well as sociodemographic
      characteristics. Data from the hospital information system were used to link the
      survey data with clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire is
      based on reasons for ED utilization. We recommend the written, self-applied
      questionnaire for patient surveys with plausibility checks conducted by staff. It
      is necessary to consider the heterogenic study surroundings in the ED, which
      requires a lot of flexibility during data collection.

PMID- 28900666
TI  - [Psychotherapeutic approaches for treatment of the elderly].
AB  - BACKGROUND: This article focusses on the possibilities, varieties, indications,
      and benefits of psychotherapy with elderly patients. OBJECTIVE: Which basic
      principles can be differentiated, what theoretical rationales are helpful for
      psychotherapy with the elderly and what kind and forms of psychotherapy are
      available? MATERIAL AND METHODS: Based on relevant references and research,
      clinically relevant and evidence-based psychotherapies are described, to
      understand the theoretical rationale, the goals, the procedure and main
      strategies. RESULTS: Cognitive behavior therapy, problem solving therapy, life
      review therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy are
      available to treat various psychological and somatic problems in elderly
      patients. In particular, cognitive behavior therapy, problem solving therapy, and
      life review therapy are evidence-based and empirically validated. Evidence for
      interpersonal psychotherapy is mixed and for psychodynamic psychotherapy is
      missing. CONCLUSION: Psychotherapy with old and very old patients is possible,
      well received, and successful. Age per se is no longer considered to be a
      relevant variable for indications of psychotherapy.

PMID- 28900669
TI  - [Back to life-a rocky road!]

PMID- 28900668
TI  - Validation of the Baragwanath mortality prediction score for cerebral gunshot
      wounds: the Pietermaritzburg experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cerebral gunshot wounds (GSW) are highly lethal injuries. To date,
      only one clinical scoring system to predict mortality in a developing world
      setting has been described. This is the Baragwanath mortality prediction score
      ("ABC": admission blood pressure, brain matter spillage and consciousness level).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of prospectively
      entered data for a cohort of patients with isolated cerebral GSWs over a 5-year
      period (January 2010-December 2014) in our institution. We aimed to validate the
      Baragwanath ABC mortality prediction score in our population. RESULTS: During the
      5-year study period, 102 patients with isolated cerebral GSWs were reviewed, 22%
      (22/102) of which died. Based on the total ABC score (1-5), the mortality was 0%
      for 1, 21% for 2, 67% for 3, 92% for 4, and 100% for 5. The ABC score has a
      sensitivity of 82% (95% CI 60-95%), specificity of 96% (95% CI 89-99%), PPV of
      86% (95% CI 66-96%) and NPV of 95% (95% CI 86-99%). CONCLUSIONS: The Baragwanath
      mortality prediction score accurately predicts non survival of patients with a
      cerebral GSW in our patient cohort. Further validation studies in other
      populations are required before this system can be widely adopted.

PMID- 28900667
TI  - Ammonium trichloro [1,2-ethanediolato-O,O']-tellurate cures experimental visceral
      leishmaniasis by redox modulation of Leishmania donovani trypanothione reductase
      and inhibiting host integrin linked PI3K/Akt pathway.
AB  - In an endeavor to search for affordable and safer therapeutics against
      debilitating visceral leishmaniasis, we examined antileishmanial potential of
      ammonium trichloro [1,2-ethanediolato-O,O']-tellurate (AS101); a tellurium based
      non toxic immunomodulator. AS101 showed significant in vitro efficacy against
      both Leishmania donovani promastigotes and amastigotes at sub-micromolar
      concentrations. AS101 could also completely eliminate organ parasite load from L.
      donovani infected Balb/c mice along with significant efficacy against infected
      hamsters (?93% inhibition). Analyzing mechanistic details revealed that the
      double edged AS101 could directly induce apoptosis in promastigotes along with
      indirectly activating host by reversing T-cell anergy to protective Th1 mode,
      increased ROS generation and anti-leishmanial IgG production. AS101 could inhibit
      IL-10/STAT3 pathway in L. donovani infected macrophages via blocking alpha4beta7
      integrin dependent PI3K/Akt signaling and activate host MAPKs and NF-kappaB for
      Th1 response. In silico docking and biochemical assays revealed AS101's affinity
      to form thiol bond with cysteine residues of trypanothione reductase in
      Leishmania promastigotes leading to its inactivation and inducing ROS-mediated
      apoptosis of the parasite via increased Ca2+ level, loss of ATP and mitochondrial
      membrane potential along with metacaspase activation. Our findings provide the
      first evidence for the mechanism of action of AS101 with excellent safety profile
      and suggest its promising therapeutic potential against experimental visceral
      leishmaniasis.

PMID- 28900670
TI  - Seasonality and microhabitat selection in a forest-dwelling salamander.
AB  - Many small terrestrial vertebrates exhibit limited spatial movement and are
      considerably exposed to changes in local environmental variables. Among such
      vertebrates, amphibians at present experience a dramatic decline due to their
      limited resilience to environmental change. Since the local survival and
      abundance of amphibians is intrinsically related to the availability of shelters,
      conservation plans need to take microhabitat requirements into account. In order
      to gain insight into the terrestrial ecology of the spectacled salamander
      Salamandrina perspicillata and to identify appropriate forest management
      strategies, we investigated the salamander's seasonal variability in habitat use
      of trees as shelters in relation to tree features (size, buttresses, basal holes)
      and environmental variables in a beech forest in Italy. We used the occupancy
      approach to assess tree suitability on a non-conventional spatial scale. Our
      approach provides fine-grained parameters of microhabitat suitability and
      elucidates many aspects of the salamander's terrestrial ecology. Occupancy
      changed with the annual life cycle and was higher in autumn than in spring, when
      females were found closer to the stream in the study area. Salamanders showed a
      seasonal pattern regarding the trees they occupied and a clear preference for
      trees with a larger diameter and more burrows. With respect to forest management,
      we suggest maintaining a suitable number of trees with a trunk diameter exceeding
      30 cm. A practice of selective logging along the banks of streams could help
      maintain an adequate quantity of the appropriate microhabitat. Furthermore, in
      areas with a presence of salamanders, a good forest management plan requires
      leaving an adequate buffer zone around streams, which should be wider in autumn
      than in spring.

PMID- 28900671
TI  - [Wrist arthrodesis with a fixed-angle, "low-profile" fusion plate without
      carpometacarpal joint fixation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Total wrist arthrodesis to improve functional use of the hand by
      reducing pain and increasing grip strength. INDICATIONS: Painful destruction of
      the radio- and midcarpal joints. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Analgesia and satisfactory
      hand function after motion-preserving surgical or conservative treatment. Chronic
      joint infection. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Posterior approach to the wrist. Removal of
      articular surfaces destroyed all the way down to cancellous bone. Filling of
      defects with cancellous bone graft taken from distal radius or iliac crest.
      Osteosynthesis with fixed-angle wrist fusion plate without carpometacarpal (CMC)
      III joint fixation. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Below-elbow cast for 2 weeks.
      Immediate active motion fingers exercises. X-ray control 6 weeks postoperatively.
      Gradual increase of normal hand use in daily life after bony consolidation.
      RESULTS: Total wrist arthrodesis was performed using a fixed-angle fusion plate
      without CMC III joint fixation in 28 patients (21 men, 7 women). A follow-up of
      14/28 patients was performed at a mean of 21 (3-39) months postoperatively. Grip
      strength improved from 14 (0-38) kg preoperatively to 22 (12-40) kg
      postoperatively. The average postoperative DASH score was 40 (6-72) points. Pain
      measured with the VAS scale (0-10) improved from an average of 7 (3-10) points
      preoperatively to 2 (0-6) points postoperatively. Overall, 13/14 patients were
      satisfied with the treatment; 26/28 patients achieved primary bony consolidation.
      Postoperative complications found in 9 of 28 patients: 2 nonunion, pain in the
      CMC II (n = 3) or III (n = 1) joints, 2 screw breakage, 1 postoperative bleeding
      and 1 infection. Both cases of nonunion healed after plate removal, re
      osteosynthesis with a straight wrist arthrodesis plate, bridging the CMC III
      joint, and a bone graft from the iliac crest. All patients with CMC II joint pain
      were pain-free after removal of the protruding screw. One patient had chronic
      pain in the CMC III joint despite plate removal. In the 2 cases with screw
      breakage, no issues caused. In one patient, after primary bony consolidation,
      removal of the plate was performed for extensor tenolysis and not as a result of
      the broken screw. In the second patient, removal of the plate after primary bony
      consolidation was unnecessary as the patient was pain-free in the area of the
      broken screw, yet a protruding screw in the CMC II joint cavity was removed.

PMID- 28900672
TI  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adult patients with acute fulminant
      myocarditis : Clinical outcomes and risk factor analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our study aimed to summarize the clinical outcomes of extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in adult patients with acute fulminant myocarditis
      and to investigate the risk factors associated with its application. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively examined patients with cardiogenic shock and acute
      fulminant myocarditis. The following data were collected: patients' preoperative
      general condition, related clinical factors during ECMO, complications, and
      outcomes of ECMO. The patients were divided into a survivor group and a
      nonsurvivor group. RESULTS: From a total of 33 patients, seven died in hospital.
      The survival rate was 78.7%. The following complications were observed during
      ECMO: 16 cases of acute renal failure (48.4%), seven cases of sepsis (21.2%), six
      cases of pulmonary infection (18.1%), six cases of multiple organ failure (MOF;
      18.1%), three cases of cerebral hemorrhage (9%), and four cases of limb ischemia
      (12.1%). Pre-ECMO cardiopulmonary resuscitation, high levels of lactic acid, high
      amounts of blood transfusion during ECMO, renal failure, encephalorrhagia,
      gastrointestinal complications, lower-limb ischemia, high bilirubin levels, and
      MOF during ECMO were associated with unfavorable patient outcomes. CONCLUSION:
      ECMO is an effective auxiliary tool for treating acute fulminant myocarditis.
      Acute renal failure is the most common complication during ECMO. Improving tissue
      perfusion, reducing blood transfusions, and preventing acute kidney failure may
      improve patient outcomes.

PMID- 28900673
TI  - Eye-hand coordination during visuomotor adaptation: effects of hemispace and
      joint coordination.
AB  - We previously examined adaptive changes of eye-hand coordination during learning
      of a visuomotor rotation. Gazes during reaching movements were initially directed
      to a feedback cursor in early practice, but were gradually shifted toward the
      target with more practice, indicating an emerging gaze anchoring behavior. This
      adaptive pattern reflected a functional change of gaze control from exploring the
      cursor-hand relation to guiding the hand to the task goal. The present study
      further examined the effects of hemispace and joint coordination associated with
      target directions on this behavior. Young adults performed center-out reaching
      movements to four targets with their right hand on a horizontal digitizer, while
      looking at a rotated visual feedback cursor on a computer monitor. To examine the
      effect of hemispace related to visual stimuli, two out of the four targets were
      located in the ipsilateral workspace relative to the hand used, the other two in
      the contralateral workspace. To examine the effect of hemispace related to manual
      actions, two among the four targets were related to reaches made in the
      ipsilateral workspace, the other two to reaches made in the contralateral
      workspace. Furthermore, to examine the effect of the complexity of joint
      coordination, two among the four targets were reaches involving a direct path
      from the start to the target involving elbow movements (simple), whereas the
      other two targets were reaches involving both shoulder and elbow movements
      (complex). The results showed that the gaze anchoring behavior gradually emerged
      during practice for reaches made in all target directions. The speed of this
      change was affected mainly by the hemispace related to manual actions, whereas
      the other two effects were minimal. The gaze anchoring occurred faster for the
      ipsilateral reaches than for the contralateral reaches; gazes prior to the gaze
      anchoring were also directed less at the cursor vicinity but more at the mid-area
      between the starting point and the target. These results suggest that ipsilateral
      reaches result in a better predictability of the cursor-hand relation under the
      visuomotor rotation, thereby prompting an earlier functional change of gaze
      control through practice from a reactive to a predictive control.

PMID- 28900674
TI  - Who is willing to participate in low-risk pragmatic clinical trials without
      consent?
AB  - PURPOSE: General notification offers a possible alternative to written informed
      consent for pragmatic randomized controlled trials (pRCTs). It involves patients
      being informed through brochures, posters, and letters that research is being
      conducted simultaneously to providing clinical care and that patients will be
      enrolled in pRCTs without study-specific consent. A previous survey found that a
      substantial minority of respondents endorsed general notification. We aimed to
      know who is willing to enroll in this type of trials using general notification
      rather than written consent. METHODS: The previous study was a cross-sectional,
      probability-based survey, with a 2 * 2 factorial design. Two scenarios were
      assessed: two low-risk pRCTs in hypertension, one comparing two drugs with
      similar benefit/risk ratio and the other taking the same drug in the morning or
      at night. Each scenario had two routes: written consent vs verbal consent and
      written consent vs general notification. In this study, we were interested in the
      latter route in both scenarios. Respondents' preferences were measured based on
      their recommendation to the research ethics committee and the respondent's
      personal preference. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of those
      supporting general notification in either outcome or the variables explaining
      consistency and inconsistency between their personal preference and their
      recommendation. Based on the results of the original survey, we aimed to have at
      least 200 inconsistent respondents; to this end, the sample size was increased
      accordingly in a second wave of the survey. RESULTS: One thousand six hundre and
      ten respondents were included; 1003 from the original survey and 607 new ones
      belonging to the second wave. Thirty-nine percent of respondents chose general
      notification as personal preference and/or recommendation. Respondents with lower
      education levels were more prone to accept general notification than those
      holding a university degree [OR (95% CI)], primary school [2.959 (2.069-4.232)],
      secondary school [2.899 (2.09-4.021)], or high school [1.620 (1.184-2.217)]. Also
      unemployed [1.372 (1.064-1.770)] and retired [1.445 (1.049-1.990)], but not
      students, showed preference for general notification in comparison with those
      employed. Individuals more than 24 years old and having received high school or
      university (or postgraduate) education were statistically significantly more
      consistent in their decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Thirty-nine percent of respondents is
      open to not to be asked for their informed consent in low-risk pRCTs; of these,
      those being less educated and not having current job or being retired are
      significantly more open to general notification. The use of this alternative
      method to written consent for simultaneous conduct of pRCTs and care should be
      considered and educational programs settled up to, in the case of public
      acceptance, ensure its ethical appropriateness.

PMID- 28900675
TI  - Bone Disease in Connective Tissue Disease/Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
AB  - This article reviews recent advances in the research of the mechanisms of bone
      loss, as well as clinical features, economic impact and therapeutic implications
      of osteoporosis and fractures in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
      as an illustration of bone disease in a complex systemic autoimmune connective
      tissue disease. Recent studies demonstrated an increased incidence of
      osteoporosis and peripheral and vertebral fractures in patients with SLE. The
      aetiology of bone loss in SLE is multifactorial, including clinical osteoporosis
      risk factors, systemic inflammation, serological factors, metabolic factors,
      hormonal factors, possibly genetic factors and medication-induced adverse
      effects. The incidence of symptomatic fractures in patients with SLE is increased
      1.2-4.7-fold and age, disease duration, glucocorticoid use, previous
      cyclophosphamide use, seizures and a prior cerebrovascular event have been
      identified as important risk factors. Moreover, a high prevalence of morphometric
      vertebral fractures was demonstrated, while one in three of these patients has
      normal bone density, which finding points to the multifactorial aetiology of
      fractures in SLE. The clinical consequences and economic burden of osteoporosis
      and fractures as glucocorticoid treatment-related adverse events and the high
      frequency of glucocorticoid therapy underline the importance of reducing
      glucocorticoid treatment and prescribing steroid-sparing agents. No data on fall
      risk and its determinants and the relationship with the occurrence of fractures
      in patients with SLE are currently available. Fall risk might be increased in
      lupus patients for several reasons. In addition, the recently reported high
      prevalence (20%) of frailty in SLE patients may contribute to the increased
      fracture incidence. Therefore, the relationships between fall risk, frailty and
      fracture occurrence in SLE might be interesting subjects for future studies.

PMID- 28900676
TI  - Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 Mediates the Beneficial Effects of n-3 Fatty Acids on
      Body Composition in Mice.
AB  - As populations continue to age worldwide, sarcopenic obesity has heightened
      interest due to its medical importance. Although much evidence now indicates that
      n-3 fatty acids (FAs) may have beneficial effects on body composition including
      fat and muscle, their exact mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Because free
      FA receptor 4 (FFA4) has been reported to be a receptor for n-3 FAs, we
      hypothesized that the protective role of n-3 FAs on body composition could be
      mediated by FFA4. To test this possibility, we generated mice overexpressing n-3
      FAs but lacking FFA4 by crossing fat-1 transgenic (fat-1 Tg+) and FFA4 knockout
      (Ffar4 -/-) mice. Because fat-1 Tg+ mice, in which n-6 is endogenously converted
      into n-3 FAs, contain high n-3 FA levels, they could be a good animal model for
      studying the effects of n-3 FAs in vivo. Male and female littermates were
      included in high-fat-diet- (HFD) and ovariectomy-induced models, respectively. In
      the HFD model, male fat-1 Tg+ mice had a lower percentage of fat mass and a
      higher percentage of lean mass than their wild-type littermates only when they
      had the Ffar4 +/+ not the Ffar4 -/- background. Female fat-1 Tg+ mice showed less
      increase of fat mass percentage and less decrease of lean mass percentage after
      ovariectomy than wild-type littermates. However, these effects on body
      composition were attenuated in the Ffar4 -/- background. Taken together, our
      results indicate that the beneficial effects of n-3 FAs on body composition were
      mediated by FFA4 and thus suggest that FFA4 may be a potential therapeutic target
      for modulating sarcopenic obesity.

PMID- 28900678
TI  - SOCS1: Regulator of T Cells in Autoimmunity and Cancer.
AB  - SOCS1 is a negative feedback regulator of cytokine and growth factor receptor
      signaling, and plays an indispensable role in attenuating interferon gamma
      signaling. Studies on SOCS1-deficient mice have established a crucial role for
      SOCS1 in regulating CD8+ T cell homeostasis. In the thymus, SOCS1 prevents
      thymocytes that had failed positive selection from surviving and expanding,
      ensures negative selection and prevents inappropriate developmental skewing
      toward the CD8 lineage. In the periphery, SOCS1 not only controls production of T
      cell stimulatory cytokines but also attenuates the sensitivity of CD8+ T cells to
      synergistic cytokine stimulation and antigen non-specific activation. As cytokine
      stimulation of CD8+ T lymphocytes increases their sensitivity to low affinity TCR
      ligands, SOCS1 likely contributes to peripheral T cell tolerance by putting
      brakes on aberrant T cell activation driven by inflammatory cytokines. In
      addition, SOCS1 is critical to maintain the stability of T regulatory cells and
      control their plasticity to become pathogenic Th17 and Th1 cells under the
      harmful influence of inflammatory cytokines. SOCS1 also regulates T cell
      activation by dendritic cells via modulating their generation, maturation,
      antigen presentation, costimulatory signaling, and cytokine production. The above
      control mechanisms of SOCS1 on T cells, T regulatory cells and dendritic cells
      collectively contribute to immunological tolerance and prevent autoimmune
      manifestation. On other hand, silencing SOCS1 in dendritic cells or CD8+ T cells
      stimulates efficient antitumor immunity. Thus, even though SOCS1 is not a cell
      surface checkpoint inhibitor, its regulatory functions on T cell responses
      qualify SOCS1as a "non-classical" checkpoint blocker. SOCS1 also functions as a
      tumor suppressor in cancer cells by regulating oncogenic signal transduction
      pathways. The loss of SOCS1 expression observed in many tumors may have an impact
      on classical checkpoint pathways. The potential to exploit SOCS1 to treat
      inflammatory/autoimmune diseases and elicit antitumor immunity is discussed.

PMID- 28900679
TI  - CTLA-4, an Essential Immune-Checkpoint for T-Cell Activation.
AB  - The response of peripheral T lymphocytes (T cell) is controlled by multiple
      checkpoints to avoid unwanted activation against self-tissues. Two opposing
      costimulatory receptors, CD28 and CTLA-4, on T cells bind to the same ligands
      (CD80 and CD86) on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and provide positive and
      negative feedback for T-cell activation, respectively. Early studies suggested
      that CTLA-4 is induced on activated T cells and binds to CD80/CD86 with much
      stronger affinity than CD28, providing a competitive inhibition. Subsequent
      studies by many researchers revealed the more complex mode of T-cell inhibition
      by CTLA-4. After T-cell activation, CTLA-4 is stored in the intracellular
      vesicles, and recruited to the immunological synapse formed between T cells and
      APCs, and inhibits further activation of T cells by blocking signals initiated by
      T-cell receptors and CD28. CTLA-4-positive cells can also provide cell-extrinsic
      regulation on other autoreactive T cells, and are considered to provide an
      essential regulatory mechanism for FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. Genetic deficiency
      of CTLA-4 leads to CD28-mediated severe autoimmunity in mice and humans,
      suggesting its function as a fundamental brake that restrains the expansion and
      activation of self-reactive T cells. In cancer, therapeutic approaches targeting
      CTLA-4 by humanized blocking antibodies has been demonstrated to be an effective
      immunotherapy by reversing T-cell tolerance against tumors. This chapter
      introduces CTLA-4 biology, including its discovery and mechanism of action, and
      discusses questions related to CTLA-4.

PMID- 28900677
TI  - Tim-3, Lag-3, and TIGIT.
AB  - Co-inhibitory receptors play a key role in regulating T cell responses and
      maintaining immune homeostasis. Their inhibitory function prevents autoimmune
      responses but also restricts the ability of T cells to mount effective immune
      responses against tumors or persistent pathogens. T cells express a module of co
      inhibitory receptors, which display great diversity in expression, structure, and
      function. Here, we focus on the co-inhibitory receptors Tim-3, Lag-3, and TIGIT
      and how they regulate T cell function, maintenance of self-tolerance, their role
      in regulating ongoing T cell responses at peripheral tissues, and their
      synergistic effects in regulating autoimmunity and antitumor responses.

PMID- 28900680
TI  - Coordinating Organismal Metabolism During Protein Misfolding in the ER Through
      the Unfolded Protein Response.
AB  - The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a cellular organelle responsible for folding of
      secretory and membrane proteins. Perturbance in ER homeostasis caused by various
      intrinsic/extrinsic stimuli challenges the protein-folding capacity of the ER,
      leading to an ER dysfunction, called ER stress. Cells have developed a defensive
      response to adapt and/or survive in the face of ER stress that may be detrimental
      to cell function and survival. When exposed to ER stress, the cell activates a
      complex and elaborate signaling network that includes translational modulation
      and transcriptional induction of genes. In addition to these autonomous
      responses, recent studies suggest that the stressed tissue secretes peptides or
      unknown factors that transfer the signal to other cells in the same or different
      organs, leading the organism as a whole to cope with challenges in a non
      autonomous manner. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which cells adapt
      to ER stress challenges autonomously and transfer the stress signal to non
      stressed cells in different organs.

PMID- 28900681
TI  - Regulatory Dendritic Cells.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) comprise heterogeneous subsets, functionally classified
      into conventional DCs (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs). DCs are considered to
      be essential antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs) that play crucial roles in
      activation and fine-tuning of innate and adaptive immunity under inflammatory
      conditions, as well as induction of immune tolerance to maintain immune
      homeostasis under steady-state conditions. Furthermore, DC functions can be
      modified and influenced by stimulation with various extrinsic factors, such as
      ligands for pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) and cytokines. On the other
      hand, treatment of DCs with certain immunosuppressive drugs and molecules leads
      to the generation of tolerogenic DCs that show downregulation of both the major
      histocompatibility complex (MHC) and costimulatory molecules, and not only show
      defective T-cell activation, but also possess tolerogenic properties including
      the induction of anergic T-cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells. To develop an
      effective strategy for Ag-specific intervention of T-cell-mediated immune
      disorders, we have previously established the modified DCs with moderately high
      levels of MHC molecules that are defective in the expression of costimulatory
      molecules that had a greater immunoregulatory property than classical tolerogenic
      DCs, which we therefore designated as regulatory DCs (DCreg). Herein, we
      integrate the current understanding of the role of DCs in the control of immune
      responses, and further provide new information of the characteristics of
      tolerogenic DCs and DCreg, as well as their regulation of immune responses and
      disorders.

PMID- 28900682
TI  - Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus Infections.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus, although generally identified as a commensal, is also a
      common cause of human bacterial infections, including of the skin and other soft
      tissues, bones, bloodstream, and respiratory tract. The history of S. aureus
      treatment is marked by the development of resistance to each new class of
      antistaphylococcal antimicrobial drugs, including the penicillins, sulfonamides,
      tetracyclines, glycopeptides, and others, complicating therapy. S. aureus
      isolates identified in the 1960s were sometimes resistant to methicillin, a beta
      lactam antimicrobial active initially against a majority S. aureus strains. These
      MRSA isolates, resistant to nearly all beta-lactam antimicrobials, were first
      largely confined to the health care environment and the patients who attended it.
      However, in the mid-1990s, new strains, known as community-associated (CA-) MRSA
      strains, emerged. CA-MRSA organisms, compared with health care-associated (HA-)
      MRSA strain types, are more often susceptible to multiple classes of non beta
      lactam antimicrobials. While infections caused by methicillin-susceptible S.
      aureus (MSSA) strains are usually treated with drugs in the beta-lactam class,
      such as cephalosporins, oxacillin or nafcillin, MRSA infections are treated with
      drugs in other antimicrobial classes. The glycopeptide drug vancomycin, and in
      some countries teicoplanin, is the most common drug used to treat severe MRSA
      infections. There are now other classes of antimicrobials available to treat
      staphylococcal infections, including several that have been approved after 2009.
      The antimicrobial management of invasive and noninvasive S. aureus infections in
      the ambulatory and in-patient settings is the topic of this review. Also
      discussed are common adverse effects of antistaphylococcal antimicrobial agents,
      advantages of one agent over another for specific clinical syndromes, and the use
      of adjunctive therapies such as surgery and intravenous immunoglobulin. We have
      detailed considerations in the therapy of noninvasive and invasive S. aureus
      infections. This is followed by sections on specific clinical infectious
      syndromes including skin and soft tissue infections, bacteremia, endocarditis and
      intravascular infections, pneumonia, osteomyelitis and vertebral discitis,
      epidural abscess, septic arthritis, pyomyositis, mastitis, necrotizing fasciitis,
      orbital infections, endophthalmitis, parotitis, staphylococcal toxinoses,
      urogenital infections, and central nervous system infections.

PMID- 28900683
TI  - MicroRNA in Immune Regulation.
AB  - The immune system protects us from enormously diverse microbial pathogens but
      needs to be tightly regulated to avoid deleterious immune-mediated inflammation
      and tissue damage. A wide range of molecular determinants and cellular components
      work in concert to control the magnitude and duration of a given immune response.
      In the past decade, microRNAs (miRNAs), a major class of small non-coding RNA
      species, have been extensively studied as key molecular players in immune
      regulation. In this chapter, we will discuss how miRNAs function as negative
      regulators to restrict innate and adaptive immune responses. Moreover, we will
      review the current reports regarding miRNAs in human immunological diseases.
      Finally, we will also address the emerging roles of other non-coding RNAs, long
      non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in particular, in the regulation of the immune system.

PMID- 28900684
TI  - Transcriptome changes in adaptive evolution of xylose-fermenting industrial
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with delta-integration of different xylA genes.
AB  - It is of utmost importance to construct industrial xylose-fermenting
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for lignocellulosic bioethanol production. In
      this study, two xylose isomerase-based industrial S. cerevisiae strains, O7 and
      P5, were constructed by delta-integration of the xylose isomerase (XI) gene xylA
      from the fungus Orpinomyces sp. and from the bacterium Prevotella ruminicola,
      respectively. The xylose consumption of the strains O7 and P5 at 48-h
      fermentation was 17.71 and 26.10 g/L, respectively, in synthetic medium with
      xylose as the sole sugar source. Adaptive evolution further improved the xylose
      fermentation capacity of the two strains to 51.0 and 28.9% in average,
      respectively. The transcriptomes of these two strains before and after evolution
      were analyzed using RNA-Seq. The expression levels of the genes involved in cell
      integrity, non-optimal sugar utilization, and stress response to environment were
      significantly up-regulated after evolution and did not depend on the origin of
      xylA; the expression levels of the genes involved in transmembrane transport,
      rRNA processing, cytoplasmic translation, and other processes were down
      regulated. The expression of genes involved in central carbon metabolism was fine
      tuned after the evolution. The analysis of transcription factors (TFs) indicated
      that most of the genes with significant differential expression were regulated by
      the TFs related to cell division, DNA damage response, or non-optimal carbon
      source utilization. The results of this study could provide valuable references
      for the construction of efficient xylose-fermenting XI strains.

PMID- 28900685
TI  - Double promoter expression systems for recombinant protein production by
      industrial microorganisms.
AB  - Using double promoter expression systems is a promising approach to increase
      heterologous protein production. In this review, current double promoter
      expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins (r-proteins) by
      industrially important bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli; and
      yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris, are discussed by assessing
      their potentials and drawbacks. Double promoter expression systems need to be
      designed to maintain a higher specific product formation rate within the
      production domain. While bacterial double promoter systems have been constructed
      as chimeric tandem promoters, yeast dual promoter systems have been developed as
      separate expression cassettes. To increase production and productivity, the
      optimal transcriptional activity should be justified either by simultaneously
      satisfying the requirements of both promoters, or by consecutively stimulating
      the changeover from one to another in a biphasic process or via successive
      iterations. Thus, considering the dynamics of a fermentation process, double
      promoters can be classified according to their operational mechanisms, as: i)
      consecutively operating double promoter systems, and ii) simultaneously operating
      double promoter systems. Among these metabolic design strategies, extending the
      expression period with two promoters activated under different conditions, or
      enhancing the transcriptional activity with two promoters activated under similar
      conditions within the production domain, can be applied independently from the
      host. Novel studies with new insights, which aim a rational systematic design and
      construction of dual promoter expression vectors with tailored transcriptional
      activity, will empower r-protein production with enhanced production and
      productivity. Finally, the current state-of-the-art review emphasizes the
      advantages of double promoter systems along with the necessity for discovering
      new promoters for the development of more effective and adaptive processes to
      meet the increasing demand of r-protein industry.

PMID- 28900687
TI  - [Intensely pruritic eruptions of the skin in a male patient].

PMID- 28900686
TI  - Changes in marijuana use symptoms and emotional functioning over 28-days of
      monitored abstinence in adolescent marijuana users.
AB  - RATIONALE: Advancing marijuana prevention and intervention efforts are important
      given the decreasing perception of harm among adolescents and increasing
      marijuana legalization. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates how a monitored
      abstinence protocol may contribute to emotional functioning and changes in
      marijuana problems that can enhance successful outcomes for non-treatment-seeking
      adolescent marijuana users. METHODS: Adolescent marijuana users (n = 26) and
      demographically matched controls (n = 30) completed 28 days of monitored
      abstinence confirmed by biweekly urine toxicology. Participants were given
      measures of emotional functioning, marijuana use symptoms, and reward sensitivity
      during monitored abstinence. RESULTS: All participants (n = 56) completed the
      protocol, and 69% of marijuana users (n = 18 of 26) were confirmed abstinent for
      28 days, with all users showing decreasing marijuana use. Reductions in
      subsyndromal depression, positive marijuana use expectancies, and poor sleep
      quality were observed by the end of the monitored abstinence period (n = 26, p
      values < .05). Marijuana users also reported more attentional impulsivity and
      less responsiveness to reward stimuli during the second week of abstinence
      compared to controls. Later age of onset of regular marijuana use and more
      cumulative lifetime use were associated with a greater degree of emotional change
      and increased recognition of the negative effects of marijuana use. CONCLUSIONS:
      Monitored abstinence programs may be beneficial in reducing marijuana use,
      subsyndromal emotional distress symptoms, and changing beliefs about marijuana
      use. Future prevention and intervention efforts may consider targeting reward
      sensitivity and impulsivity, in addition to marijuana use, expectancies, and
      emotional functioning.

PMID- 28900688
TI  - Intensive care medicine in 2050: multidisciplinary communication in-/outside ICU.

PMID- 28900689
TI  - Viewing geometry determines the contribution of binocular vision to the online
      control of grasping.
AB  - Binocular vision is often assumed to make a specific, critical contribution to
      online visual control of grasping by providing precise information about the
      separation between digits and object. This account overlooks the 'viewing
      geometry' typically encountered in grasping, however. Separation of hand and
      object is rarely aligned precisely with the line of sight (the visual depth
      dimension), and analysis of the raw signals suggests that, for most other viewing
      angles, binocular feedback is less precise than monocular feedback. Thus, online
      grasp control relying selectively on binocular feedback would not be robust to
      natural changes in viewing geometry. Alternatively, sensory integration theory
      suggests that different signals contribute according to their relative precision,
      in which case the role of binocular feedback should depend on viewing geometry,
      rather than being 'hard-wired'. We manipulated viewing geometry, and assessed the
      role of binocular feedback by measuring the effects on grasping of occluding one
      eye at movement onset. Loss of binocular feedback resulted in a significantly
      less extended final slow-movement phase when hand and object were separated
      primarily in the frontoparallel plane (where binocular information is relatively
      imprecise), compared to when they were separated primarily along the line of
      sight (where binocular information is relatively precise). Consistent with
      sensory integration theory, this suggests the role of binocular (and monocular)
      vision in online grasp control is not a fixed, 'architectural' property of the
      visuo-motor system, but arises instead from the interaction of viewer and
      situation, allowing robust online control across natural variations in viewing
      geometry.

PMID- 28900690
TI  - Community treatment orders and social outcomes for patients with psychosis: a 48
      month follow-up study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Community treatment orders (CTOs) are widely used internationally
      despite a lack of evidence supporting their effectiveness. Most effectiveness
      studies are relatively short (12-months or less) and focus on clinical symptoms
      and service data, while a little attention is given to patients' social outcomes
      and broader welfare. We tested the association between the duration of CTO
      intervention and patients' long-term social outcomes. METHODS: A sub-sample (n =
      114) of community-based patients from the Oxford Community Treatment Order
      Evaluation Trial (OCTET) were interviewed 48 months after randomisation.
      Multivariate regression models were used to examine the association between the
      duration of the CTO intervention and social outcomes as measured by the social
      network schedule, Objective Social Outcomes Index, Euro-Qol EQ-5D-3L (EQ-5D), and
      Oxford Capabilities Questionnaire for Mental Health. RESULTS: No significant
      association was found between the duration of CTO intervention and social network
      size (IRR = 0.996, p = .63), objective social outcomes (B = -0.003, p = .77),
      health-related quality of life (B = 0.001, p = .77), and capabilities (B = 0.046,
      p = .41). There were no between-group differences in social outcomes when
      outcomes were stratified by original arm of randomisation. Patients had a mean of
      10.2 (SD = 5.9) contacts in their social networks, 42% of whom were relatives.
      CONCLUSIONS: CTO duration was not associated with improvements in patients'
      social outcomes even over the long term. This study adds to growing concerns
      about CTO effectiveness and the justification for their continued use.

PMID- 28900691
TI  - Quantification of N-phenyl-2-naphthylamine by gas chromatography and isotope
      dilution mass spectrometry and its percutaneous absorption ex vivo under
      workplace conditions.
AB  - N-Phenyl-2-naphthylamine (P2NA) is an antioxidant used to protect rubbers from
      flex-cracking. P2NA can be converted in vivo to 2NA, one of the most potent
      bladder carcinogens. Here, we report the specific and ultra-sensitive
      quantification of P2NA in the receptor fluid of Franz diffusion cells by gas
      chromatography and isotope-dilution tandem-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS/MS). The
      experimental conditions were optimized to minimize losses of P2NA due to surface
      absorption on glass, plastic, and rubber material, and subsequently validated.
      Static and dynamic diffusion cell conditions were used to study the percutaneous
      penetration of P2NA into freshly prepared porcine skin. The experimental settings
      closely resembled those of the printing industry in the 1960s/1970s in Germany
      where P2NA-containing solutions in dichloromethane have been used. P2NA
      penetrated the skin at very low levels (0.02 +/- 0.01 ug/cm2/h) with a cumulative
      penetrated amount of 0.80 +/- 0.26 ug/cm2, a lag time of 6.33 +/- 2.21 h and
      under dynamic conditions. Compared to the receptor fluid, 10-40-fold higher
      concentrations were found in the skin, predominantly in the dermis and the
      stratum corneum. Dichloromethane acted as a penetration enhancer by increasing
      the cumulative penetrated amounts and the recovery of P2NA in both the receptor
      fluid and the skin, while shortening its lag time. However, the flux remained
      unaffected. Due to its accumulation in subcutaneous layers, we finally proved
      that P2NA is continuously released into the receptor fluid despite exposure
      cessation up to 160 h. Overall, the results show that close attention has to be
      paid to dermal absorption of P2NA in exposed workers.

PMID- 28900692
TI  - TonB-Dependent Utilization of Dihydroxamate Xenosiderophores in Synechocystis sp.
      PCC 6803.
AB  - In Gram-negative bacteria, transport of ferric siderophores through outer
      membrane is a complex process that requires specific outer membrane transporters
      and energy-transducing TonB-ExbB-ExbD system in the cytoplasmic membrane. The
      genome of the non-siderophore-producing cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
      encodes all putative components of the siderophore-mediated iron uptake system.
      So far, there has been no experimental evidence for the existence of such a
      pathway in this organism. On the contrary, its reductive iron uptake pathway has
      been studied in detail. We demonstrate that Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is capable
      of using dihydroxamate xenosiderophores, either ferric schizokinen (FeSK) or a
      siderophore of the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413
      (SAV), as the sole source of iron. Inactivation of the tonB gene or the exbB1
      exbD1 gene cluster resulted in an inability to utilize these siderophores. At the
      same time, the inactivation of the feoB gene encoding FeoB plasma membrane
      ferrous iron transporter, or one of the futB or futC genes encoding permease and
      ATPase subunit of FutABC ferric iron transporter, did not impair the ability of
      cells to utilize FeSK or SAV as the sole source of iron for growth. Our data
      suggest that cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is capable of acquiring
      iron-siderophore complexes in a TonB-dependent manner without iron reduction in
      the periplasm.

PMID- 28900693
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Geobacillus thermodenitrificans T12, A Potential Host
      for Biotechnological Applications.
AB  - In attempt to obtain a thermophilic host for the conversion of lignocellulose
      derived substrates into lactic acid, Geobacillus thermodenitrificans T12 was
      isolated from a compost heap. It was selected from over 500 isolates as a
      genetically tractable hemicellulolytic lactic acid producer, requiring little
      nutrients. The strain is able to ferment glucose and xylose simultaneously and
      can produce lactic acid from xylan, making it a potential host for
      biotechnological applications. The genome of strain T12 consists of a 3.64 Mb
      chromosome and two plasmids of 59 and 56 kb. It has a total of 3.676 genes with
      an average genomic GC content of 48.7%. The T12 genome encodes a denitrification
      pathway, allowing for anaerobic respiration. The identity and localization of the
      responsible genes are similar to those of the denitrification pathways found in
      strain NG80-2. The hemicellulose utilization (HUS) locus was identified based on
      sequence homology against G. stearothermophilus T-6. It appeared that T12 has all
      the genes that are present in strain T-6 except for the arabinan degradation
      cluster. Instead, the HUS locus of strain T12 contains genes for both an inositol
      and a pectate degradation pathway. Strain T12 has complete pathways for the
      synthesis of purine and pyrimidine, all 20 amino acids and several vitamins
      except D-biotin. The host-defense systems present comprise a Type II and a Type
      III restriction-modification system, as well as a CRISPR-Cas Type II system. It
      is concluded that G. thermodenitrificans T12 is a potentially interesting
      candidate for industrial applications.

PMID- 28900694
TI  - [Muscle injuries in athletes : The value of magnetic resonance imaging].
AB  - Competitive sports yield high demands on the musculoskeletal system, accordingly
      muscle injuries are a common complication. Early imaging clarification of the
      muscles in cases of a trauma is essential in order to define the exact location
      of the lesion, the affected muscles, the extent and the degree of the injury as
      well as to define possible concomitant complications. In the case of a
      professional athlete, the assessment made by MRI is important for defining the
      individually required resting period for a riskless resumption of the sporting
      activities.

PMID- 28900695
TI  - [Electroconvulsive therapy to treat therapy-resistant vocalization in dementia].

PMID- 28900696
TI  - A systematic approach to adnexal masses discovered on ultrasound: the ADNEx MR
      scoring system.
AB  - Adnexal lesions are a common occurrence in radiology practice and imaging plays a
      crucial role in triaging women appropriately. Current trends toward early
      detection and characterization have increased the need for accurate imaging
      assessment of adnexal lesions prior to treatment. Ultrasound is the first-line
      imaging modality for assessing adnexal lesions; however, approximately 20% of
      lesions are incompletely characterized after ultrasound evaluation. Secondary
      assessment with MR imaging using the ADNEx MR Scoring System has been
      demonstrated as highly accurate in the characterization of adnexal lesions and in
      excluding ovarian cancer. This review will address the role of MR imaging in
      further assessment of adnexal lesions discovered on US, and the utility of the
      ADNEx MR Scoring System.

PMID- 28900697
TI  - Principles of antimicrobial stewardship for bacterial and fungal infections in
      ICU.

PMID- 28900699
TI  - [A 50-year-old man with ankle pain].

PMID- 28900698
TI  - Aestuarium zhoushanense gen. nov., sp. nov., Isolated from the Tidal Flat.
AB  - A gram-stain-negative, aerobic, ovoid or short rod-shaped, and non-motile strain,
      designed G7T was isolated from a tidal flat sample collected from the coast of
      East Sea in Zhoushan, China. Strain G7T grew at 4-40  degrees C and pH 6.0-9.0
      (optimum, 28  degrees C and pH 7.5) and with 0-7% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1%). The
      predominant respiratory quinone was Q-10 and the major fatty acids (>10%)
      identified were C18:1 omega7c, C16:0 and summed feature 3 (C16:1 omega7c and/or
      C16:1 omega6c). The polar lipids of strain G7T consisted of phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, and four unidentified lipids. The
      genomic DNA G+C content was 56.7 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA
      gene sequences showed that strain G7T formed a distinct lineage belonging to the
      Roseobacter clade of the family Rhodobacteraceae. On the basis of morphological,
      physiological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, together with the results of
      phylogenetic analysis, strain G7T is described as a novel species in a new genus,
      for which the name Aestuarium zhoushanense gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain G7T =
      MCCC 1K03229T = KCTC 52584T) is proposed.

PMID- 28900701
TI  - The Phosphatome of Medicinal and Edible Fungus Wolfiporia cocos.
AB  - Wolfiporia cocos is an important medicinal and edible fungus that grows in
      association with pine trees, and its dried sclerotium has been used as a
      traditional medicine in China for centuries. However, the commercial production
      of W. cocos sclerotia is currently limited by shortages in pine wood resources.
      Since protein phosphatases (PPs) play significant roles in growth, signal
      transduction, development, metabolism, sexual reproduction, cell cycle, and
      environmental stress responses in fungi, the phosphatome of W. cocos was analyzed
      in this study by identifying PP genes, studying transcript profiles and assigning
      PPs to orthologous groups. Fifty-four putative PP genes were putatively
      identified in W. cocos genome based on homologous sequences searching using
      BLASTx program against the Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Fusarium graminearum, and
      Sclerotinia sclerotiorum databases. Based on known and presumed functions of
      orthologues of these PP genes found in other fungi, the putative roles of these
      W. cocos PPs in colonization, hyphal growth, sclerotial formation, secondary
      metabolism, and stress tolerance to environment were discussed in this study. And
      the level of transcripts from PP genes in the mycelium and sclerotium stages was
      also analyzed by qRT-PCR. Our study firstly identified and functional discussed
      the phosphatome in the medicinal and edible fungus W. cocos. The data from our
      study contribute to a better understanding of PPs potential roles in various
      cellar processes of W. cocos, and systematically provide comprehensive and novel
      insights into W. cocos economically important traits that could be extended to
      other fungi.

PMID- 28900702
TI  - [Religious beliefs and spirituality in medical residency : A survey among
      physicians in charge of training psychiatry and psychotherapy].
AB  - Religion and spirituality (R/S) as empirically measurable and treatment-relevant
      variables are growing in significance in psychiatry and psychotherapy worldwide.
      In a survey conducted among physicians in charge of psychiatric residency
      training in Germany respondents were asked about the integration of R/S in their
      curricula. Data suggest that subjects (n = 285) attach considerable importance to
      R/S and especially to existential issues. The importance of R/S in psychiatric
      training is essentially linked to the trainers' personal views of the world and
      the corporate culture of the training centers. A possible selection bias and the
      need to integrate R/S in psychiatric training on the basis of scientific evidence
      and ethical considerations are discussed.

PMID- 28900704
TI  - Uterine wall resection strategy for abnormally invasive placenta: extirpative
      approach for control patients justifiable?

PMID- 28900703
TI  - Utility of (18) F-FDG PET/CT and CECT in conjunction with serum CA 19-9 for
      detecting recurrent pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The roles of different cross-sectional imaging in evaluating the
      recurrence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma are not well established. We evaluated
      the utility of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography
      (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT)
      in the diagnosis of recurrent pancreatic adenocarcinoma in conjunction with the
      tumor marker CA 19-9. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of
      patients who underwent CECT and FDG PET/CT along with serum CA 19-9 measurement
      as a follow-up or on a clinical suspicion of recurrent disease after initial
      surgery for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Two observers blinded to the other imaging
      modality results retrospectively reviewed and interpreted the images in consensus
      using a three-point scale (negative, equivocal, or positive). Pathologic analysis
      by biopsy or further clinical and radiologic follow-up determined the true status
      of the suspected recurrences. The imaging results were compared with CA 19-9
      levels and true disease status. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were included in
      the study. Thirty-three patients (85%) had proven recurrent cancer and six
      patients (15%) had no evidence of disease. Twenty-four patients had elevated CA
      19-9 and 15 patients had normal CA 19-9. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy
      for recurrence were 90.9%, 100.0%, and 92.3% for PET/CT and 72.2%, 66.6%, and
      71.7% for CECT, respectively. Sensitivity for locoregional recurrence was 94.4%
      for PET/CT but only 61.1% for CECT. PET/CT detected recurrence in 12 patients who
      had normal levels of CA 19-9. PET/CT showed lesions not visible on CECT in five
      (15%) patients. Although the sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT were higher
      than those of CECT, they were not statistically significant (p = 0.489 and p =
      0.1489, respectively). CONCLUSION: FDG PET/CT has a high sensitivity for
      pancreatic cancer recurrence. Normal CA 19-9 does not necessarily exclude these
      recurrences. FDG PET/CT is useful when CECT is equivocal and can detect
      recurrence in patients with normal CA 19-9.

PMID- 28900700
TI  - Auxiliary activation of the complement system and its importance for the
      pathophysiology of clinical conditions.
AB  - Activation and regulation of the cascade systems of the blood (the complement
      system, the coagulation/contact activation/kallikrein system, and the
      fibrinolytic system) occurs via activation of zymogen molecules to specific
      active proteolytic enzymes. Despite the fact that the generated proteases are all
      present together in the blood, under physiological conditions, the activity of
      the generated proteases is controlled by endogenous protease inhibitors.
      Consequently, there is remarkable little crosstalk between the different systems
      in the fluid phase. This concept review article aims at identifying and
      describing conditions where the strict system-related control is circumvented.
      These include clinical settings where massive amounts of proteolytic enzymes are
      released from tissues, e.g., during pancreatitis or post-traumatic tissue damage,
      resulting in consumption of the natural substrates of the specific proteases and
      the available protease inhibitor. Another example of cascade system dysregulation
      is disseminated intravascular coagulation, with canonical activation of all
      cascade systems of the blood, also leading to specific substrate and protease
      inhibitor elimination. The present review explains basic concepts in protease
      biochemistry of importance to understand clinical conditions with extensive
      protease activation.

PMID- 28900705
TI  - Clinical relevance of neurological evaluation in patients suffering urinary
      retention in the absence of subvesical obstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: Clinical relevance of neurological evaluation in patients suffered
      urinary retention in the absence of subvesical obstruction. Determining whether
      (1) women complaining residual bladder volume without prolapse and obstruction
      always suffer pudendal nerve damage; (2) neurogenic damage can be linked to
      patients history/clinical examination; (3) therapy alters regarding to
      neurological findings; and (4) electromyography (EMG) of musculus sphincter ani
      externus (MSAE) can be omitted with electronically stimulated pudendal nerve
      latency (ESPL) as the standard investigation. METHODS: Women with urinary
      retention without >=stage 2 prolapse or obstruction have neurological
      investigation including vaginally and anally pudendal terminal nerve latency
      (PTNL) (>2.4 ms considered abnormal) and EMG seen 7/2005-04/2010. RESULTS: (1)
      148/180 (82.2%) suffered at least moderate neurogenic damage and (2) severe
      neurogenic damage occurs with urge odds ratio (OR) = 3.1 or age (OR = 3.2).
      Correlations: spasticity with therapy changes (OR = 11.1), latencies. (a) Anally:
      (i) right and peripheral neuropathy (PNP) (OR = 2.5), chemotherapy (OR = 5.0);
      (ii) left and PNP (OR = 3.9), chemotherapy (OR = 4.8); (iii) left or right with
      PNP (OR = 3.9), chemotherapy (OR = 6.8); and (iv) left and right with
      chemotherapy (OR = 5.0). (b) Vaginally: (i) right with age >60 (OR = 3.2),
      radical operation (OR = 10.6); (ii) left with diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.5); and
      (iii) left or right with age (OR = 3.3), radical operation (OR = 8.7). (3) 19.6%
      therapy changes (36 patients). (4) Neither EMG nor ESPL can be replaced one by
      another (p = 0.12 anal, p = 0.05 vaginal). CONCLUSION: Red flags are neurogenic
      damage, age >60, chemotherapy, PNP, radical operation or diabetes. In unclear
      situations, EMG and ESPL need to be performed to gain relevant information.

PMID- 28900707
TI  - Reply on letter to the editor "Uterine wall resection strategy for abnormally
      invasive placenta: extirpative approach for control patients justifiable?"

PMID- 28900706
TI  - Are Incidental Gallbladder Cancers Missed with a Selective Approach of
      Gallbladder Histology at Cholecystectomy?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Incidental gallbladder cancer (IGBC) is an unexpected finding when a
      cholecystectomy is performed upon a benign indication, and the use of routine or
      selective histological analysis of gallbladder specimen is still debated. The aim
      of this study was to investigate whether the proportion of submitted gallbladder
      specimens for pathological investigation influences the proportion of IGBC found,
      and what possible factors preoperatively or perioperatively could influence the
      selection process. METHODS: All cholecystectomies between January 2007 and
      September 2014 registered in the Swedish Registry of Gallstone Surgery and ERCP
      (GallRiks) were included. Proportion of histological analysis was divided into
      four subgroups (0-25%, >25-50%, >50-75%, >75-100%). RESULTS: A total of 81,349
      cholecystectomies were registered, and 36,010 (44.3%) gallbladder specimens were
      sent for histological analysis. A total of 213 cases of IGBC were discovered,
      which constituted 0.26% of all cholecystectomies performed and 0.59% of the
      number of gallbladder specimens sent for histological analysis. Hospitals
      submitting >75-100% of the gallbladder specimens had significantly more IGBC/1000
      cholecystectomies performed (p = 0.003). Hospitals with the most selective
      approach had a significantly higher proportion of IGBC/1000 gallbladders that
      were sent for histological analysis (p < 0.001). Factors such as higher age (p <
      0.001), female gender (p = 0.048) and macroscopic cholecystitis (p < 0.001) were
      more common in gallbladder specimens from hospitals that had a selective approach
      to histological analysis. CONCLUSION: A routine approach to histological analysis
      in cholecystectomies with a benign indication for surgery can uncover a higher
      proportion of IGBC cases. When a selective approach is used, risk factors should
      be taken into account.

PMID- 28900708
TI  - Apparent activation energies of protein-protein complex dissociation in the gas
      phase determined by electrospray mass spectrometry.
AB  - We have developed a method to determine apparent activation energies of
      dissociation for ionized protein-protein complexes in the gas phase using
      electrospray ionization mass spectrometry following the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel
      Marcus quasi-equilibrium theory. Protein-protein complexes were formed in
      solution, transferred into the gas phase, and separated from excess free protein
      by ion mobility filtering. Afterwards, complex disassembly was initiated by
      collision-induced dissociation with step-wise increasing energies. Relative
      intensities of ion signals were used to calculate apparent activation energies of
      dissociation in the gas phase by applying linear free energy relations. The
      method was developed using streptavidin tetramers. Experimentally determined
      apparent gas-phase activation energies for dissociation ([Formula: see text]) of
      complexes consisting of Fc parts from immunoglobulins (IgG-Fc) and three closely
      related protein G' variants (IgG-Fc*protein G'e, IgG-Fc*protein G'f, and IgG
      Fc*protein G'g) show the same order of stabilities as can be inferred from their
      in-solution binding constants. Differences in stabilities between the protein
      protein complexes correspond to single amino acid residue exchanges in the IgG
      binding regions of the protein G' variants. Graphical abstract Electrospray mass
      spectrometry and collision-induced dissociation delivers apparent activation
      energies and supramolecular bond force constants of protein-protein complexes in
      the gas phase.

PMID- 28900709
TI  - Pretransplant Intra-arterial Liver-Directed Therapy Does Not Increase the Risk of
      Hepatic Arterial Complications in Liver Transplantation: A Single-Center 10-Year
      Experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association between pretransplant intra-arterial
      liver-directed therapy (IAT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic
      arterial complications (HAC) in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) [namely
      hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and/or the need for hepatic arterial conduit].
      METHODS: A total of 175 HCC patients (mean age: 60 years) underwent IAT with
      either transarterial chemoembolization or yttrium-90 (90Y) transarterial
      radioembolization prior to OLT between 2003 and 2013. A matched control cohort of
      159 HCC patients who underwent OLT without prior IAT was selected. Incidence of
      HAC in both cohorts was investigated. The categorical differences between both
      cohorts were calculated by chi-square test. RESULTS: Among the 175 patients
      (chemoembolization, n = 82; radioembolization, n = 93), 8 (5%) required conduits
      due to HA disease (chemoembolization, n = 6; radioembolization, n = 2), 3 (2%)
      developed HAT (chemoembolization, n = 2; radioembolization, n = 1). Eleven of 175
      patients (6.7%) had HAC. Of the 159 control patients, 6 (4%) needed conduits for
      HA disease and 3 (2%) developed HAT. Nine of 159 patients (5.7%) had HAC. Chi
      square analysis between the IAT cohort and the control group yielded a p value of
      0.810. When comparing chemoembolization to radioembolization, p = 0.076 (not
      significant at p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Although aggressive pretransplant
      radioembolization and chemoembolization are both utilized in most liver
      transplant centers, neither appears to increase the risk of peri-transplant
      hepatic arterial complications in HCC patients.

PMID- 28900710
TI  - Coupling matrix-assisted ionization with high resolution mass spectrometry and
      electron transfer dissociation to characterize intact proteins and post
      translational modifications.
AB  - Matrix-assisted ionization (MAI) is a recently developed ionization technique
      that produces multiply charged ions on either electrospray ionization (ESI) or
      matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) platform without the need of
      high voltage or laser ablation. In this study, MAI has been coupled to a high
      resolution accurate mass (HRAM) hybrid instrument, the Orbitrap Elite mass
      spectrometer, with electron transfer dissociation (ETD) module for fast peptide
      and intact protein characterization. The softness of MAI process preserves labile
      post-translational modifications (PTM) and allows fragmentation and localization
      by ETD. Moreover, MAI on ESI platform allows rapid sample preparation and
      analysis (~ 1 min/sample) due to the easiness of sample introduction. It
      significantly improves the throughput compared to ESI direct infusion and MAI on
      MALDI platform, which usually takes more than 10 min/sample. Intact protein
      standards, protein mixtures, and neural tissue extracts have been characterized
      using this instrument platform with both full MS and MS/MS (CID, HCD, and ETD)
      analyses. Furthermore, the performances of ESI, MALDI, and MAI on both platforms
      have been tested to provide a systematic comparison among these techniques. With
      improved ETD performance and PTM analysis capabilities, we anticipate that the
      HRAM MAI-MS with ETD module will offer greater utilities in large molecule
      characterization with enhanced speed and coverage. These advancements will enable
      promising applications in bottom-up and top-down protein analyses. Graphical
      abstract Matrix-assisted ionization (MAI) for characterizing intact proteins and
      post-translational modifications with representative mass spectra from intact
      proteins.

PMID- 28900711
TI  - Evidence of splinting in low back pain? A systematic review of perturbation
      studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to assess whether LBP patients
      demonstrate signs of splinting by evaluating the reactions to unexpected
      mechanical perturbations in terms of (1) trunk muscle activity, (2) kinetic and
      (3) kinematic trunk responses and (4) estimated mechanical properties of the
      trunk. METHODS: The literature was systematically reviewed to identify studies
      that compared responses to mechanical trunk perturbations between LBP patients
      and healthy controls in terms of muscle activation, kinematics, kinetics, and/or
      mechanical properties. If more than four studies reported an outcome, the results
      of these studies were pooled. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included, of which
      sixteen reported muscle activation, five kinematic responses, two kinetic
      responses, and two estimated mechanical trunk properties. We found evidence of a
      longer response time of muscle activation, which would be in line with splinting
      behaviour in LBP. No signs of splinting behaviour were found in any of the other
      outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there is currently no convincing
      evidence for the presence of splinting behaviour in LBP patients, because we
      found no indications for splinting in terms of kinetic and kinematic responses to
      perturbation and derived mechanical properties of the trunk. Consistent evidence
      on delayed onsets of muscle activation in response to perturbations was found,
      but this may have other causes than splinting behaviour.

PMID- 28900712
TI  - [STARflo-a suprachoroidal drainage implant in glaucoma surgery].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The STARflo Glaucoma Device (iSTAR Medical, Wavre, Belgium) offers a
      new approach to bleb-free filtering surgery in which the intraocular pressure
      (IOP) is lowered by supporting outflow of the aqueous humor into the
      suprachoroidal space. MATERIALS AND METHODS: On the basis of a case series of 9
      patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) unmanageable by drug-based treatment,
      intra- and postoperative experiences with the implant are presented. The implant,
      the implantation procedure, and the first results 6 months postoperatively are
      described. RESULTS: No intraoperative complications were observed. Postoperative
      complications such as increased astigmatism or ocular hypotony were rare and
      transient. After 6 months there was an IOP reduction from 29.1 mm Hg +/- 6.1 mm
      Hg with 2.7 +/- 1.1 local IOP-lowering medications to 16.1 +/- 4.1 mm Hg (IOP
      reduction of 44.7%) with additional 2.0 +/- 0.8 local IOP-lowering medications.
      DISCUSSION: The new STARflo Glaucoma Device shows promising results in reducing
      the IOP of medically uncontrolled OAG. Further investigations concerning the long
      time efficacy of the implant and additional IOP-lowering medication are still
      ongoing.

PMID- 28900714
TI  - Efficacy of peginterferon plus ribavirin in patients receiving opioid
      substitution therapy : Final results of the Austrian PegHope study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with a history of intravenous drug abuse included in an
      official opioid substitution program represent an important subgroup of patients
      with chronic hepatitis C. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy
      of and adherence to treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin in Austrian
      patients on stable opioid substitution therapy (OST). METHODS: This prospective,
      multicenter, observational, non-interventional trial (clinicaltrials.gov
      identifier, NCT01416610) included treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis
      C on OST. Treatment consisted of peginterferon alpha-2a (PEGASYS(r), 180 ug/week)
      plus ribavirin (COPEGUS(r), 1000/1200 mg/day in genotypes (GT) 1/4 and 800 mg/day
      in GT 2/3) for 24-72 weeks, according to GT and viral response. RESULTS: The
      intention-to-treat (ITT) population comprised 88 patients. Mean duration of
      therapy was 6.0 +/- 2.8 months. Treatment was discontinued earlier than planned
      in 34 out of 88 patients (39%), mainly because of poor adherence or side effects
      of treatment. At the end of treatment 65/88 patients (74%) were PCR negative.
      During follow-up, 5 patients relapsed. Only 44/88 patients (50%) could be
      evaluated 24 weeks after the end of treatment. Sustained virologic response 24
      weeks after end of therapy (SVR24) was documented in 39/88 patients (44%). If
      only patients were considered who finished treatment as planned and for whom
      results at follow-up week 24 were available, the SVR24 rate was 89% (32/36).
      CONCLUSION: Despite favorable prognostic factors, such as young age and a high
      proportion of GT3, SVR rates were low in this cohort of patients receiving OST,
      the main reason being poor adherence; however, in those patients completing
      treatment, the SVR rate was high.

PMID- 28900715
TI  - Radial versus femoral access site for percutaneous coronary intervention in
      patients suffering acute myocardial infarction : A randomized prospective
      multicenter trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transradial access (TRA) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
      is a widely used standard technique with lower complication rates compared to
      transfemoral access (TFA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of
      TRA versus TFA for PCI on clinically significant vascular access complications in
      the setting of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: This multicenter study
      randomly assigned 250 patients in a 1:1 fashion (TRA vs. TFA) admitted with or
      without ST-segment elevation AMI undergoing immediate PCI. The primary endpoint
      was defined as the occurrence of hematoma, pseudo-aneurysm or local bleeding at
      the access site requiring any further intervention and/or prolonged hospital
      stay. Radiation exposure to the patient and operator was also investigated.
      RESULTS: In the study cohort (N = 250 patients, mean age 62 +/- 12.7 years, 76%
      males) 5 patients (2%) achieved the primary endpoint without a significant
      difference between groups, 4 out of 125 (3.2%) in the TFA group and 1 out of 125
      (0.8%) in the TRA group (p = 0.17). Access site hematoma was significantly more
      frequent in the TFA group compared to the TRA group (24.8% vs. 8.8%,
      respectively; p < 0.0007). Local bleeding was only seen in the TFA group (3.2%
      vs. 0%, p = 0.04). Time intervals from admission to catheter laboratory to first
      balloon inflation were longer in the TRA compared to the TFA group (34 +/- 17 min
      vs 29.5 +/- 13 min, respectively; p = 0.018). Radiation exposure to the patient
      and operator was identical. CONCLUSION: The use of TRA was accompanied by lower
      rates of access site complications; however, the need for subsequent treatment or
      prolonged hospital stays was not observed using either of the two access
      approaches.

PMID- 28900713
TI  - Complement activation, a threat to pregnancy.
AB  - Pregnancy poses a challenge for the immune systems of placental mammals. As fetal
      tissues are semi-allogeneic and alloantibodies that commonly develop in the
      mother, the fetus and the placenta might be subject to complement-mediated immune
      attack with the potential risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here, I describe
      how the use of animal models was pivotal in demonstrating that complement
      inhibition at the fetomaternal interface is essential for a successful pregnancy.
      Studies in animals also helped the identification of uncontrolled complement
      activation as a crucial effector in the pathogenesis of recurrent miscarriages,
      intrauterine growth restriction, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. Clinical
      studies employing complement biomarkers in plasma and urine showed an association
      between dysregulation of the complement system and adverse pregnancy outcomes. A
      better understanding of the role of the complement system in pregnancy
      complications will allow a rational approach to manipulate its activation as a
      potential therapeutic strategy with the goal of protecting pregnancies and
      improving long-term outcomes for mother and child.

PMID- 28900716
TI  - Brain MRI in a patient with classical galactosemia: acute event of unilateral
      hemispheric cerebral edema.

PMID- 28900717
TI  - Monitoring of oxidative status in three native Australian species during cold
      acclimation and cryopreservation.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Three wild species exhibited a significant reduction in antioxidants
      throughout the cryopreservation protocol, whilst the half-cell reduction
      potential became more oxidised. Antioxidant content recuperated in recovering
      shoot tips. Cryopreservation is the most efficient and cost-effective long-term
      storage solution for the conservation of a wide range of plant species and
      material. Changes in the levels of antioxidants during the process of
      cryopreservation are known to reduce post-cryogenic survival due to oxidative
      stress. Low-molecular-weight thiols (cysteine, gamma-glutamylcysteine, and
      glutathione) and ascorbic acid, which represent the two major water-soluble
      antioxidants in plants, were analysed at specific stages during cryopreservation
      of shoot tip material of three native Australian plant species [Anigozanthos
      viridis (Haemodoraceae), Lomandra sonderi (Asparagaceae), and Loxocarya cinerea
      (Restionaceae)] to quantify the oxidative stress experienced during
      cryopreservation. Post-cryogenic regeneration of shoot tips was greatest in A.
      viridis (78%) followed by L. sonderi (50%), whilst L. cinerea did not show any
      post-cryogenic regeneration. The application of a 3-week cold (5  degrees C)
      preconditioning regime, commonly used to increase post-cryogenic survival,
      resulted in significantly lower post-cryogenic regeneration for A. viridis (33%),
      but had little effect on the other two species. Total antioxidant concentration
      in shoot material decreased significantly with each step throughout the
      cryopreservation process, particularly in the cryoprotection and washing stages.
      Antioxidant levels in shoot tips then increased during the subsequent 7-day post
      cryopreservation recovery period, with the greatest increase measured in A.
      viridis. Concentrations of thiols and their corresponding disulphides were used
      to calculate the corresponding half-cell reduction potentials, whereby the
      ability of these plant species to maintain a strong reducing environment in shoot
      tissues throughout the cryopreservation protocol was found to correlate with post
      cryogenic survival.

PMID- 28900718
TI  - Prognosis of Cancer with Synchronous or Metachronous Malignant Pleural Effusion.
AB  - PURPOSE: Malignant pleural effusions (MPE) may either coincide with or follow the
      diagnosis of a primary tumor. Whether this circumstance influences prognosis has
      not been well substantiated. METHODS: Retrospective review of all consecutive
      patients who were cared for at a Spanish university hospital during an 11-year
      period and received a diagnosis of MPE. RESULTS: Of 401 patients, the MPE was the
      first evidence of cancer in 265 (66%), and it followed a previously diagnosed
      neoplasm in 136 (34%). Lung cancer predominated in the former group (131, 50%),
      and breast cancer in the latter (55, 40%). MPE that were the presenting
      manifestation of hematological and ovarian tumors had a statistically significant
      survival advantage as compared to those which developed in patients from a
      previously known cancer (respective absolute differences of 41 and 20 months; p <
      0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In hematological and ovarian malignancies, the synchronous
      or metachronous diagnosis of MPE may have prognostic implications.

PMID- 28900719
TI  - The effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on critical torque.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) has been shown to reduce
      endurance exercise performance. This study examined the effects of EIMD on
      critical torque (CT) and the sum of the torque integral above CT during (? T
      total) during a 5-min all-out, intermittent isometric knee extension exercise.
      METHODS: CT was determined in eight participants prior to and 48-h following
      EIMD. EIMD was induced using electrically stimulated eccentric knee extensions
      until maximal voluntary strength (MVC) was reduced by 40%. EIMD was assessed by
      changes in MVC and ratings of muscle soreness using a VAS scale. EMG and near
      infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were collected from the vastus lateralis and vastus
      medialis, respectively, during the CT test to assess neuromuscular electrical
      activity and microvascular circulation. RESULTS: MVC decreased 22% (p = 0.006)
      and soreness increased from 2.1 +/- 1.9 to 50.4 +/- 31.5 mm (p = 0.002) 48-h
      following eccentric exercise. CT declined from 61.6 +/- 17.8 to 52.0 +/- 14.1 Nm
      (-14%; p = 0.005) post-EIMD. ? T total declined 33% (p = 0.0006) post-EIMD. No
      changes were observed in neuromuscular electrical activity (p = 0.95 for EMG RMS
      and p = 0.57 for EMG median frequency) or any parameter of microvascular
      circulation (p = 0.60 for tissue saturation index, p = 0.27 for total hemoglobin
      and myoglobin, p = 0.51 for oxyhemoglobin, and p = 0.26 for deoxyhemoglobin)
      between conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding that EIMD-reduced CT may explain the
      decrements in endurance performance following EIMD observed in the previous
      studies. The disproportionate reduction in ? T total compared to MVC and CT is
      suggestive of a more rapid depletion of anaerobic energy stores and/or
      accumulation of metabolic by-products leading to fatigue following EIMD.

PMID- 28900720
TI  - Respiration-related cerebral blood flow variability increases during control-mode
      non-invasive ventilation in normovolemia and hypovolemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Increased variability in cerebral blood flow (CBF) predisposes to
      adverse cerebrovascular events. Oscillations in arterial blood pressure and PaCO2
      induce CBF variability. Less is known about how heart rate (HR) variability
      affects CBF. We experimentally reduced respiration-induced HR variability in
      healthy subjects, hypothesizing that CBF variability would increase. METHODS:
      Internal carotid artery (ICA) blood velocity was recorded by Doppler ultrasound
      in ten healthy subjects during baseline, control-mode, non-invasive mechanical
      ventilation (NIV), i.e., with fixed respiratory rate, hypovolemia induced by
      lower body negative pressure, and combinations of these. ICA beat volume (ICABV)
      and ICA blood flow (ICABF) were calculated. HR, mean arterial blood pressure
      (MAP), respiratory frequency (RF), and end-tidal CO2 were recorded. Integrals of
      power spectra at each subject's RF +/- 0.03 Hz were used to measure variability.
      Phase angle/coherence measured coupling between cardiovascular variables.
      RESULTS: Control-mode NIV reduced HR variability (-56%, p = 0.002) and ICABV
      variability (-64%, p = 0.006) and increased ICABF variability (+140%, p = 0.002)
      around RF. NIV + hypovolemia reduced variability in HR and ICABV by 70-80% (p =
      0.002) and doubled ICABF variability (p = 0.03). MAP variability was unchanged in
      either condition. Respiration-induced HR and ICABV oscillations were in inverse
      phase and highly coherent (coherence >0.9) during baseline, but this coherence
      decreased during NIV, in normovolemia and hypovolemia (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION:
      Controlling respiration in awake healthy humans reduced HR variability and
      increased CBF variability in hypovolemia and normovolemia. We suggest respiration
      induced HR variability to be a mechanism in CBF regulation. Maintaining
      spontaneous respiration in patients receiving ventilatory support may be
      beneficial also for cerebral circulatory purposes.

PMID- 28900721
TI  - Effects of PER3 clock gene polymorphisms on aging-related changes of the cerebral
      cortex.
AB  - Considerable evidence suggests that circadian rhythmicity is progressively
      disrupted in senescence. Among clock genes, Period3 (PER3) has been associated
      with circadian phenotypes, homeostatic regulation of sleep, and cognitive
      performance in young adults. However, the effects of PER3 genotype on aging
      related changes in both cognitive function and cortical integrity remain largely
      unknown. To shed light into this issue, we have investigated differences in
      cognitive performance, patterns of cortical thickness, and cortical glucose
      consumption in normal elderly subjects homozygous carriers of the short (PER34/4,
      n = 32) and long repeat alleles (PER35/5, n = 32). Relationships between
      cognitive performance and cortical thickness/metabolism were further explored for
      each PER3 genotype. We found that PER35/5 carriers had poorer cognitive
      performance (attention, executive function, semantic memory, and verbal fluency)
      and lower cortical integrity (structural and functional) than PER34/4. PER35/5
      further showed thinning of temporo-parietal areas, and reductions of glucose
      consumption in fronto-temporo-parietal regions bilaterally. Moreover, PER35/5
      subjects exhibited significant correlations between decreased glucose metabolism
      in fronto-parietal regions and poorer cognitive flexibility, though only
      correlations with lower glucose consumption of the supramarginal gyrus
      distinguished PER35/5 from PER34/4 groups. Overall, these findings enhance our
      understanding on the gene-brain interaction in aging, and may have further
      implications for the detection of subclinical cognitive decline associated with
      PER3 genotypes in late life.

PMID- 28900722
TI  - Molecular characterization of bovine Cryptosporidium isolated from diarrheic
      calves in the Sudan.
AB  - Cryptosporidiosis is a common protozoan infection causing morbidity and mortality
      in young cattle and may be zoonotically transmitted to humans. So far, there is
      no data available on the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the Sudan. The aim
      of this study was to isolate, identify, and genotype Cryptosporidium oocysts
      sampled from diarrheic calves housed at different farms in three different
      municipalities in Khartoum State (Khartoum, Khartoum North, Omdurman). A total of
      149 fecal samples were evaluated microscopically for the presence of
      Cryptosporidium oocysts using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining method and 87
      (58.3%) samples tested positive. Positive and negative samples were further
      analyzed by nested PCR targeting the SSU rRNA region. Positive samples were
      subjected to restriction enzyme analysis of PCR amplicons (PCR-RFLP). Nested PCR
      identified Cryptosporidium DNA in 53 samples (35.5%); restriction digestion of
      the PCR products revealed the presence of C. parvum (73.5%), C. ryanae (13.2%),
      C. andersoni (7.5%), and C. bovis (1.8%). Species distribution was clearly
      related to age with C. parvum being the predominant species in dysenteric pre
      weaned calves. Sequencing of three genes (SSU rRNA, COWP, and GP60) for three C.
      parvum isolates originating from the three different municipalities showed that
      all belong to C. parvum subtype family IId. Based on data obtained by GP60,
      sequencing the two C. parvum isolates from Khartoum and Omdurman represent
      subtype IIdA18G1, whereas oocysts isolated in Khartoum North belong to subtype
      IIdA19G1. The observed genotypes are zoonotic and thus C. parvum in calves is
      potentially a health risk to humans in Khartoum State, Sudan. To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first reported attempt to characterize Cryptosporidium
      isolated from cattle in the Sudan.

PMID- 28900723
TI  - Diagnostic value of sentinel lymph node biopsy for cT1/T2N0 tongue squamous cell
      carcinoma: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the diagnostic value of the
      sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for cT1/T2N0 tongue squamous cell carcinoma
      (TSCC) patients. A comprehensive and systematic literature review was performed
      by searching the Embase and PubMed databases for English language articles
      published up to December 2016. The pooled overall sentinel lymph node (SLN)
      detection rate, sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) were used to
      evaluate the diagnostic value of SLNB which used neck dissection or follow-up as
      a reference test. The Q test and I 2 statistic were used to assess the
      heterogeneity across the studies. Subgroup analyses were performed in
      consideration of higher contribution of different clinical characteristics on the
      SLNB diagnostic value. Begg's linear regression and Egger's regression tests were
      conducted to evaluate the publication bias. Thirty-five studies (with 1084
      patients) were included. The pooled SLN detection rate was 98% (95% CI 97-100%).
      The pooled overall sensitivity and NPV of SLNB were 0.92 (95% CI 0.88-0.95) and
      0.96 (95% CI 0.94-0.97), respectively. The subgroup analyses demonstrated that
      higher extracted number of patients (n >= 30) from the included studies achieved
      a more stable NPV than lower number of patients. SLNB can effectively predict the
      status of regional lymph nodes in cT1/T2N0 TSCC patients. With high sensitivity
      and NPV, SLNB can guide the treatment of SLNB-positive patients with neck
      dissections and those with negative SLNBs with follow-ups in order to avoid
      unnecessary surgical morbidity.

PMID- 28900724
TI  - Hypothalamic dysfunction is related to sleep impairment and CSF biomarkers in
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Hypothalamus is a key brain region regulating several essential homeostatic
      functions, including the sleep-wake cycle. Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology
      affects nuclei controlling sleep-wake rhythm sited in this brain area. Since only
      post-mortem studies documented the relationship between hypothalamic atrophy and
      sleep-wake cycle impairment, we investigated in AD patients the possible
      hypothalamic in vivo alteration using 2-deoxy-2-(18F) fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG)
      positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG PET), and its correlations with sleep
      impairment and cerebrospinal-fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers (tau proteins and beta
      amyloid42). We measured sleep by polysomnography, CSF AD biomarkers and orexin
      levels, and hypothalamic [18F]FDG PET uptake in a population of AD patients
      compared to age- and sex-matched controls. We documented the significant
      reduction of hypothalamic [18F]FDG PET uptake in AD patients (n = 18) compared to
      controls (n = 18) (p < 0.01). Moreover, we found the increase of CSF orexin
      levels coupled with the marked alteration of nocturnal sleep in AD patients than
      controls. We observed the significant association linking the reduction of both
      sleep efficiency and REM sleep to the reduction of hypothalamic [18F]FDG PET
      uptake in the AD group, which in turn negatively correlated with the total
      tau/beta-amyloid42 ratio (index of more marked neurodegeneration). Moreover,
      controls but not AD patients showed [18F]FDG PET interconnections between
      hypothalamus and limbic system. We documented the in vivo dysfunction of
      hypothalamus in AD patients, which lost the physiological connections with limbic
      system and was correlated with both nocturnal sleep disruption and CSF AD
      biomarkers.

PMID- 28900725
TI  - Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma with
      peritumoral fat-spared area: a case report.
AB  - Peritumoral fat-spared area (PTFSA), a focal spared area surrounding hepatic
      tumors, is a specific finding of liver tumors in fatty livers. PTFSA mimics a
      liver tumor, making it difficult to recognize the tumor boundary. We report a
      case of a 56-year-old man with fatty liver who was diagnosed with a liver tumor.
      Ultrasonography (US) revealed a nearly homogeneous hyperechoic liver tumor
      measuring 40 mm in the left lobe. A thick hypoechoic area was observed around the
      tumor that spread more widely than an ordinary halo. Histological examination
      revealed that the hypoechoic area comprised a thin fibrous capsule and normal
      liver parenchyma without fat, which is PTFSA. Contrast-enhanced US (CEUS)
      indicated corona enhancement only at the inner part of the PTFSA. The inner part
      showed the same pattern as that of an ordinary halo and was a part of
      hepatocellular carcinoma, whereas the outer part showed the same pattern as that
      of the other liver parenchyma. CEUS was an effective modality for distinguishing
      the difference. Thus, CEUS was useful in defining the tumor boundary. Before
      initiating treatment, tumors should be evaluated using various modalities to
      detect their accurate boundary. CEUS may be a useful modality for detecting the
      boundary and making a diagnosis.

PMID- 28900726
TI  - [Acute and emergency care of geriatric patients : Old ways - new paths].

PMID- 28900727
TI  - Uhrf2 deletion impairs the formation of hippocampus-dependent memory by changing
      the structure of the dentate gyrus.
AB  - Ubiquitin-like with PHD and ring finger domains 2 (Uhrf2) is distributed in many
      brain regions, including the cortex and hippocampus. Decreased Uhrf2 expression
      is involved in neurodegenerative disease. A recent study showed Uhrf2 deletion
      impaired spatial memory; however, the mechanism remains elusive. In our study, we
      determined that Uhrf2+/- and Uhrf2-/- mice had significant learning and memory
      deficiencies in contextual fear conditioning (CFC) and the novel place
      recognition test but not in the novel object recognition test. Interestingly,
      there were no changes in the Uhrf2 protein levels in the hippocampus of C57BL6
      mice after CFC training, which suggests Uhrf2 in adult mice may not be related to
      the formation of CFC long-term memory. Based on Nissl staining, Uhrf2 deletion
      caused neuropathological changes specifically in the crest of the dentate gyrus
      (DG), such as cell swelling, a vague outline and confused boundary; however, no
      changes were identified in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Transmission
      electron microscope assay further indicated a series of abnormal ultrastructure
      changes in neurons and glia in the DG crest. These results suggested that Uhrf2
      deletion selectively blocked the development of the DG crest and impaired
      hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Our study will facilitate a better
      understanding of the role of Uhrf2 protein in the central nervous system.

PMID- 28900728
TI  - Calcium controls the formation of vacuoles from mitochondria to regulate
      microspore development in wheat.
AB  - Potassium antimonite was used to investigate the localisation of calcium in
      developing wheat anthers to examine the relationship between Ca2+ and pollen
      development. During anther development, calcium precipitate formation increased
      in anther wall cells prior to microspore mother cell meiosis and appeared in
      microspores, suggesting the presence of a calcium influx from anther wall cells
      into the locule. Initially, the precipitates in microspore cytoplasm primarily
      accumulated in the mitochondria and destroyed their inner membranes (cisterns) to
      become small vacuoles, which expanded and fused, ultimately becoming a large
      vacuole during microspore vacuolisation. After microspore division and large
      vacuole decomposition, many calcium precipitates again accumulated in the small
      vacuoles, indicating that calcium from the large vacuole moved back into the
      cytoplasm of bicellular pollen.

PMID- 28900729
TI  - Microbial healing of cracks in concrete: a review.
AB  - Concrete is the most widely used construction material of the world and
      maintaining concrete structures from premature deterioration is proving to be a
      great challenge. Early age formation of micro-cracking in concrete structure
      severely affects the serviceability leading to high cost of maintenance. Apart
      from conventional methods of repairing cracks with sealants or treating the
      concrete with adhesive chemicals to prevent the cracks from widening, a microbial
      crack-healing approach has shown promising results. The unique feature of the
      microbial system is that it enables self-healing of concrete. The effectiveness
      of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP) in improving
      durability of cementitious building materials, restoration of stone monuments and
      soil bioclogging is discussed. Main emphasis has been laid on the potential of
      bacteria-based crack repair in concrete structure and the applications of
      different bacterial treatments to self-healing cracks. Furthermore,
      recommendations to employ the MICCP technology at commercial scale and reduction
      in the cost of application are provided in this review.

PMID- 28900730
TI  - Review of local injection of anti-TNF for perianal fistulising Crohn's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perianal fistulising Crohn's disease (PFCD) affects a third of
      Crohn's disease patients and represents a disabling phenotype with poor outcome.
      The anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) therapies have been shown to maintain
      clinical remission in a third of patients after 1 year of treatment. Maintenance
      therapy with systematic administration schedules confers greatest benefit, but
      exposes patients to risks/side effects of continued systemic use and led to
      consideration of local drug delivery (first described in 2000). In this review,
      we analyse all published articles on local anti-TNF therapy in the treatment of
      PFCD. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta
      Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to systematically search Medline and
      Embase using the medical subject headings 'fistula', 'anus', 'Crohn disease',
      'infliximab' and 'adalimumab'. This was combined with free text searches, e.g.
      'local injection' and 'Crohn's perianal disease'. Studies/abstracts describing
      local injection treatment with anti-TNF were included in this review. RESULTS:
      Six pilot studies including a total of 92 patients were included in this review.
      Outcomes reported were mostly clinical and included 'complete/partial response'
      to therapy and short-term results varied between 40 and 100%. There were no
      significant adverse events and the local injections were well tolerated.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is paucity of data assessing this treatment modality. Local
      anti-TNF therapy appears safe, but outcome reporting is heterogeneous, subjective
      and long-term data are unavailable. Our review suggests a potential role may be
      in those in whom systemic treatment is contraindicated and calls for standardised
      reporting of outcomes in this field to enable better data interpretation.

PMID- 28900731
TI  - Selenium mitigates cadmium-induced oxidative stress in tomato (Solanum
      lycopersicum L.) plants by modulating chlorophyll fluorescence, osmolyte
      accumulation, and antioxidant system.
AB  - Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the role of selenium in alleviating
      cadmium stress in Solanum lycopersicum seedlings. Cadmium (150 mg L-1) treatment
      caused a significant reduction in growth in terms of height and biomass
      accumulation and affected chlorophyll pigments, gas exchange parameters, and
      chlorophyll fluorescence. Selenium (10 MUM) application mitigated the adverse
      effects of cadmium on growth, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, leaf relative
      water content, and other physiological attributes. Lipid peroxidation and
      electrolyte leakage increased because of cadmium treatment and selenium-treated
      plants exhibited considerable reduction because of the decreased production of
      hydrogen peroxide in them. Cadmium-treated plants exhibited enhanced activity of
      antioxidant enzymes that protected cellular structures by neutralizing reactive
      free radicals. Supplementation of selenium to cadmium-treated plants (Cd + Se)
      further enhanced the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT),
      ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) by 19.69, 31.68,
      33.14, and 54.47%, respectively. Osmolytes, including proline and glycine
      betaine, increased with selenium application, illustrating their role in
      improving the osmotic stability of S. lycopersicum under cadmium stress. More
      importantly, selenium application significantly reduced cadmium uptake. From
      these results, it is clear that application of selenium alleviates the negative
      effects of cadmium stress in S. lycopersicum through the modifications of
      osmolytes and antioxidant enzymes.

PMID- 28900733
TI  - Complexes of arzanol with a Cu2+ ion: a DFT study.
AB  - Arzanol (C22H26O7) is a naturally occurring acylphloroglucinol largely
      responsible for the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antibiotic and antiviral
      activities of Helichrysum italicum. Like all acylphloroglucinols, the molecule
      contains a carboxylic substituent (-COR group); for arzanol, this is a -COCH3
      group. The molecule is further characterized by the presence of an alpha-pyrone
      ring bonded in meta to -COR through a methylene bridge, and of a prenyl chain
      bonded to the other meta position. The molecule can form up to three
      intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IHB) simultaneously, and their presence and
      patterns are the major stabilizing factors. This work considers complexes of
      representative conformers of arzanol with a Cu2+ ion, taking into account the
      different possibilities for the binding of the Cu2+ ion to the electron-density
      rich sites of the molecule and including simultaneous coordination to two
      geometrically suitable sites. Calculations were performed at the DFT/B3LYP level,
      using the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set for the C, O and H atoms and the LANL2DZ
      pseudopotential for the Cu2+ ion. Interaction energies show preference for
      simultaneous binding of Cu2+ to two sites. Simultaneous binding to the O of a
      phenol OH neighboring the prenyl chain and to the pi bond of the prenyl chain
      appears to be the most favorable option, followed by simultaneous binding to the
      sp2 O of the alpha-pyrone ring and the O of the phenol OH ortho to -COR on the
      side of the alpha-pyrone ring. The charge of the Cu2+ ion is reduced to +1 or
      slightly less in the complexes, which is consistent with the molecules'
      antioxidant (reducing) ability. Graphical abstract The copper ion prefers to
      attach to two sites of the arzanol molecule simultaneously. The arzanol molecule
      reduces the charge of the copper ion from +2 to +1 by transferring an electron to
      it; it becomes a radical molecular cation. The distribution of the unpaired
      electron in the molecule (as highlighted by the spin density maps) depends on the
      site/s to which the Cu2+ ion binds and on the molecule's conformer.

PMID- 28900732
TI  - Plant STAND P-loop NTPases: a current perspective of genome distribution,
      evolution, and function : Plant STAND P-loop NTPases: genomic organization,
      evolution, and molecular mechanism models contribute broadly to plant pathogen
      defense.
AB  - STAND P-loop NTPase is the common weapon used by plant and other organisms from
      all three kingdoms of life to defend themselves against pathogen invasion. The
      purpose of this study is to review comprehensively the latest finding of plant
      STAND P-loop NTPase related to their genomic distribution, evolution, and their
      mechanism of action. Earlier, the plant STAND P-loop NTPase known to be comprised
      of only NBS-LRRs/AP-ATPase/NB-ARC ATPase. However, recent finding suggests that
      genome of early green plants comprised of two types of STAND P-loop NTPases: (1)
      mammalian NACHT NTPases and (2) NBS-LRRs. Moreover, YchF (unconventional G
      protein and members of P-loop NTPase) subfamily has been reported to be
      exceptionally involved in biotic stress (in case of Oryza sativa), thereby a
      novel member of STAND P-loop NTPase in green plants. The lineage-specific
      expansion and genome duplication events are responsible for abundance of plant
      STAND P-loop NTPases; where "moderate tandem and low segmental duplication"
      trajectory followed in majority of plant species with few exception (equal
      contribution of tandem and segmental duplication). Since the past decades,
      systematic research is being investigated into NBS-LRR function supported the
      direct recognition of pathogen or pathogen effectors by the latest models
      proposed via 'integrated decoy' or 'sensor domains' model. Here, we integrate the
      recently published findings together with the previous literature on the genomic
      distribution, evolution, and distinct models proposed for functional molecular
      mechanism of plant STAND P-loop NTPases.

PMID- 28900734
TI  - The presence of minor salivary glands in the peritonsillar space.
AB  - Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is traditionally considered only a purulent
      complication of acute tonsillitis (AT), but may be related to infection of minor
      salivary glands. We analysed the presence of peritonsillar minor salivary glands
      and inflammation patterns in 114 adult tonsils representing three patient groups:
      recurrent AT, chronic tonsillitis (CT), and PTA. Samples acquired from elective
      tonsillectomies were stored in formalin, and after preparation were
      microscopically examined for inflammation and fibrotic changes. Clinical features
      and histological characteristics were compared between the groups. Of all
      tonsils, the minor salivary glands were present in 77 (67.5%). Glands located
      near the tonsillar tissue showed signs of infection in 73 (94.8%), while only 3
      (15.0%) of 20 glands located deeper in the peritonsillar space were infected.
      Compared to patients with recurrent AT and CT, those with PTA more often
      presented with periductal inflammation, p < 0.011 (PTA 82.1%, AT 42.9%, and CT
      63.6%). The majority of our 114 tonsillectomy specimens, collected from patients
      with AT, CT, or PTA, presented with infected minor salivary glands, and
      inflammation of the peritonsillar space glands was evident. To further elucidate
      the association between these glands and PTA, tonsillar samples should be
      collected and analysed from patients during the acute phase of infection.

PMID- 28900735
TI  - 4-Chloro-3-nitro-N-butylbenzenesulfonamide acts on KV3.1 channels by an open
      channel blocker mechanism.
AB  - The effects of 4-chloro-3-nitro-N-butylbenzenesulfonamide (SMD2) on KV3.1
      channels, heterologous expressed in L-929 cells, were studied with the whole cell
      patch-clamp technique. SMD2 blocks KV3.1 in a reversible and use-dependent
      manner, with IC50 around 10 uM, and a Hill coefficient around 2. Although the
      conductance vs. voltage relationship in control condition can be described by a
      single Boltzmann function, two terms are necessary to describe the data in the
      presence of SMD2. The activation and deactivation time constants are weakly
      voltage dependent both for control and in the presence of SMD2. SMD2 does not
      change the channel selectivity and tail currents show a typical crossover
      phenomenon. The time course of inactivation has a fast and a slow component, and
      SMD2 significantly decreased their values. Steady-state inactivation is best
      described by a Boltzmann equation with V 1/2 (the voltage where the probability
      to find the channels in the inactivated state is 50%) and K (slope factor) equals
      to -22.9 +/- 1.5 mV and 5.3 +/- 0.9 mV for control, and -30.3 +/- 1.3 mV and 6 +/
      0.8 mV for SMD2, respectively. The action of SMD2 is enhanced by high frequency
      stimulation, and by the time the channel stays open. Taken together, our results
      suggest that SMD2 blocks the open conformation of KV3.1. From a pharmacological
      and therapeutic point of view, N-alkylsulfonamides may constitute a new class of
      pharmacological modulators of KV3.1.

PMID- 28900736
TI  - Residential magnetic fields exposure and childhood leukemia: a population-based
      case-control study in California.
AB  - PURPOSE: Studies have reported an increased risk of childhood leukemia associated
      with exposure to magnetic fields. We conducted a large records-based case-control
      study of childhood leukemia risk and exposure to magnetic fields from power lines
      in California. METHODS: The study included 5,788 childhood leukemia cases (born
      in and diagnosed in California 1986-2008) matched to population-based controls on
      age and sex. We calculated magnetic fields at birth addresses using geographic
      information systems, aerial imagery, historical information on load and phasing,
      and site visits. RESULTS: Based on unconditional logistic regression controlling
      for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status using subjects geocoded to
      a basic standard of accuracy, we report a slight risk deficit in two intermediate
      exposure groups and a small excess risk in the highest exposure group (odds ratio
      of 1.50 (95% confidence interval [0.70, 3.23])). Subgroup and sensitivity
      analyses as well as matched analyses gave similar results. All estimates had wide
      confidence intervals. CONCLUSION: Our large, statewide, record-based case-control
      study of childhood leukemia in California does not in itself provide clear
      evidence of risk associated with greater exposure to magnetic fields from power
      lines, but could be viewed as consistent with previous findings of increased
      risk.

PMID- 28900738
TI  - Novel temporary left ventricular assist system with hydrodynamically levitated
      bearing pump for bridge to decision: initial preclinical assessment in a goat
      model.
AB  - The management of heart failure patients presenting in a moribund state remains
      challenging, despite significant advances in the field of ventricular assist
      systems. Bridge to decision involves using temporary devices to stabilize the
      hemodynamic state of such patients while further assessment is performed and a
      decision can be made regarding patient management. We developed a new temporary
      left ventricular assist system employing a disposable centrifugal pump with a
      hydrodynamically levitated bearing. We used three adult goats (body weight, 58-68
      kg) to investigate the 30-day performance and hemocompatibility of the newly
      developed left ventricular assist system, which included the pump, inflow and
      outflow cannulas, the extracorporeal circuit, and connectors. Hemodynamic,
      hematologic, and blood chemistry measurements were investigated as well as end
      organ effect on necropsy. All goats survived for 30 days in good general
      condition. The blood pump was operated at a rotational speed of 3000-4500 rpm and
      a mean pump flow of 3.2 +/- 0.6 L min. Excess hemolysis, observed in one goat,
      was due to the inadequate increase in pump rotational speed in response to
      drainage insufficiency caused by continuous contact of the inflow cannula tip
      with the left ventricular septal wall in the early days after surgery. At
      necropsy, no thrombus was noted in the pump, and no damage caused by mechanical
      contact was found on the bearing. The newly developed temporary left ventricular
      assist system using a disposable centrifugal pump with hydrodynamic bearing
      demonstrated consistent and satisfactory hemodynamic performance and
      hemocompatibility in the goat model.

PMID- 28900737
TI  - The benefit of the systematic revision of the acetabular implant in favor of a
      dual mobility articulation during the treatment of periprosthetic fractures of
      the femur: a 49 cases prospective comparative study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The SOFCOT symposium (2005) on periprosthetic fractures of the
      femur (PFFs) highlighted a high rate of dislocation (15.6% at 6 months) after
      change of prosthesis. So far, no study has ever proved the benefit of dual
      mobility articulation during PFFs revisions. We conducted a comparative study on
      two prospective cohorts in order to (1) assess the influence of systematic
      acetabular revision in favor of a double mobility on dislocation rate (2) and in
      order to evaluate the rate of morbidity associated with this extra surgical
      procedure. HYPOTHESIS: A systematic replacement of the cup in favor of a dual
      mobility articulation enables to reduce the dislocation rate in PFFs revisions
      without increasing morbidity. METHODOLOGY: We compared two prospective
      multicenter cohorts over a year (2005 and 2015) using the same methodology. Any
      fracture around hip prosthesis which occurred 3 months at least after surgery was
      included. Data collection was clinical and radiological on preoperative,
      intraoperative and 6 months after surgery. The 2015 "bipolar" group (n = 24)
      included patients who had a bipolar revision (both femoral and dual-mobility
      articulation). The 2005 "unipolar" group (n = 25) included patients who had only
      a femoral implant revision. Patients were comparable by age (p = 0.36), sex (p =
      0.91), ASA score (p = 0.36), history of prosthetic revision (p = 1.00), Katz
      score (p = 0.50) and the type of fracture according to the Vancouver
      classification (p = 0.55). RESULTS: There was a 4% rate of dislocation in the
      "bipolar group" while there was 21% rate of dislocation in the "unipolar group"
      (8% of recurrent dislocation) (p = 0.19). The rate of all-cause complications 6
      months after surgery was not significantly different (p = 0.07): 12.5% in the
      2015 "bipolar" cohort (one dislocation, one non-symptomatic cup migration and one
      pseudarthrosis of the major trochanter) versus 35% in the "unipolar" cohort (5
      dislocations, 1 major trochanter fracture and 1 femur pseudarthrosis, 1 secondary
      displacement associated with a superficial infection). The surgical revision
      after 6 months was not significantly different (1/23 or 4% vs. 4/25 or 16%, p =
      0.35). CONCLUSION: We confirm the low rate of dislocations after fitting a dual
      mobility cup in case of revision of the femoral side in case of periprosthetic
      femoral fracture, as well as the need for additional cases to be carried out upon
      further studies to significantly confirm the interest of preventing instability
      after femoral revision.

PMID- 28900739
TI  - A frameshift mutation in BRCA1 leads to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in
      one part of a family and to familial pancreatic cancer in another.

PMID- 28900740
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9-mediated multiple single guide RNAs potently abrogate pseudorabies
      virus replication.
AB  - Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a swine herpesvirus that causes significant morbidity
      and mortality in swine populations and has caused huge economic losses in the
      worldwide swine industry. Currently, there is no effective antiviral drug in
      clinical use for PRV infection; it is also difficult to eliminate PRV from
      infected swine. In our study, we set out to combat these swine herpesvirus
      infections by exploiting the CRISPR/Cas9 system. We designed 75 single guide RNAs
      (sgRNA) by targeting both essential and non-essential genes across the genome of
      PRV. We applied a firefly luciferase-tagged reporter PRV virus for high
      throughput sgRNA screening and found that most of the sgRNAs significantly
      inhibited PRV replication. More importantly, using a transfection assay, we
      demonstrated that simultaneous targeting of PRV with multiple sgRNAs completely
      abolished the production of infectious viruses in cells. These data suggest that
      CRISPR/Cas9 could be a novel therapeutic agent against PRV in the future.

PMID- 28900741
TI  - Occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in water supply
      reservoirs in Jingjinji area, China.
AB  - Jingjinji area occupies important position in developing of the Chinese economy,
      while there exists a sharp conflict between economic growth and limited water
      resources in this area. To ensure the safety of water consumption of cities in
      Jingjinji area, we investigated the abundance of three classes of antibiotic
      resistance genes (ARGs) in water and sediment of six water supply reservoirs in
      this area. The results showed that the detection frequency of sul1, tetM and ermB
      were 100%. However, the content ranges of these genes were different (10-5 to 10
      2/16S gene copies for sul1, 10-5 to 10-3/16S gene copies for ermB, and 10-5 to 10
      3/16S gene copies for tetM). The content of ribosome protection proteins (RPP)
      genes were the highest in all selected tet genes. The highest abundance of ARGs
      in water and sediment samples was sampled from Panjiakou reservoir and Guanting
      reservoir, respectively. Except COD, chla and tetM, there are no significant
      correlation between water quality parameters and ARGs. Overall, this study
      provides integrated profiles of the three types of ARGs in water supply
      reservoirs of Jingjinji area and thus helps to re-evaluate the effects of human
      activities to water supply reservoirs.

PMID- 28900742
TI  - Relationship between air mass type and emergency department visits for migraine
      headache across the Triangle region of North Carolina.
AB  - An estimated 240 million people worldwide suffer from migraines. Because
      migraines are often debilitating, understanding the mechanisms that trigger them
      is crucial for effective prevention and treatment. Synoptic air mass types and
      emergency department (ED) visits for migraine headaches were examined over a 7
      year period within a major metropolitan area of North Carolina to identify
      potential relationships between large-scale meteorological conditions and the
      incidence of migraine headaches. Barometric pressure changes associated with
      transitional air masses, or changing weather patterns, were also analyzed for
      potential relationships. Bootstrapping analysis revealed that tropical air masses
      (moist and dry) resulted in the greatest number of migraine ED visits over the
      study period, whereas polar air masses led to fewer. Moist polar air masses in
      particular were found to correspond with the fewest number of migraine ED visits.
      On transitional air mass days, the number of migraine ED visits fell between
      those of tropical air mass days and polar air mass days. Transitional days
      characterized by pressure increases exhibited a greater number of migraine ED
      visits than days characterized by pressure decreases. However, no relationship
      was found between migraine ED visits and the magnitude of barometric pressure
      changes associated with transitional air masses.

PMID- 28900743
TI  - Catechin ameliorates doxorubicin-induced neuronal cytotoxicity in in vitro and
      episodic memory deficit in in vivo in Wistar rats.
AB  - Cognitive dysfunction by chemotherapy compromises the quality of life in cancer
      patients. Tea polyphenols are known chemopreventive agents. The present study was
      designed to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of (+) catechin hydrate
      (catechin), a tea polyphenol, in IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells in vitro and
      alleviation of episodic memory deficit in Wistar rats in vivo against a widely
      used chemotherapeutic agent, Doxorubicin (DOX). In vitro, neuroprotective studies
      were assessed in undifferentiated IMR-32 cells using percentage viability and in
      differentiated cells by neurite length. These studies showed catechin increased
      percentage viability of undifferentiated IMR-32 cells. Catechin pretreatment also
      showed an increase in neurite length of differentiated cells. In vivo
      neuroprotection of catechin was evaluated using novel object recognition task in
      time-induced memory deficit model at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg dose and DOX-induced
      memory deficit models at 100 mg/kg dose. The latter model was developed by
      injection of DOX (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) in 10 cycles over 50 days in Wistar rats.
      Catechin showed a significant reversal of time-induced memory deficit in a dose
      dependent manner and prevention of DOX-induced memory deficit at 100 mg/kg. In
      addition, catechin treatment showed a significant decrease in oxidative stress,
      acetylcholine esterase and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and cerebral
      cortex in DOX-induced toxicity model. Hence, catechin may be a potential adjuvant
      therapy for the amelioration of DOX-induced cognitive impairment which may
      improve the quality of life of cancer survivors. This improvement might be due to
      the elevation of antioxidant defense, prevention of neuroinflammation and
      inhibition of acetylcholine esterase enzyme.

PMID- 28900745
TI  - Systematic review on maternal depression versus anxiety in relation to excessive
      infant crying: it is all about the timing.
AB  - Different types of studies suggest a link between maternal depression/anxiety and
      excessive infant crying (EC). However, comparability is hampered due to different
      designs, definitions and measurements. This systematic review investigates the
      specific role of maternal depression and anxiety considering them as preceding,
      concurrent and subsequent conditions of EC. A computerised literature search was
      conducted in January 2017 using Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science.
      After screening n = 399 records for inclusion/exclusion criteria, n = 33 records
      based on n = 30 projects were eligible for systematic qualitative data synthesis.
      All studies on maternal depression/anxiety and EC within the first 3 years of
      life were included. Included studies investigated predominantly maternal
      depression (25/30) and secondly maternal anxiety (17/30). Significant positive
      results were found in the majority of studies for maternal depression (21/25) as
      well as for maternal anxiety (12/17) in relation to EC. In-depth analyses further
      revealed that concurrent and subsequent maternal depression was robustly related
      with EC, whilst preceding maternal depression was not. In contrast, preceding and
      concurrent (but not subsequent) maternal anxiety was consistently related to
      subsequent EC. Maternal depression is more likely a correlate or even a
      consequence of EC, whereas anxiety is rather a temporally preceding condition and
      thus a potential risk factor or risk marker for both subsequent EC and associated
      maternal depression. Interventions for EC should address concurrent maternal
      depression, whilst preventive approaches might target preceding maternal anxiety
      as early as prior to or during pregnancy.

PMID- 28900744
TI  - Structural vertebral endplate nomenclature and etiology: a study by the ISSLS
      Spinal Phenotype Focus Group.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vertebral endplate abnormalities may be associated with disc
      degeneration and, perhaps, pain generation. However, consensus definitions for
      endplate findings on spine MRI do not exist, posing a challenge to compare
      findings between studies and ethnic groups. The following survey was created to
      characterize the variability among the global spine community regarding endplate
      structural findings with respect to nomenclature and etiology. METHODS: A working
      group within the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS)
      Spinal Phenotype Focus Group was established to assess the endplate phenotype. A
      survey which consisted of 13 T2-weighted sagittal MRIs of the human lumbar spine
      illustrating the superior and inferior endplates was constructed based on
      discussion and agreement by the working group. A list of nomenclature and
      etiological terms with historical precedence was generated. Participants were
      asked to describe the endplates of each image and select from 14 possible
      nomenclatures and 10 etiological terms along with the option of free text
      response. The survey was entered into RedCap and was circulated throughout the
      ISSLS membership for data capture. Participants' demographics were also noted.
      RESULTS: The survey was completed by 55 participants (87% males; 85% above 45
      years of age, 39 clinicians, and 16 researchers). Sixty-eight percent of
      researchers and seventy-four percent of clinicians reported more than 16 and 20
      years of research and clinical experience. Considerable variation existed in
      selection of nomenclature, etiology, and degree of severity of the endplate
      structural findings (reliability coefficients for single measures in each case
      were 0.3, 0.08, and 0.2, respectively). Sixty-seven percent regarded Modic
      changes as being a structural endplate finding. Approximately 84 and 80% of
      clinicians and researchers, respectively, agreed that a standardized endplate
      nomenclature and understanding the etiology is clinically important and needed.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study found that variations exist with respect to endplate
      nomenclature and etiology between clinicians and basic scientists, and paves the
      way for a consensus process to formalize the definitions.

PMID- 28900746
TI  - Electrophysiological features and multimodal imaging in ritonavir-related
      maculopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report a case of ritonavir-related
      retinal toxicity followed over a year. Electrophysiological features and
      multimodal imaging, including adaptive optics, are provided and discussed.
      METHODS: Electrophysiological recordings and multimodal imaging were performed
      and repeated over 1 year. RESULTS: Fundus examination revealed crystalline
      maculopathy in conjunction with pigment disruption. Spectral domain optical
      coherence tomography displayed thinning of the macula without cysts.
      Autofluorescence imaging revealed a mixed pattern of complete loss of the
      autofluorescence in the area of retinal pigment deposit and an increased
      transmission of the autofluorescence in the area of retinal thinning. Fluorescein
      angiography ruled out parafoveal telangiectasia. Indocyanine green angiography
      was not contributive. Increased spacing of the macular cone mosaic, crystal
      deposits and pigment migrations were seen with adaptive optics. Full-field
      electroretinogram was slightly reduced for both eyes, especially in the light
      adapted responses, and mfERG confirmed bilateral maculopathy. Functional and
      structural abnormalities did not change with follow-up besides constant
      pigmentary changes monitored with adaptive optics. CONCLUSION: Ritonavir-related
      retinal toxicity is a maculopathy with peculiar features including crystalline
      and pigment migration associated with central or temporofoveolar thinning and
      inconstant macular telangiectasia. Despite drug cessation, retinal remodelling
      continues to progress.

PMID- 28900748
TI  - Serum interleukin 6 levels are associated with depressive state of the patients
      with knee osteoarthritis irrespective of disease severity.
AB  - This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of depressive state and
      association between depressive state and serum interleukin (IL)-6 levels in knee
      osteoarthritis (OA) patients. A total of 115 painful knee OA patients were
      enrolled and divided into two groups according to the radiographic OA severity.
      Pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS). Depressive state was
      assessed by the self-rating depression scale (SDS). Serum IL-6 levels were also
      measured. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlation
      between the variants tested, and logistic regression analysis was used to
      identify factors associated with the depressive state. Fifty-two percent of the
      patients had an SDS score of >= 40, which is indicative of the depressive state.
      The pain VAS score (r = 0.22, p = 0.02) and serum IL-6 level (r = 0.31, p < 0.01)
      were independently associated with the SDS score of all early-stage knee OA
      patients (Kellgren-Lawrence [K/L] grade 2). However, only the serum IL-6 level
      was independently associated with the SDS scores of advanced-stage knee OA
      patients (K/L grades 3 and 4, r = 0.36, p < 0.01). A logistic regression analysis
      revealed that serum IL-6 level was the variable for the SDS score [odds ratio
      1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.94, p < 0.03)]. Approximately half of the
      knee OA patients were found to be in the depressive state, and their serum IL-6
      levels to be associated with the depressive state, irrespective of OA severity.

PMID- 28900749
TI  - Chromosomal polymorphisms are independently associated with multinucleated embryo
      formation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore the factors associated with
      embryo multinucleation, particularly focused on the influence of parental
      chromosomal polymorphisms in embryo multinucleation. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective case-control study involving 1260 infertile couples undergoing
      their first IVF/ICSI cycles. Couples were screened for abnormalities in their
      karyotype and were evaluated for blastomere persistence of multinucleation.
      Demographic characteristics, stimulation protocol, and pregnant outcomes were
      analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The level of basal FSH was
      lower in the multinucleated embryos group (5.37 vs 5.72 IU/L). The Multinucleated
      embryos group received less gonadotropins (1788.5 vs 1891.3 IU), and the level of
      LH on day of HCG triggering was lower (1.09 vs 1.30 IU/L). More oocytes were
      recovered in the multinucleated embryos group (11.51 vs 9.23). Chromosomal
      polymorphisms were seen in at least 1 out of 163 (12.9%) couples. Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis revealed that chromosomal polymorphisms were
      independently associated with an increase in the occurrence risk of
      multinucleated embryos (OR = 1.61, 95% CI, 1.06-2.44) in the first IVF/ICSI
      cycle. The miscarriage rate in the multinucleated embryos group was 10% higher
      than that of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Chromosomal polymorphisms were
      independently associated with multinucleation embryo formation. A higher LH level
      on the day of HCG triggering was associated with a decreased chance of
      multinucleation.

PMID- 28900750
TI  - In response to Letter to the Editor entitled "Commentary on: Comparison of
      endoscopic and microscopic tympanoplasty".

PMID- 28900747
TI  - Transcriptome analysis and identification of significantly differentially
      expressed genes in Holstein calves subjected to severe thermal stress.
AB  - RNA-Seq analysis was used to characterize transcriptome response of Holstein
      calves to thermal stress. A total of eight animals aged between 2 and 3 months
      were randomly selected and subjected to thermal stress corresponding to a
      temperature humidity index of 95 in an environmentally controlled house for 12 h
      consecutively for 3 days. A set of 15,787 unigenes were found to be expressed and
      after a threshold of threefold change, and a Q value <0.05; 502, 394, and 376
      genes were found to be differentially expressed on days 1, 2, and 3 out of which
      343, 261 and 256 genes were upregulated and 159, 133, and 120 genes were
      downregulated. Only 356 genes out of these were expressed on all 3 days, and only
      they were considered as significantly differentially expressed. KEGG pathway
      analysis revealed that ten pathways were significantly enriched; the top two
      among them were protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum and MAPK signaling
      pathways. These results suggest that thermal stress triggered a complex response
      in Holstein calves and the animals adjusted their physiological and metabolic
      processes to survive. Many of the genes identified in this study have not been
      previously reported to be involved in thermal stress response. The results of
      this study extend our understanding of the animal's response to thermal stress
      and some of the identified genes may prove useful in the efforts to breed
      Holstein cattle with superior thermotolerance, which might help in minimizing
      production loss due to thermal stress.

PMID- 28900751
TI  - Effect of wavelength and beam width on penetration in light-tissue interaction
      using computational methods.
AB  - Penetration depth of ultraviolet, visible light and infrared radiation in
      biological tissue has not previously been adequately measured. Risk assessment of
      typical intense pulsed light and laser intensities, spectral characteristics and
      the subsequent chemical, physiological and psychological effects of such outputs
      on vital organs as consequence of inappropriate output use are examined. This
      technical note focuses on wavelength, illumination geometry and skin tone and
      their effect on the energy density (fluence) distribution within tissue. Monte
      Carlo modelling is one of the most widely used stochastic methods for the
      modelling of light transport in turbid biological media such as human skin. Using
      custom Monte Carlo simulation software of a multi-layered skin model, fluence
      distributions are produced for various non-ionising radiation combinations.
      Fluence distributions were analysed using Matlab mathematical software.
      Penetration depth increases with increasing wavelength with a maximum penetration
      depth of 5378 MUm calculated. The calculations show that a 10-mm beam width
      produces a fluence level at target depths of 1-3 mm equal to 73-88% (depending on
      depth) of the fluence level at the same depths produced by an infinitely wide
      beam of equal incident fluence. Meaning little additional penetration is achieved
      with larger spot sizes. Fluence distribution within tissue and thus the treatment
      efficacy depends upon the illumination geometry and wavelength. To optimise
      therapeutic techniques, light-tissue interactions must be thoroughly understood
      and can be greatly supported by the use of mathematical modelling techniques.

PMID- 28900752
TI  - Healthcare utilization, Medicare spending, and sources of patient distress
      identified during implementation of a lay navigation program for older patients
      with breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite benefits for patients, sustainability of breast cancer
      navigation programs is challenging due to the lack of reimbursement for
      navigators. This analysis describes distress reported by breast cancer patients
      to navigators and the impact of navigation on healthcare utilization for older
      adults with breast cancer. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of
      Medicare administrative claims data and patient-reported distress assessments.
      The primary outcome was Medicare spending per beneficiary per quarter. Secondary
      outcomes included (1) the number of hospitalizations or ER visits in each
      quarter; (2) distress levels; and (3) causes of distress reported by patients to
      their navigators. A subset analysis was conducted for stage I/II/III versus stage
      IV patients. RESULTS: 776 navigated and 776 control patients were included in the
      analysis. The average age at diagnosis was 74 years; 13% of the subjects were
      African American; 95% of patients had stage I-III. Medicare spending declined
      faster for the navigated group than the matched comparison group by $528 per
      quarter per patient (95% CL -$667, -$388). Stage I/II/III navigated patients
      showed a statistically significant decline in Medicare spending, ER visits, and
      hospitalizations over time compared to the matched comparison group. No
      differences were observed for stage IV patients. Eighteen percent of patients
      reported moderate distress. Informational and physical distress were more common
      in late stage than in early-stage breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Lay navigation
      reduced healthcare utilization in older adults with breast cancer, with the
      greatest impact observed in early-stage breast cancer patients.

PMID- 28900753
TI  - Fertility treatment for the transgender community: a public opinion study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to evaluate public opinion regarding
      fertility treatment and gamete cryopreservation for transgender individuals and
      identify how support varies by demographic characteristics. METHODS: This is a
      cross-sectional web-based survey study completed by a representative sample of
      1111 US residents aged 18-75 years. Logistic regression was used to calculate odd
      ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of support for/opposition to
      fertility treatments for transgender people by demographic characteristics,
      adjusting a priori for age, gender, race, and having a biological child. RESULTS:
      Of 1336 people recruited, 1111 (83.2%) agreed to participate, and 986 (88.7%)
      completed the survey. Most respondents (76.2%) agreed that "Doctors should be
      able to help transgender people have biological children." Atheists/agnostics
      were more likely to be in support (88.5%) than Christian-Protestants (72.4%; OR =
      3.10, CI = 1.37-7.02), as were younger respondents, sexual minorities, those
      divorced/widowed, Democrats, and non-parents. Respondents who did not know a gay
      person (10.0%; OR = 0.20, CI = 0.09-0.42) or only knew a gay person without
      children (41.4%; OR = 0.29, CI = 0.17-0.50) were more often opposed than those
      who knew a gay parent (48.7%). No differences in gender, geography, education, or
      income were observed. A smaller majority of respondents supported doctors helping
      transgender minors preserve gametes before transitioning (60.6%) or helping
      transgender men carry pregnancies (60.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Most respondents who
      support assisted and third-party reproduction also support such interventions to
      help transgender people have children.

PMID- 28900754
TI  - Surgery versus stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of multiple
      meningiomas in neurofibromatosis type 2: illustrative case and systematic review.
AB  - Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a genetic neoplastic disorder that presents
      with hallmark bilateral vestibular schwannomas and multiple meningiomas. Though
      the current standard of care for meningiomas includes surgery, the multiplicity
      of meningiomas in NF2 patients renders complete resection of all developing
      lesions infeasible. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) may be a viable non-invasive
      therapeutic alternative to surgery. We describe a particularly challenging case
      in a 39-year-old male with over 120 lesions who underwent more than 30 surgical
      procedures, and review the literature. We also searched three popular databases
      and compared outcomes of SRS versus surgery for the treatment of multiple
      meningiomas in patients with NF2. A total of 50 patients (27 radiosurgical and 23
      surgical) were identified. For patients treated with SRS, local tumor control was
      achieved in 22 patients (81.5%) and distal control was achieved in 14 patients
      (51.8%). No malignant inductions were observed at an average follow-up duration
      of 90 months. Complications in the SRS-treated cohort were reported in 9 patients
      (33%). Eight patients (29.6%) died due to disease progression. Six patients
      experienced treatment failure and required further management. For NF2 patients
      treated with surgery, 11 patients (48%) showed tumor recurrence and 10 patients
      (43.5%) died due to neurological complications. SRS may be a safe and effective
      alternative for NF2-associated meningiomas. Further studies are required to
      identify the ideal radiosurgical candidate.

PMID- 28900755
TI  - Quantitative physiology and elemental composition of Kluyveromyces lactis CBS
      2359 during growth on glucose at different specific growth rates.
AB  - The yeast Kluyveromyces lactis has received attention both from academia and
      industry due to some important features, such as its capacity to grow in lactose
      based media, its safe status, its suitability for large-scale cultivation and for
      heterologous protein synthesis. It has also been considered as a model organism
      for genomics and metabolic regulation. Despite this, very few studies were
      carried out hitherto under strictly controlled conditions, such as those found in
      a chemostat. Here we report a set of quantitative physiological data generated
      during chemostat cultivations with the K. lactis CBS 2359 strain, obtained under
      glucose-limiting and fully aerobic conditions. This dataset serves [corrected] as
      a basis for the comparison of K. lactis with the model yeast Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae in terms of their elemental compositions, as well as for future
      metabolic flux analysis and metabolic modelling studies with K. lactis.

PMID- 28900756
TI  - Systematic Review of Interventions for Depression for People Living with HIV in
      Africa.
AB  - Depression interventions for individuals with HIV/AIDS in Africa are being
      increasingly evaluated. MEDLINE was searched using key terms: depression, Africa,
      and HIV, to identify depression interventions for HIV-infected adults in Africa.
      Perinatal women were excluded. Results were extracted and relative change in
      depression scores for interventions and net effect calculated. The MEDLINE search
      yielded 18 articles. Six of seven studies evaluating feasibility were positive,
      and seven of seven studies evaluating acceptability were also positive. Three
      studies investigated the effect of psychotherapy (% relative decrease of
      depressive symptoms for intervention: %net decrease compared to controls)
      (73%:39% decrease). Four studies investigated task-shifting of psychotherapy
      (47%:34% decrease). Three studies evaluated antidepressants (79%:39% decrease).
      Three studies investigated task-shifting of antidepressant treatment (82%:65%
      decrease). An exercise intervention was evaluated (66%:49% decrease). One trial
      investigated minocycline with non-statistically significant results. Finally,
      three studies investigated other psychosocial interventions (44%:21% decrease).
      Overall, the results highlight the need for large, randomized trials to establish
      efficacy as well as implementation studies.

PMID- 28900757
TI  - Low incidence of postoperative urinary retention with the use of a nurse-led
      bladder scan protocol after hip and knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Postoperative urinary retention (POUR), defined as the inability to
      empty the bladder voluntary after surgery, is a commonly reported complication.
      This study reports the incidence and possible risk factors for POUR after
      elective fast-track hip or knee arthroplasty when using a nurse-led bladder scan
      protocol. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included data from 803
      patients who underwent unilateral hip or knee arthroplasty. Patients' digital
      clinical records were reviewed for eligibility. Patients with incomplete data
      registration, preoperative bladder volume >250 ml, preexisting bladder
      catheterization, and/or patients following the outpatient pathway were excluded.
      Bladder volumes were assessed at different moments pre- and postoperatively. The
      outcome was the incidence of POUR, defined as the inability to void spontaneously
      with a bladder volume >600 ml, treated with indwelling catheterization. Further
      analysis between POUR and non-POUR patients was performed to detect possible risk
      factors for POUR. RESULTS: Six hundred and thirty-eight patients operated on
      primary unilateral hip or knee arthroplasty were analyzed. The incidence of POUR
      was 12.9% (n = 82, 95% CI 9.4-15.5). Gender, age, BMI, ASA classification,
      preoperative bladder volume, type of anesthesia, type of arthroplasty, and
      perioperative fluid administration were not significant different between POUR
      and non-POUR patients. Patients with a bladder volume of >200 ml at the recovery
      room were at higher risk (OR 5.049, 95% CI 2.815-9.054) for POUR. CONCLUSIONS:
      When using a nurse-led bladder scan protocol in fast-track hip and knee
      arthroplasty, the incidence of POUR was 12.9%, with a bladder volume of >200 ml
      at the recovery room as a risk factor for POUR. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: A
      retrospective cohort study, Level III.

PMID- 28900759
TI  - Efficacy and safety of sevelamer carbonate in hyperphosphatemic pediatric
      patients with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment for hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD)
      involves dietary control of phosphorus intake, dialysis, and treatment with oral
      phosphate binders, none of which were approved by the Federal Food and Drug
      Administration in pediatric patients at the time of this study. METHODS: This was
      a phase 2, multicenter study (NCT01574326) with a 2-week, randomized, placebo
      controlled, fixed-dose period (FDP) followed by a 6-month, single-arm, open
      label, dose-titration period (DTP), with the aim to evaluate the safety and
      efficacy of sevelamer carbonate (SC) in hyperphosphatemic pediatric patients with
      CKD. Following a 2-4 week screening phase, pediatric patients with a serum
      phosphorus level higher than age-appropriate levels were randomized to receive
      either SC or placebo as powder/tablets in 0.4-1.6 g doses, based on body surface
      area. The primary efficacy outcome was the change in serum phosphorus from
      baseline to end of the FDP in the SC versus placebo arms (analysis of
      covariance). The secondary outcome was mean change in serum phosphorus from
      baseline to end of DTP by treatment group and overall. Treatment-emergent/serious
      adverse events (AEs) were recorded. RESULTS: Of 101 enrolled patients (29
      centers), 66 completed the study. The majority of patients were adolescents (74%;
      mean age 14.1 years) and on dialysis (77%). Renal transplant was the main reason
      for discontinuation. SC significantly reduced serum phosphorus from baseline
      levels (7.16 mg/dL) during the FDP compared to placebo (least square mean
      difference - 0.90 mg/dL, p = 0.001) and during the DTP (- 1.18 mg/dL, p <
      0.0001). The safety and tolerability of SC and placebo were similar during the
      FDP, with patients in both groups reporting mild/moderate gastrointestinal AEs
      during the DTP. CONCLUSIONS: Sevelamer carbonate significantly lowered serum
      phosphorus levels in hyperphosphatemic children with CKD, with no serious safety
      concerns identified.

PMID- 28900758
TI  - In utero development of memory T cells.
AB  - Pathogen-specific immune memory develops subsequent to primary exposure to
      antigen, mainly in the context of infection or vaccination to provide protection.
      Although a safe fetal life requires a tolerogenic environment in order to
      circumvent unnecessary inflammatory responses, it needs to be prepared in utero
      to face the microbial environment outside the womb. The possibility of immune
      memory generation in the fetus would help such transition providing protection in
      early life. This requires fetal T cell exposure to foreign antigens presented by
      dendritic cells. There are evidences of fetal T cell priming in several cases of
      congenital infections or in uninfected children born of infected mothers. Fetal T
      cell memory seems to arise also without any reported infection during pregnancy.
      Such memory T cells display various effector functions, including Th1, Th2, or
      Th17 profiles, raising the issue of benefits and risks for postnatal life when
      considering maternal vaccination, susceptibility to infection, or environmental
      allergen sensitization.

PMID- 28900760
TI  - Corrigendum to: The Diversity and Prevalence of Sexual Orientation Self-Labels in
      a New Zealand National Sample (Greaves et al., 2017).

PMID- 28900761
TI  - A Novel Multi-objective Physiological Control System for Rotary Left Ventricular
      Assist Devices.
AB  - Various control and monitoring algorithms have been proposed to improve the left
      ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy by reducing the still-occurring adverse
      events. We developed a novel multi-objective physiological control system that
      relies on the pump inlet pressure (PIP). Signal-processing algorithms have been
      implemented to extract the required features from the PIP. These features then
      serve for meeting various objectives: pump flow adaptation to the perfusion
      requirements, aortic valve opening for a predefined time, augmentation of the
      aortic pulse pressure, and monitoring of the LV pre- and afterload conditions as
      well as the cardiac rhythm. Controllers were also implemented to ensure a safe
      operation and prevent LV suction, overload, and pump backflow. The performance of
      the control system was evaluated in vitro, under preload, afterload and
      contractility variations. The pump flow adapted in a physiological manner,
      following the preload changes, while the aortic pulse pressure yielded a
      threefold increase compared to a constant-speed operation. The status of the
      aortic valve was detected with an overall accuracy of 86% and was controlled as
      desired. The proposed system showed its potential for a safe physiological
      response to varying perfusion requirements that reduces the risk of myocardial
      atrophy and offers important hemodynamic indices for patient monitoring during
      LVAD therapy.

PMID- 28900762
TI  - Novel reassortant clade 2.3.4.4 avian influenza A (H5N8) virus in a grey heron in
      South Korea in 2017.
AB  - We report the identification of a novel reassortant clade 2.3.4.4 H5N8 virus from
      a dead grey heron in Korea in 2017. Outbreaks of clade 2.3.4.4 H5 HPAIVs have
      been reported worldwide, and they have evolved into multiple genotypes among wild
      birds. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that this virus likely originated from
      Qinghai Lake and Western Siberia and further evolved through reassortment with
      Eurasian LPAI during the 2016 fall migration of wild birds. Enhanced surveillance
      and comparative genetic analysis will help to monitor the further evolution and
      dissemination of clade 2.3.4.4 HPAIVs.

PMID- 28900763
TI  - The association between fatty acid index and in vitro fertilization outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fatty acids have been shown to play an important role in oocyte
      competence and early implantation of the embryo. Our hypothesis-generating study
      sought to determine if individual fatty acids expressed as a percentage of total
      erythrocyte fatty acids are associated with embryo quality and other in vitro
      fertilization (IVF) outcomes. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study at an
      academic fertility center. Sixty women undergoing their first IVF cycle were
      recruited. Serum measurements of 22 fatty acids were obtained. We calculated each
      fatty acid as a percentage of total fatty acids, defined as the index for that
      individual fatty acid. RESULTS: Omega-3 index had no correlation with IVF
      outcomes. A negative correlation was found between the trans fatty acid index,
      elaidic acid (EA), and IVF outcomes, including fertilization rate (r = - 0.261, p
      = 0.04), blastocyst conversion rate (r = - 0.41, p = 0.001), and number of usable
      blastocysts and embryos (r = - 0.411, p = 0.001). There was no correlation
      between EA index and number of oocytes retrieved, embryo grade, or clinical
      pregnancy. No consistent correlations were observed with the additional fatty
      acids analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: No correlation was observed between omega-3 index
      and IVF outcomes. Elevated erythrocyte EA index, the major trans fatty acid
      commonly consumed in hydrogenated oils, margarine, and fried foods, was
      negatively correlated with number of usable blastocysts and embryos, blastocyst
      conversion, and fertilization rate. Our findings suggest preliminary evidence
      that trans fat may be negatively associated with IVF outcomes.

PMID- 28900764
TI  - The Associations of Perceived Social Support with Key HIV Risk and Protective
      Factors Among Young Males Who Have Sex with Males in Bangkok and Chiang Mai,
      Thailand.
AB  - This study used respondent-driven sampling to explore the effects of social
      support on HIV risk and protective factors among young males who have sex with
      males (YMSM) in Bangkok (N = 273) and Chiang Mai (N = 243), Thailand. It compared
      different measures of social support, including living situation, the proportion
      of family and friends to whom the respondent had disclosed their same-sex
      attraction, and scores on the multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support
      as predictors of two outcomes of interest-coerced first sex and HIV knowledge.
      Social support from family played a mediating role in both outcomes among YMSM in
      Bangkok but not those from Chiang Mai. Though social support from friends was
      also studied, it was less strongly associated with the outcomes of interest. The
      findings support interventions designed to leverage social support networks to
      increase HIV knowledge and decrease coerced first sex among YMSM. At the same
      time, they demonstrate that there is not a single risk or demographic profile
      encompassing all YMSM. Successful programs and policies will need to consider the
      specific attributes and social environment of YMSM in particular locations in
      order to effectively address HIV risks.

PMID- 28900765
TI  - Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and lung cancer risk in never-smoking
      postmenopausal women.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vitamin D has been implicated in lowering lung cancer risk, but
      serological data on the association among never-smoking women are limited. We
      report results examining the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]
      concentrations with lung cancer risk among female never smokers. We also examined
      whether the association was modified by vitamin D supplementation and serum
      vitamin A concentrations. METHODS: In the Women's Health Initiative, including
      the calcium/vitamin D (CaD) Trial, we selected 298 incident cases [191 non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) including 170 adenocarcinoma] and 298 matched controls
      of never smokers. Baseline serum 25(OH)D was assayed by a chemiluminescent
      method. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for quartiles
      and predefined clinical cutoffs of serum 25(OH)D concentrations. RESULTS:
      Comparing quartiles 4 versus 1 of serum 25(OH)D concentrations, ORs were 1.06
      [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61-1.84] for all lung cancer, 0.94 (95% CI 0.52
      1.69) for NSCLC, and 0.91 (95% CI 0.49-1.68) for adenocarcinoma. Comparing serum
      25(OH)D >= 75 (high) versus <30 nmol/L (deficient), ORs were 0.76 (95% CI 0.31
      1.84) for all lung cancer, 0.71 (95% CI 0.27-1.86) for NSCLC, and 0.81 (95% CI
      0.31-2.14) for adenocarcinoma. There is suggestive evidence that CaD
      supplementation (1 g calcium + 400 IU D3/day) and a high level of circulating
      vitamin A may modify the associations of 25(OH)D with lung cancer overall and
      subtypes (p interaction <0.10). CONCLUSIONS: In this group of never-smoking
      postmenopausal women, the results did not support the hypothesis of an
      association between serum 25(OH)D and lung cancer risk.

PMID- 28900766
TI  - Diversity and distribution of CYP gene family in Bactrian camel.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes belong to a superfamily of monooxygenases which are
      phase I enzymes responsible for the first pass metabolism of about 90% of drugs
      in animals. However, these enzymes are often polymorphic and metabolism of the
      same drug in different species or different individuals is influenced by genetic
      and non-genetic factors. Bactrian camels are capable of survival in harsh living
      environments, being able to consume diets that are often toxic to other mammals
      and can tolerate extreme water and food deprivation. The aim of this study was to
      investigate whether the Bactrian camel's special metabolic pathways and unique
      detoxification capabilities are attributable to particularities of the CYP gene
      family. The Bactrian camel's whole genome sequencing data were systemically
      analyzed and annotated, and then, CYP gene family was searched from the whole
      protein database and compared with CYP gene families of cattle, horse, chicken,
      and human. The total of 63 CYP gene copies were found in Bactrian camel's whole
      genome and were classified into 17 families and 38 subfamilies. Among them, 9
      multi-gene families were found, and CYP2, CYP3, and CPY4 have 27, 6, and 7
      subfamilies, accounting for 43, 10, and 11% in camel CYP gene, respectively. In
      comparison with cattle, chicken, horse, and human, the distribution of CYP gene
      subfamilies in camel is different, with more CYP2J and CYP3A copies in the
      Bactrian camel, which may contribute to the Bactrian camel's specific biological
      characteristics and metabolic pathways. Comparing to the cow, horse, chicken, and
      human CYP genes, the distribution of CYP gene subfamilies is distinct in the
      Bactrian camel. The higher copy number of CYP2J gene and CYP3A gene in Bactrian
      camel may be the important factors contributing to the distinct biological
      characteristics and metabolic pathways of Bactrian camels for adaptation to the
      harsh environments.

PMID- 28900767
TI  - Quantitative assessment of muscular stiffness in children with cerebral palsy
      using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) ultrasound elastography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of quantitative analysis of muscle stiffness
      in the medial gastrocnemius muscle (GCM) by acoustic radiation force impulse
      (ARFI) ultrasound elastography in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP).
      METHODS: Seventeen children with spastic CP and 25 healthy children participated
      in the study between the years 2016-2017. The medial GCM in the CP group was
      assessed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) by a physiatrist. ARFI was used
      to measure the shear-wave velocities (SWVs) of the medial GCM. The mean SWV value
      for each MAS score was calculated and used for statistics. RESULTS: The mean SWV
      values of the medial GCM in the CP and healthy groups were 3.17 +/- 0.81 m/s
      (mean +/- SD) and 1.45 +/- 0.25 m/s (mean +/- SD), respectively. The SWV of the
      medial GCM significantly increased in the CP patients when compared with controls
      (p < 0.001). In addition, the SWV values were correlated with the MAS scores (p <
      0.001). The interobserver agreement expressed as the interclass correlation
      coefficient was 0.65 (95% CI 0.33-0.84, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ARFI imaging
      demonstrated a difference in muscle stiffness in the medial GCM between the CP
      and healthy groups. This method is a feasible imaging modality for the
      noninvasive assessment of contracting muscles in children with CP.

PMID- 28900768
TI  - Maternal and Paternal Infertility Disorders and Treatments and Autism Spectrum
      Disorder: Findings from the Study to Explore Early Development.
AB  - Previous studies of associations between ASD and conception using assisted
      reproductive technology (ART) are inconsistent and few studies have examined
      associations with other infertility treatments or infertility disorders. We
      examined associations between ASD and maternal/paternal infertility disorders and
      numerous maternal treatments among 1538 mother-child pairs in the Study to
      Explore Early Development, a population-based case-control study. ASD was
      associated with any female infertility diagnosis and several specific diagnoses:
      blocked tubes, endometriosis, uterine-factor infertility, and polycystic ovarian
      syndrome. Stratified analyses suggested associations were limited to/much
      stronger among second or later births. The findings were not explained by
      sociodemographic factors such as maternal age or education or multiple or preterm
      birth. ASD was not associated with ART or non-ART infertility treatments.

PMID- 28900769
TI  - Interface Scopulariopsis gracilis fungal keratitis following Descemet's stripping
      automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) with a contaminated graft.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report for the first time a case of interface Scopulariopsis gracilis
      fungal keratitis following Descemet's stripping automated endothelial
      keratoplasty (DSAEK) with a contaminated graft. METHODS: A 57-year-old man with
      bilateral keratoconus and previous bilateral penetrating keratoplasties (PK)
      developed graft failure in association with marked corneal ectasia. He underwent
      a successful DSAEK. Unfortunately, a contaminated graft was transplanted and the
      following morning we were contacted by the eye bank to inform us a slow-growing
      fungus had been detected in the culture plates inoculated with dextran solution
      used to store the issued corneoscleral button. Immediate patient review revealed
      four infiltrates in the interface between the donor and the recipient tissue. The
      patient returned to theatre for the removal of the infected graft and was
      successfully treated with topical amphotericin 0.15%, voriconazole 1% and oral
      voriconazole and later oral itraconazole. Two intracameral injections of 5 ug in
      0.1 ml of amphotericin B were also performed. RESULTS: A reference laboratory
      cultured and identified the fungus as Scopulariopsis gracilis species. The
      patient responded to treatment and eventually achieved a spectacle-corrected
      logMAR visual acuity of 0.3 following a delayed PK. CONCLUSION: Scopulariopsis
      gracilis fungal keratitis is a rare infection, and the species can be difficult
      to eradicate. This is the first case report of an infection secondary to a
      contaminated graft with the species, and we report its successful treatment with
      an excellent visual outcome.

PMID- 28900770
TI  - How regularities of mortality statistics explain why we age despite having
      potentially ageless somatic stem cells.
AB  - Researchers working in the area of ageing have found numerous manifestations of
      this process at the molecular biological level, including DNA and protein damage,
      accumulation of metabolic by-products, lipids peroxidation, macromolecular cross
      linking, non-enzymatic glycosylation, anti-oxidant/pro-oxidant misbalance, rising
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines, etc. This results in an increase in the proportion
      of cells in growth arrest, reduction of the rate of information processing,
      metabolic rate decrease, and decrease in rates of other processes characterizing
      dynamic aspects of the organism's interaction with its environment. Such
      staggering multilevel diversity in manifestation of senescence precludes (without
      methodology of systems biology) development of a correct understanding of its
      primary causes and does not allow for developing approaches capable of postponing
      ageing or reducing organisms' ageing rate to attain health preservation.
      Moreover, it turns out that damage production and damage elimination processes,
      the misbalance of which results in the ageing process, can to a large extent be
      regulated by external signals. The purpose of this report is to provide evidence
      supporting this view and its compatibility with the regularities of mortality
      statistics, because the main idea is very simple. Even potentially a non
      senescent but certainly not immortal body must start to age under inadequate
      conditions (like a non-melting piece of ice taken out from the deepfreeze
      inevitably start to melt at the temperatures above zero Celsius). This conclusion
      is totally consistent with existing patterns of mortality and with agelessness
      potential of somatic stem cells. Therefore, there is no need to build up and
      explore too complicated, computational and sophisticated systems models of
      intrinsic ageing to understand the origin of this mainly extrinsic root cause of
      natural ageing, which is controlled by environmental signals. In our case, a
      simple phenomenological black-box approach with Input-Output analysis is ample.
      Here Input refers to the environmentally dependent initial force of mortality,
      whereas Output is a rate of age-related increase of mortality force.

PMID- 28900771
TI  - Health Concerns and Health Service Utilization in a Population Cohort of Young
      Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have many health needs that place
      demands on the health service sector. This study used administrative data to
      compare health profiles in young adults 18-24 years of age with ASD to peers with
      and without other developmental disability. Young adults with ASD were more
      likely to have almost all the examined clinical health issues and health service
      use indicators compared to peers without developmental disability. They were more
      likely to have at least one psychiatric diagnosis, and visit the family
      physician, pediatrician, psychiatrist, and emergency department for psychiatric
      reasons, compared to peers with other developmental disability. Planning for the
      mental health care of transition age adults with ASD is an important priority for
      health policy.

PMID- 28900773
TI  - CT evaluation of musculoskeletal trauma: initial experience with cinematic
      rendering.
AB  - Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanners that can quickly acquire
      volumetric datasets composed of isotropic voxels laid the groundwork for the
      widespread clinical implementation of 3D MDCT reconstructions, with maximum
      intensity projection (MIP) and volumetric rendering (VR) becoming important parts
      of the imaging evaluation of patients with a wide variety of pathologic
      conditions. Recently, a new 3D reconstruction technique known as cinematic
      rendering (CR) has become available and is now U.S. FDA approved. CR bears
      fundamental similarities to VR, but utilizes a more complex lighting model to
      bring about photorealistic reconstructions. While a tremendous amount of work
      remains to be done in order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of CR
      in comparison to traditional 3D reconstruction methods, the images themselves are
      strikingly detailed and can be interactively manipulated to highlight a variety
      of different tissue types and anatomic structures. In the following pictorial
      essay, we provide a number of clinical examples of the use of CR in
      musculoskeletal imaging, including the evaluation of complex fractures, the
      delineation of the relationship of fractures to adjacent vasculature and
      overlying soft tissues, and the visualization of vascular and soft tissue
      injuries.

PMID- 28900772
TI  - Clathrin-dependent internalization, signaling, and metabolic processing of
      guanylyl cyclase/natriuretic peptide receptor-A.
AB  - Cardiac hormones, atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP), have
      pivotal roles in renal hemodynamics, neuroendocrine signaling, blood pressure
      regulation, and cardiovascular homeostasis. Binding of ANP and BNP to the
      guanylyl cyclase/natriuretic peptide receptor-A (GC-A/NPRA) induces rapid
      internalization and trafficking of the receptor via endolysosomal compartments,
      with concurrent generation of cGMP. However, the mechanisms of the endocytotic
      processes of NPRA are not well understood. The present study, using 125I-ANP
      binding assay and confocal microscopy, examined the function of dynamin in the
      internalization of NPRA in stably transfected human embryonic kidney-293 (HEK
      293) cells. Treatment of recombinant HEK-293 cells with ANP time-dependently
      accelerated the internalization of receptor from the cell surface to the cell
      interior. However, the internalization of ligand-receptor complexes of NPRA was
      drastically decreased by the specific inhibitors of clathrin- and dynamin
      dependent receptor internalization, almost 85% by monodansylcadaverine, 80% by
      chlorpromazine, and 90% by mutant dynamin, which are specific blockers of
      endocytic vesicle formation. Visualizing the internalization of NPRA and enhanced
      GFP-tagged NPRA in HEK-293 cells by confocal microscopy demonstrated the
      formation of endocytic vesicles after 5 min of ANP treatment; this effect was
      blocked by the inhibitors of clathrin and by mutant dynamin construct. Our
      results suggest that NPRA undergoes internalization via clathrin-mediated
      endocytosis as part of its normal itinerary, including trafficking, signaling,
      and metabolic degradation.

PMID- 28900774
TI  - Readmission rate after ultrafiltration in acute decompensated heart failure: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Significance of ultrafiltration in acute decompensated heart failure remains
      unclear. We performed meta-analysis to determine its role in reducing
      readmissions after acute decompensated heart failure. MEDLINE was searched using
      PUBMED from inception to March 22, 2017 for prospective randomized control trials
      comparing ultrafiltration to diuretics in acute decompensated heart failure. Five
      hundred ninety studies were found; nine studies with 820 patients were included.
      Studies with renal replacement therapy bar ultrafiltration, chronic decompensated
      heart failure, and non-English language were excluded. RevMan Version 5.3 was
      used for analysis. The primary outcomes analyzed were cumulative and 90 days
      readmissions secondary to heart failure and all-cause readmissions. Baseline
      characteristics were similar. One hundred eighty-eight patients were readmitted
      with heart failure, 77 vs 111 favoring ultrafiltration; risk ratio (RR) = 0.71
      (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.49-1.02, p = 0.07, I 2  = 47%). Ninety days
      readmissions were 43 vs 67 favoring ultrafiltration; RR = 0.65 (95%CI, 0.47-0.90,
      p = 0.01, I 2  = 0%). Ultrafiltration showed significantly higher fluid removal
      and weight loss. Hypotension was common in ultrafiltration (24 vs 13, OR = 2.06,
      95%CI = 0.98-4.32, p = 0.06, I 2  = 0%). Ultrafiltration showed reduced 90 days
      heart failure readmissions and trend towards reduced cumulative hospital
      readmissions. Renal and cardiovascular outcomes and hospital stay were similar.

PMID- 28900775
TI  - Specialization and production cost efficiency: evidence from ambulatory surgery
      centers.
AB  - In the U.S. health care sector, the economic logic of specialization as an
      organizing principle has come under active debate in recent years. An
      understudied case is that of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), which recently
      have become the dominant provider of specific surgical procedures. While the
      majority of ASCs focus on a single specialty, a growing number are diversifying
      to offer a wide range of surgical services. We take a multiple output cost
      function approach to an empirical investigation that compares production
      economies in single specialty ASCs with those in multispecialty ASCs. We applied
      generalized estimating equation techniques to a sample of Pennsylvania ASCs for
      the period 2004-2014, including 73 ASCs that specialized in gastrointestinal
      procedures and 60 ASCs that performed gastrointestinal as well as other specialty
      procedures. Results indicated that both types of ASC had small room for
      expansion. In simulation analysis, production of GI services in specialized ASCs
      had a cost advantage over joint production of GI with other specialty procedures.
      Our results provide support for the focused factory model of production in the
      ASC sector.

PMID- 28900776
TI  - Haloarchaea: worth exploring for their biotechnological potential.
AB  - Halophilic archaea are unique microorganisms adapted to survive under high salt
      conditions and biomolecules produced by them may possess unusual properties.
      Haloarchaeal metabolites are stable at high salt and temperature conditions that
      are useful for industrial applications. Proteins and enzymes of this group of
      archaea are functional under salt concentrations at which bacterial counterparts
      fail to be active. Such properties makes haloarchaeal enzymes suitable for salt
      based applications and their use under dehydrating conditions. For example,
      bacteriorhodopsin or the purple membrane protein present in halophilic archaea
      has the most recognizable applications in photoelectric devices, artificial
      retinas, holograms etc. Haloarchaea are also useful for bioremediation of
      polluted hypersaline areas. Polyhydroxyalkanoates and exopolysccharides produced
      by these microorganisms are biodegradable and have the potential to replace
      commercial non-degradable plastics and polymers. Moreover, halophilic archaea
      have excellent potential to be used as drug delivery systems and for
      nanobiotechnology by virtue of their gas vesicles and S-layer glycoproteins.
      Despite of possible applications of halophilic archaea, laboratory-to-industrial
      transition of these potential candidates is yet to be established.

PMID- 28900777
TI  - An exploration of genotype-phenotype link between Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and
      STK11: a review.
AB  - Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS) is an autosomal dominant hereditary polyposis
      syndrome. Clinical features include hamartomatous polyps, mucocutaneous
      pigmentation and an increased predisposition towards developing malignancy.
      Variants in STK11, a tumour suppressor gene, located on Chromosome 19, predispose
      to PJS. Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome is associated with increased rates of malignancy,
      particularly gastrointestinal. However, PJS is also associated with increased
      gynaecological, testicular and thyroid papillary malignancy. Truncating variants
      in STK11 are thought to predispose to a more severe phenotype. Phenotype severity
      is based on earlier onset of gastrointestinal pathology arising from the polyps,
      such as intussusception or earlier onset malignancy. Missense variants are
      generally considered less severe than truncating variants. There remain a large
      number of variants of undetermined significance. Studies have attempted to
      correlate the location of variants with impact on protein structure and overall
      severity of the PJS phenotype. The results from these cohort studies have
      consistently found a non-random distribution of variants. Nevertheless, a
      consensus on phenotype severity based on variant location is yet to be
      established. A centralised database that collates all known variants would
      facilitate the interpretation of these variants, best under the governance of an
      international disease-specific organisation (InSiGHT). In particular, it could
      help explore the significance of variants based on their type or location.
      Understanding the genotype-phenotype link between STK11 variants and PJS could
      allow more personalised care for PJS patients and their families via appropriate
      risk stratification and personalised and targeted cancer screening.

PMID- 28900778
TI  - Early Gesture and Vocabulary Development in Infant Siblings of Children with
      Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - This study examined longitudinal growth in gestures and words in infants at
      heightened (HR) versus low risk (LR) for ASD. The MacArthur-Bates Communicative
      Development Inventory was administered monthly from 8 to 14 months and at 18 and
      24 months to caregivers of 14 HR infants diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD), 27 HR
      infants with language delay (HR-LD), 51 HR infants with no diagnosis (HR-ND), and
      28 LR infants. Few differences were obtained between LR and HR-ND infants, but HR
      LD and HR-ASD groups differed in initial skill levels and growth patterns. While
      HR-LD infants grew at rates comparable to LR and HR-ND infants, growth was
      attenuated in the HR-ASD group, with trajectories progressively diverging from
      all other groups.

PMID- 28900779
TI  - Mental Health Disparities, Treatment Engagement, and Attrition Among
      Racial/Ethnic Minorities with Severe Mental Illness: A Review.
AB  - Mounting evidence indicates that there are mental health disparities in the
      United States that disadvantage racial/ethnic minorities in medical and mental
      health settings. Less is known, however, about how these findings apply to a
      particularly vulnerable population, individuals with severe mental illness (SMI).
      The aim of this paper is to (1) provide a critical review of the literature on
      racial/ethnic disparities in mental health care among individuals with SMI; (2)
      identify factors which may contribute to the observed disparities; and (3)
      generate recommendations on how best to address these disparities. Specifically,
      this article provides an in-depth review of sociocultural factors that may
      contribute to differences in treatment engagement and rates of attrition from
      treatment among racial/ethnic minorities with SMI who present at medical and
      mental health facilities. This review is followed by a discussion of specific
      strategies that may promote engagement in mental health services and therefore
      reduce racial/ethnic disparities in SMI.

PMID- 28900780
TI  - Her2 positive subtype and breast cancer brain metastasis: any effect of anti-Her2
      targeted therapy?

PMID- 28900781
TI  - Submillisievert imaging protocol using full reconstruction and advanced patient
      motion correction in 320-row area detector coronary CT angiography.
AB  - Radiation exposure remains a concern in the use of coronary CT angiography
      (CCTA). Full reconstruction (Full) and reconstruction using advanced patient
      motion correction (APMC) could obtain a lower radiation dose using low tube
      current scanning in a 320-row Area Detector CT (320-ADCT). The radiation dose for
      an imaging protocol using Full and APMC in daily practice was estimated. A total
      of 209 patients who underwent CCTA in 1 rotation scanning with 100 kv and
      adaptive iterative dose reduction 3D in 320-ADCT were enrolled. Imaging protocols
      were classified into 3 groups based on estimated slow filling time: (1) slow
      filling time >= 275 msec, Full with 30% of usual tube current (N = 43)(Full30%mA)
      (2) 206.3 msec <= slow filling time < 275 msec, APMC with 50% of usual tube
      current (N = 48)(APMC50%mA); and (3) 137.5 msec <= slow filling time < 206.3
      msec, Half reconstruction with usual tube current (N = 118)(Half100%mA).
      Radiation dose was estimated by the effective dose. The diagnostic accuracy of
      CCTA was compared with that of invasive coronary angiography in 28 patients. The
      effective doses of Full30%mA, APMC50%mA, and Half100%mA were 0.77 +/- 0.31, 1.30
      +/- 0.85, and 1.98 +/- 0.68, respectively. Of 28 patients, the sensitivity,
      specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value
      in vessel-based analyses were: Full30%mA, 66.7, 82.4, 80.0, 40.0, and 93.3%;
      APMC50%mA, 100.0, 80.0, 83.3, 50.05, and 100.0%; and Half100%mA, 90.9, 83.0,
      86.3, 78.95, and 92.9%, respectively. An imaging protocol using Full30%mA and
      APMC50%mA was one of the methods how radiation dose could be reduced radiation
      dose maintained diagnostic accuracy compared to imaging using conventional
      Half100%mA.

PMID- 28900783
TI  - Effect of mass housing settlement type on the comfortable open areas in terms of
      noise.
AB  - The layout of the structures according to the noise source is an important
      parameter in terms of the level of noise reaching to both open usage areas and
      the structure surfaces. In this paper, it is aimed to reveal the effect of mass
      housing settlement type on the size of suitable open usage areas in terms of
      noise. Comfortable open usage areas in 25 mass housing alternatives are
      determined for the case of being affected by three different road noises. The
      reliability of the simulation results is validated by on-site noise level
      measurements. As a result, it is seen that better results are obtained in linear,
      L, C, and U type alternatives than point-type blocks. Especially in alternatives
      consisting of point-and linear-type blocks, if the noise level is above 75 Leq
      (dBA), the percentage of comfortable open usage areas is very low. It is
      determined that the percentage of comfortable open areas increases between 50 and
      100% by means of appropriately designed noise barriers.

PMID- 28900782
TI  - Why are Antagonist Muscles Co-activated in My Simulation? A Musculoskeletal Model
      for Analysing Human Locomotor Tasks.
AB  - Existing "off-the-shelf" musculoskeletal models are problematic when simulating
      movements that involve substantial hip and knee flexion, such as the upstroke of
      pedalling, because they tend to generate excessive passive fibre force. The goal
      of this study was to develop a refined musculoskeletal model capable of
      simulating pedalling and fast running, in addition to walking, which predicts the
      activation patterns of muscles better than existing models. Specifically, we
      tested whether the anomalous co-activation of antagonist muscles, commonly
      observed in simulations, could be resolved if the passive forces generated by the
      underlying model were diminished. We refined the OpenSimTM model published by
      Rajagopal et al. (IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 63:1-1, 2016) by increasing the model's
      range of knee flexion, updating the paths of the knee muscles, and modifying the
      force-generating properties of eleven muscles. Simulations of pedalling, running
      and walking based on this model reproduced measured EMG activity better than
      simulations based on the existing model-even when both models tracked the same
      subject-specific kinematics. Improvements in the predicted activations were
      associated with decreases in the net passive moments; for example, the net
      passive knee moment during the upstroke of pedalling decreased from 36.9 N m
      (existing model) to 6.3 N m (refined model), resulting in a dramatic decrease in
      the co-activation of knee flexors. The refined model is available from SimTK.org
      and is suitable for analysing movements with up to 120 degrees  of hip flexion
      and 140 degrees  of knee flexion.

PMID- 28900784
TI  - Liver involvement in urea cycle disorders: a review of the literature.
AB  - Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are inborn errors of metabolism of the nitrogen
      detoxification pathway and encompass six principal enzymatic deficiencies. The
      aging of UCD patients leads to a better knowledge of the long-term natural
      history of the condition and to the reporting of previously unnoticed
      manifestations. Despite historical evidence of liver involvement in UCDs, little
      attention has been paid to this organ until recently. Hence, we reviewed the
      available scientific evidence on acute and chronic liver dysfunction and liver
      carcinogenesis in UCDs and discuss their pathophysiology. Overall, liver
      involvement, such as acute liver failure or steatotic-like disease, which may
      evolve toward cirrhosis, has been reported in all six main UCDs. Excessive
      glycogen storage is also a prominent histologic feature, and hypoglycemia has
      been reported in citrin deficiency. Hepatocarcinomas seem frequent in some UCDs,
      such as in citrin deficiency, and can sometimes occur in non-cirrhotic patients.
      UCDs may differ in liver involvement according to the enzymatic deficiency.
      Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency may be associated more with acute liver
      failure and argininosuccinic aciduria with chronic liver failure and cirrhosis.
      Direct toxicity of metabolites, downstream metabolic deficiencies, impaired
      tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, energy
      deficit, and putative toxicity of therapies combine in various ways to cause the
      different liver diseases reported.

PMID- 28900785
TI  - Training to Provide Psychiatric Genetic Counseling: How Does It Impact Recent
      Graduates' and Current Students' Readiness to Provide Genetic Counseling for
      Individuals with Psychiatric Illness and Attitudes towards this Population?
AB  - Mental illness is extremely common and genetic counselors frequently see patients
      with mental illness. Genetic counselors report discomfort in providing
      psychiatric genetic counseling (GC), suggesting the need to look critically at
      training for psychiatric GC. This study aimed to investigate psychiatric GC
      training and its impact on perceived preparedness to provide psychiatric GC
      (preparedness). Current students and recent graduates were invited to complete an
      anonymous survey evaluating psychiatric GC training and outcomes. Bivariate
      correlations (p<.10) identified variables for inclusion in a logistic regression
      model to predict preparedness. Data were checked for assumptions underlying
      logistic regression. The logistic regression model for the 286 respondents
      [chi2(8)=84.87, p<.001] explained between 37.1% (Cox & Snell R2=.371) and 49.7%
      (Nagelkerke R2=.497) of the variance in preparedness scores. More frequent
      psychiatric GC instruction (OR=5.13), more active methods for practicing risk
      assessment (OR=4.43), and education on providing resources for mental illness
      (OR=4.99) made uniquely significant contributions to the model (p<.001).
      Responses to open-ended questions revealed interest in further psychiatric GC
      training, particularly enabling "hands on" experience. This exploratory study
      suggests that enriching GC training through more frequent psychiatric GC
      instruction and more active opportunities to practice psychiatric GC skills will
      support students in feeling more prepared to provide psychiatric GC after
      graduation.

PMID- 28900786
TI  - The pattern of secondary cancers in patients with Kaposi sarcoma in the United
      States.
AB  - PURPOSE: In the U.S., Kaposi sarcoma (KS) occurs mostly in HIV-infected patients,
      who are also at increased risk of developing secondary cancers. The trends in
      secondary cancer risk are unclear in the HAART era. METHODS: We extracted data
      from the SEER database on patients diagnosed with KS between 1981 and 2013,
      stratified into the pre-HAART (1981-1995) and HAART (1996-2013) eras. We compared
      the risk of secondary cancer in KS patients and the general population, and
      estimated the absolute risk. RESULTS: We followed 13,535 KS patients for 49,813
      person-years, during which 1,041 secondary cancers were diagnosed: 774 in the pre
      HAART and 267 in the HAART era. In the pre-HAART era, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
      (NHL) and anal carcinomas were the most common secondary cancers. The standard
      incidence ratio of secondary cancers decreased from 3.44 (pre-HAART era) to 1.94
      (HAART era) in patients aged <70 years. The absolute excess risk decreased from
      178 to 68 cases per 10,000 person-years. The risk of NHL decreased, while the
      risk of anal carcinoma did not change significantly. The risk of lung cancer was
      lower in KS patients than in the general population. The absolute risk of non
      AIDS-defining cancers increased fourfold in the HAART era. CONCLUSIONS: The
      absolute risk of non-AIDS-defining secondary cancers has increased in KS patients
      in the HAART era. However, the overall relative risk of secondary cancers has
      decreased, mainly due to a significant decrease in the risk of NHL.

PMID- 28900787
TI  - H+ translocation by weak acid uncouplers is independent of H+ electrochemical
      gradient.
AB  - According to the common view, weak acid uncouplers increase proton conductance of
      biological (and phospholipid bilayer) membranes, thus effecting H+ fluxes driven
      by their electrochemical gradients. Under certain conditions, however, uncouplers
      can induce unexpected effects opposite to the dissipation of H+ gradients.
      Results are presented here demonstrating CCCP-induced proton influx into
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytosol driven by the electrochemical potentials of CCCP
      and its CCCP- anions, independent of electrochemical H+-gradient. Another view of
      week acid uncouplers' action is proposed that is logically consistent with these
      observations.

PMID- 28900788
TI  - Take care of your neighborhood.
AB  - PURPOSE: Urban women in certain Washington, DC neighborhoods present with
      advanced breast cancer at high rates despite access to health insurance and
      health care. METHODS: Through a two-phase intervention, community health workers
      (CHWs) educated and surveyed individuals regarding healthcare utilization and
      breast health and cancer awareness. In phase I, CHWs educated and administered a
      survey to 1092 women, of whom 95.1% had health insurance, in an attempt to
      explain the high rate of advanced breast cancer despite having health insurance.
      In phase II, a targeted CHW-administered intervention was designed based on data
      collected from the phase I survey, and provided to 658 women. Preintervention and
      postintervention surveys were administered to assess its impact on knowledge and
      beliefs about breast health and cancer screening. RESULTS: During phase I,
      respondents most often identified personal factors (28.7%) and fear (27.7%) to
      explain the high rate of advanced breast cancer despite health insurance status.
      In phase II, the intervention improved perceptions of the safety and efficacy of
      mammograms with an absolute 15.4% increase in the respondents who believed that
      "A mammogram is the safest and most effective test available for finding early
      breast cancer." Perceived barriers discouraging mammograms were access (17.0%),
      pain (13.2%), and education (13.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Among an urban population of
      predominantly insured women with high rates of advanced breast cancer at
      diagnosis, personal factors and fear were cited as the greatest barriers to
      breast cancer screening. Educational intervention by CHWs showed a positive
      impact on respondents' perceptions regarding mammogram safety and efficacy.

PMID- 28900789
TI  - Gradient reconstitution of membrane proteins for solid-state NMR studies.
AB  - We here adapted the GRecon method used in electron microscopy studies for
      membrane protein reconstitution to the needs of solid-state NMR sample
      preparation. We followed in detail the reconstitution of the ABC transporter BmrA
      by dialysis as a reference, and established optimal reconstitution conditions
      using the combined sucrose/cyclodextrin/lipid gradient characterizing GRecon. We
      established conditions under which quantitative reconstitution of active protein
      at low lipid-to-protein ratios can be obtained, and also how to upscale these
      conditions in order to produce adequate amounts for NMR. NMR spectra recorded on
      a sample produced by GRecon showed a highly similar fingerprint as those recorded
      previously on samples reconstituted by dialysis. GRecon sample preparation
      presents a gain in time of nearly an order of magnitude for reconstitution, and
      shall represent a valuable alternative in solid-state NMR membrane protein sample
      preparation.

PMID- 28900790
TI  - Medical Images are Safe - an Enhanced Chaotic Scrambling Approach.
AB  - The patient data confidentiality is one of the vital security aspects in e-Health
      and m-Health services. In particular, providing confidentiality to the patient's
      medical image is essential and the protection approaches have to be explored in
      depth due to the rapid progress in the technologies of teleradiology and PACS. In
      this study, the pseudo random number generators (PRNGs), namely, the linear
      congruential generator (LCG) and XOR shift generator (XSG) are improved and
      combined with improved logistic 2D coupled chaotic map to provide enhanced chaos
      based encryption. The proposed scheme encrypts the Digital Imaging and
      Communication in Medicine (DICOM) images to protect the patient confidentiality
      during the storage and transfer in radiological information system (RIS). The
      cipher image was measured with various security analyses and tested with
      different test suites to prove its randomness.

PMID- 28900792
TI  - Relative binding affinity prediction of farnesoid X receptor in the D3R Grand
      Challenge 2 using FEP.
AB  - Physics-based free energy simulations have increasingly become an important tool
      for predicting binding affinity and the recent introduction of automated
      protocols has also paved the way towards a more widespread use in the
      pharmaceutical industry. The D3R 2016 Grand Challenge 2 provided an opportunity
      to blindly test the commercial free energy calculation protocol FEP+ and assess
      its performance relative to other affinity prediction methods. The present D3R
      free energy prediction challenge was built around two experimental data sets
      involving inhibitors of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) which is a promising
      anticancer drug target. The FXR binding site is predominantly hydrophobic with
      few conserved interaction motifs and strong induced fit effects making it a
      challenging target for molecular modeling and drug design. For both data sets, we
      achieved reasonable prediction accuracy (RMSD ~ 1.4 kcal/mol, rank 3-4 according
      to RMSD out of 20 submissions) comparable to that of state-of-the-art methods in
      the field. Our D3R results boosted our confidence in the method and strengthen
      our desire to expand its applications in future in-house drug design projects.

PMID- 28900791
TI  - Telomere length and antioxidant defense associate with parasite-induced retarded
      growth in wild brown trout.
AB  - Early growth conditions can have profound impacts on individuals' development,
      growth and physiology, with subsequent long-term consequences for individuals'
      fitness and life expectancy. Telomere length (TL) has been suggested to indicate
      both individual fitness and life expectancy in wide range of species, as the
      telomere attrition rate at early age can be accelerated due to exposure to
      various stressors, including parasites and inflammatory diseases, which increase
      production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and influence antioxidant (AO)
      levels. We investigated impacts of Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae infection, a
      causative agent of proliferative kidney disease (PKD), on AO status and TL in a
      natural population of juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta). The fish with higher
      parasite load showed more severe kidney hyperplasia, anemia and smaller body size
      compared to less parasitized fish. Furthermore, fish with severe PKD symptoms had
      lower SOD-, CAT- and GST activity than fish with milder kidney hyperplasia.
      However, parasite load was not directly correlated either with AOs or with TL.
      Smaller fish showed shorter TLs, potentially reflecting lower individual quality.
      The fish, which were less sensitive to parasite-induced impaired growth,
      quantified as parasite load-adjusted fork length, showed also longer TLs, lower
      GR- and GST activity and less GSHtot compared to more sensitive fish. These
      results provide novel knowledge about the impacts of the PKD in brown trout at
      the molecular level and support the idea that TL may reflect individual quality
      and ability to cope with parasitic infections.

PMID- 28900793
TI  - Robotic Assisted Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer in a Patient with Situs
      Inversus Totalis: with Video.
AB  - Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a relatively rare condition where the abdominal
      and/or thoracic organ is positioned as a "mirror image" of the normal position.
      We are presenting a video of robotic distal gastrectomy performed in a 52-year
      old female known to have SIT. Preoperative investigations revealed the patient
      has an early gastric cancer at the antrum. Ports were placed as mirror image to
      our usual port placement and upon exploration, the liver is visualized on the
      left side of the abdomen and the spleen is on the right. Lymph node dissection
      was performed in a similar approach to conventional robotic distal gastrectomy.
      After gastric resection, gastroduodenostomy was performed intracorporeally using
      a linear stapler. The operation took 195 min without intraoperative complications
      and minimal blood loss of 30 ml. The patient was discharged on postoperative day
      5, uneventfully. The final pathology confirmed moderately differentiated
      adenocarcinoma confined to the mucosa without metastasis in 74 lymph nodes.
      Robotic distal gastrectomy can be safely performed in patients with situs
      inversus totalis and has similar surgical outcomes as usual robotic gastrectomy.
      Robotic technique can help surgeon's ambidexterity in performing such complex
      procedures.

PMID- 28900794
TI  - Diagnosis of parental balanced reciprocal translocations by trophectoderm biopsy
      and comprehensive chromosomal screening.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigates a case series of eight couples who underwent
      trophectoderm (TE) biopsy and comprehensive chromosomal screening (CCS) for
      routine aneuploidy screening and were found to have CCS results concerning for
      previously undetected parental balanced reciprocal translocations. METHODS: In
      each case, controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and in vitro fertilization (IVF)
      yielded multiple blastocysts that each underwent CCS with high-density
      oligonucleotide microarray comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). RESULTS:
      Parental translocations were suspected based on the finding of identical break
      point mutations in multiple embryos from each couple. Confirmation of these
      suspected translocations within blastocysts was performed with next-generation
      sequencing (NGS). Subsequent parental karyotypic evaluation resulted in a
      diagnosis of parental balanced reciprocal translocation in each case.
      CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that high-resolution aCGH and NGS on TE biopsies can
      accurately detect parental reciprocal translocations when previously
      unrecognized.

PMID- 28900795
TI  - Haptoglobin levels, but not Hp1-Hp2 polymorphism, are associated with polycystic
      ovary syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Proteomic studies suggest an association between haptoglobin (Hp) and
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Hp is a classic inflammatory marker and binds
      to the intravascular hemoglobin, avoiding the oxidative damages that can be
      caused by free hemoglobin. Inflammation and oxidative stress are important in the
      pathogenesis of the PCOS, one of the most frequent metabolic diseases in women.
      METHODS: To validate these proteomic studies, we developed a controlled cross
      sectional study that aimed to evaluate the Hp levels and allelic and genotypic
      frequencies of Hp1-Hp2 polymorphism in Brazilian women with PCOS. We also
      investigated the correlation between Hp levels and several important parameters
      in PCOS as follows: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fasting
      glucose, post-prandial glucose, homeostatic model assessment (HOMA), lipid
      accumulation product (LAP), C-reactive protein (CRP), and metabolization test of
      tetrazolium salts (MTTs-serum antioxidant capacity). RESULTS: Plasma Hp levels
      were higher in the PCOS group than in controls [8.20 (4.04) g/L; 7.98 (3.31) g/L;
      p = 0.018]. No significant difference was observed in the frequency of Hp1-Hp2
      genotypes under additive, recessive, or dominant model of inheritance between the
      PCOS and the control groups. Plasma Hp levels did not differ according to the
      genotype. However, plasma Hp showed a negative correlation with MTT (r = - 0.383;
      p = 0.028), as well as a positive correlation with CRP (r = 0.361; p = 0.014) in
      the PCOS group. CONCLUSION: Hp1-Hp2 polymorphism is not associated with PCOS but
      plasma Hp could be a potential biomarker for PCOS and its complications.

PMID- 28900796
TI  - Structural rationale for the cross-resistance of tumor cells bearing the A399V
      variant of elongation factor eEF1A1 to the structurally unrelated didemnin B,
      ternatin, nannocystin A and ansatrienin B.
AB  - At least four classes of structurally distinct natural products with potent
      antiproliferative activities target the translation elongation factor eEF1A1,
      which is best known as the G-protein that delivers amino acyl transfer RNAs (aa
      tRNAs) to ribosomes during mRNA translation. We present molecular models in
      atomic detail that provide a common structural basis for the high-affinity
      binding of didemnin B, ternatin, ansatrienin B and nannocystin A to eEF1A1, as
      well as a rationale based on molecular dynamics results that accounts for the
      deleterious effect of replacing alanine 399 with valine. The proposed binding
      site, at the interface between domains I and III, is eminently hydrophobic and
      exists only in the GTP-bound conformation. Drug binding at this site is expected
      to disrupt neither loading of aa-tRNAs nor GTP hydrolysis but would give rise to
      stabilization of this particular conformational state, in consonance with
      reported experimental findings. The experimental solution of the three
      dimensional structure of mammalian eEF1A1 has proved elusive so far and the
      highly homologous eEF1A2 from rabbit muscle has been crystallized and solved only
      as a homodimer in a GDP-bound conformation. Interestingly, in this dimeric
      structure the large interdomain cavity where the drugs studied are proposed to
      bind is occupied by a mostly hydrophobic alpha-helix from domain I of the same
      monomer. Since binding of this alpha-helix and any of these drugs to domain III
      of eEF1A(1/2) is, therefore, mutually exclusive and involves two distinct protein
      conformations, one intriguing possibility that emerges from our study is that the
      potent antiproliferative effect of these natural products may arise not only from
      inhibition of protein synthesis, which is the current dogma, but also from
      interference with some other non-canonical functions. From this standpoint, this
      type of drugs could be considered antagonists of eEF1A1/2 oligomerization, a
      hypothesis that opens up novel areas of research.

PMID- 28900797
TI  - Improvement of Chia Seeds with Antioxidant Activity, GABA, Essential Amino Acids,
      and Dietary Fiber by Controlled Germination Bioprocess.
AB  - Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) plant is native from southern Mexico and northern
      Guatemala. Their seeds are a rich source of bioactive compounds which protect
      consumers against chronic diseases. Germination improves functionality of the
      seeds due to the increase in the bioactive compounds and associated antioxidant
      activity. The purpose of this study was to obtain functional flour from
      germinated chia seeds under optimized conditions with increased antioxidant
      activity, phenolic compounds, GABA, essential amino acids, and dietary fiber with
      respect to un-germinated chia seeds. The effect of germination temperature and
      time (GT = 20-35  degrees C, Gt = 10-300 h) on protein, lipid, and total phenolic
      contents (PC, LC, TPC, respectively), and antioxidant activity (AoxA) was
      analyzed by response surface methodology as optimization tool. Chia seeds were
      germinated inside plastic trays with absorbent paper moisturized with 50 mL of
      100 ppm sodium hypochlorite dissolution. The sprouts were dried (50  degrees C/8
      h) and ground to obtain germinated chia flours (GCF). The prediction models
      developed for PC, LC, TPC, and AoxA showed high coefficients of determination,
      demonstrating their adequacy to explain the variations in experimental data. The
      highest values of PC, LC, TPC, and AoxA were obtained at two different optimal
      conditions (GT = 21  degrees C/Gt = 157 h; GT = 33  degrees C/Gt = 126 h).
      Optimized germinated chia flours (OGCF) had higher PC, TPC, AoxA, GABA, essential
      amino acids, calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER), and total dietary fiber
      (TDF) than un-germinated chia seed flour. The OGCF could be utilized as a natural
      source of proteins, dietary fiber, GABA, and antioxidants in the development of
      new functional beverages and foods.

PMID- 28900798
TI  - Phenotypic plasticity in gene expression and physiological response in red drum
      Sciaenops ocellatus exposed to a long-term freshwater environment.
AB  - Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) is a euryhaline fish commonly found in the Gulf of
      Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America. Because of high commercial
      demand and its euryhaline characteristics, aquaculture of this species has
      diversified from marine to low-salinity aquaculture systems. In recent years,
      interest in the feasibility of producing red drum in inland freshwater systems
      has grown and this prompted us to investigate its osmoregulatory capacity after
      rearing for 8 months in a freshwater aquaculture system. We compared the
      activities of several genes and enzymes involved in the osmoregulatory process in
      freshwater-acclimatized (FW) and seawater (SW) red drum. The gene expression
      profiles were variable: the expression of genes encoding Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) and
      the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) was slightly higher in SW than
      FW fish, while phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and the glucocorticoid
      receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were higher in FW red drum. The total plasma
      K concentration was 60.3% lower, and gill NKA activity was 63.5% lower in FW than
      in SW fish. PEPCK activity was twofold higher in FW than in SW red drum.
      Similarly, liver glycogen was 60% higher in FW fish. In summary, both gene
      expression and the enzyme activity data support the phenotypic plasticity of red
      drum and suggest that the limited capacity for ion homeostasis observed, in
      particular the low plasma K concentration, was due to the composition of
      freshwater and does not necessarily reflect a physiological inability to
      osmoregulate.

PMID- 28900799
TI  - Peroxynitrite induces apoptosis of mouse cochlear hair cells via a Caspase
      independent pathway in vitro.
AB  - Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) is a potent and versatile oxidant implicated in a number of
      pathophysiological processes. The present study was designed to investigate the
      effect of ONOO- on the cultured cochlear hair cells (HCs) of C57BL/6 mice in
      vitro as well as the possible mechanism underlying the action of such an
      oxidative stress. The in vitro primary cultured cochlear HCs were subjected to
      different concentrations of ONOO-, then, the cell survival and morphological
      changes were examined by immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM), the apoptosis was determined by Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUNT
      nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, the mRNA expressions of Caspase-3, Caspase-8,
      Caspase-9, Apaf1, Bcl-2, and Bax were analyzed by RT-PCR, and the protein
      expressions of Caspase-3 and AIF were assessed by immunofluorescence. This work
      demonstrated that direct exposure of primary cultured cochlear HCs to ONOO- could
      result in a base-to-apex gradient injury of HCs in a concentration-dependent
      manner. Furthermore, ONOO- led to much more losses of outer hair cells than inner
      hair cells mainly through the induction of apoptosis of HCs as evidenced by TEM
      and TUNEL assays. The mRNA expressions of Caspase-8, Caspase-9, Apaf1, and Bax
      were increased and, meanwhile, the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 was decreased in
      response to ONOO- treatment. Of interesting, the expression of Caspase-3 had no
      significant change, whereas, the expression alteration of AIF was observed. These
      results suggested that ONOO- can effectively damage the survival of cochlear HCs
      via triggering the apoptotic pathway. The findings from this work suggest that
      ONOO--induced apoptosis is mediated, at least in part, via a Caspase-independent
      pathway in cochlear HCs.

PMID- 28900801
TI  - Time for action: key considerations for implementing social accountability in the
      education of health professionals.
AB  - Within health professional education around the world, there exists a growing
      awareness of the professional duty to be socially responsible, being attentive to
      the needs of all members of communities, regions, and nations, especially those
      who disproportionately suffer from the adverse influence of social determinants.
      However, much work still remains to progress beyond such good intentions. Moving
      from contemplation to action means embracing social accountability as a key
      guiding principle for change. Social accountability means that health
      institutions attend to improving the performance of individual practitioners and
      health systems by directing educational and practice interventions to promote the
      health of all the public and assessing the systemic effects of these
      interventions. In this Reflection, the authors (1) review the reasons why health
      professional schools and their governing bodies should codify, in both curricular
      and accreditation standards, norms of excellence in social accountability, (2)
      present four considerations crucial to successfully implementing this
      codification, and (3) discuss the challenges such changes might entail. The
      authors conclude by noting that in adopting socially accountable criteria,
      schools will need to expand their philosophical scope to recognize social
      accountability as a vitally important part of their institutional professional
      identity.

PMID- 28900800
TI  - Resting-State Neurophysiological Activity Patterns in Young People with ASD,
      ADHD, and ASD + ADHD.
AB  - Altered power of resting-state neurophysiological activity has been associated
      with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD), which commonly co-occur. We compared resting-state neurophysiological
      power in children with ASD, ADHD, co-occurring ASD + ADHD, and typically
      developing controls. Children with ASD (ASD/ASD + ADHD) showed reduced theta and
      alpha power compared to children without ASD (controls/ADHD). Children with ADHD
      (ADHD/ASD + ADHD) displayed decreased delta power compared to children without
      ADHD (ASD/controls). Children with ASD + ADHD largely presented as an additive co
      occurrence with deficits of both disorders, although reduced theta compared to
      ADHD-only and reduced delta compared to controls suggested some unique markers.
      Identifying specific neurophysiological profiles in ASD and ADHD may assist in
      characterising more homogeneous subgroups to inform treatment approaches and
      aetiological investigations.

PMID- 28900802
TI  - Assessment of M2/ANXA5 haplotype as a risk factor in couples with placenta
      mediated pregnancy complications.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to confirm the associated M2/ANXA5 carrier
      risk in women with placenta-mediated pregnancy complications (PMPC) and to test
      their male partners for such association. Further analysis evaluated the
      influence of maternal vs. paternal M2 alleles on miscarriage. METHODS: Two
      hundred eighty-eight couples with preeclampsia (PE), intrauterine growth
      restriction (IUGR), or premature birth (PB) were recruited (n = 96 of each
      phenotype). The prevalence of the M2 haplotype was compared to two control
      cohorts. They included a group of women with a history of normal pregnancy
      without gestational pathology (Munich controls, n = 94) and a random population
      sample (PopGen controls, n = 533). RESULTS: Significant association of M2
      haplotype and pregnancy complications was confirmed for women and for couples,
      where prevalence was elevated from 15.4 to 23.8% (p < 0.001). Post hoc analyses
      demonstrated an association for IUGR and PB individually. A strong link between
      previous miscarriages and M2 carrier status was identified which may explain the
      predisposition to placental pregnancy complication. M2/ANXA5 appears to be a risk
      factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes related, but not limited to miscarriages,
      with similar prevalence in women and their male partners. CONCLUSION: These
      findings support the proposed physiological function of ANXA5 as an embryonic
      anticoagulant that appears deficient in contiguous specter of thrombophilia
      related pregnancy complications culminating more frequently in miscarriage in a
      maternal M2 carrier background.

PMID- 28900803
TI  - Making Decisions About Medication Use During Pregnancy: Implications for
      Communication Strategies.
AB  - Objective To explore women's perceptions of the risks and benefits associated
      with medication use during pregnancy and to better understand how women make
      decisions related to medication use in pregnancy. Methods We conducted online
      focus groups with 48 women who used medication during pregnancy or while planning
      a pregnancy, and 12 in-depth follow-up interviews with a subset of these women.
      Results We found that women were aware of general risks associated with
      medication use but were often unable to articulate specific negative outcomes.
      Women were concerned most about medications' impact on fetal development but were
      also concerned about how either continuing or discontinuing medication during
      pregnancy could affect their own health. Women indicated that if the risk of a
      given medication were unknown, they would not take that medication during
      pregnancy. Conclusion This formative research found that women face difficult
      decisions about medication use during pregnancy and need specific information to
      help them make decisions. Enhanced communication between patients and their
      providers regarding medication use would help address this need. We suggest that
      public health practitioners develop messages to (1) encourage, remind, and prompt
      women to proactively talk with their healthcare providers about the risks of
      taking, not taking, stopping, or altering the dosage of a medication while trying
      to become pregnant and/or while pregnant; and (2) encourage all women of
      childbearing age to ask their healthcare providers about medication use.

PMID- 28900804
TI  - A Nonparametric Multidimensional Latent Class IRT Model in a Bayesian Framework.
AB  - We propose a nonparametric item response theory model for dichotomously-scored
      items in a Bayesian framework. The model is based on a latent class (LC)
      formulation, and it is multidimensional, with dimensions corresponding to a
      partition of the items in homogenous groups that are specified on the basis of
      inequality constraints among the conditional success probabilities given the
      latent class. Moreover, an innovative system of prior distributions is proposed
      following the encompassing approach, in which the largest model is the
      unconstrained LC model. A reversible-jump type algorithm is described for
      sampling from the joint posterior distribution of the model parameters of the
      encompassing model. By suitably post-processing its output, we then make
      inference on the number of dimensions (i.e., number of groups of items measuring
      the same latent trait) and we cluster items according to the dimensions when
      unidimensionality is violated. The approach is illustrated by two examples on
      simulated data and two applications based on educational and quality-of-life
      data.

PMID- 28900806
TI  - Adenosine administration in supraventricular tachycardia.

PMID- 28900805
TI  - MGMT and MSH6 immunoexpression for functioning pituitary macroadenomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: Knowledge of biological behavior is crucial for clinical management of
      functioning pituitary macroadenomas. For recurrent cases unresponsive to standard
      treatment, temozolomide (TMZ) has been used as a therapeutic alternative. MGMT
      (O6-methyl-guanine-DNA methyltransferase) and MSH6 (mutS homolog 6)
      immunoexpression have been linked to the response to TMZ treatment and MGMT
      immunoexpression has been additionally linked to early recurrence of non
      functioning pituitary adenomas. The aim of this study was to assess the
      prognostic value of MGMT and MSH6 immunoexpression for aggressive functioning
      pituitary adenomas. METHODS: The study cohort comprised a single center series of
      76 patients who underwent an operation for functioning pituitary macroadenoma. We
      retrospectively compared 38 patients with postoperative persistent or recurrent
      disease with another set of 38 patients who were in endocrine remission. RESULTS:
      Low-to-moderate MGMT immunoexpression (<50%) was significantly more frequent in
      the group with persistent/recurrent disease than in cases of endocrine remission
      (66 vs. 21%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, adenomas with low-to-moderate MGMT
      immunoexpression were significantly more often recurrent (76 vs. 30%, p < 0.001)
      and invasive (64 vs. 28%, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: In our series, low-to-moderate
      MGMT immunoexpression was the only marker that significantly correlated with
      surgical invasiveness and recurrence in functioning pituitary macroadenomas.
      Therefore, in the future, MGMT status may be considered an additional marker for
      understanding the biological behavior of pituitary adenomas.

PMID- 28900807
TI  - Ecotoxicological impact assessment of the brine discharges from a desalination
      plant in the marine waters of the Algerian west coast, using a multibiomarker
      approach in a limpet, Patella rustica.
AB  - The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of Bousfer desalination plant
      brine discharges on the Algerian west coast, on a natural population of the
      marine gastropod mollusc Patella rustica. The effects of a chronic exposure to
      such discharges are complex to understand due to the combined effects of
      environmental physico-chemical parameters (e.g., high salinity) and different
      pollutants that can modulate the physiological responses of this species to
      stress. In this context, we assessed the biological effects in a marine species
      P. rustica, by a multibiomarker approach that provided information on the health
      status of organisms in response to such an environmental stress. We measured
      biomarkers in the whole soft tissues of limpets as indicators of neurotoxicity
      (AChE activity), oxidative stress (CAT, SOD, GR, and GPx activities),
      biotransformation (GST), oxidative damage (LPO through TBARS levels), and
      genotoxicity (CSP 3-like activity). In parallel, hydrological parameters were
      measured in the Bay of Oran, at four selected sites: site H considered as a
      "hotspot," located at Bousfer desalination plant; two other sites E and W, at the
      east and the west of H respectively; finally, site R "reference" located in
      Madragh, which is considered as a remote clean site. Our analyses revealed that
      the activities of antioxidant defense enzymes reached the highest levels in P.
      rustica collected from site H. The activation of antioxidant defense system in
      these organisms translated the alteration of their status health, reflecting a
      level of environmental disruption generated by the desalination plant brine
      discharges and the high salinity in this area. We also observed that the tissues
      of limpets collected from site H as well as the two other sites, E and W, had
      undergone molecular damage, confirmed by the high levels of CSP 3-like activity.
      This damage resulted from chronic exposure to environmental conditions,
      potentially genotoxic, due to the desalination plant discharges. The present
      results indicate the adverse impact of brine effluents from desalination plants
      on marine fauna and suggest the need for a more consistent approach to
      environmental management of brine discharges.

PMID- 28900808
TI  - Aerial application of copper for dothistroma control in New Zealand's planted
      forests-effect on stream environments.
AB  - Limited information is available on the risk to aquatic environments from the
      aerial application of copper fungicides to treat dothistroma needle blight in
      managed forests. Cuprous oxide was aerially applied to three catchments of Pinus
      radiata of varying age classes in the central North Island of New Zealand. Copper
      was monitored in stream water and sediments prior to and for 1 month after
      application. Copper deposits collected from tracer plates deployed above the
      water surface along the stream channels within the treated areas at each site
      ranged from 13 to 406 ppm. Lowest concentrations occurred above small stream
      channels with dense overhead riparian vegetation. Peak copper concentrations in
      stream water across the three sites ranged from 28 to 60 MUg L-1 and were below
      the analytical detection limit within hours. Copper concentrations were higher
      and persisted for longer in stream sediment (range 1.7-6.1 mg kg-1, sampled at
      two sites only). Copper concentrations in sediments were below environmental
      guidelines. Copper concentrations in water and sediment indicated a low risk to
      aquatic organisms based on the exposure times to the concentrations measured in
      this study.

PMID- 28900809
TI  - Production, identification, and field evaluation of sex pheromone from calling
      females in Diaphania angustalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).
AB  - Insect sex pheromones play a crucial role in the mate finding and calling
      behavior of Lepidoptera pests. Currently, little is known about the chemical
      ecology of Diaphania angustalis Snellen (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a severe and
      important defoliator attacking the medicinal plant, Alstonia scholaris. In the
      present study, the pheromone components of D. angustalis females were
      investigated using electrophysiological and behavioral methods. Distilled hexane
      extracts of female pheromone glands were analyzed through electroantennogram
      (EAG) and gas chromatography-electroantennogram detector (GC-EAD), and the active
      compounds were identified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
      Production peak of female sex pheromone occurred on the third day of age at 5 h
      into the scotophase with the EAG test, and the hexane extracts were attractive to
      males in the wind tunnel test. GC-EAD analysis of virgin males to gland extracts
      that were subsequently evaluated showed two active compounds, (E,E)-10,12
      hexadecadienal (E10E12-16:Ald) and (E,E)-10,12-hexadecadien-1-ol (E10E12-16:OH),
      based on comparison of retention time and mass spectrum, with suitable synthetic
      compounds. Under laboratory conditions, the blend of E10E12-16:Ald and E10E12
      16:OH in a ratio of 9:1 elicited a stronger EAG response than other treatments or
      a single component. In the field, more male moths were captured by traps baited
      with the mixture of E10E2-16:Ald and E10E2-16:OH in a ratio of 9:1, whereas a
      mixture of 8:1 and 10:1 also caught males. Accordingly, E10E2-16:Ald and E10E2
      16:OH were regarded as the major sex pheromone components in D. angustalis
      females.

PMID- 28900811
TI  - Capsule Commentary on Hwong et al., The Effects of Public Disclosure of Industry
      Payments to Physicians on Patient Trust: A Randomized Experiment.

PMID- 28900810
TI  - Efficacy and safety of extemporaneously prepared miconazole eye drops in Candida
      albicans-induced keratomycosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Extemporaneously prepared miconazole eye drops (EPMD) are used by some
      eye care practitioners to manage keratomycosis in Ghana. This study therefore
      aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of EPMD using in vitro and in vivo
      experimental models. METHODS: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of EPMD
      was determined by the agar-well diffusion method. In vivo, the activity of EPMD
      on corneal ulcer, neovascularization, clouding, edema, carring and on
      keratomycotic conjunctivitis and corneal scarring (clinical features) associated
      with Candida albicans-induced keratomycosis in rabbits was determined by treating
      them with 0.034-1.08% (weight-in-volume) EPMD for a period of 30 days. The safety
      of EPMD on the healthy eye was determined by instilling various concentrations
      into the intact eye of the rabbits. RESULTS: The MIC of EPMD on Candida albicans
      was 1.08% (zone of inhibition of 13 mm +/- 0.578), which resulted in
      significantly better improvements (p <= 0.001) in clinical findings than eyes
      treated with sterile water (p > 0.05), and showed no significant difference (p >
      0.05) compared to eyes treated with 0.3% fluconazole. There were no visible signs
      of ocular toxicity on instilling it into healthy eyes of rabbits. CONCLUSION: The
      extemporaneously prepared miconazole eye drops are effective and safe to use in
      keratomycosis.

PMID- 28900812
TI  - Radiomic features predict Ki-67 expression level and survival in lower grade
      gliomas.
AB  - To investigate the radiomic features associated with Ki-67 expression in lower
      grade gliomas and assess the prognostic values of these features. Patients with
      lower grade gliomas (n = 117) were randomly assigned into the training (n = 78)
      and validation (n = 39) sets. A total of 431 radiological features were extracted
      from each patient. Differential radiological features between the low and high Ki
      67 expression groups were screened by significance analysis of microarrays. Then,
      generalized linear analysis was performed to select features that could predict
      the Ki-67 expression level. Predictive efficiencies were further evaluated in the
      validation set. Cox regression analysis was performed to investigate the
      prognostic values of Ki-67 expression level and Ki-67-related radiological
      features. A group of nine radiological features were screened for prediction of
      Ki-67 expression status; these achieved accuracies of 83.3% and 88.6% (areas
      under the curves, 0.91 and 0.93) in the training and validation sets,
      respectively. Of these features, only spherical disproportion (SD) was found to
      be a prognostic factor. Patients in the high SD group exhibited worse outcomes in
      the whole cohort (overall survival, p < 0.0001; progression-free survival, p <
      0.0001). Ki-67 expression level and SD were independent prognostic factors in the
      multivariate Cox regression analysis. This study identified a radiomic signature
      for prediction of Ki-67 expression level as well as a prognostic radiological
      feature in patients with lower grade gliomas.

PMID- 28900813
TI  - Assessment of acute bowel function after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: Is it
      accurate enough?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pelvic radiotherapy for prostate cancer can be associated
      with bowel toxicity, which may have a significant impact on quality of life. Our
      aim was to assess the adequacy of the tools currently used to assess bowel
      symptoms after radiotherapy, including physician and patient reported outcomes.
      This sub-study on acute toxicity was part of a prospective trial assessing long
      term bowel dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 2013 and July
      2015, 75 patients with prostate cancer who received radiotherapy completed the
      LENT/SOMA and the EPIC questionnaires baseline and 2 weeks after the treatment.
      The Bristol stool scale and two additional questions on faecal urgency were
      added. Physicians assessed toxicity using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse
      Events v.4.0. Agreement between patients and clinicians was assessed using the
      Cohen's kappa coefficient. RESULTS: Acute toxicity during radiotherapy was very
      low. The pattern of overall bowel bother was similar before and after treatment.
      Faecal urgency significantly increased after radiotherapy compared to baseline
      but was only detected by the additional questions and not by the physicians or
      the patient-reported outcomes (PRO) questionnaires. Correlation between physician
      and PRO was poor for most symptoms. CONCLUSION: Bowel symptoms such as urgency
      may remain undetected by usual tools to assess toxicity after radiotherapy.
      Assessment of bowel toxicity should be reappraised in order to identify those
      patients who may have symptoms with an impact on their quality of life.

PMID- 28900814
TI  - Sub-fertile sperm cells exemplify telomere dysfunction.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate telomere homeostasis in sub
      fertile compared to fertile human sperm. METHODS: This observational, comparative
      study included 16 sub-fertile men who required intracytoplasmic sperm injection
      and 10 fertile men. At least 100 sperm cells from each participant were assessed.
      Main outcome measures were telomere length and telomere aggregates. Telomerase
      RNA component (TERC) copy number and telomere capture were assessed using
      fluorescence in situ hybridization technique and human telomerase reverse
      transcriptase (hTERT) using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Clinical backgrounds
      were similar. The percentage of sperm cells with shorter telomeres was higher
      among the sub-fertile compared to the fertile participants (3.3 +/- 3.1 vs. 0.6
      +/- 1.2%, respectively; P < 0.005). The percentage of cells with telomere
      aggregates was significantly higher in the sub-fertile group (15.12 +/- 3.73 vs.
      4.73 +/- 3.73%; P < 0.005). TERC gene copy number was similar between groups. The
      percentage of cells that were positive for hTERT was lower in the sub-fertile
      group (3.81 +/- 1.27 vs. 8.42 +/- 1.80%; P < 0.005). Telomere capture rates were
      higher among the sub-fertile sperm cells (P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Sub-fertile
      sperm cells have short telomeres that are elongated by the alternative pathway of
      telomere capture. Dysfunctional telomeres may affect sperm fertilizability.

PMID- 28900815
TI  - Wavelet-based Encoding Scheme for Controlling Size of Compressed ECG Segments in
      Telecardiology Systems.
AB  - One of the major issues in time-critical medical applications using wireless
      technology is the size of the payload packet, which is generally designed to be
      very small to improve the transmission process. Using small packets to transmit
      continuous ECG data is still costly. Thus, data compression is commonly used to
      reduce the huge amount of ECG data transmitted through telecardiology devices. In
      this paper, a new ECG compression scheme is introduced to ensure that the
      compressed ECG segments fit into the available limited payload packets, while
      maintaining a fixed CR to preserve the diagnostic information. The scheme
      automatically divides the ECG block into segments, while maintaining other
      compression parameters fixed. This scheme adopts discrete wavelet transform (DWT)
      method to decompose the ECG data, bit-field preserving (BFP) method to preserve
      the quality of the DWT coefficients, and a modified running-length encoding (RLE)
      scheme to encode the coefficients. The proposed dynamic compression scheme showed
      promising results with a percentage packet reduction (PR) of about 85.39% at low
      percentage root-mean square difference (PRD) values, less than 1%. ECG records
      from MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database were used to test the proposed method. The
      simulation results showed promising performance that satisfies the needs of
      portable telecardiology systems, like the limited payload size and low power
      consumption.

PMID- 28900816
TI  - Critical appraisal of genotype assessment in molybdenum cofactor deficiency.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Molybdenum cofactor deficiency (MoCD) is an ultra-orphan, life
      threatening disease. Substrate substitution therapy has successfully been
      performed in single cases of MoCD type A and clinical trials are underway for
      drug registration. We present an innovative approach for classification of
      genotype severity to test the hypothesis that milder sequence variants in MoCD
      result in a less severe disease phenotype quantitated by patient survival.
      METHODS: All available worldwide published cases with clinical and genetic data
      were included (n = 40). We stratified the already published disease causing
      sequence variants as mild or severe with the use of in silico prediction
      programs, where possible and assessed the possible impact of the variants on the
      expression of the gene or function of the expressed protein. In a compound
      heterozygous situation the mildest sequence variant determined the genotype.
      Subsequently, clinical manifestations and outcomes of both groups were compared.
      RESULTS: Patients with a severe genotype showed a median survival of 15 months
      and had a lower probability of survival compared to patients with mild genotypes
      who were all alive at last reported follow-up (p = 0.0203, Log-rank test).
      DISCUSSION: The severity of the genotype assessed by in silico prediction and
      further classification explained survival in molybdenum cofactor deficiency and
      may therefore be considered a confounder for the outcome of therapeutic clinical
      trials requiring adjustment in the clinical trial design or analysis. These
      results should further be investigated by future in vitro or in vivo functional
      studies. Caution should be taken with this approach for the classification of
      variants in molecular genetic diagnostics or genetic counseling.

PMID- 28900817
TI  - Spleen dimensions are inversely associated with lysosomal acid lipase activity in
      patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - Fatty liver and splenomegaly are typical features of genetic lysosomal acid
      lipase (LAL) deficiency. No data in adult patients with non-genetic reduction of
      LAL activity are available. We investigate the association between spleen
      dimensions and LAL activity in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
      patients, in whom a reduced LAL activity has been reported. We include 425
      consecutive patients who underwent abdominal ultrasound to evaluate hepatic
      steatosis and spleen dimensions. LAL activity was measured with dried blood spot
      method (Lalistat2). NAFLD was present in 74.1% of screened patients. Higher
      median spleen longitudinal diameter (10.6 vs. 9.9 cm; p < 0.001) and spleen area
      (SA) (32.7 vs. 27.7 cm2; p < 0.001), together with a higher and proportion of
      splenomegaly (17.8 vs. 5.5%, p = 0.001), are present in patients with NAFLD
      compared to those without. In NAFLD patients, median LAL activity is 0.9
      nmol/spot/h. LAL activity is lower in 56 patients with splenomegaly, as compared
      to those without (p = 0.009). At multivariable logistic regression analysis, age
      (above median, OR 0.344; p = 0.003), LAL activity (below median, OR 2.206, p =
      0.028), and platelets (OR 0.101, p = 0.002) are significantly associated with
      splenomegaly. NAFLD patients disclose a relatively high prevalence of spleen
      enlargement and splenomegaly, which are significantly associated with a reduced
      LAL activity, suggesting that LAL may contribute to spleen enlargement in this
      setting.

PMID- 28900818
TI  - The Effects of Chronic Aerobic Exercise on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Persons
      with Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Aerobic exercise training is a component of diabetes mellitus
      (DM) care guidelines due to its favorable effects on glycemic control and
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The purpose of this review is to
      outline the recent evidence regarding the clinical effects of chronic aerobic
      exercise on CVD risk factors in persons with DM and to compare the effects of
      varying intensities and types of exercise. RECENT FINDINGS: Among individuals
      with DM, all types of aerobic exercise training can impact positively on some
      traditional and non-traditional risk factors for CVD. Training programs with a
      higher volume or intensity induce greater improvements in vascular function,
      cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and lipid profiles. The beneficial outcomes of
      aerobic training include improvements in glycemic control, endothelial function,
      oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, myocardial function, adiposity, and CRF. Findings
      regarding markers of inflammation are discrepant and further research should
      focus on the role of exercise to impact upon the chronic inflammation associated
      with DM.

PMID- 28900819
TI  - A homozygous PIGO mutation associated with severe infantile epileptic
      encephalopathy and corpus callosum hypoplasia, but normal alkaline phosphatase
      levels.
AB  - We describe two sisters from a consanguineous Arab family with global
      developmental delay, dystrophy, axial hypotonia, epileptic encephalopathy
      dominated by intractable complex partial seizures that were resistant to various
      anti-epileptic treatments. Dysmorphic features comprised low set ears,
      hypertelorism, upslanting palpebral fissures, a broad nasal bridge, and blue
      sclera with elongated eyelashes. Brain MRI in both children showed a corpus
      callosum hypoplasia that was evident already in utero and evolving cortical
      atrophy. Autozygosity mapping in combination with Whole Exome Sequencing revealed
      a homozygous missense mutation in the PIGO gene [c.765G > A, NM_032634.3] that
      affected a highly conserved methionine in the alkaline phosphatase-like core
      domain of the protein [p.(Met255Ile), NP_116023.2]. PIGO encodes the GPI
      ethanolamine phosphate transferase 3, which is crucial for the final synthetic
      step of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor that attaches many enzymes to
      their cell surfaces, such as the alkaline phosphatase and granulocyte surface
      markers. Interestingly, measurement of serum alkaline phosphatase activities in
      both children was normal or only slightly elevated. Quantification of granulocyte
      surface antigens CD16/24/59 yielded reduced levels only for CD59. Phenotype
      analysis of our and other published patients with PIGO mutations reveals a more
      severe affectation and predominantly neurological presentation in individuals
      carrying a mutation in the alkaline phosphatase-like core domain thereby hinting
      towards a genotype-phenotype relation for PIGO gene mutations.

PMID- 28900820
TI  - Outcome of childhood leukaemia survivors and necrosis of the femoral head treated
      with autologous mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: Corticoid-induced osteonecrosis (ON) of femoral head can lead to severe
      hip joint impairment and hip replacement, with negative impact in young survivors
      of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) with long life expectancy. We aim to
      improve quality of life in these patients with a novel approach.
      METHODS/PATIENTS: Based on the regenerative capacities of mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs), we performed locally implanted autologous cell therapy in two adolescents
      suffering of bilateral femoral ON. This required a simple, minimally invasive
      surgical procedure. RESULTS: Both patients experienced significant pain relief
      and restoration of gait kinematic values. Radiographic evaluation showed
      cessation of hip collapse. No toxicities/complications were observed after a 4
      year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results suggest that autologous MSCs
      can be considered as a novel treatment for children and young adults with ON
      after overcoming ALL. It may avoid hip replacement and improve quality of life of
      leukaemia survivors.

PMID- 28900821
TI  - Reliability of Physician-Level Measures of Patient Experience in Primary Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient experience measures are widely used to compare performance at
      the individual physician level. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of unmeasured
      patient characteristics on visit-level patient experience measures and the sample
      sizes required to reliably measure patient experience at the primary care
      physician (PCP) level. DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional design. SETTING: Academic
      family medicine practice in California. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand one hundred
      forty-one adult patients attending 1319 visits with 56 PCPs (including 45
      resident and 11 faculty physicians). MEASUREMENTS: Post-visit patient experience
      surveys including patient measures used for standard adjustment as recommend by
      the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Consortium
      and additional patient characteristics used for expanded adjustment (including
      attitudes toward healthcare, global life satisfaction, patient personality,
      current symptom bother, and marital status). RESULTS: The amount of variance in
      patient experience explained doubled with expanded adjustment for patient
      characteristics compared with standard adjustment (R2 = 20.0% vs. 9.6%,
      respectively). With expanded adjustment, the amount of variance attributable to
      the PCP dropped from 6.1% to 3.4% and the required sample size to achieve a
      reliability of 0.90 in the physician-level patient experience measure increased
      from 138 to 255 patients per physician. After ranking of the 56 PCPs by average
      patient experience, 8 were reclassified into or out of the top or bottom
      quartiles of average experience with expanded as compared to standard adjustment
      [14.3% (95% CI: 7.0-25.2%)]. CONCLUSIONS: Widely used methods for measuring PCP
      level patient experience may not account sufficiently for influential patient
      characteristics. If methods were adapted to account for these characteristics,
      patient sample sizes for reliable between-physician comparisons may be too large
      for most practices to obtain.

PMID- 28900822
TI  - An international review and meta-analysis of prehabilitation compared to usual
      care for cancer patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to systematically review and synthesise
      randomised controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of prehabilitation
      compared to usual care for newly diagnosed, adult-onset cancer patients. METHODS:
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and SSCI were searched up to April 2017.
      Studies were included if disease-related, treatment-related, patient-reported and
      health service utilisation outcomes were assessed. Two reviewers independently
      reviewed and appraised the risk of bias of each study. RESULTS: Eighteen studies
      were included. Interventions comprised one or more of the following components:
      psychological support, education and exercise. Meta-analyses found that pelvic
      floor muscle training (PFMT) significantly increased odds of continence at 3
      months (OR = 3.29, 95% CI = 1.57-6.91), but did not significantly reduce daily
      pad use at 6 months post-surgery Mean Difference (MD)= ( = - 0.96, 95% CI = -
      2.04-0.12) for prostate cancer patients. Although quality of life improved due to
      PFMT, functional ability or distress did not. Further meta-analyses indicated
      that pre-surgical exercise significantly reduced length of hospital stay (MD = -
      4.18, 95% CI = - 5.43-- 2.93) and significantly lowered odds of post-surgery
      complications (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.10-0.66) for lung cancer patients.
      Psychology-based prehabilitation significantly improved mood, physical well-being
      and immune function for prostate cancer patients and improved fatigue and
      psychological outcomes and a trend for better quality of life among breast cancer
      patients. Risk of bias was high for most studies. CONCLUSIONS: Prehabilitation
      appears to benefit cancer patients. Rigorous trials are needed to investigate the
      effectiveness of prehabilitation among other cancer sites and other related
      effects. The cost-effectiveness of prehabilitation remains unanswered.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Providing interventions earlier in the care
      pathway may lead to better outcomes for patients during survivorship.

PMID- 28900824
TI  - External Nasal Neuralgia: an Update.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: External nasal neuralgia is a rare syndrome of atypical facial
      pain for which there is limited reports in the scientific literature. We aim to
      review diagnosis and provide an update on treatments for this rare condition.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Etiology has been documented as post-traumatic due to direct
      trauma to the nose area and in few case reports, idiopathic. Sensory innervation
      of the nose arises from the ophthalmic and maxillary divisions of the trigeminal
      nerve. Direct injury to the nerve appears to be the etiology of post-traumatic
      external nasal neuralgia. Pathophysiology for idiopathic nasal neuralgia is
      poorly understood but it appears to be of a central etiology given lack of
      response to intranasal anesthetics. Pain can be episodic with episodes of
      tingling sensation lasting up to 30 min, two to three times per day, but for some
      patients it can be constant bruised sensation of mild to moderate pain.
      Diagnostic workup including magnetic resonance imaging of brain and computerized
      tomography of the sinuses are usually negative, but there have been few cases of
      a nasal contact point. Routine blood work including erythrocyte sedimentation
      rate is negative. Treatment for this rare condition is varied with very few
      patients responding to tricyclic antidepressants, specifically amitriptyline.
      Another medication used as prevention is pregabalin with good results as well.
      Most patients respond to nerve blockade with local anesthetic to the external
      nasal nerve and sphenopalatine ganglion block and radiofrequency ablation. More
      reports of this condition need to be published in the scientific literature to
      assist with proper diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

PMID- 28900823
TI  - Health-related quality of life, developmental milestones, and self-esteem in
      young adults with bleeding disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment of bleeding disorders improved in the last decades.
      However, the effect of growing up with bleeding disorders on developmental,
      emotional, and social aspects is understudied. Therefore, this study assesses
      HRQOL, developmental milestones, and self-esteem in Dutch young adults (YA) with
      bleeding disorders compared to peers. METHODS: Ninety-five YA (18-30 years) with
      bleeding disorders (78 men; mean 24.7 years, SD 3.5) and 17 women (mean 25.1
      years, SD 3.8) participated and completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory
      Young Adult version, the Course of Life Questionnaire, and the Rosenberg Self
      Esteem Scale. Differences between patients with bleeding disorders and their
      peers, and between hemophilia severity groups, were tested using Mann-Whitney U
      tests. RESULTS: YA men with bleeding disorders report a slightly lower HRQOL on
      the total scale, physical functioning, and school/work functioning in comparison
      to healthy peers (small effect sizes). YA men with severe hemophilia report more
      problems on the physical functioning scale than non-severe hemophilia. YA men
      with bleeding disorders achieved more psychosexual developmental milestones than
      peers, but show a delay in 'paid jobs, during middle and/or high school.' A
      somewhat lower self-esteem was found in YA men with bleeding disorders in
      comparison to peers (small effect size). For YA women with bleeding disorders, no
      differences were found on any of the outcomes in comparison to peers. CONCLUSION:
      This study demonstrates some impairments in HRQOL and self-esteem in YA men with
      bleeding disorders. By monitoring HRQOL, problems can be identified early,
      especially with regard to their physical and professional/school functioning.

PMID- 28900825
TI  - Frequency-associated transition from single-cell asynchronous motion to monotonic
      growth.
AB  - This paper presents a Fourier analysis of the Ortega equation that examines the
      growth dynamics of plants, specifically the pollen tubes or non-meristematic
      zones of elongating coleoptiles. A frequency-induced transition from highly
      nonlinear (periodical) growth-like the one observed in pollen tubes-to
      monotonically ascending and asymptotically saturated (sigmoid-like) growth, which
      is anticipated within the framework of a 'two-fluid model', is shown. A dynamic
      phase diagram is calculated and presented in the form of a live video clip.

PMID- 28900826
TI  - Comparative Examination of Temporal Glyoxalase 1 Variations Following Perforant
      Pathway Transection, Excitotoxicity, and Controlled Cortical Impact Injury.
AB  - Following acute neuronal lesions, metabolic imbalance occurs, the rate of
      glycolysis increases, and methylglyoxal (MGO) forms, finally leading to metabolic
      dysfunction and inflammation. The glyoxalase system is the main detoxification
      system for MGO and is impaired following excitotoxicity and stroke. However, it
      is not known yet whether alterations of the glyoxalase system are also
      characteristic for other neuronal damage models. Neuronal damage was induced in
      organotypic hippocampal slice cultures by transection of perforant pathway (PPT;
      5 min to 72 h) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA; 50 MUM for 4 h) or in vivo after
      controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury (2 h to 14 days). Temporal and spatial
      changes of glyoxalase I (GLO1) were investigated by Western blot analyses and
      immunohistochemistry. In immunoblot, the GLO1 protein content was not
      significantly affected by PPT at all investigated time points. As described
      previously, NMDA treatment led to a GLO1 increase 24 and 48 h after the lesion,
      whereas PPT increased GLO1 immunoreactivity within neurons only at 48 h
      postinjury. Immunohistochemistry of brain tissue subjected to CCI unveiled
      positive GLO1 immunoreactivity in neurons and astrocytes at 1 and 3 days after
      injury. Two hours and 14 days after CCI, no GLO1 immunoreactivity was observed.
      GLO1 protein content changes are associated with excitotoxicity but seemingly not
      to fiber transection. Cell-specific changes in GLO1 immunoreactivity after
      different in vitro and in vivo lesion types might be a common phenomenon in the
      aftermath of neuronal lesions.

PMID- 28900827
TI  - Lifetime Radiation Exposure in Patients with Recurrent Nephrolithiasis.
AB  - Patients presenting with nephrolithiasis often undergo repeated imaging studies
      before, during, and after management. Considering the significant risk of stone
      recurrence in primary stone-formers, repeated imaging studies are not uncommon.
      Cumulative effects of ionizing radiation exposure from various imaging studies
      could potentially increase the risk for developing cataracts and solid
      malignancies in urolithiasis patients. Therefore, practitioners planning or
      performing imaging studies with ionizing radiation are compelled to keep
      radiation exposure to humans and the environment as low as possible, thus
      strictly adhering to the ALARA (As Low as Reasonably Achievable) principles. This
      chapter will review the latest literature on lifetime radiation exposure of
      nephrolithiasis patients and present the latest recommendations in minimizing
      radiation exposure to them pre-, intra-, and postoperatively. For patients
      presenting with acute renal colic, especially those with body mass index of < 30,
      low-dose noncontrast computed tomography is the current gold standard of imaging.
      Patients with opaque stones are followed with ultrasonography (US) and plain
      radiography (kidney, ureter, and bladder or KUB). Intraoperatively, pulsed
      fluoroscopy could be used to significantly reduce radiation during ureteroscopy
      and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Immediately postoperatively and in the long
      term, US and KUB could be used to follow up patients with nephrolithiasis. Only
      symptomatic patients suspected of ureteral stricture should obtain tri-phasic CT
      urography. Following these latest imaging guidelines from the American Urological
      Association will dramatically reduce lifetime radiation exposure to patients with
      nephrolithiasis.

PMID- 28900828
TI  - Everyday life following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: decline in
      physical symptoms within the first month and change-related predictors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lower quality of life, especially in the physical domain (Physical-QOL),
      is common in patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
      However, few studies explore changes in the Physical-QOL, i.e., physical
      symptoms, in everyday life of patients following HSCT. The present study
      addresses this gap by examining patient daily physical symptoms and their
      predictors in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. METHODS:
      Physical symptoms were reported by 188 patients (56.9% men; aged 47.6 +/- 13.4
      years) for 28 consecutive days after post-HSCT hospital discharge. Multilevel
      modeling was used to investigate fixed and random effects for physical symptom
      changes over time. RESULTS: The results indicated that the initial level of
      physical symptoms (immediately after hospital discharge) systematically decreased
      over 28 days. Treatment toxicity (WHO scale; beta = 0.09, p < .01) and baseline
      depressive symptoms (CES-D scale; beta = 0.06, p < .01) were associated with the
      initial level of physical symptoms. Patients with more depressive symptoms before
      HSCT and with more adverse treatment effects presented with more physical
      symptoms immediately after hospital discharge. The type of transplant, diagnosis,
      and conditioning regimen differentiated the course of physical symptoms. Patients
      with leukemias and other myeloid neoplasms (beta = 0.05, p < .01), after
      allogeneic HSCT (beta = -0.06, p < .01), and with non-myeloablative conditioning
      (beta = -0.09, p < .01) showed a significant lower decrease in symptoms over
      time. Patients with multiple myeloma presented with the most rapid improvement
      (beta = -.03, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest a heterogeneous and
      rather positive response to HSCT. Treatment-related conditions occurred to be a
      significant predictor of the intensity of change in physical functioning after
      HSCT.

PMID- 28900829
TI  - Clinical, radiological, pathological and prognostic aspects of intraventricular
      oligodendroglioma: comparison with central neurocytoma.
AB  - Studies comparing intraventricular oligodendroglioma (IVO) and central
      neurocytoma (CN) in terms of their clinical, radiological and pathological
      features are scarce. We, therefore, investigated the similarities and differences
      between these types of tumors to get a better understanding of how they may be
      more properly diagnosed and treated. The clinical manifestations, CT/MRI
      findings, pathological characteristics and clinical outcomes of 8 cases of IVOs
      and 12 cases of CNs were analyzed retrospectively. Both IVO and CN occurred most
      commonly in young adults and manifested with symptoms of increased intracranial
      pressure secondary to obstructive hydrocephalus. However, they were
      radiologically different in location (p = 0.007), diffusion-weighted imaging (p =
      0.001), "scalloping" appearance (p = 0.006), flow void sign (p = 0.006) and
      ventricular wall invasion (p = 0.000). Histologically, significant differences in
      mitotic count (p = 0.008) and parenchymal infiltration (p = 0.01) were noted.
      Immunohistochemically, significant differences in the expression of Olig2 (p =
      0.000), Syn (p = 0.01) and NeuN (p = 0.000) were observed. In addition, MIB-1
      labeling index (p = 0.035) and case fatality rate (p = 0.021) of IVO were much
      higher than those of CN, while survival rate of IVO was much lower than that of
      CN (p = 0.028). IVO and CN are similar in onset age and clinical manifestations,
      but have different imaging and pathological features. Patients with IVOs may have
      a relatively poorer prognosis compared to those with CNs.

PMID- 28900830
TI  - Transhiatal vs. Transthoracic Esophagectomy: A NSQIP Analysis of Postoperative
      Outcomes and Risk Factors for Morbidity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) and transthoracic esophagectomy
      (TTE) are accepted procedures for esophageal resection. We aimed to compare
      postoperative outcomes between these procedures and identify risk factors for
      morbidity. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed using the American
      College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Adult
      patients who underwent THE or TTE between 2005 and 2014 were included.
      Postoperative morbidity, length of stay, and 30-day mortality were compared.
      Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for
      complications, and likelihood ratio tests were used to assess whether the effect
      of each risk factor was different across THE and TTE. RESULTS: A total of 4053
      patients were included, 2362 (58.3%) underwent TTE and 1691 (41.7%) underwent
      THE. TTE was associated with higher incidences of postoperative pneumonia and
      bleeding requiring transfusion. THE had higher incidences of superficial wound
      infection, deep wound infection, urinary tract infection, and sepsis. There were
      no significant differences in occurrence of anastomotic leak (THE 7.6% vs. TTE
      9.4%, p = 0.35) or 30-day mortality (THE 2.3% vs. TTE 2.5%, p = 0.63). Female
      gender, black race, hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease, partially or fully dependent functional status, and an ASA score >= 3
      were independently associated with postoperative complications. The impact of the
      risk factors on morbidity was similar across both procedures. CONCLUSIONS: THE
      and TTE have similar incidence of anastomotic leak and 30-day mortality. The
      impact of gender, race, and patients' comorbidities on postoperative
      complications is similar across both types of esophagectomy.

PMID- 28900831
TI  - [18F]DPA-714 PET Imaging Reveals Global Neuroinflammation in Zika Virus-Infected
      Mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: The association of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and development of
      neurological sequelae require a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms
      causing severe disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability and
      sensitivity of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using [18F]DPA-714, a
      translocator protein (TSPO) 18 kDa radioligand, to detect and quantify
      neuroinflammation in ZIKV-infected mice. PROCEDURES: We assessed ZIKV-induced
      pathogenesis in wild-type C57BL/6 mice administered an antibody to inhibit type I
      interferon (IFN) signaling. [18F]DPA-714 PET imaging was performed on days 3, 6,
      and 10 post-infection (PI), and tissues were subsequently processed for
      histological evaluation, quantification of microgliosis, and detection of viral
      RNA by in situ hybridization (ISH). RESULTS: In susceptible ZIKV-infected mice,
      viral titers in the brain increased from days 3 to 10 PI. Over this span, these
      mice showed a two- to sixfold increase in global brain neuroinflammation using
      [18F]DPA-714 PET imaging despite limited, regional detection of viral RNA. No
      measurable increase in ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1)
      expression was noted at day 3 PI; however, there was a modest increase at day 6
      PI and an approximately significant fourfold increase in Iba-1 expression at day
      10 PI in the susceptible ZIKV-infected group relative to controls. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results of the current study demonstrate that global neuroinflammation plays
      a significant role in the progression of ZIKV infection and that [18F]DPA-714 PET
      imaging is a sensitive tool relative to histology for the detection of
      neuroinflammation. [18F]DPA-714 PET imaging may be useful in dynamically
      characterizing the pathology associated with neurotropic viruses and the
      evaluation of therapeutics being developed for treatment of infectious diseases.

PMID- 28900832
TI  - Spatial discrimination of glioblastoma and treatment effect with histologically
      validated perfusion and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging metrics.
AB  - The goal of this study is to spatially discriminate tumor from treatment effect
      (TE), within the contrast-enhancing lesion, for brain tumor patients at all
      stages of treatment. To this end, the diagnostic accuracy of MRI-derived
      diffusion and perfusion parameters to distinguish pure TE from pure glioblastoma
      (GBM) was determined utilizing spatially-correlated biopsy samples. From July
      2010 through June 2015, brain tumor patients who underwent pre-operative DWI and
      DSC-MRI and stereotactic image-guided biopsy were considered for inclusion in
      this IRB-approved study. MRI-derived parameter maps included apparent diffusion
      coefficient (ADC), normalized cerebral blood flow (nCBF), normalized and
      standardized relative cerebral blood volume (nRCBV, sRCBV), peak signal-height
      (PSR) and percent signal-recovery (PSR). These were co-registered to the Stealth
      MRI and median values extracted from the spatially-matched biopsy regions. A ROC
      analysis accounting for multiple subject samples was performed, and the optimal
      threshold for distinguishing TE from GBM determined for each parameter.
      Histopathologic diagnosis of pure TE (n = 10) or pure GBM (n = 34) was confirmed
      in tissue samples from 15 consecutive subjects with analyzable data. Perfusion
      thresholds of sRCBV (3575; SN/SP% = 79.4/90.0), nRCBV (1.13; SN/SP% = 82.1/90.0),
      and nCBF (1.05; SN/SP% = 79.4/80.0) distinguished TE from GBM (P < 0.05), whereas
      ADC, PSR, and PH could not (P > 0.05). The thresholds for CBF and CBV can be
      applied to lesions with any admixture of tumor or treatment effect, enabling the
      identification of true tumor burden within enhancing lesions. This approach
      overcomes current limitations of averaging values from both tumor and TE for
      quantitative assessments.

PMID- 28900833
TI  - Cell Volume Regulation in the Proximal Tubule of Rat Kidney : Proximal Tubule
      Cell Volume Regulation.
AB  - We developed a dynamic model of a rat proximal convoluted tubule cell in order to
      investigate cell volume regulation mechanisms in this nephron segment. We
      examined whether regulatory volume decrease (RVD), which follows exposure to a
      hyposmotic peritubular solution, can be achieved solely via stimulation of
      basolateral K[Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] channels and [Formula:
      see text]-[Formula: see text] cotransporters. We also determined whether
      regulatory volume increase (RVI), which follows exposure to a hyperosmotic
      peritubular solution under certain conditions, may be accomplished by activating
      basolateral [Formula: see text]/H[Formula: see text] exchangers. Model
      predictions were in good agreement with experimental observations in mouse
      proximal tubule cells assuming that a 10% increase in cell volume induces a
      fourfold increase in the expression of basolateral K[Formula: see text] and
      [Formula: see text] channels and [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]
      cotransporters. Our results also suggest that in response to a hyposmotic
      challenge and subsequent cell swelling, [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]
      cotransporters are more efficient than basolateral K[Formula: see text] and
      [Formula: see text] channels at lowering intracellular osmolality and reducing
      cell volume. Moreover, both RVD and RVI are predicted to stabilize net
      transcellular [Formula: see text] reabsorption, that is, to limit the net
      [Formula: see text] flux decrease during a hyposmotic challenge or the net
      [Formula: see text] flux increase during a hyperosmotic challenge.

PMID- 28900835
TI  - Osteitis fibrosa cystica-a forgotten radiological feature of primary
      hyperparathyroidism.
AB  - : Although bone disease and stone disease are the universally accepted classical
      manifestations of primary hyperparathyroidism, clinical parathyroid bone disease
      is rarely seen today in the United States (<5% of patients) and Western Europe.
      Nevertheless, in a given patient, classical skeletal involvement can be the first
      sign of primary hyperparathyroidism, but not recognized because it is not usually
      included, anymore, in the differential diagnosis of this manifestation of
      skeletal disease. We describe four cases of primary hyperparathyroidism in which
      the first clinical manifestation of the disease was a pathological fracture that
      masqueraded as a malignancy. The presence of large osteolytic lesions gave rise
      to the initial diagnosis of a primary or metastatic cancer. In none of the
      reported cases was primary hyperparathyroidism with osteitis fibrosa considered
      as the diagnosis. It would seem to us that this course is best explained by the
      fact that in many countries such manifestations of primary hyperparathyroidism
      have become a rarity. In fact, the incidence of osteitis fibrosa among patients
      with primary hyperparathyroidism in the US is estimated as so rare, that in
      majority of medical centers routine x-ray examinations of the bones in these
      patients is not recommended. The X-ray or computed tomography scan findings of
      osteitis fibrosa cystica include lytic or multilobular cystic changes. Multiple
      bony lesions representing brown tumors may be misdiagnosed on computed tomography
      scan as metastatic carcinoma, bone cysts, osteosarcoma, and especially giant-cell
      tumor. Distinguishing between primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy is made
      readily by the concomitant measurement of parathyroid hormone which in primary
      hyperparathyroidism, again, will be markedly elevated. In the hypercalcemias of
      malignancy, such elevations of parathyroid hormone are virtually never seen.
      CONCLUSION: When radiographic evidence of a lytic lesion and hypercalcemia are
      present, primary hyperparathyroidism should always be considered in the
      differential diagnosis.

PMID- 28900834
TI  - CoQ10 increases mitochondrial mass and polarization, ATP and Oct4 potency levels,
      and bovine oocyte MII during IVM while decreasing AMPK activity and oocyte death.
AB  - PURPOSE: We tested whether mitochondrial electron transport chain electron
      carrier coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) increases ATP during bovine IVM and increases %M2
      oocytes, mitochondrial polarization/mass, and Oct4, and decreases pAMPK and
      oocyte death. METHODS: Bovine oocytes were aspirated from ovaries and cultured in
      IVM media for 24 h with 0, 20, 40, or 60 MUM CoQ10. Oocytes were assayed for ATP
      by luciferase-based luminescence. Oocyte micrographs were quantitated for Oct4,
      pAMPK (i.e., activity), polarization by JC1 staining, and mitochondrial mass by
      MitoTracker Green staining. RESULTS: CoQ10 at 40 MUM was optimal. Oocytes at 40
      MUM enabled 1.9-fold more ATP than 0 MUM CoQ10. There was 4.3-fold less oocyte
      death, 1.7-fold more mitochondrial charge polarization, and 3.1-fold more
      mitochondrial mass at 40 MUM than at 0 MUM CoQ10. Increased ATP was associated
      with 2.2-fold lower AMPK thr172P activation and 2.1-fold higher nuclear Oct4
      stemness/potency protein at 40 MUM than at 0 MUM CoQ10. CoQ10 is hydrophobic, and
      at all doses, 50% was lost from media into oil by ~ 12 h. Replenishing CoQ10 at
      12 h did not significantly diminish dead oocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest
      that CoQ10 improves mitochondrial function in IVM where unwanted stress, higher
      AMPK activity, and Oct4 potency loss are induced.

PMID- 28900836
TI  - Using In Silico Fragmentation to Improve Routine Residue Screening in Complex
      Matrices.
AB  - Targeted residue screening requires the use of reference substances in order to
      identify potential residues. This becomes a difficult issue when using multi
      residue methods capable of analyzing several hundreds of analytes. Therefore, the
      capability of in silico fragmentation based on a structure database ("suspect
      screening") instead of physical reference substances for routine targeted residue
      screening was investigated. The detection of fragment ions that can be predicted
      or explained by in silico software was utilized to reduce the number of false
      positives. These "proof of principle" experiments were done with a tool that is
      integrated into a commercial MS vendor instrument operating software (UNIFI) as
      well as with a platform-independent MS tool (Mass Frontier). A total of 97
      analytes belonging to different chemical families were separated by reversed
      phase liquid chromatography and detected in a data-independent acquisition (DIA)
      mode using ion mobility hyphenated with quadrupole time of flight mass
      spectrometry. The instrument was operated in the MSE mode with alternating low
      and high energy traces. The fragments observed from product ion spectra were
      investigated using a "chopping" bond disconnection algorithm and a rule-based
      algorithm. The bond disconnection algorithm clearly explained more analyte
      product ions and a greater percentage of the spectral abundance than the rule
      based software (92 out of the 97 compounds produced >=1 explainable fragment
      ions). On the other hand, tests with a complex blank matrix (bovine liver
      extract) indicated that the chopping algorithm reports significantly more false
      positive fragments than the rule based software. Graphical Abstract.

PMID- 28900837
TI  - Perseverative Cognition as an Explanatory Mechanism in the Relation Between Job
      Demands and Sleep Quality.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this longitudinal three-wave study was to examine (i)
      reciprocal associations among job demands, work-related perseverative cognition
      (PC), and sleep quality; (ii) PC as a mediator in-between job demands and sleep
      quality; and (iii) continuous high job demands in relation to sleep quality and
      work-related PC over time. METHOD: A representative sample of the Swedish working
      population was approached in 2010, 2012, and 2014, and 2316 respondents were
      included in this longitudinal full-panel survey study. Structural equation
      modelling was performed to analyse the temporal relations between job demands,
      work-related PC, and sleep quality. Additionally, a subsample (N = 1149)
      consisting of individuals who reported the same level of exposure to job demands
      during all three waves (i.e. stable high, stable moderate, or stable low job
      demands) was examined in relation to PC and sleep quality over time. RESULTS:
      Analyses showed that job demands, PC, and poor sleep quality were positively and
      reciprocally related. Work-related PC mediated the normal and reversed, direct
      across-wave relations between job demands and sleep quality. Individuals with
      continuous high job demands reported significantly lower sleep quality and higher
      work-related PC, compared to individuals with continuous moderate/low job
      demands. CONCLUSION: This study substantiated reciprocal relations between job
      demands, work-related PC, and sleep quality and supported work-related PC as an
      underlying mechanism of the reciprocal job demands-sleep relationship. Moreover,
      this study showed that chronically high job demands are a risk factor for low
      sleep quality.

PMID- 28900838
TI  - Comparative nutritional value of Jatropha curcas protein isolate and soy protein
      isolate in common carp.
AB  - Jatropha seed cake (JSC) is an excellent source of protein but does contain some
      antinutritional factors (ANF) that can act as toxins and thus negatively affect
      the growth and health status of fish. While this can limit the use of JSC,
      detoxified Jatropha protein isolate (DJPI) may be a better option. An 8-week
      study was performed to evaluate dietary DJPI to common carp Cyprinus carpio. Five
      iso-nitrogenous diets (crude protein of 38%) were formulated that consisted of a
      C ontrol (fish meal (FM) based protein), J 50 or J 75 (50 and 75% of FM protein
      replaced by DJPI), and S 50 or S 75 (50 and 75% of FM protein replaced by soy
      protein isolate, SPI) and fed to triplicate groups of 75 carp fingerlings (75;
      av. wt. +/- SD; 11.4 +/- 0.25 g). The growth, feeding efficiencies,
      digestibility, plasma biochemistry, and intestinal enzymes were measured. Results
      showed that growth performance of fish fed the S 75- or DJPI-based diets were not
      significantly different from those fed the C ontrol diet, while carp fed the S 50
      had significantly better growth than the J 75 diet. Fish fed the J 75 diet had
      significantly lower protein and lipid digestibility as well as significantly
      lower intestinal amylase and protease activities than all other groups. However,
      all plant protein-based diets led to significantly higher crude protein, crude
      lipid, and gross energy in the body of common carp compared to the control
      treatment. Plasma cholesterol and creatinine significantly decreased in the plant
      protein fed groups, although plasma triglyceride as well as the red blood cells
      count, hematocrit, albumin, globulin, total plasma protein, and lysozyme activity
      were higher in plant protein fed groups compared to FM fed group. White blood
      cells, hemoglobulin concentration, alkaline phosphatase and alanine transaminase
      activities, and glucose level in blood did not differ significantly among
      treatments. The results suggest that the DJPI is non-toxic to carp and can be
      used to replace FM in the diets of common carp up to 75%, but further research to
      potentially reduce some inherent ANF within this protein source, such as non
      starch polysaccharides, may improve nutrient utilization.

PMID- 28900839
TI  - Behavioral Health Integration into Primary Care: a Microsimulation of Financial
      Implications for Practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New payments from Medicare encourage behavioral health services to be
      integrated into primary care practice activities. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
      financial impact for primary care practices of integrating behavioral health
      services. DESIGN: Microsimulation model. PARTICIPANTS: We simulated patients and
      providers at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), non-FQHCs in urban and
      rural high-poverty areas, and practices outside of high-poverty areas surveyed by
      the National Association of Community Health Centers, National Ambulatory Medical
      Care Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and National
      Health Interview Survey. INTERVENTIONS: A collaborative care model (CoCM),
      involving telephone-based follow-up from a behaviorist care manager, or a primary
      care behaviorist model (PCBM), involving an in-clinic behaviorist. MAIN MEASURES:
      Net revenue change per full-time physician. KEY RESULTS: When behavioral health
      integration services were offered only to Medicare patients, net revenue was
      higher under CoCM (averaging $25,026 per MD in year 1 and $28,548/year in
      subsequent years) than PCBM (-$7052 in year 1 and -$3706/year in subsequent
      years). When behavioral health integration services were offered to all patients
      and were reimbursed by Medicare and private payers, only practices adopting the
      CoCM approach consistently gained net revenues. The outcomes of the model were
      sensitive to rates of patient referral acceptance, presentation, and therapy
      completion, but the CoCM approach remained consistently financially viable
      whereas PCBM would not be in the long-run across practice types. CONCLUSIONS: New
      Medicare payments may offer financial viability for primary care practices to
      integrate behavioral health services, but this viability depends on the approach
      toward care integration.

PMID- 28900840
TI  - Risks and benefits of pelvic lymphadenectomy in octogenarians undergoing radical
      cystectomy due to urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: According to current guidelines, radical cystectomy (RC) should be
      combined with an extended pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND) as therapeutic and
      staging instrument. Objective of this study was to analyze the influence of PLND
      on survival rates and complication rates in a selected group of elderly patients
      with a minimum age of 80 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this single-center
      retrospective analysis, we evaluated 102 patients who underwent RC due to UCB
      from 2004 to 2015 at our institution. In 74 patients (73%), RC was combined with
      PLND; in 28 cases (27%), RC was performed without PLND. Impact of PLND on cancer
      specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival
      (PFS) was analyzed using log-rank test and COX regression model. RESULTS: In
      univariate analysis of the data, we were not able to show a significant impact of
      PLND on CSS (p = 0.606), OS (p = 0.979) or PFS (p = 0.883). Also in multivariate
      analysis of the data, we were not able to identify PLND as an independent
      prognostic parameter on survival rates of patients undergoing RC, neither for CSS
      (p = 0.912) nor OS (p = 0.618) or PFS (p = 0.900). CONCLUSIONS: Our small and
      single-center study was not able to demonstrate a significant independent
      influence of PLND on CSS, OS and PFS in octogenarians undergoing RC due to UCB.
      There is no doubt that RC should usually be combined with PLND, but the results
      of this small data set with a selected patient cohort indicate that RC without
      PLND might be an option in selected cases of elderly patients.

PMID- 28900841
TI  - Right-Side Approach-Duet Totally Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy (R-Duet TLDG)
      Using a Three-Port to Treat Gastric Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is commonly treated via minimally invasive surgery.
      The present study explored the feasibility of right-side approach-duet (R-duet)
      totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy using a three-port compared with a four-
      or five-port. METHODS: A total of 251 patients who underwent curative totally
      laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer (72 R-duet, 74 four-port, and
      105 five-port) at the Catholic Medical Center were enrolled. All operations were
      performed using conventional laparoscopic instruments. The clinicopathological
      characteristics, operative details, and postoperative short-term outcomes were
      analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The clinicopathological characteristics did
      not differ significantly among the groups, except that the N stage was higher in
      the five-port group. The operating time was significantly longer in the four-port
      than the R-duet group (R-duet, four-port, and five-port 148.2 +/- 30.7, 162.4 +/-
      30.6, and 159.9 +/- 31.5 min, respectively; p = 0.024). The estimated blood loss
      did not differ significantly. Postoperatively, the times to flatus and to soft
      diet consumption and the hospital stay were significantly longer in the five-port
      group. The extent of postoperative complications did not differ among the groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: R-duet totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy is a reliable form of
      reduced-port surgery when used to treat gastric cancer; no special instruments
      are required.

PMID- 28900842
TI  - Early postictal serum lactate concentrations are superior to serum creatine
      kinase concentrations in distinguishing generalized tonic-clonic seizures from
      syncopes.
AB  - Concentrations of serum creatine kinase (CK) and serum lactate are frequently
      measured to help differentiate between generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS)
      and syncope. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to systematically
      compare these two markers. The primary outcome is the measurement of serum
      lactate and CK in blood samples drawn within 2 h of the event in patients
      admitted with either a GTCS (n = 49) or a syncope (n = 36). Furthermore, the
      specificity and sensitivity of serum lactate and CK are determined as diagnostic
      markers in distinguishing between GTCS and syncope. GTCS patients have
      significantly higher serum lactate levels compared to syncope patients (p <
      0.001). In contrast, CK does not differ between groups at admission. Regarding
      the first hour after the seizure, we identify a cut-off for serum lactate of 2.45
      mmol/l for diagnosing GTCS as the cause of an impairment of consciousness with a
      sensitivity of 0.94 and a specificity of 0.93 (AUC: 0.97; 95% CI 0.94-1.0). In
      the second hour after the event, the ROC analysis yields similar results (AUC:
      0.94; 95% CI 0.85-1.0). Serum lactate is a sensitive and specific diagnostic
      marker to discriminate GTCS from syncope and is superior to CK early after
      admission to the emergency department.

PMID- 28900843
TI  - Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) Procedure for Non
      resectable Peritoneal Carcinomatosis (with Video).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is a common evolution of abdominal
      cancers and is associated with poor prognosis in the absence of aggressive
      multimodal therapy.1 Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is
      a safe and innovative approach, which enhances the effect of chemotherapy 2
      without reported renal/hepatic toxicity.3,4 It requires mastery of technical
      aspects to reduce postoperative morbidity, increase effectiveness, and prevent
      caregiver chemotherapy exposure. We, therefore, report herein the surgical
      protocol after 2 years of implementation in our university center specialized in
      PC management, accompanied by a short video, to share our experience. METHODS:
      The procedure was performed under general anesthesia and capnoperitoneum (12
      mmHg, 37  degrees C) using two balloon trocars placed in the midline, in
      accordance with the open laparoscopic technique. Explorative laparoscopy allowed
      Sugarbaker peritoneal cancer index to be determined. Parietal biopsies were
      taken, and ascites was removed for peritoneal cytology. The nebulizer was
      inserted and connected to a high-pressure injector. A pressurized aerosol
      containing chemotherapy agents was then administered; cisplatin (7.5 mg/m2 in 150
      ml 0.9%NaCl) immediately followed by doxorubicin (1.5 mg/m2 in 50 ml 0.9%NaCl),
      or oxaliplatin alone (92 mg/m2 in 150 ml 0.9%NaCl), based on PC origin and
      chemotherapy history. The aerosol was kept in a steady-state for 30 min then
      exhausted through a closed filter system, and trocars were retracted. Each step
      is illustrated in the video. CONCLUSION: This video protocol provides a better
      understanding of the PIPAC procedure and the safety measures essential for this
      method of chemotherapy administration. It should help all teams wishing to
      implement a PIPAC therapy program.

PMID- 28900845
TI  - Sanitary Worker's Death Unnerves Pakistan's Health Care Ethics to the Core.
AB  - Health care ethics is a sensitive domain, which if ignored, can lead to patient
      dissatisfaction, weakened doctor-patient interaction and episodes of violence.
      Little importance has been paid to medical ethics within undergraduate medical
      education in developing countries such as Pakistan. Three doctors in Pakistan are
      currently facing an official police complaint and arrest charges, following the
      death of a sanitary worker, who fell unconscious while cleaning a drain and was
      allegedly refused treatment as he was covered in sewage filth. The medical
      license of the doctors in question should be cancelled, if found guilty following
      a thorough investigation into the case. The 'right to life' has been universally
      assured by all moral, cultural and legal codes and no society can ever argue
      against the sacredness of a human life. It is quite clear that the aforesaid
      doctors' actions are not only against the core principles of the physicians'
      code, but also go against the doctrine of human rights. If serious efforts on an
      urgent basis are not made by the regulatory and governing bodies, one can
      definitely expect similar incidents for at least a few more decades before any
      noticeable change is seen.

PMID- 28900844
TI  - A pilot study on the use of cerebrospinal fluid cell-free DNA in intramedullary
      spinal ependymoma.
AB  - Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represents a promising source of cell-free DNA (cfDNA)
      for tumors of the central nervous system. A CSF-based liquid biopsy may obviate
      the need for riskier tissue biopsies and serve as a means for monitoring tumor
      recurrence or response to therapy. Spinal ependymomas most commonly occur in
      adults, and aggressive resection must be delicately balanced with the risk of
      injury to adjacent normal tissue. In patients with subtotal resection, recurrence
      commonly occurs. A CSF-based liquid biopsy matched to the patient's spinal
      ependymoma mutation profile has potential to be more sensitive then surveillance
      MRI, but the utility has not been well characterized for tumors of the spinal
      cord. In this study, we collected matched blood, tumor, and CSF samples from
      three adult patients with WHO grade II intramedullary spinal ependymoma. We
      performed whole exome sequencing on matched tumor and normal DNA to design
      Droplet DigitalTM PCR (ddPCR) probes for tumor and wild-type mutations. We then
      interrogated CSF samples for tumor-derived cfDNA by performing ddPCR on extracted
      cfDNA. Tumor cfDNA was not reliably detected in the CSF of our cohort. Anatomic
      sequestration and low grade of intramedullary spinal cord tumors likely limits
      the role of CSF liquid biopsy.

PMID- 28900846
TI  - PET-based imaging to detect and characterize cardiovascular disorders:
      Unavoidable path for the foreseeable future.

PMID- 28900847
TI  - Effect of rituximab on primary central nervous system lymphoma: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The effect of rituximab on primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is
      controversial. We performed this meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of
      treatment with or without rituximab for PCNSL. We first conducted a search for
      qualified studies using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science. The
      meta-analysis was conducted to compare odds ratios (ORs) with the corresponding
      95% confidence interval (95% CI) for complete remission (CR) rate, progression
      free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) using Review Manager 5.0. We
      included two randomized clinical trials and six retrospective studies in this
      meta-analysis. The results of our statistical analysis show that the use of
      rituximab was closely correlated with a higher CR (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.17-2.46, P =
      0.005), 2-year PFS (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.08-4.11, P = 0.03), 5-year PFS (OR 2.54,
      95% CI 1.64-3.93, P < 0.0001), 2-year OS (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.73-3.34, P <
      0.00001), and 5-year OS (OR 2.87, 95% CI 2.02-4.08, P < 0.00001). These results
      may help to inform therapeutic strategies including the use of rituximab and to
      improve therapeutic planning for PCNSL patients.

PMID- 28900848
TI  - Feasibility of Assessing Falls Risk and Promoting Falls Prevention in Beauty
      Salons.
AB  - Falls are a major public health risk and a leading cause of emergency room visits
      for people of all ages. Finding ways to increase access to information and
      evidence-based falls prevention strategies is critically important across the
      lifespan. We tested the feasibility of conducting a falls risk assessment and
      awareness program among customers who attend beauty salons. We enrolled 78
      customers from 2 beauty salons who completed a written questionnaire as well as
      several biometric and functional balance tests designed to assess falls risk. On
      average, enrolled participants were 56 years of age (range: 19-90), female (n =
      70, 91%), and Black (n = 47, 62%). Eleven percent of enrolled customers were
      classified as at high risk of falls because they had reported two or more falls
      in the last 6 months. We found that younger age, higher education, employment,
      moderate physical activity, and decreased frequency of salon visits were
      associated with fewer falls. Results demonstrated initial interest in, and the
      feasibility of recruiting and enrolling customers into a beauty salon-based falls
      risk assessment and awareness program. Beauty salons, which are in all
      communities, represent an innovative setting for reaching people of all ages with
      life-saving falls prevention information and services.

PMID- 28900849
TI  - Neuroprotective Effects of Kinetin Against Glutamate-Induced Oxidative
      Cytotoxicity in HT22 Cells: Involvement of Nrf2 and Heme Oxygenase-1.
AB  - Oxidative stress is considered as one of key factors related to Alzheimer's
      disease (AD), while kinetin (KT) has been reported to exert anti-oxidative
      activities as well as neuroprotective effects both in vivo and in vitro. Thus, in
      this study, the neuroprotective effects of KT against glutamate-induced oxidative
      toxicity in HT22 cells were investigated. To evaluate the anti-oxidative
      capabilities of KT itself, several anti-oxidative assays in vitro were conducted.
      To evaluate the neuroprotective effects of KT, the levels of intracellular
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium influx, mitochondrial membrane
      potential (MMP), and cell death were measured by flow cytometry. Nuclear
      translocation of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and content of intracellular ATP
      were also determined. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of apoptosis signal
      regulating kinase 1 (ASK-1), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen
      activated protein kinases (p38) were evaluated as well. Besides, nuclear
      translocation of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and the expression of
      heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were also examined to reveal underlying mechanisms.
      Results showed that KT rescued cell death, and suppressed the accumulation of
      intracellular ROS and the increase of intracellular calcium influx. In addition,
      KT maintained normal function of mitochondria and inhibited the phosphorylation
      of ASK-1, JNK, and p38. KT also promoted nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and
      enhanced the expression of HO-1 both at protein and mRNA level. Importantly,
      blockage of Nrf2 almost completely abolished the neuroprotective effects of KT,
      while blockage of HO-1 expression partly neutralized its neuroprotective effects.
      Our results indicated that KT can protect HT22 cells from glutamate-induced cell
      death by activating Nrf2 pathway and inducing expression of HO-1, suggesting KT
      might be a drug candidate for treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative
      disorders related to oxidative stress.

PMID- 28900850
TI  - Assessment of Atrial Fibrillation and Ventricular Arrhythmia Risk after Bariatric
      Surgery by P Wave/QT Interval Dispersion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association of obesity with atrial fibrillation (AF) and with
      ventricular arrhythmias is well documented. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was
      to investigate whether weight reduction by a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has
      any effect on P wave dispersion (PWD), a predictor of AF, and corrected QT
      interval dispersion (CQTD), a marker of ventricular arrhythmias, in obese
      individuals. METHODS: In a prospective study, a total of 114 patients (79
      females, 35 males) who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were examined.
      The patients were followed 1 year. PWD and CQTD values before and 3rd, 6th, and
      12th months after the surgery were calculated and compared. RESULTS: There was a
      statistically significant decline in body mass index (BMI), PWD, and CQTD values
      among baseline, 3rd, 6th, and 12th months (p < 0.001 for all comparisons).
      Correlation analysis showed a statistically significant correlation between
      DeltaPWD and DeltaBMI (r = 0.719, p < 0.001), DeltaPWD and Deltaleft ventricular
      end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) (r = 0.291, p = 0.002), DeltaPWD and Deltaleft
      atrial diameter (LAD) (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), DeltaCQTD and DeltaBMI (r = 0.266, p
      = 0.004), DeltaCQTD and DeltaLVEDD (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), DeltaCQTD and DeltaLAD
      (r = 0.289, p = 0.002). In multiple linear regression analysis, there was a
      statistically significant relationship between DeltaPWD and DeltaBMI (beta =
      0.713, p < 0.001), DeltaPWD and DeltaLVEDD (beta = 0.174, p = 0.016), DeltaPWD
      and DeltaLAD (beta = 0.619, p < 0.001), DeltaCQTD and DeltaBMI (beta = 0.247, p =
      0.011), DeltaCQTD and DeltaLVEDD (beta = 0.304, p < 0.001), DeltaCQTD and
      DeltaLAD (beta = 0.235, p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: PWD and CQTD values of patients
      were shown to be attenuated after bariatric surgery. These results indirectly
      offer that there may be a reduction in risk of AF, ventricular arrhythmia, and
      sudden cardiac death after obesity surgery.

PMID- 28900852
TI  - The infiltration of classical Hodgkin lymphoma cells into pleural effusion.

PMID- 28900853
TI  - Coronary artery disease incidentally detected by routine oncology 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

PMID- 28900851
TI  - Tributyltin chloride disrupts aortic vascular reactivity and increases reactive
      oxygen species production in female rats.
AB  - Organotin compounds, such as tributyltin (TBT), are environment contaminants that
      induce bioaccumulation and have potential toxic effects on marine species and
      mammals. TBT have been banned by the International Maritime Organization in 2003.
      However, the assessment of butyltin and metal contents in marine sediments has
      demonstrated high residual levels of TBT in some cases exceeding 7000 ng Sn g-1.
      The acceptable daily intake (ADI) level for TBT established by the World Health
      Organization is 0.5 MUg/kg bw/day is based on genotoxicity, reproduction,
      teratogenicity, immunotoxicity, and mainly neurotoxicity. However, their effect
      on the cardiovascular system is not well understood. In this study, female rats
      were exposed to 0.5 MUg/kg/day of TBT for 15 days with the goal of understanding
      the effect of TBT on vascular function. Female Wistar rats were treated daily by
      gavage and divided into control (n = 10) and TBT (n = 10) groups. The aortic
      rings were incubated with phenylephrine in both the presence and absence of
      endothelium. The phenylephrine concentration-response curves were generated by
      exposing endothelium-intact samples to NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME),
      apocynin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, tiron, and allopurinol.
      Acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were used to evaluate the
      relaxation response. Exposure to TBT reduced serum 17beta-estradiol E2 levels and
      increased vascular reactivity. After incubation with L-NAME, the vascular
      reactivity to phenylephrine was significantly higher. Apocynin, SOD, catalase,
      and tiron decreased the vascular reactivity to phenylephrine to a significantly
      greater extent in TBT-treated rats than in the control rat. The relaxation
      induced by ACh and SNP was significantly reduced in TBT rats. Exposure to TBT
      induced aortic wall atrophy and increased superoxide anion production and
      collagen deposition. These results provide evidence that exposing rats to the
      current ADI for TBT (0.5 MUg/kg) for 15 days induced vascular dysfunction due to
      oxidative stress and morphological damage and should be considered an important
      cardiovascular risk factor.

PMID- 28900854
TI  - Relationships between serum PSA levels, Gleason scores and results of 68Ga
      PSMAPET/CT in patients with recurrent prostate cancer.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the relationship between serum PSA level, Gleason score of
      PCa and the outcomes of Ga68-PSMA PET/CT in patients with recurrent PCa. METHODS:
      A total of 109 consecutive patients (median age 71 years; range 48-89 years) who
      had PSA recurrence after RP and/or hormonotherapy and/or radiotherapy were
      included in this study. Local recurrences, lymph node metastasis (pelvic,
      abdominal and/or supradiaphragmatic), bone metastases
      (oligometastatic/multimetastatic) and other metastatic sites (lung, liver, brain,
      etc) were documented. RESULTS: In 91(83.4%) patients at least one lesion
      characteristic for PCa was detected by68Ga-PSMA PET/CT. The median serum total
      PSA (tPSA) was 6.5 (0.2-640) ng/ml.There was a significant difference between
      68Ga-PSMA PET/CT positive and negative patients in terms of serum total PSA
      value. No statistical significance was found between positive and negative 68Ga
      PSMA PET/CT findings in terms of Gleason score. Local recurrence was detected in
      56 patients. whereas lymph node metastases were demonstrated in 46 patients.
      Pelvic nodal disease was the most frequent presentation followed by abdominal and
      supradiaphragmaticnodal involvement. Bone metastases [oligometastasis, (n = 20);
      multimetastasis, (n = 35)? were also detected in 55 patients. In the ROC analysis
      for the study cohort, the optimal cut-off value of total serum PSA was determined
      as 0.67 ng/ml for distinguishing between positive and negative 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT
      images, with an area under curve of 0.952 (95% CI 0.911-0.993). CONCLUSIONS: 68Ga
      PSMA PET/CT was found to be an effective tool for the detection of recurrent PCa.
      Even though no relationship was detected between the GS and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT
      findings, serum total PSA values may be used for estimating the likelihood of
      positive 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT results.

PMID- 28900855
TI  - Accuracy of Various Lymph Node Staging Criteria in Rectal Cancer with Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The accuracy of pretherapeutic staging of lymph nodes (LN) in
      rectal cancer by MR imaging (MRI) is still limited. The aim of the study was to
      determine the sensitivity and specificity of different morphological criteria in
      nodal staging. MATERIAL AND METHODS: LN were analyzed by MRI in 60 patients with
      rectal cancer and primary surgery. Signs of LN metastasis (cN+) were
      spiculated/indistinct border contour, inhomogeneous signal intensity, or LN size.
      The accuracy of these signs for clinical LN staging was analyzed with conclusive
      postoperative histological lymph node examination. RESULTS: 68.3% of patients
      with nodal metastasis (pN+) were correctly identified by size with a cutoff value
      of 7.2 mm. This, however, was not inferior to the 76.7% identified using the
      inhomogeneous morphological signal intensity and spiculated/indistinct border
      contour criteria (p = 0.096). 3.3 versus 5% were overstaged, and 28.3 versus
      18.3% understaged by these criteria. Sensitivities/specificities for (a) size,
      (b) spiculated/indistinct border contour, and (c) inhomogeneous signal intensity
      and spiculated/indistinct border contour were (a) 32%/94%, (b) 56%/86%, and (c)
      56%/91%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of LN staging in rectal cancer
      was not improved by morphological criteria. These limitations suggest being
      reticent when recommending neoadjuvant chemoradiation merely based on
      preoperative positive LN staging.

PMID- 28900858
TI  - Methodological Aspects in Studies Based on Clinical Routine Data.
AB  - : Randomized controlled clinical trials are regarded as the gold standard for
      comparing different clinical interventions, but generally their conduct is
      operationally cumbersome, time-consuming, and expensive. Studies and
      investigations based on clinical routine data on the contrary utilize existing
      data acquired under real-life conditions and are increasingly popular among
      practitioners. In this paper, methodological aspects of studies based on clinical
      routine data are discussed. Important limitations and considerations as well as
      unique strengths of these types of studies are indicated and exemplarily
      demonstrated in a recent real-case study based on clinical routine data. In
      addition two simulation studies reveal the impact of bias in studies based on
      clinical routine data on the type I error rate and false decision rate in favor
      of the inferior intervention. It is concluded that correctly analyzing clinical
      routine data yields a valuable addition to clinical research; however, as a
      result of a lack of statistical foundation, internal validity, and comparability,
      generalizing results and inferring properties derived from clinical routine data
      to all patients of interest has to be considered with extreme caution. FUNDING:
      Grunenthal GmbH.

PMID- 28900859
TI  - Efficacy of Surah Al-Rehman in Managing Depression in Muslim Women.
AB  - The study empirically investigated the idea that Quranic verses (Surah Al-Rehman)
      can help manage depression. Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (radiAllahu anhu) reported that
      the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Everything has an adornment, and
      the adornment of the Qur'an is Surah Al-Rehman." Surah Al-Rehman is the most
      rhythmic surah of the Quran, so it was used for our experimental study. The idea
      of the study was drawn from the premise that music therapy helps reduce
      depression. The objective of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of
      Surah Al-Rehman for managing depression in Muslim women admitted for treatment of
      major depressive disorder in a psychiatry ward of a government hospital. It was
      hypothesized that women diagnosed with severe depression in the treatment group
      will have reduced level of depression as compared to control group at post
      assessment level. It was further hypothesized that the amount of decrease in
      depression in treatment group at the post-assessment level will be greater as
      compared to the control group. A purposive sample of 12 female patients diagnosed
      with depression was randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 6) and control
      group (n = 6). Assessment was done at pre- and post-level by using Beck
      Depression Inventory-II. Both groups did not significantly differ on pre
      assessment depression scores. Twelve structured group sessions of 22 min, two
      times a day, were conducted for a period of 4 weeks with the groups. Treatment
      group was made to listen to Surah Al-Rehman recited by Qari Abdul Basit, and
      control group was exposed to music used for relaxation and treatment of
      depression. Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to find the within-group
      differences between pre- and post-assessment scores. Both groups had decreased
      level of depression at post-assessment level, so it was important to assess if
      there was any difference in level of decrease. Mann-Whitney U test for comparison
      of groups on level of decrease at the post-assessment level endorsed that
      treatment group had significantly greater decrease than control group on
      depression. Our study highlights the efficacy of Surah Al-Rehman as a remedy to
      reduce depression. The Holy Quran intones, "This sacred book is 'shifa' for its
      followers." Hence, we recommend that researchers should focus on finding remedies
      for other psychological and physical diseases from Quranic verses. An exploration
      of possible mechanism (such as activated cognitions or associated emotions while
      listening to Quran) through which effects of recitation are reached, can also be
      subject of investigation for forthcoming studies.

PMID- 28900856
TI  - Incidence and Management of De Novo Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms After Pelvic
      Organ Prolapse Repair.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a significant problem with many
      options for surgical correction. Following prolapse surgery, de novo lower
      urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are not uncommon. We review the current literature
      on de novo lower urinary tract symptoms following POP repair and discuss the role
      of urodynamics in the evaluation of the prolapse patient. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Patients with occult stress urinary incontinence (SUI) appear to be at higher
      risk of developing de novo SUI after POP repair. Prolapse reduction in patients
      undergoing urodynamic evaluation is important. Different types of POP repair
      influence rates of de novo SUI. Also, prophylactic anti-incontinence procedures
      at time of POP repair appear to lower the incidence of de novo SUI, but at the
      cost of increased risk of complications and morbidity. Pre-existing overactive
      bladder (OAB) symptoms may either improve or persist, and de novo OAB can
      develop. The specific role of urodynamic study testing for POP is still being
      determined. Increasingly, women are seeking surgical treatment for POP. Aside
      from complications related to surgery in general, proper patient counseling is
      important regarding the risk of development of de novo voiding problems following
      surgery. Despite a growing body of literature looking at de novo voiding symptoms
      after prolapse repair, more studies are still needed.

PMID- 28900857
TI  - Endovascular Biopsy: In Vivo Cerebral Aneurysm Endothelial Cell Sampling and Gene
      Expression Analysis.
AB  - There is limited data describing endothelial cell (EC) gene expression between
      aneurysms and arteries partly because of risks associated with surgical tissue
      collection. Endovascular biopsy (EB) is a lower risk alternative to conventional
      surgical methods, though no such efforts have been attempted for aneurysms. We
      sought (1) to establish the feasibility of EB to isolate viable ECs by
      fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), (2) to characterize the differences
      in gene expression by anatomic location and rupture status using single-cell
      qPCR, and (3) to demonstrate the utility of unsupervised clustering algorithms to
      identify cell subpopulations. EB was performed in 10 patients (5 ruptured, 5 non
      ruptured). FACS was used to isolate the ECs and single-cell qPCR was used to
      quantify the expression of 48 genes. Linear mixed models and exploratory
      multilevel component analysis (MCA) and self-organizing maps (SOMs) were
      performed to identify possible subpopulations of cells. ECs were collected from
      all aneurysms and there were no adverse events. A total of 437 ECs was collected,
      94 (22%) of which were aneurysmal cells and 319 (73%) demonstrated EC-specific
      gene expression. Ruptured aneurysm cells, relative controls, yielded a median p
      value of 0.40 with five genes (10%) with p values < 0.05. The five genes (TIE1,
      ENG, VEGFA, MMP2, and VWF) demonstrated uniformly reduced expression relative the
      remaining ECs. MCA and SOM analyses identified a population of outlying cells
      characterized by cell marker gene expression profiles different from endothelial
      cells. After removal of these cells, no cell clustering based on genetic co
      expressivity was found to differentiate aneurysm cells from control cells.
      Endovascular sampling is a reliable method for cell collection for brain aneurysm
      gene analysis and may serve as a technique to further vascular molecular
      research. There is utility in combining mixed and clustering methods, despite no
      specific subpopulation identified in this trial.

PMID- 28900861
TI  - Acute kidney injury caused by decompression illness successfully treated with
      hyperbaric oxygen therapy and temporary dialysis.
AB  - A 52-year-old Japanese male professional diver was referred to our hospital for
      decompression illness (DCI). After 1 h of diving operation at 20 m below sea
      level, he complained of dyspnea, chest pain, and abdominal pain. He dove again,
      intending to ease the symptoms, but the symptoms were never relieved. He dove for
      a total of 4 h. No neurological abnormalities were observed. Computed tomography
      images revealed portal venous gas and mesenteric venous gas, in addition to
      bubbles in the femoral veins, pelvis, lumbar canal, intracranial sinuses, and
      joints. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) was immediately administered. His
      symptoms improved after the first course of HBOT, however, the patient had anuria
      for almost 36 h after admission and exhibited acute kidney injury (AKI). Serum
      creatinine and creatine kinase (CK) levels were increased to maximal values of
      6.16 mg/dL and 18,963 U/L, respectively. Blood flow signals were not detected on
      kidney Doppler ultrasound. We considered that AKI was caused by blood flow
      impairment and capillary leak syndrome due to DCI in addition to rhabdomyolysis
      secondary to arterial gas embolism in the skeletal muscles. Temporary dialysis
      was required to correct the acidemia and electrolyte disturbance. Diuretic phase
      was initiated, and the patient was put off dialysis on day 3. Serum creatinine
      and CK levels returned to normal on day 11. He was successfully treated without
      any complications. Although AKI is a rare manifestation, we should consider AKI
      risk in patients with severe DCI.

PMID- 28900860
TI  - Modified immunosuppressive therapy with porcine antilymphocyte globulin plus
      delayed cyclosporine A in children with severe aplastic anemia.
AB  - Immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and
      cyclosporine (CsA) is the standard treatment for children with severe aplastic
      anemia (SAA) with no human leukocyte antigen-matched siblings. Due to the
      unavailability of horse ATG in China, porcine antilymphocyte globulin (p-ALG),
      which is less expensive and more effective than rabbit ATG, is widely used. We
      sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of modified IST with p-ALG
      plus delayed CsA at day 21 in 50 SAA children. Eighteen SAA patients who
      progressed from nonsevere aplastic anemia (NSAA) were classified as SAA-II; the
      other 32 patients were classified as SAA-I. Overall response (OR) rates at 3, 6
      and 12 months were 56, 64 and 62%, respectively. The 10-year overall survival
      (OS) rate and disease-free survival (DFS) rate were 80 and 56%. The OR, OS and
      DFS rates in the SAA-I group were clearly better than those in the SAA-II group.
      Death rate from infection within 30 days was 4%. Modified IST with p-ALG plus
      delayed CsA is a reliable and well-tolerated treatment for children with SAA, and
      reduces early death due to infection. Modified IST is more suitable for children
      with SAA-I.

PMID- 28900865
TI  - Genetic Counseling in Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders: An Emerging Experience
      in Egypt.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs) are a heterogeneous group
      of diseases of the immune system leading to life-threatening infections, and,
      unless urgently treated with immune reconstitution, patients do not usually
      survive. With the continuing progress in molecular diagnosis, many mutations have
      been described in more than 300 genes. Genetic counseling has recently been
      considered an essential part of the management of PIDs. This study presents the
      experience of genetic counseling services in the largest PID center in Egypt, and
      reports on our management plan and the impact of prenatal diagnosis (PND) on
      families. METHODS: Based on the biochemical and molecular diagnosis of index
      cases, PND was offered for 10 families in 12 subsequent pregnancies. Five
      different genes were sequenced by Sanger sequencing in fetal samples. RESULTS:
      Seven fetuses were either normal or were carriers, while five fetuses were
      affected and human leukocyte antigen typing was performed, seeking a suitably
      related donor for stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSION: In spite of the genetic
      heterogeneity behind PIDs, genetic counseling should play a critical role in the
      management and future decisions of affected families.

PMID- 28900863
TI  - Metal-on-Metal Hip Joint Prostheses: a Retrospective Case Series Investigating
      the Association of Systemic Toxicity with Serum Cobalt and Chromium
      Concentrations.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There have been concerns about prosthesis failure and the potential
      for systemic toxicity due to release of cobalt and chromium from metal-on-metal
      hip joint prostheses (MoM-HP). There is conflicting evidence on whether there is
      a correlation between higher cobalt and chromium concentrations and systemic
      toxicity. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of consecutive patients
      with MoM-HP referred for outpatient review in toxicology clinics in London, UK,
      and in the USA recorded in the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC)
      Registry from June 2011 to June 2015. RESULTS: Thirty-one cases were identified;
      the median (IQR) serum cobalt concentration was 10.0 (3.8-32.8) mcg/L, and the
      median (IQR) serum chromium concentration was 6.9 (3.7-18.7) mcg/L. Twenty-three
      (74.2%) had symptoms, most commonly lethargy, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The
      odds ratios of symptomatic/asymptomatic patients for metal ion concentrations
      above/below 7 mcg/L were 1.87 (95% CI 0.37-9.57, p = 0.45) and 0.60 (95% CI 0.10
      3.50, p = 0.57) for cobalt and chromium, respectively. Two (6.5%) patients with
      systemic cobalt toxicity had median (IQR) serum cobalt concentrations
      significantly higher than those without systemic features (630.4 [397.6-863.2]
      mcg/L versus 9.8 [2.9-16.4] mcg/L; p = 0.017). However, overall, there were no
      differences between cobalt (p = 0.38) or chromium (p = 0.92) concentrations
      between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and no clinical features or
      investigation results correlated with cobalt or chromium concentration.
      CONCLUSION: Two (6.5%) of 31 individuals referred for assessment of MoM-HP were
      diagnosed with systemic cobalt toxicity. However, despite a high prevalence of
      reported symptoms, neither symptoms nor investigation results correlated with
      serum cobalt or chromium concentrations.

PMID- 28900862
TI  - The Influence of Growth and Maturation on Stretch-Shortening Cycle Function in
      Youth.
AB  - Hopping, skipping, jumping and sprinting are common tasks in both active play and
      competitive sports. These movements utilise the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC),
      which is considered a naturally occurring muscle action for most forms of human
      locomotion. This muscle action results in more efficient movements and helps
      optimise relative force generated per motor unit recruited. Innate SSC
      development throughout childhood and adolescence enables children to increase
      power (jump higher and sprint faster) as they mature. Despite these improvements
      in physical performance, the underpinning mechanisms of SSC development during
      maturational years remain unclear. To the best of our knowledge, a comprehensive
      review of the potential structural and neuromuscular adaptations that underpin
      the SSC muscle action does not exist in the literature. Considering the
      importance of the SSC in human movement, it is imperative to understand how
      neural and structural adaptations throughout growth and maturation can influence
      this key muscle action. By understanding the factors that underpin functional SSC
      development, practitioners and clinicians will possess a better understanding of
      normal development processes, which will help differentiate between training
      induced adaptations and those changes that occur naturally due to growth and
      maturation. Therefore, the focus of this article is to identify the potential
      underpinning mechanisms that drive development of SSC muscle action and to
      examine how SSC function is influenced by growth and maturation.

PMID- 28900864
TI  - Ventricular Tachycardia with ICD Shocks: When to Medicate and When to Ablate.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Ventricular tachycardia occurrence in implantable cardioverter
      defibrillator (ICD) patients may result in shock delivery and is associated with
      increased morbidity and mortality. In addition, shocks may have deleterious
      mechanical and psychological effects. Prevention of ventricular tachycardia (VT)
      recurrence with the use of antiarrhythmic drugs or catheter ablation may be
      warranted. Antiarrhythmic drugs are limited by incomplete efficacy and an
      unfavorable adverse effect profile. Catheter ablation can be effective but acute
      complications and long-term VT recurrence risk necessitating repeat ablation
      should be recognized. A shared clinical decision process accounting for patients'
      cardiac status, comorbidities, and goals of care is often required. RECENT
      FINDINGS: There are four published randomized trials of catheter ablation for
      sustained monomorphic VT (SMVT) in the setting of ischemic heart disease; there
      are no randomized studies for non-ischemic ventricular substrates. The most
      recent trial is the VANISH trial which randomly allocated patients with ICD,
      prior infarction, and SMVT despite first-line antiarrhythmic drug therapy to
      catheter ablation or more aggressive antiarrhythmic drug therapy. During 28
      months of follow-up, catheter ablation resulted in a 28% relative risk reduction
      in the composite endpoint of death, VT storm, and appropriate ICD shock (p =
      0.04). In a subgroup analysis, patients having VT despite amiodarone had better
      outcomes with ablation as compared to increasing amiodarone dose or adding
      mexiletine. There is evidence for the effectiveness of both catheter ablation and
      antiarrhythmic drug therapy for patients with myocardial infarction, an
      implantable defibrillator, and VT. If sotalol is ineffective in suppressing VT,
      either catheter ablation or initiation of amiodarone is a reasonable option. If
      VT occurs despite amiodarone therapy, there is evidence that catheter ablation is
      superior to administration of more aggressive antiarrhythmic drug therapy. Early
      catheter ablation may be appropriate in some clinical situations such as patients
      presenting with relatively slow VT below ICD detection, electrical storms,
      hemodynamically stable VT, or in very selected patients with left ventricular
      assist devices. The optimal first-line suppressive therapy for VT, after ICD
      implantation and appropriate programming, remains to be determined. Thus far,
      there has not been a randomized controlled trial to compare catheter ablation to
      antiarrhythmic drug therapy as a first-line treatment; the VANISH-2 study has
      been initiated as a pilot to examine this question.

PMID- 28900866
TI  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy 11 years after liver transplantation:
      a case report.
AB  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is an opportunistic infection of
      the central nervous system caused by JC virus. Only ten cases of PML have been
      reported so far in liver transplant recipients. We present a case of liver
      posttransplantation PML with characteristic clinical and brain MRI findings, but
      with an atypical late onset, developed 11 years after transplantation and after
      single-drug, long-term (8 years), and low-dose (750 mg twice a day)
      immunosuppression with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). This is the latest onset of
      PML associated to liver transplant reported. The present case should help
      physicians to be aware of PML after transplantation, even in the long term and
      even under low doses of immunosuppressants, especially MMF.

PMID- 28900868
TI  - Stability of Organoleptic Agents in Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics.
AB  - Organoleptic agents constitute an important niche in the field of pharmaceutical
      excipients. These agents encompass a range of additives responsible for coloring,
      flavoring, sweetening, and texturing formulations. All these agents have come to
      play a significant role in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics due to their ability to
      increase patient compliance by elevating a formulation's elegance and esthetics.
      However, it is essential to review their physical and chemical attributes before
      use, as organoleptic agents, similar to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs),
      are susceptible to physical and chemical instability leading to degradation.
      These instabilities can be triggered by API-organoleptic agent interaction,
      exposure to light, air and oxygen, and changes in pH and temperature. These
      organoleptic agent instabilities are of serious concern as they affect API and
      formulation stability, leading to API degradation or the potential for
      manifestation of toxicity. Hence, it is extremely critical to evaluate and review
      the physicochemical properties of organoleptic agents before their use in
      pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. This literature review discusses commonly used
      organoleptic agents in pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical formulations, their
      associated instabilities, and probable approaches to overcoming them.

PMID- 28900869
TI  - Enabling Development of Paediatric Medicines in Europe: 10 Years of the EU
      Paediatric Regulation.
AB  - The year 2017 marks the tenth anniversary of entry into force of the Paediatric
      Regulation in the European Union (EU). This law aimed to stimulate the
      development of paediatric medicines and provide more information on their use, as
      a response to the lack of evidence and approval of medicines for children. The
      European Medicines Agency (EMA) has had a central role in the implementation of
      the Regulation. Pharmaceutical companies need to submit a paediatric
      investigation plan (PIP) to the EMA's Paediatric Committee (PDCO) for every new
      medicine, unless an exemption (waiver) is granted. The plans, which describe the
      development of drugs for children, must be agreed well in advance of the request
      for marketing authorization of the medicine. Deferrals of studies can be granted
      to allow approval in adults before the completion of paediatric studies. Between
      January 2007 and December 2016, a total of 273 new medicines and 43 additional
      pharmaceutical forms appropriate for use in children were authorized in the EU,
      and 950 PIPs were agreed by the EMA. In addition, 486 waivers of the development
      of a medicine in one or more medical conditions were agreed. The Paediatric
      Regulation has had a very positive impact on paediatric drug development, as
      exemplified by a comparison of two periods of 3 years before and after entry into
      force of the Regulation. We conclude that the Regulation has resulted in more
      medicines for children and more information on the pediatric use of medicines in
      the EU being available to clinicians.

PMID- 28900867
TI  - Recent Advances in the Etiopathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Role
      of Omics.
AB  - Omics technology presents an exciting and timely opportunity to improve our
      understanding of the molecular etiology and pathogenesis of the group of chronic,
      heterogeneous, inflammatory disorders that comprise inflammatory bowel disease
      (IBD). Interest in the use of omics in the biomedical and clinical research
      communities is gaining pace due to its potential to make huge strides in our
      understanding of IBD causality, and pathology. Omics-related research also has
      applicability for biomarker discovery and the development of individualized
      treatments for patients, termed 'precision medicine'. This review will evaluate
      the omics analyses that have been performed in the context of IBD, with a focus
      on the significance of multi-omics IBD studies and the bioinformatic integration
      of omics data. Such an approach has the potential to provide a comprehensive
      analysis of the major determinants of IBD. The translation of omics data into
      individualized therapy will also be addressed. Major progress in understanding
      the changes that underlie inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) has been achieved;
      however, the key molecular changes in IBD that could be targeted for better
      treatments are undefined. This article reviews the latest IBD research on new
      high-throughput technologies called 'omics', which are measurements and analyses
      of large numbers of molecules from patients and healthy subjects. Omics data have
      the potential to dramatically improve therapy by providing new information to
      tailor highly specific treatments to individual patients with IBD.

PMID- 28900870
TI  - Death, near death, and an antibiotic.

PMID- 28900871
TI  - Incidence of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients with Multiple Myeloma
      Undergoing Contrast-Enhanced Procedures.
AB  - Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disorder characterized by clonal
      proliferation of plasma cells. Renal impairment is a common complication.
      Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a form of acute renal failure that can
      occur in the setting of IV contrast administration. It is more commonly seen in
      patients with pre-existing renal impairment. Patients with MM commonly require
      contrast enhanced procedures. The literature regarding the safety of IV contrast
      in this cohort is lacking. A retrospective review was carried out in a university
      hospital to identify the incidence of CIN in patients with MM and to look for
      associated risk factors. 94 patients and 165 procedures were included in the
      analysis. 10% of procedures resulted in CIN. 59% (10/17) of creatinines had
      normalized within one month of the procedure. The only factor found to be
      significant for the development of CIN was the timing of the procedure (<18mths
      verses >18mths post diagnosis of MM; p = 0.045). CIN appears to occur at an
      increased rate in patients with MM. However this may be an over-estimation given
      the common occurrence of renal impairment in this cohort and the close temporal
      relationship which often exists between systemic illness and contrast-enhanced
      procedures.

PMID- 28900872
TI  - The use of bone mineral density measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry
      (DXA) and peripheral quantitative computed microtomography in chronic kidney
      disease.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for fractures. The current
      evaluation of fracture risk is based upon the combination of various clinical
      factors and quantitative imaging of bone. X-ray-based tools were developed to
      evaluate bone status and predict fracture risk. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry
      (DXA) is available worldwide. Longitudinal studies showed that low areal Bone
      Mineral Density (BMD) measured by DXA predicts fractures in the CKD population as
      it does in non uremic populations, with good specificity and moderate
      sensitivity. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and high
      resolution pQCT are research tools which measure volumetric BMD at the tibia and
      radius. They are able to discriminate between the cortical and trabecular
      envelopes which are differentially affected by renal osteodystrophy. In CKD, a
      rapid thinning and increased porosity at the cortex is observed which is
      associated with increased the risk for fracture.

PMID- 28900873
TI  - Numerical analysis of intracochlear mechanical auditory stimulation using
      piezoelectric bending actuators.
AB  - Cochlear implantation can restore a certain degree of auditory impression of
      patients suffering from profound hearing loss or deafness. Furthermore, studies
      have shown that in case of residual hearing, patients benefit from the use of a
      hearing aid in addition to the cochlear implant. The presented studies aim at the
      improvement of this electromechanical stimulation (EMS) approach by substituting
      the external hearing aid by an internal stimulus provided by miniaturized
      piezoelectric actuators. Finite element analyses are performed in order to derive
      fundamental guidelines for the actuator layout aiming at maximal mechanical
      stimuli. Further analyses aim at investigating how the actuator position inside
      the cochlea influences the basilar membrane oscillation profile. While actuator
      layout guidelines leading to maximized acoustic stimuli could be derived, some of
      these guidelines are of complementary nature suggesting that further studies
      under realistic boundary conditions must be performed. Actuator positioning
      inside the cochlea is shown to have a significant influence on the resulting
      auditory impression of the patient. Based on the results, the main differences of
      external and internal stimulation of the cochlea mechanism are identified. It is
      shown that if the cochlea tonotopy is considered, the frequency selectivity
      resulting from the mechanical cochlea stimulus may be improved.

PMID- 28900874
TI  - Effect of renal transplantation on cognitive function in hemodialysis patients: a
      longitudinal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The literature notes high prevalence of cognitive function (CF)
      impairment among hemodialysis patients. Renal transplantation by reversing
      metabolic factors should improve cognitive function; however, results in post
      transplant patients are inconsistent. Lack of longitudinal studies, variable and
      small patient population, variable renal function and post-transplantation period
      and use of non-specific tests make results difficult to interpret. We looked at
      CF in stable hemodialysis patients just prior to live renal transplantation and
      approximately 3 months subsequently using well-validated electrophysiological
      study of P300 cognitive potential obtained by auditory oddball paradigm using
      multiple scalp electrodes. METHODS: Ten healthy age- and gender-matched controls
      (group 1) and 20 end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) male patients on maintenance
      hemodialysis with no other comorbidities that affect CF were studied before
      (group 2) and 3 months after successful transplantation (group 3). RESULTS: ESKD
      population had mean age of 29.7 +/- 7.5 years, with mean dialysis vintage and
      post-transplant period being 10.3 +/- 6.9 and 3.2 +/- 0.4 months, respectively.
      Mean P300 latencies in groups 1, 2 and 3 were 319 +/- 33.6, 348.6 +/- 27.8 and
      316.4 +/- 33.4 ms, respectively (P < 0.001 group 1 vs 2 and group 2 vs 3; group 1
      vs 3 NS). Mean P300 amplitude in groups 1, 2 and 3 was 27.9 +/- 12.8, 13.4 +/-
      8.6 and 14.6 +/- 9.4 uV, respectively (P < 0.001 group 1 vs 2 and group 1 vs 3;
      group 2 vs 3 NS). P300 latencies correlated negatively with hemoglobin and serum
      albumin. CONCLUSIONS: ESKD patients have impaired CF as documented by prolonged
      P300 latencies. There was normalization of P300 latencies post-transplantation
      indicating role of uremic toxins in CF impairment.

PMID- 28900875
TI  - Single-Arm Study of Etanercept in Adult Patients with Moderate to Severe
      Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Failed Adalimumab Treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of etanercept treatment in
      adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who failed to
      respond (primary failure) or lost a satisfactory response (secondary failure) to
      adalimumab. METHODS: All patients discontinued prior adalimumab treatment and
      continued methotrexate with etanercept 50 mg once weekly for 24 weeks. The
      primary study endpoint was American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement
      criteria (ACR20) at week 12. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients (mean age 56.6 years;
      female 80.0%) were evaluated for safety and 84 for efficacy. Thirty (35.7%)
      patients achieved ACR20 at week 12; the lower bound of the 95% confidence
      interval (CI; 25.6, 46.9) was greater than the prespecified goal of 24% based on
      previous research. Improvements from baseline in clinical outcomes and patient
      reported outcomes were observed at each study visit. In planned subgroup
      analyses, patients with anti-adalimumab antibodies and secondary adalimumab
      failure had the highest ACR20 response to etanercept at week 12 (11/17 patients;
      64.7%). Among the patients with secondary adalimumab failure, those with anti
      adalimumab antibodies were fivefold more likely to have an ACR20 response to
      etanercept than those without anti-adalimumab antibodies (odds ratio 5.2; 95% CI
      2.0, 13.5; P < 0.001). Adverse events were reported for 62 (72.9%) patients and
      were consistent with previous studies of etanercept. Most adverse events were
      mild or moderate in severity. CONCLUSION: Switching to etanercept is a
      therapeutic option in patients with RA who fail adalimumab treatment. The
      presence of anti-adalimumab antibodies may provide additional support for
      switching to etanercept, particularly in patients with secondary adalimumab
      failure. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT01927757.

PMID- 28900878
TI  - Scientific, educational abstracts presented at the ASER 2017 annual scientific
      meeting and postgraduate course September 6-9, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

PMID- 28900876
TI  - Improving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Outcomes in Pediatric Brain Tumors.
AB  - Pediatric brain tumors are the primary cause of cancer-related death during
      childhood. Unfortunately, the number of primary and metastatic brain tumors is
      steadily increasing while the mortality rates for many central nervous system
      (CNS) lesions have remained stagnant. Molecularly defined tumor classes have been
      added to the most recent 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) Classification
      System of Central Nervous System Brain Tumors, driving potential new treatments
      and identifying targets to improve survival for these patients. Focusing on the
      genetic mutations most commonly seen in the pediatric CNS tumor population
      provides the ability to better define tumors based on shared molecular
      characteristics. Consequently, there is the potential for greater efficacy in
      targeted therapy to treat these identified genetic aberrations. Understanding the
      growing importance of molecular diagnosis in pediatric CNS tumors is vital to
      successfully using novel targeted therapies and improving patient outcomes.

PMID- 28900877
TI  - Genetic Polymorphisms of SLCO1B1, CYP2E1 and UGT1A1 and Susceptibility to Anti
      Tuberculosis Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity: A Chinese Population-Based Prospective
      Case-Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes have been linked to
      drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Solute carrier organic anion transporter family
      member 1B1 (SLCO1B1), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and UDP
      glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) were selected as candidate genes to explore
      their association with susceptibility to anti-tuberculosis drug-induced
      hepatotoxicity (ATDH). METHODS: Thirty-four tag single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (tagSNPs) in SLCO1B1, CYP2E1, and UGT1A1 with 10-kb expansion up- and down-stream
      were genotyped in 461 patients with ATDH and 466 patients without ATDH in a
      prospective 1:1 matched case-control study. The frequencies and distributions of
      genotypes and haplotypes were compared between the groups using three genetic
      models (dominant, recessive, and additive) to identify associations with
      susceptibility to ATDH. RESULTS: Patients with the rs4149034 G/A, rs1564370 G/C,
      and rs2900478 T/A genotypes of SLCO1B1 had a significantly lower risk of ATDH,
      while those carrying the rs2417957 T/T and rs4149063 T/T genotypes had an
      increased risk. The rs4148323 A/A genotype of UGT1A1 was found to significantly
      reduce the risk of ATDH. Haplotype analysis showed the TGTG, TTTC, and GTTC
      haplotypes of SLCO1B1 were associated with an increased ATDH risk, whereas the
      GACC haplotype was related to a reduced risk. The ATG haplotype of UGT1A1 reduced
      the risk of ATDH. Moreover, treatment outcomes in tuberculosis patients were
      further affected by genetic variants of SLCO1B1. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic
      polymorphisms of SLCO1B1 and UGT1A1 were found to be associated with
      susceptibility to ATDH. Molecular identification of susceptibility genes provides
      a theoretical foundation for predicting the likelihood of ATDH and predicting
      treatment outcomes in tuberculosis patients.

PMID- 28900879
TI  - Darwinism in metaethics: What if the universal acid cannot be contained?
AB  - The aim of this article is to explore the impact of Darwinism in metaethics and
      dispel some of the confusion surrounding it. While the prospects for a Darwinian
      metaethics appear to be improving, some underlying epistemological issues remain
      unclear. We will focus on the so-called Evolutionary Debunking Arguments (EDAs)
      which, when applied in metaethics, are defined as arguments that appeal to the
      evolutionary origins of moral beliefs so as to undermine their epistemic
      justification. The point is that an epistemic disanalogy can be identified in the
      debate on EDAs between moral beliefs and other kinds of beliefs, insofar as only
      the former are regarded as vulnerable to EDAs. First, we will analyze some
      significant debunking positions in metaethics in order to show that they do not
      provide adequate justification for such an epistemic disanalogy. Then, we will
      assess whether they can avoid the accusation of being epistemically incoherent by
      adopting the same evolutionary account for all kinds of beliefs. In other words,
      once it is argued that Darwinism has a corrosive impact on metaethics, what if
      its universal acid cannot be contained?

PMID- 28900880
TI  - Characterizing Indeterminate Renal Masses with Molecular Imaging: the Role of
      99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The majority of enhancing renal masses cannot be characterized
      through imaging as malignant or benign; however, such characterization could save
      patients from unnecessary surgery and/or biopsy and associated morbidity. Herein,
      we review the recent literature on the emerging use of 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT in
      preoperative differentiation of enhancing renal masses. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent
      reports have shown that 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT imaging can differentiate
      mitochondrial-rich, benign, or indolent renal masses from renal cell carcinoma.
      These studies demonstrate good correlation between a positive 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT
      scan and a pathologically proven diagnosis of renal oncocytoma and hybrid
      oncocytic/chromophobe tumor. In addition, there is excellent correlation between
      a negative scan and a diagnosis of clear cell subtype of renal cell carcinoma.
      Preoperative 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT offers a non-invasive method for differentiating
      renal lesions with low aggressiveness from other RCCs, in particular, clear cell
      renal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 28900881
TI  - Recognition-induced forgetting of faces in visual long-term memory.
AB  - Despite more than a century of evidence that long-term memory for pictures and
      words are different, much of what we know about memory comes from studies using
      words. Recent research examining visual long-term memory has demonstrated that
      recognizing an object induces the forgetting of objects from the same category.
      This recognition-induced forgetting has been shown with a variety of everyday
      objects. However, unlike everyday objects, faces are objects of expertise. As a
      result, faces may be immune to recognition-induced forgetting. However, despite
      excellent memory for such stimuli, we found that faces were susceptible to
      recognition-induced forgetting. Our findings have implications for how models of
      human memory account for recognition-induced forgetting as well as represent
      objects of expertise and consequences for eyewitness testimony and the justice
      system.

PMID- 28900882
TI  - Acute Paracoccidioidomycosis in a 40-Year-Old Man: A Case Report and Literature
      Review.
AB  - Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic mycosis that represents an important
      public health problem in Latin America due to its life-threatening character. It
      is considered occupational disease of agricultural workers. In this report, we
      present a rare and serious case of the acute form of the disease in a 40-year-old
      man with no history of contact with the rural environment. Diagnosis was made
      through cervical lymph node biopsy, and treatment was performed with antifungal
      drugs, which produced effective results. A literature review was conducted with
      discussion of clinical, pathophysiological and therapeutic aspects of PCM.

PMID- 28900884
TI  - The social dimension of biobanking: objectives and challenges.
AB  - The present article allows to explore, analyze and reflect on the consequences
      and problems posed by biobanks and attempts to prove the need of social and
      humanitarian support in establishing and functioning of biobanks as a new type of
      scientific institutions. The basis of the article is the latest publications
      devoted to social and humanitarian aspects of biobanking and Russian experience
      of the initial formation of this subject domain (before the first professional
      biobanks were established in Russia in the 2010-s, the only highly specialized
      collections of bio-samples had been registered). The article marks and classifies
      different aspects of biobanking that objectively demands the participation of
      specialists in ethics and social sciences. The cases of biobanking development
      and risks are estimated; the objective need of applied ethics and social sciences
      specialists' participation in biobanking is proved.

PMID- 28900885
TI  - Erratum to: One-level step section histological analysis is insufficient to
      confirm complete pathological response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation for
      rectal cancer.
AB  - Unfortunately, one of the author name was wrongly published in the original
      publication. The complete correct name should read as follows "Beatriz Camargo
      Azevedo". The original article was updated.

PMID- 28900886
TI  - The effect of obesity on laparoscopic and robotic-assisted colorectal surgery
      outcomes: an ACS-NSQIP database analysis.
AB  - Advantages of robotic-assisted colorectal surgery have been reported, but the
      effect on outcomes between obese and non-obese patients undergoing laparoscopic
      and robotic-assisted colorectal surgery remains unclear. Patients who underwent
      elective laparoscopic and robotic colon or rectal resections between 2012 and
      2014 were identified in the ACS-NSQIP database. Propensity score matching was
      performed to determine the effect of obesity on laparoscopic and robotic-assisted
      30-day surgical outcomes. 29,172 patients met inclusion criteria; 27,693 (94.9%)
      underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery while 1479 (5.1%) underwent robotic
      assisted surgery. Mean BMI was 28.4 kg/m2 and 35% of patients had a BMI >=30
      kg/m2. A 10-to-1 propensity matching of laparoscopic to robotic approaches was
      performed, resulting in 14,770 (90.9%) laparoscopic patients and 1477 (9.1%)
      robotic-assisted patients available for analysis. Robotic-assisted surgery was
      associated with lower conversion to laparotomy (2.4 vs 3.4%; p = 0.04) and
      decreased length-of-stay (4.5+/-3.2 vs 5.1+/-4.5 days; p < 0.0001). After
      adjusting for BMI and surgical approach, obese patients undergoing robotic
      assisted surgery had a reduced odds ratio for developing prolonged ileus (p =
      0.03). Robotic-assisted colorectal surgery is associated with fewer conversions
      to laparotomy and shorter length-of-stays compared to laparoscopic surgery. Risk
      of prolonged ileus is significantly reduced in obese patients undergoing a
      robotic-assisted approach.

PMID- 28900889
TI  - 24th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Research.

PMID- 28900887
TI  - Insomnia in tension-type headache: a population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tension-type headache (TTH) represents the most common type of
      headache among the general population. Although such headaches are usually mild
      in severity, some individuals with TTH experience severe symptoms and psychiatric
      comorbidities. Such patients may also experience sleep disturbances, which have
      been associated with headache exacerbation. Nevertheless, information regarding
      the prevalence and impact of insomnia among individuals with TTH in a population
      based setting is limited. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate
      the prevalence and impact of insomnia among individuals with TTH using data from
      the Korean Headache-Sleep Study (KHSS). METHODS: We analysed data from the KHSS-a
      nation-wide, cross-sectional, population-based survey on headache and sleep
      involving Korean adults aged 19 to 69 years. Insomnia was defined as an Insomnia
      Severity Index score >= 10. RESULTS: Among 2695 participants, 570 (21.2%) and 290
      (10.8%) were classified as having TTH and insomnia, respectively. Among
      individuals with TTH, 113 (19.8%) met the criteria for probable migraine (PM).
      The prevalence of insomnia among individuals with TTH was significantly higher
      than that among individuals without headache (13.2% vs. 5.8%, p < 0.001).
      However, among the TTH group, the prevalence of insomnia did not significantly
      differ between participants fulfilling PM criteria and those not fulfilling PM
      criteria (14.2% vs. 12.9%, p = 0.725). Among individuals with TTH, headache
      frequency [median and interquartile range (IQR): 1.0 (0.3-3.0) vs. 0.4 (0.2-1.0),
      p = 0.002], visual analogue scale scores for headache intensity [median and IQR:
      5.0 (4.0-7.0) vs. 4.0 (3.0-6.0), p < 0.001], Headache Impact Test-6 scores
      [median and IQR: 46.0 (40.0-52.0) vs. 42.0 (38.0-46.0), p < 0.001], anxiety
      prevalence (28.0% vs. 6.7%, p < 0.001), and depression prevalence (21.3% vs.
      1.6%, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in those with insomnia than in those
      without insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that insomnia is prevalent
      among individuals with TTH. Moreover, insomnia was associated with exacerbation
      of headache symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities. Therefore, identification of
      insomnia among individuals with TTH is required to improve the management of
      headache symptoms in such patients.

PMID- 28900891
TI  - Irish Endocrine Society 41st Annual Meeting, 13th and 14th October 2017, Grand
      Hotel, Malahide, Dublin.

PMID- 28900890
TI  - High level of venous thromboembolism in critically ill trauma patients despite
      early and well-driven thromboprophylaxis protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the most common preventable
      causes of in-hospital death in trauma patients surviving their injuries. We
      assessed the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for deep venous thrombosis
      (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in critically ill trauma patients, in the
      setting of a mature and early mechanical and pharmacological thromboprophylaxis
      protocol. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study on a cohort of
      patients from a surgical intensive care unit of a university level 1 trauma
      centre. We enrolled consecutive primary trauma patients expected to be in
      intensive care for >=48 h. Thromboprophylaxis was protocol driven. DVT screening
      was performed by duplex ultrasound of upper and lower extremities within the
      first 48 h, between 5 and 7 days and then weekly until discharge. We recorded VTE
      risk factors at baseline and on each examination day. Independent risk factors
      were analysed using a multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: In 153 patients
      with a mean Injury Severity Score of 23 +/- 12, the prevalence of VTE was 30.7%,
      95 CI [23.7-38.8] (29.4% DVT and 4.6% PE). The incidence was 18%, 95 CI [14-24]
      patients-week. The median time of apparition of DVT was 6 days [1; 4]. The global
      protocol compliance was 77.8% with a median time of introduction of the
      pharmacological prophylaxis of 1 day [1; 2]. We identified four independent risk
      factors for VTE: central venous catheter (OR 4.39, 95 CI [1.1-29]), medullar
      injury (OR 5.59, 95 CI [1.7-12.9]), initial systolic arterial pressure <80 mmHg
      (OR 3.64, 95 CI [1.3-10.8]), and pelvic fracture (OR 3.04, 95 CI [1.2-7.9]).
      CONCLUSION: Despite a rigorous, protocol-driven thromboprophylaxis, critically
      ill trauma patients showed a high incidence of VTE. Further research is needed to
      tailor pharmacological prophylaxis and balance the risks and benefits.

PMID- 28900892
TI  - Increased locus coeruleus tonic activity causes disengagement from a patch
      foraging task.
AB  - High levels of locus coeruleus (LC) tonic activity are associated with
      distraction and poor performance within a task. Adaptive gain theory (AGT; Aston
      Jones & Cohen, 2005) suggests that this may reflect an adaptive function of the
      LC, encouraging search for more remunerative opportunities in times of low
      utility. Here, we examine whether stimulating LC tonic activity using designer
      receptors (DREADDs) promotes searching for better opportunities in a patch
      foraging task as the value of a patch diminishes. The task required rats to
      decide repeatedly whether to exploit an immediate but depleting reward within a
      patch or to incur the cost of a time delay to travel to a new, fuller patch.
      Similar to behavior associated with high LC tonic activity in other tasks, we
      found that stimulating LC tonic activity impaired task performance, resulting in
      reduced task participation and increased response times and omission rates.
      However, this was accompanied by a more specific, predicted effect: a significant
      tendency to leave patches earlier, which was best explained by an increase in
      decision noise rather than a systematic bias to leave earlier (i.e., at higher
      values). This effect is consistent with the hypothesis that high LC tonic
      activity favors disengagement from current behavior, and the pursuit of
      alternatives, by augmenting processing noise. These results provide direct causal
      evidence for the relationship between LC tonic activity and flexible task
      switching proposed by AGT.

PMID- 28900894
TI  - Erratum to: Naturally occurring Vpr inhibitors from medicinal plants of Myanmar.

PMID- 28900893
TI  - Associations of Neighborhood Environmental Attributes with Walking in Japan:
      Moderating Effects of Area-Level Socioeconomic Status.
AB  - Several studies have examined how the associations of built environment
      attributes with walking behaviors may be moderated by socioeconomic status (SES).
      Such understanding is important to address socioeconomic inequalities in health
      through urban design initiatives. However, to date, there is no study examining
      the moderation effects of SES in the relationships of environmental attributes
      and walking in non-Western countries. The current study aims to examine
      associations of environmental attributes with walking behaviors among Japanese
      adults, and to test whether these associations were moderated by area-level SES.
      Data on walking were collected from Japanese adults using a nationwide Internet
      survey (N = 4605). Built environment measures including population density,
      street density, distance to the nearest public open space, and distance to the
      nearest commercial destination were calculated using geographic information
      systems software. An index of neighborhood deprivation was used as an area-level
      indicator of SES. Logistic regression models adjusted for clustering and
      sociodemographic variables were used. It was found that more residents in high
      SES areas walked for commuting, for errands, and for exercise compared with those
      who lived in low SES areas. When the whole sample was examined, all environmental
      attributes were associated with walking behaviors (except for street density not
      being associated with walking for exercise). Associations of environmental
      attributes with walking behaviors were moderated by area-level SES only in
      walking for exercise. Walking for exercise was associated with higher population
      density, higher street density (marginally significant), and shorter distance to
      the nearest commercial destination only in high SES areas. Our findings showed
      that the associations of these environmental attributes and walking behaviors
      were largely consistent across different SES levels. Therefore, urban design
      interventions focusing on low SES areas may help to reduce socioeconomic
      disparities in walking.

PMID- 28900895
TI  - Erratum to: Resin glycosides from Convolvulaceae plants.

PMID- 28900896
TI  - Fusion of gelonin and anti-insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R)
      affibody for enhanced brain cancer therapy.
AB  - Owing to the extraordinary potency in inhibiting protein translation that could
      eventually lead to apoptosis of tumor cells, ribosome-inactivating proteins
      (RIPs) such as gelonin have been considered attractive drug candidates for cancer
      therapy. However, due to several critical obstacles (e.g., severe toxicity issues
      caused by a lack of selectivity in their mode of action and the low cytotoxicity
      via poor cellular uptake, etc.), clinical application of RIPs is yet far from
      being accomplished. To overcome these challenges, in the present study, we
      engineered gelonin fusion proteins with anti-insulin-like growth factor-1
      receptor (IGF-1R) affibody ("IAFF") via the genetic recombinant method and the
      SpyCatcher/SpyTag-mediated conjugation method. To this end, recombinant gelonin
      anti-IGF-1R affibody (rGel-IAFF), gelonin-SpyCatcher (Gel-SpyCatcher) and SpyTag
      IAFF fusion proteins were produced from the E. coli expression system, and
      gelonin-IAFF conjugate was synthesized by mixing Gel-SpyCatcher and SpyTag-IAFF.
      After preparation of both rGel-IAFF and Gel-IAFF conjugate, their components'
      functionality was characterized in vitro. Our assay results confirmed that, while
      both Gel-IAFF and Gel-SpyCatcher retained equipotent N-glycosidase activity to
      that of gelonin, IAFF was able to selectively bind to IGF-1R overexpressed U87 MG
      brain cancer cells over low expression LNCaP cells. The results of cellular
      analyses showed that rGel-IAFF and Gel-IAFF conjugate both exhibited a greater
      cell uptake in the U87 MG cells than gelonin, but not in the LNCaP cells,
      yielding a significantly augmented cytotoxicity only in the U87 MG cells.
      Remarkably, rGel-IAFF and Gel-IAFF conjugate displayed 22- and 5.6-fold lower
      IC50 values (avg. IC50: 180 and 720 nM, respectively) than gelonin (avg. IC50:
      4000 nM) in the U87 MG cells. Overall, the results of the present research
      demonstrated that fusion of gelonin with IAFF could provide an effective way to
      enhance the anti-tumor activity, while reducing the associated toxicity of
      gelonin.

PMID- 28900897
TI  - Ulipristal Acetate: A Review in Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids.
AB  - Oral ulipristal acetate (Esmya(r); Fibristal(r)), a synthetic selective
      progesterone receptor modulator, is the first selective progesterone modulator to
      be approved for the treatment of uterine fibroids. It was initially approved for
      the preoperative treatment of moderate to severe uterine fibroid symptoms in
      women of reproductive age. Recently, the indication was extended in the EU to
      include the intermittent treatment of moderate to severe uterine fibroid
      symptoms. This narrative review summarizes pharmacological, efficacy and
      tolerability data relevant to the preoperative and intermittent use of ulipristal
      acetate in patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids. Ulipristal acetate is an
      effective and generally well tolerated treatment for patients with symptomatic
      uterine fibroids, both as preoperative, single-course treatment and as
      intermittent, longer-term treatment. It is noninferior in efficacy to
      intramuscular leuprolide acetate, as a preoperative treatment, and is associated
      with a lower rate of hot flashes, a common adverse event with gonadotropin
      releasing hormone analogues. Thus, ulipristal acetate is an effective option for
      both preoperative and intermittent treatment of moderate to severe, symptomatic
      uterine fibroids in women of reproductive age.

PMID- 28900899
TI  - Cardiovascular disease in the literature: A selection of recent original research
      papers.

PMID- 28900898
TI  - Methods for Practising Ethics in Research and Innovation: A Literature Review,
      Critical Analysis and Recommendations.
AB  - This paper provides a systematic literature review, analysis and discussion of
      methods that are proposed to practise ethics in research and innovation (R&I).
      Ethical considerations concerning the impacts of R&I are increasingly important,
      due to the quickening pace of technological innovation and the ubiquitous use of
      the outcomes of R&I processes in society. For this reason, several methods for
      practising ethics have been developed in different fields of R&I. The paper first
      of all presents a systematic search of academic sources that present and discuss
      such methods. Secondly, it provides a categorisation of these methods according
      to three main kinds: (1) ex ante methods, dealing with emerging technologies, (2)
      intra methods, dealing with technology design, and (3) ex post methods, dealing
      with ethical analysis of existing technologies. Thirdly, it discusses the methods
      by considering problems in the way they deal with the uncertainty of
      technological change, ethical technology design, the identification, analysis and
      resolving of ethical impacts of technologies and stakeholder participation. The
      results and discussion of our literature review are valuable for gaining an
      overview of the state of the art and serve as an outline of a future research
      agenda of methods for practising ethics in R&I.

PMID- 28900900
TI  - Mapping the Information Trace in Local Field Potentials by a Computational Method
      of Two-Dimensional Time-Shifting Synchronization Likelihood Based on Graphic
      Processing Unit Acceleration.
AB  - The local field potential (LFP) is a signal reflecting the electrical activity of
      neurons surrounding the electrode tip. Synchronization between LFP signals
      provides important details about how neural networks are organized.
      Synchronization between two distant brain regions is hard to detect using linear
      synchronization algorithms like correlation and coherence. Synchronization
      likelihood (SL) is a non-linear synchronization-detecting algorithm widely used
      in studies of neural signals from two distant brain areas. One drawback of non
      linear algorithms is the heavy computational burden. In the present study, we
      proposed a graphic processing unit (GPU)-accelerated implementation of an SL
      algorithm with optional 2-dimensional time-shifting. We tested the algorithm with
      both artificial data and raw LFP data. The results showed that this method
      revealed detailed information from original data with the synchronization values
      of two temporal axes, delay time and onset time, and thus can be used to
      reconstruct the temporal structure of a neural network. Our results suggest that
      this GPU-accelerated method can be extended to other algorithms for processing
      time-series signals (like EEG and fMRI) using similar recording techniques.

PMID- 28900901
TI  - Erratum to: Estimated Healthcare Costs of Melanoma in Australia Over 3 Years Post
      Diagnosis.
AB  - The last word in the first paragraph which previously read AU$25 million should
      read 25 million as this relates to population size.

PMID- 28900902
TI  - Derivation and validation of a prognostic model for postoperative risk
      stratification of critically ill patients with faecal peritonitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prognostic scores and models of illness severity are useful both
      clinically and for research. The aim of this study was to develop two prognostic
      models for the prediction of long-term (6 months) and 28-day mortality of
      postoperative critically ill patients with faecal peritonitis (FP). METHODS:
      Patients admitted to intensive care units with faecal peritonitis and recruited
      to the European GenOSept study were divided into a derivation and a geographical
      validation subset; patients subsequently recruited to the UK GAinS study were
      used for temporal validation. Using all 50 clinical and laboratory variables
      available on day 1 of critical care admission, Cox proportional hazards
      regression was fitted to select variables for inclusion in two prognostic models,
      using stepwise selection and nonparametric bootstrapping sampling techniques.
      Using Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AuROC) analysis,
      the performance of the models was compared to SOFA and APACHE II. RESULTS: Five
      variables (age, SOFA score, lowest temperature, highest heart rate, haematocrit)
      were entered into the prognostic models. The discriminatory performance of the 6
      month prognostic model yielded an AuROC 0.81 (95% CI 0.76-0.86), 0.73 (95% CI
      0.69-0.78) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.69-0.83) for the derivation, geographic and
      temporal external validation cohorts, respectively. The 28-day prognostic tool
      yielded an AuROC 0.82 (95% CI 0.77-0.88), 0.75 (95% CI 0.69-0.80) and 0.79 (95%
      CI 0.71-0.87) for the same cohorts. These AuROCs appeared consistently superior
      to those obtained with the SOFA and APACHE II scores alone. CONCLUSIONS: The two
      prognostic models developed for 6-month and 28-day mortality prediction in
      critically ill septic patients with FP, in the postoperative phase, enhanced the
      day one SOFA score's predictive utility by adding a few key variables: age,
      lowest recorded temperature, highest recorded heart rate and haematocrit.
      External validation of their predictive capability in larger cohorts is needed,
      before introduction of the proposed scores into clinical practice to inform
      decision making and the design of clinical trials.

PMID- 28900903
TI  - The cost of switching between taxonomic and thematic semantics.
AB  - Current models and theories of semantic knowledge primarily capture taxonomic
      relationships (DOG and WOLF) and largely do not address the role of thematic
      relationships in semantic knowledge (DOG and LEASH). Recent evidence suggests
      that processing or representation of thematic relationships may be distinct from
      taxonomic relationships. If taxonomic and thematic relations are distinct, then
      there should be a cost associated with switching between them even when the task
      remains constant. This hypothesis was tested using two different semantic
      relatedness judgment tasks: Experiment 1 used a triads task and Experiment 2 used
      an oddball task. In both experiments, participants were faster to respond when
      the same relationship appeared on consecutive trials than when the relationship
      types were different, even though the task remained the same and the specific
      relations were different on each trial. These results are consistent with the
      theory that taxonomic and thematic relations rely on distinct processes or
      representations.

PMID- 28900904
TI  - Lonoctocog Alfa: A Review in Haemophilia A.
AB  - Lonoctocog alfa (rVIII-SingleChain; Afstyla(r)) is a novel single-chain
      recombinant factor VIII (FVIII) molecule, with a truncated B-domain and the heavy
      and light chains covalently linked to form a stable and homogenous drug that
      binds with high affinity to von Willebrand factor (VWF). Intravenous lonoctocog
      alfa is approved for the prophylaxis and treatment of bleeding in patients with
      haemophilia A in several countries worldwide. In two pivotal, multicentre trials,
      lonoctocog alfa was effective in the treatment of bleeding episodes and as
      prophylaxis, including for perioperative management in adults, adolescents and
      children. In terms of haemostatic efficacy in controlling bleeding episodes,
      overall treatment and investigator-assessed success rates were high across all
      age groups, with the majority of these bleeds controlled with a single injection
      of lonoctocog alfa. Low median spontaneous, overall and traumatic annualized
      bleeding rates were evident with prophylactic lonoctocog alfa regimens in both
      trials. Lonoctocog alfa was generally well-tolerated, with very low rates of
      injection-site reactions. No previously treated patient experienced an
      anaphylactic reaction or developed an inhibitor. In conclusion, lonoctocog alfa
      is an effective and generally well-tolerated alternative to conventional FVIII
      products for the treatment and prophylaxis of bleeding, including in the surgical
      setting, in adults, adolescents and children with haemophilia A.

PMID- 28900905
TI  - Biodegradation of ramie stalk by Flammulina velutipes: mushroom production and
      substrate utilization.
AB  - In the textile industry, ramie stalk is byproducts with a low economic value. The
      potential use of this leftover as a substrate ingredient for Flammulina velutipes
      (F. velutipe) cultivation was evaluated. The degradation and utilization of ramie
      stalk by F. velutipes was evaluated through mushroom production, lignocelluloses
      degradation and lignocellulolytic enzymes activity. The best substrate mixture
      for F. velutipes cultivation comprised 50% ramie stalk, 20% cottonseed hulls, 25%
      wheat bran, 4% cornstarch and 2% CaCO3. The highest biological efficiency of
      fruiting bodies was reached 119.7%. F. velutipes appears to degrade 12.7-32.0%
      lignin, 14.4-30.2% cellulose and 9.3-25.7% hemicellulose during cultivation on
      the different substrates. The results of enzymes activities showed that laccase
      and peroxidase were higher before fruiting; while cellulase and hemicellulase
      showed higher activities after fruiting. The biological efficiency of fruiting
      bodies was positively correlated with the activities of cellulase, hemicellulase
      and ligninolytic enzyme. The results of this study demonstrate that ramie stalk
      can be used as an effective supplement for increasing mushroom yield in F.
      velutipes.

PMID- 28900906
TI  - Introduction.
AB  - This second edition volume will present an updated, state-of-the art description
      and analysis of the rapidly expanding field of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE).
      And this first part will deal with the most fundamental mechanistic concepts
      underlying this process. In this brief introduction, I will try to summarize the
      historical development of the concept of store-operated Ca2+ entry and say a bit
      about some recent work that speaks to its general function in cell signaling.
      Much of the material below is taken from the Introduction to the first edition,
      updated for the second edition.

PMID- 28900907
TI  - The STIM-Orai Pathway: STIM-Orai Structures: Isolated and in Complex.
AB  - Considerable progress has been made elucidating the molecular mechanisms of
      calcium (Ca2+) sensing by stromal interaction molecules (STIMs) and the basis for
      Orai channel activity. This chapter focuses on the available high-resolution
      structural details of STIM and Orai proteins with respect to the regulation of
      store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Solution structures of the Ca2+-sensing domains
      of STIM1 and STIM2 are reviewed in detail, crystal structures of cytosolic coiled
      coil STIM fragments are discussed, and an overview of the closed Drosophila
      melanogaster Orai hexameric structure is provided. Additionally, we highlight
      structures of human Orai1 N-terminal and C-terminal domains in complex with
      calmodulin and human STIM1, respectively. Ultimately, the accessible structural
      data are discussed in terms of potential mechanisms of action and cohesiveness
      with functional observations.

PMID- 28900909
TI  - The STIM-Orai Pathway: The Interactions Between STIM and Orai.
AB  - A primary Ca2+ entry pathway in non-excitable cells is established by the Ca2+
      release-activated Ca2+ channels. Their two limiting molecular components include
      the Ca2+-sensor protein STIM1 located in the endoplasmic reticulum and the Orai
      channel in the plasma membrane. STIM1 senses the luminal Ca2+ content, and store
      depletion induces its oligomerization into puncta-like structures, thereby
      triggering coupling to as well as activation of Orai channels. A C-terminal STIM1
      domain is assumed to couple to both C- and N-terminal, cytosolic strands of Orai,
      accomplishing gating of the channel. Here we highlight the inter- and
      intramolecular steps of the STIM1-Orai signaling cascade together with critical
      sites of the pore structure that accomplishes Ca2+ permeation.

PMID- 28900908
TI  - The STIM-Orai Pathway: Orai, the Pore-Forming Subunit of the CRAC Channel.
AB  - This chapter focuses on the Orai proteins, Orai1-Orai3, with special emphasis on
      Orai1, in humans and other mammals, and on the definitive evidence that Orai is
      the pore subunit of the CRAC channel. It begins by reviewing briefly the defining
      characteristics of the CRAC channel, then discusses the studies that implicated
      Orai as part of the store-operated Ca2+ entry pathway and as the CRAC channel
      pore subunit, and finally examines ongoing work that is providing insights into
      CRAC channel structure and gating.

PMID- 28900910
TI  - The STIM-Orai Pathway: Conformational Coupling Between STIM and Orai in the
      Activation of Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry.
AB  - Store-operated Ca2+ entry fulfills a crucial role in controlling Ca2+ signals in
      almost all cells. The Ca2+-sensing stromal interaction molecule (STIM) proteins
      in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) undergo complex conformational changes in
      response to depleted ER luminal Ca2+, allowing them to unfold and become trapped
      in ER-plasma membrane (PM) junctions. Dimers of STIM proteins trap and gate the
      plasma membrane Orai Ca2+ channels within these junctions to generate discrete
      zones of high Ca2+ and regulate sensitive Ca2+-dependent intracellular signaling
      pathways. The STIM-Orai activating region (SOAR) of STIM1 becomes exposed upon
      store depletion and promotes trapping of Orai1 at the PM. Residue Phe-394 within
      SOAR forms an integral part of the high-affinity Orai1-interacting site. Our
      results demonstrate that only a single active site within the dimeric SOAR domain
      of STIM1 is required for the activation of Orai1 channel activity. This
      unimolecular model is strongly supported by evidence of variable STIM1:Orai1
      stoichiometry reported in many studies. We hypothesize that unimolecular coupling
      promotes cross-linking of channels, localizing Ca2+ signals, and regulating
      channel activity. We have also identified a key "nexus" region in Orai1 near the
      C-terminal STIM1-binding site that can be mutated to constitutively activate Ca2+
      entry, mimicking STIM1 activated channels. This suggests that STIM1 mediates
      gating of Orai1 in an allosteric manner via interaction with the Orai1 C-terminus
      alone. This model suggests the dual role of STIM1 in regulating both localization
      and gating of Orai1 channels and has important implications for the regulation of
      SOCE-mediated downstream signaling and the kinetics of channel activation.

PMID- 28900911
TI  - The STIM-Orai Pathway: Regulation of STIM and Orai by Thiol Modifications.
AB  - Cysteines are among the least abundant amino acids found in proteins. Due to
      their unique nucleophilic thiol group, they are able to undergo a broad range of
      chemical modifications besides their known role in disulfide formation, such as S
      sulfenylation (-SOH), S-sulfinylation (-SO(2)H), S-sufonylation (-SO(3)H), S
      glutathionylation (-SSG), and S-sulfhydration (-SSH), among others. These
      posttranslational modifications can be irreversible and act as transitional
      modifiers or as reversible on-off switches for the function of proteins.
      Disturbances of the redox homeostasis, for example, in situations of increased
      oxidative stress, can contribute to a range of diseases. Because Ca2+ signaling
      mediated by store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is involved in a plethora of
      cellular responses, the cross-talk between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+
      is critical for homeostatic control. Identification of calcium regulatory protein
      targets of thiol redox modifications is needed to understand their role in
      biology and disease.

PMID- 28900912
TI  - The STIM-Orai Pathway: Light-Operated Ca2+ Entry Through Engineered CRAC
      Channels.
AB  - Ca2+ signals regulate a plethora of cellular functions that include muscle
      contraction, heart beating, hormone secretion, lymphocyte activation, gene
      expression, and metabolism. To study the impact of Ca2+ signals on biological
      processes, pharmacological tools and caged compounds have been commonly applied
      to induce fluctuations of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. These conventional
      approaches, nonetheless, lack rapid reversibility and high spatiotemporal
      resolution. To overcome these disadvantages, we and others have devised a series
      of photoactivatable genetically encoded Ca2+ actuators (GECAs) by installing
      light sensitivities into a bona fide highly selective Ca2+ channel, the Ca2+
      release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. Store-operated CRAC channel serves as a
      major route for Ca2+ entry in many cell types. These GECAs enable remote and
      precise manipulation of Ca2+ signaling in both excitable and non-excitable cells.
      When combined with nanotechnology, it becomes feasible to wirelessly photo
      modulate Ca2+-dependent activities in vivo. In this chapter, we briefly review
      most recent advances in engineering CRAC channels to achieve optical control over
      Ca2+ signaling, outline their design principles and kinetic features, and present
      exemplary applications of GECAs engineered from CRAC channels.

PMID- 28900914
TI  - STIM-TRP Pathways and Microdomain Organization: Contribution of TRPC1 in Store
      Operated Ca2+ Entry: Impact on Ca2+ Signaling and Cell Function.
AB  - Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is a ubiquitous Ca2+ entry pathway that is
      activated in response to depletion of ER-Ca2+ stores and critically controls the
      regulation of physiological functions in a wide variety of cell types. The
      transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels (TRPCs 1-7), which are
      activated by stimuli leading to PIP2 hydrolysis, were first identified as
      molecular components of SOCE channels. While TRPC1 was associated with SOCE and
      regulation of function in several cell types, none of the TRPC members displayed
      I CRAC, the store-operated current identified in lymphocytes and mast cells.
      Intensive search finally led to the identification of Orai1 and STIM1 as the
      primary components of the CRAC channel. Orai1 was established as the pore-forming
      channel protein and STIM1 as the ER-Ca2+ sensor protein involved in activation of
      Orai1. STIM1 also activates TRPC1 via a distinct domain in its C-terminus.
      However, TRPC1 function depends on Orai1-mediated Ca2+ entry, which triggers
      recruitment of TRPC1 into the plasma membrane where it is activated by STIM1.
      TRPC1 and Orai1 form distinct store-operated Ca2+ channels that regulate specific
      cellular functions. It is now clearly established that regulation of TRPC1
      trafficking can change plasma membrane levels of the channel, the phenotype of
      the store-operated Ca2+ current, as well as pattern of SOCE-mediated [Ca2+]i
      signals. Thus, TRPC1 is activated downstream of Orai1 and modifies the initial
      [Ca2+]i signal generated by Orai1. This review will highlight current concepts of
      the activation and regulation of TRPC1 channels and its impact on cell function.

PMID- 28900913
TI  - STIM-TRP Pathways and Microdomain Organization: Ca2+ Influx Channels: The Orai
      STIM1-TRPC Complexes.
AB  - Ca2+ influx by plasma membrane Ca2+ channels is the crucial component of the
      receptor-evoked Ca2+ signal. The two main Ca2+ influx channels of non-excitable
      cells are the Orai and TRPC families of Ca2+ channels. These channels are
      activated in response to cell stimulation and Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER). The protein that conveys the Ca2+ content of the ER to the plasma
      membrane is the ER Ca2+ sensor STIM1. STIM1 activates the Orai channels and is
      obligatory for channel opening. TRPC channels can function in two modes, as STIM1
      dependent and STIM1-independent. When activated by STIM1, both channel types
      function at the ER/PM (plasma membrane) junctions. This chapter describes the
      properties and regulation of the channels by STIM1, with emphasis how and when
      TRPC channels function as STIM1-dependent and STIM1-independent modes and their
      unique Ca2+-dependent physiological functions that are not shared with the Orai
      channels.

PMID- 28900915
TI  - STIM-TRP Pathways and Microdomain Organization: Auxiliary Proteins of the
      STIM/Orai Complex.
AB  - The basic paradigm of a mechanism for calcium influx triggered after a reduction
      on calcium store content implies a sensor of calcium concentration on the
      endoplasmic reticulum (the stores) and a calcium channel immersed on the plasma
      membrane. These two basic components are STIM and Orai, the most fundamental and
      minimal molecular constituents of the store-operated calcium entry mechanism.
      However, even when minimal components can be reduced to these two proteins, the
      intricate process involved in approximating two cellular membranes (endoplasmic
      reticulum, ER and plasma membrane, PM) require the participation of several other
      components, many of which remain unidentified to this date. Here we review
      several of the proteins identified as constituents of the so-called store
      operated calcium influx complex (SOCIC) and discuss their role in modulating this
      complex phenomenon.

PMID- 28900916
TI  - Introduction.
AB  - In the title of this part of the book, the tail is wagging not just in a single
      dog but multiple dogs; in other words, a single process SOCE (tail) somehow
      involves a cross talk of (wagging) large and powerful organelle and cellular
      compartments (dogs). So how is this possible? Is this really necessary? Is the
      title actually appropriate?SOCE is a rather special process, it allows efficient
      signaling based on a ubiquitous second messenger (Ca2+) in multiple cell and
      tissue types, it has specific signaling modality (i.e., some downstream reactions
      depend specifically on SOCE and not just on global Ca2+ increase), it is vital
      for the normal functioning of multiple types of cells and tissues, and when
      misregulated it induces important pathological processes. The reader hopefully
      agree that such an important "tail" is more appropriate for a kangaroo than for a
      Chihuahua and that it has awesome wagging capacity.

PMID- 28900917
TI  - New Aspects of the Contribution of ER to SOCE Regulation: The Role of the ER and
      ER-Plasma Membrane Junctions in the Regulation of SOCE.
AB  - The junctions between the endoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane are
      essential platforms for the activation of store-operated Ca2+ influx. These
      junctions have specific dimensions and are nonuniformly distributed in polarized
      cells. The mechanisms involved in the formation of the junctions are currently
      undergoing vigorous investigation, and significant progress was attained in this
      research area during the last 10 years. Some cell types display stationary
      junctions, while in other cells, new junctions can form rapidly following
      cytosolic Ca2+ signals and/or the reduction of the Ca2+ concentration in the
      lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum; furthermore, in moving cells, junctions can
      undergo saltatory formation, long distance sliding, and dissolution. The proteins
      involved in the activation of the Ca2+ influx could be also involved in the
      formation of the junctions. The architecture, dynamics, and localization of the
      junctions are important for the regulation of Ca2+ signaling cascades and their
      downstream events.

PMID- 28900918
TI  - New Aspects of the Contribution of ER to SOCE Regulation: TRPC Proteins as a Link
      Between Plasma Membrane Ion Transport and Intracellular Ca2+ Stores.
AB  - Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) proteins were identified as
      molecular candidates of receptor- and/or store-operated channels because of their
      close homology to the Drosophila TRP and TRPL. Functional studies have revealed
      that TRPC channels play an integrated part of phospholipase C-transduced cell
      signaling, mediating the influx of both Ca2+ and Na+ into cells. As a
      consequence, the TRPC channels have diverse functional roles in different cell
      types, including metabotropic receptor-evoked membrane depolarization and
      intracellular Ca2+ concentration elevation. Depending on the cellular environment
      and the protein partners present in the channel complex, the TRPC channels
      display different biophysical properties and mechanisms of regulation, including
      but not limited to the Ca2+ filling state of the endoplasmic reticulum. Despite
      the overwhelming focus on STIM-regulated Orai channels for store-operated Ca2+
      entry, evidence is growing for STIM-operated TRPC channel activities in various
      cell types, demonstrating both store-dependent and store-independent mechanisms
      of TRPC channel gating. The existence of physical and functional interactions
      between plasma membrane-localized TRPC channels and other proteins involved in
      sensing and regulating the intracellular Ca2+ store contents, such as inositol
      trisphosphate receptors, Junctate, and Homer, further argues for the role of TRPC
      proteins in linking plasma membrane ion transport with intracellular Ca2+ stores.
      The interplay among these proteins will likely define the functional significance
      of TRPC channel activation in different cellular contexts and under different
      modes of stimulations.

PMID- 28900919
TI  - The Role of Mitochondria in the Activation/Maintenance of SOCE: Store-Operated
      Ca2+ Entry and Mitochondria.
AB  - Mitochondria extensively modify virtually all cellular Ca2+ transport processes,
      and store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) is no exception to this rule. The
      interaction between SOCE and mitochondria is complex and reciprocal,
      substantially altering and, ultimately, fine-tuning both capacitative Ca2+ influx
      and mitochondrial function. Mitochondria, owing to their considerable Ca2+
      accumulation ability, extensively buffer the cytosolic Ca2+ in their vicinity. In
      turn, the accumulated ion is released back into the neighboring cytosol during
      net Ca2+ efflux. Since store depletion itself and the successive SOCE are both
      Ca2+-regulated phenomena, mitochondrial Ca2+ handling may have wide-ranging
      effects on capacitative Ca2+ influx at any given time. In addition, mitochondria
      may also produce or consume soluble factors known to affect store-operated
      channels. On the other hand, Ca2+ entering the cell during SOCE is sensed by
      mitochondria, and the ensuing mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake boosts mitochondrial
      energy metabolism and, if Ca2+ overload occurs, may even lead to apoptosis or
      cell death. In several cell types, mitochondria seem to be sterically excluded
      from the confined space that forms between the plasma membrane (PM) and
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during SOCE. This implies that high-Ca2+ microdomains
      comparable to those observed between the ER and mitochondria do not form here. In
      the following chapter, the above aspects of the many-sided SOCE-mitochondrion
      interplay will be discussed in greater detail.

PMID- 28900920
TI  - The Role of Mitochondria in the Activation/Maintenance of SOCE: Membrane Contact
      Sites as Signaling Hubs Sustaining Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry.
AB  - Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) is a cell signaling pathway essential for immune
      and muscle function controlled by dynamic interactions between Ca2+-sensing STIM
      proteins on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Ca2+-permeable ORAI channels on
      the plasma membrane (PM). STIM-ORAI interactions occur at membrane contact sites
      (MCS), evolutionarily conserved cellular structures characterized by the close
      apposition (10-20 nm) between the ER and target membranes that facilitate the
      exchange of lipids by non-vesicular transport mechanisms. STIM-ORAI interactions
      were considered to be restricted to ER-PM MCS, but recent evidence indicates that
      productive interactions take place between ER-bound STIM1 and Ca2+ channels
      located in intracellular organelles. Interactions between the ER and endosomes or
      lysosomes regulate the lipid homeostasis of these organelles and the propagation
      of Ca2+ signals initiated by the release of Ca2+ from acidic stores.
      Intracellular MCS also regulate the efficiency of phagocytosis, a fundamental
      cellular process essential for immunity and tissue homeostasis, by ensuring the
      coordinated opening of Ca2+ channels on phagocytic vacuoles and of Ca2+ release
      channels on juxtaposed ER stores. In this chapter, we review the current
      knowledge on the molecular composition and architecture of membrane contact sites
      that sustain Ca2+ signals at the plasma membrane and in intracellular organelles.

PMID- 28900921
TI  - The Role of Mitochondria in the Activation/Maintenance of SOCE: The Contribution
      of Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uptake, Mitochondrial Motility, and Location to Store
      Operated Ca2+ Entry.
AB  - In most cell types, the depletion of internal Ca2+ stores triggers the activation
      of Ca2+ entry. This crucial phenomenon is known since the 1980s and referred to
      as store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). With the discoveries of the stromal
      interacting molecules (STIMs) and the Ca2+-permeable Orai channels as the long
      awaited molecular constituents of SOCE, the role of mitochondria in controlling
      the activity of this particular Ca2+ entry pathway is kind of buried in oblivion.
      However, the capability of mitochondria to locally sequester Ca2+ at sites of
      Ca2+ release and entry was initially supposed to rule SOCE by facilitating the
      Ca2+ depletion of the endoplasmic reticulum and removing entering Ca2+ from the
      Ca2+-inhibitable channels, respectively. Moreover, the central role of these
      organelles in controlling the cellular energy metabolism has been linked to the
      activity of SOCE. Nevertheless, the exact molecular mechanisms by which
      mitochondria actually determine SOCE are still pretty obscure. In this essay we
      describe the complexity of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake machinery and its
      regulation, molecular components, and properties, which open new ways for
      scrutinizing the contribution of mitochondria to SOCE. Moreover, data concerning
      the variability of the morphology and cellular distribution of mitochondria as
      putative determinants of SOCE activation, maintenance, and termination are
      summarized.

PMID- 28900922
TI  - Tissue Specificity: The Role of Organellar Membrane Nanojunctions in Smooth
      Muscle Ca2+ Signaling.
AB  - In this chapter we examine the importance of cytoplasmic nanojunctions-nanometer
      scale appositions between organellar membranes including the molecular
      transporters therein-to the cell signaling machinery, with specific reference to
      Ca2+ transport and signaling in vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells.
      More specifically, we will consider the extent to which quantitative modeling may
      aid in the development of our understanding of these processes. Testament to the
      requirement for such approaches lies in the fact that recent studies have
      provided evermore convincing evidence in support of the view that cytoplasmic
      nanospaces may be as significant to the process of Ca2+ signaling as the Ca2+
      transporters, release channels, and Ca2+-storing organelles themselves. Moreover,
      the disruption and/or dysfunction of cytoplasmic nanospaces may be central to the
      origin of certain diseases. By way of introduction, we provide a historical
      perspective on the identification of smooth muscle cell plasma membrane (PM)
      sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) nanospaces and the early evidence in support of their
      role in the generation of asynchronous Ca2+ waves. We then summarize how
      stochastic modeling approaches can aid and guide the development of our
      understanding of two basic functional steps leading to healthy smooth muscle cell
      contraction. We furthermore outline how more sophisticated and realistic
      quantitative stochastic modeling may be employed not only to test working
      hypotheses, but also to lead in their development in a manner that informs
      further experimental investigation. Finally, we consider more recently defined
      nanospaces such as the lysosome-SR junction, by way of demonstrating the
      importance of quantitative stochastic modeling to our understanding of signaling
      mechanisms.

PMID- 28900923
TI  - Tissue Specificity: SOCE: Implications for Ca2+ Handling in Endothelial Cells.
AB  - Many cellular functions of the vascular endothelium are regulated by fine-tuned
      global and local, microdomain-confined changes of cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i).
      Vasoactive agonist-induced stimulation of vascular endothelial cells (VECs)
      typically induces Ca2+ release through IP3 receptor Ca2+ release channels
      embedded in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ store, followed
      by Ca2+ entry from the extracellular space elicited by Ca2+ store depletion and
      referred to as capacitative or store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). In vascular
      endothelial cells, SOCE is graded with the degree of store depletion and
      controlled locally in the subcellular microdomain where depletion occurs. SOCE
      provides distinct Ca2+ signals that selectively control specific endothelial
      functions: in calf pulmonary artery endothelial cells, the SOCE Ca2+ signal
      drives nitric oxide (an endothelium-derived relaxing factor of the vascular
      smooth muscle) production and controls activation and nuclear translocation of
      the transcription factor NFAT. Both cellular events are not affected by Ca2+
      signals of comparable magnitude arising directly from Ca2+ release from
      intracellular stores, clearly indicating that SOCE regulates specific Ca2+
      dependent cellular tasks by a unique and exclusive mechanism. This review
      discusses the mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ regulation in vascular endothelial
      cells and the role of store-operated Ca2+ entry for endothelium-dependent smooth
      muscle relaxation and nitric oxide signaling, endothelial oxidative stress
      response, and excitation-transcription coupling in the vascular endothelium.

PMID- 28900924
TI  - Tissue Specificity: Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry in Cardiac Myocytes.
AB  - Calcium (Ca2+) is a key regulator of cardiomyocyte contraction. The Ca2+
      channels, pumps, and exchangers responsible for the cyclical cytosolic Ca2+
      signals that underlie contraction are well known. In addition to those Ca2+
      signaling components responsible for contraction, it has been proposed that
      cardiomyocytes express channels that promote the influx of Ca2+ from the
      extracellular milieu to the cytosol in response to depletion of intracellular
      Ca2+ stores. With non-excitable cells, this store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) is
      usually easily demonstrated and is essential for prolonging cellular Ca2+
      signaling and for refilling depleted Ca2+ stores. The role of SOCE in
      cardiomyocytes, however, is rather more elusive. While there is published
      evidence for increased Ca2+ influx into cardiomyocytes following Ca2+ store
      depletion, it has not been universally observed. Moreover, SOCE appears to be
      prominent in embryonic cardiomyocytes but declines with postnatal development. In
      contrast, there is overwhelming evidence that the molecular components of SOCE
      (e.g., STIM, Orai, and TRPC proteins) are expressed in cardiomyocytes from embryo
      to adult. Moreover, these proteins have been shown to contribute to disease
      conditions such as pathological hypertrophy, and reducing their expression can
      attenuate hypertrophic growth. It is plausible that SOCE might underlie Ca2+
      influx into cardiomyocytes and may have important signaling functions perhaps by
      activating local Ca2+-sensitive processes. However, the STIM, Orai, and TRPC
      proteins appear to cooperate with multiple protein partners in signaling
      complexes. It is therefore possible that some of their signaling activities are
      not mediated by Ca2+ influx signals, but by protein-protein interactions.

PMID- 28900925
TI  - Introduction: Overview of the Pathophysiological Implications of Store-Operated
      Calcium Entry in Mammalian Cells.
AB  - Since store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) was proposed by Putney three decades ago
      (Putney. Cell Calcium 7:1-12, 1986), its functional role and involvement in the
      pathophysiology of a number of disorders has been investigated. The role of SOCE
      in cell physiology has been discussed in the previous chapters, and the following
      part is devoted to the current knowledge concerning the mechanisms underlying the
      development of certain diseases that involve SOCE abnormalities.

PMID- 28900926
TI  - Immunological Disorders: Regulation of Ca2+ Signaling in T Lymphocytes.
AB  - Engagement of T cell receptors (TCRs) with cognate antigens triggers cascades of
      signaling pathways in helper T cells. TCR signaling is essential for the effector
      function of helper T cells including proliferation, differentiation, and cytokine
      production. It also modulates effector T cell fate by inducing cell death, anergy
      (nonresponsiveness), exhaustion, and generation of regulatory T cells. One of the
      main axes of TCR signaling is the Ca2+-calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T
      cells (NFAT) signaling pathway. Stimulation of TCRs triggers depletion of
      intracellular Ca2+ store and, in turn, activates store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE)
      to raise the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. SOCE in T cells is mediated by the
      Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels, which have been very well
      characterized in terms of their electrophysiological properties. Identification
      of STIM1 as a sensor to detect depletion of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+
      store and Orai1 as the pore subunit of CRAC channels has dramatically advanced
      our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of Ca2+ signaling in T cells. In
      this review, we discuss our current understanding of Ca2+ signaling in T cells
      with specific focus on the mechanism of CRAC channel activation and regulation
      via protein interactions. In addition, we will discuss the role of CRAC channels
      in effector T cells, based on the analyses of genetically modified animal models.

PMID- 28900927
TI  - Cardiovascular and Hemostatic Disorders: Role of STIM and Orai Proteins in
      Vascular Disorders.
AB  - Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) mediated by STIM and Orai proteins is a highly
      regulated and ubiquitous signaling pathway that plays an important role in
      various cellular and physiological functions. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) serves
      as the major site for intracellular Ca2+ storage. Stromal Interaction Molecule
      1/2 (STIM1/2) sense decrease in ER Ca2+ levels and transmits the message to
      plasma membrane Ca2+ channels constituted by Orai family members (Orai1/2/3)
      resulting in Ca2+ influx into the cells. This increase in cytosolic Ca2+ in turn
      activates a variety of signaling cascades to regulate a plethora of cellular
      functions. Evidence from the literature suggests that SOCE dysregulation is
      associated with several pathophysiologies, including vascular disorders.
      Interestingly, recent studies have suggested that STIM proteins may also regulate
      vascular functions independent of their contribution to SOCE. In this updated
      book chapter, we will focus on the physiological role of STIM and Orai proteins
      in the vasculature (endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells). We will
      further retrospect the literature implicating a critical role for these proteins
      in vascular disease.

PMID- 28900928
TI  - Cardiovascular and Hemostatic Disorders: SOCE and Ca2+ Handling in Platelet
      Dysfunction.
AB  - Among the Ca2+ entry mechanisms in platelets, store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE)
      plays a prominent role as it is necessary to achieve full activation of platelet
      functions and replenish intracellular Ca2+ stores. In platelets, as in other non
      excitable cells, SOCE has been reported to involve the activation of plasma
      membrane channels by the ER Ca2+ sensor STIM1. Despite electrophysiological
      studies are not possible in human platelets, indirect analyses have revealed that
      the Ca2+-permeable channels involve Orai1 and, most likely, TRPC1 subunits. A
      relevant role for the latter has not been found in mouse platelets. There is a
      body of evidence revealing a number of abnormalities in SOCE or in its molecular
      regulators that result in qualitative platelet disorders and, as a consequence,
      altered platelet responsiveness upon stimulation with multiple physiological
      agonists. Platelet SOCE abnormalities include STIM1 and Orai1 mutations. This
      chapter summarizes the current knowledge in this field, as well as the disorders
      associated to platelet SOCE dysfunction.

PMID- 28900929
TI  - Cardiovascular and Hemostatic Disorders: SOCE in Cardiovascular Cells: Emerging
      Targets for Therapeutic Intervention.
AB  - The discovery of the store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) phenomenon is tightly
      associated with its recognition as a pathway of high (patho)physiological
      significance in the cardiovascular system. Early on, SOCE has been investigated
      primarily in non-excitable cell types, and the vascular endothelium received
      particular attention, while a role of SOCE in excitable cells, specifically
      cardiac myocytes and pacemakers, was initially ignored and remains largely
      enigmatic even to date. With the recent gain in knowledge on the molecular
      components of SOCE as well as their cellular organization within nanodomains,
      potential tissue/cell type-dependent heterogeneity of the SOCE machinery along
      with high specificity of linkage to downstream signaling pathways emerged for
      cardiovascular cells. The basis of precise decoding of cellular Ca2+ signals was
      recently uncovered to involve correct spatiotemporal organization of signaling
      components, and even minor disturbances in these assemblies trigger
      cardiovascular pathologies. With this chapter, we wish to provide an overview on
      current concepts of cellular organization of SOCE signaling complexes in
      cardiovascular cells with particular focus on the spatiotemporal aspects of
      coupling to downstream signaling and the potential disturbance of these
      mechanisms by pathogenic factors. The significance of these mechanistic concepts
      for the development of novel therapeutic strategies will be discussed.

PMID- 28900930
TI  - Cardiac Remodeling and Disease: SOCE and TRPC Signaling in Cardiac Pathology.
AB  - TRPC channels have been suggested as potential candidates mediating store
      operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) in cardiomyocytes. There is increasing evidence that
      the TRPC isoforms TRPC1 and TRPC4 might fulfill the function as SOCs, in concert
      with or in parallel to the key players of SOCE, Orai1, and STIM1. Several other
      isoforms, e.g., TRPC3, TRPC6, and TRPC7, might rather associate to receptor
      activated diacylglycerol (DAG)-sensitive ion channels. However, the exact
      activation mode has not been elucidated yet, given the characteristic of TRPC
      channels to heteromerize to unpredictable ion channel assemblies. Despite the
      incomplete information about TRPC activation, there is common agreement that they
      are crucial Ca2+ components in cardiac signaling and disease. All TRPC isoforms,
      TRPC1, TRPC3, TRPC4, TRPC5, TRPC6, and TRPC7, are differentially regulated in
      cardiac disease, and nearly all of them have been shown to impact cardiac
      signaling pathways that accelerate cardiac disease development. In particular,
      the calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT) signaling pathway has
      repeatedly been linked to a TRPC-dependent Ca2+ influx in cardiomyocytes.
      Moreover, the protein kinases PKG and PKC have been found to modulate TRPC
      function and the hypertrophic response. Other signaling molecules, such as the
      serine/threonine kinase Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CamKII) or
      the oxidative stress molecule, NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2), have also been related to
      TRPC-dependent effects in the heart.The present chapter provides a comprehensive
      overview of TRPC channels as Ca2+ entities in cardiomyocytes, their interplay
      with Ca2+ signaling pathways, and role in cardiac pathology.

PMID- 28900931
TI  - Cardiac Remodeling and Disease: Current Understanding of STIM1/Orai1-Mediated
      Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry in Cardiac Function and Pathology.
AB  - For a long time, Ca2+ entry into cardiomyocytes was considered the sole domain of
      the L-type Ca2+ channel. Recently, STIM1/Orai1-mediated store-operated Ca2+ entry
      has been also reported to participate to Ca2+ influx in cardiac cells and has
      emerged as a key player to alter Ca2+ in the cardiomyocyte. In this review, we
      will highlight accumulated knowledge about the presence and the potential
      contribution of STIM1/Orai1-dependent SOCE to cardiac function and its role in
      the cardiac pathogenesis. Overall, even if STIM1/Orai1 proteins are present in
      the heart, contradictory results have been reported regarding their contribution
      to cardiac physiology and pathology, pointing out the necessity of further
      investigations, a major challenge over the coming years.

PMID- 28900933
TI  - Neurological and Motor Disorders: TRPC in the Skeletal Muscle.
AB  - Transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels belong to the large family
      of TRPs that are mostly nonselective cation channels with a great variety of
      gating mechanisms. TRPC are composed of seven members that can all be activated
      downstream of agonist-induced phospholipase C stimulation, but some members are
      also stretch-activated and/or are part of the store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE)
      pathway. Skeletal muscles generate contraction via an explosive increase of
      cytosolic Ca2+ concentration resulting almost exclusively from sarcoplasmic
      reticulum Ca2+ channel opening. Even if neglected for a long time, it is now
      commonly accepted that Ca2+ entry via SOCE and other routes is essential to
      sustain contractions of the skeletal muscle. In addition, Ca2+ influx is required
      during muscle regeneration, and alteration of the influx is associated with
      myopathies. In this chapter, we review the implication of TRPC channels at
      different stages of muscle regeneration, in adult muscle fibers, and discuss
      their implication in myopathies.

PMID- 28900934
TI  - Fertility: Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry in Germ Cells: Role in Egg Activation.
AB  - At the time of fertilization, the sperm activates the egg and induces embryonic
      development by triggering an elevation in the egg's intracellular free Ca2+
      concentration. In mammals the initial Ca2+ rise is followed by a series of
      repetitive Ca2+ transients (known as oscillations) that last for several hours.
      Although the source of Ca2+ during the signaling process is primarily the egg's
      smooth endoplasmic reticulum, the oscillations stop in the absence of
      extracellular Ca2+ indicating that a Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane is
      essential to sustain them. Depletion of the intracellular stores using specific
      inhibitors generates a Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane of eggs of various
      species, and a continuous influx of Ca2+ has been linked to the sperm-induced
      Ca2+ oscillations in the mouse; these data indicate that store-operated Ca2+
      entry (SOCE) operates in eggs and may be the mechanism that maintains the long
      lasting Ca2+ signal at fertilization. Recent findings suggest that the signaling
      proteins STIM1 and Orai1 are present in eggs; they are responsible for mediating
      SOCE, and their functions are essential for proper Ca2+ signaling at
      fertilization to support normal embryo development.

PMID- 28900935
TI  - Metabolic Disorders and Cancer: Hepatocyte Store-Operated Ca2+ Channels in
      Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
AB  - In steatotic hepatocytes, intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is substantially altered
      compared to normal. Decreased Ca2+ in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can lead to
      ER stress, an important mediator of the progression of liver steatosis to
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, type 2 diabetes, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
      Store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCs) in hepatocytes are composed principally of
      Orai1 and STIM1 proteins. Their main role is the maintenance of adequate Ca2+ in
      the lumen of the ER. In steatotic hepatocytes, store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE)
      is substantially inhibited. This inhibition is associated with a decrease in Ca2+
      in the ER. Lipid-induced inhibition of SOCE is mediated by protein kinase C (PKC)
      and may involve the phosphorylation and subsequent inhibition of Orai1.
      Experimental inhibition of SOCE enhances lipid accumulation in normal hepatocytes
      incubated in the presence of exogenous fatty acids. The antidiabetic drug exendin
      4 reverses the lipid-induced inhibition of SOCE and decreases liver lipid with
      rapid onset. It is proposed that lipid-induced inhibition of SOCE in the plasma
      membrane and of SERCA2b in the ER membrane leads to a persistent decrease in ER
      Ca2+, ER stress, and the ER stress response, which in turn enhances (amplifies)
      lipid accumulation. A low level of persistent SOCE due to chronic ER Ca2+
      depletion in steatotic hepatocytes may contribute to an elevated cytoplasmic-free
      Ca2+ concentration leading to the activation of calcium-calmodulin kinase II
      (CaMKII), decreased lipid removal by autophagy, and insulin resistance. It is
      concluded that lipid-induced inhibition of SOCE plays an important role in the
      progression of liver steatosis to insulin insensitivity and hepatocellular
      carcinoma.

PMID- 28900937
TI  - Adenosine administration in supraventricular tachycardia.

PMID- 28900936
TI  - Metabolic Disorders and Cancer: Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry in Cancer: Focus on
      IP3R-Mediated Ca2+ Release from Intracellular Stores and Its Role in Migration
      and Invasion.
AB  - Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) plays important roles in a multitude of
      cellular processes, from muscle contraction to cellular proliferation and
      migration. Dysregulation of SOCE is responsible for the advancement of multiple
      diseases, ranging from immune diseases, myopathies, to terminal ones like cancer.
      Naturally, SOCE has been a focus of many studies and review papers which,
      however, primarily concentrated on the principal players localized to the plasma
      membrane and responsible for Ca2+ entry into the cell. Much less has been said
      about other players participating in the entire SOCE event. This review aims to
      address this shortcoming by discussing the accumulated scientific knowledge
      focused on the inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs), principal player
      responsible for emptying intracellular Ca2+ stores in a majority of cells, and
      their involvement in regulation of cell migration and invasion in cancer.

PMID- 28900932
TI  - Neurological and Motor Disorders: Neuronal Store-Operated Ca2+ Signaling: An
      Overview and Its Function.
AB  - Calcium (Ca2+) is a ubiquitous second messenger that performs significant
      physiological task such as neurosecretion, exocytosis, neuronal
      growth/differentiation, and the development and/or maintenance of neural
      circuits. An important regulatory aspect of neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis is store
      operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) which, in recent years, has gained much attention for
      influencing a variety of nerve cell responses. Essentially, activation of SOCE
      ensues following the activation of the plasma membrane (PM) store-operated Ca2+
      channels (SOCC) triggered by the depletion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+
      stores. In addition to the TRPC (transient receptor potential canonical) and the
      Orai family of ion channels, STIM (stromal interacting molecule) proteins have
      been baptized as key molecular regulators of SOCE. Functional significance of the
      TRPC channels in neurons has been elaborately studied; however, information on
      Orai and STIM components of SOCE, although seems imminent, is currently limited.
      Importantly, perturbations in SOCE have been implicated in a spectrum of
      neuropathological conditions. Hence, understanding the precise involvement of
      SOCC in neurodegeneration would presumably unveil avenues for plausible
      therapeutic interventions. We thus review the role of SOCE-regulated neuronal
      Ca2+ signaling in selecting neurodegenerative conditions.

PMID- 28900938
TI  - ?

PMID- 28900939
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PMID- 28900940
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PMID- 28900941
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PMID- 28900942
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PMID- 28900944
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PMID- 28900945
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PMID- 28900946
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PMID- 28900948
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PMID- 28900947
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PMID- 28900949
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PMID- 28900950
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PMID- 28900951
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PMID- 28900952
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PMID- 28900954
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PMID- 28900953
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PMID- 28900955
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PMID- 28900956
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PMID- 28900957
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PMID- 28900958
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PMID- 28900959
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PMID- 28900960
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PMID- 28900961
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PMID- 28900963
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PMID- 28900964
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PMID- 28900966
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PMID- 28900965
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PMID- 28900967
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PMID- 28900968
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PMID- 28900969
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PMID- 28900970
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PMID- 28900971
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PMID- 28900973
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PMID- 28900972
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PMID- 28900974
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PMID- 28900975
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PMID- 28900976
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PMID- 28900977
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PMID- 28900978
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PMID- 28900979
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PMID- 28900980
TI  - [Wild dreams and injured bed partners - The REM-sleep-behavior disorder as a
      precursor of neurodegenerative disorders].

PMID- 28900981
TI  - [Burns in childhood].

PMID- 28900982
TI  - ?

PMID- 28900983
TI  - [Updates on adjuvant therapy in gastrointestinal stromal tumor].
AB  - Surgery remains the primary treatment for patients with localized
      gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), however, even after complete resection of
      the tumor, there is still a part of patients with tumor recurrence and
      metastasis. Imatinib, as adjuvant therapy in GIST patients with intermediate and
      high risk of recurrence, can significantly improve the disease-free survival, but
      whether it can prolong the overall survival is still unknown. It has reached a
      consensus that the intermediate and high risk patients should receive adjuvant
      therapy, but the duration for adjuvant therapy is still under investigation,
      especially for high-risk patients. Adjuvant therapy is recommended for at least 3
      years, while in the end of adjuvant therapy, some patients still develop
      recurrence and metastasis. In 2017, results from PERSIST-5 study reported by the
      ASCO conference indicated that 5-year adjuvant therapy may further prolong
      disease-free survival of intermediate and high risk patients. In addition,
      adjuvant therapy is still not individualized based on the combination with
      different genotypes, and present adjuvant therapy is recommended for GIST
      patients with positive CD117 and intermediate-high risk of recurrence. It remains
      controversial whether different genotypes are associated with alternative
      adjuvant treatment options. Results of more researches are expected to provide
      better guidance for clinical treatment in the future.

PMID- 28900984
TI  - [Targeted therapy combined with immunotherapy in gastrointestinal stromal tumor:
      a new era of hope and challenges].
AB  - New immunotherapy represented by immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and chimeric
      antigen receptor T-Cell immunotherapy (CAR-T) has already become hot trend in the
      treatment of malignant tumors. In gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), with
      notable tumor-infiltrating immune cells existing in GIST tissues and
      immunological effects reported in imatinib mesylate (IM) treatment, the
      clinicians and researchers started to realize the possibilities of immunotherapy
      in GIST. Recent studies reported that PD-1/PD-L1 or CTLA-4 blockade may enhance
      the T-cell activity and anti-tumor effect of targeted therapy, which can be
      applied in advanced GIST, and anti-KIT CAR T-cells indicated a new
      immunotherapeutic targeted strategy for GIST patients with TKI resistance. All
      the immunotherapies in GIST mentioned above are frontline researches but their
      efficacies still need more evidence from clinical trials to verify.

PMID- 28900985
TI  - [Interpretation and evaluation of the American Joint committee on Cancer (AJCC)
      8th Edition Staging System for patients with gastroenteropancreatic
      neuroendocrine tumors].
AB  - American Joint Committeeon Cancer (AJCC) released the eighth edition staging
      system manual in October 2016. Based on the shortcomings in the seventh edition
      of AJCC staging system, staging classifications for gastroenteropancreatic
      neuroendocrine tumor (GEP-NET) were updated. The changes are as follow: small
      intestinal NET was divided into two groups, duodenal and jejunoileal NET and
      lymphatic metastasis was redefined into N1 and N2 in jejunoileal NET; stages were
      condensed except colorectal NET; the staging classification for pancreatic NET
      proposed by European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society(ENETS) was adopted. However,
      problems still exist in the eighth edition AJCC staging classifications for GEP
      NET. For instance, whether the definitions of N1 and N2 in jejunoileal NET are
      accurate in clinical management is still less understood. Thus, further clinical
      validations of the AJCC eighth edition staging system for GEP-NET are needed.
      Meanwhile, the eighth edition AJCC staging classifications for GEP-NET still did
      not step towards precision medicine and risks assessment models with high quality
      are still absent.

PMID- 28900986
TI  - [Consensus and controversy on subtype classification of gastric neuroendocrine
      neoplasms].
AB  - Gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (g-NENs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors.
      Often silent, g-NENs may however be aggressive and sometimes mimic the course of
      gastric adenocarcinoma. Well-differentiated gastric neuroendocrine tumors (NET)
      can be subclassified into 3 distinct groups (type1, type 2 and type 3) according
      to Neuroendocrine Neoplasm Society (ENETS) guideline version 2006 as well as
      North America Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) and National Comprehensive
      Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. However, since the publication of ENETS
      guideline version 2012, the subtype classification of g-NENs has been confusing
      due to the revised definition of type 3 g-NEN in versions 2012 and 2016. ENETS
      version 2012 indicated that type 3 g-NEN was usually solitary and its pathology
      was mostly WHO grade 3 (neuroendocrine carcinoma, NEC G3) with higher Ki-67
      index, greater tumor diameter and infiltrative growth. While ENETS version 2006
      showed that type 3 g-NEN was well-differentiated or moderate-differentiated,
      neither type 1 nor type 2, and other g-NENs without basic diseases. Besides, in
      renewal consensus guidance of ENETS version 2016, description about clinical and
      histological features altered as "well-differentiated g-NEN can be classified as
      type 3", but its pathology is still NEC G3. According to such classification,
      those gastric NET patients with well-differentiated, neither type 1 nor type 2
      tumors, seem to be unable to classify. In this article, description about the
      subtype classification of g-NENs in several guidelines, including ENETS versions
      2006, 2012 and 2016, NANETS version 2010 and NCCN version 2016, is introduced and
      the controversy focuses on type 3 g-NEN definition by ENETS versions 2012 and
      2016. Hence, the four-type classification of g-NENs is recommended, which has
      been written in Chinese Consensus for the Diagnosis and Management of GEP-NEN
      (version 2016). Well-differentiated gastric NET is classified as type 3, and poor
      differentiated gastric NEC as type 4. This four-type classification of g-NENs
      covers all the patients with g-NENs. Advances on clinical research of g-NENs in
      China are reviewed and the existing problems are analyzed. We also put forward
      the research direction in the future.

PMID- 28900987
TI  - [Consensus and controversy of endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of
      gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors].
AB  - Neuroendocrine neoplasms(NENs) are relatively rare tumors originating from the
      diffuse neuroendocrine system, and gastrointestinal tract is one of the most
      common location of the tumors. Currently, the European Neuroendocrine Neoplasm
      Society (ENETS) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have
      released the international guidelines for NENs management. And also, experts from
      Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) have proposed "The Consensus on
      Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasm in China" in 2016, which is also
      one of the most important reference standard for the diagnosis and treatment of
      gastroenteropancreatic(GEP) NENs in China. Here we will interpret these three
      guidelines or consensus. There are few controversies about endoscopic management
      principle for GEP-NEN of different locations and sizes among these three
      guidelines or consensus, but for small NENs without involving intrinsic
      muscularis, endoscopic resection is recommended and considered. We hope that this
      interpretation may help clinicians for clinical decision making.

PMID- 28900988
TI  - [Analysis of primary site and pathology on 903 patients with neuroendocrine
      neoplasms].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the primary site and pathological feature of neuroendocrine
      neoplasm (NEN), especially the NEN of digestive system. METHODS:
      Clinicopathological data of NEN patients at China-Japan Friendship Hospital from
      January 2012 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Tumor primary sites
      were summarized. Association between tumor site and pathological grading in
      gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm(GEP-NEN) was examined. RESULTS:
      There were a total of 903 cases of NEN. Sites of primary tumor included the
      digestive system in 699 cases(77.4%), the thorax(including lung, thymus and
      mediastinum) in 87 cases(9.6%), other sites in 60 cases (6.6%), unknown in 57
      cases(6.3%). Among 699 GEP-NEN cases, the primary sites included the stomachin in
      207 cases (29.6%), pancreas in 201 (28.8%), rectumin in 185 (26.5%), duodenum in
      43(6.2%), jejunum and ileum in 18(2.6%), appendix in 15 (2.1%), gallbladder in
      11(1.6%), esophagus in 10(1.4%), and the colon in 9 cases (1.3%). Pathologically,
      the tumor grading was neuroendocrine tumor (NET) G1 in 336 cases(48.1%), NET G2
      in 203 cases (29.0%), neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) G3 in 139 cases (19.9%). All
      the esophagus NEN(10/10), most gallbladder NEN(9/11) and colon NEN(6/9) were
      poorly-differentiated NEC (G3), while all appendix NEN(15/15), most stomach
      NEN(147/207, 71.0%), pancreas NEN (156/201, 77.6%), rectum NEN (169/185, 91.4%),
      duodenum NEN (31/43, 72.1%), jejunum and ileum NEN(16/18, 88.9%) were well
      differentiated NET G1 or G2. CONCLUSIONS: The most common primary site of NEN is
      the digestive system. The stomach, pancreas and rectum are most common primary
      sitesof GEP-NEN. Difference in pathological grading is quite greatin different
      primary sites of GEP-NEN. Most NENs fromesophagus, colon and gallbladder are
      poorly-differentiated NEC.

PMID- 28900989
TI  - [Clinicopathological classification and prognostic factors of gastrointestinal
      neuroendocrine neoplasms: an analysis of 119 cases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics, pathological
      classification and prognostic factors of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine
      neoplasms (GI-NENs). METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 119 GI-NENs patients at
      Shanghai Renji Hospital from November 2007 to December 2016 were analyzed
      retrospectively. According to the classification and grading criteria of the WHO
      Neuroendocrine Tumor 2010 edition, patients were classified pathologically to
      realize the malignant degree of tumors. The overall survival rate was calculated
      by Kaplan-Meier curve, the prognostic risk factors were analyzed by Cox
      regression model, and the factors including the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR)
      and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were included in the analysis in addition
      to the routine clinicopathological factors. RESULTS: Of 119 patients with GI
      NENs, there were 83 cases (69.7%) of male and 36 cases (30.3%) of female. The age
      of patients ranged from 24 to 86 (median 61) years. Tumor locations included the
      stomach(n=70, 58.8%), duodenum(n=10, 8.4%), small intestine(n=2, 1.7%),
      appendix(n=3, 2.5%), colon(n=12, 10.1%), and rectum(n=22, 18.5%). The tumor
      diameter was 0.6 to 20 cm, the mean diameter was 5.4 cm, and the median diameter
      was 4 cm. There were 25 cases of G1 neuroendocrine tumor (NET), 7 cases of G2 NET
      and 87 cases of G3 neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). Among the 119 patients, 113
      cases (95%) had complete follow-up, and the median follow-up was 75 (1 to 112)
      months. The 5-years overall survival rate was 58.4%. The survival rate of G1 NET,
      G2 NET and G3 NEC were 100%, 71.4%, 44.4%, and the difference was statistically
      significant (P=0.000). Univariate analysis showed that age >=61 years (P=0.000),
      tumor located in the stomach, duodenum and colon (P=0.041), tumor size >=4 cm
      (P=0.002), pathology classification of G3 NEC (P=0.000), late TNM staging
      (P=0.000) and blood PLR >=133 (P=0.017) were associated with lower 5-year
      survival rate, but blood NLR level was not(P=0.263). Multivariate analysis showed
      that the patient age (HR=3.036, 95%CI: 1.548 to 5.956, P=0.001), the pathology
      classification(HR = 1.852, 95%CI:1.099 to 3.122, P=0.021), lymph node metastasis
      (HR=2.635, 95%CI:1.198 to 5.797, P=0.016) and distant metastasis (HR=2.685,
      95%CI:1.383 to 5.214, P=0.004) were independent risk factors affecting the
      prognosis of patients, but the blood PLR level was not (HR=1.735, 95%CI: 0.947 to
      3.176, P=0.074). CONCLUSIONS: The malignant degree of GI-NEN is quite high, and
      the prognosis of patients is relatively poor. The age, pathological type and TNM
      staging are closely related to the prognosis of patients. Preoperative blood PLR
      may play a role in the prediction of prognosis, but preoperative blood NLR is not
      related with the prognosis of patients.

PMID- 28900990
TI  - [Prognostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha fetoprotein, carbohydrate
      antigen 125 and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in gastroenteropancreatic
      neuroendocrine neoplasms].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the rate of elevated common biomarkers of digestive tumors,
      including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carbohydrate
      antigen 125 (CA125) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), in
      gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (GEP-NEN) and their prognostic
      values in GEP-NEN. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of patients with GEP-NEN
      treated in The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from January
      2011 to December 2016 were retrospectively studied. The inclusion criteria were
      as follows: patients with complete clinicopathological data including AFP, CEA,
      CA125 and CA19-9 level before treatment; patients without previous or other
      concomitant cancer; patients diagnosed as sporadic but not familial NEN. Serum
      AFP level >30 MUg/L, CEA level >7.5 MUg/L, CA125 level >52.5 MUg/L and CA19-9
      level >52.5 kU/L were defined as elevation respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis
      and Log-rank test were applied to investigate the prognostic role of these
      biomarkers. RESULTS: A total of 170 patients with GEP-NEN were enrolled, and 105
      (61.8%) patients were male with median age of 52.5 years. Thirty-six (21.2%), 77
      (45.3%) and 57 (33.5%) cases were gastric, intestinal and pancreatic NEN
      respectively. Elevated AFP, CEA, CA125 and CA19-9 were found in 3(1.8%),
      19(11.2%), 22(12.9%) and 21(12.4%) patients. Elevated CEA was related with G3
      disease (OR=4.78, 95%CI:1.28-17.85, P=0.020) and elevated CA125 was related with
      distant metastasis (OR=51.60, 95%CI:5.76-462.44, P=0.000) while elevated CA19-9
      was related with both G3 disease (OR=3.81; 95%CI:1.21-11.99, P=0.022) and distant
      metastasis(OR=4.87; 95%CI:1.41-16.75, P=0.012). The median follow-up was 22.5
      months. Forty-six patients (27.1%) died during the follow-up. Patients with
      elevated CEA, CA125 or CA19-9 had worse overall survival compared with their
      counterparts with the median survivals of 14 months (95%CI:5.4 to 22.6 months,
      chi2=15.582, P=0.000), 6 months (95%CI:3.2 to 8.8 months, chi2=37.627, P=0.001)
      and 10 months (95%CI:0 to 20.6 months, chi2=50.187, P=0.000) respectively.
      Furthermore, patients with more than two elevated biomarkers (median survival 6
      months, 95%CI:4.37-7.63 months) had worse survival than patients with only one
      elevated biomarker (median survival 26 months, 95%CI:15.68-36.32 months,
      chi2=9.295, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Elevation of AFP, CEA, CA125 or CA19-9 is not
      common in GEP-NEN. Patients with elevation of these biomarkers have poor
      survival.

PMID- 28900991
TI  - [Transanal endoscopic microsurgery for treatment of rectal neuroendocrine
      tumors].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of full-thickness excision using transanal
      endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) in the treatment of rectal neuroendocrine tumors
      (NET). METHODS: Clinicopathological and follow-up data of 90 rectal NET patients
      who underwent TEM between December 2006 and December 2016 at our department were
      retrospectively analyzed. TEM was performed as primary excision in 66 patients
      and as the second complete surgery because of suspected positive margin of
      samples after colonoscopic polypectomy in 24 patients. RESULTS: TEM was
      successfully performed in all the rectal NET patients, and in 10
      patients(41.7%,10/24) among those undergoing the second excision, postoperative
      pathologic results showed remnant tumor. The mean diameter of all the tumors was
      (1.03+/-0.46) cm, and the mean tumor diameter of primary excision and secondary
      excision was (1.10+/-0.50) and (0.84+/-0.23) cm respectively (t=2.454, P=0.016).
      The mean distance from tumor low margin to anal verge was (7.7+/-1.8) cm for all
      the patients, and such distance for those undergoing primary excision and
      secondary excision was (7.4+/-1.7) cm and (8.4+/-1.8) cm respectively (t=2.233,
      P=0.028). Of all the patients, the mean intra-operative blood loss was (13.7+/
      5.1) ml, and the mean operation time was (56.6+/-12.1) min. The intra-operative
      blood loss and operative time were similar in primary excision and secondary
      excision (both P>0.05). Histopathologically, both fundus and lateral margins of
      all the samples were negative. Of the 76 samples, cancer tissue developed outside
      the mucosal layer in 37 samples, infiltrated into the submucosal layer (pT1
      stage) in 33 samples, and infiltrated into the muscular layer (pT2 stage) in 6
      samples; 57 samples were classified as grade G1 and 19 samples were classified as
      grade G2, respectively. The operative complication rate was 6.7%(6/90). The mean
      postoperative hospital stay was (3.0+/-1.5) d. No recurrence was noted during the
      follow-up (median 3.9, 0.4 to 10.0 years). CONCLUSIONS: TEM can be the preferred
      option for complete removal of middle-upper small (<2 cm) rectal NET(G1-2). For
      rectal NET with incomplete resection by colonoscopic polypectomy, the secondary
      TEM can still obtain ideal efficacy even though operative difficulty increases.

PMID- 28900992
TI  - [Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of rectal neuroendocrine
      neoplasms].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of rectal
      neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). METHODS: From January 2000 to May 2017, 84
      patients were diagnosed as NENs by pathology and underwent surgical treatment in
      Peking University First Hospital. Their clinicopathological characteristics,
      surgial options and prognosis were analyzed retrospectively. RESULT: Among these
      84 cases, 67 cases were NET G1, 6 cases were NET G2, 10 cases were NEC G3 and 1
      case was MANEC G3. The median size was 0.8 (0.2 to 18.0) cm. There were 60 cases
      of stage I(, 2 cases of stage II(, 12 cases of stage III(, 10 cases of stage
      IIII(. Forty-nine patients accepted examinations because of non-specific
      symptoms, including altered bowel habits(22/49), bloody stool (19/49) and
      abdominal pain(10/49); the other 35 cases including 2 patients with liver
      metastasis were diagnosed by endoscopy or CT during routine physical examination.
      Forty-four patients received endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS) with 100% of
      sensitivity and 90.9% of accuracy. Among 20 cases (23.8%) with lymph node
      metastasis (all >=T2 stage), 12 cases were NET G1 and G2 (1 case of multiple NET
      G1) and 8 cases were NEC G3 and MANEC G3. The lymph node metastasis rate of stage
      T1 NET G1 and G2 was lower than that of stage T2 to T4 NET G1 and G2, also lower
      than that of NEC G3 and MANEC G3 (all P=0.000), however, stage T2 to T4 NET G1
      and G2 showed the similar rate of lymph node metastasis with NEC G3 and MANCE
      G3(P>0.05). Synchronously distant metastasis was found in 10 (11.9%) patients at
      the first diagnosis, and ovarian metastasis was found in 1 case 9 years after
      curative resection of rectal NEN. Among 81 patients receiving operation, 57
      patients underwent endoscopic mucosal resection (56 patients of stage T1 NET G1
      and G2); 3 patients local excision without lymph node dissection; 13 patients
      curative resection; 1 patient curative resection with liver metastasis resection;
      6 patients palliative surgery and 1 patient metastatic lesion resection only.
      Overall follw-up time was 1 month to 169 months, and the 3- and 5-year survival
      rates were 87.7% and 79.7% respectively. No recurrence or metastasis was observed
      in all the 62 patients with T1 G1 and G2, including 56 cases of ESD, 3 cases of
      local excision, 3 cases of curative resection, whose 3-year and 5-year survival
      rates were both 96%. The prognosis was closely associated with grade and stage of
      NENs (all P=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The early symptoms of rectal NENs are insidious
      and atypical, therefore some patients are diagnosed as stage II( or higher at
      their first consultation. ESD is safe and effective for NET G1 and G2. The
      prognosis depends on grade and stage of NENs.

PMID- 28900993
TI  - [Comparison of modified NIH and AFIP risk-stratification criteria for
      gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A multicenter retrospective study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the value of Modified NIH criteria and AFIP
      criteria for the risk classification of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).
      METHODS: Clinicopathological and follow-up data of 539 patients diagnosed as
      primary GIST with or without irregular tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the Nanfang
      Hospital(n=143), Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (n=138), Guangdong
      Provincial People's Hospital (n=102) and Wuhan Union Hospital (n=156) from
      January 2012 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Recurrence risks of
      these 539 patients were classified by the modified NIH criteria and AFIP
      criteria. Overall survival and tumor-free survival of patients with different
      risks were compared by Log-rank test and the accuracy of the two criteria in
      predicting postoperative recurrence was compared by receiver operating
      characteristic(ROC) curves. RESULTS: Of 539 GIST patients, 283 were male and 256
      were female; the age was (56.5+/-12.5) years old; tumors of 390 cases (72.4%)
      located in the stomach; tumor diameter of 178 cases (33.0%) was more than 5 cm;
      nuclear division number of 164 cases(30.4%) was more than 5/50 high
      magnification. The mean follow-up time was (37.5+/-13.6) months. According to the
      modified NIH criteria, the mean overall survival time of patients with very low,
      low, intermediate, and high risk was 52.0, 57.0, 56.9 and 53.6 months
      respectively (P=0.002), and the mean tumor-free survival time was 56.0, 58.1,
      58.2 and 51.2 months respectively (P=0.000). According to the AFIP criteria, the
      mean overall survival time of patients with very low, low, intermediate, and high
      risk was 54.1, 57.8, 55.5 and 52.0 months respectively(P=0.015), and the mean
      tumor-free survival time was 57.3, 56.6, 54.9 and 50.4 months
      respectively(P=0.000). While predicting the risk of postoperative recurrence, the
      ROC curve of AFIP criteria has a larger area under the curve compared to the
      curve of the modified NIH criteria(0.689 vs 0.641, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared
      with the modified NIH criteria, AFIP criteria predicts the risk postoperative
      recurrence more accurately in GIST patients.

PMID- 28900995
TI  - [Association between genetic polymorphisms and variation of imatinib
      pharmacokinetics in gastrointestinal stromal tumors].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of metabolic enzymes polymorphisms on
      variations of imatinib (IM) pharmacokinetics in gastrointestinal stromal tumors
      (GIST) patients. METHODS: Clinical data of 118 Chinese GIST patients receiving
      400 mg/d IM at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between 2014 and 2016 were
      retrospectively analyzed. The plasma concentration of imatinib mesylate(IM) and
      its main metabolic N-demethyl imatinib (NDI) were determined by LC-MS/MS. CYP3A4
      rs2242480, CYP1A2 rs762551, CYP2C19 rs28399505 and NR1I2 rs3814057 were genotyped
      by MassArray system. Association between drug concentration and polymorphism was
      examined by Whitney U test. P<=0.05 indicated close association and 0.05<P<0.10
      indicated marginal association. RESULTS: Among 118 GIST patients, 63 were male
      and 55 were female with a median age of 55 (44 to 63) years. Primary lesion
      location was the stomach in 87 cases, intestine in 13 cases and other sites in 18
      cases. All the patients received standard 400 mg/d IM. Concentration of IM (CIM)
      was (1 501.1+/-646.8) MUg/L and concentration of NDI (CNDI) was (221.7+/-92.5)
      MUg/L. Association analysis showed that CYP2C19 rs28399505 was closely associated
      with concentration of IM and NDI(P=0.002 and 0.028). The concentration of IM and
      NDI in patients with TC heterozygote was significantly lower than those with
      wildtype TT [CIM: (695.4+/-202.9) MUg/L vs. (1 518.9+/-716.8) MUg/L, P=0.002;
      CNDI:(133.3+/-59.8) MUg/L vs. (244.5+/-99.1) MUg/L, P=0.028]. NR1I2 rs3814057 was
      marginally associated with concentration of IM and NDI(CIM:P=0.079;
      CNDI:P=0.082), while CYP3A4 rs2242480 and CYP1A2 rs762551 were not associated
      with concentration of IM or NDI(all P>0.10). CONCLUSIONS: CYP2C19 may play an
      important role in IM metabolism. Detection of CYP2C19 polymorphism may be
      beneficial to clinical monitoring of IM and decision making of individualized
      treatment.

PMID- 28900994
TI  - [Analysis of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors in Shandong Province: a
      midterm report of multicenter GISSG1201 study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarize the treatment status of gastric gastrointestinal stromal
      tumor (GIST) in Shandong province,by analyzing the clinicopathological features
      and prognostic factors. METHODS: Clinicopathological and follow-up data of 1 165
      patients with gastric GIST between January 2000 and December 2013 from 23
      tertiary referral hospitals in Shandong Province were collected to establish a
      database. The risk stratification of all cases was performed according to the
      National Institutes of Health(NIH) criteria proposed in 2008. Kaplan-Meier method
      was used to calculate the survival rate. Log-rank test and Cox regression model
      were used for univariate and multivariate prognostic analyses. RESULTS: Among 1
      165 cases of gastric GIST, 557 were male and 608 were female. The median age of
      onset was 60 (range 15-89) years. Primary tumors were located in the gastric
      fundus and cardia in 623 cases(53.5%), gastric body in 346 cases(29.7%), gastric
      antrum in 196 cases(16.8%). All the cases underwent resection of tumors,
      including endoscopic resection (n=106), local resection (n=589), subtotal
      gastrectomy(n=399), and total gastrectomy(n=72). Based on the NIH risk
      stratification, there were 256 cases (22.0%) at very low risk, 435 (37.3%) at low
      risk, 251 cases (21.5%) at intermediate risk, and 223 cases (19.1%) at high risk.
      A total of 1 116 cases(95.8%) were followed up and the median follow-up period
      was 40 (range, 1-60) months. During the period, 337 patients relapsed and the
      median time to recurrence was 34 (range 1-60) months. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year
      survival rates were 98.6%, 86.1% and 73.4%, respectively. The 5-year survival
      rates of patients at very low, low, intermediate, and high risk were 93.1%,
      85.8%, 63.0% and 42.3% respectively, with a statistically significant difference
      (P=0.000). Multivariate analysis showed that primary tumor site (RR=0.580,
      95%CI:0.402-0.835), tumor size (RR=0.450, 95%CI:0.266-0.760), intraoperative
      tumor rupture(RR=0.557, 95%CI:0.336-0.924), risk classification (RR=0.309,
      95%CI:0.164-0.580) and the use of imatinib after surgery (RR=1.993, 95%CI:1.350
      2.922) were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The choice of surgical
      procedure for gastric GIST patients should be based on tumor size. All the
      routine procedures including endoscopic resection, local excision, subtotal
      gastrectomy and total gastrectomy can obtain satisfactory curative outcomes. NIH
      classification has a high value for the prediction of prognosis. Primary tumor
      site, tumor size, intraoperative tumor rupture, risk stratification and
      postoperative use of imatinib are independent prognostic factors in gastric GIST
      patients.

PMID- 28900996
TI  - [Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of gastric hepatoid
      adenocarcinoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, diagnosis,
      treatment and prognosis of gastric hepatoid adenocarcinoma(HAS). METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of clinicopathological data of 24 cases with gastric HAS
      diagnosed by surgery and pathology in Chinese PLA General Hospital from January
      2013 to May 2016 were carried out. All the patients underwent preoperative serum
      alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), endoscopy and imaging
      examination (CT or B-mode ultrasonography), and those with elevated AFP were
      excluded from liver cancer, cirrhosis, endodermal sinus tumor and other diseases.
      The follow-up ended in June 2016 or the death of the patient. The survival was
      from the operation to the death of the patient or the end of follow-up. RESULTS:
      There were a total of 24 cases with gastic HAS, accounting for 1.03%(24/2 326) of
      the total number of patients with gastric cancer diagnosed at the same time in
      our center. There were 19 males and 5 females, the ratio of male to female was
      3.8:1.0, the mean age of the patients was 55.9 (31 to 72) years, and 2 of them
      had liver metastasis. The first symptom in 50% (12/24) patients was epigastric
      pain, in 25%(6/24) was abdominal distension with vomiting, and the rest included
      dysphagia (12.5%, 3/24), hematemesis (8.3%, 2/24) and melena (4.2%, 1/24).
      Preoperative serum levels of AFP and CEA were elevated in 10 (41.7%) and 5
      patients (20.8%) respectively. All the patients underwent surgical treatment,
      including 23 cases with D2 radical resection of gastric cancer and R0 resection,
      and the other of palliative gastrojejunostomy. Lesions of HAS located in gastric
      antrum in 11 cases (45.8%), in cardia in 7 cases (29.2%), and in gastric body in
      6 cases (25%). Tumor maximum diameter of 10 cases was larger than 5 cm, and the
      average diameter was 5.7(1.0 to 12.0) cm. Postoperative pathological TNM staging:
      stage I(b was in 1 cases, stage II( in 7 cases, stage III( in 14 cases, stage
      IIII( in 2 cases; lymph node metastasis in stage N1-3 in 20 cases (83.3%). Poorly
      differentiated tumors were found in 21 cases (87.5%), and no well-differentiated
      tumors were found. There were 11 cases (45.8%) with formation of intravascular
      tumor thrombi. In immunohistochemistry, AFP positive expression was found in 11
      cases(45.8%). Seventeen HAS cases (70.8%, 17/24) received postoperative
      SOX(oxaliplatin + S-1) or XELOX (oxaliplatin + capecitabine) as adjuvant
      chemotherapy, 5 cases postoperative immune therapy, and 2 cases postoperative
      traditional Chinese medicine. All the patients were followed up for 0.7 to 42.0
      months (median 8 months). A total of 9 patients died, of whom, 1 case underwent
      gastrojejunostomy because of liver and peritoneal metastasis before operation,
      and died 20 days after surgery; 4 cases died of multiple liver metastases after
      1.5 to 12.0 months with survival of 3 to 18 months; 3 cases presented local
      recurrence after 2 to 17 months with survival of 6 to 22 months; 1 cases had
      peritoneal metastasis after 12 month with survival of 26 months. CONCLUSIONS: HAS
      is a rare type of gastric cancer with poor prognosis. The diagnosis is mainly
      based on histopathology, and radical resection is the mainstay treatment.

PMID- 28900997
TI  - [Surgical treatment and prognostic analysis for 57 patients with gastrointestinal
      lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore clinicopathologic characteristics, surgical features and
      prognostic factors in patients with primary gastrointestinal lymphoma(PGIL) in
      order to provide evidence for optimizing surgical treatment. METHODS:
      Clinicopathological data of 57 PGIL patients undergoing abdominal surgery in Sun
      Yat-sen University Cancer Center between October 1990 and January 2015 were
      retrospectively collected. The survival rates were compared among patients with
      different clinicopathologic characteristics by Kaplan-Meier method, while Cox
      regression model was employed to analyze the prognostic factors. RESULTS: Among
      57 patients, 43 were male and 14 were female, with a median age of 48 (range 16
      to 80) years. Seventeen (29.8%) cases were classified as Musshoff I( stage, 19
      (33.3%) cases as II( stage, 9 (15.8%) cases as III( stage, and 12(21.1%) cases as
      IIII( stage. Forty-four (77.2%) cases underwent selective operation, 13(22.8%)
      cases underwent emergent operation due to acute abdomen. Thirty-two(56.1%) cases
      had radical resection, 18 (31.6%) cases had partial resection and the rest
      7(12.3%) cases failed to perform resection. Four (7.0%) cases received simple
      surgical operation, and 53 (93.0%) cases received comprehensive treatment,
      including 5(8.8%) cases with preoperative chemotherapy and surgery, 40 (70.2%)
      cases with surgery and postoperative chemotherapy, and 8 (14.0%) cases with
      surgery and perioperative chemotherapy. Stage III( and IIII( accounted for
      76.9%(10/13) in patients undergoing emergent operation and accounted for
      25.0%(11/44) in patients undergoing selective operation, whose difference was
      statistically significant (chi2=9.503, P=0.002). Univariate prognostic analysis
      showed that T lymphocyte source pathological cell phenotype (P=0.000), clinical
      Musshoff stage III( and IIII((P=0.001), emergent operation (P=0.000) and
      incomplete tumor resection(P=0.007) had worse 5-year overall survival.
      Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that tumor pathological cell
      phenotype (HR=13.75, 95%CI:3.546-53.308, P=0.000) and surgical timing (HR=7.497,
      95%CI:1.163-48.313, P=0.034) were independent prognostic risk factors of patients
      with stage I( and II(. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical operation is an important part of
      comprehensive treatment for PGIL. T lymphocyte source and ulcerative lymphoma
      indicates poorer prognosis.

PMID- 28900998
TI  - [Associated factors of postoperative relapse and metastasis in pT1bN0M0-pT4aN0M0
      thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associated high risk factors of postoperative
      relapse and metastasis for patients with confined tumors (grade pT1b-4a) without
      lymph-node metastases (pN0) in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
      (ESCC). METHODS: Clinicopathological and follow up data of ESCC patients
      undergoing radical surgical resection as primary treatment in the Department of
      Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital between January 2004 and December 2012
      from Hospital Database were retrospectively collected. The inclusion criteria
      were as follows: (1) the first development of ESCC confirmed by histopathology
      without lymphatic and distant metastasis; (2) pathological stage of pT1bN0M0 to
      pT4aN0M0 according to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in 2009;
      (3) curative trans-thoracic esophagectomy with R0 (tumor-free surgical margin)
      resection, using the Ivor-Lewis or McKeown procedure; two-field lymphadenectomy
      or three-field lymph node dissection based on the positive results of
      preoperative cervical ultrasonography examination or CT scan; (4) without
      adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy before and after operation; (5)
      complete follow-up data. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify
      the clinicopathological factors affecting the postoperative relapse and
      metastasis. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients were eligible, including 94 male
      cases and 18 female cases; age of (58.6+/-7.7) years; squamous carcinoma of upper
      thorax in 25 cases, of middle thorax in 67 cases and of lower thorax segment in
      20 cases; 12 cases of high-differentiated ESCC, 49 cases of moderate
      differentiated ESCC, poorly-differentiated ESCC in 48 cases; 4 cases of I(a
      stage, 9 cases of I(b, 24 cases of II(a, 62 cases of II(b, 13 cases of III(a; the
      tumor length >4 cm in 43 cases, <=4 cm in 69 cases. Forty-three (38.4%) patients
      presented relapse or metastasis during the follow-up, including 24 (21.4%) of
      loco-regional relapse, 13 (11.6%) of distant metastasis, and 6(5.4%) of both
      above. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that poorly-differentiated tumor
      (OR=1.899, 95%CI:1.233-2.925, P=0.004), upper-middle location (OR=2.351,
      95%CI:1.188-4.653, P=0.014), and tumor length >4 cm (OR=2.381, 95%CI:1.009-5.618,
      P=0.048) were independent risk factors of overall postoperative relapse and
      metastasis for thoracic ESCC with stage pT1b N0M0-T4aN0M0. Further stratified
      analysis identified that only poorly-differentiated tumor (OR=1.730, 95%CI:1.121
      2.671, P=0.013) was an independent risk factor of loco-regional relapse, whereas
      pathological stage II(b-III(a (OR=3.372, 95%CI:1.206-9.428, P=0.021) was an
      independent risk factor of distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Poorly-differentiated
      tumor, tumor length >4 cm, and upper-middle location may be regarded as high risk
      factors for predicting overall relapse and metastasis of pN0 thoracic ESCC
      patients after esophagectomy. Moreover, poorly-differentiated tumor is the only
      independent risk factor of postoperative loco-regional relapse, meanwhile it
      should be noted that pathological stage II(b-III(a is closely related to
      postoperative distant metastasis.

PMID- 28900999
TI  - [Study on the relationship between tumor regression grade and lymph node
      regression grade].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between tumor regression grade (TRG)
      and lymph node regression grade (LRG) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT)
      for rectal cancer and its clinical implication. METHODS: Clinicopathological data
      of 176 rectal cancer patients undergoing radical excision after neoadjuvant CRT
      from January 2005 to December 2013 in our department were retrospectively
      analyzed. INCLUSION CRITERIA: (1) Radiology indicated locally advanced low rectal
      cancer and patients had strong desire to preserve the sphincter before
      neoadjuvant CRT; (2) there was no definite metastatic lesion before neoadjuvant
      CRT; (3) patients received whole course of neoadjuvant CRT (regular radiotherapy
      plus synchronous fluorouracil-like drugs chemotherapy); (4) patients underwent
      radical operation after neoadjuvant CRT. Patients with short-course CRT and
      emergency surgery were excluded. TRG and LRG of postoperative specimens
      (including tumor and lymph nodes) were carried out based on the percentage of the
      fibrosis and the cancer residue. No cancer residue was defined as TRG1 and LRG1;
      rare cancer cell residue as TRG2 and LRG2; fibrosis growth over residual cancer
      as TRG3 and LRG3; residual cancer growth over fibrosis as TRG4 and LRG4; absence
      of regressive changes as TRG5 and LRG5; and normal lymph nodes as LRG0. Spearman
      correlation test was used to assess the correlation between TRG and LRG. RESULTS:
      Of 176 patients, 111 were men and 65 were women. The mean age was (53.9+/-13.0)
      years. The number of patients with stage I(, II(, and III( before operation was
      10, 49 and 62 while other 55 patients were unknown. Transabdominal low anterior
      resection (LAR) was performed in 118 cases and abdominal-perineal resection(APR)
      in 47 cases following the principle of total mesorectal excision (TME).
      Postoperative pathology of specimens revealed that the number of patients from
      TRG1 to TRG5 was 19 (10.8%), 25 (14.2%), 66 (37.5%), 47 (26.7%), 19 (10.8%), and
      from LRG0 to LRG5 was 35 (19.9%), 68 (38.6%), 10 (5.7%), 14 (8.0%), 15(8.5%), 34
      (19.3%), respectively. TRG was correlated to LRG (P=0.005) while the Spearman
      correlation coefficient was only 0.24. The analysis of subgroup without LRG1 also
      showed that TRG was correlated to LRG(P=0.0005) and the Spearman correlation
      coefficient was 0.40. CONCLUSIONS: TRG can not represent LRG. Therefore, both TRG
      and LRG should be assessed when evaluating the response of rectal cancer to
      neoadjuvant CRT.

PMID- 28901000
TI  - [Diagnostic value of dynamic monitoring of C-reactive protein in drain drainage
      to predict early anastomotic leakage after colorectal cancer surgery].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of dynamic monitoring of C-reactive
      protein (CRP) in drainage fluid in predicting early anastomotic leakage after
      colorectal surgery. METHODS: This study enrolled 172 patients, who were diagnosed
      as colorectal cancer before operation and underwent radical surgery, without
      residual tumor tissues by postoperative pathology and perioperative infection, at
      the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital between July 2015 and January
      2016. The C-reactive(CRP) protein level in drainage fluid was continuously
      monitored from postoperative days (POD) 1 to 5. CRP level was compared between
      anastomotic leakage (AL) group and non-anastomotic leakage (NAL) group. Receiver
      operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to estimate the value of
      monitoring CRP in drainage fluid to predict anastomotic leakage after colorectal
      surgery. RESULTS: Among 172 patients, 101 cases were male and 71 cases were
      female, with age of (59.9+/-10.3) years. Anastomotic leakage occurred after
      colorectal surgery in 24 cases(14.0%, AL group ) and other 148 cases were defined
      as NAL group. Other than body mass index (BMI), differences in baseline data were
      not statistically significant between two groups. The CRP lever in AL group and
      NAL group showed rising trend from POD1 to POD4 [Day 1: (6.7+/-8.4) g/L vs.
      (8.0+/-10.6) g/L; Day 2: (24.8+/-14.6) g/L vs. (28.3+/-21.1) g/L, Day 3: (54.8+/
      26.5) g/L vs. (53.8+/-27.6)g/L, Day 4: (62.0+/-32.2) g/L vs. (58.4+/-30.7) g/L],
      while the differences were not significant (all P>0.05). At POD 5, the CRP lever
      of AL group increased continuously, while that of NAL group decreased with
      significant difference [(65.3+/-38.9) g/L vs. (44.7+/-39.5) g/L, t=-2.85,
      P=0.005]. Further stratification analysis on AL group revealed CRP level in early
      AL (AL occurrence <POD 10) showed rising trend from POD 1 to 5, while CRP level
      in late AL (AL occurrence >POD 10) showed rising trend from POD 1 to 4, then
      decreased slightly at POD 5, but whose differences were not significant (all
      P>0.05). ROC curve was drawn with AL condition as state variables and CRP level
      as test variables. The AUC of POD 1 to 4 was 0.425, 0.487, 0.510, 0.522
      respectively and the AUC of POD 5 was the largest, 0.657 (95%CI:0.537-0.777). The
      largest Youden Index was 0.274. The critical value of CRP was 27.15 g/L. When
      this value was used as the point of tangency to predict the occurrence of AL, the
      sensitivity was 87.5%, the specificity was 39.9%, positive predictive value was
      19.1%, and negative predictive value was 95.2%. CONCLUSION: Continuous increase
      of CRP level in abdominal drainage fluid from POD 1 to POD 5 indicates the
      occurrence of AL after colorectal cancer operation, especially the detection of
      CRP level at POD 5 is important.

PMID- 28901001
TI  - [Early versus traditional postoperative oral feeding in patients undergoing
      elective colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis of safety and efficacy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of early oral feeding (EOF) and the
      traditional oral feeding (TOF) in postoperative patients with colorectal cancer
      using Meta-analysis. METHODS: The databases of PubMed, SCI, Ovid, The Cochrane
      Library, CNKI, CBM, VIP and Wanfang Data were searched to collect randomized
      controlled trial (RCT) about EOF versus TOF in patients undergoing elective
      colorectal surgery. The retrieval time span was from inception to June 1, 2016.
      The studies were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The
      data were extracted and the quality was evaluated by 2 reviewers independently.
      The Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.2 software. RESULTS: A total of 14
      studies with 1 807 patients (906 cases in EOF group and 901 cases in TOF group)
      were included. The time to first passage of flatus (MD=-16.11 h, 95%CI:-18.27 to 
      13.94 h, P=0.00), postoperative hospital stay (MD=-1.92 d, 95%CI:-2.83 to -1.01
      d, P=0.00), hospitalization cost (ten thousand yuan) (MD=-0.58, 95%CI:-0.71 to 
      0.46, P=0.00) were less in EOF group compared to TOF group. EOF patients had
      lower total complication rate (OR=0.68, 95%CI:0.48 to 0.95, P=0.03), in which the
      pulmonary infection (OR=0.27, 95%CI:0.13 to 0.53, P=0.00), pharyngolaryngitis
      (OR=0.06, 95%CI:0.04 to 0.11, P=0.00) were lower than those in TOF group, while
      the tube reinsertion (OR=2.34, 95%CI:1.08 to 5.07, P=0.03) was higher. The
      incidence of anastomotic leakage, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension,
      diarrhea, and wound infection between two groups was not significantly
      different(all P>0.05). There was no significant difference between two groups in
      IgM (P>0.05), while the IgA (MD=0.3, 95%CI:0.12 to 0.48, P=0.00), IgG (MD=2.13
      ,95%CI:0.82 to 3.44, P=0.001), CD4+ (MD=3.80, 95%CI:2.55 to 5.04, P=0.00),
      CD4+/CD8+ (MD=0.22, 95%CI:0.04 to 0.41, P=0.02) in EOF group were higher than
      those in TOF group. Postoperative CRP decreased rapidly in EOF group (MD=-30.10,
      95%CI:-48.07 to -12.13, P=0.00), and IL-6 was not significantly different
      (P>0.05). EOF patients had higher serum albumin level 5 days after operation
      (MD=3.27, 95%CI: 2.48 to 4.07, P=0.00). CONCLUSIONS: EOF can promote gas passage
      and defecation, reduce postoperative hospital stay and treatment costs. Also, it
      can decrease the incidence of complications and postoperative inflammation, and
      maintain immune function.

PMID- 28901002
TI  - [Current research status and progress of primary esophageal gastrointestinal
      stromal tumors in China].
AB  - Primary esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) is a rare independent
      disease with clinicopathological and molecular features different from other
      mesenchymal tumors. Authors searched and reviewed associated reports and
      summarized the morbidity trends, characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of
      esophageal GIST in China. Data show that the incidence and detection rate of
      esophageal GIST presents the rising trend. Imaging has some characteristics.
      Ultrasonography and CT are main methods and effective examinations to detect and
      prompt diagnosis of esophageal GIST. Pathology and immunohistochemistry are the
      evidence for a definite diagnosis. Risk classification is the important basis for
      selecting surgical methods and predicting prognosis. Surgery is the mainstay
      treatment. Very low and low risk patients with tumors less than 3 cm can choose
      endoscopic resection. For tumors of 3 to 5 cm, tumor resection must be
      considered. Thoracoscopy appears to be the first choice for surgery. Medium and
      high risk patients with tumors >5 cm should be treated with partial resection of
      esophagus. Surgery combined with targeted therapy and neoadjuvant therapy is the
      main treatment pattern and research direction.

PMID- 28901003
TI  - Expression of TIM-3 and LAG-3 in extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of TIM-3 and LAG-3 in extranodal NK/T
      cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL), and evaluate the clinical and prognostic
      significance of TIM-3 and LAG-3 in ENKTL. METHODS: A total of 61 human paraffin
      embedded specimens including 41 ENKTL and 20 rhinitis were involved. We performed
      immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of TIM-3 and LAG-3. We analyzed
      correlation between expression of TIM-3 and LAG-3 and clinicopathological
      features of ENKTL. RESULTS: TIM-3 was positively expressed in 95 (39/41) ENKTL
      compared with 55% (11/20) in rhinitis, LAG-3 was positively expressed in 95
      (39/41) ENKTL compared with 45% (9/20) in rhinitis. A positive correlation was
      found between TIM-3 and LAG-3. TIM-3 and LAG-3 had no significant correlation
      with ENKTL patients' age, gender, international prognostic index (IPI) score, B
      symptoms, LDH level, Ann Arbor stage and treatment regimens. High expression of
      TIM-3, high IPI score, elevated LDH level and late Ann Arbor stage were shown to
      be correlated with worse progression free survival (PFS). A multivariate COX
      regression model show that TIM-3 high expression rate was an independent
      prognostic factor for ENKTL patients' PFS. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate
      that TIM-3 might be a promising predictive indicator for the ENKTL patients.

PMID- 28901004
TI  - Bcl-3 induced by IL-22 via STAT3 activation acts as a potentiator of psoriasis
      related gene expression in epidermal keratinocytes.
AB  - IL-22 induces STAT3 phosphorylation and mediates psoriasis-related gene
      expression. However, the signaling mechanism leading from pSTAT3 to the
      expression of these genes remains unclear. We focused on Bcl-3, which is induced
      by STAT3 activation and mediates gene expression. In cultured human epidermal
      keratinocytes, IL-22 increased Bcl-3, which was translocated to the nucleus with
      p50 via STAT3 activation. The increases in CXCL8, S100As and human beta-defensin
      2 mRNA expression caused by IL-22 were abolished by siRNA against Bcl-3. Although
      CCL20 expression was also augmented by IL-22, the knockdown of Bcl-3 increased
      its level. Moreover, the combination of IL-22 and IL-17A enhanced Bcl-3
      production, IL-22-induced gene expression, and the expression of other psoriasis
      related genes, including those encoding IL-17C, IL-19, and IL-36gamma. The
      expression of these genes (except for CCL20) was also suppressed by the knockdown
      of Bcl-3. Bcl-3 overexpression induced CXCL8 and HBD2 expression but not S100As
      expression. We also compared Bcl-3 expression between psoriatic skin lesions and
      normal skin. Immunostaining revealed strong signals for Bcl-3 and p50 in the
      nucleus of epidermal keratinocytes from psoriatic skin. The IL-22-STAT3-Bcl-3
      pathway may be important in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

PMID- 28901006
TI  - Reproductive aspects of the Atlantic angel shark Squatina dumeril in the southern
      Caribbean Sea.
AB  - The maturity and reproduction of the Atlantic angel shark Squatina dumeril were
      assessed using 77 females (29.2-110.4 cm total length; LT ) and 269 males (58.7
      108.2 cm LT ) harvested by artisanal gillnetters off Venezuela. The biased sex
      ratio implied segregation or sex-specific gear selectivity. Based on the
      development of the reproductive tract, 50% LT at sexual maturity (LT50 , mean +/-
      s.e.) for females and males were estimated at 86.14 +/- 0.64 and 81.55 +/- 0.12
      cm, respectively. Uterine fecundity ranged between one and six and with a maximum
      embryo size of 25.7 cm LT . Gravid females were observed from August to December,
      including those close to parturition and while the gestation period was not
      confirmed, the size of ovarian follicles among some specimens implied
      protraction. The low fecundity of the species supports close monitoring of
      catches.

PMID- 28901007
TI  - Pharmacological and mechanical interventions for labour induction in outpatient
      settings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Induction of labour is carried out for a variety of indications and
      using a range of methods. For women at low risk of pregnancy complications, some
      methods of induction of labour or cervical ripening may be suitable for use in
      outpatient settings. OBJECTIVES: To examine pharmacological and mechanical
      interventions to induce labour or ripen the cervix in outpatient settings in
      terms of effectiveness, maternal satisfaction, healthcare costs and, where
      information is available, safety. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane
      Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (30 November 2016) and reference
      lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled
      trials examining outpatient cervical ripening or induction of labour with
      pharmacological agents or mechanical methods. Cluster 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. We assessed evidence using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: This
      updated review included 34 studies of 11 different methods for labour induction
      with 5003 randomised women, where women received treatment at home or were sent
      home after initial treatment and monitoring in hospital.Studies examined vaginal
      and intracervical prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), vaginal and oral misoprostol,
      isosorbide mononitrate, mifepristone, oestrogens, amniotomy and acupuncture,
      compared with placebo, no treatment, or routine care. Trials generally recruited
      healthy women with a term pregnancy. The risk of bias was mostly low or unclear,
      however, in 16 trials blinding was unclear or not attempted. In general, limited
      data were available on the review's main and additional outcomes. Evidence was
      graded low to moderate quality. 1. Vaginal PGE2 versus expectant management or
      placebo (5 studies)Fewer women in the vaginal PGE2 group needed additional
      induction agents to induce labour, however, confidence intervals were wide (risk
      ratio (RR) 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27 to 0.99; 150 women; 2 trials).
      There were no clear differences between groups in uterine hyperstimulation (with
      or without fetal heart rate (FHR) changes) (RR 3.76, 95% CI 0.64 to 22.24; 244
      women; 4 studies; low-quality evidence), caesarean section (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.49
      to 1.31; 288 women; 4 studies; low-quality evidence), or admission to a neonatal
      intensive care unit (NICU) (RR 0.32, 95% CI 0.10 to 1.03; 230 infants; 3 studies;
      low-quality evidence).There was no information on vaginal birth within 24, 48 or
      72 hours, length of hospital stay, use of emergency services or maternal or
      caregiver satisfaction. Serious maternal and neonatal morbidity or deaths were
      not reported. 2. Intracervical PGE2 versus expectant management or placebo (7
      studies) There was no clear difference between women receiving intracervical PGE2
      and no treatment or placebo in terms of need for additional induction agents (RR
      0.98, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.32; 445 women; 3 studies), vaginal birth not achieved
      within 48 to 72 hours (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.02; 43 women; 1 study; low
      quality evidence), uterine hyperstimulation (with FHR changes) (RR 2.66, 95% CI
      0.63 to 11.25; 488 women; 4 studies; low-quality evidence), caesarean section (RR
      0.90, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.12; 674 women; 7 studies; moderate-quality evidence), or
      babies admitted to NICU (RR 1.61, 95% CI 0.43 to 6.05; 215 infants; 3 studies;
      low-quality evidence). There were no uterine ruptures in either the PGE2 group or
      placebo group.There was no information on vaginal birth not achieved within 24
      hours, length of hospital stay, use of emergency services, mother or caregiver
      satisfaction, or serious morbidity or neonatal morbidity or perinatal death. 3.
      Vaginal misoprostol versus placebo (4 studies)One small study reported on the
      rate of perinatal death with no clear differences between groups; there were no
      deaths in the treatment group compared with one stillbirth (reason not reported)
      in the control group (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.01 to 8.14; 77 infants; 1 study; low
      quality evidence).There was no clear difference between groups in rates of
      uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes (RR 1.97, 95% CI 0.43 to 9.00; 265
      women; 3 studies; low-quality evidence), caesarean section (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.61
      to 1.46; 325 women; 4 studies; low-quality evidence), and babies admitted to NICU
      (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.47; 325 infants; 4 studies; low-quality
      evidence).There was no information on vaginal birth not achieved within 24, 48 or
      72 hours, additional induction agents required, length of hospital stay, use of
      emergency services, mother or caregiver satisfaction, serious maternal, and other
      neonatal, morbidity or death.No substantive differences were found for other
      comparisons. One small study found that women who received oral misoprostol were
      more likely to give birth within 24 hours (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.86; 87
      women; 1 study) and were less likely to require additional induction agents (RR
      0.60, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.97; 127 women; 2 studies). Women who received mifepristone
      were also less likely to require additional induction agents (average RR 0.59,
      95% CI 0.37 to 0.95; 311 women; 4 studies; I2 = 74%); however, this result should
      be interpreted with caution due to high heterogeneity. One trial each of
      acupuncture and outpatient amniotomy were included, but few review outcomes were
      reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Induction of labour in outpatient settings
      appears feasible and important adverse events seem rare, however, in general
      there is insufficient evidence to detect differences. There was no strong
      evidence that agents used to induce labour in outpatient settings had an impact
      (positive or negative) on maternal or neonatal health. There was some evidence
      that compared to placebo or no treatment, induction agents administered on an
      outpatient basis reduced the need for further interventions to induce labour, and
      shortened the interval from intervention to birth.We do not have sufficient
      evidence to know which induction methods are preferred by women, the
      interventions that are most effective and safe to use in outpatient settings, or
      their cost effectiveness. Further studies where various women-friendly outpatient
      protocols are compared head-to-head are required. As part of such work, women
      should be consulted on what sort of management they would prefer.

PMID- 28901008
TI  - Continuous-time capture-recapture in closed populations.
AB  - The standard approach to fitting capture-recapture data collected in continuous
      time involves arbitrarily forcing the data into a series of distinct discrete
      capture sessions. We show how continuous-time models can be fitted as easily as
      discrete-time alternatives. The likelihood is factored so that efficient Markov
      chain Monte Carlo algorithms can be implemented for Bayesian estimation,
      available online in the R package ctime. We consider goodness-of-fit tests for
      behavior and heterogeneity effects as well as implementing models that allow for
      such effects.

PMID- 28901009
TI  - Sample size determination for multilevel hierarchical designs using generalized
      linear mixed models.
AB  - A unified statistical methodology of sample size determination is developed for
      hierarchical designs that are frequently used in many areas, particularly in
      medical and health research studies. The solid foundation of the proposed
      methodology opens a new horizon for power analysis in presence of various
      conditions. Important features such as joint significance testing, unequal
      allocations of clusters across intervention groups, and differential attrition
      rates over follow up time points are integrated to address some useful questions
      that investigators often encounter while conducting such studies. Proposed
      methodology is shown to perform well in terms of maintaining type I error rates
      and achieving the target power under various conditions. Proposed method is also
      shown to be robust with respect to violation of distributional assumptions of
      random-effects.

PMID- 28901005
TI  - Delivery arrangements for health systems in low-income countries: an overview of
      systematic reviews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delivery arrangements include changes in who receives care and when,
      who provides care, the working conditions of those who provide care, coordination
      of care amongst different providers, where care is provided, the use of
      information and communication technology to deliver care, and quality and safety
      systems. How services are delivered can have impacts on the effectiveness,
      efficiency and equity of health systems. This broad overview of the findings of
      systematic reviews can help policymakers and other stakeholders identify
      strategies for addressing problems and improve the delivery of services.
      OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the available evidence from up-to-date
      systematic reviews about the effects of delivery arrangements for health systems
      in low-income countries. Secondary objectives include identifying needs and
      priorities for future evaluations and systematic reviews on delivery arrangements
      and informing refinements of the framework for delivery arrangements outlined in
      the review. METHODS: We searched Health Systems Evidence in November 2010 and PDQ
      Evidence up to 17 December 2016 for systematic reviews. We did not apply any
      date, language or publication status limitations in the searches. We included
      well-conducted systematic reviews of studies that assessed the effects of
      delivery arrangements on patient outcomes (health and health behaviours), the
      quality or utilisation of healthcare services, resource use, healthcare provider
      outcomes (such as sick leave), or social outcomes (such as poverty or employment)
      and that were published after April 2005. We excluded reviews with limitations
      important enough to compromise the reliability of the findings. Two overview
      authors independently screened reviews, extracted data, and assessed the
      certainty of evidence using GRADE. We prepared SUPPORT Summaries for eligible
      reviews, including key messages, 'Summary of findings' tables (using GRADE to
      assess the certainty of the evidence), and assessments of the relevance of
      findings to low-income countries. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 7272 systematic
      reviews and included 51 of them in this overview. We judged 6 of the 51 reviews
      to have important methodological limitations and the other 45 to have only minor
      limitations. We grouped delivery arrangements into eight categories. Some reviews
      provided more than one comparison and were in more than one category. Across
      these categories, the following intervention were effective; that is, they have
      desirable effects on at least one outcome with moderate- or high-certainty
      evidence and no moderate- or high-certainty evidence of undesirable effects. Who
      receives care and when: queuing strategies and antenatal care to groups of
      mothers. Who provides care: lay health workers for caring for people with
      hypertension, lay health workers to deliver care for mothers and children or
      infectious diseases, lay health workers to deliver community-based neonatal care
      packages, midlevel health professionals for abortion care, social support to
      pregnant women at risk, midwife-led care for childbearing women, non-specialist
      providers in mental health and neurology, and physician-nurse substitution.
      Coordination of care: hospital clinical pathways, case management for people
      living with HIV and AIDS, interactive communication between primary care doctors
      and specialists, hospital discharge planning, adding a service to an existing
      service and integrating delivery models, referral from primary to secondary care,
      physician-led versus nurse-led triage in emergency departments, and team
      midwifery. Where care is provided: high-volume institutions, home-based care
      (with or without multidisciplinary team) for people living with HIV and AIDS,
      home-based management of malaria, home care for children with acute physical
      conditions, community-based interventions for childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia,
      out-of-facility HIV and reproductive health services for youth, and decentralised
      HIV care. Information and communication technology: mobile phone messaging for
      patients with long-term illnesses, mobile phone messaging reminders for
      attendance at healthcare appointments, mobile phone messaging to promote
      adherence to antiretroviral therapy, women carrying their own case notes in
      pregnancy, interventions to improve childhood vaccination. Quality and safety
      systems: decision support with clinical information systems for people living
      with HIV/AIDS. Complex interventions (cutting across delivery categories and
      other health system arrangements): emergency obstetric referral interventions.
      AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: A wide range of strategies have been evaluated for
      improving delivery arrangements in low-income countries, using sound systematic
      review methods in both Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews. These reviews have
      assessed a range of outcomes. Most of the available evidence focuses on who
      provides care, where care is provided and coordination of care. For all the main
      categories of delivery arrangements, we identified gaps in primary research
      related to uncertainty about the applicability of the evidence to low-income
      countries, low- or very low-certainty evidence or a lack of studies.

PMID- 28901010
TI  - Habitat use of the European mudminnow Umbra krameri and association with other
      fish species in a disconnected Danube side arm.
AB  - Fish assemblages along the longitudinal course of an old, disconnected and
      modified side arm of the Danube floodplain downstream of Vienna, Austria, as well
      as habitat structure, hydro-morphological and hydro-chemical factors, were
      investigated in order to analyse the key environmental determinants of the
      European mudminnow Umbra krameri. Generally, U. krameri was the most abundant
      species in the system. It occurred in disconnected ditches, ponds and pools with
      dense reed belts and comparatively low nutrient content, indicating its natural
      association with marsh habitats. At infrequently disturbed sites it was
      associated with a small group of stagnophilious and highly specialized species
      with adaptations to strong oxygen fluctuations. At frequently flooded sites, the
      species was absent or occurred in low abundances, indicating its adaptation to
      water bodies in older successional stages and its low competitive power in
      permanently connected floodplain habitats.

PMID- 28901012
TI  - Pharmacology of cognition: a panacea for neuropsychiatric disease?
AB  - LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Pharmacology of
      Cognition: a Panacea for Neuropsychiatric Disease? To view the other articles in
      this section visit
      http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.19/issuetoc.

PMID- 28901011
TI  - Persistent aberrant cortical phase-amplitude coupling following seizure treatment
      in absence epilepsy models.
AB  - KEY POINTS: In two monogenic models of absence epilepsy, interictal beta/gamma
      power is augmented in homozygous stargazer (stg/stg) but not homozygous tottering
      (tg/tg) mice. There are distinct gene-linked patterns of aberrant phase-amplitude
      coupling in the interictal EEG of both stg/stg and tg/tg mice, compared to +/+
      and stg/+ mice. Treatment with ethosuximide significantly blocks seizures in both
      genotypes, but the abnormal phase-amplitude coupling remains. Seizure-free stg/+
      mice have normal power and phase-amplitude coupling, but beta/gamma power is
      significantly reduced with NMDA receptor blockade, revealing a latent cortical
      network phenotype that is separable from, and therefore not a result of,
      seizures. Altogether, these findings reveal gene-linked quantitative
      electrographic biomarkers free from epileptiform activity, and provide a
      potential network correlate for persistent cognitive deficits in absence epilepsy
      despite effective treatment. ABSTRACT: In childhood absence epilepsy, cortical
      seizures are brief and intermittent; however there are extended periods without
      behavioural or electrographic ictal events. This genetic disorder is associated
      with variable degrees of cognitive dysfunction, but no consistent functional
      biomarkers that might provide insight into interictal cortical function have been
      described. Previous work in monogenic mouse models of absence epilepsy have shown
      that the interictal EEG displays augmented beta/gamma power in homozygous
      stargazer (stg/stg) mice bearing a presynaptic AMPA receptor defect, but not
      homozygous tottering (tg/tg) mice with a P/Q type calcium channel mutation. To
      further evaluate the interictal EEG, we quantified phase-amplitude coupling (PAC)
      in stg/stg, stg/+, tg/tg and wild-type (+/+) mice. We found distinct gene-linked
      patterns of aberrant PAC in stg/stg and tg/tg mice compared to +/+ and stg/+
      mice. Treatment with ethosuximide significantly blocks seizures in both stg/stg
      and tg/tg, but the abnormal PAC remains. Stg/+ mice are seizure free with normal
      baseline beta/gamma power and normal theta-gamma PAC, but like stg/stg mice,
      beta/gamma power is significantly reduced by NMDA receptor blockade, a treatment
      that paradoxically enhances seizures in stg/stg mice. Stg/+ mice, therefore, have
      a latent cortical network phenotype that is veiled by NMDA-mediated
      neurotransmission. Altogether, these findings reveal gene-linked quantitative
      electrographic biomarkers in the absence of epileptiform activity and provide a
      potential network correlate for persistent cognitive deficits in absence epilepsy
      despite effective treatment.

PMID- 28901013
TI  - How active are young cardiac device patients? Objective assessment of activity in
      children with cardiac devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The daily activity of pediatric patients with implantable cardiac
      devices provides behavioral evidence of functional outcomes. Modern devices
      provide continuous accelerometer data that are sensitive to movement, but
      normative values have not been published for pediatric activity rates. This study
      provides the first normative accelerometer data on activity rates in a large
      sample of pediatric cardiac device patients. METHODS: Patients were between 3 and
      18 years old (N = 1,905) and implanted with a cardiac device from a single device
      company, and enrolled in remote monitoring. RESULTS: The median age at implant
      was 14 years (interquartile range = 12-16); 61.3% were male. Data for 4 weeks
      were extracted from a company database at 53 weeks postimplant and an average of
      daily activity was calculated. Daily average activity for all patients was 5.4
      hours (standard deviation  =  2.0). In a multivariate analysis, increased level
      of activity was associated with: being male, having a pacemaker versus
      implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), epicardial device location, rate
      response turned off, having experienced a shock, and younger age. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results provide the first baseline data of physical activity in children
      with implanted cardiac devices and provide a clinical guide to physical activity
      assessment in this population. Further, our data suggest physical activity in
      children with implantable cardiac devices may differ based on demographic
      variables, device type, device location, indication for implantation, and history
      of ICD shock.

PMID- 28901017
TI  - Efficiency of two sample tests via the restricted mean survival time for
      analyzing event time observations.
AB  - In comparing two treatments with the event time observations, the hazard ratio
      (HR) estimate is routinely used to quantify the treatment difference. However,
      this model dependent estimate may be difficult to interpret clinically especially
      when the proportional hazards (PH) assumption is violated. An alternative
      estimation procedure for treatment efficacy based on the restricted means
      survival time or t-year mean survival time (t-MST) has been discussed extensively
      in the statistical and clinical literature. On the other hand, a statistical test
      via the HR or its asymptotically equivalent counterpart, the logrank test, is
      asymptotically distribution-free. In this article, we assess the relative
      efficiency of the hazard ratio and t-MST tests with respect to the statistical
      power under various PH and non-PH models theoretically and empirically. When the
      PH assumption is valid, the t-MST test performs almost as well as the HR test.
      For non-PH models, the t-MST test can substantially outperform its HR
      counterpart. On the other hand, the HR test can be powerful when the true
      difference of two survival functions is quite large at end but not the beginning
      of the study. Unfortunately, for this case, the HR estimate may not have a simple
      clinical interpretation for the treatment effect due to the violation of the PH
      assumption.

PMID- 28901018
TI  - Reproductive morphology and its application in testing molecular systematic
      hypotheses in the family Gobiidae (Teleostei, Gobiiformes).
AB  - This study uses histological techniques to make a detailed comparison of the
      reproductive morphologies of four gobiid genera, Amblyeleotris, Ctenogobiops,
      Fusigobius and Kraemeria. Three distinct reproductive morphological patterns were
      observed. All species examined in the genus Fusigobius exhibit either an
      ovariform or testiform gonad and precursive accessory gonadal structures (pAGS)
      associated with each of the gonadal lobes, regardless of gonadal state. In
      contrast, among species of Amblyeleotris, Ctenogobiops and Kraemeria examined,
      pAGS were not found. Furthermore, Amblyeleotris and Ctenogobiops differ from both
      Kraemeria and Fusigobius in lacking AGS associated with the testiform gonad.
      These findings, based solely on reproductive morphology, suggest that Kraemeria
      and Fusigobius may be more closely related to each other than either is to
      Amblyeleotris and Ctenogobiops. Findings of this study support the view that
      reproductive morphological patterns could prove informative in elucidating
      evolutionary relationships within the family Gobiidae.

PMID- 28901019
TI  - Isolation and characterization of pathogenic Vibrio alginolyticus from sea cage
      cultured cobia (Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus 1766)) in India.
AB  - : Mass mortalities of cobia, Rachycentron canadum, sub-adults occurred during
      August 2013 in cage culture in the Gulf of Mannar, Mandapam Tamil Nadu, India.
      The epizootic of disease was started with typical classical clinical signs
      followed by acute mortality. Grossly, severe haemorrhage and congestion were
      observed in the gastric mucosa. The abdomen was distended with peritoneal fluid.
      The heart revealed haemopericardium and fibrinous pericardium. Histologically,
      the gastric mucosa showed severe erosion and necrosis. Haemorrhagic pericarditis
      and an increased size of the melano macrophage centre (MMC) in the tail kidney
      were other histopathological changes. Vibrio sp. was isolated from the gastric
      lesions and heart blood swab of moribund fishes and it was found to be virulent
      to the cobia fingerlings. After the challenge, the same bacterium could be re
      isolated from moribund fingerlings. The 16S ribosomal RNA of the isolate was
      amplified and blast analysis of the sequence confirmed that the pathogen was
      Vibrio alginolyticus. The confirmation was also correlated with its cultural,
      biochemical and pathomorphological changes. This is the second report and the
      first incidence of epizootics with severe pathological lesions in cultured cobia
      in India. The study throws light on the pathology of vibriosis. By practising
      cage farm management measures, occurrences of infection may be prevented.
      SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The epizootics of vibriosis caused serious
      economic losses to farmers. Natural blooms of the pathogen can be prevented by
      sea cage management measures such as, changing the inner net of the cages,
      changing the location of the cages to relatively clean water (about 50 m apart)
      from the affected site and providing shade over the cages while the water
      temperature rises. Supplementation of the feed with immunostimulants and mineral
      mixture may be practised to improve the immune response against infection. Early
      diagnosis and sea cage management measures may prevent occurrences of the
      infection.

PMID- 28901020
TI  - The location of projection neurons to the biceps brachii muscle in the
      telencephalon of the pigeon.
AB  - Few studies regarding the anatomical distribution of motor neurons innervating
      muscles of the arm have been demonstrated in avian brains. The purpose of this
      study was to finely determine the localization of cerebral neurons innervating
      the biceps brachii muscle in the pigeon. The cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) was
      employed as a retrograde tracer to determine the location of neurons controlling
      the biceps brachii muscle in the telencephalon following intramuscular injection
      in male pigeons (n = 7), which were killed 14 days after intramuscular injection
      with CTB. We found that CTB-labelled neurons were located contralaterally in the
      hyperpallium apicale of the rostral telencephalon and that most of the CTB
      labelled neurons were pyramidal in shape. This study shows that CTB is easily
      taken up by nerve terminals which innervate the biceps brachii muscle of the
      pigeon and that cerebral motor neurons controlling the biceps brachii muscle are
      located in the hyperpallium apicale.

PMID- 28901022
TI  - In this issue October 2017.

PMID- 28901021
TI  - Optimisation of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for untreated Hodgkin lymphoma
      patients with respect to second malignant neoplasms, overall and progression-free
      survival: individual participant data analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efficacy and the risk of severe late effects have to be well-balanced
      in treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Late adverse effects include secondary
      malignancies which often have a poor prognosis. To synthesise evidence on the
      risk of secondary malignancies after current treatment approaches comprising
      chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, we performed a meta-analysis based on
      individual patient data (IPD) from patients treated for newly diagnosed HL.
      OBJECTIVES: We investigated several questions concerning possible changes in the
      risk of secondary malignancies when modifying chemotherapy or radiotherapy
      (omission of radiotherapy, reduction of the radiation field, reduction of the
      radiation dose, use of fewer chemotherapy cycles, intensification of
      chemotherapy). We also analysed whether these modifications affect progression
      free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). SEARCH METHODS: We searched
      MEDLINE and Cochrane CENTRAL trials databases comprehensively in June 2010 for
      all randomised trials in HL since 1984. Key international trials registries were
      also searched. The search was updated in March 2015 without collecting further
      IPD (one further eligible study found) and again in July 2017 (no further
      eligible studies). SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials
      (RCTs) for untreated HL patients which enrolled at least 50 patients per arm,
      completed recruitment by 2007 and performed a treatment comparison relevant to
      our objectives. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Study groups submitted IPD,
      including age, sex, stage and the outcomes secondary malignant neoplasm (SMN), OS
      and PFS as time-to-event data. We meta-analysed these data using Petos method
      (SMN) and Cox regression with inverse-variance pooling (OS, PFS) for each of the
      five study questions, and performed subgroup and sensitivity analyses to assess
      the applicability and robustness of the results. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 21
      eligible trials and obtained IPD for 16. For four studies no data were supplied
      despite repeated efforts, while one study was only identified in 2015 and IPD
      were not sought. For each study question, between three and six trials with
      between 1101 and 2996 participants in total and median follow-up between 6.7 and
      10.8 years were analysed. All participants were adults and mainly under 60 years.
      Risk of bias was assessed as low for the majority of studies and outcomes.
      Chemotherapy alone versus same chemotherapy plus radiotherapy. Omitting
      additional radiotherapy probably reduces secondary malignancy incidence (Peto
      odds ratio (OR) 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23 to 0.82, low quality of
      evidence), corresponding to an estimated reduction of eight-year SMN risk from 8%
      to 4%. This decrease was particularly true for secondary acute leukemias.
      However, we had insufficient evidence to determine whether OS rates differ
      between patients treated with chemotherapy alone versus combined-modality (hazard
      ratio (HR) 0.71, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.11, moderate quality of evidence). There was a
      slightly higher rate of PFS with combined modality, but our confidence in the
      results was limited by high levels of statistical heterogeneity between studies
      (HR 1.31, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.73, moderate quality of evidence). Chemotherapy plus
      involved-field radiation versus same chemotherapy plus extended-field radiation
      (early stages) . There is insufficient evidence to determine whether smaller
      radiation field reduces SMN risk (Peto OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.16, low quality
      of evidence), OS (HR 0.89, 95% C: 0.70 to 1.12, high quality of evidence) or PFS
      (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.21, high quality of evidence). Chemotherapy plus lower
      dose radiation versus same chemotherapy plus higher-dose radiation (early
      stages). There is insufficient evidence to determine the effect of lower
      radiation dose on SMN risk (Peto OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.50, low quality of
      evidence), OS (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.28, high quality of evidence) or PFS (HR
      1.20, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.48, high quality of evidence). Fewer versus more courses
      of chemotherapy (each with or without radiotherapy; early stages). Fewer
      chemotherapy courses probably has little or no effect on SMN risk (Peto OR 1.10,
      95% CI 0.74 to 1.62), OS (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.73 to1.34) or PFS (HR 1.15, 95% CI
      0.91 to 1.45).Outcomes had a moderate (SMN) or high (OS, PFS) quality of
      evidence. Dose-intensified versus ABVD-like chemotherapy (with or without
      radiotherapy in each case). In the mainly advanced-stage patients who were
      treated with intensified chemotherapy, the rate of secondary malignancies was
      low. There was insufficient evidence to determine the effect of chemotherapy
      intensification (Peto OR 1.37, CI 0.89 to 2.10, low quality of evidence). The
      rate of secondary acute leukemias (and for younger patients, all secondary
      malignancies) was probably higher than among those who had treatment with
      standard-dose ABVD-like protocols. In contrast, the intensified chemotherapy
      protocols probably improved PFS (eight-year PFS 75% versus 69% for ABVD-like
      treatment, HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.7 to 0.95, moderate quality of evidence). Evidence
      suggesting improved survival with intensified chemotherapy was not conclusive
      (HR: 0.85, CI 0.70 to 1.04), although escalated-dose BEACOPP appeared to lengthen
      survival compared to ABVD-like chemotherapy (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.79,
      moderate quality of evidence).Generally, we could draw valid conclusions only in
      terms of secondary haematological malignancies, which usually occur less than 10
      years after initial treatment, while follow-up within the present analysis was
      too short to record all solid tumours. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The risk of
      secondary acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (AML/MDS) is
      increased but efficacy is improved among patients treated with intensified
      chemotherapy protocols. Treatment decisions must be tailored for individual
      patients. Consolidating radiotherapy is associated with an increased rate of
      secondary malignancies; therefore it appears important to define which patients
      can safely be treated without radiotherapy after chemotherapy, both for early and
      advanced stages. For early stages, treatment optimisation methods such as use of
      fewer chemotherapy cycles and reduced field or reduced-dose radiotherapy did not
      appear to markedly affect efficacy or secondary malignancy risk. Due to the
      limited amount of long-term follow-up in this meta-analysis, further long-term
      investigations of late events are needed, particularly with respect to secondary
      solid tumours. Since many older studies have been included, possible improvement
      of radiotherapy techniques must be considered when interpreting these results.

PMID- 28901023
TI  - Mosasaurs and snakes have a periodontal ligament: timing and extent of
      calcification, not tissue complexity, determines tooth attachment mode in
      reptiles.
AB  - Squamates present a unique challenge to our understanding of dental evolution in
      amniotes because they are the only extant tooth-bearing group for which a
      ligamentous tooth attachment is considered to be absent. This has led to the
      assumption that mammals and crocodilians have convergently evolved a ligamentous
      tooth attachment, composed of root cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar
      bone, whereas squamates are thought to possess a single bone of attachment tissue
      that fuses teeth to the jaws. The identity and homology of tooth attachment
      tissues between squamates, crocodilians, and mammals have thus been a focal point
      of debate for decades. We provide a novel interpretation of the mineralized
      attachment tissues in two focal taxa in this debate, mosasaurids and snakes, and
      compare dental tissue histology with that of the extant crocodilian Caiman
      sclerops. We identify a periodontal ligament in these squamates that usually
      exists temporarily as a soft connective tissue anchoring each tooth to the
      alveolar bone. We also identify two instances where complete calcification of the
      periodontal ligament does not occur: in a durophagous mosasaur, and in the hinged
      teeth of fossil and modern snakes. We propose that the periodontal ligament
      rapidly calcifies in the majority of mosasaurids and snakes, ankylosing the tooth
      to the jaw. This gives the appearance of a single, bone-like tissue fusing the
      tooth to the jaw in ankylosed teeth, but is simply the end stage of dental tissue
      ontogeny in most snakes and mosasaurids.

PMID- 28901024
TI  - Records of ocean sunfish Mola mola along the Norwegian coast spanning two
      centuries, 1801-2015.
AB  - Records of the ocean sunfish Mola mola along the Norwegian coast were compiled
      from all possible sources: literature, media, databases and museums. A total of
      216 records were found between 1801 and 2015. They were distributed along the
      whole coast, except for the most north-eastern part. Nearly all years with more
      than five records were after 2000, with 1985 as the only exception and with a
      maximum of 23 records in 2014. Most, 92.4%, were from July to December. Records
      from before 1979 were more incidental and random and no sunfish were recorded in
      54 separate years between 1879 and 2015. The northernmost record was from 70
      degrees  44' N in December 1881. No relationship between year and latitude was
      found. Forty-four per cent of the records were of sunfish caught in fishing gear,
      27% were found stranded and 30% were observed alive at sea. A trend of a decrease
      in numbers of observations of living individuals and an increase in numbers of
      strandings as dead individuals as autumn progressed was found. Geographical
      differences in the three categories of observation were also found. Among the
      specimens whose size was recorded, most were small, <30 kg and 70 cm in total
      length. Only 10 were heavier than 100 kg, all these were from before 1960. Annual
      numbers correlated weakly with sea temperatures. This was supported by a weak
      negative correlation with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, because the
      majority of years since 2000 had a negative NAO.

PMID- 28901026
TI  - On authorship in the BJCP.

PMID- 28901028
TI  - A Reusable N-Doped-Carbon-Coated Mo2 C Composite Counter Electrode for High
      Efficiency Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
AB  - The design and development of efficient and stable nonprecious-metal-based
      catalysts for counter electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has
      received a great deal of attention. In this work, molybdenum carbide
      nanoparticles homogeneously distributed in a nitrogen-rich carbon matrix (Mo2
      C@NC) have been synthesized from inexpensive raw materials (polyoxometalate and
      dicyandiamide) by a facile one-step solid-phase synthesis method. The novel Mo2
      C@NC hybrid was not only used as a CE in a DSSC, but also showed superior
      catalytic activity towards I3- /I- as a redox electrolyte. The power conversion
      efficiency of a DSSC with Mo2 C@NC as the CE was as high as 6.49 %, comparable to
      that with Pt (6.38 %). The CE was prepared by a drop-coating method, without the
      addition of another conductive polymer. Most importantly, the method circumvents
      the problem of the sample falling off from the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO),
      and the CE could be repeatedly reused with unchanged efficiency. Therefore, it
      opens the way for the development of platinum-free catalysts with low cost,
      simple processing, good stability, and high efficiency.

PMID- 28901029
TI  - Successful venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for postoperative
      septic shock in a child with liver transplantation: A case report.
AB  - Refractory septic shock after LT is a life-threatening complication. VA ECMO is
      used to treat refractory cardiorespiratory failure. We present herein the case of
      a 5-year-old girl with post-Kasai biliary atresia, who underwent a living donor
      LT and suffered refractory septic shock. VA ECMO was indicated due to progressive
      cardiac deterioration. After full recovery of her EF, she has been steadily
      improving and has shown good liver function and no neurological sequelae. This is
      the first report of successful VA ECMO in a post- LT patient with refractory
      septic shock.

PMID- 28901030
TI  - Treating OSA: Current and emerging therapies beyond CPAP.
AB  - Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for moderate
      to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). However, adherence to CPAP is limited
      and non-CPAP therapies are frequently explored. Oral appliance (OA) therapy is
      currently widely used for the treatment of snoring, mild, moderate and severe
      OSA. The most commonly used and studied OA consists of a maxillary and mandibular
      splint which hold the lower jaw forward during sleep. The efficacy of OA is
      inferior to CPAP; however, the effectiveness as measured by sleepiness, quality
      of life, endothelial function and blood pressure is similar likely due to higher
      acceptance and subjective adherence. Upper airway stimulation augments neural
      drive by unilaterally stimulating the hypoglossal nerve. The Stimulation Therapy
      for Apnea Reduction (STAR) study enrolled 126 patients and demonstrated a 68%
      reduction in OSA severity. A high upfront cost and variable response are the main
      limitations. Oropharyngeal exercises consist of a set of isometric and isotonic
      exercises involving the tongue, soft palate and lateral pharyngeal wall. The
      collective reported trials (n = 120) showed that oropharyngeal exercises can
      ameliorate OSA and snoring (~30-40%). Nasal EPAP devices consist of disposable
      one-way resister valve. A systematic review (n = 345) showed that nasal EPAP
      reduced OSA severity by 53%. The Winx device consists of a mouthpiece placed
      inside the oral cavity that is connected by tubing to a console that generates
      negative pressure. Winx may provide successful therapy for ~30-40% of OSA
      patients. In conclusion, several non-CPAP therapies to treat OSA are currently
      available.

PMID- 28901031
TI  - Isomer separation and effect of the degree of polymerization on the gas-phase
      structure of chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides analyzed by ion mobility and
      tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - RATIONALE: Chondroitin sulfate (CS) glycosaminoglycans are bioactive sulfated
      polysaccharides comprising repeating units of uronic acid and N-acetyl galactose
      sulfated at various positions. The optimal length and sulfation pattern of the CS
      bioactive sequences remain elusive so that structure-activity relationships
      cannot be easily established. Development of efficient analytical methods
      allowing the differentiation of the various sulfation patterns of CS sequences is
      therefore of particular importance to correlate their biological functions to the
      sulfation pattern. METHODS: Discrimination of different oligomers (dp2 to dp6) of
      synthetic chondroitin sulfate isomers was evaluated by electrospray ionization
      tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) in the negative-ion mode from deprotonated
      and alkali adduct species. In addition, ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMS-MS)
      was used to study the influence of both the degree of polymerization and sulfate
      group location on the gas-phase conformation of CS oligomers. RESULTS: ESI-MS/MS
      spectra of chondroitin sulfate isomers show characteristic product ions
      exclusively from alkali adduct species (Li, Na, K and Cs). Whatever the alkali
      adducts studied, MS/MS of chondroitin oligosaccharides sulfated at position 6
      yields a specific product ion at m/z 139 while CS oligosaccharides sulfated at
      position 4 show a specific product ion at m/z 154. Being observed for the
      different CS oligomers di-, tetra- and hexasaccharides, these fragment ions are
      considered as diagnostic ions for chondroitin 6-O-sulfate and chondroitin 4-O
      sulfate, respectively. IMS-MS experiments reveal that collision cross-sections
      (CCS) of CS oligomers with low charge states evolved linearly with degrees of
      polymerization indicating a similar gas-phase conformation. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study allows the fast and unambiguous differentiation of CS isomers sulfated at
      position 6 or 4 for both saturated and unsaturated analogues from MS/MS
      experiments. In addition, the CCS linear evolution of CS oligomers in function of
      the degree of polymerization indicates that no folding occurs even for
      hexasaccharides.

PMID- 28901032
TI  - Role of routine post-operative laryngeal endoscopic assessment after lung cancer
      surgery.

PMID- 28901033
TI  - Effect of Silyl Ether-functinoalized Dimethoxydimethylsilane on Electrochemical
      Performance of a Ni-rich NCM Cathode.
AB  - Dimethoxydimethylsilane (DODSi) is used as an interface stabilizing additive
      through a selective HF scavenging reaction for layered Ni-rich oxide cathodes. Ex
      situ NMR analyses demonstrated that DODSi effectively removes HF from the
      electrolyte based on the matched chemical reactivity of Si with F- and O with H+
      . The cells employing DODSi exhibit higher specific capacity with retention than
      those cycled with a DODSi-free electrolyte even under in situ HF generating
      conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
      (XPS), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) analyses
      indicate that DODSi effectively protects the Ni-rich oxide cathodes against HF
      corrosion, resulting in improved surface stability of Ni-rich cathodes.

PMID- 28901034
TI  - A 'dynamic' landscape of fear: prey responses to spatiotemporal variations in
      predation risk across the lunar cycle.
AB  - Ambiguous empirical support for 'landscapes of fear' in natural systems may stem
      from failure to consider dynamic temporal changes in predation risk. The lunar
      cycle dramatically alters night-time visibility, with low luminosity increasing
      hunting success of African lions. We used camera-trap data from Serengeti
      National Park to examine nocturnal anti-predator behaviours of four herbivore
      species. Interactions between predictable fluctuations in night-time luminosity
      and the underlying risk-resource landscape shaped herbivore distribution, herding
      propensity and the incidence of 'relaxed' behaviours. Buffalo responded least to
      temporal risk cues and minimised risk primarily through spatial redistribution.
      Gazelle and zebra made decisions based on current light levels and lunar phase,
      and wildebeest responded to lunar phase alone. These three species avoided areas
      where likelihood of encountering lions was high and changed their behaviours in
      risky areas to minimise predation threat. These patterns support the hypothesis
      that fear landscapes vary heterogeneously in both space and time.

PMID- 28901035
TI  - How much vitamin D is needed for healthy bones?

PMID- 28901036
TI  - Preterm birth rates in Japan from 1979 to 2014: Analysis of national vital
      statistics.
AB  - AIM: Secular trends of preterm birth in Japan between 1979 and 2014 were examined
      to determine whether changes could be explained by a shift in the distribution of
      maternal age at delivery and parity and/or by changes in age-specific preterm
      birth rates. METHODS: Live birth data for 1979 to 2014 were obtained from the
      Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Analyses were limited to
      singleton children born in Japan (n = 43 632 786). Preterm birth was defined
      using two cut-offs at < 37 or < 34 weeks of gestation. Crude and standardized
      rates of preterm birth were calculated for firstborn and later-born singletons by
      maternal age at delivery for specific time periods. RESULTS: Throughout the study
      period, the rates of preterm birth (both at < 37 and < 34 weeks of gestation)
      were higher among mothers aged 20 and younger, and mid-30s and older, compared to
      mothers in their 20s or early 30s. The rates of preterm birth at < 37 (but not at
      < 34) weeks decreased for mothers aged in their late 30s and 40s, and increased
      for mothers in their 20s and early 30s. Standardized rates of preterm birth
      showed a secular increase for preterm births at < 37 but not < 34 weeks of
      gestation. CONCLUSION: The rates of preterm birth among mothers aged in their 20s
      and early 30s increased between 1979 and 2014, which contributed to the secular
      increase in rates of preterm birth at < 37 weeks.

PMID- 28901037
TI  - No consistent pollinator-mediated impacts of alien plants on natives.
AB  - The introduction of an alien plant is widely assumed to have negative
      consequences for the pollinator-mediated fitness of nearby natives. Indeed, a
      number of studies, including a highly cited meta-analysis, have concluded that
      the trend for such interactions is competitive. Here we provide evidence that
      publication bias and study design have obscured our ability to assess the
      pollinator-mediated impacts of alien plants. In a meta-analysis of 76 studies, we
      demonstrate that alien/native status does not predict the outcome of pollinator
      mediated interactions among plants. Moreover, we found no evidence that
      similarity in floral traits or phylogenetic distance between species pairs
      influences the outcome of pollinator-mediated interactions. Instead, we report
      that aspects of study design, such as distance between the control and nearest
      neighbour, and/or the arrangement of study plants better predict the impact of a
      neighbour than does alien/native status. Our study sheds new light on the role
      that publication bias and experimental design play in the evaluation of key
      patterns in ecology. We conclude that, due to the absence of clear, generalisable
      pollinator-mediated impacts of alien species, management schemes should base
      decisions on community-wide assessments of the impacts of individual alien plant
      species, and not solely on alien/native status itself.

PMID- 28901038
TI  - The developmental trajectory of children's auditory and visual statistical
      learning abilities: modality-based differences in the effect of age.
AB  - Infants, children and adults are capable of extracting recurring patterns from
      their environment through statistical learning (SL), an implicit learning
      mechanism that is considered to have an important role in language acquisition.
      Research over the past 20 years has shown that SL is present from very early
      infancy and found in a variety of tasks and across modalities (e.g., auditory,
      visual), raising questions on the domain generality of SL. However, while SL is
      well established for infants and adults, only little is known about its
      developmental trajectory during childhood, leaving two important questions
      unanswered: (1) Is SL an early-maturing capacity that is fully developed in
      infancy, or does it improve with age like other cognitive capacities (e.g.,
      memory)? and (2) Will SL have similar developmental trajectories across
      modalities? Only few studies have looked at SL across development, with
      conflicting results: some find age-related improvements while others do not.
      Importantly, no study to date has examined auditory SL across childhood, nor
      compared it to visual SL to see if there are modality-based differences in the
      developmental trajectory of SL abilities. We addressed these issues by conducting
      a large-scale study of children's performance on matching auditory and visual SL
      tasks across a wide age range (5-12y). Results show modality-based differences in
      the development of SL abilities: while children's learning in the visual domain
      improved with age, learning in the auditory domain did not change in the tested
      age range. We examine these findings in light of previous studies and discuss
      their implications for modality-based differences in SL and for the role of
      auditory SL in language acquisition. A video abstract of this article can be
      viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kg35hoF0pw.

PMID- 28901039
TI  - Mimicking of cyproconazole behavior in the presence of Cu and Zn.
AB  - RATIONALE: The frequently used pesticide cyproconazole (Cyp) interacts with the
      essential elements commonly present in soil which play important roles in various
      enzymatic processes. These interactions predetermine the Cyp degradation
      pathways. We suggest a simple experimental and theoretical approach for the
      prediction of pesticide behavior. METHODS: Cu/Cyp complexes are explored because
      of the typical Cu(II) reduction in complexes. Its level and the stability of the
      Cu-ligand bond depend on the type and the number of the surrounding ligands.
      Zn/Cyp complexes were compared as it is not expected that Zn(II) will reduce. The
      complexations were studied by means of electrospray ionization ion trap mass
      spectrometry and MS/MS collision-induced dissociations with comparative and
      explicative density functional theory calculations. RESULTS: The Cyp ligand
      allows both Cu(II) reduction as well as, in specific cases, it protects the
      higher Cu oxidation state. The reduction is observed in the complexes with solely
      neutral Cyp where the number of ligands is below 3; a higher number protects the
      Cu(II) state. The metal atom binds to Cyp via N2 of the triazole ring as well as
      via pi-electrons of the benzene ring; additional stabilization brings an
      interaction with the deprotonated OH group. CONCLUSIONS: The character of Cyp
      interactions with doubly charged metals (Cu(II), Zn(II)) clarified the creation
      of Cyp metabolites. The phenyl and triazole rings are bound to the metal cation
      and enable access for the isopropyl ring to be cleaved leaving the common
      metabolite (CAS Number: 58905-19-4).

PMID- 28901040
TI  - Selective C-O Bond Cleavage of Sugars with Hydrosilanes Catalyzed by Piers'
      Borane Generated In Situ.
AB  - Described herein is the selective reduction of sugars with hydrosilanes catalyzed
      by using Piers' borane [(C6 F5 )2 BH] generated in situ. The hydrosilylative C-O
      bond cleavage of silyl-protected mono- and disaccharides in the presence of a (C6
      F5 )2 BH catalyst, generated in situ from (C6 F5 )2 BOH, takes place with
      excellent chemo- and regioselectivities to provide a range of polyols. A study of
      the substituent effects of sugars on the catalytic activity and selectivity
      revealed that the steric environment around the anomeric carbon (C1) is crucial.

PMID- 28901041
TI  - Safety and Effectiveness of Mirabegron in Patients with Overactive Bladder Aged
      >=75 Years: Analysis of a Japanese Post-Marketing Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A 12-week post-marketing study was conducted to provide real-world
      data on Japanese patients with overactive bladder (OAB) initiating treatment with
      mirabegron. This post-hoc analysis focused on safety and effectiveness of
      mirabegron in patients aged >=75 versus <75 years. METHODS: Incidence of adverse
      drug reactions (ADR) was assessed following 12 weeks' mirabegron treatment.
      Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) and International-Prostate Symptom Score
      Quality of Life (I-PSS QoL) were completed at baseline and at the end of
      treatment (EoT). A reduction of >=3 points in total OABSS was defined as a
      minimal clinically important change (MCIC). RESULTS: Of 9795 patients, a greater
      proportion aged >=75 versus <75 years had a lower body mass index (BMI; BMI <
      18.5: 4.2% vs 3.2%), longer OAB duration (>=3 years: 24.6% vs 20.3%) and more
      severe OAB symptoms (severe: 17.0% vs 11.2%). A significantly greater percentage
      of patients aged >=75 versus <75 years had comorbidities (77.8% vs 66.0%) and
      used concomitant drugs (58.3% vs 48.7%; P < 0.001). Incidence of ADR was observed
      in 7.00% and 5.19% of patients aged >=75 versus <75 years, respectively. At EoT,
      mirabegron treatment was reported 'effective' in 79.3% versus 82.1% of patients
      aged >=75 versus <75 years, respectively. Mean total OABSS decreased
      significantly from baseline, and exceeded the MCIC in 61.0% and 65.9% of patients
      aged >=75 and <75 years, respectively. Similar changes were observed for I-PSS
      QoL in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In a real-world clinical setting, mirabegron was
      well-tolerated and effective in patients aged >=75 and <75 years.

PMID- 28901042
TI  - Calcium Coordination Solids for pH-Triggered Release of Olsalazine.
AB  - Calcium coordination solids were synthesized and evaluated for delivery of
      olsalazine (H4 olz), an anti-inflammatory compound used for treatment of
      ulcerative colitis. The materials include one-dimensional Ca(H2 olz)?4 H2 O
      chains, two-dimensional Ca(H2 olz)?2 H2 O sheets, and a three-dimensional metal
      organic framework Ca(H2 olz)?2DMF (DMF=N,N-dimethylformamide). The framework
      undergoes structural changes in response to solvent, forming a dense Ca(H2 olz)
      phase when exposed to aqueous HCl. The compounds Ca(H2 olz)?x H2 O (x=0, 2, 4)
      were each pressed into pellets and exposed to simulated gastrointestinal fluids
      to mimic the passage of a pill from the acidic stomach to the pH-neutral
      intestines. All three calcium materials exhibited a delayed release of olsalazine
      relative to Na2 (H2 olz), the commercial formulation, illustrating how
      formulation of a drug within an extended coordination solid can serve to tune its
      solubility and performance.

PMID- 28901043
TI  - Survey design for precise fire management conservation targets.
AB  - Common goals of ecological fire management are to sustain biodiversity and
      minimize extinction risk. A novel approach to achieving these goals determines
      the relative proportions of vegetation growth stages (equivalent to successional
      stages, which are categorical representations of time since fire) that maximize a
      biodiversity index. The method combines data describing species abundances in
      each growth stage with numerical optimization to define an optimal growth-stage
      structure that provides a conservation-based operational target for managers.
      However, conservation targets derived from growth-stage optimization are likely
      to depend critically on choices regarding input data. There is growing interest
      in the use of growth-stage optimization as a basis for fire management, thus
      understanding of how input data influence the outputs is crucial. Simulated data
      sets provide a flexible platform for systematically varying aspects of survey
      design and species inclusions. We used artificial data with known properties, and
      a case-study data set from southeastern Australia, to examine the influence of
      (1) survey design (total number of sites and their distribution among growth
      stages) and (2) species inclusions (total number of species and their level of
      specialization) on the precision of conservation targets. Based on our findings,
      we recommend that survey designs for precise estimates would ideally involve at
      least 80 sites, and include at least 80 species. Greater numbers of sites and
      species will yield increasingly reliable results, but fewer might be sufficient
      in some circumstances. An even distribution of sites among growth stages was less
      important than the total number of sites, and omission of species is unlikely to
      have a major influence on results as long as several species specialize on each
      growth stage. We highlight the importance of examining the responses of
      individual species to growth stage before feeding survey data into the growth
      stage optimization black box, and advocate use of a resampling procedure to
      determine the precision of results. Collectively, our findings form a
      reproducible guide to designing ecological surveys that yield precise
      conservation targets through growth-stage optimization, and ultimately help
      sustain biodiversity in fire-prone systems.

PMID- 28901044
TI  - Native insect herbivory overwhelms context dependence to limit complex invasion
      dynamics of exotic weeds.
AB  - Understanding the role of consumers in density-dependent plant population
      dynamics is a long-standing goal in ecology. However, the generality of herbivory
      effects across heterogeneous landscapes is poorly understood due to the pervasive
      influence of context-dependence. We tested effects of native insect herbivory on
      the population dynamics of an exotic thistle, Cirsium vulgare, in a field
      experiment replicated across eight sites in eastern Nebraska. Using hierarchical
      Bayesian analysis and density-dependent population models, we found potential for
      explosive low-density population growth (lambda > 5) and complex density
      fluctuations under herbivore exclusion. However, herbivore access drove
      population decline (lambda < 1), suppressing complex fluctuations. While plant
      herbivore interaction outcomes are famously context-dependent, we demonstrated
      that herbivores suppress potentially invasive populations throughout our study
      region, and this qualitative outcome is insensitive to environmental context. Our
      novel use of Bayesian demographic modelling shows that native insect herbivores
      consistently prevent hard-to-predict fluctuations of weeds in environments
      otherwise susceptible to invasion.

PMID- 28901045
TI  - The lessons learned from the fentanyl overdose crises in British Columbia,
      Canada.

PMID- 28901047
TI  - Mild Decarboxylative C-H Alkylation: Computational Insights for Solvent-Robust
      Ruthenium(II) Domino Manifold.
AB  - Computational studies on decarboxylative C-H alkenylations provided key insights
      into the solvent-robust nature of C-H activation/decarboxylation domino
      reactions. These properties were exploited for ruthenium(II)-catalyzed C-H
      alkylations by a decarboxylative process with ample scope under copper-free and
      silver-free reaction conditions.

PMID- 28901046
TI  - Combined effects of agrochemicals and ecosystem services on crop yield across
      Europe.
AB  - Simultaneously enhancing ecosystem services provided by biodiversity below and
      above ground is recommended to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides and
      mineral fertilisers in agriculture. However, consequences for crop yield have
      been poorly evaluated. Above ground, increased landscape complexity is assumed to
      enhance biological pest control, whereas below ground, soil organic carbon is a
      proxy for several yield-supporting services. In a field experiment replicated in
      114 fields across Europe, we found that fertilisation had the strongest positive
      effect on yield, but hindered simultaneous harnessing of below- and above-ground
      ecosystem services. We furthermore show that enhancing natural enemies and pest
      control through increasing landscape complexity can prove disappointing in fields
      with low soil services or in intensively cropped regions. Thus, understanding
      ecological interdependences between land use, ecosystem services and yield is
      necessary to promote more environmentally friendly farming by identifying
      situations where ecosystem services are maximised and agrochemical inputs can be
      reduced.

PMID- 28901048
TI  - Administration of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in patients undergoing
      haemodialysis: A time and motion study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: International guidelines recommend treatment of anaemia due to
      chronic kidney disease (CKD) with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs).
      OBJECTIVE: To document the time required and the cost in terms of nursing time to
      prepare and administer ESAs to patients on facility based haemodialysis (HD) with
      anaemia due to CKD before and after the introduction of long-acting ESAs. DESIGN:
      A time and motion study was implemented at four HD units in Australia to
      determine the time and costs associated with preparing and administering ESAs
      before and after the introduction of long-acting ESAs. PARTICIPANTS: This was a
      prospective, observational study of workplace practices at four HD units in
      Australia. MEASUREMENTS: Outcome data included the time taken to prepare, and
      administer ESAs. RESULTS: The time costs of preparation and administration per
      patient per year had a wide variability within each unit and ranged from
      Australian AUD$55.75 (38 euros) to AUD$90.49 (62 euros) before the introduction
      of long-acting ESAs. This dropped by 73-80% following the introduction of long
      acting ESAs, representing an annual cost savings of between AUD$2,591 and
      AUD$5,914 if all patients on HD were switched to a long acting ESA. CONCLUSION:
      Switching from a short-acting to a long-acting ESA in HD units leads to a
      significant reduction in time costs of health professionals in preparation and
      administration of ESAs by up to 80%. Practical application: This time and motion
      study has added further evidence on reduction of human effort by taking
      advantages of new research development, such as the long acting ESAs.

PMID- 28901049
TI  - Arousal responses to respiratory events during sleep: the role of pulse wave
      amplitude.
AB  - The study aims at assessing the changes in electroencephalography (as measured by
      the A-phases of cyclic alternating pattern) and autonomic activity (based on
      pulse wave amplitude) at the recovery of airway patency in patients with
      obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Analysis of polysomnographic recordings from 20
      male individuals with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was carried out in total
      sleep time, non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep. Scoring
      quantified the combined occurrence (time range of 4 s before and 4 s after
      respiratory recovery) or separate occurrence of A-phases (cortical activation),
      and pulse wave amplitude drops (below 30%) to apneas, hypopneas or flow
      limitation events. A dual response (A-phase associated with a pulse wave
      amplitude drop) was the most frequent response (71.8% in total sleep time) for
      all types of respiratory events, with a progressive reduction from apneas to
      hypopneas and flow limitation events. The highly significant correlation in total
      sleep time (r = 0.9351; P < 0.0001) between respiratory events combined with A
      phases and respiratory events combined with pulse wave amplitude drops was
      confirmed both in non-rapid eye movement (r = 0.9622; P < 0.0001) and rapid eye
      movement sleep (r = 0.7162; P < 0.0006). In conclusion, a dual cortical and
      autonomic activation is the most common manifestation at the recovery of airway
      patency. The significant correlation between A-phases and relevant pulse wave
      amplitude drops suggests a possible role of pulse wave amplitude as a marker of
      cerebral response to respiratory events.

PMID- 28901050
TI  - Do children understand fraction addition?
AB  - Many children fail to master fraction arithmetic even after years of instruction.
      A recent theory of fraction arithmetic (Braithwaite, Pyke, & Siegler, 2017)
      hypothesized that this poor learning of fraction arithmetic procedures reflects
      poor conceptual understanding of them. To test this hypothesis, we performed
      three experiments examining fourth to eighth graders' estimates of fraction sums.
      We found that roughly half of estimates of sums were smaller than the same
      child's estimate of one of the two addends in the problem. Moreover, children's
      estimates of fraction sums were no more accurate than if they had estimated each
      sum as the average of the smallest and largest possible response. This weak
      performance could not be attributed to poor mastery of arithmetic procedures,
      poor knowledge of individual fraction magnitudes, or general inability to
      estimate sums. These results suggest that a major source of difficulty in this
      domain is that many children's learning of fraction arithmetic procedures
      develops unconstrained by conceptual understanding of the procedures.
      Implications for education are discussed.

PMID- 28901052
TI  - Noninvasive, three-dimensional full-field body sensor for surface deformation
      monitoring of human body in vivo.
AB  - Noninvasive, three-dimensional (3-D), full-field surface deformation measurements
      of the human body are important for biomedical investigations. We proposed a 3-D
      noninvasive, full-field body sensor based on stereo digital image correlation
      (stereo-DIC) for surface deformation monitoring of the human body in vivo. First,
      by applying an improved water-transfer printing (WTP) technique to transfer
      optimized speckle patterns onto the skin, the body sensor was conveniently and
      harmlessly fabricated directly onto the human body. Then, stereo-DIC was used to
      achieve 3-D noncontact and noninvasive surface deformation measurements. The
      accuracy and efficiency of the proposed body sensor were verified and discussed
      by considering different complexions. Moreover, the fabrication of speckle
      patterns on human skin, which has always been considered a challenging problem,
      was shown to be feasible, effective, and harmless as a result of the improved WTP
      technique. An application of the proposed stereo-DIC-based body sensor was
      demonstrated by measuring the pulse wave velocity of human carotid artery.

PMID- 28901051
TI  - Noninvasive submental fat reduction using colder cryolipolysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryolipolysis has shown to significantly reduce localized
      subcutaneous fat, including submental fat. Temperatures below -11 degrees C have
      not been used to treat the submental region. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate safety and efficacy of Cryolipolysis for noninvasive reduction of
      submental fat using lower temperatures and reduced treatment time. METHODS: A
      small volume applicator was used to treat 15 subjects, using a noninvasive tissue
      cooling device (CoolSculpting System, ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Pleasanton, CA, USA)
      during 45 and 30 minutes at -12 and -15 degrees C, respectively, to induce
      reduction of submental fat. Two treatments with an interval of 10 weeks were
      performed. Adverse events were monitored to assess safety. Treated area was
      evaluated using digital photography, and caliper measurements prior treatment, 10
      weeks after first treatment and 12 weeks after second treatment. All patients
      were also evaluated before and after 12-week postlast treatment by Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging (MRI). RESULTS: The mean (SD) reduction measured by skin fold
      caliper was 33% (3.2 mm [1.7 mm]), (95% CI, 0.2297-0.4236; P=.05), and by MRI,
      mean (SD) reduction was 1.78 mm (1.157 mm). Independent blinded panel was able to
      correctly identify 60% of before and after photographs; 12 of 15 subjects (80%)
      were satisfied or very satisfied with the treatment. Side effects were mild and
      resolved completely within 10 weeks, except for one hyperpigmentation, which
      resolved spontaneously within 6 months after last treatment. CONCLUSION:
      Cryolipolysis with colder temperature and reduced treatment time continues to be
      effective and is safe for noninvasive reduction of the submental fat.

PMID- 28901053
TI  - Tissue characterization with depth-resolved attenuation coefficient and
      backscatter term in intravascular optical coherence tomography images.
AB  - An important application of intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT)
      for atherosclerotic tissue analysis is using it to estimate attenuation and
      backscatter coefficients. This work aims at exploring the potential of the
      attenuation coefficient, a proposed backscatter term, and image intensities in
      distinguishing different atherosclerotic tissue types with a robust
      implementation of depth-resolved (DR) approach. Therefore, the DR model is
      introduced to estimate the attenuation coefficient and further extended to
      estimate the backscatter-related term in IVOCT images, such that values can be
      estimated per pixel without predefining any delineation for the estimation. In
      order to exclude noisy regions with a weak signal, an automated algorithm is
      implemented to determine the cut-off border in IVOCT images. The attenuation
      coefficient, backscatter term, and the image intensity are further analyzed in
      regions of interest, which have been delineated referring to their pathology
      counterparts. Local statistical values were reported and their distributions were
      further compared with a two-sample t-test to evaluate the potential for
      distinguishing six types of tissues. Results show that the IVOCT intensity, DR
      attenuation coefficient, and backscatter term extracted with the reported
      implementation are complementary to each other on characterizing six tissue
      types: mixed, calcification, fibrous, lipid-rich, macrophages, and necrotic core.

PMID- 28901054
TI  - System calibration method for Fourier ptychographic microscopy.
AB  - Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) is a recently proposed computational
      imaging technique with both high-resolution and wide field of view. In current
      FPM imaging platforms, systematic error sources come from aberrations, light
      emitting diode (LED) intensity fluctuation, parameter imperfections, and noise,
      all of which may severely corrupt the reconstruction results with similar
      artifacts. Therefore, it would be unlikely to distinguish the dominating error
      from these degraded reconstructions without any preknowledge. In addition,
      systematic error is generally a mixture of various error sources in the real
      situation, and it cannot be separated due to their mutual restriction and
      conversion. To this end, we report a system calibration procedure, termed SC-FPM,
      to calibrate the mixed systematic errors simultaneously from an overall
      perspective, based on the simulated annealing algorithm, the LED intensity
      correction method, the nonlinear regression process, and the adaptive step-size
      strategy, which involves the evaluation of an error metric at each iteration
      step, followed by the re-estimation of accurate parameters. The performance
      achieved both in simulations and experiments demonstrates that the proposed
      method outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms. The reported system
      calibration scheme improves the robustness of FPM, relaxes the experiment
      conditions, and does not require any preknowledge, which makes the FPM more
      pragmatic.

PMID- 28901055
TI  - Phantom-based image quality test methods for photoacoustic imaging systems.
AB  - As photoacoustic imaging (PAI) technologies advance and applications arise, there
      is increasing need for standardized approaches to provide objective, quantitative
      performance assessment at various stages of the product development and clinical
      translation process. We have developed a set of performance test methods for PAI
      systems based on breast-mimicking tissue phantoms containing embedded inclusions.
      Performance standards for mature imaging modalities [magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound] were used to guide selection of
      critical PAI image quality characteristics and experimental methods.
      Specifically, the tests were designed to address axial, lateral, and elevational
      spatial resolution, signal uniformity, penetration depth, sensitivity, spatial
      measurement accuracy, and PAI-ultrasound coregistration. As an initial
      demonstration of the utility of these test methods, we characterized the
      performance of a modular, bimodal PAI-ultrasound system using four clinical
      ultrasound transducers with varying design specifications. Results helped to
      inform optimization of acquisition and data processing procedures while providing
      quantitative elucidation of transducer-dependent differences in image quality.
      Comparison of solid, tissue-mimicking polymer phantoms with those based on
      Intralipid indicated the superiority of the former approach in simulating real
      world conditions for PAI. This work provides a critical foundation for the
      establishment of well-validated test methods that will facilitate the maturation
      of PAI as a medical imaging technology.

PMID- 28901056
TI  - [Research progress of plant BAHD acyltransferase family].
AB  - Acylation conducted by acyltransferase is a ubiquitous process in structure
      modification of secondary metabolites. It plays an important role in the
      structural diversity of natural products and contributes significantly to their
      improved stabilities, increased solubilities, and enhanced bioavailabilities.
      BAHD acyltransferase family is a typical kind of acyltransferase original from
      plants, which involved in the biosynthesis of various bioactive acylated natural
      products. In order to provide references for future investigations of BAHD
      acyltransferase family, research progresses on basic properties, three
      dimensional structures, catalytic mechanisms, enzymatic functional
      identifications and phylogenetic analyses of BAHD family from plants is
      summarized in this paper.

PMID- 28901057
TI  - [Research on photosynthetic and eco-physiological characteristics of Epimedium
      pseudowushannense in different growing age].
AB  - Epimedium is a widely used medicinal plants. Due to excessive use of wild
      resources and resource constraints, artificial cultivation is the only way to
      achieve sustainable use of resources. E. pseudowushannense is intended to achieve
      the first cultivated species, but plant production technology is not yet fully
      mature.The diurnal variation of photosynthetic and eco-physiological
      characteristics of E. pseudowushannense in different growing age was studied by
      the CI-340 Portable Photosynthesis System under natural conditions. The net
      photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (C), intercellular CO2
      concentration (Ci), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), relative humidity
      (RH), air temperature (Ta), apparent mesophyll conductance (ALMC), transpiration
      rate (E), leaf temperature (Tl), water use efficiency (WUE) and other
      photosynthetic physiological factors and environmental factors were measured. The
      obtained data was analyzed by correlation analysis, path analysis and stepwise
      multiple-regression analysis to explore the relationship between net
      photosynthetic rate and physiological and ecological factors. The results show
      that: 1The daily variation of the Pn, E, ALMC, C of E. pseudowushannense in
      different growing age took on"two peak type", the Pn was with an obvious midday
      depression phenomenon at noon.2The Pn, ALMC and C of annuals' were significantly
      higher than biennial or three-year; but the Ci was basically a three-year >
      biennial> annual.3The correlation analysis, path analysis and stepwise regression
      analysis showed that ALMC, Ci, Ta might played important role in the Pn and
      ranked as ALMC>Ci>Ta.

PMID- 28901058
TI  - [Dissipation dynamics of spirodiclofen in wolfberry fruit].
AB  - The dissipation of spirodiclofen in fresh fruit and dry fruit of wolfberry was
      detected in this study to provide a reference for its safe application.According
      to Pesticide Residue Test Criteria of China, the open-field experiment was
      conducted in Zhongning courty of Ningxia province, and the dissipation of
      spirodiclofen was studied by acetonitrile extraction and HPLC-MS/MS detection.
      The results showed that the half-lives of spirodiclofen in fresh wolfberry fruit
      and dry wolfberry fruit were 6.9-11.2 days and 8.5-10.4 days, respectively.
      Spirodiclofen belongs to the easily degradable pesticide type. According to the
      maximum residue limits (0.5 mg*kg-1) of spirodiclofen of EU for wolfberry, after
      recommended dosage being sprayed for once, fresh wolfberry fruit was safe to eat
      after 5 days, and dry wolfberry fruit was safe to eat after 21 days.

PMID- 28901059
TI  - [Effect of different water conditions on Panax notoginseng seeds after-ripening
      and germination physiology].
AB  - Effect of different water conditions on the physiological indexes (e.g.seed water
      content, vigor, antioxidase activities)of Panax notoginseng seeds were studied
      under process of after-ripening and germination.The results showed show that
      compared with 2.5% treatment, under the treatment of 5%, P.notoginseng seeds
      possessed stable seed water content, the seed vigor was exceed by 51%,variation
      of antioxidant enzyme (SOD, POD, CAT) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content
      were small, crude fat and total sugar content decreased significantly.With the
      increase of PEG 6000 concentration, the germination characteristic indexes
      obviously decreased, antioxidase activities increased firstly and decreased
      afterwards, content of MDA, soluble protein and total sugar increased
      obviously.There were significant positive correlation between germination
      characteristic indexes and osmotic substance content(r>0.900, P<0.01), and
      significant negative correlation with MDA (r>0.900, P<0.01).In conclusion,
      because the characteristic of dehydration intolerance of P.notoginseng seeds, 5%
      water content of sand burying stratification treatment was the best for after
      ripening, 15% concentration of PEG 6000 treatment was the highest tolerance limit
      of germination process.

PMID- 28901060
TI  - [Karyotype and evolutionary trend analysis of Scutellaria species in Jinyun
      mountain, Chongqing].
AB  - Traditional squash method was used to analyze chromosome number and karyotypes of
      four Scutellaria species in Chongqing Jinyun Mountain Natural Reserve:
      Scutellaria tsinyunensis, S.yunnanensis, S.franchetiana and S.indica.The result
      showed that the chromosome numbers were 26 except for S.franchetiana, which had
      24 chromosomes.These species were all diploid with metacentric and submetacentric
      chromosomes.Their karyotypes were symmetrical and primitive.The karyotype formula
      of S.tsinyunensis is 2n=2x=26=24m+2sm, 1B type, As.k=55.28%; the karyotype
      formula of S.yunnanensis var.salicifolia is 2n=2x=26=26m, 1B type, As.k=56.11%;
      the karyotype formula of S.franchetiana is 2n=2x=24=20m+4sm, 2B type,
      As.k=58.50%; the karyotype formula of S.indica is 2n=2x=24=20m+4sm, 2B type,
      As.k=58.41%.The results were compared with the reported data of S.baicalensis and
      S.alaschanica.S.alaschanica is expected to be the most advanced one whereas
      S.tsinyunensis, and S.yunnanensis var. salicifolia primitive.These results are
      expected to provide some references to the origin and differentiation of genus
      Scutellaria.

PMID- 28901061
TI  - [Screening of meaningful endophytic fungi in Dendrobium officinale based on
      polysaccharides and flavonoids].
AB  - To reveal the relationship between endophytic fungi and the functional
      components, saccharides and flavonoids in the mycelia or fermented liquor of 21
      endophytic fungi in D.officinale were detected using HPLC and UV
      spectrophotometer.The results showed that the ethyl acetate extracts from 21
      fungal strains all contain flavonoids.According to the chromatographic retention
      time of HPLC and UV spectra characteristics of flavonoids, strain DO49 was found
      produce naringenin, strains DO23, DO81 and DO83 were found produce rutin.The
      water-soluble extracts from 21 strains all had polysaccharides.However, there was
      difference in the composition of monosaccharides derived from polysaccharides
      among different strains.According to the composition of monosaccharides and the
      peak area ratio of mannose and glucose, the fungal strains including DO23, DO26,
      DO81, DO54, DO55, DO83 product polysaccharides associated with D.officinale were
      selected.In conclusion, based on the saccharides and flavonoids, the excellent
      endophytic fungal strains DO23, DO81 and DO83 were selected, which could produce
      the same flavonoids and similar polysaccharides in D.officinale.

PMID- 28901062
TI  - [Medicinal plant new records in Chongqing].
AB  - By the fourth survey of Chinese medicinal resources, new medicinal plants records
      of 1 family, 2 genera and 6 species were reported in Chongqing.They are
      Annonaceae, Fissistigma, Monochasma, Sophora tonkinensis, Fissistigma retusum,
      Monochasma sheareri, Primula ranunculoids, Chirita pinnatifida and Hylotelephium
      sieboldii.All the voucher specimens are preserved in Herbarium of Chongqing
      Institute of Medicinal Plant Cultivation.

PMID- 28901063
TI  - [Impact of sulfur fumigation on quality of Scutellariae Radix].
AB  - Sulfur fumigation usually causes transformation of chemical components of
      traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As for the process and storage of TCM, the
      sulfur fumigation has been no longer recommended by the government. This study is
      to explore the impact of the sulfur fumigation on the quality of Scutellariae
      Radix. Distillation combined with ion-chromatography was used to evaluate the
      residue of sulfur dioxide in 180 batches of Scutellariae Radix decoction pieces
      and 26 batches of Scutellariae Radix herbs. In addition, LC-MS combined with
      principal component analysis (PCA) was used to compare the changes in chemical
      components and flavonoid content in radix scutellariae before and after sulfur
      fumigation. As a result, 74 batches of Scutellariae Radix decoction pieces were
      determined to be unqualified on the basis of the residue limit of sulfur dioxide
      in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015 Vol. IV (<=150 mg*kg-1), with a qualification rate
      of 35.9%. All of the unqualified samples were decoction pieces. The fingerprint
      and PCA indicates that flavonoid content of Scutellariae Radix had no change
      before and after sulfur fumigation, but flavonoid glycosides decreased after
      sulfur fumigation and baicalin decreased sharply. The flavonoid glycoside was
      hydrolyzed to flavone aglycone in the process of sulfur fumigation, which caused
      the decrease in content of falvonoid glycosides and had an impact on the quality
      of Scutellariae Radix. The decoction pieces of Scutellariae Radix were seriously
      fumigated with sulfur in the processing, suggesting the key regulatory point is
      the decoction pieces production process.

PMID- 28901064
TI  - [Physical fingerprint for quality control of traditional Chinese medicine extract
      powders].
AB  - The physical properties of both raw materials and excipients are closely
      correlated with the quality of traditional Chinese medicine preparations in oral
      solid dosage forms. In this paper, based on the concept of the chemical
      fingerprint for quality control of traditional Chinese medicine products, the
      method of physical fingerprint for quality evaluation of traditional Chinese
      medicine extract powders was proposed. This novel physical fingerprint was built
      by the radar map, and consisted of five primary indexes (i.e. stackablity,
      homogeneity, flowability, compressibility and stability) and 12 secondary indexes
      (i.e. bulk density, tap density, particle size<50 MUm percentage, relative
      homogeneity index, hausner ratio, angle of repose, powder flow time, inter
      particle porosity, Carr index, cohesion index, loss on drying, hygroscopicity).
      Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) extract was taken for an example. This paper
      introduced the application of physical fingerprint in the evaluation of source-to
      source and batch-to-batch quality consistence of PNS extract powders. Moreover,
      the physical fingerprint of PNS was built by calculating the index of parameters,
      the index of parametric profile and the index of good compressibility, in order
      to successfully predict the compressibility of the PNS extract powder and
      relevant formulations containing PNS extract powder and conventional
      pharmaceutical excipients. The results demonstrated that the proposed method
      could not only provide new insights into the development and process control of
      traditional Chinese medicine solid dosage forms.

PMID- 28901065
TI  - [1H-NMR-based metabonomics on chemical component groups with toxicity alleviation
      effect to Realgar in Niuhuang Jiedu tablet].
AB  - To study the chemical component groups with toxicity alleviation effect to
      Realgar in Niuhuang Jiedu tablet based on 1H-NMR metabonomics. Twenty-four male
      Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control group, R group (treated with
      Realgar), RRSPG group (treated with Realgar, the root and rhizoma of Rheum
      palmatum, the root of Scutellaria baicalensis, the root of Platycodon
      grandiflorum and the root and rhizoma of Glycyrrhiza uralensis) and RC group
      (treated with total anthraquinones from the root and rhizoma of R. palmatum,
      total flavonoids from the root of S. baicalensis, total saponins from the root of
      P. grandiflorum, total flavonoids and saponins from the root and rhizoma of G.
      uralensis). Based on 1H-NMR spectra of urine and serum from rats, PLS-DA was
      performed to identify different metabolic profiles.The metabolic profiles of R
      group were different from that of control group, while the metabolic profiles of
      RC group were almost similar to control group.Total anthraquinones from the root
      and rhizoma of R. palmatum, total flavonoids from the root of S. baicalensis,
      total saponins from the root of P. grandiflorum, total flavonoids and saponins
      from the root and rhizoma of G. uralensis regulated energy, choline and amino
      acid metabolism and gut flora disorder affected by realgar's toxicity.

PMID- 28901066
TI  - [Rapid characterization of chemical constituents and rats metabolites of Kudiezi
      injection by UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap].
AB  - A rapid and sensitive UHPLC-HR-MSn method was used for the identification of
      Kudiezi injection and its main metabolites in rat plasma. After the tail
      intravenous injection of Kudiezi, ACQUITY UHPLC BEH C18 (2.1 mm*100 mm, 1.7 MUm)
      was used, with 0.1% formic acid-acetonitrile solution as the mobile phase for
      gradient elution. Kudiezi injection and plasma were detected by ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap
      equipped with an ESI ion source in a negative mode. Based on the accurate mass
      measurements, the retention time and the mass fragmentation patterns, a total of
      53 compounds were tentatively identified and characterized. Furthermore,
      metabolites in rat plasma after the intravenous administration of Kudiezi
      injection were also analyzed. A total of 38 compounds were identified, including
      27 prototypes and 11 metabolites through metabolic pathways of methylation,
      glucuronide conjugation, sulfate conjugation and hydrolysis. As a result, UHPLC
      LTQ-Orbitrap technique was applied to comprehensively expound Kudiezi injection's
      chemical components and constituents migrating to rat plasma, and provide
      scientific basis for further studies on Kudiezi injection's in vivo metabolic
      process and effective material base.

PMID- 28901067
TI  - [Improvement of powder flowability and hygroscopicity of traditional Chinese
      medicine extract by surface coating modification technology].
AB  - To study the improvement of powder flowability and hygroscopicity of traditional
      Chinese medicine extract by surface coating modification technology. The 1%
      hydrophobic silica nanoparticles were used as surface modifier, and andrographis
      extract powder was taken as a model drug. Three different techniques were used
      for coating model drugs, with angle of repose, compressibility, flat angle and
      cohesion as the comprehensive evaluation indexes for the powder flowability. The
      powder particle size and the size distribution were measured by Mastersizer 2000.
      FEI scanning electron microscope was used to observe the surface morphology and
      structure of the powder. The percentage of Si element on the powder surface was
      measured by energy dispersive spectrometer. The hygroscopicity of powder was
      determined by Chinese pharmacopoeia method. All of the three techniques can
      improve the flowability of powder extract. In particular, hygroscopicity of
      extract powder can also be improved by dispersion and then high-speed mixing,
      which can produce a higher percentage of Si element on the powder surface. The
      improvement principle may be correlated with a modifier adhered to the powder
      surface.

PMID- 28901068
TI  - [Solidification of magnolol phospholipid complex with polyvingypyrrolidone].
AB  - In this study, magnolol phospholipid complex (MPC) was prepared and solidified
      with polyvingypyrrolidone (PVPP). The influence of PVPP on MPC's flowability,
      dissolution and oral bioavailability was investigated. The results of phase
      characterization using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared
      spectroscopy (IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that magnolol
      existed in solidified powder and MPC in an amorphous state. In flowability and
      dissolution experiments, solidified powder showed significant superiority. At the
      same time, it showed a higher oral bioavailability compared with MPC, with AUC0
      infinity of 73.47 MUg*h*mL-1 vs. 63.48 MUg*h*mL-1. This process for solidifying
      powder with PVPP is simple and convenient.

PMID- 28901069
TI  - [Chemical constituents from ethyl acetate exaction of root of Paeonia
      lactiflora].
AB  - Two new phenylpropanoids(1 and 2), together with thirteen known compounds(3-15),
      have been isolated from the root of Paeonia lactiflora by using various
      chromatographic techniques. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic
      data analysis(MS,IR,1D and 2D NMR)as(+)-(7R,8R)-1-guaiacyl-1,2
      propanediolacetonide(1),(-)-(7R,8S)-1-guaiacyl-1,2-propanediolacetonide(2),O
      senecioyllomatin(3),O-angeloyllomatin(4),(+)-cis-3'-senecioyloxy-4'-angeloyloxy
      3',4'-dihydroseselin(5),columbianadin(6), benzyl 2,5-dihydroxybenzoate(7),3,6
      dimethyl-5-hydroxyBenzo-furan(8),(S)-evofolin-A(9),2,3-dihydroxy-4
      methoxyacetophenone(10), 2,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxyacetophenone(11), 2,5-dihydroxy-4
      methyl acetophenone(12),ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate(13), vanillic acid(14),and 4
      hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde(15).Compounds 1 and 2 were new compounds,and
      compounds 3-9 were obtained from the genus Paeonia for the first time.

PMID- 28901070
TI  - [Bioactive quinolizidine alkaloids from Sophora tonkinensis].
AB  - Twelve quinolizidine alkaloids were isolated from Sophora tonkinensis by means of
      silica gel, preparative MPLC, and preparative HPLC. On analysis of NMR
      spectroscopic data, their structures were established as 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(3
      methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dehydroquinolizidine(1), lanatine A(2), cermizines
      C(3), senepodines G(4), senepodines H(5), jussiaeiines A(6), jussiaeiines
      B(7),(+)-5alpha-hydroxyoxysophocarpine(8),(-)-12beta-hydroxyoxysophocarpine(9),(
      )-clathrotropine(10),(-)-cytisine(11), and (-)-N-methylcytisine(12),
      respectively. Compounds 1-7 were first isolated from Sophora L. plant. In the in
      vitro assays,the isolated compounds 1, 3, 6-10 exhibited potent activity against
      CVB3 with IC50 of 6.40, 3.25, 4.66, 3.21, 0.12, 0.23 and 1.60, and with selective
      index values(SI=TC50/IC50)of 12.0, 5.6, 13.0, 15.1, 50.1, 26.2, and 23.6,
      respectively. Compounds 1, 3, and 7 exhibited activity against staphylococcus
      aureus(ATCC 29213)with MICvalues of 8.0, 3.5, 6.0 g*L-1, respectively. Compounds
      1, 3, 7, and 12 exhibited activity against staphylococcus aureus(ATCC 33591)with
      MIC values of 18.0, 7.5, 8.0, 12.0 g*L-1, respectively. Compounds 2, 6, 7
      exhibited activity against Escherichia coli(ATCC 25922) with MIC values of 1.0,
      3.2, 0.8 g*L-1.

PMID- 28901071
TI  - [Triterpenoids from roots of Rosa laevigata].
AB  - To study the triterpenoids from the roots of Rosa laevigata. The silica gel
      column chromatography was used to separate the chemical constituents from the
      roots of Rosa laevigata Michx. HPLC was used to analyze its purity, chemical and
      spectroscopy methods were used to determine their structures. 12 constituents
      were isolated and identified as(2R, 19R)methyl 2-acetyloxy-19- hydroxyl-3-oxo-urs
      12-en-28-carboxylate(1), pomonic acid (2), 18, 19-seco, 2alpha, 3alpha-dihydroxy
      19-oxo-urs-11, 13(18)-dien-28-oic acid(3), swinhoeic acid (4), myrianthic
      acid(5), 2alpha, 3beta, 19alpha-trihydroxy-24-oxo-urs-12-en-oic acid (6),
      tormentic acid(7), arjunic acid (8), 1beta-hydroxyeuscaphic acid(9), quadranoside
      VIII (10), alpinoside(11), rubuside B (12). Compounds 1-4, 6, 9, 11-12 were
      obtained from this plant for the first time. Compounds 2-4, 6, 11-12 were
      obtained from the genus Rosa for the first time.

PMID- 28901072
TI  - [Study on chemical constituents from Chloranthus multistachys].
AB  - To investigate the chemical constituents from the shoots of Chloranthus
      multistachys.All compounds wereisolated by using a combination of various
      chromatographic techniques including silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, reversed
      phase HPLC, and other methods.Their structures were elucidated by the nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry, and other modernspectroscopies.As a
      result, 19 compounds were isolated from the shoots of C.multistachys and
      identified as zederoneepoxide(1), chlomultin C(2), curcolonol(3), sarcaglaboside
      A(4), zedoarofuran(5), (1E,4Z)-8-hydroxy-6-oxogermacra-1(10), 4,7(11)-trieno-12,8
      lactone(6), chloranoside A(7), istanbulin A(8), (8alpha)-6,8-dihydroxycadina
      7(11),10(15)-dien-12-oicacid-gamma-lactone(9), codonolactone(10),
      lasianthuslactone A(11), 12,15-epoxy-5alphaH,9betaH-labda-8(17),13-dien-19
      oicacid(12), 12R,15-dihydroxylabda-8(17),13E-dien-19-oicacid(13), N
      transcinnamoyltyramine(14), trans-N-p-coumaroyltyramine(15), dibutyl phthalate
      (16), flavokawain A(17), bergenin(18), and enedione(19).Compounds 1, 2, 4, 7-10,
      12-19 were isolated from C.multistachys for the first time and compounds 14-19
      were obtained from the genus Chloranthus for the first time.

PMID- 28901073
TI  - [Isolation and identification of xanthones from Gentianella acuta].
AB  - Twelve xanthones compounds were isolated from the ethanol extract of Gentianella
      acuta by means of reversed-phase preparative HPLC and various kinds of column
      chromatography including silica gel and ODS . Their structures were fully
      elucidated on the basis of MS, 1D and 2D-NMR data. The structures of xanthones
      were identified as 1, 7-dihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside
      (1), swertiapuniside (2), 1, 3, 8- trihydroxy -4, 5-dimethoxyxanthone-1-O-beta-D
      glucopyranosyl(6->1)-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), 1, 2, 8-trihydroxy-5, 6
      dimethoxyxanthone-2-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), 1, 3, 7, 8-tetrahydroxyxanthone
      1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), 1, 3, 5, 8-tetrahydroxy-5, 6, 7, 8
      tetrahydroxanthone (6), 1, 3, 5-thihydroxyxanthone (7),1, 3, 5, 8
      tetrahydroxyxanthone (8), 1, 2, 8-trihydroxy-5, 6-dimethoxyxanthone (9),
      bellidifolin (10), mangiferin (11), swertianolin (12). Compounds 1-9 were
      isolated from Gentianella genus for the first time.

PMID- 28901074
TI  - [HPLC specific chromatogram of Lamiophlomis Herba and its counterfeit and
      determination of four effective components].
AB  - This study is to establish the HPLC specific chromatogram and determine four main
      effective components of Lamiophlomis Herba and its counterfeit.Chlorogenic acid,
      forsythoside B, acteoside and luteoloside were reference substance.HPLC analysis
      was performed on a Waters XSelect C18 column (4.6 mm*250 mm,5 MUm).The mobile
      phase was acetonitrile-0.5% phosphoric acid solution (18?82) with isocratic
      elution.The flow rate was 1.0 mL*min-1, the detection wavelength was 332 nm and
      the column temperature was 30 C.Chemometrics software Chempattern was employed to
      analyze the research data.HPLC specific chromatogram of Lamiophlomis Herba from
      different samples were of high similarity, but the similarity of the HPLC
      specific chromatogram of its counterfeit were less than 0.65.Both of cluster and
      principal component analysis can distinguish certified products and
      adulterants.The HPLC specific chromatogram and contents of four effective
      components can be used for the quality control of Lamiophlomis Herba and its
      preparations.It provided scientific basis to standardize the use of the crude
      drug.

PMID- 28901075
TI  - [Effects and mechanisms of UCG ameliorating renal interstitial fibrosis by
      regulating TGF-beta1/SnoN/Smads signaling pathway in renal failure rats].
AB  - This study was aimed to demonstrate preliminarily the effects and mechanisms of
      uremic clearance granule (UCG) ameliorating renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) by
      regulating transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1/SnoN/Smads signaling pathway in
      vivo. Fifteen rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:the normal group,the model
      group and the UCG group. The rats with renal failure were induced by intragastric
      administration of adenine and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). After
      modeling,the rats in the UCG group and in the other groups were intervened by
      intragastric administration of UCG and distilled water respectively during 3
      weeks. The body weight and 24 h urinary protein excretion (Upro) in all rats were
      tested after drug administration. All rats were killed after drug administration
      for 3 weeks,blood and kidneys were collected and weighted,kidney appearance and
      renal morphological characteristics were observed. In addition,serum biochemical
      indices and the protein expressions of TGF-beta1,SnoN,phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p
      Smad2/3) and Smad7 in the kidney were evaluated respectively. The results
      indicated that,after the intervention of UCG,the general state of health,kidney
      appearance,serum creatinine (Scr),blood urea nitrogen (BUN),uric acid
      (UA),albumin (Alb),Upro and renal morphological change in model rats were
      improved in different degrees,respectively. Moreover,UCG down-regulated the
      protein expressions of TGF-beta1 and p-Smad2/3,and up-regulated the protein
      expressions of SnoN and Smad7 in the kidney. In conclusion,UCG reduces
      extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and delays the progression of renal failure
      via possibly multi-targeting at regulating TGF-beta1/SnoN/Smads signaling pathway
      in vivo.

PMID- 28901076
TI  - [Paeonol affects proliferation activity of rat vasular endothelial cells induced
      by lipopolysaccharide and co-cultured with smooth muscle cells via inhibiting
      pathway of PI3K/AKT-NF-kappaB signaling].
AB  - This paper was aimed to observe the anti-atheroslerosis effect of paeonol (Pae)
      on the activation of PI3K/AKT-NF-kappaB and the proliferation activity of rat
      vasular endothelial cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and co-cultured
      with smooth muscle cells. Primary rat vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and rat
      vascular smooth cells (VSMCs) were cultured by predigesting and adhering tissue
      blocks. The VEC-VSMC co-culture model was established by Transwell chamber. LPS
      (100 MUg*L -1, 7 h) was used to induce VEC injury. MTT assay were used to
      determine the VEC proliferation activity. Western blot was used to detect
      PI3K/AKT and NF-kappaB's signaling pathways related protein expressions. The
      concentration of LPS-induced VECs injury was 100 MUg*L -1, and the time was 7 h.
      After the intervention on the above cell model for 24 h, paeonol (15, 30, 60
      MUmol*L -1) could effectively inhibit LPS-induced VECs injury, block PI3K/AKT-NF
      kappaB signal transduction pathway thereby significantly affecting the
      proliferation of LPS-induced VECs co-cultured with SMCs. The anti-atherosclerosis
      mechanism of paeonol may be related to the reducing the inhibitory effect of the
      signaling pathway associated proteins of VEC PI3K/AKT and NF-kappaB, thereby
      increasing the VEC livability under co-culture.

PMID- 28901077
TI  - [Research ontherapeutics effect of extract of Ornithogalum caudatum on liver
      fibrosis].
AB  - Rat models of liver fibrosis were made by carbon tetrachloride, and the serum
      levels of AST, ALT, gamma-GT, MDA, GSH-px, SOD were detected, serum markers of
      PCIII, IV-C, LN, HA were detected by ELISA method. HE and Masson staining were
      conducted in hepatic tissues to observe pathological variations. Collagen III,
      TGF-beta, alpha-SMA, E-cadherin were detected by Western blot. The curative
      effect of the extract of Ornithogalum caudatum on rat liver fibrosis induced by
      CCl4was observed and the mechanism was discussed. The experiment results showed
      that the extract of O. caudatum (50, 150, 500 mg*kg-1) obviously decreased the
      serum levels of AST, ALT, gamma-GT, MDA, increased the serum levels of GSH-px,
      SOD, decreased the expression of serum markers of PCIII, IV-C, LN, HA, and
      improved the liver pathological variations of fibrotic rats. The experiment
      proved that the extract of O. caudatum could treat the liver fibrogenesis induced
      by CCl4 in rats. The positive medicine may inhibit accumulation of extracellular
      and activate hepatic stellate cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

PMID- 28901078
TI  - [Puerarin attenuates PM2.5-induced vascular endothelial cells injury via ERK1/2
      signaling pathway].
AB  - To investigate the effect and the mechanism of puerarin in attenuating PM2.5
      induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EA.hy926) injury, the samples of
      fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were collected and made into suspension.
      Different concentrations of PM2.5 (0,20, 200, 400 mg*L-1) were used to
      contaminate EA.hy926 cells for 24 h. The cells survival rate was detected by MTT
      assay; cells apoptosis of EA.hy926cells was detected by flow cytometry; the
      protein levels of p-ERK1/2, Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by Western blot; the
      contents of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6),
      malonaldehyde (MDA), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lactic
      dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured by ELISA. Puerarin at different concentrations
      (10, 50, 100 MUmol*L-1) or a specific inhibitor of ERK1/2 pathway PD98059 (20
      MUmol*L-1) was added into the EA.hy926 cells to observe the intervention effect
      and mechanism of puerarin. Compared with the control group, PM2.5 reduced the
      cells survival rate, up-regulatedp-ERK1/2 protein level and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in a
      dose dependent manner to promote apoptosis; increased the contents of TNF-alpha,
      IL-6 and MDA, the activity of LDH, but decreased SOD activity in the EA.hy926
      cells (P<0.05). Compared with PM2.5 group, puerarin increased the cells survival
      rate, down-regulated p-ERK1/2 protein level and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in a dose
      dependent manner to inhibit the apoptosis; decreased the contents of TNF-alpha,
      IL-6 and MDA, the activity of LDH, but increased SOD activity in the EA.hy926
      cells (P<0.05). The results indicated that puerarin could attenuate PM2.5-induced
      EA.hy926 cells injury via the inhibition of ERK1/2 pathway.

PMID- 28901079
TI  - [Protective effects of three phenylallyl compounds from Guizhi decoction ox-LDL
      induced oxidative stress injury of human brain microvascular endothelial cells].
AB  - The main objective of this research is to observe protective effects of three
      phenylallyl compounds(cinnamyl alcohol,cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid)from
      Guizhi decoction against ox-LDL-induced oxidative stress injury on human brain
      microvascular endothelial cells(HBMEC).In this study,the toxicity and optimal
      protective concentration of three phenylallyl compounds from Guizhi decoction
      were determined by MTT assay.The HBMEC were divided into control
      group(DMSO),model group(ox-LDL),tert-butylhydroquinone (t-BHQ) group,cinnamyl
      alcohol group, cinnamaldehyde group and cinnamic acid group.The model group were
      treated with ox-LDL (50 mg*L-1)for 24 h,other groups were separately treated with
      t-BHQ, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid of 20 MUmol*L-1, and
      exposed to ox-LDL (50 mg*L-1) for 24 h at the same time.The survival rate of
      HBMEC was detected by MTT assay,reactive oxygen species(ROS) production of
      injured cells were detected using laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM),the
      content of SOD, MDA, eNOS and NO in HBMEC was determined by ELISA, and the
      expressions of Nrf2 mRNA were detected by quantitative Real-time PCR(qRT-PCR).The
      results shows that oxidative stress injury of HBMEC could be induced by ox-LDL,
      the three phenylallyl compounds from Guizhi decoction did not affect morphology
      and viability of normal HBMEC.Compared with model group, the three phenylallyl
      compounds from Guizhi decoction could improve the above oxidative stress status
      and up-regulate Nrf2 mRNA expressions in injured HBMEC(P<0.05, P<0.01) .These
      findings suggested that the three phenylallyl compounds from Guizhi decoction
      have certain protective effects against ox-LDL-induced oxidative stress injury on
      HBMEC(cinnamaldehyde> t-BHQ> cinnamic acid>cinnamyl alcohol),the protective
      mechanism maybe related to regulation of antioxidant enzymes gene expression in
      HBMEC by Nrf2.

PMID- 28901080
TI  - [Effect of total saponins of Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma on serum metabolic
      profile in adjuvant arthritis rats based on GC-TOF-MS].
AB  - To observe the effect of total saponins of Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma (TSCR) on
      serum metabolic profile changes in adjuvant arthritis(AA) rats, and explore its
      possible action mechanism for AA rats. The AA rat models were induced by Freund's
      complete adjuvant(FCA), and their histopathological changes were observed. Gas
      chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), principal component
      analysis(PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were
      employed to analyze the metabolic profile among normal group, AA model group and
      TSCR group. Potential biomarkers in the serum were screened based on the variable
      importance projection(VIP) value>1, P<0.05. As compared with the normal group, 17
      potential biomarkers such as aspartic acid, inositol and phenylacetaldehyde were
      found and identified in the serum of model group rats. As compared with the model
      group, the above biomarkers were regulated nearly to a normal state after TSCR
      administration for 16 days. Metabolomic analysis revealed that the total saponins
      of Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma has a certain therapeutic effect for AA rats, and
      the mechanism may be related to regulation of lipid metabolism, amino acid
      metabolism and energy metabolism.

PMID- 28901082
TI  - [Effect of Fuke Qianjin tablets on pharmacokinetics of Azithromycin in rats with
      chronic pelvic inflammatory disease].
AB  - To investigate the effect of Fuke Qianjin tablets on the pharmacokinetics of
      Azithromycin(AZM) in rats with chronic pelvic inflammation, and evaluate the
      rationality of the drug combination. The animal models of chronic pelvic
      inflammatory disease were established by intrauterine injection of mixed
      bacterial suspension plus mechanic injury in female Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats. The
      model rats were randomly divided into control group and drug combination group.
      The rats in control group were given with Azithromycin 10 mg*kg-1*d-1 by
      intragastric administration, while the rats in drug combination group were given
      with Fuke Qianjin tablets 1.66 g*kg-1*d-1 by intragastric administration 2 hours
      after the equivalent dose of azithromycin, once a day, consecutively for 7 days.
      Plasma samples were collected at different time points and the concentration of
      AZM in plasma was determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled
      with mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS). ADAPT 5.1 software was used to calculate the
      pharmacokinetic parameters of each group by Inverse Gaussian Function model. SPSS
      software was used for the statistical analysis of data in each group. The results
      showed that Fuke Qianjin tablets had no significant effects on the main
      pharmacokinetic parameters of AZM, including CLt, CLd, MIT and F. The study
      showed that Fuke Qianjin tablets can be combined with azithromycin for treatment
      of chronic pelvic inflammation disease.

PMID- 28901081
TI  - [Metabolism of six saponins by rat intestinal bacteria in vitro].
AB  - To investigate the metabolism of six saponins by rat intestinal bacteria in
      vitro.Six saponins, including notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside
      Rg2, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rd and ginsenoside Rb1, were incubated for 8 and
      24 h with rat intestinal bacteria under anaerobic environment, respectively.
      After the samples were precipitated by acetonitrile and extracted with ethyl
      acetate, LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was applied for the qualitative analysis of the
      metabolites. The potential metabolites in rat feces were analyzed by comparing
      the total ion current of the test samples and blank samples and analyzing the
      quasi-molecular ion and fragment ion of all chromatograms. The results showed
      that six saponins could be easily metabolized by rat intestinal bacteria.
      Notoginsenoside R1 was mainly metabolized into five metabolites, and it's
      metabolic pathway was notoginsenoside R1->ginsenoside Rg1->ginsenoside Rh1 and
      ginsenoside F1->protopanaxatriol->dehydrogenated protopanaxatriol. Ginsenoside
      Rg1 was mainly metabolized into four metabolites, and it's metabolic pathway was
      ginsenoside Rg1->ginsenoside Rh1 and ginsenoside F1->protopanaxatriol
      >dehydrogenated protopanaxatriol. Ginsenoside Rg2 was mainly metabolized into two
      metabolites, and it's metabolic pathway was ginsenoside Rg2-> protopanaxatriol
      >dehydrogenated protopanaxatriol. Ginsenoside Re was mainly metabolized into four
      metabolites, and it's metabolic pathway was ginsenoside Re->ginsenoside Rg2
      >ginsenoside F1->protopanaxatriol->dehydrogenated protopanaxatriol. Ginsenoside
      Rd was mainly metabolized into four metabolites, and it's metabolic pathway was
      ginsenoside Rd->ginsenoside Rg3 and ginsenoside F2->ginsenoside Rh2
      >protopanaxadiol. Ginsenoside Rb1 was mainly metabolized into five metabolites,
      and it's metabolic pathway was ginsenoside Rb1->ginsenoside Rd->ginsenoside Rg3
      and ginsenoside F2->ginsenoside Rh2->protopanaxadiol. In summary, six saponins
      could be quickly metabolized by rat intestinal bacteria in vitro. Their major
      metabolic pathways were deglycosylation and dehydrogenation.

PMID- 28901083
TI  - [Analysis on regularity of prescriptions in "a guide to clinical practice with
      medical record" for diarrhoea based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance
      support system].
AB  - To analyze the regularities of prescriptions in "a guide to clinical practice
      with medical record" (Ye Tianshi) for diarrhoea based on traditional Chinese
      medicine inheritance support system(V2.5), and provide a reference for further
      research and development of new traditional Chinese medicines in treating
      diarrhoea. Traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system was used to
      build a prescription database of Chinese medicines for diarrhoea. The software
      integration data mining method was used to analyze the prescriptions according to
      "four natures", "five flavors" and "meridians" in the database and achieve
      frequency statistics, syndrome distribution, prescription regularity and new
      prescription analysis. An analysis on 94 prescriptions for diarrhoea was used to
      determine the frequencies of medicines in prescriptions, commonly used medicine
      pairs and combinations, and achieve 13 new prescriptions. This study indicated
      that the prescriptions for diarrhoea in "a guide to clinical practice with
      medical record" are mostly of eliminating dampness and tonifying deficienccy,
      with neutral drug property, sweet, bitter or hot in flavor, and reflecting the
      treatment principle of "activating spleen-energy and resolving dampness".

PMID- 28901084
TI  - [Analysis and exploration on adverse reactions of four kinds of andrographolide
      injections].
AB  - Concerned literature on four kinds of andrographolide injections in recent 15
      years were searched in CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases. The adverse drug
      reaction(ADR) cases of Chuanhuning, Yanhuning, Xiyanping and Lianbizhi injections
      were classified and analyzed statistically, including a total of 194 articles and
      3 479 cases. The ADR clinical characteristics and occurrence regularity of these
      four andrographolide injections were analyzed and compared from the gender, age,
      primary disease, emergence time of ADR, clinical manifestation, allergy history,
      dosage, prognosis and combined medication of the patients. It is useful to
      provide valuable references for rational use of these andrographolide injections
      in clinical practice.

PMID- 28901085
TI  - [Standardized investigation on medicinal nature of ethnomedicine].
AB  - This article recorded the analysis and comparison between the medicinal nature
      theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and ethnomedicine(EM). The vocabulary
      of "medicinal nature" was suggested to indicate the properties of ethnomedicine.
      Based on the influence of TCM medicinal nature theory on EM in China, the
      application of medicinal nature theory in EM was divided into 3 classes, and the
      standardizing principles for EM medicinal nature were proposed. It was suggested
      that medicinal quality, flavor, tendency, tropism, degree and efficiency can be
      used for the classification standard for EM medicinal nature.

PMID- 28901086
TI  - [Berberine action targets and its absorption behavior:how to use old drug for new
      mechanisms].
AB  - A variety of pharmacological effects of berberine (BBR) are constantly being
      discovered with the deepening of BBR research. What followed is how to rationally
      use the drug according to these new pharmacological effects. Because of some
      cardiac toxicity and poor oral absorption, conflicts may arise between improving
      the bioavailability and controlling the toxicity of BBR. Meanwhile some new
      therapeutic uses of BBR, such as hypolipidemia, hypoglycemia as well as
      prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, need long-termoral
      administration, thereby may lead to alteration of intestinal flora and
      potentially affect body's other physiological functions. Based on the stated
      targets of BBR and related pharmaceutical properties, comprehensive analysis of
      these issues was conducted in this study. Some suggestions were presented
      below:the effect of long-term oral administration on body function, especially
      the intestinal flora, needs to be further investigated; risks shall be considered
      in changing the composition of the formulation to improve the absorption rate of
      oral administration; for the medication with higher concentration demand (such as
      anti-cancer), targeted drug-delivery is worthy to be considered.

PMID- 28901087
TI  - [Preliminary study of history of senna be used in China--On phenomenon about
      "reign medicine localized"].
AB  - Senna is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicine at present. After
      the preliminary research that the drug medication history in China is not long,
      in our country ancient times, only "Hui prescription" in the records, other all
      kinds of traditional Chinese medicine literature rarely mentioned. Since modern
      times, the Chinese medicine in the medicine in the literature of the time and the
      modern western medicine books in the Chinese version of the time generally close,
      may be related to the introduction of Western medicine. At the end of Qing
      Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Chinese literature about the drug
      property theory of herbal medicine is seldom discussed, and had been seen as
      "western medicine" (foreign medicine), with the medication experience continue to
      accumulate, widespread popularity and other factors, the drug gradually Chinese
      scholars have constructed a relatively complete theory of the resistance, so as
      to realize the "localization".

PMID- 28901088
TI  - [Research progress of relationship between diabetes and intestinal epithelial
      tight junction barrier and intervetion of berberine].
AB  - Intestinal tight junction is an important part of the small intestinal mucosa
      barrier. It plays a very significant role in maintaining the intestinal mucosal
      permeability and integrity, preventing the bacterial endotoxin and toxic
      macromolecular substances into the body so as to keep a stable internal
      environment. Numerous studies have shown that intestinal mucosal barrier
      dysfunction is closely related to the development of diabetes. Therefore,
      protecting intestinal tight junction and maintaining the mucosal barrier have
      great significance in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. The effect of
      berberine in diabetes treatment is obvious. However, the pharmacological study
      found that the bioavailability of berberine is extremely low. Some scholars put
      forward that the major site of pharmaceutical action of berberine might be in the
      gut. Studies have shown that berberine could regulate the intestinal flora and
      intestinal hormone secretion, protect the intestinal barrier, inhibit the
      absorption of glucose, eliminate the intestinal inflammation and so on. Recently
      studies have found that the hypoglycemic effect of berberine is likely to relate
      with the influence on intestinal tight junction and the protection of mucosal
      barrier. Here is the review about the association between intestinal tight
      junction barrier dysfunction and diabetes, and the related hypoglycemic mechanism
      of berberine.

PMID- 28901089
TI  - [Effects of Qizhi Jiangtang capsule on protein expressions of InsR, PI3K, GLUT2
      and p-JNK in hepatic tissues of rats with type 2 diabetes].
AB  - To observe the hypoglycemic effect of Qizhi Jiangtang capsule in rats with type 2
      diabetes, and investigate the preliminary mechanism of its hypoglycemic effect,
      type 2 diabetes rat models were established by high glucose and high fat combined
      with small dose of streptozotocin (STZ). After continuous administration for 6
      weeks, blood glucose, and glycosylated serum protein (GSP) levels were detected
      in all of the animals; immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect the number
      of islet beta cells; Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression
      levels of insulin receptor (InsR), phosphoinositide-3 kinases (PI3K), glucose
      transporter-2 (GLUT2) and phosphorylated Jun N-terminal kinases (p-JNK)in hepatic
      tissues. The results showed that Qizhi Jiangtang capsule could reduce the blood
      sugar and GSP levels in serum in animals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, increase
      the level of insulin in serum and number of islet beta cells, increase the
      protein expression levels of InsR, PI3K and GLUT2, and reduce the level of p-JNK
      protein expression. In conclusion, Qizhi Jiangtang capsule has relatively stable
      hypoglycemic effect, and the mechanism may be associated with increasing the
      number of islet beta cells and level of insulin in serum, up-regulating the
      protein expression levels of InsR, PI3K and GLUT2, down-regulating the level of p
      JNK protein expression in hepatic tissues, and reducing the level of insulin in
      hepatic tissues.

PMID- 28901090
TI  - [Effects of berberine on mRNA expression levels of PPARgamma and adipocytokines
      in insulin-resistant adipocytes].
AB  - Adipocytokines are closely associated with insulin resistance (IR) in adipose
      tissues, and they are more and more seriously taken in the study of the
      development of diabetes. This experiment was mainly to study the effect of
      berberine on mRNA expression levels of PPARgamma and adipocytokines in insulin
      resistant adipocytes, and investigate the molecular mechanism of berberine in
      enhancing insulin sensitization and application advantages of droplet digital PCR
      (ddPCR). ddPCR absolute quantification analysis was taken in this experiment to
      simply and intuitively determine the appropriate reference genes. ddPCR and
      quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR) were used to compare the effect of different
      doses of berberine (10, 20, 50, 100 MUmol*L-1) on mRNA expression levels of
      PPARgamma, adiponectin, resistin and leptin in IR 3T3-L1adipocytes. Antagonist
      GW9662 was added to study the inherent correlation between PPARgamma and
      adiponectin mRNA expression levels. ddPCR results showed that the expression
      level of beta-actin in adipocytes was stable, and suitable as reference gene for
      normalization of quantitative PCR data. Both of ddPCR and qPCR results showed
      that, as compared with IR models, the mRNA expression levels of adiponectin were
      decreased in the treatment with berberine (10, 20, 50, 100 MUmol*L-1) in a dose
      dependent manner (P<0.01); the expression of PPARgamma was decreased by 20, 50,
      100 MUmol*L-1 berberine in a dose-dependent manner in qPCR assay (P<0.01) and
      decreased only by 50 and 100 MUmol*L-1 berberine in ddPCR assay (P<0.05).
      PPARgamma specific antagonist GW9662 intervention experiment showed that
      adiponectin gene expression was directly relevant with PPARgamma (P<0.05). ddPCR
      probe assay showed that various doses of berberine could significantly reduce
      mRNA expression levels of resistin and leptin (P<0.01) in a dose-dependent
      manner. In conclusion, berberine enhanced insulin sensitization effect not by up
      regulating adiponect in expression of transcriptional level in PPARgamma
      dependent manner, but may by the elevated multimerization of adiponectin in the
      posttranslational regulation level. Berberine down-regulated the resistin and
      leptin expression levels, which could alleviate lipolysis and improve IR in
      adipocytes. ddPCR provided better sensitivity and linear range than qPCR, with
      obvious technical advantages for the detection of low abundance expression of
      target genes.

PMID- 28901091
TI  - [Protective effects and mechanism of glycosides/phenol component of Moutan Cortex
      on renal injury of diabetic nephropathy rats].
AB  - To evaluate the protective effects of glycosides/phenol component of Moutan
      Cortex (MC) on renal injury of diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats based on renal
      function parameters and histopathological examinations(HE staining and
      transmission electron microscope),and explore its possible mechanism by
      establishing DN rat models induced by high-sugar high-fat diet combined with
      streptozotocin (STZ). The results showed that compared with the model group, the
      MC glycosides/phenol component high and low dose groups(0.808, 0.404 g*kg-1*d-1)
      could significantly improve serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urine protein
      and other abnormal renal function parameters. HE staining and transmission
      electron microscope results showed thickening of glomerular basement membrane,
      proliferation of mesangial cells and damages of podocyte structure in major rats
      of model group. However, the intervention of glycosides/phenol component of MC
      could effectively protect the glomerular injury. To explore its possible
      mechanism, the expressions of TGF-beta1, fibronectin (FN) and collagen IV in
      renal tissues of rats in each group were detected by Western blot and
      immunohistochemical assay, and the phosphorylation levels of downstream effect
      factors (Smad2/3, p38MARK) of TGF-beta1 were detected. The results showed that
      glycosides/phenol component of MC could effectively antagonize the activity of
      TGF-beta1, lower the expressions of fibronectin (FN) and collagen IV
      inextracellular matrix (ECM), and resist against the thickening of glomerular
      basement membrane. More importantly, its protective effect on renal injury in DN
      rats may be associated with interfering the conduction of Smad, MARK pathways and
      resisting against the TGF-beta1-induced ECM accumulation.

PMID- 28901092
TI  - [Evaluate drug interaction of multi-components in Morus alba leaves based on
      alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity].
AB  - Column chromatography was used for enrichment and separation of flavonoids,
      alkaloids and polysaccharides from the extracts of Morus alba leaves; glucose
      oxidase method was used with sucrose as the substrate to evaluate the multi
      components of M. alba leaves in alpha-glucosidase inhibitory models; isobole
      method, Chou-Talalay combination index analysis and isobolographic analysis were
      used to evaluate the interaction effects and dose-effect characteristics of two
      components, providing scientific basis for revealing the hpyerglycemic mechanism
      of M. alba leaves. The components analysis showed that flavonoid content was
      5.3%; organic phenolic acids content was 10.8%; DNJ content was 39.4%; and
      polysaccharide content was 18.9%. Activity evaluation results demonstrated that
      flavonoids, alkaloids and polysaccharides of M. alba leaves had significant
      inhibitory effects on alpha-glucosidase, and the inhibitory rate was increased
      with the increasing concentration. Alkaloids showed most significant inhibitory
      effects among these three components. Both compatibility of alkaloids and
      flavonoids, and the compatibility of alkaloids and polysaccharides demonstrated
      synergistic effects, but the compatibility of flavonoids and polysaccharides
      showed no obvious synergistic effects. The results have confirmed the interaction
      of multi-components from M. alba leaves to regulate blood sugar, and provided
      scientific basis for revealing hpyerglycemic effectiveness and mechanism of the
      multi-components from M. alba leaves.

PMID- 28901093
TI  - [HIS-based analysis of clinical characteristics and combined treatment of Chinese
      and western medicine in diabetes deaths].
AB  - To understand the clinical characteristics and distribution of combined treatment
      of Chinese and western medicine in diabetes deaths, the hospitalization
      information of diabetes deaths from HIS system of 20 national 3A-grade general
      hospitals. Then the frequency statistics and association rules analysis were used
      to analyze the general information, complications, combined treatment, death time
      and other information of the patients died from diabetes. The results showed that
      most of the diabetes deaths were of middle aged and elderly people, more often in
      males than females. The complications with higher incidence included
      hypertension, pulmonary infection, coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction
      and renal inadequacy. In combined treatment rules, western medicines insulin,
      cefuroxime, furosemide, dopamine, nikethamide and sodium bicarbonate were used in
      combination at highest frequencies, followed by the combinations of traditional
      Chinese medicines panax notoginseng, radix bupleuri and western medicines, and
      the combinations between Chinese medicines had the lowest use frequency. Most of
      the diabetes deaths were of middle aged and elderly people, more often in males
      than females. They mainly died from 3 pm to 5 pm and from 5 pm to 7 pm.
      Therefore, the diabetes deaths often had complications of cardiovascular and
      cerebrovascular diseases, and early prevention shall be noted in clinics; the
      clinical treatment plan was basically in accordance with the guidelines for
      clinical treatment of diabetes; the drugs with promoting blood circulation to
      remove blood stasis and soothing liver-qi stagnation effects were the common
      Chinese medicines in treatment of diabetes.

PMID- 28901094
TI  - [Review on study of Dao-di herbs Artemisiae Annuae Herba].
AB  - Artemisiae Annuae Herba has used as a medicine for more than 2 000 years. To
      infer based on the modern study results, Artemisiae Annuae Herba used for the
      treatment of malaria recorded in Zhou Hou Bei Ji Fang before 1 700 years should
      come from Artemisia annua. Based on the data of Chinese materia medica, from the
      field of treatment hotness and preventing attack of malaria etc., the Dao-di
      producing district of Artemisiae Annuae Herba should at Jingzhou (now Hubei) and
      surrounding areas in history. From the view of anti-malaria components
      artemisinin content, the Dao-di growing producing district of Artemisiae Annuae
      Herba should locate at Chongqing, Guangxi and its surrounding provinces. The
      study results showed that A. annua was harvested in flower bloom at autumn, and
      in this time it also had higher artemisinin content. If A. annua was stored
      exceed six months, artemisinin could be degraded about thirty percent. So it
      should be stored in a cool and dry place generally. Wild A. annua had a rich
      genetic diversity. Artemisinin content of A. annua breeding in experimental field
      could reache to two percent.

PMID- 28901095
TI  - [Effects of different endophytic fungi on seedling growth of Dendrobium
      devonianum].
AB  - To obtain seedling growth-promoting fungi is a key step in restoration-friendly
      cultivation of medicinal Dendrobium species, since there are a large number of
      functionally-unknown endophytic fungi in the roots of Dendrobium plants.In this
      study, six functionally-unknown endophytic fungal strains were isolated from
      roots of D.devonianum using single peleton isolation technology, and used in
      inoculation experiments to test their effectiveness for seedling growth in
      D.devonianum.After 90 days of inoculation, comparing with the control treatment,
      FDdS-1, FDdS-2 and FDdS-4 showed strong pathogenic or fatal effects on seedlings;
      while, FDdS-12, FDdS-9 and FDdS-5 had different effects on seedling growth.FDdS-5
      had significant promoting effects on height, fresh and dry weight, stem diameter
      and root numbers, while FDdS-9 only had significant promoting effect on seedling
      height, and FDdS-12 had a negative effect on seedling growth.According to the
      anatomical features of the inoculated roots, FDdS-5 fungi could infect the
      velamina of seedlings and the existence of symbiosis pelotons in the cortex
      cells, suggesting that FDdS-5 is a mycorrhiza fungi of D.devonianum.FDdS-5 and
      FDdS-9 were identified as Sebacina vermifera and Sebacina sp.by molecular
      technologies.By using FDdS-5 in the restoration-friendly cultivation of
      D.devonianum, it could effectively promote seedling growth and shorten the
      seedling growth periods.The results will aid in reintroduction and cultivation of
      D.devonianum.

PMID- 28901096
TI  - [Evaluation of efficiency of traps baited with frequency trembler grid lamps and
      trap plants for control Heortia vitessoides infectwed in Aquilaria sinensis].
AB  - Heortia vitessoides has been a serious defoliating pest of Aquilaria sinensis
      forests in recent years.The adults displayed strong tropism to the frequency
      trembler grid lamps and the nectar source plants.The favorite nectar source
      plants of H.vitessoides adults as the trap plants and the frequency trembler grid
      lamps in the integrated management of H.vitessoides were studied in the adult
      eclosion period through both the laboratory and field.The results showed that
      Kuhnia rosmarnifolia and Santalum album plants showed strong attraction to the
      H.vitessoides adults, with significant differences among the different nectar
      source plants.K.rosmarnifolia and S.album as trap plants with board type of
      planting area to total planting area of 5%-10%, and the frequency trembler grid
      lamps trapped significantly more adults of H.vitessoides. These results suggested
      that the frequency trembler grid lamps and trap plants could play an important
      role in the integrated management of the pest H.vitessoides of A.sinensis.

PMID- 28901097
TI  - [Effects of stereoscopic cultivation on photosynthetic characteristics and growth
      of Tulipa edulis].
AB  - The effect of stereoscopic cultivation on the growth, photosynthetic
      characteristics and yield of Tulipa edulis was studied to explore the feasibility
      of stereoscopic cultivation on efficient cultivation of T.edulis. Total leaf area
      and photosynthetic parameters of T.edulis under stereoscopic cultivation (the
      upper, middle and the lower layers ) and the control were measured using LI-3100
      leaf area meter and LI-6400XT photosynthesis system in the growing peak period of
      T.edulis.Plant biomass and biomass allocation were also determined.In addition,
      the bulb regeneration and yield of T.edulis were measured in the harvesting
      time.The results indicated that in the middle layer of stereoscopic cultivation,
      leaf biomass proportion was the highest, but total bulb fresh and dry weight and
      output growth (fresh weight) were the lowest among the treatments.And total bulb
      fresh weight in the middle of stereoscopic cultivation reduced significantly, by
      22.84%, compared with the control.Light intensity in the lower layer of
      stereoscopic cultivation was moderate, in which T.edulis net photosynthetic rate
      and water use efficiency were higher than those of the other layers of
      stereoscopic cultivation, and bulb biomass proportion was the highest in all the
      treatments.No significant difference was detected in the total bulb fresh weight,
      dry weight and output growth (fresh weight) between the middle layer of
      stereoscopic cultivation and the control.In general, there was no significant
      difference in the growth status of T.edulis between stereoscopic cultivation and
      the control.Stereoscopic cultivation increased the yield of T.edulis by 161.66%
      in fresh weight and 141.35% in dry weight compared with the control in the
      condition of the same land area, respectively.In conclusion, stereoscopic
      cultivation can improve space utilization, increase the production, and achieve
      the high density cultivation of T.edulis.

PMID- 28901099
TI  - [Testing methods for seed quality of Bletilla striata].
AB  - In order to provide a basis for establishing seed testing rules and seed quality
      standard of Bletilla striata, the seed quality of B.striata from different
      producing area was measured referring to the Rules for Agricultural Seed
      Testing(GB/T 3543-1995).The results showed that the seeds of B.striata passed
      through 20-mesh sieve for purity analysis.The weight of seeds was measured by
      1000-seed method and the water content was measured at the higher temperature
      (133+/-2) C for 3 hours.The seeds were cultured on the wet filter paper at 30 C
      for 4-20 days in light for germination testing.The method of testing seed
      viability was that seeds were dipped into 1% TTC solution for 7 hours at
      temperature of 40 C.

PMID- 28901098
TI  - [Cloning and expression analysis of a chitinase gene PnCHI1 from Panax
      notoginseng].
AB  - Chitinases(EC3.2.1.14), which are present in various organisms, catalyze the
      hydrolytic cleavage of chitin and play a vital role in plant defense mechanisms
      against fungal pathogens.In addition, the chitinases are well known to regulate
      plant growth and development and are involved in programmed cell death(PCD).A
      chitinase expressed sequence tag(EST) was isolated from Panax notoginseng, and
      the full-length cDNA of this EST was cloned with the method of rapid
      amplification of cDNA ends and named as PnCHI1. PnCHI1 was 1 022 bp in length and
      contained an intact open reading frame(ORF) of 822 bp, a 26 bp 5'-untranslated
      region(UTR), and a 174 bp 3'-UTR.The predicted protein of PnCHI1 with 273 amino
      acid residues belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 19 and fell into the class IV
      of chitinases through phylogenetic analysis.QRT-PCR analysis showed that the
      expression of PnCHI1 was induced by methyl jasmonate, ethylene, H2O2, and
      salicylic acid.PnCHI1 was quickly induced after inoculation with Alternaria
      panax.Moreover, the expression level of PnCHI1 was increased after pretreatment
      with methyl jasmonate, and then the transcription level of PnCHI1was sharp
      increased after inoculation with Fusarium solani,and the highest transcription
      level was achieved at 4 h post inoculation.But the expression level of PnCHI1 in
      the sterile water pretreated P.notoginseng was increased gradually after
      inoculation with F.solani, and the highest expression level was achieved at 48 h
      post inoculation.All the results of present study indicated that PnCHI1 was
      involved in defense response of P.notoginseng against the F.solani and A.panax.

PMID- 28901100
TI  - [Influence of cutting seedling on growth, quality and yield of both aerial and
      underground part by cutting seedling in Scutellaria baicalensis].
AB  - By measuring the growth data of Scutellaria baicalensis in different cutting
      seedling and determined active ingredient contents by HPLC and ultraviolet
      spectrophotometric determination. such as flavonoids. baicalin. wogonoside.
      baicalein. wogonin. oroxylin A. scutellarin. luteolin. and apigenin in the whole
      plant. Under circumstances of guaranteeing the quality and yield of medicinal
      materials. the yield of medicinal materials. and stems and leaves reached
      193.60,63.21 kg/mu after twice cutting seedling. Not only yield but also active
      ingredient contents have been improved to some extent. the contents of
      flavonoids. baicalin. wogonoside. baicalein. wogonin. oroxylin A reached 18.52%.
      15.13%. 4.03%. 1.04%. 1.04%. 0.12%. respectively in roots. Luteolin was not
      detected in young stems and leaves of S. baicalensis,the contents of other active
      ingredients such as scutellarin. luteolin and apigenin reached 7.00%. 0.96%.
      0.04% respectively under twice cutting seedling. Therefore. regular cutting
      seedling could be regard as a new cultivation technique for wider range of
      promotion. And gaining high quality and yield of medicinal materials and tea with
      the purpose of rational utilization of natural resources and promoting the
      development of integration of herbal combination.

PMID- 28901101
TI  - [Analysis of codon usage bias based on Fritillaria cirrhosa transcriptome].
AB  - Understanding of codon usage bias of Fritillaria cirrhosa can provide theoretical
      basis for heterologous biosynthesis of F. cirrhosa alkaloids by genetic
      engineering technology. A total of 9 843 full length coding sequences (CDS) from
      the F. cirrhosa transcriptome data were used for the analysis of codon usage
      bias. The GC and GC3s contents, effective number of codons(ENC) and relative
      synonymous codon usage (RSCU) were calculated using the CodonW software. The
      results show that the codon usage bias value is low in the CDS of F. cirrhosa. A
      total of 15 codons, including UUG, CUU, AUU, GUU, UCA, CCU, CCA, ACU, ACA, GCA,
      UAU, CAU, AAU, AGA and GGA, were identified as optimal codons in F. cirrhosa. The
      optimal codons generally end with A/T at the third codon position. By the
      transcriptome annotation, we found 26 CDSs possibly involved in the biosynthesis
      of alkaloids in the F. cirrhosa. The proportion of rare codons of Escherichia
      coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are low in these CDSs. We also proposed a
      method for the codonoptimization in these target genes. Our work lays the
      foundation for further study on the biosynthesis of alkaloids of the F. cirrhosa
      in heterologous species.

PMID- 28901102
TI  - [Metabolomic evaluation for anti-inflammatory effect of volatile oils from
      different preparations of Angelicae Sinensis Radix].
AB  - To evaluate the anti-acute inflammation effects of volatile oils from different
      processed products of Angelicae Sinensis Radix(AS) in the rat model of acute
      inflammation established by the metabolomic method. Volatile oil of charred AS (C
      VOAS), wine-processed AS (J-VOAS), locally processed AS (T-VOAS) and oil-process
      AS (Y-VOAS) were applied to intervene the rat acute paw swelling inflammation
      model induced by Carrageenan. Changes in serum HIS, 5-HT, PGE2 and TNF-alpha
      content in rats were detected. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to
      detect the metabolites in plasma. Potential biomarkers were investigated
      according to principal component analysis method and partial least-squares
      discriminant analysis. According to the results, C-VOAS and J-VOAS could
      significantly inhibit inflammatory mediators Histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine,
      prostaglandin-E2 and cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (P<0.01), and T-VOAS
      and Y-VOAS also showed a significantly inhibitory effect (P<0.05). Compared with
      the normal group, 14 endogenous metabolite biomarkers showed metabolic
      disturbance in plasma (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with acute inflammation model
      group, C-VOAS and J-VOAS could better recover the levels of the endogenous
      metabolites (P<0.05 or P<0.01) than T-VOAS and Y-VOAS (P<0.05 or P<0.01). This
      study suggests that C-VOAS and J-VOAS show a better anti-inflammatory effect than
      T-VOAS and Y-VOAS. Therefore, the metabolomic method could be used to expound the
      anti-inflammatory mechanism of volatile oils from different processed products of
      AS, and provide a theoretical basis for clinical application of VOAS.

PMID- 28901103
TI  - [Chemical variation in Aurantii Fructus before and after processing based on
      UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS].
AB  - To explore the processing mechanism of Aurantii Fructus decoction pieces used in
      Guangdong province and Hong Kong by analysing the chemical variation between raw
      and processed Aurantii Fructus with different methods based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS.
      The total ion chromatograms detected in positive and negative ion modes, and ion
      peak area ratio before and after processing were taken as variation indexes in
      the comparison. The results indicated that fermented Aurantii Fructus could
      produce three new ingredients, namely eriodictyol-7-glucoside, hesperetin-7-O
      glucoside and 5-demethylnobiletin. At the same time, it could significantly
      increase the content of naringenin and hesperetin components, and could increase
      the content of such limonin derivatives as sudachinoid A, obacunoic acid and
      limoninand nomilinic acid. This suggests that the fermentation processing method
      of Aurantii Fructus decoction pieces used in Guangdong province and Hong Kong is
      of important significance for enhancing biological activity and bioavailability,
      and improving the clinical efficacy of Aurantii Fructus decoction pieces, and so
      is worth further protection and promotion.

PMID- 28901104
TI  - [Comparison between traditional processing and integration processing for
      Schizonepetae Herba based on chemical constituents and pharmacological effect].
AB  - The GC-MS method was adopted to determine the contents of beta-myrcene, limonene,
      menthone, menthofuran, pulegone, beta-caryophyllene, 1-octen-3-one and 3-octanone
      in volatile in Schizonepetae Herba processed by traditional processing and
      integration processing methods. The efficacies of Schizonepetae Herba with
      different processing methods were detected based on the inhibition of ear
      swelling induced by dimethylbenzene in mice. The rationality of the integration
      processing was expounded based on the comparison of chemical constituents and
      their pharmacological effects. The results showed that the contents of the eight
      chemical components in the products processed with the integrated processing
      method were higher than those processed with the other method. And both of the
      processing methods could reduce the degree of swelling and the content of TNF
      alpha/IL-1beta/IL-6 in mice serum. However, the anti-inflammatory efficacy of the
      products processed with the integration processing method was superior to that
      processed with the other method. Compared with the traditional processing method,
      the integration processing method ensures the quality of decoction pieces, with
      lower time and labor costs and higher efficiency.

PMID- 28901105
TI  - [Effects of harvest and different processing methods on anti-thrombin activity of
      Poecilobdella manillensis].
AB  - The effects of harvest and different processing methods on the anti-thrombin
      activity of Poecilobdella manillensis were respectively studied. The indicators
      included processing methods (vacuum freeze drying, fresh homogenate, drying under
      sunlight, freezing, scalding, baking under different temperatures), different
      parts (entire body, cephalon, pygidium, exudate) and body weights (<=10, 10-20,
      20-30, 30-40, >=40 g). The anti-thrombin activities of P. manillensis with
      different processing methods were evaluated by direct anti-thrombin titration.
      The results indicated that the processing methods significantly affected the anti
      thrombin activities of P. manillensis. Among the 11 groups, the anti-thrombin
      activity of P. manillensis processed with vacuum freeze drying (1 303.56 U*g-1)
      was significantly highest than the other groups (P<0.05), and that processed with
      baking under 90 C (15.44 U*g-1) was the lowest. The anti-thrombin activity of the
      cephalon of P. manillensis (226.42 U*g-1) was the highest, and that of the
      pygidium (102.12 U*g-1) was lowest; the anti-thrombin activities for different
      body weights were significantly different (P<0.05); and among the five groups,
      the body weight of <=10 g (328.86 U*g-1) was the highest (P<0.05), and the body
      weight of >=40 g (87.71 U*g-1) was the lowest. In conclusion, harvest and
      different processing methods had a significant impact on the anti-thrombin
      activities of P. manillensis. In the study, for the optimal processing method for
      P. manillensis, the body weight between 20-30 g is recommended, and the vacuum
      freeze drying is preferred, which is followed by the drying under sunlight.

PMID- 28901106
TI  - [Evaluation for preparation and anticancer efficacy in vitro of drug-loaded
      nanoerythrosomes].
AB  - The objective of this study is to develop a new-type biodegradable, biocompatible
      curcumin-loaded nanoerythrosomes (Cur-RBC-NPs) by means of the sonication method.
      The size of Cur-RBC-NPs was optimized by varying drug loading parameters. The
      morphology, size distribution, stability, in vitro release pattern, cellular
      uptake of nanoparticles and in vitro anti-tumor effects were evaluated,
      respectively. The results showed the prepared Cur-RBC-NPs were nearly uniform
      spheres, with an average diameter of (245.7 +/- 1.3) nm. Encapsulation efficiency
      (EE) and load efficiency (LE) of Cur-RBC-NPs were 50.65% +/- 1.36% and 6.27% +/-
      0.29%. And the nanoparticles had a good sustained release property. According to
      the in vitro experiment, Cur-RBC-NPs were effectively taken in by tumor cells,
      and exhibited a significant anti-tumor effect. In conclusion, the method for
      preparing Cur-RBC-NPs is convenient, with a good sustained release behavior and
      anti-tumor efficacy, and so expected to be a new-type nano-drug delivery system
      in clinical practice.

PMID- 28901107
TI  - [Chemical constituents from leaves of Garcinia xanthochymus].
AB  - The constituents were isolated and purified by the silica gel and semi
      preparative HPLC, and their structures were elucidated by NMR spectral and MS
      data. Fifteen compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of 95%
      ethanol extract from the leaves of Garcinia xanthochymus, and identified as 5, 7,
      4'-trihydroxy-6-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyl)-flavone(1), 1,5-dihydroxy-3
      methoxyxanthone(2), 1, 3-dimethoxy-5-hydroxy xanthone(3), kaempferol(4),(2S,3S)
      trans-dihydrokaempferol(5), 3, 24, 25-trihydroxytirucall-7-ene(6), 4
      hydroxycinnamic acid(7), isovanillic acid(8),(Z)-2-(2,4-dihydroxy-2, 6, 6
      trimethylcyclohexylidene)acetic acid(9), volkensiflavone(10), morelloflavone(11),
      3, 8"-biapigenin(12), bilobetin(13), fukugiside(14), GB2a glucoside(15). Compound
      1 is a new compound, compounds 5, 6, 9 and 13 are isolated from the genus
      Garcinia for the first time, and compounds 4, 7-8, 10-12, 14 and 15 are firstly
      found from this plant. alpha-Amylase inhibitory activities of 10 compounds were
      determined using starch azure as the substrate, and the results show that
      compound 13 has the inhibitory activities against alpha-amylase, IC50 values of
      compound 13 and acarbose are 8.12, 4.32 MUmol*L-1 respectively.

PMID- 28901108
TI  - [Studies on sesquiterpene lactones from Carpesium faberi].
AB  - By using various chromatographic techniques,18 sesquiterpene lactones were
      isolated from the acetone extract of Carpesium faberi. Their structures were
      identified on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic data, involving 2
      carabrane sesquiterpenoids [carabrone(1), 4R-carabrol(2)], 3 eudesmane
      sesquiterpenoids [granilin(3), 3-epi-isotelekin(4), 1alpha
      hydroxypinatifidin(5)], 8 guaiane sesquiterpenoids [4beta,10alpha-dihydroxy
      5alpha(H)-1,11(13)-guaidien-8alpha,12-olide(6), 8-epi-helenium lactone(7), 4-epi
      isoinuviscolide(8), 9beta,10beta-epoxy-4alpha-hydroxy-1beta-H,11alpha-H-guaian
      8alpha,12-olide(9), 4alpha,10alpha-dihydroxy-1beta(H),5beta(H)-guaian-11-(13)-en
      8alpha,12-olide(10), 4alpha-hydroxy-9beta,10beta-epoxy-11beta-H,5alpha-H-guaian
      11(13)-en-8alpha,12-olide(11), 4alpha-hydroxy-1beta,5alpha,11alpha-H-guaian-9(10)
      en-8alpha,12-olide(12), inuviscolide(13)], 1 pseudoguaiane sesquiterpenoid [(+)
      confertin(14)], 3 germacrane sesquiterpenoids [madolin B(15), carabrolactone
      A(16),11(13)-dehydroivaxillin(17)], 1 xanthane sesquiterpenoid [tomentosin(18)].
      Furthermore, the absolute configuration of 1 was confirmed by Cu-Kalpha X-ray
      crystallographic analysis,and the R-configuration of the chiral center at C-4 in
      2 was established by the modified Mosher's method.The compounds 2-5, 7 and 9-15
      were isolated from this plant for the first time, and compounds 4-5, 7, and 12-15
      were isolated from this genus for the first time.In addition, the neurotrophic
      activity of compounds 1-3, 6 and 17 were evaluated by morphological observation
      and statistical analysis of cells differentiation, using rat
      pheochromocytoma(PC12)cells as a model system. However, all compounds were
      inactive.

PMID- 28901109
TI  - [Study on cytotoxic secondary metabolites of endophytic fungus Diaporthe
      longicolla A616 from Pogostemon cablin].
AB  - To study active secondary metabolites of endophytic fungus Diaporthe longicolla
      A616 isolated from Pogostemon cablin. Ten compounds were isolated from
      fermentation product of the strain 616 by silica gel, reverse phase silica gel,
      Sephadex-LH20, HPLC and so on. Their structures were identified as 1,3-diamino
      1,3-dimethylurea(1),(7R,9R)-7-hydroxy-9-propyl-5-nonen-9-olide(2), Ergosta-5,7,22
      trien-3beta-ol(3),(22E,24R)-ergosta-4,6,8(14)-22-tetraen-3-one(4),(22E,24R)
      3beta,5alpha-dihydroxy-6beta-ergosta-7,22-diene(5), citreoisocoumarin(6),
      glycerol monolinoleate(7), 1-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl(E)-octadec-9-enoate(8), cyclo
      (L-Pro-L-Ala)(9), cyclo(L)-Pro-(L)-Val(10), respectively, based on extensive
      spectroscopic analysis and literature comparisons. Compounds 6-10 were isolated
      from the genus Diaporthe for the first time. All isolated compounds were
      evaluated for in vitro cytotoxic activities against SF-268, MCF-7, NCI-H460 and
      HepG-2 tumor cell lines. Compounds 4 and 5 showed potent growth inhibitory
      activities against the four cell lines with IC50 values of 5.3, 6.5, 12.2,
      6.1MUmol*L-1 and 8.2, 5.2, 6.1, 9.4MUmol*L-1, respectively.

PMID- 28901110
TI  - [Sesquiterpenoids of Acori Calami Rhizoma].
AB  - To study the chemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of Acori Calami
      Rhizoma. Components were isolated through various chromatographic methods and
      identified by spectroscopic data. The agar dilution method was adopted to analyze
      antimicrobial activity of the compounds in vitro.Eleven sesquiterpenoids were
      isolated, and indentified as 4beta,6beta-dihydroxy-1alpha,5beta(H)-guai-9
      ene(1),4beta,6beta-dihydroxy-1alpha,5beta(H)-guai-10(14)-ene(2), teuclatriol(3),
      isocalamendiol(4), calamendiol(5), calamusin H(6), oxyphyllenodiols A(7),
      oplodiol(8), ananosmin(9), epishyobunone(10), and bullatantriol(11). Compound 9
      was isolated from genus Acorus for the first time. Compounds 3, 7-9, and 11 had
      significantly antimicrobial activity. There were good sterilizing effects that
      the MBC of compound 9 to the four tested strains were 20.00 mg*L-1, and compound
      11 to Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 12.50 mg*L-1.

PMID- 28901111
TI  - [Identification of alkaloids and flavonoids in all parts of Fritillaria
      thunbergii using LC-LTQ-Orbitrap MSn].
AB  - Alkaloids and flavonoids in flowers, flower buds, stems, leaves, and bulbs of
      Fritillaria thunbergii were identified by LC-LTQ-Orbitrap MSn.Alkaloids were
      identified by ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18(2.1 mm*50 mm, 1.7 MUm ) chromatographic column
      with a mobile phase of 10 mmol*L-1 ammonium formate-acetonitrile and gradient
      elution in positive MS scan mode.Meanwhile, flavonoids were analyzed by Agilent
      Zorbax SB C18 (4.6 mm*250 mm, 5 MUm) chromatographic column with a mobile phase
      of 0.2% acetic acid-acetonitrile and gradient elution in negative MS scan
      mode.Combined with literature reports, chemical constituents were identified and
      determined by accurate molecular weights and fragment ion peaks in the ESI-MS/MS
      spectra based on high resolution mass spectrometer.In all parts of F.thunbergii,
      37 alkaloids including 7 alkaloids (zhebeininoside, peimisine, peimine,
      peiminine, ebeiedinone/puqiedinone, ebeiedine/ puqiedine, peimisine-N-oxide) were
      simultaneously analyzed.Moreover, 16 flavonoids including quercetin, kaempferol
      and their glycosides were identified.The results indicated that the aerial parts
      had the similar alkaloids as the bulbs on the whole.Meanwhile, it had a series of
      flavonoids undetected in the bulbs.Our results provided the scientific basis for
      the development and utilization of aerial parts of F.thunbergii.

PMID- 28901112
TI  - [Simultaneous determination of quercitrin, phloridzin and 3-hydroxyl phloridzin
      in leaves of Malus halliana by ultrasound-assisted ionic liquid-reversed phase
      liquid chromatography].
AB  - To establish a method for the simultaneous determination of phloridzin, 3-hydroxy
      phloridzin and quercitrin in leaves of Malus halliana by ultrasonic-assisted
      ionic liquid coupled with RP-HPLC. An Agilent TC-C18 (4.6 mm*250 mm, 5 MUm)
      column was used, with the mobile phase of acetonitrile and 1% phosphoric acid
      water (20?80) by gradient elution at the detection wavelength of 270 nm. The flow
      rate was 0.8 mL*min-1, and chromatographic column temperature was controlled at
      the room temperature. Under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges for
      phloridzin, 3-hydroxy phloridzin and quercitrin were 0.9-112.5 MUg (r = 0.999 6),
      0.093 2-11.65 MUg (r = 0.999 1) and 0.097 2-12.15 MUg (r = 0.999 8),
      respectively. The average recoveries of the three constituents were 99.35%,
      98.80% and 98.19%, respectively. The method was environmental friendly, rapid,
      accurate and highly reproducible, and so suitable for the quantitative analysis
      of phloridzin, 3-hydroxy phloridzin and quercitrin in leaves of M. halliana.

PMID- 28901113
TI  - [Absorption characteristics of 5 components of Xinshao extract in Caco-2 cells].
AB  - To study the absorption characteristics of Xinshao extracts in Caco-2 cells. In
      this paper, human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 cell model was
      established, and UPLC-MS method was applied to determinate the contents of five
      components of Xinshao extracts(albiflorin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, scutellarin
      and apigenin-7-O-glucronide) in cell lysates. This model was also used to study
      the effect of different drug concentrations, pH, time and temperature on the
      absorption of five components, investigate the transport of the five components
      of Xinshao extracts under the conditions with or without P-glycoprotein
      inhibitors, and predict the absorption mechanism of these five components in Caco
      2 cells. The experimental results showed that the absorption of five components
      of Xinshao extracts in Caco-2 cells was time-dependent at 37 C, and concentration
      dependent in the range of 0.5-12.5 g*L-1, with a passive diffusion mechanism. At
      the pH of 4-7.4, the absorption of caffeic acid, scutellarin and apigenin-7-O
      glucronide was significantly declined with the increase of pH(P<0.05). At the
      temperature of 4 to 37 C, the absorption of caffeic acid was declined with the
      increase of temperature, while the absorption of other four components was
      increased with the increase of temperature. Compared with the control group,
      caffeic acid and scutellarin cell absorption was significantly higher(P<0.05)
      after treatment with P-glycoprotein inhibitors(verapamil and cyclosporine A). The
      results indicated that, the absorption mechanism of five components in Xinshao
      extracts may be of passive diffusion, and the caffeic acid and scutellarin may be
      the substrates of P-glycoprotein.

PMID- 28901115
TI  - [Shenshuaining capsules as adjuvant treatment for chronic renal failure:
      systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials].
AB  - Chronic renal failure(CRF) is one of the common diseases. Shenshuaining capsule
      (SSN) can be used to treat patients with CRF, and many randomized control
      trials(RCTs) have been conducted to investigate its efficacy. The current review
      aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of SSN as an adjuvant
      treatment for patients with CRF. Eleven English and Chinese electronic databases
      (up to October 2015), were searched to identify RCTs on SSN for CRF. Two
      reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of included
      studies by using Cochrane Handbook 5.1.Meta-analysis was carried out by using
      Revman 5.3 software. If the Meta-analysis was not suitable for some outcomes,
      only descriptive analysis would be conducted.429 related articles were identified
      and finally a total of 25 RCTs (1 937 patients including 1 059 patients of
      treatment group and 878 patients of control group) were included. The SSN
      treatment group was more effective than the control group in terms of clinical
      efficiency, blood urea nitrogen(BUN), serum creatinine(Scr) and creatinine
      clearance(Ccr). However, the efficacy of SSN on increasing hemoglobin (Hb) could
      not be determined. No serious adverse drug events or reactions were reported. SSN
      capsules have certain efficacy and safety in the adjuvant treatment for chronic
      renal failure. However, due to the generally low methodological quality of the
      included studies, this review can not provide high-quality evidence to prove the
      clinical efficacy of this drug. More well-designed and large-scale multi-center
      randomized controlled trials should be conducted in the future for verification.

PMID- 28901114
TI  - [Absorption characteristics of alkaloids in Fuzheng Xiaozheng Fang by rat everted
      intestinal sac models].
AB  - Everted intestinal sac models were used to investigate the intestinal absorption
      of the 4 alkaloids(berberine, palmatine, coptisine, and epiberberine) in Fuzheng
      Xiaozheng Fang(FZ) at different intestine segments. The absorption parameters of
      each component were calculated; SPSS 20.0 software was used to analyze the data
      and evaluate the absorption characteristics at different intestinal segments. The
      results showed that all the four active ingredients conformed to zero-order
      absorption rate. There was significant difference in absorption rate constant
      (Ka) between the four ingredients at low dose and medium and high dose
      groups(P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in Ka between medium dose
      and high dose. The absorption mechanization of four ingredients presented two
      absorption manners: positive diffusion and passive absorption. The absorptive
      amount of 4 alkaloids in ileum was slightly greater than that of jejunum, but no
      significant differences were observed, which indicated that these four alkaloids
      had no specific absorption windows in intestinal segment.

PMID- 28901117
TI  - [Relationship between calcium overload and myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury
      and intervention strategy of Chinese herbal medicine].
AB  - The recent report from National Cardiovascular Center shows that cardiovascular
      diseases account for more than 40% of disease deaths among residents, so it has
      become the first cause of death among the residents in our country, and the
      mortality of coronary heart disease is increasing year by year. Revascularization
      can quickly open the clogged blood vessels and restore coronary blood supply, so
      it is an important approach for the treatment of coronary heart disease. However,
      the revascularization can not terminate the pathological development of coronary
      heart disease because it is just a local treatment method. In addition, a series
      of reperfusion injuries after revascularization would seriously restrict its
      treatment effect for coronary heart disease. Myocardial ischemia reperfusion
      injury is a complex pathological process, which is closely related to oxygen free
      radicals, calcium overload and energy metabolism disorder. The calcium overload
      can be seen during reperfusion in the myocardial cells, and it can cause further
      damages to the myocardial cells through various mechanisms. Calcium overload is a
      common pathway of myocardial necrosis and apoptosis, so prevention and treatment
      of calcium overload is an important method to prevent ischemia reperfusion. The
      commonly used calcium channel blockers for preventing calcium overload has made
      great progress, all of which can act on L-type calcium channel of vascular smooth
      muscle to inhibit calcium overload. However, their clinical application was
      restrained to a certain extent due to the single target and great side effects.
      Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a great treasure, and many drugs in TCM
      have similar effects with calcium antagonists, so the development and application
      of such drugs would be an important task for contemporary TCM doctors to make up
      for the deficiency of Western medicine.

PMID- 28901116
TI  - [Effect of tripterygium glycosides and Danshen injection on blood coagulation
      mechanism in children with allergic purpura nephritis].
AB  - To observe the effect of tripterygium glycosides combined with Danshen injection
      on blood coagulation mechanism in children with allergic purpura nephritis, and
      investigate its treatment efficacy through a randomized controlled study. The
      results showed that before treatment, there were no significant differences in
      levels of D-D, APTT, PT, FIB and PLT between treatment group and control group;
      while after treatment, there were significant differences in levels of D-D, PT,
      FIB and PLT between two groups, but no difference in level of APTT. The effective
      rate was 90.38% in treatment group, significantly higher than 79.25% in the
      control group. There was no significant difference in incidence of adverse
      reactions between two groups. The results suggested that tripterygium glycosides
      combined with Danshen injection can enhance treatment efficacy and improve blood
      coagulation mechanism of children in the treatment of purpura nephritis, with
      high safety and no adverse effects.

PMID- 28901118
TI  - Randomized controlled trial of maximal strength training vs. standard
      rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) alleviates pain, but muscle strength
      and function is reduced for a long period postoperatively. AIM: To investigate
      whether maximal strength training (MST) is more effective in improving muscle
      strength than standard rehabilitation (SR) after TKA. DESIGN: A randomized,
      controlled study. SETTING: Community physical therapy centers and University
      hospital research department. POPULATION: Forty-one adults <75 years with
      primary, unilateral osteoarthritis of the knee scheduled for TKA. METHODS:
      Participants were randomized to supervised MST of the lower extremities 3
      times/week for 8 weeks and physiotherapy session1/week (N.=21) or to SR,
      including physiotherapy sessions/telephone contact 1/week and writing home
      exercise logs (N.=20). Maximal strength in leg press and knee extension, 6-minute
      walk test, patient-reported functional outcome score and pain were assessed
      preoperatively, 7 days, 10 weeks and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: The MST
      group exceeded preoperative levels of muscle strength in leg press and knee
      extension by 37% and 43%, respectively at 10 weeks' follow-up, and the increase
      was higher than in the SR group (P<=0.001). Strength differences persisted up to
      12-months follow-up. At 12 months, both groups recovered to normative levels in
      the 6-Minute Walk Test, with no statistically significantly difference between
      the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Participants undergoing MST experienced superior
      increases in leg press and knee extension muscle strength compared with those
      managed with SR from 7-day to 10-week follow-up. The difference in muscle
      strength was maintained at 12-month follow-up. No differences in functional
      performance were found at any time-point. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT:
      Exercises after TKA should be performed with high intensity and target the
      operated leg specifically.

PMID- 28901119
TI  - Inter- and intra-rater reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Modified Ashworth Scale is the most widely clinical scale used
      to measure the increase of muscle tone. Reliability is not an immutable property
      of a scale and can vary as a function of the variability and composition of the
      sample to which it is administered. The best method to examine how the
      reliability of a test scores varies is by conducting a systematic review and meta
      analysis of the reliability coefficients obtained in different applications of
      the test with the data at hand. The objectives of this systematic revision are:
      what is the mean inter- and intra-rater reliability of the Modified Ashworth
      Scale's scores in upper and lower extremities? Which study characteristics affect
      the reliability of the scores in this scale? EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The PubMed,
      Embase and CINAHL databases were searched from 1987 to February 2015. Two
      reviewers independently selected empirical studies published in English or in
      Spanish that applied the Modified Ashworth Scale and reported any reliability
      coefficient with the data at hand in children, adolescents or adults with
      spasticity. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Thirty-three studies reported any reliability
      estimate of Modified Ashworth Scale scores (N.=1065 participants). For lower
      extremities and inter-rater agreement, the mean intraclass correlation was
      ICC+=0.686 (95% CI: 0.563 and 0.780) and for kappa coefficients, kappa+=0.360
      (95% CI: 0.241 and 0.468); for intra-rater agreement: ICC+=0.644 (95% CI: 0.543
      and 0.726) and kappa+=0.488 (95% CI: 0.370 and 0.591). For upper extremities and
      inter-rater agreement: ICC+=0.781 (95% CI: 0.679 and 0.853) and kappa+=0.625 (95%
      CI: 0.350 and 0.801); for intra-rater agreement: ICC+=0.748 (95% CI: 0.671 and
      0.809) and kappa+=0.593 (95% CI: 0.467 and 0.696). The type of design, the study
      focus, and the number of raters presented statistically significant relationships
      with ICC both for lower and upper extremities. CONCLUSIONS: Inter- and intra
      rater agreement for Modified Ashworth Scale scores was satisfactory. Modified
      Ashworth Scale' scores exhibited better reliability when measuring upper
      extremities than lower. Several characteristics of the studies were statistically
      associated to inter-rater reliability of the scores for lower and upper
      extremities.

PMID- 28901120
TI  - Perioperative stroke: incidence, etiologic factors, and prevention.
AB  - Stroke is a devastating complication that is difficult to diagnose in the
      perioperative setting because of the effects of anesthetic and analgesic agents.
      Lingering anesthesia effects hinder clinicians in identifying stroke symptoms,
      frequently resulting in a delay in diagnosis and treatment and in unfavorable
      outcomes. The authors performed a systematic search in PubMed and the Cochrane
      Central Register. The search aimed to identify studies published between January
      1990 and December 2015 related to the common etiologic factors, incidence, risk
      factors, risk modifiers, and early management of perioperative stroke. Additional
      articles were identified after review of the references of selected articles.
      Although perioperative stroke is uncommon, the mortality rate is high. Patients
      have higher risk of perioperative stroke when undergoing cardiac and vascular
      operations than uncomplicated orthopedic and general procedures. Preoperative
      optimization for preexisting risk factors may reduce the rate of perioperative
      stroke. Prompt, early management can improve patient outcomes. Recognition of the
      incidence, risk factors, and causes of perioperative stroke may lead to
      prevention and proper management.

PMID- 28901121
TI  - SIAARTI-SARNePI Clinical-Organizational Standards for pediatric anesthesia.

PMID- 28901122
TI  - Correlative Microscopy Combining Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and Electron
      Microscopy: Comparison of Intensity-Hue-Saturation and Laplacian Pyramid Methods
      for Image Fusion.
AB  - Correlative microscopy combining various imaging modalities offers powerful
      insights into obtaining a comprehensive understanding of physical, chemical, and
      biological phenomena. In this article, we investigate two approaches for image
      fusion in the context of combining the inherently lower-resolution chemical
      images obtained using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) with the high
      resolution ultrastructural images obtained using electron microscopy (EM). We
      evaluate the image fusion methods with three different case studies selected to
      broadly represent the typical samples in life science research: (i) histology
      (unlabeled tissue), (ii) nanotoxicology, and (iii) metabolism (isotopically
      labeled tissue). We show that the intensity-hue-saturation fusion method often
      applied for EM-sharpening can result in serious image artifacts, especially in
      cases where different contrast mechanisms interplay. Here, we introduce and
      demonstrate Laplacian pyramid fusion as a powerful and more robust alternative
      method for image fusion. Both physical and technical aspects of correlative image
      overlay and image fusion specific to SIMS-based correlative microscopy are
      discussed in detail alongside the advantages, limitations, and the potential
      artifacts. Quantitative metrics to evaluate the results of image fusion are also
      discussed.

PMID- 28901123
TI  - Atomic-Layer-Deposition Growth of an Ultrathin HfO2 Film on Graphene.
AB  - Direct growth of an ultrathin gate dielectric layer with high uniformity and high
      quality on graphene remains a challenge for developing graphene-based transistors
      due to the chemically inert surface properties of graphene. Here, we develop a
      method to realize atomic-layer-deposition (ALD) growth of an ultrathin high-kappa
      dielectric layer on graphene through premodifying the graphene surface using
      electron beam irradiation. An amorphous carbon layer induced by electron beam
      scanning is formed on graphene and then acts as seeds for ALD growth of high
      kappa dielectrics. A uniform HfO2 layer with an equivalent oxide thickness of 1.3
      nm was grown as a gate dielectric for top-gate graphene field-effect transistors
      (FETs). The achieved gate capacitance is up to 2.63 MUF/cm2, which is the highest
      gate capacitance on a graphene solid-state device to date. In addition, the
      fabricated top-gate graphene FETs present a high carrier mobility of up to 2500
      cm2/(V.s) and a negligible gate leakage current of down to 0.1 mA/cm2, showing
      that the ALD-grown HfO2 dielectric layer is highly uniform and of very high
      quality.

PMID- 28901124
TI  - Understanding and Tailoring Grain Growth of Lead-Halide Perovskite for Solar Cell
      Application.
AB  - The fundamental mechanism of grain growth evolution in the fabrication process
      from the precursor phase to the perovskite phase is not fully understood despite
      its importance in achieving high-quality grains in organic-inorganic hybrid
      perovskites, which are strongly affected by processing parameters. In this work,
      we investigate the fundamental conversion mechanism from the precursor phase of
      perovskite to the complete perovskite phase and how the intermediate phase
      promotes growth of the perovskite grains during the fabrication process. By
      monitoring the morphological evolution of the perovskite during the film
      fabrication process, we observed a clear rod-shaped intermediate phase in the
      highly crystalline perovskite and investigated the role of the nanorod
      intermediate phase on the growth of the grains of the perovskite film.
      Furthermore, on the basis of these findings, we developed a simple and effective
      method to tailor grain properties including the crystallinity, size, and number
      of grain boundaries, and then utilized the film with the tailored grains to
      develop perovskite solar cells.

PMID- 28901125
TI  - Annealing Induced Morphology of Silver Nanoparticles on Pyramidal Silicon Surface
      and Their Application to Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.
AB  - This paper reports on a simple and cost-effective process of developing a stable
      surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on silver (Ag)
      nanoparticles deposited on silicon (Si) surface. Durability is an important issue
      for preparing SERS active substrate as silver nanostructures are prone to rapid
      surface oxidation when exposed to ambient conditions, which may result in the
      loss of the enhancement capabilities in a short period of time. Here, we employ
      the galvanic displacement method to produce Ag nanoparticles on Si(100) substrate
      prepatterned with arrays of micropyramids by chemical etching, and subsequently,
      separate pieces of such substrates were annealed in oxygen and nitrogen
      environments at 550  degrees C. Interestingly, while nitrogen-annealed Si
      substrates were featured by spherical-shaped Ag particles, the oxygen annealed Si
      substrates were dominated by the formation of triangular shape particles attached
      with the spherical one. Remarkably, the oxygen-annealed substrate thus produced
      shows very high SERS enhancement compared to the either unannealed or nitrogen
      annealed substrate. The hitherto unobserved coexistence of triangular morphology
      with the spherical one and the gap between the two (source of efficient hot
      spots) are the origin of enhanced SERS activity for the oxygen-annealed Ag
      particle-covered Si substrate as probed by the combined finite-difference time
      domain (FDTD) simulation and cathodoluminesensce (CL) experiment. As the
      substrate has already been annealed in an oxygen environment, further probability
      of oxidation is reduced in the present synthesis protocol that paves the way for
      making a novel long-lived thermally stable SERS substrate.

PMID- 28901126
TI  - MoS2-Based Mixed-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures: A New Platform for
      Excellent and Controllable Microwave-Absorption Performance.
AB  - It is widely recognized that constructing multiple interface structures for
      enhanced interface polarization is beneficial to microwave absorption. Here, we
      report our work of achieving excellent microwave-absorption performance and
      controlling better-defined interfaces in vertically stacked two-dimensional (2D)
      MoS2 with other dimensional building blocks. The optimal reflection loss and
      effective absorbing bandwidth (reflection loss <-10 dB) of several mixed
      dimensional van der Waals heterostructures are as follows: (i) for 2-0 type (2D
      MoS2/zero-dimensional Ni nanoparticles), -19.7 dB and 2.92 GHz; (ii) for 2-1 type
      (2D MoS2/one-dimensional carbon nanotubes), -47.9 dB and 5.60 GHz; and (iii) for
      2-3 type (2D MoS2/three-dimensional carbon layers), -69.2 dB and 4.88 GHz. As a
      result, by selected synthesis of different types of microstructures, we can
      regulate and control microwave-absorption properties in MoS2 mixed-dimensional
      van der Waals heterostructures. In addition, attributing to the better-defined
      interfaces generated in mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures, we
      found an alternative strategy to improve microwave attenuation properties of 2-0,
      2-1, and 2-3 samples by controlling interfacial contacts. The results indicate
      that mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures provide a new stage for the
      next generation of microwave-absorbing materials.

PMID- 28901127
TI  - Barrier-Layer Optimization for Enhanced GaN-on-Diamond Device Cooling.
AB  - GaN-on-diamond device cooling can be enhanced by reducing the effective thermal
      boundary resistance (TBReff) of the GaN/diamond interface. The thermal properties
      of this interface and of the polycrystalline diamond grown onto GaN using SiN and
      AlN barrier layers as well as without any barrier layer under different growth
      conditions are investigated and systematically compared for the first time.
      TBReff values are correlated with transmission electron microscopy analysis,
      showing that the lowest reported TBReff (~6.5 m2 K/GW) is obtained by using
      ultrathin SiN barrier layers with a smooth interface formed, whereas the direct
      growth of diamond onto GaN results in one to two orders of magnitude higher
      TBReff due to the formation of a rough interface. AlN barrier layers can produce
      a TBReff as low as SiN barrier layers in some cases; however, their TBReff are
      rather dependent on growth conditions. We also observe a decreasing diamond
      thermal resistance with increasing growth temperature.

PMID- 28901128
TI  - Can Toxicokinetic and Toxicodynamic Modeling Be Used to Understand and Predict
      Synergistic Interactions between Chemicals?
AB  - Some chemicals are known to enhance the effect of other chemicals beyond what can
      be predicted with standard mixture models, such as concentration addition and
      independent action. These chemicals are called synergists. Up until now, no
      models exist that can predict the joint effect of mixtures including synergists.
      The aim of the present study is to develop a mechanistic toxicokinetic (TK) and
      toxicodynamic (TD) model for the synergistic mixture of the azole fungicide,
      propiconazole (the synergist), and the insecticide, alpha-cypermethrin, on the
      mortality of the crustacean Daphnia magna. The study tests the hypothesis that
      the mechanism of synergy is the azole decreasing the biotransformation rate of
      alpha-cypermethrin and validates the predictive ability of the model on another
      azole with a different potency: prochloraz. The study showed that the synergistic
      potential of azoles could be explained by their effect on the biotransformation
      rate but that this effect could only partly be explained by the effect of the two
      azoles on cytochrome P450 activity, measured on D. magna in vivo. TKTD models of
      interacting mixtures seem to be a promising tool to test mechanisms of
      interactions between chemicals. Their predictive ability is, however, still
      uncertain.

PMID- 28901130
TI  - Sequential Feature-Density Doubling for Ultraviolet Plasmonics.
AB  - Patterning of nanostructures with sub-200 nm periodicities over cm2-scale areas
      is challenging using standard approaches. This paper demonstrates a scalable
      technique for feature-density doubling that can generate nanopatterned lines with
      periodicities down to 100 nm covering >3 cm2. We developed a process based on
      controlled wet overetching of atomic-layer deposited alumina to tune feature
      sizes of alumina masks down to several nm. These features transferred into
      silicon served as masters for template-stripping aluminum nanogratings with three
      different periodicities. The aluminum nanogratings supported surface plasmon
      polariton modes at ultraviolet wavelengths that, in agreement with calculations,
      depended on periodicity and incident excitation angle.

PMID- 28901129
TI  - Peptide-Level Interactions between Proteins and Small-Molecule Drug Candidates by
      Two Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange MS-Based Methods: The Example of Apolipoprotein
      E3.
AB  - We describe a platform utilizing two methods based on hydrogen-deuterium exchange
      (HDX) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to characterize interactions between a
      protein and a small-molecule ligand. The model system is apolipoprotein E3
      (apoE3) and a small-molecule drug candidate. We extended PLIMSTEX (protein-ligand
      interactions by mass spectrometry, titration, and H/D exchange) to the regional
      level by incorporating enzymatic digestion to acquire binding information for
      peptides. In a single experiment, we not only identified putative binding sites,
      but also obtained affinities of 6.0, 6.8, and 10.6 MUM for the three different
      regions, giving an overall binding affinity of 7.4 MUM. These values agree well
      with literature values determined by accepted methods. Unlike those methods,
      PLIMSTEX provides site-specific binding information. The second approach,
      modified SUPREX (stability of unpurified proteins from rates of H/D exchange)
      coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI), allowed us to obtain detailed
      understanding about apoE unfolding and its changes upon ligand binding. Three
      binding regions, along with an additional site, which may be important for lipid
      binding, show increased stability (less unfolding) upon ligand binding. By
      employing a single parameter, DeltaC1/2%, we compared relative changes of
      denaturation between peptides. This integrated platform provides information
      orthogonal to commonly used HDX kinetics experiments, providing a general and
      novel approach for studying protein-ligand interactions.

PMID- 28901132
TI  - Regioselectivity of the OH Radical Addition to Uracil in Nucleic Acids. A
      Theoretical Approach Based on QM/MM Simulations.
AB  - Oxidation of nucleic acids is ubiquitous in living beings under metabolic
      impairments and/or exposed to external agents such as radiation, pollutants, or
      drugs, playing a central role in the development of many diseases mediated by
      DNA/RNA degeneration. Great efforts have been devoted to unveil the molecular
      mechanisms behind the OH radical additions to the double bonds of nucleobases;
      however, the specific role of the biological environment remains relatively
      unexplored. The present contribution tackles the study of the OH radical addition
      to uracil from the gas phase to a full RNA macromolecule by means of quantum
      chemistry methods combined with molecular dynamics simulations. It is shown that,
      in addition to the intrinsic reactivity of each position driven by the electronic
      effects, the presence of bridge water molecules intercalated into the RNA
      structure favors the addition to the C5 position of uracil in biological
      conditions. The results also suggest that diffusion of the OH radical does not
      play a relevant role in the regioselectivity of the reaction, which is mainly
      controlled at the chemical stage of the addition process.

PMID- 28901133
TI  - Synthesis and Structural and Optical Properties of Ga(As1-xPx)Ge3 and (GaP)yGe5
      2y Semiconductors Using Interface-Engineered Group IV Platforms.
AB  - Epitaxial synthesis of Ga(As1-xPx)Ge3 alloys on Si(100) substrates is
      demonstrated using chemical vapor deposition reactions of [D2GaN(CH3)2]2 with
      P(GeH3)3 and As(GeH3)3 precursors. These compounds are chosen to promote the
      formation of GaAsGe3 and GaPGe3 building blocks which interlink to produce the
      desired crystalline product. Ge-rich (GaP)yGe5-2y analogues have also been grown
      with tunable Ge contents up to 90% by reactions of P(GeH3)3 with [D2GaN(CH3)2]2
      under similar deposition protocols. In both cases, the crystal growth utilized
      Ge1-xSix buffer layers whose lattice constants were specifically tuned as a
      function of composition to allow perfect lattice matching with the target
      epilayers. This approach yielded single-phase materials with excellent
      crystallinity devoid of mismatch-induced dislocations. The lattice parameters of
      Ga(As1-xPx)Ge3 interpolated among the Ge, GaAs, and GaP end members,
      corroborating the Rutherford backscattering measurements of the P/As ratio. A
      small deviation from the Vegard's law that depends on the As/P ratio was observed
      and corroborated by ab initio calculations. Raman scattering shows evidence for
      the existence of Ga-As and Ga-P bonds in the Ge matrix. The As-rich samples
      exhibited photoluminescence with wavelengths similar to those observed for pure
      GaAsGe3, indicating that the emission profile does not change in any measurable
      manner by replacing As by P over a broad range up to x = 0.2. Furthermore, the
      photoluminescence (PL) data suggested a large negative bowing of the band gap as
      expected on account of a strong valence band localization on the As atoms.
      Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements of the dielectric function revealed a
      distinct direct gap transition that closely matches the PL emission energy. These
      measurements also showed that the absorption coefficients can be systematically
      tuned as a function of composition, indicating possible applications of the new
      materials in optoelectronics, including photovoltaics.

PMID- 28901134
TI  - Diagnosis of Tuberculosis Using Colorimetric Gold Nanoparticles on a Paper-Based
      Analytical Device.
AB  - We have developed a colorimetric sensing strategy employing gold nanoparticles
      and a paper-based analytical platform for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). By
      utilizing the surface plasmon resonance effect, we were able to monitor changes
      in the color of a gold nanoparticle colloid based on the effects of single
      stranded DNA probe molecules hybridizing with targeted double-stranded TB DNA.
      The hybridization event changes the surface charge density of the nanoparticles,
      causing them to aggregate to various degrees, which modifies the color of the
      solution in a manner that can be readily measured to determine the concentration
      of the targeted DNA analyte. In order to adapt this TB diagnosis method to
      resource-limited settings, we extended this label-free oligonucleotide and
      unmodified gold nanoparticle solution-based technique to a paper-based system
      that can be measured using a smartphone to obtain rapid parallel colorimetric
      results with low reagent consumption and without the need for sophisticated
      analytical equipment. In this study, we investigated various assay conditions,
      including the denaturing temperature and time, different oligonucleotide probe
      sequences, as well as the ratio of single stranded probe and double stranded
      target DNA. After optimizing these variables, we were able to achieve a detection
      limit of 1.95 * 10-2 ng/mL for TB DNA. Furthermore, multiple tests could be
      performed simultaneously with a 60 min turnaround time.

PMID- 28901135
TI  - Room-Temperature Large and Reversible Modulation of Photoluminescence by in Situ
      Electric Field in Ergodic Relaxor Ferroelectrics.
AB  - Ferroelectric oxides with luminescent ions hold great promise in future
      optoelectronic devices because of their unique photoluminescence and inherent
      ferroelectric properties. Intriguingly, the photoluminescence performance of
      ferroelectric ceramics could be modulated by an external electric field. However,
      researchers face a current challenge of the diminutive extent and degree of
      reversibility of the field-driven modification that hinder their use in room
      temperature practical applications. Within the scope of current contribution in
      rare-earth-doped bismuth sodium titanate relaxors, the most important information
      to be noted is the shifting of the depolarization temperature toward room
      temperature and the resulting considerable enhancement in ergodicity, as
      evidenced by the dielectric properties, polarization, and strain hysteresis, as
      well as the in situ Raman/X-ray diffraction studies. After the introduction of 1
      mol % Eu, the induced composition and charge disorders disrupt the original long
      range ferroelectric macrodomains into randomly dynamic and weakly correlated
      polar nanoregions, which facilitates a reversible transformation between polar
      nanoregions and unstable ferroelectric state under an electric field, engendering
      a large strain. By virtue of this, both the extent and degree of reversibility of
      photoluminescence modulation are enhanced (~60%) considerably, and room
      temperature in situ tunable photoluminescence response is then achieved under
      electric field. These should be helpful for the realization of regulating the
      physical couplings (photoluminescent-ferroelectrics) in multifunctional inorganic
      ferroelectrics with a high ergodic state by reversibly tuning the structural
      symmetry.

PMID- 28901136
TI  - Tren-Capped Hexaphyrin Zinc Complexes: Interplaying Molecular Recognition, Mobius
      Aromaticity, and Chirality.
AB  - Over the past decade, the hexaphyrin skeleton has emerged as a multifaceted frame
      exhibiting strong interplay between topology, aromaticity, and metal
      coordination, opening new research areas beyond porphyrins. However, molecular
      recognition with hexaphyrins has been underexplored, mainly because of the lack
      of general synthetic strategies leading to sophisticated molecular hosts. Here we
      have developed a straightforward approach for capping the heteroannulene frame
      with tripodal units (e.g., tris(2-aminoethyl)amine [tren]) through postsynthetic
      modification of a readily accessible meso-(2-aminophenyl) tris-substituted
      platform. The resulting tren-capped hexaphyrins, obtained in three steps from a 5
      (aryl)dipyrromethane precursor, display remarkable features: (i) Considering the
      28pi-conjugated system, instantaneous and site-selective Zn(II) metalation at the
      level of a dipyrrin versus tren unit triggers a planar-to-singly twisted
      conformational change and hence a Huckel antiaromatic-to-Mobius aromatic
      transformation. In spite of the tripodal linkage, a smooth twist and efficient pi
      overlap are preserved. (ii) Selective and cooperative binding of both an acetato
      ligand and an amino ligand to zinc occurs in distinct confined environments,
      reminiscent of substrate discrimination at the buried metal centers of
      metalloenzymes. The ligand binding pockets are allosterically tuned by
      monoprotonation of the tren unit. (iii) Substantial chiral induction of the
      molecular twist is achieved using chiral amino ligands (diastereomeric excess up
      to 77%, the highest reported to date for a Mobius compound), to which is
      associated a strong chiroptical signature in circular dichroism. These results
      provide unprecedented insights into molecular recognition with hexaphyrins,
      paving the way to innovative Mobius-type molecular hosts for sensing and
      catalysis.

PMID- 28901137
TI  - Metamaterial Combining Electric- and Magnetic-Dipole-Based Configurations for
      Unique Dual-Band Signal Enhancement in Ultrahigh-Field Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging.
AB  - Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy (MRI and MRS) are both widely used
      techniques in medical diagnostics and research. One of the major thrusts in
      recent years has been the introduction of ultrahigh-field magnets in order to
      boost the sensitivity. Several MRI studies have examined further potential
      improvements in sensitivity using metamaterials, focusing on single frequency
      applications. However, metamaterials have yet to reach a level that is practical
      for routine MRI use. In this work, we explore a new metamaterial implementation
      for MRI, a dual-nuclei resonant structure, which can be used for both proton and
      heteronuclear magnetic resonance. Our approach combines two configurations, one
      based on a set of electric dipoles for the low frequency band, and the second
      based on a set of magnetic dipoles for the high frequency band. We focus on the
      implementation of a dual-nuclei metamaterial for phosphorus and proton imaging
      and spectroscopy at an ultrahigh-field strength of 7 T. In vivo scans using this
      flexible and compact structure show that it locally enhances both the phosphorus
      and proton transmit and receive sensitivities.

PMID- 28901138
TI  - Solution-Processed CdS/Cu2S Superlattice Nanowire with Enhanced Thermoelectric
      Property.
AB  - Previously, the solution-based cation exchange reaction has been extensively
      studied for the synthesis of the complex heteroepitaxial nanocolloidals. Here, we
      demonstrated that the strain induced selective phase segregation technique can
      also be applied to large size nanowires in a well-studied CdS/Cu2S system,
      leading to the formation of superlattice nanowire structure with a simple
      solution-based cation exchange reaction. This structural evolution is driven by
      the distinct interface formation energy at different CdS facets as indicated by
      ab initio calculation. Because of the energy filtering effect, the superlattice
      nanowire shows an enhanced thermopower without significant decrease of the
      electrical conductivity. This study provides a promising low-cost solution
      process to produce superlattice nanostructures for practical thermoelectric
      applications.

PMID- 28901139
TI  - Injectable and Self-Healing Thermosensitive Magnetic Hydrogel for Asynchronous
      Control Release of Doxorubicin and Docetaxel to Treat Triple-Negative Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - Integration of two or more drugs into a multiagent delivery system has been
      considered to have profound impact on both in vitro and in vivo cancer treatment
      due to their efficient synergistic effect. This study presents a cheap and simple
      chitosan hydrogel cross-linked with telechelic difunctional poly(ethylene glycol)
      (DF-PEG-DF) for synthesis of an injectable and self-healing thermosensitive dual
      drug-loaded magnetic hydrogel (DDMH), which contains both doxorubicin (DOX) and
      docetaxel (DTX) for chemotherapy and iron oxide for magnetic hyperthermia induced
      stimuli responsive drug release. The as-prepared DDMH not only have good
      biocompatibility but also exhibit unique self-healing, injectable, asynchronous
      control release properties. Meanwhile, it shows an excellent magnetic field
      responsive heat-inducing property, which means that DDMH will produce a large
      amount of heat to control the surrounding temperature under the alternative
      magnetic field (AMF). A remarkably improved synergistic effect to triple negative
      breast cancer cell line is obtained by comparing the therapeutic effect of
      codelivery of DOX and DTX/PLGA nanoparticles (DTX/PLGA NPs) with DOX or DTX/PLGA
      NPs alone. In vivo results showed that DDMH exhibited significant higher
      antitumor efficacy of reducing tumor size compared to single drug-loaded
      hydrogel. Meanwhile, the AMF-trigger control release of drugs in codelivery
      system has a more efficient antitumor effect of cancer chemotherapy, indicating
      that DDMH was a promising multiagent codelivery system for synergistic
      chemotherapy in the cancer treatment field.

PMID- 28901140
TI  - Nickel-Catalyzed Synthesis of Stereochemically Defined Enamides via Bi- and
      Tricomponent Coupling Reaction.
AB  - The stereoselective synthesis of (E)-trisubstituted tertiary enamides is
      documented via site-selective Ni-catalyzed beta-arylation of allenamides with
      boronic acids in high yields (up to 89%). The nucleophilic character of the
      "organo-Ni" intermediates is further exploited to implement a one-pot
      tricomponent procedure involving the final allylation of aldehydes (yields up to
      93%). Mechanistic insights and efficiency on a gram scale process were also
      documented.

PMID- 28901141
TI  - Cobalt(III)-Catalyzed Fast and Solvent-Free C-H Allylation of Indoles Using
      Mechanochemistry.
AB  - Mechanochemical conditions have been applied to a highly efficient cobalt(III)
      catalyzed C-H bond activation for the first time. In a subsequent step to the
      olefin insertion and beta-oxygen elimination, N-pyrimidinylindoles were allylated
      with vinylethylene carbonates in the absence of organic solvent under high-speed
      ball-milling condition. As the reaction afforded the desired products in up to
      98% yields within a short time, this method constitutes an environmentally
      friendly and powerful alternative to the common solution-based approaches.

PMID- 28901142
TI  - Copper-Promoted Synthesis of 2-Fulleropyrrolines via Heteroannulation of
      [60]Fullerene with alpha-Amino Ketones.
AB  - A Cu(OAc)2-promoted heteroannulation of [60]fullerene with alpha-amino ketones
      has been exploited for the efficient synthesis of 2-fulleropyrrolines containing
      a trisubstituted or tetrasubstituted C?C bond via the formation of C-C and C-N
      bonds. Mechanistic study indicates that a radical process should be involved in
      this transformation. Furthermore, theoretical computations show that the process
      via the attack of the carbon radical generated from the employed alpha-amino
      ketone to [60]fullerene should be the preferred pathway. The electrochemical
      properties of the synthesized 2-fulleropyrrolines have also been investigated.

PMID- 28901143
TI  - Scanning Quadrupole Data-Independent Acquisition, Part A: Qualitative and
      Quantitative Characterization.
AB  - A novel data-independent acquisition (DIA) method incorporating a scanning
      quadrupole in front of a collision cell and orthogonal acceleration time-of
      flight mass analyzer is described. The method has been characterized for the
      qualitative and quantitative label-free proteomic analysis of complex biological
      samples. The principle of the scanning quadrupole DIA method is discussed, and
      analytical instrument characteristics, such as the quadrupole transmission width,
      scan/integration time, and chromatographic separation, have been optimized in
      relation to sample complexity for a number of different model proteomes of
      varying complexity and dynamic range including human plasma, cell lines, and
      bacteria. In addition, the technological merits over existing DIA approaches are
      described and contrasted. The qualitative and semiquantitative performance of the
      method is illustrated for the analysis of relatively simple protein digest
      mixtures and a well-characterized human cell line sample using untargeted and
      targeted search strategies. Finally, the results from a human cell line were
      compared against publicly available data that used similar chromatographic
      conditions but were acquired with DDA technology and alternative mass analyzer
      systems. Qualitative comparison showed excellent concordance of results with >90%
      overlap of the detected proteins.

PMID- 28901144
TI  - Visible-Light-Enabled Decarboxylative Mono- and Difluoromethylation of Cinnamic
      Acids under Metal-Free Conditions.
AB  - Several new mono- and difluoromethylation reactions of cinnamic acids using an
      Eosin Y catalytic system are reported. An efficient alkene fluoromethylation of
      alpha,beta-unsaturated carboxylic acids was accomplished under ambient
      temperature and metal-free conditions, with a wide range of functional group
      tolerance. A mechanism that involves a radical process is proposed for this
      reaction.

PMID- 28901146
TI  - Bay- and Ortho-Octasubstituted Perylenes.
AB  - A key intermediate compound, 2,5,8,11-tetrabromo-1,6,7,12-tetrabutoxyperylene
      (Per-4Br), was synthesized from 3,6-dibromo-2,7-dioxylnaphthalene via simple
      regioselective oxidative radical-radical coupling, followed by reduction and
      nucleophilic substitution. Various bay- and ortho-octasubstituted perylenes
      containing cyano, methoxy and aryl groups were then obtained by nucleophilic
      substitution or Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions. X-ray crystallographic analyses
      reveal that these new perylene molecules process a twisted structure due to
      steric congestion at the bay-regions and there is no obvious intermolecular pi-pi
      interaction. As a result, they exhibit moderate fluorescence quantum yields even
      in solid state. Therefore, Per-4Br can serve as a versatile building block for
      various functional perylene dyes with tunable optoelectronic property.

PMID- 28901145
TI  - Hollow Polycaprolactone Microspheres with/without a Single Surface Hole by Co
      Electrospraying.
AB  - We describe the co-electrospraying of hollow microspheres from a polycaprolactone
      (PCL) shell solution and various core solutions including water, cyclohexane,
      poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), using different
      collectors. The morphologies of the resultant microspheres were characterized by
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal microscopy, and nano-X-ray computed
      tomography (nano-XCT). The core/shell solution miscibility played an important
      role in the co-electrospraying process and the formation of microsphere
      structures. Spherical particles were more likely to be produced from miscible
      combinations of core/shell solutions than from immiscible ones. Hollow PCL
      microspheres with a single hole in their surfaces were produced when an ethanol
      bath was used as the collector. The mechanism by which the core/shell structure
      is transformed into single-hole hollow microspheres is proposed to be primarily
      based on the evaporation through the shell and extraction by ethanol of the core
      solution and is described in detail. Additionally, we present a 3D macroscopic
      tubular structure composed of hollow PCL microspheres, directly assembled on a
      copper wire collector during co-electrospraying. SEM and nano-XCT confirm that
      microspheres in the 3D bulk structure remain hollow.

PMID- 28901147
TI  - Cobalt-Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation-Peroxidation of Unactivated Alkenes with
      Sodium Trifluoromethanesulfinate and Hydroperoxide.
AB  - Disclosed herein is an unprecedented cobalt-catalyzed trifluoromethylation
      peroxidation of unactivated alkenes. In this process the hydroperoxide acts as a
      radical initiator as well as a coupling partner. The cheap and readily available
      sodium trifluoromethanesulfinate serves as the CF3 source in the reaction.
      Various alkenes are transformed into vicinal trifluoromethyl-peroxide compounds
      in moderate to good yields.

PMID- 28901148
TI  - Total Synthesis of (-)-Bicubebin A, B, (+)-Bicubebin C and Structural
      Reassignment of (-)-cis-Cubebin.
AB  - The first total synthesis of (-)-bicubebin A, and two previously unreported
      dilignans, (-)-bicubebin B and (+)-bicubebin C has been achieved through the
      dimerization of (-)-cubebin, confirming the structure and absolute
      stereochemistry of (-)-bicubebin A. Analysis of the data for (-)-bicubebin B
      showed it matched that of reported compound (-)-cis-cubebin. The NMR data of the
      subsequently synthesized proposed structure of cis-cubebin confirmed that its
      original proposed structure was incorrect.

PMID- 28901149
TI  - Intramolecular Pd-Catalyzed Anomeric C(sp3)-H Activation of Glycosyl
      Carboxamides.
AB  - An expedient method for the synthesis of fused glycosylquinolin-2-ones and
      glycosylspirooxindoles through an unprecedented intramolecular Pd-catalyzed
      anomeric C-H activation of the sugar moiety of 2-bromophenyl glycosylcarboxamides
      is reported. The scope of the reaction is broad and tolerates a wide range of
      functional groups.

PMID- 28901151
TI  - Fine-Tuning Nanoparticle Packing at Water-Oil Interfaces Using Ionic Strength.
AB  - Nanoparticle-surfactants (NPSs) assembled at water-oil interfaces can
      significantly lower the interfacial tension and can be used to stabilize liquids.
      Knowing the formation and assembly and actively tuning the packing of these NPSs
      is of significant fundamental interest for the interfacial behavior of
      nanoparticles and of interest for water purification, drug encapsulation,
      enhanced oil recovery, and innovative energy transduction applications. Here, we
      demonstrate by means of interfacial tension measurements the high ionic strength
      helps the adsorption of NPSs to the water-oil interface leading to a denser
      packing of NPSs at the interface. With the reduction of interfacial area, the
      phase transitions from a "gas"-like to "liquid" to "solid" states of NPSs in two
      dimensions are observed. Finally, we provide the first in situ real-space imaging
      of NPSs at the water-oil interface by atomic force microcopy.

PMID- 28901150
TI  - Function-Oriented Studies Targeting Pectenotoxin 2: Synthesis of the GH-Ring
      System and a Structurally Simplified Macrolactone.
AB  - A chemical foundation for function-oriented studies of pectenotoxin 2 (PTX2) is
      described. A synthesis of the bicyclic GH-system, and the design and synthesis of
      a PTX2-analogue, is presented. While maintaining critical features for actin
      binding, and lacking the Achilles' heel for the natural product's anticancer
      activity (the AB-spiroketal), this first-generation analogue did not possess the
      anticancer properties of PTX2, an observation that indicates the molecular
      significance of features present in the natural product's CDEF-tetracycle.

PMID- 28901152
TI  - Acid-Mediated Migration of Bromide in an Antiaromatic Porphyrinoid: Preparation
      of Two Regioisomeric Ni(II) Bromonorcorroles.
AB  - The regioselective halogenation of porphyrinoids is critical for their selective
      functionalization, which enables the fine tuning of their electronic and optical
      properties. Here we report the synthesis of two regioisomeric Ni(II)
      bromonorcorroles on the basis of the acid-induced migration of the bromo
      substituent. Treatment of Ni(II) dimesitylnorcorrole with N-bromosuccinimide
      (NBS) selectively afforded Ni(II) 3-bromonorcorrole, which was further converted
      into Ni(II) 2-bromonorcorrole upon treatment with hydrogen bromide. In addition,
      the reaction of Ni(II) dimesitylnorcorrole with an excess amount of NBS afforded
      the octabrominated product. The reaction mechanism of the bromination reaction of
      Ni(II) dimesitylnorcorrole was investigated by theoretical calculations.

PMID- 28901153
TI  - A Direct Cycloaminative Approach to Imidazole Derivatives via Dual C-H
      Functionalization.
AB  - Organoiodine(III)-promoted C(sp3)-H azidation was a key step for the
      cycloaminative process. An unprecedented method for metal-free dehydrogenative N
      incorporation into C(sp3)-H and C(sp2)-H bonds for the synthesis of diverse
      imidazoles has been disclosed. The overall transformation involves the
      construction of four C-N bonds through hydroamination-azidation-cyclization
      sequence. The reaction can be easily handled and proceeds under mild conditions.
      Further, the potential of the present strategy is revealed by the practical
      synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors.

PMID- 28901154
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Synthesis of 2-Cyanoindoles from 2-gem-Dihalovinylanilines.
AB  - An efficient Pd(0)-catalyzed synthesis of 2-cyanoindoles from 2-gem
      dihalovinylanilines is reported. Few methods have aimed to synthesize these
      scaffolds, which are found in many natural products and have high bioactivity.
      This protocol features a robust catalyst system utilizing Zn(TFA)2 to prolong the
      catalytic activity. Additionally, the amount of cyanide in the reaction phase is
      minimized by taking advantage of the solubility of Zn(CN)2 in a two-solvent
      mixture.

PMID- 28901155
TI  - Reactivity and Selectivity in the Intermolecular Alder-Ene Reactions of Arynes
      with Functionalized Alkenes.
AB  - The reactivity and selectivity of functionalized alkenes in intermolecular Alder
      ene reactions with arynes is described. The arynes generated from bis-1,3-diynes
      react with various trisubstituted and 1,1-disubstituted alkenes containing
      hydroxyl, amino, halo, carboxyl, boronate, and 1,3-dienyl functionalities,
      providing product distributions with varying degrees of selectivity between Alder
      ene and addition reactions. The geometry of alkenes is another important factor
      for the reactivity of di- and trisubstituted alkenes where the allylic hydrogen
      of cis-disposed alkenyl system is reactive, which is the opposite reactivity
      compared to the corresponding intramolecular reaction.

PMID- 28901156
TI  - Enantioselective Precipitate of Amines, Amino Alcohols, and Amino Acids via
      Schiff Base Reaction in the Presence of Chiral Ionic Liquid.
AB  - Two novel chiral ionic liquids are synthesized as the chiral selector. Racemates
      of amines, amino alcohols, and amino acids could generate enantioselective
      precipitate with multicomponent self-assemblies under mild conditions. The
      approach allows for enantioseparation with good yields (79-94%) and excellent
      ee's (>95%).

PMID- 28901157
TI  - Reaction of Amines with Aldehydes and Ketones Revisited: Access To a Class of Non
      Scorpionate Tris(pyrazolyl)methane and Related Ligands.
AB  - The reaction of amines with aldehydes and ketones has been exploited for over 150
      years to produce Schiff bases, one of the most popular classes of compounds in
      both organic and coordination chemistry. In certain cases, however, compounds
      other than Schiff bases have been reported to result from such reactions. After
      conducting a representative reaction under various different conditions and
      identifying several reaction intermediates by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry
      and X-ray crystallography, we now report a unified picture that explains the
      scattered and often inconsistent results obtained with 3(5)-aminopyrazole
      derivatives and other related molecules. Acid catalysis, which is often employed
      in Schiff base synthesis, radically changes the course of reaction and leads to
      bis(pyrazol-4-yl)methane derivatives instead of the expected Schiff base
      products. The stoichiometry of the reaction is also found to be crucial for
      obtaining quantitative conversions. A total of 31 new compounds have been
      isolated and characterized as a result of this study, including a reaction
      intermediate, 2 Schiff bases, and 28 bis- or tris(pyrazol-3(4)-yl)methane
      ligands. The latter defines a new class of "non-scorpionate" ligands, with three
      nonchelating pyrazole moieties, as opposed to the well-known "scorpionate"
      tris(pyrazol-1-yl)-borate and -methane ligands.

PMID- 28901159
TI  - Health Information Preferences of Parents in a Pediatric Emergency Department.
AB  - Parents of children seeking nonurgent care in the emergency department completed
      surveys concerning media use and preferences for health education material.
      Results were compiled using descriptive statistics, compared by health literacy
      level with logistic regression, adjusting for race/ethnicity and income.
      Semistructured qualitative interviews to elicit reasons for preferences, content
      preference, and impact of health information were conducted and analyzed using
      content analysis. Surveys (n = 71) showed that despite equal access to online
      health information, parents with low health literacy were more likely to use the
      internet less frequently than daily ( P < .01). Surveys and interviews (n = 30)
      revealed that health information will be most effective when distributed by a
      health care professional and must be made available in multiple modalities.
      Parents requested general information about childhood illness, including
      diagnosis, treatment, and signs and symptoms. Many parents believed that
      appropriate health information would change their decision-making regarding
      seeking care during their child's next illness.

PMID- 28901158
TI  - Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: review of surgical treatment.
AB  - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ranks among the most common congenital cardiac
      diseases, affecting up to 1 in 200 of the general population. When it causes left
      ventricular outflow tract obstruction, treatment is guided to reduce symptoms and
      the risk of sudden cardiac death. Pharmacologic therapy is the first-line
      treatment, but when it fails, surgical myectomy or percutaneous ablation of the
      hypertrophic myocardium are the standard therapies to eliminate subaortic
      obstruction. Both surgical myectomy and percutaneous ablation are proven safe and
      effective treatments; however, myectomy is the gold standard with a significantly
      lower complication rate and more complete and lasting reduction of left
      ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

PMID- 28901160
TI  - Development of a plug and play ImmunoPCR technique for the analysis of
      biomolecules.
AB  - AIM: ImmunoPCR technology combines the advantages of specificity and robustness
      of a ligand binding assay with the amplification potential of PCR. We describe
      through three case studies a plug-and-play immuno polymerase chain reaction
      (iPCR) technique to measure biomolecules. RESULTS: Case Study 1 demonstrated
      feasibility of measurement of IgG1 in cerebrospinal fluid at the desired level of
      sensitivity with minimal cost and timelines of clinical assay implementation.
      Case Study 2 translated the iPCR protocol to measure multiple IgG1 analytes in
      cerebrospinal fluid. Case Study 3 demonstrated broad applicability of the
      technique to yet another analyte IL-6. CONCLUSION: The advantages of our iPCR
      approach were: lack of reliance on a single vendor for technology
      platform/software, minimal reliance on proprietary reagents and reduced method
      development times and cost.

PMID- 28901161
TI  - Polyphenolic compounds from Malus hupehensis and their free radical scavenging
      effects.
AB  - One new 4-chromanone glycoside, 5-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside-4-chromanone (1),
      together with 21 known polyphenols, was isolated from the leaves of Malus
      hupehensis. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive
      spectroscopic methods including NMR (1D and 2D), mass (ESIMS and HRESIMS), IR,
      and by comparison with the data reported in the literature. Some of the isolated
      compounds were screened for antioxidant activity. Compounds 18 and 14 exhibited
      significant antioxidant activities with SC50 values 2.73 and 2.91 MUg/mL,
      respectively, while 17, 19, 11, 7, 20, 22, 12 and 13 exhibited moderate
      activities with SC50 values ranging from 5.24-11.86 MUg/mL. The HPLC fingerprint
      profiles of the leaves and fruits extracts were also analysed, which showed that
      the constituents were almost the same in both the extracts except for the content
      of phlorizin which was present in higher amount in the leaves.

PMID- 28901162
TI  - Imagining Autism: Feasibility of a drama-based intervention on the social,
      communicative and imaginative behaviour of children with autism.
AB  - We report the feasibility of a novel, school-based intervention, coined
      'Imagining Autism', in which children with autism engage with drama practitioners
      though participatory play and improvisation in a themed multi-sensory 'pod'
      resembling a portable, tent-like structure. A total of 22 children, aged 7-12
      years, from three UK schools engaged in the 10-week programme. Measures of social
      interaction, communication and emotion recognition, along with parent and teacher
      ratings, were collected before and up to 12 months after the intervention.
      Feasibility was evaluated through four domains: (1) process (recruitment,
      retention, blinding, inter-rater reliability, willingness of children to engage),
      (2) resources (space, logistics), (3) management (dealing with unexpected
      changes, ease of assessment) and (4) scientific (data outcomes, statistical
      analyses). Overall, the children, parents and teachers showed high satisfaction
      with the intervention, the amount of missing data was relatively low, key
      assessments were implemented as planned and evidence of potential effect was
      demonstrated on several key outcome measures. Some difficulties were encountered
      with recruitment, test administration, parental response and the logistics of
      setting up the pod. Following several protocol revisions and the inclusion of a
      control group, future investigation would be justified to more thoroughly examine
      treatment effects.

PMID- 28901163
TI  - Distribution of autistic traits and their association with sociodemographic
      characteristics in Japanese workers.
AB  - This study aimed to confirm whether autistic traits are normally distributed
      across a population and to describe their association with the sociodemographic
      characteristics of Japanese workers. The participants were 2075 workers aged 23
      65 years from various parts of Japan. Autistic traits were measured using an
      abridged Japanese version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-Short). The AQ
      Short comprises five subcomponents assessing a fascination for numbers and
      patterns (numbers/patterns), difficulties with imagination, a preference for
      routine, difficulties with social skills, and difficulties with switching
      attention. The five subcomponents of the autistic phenotype as well as the
      overall autistic phenotype itself were continuously distributed across the sample
      population of Japanese workers. Men had significantly higher AQ-Short scores than
      women. AQ-Short scores were not associated with age. Except for the
      numbers/patterns scores, workers of a lower socioeconomic status had
      significantly higher AQ-Short scores than their respective counterparts. For the
      numbers/patterns trait, workers of a higher socioeconomic status scored higher.
      Workers with low general physical activity had or tended to have higher scores
      for total and all subcomponent traits, except for the numbers/patterns trait.
      Generally, the autistic phenotype was more prevalent in workers of a low
      socioeconomic status, while a particular trait was prevalent among workers of a
      high socioeconomic status.

PMID- 28901164
TI  - Falls in people with multiple sclerosis: experiences of 115 fall situations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim was to describe falls and the perceived causes, experienced
      by people with multiple sclerosis shortly after falling. DESIGN: A qualitative
      study using content analysis and quantitative data to illustrate where and why
      people report falls most commonly. Semi-structured telephone interviews were
      performed. Interviews were conducted shortly (0-10 days) after a fall. SUBJECTS:
      In all, 67 informants who had reported at least one fall during the previous
      three-month period and who used a walking aid participated. RESULTS: A total of
      57 (85%) informants fell at least once during eight months resulting in 115
      falls; 90 (78%) falls happened indoors, most commonly in the kitchen ( n = 20;
      17%) or bathroom ( n = 16; 14%). Informants fell during everyday activities and
      walking aids had been used in more than a third of the reported falls. The falls
      were influenced of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Two categories emerged
      from the analysis: 'activities when falling' and 'influencing factors'. The
      category contained three (basic activities of daily living, instrumental
      activities of daily living and leisure and work) and six (multiple sclerosis
      related symptoms, fluctuating body symptoms, being distracted, losing body
      control, challenging surrounding and involvement of walking aid) subcategories,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The majority of falls occurs indoors and in daily
      activities. Several factors interacted in fall situations and should be monitored
      and considered to reduce the gap between the person's capacity and the
      environmental demands that cause fall risk. Fluctuation of bodily symptoms
      between and within a day is a variable not earlier targeted in multiple sclerosis
      fall risk research.

PMID- 28901165
TI  - LC-MS/MS analysis of lipidized analogs of prolactin-releasing peptide utilizing a
      monolithic column and simple sample preparation.
AB  - AIM: Novel compounds for obesity treatment are currently being studied employing
      lipidized analogs of anorexigenic neuropeptides. Various analogs of prolactin
      releasing peptide have demonstrated their ability to decrease food intake.
      Adequate analytical tools are required to support corresponding research.
      Methodology & results: An analytical method was developed that includes simple
      dilution of plasma samples prior to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and
      employs a monolithic column for the determination of lipidized analogs of
      prolactin-releasing peptide in complex biological samples. A multiple reaction
      monitoring approach was applied that included matrix calibration and an internal
      standard and produced a linear calibration range 20-200 ng ml-1 in rat and
      macaque plasma samples. CONCLUSION: A straightforward, simple and reliable
      analytical method was developed satisfying major validation criteria.

PMID- 28901166
TI  - The in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of alphitonin-4-O-beta-D
      glucopyranoside.
AB  - The anti-inflammatory compound, alphitonin-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), has
      previously been isolated in the leaves of Artokapus tonkinensis and synthesised
      from taxifolin. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of this
      compound on inflammatory cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and IL-10, in RAW264.7 macrophages and in an
      arthritis animal model. Compound 1 dose-dependently decreased the production of
      TNF-alpha, IL-1 and IL-6 in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In
      contrast, the level of anti-inflammatory IL-10 increased. In a collagen antibody
      induced arthritis BALB/c mouse model, compound 1 at a dose of 125 and 250 mg/kg
      body weight significantly decreased arthritis incidence in comparison with
      dexamethasone.

PMID- 28901167
TI  - Effect of Ischemic Postconditioning on Myocardial Function and Infarct Size
      Following Reperfusion Injury in Diabetic Rats Pretreated With Vildagliptin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardioprotective actions of ischemic postconditioning (IPostC)
      against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury are abolished in diabetic hearts. This
      study has investigated the combined effects of IPostC and vildagliptin (Vilda) on
      myocardial function and infarct size (IS) against I/R injury in diabetic
      myocardium. METHODS: Diabetes was induced by a high-fat diet/low dose of
      streptozotocin (35 mg/kg; intraperitoneally) in Wistar rats (200-250 g) and
      lasted for 12 weeks. Vilda (6 mg/kg/d) was orally administered for 5 weeks in
      diabetic groups after seventh week of diabetes. At the end of the 12-week period,
      the hearts of rats were removed and subjected to 35-minute regional ischemia
      (through left anterior descending ligation) followed by 60-minute reperfusion, on
      Langendorff apparatus. Ischemic postconditioning was induced by 6 repetitive
      cycles of 10-second ischemia and 10-second reperfusion, immediately at the onset
      of the reperfusion. Myocardial hemodynamic was measured throughout the
      experiment. The IS was assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining method.
      The myocardial contents of troponin-I (cTnI), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and 8
      isoprostane were measured in the homogenate from ischemic zone of left ventricles
      by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. RESULTS: Pretreatment of the diabetic
      rats with Vilda significantly recovered the diabetes-induced reduction in left
      ventricular developed pressures and contractility at the baseline ( P < .05 to P
      < .01). After I/R injury, IPostC could not significantly improve the myocardial
      function, cTnI content, and IS of the diabetic hearts. However, in Vilda-treated
      hearts, concomitant application of IPostC significantly recovered the heart
      functions, returned cTnI content as well as myocardial IL-6 and 8-isoprostane
      levels back to the control values ( P < .01 to P < .001), and reduced IS more
      effectively (by 45%) in comparison to the diabetic group ( P < .001). CONCLUSION:
      Besides its glycemic and lipid profile controlling effects, Vilda has a
      protective effect on heart function and tends to restore cardioprotective effects
      of IPostC on diabetic hearts.

PMID- 28901168
TI  - Comparative study on microsampling techniques in metabolic fingerprinting studies
      applying gas chromatography-MS analysis.
AB  - AIM: Sample collection and preparation are important steps in the metabolomics
      workflow. Any improvement should be aimed toward making them simpler, faster and
      more reproducible. This paper describes the evaluation of different types of
      whole blood microsampling techniques applied in a metabolic fingerprinting study
      of breast cancer patients. RESULTS: A total of 139, 124 and 128 metabolites were
      identified in protein precipitation, dried matrix on paper discs and Mitra(r)
      volumetric absorptive microsampling, respectively in 80% of the sample sets,
      where the quality control samples had a relative standard deviation of <30%. Ten
      metabolites in breast cancer samples were detected as being altered significantly
      (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that whole blood microsampling
      techniques do not obtain statistically different results in comparison with the
      metabolomics applied standard reference method of protein precipitation, in terms
      of the number of detected compounds, the reproducibility and modeling of
      differences between the groups.

PMID- 28901169
TI  - Predictors of response to occipital nerve stimulation in refractory chronic
      headache.
AB  - Background Occipital nerve stimulation is a promising treatment for refractory
      chronic headache disorders, but is invasive and costly. Identifying predictors of
      response would be useful in selecting patients. We present the results of an open
      label prospective cohort study of 100 patients (35 chronic migraine, 33 chronic
      cluster headache, 20 short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks and
      12 hemicrania continua) undergoing occipital nerve stimulation, using a
      multivariate binary regression analysis to identify predictors of response.
      Results Response rate of the cohort was 48%. Multivariate analysis showed short
      lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks (OR 6.71; 95% CI 1.49-30.05; p =
      0.013) and prior response to greater occipital nerve block (OR 4.22; 95% CI 1.35
      13.21; p = 0.013) were associated with increased likelihood of response. Presence
      of occipital pain (OR 0.27; 95% CI 0.09-0.76; p = 0.014) and the presence of
      severe anxiety and/or depression (as measured on hospital anxiety and depression
      score) at time of implantation (OR 0.32; 95% CI 0.11-0.91; p = 0.032) were
      associated with reduced likelihood of response. Conclusion Possible clinical
      predictors of response to occipital nerve stimulation for refractory chronic
      headaches have been identified. Our data shows that those with short-lasting
      unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks respond better than those with chronic
      migraine, and that a prior response to greater occipital nerve block is
      associated with positive outcomes. This study suggests that the presence of
      occipital pain and severe mood disorder at time of implant are both associated
      with poor outcomes to occipital nerve stimulation.

PMID- 28901170
TI  - Hypogymnia tubulosa extracts: chemical profile and biological activities.
AB  - This study reports for the first time in the chemical composition of acetone,
      ether, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts of Hypogymnia tubulosa
      determined by HPLC-UV, GC-FID and GC-MS as well as effect of H. tubulosa acetone
      extract on micronucleus distribution on human lymphocytes and on cholinesterase
      activity. Additionally, antioxidant (estimated via DPPH, ABTS, TRP, CUPRAC and
      TPC assays) and antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive and three Gram
      negative bacteria were also determined. The HPLC-UV analysis revealed the
      presence of depsidones, 3-hydroxyphysodic, 4-O-methyl physodic acid, physodic and
      physodalic acid together with two depsides, atranorin and chloroatranorin. GC-FID
      and GC-MS analyses enabled the identification of atranol, chloroatranol, atraric
      acid, olivetol, olivetonide and 3-hydroxyolivetonide as the main components. The
      results of present study show that H. tubulosa acetone extract is a promising
      candidate for in vivo experiments considering antioxidant activity.

PMID- 28901171
TI  - Recent China Food and Drug Administration reform: impact on the present and
      future of bioanalytical contract research organization laboratories in China.

PMID- 28901172
TI  - Traditional manual acupuncture combined with rehabilitation therapy for shoulder
      hand syndrome after stroke within the Chinese healthcare system: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of traditional manual acupuncture
      combined with rehabilitation therapy versus rehabilitation therapy alone for
      shoulder hand syndrome after stroke. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane
      Library, Chinese Biomedicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure,
      VIP Information Database, Wan Fang Database and reference lists of the eligible
      studies were searched up to July 2017 for relevant studies. METHODS: Randomized
      controlled trials that compared the combined effects of traditional manual
      acupuncture and rehabilitation therapy to rehabilitation therapy alone for
      shoulder hand syndrome after stroke were included. Two reviewers independently
      screened the searched records, extracted the data and assessed risk of bias of
      the included studies. The treatment effect sizes were pooled in a meta-analysis
      using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 20 studies involving 1918
      participants were included in this study. Compared to rehabilitation therapy
      alone, the combined therapy significantly reduced pain on the visual analogue
      scale and improved limb movement on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale and the
      performance of activities of daily living (ADL) on the Barthel Index scale or
      Modified Barthel Index scale. Of these, the visual analogue scale score changes
      were significantly higher (mean difference = 1.49, 95% confidence interval = 1.15
      1.82, P < 0.00001) favoring the combined therapy after treatment, with severe
      heterogeneity ( I2 = 71%, P = 0.0005). CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that
      traditional manual acupuncture integrated with rehabilitation therapy is more
      effective in alleviating pain, improving limb movement and ADL. However,
      considering the relatively low quality of available evidence, further rigorously
      designed and large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the
      results.

PMID- 28901174
TI  - Do we have a mature LC-MS/MS methodology for therapeutic monoclonal antibody
      bioanalysis?

PMID- 28901173
TI  - Cyclin D2 is a critical mediator of exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy.
AB  - A number of signaling pathways underlying pathological cardiac hypertrophy have
      been identified. However, few studies have probed the functional significance of
      these signaling pathways in the context of exercise or physiological pathways.
      Exercise studies were performed on females from six different genetic mouse
      models that have been shown to exhibit alterations in pathological cardiac
      adaptation and hypertrophy. These include mice expressing constitutively active
      glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3betaS9A), an inhibitor of CaMK II (AC3-I),
      both GSK-3betaS9A and AC3-I (GSK-3betaS9A/AC3-I), constitutively active Akt
      (myrAkt), mice deficient in MAPK/ERK kinase kinase-1 (MEKK1-/-), and mice
      deficient in cyclin D2 (cyclin D2-/-). Voluntary wheel running performance was
      similar to NTG littermates for five of the mouse lines. Exercise induced
      significant cardiac growth in all mouse models except the cyclin D2-/- mice.
      Cardiac function was not impacted in the cyclin D2-/- mice and studies using a
      phospho-antibody array identified six proteins with increased phosphorylation
      (greater than 150%) and nine proteins with decreased phosphorylation (greater
      than 33% decrease) in the hearts of exercised cyclin D2-/- mice compared to
      exercised NTG littermate controls. Our results demonstrate that unlike the other
      hypertrophic signaling molecules tested here, cyclin D2 is an important regulator
      of both pathologic and physiological hypertrophy. Impact statement This research
      is relevant as the hypertrophic signaling pathways tested here have only been
      characterized for their role in pathological hypertrophy, and not in the context
      of exercise or physiological hypertrophy. By using the same transgenic mouse
      lines utilized in previous studies, our findings provide a novel and important
      understanding for the role of these signaling pathways in physiological
      hypertrophy. We found that alterations in the signaling pathways tested here had
      no impact on exercise performance. Exercise induced cardiac growth in all of the
      transgenic mice except for the mice deficient in cyclin D2. In the cyclin D2 null
      mice, cardiac function was not impacted even though the hypertrophic response was
      blunted and a number of signaling pathways are differentially regulated by
      exercise. These data provide the field with an understanding that cyclin D2 is a
      key mediator of physiological hypertrophy.

PMID- 28901175
TI  - Membrane-based distillation ion chromatography: a new method for bioanalysis.

PMID- 28901176
TI  - An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the National Aeronautics and Space
      Administration Mission-X Child Health Promotion Program in the United States.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the effects of the National Aeronautics and Space
      Administration Mission-X: Train Like an Astronaut program (MX) on children's
      health-related knowledge and behaviors of a sample of US participants. DESIGN: A
      nonexperimental pilot intervention study in 5 cities with a pre-post comparison
      of children's health-related knowledge and behaviors in the United States in 2014
      and 2015. SAMPLE: Children (n = 409) with a mean age (standard deviation) of 10.1
      (1.7) years. MEASURES: Children answered pre- and postintervention
      questionnaires. We measured the differences in children's health knowledge on
      nutrition and physical fitness and behaviors on diet and physical activity as
      scores. INTERVENTION: A 6-week web- and school-based intervention for a healthier
      lifestyle by introducing physical fitness and science activities based on actual
      astronaut training under a teacher's supervision. ANALYSIS: Nonparametric
      analysis and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Participants significantly
      improved both of their health behaviors on physical activity ( P < .001) and diet
      ( P = .06) and their health knowledge regarding nutrition ( P < .001) and
      physical fitness ( P < .001) after the intervention. The improvement in
      children's behaviors ( P < .001), knowledge ( P < .001), and the total score ( P
      < .001) after intervention did not significantly vary by sex or age, after
      adjusting for year of participation and state of residency. DISCUSSION: The MX
      seems effective in improving health behaviors and health knowledge of
      participating children, which may serve as a model for sustainable global child
      health promotion program. Further research is needed to test its long-term
      effects on child health.

PMID- 28901177
TI  - Evaluation of an FcRn affinity chromatographic method for IgG1-type antibodies
      and evaluation of IgG variants.
AB  - AIM: The neonatal Fc-receptor (FcRn) mediates long serum half-life of therapeutic
      IgG-type antibodies. This interaction represents a critical quality attribute in
      terms of pharmacokinetics and should be covered by respective quality control
      strategies. Antibodies are taken up by cells unspecifically and can bind to FcRn
      in early endosomes preventing lysosomal degradation and allowing release back
      into circulation. Reflecting this complex cycle in an in vitro assay strategy
      represents a challenging task. METHODOLOGY: We report the qualification of an
      FcRn affinity chromatographic method and, for the first time, establish a
      noncriticality window. We analyzed different IgG-type antibodies, subtypes,
      glycoforms as well as mutants. CONCLUSION: The FcRn affinity chromatographic
      method allows the assessment of mAb samples with respect to their pH-dependent
      FcRn interaction. Furthermore, the method's capabilities and current limitations
      are discussed.

PMID- 28901178
TI  - Hitting two birds with one stone: An afterword on archeology and the history of
      science.
AB  - This afterword comments on the articles gathered together in this special section
      of History of Science ("Disassembling Archaeology, Reassembling the Modern
      World"). Criticizing the consistent lack of institutional infrastructure for
      histories of archaeology in the history of science, the piece argues that
      scholars should recognize the commonality of archaeology's practices with those
      of the nineteenth and twentieth century field sciences that have received more
      historical attention. The piece also suggests avenues to help take this approach
      further, such as combining expertise from historians of the biological sciences
      and of antiquarianism and archaeology to look at the history of the understanding
      of human variation and race. Finally, the afterword suggests that scholars should
      reconsider the idea of archaeology's reliance on institutionalised practices,
      thinking about the use and re-use of material culture in more diverse and
      pragmatic social contexts.

PMID- 28901179
TI  - Visualizing a monumental past: Archeology, Nasser's Egypt, and the early Cold
      War.
AB  - This article examines geographies of decolonization and the Cold War through a
      case study in the making of archeological knowledge. The article focuses on an
      archeological dig that took place in Egypt in the period between the July 1952
      Free Officers' coup and the 1956 Suez crisis. Making use of the notion of the
      'boundary object', this article demonstrates how the excavation of ancient
      Egyptian remains at the site of Mit Rahina helped to constitute Nasserist
      revolutionary modernity and its relationship to wider, post-Second World War
      political geographies. The dig took place as a result of an Egyptian-American
      collaboration designed to institute the possibility of archeology taking place
      along the lines of the Point Four modernization program promoted by the United
      States. The article discusses how this situation not only engendered contention
      surrounding the role of the international 'experts' appointed to run this
      excavation work, but also - and as a result - helped to constitute the monumental
      visual and material shape that archeological evidence relating to the Egyptian
      past could now take. Egypt's revolution sat within wider Cold War political
      struggles, yet the 'ground-up' realities of this relationship helped to
      constitute the sort of past (and future) monumentality proposed by Nasser's
      government.

PMID- 28901180
TI  - Connecting sites and images: Archeology as controversial knowledge in modern
      Izmir.
AB  - In Turkey, the period after the establishment of the Republic saw archeological
      representations play an active role in defining the ancient past and producing
      new disciplinary knowledge. Visual practices emerged as important sites for the
      formation of a new conception of the ancient past in the larger context of the
      political and cultural discourse over the modernization of the country. Based on
      museum guidebooks, official publications, and archival documents, this paper
      focuses on the Izmir region after the establishment of the Turkish Republic in
      1923 and explores how the ancient past was perceived and displayed in relation to
      the historical and cultural transformations that occurred in Turkey after the
      Greco-Turkish War.

PMID- 28901181
TI  - Disassembling archeology, reassembling the modern world.
AB  - This article provides a substantive discussion of the relevance of the history of
      archeology to the history of science. At the same time, the article introduces
      the papers contained in this special issue as exemplars of this relevance. To
      make its case, the article moves through various themes in the history of
      archeology that overlap with key issues in the history of science. The article
      discusses the role and tension of regimes of science in antiquarian and
      archeological practices, and also considers issues of scale and place,
      particularly in relation to the field. Additionally, the piece attends to issues
      of professionalization and the constitution of an archeological public, at the
      same time as discussing issues of empire, colonialism, and the circulation of
      knowledge. Meanwhile, enriching discussions within and beyond the history of
      science, the article discusses the history of archeology and its relationship
      with museums, collecting, and material culture and materiality. Finally, the
      piece discusses the relationship of the history of archeology with wider
      discussions about scientific ethics. In conclusion, the article questions whether
      we should speak of 'the history of archeology' at all.

PMID- 28901182
TI  - Effects of Bone-Marrow-Derived MSC Transplantation on Functional Recovery in a
      Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury: Comparisons of Transplant Locations and Cell
      Concentrations.
AB  - Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a widely disabling condition, constraining those
      affected by it to wheelchairs and requiring intense daily care and assistance.
      Cell replacement therapies, targeting regeneration of cells in the injured cord,
      are currently gaining momentum in the field of SCI research. Previous studies
      indicate that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can reduce functional deficits
      through immunomodulation and production of trophic factors in a variety of
      neurological disorders. The present study assessed the efficacy of transplanted
      bone marrow-derived MSCs at different concentrations and locations for promoting
      functional recovery following SCI. Although effects were modest, MSCs facilitated
      an increase in the base of support, as measured by increased distance between the
      plantar surface of the hind paws, following incomplete contusive SCI, and reduced
      the density of astroglial scarring. Varying the concentrations or locations of
      transplanted cells did not provide additional benefits on these measures. These
      findings indicate that MSC transplants are safe at relatively high concentrations
      and confer therapeutic benefits that, when used as an adjunctive treatment, could
      significantly enhance functional recovery following SCI.

PMID- 28901184
TI  - Ex vivo Pretreatment of Islets with Mitomycin C: Reduction in Immunogenic
      Potential of Islets by Suppressing Secretion of Multiple Chemotactic Factors.
AB  - Strategies to reduce the immunogenicity of pancreatic islets and to prevent the
      activation of proinflammatory events are essential for successful islet
      engraftment. Pretransplant islet culture presents an opportunity for
      preconditioning to improve outcomes of islet transplantation. We previously
      demonstrated that ex vivo mitomycin C (MMC) pretreatment and subsequent culture
      significantly prolonged graft survival. Fully understanding the biological
      process of pretreatment could result in the development of a protocol to improve
      the survival of islet grafts. Microarrays were employed to conduct a
      comprehensive analysis of genes expressed in untreated or MMC-treated rat islets
      that were subsequently cultured for 3 d. A bioinformatics software was used to
      identify biological processes that were most affected by MMC pretreatment, and
      validation studies, including in vivo and in vitro assay, were performed. The
      gene expression analysis identified significant downregulation of annotated
      functions associated with cellular movement and revealed significant
      downregulation of multiple genes encoding proinflammatory mediators with
      chemotactic activity. Validation studies revealed significantly decreased levels
      of interleukin 6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein 3 (MCP-3), and matrix
      metallopeptidase 2 (MMP2) in culture supernatants of MMC-treated islets compared
      with controls. Moreover, we showed the suppression of leukocyte chemotactic
      activity of MMC-treated islets in vitro. We also showed that MMC-treated islets
      secreted lower levels of chemoattractants that synergistically reduced the
      immunogenic potential of islets. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses of
      the implant site revealed that infiltration of monocytes, CD3-positive T cells,
      and B cells was decreased in MMC-treated islets. In conclusion, the ex vivo
      pretreatment of islets with MMC and subsequent culture can reduce the immunogenic
      potential and prolong the survival of islet grafts by inducing the suppression of
      multiple leukocyte chemotactic factors.

PMID- 28901183
TI  - PPAR-delta Agonist With Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induces Type II Collagen-Producing
      Chondrocytes in Human Arthritic Synovial Fluid.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory joint disease characterized by
      degeneration of articular cartilage within synovial joints. An estimated 27
      million Americans suffer from OA, and the population is expected to reach 67
      million in the United States by 2030. Thus, it is urgent to find an effective
      treatment for OA. Traditional OA treatments have no disease-modifying effect,
      while regenerative OA therapies such as autologous chondrocyte implantation show
      some promise. Nonetheless, current regenerative therapies do not overcome
      synovial inflammation that suppresses the differentiation of mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs) to chondrocytes and the expression of type II collagen, the major
      constituent of functional cartilage. We discovered a synergistic combination that
      overcame synovial inflammation to form type II collagen-producing chondrocytes.
      The combination consists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)
      delta agonist, human bone marrow (hBM)-derived MSCs, and hyaluronic acid (HA)
      gel. Interestingly, those individual components showed their own strong enhancing
      effects on chondrogenesis. GW0742, a PPAR-delta agonist, greatly enhanced MSC
      chondrogenesis and the expression of type II collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG)
      in hBM-MSC-derived chondrocytes. GW0742 also increased the expression of
      transforming growth factor beta that enhances chondrogenesis and suppresses
      cartilage fibrillation, ossification, and inflammation. HA gel also increased MSC
      chondrogenesis and GAG production. However, neither GW0742 nor HA gel could
      enhance the formation of type II collagen-producing chondrocytes from hBM-MSCs
      within human OA synovial fluid. Our data demonstrated that the combination of hBM
      MSCs, PPAR-delta agonist, and HA gel significantly enhanced the formation of type
      II collagen-producing chondrocytes within OA synovial fluid from 3 different
      donors. In other words, the novel combination of PPAR-delta agonist, hBM-MSCs,
      and HA gel can overcome synovial inflammation to form type II collagen cartilage
      within human OA synovial fluid. This novel articularly injectable formula could
      improve OA treatment in the future clinical application.

PMID- 28901185
TI  - Evaluation of Parametric Response Mapping to Assess Therapeutic Response to Human
      Mesenchymal Stem Cells after Experimental Stroke.
AB  - Stroke is the leading cause of disability in adults. After the very narrow time
      frame during which treatment by thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy is
      possible, cell therapy has huge potential for enhancing stroke recovery. Accurate
      analysis of the response to new therapy using imaging biomarkers is needed to
      assess therapeutic efficacy. The aim of this study was to compare 2 analysis
      techniques: the parametric response map (PRM), a voxel-based technique, and the
      standard whole-lesion approach. These 2 analyses were performed on data collected
      at 4 time points in a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) model,
      which was treated with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The apparent
      diffusion coefficient (ADC), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and vessel size index
      (VSI) were mapped using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two groups of rats
      received an intravenous injection of either 1 mL phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)
      glutamine (MCAo-PBS, n = 10) or 3 million hMSCs (MCAo-hMSC, n = 10). One sham
      group was given PBS-glutamine (sham, n = 12). Each MRI parameter was analyzed by
      both the PRM and the whole-lesion approach. At day 9, 1 d after grafting, PRM
      revealed that hMSCs had reduced the fraction of decreased ADC (PRMADC-: MCAo-PBS
      6.7% +/- 1.7% vs. MCAo-hMSC 3.3% +/- 2.4%), abolished the fraction of increased
      CBV (PRMCBV+: MCAo-PBS 16.1% +/- 3.7% vs. MCAo-hMSC 6.4% +/- 2.6%), and delayed
      the fraction of increased VSI (PRMVSI+: MCAo-PBS 17.5% +/- 6.3% vs. MCAo-hMSC
      5.4% +/- 2.6%). The whole-lesion approach was, however, insensitive to these
      early modifications. PRM thus appears to be a promising technique for the
      detection of early brain changes following treatments such as cell therapy.

PMID- 28901186
TI  - Recipient Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Enhance Recipient Cell Engraftment and
      Prolong Allotransplant Survival in a Miniature Swine Hind-Limb Model.
AB  - Donor mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could prolong vascularized composite
      allotransplantation (VCA) survival in our previous studies. However, recipient
      adipose tissue is easier to harvest than donor tissue for preconditioning
      modulation. Hence, this study investigated the efficacy of recipient autologous
      adipose-derived stem cells (rADSCs) for VCA survival. The heterotopic hind-limb
      transplantation from female donor to male recipient was performed in outbred
      miniature swine. Group I ( n = 6) was untreated controls. Group II ( n = 4)
      obtained rADSCs infusions (given on weeks 0, +1, +2, and +3). Group III ( n = 4)
      obtained tacrolimus (FK506, weeks 0 to +4). Group IV ( n = 8) received
      irradiation (IR; day -1), FK506 (weeks 0 to +4), and rADSC infusions (weeks 0,
      +1, +2, and +3). The results revealed treatment with multiple injections of
      rADSCs along with IR and FK506 resulted in a statistically significant increase
      in allograft survival. The percentage of CD4+/CD25+/Foxp3+ regulatory T cells
      were significantly increased in the rADSC-IR-FK506 group as compared to controls.
      Analysis of recipient peripheral blood revealed that transforming growth factor
      beta1 (TGFbeta1) was significantly increased in the rADSC-IR-FK506 group. The
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and immunohistochemical staining showed
      recipient sex-determining region of Y (SRY) chromosome gene expression existed in
      donor allotissues in the rADSC-IR-FK506 group. These results indicate that rADSCs
      in addition to IR and transient immunosuppressant could prolong allotransplant
      survival, modulate T-cell regulation, and enhance recipient cell engraftment into
      the allotransplant tissues.

PMID- 28901187
TI  - Peptide-Modified Chitosan Hydrogels Accelerate Skin Wound Healing by Promoting
      Fibroblast Proliferation, Migration, and Secretion.
AB  - Skin wound healing is a complicated process that involves a variety of cells and
      cytokines. Fibroblasts play an important role in this process and participate in
      transformation into myofibroblasts, the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM)
      and fibers, and the secretion of a variety of growth factors. This study assessed
      the effects of peptide Ser-Ile-Lys-Val-Ala-Val (SIKVAV)--modified chitosan
      hydrogels on skin wound healing. We investigated the capability of peptide SIKVAV
      to promote cell proliferation and migration, the synthesis of collagen, and the
      secretion of a variety of growth factors using fibroblasts in vitro. We also
      treated skin wounds established in mice using peptide SIKVAV-modified chitosan
      hydrogels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that peptide-modified chitosan
      hydrogels enhanced the reepithelialization of wounds compared with negative and
      positive controls. Masson's trichrome staining demonstrated that more collagen
      fibers were deposited in the wounds treated with peptide-modified chitosan
      hydrogels compared with the negative and positive controls. Immunohistochemistry
      revealed that the peptide-modified chitosan hydrogels promoted angiogenesis in
      the skin wound. Taken together, these results suggest that peptide SIKVAV
      modified chitosan hydrogels may be useful in wound dressing and the treatment of
      skin wounds.

PMID- 28901188
TI  - Engineered Microvasculature in PDMS Networks Using Endothelial Cells Derived from
      Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.
AB  - In this study, we used a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based platform for the
      generation of intact, perfusion-competent microvascular networks in vitro. COMSOL
      Multiphysics, a finite-element analysis and simulation software package, was used
      to obtain simulated velocity, pressure, and shear stress profiles. Transgene-free
      human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) were differentiated into partially
      arterialized endothelial cells (hiPSC-ECs) in 5 d under completely chemically
      defined conditions, using the small molecule glycogen synthase kinase 3beta
      inhibitor CHIR99021 and were thoroughly characterized for functionality and
      arterial-like marker expression. These cells, along with primary human umbilical
      vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), were seeded in the PDMS system to generate
      microvascular networks that were subjected to shear stress. Engineered
      microvessels had patent lumens and expressed VE-cadherin along their periphery.
      Shear stress caused by flowing medium increased the secretion of nitric oxide and
      caused endothelial cells s to align and to redistribute actin filaments parallel
      to the direction of the laminar flow. Shear stress also caused significant
      increases in gene expression for arterial markers Notch1 and EphrinB2 as well as
      antithrombotic markers Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF-2)/4. These changes in response
      to shear stress in the microvascular platform were observed in hiPSC-EC
      microvessels but not in microvessels that were derived from HUVECs, which
      indicated that hiPSC-ECs may be more plastic in modulating their phenotype under
      flow than are HUVECs. Taken together, we demonstrate the feasibly of generating
      intact, engineered microvessels in vitro, which replicate some of the key
      biological features of native microvessels.

PMID- 28901189
TI  - Cryopreservation of Hepatocyte Microbeads for Clinical Transplantation.
AB  - Intraperitoneal transplantation of hepatocyte microbeads is an attractive option
      for the management of acute liver failure. Encapsulation of hepatocytes in
      alginate microbeads supports their function and prevents immune attack of the
      cells. Establishment of banked cryopreserved hepatocyte microbeads is important
      for emergency use. The aim of this study was to develop an optimized protocol for
      cryopreservation of hepatocyte microbeads for clinical transplantation using
      modified freezing solutions. Four freezing solutions with potential for clinical
      application were investigated. Human and rat hepatocytes cryopreserved with
      University of Wisconsin (UW)/10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/5% (300 mM) glucose
      and CryoStor CS10 showed better postthawing cell viability, attachment, and
      hepatocyte functions than with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate/10% DMSO/5%
      glucose and Bambanker. The 2 freezing solutions that gave better results were
      studied with human and rat hepatocytes microbeads. Similar effects on
      cryopreserved microbead morphology (external and ultrastructural), viability, and
      hepatocyte-functions post thawing were observed over 7 d in culture.
      UW/DMSO/glucose, as a basal freezing medium, was used to investigate the
      additional effects of cytoprotectants: a pan-caspase inhibitor (benzyloxycarbonyl
      Val-Ala-dl-Asp-fluoromethylketone [ZVAD]), an antioxidant (desferoxamine [DFO]),
      and a buffering and mechanical protectant (human serum albumin [HSA]) on RMBs.
      ZVAD (60 uM) had a beneficial effect on cell viability that was greater than with
      DFO (1 mM), HSA (2%), and basal freezing medium alone. Improvements in the
      ultrastructure of encapsulated hepatocytes and a lower degree of cell apoptosis
      were observed with all 3 cytoprotectants, with ZVAD tending to provide the
      greatest effect. Cytochrome P450 activity was significantly higher in the 3
      cytoprotectant groups than with fresh microbeads. In conclusion, developing an
      optimized cryopreservation protocol by adding cytoprotectants such as ZVAD could
      improve the outcome of cryopreserved hepatocyte microbeads for future clinical
      use.

PMID- 28901190
TI  - Transcriptome Analysis of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC)-derived Pancreatic
      beta-like Cell Differentiation.
AB  - Diabetes affects millions of people worldwide, and beta-cell replacement is one
      of the promising new strategies for treatment. Induced pluripotent stem cells
      (iPSCs) can differentiate into any cell type, including pancreatic beta cells,
      providing a potential treatment for diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying the differentiation of iPSC-derived beta cells have not yet been fully
      elucidated. Here, we generated pancreatic beta-like cells from mouse iPSCs using
      a 3-step protocol and performed deep RNA sequencing to get a transcriptional
      landscape of iPSC-derived pancreatic beta-like cells during the selective
      differentiation period. We then focused on the differentially expressed genes
      (DEGs) during the time course of the differentiation period, and these genes
      underwent Gene Ontology annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
      pathway analysis. In addition, gene-act networks were constructed for these DEGs,
      and the expression of pivotal genes detected by quantitative real-time polymerase
      chain reaction was well correlated with RNA sequence (RNA-seq). Overall, our
      study provides valuable information regarding the transcriptome changes in beta
      cells derived from iPSCs during differentiation, elucidates the biological
      process and pathways underlying beta-cell differentiation, and promotes the
      identification and functional analysis of potential genes that could be used for
      improving functional beta-cell generation from iPSCs.

PMID- 28901191
TI  - Hypoxic Culture Promotes Dopaminergic-Neuronal Differentiation of Nasal Olfactory
      Mucosa Mesenchymal Stem Cells via Upregulation of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor
      1alpha.
AB  - Olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells (OM-MSCs) display significant clonogenic
      activity and may be easily propagated for Parkinson's disease therapies. Methods
      of inducing OM-MSCs to differentiate into dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons using
      olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are thus an attractive topic of research. We
      designed a hypoxic induction protocol to generate DAergic neurons from OM-MSCs
      using a physiological oxygen (O2) level of 3% and OEC-conditioned medium (OCM; HI
      group). The normal induction (NI) group was cultured in O2 at ambient air level
      (21%). The role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in the
      differentiation of OM-MSCs under hypoxia was investigated by treating cells with
      an HIF-1alpha inhibitor before induction (HIR group). The proportions of beta
      tubulin- and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells were significantly
      increased in the HI group compared with the NI and HIR groups, as shown by
      immunocytochemistry and Western blotting. Furthermore, the level of dopamine was
      significantly increased in the HI group. A slow outward potassium current was
      recorded in differentiated cells after 21 d of induction using whole-cell voltage
      clamp tests. A hypoxic environment thus promotes OM-MSCs to differentiate into
      DAergic neurons by increasing the expression of HIF-1alpha and by activating
      downstream target gene TH. This study indicated that OCM under hypoxic conditions
      could significantly upregulate key transcriptional factors involved in the
      development of DAergic neurons from OM-MSCs, mediated by HIF-1alpha. Hypoxia
      promotes DAergic neuronal differentiation of OM-MSCs, and HIF-1alpha may play an
      important role in hypoxia-inducible pathways during DAergic lineage specification
      and differentiation in vitro.

PMID- 28901192
TI  - Neuronal Cell Sheets of Cortical Motor Neuron Phenotype Derived from Human iPSCs.
AB  - Transplantation of stem cells that differentiate into more mature neural cells
      brings about functional improvement in preclinical studies of stroke. Previous
      transplant approaches in the diseased brain utilized injection of the cells in a
      cell suspension. In addition, neural stem cells were preferentially used for
      grafting. However, these cells had no specific relationship to the damaged tissue
      of stroke and brain injury patients. The injection of cells in a suspension
      destroyed the cell-cell interactions that are suggested to be important for
      promoting functional integrity of cortical motor neurons. In order to obtain
      suitable cell types for grafting in patients with stroke and brain damage, a
      protocol was modified for differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells
      from cells phenotypically related to cortical motor neurons. Moreover, cell sheet
      technology was applied to neural cell transplantation, as maintaining the cell
      cell communications is regarded important for the repair of host brain
      architecture. Accordingly, neuronal cell sheets that were positive Forebrain
      Embryonic Zinc Finger (Fez) family zinc finger 2 (FEZF2), COUP-TF-interacting
      protein 2, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 4 (IGFBP4), cysteine-rich
      motor neuron 1 protein precursor (CRIM1), and forkhead box p2 (FOXP2) were
      developed. These markers are associated with cortical motoneurons that are
      appropriate for the transplant location in the lesions. The sheets allowed
      preservation of cell-cell interactions shown by synapsin1 staining after
      transplantation to damaged mouse brains. The sheet transplantation brought about
      partial structural restoration and the improvement of motor functions in
      hemiplegic mice. Collectively, the novel neuronal cell sheets were transplanted
      into damaged motor cortices; the cell sheets maintained cell-cell interactions
      and improved the motor functions in the hemiplegic model mice. The motoneuron
      cell sheets are possibly applicable for stroke patients and patients with brain
      damage by using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells.

PMID- 28901193
TI  - ERK and p38 Upregulation versus Bcl-6 Downregulation in Rat Kidney Epithelial
      Cells Exposed to Prolonged Hypoxia.
AB  - Hypoxia is a common cause of kidney injury and a major issue in kidney
      transplantation. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are involved in the
      cellular response to hypoxia, but the precise roles of MAPKs in renal cell
      reactions to hypoxic stress are not well known yet. This work was conducted to
      investigate the regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 and -2
      (ERK1/2) and p38 and their signaling-relevant molecules in kidney epithelial
      cells exposed to prolonged hypoxia. Rat kidney epithelial cells Normal Rat Kidney
      (NRK)-52E were exposed to hypoxic conditions (1% O2) for 24 to 72 h. Cell
      morphology was examined by light microscopy, and cell viability was checked by 3
      [4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-5-[3-carboxymethoxypheny]-2-[4-sulfophenyl]-2H
      tetrazolium (MTS). The expression of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK, as well as their
      signaling-related molecules, was measured by Western blot and real-time
      polymerase chain (RT-PCR) reaction. At the 1% oxygen level, cell morphology had
      no appreciable changes compared to the control up to 72 h of exposure under light
      microscopy, whereas the results of MTS showed a slight but significant reduction
      in cell viability after 72 h of hypoxia. On the other hand, ERK1/2 and p38
      phosphorylation remarkably increased in these cells after 24 to 72 h of hypoxia.
      In sharp contrast, the expression of transcription factor B-cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl
      6) was significantly downregulated in response to hypoxic stress. Other
      intracellular molecules relevant to the ERK1/2 and p38 signaling pathway, such as
      protein kinase A, protein kinase C, Bcl-2, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related
      factor 2, tristetraprolin, and interleukin-10(IL-10), had no significant
      alterations after 24 to 72 h of hypoxic exposure. We conclude that hypoxic stress
      increases the phosphorylation of both ERK1/2 and p38 but decreases the level of
      Bcl-6 in rat kidney epithelial cells.

PMID- 28901195
TI  - Feedforward Coordinate Control of a Robotic Cell Injection Catheter.
AB  - Remote and robotically actuated catheters are the stepping-stones toward
      autonomous catheters, where complex intravascular procedures may be performed
      with minimal intervention from a physician. This article proposes a concept for
      the positional, feedforward control of a robotically actuated cell injection
      catheter used for the injection of myogenic or undifferentiated stem cells into
      the myocardial infarct boundary zones of the left ventricle. The prototype for
      the catheter system was built upon a needle-based catheter with a single degree
      of deflection, a 3-D printed handle combined with actuators, and the Arduino
      microcontroller platform. A bench setup was used to mimic a left ventricle
      catheter procedure starting from the femoral artery. Using Matlab and the open
      source video modeling tool Tracker, the planar coordinates ( y, z) of the
      catheter position were analyzed, and a feedforward control system was developed
      based on empirical models. Using the Student's t test with a sample size of 26,
      it was determined that for both the y- and z-axes, the mean discrepancy between
      the calibrated and theoretical coordinate values had no significant difference
      compared to the hypothetical value of u = 0. The root mean square error of the
      calibrated coordinates also showed an 88% improvement in the z-axis and 31%
      improvement in the y-axis compared to the unmodified trial run. This proof of
      concept investigation leads to the possibility of further developing a feedfoward
      control system in vivo using catheters with omnidirectional deflection.
      Feedforward positional control allows for more flexibility in the design of an
      automated catheter system where problems such as systemic time delay may be a
      hindrance in instances requiring an immediate reaction.

PMID- 28901194
TI  - Acute Renal Graft-Versus-Host Disease in a Murine Model of Allogeneic Bone Marrow
      Transplantation.
AB  - Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a very common complication after allogeneic bone
      marrow transplantation (BMT) and is associated with a poor prognosis. Generally,
      the kidneys are assumed to not be no direct targets of graft-versus-host disease
      (GvHD), and renal impairment is often attributed to several other factors
      occurring in the early phase after BMT. Our study aimed to prove the existence of
      renal GvHD in a fully major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched model of
      BALB/c mice conditioned and transplanted according to 2 different intensity
      protocols. Syngeneically transplanted and untreated animals served as controls.
      Four weeks after transplantation, allogeneic animals developed acute GvHD that
      was more pronounced in the high-intensity protocol (HIP) group than in the low
      intensity protocol (LIP) group. Urea and creatinine as classic serum markers of
      renal function could not verify renal impairment 4 weeks after BMT. Creatinine
      levels were even reduced as a result of catabolic metabolism and loss of muscle
      mass due to acute GvHD. Proteinuria, albuminuria, and urinary N-acetyl-beta-d
      glucosaminidase (NAG) levels were measured as additional renal markers before and
      after transplantation. Albuminuria and NAG were only significantly increased
      after allogeneic transplantation, correlating with disease severity between HIP
      and LIP animals. Histological investigations of the kidneys showed renal
      infiltration of T cells and macrophages with endarteriitis, interstitial
      nephritis, tubulitis, and glomerulitis. T cells consisted of CD4+, CD8+, and
      FoxP3+ cells. Renal expression analysis of allogeneic animals showed increases in
      indoleamine-2,3 dioxygenase (IDO), different cytokines (tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin 1 alpha [IL-1alpha], IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10),
      and adhesion molecules (intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and vascular cell
      adhesion molecule 1), resembling findings from other tissues in acute GvHD. In
      summary, our study supports the entity of renal GvHD with histological features
      suggestive of cell-mediated renal injury. Albuminuria and urinary NAG levels may
      serve as early markers of renal impairment.

PMID- 28901196
TI  - In-Law and Mate Preferences in Chinese Society and the Role of Traditional
      Cultural Values.
AB  - Using 347 parent-child dyads as participants, this study directly examined in-law
      and mate preferences in a typical collectivist culture. The results showed (1)
      traits indicating social status and parental investment were more highly valued
      by the parents, while traits indicating genetic quality and traits related to
      romantic love were more highly valued by the children. (2) Parental preferences
      were moderated by gender of the in-laws. Good earning capacity was more preferred
      by parents in a son-in-law, traits connoting genetic quality and reproductive
      fitness were more preferred by parents in a daughter-in-law. (3) There was more
      convergence in in-law and mate preferences in Chinese culture than in Western
      cultures. (4) Traditional cultural values (i.e., filial piety) can be used as a
      predictor of traditional mate preferences and less parent-child divergences.
      Additionally, greater preference for kind and understanding by parents than by
      children as well as by daughters than by sons, and greater preference for social
      status by the daughters' than by the sons' parents have not been observed in the
      rating and the ranking instrument. These findings illustrated how culture handles
      the parent-child disagreement over mating by authorizing greater parental
      influence on children's mating decisions.

PMID- 28901197
TI  - Sexually Dimorphic Faciometrics in Humans From Early Adulthood to Late Middle
      Age: Dynamic, Declining, and Differentiated.
AB  - Faciometrics have widely been used in contemporary studies on gender-related
      behavioral traits, for example, perceived and actual aggression, co-operation and
      trustworthiness, prejudicial beliefs, unethical behavior, and achievement drive,
      as well as, but to a lesser degree, in nonhuman primates. For the large part,
      these studies have focused primarily on "student-aged" populations with little
      empirical scrutiny regarding the efficacy of applying these measures with older
      participants. This study therefore investigated sexual dimorphism across four age
      groups (20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s) in 444 participants (225 men). The expected
      sexual dimorphism was seen in the youngest age group in three of the four
      indices. The facial width to height ratio, however, although most commonly used
      empirically, was not found to be significantly different between men and women,
      consistent with more recent literature. Importantly, as age increased, sexual
      dimorphism decreased, but this was not consistent across all measures of it.
      Rather, it is evident that differing measures of sexual dimorphism follow
      distinct developmental trajectories. The only single marker which remained
      significantly different across all age-groups was cheekbone prominence. Sexual
      dimorphic faciometrics are therefore dynamic, declining, and differentiated
      through adulthood. Consequently, it is concluded that care should be taken in
      using faciometrics in studies involving older populations and that more research
      is needed to understand the impact of these distinct faciometric trajectories in
      gender- and masculinity-related studies.

PMID- 28901198
TI  - Regression standardization and attributable fraction estimation with between
      within frailty models for clustered survival data.
AB  - The between-within frailty model has been proposed as a viable analysis tool for
      clustered survival time outcomes. Previous research has shown that this model
      gives consistent estimates of the exposure-outcome hazard ratio in the presence
      of unmeasured cluster-constant confounding, which the ordinary frailty model does
      not, and that estimates obtained from the between-within frailty model are often
      more efficient than estimates obtained from the stratified Cox proportional
      hazards model. In this paper, we derive novel estimation techniques for
      regression standardization with between-within frailty models. We also show how
      between-within frailty models can be used to estimate the attributable fraction
      function, which is a generalization of the attributable fraction for survival
      time outcomes. We illustrate the proposed methods by analyzing a large cohort on
      preterm birth and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. To facilitate use of
      the proposed methods, we provide R code for all analyses.

PMID- 28901200
TI  - What Physical Fitness Component Is Most Closely Associated With Adolescents'
      Blood Pressure?
AB  - This study aimed to determine which of four selected physical fitness variables,
      would be most associated with blood pressure changes (systolic and diastolic) in
      a large sample of adolescents. This was a descriptive and cross-sectional,
      epidemiological study of 1,117 adolescents aged 14-19 years from southern Brazil.
      Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured by a digital pressure device,
      and the selected physical fitness variables were body composition (body mass
      index), flexibility (sit-and-reach test), muscle strength/resistance (manual
      dynamometer), and aerobic fitness (Modified Canadian Aerobic Fitness Test).
      Simple and multiple linear regression analyses revealed that aerobic fitness and
      muscle strength/resistance best explained variations in systolic blood pressure
      for boys (17.3% and 7.4% of variance) and girls (7.4% of variance). Aerobic
      fitness, body composition, and muscle strength/resistance are all important
      indicators of blood pressure control, but aerobic fitness was a stronger
      predictor of systolic blood pressure in boys and of diastolic blood pressure in
      both sexes.

PMID- 28901201
TI  - Sex Differences in Balance Among Alpine Ski Racers: Cross-Sectional Age
      Comparisons.
AB  - Although balance is a key ability in the strength demands of alpine ski racing,
      affecting both performance and injury prevention, few studies have examined
      balance or related sex differences among still-maturing athletes. In this 10-year
      study, we investigated cross-sectional balance performances at different age
      periods of a representative sample of over 500 11-18-year-old elite skiers of
      both genders. Participants performed balance tests using the MFT S3-Check. Left
      right and forward-backward movements were used to calculate sensory and symmetry
      balance scores, which were both incorporated into a stability score. Mann-Whitney
      U tests assessed gender-specific differences by age-group with a significance
      level set at p < .05. Results showed gender differences only on forward-backward
      measurements for 14-16-year-olds, with females showing better stability and
      sensory (but not symmetry) scores than males. Thus, gender interacted with age
      and maturation to influence balance ability in these participants. Additionally,
      these rare 10-year data support coaches in their training and talent development
      of maturing athletes by providing important sport-, age-, and gender-specific
      normative comparison data for individual trainees.

PMID- 28901202
TI  - Intellectual disability, hate crime and other social constructions: A view from
      South Yorkshire.
AB  - The category of hate crime is a recent legislative response to the increasing
      levels of antisocial, criminal and discriminatory behaviours and practices that
      target a wide spectrum of individuals on the basis of their identification within
      certain minority sociological subcultures. People with intellectual disability
      are often targeted for this kind of behaviour. Here, we report on an evaluation
      of one English city's efforts to instigate a street-based scheme to offer some
      security and protection to its intellectually disabled citizens. The physical
      location of the premises and the engagement of the staff employed therein have
      some bearing on their potential to be effective in offering shelter and support
      to distressed individuals. But even where premises are well situated with
      positive staffing, the absence of local records to list the uptake of the scheme
      leaves room for doubt about its overall effectiveness.

PMID- 28901199
TI  - New tricks for the glycyl radical enzyme family.
AB  - Glycyl radical enzymes (GREs) are important biological catalysts in both strict
      and facultative anaerobes, playing key roles both in the human microbiota and in
      the environment. GREs contain a backbone glycyl radical that is post
      translationally installed, enabling radical-based mechanisms. GREs function in
      several metabolic pathways including mixed acid fermentation, ribonucleotide
      reduction and the anaerobic breakdown of the nutrient choline and the pollutant
      toluene. By generating a substrate-based radical species within the active site,
      GREs enable C-C, C-O and C-N bond breaking and formation steps that are otherwise
      challenging for nonradical enzymes. Identification of previously unknown family
      members from genomic data and the determination of structures of well
      characterized GREs have expanded the scope of GRE-catalyzed reactions as well as
      defined key features that enable radical catalysis. Here, we review the
      structures and mechanisms of characterized GREs, classifying members into five
      categories. We consider the open questions about each of the five GRE classes and
      evaluate the tools available to interrogate uncharacterized GREs.

PMID- 28901204
TI  - Experiences, behaviors, and perceptions of registered nurses regarding research
      ethics and misconduct.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nurses engaging in research are held to research ethics standards.
      Research aim: Examine experiences, behaviors, and perceptions of nurses in Israel
      regarding research ethics and explore possible related factors. RESEARCH DESIGN:
      An original investigator-designed self-administered questionnaire measured five
      variables: (a) ethics in research, (b) encountered research misconduct during the
      course of one's studies, (c) the inclination to fabricate data, (d) the
      inclination to select or omit data, and (e) knowledge of research misconduct in
      the workplace. Additionally, demographic data were collected. Participants and
      research context: The questionnaire was completed by 151 Israeli registered
      nurses. 10.2% hold a PhD, 34 % hold an MA, 42.2% hold a BA, and 13.6% with no
      academic degree. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the
      University's ethics committee; anonymity and consent of the respondents were
      respected. FINDINGS: Registered nurses' level of studies achieved was
      significantly associated with a lower inclination to fabricate data, with one
      exception-PhD nurses were more inclined to fabricate data than nurses with a
      Master's degree. A trend was found in which a higher level of studies is
      associated with higher knowledge of research misconduct in the workplace.
      DISCUSSION: Results indicate that nurses' perceptions of research ethics change
      throughout their academic studies, indicating a positive influence of level of
      studies, research experience, and work experience on ethics perceptions.
      Nevertheless, PhD nurses showed a greater inclination to actually select, omit,
      or even fabricate data than MA nurses. This may be related to pressure to
      publish. CONCLUSION: PhD nursing programs should include ethics training.
      Academic faculty members should serve as role models regarding research
      integrity. Research ethics deserves further emphasis on all levels of nurse
      education in Israel, as well as in the nurses' code of ethics and related
      documents. This may positively impact ethical research practices.

PMID- 28901205
TI  - Satisfaction, Burnout, and Turnover Among Nurse Practitioners and Physician
      Assistants: A Review of the Empirical Literature.
AB  - Examining the work-related psychological states of nurse practitioners and
      physician assistants is important, given their increased role expansion. The
      current PRISMA-guided review examined studies published between 2000 and 2016 for
      both these groups. The review also examined features of the research to draw
      conclusions about overall quality. Applying theories in job enrichment and job
      demands, 32 articles were identified that contained analyses of satisfaction,
      burnout, stress, and turnover. Key findings include the lack of robust research
      designs, overemphasis on job satisfaction, lower levels of satisfaction across
      both groups, and higher intrinsic versus extrinsic satisfaction levels generally.
      The literature can develop by using larger, more representative samples,
      including subgroup analyses that incorporate everyday work contexts, and more
      predictive modeling. The results suggest that both occupations experience role
      expansion in both positive and negative ways that may require additional policy
      or managerial interventions.

PMID- 28901203
TI  - The Role of Monocyte Percentage in Osteoporosis in Male Rheumatic Diseases.
AB  - Osteoporosis is easily overlooked in male patients, especially in the field of
      rheumatic diseases mostly prevalent with female patients, and its link to
      pathogenesis is still lacking. Attenuated monocyte apoptosis from a transcriptome
      wide expression study illustrates the role of monocytes in osteoporosis. This
      study tested the hypothesis that the monocyte percentage among leukocytes could
      be a biomarker of osteoporosis in rheumatic diseases. Eighty-seven males with
      rheumatic diseases were evaluated in rheumatology outpatient clinics for bone
      mineral density (BMD) and surrogate markers, such as routine peripheral blood
      parameters and autoantibodies. From the total number of 87 patients included in
      this study, only 15 met the criteria for diagnosis of osteoporosis. Both age and
      monocyte percentage remained independently associated with the presence of
      osteoporosis. Steroid dose (equivalent prednisolone dose) was negatively
      associated with BMD of the hip area and platelet counts were negatively
      associated with BMD and T score of the spine area. Besides age, monocyte
      percentage meets the major requirements for osteoporosis in male rheumatic
      diseases. A higher monocyte percentage in male rheumatic disease patients, aged
      over 50 years in this study, and BMD study should be considered in order to
      reduce the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures.

PMID- 28901206
TI  - Rural-urban differences in accessing mental health treatment in patients with
      psychosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delay in accessing psychiatric treatment has considerable influence
      on the outcome of psychoses. Systematic studies examining the source of the delay
      are lacking in India. In this article, we examine rural-urban differences
      regarding delay in accessing psychiatric care in patients with psychosis, an
      issue which was hitherto not studied. AIMS: To evaluate the rural-urban
      differences in treatment seeking among patients with psychosis. METHODS: Patients
      with psychotic disorders who presented to the outpatient department of an
      academic psychiatric institute for the first time ( n = 551) were interviewed
      using a semi-structured interview tool to assess the date of onset of illness.
      RESULTS: Families in urban areas had significantly higher level of education and
      greater income than their rural counterparts. However, there was no difference in
      urban and rural patients in the duration of untreated illness (DUI). There was no
      correlation between average years of education of the family members and DUI
      (spearman's rho = -0.01; p = .77). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the proximity to
      psychiatric centers, better education and greater income, patients in urban areas
      do not access psychiatric care earlier than patients in rural areas. So, mere
      presence of services would not make patients access them early.

PMID- 28901207
TI  - Characterizing Citizens' Preferences for Engagement in Patient Care and Research
      in Adult and Pediatric Intensive Care Units.
AB  - RATIONALE: Engagement promotes and supports the active participation of patients
      and families in health care and research to strengthen their influence on
      decision-making. We sought to characterize how citizens wish to be engaged in
      care and research in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: Interviewers
      administered questionnaires to visitors in 3 adult ICUs and 1 pediatric ICU.
      RESULTS: We surveyed 202 (adult [n = 130] and pediatric [n = 72]) visitors.
      Adults and pediatric visitors prioritized 3 patient care topics (family
      involvement in rounds, improving communication between family members and health
      care providers, and information transmission between health-care practitioners
      during patient transfers) and 2 research topics (evaluating prevention and
      recovery from critical illness). Preferred engagement activities included sharing
      personal experiences, identifying important topics and outcomes, and finding ways
      to make changes that respected their needs. Both respondent groups preferred to
      participate by completing electronic surveys or comment cards and answering
      questions on a website. Few respondents (<5%) wanted to participate in committees
      that met regularly. Although adult and pediatric respondents identified common
      facilitators and barriers to participation, they ranked them differently.
      Although both groups perceived engagement to be highly important, adult
      respondents were significantly less confident that their participation would
      impact care (7.6 +/- 2.2 vs 8.3 +/- 1.8; P = .01) and research (7.3 +/- 2.4 vs
      8.2 +/- 2.0; P = .01) and were significantly less willing to participate in care
      (5.6 +/- 2.9 vs 6.7 +/- 3.0; P = .007) and research (4.7 +/- 3.0 vs +/- 5.8 +/-
      3.0; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Adult and pediatric visitors expressed comparable
      engagement preferences, identified similar facilitators and barriers, and rated
      engagement highly. Adult visitors were significantly less confident that their
      participation would be impactful and were significantly less willing to engage in
      care and research.

PMID- 28901208
TI  - Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients Who Have Serotype 5 Invasive Pneumococcal
      Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) due to serotype
      5, which occurred as a local outbreak in 2006 to 2007, is associated with
      intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital mortality, or organ supports in
      those who are critically ill. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of
      patients who presented with IPD to 2 tertiary hospitals in Vancouver, Canada,
      from July 2004 to June 2007. We compared patient characteristics, interventions,
      and outcomes between patients who had serotype 5 and other serotypes using
      bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients had
      serotype 5 and 106 had nonserotype 5. Patients with serotype 5 were younger, had
      lower prevalence of comorbid diseases, and had higher rates of substance use than
      patients with nonserotype 5. There were no differences in chest tube placement
      for complications of pneumonia or in ICU admission. Frequency of necrotizing
      pneumonia and hospital mortality were lower in the serotype 5 group. For the 71
      patients with IPD who were admitted to ICU, there was no difference in severity
      of illness, ICU length of stay, or ICU mortality between the groups. There was
      also no difference in organ supports except that the serotype 5 group was more
      likely to receive vasopressors. CONCLUSION: Serotype 5 in patients who have IPD
      is associated with no difference in ICU admission but with increased use of
      vasopressors and lower hospital mortality.

PMID- 28901209
TI  - The distinct properties of natural and GM cry insecticidal proteins.
AB  - The Cry toxins are a family of crystal-forming proteins produced by the bacterium
      Bacillus thuringiensis. Their mode of action is thought to be to create pores
      that disrupt the gut epithelial membranes of juvenile insects. These pores allow
      pathogen entry into the hemocoel, thereby killing the insect. Genes encoding a
      spectrum of Cry toxins, including Cry mutants, Cry chimaeras and other Cry
      derivatives, are used commercially to enhance insect resistance in genetically
      modified (GM) crops. In most countries of the world, such GM crops are regulated
      and must be assessed for human and environmental safety. However, such risk
      assessments often do not test the GM crop or its tissues directly. Instead,
      assessments rely primarily on historical information from naturally occurring Cry
      proteins and on data collected on Cry proteins (called 'surrogates') purified
      from laboratory strains of bacteria engineered to express Cry protein. However,
      neither surrogates nor naturally occurring Cry proteins are identical to the
      proteins to which humans or other nontarget organisms are exposed by the
      production and consumption of GM plants. To-date there has been no systematic
      survey of these differences. This review fills this knowledge gap with respect to
      the most commonly grown GM Cry-containing crops approved for international use.
      Having described the specific differences between natural, surrogate and GM Cry
      proteins this review assesses these differences for their potential to undermine
      the reliability of risk assessments. Lastly, we make specific recommendations for
      improving risk assessments.

PMID- 28901211
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28901210
TI  - Does Working Memory Impact Functional Outcomes in Individuals With ADHD: A
      Qualitative and Comprehensive Literature Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Working Memory (WM) is a domain of executive functioning often
      impaired in individuals with ADHD. Although assumed to cause difficulties across
      functioning, the scope of impairments from WM deficits in ADHD has not been
      investigated. The aim of this study was to examine outcomes associated with WM
      deficits in ADHD. METHOD: We conducted a search of the scientific literature on
      WM deficits, and Freedom From Distractibility (FFD), in ADHD using PubMed and
      PsycInfo databases. RESULTS: The final sample included 11 controlled studies of
      WM/FFD deficits in ADHD with operationalized assessment of outcomes in academic,
      social, and emotional areas. WM assessment was divided into auditory-verbal
      memory (AVM) and spatial-visual memory (SWM). Seven studies examined WM deficits
      in academic functioning, eight studies assessed WM deficits in social
      functioning, and three assessed WM deficits in psychopathology. CONCLUSION: The
      majority of the literature suggests that WM deficits affect primarily academic
      functioning.

PMID- 28901213
TI  - HIV prevalence and correlated factors of female sex workers and male clients in a
      border region of Yunnan Province, China.
AB  - Female sex workers (FSWs) and their male clients are vulnerable to HIV infection
      and serve as a bridge in HIV transmission from the high-risk population to the
      general, low-risk population. To examine the factors of FSWs and male clients
      that correlate with the prevalence of HIV infection in the Chinese-Vietnamese
      border region, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2014 in the Hekou county
      of the Yunnan province of China. We performed a questionnaire survey to collect
      data on demographics, sexual behavior, and drug use. Blood and urine samples were
      collected for testing of HIV/sexually transmitted infections and drug use. We
      found that the prevalence of HIV infection among FSWs was 2.74%, and 15 male
      clients (2.62%) were HIV-positive. Multivariate logistic regression analysis
      revealed that herpes simplex virus type 2 infection was a risk factor for HIV
      infection in FSWs and male clients, suggesting the increased role of sexual
      transmission in the HIV epidemic in the Chinese-Vietnamese border region.
      Positive urinalysis result for amphetamine-type stimulants was observed in FSWs
      with HIV infection. History of drug use was correlated with HIV infection, which
      increased the HIV infection risk of male clients, confirming that drug use is an
      important target in future interventions for HIV prevention.

PMID- 28901214
TI  - Total dose iron dextran infusion versus oral iron for treating iron deficiency
      anemia in pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To test safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of total dose
      infusion (TDI) of low molecular weight (LMW) iron dextran for treatment of iron
      deficiency anemia (IDA) during pregnancy in comparison to oral ferrous fumarate.
      DESIGN: Prospective interventional randomized controlled trial (RCT). Design
      classification. Canadian Task Force II3. SETTING: Antenatal clinic and causality
      unit of a tertiary care referral facility and University Hospital. PATIENTS: A
      total 66 anemic pregnant women (hemoglobin level between 7-10 g/dl).
      INTERVENTION: Administration of a LMW iron dextran as a TDI (group A) or Oral
      iron ferrous fumarate 60 mg elemental iron three times daily (group B) followed
      by remeasurement of hemoglobin after 4 weeks. MEASURES AND MAIN RESULTS: The main
      outcome measure was clinical and laboratory improvement of anemia after 4 weeks
      of starting the therapy. Both groups showed a significant clinical improvement of
      anemia 4 weeks post-therapy. However, the first improvement of symptoms was
      significantly faster in group A. Complete blood count (CBC) as well as all iron
      indices were improved in both groups after 4 weeks of therapy, but were
      significantly better in group A than B. Side effects in group B were mainly
      gastrointestinal (GIT) while one case of mild hypersensitivity to TDI and another
      one case of local reaction at the site of injection were reported in group A.
      CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that despite being equally effective in improving
      both clinical and laboratory evidence of IDA, TDI allows iron restoration with a
      single dose faster than oral iron therapy with a reasonable safety profile. It is
      a good example of office one-stop therapy. Nevertheless, noninvasive selfusage at
      home is a clear advantage of the cheaper oral iron therapy which makes it the
      first choice for treating IDA in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy in
      tolerable cases.

PMID- 28901212
TI  - A retrospective clinical audit of general practices in Australia to determine the
      motivation for switch to dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine and clinical outcomes.
AB  - The most common reasons for switching HIV-1 therapy in patients with virologic
      suppression are treatment regimen simplification and resolving tolerability
      issues. Single-pill regimens that include an integrase inhibitor are recommended
      options. A retrospective clinical audit was performed to determine the
      motivations for switching to dolutegravir (DTG)/abacavir (ABC)/lamivudine (3TC)
      at high HIV-caseload general practice clinics in Australia. The most common
      reasons for switching from a prior suppressive therapy to DTG/ABC/3TC were
      simplification of regimen, resolving toxicity/intolerance and patient preference
      (73%, 13% and 12%, respectively). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the
      probability of patients remaining on DTG/ABC/3TC therapy at 12 months was 95.1%.
      Switching to DTG/ABC/3TC from a range of other regimens was associated with a
      discontinuation rate of 3.2%, with 2.5% of patients discontinuing due to adverse
      events and no patients discontinuing due to virologic failure. Switching to
      DTG/ABC/3TC was a viable treatment strategy in this cohort of Australian
      patients.

PMID- 28901215
TI  - Presentation, treatment, and outcomes in patients with spontaneous isolated
      celiac and superior mesenteric artery dissection.
AB  - Spontaneous isolated celiac or superior mesenteric artery (SMA) dissection
      (SICMAD) is a rare clinical entity. Not much is known about the natural history
      and appropriate treatment. We retrospectively queried a prospectively collected
      institutional radiology database for all patients diagnosed with SICMAD from 1990
      to 2017. We identified 42 arteries in 40 patients (83.3% male), mean age 54.8 +/-
      10.9 years, consisting of 24 celiac arteries and 18 SMA. SMA lesions were longer
      than celiac lesions (5.15 +/- 3.81 vs 2.38 +/- 1.40 cm, p = 0.008). Thirty-one
      patients had follow-up; mean follow-up was 4.9 +/- 4.8 years. Morphologic
      improvement was seen in 20 (48%) arteries. Sakamoto IV lesions were more likely
      to remodel (OR: 11.26, 95% CI: 1.13, 588.26, p = 0.039), and Sakamoto II lesions
      less likely to remodel (OR: 0, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.93, p = 0.05). Patients received
      an average of 2.35 scans during follow-up. Symptom resolution occurred in all
      symptomatic patients, and 16% of patients had recurrence of symptoms. Follow-up
      CT scans revealed a stable arterial diameter for the majority of patients. In
      conclusion, the majority of patients with SICMAD improve with medical therapy
      alone. Aneurysmal dilatation is uncommon.

PMID- 28901216
TI  - Creatine or vitamin D supplementation in individuals with a spinal cord injury
      undergoing resistance training: A double-blinded, randomized pilot trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Determine whether creatine or vitamin D supplementation improves muscle
      strength in individuals with spinal cord injury undergoing resistance training.
      METHODS: Thirteen male and one female with spinal cord injury, from two
      Portuguese rehabilitation centers, were randomized to creatine (3g daily),
      vitamin D (25000 IU each two weeks) or placebo group in a double-blind design.
      All participants performed progressive resistance training during eight weeks.
      The outcome measures, obtained at baseline and after intervention, included: Sum
      of four skinfolds; Corrected arm muscle area; Seated medicine ball throw;
      Handgrip strength with dynamometer; Manual wheelchair slalom test and one
      repetition maximum for Chest press, Triceps, Pec deck and Lat pulldown. Vitamin D
      levels were obtained in all participants before and after intervention. RESULTS:
      71.4% of participants had deficit values of vitamin D. The corrected arm muscle
      area improved significantly (p<0.05) in creatine group relatively to the control
      group. There was a significant correlation (p<0.05) between the one repetition
      maximum Pec deck and levels of vitamin D. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation with
      creatine may improve muscle strength parameters in individuals with spinal cord
      injury. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in this population. It is
      recommended an initial screening of vitamin D levels at the beginning of the
      physical rehabilitation process.

PMID- 28901217
TI  - Ethical and methodological issues in qualitative studies involving people with
      severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia and other psychotic
      conditions: a critical review.
AB  - Undertaking research studies in the field of mental health is essential in mental
      health nursing. Qualitative research methodologies enable human experiences to
      become visible and recognize the importance of lived experiences. This paper
      argues that involving people with schizophrenia in research is critical to
      promote their health and well-being. The quality of qualitative research needs
      scrutinizing according to methodological issues such as trustworthiness and
      ethical standards that are a fundamental part of qualitative research and nursing
      curricula. The aim of this study was to critically review recent qualitative
      studies involving people with severe and persistent mental illness such as
      schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions, regarding descriptions of ethical
      and methodological issues in data collection and analysis. A search for relevant
      papers was conducted in three electronic databases, in December 2016. Fifteen
      qualitative interview studies were included and reviewed regarding methodological
      issues related to ethics, and data collection and analysis. The results revealed
      insufficient descriptions of methodology regarding ethical considerations and
      issues related to recruitment and sampling in qualitative interview studies with
      individuals with severe mental illness, putting trustworthiness at risk despite
      detailed descriptions of data analysis. Knowledge from the perspective of
      individuals with their own experience of mental illness is essential. Issues
      regarding sampling and trustworthiness in qualitative studies involving people
      with severe mental illness are vital to counteract the stigmatization of mental
      illness.

PMID- 28901218
TI  - Four-week dietary supplementation with 10- and/or 15-fold basal choline caused
      decreased body weight in Sprague Dawley rats.
AB  - Choline is an essential nutrient utilized for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis
      and lipoprotein packaging and secretion. Recently, choline supplementation has
      been used by athletes and the public for weight loss. However, the potential
      toxicological impact of choline dietary supplementation requires further
      investigation. This study examined the effects of choline dietary supplementation
      in Sprague Dawley rats for 4 weeks. Rats were fed diets containing basal choline
      levels (control) or 5-, 10-, or 15-fold (5*, 10*, or 15*) basal diet
      concentration. In groups fed choline-supplemented diets, there were no
      toxicologically relevant findings in clinical observations, food intake, clinical
      chemistry, liver weights, or liver histopathology. However, decreased mean body
      weights (8.5-10.2%) and body weight gains (24-31%) were noted for the 10* choline
      supplemented (females only) and 15* choline-supplemented (both sexes) groups
      relative to the control groups from day 3 onward. These body weight effects were
      not related to a persistent reduction in average food intake. Serum cholesterol
      was increased in the 15* choline-supplemented male rats relative to the controls,
      an expected effect of choline supplementation; however, there were no changes in
      the serum cholesterol of female rats. Serum choline concentrations were increased
      in female rats relative to the male rats across all treatment groups. The maximum
      tolerated dose for male and female rats were the 15* and 10* choline supplements,
      respectively, based on decreased mean body weight and body weight gains. This
      study supported the conclusions of a clinical trial that showed a high choline
      diet can decrease body weight in humans.

PMID- 28901219
TI  - Primary prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease in the community
      (PREVENTS): Methodology of a health wellness coaching intervention to reduce
      stroke and cardiovascular disease risk, a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - Rationale Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, yet 80% of
      strokes can be prevented through modifications of risk factors and lifestyle and
      by medication. While management strategies for primary stroke prevention in high
      cardiovascular disease risk individuals are well established, they are
      underutilized and existing practice of primary stroke prevention are inadequate.
      Behavioral interventions are emerging as highly promising strategies to improve
      cardiovascular disease risk factor management. Health Wellness Coaching is an
      innovative, patient-focused and cost-effective, multidimensional psychological
      intervention designed to motivate participants to adhere to recommended
      medication and lifestyle changes and has been shown to improve health and enhance
      well-being. Aims and/or hypothesis To determine the effectiveness of Health
      Wellness Coaching for primary stroke prevention in an ethnically diverse sample
      including Maori, Pacific Island, New Zealand European and Asian participants.
      Design A parallel, prospective, randomized, open-treatment, single-blinded end
      point trial. Participants include 320 adults with absolute five-year
      cardiovascular disease risk >= 10%, calculated using the PREDICT web-based
      clinical tool. Randomization will be to Health Wellness Coaching or usual care
      groups. Participants randomized to Health Wellness Coaching will receive 15
      coaching sessions over nine months. Study outcomes A substantial relative risk
      reduction of five-year cardiovascular disease risk at nine months post
      randomization, which is defined as 10% relative risk reduction among those at
      moderate five-year cardiovascular disease risk (10-15%) and 25% among those at
      high risk (>15%). Discussion This clinical trial will determine whether Health
      Wellness Coaching is an effective intervention for reducing modifiable risk
      factors, and hence decrease the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28901220
TI  - Biomarkers of cardiometabolic health are associated with body composition
      characteristics but not physical activity in persons with spinal cord injury.
AB  - Objective To examine (i) the associations between physical activity dimensions,
      cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition and, (ii) the associations between
      physical activity dimensions, cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and
      biomarkers of cardiometabolic health in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).
      Methods A cross-sectional prospective cohort study with 7-day follow-up was
      conducted. Body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and biomarkers of
      cardiometabolic health were measured in thirty-three participants with SCI (> 1
      year post injury). Physical activity dimensions were objectively assessed over 7
      days. Results Activity energy expenditure (r =.43), physical activity level (r
      =.39), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (r =.48) were
      significantly (P < 0.001) associated with absolute (L/min) peak oxygen uptake
      (VO2 peak). VO2 peak was significantly higher in persons performing >=150 MVPA
      minutes/week compared to <40 minutes/week (P = 0.003). Individual physical
      activity dimensions were not significantly associated with biomarkers of
      cardiometabolic health. However, body composition characteristics (BMI, waist and
      hip circumference) showed significant (P < 0.04), moderate (r >.30) associations
      with parameters of metabolic regulation, lipid profiles and inflammatory
      biomarkers. Relative VO2 peak (ml/kg/min) was moderately associated with only
      insulin sensitivity (r = 0.37, P = 0.03). Conclusions Physical activity
      dimensions are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness; however, stronger and
      more consistent associations suggest that poor cardiometabolic health is
      associated with higher body fat content. Given these findings, the regulation of
      energy balance should be an important consideration for researchers and
      clinicians looking to improve cardiometabolic health in persons with SCI.

PMID- 28901221
TI  - Direct oral anticoagulant reversal: how, when and issues faced.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The number of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients requiring thrombo
      prophylaxis with oral anticoagulation is greatly increasing. The introduction of
      non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in addition to standard therapy with
      dose-adjusted warfarin has increased the therapeutic options for AF patients.
      Despite a generally better safety profile of the NOACs, the risk of major
      bleedings still persists, and the management of serious bleeding is a clinical
      challenge. Areas covered: In the current review, risk of major bleeding in
      patients taking NOACs and general approaches to manage bleeding depending on
      severity, with a particular focus on specific reversal agents, are discussed.
      Expert commentary: Due to short half-life of NOACs compared to warfarin,
      discontinuation of drug, mechanical compression, and volume substitution are
      considered to be sufficient measures in most of bleeding cases. In case of life
      threatening bleeding or urgent surgery, hemostasis can be achieved with non
      specific reversal agents (prothrombin complex concentrates) in patients treated
      with factor Xa inhibitor until specific antidotes (andexanet alpha and
      ciraparantag) will receive approval. Thus far, idarucizumab has been the only
      reversal agent approved for dabigatran.

PMID- 28901222
TI  - Cell phone-based online biochemistry and molecular biology medical education
      curriculum.

PMID- 28901223
TI  - The Lymphatic System: The Achilles Heel of the Fontan-Kreutzer Circulation.
AB  - In spite of excellent long term survival the Fontan Kreutzer procedure commonly
      presents late failure due to end-organ damage. Several advances have been
      described to refine single ventricle management and surgical techniques. However,
      very little research has been dedicated to the lymphatic circulation in the
      precarious Fontan hemodynamic state. The lymphatic circulation is clearly
      affected since there is increased lymph production, which requires to be drained
      at a similar or higher pressure than it is produced, commonly resulting in
      chronic lymphedema. Chronic lymphedema induces fibrosis and end-organ failure
      even in normal circulation. Diverting lymph drainage to the low-pressured
      systemic atrium in Fontan may represent a valid alternative for the treatment of
      devastating complications as protein-losing enteropathy and plastic bronchitis
      and may prevent or decrease the development of end-organ fibrosis or failure.

PMID- 28901224
TI  - Coronary Revascularization in Children at a Mexican Cardiac Center: Thirteen-Year
      Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The indications for pediatric coronary revascularization are diverse.
      There are a large proportion of patients with sequelae of severe inflammatory
      diseases such as Kawasaki disease, and other less common causes. METHODS:
      Retrospective review of ten pediatric patients undergoing coronary artery bypass
      surgery from January 2004 to December 2016. RESULTS: Ten children and adolescents
      ranging in age from 2 to 17 (median, 6) years at operation were followed up for
      as long as 13 years with a median follow-up of 2 years. The surgical indications
      include ischemia symptoms and/or coronary stenosis angiographically documented.
      Diagnoses include Kawasaki disease, anomalous origin of the left coronary artery
      from the pulmonary artery, and iatrogenic lesion of the right coronary artery.
      All the surgical procedures were performed with cardiopulmonary bypass with
      crystalloid cardioplegic arrest. The number of distal anastomoses was 1.6 per
      patient, and the left internal thoracic artery was used in one patient, the right
      internal thoracic artery in four patients, bilateral internal thoracic artery in
      four patients, and bilateral internal thoracic artery plus left radial artery in
      one patient, most frequently for right coronary artery revascularization. The
      patients underwent noninvasive diagnostic study during follow-up to evaluate
      their coronary status. The ten patients had no symptoms, and there was no
      mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Although survival was excellent after pediatric coronary
      bypass in our center, we need to continue the follow-up. Coronary
      revascularization by means of arterial grafting is a safe and reliable surgical
      modality for coronary disease in children.

PMID- 28901225
TI  - Promoting Pulmonary Arterial Growth via Right Ventricle-to-Pulmonary Artery
      Connection in Children With Pulmonary Atresia, Ventricular Septal Defect, and
      Hypoplastic Pulmonary Arteries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complete repair of pulmonary atresia (PA) ventricular septal defect
      (VSD) with hypoplastic or absent native pulmonary arteries, often with major
      aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs), involves construction of an adequate
      sized pulmonary arterial tree. We report our results with a previously described
      staged strategy using initial right ventricle (RV)-to-reconstructed pulmonary
      arterial tree (RV-PA) connection to promote pulmonary arterial growth and
      facilitate later ventricular septation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data
      for all patients (N = 10) with initial echocardiographic diagnosis of PA-VSD and
      hypoplastic pulmonary arteries operated in our center from October 2008 to August
      2016. Pulmonary arterial vessel size measured on preoperative and postoperative
      angiography was used to calculate Nakata index. RESULTS: Seven patients had PA
      VSD, three had virtual PA-VSD, and seven had MAPCAs. All underwent creation of RV
      PA connection at a median age of 7.5 days and weight 3.6 kg. Eight patients had
      RV-PA conduits, two had a transannular patches, and seven had major pulmonary
      artery reconstruction simultaneously. There were no deaths or serious morbidity;
      one conduit required revision prior to complete repair. Complete repair with
      ventricular septation and RV pressure less than half systemic was achieved in all
      patients at a median age of 239 days. Nakata index in neonatal period was 54
      mm2/m2 (range 15-144 mm2/m2) and at time of septation 184 mm2/m2 (range 56-510
      mm2/m2; P = .004). Growth rates of right and left branch pulmonary arteries were
      similar. The 10 patients underwent 28 catheterizations with 13 interventions in 8
      patients prior to full repair. CONCLUSION: Early palliative RV-PA connection
      promotes pulmonary arterial growth and facilitates eventual full repair with VSD
      closure with low RV pressure and operative risk.

PMID- 28901226
TI  - Isolated Right Juxtaposition of the Atrial Appendages in Adult With Bicuspid
      Aortic Valve Stenosis.
AB  - We report the case of a 30-year-old male who had symptomatic bicuspid aortic
      valve stenosis. Operative findings unexpectedly revealed right juxtaposition of
      the atrial appendages. This is a rare association, as juxtaposition of atrial
      appendages is generally associated with more complex forms of congenital heart
      disease. The patient underwent successful surgery with uneventful postoperative
      course.

PMID- 28901227
TI  - Mixed Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return With Ascending and Descending
      Vertical Veins.

PMID- 28901228
TI  - The World Database for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery: The Dawn of a New
      Era of Global Communication and Quality Improvement in Congenital Heart Disease.
AB  - The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery was founded with the
      mission to "promote the highest quality comprehensive cardiac care to all
      patients with congenital heart disease, from the fetus to the adult, regardless
      of the patient's economic means, with an emphasis on excellence in teaching,
      research, and community service." Early on, the Society's members realized that a
      crucial step in meeting this goal was to establish a global database that would
      collect vital information, allowing cardiac surgical centers worldwide to
      benchmark their outcomes and improve the quality of congenital heart disease
      care. With tireless efforts from all corners of the globe and utilizing the vast
      experience and invaluable input of multiple international experts, such a
      platform of global information exchange was created: The World Database for
      Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease went live on January 1, 2017. This
      database has been thoughtfully designed to produce meaningful performance and
      quality analyses of surgical outcomes extending beyond immediate hospital
      survival, allowing capture of important morbidities and mortalities for up to 1
      year postoperatively. In order to advance the societal mission, this quality
      improvement program is available free of charge to WSPCHS members. In
      establishing the World Database, the Society has taken an essential step to
      further the process of global improvement in care for children with congenital
      heart disease.

PMID- 28901229
TI  - Intraoperative High-Frequency Jet Ventilation Is Equivalent to Conventional
      Ventilation During Patent Ductus Arteriosus Ligation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) treatment is typically pharmacologic,
      but if unsuccessful, surgical ligation is commonly performed. High-frequency jet
      ventilation (HFJV) is used at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's
      Hospital for extremely low birth weight infants. Historically, neonates requiring
      PDA ligation were temporarily transferred to conventional ventilation (CV) prior
      to surgery. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether
      conversion was necessary. METHODS: This retrospective cohort analysis examined
      outcomes following PDA ligation from 2014 to 2016 at the University of Iowa's
      Stead Family Children's Hospital. Infants who were transferred to CV prior to
      surgery and returned to HFJV postprocedure are referred to as the CV cohort. The
      HFJV cohort infants remained on HFJV throughout. RESULTS: We found no significant
      increases in morbidity or mortality with the use of intraoperative HFJV and
      potentially show some benefit through greater reduction in serum CO2.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mode of ventilation during PDA ligation does not affect surgical
      morbidity or mortality or short-term clinical outcomes. Conversion to CV from
      HFJV is not necessary.

PMID- 28901230
TI  - Clinical Progress in the Management of Tetralogy of Fallot in the Dominican
      Republic: A Case Series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Definitive surgical interventions for Dominican children with
      congenital heart disease, like those of other low- and middle-income countries,
      have been historically limited. METHODS: We undertook review of a case series
      focusing on the surgical correction of complex forms of tetralogy of Fallot at a
      single center, CEDIMAT Centro Cardiovascular, in the Dominican Republic, over a
      30-month period. RESULTS: According to our criteria, 43 cases were determined to
      be complex tetralogy of Fallot repairs from the two-year period. Besides
      tetralogy of Fallot, the cohort had an additional 55 anatomic anomalies that had
      to be addressed at the time of surgery. Median age at the time of surgery was
      notably 30 months, and an average of 42 months elapsed from the time of diagnosis
      to the time of surgery for this group. Only 33% of the cases reviewed had no
      hypercyanotic crises before repair. Median time to extubation for this group of
      patients was one day, with a three-day median length of stay in the intensive
      care setting. CONCLUSIONS: Our study importantly captures the present experience
      of a surgical congenital heart program that has recently transitioned from a
      traditional "mission model" to a now self-sustaining local practice. Both the
      number and the complexity of the lesions corrected in this caseload represent an
      advance from the level of care previously provided to children in the Dominican
      Republic.

PMID- 28901231
TI  - Single-Stage Repair of Coarctation of the Aorta and Ventricular Septal Defect: A
      Comparison of Surgical Strategies and Resource Utilization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to compare clinical outcomes and resource utilization for
      two surgical approaches for single-stage repair of coarctation of the aorta and
      ventricular septal defect (VSD). METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review
      of 21 consecutive neonates and infants undergoing single-stage repair of
      coarctation of the aorta and VSD. Group 1 included 13 patients with both arch
      repair and VSD repair completed via sternotomy. Group 2 included eight patients
      with off-pump arch repair via left thoracotomy followed by repositioning and VSD
      repair via sternotomy. Primary clinical outcome was arch reintervention.
      Secondary outcomes included various measures of resource utilization. RESULTS:
      Group 1 patients demonstrated younger age at repair (median of 10 days vs 57 days
      for group 2; P = .05) and lower proximal arch z scores (-4.2 vs -2.3 for group 2;
      P = .003). Arch reintervention occurred in 0 of 8 patients in group 2 and 1
      (7.7%) of 13 patients in group 1 ( P = nonsignificant). Group 2 was associated
      with lower total charges (US$68,301 vs US$211,723 for group 1; P = .0007),
      shorter length of stay (8 days vs 23 days for group 1; P = .004), and shorter
      duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation (0.5 days vs 4.0 days for group
      1; P = .0008). Group 2 was also associated with shorter total cardiopulmonary
      bypass time (86 minutes vs 201 minutes for group 1; P = .0009). CONCLUSION:
      Single-stage two-incision repair of coarctation and VSD in appropriately selected
      patients may be associated with higher value of care. Confirmation of this
      finding will require further study based on larger numbers of patients.

PMID- 28901232
TI  - Decellularized Allografts for Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Reconstruction in
      Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Determine the midterm outcomes of decellularized allografts for right
      ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction in children less than 12 years of
      age. METHODS: The study included all consecutive patients submitted to RVOT
      reconstruction with decellularized allografts between June 2006 and June 2016.
      Besides clinical and echocardiographic control, 20 patients with more than five
      years of follow-up were evaluated with computed tomography (CT) scans to
      determine allograft diameters and calcium scores. Structural valve deterioration
      was defined as any peak gradient above 40 mm Hg and/or insufficiency of moderate
      or severe degree. Conduit failure was defined as the need for allograft
      reintervention. RESULTS: There were 59 patients with a median age of six years
      (range = 0.01-12 years). The most common operation was the Ross procedure (34%).
      Mean clinical follow-up was 5.4 (2.8) years and was 94% complete. At eight years,
      only two patients needed a reintervention, with a 90.9% freedom from this event.
      Structural valve deterioration occurred in 13 patients, 5 due to stenosis and 8
      due to insufficiency, with a freedom from structural valve deterioration due to
      any cause of 64.9% at eight years. Late CT scans demonstrated the absence or
      minimal calcification of the conduits. CONCLUSIONS: Decellularized allografts for
      RVOT reconstruction in children were associated with a low incidence of
      structural valve deterioration and conduit failure. Although these results still
      need to be confirmed in larger series and with longer follow-up, our data suggest
      favorable outcomes, at least in the first decade after the operation.

PMID- 28901233
TI  - A Quarter-Century After Primary Direct Arterial Switch Operation: Four-D-Flow MRI
      Video Imaging of Blood Flow Dynamics Outcomes.
AB  - Four-dimensional (4-D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination was
      performed 25 years after a neonatal direct arterial switch operation for simple
      transposition of the great arteries. The 4-D flow MRI video shows physiological
      spiral anatomical configuration and laminar streamlines in the great arteries.

PMID- 28901234
TI  - Risk Factors For Unfavorable Outcomes After Bidirectional Cavopulmonary
      Anastomosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis (BCPA) is an important
      preliminary step toward the Fontan procedure; thus, understanding of risk factors
      for morbidity and mortality after BCPA may ultimately promote improved rates of
      success with Fontan completion and general survival. This study evaluated
      survival and predictors of unfavorable outcomes in patients after BCPA. METHODS:
      Clinical data of 157 patients who underwent BCPA from 2003 to 2015 at a single
      center were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Three-year and nine-year survival
      after BCPA were 87.1% +/- 2.8% and 85.8% +/- 2.9%, respectively. Freedom from
      unfavorable outcomes (mortality, BCPA takedown, nonsuitability for Fontan
      procedure) was 83.8% +/- 3.1% at three years and 73.5% +/- 4.8% at nine years.
      Multivariate proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that total
      anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC; hazard ratio [HR]: 3.74, 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 1.35-10.36; P = .01) and increased mean pressure in
      BCPA circuit (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02-1.34; P = .03) were independent risk factors
      for unfavorable outcomes. Postoperative mean pressure in BCPA circuit in patients
      with poor outcomes was median 16 mm Hg (interquartile range [IQR]: 14-18 mm Hg)
      versus median 14 mm Hg (IQR: 12-15.5 mm Hg) in patients with favorable outcomes (
      P < .01). Preoperative (HR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.20-2.91; P < .01) and postoperative
      atrioventricular valve regurgitation (AVVR; HR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.24-3.94; P < .01)
      were also associated with unfavorable outcome in univariate Cox regression.
      CONCLUSIONS: Elevated mean pressure in the BCPA circuit is the main predictor of
      unfavorable outcome; therefore, thorough preoperative examination and careful
      patient selection are critical points for successful intermediate-stage and later
      Fontan completion. Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and insufficient
      correction of AVVR worsen the prognosis in this patient group.

PMID- 28901235
TI  - Low-Dose Computed Tomographic Imaging of Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous
      Connection in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to determine lobar distribution, drainage
      sites, and associated cardiovascular anomalies of partial anomalous pulmonary
      venous connection in pediatric patients using low-dose multidetector computed
      tomographic angiography. METHODS: Sixty-one cases (27 female, mean age: 4.7
      years) with partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection diagnosed by
      multidetector computed tomographic angiography were included in this study. In
      all patients, multidetector computed tomographic angiography examinations were
      performed using dual-source 256-slice scanner without sedation. RESULTS: In 61
      patients, 73 anomalous pulmonary veins were detected, 56 (77%) of them were right
      sided and 17 (23%) were left-sided. Of 56 right-sided anomalous pulmonary veins
      in 49 patients, 38 (68%) drained into superior vena cava, eight (14%) into
      atriocaval junction, six (11%) into inferior vena cava, three (5%) into right
      atrium, and one (2%) into levoatriocardinal vein. Of 17 left-sided anomalous
      pulmonary veins in 12 patients, 16 (94%) drained into left innominate vein, and
      one (6%) into coronary sinus. Only seven (12%) patients had isolated partial
      anomalous pulmonary venous connection, whereas 54 (88%) patients had additional
      cardiovascular anomalies. The most common (66%) associated anomaly is atrial
      septal defect. The overall mean effective radiation dose was 1.12 mSv (range:
      0.15-7.41 mSv), and it was 0.58 mSv (range: 0.15-0.73) in the patients younger
      than one-year old. CONCLUSIONS: The presence and course of the anomalous
      pulmonary veins and associated cardiovascular anomalies can be reliably detected
      by dual-source 256-slice multidetector computed tomographic angiography with low
      radiation doses.

PMID- 28901236
TI  - Cardiac Tumors in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review.
AB  - This systematic review sought to investigate the current evidence regarding
      surgical management of primary cardiac tumors in children and adolescents. Twenty
      eight studies were deemed eligible, reporting on 745 pediatric patients.
      Rhabdomyoma was the most prevalent histologic type and echocardiography was the
      most common diagnostic tool. Cumulative 30-day mortality rate was 6.7%.
      Rhabdomyomas and teratomas had the highest 30-day mortality. The higher
      percentage of tumor relapse was noted for myxoma and teratoma. Although cardiac
      tumors are rare, their atypical clinical presentation, potential for recurrence,
      and the poor prognosis associated with recurrence elucidate the need for reliable
      diagnostic and therapeutic management.

PMID- 28901240
TI  - Celebrating exemplary ethical care: The Human Rights and Nursing Awards.

PMID- 28901239
TI  - Ethical issues in action-oriented research in Indonesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Action-oriented research is one of the most frequent research types
      implemented to transform community health in Indonesia. Three researchers and 11
      graduate students from a developed country in East Asia conducted a fieldwork
      program in a remote area in South Sulawesi Province. Although the project was
      completed, whether or not the international standards for human subject research
      were applied into that study remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to
      examine ethical issues raised from that case, analyze constraints to the
      problems, and recommend alternatives to protect vulnerable populations from being
      exploited by local/international researchers. METHODS: A problem-solving approach
      was used in this study. It began with problem identification, evaluation of the
      action-oriented research goal, investigation of the constraints to the problem,
      and recommendation of some relevant alternatives to address the central issue.
      Ethical Consideration: The approval for conducting the action-oriented research
      that being investigated in this work was only obtained from the Head of local
      district. RESULTS: Some ethical issues were found in this case. No special
      protection for this population, no informed consent was obtained from the
      participants, exposure to social and economic risks, no future benefits for the
      subjects, and conflict of interests. Lack of control from the local research
      ethics committee and lack of competence of local researchers on human subject
      research were considered as the constraints to the problems. DISCUSSION: Creating
      an independent research ethics committee, providing research ethics training to
      the local researchers, obtaining written/video consents from underserved
      populations, and meeting local health needs were recommended alternatives to
      solve these problems. CONCLUSION: Indonesian government bodies should reform
      their international collaborative system on research involving human subjects.
      Exploitation may not occur if all participants as well as all local and national
      governing bodies understand the research ethics on human subjects and apply it
      into their practice.

PMID- 28901241
TI  - Citation for Martha Turner.

PMID- 28901242
TI  - Citations for the Human Rights and Nursing Awards 2017.

PMID- 28901243
TI  - An exploration into municipal waste charges for environmental management at local
      level: The case of Spain.
AB  - Municipal waste charges have been widely acknowledged as a crucial tool for waste
      management at the local level. This is because they contribute to financing the
      costly provision of waste collection and treatment services and they can be
      designed to provide an economic stimulus to encourage citizens and local
      businesses to improve separate collection and recycling. This work presents a
      methodology to evaluate a sample of 125 municipal waste charges in Spain for the
      year 2015, covering 33.91% of the Spanish population. The qualitative
      benchmarking of municipal waste charges shows that flat fees are frequent,
      whereas variable fees are set according to criteria that are weakly related to
      waste generation. The average fee per household is ?82.2 per year, which does not
      provide full cost recovery. The current configuration of municipal waste charges
      penalises taxpayers contributing to source separation of waste, while subsidising
      less environmentally friendly behaviours. In this sense, municipal waste charges
      in Spain are far from applying the polluter pays principle. Furthermore, it is
      argued that municipal waste charges are ineffective for promoting the proper
      application of the so-called 'waste hierarchy'.

PMID- 28901244
TI  - Inter-caste lovers' suicide pact - Case report from Nepal.
AB  - Discrimination on cultural and ethnic grounds is a crime in Nepal. [Caste Based
      Discrimination and Untouchability (Offence and Punishment) Act, 2068 (2011) * ?*
      There are two different dates which reflect the Bikram Sambat which is the
      official Hindu calendar in Nepal. This calendar is 57 years ahead of Gregorian
      calendar. For example, 19 August 2017 AD is 03 Bhadra 2074 Bikram Sambat. Thus,
      the date 2068 is in Bikram Sambat, 2011 is per Gregorian calendar which is
      unofficial so kept in parenthesis. This text is available online from:
      http://www.ilo.org/aids/legislation/WCMS_190732/lang-en/index.htm . ]. However,
      cases of caste-based discrimination continue and have been reported in the
      newspapers. They occur because most families refuse to accept inter-caste
      marriages in Nepal as they fear they will become social outcasts. We present a
      tragic case where a young couple in their 20s made a pact to end their lives by
      jumping from Nepal's highest suspension bridge. Preliminary police investigation
      suggested their inter-caste relationship was the reason.

PMID- 28901245
TI  - Investigation into perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a cranberry bog: method
      development and sampling results.
AB  - The contamination of groundwater and surface water from previous uses of
      perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), particularly products containing the
      contaminants perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), has
      become a concern for drinking water and as a potential exposure route to the food
      supply. In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was asked to investigate
      a bog in Massachusetts where the surface water was believed to be contaminated
      with PFASs. As a result, a method was developed for the analysis of PFASs in
      cranberries, and water and fruit from the affected bog were evaluated. A QuEChERS
      method was developed and validated for PFOA, PFOS, and six additional shorter
      chain PFASs. Method recoveries ranged from 60% to 115% for validation spikes
      performed at 10, 20 and 40 ng g-1 and method detection limits ranged from 0.2 to
      5.6 ng g-1. Bog water samples were analysed using Environmental Protection Agency
      (EPA) method 537 for PFOA, PFOS and four additional short-chain PFASs. Surface
      water concentrations for PFOS ranged from 16 to 122 ng L-1 and input water
      concentrations were 132 ng L-1 and 206 ng L-1. Of the eight water samples, seven
      had water concentrations that exceeded the EPA health advisory level for PFOS of
      70 ng L-1. Of the 42 cranberry samples analysed, none had detects of PFOA or PFOS
      above their method detection limits (0.4 and 0.5 ng g-1, respectively), nor any
      of the other short-chain PFASs.

PMID- 28901246
TI  - Editorial: Recent Advances in the Field of Kinases and Kinase Inhibitors.

PMID- 28901247
TI  - Effect on Morphology, Osmotic Fragility and Electro Kinetic Potential of
      Erythrocytes in Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a common health problem concerning a large proportion
      of population and a leading global risk factor for the burden of cardiovascular
      disease (CVD). The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of the
      erythrocyte zeta potential as a potential additional indicator for cardiovascular
      disorder risk so that patients with this can be more rapidly identified and
      treated. METHODS: In the present study, blood samples were collected in 5%
      dextrose solution from patients suffering from hypertension and healthy
      volunteers (Not taken any medication). The mobility of individual RBCs was
      tracked by equipped Zeta meter-ZM4DAQ software using microscopicallyacquired
      video images, data were recorded 10 times for each sample and average zeta
      potential in mv was recorded. RESULTS: We found that mean erythrocytic ZP of
      control group was found to be 23.41 mv (+/- 1.87) whereas, erythrocytic ZP for
      Hypertensive patients was found to be 16.05 (+/-1.72) mV and Hypertensive
      patients with Diabetes is much lower from 6.96 mV to 22.76 (+3.88) mV along with
      structural deformities and increased osmotic fragility of erythrocytes.
      CONCLUSION: The data suggest that there are morphological changes in erythrocyte
      structure, increased osmotic fragility along with significantly lower ZP value as
      compared to that of healthy volunteers which may be the major cause for
      progression to the development of cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28901249
TI  - Proteins Commonly Linked to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Several years after the first publication of Barker's Hypothesis the
      identification of common patterns and pathways between genetic and epigenetic
      risk factors in neurodegenerative disorders is still an open problem. For the
      cases of Alzheimer's disease and Autism and by taking into consideration the
      increasing number of diagnosed cases globally, scientists focused on commonly
      expressed and related proteins like Amyloid beta and the mechanisms of their
      underlying dysfunctionalities. In this review paper, an attempt to specify
      significant correlations between proteins linked to Autism Spectrum Disorders and
      Alzheimer's Disease is presented. Both diseases are highlighted with an emphasis
      on the macromolecules that play a fundamental role in their development. These
      proteins are described and analyzed concerning the underlying pathology of these
      diseases.

PMID- 28901248
TI  - Review on Synthetic Chemistry and Antibacterial Importance of Thiazole
      Derivatives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thiazole is one of the leading heterocyclic five-member ring
      compounds that contain nitrogen and sulphur atom. Many natural and/or synthetic
      compounds contain thiazole as an essential moiety and possess diverse therapeutic
      activities. The thiazole ring was modified at different positions to generate new
      molecules with potent antibacterial activities. Thus, the present review
      enumerates the antibacterial importance of thiazole and its derivatives. METHOD:
      The mining of literature has been performed using different database which
      includes only peer-reviewed journals. The quality of retrieved papers was
      appraised using standard tools. Moreover, the significant papers were described
      in detail to focus on thiazole derivatives showing considerable antibacterial
      activity. RESULT: The present review describes the chemistry, SAR (Structure
      Activity Relationship) studies and antibacterial importance of thiazole with
      different synthetic procedures. CONCLUSION: This particular study certainly
      benefits the researchers interested in exploiting the antibacterial activity of
      thiazoles in search of novel agents.

PMID- 28901250
TI  - XBP-1, a Cellular Target for the Development of Novel Anti-viral Strategies.
AB  - X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1) is a key regulator of the unfolded protein
      response (UPR), which is activated in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      stress. Cells contain two protein isoforms of XBP-1, the active isoform (XBP-1S)
      and the inactive isoform (XBP-1U). Induction of UPR leads to the generation of
      XBP-1S while XBP-1U is dominant in ER stress-free cells. XBP-1S is a
      transcriptional activator and regulates the expression of a subset of UPR genes.
      Importantly, recent studies have demonstrated the essential role of XBP-1S in
      various human diseases, such as viral infections. Many viruses have evolved to
      manipulate UPR/XBP-1 of the infected cells to promote viral survival and
      replication. In this review, we will summarize the current findings on the
      involvement of XBP-1 in viral infection/ replication and discuss the potential
      anti-viral strategies by targeting XBP-1.

PMID- 28901251
TI  - Case Report: Severe Hematological, Muscle and Liver Toxicity Caused by Drugs and
      Artichoke Infusion Interaction in an Elderly Polymedicated Patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Case report, in a patient with a history of diabetes and
      hypertension, treated with metformin, gliclazide, enalapril +
      hydrochlorothiazide, amlodipine, aspirin and diazepam, recently medicated for a
      gouty crisis with colchicine and clonixin without improvement. Believing it could
      help in the treatment of gouty crisis symptoms he took about 1.5 L of artichoke
      infusion (Cynara cardunculus). He felt better and did agriculture work but
      developed a distal muscle pain, severe anemia, standard biochemical liver
      cholestasis, increase of alkaline phosphatase and marked increase of inflammatory
      parameters (hyperleucocytosis) and enters in the emergency department at the
      hospital. OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the cause of complaints and laboratory
      abnormalities and the involvement of artichoke infusion. RESULTS: The prominence
      of the inflammatory parameters was ruled out because of exhaustive autoimmune,
      infectious or para-neoplastic syndrome (blood cultures, serology, diagnostic
      imaging, bone marrow and bone biopsy, muscle biopsy and nerve, abdominal
      angiography) were carried out showing normal results. The evaluation pointed out
      that the concomitant intake of artichoke infusion may have been involved in the
      framework developed, since the drugs which were being administered to/by the
      patient have a metabolism mainly mediated by CYP450 3A4 and 2C9 that could be
      compromised when these isoenzymes are inhibited by phenolic and flavonoid
      compounds from plants. Colchicine was one of the last drugs took that have as
      side effects most of the symptoms felt by patient including diarrhea and anemia.
      CONCLUSION: The spontaneous and complete recovery of the patient and the
      negativity of research looking for other causes, conduce to a strong possibility
      of the interaction between artichoke and the drugs in the clinical presentation
      of this case.

PMID- 28901252
TI  - The Origin and Identification of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Teeth: from
      Odontogenic to Non-odontogenic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in teeth have been exploited as vital
      seed cells for stem cell-based dental medicine. To date, several mesenchymal stem
      cell populations originated from odontogenic tissue have been isolated and
      characterized by their expression of MSC surface markers and capacity of multi
      lineage differentiation, including dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), stem cells
      from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED), stem cells from apical papilla
      (SCAP) and so on. However, their identity in vivo remains elusive, which hinders
      further understanding of their application in stem cell-based tooth regeneration.
      Label retaining and lineage tracing analyses, which serve as gold standards for
      identification of stem cells in vivo, provide feasibility for identifying MSCs in
      teeth. OBJECTIVES: In this review, we will discuss the issues of MSCs, including
      the origin and identification of both odontogenic and non-odontogenic MSCs, and
      address the role of nerve-derived Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in the regulation of MSCs
      in the neurovascular bundle (NVB). CONCLUSION: Based on label retaining and
      lineage tracing analyses, latest studies have found new populations of non
      odontogenic MSCs in teeth, periarterial-derived and glial-derived, regulated by
      the Shh derived from nerves in the NVB, which provides a new hope for tooth
      regeneration.

PMID- 28901253
TI  - Bacterial Toxins: A Hope Towards Angiogenic Ailments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis is an essential physiological process for growth and
      maintenance of the body. Especially its role becomes indispendable during the
      embryonic development stage but lacks in adults with some exceptions like while
      wound repair and menstrual cycle. It is a tightly regulated process and relies on
      the cascade of several molecular signaling pathways with the involvement of many
      effectors like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth
      factor (FGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin-like growth factor
      (IGF) etc. METHODS: Related literature/ information were retrieved, analyzed and
      compiled from the online published resources available in Medline, Pubmed, Pubmed
      Central, Science Direct and other scientific databases. RESULTS: Excessive
      angiogenesis leads to disorders like tumor, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid
      arthritis, diabetic retinopathy, endometriosis, psoriasis, and adiposity. While,
      reduced angiogenesis also results in several ailments like cardiac ischemia, low
      capillary density in brain of Alzheimer's patients and delayed wound healing.
      Therefore, both angio-proliferative and anti-angiogenic approaches may be of use
      in developing novel therapeutics. Bacterial toxins are known for modulating the
      process of angiogenesis by mimicking pro-angiogenic factors and/ or competing
      with them. Furthermore, they inactivate the receptors or keep them in ON status,
      hence can be used to treat angiogenic disorders. The ease in handling,
      cultivation and manipulating the toxins structure has enabled the use of bacteria
      as an ideal choice for novel therapeutic developments. CONCLUSION: This review
      intends to elucidate the molecular mechanisms through which certain bacteria may
      alter the level of angiogenesis and consequently can work as therapeutics against
      angiogenic disorders.

PMID- 28901255
TI  - Health Benefits of Manuka Honey as an Essential Constituent for Tissue
      Regeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Honey is known for its therapeutic properties from ancient
      civilizations. Recently, the mechanism of action of Manuka honey in wound
      healing, epithelial regeneration, and ulcer treatments has been revealed.
      OBJECTIVE: In the current review, the health perspectives of honey, its chemical
      composition with special reference to flavonoids, polyphenol, and other bioactive
      trace compounds used in tissue regeneration have been discussed in detail.
      METHODS: We undertook a structured search using wide spectrum sources like Google
      Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus. RESULTS: The included papers showed that Manuka
      honey can inhibit the process of carcinogenesis by controlling different
      molecular processes, and progression of cancer cells. Manuka honey has been found
      to have various biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial and
      anti-proliferative capacities. Scientists try to use Manuka honey in the area of
      tissue engineering to design a template for regeneration. Naturally derived
      antibacterial agents of Manuka honey are numerous mixtures of different
      compounds, which can influence antibacterial capacity. The non-peroxide
      bacteriostatic properties of Manuka honey are associated with the presence of
      methylglyoxal (MGO). CONCLUSION: In addition to bacterial growth inhibition,
      glyoxal (GO) and MGO from Manuka honey can enhance wound healing and tissue
      regeneration by their immunomodulatory property. Further studies are needed to
      provide detailed information about active components of Manuka honey and their
      potential efficacy in different diseases.

PMID- 28901256
TI  - Editorial: Frontier View on Drug Discoveries for Different Diseases - Part II.

PMID- 28901257
TI  - Molecular characterization of two polysaccharides from Phellinus vaninii Ljup and
      their anti-tumor activities.
AB  - Two water-soluble polysaccharides (PV-W, PV-B) were isolated and purified from
      fruiting bodies of P. vaninii Ljup (a traditional Chinese medicine) by hot water
      and sodium hydroxide, respectively. The chemical structure was analyzed by FT-IR,
      GC-MS analysis and 13C NMR spectra. The results illustrated that PV-W was a
      heteropolysaccharide, mainly composed of mannose, glucose, arabinose and
      galactose. PV-B was a beta-1, 3-D-glucan branched with beta-1, 6-D-glucose. The
      results of viscometry proved that PV-W and PV-B could be molecularly dispersed in
      water without aggregation. The results of SEC-MALLS-RI indicated that the two
      polysaccharides with the similar Mw but different chain conformation. PV-W was a
      stable chain with globular shape, while PV-B was a more expanded flexible random
      coils conformation. MTT assay indicated that PV-B showed higher inhibition effect
      on HepG2 and HeLa cells than PV-W in vitro. This work provided the important
      information of active components from traditional Chinese medicines and its
      potential applications in the food and medicine industry.

PMID- 28901258
TI  - From biology to therapy: Improvements of therapeutic options in Lung cancer.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality around the world,
      despite effective chemotherapeutic agents, the prognosis has remained poor for a
      long time. The discovery of molecular changes that drive lung cancer has led to a
      dramatic shift in the therapeutic landscape of this disease. In "in vitro" and
      "in vivo" models of NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer), angiogenesis blockade has
      demonstrated an excellent anti-tumor activity, thus, a number of anti-angiogenic
      drugs have been approved by regulatory authorities for use in clinical practice.
      Much more interesting is the discovery of EGFR (epithelial growth factor
      receptor) mutations that predict sensitivity to the anti-EGFR tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (TKIs), a class of drugs that has shown to significantly improve
      survival when compared with standard chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of
      metastatic NSCLC. Nevertheless, after an initial response, resistance often
      occurs and prognosis becomes dismal. Biomolecular studies on cell line models
      have led to the discovery of mutations (e.g., T790M) that confer resistance to
      anti-EGFR inhibitors. Fortunately, drugs that are able to circumvent this
      mechanism of resistance have been developed and have been recently approved for
      clinical use. The discovery of robust intra-tumor lymphocyte infiltration in
      NSCLC has paved the way to several strategies able to restore the immune
      response. Thus, agents interfering with PD-1/PD-L1 (programmed death) pathways
      make up a significant portion of the armamentarium of cancer therapies for NSCLC.
      In all the above-mentioned situations, the basis of the success in treating NSCLC
      has started from understanding of the mutational landscape of the tumor.

PMID- 28901259
TI  - Structure-Based Design: Synthesis, X-ray Crystallography, and Biological
      Evaluation of N-Substituted-4-Hydroxy-2-Quinolone-3-Carboxamides as Potential
      Cytotoxic Agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oncogenic potential of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3Kalpha) has
      been highlighted as a therapeutic target for anticancer drug design. OBJECTIVE:
      Target compounds were designed to address the effect of different substitution
      patterns at the N atom of the carboxamide moiety on the bioactivity of this
      series. METHODS: Synthesis of the targeted compounds, crystallography, biological
      evaluation tests against human colon carcinoma (HCT-116), and Glide docking
      studies. RESULTS: A new series of N-substituted- 4-hydroxy-2-quinolone-3
      carboxamides was prepared and characterized by means of FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR,
      and elemental analysis. In addition, the identity of the core nucleus 5 was
      successfully characterized with the aid of X-ray crystallography. Biological
      activity of prepared compounds was investigated in vitro against human colon
      carcinoma (HCT-116) cell line. Results revealed that these compounds inhibit cell
      proliferation and induce apoptosis through an increase in caspase-3 activity and
      a decrease in DNA cellular content. Compounds 7, 14, and 17 which have H-bond
      acceptor moiety on p-position displayed promising PI3Kalpha inhibitory activity.
      On the other hand, derivatives tailored with bulky and hydrophobic motifs (16 and
      18) on o- and m-positions exhibited moderate activity. Molecular docking studies
      against PI3Kalpha and caspase-3 showed an agreement between the predicted binding
      affinity (DeltaGobsd) and IC50 values of the derivatives for the caspase-3 model.
      Furthermore, Glide docking studies against PI3Kalpha demonstrated that the newly
      synthesized compounds accommodate PI3Kalpha kinase catalytic domain and form H
      bonding with key binding residues. CONCLUSION: The series exhibited a potential
      PI3Kalpha inhibitory activity in HCT-116 cell line.

PMID- 28901260
TI  - VDAC1 Mediated Anticancer Activity of Gallic Acid in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma
      A549 Cells.
AB  - AIMS: Gallic acid (GA) is generally distributed in a variety of plants and foods,
      and possesses cell growth-inhibiting activities in cancer cell lines. In the
      present study, the impact of GA on cell viability, apoptosis induction and
      possible molecular mechanisms in cultured A549 lung carcinoma cells was
      investigated. METHODS: In vitro experiments showed that treating A549 cells with
      various concentrations of GA inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in a
      dose-dependent manner. In order to understand the mechanism by which GA inhibits
      cell viability, comparative proteomic analysis was applied. The changed proteins
      were identified by Western blot and siRNA methods. RESULTS: Two-dimensional
      electrophoresis revealed changes that occurred to the cells when treated with or
      without GA. Four up-regulated protein spots were clearly identified as malate
      dehydrogenase (MDH), voltagedependent, anion-selective channel protein 1(VDAC1),
      calreticulin (CRT) and brain acid soluble protein 1(BASP1). VDAC1 in A549 cells
      was reconfirmed by western blot. Transfection with VDAC1 siRNA significantly
      increased cell viability after the treatment of GA. Further investigation showed
      that GA down regulated PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. These data strongly suggest
      that up-regulation of VDAC1 by GA may play an important role in GA-induced,
      inhibitory effects on A549 cell viability.

PMID- 28901254
TI  - Therapeutics and Immunoprophylaxis Against Noroviruses and Rotaviruses: The Past,
      Present, and Future.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Noroviruses and rotaviruses are important viral etiologies of severe
      gastroenteritis. Noroviruses are the primary cause of nonbacterial diarrheal
      outbreaks in humans, whilst rotaviruses are a major cause of childhood diarrhea.
      Although both enteric pathogens substantially impact human health and economies,
      there are no approved drugs against noroviruses and rotaviruses so far. On the
      other hand, whilst the currently licensed rotavirus vaccines have been
      successfully implemented in over 100 countries, the most advanced norovirus
      vaccine has recently completed phase-I and II trials. METHODS: We performed a
      structured search of bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed research
      literature on advances in the fields of norovirus and rotavirus therapeutics and
      immunoprophylaxis. RESULTS: Technological advances coupled with a proper
      understanding of viral morphology and replication over the past decade has
      facilitated pioneering research on therapeutics and immunoprophylaxis against
      noroviruses and rotaviruses, with promising outcomes in human clinical trials of
      some of the drugs and vaccines. This review focuses on the various developments
      in the fields of norovirus and rotavirus therapeutics and immunoprophylaxis, such
      as potential antiviral drug molecules, passive immunotherapies (oral human
      immunoglobulins, egg yolk and bovine colostral antibodies, llama-derived
      nanobodies, and antibodies expressed in probiotics, plants, rice grains and
      insect larvae), immune system modulators, probiotics, phytochemicals and other
      biological substances such as bovine milk proteins, therapeutic nanoparticles,
      hydrogels and viscogens, conventional viral vaccines (live and inactivated whole
      virus vaccines), and genetically engineered viral vaccines (reassortant viral
      particles, virus-like particles (VLPs) and other subunit recombinant vaccines
      including multi-valent viral vaccines, edible plant vaccines, and encapsulated
      viral particles). CONCLUSIONS: This review provides important insights into the
      various approaches to therapeutics and immunoprophylaxis against noroviruses and
      rotaviruses.

PMID- 28901261
TI  - Spices with Breast Cancer Chemopreventive and Therapeutic Potentials: A
      Functional Foods Based-Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer is a multifaceted metabolic disease that affects sizeable
      dwellers of rural and urban areas. Among the various types of cancer, mammary
      cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in women. Its menace can
      be curbed with locally consumed spices due to their multiple bioactive
      phytochemicals. AIMS: This review focuses on the breast cancer chemopreventive
      and therapeutic potentials of locally consumed spices. METHODS/RESULTS: The most
      commonly consumed spices with breast cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic
      phytochemical include pepper, onions, ginger, garlic, curry and thyme containing
      many biologically active metabolites ranging from vitamins, fatty acids esters,
      polyphenols/phenolics, sulfurcontaining compounds and anthraquinones with proven
      antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, antitumor and anticancer
      properties against breast cancer/carcinogenesis. Therefore, extracts and active
      principles of these spices could be explored in breast cancer chemoprevention and
      possibly therapeutically which may provide an avenue for reducing the risk and
      prevalence of breast cancer.

PMID- 28901262
TI  - Novel Findings of Anti-cancer Property of Propofol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Propofol, a widely used intravenous anesthetic agent, is
      traditionally applied for sedation and general anesthesia. Explanation: Recent
      attention has been drawn to explore the effect and mechanisms of propofol against
      cancer progression in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, the proliferation
      inhibiting and apoptosis-inducing properties of propofol in cancer have been
      studied. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. CONCLUSION: This
      review focused on the findings within the past ten years and aimed to provide a
      general overview of propofol's malignance-modulating properties and the potential
      molecular mechanisms.

PMID- 28901263
TI  - alpha-Aroylketene Dithioacetal Mediated Synthesis of (E)-3-(benzo[d]thiazol-2
      ylamino)-2-(1-methyl-1H-indole-3-carbonyl)-3-(methylthio)acrylonitrile
      Derivatives and their Biological Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The blending of two pharmacophores would generate novel molecular
      templates that are likely to exhibit interesting biological properties.
      OBJECTIVE: A facile, efficient and high yielding synthesis of (E)-3
      (benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylamino)-2-(1-methyl-1Hindole- 3-carbonyl)-3-(methylthio)
      acrylonitrile derivatives and evaluation of therapeutic potential. METHOD: The
      synthesis of target molecules has been achieved by reacting 2-aminobenzothiazole
      and substituted 2-(1-methyl-1H-indole-3-carbonyl)-3,3
      bis(methylthio)acrylonitrile in the presence of a catalytic amount of sodium
      hydride in THF. Structural investigations were carried using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT
      IR, and HRMS data. RESULTS: In vitro anti-tumor evaluation of the synthesized
      compounds against MCF-7 (breast carcinoma) cell line revealed that they possess
      good anti-tumor activities. Compounds, 4j and 4i demonstrated significant
      activities against breast carcinoma (GI50 14.3 and 19.5 uM respectively). Most of
      the synthesized compounds were also found to be excellent NO, H2O2, DPPH, and
      superoxide radical scavengers. Anti-diabetic and antiinflammatory evaluation also
      displayed moderate activity. CONCLUSION: Among the compounds synthesized some of
      the compounds possess significant anticancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
      properties.

PMID- 28901264
TI  - Inhibition of Proliferation and Induction of Apoptosis by Thymoquinone via
      Modulation of TGF Family, p53, p21 and Bcl-2alpha in Leukemic Cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive form of malignancy
      caused by human T- cell lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1). Currently, there is no
      effective treatment for ATL. Thymoquinone has been reported to have anti-cancer
      properties. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigatthe effects of TQ on
      proliferation, apoptosis induction and the underlying mechanism of action in both
      HTLV-1 positive (C91-PL and HuT-102) and HTLV-1 negative (CEM and Jurkat)
      malignant T-lymphocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were incubated with
      different thymoquinone concentrations for 24h. Cell cytotoxicity was assayed
      using the CytoTox 96(r) Non-Radioactive Cytotoxicity Assay Kit. Cell
      proliferation was determined using CellTiter 96(r) Non-Radioactive Cell
      Proliferation. Cell cycle analysis was performed by staining with propidium
      iodide. Apoptosis was assessed using cell death ELISA kit. The effect of TQ on
      p53, p21, Bcl-2 protein expression was determined using Western blot analysis
      while TGF mRNA expression was determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS: At non-cytotoxic
      concentrations of TQ, it resulted in the inhibition of proliferation in a dose
      dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis revealed a shift in the cell cycle
      distribution to the PreG1 phase which is a marker of apoptosis. Also TQ increase
      DNA fragmentation. TQ mediated its anti-proliferative effect and apoptosis
      induction by an up-regulation of TGFbeta1, p53 and p21 and a down-regulation of
      TGF-alpha and Bcl-2alpha. CONCLUSION: Thymoquinone presents antiproliferative and
      proapoptotic effects in ATL cells. For this reason, further research is required
      to investigate its possible application in the treatment of ATL.

PMID- 28901265
TI  - Stereocomplexation Assisted Assembly of Poly(gamma-glutamic Acid)-graft
      polylactide Nano-micelles and Their Efficacy as Anticancer Drug Carrier.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Micelles as drug carriers are characterized by their inherent
      instability due to the weak physical interactions that facilitate the self
      assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers. As one of the strong physical
      interactions, the stereocomplexation between the equal molar of enantiomeric
      polylactides, i.e., the poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA), may be
      harnessed to obtain micelles with enhanced stability and drug loading capacity
      and consequent sustained release. AIMS/METHODS: In this paper, stereocomplexed
      micelles gama-PGA-g-PLA micelles) were fabricated from the stereocomplexation
      between poly(gama-glutamic acid)-graft-PLLA gama-PGA-g-PLA) and poly(gamaglutamic
      acid)-graft-PDLA gama-PGA-g-PLA). These stereocomplexed micelles exhibited a
      lower CMC than the corresponding enantiomeric micelles. RESULT: Furthermore, they
      showed higher drug loading content and drug loading efficiency in addition to
      more sustained drug release profile in vitro. In vivo imaging confirmed that the
      DiR-encapsulated stereocomplexed gama-PGA-g-PLA micelles can deliver anti-cancer
      drug to tumors with enhanced tissue penetration. Overall, gama-PGA-g-PLA micelles
      exhibited greater anti-cancer effects as compared with the free drug and the
      stereocomplexation may be a promising strategy for fabrication of anti-cancer
      drug carriers with significantly enhanced efficacy.

PMID- 28901266
TI  - Editorial: Challenges in the Treatment with New Oral Anticoagulants.

PMID- 28901267
TI  - Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Pediatric IBD: Current Application and Future
      Perspectives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: as the paradigm for IBD management is evolving from symptom control
      to the more ambitious goal of complete deep remission, the concept of
      personalized medicine, as a mean to deliver individualized treatment with the
      best effectiveness and safety profile, is becoming paramount. Therapeutic drug
      monitoring (TDM) is an essential part of personalized medicine and its role in
      the management of IBD patients is rapidly expanding. OBJECTIVE: to review the
      current knowledge that poses the rationale for the use of TDM, and the present
      and future role of TDM-based approaches in the management of pediatric IBD.
      METHOD: literature review. RESULTS: the concept of TDM has been introduced in the
      field of IBD along with thiopurines, over a decade ago, and evolved around anti
      TNF therapies. TDM-based strategies proved to be costeffective in the management
      of patients with loss of response to biologics and, more recently, proactive TDM
      to optimize drug exposure has been shown to reduce treatment failure and drug
      adverse events. The role of TDM with new biologics and the usefulness of software
      systems support tools to guide drug dosing are now under investigation.
      CONCLUSION: Therapeutic drug monitoring has the potential to maximize the cost
      benefit profile of therapies and is becoming an essential part of IBD management.

PMID- 28901268
TI  - NRG1-ErbB Lost in Translation: A New Paradigm for Lung Cancer?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molecular lesions of the NRG1 gene were recently described as a new
      molecular feature of Invasive Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the lung. The NRG1
      chimeric ligand leads to aberrant activation of the ErbB2/ErbB3 signaling via
      PI3K-AKT and MAPK cellular cascades. This review aims to highlight the current
      knowledge about the ErbB network and the effect of NRG1 deregulation in lung
      cancer and their merger into the ErbB/PI3K-AKT axis modulation by current
      pharmacologic strategies. METHODS: We performed a structured search of
      bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed literature to outline the state of the
      art with regard ErbB signaling deregulation and NRG1 function in lung cancer. The
      quality of retrieved papers was assessed using standard tools and one hundred
      thirty-five were included in the review. In many papers the molecular lesions
      affecting the ErbB receptors in lung cancer but also in other type of solid
      tumors were updated. Papers describing the physiological role of NRG1 in cells
      was also screened for the review preparation, as well as the paper reporting NRG1
      fusions in lung cancer and their implication in aberrant ErbB pathway activation.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Overall, this review highpoints how the knowledge of new
      molecular mechanisms of ErbB pathway deregulation may help in gaining new
      insights into the molecular status of lung cancer patients and unveil a novel
      molecular markers of patients' stratification. Moreover, this ultimately led the
      selection of new compounds designed to inhibit the bound between Nrg1-ErbB3 as a
      good alternative way to block the ErbB intracellular signaling.

PMID- 28901269
TI  - Recent Advances in Cancer Drug Development: Targeting Induced Myeloid Cell
      Leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) Differentiation Protein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins are
      upregulated in a majority of cancers and are potential therapeutic targets.
      Fragment-based design led to the development of clinical candidates that target
      Bcl-xL/Bcl-2. Although these BclxL/ Bcl-2 inhibitors showed promise in pre
      clinical studies, resistance to several Bcl-xL inhibitors was observed, when used
      alone. This is attributed to the over-expression of Mcl-1, another member of the
      Bcl-2 family of proteins. Indeed, Mcl-1 is highly amplified in numerous cancers,
      suggesting that it may contribute to malignant cell growth and evasion of
      apoptosis. Therefore, significant efforts have been made toward the development
      of direct Mcl-1 inhibitors for cancer therapy. METHODS: Following an extensive
      search of peer-reviewed articles on the development of Mcl-1-selective
      inhibitors, the literature retrieved is chronologically arranged and discussed in
      this review article. RESULTS: We have included 147 articles in this review;
      including articles that describe the development of stapled peptides with
      improved binding affinity as Mcl-1-selective BH3 mimetics, those describing
      fragment-based and structure-based design of small molecule Mcl-1 inhibitors by
      various research groups, and those detailing the use of natural products and
      their derivatives as potential Mcl-1 inhibitors. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic
      potential of targeting the Mcl-1 protein for cancer drug discovery is vast.
      Stapling BH3 peptides, as well as the development of small molecule inhibitors as
      BH3 mimetics, are viable strategies to develop selective Mcl-1 inhibitors. With
      no clinically approved candidate in hand, additional modes of perturbing the
      biological function of this protein will aid drug discovery efforts.

PMID- 28901270
TI  - Reappraisal of Antimalarials in Interferonopathies: New Perspectives for Old
      Drugs.
AB  - The story of antimalarials as antinflammatory drugs dates back several centuries.
      Chinin, the extract of the Cinchona bark, has been exploited since the 18th
      century for its antimalarial and antifebrile properties. Later, during the Second
      World War, the broad use of antimalarials allowed arguing their antirheumatic
      effect on soldiers. Since then, these drugs have been broadly used to treat
      Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, but, only recently, have the molecular mechanisms
      of action been partly clarified. Inhibitory action on vacuole function and
      trafficking has been considered for decades the main mechanism of the action of
      antimalarials, affecting the activation of phagocytes and dendritic cells. In
      addition, chloroquine is also known as a potent inhibitor of autophagy, providing
      another possible explanation of its antinflammatory action. However, much
      attention has been recently devoted to the action of antimalarials on the so
      called cGASSTING pathway leading from the sensing of cytoplasmic nucleic acids to
      the production of type I interferons. This pathway is a fundamental mechanism of
      host defence, since it is able to detect microbial DNA and induce the type I
      interferon-mediated immune response. Of note, genetic defects in the degradation
      of nucleic acids lead to inappropriate cGAS-STING activation and inflammation.
      These disorders, called type I interferonopathies, represent a valuable model to
      study the antinflammatory potential of antimalarials. We will discuss possible
      development of antimalarials to improve the treatment of type I
      interferonopathies and likely multifactorial disorders characterised by
      interferon inflammation, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

PMID- 28901271
TI  - The Role of Cannabinoid Receptors in Renal Diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a major challenge for Public
      Health systems and corresponds to the replacement of renal functional tissue by
      extra-cellular matrix proteins such as collagens and fibronectin. There is no
      efficient treatment to date for CKD except nephroprotective strategies. The
      cannabinoid system and more specifically the cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB1) and 2
      (CB2) may represent a new therapeutic target in CKD. METHODS: We performed PubMed
      searches using the terms "cannabinoid receptors" in combination with "kidney" or
      "renal disease" or "nephropathy" or "diabetes" or "renal fibrosis" or "cellular
      pathways" in various combinations. We analyzed full-text English-language papers.
      We also searched the reference lists of identified articles for further relevant
      papers. RESULTS: We gathered data regarding the current state of knowledge on the
      cannabinoid system in normal renal physiology and in various experimental
      nephropathies, especially diabetes. We also reviewed data obtained in models of
      diabetes and obesity as well as in non metabolic models of renal fibrosis when
      CB1 blockers and/or CB2 agonists were used. We also found that very few data are
      available so far regarding the cellular pathways involved downstream of the
      cannabinoid receptors in the development of renal fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Overall,
      we found that the cannabinoid receptors are a promising target in the development
      of renal disease and fibrosis, particularly in CKD and diabetes.

PMID- 28901272
TI  - Disorders of Mechanisms of Calcium Metabolism Control as Potential Risk Factors
      of Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Prostate cancer significantly affects the overall morbidity and mortality of
      malignant tumours in highly developed countries. Important risk factors include
      family predisposition and regional, racial and dietary determinants. The
      scientific literature contains a great deal of data on the role of calcium and
      dairy products in general in the process of neoplastic transformation of the
      prostate. This is most likely linked to the fact that changes in the
      concentration of calcium ions control such varied life processes as secretion of
      hormones and neurotransmitters, the level of cyclic nucleotides, and cell growth,
      division and differentiation. Research is conducted to demonstrate that disorders
      of cell cycle control due to differences in calcium ion concentrations may be
      crucial for the development and prevention of cancer. Disturbances of calcium
      homeostasis in the body can be caused by various mechanisms, such as excessive
      calcium intake in the diet, vitamin D deficiency, structural and functional
      changes in vitamin D receptor (VDR), Calcium-Sensing Receptor (CaSR), and
      parathyroid hormone receptor (PTH-1-R), changes in calcium ion channels,
      phosphate metabolism disorders (phosphatonin and the Klotho protein), changes in
      the level of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), and others. The article
      presents data on the mechanisms maintaining calcium homeostasis at the molecular
      level and genetic aspects playing a role in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer.
      The data cited on the occurrence of abnormal mechanisms of calcium metabolism in
      prostate cancer suggest the need for individualized intake of this element in the
      diet, especially in the case of patients with a family history of PCa.

PMID- 28901273
TI  - Oleuropein: Molecular Dynamics and Computation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Olive oil and table olive biophenols have been shown to significantly
      enrich the hedonic-sensory and nutritional quality of the Mediterranean diet.
      Oleuropein is one of the predominant biophenols in green olives and leaves, which
      not only has noteworthy freeradical quenching activity but also putatively
      reduces the incidence of various cancers. Clinical trials suggest that the
      consumption of extra virgin olive oil reduces the risk of several degenerative
      diseases. The oleuropein-based bioactives in olive oil could reduce tumor
      necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1beta and nitric oxide. Therefore, the quality
      of olive biophenols should be preserved and even improved due to their disease
      fighting properties. OBJECTIVE: Understanding the molecular dynamics of
      oleuropein is crucial to increase olive oil and table olive quality. The
      objective of this review is to provide the molecular dynamics and computational
      mapping of oleuropein. METHOD: The oleuropein molecular bond sequential breaking
      mechanisms were analyzed through unimolecular reactions under electron spray
      ionization, collision activated dissociations, and fast atom bombardment mass
      spectrometry. RESULTS: Oleuropein is a biophenol-secoiridoid expressing different
      functionalities such as two pi-bonds, two esters, two acetals, one catechol, and
      four hexose hydroxyls within 540 mw. The oleuropein solvent-free reactivity is
      leading to glucose loss and bioactive aglycone-dialdehydes via secoiridoid ring
      opening. CONCLUSION: Oleuropein electron distribution revealed that the free
      radical non-polar processes occur from its highest occupied molecular orbital,
      while the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is clearly devoted to nucleophilic
      and base site reactivity. This molecular dynamics and computational mapping of
      oleuropein could contribute to the engineering of olive-based biomedicine and/or
      functional food.

PMID- 28901274
TI  - Revalorizing lignocellulose for the production of natural pharmaceuticals and
      other high value bioproducts.
AB  - Lignocellulose is the most plentiful, renewable natural resource on earth and has
      been successfully used for the production of biofuels. A significant challenge is
      to develop cost-effective, environmentally friendly and efficient processes for
      the conversion of lignocellulose material into suitable substrates for
      biotransformation. A number of approaches have been explored to convert
      lignocellulose into sugars, e.g. combining chemical pretreatment and enzymatic
      hydrolysis. In nature, there are organisms that can biotransform the complex
      lignocellulose efficiently, such as wood-degrading fungi (brown rot and white rot
      fungi), bacteria (e.g. Clostridium thermocellum), arthropods (e.g. termite) and
      certain animals (e.g. ruminant). Here, we highlight recent case studies of the
      natural degraders and the mechanisms involved, providing new utilities in
      biotechnology. The sugars produced from such biotransformations can be used in
      metabolic engineering and synthetic biology for the complete biosynthesis of
      natural medicine. The unique opportunities in using lignocellulose directly to
      produce natural drug molecules with either using mushroom and/or 'industrial
      workhorse' organisms (Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) will be
      discussed.

PMID- 28901275
TI  - Reverse Induced Fit-Driven MAS-Downstream Transduction: Looking for Metabotropic
      Agonists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Protective effects of MAS activation have spurred clinical interests
      in developing MAS agonists. However, current bases that drive this process
      preclude that physiological concentrations of peptide MAS agonists induce an
      atypical signaling that does not reach the metabotropic efficacy of constitutive
      activation. Canonical activation of MAS-coupled G proteins is only achieved by
      supraphysiological concentrations of peptide MAS agonists or physiological
      concentrations of chemically modified analogues. These pleiotropic differences
      are because of two overlapped binding domains: one non-metabotropic site that
      recognizes peptide agonists and one metabotropic domain that recognizes modified
      analogues. OBJECTIVE: It is feasible that supraphysiological concentrations of
      peptide MAS agonists undergo to chemical modifications required for binding to
      metabotropic domain. Receptor oligomerization enhances pharmacological parameters
      coupled to metabotropic signaling. The formation of receptor-signalosome complex
      makes the transduction of agonists more adaptive. Considering the recent
      identification of MAS-signalosome, we aimed to postulate the reverse induced fit
      hypothesis in which MAS-signalosome would trigger chemical modifications required
      for agonists bind to MAS metabotropic domain. METHODS: Here we cover rational
      perspectives for developing novel metabotropic MAS agonists in the view of the
      reverse induced-fit hypothesis. RESULTS: Predicting a 3D model of MAS
      metabotropic domain may guide the screening of chemical modifications required
      for metabotropic efficacy. Pharmacophore-based virtual screening would select
      potential metabotropic MAS agonists from virtual libraries from human proteome.
      CONCLUSIONS: Rational perspectives that consider reverse induced fit hypothesis
      during MAS activation for developing metabotropic MAS agonists represents the
      best approach in providing MAS ligands with constitutive efficacy at
      physiological concentrations.

PMID- 28901277
TI  - Repositioning of Tak-475 In Mevalonate Kinase Disease: Translating Theory Into
      Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD, OMIM #610377) is a rare autosomal
      recessive metabolic and inflammatory disease. In MKD, defective function of the
      enzyme mevalonate kinase, due to a mutation in the MVK gene, leads to the
      shortage of mevalonate- derived intermediates, which results in unbalanced
      prenylation of proteins and altered metabolism of sterols. These defects lead to
      a complex multisystem inflammatory and metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE: Although
      biologic therapies aimed at blocking the inflammatory cytokine interleukin- 1 can
      significantly reduce inflammation, they cannot completely control the clinical
      symptoms that affect the nervous system. For this reason, MKD can still be
      considered an orphan drug disease. The availability of MKD models reproducing the
      MKD-systematic inflammation, is crucial to improve the knowledge on its
      pathogenesis, which is still unknown. New therapies are also required in order to
      improve pateints' conditions and their quality of life. METHODS: MKD-cellular
      models can be obtained by biochemical inhibition of mevalonatederived
      isoprenoids. Of note, these cells present an exaggerated response to inflammatory
      stimuli that can be reduced by treatment with zaragozic acid, an inhibitor of
      squalene synthase, thus increasing the availability of isoprenoids intermediates
      upstream the enzymatic block. RESULTS: A similar action might be obtained by
      lapaquistat acetate (TAK-475, Takeda), a drug that underwent extensive clinical
      trials as a cholesterol lowering agent 10 years ago, with a good safety profile.
      CONCLUSIONS: Here we describe the preclinical evidence supporting the possible
      repositioning of TAK-475 from its originally intended use to the treatment of MKD
      and discuss its potential to modulate the mevalonate pathway in inflammatory
      diseases.

PMID- 28901276
TI  - Immunocontraception: Filamentous Bacteriophage as a Platform for Vaccine
      Development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Population control of domestic, wild, invasive, and captive animal
      species is a global issue of importance to public health, animal welfare and the
      economy. There is pressing need for effective, safe, and inexpensive
      contraceptive technologies to address this problem. Contraceptive vaccines,
      designed to stimulate the immune system in order to block critical reproductive
      events and suppress fertility, may provide a solution. Filamentous bacteriophages
      can be used as platforms for development of such vaccines. OBJECTIVE: In this
      review authors highlight structural and immunogenic properties of filamentous
      phages, and discuss applications of phage-peptide vaccines for advancement of
      immunocontraception technology in animals. RESULTS: Phages can be engineered to
      display fusion (non-phage) peptides as coat proteins. Such modifications can be
      accomplished via genetic manipulation of phage DNA, or by chemical conjugation of
      synthetic peptides to phage surface proteins. Phage fusions with antigenic
      determinants induce humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses in animals,
      making them attractive as vaccines. Additional advantages of the phage platform
      include environmental stability, low cost, and safety for immunized animals and
      those administering the vaccines. CONCLUSION: Filamentous phages are viable
      platforms for vaccine development that can be engineered with molecular and
      organismal specificity. Phage-based vaccines can be produced in abundance at low
      cost, are environmentally stable, and are immunogenic when administered via
      multiple routes. These features are essential for a contraceptive vaccine to be
      operationally practical in animal applications. Adaptability of the phage
      platform also makes it attractive for design of human immunocontraceptive agents.

PMID- 28901278
TI  - Neuroinflammation and the Immune-Kynurenine Pathway in Anxiety Disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, neuroinflammation and the immune-kynurenine pathway have
      received increased attention in the psychoimmunology field of major depressive
      disorder (MDD), while studies related to anxiety disorders have been very
      limited. OBJECTIVE: This study reviewed possible mechanisms by which stress or
      inflammation modulate anxiety through tryptophan metabolism and the kynurenine
      pathway. METHODS: Relevant literature was identified through a search of MEDLINE
      via PubMed. RESULTS: Accumulating evidence has indicated the modulatory effects
      of the immune-kynurenine pathway on anxiety. The tryptophan catabolites (TRYCATs)
      in the kynurenine pathway imbalanced by stress or inflammation induce serotonin
      and melatonin deficiency, making anxiety reactions more sensitive. In addition,
      TRYCATs cause or sustain anxiety by acting as endogenous anxiogens or
      anxiolytics, an NMDA agonist or antagonist, or a free radical generator.
      CONCLUSION: We hope that our understanding of the psychoimmunological mechanisms
      of anxiety will be expanded and anxiety-related studies will receive greater
      attention.

PMID- 28901280
TI  - Neuronal and Extraneuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors.
AB  - Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) belong to a super-family of
      Cysloop ligand-gated ion channels that respond to endogenous acetylcholine (ACh)
      or other cholinergic ligands. These receptors are also the targets of drugs such
      as nicotine (the main addictive agent delivered by cigarette smoke) and are
      involved in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Numerous
      studies have shown that the expression and/or function of nAChRs is compromised
      in many neurological and psychiatric diseases. Furthermore, recent studies have
      shown that neuronal nAChRs are found in a large number of nonneuronal cell types
      including endothelial cells, glia, immune cells, lung epithelia and cancer cells
      where they regulate cell differentiation, proliferation and inflammatory
      responses. The aim of this review is to describe the most recent findings
      concerning the structure and function of native nAChRs inside and outside the
      nervous system.

PMID- 28901282
TI  - Antihistamines for treating rhinosinusitis: systematic review and meta-analysis
      of randomised controlled studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Without the release of histamines, patients with rhinosinusitis may
      not benefit from antihistamines. Additionally, anticholinergic effects may do
      more harm than good. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of
      antihistamines in treating rhinosinusitis. METHODS: An electronic search was
      performed. Randomised controlled trials comparing antihistamines with either
      placebo or other treatments for patients with rhinosinusitis were selected.
      RESULTS: Two studies (184 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Loratadine
      decreased nasal obstruction in allergic rhinitis patients with acute
      rhinosinusitis (mean difference = -0.58; confidence interval = -0.85 to -0.31, p
      < 0.01), but had no benefit on total symptom score (mean difference = -1.25;
      confidence interval = -2.77 to 0.27, p = 0.11), or rhinorrhoea symptoms (mean
      difference = -0.06; confidence interval = -0.37 to 0.25, p = 0.71). CONCLUSION:
      There is limited evidence to support the use of antihistamines in treating
      rhinosinusitis. The number of included studies in this systematic review is
      limited. Antihistamines may relieve nasal obstruction in allergic rhinitis
      patients with acute rhinosinusitis.

PMID- 28901279
TI  - The Role of Physical Exercise and Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Depressive Illness in
      the Elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In adulthood, depression is the most common type of mental illness
      and will be the second leading cause of disease by 2020. Major depression
      dramatically affects the function of the central nervous system and degrades the
      quality of life, especially in old age. Several mechanisms underlie the
      pathophysiology of depressive illness, since it has a multifactorial etiology.
      Human and animal studies have demonstrated that depression is mainly associated
      with imbalances in neurotransmitters and neurotrophins, hypothalamic-pituitary
      adrenal axis alterations, brain volume changes, neurogenesis dysfunction, and
      dysregulation of inflammatory pathways. Also the gut microbiota may influence
      mental health outcomes. Although depression is not a consequence of normal aging,
      depressive disorders are common in later life, even if often undiagnosed or mis
      diagnosed in old age. When untreated, depression reduces life expectancy, worsens
      medical illnesses, enhances health care costs and is the primary cause of suicide
      among older people. To date, the underpinnings of depression in the elderly are
      still to be understood, and the pharmacological treatment is the most commonly
      used therapy. OBJECTIVE: Since a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits have
      recently emerged as crucial contributors to the genesis and course of depression,
      in the present review, we have focused on the effects of physical activity and
      omega-3 fatty acids on depressive illness in the elderly. RESULTS: A growing
      literature indicates that both exercise and dietary interventions can promote
      mental health throughout one's lifespan. CONCLUSION: There thus emerges the
      awareness that an active lifestyle and a balanced diet may constitute valid low
      cost prevention strategies to counteract depressive illness in the elderly.

PMID- 28901284
TI  - Correction: N6-methyladenosine of HIV-1 RNA regulates viral infection and HIV-1
      Gag protein expression.

PMID- 28901281
TI  - Review: 5-HT1, 5-HT2, 5-HT3 and 5-HT7 Receptors and their Role in the Modulation
      of Pain Response in the Central Nervous System.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this review was to identify the mechanisms by which
      serotonin receptors involved at the central level are able to modulate the
      nociceptive response. Pain is a defense mechanism of the body that entails
      physiological, anatomical, neurochemical, and psychological changes, and is
      defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience with potential risk of
      tissue damage, comprising the leading cause of appointments with Physicians
      worldwide. Treatment for this symptom has generated several neuropharmacological
      lines of research, due to the different types of pain and the various drugs
      employed to treat this condition. Serotonin [5- HydroxyTryptamine (5-HT)] is a
      neurotransmitter with seven families (5-HT1-5-HT7) and approximately 15 receptor
      subtypes. Serotonin modulates neuronal activity; however, this neurotransmitter
      is related with a number of physiological processes, such as cardiovascular
      function, gastric motility, renal function, etc. On the other hand, several
      researches reported that serotonin modulates nociceptive response through 5-HT1,
      5-HT2, 5-HT3, and 5-HT7 receptors in the Central Nervous System (CNS). METHOD: In
      this review, a search was conducted on PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCO, and the Science
      Citation Index for studies evaluating the effects of 5-HT1, 5-HT2, 5-HT3, and 5
      HT7 receptors in the CNS on the modulation of different types of pain.
      CONCLUSION: We concluded that 5-HT1, 5-HT2, 5-HT3, and 5-HT7 receptors in the CNS
      modulate the pain, but this depends on the distribution of the receptors, dose of
      agonists or antagonists, administration route, pain type and duration in order to
      inhibit, excite, or even maintain the nociceptive response.

PMID- 28901283
TI  - A systematic review of religious beliefs about major end-of-life issues in the
      five major world religions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the religious/spiritual
      beliefs of followers of the five major world religions about frequently
      encountered medical situations at the end of life (EoL). METHOD: This was a
      systematic review of observational studies on the religious aspects of commonly
      encountered EoL situations. The databases used for retrieving studies were: Ovid
      MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Ovid
      PsycINFO, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Cochrane
      Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus. Observational studies, including
      surveys from healthcare providers or the general population, and case studies
      were included for review. Articles written from a purely theoretical or
      philosophical perspective were excluded. RESULTS: Our search strategy generated
      968 references, 40 of which were included for review, while 5 studies were added
      from reference lists. Whenever possible, we organized the results into five
      categories that would be clinically meaningful for palliative care practices at
      the EoL: advanced directives, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, physical
      requirements (artificial nutrition, hydration, and pain management), autopsy
      practices, and other EoL religious considerations. A wide degree of heterogeneity
      was observed within religions, depending on the country of origin, level of
      education, and degree of intrinsic religiosity. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Our
      review describes the religious practices pertaining to major EoL issues and
      explains the variations in EoL decision making by clinicians and patients based
      on their religious teachings and beliefs. Prospective studies with validated
      tools for religiosity should be performed in the future to assess the impact of
      religion on EoL care.

PMID- 28901285
TI  - A case study for a psychographic-behavioral segmentation approach for targeted
      demand generation in voluntary medical male circumcision.
AB  - Public health programs are starting to recognize the need to move beyond a one
      size-fits-all approach in demand generation, and instead tailor interventions to
      the heterogeneity underlying human decision making. Currently, however, there is
      a lack of methods to enable such targeting. We describe a novel hybrid behavioral
      psychographic segmentation approach to segment stakeholders on potential barriers
      to a target behavior. We then apply the method in a case study of demand
      generation for voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) among 15-29 year-old
      males in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Canonical correlations and hierarchical clustering
      techniques were applied on representative samples of men in each country who were
      differentiated by their underlying reasons for their propensity to get
      circumcised. We characterized six distinct segments of men in Zimbabwe, and seven
      segments in Zambia, according to their needs, perceptions, attitudes and
      behaviors towards VMMC, thus highlighting distinct reasons for a failure to
      engage in the desired behavior.

PMID- 28901287
TI  - Causal evidence for lateral prefrontal cortex dynamics supporting cognitive
      control.
AB  - The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is essential for higher-level cognition, but
      the nature of its interactions in supporting cognitive control remains elusive.
      Previously (Nee and D'Esposito, 2016), dynamic causal modeling (DCM) indicated
      that mid LPFC integrates abstract, rostral and concrete, caudal influences to
      inform context-appropriate action. Here, we use continuous theta-burst
      transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) to test this model causally. cTBS was
      applied to three LPFC sites and a control site in counterbalanced sessions.
      Behavioral modulations resulting from cTBS were largely predicted by information
      flow within the previously estimated DCM. However, cTBS to caudal LPFC
      unexpectedly impaired processes that are presumed to involve rostral LPFC. Adding
      a pathway from caudal to mid-rostral LPFC significantly improved the model fit
      and accounted for the observed behavioral findings. These data provide causal
      evidence for LPFC dynamics supporting cognitive control and demonstrate the
      utility of combining DCM with causal manipulations to test and refine models of
      cognition.

PMID- 28901286
TI  - Biochemical adaptations of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium support a
      metabolic ecosystem in the vertebrate eye.
AB  - Here we report multiple lines of evidence for a comprehensive model of energy
      metabolism in the vertebrate eye. Metabolic flux, locations of key enzymes, and
      our finding that glucose enters mouse and zebrafish retinas mostly through
      photoreceptors support a conceptually new model for retinal metabolism. In this
      model, glucose from the choroidal blood passes through the retinal pigment
      epithelium to the retina where photoreceptors convert it to lactate.
      Photoreceptors then export the lactate as fuel for the retinal pigment epithelium
      and for neighboring Muller glial cells. We used human retinal epithelial cells to
      show that lactate can suppress consumption of glucose by the retinal pigment
      epithelium. Suppression of glucose consumption in the retinal pigment epithelium
      can increase the amount of glucose that reaches the retina. This framework for
      understanding metabolic relationships in the vertebrate retina provides new
      insights into the underlying causes of retinal disease and age-related vision
      loss.

PMID- 28901288
TI  - Multiple conserved cell adhesion protein interactions mediate neural wiring of a
      sensory circuit in C. elegans.
AB  - Nervous system function relies on precise synaptic connections. A number of
      widely-conserved cell adhesion proteins are implicated in cell recognition
      between synaptic partners, but how these proteins act as a group to specify a
      complex neural network is poorly understood. Taking advantage of known
      connectivity in C. elegans, we identified and studied cell adhesion genes
      expressed in three interacting neurons in the mating circuits of the adult male.
      Two interacting pairs of cell surface proteins independently promote
      fasciculation between sensory neuron HOA and its postsynaptic target interneuron
      AVG: BAM-2/neurexin-related in HOA binds to CASY-1/calsyntenin in AVG; SAX
      7/L1CAM in sensory neuron PHC binds to RIG-6/contactin in AVG. A third, basal
      pathway results in considerable HOA-AVG fasciculation and synapse formation in
      the absence of the other two. The features of this multiplexed mechanism help to
      explain how complex connectivity is encoded and robustly established during
      nervous system development.

PMID- 28901292
TI  - Control of gliding in a flying snake-inspired n-chain model.
AB  - Flying snakes of genus Chrysopelea possess a highly dynamic gliding behavior,
      which is dominated by an undulation in the form of lateral waves sent posteriorly
      down the body. The resulting high-amplitude periodic variations in the
      distribution of mass and aerodynamic forces have been hypothesized to contribute
      to the stability of the snake's gliding trajectory. However, a previous 2D
      analysis in the longitudinal plane failed to reveal a significant effect of
      undulation on the stability in the pitch direction. In this study, a theoretical
      model was used to examine the dynamics and stability characteristics of flying
      snakes in three dimensions. The snake was modeled as an articulated chain of
      airfoils connected with revolute joints. Along the lines of vibrational control
      methods, which employ high-amplitude periodic inputs to produce desirable stable
      motions in nonlinear systems, undulation was considered as a periodic input to
      the system. This was implemented either by directly prescribing the joint angles
      as periodic functions of time (kinematic undulation), or by assuming periodic
      torques acting at the joints (torque undulation). The aerodynamic forces were
      modeled using blade element theory and previously determined force coefficients.
      The results show that torque undulation, along with linearization-based closed
      loop control, could increase the size of the basin of stability. The
      effectiveness of the stabilization provided by torque undulation is a function of
      the amplitude and frequency of the input. In addition, kinematic undulation
      provides open-loop stability for sufficiently large frequencies. The results
      suggest that the snakes need some amount of closed-loop control despite the clear
      contribution of undulation to glide stability. However, as the closed-loop
      control system needs to work around a passively stable trajectory, undulation
      lowers the demand for a complex closed-loop control system. Overall, this study
      demonstrates the possibility of maintaining stability during gliding using a
      morphing body instead of symmetrically paired wings.

PMID- 28901289
TI  - Distinct stages of synapse elimination are induced by burst firing of CA1 neurons
      and differentially require MEF2A/D.
AB  - Experience and activity refine cortical circuits through synapse elimination, but
      little is known about the activity patterns and downstream molecular mechanisms
      that mediate this process. We used optogenetics to drive individual mouse CA1
      hippocampal neurons to fire in theta frequency bursts to understand how cell
      autonomous, postsynaptic activity leads to synapse elimination. Brief (1 hr)
      periods of postsynaptic bursting selectively depressed AMPA receptor (R) synaptic
      transmission, or silenced excitatory synapses, whereas more prolonged (24 hr)
      firing depressed both AMPAR and NMDAR EPSCs and eliminated spines, indicative of
      a synapse elimination. Both synapse silencing and elimination required de novo
      transcription, but only silencing required the activity-dependent transcription
      factors MEF2A/D. Burst firing induced MEF2A/D-dependent induction of the target
      gene Arc which contributed to synapse silencing and elimination. This work
      reveals new and distinct forms of activity and transcription-dependent synapse
      depression and suggests that these processes can occur independently.

PMID- 28901293
TI  - Anomalous thermal conductance of graphyne under lower temperature.
AB  - The thermal transport properties of graphyne are investigated via equilibrium
      molecular dynamics (EMD) simulations and non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF)
      method. It is found that the room-temperature thermal conductivity of graphyne is
      93% lower than that of graphene with a similar size and decreases steeply with
      increasing the number of acetylenic linkages, which agrees with the results
      obtained by NEGF method qualitatively. Lattice dynamics calculations reveal that
      these phenomena can be attributed to the reduction of both phonon group
      velocities and phonon lifetimes in graphyne at low-frequency region. However,
      when the temperature is less than 30 K, the thermal conductance of graphyne
      exceeds that of graphene. Moreover, the anomalous thermal conductance behavior is
      not sensitive to the system lateral size. The underlying mechanisms for such
      phenomena are elaborated by the normal mode analysis.

PMID- 28901294
TI  - PEGylated anticancer-carbon nanotubes complex targeting mitochondria of lung
      cancer cells.
AB  - Although activating apoptosis in cancer cells by targeting the mitochondria is an
      effective strategy for cancer therapy, insufficient targeting of the mitochondria
      in cancer cells restricts the availability in clinical treatment. Here, we report
      on a polyethylene glycol-coated carbon nanotube-ABT737 nanodrug that improves the
      mitochondrial targeting of lung cancer cells. The polyethylene glycol-coated
      carbon nanotube-ABT737 nanodrug internalized into the early endosomes via
      macropinocytosis and clathrin-mediated endocytosis in advance of early endosomal
      escape and delivered into the mitochondria. Cytosol release of nanodrug led to
      apoptosis of lung cancer cells by abruption of the mitochondrial membrane
      potential, inducing Bcl-2-mediated apoptosis and generating intracellular
      reactive oxygen species. As such, this study provides an effective strategy for
      increasing the anti-lung cancer efficacy by increasing mitochondria accumulation
      rate of cytosol released anticancer nanodrugs.

PMID- 28901295
TI  - Fabrication of water-dispersible single-walled carbon nanotube powder using N
      methylmorpholine N-oxide.
AB  - Dispersion of nanocarbon materials in liquid media is one of prerequisites for
      practical applications via solution processing such as spraying, printing,
      spinning, etc. Here we report that water-dispersible single-walled carbon
      nanotubes (SWCNTs) were prepared through successive treatments with
      chlorosulfuric acid (CSA)/H2O2 and N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMO) monohydrate.
      The powder of the CSA/H2O2- and NMO-treated SWCNTs (N-SWCNTs) could be readily
      redispersed in water in concentrations as high as 1 g L-1 without requiring a
      dispersant. The mechanism responsible for the high dispersity of the N-SWCNT
      powder in polar solvents, including water, was elucidated based on the high
      polarity of the NMO molecule. In order to highlight the wide applicability of the
      N-SWCNTs, they were used successfully to prepare conducting thin films by spray
      coating plastic substrates with an aqueous hybrid solution containing the N
      SWCNTs and Ag nanowires (NWs). In addition, a flexible, large-area thin-film
      heater was prepared based on the N-SWCNT/AgNW hybrid film with a transmittance of
      93% and sheet resistance of 30 Omega sq-1.

PMID- 28901296
TI  - Negative terahertz photoconductivity in 2D layered materials.
AB  - The remarkable qualities of 2D layered materials such as wide spectral coverage,
      high strength and great flexibility mean that ultrathin 2D layered materials have
      the potential to meet the criteria of next-generation optoelectronic devices.
      Photoconductivity is one of the critical parameters of materials applied to
      optoelectronics. In contrast to traditional semiconductors, specific ultrathin 2D
      layers present anomalous negative photoconductivity. This opens a new avenue for
      designing novel optoelectronic devices. It is important to have a deep
      understanding of the fundamentals of this anomalous response, in order to design
      and optimize such devices. In this review, we provide an overview of the
      observation of negative photoconductivity in 2D layered materials including
      graphene, topological insulators and transitional metal dichalcogenides. We also
      summarize recent reports on investigations into the fundamental mechanism using
      ultrafast terahertz (THz) spectroscopies. Finally, we conclude the review by
      discussing the existing challenges and proposing the possible prospects of this
      direction of research.

PMID- 28901298
TI  - Summaries of articles in this issue.
AB  - Summaries of the articles in this issue are given in the PDF file.

PMID- 28901297
TI  - Metabolic effects of inhaled salbutamol determined by exhaled breath analysis.
AB  - We explore whether real-time breath analysis by high resolution mass spectrometry
      is suitable to monitor changes at the metabolic level due to inhaling
      bronchodilator medication. We compared the breath levels of metabolites in a
      group of patients (n = 50) at baseline and 10 and 30 min after inhalation of 200
      MUg salbutamol. The same procedure was performed with a group of controls (n =
      48) inhaling a placebo spray. A total of 131 mass spectral features were
      significantly altered as a result of inhaling medication, but not after inhaling
      placebo. We found that homologous series of chemical classes correlated strongly
      with each other, strengthening the notion that certain biochemical processes can
      be monitored. For example, a series of fatty acids was found to be increased
      after salbutamol intake, suggesting lipolysis stimulation. Peaks corresponding to
      salbutamol, its main metabolite salbutamol-4-O-sulfate and formoterol were found
      to be generally increased in patients inhaling the drugs on an as-needed basis,
      as compared to non-medicated volunteers. Overall, these results suggest such real
      time breath analysis is a useful tool for non-invasive therapeutic drug
      monitoring.

PMID- 28901299
TI  - Focus on graphene and related materials.

PMID- 28901300
TI  - Expert consensus workshop report: Guideline for three-dimensional-printing
      template-assisted computed tomography-guided 125I seeds interstitial implantation
      brachytherapy.

PMID- 28901301
TI  - Expert consensus workshop report: Guideline for three-dimensional printing
      template-assisted computed tomography-guided 125I seeds interstitial implantation
      brachytherapy.
AB  - Radioactive 125I seeds (RIS) interstitial implantation brachytherapy has been a
      first-line treatment for early-stage cancer of the prostate gland. However, its
      poor accuracy and homogeneity has limited its indication and hampered its
      popularization for a long time. Intriguingly, scholars based in China introduced
      computed tomography (CT)-guided technology to improve the accuracy and
      homogeneity of RIS implantation and broadened the indications. Then, they
      creatively designed and introduced three-dimensional printing coplanar template
      (3D-PCT) and 3D printing noncoplanar template (3D-PNCT) into the practice of RIS
      implantation. Use of such templates makes RIS implantation more precise and
      efficacious and aids preoperative planning, real-time dose optimization, and
      postoperative planning. However, studies on the standard workflow for 3D-PT
      assisted CT-guided RIS implantation have not been published. Therefore, the China
      Northern Radioactive Seeds Brachytherapy Group organized multidisciplinary
      experts to formulate the guideline for this emerging treatment modality. This
      guideline aims at standardizing 3D-PT-assisted CT-guided RIS implantation
      procedures and criteria for selecting treatment candidates and assessing outcomes
      and for preventing and managing postoperative complications.

PMID- 28901302
TI  - The clinical application of HPV E6/E7 mRNA testing in triaging women with
      atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or low-grade squamous intra
      epithelial lesion Pap smear: A meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate the clinical application value and correlation
      with cervical lesions' progression of human papillomavirus (HPV) E6/E7 mRNA test
      in women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance
      (ASCUS/borderline) or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSILs/mild
      dyskaryosis) cytological abnormalities. METHODS: A meta-analysis was conduct by
      searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure (1979-2016), Wanfang Date (1998
      2016), VIP (1989-2016), PubMed (1950-2016), Web of Science (1950-2016) and
      Elsevier Science Direct (1998-2016), for studies on effect of HPV E6/E7 mRNA
      detection in women with ASCUS/LSIL/dyskaryosis. Study selection and appraisal
      were conducted independently by three authors, according to inclusive and
      exclusive criteria. Then, a meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan4.2
      software. The subgroups analysis was conducted according to women's initial HPV
      DNA test results. RESULTS: Six articles with a total of 1024 subjects were
      included in the study. It was concluded that a positive HPV E6/E7 mRNA tested
      result have a higher risk of progressing to CIN2+ in future 2 years than a
      negative result. The pooled relative risk (RR) is 3.08, (95% confidence interval
      [CI] = 1.57-6.07, P < 0.05). The same situation was also observed in the subgroup
      of HPV DNA tested positive group and HPV DNA tested unlimited group. The pooled
      RR value of the two subgroups was, respectively, 1.98, (95% CI = 1.19-1.19, P <
      0.05) and 7.58, (95% CI = 3.64-3.64, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A positive HPV E6/E7
      mRNA testing result suggested the women with ASCUS, or LSIL Pap smear was in a
      truly dangerous position, which is an adverse prognostic factor. It suggested
      that cervical lesions stay in a progressing status and these women should be
      referred for colposcopy and strengthen follow-up promptly. Whereas, women with a
      negative HPV E6/E7 mRNA testing result can increase follow-up interval, by
      comprehensively considering their situation, thus, avoiding unnecessary
      colposcopy and reducing the rate of colposcopy and biopsy.

PMID- 28901303
TI  - Role of collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 in tumor and inflammatory
      diseases.
AB  - Initially, collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) is expressed mainly
      in adventitial fibroblasts and neointimal smooth muscle cells of balloon-injured
      vessels, and increases cell migration, promotes tissue repair in response to
      injury. A variety of studies demonstrated that over-expression of CTHRC1 in solid
      tumors results in enhancement of migration and invasion of tumor cells, and is
      associated with decreased overall survival and disease-free survival. CTHRC1
      expression is elevated in hepatitis B virus-infected patients and highly
      correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma progression as well. Furthermore, CTHRC1
      plays a pivotal role in a great many fields, including increases bone mass,
      prevents myelination, reverses collagen synthesis in keloid fibroblasts, and
      increases fibroblast-like synoviocytes migration speed and abundant production of
      arthritic pannus in rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, it will provide new insight
      into the pathogenesis of tumor and autoimmune diseases, and will shed new light
      on the therapy of related clinical diseases.

PMID- 28901304
TI  - Efficacy comparison of radiofrequency ablation and hepatic resection for
      hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to compare the therapeutic efficacy of
      radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and hepatic resection (HR) for the treatment of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was
      performed for comparative studies reporting outcomes of both RFA and HR for HCC.
      Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated.
      RESULTS: A total of 4812 patients with HCC were included, with 2419 in the RFA
      group and 2393 in the HR group. The 3- and 5-year overall survival rates in the
      HR group were significantly higher than those in the RFA group (OR: 0.68, 95% CI:
      0.58-0.79, P < 0.00001; OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.50-0.65, P < 0.00001, respectively).
      1-, 3-, 5-year disease-free survival and correspond recurrence-free survival
      rates were all better in HR group. CONCLUSION: RFA gets promising clinical
      outcomes for HCC treatments but is not yet comparable to surgery. HR is still the
      first-line treatment for HCC.

PMID- 28901305
TI  - Transarterial embolization with N-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate for the treatment of
      arterioportal shunts in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate efficacy and safety of transarterial
      chemoembolization (TACE) with N-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) for the treatment of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with arterioportal shunts (APS). SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: From January 2008 to June 2014, 36 cases of HCC with APS were treated by
      TACE with NBCA. NBCA-lipiodol mixture was superselective delivered before routine
      TACE in HCC patients with APS. Recanalization of shunt, objective response,
      clinical adverse events, and survival rates was retrospectively studied. RESULTS:
      All interventional procedures were successful without any procedure relevant
      complications. The immediate APS improvement rate was 83.3% (30/36), and the APS
      improvement rate at first-time follow-up was 66.6% (20/30). Radiologically
      confirmed complete response (CR), partial response, stable disease, and
      progressive disease at 1 month after first chemoembolization were observed in 1
      (2.7%), 19 (52.8%), 6 (16.7%), and 10 (27.8%) patients, respectively. Survival
      rates were 91.7% at 6 months, 47.2% at 1 year, and 13.9% at 2 years. The median
      survival time was 11 months. No severe adverse effects were noted. CONCLUSIONS:
      The preliminary experience indicates TACE with NBCA can be safely performed and
      may improve prognosis of HCC with arterioportal shunt.

PMID- 28901306
TI  - Bronchial artery chemoembolization combined with radioactive iodine-125 seed
      implantation in the treatment of advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term efficacy and
      safety of bronchial artery chemoembolization (BACE) combined with radioactive
      iodine-125 seed implantation in the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-two Stage III-IV NSCLC patients were
      divided into Groups A and B. Thirty cases were treated with BACE combined with
      radioactive iodine-125 seed implantation in the Group A and 32 cases were treated
      with BACE alone in the Group B until disease progression. Efficacy, incidence
      rate of adverse drug reactions, and survival rate were compared between the two
      groups. RESULTS: The local control rates and effective rates of Groups A and B
      were 90% and 59.3% and 74% and 40.6%, respectively, with P < 0.05 for each. The
      progression-free survival of the study group and the control group was 12.6 and
      8.2 months, respectively; the median survival time of the Groups A and B was 644
      and 544 days, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.034).
      CONCLUSION: BACE combined with radioactive iodine-125 seed implantation was safe
      and effective in the treatment of advanced NSCLC, with an efficacy superior to
      that of single BACE.

PMID- 28901307
TI  - A retrospective analysis of the efficacy of microparticle-mediated
      chemoembolization in liver metastases arising from gastrointestinal tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical efficacy of gelatin sponge microparticle (GSM)
      -mediated chemoembolization for the treatment of patients with liver metastases
      following surgery for gastrointestinal tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a
      retrospective analysis of 37 patients who were treated at our hospital with GSM
      mediated chemoembolization for liver metastases over 13 years, we evaluated
      outcomes using a modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors system and
      also assessed liver function and adverse effects. All patients had previously
      undergone surgery for gastrointestinal tumors. RESULTS: Treatment produced
      various degrees of necrosis and shrinkage of lesions among our patients. Two
      patients achieved a complete response (CR), 27 showed a partial response (PR),
      five had stable disease, and three had progressive disease. The overall response
      rate (CR + PR) was 78%, and no severe adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSION:
      GSM-mediated chemoembolization showed good clinical efficacy in the treatment of
      liver metastases after gastrointestinal tumor surgery. However, larger cohort and
      clinical controlled studies are warranted.

PMID- 28901308
TI  - Utility of fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis for detecting upper
      urinary tract-urothelial carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the detection of upper urinary tract
      urothelial carcinoma (UUT-UC). METHODS: Between November 2011 and November 2015,
      voided urine specimens from 52 consecutive patients with UUT-UC and 26 controls
      were collected for both FISH test and cytology. Sensitivity and specificity of
      FISH test and cytology were determined and compared. The frequency of chromosomal
      aberrations was also analyzed. RESULTS: For FISH analysis, the sensitivity was
      79.5% and specificity was 96.3%. For cytology, the sensitivity was 27.3% and
      specificity was 100%. The overall sensitivity for FISH was significantly higher
      than that of in single value-based urine cytology (79.5% vs. 27.3%, respectively,
      P < 0.001). The sensitivities of FISH and cytology by grade were 64.3% vs. 28.6%
      for low-grade urothelial carcinomas (P = 0.128) and 86.7% vs. 26.7% for high
      grade urothelial carcinomas (P < 0.001), respectively. Twenty-seven (77.1%) cases
      were positive due to the gain of two or more chromosomes in five or more urinary
      cells, among which, 21 (60%) cases showed positivity in all the 4 chromosomes, 7
      (20%) cases matched the criterion that 10 or more cells gained a single
      chromosome, whereas only 1 (2.9%) case was positive because of the homozygous
      deletion of 9p21 in 12 or more cells. CONCLUSIONS: FISH has superior sensitivity
      and similar specificity in the detection of UUT-UC, compared with cytology. The
      present findings indicated that FISH can be applied as a noninvasive diagnostic
      tool for suspected UUT-UC patients.

PMID- 28901309
TI  - Kinesin superfamily protein expression and its association with progression and
      prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this study, we characterized the expression of 32 other kinesin
      superfamily proteins (KIFs) and analyzed their association with the progression
      and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data
      from 295 HCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas were included in the study. An
      independent t-test was used to compare the KIF levels in HCC and adjacent
      tissues. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to assess the relationships of KIF
      expression with tumor biomarkers and clinicopathological parameters. Kaplan-Meier
      plots and log-rank tests were used to analyze survival, and univariate and
      multivariate analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors.
      RESULTS: The expressions of 32 KIFs were compared between HCC and adjacent
      nontumor tissues. Among them, 12 KIFs showed no statistical significance, 17 KIFs
      were upregulated, and three KIFs were downregulated in tumor tissues. The levels
      of some KIFs were markedly correlated with that of biomarkers for the S phase and
      proliferation. KIF2A and KIFC3 expression was positively associated with
      biomarkers for cell invasion and migration. Some KIF overexpression was
      significantly associated with neoplastic pathological grade and tumor-node
      metastasis staging. Furthermore, KIF2C, KIF4A, and KIF11 overexpression were
      significantly associated with shorter relapse-free survival times. KIF2A, KIF2C,
      KIF3A, KIF4B, KIF11, KIF15, KIFC1, and KIFC3 overexpression was associated with
      shorter overall survival (OS) times, whereas higher expression of KIF19 was
      associated with a longer OS time. Further multivariate analyses suggested that
      only KIF4B was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Most
      overexpressions of abnormal KIFs were significantly associated with HCC
      progression and prognosis, indicating that KIFs could be prognostic and
      therapeutic biomarkers for HCC. However, it is necessary to further study the
      function of KIFs and their mechanisms involved in HCC.

PMID- 28901310
TI  - Treatment outcomes of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the maxillary sinus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is an uncommon neoplasm of
      maxillary sinus. This study was designed to investigate the clinical courses and
      summarize the experience of the treatment outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      is a retrospective analysis which included patients with MFH of the maxillary
      sinus from January 1980 to December 2008 treated in our institute. Survival data
      were analyzed by means of the Kaplan-Meier method using univariate analysis and
      Cox regression model using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The study included 31
      patients. Of which, one patient received radical radiotherapy, and thirty
      patients received surgical resection. Of these, thirty patients received
      preoperative radiotherapy, and 11 patients received postoperative radiotherapy.
      Radical resection with clear surgical margins was obtained in twelve patients
      (80%) after preoperative radiotherapy, and in eight patients (53.3%) with
      postoperative radiotherapy (P = 0.221). The 3-year overall survival rate (OS) and
      recurrence-free survival rate (RFS) were 59.0% and 43.5%, respectively. Patients
      treated with a radical resection had significantly better survival than patients
      with a nonradical resection. Three-year OS was 79.8% and 28.1%, 3-year RFS was
      61.9% and 18.5%, respectively (P = 0.001 and 0.029, respectively). Local
      recurrence rate (LRR) was lower in patients resected with clear surgical margins
      than patients with unclear or uncertain margins, and the 3 years LRR was 33.3%
      and 72.2%, respectively (P = 0.052). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical resection is the
      mainstay of treatment for MFH of the maxillary sinus. A radical resection with
      clear margins is essential for excellent local control and long-term survival.

PMID- 28901311
TI  - Overexpression of KIAA1199: An independent prognostic marker in nonsmall cell
      lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: KIAA1199 has been identified as an oncogene in many cancers. Here, we
      collected 153 cases of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues to investigate
      the relationships between KIAA1199 protein and clinical factors. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was used to detect the expression of
      KIAA1199. Follow-up included blood analysis, chest X-ray, ultrasound examination,
      and computed tomography was carried out every 3 months for the first 2 years and
      at 6-month intervals thereafter during the follow-up period (3 years). Kaplan
      Meier survival analysis and Cox analysis were applied to identify the
      relationship between KIAA1199 and NSCLC. RESULTS: IHC results showed that 76
      (49.67%) specimens had strong expression of KIAA1199 protein, with poor
      differentiation (P = 0.003), higher positive lymph node metastasis (P = 0.037),
      and higher tumor node metastasis stage (P = 0.016). Using Kaplan-Meier survival
      analysis, it is found that patients with high KIAA1199 protein expression have
      poor overall survival (P = 0.004). Cox analysis suggested that the KIAA1199
      protein was an independent prognostic marker for NSCLC patients (P = 0.040).
      CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that KIAA1199 protein could be applied in
      predicting NSCLC patient's outcome.

PMID- 28901312
TI  - Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation after radiofrequency ablation for malignant
      lung tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) assessment of the therapeutic response in small lung malignancies
      (<3 cm) immediately after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This is a retrospective analysis of MRI performance in 24 cases of small lung
      tumors (16 primary, 8 metastatic; 20 patients) immediately, post-RFA, and at
      follow-up. Variables measured included maximum diameters of tumors on pre-RFA
      MRI, central areas of low signal intensity (SI) on post-RFA T2-weighted images
      (T2WIs), and central areas of high SI on post-RFA T1WIs. Additional post-RFA
      measurements included the maximum diameters for areas of ground-glass opacities
      (GGOs) on computed tomography (CT), high SI on T2WIs, and isointense SI on T1WIs.
      Mean values were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Before RFA, 16 primary
      and seven metastatic lung tumors showed isointense signals on T1WIs and
      hyperintense signals on T2WIs. Immediately after RFA, the ablated lesions showed
      central low signals and peripheral high annular signals on T2WIs and central high
      signals and peripheral annular isointense signals on T1WIs, with reduced SI on
      diffusion-weighted images. Significant differences were found between the
      preoperative MRI maximum tumor diameter and post-RFA diameters of central low SI
      areas on T2WIs and central high SI areas on T1WIs. Furthermore, there were
      significant differences between the post-RFA maximum diameter of circumferential
      high signals on T2WIs and the post-RFA maximum diameters of both GGOs on CT and
      circumferential isointense signals on T1WIs. There were three cases of local
      recurrence (two pulmonary metastases and one primary) during follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: MRI evaluation of the therapeutic response of RFA for small
      malignant lung tumors (<3 cm) was precise and reliable.

PMID- 28901313
TI  - MicroRNA-30c inhibits metastasis of ovarian cancer by targeting metastasis
      associated gene 1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is important to find reliable molecular markers or biological
      targets that associate with ovarian cancer (OC) metastasis for diagnosis and
      treatment. In this study, researchers investigated the regulated chain of
      microRNA-30c (miR-30c) and metastasis-associated gene 1 (MTA1) in OC tissues and
      cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression of miR-30c and MTA1 was detected with
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry in 33
      OC and matched adjacent tissues. MiR-30c mimics were synthetized and transfected
      into SKOV3 cells to target MTA1. The wound healing and transwell assays were
      detected to observe migration and invasion of transfected OC cells. RESULTS:
      Compared with matching normal ovarian tissues, the MTA1 expression was
      upregulated and localized in the cytoplasm, and the expression of miR-30c was
      significantly reduced. The expression intensity of MTA1 was correlated with the
      Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, tumor grade, and metastasis of OC.
      Transfecting miR-30c mimics could significantly reduce the expression of MTA1 in
      SKOV3 cells and obviously inhibit the migration and invasion of SKOV3 cells.
      CONCLUSION: MiR-30c and MTA1 abnormally expressed in OC, which may be related to
      metastasis of OC. In MiR-30c as a tumor suppressor gene, its expression in OC
      could lead to reduced expression of MTA1, which may be one of the mechanisms of
      metastasis of OC cells.

PMID- 28901314
TI  - Repeated percutaneous microwave ablation for local recurrence of inoperable Stage
      I nonsmall cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The safety and effectiveness of repeated computed tomography-guided
      percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) in the management of local recurrence (LR)
      in patients with medically inoperable Stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      were retrospectively evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 2008 to
      August 2014, 104 patients with medically inoperable Stage I NSCLC received MWA.
      Patients with LR were given repeat MWA. The clinical outcomes and complications
      of repeat MWA for LR were evaluated. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 47 months,
      LR occurred in 24/104 (23.1%) patients within 12 +/- 8 months after MWA. LR rates
      were higher in tumors> 3.5 cm than that of tumors <=3.5 cm (35.7% vs. 18.4%).
      Local control of the repeat MWA was achieved in 21 of 24 (87.5%) patients.
      Overall survival (OS) and progress-free survival (PFS) for patients without LR
      were similar to that of with LR and receiving repeat MWA (OS: 48 m vs. 41.5 m;
      PFS: 42 m vs. 32 m). The OS rates were 100%, 74.6%, 60.6%, and 27% for patients
      without LR at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, and they were 96.4%, 69.5%, 60.6%, and 26.1%
      for patients with repeat MWA for LR. Repeat MWA for LR was not associated with
      more significant complications. CONCLUSION: The LR was higher in tumors> 3.5 cm
      than that of in tumors <=3.5 cm. For patients with LR, it was feasible and
      effective to use MWA repeatedly to achieve the similar OS and PFS as patients
      without LR. No additional complications were reported in the repeat MWA compared
      to the original MWA.

PMID- 28901315
TI  - Serum expression level of squamous cell carcinoma antigen, highly sensitive C
      reactive protein, and CA-125 as potential biomarkers for recurrence of cervical
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum expression levels of
      squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs
      CRP), and CA-125 as potential serum biomarkers for recurrence of cervical cancer.
      METHODS: Eighty-six cervical cancer patients who received radical treatment were
      retrospectively included in this study from February 2011 to January 2014. Of the
      included 86 cases, 23 were recurred within the 36 months (recurrence group [RG])
      and other 63 patients did not (non-RG [NRG]). The serum levels of SCC-Ag, hs-CRP,
      and CA-125 were examined and compared between the two groups. The prediction
      recurrence sensitivity, specificity area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve were calculated by STATA11.0 software
      (http://www.stata.com). The correlation among SCC-Ag, hs-CRP, and CA-125 were
      analyzed by Pearson correlation test. RESULTS: The serum levels of SCC-Ag, hs
      CRP, and CA-125 were 1.29 (0.21-33.20) mg/mL, 4.78 (0.22-175.20) mg/mL, and 11.56
      (2.028-123.66) IU/mL for NRG and 5.64 (0.50-136.80) mg/mL, 22.41 (0.56-588.90)
      mg/mL, and 25.41 (3.658-3687.00) IU/mL for RG, respectively. The serum levels of
      SCC-Ag, hs-CRP, and CA-125 in NG group were significant higher than those of NRG
      group (P < 0.05). The recurrence prediction sensitivity was 0.74, 0.65, and 0.74;
      specificity was 0.65, 0.63, and 0.58; area under the curve was 0.75, 0.66, and
      0.67, respectively, for serum SCC-Ag, hs-CRP, and CA-125. Significant positive
      correlation between SCC-Ag and hs-CRP (rpearson = 0.20, P = 0.04), SCC-Ag and CA
      125 (rpearson = 0.64, P < 0.001), hs-CRP and CA-125 (rpearson= -0.13, P = 0.56)
      was found in the RG patients. CONCLUSION: Serum SCC-Ag, hs-CRP, and CA-125 were
      higher in recurrence cervical patients which could be potential biomarkers for
      predicting cervical cancer recurrence risk.

PMID- 28901316
TI  - Comparison of different width detector on the gross tumor volume delineation of
      the solitary pulmonary lesion.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the impact of different width detector on the volume and
      geometric position of gross tumor volume (GTV) of the solitary pulmonary lesion
      (SPL), as well as the impact on scanning time and radiation dose during the
      simulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients with SPL underwent three
      dimensional computed tomography (3DCT) simulation using different width detector,
      followed by four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) scans. GTV16 and GTV4
      derived from different width detectors were compared with internal gross tumor
      volume (IGTV) generated from 4DCT on the volume and geometric position. Fourteen
      patients with lesions located in the upper lobe were defined as Group A and nine
      patients in the middle or lower lobe were defined as Group B. The scanning time
      and radiation dose during the simulation with the different width detector were
      compared as well. RESULTS: The volumes of IGTV, GTV16, and GTV4 in Group A were
      13.86 +/- 14.42 cm3, 11.88 +/- 11.93 cm3, and 11.64 +/- 12.88 cm3, respectively,
      and the corresponding volumes in Group B were 12.84 +/- 11.48 cm3, 6.90 +/- 6.63
      cm3, and 7.22 +/- 7.15 cm3, respectively. No difference was found between GTV16
      and GTV4 in Groups A and B (PA = 0.11, PB = 0.86). Either GTV16 or GTV4 was
      smaller than IGTV (P16 = 0.001, P4 = 0.000). The comparison of the centroidal
      positions in x, y, and z directions for GTV16, GTV4, and IGTV showed no
      significant difference both in Groups A and B (Group A: Px = 0.19, Py = 0.14, Pz
      = 0.47. Group B: Px = 0.09, Py = 0.90, Pz = 0.90). The scanning time was shorter
      and radiation dose patient received was lower using 16 * 1.5 mm detector
      combination than 4 * 1.5 mm detector (P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Different width
      detector had no impact on the volume and geometric position of GTV of SPL during
      3DCT simulation. Using wide detector would save time and decrease radiation dose
      compared with the narrow one. 3DCT simulation using either 16 * 1.5 mm detector
      or 4 * 1.5 mm detector could not cover all tumor motion information that 4DCT
      offered under free breathing conditions.

PMID- 28901317
TI  - k-RAS mutation and resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor treatment in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between k-RAS
      gene mutation and the resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine
      kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) treatment in patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC). METHODS: Forty-five pathologies confirmed NSCLC patients who received
      EGFR-TKI (Gefitinib) treatment were retrospectively included in this study. The
      mutation of codon 12 and 13, located in exon1 and exon 2 of k-RAS gene were
      examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DAN sequencing in tumor samples
      of the included 45 NSCLC patients. The correlation between Gefitinib treatment
      response and k-RAS mutation status was analyzed in tumor samples of the 45 NSCLC
      patients. RESULTS: Eight tumor samples of the 45 NSCLC patients were found to be
      mutated in coden 12 or 13, with an mutation rate of 17.8% (8/45); the objective
      response rate (ORR) was 29.7%(11/37) with 1 cases of complete response (CR) and
      10 cases of partial response in k-RAS mutation negative patients. Furthermore,
      the ORR was 0.0% in k-RAS mutation positive patients with none CR. The ORR
      between k-RAS mutation and nonmutation patients were significant different (P <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: k-RAS gene mutation status was associated with the response of
      Gefitinib treatment in patients with NSCLC.

PMID- 28901318
TI  - Surgical treatment is an effective approach for patients with synchronous
      multiple primary lung cancers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The detection rate of synchronous multiple primary lung cancers
      (SMPLC) showed an increasing trend year by year. In an attempt to identify the
      optimal treatment strategy for SMPLC, we retrospectively analyzed our surgical
      treatment outcomes of a series of patients with SMPLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      total of 43 SMPLC patients who met the modified Martini-Melamed criteria and with
      clinical data retained between November 2012 and July 2016 underwent complete
      resection without any preoperative induction therapy at the Department of
      Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital. The relationships between gender,
      age, family history of cancer, the number of tumors, the location of tumors,
      tumor size, tumor histology, regional lymph node metastasis, type of surgery,
      pathological stage, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, mortality,
      and survival were further analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 43 patients, 29 (67.4%)
      patients had ipsilateral tumors, whereas 14 (32.6%) patients had contralateral
      tumors. Nine patients with contralateral tumors underwent one-stage surgical
      treatment, with mean postoperative hospitalization days of 9.8. EGFR mutations
      were detected in 5 patients with synchronous multiple primary lung
      adenocarcinomas (SMPLA) for each lesion independently. The results showed
      different tumors in the same patient could carry different EGFR mutations. The 1-
      and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 97.0% and 76.7%, respectively. Larger
      maximal tumor dimension (P = 0.015), advanced pN stage (P = 0.002), advanced pT
      stage (P = 0.046), advanced TNM stage (P = 0.013), and postoperative adjuvant
      chemotherapy (P = 0.025) were correlated with poor OS. CONCLUSIONS: SMPLC could
      be considered to be a local disease rather than the systemic disease. Surgical
      treatment is an effective approach for patients with SMPLC. Mutational status of
      EGFR could be used as a diagnostic criterion, especially in patients with SMPLA.

PMID- 28901319
TI  - Expression and significance of Twist, estrogen receptor, and E-cadherin in human
      breast cancer cells and tissues.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women, and
      the tumor cells' invasion and metastasis is the main cause of death. Recent
      reports showed that Twist, a transcription factor, plays multiple roles in breast
      cancer initiation, progress, and metastasis. However, the underlying mechanisms
      of Twist in tumor invasion and metastasis of breast cancer still remain unclear.
      Here, we examined the correlation between Twist, E-cadherin, and estrogen
      receptor (ER) in promoting invasion and metastasis in breast cancer cells and
      tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mRNA and protein expression of Twist, E
      cadherin, and ER in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-435, MDA-MB-231, and
      ZR-75-30) and human invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) tissues from 32 patients were
      detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and
      immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. RESULTS: Expression of Twist in cells
      with high ability of invasion and metastasis was higher than that in MCF-7 cell
      line which has low ability of invasion and metastasis, while the expression of ER
      and E-cadherin was much more higher in MCF-7 cell line than in other cells. IHC
      showed that the expression rate of Twist in IDC tissues and adjacent tissues was
      84.38% and 31.25% and the positive expression of E-cadherin and ER was 21.88% and
      40.63% in IDC tissues and 81.25% and 84.38% in adjacent tissues, respectively.
      Interestingly, overexpression of Twist promoted cellular invasion and metastasis
      and decreased the expression of E-cadherin, ER, AKT, and p-AKT in HEK-293 cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings demonstrated that Twist was
      upregulated in high invasion and metastasis cell lines as well as IDC tissues
      companioned with downregulated expression of E-cadherin and ER, which provides
      important clues for the deeper study of breast cancer.

PMID- 28901320
TI  - Thyroid carcinoma in children and adolescents: Clinical characteristics and
      follow-up from two centers.
AB  - AIM OF STUDY: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical features and
      outcomes of thyroid carcinoma (TC) in children and adolescent population treated
      in our institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We gathered 43 TC patients 18 years of
      age or under initial diagnosed between 2009 and 2010 from two hospitals.
      Patient's clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, and outcomes were collected
      and analyzed. RESULTS: (1) The incidence of TC is higher in women (2.4 vs. 1.6).
      Papillary carcinoma accounted for the major type (67.4%). There was significant
      difference in tumor number, extra thyroidal invasion, and distant metastasis when
      compared with the children group (P < 0.05). There were higher proportions of
      patients with lymph node metastasis (LNM) and radioiodine therapy in adolescent
      patients. (2) Thyroid peroxidase antibody, thyroglobulin, thyroglobulin antibody,
      and urine iodine had higher levels as compared to the normal reference range.
      Moreover, FT3 and urine iodine showed statistical significances in adolescent
      group (P < 0.05). (3) Papillary carcinoma and medullary TC are more likely to
      have LNM extrathyroidal invasion. (4) No significant differences were seen in
      recurrence rate or survival rate. Pulmonary metastasis was the most common way of
      cancer metastasis. CONCLUSION: The initial workup is crucial in determining
      benign from malignant lesions. Surgery is the most effective therapy even if it
      is associated with more complications in children. There is an extremely good
      prognosis for pediatric TC even distant metastasis happens.

PMID- 28901321
TI  - Supplemental conventional transarterial embolization/chemoembolization therapy
      via extrahepatic arteries for hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the value of conventional transarterial
      embolization/chemoembolization (cTAE/TACE) therapy via extrahepatic arteries for
      patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Patients with
      unresectable HCC who underwent cTAE/TACE therapy via extrahepatic arteries
      between May 2008 and July 2016 across 4 medical centers were identified. The
      technical success, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels changes, tumor response,
      disease control rate, survival rate, and major complication were analyzed.
      RESULTS: A total of 185 patients (167 male and 18 female) were included in this
      study. A total of 401 procedures were performed of the 185 patients, with 2.2 +/-
      0.4 procedures for each patient. A total of 197 extrahepatic arteries were
      identified, including inferior phrenic artery (n = 80), omental artery (n = 39),
      gastric artery (n = 22), right renal capsular artery (n = 21), adrenal artery (n
      = 13), cystic artery (n = 11), and right internal mammary artery (n = 11). The
      technical success rate was 96.8% (179/185). The serum AFP levels were
      significantly reduced at 1 month after treatment in 71 patients whose AFP >=400
      ng/mL preprocedure (P < 0.01). The disease control rate was 93% (172/185) at 3
      months after cTAE/TACE, with partial response, stable disease, or progressive
      disease of 115, 57, and 13 patients, respectively. The cumulative survival rate
      from the time of cTAE/TACE via extrahepatic arteries was 100% at 6 months. There
      were no embolization-related major complications. CONCLUSION: cTAE/TACE therapy
      via the extrahepatic arteries can reduce the incidence of presence of residual
      HCC, and improve the therapeutic efficacy of cTAE/TACE.

PMID- 28901322
TI  - Effects of Macrothele raven venom on intrarenal invasion and metastasis of H22
      liver cancer cells in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extrahepatic metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its
      insensitivity to chemotherapy are the main causes of poor prognosis in patients
      with HCC. This study investigated the anti-cancer effect of Macrothele raveni
      venom on intrarenal metastatic HCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subrenal capsule
      xenograft model of HCC was established by inoculation of H22 liver cancer cells.
      RESULTS: The general health, histology, and molecular changes were observed after
      administering 10 times of different dose of Macrothele raven venom injections. A
      volume of 0.8 MUg/ml and 1.0 MUg/ml of Macrothele raven venom significantly
      improved general health status in mice with subrenal capsule HCC tumors.
      Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that Macrothele raven venom dose
      dependently reduced invasion and metastasis of liver cancer cells in the kidney.
      Immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that
      Macrothele raven venom injection dose-dependently decreased PI3K mRNA and
      protein, Akt protein, and mTOR mRNA expression, but increased Bad mRNA and
      protein expression in the kidney with H22 tumor cell invasion. 0.8 MUg/ml is the
      most effective dose for the treatment of intrarenal metastatic HCC. CONCLUSIONS:
      Macrothele raven venom dose-dependently inhibits invasion and metastasis of
      intrarenal metastatic HCC through inhibition of PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling and
      increase of Bad expression.

PMID- 28901323
TI  - Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 amplification detection by droplet
      digital polymerase chain reaction in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast and
      gastric cancer samples.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an important
      biomarker for the precise individualized treatment including trastuzumab of HER2
      positive breast and gastric cancer. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence
      in situ hybridization (FISH) are the routine analyses for formalin-fixed paraffin
      embedded (FFPE) samples. However, IHC is variable and depends on the evaluator,
      and FISH is a labor intensive and expensive method. We evaluated the feasibility
      of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) as a precise and
      quantitative method for HER2 amplification test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used
      ddPCR to confirm HER2 amplification status in 24 breast cancer and 29 gastric
      cancer samples to validate the HER2 cutoff value in ddPCR. After setting cutoff
      value, all the above-mentioned samples were tested by IHC. Afterward, another 51
      equivocal IHC 2+ gastric cancer samples were further determined by FISH and
      ddPCR, respectively, and the concordance between ddPCR and FISH was calculated.
      RESULTS: We set the HER2 cutoff value at 1.8. The concordance rate of HER2 status
      between ddPCR and IHC was 94.4% (17 out of 18) in 24 breast cancer samples. In 29
      gastric cancer specimens, the concordance rate of HER2 amplification between
      ddPCR and IHC was 100% (22 out of 22). At last, compared with FISH determined
      HER2 status, ddPCR HER2 scores correctly classified 44 of 51 cases with 86.3%
      concordance in 51 equivocal IHC 2+ gastric cancer samples. CONCLUSIONS: ddPCR was
      able to identify HER2 amplification status in breast and gastric cancers with
      precise correlation with IHC and FISH results. This method might become a
      standard method for testing FFPE samples. However, the technology requires
      further research.

PMID- 28901324
TI  - Linked color imaging technique assisted endoscopic diagnosis and interventions.

PMID- 28901325
TI  - Associations between socio-demographic characteristics and chemical
      concentrations contributing to cumulative exposures in the United States.
AB  - Association rule mining (ARM) has been widely used to identify associations
      between various entities in many fields. Although some studies have utilized it
      to analyze the relationship between chemicals and human health effects, fewer
      have used this technique to identify and quantify associations between
      environmental and social stressors. Socio-demographic variables were generated
      based on U.S. Census tract-level income, race/ethnicity population percentage,
      education level, and age information from the 2010-2014, 5-Year Summary files in
      the American Community Survey (ACS) database, and chemical variables were
      generated by utilizing the 2011 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA)
      census tract-level air pollutant exposure concentration data. Six mobile- and
      industrial-source pollutants were chosen for analysis, including acetaldehyde,
      benzene, cyanide, particulate matter components of diesel engine emissions
      (namely, diesel PM), toluene, and 1,3-butadiene. ARM was then applied to quantify
      and visualize the associations between the chemical and socio-demographic
      variables. Census tracts with a high percentage of racial/ethnic minorities and
      populations with low income tended to have higher estimated chemical exposure
      concentrations (fourth quartile), especially for diesel PM, 1,3-butadiene, and
      toluene. In contrast, census tracts with an average population age of 40-50
      years, a low percentage of racial/ethnic minorities, and moderate-income levels
      were more likely to have lower estimated chemical exposure concentrations (first
      quartile). Unsupervised data mining methods can be used to evaluate potential
      associations between environmental inequalities and social disparities, while
      providing support in public health decision-making contexts.

PMID- 28901326
TI  - Environmental and biological monitoring for the identification of main exposure
      determinants in vineyard mancozeb applicators.
AB  - Grapevine is a vulnerable crop to several fungal diseases often requiring the use
      of ethylenebisdithiocarbamate (EBDC) fungicides, such as mancozeb. This fungicide
      has been reported to have goitrogenic, endocrine disrupting, and possibly
      immunotoxic effects. The aim of this study was to assess workers' exposure in two
      scenarios of mancozeb application and analyse the main determinants of exposure
      in order to better understand their mechanism of influence. Environmental
      monitoring was performed using a modified Organisation for Economic Co-operation
      and Development (OECD) "patch" methodology and by hand-wash collection, while
      mancozeb's metabolite, ethylenethiourea (ETU), was measured in 24-h preexposure
      and postexposure urine samples. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used
      for determination of mancozeb and ETU in different kinds of samples. Closed
      tractor use resulted in 40 times lower potential exposure compared with open
      tractor. Coveralls reduced skin exposure 4 and 10 times in case of open and
      closed tractors, respectively. Gloves used during application resulted in 10
      times lower hand exposure in open but increased exposure in closed tractors. This
      study has demonstrated that exposure to mancozeb is low if safe occupational
      hygiene procedures are adopted. ETU is confirmed as suitable biological marker of
      occupational exposure to mancozeb, but the absence of biological exposure limits
      significantly reduces the possibility to interpret biological monitoring results
      in occupationally exposed workers.

PMID- 28901327
TI  - Selective Lesioning of Nuclear Factor-kappaB Activated Cells in the Nucleus
      Accumbens Shell Attenuates Alcohol Place Preference.
AB  - Nuclear factor kappa-light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) is a
      transcription factor commonly associated with innate immunity and is activated by
      infection and inflammation. NF-kappaB has recently gained attention as a mediator
      of complex psychiatric phenomena such as stress and addiction. In regards to
      alcohol, most research on NF-kappaB has focused on neurotoxicity and few studies
      have explored the role of NF-kappaB in alcohol reward, reinforcement, or
      consumption. In these studies, we used conditioned place preference to assess the
      activity of NF-kappaB in response to rewarding doses of alcohol. To measure NF
      kappaB activity we used a line of transgenic mice that express the LacZ gene
      under the control of an NF-kappaB-regulated promoter. In these animals, staining
      for beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) identifies cells in which NF-kappaB has been
      activated. We then used the Daun02 inactivation method to specifically silence NF
      kappaB-expressing cells during place preference conditioning. Daun02 is an
      inactive prodrug that is converted to the inhibitory molecule daunorubicin by
      beta-gal. After alcohol place conditioning, we observed increased beta-gal
      staining in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) shell and dorsal raphe nucleus, and found
      that disruption of NF-kappaB-expressing cells using Daun02 attenuated the
      development of alcohol place preference when infused into the NAC shell following
      conditioning sessions. We found this effect to be regionally and temporally
      specific. These results suggest that, in addition to its role in alcohol-induced
      neurotoxicity, NF-kappaB mediates the development of alcohol place preference via
      its actions in the NAC shell.

PMID- 28901329
TI  - Wakodecalines A and B, new decaline metabolites isolated from a fungus
      Pyrenochaetopsis sp. RK10-F058.
AB  - Two new decaline metabolites, wakodecalines A and B, were isolated from a fungus,
      Pyrenochaetopsis sp. RK10-F058, by screening for structurally unique metabolites
      using LC/MS analysis. Their structures were determined on the basis of NMR and
      mass spectrometric measurements. The absolute structures were confirmed by a
      combination of chemical methods including chemical degradation, a modified
      Mosher's method and Marfey's method, and comparison of the experimental
      electronic CD (ECD) spectrum with calculated one. Both compounds had a
      cyclopentanone-fused decaline skeleton and an N-methylated amino acid moiety
      derived from a serine. They showed moderate antimalarial activity against the
      Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain.The Journal of Antibiotics advance online
      publication, 13 September 2017; doi:10.1038/ja.2017.103.

PMID- 28901328
TI  - Autophagy-regulating protease Atg4: structure, function, regulation and
      inhibition.
AB  - Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system that contributes to cellular
      homeostasis through degradation of various targets such as proteins, organelles
      and microbes. Since autophagy is related to various diseases such as infection,
      neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, it is attracting attention as a new
      therapeutic target. Autophagy is mediated by dozens of autophagy-related (Atg)
      proteins, among which Atg4 is the sole protease that regulates autophagy through
      the processing and deconjugating of Atg8. As the Atg4 activity is essential and
      highly specific to autophagy, Atg4 is a prospective target for developing
      autophagy-specific inhibitors. In this review article, we summarize our current
      knowledge of the structure, function and regulation of Atg4 including efforts to
      develop Atg4-specific inhibitors.The Journal of Antibiotics advance online
      publication, 13 September 2017; doi:10.1038/ja.2017.104.

PMID- 28901330
TI  - A history of obesity leaves an inflammatory fingerprint in liver and adipose
      tissue.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dieting is a popular yet often ineffective way to lower
      body weight, as the majority of people regain most of their pre-dieting weights
      in a relatively short time. The underlying molecular mechanisms driving weight
      regain and the increased risk for metabolic disease are still incompletely
      understood. Here we investigate the molecular alterations inherited from a
      history of obesity. METHODS: In our model, male high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese
      C57BL/6J mice were switched to a low caloric chow diet, resulting in a decline of
      body weight to that of lean mice. We measured body composition, as well as
      metrics of glucose, insulin and lipid homeostasis. This was accompanied by
      histological and gene expression analysis of adipose tissue and liver to assess
      adipose tissue inflammation and hepatosteatosis. Moreover, acute hypothalamic
      response to (re-) exposure to HFD was assessed by qPCR. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS:
      Within 7 weeks after diet switch, most obesity-associated phenotypes, such as
      body mass, glucose intolerance and blood metabolite levels were reversed.
      However, hepatic inflammation, hepatic steatosis as well as hypertrophy and
      inflammation of perigonadal, but not subcutaneous, adipocytes persisted in
      formerly obese mice. Transcriptional profiling of liver and perigonadal fat
      revealed an upregulation of pathways associated with immune function and
      cellularity. Thus, we show that weight reduction leaves signs of inflammation in
      liver and perigonadal fat, indicating that persisting proinflammatory signals in
      liver and adipose tissue could contribute to an increased risk of formerly obese
      subjects to develop the metabolic syndrome upon recurring weight gain.

PMID- 28901332
TI  - Prolonged hypotension associated with Wernicke's encephalopathy.
AB  - A diagnosis of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is difficult. Transient hypotension
      has been reported as a rare complication of WE. We herein report a case of
      prolonged hypotension and dysuautonomia associated with WE in a 69-year-old man
      with underlying alcohol abuse. Without apparent etiology of shock, this patient
      remained hypotensive for 9 days, requiring a vasopressor, despite daily
      administration of thiamine 600 mg. Fluctuation of blood pressure caused by
      postural change and bradycardia in the presence of shock indicated that this
      patient had dysautonomia. This case hereby proposes a possible association
      between hypotension, dysautonomia and Wernicke's encephalopathy.

PMID- 28901331
TI  - Raw BIA variables are predictors of muscle strength in patients with chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although loss of fat-free mass (FFM) and reduced muscle
      strength are highly prevalent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
      only few data are available on the relationships of handgrip strength (HGS) and
      respiratory muscle strength with body composition in such disease. In particular,
      we aimed to assess whether raw bioelectrical impedance (BIA) variables were
      independent predictors of muscle strength in COPD patients, possibly more
      significant than anthropometric variables and BIA-based estimates of FFM.
      SUBJECTS/METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-seven COPD patients (161 males and 76
      females) underwent respiratory, anthropometric, BIA, HGS and respiratory muscle
      strength (maximum inspiratory or expiratory pressure=MIP and MEP) measurements.
      Bioimpedance index (BI index=height square/whole-body impedance) and phase angle
      (PhA) were considered as raw BIA variables. FFM was estimated using three disease
      specific BIA equations. RESULTS: In COPD patients a stronger correlation was
      observed between HGS and PhA compared to the ones with anthropometric variables
      or FFM estimates. Multiple regression analysis showed that combining BI index and
      PhA (plus age in male patients) accounted for 50.2% and 42.6% of the variance in
      HGS in male and female patients, respectively. Similarly, BI index and PhA
      emerged as predictors of both MIP and MEP in males, while in females MIP was
      related only to PhA and MEP only to BI index. CONCLUSIONS: Raw BIA variables are
      independent and valuable predictors of HGS and respiratory muscle strength in
      COPD patients. BI index and PhA could provide useful information for evaluating
      body composition and better assessing muscle strength and physical fitness in
      COPD.

PMID- 28901334
TI  - Rainfall shocks are not necessarily a sensitive early indicator of changes in
      wasting prevalence.
AB  - Evidence on the impact of weather shocks on child nutrition focuses on linear
      growth retardation (stunting) and thus, associates the effect of a short-term
      measure (weather events) on a cumulative measure (attained height). Relatively
      little is known on how weather shocks predict increases in wasting in a
      population. This study explores whether deviation in rainfall in Ethiopia, a
      drought prone country, is a sensitive indicator of future increases in wasting.
      Around 12% of children 0-23 months were wasted, but we found no consistent
      association between the rainfall shock variables and child weight-for-height Z
      scores. The results indicate that monitoring rainfall does not provide a
      practical early warning to use for scaling up financing and management of
      preventative measures without additional information to increase precision.

PMID- 28901333
TI  - A Paleolithic-type diet results in iodine deficiency: a 2-year randomized trial
      in postmenopausal obese women.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Different diets are used for weight loss. A Paleolithic
      type diet (PD) has beneficial metabolic effects, but two of the largest iodine
      sources, table salt and dairy products, are excluded. The objectives of this
      study were to compare 24-h urinary iodine concentration (24-UIC) in subjects on
      PD with 24-UIC in subjects on a diet according to the Nordic Nutrition
      Recommendations (NNR) and to study if PD results in a higher risk of developing
      iodine deficiency (ID), than NNR diet. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A 2-year prospective
      randomized trial in a tertiary referral center where healthy postmenopausal
      overweight or obese women were randomized to either PD (n=35) or NNR diet (n=35).
      Dietary iodine intake, 24-UIC, 24-h urinary iodine excretion (24-UIE), free
      thyroxin (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured
      at baseline, 6 and 24 months. Completeness of urine sampling was monitored by
      para-aminobenzoic acid and salt intake by urinary sodium. RESULTS: At baseline,
      median 24-UIC (71.0 MUg/l) and 24-UIE (134.0 MUg/d) were similar in the PD and
      NNR groups. After 6 months, 24-UIC had decreased to 36.0 MUg/l (P=0.001) and 24
      UIE to 77.0 MUg/d (P=0.001) in the PD group; in the NNR group, levels were
      unaltered. FT4, TSH and FT3 were similar in both groups, except for FT3 at 6
      months being lower in PD than in NNR group. CONCLUSIONS: A PD results in a higher
      risk of developing ID, than a diet according to the NNR. Therefore, we suggest
      iodine supplementation should be considered when on a PD.

PMID- 28901335
TI  - Enteral versus parenteral nutrition in critically ill patients with severe
      pancreatitis: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Whether enteral nutrition (EN) is superior to parenteral nutrition (PN) in
      critically ill patients with severe acute pancreatitis remains unknown. The
      objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the effects of EN versus PN on
      clinical outcomes in a subgroup of pancreatitis patients. Relevant randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science from
      inception to August 2016. Ultimately, five RCTs including 348 patients were
      enrolled in this analysis. Compared with PN, EN was associated with a significant
      reduction in overall mortality (risk ratio (RR)=0.36, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 0.20-0.65, P=0.001) and the rate of multiple organ failure (RR=0.39, 95% CI
      0.21-0.73, P=0.003). EN should be recommended as the preferred route of nutrition
      for critically ill patients with severe acute pancreatitis.

PMID- 28901337
TI  - Associations between dietary factors and markers of NAFLD in a general Dutch
      adult population.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objective of this sudy was to assess the relationship
      between dietary intake and fatty liver as scored by the validated Fatty Liver
      Index (FLI) in a large cross-sectional study among a general Dutch adult
      population. Diet is known to affect liver fat accumulation in humans.
      SUBJECTS/METHODS: 1128 men and women aged 20-70 years were included. Dietary
      intake was assessed using a validated semiquantitative food frequency
      questionnaire. FLI was derived from body mass index (BMI), waist circumference,
      triglycerides and gamma-glutamyltransferase. Associations were adjusted for
      energy intake, alcohol intake, age, sex, education, smoking and prevalence of
      hypertension and diabetes. RESULTS: In this population (mean age 53.0+/-11.4
      years; BMI 25.9+/-4.0 kg/m2; FLI 35.0+/-27.7), the prevalence of fatty liver as
      indicated by an FLI>60 was 21.5%. Subjects in the highest FLI category were more
      likely to be male, older and less physically active. Total protein intake and
      animal protein intake were positively associated with the highest FLI score
      versus the lowest (odds ratio (OR) 1.25 per 1 en%, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      1.15-1.37 and OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.17-1.38, respectively); for vegetable protein, an
      inverse association was observed (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.94). A similar positive
      association with FLI was observed when carbohydrates and fat were iso-calorically
      exchanged for total and animal proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects in the high FLI
      group consumed more protein, especially from animal origin, less carbohydrates
      and less dietary fibre. The presence of fatty liver was associated with a higher
      intake of animal protein and total fat, soft drinks and snacks.

PMID- 28901340
TI  - ?
AB  - Riassunto La pubblicazione di Unanticipated outcomes, la storia personale di
      Jerome P. Kassirer, ex direttore del New England Journal of Medicine, offre
      l'opportunita di considerare i principi etici dell'editoria biomedica e
      scientifica. Il conflitto di interessi, le dichiarazioni e la frode influenzano
      la credibilita della comunicazione medica, che poggia sulla robustezza e sulla
      trasparenza dei suoi processi. Non tutto e ancora perduto, ma dobbiamo essere
      guidati da forti principi morali e da un quadro coerente di valori.

PMID- 28901336
TI  - Vitamin D and probiotics supplement use in young children with genetic risk for
      type 1 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D and probiotics are nutrients of interest in the
      context of type 1 diabetes (T1D). We assessed the prevalence of and factors
      associated with vitamin D and probiotic supplementations among young children
      with genetic risk of T1D. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Use of supplements during the first 2
      years of life was collected prospectively from 8674 children in The Environmental
      Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study. RESULTS: Single and/or
      multivitamin/mineral (MVM) supplements were reported by 81% of the children. The
      majority of participants in Finland, Germany and Sweden (97-99%) and 50% in the
      United States received vitamin D supplements that were mostly MVMs. Probiotics
      use varied from 6% in the United States to 60% in Finland and was primarily from
      probiotics-only preparations. More than 80% of the vitamin D and probiotics
      supplementation was initiated during infancy, and more than half of the uses
      lasted longer than a year. Being the first child, longer duration of
      breastfeeding, born in a later year, older maternal age and higher maternal
      education level were associated with both vitamin D and probiotics use. Shorter
      gestational age and mother not smoking during pregnancy were associated with a
      higher likelihood of probiotics supplementation only. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D and
      probiotics supplementations are popular in children 0-2 years old and are
      associated with common factors. Data documented here will allow evaluation of the
      relationship between early childhood dietary intake and the development of islet
      autoimmunity and progression to T1D.

PMID- 28901341
TI  - [Healthcare services citizen's right and healthcare systems safeguard.
      Considerations rising from the Charlie Gard story.]
AB  - The story of Charlie Gard, an 11-month-old boy suffering from a rare inherited
      mitochondrial disease called 'infantile encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA
      depletion syndrome' and kept alive thanks to life supports, rises some issues
      regarding the provision of healthcare. Is there a right of an individual person
      to buy any healthcare benefits only because he has enough money to do so? If the
      answer is 'yes', in light of the distributive justice principle how do
      governments balance this right with the obligation to regulate health care
      systems ensuring that all treatments are useful and affordable for everybody?
      Many considerations of the best interest of patients can be found in this debate,
      but we cannot ignore neither the value of the scientific method as the
      cornerstone of the medical profession nor a commitment to support the moral
      integrity of clinical practice by refusing to provide treatments that do not meet
      a reasonable threshold of scientific justification evidence-based.

PMID- 28901342
TI  - [The recognition of peer reviewers activity: the potential promotion of a
      virtuous circle.]
AB  - Since several decades, peer review has become the standard to evaluate quality
      and priority of manuscripts submitted to scientific journals. During this
      process, manuscript is reviewed by scientists from the same field of the authors,
      with a competency on the topic of the manuscript (peer reviewers). Peer reviewers
      submit their comments to the journal editor, who then takes a decision on
      manuscript acceptance, need for revision of rejection. Several models for peer
      review exist, such as double-blind, single-blind, open, post publication. Hence
      the task of peer reviewer requires time, competency and carries a significant
      responsibility. Most peer reviewers perform these task as a service to the
      scientific community, but explicit recognition of this effort is still very
      limited. This has negative consequences on the publication process overall, since
      scientists often decline invitations to peer review and quality is not always
      ensured. In this article we overview the main options available for crediting
      peer reviewers for their efforts, focusing, in particular on the creation of a
      robust metrics able to attest the number and quality of peer reviews produced by
      this individual. This process implies the involvement of peer reviewers, journal
      editors and publishers and of a third, external, certification party. If
      implemented, this strategy could promote a virtuous circle, leading to an overall
      improvement of the process of peer review and ultimately of scientific
      publishing.

PMID- 28901343
TI  - [Italian guidelines in accordance with the new National Guidelines System:
      critical issues and perspectives.]
AB  - Law No. 24/2017 on professional responsibility has assigned a fundamental role to
      the guidelines, giving the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, through the new Centro
      Nazionale per l'Eccellenza Clinica, la Qualita e la Sicurezza delle Cure (CNEC),
      the role of methodological guarantor and of national governance of the guidelines
      production process. In a scenario marked by the increasing use of defensive
      medicine, the adherence to guidelines recognized as reliable by an institutional
      body can lead to the desired reduction of the malpractice claim, as well as to
      considerable clinical advantages, with the improvement of the quality of
      healthcare and of health outcomes and the reduction of unjustified variability of
      clinical practices in the national territory. If the opportunity that the new
      National Guidelines System (SNLG) offers is great and must be seized, at the same
      time the connection between guidelines and health responsibility presents some
      critical issues. In this context, it is of utmost importance to promote an
      efficient production mechanism of good quality national guidelines, informed by
      the best evidence available and responding to the population health needs, based
      on the criteria of relevance and clinical, economic and social impact, as well as
      to make the SNLG the pivotal instrument to achieve that alignment of clinical
      efficacy, professional and organizational appropriateness, fairness, security and
      humanization of care that can guarantee the sustainability of our National Health
      Service and its capacity to face the difficult challenges of the future.

PMID- 28901344
TI  - [WHO GLOSS: a global study to promote the reduction of preventable maternal and
      neonatal deaths related to sepsis.]
AB  - The study aims to promote the reduction of preventable maternal and neonatal
      deaths related to sepsis worldwide. To achieve this goal, the study will test new
      WHO criteria for early identification of maternal sepsis across both low and high
      resource settings, describe and analyze the frequency and outcomes of suspected
      or confirmed maternal sepsis for mothers and infants. Additionally, in the
      European participating countries, the study will describe the patterns of anti
      microbial usage amongst women with suspected maternal sepsis, explore migration
      status amongst women with possible severe maternal infection and describe any
      variations in their management.

PMID- 28901345
TI  - [Acute alcoholic hepatitis.]
AB  - Chronic alcohol related liver disease is characterized by a cascade of events
      defined as follows: steatosis, steatohepatitis/steatofibrosi, cirrhosis and
      hepatocellular carcinoma. On one of these histologic patterns may overlap acute
      alcoholic hepatitis (AAE) (mild, moderate, severe). Severe AAE can cause a severe
      clinical picture: jaundice with a duration of less than three months, jaundice in
      the first decompensation event, serum bilirubin higher than 5 mg/dL, ratio
      AST/ALT >2:1, AST less than 500 IU/L ALT <300 IU/L, neutrophil leukocytosis and
      increased GGT. In addition, it is possible the presence of encephalopathy, fever,
      fatigue, coagulopathy. The onset can also be characterized by portal hypertension
      related complications. An extremely severe clinical condition is the
      superposition of an acute insult to a chronic framework, not necessarily a
      cirrhotic one. This condition has been termed acute on chronic (acute on chronic
      liver failure - ACLF:), and it is possible to have a SIRS (systemic inflammation
      response syndrome) with a multi-organ system involvement. The diagnosis, in
      selected cases, can be confirmed by a transjugular biopsy that allows to reach a
      histologic prognostic stratification. Several indices are used for the assessment
      of prognosis and in particular the MDF and the MELD. In our clinical practice we
      use the MELD. In case of ACLF, the consortium organ failure score (CLIF-C OFS) is
      used. The therapy is characterized by alcohol abstention, and, in severe forms
      (MDF >32 and MELD >21) with absence of contraindications, it is possible to use
      steroids therapy. If a positive answers cannot be obtained, an early liver
      transplantation is proposed. This possibility, after a careful selection, now is
      promoted by several authors.

PMID- 28901346
TI  - [Procurement of medical devices based on cost-effectiveness data.]
AB  - The field of medical devices is characterized by a paucity of cost-effectiveness
      data that support their use. In this context, we have proposed a project based on
      the calculation of net monetary benefit (NMB) for each product subjected to
      procurement through tenders. This project consists of two steps: 1) calculation
      of NMB; 2) calculation of a value-based score to be used in the process of
      procurement and tendering. The NMB is defined as follows: NMB per patient=
      (monetary threshold of WTP) x (QALYs per patient) - (treatment cost per patient);
      WTP= willingness to pay]. Its main advantage is represented by the linear
      relation between NMB and unit price as opposed to the non-linear relationship
      that links the ICER to the unit price of the device. For all devices included in
      the same tender lot, our procedure firstly determines the valus of NMB and
      converts the NMB into a tender score determined on a 0-to-100 scale. The device
      with the worst pharmacoeconomic profile is assigned a tender score of 0 while the
      one with the best pharmacoeconomic profile is assigned a tender score of 100.

PMID- 28901347
TI  - HBV virological suppression: still not enough to save from hepatocellular
      carcinoma.A case report on a 15-year, real-life story
AB  - Among HIV-infected patients worldwide, 2-4 million  are  chronically  infected 
      with  HBV.  We  report  a  15-year, real-life story of a patient with HBV-HIV
      coinfection, who developed HCC despite high treatment adherence and complete
      viral suppression. The aim of our report is to alert the infectious diseases
      community to monitor the possible development of HCC regardless of high treatment
      adherence and complete viral suppression.

PMID- 28901348
TI  - ?

PMID- 28901349
TI  - ?

PMID- 28901350
TI  - Recent developments in the synthesis, properties, and biomedical applications of
      core/shell superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with gold.
AB  - In the last decade, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), especially superparamagnetic
      iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), have immensely promoted the advancement of
      diagnostics and theranostics in the biomedical field. The unique properties of
      the SPIONs-core and the functional gold (Au)-shell together (SPIONS/Au core/shell
      or CS) have a wide range of biomedical applications including, but not limited
      to, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dual modality MRI/computed tomography (CT),
      photo-induced and magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH), drug delivery, biosensors,
      and bio-separation. Researchers have made much effort to develop synthesis
      strategies for size control and surface modifications to achieve the desired
      properties of these CSs for applications in in vitro and in vivo studies. This
      review highlights recent developments in the synthesis and biomedical
      applications of SPIONs/Au CSs, including gamma-Fe2O3/Au (maghemite), Fe3O4/Au
      (magnetite), and MFe2O4/Au (M = divalent metal ions) in the past seven years.
      More importantly, current trends of SPIONs/Au in relation to the biochemical
      industry are surveyed. Finally, we outline the developmental needs of SPIONs/Au
      from the perspective of material synthesis and their novel applications in
      disease diagnosis and treatment in the near future.

PMID- 28901351
TI  - All-solid-state ion-selective electrodes with redox-active lithium, sodium, and
      potassium insertion materials as the inner solid-contact layer.
AB  - All-solid-state ion-selective electrodes as potentiometric ion sensors for
      lithium, sodium, and potassium have been demonstrated by installing a composite
      layer containing a powder of alkali insertion materials, LixFePO4, Na0.33MnO2,
      and KxMnO2.nH2O, respectively, as an inner solid-contact layer between the
      electrode substrate and plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-based ion
      sensitive membrane containing the corresponding ionophores for Li+, Na+, and K+
      ions. These double-layer ion-selective electrodes, consisting of the composite
      and PVC layers prepared by a simple drop cast method, exhibit a quick potential
      response (less than 5 s) to each alkali-metal ion with sufficient Nernstian
      slopes of calibration curves, ca. 59 mV per decade. The installation of the
      insertion materials as the inner solid-contact layers is highly efficient for the
      stabilization of membrane potential, resulting in a prompt response to the alkali
      ion activity in the analyte, compared to those of the electrodes without the
      alkali insertion materials. From alternating current impedance measurements for
      the electrodes, the inner layer of the installed alkali insertion materials
      drastically reduces the impedance of the membrane/electrode interface, leading to
      an improvement in their ion-sensing performance.

PMID- 28901352
TI  - Correction: An unsymmetrical non-fullerene acceptor: synthesis via direct
      heteroarylation, self-assembly, and utility as a low energy absorber in organic
      photovoltaic cells.
AB  - Correction for 'An unsymmetrical non-fullerene acceptor: synthesis via direct
      heteroarylation, self-assembly, and utility as a low energy absorber in organic
      photovoltaic cells' by Abby-Jo Payne et al., Chem. Commun., 2017, 53, 10168
      10171.

PMID- 28901353
TI  - Separate mechanisms of ion oligomerization tune the physicochemical properties of
      n-butylammonium acetate: cation-base clusters vs. anion-acid dimers.
AB  - We investigated the ability of the ions comprising protic ionic liquids to
      strongly interact with their neutral acid and base forms through the
      characterization of n-butylammonium acetate ([C4NH3][OAc]) in the presence of
      excess n-butylamine (C4NH2) or excess acetic acid (HOAc). The conjugate and
      parent acid or base form new nonstoichiometric, noncovalently bound species
      (i.e., oligomeric ions) which change the physical and chemical properties of the
      resulting liquids, thus offering tunability. The effects of adding C4NH2 or HOAc
      to [C4NH3][OAc] on the resulting thermal and spectroscopic properties differ and
      suggest that C4NH2 interacts primarily with [C4NH3]+ to form 3-dimensional
      polymeric networks likely similar to those in H2O/[H3O]+, while HOAc interacts
      primarily with [OAc]- to form oligomeric ions (e.g., [H(OAc)2]-). The densities
      of the systems increased with the increase of acid content and reached a maximum
      when the acid molar fraction was 0.90, but decreased with increasing amine
      concentration. The viscosities decreased significantly with increasing acid or
      base concentration. The solvent properties of the mixtures were assessed by
      measuring the solubilities of benzene, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, heptane,
      ibuprofen free acid, and lidocaine free base. The solubilities of the organic
      solutes and active pharmaceutical ingredients can be tuned with the concentration
      of acid or amine in the mixtures. In addition, crystallization of the active
      pharmaceutical ingredients can be induced with the modification of the
      composition of the mixtures. These observations support the usage of these
      mixtures for the synthesis and purification of acid or basic active
      pharmaceutical ingredients in the pharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 28901355
TI  - Two-dimensional metal NaCu6.3Sb3 and solid-state transformations of sodium copper
      antimonides.
AB  - A novel layered compound, NaCu6.3Sb3, has been successfully synthesized from
      elements. This unique structure crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P63/mmc
      and has lattice constants of a = 4.2166(2) A and c = 24.041(1) A. The structure
      consists of complex Cu/Sb 2D blocks separated by Na ions. These blocks contain
      graphene-like hexagonal layers of either Cu or CuSb. The solid-state
      transformations in the Na-Cu-Sb system between Cu2Sb-NaCu6.3Sb3-NaCu4Sb2 were
      explored using annealing at different partial vapor pressures of Na, differential
      scanning calorimetry, and in situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. Full
      reversibility of the transformation was observed, indicating that the bulk 3D
      Cu2Sb phase is capable of reversible intercalation of Na ions, forming layered
      intercalated phases similar to intercalated graphite. The characterization of the
      transport properties shows that the metallic nature of the electrical
      conductivity is preserved, even for the Na-rich phase of NaCu4Sb2. Electronic
      structure calculations support metallic properties in the Cu-Sb layers and
      predict that no bands cross the Fermi level across the layers, supporting
      NaCu6.3Sb3 as a two-dimensional metal.

PMID- 28901356
TI  - Cyclometalated Pt(ii) complexes with a bidentate Schiff-base ligand displaying
      unexpected cis/trans isomerism: synthesis, structures and electronic properties.
AB  - Square planar platinum complexes are an important class of compounds used in
      (nano)technology, optoelectronics, medicinal chemistry and catalysis. The major
      research interests in cyclometalated Pt(ii) complexes focus on the selective
      modulation of their electronic properties and the control of the (cis/trans)
      geometry. For the first time, we unveil and demonstrate that cis-trans isomers of
      Pt(ii) complexes can be obtained in a derivative carrying the 1-phenyl-pirazolate
      (Hppz) and 2-hydroxy-1-naphtyl-(N-phenyl)imine ligands. The two isomers display
      significant differences in both optical and electronic properties. While
      luminescence is quenched in solution, they are brightly emissive in the PMMA
      matrix at room temperature and in the 2MeTHF rigid matrix at 77 K. The
      phosphorescent emission of the cis isomer, blue-shifted compared to that of the
      trans one, results from the significantly different trans influence of the ppz
      ligand. Theoretical investigation highlights the almost isoenergetic potential
      energy of the two isomers therefore explaining their formation and evidences a
      large geometry distortion of their triplet state, which should be responsible for
      the observed luminescence efficiency.

PMID- 28901357
TI  - An ortho C-methylation/O-glycosylation motif on a hydroxy-coumarin scaffold,
      selectively installed by biocatalysis.
AB  - Various bioactive natural products, like the aminocoumarin antibiotics novobiocin
      and coumermycin, exhibit an aromatic C-methyl group adjacent to a glycosylated
      phenolic hydroxyl group. Therefore, tailoring of basic phenolic scaffolds to
      contain the intricate C-methyl/O-glycosyl motif is of high interest for
      structural and functional diversification of natural products. We demonstrate
      site-selective 8-C-methylation and 7-O-beta-d-glucosylation of 4,5,7-trihydroxy-3
      phenyl-coumarin (1) by S-adenosyl-l-methionine dependent C-methyltransferase
      (from Streptomyces niveus) and uridine 5'-diphosphate glucose dependent
      glycosyltransferase from apple (Malus * domestica). Both enzymes were
      characterized and shown to react readily with underivatized 1. However,
      glucosylation of the ortho-hydroxyl group prevented C-methylation, probably by
      precluding an essential substrate activation through deprotonation of 7-OH.
      Therefore, dual modification was only feasible when C-methylation occurred
      strictly before O-glucosylation. The target product was synthesized in near
      quantitative yield (98% conversion) from 500 MUM 1 and its structure was
      confirmed by NMR. Combination of C-methyltransferase and O-glycosyltransferase
      reactions for synthetic tailoring of a natural product through biocatalysis was
      demonstrated for the first time.

PMID- 28901358
TI  - Cadmium-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylato coordination polymers bearing different di
      alkyl-2,2'-bipyridines: syntheses, crystal structures and photoluminescence
      studies.
AB  - Four coordination polymers have been synthesized using self-assembly solution
      reactions under ambient conditions, reacting Cd(ii) ions with 1,4
      cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid in the presence of different 2,2'-bipyridine co
      ligands: {[Cd(H2O)(e,a-cis-1,4-chdc)(2,2'-bpy)].H2O}n (1); [Cd2(H2O)2(e,a-cis-1,4
      chdc)2(4,4'-dmb)2]n (2); {[Cd(e,a-cis-1,4-chdc)(5,5'-dmb)].H2O.CH3OH}n (3) and
      {[Cd(e,e-trans-1,4-chdc)(4,4'-dtbb)].CH3OH}n (4), where 1,4-chdc = 1,4
      cyclohexanedicarboxylato, 2,2'-bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, 4,4'-dmb = 4,4'-dimethyl
      2,2'-bipyridine, 5,5'-dmb = 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine and 4,4'-dtbb = 4,4'-di
      tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine. Crystallographic studies show that compound 1 has a
      1D structure propagating along the crystallographic b-axis; the Cd ion in 1 is
      six-coordinated with a distorted-octahedral coordination sphere. Compound 2 has
      two crystallographic different Cd ions and both are six-coordinated with a
      distorted-octahedral coordination sphere. Compound 3 exhibits a seven-coordinated
      Cd ion having a distinctive distorted-monocapped trigonal prismatic geometry. In
      compound 4, the Cd ion is also seven-coordinated in a distorted monocapped
      octahedral geometry. Compounds 2, 3 and 4 possess rhombic-shaped dinuclear units
      (Cd2O2) as nodes to generate larger cycles made up of four dinuclear units, a Cd4
      motif, bridged by four 1,4-chdc ligands, accomplishing, thus, 2D structures.
      Remarkably, in compound 4 the 1,4-chdc ligand conformation changes to the
      equatorial, equatorial trans, unlike the other compounds where the bridging
      ligand conformation is the more typical equatorial, axial cis. The solid state
      luminescence properties of 1-4 were investigated; polymers 3 and 4 exhibited a
      strong blue emission (lambdaem = 410-414 nm) compared to 1 and 2; structure
      related photoluminescence is attributed to the degree of hydration of the
      compounds. Furthermore, Cd-polymer 3 suspended in acetone allows the fluorescence
      selective sensing of acetonitrile over common organic solvents such as alcohols
      and DMF, based on turn-on fluorescence intensity with a limit of 53 MUmol L-1.

PMID- 28901362
TI  - What do we actually see in intracellular SERS? Investigating nanosensor-induced
      variation.
AB  - Plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs), predominantly gold (AuNPs), are easily
      internalised into cells and commonly employed as nanosensors for reporter-based
      and reporter-free intracellular SERS applications. While AuNPs are generally
      considered non-toxic to cells, many biological and toxicity studies report that
      exposure to NPs induces cell stress through the generation of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) and the upregulated transcription of pro-inflammatory genes, which
      can result in severe genotoxicity and apoptosis. Despite this, the extent to
      which normal cellular metabolism is affected by AuNP internalisation remains a
      relative unknown along with the contribution of the uptake itself to the SERS
      spectra obtained from within so called 'healthy' cells, as indicated by
      traditional viability tests. This work aims to interrogate the perturbation
      created by treatment with AuNPs under different conditions and the corresponding
      effect on the SERS spectra obtained. We characterise the changes induced by
      varying AuNP concentrations and medium serum compositions using biochemical
      assays and correlate them to the corresponding intracellular reporter-free SERS
      spectra. The different serum conditions lead to different extents of nanoparticle
      internalisation. We observe that changes in SERS spectra are correlated to an
      increasing amount of internalisation, confirmed qualitatively and quantitatively
      by confocal imaging and ICP-MS analysis, respectively. We analyse spectra and
      characterise changes that can be attributed to nanoparticle induced changes.
      Thus, our study highlights a need for understanding condition-dependent NP-cell
      interactions and standardisation of nanoparticle treatments in order to establish
      the validity of intracellular SERS experiments for use in all arising
      applications.

PMID- 28901363
TI  - The mechanism for catalytic hydrosilylation by bis(imino)pyridine iron olefin
      complexes supported by broken symmetry density functional theory.
AB  - Density functional theory (DFT, B3LYP-D3 with implicit solvation in toluene) was
      used to investigate the mechanisms of olefin hydrosilylation catalyzed by PDI(Fe)
      (bis(imino)pyridine iron) complexes, where PDI = 2,6-(ArN[double bond, length as
      m-dash]CMe)2(C5H3N) with Ar = 2,6-R2-C6H3. We find that the rate-determining step
      for hydrosilylation is hydride migration from Et3SiH onto the Fe-bound olefin to
      form (PDI)Fe(alkyl)(SiEt3). This differs from the mechanism for the Pt Karstedt
      catalyst in that there is no prior Si-H oxidative addition onto the Fe center.
      (PDI)Fe(alkyl)(SiEt3) then undergoes C-Si reductive elimination to form (PDI)Fe,
      which coordinates an olefin ligand to regenerate the resting state
      (PDI)Fe(olefin). In agreement with experimental observations, we found that anti
      Markovnikov hydride migration has a 5.1 kcal mol-1 lower activation enthalpy than
      Markovnikov migration. This system has an unusual anti-ferromagnetic coupling
      between high spin electrons on the Fe center and the unpaired spin in the pi
      system of the non-innocent redox-active PDI ligand. To describe this with DFT, we
      used the "broken-symmetry" approach to establish the ground electronic and spin
      state of intermediates and transition states over the proposed catalytic cycles.

PMID- 28901365
TI  - 97 percent light absorption in an ultrabroadband frequency range utilizing an
      ultrathin metal layer: randomly oriented, densely packed dielectric nanowires as
      an excellent light trapping scaffold.
AB  - In this paper, we propose a facile and large scale compatible design to obtain
      perfect ultrabroadband light absorption using metal-dielectric core-shell
      nanowires. The design consists of atomic layer deposited (ALD) Pt metal uniformly
      wrapped around hydrothermally grown titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanowires. It is
      found that the randomly oriented dense TiO2 nanowires can impose excellent light
      trapping properties where the existence of an ultrathin Pt layer (with a
      thickness of 10 nm) can absorb the light in an ultrabroadband frequency range
      with an amount near unity. Throughout this study, we first investigate the
      formation of resonant modes in the metallic nanowires. Our findings prove that a
      nanowire structure can support multiple longitudinal localized surface plasmons
      (LSPs) along its axis together with transverse resonance modes. Our
      investigations showed that the spectral position of these resonance peaks can be
      tuned with the length, radius, and orientation of the nanowire. Therefore, TiO2
      random nanowires can contain all of these features simultaneously in which the
      superposition of responses for these different geometries leads to a flat perfect
      light absorption. The obtained results demonstrate that taking unique advantages
      of the ALD method, together with excellent light trapping of chemically
      synthesized nanowires, a perfect, bifacial, wide angle, and large scale
      compatible absorber can be made where an excellent performance is achieved while
      using less materials.

PMID- 28901366
TI  - Graphene oxide inhibits malaria parasite invasion and delays parasitic growth in
      vitro.
AB  - The interactions between graphene oxide (GO) and various biological entities have
      been actively investigated in recent years, resulting in numerous potential
      bioapplications of these nanomaterials. Despite this, the biological interactions
      between GO and disease-causing protozoan parasites have not been well elucidated
      and remain relatively unexplored. Here, we investigate the in vitro interactions
      between GO nanosheets and a particular species of malaria parasites, Plasmodium
      falciparum (P. falciparum). We hypothesize that GO nanosheets may exhibit
      antimalarial characteristic via action mechanisms of physical obstruction of P.
      falciparum parasites as well as nutrient depletion. To ascertain this, we
      characterize the physical interactions between GO nanosheets, red blood cells
      (RBCs), and malarial parasites as well as the adsorption of several biomolecules
      necessary for parasitic survival and growth on GO nanosheets. Subsequent to
      establishing the origin of this antimalarial behavior of GO nanosheets, their
      efficiency in inhibiting parasite invasion is evaluated. We observe that GO
      nanosheets at various tested concentrations significantly inhibit the invasion of
      malaria parasites into RBCs. Furthermore, GO nanosheets delay parasite
      progression from the ring to the trophozoite stage. Overall, this study may
      further shed light on the graphene-parasite interactions and potentially
      facilitate the development of nanomaterial-based strategies for combating
      malaria.

PMID- 28901367
TI  - Effects of developmental arsenite exposure on hippocampal synapses in mouse
      offspring.
AB  - Arsenic exposure through drinking water can impair the learning and memory
      ability of children in China and other countries. Synaptic plasticity plays a key
      role in the process of learning and memory. Alterations in the expression of
      presynaptic and postsynaptic proteins can be used to evaluate synaptic
      plasticity, and further to evaluate impairment in learning and memory ability.
      Thereby, the aim of this study was to explore the mechanisms underlying arsenic
      neurotoxicity by focusing on alterations in the hippocampal synapses of mouse
      offspring induced by developmental arsenite exposure. Mother mice and their
      offspring were exposed to 0, 25, 50 or 100 mg L-1 arsenite via drinking water
      from the first day of gestation until postnatal day (PND) 35. The spatial
      learning and memory ability of PND 35 mice was evaluated using a Morris water
      maze. The levels of speciated arsenicals in the brain of PND 7, 14, 21 and 35
      mice were analyzed by hydride generation coupled with atomic absorption
      spectrophotometry. Synaptic structure and protein expression of postsynaptic
      density protein-95 (PSD-95) and synaptophysin (SYP) in the hippocampus of PND 7,
      14, 21 and 35 mice were examined. The findings from this study disclosed that the
      spatial learning ability of mice could be impaired by exposure to 25 mg L-1
      arsenite; however spatial memory ability could not be impaired until exposure to
      100 mg L-1 arsenite. The thickness of the postsynaptic density (PSD) decreased,
      whereas the width of the synaptic cleft widened significantly in arsenite
      exposure groups. Moreover, protein expression of both PSD-95 and SYP decreased
      significantly in arsenite exposure groups. In conclusion, the results of this
      study demonstrated that developmental arsenite exposure could depress the
      expression of synaptic proteins, subsequently cause alteration in synaptic
      structures, and finally contribute to arsenite-induced deficits in spatial
      learning and memory ability in mouse offspring.

PMID- 28901368
TI  - Deuteration and tautomeric reactivity of the 1-methyl functionality of free-base
      dipyrrins.
AB  - Regioselective reactivity of the 1-methyl group of free-base dipyrrins is
      explored, including discussion of tautomerism to provide exocyclic alkenyl
      reactivity. Deuterium is installed so as to generate dipyrrins substituted with
      deuterated methyl groups. Furthermore, the 1-methyl group reacts to become
      involved in C-C bonds involving only sp3-hybridised carbon atoms. The isolation
      of an elusive framework featuring a dipyrrin substituted with a pyrrole in a non
      vinylogous fashion is also reported. The use of asymmetric dipyrrins featuring an
      electron-withdrawing group on one of the pyrrolic units results in regioselective
      reaction of the alpha-methyl group distal to the electron-withdrawing group.

PMID- 28901369
TI  - Precisely tunable thickness of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for visible
      light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
AB  - Graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) nanosheets with unique physicochemical properties
      have received increasing attention in the area of photocatalysis, yet tunable
      thickness for the straightforward production of this graphite-like two
      dimensional (2D) nanomaterial remains a challenge. In this work, GCN nanosheets
      with different thicknesses were firstly prepared by a direct calcination of
      melamine supramolecular aggregates (MSA) obtained from a hydrochloric acid (HCl)
      induced hydrothermal assembly approach. The resultant nanosheets over nanometer
      scale thickness could be precisely controlled via simply adjusting the HCl
      concentration. Compared to the bulk GCN (BGCN), the thinner nanosheets possessed
      a high specific surface area, a large electronic-band structure, and fast charge
      separation ability. The thinnest nanosheets with a thickness of approximately 4
      nm exhibited excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic water splitting
      performance in hydrogen evolution (524 MUmol h-1 g-1), which is over 9-fold
      higher than the BGCN powder. This work provides a thickness-dependent strategy
      for the preparation of metal-free GCN nanosheets and develops a promising 2D
      photocatalyst for application in solar energy conversion.

PMID- 28901370
TI  - A fluorescent pH probe for acidic organelles in living cells.
AB  - A water-soluble pH sensor, 2-(6-(4-aminostyryl)-1,3-dioxo-1H-benzo[de]isoquinolin
      2(3H)-yl)-N, N-dimethylethanamine (ADA), was synthesized based on the molecular
      design of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and intramolecular charge transfer
      (ICT). The fluorescence emission response against a pH value is in the range 3-6,
      which is suitable for labelling intracellular pH-dependent microenvironments.
      After biological evolution, ADA is more than a pH biosensor because it is also an
      endocytosis pathway tracking biosensor that labels endosomes, late endosomes, and
      lysosome pH gradients. From this, the emissive aggregates of ADA and protonated
      ADA in these organs were evaluated to explore how this probe stresses emission
      colour change to cause these unique cellular images.

PMID- 28901371
TI  - Synthesis of a multi-functional DNA nanosphere barcode system for direct cell
      detection.
AB  - Nucleic acid-based technologies have been applied to numerous biomedical
      applications. As a novel material for target detection, DNA has been used to
      construct a barcode system with a range of structures. This paper reports multi
      functionalized DNA nanospheres (DNANSs) by rolling circle amplification (RCA)
      with several functionalized nucleotides. DNANSs with a barcode system were
      designed to exhibit fluorescence for coding enhanced signals and contain biotin
      for more functionalities, including targeting through the biotin-streptavidin
      (biotin-STA) interaction. Functionalized deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs)
      were mixed in the RCA process and functional moieties can be expressed on the
      DNANSs. The anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies (anti-EGFR Abs) can
      be conjugated on DNANSs for targeting cancer cells specifically. As a proof of
      concept, the potential of the multi-functional DNANS barcode was demonstrated by
      direct cell detection as a simple detection method. The DNANS barcode provides a
      new route for the simple and rapid selective recognition of cancer cells.

PMID- 28901372
TI  - Multivalent gold nanoparticle-peptide conjugates for targeting intracellular
      bacterial infections.
AB  - Although nanoparticle-tagged antimicrobal peptides have gained considerable
      importance in recent years, their structure-function correlation has not yet been
      explored. Here, we have studied the mechanism of action of a designed
      antimicrobial peptide, VG16KRKP (VARGWKRKCPLFGKGG), delivered via gold
      nanoparticle tagging against Salmonella infection by combining biological
      experiments with high- and low-resolution spectroscopic techniques. In comparison
      with the free VG16KRKP peptide or gold nanoparticle alone, the conjugated
      variant, Au-VG16KRKP, is non-cytotoxic to eukaryotic cells, but exhibits strong
      bacteriolytic activity in culture. Au-VG16KRKP can penetrate host epithelial and
      macrophage cells as well as interact with intracellular S. Typhi LPS under both
      in vitro and in vivo conditions. Treatment of mice with Au-VG16KRKP post
      infection with S. Typhi resulted in reduced intracellular bacterial recovery and
      highly enhanced protection against S. Typhi challenge. The three-dimensional high
      resolution structure of nanoparticle conjugated VG16KRKP depicted the generation
      of a well-separated amphipathic structure with slight aggregation, responsible
      for the increase of the local concentration of the peptide, thus leading to
      potent activity. This is the first report on the structural and functional
      characterization of a nanoparticle conjugated synthetic antimicrobial peptide
      that can kill intracellular pathogens and eventually protect against S. Typhi
      challenge in vivo.

PMID- 28901373
TI  - Kinesin and Dynein Mechanics: Measurement Methods and Research Applications.
AB  - Motor proteins play critical roles in the normal function of cells and proper
      development of organisms. Among motor proteins, failings in the normal function
      of two types of proteins, kinesin and dynein, have been shown to lead many
      pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. As such, it is
      critical to researchers to understand the underlying mechanics and behaviors of
      these proteins, not only to shed light on how failures may lead to disease, but
      also to guide research toward novel treatment and nano-engineering solutions. To
      this end, many experimental techniques have been developed to measure the force
      and motility capabilities of these proteins. This review will (a) discuss such
      techniques, specifically microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical
      trapping, and magnetic tweezers, and (b) the resulting nanomechanical properties
      of motor protein functions such as stalling force, velocity, and dependence on
      adenosine triphosophate (ATP) concentrations will be comparatively discussed.
      Additionally, this review will highlight the clinical importance of these
      proteins. Furthermore, as the understanding of the structure and function of
      motor proteins improves, novel applications are emerging in the field.
      Specifically, researchers have begun to modify the structure of existing
      proteins, thereby engineering novel elements to alter and improve native motor
      protein function, or even allow the motor proteins to perform entirely new tasks
      as parts of nanomachines. Kinesin and dynein are vital elements for the proper
      function of cells. While many exciting experiments have shed light on their
      function, mechanics, and applications, additional research is needed to
      completely understand their behavior.

PMID- 28901374
TI  - Ferulic acid exerts neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion
      induced injury via antioxidant and anti-apoptotic mechanisms in vitro and in
      vivo.
AB  - Ferulic acid (FA) is a derivative of cinnamic acid. It is used in the treatment
      of heart head blood-vessel disease and exerts protective effects against
      hypoxia/ischemia-induced cell injury in the brain. This study investigated the
      potential neuroprotective effects of FA against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)
      induced brain injury in vivo and in vitro through hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and
      Nissl staining assays, flow cytometry, Hoechst 33258 staining, quantitative PCR,
      western blot analysis and fluorescence microscopic analysis. In this study,
      models of cerebral I/R injury were established using rats and pheochromocytoma
      (PC-12) cells. The results revealed that treatment with FA significantly
      attenuated memory impairment, and reduced hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and
      oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. The results from in vitro
      experiments also indicated that FA protected the PC-12 cells against I/R-induced
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and apoptosis by inhibiting apoptosis,
      Ca2+ influx, superoxide anion (O2-), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione
      peroxidase (GSH-Px) production in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, FA
      inactivated the Toll-like receptor (TLR)/myeloid differentiation factor 88
      (MyD88) pathway. MyD88 overexpression abolished the neuroprotective effects of
      FA. On the whole, we found that FA attenuated memory dysfunction and exerted
      protective effects against oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by I/R injury
      by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway. This study supports the view that
      FA may be a promising neuroprotective agent for use in the treatment of cerebral
      ischemia.

PMID- 28901375
TI  - MicroRNA-7-5p regulates the proliferation and migration of intestinal epithelial
      cells by targeting trefoil factor 3 via inhibiting the phosphoinositide 3
      kinase/Akt signalling pathway.
AB  - Trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) reconstructs the epithelial barrier by stimulating
      epithelial cell migration and proliferation, and significantly contributes to
      intestinal mucosal damage and healing. In a previous study, TFF3 was identified
      as a novel target of microRNA-7-5p (miR-7-5p). The aim of the present study was
      to investigate the roles and mechanisms of miR-7-5p in the proliferation and
      migration of intestinal epithelial cells. Reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to determine the expression
      level of miR-7-5p in the experimental groups. In addition, western blot analysis
      was performed to examine the expression levels of TFF3, phosphoinositide 3-kinase
      (PI3K), Akt and phosphorylated (p)-AKT when miR-7-5p or TFF3 was overexpressed,
      and the effects of miR-7-5p and TFF3 on LS174T cell proliferation and migration
      were simultaneously investigated. miR-7-5p was demonstrated to decrease the
      expression level of TFF3, and inhibit LS174T cell proliferation and migration,
      which was accompanied by decreased expression levels of PI3K and p-Akt. miR-7-5p
      was decreased following combined treatment with the TFF3 plasmid and miR-7-5p
      mimics, compared with treatment with miR-7-5p mimics alone, which was accompanied
      by increased expression levels of TFF3, PI3K and p-Akt, and enhanced LS174T cell
      proliferation and migration effects. The expression levels of miR-7-5p in the
      miRNA negative control (NC) + LY294002 group, the miR-7-5p mimic + LY294002
      group, and the miR-7-5p mimic + TFF3 plasmid + LY294002 group were higher than
      those in the NC group, the miR-7-5p mimic group and the miR-7-5p mimic + TFF3
      plasmid group, respectively. Accordingly, the expression level of TFF3 was
      downregulated and the proliferation and migration ability of the cells was
      downregulated. The present study demonstrates that overexpressed miR-7-5p may
      inhibit the proliferation and migration of LS174T cells by targeting the
      expression of TFF3 via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. The PI3K/Akt
      signalling pathway may exert a feedback regulation effect on miR-7-5p, inhibiting
      the activity of this signalling pathway, which increases the miR-7-5p expression
      levels and further enhances the effects of miR-7-5p on cell proliferation and
      migration.

PMID- 28901376
TI  - Mechanical loading modulates heterotopic ossification in calcific tendinopathy
      through the mTORC1 signaling pathway.
AB  - Excessive mechanical loading is a major factor affecting heterotopic ossification
      (HO), which is a major pathological alteration in calcific tendinopathy. However,
      physical therapies with mechanical loading as the functional element have
      exhibited promising results in the treatment of calcific tendinopathy. The dual
      effects that mechanical loading may have on the pathogenesis and rehabilitation
      of calcified tendinopathy remain unclear. The present study was designed to
      investigate the effects of mechanical loading on HO in calcific tendinopathy. In
      the present study, a tendon cell in vitro stretch model and an Achilles tenotomy
      rat model were used to simulate different elongation mechanical loading scenarios
      in order to investigate the effects of mechanical loading on HO of the tendon. In
      addition, rapamycin, a selective mammalian target of rapamycin complex-1 (mTORC1)
      signaling pathway inhibitor, was employed to determine whether mechanical loading
      modulates heterotopic ossification in calcific tendinopathy through the mTORC1
      signaling pathway. The data indicate that mechanical loading modulated HO of the
      tendon through the mTORC1 signaling pathway, and that low elongation mechanical
      loading attenuated HO, while high elongation mechanical loading accelerated HO in
      vivo. This study may improve the understanding of the effect of physical
      therapies used to treat calcific tendinopathy, so as to guide clinical treatment
      more effectively. Furthermore, rapamycin may be a potential drug for the
      treatment of calcific tendinopathy.

PMID- 28901377
TI  - Anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant extract inhibits proliferation of the MCF10A
      healthy human breast epithelial cell line through induction of G0/G1 arrest and
      apoptosis.
AB  - Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum L., Grossulariaceae) possess a high content of
      anthocyanin polyphenols, which have been demonstrated to exhibit beneficial
      effects on health due to their antioxidant and anticarcinogenic prope-rties. The
      present study investigated novel functions of anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant
      extracts (BCEs) in a healthy mammary epithelial cell line, MCF10A. The
      percentages of viable cells were 85, 75, 53 and 31% following exposure to 50,
      100, 200 and 400 ug/ml BCE, respectively. The half-maximal response concentration
      of BCE was 237.7 ug/ml. Microarray and Ingenuity(r) Pathway Analysis demonstrated
      that BCE downregulated cell cycle signaling, including upstream genes with
      mitotic roles such as polo-like kinase signaling. BCE increased the number of
      cells in the G0/G1 phase and decreased the number of cells in the S and G2/M
      phases. Alkaline comet assays demonstrated that 50 and 100 ug/ml BCE induced DNA
      damage in a dose-dependent manner. Cultures treated with 0, 50, and 100 ug/ml BCE
      contained 4.6, 13.4 and 16.0% apoptotic cells, respectively. As compared with the
      untreated cultures (1.9%), the number of necrotic cells increased in the 100
      ug/ml BCE-treated cultures (from 1.9 to 4.3%) but not in the 50 ug/ml BCE-treated
      cultures. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis
      demonstrated that BCE reduced mRNA expression of the genomic caretaker lysine
      specific demethylas  5B (KDM5B). The results suggested that blackcurrant
      anthocyanins may act as cell arrest and death inducers via KDM5B downregulation
      in healthy breast cells.

PMID- 28901378
TI  - Androgen-independent LNCaP cells are a subline of LNCaP cells with a more
      aggressive phenotype and androgen suppresses their growth by inducing cell cycle
      arrest at the G1 phase.
AB  - Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT, surgical or chemical castration) is the
      mainstay treatment for metastatic prostate cancer (PCa); however, patients
      ineluctably relapse despite extremely low androgen levels. This evolution of PCa
      indicates its lethal progression. In this study, to mimic the traits of clinical
      PCa progression in vitro, we investigated the alterations in the cell biological
      characteristics in androgen-independent LNCaP cells (LNCaP-AI cells) compared
      with LNCaP cells. We also examined the effects of androgen on LNCaP and LNCaP-AI
      cell proliferation, androgen receptor (AR) expression and prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA) secretion. Furthermore, AR was silenced in the LNCaP and LNCaP-AI
      cells to detect the roles taht AR plays in cell growth, apoptosis and PSA
      secretion. We found that prolonged androgen ablation increased the LNCaP-AI cell
      growth rate and cell invasiveness, and induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition
      in the LNCaP-AI cells. Moreover, despite the fact that the LNCaP and LNCaP-AI
      cells expressed equal amounts of AR protein, androgen induced a greater secretion
      of PSA in the LNCaP-AI cells than in the LNCaP cells. The proliferation of the
      LNCaP-AI cells was not dependent on, but was suppressed by androgen, which led to
      arrest at the G1 phase. Conversely, androgen significantly increased LNCaP cell
      proliferation by promoting the G1-S transition. Moreover, the silencing of AR
      suppressed LNCaP and LNCaP-AI cell growth by inducing cell cycle arrest at the G1
      phase rather than promoting apoptosis, and reduced PSA secretion. On the whole,
      our data suggest that LNCaP-AI cells have a more more aggressive phenotype
      compared with the LNCaP cells; AR remains a critical factor in the LNCaP-AI
      cells, and androgen suppresses LNCaP-AI cell growth by blocking the cell cycle at
      the G1 phase.

PMID- 28901379
TI  - Eya2 overexpression promotes the invasion of human astrocytoma through the
      regulation of ERK/MMP9 signaling.
AB  - The overexpression of eyes absent (Eya) 2 has been found in several human
      cancers. However, its biological roles and clinical significance in human
      astrocytoma have not yet been explored. This study investigated the clinical
      significance and biological roles of Eya2 in human astrocytoma tissues and cell
      lines. Using immunohistochemistry, we found Eya2 overexpression in 33 out of 90
      (36.7%) astrocytoma specimens. The rate of Eya2 overexpression was higher in
      grade III-IV (48.1%) than in grade I+II astrocytomas (21.1%). Transfection with
      an Eya2 expression plasmid was performed in A172 cells with a low endogenous
      expression of Eya2 and the knockdown of Eya2 was carried out in U251 cells with a
      high endogenous expression using siRNA. Eya2 overexpression induced A172 cell
      proliferation and invasion, while the knockdown of Eya2 using siRNA decreased the
      proliferation and invasion of U251 cells. In addition, we found that transfection
      with the Eya2 expression plasmid facilitated cell cycle progression, and that the
      knockdown of Eya2 inhibited cell cycle progression, accompanied by a change in
      the expression of cell cycle-related proteins, including cyclin D1 and cyclin E.
      Eya2 also positively regulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)
      activity and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)9 expression. The blockade of ERK
      signaling using an inhibitor abolished the effects of Eya2 on A172 cell invasion
      and MMP9 production. In addition, we found that there was a positive correlation
      between Eya2 and Six1 in the astrocytoma cell lines. Immunoprecipitation revealed
      that Eya2 interacted with Six1 protein in the U251 cell line, which exhibited a
      high expression of both proteins. Eya2 failed to upregulate MMP expression in the
      A172 cells in which Six1 was silenced. On the whole, our data indicate that Eya2
      may serve as a potential oncoprotein in human astrocytoma. Eya2 regulates
      astrocytoma cell proliferation and invasion, possibly through the regulation of
      ERK signaling.

PMID- 28901380
TI  - Expression of CD19+CD24highCD38high B cells, IL-10 and IL-10R in peripheral blood
      from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - The present study aimed to examine the status and clinical significance of
      cluster of differentiation (CD) 19+CD24highCD38high regulatory B cells (Bregs),
      serum interleukin (IL)-10, serum transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and IL-10
      receptor (IL-10R) expression in peripheral blood from patients with systemic
      lupus erythematosus (SLE). A total of 56 patients with SLE and 35 healthy
      individuals were recruited to the present study. The SLE disease activity index
      (SLEDAI) was calculated, and other laboratory parameters were measured.
      Peripheral blood was collected from all participants. The frequency of
      CD19+CD24highCD38high Bregs and IL-10R+ expression on circulating lymphocytes was
      examined by flow cytometry. The serum levels of IL-10 and TGF-beta were measured
      using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The associations between these
      measurements and SLEDAI or other laboratory parameters were analyzed by
      correlation analysis. The percentage of CD19+CD24highCD38high Bregs and the serum
      levels of IL-10 were significantly increased, whereas the expression of IL-10R on
      circulating lymphocytes was markedly reduced in patients with SLE compared with
      in healthy controls. The serum levels of TGF-beta1 were not markedly different
      between the groups. In addition, these factors were correlated with other SLE
      laboratory parameters, and inter-correlations were presented with different
      degrees of significance. The percentage of CD19+CD24highCD38high Bregs was
      positively correlated with the percentage of IL-10R+ lymphocytes, mean
      fluorescence intensity (MFI) of IL-10R+ lymphocytes and serum IL-10 levels. In
      addition, the percentage of IL-10R+ lymphocytes was positively correlated with
      its expression level (MFI), whereas serum TGF-beta1 levels were negatively
      correlated with serum IL-10 levels. The present results indicated that expansion
      of CD19+CD24highCD38high Bregs, upregulation of IL-10 and deficient lymphocyte
      associated IL-10R may serve as novel SLE biomarkers. It may be hypothesized that
      deficient IL-10R expression results in compensatory enhanced IL-10 expression,
      expansion of Bregs, and/or compromised Breg and IL-10 functions, thus
      contributing to SLE development. Therefore, targeting the 'Bregs/IL-10/IL-10R'
      system may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of SLE.

PMID- 28901381
TI  - Anti-allergic action of bacillus Calmette-Guerin extract in experimental mast
      cell-mediated anaphylactic models.
AB  - Allergy is an acquired hypersensitivity reaction of the immune system mediated by
      IgE-induced mast cell degranulation. In China, bacillus Calmette-Guerin extract
      (BCGE) has been shown to be clinically effective for regulating immunity, which
      enhances the resistance of the body to anaphylactic disease, infectious diseases
      and cancer. However, the mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. The present
      study investigated the potential anti-allergic effects of BCGE in animal models
      of mast cell-dependent anaphylaxis and mechanisms of BCGE in mast cells. Anti
      allergic actions of BCGE were evaluated in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, dextran
      T40-induced scratching behavior mouse models, and in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced
      contraction of intestinal tube isolated from OVA-sensitized guinea pigs. Direct
      mast cell-stabilizing effects of BCGE were examined in mast cells from the
      abdominal cavity of OVA-sensitized rats. Anti-allergic signaling mechanisms of
      BCGE in mast cells were investigated by detection of cyclic adenosine
      monophosphate levels and protein kinase A expression in mast cells. It was
      observed that BCGE prevented OVA-induced cutaneous vascular hyperpermeability,
      skin itching, elevation in plasma histamine levels and abdominal cavity fluid
      mast cell degranulation in animal models, in a dose-dependent manner. BCGE also
      suppressed OVA-mediated guinea pig intestinal tube contraction in vitro. In
      addition, BCGE was found to increase the levels of interferon-gamma, and reduce
      the levels of interleukin-4 and OVA-sIg E levels in OVA-sensitized rats. BCGE
      also increased levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and the expression of
      protein kinase A in mast cells separated from the abdominal cavity fluid of OVA
      sensitized rats. In conclusion, the results suggested that BCGE possesses anti
      allergic activity by inhibiting IgE-induced mast cell degranulation, providing a
      foundation for the development of BCGE for the treatment of mast cell-mediated
      allergic disorders.

PMID- 28901382
TI  - Construction of a chalcone reductase expression vector and transformation of
      soybean plants.
AB  - The present study aimed to clone the soybean chalcone reductase 3 (CHR3) and
      create a recombinant expression vector pCAMBIA3300-CHR3 containing Bar resistance
      gene as a selection marker, and then obtain transgenic soybean plants using
      Agrobacterium infection. The plant expression vector pCAMBIA3300-CHR3 was
      transferred into soybean receptor plants, Jinong 17 and Jilin 30. Polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blotting were used to confirm the positive
      transgenic plants. Additionally, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR)
      was used to detect CHR3 expression and isoliquiritigenin content was measured
      using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the transgenic offspring.
      Soybean CHR3 (932 bp fragment) was successfully cloned into the plant expression
      vector pCAMBIA3300-CHR3, which was subsequently transferred into soybean receptor
      plants. In the T1 generation positive plants were validated by PCR analysis,
      including eight Jinong 17 and five Jilin 30 transgenic plants; Southern blotting
      demonstrated that the functional components of the pCAMBIA3300-CHR3 vector had
      been integrated into the soybean genome; RT-qPCR results demonstrated that the
      expression of CHR3 mRNA was increased by 2 to 20-fold in the transgenic plants
      compared with the non-transgenic soybean plants. Furthermore, the
      isoliquiritigenin content was increased by 8.56% in the transgenic Jinong 17,
      compared with control plants, as detected by HPLC. The CHR3 gene can produce
      isoliquiritigenin, a precursor of daidzein, which in turn can improve the ability
      of soybean to resist phytophthora root rot.

PMID- 28901383
TI  - Endothelial progenitor cell-derived extracellular vesicle-meditated cell-to-cell
      communication regulates the proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of
      bone mesenchymal stromal cells.
AB  - Bone tissue engineering is a promising treatment strategy to increase bone
      regeneration. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and bone marrow stromal cells
      (BMSCs) are commonly used to promote vessel formation and osteoblastic
      differentiation in tissue engineering. Previous studies have demonstrated that
      EPCs regulate both proliferation and differentiation of BMSCs. However, the
      underlying mechanism remains unclear. Understanding this mechanism is critical to
      developing more effective treatments. The role of extracellular vesicles in cell
      to-cell communication has attracted substantial attention. These small vesicles
      deliver proteins, DNA, and RNA and consequently regulate the commitment,
      function, and differentiation of target cells. In the present study, EPC-derived
      extracellular vesicles (EPC-EVs were isolated using gradient ultracentrifugation
      and ultrafiltration and the influence of EPC-EVs on BMSC osteoblastic
      differentiation and proliferation was examined in vitro. The results indicated
      that EPC-EVs regulate the osteoblastic differentiation of BMSCs by inhibiting the
      expression of osteogenic genes and increasing proliferation in vitro. It is
      suggested that the results regarding the role of EPC-EVs will provide a novel way
      to explain the crosstalk between EPCs and BMSCs.

PMID- 28901384
TI  - Aminoguanidine exhibits an inhibitory effect on beta-amyloid-induced damage in
      F98 glioma cells.
AB  - The present study investigated the role of aminoguanidine in the prevention of
      harmful effects in astroglioma F98 cells induced by beta-amyloid treatment. MTT
      assay was used to analyze cell viability. Expression of inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (iNOS) was analyzed using western blot analysis. Treatment of the F98
      cells with a 15 uM concentration of beta-amyloid for 12 h reduced cell viability
      to 18% compared with the control cells. However, pretreatment with a 30 uM
      concentration of aminoguanidine for 12 h completely prevented the beta-amyloid
      induced reduction in cell viability. The production of ROS and the expression of
      iNOS were significantly (P<0.005) higher in the beta-amyloid-treated F98 cells.
      Aminoguanidine pre-treatment inhibited the beta-amyloid-induced increase in the
      expression of ROS, with increased mRNA and proteins levels of iNOS12 h following
      treatment at a 30 uM concentration. The beta-amyloid treatment also resulted in a
      marked increase in the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in F98 cells. By
      contrast, pre-treatment with aminoguanidine for 12 h led to reduction in the mRNA
      and protein expression levels of COX-2. Pre-treatment of the F98 cells with
      aminoguanidine at a 30 uM concentration for 12 h prior to incubation with beta
      amyloid significantly (P<0.002) reduced the expression of prostaglandin E2
      (PGE2). Aminoguanidine pre-treatment also caused the inhibition of beta-amyloid
      induced translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB p65 into the cytosol. Thus,
      aminoguanidine prevented beta-amyloid-induced Alzheimer's disease through
      reductions in the expression levels of NO, iNOS, PGE2 and COX-2, and the
      inactivation of NF-kappaB. Therefore, aminoguanidine offers potential for use in
      the treatment of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 28901385
TI  - Protective effect of Rhizoma Dioscoreae extract against alveolar bone loss in
      ovariectomized rats via regulation of IL-6/STAT3 signaling.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of Rhizoma
      Dioscoreae extract (RDE) on preventing rat alveolar bone loss induced by
      ovariectomy (OVX), and to determine the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6)/signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway in this
      effect. Female Wistar rats were subjected to OVX or sham surgery. The rats that
      had undergone OVX were treated with RDE (RDE group), vehicle (OVX group) or
      17beta-estradiol subcutaneous injection (E2 group). Subsequently, bone metabolic
      activity was assessed by analyzing 3-D alveolar bone construction, bone mineral
      density, as well as the plasma biomarkers of bone turnover. The gene expression
      of alveolar bone in the OVX and RDE groups was evaluated by IL-6/STAT3 signaling
      pathway polymerase chain reaction (PCR) arrays, and differentially expressed
      genes were determined through reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The
      inhibitory effect of RDE on alveolar bone loss in the OVX group was demonstrated
      in the study. In comparison with the OVX group, the RDE group exhibited 19
      downregulated genes and 1 upregulated gene associated with the IL-6/STAT3
      signaling pathway in alveolar bone. Thus, RDE was shown to relieve OVX-induced
      alveolar bone loss in rats, an effect which was likely associated with decreased
      abnormal bone remodeling via regulation of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway.

PMID- 28901386
TI  - Aloin promotes A549 cell apoptosis via the reactive oxygen species-mitogen
      activated protein kinase signaling pathway and p53 phosphorylation.
AB  - Aloin has the potential to be a novel anticancer agent in cancer therapies.
      However, the detailed anticancer effect of Aloin remains to be fully elucidated.
      The present study analyzed the p53-dependent mechanisms in response to Aloin
      treatment. Using the p53-proficient A549 cells, an Aloin-induced apoptotic cell
      model was established, which was used to evaluate the potential underlying
      molecular mechanisms. The results demonstrated that 200, 300 and 400 uM Aloin
      induced intrinsic cell apoptosis, which was further confirmed by disruption of
      the mitochondrial membrane potential, elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ levels, and
      activation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) homologous antagonist killer, Bcl-2 X
      associated protein, p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis and phorbol-12
      myristate-13-acetate-induced protein 1. Aloin-induced apoptosis was also
      accompanied by the induction of p53 phosphorylation on Serine (Ser)15, Threonine
      18, Ser20 and Ser392; however, there were no significant differences in the
      expression of p53 and mouse double minute 2 homolog. Aloin-induced apoptosis was
      reactive oxygen species (ROS)- and c-Jun/p38-dependent, as specific inhibitors
      for ROS, phosphorylated (p)-c-Jun and p-p38 may attenuate Aloin-induced A549 cell
      proliferating inhibition. In conclusion, these results suggested that Aloin may
      induce apoptosis in A549 cells via the ROS-mitogen activated protein kinase
      signaling pathway, with p53 phosphorylation. These results implicate Aloin as a
      potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of lung cancer.

PMID- 28901387
TI  - Triptolide blocks the STAT3 signaling pathway through induction of protein
      tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 in multiple myeloma cells.
AB  - Triptolide, an active component extracted from the medicinal plant Tripterygium
      wilfordii Hook F., has been used to treat various diseases, including lupus,
      cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and nephritic syndrome. The present study
      investigated the effects of triptolide on multiple myeloma using western blotting
      and an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Triptolide was found to suppress the
      inducible and constitutive activation of signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 3 (STAT3), which is closely associated with inflammation and
      tumorigenesis. Triptolide also inhibited the DNA binding of STAT3. This
      correlated with the downregulation of Src kinase and Janus kinase 1 and 2, and
      with the upregulation of protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 6 (also
      known as SHP-1). In addition, triptolide downregulated the expression of the
      STAT3-regulated antiapoptotic (Bcl-xL and myeloid cell leukemia-1), proliferative
      (cyclin D1), and angiogenic (vascular endothelial growth factor) genes,
      suggesting that triptolide can induce apoptosis of tumor cells. These results
      suggest that triptolide may be a potential therapeutic anticancer agent for the
      prevention and treatment of multiple myeloma; thus further in-depth
      investigations into its efficacy and toxicity are warranted.

PMID- 28901388
TI  - Inhibitory effects of 17beta-estradiol or a resveratrol dimer on hypoxia
      inducible factor-1alpha in genioglossus myoblasts: Involvement of ERalpha and its
      downstream p38 MAPK pathways.
AB  - Deficiency in the functioning of the genioglossus, which is one of the upper
      airway dilator muscles, is an important cause of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea
      syndrome (OSAHS). Estrogens have been reported to inhibit hypoxia-inducible
      factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression in hypoxia, regulating its target genes and
      exerting protective effects on the genioglossus in chronic intermittent hypoxia
      (CIH). This study aimed to investigate the role of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and a
      resveratrol dimer (RD) on HIF-1alpha and the underlying mechanism. Mouse
      genioglossus myoblasts were isolated and cultured, and the estrogen receptor
      alpha (ERalpha) shRNA lentivirus was used for gene knockdown. Then MTT assay was
      used to determine the effects of E2 and RD on the viability of the cells. Cells
      in different groups were treated with different agents (E2, or RD, or E2 and
      SB203580), incubated under normoxia or hypoxia for 24 h, and then expression
      levels of HIF-1alpha, ERalpha, ERbeta, total-p38 MAPK and phospho-p38 MAPK were
      detected. We observed that both E2 and RD inhibited the overexpression of HIF
      1alpha induced by hypoxia at the mRNA and protein levels, and these effects were
      eliminated by genetic silencing of ERalpha by RNAi. In addition, we found that E2
      activated p38 MAPK pathways to inhibit HIF-1alpha expression. On the whole,
      ERalpha may be responsible for downregulation of HIF-1alpha by E2 or RD via
      activation of downstream p38 MAPK pathways.

PMID- 28901389
TI  - Analysis of dermal fibroblasts isolated from neonatal and child cleft lip and
      adult skin: Developmental implications on reconstructive surgery.
AB  - The nonsyndromic cleft is one of the most frequent congenital defects in humans.
      Clinical data demonstrated improved and almost scarless neonatal healing of
      reparative surgery. Based on our previous results on crosstalk between neonatal
      fibroblasts and adult keratinocytes, the present study focused on
      characterization of fibroblasts prepared from cleft lip tissue samples of
      neonates and older children, and compared them with samples isolated from normal
      adult skin (face and breast) and scars. Although subtle variances in expression
      profiles of children and neonates were observed, the two groups differed
      significantly from adult cells. Compared with adult cells, differences were
      observed in nestin and smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression at the protein and
      transcript level. Furthermore, fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation drives
      effective wound healing and is largely regulated by the cytokine, transforming
      growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). Dysregulation of the TGF-beta signalling
      pathway, including low expression of the TGF-beta receptor II, may contribute to
      reducing scarring in neonates. Fibroblasts of facial origin also exhibited age
      independent differences from the cells prepared from the breast, reflecting the
      origin of the facial cells from neural crest-based ectomesenchyme.

PMID- 28901390
TI  - MicroRNA-132 induces temozolomide resistance and promotes the formation of cancer
      stem cell phenotypes by targeting tumor suppressor candidate 3 in glioblastoma.
AB  - The prognosis of patients suffering from glioblastoma [also referred to as
      glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)] is dismal despite multimodal therapy. Chemotherapy
      with temozolomide may suppress tumor growth for a certain period of time (a few
      months); however, invariable tumor recurrence suggests that glioblastoma
      initiating cells (GICs) render these tumors persistant. Thus, the understanding
      of the molecular mechanisms of action of GICs as regards their role in the
      progression of GBM is important as such knowledge will be helpful in the
      discovery of novel drug targets, as well as in the design of novel therapeutic
      strategies for more effective treatment of the disease. In this study, we found
      that tumor suppressor candidate 3 (TUSC3) was downregulated in temozolomide
      resistant U87MG cells (U87MG-res cells) and its restoration sensitized U87MG-res
      cells to temozolomide. TUSC3 was able to inhibit the formation of GIC phenotypes
      in the U87MG-res cells. The overexpression of microRNA (miR)-132 inhibited TUSC3
      protein expression in the U87MG cells. However, its overexpression did not
      degrade TUSC3 mRNA expression in the cells. miR-132 was upregulated in the U87MG
      res cells and its overexpression induced temozolomide resistance and the
      formation of cancer stem cell phenotypes in the U87MG cells. Thus, our data
      indicate that miR-132 induces temozolomide resistance and promotes the formation
      of cancer stem cell phenotypes by targeting TUSC3 in glioblastoma.

PMID- 28901391
TI  - Protective effects of heme oxygenase-1-transduced bone marrow-derived mesenchymal
      stem cells on reduced-size liver transplantation: Role of autophagy regulated by
      the ERK/mTOR signaling pathway.
AB  - Autophagy is a critical lysosomal pathway that degrades cytoplasmic components to
      maintain cell homeostasis and provide substrates for energy metabolism. A study
      revealed that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)-transduced bone marrow-derived mesenchymal
      stem cells (BM-MSCs) could protect 50% reduced-size liver transplantation (RSLT)
      in a rat model. However, the mechanisms remain mostly unknown. The aim of the
      present study was to explore the effects and related mechanism of autophagy on
      the protection conferred by HO-1-transduced BM-MSCs (HO-1/BM-MSCs) on 50% RSLT in
      a rat model. The authors established an acute rejection model following 50% RSLT
      in rats, with recipients divided into three groups receiving treatment with BM
      MSCs, HO-1/BM-MSCs or normal saline (NS) injected through the dorsal penile vein.
      Transplanted liver tissues at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days following
      transplantation were acquired for further analysis. The results indicated that
      the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3 and Beclin-1 increased, the
      levels of ERK and p-ERK increased, and the levels of mammalian target of
      rapamycin (mTOR) and p-mTOR decreased in the HO-1/BM-MSCs. These observations
      indicated that autophagy is involved in the protective effects of HO-1/BM-MSCs on
      liver grafts following RSLT, possibly via upregulation of autophagy-related
      proteins through the ERK/mTOR signaling pathway.

PMID- 28901392
TI  - Negative pressure wound therapy: Regulating blood flow perfusion and microvessel
      maturation through microvascular pericytes.
AB  - Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been demonstrated to accelerate wound
      healing by promoting angiogenesis. However, whether blood flow perfusion is
      regulated by microvessel maturation and pericytes following NPWT remains unclear,
      as well as the exact association between pericytes and collagen type IV. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the relevant association between blood flow
      perfusion and microvessel maturation and pericytes following NPWT, and to further
      explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. We also aimed to investigate the
      association between pericytes and collagen type IV. For this purpose, we created
      a rat model of diabetic wounds and microvascular blood flow perfusion was
      detected using a laser Doppler blood perfusion imager. The expression levels of
      angiogenin-1, tyrosine phosphorylation of tyrosine kinase receptor-2 (Tie-2),
      alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and collagen type IV were detected and
      analyzed through immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR and western
      blot analysis. The results revealed that NPWT promoted the overexpression of
      angiogenin-1, Tie-2, alpha-SMA and collagen type IV, and significantly increased
      blood flow perfusion coupled with microvessel maturation in the NPWT group at the
      later stages (7-10 days) of wound healing. Our results suggested that NPWT can
      preferentially enhance vessel maturation and increase the number of pericytes,
      thus regulating blood flow perfusion. On the other hand, pericytes and collagen
      type IV had a mutual interaction, promoting microvessel maturation.

PMID- 28901393
TI  - LPS-induced downregulation of microRNA-204/211 upregulates and stabilizes
      Angiopoietin-1 mRNA in EA.hy926 endothelial cells.
AB  - Angiopoietin-1 (ANG-1), a ligand of the endothelial cell-specific TIE2 surface
      receptor, acts in a complementary and coordinated manner with vascular
      endothelial growth factor during the process of angiogenesis. ANG-1 can be used
      as a clinically informative biomarker of disease severity and outcome in severe
      sepsis. The epithelium-specific Ets transcription factor 1 can activate ANG-1
      transcription in the setting of inflammation; however, relatively little is known
      about the regulation of ANG-1 by microRNAs (miRs). It was observed that
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly increased ANG-1 mRNA and protein
      expression in EA.hy926 cells. ANG-1 was identified as a potential target gene of
      miR-204 and miR-211. Overexpression of miR-204/211 partially reversed the LPS
      induced ANG-1 expression in EA.hy926 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of miR
      204/211 significantly reduced the activity of a luciferase reporter gene
      containing the wild-type ANG-1 3'-untranslated region (UTR), but did not
      influence the activity of a luciferase reporter gene containing the ANG-1 3'-UTR
      with a mutated miR-204/211 binding site, confirming that miR-204/211 can bind to
      the ANG-1 3'-UTR and post-transcriptionally regulate ANG-1. Additionally, LPS
      enhanced the stability of ANG-1 mRNA by reducing the abundance of miR-204/211.
      Overexpression of miR-204/211 reduced the migration of EA.hy926 cells in vitro.
      The present study demonstrated that ANG-1 is a novel direct target gene of miR
      204 and miR-211; in addition, LPS was able to inhibit this effect by reducing the
      expression of miR-204 and miR-211.

PMID- 28901394
TI  - Overexpression of ATP5b promotes cell proliferation in asthma.
AB  - Asthma is a complicated systemic disease of the airways, which is characterized
      by variable symptoms, including bronchial hyper-responsive-ness, inflammation and
      airflow obstruction. The prevalence of asthma has increased 2-3-fold over recent
      decades in developed countries; however, the molecular mechanism of asthma
      remains unclear. In the current study, the expression of recombinant protein
      Dermatophagoides farinaeI (Derf I) was induced by isopropyl beta-D-1
      thiogalactoside (IPTG) and purified using Ni-NTA. Derf I, an important antigen of
      asthma, was used to establish the animal model of asthma. Airway hyper
      responsiveness was mea-sured using unrestrained whole-body plethysmography with a
      four-chamber system. Immunoglobulin (Ig)E, IgG and IgG2a were analyzed using
      indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Proteomic technology was
      applied to detect the difference between the normal lung tissue and asthma lung
      tissue samples of the asthma model. Cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and
      the splenocyte culture medium were measured by ELISA and reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect the mRNA
      expression of ATP synthase, H+ transporting, mitochondrial F1 complex, beta
      polypeptide (ATP5b). In addition, cell growth of arterial smooth muscle cells
      (ASMCs) was evaluated by MTT assay. In the current study, Derf I was successfully
      used to construct the animal model of asthma. Out of 23 proteins that exhibit 3
      fold upregulation or downregulation, ATP5b was chosen for further investigation.
      The data indicated that ATP5b was overexpressed in the asthma lung tissue when
      compared with the normal lung tissue. However, when ATP5b was knocked down, cell
      growth decreased. Therefore, overexpressed ATP5b leads to airway smooth muscle
      cell (ASMC) proliferation and finally to ASM thickening. Thus, to the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first study to report that the expression level of ATP5b
      was markedly increased in lung tissue samples of an asthma model compared with
      the tissue samples from normal lungs, which promoted ASMC proliferation and
      contributed to airway remodeling.

PMID- 28901395
TI  - Role of matrix metalloproteinase-7 and apoptosis-associated gene expression
      levels in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrosis in a Beagle dog model.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential role of matrix
      metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and apoptosis-associated genes [TIMP metallopeptidase
      inhibitor 2(TIMP-2), BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator (BAX) and BCL2,
      apoptosis regulator (BCL-2)] in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF) in a
      Beagle dog model. A total of 20 adult male Beagle dogs were randomly assigned
      into the AF group (n=10; Beagle dogs were treated by Burst stimulation to induce
      AF) and the control group (n=10; healthy Beagle dogs). Echocardiography and
      Mallory staining were used to determine cardiac function and degree of atrial
      fibrosis, respectively. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction and western blotting were performed to determine collagen type 1 (Col
      I), MMP-7, TIMP-2, BAX and BCL-2 mRNA and protein expression levels. Compared
      with the control group, the AF group presented increased degree of atrial
      fibrosis and level of Col I expression, elevated MMP-7 and BAX expression levels,
      but decreased TIMP-2 and BCL-2 expression levels. Correlation analysis
      demonstrated that MMP-7 and BAX protein expression levels were negatively
      correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), but positively
      correlated with the degree of atrial fibrosis. Negative correlation was observed
      between TIMP-2 and BCL-2 protein expression levels and degree of atrial fibrosis.
      In addition, a positive correlation between TIMP-2 and BCL-2 protein expression
      levels and LEVF was observed. These results demonstrate that MMP-7 and BAX were
      highly expressed, while TIMP-2 and BCL-2 were downregulated in a Beagle dog model
      of AF, indicating that MMP-7 and apoptosis-associated genes (TIMP-2, BAX and BCL
      2) may be associated with the pathogenesis of AF.

PMID- 28901396
TI  - Effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on high glucose-induced autophagy inhibition in peritoneum.
AB  - High glucose (HG) may damage the structure and function of the peritoneal
      membrane, and is considered to be one of the most important factors that leads to
      peritoneal fibrosis and ultrafiltration failure. Recently, 1,25(OH)2D3, the
      active form of vitamin D, was demonstrated to protect against epithelial
      mesenchymal transition and fibrosis in peritoneal mesothelium and other organs.
      Accumulating evidence has suggested that autophagy serves a protective role in
      certain diseases by regulating cell survival. The present study examined whether
      1,25(OH)2D3 has an effect on autophagy in peritoneal mesothelial cells. The
      protein level of Beclin, anti-ubiquitin-binding protein p62 (p62), microtubule
      associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (LC3-II), mechanistic target of
      rapamycin (mTOR) and phosphorylated mTOR were evaluated by western blot analysis.
      Autophagosomes were detected under transmission electron microscopy. It was
      revealed that exposure to HG inhibited autophagy in peritoneal mesothelial cells.
      However, 1,25(OH)2D3 alleviated autophagy inhibition induced by HG in human
      peritoneal mesothelial cells, which activated expression of autophagy-associated
      genes encoding Beclin-1 and LC3-II downregulated the expression of p62 via mTOR
      signaling pathway. In a mouse model of HG-treated peritoneal mesothelium,
      autophagy inhibition was observed in peritoneum, 1,25(OH)2D3 attenuated HG
      induced autophagy inhibition in peritoneal mesothelium via the mTOR signaling
      pathway. These findings suggested that 1,25(OH)2D3 may be a potential therapy for
      peritoneal injury.

PMID- 28901397
TI  - Beneficial effect of 20-hydroxyecdysone exerted by modulating antioxidants and
      inflammatory cytokine levels in collagen-induced arthritis: A model for
      rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by an elevated
      synovial inflammatory response, with destruction or erosion of articular
      cartilage in major joints. The aim of the present study was to examine whether 20
      hydroxyecdysone (HES) is able to ameliorate oxidative stress and inflammatory
      responses in a collagen-induced rheumatoid arthritis (CIA) rat model. A total of
      40 healthy male rats were selected arbitrarily and separated into four groups.
      Rats treated with saline served as a control (group I), rats subjected to CIA
      induction by intradermal injection of bovine collagen II type served as the
      induced group (group II), while rats induced with CIA and administered with 10
      and 20 mg/kg bodyweight HES for 28 days served as treatment groups (groups III
      and IV). Biochemical parameters, including paw swelling (edema), arthritis score,
      indexes of thymus and spleen, antioxidant levels (superoxide dismutase, catalase
      and glutathione), articular elastase and anti-collagen II specific
      immunoglobulins (Ig)G, IgG1 and IgG2a, in addition to inflammatory markers
      [nitric oxide, C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha and nuclear factor-kappaB p65 subunit] were significantly decreased
      (P<0.01) following supplementation with HES (10/20 mg/kg). Consistently, the
      protein expression pattern of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenease
      2 were significantly downregulated (P<0.01) upon treatment with HES. In addition,
      histological analysis confirmed arthritis in CIA-induced rats by revealing the
      presence of greater polymorphonuclear cell infiltration, with eroded articular
      cartilage and prominent synovitis. However, administration of HES was
      demonstrated to alleviate the morphological changes and maintain the normal
      architecture of synovial joints. In conclusion, the results of the present study
      indicated that treatment with HES (particularly 20 mg/kg) may effectively
      eradicate the inflammatory cascade and oxidative stress process in CIA-induced
      rats and thereby exhibit anti-rheumatoid arthritis properties.

PMID- 28901398
TI  - Application of next-generation sequencing for molecular diagnosis in a large
      family with osteogenesis imperfecta type I.
AB  - Increased bone fragility and low bone mass are common features of osteogenesis
      imperfecta (OI), which is associated with connective tissue. Its type is
      distinguished by clinical phenotypes and molecular genetics. Although fifteen
      types (I-XV) of OI have been identified at present, the majority of patients are
      diagnosed as OI type I-IV. Type I collagen is responsible for OI type I-IV,
      consists of alpha1 (I) and alpha2 (I) chains and is encoded by COL1A1 and COL1A2.
      To identify the pathogenic gene of a large Chinese family with OI type I and
      explain genetic heterogeneity of the patients, next-generation sequencing (NGS)
      was conducted in a female with OI type I and her affected niece and daughter to
      search for the mutation. Subsequently, it was confirmed in other family members
      by Sanger sequencing. Analysis of COL1A1 gene identified a splicing mutation
      (c.471+1G>A, also termed IVS5+1G>A) that converted the 5' end of intron 5 from GT
      to AT. The current study aimed to investigate why there are different phenotypes
      with the same mutation observed within the same OI pedigree, and the results
      suggested that there may be environmental factors involved. The present study
      provided genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for the family members,
      however additionally provided insight into the phenotype-genotype association in
      OI.

PMID- 28901399
TI  - Downregulated SOCS1 expression activates the JAK1/STAT1 pathway and promotes
      polarization of macrophages into M1 type.
AB  - Macrophage polarization is flexible, and involves in different signaling pathways
      and various transcription factors. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) is an
      important inhibitor of cytokine signaling pathways and also a key physiological
      regulator for natural and acquired immunity systems. Following transfection of
      SOCS1 short hairpin (sh)RNA into mouse macrophage cells, reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that the mRNA levels of Janus
      kinase (JAK)1 and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1
      increased significantly. In addition, western blotting indicated that JAK1, STAT1
      and p-STAT1 expression was significantly enhanced. Fludarabine can inhibit
      phosphorylation of STAT1 and SOCS1 expression. When fludarabine was added and
      SOCS1 shRNA was transfected, the inhibition of fludarabine was weakened, and p
      STAT1 expression was upregulated. Flow cytometry detection indicated that,
      following the downregulation of SOCS1 expression, M1-type cells significantly
      increased, but the proportion of M2-type cells did not change significantly.
      Fludarabine can reduce the effect of SOCS1 shRNA on promoting M1-type cell
      polarization, and macrophages can polarize into both M1 and M2 phenotypes.
      Further ELISA results presented that, when downregulating SOCS1 expression,
      interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10 expression was both downregulated, and tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interferon (IFN)-gamma expression was
      significantly upregulated. When adding fludarabine or injecting with the
      traditional Chinese medicine Xuebijing, IL-4 and IL-10 expression was both
      significantly upregulated, and TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma expression was
      significantly downregulated. When adding fludarabine and downregulating SOCS1, IL
      4, IL-10, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma expression presented no significant changes.
      The above results indicated that, when SOCS1 expression is downregulated, it will
      activate the JAK1/STAT1 pathway, and thereby promote the polarization of
      macrophages into M1 type. The findings are of great importance for understanding
      occurrence, development and treatment of various immune-related diseases.

PMID- 28901401
TI  - Urotensin II enhances transforming growth factor-beta1 expression and secretion
      in the kidney during aristolochic acid nephropathy.
AB  - Aristolochic acid is a component of many types of Chinese medicine, which are
      commonly used to treat almost all human diseases. However, aristolochic acid may
      cause nephropathy. Urotensin II (UII) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1
      are important signaling factors, which are expressed at elevated levels during
      the development of nephropathy. However, the association between UII and TGF
      beta1 expression remains unclear. In the current study, the regulatory
      association between UII and TGF-beta1 expression was investigated using a rat
      aristolochic acid nephropathy model and the NRK-52E cell line. The expression
      levels of UII and TGF-beta1 were identified to be constantly increased in the rat
      aristolochic acid nephropathy model, even 10 days after administration of
      Aristolochiae manshuriensis decoction was terminated. Notably, increases in the
      TGF-beta1 expression levels occurred later than those of UII. Furthermore, UII
      enhanced TGF-beta1 expression in, and secretion from, NRK-52E cells. These data
      indicate that UII and TGF-beta1 are important in the development of aristolochic
      acid nephropathy, and UII enhances TGF-beta1 expression levels and secretion
      during aristolochic acid nephropathy. However, the underlying mechanisms for the
      precise roles of UII and TGF-beta1 as well as the method by which UII regulates
      the expression TGF-beta1 in aristolochic acid nephropathy remain to be elucidated
      in future studies.

PMID- 28901400
TI  - Taurine alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury by anti-inflammation
      and antioxidants in rats.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of taurine
      on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury and its mechanisms. Male rats
      were randomly divided into three groups: Normal saline, LPS model and taurine
      treatment. Experimental animals were treated with saline or taurine (dissolved in
      saline, 200 mg/kg/day) via intravenous injection. After 2 h, saline or LPS (0.5
      mg/kg) was administrated via intraperitoneal injection. Markers of liver injury,
      pro-inflammatory cytokines and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were
      determined in plasma. Liver tissues were removed for morphological analysis and
      determination by western blot analysis. Taurine significantly reduced the
      elevation in the levels of LPS-induced aspartate transaminase and alanine
      transaminase and decreased the concentrations of LPS-induced inflammatory factors
      including tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6. Taurine also increased
      the activity of SOD in serum and the expression of heme oxygenase-1 protein in
      liver tissue. Taurine pretreatment also reduced the elevated expression levels of
      LPS-induced cyclooxygenase-2, nuclear factor kappaB and extracellular regulated
      protein kinase. The results from the present study demonstrated that taurine
      alleviates LPS-induced liver injury. The beneficial role of taurine may be
      associated with its reduction of pro-inflammatory response and oxidative stress.

PMID- 28901402
TI  - Carbon monoxide-releasing molecule suppresses inflammatory and osteoclastogenic
      cytokines in nicotine- and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human periodontal
      ligament cells via the heme oxygenase-1 pathway.
AB  - Smoking is identified as a risk factor for periodontitis. Carbon monoxide (CO)
      releasing molecule-3 (CORM-3) is a compound that has demonstrated anti
      inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo studies. The present study aimed to
      investigate the effects of CORM-3 on the expression of inflammatory and
      osteoclastogenic cytokines in human periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) stimulated
      by nicotine and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The cells were pretreated with CORM-3
      and then cultured in medium in the presence of nicotine and LPS. The mRNA and
      protein expression levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2),
      osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL)
      and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were evaluated using reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The mRNA and
      protein expression levels of these cytokines were also evaluated in PDLCs
      transiently transfected with HO-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) in response to
      nicotine and LPS stimulation. CORM-3 attenuated the LPS- and nicotine-induced
      production of PGE2, COX-2 and RANKL in human PDLCs by releasing CO, and
      upregulated the expression of OPG. However, these effects of CORM-3 were
      abrogated when HO-1 siRNA was transiently transfected into the cells. These
      results demonstrate that CORM-3 exerts anti-inflammatory and anti
      osteoclastogenic effects on nicotine- and LPS-stimulated human PDLCs via the HO-1
      pathway, which suggests its promising potential for use in the treatment of
      inflammatory periodontal disease.

PMID- 28901403
TI  - Whole Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein gene deletion identified by high
      throughput sequencing.
AB  - Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is a rare X-linked recessive immunodeficiency
      disorder, characterized by thrombocytopenia, small platelets, eczema and
      recurrent infections associated with increased risk of autoimmunity and
      malignancy disorders. Mutations in the WAS protein (WASP) gene are responsible
      for WAS. To date, WASP mutations, including missense/nonsense, splicing, small
      deletions, small insertions, gross deletions, and gross insertions have been
      identified in patients with WAS. In addition, WASP-interacting proteins are
      suspected in patients with clinical features of WAS, in whom the WASP gene
      sequence and mRNA levels are normal. The present study aimed to investigate the
      application of next generation sequencing in definitive diagnosis and clinical
      therapy for WAS. A 5 month-old child with WAS who displayed symptoms of
      thrombocytopenia was examined. Whole exome sequence analysis of genomic DNA
      showed that the coverage and depth of WASP were extremely low. Quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction indicated total WASP gene deletion in the proband. In
      conclusion, high throughput sequencing is useful for the verification of WAS on
      the genetic profile, and has implications for family planning guidance and
      establishment of clinical programs.

PMID- 28901404
TI  - Effects of anticholinergic agent on miRNA profiles and transcriptomes in a murine
      model of allergic rhinitis.
AB  - Anticholinergic agent, ipratropium bromide (IB) ameliorates symptoms of allergic
      rhinitis (AR) using neuroimmunologic mechanisms. However, the underlying
      molecular mechanism remains largely unclear. In the present study, 27 mice with
      AR induced by ovalbumin were randomly allocated to one of three groups: Model
      group, model group with IB treatment for 2 weeks, and model group with IB
      treatment for 4 weeks. Allergic symptoms were evaluated according to symptoms
      scores. Differentially expressed genes [microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs
      (mRNAs)] of nasal mucosa were identified by microarray analysis. The expression
      levels of candidate genes were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The data indicates that the symptoms scores
      in allergic mice were significantly reduced by IB treatment. In the nasal mucosa
      of allergic mice with IB treatment, 207 mRNAs and 87 miRNAs were differentially
      expressed, when compared with the sham group. IB treatment significantly
      downregulated the expression levels of interleukin-4Ralpha and prostaglandin D2
      synthase, whereas the leukemia inhibitory factor, A20 and nuclear receptor
      subfamily 4, group A, member 1 expression levels were upregulated. Similarly, the
      expression levels of mmu-miR-124-3p/5p, -133b-5p, -133a-3p/5p, -384-3p, -181a-5p,
      -378a-5p and -3071-5p were significantly increased. RT-qPCR data further
      validated these mRNA and miRNA expression levels. Thus, IB treatment regulated
      expression of allergic immune-associated mRNAs and miRNAs of the nasal mucosa in
      allergic mice, which may be associated with ameliorated nasal allergic symptoms.

PMID- 28901405
TI  - Genotype/phenotype analysis in a male patient with partial trisomy 4p and
      monosomy 20q due to maternal reciprocal translocation (4;20): A case report.
AB  - Translocations are the most frequent structural aberration in the human genome.
      Carriers of balanced chromosome rearrangement exhibit an increased risk of
      abortion and/or a chromosomally-unbalanced child. The present study reported a
      clinical and cytogenetic analysis of a child who exhibited typical trisomy 4p and
      monosomy 20q features, including intellectual disability, delayed speech, tall
      stature, seizures and facial dysmorphism. The karyotype of the proband exhibited
      46, XY, add(20) (q13.3). The karyotype of the mother indicated a balanced
      translocation karyotype: 46, XX, t(4;20) (p15.2;q13.1). The array-based
      comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis identified partial trisomy of
      the short arm of chromosome 4 and partial monosomy of distal 20q in the proband
      due to maternal balanced reciprocal translocation 4;20. The analysis of
      genotype/phenotype correlation demonstrated that fibroblast growth factor
      receptor 3 and msh homeobox 1 may be the important genes for 4p duplication, and
      that potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 2, myelin transcription
      factor 1 and cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha4 subunit may be the important
      genes for 20q deletion. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the
      first to report an unbalanced translocation involving chromosomes 4p and 20q. The
      present study additionally demonstrated that aCGH analysis is able to reliably
      detect unbalanced submicroscopic chromosomal aberrations.

PMID- 28901406
TI  - FGFR2 mutations and associated clinical observations in two Chinese patients with
      Crouzon syndrome.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to identify mutations in the fibroblast growth
      factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene in patients with Crouzon syndrome and characterize
      the associated clinical features. A total of two Chinese patients diagnosed with
      Crouzon syndrome underwent complete examinations, including best-corrected visual
      acuity, slit-lamp, examination, fundus examination, optical coherence tomography
      and computed tomography of the skull. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral
      blood samples collected from the patients, as well as their family members and
      200 unrelated control subjects from the same population. Exons 8 and 10 in the
      FGFR2 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and directly sequenced.
      Patient #1 had a heterozygous missense mutation (c.1025G>A, p.C342Y) in exon 10
      of FGFR2. Patient #2 had a heterozygous mutation (c.1084+1 G>T; IVS10+1G>T) in
      intron 10. The mutations were not present in any of the unaffected family members
      or unrelated control subjects. These findings expand the mutation spectrum of
      FGFR2, and are valuable for genetic counseling in addition to prenatal diagnosis
      in patients with Crouzon syndrome.

PMID- 28901407
TI  - Colon cancer recurrence-associated genes revealed by WGCNA co-expression network
      analysis.
AB  - The present study aimed to identify the recurrence-associated genes in colon
      cancer, which may provide theoretical evidence for the development of novel
      methods to prevent tumor recurrence. Colon cancer and matched normal samples
      microarray data (E-GEOD-39582) were downloaded from ArrayExpress. Genes with
      significant variation were identified, followed by the screening of
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Subsequently, the co-expression network of
      DEGs was constructed using the weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA)
      method, which was verified using the validation dataset. The significant modules
      associated with recurrence in the network were subsequently screened and verified
      in another independent dataset E-GEOD-33113. Function and pathway enrichment
      analyses were also conducted to determine the roles of selected genes. Survival
      analysis was performed to identify the association between these genes and
      survival. A total of 434 DEGs were identified in the colon samples, and stress
      associated endoplasmic reticulum protein family member 2 (SERP2) and long non
      coding RNA-0219 (LINC0219) were determined to be the vital DEGs between all the
      three sub-type groups with different clinical features. The brown module was
      identified to be the most significant module in the co-expression network
      associated with the recurrence of colon cancer, which was verified in the E-GEOD
      33113 dataset. Top 10 genes in the brown module, including EGF containing fibulin
      like extracellular matrix protein 2 (EFEMP2), fibrillin 1 (FBN1) and secreted
      protein acidic and cysteine rich (SPARC) were also associated with survival time
      of colon cancer patients. Further analysis revealed that the function of cell
      adhesion, biological adhesion, extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, pathways
      of ECM-receptor interaction and focal adhesion were the significantly changed
      terms in colon cancer. In conclusion, SERP2, EFEMP2, FBN1, SPARC, and LINC0219
      were revealed to be the recurrence-associated molecular and prognostic indicators
      in colon cancer by WGCNA co-expression network analysis.

PMID- 28901408
TI  - MicroRNA-382 inhibits cell proliferation and invasion of retinoblastoma by
      targeting BDNF-mediated PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.
AB  - It has previously been demonstrated that multiple microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are
      aberrantly expressed in retinoblastoma (RB) and contribute to RB initiation and
      progression. miR-382 has been revealed to be aberrantly expressed and therefore
      exhibits a key role in the progression of various types of cancer. However, the
      expression pattern, functional roles and underlying molecular mechanism of miR
      382 in RB remain unknown. The present study investigated the expression levels of
      miR-382 and its effects on RB cells and the underlying regulatory mechanism of
      its action. It was demonstrated that miR-382 was downregulated in RB tissues and
      cell lines. Upregulation of miR-382 inhibited RB cell proliferation and invasion
      in vitro. Additionally, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was identified
      as a novel target of miR-382 in RB. BDNF was upregulated in RB tissues and
      negatively associated with miR-382 expression levels. Furthermore, BDNF
      overexpression rescued the tumour-suppressing effects on RB cells induced by miR
      382. miR-382 inactivated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B
      (PI3K/AKT) signalling pathway in RB. These findings suggested that miR-382 serves
      as a tumour suppressor in RB, in part, by targeting the BDNF-mediated PI3K/AKT
      signalling pathway. The results of the present study suggest a potential
      therapeutic strategy for treating RB patients in the future.

PMID- 28901409
TI  - Epigallocatechin-3-gallate protects from high glucose induced podocyte apoptosis
      via suppressing endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - Podocytes serve a critical role in the development of many glomerular diseases,
      including diabetic nephropathy (DN). Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a
      predominant polyphenolic component of green tea, has indicated its therapeutic
      effects in diabetes. In the present study, mouse podocyte cells were cultured in
      vitro, cell injury was induced by high glucose, and the protective effect of EGCG
      on cell proliferation and apoptosis and the underlying mechanisms were
      investigated. The results demonstrated that high glucose significantly inhibited
      cell proliferation after 48 and 72 h compared with normal glucose and mannitol
      treatment. EGCG (20 umol/l) markedly promoted podocyte proliferation after 24, 48
      and 72 h incubation with high glucose. Furthermore, high glucose significantly
      reduced WT-1 and nephrin expression in podocytes compared with the normal glucose
      and mannitol groups, while EGCG (20 umol/l) treatment largely restored their
      expression. High glucose also significantly increased the apoptotic cell
      population compared with normal glucose and mannitol groups. However, EGCG
      combined with high glucose greatly decreased the apoptotic cell number compared
      with high glucose treatment alone. Furthermore, high glucose treatment was
      demonstrated to significantly increase glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78),
      phosphorylated- PKR-like ER kinase (p-PERK) and caspase-12 protein expression
      levels, which is representative of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, compared
      with the normal glucose and mannitol groups. However, EGCG treatment
      significantly attenuated GRP78, p-PERK and caspase-12 protein expression induced
      by high glucose. These findings suggested that EGCG serves a protective role in
      glucose-induced podocyte apoptosis via suppressing ER stress, and may provide a
      novel therapeutic strategy to ameliorate the process of DN.

PMID- 28901410
TI  - Depletion of ubiA prenyltransferase domain containing 1 expression promotes
      angiotensin II-induced hypertrophic response in AC16 human myocardial cells via
      modulating the expression levels of coenzyme Q10 and endothelial nitric oxide
      synthase.
AB  - UbiA prenyltransferase domain containing 1 (UBIAD1) is closely associated with
      cardiovascular diseases. However, at the cellular level, little is known about
      how UBIAD1 is expressed and functions in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. The aim of
      the present study was to investigate the expression and role of UBIAD1 in
      angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertrophy in AC16 cardiomyoblast cells. The
      loss-of-function approach was used to knock down UBIAD1 in vehicle- and Ang II
      stimulated AC16 cells. The levels of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and caspase
      3 were measured and compared between vehicle- and Ang II-treated AC16 cells
      pretreated with control siRNA or siRNA against UBIAD1. In addition, the levels of
      coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were evaluated
      and compared between these groups. Ang II induced hypertrophy and apoptosis in
      AC16 cells, accompanied by increased expression of ANF and caspase-3, and
      decreased expression of UBIAD1. These effects were potentiated by UBIAD1
      knockdown. In addition, Ang II treatment suppressed the expression of CoQ10 and
      eNOS, as well as the production of NO, and these inhibitory effects were also
      enhanced by UBIAD1 knockdown. Thus, silencing of UBIAD1 expression promotes a
      myocardial hypertrophic response to Ang II stimulation, in part, by suppressing
      the expression of CoQ10 and eNOS.

PMID- 28901411
TI  - Palmitate induces myocardial lipotoxic injury via the endoplasmic reticulum
      stress-mediated apoptosis pathway.
AB  - Increased free fatty acids in cardiomyocytes induce myocardial lipotoxic injury,
      but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Therefore, the aim of the
      present study was to explore the role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress
      mediated apoptosis pathway in palmitate (PA)-induced cardiomyocyte lipotoxicity.
      H9c2 cells were treated with various doses (100, 200 and 400 uM) of PA to mimic
      cardiomyocyte lipotoxicity in vitro. Oil Red O staining was used to determine the
      accumulation of intracellular lipids. An MTT assay was used to determine the cell
      viability. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was used to measure the injury of
      H9c2 cells. Flow cytometry analysis was used to detect apoptosis. Western
      blotting was used to evaluate the expression change of ER stress-mediated
      apoptosis pathway proteins, including 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78),
      eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2alpha), protein kinase R-like
      endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and cleaved
      caspase-12. The results demonstrated that various doses of PA promoted excessive
      lipid deposition in cardiomyocytes and resulted in decreased cell viability, and
      increased the LDH activity and apoptosis rate in a dose-dependent manner.
      Furthermore, the expression of GRP78, a marker of ER stress, and the
      phosphorylation of eIF2alpha and PERK were increased following treatment with PA.
      Notably, the levels of CHOP and cleaved caspase-12, critical regulators of ER
      stress-mediated apoptosis pathway, were also elevated, and this effect was
      reversed by a specific ER stress inhibitor (4-phenyl butyric acid). In
      conclusion, the results of the current study demonstrated that PA induces
      myocardial lipotoxic injury by triggering ER stress and the ER stress-mediated
      apoptosis pathway.

PMID- 28901413
TI  - microRNA-188 acts as a tumour suppressor in glioma by directly targeting the
      IGF2BP2 gene.
AB  - Glioma is the most common and aggressive human brain tumour and accounts for ~35
      61% of intracranial tumours. Despite considerable advances in treatments for
      glioma, the prognosis for patients with this disease remains unsatisfactory.
      MicroRNAs (miRNAs of miRs) are small regulatory RNA molecules that have been
      identified as being involved in the initiation and progression of human cancers,
      and represent novel therapeutic targets for anticancer treatments. The
      dysregulation of miR-188 has been reported in various kinds of human cancer.
      However, its expression pattern, biological roles and potential mechanism in
      glioma remain unknown. Expression levels of miR-188 in glioma tissues and cell
      lines were detected through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and migration and invasion assays
      were used to explore the effects of miR-188 on the proliferation, migration and
      invasion of glioma cells, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase
      reporter assays were performed to examine insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA
      binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) as a target gene of miR-188. RT-qPCR and Spearman's
      correlation analysis were then performed to measure IGF2BP2 mRNA expression in
      clinical glioma tissues and its correlation with miR-188 expression. The
      regulatory effect of miR-188 on IGF2BP2 expression was also investigated through
      RT-qPCR and western blotting analysis. Finally, the biological roles of IGF2BP2
      in glioma cells were assessed. miR-188 levels were significantly reduced in
      glioma tissues and cell lines compared with adjacent normal tissues and normal
      human astrocytes, respectively. In addition, miR-188 overexpression suppressed
      cell proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma. The present study
      identified IGF2BP2 as a direct target of miR-188 in glioma, and IGF2BP2 under
      expression served tumour-suppressive roles in glioma growth and metastasis. Thus,
      miR-188 had a similar role in glioma by inhibiting the action of its downstream
      target, IGF2BP2. Therefore, miR-188 may be a potential therapeutic target for the
      prevention and treatment of patients with glioma.

PMID- 28901412
TI  - Differential miRNA expression profiles in human keratinocytes in response to
      protein kinase C inhibitor.
AB  - Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is widely accepted to be involved in
      keratinocyte differentiation and to be dependent on activation of the protein
      kinase C (PKC) pathway. However, the miRNA profiles and biological
      characteristics of keratinocytes induced by specific inhibitors of PKC have yet
      to be elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the differential miRNA
      expression profiles in keratinocytes treated with the PKC inhibitor GF109203X, by
      conducting a bioinformatics analysis. Parts of the GF109203X-induced
      keratinocytes formed distinct clones after 2 days of culture, and the expression
      of intergrin beta1, cytokeratin (CK)19 and CK14 were positive, whereas CK10
      expression was negative. A total of 79 miRNAs were differentially expressed in
      keratinocytes treated with GF109203X, among which 45 miRNAs were upregulated and
      34 were downregulated. The significantly upregulated microRNAs includedhsa-miR-1
      3p and miR-181c-5p, whereas hsa-miR-31-5p and hsa-let-7c-3p were significantly
      downregulated. In addition, the results of reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction exhibited consistency with the microarray results. An
      enrichment analysis demonstrated that certain target genes of the differentially
      expressed miRNAs serve an important role in cell proliferation and
      differentiation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis, etc. These results
      revealed that GF109203X induced the differential expression of certain miRNAs
      when keratinocytes began showing the characteristics of epidermal-like stem
      cells, which may provide a novel approach for wound healing and regeneration of
      skin tissues.

PMID- 28901414
TI  - Inhibitory effect of brassinin on TNF-alpha-induced vascular inflammation in
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
AB  - Brassinin, a phytoalexin firstly identified as a constituent of Chinese cabbage,
      has been demonstrated to exhibit antiproliferative effects on various cancer cell
      lines, by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production via regulation of the
      antioxidant pathway. The present study aimed to explore the protective effects of
      brassinin in TNF-alpha-induced vascular inflammation in human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVECs). Pretreatment with brassinin significantly inhibited
      adhesion of U937 cells to TNF-alpha-induced HUVECs in a dose-dependent manner.
      Brassinin treatment decreased the expression levels of cell adhesion molecules,
      including intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion
      molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and endothelial-selectin (E-selectin) following stimulation
      with TNF-alpha in HUVECs. In addition, pretreatment with brassinin decreased the
      protein expression levels of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB p65 in the nucleus,
      suggesting that brassinin inhibited NF-kappaB p65 nuclear translocation.
      Brassinin treatment also markedly decreased the mRNA expression levels of
      interleukin-8 in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, brassinin pretreatment
      significantly decreased TNF-alpha-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) production in HUVECs compared with control. The present results therefore
      suggest that brassinin may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for
      atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28901415
TI  - Effect of continuous positive airway pressure therapy on inflammatory cytokines
      and atherosclerosis in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is known to be a risk factor for
      atherosclerosis (AS), derived from a series of chronic inflammatory reactions
      caused by hypoxia. However, the association between chronic inflammation and high
      blood pressure caused by hypoxia remains to be fully elucidated. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the effect of continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) therapy on inflammatory cytokines and AS. A total of 100 patients
      with OSAS and 50 healthy control subjects were enrolled. Fresh venous blood
      samples were collected prior to and following a 3-months period of CPAP
      treatment. The inflammatory factors, interleukin (IL)-18 and tumor necrosis
      factor (TNF)-alpha, C-reactive protein (CRP), intercellular cell adhesion
      molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin and P
      selectin, were detected using standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.
      Intima-media thickness (IMT), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (Ba-PWV), apnea
      hypopnea index (AHI) and transcutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2) were also
      detected to compare differences prior to and following treatment. The results
      showed that, compared with the pre-treatment data, the expression levels of IL-8,
      TNF-alpha, CRP, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin and P-selectin were significantly
      decreased following treatment (P<0.05). The AHI, IMT, blood pressure and Ba-PWV
      values were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the SpO2 was increased
      (P<0.05). Taken together, by comparing the pre- and post-intervention data, it
      was confirmed that inflammatory factors were involved in the process of AS in
      patients with OSAS. Following CPAP treatment, blood pressure and primary
      indicators in the patients improved.

PMID- 28901416
TI  - Protective role of berberine and Coptischinensis extract on T2MD rats and
      associated islet Rin-5f cells.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to compare the different effects of berberine
      (Ber) and Coptischinensis extract (CCE) on a rat model of type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM), and the islet Rin-5f cell line was used to examine the
      differences between Ber and CCE and the underlying mechanisms. CCE was extracted
      and purified prior to analysis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were provided with a
      high-fat diet to induce insulin resistance prior to injecting with
      streptozotocinto establish the T2DM model, the T2DM rats were treated with Ber
      and CCE, and blood samples and pancreatic tissues were obtained and compared to
      examine T2DM metabolic syndromes among the groups of rats, which included healthy
      rats, model rats, and model rats treated with Ber and CCE at different doses
      between 0 and 8 weeks. The protective effects of Ber and CCE on the Rin-5f islet
      cell line were also evaluated. The effects on Rin-5f cell proliferation and cell
      cycle, glucose-stimulated insulin release test (GSIS), the anti-apoptotic effects
      caused by fat induction, and protein expression levels of poly ADP-ribose
      polymerase (PARP-1) were evaluated. The results showed that the content of the
      prepared CCE was 96.07% for five alkaloids. When it was used for treatment of the
      T2DM rats, compared with Ber, metformin and rosiglitazone, the fasting blood
      glucose, glucosylated serum protein (GSP) and glucose infusion rate indicesin the
      fasting rats were ameliorated, compared with those in the T2MD rats, with no
      significant differences between treatment with Ber or CCE and metformin or
      rosiglitazone. The indices of mean optical density and fasting beta-cell function
      index (FBCI) were different following treatment with Ber and CCE, compared with
      those in the model rats, which may have stimulated the pancreatic secretion of
      insulin. When Ber and CCE were used to examine the protective effects on Rin-5F
      cells, it was found that the Rin-5f cell GSIS, cell cycle, lipotoxic islet cell
      proliferation and protein expression of PARP-1 were altered and improved, which
      may have protected pancreatic islet beta-cells by improving islet beta-cell
      proliferation and the protein expression of PARP-1. CCE and Ber exerted similar
      effects when used for the treatment of T2MD rats, and may have stimulated the
      pancreatic secretion of insulin through the protective effect on islet beta-cells
      via improving islet beta-cell proliferation and the protein expression of PARP-1.

PMID- 28901417
TI  - Discrimination of the heterogeneity of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells.
AB  - The present study aimed to discriminate different subsets of cultured dendritic
      cells (DCs) to evaluate their immunological characteristics. DCs offer an
      important foundation for immunological studies, and mouse bone marrow (BM) cells
      cultured with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) have been
      used extensively to generate CD11c+/major histocompatibility complex II+ BM
      derived DCs (BMDCs). Immature DCs are considered to have strong migration and
      phagocytic antigen-capturing abilities, whereas mature DCs are thought to
      activate naive T cells and express high levels of costimulatory cytokines and
      adhesion molecules. In most culture systems, non-adherent cells are collected as
      mature and qualified DCs, and the remaining adherent cells are discarded. The
      output from GM-CSF cultures comprises mostly adherent cells, and only a small
      portion of them is non-adherent. This situation has resulted in ambiguities in
      the attempts to understand results from the use of cultured DCs. In the present
      study, DCs were divided into three subsets: i) Non-adherent cells; ii) adherent
      cells and iii) mixed cells. The heterogeneous features of cultured DCs were
      identified by evaluating the maturation status, cytokine secretion and the
      ability to activate allogeneic T cells according to different subsets. Results
      from the study demonstrated that BMDC culture systems were a heterogeneous group
      of cells comprising non-adherent cells, adherent cells, mixed cells and firmly
      adherent cells. Non-adherent cells may be used in future studies that require
      relatively mature DCs such as anticancer immunity. Adherent cells may be used to
      induce tolerance DCs, whereas mixed cells may potentiate either tolerogenicity or
      pro-tumorigenic responses. Firmly adherent cells were considered to have
      macrophage-like properties. The findings may aid in immunological studies that
      use cultured DCs and may lead to more precise DC research.

PMID- 28901418
TI  - Profilin-1 contributes to cardiac injury induced by advanced glycation end
      products in rats.
AB  - Cardiac injury, including hypertrophy and fibrosis, induced by advanced glycation
      end products (AGEs) has an important function in the onset and development of
      diabetic cardiomyopathy. Profilin-1, a ubiquitously expressed and multifunctional
      actin-binding protein, has been reported to be an important mediator in cardiac
      hypertrophy and fibrosis. However, whether profilin-1 is involved in AGE-induced
      cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis remains to be determined. Therefore, the present
      study aimed to investigate the function of profilin-1 in cardiac injury induced
      by AGEs. The model of cardiac injury was established by chronic tail vein
      injection of AGEs (50 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were
      randomly assigned to control, AGEs, AGEs + profilin-1 shRNA adenovirus vectors
      (AGEs + S)or AGEs + control adenovirus vectors (AGEs + V) groups. Profilin-1
      shRNA adenovirus vectors were injected via the tail vein to knockdown profilin-1
      expression at a dose of 3x109 plaque forming units every 4 weeks.
      Echocardiography was performed to measure cardiac contractile function. Cardiac
      tissues were stained with Masson's trichrome stain to evaluate ventricular
      remodeling. The serum levels of procollagen type III N-terminal peptide were
      detected by ELISA. The expression of profilin-1, receptor for AGEs (RAGE), Rho,
      p65, atrial natriuretic peptide, beta-myosin heavy chain, matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were determined using reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and/or western blot analysis and
      immunohistochemistry staining. The results demonstrated that chronic injection of
      exogenous AGEs led to cardiac dysfunction, hypertrophy and fibrosis, as
      determined by echocardiography, Masson trichrome staining and the expression of
      associated genes. The expression of profilin-1 was markedly increased in heart
      tissue at the mRNA and protein level following AGE administration, as determined
      by RT-qPCR and western blotting, which was further confirmed by
      immunohistochemistry staining. Furthermore, the expression of RAGE, Rho and p65
      was also increased at the protein level. Notably, knockdown of profilin-1
      expression ameliorated AGE-induced cardiac injury and reduced the expression of
      RAGE, Rho and p65. These results indicate an important role for profilin-1 in AGE
      induced cardiac injury, which may provide a novel therapeutic target for patients
      with diabetic heart failure.

PMID- 28901419
TI  - MicroRNA-21 increases cell viability and suppresses cellular apoptosis in non
      small cell lung cancer by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
AB  - MicroRNA (miRNA/miR), a type of non-coding RNA molecule, is able to inhibit the
      expression of target genes at multiple stagess. There are 800-1,000 known miRNAs
      in the human genome, which serve important roles in cell proliferation,
      differentiation, apoptosis and migration. Previous studies have demonstrated that
      the expression of miR-21 is upregulated in numerous types of malignant tumor, and
      that miR-21 participates in the occurrence and development of tumors via complex
      regulatory mechanisms. The present study aimed to investigate the association
      between miR-21 expression, cell viability and apoptosis in a lung cancer cell
      line, and to elucidate the potential mechanisms. miR-21 or small interfering RNA
      against miR-21 were transfected into A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells. The
      mRNA expression of miR-21 was confirmed. Cell viability and apoptosis were
      examined using MTT and flow cytometric assays, respectively. The expression of
      certain apoptosis-associated proteins was detected by western blotting. The
      results of the present study demonstrated that miR-21 was able to increase the
      proliferation of A549 cells by inhibiting cellular apoptosis. miR-21 inhibited
      apoptosis by modulating the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Rac
      alpha serine/threonine protein kinase (Akt) pathway in A549 cells.
      Correspondingly, inhibition of Akt decreased the apoptosis of A549 cells in miR
      21 siRNA-treated cells. Therefore, the results of the present study demonstrated
      that miR-21 increased cell viability by inhibiting apoptosis, through regulation
      of Akt activation. The present study demonstrated that miR-21 may be involved in
      the progression of lung cancer and may be a novel therapeutic target for the
      disease.

PMID- 28901420
TI  - Bioinformatics analysis of genetic variants of endoplasmic reticulum
      aminopeptidase 1 in ankylosing spondylitis.
AB  - According to the results of the first genome-wide association study of ankylosing
      spondylitis (AS), endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) may serve an
      important role. However, a number of case-control studies have not been able to
      replicate this result using the same genetic markers. In the present study, the
      role of common genetic variants of ERAP1 in AS was investigated using two-stage
      bioinformatics analysis. In the first stage, a classical meta-analysis was
      performed to assess AS susceptibility markers in ERAP1 using data from available
      published case-control association studies. The summary odds ratios for 10 single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were observed to be statistically significant in
      different studies. In the second stage, the functional effects of these genetic
      ERAP1 variants were investigated using prediction tools and structural analyses.
      The K528R (rs30187) substitution SNP in ERAP1 was termed as likely damaging by
      PolyPhen-2 software, was observed to be located close to the entrance of the
      substrate pocket, and was predicted to contribute to reduced ERAP1 aminopeptidase
      activity. In addition, the R725Q (rs17482078) SNP, which was an additional
      potentially damaging substitution, was suggested to decrease the enzymatic
      activity of ERAP1, as this substitution may lead to the loss of two hydrogen
      bonds between R725 and D766 and affect the stability of the C-terminus of ERAP1.
      In conclusion, the results of the two-stage bioinformatics analysis supported the
      hypothesis that ERAP1 may present an important susceptibility gene for AS. In
      addition, the results revealed that two functional SNPs (rs30187 and rs17482078)
      demonstrated the potential to decrease the enzymatic activity of ERAP1 by
      affecting its protein structure. Further protein structure-guided studies of the
      specificity and activity of these ERAP1 variants are therefore warranted.

PMID- 28901421
TI  - Uric acid induces the expression of TNF-alpha via the ROS-MAPK-NF-kappaB
      signaling pathway in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.
AB  - Hyperuricemia and artery atherosclerosis are closely associated and, as a classic
      inflammatory biomarker, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) has a direct role
      in atherogenesis. In the present study, it was demonstrated that uric acid was
      capable of inducing the generation of TNF-alpha in vascular smooth muscle cells
      (VSMCs). The expression levels of proteins were detected using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assays and western blot analysis. The expression levels of mRNAs
      were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction analysis, and superoxide anion levels were detected using a fluorescence
      microscope. From the results, it was concluded that uric acid induced the
      expression of TNF-alpha in the VSMCs. The antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine,
      eliminated the uric acid-induced expression of TNF-alpha. In addition, uric acid
      increased the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activated the
      phosphorylation of p38. Subsequent experiments confirmed that the p38 mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor, SB203580, and nuclear factor (NF)
      kappaB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, eliminated the uric acid-induced
      expression of TNF-alpha. It was demonstrated that uric acid induced the
      expression of TNF-alpha via the ROS-MAPK-NF-kappaB signaling pathway in VSMCs,
      providing novel evidence supporting the pro-inflammatory and pro-atherosclerotic
      effects of uric acid.

PMID- 28901422
TI  - Association between endothelin-1 and fibromyalgia syndrome.
AB  - Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by widespread chronic
      musculoskeletal pain, stiffness and pressure hyperalgesia at soft tissue tender
      points. Patients with FMS may exhibit a tendency towards cold extremities and
      cold-induced vasospasm. Endothelin-1 (EDN1) is a potent vasoconstrictor that is
      mainly produced by endothelial cells. The present study aimed to determine
      whether plasma expression levels avvnd single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP;
      rs1800541) of the EDN1 gene were associated with FMS and/or any of its clinical
      variables. Plasma EDN1 levels were assessed by ELISA, and SNP genotypes were
      determined using polymerase chain reaction-high-resolution melting curve
      analysis. Patients with the TG genotype and the G allele may have an elevated
      risk of FMS. In addition, patients with FMS with the TG genotype and/or T allele
      exhibited higher plasma EDN1 levels compared with healthy controls. EDN1 levels
      increased significantly in patients with FMS compared with normal controls. In
      addition, EDN1 SNP was found to be associated with susceptibility to FMS.

PMID- 28901423
TI  - A multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib for the treatment of mice
      with advanced glioblastoma.
AB  - Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain tumor that originates from the
      glial cells in adults. Aberrant angiogenesis is essential for malignant
      glioblastoma tumorigenesis, development and metastasis. Lenvatinib is a multi
      targeted anticancer agent that targets of receptor tyrosine kinases including
      vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 and 2, fibroblast growth factor
      receptor 1, platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta and v-kit Hardy
      Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog. In the present study, the
      therapeutic effects of lenvatinib as a treatment for glioblastoma were
      investigated in vivo and in vitro. The maximum dose toxicity (MDT) and treatment
      associated adverse events of lenvatinib were identified by cytotoxicity assay in
      experimental mice. Increasing levels of the pro-apoptosis genes caspase-3, -8, -9
      and -10 following lenvatinib treatment were determined by reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and apoptosis of the malignant gliomas
      cells was analyzed by FACS. In vivo treatment with lenvatinib for BV-2 bearing
      male BALC/c nude mice was assessed via tumor growth suppression and long-term
      observation of survival. Subsequent cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses were further
      analyzed to determine the in vivo efficacy of lenvatinib treatment in mice with
      glioblastoma. The MDT of lenvatinib was identified as 0.24 mg, with relatively
      few side effects and improved efficacy in mice. Lenvatinib (0.24 mg)
      significantly increased apoptosis in BV-2, C6, BC3H1 and G422 glioma cell lines.
      Tumor growth was significantly inhibited and tumor-bearing mice demonstrated an
      improved survival rate following treatment with lenvatinib. In conclusion,
      lenvatinib provided an effective treatment outcome, and the results of the
      present study may help to achieve a comprehensive therapeutic schedule for
      clinical application.

PMID- 28901424
TI  - Tumor suppressor microRNA-613 inhibits glioma cell proliferation, invasion and
      angiogenesis by targeting vascular endothelial growth factor A.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs which can serve as oncogenes or
      tumor suppressors in glioma. The present study aimed to investigate the
      expression of miR-613 in glioma. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect miR-613 in glioma cells and tissues
      and the relationship between miR-613 and vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) A was assessed using a luciferase reporter assay. In addition, glioma
      cells were transfected with miR-613 mimics and the mRNA and protein expression of
      VEGFA was detected using RT-qPCR and western blot analysis, respectively. The
      proliferative, invasive and tube formation capabilities of transfected cells were
      also assessed in vitro. Furthermore, a nude mouse tumor xenograft model was used
      to investigate the effects of miR-613 on tumor growth in vivo. The results of the
      present study demonstrated that the expression of miR-613 was decreased in glioma
      cell lines, and was associated with the grade of glioma. Ectopic expression of
      miR-613 markedly suppressed glioma cell proliferation and angiogenesis.
      Furthermore, the upregulation of miR-613 inhibited tumor angiogenesis and tumor
      growth in xenografted nude mice in vivo. VEGFA was demonstrated as a direct
      target of miR-613, as detected by western blot and luciferase reporter assays,
      and mediated miR-613 induced glioma cell proliferation and angiogenesis
      inhibition.

PMID- 28901425
TI  - Knockdown of Fstl1 attenuates hepatic stellate cell activation through the TGF
      beta1/Smad3 signaling pathway.
AB  - Follistatin-like 1 (Fstl1) is a secreted glycoprotein that belongs to the
      follistatin and SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) families
      and was identified to serve a critical role in lung fibrosis. However, the role
      of Fstl1 in liver fibrosis remains undefined. Therefore, the aim of the present
      study was to investigate the role of Fstl1 in liver fibrosis. The results
      indicated that Fstl1 was highly expressed in human hepatic fibrosis tissues and
      activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Furthermore, knockdown of
      Fstl1effectively suppressed HSC proliferation and the protein expression levels
      of alpha-SMA and collagen I in transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1-treated
      HSCs. Mechanistically, knockdown of Fstl1 remarkably decreased the
      phosphorylation level of Smad3 in TGF-beta1-induced HSCs. Taken together, the
      present study demonstrated that Fstl1serves an important role in liver fibrosis
      and target deletion of Fstl1 attenuated HSCs activation through suppressing TGF
      beta1/Smad3 signaling pathway. Therefore, Fstl1 may be a potential therapeutic
      target for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

PMID- 28901426
TI  - MicroRNA-373 promotes tumorigenesis of renal cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of malignancy in the kidney
      parenchyma. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that serve a role in
      various biological processes associated with human cancer. The present study
      aimed to explore the potential role of miRNA (miR)-373 in the tumorigenesis of
      RCC. The effects of miR-373 on the proliferation and apoptosis of RCC cells were
      determined using MTT, colony formation and flow cytometry assays in vitro. The
      results demonstrated that miR-373 was significantly upregulated in RCC tissues
      and cell lines. Knockdown of miR-373 expression reduced cell proliferation and
      promoted cell apoptosis in 786-O and ACHN cell lines. Furthermore, an in vivo
      tumorigenicity assay revealed that knockdown of miR-373 expression reduced tumor
      growth in nude mice. Taken together, these data indicate that miR-373 may promote
      tumorigenesis in RCC, suggesting that miR-373 may act as a potential therapeutic
      target against RCC.

PMID- 28901427
TI  - MicroRNA-106b regulates skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and glucose
      homeostasis by targeting mitofusion-2.
AB  - MicroRNA-106b (miR-106b) is reported to be closely associated with skeletal
      muscle insulin resistance. The present study further investigated the role of miR
      106b in skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis in vivo. Mice
      were randomly divided into 4 groups and infected with lentivirus expressing miR
      106b (miR-106b mice), miR-106b sponge (miR-106b inhibition mice) or the
      corresponding empty vectors. Mitofusion-2 (Mfn2) protein expression levels and
      glucose transporter (Glut)-4 protein translocation were significantly reduced in
      the muscle of miR-106b mice, whereas they were unaffected in miR-106b inhibition
      mice. miR-106b mice had significantly increased blood glucose levels following 12
      h of fasting and impaired glucose tolerance, whereas miR-106b inhibition mice had
      no significant alterations in fasting blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance.
      In vitro, the suppressive effect of miR-106b on glucose uptake and Glut4
      translocation was completely inhibited in C2C12 myotubes infected with Mfn2
      plasmids. Following treatment of C2C12 myotubes with Mfn2 small interfering RNA,
      miR-106b inhibition consistently increased Mfn2 protein levels and improved
      glucose uptake and Glut4 translocation. These results indicated that miR-106b
      targeted Mfn2 and regulated skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and glucose
      tolerance. Therefore, increased miR-106b expression may be a potential mechanism
      underlying insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 28901428
TI  - Emodin promotes the arrest of human lymphoma Raji cell proliferation through the
      UHRF1-DNMT3A-?Np73 pathways.
AB  - Emodin is an active constituent found in the roots and rhizomes of numerous
      Chinese medicinal herbs. It exerts antitumor activity against Dalton's lymphoma
      in vivo, although the detailed mechanisms by which emodin induces apoptosis
      remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to analyze the mechanisms
      underlying the response to emodin treatment. Using lymphoma Raji cells, an emodin
      induced cell proliferating inhibition model was first established, then flow
      cytometry, western blotting, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction and luciferase reporter assay were performed. It was found that emodin
      decreased the percentage of Raji cell viability, induced apoptosis, and increased
      the activation of caspase 3, caspase 9 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase through
      the downregulation of ubiquitin-like protein containing PHD and RING domains 1
      (UHRF1). The emodin-induced downregulation of UHRF1 led to an increase in the
      level of DNA methyltransferase 3A, which in turn inhibited the activity of p73
      promoter 2 and decreased the levels of NH2-terminally truncated dominant-negative
      p73. The treatment of Raji cells with emodin combined with doxorubicin led
      increased cell death of Raji cells, indicating that emodin may sensitize Raji
      cells to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis.

PMID- 28901429
TI  - Monocytic cell junction proteins serve important roles in atherosclerosis via the
      endoglin pathway.
AB  - The formation of atherosclerosis is recognized to be caused by multiple factors
      including pathogenesis in monocytes during inflammation. The current study
      provided evidence that monocytic junctions were significantly altered in patients
      with atherosclerosis, which suggested an association between cell junctions and
      atherosclerosis. Claudin-1, occludin-1 and ZO-1 were significantly enhanced in
      atherosclerosis, indicating that the tight junction pathway was activated during
      the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In addition, the gene expression of 5
      connexin members involved in the gap junction pathway were quantified, indicating
      that connexin 43 and 46 were significantly up-regulated in atherosclerosis.
      Furthermore, inflammatory factors including endoglin and SMAD were observed,
      suggesting that immune regulative factors were down-regulated in this pathway.
      Silicon-based analysis additionally identified that connexins and tight junctions
      were altered in association with monocytic inflammation regulations, endoglin
      pathway. The results imply that reduced expression of the immune regulation
      pathway in monocytes is correlated with the generation of gap junctions and tight
      junctions which serve important roles in atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28901430
TI  - Effect of early weaning on the expression of excitatory amino acid transporter 1
      in the jejunum and ileum of piglets.
AB  - The present study aimed to compare the expression levels of excitatory amino acid
      transporters (EAATs) and growth status of piglets weaned at 10-20 days after
      birth with suckling piglets. A total of 40 hybrid piglets (Landrace x Large White
      x Duroc) born to 40 different sows, with similar body weight were selected for
      the present study. They were randomly divided into two groups (n=20 per group):
      Control group (suckling piglets) and experimental group (weaned piglets, reared
      in isolation). The experiment lasted for 10 days. At the end of the experiment,
      12 piglets were randomly selected from each group and the jejunum and the ileum
      were collected in order to determine excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1)
      expression levels and free amino acid content. The present study determined that
      early weaning significantly reduced EAAC1 gene and protein (57 and 73 kDa)
      expression levels and glutamate transporter associate protein 3-18 (GTRAP3-18; 50
      kDa) in the jejunum and the ileum compared with the suckling group (P<0.05).
      Weaning led to an increased content of free glutamic acid (Glu) and total amino
      acids in the jejunum; however, content of free Glu and total amino acids in the
      ileum was significantly reduced (P<0.05). Early weaning reduced the expression of
      EAAC1 and GTRAP3-18, which was possibly due to the amino acid absorption and
      transport disorder in the small intestine due to the Glu deficiency.

PMID- 28901431
TI  - Isolated chromosome 8p23.2-pter deletion: Novel evidence for developmental delay,
      intellectual disability, microcephaly and neurobehavioral disorders.
AB  - The current study presents a patient carrying a de novo ~6 Mb deletion of the
      isolated chromosome 8p23.2-pter that was identified with a single-nucleotide
      polymorphism array. The patient was characterized by developmental delay
      (DD)/intellectual disability (ID), microcephaly, autism spectrum disorder,
      attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders and mildly dysmorphic features. The
      location, size and gene content of the deletion observed in this patient were
      compared with those in 7 patients with isolated 8p23.2 to 8pter deletions
      reported in previous studies (4 patients) or recorded in the Database of
      Chromosomal Imbalance and Phenotype in Humans Using Ensembl Resources (DECIPHER)
      database (3 patients). The deletions reported in previous studies were assessed
      using a chromosomal microarray analysis. The 8p23.2-pter deletion was a distinct
      microdeletion syndrome, as similar phenotypes were observed in patients with this
      deletion. Furthermore, following a detailed review of the potential associations
      between the genes located from 8p23.2 to 8pter and their clinical significance,
      it was hypothesized that DLG associated protein 2, ceroid-lipofuscinosis neuronal
      8, Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 10 and CUB and sushi multiple domains 1
      may be candidate genes for DD/ID, microcephaly and neurobehavioral disorders.
      However, firm evidence should be accumulated from high-resolution studies of
      patients with small, isolated, overlapping and interstitial deletions involving
      the region from 8p23.2 to 8pter. These studies will allow determination of
      genotype-phenotype associations for the specific genes crucial to 8p23.2-pter.

PMID- 28901432
TI  - Effects of coadministration of low dose cannabinoid type 2 receptor agonist and
      morphine on vanilloid receptor 1 expression in a rat model of cancer pain.
AB  - Morphine is widely used as an analgesic to treat moderate to severe pain, but
      chronic morphine use is associated with development of tolerance and dependence,
      which limits its analgesic efficacy. Our previous research has showed that
      nonanalgetic dose of a cannabinoid type 2 (CB2) receptor agonist reduced morphine
      tolerance in cancer pain. A previous study showed the colocalization of CB2 and
      transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in human and rat dorsal root
      ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons. Whether coadministration of a CB2 receptor agonist
      and morphine could reduce TRPV1 expression in morphine-induced antinociception
      and tolerance in cancer pain is unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects
      of coadministration of a CB2 receptor agonist AM1241 and morphine on TRPV1
      expression and tolerance in cancer pain. Coadministration of AM1241 and morphine
      for 8 days significantly reduced morphine tolerance, as assessed by measuring paw
      withdrawal latency to a radiant heat stimulation, in Walker 256 tumor-bearing
      rats. Repeated morphine treatment for a period of 8 days induced upregulation of
      the TRPV1 protein expression levels in the DRG in the tumor-bearing rats,
      although no change in mRNA expression. Pretreatment with AM1241 reduced this
      morphine-induced upregulation of TRPV1 and the effect was reversed by the CB2
      receptor antagonist AM630. Our findings suggest that coadministration of a CB2
      receptor agonist AM1241 and morphine reduced morphine tolerance possibly through
      regulation of TRPV1 protein expression in the DRG in cancer pain.

PMID- 28901434
TI  - Sinulariolide suppresses LPS-induced phenotypic and functional maturation of
      dendritic cells.
AB  - The dendritic cell (DC) maturation process is essential for the development of T
      cell responses and immune tolerance. Accordingly, DCs are considered a major
      target in the development of immunomodulating agents. In the present study, the
      effect of sinulariolide, an active compound isolated from the cultured soft coral
      Sinularia flexibilis, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine bone marrow
      derived DCs was evaluated. The different phenotypes, cytokine secretion and the
      mix-lymphocyte reaction of DCs were detected using flow cytometry and ELISA. The
      experimental results revealed that the phenotypic and functional maturation of
      DCs stimulated by LPS were markedly reduced by sinulariolide in a concentration
      dependent manner, including the expression of co-stimulatory molecules (CD40,
      CD80 and CD86). In addition, sinulariolide reduced the release of tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12 and nitric oxide from the LPS-activated
      DCs, decreased their abilities to stimulate allogeneic T cell proliferation, and
      inhibited LPS-induced nuclear factor-kappaB pathways. These findings offer novel
      insight into the immunopharmacological function of sinulariolide and its effects
      on DCs.

PMID- 28901433
TI  - Expression of long non-coding RNAs in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells co
      cultured with human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serve a critical role in various biological
      processes including cell growth, transcriptional regulation and differentiation.
      Previous studies have demonstrated that human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem
      cells (HAMSCs) possess the potential to promote proliferation and osteogenic
      differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (HBMSCs). However,
      little is known about the roles of lncRNAs in these mechanisms. The present study
      investigated the expression of lncRNAs in HBMSCs co-cultured with HAMSCs to study
      their involvement in the mechanism of osteogenic differentiation. RNA sequencing
      was used to compare the lncRNA expression profiles of HBMSCs co-cultured with or
      without HAMSCs during osteogenic differentiation. A total of 339 differentially
      expressed lncRNAs were identified [log2 (fold change)>2.0 or <-2.0; P<0.05],
      consisting of 131 downregulated and 208 upregulated lncRNAs. Among these lncRNAs,
      it was identified that the lncRNA-differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding
      RNA (DANCR) expression level in HBMSCs was significantly decreased by co
      culturing with HAMSCs, and DANCR overexpression inhibited the effect of HAMSCs on
      the promotion of runt-related transcription factor 2 expression. These data
      suggested that HAMSCs are likely to regulate differentiation processes in HBMSCs
      by influencing the DANCR, thus offering a novel insight into the complicated
      regulation mechanisms of HAMSC-derived osteogenic differentiation.

PMID- 28901435
TI  - Differential regulation by IFN-gamma on TNF-alpha-induced chemokine expression in
      synovial fibroblasts from temporomandibular joint.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interferon (IFN)-gamma, are inflammatory
      cytokines in the synovial fluid of patients with temporomandibular joint disorder
      (TMD). However, it remains unknown whether they participate in the regulation of
      various chemokine expression levels associated with TMD. The effects of TNF-alpha
      and IFN-gamma on the expression of several different inflammatory chemokines,
      including interleukin (IL)-8, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)1, C-C motif
      chemokine ligand (CCL)20, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in synovial fibroblasts
      obtained from the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were examined. The results
      demonstrated that TNF-alpha increased the mRNA levels of all examined chemokines
      in synovial fibroblasts obtained from the TMJ. IFN-gamma treatment alone
      increased the mRNA expression levels of CXCR3 chemokines, including CXCL10, while
      they were significantly enhanced when administered in combination with TNF-alpha
      compared with either treatment alone. However, the combination of IFN-gamma and
      TNF-alpha resulted in lower mRNA expression levels of IL-8 and CXCL1 as compared
      with those induced by TNF-alpha alone. The nuclear factor-kappaB inhibitor, Bay
      11-7082, decreased the TNF-alpha-mediated expression of IL-8 and CXCL10 in the
      absence, and presence of IFN-gamma. In addition, the JAK2 inhibitor, AG490,
      decreased CXCL10 expression when administered with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma.
      Finally, the decrease in TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 caused by IFN-gamma was recovered
      by AG490. The results of the present study suggest that TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma
      function in a cooperative manner to regulate inflammatory chemokine expression in
      synovial fibroblasts, which may contribute to the pathological condition of the
      TMJ.

PMID- 28901436
TI  - Taurine-upregulated gene 1: A vital long non-coding RNA associated with cancer in
      humans (Review).
AB  - It is widely reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in
      regulating cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and other biological
      processes. Certain lncRNAs have been found to be crucial in various types of
      tumor. Taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) has been shown to be expressed in a
      tissue-specific pattern and exert oncogenic or tumor suppressive functions in
      different types of cancer in humans. According to previous studies, TUG1 is
      predominantly located in the nucleus and may regulate gene expression at the
      transcriptional level. It mediates chromosomal remodeling and coordinates with
      polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) to regulate gene expression. Although the
      mechanisms of how TUG1 affects the tumor genesis process remain to be fully
      elucidated, increasing studies have suggested that TUG1 offers potential as a
      diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, and as a therapeutic target in certain types
      of tumor. This review aims to summarize current evidence concerning the
      characteristics, mechanisms and associations with cancer of TUG1.

PMID- 28901437
TI  - Implementing targeted region capture sequencing for the clinical detection of
      Alagille syndrome: An efficient and cost-effective method.
AB  - Alagille syndrome (AGS) is a highly variable, autosomal dominant disease that
      affects multiple structures including the liver, heart, eyes, bones and face.
      Targeted region capture sequencing focuses on a panel of known pathogenic genes
      and provides a rapid, cost-effective and accurate method for molecular diagnosis.
      In a Chinese family, this method was used on the proband and Sanger sequencing
      was applied to validate the candidate mutation. A de novo heterozygous mutation
      (c.3254_3255insT p.Leu1085PhefsX24) of the jagged 1 gene was identified as the
      potential disease-causing gene mutation. In conclusion, the present study
      suggested that target region capture sequencing is an efficient, reliable and
      accurate approach for the clinical diagnosis of AGS. Furthermore, these results
      expand on the understanding of the pathogenesis of AGS.

PMID- 28901438
TI  - Lysyl oxidase is involved in synovial hyperplasia and angiogenesis in rats with
      collagen-induced arthritis.
AB  - Lysyl oxidase (LOX) serves an important role in remodeling the extracellular
      matrix and angiogenesis in various types of cancer; however, whether LOX is
      involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis remains unknown. In order to
      investigate this in the present study, beta-aminopropionitrile, an inhibitor of
      LOX, was injected intraperitoneally into rats with type II collagen-induced
      arthritis (CIA). Subsequently, synovial hyperplasia was examined by hematoxyl in
      and eosin staining, and the microvascular density (MVD) and expression levels of
      LOX, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in the synovial membrane and
      fluid were determined by immunohistochemistry and ELISA, respectively. The enzyme
      activity of LOX was evaluated by the Amplex Red Hydrogen Peroxide method. The
      results demonstrated an increased amount of rough synovial membranes, higher MVD
      in these membranes and more synovial cell layers in CIA rats compared with in the
      control rats. In addition, higher enzymatic activity of LOX and higher expression
      levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were revealed in CIA rats compared with in the control
      rats. Notably, beta-aminopropionitrile inhibited paw swelling and the decreased
      the arthritis index, the MVD in the synovial membranes and the expression levels
      of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Furthermore, the expression level of LOX in the synovial
      membranes was positively associated with the MVD and the expression levels of MMP
      2 and MMP-9, suggesting that LOX promotes synovial hyperplasia and angiogenesis
      and that LOX may be a potential therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 28901439
TI  - Long noncoding RNA-p21 modulates cellular senescence via the Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling pathway in mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies have demonstrated efficacy in animal
      models of cardiovascular diseases. However, MSCs decrease in quantity and quality
      with age, which reduces their capacity for damage repair. Long noncoding (lnc)
      RNAs regulate gene transcription and the fate of post-transcriptional mRNA,
      affecting a broad range of age-associated physiological and pathological
      conditions, including cardiovascular disease and cancer cell senescence. However,
      the functional role of lncRNAs in stem cell senescence remains largely unknown.
      The present study isolated bone marrow-derived MSCs from young (8-week-old) and
      aged (18-month-old) male C57BL/6 mice. Cell proliferation was measured using a
      Cell Counting kit-8 assay, and the secretion of vascular endothelial growth
      factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor and insulin-like
      growth factor was measured by ELISA. Western blotting was performed to
      investigate beta-catenin protein expression. Oxidative stress was evaluated by
      detecting reactive oxygen species, and the activity of superoxide dismutase and
      malondialdehyde. MSCs isolated from aged mice demonstrated reduced proliferation
      and paracrine signaling, and increased oxidative stress and expression of lincRNA
      p21compared with MSCs from younger mice. Silencing lincRNA-p21 in aged MSCs using
      small interfering RNA (siRNA) enhanced cell growth and paracrine function, and
      decreased oxidative stress. These results were reversed when beta-catenin
      expression was silenced using siRNA. In conclusion, lincRNA-p21 may serve a role
      in MSC senescence, and silencing lincRNA-p21 may rejuvenate MSCs by interacting
      with the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. Targeting lincRNA-p21 may therefore
      have important therapeutic implications for restoring endogenous MSCs in aged
      individuals.

PMID- 28901440
TI  - Autophagy and ER stress in LPS/GalN-induced acute liver injury.
AB  - Numerous mechanisms and factors have been implicated in liver damage; however,
      the involvement of autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress during early
      stage liver injury remains to be fully elucidated. The present study was
      conducted to determine the expression of autophagy and ER-stress-associated
      proteins in hepatic tissues following injury. A murine model of liver injury was
      induced by intraperitoneally injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and D
      galactosamine (GalN), and control mice were similarly injected with normal
      saline. The gross and histological appearance of the liver was examined, serum
      alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were detected, and protein expression
      evaluated via Western blot analysis. Co-administration of LPS and GalN
      effectively induced liver injury in mice, with severe liver damage manifesting at
      6 h following induction. Furthermore, upregulation of autophagy-associated
      proteins, including microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (MAP1 LC3 or,
      briefly, LC3-II) and Beclin 1, were detected 3 h following liver injury.
      Consistently, the expression of the ER stress factor CCAAT/enhancer binding
      protein (C/EBP)-homologous protein decreased after 1 h, but increased 3 h after
      liver damage. Autophagy and ER stress occurred in early-stage liver injury
      induced by LPS-GalN administration in mice. Induction of autophagy may act as a
      compensatory mechanism during early liver injury.

PMID- 28901441
TI  - Profiling of differentially expressed genes in adipose tissues of multiple
      symmetric lipomatosis.
AB  - Multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL) is a rare disorder characterized by aberrant
      multiple and symmetric subcutaneous adipose tissue accumulation in the face,
      neck, shoulders, back, chest and abdomen, severely affecting the quality of life
      of patients. At present, precise MSL etiology and pathogenesis remain to be
      elucidated. The present study first utilized a digital gene expression technique
      with a next-generation sequencing platform to profile differentially expressed
      genes in three cases of MSL vs. normal control tissue. cDNA libraries from these
      tissue specimens were constructed and DNA sequenced for identification of
      differentially expressed genes, which underwent bioinformatic analysis using the
      Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and
      protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses. As a result, a total of 859
      differentially expressed genes were identified, including 308 upregulated genes
      (C19orf80, Apelin, C21orf33, FAM166B and HSD11B2 were mostly upregulated 6.984-,
      4.670-, 4.412-, 3.693- and 3.561-fold, respectively) and 551 downregulated genes
      [FosB proto-oncogene, AP-1 transcription factor subunit (FOSB), selectin (SEL) E,
      RAR related orphan receptor (ROR) B, salt inducible kinase (SIK)1 and epidermal
      growth factor-like protein (EGFL)6 were mostly downregulated -9.845, -8.243, 
      8.123, -7.702 and -7.664 fold, respectively). The GO functional enrichment
      analysis demonstrated these differentially expressed genes were predominantly
      involved in biological processes and cellular components, while the KEGG pathway
      enrichment analysis demonstrated that ribosome, non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease, human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) infection and Alzheimer's
      disease pathways were altered in MSL. The PPI network data demonstrated ubiquitin
      C (UBC), translocator protein (TSPO), Jun Proto-Oncogene, AP-1 Transcription
      Factor (JUN) and FOS were among these differentially expressed genes that
      participated in regulation of adipocyte differentiation, although no previous
      study has linked them to MSL. In conclusion, the present study profiled
      differentially expressed genes in MSL and identified gene pathways that may be
      associated with MSL development and progression.

PMID- 28901442
TI  - The uptake exploration of 68Ga-labeled NGR in well-differentiated hepatocellular
      carcinoma xenografts: Indication for the new clinical translational of a tracer
      based on NGR.
AB  - 18F-FDG has low uptake and poor diagnostic efficiency in hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC), particularly in well-differentiated HCC. The NGR peptide selectively
      targets CD13, which is overexpressed in many types of tumor cells as well as
      neovasculature cells. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility
      of utilizing 68Ga-NGR to image CD13-positive well-differentiated HCC xenografts.
      The in vitro cellular uptake, in vivo micro-PET/CT imaging and biodistribution
      studies of 68Ga-NGR and 18F-FDG were quantitatively compared in SMMC-7721-based
      well-differentiated HCC xenografts. The human fibrosarcoma (HT-1080) and human
      colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) xenografts were respectively used as positive
      and negative reference groups for CD13. The expression of CD13 was qualitatively
      verified by immunofluorescence staining and immunohistostaining studies. The
      expression levels of CD13 and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) were semi
      quantitatively analyzed by western blotting. The in vitro SMMC-7721 cellular
      uptake of 68Ga-NGR was significantly higher than that of 18F-FDG (1.23+/-0.11 vs.
      0.515+/-0.14%; P<0.01). The in vivo micro-PET/CT imaging results revealed that
      the uptake of 68Ga-NGR in SMMC-7721-derived tumors was 2.17+/-0.21% ID/g
      (percentage of injected dose per gram of tissue), which was higher compared to
      that of 18F-FDG (0.73+/-0.26% ID/g; P<0.01); however, the tumor/liver ratio of
      68Ga-NGR was 2-fold higher than that of 18F-FDG. We concluded that the uptake of
      68Ga-NGR was significantly higher both in vitro and in vivo than 18F-FDG in the
      well-differentiated HCC xenografts and therefore, it is promising for further
      clinical translation in well-differentiated HCC PET/CT diagnosis.

PMID- 28901443
TI  - Basic fibroblast growth factor increases IFT88 expression in chondrocytes.
AB  - Intraflagellar transport protein 88 (IFT88) is protein crucial for the assembly
      and maintenance of primary cilia in chondrocytes. Primary cilia regulate
      mechanical and chemical signals in chondrocytes; however, the effects of
      cytokines on IFT88 expression and cilia formation and maintenance remain to be
      elucidated. Therefore, the role of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on IFT88
      expression were examined in theATDC5 murine chondrocytic line, in order to
      investigate the signaling pathways involved in this process. bFGF treatment
      upregulated IFT88 expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner in ATDC5 cells.
      The effects of bFGF on IFT88 protein expression were suppressed in the presence
      of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD0325901
      and the FGF receptor inhibitor BGJ398. In addition, treatment with IFT88
      trageting small interfering (si)RNA downregulated the protein expression of IFT88
      and ERK, thus suggesting that the ERK signaling pathway may be involved in the
      regulation of IFT88 expression in ATDC5 cells. bFGF treatment increased the
      number of ciliated ATDC5 cells and primary cultured chondrocytes. Downregulation
      of IFT88 expression by PD0325901, BGJ398, or IFT88-targeting siRNA was revealed
      to reduce the number of ciliated cells. bFGF also upregulated the mRNA and
      protein expression of IFT88 in primary cultured chondrocytes. In conclusion, the
      findings of the present study suggested that bFGF may enhance the expression of
      IFT88, and promote primary cilia development, through the mitogen-activated
      protein kinase/ERK-mediated pathway in chondrocytes.

PMID- 28901444
TI  - Protein kinase Calpha stimulates hypoxia-induced pulmonary artery smooth muscle
      cell proliferation in rats through activating the extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase 1/2 pathway.
AB  - Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) may contribute to vascular remodeling, and
      pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation has an important role
      in this process. However, no relevant information concerning the role and
      mechanism of protein kinase C (PKC)alpha in hypoxia-induced rat PASMC
      proliferation has been elucidated. The present study aimed to further investigate
      this by comparison of rat PASMC proliferation among normoxia for 72 h (21% O2),
      hypoxia for 72 h (3% O2), hypoxia + promoter 12-myristate 13-acetate control,
      hypoxia + safingol control, hypoxia + PD98059 control and hypoxia + U0126 control
      groups. The present study demonstrated that protein expression levels of PKCalpha
      in rat PASMCs were elevated. In conclusion, through activating the extracellular
      signal-regulated 1/2 signaling pathway, PKCalpha is involved in and initiates
      PASMC proliferation, thus bringing about pulmonary artery hypertension. These
      results add to the understanding of the mechanism PKCalpha in PH formation and
      lays a theoretical basis for prevention as well as treatment of HPH.

PMID- 28901445
TI  - Identification of genes associated with castration-resistant prostate cancer by
      gene expression profile analysis.
AB  - Prostate cancer (CaP) is a serious and common genital tumor. Generally, men with
      metastatic CaP can easily develop castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
      However, the pathogenesis and tumorigenic pathways of CRPC remain to be
      elucidated. The present study performed a comprehensive analysis on the gene
      expression profile of CRPC in order to determine the pathogenesis and tumorigenic
      of CRPC. The GSE33316 microarray, which consisted of 5 non-castrated samples and
      5 castrated samples, was downloaded from the gene expression omnibus database.
      Subsequently, 201 upregulated and 161 downregulated differentially expressed
      genes (DEGs) were identified using the limma package in R and those genes were
      classified and annotated by plugin Mcode of Cytoscape. Gene ontology (GO) and
      Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were
      performed using Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery
      and KEGG Orthology Based Annotation System 2.0 online tools to investigate the
      function of different gene modules. The BiNGO tool was used to visualize the
      level of enriched GO terms. Protein-protein interaction network was constructed
      using STRING and analyzed with Cytoscape. In conclusion, the present study
      determined that aldo-keto reductase 3, cyclin B2, regulator of G protein
      signaling 2, nuclear factor of activated T-cells and protein kinase C a may have
      important roles in the development of CRPC.

PMID- 28901446
TI  - A support vector machine classifier for the prediction of osteosarcoma metastasis
      with high accuracy.
AB  - In this study, gene expression profiles of osteosarcoma (OS) were analyzed to
      identify critical genes associated with metastasis. Five gene expression datasets
      were screened and downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Following
      assessment by MetaQC, the dataset GSE9508 was excluded for poor quality.
      Subsequently, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between metastatic and non
      metastatic OS were identified using meta-analysis. A protein-protein interaction
      (PPI) network was constructed with information from Human Protein Reference
      Database (HPRD) for the DEGs. Betweenness centrality (BC) was calculated for each
      node in the network and top featured genes ranked by BC were selected out to
      construct support vector machine (SVM) classifier using the training set
      GSE21257, which was then validated using the other three independent datasets.
      Pathway enrichment analysis was performed for the featured genes using Fisher's
      exact test. A total of 353 DEGs were identified and a PPI network including 164
      nodes and 272 edges was then constructed. The top 64 featured genes ranked by BC
      were included in the SVM classifier. The SVM classifier exhibited high prediction
      accuracies in all of the 4 datasets, with accuracies of 100, 100, 92.6 and 100%,
      respectively. Further analysis of the featured genes revealed that 11 Gene
      Ontology (GO) biological pathways and 5 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
      (KEGG) pathways were significantly over-represented, including the regulation of
      cell proliferation, regulation of apoptosis, pathways in cancer, regulation of
      actin cytoskeleton and the TGF-beta signaling pathway. On the whole, an SVM
      classifier with high prediction accuracy was constructed and validated, in which
      key genes associated with metastasis in OS were also revealed. These findings may
      promote the development of genetic diagnostic methods and may enhance our
      understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the metastasis of OS.

PMID- 28901447
TI  - MicroRNA-146a promotes the proliferation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells by
      downregulating p53 signaling.
AB  - The present study aimed to detect and verify gene expression profile differences
      for microRNA (miR)-146a and its role in the proliferation of vascular smooth
      muscle cells (VSMCs). Artificially synthesized miR-146a mimics, miR-146
      inhibitor, scramble-miRNA or PBS was transfected into cultured primary rat VSMCs
      in vitro. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction confirmed
      that the miR-146a expression level was significantly decreased in VSMCs treated
      with miR-146a inhibitor (P<0.01). Cell Counting Kit-8 was used to determine the
      proliferation ability, which demonstrated that proliferation was significantly
      decreased in VSMCs treated with miR-146a inhibitor (P<0.01). Microarray
      expression profiling analysis revealed that the p53 signal pathway was
      upregulated in VSMCs treated with the miR-146a inhibitor. Compared with
      untransfected VSMCs, the mRNA and protein expression levels of caspase-3 and
      phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in p53 signal transduction pathway did not
      exhibit a significant difference (P>0.05); however, the mRNA and protein
      expression levels of p53 were significantly decreased in cells transfected with
      miR-146a mimics and increased in miR-146a inhibitor transfected cells (both
      P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expression levels of cyclin D1 significantly
      increased in miR-146a mimics transfected cells and decreased in cells transfected
      with the miR-146a inhibitor (both P<0.05). The present data indicated that miR
      146a may promote the proliferation of rat VSMCs by downregulating p53 and
      upregulating cyclin D1 expression.

PMID- 28901448
TI  - Exposure of keratinocytes to non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma
      increases the level of 8-oxoguanine via inhibition of its repair enzyme.
AB  - Oxidative stress enhances cellular DNA oxidation and may cause mutations in DNA
      bases, including 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). Our recent study reported that exposure
      of cells to non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma generates
      reactive oxygen species and damages DNA. The present study investigated the
      effect of non-thermal DBD plasma exposure on the formation of 8-oxoG in HaCaT
      human keratinocytes. Cells exposed to DBD plasma exhibited increased level of 8
      oxoG. In addition, mRNA and protein expression levels of 8-oxoguanine glycosylase
      1 (OGG1), an 8-oxoG repair enzyme, were reduced in plasma-exposed cells.
      Furthermore, the expression level of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2
      (Nrf2), a transcription factor that regulates OGG1 gene expression, was reduced
      following exposure to DBD plasma. Pretreatment of cells with an antioxidant, N
      acetyl cysteine (NAC), prior to plasma exposure suppressed the formation of 8
      oxoG and restored the expression levels of OGG1 and Nrf2. In addition,
      phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt), which regulates the activation of
      Nrf2, was reduced following plasma exposure. However, phosphorylation was
      restored by pretreatment with NAC. These findings suggested that non-thermal DBD
      plasma exposure generates 8-oxoG via inhibition of the Akt-Nrf2-OGG1 signaling
      pathway in HaCaT cells.

PMID- 28901449
TI  - FK506 suppresses hypoxia-induced inflammation and protects tight junction
      function via the CaN-NFATc1 signaling pathway in retinal microvascular epithelial
      cells.
AB  - The present study aimed to identify whether FK506 suppresses hypoxia-induced
      inflammation and protects tight junction function via the calcineurin-nuclear
      factor of activated T-cells 1 (CaN-NFATc1) signaling pathway in mouse retinal
      microvascular endothelial cells (mRMECs). The mRMECs were treated with FK506 at
      different concentrations following the induction of hypoxia. Trans-epithelial
      electrical resistance (TEER) and cell permeability were examined to measure the
      integrity of the tight junctions. The concentrations of inflammatory cytokines
      were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction
      analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The protein expression levels of
      zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and nuclear factor of activated T-cell 1 (NFATc1) were
      identified using immunofluorescent microscopy and western blot analysis. The TEER
      value was decreased following hypoxia, but increased following treatment with
      FK506 (1 and 10 uM) for 24 and 48 h. The protein expression of ZO-1 was also
      increased following FK506 treatment for 24 h at 1 and 10 uM. By contrast,
      following treatment with FK506 (1 and 10 uM) for 24 and 48 h, the elevated cell
      permeability in the hypoxia group was significantly downregulated. Similarly, the
      concentrations of inflammatory cytokines, including cyclooxygenase-2, inducible
      nitric oxide synthase, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interleukin-6,
      intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, were
      downregulated following treatment with FK506 for 24 h at 1 and 10 uM. Following
      treatment with FK506, the level of total NFATc1 was downregulated and the level
      of phosphorylated NFATc1 was upregulated. Taken together, FK506 suppressed injury
      to the tight junctions and downregulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines
      in hypoxia-induced mRMECs via the CaN-NFATc1 signaling pathway. This suggests a
      potentially effective therapy for hypoxia-induced retinal microangiopathy.

PMID- 28901450
TI  - Role of hypoxia-mediated cellular prion protein functional change in stem cells
      and potential application in angiogenesis (Review).
AB  - Cellular prion protein (PrPC) can replace other pivotal molecules due to its
      interaction with several partners in performing a variety of important biological
      functions that may differ between embryonic and mature stem cells. Recent studies
      have revealed major advances in elucidating the putative role of PrPC in the
      regulation of stem cells and its application in stem cell therapy. What is
      special about PrPC is that its expression may be regulated by hypoxia-inducible
      factor (HIF)-1alpha, which is the transcriptional factor of cellular response to
      hypoxia. Hypoxic conditions have been known to drive cellular responses that can
      enhance cell survival, differentiation and angiogenesis through adaptive
      processes. Our group recently reported hypoxia-enhanced vascular repair of
      endothelial colony-forming cells on ischemic injury. Hypoxia-induced AKT/signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 3 phosphorylation eventually increases
      neovasculogenesis. In stem cell biology, hypoxia promotes the expression of
      growth factors. According to other studies, aspects of tissue regeneration and
      cell function are influenced by hypoxia, which serves an essential role in stem
      cell HIF-1alpha signaling. All these data suggest the possibility that hypoxia
      mediated PrPC serves an important role in angiogenesis. Therefore, the present
      review summarizes the characteristics of PrPC, which is produced by HIF-1alpha in
      hypoxia, as it relates to angiogenesis.

PMID- 28901451
TI  - Genomic profile of oral squamous cell carcinomas with an adjacent leukoplakia or
      with an erythroleukoplakia that evolved after the treatment of primary tumor: A
      report of two cases.
AB  - Oral leukoplakia and erythroleukoplakia are common oral potentially malignant
      disorders diagnosed in the oral cavity. The specific outcome of these lesions
      remains to be elucidated, as their malignant transformation rate exhibits great
      variation. The ability to predict which of those potentially malignant lesions
      are likely to progress to cancer would be vital to guide their future clinical
      management. The present study reported two patients with tongue squamous cell
      carcinoma: Case study 1 was diagnosed with a simultaneous leukoplakia and case
      study 2 developed an erythroleukoplakia following the primary tumor treatment.
      Whole genome copy number alterations were analyzed using array comparative
      genomic hybridization. The present study determined more genomic imbalances in
      the tissues from leukoplakia and erythroleukoplakia compared with their
      respective tumors. The present study also identified in tumor and potentially
      malignant lesions common alterations of chromosomal regions and genes, including
      FBXL5, UGT2B15, UGT2B28, KANSL1, GSTT1 and DUSP22, being some of these typical
      aberrations described in oral cancer and others are linked to
      chemoradioresistance. Several putative genes associated with hallmarks of
      malignancy that may have an important role in predicting the progression of
      leukoplakia and erythroleukoplakia to squamous cell carcinoma, namely gains in
      BNIPL, MCL1, STAG2, CSPP1 and ZNRF3 genes were also identified.

PMID- 28901452
TI  - Screening critical genes associated with malignant glioma using bioinformatics
      analysis.
AB  - Malignant gliomas are high-grade gliomas, which are derived from glial cells in
      the spine or brain. To examine the mechanisms underlying malignant gliomas in the
      present study, the expression profile of GSE54004, which included 12 grade II
      astrocytomas, 33 grade III astrocytomas and 98 grade IV astrocytomas, was
      downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus. Using the Limma package in R, the
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in grade III, vs. grade II astrocytoma,
      grade IV, vs. grade II astrocytoma, and grade IV, vs. grade III astrocytoma were
      analyzed. Venn diagram analysis and enrichment analyses were performed separately
      for the DEGs using VennPlex software and the Database for Annotation,
      Visualization and Integrated Discovery. Protein-protein interaction (PPI)
      networks were visualized using Cytoscape software, and subsequent module analysis
      of the PPI networks was performed using the ClusterONE tool. Finally, glioma
      associated genes and glioma marker genes among the DEGs were identified using the
      CTD database. A total of 27, 1,446 and 776 DEGs were screened for the grade III,
      vs. grade II, grade IV, vs. grade II, and grade IV, vs. grade III astrocytoma
      comparison groups, respectively. Functional enrichment analyses showed that
      matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) were enriched
      in the extracellular matrix and extracellular matrix structural constituent,
      respectively. In the PPI networks, annexin A1 (ANXA1) had a higher degree and
      MMP9 had interactions with vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). There
      were 10 common glioma marker genes between the grade IV, vs. grade II and the
      grade IV, vs. grade III comparison groups, including MMP9, CHI3L1, VEGFA and S100
      calcium binding protein A4 (S100A4). This suggested that MMP9, CHI3L1, VEGFA,
      S100A4 and ANXA1 may be involved in the progression of malignant gliomas.

PMID- 28901453
TI  - The role of gene polymorphisms in endometriosis.
AB  - Endometriosis is a benign gynecologic disorder, affecting up to 10% of women,
      characterized by the presence of functional endometrial tissue at ectopic
      positions generally within the peritoneum. It is a heritable condition influenced
      by multiple genetic and environmental factors, with an overall heritability
      estimated at approximately 50%. In this study, we investigated whether single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs7521902, rs10859871 and rs11031006, mapping to
      WNT4, VEZT and FSHB genetic loci, respectively, are associated with risk for
      endometriosis in a Greek population. This study included 166 women with
      histologically confirmed endometriosis diagnosed through surgery and 150 normal
      controls. Genotyping of the rs7521902, rs10859871 and rs11031006 SNPs was
      performed with Taqman primer/probe sets. A significant association was detected
      with the AC genotype of rs7521902 (WNT4) in patients with stage III and IV
      disease only. Evidence for association with endometriosis was also found for the
      AC genotype of the rs10859871 of VEZT. Notably, a significant difference in the
      distribution of the AG genotype and the minor allele A of FSHB rs11031006 SNP was
      found between the endometriosis patients and controls. We found a genetic
      association between rs11031006 (FSHB) SNP and endometriosis. WNT4 and VEZT genes
      constitute the most consistently associated genes with endometriosis. In the
      present study, an association of rs7521902 (WNT4) and rs10859871 (VEZT) was
      confirmed in women with endometriosis at the genotypic but not the allelic level.

PMID- 28901454
TI  - beta-thalassemia caused by compound heterozygous mutations and cured by bone
      marrow transplantation: A case report.
AB  - In the present study, a rare familial case of severe thalassemia with compound
      spontaneous mutations is reported. A 2.5-year-old boy, who suffered from severe
      anemia with yellowish skin, enlarged liver and spleen, was provided with a blood
      transfusion every 20 days to maintain hemoglobin levels between 90 and 100 g/l.
      Sanger sequencing combined with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Gap-PCR revealed that the proband was a carrier of 4
      compound heterozygous mutations: Hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB):IVS-II
      654(C>T)beta+; Southeast Asian-type-hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin
      (SEA-HPFH); HBB:c316-148G>T; hemoglobin subunit alpha2 (HBA2):c.46G>A. The father
      of the proband was identified as a carrier of the heterozygous SEA-HPFH mutation,
      the mother was a carrier of compound heterozygous mutations of HBB:IVS-II
      654(C>T) and HBA2:c.46G>A, and the elder sister was heterozygous for HBB:IVS-II
      654(C>T)beta+. Based on these genetic results, it was determined that the proband
      had both of heavy beta-thalassemia and alpha-thalassemia. Upon human leukocyte
      antigen matching, bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was successfully performed on
      the proband by selecting his HLA-compatible sister as a donor. Following
      treatment, the proband was revealed to only carry the IVS-II-654(C>T)beta+
      heterozygous mutation, and further regular blood transfusions have been avoided;
      BMT results remained normal at six months follow-up.

PMID- 28901455
TI  - Identification of lncRNA EGOT as a tumor suppressor in renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer and the
      prognosis of metastatic RCC remains poor, with a high rate of recurrence and
      mortality. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of RNA which serves important
      roles in multiple cellular processes and tumorigenesis. In the present study, the
      expression and function of lncRNA eosinophil granule ontogeny transcript (EGOT)
      were examined in RCC. In 24 paired tissues (RCC tissues and adjacent normal
      tissues) the results of reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction analysis revealed that EGOT was downregulated in 22 RCC tissues compared
      with paired tissues. Upregulation of lncRNA EGOT by transfection of 786-O and
      ACHN RCC cells with pcDNA3.1-EGOT suppressed cell proliferation, migration and
      invasion, and induced RCC cell apoptosis. The results demonstrated that EGOT may
      serve as a tumor suppressor in RCC and may be a potential prognostic biomarker of
      RCC.

PMID- 28901456
TI  - The antitumor effects of arsenic trioxide in mantle cell lymphoma via targeting
      Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and DNA methyltransferase-1.
AB  - Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with poor
      prognosis. The rapid progression and frequently relapse make it urgent to
      identify therapeutic agents with potent antitumor effect. Increasing evidence
      indicated that dysregulation of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and abnormal methylation
      appeared to promote tumorigenesis. Arsenic trioxide (As2O3, ATO) has been
      reported effective in many hematologic malignancies in recent studies, however,
      the mechanism and effects of ATO in MCL still need further research. In this
      study, ATO was shown to promote apoptosis and to inhibit cell viability in MCL
      cell lines, whereas, the expression of DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT-1), beta
      catenin and the downstream molecules of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway such as c-myc,
      cyclin D1 and MMP7 were all decreased in a dose-dependent manner with ATO. ATO
      also attenuated upregulation of beta-catenin after LiCl stimulation and provided
      synergistic effect with 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) on the DNMT-1 inhibition. The
      results indicated that ATO may suppress MCL by targeting Wnt/beta-catenin pathway
      and DNMT-1. These findings may guide drug usage of ATO in clinical therapy for
      MCL.

PMID- 28901457
TI  - Screening and identification of key biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma:
      Evidence from bioinformatic analysis.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide.
      Intense efforts have been made to elucidate the pathogeny, but the molecular
      mechanisms of HCC are still not well understood. To identify the candidate genes
      in the carcinogenesis and progression of HCC, microarray datasets GSE19665,
      GSE33006 and GSE41804 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
      database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and function
      enrichment analyses were performed. The protein-protein interaction network (PPI)
      was constructed and the module analysis was performed using STRING and Cytoscape.
      A total of 273 DEGs were identified, consisting of 189 downregulated genes and 84
      upregulated genes. The enriched functions and pathways of the DEGs include
      protein activation cascade, complement activation, carbohydrate binding,
      complement and coagulation cascades, mitotic cell cycle and oocyte meiosis.
      Sixteen hub genes were identified and biological process analysis revealed that
      these genes were mainly enriched in cell division, cell cycle and nuclear
      division. Survival analysis showed that BUB1, CDC20, KIF20A, RACGAP1 and CEP55
      may be involved in the carcinogenesis, invasion or recurrence of HCC. In
      conclusion, DEGs and hub genes identified in the present study help us understand
      the molecular mechanisms underlying the carcinogenesis and progression of HCC,
      and provide candidate targets for diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

PMID- 28901458
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of curcumin alleviate lumbar intervertebral disc
      degeneration through regulating the expression of iNOS, COX-2, TGF-beta1/2, MMP-9
      and BDNF in a rat model.
AB  - Curcumin is a natural product with antimutagenic, antitumor, antioxidant and
      neuroprotective properties. However, to the best of our knowledge, curcumin has
      yet to be investigated for the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc
      degeneration LIDD). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether
      curcumin can alleviate LIDD through regulating the expression of inducible nitric
      oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, transforming growth factor (TGF)
      beta1/2, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF) in a rat model of LIDD. The results of the present study suggest that
      pretreatment with curcumin can prevent the development of LIDD in rats. It was
      revealed that treatment with curcumin significantly reduced interleukin (IL)
      1beta and IL-6, iNOS, COX-2 and MMP-9 levels in rats with LIDD. In addition,
      treatment with curcumin reduced the mRNA expression levels of TGF-beta1 and TGF
      beta2, whereas it increased the mRNA expression levels of BDNF in rats with LIDD.
      In conclusion, the present findings indicate that curcumin may exert protective
      effects on LIDD development, exerting its action through the regulation of iNOS,
      COX-2, TGF-beta1/2, MMP-9 and BDNF.

PMID- 28901459
TI  - Effect of hyperoside on the apoptosis of A549 human non-small cell lung cancer
      cells and the underlying mechanism.
AB  - Hyperoside (HY) is a major pharmacologically active component from Prunella
      vulgaris L. and Hypericum perforatum. The present study aimed to determine the
      anticancer effect of HY and determine the underlying mechanisms involved. Human
      A549 cells were treated with HY (10, 50 and 100 uM), and cell viability was
      detected by an MTT assay. Cell apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential
      were determined by flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to identify the
      expression of apoptosis-associated proteins and phosphorylation of MAPK. The
      present study demonstrated that HY significantly inhibited the viability of A549
      cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and enhanced the percentage of
      apoptotic cells. HY also significantly increased the protein phosphorylation of
      p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK),
      disrupted mitochondrial membrane penetrability, and triggered the release of
      mitochondrial cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor into the cytosol.
      Treatment with HY also activated the expression of caspase-9 and caspase-3. These
      results suggested that HY-induced apoptosis was associated with activation of the
      p38 MAPK- and JNK-induced mitochondrial death pathway. HY may offer potential for
      clinical applications in treating human non-small cell lung cancer and improving
      cancer chemotherapy.

PMID- 28901460
TI  - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 suppress microRNA-1275
      transcription in human adipocytes through nuclear factor-kappaB.
AB  - Obesity is a confirmed risk factor for hyperlipidemia, type-II diabetes,
      hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. MicroRNAs (miRs) have emerged as an
      important field of study within energy metabolism and obesity. A previous study
      demonstrated miR-1275 to be markedly down-regulated during maturation of human
      preadipocytes. It has been reported that miR-1275 dysregulates expression in
      several types of cancer and infections. Little is currently known about the
      regulation of miR-1275 transcription. The aim of the current study was to explore
      the mechanism underlying the expression of miR-1275 in mature human adipocytes.
      After differentiation, human adipocytes were incubated with tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF)-alpha and interleukin-6. The results of reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that miR-1275 can be down-regulated by TNF
      alpha and IL-6, in human mature adipocytes. Bioinformatic analysis was used to
      predict nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB binding sites of miR-1275's promoter region.
      Luciferase assay and rescue experiments were performed in HEK293T cells. NF
      kappaB was involved in regulating miR-1275 transcription by binding to its
      promoter. In response to TNF-alpha, NF-kappaB was bound to the promoter of miR
      1275 and inhibited its transcription. These results indicated that inflammatory
      factors could regulate miR-1275 transcription through NF-kappaB and influencing
      miR-1275 effects on obesity.

PMID- 28901461
TI  - miR106b regulates retinoblastoma Y79 cells through Runx3.
AB  - MicroRNAs are increasingly recognized as important regulators of cancer. The aim
      of the present study was to investigate the role of miR-106b in the regulation of
      Y79 retinoblastoma. Y79 cells were transfected with antisense oligonucleotides
      (ASO) against miR-106b (ASO-miR-106b) or ASO-control. After transfection, the
      levels of miR-106b were monitored with real-time PCR (RT-PCR). The effects of ASO
      miR-106b transfection on cell viability was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK
      8) analysis at 24, 48 and 72 h after transfection. Subsequently, the cells were
      stained with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) and subjected to flow
      cytometry to assess cell apoptosis. Transwell assay was used to analyze cell
      migration. Changes in Runt-related transcription factor 3 (Runx3) mRNA and
      proteins levels were also evaluated. miR-106b was downregulated by ASO-miR-106b
      at 48 and 72 h after transfection, accompanied by a decrease in cell viability
      and proliferation, as well as an increase in cell apoptosis. Transwell analysis
      indicated that cells treated with ASO-miR-106b exhibited significantly lower cell
      migratory abilities. The mRNA and protein level of Runx3 were upregulated after
      transfection. These results demonstrated that suppression of miR-106b inhibited
      Y79 cell proliferation and migration. The upregulation of Runx3 after miR-106b
      suppression ascertained that Runx3 is a tumor-suppressor in retinoblastoma and is
      a target of miR-106b.

PMID- 28901462
TI  - Role of ghrelin in small intestinal motility following pediatric intracerebral
      hemorrhage in mice.
AB  - Small intestinal motility (SIM) disorder is a common complication following
      pediatric intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), leading to a poor prognosis in
      patients. Previous studies have shown that ghrelin is involved in SIM in various
      diseases; however, the role of ghrelin in pediatric ICH-induced SIM disorder
      remains to be elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the
      association between ghrelin and SIM post-ICH, and to examine the effect of
      exogenous ghrelin administration on SIM in vivo. An ICH model was induced in mice
      by autologous blood infusion. Neurobehavioral deficits were evaluated using a
      Rotarod test, forelimb placing test, and corner turn test. Intestinal mucosal
      damage was examined using hematoxylin and eosin staining. SIM was measured using
      charcoal meal staining. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate
      serum levels of ghrelin and nitric oxide (NO). Reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses were performed to determine
      the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), neuronal nitric oxide
      synthase (nNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) at the mRNA and
      protein levels. Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME), L
      arginine, atropine, phentolamine and propranolol were used to manipulate the
      putative pathways induced by ghrelin. Neurological dysfunction was observed post
      ICH. ICH caused damage to the intestinal mucosa and delayed SIM. Serum levels of
      ghrelin increased between 3 h and 3 days, peaking at 12 h, and showed a
      significant negative correlation with SIM post-ICH. Ghrelin administration dose
      dependently attenua-ted ICH-induced SIM disorder. Ghrelin also decreased NO
      levels by downregulating the mRNA and protein expression levels of iNOS, but not
      those of nNOS or eNOS, post-ICH. Consistently, the effect was enhanced by L-NAME
      and weakened by L-arginine, respectively. The protective effect of ghrelin was
      eradicated by atropine, but not phentolamine or propranolol. These findings
      suggested that ghrelin ameliorated SIM disorder by downregulating iNOS/NO via the
      cholinergic pathway. Therefore, ghrelin may serve as a potential biomarker and
      useful target in ICH-induced SIM disorder.

PMID- 28901463
TI  - MicroRNA expression profiles and networks in placentas complicated with selective
      intrauterine growth restriction.
AB  - The microRNA (miRNA) profiles of placentas complicated with selective
      intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) are unknown. In the present study, the
      sIUGR-associated placental miRNA expression was investigated using microarray and
      confirmatory reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction
      studies. Placenta samples around the individual insertion region for each
      umbilical cord were collected from monochorionic twins complicated with (n=17) or
      without sIUGR (control, n=16). miRNA profile analysis was performed on two sIUGR
      cases and one control using an Affymetrix microRNA 4.0 Array system. A total of
      14 miRNAs were identified to be specifically differentially expressed (7
      upregulated and 7 downregulated) among larger twins of sIUGR cases compared with
      smaller twins of sIUGR cases. The target genes of the identified miRNAs
      participate in organ size, cell differentiation, cell proliferation and
      migration. In addition, according to the miRNA-pathway network analysis, key
      miRNAs and pathways (transforming growth factor-beta, mitogen-activated protein
      kinase and Wnt) were identified to be associated with the pathogenesis of sIUGR.
      To the best of our knowledge, the results of the current study have provided the
      most complete miRNA profiles and the most detailed miRNA regulatory networks of
      placental tissues complicated with sIUGR.

PMID- 28901464
TI  - MicroRNA-1288 promotes cell proliferation of human glioblastoma cells by
      repressing ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase CYLD expression.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRs) are important regulators
      involved in various cancers, including human glioblastoma (GBM). However, the
      underlying mechanism of miR-1288 remains poorly understood, and its role in GBM
      has not been reported. The present study confirmed that miR-1288 expression was
      markedly upregulated in GBM. Ectopic expression of miR-1288 promoted the prolife
      ration, colony formation and anchorage-independent growth of GBM cells.
      Bioinformatics analysis coupled with western blotting and luciferase report
      assays also indicated that miR-1288 promoted cell proliferation of GBM by
      targeting ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase (CYLD). Knockdown of CYLD
      expression reversed the cell proliferation promotion by miR-1288-in in GBM. These
      results suggest that the miR-1288/CYLD axis may represent a potential therapeutic
      target for the treatment of GBM.

PMID- 28901465
TI  - 1H-NMR-based metabolic profiling of a colorectal cancer CT-26 lung metastasis
      model in mice.
AB  - Lung metastasis is an important cause for the low 5-year survival rate of
      colorectal cancer patients. Understanding the metabolic profile of lung
      metastasis of colorectal cancer is important for developing molecular diagnostic
      and therapeutic approaches. We carried out the metabonomic profiling of lung
      tissue samples on a mouse lung metastasis model of colorectal cancer using 1H
      nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). The lung tissues of mice were collected at
      different intervals after marine colon cancer cell line CT-26 was intravenously
      injected into BALB/c mice. The distinguishing metabolites of lung tissue were
      investigated using 1H-NMR-based metabonomic assay, which is a highly sensitive
      and non-destructive method for biomarker identification. Principal component
      analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and
      orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were applied to
      analyze 1H-NMR profiling data to seek potential biomarkers. All of the 3 analyses
      achieved excellent separations between the normal and metastasis groups. A total
      of 42 metabolites were identified, ~12 of which were closely correlated with the
      process of metastasis from colon to lung. These altered metabolites indicated the
      disturbance of metabolism in metastatic tumors including glycolysis, TCA cycle,
      glutaminolysis, choline metabolism and serine biosynthesis. Our findings firstly
      identified the distinguishing metabolites in mouse colorectal cancer lung
      metastasis models, and indicated that the metabolite disturbance may be
      associated with the progression of lung metastasis from colon cancer. The altered
      metabolites may be potential biomarkers that provide a promising molecular
      approach for clinical diagnosis and mechanistic study of colorectal cancer with
      lung metastasis.

PMID- 28901466
TI  - miR-133b acts as a tumor suppressor and negatively regulates ATP citrate lyase
      via PPARgamma in gastric cancer.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that negatively
      regulate protein expression by binding to protein-coding mRNAs and suppressing
      translation. Accumulating evidence suggests that miRNAs are involved in the
      development and progression of cancer by regulating cancer metabolism. Meanwhile,
      the cytosolic enzyme ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) is a promising target in the
      prevention and treatment of cancer. In the present study we revealed by western
      blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR that miR-133b was
      downregulated in human gastric cancer (GC) tissues and cell lines, while ACLY was
      upregulated. The overexpression of miR-133b could decrease the proliferation and
      invasion of MKN-74 cells by inhibiting the expression and activation of ACLY.
      Furthermore, the nuclear distribution of peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) in GC tissues and cell lines was markedly decreased,
      and overexpression of miR-133b could increase the levels of nuclear PPARgamma in
      MKN-74 cells. Additionally, miR-133b decreased the transcriptional activity of
      ACLY in a PPARgamma-dependent manner, as determined by a dual-luciferase reporter
      assay. These results indicate that miR-133b targets ACLY and inhibits GC cell
      proliferation by regulating the expression of PPARgamma, suggesting that miR-133b
      may serve as a tumor-suppressive target in GC therapy.

PMID- 28901467
TI  - Aberrantly expressed transcription factors C/EBP and SOX4 have positive effects
      in the development of chronic myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to examine the expression and significance of
      CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) and SRY-related high mobility
      group box containing transcription factor 4 (SOX4) in chronic myeloid leukemia
      (CML). Bone marrow samples were collected from patients with CML, and peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells were collected from healthy controls. Protein and mRNA
      were extracted from the collected samples, and analyzed using western blotting
      and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses,
      respectively. Spearman's method was used to evaluate the correlation between the
      expression levels of these two genes, with P<0.05 considered to indicate a
      statistically significant difference. A total of 79 patients, including 57
      patients with newly diagnosed CML and 22 patients treated with imatinib therapy,
      and 30 controls were enrolled. The expression of SOX4 was upregulated in the
      patients with CML, whereas the expression of C/EBPalpha was downregulated
      (P<0.05). However, no differences were observed among the chronic, accelerated
      and blastic CML phases, respectively (P>0.05). In addition, no associations were
      found between the changes in expression and age, gender, white blood cells or the
      expression of breakpoint cluster region/abelson in patients (P>0.05). However,
      the expression of SOX4 was negatively correlated with the expression of
      C/EBPalpha (P<0.01). Following imatinib treatment, the expression of SOX4 was
      downregulated in the progression-free patients, but upregulated in the blastic
      phase patients, whereas the expression of C/EBPalpha showed the opposite trend.
      Therefore, C/EBPalpha and SOX4 were important and negatively associated with the
      process of CML, and the C/EBPalpha-SOX4 axis may be a novel potential therapeutic
      target for the treatment of CML.

PMID- 28901468
TI  - Apolipoprotein A5 regulates intracellular triglyceride metabolism in adipocytes.
AB  - It has previously been demonstrated that apolipoprotein A5 (apoA5) can be
      internalized by human adipocytes and significantly decreases intracellular
      triglyceride content. In the present study, endocytosis of apoA5 by adipocytes
      under different conditions, and the underlying mechanism by which apoA5 regulates
      cellular triglyceride storage, was investigated. The results revealed that the
      apoA5 protein was detected in human subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissues. In
      addition, the uptake of apoA5 was attenuated in human obese adipose tissues and
      in cultured adipocytes with hypertrophy or insulin resistance. Low-density
      lipoprotein receptor protein 1 (LRP1) knockdown in adipocytes resulted in a
      decrease in internalized apoA5 content, suggesting that LRP1 serves a role in
      apoA5 uptake. Treatment of adipocytes with apoA5 decreased the expression of the
      lipid droplet-associated proteins such as cidec and perilipin. ApoA5-treated
      adipocytes demonstrated an increase in lipolysis activity and expression of
      uncoupling protein 1, which is the molecular effector of thermogenesis in brown
      adipocytes. These results suggested that decreased triglyceride accumulation in
      adipocytes induced by apoA5 may be associated with enhanced lipolysis and energy
      expenditure, which may result from reduced expression of cidec and perilipin. In
      conclusion, the present study demonstrated a novel role of apoA5 in regulating
      the intracellular triglyceride metabolism of adipocytes. The results of the
      present study suggested that apoA5 may serve as a potential therapeutic target
      for the treatment of obesity and its related disorders.

PMID- 28901469
TI  - Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta inhibitor reduces LPS-induced acute lung injury in
      mice.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to examine the role of Wnt signaling in
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS
      was induced by LPS and compared in mice treated with either glycogen synthase
      kinase-3beta inhibitor (GSKI) or PBS. The protein expression levels of
      interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-17, IL-18 and IL
      1beta in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were examined using murine
      cytokine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The accumulation of
      neutrophils and macrophages in the BALF were detected using flow cytometry. The
      extent of pathological lesions was evaluated using an immunohistochemical assay.
      The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into type II alveolar (ATII)
      epithelial cells was analyzed using immunofluorescence staining. Treatment with
      GSKI led to maintained body weights and survival in mice with LPS-induced ARDS.
      Treatment with GSKI effectively reduced the levels of total protein, albumin, IgM
      and keratinocyte growth factor in the BALF. Smith scores showed that GSKI
      significantly alleviated LPS-induced lung injury. GSKI also functioned to reduce
      inflammatory cell accumulation and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Finally,
      it was found that GSKI promoted the differentiation of MSCs into ATII epithelial
      cells in vivo. Taken together, the GSKI-treated mice exhibited reduced acute lung
      injury through inhibited intra-fluid inflammatory cell infiltration and decreased
      expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and GSKI increased the differentiation
      of MSCs into ATII epithelial cells.

PMID- 28901471
TI  - CXC chemokine-7 inhibits growth and migration of oral tongue squamous cell
      carcinoma cells, mediated by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition signaling
      pathway.
AB  - Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is the most common oral malignancy
      with different histopathological symptoms and etiology of tumorigenesis.
      Migration and invasion is the most important characteristics of OTSCC, and limits
      tumor therapy in clinics. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      signaling pathway is an important process in the progress of tumor cell migration
      and invasion. Previous studies have indicated that C-X-C chemokine receptor-7
      (CXCR-7) promotes the progression and metastasis of tumor cells, presenting a
      potential target molecule for cancer therapy. The present study investigated the
      inhibitory effects of C-X-C chemokine-7 (CXC-7) on human OTSCC cells both in
      vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrated that the Tca8113 human OTSCC cell
      line expressed higher levels of CXC-7 mRNA compared with the hNOE human normal
      oral epithelial cell line. MTT assays indicated that CXC-7 suppressed Tca8113
      cell growth, and the cytotoxicity of CXC-7 was indicated as the cell survival of
      the negative control group was significantly decreased compared with the blank
      control and hNOE cells. Migration and invasion assays revealed that CXC-7
      inhibited Tca8113 cell local expansion and distant metastasis. In addition, the
      results demonstrated that the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/protein
      kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway was inhibited after CXC-7 treatment in Tca8113
      cells. N-cadherin, E-Cadherin, Snail and Slug expression levels in the ERK/AKT
      signaling pathway were inhibited in Tca8113 cells after treatment with CXC-7. It
      was demonstrated that important extracellular matrix proteins involved in cell
      migration, including Slug, collagen type I and Vimentin, were significantly
      downregulated by CXC-7 treatment. In conclusion, CXC-7 inhibited growth and
      migration in OTSCC cells, mediated by the EMT signaling pathway. This suggests
      that CXC-7 serves an inhibitory role in OTSCC migration, implicating CXCR-7 as a
      promising biomarker for chemokine receptor-based drug development.

PMID- 28901470
TI  - TLR5/7-mediated PI3K activation triggers epithelial-mesenchymal transition of
      ovarian cancer cells through WAVE3-dependent mesothelin or OCT4/SOX2 expression.
AB  - Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated signaling induces cell migration or invasion in
      several tumors and various stages of cancer. Interactions of mesothelin, a 40-kDa
      cell surface glycoprotein, with cancer antigen 125 (CA125) is associated with
      drug resistance, metastasis, and poor clinical outcome of ovarian cancer
      patients. In this study, we examined the role of TLR5 and TLR7 in the metastasis
      of ovarian cancer through the induction of mesothelin/CA125 expression and
      investigated its underlying mechanism. TLR5 agonist (flagellin) and TLR7 agonist
      (imiquimod) upregulated mesenchymal phenotypes and produced epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related cytokines in the SKOV3 cells; however, TLR7
      expressing CaOV3 cells had no response to the specific ligand, imiquimod, for
      enhancing its EMT processes. Stimulation of the SKOV3 cells with flagellin or
      imiquimod activated Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein verprolin-homologous 3
      (WAVE3) and mesothelin/CA125, whereas it suppressed the expression of TAp63.
      Moreover, knockdown of TLR5 or TLR7 in SKOV3 cells profoundly impaired the TLR5-
      or TLR7-intiated downstream signaling pathway. Loss of WAVE3 in SKOV3 cells led
      to the inhibition of invasion, suppression of mesenchymal characteristics,
      prevention of OCT4/SOX2 secretion, and attenuation of mesothelin/CA125 expression
      after stimulation with flagellin or imiquimod. Although the disruption of
      mesothelin decreased the migratory activity of the TLR5/7-activated SKOV3 cells,
      knockdown of mesothelin failed to reduce the expression of mesenchymal markers,
      OCT4, and SOX2. In addition, targeting OCT4 or SOX2 with siRNA had no effect on
      the expression of mesothelin and the suppression of transcriptionally active p63
      (TAp63) in the TLR5/7-stimulated SKOV3 cells. Our results suggest that TLR5/7
      mediated WAVE3 activation not only controls the mesothelin-related EMT processes
      but also modulates OCT4/SOX2-mediated mesenchymal marker expression. Taken
      together, both TLR5 and TLR7 expression are critical for the TLR5/7-induced
      metastasis of ovarian cancer and the inhibition of WAVE3 might be a new
      therapeutic target to control ovarian cancer metastasis.

PMID- 28901472
TI  - Inositol hexaphosphate hydrolysate competitively binds to AKT to inhibit the
      proliferation of colon carcinoma.
AB  - Phytate, myto-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6 hexaphosphate (IP6), is recognized as an anti
      nutrition phytochemical for decades. Recently, numerous studies have indicated
      that IP6 and its hydrolysates could suppress colon oncogenesis. However, very
      little is known concerning the mechanism of IP6 hydrolysates in regulating colon
      oncogenesis. The aim of the present study was to identify the underlying
      relationship between IP6 hydrolysates and colon cancer. Three types of human
      colorectal cancer cells were utilized in the present study. The proliferation
      inhibition and migration assays were employed to reveal that IP6 hydrolysates
      inhibited the proliferation of SW620 cells. Real-time PCR, cell-based ELISA and
      the AKT inhibitor assay were utilized to reveal that 20 and 30% degree of
      hydrolysis hydrolysates of IP6 inhibited SW620 cell growth by inhibiting the
      activation of AKT protein. The docking simulation study revealed that IP4 and IP5
      could inhibit the activation of AKT by binding to PIP3 receptor. Collectively,
      our results indicated that the IP6 hydrolysates inhibit SW620 cell proliferation;
      IP4 and IP5, the probable primary constituents of the 20-30% degree of hydrolysis
      hydrolysates of IP6, inhibited the proliferation of SW620 cells by competitively
      inhibiting the AKT protein.

PMID- 28901473
TI  - PHD3 affects gastric cancer progression by negatively regulating HIF1A.
AB  - Prolyl hydroxylase 3 (PHD3) is widely accepted as a tumor suppressor; however,
      the expression of PHD3 in various cancer types remains controversial. The present
      study aimed to investigate the association between PHD3 expression and the
      clinicopathological features of gastric cancer using reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. The effects of
      PHD3 in gastric cancer cell lines were assessed using western blot analysis and
      transwell migration assays. The present results revealed that PHD3 expression was
      increased in adjacent non-cancerous tissue compared with in gastric cancer
      tissue, and PHD3 overexpression was correlated with the presence of well
      differentiated cancer cells, early cancer stage classification and the absence of
      lymph node metastasis. In vitro experiments demonstrated that PHD3 may act as a
      negative regulator of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha and vascular endothelial
      growth factor, both of which participate in tumor angiogenesis. In conclusion,
      the present results suggested that PHD3 may act as a tumor suppressor in gastric
      cancer. Therefore, the targeted regulation of PHD3 may have potential as a novel
      therapeutic approach for the treatment of patients with gastric cancer.

PMID- 28901474
TI  - Inhibition of miR-23a increases the sensitivity of lung cancer stem cells to
      erlotinib through PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway.
AB  - Epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs)
      have become first-line drugs used for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      treatment. However, drug resistance to EGFR-TKIs will be developed inevitably due
      to the repeated use of these drugs. In the present study, we isolated cancer stem
      cells (CSCs) from the PC9 NSCLC cell line. We then observed that the PC9 CSCs
      showed significant resistance to erlotinib compared with the PC9 non-CSCs.
      Erlotinib failed to suppress the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT in PC9 CSCs,
      although the EGFR was inhibited sufficiently. Mechanically, we observed aberrant
      upregulation of microRNA-23a (miR-23a) and downregulation of PTEN in PC9 CSCs
      compared to PC9 non-CSCs. Luciferase reporter assays proved that PTEN was the
      target of miR-23a in PC9 CSCs. Furthermore, knockdown of miR-23a enhanced the
      antitumor effect of erlotinib by increasing the expression of PTEN. In addition,
      transfection with miR-23a inhibitors promoted the erlotinib-dependent inhibition
      of PI3K/AKT pathway, thus, suppressing the proliferation and inducing apoptosis
      in PC9 CSCs. These results propose that upregulation of miR-23a is a potential
      mechanism associated with resistance to EGFR-TKIs in lung cancer stem cells.
      Inhibition of miR-23a serves as a novel therapeutic strategy to eliminate the
      EGFR-TKIs resistance of lung cancer stem cells.

PMID- 28901475
TI  - Valproic acid inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition in renal cell carcinoma
      by decreasing SMAD4 expression.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignancy in urogenital neoplasms
      worldwide. According to previous studies, valproic acid (VPA), an anticonvulsant
      drug, can suppress tumor metastasis and decrease the expression level of Mothers
      against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4) and therefore may inhibit epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is responsible for cancer metastasis.
      However, the association between VPA, EMT and SMAD4 in RCC metastasis remains
      obscure. In the present study, it was demonstrated that in the RCC cell lines 786
      O and Caki-1 treated with VPA, the neural (N)-cadherin, vimentin and SMAD4
      protein and mRNA levels were decreased, accompanied with an increase in
      expression of epithelial (E)-cadherin. Silencing SMAD4 expression decreased the
      expression of EMT markers, including N-cadherin and simultaneously upregulated E
      cadherin in RCC cell lines. SMAD4 overexpression counteracted the VPA-mediated
      EMT-inhibitory effect (P<0.05). The present study demonstrates that VPA inhibited
      EMT in RCC cells via altering SMAD4 expression. In addition, immunohistochemical
      staining demonstrated that transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and low
      expression of SMAD4 was associated with a lower Fuhrman grade and low expression
      of transcription intermediary factor 1-gamma was associated with a higher tumor
      Fuhrman grade (P<0.05), Therefore, based on the regulatory effect of SMAD4 on EMT
      associated transcription factors, SMAD4 which can form a SMAD3/SMAD4 complex
      induced by TGF-beta, could be a potential anticancer drug target inhibiting tumor
      invasion and metastasis in RCC.

PMID- 28901476
TI  - DADLE improves hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice via activation of the
      Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
AB  - Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common pathophysiological process
      that occurs following liver surgery, which is associated with oxidative stress,
      and can cause acute liver injury and lead to liver failure. Recently, the
      development of drugs for the prevention of hepatic I/R injury has garnered
      interest in the field of liver protection research. Previous studies have
      demonstrated that [D-Ala2, D-Leu5]-Enkephalin (DADLE) exerts protective effects
      against hepatic I/R injury. To further clarify the specific mechanism underlying
      the effects of DADLE on hepatic I/R injury, the present study aimed to observe
      the effects of various doses of DADLE on hepatic I/R injury in mice. The results
      indicated that DADLE, at a concentration of 5 mg/kg, significantly reduced the
      levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in the serum,
      and the levels of malondialdehyde in the liver homogenate. Conversely, the levels
      of glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase in the liver homogenate were
      increased. In addition, DADLE was able to promote nuclear factor, erythroid 2
      like 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation and upregulate the expression of heme
      oxygenase (HO)-1, which is a factor downstream of Nrf2, thus improving hepatic
      I/R injury in mice. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that DADLE was
      able to significantly improve hepatic I/R injury in mice, and the specific
      mechanism may be associated with the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

PMID- 28901477
TI  - Simultaneous multi-gene mutation screening using SNPscan in patients from ethnic
      minorities with nonsyndromic hearing-impairment in Northwest China.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the molecular etiology of nonsyndromic
      hearing impairment (HI) in hearing impaired populations of Hui, Tibetan, and Tu
      ethnicities in northwest China. A total of 283 unrelated subjects with HI who
      attended special education schools in northwest China were enrolled in the
      present study. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three common deafness
      related genes, gap junction protein beta2 (GJB2), solute carrier family 26 member
      4 (SLC26A4) and mitochondrially encoded 12S RNA (mtDNA12SrRNA), were detected
      using a SNPscan technique. GJB2 mutations were detected in 14.89% of Hui
      patients, 9.37% of Tibetan patients and 11.83% of Tu patients. The most prevalent
      GJB2 mutation in the Hui and Tu patients was c.235delC. In the Tibetan patients,
      the c.109G>A SNP exhibited the highest allele frequency. SLC26A4 mutations were
      detected in 10.64% of Hui patients, 6.25% of Tibetan patients, and 8.6% of Tu
      patients. The most common SLC26A4 mutation was c.919-2A>Gin the Hui, Tibetan, and
      Tu patients, and the second most common SLC26A4 mutations in these patients were
      c.1517T>G, c.1226G>A andc.2168A>G, respectively. The mutation rates
      ofmtDNA12SrRNA in the Hui, Tibetan, and Tu patients were 1.06, 5.21, and 5.38%,
      respectively. These findings demonstrate that the mutation spectra of these
      deafness-related genes are unique amongst these three ethnic groups. This
      information will be helpful in designing a protocol for genetic testing for
      deafness and for achieving accurate molecular diagnoses in northwest China.

PMID- 28901478
TI  - MicroRNA-195 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in laryngeal
      squamous cell carcinoma by targeting ROCK1.
AB  - Laryngeal carcinoma is the second most common malignancy of the head and neck
      cancers. The most common type of laryngeal carcinoma comprises laryngeal squamous
      cell carcinoma (LSCC), which accounts for ~95% of laryngeal carcinoma cases.
      Despite great progress in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques over the last few
      decades, the prognosis for patients with LSCC remains poor. A number of studies
      reported that various miRNAs are dysregulated in LSCC and serve critical roles in
      LSCC tumorigenesis and tumor development. The present study aimed to evaluate the
      expression level of microRNA (miR)-195 and its possible roles in LSCC. Briefly,
      miR-195 was downregulated in LSCC tissues and cell lines. In addition, low miR
      195 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM
      stage of LSCC patients. Further study has demonstrated that miR-195
      overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion of LSCC.
      Moreover, rho-associated kinase 1 (ROCK1) was identified as a direct target gene
      of miR-195. Downregulation of ROCK1 exerted similar roles to that of miR-195
      overexpression in LSCC, suggesting ROCK1 was a direct downstream target of miR
      195. These findings elucidated a novel molecular mechanism for the pathogenic
      mechanism in LSCC carcinogenesis and progression, and may have a potential role
      in the treatment of patients with LSCC.

PMID- 28901479
TI  - Interaction with neutrophils promotes gastric cancer cell migration and invasion
      by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
AB  - Emerging evidence has revealed that neutrophils have phenotypic and functional
      plasticity. Neutrophils could be polarized towards a pro-tumor phenotype by tumor
      derived factors. In the present study, we investigated the role of the
      interaction with neutrophils on the functions of gastric cancer cells in vitro.
      Human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells were induced to differentiate into
      neutrophil-like cells (HL-60N) using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Human gastric
      cancer cells were co-cultured with HL-60N cells or treated with the conditioned
      medium (CM) of cancer-activated HL-60N cells. The migration and invasion of
      gastric cancer cells were significantly enhanced while their proliferation was
      minimally altered. The expression of pro-inflammatory factors including IL-6, IL
      8, IL-1beta, and TNFalpha was significantly increased in cancer-activated HL-60N
      cells, which induced the activation of the ERK pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT) in gastric cancer cells. Blocking the ERK pathway activation
      reversed the promoting effects of cancer-activated HL-60N cells on gastric cancer
      cell migration and invasion. In addition, mouse gastric cancer cell derived CM
      could also increase the expression of pro-inflammatory factors in mouse bone
      marrow neutrophils, which in turn enhanced the migration and invasion of mouse
      gastric cancer cells. Collectively, our findings revealed that the interaction
      with neutrophils promoted gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through the
      activation of the ERK pathway and the induction of EMT, indicating that
      neutrophils may play an important role in gastric cancer metastasis. Therefore,
      targeting neutrophil-cancer cell interaction may provide a new strategy for the
      treatment of gastric cancer.

PMID- 28901480
TI  - Radioiodine-labeled anti-epidermal growth factor receptor binding bovine serum
      albumin-polycaprolactone for targeting imaging of glioblastoma.
AB  - The aim of this study was to look for a new medicine in diagnosing and treating
      of glioblastoma. Radioiodine-labeled anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      binding nanoparticles were constructed. In vitro cell-binding assays were
      confirmed by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Cell cytotoxicity assays
      were evaluated by MTT assay; radionuclide uptake assays were performed by gamma
      counter. Radioiodine-imaging studies were conducted using a xenograft nude mouse
      model in vivo. The results showed that EGFR significantly enhanced the uptake and
      accumulation of BSA-PCL in the experimental model of xenografts in nude mice,
      suggesting improved specific nanoparticle-based delivery. In conclusion, the data
      showed 131I-EGFR-BSA-PCL leading radioiodine therapy for U251 and U87 cells had a
      good effect in vitro and in vivo. Thus, 131I-EGFR-BSA-PCL may provide a new
      method for glioblastoma treatment.

PMID- 28901481
TI  - Silencing of histone methyltransferase NSD3 reduces cell viability in
      osteosarcoma with induction of apoptosis.
AB  - NSD3 is a histone lysine methyltransferase that methylates histone H3 at lysine
      36. NSD3 is located at chromosome 8p11.23, the locus that exhibits strong cancer
      relevance. Thus, NSD3 is likely involved in multiple human cancers. Nevertheless,
      its roles in human carcinogenesis remain unknown. In the present study, we
      demonstrated that silencing of NSD3 in osteosarcoma, the most common primary bone
      cancer in children and adolescents, results in a marked decrease in the number of
      viable cancer cells, accompanied by increases in the cell population at the G2/M
      phase and the number of apoptotic cells. In addition, 549 NSD3-regulated genes
      were identified and a set of selected candidate genes were validated.
      Bioinformatic analysis revealed that NSD3 negatively regulates a number of genes
      that are involved in the process of negative regulation of signal transduction as
      well as negative regulation of signaling and cell communication. Our results
      indicate the oncogenic roles of NSD3 in the development and progression of human
      osteosarcoma, and implicate NSD3 as a potential molecular target for selective
      therapy for human osteosarcoma.

PMID- 28901482
TI  - Detection of RACK1 and CTNNBL1-induced activation of mouse splenocytes using an
      immunoprecipitation-based technique.
AB  - Tumor cell lysates (TCLs) have been reported to induce antitumor immunity;
      however, it remains unclear which elements serve a role in this process. The
      present study identified 768 proteins that were upregulated in TCL prepared from
      Lewis lung cancer cells compared with the lysate from type II alveolar epithelial
      cells. Among the proteins that were upregulated in TCL, receptor for activated C
      kinase 1 (RACK1) and catenin beta-like 1 (CTNNBL1) are closely associated with
      cell proliferation and the inhibition of apoptosis. To determine the role of
      these proteins in TCL, a protein extraction method was designed, which was based
      on immunoprecipitation. Using this method, RACK1 and CTNNBL1 were extracted,
      whereas the other proteins within the TCL were not affected. The modified TCL
      exhibited a stronger ability to induce splenocyte apoptosis, whereas the ability
      to promote cell activation was reduced. These findings suggested that the TCL
      depends on RACK1 and CTNNBL1 to activate mouse immunocytes, including monocytes
      and B lymphocytes, and inhibit apoptosis. Therefore, the present study may
      provide information regarding the composition of TCLs and their positive
      regulatory effect on immunocytes.

PMID- 28901483
TI  - Moderate hypothermia induces protein SUMOylation in bone marrow stromal cells and
      enhances their tolerance to hypoxia.
AB  - Acute cerebral infarction can progress rapidly, and there are limited specific
      and effective treatments. Small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) provide an
      important post-translational modification of proteins. Following cerebral
      infarction, multiple proteins can combine with SUMOs to protect nerve cells.
      Furthermore, moderate hypothermia (core body temperature, 33-34C) can increase
      the level of SUMOylation on multiple proteins. In the present study, it was
      examined whether moderate hypothermia increases the survival rate of bone marrow
      stromal stem cells (BMSCs) implanted in the cerebral ischemic penumbra via
      SUMOylation of multiple proteins. Firstly, BMSCs were exposed to oxygen-glucose
      deprivation (OGD) under moderate hypothermic (33C) conditions. Subsequently,
      adult rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion were treated with a combination
      of BMSCs and moderate hypothermia (32-34C). The results demonstrated that
      hypothermia promoted the combination of multiple proteins with SUMOs in BMSCs,
      and induced transport of SUMOs from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Moderate
      hypothermia additionally reduced damage to BMSCs following OGD and improved BMSC
      survival following transplantation into the penumbra. These data suggest that
      moderate hypothermia may protect against BMSC injury via rapid SUMOylation of
      intracellular proteins. Thus, BMSC transplantation combined with moderate
      hypothermia may be a potential therapeutic strategy to treat cerebral infarction.

PMID- 28901484
TI  - Molecular iodine impairs chemoresistance mechanisms, enhances doxorubicin
      retention and induces downregulation of the CD44+/CD24+ and E-cadherin+/vimentin+
      subpopulations in MCF-7 cells resistant to low doses of doxorubicin.
AB  - One of the most dreaded clinical events for an oncology patient is resistance to
      treatment. Chemoresistance is a complex phenomenon based on alterations in
      apoptosis, the cell cycle and drug metabolism, and it correlates with the cancer
      stem cell phenotype and/or epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Molecular iodine
      (I2) exerts an antitumor effect on different types of iodine-capturing neoplasms
      by its oxidant/antioxidant properties and formation of iodolipids. In the present
      study, wild-type breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7/W) were treated chronically with
      10 nM doxorubicin (DOX) to establish a low-dose DOX-resistant mammary cancer
      model (MCF-7/D). MCF-7/D cells were established after 30 days of treatment when
      the culture showed a proliferation rate similar to that of MCF-7/W. These DOX
      resistant cells also showed increases in p21, Bcl-2 and MDR-1 expression.
      Supplementation with 200 uM I2 exerted similar effects in both cell lines: it
      decreased the proliferation rate by ~40%, and I2 co-administration with DOX
      significantly increased the inhibitory effect (to ~60%) and also increased
      apoptosis (BAX/Bcl-2 index), principally by inhibiting Bcl-2 expression. The
      inhibition by I2 + DOX was also accompanied by impaired MDR-1 induction as well
      as by a significant increase in PPARgamma expression. All of these changes could
      be attributed to enhanced DOX retention and differential down-selection of
      CD44+/CD24+ and E-cadherin+/vimentin+ subpopulations. I2 + DOX-selected cells
      showed a weak induction of xenografts in Foxn1nu/nu mice, indicating that the
      iodine supplements reversed the tumorogenic capacity of the MCF-7/D cells. In
      conclusion, I2 is able to reduce the drug resistance and invasive capacity of
      mammary cancer cells exposed to DOX and represents an anti-chemoresistance agent
      with clinical potential.

PMID- 28901485
TI  - A novel non-contact communication between human keratinocytes and T cells:
      Exosomes derived from keratinocytes support superantigen-induced proliferation of
      resting T cells.
AB  - It is widely accepted that keratinocytes act as non-professional antigen
      presenting cells and support superantigen-induced proliferation of resting T
      cells; however, it remains unknown whether keratinocytes function in situ with T
      cells via a non-contact mechanism. The current study used a transwell co-culture
      system and demonstrated, for the first time to the best of the authors'
      knowledge, that HaCaT cells (the human keratinocyte cell line) did induce T cell
      proliferation via indirect contact. The data further indicated that exosomes,
      small membrane vesicles that transfer antigens to recipient cells, are also
      involved in the superantigen-associated immunity of keratinocytes. The current
      study provided experimental evidence that HaCaT-exosomes contained MHC I and II,
      and could interact with T cells. In addition, following interferon gamma
      stimulation, Staphylococcal aureus enterotoxin B-loaded HaCaT cells secreted
      exosomes to induce the proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in vitro. This
      novel biological function of exosomes reveals a new mechanism of how
      keratinocytes participate in bacterial superantigen-induced immune responses.

PMID- 28901486
TI  - miRNA-148a inhibits cell growth of papillary thyroid cancer through STAT3 and
      PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.
AB  - The function of miRNA-148a in lymphatic metastases of papillary thyroid cancer
      and its mechanism were tested. In this investigation, miRNA-148a expression of
      lymphatic metastases of papillary thyroid cancer patients was inhibited, compared
      with normal group. We found that miRNA-148a overexpression was effectively
      reduced cell cell proliferation and metastases, and induced apoptosis of
      papillary thyroid cancer in vitro. Overexpression of miRNA-148a significantly
      induced Bax protein expression and caspase-3/9 levels, and suppressed
      phosphorylation STAT3 (p-STAT3), PI3K and p-Akt protein expression of papillary
      thyroid cancer in vitro. Next, si-STAT3, could inhibit p-STAT3 protein
      expression, reducing cell-cell proliferation and metastases, and inducing
      apoptosis of papillary thyroid cancer following miRNA-148a overexpression. Then,
      the PI3K inhibitor was able to inhibit PI3K and p-Akt protein expression, reduced
      cell cell proliferation and metastases, and induced apoptosis of papillary
      thyroid cancer following miRNA-148a overexpression. Taken together, our results
      suggest that miRNA-148a inhibits lymphatic metastases of papillary thyroid cancer
      through STAT3 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

PMID- 28901487
TI  - Association of SREBP2 gene polymorphisms with the risk of osteonecrosis of the
      femoral head relates to gene expression and lipid metabolism disorders.
AB  - Although lipid metabolism disorders have been recognized as a primary factor of
      osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), the molecular pathogenesis remains
      unclear. Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) specifically
      regulates cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism to maintain lipid homeostasis. To
      explore the roles of the SREBP2 gene in the development of ONFH, the authors
      analyzed the gene polymorphism and gene expression of three tag single nucleotide
      polymorphisms of the SREBP2 gene, the serum lipids levels, and their associations
      with ONFH development in 182 ONFH patients and 179 healthy controls. The results
      demonstrated that the stage IV proportions of ONFH patients carrying the
      rs2267439CT or CC genotype were significantly higher and lower than the stage III
      proportions of ONFH patients (P=0.039), respectively. The serum triglyceride, low
      density lipoprotein (LDL)-c levels, and LDL-C/high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-C
      ratio in the ONFH group were significantly increased compared to those in the
      control group (P=0.01, P=0.005, P=0.0001) while the HDL-C level of ONFH group was
      remarkably lower than that of the control group (P=0.0001). Association analysis
      further revealed that the LDL-c levels of the rs226744 GG and AG genotype
      carriers were statistically higher than that of the AA genotype carriers
      (P=0.039, P=0.05). These results demonstrated that the gene polymorphism of
      SREBP2 not only significantly associated with the clinical phenotypes of ONFH but
      also closely related to lipid metabolism disorder. The results indicated that
      SREBP2 gene polymorphism and function may play key roles in the development of
      ONFH.

PMID- 28901488
TI  - The role of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 in abnormal development of ovarian
      follicles caused by high testosterone concentration.
AB  - The present study aimed to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying the
      effects of the fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1) signaling pathway within
      normal follicle development and in hyperandrogenism-induced abnormal follicle
      growth. To achieve this, murine primary follicles, granulosa cells (GCs) and
      theca-interstitial cells (TICs) were isolated, cultured in vitro and treated with
      a high concentration of androgens. A concentration of 1x10-5 mol/l testosterone
      was considerable to induce hyperandrogenism by MTT assay. All cells were divided
      into four groups, as follows: Control group, testosterone group, androgen
      receptor antagonist-flutamide group and flutamide + testosterone group. Flutamide
      was used in the present study as it blocks the effects of the androgen receptor.
      The mRNA expression levels of FBP1 were detected using reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression levels and localization of
      FBP1 were analyzed by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining. The
      experimental results demonstrated that androgen presence stimulated follicle
      development, whereas excessive testosterone inhibited development. FBP1 was
      identified as being mainly expressed in follicles; FBP1 protein was significantly
      expressed in GCs of the 14-day-cultured follicle, as well as in the cytoplasm and
      nuclei of GCs and TICs in vitro. Testosterone increased FBP1 expression during a
      specific range of testosterone concentrations. Testosterone increased the
      expression of FBP1 within GCs. Furthermore, FBP1 and phosphoenolpyruvate
      carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) mRNA expression was increased in GCs treated with
      testosterone, whereas forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha mRNA expression was significantly
      decreased in the testosterone group. In TICs, testosterone and flutamide
      inhibited the mRNA expression levels of FOXO1 and glucose-6-phosphatase enzyme,
      and promoted the expression of PCK1. These results suggested that the FBP1
      signaling pathway may serve an important role in normal follicle growth and
      hyperandrogenism-induced abnormal development, which may be associated with
      abnormal glucose metabolism induced by high concentrations of testosterone.

PMID- 28901489
TI  - UPLC-QTOFMS-based metabolomic analysis of the serum of hypoxic preconditioning
      mice.
AB  - Hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) is well-known to exert a protective effect against
      hypoxic injury; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. The
      present study utilized a serum metabolomics approach to detect the alterations
      associated with HPC. In the present study, an animal model of HPC was established
      by exposing adult BALB/c mice to acute repetitive hypoxia four times. The serum
      samples were collected by orbital blood sampling. Metabolite profiling was
      performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight
      mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOFMS), in conjunction with univariate and multivariate
      statistical analyses. The results of the present study confirmed that the HPC
      mouse model was established and refined, suggesting significant differences
      between the control and HPC groups at the molecular levels. HPC caused
      significant metabolic alterations, as represented by the significant upregulation
      of valine, methionine, tyrosine, isoleucine, phenylalanine,
      lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC; 16:1), LysoPC (22:6), linoelaidylcarnitine,
      palmitoylcarnitine, octadecenoylcarnitine, taurine, arachidonic acid, linoleic
      acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid, and the downregulation of acetylcarnitine,
      malate, citrate and succinate. Using MetaboAnalyst 3.0, a number of key metabolic
      pathways were observed to be acutely perturbed, including valine, leucine and
      isoleucine biosynthesis, in addition to taurine, hypotaurine, phenylalanine,
      linoleic acid and arachidonic acid metabolism. The results of the present study
      provided novel insights into the mechanisms involved in the acclimatization of
      organisms to hypoxia, and demonstrated the protective mechanism of HPC.

PMID- 28901492
TI  - Interactions between hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 and its adaptor proteins
      (Review).
AB  - Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), also known as mitogen-activated protein
      kinase kinase kinase kinase 1 is a serine/threonine protein kinase. It is
      involved in various cellular events, including mitogen-activated protein kinase
      signaling, nuclear factor-kappaB signaling, cytokine signaling, cellular
      proliferation and apoptosis, T cell receptor/B cell receptor signaling and
      T/B/dendritic cell-mediated immune responses. Therefore, HPK1 has variety of
      roles in immunity, and is associated with the pathogenesis of autoimmune
      diseases, cancer, and the inflammatory response. In these cellular and immune
      events, HPK1 interacts with several adaptor proteins, including caspase
      recruitment domain family, member 11, hematopoietic cell-specific protein 1, HPK1
      interacting protein of 55 kDa, the growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 family,
      linker for activated T-cells, the SH2 domain-containing leukocyte protein of 76
      kDa family, the v-crk avian sarcoma virus CT10 oncogene homolog family, B-cell
      adaptor molecule of 32 kDa and non-catalytic region of tyrosine kinase adaptor
      protein. These adaptor proteins can couple HPK1 with various effector molecules,
      leading to the transmission of upstream signals to downstream targets. They are
      crucial in regulating the relocation, phosphorylation, activation and functions
      of HPK1. HPK1 can also phosphorylate certain proteins, consequently modulating
      their functions. This review aims to describe the adaptor proteins, which
      interact with HPK1, particularly focusing on their modes of interaction with
      HPK1, and the effects that these interactions cause.

PMID- 28901491
TI  - miR-21 attenuates contrast-induced renal cell apoptosis by targeting PDCD4.
AB  - Contrast medium (CM) is widely used in cardiac catheterization; however, it may
      induce acute kidney injury or renal failure, although the underlying mechanism
      remains to be elucidated. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is involved in renal disease and
      has been indicated to regulate cellular apoptosis and fibrosis, although its role
      in CM-induced renal cell injury is unknown. The present study examined the
      expression and potential targets of miR-21 in human renal proximal tubular
      epithelial (HK-2) cells following CM treatment. CM induced renal cell apoptosis
      and decreased miR-21 expression. The expression level of the apoptosis regulator
      protein, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) was upregulated, whereas that of the apoptosis
      regulator, Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) was downregulated upon transfection
      of miR-21 mimics; miR-21 overexpression additionally directly inhibited the
      expression of programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4), as determined by a dual
      luciferase reporter assay, and PDCD4 silencing reduced the rate of HK-2 cell
      apoptosis. The results of the present study indicated that miR-21 protected renal
      cells against CM-induced apoptosis by regulating PDCD4 expression.

PMID- 28901490
TI  - Targeting strategies of adenovirus-mediated gene therapy and virotherapy for
      prostate cancer (Review).
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) poses a high risk to older men and it is the second most
      common type of male malignant tumor in western developed countries. Additionally,
      there is a lack of effective therapies for PCa at advanced stages. Novel
      treatment strategies such as adenovirus-mediated gene therapy and virotherapy
      involve the expression of a specific therapeutic gene to induce death in cancer
      cells, however, wild-type adenoviruses are also able to infect normal human
      cells, which leads to undesirable toxicity. Various PCa-targeting strategies in
      adenovirus-mediated therapy have been developed to improve tumor-targeting
      effects and human safety. The present review summarizes the relevant knowledge
      regarding available adenoviruses and PCa-targeting strategies. In addition,
      future directions in this area are also discussed. In conclusion, although they
      remain in the early stages of basic research, adenovirus-mediated gene therapy
      and virotherapy are expected to become important therapies for tumors in the
      future due to their potential targeting strategies.

PMID- 28901493
TI  - High pemetrexed sensitivity of docetaxel-resistant A549 cells is mediated by TP53
      status and downregulated thymidylate synthase.
AB  - The chemoresistance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that occurs in
      docetaxel (DOC) chemotherapy substantially decreases the survival of patients. To
      overcome DOC-induced chemoresistance, we established DOC-selected A549 lung
      cancer sublines (A549/D16 and A549/D32) and revealed that both sublines were
      cross-resistant to vincristine (VCR) and doxorubicin (DXR). Notably, both
      sublines were more sensitive to pemetrexed (PEM) than parental cells according to
      MTT and clonogenic assays. The expression levels of thymidylate synthase (TS) and
      gamma-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH) were downregulated in DOC-resistant sublines. When
      exogenous TS was overexpressed in A549/D16 cells, PEM sensitivity was
      significantly decreased, however it was not decreased by overexpression of
      exogenous GGH. PEM treatment induced more apoptotic sub-G1 cells in both DOC
      resistant sublines and in the in vivo PEM sensitivities of A549/D16 cells. These
      findings were further confirmed by a xenografted tumor model. To unmask the
      mediator of TS downregulation, we investigated human lung cancer cell lines that
      have various TP53 statuses using DOC treatment. The level of TS protein was
      significantly decreased in wild-type TP53-containing cells with DOC treatment; TS
      expression levels were not affected in mutant-TP53 and TP53-null cells under the
      same conditions. Furthermore, when the expression of TP53 was inhibited in A549
      cells, the expression level of TS was increased. Our data indicated that DOC
      activated wild-type TP53 and suppressed TS expression under continuous DOC
      exposure. Therefore, the expression of TS remained at low levels in DOC-resistant
      A549 cancer cells. Our data revealed that for lung cancer with DOC resistance and
      wild-type TP53 status, the administration of PEM as a second-line agent to
      overcome DOC-resistance may benefit patients.

PMID- 28901494
TI  - Molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma revealed by RNA
      sequencing.
AB  - The present study aimed to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). RNA-sequencing profiles GSM629264 and GSM629265,
      from the GSE25599 data set, were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus
      database and processed by quality evaluation. GSM629264 and GSM629265 were from
      HCC and adjacent non-cancerous tissues, respectively. TopHat software was used
      for alignment analysis, followed by the detection of novel splicing sites. In
      addition, the Cufflinks software package was used to analyze gene expressions,
      and the Cuffdiff program was used to screen for differently expressed genes
      (DEGs) and differentially expressed splicing variants. Gene ontology functional
      enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment
      analyses of DEGs were also performed. Transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs
      (miRNAs) that regulate DEGs were identified, and a protein-protein interaction
      (PPI) network was constructed. The hub node in the PPI network was obtained, and
      the TFs and miRNAs that regulated the hub node were further predicted. The
      quality of the sequencing data met the standards for analysis, and the clean
      reads were ~65%. Most sequencing reads mapped into coding sequence exons
      (CDS_exons), whereas other reads mapped into exon 3' untranslated regions
      (UTR_Exons), 5'UTR_Exons and Introns. Upregulated and downregulated DEGs between
      HCC and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were screened. Genes of differentially
      expressed splicing variants were identified, including vesicle-associated
      membrane protein 4, phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class C,
      protein disulfide isomerase family A member 4 and growth arrest specific 5.
      Screened DEGs were enriched in the complement pathway. In the PPI network,
      ubiquitin C (UBC) was the hub node. UBC was predicted to be regulated by several
      TFs, including specificity protein 1 (SP1), FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral
      oncogene homolog (FOS), proto-oncogene c-JUN (JUN), FOS-like antigen 2 (FOSL2)
      and SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin,
      subfamily A, member 4 (SMARCA4), and several miRNAs, including miR-30 and miR
      181. Results from the present study demonstrated that UBC, SP1, FOS, JUN, FOSL2,
      SMARCA4, miR-30 and miR-181 may participate in the development of HCC.

PMID- 28901495
TI  - Biochanin-A induces apoptosis and suppresses migration in FaDu human pharynx
      squamous carcinoma cells.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate biochanin-A-induced anticancer
      effects and their cellular signaling pathway in FaDu pharyngeal squamous
      carcinoma cells. Biochanin-A induced cell death through increased cytotoxicity of
      FaDu cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The number of cells with nucleus
      condensation and the apoptotic population were increased in the FaDu cells
      stimulated with biochanin-A for 24 h. Furthermore, extrinsic apoptotic factors
      such as FasL and their downstream target caspase-8 were increased and activated
      in the FaDu cells treated with biochanin-A in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover,
      biochanin-A decreased the expression of intrinsic anti-apoptotic factors such as
      Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, and increased the level and activation of intrinsic apoptotic
      factors such as Bad and caspase-9. Finally, biochanin-A induced the activation of
      caspase-3 and Poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) in FaDu cells. Our results
      suggest that biochanin-A-induced apoptosis was mediated by death receptor
      mediated-extrinsic and mitochondria-dependent intrinsic apoptotic signaling
      pathways. Biochanin-A also inhibited wound healing migration and proliferation of
      FaDu cells via the downregulation and inactivation of matrix metalloproteinase-2
      and -9 that are mediated by the suppression of p38, mitogen activated protein
      kinase (MAPK), NF-kappaB and Akt cellular signaling pathways. Therefore, these
      data suggest that the biochanin-A may act as a potential chemotherapeutic
      compound to treat head and neck cancer.

PMID- 28901496
TI  - High CCL5 expression is associated with osteosarcoma metastasis and poor
      prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the skeletal system
      and is characterized by an aggressive clinical course and high metastatic
      potential. Regulated upon Activation Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted, also
      termed C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), is associated with metastasis and
      poor prognosis in various types of cancer. The aim of the current study was to
      investigate the association between CCL5 expression and clinicopathological
      features and prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma. Tissue microarrays and
      reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and
      immunohistochemistry were used to examine the expression of CCL5 in human
      osteosarcoma tissues. The prognostic value of CCL5 expression was evaluated by
      the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression model. The rate
      of high CCL5 expression was significantly higher in metastatic osteosarcomas than
      in osteosarcomas without metastases. The overall survival rates (P=0.001) and the
      metastasis-free survival rates (P<0.001) of the low CCL5 expression group were
      significantly higher than the CCL5 high expression group. Multivariate Cox
      regression analysis indicated that CCL5 expression had independent predictive
      value for the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma. In conclusion, the data of
      the current study indicated that CCL5 may serve as a biomarker for prognosis of
      osteosarcoma, and may be a potential molecular target for osteosarcoma therapy.

PMID- 28901497
TI  - Regulation of UHRF1 by microRNA-378 modulates medulloblastoma cell proliferation
      and apoptosis.
AB  - A previous study revealed that ubiquitin-like with PHD and RING finger domains 1
      (UHRF1) promoted cell proliferation and was a potential biomarker in
      medulloblastoma (MB). In the present study, we reported that miR-378 inhibited
      the expression of UHRF1 to affect the proliferation of MB through competitive
      binding to the same region of its 3'-UTR. We found that the expression of miR-378
      was significantly downregulated in MB tissues and inversely correlated with the
      expression of UHRF1. Western blot analysis revealed that overexpression of miR
      378 led to the suppression of UHRF1. Moreover, a dual-luciferase assay
      demonstrated that miR-378 negatively regulated the activity of target gene UHRF1
      by binding to its 3'-UTR. An in vitro assay revealed that overexpression of miR
      378 suppressed MB cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. Ectopic
      expression of UHRF1 rescued miR-378-suppressed cell proliferation and miR-378
      promoted cell apoptosis. Collectively, the present study demonstrated that miR
      378 could inhibit the proliferation of MB by downregulation of UHRF1 and act as a
      potential therapeutic target against MB.

PMID- 28901498
TI  - GOLPH3 promotes cell proliferation and tumorigenicity in esophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma via mTOR and Wnt/beta-catenin signal activation.
AB  - The authors' previous study demonstrated that Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) was
      significantly overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC),
      correlating with poor patient survival. In the present study, GOLPH3 stable
      overexpression and knockdown KYSE-140 cell lines were constructed. Cell
      proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis assays
      were performed. The results revealed that GOLPH3 promoted ESCC cell growth and
      proliferation. The effects of GOLPH3 on the mechanistic target of rapamycin
      (mTOR) and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathways were investigated using western
      blot analyis and dual-luciferase reporter assays, and were observed to be
      activated in cells with GOLPH3 overexpression. Furthermore, overexpression of
      GOLPH3 resulted in the downregulation of p21 protein, upregulation of cyclin D1
      and increased retinoblastoma-associated protein phosphorylation, consequently
      leading to accelerated cell cycle progression. In addition, GOLPH3 knockdown
      resulted in reversed effects. The results of the current study suggest that
      GOLPH3 serves an important role in promoting tumorigenicity of ESCC via mTOR and
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway activation.

PMID- 28901499
TI  - Transfection with Livin and Survivin shRNA inhibits the growth and proliferation
      of non-small cell lung cancer cells.
AB  - Lung cancer is reported to be a major public health issue worldwide and the
      overall prognosis of patients remains poor. The expression levels of Livin and
      Survivin, of the inhibitors of apoptosis (IAP) family, are associated with
      prognostic significance in the majority of solid tumors. Therefore, in the
      presents study, short hairpin (sh)RNA expression vectors inhibiting the Livin and
      Survivin genes were constructed to examine the effects of the transfection of
      Livin shRNA and/or Survivin shRNA on the biological functions of tumor cells. The
      transfection efficiency was measured using fluorescence reverse transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The cell growth
      inhibition ratio was measured using a CCK assay. Cell apoptosis following
      transfection and in tumor tissues were measured using a TUNEL assay, and a cancer
      xenograft model was used to investigate the effect of Livin shRNA and/or Survivin
      shRNA on tumor growth. The results indicated that the mRNA and protein expression
      levels were suppressed following the transfection of Livin and Survivin shRNA
      into tumor cells (P<0.05, compared with control group). The growth of tumor cells
      in vivo and in vitro was significantly inhibited following transfection with
      Livin and Survivin shRNA, compared with that in the other groups (P<0.05). Taken
      together, the transfection of cells with Livin and Survivin inhibited tumor
      growth in vivo and in vitro, with the co-transfection of Livin and Survivin shRNA
      showing increased efficiency, compared with transfection of either the Livin
      vector or Survivin vector alone. The combined inhibition of Livin and Survivin
      may be a promising multitargeted gene therapeutic strategy in cancer treatment.

PMID- 28901501
TI  - mTOR inhibition reduces growth and adhesion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in
      vitro.
AB  - Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling is typically increased in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A panel of HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B and HuH6)
      was exposed to various concentrations of the mTOR inhibitors, everolimus and
      temsirolimus, in order to investigate their effects on cell growth, clonal
      formation, cell cycle progression, and adhesion and chemotactic migration using
      MTT and clonal cell growth assays, fluorometric detection of cell cycle phases
      and a Boyden chamber assay. In addition, integrin alpha and beta adhesion
      receptors were analyzed by flow cytometry and blocking studies using function
      blocking monoclonal antibodies were conducted to explore functional relevance.
      The results demonstrated that everolimus and temsirolimus significantly
      suppressed HCC cell growth and clonal formation, at 0.1 or 1 nM (depending on the
      cell line). In addition, the number of cells in G0/G1 phase was increased in
      response to drug treatment, whereas the number of G2/M phase cells was decreased.
      Drug treatment also considerably suppressed HCC cell adhesion to immobilized
      collagen. Integrin profiling revealed strong expression of integrin alpha1,
      alpha2, alpha6 and beta1 subtypes; and integrin alpha1 was upregulated in
      response to mTOR inhibition. Suppression of integrin alpha1 did not affect cell
      growth; however, it did significantly decrease adhesion and chemotaxis, with the
      influence on adhesion being greater than that on motility. Due to a positive
      association between integrin alpha1 expression and the extent of adhesion,
      whereby reduced receptor expression was correlated to decreased cell adhesion, it
      may be hypothesized that the adhesion-blocking effects of mTOR inhibitors are not
      associated with mechanical contact inhibition of the alpha1 receptor but with
      integrin alpha1-dependent suppression of oncogenic signaling, thus preventing
      tumor cell-matrix interaction.

PMID- 28901502
TI  - Harmine suppresses the proliferation and migration of human ovarian cancer cells
      through inhibiting ERK/CREB pathway.
AB  - Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer and the sixth most common
      cause of cancer related death among Western women. Recent studies show that
      harmine, a small-molecular beta-carboline alkaloid present in medicinal plants,
      displayed obvious anticancer effects in several cancer cells. However, the effect
      of harmine on ovarian cancer is not well understood. In the present study, the
      effect of harmine on the cell proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer SKOV
      3 cells and the underlying mechanism were investigated. Our results indicated
      that harmine significantly suppressed the proliferation of SKOV-3 cells in a dose
      dependent manner. Interestingly, it also inhibited the epidermal growth factor
      (EGF)-induced proliferation of SKOV-3 cells. Moreover, the migration of SKOV-3
      cells was markedly inhibited by harmine treatment. Further study showed that
      harmine inhibited not only the basal phosphorylation level of extra-cellular
      signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response
      element-binding protein (CREB) but also EGF-induced ERK1/2 and CREB
      phosphorylation. Finally, harmine significantly suppressed the expression of
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)
      family MMP-2, and MMP-9. In conclusion, our data revealed that harmine inhibited
      the proliferation and migration of SKOV-3 cells, which might be mediated by
      ERK/CREB pathway. These findings elucidate that harmine may act as a potential
      therapeutic drug for ovarian cancer treatment.

PMID- 28901500
TI  - Cell cycle and pluripotency: Convergence on octamer-binding transcription factor
      4 (Review).
AB  - Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have unlimited expansion potential and the ability to
      differentiate into all somatic cell types for regenerative medicine and disease
      model studies. Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4), encoded by the POU
      domain, class 5, transcription factor 1 gene, is a transcription factor vital for
      maintaining ESC pluripotency and somatic reprogramming. Many studies have
      established that the cell cycle of ESCs is featured with an abbreviated G1 phase
      and a prolonged S phase. Changes in cell cycle dynamics are intimately associated
      with the state of ESC pluripotency, and manipulating cell-cycle regulators could
      enable a controlled differentiation of ESCs. The present review focused primarily
      on the emerging roles of OCT4 in coordinating the cell cycle progression, the
      maintenance of pluripotency and the glycolytic metabolism in ESCs.

PMID- 28901503
TI  - High glucose and high insulin conditions promote MCF-7 cell proliferation and
      invasion by upregulating IRS1 and activating the Ras/Raf/ERK pathway.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, but the
      molecular mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the effect of high glucose and high insulin
      conditions on MCF-7 breast cancer cells and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms
      underlying these effects. High glucose and high insulin conditions resulted in
      increased viability, proliferation, and invasion in MCF-7 cells compared with
      normal glucose and low insulin conditions. Reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses revealed that insulin
      receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) was significantly upregulated following high glucose
      and high insulin treatment compared with normal glucose and low insulin
      conditions. Furthermore, high glucose and high insulin treatment increased the
      Ras family of proto-oncogenes (Ras) and RAF1 proto-oncogene (Raf-1) protein
      expression, and activated the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase (ERK) 1/2. These findings suggest that high glucose and high insulin
      conditions promoted the proliferation and invasion of MCF-7 cells by upregulating
      IRS1 and activating the Ras/Raf/ERK pathway.

PMID- 28901504
TI  - Soluble interleukin-2 receptor as a factor associated with angiogenesis in
      gastric cancer.
AB  - Angiogenesis serves a role in the growth, metastasis and prognosis of tumors. The
      aim of the present study was to evaluate the angiogenic ability and clinical
      significance of the immune biomarker soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in
      gastric cancer (GC) patients. Serum levels of sIL-2R were measured in 35 GC
      patients with different stages of disease and 32 healthy individuals, and it was
      investigated whether the levels were associated with angiogenesis factors,
      including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth
      factor (TGF)-beta1. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were
      pretreated with or without recombinant human (rh)sIL-2R, VEGF and TGF-beta1 for
      24 h, and then the HUVECSs were harvested to determine the degree of
      angiogenesis. The supernatants were also collected for VEGF and TGF-beta1
      testing. Serum levels of sIL-2R were higher in GC patients than in healthy
      individuals, as were the levels of VEGF and TGF-beta1. In addition, serum levels
      of sIL-2R were positively associated with the levels of VEGF and TGF-beta1.
      Angiogenesis of HUVECs was also increased by rhsIL-2R pretreatment. VEGF and TGF
      beta1 secretion were also incre-ased in supernatants that were pretreated with
      rhsIL-2R. The results of the present study suggested that serum levels of sIL-2R
      contributes to the pathophysiology of GC progression and may be used as a
      prognostic biomarker for GC.

PMID- 28901505
TI  - SIRT1 confers protection against ischemia/reperfusion injury in cardiomyocytes
      via regulation of uncoupling protein 2 expression.
AB  - The development of a novel targeted therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
      remains a major hurdle in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Previous
      studies indicate that mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP-2) is involved in
      the progression of AMI. The present study uses lentivirus knockdown of Sirtuin 1
      (SIRT1) in H9c2 cells under hypoxia conditions, and revealed that levels of SIRT1
      are accompanied by the expression of UCP-2. Therefore, it was hypothesized that
      SIRT1 might be important in the development of myocardial infarction. The present
      study demonstrated that: i) exogenous expression of SIRT1 in vitro induced
      resistance to hypoxic injury in H9c2 cells, coinciding with a reduction in
      expression of UCP-2; ii) knockdown of UCP-2 conferred resistance to hypoxic
      injury in H9c2; iii) intraperitoneal injection of resveratrol and the resultant
      increase in SIRT1 levels may protect against ischemia/reperfusion injury in vivo,
      concomitant with decreased expression of UCP-2. These findings provide direct
      evidence that the SIRT1/UCP-2 axis might be important in myocardial infarction,
      and suggest that this axis may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of
      cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28901506
TI  - Whole exome sequencing identifies FBN1 mutations in two patients with early-onset
      type B aortic dissection.
AB  - The etiology of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is complex and
      heterogeneous. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that genetic causes may be a
      consideration in early-onset TAAD. Owing to overlapping clinical phenotypes and
      the genetic heterogeneity of TAAD, it is challenging for clinicians to make a
      molecular diagnosis of TAAD, particularly in those who present with non-specific
      syndromic features. In order to identify the causative mutation in two young
      patients with acute type B aortic dissection without syndromic features, whole
      exome sequencing (WES) was performed in the present study. A missense mutation
      (c.G6953A:p.C2318Y) and a nonsense mutation (c.C4786T:p.R1596X) were identified
      in the fibrillin 1 gene in patients T287 and T267, respectively. The present
      study emphasized the necessity of genetic testing for young patients with type B
      aortic dissection. WES is a timely, robust and inexpensive technique for
      molecular diagnosis, particularly for TAAD caused by numerous genes. Genetic
      diagnosis of Marfan syndrome could aid in periodic surveillance, prophylactic
      surgical measures, and genetic counseling.

PMID- 28901507
TI  - alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in tumor-associated macrophages inhibits
      colorectal cancer metastasis through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
AB  - Considerable evidence has implied that alpha7 nicotinic receptor subtypes play an
      important role in chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain signaling. The aim of
      the present study was to determine the role of endogenous alpha7nAChR signaling
      in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in human colorectal cancer (CRC)
      metastasis and prognosis. alpha7nAChR expression in primary tumor cells and
      adjacent stroma cells especially in TAMs in 51 CRC patients was observed. Using a
      human monocyte THP-derived macrophages (TMs) with alpha7nAChR-siRNA knockdown
      (TMalpha7-/-) and a CRC cell Transwell co-culture model, the migration and
      invasion of two CRC cells, LoVo and SW620, were determined. Western blotting was
      carried out to investigate the expression of multiple molecules involved in the
      NF-kappaB, STAT3, PI3K signaling pathways in mimic TAMs, i.e., TMs exposed to in
      direct LoVo cell stimulation. A nicotinic alpha7 receptor antagonist [alpha
      bungarotoxin (alpha-Btx)] and three pharmaceutical inhibitors: AG490 (JAK2/STAT3
      inhibitor), LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor) and Bay 11-7082 (NF-kappaB inhibitor) were
      applied to evaluate whether these signaling pathways were associated with the
      enhanced migration of CRC cells when co-cultured with alpha7nAChR knockdown TMs.
      The results revealed that the expression of alpha7nAChR in TAMs differed in
      patients. However, CRC patients who had a high incidence of hepatic metastasis
      showed no or low expression of alpha7nAChR in TAMs. TMs with alpha7nAChR-siRNA
      knockdown (TMalpha7-/-) significantly enhanced the migration and invasion of the
      two CRC cell lines LoVo and SW620. alpha7nAChR knockdown in TMs significantly
      downregulated phosphorylation of STAT3, PI3K p85 and NF-kappaB p65 after co
      culturing with LoVo cells. Inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 prevented the TMalpha7-/-
      enhanced migration of LoVo cells. alpha7nAChR expressed in TAMs in human CRC
      patients plays an important role in preventing metastasis and could be a
      prognostic marker in CRCs, which may be regulated by the JAK2/STAT3 signaling
      pathway.

PMID- 28901508
TI  - A novel method for obtaining highly enriched Schwann cell populations from mature
      monkey nerves based on in vitro pre-degeneration.
AB  - Schwann cells (SCs) are indispensable for cell therapy and tissue engineering of
      the peripheral nervous system. Easy access to activated, highly proliferative SCs
      is necessary for clinical applications. The present study developed a fast,
      efficient method for obtaining highly purified SCs from the peripheral nerve of a
      mature Rhesus monkey. The common peroneal nerves of 4-year-old Rhesus monkeys
      were harvested and subjected to in vitro pre-degeneration in a modified SC
      culture medium (SCCM). The nerve pieces were subsequently treated enzymatically
      to dissociate the cells and then cultured for 2 days in SCCM. Cultured cells were
      treated with purification medium containing Ara-C to assist in restricting the
      overgrowth of fibroblast-like cells, for 24 h. After another 24-h cultivation
      period, the cells were subsequently treated with a multiplex collagenase, which
      enabled SC detachment over fibroblast detachment, and thereby facilitated SC
      isolation. Finally, SCs were cultured in SCCM. The cell yield was determined by
      cell counting following enzyme digestion and SC purity was determined from the
      percentage of SCs with respect to the total number of cells. Following
      purification, 96.3+/-3.9% of cells were identified as SCs. In vitro pre
      degeneration in the presence of basic-fibroblast growth factor, heregulin beta1
      and forskolin maximized the purity and yield of SCs that could be obtained from
      monkey peroneal nerves. The present study identified a novel technique that can
      efficiently isolate and purify SCs from mature monkey nerves based on in vitro
      pre-degeneration.

PMID- 28901509
TI  - CT45A1 siRNA silencing suppresses the proliferation, metastasis and invasion of
      lung cancer cells by downregulating the ERK/CREB signaling pathway.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the cancer-testis
      antigen family 45 member A1 (CT45A1) in the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion
      and metastasis of lung cancer cells, and the associated molecular mechanisms.
      Western blotting determined that the expression of CT45A1 in normal lung cells
      was far lower than that observed in lung cancer cells. Following the transfection
      of CT45A1 small (or short) interfering (si)RNA and its negative control into A549
      cells using Lipofectamine 2000, the CT45A1 protein and mRNA levels were
      determined further by western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction. Following CT45A1 siRNA transfection, the levels of CT45A1 in lung
      cancer cells were markedly reduced (P<0.01). Then, cell viability and apoptosis
      were investigated with a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay and Annexin V
      FITC/propidium iodide staining, respectively. Transwell assays were employed to
      evaluate the migration and invasion of A549 cells. When compared with the
      negative control, the viability, migration and invasion of lung cancer cells
      treated with CT45A1 siRNA were suppressed and apoptosis was promoted (all
      P<0.01). In addition, the levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X
      (Bax), survivin, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), MMP9, extracellular signal
      regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2), cyclic AMP
      response element binding protein (CREB) and p-CREB were assessed by western
      blotting. Following CT45A1 silencing, the expressions of Bcl-2, survivin, MMP2,
      MMP9, p-ERK1/2 and p-CREB were downregulated and the expression of Bax was
      upregulated (all P<0.01). It was concluded that CT45A1 siRNA silencing suppressed
      the proliferation, metastasis and invasion of lung cancer cells by downregulating
      the ERK/CREB signalling pathway.

PMID- 28901510
TI  - Ferruginol exhibits anticancer effects in OVCAR-3 human ovary cancer cells by
      inducing apoptosis, inhibition of cancer cell migration and G2/M phase cell cycle
      arrest.
AB  - The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the antitumor effects of
      ferruginol in OVCAR-3 human ovary cancer cells. The effects of ferruginol on cell
      apoptosis, cell migration and cell cycle phase distribution were also evaluated.
      Cell cytotoxicity induced by ferruginol was determined by an MTT assay, while
      fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed
      to investigate apoptotic effects. Flow cytometry was employed to determine the
      effects of ferruginol on the cell cycle and an in vitro wound healing assay was
      performed to investigate effects on cancer cell migration. The results indicated
      that ferruginol inhibited the growth rate of OVACR-3 cells in a dose- and time
      dependent manner. When cells were treated with 20, 80 and 300 uM ferruginol,
      cells began to exhibit yellow fluorescence, which indicated the onset of
      apoptosis. TEM results demonstrated that untreated control cells exhibited intact
      nuclei and nucleolus. However, on treating cells with various doses of
      ferruginol, chromatin condensation occurred and disappearance of the nuclear
      envelope and formation of apoptotic bodies were also observed. The percentage of
      migrated cells, determined by the wound healing assay, decreased from 98.7% in
      control to 68.2% and 45.3 in 80 and 300 uM ferruginol-treated cells,
      respectively. Flow cytometry results demonstrated that ferruginol induced G2/M
      cell cycle arrest in OVCAR-3 cells. In conclusion, ferruginol may exhibit
      anticancer effects in OVCAR-3 human ovary cancer cells by inducing apoptosis,
      inhibiting cancer cell migration and inducing G2/M cell and may therefore prove
      beneficial in the treatment and management of ovarian cancer.

PMID- 28901511
TI  - N-acetylcysteine induces apoptosis via the mitochondria-dependent pathway but not
      via endoplasmic reticulum stress in H9c2 cells.
AB  - N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of glutathione, is a widely used thiol
      containing antioxidant and modulator of the intracellular redox state. Our
      previous study demonstrated that excess reduced glutathione (GSH) from NAC
      treatment paradoxically led to a reduction in glutathione redox potential,
      increased mitochondrial oxidation and caused cytotoxicity at lower reactive
      oxygen species levels in H9c2 cells. However, no detailed data are available on
      the molecular mechanisms of NAC-induced cytotoxicity on H9c2 cells. In the
      present study, it was demonstrated that NAC-induced cytotoxicity towards H9c2
      cells was associated with apoptosis. The activation of caspase-9 and -3, and
      cleavage of procaspase-9 and -3, but not of caspase-8, were involved in NAC
      induced apoptosis. The dissipation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential,
      release of cytochrome c, translocation of B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X
      protein (Bax) to the mitochondria, and the increased ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA
      indicated that NAC treatment-induced apoptosis occurred mainly through the
      mitochondria-dependent pathway. Redox western blot analysis demonstrated that NAC
      did not disrupt the highly oxidized environment of the endoplasmic reticulum,
      which was indicated by maintenance of the oxidized form of protein disulfide
      isomerase, an essential chaperone in the formation of disulfide bond formation in
      the endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, no significant changes in the expression
      of binding immunoglobulin protein or C/EBP homologous protein were apparent in
      the process of NAC-induced apoptosis. Taken together, the present study
      demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that NAC induced
      apoptosis via the mitochondria-dependent pathway but not via endoplasmic
      reticulum stress in H9c2 cells, and the exogenous GSH from NAC did not alter the
      oxidized milieu of the endoplasmic reticulum.

PMID- 28901512
TI  - Gambogic acid suppresses inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis rats via
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
AB  - Gamboge is the dried resin secreted by the Garcinia maingayi gambogic tree and is
      a substance that may be used to treat a variety of diseases, exhibits anti-tumor
      and detoxification effects and prevents bleeding. The primary active constituent
      is gambogic acid. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory
      effects of gambogic acid in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats and to elucidate the
      mechanisms by which these effects occur. The swelling degree, the clinical
      arthritic scoring and pain threshold measurements were used to evaluate the
      effects of gambogic acid on RA. ELISA kits and western blot analysis were used to
      investigate inflammatory processes and the expression of RA-associated proteins,
      respectively. The present results demonstrated that gambogic acid significantly
      inhibited the degree of right foot swelling, increased pain thresholds and
      reduced clinical arthritic scores of RA rats. Treatment with gambogic acid
      suppressed the activities of interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6, promoted the
      protein expression of phosphorylated (p)-Akt serine/threonine kinase (Akt), p
      mammalian target protein of rapamycin (mTOR) and inhibited hypoxia-inducible
      factor-1alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in RA rats. The
      results of the present study therefore suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects
      of gambogic acid in RA rats occur via regulation of the phosphoinositide 3
      kinase/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

PMID- 28901513
TI  - Antitumor activity of 2-[(2E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienyl]-6-methyl-2,5
      cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione isolated from the aerial part of Atractylodes
      macrocephala in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - 2-[(2E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienyl]-6-methy l-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione (DMD)
      is a compound isolated from Atractylodes macrocephala; however, its antitumor
      activity has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the present study aimed to
      investigate the antitumor activity of DMD in the H22 mouse hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) cell line in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, the
      antiproliferative effects of DMD against H22 cells were evaluated using the MTT
      assay in vitro. Furthermore, xenograft nude mice were established to evaluate the
      antitumor effects of DMD on H22 cells in vivo. In addition, apoptosis of H22
      cells was determined by flow cytometry with Annexin V-fluorescein
      isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining, and western blotting was subsequently
      performed to examine the expression levels of proteins associated with apoptosis,
      and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase
      (ERK)1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). The results demonstrated that
      DMD exerts an antitumor effect against H22 cells in vitro and in vivo, and the
      underlying mechanism may be associated with mitochondria-mediated apoptosis
      through upregulation of cytochrome c, cleaved (c)-caspase-3, c-caspase-9, c
      caspase-7 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein, and downregulation
      of Bcl-2. In addition, the antitumor effects of DMD against H22 cells may be also
      associated with the MAPK signaling pathway via increased p-JNK and reduced p
      ERK1/2 expression. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the DMD exerts
      antitumor effects against HCC in mice and provides a scientific basis for the
      clinical use of DMD for the treatment of HCC.

PMID- 28901514
TI  - Multimodal actions of the phytochemical sulforaphane suppress both AR and AR-V7
      in 22Rv1 cells: Advocating a potent pharmaceutical combination against castration
      resistant prostate cancer.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) cells expressing full-length androgen receptor (AR-FL) are
      susceptible to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). However, outgrowth of
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) can occur due to the expression of
      constitutively active (ligand-independent) AR splice variants, particularly AR
      V7. We previously demonstrated that sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate
      phytochemical, can decrease AR-FL levels in the PCa cell lines, LNCaP and C4-2B.
      Here, we examined the efficacy of SFN in targeting both AR-FL and AR-V7 in the
      CRPC cell line, CWR22Rv1 (22Rv1). MTT cell viability, wound-heal assay, and
      colony forming unit (CFU) measurements revealed that 22Rv1 cells are resistant to
      the anti-androgen, enzalutamide (ENZ). However, co-exposure to SFN sensitized
      these cells to the potent anticancer effects of ENZ (P<0.05). Immunoblot analyses
      showed that SFN (5-20 uM) rapidly decreases both AR-FL and AR-V7 levels, and
      immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM) depicted decreased AR in both cytoplasm and
      nucleus with SFN treatment. SFN increased both ubiquitination and proteasomal
      activity in 22Rv1 cells. Studies using a protein synthesis inhibitor
      (cycloheximide) or a proteasomal inhibitor (MG132) indicated that SFN increases
      both ubiquitin-mediated aggregation and subsequent proteasomal-degradation of AR
      proteins. Previous studies reported that SFN inhibits the chaperone activity of
      heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and induces the nuclear factor erythroid-2-like 2
      (Nrf2) transcription factor. Therefore, we investigated whether the Hsp90
      inhibitor, ganetespib (G) or the Nrf2 activator, bardoxolone methyl (BM) can
      similarly suppress AR levels in 22Rv1 cells. Low doses of G and BM, alone or in
      combination, decreased both AR-FL and AR-V7 levels, and combined exposure to G+BM
      sensitized 22Rv1 cells to ENZ. Therefore, adjunct treatment with the
      phytochemical SFN or a safe pharmaceutical combination of G+BM may be effective
      against CRPC cells, especially those expressing AR-V7.

PMID- 28901515
TI  - Vulnerability study of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers in acute ocular
      hypertension in rabbit.
AB  - In the current study, it was aimed to evaluate the changes in myelinated and
      unmyelinated nerve fibers in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injuries caused by
      acute ocular hypertension and to determine the sequence of these changes. Adult
      healthy New Zealand white rabbits were randomized to the hemodynamic group [n=12;
      used to determine the optimal intraocular pressure (IOP) for the subsequent
      experiments] and the hypertension group (n=6; 70-mmHg hypertension induced in one
      eye). IOP was adjusted using a cannula and saline. Doppler ultrasound was used to
      measure the velocity of the optic artery under different intraocular pressures.
      Immunohistochemistry for myelin basic protein (MBP) was performed. Apoptosis of
      retinal cells was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP
      nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Electron microscopy was used to investigate the
      changes in myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers. IOP of the hypertension eyes
      was maintained at 70.2+/-1.0 mmHg, while IOP of control eyes was 7-14 mmHg.
      Doppler ultrasound demonstrated an obvious decline of peak systolic velocity and
      an increase of resistance index of retinal bloodstream under a 70-mmHg IOP. MBP
      immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy demonstrated obvious injuries to the
      myelin fibers. TUNEL indicated a significantly higher apoptosis rate in the
      hypertension eyes compared with control eyes. The apoptosis rate of retinal
      ganglion cells and bipolar cells in unmyelinated regions was higher than in
      myelinated regions. In conclusion, an IOP of 70 mmHg led to incomplete retinal
      ischemia but was the threshold for retinal ischemia, leading to obvious injuries
      to the myelin fibers.

PMID- 28901516
TI  - Two novel peptides derived from Sinonovacula constricta inhibit the proliferation
      and induce apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells.
AB  - In China, the incidence of prostate cancer has been increasing. Toxicity, drug
      resistance and limited transient benefits in patients are the main problems
      associated with standard chemotherapeutic regimens, and new drugs are therefore
      required to treat prostate cancer. SCH-P9 and SCH-P10 proteins were obtained from
      Sinonovacula constricta hydrolysates. The amino acid sequences of SCH-P9 and SCH
      P10 were identified as Leu-Pro-Gly-Pro and Asp-Tyr-Val-Pro, with molecular
      weights of 382.46 Da and 492.53 Da, respectively. An MTT assay, annexin V
      fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) staining and cell cycle analysis were applied
      to identify the viability of cells, stages of apoptosis, and cell cycle
      distribution, respectively. SCH-P9 and SCH-P10 inhibited the growth of DU-145 and
      PC-3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Annexin V-FITC staining and flow
      cytometry analysis were employed to measure apoptosis and cell cycle arrest,
      respectively. SCH-P9 and SCH-P10 inhibited the growth of DU-145 cells by reducing
      the number of cells in G0/G1 phase, increasing the number in subG1 phase and
      inducing apoptosis. SCH-P9 reduced the number of PC-3 cells in subG1 and G0/G1
      phases, increased the number of cells in G2/M phase and induced apoptosis. SCH
      P10 reduced the number of PC-3 cells in G2/M phase, increased the number of cells
      in G0/G1 phase and induced apoptosis. In conclusion, the results demonstrated
      that SCH-P9 and SCH-P10 induced apoptosis in DU-145 and PC-3 cells and may,
      therefore, exhibit potential for application in the treatment of prostate cancer.

PMID- 28901517
TI  - Cx32 inhibits TNFalpha-induced extrinsic apoptosis with and without EGFR
      suppression.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand
      (TRAIL) can trigger the extrinsic apoptosis pathway. Our previous study indicated
      that connexin32 (Cx32) inhibited streptonigrin-induced intrinsic apoptosis via
      the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway. However, whether Cx32 can
      exert effects on the extrinsic apoptosis pathway through EGFR signaling remains
      unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of Cx32 in extrinsic
      apoptosis induced by treatment with TNFalpha + cycloheximide (CHX) or afatinib in
      human cervical cancer (CaCx) cells. In stable inducible Cx32-transfected HeLa
      cells (HeLa-Cx32), Cx32 expression was induced by treatment with doxycycline
      (Dox). Furthermore, C-33A cells, which natively express high levels of Cx32, were
      used as a cell model for knockdown of Cx32 with siRNA. To determine the non
      junctional function of Cx32 in apoptosis, 18alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (18alpha
      GA), a gap junction intracellular communication (GJIC) inhibitor, was used. Our
      results showed that Cx32 could inhibit apoptosis induced by TNFalpha + afatinib
      with or without the GJIC inhibitor. In clinical cervical tissue samples, we found
      that the expression of survivin was markedly higher in CaCx than in normal cervix
      tissue, which was in accordance with the expression of Cx32 in our previous
      study. In HeLa-Cx32 cells, we also found that Cx32 upregulated the expression of
      Cox-2. In addition, Cx32 upregulated EGFR expression in low-density culture
      (lacking GJ formation). Cx32 could also promote the expression of EGFR, phospho
      STAT3 and phospho-ERK in HeLa-Cx32 cells following TNFalpha treatment. After
      knocking down Cx32 in C-33A cells, the expression levels of survivin and TNFalpha
      were downregulated. The present study verifies that Cx32 exerts an inhibitory
      effect on extrinsic apoptosis in CaCx cells, and suggests that Cx32 may regulate
      the progression and micro-environment of CaCx cells.

PMID- 28901518
TI  - Ailanthone induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of SGC-7901 human gastric
      cancer cells.
AB  - Ailanthone is a major quassinoid extracted from the Chinese medicinal herb
      Ailanthus altissima, which has been reported to exert antiproliferative effects
      on various cancer cells. The present study aimed to investigate the antitumor
      effects of ailanthone on SGC-7901 cells, and to analyze its underlying molecular
      mechanisms. Following treatment with ailanthone, Cell Counting kit-8 was used to
      detect the cytotoxic effects of ailanthone on SGC-7901 cells in vitro. The
      typical apoptotic morphology of SGC-7901 cells was observed by Hoechst 33258
      staining. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry,
      and the protein and mRNA expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax were analyzed by
      western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-qPCR) respectively, in SGC-7901 cells. The results of the present
      study indicated that ailanthone inhibited the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in
      a dose- and time-dependent manner in vitro, and also demonstrated that ailanthone
      induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells.
      Furthermore, analysis of the underlying molecular mechanisms revealed that
      ailanthone downregulated the expression levels of Bcl-2, whereas the expression
      levels of Bax were upregulated at the protein and mRNA levels. In conclusion,
      ailanthone may inhibit the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells by inducing G2/M phase
      cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via altering the protein and mRNA expression
      levels of Bcl-2 and Bax in SGC-7901 cells.

PMID- 28901519
TI  - Salidroside, a scavenger of ROS, enhances the radioprotective effect of Ex-RAD(r)
      via a p53-dependent apoptotic pathway.
AB  - Salidroside (Sal), the predominant component of a Chinese medicinal herb,
      Rhodiola rosea L., has become an attractive bioagent due to its significant anti
      radiation, antioxidant and immune adjustment effects. We explored the
      radioprotective effect of Sal to ascertain whether it could enhance the anti
      radiation effect of ON 01210.Na (Ex-RAD(r)) in vivo and in vitro, and elucidate
      its underlying mechanism. Our data demonstrated that Sal inhibited radiation
      induced apoptosis, scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS), and decreased the DNA
      damage of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Sal downregulated the
      expression of Bax and p53 and increased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, which indicated
      that Sal inhibited the radiation-induced apoptosis through p53-dependent
      pathways. The radioprotection of the Sal pretreatment was also evidenced by an
      increasing survival rate of the mice, maintaining antioxidant enzyme levels in
      the liver, and accelerating hematopoietic recovery. The results suggest that Sal
      exhibits an excellent radioprotective effect with powerful antioxidant activity
      in vitro and in vivo. Sal enhanced the radioprotective effect of Ex-RAD by
      improving the antioxidant effect, the scavenging of ROS, by accelerating
      hematopoietic recovery and DNA repair as well as by regulating apoptotic and
      repair signaling pathways. Combined modality treatments were more effective than
      single-agent treatments, demonstrating the value of multiple-agent
      radioprotectants.

PMID- 28901520
TI  - Puerarin promotes the viability and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells by miR-204
      regulated Runx2 upregulation.
AB  - Puerarin has attracted increasing attention because of its beneficial effects on
      anti-osteoporosis, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its actions on
      osteoblasts are not fully understood. The current study aimed to investigate the
      effect of puerarin on the cell viability and differentiation of mouse MC3T3-E1
      osteoblast-like cells in vitro and its underlying mechanisms. The results
      indicated that 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg/ml puerarin significantly promoted the
      viability of osteoblasts, enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and
      increased the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1, Smad2, Smad3 and
      Runt-related transcription factor (Runx)2. Micro (mi)RNA target prediction
      programs predicted that miR-204 may directly target Runx2. Following treatment
      with 0.1 mg/ml puerarin for 48 h, the expression level of miR-204 was
      downregulated. Besides, miR-204 dramatically repressed the luciferase activity of
      wildtype Runx2 3'-UTR transfected cells, but not that of the mutant ones.
      Overexpression of miR-204 in osteoblasts significantly decreased the protein
      expression of Runx2, while inhibition of miR-204 enhanced Runx2's expression. In
      addition, overexpression of miR-204 inhibited the cell viability and ALP activity
      of osteoblasts, while inhibition of miR-204 had the opposite effect. The results
      suggested that puerarin may promote MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cell viability and
      differentiation, which may be related to the downregulation of miR-204 and the
      following activation of Runx2.

PMID- 28901521
TI  - Adiponectin receptor agonist AdipoRon suppresses adipogenesis in C3H10T1/2 cells
      through the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of AdipoRon, an
      adiponectin receptor agonist, on adipogenesis in C3H10T1/2 cells and to explore
      the underlying mechanisms. C3H10T1/2 cells were treated with increasing doses of
      AdipoRon for 8 days, and Oil Red O staining was used to assess lipid
      accumulation. The protein and mRNA expression levels of adipogenic transcription
      factors and adipocyte-specific genes were examined by western blotting and
      reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively.
      AdipoRon treatment inhibited lipid accumulation in C3H10T1/2 cells in a dose
      dependent manner and significantly suppressed the expression of adipogenic
      transcription factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      gamma, CAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)-beta and C/EBPalpha. In addition,
      cells treated with AdipoRon exhibited a significant decrease in the expression of
      adipocyte-specific genes, including fatty acid binding protein 4, fatty acid
      synthase, leptin, adiponectin, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1. Notably, AdipoRon
      significantly increased the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated
      protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). The results indicated
      that AdipoRon exerted an inhibitory effect on adipogenesis in C3H10T1/2 cells by
      downregulating the expression of adipogenic transcription factors and adipocyte
      specific genes and by promoting the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC, which
      suggested that AdipoRon may be a potential drug to prevent and treat diseases
      caused by abnormal adipogenesis, such as obesity.

PMID- 28901522
TI  - Glutathione system in Wolfram syndrome 1-deficient mice.
AB  - Wolfram syndrome 1 (WS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease that is caused by
      mutations in the Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1) gene, which encodes the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) glycoprotein wolframin. The pathophysiology of WS is ER stress,
      which is generally considered to induce oxidative stress. As WS has a well
      defined monogenetic origin and a model for chronic ER stress, the present study
      aimed to characterize how glutathione (GSH), a major intracellular antioxidant,
      was related to the disease and its progression. The concentration of GSH and the
      activities of reduction/oxidation system enzymes GSH peroxidase and GSH reductase
      were measured in Wfs1-deficient mice. The GSH content was lower in most of the
      studied tissues, and the activities of antioxidative enzymes varied between the
      heart, kidneys and liver tissues. The results indicated that GSH may be needed
      for ER stress control; however, chronic ER stress from the genetic syndrome
      eventually depletes the cellular GSH pool and leads to increased oxidative
      stress.

PMID- 28901523
TI  - MicroRNA-141 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and ovarian cancer cell
      migration and invasion.
AB  - The effects of microRNA-141 (miR-141) on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT),
      and ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion were investigated. SKOV3 cells
      were transfected with the miR-141 mimic (mimic group), inhibitor (inhibitor
      group) and nonspecific sequences (NC group), and left untransfected group (blank
      group). The reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT
      qPCR) was used to detect the expression of miR-141 in SKOV3 cell lines. Then,
      mRNA levels and protein expression of EMT markers were determined by RT-qPCR and
      western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation was assessed using an MTT
      assay, followed by analysis of cell invasion and migration. SPSS software was
      used for statistical analysis. The results demonstrated that miR-141 expression
      in the mimic group was increased compared with the NC or blank group. Compared
      with the NC or blank group, upregulation of epithelial-cadherin (E-cadherin) and
      integrin-beta, and downregulation of zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox (ZEB) was
      observed in the mimic group. The rate of cell proliferation decreased in the
      mimic group and increased in the inhibitor group when compared with the NC group
      (P<0.05). The number of invasive cells significantly increased in the inhibitor
      group and decreased in the mimic group when compared with the NC group (P<0.01).
      Compared with the NC group, the migratory rate was decreased in the mimic group,
      and increased in the inhibitor group at 24 and 48 h (all P<0.01). In conclusion,
      overexpression of miR-141 caused upregulation of E-cadherin, inhibited cell
      proliferation and EMT, and decreased cell invasion and migration in the SKOV3
      cell line.

PMID- 28901524
TI  - Synergistic protection of bone vasculature and bone mass by desferrioxamine in
      osteoporotic mice.
AB  - It has previously been demonstrated that impaired angiogenesis is associated with
      metabolic abnormalities in bone in addition to osteoporosis (including
      postmenopausal osteoporosis). Enhancing vessel formation in bone is therefore a
      potential clinical therapy for osteoporosis. The present study conducted an in
      depth investigation using desferrioxamine (DFO) in an ovariectomy (OVX)-induced
      osteoporotic mouse model in order to determine the time frame of alteration of
      bone characteristics and the therapeutic effect of DFO. It was demonstrated that
      OVX induced instant bone mass loss 1 week following surgery, as expected. In
      contrast, DFO treatment protected the mice against OVX-induced osteoporosis
      during the first week, however failed to achieve long-term protection at a later
      stage. A parallel alteration for cluster of differentiation 31/endomucin double
      positive vessels (type H vessels) was observed, which have previously been
      reported to be associated with osteogenesis. DFO administration not only
      partially prevented bone loss and maintained trabecular bone microarchitecture,
      however additionally enhanced the type H vessels during the first week post-OVX.
      The molecular mechanism of how DFO influences type H vessels to regulate bone
      metabolism needs to be further investigated. However, the findings of the present
      study provide preliminary evidence to support combined vascular and osseous
      therapies for osteoporotic patients. Pharmacotherapy may offer a novel target for
      improving osteoporosis by promoting type H vessel formation, which indicates
      potential clinical significance in the field of bone metabolism.

PMID- 28901525
TI  - Upregulation of MUC1 by its novel activator 14-3-3zeta promotes tumor invasion
      and indicates poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) is currently the predominant histological subtype of
      lung cancer. Despite recent advancement in targeted therapies, the average 5-year
      survival rate is only 15%, highlighting the need to identify previously
      unrecognized molecular events that propel cancer development. Herein, we showed
      knockdown of 14-3-3zeta suppresses cell proliferation, migration and invasion
      capability of A549 and H1299 cells. MUC1 was then identified as a novel target of
      14-3-3zeta protein. Overexpression of MUC1 is found to induce epithelial
      mesenchymal transition and promote metastasis of lung cancer cells, while
      knockdown of 14-3-3zeta can completely abolish the oncogenic function of
      MUC1.Furthermore, we unraveled a novel mechanism that 14-3-3zeta activates NF
      kappaB signaling pathway, and therefore enhanced MUC1/NF-kappaB feedback loop to
      upregulate MUC1 expression. From a clinical point of view, we evaluated the
      expression of14-3-3zeta and MUC1 in GSE68465 datasets, in which high expression
      of14-3-3zeta and MUC1 emerged as poor prognostic factors in LAC patients. In
      conclusion, we provide novel evidence that 14-3-3zeta regulates MUC1 through
      MUC1/NF-kappaB feedback loop. 14-3-3zeta and MUC1 is a promising prognostic
      biomarker for lung cancer patients and therapeutic targeting of 14-3-3zeta and
      MUC1 may be a potential treatment option for patients with LAC.

PMID- 28901526
TI  - MicroRNA-214 targets Wnt3a to suppress liver cancer cell proliferation.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are crucial molecules that act as tumor suppressor genes
      or oncogenes in human cancer progression. The dysregulation of miRNA expression
      has been detected in liver cancer. The present study aimed to explore the
      molecular mechanisms by which miR-214 affects liver cancer cell proliferation.
      Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to
      determine the expression of miR-214 in liver cancer cell lines and hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) tissues. A luciferase reporter assay was performed to determine
      whether Wnt3a is a target gene of miR-214. Cell Counting kit-8 and cell cycle
      analysis were used to explore the effects of miR-214 on liver cancer cell
      proliferation. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect protein expression levels.
      Wnt3a knockdown was used to determine the function of Wnt3a in liver cancer cell
      proliferation. The results demonstrated that the expression levels of human miR
      214 were reduced in HCC tissues and liver cancer cell lines compared with in
      control tissues and cells. Overexpression of miR-214 and Wnt3a silencing each
      inhibited liver cancer cell growth. Conversely, inhibition of miR-214 promoted
      liver cancer cell growth. The present study indicated that miR-214 acts as a
      tumor suppressor and may be considered a promising therapeutic target for the
      treatment of liver cancer.

PMID- 28901527
TI  - Hypoxia promotes migration/invasion and glycolysis in head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma via an HIF-1alpha-MTDH loop.
AB  - Hypoxia is a hallmark of progressive cancer. Hypoxic cancer cells trigger
      glycolysis in response to a decreased O2 supply to meet metabolic and
      bioenergetic demands. Meanwhile, these responses to hypoxia and alterations of
      the microenvironment promote cancer cell metastasis by increasing transcription
      of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-regulated genes. However, the detailed
      mechanism by which hypoxia regulates cancer cell metastasis and glycolysis
      remains to be investigated. In the present study, we identified that metadherin
      (MTDH), a multifaceted oncogene, is involved in the regulation of head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) metastasis and invasion under hypoxic conditions.
      Furthermore, the study indicated that there is a positive feedback loop between
      HIF-1alpha and MTDH in HNSCC cells, and that hypoxia promotes HNSCC cell
      metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by mediating the HIF-1alpha-MTDH
      loop. These findings implicate HIF-1alpha-MTDH as a promising target for
      anticancer drugs in solid tumors, and help to explain the pro-tumorigenic and
      unfavorable effect of MTDH on HNSCC observed in our previous studies.

PMID- 28901528
TI  - Beyond symptomatic effects: potential of donepezil as a neuroprotective agent and
      disease modifier in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with neurodegenerative changes resulting
      clinically in progressive cognitive and functional deficits. The only therapies
      are the cholinesterase inhibitors donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine and the
      N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor antagonist memantine. Donepezil acts primarily on
      the cholinergic system as a symptomatic treatment, but it also has potential for
      disease modification and may reduce the rate of progression of AD. This review
      explores the potential for disease modifying effects of donepezil. Several
      neuroprotective mechanisms that are independent of cholinesterase inhibition, are
      suggested. Donepezil has demonstrated a range of effects, including protecting
      against amyloid beta, ischaemia and glutamate toxicity; slowing of progression of
      hippocampal atrophy; and up-regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
      Clinically, early and continuous treatment with donepezil is considered to
      preserve cognitive function more effectively than delayed treatment. The possible
      neuroprotective effects of donepezil and the potential for disease pathway
      modification highlight the importance of early diagnosis and treatment initiation
      in AD.

PMID- 28901529
TI  - Dissecting the structure-function relationship in lysozyme domain of
      mycobacteriophage D29-encoded peptidoglycan hydrolase.
AB  - Most bacteriophages rapidly infect and kill bacteria and, therefore, qualify as
      the next generation therapeutics for rapidly emerging drug-resistant bacteria
      such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We have previously characterized the
      mycobacteriophage D29-generated endolysin, Lysin A, for its activity against
      mycobacteria. Here, we present a detailed characterization of the lysozyme domain
      (LD) of D29 Lysin A that hydrolyzes peptidoglycan of both gram-positive and gram
      negative bacteria with high potency. By characterizing an exhaustive LD protein
      variant library, we have identified critical residues important for LD activity
      and stability. We further complement our in vitro experiments with detailed in
      silico investigations. We present LD as a potent candidate for developing phage
      based broad-spectrum therapeutics.

PMID- 28901530
TI  - Metabolic orchestration of T lineage differentiation and function.
AB  - T cells are stimulated by the engagement of antigen, cytokine, pathogen, and
      hormone receptors. While research performed over many years has focused on
      deciphering the molecular components of these pathways, recent data underscore
      the importance of the metabolic environment in conditioning responses to receptor
      engagement. The ability of T cells to undergo a massive proliferation and
      cytokine secretion in response to receptor signals requires alterations to their
      bioenergetic homeostasis, allowing them to meet new energetic and biosynthetic
      demands. The metabolic reprogramming of activated T cells is regulated not only
      by changes in intracellular nutrient uptake and utilization but also by nutrient
      and oxygen concentrations in the extracellular environment. Notably, the
      extracellular environment can be profoundly altered by pathological conditions
      such as infections and tumors, thereby perturbing the metabolism and function of
      antigen-specific T lymphocytes. This review highlights the interplay between
      diverse metabolic networks and the transcriptional/epigenetic states that
      condition T-cell differentiation, comparing the metabolic features of T
      lymphocytes with other immune cells. We further address recent discoveries in the
      metabolic pathways that govern T-cell function in physiological and pathological
      conditions.

PMID- 28901531
TI  - Effects of mastery criterion on the emergence of derived equivalence relations.
AB  - In this study, we manipulated mastery criterion form (rolling or block) and
      stringency (across 6 or 12 trials) and measured the emergence of derived
      relations. College students learned neuroanatomy equivalence classes and
      experienced one of two rolling mastery criteria (6 or 12 consecutive correct
      responses) or a block mastery criterion (12 trials in a block) during training.
      The study found that block and rolling mastery criteria produced similar
      outcomes. Effectiveness was hampered when the criterion was less stringent.

PMID- 28901532
TI  - Cognitive functioning in children after haemorrhagic stroke.

PMID- 28901533
TI  - Characteristics of different mesh types for abdominal wall repair in an
      experimental model of peritonitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of synthetic mesh to repair a potentially contaminated
      incisional hernia may lead to higher failure rates. A biological mesh might be
      considered, but little is known about long-term results. Both biological and
      synthetic meshes were investigated in an experimental model of peritonitis to
      assess their characteristics in vivo. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were randomized
      into five groups and peritonitis was induced. A mesh was implanted after 24 h.
      Five meshes were investigated: PermacolTM (cross-linked collagen), StratticeTM
      (non-cross-linked collagen), XCM Biologic(r) (non-cross-linked collagen),
      Omyra(r) Mesh (condensed polytetrafluoroethylene) and ParieteneTM
      (polypropylene). The rats were killed after either 30, 90 or 180 days.
      Incorporation and shrinkage of the mesh, adhesion coverage, strength of adhesions
      and histology were analysed. RESULTS: Of 135 rats randomized, 18 died from
      peritonitis. Some 180 days after implantation, both XCM Biologic(r) and
      PermacolTM had significantly better incorporation than StratticeTM (P = 0.003 and
      P = 0.009 respectively). StratticeTM had significantly fewer adhesions than XCM
      Biologic(r) (P = 0.001) and PermacolTM (P = 0.020). Thirty days after
      implantation, PermacolTM had significantly stronger adhesions than StratticeTM (P
      < 0.001). Shrinkage was most prominent in XCM Biologic(r) , but no significant
      difference was found compared with the other meshes. Histological analysis
      revealed marked differences in foreign body response among all meshes.
      CONCLUSION: This experimental study suggested that XCM Biologic(r) was superior
      in terms of incorporation, macroscopic mesh infection, and histological
      parameters such as collagen deposition and neovascularization. There must be
      sufficient overlap of mesh during placement, as XCM Biologic(r) showed a high
      rate of shrinkage. Surgical relevance The use of synthetic mesh to repair a
      potentially contaminated incisional hernia is not supported unequivocally, and
      may lead to a higher failure rate. A biological mesh might be considered as an
      alternative. There are few long-term studies, as these meshes are expensive and
      rarely used. This study evaluated the use of biological mesh in a contaminated
      environment, and investigated whether there is an ideal mesh. A new non-cross
      linked biological mesh (XCM Biologic(r) ) was evaluated in this experiment. The
      new non-cross-linked biological mesh XCM Biologic(r) performed best and may be
      useful in patients with a potentially contaminated incisional hernia.

PMID- 28901534
TI  - Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of oral isotretinoin versus topical
      isotretinoin in the treatment of plane warts: a randomized open trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plane warts are a common therapeutic problem. Our aim was to assess
      the efficacy and safety of oral versus topical isotretinoin in the treatment of
      plane warts. METHODS: Forty patients with multiple plane warts were randomized
      into two groups. Group A was treated with oral isotretinoin capsules in the dose
      of 0.5 mg/kg/d and Group B with topical isotretinoin 0.05% in gel formulation
      once daily at night. Treatment was given to the patients for 3 months or until
      the complete clearance of lesions, whichever was earlier. Patients with complete
      response were followed up monthly for 4 months to record the relapse rate.
      RESULTS: Results were analyzed in 16 patients of Group A and 13 patients of Group
      B. At the end of 3 months of therapy, 11 (69%) patients in Group A had complete
      remission whereas five (31%) had partial remission. In Group B, at the end of
      study, five (38%) patients had complete remission and six (46%) had partial
      remission, whereas two patients had no remission. The difference was
      statistically significant between two groups; P < 0.0001. The most common side
      effect in Group A was cheilitis. In Group B, five patients had to be dropped
      because they developed severe erythema and scaling. CONCLUSION: Oral isotretinoin
      showed better and earlier response than topical isotretinoin. Oral isotretinoin
      should definitely be given a trial particularly in cases of multiple facial warts
      before trying various destructive procedures.

PMID- 28901535
TI  - A Benefit-Risk Analysis Approach to Capture Regulatory Decision-Making: Multiple
      Myeloma.
AB  - Drug regulators around the world make decisions about drug approvability based on
      qualitative benefit-risk analysis. In this work, a quantitative benefit-risk
      analysis approach captures regulatory decision-making about new drugs to treat
      multiple myeloma (MM). MM assessments have been based on endpoints such as time
      to progression (TTP), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response
      rate (ORR) which are different than benefit-risk analysis based on overall
      survival (OS). Twenty-three FDA decisions on MM drugs submitted to FDA between
      2003 and 2016 were identified and analyzed. The benefits and risks were
      quantified relative to comparators (typically the control arm of the clinical
      trial) to estimate whether the median benefit-risk was positive or negative. A
      sensitivity analysis was demonstrated using ixazomib to explore the magnitude of
      uncertainty. FDA approval decision outcomes were consistent and logical using
      this benefit-risk framework.

PMID- 28901536
TI  - Validation of the PedsQL Epilepsy Module: A pediatric epilepsy-specific health
      related quality of life measure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To validate a brief and reliable epilepsy-specific, health-related
      quality of life (HRQOL) measure in children with various seizure types,
      treatments, and demographic characteristics. METHODS: This national validation
      study was conducted across five epilepsy centers in the United States. Youth 5-18
      years and caregivers of youth 2-18 years diagnosed with epilepsy completed the
      PedsQL Epilepsy Module and additional questionnaires to establish reliability and
      validity of the epilepsy-specific HRQOL instrument. Demographic and medical data
      were collected through chart reviews. Factor analysis was conducted, and internal
      consistency (Cronbach's alphas), test-retest reliability, and construct validity
      were assessed. RESULTS: Questionnaires were analyzed from 430 children with
      epilepsy (Mage = 9.9 years; range 2-18 years; 46% female; 62% white: non
      Hispanic; 76% monotherapy, 54% active seizures) and their caregivers. The final
      PedsQL Epilepsy Module is a 29-item measure with five subscales (i.e., Impact,
      Cognitive, Sleep, Executive Functioning, and Mood/Behavior) with parallel child
      and caregiver reports. Internal consistency coefficients ranged from 0.70-0.94.
      Construct validity and convergence was demonstrated in several ways, including
      strong relationships with seizure outcomes, antiepileptic drug (AED) side
      effects, and well-established measures of executive, cognitive, and
      emotional/behavioral functioning. SIGNIFICANCE: The PedsQL Epilepsy Module is a
      reliable measure of HRQOL with strong evidence of its validity across the
      epilepsy spectrum in both clinical and research settings.

PMID- 28901538
TI  - The impact of fatigue on the non-technical skills performance of critical care
      air ambulance clinicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between fatigue-related risk and impaired clinical
      performance is not entirely clear. Non-technical factors represent an important
      component of clinical performance and may be sensitive to the effects of fatigue.
      The hypothesis was that the sum score of overall non-technical performance is
      degraded by fatigue. METHODS: Nineteen physicians undertook two different
      simulated air ambulance missions, once when rested, and once when fatigued
      (randomised crossover design). Trained assessors blinded to participants' fatigue
      status performed detailed structured assessments based on expected behaviours in
      four non-technical skills domains: teamwork, situational awareness, task
      management, and decision making. Participants also provided self-ratings of their
      performance. The primary endpoint was the sum score of overall non-technical
      performance. RESULTS: The main finding, the overall non-technical skills
      performance rating of the clinicians, was better in rested than fatigued states
      (mean difference with 95% CI, 2.8 [2.2-3.4]). The findings remained consistent
      across individual non-technical skills domains; also when controlling for an
      order effect and examining the impact of a number of possible covariates. There
      was no difference in self-ratings of clinical performance between rested and
      fatigued states. CONCLUSION: Non-technical performance of critical care air
      transfer clinicians is degraded when they are fatigued. Fatigued clinicians may
      fail to recognise the degree to which their performance is compromised. These
      findings represent risk to clinical care quality and patient safety in the
      dynamic and isolated environment of air ambulance transfer.

PMID- 28901537
TI  - Tetrandrine antagonizes acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia growth by forcing
      autophagy-mediated differentiation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The poor prognosis of acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia
      (AMKL) means there is a need to develop novel therapeutic methods to treat this
      condition. It was recently shown that inducing megakaryoblasts to undergo
      terminal differentiation is effective as a treatment for AMKL. This encouraged us
      to identify a compound that induces megakaryocyte differentiation, which could
      then act as a potent anti-leukaemia agent. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The effects of
      tetrandrine on the expression of CD41 and cell morphology were investigated in
      AMKL cells. We used CRISPR/Cas9 knockout system to knock out ATG7 and verify the
      role of autophagy in tetrandrine-induced megakaryocyte differentiation. shNotch1
      and CA-Akt were transfected into K562 cells to examine the downstream pathways of
      ROS signalling and the mechanistic basis of the tetrandrine-induced megakaryocyte
      differentiation. The anti-leukaemia effects of tetrandrine were analysed both in
      vitro and in vivo. KEY RESULTS: A low dose of tetrandrine induced cell cycle
      arrest and megakaryocyte differentiation in AMKL cells via activation of
      autophagy. Molecularly, we demonstrated that this effect is mediated by
      activation of Notch1 and Akt and subsequent accumulation of ROS. In contrast, in
      normal mouse fetal liver cells, although tetrandrine induced autophagy, it did
      not affect cell proliferation or promote megakaryocyte differentiation,
      suggesting a specific effect of tetrandrine in malignant megakaryoblasts.
      Finally, tetrandrine also showed in vivo efficacy in an AMKL xenograft mouse
      model. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Modulating autophagy-mediated
      differentiation may be a novel strategy for treating AMKL, and tetrandrine has
      the potential to be developed as a differentiation-inducing agent for AMKL
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 28901539
TI  - Evaluating increased effort for item disposal to improve recycling at a
      university.
AB  - An evaluation of increased response effort to dispose of items was conducted to
      improve recycling at a university. Signs prompting individuals to recycle and
      notifying them of the location of trash and recycling receptacles were posted in
      each phase. During the intervention, trashcans were removed from the classrooms,
      and one large trashcan was available in the hallway next to the recycling
      receptacles. Results showed that correct recycling increased, and trash left in
      classrooms increased initially during the second intervention phase before
      returning to baseline levels.

PMID- 28901540
TI  - Is it time to cease the single low-dose ketamine injection at induction of
      anesthesia?

PMID- 28901541
TI  - Helping parents identify their child's swallowing, feeding, and nutrition.

PMID- 28901542
TI  - Effects of response-contingent stimulus pairing on vocalizations of nonverbal
      children with autism.
AB  - Research on stimulus-stimulus pairing to induce novel vocalizations in nonverbal
      children has typically employed response-independent pairing (RIP) procedures to
      condition speech sounds as reinforcers. The purpose of the present study was to
      evaluate the effects of a response-contingent pairing (RCP) procedure on the
      vocalizations of three nonverbal boys diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
      During RCP, adult-delivered sounds that were either paired with a preferred item
      (target sounds) or not (nontarget sounds) were presented contingent on a button
      press response. In Experiment 1, RCP was compared with an RIP procedure, in which
      the timing of sound presentations was yoked to the preceding RCP session. RCP
      produced a greater effect on all participants' target vocalizations than RIP.
      Experiment 2 demonstrated the effects of differential reinforcement of the
      vocalizations induced in Experiment 1. The results suggest that RCP may develop
      vocalizations more reliably than RIP procedures.

PMID- 28901544
TI  - Effect of obesity on neonatal hypoglycaemia in mothers with gestational diabetes:
      A comparative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rates of pre-gestational obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus
      (GDM) are increasing in Australia. While both are established risk factors for
      neonatal hypoglycaemia, the additive effect of both risks on neonatal
      hypoglycaemia is not well understood. AIMS: To determine the influence of obesity
      on neonatal hypoglycaemia among infants born to GDM mothers. The authors
      hypothesise the presence of a greater frequency and severity of neonatal
      hypoglycaemia in infants born to obese GDM women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort
      of 471 singleton GDM pregnancies was retrospectively studied. Women were divided
      into obese (body mass index (BMI) >= 30 kg/m2 ) and not-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m2 )
      groups according to self-reported pre-pregnancy weight. Perinatal outcomes and
      details of hypoglycaemic episodes were obtained by reviewing medical records.
      RESULTS: Twenty-five percent (104/410) of the GDM mothers were obese, while 36%
      (146/410) exceeded pregnancy weight gain recommendations. GDM and obesity
      resulted in a greater frequency of neonatal hypoglycaemia as compared to women
      with GDM alone (obese 44%, not obese 34%, P = 0.046). Obesity increased the
      likelihood of having multiple hypoglycaemic episodes (P = 0.022). Excess weight
      gain increased the likelihood of the neonate requiring intravenous dextrose (P =
      0.0012). No differences were found in the likelihood of nursery admissions or
      lowest plasma glucose levels. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-pregnancy obesity and weight gain
      during pregnancy above the recommended limits increased the likelihood of
      neonatal hypoglycaemia among infants of GDM mothers. Further studies with larger
      cohorts are warranted to confirm our findings.

PMID- 28901545
TI  - Teaching children with autism to respond to disguised mands.
AB  - Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty inferring the
      private events of others, including private verbal behavior (e.g., thoughts),
      private emotional responses, and private establishing operations, often referred
      to as "perspective taking" by the general psychology community. Children with ASD
      also have difficulty responding to disguised mands. Skinner's description of the
      "disguised mand" is verbal behavior wherein the speaker's mand directly describes
      neither its reinforcer nor the corresponding establishing operations. Appropriate
      responding to disguised mands is required for successful social interaction,
      making it a social skill worth teaching to children with ASD. We used a
      nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to investigate the
      effects of a multiple exemplar training package consisting of rules, role play,
      and feedback for teaching three boys with ASD to respond to disguised mands. The
      intervention was effective and generalization to novel disguised mands and people
      was observed.

PMID- 28901543
TI  - Role of mHealth in overcoming the occurrence of post-stroke depression.
AB  - Depression associated with stroke affects roughly one-third of stroke survivors.
      Post-stroke depression (PSD) is thought to adversely influence functional outcome
      by limiting participation in rehabilitation, decreasing physical, social, and
      cognitive function, and affecting neuroplasticity thereby placing stroke
      survivors at high risk for future vascular events. PSD has also been associated
      with higher mortality rates after stroke. In Peru, a country where there is no
      national stroke program and mental health disorders are largely underdiagnosed
      and untreated, people with PSD are likely to be further challenged by dependency
      and impoverished conditions that will limit their use of ambulatory services,
      leading to inadequate clinical follow-up. In this scenario, mobile health
      (mHealth) technology offers a promising approach to extend access to high-quality
      and culturally tailored evidence-based psychological care to address PSD given
      that cell phone use, Internet connectivity, and digital health technology have
      met a rapid growth in the last years and thus contribute to the attainment of
      broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The limited evidence of the
      effectiveness of mHealth for PSD calls for researchers to fill a knowledge gap
      where Peru poses as an ideal setting because rapid expansion of digital
      technology and current mental healthcare reform could be leveraged to enhance
      post-stroke outcomes. This article proposes the rationale for a suitable evidence
      driven, mHealth-based, PSD self-management intervention called iMOODS
      Investigating the role of mHealth in overcoming occurrence of depression after
      stroke-that could be tested among recent stroke patients with PSD in resource
      constrained settings.

PMID- 28901546
TI  - Return of spontaneous circulation and long-term survival according to feedback
      provided by automated external defibrillators.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the effect of automated external
      defibrillator (AED) feedback mechanisms on survival in out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest (OHCA) victims. In addition, we investigated converting rates in patients
      with shockable rhythms according to AED shock waveforms and energy levels.
      METHODS: We collected data on OHCA occurring between 2011 and 2014 in the Capital
      Region of Denmark where an AED was applied prior to ambulance arrival. Patient
      data were obtained from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry and medical records.
      AED data were retrieved from the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre (EMDC) and
      information on feedback mechanisms, energy waveform and energy level was
      downloaded from the applied AEDs. RESULTS: A total of 196 OHCAs had an AED
      applied prior to ambulance arrival; 62 of these (32%) provided audio visual (AV)
      feedback while no feedback was provided in 134 (68%). We found no difference in
      return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at hospital arrival according to AV
      feedback; 34 (55%, 95% confidence interval (CI) [13-67]) vs. 72 (54%, 95% CI [45
      62]), P = 1 (odds ratio (OR) 1.1, 95% CI [0.6-1.9]) or 30-day survival; 24 (39%,
      95% CI [28-51]) vs. 53 (40%, 95% CI [32-49]), P = 0.88 (OR 1.1 (95% CI [0.6
      2.0])). Moreover, we found no difference in converting rates among patients with
      initial shockable rhythm receiving one or more shocks according to AED energy
      waveform and energy level. CONCLUSIONS: No difference in survival after OHCA
      according to AED feedback mechanisms, nor any difference in converting rates
      according to AED waveform or energy levels was detected.

PMID- 28901547
TI  - Cognitive functioning following one-year natalizumab treatment: A non-randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can
      have serious impact on social and occupational functioning. Natalizumab reduces
      relapse rates, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions, and progression of
      disability. Previous studies on cognitive functioning have not based inclusion on
      cognitive performance criteria. The aim of the present study was to determine any
      potential natalizumab-related cognitive effects on MS patients performing below
      normal limits on neuropsychological testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients
      starting natalizumab (n = 21) and a quasi-control group of stable MS patients (n
      = 13) on first line disease modifying treatment were included following
      neuropsychological assessment demonstrating subnormal cognitive performance.
      Assessment, using ten cognitive variables, was repeated after 12 months. Symptoms
      of fatigue, anxiety and depression were also examined. Raw scores on the
      cognitive tests were transformed into Z-scores based on published age-corrected
      normative data. RESULTS: Between-group analyses on difference Z-scores (baseline 
      follow-up) yielded significant results on Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-2
      (PASAT-2) (P = .008), with the natalizumab group showing larger improvement than
      quasi control patients. On PASAT-2, 28,5% from the natalizumab group demonstrated
      >1 SD improvement, indicative of clinically meaningful change, compared with none
      in the quasi control group. Patients receiving natalizumab showed within-group
      improvements on six of the ten cognitive variables. There were no group
      differences in symptoms of fatigue, anxiety or depression. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results demonstrate improvement in information processing speed following 12
      months of natalizumab treatment. The results are interpreted as reflection of
      anti-inflammatory properties of natalizumab rather than retest- or long-term
      restorative effects.

PMID- 28901548
TI  - Primary, congenital neuroaxonal dystrophy with peripheral nerve demyelination in
      Merino-Border Leicester * Polled Dorset lambs.
AB  - CASE REPORT: Clinicopathological features of neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD) in
      newborn, Merino-Border Leicester * Polled Dorset lambs are described. The
      affected lambs were unable to walk at birth and microscopic examination of
      brainstem and spinal cord sections revealed bilaterally symmetrical accumulations
      of axonal swellings (spheroids), the histological hallmark of primary NAD. The
      neurological deficit was also exacerbated by myelin loss and secondary axonal
      degeneration, particularly in the spinal cord and sciatic nerves, but also, to a
      more limited extent, in brainstem and spinal nerves. CONCLUSIONS: Although lambs
      previously diagnosed with NAD have ranged in age from 2 days to 7 months, this is
      believed to be the first report of congenital NAD in this species. Moreover, the
      present cases are the only ones in which peripheral nerve demyelination has been
      found.

PMID- 28901549
TI  - Effects of red blood cell storage time on transfused patients in the ICU-protocol
      for a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are often anaemic due to
      blood loss, impaired red blood cell (RBC) production and increased RBC
      destruction. In some studies, more than half of the patients were treated with
      RBC transfusion. During storage, the RBC and the storage medium undergo changes,
      which lead to impaired transportation and delivery of oxygen and may also promote
      an inflammatory response. Divergent results on the clinical consequences of
      storage have been reported in both observational studies and randomised trials.
      Therefore, we aim to gather and review the present evidence to assess the effects
      of shorter vs. longer storage time of transfused RBCs for ICU patients. METHODS:
      We will conduct a systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential
      analyses of randomised clinical trials, and also include results of severe
      adverse events from large observational studies. Participants will be adult
      patients admitted to an ICU and treated with shorter vs. longer stored RBC units.
      We will systematically search the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, BIOSIS,
      CINAHL and Science Citation Index for relevant literature, and we will follow the
      recommendation by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items
      for Systemtic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA)-statement. We will assess the
      risk of bias and random errors, and we will use the Grading of Recommendations,
      Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to evaluate the overall
      quality of evidence. CONCLUSION: We need a high-quality systematic review to
      summarise the clinical consequences of RBC storage time among ICU patients.

PMID- 28901550
TI  - Principles of plasticity in the developing brain.
AB  - : The developing brain is especially sensitive to a wide range of experiences,
      showing a remarkable capacity for plastic changes that influence behavioural
      outcomes throughout the lifetime. We review the principles that regulate this
      plasticity in development and consider the factors that modulate the developing
      brain. These include early sensory, motor, and language experience, early stress,
      caregiver interactions, peer interactions, psychoactive drugs, diet, microbiome,
      and the immune system. Emphasis is given to changes in behaviour, epigenetics,
      and neuronal morphology. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: A discussion of the surprising
      range of factors influencing brain development Life experiences interact
      resulting in a phenomenon called metaplasticity.

PMID- 28901551
TI  - "Train tracks" and "step ladders" on implantable cardioverter defibrillator
      interval plot in a patient with dual tachycardia: Putting the dots together.

PMID- 28901552
TI  - Improving the therapeutic relationship in inpatient psychiatric care: Assessment
      of the therapeutic alliance and empathy after implementing evidence-based
      practices resulting from participatory action research.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine how evidence about the therapeutic alliance gleaned from
      participatory action project affected the level of this alliance and the degree
      of empathy of psychiatric nurses. DESIGN AND METHODS: Quasi-experimental study in
      two psychiatric units. In one group, evidence-based practices that affected the
      therapeutic alliance were implemented; in the comparison group, there was no such
      intervention. FINDINGS: The nurses from the intervention group improved their
      degree of empathy and factors such as agreement on objectives and tasks with the
      patient. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results confirm the possibility of measuring
      and improving the therapeutic relationship in psychiatric care.

PMID- 28901553
TI  - Total Leishmania antigens with Poly(I:C) induce Th1 protective response.
AB  - Our proposal was to develop a vaccine based on total Leishmania antigens (TLA)
      adjuvanted with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [Poly(I:C)] able to induce a Th1
      response which can provide protection against Leishmania infection. Mice were
      vaccinated with two doses of TLA-Poly(I:C) administered by subcutaneous route at
      3-week interval. Humoral and cellular immune responses induced by the
      immunization were measured. The protective efficacy of the vaccine was evaluated
      by challenging mice with infective promastigotes of Leishmania (Leishmania)
      amazonensis into the footpad. Mice vaccinated with TLA-Poly(I:C) showed a high
      anti-Leishmania IgG titre, as well as increased IgG1 and IgG2a subclass titres
      compared with mice vaccinated with the TLA alone. The high IgG2a indicated a Th1
      bias response induced by the TLA-Poly(I:C) immunization. Accordingly, the
      cellular immune response elicited by the formulation was characterized by an
      increased production of IFN-gamma and no significant production of IL-4. The TLA
      Poly(I:C) immunization elicited good protection, which was associated with
      decreased footpad swelling, a lower parasite load and a reduced histopathological
      alteration in the footpad. Our findings demonstrate a promising vaccine against
      cutaneous leishmaniasis that is relatively economic and easy to develop and which
      should be taken into account for preventing leishmaniasis in developing
      countries.

PMID- 28901554
TI  - Perspectives of a tailored lifestyle program for people with severe mental
      illness receiving housing support.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to describe the acceptability of
      the lifestyle program PHYS/CAT and to get information about the tools used for
      assessment of functional exercise capacity, cognitive performance, and self
      health-related quality of life. DESIGN AND METHODS: The findings are based on
      focus groups and the researchers' experiences of conducting the program as well
      as using the assessment tools. FINDINGS: The acceptability of the program and the
      assessment tools was mainly satisfactory. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The program with
      relational, educational, and supportive dimensions may be a promising tool to be
      integrated into daily nursing care.

PMID- 28901555
TI  - Dyspnea catastrophizing and neural activations during the anticipation and
      perception of dyspnea.
AB  - Dyspnea is an aversive symptom in various diseases. High levels of negative
      affectivity are typically associated with increased dyspnea and changes in its
      neural processing. Recently, more dyspnea-specific forms of negative affectivity
      such as dyspnea catastrophizing were suggested to contribute to increased
      perception of dyspnea beyond effects of rather unspecific negative affectivity
      such as general anxiety levels. The involved neural mechanisms have not yet been
      explored. Therefore, the present retrospective analysis examined the associations
      of dyspnea catastrophizing with neural activations during the anticipation and
      perception of dyspnea. Sixty-six healthy volunteers underwent 20 blocks of
      inspiratory resistive load breathing with parallel acquisition of fMRI data.
      Loads inducing either severe or mild dyspnea (dyspnea conditions) were presented
      in alternating order, with each condition being visually cued (anticipation
      conditions). Dyspnea catastrophizing and general trait anxiety were measured with
      the Breathlessness Catastrophizing Scale (BCS) and the State-Trait Anxiety
      Inventory, respectively. Correlating the BCS scores with neural activations
      during the perception of dyspnea yielded no significant results. However, during
      the anticipation of dyspnea, BCS scores correlated positively with activations of
      the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), even after controlling for general anxiety
      levels. These activations in the ACC were not related to concurrent respiratory
      parameters. Results suggest that dyspnea catastrophizing in healthy volunteers is
      associated with stronger ACC recruitment during dyspnea anticipation. Given the
      established role of the ACC in processing affective states, affect regulation,
      and antinociception, this might reflect increased affective and/or top-down
      modulatory processing in individuals with higher dyspnea catastrophizing when
      anticipating dyspnea.

PMID- 28901556
TI  - Science is not just for research: More questions must be posed to the public ....

PMID- 28901557
TI  - Intrinsically Disordered Proteins and Desiccation Tolerance: Elucidating
      Functional and Mechanistic Underpinnings of Anhydrobiosis.
AB  - Over 300 years ago the father of microscopy, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, observed
      dried rotifers (tiny animals) "coming back to life" upon rehydration. Since then,
      scientists have been fascinated by the enduring mystery of how certain organisms
      survive losing essentially drying out completely. Historically sugars, such as
      the disaccharide trehalose, have been viewed as major functional mediators of
      desiccation tolerance. However, some desiccation tolerant organisms do not
      produce this sugar, hinting that additional mediators, and potentially novel
      mechanisms exist. It has become apparent that a common theme among such organisms
      is the production and use of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) to mediate
      survival in this dry state. However, the basic biology of these proteins - which
      unlike globular proteins lack persistent three-dimensional structure - is poorly
      understood, as are the functional mechanisms utilized by these enigmatic proteins
      that allow them to mediate desiccation tolerance. We purpose that probing the
      biochemical and biophysical nature of stress-related IDPs will provide
      mechanistic insights into these fascinating proteins.

PMID- 28901558
TI  - 'Things aren't so bad!': Preschoolers overpredict the emotional intensity of
      negative outcomes.
AB  - Adults often overpredict the emotional intensity of future events, but little is
      known about whether this 'intensity bias' is present in early childhood. We asked
      48 3- to 5-year-olds to (1) predict and (2) report their emotions concerning two
      desirable (receiving four stickers, scoring up to two points in a ball toss) and
      two undesirable (receiving one sticker, scoring no points) outcomes. Children
      showed the intensity bias by overpredicting how negatively they would feel if
      they received one sticker, but not for scoring no points. We discuss how task
      factors (e.g., personal volition) and cognitive mechanisms (e.g., immune neglect)
      may influence children's tendency to show the intensity bias. Statement of
      contribution What is already known on this subject? Adults tend to overpredict
      the intensity of their emotional reactions to future events. Whether similar
      'affective forecasting' errors characterize preschoolers' predictions is not
      known. What does this study add? We created two forecasting tasks ('sticker' and
      'ball') with both desirable and undesirable outcomes. We obtained evidence for a
      'negativity' but not a 'positivity' bias in children's predictions. On the
      sticker task, children overpredicted how badly they would feel after receiving
      one, versus, four stickers.

PMID- 28901559
TI  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms for DNA typing in the domestic horse.
AB  - Genetic markers are important resources for individual identification and
      parentage assessment. Although short tandem repeats (STRs) have been the
      traditional DNA marker, technological advances have led to single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) becoming an attractive alternative. SNPs can be highly
      multiplexed and automatically scored, which allows for easier standardization and
      sharing among laboratories. Equine parentage is currently assessed using STRs. We
      obtained a publicly available SNP dataset of 729 horses representing 32 diverse
      breeds. A proposed set of 101 SNPs was analyzed for DNA typing suitability. The
      overall minor allele frequency of the panel was 0.376 (range 0.304-0.419), with
      per breed probability of identities ranging from 5.6 * 10-35 to 1.86 * 10-42 .
      When one parent was available, exclusion probabilities ranged from 0.9998 to
      0.999996, although when both parents were available, all breeds had exclusion
      probabilities greater than 0.9999999. A set of 388 horses from 35 breeds was
      genotyped to evaluate marker performance on known families. The set included 107
      parent-offspring pairs and 101 full trios. No horses shared identical genotypes
      across all markers, indicating that the selected set was sufficient for
      individual identification. All pairwise comparisons were classified using ISAG
      rules, with one or two excluding markers considered an accepted parent-offspring
      pair, two or three excluding markers considered doubtful and four or more
      excluding markers rejecting parentage. The panel had an overall accuracy of 99.9%
      for identifying true parent-offspring pairs. Our developed marker set is both
      present on current generation SNP chips and can be highly multiplexed in
      standalone panels and thus is a promising resource for SNP-based DNA typing.

PMID- 28901560
TI  - Erythema nodosum-like panniculitis mimicking disease recurrence: A novel toxicity
      from immune checkpoint blockade therapy-Report of 2 patients.
AB  - Immunotherapies targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4)
      and the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand (PD-L1) have
      showed substantial therapeutic benefit in patients with clinically advanced solid
      malignancies. However, autoimmune toxicities are common and often significant
      adverse events with these agents. While rash and pruritus remain the most common
      cutaneous complications in treated patients, novel dermatologic toxicities
      related to immune checkpoint blockade continue to emerge as the number of
      patients exposed to immunotherapy increases. Here, we describe 2 patients treated
      with combination immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab who developed
      painful subcutaneous nodules. Although the findings were clinically concerning
      for disease recurrence, histopathologic examination of biopsies from the lesions
      revealed a subcutaneous mixed septal and lobular erythema nodosum-like
      panniculitis. Notably, neither patient received immunosuppressive therapy for
      these lesions, which subsequently remained stable, and both patients' cancer
      remained controlled. These cases show that the dermatologic toxicity profile of
      immune checkpoint blockade is diverse and continues to expand, and illustrates
      that recognition of such toxicities is critical to optimal patient management.

PMID- 28901561
TI  - Eosinophils are rare in biopsy specimens of psoriasis vulgaris.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histological features of lesional biopsies can be helpful in
      distinguishing psoriasis subtypes from disease mimickers. However, occasionally,
      classic histological features are not sufficient for distinction, and additional
      clues would be useful. There is a common belief that the presence of eosinophils
      in skin biopsies argues against psoriasis, but actual literature is scant.
      DESIGN: Skin biopsies with a diagnosis of psoriasis from 2013 to 2016 were
      reviewed. For inclusion, both histological and clinical features were required to
      be consistent with psoriasis. For biopsies meeting inclusion criteria, a detailed
      evaluation for typical histological parameters of psoriasis, as well as presence
      of dermal eosinophils, was performed. RESULTS: Of 85 cases meeting inclusion
      criteria, all had either individual or grouped intracorneal neutrophils and
      dilated papillary blood vessels. Diminished or complete loss of the granular cell
      layer was seen in 83 cases (98%), and parakeratosis was seen in 84 cases (99%).
      Alternatively, dermal eosinophils were seen in only 15 cases (18%). Of cases with
      eosinophils, none had more than 3 eosinophils upon examination of the entire
      dermis. Active treatment did not appear to impact presence/absence or numbers of
      eosinophils. CONCLUSION: Eosinophils are uncommon in psoriasis biopsies, and when
      present, they are found in small numbers.

PMID- 28901562
TI  - Involving institutionalised people with dementia in their care-planning meetings:
      lessons learnt by the staff.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Applying a person-centred care (PCC) approach is an aspiration for
      many services attending people with dementia (PwD). However, the implementation
      and assessment of PCC practices represent a challenge to health professionals.
      AIM: To evaluate the impact on staff of a programme aiming to involve people with
      dementia (PwD) in their individualised care-planning (ICP) meetings in long-term
      residential settings; specifically, to explore the lessons that staff perceived
      they had learned from the experience. METHODS: Twenty-one staff members working
      in residential facilities for older people were interviewed after the programme.
      Responses to two questions ('Do you think that your work has been affected in any
      way by the attendance of PwD at ICP meetings?' and 'Have you learnt something new
      as a result of these meetings?') were submitted to thematic analysis. RESULTS:
      Eighteen of the 21 participants identified at least one lesson they had learned
      from the experience. The lessons could be grouped under three main headings: (i)
      an increase in their understanding of PwD, (ii) questioning of their own care
      practices, and (iii) an improvement in teamwork. CONCLUSION: The involvement of
      PwD in ICP meetings had a positive impact on staff. They stated that the
      experience encouraged them to develop PCC-compatible attitudes and modify the way
      they treat PwD, thus improving the quality of care they deliver. The experience
      also seemed to empower staff (particularly the lesser trained members) and
      increase the cohesion of working teams.

PMID- 28901563
TI  - Analysis of serum levels and cutaneous expression of lipoprotein (a) in 38
      patients with livedoid vasculopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coagulation disorders contribute to the development of livedoid
      vasculopathy (LV). Elevated plasma levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] are an
      independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and
      associated with hypercoagulable states. Increased serum Lp(a) levels have been
      reported in patients with LV and may have an important role in the pathogenesis
      of LV. OBJECTIVES: To investigate Lp(a) expression in skin lesions and
      circulating serum Lp(a) levels in patients with LV. METHODS: Skin biopsy samples
      from 38 patients (27 women and 11 men) with active lesions diagnosed as LV and 9
      samples of normal skin (5 women and 4 men) from control patients without LV were
      evaluated for skin expression of Lp(a) by immunohistochemistry. Plasma levels of
      Lp(a) were analyzed by immunoturbidimetry. RESULTS: We found that lesional skin
      in patients with LV expressed 10-fold higher Lp(a) immunostaining than controls.
      High plasma levels of Lp(a) were observed in LV patients. We did not find a
      correlation (P = .02) between expression of Lp(a) in the skin and plasma levels
      of Lp(a) in patients with LV. CONCLUSIONS: Increased Lp(a) expression in lesional
      skin of LV patients suggests the role of Lp(a) in the thrombo-occlusive
      vasculopathy observed in this disease.

PMID- 28901564
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of 68 Ga-HBED-CC-EDBE-folate for positron-emission
      tomography imaging of overexpressed folate receptors on CT26 tumor cells.
AB  - The 68 Ga is a positron-emitting radionuclide that can be combined with
      bifunctional chelating agents and bioactive substances for use as positron
      emission tomography (PET) diagnostic agents. The HBED-CC is an acyclic chelating
      agent that is rapidly labeled with 68 Ga under mild conditions. To target cancer
      cells, bioactive substances can be conjugated to the carboxyl terminus of HBED
      CC. Because folic acid strongly binds to folate receptors that are overexpressed
      on the surfaces of many types of cancer cells, it was coupled with HBED-CC
      through a small polyethylene glycol-based linker (EDBE) to generate an active,
      receptor-selective targeting system. The HBED-CC-EDBE-folate (HCEF) precursor was
      readily labeled with 68 Ga in 5 minutes at room temperature (98% radiochemical
      yield; 99% radiochemical purity after isolation). In cellular uptake tests,
      higher uptakes of 68 Ga-HCEF were observed for the CT26 and KB cell lines (which
      express folate receptors) than for the A549 cell line (which does not). Finally,
      in vivo micro-PET measurements over 2 hours of binding in BALB/c mice into which
      CT26 tumors had been transplanted showed the selective accumulation of 68 Ga-HCEF
      in the folate receptor-expressing CT26 tumors. These results confirmed the
      potential of 68 Ga-HCEF as a PET diagnostic agent for tumors that express folate
      receptors.

PMID- 28901565
TI  - Review article: next-generation transformative advances in the pathogenesis and
      management of autoimmune hepatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in autoimmune hepatitis that transform current concepts of
      pathogenesis and management can be anticipated as products of ongoing
      investigations driven by unmet clinical needs and an evolving biotechnology. AIM:
      To describe the advances that are likely to become transformative in autoimmune
      hepatitis, based on the direction of current investigations. METHODS: Pertinent
      abstracts were identified in PubMed by multiple search terms. Full-length
      articles were selected for review, and a secondary bibliography was developed.
      The discovery process was repeated, and a tertiary bibliography was identified.
      The number of abstracts reviewed was 2830, and the number of full-length articles
      reviewed exceeded 150. RESULTS: Risk-laden allelic variants outside the major
      histocompatibility complex (rs3184504, r36000782) are being identified by genome
      wide association studies, and their gene products are potential therapeutic
      targets. Epigenetic changes associated with environmental cues can enhance the
      transcriptional activity of genes, and chromatin re-structuring and antagonists
      of noncoding molecules of ribonucleic acid are feasible interventions. The
      intestinal microbiome is a discovery field for microbial products and activated
      immune cells that may translocate to the periphery and respond to manipulation.
      Epidemiological studies and controlled interview-based surveys may implicate
      environmental and xenobiotic factors that warrant evidence-based changes in
      lifestyle, and site-directed molecular and cellular interventions promise to
      change the paradigm of treatment from one of blanket immunosuppression.
      CONCLUSIONS: Advances in genetics, epigenetics, pathophysiology, epidemiology,
      and site-directed molecular and cellular interventions constitute the next
      generation of transformative advances in autoimmune hepatitis.

PMID- 28901566
TI  - A new horizon in the prevention of the postembolization syndrome after
      transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 28901567
TI  - Do penile haemodynamics change in the presence of hydrogen sulphide (H2 S) donor
      in metabolic syndrome-induced erectile dysfunction?
AB  - Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined in relation to the metabolic syndrome
      (metS). Hydrogen sulphide (H2 S), a gasotransmitter, has been revealed to get
      involved in hypertension, insulin secretion and regulation of vascular tone
      especially in erectile physiology. This study aimed to investigate the effect of
      H2 S on metS-induced ED. Animals were divided into two groups as control and
      metS, which were fed with standard diet or 60% high-fructose diet for 10 weeks
      respectively. The metS model was evaluated with biochemical analyses, waist
      circumference/tibia length ratio and HOMA index. Penile hemodynamic parameters
      were evaluated by the measurement of intracavernous pressure/mean arterial
      pressure ratio during cavernous nerve stimulation in the presence and absence of
      intracavernous injection of NaHS (100 MUg/50 MUl) and its control 0.9%NaCl (50
      MUl) in both groups. H2 S levels were measured in penile tissues by methylene
      blue assay. H2 S levels were significantly decreased in the penile tissues of the
      metS group. Decreased intracavernous pressure/mean arterial pressure ratio
      improved after intracavernous administration of NaHS in the metS group. These
      results suggest the significant role of H2 S in the metS-induced erectile
      dysfunction that could be a new therapeutic target.

PMID- 28901568
TI  - Shared decision-making in the paediatric field: a literature review and concept
      analysis.
AB  - AIM: The concept of shared decision-making is poorly defined and often used
      interchangeably with related terms. The aim of this study was to delineate and
      clarify the concept of shared decision-making in the paediatric field. METHOD:
      Rodgers and Knafl's evolutionary concept analysis was used to delineate and
      clarify the concept. Following a search of the CINAHL, PubMed and MEDLINE
      databases and online journals between 1995 and 2016, we included a total of 42
      articles that referred to shared decision-making in the paediatric field.
      RESULTS: The attributes included active participation of the three: parents,
      children and health professionals; collaborative partnership; reaching a
      compromise; and common goal for child's health. Antecedents were existing several
      options with different possible outcomes; substantial decisional conflict;
      recognising child's health situations that decision-making is needed; and
      willingness to participate in decision-making. Finally, the consequences included
      decreased decisional conflict; mutual empowerment; improved child health status;
      and improved quality of paediatric health care. CONCLUSION: This study provides a
      theoretical understanding of the concept of shared decision-making in the
      paediatric field; furthermore, by integrating this concept into paediatric
      practice, it may help to reduce the gap between theory and practice. The analysis
      could also provide nursing researchers with insight into paediatric decision
      making and establish a foundation to develop future interventions and situation
      specific theory for promoting high-quality decision-making in the paediatric
      field.

PMID- 28901569
TI  - Letter: lipid-lowering effect of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in chronic
      hepatitis B-more evidence is needed. Authors' reply.

PMID- 28901570
TI  - Letter: Cuban immigrants to the US developing IBD have a progressive shortening
      of the lag between time of arrival and disease onset. Authors' reply.

PMID- 28901571
TI  - Letter: Cuban immigrants to the US developing IBD have a progressive shortening
      of the lag between time of arrival and disease onset.

PMID- 28901572
TI  - Letter: lipid-lowering effect of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in chronic
      hepatitis B-more evidence is needed.

PMID- 28901573
TI  - Validation of a novel CARTOSEGTM segmentation module software for contrast
      enhanced computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation in patients with
      atrial fibrillation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Visualization of left atrial (LA) anatomy using image integration
      modules has been associated with decreased radiation exposure and improved
      procedural outcome when used for guidance of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in
      atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. We evaluated the CARTOSEGTM CT Segmentation
      Module (Biosense Webster, Inc.) that offers a new CT-specific semiautomatic
      reconstruction of the atrial endocardium. METHODS: The CARTOSEGTM CT Segmentation
      Module software was assessed prospectively in 80 patients undergoing AF ablation.
      Using preprocedural contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT), cardiac
      chambers, coronary sinus (CS), and esophagus were semiautomatically segmented.
      Segmentation quality was assessed from 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent). The
      reconstructed structures were registered with the electroanatomic map (EAM). PVI
      was performed using the registered 3D images. RESULTS: Semiautomatic
      reconstruction of the heart chambers was successfully performed in all 80
      patients with AF. CE-CT DICOM file import, semiautomatic segmentation of cardiac
      chambers, esophagus, and CS was performed in 185 +/- 105, 18 +/- 5, 119 +/- 47,
      and 69 +/- 19 seconds, respectively. Average segmentation quality was 3.9 +/-
      0.2, 3.8 +/- 0.3, and 3.8 +/- 0.2 for LA, esophagus, and CS, respectively.
      Registration accuracy between the EAM and CE-CT-derived segmentation was 4.2 +/-
      0.9 mm. Complications consisted of one perforation (1%) which required
      pericardiocentesis, one increased pericardial effusion treated conservatively
      (1%), and one early termination of ablation due to thrombus formation on the
      ablation sheath without TIA/stroke (1%). All targeted PVs (n  =  309) were
      successfully isolated. CONCLUSIONS: The novel CT- CARTOSEGTM CT Segmentation
      Module enables a rapid and reliable semiautomatic 3D reconstruction of cardiac
      chambers and adjacent anatomy, which facilitates successful and safe PVI.

PMID- 28901574
TI  - Using a multi-feature paradigm to measure mismatch responses to minimal sound
      contrasts in children with cochlear implants and hearing aids.
AB  - Our aim was to explore whether a multi-feature paradigm (Optimum-1) for eliciting
      mismatch negativity (MMN) would objectively capture difficulties in perceiving
      small sound contrasts in children with hearing impairment (HI) listening through
      their hearing aids (HAs) and/or cochlear implants (CIs). Children aged 5-7 years
      with HAs, CIs and children with normal hearing (NH) were tested in a free-field
      setting using a multi-feature paradigm with deviations in pitch, intensity, gap,
      duration, and location. There were significant mismatch responses across all
      subjects that were positive (p-MMR) for the gap and pitch deviants (F(1,43) =
      5.17, p = 0.028 and F(1,43) = 6.56, p = 0.014, respectively) and negative (MMN)
      for the duration deviant (F(1,43) = 4.74, p = 0.035). Only the intensity deviant
      showed a significant group interaction with MMN in the HA group and p-MMR in the
      CI group (F(2,43) = 3.40, p = 0.043). The p-MMR correlated negatively with age,
      with the strongest correlation in the NH subjects. In the CI group, the late
      discriminative negativity (LDN) was replaced by a late positivity with a
      significant group interaction for the location deviant. Children with severe HI
      can be assessed through their hearing device with a fast multi-feature paradigm.
      For further studies a multi-feature paradigm including more complex speech sounds
      may better capture variation in auditory processing in these children.

PMID- 28901575
TI  - Fuming with rage! Do members of low status groups signal anger more than members
      of high status groups?
AB  - Owuamalam, Weerabangsa, Karunagharan and Rubin found that Malaysians associate
      people in low status groups with anger more than their higher status
      counterparts: the hunchback heuristic. But is this belief accurate? Here, we
      propose the alternative possibility that members of low-status groups might
      deliberately suppress anger to counter this stigma, while members of high-status
      groups might disinhibit their anger to assert their superiority. To test these
      propositions, we manipulated undergraduate students' relative group status by
      leading them to believe that provocative comments about their undergraduate
      social identity came from a professor (low-status condition) or a junior
      foundation year student (high-status condition). Using eye-tracking, we then
      measured their gaze durations on the comments, which we used as a physiological
      signal of anger: dwelling (Experiment 1). Results revealed that dwelling was
      significantly greater in the high-status condition than in the low-status
      condition. Experiment 2 conceptually replicated this pattern using a self-report
      method and found that the suppression-disinhibition effect occurred only when
      reputational concerns were strong.

PMID- 28901576
TI  - Theory of mind in spina bifida: Relationship with intellectual and executive
      functioning.
AB  - This article investigates emotion recognition ability, a central aspect of Theory
      of Mind (ToM), in a group of individuals with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM)
      experiencing executive function deficits, and examine associations between
      emotion recognition, and intellectual and executive functioning. A total of 38
      adult subjects with SBM were included in this study, participating in a
      randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of a cognitive rehabilitation
      intervention for executive dysfunction. Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET)
      was used as a measure of emotion recognition, and neuropsychological tests and
      questionnaires were utilized as executive function measures. One third of the
      participants performed poorer on the emotion recognition task compared to
      normative data. Emotion recognition may represent an area being affected in
      adults with SBM, and it is related to verbal IQ. Findings also suggest that
      executive functions and emotion recognition ability in adults with SBM are
      independent.

PMID- 28901577
TI  - Suppression mediates the effect of 5-HTTLPR by stress interaction on depression.
AB  - A number of studies have shown that the presence of short (S), as opposed to long
      (L), allele of the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) is
      associated with a higher risk for depression following exposure to stressful life
      events. However, many other studies failed to confirm this association. One
      reason for this inconsistency might be the fact that the interaction of the 5
      HTTLPR polymorphism with stress may relate not to depression per se, but rather
      to adaptive or maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Here we show that
      individuals homozygous for the long allele respond to stressful events by
      reappraising their emotional meaning, which may hamper the harmful effect of
      stress on mental health. In S genotype carriers, on the other hand, stress
      triggers the appearance of intrusive thoughts and vain attempts to suppress them,
      which in this group acts as a mediator between stress and depressive symptoms.
      These findings are in line with neuroimaging studies showing that 5-HTTLPR
      polymorphism has an effect on the connectivity among key areas involved in
      emotion regulation.

PMID- 28901578
TI  - Irritable bowel syndrome in Asia: Pathogenesis, natural history, epidemiology,
      and management.
AB  - Historically, the epidemiology of gastrointestinal diseases in Asia was different
      from that in Western countries. Early studies suggested a low prevalence of
      irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Asia. As the diagnosis of IBS is symptom-based
      and as symptom perception, expression, and interpretation are influenced by
      sociocultural perspectives including language, the presentation of IBS is
      expected to vary in different communities. Furthermore, the pathogenesis is
      multifactorial with psychosocial (stress, illness, behavior, and diet) and
      biological (infection, gut microbiota, and immune activation) variables
      interacting, and so, the present study can anticipate that the development of IBS
      will vary in different environments. In recognition of this aspect of functional
      gastrointestinal disorders, the recently published Rome IV documents have
      provided greater focus on cross-cultural factors. In this review, the present
      study seeks to highlight Asian perspectives by identifying historical trends and
      recent publications from the region and comparing these with the observations
      from Western societies.

PMID- 28901579
TI  - Formation and Photodynamic Behavior of Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheet
      Fullerene Inorganic/Organic Nanohybrids on Semiconducting Electrodes.
AB  - Composite films that consisted of C60 and well-exfoliated nanosheets of
      transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as MoS2 or WS2 , with a bulk
      heterojunction structure were easily fabricated onto a semiconducting SnO2
      electrode via a two-step methodology: self-assembly into their composite
      aggregates by injection of a poor solvent into a good solvent with the
      dispersion, and subsequent electrophoretic deposition. Upon photoexcitation, the
      composites on SnO2 exhibited enhanced transient conductivity in comparison with
      single components of TMDs or C60 , which demonstrates that the bulk
      heterojunction nanostructure of TMD and C60 promoted the charge separation (CS).
      In addition, the decoration of the TMD nanosheets with C60 hindered the
      undesirable charge recombination (CR) between an electron in SnO2 and a hole in
      the TMD nanosheets. Owing to the accelerated CS and suppressed CR,
      photoelectrochemical devices based on the MoS2 -C60 and WS2 -C60 composites
      achieved remarkably improved incident photon-to-current efficiencies (IPCEs) as
      compared with the single-component films. Despite more suppressed CR in WS2 -C60
      than MoS2 -C60 , the IPCE value of the device with WS2 -C60 was smaller than that
      with MoS2 -C60 owing to its inhomogeneous film structure.

PMID- 28901580
TI  - Feeding live invertebrate prey in zoos and aquaria: Are there welfare concerns?
AB  - Invertebrates constitute more than 90% of all species on earth, however, as a
      rule, humans do not regard invertebrates as creatures that can suffer and they
      are generally seen as creatures that should be eliminated. As a result, the
      importance of their welfare may be grossly unappreciated. For instance, the
      feeding of live food is often viewed as a good method of enrichment and
      invertebrates are commonly used as live prey in many zoological facilities. As a
      result, zoos may send mixed messages to their patrons in that welfare is
      considered only for the invertebrates that are part of their zoological
      collection and not necessarily for the invertebrates used as feed. Research
      indicates that many invertebrates possess nociceptors, opioid receptors, and
      demonstrate behavioral responses indicative of pain sensation. In addition, in
      some taxa, there may be evidence of higher cognitive functions such as emotions
      and learning, although studies in this area of research are preliminary and
      sparse. Therefore, the possibility for suffering exists in many invertebrate
      species and as such, zoological facilities have an ethical responsibility to take
      their welfare into consideration. This paper discusses the current research
      regarding invertebrates' capacity for suffering and discusses methods facilities
      can use to improve the welfare of their invertebrate live prey.

PMID- 28901581
TI  - Hybrid Copper-Nanowire-Reduced-Graphene-Oxide Coatings: A "Green Solution" Toward
      Highly Transparent, Highly Conductive, and Flexible Electrodes for
      (Opto)Electronics.
AB  - This study reports a novel green chemistry approach to assemble copper
      nanowires/reduced-graphene-oxide hybrid coatings onto inorganic and organic
      supports. Such films are robust and combine sheet resistances (<30 Omega sq-1 )
      and transparencies in the visible region (transmittance > 70%) that are rivalling
      those of indium-tin oxide. These electrodes are suitable for flexible electronic
      applications as they show a sheet resistance change of <4% after 10 000 bending
      cycles at a bending radius of 1.0 cm, when supported on polyethylene
      terephthalate foils. Significantly, the wet-chemistry method involves the
      preparation of dispersions in environmentally friendly solvents and avoids the
      use of harmful reagents. Such inks are processed at room temperature on a wide
      variety of surfaces by spray coating. As a proof-of-concept, this study
      demonstrates the successful use of such coatings as electrodes in high
      performance electrochromic devices. The robustness of the electrodes is
      demonstrated by performing several tens of thousands of cycles of device
      operation. These unique conducting coatings hold potential for being exploited as
      transparent electrodes in numerous optoelectronic applications such as solar
      cells, light-emitting diodes, and displays.

PMID- 28901582
TI  - Prospective evaluation on the effect of interobserver variability of digital
      rectal examination on the performance of the Rotterdam Prostate Cancer Risk
      Calculator.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the level of agreement between digital rectal examination
      findings of two urologists and its effect on risk prediction using the digital
      rectal examination-based Rotterdam Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator. METHODS: The
      study sample consisted of a prospective cohort of asymptomatic unscreened men
      with prostate-specific antigen <=50.0 ng/mL and transrectal ultrasound volume
      <=110 mL who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. Both
      urologists' digital rectal examination findings were graded normal or abnormal
      (nodularity and/or induration), and volume classified as 25, 40 or 60 mL,
      according to the risk calculator algorithm. Interrater agreement analysis using
      Cohen's kappa (kappa) statistic was carried out to determine consistency of
      digital rectal examination outcome and volume assessment. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve analysis and calibration plots were constructed to determine
      the effect of interrater differences. Decision curve analysis was applied to
      evaluate the clinical usefulness of the model. RESULTS: Of the 241 men included
      in the study, 41% (n = 98) had prostate cancer (81 were clinically significant,
      i.e. Gleason >=3 + 4). There was substantial agreement in the digital rectal
      examination (abnormal/normal; kappa = 0.78; P < 0.001) and volume estimation
      (kappa = 0.79; P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed good
      discrimination (0.75-0.78) and were comparable for both urologists. In the high
      risk cohort, at a probability threshold of 25%, the risk calculator reduced the
      prostate biopsy rate by 9%, without missing cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Slight
      differences in digital rectal examination findings seem to have very limited
      impact on the performance of the Rotterdam Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator.
      Therefore, this can be considered a useful prostate biopsy outcome prediction
      tool.

PMID- 28901583
TI  - Improved protein contact predictions with the MetaPSICOV2 server in CASP12.
AB  - In this paper, we present the results for the MetaPSICOV2 contact prediction
      server in the CASP12 community experiment (http://predictioncenter.org). Over the
      35 assessed Free Modelling target domains the MetaPSICOV2 server achieved a mean
      precision of 43.27%, a substantial increase relative to the server's performance
      in the CASP11 experiment. In the following paper, we discuss improvements to the
      MetaPSICOV2 server, covering both changes to the neural network and attempts to
      integrate contact predictions on a domain basis into the prediction pipeline. We
      also discuss some limitations in the CASP12 assessment which may have
      overestimated the performance of our method.

PMID- 28901585
TI  - Nutritional support in paediatric Crohn's disease: outcome at 12 months.
AB  - AIM: Paediatric Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with growth delay and poor
      nutritional status. Maintenance enteral nutrition (MEN) supplementation is a
      potential adjunct to improve growth/prolong remission. METHODS: Newly diagnosed
      CD patients were identified. Anthropometry, treatments and outcomes were
      collected for 12 months following diagnosis. Data are presented as medians.
      RESULTS: A total of 102 patients were identified (age = 13 years, 76% male), 58
      (57%) completed exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) as induction therapy, and 77
      (75%) entered clinical remission. Following induction, 58 (57%) of all patients
      continued MEN and 44 (43%) consumed normal diet (ND). BMI Z-score increased
      (diagnosis-12 months) for EEN (-1.41 to -0.21 (p = <0.0001)) and steroid groups (
      0.97 to -0.11 (p = 0.001)). BMI Z-score increased (post induction - 12 months)
      for MEN (-0.62 to -0.44 (p = 0.04)) but not ND (-0.33 to -0.4 (p = 0.79)). Height
      Z-score did not increase for any treatment group over 12 months. MEN and ND group
      relapse rates were similar at six months, MEN = 21/58 (36%); ND = 21/44 (48%) (p
      = 0.24) and 12 months, MEN = 24/58 (41%); ND = 13/44 (30%) (p = 0.22). Fewer
      patients treated with EEN then MEN relapsed less than six months, 14 of 43 (33%),
      compared to patients treated with steroids then ND 16/29 (55%) (p = 0.09).
      CONCLUSION: BMI Z-score increased but height Z-score remained unchanged over 12
      months for the MEN group. Use of MEN was not associated with prolonged time to
      relapse. Prospective studies are required to examine the utility of MEN.

PMID- 28901586
TI  - Long-term effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy on electrical remodeling
      in heart failure-A prospective study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on
      arrhythmogenicity and sudden death have not been fully ascertained. CRT has been
      shown to increase transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR) immediately on
      implantation, which may favorably remodel on long-term follow-up. However, such a
      hypothesis has not been prospectively evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included
      35 consecutive patients who underwent CRT implantation between September 2013 and
      August 2014 (mean age 56.8 +/- 11.09 years; 71.43% males). QT and Tpeak-Tend (Tp
      e) intervals were measured during endocardial (RVendoP), epicardial (LVepiP), and
      biventricular pacing (BiVP) at CRT implantation and 1-year follow-up. Compared to
      RVendoP (130.41 +/- 16.75 ms), Tp-e was significantly prolonged during BiVP
      (142.06 +/- 21.98 ms; P < 0.001) and LVepiP (183.45 +/- 27.87 ms; P < 0.001) at
      baseline. There was a significant decrease in Tp-e during BiVP on follow-up
      (117.93 +/- 15.03 ms; P < 0.001). High responders had significantly lower Tp-e at
      1 year compared to low responders (113.16 +/- 14.3 ms vs 129.59 +/- 9.75 ms, P  =
      0.004). Tp-e at 1 year had strong negative correlation with reduction in LV end
      systolic volumes (r  =  - 0.51; P  =  0.003). Seven patients with sustained
      ventricular arrhythmias during follow-up had significantly longer baseline Tp-e
      compared to those without arrhythmias (158.19 +/- 17.59 ms vs 139.72 +/- 20.94
      ms, P  =  0.043). A baseline Tp-e value of >= 148 ms had a specificity of 75% and
      sensitivity of 71% to predict ventricular arrhythmias. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline TDR
      is greater during BiVP and LV epiP compared with RVendoP in patients with heart
      failure. However, BiVP causes a significant reduction in TDR reflective of
      reverse electrical remodeling on long-term follow-up.

PMID- 28901584
TI  - The primary cilium as a signaling nexus for growth plate function and subsequent
      skeletal development.
AB  - The primary cilium is a solitary, antenna-like sensory organelle with many
      important roles in cartilage and bone development, maintenance, and function. The
      primary cilium's potential role as a signaling nexus in the growth plate makes it
      an attractive therapeutic target for diseases and disorders associated with bone
      development and maintenance. Many signaling pathways that are mediated by the
      cilium-such as Hh, Wnt, Ihh/PTHrP, TGFbeta, BMP, FGF, and Notch-are also known to
      influence endochondral ossification, primarily by directing growth plate
      formation and chondrocyte behavior. Although a few studies have demonstrated that
      these signaling pathways can be directly tied to the primary cilium, many
      pathways have yet to be evaluated in context of the cilium. This review serves to
      bridge this knowledge gap in the literature, as well as discuss the cilium's
      importance in the growth plate's ability to sense and respond to chemical and
      mechanical stimuli. Furthermore, we explore the importance of using the
      appropriate mechanism to study the cilium in vivo and suggest IFT88 deletion is
      the best available technique. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:533-545, 2018.

PMID- 28901587
TI  - Serum estradiol and progesterone profiles during estrus, pseudopregnancy, and
      active gestation in Steller sea lions.
AB  - While the proximate driver behind the decline of the Western stock of Steller sea
      lions (Eumetopias jubatus, >80% since 1970s) is likely multifactorial, the
      population reduction may have been powered by a decrease in fecundity. A harvest
      of Steller sea lions in the 1970s and 80s revealed a 30% reduction in the
      proportion of pregnant females from early (October-November) to late gestation
      (April-May). Identification and quantification of these reproductive failures are
      difficult when we lack species-specific data on endocrinology associated with
      discrete stages of the reproductive cycle (i.e., estrus, implantation, and
      gestation). We tracked changes in serum estradiol and progesterone in three adult
      female Steller sea lions from 2011 to 2015. In all years and most females, a
      discrete increase in estradiol was observed during the breeding season (June
      August), indicative of estrus. Estradiol concentrations from October to May in a
      pregnant female compared to her corresponding values when non-pregnant did not
      consistently differ through gestation. An elevation in progesterone was observed
      in all females and all years beginning approximately in June and lasting through
      November. This likely results from progesterone production by the corpus luteum
      in both pregnant and pseudopregnant females. Serum progesterone shows promise as
      a diagnostic tool to identify pregnancy during months 3-5 (December-February) of
      the 8-month active gestation following embryonic implantation. This study
      provides ranges of key hormones during estrus, embryonic
      diapause/pseudopregnancy, and gestation in pregnant and non-pregnant females for
      studying reproduction in Steller sea lions.

PMID- 28901588
TI  - Graphene in the Design and Engineering of Next-Generation Neural Interfaces.
AB  - Neural interfaces are becoming a powerful toolkit for clinical interventions
      requiring stimulation and/or recording of the electrical activity of the nervous
      system. Active implantable devices offer a promising approach for the treatment
      of various diseases affecting the central or peripheral nervous systems by
      electrically stimulating different neuronal structures. All currently used neural
      interface devices are designed to perform a single function: either record
      activity or electrically stimulate tissue. Because of their electrical and
      electrochemical performance and their suitability for integration into flexible
      devices, graphene-based materials constitute a versatile platform that could help
      address many of the current challenges in neural interface design. Here, how
      graphene and other 2D materials possess an array of properties that can enable
      enhanced functional capabilities for neural interfaces is illustrated. It is
      emphasized that the technological challenges are similar for all alternative
      types of materials used in the engineering of neural interface devices, each
      offering a unique set of advantages and limitations. Graphene and 2D materials
      can indeed play a commanding role in the efforts toward wider clinical adoption
      of bioelectronics and electroceuticals.

PMID- 28901589
TI  - The SubCons webserver: A user friendly web interface for state-of-the-art
      subcellular localization prediction.
AB  - SubCons is a recently developed method that predicts the subcellular localization
      of a protein. It combines predictions from four predictors using a Random Forest
      classifier. Here, we present the user-friendly web-interface implementation of
      SubCons. Starting from a protein sequence, the server rapidly predicts the
      subcellular localizations of an individual protein. In addition, the server
      accepts the submission of sets of proteins either by uploading the files or
      programmatically by using command line WSDL API scripts. This makes SubCons ideal
      for proteome wide analyses allowing the user to scan a whole proteome in few
      days. From the web page, it is also possible to download precalculated
      predictions for several eukaryotic organisms. To evaluate the performance of
      SubCons we present a benchmark of LocTree3 and SubCons using two recent mass
      spectrometry based datasets of mouse and drosophila proteins. The server is
      available at http://subcons.bioinfo.se/.

PMID- 28901590
TI  - The wear and tear on health: What is the role of occupation?
AB  - Health is well known to show a clear gradient by occupation. Although it may
      appear evident that occupation can affect health, there are multiple possible
      sources of selection that can generate a strong association, other than simply a
      causal effect of occupation on health. We link job characteristics to German
      panel data spanning 29 years to characterize occupations by their physical and
      psychosocial burden. Employing a dynamic model to control for factors that
      simultaneously affect health and selection into occupation, we find that
      selection into occupation accounts for at least 60% of the association. The
      effects of occupational characteristics such as physical strain and low job
      control are negative and increase with age: late-career exposure to 1 year of
      high physical strain and low job control is comparable to the average health
      decline from ageing 16 and 6 months, respectively.

PMID- 28901591
TI  - Evaluation of the correlation between Scoring Feline Allergic Dermatitis and
      Feline Extent and Severity Index and skin hydration in atopic cats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the severity of clinical signs of cats with allergic
      skin diseases has used two scoring systems: Scoring Feline Allergic Dermatitis
      (SCORFAD) and the Feline Extent and Severity Index (FeDESI). The integrity of the
      cutaneous barrier can also be evaluated by measuring skin hydration. A
      correlation between the clinical score and skin hydration has been observed in
      humans and dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD). HYPOTHESIS: To demonstrate a
      correlation between the clinical score and skin hydration of cats affected with
      presumed AD. ANIMALS: European short hair cats (n = 18): 11 females and seven
      males with a confirmed diagnosis of AD. METHODS: SCORFAD and FeDESI scores were
      calculated and the measurements of skin hydration were assessed from seven body
      sites using corneometry. The correlation between the SCORFAD and FeDESI systems
      and skin hydration of each site, and the average skin hydration was calculated.
      RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between the SCORFAD score and skin
      hydration for the axilla, thorax and forelimb; for FeDESI and axilla and lumbar
      sites. There was a negative correlation between the FeDESI and skin hydration for
      the pinna (r = -0.47). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Measurements of skin
      hydration could be a useful tool for the evaluation of allergic cats. There is
      limited evidence of any useful correlation between clinical scoring systems and
      measurements of hydration. The pinna may be a suitable region for the assessment
      of skin barrier function in normal and allergic cats.

PMID- 28901592
TI  - Child stunting is associated with weaker human capital among native Amazonians.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We assessed associations between child stunting, recovery, and
      faltering with schooling and human capital skills in a native Amazonian society
      of horticulturalists-foragers (Tsimane'). METHODS: We used cross-sectional data
      (2008) from 1262 children aged 6 to 16 years in 53 villages to assess
      contemporaneous associations between three height categories: stunted (height-for
      age Z score, HAZ<-2), moderately stunted (-2 <= HAZ<=-1), and nonstunted (HAZ>
      1), and three categories of human capital: completed grades of schooling, test
      based academic skills (math, reading, writing), and local plant knowledge. We
      used annual longitudinal data (2002-2010) from all children (n = 853) in 13
      villages to estimate the association between changes in height categories between
      the first and last years of measure and schooling and academic skills. RESULTS:
      Stunting was associated with 0.4 fewer completed grades of schooling (~24% less)
      and with 13-15% lower probability of showing any writing or math skills. Moderate
      stunting was associated with ~20% lower scores in local plant knowledge and 9%
      lower probability of showing writing skills, but was not associated with
      schooling or math and writing skills. Compared with nonstunted children, children
      who became stunted had 18-21% and 15-21% lower probabilities of showing math and
      writing skills, and stunted children had 0.4 fewer completed grades of schooling.
      Stunted children who recovered showed human capital outcomes that were
      indistinguishable from nonstunted children. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm
      adverse associations between child stunting and human capital skills. Predictors
      of growth recovery and faltering can affect human capital outcomes, even in a
      remote, economically self-sufficient society.

PMID- 28901594
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy by
      diffusion tensor imaging: Initial results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) yields several parameters that have
      not been tested in response evaluation to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).
      PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare in reference to histopathology findings the
      ability of DTI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI to monitor response to
      NAC. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: Twenty patients treated with
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 1.5T MRI axial, bilateral T2 
      weighted, DTI, and DCE-MRI. ASSESSMENT: A standardized blinded image analysis at
      pixel resolution generated color-coded maps of DTI and DCE parameters STATISTICAL
      TESTS: Pearson's correlation analysis and Bland-Altman plots of the DTI and DCE
      size changes and of the pathological final residual tumor diameter and DCE or DTI
      final diameter, from pre- to post-NAC. Spearman coefficient of rank correlation
      between the DTI and DCE size changes from pre- to post-NAC and Miller and Payne
      (M&P) pathological response grading. Receiver operating characteristic curve
      analyses to differentiate between responders to nonresponders on the basis of the
      DTI and DCE percent size changes and the changes in DTI parameters. RESULTS: DTI
      and DCE changes in the cancers' diameter and volume from pre- to post-NAC
      exhibited high and significant Pearson correlation (r = 0.82 P = 1.2 * 10-5 ).
      The DTI volume changes exhibited a significant Spearman coefficient rank
      correlation (0.68, P = 0.001) with the pathological M&P grading and
      differentiated between responders and nonresponders with area-under-the-curve
      (AUC) of 0.83 +/- 0.10. A similar AUC for differentiating responders from
      nonresponders was exhibited by the changes in the highest diffusion coefficient
      (0.84 +/- 0.11) and the mean diffusivity (0.83 +/- 0.11). The DTI residual-tumor
      diameter showed a high and significant Pearson correlation (r = 0.87 P = 1.2 * 10
      6 ) to pathology tumor diameter. DATA CONCLUSION: DTI monitors changes in cancer
      size and diffusion tensor parameters in response to NAC with an accuracy
      equivalent to that of DCE, enabling differentiation of responders from
      nonresponders and assessment of residual tumor size in high congruence with
      pathology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 4 J. Magn. Reson.
      Imaging 2018;47:1080-1090.

PMID- 28901593
TI  - Interactive comparison and remediation of collections of macromolecular
      structures.
AB  - Often similar structures need to be compared to reveal local differences
      throughout the entire model or between related copies within the model.
      Therefore, a program to compare multiple structures and enable correction any
      differences not supported by the density map was written within the Phenix
      framework (Adams et al., Acta Cryst 2010; D66:213-221). This program, called
      Structure Comparison, can also be used for structures with multiple copies of the
      same protein chain in the asymmetric unit, that is, as a result of non
      crystallographic symmetry (NCS). Structure Comparison was designed to interface
      with Coot(Emsley et al., Acta Cryst 2010; D66:486-501) and PyMOL(DeLano, PyMOL
      0.99; 2002) to facilitate comparison of large numbers of related structures.
      Structure Comparison analyzes collections of protein structures using several
      metrics, such as the rotamer conformation of equivalent residues, displays the
      results in tabular form and allows superimposed protein chains and density maps
      to be quickly inspected and edited (via the tools in Coot) for consistency,
      completeness and correctness.

PMID- 28901595
TI  - Movement disorders in genetically confirmed mitochondrial disease and the
      putative role of the cerebellum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial disease can present as a movement disorder. Data on
      this entity's epidemiology, genetics, and underlying pathophysiology, however, is
      scarce. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the clinical,
      genetic, and volumetric imaging data from patients with mitochondrial disease who
      presented with movement disorders. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of all
      genetically confirmed mitochondrial disease cases from three centers (n = 50),
      the prevalence and clinical presentation of video-documented movement disorders
      was assessed. Voxel-based morphometry from high-resolution MRI was employed to
      compare cerebral and cerebellar gray matter volume between mitochondrial disease
      patients with and without movement disorders and healthy controls. RESULTS: Of
      the 50 (30%) patients with genetically confirmed mitochondrial disease, 15
      presented with hypokinesia (parkinsonism 3/15), hyperkinesia (dystonia 5/15,
      myoclonus 3/15, chorea 2/15), and ataxia (3/15). In 3 patients, mitochondrial
      disease presented as adult-onset isolated dystonia. In comparison to healthy
      controls and mitochondrial disease patients without movement disorders, patients
      with hypo- and hyperkinetic movement disorders had significantly more cerebellar
      atrophy and an atrophy pattern predominantly involving cerebellar lobules VI and
      VII. CONCLUSION: This series provides clinical, genetic, volumetric imaging, and
      histologic data that indicate major involvement of the cerebellum in
      mitochondrial disease when it presents with hyper- and hypokinetic movement
      disorders. As a working hypothesis addressing the particular vulnerability of the
      cerebellum to energy deficiency, this adds substantially to the
      pathophysiological understanding of movement disorders in mitochondrial disease.
      Furthermore, it provides evidence that mitochondrial disease can present as adult
      onset isolated dystonia. (c) 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder
      Society.

PMID- 28901596
TI  - Merging arts and bioethics: An interdisciplinary experiment in cultural and
      scientific mediation.
AB  - How to engage the public in a reflection on the most pressing ethical issues of
      our time? What if part of the solution lies in adopting an interdisciplinary and
      collaborative strategy to shed light on critical issues in bioethics? An example
      is Art + Bioethique, an innovative project that brought together bioethicists,
      art historians and artists with the aim of expressing bioethics through arts in
      order to convey the "sensitive" aspect of many health ethics issues. The aim of
      this project was threefold: 1) to identify and characterize mechanisms for the
      meeting of arts and bioethics; 2) to experiment with and co-construct a dialogue
      between arts and bioethics; and 3) to initiate a public discussion on bioethical
      issues through the blending of arts and bioethics. In connection with an
      exhibition held in March 2016 at the Espace Projet, a non-profit art space in
      Montreal (Canada), the project developed a platform that combined artworks,
      essays and cultural & scientific mediation activities related to the work of six
      duos of young bioethics researchers and emerging artists. Each duo worked on a
      variety of issues, such as the social inclusion of disabled people, the
      challenges of practical applications of nanomedicine and regenerative medicine,
      and a holistic approach to contemporary diseases. This project, which succeeded
      in stimulating an interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration between bioethics
      and arts, is an example of an innovative approach to knowledge transfer that can
      move bioethics reflection into the public space.

PMID- 28901597
TI  - The limits of the treatment-enhancement distinction as a guide to public policy.
AB  - Many believe that the treatment-enhancement distinction (TED) marks an important
      ethical boundary that we should use to shape public policy on biomedical
      interventions. A common justification for this purported normative force appeals
      to the idea that, whereas treatments respond to genuine medical needs, (most)
      enhancements can only satisfy mere preferences or "expensive tastes". This
      article offers a critique of that justification, while still accepting the TED as
      a conceptual tool, as well as some of the key ethical axioms endorsed by its
      proponents. I begin by laying out the TED, the practical implications that tend
      to be drawn from it, and the justification just sketched for these implications.
      Using examples drawn from preventive medicine, biomedical technology, and other
      categories of biomedical interventions, I then go on to challenge both the
      presupposition of a fundamental dichotomy between treatments and enhancements,
      and the assumption that enhancements - barring rare exceptions - cannot serve
      legitimate medical needs. Finally, I consider some ways in which supporters of
      the TED might try re-formulating the distinction to blunt the force of my
      critique. I conclude that such a move cannot fully succeed, and that while the
      TED does have some degree of normative force, it nevertheless cannot play the
      role that its advocates expect from it. Seeking to justify a general presumption
      against enhancements based on the rationale I critique here would mean ignoring
      their various potential benefits, including medical or therapeutic, and would
      reflect a prejudice - which I refer to as "treatment fetishism".

PMID- 28901598
TI  - Public health agencies' obligations and the case of Zika.
AB  - This article focuses on the initial reactions to the Zika epidemic by national
      and international public health agencies. It presents and analyzes some responses
      public officials made about sexual and reproductive health at the inception of
      the epidemic. It also describes the different challenges and obligations faced by
      local and international public health agencies, as these have not been clearly
      outlined. The article argues that these agencies have different obligations and
      should fulfill them despite existing obstacles. While international agencies
      should honor their leadership role and make recommendations at a meta-level,
      local agencies should provide, in the case of Zika, a framework for empowerment
      and grant women the freedom to achieve sexual and reproductive health so that
      they can avoid the consequences of this epidemic.

PMID- 28901599
TI  - Balancing bioethics by sensing the aesthetic.
AB  - This article is critical of "bioethics" as it is widely understood and taught,
      noting in particular an emphasis given to philosophical justification, reason and
      rationality. It is proposed that "balancing" bioethics be achieved by giving
      greater weight to practice and the aesthetic: Defined in terms of sensory
      perception, emotion and feeling. Each of those three elements is elaborated as a
      non-cognitive capacity and, when taken together, comprise aesthetic sensitivity
      and responsiveness. This is to recognise the aesthetic as a productive element in
      bioethics as practice. Contributions from the philosophy of art and aesthetics
      are drawn into the discussion to bring depth to an understanding of "the
      aesthetic". This approach is buttressed by philosophers - including Foucault and
      18th century German philosophers (in particular Kant) - who recognized a link
      between ethics and aesthetics. The article aims to give substance to a claim that
      bioethics necessarily comprises a cognitive component, relating to reason, and a
      non-cognitive component that draws on aesthetic sensibility and relates to
      practice. A number of advantages of bioethics, understood to explicitly
      acknowledge the aesthetic, are proffered. Having defined bioethics in
      conventional terms, there is discussion of the extent to which other approaches
      to bioethics (including casuistry, virtue ethics, and narrative ethics) recognize
      aesthetic sensitivity in their practice. It is apparent that they do so to
      varying extents although not always explicitly. By examining this aspect of
      applied ethics, the paper aims to draw attention to aesthetic sensitivity and
      responsiveness as integral to ethical and effective health care.

PMID- 28901600
TI  - Ethical issues raised by thyroid cancer overdiagnosis: A matter for public
      health?
AB  - Current practices of identifying and treating small indolent thyroid cancers
      constitute an important but in some ways unusual form of overdiagnosis.
      Overdiagnosis refers to diagnoses that generally harm rather than benefit
      patients, primarily because the diagnosed condition is not a harmful form of
      disease. Patients who are overdiagnosed with thyroid cancer are harmed by the
      psycho-social impact of a cancer diagnosis, as well as treatment interventions
      such partial or total thyroidectomy, lifelong thyroid replacement hormone,
      monitoring, surgical complications and other side effects. These harms seem to
      outweigh any putative benefit of knowing about a cancer that would not have
      caused problems if left undiscovered. In addition to harms to patients, thyroid
      cancer overdiagnosis leads to significant opportunity costs at a societal level,
      due to costs of diagnosis and treatment. Unlike many other overdiagnosed cancers,
      accurate risk stratification is possible with thyroid cancer. At the individual
      patient level, use of this risk information might support informed choice and/or
      shared decision-making, as mandated by clinical ethics frameworks. And this
      approach might, to some extent, help to reduce rates of diagnosis and
      intervention. In practice, however, it is unlikely to stem the rising incidence
      and associated harms and costs of overdiagnosed thyroid cancer, especially in
      situations where health professionals have conflicts of interest. We argue in
      this article that thyroid cancer overdiagnosis may be usefully understood as a
      public health problem, and that some public health approaches will be readily
      justifiable and are more likely to be effective in minimising its harms.

PMID- 28901601
TI  - Family interests and medical decisions for children.
AB  - Medical decisions for children are usually justified by the claim that they are
      in a child's best interests. More recently, following criticisms of the best
      interests standard, some advocate that the family's interests should influence
      medical decisions for children, although what is meant by family interests is
      often not made clear. I argue that at least two senses of family interests may be
      discerned. There is a 'weak' sense (as the amalgamated interests of family
      members) of family interests and a 'strong' sense (that the family itself has
      interests over and above the interests of individuals). I contend that there are
      problems with both approaches in making medical decisions for children but that
      the weak sense is more plausible. Despite this, I argue that claims for family
      interests are not helpful in making medical decisions for children.

PMID- 28901602
TI  - IAB Presidential address: "Searching for Justice".

PMID- 28901603
TI  - Fertility, immigration, and the fight against climate change.
AB  - Several philosophers have recently argued that policies aimed at reducing human
      fertility are a practical and morally justifiable way to mitigate the risk of
      dangerous climate change. There is a powerful objection to such "population
      engineering" proposals: even if drastic fertility reductions are needed to
      prevent dangerous climate change, implementing those reductions would wreak havoc
      on the global economy, which would seriously undermine international antipoverty
      efforts. In this article, we articulate this economic objection to population
      engineering and show how it fails. We argue, first, that the economic objection
      paints an inaccurate picture of the complicated relationship between demographic
      change and economic growth, and second, that any untoward economic effects of
      fertility reduction can be mitigated with additional policies. Specifically, we
      argue that supplementing fertility reduction with policies that facilitate the
      emigration of younger people from developing nations to developed nations could
      allow for both global reductions in GHG emissions and continued economic
      stability. Further, we show that moral arguments against such unprecedented
      increases in immigration are unsuccessful. We conclude that population
      engineering is a practical and morally justifiable tool for addressing the twin
      evils of climate change and global poverty.

PMID- 28901604
TI  - Are children rational decision makers when they are asked to value their own
      health? A contingent valuation study conducted with children and their parents.
AB  - Despite the importance of including children's preferences in the valuation of
      their own health benefits, no study has investigated the ability of children to
      understand willingness-to-pay (WTP) questions. Using a contingent valuation
      method, we elicit children's and parents' WTP to reduce children's risk of an
      asthma attack. Our results suggest that children are able to understand and value
      their own health risk reductions, and their ability to do so improves with age.
      Child age was found to be inversely related to parents' and children's WTP. The
      results also suggest that non-paternalistic altruism is predictive of children's
      WTP. For parents, care for their own health was found to be inversely related
      with their WTP for children's risk reductions. Comparison of parents' and
      children's WTP suggests that parents are willing to sacrifice for their child's
      health risk reduction an amount that is approximately twice that of their
      children. The analysis of matched pairs of parents and children suggest that
      there are within-household similarities as the child's WTP is positively related
      to parents' WTP.

PMID- 28901605
TI  - Enzalutamide-warfarin interaction necessitating warfarin dosage adjustment: A
      case report of successful clinical management.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVES: Enzalutamide package labeling recommends avoiding
      concurrent warfarin use due to potential reductions in warfarin concentrations
      via enzalutamide-associated hepatic enzyme induction. A case of successful
      management of this interaction via warfarin adjustments is reported. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: A 77-year-old Caucasian male, previously relatively stable on
      warfarin 42-45 mg weekly, reported to clinic after the recent start of
      enzalutamide and subsequent hospitalization with a subtherapeutic International
      Normalized Ratio (INR). A 50% increase in weekly warfarin dose resulted in a
      therapeutic INR. Enzalutamide was temporarily discontinued, and a 33% weekly
      warfarin dose decrease resulted in two therapeutic INRs. WHAT IS NEW AND
      CONCLUSION: This is the first case to highlight the clinical significance of this
      interaction, noting that patients taking enzalutamide may require approximately
      30%-50% adjustment in their warfarin dosage to maintain a therapeutic INR.

PMID- 28901606
TI  - James G. Kereiakes, Ph.D.

PMID- 28901607
TI  - Bias-variance tradeoff in anticorrelated noise reduction for spectral CT.
AB  - PURPOSE: In spectral CT, basis material decomposition is commonly used to
      generate a set of basis images showing the material composition at each point in
      the field of view. The noise in these images typically contains anticorrelations
      between the different basis images, which leads to increased noise in each basis
      image. These anticorrelations can be removed by changing the basis functions used
      in the material decomposition, but the resulting basis images can then no longer
      be used for quantitative measurements. Recent studies have demonstrated that
      reconstruction methods which take the anticorrelations into account give reduced
      noise in the reconstructed image. The purpose of this work is to analyze an
      analytically solvable denoising model problem and investigate its effect on the
      noise level and bias in the image as a function of spatial frequency. METHOD: A
      denoising problem with a quadratic regularization term is studied as a
      mathematically tractable model for such a reconstruction method. An analytic
      formula for the resulting image in the spatial frequency domain is presented, and
      this formula is applied to a simple mathematical phantom consisting of an
      iodinated contrast agent insert embedded in soft tissue. We study the effect of
      the denoising on the image in terms of its transfer function and the visual
      appearance, the noise power spectrum and the Fourier component correlation
      coefficient of the resulting image, and compare the result to a denoising problem
      which does not model the anticorrelations in the image. RESULTS: Including the
      anticorrelations in the noise model of the denoising method gives 3-40% lower
      noise standard deviation in the soft-tissue image while leaving the iodine
      standard deviation nearly unchanged (0-1% difference). It also gives a sharper
      edge-spread function. The studied denoising method preserves the noise level and
      the anticorrelated structure at low spatial frequencies but suppresses the noise
      and removes the anticorrelations at higher spatial frequencies. Cross-talk
      between images gives rise to artifacts at high spatial frequencies. CONCLUSIONS:
      Modeling anticorrelations in a denoising problem can decrease the noise level in
      the basis images by removing anticorrelations at high spatial frequencies while
      leaving low spatial frequencies unchanged. In this way, basis image cross-talk
      does not lead to low spatial frequency bias but it may cause artifacts at edges
      in the image. This theoretical insight will be useful for researchers analyzing
      and designing reconstruction algorithms for spectral CT.

PMID- 28901608
TI  - Optimization of the geometry and speed of a moving blocker system for cone-beam
      computed tomography scatter correction.
AB  - PURPOSE: X-ray scatter is a significant barrier to image quality improvements in
      cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). A moving blocker-based strategy was
      previously proposed to simultaneously estimate scatter and reconstruct the
      complete volume within the field of view (FOV) from a single CBCT scan. A blocker
      consisting of lead stripes is inserted between the X-ray source and the imaging
      object, and moves back and forth along the rotation axis during gantry rotation.
      While promising results were obtained in our previous studies, the geometric
      design and moving speed of the blocker were set empirically. The goal of this
      work is to optimize the geometry and speed of the moving block system. METHODS:
      Performance of the blocker was examined through Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and
      experimental studies with various geometry designs and moving speeds. All
      hypothetical designs employed an anthropomorphic pelvic phantom. The scatter
      estimation accuracy was quantified by using lead stripes ranging from 5 to 100
      pixels on the detector plane. An iterative reconstruction based on total
      variation minimization was used to reconstruct CBCT images from unblocked
      projection data after scatter correction. The reconstructed image was evaluated
      under various combinations of lead strip width and interspace (ranging from 10 to
      60 pixels) and different moving speed (ranging from 1 to 30 pixels per
      projection). RESULTS: MC simulation showed that the scatter estimation error
      varied from 0.8% to 5.8%. Phantom experiment showed that CT number error in the
      reconstructed CBCT images varied from 13 to 35. Highest reconstruction accuracy
      was achieved when the strip width was 20 pixels and interspace was 60 pixels and
      the moving speed was 15 pixels per projection. CONCLUSIONS: Scatter estimation
      can be achieved in a large range of lead strip width and interspace combinations.
      The moving speed does not have a very strong effect on reconstruction result if
      it is above 5 pixels per projection. Geometry design of the blocker affected
      image reconstruction accuracy more. The optimal geometry of the blocker has a
      strip width of 20 pixels and an interspace three times the strip width, which
      means 25% detector is covered by the blocker, while the optimal moving speed is
      15 pixels per projection.

PMID- 28901609
TI  - Adaptive non-local means on local principle neighborhood for noise/artifacts
      reduction in low-dose CT images.
AB  - PURPOSE: Low-dose CT (LDCT) technique can reduce the x-ray radiation exposure to
      patients at the cost of degraded images with severe noise and artifacts. Non
      local means (NLM) filtering has shown its potential in improving LDCT image
      quality. However, currently most NLM-based approaches employ a weighted average
      operation directly on all neighbor pixels with a fixed filtering parameter
      throughout the NLM filtering process, ignoring the non-stationary noise nature of
      LDCT images. In this paper, an adaptive NLM filtering scheme on local principle
      neighborhoods (PC-NLM) is proposed for structure-preserving noise/artifacts
      reduction in LDCT images. METHODS: Instead of using neighboring patches directly,
      in the PC-NLM scheme, the principle component analysis (PCA) is first applied on
      local neighboring patches of the target patch to decompose the local patches into
      uncorrelated principle components (PCs), then a NLM filtering is used to
      regularize each PC of the target patch and finally the regularized components is
      transformed to get the target patch in image domain. Especially, in the NLM
      scheme, the filtering parameter is estimated adaptively from local noise level of
      the neighborhood as well as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the corresponding
      PC, which guarantees a "weaker" NLM filtering on PCs with higher SNR and a
      "stronger" filtering on PCs with lower SNR. The PC-NLM procedure is iteratively
      performed several times for better removal of the noise and artifacts, and an
      adaptive iteration strategy is developed to reduce the computational load by
      determining whether a patch should be processed or not in next round of the PC
      NLM filtering. RESULTS: The effectiveness of the presented PC-NLM algorithm is
      validated by experimental phantom studies and clinical studies. The results show
      that it can achieve promising gain over some state-of-the-art methods in terms of
      artifact suppression and structure preservation. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of PCA
      on local neighborhoods to extract principal structural components, as well as
      adaptive NLM filtering on PCs of the target patch using filtering parameter
      estimated based on the local noise level and corresponding SNR, the proposed PC
      NLM method shows its efficacy in preserving fine anatomical structures and
      suppressing noise/artifacts in LDCT images.

PMID- 28901610
TI  - Low-dose dynamic myocardial perfusion CT imaging using a motion adaptive sparsity
      prior.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dynamic myocardial perfusion computed tomography (DM-PCT) imaging offers
      benefits over quantitative assessment of myocardial blood flow (MBF) for
      diagnosis and risk stratification of coronary artery disease. However, one major
      drawback of DM-PCT imaging is that a high radiation level is imparted by repeated
      scanning. To address this issue, in this work, we developed a statistical
      iterative reconstruction algorithm based on the penalized weighted least-squares
      (PWLS) scheme by incorporating a motion adaptive sparsity prior (MASP) model to
      achieve high-quality DM-PCT imaging with low tube current dynamic data
      acquisition. For simplicity, we refer to the proposed algorithm as "PWLS-MASP''.
      METHODS: The MASP models both the spatial and temporal structured sparsity of DM
      PCT sequence images with the assumption that the differences between adjacent
      frames after motion correction are sparse in the gradient image domain. To
      validate and evaluate the effectiveness of the present PWLS-MASP algorithm
      thoroughly, a modified XCAT phantom and preclinical porcine DM-PCT dataset were
      used in the study. RESULTS: The present PWLS-MASP algorithm can obtain high
      quality DM-PCT images in both phantom and porcine cases, and outperforms the
      existing filtered back-projection algorithm and PWLS-based algorithms with total
      variation regularization (PWLS-TV) and robust principal component analysis
      regularization (PWLS-RPCA) in terms of noise reduction, streak artifacts
      mitigation, and time density curve estimation. Moreover, the PWLS-MASP algorithm
      can yield more accurate diagnostic hemodynamic parametric maps than the PWLS-TV
      and PWLS-RPCA algorithms. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that there is a
      substantial advantage in using the present PWLS-MASP algorithm for low-dose DM
      PCT, and potentially in other dynamic tomography areas.

PMID- 28901611
TI  - Consistency-based respiratory motion estimation in rotational angiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rotational coronary angiography enables 3D reconstruction but suffers
      from intra-scan cardiac and respiratory motion. While gating handles cardiac
      motion, respiratory motion requires compensation. State-of-the-art algorithms
      rely on 3D-2D registration that depends on initial reconstructions of sufficient
      quality. We propose a compensation method that is applied directly in projection
      domain. It overcomes the need for reconstruction and thus complements the state
      of-the-art. METHODS: Virtual single-frame background subtraction based on vessel
      segmentation and spectral deconvolution yields non-truncated images of the
      contrasted lumen. This allows motion compensation based on data consistency
      conditions. We compensate craniocaudal shifts by optimizing epipolar consistency
      to (a) devise an image-based surrogate for cardiac motion and (b) compensate for
      respiratory motion. We validate our approach in two numerical phantom studies and
      three clinical cases. RESULTS: Correlation of the image-based surrogate for
      cardiac motion with the ECG-based ground truth was excellent yielding a Pearson
      correlation of 0.93 +/- 0.04. Considering motion compensation, the target error
      measure decreased by 98% and 69%, respectively, for the phantom experiments while
      for the clinical cases the same figure of merit improved by 46 +/- 21%.
      CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method is entirely image-based and accurately estimates
      craniocaudal shifts due to respiration and cardiac contraction. Future work will
      investigate experimental trajectories and possibilities for simplification of the
      single-frame subtraction pipeline.

PMID- 28901613
TI  - Advances and Trends in image formation in x-ray CT.

PMID- 28901612
TI  - Compression of CT sinogram data by decimation in the view direction.
AB  - PUPOSE: In clinical computed tomography (CT), the image data is acquired during
      continuous rotation. If the time during which the signal is integrated (the frame
      time) is too long, the data is blurred in the view direction (i.e., azimuthal
      blur). This can be overcome by having a high angular sampling rate, but for
      systems with limited bandwidth, the increased amount of data can be a problem. In
      this paper, we evaluate the benefit of maintaining a high angular sampling rate
      on the CT gantry and performing a decimation (digital low-pass filtration
      followed by a downsampling) in the view direction before the bottleneck of the
      data transfer chain. METHODS: A theoretical evaluation of the effects of the
      decimation is presented and the implementation of the digital filter is
      discussed. The compression scheme is evaluated on image data of a CATPHAN(r) 504
      phantom and a human skull phantom. RESULTS: It is shown that digital decimation
      can be used to compress data before read-out with more remaining data fidelity
      compared to having longer frame times. Specifically, the method is shown to
      preserve the detail in the reconstruction of the CATPHAN resolution patterns and
      the human skull phantom. It is also demonstrated that the method can be used to
      prevent aliasing artifacts. CONCLUSIONS: Decimation in the view direction is
      presented as an alternative to increasing the frame time for CT systems with
      limited bandwidth of the data read-out. The method can be used to either remove
      aliasing artifacts or preserve spatial resolution. The proposed compression
      scheme can be implemented on the CT gantry and thus reduce the bandwidth
      requirements on the data transfer.

PMID- 28901614
TI  - Investigating simulation-based metrics for characterizing linear iterative
      reconstruction in digital breast tomosynthesis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Simulation-based image quality metrics are adapted and investigated for
      characterizing the parameter dependences of linear iterative image reconstruction
      for DBT. METHODS: Three metrics based on a 2D DBT simulation are investigated:
      (1) a root-mean-square-error (RMSE) between the test phantom and reconstructed
      image, (2) a gradient RMSE where the comparison is made after taking a spatial
      gradient of both image and phantom, and (3) a region-of-interest (ROI) Hotelling
      observer (HO) for signal-known-exactly/background-known-exactly (SKE/BKE) and
      signal-known-exactly/background-known-statistically (SKE/BKS) detection tasks.
      Two simulation studies are performed using the aforementioned metrics, varying
      voxel aspect ratio, and regularization strength for two types of Tikhonov
      regularized least-squares optimization. The RMSE metrics are applied to a 2D test
      phantom with resolution bar patterns at varying angles, and the ROI-HO metric is
      applied to two tasks relevant to DBT: lesion detection, modeled by use of a
      large, low-contrast signal, and microcalcification detection, modeled by use of a
      small, high-contrast signal. The RMSE metric trends are compared with visual
      assessment of the reconstructed bar-pattern phantom. The ROI-HO metric trends are
      compared with 3D reconstructed images from ACR phantom data acquired with a
      Hologic Selenia Dimensions DBT system. RESULTS: Sensitivity of the image RMSE to
      mean pixel value is found to limit its applicability to the assessment of DBT
      image reconstruction. The image gradient RMSE is insensitive to mean pixel value
      and appears to track better with subjective visualization of the reconstructed
      bar-pattern phantom. The ROI-HO metric shows an increasing trend with
      regularization strength for both forms of Tikhonov-regularized least-squares;
      however, this metric saturates at intermediate regularization strength indicating
      a point of diminishing returns for signal detection. Visualization with the
      reconstructed ACR phantom images appear to show a similar dependence with
      regularization strength. CONCLUSIONS: From the limited studies presented it
      appears that image gradient RMSE trends correspond with visual assessment better
      than image RMSE for DBT image reconstruction. The ROI-HO metric for both
      detection tasks also appears to reflect visual trends in the ACR phantom
      reconstructions as a function of regularization strength. We point out, however,
      that the true utility of these metrics can only be assessed after amassing more
      data.

PMID- 28901615
TI  - Model-based dose reconstruction for CT dose estimation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Our goal is to develop a model-based approach for CT dose estimation. We
      previously presented a CT dose estimation method that offered good accuracy in
      soft tissue regions but lower accuracy in bone regions. In this work, we propose
      an improved physic-based approach to achieve high accuracy for any materials and
      realistic clinical anatomies. METHODS: Like Monte Carlo techniques, we start from
      a model or image of the patient and we model all relevant x-ray interaction
      processes. Unlike Monte Carlo techniques, we do not track each individual photon,
      but we compute the average behavior of the x-ray interactions, combining pencil
      beam calculations for the first-order interactions and kernels for the higher
      order interactions. The new algorithm more accurately models the variation of
      materials in the human body, especially for higher attenuation materials such as
      bone, as well as the various x-ray attenuation processes. We performed validation
      experiments with analytic phantoms and a polychromatic x-ray spectrum, comparing
      to Monte Carlo simulation (GEANT4) as the ground truth. RESULTS: The results show
      that the proposed method has improved accuracy in both soft tissue region and
      bone region: less than 6% voxel-wise errors and less than 3.2% ROI-based errors
      in an anthropomorphic phantom. The computational cost is on the order of a low
      resolution filtered backprojection reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: We introduced
      improved physics-based models in a fast CT dose reconstruction approach. The
      improved approach demonstrated quantitatively good correspondence to a Monte
      Carlo gold standard in both soft tissue and bone regions in a chest phantom with
      a realistic polychromatic spectrum and could potentially be used for real-time
      applications such as patient- and organ-specific scan planning and organ dose
      reporting.

PMID- 28901616
TI  - Regularization of nonlinear decomposition of spectral x-ray projection images.
AB  - PURPOSE: Exploiting the x-ray measurements obtained in different energy bins,
      spectral computed tomography (CT) has the ability to recover the 3-D description
      of a patient in a material basis. This may be achieved solving two subproblems,
      namely the material decomposition and the tomographic reconstruction problems. In
      this work, we address the material decomposition of spectral x-ray projection
      images, which is a nonlinear ill-posed problem. METHODS: Our main contribution is
      to introduce a material-dependent spatial regularization in the projection
      domain. The decomposition problem is solved iteratively using a Gauss-Newton
      algorithm that can benefit from fast linear solvers. A Matlab implementation is
      available online. The proposed regularized weighted least squares Gauss-Newton
      algorithm (RWLS-GN) is validated on numerical simulations of a thorax phantom
      made of up to five materials (soft tissue, bone, lung, adipose tissue, and
      gadolinium), which is scanned with a 120 kV source and imaged by a 4-bin photon
      counting detector. To evaluate the method performance of our algorithm, different
      scenarios are created by varying the number of incident photons, the
      concentration of the marker and the configuration of the phantom. The RWLS-GN
      method is compared to the reference maximum likelihood Nelder-Mead algorithm (ML
      NM). The convergence of the proposed method and its dependence on the
      regularization parameter are also studied. RESULTS: We show that material
      decomposition is feasible with the proposed method and that it converges in few
      iterations. Material decomposition with ML-NM was very sensitive to noise,
      leading to decomposed images highly affected by noise, and artifacts even for the
      best case scenario. The proposed method was less sensitive to noise and improved
      contrast-to-noise ratio of the gadolinium image. Results were superior to those
      provided by ML-NM in terms of image quality and decomposition was 70 times
      faster. For the assessed experiments, material decomposition was possible with
      the proposed method when the number of incident photons was equal or larger than
      105 and when the marker concentration was equal or larger than 0.03 g.cm-3 .
      CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method efficiently solves the nonlinear decomposition
      problem for spectral CT, which opens up new possibilities such as material
      specific regularization in the projection domain and a parallelization framework,
      in which projections are solved in parallel.

PMID- 28901617
TI  - Dual-rotation C-arm cone-beam computed tomography to increase low-contrast
      detection.
AB  - PURPOSE: This paper investigates the capabilities of a dual-rotation C-arm cone
      beam computed tomography (CBCT) framework to improve non-contrast-enhanced low
      contrast detection for full volume or volume-of-interest (VOI) brain imaging.
      METHOD: The idea is to associate two C-arm short-scan rotational acquisitions
      (spins): one over the full detector field of view (FOV) at low dose, and one
      collimated to deliver a higher dose to the central densest parts of the head. The
      angular sampling performed by each spin is allowed to vary in terms of number of
      views and angular positions. Collimated data is truncated and does not contain
      measurement of the incoming X-ray intensities in air (air calibration). When
      targeting full volume reconstruction, the method is intended to act as a virtual
      bow-tie. When targeting VOI imaging, the method is intended to provide the
      minimum full detector FOV data that sufficiently corrects for truncation
      artifacts. A single dedicated iterative algorithm is described that handles all
      proposed sampling configurations despite truncation and absence of air
      calibration. RESULTS: Full volume reconstruction of dual-rotation simulations and
      phantom acquisitions are shown to have increased low-contrast detection for less
      dose, with respect to a single-rotation acquisition. High CNR values were
      obtained on 1% inserts of the Catphan(r) 515 module in 0.94 mm thick slices.
      Image quality for VOI imaging was preserved from truncation artifacts even with
      less than 10 non-truncated views, without using the sparsity a priori common to
      such context. CONCLUSION: A flexible dual-rotation acquisition and reconstruction
      framework is proposed that has the potential to improve low-contrast detection in
      clinical C-arm brain soft-tissue imaging.

PMID- 28901618
TI  - Technical Note: A model-based sinogram correction for beam hardening artifact
      reduction in CT.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to propose a physics-based method of reducing beam
      hardening artifacts induced by high-attenuation materials such as metal stents or
      other metallic implants. METHODS: The proposed approach consists of deriving a
      sinogram inconsistency formula representing the energy dependence of the
      attenuation coefficient of high-attenuation materials. This inconsistency formula
      more accurately represents the inconsistencies of the sinogram than that of a
      previously reported formula (called the MAC-BC method). This is achieved by
      considering the properties of the high-attenuation materials, which include the
      materials' shapes and locations and their effects on the incident X-ray spectrum,
      including their attenuation coefficients. RESULTS: Numerical simulation and
      phantom experiment demonstrate that the modeling error of MAC-BC method are
      nearly completely removed by means of the proposed method. CONCLUSION: The
      proposed method reduces beam-hardening artifacts arising from high-attenuation
      materials by relaxing the assumptions of the MAC-BC method. In doing so, it
      outperforms the original MAC-BC method. Further research is required to address
      other potential sources of metal artifacts, such as photon starvation,
      scattering, and noise.

PMID- 28901619
TI  - Nonuniqueness in dual-energy CT.
AB  - PURPOSE: The goal is to determine whether dual-energy computed tomography (CT)
      leads to a unique reconstruction using two basis materials. METHODS: The beam
      hardening equation is simplified to the single-voxel case. The simplified
      equation is rewritten to show that the solution can be considered to be linear
      operations in a vector space followed by a measurement model which is the sum of
      the exponential of the coordinates. The case of finding the concentrations of two
      materials from measurements of two spectra with three photon energies is the
      simplest non-trivial case and is considered in detail. RESULTS: Using a material
      basis of water and bone, with photon energies of 30 keV, 60 keV, and 100 keV, a
      case with two solutions is demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: Dual-energy reconstruction
      using two materials is not unique as shown by an example. Algorithms for dual
      energy, dual-material reconstructions need to be aware of this potential
      ambiguity in the solution.

PMID- 28901620
TI  - Assessment of the spectral performance of hybrid photon counting x-ray detectors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hybrid Photon Counting (HPC) detectors profoundly improved x-ray
      diffraction experiments at third generation synchrotron facilities. Enabling the
      simultaneous measurement of x-ray intensities in multiple energy bins, they also
      have many potential applications in the field of medical imaging. A prerequisite
      for this is a clean spectral response. To quantify how efficiently HPC detectors
      are able to assign photons to the correct energy bin, a quantity called Spectral
      Efficiency (SE) is introduced. This figure of merit measures the number of x-rays
      with correctly assigned energy normalized to the number of incoming photons.
      METHODS: A prototype HPC detector has been used to perform precision measurements
      of x-ray spectra at the BESSY synchrotron. The detector consists of a novel ASIC
      with pixels of 75 * 75 MUm2 size and a 750 MUm thick CdTe sensor. The
      experimental data are complemented by the results of a Monte-Carlo (MC)
      simulation, which not only includes the physical detection process but also pulse
      pile-up at high photon fluxes. The spectra and the measured photon flux are used
      to infer the Spectral Efficiency. RESULTS: In the energy range from 10 to 60 keV,
      both the Quantum Efficiency and the Spectral Efficiency were precisely measured
      and simulated. Good agreement between simulation and experiment has been
      achieved. For the small pixels of the prototype detector, a SE between 15% and
      77% has been determined. The MC simulation is used to predict the SE for various
      pixel sizes at different photon fluxes. For a typical flux of 5?107  photons/mm2
      /s used in human Computed Tomography (CT), the highest SE is achieved for pixel
      sizes in the range between 150 * 150 MUm2 and 300 * 300 MUm2 . CONCLUSIONS: The
      Spectral Efficiency turns out to be a useful figure of merit to quantify the
      spectral performance of HPC detectors. It allows a quantitative comparison of
      detectors with different sensor and ASIC configurations over a broad range of x
      ray energies and fluxes. The maximization of the SE is a prerequisite for a
      successful usage of HPC detectors in the field of medical imaging.

PMID- 28901621
TI  - Objective comparison of high-contrast spatial resolution and low-contrast
      detectability for various clinical protocols on multiple CT scanners.
AB  - PURPOSE: We sought to compare objectively computed tomography (CT) scanner
      performance for three clinically relevant protocols using a task-based image
      quality assessment method in order to assess the potential for radiation dose
      reduction. METHODS: Four CT scanners released between 2003 and 2007 by different
      manufacturers were compared with four CT scanners released between 2012 and 2014
      by the same manufacturers using ideal linear model observers (MO): prewhitening
      (PW) MO and channelized Hotelling (CHO) MO with Laguerre-Gauss channels for high
      contrast spatial resolution and low-contrast detectability (LCD) performance,
      respectively. High-contrast spatial resolution was assessed using a custom-made
      phantom that enabled the computation of the target transfer function (TTF) and
      noise power spectrum (NPS). Low-contrast detectability was assessed using a
      commercially available anthropomorphic abdominal phantom providing equivalent
      diameters of 24, 29.6, and 34.6 cm. Three protocols were reviewed: a head
      (trauma) and an abdominal (urinary stones) protocol were applied to assess high
      contrast spatial resolution performance; and another abdominal (focal liver
      lesions) protocol was applied for LCD. The liver protocol was tested using fixed
      and modulated tube currents. The PW MO was proposed for assessing high-contrast
      detectability performance of the various CT scanners. RESULTS: Compared with
      older generation CT scanners, three newer systems displayed significant
      improvements in high-contrast detectability over that of their predecessors. A
      fourth, newer system had lower performance. The CHO MO was appropriate for
      assessing LCD performance and revealed that an excellent level of image quality
      could be obtained with newer scanners at significantly lower dose levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that MO can objectively benchmark CT scanners using
      a task-based image quality method, thus helping to estimate the potential for
      further dose reductions offered by the latest systems. Such an approach may be
      useful for adequately and quantitatively comparing clinically relevant image
      quality among various scanners.

PMID- 28901623
TI  - New link between Parkinson's and Alzheimer's: Research uncovers the role of
      mutant leucine rich repeat kinase 2 and amyloid precursor protein.

PMID- 28901622
TI  - Assessment of prior image induced nonlocal means regularization for low-dose CT
      reconstruction: Change in anatomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Repeated computed tomography (CT) scans are prescribed for some clinical
      applications such as lung nodule surveillance. Several studies have demonstrated
      that incorporating a high-quality prior image into the reconstruction of
      subsequent low-dose CT (LDCT) acquisitions can either improve image quality or
      reduce data fidelity requirements. Our proposed previous normal-dose image
      induced nonlocal means (ndiNLM) regularization method for LDCT is an example of
      such a method. However, one major concern with prior image based methods is that
      they might produce false information when the prior image and the current LDCT
      image show different structures (for example, if a lung nodule emerges, grows,
      shrinks, or disappears over time). This study aims to assess the performance of
      the ndiNLM regularization method in situations with change in anatomy. METHOD: We
      incorporated the ndiNLM regularization into the statistical image reconstruction
      (SIR) framework for reconstruction of subsequent LDCT images. Because of its
      patch-based search mechanism, a rough registration between the prior image and
      the current LDCT image is adequate for the SIR-ndiNLM method. We assessed the
      performance of the SIR-ndiNLM method in lung nodule surveillance for two
      different scenarios: (a) the nodule was not found in a baseline exam but appears
      in a follow-up LDCT scan; (b) the nodule was present in a baseline exam but
      disappears in a follow-up LDCT scan. We further investigated the effect of nodule
      size on the performance of the SIR-ndiNLM method. RESULTS: We found that a
      relatively large search-window (e.g., 33 * 33) should be used for the SIR-ndiNLM
      method to account for misalignment between the prior image and the current LDCT
      image, and to ensure that enough similar patches can be found in the prior image.
      With proper selection of other parameters, experimental results with two patient
      datasets demonstrated that the SIR-ndiNLM method did not miss true nodules nor
      introduce false nodules in the lung nodule surveillance scenarios described
      above. We also found that the SIR-ndiNLM reconstruction shows improved image
      quality when the prior image is similar to the current LDCT image in anatomy.
      These gains in image quality might appear small upon visual inspection, but they
      can be detected using quantitative measures. Finally, the SIR-ndiNLM method also
      performed well in ultra-low-dose conditions and with different nodule sizes.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study assessed the performance of the SIR-ndiNLM method in
      situations in which the prior image and the current LDCT image show substantial
      anatomical differences, specifically, changes in lung nodules. The experimental
      results demonstrate that the SIR-ndiNLM method does not introduce false lung
      nodules nor miss true nodules, which relieves the concern that this method might
      produce false information. However, there is insufficient evidence that these
      findings will hold true for all kinds of anatomical changes.

PMID- 28901624
TI  - The 12th International Conference on Brain Energy Metabolism (ICBEM): "Energy
      Metabolism and Neuron-Glia Interactions in Brain: From Molecular Mechanisms to
      Novel Therapeutic Approaches".

PMID- 28901626
TI  - Acute poisonings during pregnancy and in other non-pregnant women in emergency
      departments of four government hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: 2010-2015.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterise acute poisonings in pregnant and non-pregnant women
      treated at emergency departments of government hospitals in Addis Ababa,
      Ethiopia, between 2010 and 2015. METHODS: All data for acutely poisoned women
      were retrospectively collected from patient medical charts at the emergency
      departments of Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Ras Desta
      Memorial Hospital, Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College and Zewditu Memorial
      Hospital. Data were collected by extraction questionnaire and analysed using
      SPSSv. 20 statistical software. RESULTS: During the study period, 998 cases of
      acutely poisoned women were listed in the hospital registries. Of these, complete
      data for inclusion in the study were available for 592. 36.3% of the study
      participants were in the age group of 20-24, with a mean (+/-SD) age of 23.03 (+/
      6.3) years. 80.9% were from Addis Ababa; 4.6% were pregnant. The mean arrival
      time of all cases was 4.14 h. 85.5% of all study cases were due to intentional
      self-poisoning, of whom 42.1% were discharged without complications. The most
      common poisons were bleach and organophosphates; 25.9% of pregnant cases and
      32.6% of non-pregnant cases were poisoned by bleach; and 18.5% of pregnant cases
      and 18.9% of non-pregnant cases had organophosphate poisoning. 0.7% had a history
      of poisoning; all were non-pregnant women. The common route of poison exposure
      was oral, and the case fatality rate of organophosphate poisoning in pregnant and
      non-pregnant women was 20 and 1.87%, respectively. The pre-hospital intervention
      for the majority of the women was milk, in 12.0% of cases. CONCLUSION: Acute
      poisoning remains a public health problem in our community. Bleach is the most
      common poisons. Our present findings indicate the necessity of educational
      programmes on preventable reasons of acute poisonings and their outcomes on
      pregnant and non-pregnant women.

PMID- 28901625
TI  - Systemic challenges in bipolar disorder management: A patient-centered approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: As part of a series of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
      funded large-scale retrospective observational studies on bipolar disorder (BD)
      treatments and outcomes, we sought the input of patients with BD and their family
      members to develop research questions. We aimed to identify systemic root causes
      of patient-reported challenges with BD management in order to guide subsequent
      studies and initiatives. METHODS: Three focus groups were conducted where
      patients and their family members (total n = 34) formulated questions around the
      central theme, "What do you wish you had known in advance or over the course of
      treatment for BD?" In an affinity mapping exercise, participants clustered their
      questions and ranked the resulting categories by importance. The research team
      and members of our patient partner advisory council further rated the questions
      by expected impact on patients. Using a Theory of Constraints systems thinking
      approach, several causal models of BD management challenges and their potential
      solution were developed with patients using the focus group data. RESULTS: A
      total of 369 research questions were mapped to 33 categories revealing 10 broad
      themes. The top priorities for patient stakeholders involved pharmacotherapy and
      treatment alternatives. Analysis of causal relationships underlying 47 patient
      concerns revealed two core conflicts: for patients, whether or not to take
      pharmacotherapy, and for mental health services, the dilemma of care quality vs
      quantity. CONCLUSIONS: To alleviate the core conflicts identified, BD management
      requires a coordinated multidisciplinary approach including: improved access to
      mental health services, objective diagnostics, sufficient provider visit time,
      evidence-based individualized treatment, and psychosocial support.

PMID- 28901627
TI  - Microstructural white matter alterations in patients with drug induced
      parkinsonism.
AB  - Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) is the second most common etiology of
      parkinsonism. And yet, there is little information on structural imaging in DIP
      to elucidate the accurate underlying pathomechanisms. To investigate
      microstructural white matter (WM) in patients with DIP using diffusion tensor
      image and to determine its relationship to severity of parkinsonian motor
      symptoms and cognitive function. A total of 42 patients with DIP, 65 with
      Parkinson's disease, and 33 control subjects were recruited from a movement
      disorders outpatient clinic. We performed comparative analysis of fractional
      anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values among groups using tract-based
      spatial statistics. Correlation analysis between WM integrity and parkinsonian
      motor symptoms and cognitive performance was also performed in DIP patients using
      voxel-wise statistical analysis. DIP patients had significantly lower FA and
      higher MD values over widespread WM areas than control subjects. The patients
      with DIP had poor cognitive performance relative to control subjects, which
      correlated well with WM properties. Additionally, the parkinsonian motor symptoms
      were negatively correlated with FA values. In contrast, exposure time to the
      offending drugs prior to the development of parkinsonism or duration of
      parkinsonism showed no significant association with FA or MD values. The present
      study demonstrates that disruption of the WM microstructure is extensive in
      patients with DIP, and it is correlated with clinical parameters of parkinsonism
      and cognitive performance. This suggests that DIP may be reflective of underlying
      abnormality of microstructural WM. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6043-6052, 2017. (c) 2017
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28901629
TI  - Complex radial sclerosing lesion of the breast-A great cancer mimicker.

PMID- 28901628
TI  - Total cosine R-to-T for predicting ventricular arrhythmic and mortality outcomes:
      A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The total cosine R-to-T (TCRT), a vectorcardiographic marker
      reflecting the spatial difference between the depolarization and repolarization
      wavefronts, has been used to predict ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF)
      and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in different clinical settings. However, its
      prognostic value has been controversial. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and
      meta-analysis evaluated the significance of TRCT in predicting arrhythmic and/or
      mortality endpoints. METHODS: PubMed and Embase databases were searched through
      December 31, 2016. RESULTS: Of the 890 studies identified initially, 13
      observational studies were included in our meta-analysis. A total of 11,528
      patients, mean age 47 years old, 72% male, were followed for 43 +/- 6 months.
      Data from five studies demonstrated lower TCRT values in myocardial infarction
      patients with adverse events (syncope, ventricular arrhythmias, or sudden cardiac
      death) compared to those without these events (mean difference = -0.36 +/- 0.05,
      p < .001; I2  = 48%). By contrast, only two studies analyzed outcomes in heart
      failure, and pooled meta-analysis did not demonstrate significant difference in
      TCRT between event-positive and event-negative patients (mean difference = -0.01
      +/- 0.10, p > .05; I2  = 80%). CONCLUSION: TCRT is lower in MI patients at high
      risk of adverse events when compared to those free from such events. It can
      provide additional risk stratification beyond the use of clinical parameters and
      traditional electrocardiogram markers. Its value in other diseases such as heart
      failure requires further studies.

PMID- 28901630
TI  - Role of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in locally advanced prostate cancer.
AB  - Locally advanced prostate cancer is regarded as a very high-risk disease with a
      poor prognosis. Although there is no definitive consensus on the definition of
      locally advanced prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy for locally advanced
      prostate cancer as a primary treatment or part of a multimodal therapy has been
      reported. Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy is currently carried out even in
      high-risk prostate cancer because it provides optimal outcomes. However, limited
      studies have assessed the role of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in
      patients with locally advanced prostate cancer. Herein, we summarize and review
      the current knowledge in terms of the definition and surgical indications of
      locally advanced prostate cancer, and the surgical procedure and
      perisurgical/oncological outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and
      extended pelvic lymphadenectomy for locally advanced prostate cancer.

PMID- 28901631
TI  - Equine behavioral enrichment toys as tools for non-invasive recovery of viral and
      host DNA.
AB  - Direct collection of samples from wildlife can be difficult and sometimes
      impossible. Non-invasive remote sampling for the purpose of DNA extraction is a
      potential tool for monitoring the presence of wildlife at the individual level,
      and for identifying the pathogens shed by wildlife. Equine herpesviruses (EHV)
      are common pathogens of equids that can be fatal if transmitted to other mammals.
      Transmission usually occurs by nasal aerosol discharge from virus-shedding
      individuals. The aim of this study was to validate a simple, non-invasive method
      to track EHV shedding in zebras and to establish an efficient protocol for
      genotyping individual zebras from environmental DNA (eDNA). A commercially
      available horse enrichment toy was deployed in captive Grevy's, mountain, and
      plains zebra enclosures and swabbed after 4-24 hr. Using eDNA extracted from
      these swabs four EHV strains (EHV-1, EHV-7, wild ass herpesvirus and zebra
      herpesvirus) were detected by PCR and confirmed by sequencing, and 12 of 16
      zebras present in the enclosures were identified as having interacted with the
      enrichment toy by mitochondrial DNA amplification and sequencing. We conclude
      that, when direct sampling is difficult or prohibited, non-invasive sampling of
      eDNA can be a useful tool to determine the genetics of individuals or populations
      and for detecting pathogen shedding in captive wildlife.

PMID- 28901632
TI  - Forty years of collaborative computational crystallography.
AB  - A brief overview is provided of the history of collaborative computational
      crystallography, with an emphasis on the Collaborative Computational Project No.
      4. The key steps in its development are outlined, with consideration also given
      to the underlying reasons which contributed, and ultimately led to, the
      unprecedented success of this venture.

PMID- 28901633
TI  - Response to Mortazavi's comment.

PMID- 28901634
TI  - Optimal target vessel selection for composite and sequential radial artery
      grafting with an in situ internal thoracic artery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We retrospectively evaluated graft patency in patients who underwent
      no-touch aortic arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting to determine
      the optimal selection of target vessels for improved graft patency of composite
      and sequential radial artery I-grafts. METHODS: The radial artery was anastomosed
      to the end of an in situ internal thoracic artery and was sequentially
      anastomosed to non-left anterior descending arteries. This composite graft was
      defined as an "I-graft." We evaluated 145 I-grafts with 2, 3, or 4 sequential
      anastomoses (437 graft segments). A graft segment with the final distal
      anastomosis of every I-graft was defined as the last graft segment (LGS). When a
      sequential anastomosis was initiated from the left coronary branch, the I-graft
      assumed a clockwise course (69.0%). When a sequential anastomosis was initiated
      from the right coronary branch, the I-graft assumed a counterclockwise course
      (31.0%). RESULTS: On multivariable analysis, right coronary branch (P < 0.001),
      moderately stenotic (50-75%) target vessel (P = 0.004), and LGS with moderately
      stenotic target vessel (P = 0.005) were predictors of mid-term graft occlusion.
      In situations where the LGS was anastomosed to a severely stenotic target vessel
      (>75%) with a clockwise course, when the number of moderately stenotic target
      vessels among sequential graft segments was 0, 1, or >=2, the mid-term graft
      patency rates of I-grafts were 94.0%, 86.0%, and 81.4%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The selection of target vessels for severely stenotic lesions among
      sequential graft segments and the clockwise course enhance the mid-term graft
      patency of sequential radial I-grafts.

PMID- 28901635
TI  - Investigation and management of gastro-oesophageal reflux in United Kingdom
      neonatal intensive care units.
AB  - AIM: In 2004, wide variation in the investigation and management of gastro
      oesophageal reflux (GOR) of infants on UK major neonatal units was demonstrated.
      Our aim was to resurvey neonatal practitioners to determine current practice and
      whether it was now evidence based. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all 207
      UK neonatal units. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 84% of units. The most
      frequent 'investigation' was a trial of therapy (83% of units); pH studies were
      used in 38%, upper GI contrast studies in 19% and multichannel intraluminal
      impedance (MII)/pH studies in 5%. Only six units suggested a threshold for an
      abnormal pH study and two units for an abnormal MII study. Infants were commenced
      on antireflux medication without investigation always in 32% of units, often in
      29%, occasionally in 19% and only never in 1%. Gaviscon was used as first line
      treatment in 60% of units, and other medications included ranitidine in 53%,
      thickening agents in 27%, proton pump inhibitors in 23%, domperidone in 22% and
      erythromycin in 6%. CONCLUSION: There remains a wide variation in diagnostic and
      treatment strategies for infants with suspected GOR on neonatal intensive care
      units, emphasising the need for randomised trials to determine appropriate GOR
      management.

PMID- 28901636
TI  - Risk analysis and technology assessment in support of technology development:
      Putting responsible innovation in practice in a case study for nanotechnology.
AB  - Governments invest in "key enabling technologies," such as nanotechnology, to
      solve societal challenges and boost the economy. At the same time, governmental
      agencies demand risk reduction to prohibit any often unknown adverse effects, and
      industrial parties demand smart approaches to reduce uncertainties. Responsible
      research and innovation (RRI) is therefore a central theme in policy making. Risk
      analysis and technology assessment, together referred to as "RATA," can provide a
      basis to assess human, environmental, and societal risks of new technological
      developments during the various stages of technological development. This
      assessment can help both governmental authorities and innovative industry to move
      forward in a sustainable manner. Here we describe the developed procedures and
      products and our experiences to bring RATA in practice within a large Dutch
      nanotechnology consortium. This is an example of how to put responsible
      innovation in practice as an integrated part of a research program, how to
      increase awareness of RATA, and how to help technology developers perform and use
      RATA. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:9-16. (c) 2017 The Authors. Integrated
      Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on
      behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

PMID- 28901637
TI  - PET/CT versus bone marrow biopsy in the initial evaluation of bone marrow
      infiltration in various pediatric malignancies.
AB  - : Accurate staging is essential in the prognosis and management of pediatric
      malignancies. Current protocols require screening for marrow infiltration with
      bone marrow biopsy (BMB) as the gold standard. Positron emission tomography
      computed tomography (PET-CT) is commonly used to complete the staging process and
      can also be used to evaluate marrow infiltration. OBJECTIVE: To compare PET-CT
      and BMB in the initial evaluation of bone marrow infiltration in pediatric
      cancers. DESIGN/METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed new cases of EWS,
      rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and lymphoma diagnosed between January 2009 and
      October 2014. Each case had undergone both PET-CT and BMB within 4 weeks without
      treatment in the interval between screening modalities. RESULTS: We reviewed 69
      cases. Bone marrow infiltration was demonstrated in 34 cases by PET-CT and in 18
      cases by BMB. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of PET-CT were both
      100%. Interestingly, the cases in which infiltration was not detected on BMB had
      an abnormal marrow signal on PET-CT focal or distant to iliac crest. CONCLUSION:
      PET-CT has a high sensitivity when assessing marrow infiltration in pediatric
      malignancies. Advances in radiologic modalities may obviate the use of invasive,
      painful, and costly procedures like BMB. Furthermore, biopsy results are limited
      by insufficient tissue or the degree of marrow infiltration (diffuse vs. focal
      disease). PET-CT can improve the precision of biopsy when used as a guiding tool.
      This study proposes the use of PET-CT as first-line screening for bone marrow
      infiltration to improve the accuracy of staging in new diagnoses.

PMID- 28901638
TI  - ADC-derived spatial features can accurately classify adnexal lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in
      differentiating adnexal masses is unresolved. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: To propose an
      objective diagnostic method devised based on spatial features for predicting
      benignity/malignancy of adnexal masses in ADC maps. STUDY TYPE: Prospective.
      POPULATION: In all, 70 women with sonographically indeterminate and
      histopathologically confirmed adnexal masses (38 benign, 3 borderline, and 29
      malignant) were considered for this study. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Conventional
      and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images (b-values = 50, 400, 1000
      s/mm2 ) were acquired on a 3T scanner. ASSESSMENT: For each patient, two
      radiologists in consensus manually delineated lesion borders in whole ADC map
      volumes, which were consequently analyzed using spatial models (first-order
      histogram [FOH], gray-level co-occurrence matrix [GLCM], run-length matrix [RLM],
      and Gabor filters). Two independent radiologists were asked to identify the
      attributed (benign/malignant) classes of adnexal masses based on morphological
      features on conventional MRI. STATISTICAL TESTS: Leave-one-out cross-validated
      feature selection followed by cross-validated classification were applied to the
      feature space to choose the spatial models that best discriminate benign from
      malignant adnexal lesions. Two schemes of feature selection/classification were
      evaluated: 1) including all benign and malignant masses, and 2) scheme 1 after
      excluding endometrioma, hemorrhagic cysts, and teratoma (14 benign, 29 malignant
      masses). The constructed feature subspaces for benign/malignant lesion
      differentiation were tested for classification of benign/borderline/malignant and
      also borderline/malignant adnexal lesions. RESULTS: The selected feature subspace
      consisting of RLM features differentiated benign from malignant adnexal masses
      with a classification accuracy of ~92%. The same model discriminated benign,
      borderline, and malignant lesions with 87% and borderline from malignant with
      100% accuracy. Qualitative assessment of the radiologists based on conventional
      MRI features reached an accuracy of 80%. DATA CONCLUSION: The spatial
      quantification methodology proposed in this study, which works based on cellular
      distributions within ADC maps of adnexal masses, may provide a helpful computer
      aided strategy for objective characterization of adnexal masses. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1061
      1071.

PMID- 28901639
TI  - Predicting changes in flow category in patients with severe aortic stenosis and
      preserved left ventricular ejection fraction on medical therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Controversy surrounds the prognosis and management of
      patients with paradoxical low-flow severe aortic stenosis (AS) with preserved
      left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). It was not certain if patients in a
      particular flow category remained in the same category as disease progressed. We
      investigated whether there were switches in categories and if so, their
      predictors. METHODS: Consecutive subjects (n = 203) with isolated severe AS and
      paired echocardiography (>180 days apart) were studied. They were divided into 4
      groups, based on their flow categories and if they progressed on subsequent
      echocardiography to switch or remain in the same flow category. Univariate
      analyses of clinical and echocardiographic parameters identified predictors of
      these changes in flow category. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen were normal flow
      (SVI >= 35 mL/m2 ), while 85 were low flow on index echocardiography. In the
      patients with normal flow, 33% switched to low flow. This was associated with
      higher valvuloarterial impedance (Zva, P < .001) and lower systemic arterial
      compliance (SAC, P < .001) compared to index echocardiography, and predicted by
      higher initial Zva (optimized cutoff >4.77 mm Hg/mL/m2 , AUC = 0.81 [95% CI:0.75
      0.87, P < .001]). In patients with low flow, 25% switched to normal flow, which
      was associated with lower Zva and higher SAC and the switch was predicted by a
      higher initial mean transaortic pressure gradient. CONCLUSIONS: A significant
      number of patients switched flow categories in severe AS with preserved LVEF on
      subsequent echocardiography. Changes in flow were reflected by respective changes
      in Zva and SAC. Identifying echocardiographic predictors of a switch in category
      may guide prognostication and management of such patients.

PMID- 28901640
TI  - Minimally invasive insertion of off-pump central extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation.

PMID- 28901641
TI  - A Temporary vs. Permanent Anchored Percutaneous Lead Trial of Spinal Cord
      Stimulation: A Comparison of Patient Outcomes and Adverse Events.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A trial of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a prerequisite to
      determine efficacy of the therapy prior to placement of a permanent implanted
      system. A trial may be conducted employing a percutaneously placed temporary
      cylindrical lead or via a permanently anchored cylindrical lead placed and
      subsequently secured via open surgical method. There has been little
      investigation comparing the two methods of trial. This study is a comparative
      analysis of the two methods both for prediction of success as well as associated
      morbidity. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SCS
      outcomes of percutaneous temporary lead trial or the temporary lead (TL) group
      and permanent anchored lead trial or permanent lead (PL) group were analyzed for
      lack of relief, poor paresthesia coverage, false positive trial phase, fading
      relief, and biological complications. RESULTS: Outcome data was analyzed for 148
      patients in the TL group and 138 patients in the PL group. In comparing the two
      trial methods, false positive rate of trial was higher (p < 0.05) in the PL group
      as compared to the TL group (6.35 vs. 1.35%). Cumulative wound infections (6.52
      vs. 1.35%), and poor wound healing (4.35 vs. 0%) were also significantly higher
      in the PL group. Rate of success in the trial phase was equal in both groups.
      CONCLUSION: The percutaneous temporary lead trial group was associated with fewer
      false positives and wound related complications as compared to permanent anchored
      lead trial group. There was very little technical advantage of routinely
      anchoring the trial lead.

PMID- 28901642
TI  - Impact of mimicking natural dispersion on breeding success of captive North
      American Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).
AB  - This paper examines the effects of transfer away from natal facility and
      littermate presence on cheetah breeding success in the AZA Species Survival Plan
      (SSP) population. Transfer and breeding history data for captive males and
      females were gathered from seven and four AZA SSP breeding facilities,
      respectively, to identify factors influencing breeding success. The results
      indicate that transfer history (p = 0.032), age at transfer (p = 0.013), and
      female littermate presence/absence (p = 0.04) was associated with breeding
      success, with females transferred away from their natal facility before sexual
      maturity and without littermates present accounting for the highest breeding
      success. Keeping males at their natal facility and/or removing them from their
      coalitions did not negatively affect their breeding success. Males appeared to
      demonstrate the same fecundity regardless of transfer history or coalition
      status, indicating that dispersal away from natal environment was not as critical
      for the breeding success of males compared with female cheetahs. These results
      highlight the significance of moving females away from their natal environment,
      as would occur in the wild, and separating them from their female littermates for
      optimization of breeding success in the ex situ population.

PMID- 28901644
TI  - The truncated NLR protein TIR-NBS13 is a MOS6/IMPORTIN-alpha3 interaction partner
      required for plant immunity.
AB  - Importin-alpha proteins mediate the translocation of nuclear localization signal
      (NLS)-containing proteins from the cytoplasm into the nucleus through nuclear
      pore complexes (NPCs). Genetically, Arabidopsis IMPORTIN-alpha3/MOS6 (MODIFIER OF
      SNC1, 6) is required for basal plant immunity and constitutive disease resistance
      activated in autoimmune mutant snc1 (suppressor of npr1-1, constitutive 1),
      suggesting that MOS6 plays a role in the nuclear import of proteins involved in
      plant defense signaling. Here, we sought to identify and characterize defense
      regulatory cargo proteins and interaction partners of MOS6. We conducted both in
      silico database analyses and affinity purification of functional epitope-tagged
      MOS6 from pathogen-challenged stable transgenic plants coupled with mass
      spectrometry. We show that among the 13 candidate MOS6 interactors we selected
      for further functional characterization, the TIR-NBS-type protein TN13 is
      required for resistance against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000
      lacking the type-III effector proteins AvrPto and AvrPtoB. When expressed
      transiently in N. benthamiana leaves, TN13 co-immunoprecipitates with MOS6, but
      not with its closest homolog IMPORTIN-alpha6, and localizes to the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER), consistent with a predicted N-terminal transmembrane domain in
      TN13. Our work uncovered the truncated NLR protein TN13 as a component of plant
      innate immunity that selectively binds to MOS6/IMPORTIN-alpha3 in planta. We
      speculate that the release of TN13 from the ER membrane in response to pathogen
      stimulus, and its subsequent nuclear translocation, is important for plant
      defense signal transduction.

PMID- 28901643
TI  - Renal function monitoring in heart failure - what is the optimal frequency? A
      narrative review.
AB  - The second most common cause of hospitalization due to adverse drug reactions in
      the UK is renal dysfunction due to diuretics, particularly in patients with heart
      failure, where diuretic therapy is a mainstay of treatment regimens. Therefore,
      the optimal frequency for monitoring renal function in these patients is an
      important consideration for preventing renal failure and hospitalization. This
      review looks at the current evidence for optimal monitoring practices of renal
      function in patients with heart failure according to national and international
      guidelines on the management of heart failure (AHA/NICE/ESC/SIGN). Current
      guidance of renal function monitoring is in large part based on expert opinion,
      with a lack of clinical studies that have specifically evaluated the optimal
      frequency of renal function monitoring in patients with heart failure.
      Furthermore, there is variability between guidelines, and recommendations are
      typically nonspecific. Safer prescribing of diuretics in combination with other
      antiheart failure treatments requires better evidence for frequency of renal
      function monitoring. We suggest developing more personalized monitoring rather
      than from the current medication-based guidance. Such flexible clinical
      guidelines could be implemented using intelligent clinical decision support
      systems. Personalized renal function monitoring would be more effective in
      preventing renal decline, rather than reacting to it.

PMID- 28901645
TI  - Measuring achievement goal motivation, mindsets and cognitive load: validation of
      three instruments' scores.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Measurement of motivation and cognitive load has potential value in
      health professions education. Our objective was to evaluate the validity of
      scores from Dweck's Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale (ITIS), Elliot's
      Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Revised (AGQ-R) and Leppink's cognitive load index
      (CLI). METHODS: This was a validity study evaluating internal structure using
      reliability and factor analysis, and relationships with other variables using the
      multitrait-multimethod matrix. Two hundred and thirty-two secondary school
      students participated in a medical simulation-based training activity at an
      academic medical center. Pre-activity ITIS (implicit theory [mindset] domains:
      incremental, entity) and AGQ-R (achievement goal domains: mastery-approach,
      mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance), post-activity
      CLI (cognitive load domains: intrinsic, extrinsic, germane) and task persistence
      (self-directed repetitions on a laparoscopic surgery task) were measured.
      RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) was > 0.70 for all
      domain scores except AGQ-R performance-avoidance (alpha 0.68) and CLI extrinsic
      load (alpha 0.64). Confirmatory factor analysis of ITIS and CLI scores
      demonstrated acceptable model fit. Confirmatory factor analysis of AGQ-R scores
      demonstrated borderline fit, and exploratory factor analysis suggested a three
      domain model for achievement goals (mastery-approach, performance and avoidance).
      Correlations among scores from conceptually-related domains generally aligned
      with expectations, as follows: ITIS incremental and entity, r = -0.52; AGQ-R
      mastery-avoidance and performance-avoidance, r = 0.71; mastery-approach and
      performance-approach, r = 0.55; performance-approach and performance-avoidance, r
      = 0.43; mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance, r = 0.36; CLI germane and
      extrinsic, r = -0.35; ITIS incremental and AGQ-R mastery-approach, r = 0.34; ITIS
      incremental and CLI germane, r = 0.44; AGQ-R mastery-approach and CLI germane, r
      = 0.48 (all p < 0.001). We found no correlation between the number of task
      repetitions (i.e. persistence) and mastery-approach scores, r = -0.01.
      CONCLUSIONS: ITIS and CLI scores had appropriate internal structures and
      relationships with other variables. AGQ-R scores fit a three-factor (not four
      factor) model that collapsed avoidance into one domain, although relationships of
      other variables with the original four domain scores generally aligned with
      expectations. Mastery goals are positively correlated with germane cognitive
      load.

PMID- 28901647
TI  - Attribution biases in assigning blame for medical error.

PMID- 28901648
TI  - Early clinical exposure requires facilitated access to support learning.

PMID- 28901649
TI  - In defence of teaching point-of-care ultrasound in undergraduate medical
      education.

PMID- 28901650
TI  - 'When I say... dual-processing theory': evidence, not assertion.

PMID- 28901651
TI  - Getting real: preparing medical students and physicians for error disclosure.

PMID- 28901652
TI  - Empowering junior doctors to maximise medical student learning in the clinical
      setting.

PMID- 28901653
TI  - Medical appraisal: an amber zone of opportunity?

PMID- 28901654
TI  - Clinical learning environments: place, artefacts and rhythm.
AB  - CONTEXT: Health care practitioners learn through experience in clinical
      environments in which supervision is a key component, but how that learning
      occurs outside the supervision relationship remains largely unknown. This study
      explores the environmental factors that inform and support workplace learning
      within a clinical environment. METHODS: An observational study drawing on
      ethnographic methods was undertaken in a general medicine ward. Observers paid
      attention to interactions among staff members that involved potential teaching
      and learning moments that occurred and were visible in the course of routine
      work. General purpose thematic analysis of field notes was undertaken. RESULTS: A
      total of 376 observations were undertaken and documented. The findings suggest
      that place (location of interaction), rhythm (regularity of activities occurring
      in the ward) and artefacts (objects and equipment) were strong influences on the
      interactions and exchanges that occurred. Each of these themes had inherent
      tensions that could promote or inhibit engagement and therefore learning
      opportunities. Although many learning opportunities were available, not all were
      taken up or recognised by the participants. CONCLUSIONS: We describe and make
      explicit how the natural environment of a medical ward and flow of work through
      patient care contribute to the learning architecture, and how this creates or
      inhibits opportunities for learning. Awareness of learning opportunities was
      often tacit and not explicit for either supervisor or learner. We identify
      strategies through which tensions inherent within space, artefacts and the
      rhythms of work can be resolved and learning opportunities maximised.

PMID- 28901655
TI  - Clinically insignificant prostate cancer suitable for active surveillance
      according to Prostate Cancer Research International: Active surveillance
      criteria: Utility of PI-RADS v2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Active surveillance (AS) is an important treatment strategy for
      prostate cancer (PCa). Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) v2
      has been addressed, but few studies have reported the value of PI-RADS v2 for
      assessing risk stratification in patients with PCa, especially on selecting
      potential candidates for AS. PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of PI-RADS v2
      and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in evaluating patients with
      insignificant PCa, who are suitable for AS. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. SUBJECTS:
      In all, 238 patients with PCa who met the Prostate Cancer Research International:
      Active Surveillance criteria underwent radical prostatectomy. FIELD
      STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0T, including T2 -weighted, diffusion-weighted, and dynamic
      contrast-enhanced imaging. ASSESSMENT: Insignificant cancer was defined
      histopathologically as an organ-confined disease with a tumor volume <0.5 cm3
      without Gleason score 4-5. Patients were divided into two groups based on the PI
      RADS v2 and tumor ADC: A, PI-RADS score <=3 and ADC >=1.095 * 10-3 mm2 /s; and B,
      PI-RADS score 4-5 or ADC <1.095 * 10-3 mm2 /s. Preoperative clinical and imaging
      variables were evaluated regarding the associations with insignificant cancer.
      RESULTS: Of the 238 patients, 101 (42.8%) were diagnosed with insignificant
      cancer on pathological findings. The number of positive cores, prostate-specific
      antigen density (PSAD), PI-RADS v2 and tumor ADC were significantly associated
      with insignificant cancer on univariate analysis (P < 0.05). However,
      multivariate analysis indicated tumor ADC (odds ratio [OR] = 4.57, P < 0.001) and
      PI-RADS v2 (OR = 3.60, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of insignificant
      cancer. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) reached
      0.803 when PI-RADS v2 (AUC = 0.747) was combined with tumor ADC (AUC = 0.786).
      DATA CONCLUSION: The PI-RADS v2 together with tumor ADC may be a useful marker
      for predicting patients with insignificant PCa when considering AS. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1072
      1079.

PMID- 28901656
TI  - The effects of seasonal affective disorder and alcohol abuse on sleep and snoring
      functions in a population-based study in Finland.
AB  - Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a recurrent depressive disorder with a
      seasonal pattern. In addition to some specific symptoms such as sad mood, low
      energy or carbohydrate craving, this mood disorder is also characterized by the
      presence of sleeping problems and alcohol disorders. Interestingly, there is a
      strong link between alcohol use and sleeping deficits. Although previous studies
      have focused extensively on the sleep patterns in SAD patients and patients with
      alcohol use disorder (AUD), no research has yet been conducted on subjects with
      comorbid SAD and AUD. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in
      sleep functioning between subjects with SAD, AUD and SAD+AUD. A total of 4554
      Finnish subjects from the population-based Health 2011 survey were interviewed,
      and of these 2430 individuals completed all the questionnaires. We selected those
      participants who fulfilled the criteria for SAD (n = 298), AUD (n = 359), SAD+AUD
      (n = 69), controls 1 (no current alcohol use, n = 226) and controls 2 (current
      alcohol use but not AUD, n = 1445). Controls with a history of alcohol abuse were
      excluded (n = 33). All the participants completed the EuroQoL five-dimensions
      questionnaire (EQ-5), the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), the
      Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and several questions about
      sleeping, based on the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (BNSQ). Our results
      showed that those subjects with SAD+AUD reported the highest levels of subjective
      sleeping problems compared to controls, SAD and AUD. These findings suggest the
      relevance of examining the comorbidity of SAD and AUD when studying sleep
      functioning in these groups of patients.

PMID- 28901657
TI  - Longitudinal patterns in BMI and percent total body fat from peak height velocity
      through emerging adulthood into young adulthood.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Emerging adulthood, a potential critical period, is an understudied
      period of fat mass accrual. The aim of this study was to describe patterns of fat
      mass accrual, and weight status, from adolescence, through emerging adulthood,
      into young adulthood. METHODS: One-hundred-eighteen participants (59 male) were
      measured repeatedly for 20 years. Annual measures of height, weight, and body
      composition (DXA) were taken. Calculated measures included: peak height velocity
      (PHV), biological age (BA; years from PHV), body mass index (BMI), and percent
      total body fat (%TBF). Weight status groupings (normal NW, and overweight/obese
      OWO) were created using age and sex specific BMI and %TBF cut-offs. Analysis
      included t-tests and logistic regression. RESULTS: BMI and %TBF increased
      significantly until 8 years post PHV (P < .05), plateaued for 7 years (P > .05),
      and then began increasing again (P < .05). At PHV, 9% of males and 14% of females
      were OWO rising to 65% and 32% respectively 15 years post PHV. OWO status at PHV
      did not predict OWO status in early adulthood (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: During
      emerging adulthood, the prevalence of OWO increased. Being NW at PHV was not
      protective against being overweight in young adulthood. Emerging adulthood
      appears to be a potential critical period for fat accrual and warrants further
      attention.

PMID- 28901658
TI  - Monoclonal Antibodies Production Platforms: An Opportunity Study of a Non-Protein
      A Chromatographic Platform Based on Process Economics.
AB  - Monoclonal antibodies currently dominate the biopharmaceutical market with
      growing sales having reached 80 billion USD in 2016. As most top-selling mAbs are
      approaching the end of their patent life, biopharmaceutical companies compete
      fiercely in the biosimilars market. These two factors present a strong motivation
      for alternative process strategies and process optimization. In this work a novel
      purification strategy for monoclonal antibodies comprising phenylboronic acid
      multimodal chromatography for capture followed by polishing by ion-exchange
      monolithic chromatography and packed bed hydrophobic interaction chromatography
      is presented and compared to the traditional protein-A-based process. Although
      the capital investment is similar for both processes, the operation cost is 20%
      lower for the novel strategy. This study shows that the new process is worthwhile
      investing in and could present a viable alternative to the platform process used
      by most industrial players.

PMID- 28901659
TI  - Using gamma index to flag changes in anatomy during image-guided radiation
      therapy of head and neck cancer.
AB  - During radiation therapy of head and neck cancer, the decision to consider
      replanning a treatment because of anatomical changes has significant resource
      implications. We developed an algorithm that compares cone-beam computed
      tomography (CBCT) image pairs and provides an automatic alert as to when remedial
      action may be required. Retrospective CBCT data from ten head and neck cancer
      patients that were replanned during their treatment was used to train the
      algorithm on when to recommend a repeat CT simulation (re-CT). An additional 20
      patients (replanned and not replanned) were used to validate the predictive power
      of the algorithm. CBCT images were compared in 3D using the gamma index,
      combining Hounsfield Unit (HU) difference with distance-to-agreement (DTA), where
      the CBCT study acquired on the first fraction is used as the reference. We
      defined the match quality parameter (MQPx ) as a difference between the xth
      percentiles of the failed-pixel histograms calculated from the reference gamma
      comparison and subsequent comparisons, where the reference gamma comparison is
      taken from the first two CBCT images acquired during treatment. The decision to
      consider re-CT was based on three consecutive MQP values being less than or equal
      to a threshold value, such that re-CT recommendations were within +/-3 fractions
      of the actual re-CT order date for the training cases. Receiver-operator
      characteristic analysis showed that the best trade-off in sensitivity and
      specificity was achieved using gamma criteria of 3 mm DTA and 30 HU difference,
      and the 80th percentile of the failed-pixel histogram. A sensitivity of 82% and
      100% was achieved in the training and validation cases, respectively, with a
      false positive rate of ~30%. We have demonstrated that gamma analysis of CBCT
      acquired anatomy can be used to flag patients for possible replanning in a manner
      consistent with local clinical practice guidelines.

PMID- 28901660
TI  - Local steroid injection versus wrist splinting for carpal tunnel syndrome: A
      randomized clinical trial.
AB  - AIM: We conducted a prospective randomized parallel clinical trial comparing the
      efficacy of local steroid injection and nocturnal wrist splinting in patients
      with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHODS: The well-validated and disease
      specific Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) was employed and its score at
      4 weeks after treatment was used as the primary outcome measure. Important
      secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction, the change of an objective
      finger dexterity test and the side effects. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients in the
      local steroid group and 25 patients in the wrist splinting group completed the
      study procedures. At 4 weeks after treatment, there was significant improvement
      of the BTCQ scores in both the steroid group and splinting group. There was
      improvement of the finger dexterity test only in the steroid group but not in the
      splinting group. However, there was no statistically significant difference in
      the changes of BTCQ scores between the two groups after treatment. Patient
      satisfaction score was higher in the steroid group. Patients in the steroid group
      took fewer painkillers after treatment. Four patients developed side effects
      after splinting and three after local steroid injection, which was not
      statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Although local steroid injection and
      nocturnal wrist splinting were equally effective in the treatment of patients
      with CTS, only the former improved objective hand function. Local steroid
      injection also resulted in better patient satisfaction and less painkiller use
      without causing more side effects.

PMID- 28901661
TI  - D40/KNL1/CASC5 and autosomal recessive primary microcephaly.
AB  - Autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a very rare neuro
      developmental disease with brain size reduction. More than a dozen loci encoding
      proteins of diverse function have been shown to be responsible for MCPH1-13.
      Mutations in the D40/KNL1/CASC5 gene, which was initially characterized as a gene
      involved in chromosomal translocation in leukemia and as a member of the
      cancer/testis gene family, was later found to encode a kinetochore protein
      essential for mitotic cell division and to cause MCPH4. Although our previous
      studies showed that this gene is required for cell growth and division in vitro
      and in animal experiments, the revelation that mutations in this gene caused
      microcephaly provides in vivo evidence of a critical role in brain growth. In
      this review, we describe mutated gene targets responsible for MCPH1-13 and
      summarize clinical studies of, and molecular and biological aspects of the gene
      and encoded protein responsible for MCPH4.

PMID- 28901662
TI  - Acute hypoxaemia and vascular function in healthy humans.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Endothelium-dependent
      flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) is impaired during acute (60 min) exposure to
      moderate hypoxia. We examined whether FMD is impaired to the same degree during
      exposure to milder hypoxia. Additionally, we assessed whether smooth muscle
      vasodilatory capacity [glyceryl trinitrate (GTN)-induced dilatation] is impaired
      during acute hypoxic exposure. What is the main finding and its importance? A
      graded impairment in FMD and GTN-induced dilatation was evident during acute
      (<=60 min) exposure to mild and moderate hypoxia. This study is the first to
      document these graded impairments, and provides rationale to examine the
      relationship between graded increases in sympathetic nerve activity with hypoxia
      on FMD and GTN-induced dilatation. Endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilatation
      (FMD) and endothelium-independent dilatation [induced with glyceryl trinitrate
      (GTN)] are impaired at high altitude (5050 m), and FMD is impaired after acute
      exposure (<60 min) to normobaric hypoxia equivalent to ~5050 m (inspired oxygen
      fraction ~0.11). Whether GTN-induced dilatation is impaired acutely and whether
      FMD is impaired during milder hypoxia are unknown. Therefore, we assessed
      brachial FMD at baseline and after 30 min of mild (end-tidal PO2 74 +/- 2 mmHg)
      and moderate (end-tidal PO2 50 +/- 3 mmHg) normobaric hypoxia (n = 12) or
      normoxia (time-control trial; n = 10). We also assessed GTN-induced dilatation
      after the hypoxic FMD tests and in normoxia on a separate control day (n = 8).
      Compared with the normoxic baseline, reductions during mild and moderate hypoxic
      exposure were evident in FMD (mild versus moderate, -1.2 +/- 1.1 versus -3.1 +/-
      1.7%; P = 0.01) and GTN-induced dilatation (-2.1 +/- 1.0 versus -4.2 +/- 2.0%; P
      = 0.01); the declines in FMD and GTN-induced dilatation were greater during
      moderate hypoxia (P < 0.01). When allometrically corrected for baseline diameter
      and FMD shear rate under the curve, FMD was attenuated in both conditions (mild
      versus moderate, 0.6 +/- 0.9 versus 0.8 +/- 0.7%; P <= 0.01). After 30 min of
      normoxic time control, FMD was reduced (-0.6 +/- 0.3%; P = 0.02). In summary,
      there was a graded impairment in FMD during mild and moderate hypoxic exposure,
      which appears to be influenced by shear patterns and incremental decline in
      smooth muscle vasodilator capacity (impaired GTN-induced dilatation). Our
      findings from the normoxic control study suggest the decline in FMD in acute
      hypoxia also appears to be influenced by 30 min of supine rest/inactivity.

PMID- 28901663
TI  - Antifungal and Mechanical Properties of Tissue Conditioner Containing Plant
      Derived Component: An In Vitro Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the antifungal activity and mechanical properties of a novel
      antifungal tissue conditioner containing Juncus powder. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Juncus powder was mixed with GC tissue conditioner at concentrations of 2.5%,
      5.0%, and 10.0% by mass. The cylindrical specimens of Juncus-mixed tissue
      conditioner (dimensions: 10 mm in diameter and 2 and 6 mm in height for
      antimicrobial and mechanical tests, respectively) were prepared. The specimens
      placed on the bottom of the 24-well tissue culture plate were cultured with
      Candida albicans CAD1 for 2 and 4 days. The proliferation of the C. albicans in
      the wells was determined by measuring the optical density of fungal culture, and
      the surface of the specimens were also observed by scanning electron microscopy
      (SEM). To assess the mechanical properties of the specimens, the fluidity and
      hardness of Juncus-mixed tissue conditioner were measured using the methods
      certified according to ISO 10139-1. RESULTS: Juncus-mixed tissue conditioner
      significantly exhibited growth inhibitory effect in a Juncus concentration
      dependent manner after both 2- and 4- day cultures. SEM observation showed that
      the amount of C. albicans on Juncus-mixed specimens drastically decreased, and
      biofilm formation was markedly inhibited. Moreover, both mechanical properties
      were found to be within the ranges regulated and specified by ISO. CONCLUSION:
      These findings demonstrated that the tissue conditioner including Juncus powder
      has a significant growth inhibitory effect against C. albicans, and it is
      suggested that the application of Juncus-mixed tissue conditioner may prevent
      denture stomatitis and oral candidiasis in denture wearers.

PMID- 28901664
TI  - Pharmacophore-based virtual screening, molecular docking, molecular dynamics
      simulation, and biological evaluation for the discovery of novel BRD4 inhibitors.
AB  - Bromodomain is a recognition module in the signal transduction of acetylated
      histone. BRD4, one of the bromodomain members, is emerging as an attractive
      therapeutic target for several types of cancer. Therefore, in this study, an
      attempt has been made to screen compounds from an integrated database containing
      5.5 million compounds for BRD4 inhibitors using pharmacophore-based virtual
      screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations. As a result,
      two molecules of twelve hits were found to be active in bioactivity tests. Among
      the molecules, compound 5 exhibited potent anticancer activity, and the IC50
      values against human cancer cell lines MV4-11, A375, and HeLa were 4.2, 7.1, and
      11.6 MUm, respectively. After that, colony formation assay, cell cycle, apoptosis
      analysis, wound-healing migration assay, and Western blotting were carried out to
      learn the bioactivity of compound 5.

PMID- 28901665
TI  - Kansas nurse leader residency programme: advancing leader knowledge and skills.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Kansas Nurse Leader Residency (KNLR)
      programme in improving nurses' leadership knowledge and skills and its
      acceptability, feasibility and fidelity. BACKGROUND: The Future of Nursing Report
      (Institute of Medicine, 2011) calls for nurses to lead change and advance health.
      The 6-month KNLR programme was developed by the Kansas Action Coalition to
      support nurses' leadership development. METHODS: Nurses (n = 36) from four
      nursing specialties (acute care, long-term care, public health and school health)
      participated in the programme. The adapted Leader Knowledge and Skill Inventory
      was used to assess leadership knowledge and skills. Programme acceptability,
      feasibility and implementation fidelity also were evaluated. RESULTS: The
      programme completion rate was 67.7% (n = 24). Programme completers had
      significantly improved self-assessed and mentor-assessed leadership knowledge and
      skills (p < .05). These post-programme gains were maintained 3 months after
      programme completion. CONCLUSIONS: The KNLR programme effectively improved
      leadership knowledge and skills and was positively evaluated by participants. The
      implementation of the KNLR programme using a hybrid format of in-person sessions
      and online modules was feasible across four specialty areas in both rural and
      urban regions. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The next steps include the
      development of an advanced programme. Residency programmes for new nurse leaders
      are critical for successful transition into management positions.

PMID- 28901666
TI  - Clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of pediatric meningiomas.
AB  - Molecular and clinical characteristics of pediatric meningiomas are poorly
      defined. Therefore, we analyzed clinical, morphological and molecular profiles of
      pediatric meningiomas. Forty pediatric meningiomas from January 2002 to June 2015
      were studied. 1p36, 14q32 and 22q-deletion were assessed by fluorescent in situ
      hybridization and mutations of most relevant exons of AKT, SMO, KLF4, TRAF and
      pTERT using sequencing. Expression of GAB1, stathmin, progesterone receptor (PR),
      p53 along with MIB-1 LI was examined using immunohistochemistry. There were 36
      sporadic and four NF2 associated meningiomas. Among sporadic meningiomas, the
      majority (72.2%) of cases harbored 22q-deletion. Difference in frequency of
      combined 1p/14q deletion in Grade-I versus Grade-II/III tumors was not
      significant (13.7% vs 28.5%, P = 0.57). PR immunoreactivity was seen in 65.5% of
      Grade-I and 14.2% of Grade-II/III tumors (P = 0.03). The majority (97.2%) of
      meningiomas were immunonegative for p53. Stathmin and GAB co-expression was
      observed in 58.3% of cases. Notably, AKT, SMO, KLF4, TRAF7 (exon 17) and pTERT
      mutations were seen in none of the cases analyzed. 1p/14q codeletion was frequent
      in skull base as compared to non-skull base meningiomas (23% vs 11.1%, P = 0.37).
      All NF2 meningiomas harbored 22q-deletion and showed GAB and stathmin co
      expression while none showed 1p/14q loss. Pediatric meningiomas share certain
      phenotypic and cytogenetic characteristics with adult counterparts, but GAB and
      stathmin co-expression in the majority of cases and non-significant difference in
      frequency of 1p/14q co-deletion between low- and high-grade meningiomas indicate
      an inherently aggressive nature. Characteristic AKT/SMO, KLF4/TRAF7 and pTERT
      genetic alterations seen in adults are distinctly absent in pediatric
      meningiomas.

PMID- 28901667
TI  - Variables affecting the manifestation of and intensity of pacing behavior: A
      preliminary case study in zoo-housed polar bears.
AB  - High-speed video analysis was used to quantify two aspects of gait in 10 zoo
      housed polar bears. These two variables were then examined as to how they
      differed in the conditions of pacing versus locomoting for each bear. Percent
      difference calculations measured the difference between pacing and locomoting
      data for each bear. We inferred that the higher the percent difference between
      pacing and locomoting in a given subject, the more intense the pacing may be. The
      percent difference values were analyzed alongside caregiver survey data defining
      the locations, frequency, and anticipatory nature of pacing in each bear, as well
      as each bear's age and sex, to determine whether any variables were correlated.
      The frequency and intensity of pacing behavior were not correlated. However,
      location of pacing was significantly correlated both with the subjects' age and
      whether or not the subject was classified as an anticipatory pacer. Bears
      appeared to select specific spots within their exhibits to pace, and the location
      therefore seemed tied to underlying motivation for the behavior. Additionally,
      bears that were classified in the survey as pacing anticipatorily displayed
      significantly more intense pacing behavior as quantified by gait analysis.

PMID- 28901668
TI  - Dilatation of the ductus arteriosus by diazoxide in fetal and neonatal rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diazoxide, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener, is the main
      therapeutic agent for treating hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. The aim of this
      study was to determine the in vivo ductus arteriosus (DA)-dilating effects of
      diazoxide in fetal and neonatal rats. METHODS: Near-term rat pups delivered via
      cesarean section were housed at 33 degrees C. After rapid whole-body freezing,
      the ductus arteriosus (DA) diameter was measured using a microscope and a
      micrometer. Full-term pregnant rats (gestational day 21) were injected i.p. with
      diazoxide (10 and 100 mg/kg) 4 h before delivery, and the neonatal DA diameter
      was measured at 0, 30, or 60 min after birth. The newborn rats were also injected
      i.p. with diazoxide (10 and 100 mg/kg) at birth or 60 min after birth. DA was
      measured at 0, 30, or 60 min after injection. In the fetal investigation, the
      effect of diazoxide was studied via simultaneous application of indomethacin (10
      mg/kg) and L-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on gestational days 21 and 19.
      RESULTS: The control rats had rapid postnatal DA constriction (diameter, 0.80 and
      0.08 mm at 0 and 60 min after birth, respectively). Diazoxide had a dose
      dependent inhibitory effect on postnatal DA constriction. Prenatal diazoxide (10
      mg/kg) inhibited postnatal DA closure (0.20 mm at 60 min after birth). The
      diazoxide injection (10 mg) at birth inhibited postnatal DA closure (0.14 mm at
      60 min after birth). Diazoxide injection in 60-min-old rats dilated the
      constricted DA at 60 min (0.10 mm vs. 0.02 mm in the controls). In the fetal
      investigation, diazoxide inhibited the fetal DA constrictive effect of
      indomethacin and L-NAME. CONCLUSION: Diazoxide attenuates postnatal DA
      constriction and dilates a closing DA in fetal and neonatal rats.

PMID- 28901669
TI  - Automating tasks in protein structure determination with the clipper python
      module.
AB  - Scripting programming languages provide the fastest means of prototyping complex
      functionality. Those with a syntax and grammar resembling human language also
      greatly enhance the maintainability of the produced source code. Furthermore, the
      combination of a powerful, machine-independent scripting language with binary
      libraries tailored for each computer architecture allows programs to break free
      from the tight boundaries of efficiency traditionally associated with scripts. In
      the present work, we describe how an efficient C++ crystallographic library such
      as Clipper can be wrapped, adapted and generalized for use in both
      crystallographic and electron cryo-microscopy applications, scripted with the
      Python language. We shall also place an emphasis on best practices in automation,
      illustrating how this can be achieved with this new Python module.

PMID- 28901670
TI  - Specificity of wide QRS complex tachycardia criteria and algorithms in patients
      with ventricular preexcitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite substantial progress in the field of differentiation between
      ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) with wide QRS
      complexes, differentiation between VT and preexcited SVT remains largely
      unresolved due to significant overlap in QRS morphology. Our aim was to assess
      the specificities of various single ECG criteria and sets of criteria (Brugada
      algorithm, aVR algorithm, Steurer algorithm, and the VT score) for diagnosis of
      VT in a sizable cohort of patients with preexcitation. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective study of consecutive accessory pathway ablation procedures to
      identify preexcited tachycardias. Among 670 accessory pathway ablation
      procedures, 329 cases with good quality ECG with either bona fide preexcited SVT
      (n = 30) or a surrogate preexcited SVT (fast paced atrial rhythm with full
      preexcitation, n = 299) were identified. ECGs were analyzed with the use of wide
      QRS complex algorithms/criteria to determine specificities of these methods.
      RESULTS: The Steurer algorithm and VT score (>=3 points), with specificities of
      97.6% and 96.1%, respectively, were significantly (p < .01) more specific for the
      diagnosis of VT than Brugada algorithm, aVR algorithm, and Pava criterion with
      specificities of 31%, 11.6%, and 57.1%, respectively. The first step of the
      Brugada algorithm and the first step of the aVR algorithm had also high
      specificities of 93.3% and 96.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: There are sufficient
      electrocardiographical differences between VT and preexcited SVT to allow
      electrocardiographic differentiation. VT score, Steurer algorithm, and some
      single criteria do not overdiagnose VT in patients with preexcitation.

PMID- 28901672
TI  - Reading Comprehension Difficulties in Chinese-English Bilingual Children.
AB  - The co-occurrence of reading comprehension difficulties for first language (L1)
      Chinese and second language (L2) English and associated longitudinal cognitive
      linguistic correlates in each language were investigated. Sixteen poor
      comprehenders in English and 16 poor comprehenders in Chinese, 18 poor readers in
      both, and 18 children with normal performance in both were identified at age 10.
      The prevalence rate for being poor in both was 52.94%, suggesting that
      approximately half of children who are at risk for Chinese reading comprehension
      difficulty are also at risk for English reading comprehension difficulty. Chinese
      word reading, phonological, and morphological awareness were longitudinal
      correlates of poor comprehension in Chinese. English word reading and vocabulary
      were longitudinal correlates of poor comprehension in English. Chinese
      phonological awareness was an additional correlate of poor comprehension in
      English. Moreover, poor comprehenders in both Chinese and English showed slower
      rapid automatized naming scores than the other groups. Findings highlight some
      factors that might be critical for reading comprehension in L1 Chinese and L2
      English; fluency is likely to be a critical part of reading comprehension across
      languages. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28901671
TI  - Aspartate tightens the anchoring of staphylococcal lipoproteins to the
      cytoplasmic membrane.
AB  - In gram-negative bacteria, the ABC transporter LolCDE complex translocates outer
      membrane-specific lipoproteins (Lpp) from the inner membrane to the outer
      membrane. Lpp possessing aspartate (Asp) at position +2 are not translocated
      because it functions as a LolCDE avoidance signal. In gram-positive bacteria,
      lacking an outer membrane and the Lol system, Lpp are only anchored at the outer
      leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane. However, the release of Lpp particularly in
      pathogenic or commensal species is crucial for immune modulation. Here, we
      provide evidence that in Staphylococcus aureus Asp at position +2 plays a role in
      withholding Lpp to the cytoplasmic membrane. Screening of published exoproteomic
      data of S. aureus revealed that Lpp mainly with Gly or Ser at position +2 were
      found in exoproteome, but there was no Lpp with Asp+2. The occurrence of Lpp with
      Asp+2 is infrequent in gram-positive bacteria. In S. aureus USA300 only seven of
      the 67 Lpp possess Asp+2; among them five Lpp represented Lpl lipoproteins
      involved in host cell invasion. Our study demonstrated that replacing the Asp+2
      present in Lpl8 with a Ser enhances its release into the supernatant. However,
      there is no different release of Asp+2 and Ser+2 in mprF mutant that lacks the
      positive charge of lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (Lys-PG). Moreover, substitution of
      Ser+2 by Asp in SitC (MntC) did not lead to a decreased release indicating that
      in staphylococci positions +3 and +4 might also be important for a tighter
      anchoring of Lpp. Here, we show that Asp in position +2 and adjacent amino acids
      contribute in tightening the anchoring of Lpp by interaction of the negative
      charged Asp with the positive charged Lys-PG.

PMID- 28901673
TI  - Catanionic Coacervate Droplets as a Surfactant-Based Membrane-Free Protocell
      Model.
AB  - We report on the formation of surfactant-based complex catanionic coacervate
      droplets in mixtures of decanoic acid and cetylpyridinium chloride or
      cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. We show that coacervation occurs over a broad
      range of composition, pH, and ionic strength. The catanionic coacervates consist
      of elongated micelles, sequester a wide range of solutes including water-soluble
      organic dyes, polysaccharides, proteins, enzymes, and DNA, and can be
      structurally stabilized by sodium alginate or gelatin-based hydrogelation. These
      results suggest that catanionic coacervates could be exploited as a novel
      surfactant-based membrane-free protocell model.

PMID- 28901674
TI  - Atrial fibrillation is associated with cognitive decline in stroke-free subjects:
      the Tromso Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown associations between atrial
      fibrillation (AF) and cognitive decline. We investigated this association in a
      prospective population study, focusing on whether stroke risk factors modulated
      this association in stroke-free women and men. METHODS: We included 4983
      participants (57% women) from the fifth survey of the Tromso Study (Tromso 5,
      2001), of whom 2491 also participated in the sixth survey (Tromso 6, 2007-2008).
      Information about age, education, blood pressure, body mass index, lipids,
      smoking, coffee consumption, physical activity, depression, coronary and valvular
      heart disease, heart failure and diabetes was obtained at baseline. AF status was
      based on hospital records. The outcome was change in cognitive score from Tromso
      5 to Tromso 6, measured by the verbal memory test, the digit-symbol coding test
      and the tapping test. RESULTS: Mean age at baseline was 65.4 years. The mean
      reduction in the tapping test scores was significantly larger in participants
      with AF (5.3 taps/10 s; 95% CI: 3.9, 6.7) compared with those without AF (3.8
      taps/10 s; 95% CI: 3.5, 4.1). These estimates were unchanged when adjusted for
      other risk factors and were similar for both sexes. AF was not associated with
      change in the digit-symbol coding or the verbal memory tests. CONCLUSION: Atrial
      fibrillation in stroke-free participants was independently associated with
      cognitive decline as measured with the tapping test.

PMID- 28901675
TI  - Sudden cardiac death in isolated right ventricular
      hypertrabeculation/noncompaction cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Hypertrabeculation/noncompaction of the myocardium is a rare disorder that
      involves most commonly the left ventricle of the heart and it has been recognized
      as a distinct cardiomyopathy by the World Health Organization. However, it is
      extremely rare for this condition to involve exclusively the right ventricle. We
      report the cases of three patients who presented with ventricular tachyarrhythmia
      and sudden cardiac death. They were found to have isolated right ventricular
      hypertrabeculation/noncompaction on echocardiography. This supports the
      hypothesis that this condition is highly arrhythmogenic and is associated with
      high mortality similarly to the left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction
      cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 28901676
TI  - Neural mechanisms of motion perceptual learning in noise.
AB  - Practice improves our perceptual ability. However, the neural mechanisms
      underlying this experience-dependent plasticity in adult brain remain unclear.
      Here, we studied the long-term neural correlates of motion perceptual learning.
      Subjects' behavioral performance and BOLD signals were tracked before,
      immediately after, and 2 weeks after practicing a motion direction discrimination
      task in noise over six daily sessions. Parallel to the specificity and
      persistency of the behavioral learning effect, we found that training sharpened
      the cortical tuning in MT, and enhanced the connectivity strength from MT to the
      intraparietal sulcus (IPS, a motion decision-making area). In addition, the
      decoding accuracy for the trained motion direction was improved in IPS 2 weeks
      after training. The dual changes in the sensory and the high-level cortical areas
      suggest that learning refines the neural representation of the trained stimulus
      and facilitates the information transmission in the decision process. Our
      findings are consistent with the functional specialization in the visual cortex,
      and provide empirical evidence to the reweighting theory of perceptual learning
      at a large spatial scale. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6029-6042, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28901677
TI  - Natriuretic peptides in the control of lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
AB  - Natriuretic peptides have long been known for their cardiovascular function.
      However, a growing body of evidence emphasizes the role of natriuretic peptides
      in human substrate and energy metabolism, thereby connecting the heart with
      several insulin-sensitive organs like adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and liver.
      Obesity may be associated with an impaired regulation of the natriuretic peptide
      system, also indicated as a natriuretic handicap. Evidence points towards a
      contribution of this natriuretic handicap to the development of obesity, type 2
      diabetes mellitus and cardiometabolic complications, although the causal
      relationship is not fully understood. Nevertheless, targeting the natriuretic
      peptide pathway may improve metabolic health in obesity and type 2 diabetes
      mellitus. This review will focus on current literature regarding the metabolic
      roles of natriuretic peptides with emphasis on lipid metabolism and insulin
      sensitivity. Furthermore, it will be discussed how exercise and lifestyle
      intervention may modulate the natriuretic peptide-related metabolic effects.

PMID- 28901678
TI  - Improving Inhibitory Control Abilities (ImpulsE)-A Promising Approach to Treat
      Impulsive Eating?
AB  - Although there is preliminary evidence that inhibitory control training improves
      impulsive eating, less is known about the effects on eating behaviour and weight
      loss in clinical samples. Sixty-nine treatment-seeking adults with obesity (binge
      eating disorder 33.3%; other specific feeding and eating disorders 40.6%) were
      randomly blockwise allocated to ImpulsE, an intervention to improve inhibitory
      control and emotion regulation abilities or a guideline-appropriate cognitive
      behavioural therapy (CBT)-based treatment as usual. Self-reported and performance
      based impulsivity, eating disorder pathology and BMI were compared at baseline
      (T1), post-treatment (T2) and 1- or 3-month follow-up. ImpulsE led to better food
      specific inhibition performance (p = .004), but groups did not differ regarding
      improvements in global Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) score at
      T2. At 3-month follow-up, binge eaters benefited most from ImpulsE (p = .028) and
      completers of ImpulsE demonstrated a significantly greater weight reduction (p =
      .030). The current findings propose ImpulsE as a promising approach to treat
      obesity, illustrating acceptability and additional benefits for course of weight.
      Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

PMID- 28901679
TI  - Laser-Initiated Radical Trifluoromethylation of Peptides and Proteins:
      Application to Mass-Spectrometry-Based Protein Footprinting.
AB  - Described is a novel, laser-initiated radical trifluoromethylation for protein
      footprinting and its broad residue coverage. . CF3 reacts with 18 of the 20
      common amino acids, including Gly, Ala, Ser, Thr, Asp, and Glu, which are
      relatively silent with regard to . OH. This new approach to footprinting is a
      bridge between trifluoromethylation in materials and medicinal chemistry and
      structural biology and biotechnology. Its application to a membrane protein and
      to myoglobin show that the approach is sensitive to protein conformational change
      and solvent accessibility.

PMID- 28901680
TI  - Evaluation of polyacrylonitrile electrospun nano-fibrous mats as leukocyte
      removal filter media.
AB  - Removal of leukocytes from blood products is the most effective means for
      elimination of undesirable side effects and prevention of possible reactions in
      recipients. Micro-fibrous mats are currently used for removal of leukocytes from
      blood. In this study, samples of electrospun nano-fibrous mats were produced. The
      performance of the produced electrospun nano-fibrous mats as means of leukocytes
      removal from fresh whole blood was both evaluated and compared with that of
      commercially available micro-fibrous mats. In order to produce the samples,
      polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nano-fibrous mats were made under different
      electrospinning conditions. Mean fiber diameter, pore characterization and
      surface roughness of the PAN nano-fibrous mats were determined using image
      processing technique. In order to evaluate the surface tension of the fabricated
      mats, water contact angle was measured. The leukocyte removal performance,
      erythrocytes recovery percent and hemolysis rate of the nano-fibrous mats were
      compared. The effectiveness of nano-fibrous mats in removing leukocyte was
      established using both scanning electron microscope and optical microscope.
      Results showed that for given weight, the fabricated nano-fibrous mats were not
      only more efficient but also more cost-effective than their commercial
      counterparts. Results confirmed that changes in mean fiber diameter, the number
      of layer and weight of each layer in the absence of any chemical reaction or
      physical surface modification, the fabricated nano-fibrous mats were able to
      remove 5-log of leukocytes. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res
      Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1759-1769, 2018.

PMID- 28901682
TI  - Referral population studies underestimate differences between human
      papillomavirus assays in primary cervical screening.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We studied how representative cytologically abnormal women ("referral
      populations") are with respect to uncovering differences between human
      papillomavirus (HPV) assays in the primary screening where most women are
      cytologically normal. METHODS: A total of 4997 women were tested with SurePath(r)
      cytology, and Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2), cobas, CLART and APTIMA HPV assays. Women
      with positive test results were offered a follow-up. For all detected HPV
      infections and HPV-positive high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
      (>=CIN2), we studied the distributions of assay-specific signal strengths in the
      baseline samples as documented by the assays' automatically generated reports. We
      calculated the likelihood of test result discordance as the proportion of HPV
      positive samples that were not confirmed by all four assays. RESULTS: Median
      signal strengths for HPV infections were weaker in normal than abnormal cytology
      (P<.001, adjusted for women's age, multiple infections and the reason for taking
      the sample). For HC2, they were RLU/CO 11.0 (interquartile range, IQR: 3.3-52.8)
      vs 124.2 (IQR: 22.8-506.9), respectively; for cobas, Ct 33.5 (IQR: 29.6-37.5) vs
      26.9 (IQR: 23.7-31.3), respectively; for APTIMA, S/CO 10.2 (IQR: 5.8-11.3) vs
      11.1 (IQR: 9.4-15.5), respectively. Similar patterns were observed for HPV
      positive >=CIN2. The four HPV assays more frequently returned discordant test
      results in normal than in abnormal cytology. Relative frequency of discordance in
      detecting HPV infections was 0.39 (95% confidence interval: 0.33-0.48) for
      abnormal vs normal cytology. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that referral
      population studies, by not including sufficient numbers of cytology normal women,
      underestimate the differences between HPV assays that would become apparent in
      primary screening.

PMID- 28901681
TI  - A VIGS screen identifies immunity in the Arabidopsis Pla-1 accession to viruses
      in two different genera of the Geminiviridae.
AB  - Geminiviruses are DNA viruses that cause severe crop losses in different parts of
      the world, and there is a need for genetic sources of resistance to help combat
      them. Arabidopsis has been used as a source for virus-resistant genes that derive
      from alterations in essential host factors. We used a virus-induced gene
      silencing (VIGS) vector derived from the geminivirus Cabbage leaf curl virus
      (CaLCuV) to assess natural variation in virus-host interactions in 190
      Arabidopsis accessions. Silencing of CH-42, encoding a protein needed to make
      chlorophyll, was used as a visible marker to discriminate asymptomatic accessions
      from those showing resistance. There was a wide range in symptom severity and
      extent of silencing in different accessions, but two correlations could be made.
      Lines with severe symptoms uniformly lacked extensive VIGS, and lines that showed
      attenuated symptoms over time (recovery) showed a concomitant increase in the
      extent of VIGS. One accession, Pla-1, lacked both symptoms and silencing, and was
      immune to wild-type infectious clones corresponding to CaLCuV or Beet curly top
      virus (BCTV), which are classified in different genera in the Geminiviridae. It
      also showed resistance to the agronomically important Tomato yellow leaf curl
      virus (TYLCV). Quantitative trait locus mapping of a Pla-1 X Col-0 F2 population
      was used to detect a major peak on chromosome 1, which is designated gip-1
      (geminivirus immunity Pla-1-1). The recessive nature of resistance to CaLCuV and
      the lack of obvious candidate genes near the gip-1 locus suggest that a novel
      resistance gene(s) confers immunity.

PMID- 28901684
TI  - Comparison of initial patient setup accuracy between surface imaging and three
      point localization: A retrospective analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Historically, the process of positioning a patient prior to imaging
      verification used a set of permanent patient marks, or tattoos, placed
      subcutaneously. After aligning to these tattoos, plan specific shifts are applied
      and the position is verified with imaging, such as cone-beam computed tomography
      (CBCT). Due to a variety of factors, these marks may deviate from the desired
      position or it may be hard to align the patient to these marks. Surface-based
      imaging systems are an alternative method of verifying initial positioning with
      the entire skin surface instead of tattoos. The aim of this study was to
      retrospectively compare the CBCT-based 3D corrections of patients initially
      positioned with tattoos against those positioned with the C-RAD CatalystHD
      surface imager system. METHODS: A total of 6000 individual fractions (600-900 per
      site per method) were randomly selected and the post-CBCT 3D corrections were
      calculated and recorded. For both positioning methods, four common treatment site
      combinations were evaluated: pelvis/lower extremities, abdomen, chest/upper
      extremities, and breast. Statistical differences were evaluated using a paired
      sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test with significance level of <0.01. RESULTS: The
      average magnitudes of the 3D shift vectors for tattoos were 0.9 +/- 0.4 cm, 1.0
      +/- 0.5 cm, 0.9 +/- 0.6 cm and 1.4 +/- 0.7 cm for the pelvis/lower extremities,
      abdomen, chest/upper extremities and breast, respectively. For the CatalystHD,
      the average magnitude of the 3D shifts for the pelvis/lower extremities, abdomen,
      chest/upper extremities and breast were 0.6 +/- 0.3 cm, 0.5 +/- 0.3 cm, 0.5 +/-
      0.3 cm and 0.6 +/- 0.2 cm, respectively. Statistically significant differences (P
      < 0.01) in the 3D shift vectors were found for all four sites. CONCLUSION: This
      study shows that the overall 3D shift corrections for patients initially aligned
      with the C-RAD CatalystHD were significantly smaller than those aligned with
      subcutaneous tattoos. Surface imaging systems can be considered a viable option
      for initial patient setup and may be preferable to permanent marks for specific
      clinics and patients.

PMID- 28901685
TI  - Diagnostic performance of CT, gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI, and PET/CT for
      the diagnosis of colorectal liver metastasis: Systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Imaging studies, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET), have an
      essential role in the detection and localization of colorectal liver metastasis
      (CRLM). PURPOSE: To systematically determine the diagnostic accuracy of
      multidetector row CT (MDCT), gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI, and PET/CT for
      diagnosing CRLM and the sources of heterogeneity between the reported results.
      STUDY TYPE: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SUBJECTS: In all, 2151 lesions
      in CT studies, 2301 lesions in MRI studies, 1846 lesions in PET/CT studies, FIELD
      STRENGTH: 1.5T and 3.0T. ASSESSMENT: We identified research studies that
      investigated MDCT, gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI, and PET/CT to diagnose CRLM
      by performing a systematic search of PubMed MEDLINE and EMBASE. Study quality was
      assessed using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2).
      STATISTICAL TESTS: According to the types of imaging tests, study heterogeneity
      and the threshold effect were analyzed and the meta-analytic summary of
      sensitivity and specificity were estimated. Meta-regression analysis was
      performed to further investigate study heterogeneity. RESULTS: Of the 860
      articles screened, we found 36 studies from 24 articles reporting a diagnosis of
      CRLM (11 CT studies, 12 MRI studies, and 13 PET/CT studies). The meta-analytic
      summary sensitivity for CT, MRI, and PET/CT were 82.1% (95% confidence interval
      [CI], 74.0-88.1%), 93.1% (95% CI, 88.4-96.0%), and 74.1% (95% CI, 62.1-83.3%),
      respectively. The meta-analytic summary specificity for CT, MRI, and PET/CT were
      73.5% (95% CI, 53.7-86.9%), 87.3% (95% CI, 77.5-93.2%), and 93.9% (95% CI, 83.9
      97.8%), respectively. There was no threshold effect in any of the imaging tests.
      Neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly decreased the sensitivity of CT and MRI (P
      < 0.01), although it did not significantly affect the sensitivity of PET/CT. The
      study design, type of reference standard, and study quality also affected the
      diagnostic performances of imaging studies. DATA CONCLUSION: Despite the
      heterogeneous accuracy between studies, gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI showed
      the highest sensitivity, and gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI and PET/CT had
      similar specificities for diagnosing CRLM. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Technical
      Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1237-1250.

PMID- 28901686
TI  - Shifting the focus toward rare variants in schizophrenia to close the gap from
      genotype to phenotype.
AB  - Schizophrenia (SZ) is a disorder with a high heritability and a complex
      architecture. Several dozen genetic variants have been identified as risk factors
      through genome-wide association studies including large population-based samples.
      However, the bulk of the risk cannot be accounted for by the genes associated to
      date. Rare mutations have been historically seen as relevant only for some
      infrequent, Mendelian forms of psychosis. Recent findings, however, show that the
      subset of patients that present a mutation with major effect is larger than
      expected. We discuss some of the molecular findings of these studies. SZ is
      clinically and genetically heterogeneous. To identify the genetic variation
      underlying the disorder, research should be focused on features that are more
      likely a product of genetic heterogeneity. Based on the phenotypical correlations
      with rare variants, cognition emerges as a relevant domain to study. Cognitive
      disturbances could be useful in selecting cases that have a higher probability of
      carrying deleterious mutations, as well as on the correct ascertainment of
      sporadic cases for the identification of de novo variants.

PMID- 28901687
TI  - Treatment of multiple maxillary adjacent class I and II gingival recessions with
      modified coronally advanced tunnel and a new xenogeneic acellular dermal matrix.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment of maxillary Miller Class I and II multiple
      adjacent gingival recessions using the modified coronally advanced tunnel
      technique (MCAT) combined with a new porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve patients exhibiting at least six adjacent maxillary
      Miller Class I and II gingival recessions were consecutively treated by means of
      MCAT and a PADM. Recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), probing pocket depth
      (PD), keratinized tissue height (KT), clinical attachment level (CAL), mean root
      coverage (RC), and complete root coverage (CRC) were recorded. RESULTS: At 12
      months, CRC was obtained in 43% of the 100 gingival recessions, while the mean RC
      measured 84.35%. Mean RD reduction was 3.16 +/- 0.75 mm (P < 0.001), mean RW
      reduction was 1.73 +/- 0.65 mm (P < 0.001), while the gain of CAL was 3.26 +/-
      1.33 mm (P < 0.001). All patients were satisfied with the esthetic appearance and
      would undergo the same surgery again. CONCLUSION: Within their limits, the
      present results indicate that treatment of Miller Class I and II multiple
      gingival recessions using PADM in conjunction with the MCAT could be successfully
      used as an alternative to connective tissue grafts, with the advantage of
      avoiding the discomfort and morbidity of connective tissue harvesting. CLINICAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: The modified coronally advanced tunnel technique using the new
      porcine acellular dermal matrix represents a clinically and esthetically
      satisfactory treatment of multiple Miller Class 1 and 2 recession defects.

PMID- 28901688
TI  - Poly(glycerol sebacate) combined with chondroitinase ABC promotes spinal cord
      repair in rats.
AB  - This study was to investigate the feasibility of PGS combined with ChABC for
      repairing the transection of spinal cords (TSC) in rats. A thoracic 10 (T10) TSC
      model of rats was employed. The effects of PGS with ChABC on the morphology and
      histological structure of the spinal cords, Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan (BBB)
      scores, and the expression of GAP-43 and NF-200 were comparatively studied. The
      BBB scores indicated that all rats with TSC were paralyzed immediately after
      surgery and then recovered hind limb movement gradually, but did not fully
      recover until the end of week 12. The rats treated with PGS alone, ChABC alone,
      and PGS/ChABC recovered significantly (p < 0.05) better than the control rats
      with TSC only. The PGS/ChABC treated rats recovered significantly (p < 0.05) more
      movement function than the rats treated with PGS or ChABC treated alone. The
      spinal cords in the control rats showed lusterless surfaces, big holes, and big
      scars; in both PGS rats and ChABC rats showed lucent surfaces, small holes, and
      small scars; in PGS/ChABC rats showed the best. The expression of GAP-43 and NF
      200 in the TSC region was hardly detected in the control rats, moderately
      detected in PGS or ChABC rats, and highly detected in PGS/ChABC rats. In
      conclusion, both PGS and ChABC alone could promote nerve regeneration and
      partially recover the movement function in TSC rats. A combination of PGS and
      ChABC resulted in augmented nerve regeneration and functional recovery. (c) 2017
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1770
      1777, 2018.

PMID- 28901689
TI  - Prevascularization of 3D printed bone scaffolds by bioactive hydrogels and cell
      co-culture.
AB  - Vascularization is a fundamental prerequisite for large bone construct
      development and remains one of the main challenges of bone tissue engineering.
      Our current study presents the combination of 3D printing technique with a
      hydrogel-based prevascularization strategy to generate prevascularized bone
      constructs. Human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) and human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were encapsulated within our bioactive
      hydrogels, and the effects of culture conditions on in vitro vascularization were
      determined. We further generated composite constructs by forming 3D printed
      polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds coated with cell-laden hydrogels and
      determined how the co-culture affected vascularization and osteogenesis. It was
      demonstrated that 3D co-cultured ADMSC-HUVEC generated capillary-like networks
      within the porous 3D printed scaffold. The co-culture systems promoted in vitro
      vascularization, but had no significant effects on osteogenesis. The
      prevascularized constructs were subcutaneously implanted into nude mice to
      evaluate the in vivo vascularization capacity and the functionality of engineered
      vessels. The hydrogel systems facilitated microvessel and lumen formation and
      promoted anastomosis of vascular networks of human origin with host murine
      vasculature. These findings demonstrate the potential of prevascularized 3D
      printed scaffolds with anatomical shape for the healing of larger bone defects.
      (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B:
      1788-1798, 2018.

PMID- 28901690
TI  - Hypothenar hammer syndrome in an office worker.
AB  - Hypothenar hammer syndrome (HHS) is an uncommon cause of unilateral Raynaud's
      phenomenon, splinter haemorrhages and hypothenar weakness. The typical patient is
      a male blue-collar worker who uses their hypothenar eminence to hammer objects as
      part of their work. The distal ulnar artery beyond Guyon's canal is superficial
      and vulnerable to blunt trauma. CTA and MRA are common initial investigations and
      can suggest the diagnosis. DSA is the gold standard imaging modality and offers
      therapeutic opportunities. Management is controversial, but unless there is
      critical digital ischaemia, conservative treatment is first line.

PMID- 28901691
TI  - Psychodynamic day treatment programme for patients with schizophrenia spectrum
      disorders: Dynamics and predictors of therapeutic change.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test whether a psychodynamically
      based group psychotherapeutic programme might improve symptoms, social functions,
      or quality of life in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and to
      investigate factors that might predict clinical improvement or dropouts from the
      programme. DESIGN: A quantitative prospective cohort study. METHODS: We have
      investigated 81 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders who participated
      in a 9-month psychodynamically based psychotherapeutic day programme. The
      patients were assessed at the beginning and end of the programme, and then at 1
      year follow-up. The assessment included psychotic manifestations (HoNOS), quality
      of life (WHOQOL-BREF), demographic data, and daily doses of medication. 21
      patients dropped out from the programme, and 46 patients succeeded in undergoing
      follow-up assessment. RESULTS: The psychotic manifestations (self-rating version
      of HoNOS) and quality of life measured with WHOQOL-BREF (domains of social
      relationships and environment) were significantly improved at the end of the
      programme and at follow-up. However, the manifestations on the version for
      external evaluators of HoNOS were improved only at follow-up. Years of
      psychiatric treatment, number of hospitalizations or suicide attempts, and
      experience of relationships with a partner were negatively related to clinical
      improvement, whereas symptom severity, current working, or study activities were
      related positively. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that a group psychodynamic
      programme may improve the clinical status and quality of life of patients with
      schizophrenia spectrum disorders. This type of programme is more beneficial for
      patients with higher pre-treatment symptom severity and the presence of working
      or study activities. PRACTITIONER POINTS: A psychodynamically based group
      programme improves the clinical status and quality of life in patients with
      schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Data indicate that changes on the subjective
      level are detectable by the end of the programme, while changes on the objective
      level are detectable at follow-up assessment. Symptom severity and working or
      study activities are positively related to the clinical improvement in this type
      of programme, while a high number of years in psychiatric treatment or
      psychiatric hospitalizations are negatively related. The doses of medication
      (antipsychotics or antidepressants) show no significant relationship to clinical
      improvement.

PMID- 28901693
TI  - Prevention of Early-onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease: Green-top
      Guideline No. 36.

PMID- 28901694
TI  - The role of cognitive biases in short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy.
AB  - : The concept of biased thinking - or cognitive biases - is relevant to
      psychotherapy research and clinical conceptualization, beyond cognitive theories.
      The present naturalistic study aimed to examine the changes in biased thinking
      over the course of a short-term dynamic psychotherapy (STDP) and to discover
      potential links between these changes and symptomatic improvement. This study
      focuses on 32 self-referred patients consulting for Adjustment Disorder according
      to DSM-IV-TR. The therapists were experienced psychodynamically oriented
      psychiatrists and psychotherapists. Coding of cognitive biases (using the
      Cognitive Errors Rating Scale; CERS) was made by external raters based on
      transcripts of interviews of psychotherapy; the reliability of these ratings on a
      randomly chosen 24% of all sessions was established. Based on the Symptom Check
      List SCL-90-R given before and after, the Reliable Change Index (RCI) was used.
      The assessment of cognitive errors was done at three time points: early (session
      4-7), mid-treatment (session 12-17), and close to the end (after session 20) of
      the treatment. The results showed that the total frequency of cognitive biases
      was stable over time (p = .20), which was true both for positive and for negative
      cognitive biases. In exploring the three main subscales of the CERS, we found a
      decrease in selective abstraction (p = .02) and an increase in personalization (p
      = .05). A significant link between RCI scores (outcome) and frequency of positive
      cognitive biases was found, suggesting that biases towards the positive might
      have a protective function in psychotherapy. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Therapists may
      be attentive to changes in biased thinking across short-term dynamic
      psychotherapy for adjustment disorder. Therapists may foster the emergence of
      positive cognitive biases at mid-treatment for adjustment disorder.

PMID- 28901692
TI  - Synthesis and Multiple Incorporations of 2'-O-Methyl-5-hydroxymethylcytidine, 5
      Hydroxymethylcytidine and 5-Formylcytidine Monomers into RNA Oligonucleotides.
AB  - The synthesis of 2'-O-methyl-5-hydroxymethylcytidine (hm5 Cm), 5
      hydroxymethylcytidine (hm5 C) and 5-formylcytidine (f5 C) phosphoramidite
      monomers has been developed. Optimisation of mild post-synthetic deprotection
      conditions enabled the synthesis of RNA containing all four naturally occurring
      cytosine modifications (hm5 Cm, hm5 C, f5 C plus 5-methylcytosine). Given the
      considerable interest in RNA modifications and epitranscriptomics, the
      availability of synthetic monomers and RNAs containing these modifications will
      be valuable for elucidating their biological function(s).

PMID- 28901695
TI  - Vitamin D: Australian dietitian's knowledge and practices.
AB  - AIM: To survey dietitians on their knowledge and practices regarding vitamin D
      (VitD) intake, sources, supplementation and effect on disease state. METHODS: An
      online survey was disseminated to members of the Dietitian Association Australia
      via the weekly online state newsletter during April 2015. Response rate was 3%,
      with 134 respondents completing the survey. The survey included questions about
      knowledge and current practices. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the
      results. RESULTS: Dietitians have good knowledge regarding dietary sources of
      VitD and roles in the body, but there is confusion around supplement doses for
      treatment and prevention of deficiency and sun exposure guidelines. CONCLUSIONS:
      Dietitians are well positioned to provide patients with advice on VitD
      supplementation and sun exposure practices, but not all are confident to provide
      this care. There is a need for clear and well-disseminated guidelines for VitD
      management by dietitians.

PMID- 28901696
TI  - Creating the dietitians of the future.

PMID- 28901697
TI  - Qualitative study of patients and health-care professionals' views on the
      efficacy of the nutrition as medication oral nutrition supplement program.
AB  - AIM: The use of concentrated oral nutrition supplements dispensed in small
      volumes throughout the day at medication rounds is a common nutrition support
      strategy. Often termed 'Nutrition as Medication' or NAM, it is associated with
      excellent rates of patient consumption. However, administration of NAM has been
      described as suboptimal. The aim of the present study was to identify and explore
      factors influencing the efficacy of the NAM program from a qualitative
      perspective. This included exploring issues relating to knowledge, administration
      and patient consumption from a patient and health professional perspective.
      METHODS: Semistructured interviews with patients (n = 7) and eight focus groups
      with nursing, medical, pharmacy and dietetic staff (n = 63) were conducted.
      Interviews were conducted in the workplace and were recorded and transcribed
      verbatim. Data were analysed from a realist theoretical position using the
      thematic framework approach. RESULTS: Five themes were identified that impact on
      the efficacy of the NAM program. These include the need for clear role
      delineation among health professionals regarding responsibility for each aspect
      of NAM. Other themes that emerged included misconceptions about the importance
      and relevance of the treatment; perceptions of poor palatability and issues
      associated with the logistics of providing the supplements within the hospital
      setting. CONCLUSIONS: Dietitians should be aware that there are a range of
      factors that influence the efficacy of the NAM strategy, including the knowledge
      and values of individual health professional staff. In addition, increased
      awareness is required by dietitians regarding the structural barriers to
      administration and receiving of NAM at the ward level.

PMID- 28901698
TI  - Online training introduces a novel approach to the Dietetic Care Process
      documentation.
AB  - AIM: Nutrition professionals in Israel are developing a system to document the
      Dietetic Care Process (DCP) tailored for specific patient sectors and compliant
      with national health guidelines. The ultimate goal is to achieve uniform
      documentation and improve nutrition care. Israeli dietetic practitioners work in
      specific patient sectors; therefore, a patient population-specific reporting
      system is proposed instead of the typical singular format applied across all
      patient populations. The purpose of this project was to evaluate learning
      outcomes and attitudes among registered dietitians (RDs) after online training of
      a novel DCP documentation system. METHODS: A total of 80 Israeli RDs working in
      geriatric practice completed an eight-week online educational program learning
      documentation that is compatible for use with electronic health records and
      compliant with Israeli standards of practice. A paired sample t-test and McNemar
      test were used to analyse pre- to post-test performance, while Pearson's r, point
      biserial, Spearman's and ANOVA were used to assess relationships among variables.
      RESULTS: Post-test knowledge scores increased significantly, t (67)  = -9.007, P
      = 0.000; 95% CI (-26.713, -17.019). Age, education, geographic location and
      previous experience with online courses were not correlated with academic
      performance, suggesting that demographic characteristics did not impact training.
      Overall, RDs (>80%) responded positively to the training model and were highly
      interested in future proficiency online learning opportunities (98%).
      CONCLUSIONS: A sectoral DCP online training program significantly improved
      knowledge and was rated favourably by Israeli RDs. DCP training for clinical
      practitioners may be optimised when standardised nutrition care and reporting
      systems are adapted to specific patient populations.

PMID- 28901699
TI  - Attitudes towards and experiences with research: Differences between dietetics
      students and professionals in Australia and the United States.
AB  - AIM: Research conducted by dietitians is encouraged by national and international
      organisations, yet research output remains low. The attitudes towards and
      experiences with research and research methods course work of students and
      practitioners in Australia and the United States were examined. METHODS: A cross
      sectional online survey was conducted. Participants were contacted by email; 173
      Australian (N = 50 students; 123 practitioners) and 499 US (N = 231 students; 268
      practitioners) respondents completed the survey. RESULTS: A smaller proportion of
      American students (74%) indicated that they would consider conducting research in
      the future compared to Australian students (84%) (P < 0.001). More Australian
      than American practitioners indicated interest in conducting research in their
      current position (87% vs 66%; P < 0.001). Research training did not increase
      future research plans, but respondents who had conducted research either as a
      student or at work responded more favourably to conducting research in the future
      (P < 0.001). In general, Australian respondents were more supportive of and more
      experienced with research. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike classroom training, past research
      experiences supported plans for future research. Further work needs to
      investigate how the culture of the profession can be changed to support more
      dietitian-conducted research.

PMID- 28901700
TI  - Successful long-term maintenance following Nutrition Care Process Terminology
      implementation across a state-wide health-care system.
AB  - AIM: Three years following a state-wide Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT)
      implementation project, the present study aimed to (i) assess changes in NCPT
      knowledge and attitudes, (ii) identify implementation barriers and enablers and
      (iii) seek managers' opinions post-implementation. METHODS: Pre-implementation
      and three years post-implementation, all Queensland Government hospitals state
      wide were invited to repeat a validated NCPT survey. Additionally, a separate
      survey sought dietetic managers' opinions regarding NCPT's use and acceptance,
      usefulness for patient care, role in service planning and continued use. RESULTS:
      A total of 238 dietitians completed the survey in 2011 and 82 dietitians in 2014.
      Use of diagnostic statement in the previous six months improved (P < 0.001).
      Perceptions of NCPT's importance (P < 0.020) and benefits of incorporating NCPT
      into practice (P = 0.029) increased. Time to complete NCPT documentation (P <
      0.013) and access to mentors decreased (P < 0.001). Other areas including
      enhanced attitudes, familiarity, confidence, views, knowledge and incorporation
      into practice were sustained (P > 0.05). Key elements in sustaining NCPT
      implementation over three years included ongoing management support,
      workshops/tutorials, discussion and mentor and peer support. The most valued
      resources were pocket guides, ongoing workshops/tutorials and mentor support.
      Dietetic managers held many positive NCPT views, however, opinions differed
      around the usefulness of service planning, safer practice, improving patient care
      and facilitating communication. Some managers would not support NCPT unless it
      was recommended for practice. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate improvements following the
      NCPT implementation project were sustained over three years. Moving forward, a
      professional focus on continuing to incorporate NCPT into standard practice will
      provide structure for process and outcomes assessment.

PMID- 28901701
TI  - Exploring extended scope of practice in dietetics: A systems approach.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to explore health professionals' perceptions of an
      extended scope of a practice clinic, and develop a framework using a systems
      approach to facilitate extended scope models across various health settings.
      METHODS: A qualitative investigation using semi-structured interviews with four
      health professionals involved in an extended scope dietitian-led gastroenterology
      clinic in a hospital in regional Queensland was conducted. A case study design
      was utilised to investigate interviewees' perceptions of the clinic. Participants
      were conveniently, purposively sampled. Transcript analysis involved a
      descriptive analytical approach. Interviewee responses were coded and categorised
      into themes, and investigator triangulation was used to ensure consistency
      between individual analyses. A secondary interpretative analysis was conducted
      where relationships between key themes were mapped to the Systems Engineering
      Initiative for Patient Safety work system model. RESULTS: Interviewees identified
      various factors as vital inputs to the work system. These were categorised into
      the four key elements: stakeholder support, resources, planning and the
      dietitian. Clinic outcomes were categorised into the impact on four key groups:
      patients, the dietitian, the multidisciplinary team and the health system.
      Mapping of the relationships between inputs and outcomes resulted in an
      implementation framework for extended scope of practice. CONCLUSIONS: Extended
      scope of practice in dietetics may provide positive outcomes for various
      stakeholders. However, further development of extended scope roles for dietitians
      requires increased advocacy and support from governments, professional bodies,
      training institutions and dietitians. We have developed an implementation
      framework which can be utilised by health professionals interested in embracing
      an extended scope model of care.

PMID- 28901702
TI  - Eating attitudes and behaviours of students enrolled in undergraduate nutrition
      and dietetics degrees.
AB  - AIM: The prevalence of disordered eating has been frequently reported in
      university students; however, the prevalence amongst Australian undergraduate
      students studying degrees with a focus on nutrition is uncertain. The aims of
      this study were to: (i) assess eating attitudes and behaviours of students
      enrolled in nutrition and dietetics, (ii) compare those to students enrolled in
      another health degree of occupational therapy (OT) and (iii) explore possible
      relationships between eating attitudes and behaviours and other characteristics
      of both cohorts. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study investigated
      self-reported anthropometric characteristics, eating attitudes and behaviours and
      self-esteem using a series of questionnaires. RESULTS: Participants included 137
      students (119 females, 18 males) with a mean age of 27.1 +/- 8.7 years. Fourteen
      percent of nutrition and dietetics and 11% of OT students had disordered eating
      attitudes scores that were symptomatic of an eating disorder. Mean eating
      attitude scores did not differ between the degrees of study. Students in
      nutrition and dietetics showed significantly higher levels of cognitive restraint
      and less emotional eating than OT students. Enrolment in the first year of study
      was the strongest predictor of symptomatic eating attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings support previously expressed concern about presence of disordered eating
      in nutrition and dietetics undergraduates. Collaboratively developed support
      mechanisms for preventing and managing disordered relationships with food would
      be of benefit to students enrolled in nutrition degrees to ensure ongoing
      professional integrity.

PMID- 28901703
TI  - Development of a structured diabetes self-management education program specific
      to the cultural and ethnic population of New Zealand.
AB  - AIM: To develop and pilot a diabetes self-management education (DSME) program
      specific to the needs of New Zealanders with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
      METHODS: There were two parts in the present study. The first was the development
      of the program. This involved a literature review, consultation with end-user
      groups and drafting the content of the program. In the second part, the program
      was tested and modified according to feedback provided by both participants and
      facilitators. RESULTS: The present study achieved its primary goal of developing,
      piloting and modifying a DSME program specific to the New Zealand population. The
      DSME program was developed using concepts and content of international DSME
      programs. The content and concept was extensively tested via discussion groups
      with 71 individuals with T2DM and practice nurses to ensure the program met the
      unique cultural needs of New Zealanders with T2DM. Twenty-seven participants with
      T2DM were recruited into the pilot, of which 13 attended four of six sessions.
      Feedback from participants, observing nurses and facilitators was incorporated
      into the final program. CONCLUSIONS: DSME programs are an effective vehicle for
      providing individuals with T2DM the initial information and support to start self
      managing their diabetes. However, to ensure DSME programs help individuals with
      the highest rates of diabetes and diabetes-related complications, it is important
      end-users participate in the development of the program. This DSME program now
      requires longitudinal trial to determine if in the New Zealand context it is able
      generate the same improvements in both clinical and qualitative outcomes as seen
      in similar international programs.

PMID- 28901704
TI  - Audit of the dietetic care of patients with type 1 diabetes at a large Australian
      paediatric tertiary hospital and comparison with the International Society for
      Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes nutrition guidelines.
AB  - AIM: Optimal glycaemic control is important in children and adolescents with type
      1 diabetes (T1D) to reduce the risk of developing microvascular complications.
      Modest reductions in HbA1c translate to significant risk reductions of these
      complications. Research indicates that targeted dietetic care using evidence
      based guidelines improves HbA1c levels. The aim of this study was to audit the
      dietetic care provided to patients with T1D at the Women's and Children's
      Hospital (WCH) and compare the service provided to the International Society for
      Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) nutrition guidelines. METHODS: A
      retrospective medical records audit of the dietetic service was conducted on 410
      (99% of eligible) patients who attended the WCH Diabetes Outpatient Clinic
      between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2013. These data were then compared to the
      ISPAD nutrition guidelines, with a focus on the key service delivery targets.
      RESULTS: Of the newly diagnosed patients (n = 128), 100% received initial dietary
      advice by a paediatric diabetes dietitian; 61% of these patients then received a
      follow-up appointment within one month of diagnosis. Of those who were >1 year
      post-diagnosis (n = 389), only 6% were seen annually; 79% of patients were
      identified with a condition requiring more frequent review, of whom 23% were seen
      more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: This large and comprehensive audit, conducted for a
      3.5-year period, has shown that the dietetic care of newly diagnosed children and
      adolescents is mostly in line with ISPAD guidelines, but there is suboptimal
      follow-up after diagnosis.

PMID- 28901705
TI  - Peer-assisted learning and small-group teaching to improve practice placement
      quality and capacity in dietetics.
AB  - AIM: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has been positively evaluated during practice
      placements for medical, nursing and some allied health professional students. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate a PAL and small-group teaching model of
      dietetic practice placement education implemented in the UK setting as part of a
      quality improvement process. METHODS: A PAL placement model was adapted from a
      previously published Australian model, implemented and evaluated among dietetic
      students at King's College London and with their practice educators. Process
      evaluation with students and practice educators from PAL practice placements at
      two sites and traditional 1:1 practice placements at six sites consisted of
      weekly questionnaires and end-of-placement focus groups with 16 students and 35
      practice educators. Perceptions of the barriers, concerns and strengths of the
      novel model were identified. RESULTS: Implementing the PAL placement model at
      just two sites increased placement capacity by 12 students, a 1.3-fold increase
      across London. Students on PAL placements reported a good learning experience
      (89.3 vs 67.7%; P < 0.001) and a satisfactory workload (83.1 vs 61.3%, P = 0.005)
      more frequently than those on a traditional 1:1 placement. Practice educators
      reported significantly less time undertaking direct student supervision on PAL
      practice placements compared to 1:1 placements (153 minutes/week 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 124-183 vs 264 minutes/week 95% CI 204-324; P = 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: PAL practice placements offer potential benefits to placement
      capacity and possibly quality. The detailed evaluation will enable others to
      implement similar novel models of dietetics placements.

PMID- 28901706
TI  - Development of advanced practice competency standards for dietetics in Australia.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to explore the work roles, major tasks and core activities
      of advanced practice dietitians in Australia to define the Competency Standards
      for advanced practice. METHODS: A qualitative approach was used to review
      advanced dietetic practice in Australia involving experienced professionals,
      mostly dietitians. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 17
      participants and an average of 20 years experience: 15 dietitian practitioners
      plus 2 employers (1 dietitian and 1 non-dietitian). The focus groups explored the
      key purpose, roles and outcomes of these practitioners. Data from the focus
      groups were confirmed with in-depth interviews about their core activities with a
      purposive sample of 10 individuals recently recognised as Advanced Accredited
      Practising Dietitians. Data from both focus groups and interviews were analysed
      adductively to identify key themes. RESULTS: The key theme that emerged to define
      advanced dietetics practice was leadership, with four subthemes that described in
      more detail the major work roles and outcomes of advanced practice. These
      subthemes identified that advanced practitioners were (i) outcome-focused, having
      impact; (ii) influence others and advocate; (iii) innovate and embrace change;
      and (iv) inspire others and are recognised for their practice. These outcomes
      were conceptualised within a broad generalist framework to generate revised
      Competency Standards. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that leadership rather
      than specialist practice skills is the key determinant of advanced practice.

PMID- 28901707
TI  - Taking a systems-thinking approach to competency-based assessment for dietetics.

PMID- 28901708
TI  - Dietitians Association of Australia 33rd National Conference: Lecture in honour
      of Dr Fiona Cumming-Life, Leadership and Landing.

PMID- 28901709
TI  - Exploring subjectivity in competency-based assessment judgements of assessors.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this research was to measure variations in assessors' judgements
      of a student dietitian's performance and to explore the influence of group
      discussion on their judgements. METHODS: The assessments of a student's
      performance, as observed from a video recording of an authentic nutrition
      consultation, were measured pre- and post-group discussion by 26 experienced
      assessors using a mixed-methods questionnaire. The instrument included a
      validated 7-point visual analogue scale (VAS) rating (1 = novice; 7 = competent),
      a qualitative global description of performance and an assessor's confidence
      rating (1 = not at all confident; 10 = extremely confident). Scales were analysed
      descriptively and qualitative responses coded for key themes. RESULTS: No
      agreement was found in assessors' rating in either the pretest (median = 4, range
      = 5) or post-test (median = 4, range = 4); however, the discussion led 78% of
      participants (20/26) to change their VAS ratings (9/26) and/or confidence levels
      (16/26). Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the participants'
      global descriptions of performance: (i) discourse supports assessors to justify
      their judgements, identify assumptions and learn from the observations of others;
      (ii) discourse leads assessors to more holistic judgements; and (iii) multiple
      sources of evidence and student reflections are necessary for credible judgement.
      CONCLUSIONS: This research questions the notion that 'actual' performance can be
      objectively measured and, rather, considers assessments as 'interpretations'.
      This research calls for an integrated interpretivist student-centred approach to
      competency-based assessment.

PMID- 28901710
TI  - Reduced urothelial regeneration in rat bladders augmented with permeable porcine
      small intestinal submucosa assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - Augmentation enterocystoplasty remains the gold standard surgical bladder
      reconstruction procedure to increase the capacity and compliance of dysfunctional
      bladders. Since the use of the patient's intestine has severe risks of
      complications, alternative biodegradable matrices have been explored. Porcine
      small intestinal submucosa (SIS) has gained immense interests in bladder
      reconstruction due to its favorable properties. However, trials have shown
      inconsistent regeneration with SIS, attributed to the heterogeneity in
      microstructures and mechanical properties. We hypothesize that uneven SIS
      permeability to urine is a factor responsible for the inconsistency. We measured
      permeability to urine in situ using a contrast enhanced-magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI), and evaluated urothelium regeneration using immunohistochemical
      staining of urothelial cell markers in SIS-augmented rat bladders. Results showed
      significant differences in permeability among SIS-augmented rat bladders.
      Commercial SIS scaffolds were then categorized into nonleaky and leaky groups
      based on MRI results. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed higher numbers of
      inflammatory cells in leaky SIS on day 14 relative to nonleaky SIS. In addition,
      trichrome staining showed major changes in the distribution of collagen on day 28
      between SIS-augmented bladder groups. Furthermore, expressions of urothelium
      associated markers (cytokeratins AE1/AE3, claudin 4, and uroplakin III) were
      completed in bladders augmented with nonleaky SIS, whereas limited urothelial
      differentiation was noticed in leaky SIS-augmented bladders at post-augmentative
      day 14. These results show that scaffold permeability to urine may be responsible
      for variations in regenerative capacity of porcine SIS. Applications of MRI
      technique will be helpful to understand a relationship between biomaterial
      property and regenerative capacity. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed
      Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1778-1787, 2018.

PMID- 28901711
TI  - Learning to name smells increases activity in heteromodal semantic areas.
AB  - Semantic description of odors is a cognitively demanding task. Learning to name
      smells is, however, possible with training. This study set out to examine how
      improvement in olfactory semantic knowledge following training reorganizes the
      neural representation of smells. First, 19 nonexpert volunteers were trained for
      3 days; they were exposed (i) to odorants presented without verbal labels
      (perceptual learning) and (ii) to other odorants paired with lexicosemantic
      labels (associative learning). Second, the same participants were tested in a
      brain imaging study (fMRI) measuring hemodynamic responses to learned odors
      presented in both the perceptual and associative learning conditions. The
      lexicosemantic training enhanced the ability to describe smells semantically.
      Neurally, this change was associated with enhanced activity in a set of
      heteromodal areas-including superior frontal gyrus-and parietal areas. These
      findings demonstrate that odor-name associative learning induces recruitment of
      brain areas involved in the integration and representation of semantic attributes
      of sensory events. They also offer new insights into the brain plasticity
      underlying the acquisition of olfactory expertise in lay people. Hum Brain Mapp
      38:5958-5969, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28901712
TI  - Engineering Concepts in Stem Cell Research.
AB  - The field of regenerative medicine integrates advancements made in stem cells,
      molecular biology, engineering, and clinical methodologies. Stem cells serve as a
      fundamental ingredient for therapeutic application in regenerative medicine.
      Apart from stem cells, engineering concepts have equally contributed to the
      success of stem cell based applications in improving human health. The purpose of
      various engineering methodologies is to develop regenerative and preventive
      medicine to combat various diseases and deformities. Explosion of stem cell
      discoveries and their implementation in clinical setting warrants new engineering
      concepts and new biomaterials. Biomaterials, microfluidics, and nanotechnology
      are the major engineering concepts used for the implementation of stem cells in
      regenerative medicine. Many of these engineering technologies target the specific
      niche of the cell for better functional capability. Controlling the niche is the
      key for various developmental activities leading to organogenesis and tissue
      homeostasis. Biomimetic understanding not only helped to improve the design of
      the matrices or scaffolds by incorporating suitable biological and physical
      components, but also ultimately aided adoption of designs that helped these
      materials/devices have better function. Adoption of engineering concepts in stem
      cell research improved overall achievement, however, several important issues
      such as long-term effects with respect to systems biology needs to be addressed.
      Here, in this review the authors will highlight some interesting breakthroughs in
      stem cell biology that use engineering methodologies.

PMID- 28901714
TI  - Modular Organization of the Thermobifida fusca Exoglucanase Cel6B Impacts
      Cellulose Hydrolysis and Designer Cellulosome Efficiency.
AB  - : Cellulose deconstruction can be achieved by three distinct enzymatic paradigms:
      free enzymes, multifunctional enzymes, and self-assembled, multi-enzyme complexes
      (cellulosomes). To study their comparative efficiency, the simple and efficient
      cellulolytic system of the aerobic bacterium, Thermobifida fusca, is developed as
      an enzymatic model. In previous studies, most of its cellulases are successfully
      converted to the cellulosomal mode and exhibited high cellulolytic activities,
      except for Cel6B, a key exoglucanase of the T. fusca enzymatic system. Here, the
      impact of the modular organization of Cel6B on enzymatic activity is
      investigated. The position of the cellulose-binding module (CBM), its family and
      linker segment are shown to affect activity. Surprisingly, exchange of the native
      family-2 CBM to family-3 generates an increase in Cel6B activity on cellulosic
      substrates. Conversion of Cel6B to the cellulosomal mode by fusing a cohesin to
      the catalytic module enables formation of divalent enzyme complexes with dockerin
      bearing enzymes. The resultant pseudo-cellulosomes, containing Cel6B combined
      with endoglucanase Cel5A, exhibits enhanced enzymatic activity, compared to
      mixtures of wild-type enzymes or bifunctional enzymes, unlike similar pseudo
      cellulosomes containing endoglucanase Cel6A or proccessive endoglucanase Cel9A.
      Insight into the different enzymatic paradigms benefits ongoing development of
      efficient cellulolytic systems for conversion of plant-derived biomass into
      valuable sugars. NOVELTY STATEMENT: The protein engineering of the modular
      arrangement of a key exoglucanase from a highly cellulolytic bacterium,
      Thermobifida fusca, served to explore and compare three major enzymatic paradigms
      for cellulose degradation. This approach revealed highly active chimaeric forms
      of the exoglucanase that act in synergy together with a potent endoglucanase in
      bifunctional enzymes or divalent pseudo-cellulosome-like complexes. Such
      engineered enzymes could be further integrated into larger enzymatic complexes,
      thereby providing a significant step forward towards conversion of the entire T.
      fusca free cellulolytic system into the cellulosomal modex and the enhanced
      conversion of cellulosic biomass into soluble sugars.

PMID- 28901715
TI  - Engineering Microbial Metabolite Dynamics and Heterogeneity.
AB  - As yields for biological chemical production in microorganisms approach their
      theoretical maximum, metabolic engineering requires new tools, and approaches for
      improvements beyond what traditional strategies can achieve. Engineering
      metabolite dynamics and metabolite heterogeneity is necessary to achieve further
      improvements in product titers, productivities, and yields. Metabolite dynamics,
      the ensemble change in metabolite concentration over time, arise from the need
      for microbes to adapt their metabolism in response to the extracellular
      environment and are important for controlling growth and productivity in
      industrial fermentations. Metabolite heterogeneity, the cell-to-cell variation in
      a metabolite concentration in an isoclonal population, has a significant impact
      on ensemble productivity. Recent advances in single cell analysis enable a more
      complete understanding of the processes driving metabolite heterogeneity and
      reveal metabolic engineering targets. The authors present an overview of the
      mechanistic origins of metabolite dynamics and heterogeneity, why they are
      important, their potential effects in chemical production processes, and tools
      and strategies for engineering metabolite dynamics and heterogeneity. The authors
      emphasize that the ability to control metabolite dynamics and heterogeneity will
      bring new avenues of engineering to increase productivity of microbial strains.

PMID- 28901713
TI  - Neural correlates of interoception: Effects of interoceptive focus and
      relationship to dimensional measures of body awareness.
AB  - Interoception has been defined as the sensing of the physiological condition of
      the body, with interoceptive sensibility (IS) characterizing an individual's self
      reported awareness of internal sensation. IS is a multidimensional construct
      including not only the tendency to be aware of sensation but also how sensations
      are interpreted, regulated, and used to inform behavior, with different
      dimensions relating to different aspects of health and disease. Here we
      investigated neural mechanisms of interoception when healthy individuals attended
      to their heartbeat and skin temperature, and examined the relationship between
      neural activity during interoception and individual differences in self-reported
      IS using the Multidimensional Scale of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). Consistent
      with prior work, interoception activated a network involving insula and
      sensorimotor regions but also including occipital, temporal, and prefrontal
      cortex. Differences based on interoceptive focus (heartbeat vs skin temperature)
      were found in insula, sensorimotor regions, occipital cortex, and limbic areas.
      Factor analysis of MAIA dimensions revealed 3 dissociable components of IS in our
      dataset, only one of which was related to neural activity during interoception.
      Reduced scores on the third factor, which reflected reduced ability to control
      attention to body sensation and increased tendency to distract from and worry
      about aversive sensations, was associated with greater activation in many of the
      same regions as those involved in interoception, including insula, sensorimotor,
      anterior cingulate, and temporal cortex. These data suggest that self-rated
      interoceptive sensibility is related to altered activation in regions involved in
      monitoring body state, which has implications for disorders associated with
      abnormality of interoception. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6068-6082, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28901716
TI  - NIR-Absorbing Donor-Acceptor Based 1,1,4,4-Tetracyanobuta-1,3-Diene (TCBD)- and
      Cyclohexa-2,5-Diene-1,4-Ylidene-Expanded TCBD-Substituted Ferrocenyl
      Phenothiazines.
AB  - A series of unsymmetrical (D-A-D1 , D1 -pi-D-A-D1 , and D1 -A1 -D-A2 -D1 ;
      A=acceptor, D=donor) and symmetrical (D1 -A-D-A-D1 ) phenothiazines (4 b, 4 c, 4
      c', 5 b, 5 c, 5 d, 5 d', 5 e, 5 e', 5 f, and 5 f') were designed and synthesized
      by a [2+2] cycloaddition-electrocyclic ring-opening reaction of ferrocenyl
      substituted phenothiazines with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and 7,7,8,8
      tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). The photophysical, electrochemical, and
      computational studies show a strong charge-transfer (CT) interaction in the
      phenothiazine derivatives that can be tuned by varying the number of TCNE/TCNQ
      acceptors. Phenothiazines 4 b, 4 c, 4 c', 5 b, 5 c, 5 d, 5 d', 5 e, 5 e', 5 f and
      5 f' show redshifted absorption in the lambda=400 to 900 nm region, as a result
      of a low HOMO-LUMO gap, which is supported by TD-DFT calculations. The
      electrochemical study exhibits reduction waves at low potential due to strong
      1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-diene (TCBD) and cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-ylidene
      expanded TCBD acceptors. The incorporation of cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-ylidene
      expanded TCBD stabilized the LUMO energy level to a greater extent than TCBD.

PMID- 28901717
TI  - Preliminary result with incisional negative pressure wound therapy and pectoralis
      major muscle flap for median sternotomy wound infection in a high-risk patient
      population.
AB  - Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) represents a dangerous complication that can
      follow open-heart surgery with median sternotomy access. Muscle flaps, such as
      monolateral pectoralis major muscle flap (MPMF), represent the main choices for
      sternal wound coverage and infection control. Negative pressure incision
      management system has proven to be able to reduce the incidence of these wounds'
      complications. PrevenaTM represents one of these incision management systems and
      we aimed to evaluate its benefits. A total of 78 patients with major risk factors
      that presented post-sternotomy DSWI following cardiac surgery was selected.
      Thrity patients were treated with MPMF and PrevenaTM (study group). Control group
      consisted of 48 patients treated with MPMF and conventional wound dressings.
      During the follow-up period, 4 (13%) adverse events occurred in the study group,
      whereas 18 complications occurred (37.5%) in the control group. Surgical revision
      necessity and mean postoperative time spent in the intensive care unit were both
      higher in the control group. Our results evidenced PrevenaTM system's ability in
      improving the outcome of DSWI surgical treatment with MPMF in a high-risk patient
      population.

PMID- 28901719
TI  - Appropriate fabrication method for pressure-formed mouthguards using ethylene
      vinyl acetate sheets.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Fabrication of mouthguards should be performed properly.
      However, the appropriate heating temperature for fabricating a pressure-formed
      mouthguard has not been determined. The aim of this study was to examine the
      influence of the heating temperature on the fabrication of a pressure-formed
      mouthguard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mouthguard sheets of 3.8 mm ethylene vinyl
      acetate were pressure-formed on a working model at three heating temperatures:
      80, 100, and 120 degrees C. The thickness of the mouthguard was measured at the
      labial surface of the central incisor, and the buccal and occlusal surfaces of
      the first molar. The fit of the mouthguard was examined at the central incisor
      and first molar by measuring the distance between the mouthguard and the cervical
      margin of the working model. Differences in the thickness of the mouthguards
      according to the heating temperatures were analyzed by two-way analysis of
      variance, and differences in the fit were analyzed by one-way analysis of
      variance. RESULTS: Mouthguard thickness varied among the measured regions of the
      central incisors and first molars (P < .01). The greatest thickness was found at
      the labial surface of the central incisor and the buccal surface of the first
      molar in mouthguards fabricated at the heating temperature of 120 degrees C (P <
      .01). Mouthguard fit varied among the heating temperatures of the central
      incisors, and the greatest fit was obtained in mouthguards fabricated at the
      heating temperatures of 100 and 120 degrees C (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Heating the
      ethylene vinyl acetate sheet until the temperature reached 120 degrees C was the
      best fabrication method to maintain the pressure-formed mouthguard thickness with
      proper fit.

PMID- 28901718
TI  - Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans negatively regulate the positioning of
      mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum to distal axons.
AB  - Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are components of the extracellular
      matrix that inhibit the extension and regeneration of axons. However, the
      underlying mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Mitochondria and
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are functionally inter-linked organelles important to
      axon development and maintenance. We report that CSPGs impair the targeting of
      mitochondria and ER to the growth cones of chicken embryonic sensory axons. The
      effect of CSPGs on the targeting of mitochondria is blocked by inhibition of the
      LAR receptor for CSPGs. The regulation of the targeting of mitochondria and ER to
      the growth cone by CSPGs is due to attenuation of PI3K signaling, which is known
      to be downstream of LAR receptor activation. Dynactin is a required component of
      the dynein motor complex that drives the normally occurring retrograde evacuation
      of mitochondria from growth cones. CSPGs elevate the levels of p150Glu dynactin
      found in distal axons, and inhibition of the interaction of dynactin with dynein
      increased axon lengths on CSPGs. CSPGs decreased the membrane potential of
      mitochondria, and pharmacological inhibition of mitochondria respiration at the
      growth cone independent of manipulation of mitochondria positioning impaired axon
      extension. Combined inhibition of dynactin and potentiation of mitochondria
      respiration further increased axon lengths on CSPGs relative to inhibition of
      dynactin alone. These data reveal that the regulation of the localization of
      mitochondria and ER to growth cones is a previously unappreciated aspect of the
      effects of CSPGs on embryonic axons. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop
      Neurobiol 77: 1351-1370, 2017.

PMID- 28901720
TI  - Vitellogenin expression in the oilseed rape pest Meligethes aeneus.
AB  - When investigating insecticide resistance of pest insects, for example, the
      pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus, it is relevant to differentiate toxicological
      and molecular genetic data between male and female specimens. A molecular sex
      determination method would allow resistance testing to be run without prior
      sorting of the samples. A one-step quantitative RT-PCR method for quantification
      of the yolk protein vitellogenin expression in the pollen beetle was established.
      The expression level of vitellogenin relative to tubulin was determined. Pollen
      beetles were tested at different time points during their development to
      determine if vitellogenin is a reliable molecular marker for detection of
      sexually mature females. The differentiation between females and males by
      relative expression of vitellogenin to tubulin is conditional regarding the life
      cycle. Sexually mature females and males could easily be distinguished, whereas
      immature specimens could not be seperated. Vitellogenin expression is a
      successful marker for identification of sexually mature pollen beetles. Females
      from the spring populations showed vitellogenin expression when the temperature
      was above 10.2 degrees C. Further, detailed observations of vitellogenin
      throughout the spring indicated a strong relationship between daily temperatures
      and vitellogenin expression, which is an indicator of oviposition ability.

PMID- 28901721
TI  - Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET)-coupled Annexin V-functionalized
      Quantum Dots for Near-Infrared Optical Detection of Apoptotic Cells.
AB  - Deregulation in apoptosis induces numerous diseases such as cancer,
      cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. Detection of apoptotic cells is
      crucial for understanding the mechanism of these diseases and for therapy
      development. Although optical imaging using visible-emitting fluorescent probes,
      such as FITC-labeled annexin V, is widely used for the detection of apoptotic
      cells, there are very limited probes that can be used in the near-infrared region
      (NIR) over 700 nm. Compared with visible light, NIR light is highly permeable in
      turbid biological samples and tissues. In addition, optical imaging in the NIR
      region shows low autofluorescence from biological samples, leading to clearer
      images with high signal to background ratios. Here, we report the synthesis of
      bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-coupled annexin V-functionalized
      quantum dots (QDs) and their application to NIR optical detection of apoptotic
      cells.

PMID- 28901723
TI  - The arms race between heliconiine butterflies and Passiflora plants - new
      insights on an ancient subject.
AB  - Heliconiines are called passion vine butterflies because they feed exclusively on
      Passiflora plants during the larval stage. Many features of Passiflora and
      heliconiines indicate that they have radiated and speciated in association with
      each other, and therefore this model system was one of the first examples used to
      exemplify coevolution theory. Three major adaptations of Passiflora plants
      supported arguments in favour of their coevolution with heliconiines: unusual
      variation of leaf shape within the genus; the occurrence of yellow structures
      mimicking heliconiine eggs; and their extensive diversity of defence compounds
      called cyanogenic glucosides. However, the protection systems of Passiflora
      plants go beyond these three features. Trichomes, mimicry of pathogen infection
      through variegation, and production of extrafloral nectar to attract ants and
      other predators of their herbivores, are morphological defences reported in this
      plant genus. Moreover, Passiflora plants are well protected chemically, not only
      by cyanogenic glucosides, but also by other compounds such as alkaloids,
      flavonoids, saponins, tannins and phenolics. Heliconiines can synthesize
      cyanogenic glucosides themselves, and their ability to handle these compounds was
      probably one of the most crucial adaptations that allowed the ancestor of these
      butterflies to feed on Passiflora plants. Indeed, it has been shown that
      Heliconius larvae can sequester cyanogenic glucosides and alkaloids from their
      host plants and utilize them for their own benefit. Recently, it was discovered
      that Heliconius adults have highly accurate visual and chemosensory systems, and
      the expansion of brain structures that can process such information allows them
      to memorize shapes and display elaborate pre-oviposition behaviour in order to
      defeat visual barriers evolved by Passiflora species. Even though the heliconiine
      Passiflora model system has been intensively studied, the forces driving host
      plant preference in these butterflies remain unclear. New studies have shown that
      host-plant preference seems to be genetically controlled, but in many species
      there is some plasticity in this choice and preferences can even be induced.
      Although much knowledge regarding the coevolution of Passiflora plants and
      heliconiine butterflies has accumulated in recent decades, there remain many
      exciting unanswered questions concerning this model system.

PMID- 28901722
TI  - alpha6 subunit-containing nicotinic receptors mediate low-dose ethanol effects on
      ventral tegmental area neurons and ethanol reward.
AB  - Dopamine (DA) neuron excitability is regulated by inhibitory GABAergic synaptic
      transmission and modulated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The aim
      of this study was to evaluate the role of alpha6 subunit-containing nAChRs
      (alpha6*-nAChRs) in acute ethanol effects on ventral tegmental area (VTA) GABA
      and DA neurons. alpha6*-nAChRs were visualized on GABA terminals on VTA GABA
      neurons, and alpha6*-nAChR transcripts were expressed in most DA neurons, but
      only a minority of VTA GABA neurons from GAD67 GFP mice. Low concentrations of
      ethanol (1-10 mM) enhanced GABAA receptor (GABAA R)-mediated spontaneous and
      evoked inhibition with blockade by selective alpha6*-nAChR antagonist alpha
      conotoxins (alpha-Ctxs) and lowered sensitivity in alpha6 knock-out (KO) mice.
      Ethanol suppression of VTA GABA neuron firing rate in wild-type mice in vivo was
      significantly reduced in alpha6 KO mice. Ethanol (5-100 mM) had no effect on
      optically evoked GABAA R-mediated inhibition of DA neurons, and ethanol
      enhancement of VTA DA neuron firing rate at high concentrations was not affected
      by alpha-Ctxs. Ethanol conditioned place preference was reduced in alpha6 KO mice
      compared with wild-type controls. Taken together, these studies indicate that
      relatively low concentrations of ethanol act through alpha6*-nAChRs on GABA
      terminals to enhance GABA release onto VTA GABA neurons, in turn to reduce GABA
      neuron firing, which may lead to VTA DA neuron disinhibition, suggesting a
      possible mechanism of action of alcohol and nicotine co-abuse.

PMID- 28901724
TI  - Codeine influences the serum and urinary profile of endogenous androgens but does
      not interact with the excretion rate of administered testosterone.
AB  - Today's doping tests involve longitudinal monitoring of urinary steroids
      including the testosterone glucuronide and epitestosterone glucuronide ratio
      (T/E) in an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). The aim of this study was to
      investigate the possible influence of short-term use of codeine on the urinary
      excretion of androgen metabolites included in the steroidal module of the
      passport prior to and after the co-administration with testosterone. The study
      was designed as an open study with the subjects being their own control. Fifteen
      healthy male volunteers received therapeutic doses of codeine (Kodein Meda) for 6
      days. On Day 3, 500 mg or 125 mg of testosterone enanthate (Testoviron(r)-Depot)
      was administered. Spot urine samples were collected for 17 days, and blood
      samples were collected at baseline, 3, 6, and 14 days after codeine intake. The
      circulatory concentration of total testosterone decreased significantly by 20%
      after 3 days' use of codeine (p = 0.0002) and an atypical ABP result was noted in
      one of the subjects. On the other hand, the concomitant use of codeine and
      testosterone did not affect the elevated urinary T/E ratio. In 75% of the
      individuals, the concentration of urinary morphine (a metabolite of codeine) was
      above the decision limit for morphine. One of the participants displayed a
      morphine/codeine ratio of 1.7 after codeine treatment, indicative of morphine
      abuse. In conclusion, our study shows that codeine interferes with the endogenous
      testosterone concentration. As a result, the urinary steroid profile may lead to
      atypical findings in the doping test.

PMID- 28901725
TI  - Alamandine reverses hyperhomocysteinemia-induced vascular dysfunction via PKA
      dependent mechanisms.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) impairs nitric oxide endothelium
      dependent vasodilation, consequently leading to atherosclerosis, a risk factor
      for cardiovascular disease. Novel treatments for HHcy are necessary. AIM: We
      tested the hypothesis that alamandine, a vasoactive peptide of the renin
      angiotensin system (RAS), could reverse HHcy-induced vascular dysfunction through
      the MrgD receptor and that this is mediated by the protein kinase A (PKA)
      pathway. Furthermore, we sought to determine a putative binding model of
      alamandine to the MrgD receptor through docking and molecular dynamics
      simulations. METHOD: The abdominal aorta was excised from New Zealand white
      rabbits (n = 15) and incubated with 3 mmol/L Hcy (to mimic HHcy) to induce
      vascular dysfunction in vitro. Vascular function was assessed by vasodilatory
      responses to cumulative doses of acetylcholine. RESULT: Vasodilation was
      significantly impaired in HHcy-incubated aortic rings while alamandine reversed
      this effect (control, 74.2 +/- 5.0%; Hcy, 30.3 +/- 9.8%; alamandine + Hcy, 59.7
      +/- 4.8%, P < .0001). KT5720 (PKA inhibitor) significantly inhibited the ability
      of alamandine to attenuate the impaired vasodilation caused by HHcy (KT5720 + Hcy
      + alamandine, 27.1 +/- 24.1, P < .01). Following immunohistochemistry analysis,
      the MrgD receptor was highly expressed within the media and endothelial layer of
      aortic rings in HHcy compared to control (media: 0.23 +/- 0.003 vs control 0.16
      +/- 0.01, P < .05 and endothelium: 0.68 +/- 0.07 vs control 0.13 +/- 0.02, P <
      .01, in PA/I (A.U) units). Computational studies also propose certain
      interactions of alamandine within the MrgD transmembrane domain. CONCLUSION: This
      study shows that alamandine is effective in reversing HHcy-induced vascular
      dysfunction, possibly through the PKA signaling pathway via MrgD. Our results
      indicate a therapeutic potential of alamandine in reversing the detrimental
      effects of HHcy.

PMID- 28901726
TI  - Antimicrobial stewardship in paediatric oncology: Impact on optimising gentamicin
      use in febrile neutropenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)
      intervention, involving introduction of new guidelines on the treatment of
      febrile neutropenia (FN), on improving the use of gentamicin in paediatric
      oncology patients. DESIGN AND INTERVENTION: Updated guidelines for gentamicin
      usage in paediatrics with FN were implemented at a tertiary children's teaching
      hospital, in Brisbane, Australia. Data on gentamicin usage before and after the
      guideline change were collected retrospectively from children with cancer
      admitted to hospital with FN between January 2012 and December 2013. Gentamicin
      use, duration of gentamicin therapy and therapeutic monitoring practice were
      compared against bacterial culture status for admissions before and after the
      guideline change to assess the impact on practice. RESULTS: Data were collected
      from 227 children corresponding to 453 separate admissions, 195 preguideline and
      257 post-guideline change. Following guideline change, the proportion of
      admissions in which gentamicin was administered reduced from 79.0 to 20.9% (P
      value < 0.001) and administrations not associated with a cultured Gram-negative
      organism dropped from 87.2 to 58.2% (P-value < 0.001), indicating a change in
      practice according to the new guideline. Following guideline change, admissions
      in which gentamicin was used for >48 hr despite the absence of a confirmed Gram
      negative infection decreased from 85.6 to 46.9% (P-value < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Guideline changes driven through an AMS initiative involving paediatric oncology
      patients significantly improved targeted- and nontargeted-antimicrobial use
      potentially reducing the risk of emergence of resistance against gentamicin in
      this cohort.

PMID- 28901727
TI  - Retention rates of adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab as first-line biotherapy
      agent for rheumatoid arthritis patients in daily practice - Auvergne experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare, in real-life conditions, the retention rates of anti-tumor
      necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment (etanercept [ETN], adalimumab [ADA] and
      infliximab [IFX]) initiated as first-line biotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis
      (RA) and to evaluate, in case of failure, the switch to another anti-TNF or a non
      anti-TNF biological. METHODS: Monocentric retrospective cohort including all
      patients with RA starting a first anti-TNF between 2001 and 2015. RESULTS: Among
      the 346 patients analyzed, 201 received ETN, 82 ADA and 63 IFX. The first anti
      TNF was interrupted in 151 cases. The retention rates were 82.8%, 67.6%, 46.5%,
      28.1% and 22.5% at 1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 years, respectively, with a median
      retention duration of 52.8 (18.9-136.2) months (ETN: 59.3 [19.1-NA), ADA: 79.9
      [19.3-136.2] and IFX: 37.2 [17.5-134.5], P = 0.49). The predictive factors of
      discontinuation were active RA (Disease Activity Score of 28 joints - C-reactive
      protein [DAS28-CRP] hazards ratio [HR]: 1.22 [1.03-1.45]), inflammatory syndrome
      (erythrocyte sedimentation rate HR: 1.01 [1.0-1.02]; CRP HR: 1.00 [1.00-1.01]),
      absence of methotrexate treatment (HR: 0.60 [0.43-0.83]), and corticosteroid use
      (HR: 1.91 [1.31-2.78]). The patients who switched to another anti-TNF treatment
      had an inferior retention than those who switched to a non-anti-TNF treatment
      (HR: 0.39 [0.17-0.87], P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: In real life, there was no
      difference in retention among the three anti-TNF agents, and 25% of patients
      continued them at 15 years. After failure of an anti-TNF, the switch to a non
      anti-TNF biotherapy showed better retention.

PMID- 28901728
TI  - GABA type a receptor trafficking and the architecture of synaptic inhibition.
AB  - Ubiquitous expression of GABA type A receptors (GABAA R) in the central nervous
      system establishes their central role in coordinating most aspects of neural
      function and development. Dysregulation of GABAergic neurotransmission manifests
      in a number of human health disorders and conditions that in certain cases can be
      alleviated by drugs targeting these receptors. Precise changes in the quantity or
      activity of GABAA Rs localized at the cell surface and at GABAergic postsynaptic
      sites directly impact the strength of inhibition. The molecular mechanisms
      constituting receptor trafficking to and from these compartments therefore
      dictate the efficacy of GABAA R function. Here we review the current
      understanding of how GABAA Rs traffic through biogenesis, plasma membrane
      transport, and degradation. Emphasis is placed on discussing novel GABAergic
      synaptic proteins, receptor and scaffolding post-translational modifications,
      activity-dependent changes in GABAA R confinement, and neuropeptide and
      neurosteroid mediated changes. We further highlight modern techniques currently
      advancing the knowledge of GABAA R trafficking and clinically relevant
      neurodevelopmental diseases connected to GABAergic dysfunction. (c) 2017 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 78: 238-270, 2018.

PMID- 28901729
TI  - Magnetic field dose effects on different radiation beam geometries for
      hypofractionated partial breast irradiation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hypofractionated partial breast irradiation (HPBI) involves treatment to
      the breast tumor using high doses per fraction. Recent advances in MRI-Linac
      solutions have potential in being applied to HPBI due to gains in the soft tissue
      contrast of MRI; however, there are potentially deleterious effects of the
      magnetic field on the dose distribution. The purpose of this work is to determine
      the effects of the magnetic field on the dose distribution for HPBI tumors using
      a tangential beam arrangement (TAN), 5-beam intensity-modulated radiation therapy
      (IMRT), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). METHODS: Five patients who
      have received HPBI were selected with two patients having bilateral disease
      resulting in a total of two tumors in this study. Six planning configurations
      were created using a treatment planning system capable of modeling magnetic field
      dose effects: TAN, IMRT and VMAT beam geometries, each of these optimized with
      and without a transverse magnetic field of 1.5 T. RESULTS: The heart and lung
      doses were not statistically significant when comparing plan configurations. The
      magnetic field had a demonstrated effect on skin dose: for VMAT plans, the skin
      (defined to a depth of 3 mm) D1cc was elevated by +11% and the V30 by +146%; for
      IMRT plans, the skin D1cc was increased by +18% and the V30 by +149%. Increasing
      the number of beam angles (e.g., going from IMRT to VMAT) with the magnetic field
      on reduced the skin dose. CONCLUSION: The impact of a magnetic field on HPBI dose
      distributions was analyzed. The heart and lung doses had clinically negligible
      effects caused by the magnetic field. The magnetic field increases the skin dose;
      however, this can be mitigated by increasing the number of beam angles.

PMID- 28901730
TI  - Reduced-toxicity alternate-donor stem cell transplantation with posttransplant
      cyclophosphamide for primary immunodeficiency disorders.
AB  - We describe here the outcomes of reduced-toxicity alternate-donor stem cell
      transplant (SCT) with posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) for primary
      immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs) in eight children (haploidentical-seven and
      matched unrelated donor-one). The conditioning was with serotherapy (alemtuzumab
      3/rabbit-anti-thymoglobulin-5); fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and total body
      irradiation-5 (additional thiotepa-3); fludarabine and treosulfan-2; and
      fludarabine and busulfan-1. All received PTCy 50 mg/kg on days 3 and 4 as graft
      versus host disease prophylaxis along with tacrolimus and mycophenolate. Mean
      CD34 dose was 13.8 * 106 /kg. Two children died because of PIDs. Acute graft
      versus host disease up to grades I and II was seen in three children. All six
      survivors are fully donor and disease free at median follow-up of 753 days.
      Alternate donor SCT with PTCy is feasible in PID and has good outcomes.

PMID- 28901731
TI  - Response to combination of mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporin A and
      corticosteroid treatment in lupus nephritis patients with persistent proteinuria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the response of lupus nephritis (LN) patients with persistent
      proteinuria (>= 1 g/day after >= 6 months corticosteroid and single
      immunosuppressant treatment, or >= 3 g/day after >= 3 months of corticosteroid
      and single immunosuppressant treatment) to corticosteroid combined with two
      immunosuppressants, and to evaluate associated factors of response within 1 year.
      METHOD: A retrospective study of proteinuria and renal function observed in LN
      patients with persistent proteinuria after adding a second immunosuppressant at
      3, 6, 9 and 12 months. RESULT: Twenty-one LN patients (100.0% female) with
      persistent proteinuria were treated with corticosteroid and two
      immunosuppressants (mycophenolate mofetil [MMF] plus cyclosporine A [CSA]). Their
      mean age and duration from first immunosuppressant to initiating a combination
      therapy were 33.2 +/- 10.2 years and 17.5 +/- 15.7 months, respectively. Twelve
      (57.1%) patients had proteinuria levels >= 3 g/day. The renal pathology from 18
      patients were Classes III or IV in 11 (61.1%). Fifteen patients (71.4%) responded
      to treatment (complete remission [CR], proteinuria <= 0.5 g/day, in seven
      patients and partial remission [PR], proteinuria reduced > 50%, in eight
      patients). Changing from a single immunosuppressant to combined
      immunosuppressants was associated with CR within 1 year (hazards ratio = 0.88;
      95% CI = 0.78-0.99). Adverse events consisted of one patient with severe
      infection, two herpes zoster and one with transient increased serum creatinine
      level. CONCLUSION: Approximately 70% of LN patients with persistent proteinuria
      responded to MMF plus CSA. However, infection should be a concern with these
      patients.

PMID- 28901732
TI  - Black Silicon/Elastomer Composite Surface with Switchable Wettability and
      Adhesion between Lotus and Rose Petal Effects by Mechanical Strain.
AB  - Although many recent studies demonstrate surfaces with switchable wettability
      under various external stimuli, a deliberate effort to self-propel liquid
      droplets utilizing a surface wetting mode switch between slippery lotus and
      adhesive rose petal states via a mechanical strain has not been made yet, which
      would otherwise further benefit microfluidic applications. In this work, we
      present a black silicon/elastomer (bSi/elastomer) composite surface which shows
      switchable wettability and adhesion across the two wetting modes by mechanical
      stretching. The composite surface is composed of a scale-like nanostructured
      silicon platelet array that covers an elastomer surface. The gap between the
      neighboring silicon platelets is reversibly changeable as a function of a
      mechanical strain, leading to the transition between the two wetting modes.
      Moreover, the composite surface is highly flexible although its wetting
      properties primarily originate from superhydrophobic bSi platelets. Different
      wetting characteristics of the composite surface in various mechanical strains
      are studied, and droplet manipulation such as droplet self-propulsion and pick
      and-place using the composite surface is demonstrated, which highlights its
      potentials for microfluidic applications.

PMID- 28901733
TI  - Preparation of Graphene Sheets by Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite in
      Confined Space and Their Application in Transparent Conductive Films.
AB  - A novel electrochemical exfoliation mode was established to prepare graphene
      sheets efficiently with potential applications in transparent conductive films.
      The graphite electrode was coated with paraffin to keep the electrochemical
      exfoliation in confined space in the presence of concentrated sodium hydroxide as
      the electrolyte, yielding ~100% low-defect (the D band to G band intensity ratio,
      ID/IG = 0.26) graphene sheets. Furthermore, ozone was first detected with ozone
      test strips, and the effect of ozone on the exfoliation of graphite foil and the
      microstructure of the as-prepared graphene sheets was investigated. Findings
      indicate that upon applying a low voltage (3 V) on the graphite foil partially
      coated with paraffin wax that the coating can prevent the insufficiently
      intercalated graphite sheets from prematurely peeling off from the graphite
      electrode thereby affording few-layer (<5 layers) holey graphene sheets in a
      yield of as much as 60%. Besides, the ozone generated during the electrochemical
      exfoliation process plays a crucial role in the exfoliation of graphite, and the
      amount of defect in the as-prepared graphene sheets is dependent on electrolytic
      potential and electrode distance. Moreover, the graphene-based transparent
      conductive films prepared by simple modified vacuum filtration exhibit an
      excellent transparency and a low sheet resistance after being treated with NH4NO3
      and annealing (~1.21 kOmega/? at ~72.4% transmittance).

PMID- 28901734
TI  - Environmentally Friendly Plasma-Treated PEDOT:PSS as Electrodes for ITO-Free
      Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - Solution processed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)
      (PEDOT:PSS) transparent electrodes (TEs) offer great potential as a low cost
      alternative to expensive indium tin oxide (ITO). However, strong acids are
      typically used for enhancing the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS TEs, which produce
      processing complexity and environmental issues. This work presents an
      environmentally friendly acid free approach to enhance the conductivity of
      PEDOT:PSS using a light oxygen plasma treatment, in addition to solvent blend
      additives and post treatments. The plasma treatment was found to significantly
      reduce the sheet resistance of PEDOT:PSS TEs from 85 to as low as 15 Omega sq-1,
      which translates to the highest reported conductivity of 5012 S/cm for PEDOT:PSS
      TEs. The plasma treated PEDOT:PSS TE resulted in an ITO-free perovskite solar
      cell efficiency of 10.5%, which is the highest reported efficiency for ITO-free
      perovskite solar cells with a PEDOT:PSS electrode that excludes the use of acid
      treatments. This research presents the first demonstration of this technology.
      Moreover, the PEDOT:PSS TEs enabled better charge extraction from the perovskite
      solar cells and reduced hysteresis in the current density-voltage (J-V) curves.

PMID- 28901735
TI  - LiMn2O4 Surface Chemistry Evolution during Cycling Revealed by in Situ Auger
      Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.
AB  - This work utilizes in situ electrochemical and analytical characterization during
      cycling of LiMn2O4 (LMO) equilibrated at different potentials in an ultrahigh
      vacuum (UHV) environment. The LMO reacts with organic molecules in the vacuum to
      form a high surface concentration of Li2CO3 (~50% C) during initial charging to
      4.05 V. Charging to higher potentials reduces the overall Li2CO3 concentration
      (~15% C). Discharging to 3.0 V increases the Li2CO3 concentration (~30% C) and
      over discharging to 0.1 V again reduces its concentration (~15% C). This behavior
      is reproducible over 5 cycles. The model geometry utilized suggests that oxygen
      from LMO can participate in redox of carbon, where LMO contributes oxygen to form
      the carbonate in the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Similar results were
      obtained from samples cycled ex situ, suggesting that the model in situ geometry
      provides reasonably representative information about surface chemistry evolution.
      Carbon redox at LMO and the inherent voltage instability of the Li2CO3 likely
      contributes significantly to its capacity fade.

PMID- 28901736
TI  - Facile Fabrication of a Flexible LiNbO3 Piezoelectric Sensor through Hot Pressing
      for Biomechanical Monitoring.
AB  - Wearable pressure sensors have attracted increasing attention for biomechanical
      monitoring due to their portability and flexibility. Although great advances have
      been made, there are no facile methods to produce sensors with good performance.
      Here, we present a simple method for manufacturing flexible and self-powered
      piezoelectric sensors based on LiNbO3 (LN) particles. The LN particles are
      dispersed in polypropylene (PP) doped with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)
      by hot pressing (200  degrees C) to form a flexible LN/MWCNT/PP piezoelectric
      composite film (PCF) sensor. This cost-effective sensor has high sensitivity (8
      Pa), fast response time (ca. 40 ms), and long-term stability (>3000 cycles).
      Measurements of pressure changes from peripheral arteries demonstrate the
      applicability of the LN/MWCNT/PP PCF sensor to biomechanical monitoring as well
      as its potential for biomechanics-related clinical diagnosis and forecasting.

PMID- 28901737
TI  - Melatonin Improves Cognitive Deficits via Restoration of Cholinergic Dysfunction
      in a Mouse Model of Scopolamine-Induced Amnesia.
AB  - Melatonin is known to improve cognitive deficits, and its functions have been
      studied in various disease models, including Alzheimer's disease. In this study,
      we investigated effects of melatonin on cognition and the cholinergic system of
      the septum and hippocampus in a mouse model of scopolamine-induced amnesia.
      Scopolamine (1 mg/kg) and melatonin (10 mg/kg) were administered
      intraperitoneally to mice for 2 and 4 weeks. The Morris water maze and passive
      avoidance tests revealed that both treatments of scopolamine significantly
      impaired spatial learning and memory; however, 2- and 4-week melatonin treatments
      significantly improved spatial learning and memory. In addition, scopolamine
      treatments significantly decreased protein levels and immunoreactivities of
      choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), high-affinity choline transporter (CHT),
      vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), and muscarinic acetylcholine
      receptor M1 (M1R) in the septum and hippocampus. However, the treatments with
      melatonin resulted in increased ChAT-, CHT-, VAChT-, and M1R-immunoreactivities
      and their protein levels in the septum and hippocampus. Our results demonstrate
      that melatonin treatment is effective in improving the cognitive deficits via
      restoration of the cholinergic system in the septum and hippocampus of a mouse
      model of scopolamine-induced amnesia.

PMID- 28901738
TI  - Determination of the 13C/12C Carbon Isotope Ratio in Carbonates and Bicarbonates
      by 13C NMR Spectroscopy.
AB  - This paper is the first study focused on the innovative application of 13C NMR
      (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy to determine the bulk 13C/12C carbon
      isotope ratio, at natural abundance, in inorganic carbonates and bicarbonates. In
      the past, 13C NMR spectroscopy (irm-13C NMR) was mainly used to measure isotope
      ratio monitoring with the potential of conducting 13C position-specific isotope
      analysis of organic molecules with high precision. The reliability of the newly
      developed methodology for the determination of stable carbon isotope ratio was
      evaluated in comparison with the method chosen in the past for these
      measurements, i.e., isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), with very encouraging
      results. We determined the 13C/12C ratio of carbonates and bicarbonates (~50-100
      mg) with a precision on the order of 10/00 in the presence of a relaxation agent,
      such as Cr(acac)3, and CH313COONa as an internal standard. The method was first
      applied to soluble inorganic carbonates and bicarbonates and then extended to
      insoluble carbonates by converting them to Na2CO3, following a simple procedure
      and without observing isotopic fractionation. Here, we demonstrate that 13C NMR
      spectroscopy can also be successfully adopted to characterize the 13C/12C isotope
      ratio in inorganic carbonates and bicarbonates with applications in different
      fields, such as cultural heritage and geological studies.

PMID- 28901739
TI  - Back Electron Transfer at TiO2 Nanotube Photoanodes in the Presence of a H2O2
      Hole Scavenger.
AB  - Adding charge scavengers, which usually are more unstable than water, is an
      effective method to quantify the quantum efficiency loss of photoelectrode during
      the charge separation, transfer, and injection processes of the water splitting
      reaction. Here, we detected, on TiO2 nanotube photoanodes after using hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2) as a hole scavenger, a nearly 40% saturated photocurrent decrease
      in alkaline electrolyte and a negligible saturated photocurrent difference in
      acid electrolyte. We found that the photoelectrons were trapped in the surface
      states of TiO2 with nearly the same storage capacity of electrons in a wide range
      of pH values from 1.0 to 13.6. However, kinetics of a back reaction, H2O2
      reduction by the photoelectrons trapped in surface states, is about 10 times
      higher for that in alkaline electrolyte than in acid electrolyte. As a result,
      the pH-dependent kinetic difference in H2O2 reduction induced the negative
      effects on the saturated photocurrent. Our results offer a new insight into
      understanding the effects of back electron transfer on electrochemical behaviors
      of surface states and charge scavengers.

PMID- 28901740
TI  - Inhibiting Metastasis and Preventing Tumor Relapse by Triggering Host Immunity
      with Tumor-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy Using Photosensitizer-Loaded Functional
      Nanographenes.
AB  - Effective cancer therapy depends not only on destroying the primary tumor but
      also on conditioning the host immune system to recognize and eliminate residual
      tumor cells and prevent metastasis. In this study, a tumor integrin alphavbeta6
      targeting peptide (the HK peptide)-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) was coated
      with a photosensitizer (HPPH). The resulting GO conjugate, GO(HPPH)-PEG-HK, was
      investigated whether it could destroy primary tumors and boost host antitumor
      immunity. We found that GO(HPPH)-PEG-HK exhibited significantly higher tumor
      uptake than GO(HPPH)-PEG and HPPH. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using GO(HPPH)-PEG
      suppressed tumor growth in both subcutaneous and lung metastatic mouse models.
      Necrotic tumor cells caused by GO(HPPH)-PEG-HK PDT activated dendritic cells and
      significantly prevented tumor growth and lung metastasis by increasing the
      infiltration of cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes within tumors as evidenced by in
      vivo optical and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT imaging.
      These results demonstrate that tumor-targeted PDT using GO(HPPH)-PEG-HK could
      effectively ablate primary tumors and destroy residual tumor cells, thereby
      preventing distant metastasis by activating host antitumor immunity and
      suppressing tumor relapse by stimulation of immunological memory.

PMID- 28901741
TI  - Glycoforest 1.0.
AB  - Tandem mass spectrometry, when combined with liquid chromatography and applied to
      complex mixtures, produces large amounts of raw data, which needs to be analyzed
      to identify molecular structures. This technique is widely used, particularly in
      glycomics. Due to a lack of high throughput glycan sequencing software, glycan
      spectra are predominantly sequenced manually. A challenge for writing glycan
      sequencing software is that there is no direct template that can be used to infer
      structures detectable in an organism. To help alleviate this bottleneck, we
      present Glycoforest 1.0, a partial de novo algorithm for sequencing glycan
      structures based on MS/MS spectra. Glycoforest was tested on two data sets (human
      gastric and salmon mucosa O-linked glycomes) for which MS/MS spectra were
      annotated manually. Glycoforest generated the human validated structure for 92%
      of test cases. The correct structure was found as the best scoring match for 70%
      and among the top 3 matches for 83% of test cases. In addition, the Glycoforest
      algorithm detected glycan structures from MS/MS spectra missing a manual
      annotation. In total 1532 MS/MS previously unannotated spectra were annotated by
      Glycoforest. A portion containing 521 spectra was manually checked confirming
      that Glycoforest annotated an additional 50 MS/MS spectra overlooked during
      manual annotation.

PMID- 28901742
TI  - Surface Modification of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) with Polydopamine and Hyaluronic
      Acid To Enhance Hemocompatibility for Potential Applications in Medical Implants
      or Devices.
AB  - Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) has been widely utilized in micro-electromechanical
      systems (MEMS) and implantable devices. To improve the hemocompatibility of a
      PDMS-based implant, a facile technique was developed by modifying PDMS with a
      hyaluronic acid (HA) and polydopamine (PDA) composite (HA/PDA). Under appropriate
      ratio of HA to PDA, platelet adhesion and activation were considerably reduced on
      modified PDMS substrates, indicating an enhanced hemocompatibility compared to
      native PDMS or those coated with HA or PDA solely. HA/PDA coating also posed
      minimal cytotoxicity on the adhesion and proliferation of endothelial cells
      (HUVECs). The anti-inflammation effect of the modified PDMS surface was
      characterized based on the expression of critical cytokines in adherent
      macrophages. This study revealed that the hemocompatibility, cytotoxicity, and
      anti-inflammation properties could be tailored conveniently by adjusting the
      ratio of HA and PDA composite on the modified PDMS surface, which has an
      exceptional potential as the core or packaging material for constructing
      implantable devices in biomedical applications.

PMID- 28901743
TI  - Guiding the Growth of a Conductive Filament by Nanoindentation To Improve
      Resistive Switching.
AB  - Redox-based memristor devices, which are considered to have promising nonvolatile
      memory, mainly operate through the formation/rupture of nanoscale conductive
      filaments. However, the random growth of conductive filaments is an obstacle for
      the stability of memory devices and the cell-to-cell uniformity. Here, we
      investigate the guiding effect of nanoindentation on the growth of conductive
      filaments in resistive memory devices. The nanoindented top electrodes generate
      an electric field concentration and the resultant precise control of a conductive
      filament in two typical memory devices, Ag/SiO2/Pt and W/Ta2O5/Pt. The
      nanoindented cells possess a much larger ON/OFF ratio, a sharper RESET process, a
      higher response speed, and better cell-to-cell uniformity compared with the
      conventional cells. Our finding reflects that the use of large-scale nanotransfer
      printing might be a unique way to improve the performance of resistive random
      access memory.

PMID- 28901744
TI  - Time-Resolved Fluorescence Immunochromatographic Assay Developed Using Two
      Idiotypic Nanobodies for Rapid, Quantitative, and Simultaneous Detection of
      Aflatoxin and Zearalenone in Maize and Its Products.
AB  - Aflatoxins and zearalenone (ZEN) are highly common mycotoxins in maize and maize
      based products. This study aimed to report a time-resolved fluorescence
      immunochromatographic assay (TRFICA) developed using two idiotypic nanobodies for
      rapid, quantitative, and simultaneous detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ZEN in
      maize and its products. A novel Eu/Tb(III) nanosphere with enhanced fluorescence
      was prepared as a label and conjugated to anti-idiotypic nanobody (AIdnb) and
      monoclonal antibody (mAb). On the basis of nanosphere-antibody conjugation, two
      patterns of competitive time-resolved strip methods (AIdnb-TRFICA and mAb-TRFICA)
      were established and compared. The half inhibition concentration of AIdnb-TRFICA
      was 0.46 and 0.86 ng.mL-1 for AFB1 and ZEN, which was 18.3- and 20.3-fold more
      sensitive than that of mAb-TRFICA for AFB1 and ZEN, respectively. Under optimal
      conditions, AIdnb-TRFICA for dual mycotoxin was established and provided a
      quantitative relationship ranging from 0.13 to 4.54 ng.mL-1 for AFB1 and 0.20 to
      2.77 ng.mL-1 for ZEN, with a detection limit of 0.05 and 0.07 ng.mL-1 in the
      buffer solution, respectively. AIdnb-TRFICA showed good recoveries (72.6%-106.6%)
      in samples and was applied to detect dual mycotoxin in maize samples with
      satisfying results. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report about a
      time-resolved strip method based on AIdnbs for dual mycotoxin.

PMID- 28901745
TI  - Terminating DNA Tile Assembly with Nanostructured Caps.
AB  - Precise control over the nucleation, growth, and termination of self-assembly
      processes is a fundamental tool for controlling product yield and assembly
      dynamics. Mechanisms for altering these processes programmatically could allow
      the use of simple components to self-assemble complex final products or to design
      processes allowing for dynamic assembly or reconfiguration. Here we use DNA tile
      self-assembly to develop general design principles for building complexes that
      can bind to a growing biomolecular assembly and terminate its growth by
      systematically characterizing how different DNA origami nanostructures interact
      with the growing ends of DNA tile nanotubes. We find that nanostructures that
      present binding interfaces for all of the binding sites on a growing facet can
      bind selectively to growing ends and stop growth when these interfaces are
      presented on either a rigid or floppy scaffold. In contrast, nucleation of
      nanotubes requires the presentation of binding sites in an arrangement that
      matches the shape of the structure's facet. As a result, it is possible to build
      nanostructures that can terminate the growth of existing nanotubes but cannot
      nucleate a new structure. The resulting design principles for constructing
      structures that direct nucleation and termination of the growth of one
      dimensional nanostructures can also serve as a starting point for
      programmatically directing two- and three-dimensional crystallization processes
      using nanostructure design.

PMID- 28901746
TI  - Lab-on-Skin: A Review of Flexible and Stretchable Electronics for Wearable Health
      Monitoring.
AB  - Skin is the largest organ of the human body, and it offers a diagnostic interface
      rich with vital biological signals from the inner organs, blood vessels, muscles,
      and dermis/epidermis. Soft, flexible, and stretchable electronic devices provide
      a novel platform to interface with soft tissues for robotic feedback and control,
      regenerative medicine, and continuous health monitoring. Here, we introduce the
      term "lab-on-skin" to describe a set of electronic devices that have physical
      properties, such as thickness, thermal mass, elastic modulus, and water-vapor
      permeability, which resemble those of the skin. These devices can conformally
      laminate on the epidermis to mitigate motion artifacts and mismatches in
      mechanical properties created by conventional, rigid electronics while
      simultaneously providing accurate, non-invasive, long-term, and continuous health
      monitoring. Recent progress in the design and fabrication of soft sensors with
      more advanced capabilities and enhanced reliability suggest an impending
      translation of these devices from the research lab to clinical environments.
      Regarding these advances, the first part of this manuscript reviews materials,
      design strategies, and powering systems used in soft electronics. Next, the paper
      provides an overview of applications of these devices in cardiology, dermatology,
      electrophysiology, and sweat diagnostics, with an emphasis on how these systems
      may replace conventional clinical tools. The review concludes with an outlook on
      current challenges and opportunities for future research directions in wearable
      health monitoring.

PMID- 28901747
TI  - Deep Eutectic Solvent Functionalized Graphene Composite as an Extremely High
      Potency Flame Retardant.
AB  - We report a simple and green approach to develop the deep eutectic solvent
      functionalized graphene derivative as an effective flame retardant. The deep
      eutectic solvent functionalized graphene oxide (DESGO) was synthesized by
      introducing nitrogen-supported phosphorus functional groups on the surface of
      graphene derivative via a deep eutectic solvent, which is prepared by the
      treatment of monosodium dihydrogen orthophosphate and choline chloride.
      Subsequently, the resultant DESGO material is characterized by X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning
      electron microscopy. The as prepared DESGO solution coated cloth piece was
      sustaining its initial shape and size by releasing a little amount of smoke at
      the early stage without catching fire for more than 540 s (9 min), whereas the
      pristine cloth is totally burned out within 10 s, leaving small amounts of black
      mass. This simple method of directly functionalized deep eutectic solvent on a
      graphene oxide surface can be a common process for the cost-effective bulk
      production of a nano carbon template for extremely high potency, nontoxic flame
      retardant applications.

PMID- 28901748
TI  - Strong In-Plane Anisotropies of Optical and Electrical Response in Layered
      Dimetal Chalcogenide.
AB  - An interesting in-plane anisotropic layered dimetal chalcogenide Ta2NiS5 is
      introduced, and the optical and electrical properties with respect to its in
      plane anisotropy are systematically studied. The Raman vibration modes have been
      identified by Raman spectra measurements combined with calculations of phonon
      related properties. Importantly, the Ta2NiS5 flakes exhibit strong anisotropic
      Raman response under the angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy
      measurements. We found that Raman intensities of the Ag mode not only depend on
      rotation angle but are also related to the sample thickness. In contrast, the
      infrared absorption with light polarized along the a axis direction is always
      larger than that in the c axis direction regardless of thickness under the
      polarization-resolved infrared spectroscopy measurements. Remarkably, the first
      principles calculations combined with angle-resolved conductance measurements
      indicate strong anisotropic conductivity of Ta2NiS5. Our results not only prove
      Ta2NiS5 is a promising in-plane anisotropic 2D material but also provide an
      interesting platform for future functionalized electronic devices.

PMID- 28901749
TI  - A Highly Stretchable and Washable All-Yarn-Based Self-Charging Knitting Power
      Textile Composed of Fiber Triboelectric Nanogenerators and Supercapacitors.
AB  - Rapid advancements in stretchable and multifunctional wearable electronics impose
      a challenge on corresponding power devices that they should have comparable
      portability and stretchability. Here, we report a highly stretchable and washable
      all-yarn-based self-charging knitting power textile that enables both
      biomechanical energy harvesting and simultaneously energy storing by hybridizing
      triboelectrical nanogenerator (TENG) and supercapacitor (SC) into one fabric.
      With the weft-knitting technique, the power textile is qualified with high
      elasticity, flexibility, and stretchability, which can adapt to complex
      mechanical deformations. The knitting TENG fabric is able to generate electric
      energy with a maximum instantaneous peak power density of ~85 mW.m-2 and light up
      at least 124 light-emitting diodes. The all-solid-state symmetrical yarn SC
      exhibits lightweight, good capacitance, high flexibility, and excellent
      mechanical and long-term stability, which is suitable for wearable energy storage
      devices. The assembled knitting power textile is capable of sustainably driving
      wearable electronics (for example, a calculator or temperature-humidity meter)
      with energy converted from human motions. Our work provides more opportunities
      for stretchable multifunctional power sources and potential applications in
      wearable electronics.

PMID- 28901750
TI  - Synthesis, Assembly, and Applications of Hybrid Nanostructures for Biosensing.
AB  - The robust, sensitive, and selective detection of targeted biomolecules in their
      native environment by prospective nanostructures holds much promise for real
      time, accurate, and high throughput biosensing. However, in order to be
      competitive, current biosensor nanotechnologies need significant improvements,
      especially in specificity, integration, throughput rate, and long-term stability
      in complex bioenvironments. Advancing biosensing nanotechnologies in chemically
      "noisy" bioenvironments require careful engineering of nanoscale components that
      are highly sensitive, biorecognition ligands that are capable of exquisite
      selective binding, and seamless integration at a level current devices have yet
      to achieve. This review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis, assembly,
      and applications of nanoengineered reporting and transducing components critical
      for efficient biosensing. First, major classes of nanostructured components, both
      inorganic reporters and organic transducers, are discussed in the context of the
      synthetic control of their individual compositions, shapes, and properties.
      Second, the design of surface functionalities and transducing path, the
      characterization of interfacial architectures, and the integration of multiple
      nanoscale components into multifunctional ordered nanostructures are extensively
      examined. Third, examples of current biosensing structures created from hybrid
      nanomaterials are reviewed, with a distinct emphasis on the need to tailor
      nanosensor designs to specific operating environments. Finally, we offer a
      perspective on the future developments of nanohybrid materials and future
      nanosensors, outline possible directions to be pursued that may yield
      breakthrough results, and envision the exciting potential of high-performance
      nanomaterials that will cause disruptive improvements in the field of biosensing.

PMID- 28901751
TI  - Sulfate Aerosols Promote Lung Cancer Metastasis by Epigenetically Regulating the
      Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT).
AB  - Secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA), particularly sulfate aerosols, are central
      particulate matter (PM) constituents of severe haze formation in China and exert
      profound impacts on human health; however, our understanding of the mechanisms by
      which sulfate aerosols cause malignancy in lung carcinogenesis remains
      incomplete. Here, we show that exposure to secondary inorganic aerosols induced
      the invasion and migration of lung epithelial cells, and that (NH4)2SO4 exerted
      the most serious effects in vitro and promoted lung tumor metastasis in vivo.
      This action was associated with alterations of phenotype markers in the
      epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), such as the up-regulation of
      fibronectin (Fn1) and the down-regulation of E-cadherin (E-cad). Hypoxia
      inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha)-Snail signaling, regulated by the generation
      of reactive oxygen species (ROS), was involved in the (NH4)2SO4-induced EMT, and
      the potent antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhibited the activation of HIF
      1alpha-Snail and blocked the EMT, cell invasion, and migration in response to
      (NH4)2SO4. Additionally, CpG hypermethylation in the E-cad promoter regions
      partly contributed to the (NH4)2SO4-regulated E-cad repression, and the DNA
      methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza) restored the (NH4)2SO4
      induced down-regulation of E-cad. Our findings reveal a potential mechanistic
      basis for exploring the association between sulfate aerosol exposure and
      increased malignancy during lung carcinogenesis, and suggest new approaches for
      the treatment, improvement, and prevention of lung cancer resulting from sulfate
      aerosol exposure in severe haze-fog.

PMID- 28901752
TI  - Large Coercive Field of 45 kOe in a Magnetic Film Based on Metal-Substituted
      epsilon-Iron Oxide.
AB  - Magnetic ferrites are stable, sustainable, and economical. Consequently, they
      have been used in various fields. The development of large coercive field (large
      Hc) magnetic ferrites is a very important but challenging issue to accelerate the
      spread of use and to expand practical applications. In this study, we prepared a
      rhodium-substituted epsilon-iron oxide film and observed a remarkably large Hc
      value of 35 kOe at room temperature. This is the largest value among magnetic
      ferrites to date. Such a large-Hc ferrite is expected to greatly expand the
      application of magnetic ferrites. Furthermore, when the temperature dependence of
      the magnetic properties was measured, an even larger Hc value of 45 kOe was
      recorded at 200 K. Such large Hc values are much larger than those of
      conventional hard magnetic ferrites.

PMID- 28901753
TI  - Synthesis of a Cu-Filled Rh17S15 Framework: Microwave Polyol Process Versus High
      Temperature Route.
AB  - Metal-rich, mixed copper-rhodium sulfide Cu3-deltaRh34S30 that represents a new
      Cu-filled variant of the Rh17S15 structure has been synthesized and structurally
      characterized. Copper content in the [CuRh8] cubic cluster was found to vary
      notably dependent on the chosen synthetic route. Full site occupancy was achieved
      only in nanoscaled Cu3Rh34S30 obtained by a rapid, microwave-assisted reaction of
      CuCl, Rh2(CH3CO2)4 and thiosemicarbazide at 300  degrees C in just 30 min;
      whereas merely Cu-deficient Cu3-deltaRh34S30 (2.0 >= delta >= 0.9) compositions
      were realized via conventional high-temperature ceramic synthesis from the
      elements at 950  degrees C. Although Cu3-deltaRh34S30 is metallic just like
      Rh17S15, the slightly enhanced metal content has a dramatic effect on the
      electronic properties. Whereas the Rh17S15 host undergoes a superconducting
      transition at 5.4 K, no signs of the latter were found for the Cu-derivatives at
      least down to 1.8 K. This finding is corroborated by the strongly reduced density
      of states at the Fermi level of the ternary sulfide and the disruption of long
      range Rh-Rh interactions in favor of Cu-Rh interactions as revealed by quantum
      chemical calculations.

PMID- 28901754
TI  - Dysprosium Heteroleptic Corrole-Phthalocyanine Triple-Decker Complexes:
      Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Electrochemical and Magnetic Properties.
AB  - Two triple-decker dinuclear sandwich dysprosium complexes, which are represented
      as Dy2[Pc(OC5H11)8]2[Cor(FPh)3] (1) and Dy2[Pc(OC5H11)8]2[Cor(ClPh)3] (2), were
      synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods in
      nonaqueous media. Their electronic structures were also investigated on the basis
      of TD-DFT calculations. The sandwich triple-decker nature with the molecular
      conformation of [Pc(OC5H11)8]Dy[Cor(FPh)3]Dy[Pc(OC5H11)8] for compound 1 was
      unambiguously revealed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and showed
      each dyprosium ion to be octacoordinated by the isoindole and pyrrole nitrogen
      atoms of an outer phthalocyanine ring and the central corrole ring, respectively.
      In addition, the magnetic properties of both compounds have also been
      characterized for exploring the functionalities of these types of triple-decker
      complexes.

PMID- 28901756
TI  - Using Fundamental Spectroscopy to Elucidate Kinetic and Energetic Mechanisms
      within Environmentally Relevant Inductively Coupled Plasma Systems.
AB  - Understanding energy distributions and kinetic processes in NxOy plasma systems
      is vital to realizing their potential in a range of applications, including
      pollution abatement. Energy partitioning between degrees of freedom and multiple
      molecules formed within NxOy plasma systems (N2, N2O, N2/O2) was investigated
      using both optical emission and broadband absorption spectroscopies.
      Specifically, we determined electron temperatures (Te) as well as rotational (TR)
      and vibrational (TV) temperatures for various N2 (B3Pig and C3Piu) and NO (X2Pi
      and A2Sigma+) states. TR and TV for both molecules (regardless of state) show a
      strong positive correlation with applied plasma power, as well as a negative
      correlation with system pressure. In all cases, TV values are significantly
      higher than TR for both species, suggesting vibrational modes are preferentially
      excited over rotational degrees of freedom. Time-resolved optical emission
      spectroscopy was utilized to determine rate constants, providing mechanistic
      insight and establishing the relationships between system parameters and plasma
      chemistry. Ultimately, the combination of these data allows us to glean
      information regarding both the kinetics and energetics of N2 and NO molecules
      formed within nitrogen- and oxygen-containing plasma systems for potential
      applications in gas remediation of pollutants.

PMID- 28901755
TI  - Probing Frontier Orbital Energies of {Co9(P2W15)3} Polyoxometalate Clusters at
      Molecule-Metal and Molecule-Water Interfaces.
AB  - Functionalization of polyoxotungstates with organoarsonate coligands enabling
      surface decoration was explored for the triangular cluster architectures of the
      composition [CoII9(H2O)6(OH)3(p-RC6H4AsVO3)2(alpha-PV2WVI15O56)3]25-
      ({Co9(P2W15)3}, R = H or NH2), isolated as
      Na25[Co9(OH)3(H2O)6(C6H5AsO3)2(P2W15O56)3].86H2O (Na-1; triclinic, P1, a =
      25.8088(3) A, b = 25.8336(3) A, c = 27.1598(3) A, alpha = 78.1282(11) degrees ,
      beta = 61.7276(14) degrees , gamma = 60.6220(14) degrees , V = 13888.9(3) A3, Z =
      2) and Na25[Co9(OH)3(H2O)6(H2NC6H4AsO3)2(P2W15O56)3].86H2O (Na-2; triclinic, P1,
      a = 14.2262(2) A, b = 24.8597(4) A, c = 37.9388(4) A, alpha = 81.9672(10) degrees
      , beta = 87.8161(10) degrees , gamma = 76.5409(12) degrees , V = 12920.6(3) A3, Z
      = 2). The axially oriented para-aminophenyl groups in 2 facilitate the formation
      of self-assembled monolayers on gold surfaces and thus provide a viable molecular
      platform for charge transport studies of magnetically functionalized
      polyoxometalates. The title systems were isolated and characterized in the solid
      state, in aqueous solutions, and on metal surfaces. Using conducting tip atomic
      force microscopy, the energies of {Co9(P2W15)3} frontier molecular orbitals in
      the surface-bound state were found to directly correlate with cyclic voltammetry
      data in aqueous solution.

PMID- 28901757
TI  - Metal-Free Borylation of Heteroarenes Using Ambiphilic Aminoboranes: On the
      Importance of Sterics in Frustrated Lewis Pair C-H Bond Activation.
AB  - Two novel frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) aminoboranes, (1-Pip-2-BH2-C6H4)2 (2; Pip =
      piperidyl) and (1-NEt2-2-BH2-C6H4)2 (3; NEt2 = diethylamino), were synthesized,
      and their structural features were elucidated both in solution and in the solid
      state. The reactivity of these species for the borylation of heteroarenes was
      investigated and compared to previously reported (1-TMP-2-BH2-C6H4)2 (1; TMP =
      tetramethylpiperidyl) and (1-NMe2-2-BH2-C6H4)2 (4; NMe2 = dimethylamino). It was
      shown that 2 and 3 are more active catalysts for the borylation of heteroarenes
      than the bulkier analogue 1. Kinetic studies and density functional theory
      calculations were performed with 1 and 2 to ascertain the influence of the amino
      group of this FLP-catalyzed transformation. The C-H activation step was found to
      be more facile with smaller amines at the expense of a more difficult
      dissociation of the dimeric species. The bench-stable fluoroborate salts of all
      catalysts (1F-4F) have been synthesized and tested for the borylation reaction.
      The new precatalysts 2F and 3F are showing higher reaction rates and yields for
      multigram-scale syntheses.

PMID- 28901758
TI  - Single Atomic Iron Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction in Acidic Media: Particle Size
      Control and Thermal Activation.
AB  - It remains a grand challenge to replace platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts with
      earth-abundant materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic media,
      which is crucial for large-scale deployment of proton exchange membrane fuel
      cells (PEMFCs). Here, we report a high-performance atomic Fe catalyst derived
      from chemically Fe-doped zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) by directly
      bonding Fe ions to imidazolate ligands within 3D frameworks. Although the ZIF was
      identified as a promising precursor, the new synthetic chemistry enables the
      creation of well-dispersed atomic Fe sites embedded into porous carbon without
      the formation of aggregates. The size of catalyst particles is tunable through
      synthesizing Fe-doped ZIF nanocrystal precursors in a wide range from 20 to 1000
      nm followed by one-step thermal activation. Similar to Pt nanoparticles, the
      unique size control without altering chemical properties afforded by this
      approach is able to increase the number of PGM-free active sites. The best ORR
      activity is measured with the catalyst at a size of 50 nm. Further size reduction
      to 20 nm leads to significant particle agglomeration, thus decreasing the
      activity. Using the homogeneous atomic Fe model catalysts, we elucidated the
      active site formation process through correlating measured ORR activity with the
      change of chemical bonds in precursors during thermal activation up to 1100 
      degrees C. The critical temperature to form active sites is 800  degrees C, which
      is associated with a new Fe species with a reduced oxidation number (from Fe3+ to
      Fe2+) likely bonded with pyridinic N (FeN4) embedded into the carbon planes.
      Further increasing the temperature leads to continuously enhanced activity,
      linked to the rise of graphitic N and Fe-N species. The new atomic Fe catalyst
      has achieved respectable ORR activity in challenging acidic media (0.5 M H2SO4),
      showing a half-wave potential of 0.85 V vs RHE and leaving only a 30 mV gap with
      Pt/C (60 MUgPt/cm2). Enhanced stability is attained with the same catalyst, which
      loses only 20 mV after 10 000 potential cycles (0.6-1.0 V) in O2 saturated acid.
      The high-performance atomic Fe PGM-free catalyst holds great promise as a
      replacement for Pt in future PEMFCs.

PMID- 28901759
TI  - An Effective Route to Dinuclear Niobium and Tantalum Imido Complexes.
AB  - Thermal treatment of the trichloro complexes [MCl3(NR)py2] (R = tBu, Xyl; M = Nb,
      Ta) (Xyl = 2,6-Me2C6H3) under vacuum affords the dinuclear imido species [MCl2(MU
      Cl)(NR)py]2 (R = tBu, Xyl; M = Nb 1, 3; Ta 2, 4) with loss of pyridine. Complexes
      1-4 can be easily transformed to the mononuclear starting materials [MCl3(NR)py2]
      (R = tBu, Xyl; M = Nb, Ta) upon reaction with pyridine. While reactions of
      compounds 1 and 2 with a series of alkylating reagents render the mononuclear
      peralkylated imido complexes [MR3(NtBu)] (R = Me, CH2Ph, CH2CMe3, CH2CMePh,
      CH2SiMe3), the analogous treatment with allylmagnesium chloride results in the
      formation of the dinuclear niobium(IV) derivative [(NtBu)(eta3-C3H5)M(MU-C3H5)(MU
      Cl)2M(NtBu)py2] (5). Additionally, the treatment of the starting materials 1 and
      2 with the organosilicon reductant 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-diaza-2,5
      cyclohexadiene yields the pyridyl-bridged dinuclear derivatives [M2Cl2(MU
      Cl)2(NtBu)2py2]2(MU-NC4H4N)2 (M = Nb 6, Ta 7). Controlled hydrolysis reaction of
      1 and 2 affords the oxo chlorido-bridged products [MCl(MU-Cl)(NtBu)py]2(MU-O) (M
      = Nb 8, Ta 9) in a quantitative way, while the treatment of these latter with one
      more equivalent of pyridine led to complexes [MCl2(NtBu)py2]2(MU-O) (M = Nb 10,
      Ta 11). Structural study of these dinuclear imido derivatives has been also
      performed by X-ray crystallography.

PMID- 28901761
TI  - A Mild Rhodium Catalyzed Direct Synthesis of Quinolones from Pyridones:
      Application in the Detection of Nitroaromatics.
AB  - A rhodium catalyzed direct regioselective oxidative annulation by double C-H
      activation is described to synthesize highly substituted quinolones from
      pyridones. The reaction proceeds at mild conditions with broad scope and wide
      functional group tolerance. These novel quinolones were explored to recognize
      nitroaromatic compounds.

PMID- 28901760
TI  - Whole Ribosome NMR: Dipolar Couplings and Contributions to Whole Cells.
AB  - Solid-state NMR is a powerful tool for quantifying chemical composition and
      structure in complex assemblies and even whole cells. We employed N{P} REDOR NMR
      to obtain atomic-level distance propensities in intact 15N-labeled E. coli
      ribosomes. The experimental REDOR dephasing of shift-resolved lysyl amine
      nitrogens by phosphorus was comparable to that expected from a calculation of N-P
      distances involving the lysines included in the crystal structure coordinates.
      Among the nitrogen contributions to the REDOR spectra, the strongest dephasing
      emerged from the dipolar couplings to phosphorus involving nitrogen peaks
      ascribed primarily to rRNA, and the weakest dephasing arose from protein amide
      nitrogens. This approach is applicable to any macromolecular system and provides
      quantitative comparisons of distance proximities between shift-resolved nuclei of
      one type and heteronuclear dephasing spins. Enhanced molecular specificity could
      be achieved through the use of spectroscopic filters or specific labeling.
      Furthermore, ribosome 13C and 15N CPMAS spectra were compared with those of whole
      cells from which the ribosomes were isolated. Whole-cell signatures of ribosomes
      were identified and should be of value in comparing overall cellular ribosome
      content in whole-cell samples.

PMID- 28901762
TI  - Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity of a Terminal Magnesium Hydride Compound
      with a Carbatrane Motif, [TismPriBenz]MgH: A Multifunctional Catalyst for
      Hydrosilylation and Hydroboration.
AB  - The tris[(1-isopropylbenzimidazol-2-yl)dimethylsilyl)]methyl ligand,
      [TismPriBenz], has been employed to form the magnesium carbatrane compound,
      [TismPriBenz]MgH, which possesses a terminal hydride ligand. Specifically,
      [TismPriBenz]MgH is obtained via the reaction of [TismPriBenz]MgMe with PhSiH3.
      The reactivity of [TismPriBenz]MgMe and [TismPriBenz]MgH allows access to a
      variety of other structurally characterized carbatrane derivatives, including
      [TismPriBenz]MgX [X = F, Cl, Br, I, SH, N(H)Ph, CH(Me)Ph, O2CMe, S2CMe]. In
      addition, [TismPriBenz]MgH is a catalyst for (i) hydrosilylation and
      hydroboration of styrene to afford the Markovnikov products, Ph(Me)C(H)SiH2Ph and
      Ph(Me)C(H)Bpin, and (ii) hydroboration of carbodiimides and pyridine to form N
      boryl formamidines and N-boryl 1,4- and 1,2-dihydropyridines, respectively.

PMID- 28901763
TI  - Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Antibacterial Metabolites from Emericella sp. TJ29.
AB  - Bioassay-guided isolation of metabolites from cultures of the plant-derived
      fungus Emericella sp. TJ29 yielded three new terpene-polyketide hybrid
      meroterpenoids, emervaridones A-C (1-3), two new polyketides, varioxiranediols A
      and B (5 and 6), and three known analogues (4, 7, and 8). The structures and
      absolute configurations of these new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic
      analyses, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Mo2(OAc)4-induced electronic circular
      dichroism (ECD) data, and ECD calculations. To date, only one compound (4)
      bearing the emervaridone-type carbocyclic skeleton has been reported. The
      structures of emervaridones A-C (1-3) are new members of this type of natural
      product, and 1 features the first example of an alpha-directional H-7' in this
      structural category. Compounds 1 and 5 were active against five drug-resistant
      microbial pathogens [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),
      Enterococcus faecalis, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia
      coli (ESBL-producing E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae]
      with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the micrograms per
      milliliter range. Notably, the inhibitory effect of emervaridone A (1) against
      ESBL-producing E. coli was comparable to that of the clinically used antibiotic
      amikacin, with an MIC value of 2 MUg/mL. Compounds 1 and 5, both with low
      toxicities to mammalian cells, were bacteriostatic and bactericidal,
      respectively. Importantly, these two compounds may provide novel chemical
      scaffolds for the discovery of antibacterial agents for drug-resistant microbial
      pathogens.

PMID- 28901764
TI  - Equilibrium Passive Sampling of POP in Lipid-Rich and Lean Fish Tissue: Quality
      Control Using Performance Reference Compounds.
AB  - Passive sampling is widely used to measure levels of contaminants in various
      environmental matrices, including fish tissue. Equilibrium passive sampling (EPS)
      of persistent organic pollutants (POP) in fish tissue has been hitherto limited
      to application in lipid-rich tissue. We tested several exposure methods to extend
      EPS applicability to lean tissue. Thin-film polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) passive
      samplers were exposed statically to intact fillet and fish homogenate and
      dynamically by rolling with cut fillet cubes. The release of performance
      reference compounds (PRC) dosed to passive samplers prior to exposure was used to
      monitor the exchange process. The sampler-tissue exchange was isotropic, and PRC
      were shown to be good indicators of sampler-tissue equilibration status. The
      dynamic exposures demonstrated equilibrium attainment in less than 2 days for all
      three tested fish species, including lean fish containing 1% lipid. Lipid-based
      concentrations derived from EPS were in good agreement with lipid-normalized
      concentrations obtained using conventional solvent extraction. The developed in
      tissue EPS method is robust and has potential for application in chemical
      monitoring of biota and bioaccumulation studies.

PMID- 28901765
TI  - A Simple and Versatile Strategy for Rapid Color Fading and Intense Coloration of
      Photochromic Naphthopyran Families.
AB  - Benzo-annulated chromenes, i.e., naphthopyrans, are well-known photochromic
      molecules that undergo photochemical ring-opening reactions to form two colored
      open-ring isomers, the transoid-cis and transoid-trans forms, upon light
      irradiation. Though the transoid-cis form returns thermally to the uncolored
      closed form, the fading rate of the transoid-trans form is extremely slow because
      of its higher thermal stability. This slow fading behavior of the transoid-trans
      form is responsible for the persistence of residual color for several minutes to
      hours, and prevents the application of such molecules to fast photoswitching
      materials. We have found a new simple and versatile strategy to substantially
      reduce the amount of the undesirable long-lived colored transoid-trans form by
      introducing an alkoxy group at the 1-position of azino-fused chromenes, i.e., 8H
      pyranoquinazolines. The alkoxy group effectively reduces the formation of the
      transoid-trans form due to C-H...O intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the
      transoid-cis form. Moreover, the introduction of a condensed aromatic ring at the
      3-position was found to be effective to increase the photosensitivity of the ring
      opening reaction. This strategy can also be applied for naphthopyran derivatives
      and is useful for the development of fast photoresponsive photochromic lenses and
      fast photoswitching applications such as dynamic holographic materials and
      molecular actuators.

PMID- 28901766
TI  - Steric Scale of Common Substituents from Rotational Barriers of N-(o-Substituted
      aryl)thiazoline-2-thione Atropisomers.
AB  - A steric scale of 20 recurrent groups was established from comparison of
      rotational barriers on N-(o-substituted aryl)thiazoline-2-thione atropisomers.
      The resulting energy of activation DeltaG?rot reflects the spatial requirement of
      the ortho substituent borne by the aryl moiety, electronic aspects and external
      parameters (temperature and solvent) generating negligible contributions.
      Concerning divergent rankings reported in the literature, the great sensitivity
      of this model allowed us to show unambiguously that a methyl appears bigger than
      a chlorine and gave the following order in size: CN > OMe > OH. For the very
      bulky CF3 and iPr groups, constraints in the ground state decreased the expected
      DeltaG?rot values resulting in a minimization of their apparent sizes.

PMID- 28901767
TI  - 6,7-Seco-ent-Kauranoids Derived from Oridonin as Potential Anticancer Agents.
AB  - Structurally unique 6,7-seco-ent-kaurenes, which are widely distributed in the
      genus Isodon, have attracted considerable attention because of their antitumor
      activities. Previously, a convenient conversion of commercially available
      oridonin (1) to 6,7-seco-ent-kaurenes was developed. Herein, several novel spiro
      lactone-type ent-kaurene derivatives bearing various substituents at the C-1 and
      C-14 positions were further designed and synthesized from the natural product
      oridonin. Moreover, a number of seven-membered C-ring-expanded 6,7-seco-ent
      kaurenes were also identified for the first time. It was observed that most of
      the spiro-lactone-type ent-kaurenes tested markedly inhibited the proliferation
      of cancer cells, with an IC50 value as low as 0.55 MUM. An investigation on its
      mechanism of action showed that the representative compound 7b affected the cell
      cycle and induced apoptosis at a low micromolar level in MCF-7 human breast
      cancer cells. Furthermore, compound 7b inhibited liver tumor growth in an in vivo
      mouse model and exhibited no observable toxic effects. Collectively, the results
      warrant further preclinical investigations of these spiro-lactone-type ent
      kaurenes as potential novel anticancer agents.

PMID- 28901768
TI  - Importance and Difficulties in the Use of Chiroptical Methods to Assign the
      Absolute Configuration of Natural Products: The Case of Phytotoxic Pyrones and
      Furanones Produced by Diplodia corticola.
AB  - alpha-Pyrones and furanones are metabolites produced by Diplodia corticola, a
      pathogen of cork oak. Previously, the absolute configuration (AC) of diplopyrone
      was defined by chiroptical methods and Mosher's method. Using X-ray and
      chiroptical methods, the AC of sapinofuranone C was assigned, while that of the
      (4S,5S)-enantiomer of sapinofuranone B was established by enantioselective total
      synthesis. Diplofuranone A and diplobifuranylones A-C ACs are still unassigned.
      Here electronic and vibrational circular dichroism (ECD and VCD) and optical
      rotatory dispersion (ORD) spectra are reported and compared with density
      functional theory computations. The AC of the (4S,5S)-enantiomer of
      sapinofuranone B and sapinofuranone C is checked for completeness. The AC of
      diplobifuranylones A-C is assigned as (2S,2'S,5'S,6'S), (2S,2'R,5'S,6'R), and
      (2S,2'S,5'R,6'R), respectively, with the Mosher's method applied to define the
      absolute configuration of the carbinol stereogenic carbon. The AC assignment of
      sapinofuranones is problematic: while diplofuranone A is (4S,9R), sapinofuranones
      B and C are (4S,5S) according to ORD and VCD, but not to ECD. To eliminate these
      ambiguities, ECD and VCD spectra of a di-p-bromobenzoate derivative of
      sapinofuranone C are measured and calculated. For phytotoxicity studies, it is
      relevant that all six compounds share the S configuration for the stereogenic
      carbon atom of the lactone moiety.

PMID- 28901769
TI  - Enantioselective Pd-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Allylic Alkylation of
      Thiopyranones. Access to Acyclic, Stereogenic alpha-Quaternary Ketones.
AB  - A catalytic, enantioselective decarboxylative allylic alkylation of 4
      thiopyranones is reported. The alpha-quaternary 4-thiopyranones produced are
      challenging to access by standard enolate alkylation owing to facile ring-opening
      beta-sulfur elimination. In addition, reduction of the carbon-sulfur bonds
      provides access to elusive acyclic alpha-quaternary ketones. The alkylated
      products are obtained in up to 92% yield and 94% enantiomeric excess.

PMID- 28901770
TI  - Stereodivergent Synthesis of Pseudotabersonine Alkaloids.
AB  - An eight-step stereodivergent synthesis of enantiomerically pure (-)-14-epi
      pseudotabersonine and (+)-pseudotabersonine has been developed from a common N
      tert-butanesulfinyl ketimine key intermediate.

PMID- 28901771
TI  - Ex Situ Generation of Sulfuryl Fluoride for the Synthesis of Aryl Fluorosulfates.
AB  - A convenient transformation of phenols into the corresponding aryl fluorosulfates
      is presented: the first protocol to completely circumvent direct handling of
      gaseous sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2). The proposed method employs 1,1'
      sulfonyldiimidazole as a precursor to generate near-stoichiometric amounts of
      SO2F2 gas using a two-chamber reactor. With NMR studies, it was shown that this
      ex situ gas evolution is extremely rapid, and a variety of phenols and
      hydroxylated heteroarenes were fluorosulfated in good to excellent yields.

PMID- 28901772
TI  - Electron-Poor Bowl-Shaped Polycyclic Aromatic Dicarboximides: Synthesis, Crystal
      Structures, and Optical and Redox Properties.
AB  - Two new bowl-shaped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, based on corannulene and
      naphthalene dicarboximide, are synthesized by an improved Suzuki-Miyaura cross
      coupling and C-H arylation cascade reaction. Crystallographic analyses confirm
      structural assignments and provide insight into molecular interactions in the
      solid state. The new bowl-shaped molecules show reversible oxidation and
      reduction, intense visible range absorption, and high fluorescence quantum
      yields. These molecules can be considered bowl-shaped congeners of planar
      perylene dicarboximides.

PMID- 28901773
TI  - Transformation of the B Ring to the C Ring of Bryostatins by Csp3-H Amination and
      Z to E Isomerization.
AB  - An interesting approach to transform the B ring of bryostatins to the C ring has
      been developed. The key tactics of the approach feature an intramolecular Csp3-H
      bond amination to form spirocyclic hemiaminal, which undergoes ring opening to
      afford the C ring found in bryostatin 17. The subsequent epoxidation/oxidation
      sequence results in Z to E isomerization of the exo-cyclic enoate, delivering the
      common precursor, which could be transformed into the C ring found in bryostatins
      1, 2, 4-9, 12, 14, and 15.

PMID- 28901774
TI  - Sulfoxonium Ylides as a Carbene Precursor in Rh(III)-Catalyzed C-H
      Acylmethylation of Arenes.
AB  - Sulfoxonium ylides act as an efficient carbene precursor in rhodium(III)
      catalyzed C-H acylmethlyation of a variety of arenes assisted by different
      chelating groups, and both aryl- and alkyl-substituted beta-carbonyl sulfoxonium
      ylides are applicable. The system proceeded under redox-neutral conditions with a
      broad scope, high efficiency, and functional group tolerance.

PMID- 28901775
TI  - Synthesis and Properties of Quinoidal Fluorenofluorenes.
AB  - The synthesis and optoelectronic properties of 24 pi-electron, formally
      antiaromatic fluoreno[3,2-b]fluorene and fluoreno[4,3-c]fluorene (FF), are
      presented. The solid-state structure of [4,3-c]FF along with computationally
      analogous molecules shows that the outer rings are aromatic while the central
      four rings possess a bond-localized 2,6-naphthoquinodimethane motif. The
      antiaromaticity and biradical character of the FFs is assessed computationally,
      the results of which indicate the dominance of the closed-shell ground state for
      these molecules.

PMID- 28901776
TI  - Liposomal Delivery of Diacylglycerol Lipase-Beta Inhibitors to Macrophages
      Dramatically Enhances Selectivity and Efficacy in Vivo.
AB  - Diacylglycerol lipase-beta (DAGLbeta) hydrolyzes arachidonic acid (AA)-containing
      diacylglycerols to produce bioactive lipids including endocannabinoids and AA
      derived eicosanoids involved in regulation of inflammatory signaling. Previously,
      we demonstrated that DAGLbeta inactivation using the triazole urea inhibitor
      KT109 blocked macrophage inflammatory signaling and reversed allodynic responses
      of mice in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. Here, we tested whether we
      could exploit the phagocytic capacity of macrophages to localize delivery of
      DAGLbeta inhibitors to these cells in vivo using liposome encapsulated KT109. We
      used DAGLbeta-tailored activity-based probes and chemical proteomic methods to
      measure potency and selectivity of liposomal KT109 in macrophages and tissues
      from treated mice. Surprisingly, delivery of ~5 MUg of liposomal KT109 was
      sufficient to achieve ~80% inactivation of DAGLbeta in macrophages with no
      apparent activity in other tissues in vivo. Our macrophage-targeted delivery
      resulted in a >100-fold enhancement in antinociceptive potency compared with free
      compound in a mouse inflammatory pain model. Our studies describe a novel anti
      inflammatory strategy that is achieved by targeted in vivo delivery of DAGLbeta
      inhibitors to macrophages.

PMID- 28901777
TI  - Concise Synthesis of Tetrazole Macrocycle.
AB  - A concise two step synthesis of tetrazole containing macrocycles from readily
      accessible starting materials is presented. The first step comprises a
      chemoselective amidation of amino acid derived isocyanocarboxylicacid esters with
      unprotected symmetrical diamines to afford diverse alpha-isocyano-omega-amines.
      In the second step, the alpha-isocyano-omega-amines undergo an Ugi tetrazole
      reaction to close the macrocycle. Advantageously, this strategy allows short
      access to 11-19-membered macrocycles in which substituents can be independently
      varied at three different positions.

PMID- 28901778
TI  - Regio- and Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Pyrimidine Acyclic Nucleosides
      via Rhodium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylation of Pyrimidines.
AB  - A direct route to branched N-allylpyrimidine analogues is herein reported via the
      highly regio- and enantioselective asymmetric allylation of pyrimidines with
      racemic allylic carbonates. With [Rh(COD)Cl]2/chiral diphosphine as the catalyst,
      a range of chiral pyrimidine acyclic nucleosides could be obtained under neutral
      conditions in good yields (up to 95% yield) with high levels of regio- and
      enantioselectivities (15:1 to >40:1 B/L and up to 99% ee). Furthermore, chiral
      pyrimidine acyclic nucleoside bearing two adjacent chiral centers has been
      successfully synthesized by asymmetric dihydroxylation.

PMID- 28901779
TI  - Initial consonant deletion in bilingual Spanish-English-speaking children with
      speech sound disorders.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to utilize a theoretical model of bilingual speech
      sound production as a framework for analyzing the speech of bilingual children
      with speech sound disorders. In order to distinguish speech difference from
      speech disorder, we examined between-language interaction on initial consonant
      deletion, an error pattern found cross-linguistically in the speech of children
      with speech sound disorders. Thirteen monolingual English-speaking and bilingual
      Spanish-and English-speaking preschoolers with speech sound disorders were audio
      recorded during a single word picture-naming task and their recordings were
      phonetically transcribed. Initial consonant deletion errors were examined both
      quantitatively and qualitatively. An analysis of cross-linguistic effects and an
      analysis of phonemic complexity were performed. Monolingual English-speaking
      children exhibited initial consonant deletion at a significantly lower rate than
      bilingual children in their Spanish productions; however, no other quantitative
      differences were found across groups or languages. Qualitative differences
      yielded between-language interaction in the error patterns of bilingual children.
      Phonemic complexity appeared to play a role in initial consonant deletion.
      Evidence from the speech of bilingual children with speech sound disorders
      supports analysing bilingual speech using a cross-linguistic framework. Both
      theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

PMID- 28901780
TI  - Cognitive correlates of pragmatic language comprehension in adult traumatic brain
      injury: A systematic review and meta-analyses.
AB  - Effective pragmatic comprehension of language is critical for successful
      communication and interaction, but this ability is routinely impaired following
      Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) (1,2). Individual studies have investigated the
      cognitive domains associated with impaired pragmatic comprehension, but there
      remains little understanding of the relative importance of these domains in
      contributing to pragmatic comprehension impairment following TBI. This paper
      presents a systematic meta-analytic review of the observed correlations between
      pragmatic comprehension and cognitive processes following TBI. Five meta-analyses
      were computed, which quantified the relationship between pragmatic comprehension
      and five key cognitive constructs (declarative memory; working memory; attention;
      executive functions; social cognition). Significant moderate-to-strong
      correlations were found between all cognitive measures and pragmatic
      comprehension, where declarative memory was the strongest correlate. Thus, our
      findings indicate that pragmatic comprehension in TBI is associated with an array
      of domain general cognitive processes, and as such deficits in these cognitive
      domains may underlie pragmatic comprehension difficulties following TBI. The
      clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

PMID- 28901781
TI  - Genetic analyses of partial egg production in Japanese quail using multi-trait
      random regression models.
AB  - 1. The aim of the present study was to estimate genetic parameters for average
      egg weight (EW) and egg number (EN) at different ages in Japanese quail using
      multi-trait random regression (MTRR) models. 2. A total of 8534 records from 900
      quail, hatched between 2014 and 2015, were used in the study. Average weekly egg
      weights and egg numbers were measured from second until sixth week of egg
      production. 3. Nine random regression models were compared to identify the best
      order of the Legendre polynomials (LP). The most optimal model was identified by
      the Bayesian Information Criterion. A model with second order of LP for fixed
      effects, second order of LP for additive genetic effects and third order of LP
      for permanent environmental effects (MTRR23) was found to be the best. 4.
      According to the MTRR23 model, direct heritability for EW increased from 0.26 in
      the second week to 0.53 in the sixth week of egg production, whereas the ratio of
      permanent environment to phenotypic variance decreased from 0.48 to 0.1. Direct
      heritability for EN was low, whereas the ratio of permanent environment to
      phenotypic variance decreased from 0.57 to 0.15 during the production period. 5.
      For each trait, estimated genetic correlations among weeks of egg production were
      high (from 0.85 to 0.98). Genetic correlations between EW and EN were low and
      negative for the first two weeks, but they were low and positive for the rest of
      the egg production period. 6. In conclusion, random regression models can be used
      effectively for analysing egg production traits in Japanese quail. Response to
      selection for increased egg weight would be higher at older ages because of its
      higher heritability and such a breeding program would have no negative genetic
      impact on egg production.

PMID- 28901782
TI  - A Radiographic Dye Method for Intraoperative Evaluation of Syndesmotic Injuries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Chertsey test has been recently defined as an intraoperative test
      for the detection of the syndesmotic injuries by the application of intra
      articular contrast. However, no study has investigated the reliability and
      comparative analysis of the Chertsey test. The purpose of this study was to
      explore the diagnostic accuracy of the Chertsey test in predicting syndesmosis
      instability of the injured ankle, with correlation to preoperative computed
      tomography (CT) findings. METHODS: A total of 39 patients who were operated on
      due to the unilateral ankle fracture and had no complaint on the contralateral
      ankle joint were included in the study. An intraoperative Chertsey test was
      performed on all ankle fractures and bilateral ankle CT was obtained
      preoperatively. Ankles were classified as Chertsey +, Chertsey -, and
      contralateral control group. The morphology categorization, width, and volume of
      the syndesmotic region were measured on axial images of the CT. Mann-Whitney U
      test was used to compare the data. Intraobserver and interobserver agreements
      were accessed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for
      radiologic parameters and the Chertsey test. RESULTS: The Chertsey test was
      positive in 13 (33.3%) of 39 ankle fractures. Patients with a positive Chertsey
      test showed a significant increase in syndesmotic width and volume compared with
      Chertsey - and control group. However, there was no significant difference
      between Chertsey - and the control group. All the ICC values were excellent for
      both radiologic measurements and test. CONCLUSION: The Chertsey test is a
      reliable and useful test that can be used intraoperatively in the diagnosis of
      syndesmotic injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, comparative series.

PMID- 28901784
TI  - Impact of Maillard reaction products on nutrition and health: Current knowledge
      and need to understand their fate in the human digestive system.
AB  - The Maillard Reaction (MR) is a non-enzymatic chemical reaction which results in
      the linkage between the amino group of amino acids and the carbonyl group of
      reduced sugars. MR products (MRPs) are common components of processed foods,
      mainly as a result of heating, especially in the Western diet. MRPs are
      classified as into three stages: initial, intermediate, and final stages,
      indicative of increased complexity and size, incurring different flavor, aroma,
      and texture. MRPs presence is known to reduce the nutritional quality of foods,
      particularly by reducing protein digestibility. Early reports have linked MRPs,
      especially advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) present in high concentration
      in the typical Western diet, to health conditions and diseases. However
      conflicting data has since been reported, and only a few (acrylamide,
      heterocyclic amines and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural) MRPs have documented potential
      toxic or carcinogenic effects. High molecular weight MRPs are not available for
      direct absorption in the higher gastrointestinal tract, and are thus mostly
      metabolized by resident colonic microbes. MRPs have been the subject of sparse
      research interest in comparison with other non-digestible dietary elements. In
      this review, we outline the state of knowledge on MRPs in nutrition and health,
      and highlight the need to develop the limited knowledge on their impact on the
      gut microbiota and which metabolites derive from MRPs fermentation.

PMID- 28901783
TI  - Quantification of manganese and mercury in toenail in vivo using portable X-ray
      fluorescence (XRF).
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Toenail is an advantageous biomarker to assess exposure
      to metals such as manganese and mercury. Toenail Mn and Hg are in general
      analyzed by chemical methods such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
      and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In this project, a practical and
      convenient technology-portable X-ray florescence (XRF)-is studied for the
      noninvasive in vivo quantification of manganese and mercury in toenail. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The portable XRF method has advantages in that it does not require
      toenail clipping and it can be done in 3 min, which will greatly benefit human
      studies involving the assessment of manganese and mercury exposures. This study
      mainly focused on the methodology development and validation which includes
      spectral analysis, system calibration, the effect of toenail thickness, and the
      detection limit of the system. Manganese- and mercury-doped toenail phantoms were
      made. Calibration lines were established for these measurements. RESULTS: The
      results show that the detection limit for manganese is 3.65 MUg/g (ppm) and for
      mercury is 0.55 MUg/g (ppm) using 1 mm thick nail phantoms with 10 mm soft tissue
      underneath. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: We conclude that portable XRF is a
      valuable and sensitive technology to quantify toenail manganese and mercury in
      vivo.

PMID- 28901785
TI  - A new anti-inflammatory meroterpenoid from the fungus Aspergillus terreus H010.
AB  - An unusual austinoid, 1,2-dehydro-terredehydroaustin (1), together with two known
      meroterpenoids (2 and 3), were isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungus
      Aspergillus terreus. The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic
      data, X-ray diffraction and ECD calculations. The anti-inflammatory activity was
      assayed and compound 1 exhibited weak inhibition effect against the production of
      nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 246.7 mouse macrophages
      with an IC50 value of 42.3 MUM.

PMID- 28901786
TI  - Effect of gestational age on the epidemiology of late-onset sepsis in neonatal
      intensive care units - a review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neonatal sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Late
      onset sepsis affects a significant percentage of infants admitted to the neonatal
      intensive care unit (NICU). Most affected newborns are preterm or low birth
      weight, but late-onset sepsis also affects late preterm and term infants.
      Understanding how gestational age affects the epidemiology of late-onset sepsis
      can be of use when defining strategies for its prevention and clinical management
      in NICU. Areas covered: Available evidence suggests the incidence and mortality
      of late-onset sepsis is higher in preterm and VLBW infants, but pathogen
      distribution and risk exposure is similar across all infants admitted to NICU.
      More research is required for late-onset sepsis in late preterm and term infants
      admitted to NICU. There is some research insight on the impact of gut bacteria in
      the epidemiology of Gram-negative sepsis, which could benefit from further
      dedicated studies. Expert commentary: Understanding the manner in which some
      infants develop severe sepsis and others don't and what the long-term outcomes
      are is fundamental to guide management strategies. Further research should focus
      both on infants' characteristics and on pathogenic processes. The ultimate goal
      is to be able to design guidelines for prevention and management of sepsis that
      are adapted to a varied neonatal population.

PMID- 28901787
TI  - Medication management strategies used by older adults with heart failure: A
      systems-based analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Older adults with heart failure use strategies to cope with the
      constraining barriers impeding medication management. Strategies are behavioral
      adaptations that allow goal achievement despite these constraining conditions.
      When strategies do not exist, are ineffective or maladaptive, medication
      performance and health outcomes are at risk. While constraints to medication
      adherence are described in literature, strategies used by patients to manage
      medications are less well-described or understood. AIM: Guided by cognitive
      engineering concepts, the aim of this study was to describe and analyze the
      strategies used by older adults with heart failure to achieve their medication
      management goals. METHODS: This mixed methods study employed an empirical
      strategies analysis method to elicit medication management strategies used by
      older adults with heart failure. Observation and interview data collected from 61
      older adults with heart failure and 31 caregivers were analyzed using qualitative
      content analysis to derive categories, patterns and themes within and across
      cases. RESULTS: Data derived thematic sub-categories described planned and ad hoc
      methods of strategic adaptations. Stable strategies proactively adjusted the
      medication management process, environment, or the patients themselves. Patients
      applied situational strategies (planned or ad hoc) to irregular or unexpected
      situations. Medication non-adherence was a strategy employed when life goals
      conflicted with medication adherence. The health system was a source of
      constraints without providing commensurate strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      strived to control their medication system and achieve goals using adaptive
      strategies. Future patient self-mangement research can benefit from methods and
      theories used to study professional work, such as strategies analysis.

PMID- 28901788
TI  - Catastrophic uterine rupture associated with placenta accreta after previous B
      Lynch sutures.

PMID- 28901789
TI  - Cardiac side effects of bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors.
AB  - The development of bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) has been a
      significant advancement in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and
      related B-cell malignancies. As experience in using ibrutinib increased, the
      first drug to be licensed in its class, atrial fibrillation (AF) emerged as an
      important side effect. The intersection between BTKi therapy for B-cell
      malignancies and AF represents a complex area of management with scant evidence
      for guidance. Consideration needs to be taken regarding the interplay of
      increased bleeding risk versus thromboembolic complications of AF, drug
      interactions between ibrutinib and anticoagulants and antiarrhythmic agents, and
      the potential for other, as yet seldom reported cardiac side effects. This review
      describes the current knowledge regarding BTKi and potential pathophysiologic
      mechanisms of AF and discusses the management of BTKi-associated AF. Finally, a
      review of the second generation BTKi is provided and gaps in knowledge in this
      evolving field are highlighted.

PMID- 28901790
TI  - Anti-CD123 chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CART): an evolving treatment
      strategy for hematological malignancies, and a potential ace-in-the-hole against
      antigen-negative relapse.
AB  - Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cells (CART) are a potent and targeted
      immunotherapy which have induced remissions in some patients with chemotherapy
      refractory or relapsed (RR) hematologic malignancies. Hundreds of patients have
      now been treated worldwide with anti-CD19 CART cells, with complete response
      rates of up to 90%. CART therapy has a unique toxicity profile, and unfortunately
      not all responses are durable. Treatment failure occurs via two main routes - by
      loss of the CART cell population, or relapse with antigen loss. Emerging data
      indicate that targeting an alternative antigen instead of, or as well as CD19,
      could improve CART cell efficacy and reduce antigen-negative relapse. Other
      strategies include the addition of other immune-based therapies. This review
      explores the rationale, pre-clinical data and currently investigative strategies
      underway for CART therapy targeting the myeloid and lymphoid stem/progenitor
      antigen CD123.

PMID- 28901791
TI  - Determinants of 1-year survival in critically ill acute leukemia patients: a GRRR
      OH study.
AB  - Acute leukemia (AL) is the most common hematological malignancy requiring
      intensive care unit (ICU) management. Data on long-term survival are limited.
      This is a post hoc analysis of the prospective multicenter data from France and
      Belgium: A Groupe de Recherche Respiratoire en Reanimation Onco-Hematologique [A
      Research Group on Acute Respiratory Failure in Onco-Hematological Patients
      (French)] Study, to identify determinants of 1-year survival in critically ill AL
      patients. A total of 278 patients were admitted in the 17 participating ICUs.
      Median age was 58 years and 70% had newly diagnosed leukemia. ICU mortality rate
      was 28.6 and 39.6% of the patients alive at 1 year. Admission for intensive
      monitoring was independently associated with better 1-year survival by
      multivariate analysis. Conversely, relapsed/refractory disease, secondary
      leukemia, mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy were independently
      associated with 1-year mortality. This study confirms the impact of organ
      dysfunction on long-term survival in ICU patients with AL. Follow-up studies to
      assess respiratory and renal recovery are warranted.

PMID- 28901792
TI  - Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus chorioamnionitis and foetal death
      after mechanical induction of labour: a case report.

PMID- 28901794
TI  - Silybin Against Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: Something Old, Something
      New....
AB  - Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a life threatening condition that may
      develop after elective liver surgery or liver transplantation. Numerous surgical
      and pharmacological approaches have shown varying degrees of protection against
      liver IRI. A group of protective compounds are the flavonoids but their
      intestinal absorbtion and bioavailability are low and impredictible. In this
      issue Tsaroucha et al. reports significantly decreased hepatocellular injury,
      Fas/FasL expression and inhibited HMGB1 release in rats receiving a hydrosoluble,
      lyophilized complex of SLB and hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (SLB-HP-beta-CD)
      intravenously.

PMID- 28901793
TI  - Intravenous fosfomycin for the treatment of hospitalized patients with serious
      infections.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With the worldwide increase in the rates of antimicrobial
      resistance, antimicrobials with novel mechanisms of action are needed to fill a
      void in the antimicrobial armamentarium. Areas covered: Intravenous fosfomycin
      has been studied extensively in a wide variety of infections including cUTI,
      lower respiratory tract infection, bone and joint infections, endocarditis,
      meningitis, and bacteremia outside of the United States. This paper reviews the
      in vitro activity, pharmacokinetic properties, and clinical experience of
      intravenous fosfomycin in hospitalized patients with serious infections. Expert
      commentary: Drug resistant infections in hospitalized and critically ill patients
      are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Fosfomycin is an epoxide
      antimicrobial that acts by inhibiting cell wall synthesis earlier in the process
      compared to other classes of antimicrobial agents. Fosfomycin exerts bactericidal
      activity against a broad range of gram-negative and gram-positive pathogens,
      including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase- and carbapenemase-producing bacteria.
      Although an oral formulation of fosfomycin is approved by the United States (US)
      Food and Drug Administration for uncomplicated urinary tract infections,
      intravenous fosfomycin at a dose of 18 g/day is currently under clinical
      development for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI),
      including pyelonephritis in the US.

PMID- 28901795
TI  - Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes of Unipolar and Bipolar Radial Head Prosthesis
      in Patients with Radial Head Fracture: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes of unipolar and bipolar radial head
      prosthesis in the treatment of patients with radial head fracture. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, Google Scholar databases were searched until
      April 18, 2016 using the following search terms: radial head fracture, elbow
      fracture, radial head arthroplasty, implants, prosthesis, unipolar, bipolar,
      cemented, and press-fit. Randomized controlled trials, retrospective, and cohort
      studies were included. RESULTS: The Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS),
      disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) score, radiologic assessment,
      ROM, and grip strength following elbow replacement were similar between
      prosthetic devices. The pooled mean excellent/good ranking of MEPS was 0.78 for
      unipolar and 0.73 for bipolar radial head arthroplasty, and the pooled mean MEPS
      was 86.9 and 79.9, respectively. DASH scores for unipolar and bipolar prosthesis
      were 19.0 and 16.3, respectively. Range of motion outcomes were similar between
      groups, with both groups have comparable risk of flexion arc, flexion, extension
      deficit, rotation arc, pronation, and supination (p values <0.001 for both
      unipolar and bipolar prosthesis). However, bipolar radial head prosthesis was
      associated with an increased chance of heterotopic ossification and lucency (p
      values <=0.049) while unipolar prosthesis was not (p values >=0.088). Both groups
      had risk for development of capitellar osteopenia or erosion/wear (p values
      <=0.039). CONCLUSION: Unipolar and bipolar radial head prostheses were similar
      with respect to clinical outcomes. Additional comparative studies are necessary
      to further compare different radial head prostheses used to treat radial head
      fracture.

PMID- 28901797
TI  - Predictive performance of early warning scores in acute leukemia patients
      receiving induction chemotherapy.

PMID- 28901796
TI  - Efficacy and safety of saxagliptin in combination with insulin in Japanese
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 16-week double-blind randomized
      controlled trial with a 36-week open-label extension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We examined the efficacy and safety of saxagliptin as an add-on to
      insulin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
      METHODS: We randomized 240 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on insulin
      monotherapy to 5-mg saxagliptin or placebo as add-on therapy for a 16-week,
      double-blind period. All patients received 5-mg saxagliptin and insulin for an
      additional 36 weeks (open-label extension). Change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at
      Week 16 was the main endpoint. RESULTS: At Week 16, the adjusted change in HbA1c
      from baseline increased by 0.51% with placebo and decreased by 0.40% with
      saxagliptin (difference -0.92% [95% confidence interval -1.07%, -0.76%; p <
      0.001]). In patients receiving saxagliptin, reductions in HbA1c at Week 16 were
      maintained to Week 52, while switching from placebo to saxagliptin resulted in a
      similar reduction in HbA1c. The incidence of hypoglycemia was not markedly
      increased with saxagliptin versus placebo in the double-blind period and did not
      increase substantially during the open-label extension period. The efficacy and
      safety of saxagliptin was similar between the elderly and non-elderly patient
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adding saxagliptin to ongoing insulin therapy improved
      glycemic control and was well tolerated in Japanese patients with type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 28901798
TI  - Multifunctional micelle delivery system for overcoming multidrug resistance of
      doxorubicin.
AB  - Doxorubicin (DOX), as an anthracycline, plays an important role in chemotherapy.
      But multidrug resistance (MDR) tremendously retards the anticancer effect of DOX
      and results in the failure of chemotherapy. Multifunctional micelles emerge as a
      valid strategy to load DOX by physical encapsulation or chemical binding to be
      delivered to cancer cells against MDR. In this review, mechanism of MDR of DOX is
      simply described. Multifunctional co-delivery micelles of DOX and main MDR
      modulators have been summarised in detail. DOX-loaded multifunctional polymeric
      micelles are also introduced to alleviate MDR of DOX, in which polymers act as
      MDR modulators.

PMID- 28901799
TI  - Protective effect of thymoquinone against lead-induced antioxidant defense system
      alteration in rat liver.
AB  - Alteration of the antioxidant system may be related to lead (Pb) hepatotoxicity.
      This study was carried out to investigate the possible beneficial effect of
      thymoquinone (TQ), the major active ingredient of volatile oil of Nigella sativa
      seeds, against Pb-induced liver antioxidant defense system impairment. Adult male
      rats were randomized into four groups: control group received no treatment, Pb
      group was exposed to 2000 ppm of Pb acetate in drinking water, Pb-TQ group was
      cotreated with Pb plus TQ (5 mg/kg/day, per os) and TQ group receiving only TQ.
      All treatments were applied for five weeks. TQ alone did not induce any
      significant changes in the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status. By
      contrast, Pb exposure significantly decreased not only reduced glutathione level,
      but also superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and glutathione
      reductase activities in the liver tissue. Interestingly, when coadministrated
      with Pb, TQ significantly improved the affected antioxidant parameters. In
      conclusion, our results indicate a protective effect of TQ against Pb-induced
      liver antioxidant capacity impairment and suggest that this component might be a
      clinically promising alternative in Pb hepatotoxicity.

PMID- 28901800
TI  - Changes in expression of neuropeptides and their receptors in the hypothalamus
      and gastrointestinal tract of calorie restricted hens.
AB  - The list of orexigenic and anorexigenic peptides, those are known to alter feed
      intake, is continuously growing. However, most of them are studied in mammalian
      species. We aimed to investigate plasma level and mRNA expression of the
      pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), gene expression of
      its receptor (PAC1), furthermore the gene expression of galanin (GAL), neuromedin
      U (NMU), and its two receptors (NMUR1 and NMUR2) in the hypothalamus,
      proventriculus, and jejunum of hens exposed to 40% calorie restriction. Feed
      restriction resulted in a 88% increase in mRNA and a 27% increase in peptide
      level of PACAP in proventriculus measured with qPCR and RIA, respectively.
      Increases were found in the gene expression of PAC1 (49%) and NMUR1 (63%) in the
      hypothalamus. Higher expressions of peptide encoding genes (76% for PACAP, 41%
      for NMU, 301% for NMUR1 and 308% for GAL, P < 0.05) were recorded in the jejunum
      of hens exposed to restricted nutrition. The results indicate that PACAP level
      responds to calorie restriction in the proventriculus and jejunum, but not in the
      hypothalamus and plasma.

PMID- 28901801
TI  - Screening of some biological activities of Alyssum fulvescens var. fulvescens
      known as ege madwort.
AB  - In this research, the phenolic composition, antioxidant, antibacterial and
      cytotoxic activities of the methanolic extracts obtained from Alyssum fulvescens
      var. fulvescens aerial parts known as Ege kuduzotu in western Turkey, were
      firstly investigated. The antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by
      DPPH, metal chelating, phosphomolybdenum, beta-carotene/linoleic acid and ferric
      reducing power assays. Moreover, total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the
      extract were investigated. The brine shrimp (Artemia salina L.) lethality test
      was used to investigate for the possible cytotoxic activity of the extract.
      Microdilution broth method was used to study antibacterial potency of extract
      against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The extract exhibited good
      biological activities. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the extract were
      significantly correlated with antioxidant potentials. HPLC analysis showed that
      chlorogenic acid was the major phenolic in extract tested. The results indicated
      that the extract of A. fulvescens var. fulvescens may be considered as a
      potential source of biological agents and in vivo investigations are needed to
      test the biological effects of A. fulvescens var. fulvescens.

PMID- 28901802
TI  - Isolation and quantitative analysis of physalin D in the fruit and calyx of
      Physalis alkekengi L.
AB  - Physalin D was isolated from the methanol extract of Physalis alkekengi L. fruits
      by combination of different chromatographic methods (CPC, TLC, HPLC). The
      structure was elucidated based on 1H and 13C NMR spectral analysis with the aid
      of 2D-correlation spectroscopy (1H, 1H-COSY, HSQC and HMBC) and comparison with
      literature data. The quantity of physalin D in mature and immature fruits and
      calyces was determined by RP-HPLC-UV method. Among the studied samples, immature
      calyx showed the highest content of physalin D (0.7880 +/- 0.0612%), while mature
      calyx contained 4 times less amount (0.2028 +/- 0.016%). The physalin D content
      of the fruit was much lower; immature fruits contained 0.0992 +/- 0.0083%
      physalin D and mature fruits 0.0259 +/- 0.0021%. The antiproliferative activity
      of the CHCl3 extract and its fractions was tested on three cancer cell lines
      (HeLa, MCF-7 and A431). The antiproliferative activity of physalin D is discussed
      with regard the published data.

PMID- 28901803
TI  - In vitro activity of calcium channel blockers in combination with conventional
      antifungal agents against clinically important filamentous fungi.
AB  - Despite the current therapeutic options, filamentous fungal infections are
      associated with high mortality rate especially in immunocompromised patients. In
      order to find a new potential therapeutic approach, the in vitro inhibitory
      effect of two antiarrhythmic agents, diltiazem and verapamil hydrochloride were
      tested against different clinical isolates of ascomycetous and mucoralean
      filamentous fungi. The in vitro combinations of these non-antifungal drugs with
      azole and polyene antifungal agents were also examined. Susceptibility tests were
      carried out using the broth microdilution method according to the instructions of
      the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute document M38-A2. Checkerboard
      microdilution assay was used to assess the interactions between antifungal and
      non-antifungal drugs. Compared to antifungal agents, diltiazem and verapamil
      hydrochloride exerted a relatively low antifungal activity with high minimal
      inhibitory concentration values (853-2731 MUg/ml). Although in combination they
      could increase the antifungal activity of amphotericin B, itraconazole and
      voriconazole. Indifferent and synergistic interactions were registered in 33 and
      17 cases, respectively. Antagonistic interactions were not revealed between the
      investigated compounds. However, the observed high MICs suggest that these agents
      could not be considered as alternative systemic antifungal agents.

PMID- 28901804
TI  - Histological and antimicrobial study of Ononis arvensis L.
AB  - In this study field restharrow (Ononis arvensis) was investigated for
      histological and antimicrobial features. The aerial part and the root were
      embedded in synthetic resin and investigated following sectioning by a rotation
      microtome. The antimicrobial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of the
      solvent fractions of the aerial part were studied against four bacterial strains
      and one fungus. According to histology, the root covered by rhizodermis contains
      contiguous vascular elements, which are surrounded by sclerenchyma cells. The
      epidermis cells are anisodiametric in the stem, sepal, and petal. The bundles of
      the stem form a Ricinus type thickening. The adaxial side of the heterogeneous
      leaf is covered by unbranching non-glandular and capitate glandular trichomes.
      The stipule, petiole, sepals and petals are isolateral having mesomorphic
      stomata. Pollen grains are tricolpate. The different extracts of the herb showed
      antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
      Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Data show
      that the extracts of the leaf contain compounds which may be responsible for the
      antifungal effect, while extracts obtained from display against the tested
      bacteria, except Escherichia coli. Further studies are required to complete the
      phytochemical analysis and identify the antimicrobial compounds of extracts.

PMID- 28901805
TI  - Fusiform vateritic inclusions observed in European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.)
      sagittae.
AB  - Microscopic inclusions have been observed in 7 out of 106 European eel (Anguilla
      anguilla L.) sagittae using polarizing microscope and scanning electron
      microscope meanwhile the annual increments were studied to characterize the age
      structure of the population living in Lake Balaton. The presence of vaterite, a
      rare calcium carbonate polymorph was observed in these inclusions using Raman
      spectroscopy. Vateritic sagittae in wild fish are usually considered as symptom
      of physiological stress. The observed fusiform inclusions represent a new
      morphological type of vaterite inclusions in eel otolith. Two alternatives are
      hypothesized to explain their formation: 1) metabolic disorder, such as erroneous
      protein synthesis; 2) introduction of an alien protein into the eel's inner ear.
      The origin and physiological significance of this new morphological type of
      vateritic inclusions is still an open question. Same as whether it can be found
      in other species or specific only to eel otoliths.

PMID- 28901806
TI  - Optimised selenium enrichment of Artemia sp. feed to improve red drum (Sciaenops
      ocellatus) larvae rearing.
AB  - Selenium is an essential microelement for the normal functioning of life
      processes. Moreover, it is a component of enzymes with antioxidant effects.
      However, it has the smallest window of any micronutrient between requirement and
      toxicity. Selenium is a regularly used element in fish feeds; moreover, enriching
      zooplankton with selenium to rear larvae is also a well-known technology. It is
      accepted that the most common starter foods of fish larvae, natural rotifers
      contain the smallest dosage of selenium, but providing selenium enriched Artemia
      sp. instead could increase survival and growth rate of fish. However, no such
      references are available for the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) larvae.
      Therefore, in this study, Artemia sp. was enriched with nano-selenium of verified
      low toxicity and easy availability in 5 treatments (1, 5, 10, 50, 100 mg/l Se),
      and then, fish larvae were fed with four of these enriched Artemia stocks (1, 5,
      10, 50 mg/l Se) and a control group. At the end of the 9-day-long experiment,
      survival rate (S) and growth parameters (SL, W, K-factor, SGR) of fish larvae
      were calculated as well as their selenium retention and glutathione peroxidase
      enzyme activity were analysed. It was revealed that a moderate level of selenium
      enrichment (~4 mg/kg dry matter) of Artemia sp. positively influences the rearing
      efficiency (i.e. survival and growth) of fish larvae, but higher dosages of
      selenium could cause adverse effects.

PMID- 28901807
TI  - Exogenous ascorbic acid improves defence responses of sunflower (Helianthus
      annuus) exposed to multiple stresses.
AB  - Ascorbic acid is an important antioxidant that plays role both on growth and
      development and also stress response of the plant. The purpose of this study was
      to determine the effect of ascorbate on physiological and biochemical changes of
      sunflower that was exposed to multiple stresses. Chlorophyll and carotenoid
      contents decreased and glutathione, ascorbate and malondialdehyde contents as
      well as antioxidant enzyme activities increased for sunflower plant that was
      exposed to 50 mM NaCl and pendimethalin at different concentrations. These
      changes were found to be more significant in groups simultaneously exposed to
      both stress factors. While malondialdehyde content decreased, chlorophyll,
      carotenoid, ascorbate, glutathione contents and antioxidant enzyme activities
      increased in plants treated exogenously with ascorbate, compared to the untreated
      samples. According to the findings of our study; compared to individual stress,
      the effect of stress is more pronounced in sunflower exposed to multiple
      stresses, and treatment with exogenous ascorbate reduces the negative effects of
      stress.

PMID- 28901808
TI  - Morphometric characteristics and COI haplotype diversity of Arctodiaptomus
      spinosus (Copedoda) populations in soda pans in Hungary.
AB  - Arctodiaptomus spinosus (Daday, 1891) is a characteristic species of the soda pan
      zooplankton in the Great Hungarian Plain. The biogeographical distribution of the
      species is interesting, since its range expands from the Pannonian Biogeographic
      region to the other side of the Carpathians, occurring in saline lakes in Eastern
      Anatolia, Armenia, Iran and in temporary waters in Ukraine. Our investigations
      focused on the morphometric characteristics and the COI haplotype diversity of
      four Hungarian populations in the Kiskunsag area. We detected substantial
      morphological differences between the Boddi-szek population and the rest of the
      sampling sites, however considerable differences were not observable in the COI
      haplotypes in the populations. The 20 animals investigated for COI haplotypes
      belonged to the same haplotype network. Tajima's D indicated departures from the
      neutral Wright - Fisher population model and suggested population expansion. The
      genetic composition of Arctodiaptomus spinosus populations in the Kiskunsag area
      is rather uniform.

PMID- 28901809
TI  - Glycaemic studies: Food for thought and fuel for debate.

PMID- 28901810
TI  - The Incidence of Ocular Tuberculosis in Australia Over the Past 10 Years (2006
      2015).
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the incidence and clinical phenotype of ocular tuberculosis
      in Australia based on the mandatory jurisdictional health notification records
      for TB. METHODS: A whole population retrospective case series (Australia).
      Patients diagnosed with ocular tuberculosis were identified over the past 10
      years (1 January 2006 to 31 December 2015) as recorded by individual Health
      Department jurisdictions per mandatory health notifications. The incidence rates
      were calculated based on the available Australian census data. Incidence rates
      were age and sex standardized. RESULTS: A total of 162 cases of ocular
      tuberculosis were identified across Australia over a 10-year time period. Of
      these, 156 participants were overseas born. The 10-year Australian incidence of
      ocular tuberculosis was 0.77 per 100,000 people. While there has been a downward
      trend in overall TB annual incidence rates from 2010 to 2015, over the same
      period the annual incidence of ocular TB has increased compared to the 4 previous
      years. Descriptive clinical data regarding the ocular manifestations of TB was
      available in 73/157 patients. In these 73 patients the commonest manifestations
      of ocular TB were unspecified uveitis (50.1%), focal, multifocal or serpiginous
      choroiditis or chorioretinitis (12.3%) and retinal vasculitis (11.0%). Of
      patients with ocular TB, 4/162 (2.47%) had associated pulmonary TB and 8/162
      (4.94%) had associated systemic (non-pulmonary) TB. Systemic anti-TB therapy was
      administered to 161 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The annual Australian incidence of
      ocular tuberculosis was 0.077 per 100,000 people. Increasing notifications in the
      past 6 years may demonstrate increased awareness and changing diagnostic criteria
      of the disease in the Australian population.

PMID- 28901811
TI  - The efficacy of stretching exercises to reduce posterior shoulder tightness
      acutely in the postoperative population: a single blinded randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posterior shoulder tightness (PST) is a postoperative complication
      leading to pain, impaired mobility, and reduced function. Despite the potential
      morbidity associated with PST, no studies have investigated the efficacy of
      shoulder-stretching methods in the postsurgical population. The purpose of this
      study was to determine the short-term efficacy of two stretches designed to
      reduce PST. METHODS: The study enrolled 63 patients [mean age 51 (12) years,
      height 173.7 (3.6) cm, body mass 88.2 (17.9) kg]. The study was a single-blinded
      randomized control trial in which patients who had arthroscopic shoulder surgery
      were assigned to one of three groups: [(horizontal adduction stretch (n = 21),
      supine sleeper (n = 21), or control (n = 21)]. Dependent variables included
      measurements of internal rotation mobility, sidelying PST, pain, and the
      QuickDASH. Following the physical therapy (PT) initial evaluation, subjects were
      instructed to perform the allocated intervention twice daily until their first
      follow-up appointment 48-72 h following the initial PT visit. RESULTS: Between
      group analyses of dependent variables revealed significant differences within PST
      measurements (p = 0.005) (eta squared = 0.14) taken at baseline and follow-up (48
      72 h) favoring horizontal adduction stretching. Post-hoc testing demonstrated
      superiority of horizontal adduction stretching over both the supine sleeper group
      (p = 0.01) and control (p = 0.002). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The horizontal
      adduction stretch is more effective at reducing acute PST in the postoperative
      shoulder population when compared to the supine sleeper stretch and no stretch at
      all. Knowledge of efficacious stretching methods may serve to reduce the
      potential morbidity associated with postoperative stiffness.

PMID- 28901812
TI  - Efficacy of a 3C-like protease inhibitor in treating various forms of acquired
      feline infectious peritonitis.
AB  - Objectives The safety and efficacy of the 3C-like protease inhibitor GC376 was
      tested on a cohort of client-owned cats with various forms of feline infectious
      peritonitis (FIP). Methods Twenty cats from 3.3-82 months of age (mean 10.4
      months) with various forms of FIP were accepted into a field trial. Fourteen cats
      presented with wet or dry-to-wet FIP and six cats presented with dry FIP. GC376
      was administered subcutaneously every 12 h at a dose of 15 mg/kg. Cats with
      neurologic signs were excluded from the study. Results Nineteen of 20 cats
      treated with GC376 regained outward health within 2 weeks of initial treatment.
      However, disease signs recurred 1-7 weeks after primary treatment and relapses
      and new cases were ultimately treated for a minimum of 12 weeks. Relapses no
      longer responsive to treatment occurred in 13 of these 19 cats within 1-7 weeks
      of initial or repeat treatment(s). Severe neurologic disease occurred in 8/13
      cats that failed treatment and five cats had recurrences of abdominal lesions. At
      the time of writing, seven cats were in disease remission. Five kittens aged 3.3
      4.4 months with wet FIP were treated for 12 weeks and have been in disease
      remission after stopping treatment and at the time of writing for 5-14 months
      (mean 11.2 months). A sixth kitten was in remission for 10 weeks after 12 weeks
      of treatment, relapsed and is responding to a second round of GC376. The seventh
      was a 6.8-year-old cat with only mesenteric lymph node involvement that went into
      remission after three relapses that required progressively longer repeat
      treatments over a 10 month period. Side effects of treatment included transient
      stinging upon injection and occasional foci of subcutaneous fibrosis and hair
      loss. There was retarded development and abnormal eruption of permanent teeth in
      cats treated before 16-18 weeks of age. Conclusions and relevance GC376 showed
      promise in treating cats with certain presentations of FIP and has opened the
      door to targeted antiviral drug therapy.

PMID- 28901813
TI  - HPV-related cancer prevention through coalition building.

PMID- 28901814
TI  - Exploring How Live Theaters Promote Participation for Children with Special
      Needs.
AB  - AIM: Increasing usage of cultural arts venues by children with special needs has
      created a need to optimize participation planning. A team of three occupational
      therapy graduate students and one faculty researcher was invited to provide a
      local children's theater staff with training for supporting children with special
      needs. The team aimed to determine how their collaboration with the theater could
      contribute to understandings of best practices in community participation
      planning. METHOD: The team participated in theater events, conducted a facility
      assessment, interviewed staff members with varying role responsibilities, and
      surveyed staff before and after conducting a participation-planning workshop.
      RESULTS: The collaborative approach to participation planning utilized strategies
      that provided practical applications for theater staff, including planning for
      sensory processing and regulation challenges, and providing staff with behavior
      management and communication tips for interacting with children. CONCLUSION:
      Through training, staff participation planning evolved from reacting to present
      day problems to proactively planning for future initiatives. Staff expressed
      desires to have some of their own members become in-house experts for
      participation planning, allowing others to pursue the theater's mission:
      providing live children's theater performances and programs.

PMID- 28901815
TI  - High-grade B-cell lymphoma of the peritoneum as a result of transformation of a
      CD5-negative monoclonal B lymphocytosis population in a patient with
      myelodysplastic syndrome treated with 5-azacytidine.

PMID- 28901817
TI  - Treatment and prognosis of stage I follicular lymphoma in the modern era - does
      PET matter?
AB  - Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common subtype of indolent non-Hodgkin
      lymphoma. Patients with stage I disease are usually treated with radiotherapy
      (RT). In previous studies, mostly from the pre positron emission tomography
      computed tomography (PET-CT) era, the 5 year progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) rates of stage I disease were 60-80% and 80-93%,
      respectively. This study retrospectively evaluated the outcome of stage I FL
      which was treated with involved field RT in the PET-CT era between 2002 and 2015.
      Ninety-one patients were enrolled. Five year PFS and OS rates were 73% and 97%,
      respectively. Relapse occurred in 19 (21%) patients, 74% occurring outside the
      radiation field. In conclusion, PET-CT staging of clinical stage I FL may
      contribute to the improved prognosis in patients treated with RT compared to
      historical cohorts, possibly due to better identification of "genuine" stage I
      disease.

PMID- 28901818
TI  - Brachialis muscle transfer for reconstructing digital flexion after brachial
      plexus injury or forearm injury.
AB  - : Restoration of digital flexion after brachial plexus injury or forearm injury
      has been a great challenge for hand surgeons. Nerve transfer and forearm donor
      muscle transfer surgeries are not always feasible. The present study aimed at
      evaluating the effectiveness of restoring digital flexion by brachialis muscle
      transfer. Ten lower brachial plexus- or forearm-injured patients were enrolled.
      After at least 12 months following surgery, the middle-finger-to-palm distance
      was less than 2.5 cm in six patients. In the other four patients with less
      satisfactory results, secondary tenolysis surgery was performed and the middle
      finger-to-palm distances were reduced to 2.0-4.0 cm. The average grasp strength
      was 20 +/- 4 kg. Elbow flexion was not adversely affected. In conclusion,
      brachialis muscle transfer is an effective method for reconstructing digital
      flexion, not only in lower brachial plexus injury, but also in forearm injury
      patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28901820
TI  - Response to: "Students to Surgeons: Increasing Matriculation in Surgical
      Specialties".

PMID- 28901819
TI  - DNA methylation changes in human lung epithelia cells exposed to multi-walled
      carbon nanotubes.
AB  - Humans are increasingly exposed to nanoparticles and, although many of their
      physiological effects have been described, the molecular mechanisms underlying
      them are still largely unknown. The present study aimed to determine the possible
      role of certain epigenetic mechanisms in the cellular response of human lung
      epithelial cells that are triggered by long-term exposure to titanium dioxide
      nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The results
      showed that exposure to TiO2NPs had only minor effects on genome-wide DNA
      methylation. However, we identified 755 CpG sites showing consistent DNA
      hypomethylation in cells exposed to MWCNTs. These sites were mainly located at
      low density CpG regions and enhancers, and very frequently on the X chromosome.
      Our results thus suggest that long-term MWCNT exposure may have important effects
      on the epigenome.

PMID- 28901821
TI  - British Surgeon Frederick Salmon (1796-1868) and His "Trans-Fixing Pins and
      Excision" Surgical Procedure for the "Rectum Prolapsus".
AB  - Frederick Salmon was born in Bath. From his early career, he was fond of surgery,
      mostly interested in proctology. He had been specialized in London at St
      Bartholomew's Hospital. He was the founder of "The Infirmary for the Relief of
      the Poor Afflicted with Fistula and Other Disease of the Rectum," and the writer
      of one of the most important surgical treatises, the " Practical Observations on
      Prolapsus of the Rectum." In this book, Salmon described an innovative operation
      for procidentia, based on the principle "trans-fixing pins and excision."
      Although his work was too significant for the era, he was almost completely
      neglected by historians, most probably due to his clash with his fellow surgeons,
      who had been considered by him as scientifically inadequate in anorectal
      diseases.

PMID- 28901822
TI  - Semi-quantitative cerebral blood flow parameters derived from non-invasive
      [15O]H2O PET studies.
AB  - Quantification of regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) using [15O]H2O positron
      emission tomography (PET) requires the use of an arterial input function.
      Arterial sampling, however, is not always possible, for example in ill
      conditioned or paediatric patients. Therefore, it is of interest to explore the
      use of non-invasive methods for the quantification of CBF. For validation of non
      invasive methods, test-retest normal and hypercapnia data from 15 healthy
      volunteers were used. For each subject, the data consisted of up to five dynamic
      [15O]H2O brain PET studies of 10 min and including arterial sampling. A measure
      of CBF was estimated using several non-invasive methods earlier reported in
      literature. In addition, various parameters were derived from the time-activity
      curve (TAC). Performance of these methods was assessed by comparison with full
      kinetic analysis using correlation and agreement analysis. The analysis was
      repeated with normalization to the whole brain grey matter value, providing
      relative CBF distributions. A reliable, absolute quantitative estimate of CBF
      could not be obtained with the reported non-invasive methods. Relative
      (normalized) CBF was best estimated using the double integration method.

PMID- 28901823
TI  - Comics as a Medium for Providing Information on Adult Immunizations.
AB  - This study compared the following effects of two vaccine information flyers-one
      developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) versus one
      adapted from this information to a comic medium (comic)-on adults: (a) attitude
      toward the flyer; (b) perceived informativeness of the flyer; (c) intention to
      seek more information about adult immunizations after viewing the flyer; and (d)
      intention to get immunized after viewing the flyer. A between-group, randomized
      trial was used to randomly assign adults (age 18 years or older) at an ambulatory
      care center to review the CDC or comic flyer. Participants were asked to complete
      a survey to measure several outcome variables. Items were measured using a 7
      point semantic differential scale. Independent-samples t-test was used for
      comparisons. A total of 265 surveys (CDC n = 132 vs comic n = 133) were analyzed.
      The comic flyer had a statistically significant effect on participants' attitudes
      and their perception of the flyer's informativeness compared to the CDC flyer.
      Flyer type did not have a statistically significant effect on intention-related
      variables. The study findings showed that the comic flyer was positively
      evaluated compared to the CDC flyer. These findings could provide a new direction
      for developing adult educational materials.

PMID- 28901824
TI  - Repeated split-belt treadmill walking improved gait ability in individuals with
      chronic stroke: A pilot study.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of repeated split-belt treadmill (SBT)
      walking on gait ability in individuals poststroke. Twelve individuals with a
      first unilateral cerebral stroke (10 males; mean age 53 (SD 8.74); mean time
      poststroke 25 months (SD 23.5); 9 left-sided stroke) and initial step length (SL)
      asymmetry (ratio = 1.10-2.05) volunteered for the study. They were trained by
      physiotherapists from an outpatient rehabilitation center six times over 2-3
      weeks using a SBT protocol. After only six sessions of training, all participants
      reduced their SL asymmetry from an average ratio of 1.39 to 1.17 (p = 0.002) and
      increased walking speed (p = 0.043). Improvements in symmetry and speed were
      retained over 1 month (p <= 0.008). No effect was observed in participants'
      endurance, assessed with the 6-min walk test. These findings suggest that the
      present SBT protocol has potential to be an efficient intervention to improve not
      only SL symmetry but also gait speed, in individuals poststroke.

PMID- 28901825
TI  - Beyond Homonegativity: Understanding Hong Kong People's Attitudes About Social
      Acceptance of Gay/Lesbian People, Sexual Orientation Discrimination Protection,
      and Same-Sex Marriage.
AB  - This study examined attitudes about social acceptance, discrimination protection,
      and marriage equality for gay/lesbian people with a representative sample of
      1,008 Hong Kong Chinese adults via a telephone survey. Despite majority
      endorsement of homosexuality (52.29% positive vs. 34.12% negative) and
      discrimination protection (50.72% favorable vs. 14.64% opposed), attitudes toward
      same-sex marriage diverged (32.79% favorable vs. 39.41% opposed). There was a
      sharp distinction in accepting gay/lesbian people as co-workers (83.57%) and
      friends (76.92%) versus relatives (40.19%). Having more homosexual/bisexual
      friends or co-workers contributed to greater endorsement of social acceptance and
      discrimination protection but not same-sex marriage. Age, religion, political
      orientation, and homonegativity consistently predicted attitudes toward social
      acceptance, discrimination protection, and same-sex marriage, whereas gender-role
      beliefs, conformity to norms, and cultural orientations had varying impacts. This
      article informs theory and advocacy by disentangling homonegativity from
      attitudes about gay/lesbian issues and highlighting the centrality of family
      kinship and relative-outsider delineation in Chinese societies.

PMID- 28901826
TI  - Nuclear networking.
AB  - Nuclear lamins are intermediate filament proteins that represent important
      structural components of metazoan nuclear envelopes (NEs). By combining
      proteomics and superresolution microscopy, we recently reported that both A- and
      B-type nuclear lamins form spatially distinct filament networks at the nuclear
      periphery of mouse fibroblasts. In particular, A-type lamins exhibit differential
      association with nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Our studies reveal that the
      nuclear lamina network in mammalian somatic cells is less ordered and more
      complex than that of amphibian oocytes, the only other system in which the lamina
      has been visualized at high resolution. In addition, the NPC component Tpr likely
      links NPCs to the A-type lamin network, an association that appears to be
      regulated by C-terminal modification of various A-type lamin isoforms. Many
      questions remain, however, concerning the structure and assembly of lamin
      filaments, as well as with their mode of association with other nuclear
      components such as peripheral chromatin.

PMID- 28901827
TI  - Retrograde nuclear transport from the cytoplasm is required for tRNATyr
      maturation in T. brucei.
AB  - Retrograde transport of tRNAs from the cytoplasm to the nucleus was first
      described in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and most recently in mammalian systems.
      Although the function of retrograde transport is not completely clear, it plays a
      role in the cellular response to changes in nutrient availability. Under low
      nutrient conditions tRNAs are sent from the cytoplasm to nucleus and presumably
      remain in storage there until nutrient levels improve. However, in S. cerevisiae
      tRNA retrograde transport is constitutive and occurs even when nutrient levels
      are adequate. Constitutive transport is important, at least, for the proper
      maturation of tRNAPhe, which undergoes cytoplasmic splicing, but requires the
      action of a nuclear modification enzyme that only acts on a spliced tRNA. A
      lingering question in retrograde tRNA transport is whether it is relegated to S.
      cerevisiae and multicellular eukaryotes or alternatively, is a pathway with
      deeper evolutionary roots. In the early branching eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei,
      tRNA splicing, like in yeast, occurs in the cytoplasm. In the present report, we
      have used a combination of cell fractionation and molecular approaches that show
      the presence of significant amounts of spliced tRNATyr in the nucleus of T.
      brucei. Notably, the modification enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT)
      localizes to the nucleus and, as shown here, is not able to add queuosine (Q) to
      an intron-containing tRNA. We suggest that retrograde transport is partly the
      result of the differential intracellular localization of the splicing machinery
      (cytoplasmic) and a modification enzyme, TGT (nuclear). These findings expand the
      evolutionary distribution of retrograde transport mechanisms to include early
      diverging eukaryotes, while highlighting its importance for queuosine
      biosynthesis.

PMID- 28901829
TI  - Resilience to Discrimination and Rejection Among Young Sexual Minority Males and
      Transgender Females: A Qualitative Study on Coping With Minority Stress.
AB  - Sexual minority and transgender status is associated with mental health
      disparities, which have been empirically and theoretically linked to stressors
      related to social stigma. Despite exposure to these unique stressors, many sexual
      minority and transgender individuals will not experience mental health disorders
      in their lifetime. Little is known about the specific processes that sexual
      minority and transgender youth use to maintain their wellbeing in the presence of
      discrimination and rejection. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10
      sexual minority males and transgender females aged 18-22 years, who currently met
      criteria for an operationalized definition of resilience to depression and
      anxiety. Data were analyzed qualitatively, yielding information related to a wide
      variety of problem-solving, support-seeking, and accommodative coping strategies
      employed by youth in the face of social stigma. Results are discussed in light of
      their clinical implications.

PMID- 28901828
TI  - Protein kinase C enhances plasma membrane expression of cardiac L-type calcium
      channel, CaV1.2.
AB  - L-type-voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (L-VDCCs; CaV1.2, alpha1C), crucial in
      cardiovascular physiology and pathology, are modulated via activation of G
      protein-coupled receptors and subsequently protein kinase C (PKC). Despite
      extensive study, key aspects of the mechanisms leading to PKC-induced Ca2+
      current increase are unresolved. A notable residue, Ser1928, located in the
      distal C-terminus (dCT) of alpha1C was shown to be phosphorylated by PKC. CaV1.2
      undergoes posttranslational modifications yielding full-length and
      proteolytically cleaved CT-truncated forms. We have previously shown that, in
      Xenopus oocytes, activation of PKC enhances alpha1C macroscopic currents. This
      increase depended on the isoform of alpha1C expressed. Only isoforms containing
      the cardiac, long N-terminus (L-NT), were upregulated by PKC. Ser1928 was also
      crucial for the full effect of PKC. Here we report that, in Xenopus oocytes,
      following PKC activation the amount of alpha1C protein expressed in the plasma
      membrane (PM) increases within minutes. The increase in PM content is greater
      with full-length alpha1C than in dCT-truncated alpha1C, and requires Ser1928. The
      same was observed in HL-1 cells, a mouse atrium cell line natively expressing
      cardiac alpha1C, which undergoes the proteolytic cleavage of the dCT, thus
      providing a native setting for exploring the effects of PKC in cardiomyocytes.
      Interestingly, activation of PKC preferentially increased the PM levels of full
      length, L-NT alpha1C. Our findings suggest that part of PKC regulation of CaV1.2
      in the heart involves changes in channel's cellular fate. The mechanism of this
      PKC regulation appears to involve the C-terminus of alpha1C, possibly
      corroborating the previously proposed role of NT-CT interactions within alpha1C.

PMID- 28901830
TI  - "Why Am I the Way I Am?" Narrative Work in the Context of Stigmatized Identities.
AB  - There are particular complexities faced by people attempting to tell their
      stories in the context of social stigma, such as the hostility which often
      surrounds injecting drug use. In this article, we identify some of the distinct
      advantages of taking a narrative approach to understanding these complexities by
      exploring a single case study, across two life-history interviews, with "Jimmy,"
      a young man with a history of social disadvantage, incarceration, and heroin
      dependence. Drawing on Miranda Fricker's notion of "hermeneutical injustice," we
      consider the effects of stigmatization on the sociocultural practice of
      storytelling. We note the way Jimmy appears both constrained and released by his
      story-how he conforms to but also resists the master narrative of the "drug
      user." Narrative analysis, we conclude, honors the complex challenges of the
      accounting work evident in interviews such as Jimmy's, providing a valuable
      counterpoint to other forms of qualitative inquiry in the addictions field.

PMID- 28901831
TI  - Collaboration Between Biomedical and Complementary and Alternative Care
      Providers: Barriers and Pathways.
AB  - We examined the scope of collaborative care for persons with mental illness as
      implemented by traditional healers, faith healers, and biomedical care providers.
      We conducted semistructured focus group discussions in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria
      with traditional healers, faith healers, biomedical care providers, patients, and
      their caregivers. Transcribed data were thematically analyzed. A barrier to
      collaboration was distrust, influenced by factionalism, charlatanism, perceptions
      of superiority, limited roles, and responsibilities. Pathways to better
      collaboration were education, formal policy recognition and regulation, and
      acceptance of mutual responsibility. This study provides a novel cross-national
      insight into the perspectives of collaboration from four stakeholder groups.
      Collaboration was viewed as a means to reach their own goals, rooted in a deep
      sense of distrust and superiority. In the absence of openness, understanding, and
      respect for each other, efficient collaboration remains remote. The strongest
      foundation for mutual collaboration is a shared sense of responsibility for
      patient well-being.

PMID- 28901833
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28901834
TI  - Association Between Gait and Dual Task With Cognitive Domains in Older People
      With Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - The authors investigated whether impaired gait and dual-task performances are
      associated with specific cognitive domains among older people with preserved
      cognition (PC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and mild Alzheimer's disease
      (AD). The sample comprised 40 older adults with PC, 40 with MCI, and 38 with mild
      AD. The assessment consisted of gait (measured by 10-m walk test and Timed Up and
      Go Test [TUGT]), dual task (measured by TUGT associated with a cognitive-motor
      task of calling a phone number), and cognition (domains of the Addenbrooke
      Cognitive Examination-Revised and Frontal Assessment Battery [FAB]). For data
      analysis, the Pearson product-moment correlation and the backward stepwise linear
      regression were conducted. Language, fluency, and visuospatial domains predicted
      the 10-m walk test measure specifically in PC, MCI, and AD groups. Only the
      visuospatial domain was independently associated with the TUGT measure in the MCI
      and AD groups. FAB score, language domain, and FAB score and fluency domain were
      the strongest predictors for the isolated cognitive-motor task measure in the PC,
      MCI, and AD groups, respectively. The visuospatial domain was independently
      associated with the dual-task test measure in all 3 groups. The study findings
      demonstrate the influence of specific cognitive domains in daily mobility tasks
      in people with different cognitive profiles.

PMID- 28901836
TI  - The overlap of sleep disturbance and depression in primary care patients treated
      with buprenorphine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is common among patients receiving long-term opioid
      therapies, such as methadone maintenance. However, little is known about sleep
      disturbances in patients receiving medication treatment with buprenorphine. We
      sought to determine the frequency of subjective sleep disturbance in a sample of
      patients receiving medication treatment and to examine clinical factors related
      to sleep disturbance. METHODS: Participants were 328 persons receiving
      buprenorphine at 3 primary care sites. Sleep difficulty was assessed 2 questions
      adapted from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) item assessing sleep.
      Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies
      Depression Scale (CESD)-10 and PHQ-2. In addition, information was gathered on
      participant demographics and treatment characteristics. Demographics,
      buprenorphine treatment history, and depressive symptoms were compared for those
      with and without self-reported sleep difficulty. Logistic regression was used to
      estimate the adjusted association of sleep disturbance with these correlates.
      RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of persons receiving medication treatment with
      buprenorphine in the present study reported sleep difficulty. Persons reporting
      sleep disturbance reported shorter time in buprenorphine treatment and more
      depressed mood compared with those without sleep difficulty (p < .01). Men were
      significantly less likely to report disturbed sleep than women (odds ratio [OR] =
      0.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33, 0.98). Sleep disturbance was not
      associated significantly with age, ethnicity, educational attainment, or
      buprenorphine dose. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbance is common in patients
      receiving medication treatment with buprenorphine and is associated with more
      depressive symptoms as well as a shorter duration of medication treatment. Future
      research, using subjective and objective sleep measures, is warranted to
      understand whether sleep disturbance is mitigated by longer buprenorphine
      treatment and whether difficulty sleeping predicts buprenorphine discontinuation
      among patients seeking treatment for opioid dependence.

PMID- 28901838
TI  - Investigation of associations between exposures to pesticides and testosterone
      levels in Thai farmers.
AB  - We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the relationship between pesticide
      exposures and testosterone levels in 133 male Thai farmers. Urine and serum
      samples were collected concurrently from participants. Urine was analyzed for
      levels of specific and nonspecific metabolites of organophosphates (OPs),
      pyrethroids, select herbicides, and fungicides. Serum was analyzed for total and
      free testosterone. Linear regression analyses revealed significant negative
      relationships between total testosterone and the herbicide 2,4
      dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) after controlling for covariates (eg, age,
      BMI, smoking status). Positive significant associations were found between some
      OP pesticides and total testosterone. Due to the small sample size and the
      observational nature of the study, future investigation is needed to confirm our
      results and to elucidate the biological mechanisms.

PMID- 28901832
TI  - Chemical biology approaches for studying posttranslational modifications.
AB  - Posttranslational modification (PTM) is a key mechanism for regulating diverse
      protein functions, and thus critically affects many essential biological
      processes. Critical for systematic study of the effects of PTMs is the ability to
      obtain recombinant proteins with defined and homogenous modifications. To this
      end, various synthetic and chemical biology approaches, including genetic code
      expansion and protein chemical modification methods, have been developed. These
      methods have proven effective for generating site-specific authentic
      modifications or structural mimics, and have demonstrated their value for in
      vitro and in vivo functional studies of diverse PTMs. This review will discuss
      recent advances in chemical biology strategies and their application to various
      PTM studies.

PMID- 28901837
TI  - Minimal requirements for reverse polymerization and tRNA repair by tRNAHis
      guanylyltransferase.
AB  - tRNAHis guanylyltransferase (Thg1) has unique reverse (3'-5') polymerase activity
      occurring in all three domains of life. Most eukaryotic Thg1 homologs are
      essential genes involved in tRNAHis maturation. These enzymes normally catalyze a
      single 5' guanylation of tRNAHis lacking the essential G-1 identity element
      required for aminoacylation. Recent studies suggest that archaeal type Thg1,
      which includes most archaeal and bacterial Thg1 enzymes is phylogenetically
      distant from eukaryotic Thg1. Thg1 is evolutionarily related to canonical 5'-3'
      forward polymerases but catalyzes reverse 3'-5'polymerization. Similar to its
      forward polymerase counterparts, Thg1 encodes the conserved catalytic palm domain
      and fingers domain. Here we investigate the minimal requirements for reverse
      polymerization. We show that the naturally occurring minimal Thg1 enzyme from
      Ignicoccus hospitalis (IhThg1), which lacks parts of the conserved fingers
      domain, is catalytically active. And adds all four natural nucleotides to RNA
      substrates, we further show that the entire fingers domain of Methanosarcina
      acetivorans Thg1 and Pyrobaculum aerophilum Thg1 (PaThg1) is dispensable for
      enzymatic activity. In addition, we identified residues in yeast Thg1 that play a
      part in preventing extended polymerization. Mutation of these residues with
      alanine resulted in extended reverse polymerization. PaThg1 was found to catalyze
      extended, template dependent tRNA repair, adding up to 13 nucleotides to a
      truncated tRNAHis substrate. Sequencing results suggest that PaThg1 fully
      restored the near correct sequence of the D- and acceptor stem, but also produced
      incompletely and incorrectly repaired tRNA products. This research forms the
      basis for future engineering efforts towards a high fidelity, template dependent
      reverse polymerase.

PMID- 28901839
TI  - The effectiveness of a group-based educational program on the self-efficacy and
      self-acceptance of menopausal women: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a group-based educational
      training on the self-efficacy and self-acceptance of Iranian menopausal women
      using the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was
      conducted on 80 menopausal women in the age range of 47-55 years residing in the
      northeast of Iran. The participants were divided randomly into a test group (n =
      40) and a control group (n = 40). We found that designing and implementation of a
      group-based educational training according to the PRECEDE-PROCEED model can
      significantly enhance the knowledge and performance of the test group with regard
      to self-efficacy and self-acceptance.

PMID- 28901840
TI  - Reentry Program and Social Work Education: Training the Next Generation of
      Criminal Justice Social Workers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Social work plays a marginal role in opposing the trend of mass
      incarceration and high rates of recidivism, and social work education offers
      limited opportunities for students to specialize in working with people who are
      currently or were previously incarcerated. How to train students of social work
      to work against mass-incarceration is still challenging. METHODS: The authors
      devised and implemented an in-school social service agency devoted to working
      with people pre and post release from a prison system. The agency is a field
      practicum setting where interested students study and practice reentry work. In
      this article, the authors describe and assess the educational merit of this in
      school agency. RESULTS: Findings from surveys of students and alumni suggest that
      the program attained its educational goals of connecting classroom education to
      practice experience and training students for careers in the criminal justice
      system. The authors also discuss pending challenges. DISCUSSION: The experience
      of the Goldring Reentry Initiative suggests that by developing their own social
      work agencies, the authors may be able to heighten their students educational
      experience and expand their contribution to social work practice broadly.

PMID- 28901841
TI  - Re-Reading Homonationalism: An Israeli Spatial Perspective.
AB  - In this article we stress the need for specifically located understandings of the
      concept of homonationalism, by introducing an analysis of spatial and political
      power relations dissecting disparate constructions of LGBT arenas. The article
      explores three spaces: Tel-Aviv-an urban space of LGBT belonging; Jerusalem-the
      Israeli capital where being an LGBT individual is problematic both in public and
      in private spaces; and Kiryat-Shmona-a conservative and peripheral
      underprivileged town in the north of Israel. By showing how local understandings
      of queer space shape power relations and translate into subjective spaces within
      wide-ranging power dynamics, we claim that homonationalism cannot be seen as one
      unitary, consolidated category or logic. Instead, we argue, homonationalism
      should be considered a multidirectional and multiscale political stance,
      manifesting cultural practices and political relationship with the state and
      society in distinct settings. By expanding considerations of the nuanced
      interplay of state power and LGBT spaces we aim to elucidate some paradoxes of
      homonationalism.

PMID- 28901842
TI  - Rheumatoid granulomatous disease and pachymeningitis successfully treated with
      rituximab.
AB  - Granulomatous disease and pachymeningitis rarely occur in rheumatoid arthritis
      patients and confer a challenging differential diagnosis. Our patient, treated
      with a tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor, presented with meningitis and
      diffuse granulomatous adenopathies. Opportunistic infections and malignancy were
      excluded after confirmation of negative broath serologic, molecular analysis, and
      negative cytology. Because of the time frame and the clinical presentation, this
      case was considered as a rare systemic manifestation of RA. He was treated with
      rituximab with beneficial clinical evolution. This case offers an excellent
      opportunity to focus on the diagnostic and therapeutic approach in
      pachymeningitis and granulomatous disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

PMID- 28901844
TI  - Acute hepatitis C in HIV-uninfected men who have sex with men who do not report
      injecting drug use.

PMID- 28901843
TI  - Coevolution of the translational machinery optimizes initiation with unusual
      initiator tRNAs and initiation codons in mycoplasmas.
AB  - Initiator tRNAs (i-tRNAs) are characterized by the presence of three consecutive
      GC base pairs (GC/GC/GC) in their anticodon stems in all domains of life.
      However, many mycoplasmas possess unconventional i-tRNAs wherein the highly
      conserved sequence of GC/GC/GC is represented by AU/GC/GC, GC/GC/GU or AU/GC/GU.
      These mycoplasmas also tend to preferentially utilize non-AUG initiation codons.
      To investigate if initiation with the unconventional i-tRNAs and non-AUG codons
      in mycoplasmas correlated with the changes in the other components of the
      translation machinery, we carried out multiple sequence alignments of genes
      encoding initiation factors (IF), 16S rRNAs, and the ribosomal proteins such as
      uS9, uS12 and uS13. In addition, the occurrence of Shine-Dalgarno sequences in
      mRNAs was analyzed. We observed that in the mycoplasmas harboring AU/GC/GU i
      tRNAs, a highly conserved position of R131 in IF3, is represented by P, F or Y
      and, the conserved C-terminal tail (SKR) of uS9 is represented by the TKR
      sequence. Using the Escherichia coli model, we show that the change of R131 in
      IF3 optimizes initiation with the AU/GC/GU i-tRNAs. Also, the SKR to TKR change
      in uS9 was compatible with the R131P variation in IF3 for initiation with the
      AU/GC/GU i-tRNA variant. Interestingly, the mycoplasmas harboring AU/GC/GU i
      tRNAs are also human pathogens. We propose that these mycoplasmas might have
      evolved a relaxed translational apparatus to adapt to the environment they
      encounter in the host.

PMID- 28901845
TI  - A Review of Patents on Therapeutic Potential and Delivery of Hydroge n Sulfide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a colorless gas with a characteristic smell
      of rotten eggs. Once only thought of as a toxic gas, evidence now shows that H2S
      plays major roles in pathological and physiological activities. These roles are
      being utilized to treat diseases and disorders ranging from hypertension,
      inflammation, edema, cardiovascular issues, chronic pain, cancer, and many more.
      Challenges facing the use of H2S currently involve achieving the optimum
      therapeutic concentrations, synthesizing chemically and physiologically stable
      donors, and developing clinically appropriate delivery systems. METHODS: We did
      an extensive literature search on therapeutic potentials and related issues of
      H2S which were presented in a systematic flow pattern in introduction. Patents
      accepted/filed on various aspects of hydrogen sulfide were searched using the
      United States Patent and Trademark Office database at http://patft.uspto.gov/ and
      google patents at https://patents.google.com/. The important search terms
      combined with H2S were therapeutic effect, pharmacological action, biochemistry,
      measurement, and delivery. We also incorporated our own experiences and
      publications while discussing the delivery approaches and associated challenges.
      RESULTS: In the process, researchers have discovered novel techniques in
      preparing the noxious gas by discovering and synthesizing H2S donors and
      developing controlled and predictable delivery systems. Donors utilized thus far
      include derivatives of anti-inflammatory drugs like H2S -aspirin, Allium sativum
      extracts, inorganic salts, phosphorodithioate derivatives, and thioaminoacid
      derivatives. Use of controlled delivery systems for H2S is critical to maintain
      its physiological stability, optimum therapeutic window, increase patient
      compliance, and make it easier to manufacture and administer. Numerous patents
      overcoming the challenges of using H2S therapeutically with various donors and
      delivery mechanisms have been reviewed. CONCLUSION: The scientific knowledge
      gained from the last decade researches has moved H2S from a foul smelling pungent
      gas to the status of a gasotransmitter with many potential therapeutic
      applications. However, developing a suitable donor and a delivery system using
      that donor for providing precise and sustained release of H2S for an extended
      period, is critically needed for any further development towards its translation
      into clinical practices.

PMID- 28901846
TI  - Applications of Nanoflowers in Biomedicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nanotechnology has opened new windows for biomedical researches and
      treatment of diseases. Nanostructures with flower-like shapes (nanoflowers) which
      have exclusive morphology and properties have been interesting for many
      researchers. METHODS: In this review, various applications of nanoflowers in
      biomedical researches and patents from various aspects have been investigated and
      reviewed. RESULTS: Nanoflowers attracted serious attentions in whole biomedical
      fields such as cardiovascular diseases, microbiology, sensors and biosensors,
      biochemical and cellular studies, cancer therapy, healthcare, etc. The
      competitive power of nanoflowers against other in use technologies provides
      successful achievements in the progress of mentioned biomedical studies.
      CONCLUSION: The use of nanoflowers in biomedicine leads to improving accuracy,
      reducing time to achieve the results, reducing costs, creating optimal treatment
      conditions as well as avoiding side effects of the treatment of specific
      diseases, and increasing functional strength.

PMID- 28901847
TI  - microRNAs to Monitor Pain-migraine and Drug Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migraine is a prevalent neurovascular disorders with a complex
      pathophysiology and therapeutic options characterized by important side effects
      or problems related to drug abuse. No specific biomarkers are recognized to be
      univocal for this subclinical condition, yet. In this concern microRNAs (miRNAs)
      have been suggested as potentially useful screening/diagnostic tool, and research
      is underway to recognize the most effective candidate(s). In this concern in the
      present review we Herein we highlighted miRs involvement in pain and migraine, as
      well as drug response and efficacy focusing also on miRs panel results from mice
      model with multiple induced pain conditions, and human patients with migraine in
      order to understand if there are similar miRs expression pattern may useful into
      human translational studies. RESULTS: During human migraine attack specific miRs
      were found dysregulated, as well as in mouse models with different pain
      conditions. Amongst all the miRs screened in mice/human suffering of pain the miR
      590-5p was found alterated. This latter miR, in mice is modulated by celecoxib,
      while in human is dysregulated in the complex regional pain syndrome, condition
      where migraine assume a risk factor for its development. Recently has been
      reported that pharmacological treatments, indirectly can pertubate miRNA
      expression results. Therefore, miR-590-5p could assume an interesting double
      meaning for a clinical point of view. It can be considered biomarker of general
      pain, including migraine and also biomarker to evaluate the efficacy of the drug
      treatment. This could be of great importance in infant-juvenile segment, where
      the diagnosis of migraine is very challenging. In this view, since therapy is
      often started with NSAIDs herein we discuss also how the discovery of the new
      role of miRNAs in determining drug efficacy open a new scenario in the pain
      migraine tailored therapy and pharmacogenomics concept. CONCLUSION: miRNAs could
      have a pleiotropic meaning in the clinical management of migraine and could
      represent biomarkers of pathology, of drug efficacy as well as drug adherence to
      the treatment.

PMID- 28901848
TI  - Pulmonary Hypertension secondary to Left Heart Disease.
AB  - Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) related to Left Heart Disease (LHD) is the most
      common form of PH, accounting for more than two third of all PH cases. The
      hemodynamic abnormalities seen in PHLHD are complex, and there are currently
      minimal evidence-based recommendations for the management of PH-LHD. While it is
      accepted that PH in the context of left heart disease is a marker of worse
      prognosis, it remains unclear whether its primary treatment is beneficial or
      harmful. In this article, we discuss the prevalence and significance of PH in
      patients with Heart Failure (HF) with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) as well
      as HF with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF), and those with valvular heart
      disease and provide insights into the complex pathophysiology of cardiopulmonary
      interrelationship in individuals with PH due to left heart disease. Furthermore,
      we provide a framework for diagnostic testing and an approach to optimal
      management of these complex patients based on current European Society of
      Cardiology (ESC) guidelines.

PMID- 28901849
TI  - COMMENTARY: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Multiple Sclerosis: A Method to
      Improve Movement.

PMID- 28901850
TI  - Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Critically ill Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung ultrasound is increasingly being used by the bedside physicians
      to complement the findings of physical examination. Lung ultrasound is non
      invasive, devoid of radiation exposure and can be performed rapidly and
      repeatedly as needed at bedside. This review aims to elucidate the evidence base
      and the future directions for bedside point-of-care lung ultrasound in critically
      ill patients. METHODS: Research articles, review papers and online contents
      related to point-of-care ultrasound in critically ill patients were reviewed.
      RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound for common conditions like
      pleural effusion, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema and pneumonia is superior to
      chest radiograph and is comparable to chest CT scan. Lung ultrasound is helpful
      to evaluate the progress of lung pathology and response to treatment, over time.
      Ultrasound guidance for thoracocentesis decreases the complication rates.
      CONCLUSION: Bedside lung ultrasound in critically ill patients can serve as a
      tool to diagnose common lung pathologies, monitor its course and guide clinical
      management.

PMID- 28901851
TI  - Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Post-partum Risk and Follow Up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at an increased
      risk for developing metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and
      cardiovascular disease. In this review, we will discuss postpartum cardiovascular
      and diabetes risk in women with a history of GDM and different ways to improve
      postpartum screening. METHODS: This review involves a comprehensive literature
      review on gestational diabetes and postpartum risk for cardiovascular disease and
      diabetes mellitus as well as post-partum screening methods. RESULTS:
      Cardiovascular risk post-partum is potentiated by increased inflammatory markers
      leading to worsening atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events downstream.
      Decreased insulin sensitivity and beta cell compensation, recurrent GDM, maternal
      factors such as pre and post-partum weight gain and lactation may contribute to
      T2DM risk. Postpartum glucose testing is essential in screening women as
      hyperglycemia in pregnancy has long term effects on both cardiovascular disease
      and diabetes risk on the mother. CONCLUSION: Long and short term improvement to
      post-partum glucose testing is essential to decreasing cardiometabolic and
      diabetes risk in women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 28901852
TI  - Recent Advancement of Direct-acting Antiviral Agents (DAAs) in Hepatitis C
      Therapy.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem worldwide.
      Approximately, 170-200 million individuals are chronically infected worldwide and
      a quarter of these patients are at increased risk of developing liver cirrhosis,
      hepatocellular carcinoma and even liver failure. A complete eradication of the
      virus is one of the most important treatment goals for antiviral research. In
      2011, the first-generation protease inhibitors boceprevir (BOC) telaprevir (TVR)
      were approved by FDA as the direct-acting antiviral agents. A number of promising
      new direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have been developed in the past few
      years. Due to their increased efficacy, safety, and tolerability, interferon-free
      oral therapies with DAAs are in use for patients with chronic HCV and cirrhosis
      patients. In this review, we will discuss the results of clinical trials of
      several DAAs and the approved combinations, including NS3/4A protease inhibitors,
      NS5A inhibitors, and NS5B inhibitors. A number of drugs, including Sovaldi(r),
      Harvoni(r) Viekira Pak(r), Epclusa(r), Zepatier(r) have been approved by FDA in
      the past two-three years. The latest advancement of DAA therapy and related side
      effects due to the therapy are also discussed.

PMID- 28901853
TI  - Synthesis of New Bis-Spiropyrazoles as Antitumor Agents under Ultrasound
      Irradiation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: Hydrazonoyl halides were used as precursors for the
      synthesis of a new series of bis-spiropyrazoles via reaction with 3,5-diarylidene
      piperidone derivatives under ultrasound irradiation. The products were secluded
      in good yield after short reaction periods. CONCLUSION: The anticancer activity
      of bis-spiropyrazoles against HepG2 (hepatic cancer), A549 (lung cancer) and
      CaCo2 (colon cancer) cell lines was screened. Three tested compounds 4b, 4c and
      4f showed promising activity.

PMID- 28901857
TI  - Editorial: Modern and Alternative Matters in Oral Health Maintenance).

PMID- 28901854
TI  - Pharmacophore Comparison and Development of Recently Discovered Long Chain
      Arylpiperazine and Sulfonamide Based 5-HT7 Ligands.
AB  - The serotonin system exerts its effects on the CNS and many peripheral systems.
      Of the 14 serotonin receptors, the 5-HT7 receptor is the most recently
      discovered. The 5-HT7 receptor has been shown to be involved in stress reduction,
      depression, and nociceptive control. Despite the 20 years since the discovery of
      5-HT7R, there are still few truly selective ligands. Two of the common scaffolds
      for 5-HT7R ligands are long chain arylpiperazines (LCAPs) and sulfonamide
      containing compounds. This review focuses on recently developed (2014-2016) 5
      HT7R ligands, their selectivity for the receptor, and suggests the possible new
      pharmacophore models for these ligands.

PMID- 28901856
TI  - Recent Patents and Emerging Therapeutics on Ocular Inflammation and Allergy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ocular inflammation and allergic eye diseases range from mild to
      severe may disturb visual function and affect' quality of life. Since these
      diseases require intensive therapies, the pathophysiology and treatments of these
      conditions are highlighted. OBJECTIVE: The ocular diseases caused by inflammation
      and allergy are extensively studied in this review to provide an overview of the
      newer compounds, novel delivery approaches, preclinical and clinical trials for
      the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis, dry eye syndrome, and uveitis. METHOD:
      The eye is divided into two segments; anterior and posterior. Both segments
      provide barriers to the drug delivery to the eye. Despite many efforts by
      scientists, several potential drug candidates are often dropped from the initial
      screening portfolio due to failure in overcoming these barriers. Thus to overcome
      unmet challenges, remarkable progresses have been made towards the design of
      novel ocular therapeutics with enhanced activity and minimal toxicity to the
      ocular tissue. A comprehensible understanding of the diseased conditions,
      physiological barriers and pharmacokinetics of the eye would significantly
      accelerate the development of new therapeutics. Moreover, identification of new
      targets drives the discovery of novel drug molecules for the ocular disease
      treatment. RESULTS: The advancement in the drug discovery and dosage from design
      showcases the increasing number of patent applications being filed and issued for
      allergic conjunctivitis, dry eye syndrome, and uveitis. In addition, preclinical
      and clinical trials are now becoming available showing the newer generation of
      ocular drugs. CONCLUSION: This review presented a brief background on the disease
      condition, types, treatment, advancement in the delivery approaches, focus on
      emerging therapeutics, related patents and clinical trials for the treatment of
      allergic conjunctivitis, dry eye syndrome, and uveitis.

PMID- 28901858
TI  - Expression of a Nitric Oxide Synthesizing Protein in Arterial Endothelial Cells
      in Response to Different Anti-Anginal Agents Used in Acute Coronary Syndromes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Organic "nitro" compounds such as nitroglycerine, isosorbide
      dinitrate are useful in the control of chest pain in acute coronary syndrome. But
      the mechanism of it in pain regulation remains speculative. Here, increase of NO
      production was investigated by the possible regulation of constitutive nitric
      oxide synthase (cNOS) function from goat arterial endothelial cells. This protein
      was purified and sequence wise characterized as protein disulfide isomerase (PDI)
      in response to different nitro compounds. METHOD: The NO generating protein was
      isolated from arterial endothelial cells and prepared to homogeneity. NO was
      determined by methemoglobin method. Protein sequence was analyzed by (uLC/MS/MS).
      RESULTS: A protein of Mr. ~57 kDa was isolated and found to be activated by not
      only "nitro" compounds but also by acetyl salicylic acid, insulin and glucose.
      The global BLAST of the protein sequence showed a significant alignment of the
      protein sequence with PDI. This protein trivially called pluri activator
      stimulated endothelial NOS (PLASENOS). The enzyme was stimulated by the above
      mentioned activators in the presence of Ca2+. Lineweaver-Burk plot of this NOS
      like activities were demonstrated with its specific substrate l-arginine as Vmax
      = 5(nmol NO/mg of protein/hr) and Km~ 0.5uM by the above activators. The enzyme
      activity was inhibited by the l-NAME, the specific inhibitor of NOS. CONCLUSION:
      The organic nitro compounds, acetyl salicylic acid, insulin and glucose were
      found to activate PLASENOS in the arterial endothelial cells for a continuous
      supply of NO to control the chest pain in acute coronary syndrome.

PMID- 28901859
TI  - COMMENTARY: Magnetic Resonance Techniques Applied to Parkinson's Disease.

PMID- 28901860
TI  - Editorial: Brain Imaging and Automatic Analysis in Neurological and Psychiatric
      Diseases - Part II.

PMID- 28901861
TI  - Research Highlights BAY 1436032: A Novel Pan-mutant IDH1 Inhibitor Extends
      Survival of Mice with Experimental Brain Tumors.

PMID- 28901863
TI  - Tissue Fatty Acid Profile is Differently Modulated from Olive Oil and Omega-3
      Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in ApcMin/+ Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fatty acid profile can be considered an appropriate biomarker for
      investigating the relations between the patterns of fatty acid metabolism and
      specific diseases, as cancer, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.
      OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to test the effects of diets enriched with olive
      oil and omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) on fatty acid profile in
      intestinal tissue of ApcMin/+ mice. METHOD: Three groups of animals were
      considered: control group, receiving a standard diet; olive oilgroup, receiving a
      standard diet enriched with olive oil; omega-3 group, receiving a standard diet
      enriched with salmon fish. Tissue fatty acid profile was evaluated by gas
      chromatography method. RESULTS: Olive oil and omega-3 PUFAs in the diet
      differently affect the tissue fatty acid profile. Compared to control group, the
      levels of Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs) were lower in olive oil group, while an
      increase of SFAs was found in omega-3 group. Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs)
      levels were enhanced after olive oil treatment, and in particular, a significant
      increase of oleic acid levels was detected; MUFAs levels were instead reduced in
      omega-3 group in line with the decrease of oleic acid levels. The total PUFAs
      levels were lower in olive oil respect to control group. Moreover, a significant
      induction of Saturation Index (SI) levels was observed after omega-3 PUFAs
      treatment, while its levels were reduced in mice fed with olive oil. CONCLUSION:
      Our data demonstrated a different effect of olive oil and omega-3 PUFAs on tissue
      lipid profile in APCMin/+ mice.

PMID- 28901864
TI  - Prenatal Stress Enhances Susceptibility to Allergic Diseases of Offspring.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Maternal prenatal stress (MPS) may result in a range
      of longterm consequences in the offspring among which there is susceptibility to
      allergic diseases. This review presents the current knowledge on the pathways
      through which MPS may affect the fetus, and the existing evidence regarding the
      association between MPS and development of allergy in the offspring. RESULT AND
      DISCUSSION: A pivotal mediator triggered in response to stress is the release of
      glucocorticoids (GC). GC may affect gene expression through binding to GC
      receptors, thus affecting fetal development in general, and allergic
      vulnerability in particular. A series of recent findings also indicate that MPS
      may affect the fetus programming of immune functions and lead to vulnerability of
      the immune system. MPS may hinder the gradual process in the offspring's cytokine
      production towards a Th1 type immune response. Prenatal factors may also
      influence the intrauterine microbiome and thereby the maternal bacteria
      transferred into the fetal gastrointestinal tract. The imbalances of intestinal
      microbiota in infancy could result in deviations in the development of systemic
      immune function, predisposing to allergic sensitization. Epidemiological studies
      in humans also suggest that there is an association of MPS and allergic
      vulnerability of the offspring. CONCLUSION: Although the existing evidence
      support a relationship of MPS with allergic predisposition of the offspring,
      further studies are needed to elucidate whether the association is dependent on
      the type of stress and whether it involves any type of allergic predisposition or
      not.

PMID- 28901865
TI  - Penile and Testicular Measurements in Male Neonates and Infants: Single Center
      Egyptian Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Universal reference values of penile length, circumferences and
      testicular volume in newborns and infants are inappropriate to be used in
      variable ethnic backgrounds. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study was to
      establish normal reference values for stretched penile length, penile
      circumference and testicular volume for Egyptian newborn and infants. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study included 1850 healthy male
      full term newborn and infants applied for routine check-up, aged 0 -24 months,
      the newborn and infants were recruited from Tanta University Hospital in the
      period from July 2015 to January 2017. Penile length, penile circumference,
      testicular volume, weight, length and occipito-frontal circumference were
      measured. RESULTS: The studied infants were divided into five groups. Group I: 1
      4 weeks, the mean penile length was 3.51 +/- 0.49 cm, penile circumference was
      3.95 +/- 0.48 cm, and testicular size was (right 1.81 +/- 0.44 cm and left 1.67
      +/- 0.47 cm). Group II: > 1-6 months age, the mean penile length was 3.99 +/-
      0.46 cm, penile circumference was 4.10 +/- 0.38 cm, and testicular size was
      (right 2.10 +/- 0.33 cm and left 2.04 +/- 0.27 cm). Group III: >6-12 months age,
      the mean penile length was 4.45 +/- 0.48 cm, penile circumference was 4.21 +/-
      0.33 cm, and testicular size was (right 2.13 +/- 0.33 cm and left 2.06 +/- 0.28
      cm). Group IV: >12-18 months age, the mean penile length was 4.55 +/- 0.54 cm,
      penile circumference was 4.28 +/- 0.32 cm, and testicular size was (right 2.12 +/
      0.33 cm and left 2.09 +/- 0.32 cm). Group V: >18-24 months age, the mean penile
      length was 4.89 +/- 0.63 cm, penile circumference was 4.45 +/- 0.33 cm, and
      testicular size was (right 2.28 +/- 0.45 cm and left 2.25 +/- 0.45 cm). There
      were significant positive correlations between penile length, penile
      circumference, left and right testicular volumes with each other and also with
      all other anthropometric measures including: weight, height and head
      circumference. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The age-related values of penile
      and testicular measurements must be known to be able to determine the abnormal
      sizes and to monitor treatment of underlying diseases. Our study is a step to
      achieve accurate reference values of penile and testicular measurements for
      Egyptian male newborns and infants. Therefore multicenter studies are recommended
      to establish Egyptian norms.

PMID- 28901867
TI  - MDH volume 61 Issue 4 Cover and Back matter.

PMID- 28901866
TI  - A Novel Potential Reproductive Effects of Pterocarpus marsupium Methanolic
      Extract on Testosterone Propionate Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Female
      Albino Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential reproductive effects of Pterocarpus marsupium
      methanolic extract on testosterone propionate induced Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
      (PCOS) in female albino rats. METHODOLOGY: PCOS was induced in female albino rats
      by daily injecting testosterone propionate for 15 days intraperitoneally. Animals
      are divided into five groups with six rats per group. Group 1: Control group
      received olive oil, Group 2: Testosterone propionate+natural recovery, Group 3:
      Testosterone propionate + a dose of clomiphene citrate (standard), Group 4 and 5:
      Testosterone propionate + low dose (200mg/kg) and high dose (400mg/kg) b.w
      respectively for 15 days. Various biochemical and histopathological
      investigations were assessed. RESULTS: Methanol extract of Pterocarpus marsupium
      was able to exert its protective effect successfully by restoring all the
      parameters to normal and diminishing the cysts found in ovaries. CONCLUSION:
      Pterocarpus marsupium showed potential reproductive effects on testosterone
      propionate induced PCOS female albino rats and could be used as an alternative
      therapy in the treatment of PCOS.

PMID- 28901868
TI  - Calculable People? Standardising Assessment Guidelines for Alzheimer's Disease in
      1980s Britain.
AB  - This article shows how funding research on Alzheimer's disease became a priority
      for the British Medical Research Council (MRC) in the late 1970s and 1980s,
      thanks to work that isolated new pathological and biochemical markers and showed
      that the disease affected a significant proportion of the elderly population. In
      contrast to histories that focus on the emergence of new and competing theories
      of disease causation in this period, I argue that concerns over the use of
      different assessment methods ensured the MRC's immediate priority was
      standardising the ways in which researchers identified and recorded symptoms of
      Alzheimer's disease in potential research subjects. I detail how the rationale
      behind the development of standard assessment guidelines was less about arriving
      at a firm diagnosis and more about facilitating research by generating data that
      could be easily compared across the disciplines and sites that constitute modern
      biomedicine. Drawing on criticism of specific tests in the MRC's guidelines,
      which some psychiatrists argued were 'middle class biased', I also show that
      debates over standardisation did not simply reflect concerns specific to the
      fields or areas of research that the MRC sought to govern. Questions about the
      validity of standard assessment guidelines for Alzheimer's disease embodied
      broader concerns about education and social class, which ensured that
      distinguishing normal from pathological in old age remained a contested and
      historically contingent process.

PMID- 28901869
TI  - The Expulsion of South Africa and Rhodesia from the Commonwealth Medical
      Association, 1947-70.
AB  - In 1970 the medical associations of South Africa and Rhodesia (now, Zimbabwe)
      were expelled from the Commonwealth Medical Association. The latter had been set
      up, as the British Medical Commonwealth Medical Conference, in the late 1940s by
      the British Medical Association (BMA). These expulsions, and the events leading
      up to them, are the central focus of this article. The BMA's original intention
      was to establish an organisation bringing together the medical associations of
      the constituent parts of the expanding Commonwealth. Among the new body's
      preoccupations was the relationship between the medical profession and the state
      in the associations' respective countries. It thus has to be seen as primarily a
      medico-political organisation rather than one concerned with medicine per se.
      Although, there were also tensions from the outset regarding the membership of
      the Southern African medical associations. Such stresses notwithstanding, these
      two organisations remained in the BMA-sponsored body even after South Africa and
      Rhodesia had left the Commonwealth. This was not, however, a situation which
      could outlast the growing number of African associations which joined in the wake
      of decolonisation; and hardening attitudes towards apartheid. The article
      therefore considers: why the BMA set up this Commonwealth body in the first place
      and what it hoped to achieve; the history of the problems associated with South
      African and Rhodesian membership; and how their associations came to be expelled.

PMID- 28901871
TI  - Citizenship and Learning Disabled People: The Mental Health Charity MIND's 1970s
      Campaign in Historical Context.
AB  - Current policy and practice directed towards people with learning disabilities
      originates in the deinstitutionalisation processes, civil rights concerns and
      integrationist philosophies of the 1970s and 1980s. However, historians know
      little about the specific contexts within which these were mobilised. Although it
      is rarely acknowledged in the secondary literature, MIND was prominent in
      campaigning for rights-based services for learning disabled people during this
      time. This article sets MIND's campaign within the wider historical context of
      the organisation's origins as a main institution of the inter-war mental hygiene
      movement. The article begins by outlining the mental hygiene movement's original
      conceptualisation of 'mental deficiency' as the antithesis of the self-sustaining
      and responsible individuals that it considered the basis of citizenship and
      mental health. It then traces how this equation became unravelled, in part by the
      altered conditions under the post-war Welfare State, in part by the mental
      hygiene movement's own theorising. The final section describes the
      reconceptualisation of citizenship that eventually emerged with the collapse of
      the mental hygiene movement and the emergence of MIND. It shows that
      representations of MIND's rights-based campaigning (which have, in any case,
      focused on mental illness) as individualist, and fundamentally opposed to
      medicine and psychiatry, are inaccurate. In fact, MIND sought a comprehensive
      community-based service, integrated with the general health and welfare services
      and oriented around a reconstruction of learning disabled people's citizenship
      rights.

PMID- 28901872
TI  - 'Speaking Kleinian': Susan Isaacs as Ursula Wise and the Inter-War Popularisation
      of Psychoanalysis.
AB  - How did the complex concepts of psychoanalysis become popular in early twentieth
      century Britain? This article examines the contribution of educator and
      psychoanalyst Susan Isaacs (1885-1948) to this process, as well as her role as a
      female expert in the intellectual and medical history of this period. Isaacs was
      one of the most influential British psychologists of the inter-war era, yet
      historical research on her work is still limited. The article focuses on her
      writing as 'Ursula Wise', answering the questions of parents and nursery nurses
      in the popular journal Nursery World, from 1929 to 1936. Researched in depth for
      the first time, Isaacs' important magazine columns reveal that her writing was
      instrumental in disseminating the work of psychoanalyst Melanie Klein in Britain.
      Moreover, Isaacs' powerful rebuttals to behaviourist, disciplinarian parenting
      methods helped shift the focus of caregivers to the child's perspective,
      encouraging them to acknowledge children as independent subjects and future
      democratic citizens. Like other early psychoanalysts, Isaacs was not an elitist;
      she was in fact committed to disseminating her ideas as broadly as possible.
      Isaacs taught British parents and child caregivers to 'speak Kleinian',
      translating Klein's intellectual ideas into ordinary language and thus enabling
      their swift integration into popular discourse.

PMID- 28901873
TI  - Homeopathy 'for Mexicans': Medical Popularisation, Commercial Endeavours, and
      Patients' Choice in the Mexican Medical Marketplace, 1853-1872.
AB  - This paper focuses on homeopaths' strategies to popularise homeopathy from 1850
      to 1870. I argue that homeopaths created a space for homeopathy in Mexico City in
      the mid-nineteenth century by facilitating patients' access to medical knowledge,
      consultation and practice. In this period, when national and international armed
      conflicts limited the diffusion and regulation of academic medicine, homeopaths
      popularised homeopathy by framing it as a life-enhancing therapy with tools that
      responded to patients' needs. Patients' preference for homeopathy evolved into
      commercial endeavours that promoted the practice of homeopathy through the use of
      domestic manuals. Using rare publications and archival records, I analyse the
      popularisation of homeopathy in Ramon Comellas's homeopathic manual, the
      commercialisation of Julian Gonzalez's family guides, and patients' and doctors'
      reception of homeopathy. I show that narratives of conversion to homeopathy
      relied on the different experiences of patients and trained doctors, and that
      patients' positive experience with homeopathy weighed more than the doctors'
      efforts to explain to the public how academic medicine worked. The fact that
      homeopaths and patients used a shared language to describe disease experiences
      framed the possibility of a horizontal transmission of medical knowledge, opening
      up the possibility for patients to become practitioners. By relying on the long
      tradition of domestic medicine in Mexico, the popularisation of homeopathy
      disrupted the professional boundaries that academic physicians had begun to
      build, making homeopaths the largest group that challenged the emergent medical
      academic culture and its diffusion in Mexico in the nineteenth century.

PMID- 28901883
TI  - Digitizing Doctors: Methodologies for Creating a Database from Historical
      Directories of Physicians.

PMID- 28901885
TI  - Teaching and Researching the History of Medicine in the Era of (Big) Data:
      Reflections.

PMID- 28901886
TI  - Consumption of whole grains, fruit and vegetables is not associated with indices
      of renal function in the population-based longitudinal Doetinchem study.
AB  - Emerging evidence suggests that diet and renal function are related. Little is
      known, however, about the association of consumption of whole grains, fruit and
      vegetables with urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) and changes in estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). We investigated this in a population-based
      cohort aged 26-65 years. Data were from 3787 participants from the Doetinchem
      cohort study, who were examined >=3 times, 5 years apart. Consumption of food
      groups was assessed at each round with a validated FFQ. GFR was estimated at each
      round from routinely measured cystatin C and creatinine using the Chronic Kidney
      Disease-Epidemiology (CKD-EPI) equation. ACR was measured at the last round.
      Generalised estimated equation models were performed to examine associations with
      changes in eGFR. Linear regression was used to examine associations with ACR.
      Adjustments were made for covariates related to lifestyle, biological factors and
      diet. Mean baseline eGFR was 104.5 (sd 13.7) and mean annual decline was -0.95
      (sd 0.67) ml/min per 1.73 m2 over a 15-year follow-up. A trend was observed
      towards slightly less annual decline in eGFR among those with higher consumption
      of whole grains (P=0.06). This association, however, was attenuated and no longer
      significant in multivariate models (P=0.29). Consumption of fruit and vegetables
      was not associated with changes in eGFR and urinary ACR. In conclusion,
      consumption of whole grains, fruit and vegetables is not associated with changes
      in eGFR and mean ACR. As this was the first longitudinal study into this
      association in the general population, and as results are only partially in line
      with related studies, further research is recommended.

PMID- 28901887
TI  - Microcytosis is associated with low cognitive outcomes in healthy 2-year-olds in
      a high-resource setting.
AB  - Fe deficiency in early childhood is associated with long-term consequences for
      cognitive, motor and behavioural development; however explorations in healthy
      children from low risk, high-resource settings have been limited. We aimed to
      explore associations between Fe status and neurodevelopmental outcomes in low
      risk, healthy 2-year-olds. This study was a secondary analysis of a nested case
      control subgroup from the prospective, maternal-infant Cork Babies after
      Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints: Evaluating the Longitudinal Impact using
      Neurological and Nutritional Endpoints (BASELINE) Birth Cohort Study. At 2 years,
      serum ferritin, Hb and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were measured and
      neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler
      Development (n 87). Five children had Fe deficiency (ferritin <12 ug/l) and no
      child had Fe deficiency anaemia (Hb<110 g/l+ferritin<12 ug/l). Children with
      microcytosis (MCV<74 fl, n 13) had significantly lower mean cognitive composite
      scores (88.5 (sd 13.3) v. 97.0 (sd 7.8), P=0.04, Cohen's d effect size=0.8) than
      those without microcytosis. The ferritin concentration which best predicted
      microcytosis was calculated as 18.4 ug/l (AUC=0.87 (95% CI 0.75, 0.98), P<0.0001,
      sensitivity 92 %, specificity 75 %). Using 18.5 ug/l as a threshold, children
      with concentrations <18.5 ug/l had significantly lower mean cognitive composite
      scores (92.3 (sd 10.5) v. 97.8 (sd 8.1), P=0.012, Cohen's d effect size=0.6)
      compared with those with ferritin >=18.5 ug/l. All associations were robust after
      adjustment for potential confounding factors. Despite a low prevalence of Fe
      deficiency using current diagnostic criteria in this healthy cohort, microcytosis
      was associated with lower cognitive outcomes at 2 years. This exploratory study
      emphasises the need for re-evaluation of the diagnostic criteria for Fe
      deficiency in young children, with further research in adequately powered studies
      warranted.

PMID- 28901888
TI  - Effects of oral Lactobacillus administration on antioxidant activities and
      CD4+CD25+forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ T cells in NZB/W F1 mice.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that is characterised
      by a dysregulation of the immune system, which causes inflammation responses,
      excessive oxidative stress and a reduction in the number of cluster of
      differentiation (CD)4+CD25+forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ T cells. Supplementation with
      certain Lactobacillus strains has been suggested to be beneficial in the
      comprehensive treatment of SLE. However, little is known about the effect and
      mechanism of certain Lactobacillus strains on SLE. To investigate the effects of
      Lactobacillus on SLE, NZB/W F1 mice were orally gavaged with Lactobacillus
      paracasei GMNL-32 (GMNL-32), Lactobacillus reuteri GMNL-89 (GMNL-89) and L.
      reuteri GMNL-263 (GMNL-263). Supplementation with GMNL-32, GMNL-89 and GMNL-263
      significantly increased antioxidant activity, reduced IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels
      and significantly decreased the toll-like receptors/myeloid differentiation
      primary response gene 88 signalling in NZB/W F1 mice. Notably, supplementation
      with GMNL-263, but not GMNL-32 and GMNL-89, in NZB/W F1 mice significantly
      increased the differentiation of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T cells. These findings reveal
      beneficial effects of GMNL-32, GMNL-89 and GMNL-263 on NZB/W F1 mice and suggest
      that these specific Lactobacillus strains can be used as part of a comprehensive
      treatment of SLE patients.

PMID- 28901889
TI  - Effect of breakfast omission and consumption on energy intake and physical
      activity in adolescent girls: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - It is not known if breakfast consumption is an effective intervention for
      altering daily energy balance in adolescents when compared with breakfast
      omission. This study examined the acute effect of breakfast consumption and
      omission on free-living energy intake (EI) and physical activity (PA) in
      adolescent girls. Using an acute randomised cross-over design, forty girls (age
      13.3 (sd 0.8) years, BMI 21.5 (sd 5.0) kg/m2) completed two, 3-d conditions in a
      randomised, counter-balanced order: no breakfast (NB) and standardised
      (approximately 1962 kJ) breakfast (SB). Dietary intakes were assessed using food
      diaries combined with digital photographic records and PA was measured via
      accelerometry throughout each condition. Statistical analyses were completed
      using repeated-measures ANOVA. Post-breakfast EI was 483 (sd 1309) kJ/d higher in
      NB v. SB (P=0.025), but total daily EI was 1479 (sd 11311) kJ/d higher in SB v.
      NB (P<0.0005). Daily carbohydrate, fibre and protein intakes were higher in SB v.
      NB (P<0.0005), whereas daily fat intake was not different (P=0.405). Effect sizes
      met the minimum important difference of >=0.20 for all significant effects.
      Breakfast manipulation did not affect post-breakfast macronutrient intakes
      (P>=0.451) or time spent sedentary or in PA (P>=0.657). In this sample of
      adolescent girls, breakfast omission increased post-breakfast free-living EI, but
      total daily EI was greater when a SB was consumed. We found no evidence that
      breakfast consumption induces compensatory changes in PA. Further experimental
      research is required to determine the effects of extended periods of breakfast
      manipulation in young people.

PMID- 28901890
TI  - Dietary l-arginine inhibits intestinal Clostridium perfringens colonisation and
      attenuates intestinal mucosal injury in broiler chickens.
AB  - We investigated the effects of dietary l-arginine level and feeding duration on
      the intestinal damage of broilers induced by Clostridium perfringens (CP) in
      vivo, and the antimicrobial effect of its metabolite nitric oxide (NO) in vitro.
      The in vivo experiment was designed as a factorial arrangement of three dietary
      treatments*two challenge statuses. Broilers were fed a basal diet (CON) or a high
      arginine diet (ARG) containing 1.87 % l-arginine, or CON for the first 8 d and
      ARG from days 9 to 28 (CON/ARG). Birds were co-infected with or without Eimeria
      and CP (EM/CP). EM/CP challenge led to intestinal injury, as evidenced by lower
      plasma d-xylose concentration (P<0.01), higher paracellular permeability in the
      ileum (P<0.05) and higher numbers of Escherichia coli (P<0.05) and CP (P<0.001)
      in caecal digesta; however, this situation could be alleviated by l-arginine
      supplementation (P<0.05). The intestinal claudin-1 and occludin mRNA expression
      levels were decreased (P<0.05) following EM/CP challenge; this was reversed by l
      arginine supplementation (P<0.05). Moreover, EM/CP challenge up-regulated
      (P<0.05) claudin-2, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), toll-like receptor 2 and
      nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain 1 (NOD1) mRNA expression, and l
      arginine supplementation elevated (P<0.05) IFN-gamma, IL-10 and NOD1 mRNA
      expression. In vitro study showed that NO had bacteriostatic activity against CP
      (P<0.001). In conclusion, l-arginine supplementation could inhibit CP overgrowth
      and alleviate intestinal mucosal injury by modulating innate immune responses,
      enhancing barrier function and producing NO.

PMID- 28901891
TI  - Dietary intake of fat and fibre according to reference values relates to higher
      gut microbiota richness in overweight pregnant women.
AB  - The diet-microbiota-metabolism relationships during pregnancy are mostly unknown.
      We explored the effect of the habitual diet and adherence to the dietary
      reference values on gut microbiota composition and diversity. Further, the
      association of gut microbiota with serum lipidomics and low-grade inflammation
      was evaluated. Overweight and obese women (BMI 30.7 (sd 4.4) kg/m2, n 100) were
      studied at early pregnancy (<=17 weeks). Intakes of nutrients were calculated
      from 3-d food diaries. Faecal microbiota composition was analysed using 16S rRNA
      gene sequencing. Fasting serum lipidomic profiles were determined by NMR. High
      sensitivity C-reactive protein, glycoprotein acetylation (GlycA) and
      lipopolysaccharide activity were used as markers for low-grade inflammation. The
      recommended dietary intake of fibre and fat was related to higher gut microbiota
      richness and lower abundance of Bacteroidaceae. Correlations were observed
      between gut microbiota richness and GlycA and between a few microbiota genera and
      serum lipoprotein particles. As a conclusion, adherence to the dietary reference
      intake of fat and fibre was associated with beneficial gut microbiota
      composition, which again contributed to lipidomic profile. Higher gut microbiota
      richness and nutrient intakes were linked to a lower level of low-grade
      inflammation marker GlycA. This finding offers novel insights and opportunities
      for dietary modification during pregnancy with potential of improving the health
      of the mother and the child.

PMID- 28901892
TI  - The effect of anthocyanin supplementation in modulating platelet function in
      sedentary population: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over
      trial.
AB  - The anti-thrombotic properties of anthocyanin (ACN) supplementation was evaluated
      in this randomised, double-blind, placebo (PBO) controlled, cross-over design,
      dietary intervention trial in sedentary population. In all, sixteen participants
      (three males and thirteen females) consumed ACN (320 mg/d) or PBO capsules for 28
      d followed by a 2-week wash-out period. Biomarkers of thrombogenesis and platelet
      activation induced by ADP; platelet aggregation induced by ADP, collagen and
      arachidonic acid; biochemical, lipid, inflammatory and coagulation profile were
      evaluated before and after supplementation. ACN supplementation reduced monocyte
      platelet aggregate formation by 39 %; inhibited platelet endothelial cell
      adhesion molecule-1 expression by 14 %; reduced platelet activation-dependant
      conformational change and degranulation by reducing procaspase activating
      compound-1 (PAC-1) (?10 %) and P-selectin expression (?14 %), respectively; and
      reduced ADP-induced whole blood platelet aggregation by 29 %. Arachidonic acid
      and collagen-induced platelet aggregation; biochemical, lipid, inflammatory and
      coagulation parameters did not change post-ACN supplementation. PBO treatment did
      not have an effect on the parameters tested. The findings suggest that dietary
      ACN supplementation has the potential to alleviate biomarkers of thrombogenesis,
      platelet hyperactivation and hyper-aggregation in sedentary population.

PMID- 28901893
TI  - Using item response theory to address vulnerabilities in FFQ.
AB  - The limitations for self-reporting of dietary patterns are widely recognised as a
      major vulnerability of FFQ and the dietary screeners/scales derived from FFQ.
      Such instruments can yield inconsistent results to produce questionable
      interpretations. The present article discusses the value of psychometric
      approaches and standards in addressing these drawbacks for instruments used to
      estimate dietary habits and nutrient intake. We argue that a FFQ or screener that
      treats diet as a 'latent construct' can be optimised for both internal
      consistency and the value of the research results. Latent constructs, a
      foundation for item response theory (IRT)-based scales (e.g. Patient Reported
      Outcomes Measurement Information System) are typically introduced in the design
      stage of an instrument to elicit critical factors that cannot be observed or
      measured directly. We propose an iterative approach that uses such modelling to
      refine FFQ and similar instruments. To that end, we illustrate the benefits of
      psychometric modelling by using items and data from a sample of 12 370 Soldiers
      who completed the 2012 US Army Global Assessment Tool (GAT). We used factor
      analysis to build the scale incorporating five out of eleven survey items. An IRT
      driven assessment of response category properties indicates likely problems in
      the ordering or wording of several response categories. Group comparisons,
      examined with differential item functioning (DIF), provided evidence of scale
      validity across each Army sub-population (sex, service component and officer
      status). Such an approach holds promise for future FFQ.

PMID- 28901894
TI  - Dietary starch types affect liver nutrient metabolism of finishing pigs.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different starch types on liver
      nutrient metabolism of finishing pigs. In all ninety barrows were randomly
      allocated to three diets with five replicates of six pigs, containing purified
      waxy maize starch (WMS), non-waxy maize starch (NMS) and pea starch (PS) (the
      amylose to amylopectin ratios were 0.07, 0.19 and 0.28, respectively). After 28 d
      of treatments, two per pen (close to the average body weight of the pen) were
      weighed individually, slaughtered and liver samples were collected. Compared with
      the WMS diet, the PS diet decreased the activities of glycogen phosphorylase,
      phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate
      carboxykinase 1 in liver (P0.05). Compared with the WMS diet, the PS diet reduced
      the expressions of glutamate dehydrogenase and carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1
      in liver (P<0.05). PS diet decreased the expression of the insulin receptor, and
      increased the expressions of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 and
      ribosomal protein S6 kinase beta-1 in liver compared with the WMS diet (P<0.05).
      These findings indicated that the diet with higher amylose content could down
      regulate gluconeogenesis, and cause less fat deposition and more protein
      deposition by affecting the insulin/PI3K/protein kinase B signalling pathway in
      liver of finishing pigs.

PMID- 28901895
TI  - Agaribacterium haliotis gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from abalone faeces.
AB  - A marine bacterium, named strain feces2T, was isolated from the excreted faeces
      of an abalone, Haliotis discus hannai. The bacterium was Gram-stain-negative, rod
      shaped and had a polar flagellum. It formed a white, small and crater-like colony
      on an agar plate, and had the capability of degrading agar. Activity of oxidase
      was positive and that of catalase was negative. Strain feces2T grew at 16 to 40 
      degrees C with an optimum of 28-30  degrees C. The nearly full-length 16S rRNA
      gene of strain feces2T had the greatest sequence similarity of 92.9 % with
      Marinibactrumhalimedae Q-192T, followed by of 92.8 % with Teredinibacterturnerae
      T7902T. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain feces2T belonged to the
      family Cellvibrionaceae, representing an independent clade with an uncultured
      bacterium clone NEP3-15 (98 % sequence similarity of 16S rRNA gene) derived from
      the phycosphere of Enteromorphaprolifera. The respiratory quinone was ubiquinone
      Q-8. The predominant fatty acids consisted of summed feature 8 (C18 : 1
      omega7c/C18 : 1 omega6c), C16 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 omega6c/C16 :
      1omega7c). The polar lipids were identified as phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified amino phospholipid
      and four unknown lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 50.5 mol%. On the basis
      of polyphasic characterizations, strain feces2T represented a novel species and a
      novel genus in the family Cellvibrionaceae of the order Cellvibrionales within
      the Gammaproteobacteria, for which the name Agaribacteriumhaliotis gen. nov., sp.
      nov. is proposed, with the type strain being feces2T (=MCCC 1A11450T=KCTC
      52708T).

PMID- 28901896
TI  - Paludicola psychrotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel psychrotolerant
      chitinolytic anaerobe of the family Ruminococcaceae.
AB  - A psychrotolerant chitinolytic bacterium, designated NC1253T, was isolated from
      Zoige wetland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. This strain was a Gram-stain
      positive, spore-forming and rod-shaped anaerobe. NC1253T grew at 4-35  degrees C,
      at pH 6.0-8.5 and could grow on chitin as the only carbon resource. Phylogenetic
      analysis, based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, showed that strain NC1253T
      represented a novel bacterial genus within the family Ruminococcaceae. Strain
      NC1253T has less than 91.0 % similarity with other type strains, such as
      Harryflintia acetispora V20-281aT (90.9 %), Clostridium methylpentosum DSM 5476T
      (90.8 %), Anaerotruncus colihominis DSM 17241T (89.8 %), Eubacterium siraeum DSM
      15702T (89.6 %), and Acetanaerobacterium elongatum Z7T (89.6 %). The major
      components of the cellular fatty acids were iso-C14 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0
      and anteiso-C17 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content was 35.4 mol%. Phenotypic,
      chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics allowed strain NC1253T to be
      clearly distinguished from genera in the family Ruminococcaceae. On the basis of
      polyphasic taxonomic data, the isolate is considered to represent a novel genus
      and novel species in the family Ruminococcaceae, for which the name Paludicola
      psychrotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed. The type species is NC1253T
      (DSM 104738T=KCTC 15582T).

PMID- 28901897
TI  - Hymenobacter frigidus sp. nov., isolated from a glacier ice core.
AB  - A psychrophilic, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, red-pigmented bacterium,
      designated strain B1789T, was isolated from an ice core of Muztagh Glacier on the
      Tibetan Plateau in China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences
      showed that strain B1789T was related to members of the genus Hymenobacter and
      had highest sequence similarity with Hymenobacter antarcticus JCM 17217T (97.9
      %). The major menaquinone was MK-7 and the major polar lipid was
      phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, anteiso
      C15 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c and/or C16 : 1omega6c). The DNA G+C
      content was 59.4 mol%. In DNA-DNA hybridization tests, strain B1789T shared 42 %
      relatedness with H. antarcticus JCM 17217T. Based on the results of phenotypic
      and chemotaxonomic tests, strain B1789T was considered as representing a novel
      species of the genus Hymenobacter, for which the name Hymenobacter frigidus sp.
      nov. is proposed. The type strain is B1789T (=JCM 30595T=CGMCC 1.14966T).

PMID- 28901898
TI  - Propioniciclava sinopodophylli sp. nov., isolated from leaves of Sinopodophyllum
      hexandrum (Royle) Ying.
AB  - A Gram-reaction-positive, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped and non-motile
      bacterial strain, designated TEYR-7T, was isolated from the leaves of
      Sinopodophyllum hexandrum collected from the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi
      Province, northwest China. Growth of strain TEYR-7T occurred at 15-37  degrees C
      (optimum, 28-30  degrees C), at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the presence
      of 0-3 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-1 %). Propionate and acetate were produced from
      glucose fermentation. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences
      showed that strain TEYR-7T was a member of the phylum Actinobacteria, exhibiting
      the highest sequence similarity to Propioniciclava tarda DSM 22130T (94.3 %). The
      only respiratory quinone detected in strain TEYR-7T was menaquinone MK-9(H4) and
      the major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were anteiso-C15 : 0 and C16 : 0. The
      polar lipid profile consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol,
      two unidentified glycolipids, an unidentified phospholipid and three unidentified
      lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 71.2 mol%. meso-Diaminopimelic acid was
      detected in the peptidoglycan. On the basis of data from the present polyphasic
      taxonomic study, strain TEYR-7T is considered to represent a novel species of the
      genus Propioniciclava, for which the name Propioniciclava sinopodophylli sp. nov.
      is proposed. The type strain is TEYR-7T (=CCTCC AB 2015257T=KCTC 33808T).

PMID- 28901899
TI  - Massilia glaciei sp. nov., isolated from the Muztagh Glacier.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, bacterial strain, B448-2T, was isolated from
      an ice core from the Muztagh Glacier, on the Tibetan Plateau. B448-2T grew
      optimally at pH 7.0 and 20  degrees C in the presence of 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The
      results of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis indicated that B448-2T was
      closely related to Massilia eurypsychrophila CGMCC 1.12828T, Rugamonas rubra
      CCM3730T and Duganella zoogloeoides JCM20729T at levels of 97.8, 97.7  and 97.3
      %, respectively. The predominant fatty acids of B448-2T were summed feature 3
      (C16 : 1omega7c and/or C16 : 1omega6c) and C16 : 0. The predominant isoprenoid
      quinone was Q-8. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The genomic DNA G+C content of
      the strain was 66.1 mol%. In DNA-DNA hybridization tests, B448-2T shared 37.6 %
      DNA-DNA relatedness with Massilia eurypsychrophila CGMCC 1.12828T. On the basis
      of the results for phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, B448-2T was
      considered to represent a novel species of the genus Massilia, for which the name
      Massiliaglaciei sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B448-2T (=JCM
      30271T=CGMCC 1.12920T).

PMID- 28901900
TI  - Persistence of RSV promotes proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition
      of bronchial epithelial cells through Nodal signaling.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nodal may play an important role in the development of cancers. The
      present study was designed to determine the effects of Nodal induced by
      respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection on the occurrence and development of
      lung cancer and the underlying mechanisms. METHODOLOGY: After verification of RSV
      infection by observation of cytopathic effect and indirect immunofluorescence,
      real-time PCR, Western blot and methylation assays were used to verify the
      influence of RSV on Nodal expression. Then, a Nodal overexpressed vector was
      constructed and the effects of Nodal on the proliferation and apoptosis of
      bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      were assayed by flow cytometry and Western blot, respectively. Moreover, Lefty
      and pSmad2/3 were assayed by Western blot and Cyclin D1, CDK4, c-myc and Bcl-2
      induced by Nodal overepression or RSV infection were also assayed by real-time
      PCR. RESULTS: The results showed that Nodal over expression and demethylation of
      the promoter were observed in BECs after RSV infection. Activation of Nodal
      promoted proliferation, colony formation and EMT and inhibited apoptosis of BECs.
      Nodal also promoted malignant change by promoting expression of cyclin D1 and
      related-dependent kinase and inhibiting apoptosis. Besides, RSV infection
      inhibited Lefty expression and promoted the activation of pSmad2/3. RSV also
      promoted Cyclin D1, CDK4, c-myc and Bcl-2 expression through the activation of
      pSmad2/3. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that persistence of RSV promoted the
      proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and expression of oncogenes
      through Nodal signaling, which may be associated with the occurrence and
      development of lung cancers.

PMID- 28901901
TI  - Salinimicrobium flavum sp. nov., isolated from coastal sediment.
AB  - A novel Gram-stain-negative, non-gliding, facultatively anaerobic and rod-shaped
      bacterium, designated X7T, was isolated from marine sediment taken from the coast
      of Weihai, China. Strain X7T grew optimally at 28-30  degrees C, at pH 7.0 and in
      the presence of 2-3 % (w/v) NaCl. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis,
      strain X7T was a member of the genus Salinimicrobium and was most closely related
      to the species Salinimicrobium gaetbulicola with a 96.3 % 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarity value. The major cellular fatty acids of strain X7T were anteiso-C15 :
      0, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 1omega9c, iso-C17 : 1omega9c, C17 : 0 2-OH and iso
      C17 : 0 3-OH. The major polar lipids of strain X7T were phosphatidylethanolamine,
      one unidentified phospholipid, two unidentified aminolipids and five unidentified
      lipids. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-6, and the genomic DNA G+C
      content was 46.7 mol%. Phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic
      results indicated that strain X7T represents a novel species of the genus
      Salinimicrobium, for which the name Salinimicrobium flavum sp. nov. is proposed.
      The type strain is X7T (=KCTC 42585T=MCCC 1H00115T).

PMID- 28901902
TI  - Simian varicella virus inhibits the interferon gamma signalling pathway.
AB  - The alphaherpesvirus simian varicella virus (SVV) causes varicella and zoster in
      nonhuman primates. Herpesviruses evolved elaborate mechanisms to escape host
      immunity, but the immune evasion strategies employed by SVV remain ill-defined.
      We analysed whether SVV impairs the cellular response to key antiviral cytokine
      interferon-gamma (IFNgamma). SVV infection inhibited the expression of IFNgamma
      induced genes like C-X-C motif chemokine 10 and interferon regulatory factor 1.
      Phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of the signal transducer and activator
      of transcription 1 (STAT1) was blocked in SVV-infected cells, which did not
      involve cellular and viral phosphatases. SVV infection did not downregulate
      IFNgamma receptor alpha and beta chain expression on the cell surface. Instead,
      STAT1, Janus tyrosine kinases 1 (JAK1) and JAK2 protein levels were significantly
      decreased in SVV-infected cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate that SVV
      targets three proteins in the IFNgamma signal transduction pathway to escape the
      antiviral effects of IFNgamma.

PMID- 28901903
TI  - Halobacterium litoreum sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern.
AB  - Halophilic archaeal strain ZS-54-S2T was isolated from Zhoushan marine solar
      saltern, China. Cells were rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative and formed red
      pigmented colonies on an agar plate. Strain ZS-54-S2T was able to grow at 20-50 
      degrees C (optimum 35  degrees C), at 1.7-4.8 M NaCl (optimum 3.9 M), at 0.005
      1.0 M MgCl2 (optimum 0.05 M) and at pH 5.0-9.5 (optimum pH 7.0). The cells lysed
      in distilled water and the minimal NaCl concentration to prevent cell lysis was
      found to be 5 % (w/v). The major polar lipids of the strain were phosphatidic
      acid, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester, two
      glycolipids, which were chromatographically identical to sulfated galactosyl
      mannosyl galactofuranosyl glucosyl diether and galactosyl mannosyl glucosyl
      diether, and an unidentified glycolipid, which was chromatographically identical
      to one detected in Halobacterium salinarum ATCC 33171T. The 16S rRNA gene and
      rpoB' gene of strain ZS-54-S2T were phylogenetically related to the corresponding
      genes of Halobacterium noricense JCM 15102T (97.5 % and 90.6 % relatedness,
      respectively), Halobacterium jilantaiense CGMCC 1.5337T (96.9 and 91.2 %),
      Halobacterium rubrum CGMCC 1.12575T (96.8 and 90.3 %) and Halobacterium salinarum
      CGMCC 1.1958T (96.5 and 88.4 %). The DNA G+C content of strain ZS-54-S2T was 66.7
      mol%. The phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties suggested that
      strain ZS-54-S2T (=CGMCC 1.12562T=JCM 30038T) represents a new species of
      Halobacterium, for which the name Halobacteriumlitoreum sp. nov. is proposed.

PMID- 28901904
TI  - Chryseomicrobium deserti sp. nov., isolated from desert soil in South Korea.
AB  - A Gram-stain positive, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium (THG-T1.18T) was
      isolated from desert soil. Growth occurred at 20-35  degrees C (optimum 28-30 
      degrees C), at pH 5-7 (optimum 7) and at 0-4 % NaCl (optimum 0-1 %). Based on 16S
      rRNA sequence analysis, the nearest phylogenetic neighbours of strain THG-T1.18T
      were identified as Chryseomicrobium amylolyticum DSM 23442T (96.6 %),
      Chryseomicrobium imtechense JCM 16573T (96.3 %) and Chryseomicrobium aureum KACC
      17219T (96.1 %). The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified aminolipids and
      one unidentified glycolipid. The quinone system was composed of MK-7, MK-8 and MK
      6. The major fatty acids were iso C15 : 0 and anteiso C15 : 0. The type of
      peptidoglycan was A4beta, containing of l-Orn-D-Glu. The DNA G+C content of
      strain THG-T1.18T was 50.4 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain THG
      T1.18T and C. amylolyticum DSM 23442T, C. imtechense JCM 16573T, C. aureum KACC
      17219T were 24.7 % (20.1 % reciprocal analysis), 19.5 % (16.1 %) and 10.4 % (6.7
      %) respectively. On the basis of the phylogenetic analysis, chemotaxonomic data,
      physiological characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization data, strain THG-T1.18T
      represents a novel species of the genus Chryseomicrobium, for which the name
      Chryseomicrobium deserti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is THG-T1.18T
      (=KACC 18929T=CCTCC AB 2016179T).

PMID- 28901905
TI  - Hydrogenophaga aquatica sp. nov., isolated from a hot spring.
AB  - A polyphasic approach was used to characterize an aerobic, Gram-negative, rod
      shaped bacterium (designated strain CC-KL-3T) isolated from a hot spring.
      Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA genes indicated that strain CC-KL-3T
      showed highest sequence similarity to Hydrogenophaga bisanensis (97.7 %) and
      Hydrogenophaga atypica (97.6 %) and lower sequence similarity to other species
      (less than 97.6 %). The levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain CC-KL-3T, H.
      bisanensis and H. atypica were estimated to be 13.0 and 8.7 % (the reciprocal
      value was 14.7 and 6.3 %). Strain CC-KL-3T was non-motile, without apparent
      flagella and able to grow between 15-42  degrees C (optimal 30  degrees S), pH
      6.0-8.0 (optimal 7.0) and 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl (optimal 0 %). The DNA G+C content was
      61.4 mol% and the major quinone system was ubiquinone (Q-8). The polyamine
      profile revealed the predominance of 2-hydroxyputrescine and putrescine and the
      dominant cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 (28.9 %), C16 : 1omega7c/C16 :
      1omega6c (41.4 %) and C18 : 1omega7c/C18 : 1omega6c (11.9 %). These data
      corroborated the affiliation of strain CC-KL-3T to the genus Hydrogenophaga.
      Based on the distinct phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic traits, and the
      results of comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain CC-KL-3T is
      considered to represent a novel species of the genus Hydrogenophaga, affiliated
      to the family Comamonadaceae, for which the name Hydrogenophaga aquatica sp. nov.
      is proposed. The type strain is CC-KL-3T (=BCRC 80937T=JCM 31216T).

PMID- 28901906
TI  - Hydrogenophaga crassostreae sp. nov., isolated from a Pacific oyster.
AB  - A Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped, and aerobic bacterial strain, designated
      LPB0072T, was isolated from a Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). Autotrophic
      growth with hydrogen gas was not observed. Cells oxidized thiosulfate to sulfate
      and reduced nitrate to nitrite. The complete genome sequence of strain LPB0072T
      (CP017476) is 4.94 Mb in length and contains 4459 protein-coding genes, with a
      G+C content of 61.3 mol%. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that
      strain LPB0072T belongs to the genus Hydrogenophaga, with greatest sequence
      similarity to the type strain of Hydrogenophaga taeniospiralis (97.5 %). The
      isoprenoid quinone (Q-8) and the major cellular fatty acids (C16 : 1omega7c
      and/or C16 : 1omega6c, C16 : 0 and C17 : 1omega6c) identified were concordant
      with the chemotaxonomic properties of the genus Hydrogenophaga. The average
      nucleotide identities with closely related species were below the suggested
      boundary for species delineation, indicating that the isolate is a novel species.
      Numerous physiological and biochemical features also distinguished the isolate
      from other known Hydrogenophaga species. Based on the polyphasic data presented
      in this study, strain LPB0072T should be classified as a novel species in the
      genus Hydrogenophaga, and the name Hydrogenophaga crassostreae sp. nov. is
      proposed. The type strain is LPB0072T (=KACC 18705T=JCM 31188T).

PMID- 28901907
TI  - Isolates of Lactobacillus plantarum and L. reuteri display greater
      antiproliferative and antipathogenic activity than other Lactobacillus isolates.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been associated with many beneficial
      effects in human digestive physiology. The aim of this study was to evaluate such
      effect, including attachment, antiproliferation and anti
      pathogenic/antibacterial/antimicrobial properties of LAB isolated from healthy
      humans. METHODOLOGY: Thirteen isolates, obtained from fecal samples of healthy
      individuals, were identified by phenotypic and molecular methods. Human colon
      adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 and the cell proliferation kit II (XTT) assay were
      used for examination of the Lactobacillus adherence and antiproliferative
      activity, respectively. In addition, the inhibitory effect of Lactobacillus
      isolates against pathogenic bacteria was examined. RESULTS: Out of 13
      Lactobacillus isolates, 5 (38 %) isolates were non-adhesive, 4 (31 %) were
      adhesive and 4 (31 %) were strongly adhesive. Amongst the isolated lactobacilli,
      L. reuteri showed the highest degree of inhibitory effect against the attachment
      of the enteropathogens. The XTT assay showed that 3 different isolates had the
      strongest antiproliferative activity with the maximum effect observed by L.
      plantarum isolates. CONCLUSION: Our results described that different
      Lactobacillus species isolated from normal fecal samples had different degrees of
      antiproliferative and anti-pathogenic/antibacterial/antimicrobial activities.
      However, no isolates showed all of the examined properties concurrently,
      suggestive that a combination of Lactobacillus species is needed for an active
      biological defense system.

PMID- 28901908
TI  - Performance of point-of-care Xpert HIV-1 plasma viral load assay at a tertiary
      HIV care centre in Southern India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sustainable suppression of HIV replication forms the basis of anti
      retroviral therapy (ART) medication. Thus, reliable quantification of HIV viral
      load has become an essential factor to monitor the effectiveness of the ART.
      Longer turnaround-time (TAT), batch testing and technical skills are major
      drawbacks of standard real-time PCR assays. METHODS: The performance of the point
      of-care Xpert HIV-1 viral load assay was evaluated against the Abbott RealTime
      PCR m2000rt system. A total of 96 plasma specimens ranging from 2.5 log10 copies
      ml-1 to 4.99 log10 copies ml-1 and proficiency testing panel specimens were used.
      Precision and accuracy were checked using the Pearson correlation co-efficient
      test and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Compared to the Abbott RealTime PCR, the
      Xpert HIV-1 viral load assay showed a good correlation (Pearson r=0.81; P<0.0001)
      with a mean difference of 0.27 log10 copies ml-1 (95 % CI, -0.41 to 0.96 log10
      copies ml-1; sd, 0.35 log10 copies ml-1). CONCLUSION: Reliable and ease of
      testing individual specimens could make the Xpert HIV-1 viral load assay an
      efficient alternative method for ART monitoring in clinical management of HIV
      disease in resource-limited settings. The rapid test results (less than 2 h)
      could help in making an immediate clinical decision, which further strengthens
      patient care.

PMID- 28901909
TI  - Usefulness of a la carte antigens for bird fancier's lung serodiagnosis: total
      dropping extract and/or dropping's microflora antigens.
AB  - Bird fancier's lung (BFL) is a pulmonary disease caused by inhalation of avian
      proteins. The involvement of the microorganisms of droppings has been assumed in
      the past and this idea still persists today. Our study aimed to compare by
      immunoprecipitation assay the detection of antibodies against both droppings and
      microorganisms in the sera of patients (n=15) and asymptomatic exposed controls
      (n=18). We found that 14/15 BFL patients had negative serological results for
      isolated microorganisms of the droppings, only one positive against Enterobacter
      sakasakii. Serological arguments were in accordance with diagnosis in 87 % of
      cases by testing a la carte antigens from each bird dropping versus 20 % using
      the standard antigenic panel. Otherwise, the microorganisms antigens issued from
      dropping flora were negative in 93 % of cases. Consequently, it's preferable to
      use the total extract from the patient's bird droppings to establish the
      serodiagnosis of the disease.

PMID- 28901910
TI  - Alternative oxidase impacts ganoderic acid biosynthesis by regulating
      intracellular ROS levels in Ganoderma lucidum.
AB  - The alternative oxidase (AOX), which forms a branch of the mitochondrial
      respiratory electron transport pathway, functions to sustain electron flux and
      alleviate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In this article, a homologous
      AOX gene was identified in Ganoderma lucidum. The coding sequence of the AOX gene
      in G. lucidum contains 1038 nucleotides and encodes a protein of 39.48 kDa. RNA
      interference (RNAi) was used to study the function of AOX in G. lucidum, and two
      silenced strains (AOXi6 and AOXi21) were obtained, showing significant decreases
      of approximately 60 and 50 %, respectively, in alternative pathway respiratory
      efficiency compared to WT. The content of ganoderic acid (GA) in the mutant
      strains AOXi6 and AOXi21 showed significant increases of approximately 42 and 44
      %, respectively, compared to WT. Elevated contents of intermediate metabolites in
      GA biosynthesis and elevated transcription levels of corresponding genes were
      also observed in the mutant strains AOXi6 and AOXi21. In addition, the
      intracellular ROS content in strains AOXi6 and AOXi21 was significantly
      increased, by approximately 1.75- and 1.93-fold, respectively, compared with WT.
      Furthermore, adding N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, significantly
      depressed the intracellular ROS content and GA accumulation in AOX-silenced
      strains. These results indicate that AOX affects GA biosynthesis by regulating
      intracellular ROS levels. Our research revealed the important role of AOX in the
      secondary metabolism of G. lucidum.

PMID- 28901912
TI  - Enabling Evolving Practice for Healthcare Professionals: A Regulator's Journey.
AB  - The inherent risk involved in the provision of healthcare services leads to the
      inevitable requirement of health human resource oversight to protect the public
      from harm (Bayne 2012). As healthcare systems evolve, so do theoretical models
      for, and practical applications of, health human resource oversight policy and
      processes. The College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO), as
      one of 26 health regulatory bodies in Ontario, implements programs or processes
      to enact and support changes in the knowledge, skill and judgment of their
      members. Determining what healthcare trends are affecting different healthcare
      professions and professionals, and how a regulatory institution, with a very
      specific mandate prescribed by government legislation, can enable necessary
      changes is explored in this paper through a case study of the CMLTO's journey to
      redefine "professionalism" and enable evolving practices of medical laboratory
      technologists (MLTs). A brief overview of health professional regulation,
      explored through a functional taxonomy, provides a contextual foundation to the
      CMLTO's journey to redefine professionalism. This approach also enables a
      discussion of the "sharpening" of certain regulatory approaches, that is, that
      opportunities to improve regulatory approaches are revealed via public feedback
      and modifications are made to rectify the historic experiences of the public. As
      the role of regulatory institutions continues to evolve to include a more
      prominent focus on proactive approaches to regulation, the ability to enable and
      support healthcare practitioners to respond to changes in the healthcare system
      becomes increasingly important. The case of the CMLTO's journey to redefine
      professionalism highlights an opportunity for a profession, and indeed its
      professionals, to evolve their culture to contribute their unique value to the
      healthcare system in response to system-level trends.

PMID- 28901911
TI  - Defining Health Profession Regulators' Roles in the Canadian Healthcare System.
AB  - Health professions regulation today faces a myriad of challenges, due to both the
      perceived performance of regulatory colleges, how health systems have evolved,
      and even larger political and economic shifts such as the renegotiation of NAFTA.
      In this issue of Healthcare Papers, Wilkie and Tzountzouris (2017) describe the
      work of the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO) to
      redefine professionalism in the context of these challenges. Their paper, and the
      comments of the responding authors in this issue highlight that there, is an
      overarching perception that health regulatory structures - across a range of
      professions - are not working as effectively as they should. Across this issue of
      Healthcare Papers, attention is drawn to the fact that more can be done to
      improve both the function and perception of professional regulatory bodies.
      However, each paper presents a different approach to how improvements in function
      and perception are possible.

PMID- 28901913
TI  - Professional Healthcare Regulation and Practice: The Case of Medicine in Britain.
AB  - This contribution comments selectively on the themes of the lead paper by Wilkie
      and Tzountzouris (2017) on aspects of Canadian healthcare regulation that impact
      on the crucial agenda of public protection. In a more skeptical sociopolitical
      climate in the modern world, these authors particularly highlight the need to
      ensure professional attitudes and behaviours enhance and sustain safe patient
      care - using the recent stance on professionalism of the College of Medical
      Laboratory Technologists of Ontario as an illustration of good practice. It is
      argued, though, that this important analysis could be sharpened further both
      academically and practically with greater awareness of the theoretical complexity
      surrounding this area and by drawing more fully on comparative international
      exemplars - particularly in relation to medicine in Britain, on which this paper
      focuses. The commentary concludes by noting that - notwithstanding its many
      merits - the lead paper could usefully show greater recognition of cognate
      research on health regulation in the Canadian context and, as British research
      has clearly indicated, professional impediments to the translation of formally
      designated regulatory frameworks into practice on the ground. In addition, there
      needs to be more awareness of the impact of the wider environment in which
      physicians and other healthcare professionals operate.

PMID- 28901914
TI  - Evolving Professional Regulation: Keeping up with Health System Evolution.
AB  - In this article, we reflected on the notion that an evolving healthcare system
      requires evolving professional regulation to keep pace with system growth and
      change. The importance of interprofessional and patient-centred care for
      Ontario's healthcare system is clear. However, the profession specificity of the
      system is strongly embedded through Ontario's institutional and legislative
      structures. The result is an evolving system of care with the system of health
      professional regulation being somewhat left behind. Health professional
      regulators now have a challenge to "un-silo" regulation in a healthcare system
      that is evolving toward "un-siloed" care. Regulatory structures that govern
      single professions in a system that requires collective and additive competence
      is thus potentially problematic and may lead to attribution of blame to
      individuals where improvement is required at the level of the team. The shift in
      culture needed for interprofessional regulation challenges both how providers see
      themselves in the healthcare system, and the very foundations of professional
      autonomy.

PMID- 28901915
TI  - Medical Laboratory Technologists as Quality Improvement Team Members.
AB  - While Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs) do not generally work directly with
      clinical healthcare teams they have proven to be invaluable contributors to team
      based systematic quality improvement in healthcare. They were early adopters of
      standardized systemic performance measures coupled with explicit strategies for
      improving suboptimal performance. Their attentiveness to systemic analysis of
      systemic factors influencing performance has proven to be valuable in our quest
      to make care optimally safe and high quality.

PMID- 28901916
TI  - Using Trends to Inform Regulatory Practices.
AB  - Health professions regulators charged with the role of public protection are
      challenged to balance their mandate with appropriate policy interventions,
      particularly within a self-regulatory model. Applied strategically, emerging
      methods and trends in health systems and health professions regulation can inform
      regulatory practices in keeping with the regulator's role of reducing harm to the
      public. This requires a shift in thinking from a focus on how (i.e., resources
      and tools), to a focus on what, including clear problem identification, intended
      risks to be mitigated and consideration of outcomes and measurability of impact
      at the outset. Regulators should be enablers, not barriers to system change, but
      it is not their place to take on all of the challenges associated with monitoring
      and implementing interventions in response to health system evolution. Instead
      regulators must know their role, be willing to collaborate with other system
      players and work to implement regulatory interventions that complement rather
      than duplicate those better carried out by others.

PMID- 28901917
TI  - Ensuring Proactive Regulatory Initiatives Align with the Public Interest.
AB  - Regulation of health professions in Ontario has been under scrutiny in recent
      years with critical media attention and multiple legislative reform measures. The
      College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario's proactive regulatory
      initiative on steering professional culture, described by Wilkie and Tzountzouris
      (2017) in their discussion paper, is an example of a regulator evolving its role
      in the face of changing healthcare demands. In this response, we emphasize how
      regulators considering these types of initiatives need to ensure the focus
      remains on transparently carrying out their legislative duty of serving and
      protecting the public interest. We suggest future proactive regulatory
      initiatives could benefit from public engagement and regulatory collaboration.

PMID- 28901918
TI  - Enhancing the Relationship Between Regulators and Their Profession.
AB  - Regulators face unique pressures to balance competing priorities related to
      patient safety, public accountability, and practitioners' expectations.
      Historically, the collegial model of self-regulation has been used as a tool for
      risk management, to recognize the importance of profession- and context-specific
      judgment in complex, ambiguous clinical situations. Increasingly, as public
      accountability concerns have grown dominant within regulatory bodies, this
      collegial model has shifted toward a more antagonistic relationship between the
      regulators and the regulated. Wilkie and Tzountzouris (2017) highlight one
      profession's journey toward embedding professionalism within regulatory practices
      and policies through application of a right-touch regulatory philosophy. Given
      the complexity of regulatory work, this shift required significant strategic and
      deliberative thinking. The challenges of facilitating this sort of cultural shift
      in the role of a regulator are significant, but so too are the potential gains
      associated with a more engaged relationship between regulators and their
      practitioners.

PMID- 28901919
TI  - Acting in the Public Interest: The Heart of Professional Regulation.
AB  - In their article, Wilke and Tzountzouris (2017) describe the traditional and
      emerging approaches to professional regulation as restrictive (e.g., setting
      entry to practice requirements for registration), reactive (responding to
      complaints and where necessary restricting, suspending or revoking registration)
      or proactive (ensuring continuing competency and supporting registrants to adapt
      to changes in practice environments). They note the tension that exists with
      proactive approaches to regulation that can be seen as professional advocacy. We
      argue that by ensuring best practices in organizational governance and day-to-day
      regulatory operations that clearly situate the regulator to be acting solely in
      the public interest, regulatory colleges can manage the proactive regulatory
      approach and eliminate any perception of professional advocacy. This is critical
      for sustaining the professionally led model for health regulation that exists in
      Canada as it does today.

PMID- 28901920
TI  - Regulatory Models and Model Behaviours.
AB  - We appreciate the thoughtful and thought-provoking commentaries to our lead paper
      (Wilkie and Tzountzouris 2017) in this issue. Clearly, the question of how to
      best enable the behaviours of healthcare professionals to optimize their impact
      on our healthcare system is a complex one. We approach the question from the
      position of a health regulatory authority with a recognition that we cannot act
      alone. In our response to the valuable contributions to this issue of Healthcare
      Papers, we seek to educe the common themes that are presented. Many questions
      remain unresolved and are best explored in a collaborative and iterative manner.
      It is of utmost importance that health professional regulatory models and
      professional behaviours are all coordinated in focus to meet the needs of
      patients and the public.

PMID- 28901921
TI  - Extreme rain, flooding, and health.

PMID- 28901922
TI  - CAR T-cells: an exciting frontier in cancer therapy.

PMID- 28901923
TI  - Pushing the boundaries in paediatric surgery.

PMID- 28901924
TI  - Surgical trials for chronic pancreatitis.

PMID- 28901925
TI  - Long-term implications and global impact of paediatric surgery.

PMID- 28901926
TI  - Offline: North Korea-the case for health diplomacy.

PMID- 28901927
TI  - High stakes for research in US 2018 budget negotiations.

PMID- 28901928
TI  - The history of anaesthesia and the patient-reduced to a body?

PMID- 28901930
TI  - The physician as dictator.

PMID- 28901931
TI  - The Global Gag Rule: placing the health and lives of women and girls at risk.

PMID- 28901932
TI  - Life-sustaining technologies in resource-limited settings.

PMID- 28901933
TI  - Life-sustaining technologies in resource-limited settings - Authors' reply.

PMID- 28901934
TI  - Conscious sedation or general anaesthesia for lumbar puncture in children in
      Poland.

PMID- 28901936
TI  - Advances in paediatric urology.
AB  - Paediatric urological surgery is often required for managing congenital and
      acquired disorders of the genitourinary system. In this Series paper, we
      highlight advances in the surgical management of six paediatric urological
      disorders. The management of vesicoureteral reflux is evolving, with advocacy
      ranging from a less interventional assessment and antimicrobial prophylaxis to
      surgery including endoscopic injection of a bulking agent and minimally invasive
      ureteric reimplantation. Evidence supports early orchidopexy to improve fertility
      and reduce malignancy in boys with undescended testes. A variety of surgical
      techniques have been developed for hypospadias, with excellent outcomes for
      distal but not proximal hypospadias. Pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction is
      mostly detected prenatally; indications for surgery have been refined with
      evidence, and minimally invasive pyeloplasty is now standard. The outlook for
      patients with neurogenic bladder has been transformed by a combination of clean
      intermittent catheterisation, algorithms of diagnostic investigations, and
      innovative medical and surgical therapies. Posterior urethral valves are
      associated with considerable mortality; fetal diagnosis allows stratification of
      candidates for intervention, but ongoing bladder dysfunction in patients after
      valve ablation remains a cause of long-term morbidity.

PMID- 28901937
TI  - Advances in paediatric gastroenterology.
AB  - Recent developments in paediatric gastrointestinal surgery have focused on
      minimally invasive surgery, the accumulation of high-quality clinical evidence,
      and scientific research. The benefits of minimally invasive surgery for common
      disorders like appendicitis and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis are all supported
      by good clinical evidence. Although minimally invasive surgery has been extended
      to neonatal surgery, it is difficult to establish its role for neonatal disorders
      such as oesophageal atresia and biliary atresia through clinical trials because
      of the rarity of these disorders. Advances in treatments for biliary atresia and
      necrotising enterocolitis have been achieved through specialisation,
      multidisciplinary management, and multicentre collaboration in research;
      similarly robust clinical evidence for other rare gastrointestinal disorders is
      needed. As more neonates with gastrointestinal diseases survive into adulthood,
      their long-term sequelae will also need evidence-based multidisciplinary care.
      Identifying cures for long-term problems of a complex developmental anomaly such
      as Hirschsprung's disease will rely on unravelling its pathogenesis through
      genetics and the development of stem-cell therapy.

PMID- 28901938
TI  - Islam and depression.

PMID- 28901939
TI  - One of the more unusual talents: Dreams That Money Can Buy.

PMID- 28901935
TI  - Partial pancreatoduodenectomy versus duodenum-preserving pancreatic head
      resection in chronic pancreatitis: the multicentre, randomised, controlled,
      double-blind ChroPac trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is substantial uncertainty regarding the optimal surgical
      treatment for chronic pancreatitis. Short-term outcomes have been found to be
      better after duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) than after
      partial pancreatoduodenectomy. Therefore, we designed the multicentre ChroPac
      trial to investigate the long-term outcomes of patients with chronic pancreatitis
      within 24 months after surgery. METHODS: This randomised, controlled, double
      blind, parallel-group, superiority trial was done in 18 hospitals across Europe.
      Patients with chronic pancreatitis who were planned for elective surgical
      treatment were randomly assigned to DPPHR or partial pancreatoduodenectomy with a
      central web-based randomisation tool. The primary endpoint was mean quality of
      life within 24 months after surgery, measured with the physical functioning scale
      of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30
      questionnaire. Primary analysis included all patients who underwent one of the
      assigned procedures; safety analysis included all patients who underwent surgical
      intervention (categorised into groups as treated). Patients and outcome assessors
      were masked to group assignment. The trial was registered, ISRCTN38973832.
      Recruitment was completed on Sept 3, 2013. FINDINGS: Between Sept 10, 2009, and
      Sept 3, 2013, 250 patients were randomly assigned to DPPHR (n=125) or partial
      pancreatoduodenectomy (n=125), of whom 226 patients (115 in the DPPHR group and
      111 in the partial pancreatoduodenectomy group) were analysed. No difference in
      quality of life was seen between the groups within 24 months after surgery (75.3
      [SD 16.4] for partial pancreatoduodenectomy vs 73.0 [16.4] for DPPHR; mean
      difference -2.3, 95% CI -6.6 to 2.0; p=0.284). The incidence and severity of
      serious adverse events did not differ between the groups. 70 (64%) of 109
      patients in the DPPHR group and 61 (52%) of 117 patients in the partial
      pancreatoduodenectomy group had at least one serious adverse event, with the most
      common being reoperations (for reasons other than chronic pancreatitis),
      gastrointestinal problems, and other surgical morbidity. INTERPRETATION: No
      differences in quality of life after surgery for chronic pancreatitis were seen
      between the interventions. Results from single-centre trials showing superiority
      for DPPHR were not confirmed in the multicentre setting. FUNDING: German Research
      Foundation (DFG).

PMID- 28901940
TI  - Light and shade.

PMID- 28901941
TI  - Panorama's prescription.

PMID- 28901942
TI  - White.

PMID- 28901943
TI  - A Meta-Analysis and an Evaluation of Trends in Obesity Prevalence among Children
      and Adolescents in Turkey: 1990 through 2015.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Obesity in childhood and adolescence is one of the most serious public
      health problems due to a remarkable increase in prevalence in recent years and
      its close relationship with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and
      hypertension, resulting in increased adult morbidity and mortality. This study
      aims to quantify the secular trend in different regions of Turkey from 1990 to
      2015 by performing a meta-analysis of childhood and adolescent obesity prevalence
      studies conducted. METHODS: Uludag University Library Database was searched for
      relevant articles published prior to March 2017. The heterogeneity of the studies
      in the meta-analysis was tested by the I2 statistic and Cochran's Q test. The
      obesity trend analyses were examined by chi-square trend analysis with respect to
      five year periods. The statistical significance level was taken as alpha=0.05.
      RESULTS: A total of 76 papers were initially identified addressing childhood and
      adolescent obesity in Turkey. Fifty-eight papers were selected for analysis. The
      prevalence of obesity increased from 0.6% to 7.3% with an 11.6-fold increase
      between the periods 1990-1995 to 2011-2015. The prevalence of obesity increased
      in both genders. However, boys were more likely to be obese than girls.
      CONCLUSION: Studies on obesity prevalence in the 5-19 age group in Turkey have
      gained importance, especially in the 2000s. While a remarkable number of
      prevalence studies, mostly regional, have been conducted between 2005-2011, a
      gradual decline was observed thereafter. Further national and population-based
      surveys on prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents are definitely
      needed in Turkey.

PMID- 28901945
TI  - Correction: Dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine versus current ART in virally
      suppressed patients (STRIIVING): a 48-week, randomized, non-inferiority, open
      label, Phase IIIb study.

PMID- 28901944
TI  - Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Women and Their Infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Vitamin D deficiency is a serious health problem despite a general
      improvement in socio-economic status in Turkey. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate maternal vitamin D status and its effect on neonatal vitamin D
      concentrations after a support programme for pregnant women was introduced. A
      second aim was to identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in a district of
      Istanbul. METHODS: A total of 97 pregnant women and 90 infants were included in
      this study, conducted between January and October 2016. The demographic data,
      risk factors and daily vitamin intake were recorded. Serum levels of vitamin D,
      calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase in all subjects were measured. The
      mothers and newborns were divided into groups based on their vitamin D levels.
      The relationship between vitamin D levels and risk factors was analyzed. RESULTS:
      Mean +/- standard deviation vitamin D levels for the women and their infants were
      found to be 14.82+/-11.45 and 13.16+/-7.16 ng/mL, respectively. The number of
      mothers and infants was significantly higher in the deficient group, and their
      mean vitamin D levels significantly lower (9.02+/-1.34 and 8.80+/-1.06 ng/mL,
      respectively) (p<0.001, p<0.001). Only 14.4% of pregnant women took 1000-1200
      IU/day of vitamin D. When the mother groups were evaluated in terms of risk
      factors, there were significant differences in daily vitamin intake and clothing
      style (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency in
      pregnant women and their infants is still a serious health problem in Turkey,
      although a vitamin D support programme during pregnancy has been launched by the
      department of health.

PMID- 28901946
TI  - Design of sEMG assembly to detect external anal sphincter activity: a proof of
      concept.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Conditional trans-rectal stimulation of the pudendal nerve could
      provide a viable solution to treat hyperreflexive bladder in spinal cord injury.
      A set threshold of the amplitude estimate of the external anal sphincter surface
      electromyography (sEMG) may be used as the trigger signal. The efficacy of such a
      device should be tested in a large scale clinical trial. As such, a probe should
      remain in situ for several hours while patients attend to their daily routine;
      the recording electrodes should be designed to be large enough to maintain good
      contact while observing design constraints. The objective of this study was to
      arrive at a design for intra-anal sEMG recording electrodes for the subsequent
      clinical trials while deriving the possible recording and processing parameters.
      APPROACH: Having in mind existing solutions and based on theoretical and
      anatomical considerations, a set of four multi-electrode probes were designed and
      developed. These were tested in a healthy subject and the measured sEMG traces
      were recorded and appropriately processed. MAIN RESULTS: It was shown that while
      comparatively large electrodes record sEMG traces that are not sufficiently
      correlated with the external anal sphincter contractions, smaller electrodes may
      not maintain a stable electrode tissue contact. It was shown that 3 mm wide and 1
      cm long electrodes with 5 mm inter-electrode spacing, in agreement with Nyquist
      sampling, placed 1 cm from the orifice may intra-anally record a sEMG trace
      sufficiently correlated with external anal sphincter activity. SIGNIFICANCE: The
      outcome of this study can be used in any biofeedback, treatment or diagnostic
      application where the activity of the external anal sphincter sEMG should be
      detected for an extended period of time.

PMID- 28901947
TI  - A robust optimisation approach accounting for the effect of fractionation on
      setup uncertainties.
AB  - Proton plans are subject to a number of uncertainties which must be accounted for
      to ensure that they are delivered safely. Misalignment resulting from residual
      errors in daily patient positioning can result in both a displacement and
      distortion of dose distributions. This can be particularly important for
      intensity modulated proton therapy treatments where the accurate alignment of
      highly modulated fields may be required to deliver the intended treatment. A
      number of methods to generate plans that are robust to these uncertainties exist.
      These include robust optimisation approaches which account for the effect of
      uncertainties on the dose distribution within the optimisation process. However,
      robustness to uncertainty comes at the cost of plan quality. For this reason, it
      is important that the uncertainties considered are realistic. Existing approaches
      to robust optimisation have neglected the role of fractionated treatment
      deliveries in reducing the uncertainties that result from random setup errors.
      Here, a method of robust optimisation which accounts for this effect is presented
      and is evaluated using a 2D planning environment. The optimisation algorithm
      considers the dose in the estimated upper and lower bounds of the dose
      distribution under the effect of setup and range errors. A comparison with plans
      robustly optimised without consideration of the effect of fractionation and
      conventionally optimised plans is presented. Fractionation incorporated robust
      optimisation demonstrates a reduced sensitivity to uncertainty compared to
      conventionally optimised plans and a reduced integral dose compared to robustly
      optimised plans.

PMID- 28901948
TI  - Ultrathin MoSe2@N-doped carbon composite nanospheres for stable Na-ion storage.
AB  - Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides are widely studied as anode
      materials for metal ion batteries. This application requires high electric
      conductivity which can be achieved by forming composites with conductive carbon.
      In this work, we demonstrate the creation of nanospheres composed of Mo-based
      thin nanosheets (MoS2, MoSe2 and Mo2C) uniform embedded within a N-doped carbon
      matrix. Using MoSe2/N-doped carbon nanospheres as an example, we investigate in
      detail the electrochemical property in Na ion storage and reveal the advantage
      over previously reported MoSe2 electrodes (higher capacity and improved capacity
      retention up to 500 cycles). Furthermore, we provide evidence by ex situ x-ray
      diffraction to the nominal irreversible conversion reaction during the first
      discharge.

PMID- 28901949
TI  - Silver nanoflowers for single-particle SERS with 10 pM sensitivity.
AB  - Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has received considerable attention as a
      noninvasive optical sensing technique with ultrahigh sensitivity. While numerous
      types of metallic particles have been actively investigated as SERS substrates,
      the development of new SERS agents with high sensitivity and their reliable
      characterization are still required. Here we report the preparation and
      characterization of flower-shaped silver (Ag) nanoparticles that exhibit high
      sensitivity single-particle SERS performance. Ag nanoflowers (NFs) with bud sizes
      in the range 220-620 nm were synthesized by the wet synthesis method. The densely
      packed nanoscale petals with thicknesses in the range 9-22 nm exhibit a large
      number of hot spots that significantly enhance their plasmonic activity. A single
      Ag NF particle (530-620 nm) can detect as little as 10-11 M 4-mercaptobenzoic
      acid, and thus provides a sensitivity three orders of SERS magnitude greater than
      that of a spherical Ag nanoparticle. The analytical enhancement factors for
      single Ag NF particles were found to be as high as 8.0 * 109, providing
      unprecedented high SERS detectivity at the single particle level. Here we present
      an unambiguous and systematic assessment of the SERS performances of the Ag NFs
      and demonstrate that they provide highly sensitive sensing platforms by single
      SERS particle.

PMID- 28901950
TI  - Detecting drug-target binding in cells using fluorescence-activated cell sorting
      coupled with mass spectrometry analysis.
AB  - The assessment of drug-target engagement for determining the efficacy of a
      compound inside cells remains challenging, particularly for difficult target
      proteins. Existing techniques are more suited to soluble protein targets.
      Difficult target proteins include those with challenging in vitro solubility,
      stability or purification properties that preclude target isolation. Here, we
      report a novel technique that measures intracellular compound-target complex
      formation, as well as cellular permeability, specificity and cytotoxicity-the
      toxicity-affinity-permeability-selectivity (TAPS) technique. The TAPS assay is
      exemplified here using human kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), a challenging
      intracellular membrane protein target of significant current interest. TAPS
      confirmed target binding of known KMO inhibitors inside cells. We conclude that
      the TAPS assay can be used to facilitate intracellular hit validation on most, if
      not all intracellular drug targets.

PMID- 28901951
TI  - Real-time non-rigid target tracking for ultrasound-guided clinical interventions.
AB  - Biological motion is a problem for non- or mini-invasive interventions when
      conducted in mobile/deformable organs due to the targeted pathology
      moving/deforming with the organ. This may lead to high miss rates and/or
      incomplete treatment of the pathology. Therefore, real-time tracking of the
      target anatomy during the intervention would be beneficial for such applications.
      Since the aforementioned interventions are often conducted under B-mode
      ultrasound (US) guidance, target tracking can be achieved via image registration,
      by comparing the acquired US images to a separate image established as positional
      reference. However, such US images are intrinsically altered by speckle noise,
      introducing incoherent gray-level intensity variations. This may prove
      problematic for existing intensity-based registration methods. In the current
      study we address US-based target tracking by employing the recently proposed
      EVolution registration algorithm. The method is, by construction, robust to
      transient gray-level intensities. Instead of directly matching image intensities,
      EVolution aligns similar contrast patterns in the images. Moreover, the
      displacement is computed by evaluating a matching criterion for image sub-regions
      rather than on a point-by-point basis, which typically provides more robust
      motion estimates. However, unlike similar previously published approaches, which
      assume rigid displacements in the image sub-regions, the EVolution algorithm
      integrates the matching criterion in a global functional, allowing the estimation
      of an elastic dense deformation. The approach was validated for soft tissue
      tracking under free-breathing conditions on the abdomen of seven healthy
      volunteers. Contact echography was performed on all volunteers, while three of
      the volunteers also underwent standoff echography. Each of the two modalities is
      predominantly specific to a particular type of non- or mini-invasive clinical
      intervention. The method demonstrated on average an accuracy of  ~1.5 mm and
      submillimeter precision. This, together with a computational performance of 20
      images per second make the proposed method an attractive solution for real-time
      target tracking during US-guided clinical interventions.

PMID- 28901952
TI  - Photoluminescence study in Ho3+/Tm3+/Yb3+/Li+:Gd2(MoO4)3 nanophosphors for near
      white light emitting diode and security ink applications.
AB  - Ho3+/Yb3+/Tm3+/Li+:Gd2(MoO4)3 nanophosphors successfully synthesised via solid
      state reaction method have been structurally and optically characterised. Under
      980 nm diode laser excitation the nanophosphors emit intense blue, green, red and
      NIR emissions peaking at ~476 nm, ~543 nm, ~646 nm and ~798 nm corresponding to
      the 1G4 -> 3H6 (Tm3+), 5F4, 5S2 -> 5I8 (Ho3+), 5F 5  -> 5I8 (Ho3+) and 3H4 -> 3H6
      (Tm3+) transitions respectively. The upconversion emission intensity enhancement
      in the Ho3+-Yb3+-Tm3+-Li+:Gd2(MoO4)3 nanophosphors for the green band is found to
      be ~367, ~50 and ~9 times compared to the singly Ho3+ doped, Ho3+-Yb3+ co-doped
      and Ho3+-Yb3+-Tm3+ tri-doped Gd2(MoO4)3 nanophosphors. The enhancement observed
      has been explained on the basis of energy transfer process and local field
      modifications around the rare earth ions. The energy transfer efficiency ~5% is
      determined in the tridoped nanophosphors. The interaction involved between rare
      earth ions for energy transfer process is found to be dipole-dipole type. On
      changing the Tm3+ ions concentration the colour emitted from the tridoped
      nanophosphors is tuned from near white to blue region. In the tridoped
      nanophosphors, on varying the pump power the colour tunability has been observed.

PMID- 28901953
TI  - Enhanced magnetostriction derived from magnetic single domain structures in
      cluster-assembled SmCo films.
AB  - Cluster-assembled SmCo alloy films were prepared by low energy cluster beam
      deposition. The structure, magnetic domain, magnetization, and magnetostriction
      of the films were characterized. It is shown that the as-prepared films are
      assembled in compact and uniformly distributed spherical cluster nanoparticles,
      most of which, after vacuum in situ annealing at 700 K, aggregated to form
      cluster islands. These cluster islands result in transformations from
      superparamagnetic states to magnetic single domain (MSD) states in the films.
      Such MSD structures contribute to the enhanced magnetostrictive behaviors with a
      saturation magnetostrictive coefficient of 160 * 10-6 in comparison to 105 * 10-6
      for the as-prepared films. This work demonstrates candidate materials that could
      be applied in nano-electro-mechanical systems, low power information storage, and
      weak magnetic detecting devices.

PMID- 28901955
TI  - HepG2 and human healthy hepatocyte in vitro culture and co-culture in PCL
      electrospun platforms.
AB  - The discovery of new drugs to treat pathological cells in the case of aggressive
      liver primary cancer is imposing the identification of high-throughput screening
      systems to predict the in vivo response of new therapeutic molecules, in order to
      reduce current use of animals and drug testing costs. Recently,
      micro/nanostructured scaffolds have been adopted to reproduce the hepatic
      microenvironment due to their higher similarity to the biological niche with
      respect to the traditional two-dimensional culture plate, so providing novel in
      vitro models for reliably understanding molecular mechanisms related to cancer
      cells activity. Herein, we propose the study of electrospun scaffolds made of
      polycaprolactone as in vitro model that can mimic the morphological organization
      of native extracellular matrix and the co-culture of hepatic cell lines-i.e.,
      HepG2, human healthy hepatocytes (HHH). The micro- and nano-scale morphological
      features of fibers with diameter equal to (3.22 +/- 0.42) MUm and surface
      roughness of (17.84 +/- 4.43) nm-allow the reproduction of the in vivo scenario
      influencing the adhesion and proliferation rate of the cultured cells. A much
      lower proliferation rate is observed for the HepG2 cells compared to the HHH
      cells, when cultured on the fibrous scaffolds over a time course of 4 weeks.
      Moreover, results on oxidative stress mechanisms indicate an antioxidant effect
      of fibers mainly in the case of co-colture, thus suggesting a promising use as
      new in vitro models to explore alternative therapeutic strategies in
      hepatocarcinoma treatment.

PMID- 28901954
TI  - Avoiding nerve stimulation in irreversible electroporation: a numerical modeling
      study.
AB  - Electroporation based treatments consist in applying one or multiple high voltage
      pulses to the tissues to be treated. As an undesired side effect, these pulses
      cause electrical stimulation of excitable tissues such as nerves and muscles.
      This increases the complexity of the treatments and may pose a risk to the
      patient. To minimize electrical stimulation during electroporation based
      treatments, it has been proposed to replace the commonly used monopolar pulses by
      bursts of short bipolar pulses. In the present study, we have numerically
      analyzed the rationale for such approach. We have compared different pulsing
      protocols in terms of their electroporation efficacy and their capability of
      triggering action potentials in nerves. For that, we have developed a modeling
      framework that combines numerical models of nerve fibers and experimental data on
      irreversible electroporation. Our results indicate that, by replacing the
      conventional relatively long monopolar pulses by bursts of short bipolar pulses,
      it is possible to ablate a large tissue region without triggering action
      potentials in a nearby nerve. Our models indicate that this is possible because,
      as the pulse length of these bipolar pulses is reduced, the stimulation
      thresholds raise faster than the irreversible electroporation thresholds. We
      propose that this different dependence on the pulse length is due to the fact
      that transmembrane charging for nerve fibers is much slower than that of cells
      treated by electroporation because of their geometrical differences.

PMID- 28901956
TI  - Single particle tracking of internalized metallic nanoparticles reveals
      heterogeneous directed motion after clathrin dependent endocytosis in mouse
      chromaffin cells.
AB  - Most accepted single particle tracking methods are able to obtain high-resolution
      trajectories for relatively short periods of time. In this work we apply a
      straightforward combination of single-particle tracking microscopy and metallic
      nanoparticles internalization on mouse chromaffin cells to unveil the
      intracellular trafficking mechanism of metallic-nanoparticle-loaded vesicles (MNP
      V) complexes after clathrin dependent endocytosis. We found that directed
      transport is the major route of MNP-Vs intracellular trafficking after
      stimulation (92.6% of the trajectories measured). We then studied the MNP-V speed
      at each point along the trajectory, and found that the application of a second
      depolarization stimulus during the tracking provokes an increase in the
      percentage of low-speed trajectory points in parallel with a decrease in the
      number of high-speed trajectory points. This result suggests that stimulation may
      facilitate the compartmentalization of internalized MNPs in a more restricted
      location such as was already demonstrated in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells
      (Bronfman et al 2003 J. Neurosci. 23 3209-20). Although further experiments will
      be required to address the mechanisms underlying this transport dynamics, our
      studies provide quantitative evidence of the heterogeneous behavior of vesicles
      mobility after endocytosis in chromaffin cells highlighting the potential of MNPs
      as alternative labels in optical microscopy to provide new insights into the
      vesicles dynamics in a wide variety of cellular environments.

PMID- 28901957
TI  - Chiral quantum spin liquid on the repulsive Haldane-Hubbard model in square
      lattices.
AB  - In this paper, we present a study on the repulsive Haldane-Hubbard model with
      spin-rotation symmetry in square lattices by deriving non-linear sigma model for
      magnetic states. It is found that a chiral spin liquid state as the ground state
      of the correlated system exists in the [Formula: see text] topological spin
      density wave proposed by Wu et al (2016 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 28 115602), of
      which the low energy physics can be determined by the Chern-Simons-Hopf gauge
      field theory.

PMID- 28901959
TI  - Oxymetazoline-Induced Asthma.

PMID- 28901960
TI  - Sudden Death in an Adult Due to Nontraumatic Diaphragmatic Hernia.
AB  - Sudden death due to diaphragmatic hernia in an adult is exceptionally rare. A 43
      year-old man was found dead by his cohabiting mother, lying supine on the floor
      in his house. He had complained of epigastric discomfort for 1 month, and
      respiratory symptoms occurred 1 day before his death. He had no history of
      trauma. Postmortem computed tomography scan revealed the enlarged fluid-filled
      stomach herniated into the left pleural cavity, compressing the left lung with a
      mediastinal shift to the right. At autopsy, the left pleural cavity was occupied
      by herniated abdominal contents with mediastinal shift. The herniation of the
      stomach, the whole spleen, a portion of the colon, and omentum into the left
      pleural cavity had occurred through a smooth oval 9 * 5-cm defect in the
      posterolateral part of the light diaphragm. The stomach was markedly distended
      and contained 1600 mL of yellowish brown liquid with food residue. Ischemic
      changes of the herniated organs were not observed. Death was attributed to
      respiratory failure from abdominal viscera herniation into the left pleural
      cavity.

PMID- 28901958
TI  - Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and
      Investigation of Mechanisms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insomnia is common in the elderly and is associated with chronic
      disease, but use of hypnotics increases the incidence of falls. Montmorency tart
      cherry juice has improved insomnia by self-report questionnaire. STUDY QUESTION:
      Is insomnia confirmed by polysomnography and is tryptophan availability a
      potential mechanism for treating insomnia? STUDY DESIGN: A placebo-controlled
      balanced crossover study with subjects older than 50 years and insomnia were
      randomized to placebo (2 weeks) or cherry juice (2 weeks) (240 mL 2 times/d)
      separated by a 2-week washout. MEASURES AND OUTCOMES: Sleep was evaluated by
      polysomnography and 5 validated questionnaires. Serum indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase
      (IDO), the kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio, and prostaglandin E2 were measured. In
      vitro, Caco-2 cells were stimulated with interferon-gamma, and the ability of
      cherry juice procyanidin to inhibit IDO which degrades tryptophan and stimulates
      inflammation was measured. The content of procyanidin B-2 and other major
      anthocyanins in cherry juice were determined. RESULTS: Eleven subjects were
      randomized; 3 with sleep apnea were excluded and referred. The 8 completers with
      insomnia increased sleep time by 84 minutes on polysomnography (P = 0.0182) and
      sleep efficiency increased on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P = 0.03).
      Other questionnaires showed no significant differences. The serum kynurenine-to
      tryptophan ratio decreased, as did the level of prostaglandin E2 (both P < 0.05).
      In vitro, cherry juice procyanidin B-2 dose-dependently inhibited IDO.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cherry juice increased sleep time and sleep efficiency. Cherry juice
      procyanidin B-2 inhibited IDO, increased tryptophan availability, reduced
      inflammation, and may be partially responsible for improvement in insomnia.

PMID- 28901961
TI  - Effect of Stretching on Thoracolumbar Fascia Injury and Movement Restriction in a
      Porcine Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Stretching of fascia is an important component of manual and movement
      therapies. We previously showed that in pigs, a unilateral thoracolumbar fascia
      injury combined with movement restriction (hobble) produced contralateral loss of
      fascia mobility (shear strain during passive trunk flexion measured with
      ultrasound) similar to findings in human subjects with chronic low back pain. We
      now tested whether such abnormalities could be reversed by removing the hobble
      with or without daily stretching for 1 mo. DESIGN: Thirty pigs were randomized to
      control, injury, or injury + hobble for 8 wks. The hobble restricted hip
      extension ipsilateral to the injury. At week 8, the injury + hobble group was
      subdivided into continued hobble, removed hobble, and removed hobble + stretching
      (passively extending the hip for 10 min daily). RESULTS: Removing hobbles
      restored normal gait speed but did not restore fascia mobility. Daily passive
      stretching was not superior to removing hobbles, as there was no significant
      improvement in fascia mobility with either treatment group (removed hobble or
      stretching). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced fascia mobility in response to injury and
      movement restriction worsens over time and persists even when movement is
      restored. Reversing fascia abnormalities may require either longer than 1 mo or a
      different treatment "dose" or modality.

PMID- 28901962
TI  - Ability of polymer-bound P-glycoprotein inhibitor ritonavir to overcome multidrug
      resistance in various resistant neuroblastoma cell lines.
AB  - Polymer prodrugs can considerably improve the treatment of tumors with multidrug
      resistance, often caused by overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Here, we
      present the effect of the N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide-based polymer
      conjugate with P-gp inhibitor ritonavir (RIT) on the increase of free doxorubicin
      (DOX) and polymer-bound DOX cytotoxicity in the human neuroblastoma 4 cell line
      and its resistant clones to different cytostatics. The increase in cytotoxicity
      after polymer-RIT conjugate pretreatment was higher for the lines overexpressing
      P-gp and less pronounced for those with decreased P-gp levels. Moreover, the
      effect of polymer conjugate containing inhibitor and DOX on the same polymer
      chain was lower than that of two individual polymer conjugates used sequentially.
      In conclusion, the polymer-RIT conjugate can significantly increase the
      cytotoxicity of free DOX and polymer-DOX conjugates in cells with various
      multidrug resistance origins and can thus be considered a suitable therapeutic
      enhancer of polymer prodrugs.

PMID- 28901963
TI  - Underlying Chronic Disease, Medication Use, History of Running Injuries and Being
      a More Experienced Runner Are Independent Factors Associated With Exercise
      Associated Muscle Cramping: A Cross-Sectional Study in 15778 Distance Runners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise-associated muscle cramping (EAMC) is a significant medical
      complication in distance runners, yet factors associated with EAMC are poorly
      documented. OBJECTIVE: To document risk factors associated with EAMC in runners.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Two ocean races (21.1 km, and 56 km).
      PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen thousand seven hundred seventy-eight race entrants.
      METHODS: Participants completed a prerace medical history screening tool
      including: training, cardiovascular disease (CVD), risk factors for, and symptoms
      of CVD, history of diseases affecting major organ systems, cancer, allergies,
      medication use, and running injury. Runners were grouped as having a history of
      EAMC (hEAMC group = 2997) and a control group (Control = 12 781). RESULTS:
      Independent factors associated with a higher prevalence ratio (PR) of hEAMC were
      any risk factor for CVD (PR = 1.16; P = 0.0002), symptoms of CVD (PR = 2.38; P <
      0.0001), respiratory disease (PR = 1.33; P < 0.0001), gastrointestinal disease
      (PR = 1.86; P < 0.0001), nervous system or psychiatric disease (PR = 1.51; P <
      0.0001), kidney or bladder disease, (PR = 1.60; P < 0.0001), haematological or
      immune disease (PR = 1.54; P = 0.0048), cancer (PR = 1.34; P = 0.0031), allergies
      (PR = 1.37; P < 0.0001), regular medication use (PR = 1.80; P < 0.0001), statin
      use (PR = 1.26; P = 0.0127), medication use during racing (PR = 1.88; P <
      0.0001), running injury (PR = 1.66; P < 0.0001), muscle injury (PR = 1.82; P <
      0.0001), tendon injury (PR = 1.62; P < 0.0001), and runners in the experienced
      category (PR = 1.22; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Novel risk factors associated with
      EAMC in distance runners were underlying chronic disease, medication use, a
      history of running injuries, and experienced runners. These factors must be
      identified as possible associations, and therefore be considered in the diagnosis
      and treatment of EAMC.

PMID- 28901964
TI  - The Role of the Surgical Pathologist in the Diagnosis of Gastrointestinal
      Polyposis Syndromes.
AB  - Polyps of the gastrointestinal tract are very common lesions and most frequently
      sporadic in nature. Some polyp subtypes are associated with rare hereditary
      polyposis syndromes, including juvenile polyposis syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers
      syndrome, and Cowden syndrome. However, many sporadic benign lesions of the
      gastrointestinal tract can mimic some of these syndromic hamartomatous polyps.
      The role of the surgical pathologist is to raise the possibility of a hereditary
      condition in case of suggestive polyp histology and to look for clinical
      information to support the suspected diagnosis. In this review, the clinical
      presentation and the pathology associated with these rare hamartomatous polyposis
      syndromes are discussed in an attempt to provide pathologists clues in suggesting
      one such syndrome on the basis of histologic findings and clinical context.
      Identification of affected individuals is important because of the increased
      gastrointestinal and other malignancies. Recently, new adenomatous polyposis
      syndromes have been discovered, expanding the genetic causes of patient diagnosed
      with multiple colonic adenomas. By being aware of the clinical phenotype and the
      tumor spectrum associated with gastrointestinal polyposis syndromes, surgical
      pathologists can play a critical role in recommending genetic counseling when
      suspicious of such a diagnosis. This may lead to the identification of a genetic
      cause and appropriate surveillance of affected family members to screen for
      associated malignancies.

PMID- 28901965
TI  - Anaplastic gliomas in adults: an update.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current review summarizes recent advances on the
      oncogenesis, classification and treatment of adult anaplastic gliomas. RECENT
      FINDINGS: According to the 2016 WHO classification, three main molecular
      subgroups of adult diffuse anaplastic gliomas can be distinguished based on the
      1p/19q codeletion and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status. In the
      future, this classification may be further refined based on the telomerase
      reverse transcriptase promoter and alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome
      X-linked mutation status, gene expression, DNA methylation and genomic profiling.
      Both newly diagnosed 1p/19q codeleted and 1p/19q-intact anaplastic gliomas
      benefit from the addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy. However, in 1p/19q
      codeleted anaplastic gliomas, Procarbazine, CCNU and Vincristine chemotherapy
      seems more effective than temozolomide. At recurrence, 1p/19q-intact anaplastic
      gliomas do not benefit from the addition of bevacizumab to temozolomide. The use
      of poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribose) inhibitors may be another way of
      specifically targeting IDH-mutant gliomas in addition to specific inhibitors,
      demethylating agents and anti-IDH vaccines. v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene
      homolog B1 (BRAF)-mutant anaplastic xanthoastrocytomas and gangliogliomas may
      benefit from BRAF and mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors. SUMMARY:
      Molecular characterization is mandatory for integrated diagnosis and appropriate
      management of adult anaplastic gliomas. Both 1p/19q codeleted and 1p/19q-intact
      anaplastic diffuse gliomas benefit from early chemotherapy. At recurrence,
      preliminary data suggest a potential role for targeted therapies in specific
      molecular subgroups.

PMID- 28901966
TI  - Mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease for investigating mucosal immunity in
      the intestine.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Currently several mouse models are considered representative
      of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This review presents recent developments
      regarding the role of animal models of intestinal inflammation as research tools
      in IBD. RECENT FINDINGS: Preclinical studies in animal models of intestinal
      inflammation have generated novel findings in several areas of IBD research. The
      combination of chemical and genetically engineered models have revealed
      protective or harmful roles for various components of the innate immune system in
      response to acute injury and repair mechanisms for the intestinal mucosa.
      Advances in the use of endoscopic and radiologic techniques have allowed
      identification of inflammatory biomarkers and in-vivo monitoring of cell
      trafficking towards inflammatory sites. Translational research has shed light on
      pathogenic mechanisms through which recent biological treatments may exert their
      beneficial effects in patients with IBD. Finally, novel therapies are
      continuously tested in animal models of IBD as part of preclinical drug
      development programs. SUMMARY: Animal models of intestinal inflammation continue
      to be important research tools with high significance for understanding the
      pathogenesis of IBD and exploring novel therapeutic options. Development of
      additional experimental models that address existing limitations, and more
      closely resemble the characteristics of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
      are greatly needed.

PMID- 28901967
TI  - Intervention Mapping Approach in the Design of an Interactive Mobile Health
      Application to Improve Self-care in Heart Failure.
AB  - Heart failure is a complex syndrome among older adults who may experience and
      interpret symptoms differently. These differences in symptom interpretation may
      influence decision-making in symptom management. A well-informed and motivated
      person may develop the knowledge and skills needed to successfully manage
      symptoms. Therefore, the patient-centered mobile health application HeartMapp was
      designed to engage patients with heart failure in self-care management by
      offering tailored alerts and feedback using mobile phones. The main objective of
      this article is to describe the six-step intervention mapping approach including
      (1) the initial needs assessment, (2) proximal program objective, (3) selection
      of theory-based methods, (4) the translation of objectives into an actual program
      plan for mobile health intervention, (5) adaptation and implementation plan, and
      (6) evaluation plan that assisted the team in the development of a conceptual
      framework and intervention program matrix during the development of HeartMapp.
      The HeartMapp intervention takes the information, motivation, and behavioral
      skills model as the theoretical underpinning, with "patient engagement" as the
      key mediator in achieving targeted and persistent self-care behavioral changes in
      patients with heart failure. The HeartMapp intervention is proposed to improve
      self-care management and long-term outcomes.

PMID- 28901968
TI  - Medical comorbidity in polycystic ovary syndrome with special focus on
      cardiometabolic, autoimmune, hepatic and cancer diseases: an updated review.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is defined by
      hyperandrogenism, irregular menses and polycystic ovaries when other causes are
      excluded. The possible implication of increased morbidity in PCOS for screening
      and follow-up is uncertain and is reviewed in this article. RECENT FINDINGS: The
      increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in PCOS is closely
      associated with BMI. Women with PCOS should be screened for the elements of the
      metabolic syndrome upon diagnosis. Measurement of HbA1c and the lipid
      accumulation product could be important tools to differentiate women with high
      metabolic risk. The immune function in PCOS is impaired with increased secretion
      of autoantibodies and increased risk of type 1 diabetes, asthma and thyroid
      disease. The occurrence of thyroid disease could be modified by BMI and D-vitamin
      status. Screening for diabetes and thyroid disease is part of routine evaluation
      for endocrine diseases at baseline in PCOS, whereas the necessity of prospective
      screening for thyroid disease awaits future studies. Especially obese women with
      PCOS are at an increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, gall bladder
      disease and endometrial cancer. SUMMARY: Recent data support that screening and
      follow-up in patients with PCOS should be stratified according to BMI.

PMID- 28901969
TI  - Disorders of consciousness after severe brain injury: therapeutic options.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Very few options exist for patients who survive severe
      traumatic brain injury but fail to fully recover and develop a disorder of
      consciousness (e.g. vegetative state, minimally conscious state). RECENT
      FINDINGS: Among pharmacological approaches, Amantadine has shown the ability to
      accelerate functional recovery. Although with very low frequency, Zolpidem has
      shown the ability to improve the level of consciousness transiently and,
      possibly, also in a sustained fashion. Among neuromodulatory approaches,
      transcranial direct current stimulation has been shown to transiently improve
      behavioral responsiveness, but mostly in minimally conscious patients. New
      evidence for thalamic deep brain stimulation calls into question its cost/benefit
      trade-off. SUMMARY: The growing understanding of the biology of disorders of
      consciousness has led to a renaissance in the development of therapeutic
      interventions for patients with disorders of consciousness. High-quality evidence
      is emerging for pharmacological (i.e. Amantadine) and neurostimulatory (i.e.
      transcranial direct current stimulation) interventions, although further studies
      are needed to delineate preconditions, optimal dosages, and timing of
      administration. Other exciting new approaches (e.g. low intensity focused
      ultrasound) still await systematic assessment. A crucial future direction should
      be the use of neuroimaging measures of functional and structural impairment as a
      means of tailoring patient-specific interventions.

PMID- 28901970
TI  - The 2016 WHO classification of central nervous system tumors: what neurologists
      need to know.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The 2016 WHO classification of tumors of the central nervous
      system (2016 CNS WHO) features many changes that are relevant to neurologists
      treating patients with brain tumors as well as neurologists involved in basic,
      clinical, and epidemiological research. This review summarizes what neurologists
      need to know and will need to know in the next years. RECENT FINDINGS: The 2016
      CNS WHO introduces diagnostic terms that 'integrate' histological and molecular
      information and suggests presenting diagnoses in a four-layered reporting format.
      In addition, it utilizes a 'not otherwise specified' designation to identify
      diagnostic categories that are not precisely defined. A better understanding of
      the biology of entities further led to changes in the tumor nosology, for
      example, diffuse gliomas based on IDH gene status. Meaningful molecular subgroups
      could also be identified in embryonal tumors and other entities. Given the pace
      of change in the field of brain tumor classification, there will likely be
      additional practical advances that emerge over the next few years. A new
      initiative entitled Consortium to Inform Molecular and Practical Approaches to
      CNS Tumor Taxonomy intends to formulate recommendations between WHO updates.
      SUMMARY: The 2016 CNS WHO includes major changes in the way brain tumors are
      classified, with molecular parameters being incorporated into diagnostic criteria
      for a substantial number of such entities.

PMID- 28901972
TI  - Normothermic machine perfusion of the kidney.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is a preservation method
      that is generating increasing interest. The aim of this review is to summarise
      the current status of NMP in regards of kidney viability assessment, reducing
      organ damage and improving transplant logistics. RECENT FINDINGS: The results of
      recent large animal experiments and clinical trials show that continuous
      prolonged normothermic ex-vivo kidney perfusion appears better than a brief
      period of NMP after static cold storage in terms of renal injury and function. A
      recently developed clinical scoring system appears to correlate with renal and
      tubular function. A prospective clinical phase II trial to investigate the
      initial graft function after 1 h of NMP or static cold storage in kidneys from
      donors after circulatory death has been initiated in the United Kingdom. SUMMARY:
      Progress has been made in normothermic kidney perfusion, mainly in experimental
      settings. These results need to be translated into clinical trials to evaluate
      long-term NMP and its impact in human organs. Future investigations of optimal
      perfusion parameters are needed.

PMID- 28901973
TI  - Identifying palliative care needs in people with dementia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Dementia is now recognized as a progressive life-limiting
      illness where many patients can benefit from access to palliative care. RECENT
      FINDINGS: The present review has focused on three areas namely, advanced care
      planning in supporting palliative care for dementia, hospice provision for people
      with dementia and provision of care within family home. In advanced care
      planning, there is little research on systematically developed and implemented
      advance care planning interventions or whether they achieve desired outcomes for
      end-of-life care. There is limited research on hospice-based care for patients
      with dementia and most studies are U.S. based. Equally studies exploring how
      family carers can be supported and facilitated to care at home for the person
      with dementia to the end of life are exploratory rather than determining what
      factors may be important. SUMMARY: There are relatively few studies, especially
      quantitative studies or intervention studies being carried out to determine most
      effective means of providing palliative care for people with dementia,
      particularly with respect to advanced care planning, the provision of hospice
      based care and support at home. Despite increased public awareness of dementia as
      a terminal illness, more research is required to support patients with dementia
      and their families at the end of life.

PMID- 28901971
TI  - Xenotransplantation: past, present, and future.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the progress in the field of xenotransplantation
      with special attention to most recent encouraging findings which will eventually
      bring xenotransplantation to the clinic in the near future. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Starting from early 2000, with the introduction of galactose-alpha1,3-galactose
      (Gal)-knockout pigs, prolonged survival especially in heart and kidney
      xenotransplantation was recorded. However, remaining antibody barriers to non-Gal
      antigens continue to be the hurdle to overcome. The production of genetically
      engineered pigs was difficult requiring prolonged time. However, advances in gene
      editing, such as zinc finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector
      nucleases, and most recently clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic
      repeats (CRISPR) technology made the production of genetically engineered pigs
      easier and available to more researchers. Today, the survival of pig-to-nonhuman
      primate heterotopic heart, kidney, and islet xenotransplantation reached more
      than 900, more than 400, and more than 600 days, respectively. The availability
      of multiple-gene pigs (five or six genetic modifications) and/or newer
      costimulation blockade agents significantly contributed to this success. Now, the
      field is getting ready for clinical trials with an international consensus.
      SUMMARY: Clinical trials in cellular or solid organ xenotransplantation are
      getting closer with convincing preclinical data from many centers. The next
      decade will show us new achievements and additional barriers in clinical
      xenotransplantation.

PMID- 28901974
TI  - R Function for Additive Interaction Measures.

PMID- 28901975
TI  - Dietary Fiber Intake and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A
      Prospective Cohort Study of Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The limited literature suggests that dietary fiber intake from whole
      grains, fruits, and vegetables is negatively associated with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) via fiber's anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, we
      investigated the association between total fiber and fiber sources and risk of
      COPD in the population-based prospective Cohort of Swedish Men (45,058 men, ages
      45-79 years) with no history of COPD at baseline. METHODS: Dietary fiber intake
      was assessed with a self-administered questionnaire in 1997 and was energy
      adjusted using the residual method. Cox proportional hazard regression models
      were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs)
      adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 13.1
      years (1998-2012), 1,982 incident cases of COPD were ascertained via linkage to
      the Swedish health registers. A strong inverse association between total fiber
      intake (>=36.8 vs. <23.7 g/day) and COPD was observed in current smokers (hazard
      ratio [HR] = 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.43, 0.67) and ex-smokers (HR
      = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.50, 0.78) but not in never smokers (HR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.60,
      1.45; P interaction = 0.04). For cereal fiber, HRs for highest versus lowest
      quintile were 0.62 (95% CI = 0.51, 0.77; P trend < 0.001) in current smokers and
      0.66 (95% CI = 0.52, 0.82; P trend < 0.001) in ex-smokers; for fruit fiber, the
      HR was 0.65 (95% CI = 0.52, 0.81; P trend < 0.001) in current smokers and 0.77
      (95% CI = 0.61, 0.98; P trend = 0.17) in ex-smokers; and for vegetable fiber, it
      was 0.71 (95% CI = 0.57, 0.88; P trend = 0.003) in current smokers and 0.92 (95%
      CI = 0.71, 1.19; P trend = 0.48) in ex-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      indicate that high fiber intake was inversely associated with COPD incidence in
      men who are current or ex-smokers.

PMID- 28901977
TI  - Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: History, Evolution, Guidelines, and Future
      Directions.

PMID- 28901976
TI  - Determinants of Short-term Movement in a Developing Region and Implications for
      Disease Transmission.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human mobility is important for infectious disease spread. However,
      little is known about how travel varies by demographic groups and how this
      heterogeneity influences infectious disease risk. METHODS: We analyzed 10 years
      of survey data from 15 communities in a remote but rapidly changing region in
      rural Ecuador where road development in the past 15-20 years has dramatically
      changed travel. We identify determinants of travel and incorporate them into an
      infection transmission model. RESULTS: Individuals living in communities more
      remote at baseline had lower travel rates compared with less remote villages
      (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.38, 0.67). Our
      model predicts that less remote villages are, therefore, at increased disease
      risk. Though road building and travel increased for all communities, this risk
      differential remained over 10 years of observation. Our transmission model also
      suggests that travelers and nontravelers have different roles in disease
      transmission. Adults travel more than children (adjusted OR = 1.73; 95% CI =
      1.30, 2.31) and therefore disseminate infection from population centers to rural
      communities. Children are more likely than adults to be infected locally
      (attributable fraction = 0.24 and 0.09, respectively) and were indirectly
      affected by adult travel patterns. CONCLUSIONS: These results reinforce the
      importance of large population centers for regional transmission and show that
      children and adults may play different roles in disease spread. Changing
      transportation infrastructure and subsequent economic and social transitions are
      occurring worldwide, potentially causing increased regional risk of disease.

PMID- 28901979
TI  - Analysis of Goal-directed Fluid Therapy and Patient Monitoring in Enhanced
      Recovery After Surgery.

PMID- 28901980
TI  - Concepts in Physiology and Pathophysiology of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery.

PMID- 28901981
TI  - Multimodal Approaches to Analgesia in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Pathways.

PMID- 28901982
TI  - Creating and Communicating Clinical Protocols.

PMID- 28901983
TI  - Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: Evidence for Delivering Value-based Care.

PMID- 28901984
TI  - Institution-wide Implementation Strategies, Finance, and Administration for
      Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Programs.

PMID- 28901985
TI  - A Guide to Implementing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols: Creating,
      Scaling, and Managing a Perioperative Consult Service.

PMID- 28901986
TI  - Enhanced Recovery for Orthopedic Surgery.

PMID- 28901987
TI  - Enhanced Recovery After Surgery in the Setting of the Perioperative Surgical
      Home.

PMID- 28901988
TI  - Enhanced Recovery after Cardiac Surgery: An Update on Clinical Implications.

PMID- 28901989
TI  - Decreasing the Surgical Stress Response and an Initial Experience from the
      Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Colorectal Surgery Program at an Academic
      Institution.

PMID- 28901990
TI  - The impact of frailty on outcomes in dialysis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Frailty is highly prevalent in the dialysis population and is
      associated with mortality. Recent studies have suggested that other dialysis
      outcomes are compromised in frail individuals. While we do not yet have a
      consensus as to the best measure of frailty, identification of these poor
      outcomes and their magnitude of association with frailty will help improve
      prognostication, allow for earlier interventions, and improve provider-to-patient
      communication. RECENT FINDINGS: The most widely used assessment of frailty is
      Fried's physical performance criteria. However, regardless of assessment method,
      frailty remains highly associated with mortality. More recently, frailty has been
      associated with falls, fractures, cognitive impairment, vascular access failure,
      and poor quality of life. Recent large cohort studies provide strong evidence
      that frailty assessment can provide important prognostic information for
      providers and patients both before and after initiation of dialysis. Trials aimed
      at improving frailty are limited and show the promise of augmenting quality of
      life, although more studies are needed to firmly establish mortality benefits.
      SUMMARY: We underscore the importance of frailty as a prognostic indicator and
      identify other recently established consequences of frailty. Widespread adoption
      of frailty assessment remains limited and researchers continue to find ways of
      simplifying the data collection process. Timely and regular assessment of frailty
      may allow for interventions that can mitigate the onset of poor outcomes and
      identify actionable targets for dialysis providers.

PMID- 28901991
TI  - Dose-Dependent Achilles Tendinopathy in a Patient on Aripiprazole.

PMID- 28901992
TI  - European guidelines on perioperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis: Surgery
      in the elderly.
AB  - : The risk for postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increased in
      patients aged more than 70 years and in elderly patients presenting with co
      morbidities, for example cardiovascular disorders, malignancy or renal
      insufficiency. Therefore, risk stratification, correction of modifiable risks and
      sustained perioperative thromboprophylaxis are essential in this patient
      population. Timing and dosing of pharmacoprophylaxis may be adopted from the non
      aged population. Direct oral anti-coagulants are effective and well tolerated in
      the elderly; statins may not replace pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. Early
      mobilisation and use of non-pharmacological means of thromboprophylaxis should be
      exploited. In elderly patients, we suggest identification of co-morbidities
      increasing the risk for VTE (e.g. congestive heart failure, pulmonary circulation
      disorder, renal failure, lymphoma, metastatic cancer, obesity, arthritis, post
      menopausal oestrogen therapy) and correction if present (e.g. anaemia,
      coagulopathy) (Grade 2C). We suggest against bilateral knee replacement in
      elderly and frail patients (Grade 2C). We suggest timing and dosing of
      pharmacological VTE prophylaxis as in the non-aged population (Grade 2C). In
      elderly patients with renal failure, low-dose unfractionated heparin (UFH) may be
      used or weight-adjusted dosing of low molecular weight heparin (Grade 2C). In the
      elderly, we recommend careful prescription of postoperative VTE prophylaxis and
      early postoperative mobilisation (Grade 1C). We recommend multi-faceted
      interventions for VTE prophylaxis in elderly and frail patients, including
      pneumatic compression devices, low molecular weight heparin (and/or direct oral
      anti-coagulants after knee or hip replacement) (Grade 1C). : This article is part
      of the European guidelines on perioperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.
      For details concerning background, methods, and members of the ESA VTE Guidelines
      Task Force, please, refer to:Samama CM, Afshari A, for the ESA VTE Guidelines
      Task Force. European guidelines on perioperative venous thromboembolism
      prophylaxis. Eur J Anaesthesiol 2018; 35:73-76.A synopsis of all recommendations
      can be found in the following accompanying article: Afshari A, Ageno W, Ahmed A,
      et al., for the ESA VTE Guidelines Task Force. European Guidelines on
      perioperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. Executive summary. Eur J
      Anaesthesiol 2018; 35:77-83.

PMID- 28901993
TI  - Vascular Complications and Use of a Distal Perfusion Cannula in Femorally
      Cannulated Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.
AB  - Femoral arterial cannulation in adult venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation (ECMO) predisposes patients to ipsilateral limb ischemia. Placement
      of a distal perfusion catheter (DPC) is one of few techniques available to
      prevent or manage this complication. Although frequently used, the indications
      for and timing of DPC placement are poorly characterized, and no guidelines are
      available to guide its use. The purpose of this study was to compare the
      incidences of vascular complications and limb ischemia between patients who did
      and did not receive a DPC at the time of primary ECMO cannulation. Between June
      2009 and April 2015, 132 adults underwent VA ECMO cannulation at our institution.
      Of the 80 femoral cannulations comprising this retrospective single-center study
      cohort, 14 (17.5%) received a DPC at the time of primary cannulation.
      Demographics, indications for ECMO, and cardiovascular history and risk factors
      were not significantly different between comparison groups. Median arterial
      cannula size was 17 French in both groups. Vascular complications occurred in 2
      of the 14 patients with initial DPC (14.3%) compared with 21 of 66 without
      initial DPC (31.8%; p = 0.188). Limb ischemia occurred in 2 of 14 patients in the
      DPC group (14.3%) and 15 of 66 in the non-DPC group (22.7%; p = 0.483). In
      hospital mortality was comparable between groups. DPC placement at the time of
      primary cannulation may lower the incidence of limb ischemia. The benefit of DPC
      placement once evidence of limb ischemia is apparent remains unclear.

PMID- 28901994
TI  - Biomineralized Conductive PEDOT: PSS-Coated PLA/PHBV/HA Nanofibrous Membranes.
AB  - Conductive materials are potential candidates for developing bone tissue
      engineering scaffolds as they are nontoxic and can enhance bone tissue
      regeneration. Their bioactivity can be enhanced by depositing biomineralization
      in simulated body fluid (SBF). In the current study, a composite electrospun
      membrane made up of poly(lactic) acid, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3
      hydroxyvalerate), and hydroxyapatite was fabricated using an electrospinning
      method. The fabricated membranes were dip-coated with a conductive polymer
      solution, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(4-styrenesulfonate), to induce
      conductivity. Characterization of the membranes based on characteristics such as
      morphology, chemical bonding, and wettability was conducted using scanning
      electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy
      dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy, and contact angle measurement. From the results,
      biomineralization of both coated and noncoated composite membranes was observed
      on the surface of nanofibers after 21 days in SBF. The membranes provide a
      superhydrophilic surface as shown by the contact angle. In conclusion, this
      biomimetic electrospun composite membrane could be used to further support cell
      growth for bone tissue engineering application.

PMID- 28901995
TI  - Therapeutic food claims: a global perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Medical foods in the United States, and foods for special
      medical purposes in other countries, are food formulations used to manage
      specific chronic diseases or conditions under medical or physician supervision.
      The process of reviewing and approving food claims for health benefits varies
      widely from country to country. RECENT FINDINGS: CODEX Alimentarius, a 187
      country and one-member (European Union) organization, has standardized not only
      nutrition labeling and food safety worldwide but has also recently taken on a
      prominent role in analyzing therapeutic and health claims for food in member
      countries by providing a framework to study these issues. Two recent activities
      at CODEX - analyzing foods for special dietary uses and foods for special medical
      purposes therapeutic food claims - have focused on both how these food categories
      are formulated for patients with specific conditions and diseases. SUMMARY: Food
      and specially formulated foods can play a role in preventing or mitigating
      disease and other health-related conditions. This article will examine the means
      by which regulatory authorities across the globe address health claims for foods
      and food-derived products to alter human physiology and disease outcome.

PMID- 28901996
TI  - Intracranial hemorrhage in congenital bleeding disorders.
AB  - : Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), as a life-threatening bleeding among all kinds
      of congenital bleeding disorders (CBDs), is a rare manifestation except in factor
      XIII (FXIII) deficiency, which is accompanied by ICH, early in life, in about one
      third of patients. Most inherited platelet function disorders (IPFDs) are mild to
      moderate bleeding disorders that can never experience a severe bleeding as in
      ICH; however, Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, a common and severe inherited platelet
      function disorder, can lead to ICH and occasional death. This bleeding feature
      can also be observed in grey platelet syndrome, though less frequently than in
      Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. In hemophilia, intracerebral hemorrhage is affected
      by various risk factors one of which is the severity of the disease. The precise
      prevalence of ICH in these patients is not clear but an estimated incidence of
      3.5-4% among newborns with hemophilia is largely ascertained. Although ICH is a
      rare phenomenon in CBDs, it can be experienced by every patient with severe
      hemophilia A and B, FXIII deficiency (FXIIID), FVIID, FXD, FVD, FIID, and
      afibrinogenemia. Upon observing the general signs and symptoms of ICH such as
      vomiting, seizure, unconsciousness, and headache, appropriate replacement
      therapies and cranial ultrasound scans must be done to decrease ICH-related
      morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28901997
TI  - Risk factors associated with intraventricular hemorrhage in extremely premature
      neonates.
AB  - : Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a significant cause of morbidity in
      extremely premature infants despite many advances in neonatal intensive care. We
      conducted an institutional retrospective review aimed to correlate risk factors
      associated with IVH. Clinical variables reported to the Vermont-Oxford Network on
      less than 30 weeks gestational age infants over a 5-year period were evaluated
      with Pearson's chi-square and multivariate logistic regression. Of 618 infants
      born less than 30-week gestational age, 178 (28.8%) experienced IVH. Of those
      less than 1000 g, 105 (36.5%) of 288 infants experienced IVH. Multivariate
      analysis revealed that thrombocytopenia [odds ratio (OR) 2.03, 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.30-3.19, P = 0.0020] and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) +/-
      intubation at delivery (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.12-3.02, P = 0.0162) were independently
      associated with IVH. Among infants less than 1000 g, thrombocytopenia (OR 2.09,
      95% CI 1.22-3.60, P = 0.0077) and CPR +/- intubation at delivery (OR 2.01, 95% CI
      1.10-3.68, P = 0.0229) were also significantly associated with IVH. IVH is a
      complex phenomenon with many contributing risk factors. In our study, infants
      less than 30-week gestational age and less than 1000 g revealed thrombocytopenia
      and CPR +/- intubation in delivery room were independently associated with IVH.
      These data should alert clinicians to those neonates most likely to suffer IVH.

PMID- 28901998
TI  - Relationships Between Components of Emotional Intelligence and Suicidal Behavior
      in Alcohol-dependent Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The importance of investigating various emotional skills in
      assessment of suicide risk in alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals has recently
      become the focus of increasing interest. The objective of this study was to
      explore the relationships between self-reported components of emotional
      intelligence and lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts in a clinical sample of
      AD subjects. METHODS: A group of 80 inpatients entering an alcohol treatment
      program in Warsaw, Poland, was recruited. Baseline information about
      demographics, psychopathological symptoms, personality, and severity of alcohol
      problems was obtained. The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test was
      utilized for assessment of emotional processing. Lifetime history of suicide
      attempts was obtained from the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview.
      RESULTS: After accounting for affect-related suicide risk factors (severity of
      depression, anxiety, neuroticism), and also other significant predictors (eg,
      age, sex, history of childhood abuse), mood regulation/optimism deficits remained
      a significant correlate of lifetime suicide attempts in AD patients. In the
      mediation models, mood regulation appeared to fully mediate the relationship
      between history of suicide attempts and depression, and also neuroticism.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the evidence that poor mood
      regulation might be related to the risk for suicidal behavior in AD individuals.
      These findings point towards the significance of addressing the issue of emotion
      related skills in the therapy of those AD subjects who are at risk for suicide.

PMID- 28902000
TI  - Evaluation of Fracture and Osteotomy Union in the Setting of Osteogenesis
      Imperfecta: Reliability of the Modified Radiographic Union Score for Tibial
      Fractures (RUST).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the union of osteotomies and fractures in patients with
      osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a critical component of patient care. Studies of
      the OI patient population have so far used varied criteria to evaluate bony
      union. The radiographic union score for tibial fractures (RUST), which was
      subsequently revised to the modified RUST, is an objective standardized method of
      evaluating fracture healing. We sought to evaluate the reliability of the
      modified RUST in the setting of the tibias of patients with OI. METHODS: Tibial
      radiographs of 30 patients with OI fractures, or osteotomies were scored by 3
      observers on 2 separate occasions. Each of the 4 cortices was given a score (1=no
      callus, 2=callus present, 3=bridging callus, and 4=remodeled, fracture not
      visible) and the modified RUST is the sum of these scores (range, 4 to 16). The
      interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities were evaluated using intraclass
      coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The ICC representing
      the interobserver reliability for the first iteration of scores was 0.926 (0.864
      to 0.962) and for the second series was 0.915 (0.845 to 0.957). The ICCs
      representing the intraobserver reliability for each of the 3 reviewers for the
      measurements in series 1 and 2 were 0.860 (0.707 to 0.934), 0.994 (0.986 to
      0.997), and 0.974 (0.946 to 0.988). CONCLUSIONS: The modified RUST has excellent
      interobserver and intraobserver reliability in the setting of OI despite
      challenges related to the poor quality of the bone and its dysplastic nature. The
      application and routine use of the modified RUST in the OI population will help
      standardize our evaluation of osteotomy and fracture healing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level III-retrospective study of nonconsecutive patients.

PMID- 28901999
TI  - Recruitment of prefrontal-striatal circuit in response to skilled motor
      challenge.
AB  - A variety of physical fitness regimens have been shown to improve cognition,
      including executive function, yet our understanding of which parameters of motor
      training are important in optimizing outcomes remains limited. We used functional
      brain mapping to compare the ability of two motor challenges to acutely recruit
      the prefrontal-striatal circuit. The two motor tasks - walking in a complex
      running wheel with irregularly spaced rungs or walking in a running wheel with a
      smooth internal surface - differed only in the extent of skill required for their
      execution. Cerebral perfusion was mapped in rats by intravenous injection of [C]
      iodoantipyrine during walking in either a motorized complex wheel or in a simple
      wheel. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was quantified by whole-brain
      autoradiography and analyzed in three-dimensional reconstructed brains by
      statistical parametric mapping and seed-based functional connectivity. Skilled or
      simple walking compared with rest, increased rCBF in regions of the motor
      circuit, somatosensory and visual cortex, as well as the hippocampus.
      Significantly greater rCBF increases were noted during skilled walking than for
      simple walking. Skilled walking, unlike simple walking or the resting condition,
      was associated with a significant positive functional connectivity in the
      prefrontal-striatal circuit (prelimbic cortex-dorsomedial striatum) and greater
      negative functional connectivity in the prefrontal-hippocampal circuit. Our
      findings suggest that the level of skill of a motor training task determines the
      extent of functional recruitment of the prefrontal-corticostriatal circuit, with
      implications for a new approach in neurorehabilitation that uses circuit-specific
      neuroplasticity to improve motor and cognitive functions.

PMID- 28902001
TI  - Guided Growth of the Proximal Femur for the Management of Hip Dysplasia in
      Children With Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Progressive hip displacement is one of the most common and
      debilitating deformities seen in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of
      this study was to evaluate the results of temporary medial hemiepiphysiodesis of
      the proximal femur (TMH-PF) using a transphyseal screw to control hip migration
      during growth in children with CP. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of
      children with CP and hip dysplasia, age 4 to 11 years and GMFCS levels III-V.
      There were 28 patients with 56 hips that underwent TMH-PF surgery between 2007
      and 2010. Clinical and radiologic evaluation was performed preoperatively, at 6,
      12, and 60 months following the index surgery. Acetabular index (AI), neck-shaft
      angle (NSA) and migration percentage (MP) were measured. All complications were
      recorded. RESULTS: All radiographic measurements were significantly improved at
      the final follow-up. Positive correlations were found between NSA, MP, and AI.
      Multiple regression analysis revealed that MP, time from surgery, and age were
      influenced by the decrease of the NSA. The femoral physis grew off the screw in 9
      hips within 36 months. The screw head broke during attempted screw exchange in 1
      hip. The remain cases (4 hips) were treated by placing a second screw parallel to
      the existing one. Finally, progressive subluxation occurred in 3 hips when the
      physis grew off the screw and were treated by skeletal reconstruction.
      CONCLUSIONS: TMH-PF was effective in controlling progressive subluxation of the
      hip in the majority of cases, obviating the need for major reconstructive surgery
      in these children with CP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 28902003
TI  - American Surgical Association Presidential Forum: A Lifetime of Surgical
      Education: Can We Do better?

PMID- 28902004
TI  - Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-Infected Children With Tuberculosis: A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the major cause of mortality in HIV-infected
      children globally. Current guidelines about the management of antiretroviral
      therapy in children with TB are based on a limited number of nonrandomized
      studies involving small numbers of participants. The aim of the study was to
      systematically retrieve and critically appraise available evidence on the
      efficacy and safety of different antiretroviral regimens in children with HIV
      infection who are receiving treatment for active TB. METHODS: We conducted a
      systematic review of the literature according to Preferred Reporting Items for
      Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Records were retrieved through
      March 2016 from Medline, Embase and manual screening of key conference
      proceedings. Four specific research questions assessing available treatment
      options were defined. RESULTS: Although 4 independent searches were conducted (1
      for each Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes question), results were
      elaborated and interpreted together because of significant overlap among the
      retrieved records. Six observational studies were selected for qualitative
      synthesis while meta-analysis could not be performed. CONCLUSION: Evidence for
      optimal treatment options for HIV/TB coinfected children is limited. As the
      global community strives to reach the fast-track HIV treatment targets and
      eliminate childhood TB deaths, it must ensure that coinfected children are
      included in key treatment studies and expand this neglected but crucial area of
      research.

PMID- 28902005
TI  - Propionibacterium Acnes: Cause of Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infection.
AB  - Infection after implantation of ventriculo-peritoneal shunts is associated with
      significant morbidity and mortality. We describe a 9-year-old girl with
      Propionibacterium acnes shunt infection with negative cerebrospinal fluid
      cultures, diagnosed by broad-range 16S-rRNA gene polymerase chain reaction. This
      case supports the use of this molecular diagnostic technique in shunt infections,
      where the offending pathogens are difficult to culture using traditional methods.

PMID- 28902006
TI  - Development of Survey Scales for Measuring Exposure and Behavioral Responses to
      Disruptive Intraoperative Behavior.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Disruptive intraoperative behavior has detrimental effects to
      clinicians, institutions, and patients. How clinicians respond to this behavior
      can either exacerbate or attenuate its effects. Previous investigations of
      disruptive behavior have used survey scales with significant limitations. The
      study objective was to develop appropriate scales to measure exposure and
      responses to disruptive behavior. METHODS: We obtained ethics approval. The
      scales were developed in a sequence of steps. They were pretested using expert
      reviews, computational linguistic analysis, and cognitive interviews. The scales
      were then piloted on Canadian operating room clinicians. Factor analysis was
      applied to half of the data set for question reduction and grouping. Item
      response analysis and theoretical reviews ensured that important questions were
      not eliminated. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach alpha. Model
      fit was examined on the second half of the data set using confirmatory factor
      analysis. Content validity of the final scales was re-evaluated. Consistency
      between observed relationships and theoretical predictions was assessed. Temporal
      stability was evaluated on a subsample of 38 respondents. RESULTS: A total of
      1433 and 746 clinicians completed the exposure and response scales, respectively.
      Content validity indices were excellent (exposure = 0.96, responses = 1.0).
      Internal consistency was good (exposure = 0.93, responses = 0.87). Correlations
      between the exposure scale and secondary measures were consistent with
      expectations based on theory. Temporal stability was acceptable (exposure = 0.77,
      responses = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: We have developed scales measuring exposure and
      responses to disruptive behavior. They generate valid and reliable scores when
      surveying operating room clinicians, and they overcome the limitations of
      previous tools. These survey scales are freely available.

PMID- 28902007
TI  - A Comparison of Error Rates Between Intravenous Push Methods: A Prospective,
      Multisite, Observational Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Current literature estimates the error rate associated with the
      preparation and administration of all intravenous (IV) medications to be 9.4% to
      97.7% worldwide. This study aims to compare the number of observed medication
      preparation and administration errors between the only commercially available
      ready-to-administer product (Simplist) and IV push traditional practice,
      including a cartridge-based syringe system (Carpuject) and vials and syringes.
      METHODS: A prospective, multisite, observational study was conducted in 3 health
      systems in various states within the United States between December 2015 and
      March 2016 to observe IV push medication preparation and administration.
      Researchers observed a ready-to-administer product and IV push traditional
      practice using a validated observational method and a modified data collection
      sheet. All observations were reconciled to the original medication order to
      determine if any errors occurred. RESULTS: Researchers collected 329 observations
      (ready to administer = 102; traditional practice = 227) and observed 260 errors
      (ready to administer = 25; traditional practice = 235). The overall observed
      error rate for ready-to-administer products was 2.5%, and the observed error rate
      for IV push traditional practice was 10.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The ready-to-administer
      group demonstrated a statistically significant lower observed error rate,
      suggesting that use of this product is associated with fewer observed preparation
      and administration errors in the clinical setting. Future studies should be
      completed to determine the potential for patient harm associated with these
      errors and improve clinical practice because it relates to the safe
      administration of IV push medications.

PMID- 28902009
TI  - Risk Vessels of Retropharyngeal Hematoma During Stellate Ganglion Block.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bleeding into the retropharyngeal space is a potential
      complication in stellate ganglion block (SGB). Retropharyngeal hematoma formation
      is considered to be due to damage of small arteries in the region, although only
      scanty details of the region are available. The aim of this study was to map the
      risk blood vessels in the retropharyngeal space to avoid accidental damage during
      SGB. METHODS: Contrast-enhanced 3-dimensional computed tomography images
      performed on 80 patients were reanalyzed retrospectively to construct detailed
      map of cervical blood vessels that are prone to damage and bleeding during SGB.
      RESULTS: Of the 160 bilateral necks, 6 (3.8%) and 82 (51.3%) small arteries were
      identified in the medial portions of the ventral surface of the transverse
      processes of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae, respectively. In
      particular, 5 of the 6 small arteries detected in the medial portion of the
      ventral surface of the transverse process of the sixth cervical vertebra were the
      inferior thyroid artery (ITA). Of the 160 vertebral arteries, 2 arteries were
      missing, 4 (2.5%) entered the transverse foramen of the fifth cervical vertebra,
      whereas 1 artery (0.6%) entered the transverse foramen of the fourth cervical
      vertebra. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional computed tomography identified the ITA
      in the medial portion of the ventral surface of the transverse process of the
      sixth cervical vertebra. The risk vessels of retropharyngeal hematoma during SGB
      could include the ITA.

PMID- 28902008
TI  - Fibrous Catalyst-Enhanced Acanthamoeba Disinfection by Hydrogen Peroxide.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) disinfection systems are contact-lens
      patient problem solvers. The current one-step, criterion-standard version has
      been widely used since the mid-1980s, without any significant improvement. This
      work identifies a potential next-generation, one-step H2O2, not based on the
      solution formulation but rather on a case-based peroxide catalyst. PURPOSE: One
      step H2O2 systems are widely used for contact lens disinfection. However,
      antimicrobial efficacy can be limited because of the rapid neutralization of the
      peroxide from the catalytic component of the systems. We studied whether the
      addition of an iron-containing catalyst bound to a nonfunctional
      propylene:polyacryonitrile fabric matrix could enhance the antimicrobial efficacy
      of these one-step H2O2 systems. METHODS: Bausch + Lomb PeroxiClear and AOSept
      Plus (both based on 3% H2O2 with a platinum-neutralizing disc) were the test
      systems. These were tested with and without the presence of the catalyst fabric
      using Acanthamoeba cysts as the challenge organism. After 6 hours' disinfection,
      the number of viable cysts was determined. In other studies, the experiments were
      also conducted with biofilm formed by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and
      Elizabethkingia meningoseptica bacteria. RESULTS: Both control systems gave
      approximately 1-log10 kill of Acanthamoeba cysts compared with 3.0-log10 kill in
      the presence of the catalyst (P < .001). In the biofilm studies, no viable
      bacteria were recovered following disinfection in the presence of the catalyst
      compared with >=3.0-log10 kill when it was omitted. In 30 rounds' recurrent
      usage, the experiments, in which the AOSept Plus system was subjected to 30
      rounds of H2O2 neutralization with or without the presence of catalytic fabric,
      showed no loss in enhanced biocidal efficacy of the material. The catalytic
      fabric was also shown to not retard or increase the rate of H2O2 neutralization.
      CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated the catalyst significantly increases the
      efficacy of one-step H2O2 disinfection systems using highly resistant
      Acanthamoeba cysts and bacterial biofilm. Incorporating the catalyst into the
      design of these one-step H2O2 disinfection systems could improve the
      antimicrobial efficacy and provide a greater margin of safety for contact lens
      users.

PMID- 28902010
TI  - Posterior Amorphous Corneal Dystrophy Associated With Keratoglobus: A Case
      Report.
AB  - PURPOSE: Posterior amorphous corneal dystrophy (PACD) is a rare disorder
      characterized by sheet-like opacification of the posterior corneal stroma,
      corneal thinning, and decreased corneal curvature. It is not known to be
      associated with progressive corneal ectasia. In this report, we examine the
      course of a patient with PACD who developed bilateral keratoglobus-type corneal
      ectasia. METHODS: The clinical history of a single patient is reviewed from birth
      through age 15. Visual acuity, refraction, ultrasound pachymetry, anterior
      segment optical coherence tomography, corneal topography, and corneal tomography
      are presented. RESULTS: The patient was noted to have bilateral cloudy corneas at
      birth. Congenital infection, metabolic disease, and glaucoma were ruled out.
      Anterior segment optical coherence tomography demonstrated posterior stromal
      opacification typical of PACD. Over time, the patient progressed from best
      uncorrected visual acuity of 20/20-2 OD and 20/25-3 OS to PROSE lens-corrected
      visual acuity of 20/30-3 OD and 20/30-3 OS. Central corneal thinness progressed
      from 491 to 408 MUm in the right eye and from 505 to 389 MUm in the left eye.
      Steepening in corneal axial/sagittal curvature developed in both eyes beginning
      inferiorly then involving the corneas diffusely. CONCLUSIONS: In this case
      report, we illustrate progressive corneal ectasia in a patient with PACD.
      Although both conditions may represent changes in the structure and integrity of
      corneal collagen, whether an association exists between the 2 conditions is
      unknown.

PMID- 28902011
TI  - Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Associated With Periocular Radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of periocular radiotherapy on meibomian
      glands. METHODS: We evaluated 28 patients (40 eyes) who received radiotherapy (RT
      group) for conjunctival or orbital lymphoma and 30 age-matched control subjects
      (60 eyes). Subjects underwent slit-lamp examination of the eyelids, Schirmer
      test, meibography, and evaluation of tear film breakup time (TBUT), Ocular
      Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores, meibomian glands evaluation (meiboscore,
      meibum expressibility, and lid margin abnormality scores), and tear film lipid
      layer thickness using an ocular surface interferometer. These parameters were
      compared between subjects in the RT and control groups. RESULTS: Meiboscores as
      well as meibum expressibility and OSDI scores in the RT group were significantly
      higher compared with those in the control group (1.6 +/- 0.9 vs. 0.4 +/- 0.6, 1.6
      +/- 1.0 vs. 0.2 +/- 0.4, and 48.1 +/- 21.4 vs. 6.2 +/- 4.4, respectively, P <
      0.001, all), whereas the Schirmer value (9.2 +/- 5.1 vs. 12.3 +/- 5.2, P =
      0.004), TBUT (4.2 +/- 2.5 vs. 6.4 +/- 2.6, P = 0.001), and lipid layer thickness
      (61.0 +/- 29.3 vs. 85.2 +/- 20.0, P < 0.001) in the RT group were lower compared
      with those in the control group. The percentage of meibomian gland dropout was
      significantly correlated with age (P = 0.025) and total radiation dose (P =
      0.012), regardless of the target location of irradiation. Even low-dose
      irradiated eyes (<30 Gy) exhibited significantly higher meiboscores (P < 0.001)
      and shorter TBUT (P = 0.005) compared with control eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Eyes that
      received periocular radiotherapy exhibited relatively high tear film instability
      induced by meibomian gland dysfunction, contributing to the high severity of dry
      eye symptoms.

PMID- 28902012
TI  - Comparison of Oral Voriconazole Versus Oral Ketoconazole as an Adjunct to Topical
      Natamycin in Severe Fungal Keratitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of oral voriconazole (VCZ) with oral
      ketoconazole (KCZ) as an adjunct to topical natamycin in severe fungal keratitis.
      METHODS: Fifty eyes of 50 patients with proven severe fungal keratitis, (>5 mm
      size, involving >4 mm central cornea and >50% stromal depth), smear, and/or
      culture positive were randomized to receive either oral VCZ (n = 25) or oral KCZ
      (n = 25) 200 mg twice a day. Both groups received topical natamycin along with
      oral medication. The primary outcome measure was best spectacle-corrected visual
      acuity (BSCVA) at 3 months of follow-up. Secondary outcomes were the percentage
      of healed cases and scar size. RESULTS: The mean BSCVA after treatment was 1.3 +/
      0.35 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution units in the VCZ group and 1.6 +/-
      0.39 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution units in the KCZ group [P = 0.004,
      95% confidence interval (CI), -0.10 to 0.54]. The final mean scar size was
      smaller for oral VCZ than for oral KCZ (P = 0.04, 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.93 mm). The
      percentage of cases healed were 80% and 72% in VCZ and KCZ groups, respectively
      (P = 0.51, 95% CI, -0.15 to 0.31). The ratio of tear film to serum concentration
      of oral VCZ was better than oral KCZ at days 14 (P = 0.002) and 21 (P = 0.006).
      CONCLUSIONS: Although the duration and percentage of healing was similar in both
      groups, oral VCZ attained a significantly better tear film concentration with a
      smaller scar size and better BSCVA compared with oral KCZ. Thus, oral VCZ may be
      preferred over oral KCZ in severe fungal keratitis.

PMID- 28902013
TI  - "Bubble-in-the-Roll" Technique Using the Endoject DMEK Injector: Influence of the
      Air Bubble on Endothelial Cell Loss.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of the air bubble on endothelial cell loss using
      the "bubble-in-the-roll" technique during Descemet membrane endothelial
      keratoplasty (DMEK). METHODS: Twenty DMEK grafts not suitable for transplantation
      were manually prepared from organ-cultured corneoscleral discs and injected into
      culture media using the Endoject DMEK injector (Medicel AG, Wolfhalden,
      Switzerland). Based on the injection method, the grafts were divided into 2
      groups: In group A (n = 10), a small air bubble was placed inside the graft roll
      while it was in the injector. In group B (n = 10), the grafts were injected
      without an air bubble inside the graft roll. Main outcome measures included
      endothelial cell density (ECD) after graft stripping and graft injection.
      RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups A and
      B in donor age, storage duration, and donor ECD. ECD decreased from 1929 +/- 145
      cells/mm to 1796 +/- 303 cells/mm after graft stripping in group A and from 1801
      +/- 226 cells/mm to 1709 +/- 290 cells/mm in group B. ECD after graft injection
      further decreased to 1683 +/- 291 cells/mm in group A and to 1651 +/- 292
      cells/mm in group B. Endothelial cell loss after graft stripping and graft
      injection was not statistically significant between groups A and B (P = 0.29 and
      P = 1, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The bubble-in-the-roll technique for injection
      and unfolding of the graft is a safe method for graft delivery into the anterior
      chamber guaranteeing orientation of the graft without harming the endothelium.

PMID- 28902014
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28902015
TI  - "Progress in Corneal Research and Practice in Japan and Abroad," 22nd Annual
      Meeting of the Kyoto Cornea Club, November 25 and 26, 2016.

PMID- 28902016
TI  - Raman Microscopy: A Noninvasive Method to Visualize the Localizations of
      Biomolecules in the Cornea.
AB  - PURPOSE: In vivo and in situ visualization of biomolecules without pretreatment
      will be important for diagnosis and treatment of ocular disorders in the future.
      Recently, multiphoton microscopy, based on the nonlinear interactions between
      molecules and photons, has been applied to reveal the localizations of various
      molecules in tissues. We aimed to use multimodal multiphoton microscopy to
      visualize the localizations of specific biomolecules in rat corneas. METHODS:
      Multiphoton images of the corneas were obtained from nonlinear signals of
      coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, third-order sum frequency generation, and
      second-harmonic generation. RESULTS: The localizations of the adhesion complex
      containing basement membrane and Bowman layer were clearly visible in the third
      order sum frequency generation images. The fine structure of type I collagen was
      observed in the corneal stroma in the second-harmonic generation images. The
      localizations of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) was obtained in
      the coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering images. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging
      technologies have progressed significantly and been applied in medical fields.
      Optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy are widely used but do not
      provide information on the molecular structure of the cornea. By contrast,
      multiphoton microscopy provides information on the molecular structure of living
      tissues. Using this technique, we successfully visualized the localizations of
      various biomolecules including lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids in the cornea.
      We speculate that multiphoton microscopy will provide essential information on
      the physiological and pathological conditions of the cornea, as well as molecular
      localizations in tissues without pretreatment.

PMID- 28902018
TI  - Mechanism of Proliferation of Cultured Human Corneal Endothelial Cells.
AB  - Because human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) do not proliferate once the
      endothelial monolayer has formed, corneal wound healing is believed to be
      mediated by cell enlargement or migration, rather than by proliferation. However,
      the cellular mechanisms involved in wound healing by HCECs have not been fully
      determined. In this review, we focus on the effects of promyelocytic leukemia
      zinc finger (PLZF), a DNA-binding transcription factor, and transforming growth
      factor (TGF)-beta2 on the proliferation and migration of cultured HCECs.
      Involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in
      the migration of HCECs was also investigated. Expression of PLZF mRNA decreased
      as cell-cell contact was disrupted and returned to the original level as cell
      cell contact was re-formed. Assessment with a real-time cell electronic sensing
      system revealed that proliferation of cultured HCECs was inhibited after
      infection with Ad-PLZF and exposure to TGF-beta2. Migration of cultured HCECs was
      increased by TGF-beta2 through p38 MAPK activation. We conclude that PLZF
      expression in cultured HCECs is closely related to the formation of cell-cell
      contact and that TGF-beta2 suppresses proliferation of cultured HCECs, while
      promoting their migration through p38 MAPK activation.

PMID- 28902017
TI  - Ocular Demodicosis as a Potential Cause of Ocular Surface Inflammation.
AB  - Among different species of mites, Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis are the
      only 2 that affect the human eye. Because demodicosis is highly age-dependent and
      can be found in asymptomatic adults, the pathogenicity of these mites has long
      been debated. In this study, we summarize our research experience including our
      most recent study regarding Demodex infestation as a potential cause of ocular
      inflammatory diseases. Specifically, we describe the pathogenesis of demodicosis
      and then discuss the results of work investigating the associations and
      relationships between ocular demodicosis and blepharitis, meibomian gland
      diseases, and keratitis, in turn. This is followed by some discussion of the
      diagnosis of demodicosis and concludes with a brief discussion of evidence for
      different treatments for ocular demodicosis. Collectively, our studies suggest a
      strong correlation between ocular demodicosis and ocular surface inflammatory
      conditions, such as blepharitis, chalazia, meibomian gland dysfunction, and
      keratitis. Further investigation of the underlying pathogenic mechanism is
      warranted.

PMID- 28902019
TI  - A Randomized Evaluator-Blinded Trial Comparing Subsurface Monopolar
      Radiofrequency With Microfocused Ultrasound for Lifting and Tightening of the
      Neck.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both subsurface monopolar radiofrequency (SMRF) and microfocused
      ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) have demonstrated the ability to lift and
      tighten the neck. No head-to-head comparison study exists of these 2
      technologies. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of SMRF and MFU-V for
      the lifting and tightening of neck. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty subjects aged
      from 18 to 65 with moderate neck skin laxity were randomized to receive either
      one treatment of SMRF or MFU-V. RESULTS: At Days 0, 30, 90, and 180, the mean
      (SD) investigator-assessed Neck Laxity Grade was 2.7 (0.67), 2.1 (1.1), 1.6
      (1.2), and 0.86 (0.7), respectively, for patients treated with SMRF, and 2.8
      (0.63), 2.4 (1.07), 1.5 (0.53), and 1.4 (0.7), respectively, for those treated
      with MFU-V. Both SMRF and MFU-V led to a significant decrease in the mean
      investigator-assessed Neck Laxity Grade by Day 90 and persistent to Day 180.
      Subject assessment of firmness, texture, and laxity also significantly improved
      by Day 90 and persistent to Day 180. Adverse events were mild and transient.
      CONCLUSION: There were no were statistically significant differences between SMRF
      and MFU-V in investigator-assessed and patient-assessed measures of neck laxity,
      patient satisfaction, and adverse events. Microfocused ultrasound with
      visualization was associated with more procedural pain.

PMID- 28902020
TI  - Ensuring Consistent Results When Microneedling Perioral Rhytides.

PMID- 28902021
TI  - ATX-101 (Deoxycholic Acid Injection) Treatment in Men: Insights From Our Clinical
      Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excess submental fat (SMF), also called a double chin, is an area of
      concern for men that can be addressed clinically. ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid
      injection; Kybella in the United States and Belkyra in Canada, Australia, and
      various European countries) is the first injectable approved for reduction of
      SMF. OBJECTIVE: To share the authors' clinical experience using ATX-101 in men
      with submental fullness and offer insights regarding how this treatment may be
      presented to men as an option to improve their submental profile. METHODS:
      Retrospective review of the authors' medical records for male patients treated
      with ATX-101. RESULTS: To allow for fewer ATX-101 treatments, it is recommended
      that a large surface area be treated at the first session. The positive changes
      and outcomes achieved with ATX-101 build confidence between the physician and
      patient, which often leads to male patients seeking other aesthetic treatments to
      improve their overall appearance. CONCLUSION: ATX-101 treatment is often an
      effective introduction to aesthetic medicine for men.

PMID- 28902022
TI  - Repair of a Full-Thickness Defect of the Right Upper Lip Extending Into Multiple
      Cosmetic Subunits.

PMID- 28902023
TI  - Novel Modality for Neck Rejuvenation: A Prospective Multicenter Trial of
      Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of the Cervical Branch of the Facial Nerve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neck rejuvenation offers few modalities of treatments limited to
      either invasive plastic surgery or temporary neuromodulation using botulinum
      toxin. OBJECTIVE: To access the efficacy, longevity, and safety of percutaneous
      monopolar radiofrequency (RF) ablation of the cervical branch of the facial nerve
      innervating the platysma for neck rejuvenation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      prospective, multicenter trial enrolled 19 adult patients with noticeable
      platysmal banding at 2 different centers. All patients underwent RF ablation on
      the cervical branch of the facial nerve. Response was assessed immediately after
      treatment and then at 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks after the procedure using
      photography. Masked investigators compared baseline photography and follow-up
      intervals to evaluate the results. RESULTS: Seventeen of the 18 patients had
      improvement in the platysmal banding. One patient was disqualified after
      ablation. Long-term sequalae such as scarring, burns, ulceration,
      hypopigmentation, or hyperpigmentation were not reported. CONCLUSION: The results
      of this multicenter study support that RF ablation of the cervical branch of the
      facial nerve is a novel technique that results in improvement of platysmal
      banding. This technique is an emerging alternative, nonsurgical option for neck
      rejuvenation that is relatively safe, with little downtime for the patient.

PMID- 28902024
TI  - Association of Socioeconomic and Geographic Factors With Google Trends for
      Tanning and Sunscreen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Internet search trends are used to track both infectious diseases and
      noncommunicable conditions. OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to characterize Google
      Trends search volume index (SVI) for the terms "sunscreen" and tanning ("tanning
      salon" and "tanning bed") in the United States from 2010 to 2015 and analyze
      association with educational attainment, average income, and percent white data
      by state. METHODS: SVI is search frequency data relative to total search volume.
      Analysis of variance, univariate, and multivariate analyses were performed to
      assess seasonal variations in SVI and the association of state-level SVI with
      state latitudes and census data. RESULTS: Hawaii had the highest SVI for
      sunscreen searches, whereas Alaska had the lowest. West Virginia had the highest
      SVI for tanning searches, whereas Hawaii had the lowest. There were significant
      differences between seasonal SVI for sunscreen and tanning searches (p < .001).
      Sunscreen SVI by state was correlated with an increase in educational attainment
      and average income, and a decrease in latitude (p < .05) in a multivariate model.
      Tanning SVI was correlated with a decrease in educational attainment and average
      income, and an increase in latitude (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Internet search trends
      for sunscreen and tanning are influenced by socioeconomic factors, and could be a
      tool for skin-related public health.

PMID- 28902025
TI  - Comparison of Pain Levels in Anterior Versus Cephalic Approach for
      Supraorbital/Supratrochlear Nerve Blocks.

PMID- 28902026
TI  - Chemical Peels: Indications and Special Considerations for the Male Patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemical peels are a mainstay of aesthetic medicine and an
      increasingly popular cosmetic procedure performed in men. OBJECTIVE: To review
      the indications for chemical peels with an emphasis on performing this procedure
      in male patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Review of the English PubMed/MEDLINE
      literature and specialty texts in cosmetic dermatology, oculoplastic, and facial
      aesthetic surgery regarding sex-specific use of chemical peels in men. RESULTS:
      Conditions treated successfully with chemical peels in men include acne vulgaris,
      acne scarring, rosacea, keratosis pilaris, melasma, actinic keratosis,
      photodamage, resurfacing of surgical reconstruction scars, and periorbital
      rejuvenation. Chemical peels are commonly combined with other nonsurgical
      cosmetic procedures to optimize results. Male patients may require a greater
      number of treatments or higher concentration of peeling agent due to increased
      sebaceous quality of skin and hair follicle density. CONCLUSION: Chemical peels
      are a cost-effective and reliable treatment for a variety of aesthetic and
      medical skin conditions. Given the increasing demand for noninvasive cosmetic
      procedures among men, dermatologists should have an understanding of chemical
      peel applications and techniques to address the concerns of male patients.

PMID- 28902027
TI  - Clinical Outcomes of Radiofrequency Ablation for Unilateral and Bilateral
      Varicose Veins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of varicose vein are bilateral. Patients prefer a
      simultaneous bilateral procedure instead of 2 separate unilateral procedures.
      There is currently little evidence comparing bilateral and unilateral varicose
      vein surgeries. OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical outcomes of unilateral and
      bilateral radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for varicose veins. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The authors retrospectively collected data on clinical outcomes of
      patients who underwent RFA. They investigated clinical, etiologic, anatomic, and
      pathophysiologic (CEAP) score, venous clinical severity score (VCSS), and quality
      of life (QoL) score. RESULTS: Radiofrequency ablation was performed in 546 limbs
      in 385 patients. Women comprised 60.4% of the patients. The mean age was 52.3 +/-
      11.6 years (range, 19-84). The occlusion rate after 2 years was 94.5%. Clinical
      outcomes of CEAP score, VCSS, and QoL scores improved significantly from 2.15 +/-
      0.45, 2.70 +/- 2.04, and 6.91 +/- 6.69 at baseline to 2.10 +/- 0.32, 0.63 +/-
      0.04, and 3.38 +/- 4.74 at the study end, respectively. The preoperative and
      postoperative differences in CEAP score for unilateral and bilateral RFA were
      0.02 +/- 0.21 and 0.13 +/- 0.49, respectively (p = .073). Those of VCSS for
      unilateral and bilateral RFA were 1.87 +/- 1.50 and 4.01 +/- 2.93, respectively
      (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Good clinical outcomes were shown after RFA with respect
      to CEAP, VCSS, and QoL scores. The simultaneous bilateral RFA can be performed
      with effectiveness.

PMID- 28902028
TI  - A-101, a Proprietary Topical Formulation of High-Concentration Hydrogen Peroxide
      Solution: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Vehicle-Controlled, Parallel Group Study of
      the Dose-Response Profile in Subjects With Seborrheic Keratosis of the Face.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Seborrheic keratosis (SK) is a common benign skin tumor, yet no
      topical treatments are approved in the United States. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
      proprietary, stabilized, high-concentration hydrogen peroxide-based topical
      solution A-101 (32.5% and 40% concentrations) for treatment of facial SK lesions.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind, vehicle-controlled
      study, eligible subjects were randomly assigned to receive up to 2 treatments of
      A-101 40%, A-101 32.5%, or vehicle solution applied to a single facial SK lesion.
      The primary efficacy assessment was the Physician's Lesion Assessment (PLA), a
      validated 4-ordinal scale. RESULTS: The primary end point, the mean reduction in
      PLA grade from baseline to Day 106 was 1.7 for A-101 40%, 1.4 for A-101 32.5%,
      and 0.1 for vehicle (p < .001, both concentrations vs vehicle). Lesions for 68%,
      62%, and 5% of subjects, respectively, were judged to be clear or near clear (p <
      .001, both concentrations vs vehicle). Local skin reactions were predominantly
      mild and transient. No subjects discontinued because of treatment-related adverse
      events. CONCLUSION: A-101 solution demonstrated efficacy in treating SKs on the
      face. Greater magnitude of effect was seen with the 40% concentration than the
      32.5% concentration. A-101 solution had a favorable safety and tolerability
      profile at both concentrations.

PMID- 28902029
TI  - Shave Versus Elliptical Biopsy for Melanoma Substantially Increases Re-excision
      Area and Length.

PMID- 28902030
TI  - Multimodal Approach for Treating Horizontal Neck Wrinkles Using Intensity Focused
      Ultrasound, Cohesive Polydensified Matrix Hyaluronic Acid, and
      IncobotulinumtoxinA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For the restoration of horizontal neck wrinkles, multimodal
      approaches using neuromodulators, intensity focused ultrasound (IFU), and fine
      line fillers are recommended. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a
      1-day, multimodal approach for horizontal neck wrinkles. METHODS: Twelve female
      patients with horizontal neck wrinkles were treated with a combined treatment of
      IFU, cohesive polydensified matrix hyaluronic acid (CPMHA), and
      incobotulinumtoxinA. Therapeutic outcomes were assessed on Day 0 and 1, 2, 3, and
      6 months thereafter. RESULTS: Horizontal neck wrinkles decreased significantly in
      length from a median at baseline of 269.75 mm (interquatile range [IQR], 235.35
      302.94 mm) to 91.5 mm (IQR, 51.4-108.61 mm) at 1 month, 92.3 mm (IQR, 69.66
      132.07 mm) at 2 months, 101.88 mm (IQR, 86-146.77 mm) at 3 months, and 109.48 mm
      (IQR, 85.06-148.17 mm) at 6 months after the combined treatment. The median
      global aesthetic improvement scale scores were 3.5 (IQR, 2-4) at 1 month, 3 (IQR,
      3-3.5) at 2 months, 3 (IQR, 2-4) at 3 months, and 3 (IQR, 3-3) at 6 months. Post
      treatment petechiae resolved completely within 7 days, and CPMHA-induced lumps
      disappeared within 1 month. CONCLUSION: The present data demonstrated that the
      multimodal, combined treatment used in the present study provides satisfactory
      and long-lasting therapeutic outcomes by targeting different pathogenetic factors
      of horizontal neck wrinkles.

PMID- 28902031
TI  - Commentary on The Nasal Tip Rotation Flap for Reconstruction of the Lateral Nasal
      Tip, Anterior Ala, and Soft Triangle.

PMID- 28902032
TI  - Repair of Defects of the Central Forehead With a Modified Banner Transposition
      Flap.

PMID- 28902033
TI  - Reactive Eccrine Syringofibroadenoma Associated With Basal Cell Carcinoma: A
      Histologic Mimicker of Fibroepithelioma of Pinkus.

PMID- 28902034
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of a Noninvasive 1,060-nm Diode Laser for Fat Reduction of
      the Flanks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preliminary reports indicate a hyperthermic diode laser treatment
      could be a safe and effective method for noninvasive fat reduction using the
      1,060-nm wavelength. This wavelength penetrates the skin to heat subcutaneous
      adipocytes causing cellular disruption, leaving extracellular lipids, and
      cellular debris to be evacuated naturally by the body. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
      safety and effectiveness of this modality for noninvasive fat reduction of the
      flanks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-nine subjects received single laser
      treatment to 1 flank. Ultrasound images were taken at baseline, follow-up at 6
      and 12 weeks after treatment. High-resolution photographs were taken at baseline
      and 12 weeks after treatment and then evaluated by independent reviewers. Adverse
      events recorded at all visits. Subjects completed a satisfaction questionnaire at
      the conclusion of the trial. RESULTS: Ultrasound images showed statistically
      significant (p < .001) average fat reduction of 2.6 +/- 1.1 mm. Reviewers
      correctly ordered photographs 90.3% of the time. Ninety-six percentage of
      subjects rated that they were satisfied. Noted side effects were transient mild
      to moderate tenderness which subsided within 1 to 3 weeks; no serious adverse
      events were reported. CONCLUSION: The hyperthermic 1,060-nm diode laser treatment
      used in this study was safe and effective for noninvasive fat reduction of the
      flank.

PMID- 28902035
TI  - Small-Particle Hyaluronic Acid Gel Treatment of Photoaged Hands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aging hands tend to lose subcutaneous volume resulting in prominence
      of the underlying vessels, tendons, and bone contributing to an aged appearance.
      Dermal fillers have been successfully used to improve the appearance of the aging
      dorsal hand. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a
      small-particle hyaluronic acid (SPHA) injectable gel for the treatment of
      photoaged volume loss of the hands. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an open-label,
      prospective, randomized, interventional, study. Twenty-five healthy female
      volunteer subjects aged 40 to 70 years with photoaged thinning of the hands
      received an injection of an SPHA gel to the dorsal aspect of 1 hand. Subjects
      were followed up for 6 months. The hands were evaluated at regular intervals
      according to a 5-point validated hand grading scale. RESULTS: The average hand
      grading scores demonstrated statistically significant improvement at all time
      points compared with baseline. Eighty-eight percent to 100% of subjects achieved
      improvement at 1 month after treatment, and 50% to 83% maintained at least 1
      point improvement at 6 months. There were no adverse events reported. CONCLUSION:
      The investigated SPHA is a safe and effective method for improving the thinned
      and photoaged appearance of the hands.

PMID- 28902036
TI  - Clinical and Histological Evaluations of Enlarged Facial Skin Pores After Low
      Energy Level Treatments With Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser in Korean Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enlarged facial pores can be an early manifestation of skin aging and
      they are a common aesthetic concern for Asians. However, studies of improving the
      appearance of enlarged pores have been limited. OBJECTIVE: The authors aimed to
      study the application of CO2 fractional laser treatment in patients with enlarged
      facial pores. METHODS: A total of 32 patients with dilated facial pores completed
      3 consecutive sessions of low energy level treatments with a fractional CO2 laser
      at 4-week intervals. Image analysis was performed to calculate the number of
      enlarged pores before each treatment session and 12 weeks after the final
      treatment. RESULTS: After application of laser treatments, there was a
      significant decrease in the number of enlarged pores. The mean number of enlarged
      pores was decreased by 28.8% after the second session and by 54.5% at post
      treatment evaluation. Post-treatment side effects were mild and transitory.
      Histological and immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated clear increases in the
      number of collagen fibers and the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1.
      CONCLUSION: The short-term results showed that treatment with low energy level
      CO2 fractional laser therapy could be a safe and effective option for patients
      with Fitzpatrick skin Types III and IV who are concerned with enlarged pores.

PMID- 28902037
TI  - Esophagojejunostomy With Linear Staplers in Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy:
      Experience With 168 Cases in 5 Consecutive Years.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluate surgical outcomes of intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy in
      laparoscopic total gastrectomy using 2 linear stapler methods. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The functional end-to-end anastomosis (FEEA) method was chosen as a
      first choice. The overlap method was chosen in cases with esophageal invasion. We
      retrospectively analyzed the early and late surgical outcomes of consecutive 168
      laparoscopic total gastrectomy cases from April 2011 to December 2016. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSIONS: The FEEA method was selected in 120 cases, and the overlap
      method was selected in 48 cases. The mean time of esophagojejunostomy for the
      FEEA and overlap method was 13.2 and 36.5 minutes, respectively. Two cases with
      FEEA method and 3 cases with overlap method experienced complications due to
      esophagojejunostomy leakage. These cases were treated without performing a
      reoperation. One case with FEEA method was complicated due to esophagojejunostomy
      stenosis. This case was endoscopically treated. Our procedures are safe and
      feasible.

PMID- 28902038
TI  - Removal of Hazardous Surgical Smoke Using a Built-in-Filter Trocar: A Study in
      Laparoscopic Rectal Resection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical smoke containing potentially carcinogenic and harmful
      materials is an inevitable consequence of surgical energy devices, and
      constitutes a substantial occupational hazard in the operating room. This study
      aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a built-in-filter trocar in eliminating
      hazardous surgical smoke during laparoscopic and robotic rectal surgery. METHODS:
      Ten patients who underwent rectal cancer resection were enrolled. Five patients
      underwent surgery utilizing a nonfiltered trocar, and the remaining 5 utilized a
      built-in-filter trocar. Gas samples were aspirated from the peritoneal cavity
      over 30 minutes of electrocauterization and collected in a Tedlar bag.
      Concentrations of surgical smoke were measured using ultraperformance liquid
      chromatography and gas chromatography. RESULTS: Eleven hazardous chemical
      compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, styrene, formaldehyde,
      acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, and
      valeraldehyde) were identified in the surgical smoke. With the built-in-filter
      trocar, removal rates of 69% for benzene (P=0.028), 72% for toluene (P=0.009),
      67% for butyraldehyde (P=0.047), 46% for ethylbenzene (P=0.092), 44% for xylene
      (P=0.086), 35% for styrene (P=0.106), 39% for formaldehyde (P=0.346), and 33% for
      propionaldehyde (P=0.316) were achieved. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the
      presence of harmful materials in surgical smoke. Evacuation of surgical smoke
      through a disposable built-in-filter trocar is a simple and effective way in
      reducing volatile organic compounds concentrations.

PMID- 28902039
TI  - Topical Mitomycin C Application Is Effective Even in Esophageal Strictures
      Resistant to Dilatation Therapy in Children.
AB  - PURPOSE: Several treatment techniques may be used in the treatment of esophageal
      strictures. The purpose of this study was to present the effects of topical
      mitomycin C (TMC) as an useful adjunct to dilatation therapy in esophageal
      strictures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who
      underwent TMC between February 2015 and July 2016 was performed. Dysphagia score,
      periodic dilatation index, and number of dilatations were compared before and
      after intervention to investigate the efficacy of TMC. RESULTS: TMC was performed
      on 20 patients with a median age of 3.5 years (2 to 17 y). The diagnosis was
      corrosive esophageal strictures in 14 patients, anastomotic strictures in 5
      patients, and congenital esophageal stricture in 1 patient. The length of the
      stricture was long in 10 patients (50%). The median dysphagia score decreased
      from 2 (1 to 3) to 0 (0 to 2) after application (P<0.001). The median number of
      dilatation sessions decreased from 5 (1 to 41) to 1 (0 to 11) after intervention
      (P<0.001). The median periodic dilatation index decreased from 1 (0.66 to 1.34)
      to 0 (0 to 1.33) after TMC (P<0.001). Regular esophageal dilatation was not
      necessary in 16 patients after application (80%). The length of the stricture did
      not affect the efficacy of TMC. The success of treatment was lower in patients
      with a long treatment period before TMC (>3 y) (50%). No complications were seen
      in a median follow-up period of 16 months (7 to 22 mo). CONCLUSIONS: TMC
      application has a significant positive effect as an adjunct to dilatation therapy
      in most of the patients with different types of esophageal strictures. It should
      be performed as a safe and efficient treatment option even in patients who were
      resistant to dilatation therapy.

PMID- 28902040
TI  - Long-term rifaximin therapy as a primary prevention of hepatorenal syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a severe complication of liver
      cirrhosis, with poor survival. Rifaximin is a gut-selective broad-spectrum
      antibiotic. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of rifaximin as a
      primary prevention of HRS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty patients with liver
      cirrhosis and ascites were enrolled. They were randomized into two groups:
      control (n=40) and rifaximin group (n=40). Baseline liver function tests, renal
      function tests, complete blood count, international normalized ratio, urine
      analysis, and abdominal ultrasonography were carried out. Rifaximin 550 mg was
      administered twice daily for 12 weeks. Renal functions were measured every 4
      weeks with monitoring of HRS occurrence and possible precipitating factor.
      RESULTS: Both groups were matched for age, sex, virology, serum bilirubin, serum
      albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, hemoglobin, white
      blood cells, platelets, international normalized ratio, potassium, and Child-Pugh
      score. In contrast to the rifaximin group, the control group showed statistically
      significant serial blood urea nitrogen (18.84+/-7.17, 19.85+/-6.10, 21.54+/-4.79,
      and 22.96+/-5.82 mg/dl; P=0.001) and serum creatinine (0.94+/-0.25, 1.02+/-0.24,
      1.12+/-0.16, and 1.21+/-0.17 mg/dl; P=0.001) levels. The overall blood urea
      nitrogen and serum creatinine change was statistically higher in the control
      group than the rifaximin group (20.8 vs. 18.24 mg/dl and 1.07 vs. 0.99 mg/dl,
      respectively). HRS developed more in the control group than the rifaximin group
      [9 (22.5%) vs. 2 (5%); P=0.048]. In both groups, HRS was precipitated by
      spontaneous bacterial peritonitis mainly and large volume paracentesis. The Child
      Pugh score, control group, baseline serum sodium, and creatinine were predictors
      of HRS. CONCLUSION: Rifaximin may be useful as a primary prevention of HRS.

PMID- 28902041
TI  - Switching from reference infliximab to CT-P13 in patients with inflammatory bowel
      disease: 12 months results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biological agents, such as infliximab, have transformed the outcomes
      of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. The advent of biosimilar
      treatment options such as CT-P13 promises to improve the availability of
      biological therapy, yet real-world switching data are currently limited. Here, we
      assess the effectiveness and safety of switching to CT-P13 from infliximab
      reference product (RP) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a prospective single-center observational study in patients
      with moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). All
      patients were switched from infliximab RP (Remicade) to CT-P13 treatment and
      followed up for up to 12 months. The efficacy endpoint was the change in clinical
      response assessed at 3-monthly intervals, according to the Harvey-Bradshaw score
      and partial Mayo score for patients with CD and UC, respectively. C-reactive
      protein (CRP) was also measured. Adverse events were monitored and recorded
      throughout the study. RESULTS: A total of 98 patients with inflammatory bowel
      disease (67 CD/31 UC) were included. A total of 83.6% (56/67) of patients with CD
      were in remission at the time of the switch and 62.7% were in remission at 12
      months. The Harvey-Bradshaw score showed a significant change at 12 months
      (P=0.007) but no significant change was observed in median CRP at this timepoint
      (P=0.364). A total of 80.6% (25/31) of patients with UC were in remission at the
      time of the switch and 65.3% (18/28) were in remission at 12 months. No
      significant changes in the median partial Mayo score (P=0.058) or CRP (P=0.329)
      were observed at 12 months. Serious adverse events related to medication were
      reported in 11 (11.2%) patients. CONCLUSION: Switching from infliximab RP to CT
      P13 is efficacious and well tolerated in patients with CD or UC for up to 12
      months.

PMID- 28902043
TI  - Need a Quick Ethics Refresher?

PMID- 28902042
TI  - Performance of a quick pregnancy test on whole blood in early pregnancy units: a
      prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic performance of the NG-Test human chorionic
      gonadotropin (hCG) WB, which is a new point-of-care (POC) hCG whole-blood test.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study included women consulted in early
      pregnancy units for vaginal bleeding and/or pelvic pain with unknown pregnancy
      status after medical consultation including a pelvic ultrasound scan. A new POC
      test (the NG-Test hCG WB) and the usual laboratory serum test (considered the
      gold standard) were performed in patients. The results were interpreted in a
      blinded manner. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and
      negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for the NG-Test hCG WB. RESULTS:
      During the study period, 200 patients were included. The pregnancy rate was 17%.
      For the laboratory test, with a 5 UI/l hCG positivity threshold, the sensitivity,
      specificity, PPV, NPV, and Youden index of the NG-Test hCG WB were 89.7, 100,
      100, 97.9, and 0.90%, respectively. Considering a 10 UI/l hCG positivity
      threshold, test sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and Youden index were 96.3,
      100, 100, 99.3, and 0.96%, respectively. False-negative cases were either
      extremely brief pregnancies or residual hCG after miscarriage. The result was
      obtained within 5 min with the NG-Test hCG WB versus 90+/-31 min with the
      laboratory test. It was easy to use. CONCLUSION: The NG-Test hCG WB showed a high
      sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV. Its use as triage in the case of a
      negative pelvic ultrasound exam is a potential strategy to improve patient flow,
      with an average time saving of 85 min.

PMID- 28902044
TI  - NCF @ Work.

PMID- 28902045
TI  - Etc.

PMID- 28902046
TI  - Human Personhood & Dignity.

PMID- 28902047
TI  - Nursing in the Church.

PMID- 28902048
TI  - Student TXT.

PMID- 28902049
TI  - Spiritual Alarm Fatigue.

PMID- 28902050
TI  - Faith and Ethics, Covenant and Code: The 2015 Revision of the ANA Code of Ethics
      for Nurses with Interpretive Statements.
AB  - How does and should the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses
      with Interpretive Statements, with foundations from the late 1800s, impact
      today's nursing practice? How can the Code help you? The earlier 2001 Code was
      revised and became effective January 2015. The nine provisions received modest
      revision, as did the corresponding interpretive statements. However, Provisions 8
      and 9 and their interpretive statements received more substantial revision. This
      article explains the Code and summarizes the 2015 revisions, considering points
      of particular interest for nurses of faith.

PMID- 28902051
TI  - Hypertension in the Faith Community: A Four-Week, Nurse Led, Diet/Exercise
      Intervention.
AB  - Inadequate blood pressure (BP) control in hypertension carries a major financial
      and public health burden. This study examined the efficacy of behavioral and
      lifestyle changes on BP control among African American adults, aged 55 years and
      older in a faith-based setting. The study was supported by clergy who helped to
      engage participants in interventions. Nurse-led diet and exercise teaching with
      BP monitoring led to lower BP readings over a 4-week intervention.

PMID- 28902052
TI  - Overcoming Education Failures and Retakes: A Spiritual Process.
AB  - The retention of students is a major challenge for nursing education programs.
      Although students who fail can often retake courses, negative internalities may
      occur. After a failure, students regularly present with emotional distress. A
      mental health practitioner, who is a nursing faculty member, is ideal to assist
      these students and offer support. The integration of spirituality as a coping
      mechanism for these students can serve as a protective factor.

PMID- 28902053
TI  - Welcome Day: A Community Interprofessional Model for Meeting the Needs of Migrant
      Workers.
AB  - Welcome Day, one specific day in the life of Hartville Migrant Ministry (HMM), a
      faith-based ministry in Ohio, illustrates the organization's vision, mission, and
      community collaboration. Migrant and seasonal farm workers, the Migrant Head
      Start program, HMM and Welcome Day, interprofessional collaboration, and Malone
      University School of Nursing faculty and students support are discussed. Programs
      and activities presented here could be reproduced in other communities.

PMID- 28902054
TI  - Ethical Issues with Genetic Testing for Tay-Sachs.
AB  - Several genetic disorders are specific to Jewish heritage; one of the most
      devastating is Tay-Sachs disease.Tay-Sachs is a fatal hereditary disease, causing
      progressive neurological problems for which there is no cure. Ethical issues
      surrounding genetic testing for Tay-Sachs within the Jewish community continue to
      be complex and multifaceted. A perspective of Tay-Sachs, using rights-based
      ethics and virtue ethics as a theoretical framework, is explored.

PMID- 28902055
TI  - Poetry, Art, and the Bible.

PMID- 28902056
TI  - What Are the Spiritual Needs Associated with Grief?

PMID- 28902057
TI  - Bullying Students Impacts Future Nurses.

PMID- 28902059
TI  - Resources.

PMID- 28902058
TI  - Right Time, Right Place.

PMID- 28902060
TI  - PulseBeats.

PMID- 28902061
TI  - Student Perspective Improves Spiritual Care Curriculum.
AB  - Spiritual nursing care is a fundamental aspect of care often unobserved during
      students' clinical experiences. A nursing student shares her disillusionment
      about the lack of spiritual care she observed during a clinical rotation. Her
      instructor used the negative experience to identify areas for curriculum
      improvement to develop and address the lack of spiritual nursing care education.

PMID- 28902062
TI  - African American Hemodialysis Patients' Perceptions of Faith and Nursing.
AB  - Numerous quantitative studies have been conducted with African Americans (AAs)
      receiving hemodialysis. This article shares a portion of a larger qualitative
      study that explored the role spirituality plays in the lives of AAs undergoing
      hemodialysis for management of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Interview
      questions centered on the roles of spirituality, health beliefs, and different
      social support systems used in coping. By understanding the perceptions of AAs
      with ESRD, nurses and other providers can offer better support.

PMID- 28902063
TI  - Faith and Ethics, Covenant and Code: The 2015 Revision of the ANA Code of Ethics
      for Nurses with Interpretive Statements.

PMID- 28902064
TI  - Hypertension in the Faith Community: A Four-Week, Nurse Led, Diet/Exercise
      Intervention.

PMID- 28902065
TI  - Relationship Between Unsupervised Time and Participation in an Emotion Regulation
      Intervention and Risk Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study is a secondary analysis of outcomes examining risk behavior
      in the context of the naturalistic occurrence of parental monitoring and
      participation in an emotion regulation intervention over a 12-month period.
      METHOD: Early adolescents with mental health symptoms (N=420), ages 12-14 years,
      were recruited and randomized into either an Emotional Regulation (ER) or Health
      Promotion (HP) condition. Assessments included adolescent self-report of
      unsupervised time, substance use and sexual behavior at baseline, 6-months, and
      one year post-intervention. Analytic groups were formed by intervention condition
      (ER or HP) and baseline reports of unsupervised time (<=1* per week or >1* per
      week of unsupervised time with opposite sex peers) resulting in a total of four
      groups. Logistic regression and time-to-event analyses were used to test
      differences in substance use and delay of sexual initiation between the groups.
      RESULTS: Participation in the ER intervention in the presence of low unsupervised
      time was superior in reducing both substance use and sexual initiation than
      either factor alone; and either factor alone was more effective than the absence
      of both. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that interventions targeting health risk
      behaviors, including substance use and sexual risk behavior, among early
      adolescents with mental health symptoms may be more effective when targeting both
      internal (e.g., emotional regulation) and external (e.g., unsupervised time spent
      with peers) protective factors. Limiting unsupervised time spent with peers
      through parental monitoring may serve to scaffold and reinforce early adolescent
      acquisition of effective emotion regulation which can be employed during
      emotionally arousing risk situations.

PMID- 28902066
TI  - Latent Class Analysis of ADHD Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Comorbidities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Many children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD) experience co-occurring neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, and
      those who do often exhibit higher levels of impairment than children with ADHD
      alone. This study provides a latent class analysis (LCA) approach to categorizing
      children with ADHD into comorbidity groups, evaluating condition expression and
      treatment patterns in each group. METHODS: Parent-reported data from a large
      probability-based national sample of children diagnosed with ADHD (2014 National
      Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome) were used
      for an LCA to identify groups of children with similar groupings of
      neurodevelopmental and psychiatric comorbidities among children with current ADHD
      (n = 2495). Differences between classes were compared using multivariate logistic
      regressions. RESULTS: LCA placed children who were indicated to have ADHD into 4
      classes: (low comorbidity [LCM] [64.5%], predominantly developmental disorders
      [PDD] [13.7%], predominantly internalizing disorders [PID] [18.5%], and high
      comorbidity [HCM] [3.3%]). Children belonging to the HCM class were most likely
      to have a combined ADHD subtype and the highest number of impaired domains.
      Children belonging to the PDD class were most likely to be receiving school
      services, whereas children in the PID class were more likely to be taking
      medication than those belonging to the LCM class who were least likely to receive
      psychosocial treatments. CONCLUSION: Latent classes based on co-occurring
      psychiatric conditions predicted use of varied treatments. These findings
      contribute to the characterization of the ADHD phenotype and may help clinicians
      identify how services could be best organized and coordinated in treating ADHD.

PMID- 28902067
TI  - Preventing Preschool Mental Health Problems: Population-Based Cluster Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prevention of child behavior problems may reduce later mental health
      problems. We compared the effectiveness, at the population level, of an
      efficacious targeted prevention program alone or following a universal parenting
      program. METHODS: Three-arm, cluster randomized controlled trial. One thousand
      three hundred fifty-three primary caregivers and healthy 8-month-old babies
      recruited from July 2010 to January 2011 from well-child centers (randomization
      unit). PRIMARY OUTCOME: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) externalizing and
      internalizing scales* at child ages 3 and 4.5 years. SECONDARY OUTCOMES:
      Parenting Behavior Checklist* and over-involved/protective parenting (primary
      caregiver report). Secondary caregivers completed starred measures at age 3.
      RESULTS: Retention was 76% and 77% at ages 3 and 4.5 years, respectively. At 3
      years, intention-to-treat analyses found no statistically significant differences
      (adjusted mean difference [95% confidence interval (CI); p-value]) for
      externalizing (targeted vs usual care -0.2 [-1.7 to 1.2; p = .76]; combined vs
      usual care 0.4 [-1.1 to 1.9; p = .60]) or internalizing behavior problems
      (targeted vs usual care 0.2 [-1.2 to 1.6; p = .76]; combined vs usual care 0.4 [
      1.1 to 2.0; p = .58]). Primary outcomes were similar at 4.5 years. At 3 years,
      primary and secondary caregivers reported less over-involved/protective parenting
      in both the combined and targeted versus usual care arm; secondary caregivers
      also reported less harsh discipline in the combined and targeted versus usual
      care arm. Mean program costs per family were A$218 (targeted arm) and A$682
      (combined arm). CONCLUSION: When translated to the population level by existing
      staff, pre-existing programs seemed ineffective in improving child behavior,
      alone or in combination, but improved parenting.

PMID- 28902068
TI  - Factors Affecting Suicide Method Lethality Among Suicide Attempters in the Korea
      National Suicide Survey.
AB  - This is the first national survey study in South Korea investigating the
      relationship between suicide lethality and the clinical information of suicide
      attempters. An interview questionnaire was used to assess their sociodemographic
      factors, medical and psychiatric information, and two suicide scales, the
      Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale and the Suicide Intent Scale. Suicide
      methods were categorized as low and high lethality; low lethality covered drug
      overdose or self-cutting behavior, and high lethality covered all other methods.
      High and low lethality suicide method groups were significantly different in
      demographic, medical, and psychiatric factors. The two scale score distributions
      differed significantly across two groups, and the difference was also valid for
      the subcategory analyses of the Suicide Intent Scale. Multiple factors such as
      older age, male sex, no previous psychiatric history, and previous suicide
      attempt, as well as high suicide intent by means of suicide scale, affect
      selection of suicide method of high lethality.

PMID- 28902069
TI  - Anti-Inflammatory Strategies in Intrahepatic Islet Transplantation: A Comparative
      Study in Preclinical Models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The identification of pathway(s) playing a pivotal role in
      peritransplant detrimental inflammatory events represents the crucial step toward
      a better management and outcome of pancreatic islet transplanted patients.
      Recently, we selected the CXCR1/2 inhibition as a relevant strategy in enhancing
      pancreatic islet survival after transplantation. METHODS: Here, the most
      clinically used anti-inflammatory compounds (IL1-receptor antagonist, steroids,
      and TNF-alpha inhibitor) alone or in combination with a CXCR1/2 inhibitor were
      evaluated in their ability to improve engraftment or delay graft rejection. To
      rule out bias related to transplantation site, we used well-established
      preclinical syngeneic (250 C57BL/6 equivalent islets in C57BL/6) and allogeneic
      (400 Balb/c equivalent islets in C57BL6) intrahepatic islet transplantation
      platforms. RESULTS: In mice, we confirmed that targeting the CXCR1/2 pathway is
      crucial in preserving islet function and improving engraftment. In the allogeneic
      setting, CXCR1/2 inhibitor alone could reduce the overall recruitment of
      transplant-induced leukocytes and significantly prolong the time to graft
      rejection both as a single agent and in combination with immunosuppression. No
      other anti-inflammatory compounds tested (IL1-receptor antagonist, steroids, and
      TNF-alpha inhibitor) alone or in combination with CXCR1/2 inhibitor improve islet
      engraftment and significantly delay graft rejection in the presence of MMF + FK
      506 immunosuppressive treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that only
      the CXCR1/2-mediated axis plays a crucial role in controlling the islet damage
      and should be a target for intervention to improve the efficiency of islet
      transplantation.

PMID- 28902070
TI  - Contending With Preplanned Death: Questions for Clinicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The goal of this column is to assist readers in
      reflecting on their attitudes and responses toward clinical and nonclinical
      situations involving preplanned deaths by decisionally capable individuals. Such
      circumstances range from encountering individuals in one's personal and
      professional lives who desire and intend to end their lives under their own
      terms, to having such individuals request assistance with predeath and postdeath
      arrangements. METHODS: Attending to pertinent literature, this essay uses
      Socratic inquiry to question conventional assumptions and attitudes, push
      readers' thoughts beyond typical comfort zones, and consider alternative modes of
      responding to challenges posed by preplanned death. RESULTS: Studies indicate
      that, for their own end-of-life circumstances, physicians would prefer a briefer,
      higher quality life to prolonged low-quality life, dignity in infirmity and
      death, and avoidance of terminal suffering. Lay people generally endorse similar
      preferences. Although contemporary society generally shuns contemplating
      preplanned death, cultural attitudes regarding preplanned death are rapidly
      evolving, and variations of "Death with Dignity" legislation have gained traction
      in increasing numbers of US states as well as internationally. As yet, no broad
      consensus exists as to how clinicians should manage circumstances involving
      preplanned death. CONCLUSIONS: Considerations regarding preplanned deaths merit
      greater professional and public discussion. Many options exist for improving how
      professionals address the quality of human experiences surrounding death.

PMID- 28902071
TI  - Importance of Risk Perception: Predictors of PrEP Acceptance Among Thai MSM and
      TG Women at a Community-Based Health Service.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV prevalence among Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) and
      transgender women (TG) are 9.15% and 11.8%, respectively, compared with 1.1% in
      the general population. To better understand early adopters of pre-exposure
      prophylaxis (PrEP) in Thailand, we analyzed biobehavioral and sociodemographic
      characteristics of PrEP-eligible MSM and TG. SETTING: Four Thai urban community
      clinics between October 2015 and February 2016. METHODS: Sociodemographics, HIV
      risk characteristics, and PrEP knowledge and attitudes were analyzed in
      association with PrEP initiation among eligible Thai MSM and TG. Adjusted
      analysis explored factors associated with PrEP acceptance. We then analyzed HIV
      risk perception, which was strongly associated with PrEP initiation. RESULTS: Of
      297 participants, 55% accepted PrEP (48% of MSM, 54% of TG). Perceived HIV risk
      levels were associated with PrEP acceptance [odds ratio (OR): 4.3; 95% confidence
      interval (95% CI): 1.5 to 12.2. OR: 6.3; 95% CI: 2.1 to 19.0. OR: 14.7; 95% CI:
      3.9 to 55.1; for minimal, moderate, and high perceived risks, respectively]. HIV
      risk perception was associated with previous HIV testing (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.4 to
      3.5); inconsistent condom use (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.9); amphetamine use in
      the past 6 months (OR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.1 to 8.6); and uncertainty in the sexually
      transmitted infection history (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.4 to 3.7). Approximately half
      of those who reported either inconsistent condom use (46%), multiple partners
      (50%), group sex (48%), or had baseline bacterial sexually transmitted infection
      (48%) perceived themselves as having no or mild HIV risk. CONCLUSIONS: HIV risk
      perception plays an important role in PrEP acceptance. Perception does not
      consistently reflect actual risk. It is therefore critical to assess a client's
      risk perception and provide education about HIV risk factors that will improve
      the accuracy of perceived HIV risk.

PMID- 28902072
TI  - HIV Transmission Dynamics Among Foreign-Born Persons in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the United States (US), foreign-born persons are
      disproportionately affected by HIV and differ epidemiologically from US-born
      persons with diagnosed HIV infection. Understanding HIV transmission dynamics
      among foreign-born persons is important to guide HIV prevention efforts for these
      populations. We conducted molecular transmission network analysis to describe HIV
      transmission dynamics among foreign-born persons with diagnosed HIV. METHODS:
      Using HIV-1 polymerase nucleotide sequences reported to the US National HIV
      Surveillance System for persons with diagnosed HIV infection during 2001-2013, we
      constructed a genetic distance-based transmission network using HIV-TRACE and
      examined the birth region of potential transmission partners in this network.
      RESULTS: Of 77,686 people, 12,064 (16%) were foreign born. Overall, 28% of
      foreign-born persons linked to at least one other person in the transmission
      network. Of potential transmission partners, 62% were born in the United States,
      31% were born in the same region as the foreign-born person, and 7% were born in
      another region of the world. Most transmission partners of male foreign-born
      persons (63%) were born in the United States, whereas most transmission partners
      of female foreign-borns (57%) were born in their same world region. DISCUSSION:
      These finding suggests that a majority of HIV infections among foreign-born
      persons in our network occurred after immigrating to the United States. Efforts
      to prevent HIV infection among foreign-born persons in the United States should
      include information of the transmission networks in which these individuals
      acquire or transmit HIV to develop more targeted HIV prevention interventions.

PMID- 28902073
TI  - Cryotherapy Reduces Progression of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 1 in
      South African HIV-Infected Women: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV-infected women are at an increased risk of cervical cancer,
      especially in resource-limited countries. Cervical cancer prevention strategies
      focus treating cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). The
      management of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) in HIV-infected
      women is unknown. SETTING: HIV treatment clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa.
      METHODS: We randomized HIV-infected women with histologic cervical LSIL to
      cervical cryotherapy vs. no treatment (standard of care). Cervical high-risk
      human papillomavirus testing (hrHPV) was performed at baseline. All women
      underwent cervical cytology and colposcopic biopsies 12 months after enrollment.
      The primary end point was HSIL on histology at month 12. Chi-square was used to
      compare arms. RESULTS: Overall, 220 HIV-infected women were randomized to
      cryotherapy (n = 112) or no treatment (n = 108). Median age was 38 years, 94%
      were receiving antiretroviral therapy; median CD4 was 499 cells per cubic
      millimeter, and 59% were hrHPV positive. Cryotherapy reduced progression to HSIL:
      2/99 (2%) in the cryotherapy arm and 15/103 (15%) in the no treatment arm
      developed HSIL, 86% reduction (95% confidence interval: 41% to 97%; P = 0.002).
      Among 17 HSIL end points, 16 were hrHPV+ at baseline. When restricting the
      analysis to hrHPV+ women, HSIL occurred in 2/61 (3%) in the cryotherapy arm vs.
      14/54 (26%) in the no treatment arm, 87% reduction (95% confidence interval: 47%
      to 97%; P = 0.0004). Participants in the cryotherapy arm experienced greater
      regression to normal histology and improved cytologic outcomes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Treatment of cervical LSIL with cryotherapy decreased progression to HSIL among
      HIV-infected women especially if hrHPV positive. These results support treatment
      of LSIL in human papillomavirus test-and-treat approaches for cervical cancer
      prevention in resource-constrained settings.

PMID- 28902075
TI  - Hypocalcemic Tetany After Transfusion of a Small Amount of Blood Product.

PMID- 28902074
TI  - Plasma Tenofovir Levels to Support Adherence to TDF/FTC Preexposure Prophylaxis
      for HIV Prevention in MSM in Los Angeles, California.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine preexposure prophylaxis
      (PrEP) is effective against HIV acquisition when taken as prescribed. Strategies
      that identify and intervene with those challenged by adherence to daily
      medication are needed. SETTING: PATH-PrEP was an open-label single-arm
      interventional cohort study conducted at 2 community-based clinical sites in Los
      Angeles, CA. METHODS: We enrolled self-identified men who have sex with men and
      transgender women >=18 years of age at an elevated risk of HIV acquisition.
      Participants received a postexposure prophylaxis (PEP)-based or PrEP-based HIV
      prevention package for at least 48 weeks. Plasma tenofovir levels from each PrEP
      visit assessed as below the limit of quantitation (<10 ng/mL) triggered increased
      adherence support. RESULTS: Three hundred one participants enrolled. Forty-eight
      week retention in the PrEP cohort was 75.1%. Biomarker evidence of PrEP adherence
      consistent with >=4 doses per week at weeks 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 was found in
      83.1%, 83.4%, 75.7%, 71.6%, and 65.5% of participants, respectively; younger and
      African American participants were less likely to have protective drug levels.
      Most of those with suboptimal adherence had adherence improvement after brief
      intervention. One seroconversion occurred in a participant who discontinued PrEP.
      Nearly half (46.4%) of participants were diagnosed with at least 1 incident
      sexually transmitted infection during 48 weeks of study follow-up. CONCLUSIONS
      AND RELEVANCE: PrEP was acceptable and well tolerated in a diverse population of
      men who have sex with men in Los Angeles. A brief intervention triggered from
      biomarkers of poor adherence was associated with improved adherence. Drug level
      monitoring has the potential to allow targeting of additional adherence support
      to those struggling with daily tablet adherence.

PMID- 28902076
TI  - Therapy-related Acute Leukemia With Mixed Phenotype and Novel t(1: 6)(q25;p23)
      After Treatment for High-risk Neuroblastoma.
AB  - Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial malignancy of childhood. Patients
      with high-risk disease receive multimodal treatment including chemotherapy
      combinations containing alkylating agents and topoisomerase inhibitors with
      potential for inducing therapy-related malignancy later in life. Most commonly,
      cytogenetic changes of pediatric therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome/acute
      myeloid leukemia involve chromosome 5 or 7. Here we report a novel case of
      therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia 30 months after
      treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma with biphenotypic cell surface markers and
      a not yet described translocation t(1;6)(q25;p23).

PMID- 28902077
TI  - Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndrome in a Child
      With Klinefelter Syndrome.

PMID- 28902078
TI  - Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Hyper-IgE Syndrome: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyper-immunoglobulin E syndrome (HIES) is a rare primary
      immunodeficiency disease characterized by recurrent infections and elevated
      levels of serum immunoglobulin E, usually over 2000 IU/mL. Recurrent and chronic
      infection of the epidermis and squamous epithelium may also be a cause of
      squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). SCC is rare with HIES. CASE REPORT: A 17-year-old
      male patient who was diagnosed as HIES was admitted with purulent right ear
      discharge. The patient had a history of eczema starting from the age of 7 months
      and a history of recurrent middle ear infection starting from the age of 5.
      Biopsy specimens were taken from the lesion in the external auditory canal, and
      the lesion was reported as SCC. CONSLUSION: Patients with autosomal recessive
      HIES are at an increased risk for infections and malignancies. SCC should be
      considered in the differential diagnosis of the patients presenting with
      recurrent middle ear infections and immunodeficiency.

PMID- 28902079
TI  - Concomitant Administration of High-dose Methotrexate and Low-dose Aspirin Without
      Any Delay in Methotrexate Clearance in a Patient With Osteosarcoma: A Case Report
      and Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methotrexate (MTX) is a commonly used agent in the treatment of
      oncology patients whose clearance depends on renal health maintaining glomerular
      filtration and tubular secretion. Thus concomitant use of other drugs that
      utilize the same mechanism of clearance are generally avoided as this may
      contribute to increased MTX-associated toxicity. OBSERVATION: Herein, we describe
      the use of low-dose aspirin with high-dose MTX in a patient with osteosarcoma.
      CONCLUSION: Concomitant aspirin use did not affect the clearance of high-dose MTX
      and the patient did not experience any MTX-related toxicity including mucositis
      or renal impairment.

PMID- 28902080
TI  - Cutaneous Melanoma in Association With Ichthyosis Vulgaris.

PMID- 28902081
TI  - Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time versus Anti-Factor Xa Levels for Monitoring
      Unfractionated Heparin Therapy in Children: An Institutional Experience.

PMID- 28902082
TI  - Contrast-enhanced 3-dimensional Fluid-attenuated Inversion Recovery Sequences
      Have Greater Sensitivity for Detection of Leptomeningeal Metastases in Pediatric
      Brain Tumors Compared With Conventional Spoiled Gradient Echo Sequences.
AB  - Postcontrast 3-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3D-FLAIR)
      sequences have reduced vascular and flow-related artifacts and high sensitivity
      to low gadolinium concentrations. We compared the performance of postcontrast
      spoiled gradient echo images to 3D-FLAIR in the detection of leptomeningeal
      metastases in 47 pediatric patients with brain tumors. We found 10 cases with
      more leptomeningeal signal abnormalities on 3D-FLAIR. Overall there were
      significantly more lesions on 3D-FLAIR than spoiled gradient echo sequences. We
      believe the increased detection of leptomeningeal signal abnormality is due to
      increased sensitivity for low concentrations of gadolinium in regions of early
      blood brain barrier breakdown. Our study was limited by the lack of
      leptomeningeal metastases in cerebrospinal fluid sampling. We plan to conduct
      future studies which will determine whether the time-based concentration of
      gadolinium affects the performance and results. Future studies will also require
      more cases of pathology-proven leptomeningeal disease.

PMID- 28902083
TI  - Nodular Lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma in a 15-Year-Old Boy With Li
      Fraumeni Syndrome Having a Germline TP53 D49H Mutation.
AB  - Germline mutations in TP53 are the primary cause of Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS).
      Most mutations are reported within the DNA-binding domain. We report a case of a
      15-year-old boy with LFS who developed early-stage nodular lymphocyte-predominant
      Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare subtype of Hodgkin lymphomas. His sister was diagnosed
      with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of 1.5 years. Sequence analysis
      revealed a germline mutation in the transactivation domain of TP53, c.145G>C
      (p.D49H), in the patient, his sister, and father. One family with LFS with a
      germline TP53 D49H mutation has previously been reported. This report supports
      the pathogenicity of this mutation.

PMID- 28902084
TI  - Children and Adolescent Hodgkin Lymphoma in Argentina: Long-term Results After
      Combined ABVD and Restricted Radiotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prospective analysis of clinical characteristics and long-term
      treatment results of a pediatric cohort with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated in a
      single institution with ABVD and restricted radiotherapy (RT). PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Between September 2000 and December 2015, 165 new consecutive assessable
      patients with HL were registered at our institution. Lymphocyte predominant
      nodular HL was excluded. Low risk (LR) patients were stage I and IIA (no bulky
      disease, <4 involved ganglionar areas and no lung hilar nodes), high risk (HR)
      was assigned to stage IV and any other stage with bulky mediastinum. The rest of
      the cohort was treated as intermediate risk (IR). Chemotherapy for LR and IR
      patients was 4 and 6 courses of ABVD regimen, respectively. These subsets
      received Low-dose involved field radiotherapy only in case of partial remission
      at the end of chemotherapy (21 Gy in initially involved areas, plus 14 Gy boost
      on residual disease). The HR group was treated with 6 courses of ABVD followed
      always with 21 Gy involved field radiotherapy if complete remission (CR) was
      achieved. A boost of 14 Gy was added to residual disease in case of partial
      remission. RESULTS: Median age was 10.6 years (range, 2.7 to 17 y). Males: 117
      (71%); females: 48 (29%). Eighteen (11%) patients were stage I, 76 (46%) stage
      II, 35 (21%) stage III, and 35 (21%) stage IV. Forty-nine (30%) patients were
      assigned to LR, 49 (30%) to IR, and 67 (40%) to HR. Forty-three patients (26%)
      had "bulky" mediastinum involvement. One hundred thirty (79%) patients achieved
      CR after chemotherapy and 161 (98%) after RT. Four patients (all HR), did not
      respond to initial therapy and died of disease. One patient died in first CR due
      to adenovirus infection on previously therapy-related damaged lungs. Seventeen
      (10%) patients relapsed and 13 of them remained in second CR after further
      therapy. Seventy-six (46%) patients could be spared from RT and cured of disease
      (88% of LR patients and 67% of IR patients). With a median follow-up of 5 years,
      event free and overall survival were 0.84 (SE: 0.03) and 0.95 (SE: 0.02),
      respectively. Overall survival according to risk group was 1 for LR, 0.93 for IR,
      and 0.85 for HR. Acute toxicity and late effects due to therapy were not
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: The strategy of avoiding RT for LR and IR patients that
      responded completely to ABVD chemotherapy achieved very good results. For the HR
      group, the combination of 6 cycles of ABVD and Low-dose involved field
      radiotherapy was efficacious with similar good results. Nearly half of the
      patients could be cured without RT.

PMID- 28902085
TI  - Proximal Screw Configuration Alters Peak Plate Strain Without Changing Construct
      Stiffness in Comminuted Supracondylar Femur Fractures.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Assess the effect of proximal screw configuration on the strain in
      lateral plating of a simulated comminuted supracondylar femur fracture. METHODS:
      Fractures were simulated in 12 synthetic femurs by removing a 200-mm section of
      bone, located 60 mm from the intercondylar fossa and repaired using a 16-hole
      locked lateral plate instrumented with 8 uniaxial strain gauges. Three proximal
      screw type configurations were evaluated: (1) 4 nonlocking screws, (2) 4 locking
      screws, and (3) a hybrid configuration of 2 nonlocking screws flanked by a
      locking screw at each end of the proximal fragment. Each screw type was compared
      for 2 working lengths (~90 and 160 mm). The longer working length was created by
      removing the proximal screw closest to the fracture gap. Testing consisted of a
      vertical load (500 N) applied to the head of femur. Configurations were compared
      using plate strain, construct stiffness, and fracture gap displacement as outcome
      measures. RESULTS: Plate strain immediately above the fracture gap was reduced
      with nonlocking screws compared with the other screw types. Plate strains were
      reduced around the fracture gap with the longer working length but increased for
      the nonlocking construct at the location of the removed screw. Construct
      stiffness was not altered by screw type or working length. An increase in
      fracture gap displacement was only evident in shear translation with the longer
      working length. CONCLUSIONS: Plate strain in lateral plating of supracondylar
      femur fractures is decreased using nonlocking screws proximal to the fracture.
      Increasing the working length reduces plate strains over the working length yet
      should be cautioned because of increased interfragmentary shear motion.

PMID- 28902086
TI  - Operative Stabilization of Flail Chest Injuries Reduces Mortality to That of
      Stable Chest Wall Injuries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, management and outcomes of patients with
      flail chest injuries, compared to patients without flail chest injuries (single
      rib fractures and multiple rib fractures without a flail segment). DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Ontario
      residents over the age of 16 years who had been admitted to hospital with a chest
      wall injury from 2004 to 2015 were identified using administrative health care
      databases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes included treatment modalities such
      as rate of surgical repair, days on mechanical ventilation, days in the intensive
      care unit, days in hospital, rate of chest tube placement; and rates of
      complication, including pneumonia, tracheostomy, readmission, and death. RESULTS:
      In total 117,204 patients with fractures of the chest wall were identified. Of
      the entire cohort, 1.5% of them had a flail chest injury, 41% had multiple rib
      fractures, and 58% had single rib fractures. Patients with flail chest injuries
      had significantly worse outcomes compared to patients with multiple rib fractures
      in all categories (P < 0.0001). Similarly, patients with multiple rib fractures
      had significantly worst outcomes compared with patients with single rib fractures
      (P < 0.0001). Only 4.5% of patients with flail chest injuries were treated
      surgically, however, the number increased from 1% before 2010 to 10% after 2010
      (P < 0.0001). After adjustment for potential confounders, patients with flail
      chest injuries treated surgically had a reduced risk of early mortality compared
      to those treated nonoperatively (OR 0.16, P = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical
      stabilization of flail chest injuries has increased significantly in recent
      years. The results of this study provide preliminary evidence that the increasing
      rate of surgical intervention may be warranted by reducing mortality. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete
      description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 28902087
TI  - Invited Commentary related to: Any Cortical Bridging Predicts Healing of
      Supracondylar Femur Fractures After Treatment With Locked Plating.

PMID- 28902088
TI  - Obesity Increases Risk of Loss of Reduction After Casting for Diaphyseal
      Fractures of the Radius and Ulna in Children: An Observational Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine if high body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of loss
      of reduction (LOR) following closed reduction and casting for displaced
      concomitant fractures of the radial and ulnar shafts in pediatric patients.
      DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A single, tertiary care, urban
      children's hospital. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Pediatric patients 2-18 years of age
      with closed, displaced, concomitant diaphyseal fractures of the radius and ulna
      (OTA/AO 22-A3) who underwent closed reduction and casting at the study site. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: BMI percentile of >=95 was defined as obese. For nonobese
      patients, BMI percentile of >=85 was defined as overweight. BMI percentile
      category, fracture angulation, sex, age, fracture location, and number of follow
      up visits were recorded. Radiographs and health records were reviewed to note
      clinical and radiographic cases of LOR. The primary outcome was LOR (clinical or
      radiographic). RESULTS: Overall, 124 subjects (74 male and 50 female subjects)
      underwent acceptable closed reduction and casting. Median patient age was 7.6
      years (range, 2.2-17.8 years). There were 14 cases of LOR. LOR rates were 7.2%,
      16.7%, and 44.4% for the nonoverweight, overweight, and obese cohorts,
      respectively (P = 0.005). Regression analysis revealed that LOR was positively
      associated with higher BMI category (odds ratio for overweight 4.49; P = 0.082;
      odds ratio for obese 7.52; P = 0.020) and patient age in years (odds ratio, 1.38;
      P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Given the high risk of LOR in overweight and obese
      children with displaced concomitant fractures of the radial and ulnar shafts, our
      findings suggest that attentive and frequent follow-up is warranted. In these
      patients, the initial reduction should be closely scrutinized, and a lower
      threshold for surgical fixation may be considered. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic
      Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of
      evidence.

PMID- 28902089
TI  - New Insights in Vanishing White Matter Disease: Isolated Bilateral Optic
      Neuropathy in Adult Onset Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vanishing white matter disease (VWMD) is a rare disease affecting
      cerebral white matter. The adult form is even rarer and manifests with motor
      symptoms, behavioral problems, and dementia. There is no treatment and
      progression is inevitable. We describe a case with atypical manifestations and an
      unusual course. METHODS: Description of a 42-year-old man with VWMD complaining
      of progressive visual loss in the right eye. RESULTS: The patient's visual acuity
      was 20/60, right eye, and 20/25, left eye, with pale optic nerves bilaterally.
      MRI showed atrophy of the corpus callosum, diffuse rarefaction of cerebral white
      matter including the anterior and posterior visual pathways. CONCLUSION: Our
      patient had no further symptoms besides loss of visual acuity, which is rare in
      patients with VWMD of the same age and genetic mutation.

PMID- 28902091
TI  - Neuropathic Pain as Potential Source of Feed-induced Dystonia in Children With
      Severe Central Nervous System Disorders.

PMID- 28902090
TI  - Endocrine Mucin-Producing Sweat Gland Carcinoma of the Eyelid Associated With
      Mucinous Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Endocrine mucin-producing sweat gland carcinoma, a rare, low-grade neoplasm with
      predilection for the eyelids, has been posited as a precursor to invasive
      mucinous adenocarcinoma. Endocrine mucin-producing sweat gland carcinoma and its
      concurrence with mucinous adenocarcinoma have received little attention in the
      ophthalmic literature. The combination of the 2 histologic patterns parallels
      endocrine ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast and its transition to Type B
      invasive mucinous carcinoma. The authors describe a 59-year-old man who developed
      a tumor of the right upper eyelid showing endocrine mucin-producing sweat gland
      carcinoma in the outer dermis and extensive mucinous carcinoma in the deeper
      tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis showed positivity for endocrine markers
      chromogranin, synaptophysin, CD56, estrogen, and progesterone in each histologic
      component of the tumor. This research was conducted in conformity with the
      Helsinki Declaration and HIPPA regulations.

PMID- 28902092
TI  - Drugs for Neuropathic Pain Are Promising in Treating Feed-induced Dystonia in
      Central Nervous System Disabled Children.

PMID- 28902093
TI  - Bile Acid Synthesis Disorders in Arabs: A 10-year Screening Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Early diagnosis of bile acid synthesis disorders (BASDs) is important
      because, untreated, these conditions can be fatal. Our objectives were to screen
      children with cholestasis or unexplained liver disease for BASD and in those with
      confirmed BASD to evaluate the effectiveness of cholic acid therapy. METHODS: A
      routine serum total bile acid measurement was performed on children with
      cholestasis, liver cirrhosis, and liver failure. Patients were screened for BASD
      by fast atom bombardment ionization-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) analysis of urine,
      and molecular analysis confirmed diagnosis. Treatment response to oral cholic
      acid (10-15 mg/kg bw/day) was assessed from liver function tests and fat-soluble
      vitamin levels. FAB-MS analysis of urine was used to monitor compliance and
      biochemical response. RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2016, 626 patients were
      evaluated; 450 with infantile cholestasis. Fifteen cases of BASD were diagnosed:
      12 presented with infantile cholestasis (2.7%, 7 boys), an 8-year-old boy
      presented with cirrhosis, and two 18-month-old boys presented with hepatomegaly
      and rickets. Eleven were caused by 3beta-hydroxy-Delta-C27-steroid oxidoreductase
      dehydrogenase deficiency, 3 from Delta-3-oxosteroid 5beta-reductase deficiency,
      and 1 had Zellweger spectrum disorder. In all but 1, serum total bile acids were
      normal or low. With cholic acid therapy, 10 are alive and healthy with their
      native liver. Liver failure developed in 3 infants despite therapy; 2 died and 1
      underwent liver transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: BASDs are rare but treatable causes
      of metabolic liver disease in Saudi Arabia. BASD should be considered in infants
      with cholestasis and low or normal serum total bile acid concentrations.

PMID- 28902095
TI  - DETECTION OF TREATMENT-NAIVE CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR
      DEGENERATION BY SWEPT SOURCE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the detection rate of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in
      treatment-naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration by swept source
      optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA, Topcon's DRI Triton) working
      at 1,050 nm wavelength versus fluorescence angiography. METHODS: Cross-sectional
      analysis of 156 eyes (107 neovascular age-related macular degeneration and 49 dry
      AMD) in 98 patients, previously diagnosed by multimodal imaging using fluorescein
      (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (Heidelberg's Spectralis) in a tertiary
      retina center, evaluated by SS-OCTA 4.5 mm * 4.5 mm and 6 mm * 6 mm macular
      cubes. Main outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity of SS-OCTA in AMD.
      Potential factors influencing CNV detection rate were analyzed. RESULTS: Swept
      source optical coherence tomography angiography detected CNV in 81 of 107 eyes,
      resulting in a sensitivity of 75.7%. In 49 eyes with dry AMD, no CNV could be
      identified (specificity 100%). A statistical significance was calculated for
      nondetection of treatment-naive CNV by SS-OCTA in pigment epithelial detachment
      over 400 MUm (P = 0.0238). CONCLUSION: Topcon's SS-OCTA was not able to detect
      all CNV lesions. Large pigment epithelial detachments were associated with signal
      loss. Fluorescence angiography still remains the gold standard, but the tested SS
      OCTA device can be considered as a feasible additional diagnostic tool in AMD.

PMID- 28902094
TI  - Reference values for fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose and fluorine-18-sodium
      fluoride uptake in human arteries: a prospective evaluation of 89 healthy adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Reference values of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) and
      fluorine-18-sodium fluoride (F-NaF) uptake in human arteries are unknown. The aim
      of this study was to determine age-specific and sex-specific reference values of
      arterial F-FDG and F-NaF uptake. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Uptake of F-FDG and F
      NaF was determined in the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and descending thoracic
      aorta. In addition, F-FDG uptake was determined in the carotid arteries and F-NaF
      uptake was determined in the coronary arteries. Arterial F-FDG and F-NaF uptake
      were quantified as the blood pool subtracted maximum activity concentration in
      kBq/ml (BS F-FDGmax and BS F-NaFmax, respectively). In addition to determining
      reference values, we evaluated the influence of age and sex on BS F-FDGmax and BS
      F-NaFmax. RESULTS: Arterial F-FDG and F-NaF uptake was assessed in 89 healthy
      adults aged 21-75 years (mean age: 44+/-14 years, 53% men). Both BS F-FDGmax and
      BS F-NaFmax increased with age. BS F-FDGmax increased with age in the descending
      aorta (beta=0.28; P=0.003), whereas BS F-NaFmax increased with age in the
      ascending aorta (beta=0.18; P<0.001), aortic arch (beta=0.19; P=0.006),
      descending aorta (beta=0.33; P<0.001), and coronary arteries (beta=0.20;
      P=0.009), respectively. BS F-FDGmax and BS F-NaFmax were not influenced by sex,
      except for BS F-FDGmax in the ascending aorta. CONCLUSION: Prospective evaluation
      of 89 healthy adults generated age-specific and sex-specific reference values of
      arterial F-FDG and F-NaF uptake. Our findings indicate that arterial F-FDG and F
      NaF uptake tend to increase with age.

PMID- 28902096
TI  - ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL RETINAL LAYER THICKNESSES AND DIABETIC PERIPHERAL
      NEUROPATHY USING RETINAL LAYER SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical correlations between the thicknesses of individual
      retinal layers in the foveal area of diabetic patients and the presence of
      diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). METHODS: This retrospective, observational,
      cross-sectional study enrolled a total of 120 eyes from 120 patients. The eyes
      were divided into 3 groups: normal controls (n = 42 eyes), patients with diabetes
      mellitus (n = 42 eyes) but no DPN, and patients with diabetes mellitus and DPN (n
      = 36 eyes). The primary outcome measures were the thickness of all retinal layers
      in the central 1-mm zone measured using the segmentation analysis of spectral
      domain optical coherence tomography. Correlations between the thicknesses of the
      individual retinal layers and the presence of DPN were also analyzed. Logistic
      regression analyses were used to determine which change in layer thickness had
      the most significant association with the presence of DPN. RESULTS: The mean
      thicknesses and the ratios of retinal nerve fiber layers to total retina
      thicknesses in the DPN group were 10.77 +/- 1.79 MUm and 4.10 +/- 0.55%, which
      was significantly lower than those in normal controls and the diabetes mellitus
      with no DPN group (P = 0.014 and P = 0.001, respectively). Logistic regression
      analyses also showed that the decrease in thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber
      layers and the inner nuclear layer are significant factors for predicting a
      higher risk for DPN development (odds ratio = 7.407 and 1.757; P < 0.001 and P =
      0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: A decrease in the retinal nerve fiber layer and
      the inner nuclear layer thickness was significantly associated with the presence
      of DPN.

PMID- 28902097
TI  - RETINAL MICROVASCULATURE AND VISUAL ACUITY AFTER INTRAVITREAL AFLIBERCEPT IN EYES
      WITH CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
      Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate vascular perfusion and foveal avascular zone area in the
      superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) after
      intravitreal aflibercept therapy in central retinal vein occlusion eyes and their
      association with best-corrected visual acuity. METHODS: Thirty-five subjects with
      central retinal vein occlusion and macular edema were evaluated. After macular
      edema resolution following intravitreal aflibercept, subjects underwent optical
      coherence tomography angiography to measure SCP and DCP perfusion and the foveal
      avascular zone within a 3 * 3-mm area. Correlations between best-corrected visual
      acuity and optical coherence tomography angiography measurements were examined.
      RESULTS: After intravitreal aflibercept therapy, mean retinal vascular area was
      3.41 +/- 0.74 mm in the SCP and 3.25 +/- 0.91 mm in the DCP. Foveal avascular
      zone area was 1.03 +/- 1.04 mm in the SCP and 1.78 +/- 1.73 mm in the DCP.
      Improved best-corrected visual acuity was significantly associated with better
      SCP and DCP perfusion (both P < 0.001) and with smaller SCP and DCP foveal
      avascular zone areas (both P < 0.001). Additionally, SCP and DCP perfusion were
      negatively correlated with macular edema before treatment (P < 0.05) and ischemia
      (determined via pretreatment fluorescein angiography, P < 0.05), and positively
      correlated with photoreceptor integrity (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with
      better retinal perfusion and less retinal ischemia are associated with better
      visual outcomes after aflibercept in eyes with central retinal vein occlusion.

PMID- 28902100
TI  - Point of View.

PMID- 28902098
TI  - Repair of the Thumb Ulnar Collateral Ligament With Suture Tape Augmentation.
AB  - One of the most commonly injured structures of the thumb metacarpophalangeal
      (MCP) joint is the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). An acute injury of this
      ligament is often amenable to primary repair. Despite the favorable outcomes of
      primary repair, the thumb is often restricted during initial healing of the
      ligament with immobilization and delayed rehabilitation. We present a novel
      technique to augment the repair of the UCL with suture tape to provide immediate
      biomechanical support and strength during the critical time of ligament healing.
      We describe the surgical technique of suture tape augmentation for thumb UCL
      repair. At the ulnar aspect of the thumb MCP joint, a longitudinal midaxial
      incision is made. Subsequently, the adductor pollicis aponeurosis and extensor
      mechanism are identified, incised, and retracted. The UCL is exposed and usually
      torn off the volar-ulnar base of the proximal phalanx. A 2.5-mm PushLock anchor
      loaded with 1.3-mm SutureTape and 3-0 FiberWire suture, is placed into a hole at
      the volar-ulnar base of the proximal phalanx after preparation with a 1.8-mm
      drill bit. The 3-0 FiberWire is used for direct repair of the ligament. Both
      tails of the 1.3-mm SutureTape is then brought proximally over the ligament and
      loaded into a 3.5-mm SwiveLock anchor. A 3.2-mm drill bit is then used to make a
      hole at the ulnar aspect of the metacarpal head, just proximal to the attachment
      of the proximal UCL. With the thumb MCP joint held in at least 30 degrees of
      flexion, the tape-loaded 3.5-mm SwiveLock anchor is inserted into metacarpal
      head. Reinforcement of the repair is then carried out with fine absorbable suture
      to surrounding capsular tissue. We present a representative case of a
      professional basketball player treated with this novel procedure. After the
      surgical repair, the patient was placed in a plaster splint for 3 days to
      immobilize the thumb and wrist. At 3 days postsurgery, the splint was removed and
      therapy initiated. Practice drills were initiated at 1 week postsurgery with the
      use of a removable hand-based thumb spica custom splint. During the entire
      postoperative period, the left thumb MCP joint had excellent stability to radial
      stress at full extension and 30 degrees of flexion. In addition, at 3 weeks
      postsurgery, the patient was able to oppose the thumb tip to the palmar-digital
      crease of the small finger and MCP joint motion was 0 to 50 degrees. The patient
      began strengthening exercises at this time, along with the ability to participate
      in all position-specific drills. At 5 weeks postsurgery, the patient was cleared
      to return to full play, without use of a splint. At 37 days postsurgery, the
      patient returned to competitive play. During competitive play, the player
      completed the entire remaining season of 25 games as well as extended competition
      into the playoffs of 7 games without further incident or time missed. At the
      latest follow-up, the patient is 6 months postprocedure and continues to remain
      asymptomatic with full participation in playing sports. During the critical time
      of ligament healing, the UCL repair can be enhanced with synthetic material to
      obviate the need for prolonged postoperative immobilization. We offer a novel
      surgical technique that enhances primary repair of the thumb UCL through appended
      biomechanical support. Under these circumstances, with structural support
      augmentation, the recovery and rehabilitation process can be expedited for
      patients to allow an earlier return to activities.

PMID- 28902101
TI  - Early Ambulation Decreases Length of Hospital Stay, Perioperative Complications
      and Improves Functional Outcomes in Elderly Patients Undergoing Surgery for
      Correction of Adult Degenerative Scoliosis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Ambispective cohort review. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of
      early mobilization on patient outcomes, complications profile, and 30-day
      readmission rates. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Prolonged immobilization after
      surgery can result in functional decline and an increased risk of hospital
      associated complications. METHODS: We conducted an ambispective study of 125
      elderly patients (>65 years) undergoing elective spinal surgery for correction of
      adult degenerative scoliosis. We identified all unplanned readmissions within 30
      days of discharge. Unplanned readmissions were defined to have occurred as a
      result of either a surgical or a nonsurgical complication. "Days of immobility"
      was defined as the number of days until a patient moved out of bed beyond a
      chair. Patients in the top and bottom quartiles were dichotomized into "early
      ambulators" and "late ambulators", respectively. Early ambulators were ambulatory
      within 24 hours of surgery, whereas late ambulators were ambulatory at a minimum
      of 48 hours after surgery. Complication rates, duration of hospital stay, and 30
      day readmission rates were compared between early ambulators and late ambulators.
      RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar between both cohorts. Compared
      with patients with a longer duration of immobility (i.e., late ambulators), the
      prevalence of at least one perioperative complication was significantly lower in
      the early ambulators cohort (30% vs. 54%, P = 0.06). The length of inhospital
      stay was 34% shorter in the early ambulators cohort (5.33 days vs. 8.11 days, P =
      0.01). Functional independence was superior in the early ambulators cohort, with
      the majority of patients discharged directly home after surgery compared with
      late ambulators (71.2% vs. 22.0%, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Early ambulation after
      surgery significantly reduces the incidence of perioperative complications,
      shortens duration of inhospital stay, and contributes to improved perioperative
      functional status in elderly patients. Even a delay of 24 hours to ambulation is
      associated with higher complication rates and inferior functional outcomes. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28902102
TI  - Post-traumatic Spinal Hygroma Causing Cord Compression in Type III Odontoid
      Fracture With Vertical Atlantoaxial Instability.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To report the first case in the literature
      of a traumatic cervical spine subdural cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection
      (hygroma) under tension causing cord compression. We suggest etiopathogenesis and
      modality of treatment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Hygromas are subdural cranial
      CSF collection. A literature review showed no previous published case of post
      traumatic spinal hygroma. This was a potential life-threatening sequelae of a
      high cervical injury that warranted early diagnosis and emergency treatment.
      METHODS: We present a case of a young adult who sustained a traumatic vertical
      atlantoaxial dislocation associated with a type III odontoid fracture. He was
      initially scored C6 ASIA D. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated cord
      contusion at the craniocervical junction and a small fluid collection anterior to
      the cervical cord. On day 5 after his injury he developed complete paraplegia and
      priapism. An urgent MRI of his spine revealed expansion of the intraspinal fluid
      collection with distortion of the cord. He was treated with an emergency surgical
      decompression. The cervical fluid collection was found to be subdural extra
      arachnoidal CSF. A subdural-pleural shunt was inserted. The atlantoaxial injury
      was reduced and fixed with posterior instrumentation. RESULTS: At 1 year from the
      injury the patient was independent and fully ambulant. MRI and computed
      tomography images of his spine demonstrated complete resolution of the cervical
      hygroma, appropriate placement of the cervical-pleural shunt, and stability of
      the atlantoaxial injury. CONCLUSION: We describe a unique case of post-traumatic
      spinal hygroma causing cord compression in a patient with an unstable
      craniocervical injury. The early recognition and correction of this dangerous
      complication is of paramount importance to savage cord function. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 5.

PMID- 28902103
TI  - TO THE EDITOR.

PMID- 28902105
TI  - Clinical Effectiveness of Intra-articular Pulsed Radiofrequency Compared to Intra
      articular Corticosteroid Injection for Management of Atlanto-occipital Joint
      Pain: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A prospective randomized controlled pilot study. OBJECTIVE: We
      aimed to assess the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) stimulation on
      the atlanto-occipital (AO) joint in patients with chronic joint pain. In
      addition, we compared the effects of AO intra-articular (IA) PRF and AO IA
      corticosteroid. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: IA injection of corticosteroids into
      the AO joint is widely used for the management of head and upper cervical pain,
      and its effectiveness has been shown in previous studies. However, little is
      known about the effect of PRF stimulation on the AO joint for controlling chronic
      head or upper cervical pain. METHODS: Twenty-three consecutive patients with
      chronic upper cervical pain were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria and
      divided into one of two groups. Twelve patients received PRF stimulation with a
      PRF needle electrode in the IA space of the AO joint (PRF group) and 11 patients
      received AO IA corticosteroid injection (ICI group. Pain intensity was assessed
      using a numeric rating scale (NRS) before treatment and 1, 3, and 6 months
      afterward. Successful pain relief was defined as >=50% reduction in NRS score 6
      months post-treatment compared to pretreatment. RESULTS: Mean NRS scores were
      significantly reduced compared to those pretreatment (P < 0.001) in both groups.
      Temporal changes in NRS score were not significantly different between groups (P
      = 0.227). Successful pain relief was achieved in 66.7% and 63.6% of patients in
      the PRF and ICI groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: IA PRF stimulation
      significantly relieved AO joint pain and its effect persisted for at least 6
      months after treatment. In addition, the degree of pain relief after IA PRF was
      not significantly different from that after ICI. We think that PRF stimulation of
      the AO joint could be a useful clinical treatment for patients with AO joint
      pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2.

PMID- 28902104
TI  - A Replication Study for the Association of rs11190870 With Curve Severity in
      Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in Japanese.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case-only study. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to confirm
      the association of rs11190870 with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) severity
      in Japanese patients with AIS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although the
      association of rs11190870 with AIS susceptibility is replicated in multiple
      ethnics, the association of rs11190870 with curve severity is controversial.
      Since the previous studies are of small, we performed a replication study using
      far larger number of patients than previous studies. METHODS: A total of 1860
      Japanese patients with AIS who had reached skeletal maturity or undergone
      surgical fusion were included in the study. We evaluated the association between
      rs11190870 and AIS progression for the entire group, and then for patients
      grouped according to a severe curve (a Cobb angle of >=40 degrees ) or mild curve
      (a Cobb angle <30 degrees ). Because braces could affect the results of the
      present study, patients in the mild-curve group were divided according to whether
      or not they had worn a brace. We then evaluated associations between rs11190870
      genotype and curve severity in these groups. RESULTS: The mean Cobb angles were
      54.8 degrees  +/- 12.1 degrees  in the severe-curve group and 24.4 degrees  +/-
      4.0 degrees  in the mild-curve group. The difference in rs11190870 risk-allele
      frequency between the severe- and mild-curve groups was evaluated. No significant
      differences were observed. We then examined the association of rs11190870 risk
      allele frequency between patients in the mild- and severe-curve groups using the
      chi test for three models, and found a marginal association between rs11190870
      and curve severity in the dominant model (P = 0.035, odds ratio = 1.51).
      CONCLUSION: We found no association between rs11190870 and curve severity using
      the criteria of previous study. However, we found a marginal association between
      rs11190870 and curve severity. Large-scale replication studies that consider
      skeletal maturity and brace history, including replication studies in other
      ethnic groups, would be helpful for clarifying the association. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28902106
TI  - Fine-tuning the Predictive Model for Proximal Junctional Failure in Surgically
      Treated Patients With Adult Spinal Deformity.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: To validate and improve
      the predictive model for proximal junctional failure (PJF) with or without the
      bone mineral density (BMD) score. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: PJF is a serious
      complication of surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD). A predictive model for
      PJF was recently reported that has good accuracy, but does not include BMD, a
      known PJF risk factor, as a variable. METHODS: We included 145 surgically treated
      ASD patients who were older than 50 at the time of surgery and had been followed
      up for at least 2 years. Variables included age, sex, body mass index (BMI),
      fusion level, upper and lower instrumented vertebral (UIV and LIV) level, primary
      or revision surgery, pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO), Schwab-SRS type, and
      BMD. PJF was defined as a >= 20 degrees  increase from baseline (immediately
      postoperative) of the proximal junctional angle with concomitant deterioration of
      at least 1 SRS-Schwab sagittal modifier grade, or any proximal junctional
      kyphosis requiring revision. Decision-making trees were constructed using the
      C5.0 algorithm with 10 different bootstrapped models, and validated by a 7:3 data
      split for training and testing; 112 patients were categorized as training and 33
      as testing samples. RESULTS: PJF incidence was 20% in the training samples.
      Univariate analyses showed that BMD, BMI, pelvic tilt (PT), UIV level, and LIV
      level were PJF risk factors. Our predictive model was 100% accurate in the
      testing samples with an AUC of 1.0, indicating excellent fit. The best predictors
      were (strongest to weakest): PT, BMD, LIV level (pelvis), UIV level (lower
      thoracic), PSO, global alignment, BMI, pelvic incidence minus lumbar lordosis,
      and age. CONCLUSION: A successful model was developed for predicting PJF that
      included BMD. Our model could inform physicians about patients with a high risk
      of developing PJF in the perioperative period. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28902107
TI  - Reliability of the maximal resisted sprint load test and relationships with
      performance measures and anthropometric profile in female field sport athletes.
AB  - Resisted sled sprint (RSS) training is an effective modality for the improvement
      of linear sprint speed. Previous methods of RSS load prescription e.g. an
      absolute load or as a percentage of body mass (%BM), do not account for inter
      individual differences in strength, power or speed characteristics, although the
      'maximum resisted sled load' (MRSL) method of RSS load prescription may provide a
      solution. MRSL is defined as the final RSS load before an athlete can no longer
      accelerate between two phases (10-15 m and 15-20 m) of a 20 m linear sprint.
      However, the MRSL test has not been analysed for reliability. Additionally, MRSL
      performance has not been compared to the outcome of other performance tests. The
      primary aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of the MRSL testing
      protocol in female field sport athletes. Participants (age, 20.8 +/- 1.9 y; body
      mass, 64.3 +/- 8.4 kg; height, 1.66 +/- 0.65 m) tested for anthropometric
      measurements, strength and power performance testing and twice for MRSL. MRSL
      values ranged from 20.7 to 58.9%BM. MRSL test-retest reliability intraclass
      correlation coefficient, confidence intervals and coefficient of variations were
      0.95, 0.85-0.98 and 7.6%, respectively. MRSL was 'moderately' and 'strongly'
      correlated with a number of anthropometric and performance tests (p < 0.05)
      including % fat free mass, countermovement jump, loaded countermovement jump,
      rate of force development, horizontal jump and horizontal bound performance. MRSL
      is a reliable measure for determining the RSS load at which an individual can no
      longer accelerate during a single RSS effort over 0-20 m. MRSL also accounts for
      inter-individual variation in body composition, power and speed characteristics
      of female field sport players.

PMID- 28902108
TI  - Effects of Two Different Self-Adapted Occlusal Splints on Electromyographic and
      Force Parameters During Elbow Flexors Isometric Contraction.
AB  - Limonta, E, Arienti, C, Rampichini, S, Venturelli, M, Ce, E, Veicsteinas, A, and
      Esposito, F. Effects of two different self-adapted occlusal splints on
      electromyographic and force parameters during elbow flexors isometric
      contraction. J Strength Cond Res 32(1): 230-236, 2018-The study was aimed at
      determining the acute effects of 2 types of occlusal splints on maximum isometric
      strength and fatigue of the elbow flexors muscles. The hypothesis was that splint
      induced masticatory muscle repositioning might improve primary muscles
      recruitment by stretching masticatory muscles especially with the thicker splint.
      On 9 physically active volunteers with no temporomandibular joint and masticatory
      muscles disorders, we assessed maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the elbow
      flexors with diurnal (OSD, 1-mm thick) and sport (OSSP, 3-mm thick) splints, and
      without splint (control, Ctrl). On different days, participants performed 60
      seconds of isometric contraction at 100% MVC (100%60s) and 80% MVC contraction
      until exhaustion (80%exh) under OSD, OSSP, and Ctrl in random order. Time of
      force output within target (t-target), force distance from target (DeltaF), and
      force coefficient of variation were calculated. Percentage of force decay
      (DeltaFi-Fe) was determined during 100%60s. From the electromyographic (EMG)
      signal, root mean square (EMG RMS) and mean frequency (EMG MF) were determined.
      Neuromuscular efficiency (NE) was calculated as the ratio between force and EMG
      RMS. MVC contraction and NE were significantly higher in OSSP and OSD than in
      Ctrl. During MVC, EMG MF was significantly lower in both splint conditions, and
      EMG RMS showed a nonstatistical tendency to lower values under both splint
      conditions. During 80%exh, t-target was longer in OSD and OSSP (+7.8% and +5.2%,
      respectively) than in Ctrl. DeltaFi-Fe was lower in OSSP than in Ctrl and OSD.
      These results support the hypothesis of a NE improvement of the elbow flexors
      possibly induced by acute, splint-induced masticatory muscles repositioning.

PMID- 28902109
TI  - Validity And Reliability Of The Stages Cycling Power Meter.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the validity and the reliability of the
      Stages power meter crank system (Boulder, United States) during several
      laboratory cycling tasks. METHODS: Eleven trained participants completed
      laboratory cycling trials on an indoor cycle fitted with SRM Professional and
      Stages systems. The trials consisted of an incremental test at 100W, 200W, 300W,
      400W and four 7s sprints. The level of pedaling asymmetry was determined for each
      cycling intensity during a similar protocol completed on a Lode Excalibur Sport
      ergometer. The reliability of Stages and SRM power meters was compared by
      repeating the incremental test during a test-retest protocol on a Cyclus 2
      ergometer. RESULTS: Over power ranges of 100-1250W the Stages system produced
      trivial to small differences compared to the SRM (standardized typical error
      values of 0.06, 0.24 and 0.08 for the incremental, sprint and combined trials,
      respectively). A large correlation was reported between the difference in power
      output (PO) between the two systems and the level of pedaling asymmetry (r=0.58,
      p < 0.001). Recalculating PO of the Stages system according to the level of
      pedaling asymmetry provided only marginal improvements in PO measures. The
      reliability of the Stages power meter at the sub-maximal intensities was similar
      to the SRM Professional model (coefficient of variation: 2.1 and 1.3% for Stages
      and SRM, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The Stages system is a suitable device for
      PO measurements, except when a typical error of measurement <3.0% over power
      ranges of 100-1250W is expected.

PMID- 28902110
TI  - Asymmetries of Maximum Trunk, Hand, and Leg Strength in Comparison to Volleyball
      and Fitness Athletes.
AB  - Mattes, K, Wollesen, B, and Manzer, S. Asymmetries of maximum trunk, hand, and
      leg strength in comparison to volleyball and fitness athletes. J Strength Cond
      Res 32(1): 57-65, 2018-Playing volleyball and corresponding training loads lead
      to specific strains and might result in asymmetric muscle pattern. The study
      aimed to identify volleyball-specific maximum bilateral strength asymmetries in
      comparison to fitness athletes. The cross-sectional study design compared an age
      matched male volleyball group (n = 23; 27.9 +/- 5 years) with a fitness group (n
      = 30; 26.3 +/- 3 years). The participants performed an isometric maximum handgrip
      strength test followed by 2 isokinetic concentric maximum strength tests to
      determine the performance capacity of the axial trunk rotators (left-right) and
      bilateral leg extensors. Differences between groups and left-right side (within
      group) were proven by variance analysis with repeated measurements. There was a
      left-right difference with higher maximum forces for the rotation in the right
      direction in the volleyball group (p = 0.0058) but the group interaction effect
      was not significant after alpha error accumulation. The results of the leg press
      indicated a stronger left leg in the fitness group (nonsignificant) in comparison
      to the volleyball group. Overall, the volleyball group displayed symmetry in
      maximum handgrip and leg strength and asymmetry in trunk rotation with higher
      strength in right rotation. This asymmetry for the right trunk rotation showed a
      small effect size. The resulting asymmetry might be an adaptation to the
      volleyball techniques, but it remains unclear if this is a cause for or of
      injury. As a practical implication, the asymmetries should be examined to develop
      individualized strength training programs for both groups.

PMID- 28902111
TI  - The influence of foam rolling on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of foam rolling (FR) on
      recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Thirty-seven males performed
      40 x 15 m sprints, inducing muscle damage. Immediately following sprinting and in
      the four days following, perceived muscle soreness, hip abduction range of motion
      (ROM), hamstring muscle length, vertical jump, and agility measures were
      recorded. Eighteen subjects (mean +/- sd; age 22.4 +/- 2.0 yrs; BMI 26.9 +/- 4.2
      kgm) foam rolled prior to testing each day (FR), while 19 (mean +/- sd; age 23.2
      +/- 3.2 yrs; BMI 26.3 +/- 4.0 kgm) served as a non-foam rolling control (CON).
      Measurements recorded during the five days of recovery from the repeated sprint
      protocol were compared to week one baseline measurements. The area under the
      curve (AUC) was calculated by summing all five scores as they changed from
      baseline measurement, and these data were compared by condition using a two
      tailed Mann-Whitney U test (alpha level = 0.05). Perceived soreness, hip
      abduction ROM, hamstring muscle length, and vertical jump were not significantly
      different between groups (p >= 0.25). Agility was less impaired in the FR
      condition (p = 0.0049) as AUC was higher in CON (2.88 s +/- 2.45) than FR (0.33 s
      +/- 2.16). Based upon these data, FR appears to expedite recovery of agility
      following EIMD instigated by a repeated sprint protocol. FR may be useful for
      athletes requiring adequate agility who need to recover quickly from demanding
      bouts of exercise.

PMID- 28902112
TI  - The Efficacy of Repeated Cold Water Immersion on Recovery Following a Simulated
      Rugby Union Protocol.
AB  - Training and athletic competition frequently results in exercise induced muscle
      damage (EIMD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of
      repeated cold water immersion (CWI) on recovery following a simulated rugby union
      match. Sixteen male, club level rugby players were matched for body mass and
      randomly assigned to either a CWI group or control (CON) group. Following the
      simulated rugby match the CWI group underwent 2 x 5 min immersions at a
      temperature of 10 degrees C separated by 2.5 min seated at room temperature,
      whilst the CON group remained seated for 15 min. Creatine kinase (CK), perceived
      muscle soreness, counter movement jump (CMJ) and maximal voluntary isometric
      contraction (MVIC) of the knee extensors were measured pre-exercise, post
      exercise, 24 h and 48 h following exercise. Large effect sizes were observed for
      muscle soreness at 24 and 48 h post exercise with lower soreness values observed
      in the CWI group. Large effect sizes were observed for CMJ at all time points and
      at 24 and 48 h post for MVIC with improved recovery of muscle function observed
      in the CWI group compared to the CON group. Lastly a moderate effect size was
      observed for CK immediately post exercise followed by large effect sizes at 24
      and 48h post exercise, with CK concentration blunted in the CWI group. Overall
      these findings provide some support for the use of CWI to enhance recovery from
      EIMD following a simulated rugby union match.

PMID- 28902113
TI  - Comparative effects of two interval shuttle-run training modes on physiological
      and performance adaptations in female professional futsal players.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effects of two shuttle-run
      interval training (SRIT) models with one and three directional changes per
      running bout on the aerobic and anaerobic performances of elite female futsal
      players. Sixteen players competing in the Brazilian National Division League took
      part in the study. The training protocols consisted of shuttle-run intervals
      organized in four sets of 4-min bouts with 3- min of rest intervals between the
      sets. The SRIT models were composed of one (7.5 s running and 7.5 s pause
      [SRIT7.5x7.5]; n=7) or three (15 s running and 15 s pause [SRIT15x15]; n=9)
      directional changes. The athletes performed the following tests before and after
      a 5-week training period: incremental treadmill test (ITT), Futsal Intermittent
      Endurance Test (FIET) [with respective peak speeds (PS)] and a repeated sprint
      ability (RSA) test. After the training period, PSFIET and speed at the second
      lactate turnpoint were very likely and almost certainly increased in both
      training regimens, respectively. SRIT15x15 induced possibly greater improvements
      in PSITT (+3.28%, 90%CL -0.16 to 6.82) and RSAmean (+1.17%, 90% CL -0.68 to 3.05)
      than SRIT7.5x7.5. In addition, SRIT15x15 resulted in a likely greater improvement
      in running economy (+4.33%, 90% CL -0.35 to 9.23) compared with SRIT7.5x7.5. In
      elite female futsal players, SRIT15x15 is a promising strategy to enhance
      performance-related physical fitness attributes in a shortterm period (5 weeks)
      during the preseason, due to its superior effects on these important aerobic and
      anaerobic qualities than a protocol with fewer directional changes.

PMID- 28902114
TI  - Effects of repeated-sprints with changes of direction on youth soccer player's
      performance: Impact of initial fitness level.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an 8-week repeated sprint with
      change of direction training program on repeated sprint, intermittent endurance
      and change of direction performance in youth soccer players with different
      aerobic fitness levels. Athletes were randomly assigned into a soccer-only (n=9;
      age, 14.9+/-0.4 yr) and soccer plus repeated sprint with change of direction (RS
      COD) training programs for players with high (n=10; age, 14.4+/-0.5 yr) and low
      (n=10; age, 14.4+/-0.5 yr) aerobic fitness. RS-COD was completed two days per
      week, involving three sets of ten 18-m sprints with two changes of direction of
      90 degrees . The soccer-only group achieved greater improvements in intermittent
      endurance (ES = 0.61) and sprint decrement during RS ability test (ES = 0.77)
      compared to the RS-COD groups (ES = 0.19 to 0.24; ES = -0.27 to 0.02;
      respectively). RS-COD training improved repeated sprint (ES = 0.16 to 0.38) and
      change of direction (ES = 0.48) performance in high, but not in low fitness
      players (ES = 0.03 to 0.13; ES = 0.16; respectively). Moreover, improvements in
      repeated sprint and change of direction were (possibly) greater in high compared
      to low fitness and soccer-only trained players (possibly to very likely). In
      conclusion, although RS-COD training may positively affect repeated sprint and
      change of direction performance, its effects may vary according to the initial
      aerobic fitness of youth soccer players, with trivial effect on intermittent
      endurance in high-aerobic fitness players and possible beneficial effect on low
      aerobic fitness players.

PMID- 28902115
TI  - Repeated High-Intensity Cycling Performance Is Unaffected by Timing of
      Carbohydrate Ingestion.
AB  - Shei, R-J, Paris, HL, Beck, CP, Chapman, RF, and Mickleborough, TD. Repeated high
      intensity cycling performance is unaffected by timing of carbohydrate ingestion.
      J Strength Cond Res 32(8): 2243-2249, 2018-To determine whether carbohydrate
      (CHO) feeding taken immediately before, early, or late in a series of high
      intensity cycling exercises affected cycling performance. A total of 16 trained,
      male cyclists (>6 hours postprandial) performed 3-, 4-km cycling time trials
      (TT1, TT2, and TT3) separated by 15 minutes of active recovery on 4 separate
      occasions. Carbohydrate feeding (80 g) was given either before TT1 (PRE1), before
      TT2 (PRE2), before TT3 (PRE3), or not at all (control, CTL). Treatment order was
      randomized. Sweet placebo was given before the other TTs. Blood glucose (BG)
      concentration was measured before each trial. Mean power output (Pmean) and time
      to completion (TTC) were recorded. Pmean was higher in TT1 compared with TT2 (p =
      0.001) and TT3 (p = 0.004) in all conditions, but no differences were observed
      between treatments. Time to completion was lower in TT1 compared with TT2 (p =
      0.01), but no other differences in TTC (within or between treatments) were
      observed. Within CTL and PRE1, BG did not differ between TT1, TT2, and TT3. In
      PRE2, BG was significantly higher in TT2 compared with TT1 (p = 0.006), in TT3
      compared with TT1 (p = 0.001), and in TT3 compared with TT2 (p = 0.01). In PRE3,
      BG was significantly higher in TT3 compared with TT1 and TT2 (p = 0.001 for
      both). Given that performance was not influenced by the timing of CHO ingestion,
      athletes engaging in repeated, high-intensity cycling exercise do not need to
      ingest CHO before- or between-exercise bouts; furthermore, athletes should
      refrain from ingesting CHO between bouts if they wish to avoid a rise in BG.

PMID- 28902116
TI  - Adding whole body vibration to preconditioning squat exercise increases cycling
      sprint performance.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of performing a preconditioning exercise with
      or without whole-body vibration (WBV) on a subsequent cycling sprint performance.
      Fourteen trained subjects performed two separate test sessions in randomized
      order. After a warm-up, the preconditioning exercise (body-loaded half squats)
      was applied: 30-seconds of half-squats with WBV (40 Hz, 2 mm) or 30-seconds of
      half-squats without WBV with a 10-second all-out sprint performed after one
      minute. Surface electromyography (EMG) was measured from the vastus medialis,
      vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius medialis during the sprints. Blood lactate
      level (BL), heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were
      determined immediately after the 10-second sprint. Performing preconditioning
      exercise with WBV resulted in superior peak (1693 +/- 356 W vs. 1637 +/- 349 W, p
      <= 0.05) and mean power output (1121 +/- 174 W vs. 1085 +/- 175 W, p <= 0.05)
      compared to preconditioning exercise without WBV. Effect sizes showed a moderate
      and large practical effect of WBV vs. no WBV on peak and mean power output,
      respectively. No differences were observed between the conditions for BL, HR and
      RPE after the sprints and in EMG activity during the sprints. In conclusion, it
      is plausible to suggest that body-loaded half-squats with WBV acutely induces
      higher power output levels. The practical application of the current study is
      that body-loaded squats with WBV can be incorporated into preparations for
      specific sprint training to improve the quality of the sprint training and also
      in order to improve sprint performance in relevant competitions.

PMID- 28902117
TI  - Factors Influencing Spike Jump Height in Female College Volleyball Players.
AB  - Ikeda, Y, Sasaki, Y, and Hamano, R. Factors influencing spike jump height in
      female college volleyball players. J Strength Cond Res 32(1): 267-273, 2018-The
      purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing spike jump (SPJ)
      performance by female competitive volleyball players through comparisons of the
      kinematic data of SPJ with those of the standing long jump (SLJ) and vertical
      jump (VJ). Seventeen female competitive volleyball players were asked to perform
      SPJ, SLJ, and VJ. Motion data of SPJ including the approach phase were recorded.
      Regarding SLJ and VJ, jumping motion and ground reaction force were recorded
      during each performance. The results obtained showed that SPJ height correlated
      with vertical velocity at take-off, horizontal velocity at third step contact,
      and the deceleration of horizontal velocity from third step contact to take-off.
      Regarding the relationship among SPJ, SLJ, and VJ, the relationship between SPJ
      and SLJ was stronger than that with VJ. The contributions of the hip, knee, and
      ankle muscles to the propulsive phase of SLJ were 39.7%, 21.1%, and 39.2%,
      respectively, whereas their contributions to VJ were 36.2%, 30.2%, and 33.6%,
      respectively. The vertical velocity of SPJ at take-off correlated with hip work
      and ankle peak power in SLJ and knee peak power in VJ. These results suggest the
      importance of enhancing horizontal and vertical jumping abilities separately to
      improve the height of SPJ because the primary generator for power production
      seems to depend on jump direction.

PMID- 28902118
TI  - Concurrent Training Followed by Detraining: Does the Resistance Training
      Intensity Matter?
AB  - Sousa, AC, Marinho, DA, Gil, MH, Izquierdo, M, Rodriguez-Rosell, D, Neiva, HP,
      and Marques, MC. Concurrent training followed by detraining: does the resistance
      training intensity matter? J Strength Cond Res 32(3): 632-642, 2018-The aim of
      this study was to analyze the training and detraining (DT) effects of concurrent
      aerobic training and resistance training against 3 different external loads on
      strength and aerobic variables. Thirty-two men were randomly assigned to 4
      groups: low-load (LLG, n = 9), moderate-load (MLG, n = 9), high-load (HLG, n =
      8), and control group (CG, n = 6). Resistance training consisted of full squat
      (FS) with a low load (40-55% 1 repetition maximum [1RM]), a moderate load (55-70%
      1RM), or a high load (70-85% 1RM) combined with jump and sprint exercises.
      Aerobic training was performed at 75% of the maximal aerobic speed for 15-20
      minutes. The training period lasted for 8-week, followed by 4-week DT.
      Pretraining, post-training, and post-DT evaluations included 20-m running sprints
      (0-10 m: T10; 0-20 m: T20), shuttle run test, countermovement vertical jump (CMJ)
      test, and loading test (1RM) in FS. All the experimental groups showed
      improvements (p <= 0.05) in all the parameters assessed, except the LLG for T10
      and the HLG for T20. The LLG, MLG, and HLG showed great changes in 1RM and
      V[Combining Dot Above]O2max compared with the CG (p <= 0.05), whereas the HLG and
      MLG showed a greater percentage change than the CG in T10 (p < 0.001) and CMJ (p
      <= 0.05). The 4-week DT period resulted in detrimental effects in all variables
      analyzed for all 3 experimental groups. In conclusion, our results suggest that
      strength training programs with low, moderate, or high external loads combined
      with low-intensity aerobic training could be effective for producing significant
      gains in strength and aerobic capacities. Moreover, the higher loads used
      increased gains in explosive efforts.

PMID- 28902119
TI  - Determination of Vertical Jump as a Measure of Neuromuscular Readiness and
      Fatigue.
AB  - Watkins, CM, Barillas, SR, Wong, MA, Archer, DC, Dobbs, IJ, Lockie, RG, Coburn,
      JW, Tran, TT, and Brown, LE. Determination of vertical jump as a measure of
      neuromuscular readiness and fatigue. J Strength Cond Res 31(12): 3305-3310, 2017
      Coaches closely monitor training loads and periodize sessions throughout the
      season to create optimal adaptations at the proper time. However, only monitoring
      training loads ignores the innate physiological stress each athlete feels
      individually. Vertical jump (VJ) is widely used as a measure of lower-body power,
      and has been used in postmatch studies to demonstrate fatigue levels. However, no
      pretraining monitoring by VJ performance has been previously studied. Therefore,
      the purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity of VJ as a measure of
      readiness and fatigue on a daily sessional basis. Ten healthy resistance-trained
      males (mass = 91.60 +/- 13.24 kg; height = 179.70 +/- 9.23 cm; age = 25.40 +/-
      1.51 years) and 7 females (mass = 65.36 +/- 12.29 kg; height = 162.36 +/- 5.75
      cm; age = 25.00 +/- 2.71 years) volunteered to participate. Vertical jump and
      BRUNEL Mood Assessment (BAM) were measured 4 times: pre-workout 1, post-workout
      1, pre-workout 2, and post-workout 2. Workout intensity was identical for both
      workouts, consisting of 4 sets of 5 repetitions for hang cleans, and 4 sets of 6
      repetitions for push presses at 85% 1 repetition maximum (1RM), followed by 4
      sets to failure of back squats (BSs), Romanian deadlift, and leg press at 80%
      1RM. The major finding was that VJ height decrement (-8.05 +/- 9.65 cm) at pre
      workout 2 was correlated (r = 0.648) with BS volume decrement (-27.56 +/- 24.56%)
      between workouts. This is important for coaches to proactively understand the
      current fatigue levels of their athletes and their readiness to resistance
      training.

PMID- 28902120
TI  - Competition Intensity and Fatigue in Elite Fencing.
AB  - Turner, AN, Kilduff, LP, Marshall, GJG, Phillips, J, Noto, A, Buttigieg, C,
      Gondek, M, Hills, FA, and Dimitriou, L. Competition intensity and fatigue in
      elite fencing. J Strength Cond Res 31(11): 3128-3136, 2017-As yet, no studies
      have characterized fencing competitions. Therefore, in elite male foilists and
      across 2 competitions, we investigated their countermovement jump height,
      testosterone (T), cortisol (C), alpha-amylase (AA), immunoglobulin A (IgA), heart
      rate (HR), blood lactate (BL), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Average
      (+/-SD) scores for RPE, BL, and HR (average, max, and percentage of time >=80%
      HRmax) were highest in the knockout bouts compared with poules (8.5 +/- 1.3 vs.
      5.7 +/- 1.3, 3.6 +/- 1.0 vs. 3.1 +/- 1.4 mmol.L, 171 +/- 5 vs. 168 +/- 8 b.min,
      195 +/- 7 vs. 192 +/- 7 b.min, 74 vs. 68%); however, only significant (p <= 0.05)
      for RPE. Countermovement jump height, albeit nonsignificantly (p > 0.05),
      increased throughout competition and dropped thereafter. Although responses of C,
      AA, and IgA showed a tendency to increase during competition and drop thereafter
      (T and T:C doing the opposite), no significant differences were noted for any
      analyte. Results suggest that fencing is a high-intensity anaerobic sport,
      relying on alactic energy sources. However, some bouts evoke BL values of >=4
      mmol.L and thus derive energy from anaerobic glycolysis. High HRs appear possible
      on account of ample within- and between-bout rest. The small competition load
      associated with fencing competitions may explain the nonsignificant findings
      noticed.

PMID- 28902122
TI  - On P values and effect modification.
AB  - AIM: A crucial element of evidence-based healthcare is the sound understanding
      and use of statistics. As part of instilling sound statistical knowledge and
      practice, it seems useful to highlight instances of unsound statistical reasoning
      or practice, not merely in captious or vitriolic spirit, but rather, to use such
      error as a springboard for edification by giving tangibility to the concepts at
      hand and highlighting the importance of avoiding such error. This article aims to
      provide an instructive overview of two key statistical concepts: effect
      modification and P values. METHODS AND RESULTS: A recent article published in the
      Journal of the American College of Cardiology on side effects related to statin
      therapy offers a notable example of errors in understanding effect modification
      and P values, and although not so critical as to entirely invalidate the article,
      the errors still demand considerable scrutiny and correction. In doing so, this
      article serves as an instructive overview of the statistical concepts of effect
      modification and P values. CONCLUSION: Judicious handling of statistics is
      imperative to avoid muddying their utility. This article contributes to the body
      of literature aiming to improve the use of statistics, which in turn will help
      facilitate evidence appraisal, synthesis, translation, and application.

PMID- 28902121
TI  - Critical Care Resources in Guangdong Province of China: Three Surveys from 2005
      to 2015.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Data about the critical care resources in China remain scarce. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate the variation and distribution of
      critical care resources in Guangdong province from 2005 to 2015. DESIGN: Data in
      regard to critical care resources were collected through questionnaires and
      visits every 5 years from 2005. SETTING: All hospitals in Guangdong province were
      screened and hospitals that provide critical care services were enrolled.
      INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One hundred eleven, 158, and
      284 hospitals that provide critical care services were enrolled in the three
      consecutive surveys respectively. The number of ICUs, ICU beds, intensivists, and
      nurses increased to 324, 3,956, 2,470, and 7,695, respectively, by 2015. Adjusted
      by population, the number of ICU beds per 100,000 (100,000) population increased
      by 147.7% from 2005 to 2015, and the number of intensivists and nurses per
      100,000 population increased by 35.3% and 55.1% from 2011 to 2015. However, the
      numbers in the Pearl River Delta, a richer area, were higher than those in the
      non-Pearl River Delta area (ICU beds: 4.64 vs 2.58; intensivists: 2.90 vs 1.61;
      nurses: 9.30 vs 4.71 in 2015). In terms of staff training, only 17.85% of
      intensivists and 14.29% of nurses have completed a formal accredited critical
      care training program by 2015. CONCLUSIONS: Our study was the first one to
      investigate the trend and distribution of critical care resources in China. The
      quantity of ICU beds and staff has been increasing rapidly, but professional
      training for staff was inadequate. The distribution of critical care resources
      was unbalanced. Our study can be beneficial for healthcare policymaking and the
      allocation of critical care resources in Guangdong province and other provinces
      in China.

PMID- 28902123
TI  - Bidirectional Regulation of Circadian Disturbance and Inflammation in
      Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tight crosstalk between the circadian and immune systems has been
      reported in several inflammatory diseases. We hypothesized that circadian
      timekeeping was perturbed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and that the
      bidirectional regulation of circadian disturbance and inflammation may be
      involved in the pathogenesis of IBD. METHODS: Patients with ulcerative colitis
      (51) and Crohn's disease (39) and 42 healthy controls were recruited and their
      circadian gene expression levels evaluated. Dextran sodium sulfate/2,4,6
      trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis mouse models, and
      lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages, were examined to detect the influence
      of inflammation on circadian gene expression, both in vivo and in vitro.
      Light/dark shift and time-restricted feeding models were also used to evaluate
      the influence of circadian disturbance on a mouse colitis model. RESULTS: We
      found that (1) almost all circadian genes were reduced in both intestinal
      biopsies and the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with IBD,
      especially in patients with ulcerative colitis. Nearly all circadian genes of
      biopsy tissues showed negative correlations with a Mayo score or a simplified
      endoscopic activity score for Crohn's disease. Circadian genes of peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells correlated well with erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C
      reactive protein levels in IBD. (2) Exposure to dextran sodium sulfate/2,4,6
      trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid and lipopolysaccharide-induced marked changes in
      circadian gene expression profiles. (3) A phase shift exacerbated colitis in
      mice, with the increased secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and activation of
      inflammatory-related signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that
      inflammation and circadian genes showed complex bidirectional regulations that
      were relevant to IBD. Consequently, the circadian clock seems to be a potential
      target for IBD therapy.

PMID- 28902124
TI  - Guanylate Cyclase C Activation Shapes the Intestinal Microbiota in Patients with
      Familial Diarrhea and Increased Susceptibility for Crohn's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With 25% prevalence of Crohn's disease, Familial GUCY2C diarrhea
      syndrome (FGDS) is a monogenic disorder potentially suited to study initiating
      factors in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to characterize the impact
      of an activating GUCY2C mutation on the gut microbiota in patients with FGDS
      controlling for Crohn's disease status and to determine whether changes share
      features with those observed in unrelated patients with IBD. METHODS: Bacterial
      DNA from fecal samples collected from patients with FGDS (N = 20), healthy
      relatives (N = 11), unrelated healthy individuals (N = 263), and IBD controls (N
      = 46) was subjected to sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to
      determine gut microbiota composition. Food frequency questionnaires were obtained
      from patients with FGDS and their relatives. RESULTS: Compared with healthy
      controls, FGDS displayed prominent changes in many microbial lineages including
      increase in Enterobacteriaceae, loss of Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium
      prausnitzii but an unchanged intraindividual (alpha) diversity. The depletion of
      F. prausnitzii is in line with what is typically observed in Crohn's disease.
      There was no significant difference in the dietary profile between the patients
      and related controls. The gut microbiota in related and unrelated healthy
      controls was also similar, suggesting that diet and familial factors do not
      explain the gut microbiota alterations in FGDS. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support
      that the activating mutation in GUCY2C creates an intestinal environment with a
      major influence on the microbiota, which could contribute to the increased
      susceptibility to IBD in patients with FGDS.

PMID- 28902125
TI  - Epidemiology of Youth Boys' and Girls' Lacrosse Injuries in the 2015 to 2016
      Seasons.
AB  - PURPOSE: Examinations of injury among younger populations of lacrosse players
      that are beginning their development is limited. This study describes the
      epidemiology of youth boys' and girls' lacrosse injuries during the 2015 to 2016
      seasons. METHODS: Surveillance data originated from a convenience sample of 10
      leagues in five states with 1090 boy lacrosse players and 408 girl lacrosse
      players from the U9-U15 divisions. Athletic trainers reported injury and exposure
      data at games and practices. Time loss (TL) injuries were defined as resulting in
      >=24 h of participation restriction time. Injury counts and rates per 1000
      athlete games/practices were calculated. Injury rate ratios (IRR) with 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) compared rates by sex and age division. RESULTS:
      Overall, 241 and 59 injuries were reported in boys' and girls' youth lacrosse,
      respectively, of which 17.0% and 18.6% were TL. Compared with girls, boys had a
      higher overall injury rate (12.7 vs 8.7/1000 athlete games/practices; IRR, 1.5;
      95% CI, 1.1-1.9). U13/U15 boys had a higher TL injury rate than U9/U11 boys (2.6
      vs 1.0/1000 athlete game/practices; IRR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.1-6.1). Most injuries
      were diagnosed as contusions (boys, 53.7%; girls, 47.2%) and resulted from stick
      contact (boys, 34.1%; girls, 30.6%) and ball contact (boys, 17.1%; girls, 25.0%).
      Among girls, ball contact contributed to 75.0% (n = 9) of all head/face injuries.
      Among the 14 concussions reported in boys, player contact was the most common
      injury mechanism (50.0%, n = 7), followed by stick contact (35.7%, n = 5).
      CONCLUSIONS: Boys' lacrosse has a higher injury incidence than girls' lacrosse,
      reflecting the contact nature of the boys' game. The high incidence of stick- and
      ball-related injuries suggests the need for youth-specific rules to better
      protect youth players.

PMID- 28902126
TI  - Work Rate during Self-paced Exercise is not Mediated by the Rate of Heat Storage.
AB  - PURPOSE: To date, there have been mixed findings on whether greater anticipatory
      reductions in self-paced exercise intensity in the heat are mediated by early
      differences in rate of body heat storage. The disparity may be due to an
      inability to accurately measure minute-to-minute changes in whole-body heat loss.
      Thus, we evaluated whether early differences in rate of heat storage can mediate
      exercise intensity during self-paced cycling at a fixed rate of perceived
      exertion (RPE of 16; hard-to-very-hard work effort) in COOL (15 degrees C),
      NORMAL (25 degrees C), and HOT (35 degrees C) ambient conditions. METHODS: On
      separate days, nine endurance-trained cyclists exercised in COOL, NORMAL, and HOT
      conditions at a fixed RPE until work rate (measured after first 5 min of
      exercise) decreased to 70% of starting values. Whole-body heat loss and metabolic
      heat production were measured by direct and indirect calorimetry, respectively.
      RESULTS: Total exercise time was shorter in HOT (57 +/- 20 min) relative to both
      NORMAL (72 +/- 23 min, P = 0.004) and COOL (70 +/- 26 min, P = 0.045). Starting
      work rate was lower in HOT (153 +/- 31 W) compared with NORMAL (166 +/- 27 W, P =
      0.024) and COOL (170 +/- 33 W, P = 0.037). Rate of heat storage was similar
      between conditions during the first 4 min of exercise (all P > 0.05). Thereafter,
      rate of heat storage was lower in HOT relative to NORMAL and COOL until 30 min of
      exercise (last common time-point between conditions; all P < 0.05). Further, rate
      of heat storage was significantly higher in COOL compared with NORMAL at 15 min
      (P = 0.026) and 20 min (P = 0.020) of exercise. No differences were measured at
      end exercise. CONCLUSIONS: We show that rate of heat storage does not mediate
      exercise intensity during self-paced exercise at a fixed RPE in cool to hot
      ambient conditions.

PMID- 28902127
TI  - Altered Gene Expression of RNF34 and PACAP Possibly Involved in Mechanism of
      Exercise-Induced Analgesia for Neuropathic Pain in Rats.
AB  - Despite the availability of several modalities of treatment, including surgery,
      pharmacological agents, and nerve blocks, neuropathic pain is often unresponsive
      and sometimes progresses to intractable chronic pain. Although exercise therapy
      is a candidate for treatment of neuropathic pain, the mechanism underlying its
      efficacy has not been elucidated. To clarify the molecular mechanism for pain
      relief induced by exercise, we measured Rnf34 and Pacap mRNA levels in the spinal
      cord dorsal horn of SNL rats, a model of neuropathic pain. SNL model rats
      exhibited stable mechanical hyperalgesia for at least 6 weeks. When the rats were
      forced to exercise on a treadmill, mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia were
      significantly ameliorated compared with the non-exercise group. Accordingly, gene
      expression level of Rnf34 and Pacap were also significantly altered in the time
      course analysis after surgery. These results suggest that exercise therapy
      possibly involves pain relief in SNL rats by suppressing Rnf34 and Pacap
      expression in the spinal cord.

PMID- 28902128
TI  - Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Advances in the Quest for Genetic Stability
      during Reprogramming Process.
AB  - Evaluation of the extent and nature of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)
      genetic instability is important for both basic research and future clinical use.
      As previously demonstrated regarding embryonic stem cells, such DNA aberrations
      might affect the differentiation capacity of the cells and increase their
      tumorigenicity. Here, we first focus on the contribution of multiple DNA damage
      response pathways during cellular reprogramming. We then discuss the origin and
      mechanisms responsible for the modification of genetic material in iPSCs (pre
      existing variations in somatic cells, mutations induced by reprogramming factors,
      and mutations induced by culture expansion) and deepen the possible functional
      consequences of genetic variations in these cells. Lastly, we present some recent
      improvements of iPSC generation methods aimed at obtaining cells with fewer
      genetic variations.

PMID- 28902129
TI  - Systematic Review of Cysteine-Sparing NOTCH3 Missense Mutations in Patients with
      Clinical Suspicion of CADASIL.
AB  - CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and
      leukoencephalopathy) is caused by mutations in the NOTCH3 gene, affecting the
      number of cysteines in the extracellular domain of the receptor, causing protein
      misfolding and receptor aggregation. The pathogenic role of cysteine-sparing
      NOTCH3 missense mutations in patients with typical clinical CADASIL syndrome is
      unknown. The aim of this article is to describe these mutations to clarify if any
      could be potentially pathogenic. Articles on cysteine-sparing NOTCH3 missense
      mutations in patients with clinical suspicion of CADASIL were reviewed. Mutations
      were considered potentially pathogenic if patients had: (a) typical clinical
      CADASIL syndrome; (b) diffuse white matter hyperintensities; (c) the 33 NOTCH3
      exons analyzed; (d) mutations that were not polymorphisms; and (e) Granular
      osmiophilic material (GOM) deposits in the skin biopsy. Twenty-five different
      mutations were listed. Four fulfill the above criteria: p.R61W; p.R75P; p.D80G;
      and p.R213K. Patients carrying these mutations had typical clinical CADASIL
      syndrome and diffuse white matter hyperintensities, mostly without anterior
      temporal pole involvement. Cysteine-sparing NOTCH3 missense mutations are
      associated with typical clinical CADASIL syndrome and typical magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) findings, although with less involvement of the anterior temporal
      lobe. Hence, these mutations should be further studied to confirm their
      pathological role in CADASIL.

PMID- 28902130
TI  - The Chloroplast Genome Sequence of Scutellaria baicalensis Provides Insight into
      Intraspecific and Interspecific Chloroplast Genome Diversity in Scutellaria.
AB  - Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Lamiaceae) is the source of the well-known
      traditional Chinese medicine "HuangQin" (Radix Scutellariae). Natural sources of
      S. baicalensis are rapidly declining due to high market demand and
      overexploitation. Moreover, the commercial products of Radix Scutellariae have
      often been found to contain adulterants in recent years, which may give rise to
      issues regarding drug efficacy and safety. In this study, we developed valuable
      chloroplast molecular resources by comparing intraspecific and interspecific
      chloroplast genome. The S. baicalensis chloroplast genome is a circular molecule
      consisting of two single-copy regions separated by a pair of inverted repeats.
      Comparative analyses of three Scutellaria chloroplast genomes revealed six
      variable regions (trnH-psbA, trnK-rps16, petN-psbM, trnT-trnL, petA-psbJ, and
      ycf1) that could be used as DNA barcodes. There were 25 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms(SNPs) and 29 indels between the two S. baicalensis genotypes. All
      of the indels occurred within non-coding regions. Phylogenetic analysis suggested
      that Scutellarioideae is a sister taxon to Lamioideae. These resources could be
      used to explore the variation present in Scutellaria populations and for further
      evolutionary, phylogenetic, barcoding and genetic engineering studies, in
      addition to effective exploration and conservation of S. baicalensis.

PMID- 28902131
TI  - Identification of the Ovine Keratin-Associated Protein 26-1 Gene and Its
      Association with Variation in Wool Traits.
AB  - Keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are structural components of wool and hair
      fibres, and are believed to play a role in defining the physico-mechanical
      properties of the wool fibre. In this study, the putative ovine homologue of the
      human KAP26-1 gene (KRTAP26-1) was sequenced and four variants (named A-D) were
      identified. The sequences shared some identity with each other and with other
      KRTAPs, but they had the greatest similarity with the human KRTAP26-1 sequence.
      This suggests they represent different variants of ovine KRTAP26-1. The
      association of these KRTAP26-1 variants with wool traits was investigated in the
      383 Merino-Southdown cross sheep. The presence of B was associated (p < 0.05)
      with an increase in mean fibre diameter (MFD), mean fibre curvature, and prickle
      factor (PF). The presence of C was found to be associated (p < 0.05) with an
      increase in wool yield (Yield) and mean staple length (MSL), and a decrease in
      MFD, fibre diameter standard deviation (FDSD), and PF. The results suggest that
      sheep with C have, on average, higher wool quality. These results may be useful
      in the future development of breeding programs based on decreasing wool MFD and
      FDSD, or on increasing wool MSL.

PMID- 28902132
TI  - Penile Injuries in Immunocastrated and Entire Male Pigs of One Fattening Farm.
AB  - Penile injuries in boars have been discussed as a relevant welfare problem in
      pork production with entire males (EM). The incidence of penile injuries with
      immunocastrated boars has not been described so far. Thus, it was the aim of this
      study to systematically compare frequency and severity of penile injuries in EM
      and IC. Incidence and size of penile injuries (wounds, scars, hematomas) were
      evaluated in 192 IC and 215 EM from one farm after slaughter (120 kg live weight;
      four batches (BA) in at least weekly intervals over five weeks). 75.8% EM and
      48.4% IC showed injuries at the pars libra of the penis. Scars were observed in
      71.2% EM and 44.8% IC. Scars/animal were significantly influenced by treatment
      (IC vs. EM), B and treatment x B and increased with age in EM (BA1: 2.61 +/-
      3.05; BA4: 3.59 +/- 3.47), but not in IC (BA1: 2.00 +/- 3.02; BA4: 1.22 +/-
      1.91). Wounds were obvious in 17.2% EM and 8.3% IC. Wounds/animal were only
      influenced significantly by treatment and were lower in IC than in EM. Thus, it
      is concluded that immunocastration reduces the frequency and severity of penile
      injuries in IC when compared to EM of same age and weight.

PMID- 28902133
TI  - Effects of Wildflower Strips and an Adjacent Forest on Aphids and Their Natural
      Enemies in a Pea Field.
AB  - Landscape diversification is a key element for the development of sustainable
      agriculture. This study explores whether the implementation of habitats for pest
      natural enemies enhances conservation biological control in an adjacent field. In
      the present study conducted in Gembloux (Belgium) in 2016, the effect of two
      different habitats (wildflower strips and a forest) and aphid abundance on the
      density of aphid natural enemies, mummified aphids and parasitism on pea plants
      was assessed through visual observations. The effect of the habitats on aphids
      was also evaluated. The habitats but not aphid density significantly affected
      hoverfly larvae, which were more abundant adjacent to wildflower strips than to
      the forest. The contrary was observed for ladybeetle adults, which were
      positively related with aphids but not affected by the adjacent habitats. The
      abundance of mummies and the parasitism rate were significantly affected by both
      the habitats and aphid density. They were both significantly enhanced adjacent to
      wildflower strips compared to the forest, but the total parasitism rate was low
      (<1%), questioning whether parasitoids could significantly control aphids on the
      pea crop. As for the aphids, their abundance was not significantly affected by
      the adjacent habitats. These results are discussed with respect to the potential
      of these habitats to provide overwintering sites and food resources for natural
      enemies, and thereby enhance conservation biological control.

PMID- 28902134
TI  - Retention of Antibacterial Activity in Geranium Plasma Polymer Thin Films.
AB  - Bacterial colonisation of biomedical devices demands novel antibacterial
      coatings. Plasma-enabled treatment is an established technique for selective
      modification of physicochemical characteristics of the surface and deposition of
      polymer thin films. We investigated the retention of inherent antibacterial
      activity in geranium based plasma polymer thin films. Attachment and biofilm
      formation by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli
      was significantly reduced on the surfaces of samples fabricated at 10 W radio
      frequency (RF) power, compared to that of control or films fabricated at higher
      input power. This was attributed to lower contact angle and retention of original
      chemical functionality in the polymer films fabricated under low input power
      conditions. The topography of all surfaces was uniform and smooth, with surface
      roughness of 0.18 and 0.69 nm for films fabricated at 10 W and 100 W,
      respectively. Hardness and elastic modules of films increased with input power.
      Independent of input power, films were optically transparent within the visible
      wavelength range, with the main absorption at ~290 nm and optical band gap of
      ~3.6 eV. These results suggest that geranium extract-derived polymers may
      potentially be used as antibacterial coatings for contact lenses.

PMID- 28902135
TI  - Point Prevalence Surveys of Antimicrobial Use among Hospitalized Children in Six
      Hospitals in India in 2016.
AB  - The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in India is among the highest in the
      world. Antimicrobial use in inpatient settings is an important driver of
      resistance, but is poorly characterized, particularly in hospitalized children.
      In this study, conducted as part of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance,
      Prescribing, and Efficacy in Neonates and Children (GARPEC) project, we examined
      the prevalence of and indications of antimicrobial use, as well as antimicrobial
      agents used among hospitalized children by conducting four point prevalence
      surveys in six hospitals between February 2016 and February 2017. A total of 681
      children were hospitalized in six hospitals across all survey days, and 419
      (61.5%) were prescribed one or more antimicrobials (antibacterials, antivirals,
      antifungals). Antibacterial agents accounted for 90.8% (547/602) of the total
      antimicrobial prescriptions, of which third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs)
      accounted for 38.9% (213/547) and penicillin plus enzyme inhibitor combinations
      accounted for 14.4% (79/547). Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) was the
      most common indication for prescribing antimicrobials (149 prescriptions; 24.8%).
      Although national guidelines recommend the use of penicillin and combinations as
      first-line agents for LRTI, 3GCs were the most commonly prescribed antibacterial
      agents (55/149 LRTI prescriptions; 36.9%). In conclusion, 61.5% of hospitalized
      children were on at least one antimicrobial agent, with excessive use of 3GCs.
      Hence there is an opportunity to limit their inappropriate use.

PMID- 28902137
TI  - Sensitivity Enhancement in Low Cutoff Wavelength Long-Period Fiber Gratings by
      Cladding Diameter Reduction.
AB  - The diameter of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) fabricated in optical fibers
      with a low cutoff wavelength was be reduced by hydrofluoric acid etching,
      enhancing the sensitivity to refractive index by more than a factor of 3, to 2611
      nm/refractive index unit in the range from 1.333 to 1.4278. The grating period
      selected for the LPFGs allowed access to the dispersion turning point at
      wavelengths close to the visible range of the optical spectrum, where optical
      equipment is less expensive. As an example of an application, a pH sensor based
      on the deposition of a polymeric coating was analyzed in two situations: with an
      LPFG without diameter reduction and with an LPFG with diameter reduction. Again,
      a sensitivity increase of a factor of near 3 was obtained, demonstrating the
      ability of this method to enhance the sensitivity of thin-film-coated LPFG
      chemical sensors.

PMID- 28902136
TI  - Dual Strands of Pre-miR-149 Inhibit Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion through
      Targeting FOXM1 in Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Our recent studies revealed that dual strands of certain pre-microRNAs, e.g., pre
      miR-144, pre-miR-145, and pre-miR-150, act as antitumor microRNAs (miRNAs) in
      several cancers. The involvement of passenger strands of miRNAs in cancer
      pathogenesis is a novel concept in miRNA research. The analysis of a miRNA
      expression signature in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has revealed that
      the guide strand of pre-miR-149 is significantly downregulated in cancer tissues.
      The aims of this study were to investigate the functional significance of miR
      149's guide strand (miR-149-5p) and passenger strand (miR-149-3p), and to
      identify the oncogenic genes regulated by these miRNAs in ccRCC cells. The
      ectopic expression of these miRNAs significantly inhibited cancer cell migration
      and invasion in ccRCC cells. Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) was directly
      regulated by miR-149-5p and miR-149-3p in ccRCC cells. Knockdown studies using si
      FOXM1 showed that the expression of FOXM1 enhanced RCC cell aggressiveness.
      Interestingly, the analysis of a large number of patients in the The Cancer
      Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (n = 260) demonstrated that patients with high FOXM1
      expression had significantly shorter survival than did those with low FOXM1
      expression (p = 1.5 * 10-6). Taken together, dual strands of pre-miR-149 (miR-149
      5p and miR-149-3p) acted as antitumor miRNAs through the targeting of FOXM1 in
      ccRCC cells.

PMID- 28902139
TI  - Autonomous Sensors Powered by Energy Harvesting from von Karman Vortices in
      Airflow.
AB  - In this paper an energy harvesting system based on a piezoelectric converter to
      extract energy from airflow and use it to power battery-less sensors is
      presented. The converter is embedded as a part of a flexure beam that is put into
      vibrations by von Karman vortices detached from a bluff body placed upstream. The
      vortex street has been investigated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
      simulations, aiming at assessing the vortex shedding frequency as a function of
      the flow velocity. From the simulation results the preferred positioning of the
      beam behind the bluff body has been derived. In the experimental characterization
      the electrical output from the converter has been measured for different flow
      velocities and beam orientations. Highest conversion effectiveness is obtained by
      an optimal orientation of the beam, to exploit the maximum forcing, and for flow
      velocities where the repetition frequency of the vortices allows to excite the
      beam resonant frequency at its first flexural mode. The possibility to power
      battery-less sensors and make them autonomous has been shown by developing an
      energy management and signal conditioning electronic circuit plus two sensors for
      measuring temperature and flow velocity and transmitting their values over a RF
      signal. A harvested power of about 650 MUW with retransmission intervals below 2
      min have been obtained for the optimal flow velocity of 4 m/s.

PMID- 28902138
TI  - Evolution of RAD- and DIV-Like Genes in Plants.
AB  - Developmental genetic studies of Antirrhinum majus demonstrated that two
      transcription factors from the MYB gene family, RADIALIS (RAD) and DIVIRICATA
      (DIV), interact through antagonism to regulate floral dorsoventral asymmetry.
      Interestingly, similar antagonistic interaction found among proteins of FSM1 (RAD
      like) and MYBI (DIV-like) in Solanum lycopersicum is involved in fruit
      development. Here, we report the reconstruction of the phylogeny of I-box-like
      and R-R-type clades, where RAD- and DIV-like genes belong, respectively. We also
      examined the homology of these antagonistic MYB proteins using these phylogenies.
      The results show that there are likely three paralogs of RAD-/I-box-like genes,
      RAD1, RAD2, and RAD3, which originated in the common ancestor of the core
      eudicots. In contrast, R-R-type sequences fall into two major clades, RR1 and
      RR2, the result of gene duplication in the common ancestor of both monocots and
      dicots. RR1 was divided into clades RR1A, RR1B, and RR1C, while RR2 was divided
      into clades RR2A/DIV1, RR2B/DIV2, and RR2C/DIV3. We demonstrate that among
      similar antagonistic interactions in An. Majus and So. lycopersicum, RAD-like
      genes originate from the RAD2 clade, while DIV-like genes originate from
      distantly related paralogs of the R-R-type lineage. The phylogenetic analyses of
      these two MYB clades lay the foundation for future comparative studies including
      testing the evolution of the antagonistic relationship of proteins.

PMID- 28902140
TI  - Iron Absorption from Three Commercially Available Supplements in Gastrointestinal
      Cell Lines.
AB  - This study compares the absorption characteristics of two iron-based dietary
      supplements and their biocompatibility to bisglycinate iron, a common chelated
      iron form. The Caco-2 cell line-a model of human intestinal absorption-and GTL-16
      cell line-a model of gastric epithelial cells-were used to perform the
      experiments; in the first experiments, the kinetics of absorption have been
      evaluated analyzing the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) expression. Three
      different iron combinations containing 50 uM iron (named Fisioeme(r), Sideral(r)
      and bisglycinate) were used for different stimulation times (1-24 h). After this,
      the effects of the three iron formulations were assessed in both a short and a
      long time, in order to understand the extrusion mechanisms. The effects of the
      three different formulations were also analyzed at the end of stimulation period
      immediately after iron removal, and after some time in order to clarify whether
      the mechanisms were irreversibly activated. Findings obtained in this study
      demonstrate that Fisioeme(r) was able to maintain a significant beneficial effect
      on cell viability compared to control, to Sideral(r), and to iron bisglycinate.
      This observation indicates that Fisioeme(r) formulation is the most suitable for
      gastric and intestinal epithelial cells.

PMID- 28902141
TI  - The Impacts of Heating Strategy on Soil Moisture Estimation Using Actively Heated
      Fiber Optics.
AB  - Several recent studies have highlighted the potential of Actively Heated Fiber
      Optics (AHFO) for high resolution soil moisture mapping. In AHFO, the soil
      moisture can be calculated from the cumulative temperature ( T cum ), the maximum
      temperature ( T max ), or the soil thermal conductivity determined from the
      cooling phase after heating ( lambda ). This study investigates the performance
      of the T cum , T max and lambda methods for different heating strategies, i.e.,
      differences in the duration and input power of the applied heat pulse. The aim is
      to compare the three approaches and to determine which is best suited to field
      applications where the power supply is limited. Results show that increasing the
      input power of the heat pulses makes it easier to differentiate between dry and
      wet soil conditions, which leads to an improved accuracy. Results suggest that if
      the power supply is limited, the heating strength is insufficient for the lambda
      method to yield accurate estimates. Generally, the T cum and T max methods have
      similar accuracy. If the input power is limited, increasing the heat pulse
      duration can improve the accuracy of the AHFO method for both of these
      techniques. In particular, extending the heating duration can significantly
      increase the sensitivity of T cum to soil moisture. Hence, the T cum method is
      recommended when the input power is limited. Finally, results also show that up
      to 50% of the cable temperature change during the heat pulse can be attributed to
      soil background temperature, i.e., soil temperature changed by the net solar
      radiation. A method is proposed to correct this background temperature change.
      Without correction, soil moisture information can be completely masked by the
      background temperature error.

PMID- 28902143
TI  - Joint Resource Optimization for Cognitive Sensor Networks with SWIPT-Enabled
      Relay.
AB  - Energy-constrained wireless networks, such as wireless sensor networks (WSNs),
      are usually powered by fixed energy supplies (e.g., batteries), which limits the
      operation time of networks. Simultaneous wireless information and power transfer
      (SWIPT) is a promising technique to prolong the lifetime of energy-constrained
      wireless networks. This paper investigates the performance of an underlay
      cognitive sensor network (CSN) with SWIPT-enabled relay node. In the CSN, the
      amplify-and-forward (AF) relay sensor node harvests energy from the ambient radio
      frequency (RF) signals using power splitting-based relaying (PSR) protocol. Then,
      it helps forward the signal of source sensor node (SSN) to the destination sensor
      node (DSN) by using the harvested energy. We study the joint resource
      optimization including the transmit power and power splitting ratio to maximize
      CSN's achievable rate with the constraint that the interference caused by the CSN
      to the primary users (PUs) is within the permissible threshold. Simulation
      results show that the performance of our proposed joint resource optimization can
      be significantly improved.

PMID- 28902144
TI  - Implementing Low-Cost, Community-Based Exercise Programs for Middle-Aged and
      Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: What Are the Benefits for Glycemic Control
      and Cardiovascular Risk?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a long-term,
      community-based, combined exercise program developed with low-cost exercise
      strategies on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and
      older patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Participants (n = 124; 63.25 +/-
      7.20 years old) engaged in either a 9-month supervised exercise program (n = 39;
      consisting of combined aerobic, resistance, agility/balance, and flexibility
      exercise; three sessions per week; 70 min per session) or a control group (n =
      85) who maintained their usual care. Glycemic control, lipid profile, blood
      pressure, anthropometric profile, and the 10-year risk of coronary artery disease
      were assessed before and after the 9-month intervention. RESULTS: A significant
      time * group interaction effect (p < 0.001) was identified in the values of the
      glycated hemoglobin, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol,
      HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood
      pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, and the 10-year risk of coronary
      artery disease. CONCLUSIONS: A long-term, community-based, combined exercise
      program developed with low-cost exercise strategies was effective in inducing
      significant benefits on glycemic control, lipid profile, blood pressure,
      anthropometric profile, and the 10-year risk of coronary artery disease in middle
      aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes. Clinical Trial Identification
      Number: ISRCTN09240628.

PMID- 28902142
TI  - Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction and the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Brain capillary endothelial cells form the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which is
      covered with basement membranes and is also surrounded by pericytes and astrocyte
      end-feet in the neurovascular unit. The BBB tightly regulates the molecular
      exchange between the blood flow and brain parenchyma, thereby regulating the
      homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, dysfunction of the BBB is
      likely involved in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, including
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). While amyloid-beta (Abeta) deposition and
      neurofibrillary tangle formation in the brain are central pathological hallmarks
      in AD, cerebrovascular lesions and BBB alteration have also been shown to
      frequently coexist. Although further clinical studies should clarify whether BBB
      disruption is a specific feature of AD pathogenesis, increasing evidence
      indicates that each component of the neurovascular unit is significantly affected
      in the presence of AD-related pathologies in animal models and human patients.
      Conversely, since some portions of Abeta are eliminated along the neurovascular
      unit and across the BBB, disturbing the pathways may result in exacerbated Abeta
      accumulation in the brain. Thus, current evidence suggests that BBB dysfunction
      may causatively and consequently contribute to AD pathogenesis, forming a vicious
      cycle between brain Abeta accumulation and neurovascular unit impairments during
      disease progression.

PMID- 28902145
TI  - Replacing American Breakfast Foods with Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Cereals Increases
      Consumption of Key Food Groups and Nutrients among US Children and Adults:
      Results of an NHANES Modeling Study.
AB  - Replacing the typical American breakfast with ready-to-eat cereals (RTECs) may
      improve diet quality. Our goal was to assess the impact of RTECs on diet quality
      measures for different age groups, using substitution modeling. Dietary intakes
      came from the 2007-2010 National Health and Examination Surveys (NHANES; n =
      18,112). All breakfast foods, excluding beverages, were replaced on a per calorie
      basis, with frequency-weighted and age/race specific RTECs. Model 1 replaced
      foods with RTECs alone; Model 2 replaced foods with RTECs and milk. Diet quality
      measures were based on desirable food groups and nutrients, Healthy Eating Index
      (HEI)-2010 scores, and estimated diet costs. Model 1 diets were significantly
      higher in whole grains (+84.6%), fiber (+14.3%), vitamin D (+14.0%), iron
      (+54.5%) and folic acid (+104.6%), as compared to observed diets. Model 2 diets
      were additionally higher in dairy (+15.8%), calcium (+11.3%) and potassium
      (+3.95%). In Model 1, added sugar increased (+5.0%), but solid fats declined (
      10.9%). Energy from solid fats and added sugars declined (-3.2%) in both models.
      Model 2 offered higher diet quality (57.1 vs. 54.6, p-value < 0.01) at a lower
      cost ($6.70 vs. $6.92; p < 0.01), compared to observed diets. Substitution
      modeling of NHANES data can assess the nutritional and economic impact of dietary
      guidance.

PMID- 28902146
TI  - Community Capacity Building for Physical Activity Promotion among Older Adults-A
      Literature Review.
AB  - Community-based interventions to promote physical activity (PA) among older
      adults are of high interest in health promotion since they promise to be
      effective strategies to reach this population group. Community capacity building,
      that is, the local promotion of knowledge, skills, commitment, structures, and
      leadership, is among the recommended core strategies. However, little guidance is
      provided on how to achieve a high degree of community capacity. This study aims
      to identify practical strategies to enhance community capacities for PA promotion
      among older adults (50 years or older) and to evaluate their success. A
      literature review was conducted using scientific databases (PsycInfo and Web of
      Sciences) and grey literature (national and international project databases), and
      14 studies (16 articles) were identified. Five groups of capacity building
      strategies emerged from the literature: (1) building community coalitions and
      networks, (2) training of professionals, (3) training of laypersons, (4)
      strengthening competence and awareness in the target population, and (5)
      allocation of financial resources. All studies used more than one strategy.
      Coalition building and strengthening competence and awareness were most
      frequently used. Feasibility and acceptability of the capacity building
      strategies were demonstrated. However, intervention effects on PA behavior and
      other relevant outcomes were inconsistent. The one study that systematically
      compared different capacity building approaches did not find any evidence for
      beneficial effects of intensified capacity building. More rigorous research
      evaluating the efficacy of specific strategies to enhance community capacities
      for PA promotion is needed.

PMID- 28902147
TI  - Chlordetect: Commercial Calcium Aluminate Based Conductimetric Sensor for
      Chloride Presence Detection.
AB  - Chloride presence affects different environments (soil, water, concrete)
      decreasing their qualities. In order to assess chloride concentration this paper
      proposes a novel sensor for detecting and measuring it. This sensor is based on
      electric changes of commercial monocalcium aluminate (CA) when it interacts with
      chloride aqueous solutions. CA is used as a dielectric material between two
      coplanar capacitors. The geometry proposed for this sensor allows to assess the
      chloride content profile, or to make four times the same measurement. Besides,
      the experimental design gives us the possibility of study not just the chloride
      effect, but also the time and some geometric effects due to the sensor design. As
      a result, this sensor shows a limit of detection, sensitivity, and response time:
      0.01 wt % Cl- and 0.06 wt % Cl-, and 2 min, respectively, comparable with other
      non invasive techniques as optical fibre sensors.

PMID- 28902148
TI  - A Fatigue Crack Size Evaluation Method Based on Lamb Wave Simulation and Limited
      Experimental Data.
AB  - This paper presents a systematic and general method for Lamb wave-based crack
      size quantification using finite element simulations and Bayesian updating. The
      method consists of construction of a baseline quantification model using finite
      element simulation data and Bayesian updating with limited Lamb wave data from
      target structure. The baseline model correlates two proposed damage sensitive
      features, namely the normalized amplitude and phase change, with the crack length
      through a response surface model. The two damage sensitive features are extracted
      from the first received S0 mode wave package. The model parameters of the
      baseline model are estimated using finite element simulation data. To account for
      uncertainties from numerical modeling, geometry, material and manufacturing
      between the baseline model and the target model, Bayesian method is employed to
      update the baseline model with a few measurements acquired from the actual target
      structure. A rigorous validation is made using in-situ fatigue testing and Lamb
      wave data from coupon specimens and realistic lap-joint components. The
      effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated under different
      loading and damage conditions.

PMID- 28902149
TI  - Highly Portable, Sensor-Based System for Human Fall Monitoring.
AB  - Falls are a very dangerous situation especially among elderly people, because
      they may lead to fractures, concussion, and other injuries. Without timely
      rescue, falls may even endanger their lives. The existing optical sensor-based
      fall monitoring systems have some disadvantages, such as limited monitoring range
      and inconvenience to carry for users. Furthermore, the fall detection system
      based only on an accelerometer often mistakenly determines some activities of
      daily living (ADL) as falls, leading to low accuracy in fall detection. We
      propose a human fall monitoring system consisting of a highly portable sensor
      unit including a triaxis accelerometer, a triaxis gyroscope, and a triaxis
      magnetometer, and a mobile phone. With the data from these sensors, we obtain the
      acceleration and Euler angle (yaw, pitch, and roll), which represents the
      orientation of the user's body. Then, a proposed fall detection algorithm was
      used to detect falls based on the acceleration and Euler angle. With this
      monitoring system, we design a series of simulated falls and ADL and conduct the
      experiment by placing the sensors on the shoulder, waist, and foot of the
      subjects. Through the experiment, we re-identify the threshold of acceleration
      for accurate fall detection and verify the best body location to place the
      sensors by comparing the detection performance on different body segments. We
      also compared this monitoring system with other similar works and found that
      better fall detection accuracy and portability can be achieved by our system.

PMID- 28902150
TI  - An Electrochemical, Low-Frequency Seismic Micro-Sensor Based on MEMS with a Force
      Balanced Feedback System.
AB  - Electrochemical seismic sensors are key components in monitoring ground
      vibration, which are featured with high performances in the low-frequency domain.
      However, conventional electrochemical seismic sensors suffer from low
      repeatability due to limitations in fabrication and limited bandwidth. This paper
      presents a micro-fabricated electrochemical seismic sensor with a force-balanced
      negative feedback system, mainly composed of a sensing unit including porous
      sensing micro electrodes immersed in an electrolyte solution and a feedback unit
      including a feedback circuit and a feedback magnet. In this study, devices were
      designed, fabricated, and characterized, producing comparable performances among
      individual devices. In addition, bandwidths and total harmonic distortions of the
      proposed devices with and without a negative feedback system were quantified and
      compared as 0.005-20 (feedback) Hz vs. 0.3-7 Hz (without feedback), 4.34 +/-
      0.38% (without feedback) vs. 1.81 +/- 0.31% (feedback)@1 Hz@1 mm/s and 3.21 +/-
      0.25% (without feedback) vs. 1.13 +/- 0.19% (feedback)@5 Hz@1 mm/s (ndevice = 6,
      n represents the number of the tested devices), respectively. In addition, the
      performances of the proposed MEMS electrochemical seismometers with feedback were
      compared to a commercial electrochemical seismic sensor (CME 6011), producing
      higher bandwidth (0.005-20 Hz vs. 0.016-30 Hz) and lower self-noise levels (
      165.1 +/- 6.1 dB vs. -137.7 dB at 0.1 Hz, -151.9 +/- 7.5 dB vs. -117.8 dB at 0.02
      Hz (ndevice = 6)) in the low-frequency domain. Thus, the proposed device may
      function as an enabling electrochemical seismometer in the fields requesting
      seismic monitoring at the ultra-low frequency domain.

PMID- 28902151
TI  - APETx4, a Novel Sea Anemone Toxin and a Modulator of the Cancer-Relevant
      Potassium Channel KV10.1.
AB  - The human ether-a-go-go channel (hEag1 or KV10.1) is a cancer-relevant voltage
      gated potassium channel that is overexpressed in a majority of human tumors.
      Peptides that are able to selectively inhibit this channel can be lead compounds
      in the search for new anticancer drugs. Here, we report the activity-guided
      purification and electrophysiological characterization of a novel KV10.1
      inhibitor from the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima. Purified sea anemone
      fractions were screened for inhibitory activity on KV10.1 by measuring whole-cell
      currents as expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes using the two-microelectrode
      voltage clamp technique. Fractions that showed activity on Kv10.1 were further
      purified by RP-HPLC. The amino acid sequence of the peptide was determined by a
      combination of MALDI- LIFT-TOF/TOF MS/MS and CID-ESI-FT-ICR MS/MS and showed a
      high similarity with APETx1 and APETx3 and was therefore named APETx4.
      Subsequently, the peptide was electrophysiologically characterized on KV10.1. The
      selectivity of the toxin was investigated on an array of voltage-gated ion
      channels, including the cardiac human ether-a-go-go-related gene potassium
      channel (hERG or Kv11.1). The toxin inhibits KV10.1 with an IC50 value of 1.1
      MUM. In the presence of a similar toxin concentration, a shift of the activation
      curve towards more positive potentials was observed. Similar to the effect of the
      gating modifier toxin APETx1 on hERG, the inhibition of Kv10.1 by the isolated
      toxin is reduced at more positive voltages and the peptide seems to keep the
      channel in a closed state. Although the peptide also induces inhibitory effects
      on other KV and NaV channels, it exhibits no significant effect on hERG.
      Moreover, APETx4 induces a concentration-dependent cytotoxic and proapoptotic
      effect in various cancerous and noncancerous cell lines. This newly identified
      KV10.1 inhibitor can be used as a tool to further characterize the oncogenic
      channel KV10.1 or as a scaffold for the design and synthesis of more potent and
      safer anticancer drugs.

PMID- 28902152
TI  - MicroRNAs as Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRs) are small RNAs that repress mRNA translation, resulting in the
      degradation of mRNAs and regulation of the expression levels of various genes.
      Recent studies have shown that aberrant miR expression has a functional role in
      the initiation and progression of various malignancies, including colorectal
      cancer (CRC), which is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death
      worldwide. miRs have also been shown to have applications as diagnostic,
      prognostic, and predictive biomarkers because of their high tissue specificity,
      stability, and altered expression in tumor development. In this report, we
      examined the role of miRs as biomarkers in CRC through a review of meta-analyses
      and large-scale analyses having strong statistical confidence in the study
      outcomes. We also discuss current issues in the clinical application of these
      miRs.

PMID- 28902154
TI  - Leak Detection and Location of Water Pipes Using Vibration Sensors and Modified
      ML Prefilter.
AB  - This paper proposes a new leak detection and location method based on vibration
      sensors and generalised cross-correlation techniques. Considering the estimation
      errors of the power spectral densities (PSDs) and the cross-spectral density
      (CSD), the proposed method employs a modified maximum-likelihood (ML) prefilter
      with a regularisation factor. We derive a theoretical variance of the time
      difference estimation error through summation in the discrete-frequency domain,
      and find the optimal regularisation factor that minimises the theoretical
      variance in practical water pipe channels. The proposed method is compared with
      conventional correlation-based techniques via numerical simulations using a water
      pipe channel model, and it is shown through field measurement that the proposed
      modified ML prefilter outperforms conventional prefilters for the generalised
      cross-correlation. In addition, we provide a formula to calculate the leak
      location using the time difference estimate when different types of pipes are
      connected.

PMID- 28902155
TI  - One-Step Facile Synthesis of Aptamer-Modified Graphene Oxide for Highly Specific
      Enrichment of Human A-Thrombin in Plasma.
AB  - The enrichment of low-abundance proteins in complex biological samples plays an
      important role in clinical diagnostics and biomedical research. This work reports
      a novel one-step method for the synthesis of aptamer-modified graphene oxide
      (GO/Apt) nanocomposites, without introducing the use of gold, for the rapid and
      specific separation and enrichment of human alpha-thrombin from buffer solutions
      with highly concentrated interferences. The obtained GO/Apt nanocomposites had
      remarkable aptamer immobilization, up to 44.8 nmol/mg. Furthermore, GO/Apt
      nanocomposites exhibited significant specific enrichment efficiency for human
      alpha-thrombin (>90%), even under the presence of 3000-fold interference
      proteins, which was better than the performance of other nanomaterials. Finally,
      the GO/Apt nanocomposites were applied in the specific capturing of human alpha
      thrombin in highly concentrated human plasma solutions with negligible
      nonspecific binding of other proteins, which demonstrated their prospects in rare
      protein analysis and biosensing applications.

PMID- 28902156
TI  - Pitting Initiation and Propagation of X70 Pipeline Steel Exposed to Chloride
      Containing Environments.
AB  - Inclusion-induced pitting initiation mechanisms in X70 steel were investigated by
      scanning electron microscopy, scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM),
      immersion and electrochemical polarization tests in chloride-containing ion
      solutions. There are three inclusion types in the X70 steel. Corrosion test
      results indicated that pitting corrosion resistance of type A inclusion < type C
      inclusion < type B inclusion, i.e., (Mn, Ca)S < matrix < (Al, Ca)O. SKPFM test
      results show that the type A inclusion exhibited both lower and higher potentials
      than the matrix, while the type B inclusion exhibited higher potential than the
      matrix. The corrosion test and the SKPFM potential test results are consistent.
      Potentiodynamic polarization results indicate that the type A and C are active
      inclusions, while the type B is an inactive inclusion. Three kinds of possible
      mechanisms of inclusion-induced pitting corrosion are established for the X70
      steel.

PMID- 28902153
TI  - Bacterial Biofilm Control by Perturbation of Bacterial Signaling Processes.
AB  - The development of effective strategies to combat biofilm infections by means of
      either mechanical or chemical approaches could dramatically change today's
      treatment procedures for the benefit of thousands of patients. Remarkably,
      considering the increased focus on biofilms in general, there has still not been
      invented and/or developed any simple, efficient and reliable methods with which
      to "chemically" eradicate biofilm infections. This underlines the resilience of
      infective agents present as biofilms and it further emphasizes the insufficiency
      of today's approaches used to combat chronic infections. A potential method for
      biofilm dismantling is chemical interception of regulatory processes that are
      specifically involved in the biofilm mode of life. In particular, bacterial cell
      to cell signaling called "Quorum Sensing" together with intracellular signaling
      by bis-(3'-5')-cyclic-dimeric guanosine monophosphate (cyclic-di-GMP) have gained
      a lot of attention over the last two decades. More recently, regulatory processes
      governed by two component regulatory systems and small non-coding RNAs have been
      increasingly investigated. Here, we review novel findings and potentials of using
      small molecules to target and modulate these regulatory processes in the
      bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to decrease its pathogenic potential.

PMID- 28902158
TI  - Controlled Shrinkage of Expanded Glass Particles in Metal Syntactic Foams.
AB  - Metal matrix syntactic foams have been fabricated via counter-gravity
      infiltration of a packed bed of recycled expanded glass particles (EG) with A356
      aluminum alloy. Particle shrinkage was studied and has been utilized to increase
      the particles' strength and tailor the mechanical properties of the expanded
      glass/metal syntactic foam (EG-MSF). The crushing strength of particles could be
      doubled by shrinking them for 20 min at 700  degrees C. Owing to the low density
      of EG (0.20-0.26 g/cm3), the resulting foam exhibits a low density (1.03-1.19
      g/cm3) that increases slightly due to particle shrinkage. Chemical and physical
      analyses of EG particles and the resulting foams were conducted. Furthermore,
      metal syntactic foam samples were tested in uni-axial compression tests. The
      stress-strain curves obtained exhibit three distinct regions: elastic deformation
      followed by a stress plateau and densification commencing at 70-80% macroscopic
      strain. Particle shrinkage increased the mechanical strength of the foam samples
      and their average plateau stress increased from 15.5 MPa to 26.7 MPa.

PMID- 28902157
TI  - Triarylborane-Based Materials for OLED Applications.
AB  - Multidisciplinary research on organic fluorescent molecules has been attracting
      great interest owing to their potential applications in biomedical and material
      sciences. In recent years, electron deficient systems have been increasingly
      incorporated into fluorescent materials. Triarylboranes with the empty p orbital
      of their boron centres are electron deficient and can be used as strong electron
      acceptors in conjugated organic fluorescent materials. Moreover, their
      applications in optoelectronic devices, energy harvesting materials and anion
      sensing, due to their natural Lewis acidity and remarkable solid-state
      fluorescence properties, have also been investigated. Furthermore, fluorescent
      triarylborane-based materials have been commonly utilized as emitters and
      electron transporters in organic light emitting diode (OLED) applications. In
      this review, triarylborane-based small molecules and polymers will be surveyed,
      covering their structure-property relationships, intramolecular charge transfer
      properties and solid-state fluorescence quantum yields as functional emissive
      materials in OLEDs. Also, the importance of the boron atom in triarylborane
      compounds is emphasized to address the key issues of both fluorescent emitters
      and their host materials for the construction of high-performance OLEDs.

PMID- 28902159
TI  - Exogenous Melatonin Alleviates Alkaline Stress in Malus hupehensis Rehd. by
      Regulating the Biosynthesis of Polyamines.
AB  - Since melatonin was identified in plants decades ago, much attention has been
      devoted to discovering its role in plant science. There is still a great deal to
      learn about the functional importance of melatonin, as well as its functional
      mode. In this paper, we examine the role of melatonin treatment in the response
      of Malus hupehensis Rehd. to alkaline conditions. Stressed seedlings showed
      chlorosis and suppressed growth. However, this phenotype was ameliorated when 5
      uM melatonin was added to the irrigation solution. This supplementation was also
      associated with a reduction in cell membrane damage and maintenance of a normal
      root system architecture. Fewer reactive oxygen species (ROS) were accumulated
      due to the enhanced scavenging activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide
      dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase. In addition, alkaline-stressed seedlings
      that received the melatonin supplement accumulated more polyamines compared with
      untreated seedlings. Transcript levels of six genes involved in polyamine
      synthesis, including SAMDC1, -3, and -4, and SPDS1, -3, and -5, -6, were
      upregulated in response to melatonin application. All of these results
      demonstrate that melatonin has a positive function in plant tolerance to alkaline
      stress because it regulates enzyme activity and the biosynthesis of polyamines.

PMID- 28902160
TI  - Chitosan Gel Sheet Containing Polymeric Micelles: Synthesis and Gelation
      Properties of PEG-Grafted Chitosan.
AB  - Wound-dressing sheet biomaterials can cover wound sites and enhance wound
      healing. In this study, a detailed evaluation of the factors affecting both the
      PEG modification percentage (PMP) in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-grafted chitosan
      synthesis and the gelation properties of PEG-grafted chitosan was presented for
      constructing our novel hybrid hydrogel sheet consisting of PEG-grafted chitosan
      (a gel-forming polymer) and a reactive polymeric micelle (a crosslinker). It was
      confirmed that various factors (i.e., the weight ratio of PEG/chitosan, the pH of
      the buffer solution, reaction times, and reaction temperatures) in the
      preparation stage of PEG-grafted chitosans affected the PMP of PEG-grafted
      chitosans. Furthermore, the PMP of PEG-grafted chitosans affected their gelation
      properties. Finally, a 'flexible' hydrogel sheet that can be reversibly dried and
      moistened was successfully obtained. The dried rigid, thin sheet is expected to
      be suitable for stable preservation. The results obtained in this paper show that
      the incorporation of drug carriers into biomaterials is a novel approach to
      improve functionality.

PMID- 28902161
TI  - Biological Evaluation of Flexible Polyurethane/Poly l-Lactic Acid Composite
      Scaffold as a Potential Filler for Bone Regeneration.
AB  - Degradable bone graft substitute for large-volume bone defects is a continuously
      developing field in orthopedics. With the advance in biomaterial in past decades,
      a wide range of new materials has been investigated for their potential in this
      application. When compared to common biopolymers within the field such as PLA or
      PCL, elastomers such as polyurethane offer some unique advantages in terms of
      flexibility. In cases of bone defect treatments, a flexible soft filler can help
      to establish an intimate contact with surrounding bones to provide a stable bone
      material interface for cell proliferation and ingrowth of tissue. In this study,
      a porous filler based on segmented polyurethane incorporated with poly l-lactic
      acid was synthesized by a phase inverse salt leaching method. The filler was put
      through in vitro and in vivo tests to evaluate its potential in acting as a bone
      graft substitute for critical-sized bone defects. In vitro results indicated
      there was a major improvement in biological response, including cell attachment,
      proliferation and alkaline phosphatase expression for osteoblast-like cells when
      seeded on the composite material compared to unmodified polyurethane. In vivo
      evaluation on a critical-sized defect model of New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit
      indicated there was bone ingrowth along the defect area with the introduction of
      the new filler. A tight interface formed between bone and filler, with osteogenic
      cells proliferating on the surface. The result suggested polyurethane/poly l
      lactic acid composite is a material with the potential to act as a bone graft
      substitute for orthopedics application.

PMID- 28902162
TI  - Percentage of Body Fat and Fat Mass Index as a Screening Tool for Metabolic
      Syndrome Prediction in Colombian University Students.
AB  - High body fat is related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) in all ethnic groups. Based
      on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition of MetS, the aim of
      this study was to explore thresholds of body fat percentage (BF%) and fat mass
      index (FMI) for the prediction of MetS among Colombian University students. A
      cross-sectional study was conducted on 1687 volunteers (63.4% women, mean age =
      20.6 years). Weight, waist circumference, serum lipids indices, blood pressure,
      and fasting plasma glucose were measured. Body composition was measured by
      bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and FMI was calculated. MetS was defined
      as including more than or equal to three of the metabolic abnormalities according
      to the IDF definition. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was used to
      determine optimal cut-off points for BF% and FMI in relation to the area under
      the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity in both sexes. The overall
      prevalence of MetS was found to be 7.7%, higher in men than women (11.1% vs.
      5.3%; p < 0.001). BF% and FMI were positively correlated to MetS components (p <
      0.05). ROC analysis indicated that BF% and FMI can be used with moderate accuracy
      to identify MetS in university-aged students. BF% and FMI thresholds of 25.55%
      and 6.97 kg/m2 in men, and 38.95% and 11.86 kg/m2 in women, were found to be
      indicative of high MetS risk. Based on the IDF criteria, both indexes' thresholds
      seem to be good tools to identify university students with unfavorable metabolic
      profiles.

PMID- 28902163
TI  - Infants' and Children's Salt Taste Perception and Liking: A Review.
AB  - Sodium is an essential nutrient for the human body. It is widely used as sodium
      chloride (table salt) in (processed) foods and overconsumed by both children and
      adults, placing them at risk for adverse health effects such as high blood
      pressure and cardiovascular diseases. The current review focusses on the
      development of salt taste sensitivity and preferences, and its association with
      food intake. Three -to- four month old infants are able to detect and prefer
      sodium chloride solutions over plain water, which is thought to be a biological
      unlearned response. Liking for water with sodium chloride mostly decreases when
      infants enter early childhood, but liking for sodium chloride in appropriate food
      contexts such as soup and snack foods remains high. The increased acceptance and
      preference of sodium chloride rich foods coincides with infants' exposure to
      salty foods, and is therefore thought to be mostly a learned response. Children
      prefer higher salt concentrations than adults, but seem to be equally sensitive
      to salt taste. The addition of salt to foods increases children's consumption of
      those foods. However, children's liking for salt taste as such does not seem to
      correlate with children's consumption of salty foods. Decreasing the exposure to
      salty tasting foods during early infancy is recommended. Salt plays an important
      role in children's liking for a variety of foods. It is, however, questionable if
      children's liking for salt per se influences the intake of salty foods.

PMID- 28902164
TI  - SlBIR3 Negatively Regulates PAMP Responses and Cell Death in Tomato.
AB  - Bri1-associated kinase 1 (BAK1)-interacting receptor-like kinase (BIR) proteins
      have been shown to play important roles in regulating growth and development,
      pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) responses,
      and cell death in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. We identified four BIR
      family members in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), including SlBIR3, an ortholog of
      AtBIR3 from A. thaliana. SlBIR3 is predicted to encode a membrane localized non
      arginine-aspartate (non-RD) kinase that, based on protein sequence, does not have
      autophosphorylation activity but that can be phosphorylated in vivo. We
      established that SlBIR3 interacts with SlBAK1 and AtBAK1 using yeast two-hybrid
      assays and co-immunoprecipitation and maltose-binding protein pull down assays.
      We observed that SlBIR3 overexpression in tomato (cv. micro-tom) and A. thaliana
      has weak effect on growth and development through brassinosteroid (BR) signaling.
      SlBIR3 overexpression in A. thaliana suppressed flg22-induced defense responses,
      but did not affect infection with the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae
      (PstDC3000). This result was confirmed using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)
      in tomato in conjunction with PstDC3000 infection. Overexpression of SlBIR3 in
      tomato (cv. micro-tom) and A. thaliana resulted in enhanced susceptibility to the
      necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea. In addition, co-silencing SlBIR3 with
      SlSERK3A or SlSERK3B using VIGS and the tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-RNA2 vector
      containing fragments of both the SlSERK3 and SlBIR3 genes induced spontaneous
      cell death, indicating a cooperation between the two proteins in this process. In
      conclusion, our study revealed that SlBIR3 is the ortholog of AtBIR3 and that it
      participates in BR, PTI, and cell death signaling pathways.

PMID- 28902165
TI  - Development of Novel Nrf2/ARE Inducers Bearing Pyrazino[2,1-a]isoquinolin
      Scaffold with Potent In Vitro Efficacy and Enhanced Physicochemical Properties.
AB  - Pyrazino[2,1-a]isoquinolin analogues were reported as potent activators of
      Nrf2/ARE signaling both in vitro and in vivo by our group. In this study, we
      simplified the ring system to investigate the functions of various parts of the
      pyrazino[2,1-a]isoquinolin scaffold. We proved that the tetrahydroisoquinoline
      was not essential for activity and the pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazin analogues 3b and 3g
      retained the cellular Nrf2/ARE activation activity. Besides, this simplification
      significantly enhanced water solubility and membrane permeability, indicating
      that these compounds are more favourable for the further development of
      therapeutic agents around Nrf2 activation.

PMID- 28902167
TI  - Optimization and Comparison of Synthetic Procedures for a Group of Triazinyl
      Substituted Benzene-Sulfonamide Conjugates with Amino Acids.
AB  - Sulfonamides incorporating 1,3,5-triazine moieties can selectively and potently
      inhibit carbonic anhydrase transmembrane isoforms IX, XII, and XIV over cytosolic
      isoforms I and II. In the present work, a highly effective synthetic procedure
      was proposed for this group of potent cancerostatic drugs and compared with
      previously used methods. The synthesis of triazinyl-substituted benzene
      sulfonamide conjugates with amino acids can be easily carried out using sodium
      carbonate-based water solution as a synthetic medium instead of N,N
      Diisopropylethylamine/Dimethylformamide. The benefits of this synthetic procedure
      include: (i) high selectivity of the creation of disubstituted conjugates; (ii)
      several times higher yield (>=95%) than that achieved previously; (iii)
      elimination of organic solvents by the use of an environmental friendly water
      medium (green chemistry); (iv) simple and fast isolation of the product. The
      synthesis and resulting products were evaluated using TLC, IR, NMR, and MS
      methods. The present work demonstrates a significant advantage in providing
      shortened routes to target structures.

PMID- 28902168
TI  - Measuring the Pull-Off Force of an Individual Fiber Using a Novel
      Picoindenter/Scanning Electron Microscope Technique.
AB  - We employed a novel picoindenter (PI)/scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      technique to measure the pull-off force of an individual electrospun
      poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) fibers. Individual fibers were deposited over a
      channel in a custom-designed silicon substrate, which was then attached to a
      picoindenter. The picoindenter was then positioned firmly on the sample stage of
      the SEM. The picoindenter tip laterally pushed individual fibers to measure the
      force required to detach it from the surface of substrate. SEM was used to
      visualize and document the process. The measured pull-off force ranged between
      5.8 +/- 0.2 MUN to ~17.8 +/- 0.2 MUN for individual fibers with average diameter
      ranging from 0.8 to 2.3 MUm. Thus, this study, a first of its kind, demonstrates
      the use of a picoindenter to measure the pull-off force of a single
      micro/nanofiber.

PMID- 28902166
TI  - Critical Roles of Dual-Specificity Phosphatases in Neuronal Proteostasis and
      Neurological Diseases.
AB  - Protein homeostasis or proteostasis is a fundamental cellular property that
      encompasses the dynamic balancing of processes in the proteostasis network (PN).
      Such processes include protein synthesis, folding, and degradation in both non
      stressed and stressful conditions. The role of the PN in neurodegenerative
      disease is well-documented, where it is known to respond to changes in protein
      folding states or toxic gain-of-function protein aggregation. Dual-specificity
      phosphatases have recently emerged as important participants in maintaining
      balance within the PN, acting through modulation of cellular signaling pathways
      that are involved in neurodegeneration. In this review, we will summarize recent
      findings describing the roles of dual-specificity phosphatases in
      neurodegeneration and offer perspectives on future therapeutic directions.

PMID- 28902169
TI  - Whispering-Gallery Mode Resonators for Detecting Cancer.
AB  - Optical resonators are sensors well known for their high sensitivity and fast
      response time. These sensors have a wide range of applications, including in the
      biomedical fields, and cancer detection is one such promising application. Sensor
      diagnosis currently has many limitations, such as being expensive, highly
      invasive, and time-consuming. New developments are welcomed to overcome these
      limitations. Optical resonators have high sensitivity, which enable medical
      testing to detect disease in the early stage. Herein, we describe the principle
      of whispering-gallery mode and ring optical resonators. We also add to the
      knowledge of cancer biomarker diagnosis, where we discuss the application of
      optical resonators for specific biomarkers. Lastly, we discuss advancements in
      optical resonators for detecting cancer in terms of their ability to detect small
      amounts of cancer biomarkers.

PMID- 28902170
TI  - Lipase Activity in the Larval Midgut of Rhynchophorus palmarum: Biochemical
      Characterization and the Effects of Reducing Agents.
AB  - Lipases have key roles in insect lipid acquisition, storage, and mobilization and
      are also fundamental to many physiological processes in insects. Lipids are an
      important component of insect diets, where they are hydrolyzed in the midgut
      lumen, absorbed, and used for the synthesis of complex lipids. The South American
      palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum is one of the most important pests on
      commercial palm plantations. However, there are few studies about lipid digestion
      for this insect. In this work, we have described the biochemical characterization
      of the lipase activity in the posterior midgut of the R. palmarum palm weevil.
      Lipase activity was highest between the temperatures of 37  degrees C and 45 
      degrees C and at pH 6.5. Lipase activity was also sensitive to variations in salt
      and calcium concentrations. Lipases have been described structurally as enzymes
      with the Ser-His-Asp Catalytic Triad, containing an active serine. The serine
      protease inhibitor PMSF (phenylmethane sulfonyl fluoride) inhibited the lipases
      from R. palmarum, demonstrating the importance of a serine residue for this
      activity. The ability of the lipases to hydrolyze p-Nitrophenyl esters with
      different chain lengths has revealed the activities of a broad range of
      substrates. The lipase activities of R. palmarum increased in the presence of
      reduced glutathione (GSH) and dithiothreitol (DTT), while in the presence of
      oxidized glutathione (GSSG), activities were drastically reduced. To our
      knowledge, this study has provided the first information about lipase activity in
      the R. palmarum palm weevil.

PMID- 28902171
TI  - A Possible Indicator of Oxidative Damage in Smokers: (13Z)-Lycopene?
AB  - In vitro, the gaseous phase of cigarette smoke is known to induce both
      isomerization and degradation of dietary carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and
      lycopene. However, the effects of cigarette smoke on the composition of
      circulating lycopene in vivo are not well understood. In this study, we examined
      the lycopene profiles of plasma from non-smokers and smokers. No oxidative
      intermediates of lycopene that have been observed previously in vitro were
      detected in the plasma, but evidence of isomerization of the carotenoid was seen.
      Four geometric forms of lycopene were detected in the plasma of both smokers and
      non-smokers, namely the (5Z), (9Z), (13Z) and (all-E) forms. The relative amounts
      of these isomers differed between the two cohorts and there was a significant
      difference (p < 0.05) between smokers and non-smokers for the ratio of total
      Z:all-E lycopene, and in the relative amounts of (13Z) and (all-E)-lycopene. The
      ratio of (all-E):(13Z)-lycopene was 0.84:1.00 in smokers compared to 1.04:1.00 in
      non-smokers. In smokers, the (13Z)-isomer was generated in preference to the more
      thermodynamically stable (5Z) and (9Z)-isomers. This mirrors the scenario seen in
      vitro, in which the formation of (13Z)-lycopene was the main isomer that
      accompanied the depletion of (all-E) lycopene, when exposed to cigarette smoke.
      The results suggest that the relative amount of (13Z)-lycopene could be used as
      an indicator of oxidative damage to lycopene in vivo.

PMID- 28902172
TI  - Behavioral and Neurochemical Consequences of Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Kindling
      in Young and Middle-Aged Rats.
AB  - (1) Objectives: Epilepsy disorder is likely to increase with aging, leading to an
      increased incidence of comorbidities and mortality. In spite of that, there is a
      lack of information regarding this issue and little knowledge of cognitive and
      emotional responses in aging subjects following epileptogenesis. We investigated
      whether and how aging distress epilepsy-related behavioral and biochemical
      outcomes are associated with cognition and emotion. (2) Methods: Young and middle
      aged Wistar rats (3 or 12 months old) were treated with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ,
      35 mg/kg) and injected on alternated days for 20 (young rats) and 32 days (middle
      aged rats). Kindling was reached after two consecutive stages 4 plus one stage 5
      or 6 in Racine scale. Control and kindled rats were evaluated in the elevated
      plus-maze (EPM) and object-recognition tests and their hippocampus was collected
      24 h later for mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) dosage. (3) Results:
      Middle-aged rats presented a higher resistance to develop kindling, with a
      decrease in the seizure severity index observed following the 4th and 9th PTZ
      injections. Middle-aged rats displayed an increased duration of the first
      myoclonic seizure and an increased latency to the first generalized seizure when
      compared to younger rats. The induction of kindling did not impair the animals'
      performance (regardless of age) in the object-recognition task and the EPM test
      as well as it did not alter the hippocampal levels of MAPKs. (4) Significance:
      Our findings reveal that, despite age-related differences during epileptogenesis,
      middle-aged rats evaluated after kindling performed similarly during
      discriminative learning and emotional tasks in comparison to young animals, with
      no alteration of hippocampal MAPKs. Additional investigation must be carried out
      to explore the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying these responses, as
      well as the long-term effects displayed after kindling.

PMID- 28902173
TI  - Concept for Recycling Waste Biomass from the Sugar Industry for Chemical and
      Biotechnological Purposes.
AB  - The objective of this study was to develop a method for the thermally-assisted
      acidic hydrolysis of waste biomass from the sugar industry (sugar beet pulp and
      leaves) for chemical and biotechnological purposes. The distillates, containing
      furfural, can be catalytically reduced directly into furfurayl alcohol or
      tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol. The sugars present in the hydrolysates can be
      converted by lactic bacteria into lactic acid, which, by catalytic reduction,
      leads to propylene glycol. The sugars may also be utilized by microorganisms in
      the process of cell proliferation, and the biomass obtained used as a protein
      supplement in animal feed. Our study also considered the effects of the mode and
      length of preservation (fresh, ensilage, and drying) on the yields of furfural
      and monosaccharides. The yield of furfural in the distillates was measured using
      gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The content of
      monosaccharides in the hydrolysates was measured spectrophotometrically using
      enzymatic kits. Biomass preserved under all tested conditions produced high
      yields of furfural, comparable to those for fresh material. Long-term storage of
      ensiled waste biomass did not result in loss of furfural productivity. However,
      there were significant reductions in the amounts of monosaccharides in the
      hydrolysates.

PMID- 28902174
TI  - Distribution of Non-Persistent Endocrine Disruptors in Two Different Regions of
      the Human Brain.
AB  - Non-persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals (npEDCs) can affect multiple organs
      and systems in the body. Whether npEDCs can accumulate in the human brain is
      largely unknown. The major aim of this pilot study was to examine the presence of
      environmental phenols and parabens in two distinct brain regions: the
      hypothalamus and white-matter tissue. In addition, a potential association
      between these npEDCs concentrations and obesity was investigated. Post-mortem
      brain material was obtained from 24 individuals, made up of 12 obese and 12
      normal-weight subjects (defined as body mass index (BMI) > 30 and BMI < 25 kg/m2,
      respectively). Nine phenols and seven parabens were measured by isotope dilution
      TurboFlow-LC-MS/MS. In the hypothalamus, seven suspect npEDCs (bisphenol A,
      triclosan, triclocarban and methyl-, ethyl-, n-propyl-, and benzyl paraben) were
      detected, while five npEDCs (bisphenol A, benzophenone-3, triclocarban, methyl-,
      and n-propyl paraben) were found in the white-matter brain tissue. We observed
      higher levels of methylparaben (MeP) in the hypothalamic tissue of obese subjects
      as compared to controls (p = 0.008). Our findings indicate that some suspected
      npEDCs are able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Whether the presence of npEDCs
      can adversely affect brain function and to which extent the detected
      concentrations are physiologically relevant needs to be further investigated.

PMID- 28902175
TI  - Prediction Equations Overestimate the Energy Requirements More for Obesity
      Susceptible Individuals.
AB  - Predictive equations to estimate resting metabolic rate (RMR) are often used in
      dietary counseling and by online apps to set energy intake goals for weight loss.
      It is critical to know whether such equations are appropriate for those
      susceptible to obesity. We measured RMR by indirect calorimetry after an
      overnight fast in 26 obesity susceptible (OSI) and 30 obesity resistant (ORI)
      individuals, identified using a simple 6-item screening tool. Predicted RMR was
      calculated using the FAO/WHO/UNU (Food and Agricultural Organisation/World Health
      Organisation/United Nations University), Oxford and Miflin-St Jeor equations.
      Absolute measured RMR did not differ significantly between OSI versus ORI (6339
      vs. 5893 kJ.d-1, p = 0.313). All three prediction equations over-estimated RMR
      for both OSI and ORI when measured RMR was <=5000 kJ.d-1. For measured RMR <=7000
      kJ.d-1 there was statistically significant evidence that the equations
      overestimate RMR to a greater extent for those classified as obesity susceptible
      with biases ranging between around 10% to nearly 30% depending on the equation.
      The use of prediction equations may overestimate RMR and energy requirements
      particularly in those who self-identify as being susceptible to obesity, which
      has implications for effective weight management.

PMID- 28902176
TI  - Pharmacokinetic and Toxicodynamic Characterization of a Novel Doxorubicin
      Derivative.
AB  - Doxorubicin (Dox) is an effective anti-cancer medication with poor oral
      bioavailability and systemic toxicities. DoxQ was developed by conjugating Dox to
      the lymphatically absorbed antioxidant quercetin to improve Dox's bioavailability
      and tolerability. The purpose of this study was to characterize the
      pharmacokinetics and safety of Dox after intravenous (IV) and oral (PO)
      administration of DoxQ or Dox (10 mg/kg) and investigate the intestinal lymphatic
      delivery of Dox after PO DoxQ administration in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Drug
      concentrations in serum, urine, and lymph were quantified by HPLC with
      fluorescence detection. DoxQ intact IV showed a 5-fold increase in the area under
      the curve (AUC)-18.6 +/- 1.98 compared to 3.97 +/- 0.71 MUg * h/mL after Dox-and
      a significant reduction in the volume of distribution (Vss): 0.138 +/- 0.015
      versus 6.35 +/- 1.06 L/kg. The fraction excreted unchanged in urine (fe) of IV
      DoxQ and Dox was ~5% and ~11%, respectively. Cumulative amounts of Dox in the
      mesenteric lymph fluid after oral DoxQ were twice as high as Dox in a mesenteric
      lymph duct cannulation rat model. Oral DoxQ increased AUC of Dox by ~1.5-fold
      compared to after oral Dox. Concentrations of beta-N-Acetylglucosaminidase (NAG)
      but not cardiac troponin (cTnI) were lower after IV DoxQ than Dox. DoxQ altered
      the pharmacokinetic disposition of Dox, improved its renal safety and oral
      bioavailability, and is in part transported through intestinal lymphatics.

PMID- 28902177
TI  - The Use of Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Determining the Driver's Field of
      Vision.
AB  - Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is currently one of the most progressively
      developed methods in obtaining information about objects and phenomena. This
      paper assesses the TLS possibilities in determining the driver's field of vision
      in operating agricultural and forest machines with movable and immovable
      components in comparison to the method of using two light point sources for the
      creation of shade images according to ISO (International Organization for
      Standardization) 5721-1. Using the TLS method represents a minimum time saving of
      55% or more, according to the project complexity. The values of shading
      ascertained by using the shadow cast method by the point light sources are
      generally overestimated and more distorted for small cabin structural components.
      The disadvantage of the TLS method is the scanner's sensitivity to a soiled or
      scratched cabin windscreen and to the glass transparency impaired by heavy
      tinting.

PMID- 28902179
TI  - Water Diffusion through a Titanium Dioxide/Poly(Carbonate Urethane) Nanocomposite
      for Protecting Cultural Heritage: Interactions and Viscoelastic Behavior.
AB  - Water diffusion through a TiO2/poly (carbonate urethane) nanocomposite designed
      for the eco-sustainable protection of outdoor cultural heritage stonework was
      investigated. Water is recognized as a threat to heritage, hence the aim was to
      gather information on the amount of water uptake, as well as of species of water
      molecules absorbed within the polymer matrix. Gravimetric and vibrational
      spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that diffusion behavior of the
      nanocomposite/water system is Fickian, i.e., diffusivity is independent of
      concentration. The addition of only 1% of TiO2 nanoparticles strongly betters PU
      barrier properties and water-repellency requirement is imparted. Defensive action
      against penetration of water free from, and bonded through, H-bonding association
      arises from balance among TiO2 hydrophilicity, tortuosity effects and quality of
      nanoparticle dispersion and interfacial interactions. Further beneficial to
      antisoiling/antigraffiti action is that water-free fraction was found to be
      desorbed at a constant rate. In environmental conditions, under which weathering
      processes are most likely to occur, nanocomposite Tg values remain suitable for
      heritage treatments.

PMID- 28902180
TI  - Vision-Based Real-Time Traversable Region Detection for Mobile Robot in the
      Outdoors.
AB  - Environment perception is essential for autonomous mobile robots in human-robot
      coexisting outdoor environments. One of the important tasks for such intelligent
      robots is to autonomously detect the traversable region in an unstructured 3D
      real world. The main drawback of most existing methods is that of high
      computational complexity. Hence, this paper proposes a binocular vision-based,
      real-time solution for detecting traversable region in the outdoors. In the
      proposed method, an appearance model based on multivariate Gaussian is quickly
      constructed from a sample region in the left image adaptively determined by the
      vanishing point and dominant borders. Then, a fast, self-supervised segmentation
      scheme is proposed to classify the traversable and non-traversable regions. The
      proposed method is evaluated on public datasets as well as a real mobile robot.
      Implementation on the mobile robot has shown its ability in the real-time
      navigation applications.

PMID- 28902178
TI  - Tumor Inhibitory Effect of IRCR201, a Novel Cross-Reactive c-Met Antibody
      Targeting the PSI Domain.
AB  - Hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR, c-Met) is an essential member of the
      receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family that is often dysregulated during tumor
      progression, driving a malignant phenotypic state and modulating important
      cellular functions including tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and
      angiogenesis, providing a strong rationale for targeting HGF/c-Met signaling axis
      in cancer therapy. Based on its protumorigenic potentials, we developed IRCR201,
      a potent antagonistic antibody targeting the plexin-semaphorin-integrin (PSI)
      domain of c-Met, using synthetic human antibody phage libraries. We characterized
      and evaluated the biochemical properties and tumor inhibitory effect of IRCR201
      in vitro and in vivo. IRCR201 is a novel fully-human bivalent therapeutic
      antibody that exhibits cross-reactivity against both human and mouse c-Met
      proteins with high affinity and specificity. IRCR201 displayed low agonist
      activity and rapidly depleted total c-Met protein via the lysosomal degradation
      pathway, inhibiting c-Met-dependent downstream activation and attenuating
      cellular proliferation in various c-Met-expressing cancer cells. In vivo tumor
      xenograft models also demonstrated the superior tumor inhibitory responsiveness
      of IRCR201. Taken together, IRCR201 provides a promising therapeutic agent for c
      Met-positive cancer patients through suppressing the c-Met signaling pathway and
      tumor growth.

PMID- 28902181
TI  - Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha-positive cells: a new cell type in
      the human ureteropelvic junction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction is the most common cause of
      congenital hydronephrosis. Normal ureteral motility requires coordinated
      interaction between neurons, smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and interstitial Cajal
      like cells (IC-LCs). Recently, a new type of interstitial cell, platelet-derived
      growth factor receptor alpha-positive (PDGFRalpha+) cells, was discovered in the
      gastrointestinal tract and bladder.MethodsWe used immunohistochemistry to study
      PDGFRalpha protein distribution in normal human UPJ and congenital UPJ
      obstruction. Western blot and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) were used to study
      PDGFRalpha protein and gene expression levels. In addition, closely associated
      cells and small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels were
      investigated.ResultsPDGFRalpha+ cells were distinct from IC-LCs and SMCs and were
      in close proximity to nerve fibers. PDGFRalpha+ cells expressed SK3 channels,
      which are thought to mediate purinergic inhibitory neurotransmission in SMCs. The
      distribution of PDGFRalpha+ cells was similar in UPJ obstruction vs. CONTROLS:
      However, the expression of SK3 channels in PDGFRalpha+ cells was decreased in UPJ
      obstruction vs. CONTROLS: ConclusionThis study shows, for the first time, the
      PDGFRalpha+ cell expression in the human UPJ. Altered SK3 channel expression
      observed in PDGFRalpha+ cells in UPJ obstruction suggests that the impairment of
      SK3 activity across the UPJ may perturb upper urinary tract peristalsis in this
      urological condition.

PMID- 28902182
TI  - Gestational age-dependent relationship between cerebral oxygen extraction and
      blood pressure.
AB  - BackgroundPremature infants may lack mature cerebrovascular autoregulatory
      function and fail to adapt oxygen extraction to decreasing systemic
      perfusion.MethodsInfants <=28 weeks of gestational age (GA) were recruited.
      Systemic oxygen saturation (SpO2), mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), and
      cerebral saturation (near-infrared spectroscopy, SctO2) were measured
      continuously over the first 72 h. Resulting data underwent error-processing. For
      each remaining 10 m window, the mean MABP and fractional tissue oxygen extraction
      (FTOE) were calculated. The infants were divided into two groups (23-25 and 26-28
      weeks). The median FTOE at low, medium, and high MABP values (empirically defined
      within each group based on the 25th and 75th centile) were compared between
      estimated gestational age (EGA) groups.ResultsSample n=68, mean+/-SD GA=25.5+/
      1.3 weeks, and birthweight (BW)=823+/-195 g. The median FTOE in the more preterm
      group vs. more mature group was statistically different at lower value of MABP
      (P<0.01) and higher values of MABP (P=0.01), but not at medium values
      (P=0.55).ConclusionThe more mature group (GA 26-28 weeks) displayed an
      appropriate increase in oxygen extraction during hypotension, steadily decreasing
      as MABP increased, suggesting mature autoregulation. An opposite response was
      noted in the more preterm group, suggesting an inability to mount a compensatory
      response when BP is outside of the physiologic range.

PMID- 28902183
TI  - Patient characteristics affect the response to ketamine and opioids during the
      treatment of vaso-occlusive episode-related pain in sickle cell disease.
AB  - BackgroundN-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation has been implicated in the
      pathobiology of inflammatory, nociceptive and neuropathic pain, opioid tolerance,
      opioid-induced hyperalgesia, and central sensitization. Some of those mechanisms
      underlie sickle cell disease(SCD)-associated pain.MethodsWe conducted an
      exploratory cohort study of SCD patients who during vaso-occlusive episodes
      (VOEs) received subanesthetic doses of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor
      antagonist, ketamine, as an adjunct to opioids. We sought to identify predictors
      of changes in pain scores and of the percentage of ketamine infusions associated
      with meaningful changes (>=20% reduction) in pain and opioid
      consumption.ResultsEight-five patients received 181 ketamine infusions for VOE
      associated pain. Combined with opioids, ketamine yielded significant decrease in
      pain scores and opioid consumption. Ketamine administered to males and to younger
      patients yielded greater pain score decrease compared with females (P=0.013) and
      older patients (P=0.018). Fifty-four percent of infusions yielded meaningful
      reductions in pain scores, and in multivariate analysis, sex, age group, pain
      location, and infusion duration independently predicted pain score
      changes.ConclusionThis study suggests that in SCD patients admitted with VOE
      associated pain, ketamine has age- and sex-dependent effects. These data can
      inform sample and effect size calculations for controlled trials to determine
      which SCD patients would benefit most from ketamine.

PMID- 28902185
TI  - Influences of medications on the developing fetus: toward deciphering the
      unknowns.

PMID- 28902186
TI  - Early career investigator highlight-November.

PMID- 28902184
TI  - The relationship between infancy growth rate and the onset of puberty in both
      genders.
AB  - BackgroundIn this study, we examined the hypothesis that weight gain and linear
      growth during the first years of life influence the onset of puberty both in
      girls and in boys.MethodsA cohort of 157 healthy children, aged 6-9 years, was
      evaluated and their growth patterns were analyzed retrospectively. Repeated
      measures mixed model was used to examine the longitudinal anthropometric
      data.ResultsGirls with pubertal signs were heavier than their peers starting at 9
      months of age (P=0.02), and the difference became more evident over time
      (P<0.001). Accelerated weight gain between 6 and 15 months of age was found to
      increase the odds of having a pubertal sign at the study visit (odds ratio
      (OR)=34.5) after adjusting for birth weight, gestational age and current age,
      height, weight, and BMI (P=0.004). Anthropometric indices of boys with or without
      pubertal signs were not significantly different at the study visit, but boys with
      accelerated height gain between 9 and 15 months of age were more likely to have
      pubertal signs (OR=15.8) after adjusting for birth weight, gestational age and
      current age, height, weight, and BMI (P=0.016).ConclusionEarly growth
      acceleration might be important for the timing of puberty in both genders.

PMID- 28902187
TI  - "Pressure" to feed the preterm newborn: associated with "positive" outcomes?

PMID- 28902188
TI  - Reproductive interference and fecundity affect competitive interactions of
      sibling species with low mating barriers: experimental and theoretical evidence.
AB  - When allopatric species with incomplete prezygotic isolation come into secondary
      contact, the outcome of their interaction is not easily predicted. The parasitoid
      wasp Encarsia suzannae (iES), infected by Cardinium inducing cytoplasmic
      incompatibility (CI), and its sibling species E. gennaroi (EG), not infected by
      bacterial endosymbionts, may have diverged because of the complementary action of
      CI and asymmetric hybrid incompatibilities. Whereas postzygotic isolation is now
      complete because of sterility of F1 hybrid progeny, prezygotic isolation is still
      incipient. We set up laboratory population cage experiments to evaluate the
      outcome of the interaction between ES and EG in two pairwise combinations: iES vs
      EG and cured ES (cES, where Cardinium was removed with antibiotics) vs EG. We
      also built a theoretical model aimed at exploring the role of life-history
      differences and asymmetric mating on competitive outcomes. In three of four cages
      in each treatment, ES dominated the interaction. We found evidence for
      reproductive interference, driven by asymmetric mating preferences, that gave a
      competitive edge to ES, the species that better discriminated against
      heterospecifics. However, we did not find the fecundity cost previously shown to
      be associated with Cardinium infection in iES. The model largely supported the
      experimental results. The finding of only a slight competitive edge of ES over EG
      in population cages suggests that in a more heterogeneous environment the species
      could coexist. This is supported by evidence that the two species coexist in
      sympatry, where preliminary data suggest reproductive character displacement may
      have reinforced postzygotic isolation.

PMID- 28902191
TI  - Polyoxometalates as sialidase mimics: selective and non-destructive removal of
      sialic acid from a glycoprotein promoted by phosphotungstic acid.
AB  - The selective hydrolysis of the glycosidic bond between the terminal sialic acid
      and the penultimate sugar has been achieved in the alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein
      (Fetuin-A) in the presence of H3PW12O40, a Keggin type polyoxometalate. A
      controlled liberation of sialic acid from the glycoprotein could be achieved at
      pH 3.0 and 37  degrees C without the destruction of the protein backbone.

PMID- 28902189
TI  - Admixture on the northern front: population genomics of range expansion in the
      white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and secondary contact with the deer
      mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus).
AB  - Range expansion has genetic consequences expected to result in differentiated
      wave-front populations with low genetic variation and potentially introgression
      from a local species. The northern expansion of Peromyscus leucopus in southern
      Quebec provides an opportunity to test these predictions using population genomic
      tools. Our results show evidence of recent and post-glacial expansion. Genome
      wide variation in P. leucopus indicates two post-glacial lineages are separated
      by the St. Lawrence River, with a more recent divergence of populations isolated
      by the Richelieu River. In two of three transects we documented northern
      populations with low diversity in at least one genetic measure, although most
      relationships were not significant. Consistent with bottlenecks and allele
      surfing during northward expansion, we document a northern-most population with
      low nucleotide diversity, divergent allele frequencies and the most private
      alleles, and observed heterozygosity indicates outcrossing. Ancestry proportions
      revealed putative hybrids of P. leucopus and P. maniculatus. A formal test for
      gene flow confirmed secondary contact, showing that a reticulate population
      phylogeny between P. maniculatus and P. leucopus was a better fit to the data
      than a bifurcating model without gene flow. Thus, we provide the first genomic
      evidence of gene flow between this pair of species in natural populations.
      Understanding the evolutionary consequences of secondary contact is an important
      conservation concern as climate-induced range expansions are expected to result
      in new hybrid zones between closely related species.

PMID- 28902190
TI  - The effects of outbreeding on a parasitoid wasp fixed for infection with a
      parthenogenesis-inducing Wolbachia symbiont.
AB  - Trichogramma wasps can be rendered asexual by infection with the maternally
      inherited symbiont Wolbachia. Previous studies indicate the Wolbachia strains
      infecting Trichogramma wasps are host-specific, inferred by failed horizontal
      transfer of Wolbachia to novel Trichogramma hosts. Additionally, Trichogramma can
      become dependent upon their Wolbachia infection for the production of female
      offspring, leaving them irreversibly asexual, further linking host and symbiont.
      We hypothesized Wolbachia strains infecting irreversibly asexual, resistant to
      horizontal transfer Trichogramma would show adaptation to a particular host
      genetic background. To test this, we mated Wolbachia-dependent females with males
      from a Wolbachia-naive population to create heterozygous wasps. We measured sex
      ratios and fecundity, a proxy for Wolbachia fitness, produced by heterozygous
      wasps, and by their recombinant offspring. We find a heterozygote advantage,
      resulting in higher fitness for Wolbachia, as wasps will produce more offspring
      without any reduction in the proportion of females. While recombinant wasps did
      not differ in total fecundity after 10 days, recombinants produced fewer
      offspring early on, leading to an increased female-biased sex ratio for the whole
      brood. Despite the previously identified barriers to horizontal transfer of
      Wolbachia to and from Trichogramma pretiosum, there were no apparent barriers for
      Wolbachia to induce parthenogenesis in these non-native backgrounds. This is
      likely due to the route of infection being introgression rather than horizontal
      transfer, and possibly the co-evolution of Wolbachia with the mitochondria rather
      than the nuclear genome. These results help to elucidate the mechanisms by which
      Wolbachia adapt to hosts and the evolution of host-symbiont phenotypes.

PMID- 28902192
TI  - Growth and assembly of cobalt oxide nanoparticle rings at liquid nanodroplets
      with solid junction.
AB  - Using liquid cell TEM, we imaged the formation of CoO nanoparticle rings.
      Nanoparticles nucleated and grew tracing the perimeter of droplets sitting on the
      SiNx solid substrate, and finally formed necklace-like rings. By tracking single
      nanoparticle trajectories during the ring formation and an estimation of the
      forces between droplets and nanoparticles using a simplified model, we found the
      junction of liquid nanodroplets with a solid substrate is the attractive site for
      CoO nanoparticles. Coalescing droplets were capable of pushing nanoparticles to
      the perimeter of the new droplet and nanoparticles on top of the droplets rolled
      off toward the perimeter. We propose that the curved surface morphology of the
      droplets created a force gradient that contributed to the assembly of
      nanoparticles at the droplet perimeter. Revealing the dynamics of nanoparticle
      movements and the interactions of nanoparticles with the liquid nanodroplet
      provides insights on developing novel self-assembly strategies for building
      precisely defined nanostructures on solid substrates.

PMID- 28902193
TI  - Solid state vibrational circular dichroism towards molecular recognition: chiral
      metal complexes intercalated in a clay mineral.
AB  - Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy was applied to study chirality
      recognition in the interlayer space of a clay mineral. Clay intercalation
      compounds including two kinds of chiral molecules were prepared. Firstly a
      cationic metal complex, Delta- or Lambda-[Ru(phen)3]2+ (phen = 1,10
      phenanthroline), was ion-exchanged into sodium montmorillonite. Thereafter a
      neutral organic molecule, R- or S-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (denoted as R- or S-BINOL),
      was co-adsorbed. The solid state VCD spectra were recorded on the hybrid
      compounds thus prepared. The intensity of VCD peaks in the region of 1300-1400 cm
      1, which were assigned to the bending vibrations of OH groups in BINOL, was
      remarkably dependent on the chirality relation between the two intercalated
      species. This implied that BINOL took a different conformation in response to the
      chirality of co-existing [Ru(phen)3]2+.

PMID- 28902194
TI  - Elucidating the role of surface passivating ligand structural parameters in hole
      wave function delocalization in semiconductor cluster molecules.
AB  - This article describes the mechanisms underlying electronic interactions between
      surface passivating ligands and (CdSe)34 semiconductor cluster molecules (SCMs)
      that facilitate band-gap engineering through the delocalization of hole wave
      functions without altering their inorganic core. We show here both experimentally
      and through density functional theory calculations that the expansion of the hole
      wave function beyond the SCM boundary into the ligand monolayer depends not only
      on the pre-binding energetic alignment of interfacial orbitals between the SCM
      and surface passivating ligands but is also strongly influenced by definable
      ligand structural parameters such as the extent of their pi-conjugation [pi
      delocalization energy; pyrene (Py), anthracene (Anth), naphthalene (Naph), and
      phenyl (Ph)], binding mode [dithiocarbamate (DTC, -NH-CS2-), carboxylate (-COO-),
      and amine (-NH2)], and binding head group [-SH, -SeH, and -TeH]. We observe an
      unprecedentedly large ~650 meV red-shift in the lowest energy optical absorption
      band of (CdSe)34 SCMs upon passivating their surface with Py-DTC ligands and the
      trend is found to be Ph- < Naph- < Anth- < Py-DTC. This shift is reversible upon
      removal of Py-DTC by triethylphosphine gold(i) chloride treatment at room
      temperature. Furthermore, we performed temperature-dependent (80-300 K)
      photoluminescence lifetime measurements, which show longer lifetime at lower
      temperature, suggesting a strong influence of hole wave function delocalization
      rather than carrier trapping and/or phonon-mediated relaxation. Taken together,
      knowledge of how ligands electronically interact with the SCM surface is crucial
      to semiconductor nanomaterial research in general because it allows the tuning of
      electronic properties of nanomaterials for better charge separation and enhanced
      charge transfer, which in turn will increase optoelectronic device and
      photocatalytic efficiencies.

PMID- 28902195
TI  - Driving and photo-regulation of myosin-actin motors at molecular and macroscopic
      levels by photo-responsive high energy molecules.
AB  - We employed an azobenzene based non-nucleoside triphosphate, AzoTP, in a myosin
      actin motile system and demonstrated its efficiency as an energy molecule to
      drive and photo-regulate the myosin-actin motile function at the macroscopic
      level along with an in vitro motility assay. The AzoTP in its trans state induced
      shortening of a glycerinated muscle fibre whilst a cis isomer had no significant
      effect. Direct photoirradiation of a cis-AzoTP infused muscle fibre induced
      shortening triggered by a locally photo-generated trans-AzoTP in the muscle
      fibre. Furthermore, we designed and synthesized three new derivatives of AzoTPs
      that served as substrates for myosin by driving and photo-regulating the myosin
      actin motile function at the molecular as well as the macroscopic level with
      varied efficiencies.

PMID- 28902196
TI  - A facile route to segmented copolymers by fusing ambient temperature step-growth
      and RAFT polymerization.
AB  - We introduce the facile synthesis of segmented copolymers by a catalyst-free
      Diels-Alder (DA) reaction at ambient temperature via step-growth and subsequent
      reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. High
      molecular weight step-growth polymers are readily obtained (Mw = 40 000 g mol-1),
      featuring trithiocarbonate moieties in their chain, which allow monomer insertion
      via RAFT polymerization yielding high molecular weight species.

PMID- 28902197
TI  - Fast and reproducible iSERS microscopy of single HER2-positive breast cancer
      cells using gold nanostars as SERS nanotags.
AB  - Speed is often a bottleneck in conventional Raman microscopy on biological
      specimens. In immuno-Raman microspectroscopy, or for short iSERS microscopy, the
      acquisition times per pixel have been reduced by more than one order of magnitude
      over the past decade since its proof of concept. Typically rather high laser
      power densities are employed with the intention of compensating for the shorter
      acquisition times, without checking the reproducibility of the results in
      repeated experiments on the same sample. Here, we systematically analyze this
      aspect at the single-cell level since it forms the basis of quantification and is
      very important for reinspection of the same specimen. Specifically, we
      investigate experimentally the role of the laser power density in conjunction
      with the acquisition times per pixel in a series of repeated iSERS experiments on
      the same single cell overexpressing the breast cancer tumor marker human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Confocal iSERS mapping experiments
      were guided by wide-field fluorescence microscopy for selecting the regions of
      interest. We demonstrate that the combination of ca. a 1-2 mW laser power (40*
      objective, NA 0.6), 50 ms acquisition time per pixel and a high EM-CCD signal
      gain yields highly reproducible iSERS images in a series of four repeated
      experiments on the same single cell. In contrast, longer acquisition times (0.8
      s, no EM gain) and in particular higher laser power (4 mW up to 18 mW) densities
      lead to non-reproducible iSERS results due to signal degradation.

PMID- 28902198
TI  - Total synthesis and functional analysis of microbial signalling molecules.
AB  - Communication is essential for all domains of life. Bacteria use a plethora of
      small molecules to sense and orchestrate intra- and interspecies communication.
      Within this review, we will discuss different groups of signalling molecules,
      including autoinducers, virulence factors and morphogenic substances. On selected
      examples, we will shortly discuss their ecological roles and biosynthetic
      proposals. The major part of this review will focus on a systematic overview of
      the different synthetic methods applied towards the synthesis of signalling
      molecules and derivatives thereof. The described examples highlight the
      importance of organic synthetic method development and diversity-oriented total
      syntheses for structure verification, structure-function analysis and target
      identification.

PMID- 28902199
TI  - Tuning the electronic structure in stanene/graphene bilayers using strain and gas
      adsorption.
AB  - Epitaxial growth of stanene monolayers on graphene substrates is an attractive
      synthesis route for atomically-thin electronic components, however, it remains
      unclear how such composites will tolerate lattice strain and exposure to ambient
      atmosphere. Using density functional theory, we identified several epitaxial
      configurations for the stanene-graphene bilayer system and determined the effect
      of strain and water adsorption. In addition to previously reported co-aligned
      bilayers, we identify a second family of low energy structures involving rotation
      of one layer by thirty degrees. The band structures of the rotated configurations
      exhibit a fully metallic interface, whereas the co-aligned structures are poised
      at the transition between semimetallic and semiconductor characteristics. In
      general, the electronic states are directly correlated with differences in the
      buckling parameter of the tin layer assigned to the competition between sp2 and
      sp3 hybridization schemes. This can be controlled by strain to yield a metal
      insulator transition in special circumstances. For the equilibrium structure, H2O
      preferentially adsorbs on the stanene layer, and the system remains metallic with
      a mixture of Dirac and parabolic bands at the Fermi surface.

PMID- 28902200
TI  - Molecular simulations of palladium catalysed hydrodeoxygenation of 2
      hydroxybenzaldehyde using density functional theory.
AB  - The catalytic conversion of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (2-HB) is carried out
      numerically over a Pd(111) surface using density functional theory. The palladium
      catalyst surface is designed using a 12 atom monolayer and verified with the
      adsorption of phenol, benzene, anisole, guaiacol, and vanillin; it is found that
      the adsorption energies along with the adsorption configurations of phenol and
      benzene are in excellent agreement with the literature. The conversion of 2-HB
      over the Pd(111) catalyst surface is performed using four reaction schemes: (i)
      dehydrogenation of the formyl group followed by elimination of CO and association
      of hydrogen with 2-hydroxyphenyl to produce phenol, (ii) direct elimination of
      CHO from 2-HB followed by elimination of hydrogen from adsorbed CHO and
      association of hydrogen with 2-hydroxyphenyl to produce phenol, (iii) direct
      dehydroxylation of 2-HB followed by association of a hydrogen atom with 2
      formylphenyl to produce benzaldehyde, and (iv) dehydrogenation of the hydroxyl
      group of 2-HB followed by elimination of an oxygen atom and association of a
      hydrogen atom with 2-formylphenyl to produce benzaldehyde. Along with the
      reaction mechanisms and their barrier heights, all reaction steps are considered
      for kinetic modelling in the temperature range 498-698 K with 50 K intervals. The
      rate constants, pre-exponential factors, and equilibrium constants of all
      elementary reaction steps are evaluated for each temperature. Kinetic analyses of
      the catalytic conversion of 2-HB over the Pd(111) surface suggests the production
      of phenol as an intermediate, instead of benzaldehyde, via dehydrogenation of the
      formyl group of 2-HB as a first elementary reaction step because of its low
      activation barrier and the high rate constant of the rate controlling step.
      Furthermore, the equilibrium constants of the rate controlling step in the
      production of phenol from 2-HB over the Pd(111) surface report a major fraction
      of the product in the product mixture even at a low temperature of 498 K.

PMID- 28902201
TI  - Correction: Lactobacillus casei CCFM419 attenuates type 2 diabetes via a gut
      microbiota dependent mechanism.
AB  - Correction for 'Lactobacillus casei CCFM419 attenuates type 2 diabetes via a gut
      microbiota dependent mechanism' by Gang Wang et al., Food Funct., 2017, DOI:
      10.1039/c7fo00593 h.

PMID- 28902202
TI  - Responsive photonic barcodes for sensitive multiplex bioassay.
AB  - Barcodes have a demonstrated value for multiplex high-throughput bioassays. The
      tendency of this technology is to pursue high sensitivity target screening.
      Herein, we presented a new type of inverse opal-structured poly(N
      isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) hydrogel photonic crystal (PhC) barcodes with the
      function of fluorescent signal self-amplification for the detection. During the
      bio-reaction process at body temperature, the pNIPAM hydrogel barcodes kept
      swelling, and their inverse opal structure with interconnected pores provided
      unblocked channels for the targets to diffuse into the voids of the barcodes and
      react. During the detection process, the barcodes were kept at a volume phase
      transition temperature (VPTT) to shrink their volume; this resulted in an obvious
      increase in the density of fluorescent molecules and signal amplification. It was
      demonstrated that the responsive barcodes could achieve the limits of detection
      (LOD) of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) at 0.623 ng
      mL-1 and 0.492 ng mL-1, respectively. In addition, the proposed barcodes showed
      good multiplex detection capacity with acceptable cross-reactivity, accuracy, and
      reproducibility, and the results were consistent with those of common clinical
      laboratory methods for the detection of clinical samples. These features of the
      inverse opal-structured responsive hydrogel barcodes indicate that they are ideal
      technology for high-sensitive multiplex bioassays.

PMID- 28902203
TI  - Molecular engineering solutions for therapeutic peptide delivery.
AB  - Proteins and their interactions in and out of cells must be well-orchestrated for
      the healthy functioning and regulation of the body. Even the slightest disharmony
      can cause diseases. Therapeutic peptides are short amino acid sequences
      (generally considered <50 amino acids) that can naturally mimic the binding
      interfaces between proteins and thus, influence protein-protein interactions.
      Because of their fidelity of binding, peptides are a promising next generation of
      personalized medicines to reinstate biological harmony. Peptides as a group are
      highly selective, relatively safe, and biocompatible. However, they are also
      vulnerable to many in vivo pharmacologic barriers limiting their clinical
      translation. Current advances in molecular, chemical, and nanoparticle
      engineering are helping to overcome these previously insurmountable obstacles and
      improve the future of peptides as active and highly selective therapeutics. In
      this review, we focus on self-assembled vehicles as nanoparticles to carry and
      protect therapeutic peptides through this journey, and deliver them to the
      desired tissue.

PMID- 28902205
TI  - Electron-phonon scattering effect on the lattice thermal conductivity of silicon
      nanostructures.
AB  - Nanostructuring technology has been widely employed to reduce the thermal
      conductivity of thermoelectric materials because of the strong phonon-boundary
      scattering. Optimizing the carrier concentration can not only improve the
      electrical properties, but also affect the lattice thermal conductivity
      significantly due to the electron-phonon scattering. The lattice thermal
      conductivity of silicon nanostructures considering electron-phonon scattering is
      investigated for comparing the lattice thermal conductivity reductions resulting
      from nanostructuring technology and the carrier concentration optimization. We
      performed frequency-dependent simulations of thermal transport systematically in
      nanowires, solid thin films and nanoporous thin films by solving the phonon
      Boltzmann transport equation using the discrete ordinate method. All the phonon
      properties are based on the first-principles calculations. The results show that
      the lattice thermal conductivity reduction due to the electron-phonon scattering
      decreases as the feature size of nanostructures goes down and could be ignored at
      low feature sizes (50 nm for n-type nanowires and 20 nm for p-type nanowires and
      n-type solid thin films) or a high porosity (0.6 for n-type 500 nm-thick
      nanoporous thin films) even when the carrier concentration is as high as 1021 cm
      3. Similarly, the size effect due to the phonon-boundary scattering also becomes
      less significant with the increase of carrier concentration. The findings provide
      a fundamental understanding of electron and phonon transports in nanostructures,
      which is important for the optimization of nanostructured thermoelectric
      materials.

PMID- 28902204
TI  - Rational design and structure-activity relationship studies of quercetin-amino
      acid hybrids targeting the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL.
AB  - Anti-apoptotic proteins, like the Bcl-2 family proteins, present an important
      therapeutic cancer drug target. Their activity is orchestrated through
      neutralization upon interaction of pro-apoptotic protein counterparts that leads
      to immortality of cancer cells. Therefore, generating compounds targeting these
      proteins is of immense therapeutic importance. Herein, Induced Fit Docking (IFD)
      and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to rationally design
      quercetin analogues that bind in the BH3 site of the Bcl-xL protein. IFD
      calculations determined their binding cavity while Molecular Mechanics Poisson
      Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) and Molecular Mechanics Generalised Born Surface
      Area (MM-GBSA) calculations provided an insight into the binding enthalpies of
      the analogues. The quercetin analogues were synthesized and their binding to Bcl
      xL was verified with fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding affinity and the
      thermodynamic parameters between Bcl-xL and quercetin-glutamic acid were
      estimated through Isothermal Titration Calorimetry. 2D 1H-15N HSQC NMR chemical
      shift perturbation mapping was used to chart the binding site of the quercetin
      analogues in the Bcl-xL that overlapped with the predicted poses generated by
      both IFD and MD calculations. Furthermore, evaluation of the four conjugates
      against the prostate DU-145 and PC-3 cancer cell lines, revealed quercetin
      glutamic acid and quercetin-alanine as the most potent conjugates bearing the
      higher cytostatic activity. This pinpoints that the chemical space of natural
      products can be tailored to exploit new hits for difficult tractable targets such
      as protein-protein interactions.

PMID- 28902206
TI  - Surface modification induced enhanced CO2 sorption in cucurbit[6]uril, an organic
      porous material.
AB  - The CO2 adsorption properties of an organic macrocycle, cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]),
      have been evaluated through experimental and theoretical studies. Quantum
      mechanical calculations show that CB[6] is capable of adsorbing the CO2 molecule
      selectively within its cavity relative to nitrogen. Adsorption experiments at 298
      K and at 1 bar pressure gave a CO2 adsorption value of 1.23 mmol g-1 for the
      unmodified material. Significant enhancements in the CO2 adsorption capacity of
      the material were experimentally demonstrated through surface modification using
      physical and chemical methods. Ethanolamine (EA) modified CB[6] provided an
      excellent sorption selectivity value of 121.4 for CO2/N2 at 323 K and is unique
      with respect to its discrimination potential between CO2 and N2. The chemical
      nature of the interaction between CO2 and amine is shown to be the primary
      mechanism for the enhanced CO2 absorption performance.

PMID- 28902207
TI  - Preparation and characterization of CrFeWTiO2 photoanodes and their
      photoelectrochemical activities for water splitting.
AB  - The chemical bath deposition (CBD) method was successfully applied to prepare
      WTiO2 nanotube arrays co-deposited with chromium, iron and chromium-iron
      nanoparticles. Various methods have been used in the characterization of
      synthetic co-deposited nanostructures. WTiO2 nanotubes can keep the nanotubular
      structures at low iron concentration in the CBD solution, as indicated by our
      FESEM results. Iron and chromium can be applied to improve the absorption
      capability of the WTiO2 nanotubes for the visible-light, according to the UV-Vis
      results. Based on the photoelectrochemical performance and photocatalytic
      hydrogen evolution characteristics of the CrFeWTiO2 catalysts, the co-deposited
      nanoparticles contribute to the improvement in the photocatalytic efficiency. The
      best photocatalytic activity was shown by the CrFeWTiO2-1 sample formed by
      immersion in a CBD solution containing 0.08 M ClCl3.6H2O + 0.02 M FeCl3.6H2O. The
      hydrogen evolution reaction of the new photocatalysts showed that their
      photocatalytic activity was very stable. A facile method has been developed in
      this study for the synthesis of high performance co-deposited photocatalysts with
      excellent stability and reliability in photoelectrochemical water splitting. A
      stable and high photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution in the absence of
      a Pt co-catalyst was exhibited by the novel CrFeWTiO2 compounds prepared.

PMID- 28902209
TI  - Application of the Eckart frame to soft matter: rotation of star polymers under
      shear flow.
AB  - The Eckart co-rotating frame is used to analyze the dynamics of star polymers
      under shear flow, either in melt or solution and with different types of bonds.
      This formalism is compared with the standard approach used in many previous
      studies on polymer dynamics, where an apparent angular velocity omega is obtained
      from the relation between the tensor of inertia and angular momentum. A common
      mistake is to interpret omega as the molecular rotation frequency, which is only
      valid for rigid-body rotation. The Eckart frame, originally formulated to analyze
      the infrared spectra of small molecules, dissects different kinds of
      displacements: vibrations without angular momentum, pure rotation, and
      vibrational angular momentum (leading to a Coriolis cross-term). The Eckart frame
      co-rotates with the molecule with an angular frequency Omega obtained from the
      Eckart condition for minimal coupling between rotation and vibration. The
      standard and Eckart approaches are compared with a straight description of the
      star's dynamics taken from the time autocorrelation of the monomer positions
      moving around the molecule's center of mass. This is an underdamped oscillatory
      signal, which can be described by a rotation frequency omegaR and a decorrelation
      rate Gamma. We consistently find that Omega coincides with omegaR, which
      determines the characteristic tank-treading rotation of the star. By contrast,
      the apparent angular velocity omega < Omega does not discern between pure
      rotation and molecular vibrations. We believe that the Eckart frame will be
      useful to unveil the dynamics of semiflexible molecules where rotation and
      deformations are entangled, including tumbling, tank-treading motions and
      breathing modes.

PMID- 28902211
TI  - Controlling the magnetic and optical responses of a MoS2 monolayer by lanthanide
      substitutional doping: a first-principles study.
AB  - The electronic, magnetic and optical properties of lanthanide substitutional
      doping (~2% concentration) on the MoS2 monolayer have been investigated within
      the density functional theory formalism together with the Hubbard correction
      (DFT+U). The dopants investigated include Ce, Eu, Gd, Lu and Tm. The calculated
      dopant substitutional energies under both Mo-rich and S-rich conditions suggest
      that it is possible to experimentally realize the lanthanide doped MoS2 monolayer
      systems. The Eu, Gd and Tm dopants induce strong magnetization in the host
      lattice. The electronic structure calculations reveal that the dopants have a p
      type character and they exhibit a half-metallic behavior in the Gd and Eu doped
      systems. A dilute magnetic semiconducting behavior can also be realized in Gd, Eu
      and Tm doped systems by slightly tuning the Fermi level. All the dopants refine
      the optical responses of the host system with the onset of the optical absorption
      edge shifting to lower energies within the visible range (red shift phenomenon).
      We observe an optical anisotropy for two different directions of the electric
      field (E) polarizations, i.e. parallel, E?, and perpendicular, E?, to the xy
      plane. Lanthanide substitutional doping significantly influences the electron
      energy loss spectra (EELS), absorption spectra, and dielectric properties of the
      host MoS2 monolayer. Furthermore, we notice that lanthanide substitutional doping
      could enhance the photocatalytic properties of the MoS2 monolayer.

PMID- 28902212
TI  - Switchable aerobic/anaerobic multi-substrate biofuel cell operating on anodic and
      cathodic enzymatic cascade assemblies.
AB  - Enzymatic fuel cells may become more accessible for applications powering
      portable electronic devices by broadening the range of potentially usable fuels
      and oxidizers. In this work we demonstrate the operation of an integrated, yet
      versatile multi-substrate biofuel cell utilizing either glucose, fructose,
      sucrose or combinations of thereof as biofuels, and molecular oxygen originating
      from solution phase and/or an internal chemical source, as the oxidizer. In order
      to achieve this goal we designed an enzymatic cascade-functionalized anode
      consisting of invertase (INV), mutarotase (MUT), glucose oxidase (GOX), and
      fructose dehydrogenase (FDH), deposited on top of a mesoporous carbon
      nanoparticle matrix, in which electron relay molecules had been entrapped. The
      anode was then conjugated to a compatible enzymatic cathode that employs a
      cascade of catalase (CAT) and bilirubin oxidase (BOD), allowing the cell to
      operate in an aerobic environment and/or to utilize, under anaerobic conditions
      for instance, hydrogen peroxide as a source for the oxygen oxidizer. While
      operated in the presence of the sugar mixture and hydrogen peroxide, the power
      output of the dually cascaded biofuel cell reaches a peak power density of 0.25
      mW cm-2 and demonstrates an open circuit potential of 0.65 V. To our knowledge
      this is the first reported biofuel cell that discharges with both anodic and
      cathodic enzymatic cascade architectures and the first biofuel cell that is
      repeatedly switched between aerobic and anaerobic conditions without any
      significant decrease in the discharge performance.

PMID- 28902215
TI  - One-pot synthesis of 2,3-difunctionalized indoles via Rh(iii)-catalyzed carbenoid
      insertion C-H activation/cyclization.
AB  - Reported herein is the first Rh(iii)-catalyzed carbenoid insertion C-H
      activation/cyclization of N-arylureas and alpha-diazo beta-keto esters. The redox
      neutral reaction has the following features: good to excellent yields, broad
      substrate/functional group tolerance, exclusive regioselectivity, and no need for
      additional oxidants or additives, which render this methodology as a more
      efficient and versatile alternative to the existing methods for the synthesis of
      2,3-difunctionalized indoles.

PMID- 28902216
TI  - Primitive chain network simulations of probe rheology.
AB  - Probe rheology experiments, in which the dynamics of a small amount of probe
      chains dissolved in immobile matrix chains is discussed, have been performed for
      the development of molecular theories for entangled polymer dynamics. Although
      probe chain dynamics in probe rheology is considered hypothetically as single
      chain dynamics in fixed tube-shaped confinement, it has not been fully
      elucidated. For instance, the end-to-end relaxation of probe chains is slower
      than that for monodisperse melts, unlike the conventional molecular theories. In
      this study, the viscoelastic and dielectric relaxations of probe chains were
      calculated by primitive chain network simulations. The simulations semi
      quantitatively reproduced the dielectric relaxation, which reflects the effect of
      constraint release on the end-to-end relaxation. Fair agreement was also obtained
      for the viscoelastic relaxation time. However, the viscoelastic relaxation
      intensity was underestimated, possibly due to some flaws in the model for the
      inter-chain cross-correlations between probe and matrix chains.

PMID- 28902217
TI  - A bifunctional old yellow enzyme from Penicillium roqueforti is involved in ergot
      alkaloid biosynthesis.
AB  - The blue cheese-making fungus Penicillium roqueforti produces isofumigaclavine A
      as the main ergot alkaloid. Recently, genome mining revealed the presence of two
      DNA loci bearing the genetic potential for its biosynthesis. In this study, a
      short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) from one of the loci was proved to be
      responsible for the conversion of chanoclavine-I to its aldehyde. Furthermore, a
      putative gene coding for an enzyme with high homology to Old Yellow Enzymes
      (OYEs) involved in the ergot alkaloid biosynthesis was found outside the two
      clusters. Biochemical characterisation of this enzyme, named FgaOx3Pr3, showed
      that it can indeed catalyse the formation of festuclavine in the presence of a
      festuclavine synthase FgaFS, as had been observed for other OYEs in ergot
      alkaloid biosynthesis. Differing from other homologues, FgaOx3Pr3 does not
      convert chanoclavine-I aldehyde to its shunt products in the absence of FgaFS.
      Instead, it increases significantly the product yields of several SDRs for the
      conversion of chanoclavine-I to its aldehyde. Kinetic studies proved that
      overcoming the product inhibition is responsible for the observed enhancement. To
      the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the bifunctionality of an
      OYE and its synergistic effect with SDRs.

PMID- 28902220
TI  - Efficient and regioselective one-step synthesis of 7-aryl-5-methyl- and 5-aryl-7
      methyl-2-amino-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives.
AB  - Two facile and efficient one-step procedures for the regioselective synthesis of
      7-aryl-5-methyl- and 5-aryl-7-methyl-2-amino-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines
      have been developed, via reactions of 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole with variously
      substituted 1-aryl-1,3-butanediones and 1-aryl-2-buten-1-ones, respectively. The
      excellent yield and/or regioselectivity shown by the reactions decreased when
      ethyl 5-amino-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxylate was used. [1,2,4]Triazolo[1,5
      a]pyrimidine being a privileged scaffold, the procedures herein reported may be
      useful for the preparation of biologically active compounds. In this study, the
      preparation of a set of compounds based on the [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine
      scaffold led to the identification of compound 20 endowed with a very promising
      ability to inhibit influenza virus RNA polymerase PA-PB1 subunit
      heterodimerization.

PMID- 28902221
TI  - Two-field surface pattern control via marginally stable magnetorheological
      elastomers.
AB  - The stability and post-bifurcation of a non-linear magnetoelastic film/substrate
      block is experimentally exploited to obtain active control of surface roughness.
      The non-intuitive interplay between magnetic field and elastic deformation owes
      to material and geometry selection, namely a ferromagnetic particle composite
      film bonded on a compliant passive foundation. Cooperation of the two otherwise
      independent loading mechanisms-mechanical pre-compression and magnetic field
      allows one to bring the structure near a marginally stable state and then
      destabilize it with either magnetic or mechanical fields. We demonstrate for the
      first time that the critical magnetic field is a decreasing function of pre
      compression and vice versa. The experimental results are then probed successfully
      with full-field finite element simulations at large strains and magnetic fields.
      The magnetoelastic coupling allows for reversible on/off control of surface
      wrinkling under adjustable critical magnetic and mechanical fields, thus this
      study constitutes a first step towards realistic active haptic and morphing
      devices.

PMID- 28902225
TI  - Optical tracking of relaxation dynamics in semi-dilute hydroxypropylcellulose
      solutions as a precise phase transition probe.
AB  - Phase separation of thermo-responsive polymers in solution is a complex process,
      whose understanding is essential to screen and design materials with diverse
      technological applications. Here we report on a method based on dynamic light
      scattering (DLS) experiments to investigate the phase separation of thermo
      responsive polymer solutions and precisely define the transition temperature
      (TPS). Our results are applied on hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) solutions as an
      important biosourced green water-soluble polymer. As determined by DLS, the
      amplitudes of the fast and slow modes of relaxation dynamics evolve as
      temperature gets closer to the phase transition point eventually leading to phase
      separation. The evolution of relaxation modes with temperature is markedly
      different for concentrations below the overlap concentration (c*) (dilute
      regime), above c* (semi-dilute regime) and above the entanglement concentration
      (ce). In the three cases though, the fast and slow mode amplitudes undergo a
      sharp transition in a narrow temperature range, defining accurately the phase
      separation locus. The results agree with turbidimetric analysis for the phase
      transition determination but with a better precision. Our results also show that
      the one-phase dynamics and phase separation dynamics in the two-phase region are
      only in continuity for c > ce, revealing mechanistic details about the HPC phase
      separation process. Above TPS we identify a temperature range where the intensity
      autocorrelation function has a single-exponential shape. In the latter regime, we
      monitor the growth kinetics of polymer domains and provide clues to rationalize
      the stabilizing effects of the interfaces leading to the arrested-like phase
      separation behavior observed for HPC.

PMID- 28902226
TI  - Thermo-, photo-, and mechano-responsive liquid crystal networks enable tunable
      photonic crystals.
AB  - Tunable photonic crystals exhibiting optical properties that respond reversibly
      to external stimuli have been developed using liquid crystal networks (LCNs) and
      liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). These tunable photonic crystals possess an
      inverse opal structure and are photo-responsive, but circumvent the usual
      requirement to contain dye molecules in the structure that often limit their
      applicability and cause optical degradation. Herein, we report tunable photonic
      crystal films that reversibly tune the reflection peak wavelength under thermo-,
      photo- and mechano-stimuli, through bilayering a stimuli-responsive LCN including
      azobenzene units with a colourless inverse opal film composed of non-responsive,
      flexible durable polymers. By mechanically deforming the azobenzene containing
      LCN via various stimuli, the reflection peak wavelength from the bilayered film
      assembly could be shifted on demand. We confirm that the reflection peak shift
      occurs due to the deformation of the stimuli-responsive layer propagating towards
      and into the inverse opal layer to change its shape in response, and this shift
      behaviour is repeatable without optical degradation.

PMID- 28902228
TI  - Comparative analysis of initial vocalizations of preterm and full-term infants
      with and without risk for development.
AB  - Purpose: To compare the evolution of vocalization in preterm and full-term
      infants, with and without risk for development, analyzing the possible
      association of sociodemographic, obstetric and psychosocial variables with
      vocalization. Methods: The study sample consisted of 30 infants, aged 3 months
      and 1 day to 4 months and 29 days (Phase 1) and 6 months and 1 day to 7 months
      and 29 days (Phase 2), of both genders, with gestational age <37 weeks (preterm
      group) and >37 weeks (full-term group). The following instruments were used for
      data collection: Child Development Risk Indicators (IRDl), the Denver II Test, an
      interview on the experience of motherhood with sociodemographic, obstetric and
      psychosocial data, as well as filming of the mother-infant dyad at the two phases
      of the research. Footage was analyzed using the EUDICO Linguistic Annotator
      (ELAN) software and the results were statistically analyzed on the STATISTICA 9.0
      software. Results: The larger the total number of Phase II infants' and mothers'
      vocalizations using motherese, the greater the number of IRDls present.
      Significant increase in vocalizations without motherese was also observed in
      Phase 2. Sociodemographic variables, gestational age, weight at birth, maternal
      schooling, and the Brazil Criterion did not directly affect the infants'
      vocalization level. Conclusion: Analysis of the infants' vocalizations was
      sensitive to risk development and Child Development Risk Indicators in Phase 1;
      the Denver-language test was more effective in Phase 2. No influence of the
      sociodemographic variables was observed in the phases studied.

PMID- 28902227
TI  - A genetically encoded cyclobutene probe for labelling of live cells.
AB  - We have identified an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair for the efficient and
      site-specific incorporation of a cyclobutene-containing amino acid into proteins
      in response to an amber nonsense codon. Fast and fluorescent labeling of purified
      proteins and intact proteins in live cells was demonstrated using the inverse
      electron demand Diels-Alder reaction with a tetrazine.

PMID- 28902229
TI  - Correlation between vocal tract symptoms and modern singing handicap index in
      church gospel singers.
AB  - Objective: To verify the correlation between vocal tract discomfort symptoms and
      perceived voice handicaps in gospel singers, analyzing possible differences
      according to gender. Methods: 100 gospel singers volunteered, 50 male and 50
      female. All participants answered two questionnaires: Vocal Tract Discomfort
      (VTD) scale and the Modern Singing Handicap Index (MSHI) that investigates the
      vocal handicap perceived by singers, linking the results of both instruments
      (p<0.05). Results: Women presented more perceived handicaps and also more
      frequent and higher intensity vocal tract discomfort. Furthermore, the more
      frequent and intense the vocal tract symptoms, the higher the vocal handicap for
      singing. Conclusion: Female gospel singers present higher frequency and intensity
      of vocal tract discomfort symptoms, as well as higher voice handicap for singing
      than male gospel singers. The higher the frequency and intensity of the laryngeal
      symptoms, the higher the vocal handicap will be.

PMID- 28902230
TI  - Chronic kidney disease and metabolic syndrome as risk factors for cardiovascular
      disease in a primary care program.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is especially prevalent in patients
      with chronic kidney disease (CKD). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of CKD and
      metabolic syndrome (MS), which is a cluster of risk factors for CVD, as
      predictors of CVD. METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional study with a random
      sample aged 45 or more years extracted from the population assisted by the
      primary care program in Niteroi city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. CKD
      was diagnosed by the K/DOQI guidelines and MS, by the harmonized criteria. CVD
      was said to be present if the participant had one or more of the following
      findings: echocardiographic abnormalities, and history of myocardial infarction,
      stroke or heart failure. A logistic regression model was developed to analyze
      risk factors for CVD using CKD as the variable of primary interest. RESULTS:
      Fifty hundred and eighty-one participants (38.2% male) with a mean age of 59.4 +/
      10.2 years were analyzed. The prevalence rate of CKD was 27.9%. In participants
      without CKD, MS was associated with a slight but statistically significant
      increase in the risk for CVD (OR = 1.52, p = 0.037); in those with CKD but
      without MS the risk for CVD was also statistically significant and at a greater
      magnitude (OR = 2.42, p = 0.003); when both were present the risk for CVD was
      substantially higher (OR = 5.13, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study involving
      a population assisted by a primary care program, CKD was confirmed as an
      independent risk factor for CVD. The presence of MS concurrent with CKD
      substantially amplified the risk for CVD.

PMID- 28902231
TI  - Risk factors for the progression of chronic kidney disease after acute kidney
      injury.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing with
      the increasing age of the population and the increasing number of elderly
      survivors of acute kidney injury (AKI). The risk factors for the progression of
      CKD after AKI are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between AKI
      and its progression to CKD and the risk factors involved. METHODS: An
      observational, retrospective study of AKI patients followed from 2009 to 2012 was
      carried out. We evaluated the etiology of AKI, the use of vasoactive drugs and
      mechanical ventilation, the need for dialysis, the presence of comorbidities, the
      glomerular filtration rate (GFR), the length of stay and the progression of CKD.
      Statistical analyses, including the Chi-square test and Pearson's correlation,
      were performed using SPSS. RESULTS: The 207 patients analyzed had a mean age of
      70.1 +/- 13.1, and 84.6% of the male patients exhibited decreased renal function
      and CKD (vs. 60.4% of the female patients). The progression of AKI to CKD was
      more frequent in patients admitted to wards (63.8%), cancer patients (74.19%),
      patients with sepsis (67.18%) and patients with obstruction (91.66%). Dialyses
      were performed in 16.4% of the patients, but this was not correlated with the
      progression of CKD. CONCLUSIONS: Being an elderly male patient with AKI due to
      sepsis and obstruction was correlated with progression to CKD following
      discharge.

PMID- 28902232
TI  - Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulation in skin: relations with
      chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with high morbidity and
      mortality rates, main causes related with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and bone
      mineral disorder (CKD-BMD). Uremic toxins, as advanced glycation end products
      (AGEs), are non-traditional cardiovascular risk factor and play a role on
      development of CKD-BMD in CKD. The measurement of skin autofluorescence (sAF) is
      a noninvasive method to assess the level of AGEs in tissue, validated in CKD
      patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is analyze AGEs measured by sAF levels
      (AGEs-sAF) and its relations with CVD and BMD parameters in HD patients. METHODS:
      Twenty prevalent HD patients (HD group) and healthy subjects (Control group, n =
      24), performed biochemical tests and measurements of anthropometric parameters
      and AGEs-sAF. In addition, HD group performed measurement of intact parathormone
      (iPTH), transthoracic echocardiogram and radiographies of pelvis and hands for
      vascular calcification score. RESULTS: AGEs-sAF levels are elevated both in HD
      and control subjects ranged according to the age, although higher at HD than
      control group. Single high-flux HD session does not affect AGEs-sAF levels. AGEs
      sAF levels were not related to ventricular mass, interventricular septum or
      vascular calcification in HD group. AGEs-sAF levels were negatively associated
      with serum iPTH levels. CONCLUSION: Our study detected a negative correlation of
      AGEs-sAF with serum iPTH, suggesting a role of AGEs on the pathophysiology of
      bone disease in HD prevalent patients. The nature of this relation and the
      clinical application of this non-invasive methodology for evaluation AGEs
      deposition must be confirmed and clarified in future studies.

PMID- 28902233
TI  - Clinical outcomes of 11,436 kidney transplants performed in a single center -
      Hospital do Rim.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Kidney transplantation is considered a cost-effective treatment
      compared to dialysis but accounts for a significant percentage of the public
      health care resources. Therefore, efficient systems capable of performing high
      number of procedures are attractive and sustainable. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this
      study was to evaluate clinical outcomes of 11,436 kidney transplants regularly
      performed in a single transplant dedicated center over the last 18 years.
      METHODS: This was a retrospective study performed in a single specialized
      transplant center. All consecutive patients who underwent transplantation between
      08/18/1998 and 12/31/2015 were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The annual
      number of transplants increased from 394 in 1999 to 886 in 2015, with a
      progressive reduction in the proportion of living donor kidney transplants (70%
      vs. 23%) and yielding over 8869 patients in regular follow up. Of 11,707 kidney
      transplants performed, 5348 (45.7%) were from living, 3614 (30.9%) standard and
      1618 (13.8%) expanded criteria deceased donors, 856 (7.3%) pediatric and 271
      (2.3%) simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplants. Comparing 1998-2002 and 2011
      2014, five-years graft survival increased for kidney transplants performed with
      living donors (83.3% vs. 93.1%, p < 0.001), standard deceased donors (60.7% vs.
      79.7%, p < 0.001), expanded criteria donors (46.5% vs. 71.5%, p < 0.001) and for
      the pediatric population (79.8% vs. 80.9%, p = 0.684). CONCLUSION: The
      implementation of a dynamic and efficacious health care system was associated
      with a progressive increase in the number of kidney transplants, in the
      cumulative number of patients in follow up and a shift from living related to
      deceased donor kidney transplants, with associated progressive increase in
      patient and graft survivals.

PMID- 28902234
TI  - Monitoring of post-vaccination anti-HBs titles vaccine in children and
      adolescents in the pre-dialysis of chronic kidney disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bacterial or viral diseases are one of the major causes of death in
      patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These patients show a quantitative
      reduction of levels of antibodies over time. Among the infectious diseases that
      affect CKD patients, stands out hepatitis B (HB). Immunization and control of
      antibodies levels against the hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) are ways to
      prevent the HB infection in this population. Patients with anti-HBs levels >=10
      IU/ml are considered adequate responders, whereas those with anti-HBs levels >=
      100 IU/ml are considered excellent responders. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the
      variation of the anti-HBs levels obtained after vaccination against HB in
      children and adolescents in the pre-dialysis stage of CKD. METHODS: A
      retrospective cohort study on anti-HBs levels of children and adolescents in the
      pre-dialysis stage of CKD. Correlation between levels of anti-HBs titers and time
      since the vaccination were estimated. RESULTS: From the total of 116 studied
      patients most of the studied patients were considered excellent responders,
      obtaining in the three anti-HBs titers percentages of 70.7%, 62.1% and 54.9%
      respectively. The anti-HBs titer levels showed a negative correlation with the
      time since vaccination (Kendall Tau-b = -0.16; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The
      majority of the studied population was vaccinated by PNI and showed excellent
      anti-HBs titer levels, even experiencing a progressive reduced response over the
      time.

PMID- 28902235
TI  - Trends in restorative composites research: what is in the future?
AB  - Clinical trials have identified secondary caries and bulk fracture as the main
      causes for composite restoration failure. As a measure to avoid frequent
      reinterventions for restoration replacement, composites with some sort of defense
      mechanism against biofilm formation and demineralization, as well as materials
      with lower susceptibility to crack propagation are necessary. Also, the
      restorative procedure with composites are very time-consuming and technically
      demanding, particularly concerning the application of the adhesive system.
      Therefore, together with bulk-fill composites, self-adhesive restorative
      composites could reduce operator error and chairside time. This literature review
      describes the current stage of development of remineralizing, antibacterial and
      self-healing composites. Also, an overview of the research on fiber-reinforced
      composites and self-adhesive composites, both introduced for clinical use in
      recent years, is presented.

PMID- 28902236
TI  - Should my composite restorations last forever? Why are they failing?
AB  - Composites resins have become the first choice for direct anterior and posterior
      restorations. The great popularity is related to their esthetic appearance and
      reduced need of sound tissue removal as compared with former treatments. Several
      studies have demonstrated that composite restorations may last long in clinical
      service. In this review we discuss the factors playing a role on the long-term
      longevity. Composite restorations have demonstrated a good clinical performance
      with annual failure rates varying from 1% to 3% in posterior teeth and 1% to 5%
      in anterior teeth. Factors related to the patients such as caries risk and
      occlusal stress risk, in addition to socioeconomic factors, may affect the
      survival significantly. Characteristics of the clinical operators, particularly
      their decision making when it comes to observing or approaching an existing
      restoration, are decisive for longevity. Cavity features such as the number of
      restored walls, composite volume, and presence of endodontic treatment are of
      major importance and may dictate the service time of the restorative approach.
      The choice of restorative composite seems to have a minor effect on longevity
      provided that appropriate technical procedures are used. The main reasons for
      failure in posterior teeth are secondary caries and fracture (restoration or
      tooth/restoration), while in anterior teeth esthetic concerns are the main
      reasons leading to restoration failures. Composite resin restorations can be
      considered a reliable treatment as long as both the professional and the patient
      are aware of the factors involved in restoration failures.

PMID- 28902237
TI  - Bonding efficiency and durability: current possibilities.
AB  - Bonding plays a major role in dentistry nowadays. Dental adhesives are used in
      association with composites to solve many restorative issues. However, the wide
      variety of bonding agents currently available makes it difficult for clinicians
      to choose the best alternative in terms of material and technique, especially
      when different clinical situations are considered. Moreover, although bonding
      agents allow for a more conservative restorative approach, achieving a durable
      adhesive interface remains a matter of concern, and this mainly due to
      degradation of the bonding complex in the challenging oral environment. This
      review aims to present strategies that are being used or those still in
      development which may help to prevent degradation. It is fundamental that
      professionals are aware of these strategies to counteract degradation as much as
      possible. None of them are efficient to completely solve this problem, but they
      certainly represent reasonable alternatives to increase the lifetime of adhesive
      restorations.

PMID- 28902238
TI  - Dental ceramics: a review of new materials and processing methods.
AB  - The evolution of computerized systems for the production of dental restorations
      associated to the development of novel microstructures for ceramic materials has
      caused an important change in the clinical workflow for dentists and technicians,
      as well as in the treatment options offered to patients. New microstructures have
      also been developed by the industry in order to offer ceramic and composite
      materials with optimized properties, i.e., good mechanical properties,
      appropriate wear behavior and acceptable aesthetic characteristics. The objective
      of this literature review is to discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of
      the new ceramic systems and processing methods. The manuscript is divided in five
      parts: I) monolithic zirconia restorations; II) multilayered dental prostheses;
      III) new glass-ceramics; IV) polymer infiltrated ceramics; and V) novel
      processing technologies. Dental ceramics and processing technologies have evolved
      significantly in the past ten years, with most of the evolution being related to
      new microstructures and CAD-CAM methods. In addition, a trend towards the use of
      monolithic restorations has changed the way clinicians produce all-ceramic dental
      prostheses, since the more aesthetic multilayered restorations unfortunately are
      more prone to chipping or delamination. Composite materials processed via CAD-CAM
      have become an interesting option, as they have intermediate properties between
      ceramics and polymers and are more easily milled and polished.

PMID- 28902239
TI  - Efficiency of polymerization of bulk-fill composite resins: a systematic review.
AB  - This systematic review assessed the literature to evaluate the efficiency of
      polymerization of bulk-fill composite resins at 4 mm restoration depth. PubMed,
      Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched with no restrictions
      on year, publication status, or article's language. Selection criteria included
      studies that evaluated bulk-fill composite resin when inserted in a minimum
      thickness of 4 mm, followed by curing according to the manufacturers'
      instructions; presented sound statistical data; and comparison with a control
      group and/or a reference measurement of quality of polymerization. The evidence
      level was evaluated by qualitative scoring system and classified as high-,
      moderate- and low- evidence level. A total of 534 articles were retrieved in the
      initial search. After the review process, only 10 full-text articles met the
      inclusion criteria. Most articles included (80%) were classified as high evidence
      level. Among several techniques, microhardness was the most frequently method
      performed by the studies included in this systematic review. Irrespective to the
      "in vitro" method performed, bulk fill RBCs were partially likely to fulfill the
      important requirement regarding properly curing in 4 mm of cavity depth measured
      by depth of cure and / or degree of conversion. In general, low viscosities BFCs
      performed better regarding polymerization efficiency compared to the high
      viscosities BFCs.

PMID- 28902240
TI  - Randomized clinical trials of dental bleaching - Compliance with the CONSORT
      Statement: a systematic review.
AB  - We reviewed the literature to evaluate: a) The compliance of randomized clinical
      trials (RCTs) on bleaching with the CONSORT; and b) the risk of bias of these
      studies using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool (CCRT). We searched
      the Cochrane Library, PubMed and other electronic databases, to find RCTs focused
      on bleaching (or whitening). The articles were evaluated in compliance with
      CONSORT in a scale: 0 = no description, 1 = poor description and 2 = adequate
      description. Descriptive analyses of the number of studies by journal, follow-up
      period, country and quality assessments were performed with CCRT for assessing
      risk of bias in RCTs. 185 RCTs were included for assessment. More than 30% of the
      studies received score 0 or 1. Protocol, flow chart, allocation concealment and
      sample size were more critical items, as 80% of the studies scored 0. The overall
      CONSORT score for the included studies was 16.7 +/- 5.4 points, which represents
      52.2% of the maximum CONSORT score. A significant difference among journal,
      country and period of time was observed (p < 0.02). Only 7.6% of the studies were
      judged at "low" risk; 62.1% were classified as "unclear"; and 30.3% as "high"
      risk of bias. The adherence of RCTs evaluating bleaching materials and techniques
      to the CONSORT is still low with unclear/high risk of bias.

PMID- 28902241
TI  - Light curing in dentistry and clinical implications: a literature review.
AB  - Contemporary dentistry literally cannot be performed without use of resin-based
      restorative materials. With the success of bonding resin materials to tooth
      structures, an even wider scope of clinical applications has arisen for these
      lines of products. Understanding of the basic events occurring in any dental
      polymerization mechanism, regardless of the mode of activating the process, will
      allow clinicians to both better appreciate the tremendous improvements that have
      been made over the years, and will also provide valuable information on
      differences among strategies manufacturers use to optimize product performance,
      as well as factors under the control of the clinician, whereby they can influence
      the long-term outcome of their restorative procedures.

PMID- 28902242
TI  - Polymerization shrinkage stress of composite resins and resin cements - What do
      we need to know?
AB  - Polymerization shrinkage stress of resin-based materials have been related to
      several unwanted clinical consequences, such as enamel crack propagation, cusp
      deflection, marginal and internal gaps, and decreased bond strength. Despite the
      absence of strong evidence relating polymerization shrinkage to secondary caries
      or fracture of posterior teeth, shrinkage stress has been associated with post
      operative sensitivity and marginal stain. The latter is often erroneously used as
      a criterion for replacement of composite restorations. Therefore, an indirect
      correlation can emerge between shrinkage stress and the longevity of composite
      restorations or resin-bonded ceramic restorations. The relationship between
      shrinkage and stress can be best studied in laboratory experiments and a
      combination of various methodologies. The objective of this review article is to
      discuss the concept and consequences of polymerization shrinkage and shrinkage
      stress of composite resins and resin cements. Literature relating to
      polymerization shrinkage and shrinkage stress generation, research methodologies,
      and contributing factors are selected and reviewed. Clinical techniques that
      could reduce shrinkage stress and new developments on low-shrink dental materials
      are also discussed.

PMID- 28902243
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28902244
TI  - Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics: One year later, and more growth.

PMID- 28902245
TI  - Tooth resorptions are not hereditary.
AB  - Root resorptions caused by orthodontic movement are not supported by consistent
      scientific evidence that correlate them with heredity, individual predisposition
      and genetic or familial susceptibility. Current studies are undermined by
      methodological and interpretative errors, especially regarding the diagnosis and
      measurements of root resorption from orthopantomographs and cephalograms. Samples
      are heterogeneous insofar as they comprise different clinical operators, varied
      types of planning, and in insufficient number, in view of the prevalence of tooth
      resorptions in the population. Nearly all biological events are coded and managed
      through genes, but this does not mean tooth resorptions are inherited, which can
      be demonstrated in heredograms and other methods of family studies. In
      orthodontic root resorption, one cannot possibly determine percentages of how
      much would be due to heredity or genetics, environmental factors and unknown
      factors. There is no need to lay the blame of tooth resorptions on events taking
      place outside the orthodontic realm since in the vast majority of cases,
      resorptions are not iatrogenic. In orthodontic practice, when all teeth are
      analyzed and planned using periapical radiography or computerized tomography, and
      when considering all predictive factors, tooth resorptions are not iatrogenic in
      nature and should be considered as one of the clinical events inherent in the
      treatment applied.

PMID- 28902246
TI  - An interview with Kee-Joon Lee.

PMID- 28902247
TI  - Debonding forces of different pads in a lingual bracket system.
AB  - Objective:: To evaluate the shear bond strength of lingual orthodontic brackets
      with resin or metal pads, the location of bond failure and the adhesive remnant
      index (ARI). Methods: : A total of 40 extracted upper premolars were randomly
      divided into two groups of 20 each: bonding with brackets having (1) pads with
      extended resin directly on the lingual surface of teeth, and (2) pads with metal
      custom base on the lingual surface of teeth. The debonding force was measured
      with an Instron universal testing machine. A Student's t-test was used to assess
      the difference between groups (alpha = 0.05). Results: : The results showed a
      significant difference between the groups (p < 0.001). The shear bond strength of
      metal pads was significantly higher than resin pads. Conclusions: : Within the
      limitations of this in vitro study, it was concluded that the bond strength of
      lingual brackets with metal pads was higher than that of brackets with composite
      resin pads, due to the metal part being a single unit and welded. The failure
      location in the region between the bracket and the resin pad affected a higher
      percentage of the resin pads than the metal pads.

PMID- 28902248
TI  - Facial profile esthetics in operated children with bilateral cleft lip and
      palate.
AB  - Objective:: The aim of this study was to evaluate the facial profile esthetics of
      rehabilitated children with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP),
      comparing the judgment of professionals related and not related to cleft
      rehabilitation and laypersons. Methods:: Thirty children in the mixed dentition
      (24 male; 6 female) with a mean age of 7.8 years were evaluated using facial
      profile photographs by 25 examiners: 5 orthodontists and 5 plastic surgeons with
      experience in cleft care, 5 orthodontists and 5 plastic surgeons without
      experience in oral cleft rehabilitation and 5 graduated laymen. Their facial
      profiles were classified into esthetically unpleasant (grade 1 to 3),
      esthetically acceptable (grade 4 to 6), and esthetically pleasant (grade 7 to 9).
      Intraexaminer and interexaminer errors were evaluated using Spearman correlation
      coefficient and Kendall's test, respectively. Inter-rater differences were
      analyzed using Friedman test and Student-Newman-Keuls test for multiple
      comparisons. Results: : Orthodontists dealing with oral clefts rehabilitation
      considered the majority of the sample as esthetically pleasant. Plastic surgeons
      of the cleft team and laypersons classified most of the sample as esthetically
      acceptable. Most of the orthodontists and plastic surgeons not related to cleft
      care evaluated the facial profile as esthetically unpleasant. The structures
      associated to unpleasant profiles were the nose, the midface and the upper lip.
      Conclusions: : The facial profile of children with BCLP was classified as
      esthetically acceptable by laypersons. Professionals related to cleft
      rehabilitation were more lenient and those not related to cleft care were
      stricter to facial esthetics than laypersons.

PMID- 28902249
TI  - Effect of surface treatment of prefabricated teeth on shear bond strength of
      orthodontic brackets.
AB  - Objective:: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the
      effects of grinding, drilling, sandblasting, and ageing prefabricated teeth (PfT)
      on the shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets, as well as the effects
      of surface treatments on the adhesive remnant index (ARI). Methods:: One-hundred
      ninety-two PfT were divided into four groups (n = 48): Group 1, no surface
      treatment was done; Group 2, grinding was performed with a cylindrical diamond
      bur; Group 3, two drillings were done with a spherical diamond bur; Group 4,
      sandblasting was performed with 50-um aluminum oxide. Before the experiment, half
      of the samples stayed immersed in distilled water at 37oC for 90 days. Brackets
      were bonded with Transbond XT and shear strength tests were carried out using a
      universal testing machine. SBS were compared by surface treatment and by ageing
      with two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey's test. ARI scores were compared between
      surface treatments with Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn's test. Results: :
      Surface treatments on PfT enhanced SBS of brackets (p< 0.01), result not observed
      with ageing (p= 0.45). Groups II, III, and IV showed higher SBS and greater ARI
      than the Group 1 (p< 0.05). SBS was greater in the groups 3 and 4 (drilling,
      sandblasting) than in the Group 2 (grinding) (p< 0.05). SBS and ARI showed a
      positive correlation (Spearman's R2= 0.57; p< 0.05). Conclusion: : Surface
      treatment on PfT enhanced SBS of brackets, however ageing did not show any
      relevance. Sandblasting and drilling showed greater SBS than grinding. There was
      a positive correlation between SBS and ARI.

PMID- 28902250
TI  - Effect of CPP-ACP paste with and without CO2 laser irradiation on demineralized
      enamel microhardness and bracket shear bond strength.
AB  - Introduction:: Many patients seeking orthodontic treatment already have incipient
      enamel lesions and should be placed under preventive treatments. The aim of this
      in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of CPP-ACP paste and CO2 laser
      irradiation on demineralized enamel microhardness and shear bond strength of
      orthodontic brackets. Methods: : Eighty caries-free human premolars were
      subjected to a demineralization challenge using Streptococcus mutans. After
      demineralization, the samples were randomly divided into five equal experimental
      groups: Group 1 (control), the brackets were bonded without any surface
      treatment; Group 2, the enamel surfaces were treated with CPP-ACP paste for 4
      minutes before bonding; Group 3, the teeth were irradiated with CO2 laser beams
      at a wavelength of 10.6 um for 20 seconds. The samples in Groups 4 and 5 were
      treated with CO2 laser either before or through CPP-ACP application. SEM
      photomicrographs of a tooth from each group were taken to observe the enamel
      surface. The brackets were bonded to the buccal enamel using a conventional
      method. Shear bond strength of brackets and ARI scores were measured. Vickers
      microhardness was measured on the non-bonded enamel surface. Data were analyzed
      with ANOVA and Tukey test at the p< 0.05 level. Results:: The mean shear bond
      strength and microhardness of the laser group were higher than those in the
      control group and this difference was statistically significant (p< 0.05). All
      groups showed a higher percentage of ARI score 4. Conclusion: : CO2 laser at a
      wavelength of 10.6 um significantly increased demineralized enamel microhardness
      and enhanced bonding to demineralized enamel.

PMID- 28902251
TI  - Skeletal effects of RME in the transverse and vertical dimensions of the nasal
      cavity in mouth-breathing growing children.
AB  - Introduction:: Maxillary constriction is a dentoskeletal deformity characterized
      by discrepancy in maxilla/mandible relationship in the transverse plane, which
      may be associated with respiratory dysfunction. Objective: : The objective of
      this study was to evaluate the skeletal effects of RME on maxillary and nasal
      transverse dimensions and compare the differences between males and females.
      Methods: : Sixty-one mouth-breathers patients with skeletal maxillary
      constriction (35 males and 26 females, mean age 9.6 years) were included in the
      study. Posteroanterior (PA) radiographs were taken before expansion (T1) and 3
      months after expansion (T2). Data obtained from the evaluation of T1 and T2
      cephalograms were tested for normality with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov method. The
      Student's t-test was performed for each measurement to determine sex differences.
      Results: : RME produced a significant increase in all linear measurements of
      maxillary and nasal transverse dimensions. Conclusions: : No significant
      differences were associated regarding sex. The RME produced significant width
      increases in the maxilla and nasal cavity, which are important for treatment
      stability, improving respiratory function and craniofacial development.

PMID- 28902252
TI  - Assessing bone thickness in the infrazygomatic crest area aiming the orthodontic
      miniplates positioning: a tomographic study.
AB  - Introduction:: Due to the increasing use of miniplates for anchorage purposes in
      orthodontics, it is very important to know more about infrazigomatic crest
      anatomy (thickness), in adult patients. Objectives: : Evaluate the infrazygomatic
      crest region thickness, in adult (male and female) patients. Methods: : Cone-beam
      computerized tomography (CBCT) images from 40 patients were used to assess cross
      sectional measurements of the infrazygomatic crest region. Measurement 1
      considered thickness 2 mm above the distobuccal root of the permanent maxillary
      first molar, while measurement 2 was taken 2 mm above the first measurement.
      Results: : The mean thickness of the infrazygomatic crest in males was 3.55 mm
      for measurement 1 and 2.84 mm for measurement 2, while in females these were 2.37
      mm and 2.24 mm, respectively. Conclusion: : The authors concluded that the
      overall mean thickness of the infrazygomatic crest was 2.49 mm with respect to
      measurement 1, and 2.29 mm for measurement 2, with no statistically significant
      differences between gender.

PMID- 28902253
TI  - Bacterial adhesion on conventional and self-ligating metallic brackets after
      surface treatment with plasma-polymerized hexamethyldisiloxane.
AB  - Introduction:: Plasma-polymerized film deposition was created to modify metallic
      orthodontic brackets surface properties in order to inhibit bacterial adhesion.
      Methods:: Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) polymer films were deposited on
      conventional (n = 10) and self-ligating (n = 10) stainless steel orthodontic
      brackets using the Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) radio
      frequency technique. The samples were divided into two groups according to the
      kind of bracket and two subgroups after surface treatment. Scanning Electron
      Microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed to assess the presence of bacterial
      adhesion over samples surfaces (slot and wings region) and film layer integrity.
      Surface roughness was assessed by Confocal Interferometry (CI) and surface
      wettability, by goniometry. For bacterial adhesion analysis, samples were exposed
      for 72 hours to a Streptococcus mutans solution for biofilm formation. The values
      obtained for surface roughness were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test while
      biofilm adhesion were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis and SNK test. Results::
      Significant statistical differences (p< 0.05) for surface roughness and bacterial
      adhesion reduction were observed on conventional brackets after surface treatment
      and between conventional and self-ligating brackets; no significant statistical
      differences were observed between self-ligating groups (p> 0.05). Conclusion: :
      Plasma-polymerized film deposition was only effective on reducing surface
      roughness and bacterial adhesion in conventional brackets. It was also noted that
      conventional brackets showed lower biofilm adhesion than self-ligating brackets
      despite the absence of film.

PMID- 28902254
TI  - Condylectomy and "surgery first" approach: An expedited treatment for condylar
      hyperplasia in a patient with facial asymmetry.
AB  - Condylar Hyperplasia (CH) is a self-limiting pathology condition that produces
      severe facial deformity at the expense of mandibular asymmetry. In this case
      report a 15-year-old female patient was diagnosed with Unilateral Condylar
      Hiperplasia (UCH) by mean of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
      and histological study. A high condylectomy in the right condyle was performed to
      stop the active status of the hyperplasia. A month after condylectomy,
      orthognathic jaw impaction and asymmetric mandibular setback surgery was
      performed with the Surgery First Approach (SFA). After 10 days, orthodontic
      appointments were made every two weeks during 4 months. The active phase of
      treatment lasted 14 months. Excellent facial and occlusal outcomes were obtained
      and after 24 months in retention the results remained stable.

PMID- 28902255
TI  - Taking advantage of an unerupted third molar: a case report.
AB  - Introduction:: Treatments with dental surgery seek to displace tooth to the
      correct position within the dental arch. Objective:: To report a clinical case
      that took advantage of an unerupted third molar. Case history: : A male patient,
      18 years of age, was referred by his dentist to evaluate the third molars. The
      clinical exam revealed no visible lower third molars. The computed tomography
      (CT) exam showed the presence of a supernumerary tooth in the region of the
      mandibular ramus, on the left side, and impaction of the third molar, which was
      causing root resorption on the second molar, thus making it impossible to remain
      in the buccal cavity. The preferred option, therefore, was to remove both second
      molar and the supernumerary tooth, in addition to attaching a device to the third
      molar during surgery for further traction. Results: : After 12 months, the third
      molar reached the proper position. Conclusion: : When a mandibular second
      permanent molar shows an atypical root resorption, an impacted third molar can
      effectively substitute the tooth by using an appropriate orthodontic-surgical
      approach.

PMID- 28902256
TI  - Class II Division 2 subdivision left malocclusion associated with anterior deep
      overbite in an adult patient with temporomandibular disorder.
AB  - The orthodontic treatment of patients with chief complaint of temporomandibular
      disorders (TMD) presents doubtful prognosis, due to the poor correlation between
      malocclusions and TMDs. The present case report describes the treatment of an
      adult patient with Angle Class II Division 2 subdivision left malocclusion
      associated with anterior deep overbite and TMD. This case was presented to the
      Brazilian Board of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (BBO), as part of the
      requirements to obtain the title of BBO Diplomate.

PMID- 28902257
TI  - Sustainability in Orthodontics: what can we do to save our planet?
AB  - The sustainability of the natural resources of our planet is a topic for
      worldwide debate. Mankind, during its evolution as a species, has not been
      greatly concerned about conserving the environment in which we live. Nowadays we
      are reaping the fruits of this neglect. Climatic changes and storms are good
      examples of this. We, humans, must re-think our attitudes in order to leave the
      planet in a healthy state to be used by our descendants. But thinking of
      orthodontics, what can we do as orthodontists? From this perspective, the authors
      of the present study aimed, in a clear and objective manner, to present simple
      and sustainable ways to proceed during our activity as orthodontists, in order to
      minimize the effects on nature, caused by man.

PMID- 28902258
TI  - Phlebotomines in an area endemic for American cutaneous leishmaniasis in
      northeastern coast of Brazil.
AB  - Phlebotomines have worldwide distribution with many species present in Brazil,
      including the northeastern region, where the fauna is very diverse. The aim of
      this study was to identify the sandfly fauna in an area endemic for American
      cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in the state of Pernambuco. Sandflies were caught
      on three consecutive nights every month from October 2015 to September 2016, from
      5 pm to 5 am, using seven light traps of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) type.
      Females were identified and used for molecular Leishmania detection. A total of
      2,174 specimens belonging to ten species were collected: Lutzomyia choti (88.2%;
      1,917/2,174) was the most abundant species, followed by Lutzomyia whitmani (8.1%;
      176/2,174) and Lutzomyia sordellii (1.5%; 33/2,174). The majority of the
      specimens were collected in peridomestic areas (64.1%; 1,394/2,174) and during
      the rainy period. All the samples examined were negative for Leishmania spp. The
      presence of Lutzomyia whitmani indoors and in peridomestic areas indicates that
      the inhabitants of this area are exposed to the risk of infection by the
      parasites responsible for ACL.

PMID- 28902259
TI  - Clinical and hematological evaluation of Rangelia vitalii-naturally infected dogs
      in southeastern Brazil.
AB  - Rangelia vitalii, a tick-borne piroplasm that infects dogs, has been recently
      molecularly characterized in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. Studies on molecular
      characterization of these piroplasms in different Brazilian regions are scarce.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and hematological changes in dogs
      caused by R. vitalii in the mountainous region of the state of Rio de Janeiro.
      Blood samples from 36 dogs were evaluated for piroplasms and hematological
      disorders using light microscopy and molecular analysis. Blood samples from all
      the animals included in this study were confirmed to be positive for R. vitalii
      through genetic sequencing. Clinical signspresented by 24 of the 36 dogs of the
      study were evaluated during appointments or hospitalization within private
      practice. The most frequent clinical disorders in these dogs that were naturally
      infected with R. vitalii were fever, spontaneous cutaneous bleeding and diarrhea.
      Normochromic non-regenerative anemia and thrombocytopenia were the most common
      hematological disorders in these R. vitalii-positive dogs and therefore should be
      considered in hematological evaluations on suspected cases.

PMID- 28902260
TI  - Hepatozoon caimani in Caiman crocodilus yacare (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) from
      North Pantanal, Brazil.
AB  - Hepatozoon species are the most common intracellular hemoparasite found in
      reptiles. Hepatozoon caimani, whose vectors are Culex mosquitoes, has been
      detected in a high prevalence among caimans in Brazil by blood smears
      examinations. The present work aimed to detect and characterize the Hepatozoon
      spp. found in 33 caimans (24 free-ranging and 9 captive; 28 males and 5 females)
      (Caiman crocodilus yacare) sampled at Pocone, North Pantanal, state of Mato
      Grosso, Brazil, using blood smears examinations and molecular techniques.
      Hepatozoon spp.-gametocytes were found in 70.8% (17/24) and 88.8% (8/9) of blood
      smears from free-ranging and captive caimans, respectively. Hepatozoon spp. 18S
      rRNA DNA was found in 79.2% (19/24) and 88.8% (8/9) of free-ranging and captive
      caimans, respectively. Comparative analysis of parasitized and non-parasitized
      erythrocytes showed that all analyzed features were significantly different
      (P<0.05) for both linear and area dimensions. Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S
      rRNA sequences grouped the Hepatozoon spp. sequences detected in the present
      study together with H. caimani, recently detected in caimans in southern
      Pantanal.

PMID- 28902261
TI  - Detection of Anaplasma sp. phylogenetically related to A. phagocytophilum in a
      free-living bird in Brazil.
AB  - Wild animals play an important role in carrying vectors that may potentially
      transmit pathogens. Several reports highlighted the participation of wild animals
      on the Anaplasma phagocytophilum cycle, including as hosts of the agent. The aim
      of this study was to report the molecular detection of an agent phylogenetically
      related to A. phagocytophilum isolated from a wild bird in the Midwest of the
      state of Parana, Brazil. Fifteen blood samples were collected from eleven
      different bird species in the Guarapuava region. One sample collected from a
      Penelope obscura bird was positive in nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene of
      Anaplasma spp. The phylogenetic tree based on the Maximum Likelihood analysis
      showed that the sequence obtained was placed in the same clade with A.
      phagocytophilum isolated from domestic cats in Brazil. The present study reports
      the first molecular detection of a phylogenetically related A. phagocytophilum
      bacterium in a bird from Parana State.

PMID- 28902262
TI  - Morphological and morphometric features of nematode-cysts in Gymnotus
      inaequilabiatus liver in the Brazilian Pantanal.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric measures and
      morphological aspects of nematode-cysts in Gymnotus inaequilabiatus, and the
      presence of melanomacrophage centers (MMCs) associated with the periphery of
      cysts and in the liver parenchyma. Adult specimens, 34 female (123.1 +/- 43.9g)
      and 45 male (135.5 +/- 43.4g), from Paraguay River, Corumba, Brazil, were used.
      The number of nematode-cysts was determined in 79 livers and 25 of them randomly
      selected for histopathological analysis and morphometric measures of nematode
      cysts (mean diameter, thickness of collagen layer, and cyst-wall layer). The
      percentage of cysts with MMCs on the periphery and density in the liver
      parenchyma was estimated. The average number of macroscopic cysts was of 48.7 +/-
      2.78. Granulomatous reaction was observed surrounding the cysts. Diameter,
      collagen layer and cyst-wall measurements were 293.0 +/- 75.18 (um), 17.72 +/-
      6.01 (um) and 12.21 +/- 9.51 (um), respectively. The number of nematode-cysts was
      correlated with hepatosomatic index, (r=0.26, P<0.05). Collagen layer was
      correlated with cyst diameter (r=0.62, P<0.01). Pericystic and parenchymatous
      MMCs were moderately (r=0.48) and highly (r=0.90) correlated with nematode-cysts
      number. Morphological characteristics of hepatic tissue and cysts-nematodes
      measures suggest that G. inaequilabiatus acts as a paratenic host to nematodes in
      the larval stage.

PMID- 28902263
TI  - Factors associated with timely treatment of malaria in the Brazilian Amazon: a 10
      year population-based study.
AB  - Objective: To identify factors associated with timely treatment of malaria in the
      Brazilian Amazon. Malaria, despite being treatable, has proven difficult to
      control and continues to be an important public health problem globally. Brazil
      accounted for almost half of the 427 000 new malaria cases notified in the
      Americas in 2013. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using secondary data
      on all notified malaria cases for the period from 2004 - 2013. Timely treatment
      was considered to be all treatment started within 24 hours of symptoms onset.
      Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent factors
      associated with timely treatment. Results: The proportion of cases starting
      treatment on a timely basis was 41.1%, tending to increase in more recent years
      (OR = 1.40; 95%CI: 1.37 - 1.42 in 2013). Furthermore, people starting within < 24
      hours were more likely to: reside in the states of Rondonia (OR = 1.50; 95%CI:
      1.49 - 1.51) or Acre (OR = 1.53; 95%CI: 1.55 - 1.57); be 0 - 5 years of age (OR =
      1.39; 95%CI: 1.34 - 1.44) or 6 - 14 years of age (OR = 1.34; 95%CI: 1.32 - 1.36);
      be indigenous (OR = 1.41; 95%CI: 1.37 - 1.45); have a low level of schooling (OR
      = 1.20; 95%CI: 1.19 - 1.22); and be diagnosed by active detection (OR = 1.39;
      95%CI: 1.38 - 1.39). Conclusion: In the Brazilian Amazon area, individuals were
      more likely to have timely treatment of malaria if they were young, residing in
      Acre or Rondonia states, have little schooling, and be identified through active
      detection. Identifying groups vulnerable to late treatment is important for
      preventing severe cases and malaria deaths.

PMID- 28902264
TI  - Intimate partner violence as a predictor of antenatal care service utilization in
      Honduras.
AB  - Objective: To describe the relationship between exposure to physical and/or
      sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) and indicators of antenatal care (ANC)
      service utilization among Honduran women of reproductive age. Methods: Data from
      the 2011-2012 Honduras Demographic and Health Survey were analyzed to describe
      the relationship between self-reported exposure to IPV and two ANC outcomes: (1)
      sufficient ANC visits (defined by the Honduran Ministry of Health as five or more
      visits) and (2) early ANC initiation (within the first trimester). Multiple
      logistic regression was used to estimate effects of physical and sexual IPV on
      the outcomes, controlling for women's age, education, literacy, residence,
      household size, religion, parity, wealth, husband's age, and husband's education.
      Results: Of women who were married, had at least one living child 5 years or
      younger, and completed the IPV module (N = 6 629), 13.5% of them reported any
      physical IPV, and 4.1% reported both physical and sexual IPV. There was no
      significant association between IPV and early ANC; however, a significant
      relationship between IPV and sufficient ANC was found. Women who experienced any
      physical IPV (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 1.25; 95% confidence interval (CI):
      1.00-1.56) or sexual IPV (aOR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.08-2.16) were, respectively, 25%
      and 53% more likely to receive insufficient ANC. Conclusions: Honduras has one of
      highest rates of interpersonal violence of any nation in the world. In Honduras,
      IPV is a contributor to this broader category of interpersonal violence as well
      as a risk factor for insufficient ANC. Our findings suggest that universal IPV
      screening during ANC as well as future initiatives aimed at reducing IPV might
      improve ANC utilization in the country.

PMID- 28902265
TI  - [Model for a risk-focused approach to health inspection, surveillance, and
      control in Colombia].
AB  - Colombian Ministry of Health Resolution 1229 of 2013 established that health
      inspection, surveillance, and control (IVC, Spanish acronym) should be based on a
      risk-focused approach. In 2014 Colombia's National Food and Drugs Surveillance
      Institute (INVIMA) designed and implemented a risk-based health surveillance
      model called IVC-SOA. This model measures the risks of drugs, medical devices,
      food, and cosmetics by taking into account three factors: severity of the product
      (S), occurrence of product failure (O), and the potentially affected population
      (A) - hence its name, SOA. The model incorporates 40 variables and statistical
      methods that make it possible to create a risk profile for each entity surveyed,
      and thus to generate a ranking to determine which should be inspected. The
      objective of this report is to describe the methodology and results obtained
      following the design and implementation of the IVC-SOA model created by the
      regulatory agency in Colombia, and its impact on health surveillance
      effectiveness.

PMID- 28902266
TI  - Infant morbidity and mortality attributable to prenatal smoking in Chile.
AB  - Objective: To estimate annual infant morbidity and mortality attributable to
      prenatal smoking in Chile during 2008-2012. Methods: Population-attributable
      fractions (PAFs) for several infant outcomes were calculated based on previous
      study estimates of prenatal smoking prevalence and odds ratios associated with
      exposure (prenatal smoking relative to non-prenatal smoking). Prenatal smoking
      attributable infant morbidity and mortality cases were calculated by multiplying
      the average annual number of morbidity and mortality cases registered in Chile
      during 2008-2012 by the corresponding PAF. Results: PAFs for 1) births <= 27
      weeks; 2) births at 28-33 weeks; 3) births at 34-36 weeks; and 4) full-term low
      birth-weight infants were 12.3%, 10.6%, 5.5%, and 27.4% respectively. PAFs for
      deaths caused by preterm-related causes and deaths caused by sudden infant death
      syndrome were 11.9% and 40.0% respectively. Annually, 2 054 cases of preterm
      birth and full-term low-birth-weight (1 in 9 cases), 68 deaths caused by preterm
      related causes (1 in 8 cases), and 26 deaths caused by sudden infant death
      syndrome (1 in 3 cases) were attributable to prenatal smoking. Conclusions: In
      Chile, infant morbidity and mortality attributable to prenatal smoking are
      unacceptably high. Comprehensive individual and population-based interventions
      for tobacco control should be a public health priority in the country,
      particularly among female adolescents and young women who will be the mothers of
      future generations.

PMID- 28902267
TI  - [Public production as a key factor for access to antivenoms in the Region of the
      Americas].
AB  - Injuries caused by venomous animals affect vast areas of Latin America, Southern
      Asia, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania, and pose a serious problem
      for global public health. Based on an analysis of the current panorama of global
      production of ophidian and arachnid antivenoms, it is concluded that they are
      semi-orphaned products. This is a favorable scenario in which to strengthen
      public laboratory production. Governments should make a political decision in
      this regard in the interest of equity in population health. In the Region of the
      Americas, these actions could be part of a program led by the Pan American Health
      Organization to ensure the availability of these biologicals in strategically
      located health centers. Twelve public facilities producing antivenoms have been
      identified in the Region, including Brazil and Mexico, which are the biggest
      public producers. These laboratories should be managed like industrial operations
      that produce tangible goods without ignoring strategic planning. National
      regulatory authorities should help the public laboratories that produce them by
      providing necessary technical assistance and consultancy without any loss of
      impartiality or rigor in the evaluation of their quality management systems. New
      superior production technologies using hyperimmune mammalian plasma are in the
      experimental phase; no information on its production has been found in the
      literature.

PMID- 28902268
TI  - Cystic echinococcosis in South America: a call for action.
AB  - Cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatidosis, a parasitic zoonosis caused by a
      cestode of the family Taeniidae, species Echinococcus granulosus, is endemic in
      Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. This report presents CE
      figures for these five countries in 2009 - 2014 and proposes indicators to
      measure national control programs. Nearly 5 000 new CE cases were diagnosed
      annually in the five countries during the study period. The average case fatality
      rate was 2.9%, which suggests that CE led to approximately 880 deaths in these
      countries during the 6-year period. CE cases that required secondary or tertiary
      health care had average hospital stays of 10.6 days, causing a significant burden
      to health systems. The proportion of new cases (15%) in children less than 15
      years of age suggests ongoing transmission. Despite figures showing that CE is
      not under control in South America, the long-standing implementation of national
      and local control programs in three of the five countries has achieved reductions
      in some of the indicators. The Regional Initiative for the Control of CE, which
      includes the five countries and provides a framework for networking and
      collaboration, must intensify its efforts.

PMID- 28902269
TI  - Development of in-house serological methods for diagnosis and surveillance of
      chikungunya.
AB  - Objective: To develop and evaluate serological methods for chikungunya diagnosis
      and research in Nicaragua. Methods: Two IgM ELISA capture systems (MAC-ELISA) for
      diagnosis of acute chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections, and two Inhibition ELISA
      Methods (IEM) to measure total antibodies against CHIKV were developed using
      monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and hyperimmune serum at the National Virology
      Laboratory of Nicaragua in 2014-2015. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive
      values, and agreement of the MAC-ELISAs were obtained by comparing the results of
      198 samples (116 positive; 82 negative) with the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention's IgM ELISA (Atlanta, Georgia, United States; CDC-MAC-ELISA). For
      clinical evaluation of the four serological techniques, 260 paired acute and
      convalescent phase serum samples of suspected chikungunya cases were used.
      Results: All four assays were standardized by determining the optimal
      concentrations of the different reagents. Processing times were substantially
      reduced compared to the CDC-MAC-ELISA. For the MAC-ELISA systems, a sensitivity
      of 96.6% and 97.4%, and a specificity of 98.8% and 91.5% were obtained using mAb
      and hyperimmune serum, respectively, compared with the CDC method. Clinical
      evaluation of the four serological techniques versus the CDC real-time RT-PCR
      assay resulted in a sensitivity of 95.7% and a specificity of 88.8%-95.9%.
      Conclusion: Two MAC-ELISA and two IEM systems were standardized, demonstrating
      very good quality for chikungunya diagnosis and research demands. This will
      achieve more efficient epidemiological surveillance in Nicaragua, the first
      country in Central America to produce its own reagents for serological diagnosis
      of CHIKV. The methods evaluated here can be applied in other countries and will
      contribute to sustainable diagnostic systems to combat the disease.

PMID- 28902270
TI  - Public health response and lessons learned from the 2014 chikungunya epidemic in
      Grenada.
AB  - In June 2014, the first cases of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) were diagnosed on the
      island of Carriacou, part of the tri-island state of Grenada. In the three months
      that followed, CHIKV spread rapidly, with conservative estimates of the
      population infected of at least 60%. Multiple challenges were encountered in the
      battle to manage the spread and impact of this high-attack rate virus, including
      1) limited indigenous laboratory diagnostic capabilities; 2) an under-resourced
      health care system; 3) a skeptical general public, hesitant to accept facts about
      the origin and mode of transmission of the new virus; and 4) resistance to the
      vector control strategies used. Lessons learned from the outbreak included the
      need for 1) a robust and reliable epidemiological surveillance system; 2)
      effective strategies for communicating with the general population; 3)
      exploration of other methods of mosquito vector control; and 4) a careful review
      of all health care policies and protocols to ensure that effective, organized
      responses are triggered when an infectious outbreak occurs.

PMID- 28902271
TI  - [Clinical and epidemiological characterization of chikungunya fever in Mexico].
AB  - On 6 December 2013, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World
      Health Organization (WHO) reported confirmation of the first two cases of
      indigenous transmission of chikungunya fever (CHIK) in the Region of the Americas
      on the island of Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles). For the period 2013-2014, a
      total of 25 627 confirmed autochthonous cases were distributed in 43 countries,
      with Mexico reporting 155 cases in five states. Information on cases of CHIK in
      Mexico was obtained from the database of the General Directorate of Epidemiology
      (Ministry of Health of Mexico). The distribution of confirmed autochthonous cases
      of CHIK for 2015, by sex, was 64% female (5 583) and 36% male (3 085). The most
      frequent symptoms were fever in 98% of cases (8 564), followed by headache in
      91.6% (7 941), myalgia in 89.9% (7 792), mild arthralgias in 73.5% (6 367),
      severe polyarthralgia in 72.6% (6 295), and exanthema in 58% (5 032). The
      clinical presentation of autochthonous cases of CHIK in Mexico has shown several
      clinical manifestations different from those seen in outbreaks in African and
      Asian countries and other regions in the Americas; for example, a greater
      percentage of cases with headache and myalgia and a smaller percentage of cases
      with arthralgia.

PMID- 28902272
TI  - [Chikungunya seroprevalence and clinical case rate in Nicaragua, 2014-2015].
AB  - Objective: Estimate seroprevalence, clinical case rate, and proportion of
      subclinical infections from chikungunya. Methods: A cross-sectional study was
      conducted in October 2015 at 39 sites distributed across Nicaragua. Demographic
      and clinical information was compiled through a personal survey. Blood samples
      were collected to detect chikungunya antibodies using the ELISA inhibition method
      developed by Nicaragua's National Diagnostic and Reference Center. Results were
      analyzed using generalized linear models and multilevel Poisson models. Results:
      A total of 11 722 participants aged >2 years were enrolled and 11 280 samples
      were processed. National seroprevalence was 32.8% (95% CI [95% confidence
      interval]: 31.9-33.6), with a clinical case rate of 26.5% (95% CI: 25.7-27.3) and
      a proportion of subclinical infections of 19.1% (95% CI: 17.8-20.4).
      Seroprevalence varied among the 39 sites and was greater at sites with higher
      vector infestation indices. Individually, seroprevalence was higher in
      participants aged >11 years. Conclusion: Since its introduction, this is the
      first study on chikungunya seroprevalence in continental Latin America to
      determine national prevalence, clinical case rate, and proportion of subclinical
      infections. The study model, employing broad community participation and
      leadership by the Ministry of Health of Nicaragua, can be an example for
      conducting similar studies in the region.

PMID- 28902273
TI  - Chikungunya: important lessons from the Jamaican experience.
AB  - Objectives: To describe the clinical presentation of chikungunya virus (CHIKV)
      illness in adults during the 2014 outbreak in Jamaica and to determine the
      predictive value of the case definition. Methods: A cross-sectional study was
      conducted using clinical data from suspected cases of CHIKV that were reported to
      the Ministry of Health in April - December 2014. In addition, charts were
      reviewed of all individuals over 15 years of age with suspected CHIKV based on a
      diagnosis of CHIKV or "acute viral illness" that presented to four major health
      centers in Jamaica during the week prior to and the peak week of the epidemic.
      Data abstracted from these charts using a modified CHIKV Case Investigation Form
      included demographics, clinical findings, and laboratory tests. Results: In 2014,
      the Ministry of Health of Jamaica received 4 447 notifications of CHIKV
      infection. PCR testing was conducted on 137 suspected CHIKV cases (56 men and 81
      women; median age 28 years) and was positive for 89 (65%) persons. In all, 205
      health charts were identified that met the selection criteria (51 men and 154
      women, median age 43 years). The most commonly reported symptoms were arthralgia
      (86%) and fever (76%). Of those who met the epidemiologic case definition for
      CHIKV as defined by the Pan American Health Organization, only 34% had this
      diagnosis recorded. Acute viral illness was the most frequently recorded
      diagnosis (n = 79; 58%). Conclusions: Broader case definitions for acute CHIKV
      illness may be needed to identify suspected cases during an outbreak.
      Standardized data collection forms and validation of case definitions may be
      useful for future outbreaks.

PMID- 28902274
TI  - Chikungunya virus outbreak in Sint Maarten, 2013-2014.
AB  - This report describes the outbreak of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Sint Maarten,
      a constituent country of Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the southern part
      of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, from 22 December 2013 (first reported
      case) through 5 December 2014. The outbreak was first reported by the French
      overseas collectivity of Saint-Martin in the northern part of the island-the
      first site in the Americas to report autochthonous transmission of CHIKV. By 5
      December 2014, Sint Maarten had reported a total of 658 cases-an overall attack
      rate of 1.76%. Actual prevalence may have been higher, as some cases may have
      been misdiagnosed as dengue. Fever and arthralgia affected 71% and 69% of
      reported cases respectively. Of the 390 laboratory-confirmed cases, 61% were
      female and the majority were 20-59 years old (mean: 42; range: 4-92). The spread
      of CHIKV to Sint Maarten was inevitable given the ease of movement of people, and
      the vector, island-wide. Continuing their history of collaboration, the French
      and Dutch parts of the island coordinated efforts for prevention and control of
      the disease. These included a formal agreement to exchange epidemiological
      information on a regular basis and provide alerts in a timely manner;
      collaboration among personnel through joint island-wide planning of mosquito
      control activities, especially along borders; notification of all island
      visitors, upon their arrival at airports and seaports, of preventative measures
      to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes; dissemination of educational materials to
      the public; and island-wide public awareness campaigns, particularly in densely
      populated areas, for both residents and visitors. The information provided in
      this report could help increase understanding of the epidemiological
      characteristics of CHIKV and guide other countries dealing with vector-borne
      epidemics.

PMID- 28902275
TI  - Evaluation of three commercially-available chikungunya virus immunoglobulin G
      immunoassays.
AB  - The emergence of chikungunya virus in the Americas means the affected population
      is at risk of developing severe, chronic, rheumatologic disease, even months
      after acute infection. Accurate diagnostic methods for past infections are
      essential for differential diagnosis and consequence management. This study
      evaluated three commercially-available chikungunya Immunoglobulin G immunoassays
      by comparing them to an in-house Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay conducted by
      the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, Georgia, United States).
      Results showed sensitivity and specificity values ranging from 92.8% - 100% and
      81.8% - 90.9%, respectively, with a significant number of false-positives ranging
      from 12.5% - 22%. These findings demonstrate the importance of evaluating
      commercial kits, especially regarding emerging infectious diseases whose medium
      and long-term impact on the population is unclear.

PMID- 28902276
TI  - First detection of dengue and chikungunya viruses in natural populations of Aedes
      aegypti in Martinique during the 2013 - 2015 concomitant outbreak.
AB  - Dengue and chikungunya viruses are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. In
      Martinique, an island of the French West Indies, Aedes aegypti is the suspected
      vector of both arboviruses; there is no Aedes albopictus on the island. During
      the concomitant outbreak of 2013 - 2015, the authors collected wild A. aegypti
      populations, and for the first time, detected dengue and chikungunya viruses in
      field-collected females. This paper demonstrates the mosquito's role in
      transmission of both dengue and chikungunya on the island, and also highlights a
      tool that public health authorities can use for preventing outbreaks.

PMID- 28902277
TI  - Clinical manifestations of chikungunya among university professors and staff in
      Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic.
AB  - Objective: To further characterize chikungunya virus infection and its associated
      clinical manifestations, using a sample of university professors and staff in
      Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with
      quota sampling by department was performed to obtain a convenience sample of
      professors (n = 736) and staff (n = 499) at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo
      Domingo. Surveys were used to collect demographic and infection data during the
      fall term of 2014. Univariate and bivariate analyses were carried out to quantify
      infection and clinical manifestation prevalence and to assess relationships of
      these outcomes with age, sex, and acute phase duration. Results: Of 1 236
      participants, 49% reported infection (professors = 41%; staff = 61%). Of these,
      53% also reported the presence of chronic effects, largely arthralgia (48%).
      Significant relationships were observed between reported infection and sex (P =
      0.023), age (P < 0.001), and occupation (P < 0.001). More headache (P = 0.008)
      and edema (P < 0.001) in females, more headache (P = 0.005) in younger subjects,
      and more myalgia (P = 0.006) in those with longer acute symptoms were found.
      Additionally, more chronic arthralgia (P < 0.001; P = 0.003) and chronic edema (P
      < 0.001; P = 0.001) in females and older subjects, and more chronic myalgia (P =
      0.041) and chronic edema (P = 0.037) in those with longer acute symptoms were
      observed. Conclusions: To the authors knowledge, this is the first population
      based chikungunya prevalence study in the Dominican Republic, and the first to
      explore clinical manifestations in a university setting. The findings reflect
      results from studies following the 2005 - 2006 Reunion Island outbreak:
      prevalence of infection and chronic arthralgia, as well as associations with sex,
      age, and acute intensity. Longitudinal research can provide further insight into
      these effects.

PMID- 28902278
TI  - Minimum infectious dose for chikungunya virus in Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus
      mosquitoes.
AB  - Understanding the ability of the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to be transmitted by
      Aedes vectors in the Americas is critical for assessing epidemiological risk. One
      element that must be considered is the minimum infectious dose of virus that can
      lead to transmission following the extrinsic incubation period. This study aimed
      to determine the minimum infection rate for the two Aedes species studied. The
      results revealed that doses as low as 3.9 log10 plaque-forming units per mL
      (pfu/mL) of an Asian genotype CHIKV strain can lead to transmission by Ae.
      albopictus, and doses of at least 5.3 log10 pfu/mL from the same strain are
      needed for transmission from Ae. aegypti. These low infecting doses suggest that
      infected individuals may be infectious for almost the entire period of their
      viremia, and therefore, to prevent further cases, measures should be taken to
      prevent them from getting bitten by mosquitoes during this period.

PMID- 28902279
TI  - [Aging and long-term care in Chile: challenges in the OECD context].
AB  - Chile is fully in the process of demographic transition, with a rapidly aging
      population. This situation poses multiple public policy challenges, including
      those in the public health sector. Specifically, the association between aging
      and the loss of autonomy calls for the rapid design of a long-term care policy in
      the country. The purpose of this article is to describe Chile's current situation
      with respect to long-term care in aging, using the experience of the countries of
      the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to draw attention to
      the need to move forward with the design and financing of a coordinated policy in
      the country that will permit early action to meet the challenges of aging in the
      coming decades.

PMID- 28902280
TI  - [Impact of physical inactivity on mortality and the economic costs of
      cardiovascular deaths: evidence from Argentina].
AB  - Objective: Estimate mortality and economic costs from cardiovascular diseases
      attributable to physical inactivity in Argentina. Methods: Attributable mortality
      (AM) from physical inactivity was estimated as the product of the population
      attributable fraction and the number of deaths caused by associated
      cardiovascular diseases. Value of statistical life (VSL) was calculated using the
      human capital approach, in which VSL was estimated through lost productivity from
      premature death. Economic costs were calculated using AM and VSL, stratifying by
      sex, age group, and physical activity level. A sensitivity analysis was used to
      evaluate how costs vary in three possible scenarios. Results: AM from low and
      moderate physical activity ranged from 33 (18 to 24 years) to 7 857 (>84 years)
      deaths annually in both sexes. VSL ranged from I$441 005 (international dollars)
      (18 to 24 years) to I$4,121 (>84 years). Assessment of total costs by sex
      indicates that economic losses amounted to I$752.5 million for men and I$444.5
      million for women. Conclusion: Economic losses ranged from 0.61% of GDP for the
      minimum scenario, 0.85% for the average scenario, and 1.48% for the maximum
      scenario. Stronger public policy-making aimed at reduction of sedentary
      lifestyles in Argentina is recommended.

PMID- 28902281
TI  - The United States-Mexico border environmental public health: the challenges of
      working with two systems.
AB  - This report shares the challenges and opportunities encountered by a binational
      project that examined the availability of environmental and public health
      information for the United States-Mexico border area. The researchers interviewed
      numerous national and binational agencies on both sides of the border,
      endeavoring to develop a framework to advance the knowledge of academic and
      public health professionals in the area of environmental border health. However,
      the lack of standardized indicators and metrics in both countries validates the
      emergent need to establish a viable framework for the collection, analysis, and
      dissemination of environmental information. Recommendations for next steps are
      included.

PMID- 28902282
TI  - [Women's health prevention indicator: a proposal for combining mammography and
      Papanicolaou smear].
AB  - This article proposes a women's health prevention indicator (WHPI) reflecting the
      combined status of mammography and Papanicolaou (Pap) smear according to the
      recommendations for age and considering the time elapsed since the last
      exam/test. The WHPI classifies prevention status into desirable, alert, or risk
      categories. The risk category includes women of all ages who never had a Pap
      smear, those aged >60 years who had a Pap smear more than 3 years ago but never
      had a mammography, and those aged >=71 years who are up to date with the Pap
      smear but never had a mammography. The desirable category includes women with a
      Pap smear in the past 3 years, except women aged >=41 who never had a mammography
      and those aged >=51 years who had a mammography more than 2 years earlier. The
      alert category includes women whose Pap smear is more than three years old with
      the exception of those >=61 years who never had a mammography and those aged >=71
      years whose mammography is more than 2 years old. For women who had experienced a
      Pap smear in the past 3 years, the alert category includes those aged 41-50 years
      who never had mammography, those aged 51-70 years with mammography older than 2
      years or no mammography, and those aged >=71 years with mammography older than 2
      years. Applying the WHPI to data from the National Household Sample Survey of
      2008 revealed that 24.8% of Brazilian women were at risk and 24.2% were in the
      alert category. The Northeast and the North had the highest risk rates (31.5% and
      29.6% respectively). Of those >70 years old, 49.5% were in the risk category. The
      WHPI can be used to assess public initiatives and compare preventive status
      within and across regions.

PMID- 28902283
TI  - New perspectives on the nutritional factors influencing growth rate of Candida
      albicans in diabetics. An in vitro study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The link between Candida albicans and diabetes mellitus is well
      acknowledged, but incompletely elucidated. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study
      is to assess the growth rate of C. albicans (CA) in the presence of different
      concentrations of glucose and fructose, two of the main pathophysiologic and
      nutritionally relevant sugars in diabetic patients, in order to obtain a better
      understanding of the nutrient acquisition strategy and its possible relation to
      the hyperglycemic status of diabetic patients. METHODS: The effects of different
      concentrations of glucose and fructose (1000 mg%, 500 mg%, 250 mg% and 100 mg%
      w/v) on the growth rate of CA have been studied by flow-cytometry. FINDINGS: We
      found that glucose concentration is directly related to CA growth, which may be
      linked to the frequent yeast infections that occur in non-controlled diabetic
      patients; we also show that fructose inhibits CA growth rate. MAIN CONCLUSIONS:
      As a consequence of our hypothesis, the study demonstrates that fructose
      containing food may prevent the development of candidiasis, at least in oral
      sites.

PMID- 28902284
TI  - Retrieving ascarid and taeniid eggs from the biological remains of a Neolithic
      dog from the late 9th millennium BC in Western Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paleoparasitology reveals the status of parasitic infections in
      humans and animals in ancient times based on parasitic particles found in
      biological remains from archaeological excavations. This line of research emerged
      in Iran in 2013. OBJECTIVE: The identification of parasites from Neolithic times
      is an attractive subject that shows the oldest origins of parasitic infections in
      a given geographical region. From an archaeological point of view, this
      archaeological site is well-known for animal domestication and agriculture in
      ancient Iran. METHODS: In this study, soil deposited on the surface and in the
      pores of a dog pelvic bone was carefully collected and rehydrated using trisodium
      phosphate solution. FINDINGS: The results showed ascarid and taeniid eggs
      retrieved from the biological remains of a dog excavated at the East Chia Sabz
      archaeological site, which dates back to the Neolithic period (8100 BC). MAIN
      CONCLUSION: The current findings clearly illustrate the natural circulation of
      nematode and cestode parasites among dogs at that time. These ancient helminth
      eggs can also be used to track the oldest parasitic infections in the Iranian
      plateau and contribute to the paleoparasitological documentation of the Fertile
      Crescent.

PMID- 28902285
TI  - Dipyridamole potentiated the trypanocidal effect of nifurtimox and improved the
      cardiac function in NMRI mice with acute chagasic myocarditis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As chronic Chagas disease does not have a definitive treatment, the
      development of alternative therapeutic protocols is a priority. Dipyridamole
      (DPY) is an alternative to counteract the pathophysiological phenomena involved
      in Chagas cardiomyopathy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of DPY
      associated with nifurtimox (Nfx) in epimastigote axenic cultures and in mice with
      acute Chagas disease. METHODS: NMRI adult male mice were divided into nine
      groups: three healthy and six Trypanosoma cruzi-infected groups. Mice received
      vehicle, Nfx or DPY, alone or combined. The doses assayed were Nfx 10 and 40
      mg/kg and DPY 30 mg/kg. The treatment efficacy was evaluated by clinical,
      electrocardiographic, parasitological, biochemical and histopathological methods.
      FINDINGS: In vitro, DPY and Nfx had a trypanocidal effect with IC50 values of 372
      +/- 52 and 21.53 +/- 2.13 uM, respectively; DPY potentiated the Nfx effect. In
      vivo, Nfx (40 mg/kg) with or without DPY had a therapeutic effect, which was
      reflected in the 84-92% survival rate and elimination of parasitaemia and heart
      tissue amastigotes. Nfx (10 mg/kg) had a subtherapeutic effect with no survival
      and persistence of amastigotes, inflammation and fibrosis in heart tissue; adding
      DPY increased the survival rate to 85%, and all tested parameters were
      significantly improved. MAIN CONCLUSION: DPY has a trypanocidal effect in vitro
      and enhances the Nfx therapeutic effect in an in vivo murine model.

PMID- 28902286
TI  - Specific antigen serologic tests in leprosy: implications for epidemiological
      surveillance of leprosy cases and household contacts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a lack of straightforward tests for field application and
      known biomarkers for predicting leprosy progression in infected individuals.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim was to analyse the response to infection by Mycobacterium
      leprae based on the reactivity of specific antigens: natural disaccharide linked
      to human serum albumin via an octyl (NDOHSA), a semisynthetic phenolic glycolipid
      I (PGL-I); Leprosy Infectious Disease Research Institute Diagnostic-1 (LID-1) and
      natural disaccharide octyl - Leprosy Infectious Disease Research Institute
      Diagnostic-1 (NDOLID). METHODS: The study population consisted of 130 leprosy
      cases diagnosed between 2010 and 2015 and 277 household contacts. An enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyse the reactivity of
      antibodies against NDOHSA, LID-1 and NDOLID. The samples and controls were tested
      in duplicate, and the antibody titer was expressed as an ELISA index. Data
      collection was made by home visits with application of questionnaire and
      dermatological evaluation of all household contacts to identify signs and
      symptoms of leprosy. FINDINGS: Significant differences in the median ELISA
      results were observed among leprosy cases in treatment, leprosy cases that had
      completed treatment and household contacts. Higher proportions of seropositivity
      were observed in leprosy cases in treatment. Seropositivity was also higher in
      multibacillary in relation to paucibacillary, with the difference reaching
      statistical significance. Lower titers were observed among cases with a longer
      treatment time or discharge. For household contacts, the differences according to
      the clinical characteristics of the leprosy index case were less pronounced than
      expected. Other factors, such as the endemicity of leprosy, exposure outside the
      residence and genetic characteristics, appeared to have a greater influence on
      the seropositivity. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Serologic tests could be used as auxiliary
      tools for determining the operational classification, in addition to identifying
      infected individuals and as a strategy for surveillance of household contacts.

PMID- 28902287
TI  - Structural insights into leishmanolysins encoded on chromosome 10 of Leishmania
      (Viannia) braziliensis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leishmanolysins have been described as important parasite virulence
      factors because of their roles in the infection of promastigotes and resistance
      to host's defenses. Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis contains several
      leishmanolysin genes in its genome, especially in chromosome 10. However, the
      functional impact of such diversity is not understood, but may be attributed
      partially to the lack of structural data for proteins from this parasite.
      OBJECTIVES: This works aims to compare leishmanolysin sequences from L. (V.)
      braziliensis and to understand how the diversity impacts in their structural and
      dynamic features. METHODS: Leishmanolysin sequences were retrieved from GeneDB.
      Subsequently, 3D models were built using comparative modeling methods and their
      dynamical behavior was studied using molecular dynamic simulations. FINDINGS: We
      identified three subgroups of leishmanolysins according to sequence variations.
      These differences directly affect the electrostatic properties of leishmanolysins
      and the geometry of their active sites. We identified two levels of structural
      heterogeneity that might be related to the ability of promastigotes to interact
      with a broad range of substrates. MAIN CONCLUSION: Altogether, the structural
      plasticity of leishmanolysins may constitute an important evolutionary adaptation
      rarely explored when considering the virulence of L. (V.) braziliensis parasites.

PMID- 28902288
TI  - Basal core promoter and precore mutations among hepatitis B virus circulating in
      Brazil and its association with severe forms of hepatic diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Brazil, few studies have investigated the prevalence of infection
      with the precore (PC) and basal core promoter (BCP) mutants of the hepatitis B
      virus (HBV). OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyse the frequency of PC and BCP
      mutations among patients infected with HBV and to evaluate the association
      between the variants and advanced hepatic disease. METHODS: A total of 161
      patients infected with HBV were studied. To identify PC and BCP mutations, a 501
      bp fragment of HBV DNA was amplified and sequenced. FINDINGS: PC and BCP regions
      from HBV strains were successfully amplified and sequenced in 129 and 118 cases,
      respectively. PC and BCP mutations were detected in 61.0% and 80.6% of the cases,
      respectively. The A1762T/G1764A variant was identified in 36.7% of the patients
      with grade 1 and 2 liver fibrosis (29/79) and in 81.8% of the patients with grade
      3 and 4 liver fibrosis (9/11) (p < 0.01); in 76.9% of the patients with cirrhosis
      (10/13) and in 38.1% of the patients without cirrhosis (40/105) (p = 0.01); and
      in 77.8% of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (7/9) and in 39.4%
      of the patients without HCC (43/109) (p = 0.03). MAIN CONCLUSIONS: A high
      prevalence of HBV PC and BCP mutants was found. The A1762T/G1764A variant was
      independently associated with advanced forms of liver fibrosis, hepatic
      cirrhosis, and HCC.

PMID- 28902289
TI  - Exposure source prevalence is associated with gender in hepatitis C virus
      patients from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide public health
      problem. A characterisation of the differences in exposure sources among genders
      will enable improvements in surveillance actions. METHODS: Exposure data were
      obtained for 1180 confirmed HCV cases Brazil's mandatory reporting to
      epidemiological surveillance, which was directed by a reference laboratory in Rio
      de Janeiro, Brazil. The Chi-square test (chi2) was used to assess the
      associations between exposure sources and gender. The prevalence ratio (PR) was
      calculated for exposures that showed an association. RESULTS: The results showed
      57.7% cases were female, and associations with snorting drugs, sexual activity,
      surgery, aesthetic procedures, blood transfusions, and educational level were
      observed (p < 0.001). Men showed 2.53 (1.33-3.57), 4.83 (3.54-6.59), and 2.18
      (1.33-3.57) times more exposure to sniffing drugs, risky sex and higher levels of
      education, respectively, than women. Women demonstrated 4.46 (3.21-6.21), 1.94
      (1.43-2.63), and 3.10 (2.09-4.61) times more exposure to surgery, aesthetic
      procedures, and blood transfusions, respectively, than men. CONCLUSION: Our
      results showed differences in risk behaviours associated with gender among HCV
      carriers. These data are likely to significantly influence clinical practice
      regarding the adoption of specific approaches for counselling and control
      policies to prevent the emergence of new cases and break the chain of
      transmission of the virus.

PMID- 28902290
TI  - Effect of secondary infection on epithelialisation and total healing of cutaneous
      leishmaniasis lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) generally presents with a single or
      several localised cutaneous ulcers without involvement of mucous membranes.
      Ulcerated lesions are susceptible to secondary contamination that may slow the
      healing process. OBJECTIVE: This study verified the influence of non-parasitic
      wound infection on wound closure (epithelialisation) and total healing. METHODS:
      Twenty-five patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CL and ulcerated lesions
      underwent biopsy of ulcer borders. One direct microbial parameter (germ
      identification in cultures) and four indirect clinical parameters (secretion,
      pain, burning sensation, pruritus) were analysed. FINDINGS Biopsies of ten
      lesions showed secondary infection by one or two microorganisms (Staphylococcus
      aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes and
      Candida parapsilosis). "Secretion" and "burning sensation" influenced
      epithelialisation time but not total healing time. Positive detection of germs in
      the ulcer border and "pain" and "pruritus" revealed no influence on wound
      closure. CONCLUSIONS: Our borderline proof of clinical CL ulcer infection
      inhibiting CL wound healing supports the need to follow antimicrobial stewardship
      in CL ulcer management, which was recently proposed for all chronic wounds.

PMID- 28902291
TI  - Emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from clonal complex 398
      with no livestock association in Brazil.
AB  - CC398 is a livestock-associated Staphylococcus aureus. However, it has also been
      isolated from humans with no previous contact with livestock. A surveillance of
      methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonisation among children attending public day
      care centres and hospitals in Niteroi and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 2011
      and 2013, resulted in the isolation of six cases of CC398 from individuals with
      no previous exposure to livestock. These isolates showed a high frequency of the
      erm(C) gene (4/6, 66.7%) with induced resistance to clindamycin, and a relatively
      high frequency of SEs and lukS/lukF genes. These results suggest the emergence of
      a non-LA-CC398 in Brazil.

PMID- 28902292
TI  - Increased number of deaths during a chikungunya epidemic in Pernambuco, Brazil.
AB  - In early 2016, it was suspected that there were more deaths in Pernambuco than in
      previous years during an epidemic of chikungunya. This study tested whether there
      was an increased number of deaths and, if so, whether this increase could be
      related to a chikungunya epidemic. Indeed, there was an increase of 4235 deaths
      in 2016 compared to the average of the four previous years, and the highest
      differences were found during the peak period of the epidemic. It was evident
      that not all of these deaths could be attributed to complications of chikungunya.
      However, considering the temporal overlap, some of these deaths may have been
      caused by the aggravation of pre-existing comorbidities or complications caused
      directly by chikungunya virus infection.

PMID- 28902293
TI  - Characterization of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi in visceral leishmaniasis
      associated with hiv co-infection in Northeastern Brazil.
AB  - Visceral leishmaniasis, associated with HIV/AIDS coinfection, is becoming a more
      aggressive disease, complicating an accurate prognosis. A 21-year-old HIV
      positive female presenting with clinical features of visceral leishmaniasis was
      enrolled in this study. Bone marrow cytology, Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle culture and
      kDNA PCR of peripheral blood were all positive. Typing methods, multilocus enzyme
      electrophoresis and ITS1-RFLP PCR of peripheral blood confirmed infection by
      Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi . PCR has proved to be safer and more affordable
      than other characterization methods; ITS1-RFLP PCR can diagnose and type
      Leishmania spp. in both endemic and non-endemic areas, favoring the prognosis and
      allowing the appropriate treatment of patients.

PMID- 28902294
TI  - Oral health conditions in leprosy cases in hyperendemic area of the Brazilian
      Amazon.
AB  - Leprosy is a hyperendemic chronic condition in the Rondonia State . Despite the
      significant impact of oral health on the quality of life and clinical evolution
      of leprosy patients, systematic evaluation of oral health status has been
      neglected. To analyze the dental-clinical profile, self-perceived oral health and
      dental health service access of leprosy cases in the municipality of Cacoal in
      Rondonia State , North Brazil, from 2001 to 2012. A descriptive, cross-sectional
      study design was performed based on dental evaluation and standardized structured
      instruments. We investigated clinically assessed and self-perceived oral health
      status, as well as dental health service access. A total of 303 leprosy cases
      were included; 41.6% rated their oral health as good, and 42.6% reported being
      satisfied with their oral health. Self-reported loss of upper teeth was 45.5%.
      The clinical evaluation revealed that 54.5% had active caries. Most (97.7%) cases
      reported having been to the dentist at least once in their life and 23.1% used
      public health services. The poor standard of oral health in this population may
      increase the risk for leprosy reactions, consequently reducing quality of life.
      Low access to public health dental services and poor self-perceived oral health
      reinforce the need to achieve comprehensive health care in this population.

PMID- 28902295
TI  - Sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an urban area, Central-West of Brazil.
AB  - Biological and ecological relations among vectors and their pathogens are
      important to understand the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. Camapua is an
      endemic area for visceral and tegumentary leishmaniasis. The aim of this study
      was to characterize the sandfly fauna present in Camapua , MS, Brazil. Sand flies
      were collected every fortnight from May 2014 to April 2015 using automatic light
      traps in the domicile and peridomicile of twelve neighborhoods and forest. The
      collected specimens were identified based on morphology according to the valid
      identification keys. In total, 2005 sandflies of five genera and nine species
      were collected. Nyssomyia whitmani and Lutzomyia cruzi were the most abundant
      species. Males were more abundant, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.14. The
      highest diversity was observed in peripheral neighborhood, with abundant plant
      cover. The peridomicile presented greater abundance of sandflies, with the
      predominance of Ny. whitmani . No significant correlation between the absolute
      frequencies of the most abundant species and the precipitation variable was
      observed; however, there was a predominance of Lu. cruzi in the rainy season. We
      observed a high frequency of sandflies in urban area, especially vector species.
      The presence of Nyssomyia whitmani and Lutzomyia cruzi indicate the necessity for
      health surveillance in the municipality. Additional method of collection such as
      sticky trap is also recommended for appropriate faunestic study.

PMID- 28902297
TI  - The influence of serial fecal sampling on the diagnosis of giardiasis in humans,
      dogs, and cats.
AB  - Giardia infection is a common clinical problem in humans and pets. The diagnosis
      of giardiasis is challenging as hosts intermittently excrete protozoan cysts in
      their feces. In the present study, we comparatively evaluated two methods of
      serial fecal sampling in humans, dogs, and cats from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The
      Faust et al. technique was used to examine fecal specimens collected in
      triplicate from 133 patients (52 humans, 60 dogs, and 21 cats). Specimens from 74
      patients were received from the group assigned to carry out sampling on
      consecutive days - 34 humans, 35 dogs, and 5 cats, and specimens from 59 patients
      were received from the group assigned to carry out sampling on non-consecutive,
      separate days - 18 human beings, 25 dogs, and 16 cats. G. duodenalis cysts were
      found in stools of 30 individuals. Multiple stool sampling resulted in an
      increase in the number of samples that were positive for Giardia in both groups.
      The authors therefore conclude that multiple stool sampling increases the
      sensitivity of the Faust et al . technique to detect G. duodenalis cysts in
      samples from humans, cats and dogs.

PMID- 28902298
TI  - Nursing infant with acquired toxoplasmosis in the first months of life - a case
      report.
AB  - Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii and the probability of this
      infection occurring in the first months of life is usually low because its
      transmission is related to eating habits. A 6-month-old nursing infant was
      diagnosed with acute toxoplasmosis, which was identified through anti- T. gondii
      IgA, IgM and low-avidity IgG serologic assays, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      and mouse bioassay test although its mother was seronegative. This serological
      divergence between mother and child led us to interview the mother regarding
      epidemiological factors. During this interview, she reported that she had given
      her 2-month-old baby a piece of undercooked beef to suck on. After some time, the
      baby presented fever and cervical lymphadenitis. This report emphasizes the
      importance of serological surveys of toxoplasmosis in nursing infants presenting
      with fever and lymphadenitis, in view of the possible acquisition of
      toxoplasmosis in the first months of life.

PMID- 28902296
TI  - An unusual case of bacillary angiomatosis in the oral cavity of an AIDS patient
      who had no concomitant tegumentary lesions - case report and review.
AB  - Bacillary angiomatosis (BA) is an angioproliferative disease of immunocompromised
      patients that usually presents as vascular tumors in the skin and subcutaneous
      tissues. It is caused by chronic infections with either Bartonella henselae or B.
      quintana. Oral cavity BA is exceedingly rare and even rarer without simultaneous
      cutaneous disease. We report herein the case of a 51-year-old HIV-infected man
      who presented severe odynophagia and an eroded lesion on the hard palate that
      progressed to an oronasal fistula. No cutaneous lesions were recorded.
      Doxycycline led to complete resolution. To the best of our knowledge, only six
      previous cases of oral BA without tegumentary disease have been previously
      reported and none of them progressed to fistula.

PMID- 28902299
TI  - [Serological evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in dogs treated at
      veterinary clinics in the conurbation of Cuernavaca, Morelos].

PMID- 28902300
TI  - [Intimidation at school, suicidal ideation and attempts in Colombian
      adolescents].

PMID- 28902301
TI  - [Overweight and obesity in medical students. A new challenge for the Peruvian
      health system?]

PMID- 28902302
TI  - [Family dysfunction in patients with attempted suicide in pediatric emergency
      areas].

PMID- 28902303
TI  - [Chronic diseases and insured spending in Colombia].

PMID- 28902304
TI  - [Births of children small for gestational age].

PMID- 28902305
TI  - [Participation of kitchen staff in the dissemination of microorganisms in full
      time schools' cafeterias].

PMID- 28902306
TI  - [Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a barrier to achieving the Sustainable
      Development Goals].

PMID- 28902307
TI  - [Can the promotion of resilience in schools contribute to public health policy?]

PMID- 28902308
TI  - [Food guides: an option to face nutritional problems in Peru].

PMID- 28902309
TI  - [Lead poisoning and marginalization in newborns of Morelos, Mexico].
AB  - Objective:: To determine the prevalence of lead (Pb) poisoning at birth in
      Morelos, analyze its distribution by social marginalization level, and estimate
      the association with the use of lead glazed ceramics (LGC). Materials and
      methods:: Blood lead level (BLL) in umbilical cord was measured in a
      representative sample of 300 randomly selected births at the Morelos Health
      Services and state IMSS. Results:: The prevalence of Pb poisoning at birth (BLL>
      5MUg/dL) was 14.7% (95%CI: 11.1, 19.3) and 22.2% (95%CI: 14.4, 32.5) in the most
      socially marginalized municipalities. 57.1% (95%CI: 51.3, 62.7) of the mothers
      used LGC during pregnancy, and the frequency of use was significantly associated
      with BLL. Conclusion:: This is the first study to document the proportion of
      newborns with Pb poisoning who are at risk of experiencing the related adverse
      effects. It is recommended to monitor BLL at birth and take action to reduce this
      exposure, especially in socially marginalized populations.

PMID- 28902310
TI  - [Implementation of quality of care indicators for third-level public hospitals in
      Mexico].
AB  - Objective:: To select, pilot test and implement a set of indicators for tertiary
      public hospitals. Materials and methods:: Quali-quantitative study in four
      stages: identification of indicators used internationally; selection and
      prioritization by utility, feasibility and reliability; exploration of the
      quality of sources of information in six hospitals; pilot feasibility and
      reliability, and follow-up measurement. Results:: From 143 indicators, 64 were
      selected and eight were prioritized. The scan revealed sources of information
      deficient. In the pilot, three indicators were feasible with reliability limited.
      Has conducted workshops to improve records and sources of information; nine
      hospitals reported measurements of a quarter. Conclusions:: Eight priority
      indicators could not be measured immediately due to limitations in the data
      sources for its construction. It is necessary to improve mechanisms of
      registration and processing of data in this group of hospital.

PMID- 28902311
TI  - [Teenagers' access to contraception in Mexico City].
AB  - Objective:: To study and understand the phenomenon of access to contraceptive
      methods in Mexican teenages, through the use of the Levesque model, which allows
      for the observation of both the system and the system and the user's
      participation in the access process. Materials and methods:: A qualitative study
      was conducted with focus groups technique in a middle and high school of Mexico
      City. Results:: The perception of ability to access to health care is limited,
      teenagers do not know the mechanisms of care or supply of contraceptive methods.
      Prejudices of service providers provoke a negative reaction. The family is a
      source of information for adolescents to make decisions. Conclusions:: The model
      allowed the assessment of access to contraceptive methods in teenagers. It were
      identified different aspects that act as barriers to access and may inform health
      care providers about this population in their sexual and reproductive health.

PMID- 28902312
TI  - Feasibility of a multifaceted educational strategy for strengthening rural
      primary health care.
AB  - Objective:: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a comprehensive
      educational strategy designed to improve care quality in rural areas of Mexico.
      Materials and methods:: A demonstration study was performed in 18 public rural
      health centers in Mexico, including an educational intervention that consists of
      the following steps: Development of the strategy; Selection and training of
      instructors (specialist physicians from the referral hospital and
      multidisciplinary field teams); Implementation of the strategy among health care
      teams for six priority causes of visit, through workshops, individual tutorials,
      and round-table case-review sessions. Feasibility and acceptability were
      evaluated using checklists, direct observation, questionnaires and in-depth
      interviews with key players. Results:: Despite some organizational barriers, the
      strategy was perceived as worthy by the participants because of the personalized
      tutorials and the improved integration of health teams within their usual
      professional practice. Conclusion:: The educational strategy proved to be
      acceptable; its feasibility for usual care conditions will depend on the
      improvement of organizational processes at rural facilities.

PMID- 28902313
TI  - Variables associated with disordered eating behaviors among freshman students
      from Mexico City.
AB  - Objective:: To estimate the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors (DEB) and
      identify their associations with demographic and psychological variables among
      freshman students at a public university in Mexico City. Materials and methods::
      A sample of 892 subjects participated in the study. Bivariate and multinomial
      models were performed to determine associations between DEB and covariates.
      Results:: Of those surveyed, 6.8% of the women and 4.1% of the men exhibited DEB
      (p<0.05). The variables increasing the risk of eating disorders (ED) for women
      were internalization of the aesthetic thin ideal (IATI), body mass index (BMI),
      self-esteem and physical activity, while for men they were IATI, drive for
      muscularity, and self-esteem. Conclusions:: The frequency of DEB among women and
      men and the internalization of the thin ideal in both sexes suggest the
      possibility of a change in the precursor conditions for eating disorders,
      particularly for men, who exhibit increased risk of such behaviors.

PMID- 28902314
TI  - Validity of self-reported anthropometry in adult Mexican women.
AB  - Objective:: To compare direct and self-reported anthropometry in Mexican women.
      Materials and methods:: Women aged 30-72 years, participating in the Mexican
      Teachers' Cohort, completed a questionnaire with their anthropometric data in
      2006-2008. After eleven months (median time), technicians performed anthropometry
      in 3756 participants. We calculated correlations and multivariable-adjusted mean
      differences between direct and self-reported anthropometric measures. Results::
      Correlations between direct and self-reported anthropometric measures ranged from
      0.78 (waist circumference) to 0.93 (weight). On average, women over-reported
      their height by 2.2 cm and underreported their weight, body mass index (BMI) and
      waist and hip circumferences by 1.3 kg, 1.3 kg/m2, 1.8 cm and 1.9 cm,
      respectively. Errors in self-reported anthropometry increased with rising
      measured BMI and were also independently associated with age, education and
      socioeconomic status. Conclusion:: Self-reported anthropometry is sufficiently
      valid for epidemiological purposes in adult Mexican women. Errors in self
      reported anthropometry might result in underestimation of the prevalence of
      overweight and obesity.

PMID- 28902315
TI  - [Health education trough the development of scientific skills in Chilean
      schools].
AB  - Objective:: To describe the interests, preferred topics and learning in public
      health issues emerging from Chilean students with their participation in a
      science education experience. Materials and methods:: A qualitative exploratory
      study was conducted in 29 school research groups through the project Salud Con
      Ciencia en tu Barrio, based on a content analysis of texts and narratives of
      students. Results:: Students prioritize the situation of abandoned animals, waste
      management, security and urban infrastructure, mainly. They view the role of
      social actors, the positive/negative impacts on the community, valuing the
      knowledge gained through observation neighborhoods and interaction with
      neighbors. Conclusions:: Scientific inquiry school in the neighborhood context
      provides teaching strategies for the promotion of local health, develops basic
      notions of community health and motivation in students linked to the socio
      environmental reality of their neighborhoods.

PMID- 28902316
TI  - Dietary intake and adequacy of energy and nutrients in Mexican older adults:
      results from two National Health and Nutrition Surveys.
AB  - Objective:: To describe energy and nutrient intakes and their adequacies in older
      Mexican adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Survey
      (Ensanut) 2006 and 2012. Materials and methods:: Dietary information was obtained
      through a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) from 526 adults 60
      y and older participating in Ensanut 2012 and 3 326 in Ensanut 2006 in Mexico.
      Quantile and logistic regression models were used to obtain medians and marginal
      effects of each nutrient, adjusting by confounders and survey design. Results::
      Dietary intake of energy and nutrients was similar in both surveys. Most common
      micronutrients at risk of dietary deficiency were, for vitamins: A, B-12, C, D
      and folate, and for minerals: calcium, iron and zinc, in both surveys. Excessive
      intake of sugar and saturated fat and low fiber intake were common. Conclusions::
      Diet in older Mexican adults is low in micronutrient essentials, and excessive in
      fat and sugar. Attention to the diet in this age group through targeted
      interventions is necessary to promote a healthy diet.

PMID- 28902317
TI  - [Methodological design of the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2016].
AB  - Objective:: Describe the design methodology of the halfway health and nutrition
      national survey (Ensanut-MC) 2016. Materials and methods: The Ensanut-MC is a
      national probabilistic survey whose objective population are the inhabitants of
      private households in Mexico. The sample size was determined to make inferences
      on the urban and rural areas in four regions. Describes main design elements:
      target population, topics of study, sampling procedure, measurement procedure and
      logistics organization. Results: A final sample of 9 479 completed household
      interviews, and a sample of 16 591 individual interviews. The response rate for
      households was 77.9%, and the response rate for individuals was 91.9%.
      Conclusions: The Ensanut-MC probabilistic design allows valid statistical
      inferences about interest parameters for Mexico's public health and nutrition,
      specifically on overweight, obesity and diabetes mellitus. Updated information
      also supports the monitoring, updating and formulation of new policies and
      priority programs.

PMID- 28902318
TI  - Prevalence of dental fluorosis in Mexico 2005-2015: a literature review.
AB  - Objective:: To perform a literature review regarding current dental fluorosis
      prevalence in Mexico reported from 2005 to 2015. Materials and methods:: A
      comprehensive scientific literature review, in both English and Spanish, was
      performed in four databases up to June 2015. Search terms: fluorosis or dental
      fluorosis (mesh), prevalence (mesh), distribution (mesh), cases (mesh),
      epidemiology (mesh), Mexico. Results:: 17 publications were included. Reported
      prevalence of dental fluorosis in Mexico ranged from 15.5 to 100%. Most of the
      studies were conducted in areas where water fluoride levels are low or optimal
      (<=1.5ppmF) and in which a prevalence of 15.5 to 81.7% was observed. In areas
      with higher levels of naturally fluoridated water (>1.5ppmF), prevalence ranged
      from 92 to 100%. Fluorosis severity ranged from questionable to severe.
      Conclusion:: High prevalence of dental fluorosis was observed even in areas where
      fluoride concentration in water was low or optimal. In addition to fluoride in
      groundwater, there are multiple risk factors that should be controlled.

PMID- 28902319
TI  - [Performance based regulation: a strategy to increase breastfeeding rates].
AB  - : The decreasing breastfeeding rate in Mexico is of public health concern. In
      this paper we discus an innovative regulatory approach -Performance Based
      Regulation- and its application to improve breastfeeding rates. This approach,
      forces industry to take responsibility for the lack of breastfeeding and its
      consequences. Failure to comply with this targets results in financial penalties.
      Applying performance based regulation as a strategy to improve breastfeeding is
      feasible because: the breastmilk substitutes market is an oligopoly, hence it is
      easy to identify the contribution of each market participant; the regulation's
      target population is clearly defined; it has a clear regulatory standard which
      can be easily evaluated, and sanctions to infringement can be defined under
      objective parameters. RECOMMENDATIONS: modify public policy, celebrate
      concertation agreements with the industry, create persuasive sanctions,
      strengthen enforcement activities and coordinate every action with the
      International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

PMID- 28902321
TI  - [30th anniversary of Mexico's National Institute of Public Health].

PMID- 28902320
TI  - [Investing in health: the economic case. Report of the WISH Investing in Health
      Forum 2016].
AB  - Developing country governments and aid agencies face difficult decisions on how
      best to allocate their finite resources. Investments in many different sectors 
      including education, water and sanitation, transportation, and health- can all
      reap social and economic benefits. This report focuses specifically on the health
      sector. It presents compelling evidence of the value of scaling-up health
      investments. The economic case for increasing these investments in health has
      never been stronger. Having made progress in reducing maternal and child
      mortality, and deaths from infectious diseases, it is essential that policymakers
      do not become complacent. These gains will be quickly reversed without sustained
      health investments. Scaled-up investments will be needed to tackle the emerging
      non-communicable disease (NCD) burden and to achieve universal health coverage
      (UHC). The value of investment in health far beyond its performance is reflected
      in economic prosperity through gross domestic product (GDP). People put a high
      monetary value on the additional years of life that health investments can bring 
      an inherent value to being alive for longer, unrelated to productivity.
      Policymakers need to do more to ensure that spending on health reflects people's
      priorities. To make sure services are accessible to all, governments have a clear
      role to play in financing health. Without public financing, there will be some
      who cannot afford the care they need, and they will be forced to choose sickness 
      perhaps even death- and financial ruin; a devastating choice that already pushes
      150 million people into poverty every year. In low-income countries (LICs) and
      middle-income countries (MICs), public financing should be used to achieve
      universal coverage with a package of highly cost-effective interventions ('best
      buys'). Governments failing to protect the health and wealth of their people in
      this way will be unable to reap the benefits of long-term economic prosperity and
      growth. Public financing has the benefit of being more efficient and better at
      controlling costs than private financing and is the only sustainable way to reach
      UHC. In addition, people put a high economic value on the protection against
      financial risk that public financing provides. This report addresses three key
      questions: 1) What is the economic rationale for investing in health?; 2) what is
      the best way to finance health?, and 3) which interventions should be
      prioritized?

PMID- 28902322
TI  - Evaluation of body posture in nursing students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the body posture of nursing students before and after
      clinical practice. METHOD: The study was developed in two stages. Initially the
      body posture of students of the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th periods were assessed
      through photogrammetry. All images were analyzed in a random and masked manner
      with CorporisPro(r) 3.1.3 software. Three evaluations were performed for each
      angle and then the mean value was calculated. Two years later, when the 4th
      period students had developed their clinical internships, their body posture was
      again evaluated. RESULTS: The total sample consisted of 112 students. Comparison
      of their posture with the normality pattern showed that all the angles presented
      significant differences (p< 0.00), except for the angle of the Thales triangle.
      Reassessment of these students evidenced significant differences in the angles of
      the acromioclavicular joint (p=0.03), knee flexion (p< 0.00) and in the
      tibiotarsal angle (p< 0.00). CONCLUSION: All the students presented alterations
      when compared to the normality values. The segments that presented significant
      differences between before and after practice were the acromioclavicular angle,
      knee flexion, and tibiotarsal angle; the latter two were in the rolling position.
      OBJETIVO: Investigar a postura dos estudantes de enfermagem antes e apos a
      pratica clinica. METODO: O estudo foi desenvolvido em duas etapas, inicialmente
      com estudantes (2o, 4 degrees , 6 degrees  e 8o periodos) tiveram sua postural
      corporal avaliada por meio da fotogrametria. Todas as imagens foram analisadas,
      de maneira aleatoria e mascarada, por meio do software CorporisPro(r) 3.1.3.
      Foram realizadas tres avaliacoes para cada angulo e calculada a media. Dois anos
      depois, quando os estudantes do 4o periodo desenvolveram os estagios clinicos,
      foram novamente avaliados quanto a postura corporal. RESULTADOS: A amostra total
      foi composta por 112 estudantes. Comparando-se os estudantes com o padrao de
      normalidade, todos os angulos apresentaram diferenca significativa (p< 0,00), com
      excecao do angulo triangulo de Tales. Reavaliando os mesmos estudantes, houve
      diferenca significativa nos angulos da articulacao acromioclavicular (p=0,03), da
      flexao de joelhos (p< 0,00) e no angulo tibiotarsico (p< 0,00). CONCLUSAO: Todos
      os estudantes apresentaram alteracoes, comparadas aos valores de normalidade. Os
      segmentos com diferenca significativa, comparando-se antes e apos a pratica,
      foram o angulo acromioclavicular, flexo de joelho e angulo tibiotarsico, sendo os
      dois ultimos na posicao de rolamento.

PMID- 28902323
TI  - Hand hygiene compliance of healthcare professionals in an emergency department.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze compliance with hand hygiene by healthcare professionals in
      an emergency department unit. METHOD: This is a longitudinal quantitative study
      developed in 2015 with healthcare professionals from a university hospital in the
      state of Rio Grande do Sul. Each professional was monitored three times by direct
      non-participant observation at WHO's five recommended moments in hand hygiene,
      taking the concepts of opportunity, indication and action into account.
      Descriptive and analytical statistics were used. RESULTS: Fifty-nine healthcare
      professionals participated in the study. The compliance rate was 54.2%. Nurses
      and physiotherapists showed a compliance rate of 66.6% and resident physicians,
      41.3%. When compliance was compared among professional categories, nurses showed
      greater compliance than resident physicians (OR = 2.83, CI = 95%: 1.09-7.34).
      CONCLUSION: Hand hygiene compliance was low. Multidisciplinary approaches could
      be important strategies for forming partnerships to develop learning and
      implementation of hand hygiene practices. OBJETIVO: Analisar a adesao a
      higienizacao das maos dos profissionais de saude em unidade de Pronto-Socorro.
      METODO: Estudo quantitativo longitudinal desenvolvido com profissionais de saude
      de um Hospital Universitario do Rio Grande do Sul, em 2015. Para cada
      profissional, realizaram-se tres acompanhamentos com observacao direta nao
      participante nos cinco momentos preconizados para higienizacao das maos, levando
      se em conta os conceitos de Oportunidade, Indicacao e Acao. Utilizou-se da
      estatistica descritiva e analitica. RESULTADOS: Participaram do estudo 59
      profissionais de saude. A taxa de adesao foi de 54,2%. Os enfermeiros e
      fisioterapeutas obtiveram a taxa de adesao de 66,6% e os medicos residentes, de
      41,3%. Ao ser comparada a adesao entre as categorias profissionais, os
      enfermeiros tiveram maior aderencia do que os medicos residentes (RC=2,83;
      IC=95%:1,09-7,34). CONCLUSAO: A adesao a higienizacao das maos foi baixa.
      Abordagens multidisciplinares podem ser estrategias importantes para formar
      parcerias que desenvolvam a aprendizagem e a efetivacao de praticas de HM.

PMID- 28902324
TI  - Influence of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on the quality of life
      of patients with schizophrenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the quality of life of Portuguese patients with
      schizophrenia and linking it to sociodemographic and clinical aspects. METHOD: A
      quantitative cross-sectional study carried out with individuals affected by
      schizophrenia, living in the entire continental territory of Portugal, through
      application of a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the Quality of
      Life Scale short version (QLS7PT). Parametric and non-parametric tests were
      performed to evaluate the correlation between variables. RESULTS: The sample
      consisted of 282 participants. The results point to a better quality of life for
      individuals living in autonomous residences or with their parents, who are
      employed/students, who have had the disorder for less time and are younger, who
      have completed the 12th grade of schooling and who are not medicated with first
      generation neuroleptics. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that some
      sociodemographic and clinical characteristics influence the quality of life of
      patients with schizophrenia and should be considered in the patient evaluation
      and in planning appropriate and effective strategies for their psychosocial
      rehabilitation. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a qualidade de vida dos individuos portugueses
      com esquizofrenia e relaciona-la com aspetos sociodemograficos e clinicos.
      METODO: Estudo quantitativo de natureza transversal realizado com portadores de
      esquizofrenia, residentes em todo o territorio continental de Portugal, tendo
      sido aplicado um questionario sociodemografico e clinico e a Quality of Life
      Scale versao reduzida (QLS7PT). Foram realizados testes parametricos e nao
      parametricos para avaliar a correlacao entre as variaveis. RESULTADOS: A amostra
      foi constituida por 282 participantes. Apontam para uma melhor qualidade de vida
      os individuos que vivem em residencias autonomas ou com os pais,
      empregados/estudantes, com transtorno ha menos tempo e menor idade, com o 12o ano
      de escolaridade e nao medicados com neurolepticos de primeira geracao. CONCLUSAO:
      Os resultados indicam que algumas caracteristicas sociodemograficas e clinicas
      influenciam a qualidade de vida dos individuos com esquizofrenia, pelo que devem
      ser consideradas na avaliacao psiquiatrica e no planejamento das estrategias
      adaptadas e eficazes a sua reabilitacao psicossocial. OBJETIVO: Evaluar la
      calidad de vida de los individuos portugueses con esquizofrenia y relacionarla
      con aspectos sociodemograficos y clinicos. METODO: Estudio cuantitativo de
      naturaleza transversal realizado con portadores de esquizofrenia, residentes en
      todo el territorio continental de Portugal, habiendo sido aplicado un
      cuestionario sociodemografico y clinico y la Quality of Life Scale version
      reducida (QLS7PT). Se realizaron pruebas parametricas y no parametricas para
      evaluar la correlacion entre las variables. RESULTADOS: La muestra fue
      constituida por 282 participantes. Los resultados apuntan a una mejor calidad de
      vida de quienes residen en residencias autonomas o con los padres, los empleados
      / estudiantes, con trastorno por menos tiempo y menor edad, con 12 anos de
      escolaridad y no medicados con neurolepticos de primera generacion. CONCLUSION:
      Los resultados indican que algunas caracteristicas sociodemograficas y clinicas
      influyen en la calidad de vida de los individuos con esquizofrenia, por lo que
      deben ser consideradas en la evaluacion psiquiatrica y en la planificacion de las
      estrategias adaptadas y eficaces a su rehabilitacion psicosocial.

PMID- 28902325
TI  - Interface between social support, quality of life and depression in users
      eligible for palliative care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Analyzing the relationship between social support, quality of life and
      depression in patients eligible for palliative care at Primary Health Care of a
      municipality in the interior of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHOD: A correlational
      cross-sectional study carried out with patients treated in six primary health
      care units. Data were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis, tests for
      differences between averages and medians, and correlation tests. The significance
      level was 0.05. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 115 participants, and it was
      identified that the higher the social support, the better the global quality of
      life (p<0.001) and functional quality of life (p=0.035); the greater the presence
      of physical symptoms, the lower the level of social support (p=0.012) and the
      higher the level of depression (p<0.001); the higher the symptoms of depression,
      the worse the global quality of life (p<0.001), functional quality of life
      (p<0.001) and the lower the levels of social support (p<0.001). CONCLUSION:
      Levels of quality of life, social support and depression of patients eligible for
      palliative care are influenced by socioeconomic factors such as marital status,
      gender, age, income, education and presence of a caregiver. OBJETIVO: Analisar a
      relacao entre apoio social, qualidade de vida e depressao em pacientes elegiveis
      para cuidados paliativos atendidos na Atencao Primaria a Saude de um municipio no
      interior de Minas Gerais, Brasil. METODO: Estudo transversal correlacional,
      realizado com pacientes atendidos em seis unidades da atencao primaria a saude.
      Os dados foram submetidos a analise estatistica descritiva, testes de diferencas
      entre medias e medianas e testes de correlacao. O nivel de significancia adotado
      foi 0,05. RESULTADOS: A amostra foi composta por 115 participantes, e identificou
      se que quanto maior o apoio social, melhor e a qualidade de vida global (p<0,001)
      e funcional (p=0,035); quanto maior a presenca de sintomas fisicos, menor o nivel
      de apoio social (p=0,012) e maior o nivel de depressao (p<0,001); quanto maiores
      os sintomas de depressao, pior e a qualidade de vida global (p<0,001), funcional
      (p<0,001) e menores os niveis de apoio social (p<0,001). CONCLUSAO: Os niveis de
      qualidade de vida, apoio social e depressao de pacientes elegiveis para cuidados
      paliativos sao influenciados por fatores socioeconomicos, tais como estado
      conjugal, sexo, idade, renda, escolaridade e presenca de cuidador. OBJETIVO:
      Analizar la relacion entre apoyo social, calidad de vida y depresion en pacientes
      elegibles para cuidados paliativos atendidos en la Atencion Primaria a la Salud
      de un municipio en el interior de Minas Gerais, Brasil. METODO: Estudio
      transversal correlacional, realizado con pacientes atendidos en seis unidades de
      atencion primaria a la salud. Los datos fueron sometidos al analisis estadistico
      descriptivo, pruebas de diferencias entre medias y medianas y pruebas de
      correlacion. El nivel de significancia adoptado fue 0,05. RESULTADOS: La muestra
      fue compuesta por 115 participantes, y se identifico que cuanto mayor el apoyo
      social, mejor es la calidad de vida global (p <0,001) y funcional (p = 0,035);
      cuanto mayor sea la presencia de sintomas fisicos, menor el nivel de apoyo social
      (p = 0,012) y mayor el nivel de depresion (p <0,001); cuanto mayores los sintomas
      de depresion, peor es la calidad de vida global (p <0,001), funcional (p <0,001)
      y menores los niveles de apoyo social (p <0,001). CONCLUSION: Los niveles de
      calidad de vida, apoyo social y depresion de pacientes elegibles para cuidados
      paliativos son influenciados por factores socioeconomicos, tales como estado
      conyugal, sexo, edad, renta, escolaridad y presencia de cuidador.

PMID- 28902326
TI  - Microstructural evaluation by confocal and electron microscopy in thrombi
      developed in central venous catheters.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluating thrombi microstructure developed in central venous
      catheters using confocal and electron microscopy. METHOD: An experimental,
      descriptive study carrying out a microstructural evaluation of venous thrombi
      developed in central venous catheters using Scanning Electron Microscopy and
      Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy. RESULTS: A total of 78 venous catheters were
      collected over a period of three months. Different fibrin structures were
      distinguished: fibrin plates, fibrin network, and fibrin fibers. It was observed
      that the thrombus had thick fibrin plates adhered to the catheter wall openings
      in both a catheter with three days of permanence as well as in a catheter with 20
      days of insertion in the patient. However, a greater amount of erythrocytes and
      fibrin fibers were found in the central region of the thrombus. CONCLUSION: This
      study contributes to improving health care and can have a positive impact on
      clinical practice, as easy adherence of platelets and fibrins to the catheter
      wall demonstrated in this study makes it possible to adopt thrombus prevention
      strategies such as therapy discontinuation for an extended period, blood reflux
      by a catheter, slow infusion rate and hypercoagulo pathyclinical conditions.
      OBJETIVO: Avaliar a microestrutura por microscopia confocal e eletronica em
      trombos desenvolvidos em cateteres venosos centrais. METODO: Pesquisa
      experimental, descritiva, em que foi feita uma avaliacao microestrutural de
      trombos venosos desenvolvidos em cateteres venosos centrais por Microscopia
      Eletronica de Varredura e Microscopia Confocal de Varredura a Laser. RESULTADOS:
      Foram coletados 78 cateteres venosos centrais num periodo de tres meses.
      Distinguiram-se diferentes estruturas de fibrina: a placa de fibrina, a rede de
      fibrina e as fibras de fibrina. Observou-se que tanto em um cateter com tres dias
      de permanencia quanto em um cateter com 20 dias inserido no paciente o trombo
      apresentou placas de fibrina espessas aderidas as paredes dos orificios dos
      cateteres. Na regiao central do trombo, no entanto, observou-se maior quantidade
      de eritrocitos e fibras de fibrina. CONCLUSAO: O trabalho contribui para uma
      melhoria da assistencia a saude e pode gerar um impacto positivo na pratica
      clinica, uma vez que a facilidade de aderencia de plaquetas e fibrinas a parede
      do cateter demonstrada neste estudo possibilita a adocao de estrategias de
      prevencao do trombo, tais como a interrupcao de terapia por tempo prolongado, o
      refluxo de sangue pelo cateter, a velocidade lenta de infusao e os estados
      clinicos de hipercoagulopatia.

PMID- 28902327
TI  - Anxiety in pregnancy: prevalence and associated factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the occurrence of anxiety in pregnant women and the factors
      associated with its occurrence; comparing the presence of anxiety in each
      gestational trimester. METHOD: A descriptive, correlational cross-sectional
      study. Data were collected from January to May 2013 using the Hospital Anxiety
      Subscale and a form composed of socioeconomic characterization; gestational
      anamnesis; life-changing habits and events; preexisting conditions and
      interpersonal relationships. RESULTS: A total of 209 pregnant women from a
      municipality in the south of Minas Gerais, Brazil, participated in the study.
      Anxiety was present in 26.8% of the pregnant women, being more frequent in the
      third trimester (42.9%). Occupation (p=0.04), complications in previous
      pregnancies (p=0.00), history of miscarriage risk of preterm birth (p=0.05),
      maternal desire regarding the pregnancy (p=0.01), number of abortions (p=0.02),
      number of cigarettes smoked daily (p=0.00) and drug use (p=0.01) were
      statistically associated with the occurrence of anxiety during pregnancy.
      CONCLUSION: Anxiety occurred frequently during pregnancy. Understanding the
      factors associated with its occurrence allows for elaborating preventive measures
      in prenatal care. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a ocorrencia da ansiedade em gestantes e os
      fatores associados a sua ocorrencia; comparar a presenca de ansiedade em cada
      trimestre gestacional. METODO: Estudo descritivo, correlacional, de corte
      transversal. A coleta de dados ocorreu de janeiro a maio de 2013, utilizou-se da
      Subescala Hospitalar de Ansiedade e de um formulario composto por caracterizacao
      socioeconomica; anamnese gestacional; habitos e eventos marcantes de vida;
      patologias preexistentes e relacionamentos interpessoais. RESULTADOS:
      Participaram do estudo 209 gestantes de um municipio do sul de Minas Gerais. A
      ansiedade esteve presente em 26,8% das gestantes, sendo mais frequente no
      terceiro trimestre (42,9%). Ocupacao (p=0,04), complicacoes em gestacoes
      anteriores (p=0,00), historico de abortamento/ameaca de parto prematuro (p=0,05),
      desejo materno em relacao a gravidez (p=0,01), numero de abortamentos (p=0,02),
      quantidade de cigarros consumidos diariamente (p=0,00) e uso de drogas (p=0,01)
      apresentaram associacao estatisticamente significativa com a ocorrencia da
      ansiedade na gravidez. CONCLUSAO: A ansiedade se mostrou frequente na gestacao. O
      conhecimento dos fatores associados a sua ocorrencia oportuniza a elaboracao de
      medidas preventivas na assistencia pre-natal.

PMID- 28902328
TI  - Whither (or Wither) Adherence to Retina Trial Protocols in Clinical Practice?

PMID- 28902329
TI  - Cataract Surgery in Patients With Wet Macular Degeneration.

PMID- 28902331
TI  - Quantitative and Qualitative Features of Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence
      Tomography Provide Prognostic Indicators for Visual Acuity in Patients With
      Choroideremia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To identify qualitative and quantitative features of
      spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) as prognostic indicators of
      visual acuity (VA) loss in patients with choroideremia (CHM). PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Retrospective study of 57 male patients with CHM. Central foveal
      thickness (CFT), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT), fundus autofluorescence
      area, and evidence of outer retinal and choroidal degeneration were analyzed by
      SD-OCT. RESULTS: Best-corrected VA logMAR at baseline was associated with CFT at
      baseline (r = -0.47; P < .01), CFT at most recent follow-up (r = -0.27; P < .01),
      and SCT at baseline (r = -0.31; P < .01). Ellipsoid zone (EZ) rupture was
      associated with a higher CFT loss (r = 0.33; P < .01) and macular cystic spaces
      (MCS) with a reduction in VA over time (hazard risk = 0.48; P = .05). CONCLUSION:
      Reduced CFT at baseline, EZ rupture, and MCS are poor prognostic indicators for
      VA outcome. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:711-716.].

PMID- 28902330
TI  - Centrifugal Extension of Retinal Atrophy in Retinal Pigment Epithelium Tears
      Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To investigate the progression of retinal atrophy in
      patients with retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tears secondary to neovascular age
      related macular degeneration. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective case
      series, patients were analyzed at two high-volume referral centers. The extension
      of the areas without RPE was analyzed yearly from baseline to last examination
      through fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging using Region Finder (Heidelberg
      Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). RESULTS: Sixteen eyes of 14 patients were
      included in the study. Mean follow-up was 70.11 months +/- 15.5 months. The
      average area of atrophy was 6.89 mm2 +/- 5.4 mm2 at baseline and 9.21 mm2 +/- 7.7
      mm2 at the last visit (P < .0001). This accounts for a progression of 0.36 mm2 +/
      0.46 mm2/year. In all cases, FAF revealed centrifugal extension of retinal
      atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: In this series, the area of retinal atrophy enlarged over
      time. Atrophy enlargement is characterized by centrifugal extension from the base
      of the tear. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:705-710.].

PMID- 28902332
TI  - High-Dose Decanted Triamcinolone for Treatment-Resistant Persistent Macular
      Edema.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To report the outcomes of decanted high-dose
      intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (HD-IVTA) injection for treatment-resistant
      persistent macular edema (ME). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-seven eyes of 70
      consecutive patients who failed prior treatments for persistent ME received as
      needed HD-IVTA injections. Best-corrected visual acuity and central macular
      thickness (CMT) were assessed at all follow-up visits. RESULTS: Thirty-three eyes
      (42.8%) had ME following pars plana vitrectomy. The mean ETDRS letter score from
      baseline improved by 6.3 letters +/- 11.5 letters at 3 months (P < .001) and 4.8
      letters +/- 11.4 letters at 12 months (P = .016). The mean change in CMT from
      baseline was significant at all follow-up visits (P < .001). During 1-year follow
      up, 49 eyes (63.6%) required only one HD-IVTA injection. The mean time for
      reinjection was 6 months +/- 2.4 months (range: 1.6 months to 10.5 months) after
      the first injection of HD-IVTA. The incidence of elevated intraocular pressure
      was 40.2% (31 of 77 eyes). Of these, one eye required glaucoma surgery. Among 14
      phakic eyes, 21.4% (three eyes) developed cataract formation requiring surgery.
      CONCLUSION: A single HD-IVTA injection can provide a long duration of effect on
      ME of up to 6 months. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:717-726.].

PMID- 28902333
TI  - Multi-Modal Imaging Including Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in
      Patients With Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: New imaging methods provide novel insights into the
      pathogenesis of acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy
      (APMPPE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four patients (eight eyes) in acute, subacute,
      and late phases of the disease were analyzed with multi-modal imaging methods
      including optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), structural OCT, fundus
      photography, and fundus autofluorescence. One patient was observed during the
      entire disease course. RESULTS: In acute and subacute phases of the disease, an
      early blockage in fluorescein angiography was found. OCTA showed perfusion
      defects in choriocapillaris and choroid slabs. During the course of disease,
      perfusion deficits observed in OCTA imaging resolved first in the choroid and
      then in the choriocapillaris slab. CONCLUSION: Multi-modal imaging including OCTA
      supports the thesis that the underlying pathology of APMPPE is an inflammatory
      impairment of the choroidal circulation with secondary damage to the outer
      retina. OCTA might be able to replace fluorescein and indocyanine angiography in
      the diagnostic work-up of APMPPE. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina.
      2017;48:727-733.].

PMID- 28902334
TI  - Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial to Assess the Effectiveness of
      Intravitreal Injections of Bevacizumab, Triamcinolone, or Their Combination in
      the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of combined bevacizumab
      triamcinolone intravitreal injection in the treatment of diabetic macular edema
      (DME) compared to monotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: At eight clinical sites, 111
      patients with DME were randomly assigned to receive an intravitreal injection of
      bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA), triamcinolone
      (Ophthalmos Pharmaceutical Industry, Sao Paulo-SP, Brazil), or their combination.
      The primary outcome was visual acuity (VA) at 6 months' follow-up. RESULTS: The
      average number of injections was 3.2 in the bevacizumab group, 2.4 in the
      combined group, and 2.1 in the triamcinolone group. All groups presented with
      improvements in VA (P < .001); however, no differences between groups were
      observed (P = .436). Mean reduction in central retinal thickness was
      statistically different only between the triamcinolone and bevacizumab groups (P
      < .015). CONCLUSION: Mono- or combination therapy was effective for DME
      treatment. No synergistic effects were observed; however, triamcinolone alone or
      a drug combination may reduce the number of injections required when compared to
      bevacizumab alone. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:734-740.].

PMID- 28902335
TI  - En Face Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Imaging Versus Fundus
      Photography in the Measurement of Choroidal Nevi.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Choroidal nevi are common benign intraocular tumors
      with a small risk of malignant transformation. This retrospective study
      investigates the use of en face spectral-domain optical coherence tomography
      angiography (SD-OCTA) in determining the clinical features and measurement of
      choroidal nevi. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with choroidal nevi were imaged
      with both OCTA and a fundus photography device. Greatest longitudinal dimension
      (GLD), perpendicular dimension (PD), and the GLD/PD ratio were assessed on each
      device. Inter-device variation and intra- and inter-rater reliability analyses
      were performed. RESULTS: Fourteen patients with choroidal nevi were included. No
      significant difference between the GLD/PD ratio as measured by all three devices
      was found (Chi-square = 2.8, 2 df, P = .247). Intraclass correlation coefficients
      were greater than 0.7 for repeated measures on all devices, suggesting good
      repeatability and reproducibility. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated inter
      device consistency and high intra- and inter-rater reliability when measuring
      choroidal nevi. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:741-747.].

PMID- 28902336
TI  - Switching Anti-VEGF Drugs in the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema.
AB  - Since their introduction in the late 2000s, anti-vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) agents have become the first-line choice for center-involved
      diabetic macular edema (DME). Even with its proven effectiveness, there are still
      cases that do not respond satisfactorily. In those cases, a treatment option is
      to change to another anti-VEGF drug. In this paper, the authors review studies on
      switching between different anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of persistent DME.
      An extensive bibliographic review was done using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus.
      Fourteen studies published from March 2010 to April 2017 reporting switching from
      anti-VEGF drugs in DME treatment were included. All reported good anatomical
      results after conversion; however, visual acuity outcomes showed great
      variability between publications. Therefore, switching to other anti-VEGFs in
      patients with DME not responding to previous anti-VEGF therapy may be an option,
      but the results are still not well-known due to a lack of randomized clinical
      trials. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:748-754.].

PMID- 28902337
TI  - Multimodal Imaging of Astrocytic Hamartomas Associated With Tuberous Sclerosis.
AB  - An 11-year-old patient was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis complex based on
      retinal and cutaneous findings and confirmed by genetic testing. Spectral-domain
      optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated subtle solid intraretinal tumors
      that focally replaced the inner retina and displaced the outer retinal layers.
      OCT angiography demonstrated prominent intrinsic vascularity but no feeder
      vessels. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:756-758.].

PMID- 28902338
TI  - Confluent Endpoint Subthreshold Argon Laser for Serous Macular Detachment in
      Tilted Disc Syndrome Refractory to Anti-VEGF.
AB  - A 70-year-old woman presented with 20/200 visual acuity in the right eye.
      Multimodal imaging revealed tilted disc syndrome (TDS) with macular serous
      detachment (MSD) and pigmentary changes at the temporal margin of the optic disc.
      Subretinal fluid persisted after three monthly intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin;
      Genentech, South San Francisco, CA) injections and threshold focal laser
      photocoagulation. Subsequently, confluent subthreshold argon laser was applied
      over the entire area of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) abnormalities, resulting
      in the resolution of subretinal fluid without recurrence through 3 years of
      follow-up. Subthreshold argon laser treatment may serve as a therapeutic option
      for MSD in TDS. Targeting leakage sites and stimulating RPE cells might help
      absorb subretinal fluid. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:760
      763.].

PMID- 28902339
TI  - Terson Syndrome Associated With Acute Macular Neuropathy Type 2.
AB  - Terson syndrome is defined as the incidence of intraocular hemorrhage in patients
      following a subarachnoid or intracranial bleed. A 38-year-old female with both
      intraretinal and subretinal hemorrhages secondary to Terson syndrome underwent
      repair of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. One month following resolution of the
      macular hemorrhages, a paracentral scotoma persisted. Multimodal imaging
      (morphological and functional) confirmed the presence of acute macular
      neuroretinopathy Type 2 associated with deep retinal capillary ischemia. Optical
      coherence tomography angiography illustrated the selective involvement of the
      deep retinal capillary plexus. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina.
      2017;48:764-767.].

PMID- 28902340
TI  - Venous Loop Reveals an Occult Retinoblastoma Tumor.
AB  - A 14-day-old girl presented with bilateral hereditary retinoblastoma. At 3
      months, a slight bend in the superotemporal arcade was observed to have developed
      into a venous loop. With concern for an occult lesion along the arcade, handheld
      optical coherence tomography (hhOCT) confirmed a small tumor and helped to guide
      prompt laser treatment while sparing the venous arcade. A venous loop is a
      previously unrecognized clinical finding that preceded the clinical detection and
      hhOCT confirmation of the tumor. The authors hypothesize that the venous loop was
      induced by pro-angiogenic factors secreted by the tumor. Portable hhOCT is a
      valuable adjunct imaging modality in the diagnosis and management of small
      retinoblastoma tumors. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:768-770.].

PMID- 28902341
TI  - Bilateral Retinal Detachments After Intravitreal Injection of Adipose-Derived
      'Stem Cells' in a Patient With Exudative Macular Degeneration.
AB  - A 77-year-old woman with exudative macular degeneration underwent bilateral
      intravitreal injections of "stem cells" at a clinic in Georgia. One month and 3
      months after injection, she developed retinal detachments in the left and right
      eyes, respectively. Increased awareness within the medical community of such poor
      outcomes is critical so that clinics offering untested practices that have been
      shown to be potentially harmful to patients can be identified and brought under
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging
      Retina. 2017;48:772-775.].

PMID- 28902342
TI  - Osthole induces apoptosis and suppresses proliferation via the PI3K/Akt pathway
      in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Osthole is a natural coumarin isolated from Umbelliferae plant monomers. Previous
      research has indicated that osthole exerts a wide variety of biological effects,
      acting as anti-seizure, anti-osteoporosis and anti-inflammation. However, the
      regulatory effect and related molecular mechanism of osthole in intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remain unknown. In the present study, the authors found
      that osthole inhibited ICC cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
      Osthole also significantly induced mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis by
      upregulating Bax, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved poly ADP
      ribose polymerase expression, and by downregulating Bcl-2 expression. Moreover,
      the levels of p-Akt and PI3K were significantly decreased, while total Akt
      protein levels were unchanged. Following transfection with wild-type-Akt and
      constitutively active (CA)-Akt plasmids, the effects of osthole were decreased.
      Osthole was also able to suppress tumor growth in vivo. Together, these data
      demonstrated that osthole induces mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis via the
      PI3K/Akt pathway, suggesting that osthole may represent a novel and effective
      agent for the treatment of ICC.

PMID- 28902344
TI  - Insulin-like growth factor-1 promotes the proliferation and odontoblastic
      differentiation of human dental pulp cells under high glucose conditions.
AB  - Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) promotes human dental pulp stem cell
      proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. However, the effects of IGF-1 on
      the proliferation, apoptosis and odontoblastic differentiation (mineralization)
      of dental pulp cells (DPCs) under high glucose (GLU) conditions remain unclear.
      In this study, isolated primary human DPCs were treated with various
      concentrations of high GLU. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined by
      Cell Counting Kit-8 and Annexin V-FITC/PI assays, respectively. The cells were
      cultured in odontoblastic induction medium containing various concentrations of
      high GLU. Odontoblastic differentiation was determined by alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP) activity assay. Mineralization formation was evaluated by von Kossa
      staining. The expression levels of IGF family members were measured by western
      blot analysis and RT-qPCR during proliferation and differentiation. The cells
      were then exposed to 25 mM GLU and various concentrations of IGF-1. Cell
      proliferation, apoptosis, ALP activity, mineralization formation and the levels
      of mineralization-related proteins were then evaluated. Our results revealed that
      high GLU significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis.
      GLU (25 and 50 mM) markedly reduced ALP activity and mineralization on days 7 and
      14 after differentiation. The levels of IGF family members were markedly
      decreased by high GLU during proliferation and differentiation. However, IGF-1
      significantly reversed the effects of high GLU on cell proliferation and
      apoptosis. Additionally, IGF-1 markedly restored the reduction of ALP activity
      and mineralization induced by high GLU. Our findings thus indicate that IGF-1
      attenuates the high GLU-induced inhibition of DPC proliferation, differentiation
      and mineralization.

PMID- 28902343
TI  - Connexin 43 in the development and progression of breast cancer: What's the
      connection? (Review).
AB  - Connexin 43 is a prominent gap junction protein within normal human breast
      tissue. Thus far, there have been a number of research studies performed to
      determine the function of connexin 43 in breast tumor formation and progression.
      Within primary tumors, research suggests that the level of connexin 43 expression
      in breast tumors is altered when compared to normal human breast tissue. While
      some reports indicate that connexin 43 levels decrease, other evidence suggests
      that connexin 43 levels are increased and protein localization shifts from the
      plasma membrane to the cytoplasm. In either case, the prevailing theory is that
      breast tumor cells have reduced gap junction intercellular communication within
      primary tumors. The current consensus appears to be that the loss of connexin 43
      gap junction intercellular communication is an early event in malignancy, with
      the possibility of gap junction restoration in the event of metastasis. However,
      additional evidence is needed to support the latter claim. The purpose of this
      report is to review the connexin 43 literature that describes studies using human
      tissue samples, in order to evaluate the function of connexin 43 protein in
      normal human breast tissue as well as the role of connexin 43 in human breast
      tumor formation and metastatic progression.

PMID- 28902345
TI  - Cx32 suppresses extrinsic apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells via the NF
      kappaB signalling pathway.
AB  - Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand
      (TRAIL) usually trigger either survival or apoptosis signals in various cell
      types, and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a key factor that regulates their
      biological effects. Connexin 32 (Cx32) is a gap junction (GJ) protein that plays
      vital roles in tumourigenesis and tumour progression. Our previous study explored
      abnormal Cx32 expression in para-nuclear areas, exacerbated prognostic parameters
      and suppressed streptonigrin/cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human cervical cancer
      (CaCx) cells. In this study, we investigated the role of Cx32 in the extrinsic
      apoptosis pathway of CaCx cells. In transgenic HeLa cells and C-33A cells, Cx32
      expression was manipulated using doxycycline or Cx32 siRNA. GJ inhibitors or low
      density culturing was used to change the status of gap junction intracellular
      communication (GJIC). We found that apoptosis induced by TNFalpha and TRAIL was
      suppressed by Cx32 expression despite the presence or absense of GJIC. We also
      found that Cx32 upregulated the expression of nuclear NF-kappaB and its
      downstream targets c-IAP1, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in HeLa-Cx32 and C-33A cells.
      Following our previous study design, our clinical data showed that NF-kappaB and
      MMP-2 levels increased in human CaCx specimens with high Cx32 expression compared
      to levels in para-carcinoma of cervical specimens. SC75741 and JSH-23, NF-kB
      signalling pathway inhibitors, inhibited the anti-apoptotic effects of Cx32. In
      conclusion, Cx32 suppressed TNFalpha /TRAIL-induced extrinsic apoptosis by
      upregulating the NF-kappaB signalling pathway. This study demonstrates a novel
      mechanism for Cx32's anti-apoptotic effect and provides a reasonable explanation
      for the pro-tumour effect of Cx32 in human CaCx cells.

PMID- 28902346
TI  - Prediction of radiosensitive patients with gastric cancer by developing gene
      signature.
AB  - Adjuvant radiotherapy is an important clinical treatment for the majority of
      gastric cancer, a common cancer. However, radiotherapy is a double-edged sword.
      It is necessary to develop a method to predict radiosensitive patients who are
      most likely to benefit from radiotherapy. Using the publicly available data of
      gastric cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we developed a gene signature
      that predicts radiosensitive patients through estimating a new index, nominal HR
      (nHR) (HR product of sensitive genes), for each patient. In this study, we
      provided several results to validate our prediction. Cross-validation results
      showed that the predicted radiosensitive patients who received radiotherapy had
      significantly better survival than predicted radiosensitive patients who did not
      receive radiotherapy. After adjusting for other clinical factors, including age,
      sex, target therapy, histologic diagnosis, tumor stage, the benefit of
      radiotherapy on predicted radiosensitive patient remained significant. In
      addition, predicted radiosensitive patients who received radiotherapy had a
      significantly reduced rate of disease progression. Taken together, we have
      obtained a set of genes, to identify radiosensitive patients with gastric cancer.
      These genes may be potential biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of gastric
      cancer, which could give new insight for revealing the underlying mechanism of
      radiosensitivity of gastric cancer.

PMID- 28902347
TI  - Measuring the response of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma to
      irradiation in a microfluidic model allowing customized therapy.
AB  - Radiotherapy is the standard treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
      (HNSCC), however, radioresistance remains a major clinical problem despite
      significant improvements in treatment protocols. Therapeutic outcome could
      potentially be improved if a patient's tumour response to irradiation could be
      predicted ex vivo before clinical application. The present study employed a
      bespoke microfluidic device to maintain HNSCC tissue whilst subjecting it to
      external beam irradiation and measured the responses using a panel of cell death
      and proliferation markers. HNSCC biopsies from five newly-presenting patients [2
      lymph node (LN); 3 primary tumour (PT)] were divided into parallel microfluidic
      devices and replicates of each tumour were subjected to single-dose irradiation
      (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 Gy). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release was measured and
      tissue sections were stained for cytokeratin (CK), cleaved-CK18 (cCK18),
      phosphorylated-H2AX (gammaH2AX) and Ki-67 by immunohistochemistry. In addition,
      fragmented DNA was detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick
      end labelling (TUNEL). Compared with non-irradiated controls, higher irradiation
      doses resulted in elevated CK18-labelling index in two lymph nodes [15 Gy; 34.8%
      on LN1 and 31.7% on LN2 (p=0.006)] and a single laryngeal primary tumour (20 Gy;
      31.5%; p=0.014). Significantly higher levels of DNA fragmentation were also
      detected in both lymph node samples and one primary tumour but at varying doses
      of irradiation, i.e., LN1 (20 Gy; 27.6%; p=0.047), LN2 (15 Gy; 15.3%; p=0.038)
      and PT3 (10 Gy; 35.2%; p=0.01). The gammaH2AX expression was raised but not
      significantly in the majority of samples. The percentage of Ki-67 positive nuclei
      reduced dose-dependently following irradiation. In contrast no significant
      difference in LDH release was observed between irradiated groups and controls.
      There is clear inter- and intra-patient variability in response to irradiation
      when measuring a variety of parameters, which offers the potential for the
      approach to provide clinically valuable information.

PMID- 28902348
TI  - Suppression of CUL4A attenuates TGF-beta1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition in breast cancer cells.
AB  - Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) plays a vital role in the process of
      epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in breast cancer and the cullin 4A
      (CUL4A) gene is overexpressed in primary breast cancer. However, whether TGF
      beta1 signaling can induce CUL4A expression has not been investigated to date, at
      least to the best of our knowledge. In this study, using breast cancer cell
      lines, we found that the CUL4A expression level was increased following EMT
      induced by TGF-beta1. Silencing CUL4A expression or CUL4A inhibition by
      thalidomide suppressed the EMT process induced by TGF-beta1. We also found that
      CUL4A was associated with the expression of zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1
      (ZEB1) which was induced by TGF-beta1. These results suggest that CUL4A is
      upregulated in TGF-beta1-induced EMT, and has a regulatory function in this
      process. The identification of CUL4A as a downstream target of TGF-beta1
      represents a critical pro-survival mechanism in breast cancer progression and
      provides another point for therapeutic intervention in breast cancer.

PMID- 28902349
TI  - TUG1 promotes osteosarcoma tumorigenesis by upregulating EZH2 expression via miR
      144-3p.
AB  - lncRNA-TUG1 (Taurine upregulated 1) is up-regulated and highly correlated with
      poor prognosis and disease status in osteosarcoma. TUG1 knockdown inhibits
      osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promotes apoptosis.
      However, its mechanism of action has not been well addressed. Growing evidence
      documented that lncRNA works as competing endogenous (ce)RNAs to modulate the
      expression and biological functions of miRNA. As a putative combining target of
      TUG1, miR-144-3p has been associated with the progress of osteosarcoma. To verify
      whether TUG1 functions through regulating miR-144-3p, the expression levels of
      TUG1 and miR-144-3p in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines were determined. TUG1
      was upregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines, and negatively correlated
      with miR-144-3p. TUG1 knockdown induced miR-144-3p expression in MG63 and U2OS
      cell lines. Results from dual luciferase reporter assay, RNA-binding protein
      immuno-precipitation (RIP) and applied biotin-avidin pull-down system confirmed
      TUG1 regulated miR-144-3p expression through direct binding. EZH2, a verified
      target of miR-144-3p was upregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and negatively
      correlated with miR-144-3p. EZH2 was negatively regulated by miR-144-3p and
      positively regulated by TUG1. Gain-and loss-of-function experiments were
      performed to analyze the role of TUG1, miR-144-3p and EZH2 in the migration and
      EMT of osteosarcoma cells. EZH2 over-expression partly abolished TUG1 knockdown
      or miR-144-3p overexpression induced inhibition of migration and EMT in
      osteosarcoma cells. In addition, TUG1 knockdown represses the activation of
      Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, which was reversed by EZH2 over-expression. The
      activator of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway LiCl could partially block the TUG1
      knockdown induced osteosarcoma cell migration and EMT inhibition. In conclusion,
      our results showed that TUG1 plays an important role in osteosarcoma development
      through miRNA-144-3p/EZH2/Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.

PMID- 28902350
TI  - Trophic and neurotrophic factors in human pituitary adenomas (Review).
AB  - The pituitary gland is an organ that functionally connects the hypothalamus with
      the peripheral organs. The pituitary gland is an important regulator of body
      homeostasis during development, stress, and other processes. Pituitary adenomas
      are a group of tumors arising from the pituitary gland: they may be subdivided in
      functional or non-functional, depending on their hormonal activity. Some trophic
      and neurotrophic factors seem to play a key role in the development and
      maintenance of the pituitary function and in the regulation of hypothalamo
      pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity. Several lines of evidence suggest that
      trophic and neurotrophic factors may be involved in pituitary function, thus
      suggesting a possible role of the trophic and neurotrophic factors in the normal
      development of pituitary gland and in the progression of pituitary adenomas.
      Additional studies might be necessary to better explain the biological role of
      these molecules in the development and progression of this type of tumor. In this
      review, in light of the available literature, data on the following neurotrophic
      factors are discussed: ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), transforming growth
      factors beta (TGF-beta), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF),
      nerve growth factor (NGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular
      endothelial growth inhibitor (VEGI), fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and
      epidermal growth factor (EGF) which influence the proliferation and growth of
      pituitary adenomas.

PMID- 28902351
TI  - Anoctamin5 regulates cell migration and invasion in thyroid cancer.
AB  - Anoctamin/TMEM16 family members have recently been identified as novel calcium
      activated chloride channels, and dysregulation of many family members
      participates in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the exact role of
      anoctamin5 (ANO5), one member of this family, in thyroid cancer is still not
      clarified. In this study, we firstly found that the expression levels of ANO5 was
      significantly downregulated in thyroid cancer compared to adjacent normal tissue
      by mining the public GEO database. Subsequently, we further demonstrated that the
      expression levels of ANO5 was significantly downregulated in 69.5% (57/82)
      clinical thyroid cancer tissues using real-time PCR assay. Moreover, western blot
      assay also showed that ANO5 was downregulated in papillary thyroid cancer and
      follicular thyroid cancer compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues. Furthermore,
      some biological and functional in vitro experiments proved that ANO5 knockdown
      promotes thyroid cancer cell migration and invasion but overexpression of ANO5
      inhibits these phenotypes. By analyzing gene set enrichment, we found that lower
      ANO5 expression was positively associated with JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway.
      Collectively downregulation of ANO5 promotes thyroid cancer cell migration and
      invasion by affecting JAK/STAT3 pathway.

PMID- 28902352
TI  - GPER promotes tamoxifen-resistance in ER+ breast cancer cells by reduced Bim
      proteins through MAPK/Erk-TRIM2 signaling axis.
AB  - Tamoxifen resistance is a major clinical challenge in breast cancer treatment.
      Our previous studies find that GPER and its down-stream signaling play a pivotal
      role in the development of tamoxifen (TAM) resistance. cDNA array analysis
      indicated a set of genes associated with cell apoptosis are aberrant in GPER
      activated and TAM-resistant MCF-7R cells compared with TAM-sensitive MCF-7 cells.
      Among these genes, Bim (also named BCL2-L11), a member of the BH3-only pro
      apoptotic protein family is significantly decreased, and TRIM RING finger protein
      TRIM2 (a ubiquitin ligase) is highly expressed in MCF-7R. To understand the
      mechanism of TAM-resistance in GPER activated ER+ breast cancer, the function of
      TRIM2 and Bim inducing cell apoptosis was studied. By using immunohistochemical
      and western blot analysis, there is an adverse correlation between TRIM2 and Bim
      in TAM-resistant breast tumor tissues and MCF-7R cells. Knockdown Bim in TAM
      sensitive MCF-7 cells or overexpression of Bim in TAM-resistant MCF-7 cells
      significantly changed its sensibility to TAM through altering the levels of
      cleaved PARP and caspase-3. Activation of GPER and its downstream signaling
      MAPK/ERK, not PI3K/AKT, led to enhanced TRIM2 protein levels and affected the
      binding between TRIM2 and Bim which resulted in a reduced Bim in TAM-resistant
      breast cancer cells. Thus, the present study provides a novel insight to TAM
      resistance in ER-positive breast cancer cells.

PMID- 28902353
TI  - Identification of WISP1 as a novel oncogene in glioblastoma.
AB  - Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor and has a high
      mortality in humans. However, mechanisms and factors involved in the progression
      of glioblastoma remain elusive. WISP1 (WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein
      1), has been suggested to be a critical regulator of cancer development. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the role of WISP1 in regulating the progression
      of glioblastoma. Clinicopathological characteristics of glioblastoma were
      assessed, and higher levels of WISP1 were positively associated with advanced
      clinical stage and a poor prognosis. Consistently, WISP1 expression was
      significantly upregulated in glioblastoma tissue and cell lines compared with
      normal tissue and cells. Additionally, inhibition of WISP1 greatly suppressed
      cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis and cell cycle
      arrest of glioblastoma cells. Further study indicated that downregulation of
      WISP1 suppressed cell proliferation associated with the gene expression of c-myc
      and cyclin D1 and cellular signaling such as through the ERK pathway, while
      inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition and MMP9. Finally, knockdown of
      WISP1 markedly suppressed in vivo tumor growth and sensitized glioblastoma cells
      to temozolomide. This study identified WISP1 as an oncogene in glioblastoma and
      suggests that WISP1 may serve as a potential molecular marker and treatment
      target for glioblastoma.

PMID- 28902355
TI  - Establishment of two ovarian cancer orthotopic xenograft mouse models for in vivo
      imaging: A comparative study.
AB  - Orthotopic tumor animal models are optimal for preclinical research of novel
      therapeutic interventions. The aim of the present study was to compare two types
      of ovarian cancer orthotopic xenograft (OCOX) mouse models, i.e. cellular
      orthotopic injection (COI) and surgical orthotopic implantation (SOI), regarding
      xenograft formation rate, in vivo imaging, tumor growth and metastasis, and tumor
      microenvironment. The tumor formation and progression were monitored by
      bioluminescent in vivo imaging. Cell proliferation and migration abilities were
      detected by EdU and scratch assays, respectively. Expression of alpha-SMA, CD34,
      MMP2, MMP9, vimentin, E-cadherin and Ki67 in tumor samples were detected by
      immunohistochemistry. As a result, we successfully established COI- and SOI-OCOX
      mouse models using ovarian cancer cell lines ES2 and SKOV3. The tumor formation
      rate in the COI and SOI models were 87.5 and 100%, respectively. Suspected tumor
      cell leakage occurred in 37.5% of the COI models. The SOI xenografts grew faster,
      held larger primary tumors, and were more metastatic than the COI xenografts. The
      migration and proliferation properties of the cells that generated SOI xenografts
      were significantly starker than those deriving COI xenografts in vitro. The tumor
      cells in SOI xenografts exhibited a mesenchymal phenotype and proliferated more
      actively than those in the COI xenografts. Additionally, compared with the COI
      tumors, the SOI tumors contained more cancer associated fibroblasts, matrix
      metallopeptidase 2 and 9. In conclusion, SOI is a feasible and reliable technique
      to establish OCOX mouse models mimicking the clinical process of ovarian cancer
      growth and metastasis, although SOI is more technically difficult and time
      consuming than COI.

PMID- 28902354
TI  - EWS-FLI1 positively regulates autophagy by increasing ATG4B expression in Ewing
      sarcoma cells.
AB  - Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the most common malignant bone tumor in children and young
      adults. It is characterized by chromosomal translocations fusing the EWS gene
      with an ETS oncogene, most frequently FLI1. In the present study, the authors
      aimed to investigate the function of EWS-FLI1 in autophagy in ES cells, and
      identified that EWS-FLI1 positively regulates autophagy in ES cells. ATG4B
      expression was observed markedly upregulated by EWS-FLI1 overexpression, and
      silencing of ATG4B dramatically inhibits autophagy in ES cells. Furthermore,
      apoptosis was inhibited in ATG4B overexpressed ES cells, and ATG4B-potentiated
      autophagy is required for ES cells survival. Taken together, the authors
      demonstrated the role of EWS-FLI1 and ATG4B in autophagy in ES cells, and
      suggested EWS-FLI1 and ATG4B as potential therapeutic targets for ES.

PMID- 28902356
TI  - miR-378 functions as an onco-miRNA by targeting the ST7L/Wnt/beta-catenin pathway
      in cervical cancer.
AB  - Upregulation or downregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been identified in human
      cervical cancer (CC). However, the character and function of miR-378 in CC
      remains unknown. In the present study, the authors demonstrated that miR-378 was
      upregulated in CC used the reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-qPCR) assay, and promoted cell proliferation by accelerating the
      progress of cell cycle and repressing cell apoptosis in CC cells. The predicted
      target genes of miR-378 were determined by enhanced green fluorescent protein
      (EGFP) reporter assays, RT-qPCR assay and western blot analysis. miR-378
      suppressed the expression of suppression of tumorigenicity 7-like (ST7L) by
      targeting the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of ST7L mRNA in HeLa and SiHa
      cells. ST7L was downregulated in CC using the RT-qPCR assay, and the malignant
      phenotype of HeLa and SiHa cells were inhibited by ST7L overexpression. In
      addition, miR-378 activated the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway by targeting ST7L in CC
      cells. In short, miR-378 functions as an onco-miRNA by directly downregulating
      ST7L mRNA and protein level in HeLa and SiHa cells, and serves important roles in
      the malignancy of CC.

PMID- 28902357
TI  - Expression of Wnt3a in hepatocellular carcinoma and its effects on cell cycle and
      metastasis.
AB  - Invasion and metastasis are the primary causes of mortality from hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). Effective inhibition against participants in the tumourigenesis
      and metastasis process is critical for treatment of HCC. Wnt3a is involved in the
      development and metastasis of many malignant tumours. However, the specific
      mechanisms of Wnt3a-mediated cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis in HCC
      remain unclear. In this study, we found that Wnt3a and its target gene c-Myc
      showed higher expression in tumour tissues than normal liver tissues in HCC
      patients; 71.8% of the cases studied had high Wnt3a and c-Myc expression levels
      (n=32); Wnt3a expression positively correlated with its target genes MMP-7 and c
      Myc. Intriguingly, the expression of Wnt3a, MMP-7 and c-Myc is significantly
      correlated with Notch3 and Hes1 expression. In vitro experiments showed that
      Wnt3a was highly expressed in MHcc97H and SK-Hep-1 cells. Therefore, Wnt3a
      expression was silenced with siRNA, and then, MTT, flow cytometry, wound healing
      and Transwell assays were performed to analyse cell proliferation, cycle,
      migration and invasion. The results demonstrated that downregulation of Wnt3a
      expression inhibited cell viability and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest via
      decreased expression of cyclin D1 and c-Myc and increased expression of p21 and
      p27. In addition, deletion of Wnt3a significantly inhibited migration and
      invasion by downregulating MMP-2/-7/-9 expression via the MAPK (p38, ERK1/2 and
      JNK) pathway. In conclusion, our data show that Wnt3a is involved in HCC
      development. Wnt3a may be an effective target for treatment of HCC.

PMID- 28902358
TI  - SERP1 is a novel marker of poor prognosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
      patients via anti-apoptosis and regulating SRPRB/NF-kappaB axis.
AB  - Stress associated endoplasmic reticulum protein 1 (SERP1), can cause accumulation
      of unfolded proteins in ER stress. However, studies on the role of SERP1 in
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are still incomplete. The present study
      aimed at identifying whether SERP1 acts as a potential novel prognostic marker of
      PDAC, and analyzed its possible mechanism. GEO database analysis showed SERP1 was
      significantly upregulated in PDAC tissues, and strongly associated with advanced
      clinical stage of PDAC patients from TCGA database. Univariate and multivariate
      Cox regression analysis further revealed SERP1 high expression was an independent
      factor for the prognosis of PDAC. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed
      that SERP1 was mainly involved in regulating cell apoptosis and nuclear factor
      kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway, and downregulated SERP1 significantly
      promoted PANC-1 cell apoptosis. To further explore its possible mechanism,
      protein-protein interaction (PPI) and gene ontology (GO) analysis showed the
      functions of proteins interacting with SERP1 were mainly enriched in regulating
      cell apoptosis, and SRP receptor beta subunit (SRPRB) was the core of the whole
      PPI network. The expression of SERP1 was negatively correlated with SRPRB
      expression. In vitro, downregulated SERP1 significantly increased SRPRB
      expression. Furthermore, upregulated SRPRB could increase cell apoptosis rate and
      decreased the expression level of NF-kappaB and the phosphorylation NF-kappaB.
      The above results indicated that SERP1 as a potential novel prognostic marker of
      PDAC probably via regulating cell apoptosis and NF-kappaB activation, which may
      be associated with SRPRB.

PMID- 28902359
TI  - Isoastragaloside I inhibits NF-kappaB activation and inflammatory responses in BV
      2 microglial cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide.
AB  - The excessive activation of microglia in many neurodegenerative diseases is
      detrimental to neuronal survival. Isoastragaloside I (ISO I) is a natural saponin
      molecule found within the roots of Astragalus membranaceus, a famous traditional
      Chinese medicine. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects and the
      mechanisms of action of ISO I on activated BV-2 cells stimulated with
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were investigated. ISO I dose-dependently inhibited the
      excessive release of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in
      the LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Moreover, it decreased the production of inducible
      NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and mitigated the gene
      expression of interleukin (IL)-1beta, TNF-alpha and iNOS induced by LPS. Further
      experiments revealed that ISO I decreased the phosphorylation levels of nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), and suppressed its nuclear translocation and
      transactivation activity. In addition, it inhibited the activation of signaling
      pathway molecules, such as PI3K, Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinases
      (MAPKs). Taken together, our findings suggest that ISO I prevents LPS-induced
      microglial activation probably by inhibiting the activation of the NF-kappaB via
      PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways, indicating its therapeutic potential for
      neurological diseases relevant to neuroinflammation.

PMID- 28902360
TI  - Expression of periostin in breast cancer cells.
AB  - Periostin (POSTN) is a protein involved in multiple processes important for
      cancer development, both at the stage of cancer initiation and progression, as
      well as metastasis. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of
      POSTN in the cells of non-invasive ductal breast carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and
      invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and to correlate it with clinicopathological
      data. Immunohistochemical studies (IHC) were conducted on 21 cases of fibrocystic
      breast change (FC), 44 cases of DCIS and 92 cases of IDC. POSTN expression at
      mRNA (real-time PCR) and protein level (western blot analysis) was also confirmed
      in selected breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-231 and BO2).
      Statistically significant higher level of POSTN expression in IDC and DCIS cancer
      cells compared to FC was noted. Also, the level of POSTN expression in the
      cytoplasm of IDC cells was shown to increase with the increasing degree of tumour
      malignancy (G) and significantly higher expression of POSTN was observed in each
      degree of tumour malignancy (G) relative to FC. Statistically significant higher
      POSTN expression was observed in tumours with estrogen receptor-negative (ER-)
      and progesterone receptor-negative (PR-) phenotypes in comparison to estrogen
      receptor-positive (ER+) and progesterone receptor-positive (PR+) cases, as well
      as significant negative correlation between POSTN expression in cancer cells and
      expression of ER and PR (p<0.05). Additionally, statistically significant
      differences in POSTN expression were shown between particular breast cancer cell
      lines, both at mRNA and protein level. Observed POSTN expression was the lowest
      in the case of MCF-7, and the highest in MDA-MB-231 and BO2 of the most
      aggressive potential clinically corresponding to G3 tumours. POSTN expression in
      the cytoplasm of IDC cancer cells may play an important role in cancer
      transformation mechanism.

PMID- 28902362
TI  - Histone lysine methylation and congenital heart disease: From bench to bedside
      (Review).
AB  - Histone post-translational modifications (PTM) as one of the key epigenetic
      regulatory mechanisms that plays critical role in various biological processes,
      including regulating chromatin structure dynamics and gene expression. Histone
      lysine methyltransferase contributes to the establishment and maintenance of
      differential histone methylation status, which can recognize histone methylated
      sites and build an association between these modifications and their downstream
      processes. Recently, it was found that abnormalities in the histone lysine
      methylation level or pattern may lead to the occurrence of many types of
      cardiovascular diseases, such as congenital heart disease (CHD). In order to
      provide new theoretical basis and targets for the treatment of CHD from the view
      of developmental biology and genetics, this review discusses and elaborates on
      the association between histone lysine methylation modifications and CHD.

PMID- 28902361
TI  - Cooperative oncogenic effect and cell signaling crosstalk of co-occurring HER2
      and mutant PIK3CA in mammary epithelial cells.
AB  - Though incidence of PI3K oncogenic mutation is prominent in breast cancer (20
      30%), pharmacological targeting of this signaling pathway alone has failed to
      provide meaningful clinical benefit. To better understand and address this
      problem, we conducted genome-wide analysis to study the association of mutant
      PI3K with other gene amplification events. One of the most significant copy
      number gain events associated with PIK3CA mutation was the region within
      chromosome 17 containing HER2. To investigate the oncogenic effect and cell
      signaling regulation of co-occurring PIK3CA-H1047R and or HER2 gene, we generated
      cell models ectopically expressing mutant PIK3CA, HER2 or both genetic
      alterations. We observed that cells with both genetic alterations demonstrate
      increased aggressiveness and invasive capabilities than cells with either genetic
      change alone. Furthermore, we found that the combination of the HER2 inhibitor
      (CP-724714) and pan PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) is more potent than either
      inhibitor alone in terms of inhibition of cell proliferation and colony
      formation. Significantly, four cell signaling pathways were found in common for
      cells with HER2, mutant PIK3CA and cells with both genetic alterations through an
      Affymetric microarray analysis. Moreover, the cells with both genetic alterations
      acquired more significant replication stress as shown by enriched signaling
      pathways of cell cycle checkpoint control and DNA damage response signaling. Our
      study suggests co-occurrence of oncogenic HER2 and mutant PIK3CA cooperatively
      drives breast cancer progression. The cells with both genetic alterations obtain
      additional features of replication stress which could open new opportunity for
      cancer diagnostics and treatment.

PMID- 28902363
TI  - Ginkgetin induces G2-phase arrest in HCT116 colon cancer cells through the
      modulation of b-Myb and miRNA34a expression.
AB  - Ginkgetin has been reported to display antitumor activity. However, the relevant
      pathway integrating cell cycle regulation and signaling pathways involved in
      growth inhibition in CRC cells remains to be identified. In this study, ginkgetin
      treated HCT116 CRC cells exhibited significant dose-dependent growth inhibition
      with a GI50 value of 4.0 uM for 48-h treatment, together with apoptosis, via G2
      phase cell cycle arrest. When HCT116 cells were treated with 10 uM ginkgetin for
      48 h, the percentage of cells in G2/M phase increased by 2.2-fold (43.25%) versus
      the untreated control (19.69%). Ginkgetin regulated the expression of genes that
      are critically involved in G2 phase arrest cells, such as b-Myb, CDC2 and cyclin
      B1. Furthermore, we found that the suppression of b-Myb expression by ginkgetin
      was rescued ~5.1-fold by treatment with a miR-34a inhibitor (500 nM) and b-Myb
      was downregulated by >80% by 100 nM miR-34a mimic. These data suggest that the
      miRNA34a/b-Myb/cyclin B1 cascade plays a critical role in ginkgetin-induced G2
      cell cycle arrest, as well as in the inhibition of HCT116 cell proliferation.
      Moreover, the administration of ginkgetin (10 mg/kg) reduced tumor volumes by
      36.5% and tumor weight by 37.6% in the mice xenografted with HCT116 cells
      relative to their vehicle-treated counterparts. Therefore, ginkgetin is the first
      compound shown to regulate b-Myb by modulating miR-34a, and we suggest the use of
      ginkgetin as an inducer of G2 arrest for the treatment of CRC.

PMID- 28902365
TI  - APPL1 promotes the migration of gastric cancer cells by regulating Akt2
      phosphorylation.
AB  - As a multifunctional adaptor protein, APPL1 (adaptor protein containing
      pleckstrin homology domain, phosphotyrosine binding domain and a leucine zipper
      motif 1) is overexpressed in many cancers, and has been implicated in
      tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The present study investigated the
      expression of APPL1 in gastric carcinoma and the function in regulating cell
      migration. We investigated the expression of APPL1 in gastric carcinoma based
      upon The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The expression of APPL1 in
      collected gastric carcinoma tissues and cultured cells was measured by qRT-PCR
      and western blot analysis. Transwell assay and wound healing assay were used to
      analyze the effects of APPL1 on tumor cell migration. The statistical results
      based upon TCGA database showed significantly higher expression of APPL1 in
      gastric carcinoma compared to adjacent normal tissues, and we confirmed these
      findings by measuring APPL1 expression in collected gastric carcinoma tissues and
      cultured cells. The results of transwell assay and wound healing assay showed
      that when APPL1 was silenced by siRNA, cell migration was inhibited and
      overexpression of APPL1 promoted migration. Western blot results demonstrated
      that changes in several mesenchymal markers were consistent with the observed
      reduction or enhancement of cell migration. Importantly, the expression of APPL1
      significantly affected the phosphorylation of Akt2. In addition, MMP2 and MMP9,
      downstream effectors of Akt2 changed accordingly, which is a critical requirement
      for Akt2-mediated cell migration. The results demonstrate an important new
      function of APPL1 in regulating cell migration through a mechanism that depends
      on Akt2 phosphorylation.

PMID- 28902364
TI  - Functional roles of C/EBPalpha and SUMO-modification in lung development.
AB  - CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) is a transcription factor
      regulating the core aspects of cell growth and differentiation. The present study
      investigated the level and functional role of C/EBPalpha during the development
      of the rat lung. C/EBPalpha protein exhibits a dynamic expression pattern. The
      correlation between the expression of C/EBPalpha protein and the content of
      glycogen during lung maturation was analyzed to understand the function of
      C/EBPalpha in lung differentiation. The high expression of C/EBPalpha coincides
      with the reduction of glycogen in the fetal lung. In addition, the authors
      identified that changes in the level of C/EBPalpha are associated with the
      secretion of pulmonary surfactant. C/EBPalpha is modified by small ubiquitin
      related modifier (SUMO) post-translationally. The results of double
      immunofluorescence staining and immunoprecipitation demonstrated that SUMO
      modified C/EBPalpha was present in the lung. The sumoylated C/EBPalpha gradually
      decreased during lung differentiation and was negatively correlated with
      pulmonary surfactant secretion, thereby suggesting that the SUMO modification may
      participate in C/EBPalpha-mediated lung growth and differentiation. These results
      indicated that C/EBPalpha played a role in lung development and provided the
      insight into the mechanism underlying SUMO-modification.

PMID- 28902366
TI  - Heat shock protein 27 (HSPB1) suppresses the PDGF-BB-induced migration of
      osteoblasts.
AB  - Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27/HSPB1), one of the small heat shock proteins, is
      constitutively expressed in various tissues. HSP27 and its phosphorylation state
      participate in the regulation of multiple physiological and pathophysiological
      cell functions. However, the exact roles of HSP27 in osteoblasts remain unclear.
      In the present study, we investigated the role of HSP27 in the platelet-derived
      growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)-stimulated migration of osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1
      cells. PDGF-BB by itself barely upregulated the expression of HSP27 protein, but
      stimulated the phosphorylation of HSP27 in these cells. The PDGF-BB-induced cell
      migration was significantly downregulated by HSP27 overexpression. The PDGF-BB
      induced migrated cell numbers of the wild-type HSP27-overexpressing cells and the
      phospho-mimic HSP27-overexpressing (3D) cells were less than those of the
      unphosphorylatable HSP27-overexpressing (3A) cells. PD98059, an inhibitor of
      MEK1/2, SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and
      SP600125, an inhibitor of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase
      (SAPK/JNK) reduced the PDGF-BB-induced migration of these cells, whereas Akt
      inhibitor or rapamycin, an inhibitor of upstream kinase of p70 S6 kinase (mTOR),
      barely affected the migration. However, the PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of
      p44/p42 MAPKappa, p38 MAPK and SAPK/JNK was not affected by HSP27 overexpression.
      There were no significant differences in the phosphorylation of p44/p42 MAPKappa,
      p38 MAP kinase or SAPK/JNK between the 3D cells and the 3A cells. These results
      strongly suggest that HSP27 functions as a negative regulator in the PDGF-BB
      stimulated migration of osteoblasts, and the suppressive effect is amplified by
      the phosphorylation state of HSP27.

PMID- 28902367
TI  - Identification of hub genes, key miRNAs and potential molecular mechanisms of
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer of the digestive system. The
      aim of the present study was to identify the potential biomarkers and uncover the
      underlying mechanisms. The gene and miRNA expression profiles were obtained from
      GEO database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DE miRNAs)
      were identified by GEO2R. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto
      Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed by KOBAS
      3.0. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and miRNA-gene network were
      constructed by Cytoscape software. Then, the identified genes were verified by
      quantitative real-time PCR in both CRC tissue samples and cell lines. A total of
      600 upregulated DEGs, 283 downregulated DEGs, 13 upregulated DE miRNAs and 7
      downregulated DE miRNAs were identified. GO analysis results showed that
      upregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in binding, organelle and cellular
      process. Downregulated DEGs were enriched in binding, extracellular region and
      chemical homeostasis. KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were mostly enriched in
      cell cycle and pathways in cancer. A total of eight genes were identified as
      biomarkers, including CAD, ITGA2, E2F3, BCL2, PRKACB, IGF1, SGK1 and NR3C1.
      Experimental validation showed that seven of the eight identified genes had the
      same expression trend as predicted, except for ITGA2. Besides, hsa-miR-552 and
      hsa-miR-30a were identified as key miRNAs. the present study provides a series of
      biomarkers and mechanisms for the diagnosis and therapy of CRC. We also prove
      that although bioinformatics analysis is a wonderful approach, experiment
      validation is necessary.

PMID- 28902368
TI  - Smad4 re-expression increases the sensitivity to parthenolide in colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - Parthenolide (PT), a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from the plant feverfew, has
      been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Although
      PT has been revealed to markedly inhibit colorectal cancer cell proliferation,
      the inhibitory effects decrease with administration time. These findings revealed
      that colorectal cancer cells develop resistance to PT. However, the underlying
      mechanism is unclear. In the present study we observed significantly low
      expression of Smad4 in 3 PT-resistant cell lines (HCT-116/PT, HT-29/PT and Caco
      2/PT), which were obtained using in vitro concentration gradient-increased
      induction, but not in their parental cells. In the present study we used the
      lentiviral-mediated transfection method to upregulate Smad4 in resistant
      colorectal cancer cell lines. Flow cytometry assay was used to assess cell
      apoptosis. Cell migration was detected using a QCMTM 24-well Fluorimetric Cell
      Migration Assay kit. Our study showed that Smad4 overexpression notably decreased
      the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for PT in the 3 PT
      resistant cell lines, and improved the inhibitory effects of PT on cell migration
      and enhanced apoptosis in vitro as well as suppressed xenografted tumors in a PT
      resistant colorectal cancer mouse model. Further study by western blotting into
      the underlying mechanism demonstrated that Smad4 overexpression suppressed the
      expression of MDR1 in the resistant cells, and resulted in the accumulation of
      PT, which in turn promoted the expession of caspase-3 and Bax and inhibited the
      expression of Bcl-2 and the phosphorylation of NF-kappaB p65. In short, Smad4 re
      expression may be crucial for enhancing the sensitivity and reversing the
      resistance to PT in PT-resistant colorectal cancer cells.

PMID- 28902369
TI  - Synergistic inhibitory effects on hepatocellular carcinoma with recombinant human
      adenovirus Aspp2 and oxaliplatin via p53-independent pathway in vitro and in
      vivo.
AB  - The present study was designed to investigate the synergistic inhibitory effects
      on hepatocellular carcinoma with recombinant human adenovirus Aspp2 (Aspp2-ad)
      and oxaliplatin via p53-independent pathway in vitro and in vivo. After being
      treated with Aspp2-ad and/or oxaliplatin for 24-48 h, HepG2P53-/- and Hep3B cells
      showed a significant growth inhibition compared with vehicle control. Combination
      group showed a synergetic effect, the inhibitory rates were all above 80% at 48 h
      point in HepG2P53-/- and Hep3B cells. The apoptotic cell numbers of Aspp2-ad
      and/or oxaliplatin treatment groups were increased remarkably, especially for the
      combined therapy group in the liver cancer cells. The Hep3B xenograft experiment
      also showed similar inhibition of Aspp2-ad and/or oxaliplatin to the in vitro
      experiment. H&E results showed that combination group had the least mitotic
      indexes and the most necrosis. The immunohistochemistry results showed that PCNA,
      CD31 expression decreased greatly in treatment groups. These results suggested
      that Aspp2-ad might inhibit proliferation and vascular growth of hepatocarcinoma.
      Aspp2 induced apoptosis protein expression in Aspp2-ad and combination groups,
      the Aspp2, Bax and activation of caspase-3 expression increased greatly both in
      vitro and in vivo. But interestingly, the autophagy proteins showed different
      responses not only in HepG2P53-/- and Hep3B cells but also in vitro and in vivo.
      We found that Aspp2-ad downregulated the p-ERK, p-STAT3 expression, the
      synergistic effects were observed in combination group, while there was not
      response of mTOR to Aspp2-ad. In conclusion, Aspp2-ad, in P53-independent manner,
      regulated ERK and STAT3 signal moleculars to inhibit hepatocarcinoma in
      coordination with oxaliplatin by influencing the protein expression of
      proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy and vascular growth. Aspp2-ad has the
      potential to be developed in gene therapy for HCC, especially for P53 deletion or
      mutation in HCC.

PMID- 28902370
TI  - Nano Let-7b sensitization of eliminating esophageal cancer stem-like cells is
      dependent on blockade of Wnt activation of symmetric division.
AB  - The poor therapy response and poor prognosis of esophageal cancer has made it one
      of the most malignant carcinoma, and the complicated multidisciplinary treatment
      failed to achieve a long-term disease-free survival. To diagnose esophageal
      cancer at an earlier stage, and to improve the effect of anticancer therapy would
      improve the therapeutic efficacy. After retrospective analysis of the cancer
      samples of patients who received esophagectomy, we found the relevance between
      ratio of either ALDH1 or CD133-positive cancer stem cells and 2-year recurrence.
      Higher ratios of cancer stem cells indicated later clinical stages, and Wnt
      signaling activation was more frequent in later esophageal carcinoma. Further in
      bench studies, we explored the suppressive roles and the mechanisms involved in
      Let-7 on self-renewal in ECA-109 and ECA-9706 esophageal cancer stem cells.
      Isolated cancer stem cells naturally divide symmetrically and are therapy
      resistant. Therapy of fluorouracil and docetaxel both enriched the stem cells,
      proving the resistant characteristics of cancer stem cells. Wnt activation
      stimulated more symmetric division of stem cells, resulting in self-renewal
      promotion, which could be blocked by Let-7 overexpression. Furthermore, enforced
      Let-7 sensitized the stem cells to chemotherapies in a Wnt pathway inhibition
      dependent manner, contributing to Let-7 sensitization of chemotherapeutic
      response. Wnt activation weakened the suppressive Let-7b through the sponge
      functions of CCAT-1, forming the negative feedback loop of Let-7b/Wnt/CCAT1.
      These results identified the crucial participation of stem cells in esophageal
      cancer occurrence and progression as the potent indicator, and also indicate the
      potential powerful agent of Let-7 nano-particles in treatment of cancer.

PMID- 28902371
TI  - No Difference in Functional Outcomes after Total Knee Arthroplasty with or
      without Pinless Navigation.
AB  - This study aims to investigate the functional outcomes of pinless navigation
      (BrainLAB VectorVision Knee 2.5 navigation system; Munich, Germany) as an
      intraoperative alignment guide in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A prospective,
      24-month follow-up study of 100 patients who were scheduled and randomized into
      two groups, the pinless navigation and conventional surgery, was conducted. All
      TKAs were performed with the surgical aim of achieving neutral coronal alignment
      with the 180-degree mechanical axis. The outcomes measured in this study were
      Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Knee Society Score (KSS), Short Form-36 (SF-36), and
      range of motion (ROM). At 24-month postoperatively, four and two patients were
      lost to follow-up from the pinless navigation group and conventional group,
      respectively. There were no significant differences in absolute scores of the
      OKS, KSS, and ROM, as well as changes from preoperative baseline, between pinless
      navigation and conventional groups at both 6 and 24 months postoperatively.
      Pinless navigation results in comparable functional outcomes as conventional TKA
      at 6 and 24 months postoperatively.

PMID- 28902372
TI  - [Cost assessment for endoscopic procedures in the German diagnosis-related-group
      (DRG) system - 5 year cost data analysis of the German Society of
      Gastroenterology project].
AB  - Background In the German hospital reimbursement system (G-DRG) endoscopic
      procedures are listed in cost center 8. For reimbursement between hospital
      departments and external providers outdated or incomplete catalogues (e. g. DKG
      NT, GOA) have remained in use. We have assessed the cost for endoscopic
      procedures in the G-DRG-system. Methods To assess the cost of endoscopic
      procedures 74 hospitals, annual providers of cost-data to the Institute for the
      Hospital Remuneration System (InEK) made their data (2011 - 2015; S 21 KHEntgG)
      available to the German-Society-of-Gastroenterology (DGVS) in anonymized form
      (4873 809 case-data-sets). Using cases with exactly one endoscopic procedure (n =
      274 186) average costs over 5 years were calculated for 46 endoscopic procedure
      tiers. Results Robust mean endoscopy costs ranged from 230.56 ? for gastroscopy
      (144 666 cases), 276.23 ? (n = 32 294) for a simple colonoscopy, to 844.07 ? (n =
      10 150) for ERCP with papillotomy and plastic stent insertion and 1602.37 ? (n =
      967) for ERCP with a self-expanding metal stent. Higher costs, specifically for
      complex procedures, were identified for University Hospitals. Discussion For the
      first time this catalogue for endoscopic procedure-tiers, based on S 21 KHEntgG
      data-sets from 74 InEK-calculating hospitals, permits a realistic assessment of
      endoscopy costs in German hospitals. The higher costs in university hospitals are
      likely due to referral bias for complex cases and emergency interventions. For 46
      endoscopic procedure-tiers an objective cost-allocation within the G-DRG system
      is now possible. By international comparison the costs of endoscopic procedures
      in Germany are low, due to either greater efficiency, lower personnel allocation
      or incomplete documentation of the real expenses.

PMID- 28902373
TI  - Berzelius Symposium 93: International Conference on Thrombosis and Embolism.

PMID- 28902375
TI  - Provider and Patient Knowledge and Views of Office Practices on Weight Gain and
      Exercise during Pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study sought to assess provider and patient knowledge and beliefs
      on gestational weight gain (GWG) and exercise during pregnancy, outline current
      clinical practices and the perceived value of educational tools. STUDY DESIGN:
      Providers and patients at the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates
      Obstetricians and Gynecologists clinic were recruited for a voluntary survey.
      Descriptive statistics of responses were compared and chi-square analysis tested
      for significant associations. RESULTS: A total of 461 patient and 36 provider
      questionnaires were analyzed. Providers recommended GWG consistent with the
      Institute of Medicine guidelines for a "normal" body mass index (82.9%); however,
      a majority (52.8%) recommended GWG below guidelines for obese women. All
      providers reported counseling patients on GWG, but only 53.4% of patients
      reported discussing personal recommendations. About half of providers reported
      distributing educational materials for GWG (60.0%); however, only 30.6% of
      patients reported receiving them. African American patients self-reported
      receiving the highest rates of counseling and educational materials, though a
      lower rate of recommendations to exercise. Patients perceived educational tools
      to be more useful than did providers. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a gap
      between provider-patient perceptions regarding counseling and provision of
      informational materials. Future research should study whether implementing
      various educational tools might increase the efficacy of current practices.

PMID- 28902374
TI  - Bupleurum chinense Roots: a Bioactivity-Guided Approach toward Saponin-Type NF
      kappaB Inhibitors.
AB  - The roots of Bupleurum chinense have a long history in traditional medicine to
      treat infectious diseases and inflammatory disorders. Two major compounds,
      saikosaponins A and D, were reported to exert potent anti-inflammatory activity
      by inhibiting NF-kappaB. In the present study, we isolated new saikosaponin
      analogues from the roots of B. chinese interfering with NF-kappaB activity in
      vitro. The methanol-soluble fraction of the dichloromethane extract of Radix
      Bupleuri was subjected to activity-guided isolation yielding 18 compounds,
      including triterpenoids and polyacetylenes. Their structures were determined by
      spectroscopic methods as saikogenin D (1), prosaikogenin D (2), saikosaponins B2
      (3), W (4), B1 (5), Y (6), D (7), A (8), E (9), B4 (10), B3 (11), and T (12),
      saikodiyne A (13), D (14), E (15) and F (16), falcarindiol (17), and 1-linoleoyl
      sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (18). Among them, 4, 15, and 16 are new compounds,
      whereas 6, previously described as a semi-synthetic compound, is isolated from a
      natural source for the first time, and 13-17 are the first reports of
      polyacetylenes from this plant. Nine saponins/triterpenoids were tested for
      inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling in a cell-based NF-kappaB-dependent luciferase
      reporter gene model in vitro. Five of them (1, 2, 4, 6, and 8) showed strong (>
      50%, at 30 uM) NF-kappaB inhibition, but also varying degrees of cytotoxicity,
      with compounds 1 and 4 (showing no significant cytotoxicity) presenting IC50
      values of 14.0 uM and 14.1 uM in the cell-based assay, respectively.

PMID- 28902376
TI  - [Priorities of German Oncologists. Results of the "choosing wisely" survey of the
      German Society of Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO)].
AB  - Background During the preparation of "choosing wisely" recommendations, the
      German Society of Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) had performed a member
      survey. The large body of replies was systematically and quantitatively analyzed
      for this report. Methods Replies to the draft recommendations are quantified.
      Free text replies were iteratively categorized in three levels according to
      medical categories and additionally, according to their general target of
      necessary action. Results 492 members completed the survey within the given limit
      of 2 weeks. Draft recommendations against oversupply were widely supported (77 %
      88 %). 1598 free text replies were analyzed. Unnecessary use of resources was
      requested in several fields in accordance with our recommendations. Strong demand
      was put forward regarding soft factors: "talking medicine", individually tailored
      therapy, supportive medicine and palliative care (51 % together) and social
      resources (11 %). Possible under-supply was less frequently described in fields
      of expensive measures (17 % of replies). Conclusion In the replies to our survey,
      we found a strong statement for a plus in talking medicine in oncology. Every
      physician caring for these patients can contribute to this demand. Structural
      improvements in continuing education and reimbursement in this field are
      desirable.

PMID- 28902378
TI  - [Organ Interactions in Intensive Care].

PMID- 28902377
TI  - [Implementation of the National Guidelines for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus
      type 2 in secondary diabetes centers].
AB  - Background The German National Disease Management Guideline (NVL) on treatment of
      Type 2 Diabetes recommends lowering of blood glucose in four therapy steps. There
      is little evidence, how NVL is implemented for the individual patients. Methods
      810 patients in secondary diabetes centers were examined within the
      DiabCheckOCTplus trial. Data about the patient's health status (electronic
      medical record) were classified according to the NVL treatment steps. The degree
      of implementation was assessed for every person with diabetes type 2 (NCT02 311
      504). Results Related to the levels of treatment, 81 % of patients received
      metformin in level 2, 48 % the dual combination of metformin with DPP4-Inhibitors
      (level 3) and 41 % an intensified insulin therapy in combination with metformin
      (level 4). The overall percentage for metformin was 67 %, for DPP4-Inhibitors 20
      % and 10 % for sulfonylureas.The duration of diabetes significantly increased
      with higher NVL level. After 3 years of diabetes 55 % received more than one
      antihyperglycemic drug. Half of the patients were treated with complex insulin
      strategies after 9 years, however almost all after 25 years. Conclusion The
      therapy in secondary care centers met national guidelines to a large extent.
      Similar proof of implementation would be important for primary care by general
      practitioners. As the factual information of the therapy level strongly
      correlated with the duration of disease, it might be used for structured
      communication (risk profile).

PMID- 28902379
TI  - [86-Year-Old Man with Dyspnea].

PMID- 28902380
TI  - [Organ Interactions: Heart and kidney].
AB  - The interactions between heart and kidney are various and of clinical relevance.
      Worsening of one organ often influences the function of the other. With NYHA and
      KDIGO we have classification systems for heart and kidney failure and those
      should be used for cardiorenal systems as well. Furthermore there is a useful
      classification system for cardiorenal syndromes itself. Cardiorenal syndrome is a
      complex illness which should be treated by interdisciplinary medical teams. A key
      roll in pathophysiology is the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron-system (RAAS). It's
      activation is followed by an increased salt and water retention as well as
      increased systemic an renal vasoconstriction leading to hypervolaemia an left
      ventricular hyperthrophy. General recommendations for the prevention of
      cardiovascular disease are good for the prevention of cardiorenal syndromes as
      well. RAAS-blockers should be used to stop cardial remodelling. A good regulation
      of hypertension and diabetes is important. Most important is a balanced
      intravasal volume. With volume overload negative balances can improve renal
      perfusion and therefor renal function. The furosemide stress test is a good
      cinical tool to check wether there is appropriate urine excretion and if volume
      overload can be treated by loop diuretics. Preload reduction can reduce cardiac
      output ahd renal function can be worsened especially in the beginning of overload
      reduction. This may be acceptable.

PMID- 28902381
TI  - [Organ Interactions: Heart and Lung - Management of the Acute Right Heart
      Failure].
AB  - The pathophysiology and the management of patients with acute right heart failure
      are very complex. The bed-side focused echocardiography is the basis of
      differential diagnosis and acute diagnosis. Individual therapy monitoring is
      complex due to the strong preload dependence of the right ventricle and the
      limitation of non-invasive estimation of pulmonary-vascular hemodynamics, so that
      the indication for a pulmonary artery catheter should be liberal in acute right
      heart failure. The treatment goals of acute right heart failure are the treatment
      of the underlying disease or triggering factors in combination with
      individualized optimization of hemodynamic tailored to current right-ventricular
      function.

PMID- 28902382
TI  - [Organinteraction between liver and kidney].
AB  - Alterations of the kidney function can be observed often in patients with liver
      diseases. Different mechanisms are leading to alterations in kidney funciton in
      these patients. New onset of kidney function alterations in patients with acute-
      or chronic liver disease often leads to acute kidney injury. This Review will
      inform you about the most importatant clinical interactions of the kidneys and
      the liver.

PMID- 28902383
TI  - [BCGitis with Involvement of Lung, Liver and Bone Marrow after Immunotherapy of
      Urothelial Cancer].
AB  - Medical history A 77-year-old patient with transurethral resection of a bladder
      tumor was transferred due to persistent fever and progressive dyspnea despite
      antibiotic therapy for suspected urinary tract infection. Repeating the medical
      history revealed that a BCG immunotherapy of his non-muscle-invasive bladder
      carcinoma was performed the day before fever developed. Therefore, BCGitis was
      suspected. Examinations Laboratory parameters showed pancytopenia, elevated liver
      enzymes, eleveated C-reactive protein and hypoxemia. The CT scan showed multiple
      miliary lesions of the lung, the bone marrow biopsy revealed granuloma. Diagnosis
      M. bovis BCG was cultured from urine and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Therapy
      and course Therapy with isoniazide, rifampine, ethambutol and initially
      prednisolone caused rapid improvement. Conclusion BCGitis is a rare complication
      of BCG immunotherapy of non-muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma.

PMID- 28902384
TI  - [Multiple endocrine neoplasia].
AB  - Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and 2 are hereditary cancer syndromes. They
      are characterized by the occurrence of many benign and malignant tumor types, in
      MEN1 parathyroid tumors, pituitary tumors, and pancreas tumors, in MEN2 medullary
      thyroid carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, and parathyroid tumors. The autosomal
      dominant inherited tumor syndromes are caused by mutations in the MEN1 gene, a
      tumor suppressor gene, and mutations in the RET gene, an activated oncogene, in
      MEN2. The clinical expression of the different tumors can vary within and between
      families, with a good genotype-phenotype correlation in MEN2. Early diagnosis and
      therapy is possible by using biochemical and imaging screening in the families.
      Early thyroidectomy in young patients with MEN2 results in a high cure rate of
      MTC.

PMID- 28902385
TI  - [Standard Operating Procedures in Clinical Medicine].
AB  - Standard operating procedures (SOP) in hospital care have the potential to
      improve treatment quality and transparency. However, after arriving at the
      decision to generate a SOP for the own hospital or ward, the upcoming question is
      often, how to start?The present article tries to give some interdisciplinary
      guidance about reasonable structures and contents of SOPs that could be
      understood as a basic matrix for individual work.

PMID- 28902386
TI  - Consequences of Individual Differences in Children's Formal Understanding of
      Mathematical Equivalence.
AB  - Experts claim that individual differences in children's formal understanding of
      mathematical equivalence have consequences for mathematics achievement; however,
      evidence is lacking. A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted with a
      diverse sample of 112 children from a midsized city in the Midwestern United
      States (Mage [second grade] = 8:1). As hypothesized, understanding of
      mathematical equivalence in second grade predicted mathematics achievement in
      third grade, even after controlling for second-grade mathematics achievement, IQ,
      gender, and socioeconomic status. Most children exhibited poor understanding of
      mathematical equivalence, but results provide clues about which children are on
      the path to constructing an understanding and which may need extra support to
      overcome their misconceptions. Findings suggest that mathematical equivalence may
      deserve more attention from educators.

PMID- 28902387
TI  - Physical calculations of resistance to water loss improve species range models:
      reply.

PMID- 28902388
TI  - Transcriptional repression in macrophages-basic mechanisms and alterations in
      metabolic inflammatory diseases.
AB  - Macrophage differentiation and signal responses are coordinated by closely linked
      transcriptional and epigenomic mechanisms that trigger gene expression. In
      contrast to well-characterized transcriptional activation pathways in response to
      diverse metabolic and inflammatory signals, we just begin appreciating that
      transcriptional repression is equally important. Here, we will highlight
      macrophage pathways that are controlled by multifaceted repression events, along
      with a discussion of underlying regulatory mechanisms and components. We will
      particularly discuss pro- versus anti-inflammatory action of a fundamental
      corepressor complex, transcription factor cross-talk, repression at enhancers and
      during elongation, and diverse corepressor knockout mouse models. We will finally
      emphasize how alterations of macrophage repression pathways in humans contribute
      to, or even cause, metabolic inflammatory diseases such as obesity and type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 28902389
TI  - Women's experiences of continuous fetal monitoring - a mixed-methods systematic
      review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antepartum stillbirth is often preceded by detectable signs of
      fetal compromise, including changes in fetal heart rate and movement. It is
      hypothesized that continuous fetal monitoring could detect these signs more
      accurately and objectively than current forms of fetal monitoring and allow for
      timely intervention. This systematic review aimed to explore available evidence
      on women's experiences of continuous fetal monitoring to investigate its
      acceptability before clinical implementation and to inform clinical studies.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Systematic searching of four electronic databases (Embase,
      PsycINFO, MEDLINE and CINAHL), using key terms defined by initial scoping
      searches, identified a total of 35 studies. Following title and abstract
      screening by two independent researchers, five studies met the inclusion
      criteria. Studies were not excluded based on language, methodology or quality
      assessment. An integrative methodology was used to synthesize qualitative and
      quantitative data together. RESULTS: Forms of continuous fetal monitoring used
      included Monica AN24 monitors (n = 4) and phonocardiography (n = 1). Four main
      themes were identified: practical limitations of the device, negative emotions,
      positive perceptions, and device implementation. Continuous fetal monitoring was
      reported to have high levels of participant satisfaction and was preferred by
      women to intermittent cardiotocography. CONCLUSION: This review suggests that
      continuous fetal monitoring is accepted by women. However, it has also
      highlighted both the paucity and heterogeneity of current studies and suggests
      that further research should be conducted into women's experiences of continuous
      fetal monitoring before such devices can be used clinically.

PMID- 28902391
TI  - Parental distress 6 months after a pediatric cancer diagnosis in relation to
      family psychosocial risk at diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was aimed at assessing fathers' and mothers' distress 6
      months after a pediatric cancer diagnosis and at determining whether this is
      related to the level of family psychosocial risk 1 month after the diagnosis.
      METHODS: A sample of 192 families completed the electronic Psychosocial
      Assessment Tool (ePAT) 1 month after the diagnosis. At 6 months after the
      diagnosis, 119 mothers and 98 fathers completed the Distress Thermometer for
      Parents (DT-P; of which n=132 had also completed the ePAT at baseline). The DT-P
      consists of a thermometer score ranging from 0 to 10 (with a score >= 4
      indicating clinical distress), problem domains (total, practical, social,
      emotional, physical, cognitive, and parenting for children < 2 years old and for
      children >= 2 years old), and a desire for a referral. The DT-P scores of mothers
      and fathers were compared with the scores of a reference group of 671 mothers and
      463 fathers with healthy children. Within the pediatric cancer group, the DT-P
      scores of families with elevated total ePAT-scores were compared with the DT-P
      scores of parents with universal ePAT scores. RESULTS: Parents of children with
      cancer more often reported clinical distress on the DT-P than parents of healthy
      children (fathers, 59.2% vs 32.3%; P < .001; mothers, 63% vs 42.3%; P < .001) and
      reported more problems on all DT-P domains (P < .001 to P = .042) except for the
      parenting domain for children < 2 years old. Furthermore, the ePAT predicted
      parental distress 6 months after the diagnosis because parents with elevated ePAT
      scores reported more problems than parents with universal scores on the DT-P
      thermometer and most of the DT-P domains (P < .001 to P = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS:
      Initial ePAT risk scores at diagnosis are predictive of future mean levels of
      parental distress. Cancer 2018;124:381-90. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28902392
TI  - Expanding the clinical and molecular spectrum of PRMT7 mutations: 3 additional
      patients and review.
AB  - Protein arginine methyltransferase 7 (PRMT7) is a member of a family of enzymes
      that catalyze the transfer of methyl groups from S-adenosyl-l-methionine to
      nitrogen atoms on arginine residues. Arginine methylation is involved in multiple
      biological processes, such as signal transduction, mRNA splicing, transcriptional
      control, DNA repair, and protein translocation. Currently, 7 patients have been
      described harboring compound heterozygous or homozygous variants in the PRMT7
      gene, causing a novel intellectual disability syndrome, known as SBIDDS syndrome
      (Short Stature, Brachydactyly, Intellectual Developmental Disability, and
      Seizures). We report on 3 additional patients from 2 consanguineous families with
      severe/moderate intellectual disability, short stature, brachydactyly and
      dysmorphisms. Exome sequencing revealed 2 novel homozygous mutations in PRMT7.
      Our findings expand the clinical and molecular spectrum of homozygous PRMT7
      mutations, associated to the SBIDDS syndrome, showing a possible correlation
      between the type of mutation and the severity of the phenotype.

PMID- 28902393
TI  - Fine Motor Control Underlies the Association Between Response Inhibition and
      Drawing Skill in Early Development.
AB  - Previous research shows that the development of response inhibition and drawing
      skill are linked. The current research investigated whether this association
      reflects a more fundamental link between response inhibition and motor control.
      In Experiment 1, 3- and 4-year-olds (n = 100) were tested on measures of
      inhibition, fine motor control, and drawing skill. Data revealed an association
      between inhibition and fine motor control, which was responsible for most of the
      association observed with drawing skill. Experiment 2 (n = 100) provided evidence
      that, unlike fine motor control, gross motor control and inhibition were not
      associated (after controlling for IQ). Alternative explanations for the link
      between inhibition and fine motor control are outlined, including a consideration
      of how these cognitive processes may interact during development.

PMID- 28902390
TI  - Outcomes in adolescents and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma treated on US
      cooperative group protocols: An adult intergroup (E2496) and Children's Oncology
      Group (COG AHOD0031) comparative analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no clear consensus between pediatric and adult providers
      about the treatment of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with Hodgkin lymphoma
      (HL). METHODS: Failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) were
      compared between 114 patients ages 17 to 21 years with HL who were treated on the
      Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-American College of Radiology Imaging Network
      Intergroup adult E2496 study and 391 similarly patients ages 17 to 21 years with
      HL who were treated on the pediatric Children's Oncology Group (COG) AHOD0031
      study. RESULTS: Comparing AYAs from the COG and E2496 studies, there were no
      significant differences in extralymphatic disease, anemia, or hypoalbuminemia.
      More AYAs in the E2496 trial had stage III and IV disease (63% vs 29%; P < .001)
      and B symptoms (63% vs 27%; P < .001), and fewer had bulk disease (33% vs 77%; P
      < .001). More AYAs on the COG trial received radiotherapy (76% vs 66%; P = .03),
      although in smaller doses. E2496 AYA The 5-year FFS and OS rates were 68% and
      89%, respectively in the E2496 AYAs and 81% and 97%, respectively, in the COG
      AYAs, indicating a statistically superior compared in the COG AYAs (P = .001). In
      stratified multivariable analyses, E2496 AYAs had worse FFS than COG AYAs in all
      strata except patients who had stage I and II HL without anemia. Propensity score
      analysis (based on stage, anemia, and bulk disease) confirmed inferior FFS for
      E2496 AYAs compared with COG AYAs (P = .004). On the E2496 study, FFS was
      significantly divergent across age groups (P = .005), with inferior outcomes for
      those ages 17 to 21 years versus 22-44 years. There was no difference across age
      on the COG study. CONCLUSIONS: Younger AYA patients with HL appear to have better
      outcomes when treated on a pediatric trial than patients of similar age on an
      adult trial. Prospective studies examining these differences are warranted.
      Cancer 2018;124:136-44. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28902394
TI  - Quantity and quality limit detritivore growth: mechanisms revealed by ecological
      stoichiometry and co-limitation theory.
AB  - Resource quantity and quality are fundamental bottom-up constraints on consumers.
      Best understood in autotroph-based systems, co-occurrence of these constraints
      may be common but remains poorly studied in detrital-based systems. Here, we used
      a laboratory growth experiment to test limitation of the detritivorous caddisfly
      larvae Pycnopsyche lepida across a concurrent gradient of oak litter quantity
      (food supply) and quality (phosphorus : carbon [P:C ratios]). Growth increased
      simultaneously with quantity and quality, indicating co-limitation across the
      resource gradients. We merged approaches of ecological stoichiometry and co
      limitation theory, showing how co-limitation reflected shifts in C and P
      acquisition throughout homeostatic regulation. Increased growth was best
      explained by elevated consumption rates and improved P assimilation, which both
      increased with elevated quantity and quality. Notably, C assimilation
      efficiencies remained unchanged and achieved maximum 18% at low quantity despite
      pronounced C limitation. Detrital C recalcitrance and substantive post
      assimilatory C losses probably set a minimum quantity threshold to achieve
      positive C balance. Above this threshold, greater quality enhanced larval growth
      probably by improving P assimilation toward P-intensive growth. We suggest this
      interplay of C and P acquisition contributes to detritivore co-limitation,
      highlighting quantity and quality as potential simultaneous bottom-up controls in
      detrital-based ecosystems, including under anthropogenic change like nutrient
      enrichment.

PMID- 28902395
TI  - Finding Homologs in Amino Acid Sequences Using Network BLAST Searches.
AB  - BLAST, the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, is used more frequently than any
      other biosequence database search program. We show how to run searches on the
      Web, and demonstrate how to increase performance by fine-tuning arguments for a
      specific research project. We offer guidance for interpreting results,
      statistical significance and biological relevance issues, and suggest
      complementary analyses. This unit covers both protein-to-protein (blastp)
      searches and translated searches (blastx, tblastn, tfastx). blastx conceptually
      translates the query sequence and tblastn translates all nucleotide sequences in
      a database, while tblastx translates both the query and the database sequences
      into amino acid sequences. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28902396
TI  - Data Analysis Pipeline for RNA-seq Experiments: From Differential Expression to
      Cryptic Splicing.
AB  - RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is a high-throughput technology that provides unique
      insights into the transcriptome. It has a wide variety of applications in
      quantifying genes/isoforms and in detecting non-coding RNA, alternative splicing,
      and splice junctions. It is extremely important to comprehend the entire
      transcriptome for a thorough understanding of the cellular system. Several RNA
      seq analysis pipelines have been proposed to date. However, no single analysis
      pipeline can capture dynamics of the entire transcriptome. Here, we compile and
      present a robust and commonly used analytical pipeline covering the entire
      spectrum of transcriptome analysis, including quality checks, alignment of reads,
      differential gene/transcript expression analysis, discovery of cryptic splicing
      events, and visualization. Challenges, critical parameters, and possible
      downstream functional analysis pipelines associated with each step are
      highlighted and discussed. This unit provides a comprehensive understanding of
      state-of-the-art RNA-seq analysis pipeline and a greater understanding of the
      transcriptome. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28902397
TI  - Using SQL Databases for Sequence Similarity Searching and Analysis.
AB  - Relational databases can integrate diverse types of information and manage large
      sets of similarity search results, greatly simplifying genome-scale analyses. By
      focusing on taxonomic subsets of sequences, relational databases can reduce the
      size and redundancy of sequence libraries and improve the statistical
      significance of homologs. In addition, by loading similarity search results into
      a relational database, it becomes possible to explore and summarize the
      relationships between all of the proteins in an organism and those in other
      biological kingdoms. This unit describes how to use relational databases to
      improve the efficiency of sequence similarity searching and demonstrates various
      large-scale genomic analyses of homology-related data. It also describes the
      installation and use of a simple protein sequence database, seqdb_demo, which is
      used as a basis for the other protocols. The unit also introduces search_demo, a
      database that stores sequence similarity search results. The search_demo database
      is then used to explore the evolutionary relationships between E. coli proteins
      and proteins in other organisms in a large-scale comparative genomic analysis.
      (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28902398
TI  - Using ProteomeScout: A Resource of Post-Translational Modifications, Their
      Experiments, and the Proteins That They Annotate.
AB  - Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of protein amino acids are ubiquitous and
      important to protein function, localization, degradation, and more. In recent
      years, there has been an explosion in the discovery of PTMs as a result of
      improvements in PTM measurement techniques, including quantitative measurements
      of PTMs across multiple conditions. ProteomeScout is a repository for such
      discovery and quantitative experiments and provides tools for visualizing PTMs
      within proteins, including where they are relative to other PTMS, domains,
      mutations, and structure. ProteomeScout additionally provides analysis tools for
      identifying statistically significant relationships in experimental datasets.
      This unit describes four basic protocols for working with the ProteomeScout Web
      interface or programmatically with the database download. (c) 2017 by John Wiley
      & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28902399
TI  - Using the Contextual Hub Analysis Tool (CHAT) in Cytoscape to Identify
      Contextually Relevant Network Hubs.
AB  - Highly connected nodes in biological networks are called network hubs. Hubs are
      topologically important to the structure of the network and have been shown to be
      preferentially associated with a range of phenotypes of interest. The relative
      importance of a hub node, however, can change depending on the biological
      context. Here, we provide a step-by-step protocol for using the Contextual Hub
      Analysis Tool (CHAT), an application within Cytoscape 3, which enables users to
      easily construct and visualize a network of interactions from a gene or protein
      list of interest, integrate contextual information, such as gene or protein
      expression data, and identify hub nodes that are more highly connected to
      contextual nodes than expected by chance. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28902400
TI  - Using the PRIDE Database and ProteomeXchange for Submitting and Accessing Public
      Proteomics Datasets.
AB  - The ProteomeXchange (PX) Consortium is the unifying framework for world-leading
      mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics repositories. Current members include the
      PRIDE database (U.K.), PeptideAtlas/PASSEL, and MassIVE (U.S.A.), and jPOST
      (Japan). The Consortium standardizes submission and dissemination of public
      proteomics data worldwide. This is achieved through implementing common data
      submission guidelines and enforcing metadata requirements by each of the members.
      Furthermore, the members use a common identifier space. Each dataset receives a
      unique (PXD) accession number and is publicly accessible as soon as the
      associated scientific publications are released. The two basic protocols provide
      a step-by-step guide on how to submit data to the PRIDE database, and describe
      how to access the PX portal (called ProteomeCentral), which can be used to search
      datasets available in any of the PX members. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28902402
TI  - Safety-net versus private hospital setting for brain metastasis patients treated
      with radiosurgery alone: Disparities in follow-up care and outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) alone is an increasingly accepted
      treatment for brain metastases, but it requires adherence to frequently scheduled
      follow-up neuroimaging because of the risk of distant brain metastasis. The
      effect of disparities in access to follow-up care on outcomes after SRS alone is
      unknown. METHODS: This retrospective study included 153 brain metastasis patients
      treated consecutively with SRS alone from 2010 through 2016 at an academic
      medical center and a safety-net hospital (SNH) located in Los Angeles,
      California. Outcomes included neurologic symptoms, hospitalization, steroid use
      and dependency, salvage SRS, salvage whole-brain radiotherapy, salvage
      neurosurgery, and overall survival. RESULTS: Ninety-three of the 153 patients
      were private hospital (PH) patients, and 60 were SNH patients. The median follow
      up time was 7.7 months. SNH patients received fewer follow-up neuroimaging
      studies (1.5 vs 3; P = .008). In a multivariate analysis, the SNH setting was a
      significant risk factor for salvage neurosurgery (hazard ratio [HR], 13.65; P <
      .001), neurologic symptoms (HR, 3.74; P = .002), and hospitalization due to brain
      metastases (HR, 6.25; P < .001). More clinical visits were protective against
      hospitalizations due to brain metastases (HR, 0.75; P = .002), whereas more
      neuroimaging studies were protective against death (HR, 0.65; P < .001).
      CONCLUSIONS: SNH patients with brain metastases treated with SRS alone had fewer
      follow-up neuroimaging studies and were at higher risk for neurologic symptoms,
      hospitalization for brain metastases, and salvage neurosurgery in comparison with
      PH patients. Clinicians should consider the practice setting and patient access
      to follow-up care when they are deciding on the optimal strategy for the
      treatment of brain metastases. Cancer 2018;124:167-75. (c) 2017 American Cancer
      Society.

PMID- 28902401
TI  - Variation in the use of active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study assessed the use of active surveillance in men with low
      risk prostate cancer and evaluated institutional factors associated with the
      receipt of active surveillance. METHODS: A retrospective, hospital-based cohort
      of 115,208 men with low-risk prostate cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 was
      used. Multivariate and mixed effects models were used to examine variation and
      factors associated with active surveillance. RESULTS: During the study period,
      the use of active surveillance increased from 6.8% in 2010 to 19.9% in 2014
      (estimated annual percentage change, +28.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], +
      19.6% to + 38.7%; P = .002). The adjusted probability of active-surveillance
      receipt by institution was highly variable. Compared with patients treated at
      comprehensive community cancer centers, patients treated at community cancer
      programs (odds ratio [OR], 2.00; 95% CI, 1.50-2.67; P < .001) and academic
      institutions (OR, 2.47; 95%, CI, 1.81-3.37; P < .001) had higher odds of
      receiving active surveillance. Compared with patients treated at very low-volume
      facilities, patients treated at very high-volume facilities had higher odds of
      receiving active surveillance (OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 1.94-6.55; P < .001). Patient
      and hospital characteristics accounted for 60.2% of the overall variation,
      whereas the treating institution accounted for 91.5% of the unexplained
      variability. CONCLUSIONS: Within this hospital-based cohort, the use of active
      surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer increased significantly over time.
      Significant variation was found in the use of active surveillance. Most of the
      variation was attributable to facility-related factors such as the facility type,
      facility volume, and institution. Policies to achieve consistent and higher rates
      of active surveillance, when appropriate, should be a priority of professional
      societies and patient advocacy groups. Cancer 2018;124:55-64. (c) 2017 American
      Cancer Society.

PMID- 28902403
TI  - S-nitrosylation/denitrosylation as a regulatory mechanism of salt stress sensing
      in sunflower seedlings.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) and various reactive nitrogen species produced in cells in
      normal growth conditions, and their enhanced production under stress conditions
      are responsible for a variety of biochemical aberrations. The present findings
      demonstrate that sunflower seedling roots exhibit high sensitivity to salt stress
      in terms of nitrite accumulation. A significant reduction in S-nitrosoglutathione
      reductase (GSNOR) activity is evident in response to salt stress. Restoration of
      GSNOR activity with dithioerythritol shows that the enzyme is reversibly
      inhibited under conditions of 120 mM NaCl. Salt stress-mediated S-nitrosylation
      of cytosolic proteins was analyzed in roots and cotyledons using biotin-switch
      assay. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed opposite patterns of S-nitrosylation in
      seedling cotyledons and roots. Salt stress enhances S-nitrosylation of proteins
      in cotyledons, whereas roots exhibit denitrosylation of proteins. Highest number
      of proteins having undergone S-nitrosylation belonged to the category of
      carbohydrate metabolism followed by other metabolic proteins. Of the total 61
      proteins observed to be regulated by S-nitrosylation, 17 are unique to
      cotyledons, 4 are unique to roots whereas 40 are common to both. Eighteen S
      nitrosylated proteins are being reported for the first time in plant systems,
      including pectinesterase, phospholipase d-alpha and calmodulin. Further
      physiological analysis of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and
      monodehydroascorbate reductase showed that salt stress leads to a reversible
      inhibition of both these enzymes in cotyledons. However, seedling roots exhibit
      enhanced enzyme activity under salinity stress. These observations implicate the
      role of S-nitrosylation and denitrosylation in NO signaling thereby regulating
      various enzyme activities under salinity stress in sunflower seedlings.

PMID- 28902404
TI  - Quality of life after surgery for intracranial meningioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To the authors' knowledge, limited data exist regarding long-term
      quality of life (QOL) for patients diagnosed with intracranial meningioma.
      METHODS: The data in the current study concerned 1722 meningioma cases diagnosed
      among residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Texas, and North
      Carolina from May 1, 2006 through March 14, 2013, and 1622 controls who were
      frequency matched to the cases by age, sex, and geography. These individuals were
      participants in a large, population-based, case-control study. Telephone
      interviews were used to collect data regarding QOL at the time of initial
      diagnosis or contact, using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 Health
      Survey. QOL outcomes were compared by case/control status. RESULTS: Patients
      diagnosed with meningioma reported levels of physical, emotional, and mental
      health functioning below those reported in a general healthy population. Case
      participants and controls differed most significantly with regard to the domains
      of Physical and Social Functioning, Role-Physical, Role-Emotional, and Vitality.
      CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, patients with meningioma experienced
      statistically significant decreases in QOL compared with healthy controls of a
      similar demographic breakdown, although these differences were found to vary in
      clinical significance. Cancer 2018;124:161-6. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28902405
TI  - Preparation and characterization of Dendrobium officinale powders through
      superfine grinding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dendrobium officinale has been used in China for several thousand
      years as a health food and has become one of the most expensive tea materials
      worldwide as a result of extremely scarce resources in the wild and an increasing
      demand. Hence, it is very important to improve the depth and width of its
      application. In the present study, the physico-chemical, surface chemistry and
      thermal properties of micron range particles and coarse particles prepared by
      superfine grinding and shear pulverization were investigated. RESULTS: As the
      particle size decreased, the specific surface area of D. officinale powders
      increased significantly. Microscopy observations confirmed that superfine
      grinding effectively changed the original structure of D. officinale. The Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy spectra depicted the characteristic bands shifted
      in terms of absorbance and/or wave number as the powder particle size decreased.
      The crystallinity and intensity of the crystal peaks of D. officinale powders
      increased as the particle size decreased. Moisture sorption isotherms suggested
      that superfine powders were more unstable as a result of the increase in surface
      area, as well as the exposure of polar groups. CONCLUSION: The results of the
      present study suggest that superfine grinding may provide new methods of
      processing for D. officinale with respect to further enhancement of its
      application value. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28902406
TI  - Genetic and epigenetic insights into uveal melanoma.
AB  - Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most frequent primary intraocular tumor in Caucasian
      adults and is potentially fatal if metastases develop. While several prognostic
      genetic changes have been identified in UM, epigenetic influences are now getting
      closer attention. Recent technological advances have allowed to exam the human
      genome to a greater extent and have improved our understanding of several
      diseases including malignant tumors. In this context, there has been tremendous
      progress in the field of UM pathogenesis. Herein, we review the literature with
      emphasis on genetic alterations, epigenetic modifications and signaling pathways
      as well as possible biomarkers in UM. In addition, different research models for
      UM are discussed. New insights and major challenges are outlined in order to
      evaluate the current status for this potentially devastating disease.

PMID- 28902407
TI  - TRPC6 expression in neurons is differentially regulated by NR2A- and NR2B
      containing NMDA receptors.
AB  - The expression of transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6) in central
      nervous system (CNS) is important for neuronal functions and certain neural
      disorders. However, the regulatory mechanism of TRPC6 expression in neurons is
      still obscure. In this study, we show that TRPC6 expression in the primary
      cultured cortical neurons is bidirectionally regulated by glutamate. Activation
      of NR2A-containing NMDARs induces TRPC6 transcription through a calcineurin
      dependent pathway. In contrast, activation of NR2B-containing NMDARs causes TRPC6
      degradation through calpain. Thus, TRPC6 expression in neurons is regulated by
      glutamate in a bidirectional manner that is dependent on NR2A and NR2B.

PMID- 28902408
TI  - Inhibition of influenza virus replication by adlay tea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study was conducted aiming to examine the antiviral
      activity of adlay tea and its components against influenza viruses. We further
      aimed to clarify the mechanism by which these components regulate virus
      replication. RESULTS: Adlay tea at a concentration suitable for drinking
      inhibited the multiplication of influenza viruses. Moreover, our results suggest
      that individual components of the tea had antiviral activities against the
      influenza A/PR/8/34 virus. Adlay tea inhibited multiplication of the H1N1, H3N2
      and B types of influenza virus, including oseltamivir-resistant viruses. In
      addition, adlay tea inhibited influenza infection during the periods of virus
      adsorption to the cell and virus replication. Adlay tea did not suppress
      hemagglutination inhibition or cell fusion, although it slightly inhibited virus
      binding to Malin Darby canine kidney cells. Furthermore, our findings suggest
      that the antiviral compounds included in adlay tea were ingredients other than
      polyphenols and that there were several types of effective compounds in adlay tea
      inhibiting several steps of viral replication. CONCLUSION: The results of the
      present study demonstrate that adlay tea had antiviral effects against influenza
      viruses. Our findings with respect to adlay tea suggest that the polyphenols
      might have a small influence on its antiviral activity and that other ingredients
      might have more influence. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28902409
TI  - Binswanger's disease: biomarkers in the inflammatory form of vascular cognitive
      impairment and dementia.
AB  - Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) is a major public health
      concern because of the increased incidence of vascular disease in the aging
      population and the impact of vascular disease on Alzheimer's disease. VCID is a
      heterogeneous group of diseases for which there are no proven treatments.
      Biomarkers can be used to select more homogeneous populations. Small vessel
      disease is the most prevalent form of VCID and is the optimal form for treatment
      trials because there is a progressive course with characteristic pathological
      changes. Subcortical ischemic vascular disease of the Binswanger type (SIVD-BD)
      has a characteristic set of features that can be used both to identify patients
      and to follow treatment. SIVD-BD patients have clinical, neuropsychological,
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and imaging features that can be used as biomarkers. No
      one feature is diagnostic, but a multimodal approach defines the SIVD-BD spectrum
      disorder. The most important features are large white matter lesions with axonal
      damage, blood-brain barrier disruption as shown by magnetic resonance imaging and
      CSF, and neuropsychological evidence of executive dysfunction. We have used these
      features to create a Binswanger Disease Scale and a probability of SIVD-BD, using
      a machine-learning algorithm. The patients discussed in this review are derived
      from published studies. Biomarkers not only aid in early diagnosis before the
      disease process has progressed too far for treatment, but also can indicate
      response to treatment. Refining the use of biomarkers will allow dementia
      treatment to enter the era of precision medicine. This article is part of the
      Special Issue "Vascular Dementia".

PMID- 28902410
TI  - Monascus-fermented red mold dioscorea protects mice against alcohol-induced liver
      injury, whereas its metabolites ankaflavin and monascin regulate ethanol-induced
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma and sterol regulatory element
      binding transcription factor-1 expression in HepG2 cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcoholic hepatitis is a necroinflammatory process that is associated
      with fibrosis and leads to cirrhosis in 40% of cases. The hepatoprotective
      effects of red mold dioscorea (RMD) from Monascus purpureus NTU 568 were
      evaluated in vivo using a mouse model of chronic alcohol-induced liver disease
      (ALD). RESULTS: ALD mice were orally administered vehicle (ALD group) or vehicle
      plus 307.5, 615.0 or 1537.5 mg kg-1 (1 *, 2 * and 5 *) RMD for 5 weeks. RMD
      lowered serum leptin, hepatic total cholesterol, free fatty acid and hepatic
      triglyceride levels and increased serum adiponectin, hepatic alcohol
      dehydrogenase and antioxidant enzyme levels. Furthermore, ankaflavin (AK) and
      monascin (MS), metabolites of RMD fermented with M. purpureus 568, induced
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma expression and the concomitant
      suppression of ethanol-induced elevation of sterol regulatory element-binding
      transcription factor-1 and TG in HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION: These results indicate
      the hepatoprotective effect of Monascus-fermented RMD. Moreover, AK and MS were
      identified as the active constituents of RMD for the first time and were shown to
      protect against ethanol-induced liver damage. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical
      Industry.

PMID- 28902411
TI  - Functional changes in the neural retina occur in the absence of mitochondrial
      dysfunction in a rodent model of diabetic retinopathy.
AB  - Diabetic retinopathy is a neurovascular diabetes complication resulting in vision
      loss. A wealth of literature reports retinal molecular changes indicative of
      neural deficits, inflammation, and vascular leakage with chronic diabetes, but
      the mechanistic causes of disease initiation and progression are unknown.
      Microvascular mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage leading to mitochondrial
      dysfunction has been proposed to drive vascular dysfunction in retinopathy.
      However, growing evidence suggests that neural retina dysfunction precedes and
      may cause vascular damage. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that neural mtDNA
      damage and mitochondrial dysfunction are an early initiating factor of neural
      diabetic retinopathy development in a rat streptozotocin-induced, Type I diabetes
      model. Mitochondrial function (oxygen consumption rates) was quantified in
      retinal synaptic terminals from diabetic and non-diabetic rats with paired
      retinal structural and function assessment (optical coherence tomography and
      electroretinography, respectively). Mitochondrial genome damage was assessed by
      identifying mutations and deletions across the mtDNA genome by high depth
      sequencing and absolute mtDNA copy number counting through digital PCR.
      Mitochondrial protein expression was assessed by targeted mass spectrometry.
      Retinal functional deficits and neural anatomical changes were present after 3
      months of diabetes and prevented/normalized by insulin treatment. No marked
      dysfunction of mitochondrial activity, maladaptive changes in mitochondrial
      protein expression, alterations in mtDNA copy number, or increase in mtDNA damage
      was observed in conjunction with retinal functional and anatomical changes. These
      results demonstrate that neural retinal dysfunction with diabetes begins prior to
      mtDNA damage and dysfunction, and therefore retinal neurodegeneration initiation
      with diabetes occurs through other, non-mitochondrial DNA damage, mechanisms.

PMID- 28902413
TI  - Frequent genes in rare diseases: panel-based next generation sequencing to
      disclose causal mutations in hereditary neuropathies.
AB  - Hereditary neuropathies comprise a wide variety of chronic diseases associated to
      more than 80 genes identified to date. We herein examined 612 index patients with
      either a Charcot-Marie-Tooth phenotype, hereditary sensory neuropathy, familial
      amyloid neuropathy, or small fiber neuropathy using a customized multigene panel
      based on the next generation sequencing technique. In 121 cases (19.8%), we
      identified at least one putative pathogenic mutation. Of these, 54.4% showed an
      autosomal dominant, 33.9% an autosomal recessive, and 11.6% an X-linked
      inheritance. The most frequently affected genes were PMP22 (16.4%), GJB1 (10.7%),
      MPZ, and SH3TC2 (both 9.9%), and MFN2 (8.3%). We further detected likely or known
      pathogenic variants in HINT1, HSPB1, NEFL, PRX, IGHMBP2, NDRG1, TTR, EGR2, FIG4,
      GDAP1, LMNA, LRSAM1, POLG, TRPV4, AARS, BIC2, DHTKD1, FGD4, HK1, INF2, KIF5A,
      PDK3, REEP1, SBF1, SBF2, SCN9A, and SPTLC2 with a declining frequency. Thirty
      four novel variants were considered likely pathogenic not having previously been
      described in association with any disorder in the literature. In one patient, two
      homozygous mutations in HK1 were detected in the multigene panel, but not by
      whole exome sequencing. A novel missense mutation in KIF5A was considered
      pathogenic because of the highly compatible phenotype. In one patient, the plasma
      sphingolipid profile could functionally prove the pathogenicity of a mutation in
      SPTLC2. One pathogenic mutation in MPZ was identified after being previously
      missed by Sanger sequencing. We conclude that panel based next generation
      sequencing is a useful, time- and cost-effective approach to assist clinicians in
      identifying the correct diagnosis and enable causative treatment considerations.

PMID- 28902414
TI  - Genome-wide identification, classification and expression analysis of the serine
      carboxypeptidase-like protein family in poplar.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that the serine carboxypeptidase-like (SCPL) proteins
      in several plants play a key part in plant growth, development and stress
      responses. However, little is known about the functions of the SCPL genes in
      poplar. We identified 57 SCPL genes and divided into 3 subfamilies, which were
      unevenly distributed on 19 poplar chromosomes. Gene structure indicated that SCPL
      genes contain more introns, and motifs of each subfamily were relatively
      conserved. There were a total of 14 pairs of paralogs, with 6 pairs of these
      paralogs generated by segmental duplication and 1 generated by tandem
      duplication. In microsynteny analysis, large-scale duplication events played a
      key part in the expansion of Carboxypeptidase III genes. Expression of these
      genes was higher in mature leaf. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that majority
      of the SCPL genes were induced by methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment. PtSCPL27 and
      PtSCPL40 were located on the cytomembrane by conducting subcellular localization
      analysis. Our paper provides a theoretical basis for further functional research
      of PtSCPL genes and will benefit the molecular breeding for resistance to disease
      in poplar.

PMID- 28902415
TI  - Surgical treatment of peri-implantitis: Prognostic indicators of short-term
      results.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the clinical and radiographic short-term (6 months) effect of
      surgical treatment of peri-implantitis, and to identify prognostic indicators
      affecting the outcome using a multilevel statistical model. MATERIALS & METHODS:
      A total of 143 implants (45 patients) with a diagnosis of progressive peri
      implantitis (progressive bone loss (PBL) >=2.0 mm and bleeding on probing
      (BoP)/suppuration) received surgical treatment. Clinical and radiographic
      parameters were assessed 6 months postoperatively. Potential prognostic
      indicators on subject, implant and site level prior to surgery were analysed to
      evaluate the effect on individual and composite outcomes using multilevel
      logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: At the 6-month evaluation, none of the
      implants demonstrated PBL and 14% of the implants were registered with the
      absence of bleeding and no pocket probing depth >=6 mm. Multilevel regression
      analysis identified, among others, suppuration, pocket probing depth >8 mm, bone
      loss >7 mm and the presence of plaque as criteria associated with the outcome.
      CONCLUSION: Resective peri-implantitis surgery seemed to reduce the amount of
      peri-implant inflammation. However, most of the sites continued to have
      BoP/suppuration. Thus, long-term maintenance and evaluation is warranted. The
      effect of treatment was reduced by some prognostic indicators such as the
      presence of suppuration prior to interception and peri-implant bone loss
      exceeding 7 mm.

PMID- 28902412
TI  - Interventions for treating tuberculous pericarditis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculous pericarditis can impair the heart's function and cause
      death; long term, it can cause the membrane to fibrose and constrict causing
      heart failure. In addition to antituberculous chemotherapy, treatments include
      corticosteroids, drainage, and surgery. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of
      treatments for tuberculous pericarditis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane
      Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register (27 March 2017); the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), published in the Cochrane
      Library (2017, Issue 2); MEDLINE (1966 to 27 March 2017); Embase (1974 to 27
      March 2017); and LILACS (1982 to 27 March 2017). In addition we searched the
      metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) and the World Health Organization (WHO)
      International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) search portal using
      'tuberculosis' and 'pericard*' as search terms on 27 March 2017. We searched
      ClinicalTrials.gov and contacted researchers in the field of tuberculous
      pericarditis. This is a new version of the original 2002 review. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened search
      outputs, evaluated study eligibility, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data;
      and we resolved any discrepancies by discussion and consensus. One trial assessed
      the effects of both corticosteroid and Mycobacterium indicus pranii treatment in
      a two-by-two factorial design; we excluded data from the group that received both
      interventions. We conducted fixed-effect meta-analysis and assessed the certainty
      of the evidence using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: Seven trials met the
      inclusion criteria; all were from sub-Saharan Africa and included 1959
      participants, with 1051/1959 (54%) HIV-positive. All trials evaluated
      corticosteroids and one each evaluated colchicine, M. indicus pranii
      immunotherapy, and open surgical drainage. Four trials (1841 participants) were
      at low risk of bias, and three trials (118 participants) were at high risk of
      bias.In people who are not infected with HIV, corticosteroids may reduce deaths
      from all causes (risk ratio (RR) 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59 to 1.09;
      660 participants, 4 trials, low certainty evidence) and the need for repeat
      pericardiocentesis (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.04; 492 participants, 2 trials, low
      certainty evidence). Corticosteroids probably reduce deaths from pericarditis (RR
      0.39, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.80; 660 participants, 4 trials, moderate certainty
      evidence). However, we do not know whether or not corticosteroids have an effect
      on constriction or cancer among HIV-negative people (very low certainty
      evidence).In people living with HIV, only 19.9% (203/1959) were on antiretroviral
      drugs. Corticosteroids may reduce constriction (RR 0.55, 0.26 to 1.16; 575
      participants, 3 trials, low certainty evidence). It is uncertain whether
      corticosteroids have an effect on all-cause death or cancer (very low certainty
      evidence); and may have little or no effect on repeat pericardiocentesis (RR
      1.02, 0.89 to 1.18; 517 participants, 2 trials, low certainty evidence).For
      colchicine among people living with HIV, we found one small trial (33
      participants) which had insufficient data to make any conclusions about any
      effects on death or constrictive pericarditis.Irrespective of HIV status, due to
      very low certainty evidence from one trial, it is uncertain whether adding M.
      indicus pranii immunotherapy to antituberculous drugs has an effect on any
      outcome.Open surgical drainage for effusion may reduce repeat pericardiocentesis
      In HIV-negative people (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.76; 122 participants, 1 trial,
      low certainty evidence) but may make little or no difference to other outcomes.
      We did not find an eligible trial that assessed the effects of open surgical
      drainage in people living with HIV.The review authors found no eligible trials
      that examined the length of antituberculous treatment needed nor the effects of
      other adjunctive treatments for tuberculous pericarditis. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
      For HIV-negative patients, corticosteroids may reduce death. For HIV-positive
      patients not on antiretroviral drugs, corticosteroids may reduce constriction.
      For HIV-positive patients with good antiretroviral drug viral suppression,
      clinicians may consider the results from HIV-negative patients more
      relevant.Further research may help evaluate percutaneous drainage of the
      pericardium under local anaesthesia, the timing of pericardiectomy in tuberculous
      constrictive pericarditis, and new antibiotic regimens.

PMID- 28902416
TI  - Ross D. Crosby: Scholar, teacher, mentor, and friend. Introducing a virtual issue
      honoring the contributions of Ross D. Crosby to the field of eating disorders.

PMID- 28902417
TI  - Genetic variants related to disease susceptibility and immunotolerance in the
      Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC, Fy) gene in the black lion tamarin
      (Leontopithecus chrysopygus, primates).
AB  - The DARC (Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines) gene encodes the DARC protein,
      which serves multiple roles in the immune system, as a binding site for the
      malarial parasites Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi, a promiscuous
      chemokine receptor and a blood group antigen. Variation in DARC may play
      particularly significant roles in innate immunity, immunotolerance and pathogen
      entry in callitrichines, such as the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus
      chrysopygus). We compared amino acid sequences of DARC in the black lion tamarin
      (BLT) to non-human Haplorhine primates and Homo sapiens. Consistent with prior
      studies in other Haplorhines, we observed that the chemokine receptor experiences
      two opposing selection forces: (1) positive selection on the Plasmodium binding
      site and (2) purifying selection. We observed also that D21N, F22L, and V25L
      differentiated BLT from humans at a critical site for P. vivax and P. knowlesi
      binding. One amino acid residue, F22L, was subject to both positive selection and
      fixation in New World monkeys, suggesting a beneficial role as an adaptive
      barrier to Plasmodium entry. Unlike in humans, we observed no variation in DARC
      among BLTs, suggesting that the protein does not play a role in immunotolerance.
      In addition, lion tamarins differed from humans at the blood compatibility Fya
      /Fyb antigen-binding site 44, as well as at the putative destabilizing residues
      A61, T68, A187, and L215, further supporting a difference in the functional role
      of DARC in these primates compared with humans. Further research is needed to
      determine whether changes in the Plasmodium and Fya /Fyb antigen-binding sites
      disrupt DARC function in callitrichines.

PMID- 28902418
TI  - Cloninger's Temperament and Character Dimensions of Personality and Binge
      Drinking Among College Students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Temperament and character dimensions of personality remain largely
      unexplored in young adults exhibiting binge drinking (BD) patterns. Moreover, the
      available studies do not consider gender differences and dismiss possible
      personality heterogeneity among binge drinkers. In this study, we aimed to
      compare temperament and character dimensions between young binge drinkers and age
      and sex-matched social drinkers. We further applied cluster analysis to
      investigate the potential heterogeneity of personality patterns among BD college
      students. METHODS: This study included 200 university students of 18 to 24 years
      of age, who were recruited via an invitation to take an alcohol use survey. These
      participants included 100 individuals (50 females and 50 males) with a BD
      pattern, and 100 participants (50 females and 50 males) with a social drinking
      (SD) pattern. These subjects were evaluated with regard to their use of alcohol
      and other substances, impulsiveness, sensation seeking, mood, and Cloninger's
      Temperament and Character Inventory. RESULTS: Between-group comparisons revealed
      that both male and female binge drinkers were characterized by high levels of
      novelty seeking, and low levels of persistence and self-directedness. However,
      cluster analyses within the binge drinker group revealed 2 distinct groups that
      differed between males and females. These groups shared similarities with
      Cloninger's type I (high harm-avoidance) and II (high novelty-seeking) alcoholism
      typology. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings support the subdivision of binge
      drinkers according to gender and personality dimensions. Male and female binge
      drinkers should not be considered a unitary group, but rather a population of
      individuals that encompasses at least 2 distinct personality patterns. These
      findings have major implications for prevention and treatment approaches.

PMID- 28902419
TI  - Reassessing the safety concerns of utilizing blood donations from patients with
      hemochromatosis.
AB  - Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a genetic disorder of iron metabolism that may
      lead to iron overload. Clinical penetrance is low, however those afflicted may
      develop cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, diabetes mellitus, and
      cardiomyopathy. Treatment of HH involves regular phlebotomy to reduce the
      systemic iron burden. In many countries-including the United States-numerous
      blood centers do not accept donated blood obtained from HH patients during
      therapeutic phlebotomy and there are inconsistent positions regarding this
      globally. This refusal of blood is borne out of a few concerns. First, there is a
      theoretical increase in the infectious risk of these blood products, particularly
      by siderophilic organisms such as Yersinia enterocolitica. Second, given the
      increased incidence of hepatitis C infection from nonvoluntary donors in the
      1970s, there is a concern that blood units from HH donors may harbor additional
      risk given the nonvoluntary nature of their presentation. In this review, we
      examine the existing biological and clinical data concerning infectious risk and
      summarize clinical experience from centers allowing HH donors, and demonstrate
      that blood from HH patients is safe and should be allowed into the donor pool. We
      conclude that there is no convincing evidence to exclude this population from
      serving as blood donors. (Hepatology 2018;67:1150-1157).

PMID- 28902420
TI  - One-piece zirconia oral implants for single-tooth replacement: Three-year results
      from a long-term prospective cohort study.
AB  - AIM: This 3-year report of a prospective long-term cohort investigation aimed to
      evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a one-piece zirconia oral
      implant for single-tooth replacement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients
      received a 1-stage implant surgery with immediate temporization. Standardized
      radiographs were taken at implant insertion, after 1 year, and after 3 years to
      monitor peri-implant bone levels. A univariate analysis of the association of
      different baseline parameters on marginal bone loss from implant insertion to 36
      months was performed. Soft-tissue parameters were evaluated at prosthesis
      insertion, after 6 months, after 1 year, and at the 3-year follow-up. RESULTS:
      After 3 years, six posterior site implants were lost, giving a cumulative
      survival rate of 90.8%. The mean marginal bone loss was 1.45 mm; 35% of the
      implants lost at least 2 mm bone, and 22% more than 3 mm. The univariate analysis
      did not identify any parameter associated with marginal bone loss. Probing depth,
      clinical attachment level, and bleeding index increased over 3 years, and plaque
      index decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The low survival rate of the presented ceramic
      implant and especially the high frequency of advanced bone loss are noticeable
      but remain unexplained.

PMID- 28902421
TI  - The impact of white matter fiber orientation in single-acquisition quantitative
      susceptibility mapping.
AB  - The aim of this work was to assess the impact of tissue structural orientation on
      quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) reliability, and to provide a criterion
      to identify voxels in which measures of magnetic susceptibility (chi) are most
      affected by spatial orientation effects. Four healthy volunteers underwent 7-T
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Multi-echo, gradient-echo sequences were used
      to obtain quantitative maps of frequency shift (FS) and chi. Information from
      diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to investigate the relationship between
      tissue orientation and FS measures and QSM. After sorting voxels on the basis of
      their fractional anisotropy (FA), the variations in FS and chi values over tissue
      orientation were measured. Using a K-means clustering algorithm, voxels were
      separated into two groups depending on the variability of measures within each FA
      interval. The consistency of FS and QSM values, observed at low FA, was disrupted
      for FA > 0.6. The standard deviation of chi measured at high FA (0.0103 ppm) was
      nearly five times that at low FA (0.0022 ppm). This result was consistent through
      data across different head positions and for different brain regions considered
      separately, which confirmed that such behavior does not depend on structures with
      different bulk susceptibility oriented along particular angles. The reliability
      of single-orientation QSM anticorrelates with local FA. QSM provides replicable
      values with little variability in brain regions with FA < 0.6, but QSM should be
      interpreted cautiously in major and coherent fiber bundles, which are strongly
      affected by structural anisotropy and magnetic susceptibility anisotropy.

PMID- 28902422
TI  - Transplantation of Noncultured Stromal Vascular Fraction Cells of Adipose Tissue
      Ameliorates Osteonecrosis of the Jaw-Like Lesions in Mice.
AB  - The precise pathoetiology and effective treatment strategies for bisphosphonate
      related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) remain unknown. Transplantation of
      noncultured stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells has been shown to be a useful
      method for regenerative medicine in place of stem cell therapy. This study
      investigated the effects of noncultured SVF transplantation on tooth extraction
      socket healing in mice. Both chemotherapeutic/bisphosphonate combination therapy
      for 7 weeks and tooth extraction of maxillary first molars at 3 weeks after drug
      administration were performed using female C57BL/6J mice. Osseous and soft tissue
      wound healing were validated at 4 weeks postextraction using gross wound healing
      and histomorphometry. Here, we created a new animal model of high-prevalence ONJ
      like lesions that mimic human progression, because human ONJ mainly occurs in
      female patients taking both chemotherapeutic and bisphosphonate following tooth
      extraction. Moreover, mice with chemotherapeutic and bisphosphonate combination
      therapy for 5 weeks received SVF transplantation just after tooth extraction at 3
      weeks post-drug administration. Euthanasia was performed at 2 weeks
      postextraction to assess the transplantation effects on wound healing using gross
      wound healing, histomorphometry, immunohistomorphometry, quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction, and microcomputed tomography. We showed that systemic
      transplantation of noncultured SVF cells ameliorates ONJ-like lesions by
      improving both osseous and soft tissue healing of tooth extraction sockets. SVF
      therapy significantly increased blood vessels and the ratio of M2/M1 macrophages.
      In addition, SVF transplantation reduced the increases in tartrate-resistant acid
      phosphatase-positive (TRAP+ ) mononuclear cells (MNCs) and nonattached
      osteoclasts from the bone surface, which were significantly detected in the
      connective tissue of tooth extraction sockets and bone marrow by
      chemotherapeutic/bisphosphonate combination therapy. Our findings suggest that
      transplantation of noncultured SVF cells is a suitable treatment for BRONJ.
      Abnormal TRAP+ MNCs and nonattached osteoclasts in systemic and local
      environments may contribute to the development of BRONJ. (c) 2017 American
      Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

PMID- 28902423
TI  - Partitioning k-space for cylindrical three-dimensional rapid acquisition with
      relaxation enhancement imaging in the mouse brain.
AB  - Three-dimensional rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) scans
      require the assignment of each phase encode step in two dimensions to an echo in
      the echo train. Although this assignment is frequently made across the entire
      Cartesian grid, collection of only the central cylinder of k-space by eliminating
      the corners in each phase encode dimension reduces the scan time by ~22% with
      negligible impact on image quality. The recipe for the assignment of echoes to
      grid points for such an acquisition is less straightforward than for the simple
      full Cartesian acquisition case, and has important implications for image
      quality. We explored several methods of partitioning k-space-exploiting angular
      symmetry in one extreme or emulating a cropped Cartesian acquisition in the other
      and acquired three-dimensional RARE magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the
      ex vivo mouse brain. We evaluated each partitioning method for sensitivity to
      artifacts and then further considered strategies to minimize these through
      averaging or interleaving of echoes and by empirical phase correction. All scans
      were collected 16 at a time with multiple-mouse MRI. Although all schemes
      considered could be used to generate images, the results indicate that the
      emulation of a standard Cartesian echo assignment, by partitioning preferentially
      along one dimension within the cylinder, is more robust to artifacts. Samples at
      the periphery of the bore showed larger phase deviations and higher sensitivity
      to artifacts, but images of good quality could still be obtained with an
      optimized acquisition protocol. A protocol for high-resolution (40 MUm) ex vivo
      images using this approach is presented, and has been used routinely with a
      success rate of 99% in over 1000 images.

PMID- 28902424
TI  - Anatomy and evolution of database search engines-a central component of mass
      spectrometry based proteomic workflows.
AB  - Sequence database search engines are bioinformatics algorithms that identify
      peptides from tandem mass spectra using a reference protein sequence database.
      Two decades of development, notably driven by advances in mass spectrometry, have
      provided scientists with more than 30 published search engines, each with its own
      properties. In this review, we present the common paradigm behind the different
      implementations, and its limitations for modern mass spectrometry datasets. We
      also detail how the search engines attempt to alleviate these limitations, and
      provide an overview of the different software frameworks available to the
      researcher. Finally, we highlight alternative approaches for the identification
      of proteomic mass spectrometry datasets, either as a replacement for, or as a
      complement to, sequence database search engines.

PMID- 28902425
TI  - Efficient Catalytic Microreactors with Atomic-Layer-Deposited Platinum
      Nanoparticles on Oxide Support.
AB  - Microreactors attract a significant interest for chemical synthesis due to the
      benefits of small scales such as high surface to volume ratio, rapid thermal
      ramping, and well-understood laminar flows. The suitability of atomic layer
      deposition for application of both the nanoparticle catalyst and the support
      material on the surfaces of channels of microfabricated silicon microreactors is
      demonstrated in this research. Continuous-flow hydrogenation of propene into
      propane at low temperatures with TiO2 -supported catalytic Pt nanoparticles was
      used as a model reaction. Reaction yield and mass transport were monitored by
      high-sensitivity microcoil NMR spectroscopy as well as time-of-flight remote
      detection NMR imaging. The microreactors were shown to be very efficient in
      propene conversion into propane. The yield of 100 % was achieved at 50  degrees C
      with a reactor decorated with Pt nanoparticles of average size of roughly 1 nm
      and surface coverage of 3.2 % in 20 mm long reaction channels with a residence
      time of 1100 ms. The activity of the Pt catalyst surfaces was on the order of
      several to tens of mmol s-1  m-2 .

PMID- 28902426
TI  - Surgical treatment of peri-implantitis: 3-year results from a randomized
      controlled clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study reports on the 3-year follow-up of patients enrolled in a
      randomized controlled clinical trial on surgical treatment of advanced peri
      implantitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients with advanced peri
      implantitis were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Surgical
      therapy aiming at pocket elimination was performed and, in three test groups,
      supplemented by either systemic antibiotics, use of an antiseptic agent for
      implant surface decontamination or both. Outcomes were evaluated after 1 and 3
      years by means of clinical and radiological examinations. Differences between
      groups were explored by regression analysis. RESULTS: Clinical examinations at 3
      years after treatment revealed (i) improved peri-implant soft tissue health with
      a mean reduction in probing depth of 2.7 mm and a reduction in
      bleeding/suppuration on probing of 40% and (ii) stable peri-implant marginal bone
      levels (mean bone loss during follow-up: 0.04 mm). Implant surface
      characteristics had a significant impact on 3-year outcomes, in favour of
      implants with non-modified surfaces. Benefits of systemic antibiotics were
      limited to implants with modified surfaces and to the first year of follow-up.
      CONCLUSION: It is suggested that surgical treatment of peri-implantitis is
      effective and that outcomes of therapy are affected by implant surface
      characteristics. Potential benefits of systemic antibiotics are not sustained
      over 3 years.

PMID- 28902427
TI  - NLRP3 inflammasome driven liver injury and fibrosis: Roles of IL-17 and TNF in
      mice.
AB  - : The NLRP3 inflammasome, a caspase-1 activation platform, plays a key role in
      the modulation of liver inflammation and fibrosis. Here, we tested the hypothesis
      that interleukin 17 (IL-17) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are key cytokines
      involved in amplifying and perpetuating the liver damage and fibrosis resulting
      from NLRP3 activation. To address this hypothesis, gain-of-function Nlrp3A350V
      knock-in mice were bred onto il17a and Tnf knockout backgrounds allowing for
      constitutive Nlrp3 activation in myeloid derived cells in mice deficient in IL-17
      or TNF. Livers of Nlrp3A350V knock-in mice exhibited severe liver inflammatory
      changes characterized by infiltration with neutrophils, increased expression of
      chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL) 1 and CXCL2 chemokines, activated
      inflammatory macrophages, and elevated levels of IL-17 and TNF. Mutants with
      ablation of il17a signal showed fewer neutrophils when compared to intact
      Nlrp3A350V mutants, but still significant inflammatory changes when compared to
      the nonmutant il17a knockout littermates. The severe inflammatory changes
      associated with mutant Nlrp3 were almost completely rescued by Tnf knockout in
      association with a marked decrease in circulating IL-1beta levels. Intact
      Nlrp3A350V mutants showed changes in liver fibrosis, as evidenced by morphometric
      quantitation of Sirius Red staining and increased mRNA levels of profibrotic
      genes, including connective tissue growth factor and tissue inhibitor of matrix
      metalloproteinase 1. Il17a lacking mutants exhibited amelioration of the
      aforementioned fibrosis, whereas Tnf-deficient mutants showed no signs of
      fibrosis when compared to littermate controls. CONCLUSION: Our study uncovers key
      roles for TNF and, to a lesser extent, IL-17 as mediators of liver inflammation
      and fibrosis induced by constitutive NLRP3 inflammasome activation in myeloid
      derived cells. These findings may lead to therapeutic strategies aimed at halting
      the progression of liver injury and fibrogenesis in various liver pathogeneses
      driven by NLRP3 activation. (Hepatology 2017).

PMID- 28902428
TI  - Nuclear lamina genetic variants, including a truncated LAP2, in twins and
      siblings with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - : Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the major chronic liver
      disease in many countries. Its pathogenesis is multifactorial, but twin and
      familial studies indicate significant heritability, which is not fully explained
      by currently known genetic susceptibility loci. Notably, mutations in genes
      encoding nuclear lamina proteins, including lamins, cause lipodystrophy syndromes
      that include NAFLD. We hypothesized that variants in lamina-associated proteins
      predispose to NAFLD and used a candidate gene-sequencing approach to test for
      variants in 10 nuclear lamina-related genes in a cohort of 37 twin and sibling
      pairs: 21 individuals with and 53 without NAFLD. Twelve heterozygous sequence
      variants were identified in four lamina-related genes (ZMPSTE24, TMPO, SREBF1,
      SREBF2). The majority of NAFLD patients (>90%) had at least one variant compared
      to <40% of controls (P < 0.0001). When only insertions/deletions and changes in
      conserved residues were considered, the difference between the groups was
      similarly striking (>80% versus <25%; P < 0.0001). Presence of a lamina variant
      segregated with NAFLD independently of the PNPLA3 I148M polymorphism. Several
      variants were found in TMPO, which encodes the lamina-associated polypeptide-2
      (LAP2) that has not been associated with liver disease. One of these, a
      frameshift insertion that generates truncated LAP2, abrogated lamin-LAP2 binding,
      caused LAP2 mislocalization, altered endogenous lamin distribution, increased
      lipid droplet accumulation after oleic acid treatment in transfected cells, and
      led to cytoplasmic association with the ubiquitin-binding protein p62/SQSTM1.
      CONCLUSION: Several variants in nuclear lamina-related genes were identified in a
      cohort of twins and siblings with NAFLD; one such variant, which results in a
      truncated LAP2 protein and a dramatic phenotype in cell culture, represents an
      association of TMPO/LAP2 variants with NAFLD and underscores the potential
      importance of the nuclear lamina in NAFLD. (Hepatology 2018;67:1710-1725).

PMID- 28902429
TI  - Chirality sensing with stereodynamic copper(I) complexes.
AB  - Three Cu(I) complexes derived from stereodynamic diphosphine ligands were
      synthesized and used for chirality sensing. The coordination of diamines and
      amino acids to these complexes generates distinct circular dichroism signals. The
      chiroptical sensor response allows determination of the absolute configuration
      and the enantiomeric excess of the analyte at low concentrations. This method is
      operationally simple, fast, and attractive for high-throughput sensing
      applications.

PMID- 28902431
TI  - Cardiovascular predictors of death in patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - : Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is associated with poor outcomes in patients with
      cirrhosis. We investigated if subclinical cardiac morphologic and functional
      modifications can influence survival in patients with cirrhosis during follow-up.
      A series of patients with cirrhosis without cardiovascular or pulmonary disease
      underwent standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography to assess left ventricular
      geometry, systolic/diastolic function, and the main haemodynamic parameters.
      After baseline evaluation 115 patients with cirrhosis were followed up for at
      least 6 years. During follow-up 54 patients died (47%). On univariate analysis,
      age, body surface area (BSA), Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD), mean
      arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance index,
      and the ratio of transmitral Doppler early filling velocity to tissue Doppler
      early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/e) were associated with increased risk
      of death. In a Cox hazard regression analysis including these factors and other
      hypothesized important factors (but not MELD), increased age (P = 0.04) and left
      atrial dimension (P = 0.005) and lower BSA (P = 0.03) were the strongest
      predictors of death. When MELD was included in the analysis, the main predictors
      were MELD, age, and BSA. When multivariate analysis was performed incorporating
      only cardiovascular parameters, increased E/e (P = 0.003) and heart rate (P =
      0.03) and reduced mean blood pressure (P = 0.01) were significantly associated
      with poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: In a large cohort of patients with cirrhosis and
      after a long follow-up, MELD, age, and BSA were the main predictors of death;
      among cardiovascular parameters, left atrium enlargement, increased heart rate
      and E/e, and reduced mean blood pressure were independent predictors of death.
      (Hepatology 2018).

PMID- 28902430
TI  - Reduced Serum IGF-1 Associated With Hepatic Osteodystrophy Is a Main Determinant
      of Low Cortical but Not Trabecular Bone Mass.
AB  - Hepatic osteodystrophy is multifactorial in its pathogenesis. Numerous studies
      have shown that impairments of the hepatic growth hormone/insulin-like growth
      factor-1 axis (GH/IGF-1) are common in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease, chronic viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and chronic cholestatic liver
      disease. Moreover, these conditions are also associated with low bone mineral
      density (BMD) and greater fracture risk, particularly in cortical bone sites.
      Hence, we addressed whether disruptions in the GH/IGF-1 axis were causally
      related to the low bone mass in states of chronic liver disease using a mouse
      model of liver-specific GH-receptor (GHR) gene deletion (Li-GHRKO). These mice
      exhibit chronic hepatic steatosis, local inflammation, and reduced BMD. We then
      employed a crossing strategy to restore liver production of IGF-1 via hepatic IGF
      1 transgene (HIT). The resultant Li-GHRKO-HIT mouse model allowed us to dissect
      the roles of liver-derived IGF-1 in the pathogenesis of osteodystrophy during
      liver disease. We found that hepatic IGF-1 restored cortical bone acquisition,
      microarchitecture, and mechanical properties during growth in Li-GHRKO-HIT mice,
      which was maintained during aging. However, trabecular bone volume was not
      restored in the Li-GHRKO-HIT mice. We found increased bone resorption indices in
      vivo as well as increased basal reactive oxygen species and increased
      mitochondrial stress in osteoblast cultures from Li-GHRKO and the Li-GHRKO-HIT
      compared with control mice. Changes in systemic markers such as inflammatory
      cytokines, osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin, or
      carboxy-terminal collagen cross-links could not fully account for the diminished
      trabecular bone in the Li-GHRKO-HIT mice. Thus, the reduced serum IGF-1
      associated with hepatic osteodystrophy is a main determinant of low cortical but
      not trabecular bone mass. (c) 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral
      Research.

PMID- 28902432
TI  - C1q/TNF-related protein 9 improves the anti-contractile effects of perivascular
      adipose tissue via the AMPK-eNOS pathway in diet-induced obese mice.
AB  - The anti-contractile property of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is abolished
      through an endothelium-dependent pathway in obesity. C1q/tumor necrosis factor
      related protein (CTRP)9 improved endothelial function by promoting endothelium
      dependent vasodilatation. The aims of this study were to investigate whether
      CTRP9 improves the anti-contractile effect of PVAT and protects against PVAT
      dysfunction in obese mice. The mice were treated with a high-fat diet with or
      without CTRP9 treatment. Thoracic aortas with or without PVAT (PVAT+ or PVAT-)
      were prepared, and concentration-dependent responses to phenylephrine were
      measured. Obese mice showed a significantly increased contractile response, which
      was suppressed by CTRP9 treatment both with and without PVAT. PVAT significantly
      reduced the anti-contractile effect in obese mice, which was partially restored
      by CTRP9 treatment. Treatment of the aortic rings (PVAT+) with inhibitors of AMP
      protein kinase (AMPK), Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)
      attenuated the beneficial effect of CTRP9 on PVAT. Similar results were observed
      when we pretreated the aortic rings with CTRP9 ex vivo. CTRP9 significantly
      enhanced the phosphorylation levels of AMPK, Akt and eNOS, and reduced superoxide
      production and TNF-alpha levels in PVAT from obese mice. Our study suggests that
      CTRP9 enhanced the anti-contractile effect of PVAT and improved PVAT function by
      activating the AMPK-eNOS pathway in obese mice.

PMID- 28902433
TI  - Curcumin alleviates IL-17A-mediated p53-PAI-1 expression in bleomycin-induced
      alveolar basal epithelial cells.
AB  - Bleomycin-mediated inflammatory pathway is known to play an important role in the
      up regulation of oxidative stress. IL-17A is a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved
      in the modulation of fibrosis. The complex underlying mechanism for the said
      phenomenon remains unclear. This newly defined investigation was designed to
      understand the changes associated with 1L-17A mediated up-regulation of p53 and
      PAI-1 expression and the role of curcumin in attenuating this process. A549 cells
      were treated with bleomycin (BLM) and IL-17A to induce the inflammatory response
      in vitro. Curcumin, a known anti-inflammatory bioactive compound was administered
      as an intervention. Cytotoxicity in the treatment groups was assessed using
      Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Cell migration was evaluated using
      scratch assay. Protein expressions were studied using Western blot analysis for
      the downstream effector molecules of IL-17A mediated inflammatory pathways. In
      MTT assay, BLM treatment showed cytotoxicty upto 88% at a concentration of 1000
      MUM after 48 h of treatment. Cell migration assay results revealed that curcumin
      blocked the migration of cells to the area of the scratch. BLM treatment to the
      cells significantly induced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17A,
      which in turn modulated p53-PAI-1 expression. Bioactive compound curcumin showed
      anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activity. Curcumin also regulated the BLM
      and IL-17A mediated changes in p53-PAI-1 expression. Curcumin has the ability to
      regulate inflammatory cytokines during BLM-induced injury and their effect on p53
      PAI-1 expression. It can be used as a potential anti-inflammatory and anti
      fibrinolytic component for intervening the epithelial cell damage.Very little
      information is provided till date on the inflammatory mechanism controlling the
      fibrinolytic system in acute lung injury (ALI). Damage to alveolar epithelial
      cells during ALI is important in the development of pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Most
      forms of ALI are characterized by defective alveolar fibrinolysis, inflammation,
      and fibrotic lesions. Recent reports show that alveolar epithelial cells express
      uPA, uPAR, and p53-mediated changes inhibit epithelial cell viability
      contributing to ALI. Thus, the roles of pulmonary epithelial cells in the
      inflammatory cascades activated after noninfectious injury, and the key signaling
      mediators of this process were actively investigated in this study. This
      investigation revealed that curcumin is an effective inhibitor of BLM-induced
      inflammation, apoptosis, and migration of basal alveolar epithelial cells. These
      results throw an insight into the possibility of developing curcumin as a novel
      therapeutic for ALI.

PMID- 28902434
TI  - Biologically active quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids part I.
AB  - Quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids, two important classes of N-based
      heterocyclic compounds, have attracted tremendous attention from researchers
      worldwide since the 19th century. Over the past 200 years, many compounds from
      these two classes were isolated from natural sources, and most of them and their
      modified analogs possess significant bioactivities. Quinine and camptothecin are
      two of the most famous and important quinoline alkaloids, and their discoveries
      opened new areas in antimalarial and anticancer drug development, respectively.
      In this review, we survey the literature on bioactive alkaloids from these two
      classes and highlight research achievements prior to the year 2008 (Part I). Over
      200 molecules with a broad range of bioactivities, including antitumor,
      antimalarial, antibacterial and antifungal, antiparasitic and insecticidal,
      antiviral, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, herbicidal, antioxidant and other
      activities, were reviewed. This survey should provide new clues or possibilities
      for the discovery of new and better drugs from the original naturally occurring
      quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids.

PMID- 28902435
TI  - Longitudinal Effects of Single Hindlimb Radiation Therapy on Bone Strength and
      Morphology at Local and Contralateral Sites.
AB  - Radiation therapy (RTx) is associated with increased risk for late-onset
      fragility fractures in bone tissue underlying the radiation field. Bone tissue
      outside the RTx field is often selected as a "normal" comparator tissue in
      clinical assessment of fragility fracture risk, but the robustness of this
      comparison is limited by an incomplete understanding of the systemic effects of
      local radiotherapy. In this study, a mouse model of limited field irradiation was
      used to quantify longitudinal changes in local (irradiated) and systemic (non
      irradiated) femurs with respect to bone density, morphology, and strength.
      BALB/cJ mice aged 12 weeks underwent unilateral hindlimb irradiation (4 * 5 Gy)
      or a sham procedure. Femurs were collected at endpoints of 4 days before
      treatment and at 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 26 weeks post-treatment. Irradiated
      (RTx), Contralateral (non-RTx), and Sham (non-RTx) femurs were imaged by micro
      computed tomography and mechanically tested in three-point bending. In both the
      RTx and Contralateral non-RTx groups, the longer-term (12- to 26-week) outcomes
      included trabecular resorption, loss of diaphyseal cortical bone, and decreased
      bending strength. Contralateral femurs generally followed an intermediate
      response compared with RTx femurs. Change also varied by anatomic compartment;
      post-RTx loss of trabecular bone was more profound in the metaphyseal than the
      epiphyseal compartment, and cortical bone thickness decreased at the mid
      diaphysis but increased at the metaphysis. These data demonstrate that changes in
      bone quantity, density, and architecture occur both locally and systemically
      after limited field irradiation and vary by anatomic compartment. Furthermore,
      the severity and persistence of systemic bone damage after limited field
      irradiation suggest selection of control tissues for assessment of fracture risk
      or changes in bone density after radiotherapy may be challenging. (c) 2017
      American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

PMID- 28902436
TI  - Neuroprotective effect of amantadine on corticosterone-induced abnormal
      glutamatergic synaptic transmission of CA3-CA1 pathway in rat's hippocampal
      slices.
AB  - Depression is a psychiatric disorder and chronic stress, leading to altered
      glucocorticoid secretion patterns, is one of the factors that induce depression.
      Our previous study showed that amantadine significantly attenuated the
      impairments of synaptic plasticity and cognitive function a rat model of CUS.
      However, little is known regarding the underlying mechanism. In the present
      study, the whole-cell patch-clamp technique was applied to examine the protection
      effect of amantadine on the hippocampus CA3-CA1 pathway. Evoked excitatory
      postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs), miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents
      (mEPSCs), paired-pulse ratio (PPR) and the action potentials of CA3 neurons were
      recorded. Our data showed that corticosterone increased the amplitude of eEPSCs
      and decreased the value of paired-pulse ratio (PPR), but both of them were
      significantly reversed by amantadine. In addition, the frequency of mEPSC was
      considerably increased by corticosterone, but it was reduced by amantadine.
      Moreover, we used the Fluo-3/AM image to detect the Ca2+ influx in primary
      cultured hippocampal neurons. The results showed that the intracellular calcium
      levels were significantly decreased by amantadine in the corticosterone treated
      neurons. Additionally, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)
      activities were reduced by corticosterone, while they were enhanced by either
      amantadine or low-calcium artificial cerebral spinal fluid (ACSF). These results
      suggest that amantadine significantly improves corticosterone-induced abnormal
      glutamatergic synaptic transmission of CA3-CA1 synapses presynaptically and
      alleviates the activities of antioxidant enzymes via regulating the calcium
      influx.

PMID- 28902438
TI  - Colony-level behavioural variation correlates with differences in expression of
      the foraging gene in red imported fire ants.
AB  - Among social insects, colony-level variation is likely to be widespread and has
      significant ecological consequences. Very few studies, however, have documented
      how genetic factors relate to behaviour at the colony level. Differences in
      expression of the foraging gene have been associated with differences in foraging
      and activity of a wide variety of organisms. We quantified expression of the red
      imported fire ant foraging gene (sifor) in workers from 21 colonies collected
      across the natural range of Texas fire ant populations, but maintained under
      standardized, environmentally controlled conditions. Colonies varied
      significantly in their behaviour. The most active colonies had up to 10 times
      more active foragers than the least active colony and more than 16 times as many
      workers outside the nest. Expression differences among colonies correlated with
      this colony-level behavioural variation. Colonies with higher sifor expression in
      foragers had, on average, significantly higher foraging activity, exploratory
      activity and recruitment to nectar than colonies with lower expression.
      Expression of sifor was also strongly correlated with worker task (foraging vs.
      working in the interior of the nest). These results provide insight into the
      genetic and physiological processes underlying collective differences in social
      behaviour. Quantifying variation in expression of the foraging gene may provide
      an important tool for understanding and predicting the ecological consequences of
      colony-level behavioural variation.

PMID- 28902437
TI  - Pyriculins A and B, two monosubstituted hex-4-ene-2,3-diols and other phytotoxic
      metabolites produced by Pyricularia grisea isolated from buffelgrass (Cenchrus
      ciliaris).
AB  - Pyricularia grisea has been identified as a foliar pathogen on buffelgrass
      (Cenchrus ciliaris) in North America and was studied as a potential source of
      phytotoxins for buffelgrass control. Two monosubstituted hex-4-ene-2,3-diols,
      named pyriculins A and B, were isolated from its culture filtrate organic extract
      together with (10S,11S)-(-)-epipyriculol, trans-3,4-dihydro-3,4,8-trihydroxy
      1(2H)-napthalenone, and (4S)-(+)-isosclerone. Pyriculins A and B were
      characterized by spectroscopic (essentially nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR],
      High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry [HRESIMS]) and chemical
      methods such as (4E)-1-(4-hydroxy-1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran-1-yl)hex-4-ene-2,3
      diols. The relative and absolute configuration of these compounds was determined
      by a combination of spectroscopic (NMR, electronic circular dichroism [ECD]) and
      computational tools. When bioassayed in a buffelgrass coleoptile and radicle
      elongation test, (10S,11S)-(-)-epipyriculol proved to be the most toxic compound.
      Seed germination was much reduced and slowed with respect to the control and
      radicles failed to elongate. All five compounds delayed germination, but only
      (10S,11S)-(-)-epipyriculol was able to prevent radicle development of buffelgrass
      seedlings. It had no effect on coleoptile elongation, while the other four
      compounds caused significantly increased coleoptile development relative to the
      control.

PMID- 28902439
TI  - Promoting mastery of complex biological mechanisms.
AB  - This article describes efforts aimed at improving comprehension and retention of
      complex molecular mechanisms commonly studied in undergraduate biology and
      biochemistry courses. The focus is on the design of appropriate assessments, an
      active classroom emphasizing formative practice, and more effective out-of-class
      study habits. Assessments that require students to articulate their understanding
      through writing are the most effective. Frequent formative practice improves
      performance on problems that require intellectual transfer, the ability to apply
      conceptual principles in novel settings. We show that success with such problems
      is a function of mastery of the intrinsic logic of the biology in play, not
      variations in the way they are written. Survey data demonstrate that many
      students would prefer a learning style not dominated by memorization of factual
      details, but how to develop a more effective strategy is rarely intuitive.
      Matching individual students with specific learning styles has not proven useful.
      Instead, teachers can strongly promote individual metacognitive appraisal during
      both classroom activities and other study environments. (c) 2017 by The
      International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(1):7-21, 2018.

PMID- 28902440
TI  - Real-Time Control of the Enantioselectivity of a Supramolecular Catalyst Allows
      Selecting the Configuration of Consecutively Formed Stereogenic Centers.
AB  - The enantiomeric state of a supramolecular copper catalyst can be switched in
      situ in ca. five seconds. The dynamic property of the catalyst is provided by the
      non-covalent nature of the helical assemblies supporting the copper centers.
      These assemblies are formed by mixing an achiral benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide
      (BTA) phosphine ligand (for copper coordination) and both enantiomers of a chiral
      phosphine-free BTA co-monomer (for chirality amplification). The
      enantioselectivity of the hydrosilylation reaction is fixed by the BTA enantiomer
      in excess, which can be altered by simple BTA addition. As a result of the
      complete and fast stereochemical switch, any combination of the enantiomers was
      obtained during the conversion of a mixture of two substrates.

PMID- 28902441
TI  - Multidimensional Correlations in Asymmetric Catalysis through Parameterization of
      Uncatalyzed Transition States.
AB  - The study of the oxidative amination of tetrahydroisoquinolines under chiral
      anion phase-transfer (CAPT) catalysis by multidimensional correlation analysis
      (MCA) is revisited. The parameterization of the transition states (TSs) for the
      uncatalyzed reaction, the introduction of conformational descriptors, and the use
      of computed interaction energies and distances as parameters allowed access to a
      considerably simplified mathematical correlation of substrate and catalyst
      structure to enantioselectivity. The equation obtained is suggestive of key
      interactions occurring at the TS. Specifically, the CAPT catalyst is proposed to
      coordinate the intermediate iminium cation by P=O???H-O hydrogen-bonding and
      N???H-C electrostatic interactions. The conformational freedom of the benzyl
      substituent of the substrate was also found to be important in providing an
      efficient mode of molecular recognition.

PMID- 28902442
TI  - Spectroscopic investigations on the conformational changes of lysozyme effected
      by different sizes of N-acetyl-l-cysteine-capped CdTe quantum dots.
AB  - The effect of N-acetyl-l-cysteine-capped CdTe quantum dots (NAC-CdTe QDs) with
      different sizes on lysozyme was investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry
      (ITC), enzyme activity assays, and multi-spectroscopic methods. ITC results
      proved that NAC-CdTe QDs can spontaneously bind with lysozyme and hydrophobic
      force plays a major role in stabilizing QDs-lysozyme complex. Multi-spectroscopic
      measurements revealed that NAC-CdTe QDs caused strong quenching of the lysozyme's
      fluorescence in a size-dependent quenching manner. Moreover, the changes of
      secondary structure and microenvironment in lysozyme caused by the NAC-CdTe QDs
      were higher with a bigger size. The results of enzyme activity assays showed that
      the interaction between lysozyme and NAC-CdTe QDs inhibited the activity of
      lysozyme and the inhibiting effect was in a size-dependent manner. Based on these
      results, we conclude that NAC-CdTe QDs with larger particle size had a larger
      impact on the structure and function of lysozyme.

PMID- 28902443
TI  - Comment on: Redo coloanal anastomosis for anastomotic leakage after low anterior
      resection for rectal cancer; an analysis of 59 cases.

PMID- 28902445
TI  - Nutrients and temperature additively increase stream microbial respiration.
AB  - Rising temperatures and nutrient enrichment are co-occurring global-change
      drivers that stimulate microbial respiration of detrital carbon, but nutrient
      effects on the temperature dependence of respiration in aquatic ecosystems remain
      uncertain. We measured respiration rates associated with leaf litter, wood, and
      fine benthic organic matter (FBOM) across seasonal temperature gradients before
      (PRE) and after (ENR1, ENR2) experimental nutrient (nitrogen [N] and phosphorus
      [P]) additions to five forest streams. Nitrogen and phosphorus were added at
      different N:P ratios using increasing concentrations of N (~80-650 MUg/L) and
      corresponding decreasing concentrations of P (~90-11 MUg/L). We assessed the
      temperature dependence, and microbial (i.e., fungal) drivers of detrital mass
      specific respiration rates using the metabolic theory of ecology, before vs.
      after nutrient enrichment, and across N and P concentrations. Detrital mass
      specific respiration rates increased with temperature, exhibiting comparable
      activation energies (E, electronvolts [eV]) for all substrates (FBOM E = 0.43
      [95% CI = 0.18-0.69] eV, leaf litter E = 0.30 [95% CI = 0.072-0.54] eV, wood E =
      0.41 [95% CI = 0.18-0.64] eV) close to predicted MTE values. There was evidence
      that temperature-driven increased respiration occurred via increased fungal
      biomass (wood) or increased fungal biomass-specific respiration (leaf litter).
      Respiration rates increased under nutrient-enriched conditions on leaves (1.32*)
      and wood (1.38*), but not FBOM. Respiration rates responded weakly to gradients
      in N or P concentrations, except for positive effects of P on wood respiration.
      The temperature dependence of respiration was comparable among years and across N
      or P concentration for all substrates. Responses of leaf litter and wood
      respiration to temperature and the combined effects of N and P were similar in
      magnitude. Our data suggest that the temperature dependence of stream microbial
      respiration is unchanged by nutrient enrichment, and that increased temperature
      and N + P availability have additive and comparable effects on microbial
      respiration rates.

PMID- 28902444
TI  - Genomewide association studies of suicide attempts in US soldiers.
AB  - Suicide is a global public health problem with particular resonance for the US
      military. Genetic risk factors for suicidality are of interest as indicators of
      susceptibility and potential targets for intervention. We utilized population
      based nonclinical cohorts of US military personnel (discovery: N = 473 cases and
      N = 9778 control subjects; replication: N = 135 cases and N = 6879 control
      subjects) and a clinical case-control sample of recent suicide attempters (N = 51
      cases and N = 112 control subjects) to conduct GWAS of suicide attempts (SA).
      Genomewide association was evaluated within each ancestral group (European-,
      African-, Latino-American) and study using logistic regression models. Meta
      analysis of the European ancestry discovery samples revealed a genomewide
      significant locus in association with SA near MRAP2 (melanocortin 2 receptor
      accessory protein 2) and CEP162 (centrosomal protein 162); 12 genomewide
      significant SNPs in the region; peak SNP rs12524136-T, OR = 2.88, p = 5.24E-10.
      These findings were not replicated in the European ancestry subsamples of the
      replication or suicide attempters samples. However, the association of the peak
      SNP remained significant in a meta-analysis of all studies and ancestral
      subgroups (OR = 2.18, 95%CI 1.70, 2.80). Polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses
      showed some association of SA with bipolar disorder. The association with SNPs
      encompassing MRAP2, a gene expressed in brain and adrenal cortex and involved in
      neural control of energy homeostasis, points to this locus as a plausible
      susceptibility gene for suicidality that should be further studied. Larger sample
      sizes will be needed to confirm and extend these findings.

PMID- 28902446
TI  - Proteomics Insights into Autophagy.
AB  - Autophagy, a conserved cellular process by which cells recycle their contents
      either to maintain basal homeostasis or in response to external stimuli, has for
      the past two decades become one of the most studied physiological processes in
      cell biology. The 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Biology awarded to Dr. Ohsumi
      Yoshinori, one of the first scientists to characterize this cellular mechanism,
      attests to its importance. The induction and consequent completion of the process
      of autophagy results in wide ranging changes to the cellular proteome as well as
      the secretome. MS-based proteomics affords the ability to measure, in an unbiased
      manner, the ubiquitous changes that occur when autophagy is initiated and
      progresses in the cell. The continuous improvements and advances in mass
      spectrometers, especially relating to ionization sources and detectors, coupled
      with advances in proteomics experimental design, has made it possible to study
      autophagy, among other process, in great detail. Innovative labeling strategies
      and protein separation techniques as well as complementary methods including
      immuno-capture/blotting/staining have been used in proteomics studies to provide
      more specific protein identification. In this review, we will discuss recent
      advances in proteomics studies focused on autophagy.

PMID- 28902447
TI  - Synthesis of monodisperse silica microspheres and modification with diazoresin
      for mixed-mode ultra high performance liquid chromatography separations.
AB  - Monodisperse silica particles with average diameters of 1.9-2.9 MUm were
      synthesized by a modified Stober method, in which tetraethyl orthosilicate was
      continuously supplied to the reaction mixture containing KCl electrolyte, water,
      ethanol, and ammonia. The obtained silica particles were modified by self
      assembly with positively charged photosensitive diazoresin on the surface. After
      treatment with ultraviolet light, the ionic bonding between silica and diazoresin
      was converted into covalent bonding through a unique photochemistry reaction of
      diazoresin. Depending on the chemical structure of diazoresin and mobile phase
      composition, the diazoresin-modified silica stationary phase showed different
      separation mechanisms, including reversed phase and hydrophilic interactions.
      Therefore, a variety of baseline separation of benzene analogues and organic
      acids was achieved by using the diazoresin-modified silica particles as packing
      materials in ultra high performance liquid chromatography. According to the pi-pi
      interactional difference between carbon rings of fullerenes and benzene rings of
      diazoresin, C60 and C70 were also well separated by ultra-high performance liquid
      chromatography. Because it has a small size, the ~2.5 MUm monodisperse diazoresin
      modified silica stationary phase shows ultra-high efficiency compared with the
      commercial C18 -silica high-performance liquid chromatography stationary phase
      with average diameters of ~5 MUm.

PMID- 28902448
TI  - Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of New Natural Phenolic (2E,4E,6E)-Octa-2,4,6
      trienoic Esters.
AB  - In the present study the esterification of the OH groups of resveratrol, caffeic
      acid, ferulic acid, and beta-sitosterol with an antioxidant polyconjugated fatty
      acid, (2E,4E,6E)-octa-2,4,6-trienoic acid, was achieved. As the selective
      esterification of OH groups of natural compounds can affect their biological
      activity, a selective esterification of resveratrol and caffeic acid was
      performed by an enzymatic approach. The new resulting compounds were
      characterized spectroscopically (FT-IR, NMR mono, and bidimensional techniques);
      when necessary the experimental data were integrated by quantum chemical
      calculations. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and proliferative activity was
      evaluated. The good results encourage the use of these molecules as antioxidant
      and/or anti-inflammatory agents in dermocosmetic application.

PMID- 28902449
TI  - Enzyme Encapsulation by a Ferritin Cage.
AB  - Ferritins, conserved across all kingdoms of life, are protein nanocages that
      evolved to mineralize iron. The last several decades have shown that these cages
      have considerable technological and medical potential owing to their stability
      and tolerance to modification, as well as their ability to template nanoparticle
      synthesis and incorporate small molecules. Here we show that it is possible to
      encapsulate proteins in a ferritin cage by exploiting electrostatic interactions
      with its negatively charged interior. Positively supercharged green fluorescent
      protein is efficiently taken up by Archaeoglobus fulgidus ferritin in a tunable
      fashion. Moreover, several enzymes were readily incorporated when genetically
      tethered to this fluorescent protein. These fusion proteins retained high
      catalytic activity and showed increased tolerance to proteolysis and heat.
      Equipping ferritins with enzymatic activity paves the way for many new
      nanotechnological and pharmacological applications.

PMID- 28902450
TI  - Current status of portal vein thrombosis in Japan: Results of a questionnaire
      survey by the Japan Society for Portal Hypertension.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the current status of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in Japan,
      the Clinical Research Committee of the Japan Society of Portal Hypertension
      undertook a questionnaire survey. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of 539 cases of
      PVT over the previous 10 years was carried out at institutions affiliated with
      the Board of Trustees of the Japan Society of Portal Hypertension. RESULTS: The
      most frequent underlying etiology of PVT was liver cirrhosis in 75.3% of
      patients. Other causes included inflammatory diseases of the hepatobiliary system
      and the pancreas, malignant tumors, and hematologic diseases. The most frequent
      site was the main trunk of the portal vein (MPV) in 70.5%, and complete
      obstruction of the MPV was present in 11.5%. Among the medications for PVT,
      danaparoid was given to 45.8%, warfarin to 26.2%, heparin to 17.3%, and anti
      thrombin III to 16.9%. Observation of the course was practiced in 22.4%. Factors
      contributing to therapeutic efficacy were implementation of various medications,
      thrombi localized to either the right or left portal vein only, non-complete
      obstruction of the MPV and Child-Pugh class A liver function. A survival analysis
      showed that the prognosis was favorable with PVT disappearance regardless of
      treatment. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire survey showed the current status of PVT
      in Japan. Any appropriate medication should be given to a patient with PVT when
      PVT is recognized. It is necessary to compile a large amount of information and
      reach a consensus on safe and highly effective management of PVT.

PMID- 28902451
TI  - Ectopic expression of glycosyltransferase UGT76E11 increases flavonoid
      accumulation and enhances abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Although plant glycosyltransferases are thought to play important roles in growth
      and interaction with the environment, little is known about their physiological
      roles for most members of the plant glycosyltransferase family. We cloned and
      characterised an Arabidopsis glycosyltransferase gene, UGT76E11. Its in vivo
      physiological effects on flavonoid accumulation and plant tolerance to abiotic
      stresses were investigated. The UGT76E11 gene was up-regulated in transcription
      expression under stress conditions of salinity, drought and H2 O2 treatment.
      Transgenic plants ectopically overexpressing UGT76E11 showed substantially
      enhanced tolerance to salinity and drought at germination and during post
      germination growth. Enzyme activity of UGT76E11 to glucosylate quercetin and
      other flavonoids was confirmed. Ectopic expression of UGT76E11 resulted in
      significantly increased flavonoid content in transgenic plants compared to wild
      type, suggesting a contribution of UGT76E11 to modulation of flavonoid
      metabolism. Consistent with this result, several biosynthesis genes in the
      flavonoid pathway were clearly up-regulated in transgenic plants. Furthermore,
      overexpression of UGT76E11 also enhanced the scavenging capacity for ROS and
      increased expression levels of a number of stress-related genes. Based on these
      results, we suggest that the glycosyltransferase UGT76E11 plays an important role
      in modulating flavonoid metabolism and enhancing plant adaptation to
      environmental stresses. Our findings might allow use of glycosyltransferase
      UGT76E11 in crop improvement, towards both enhanced stress tolerance and
      increased flavonoid accumulation.

PMID- 28902452
TI  - MGRN1-mediated ubiquitination of alpha-tubulin regulates microtubule dynamics and
      intracellular transport.
AB  - MGRN1-mediated ubiquitination of alpha-tubulin regulates microtubule stability
      and mitotic spindle positioning in mitotic cells. This study elucidates the
      effect of MGRN1-mediated ubiquitination of alpha-tubulin in interphase cells.
      Here, we show that MGRN1-mediated ubiquitination regulates dynamics of EB1
      labeled plus ends of microtubules. Intracellular transport of mitochondria and
      endosomes are affected in cultured cells where functional MGRN1 is depleted.
      Defects in microtubule-dependent organellar transport are evident in cells where
      noncanonical K6-mediated ubiquitination of alpha-tubulin by MGRN1 is compromised.
      Loss of MGRN1 has been previously correlated with late-onset spongiform
      neurodegeneration. Mislocalised cytosolically exposed PrP (Ctm PrP) interacts
      with MGRN1 leading to its loss of function. Expression of Ctm PrP generating
      mutants of PrP[PrP(A117V) and PrP(KHII)] lead to decrease in MGRN1-mediated
      ubiquitination of alpha-tubulin and intracellular transport defects. Brain
      lysates from PrP(A117V) transgenic mice also indicate loss of tubulin
      polymerization as compared to non-transgenic controls. Depletion of MGRN1
      activity may hamper physiologically important processes like mitochondrial
      movement in neuronal processes and intracellular transport of ligands through the
      endosomal pathway thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration
      in certain types of prion diseases.

PMID- 28902453
TI  - Implementing a web-based introductory bioinformatics course for non
      bioinformaticians that incorporates practical exercises.
AB  - A recent scientific discipline, bioinformatics, defined as using informatics for
      the study of biological problems, is now a requirement for the study of
      biological sciences. Bioinformatics has become such a powerful and popular
      discipline that several academic institutions have created programs in this
      field, allowing students to become specialized. However, biology students who are
      not involved in a bioinformatics program also need a solid toolbox of
      bioinformatics software and skills. Therefore, we have developed a completely
      online bioinformatics course for non-bioinformaticians, entitled "BIF-1901
      Introduction a la bio-informatique et a ses outils (Introduction to
      bioinformatics and bioinformatics tools)," given by the Department of
      Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics of Universite Laval (Quebec City,
      Canada). This course requires neither a bioinformatics background nor specific
      skills in informatics. The underlying main goal was to produce a completely
      online up-to-date bioinformatics course, including practical exercises, with an
      intuitive pedagogical framework. The course, BIF-1901, was conceived to cover the
      three fundamental aspects of bioinformatics: (1) informatics, (2) biological
      sequence analysis, and (3) structural bioinformatics. This article discusses the
      content of the modules, the evaluations, the pedagogical framework, and the
      challenges inherent to a multidisciplinary, fully online course. (c) 2017 by The
      International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(1):31-38, 2018.

PMID- 28902454
TI  - Early flowering and rapid grain filling determine early maturity and escape from
      harvesting in weedy rice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early maturity is an important trait that is essential to the
      survival of weedy rice. To explore the mechanism of early maturity in weedy rice,
      the reproductive development of a large sample of weedy rice accessions and
      cultivars was compared in a common garden study. A selected sample of both weedy
      and cultivated rice was sown at different dates in two years to study in more
      detail their flowering and grain-filling patterns. RESULTS: The weedy rice from
      three major cropping regions matured 7-8 days earlier than their associated
      cultivars. Representative weedy rice accessions planted on conventional sowing
      dates flowered 3-26 days earlier than cultivars; delayed sowing caused divergence
      in the flowering regimes in weedy rice. However, regardless of the sowing date,
      weedy rice filled its grain 7-21 days faster than cultivars in both study years.
      Vegetative and reproductive traits of weedy and cultivated rice have different
      patterns of variation with delayed planting. CONCLUSION: Early maturity is an
      essential factor determining the persistence of weedy rice by contributing to the
      escape of its seed from being harvested with the rice crop. Both early flowering
      and shorter grain-filling stages determine early maturity, and flowering is more
      plastic than grain filling. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28902455
TI  - Synthesis of 2-amino-3-cyanopyridine derivatives and investigation of their
      carbonic anhydrase inhibition effects.
AB  - The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and bicarbonate (HCO3- ) to each other is
      very important for living metabolism. Carbonic anhydrase (CA, E.C.4.2.1.1), a
      metalloenzyme familly, catalyzes the interconversion of these ions (CO2 and HCO3-
      ) and are very common in living organisms. In this study, a series of novel 2
      amino-3-cyanopyridines supported with some functional groups was synthesized and
      tested as potential inhibition effects against both cytosolic human CA I and II
      isoenzymes (hCA I and II) using by Sepharose-4B-l-tyrosine-sulfanilamide affinity
      chromatography. The structural elucidations of novel 2-amino-3-cyanopyridines
      were achieved by NMR, IR, and elemental analyses. Ki values of the novel
      synthesized compounds were found in range of 2.84-112.44 MUM against hCA I and
      2.56-31.17 MUM against hCA II isoenzyme. While compound 7d showed the best
      inhibition activity against hCA I (Ki : 2.84 MUM), the compound 7b demonstrated
      the best inhibition profile against hCA II isoenzyme (Ki : 2.56 MUM).

PMID- 28902456
TI  - Safety and efficacy of hydroxyapatite scaffold in the prevention of jaw
      osteonecrosis in vivo.
AB  - Two scaffolds of chitosan/sodium alginate/hydroxyapatite (Ch/NaAlg/Hap) 1:1:0.2
      and 1:1:0.6 were evaluated in the prevention of bisphosphonate-induced jaw
      osteonecrosis. Two groups of rats (n = 24, according to the euthanasia time: 15
      or 30 days after the last Zoledronic acid (ZA) administration) were subdivided in
      four subgroups (n = 6): I - Control (saline + teeth extraction); II - ZA 0.6
      mg/kg + teeth extraction; III - ZA + teeth extraction + scaffold 1:1:0.2; IV - ZA
      + teeth extraction + scaffold 1:1:0.6. Jaws were evaluated histologically and
      blood was evaluated for hematological and biochemical parameters. Histopathology
      showed significant osteonecrosis in AZ group. The scaffold's implantation,
      despite the inflammatory process, were able to prevent the osteonecrosis. In the
      15-day euthanasia group, an increase in red blood cells and platelets was
      observed in the subgroup II. Hemoglobin and hematocrit decreased in subgroup IV
      compared to II. Hepatic transaminases and creatinine concentration increased
      significantly in subgroup II. Calcium concentration increased in subgroup IV
      compared to II. In the 30-day euthanasia group, no differences among the groups
      were observed for any parameter. Scaffolds proved to be efficient and safe to
      liver and kidney function. Some hematological parameters were altered by the
      scaffold, but returned to normal concentrations over time. (c) 2017 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1799-1808,
      2018.

PMID- 28902457
TI  - The role of CLOCK gene in psychiatric disorders: Evidence from human and animal
      research.
AB  - The circadian clock system drives daily rhythms in physiology, metabolism, and
      behavior in mammals. Molecular mechanisms of this system consist of multiple
      clock genes, with Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput (CLOCK) as a core
      member that plays an important role in a wide range of behaviors. Alterations in
      the CLOCK gene are associated with common psychiatric disorders as well as with
      circadian disturbances comorbidities. This review addresses animal, molecular,
      and genetic studies evaluating the role of the CLOCK gene on many psychiatric
      conditions, namely autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder,
      anxiety disorder, and substance use disorder. Many animal experiments focusing on
      the effects of the Clock gene in behavior related to psychiatric conditions have
      shown consistent biological plausibility and promising findings. In humans,
      genetic and gene expression studies regarding disorder susceptibility, sleep
      disturbances related comorbidities, and response to pharmacological treatment, in
      general, are in agreement with animal studies. However, the number of
      controversial results is high. Literature suggests that the CLOCK gene exerts
      important influence on these conditions, and influences the susceptibility to
      phenotypes of psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 28902458
TI  - The impact of some natural phenolic compounds on carbonic anhydrase,
      acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and alpha-glycosidase enzymes: An
      antidiabetic, anticholinergic, and antiepileptic study.
AB  - Natural products from food and plant sources have been used for medicinal usage
      for ages. Also, natural products with therapeutic significance are compounds
      derived from animals, plants, or any microorganism. In this study, chrysin,
      carvacrol, hesperidin, zingerone, and naringin as natural phenols showed
      excellent inhibitory effects against human (h) carbonic anhydrase (CA) isoforms I
      and II (hCA I and II), alpha-glucosidase (alpha-Gly), acetylcholinesterase
      (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). These phenolic compounds were tested
      for the inhibition of alpha-glycosidase, hCA I, hCA II, AChE, and BChE enzymes
      and demonstrated efficient inhibition profiles with Ki values in the range of
      3.70 +/- 0.92-79.66 +/- 20.81 nM against hCA I, 2.98 +/- 0.33-84.88 +/- 40.32 nM
      against hCA II, 4.93 +/- 2.01-593.60 +/- 134.74 nM against alpha-Gly, 0.52 +/-
      0.18-46.80 +/- 17.15 nM against AChE, and 1.25 +/- 0.22-32.08 +/- 2.68 against
      BChE.

PMID- 28902460
TI  - Arabic validation of the tinnitus handicap inventory and the mini-tinnitus
      questionnaire on 100 adult patients.

PMID- 28902459
TI  - Exome sequences of multiplex, multigenerational families reveal schizophrenia
      risk loci with potential implications for neurocognitive performance.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness, involving disruptions in thought and
      behavior, with a worldwide prevalence of about one percent. Although highly
      heritable, much of the genetic liability of schizophrenia is yet to be explained.
      We searched for susceptibility loci in multiplex, multigenerational families
      affected by schizophrenia, targeting protein-altering variation with in silico
      predicted functional effects. Exome sequencing was performed on 136 samples from
      eight European-American families, including 23 individuals diagnosed with
      schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. In total, 11,878 non-synonymous
      variants from 6,396 genes were tested for their association with schizophrenia
      spectrum disorders. Pathway enrichment analyses were conducted on gene-based test
      results, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, and epistatic effects. Using
      a significance threshold of FDR < 0.1, association was detected for rs10941112 (p
      = 2.1 * 10-5 ; q-value = 0.073) in AMACR, a gene involved in fatty acid
      metabolism and previously implicated in schizophrenia, with significant cis
      effects on gene expression (p = 5.5 * 10-4 ), including brain tissue data from
      the Genotype-Tissue Expression project (minimum p = 6.0 * 10-5 ). A second SNP,
      rs10378 located in TMEM176A, also shows risk effects in the exome data (p = 2.8 *
      10-5 ; q-value = 0.073). PPIs among our top gene-based association results (p <
      0.05; n = 359 genes) reveal significant enrichment of genes involved in NCAM
      mediated neurite outgrowth (p = 3.0 * 10-5 ), while exome-wide SNP-SNP
      interaction effects for rs10941112 and rs10378 indicate a potential role for
      kinase-mediated signaling involved in memory and learning. In conclusion, these
      association results implicate AMACR and TMEM176A in schizophrenia risk, whose
      effects may be modulated by genes involved in synaptic plasticity and
      neurocognitive performance.

PMID- 28902462
TI  - Are CNM-Attended Births in Texas Hospitals Underreported?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Accurate data on the number of births attended by certified nurse
      midwives and certified midwives (CNMs/CMs) are required to establish the public
      health benefits attributed to the midwifery model of care and the role of
      CNMs/CMs in the US health care system. However, the number of CNM/CM-attended
      births may be underreported in birth certificate data. The purpose of this
      project was to estimate the number of births CNM practices attended in Texas
      hospitals in 2014 and to describe Texas CNMs' knowledge about their hospitals'
      policies on naming CNMs as birth attendants. METHODS: CNMs from Texas practices
      employing CNMs completed a survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize
      respondent data. These results were used to impute data for practices that did
      not respond to the survey so that total estimates for the state could be
      calculated. RESULTS: CNM-attended hospital births in Texas in 2014 may be
      underreported by 65%. Most CNMs (90%) keep records of births attended, but only
      19% of practices receive facility reports with the births CNMs in the practice
      attended. DISCUSSION: CNMs/CMs need to regularly verify that they are being named
      as the provider on birth certificates for births they attend and work with
      advocacy groups, hospital administrators, physicians, legislators, and policy
      makers to improve the accuracy of birth certificate data.

PMID- 28902461
TI  - Behavioral responses of pest mole crickets, Neoscapteriscus spp. (Orthoptera:
      Gryllotalpidae), to selected insecticides.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mole crickets (Neoscapteriscus spp.) consume turfgrasses and pasture
      grasses and uproot plants by their tunneling, which is detrimental to turf
      aesthetics and decreases forage quantity and quality. Insecticides are frequently
      used to prevent damage. In typical field trials, damage symptoms, not percent
      mortality or achieved level of control, are used to assess treatment efficacy.
      Here, however, laboratory tests assessed the direct effect of key insecticides on
      Neoscapteriscus mole cricket behavior. RESULTS: Mole crickets, Neoscapteriscus
      spp., were able to detect and avoid areas treated with fipronil [formulated
      product (FP)] and imidacloprid (FP). They tunneled less in sand treated with
      fipronil and avoided sand treated with fipronil and imidacloprid if given a
      choice. Mole crickets escaped areas treated with acephate, bifenthrin and
      fipronil. Bifenthrin and acephate caused increased tunneling during the first 90
      min of observation. Fipronil and imidacloprid significantly reduced overall
      tunneling on treated areas. CONCLUSION: Tested insecticides elicited two types of
      behavioral changes in Neoscapteriscus mole crickets: increased locomotory
      activity and tunneling [acephate (organophosphate) and bifenthrin (pyrethroid)]
      and reduced spatial movement [fipronil (phenylpyrazole) and imidacloprid
      (neonicotinoid)]. These behavioral responses resulted mainly from contact
      chemoreception and inherent neurotoxicity of the chemicals on Neoscapteriscus
      mole crickets. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28902464
TI  - Updates From the Literature, September/October 2017.

PMID- 28902463
TI  - Renoprotective effects of montelukast in an experimental model of cisplatin
      nephrotoxicity in rats.
AB  - Renal toxicity is one of the most severe complications that can occur with
      cisplatin (CIS) administration in cancer patients. Montelukast (ML)
      renoprotective outcome contrary to CIS-drawn nephrotoxicity remains obscure.
      Therefore, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were orally given ML (10 and 20
      mg/kg/day) 5 days before and after single CIS (5 mg/kg; i.p.) treatment. ML
      returned blood urea nitrogen, as well as serum creatinine and gamma glutamyl
      transferase that were elevated by CIS to normal level. The improved kidney
      function tests corroborated the attenuation of CIS renal injury at the
      microscopical level. It also reduced serum/renal nitric oxide and renal
      hemeoxygenase-1. Meanwhile, ML hindered the raised levels of serum endothelin-1,
      serum and renal tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and monocyte chemoattractant protein
      1. These effects were associated by deceased caspase-3 expression in kidney after
      ML treatment. In conclusion, ML guards against CIS-induced nephrotoxicity via
      anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties.

PMID- 28902465
TI  - A modified reporting approach for thyroid FNA in the NIFTP era: A 1-year
      institutional experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reclassification of noninvasive follicular variant of papillary
      thyroid carcinoma as noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like
      nuclear features (NIFTP) has created diagnostic and management issues for thyroid
      fine-needle aspiration (FNA). In response to these challenges, the authors'
      laboratory adopted a NIFTP policy including 1) stringent criteria (requiring
      pseudo-inclusions, papillae, and/or psammoma bodies) for a malignant diagnosis of
      papillary carcinoma to limit false-positive results due to NIFTP and 2) the use
      of explanatory notes in cases with cytomorphologic features suggestive of
      possible NIFTP to encourage lobectomy over thyroidectomy. This study examined the
      effects of this policy on FNA classification and subsequent surgical management.
      METHODS: All thyroid FNAs performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital (n = 1300)
      during a 1-year period were evaluated for changes in the use of diagnostic
      categories, explanatory NIFTP notes, and surgical follow-up in comparison with
      historical controls. RESULTS: The use of specific Bethesda categories did not
      significantly change. Only a single case of NIFTP was mistakenly classified as
      malignant. NIFTP was seldom suspected prospectively (17 of 1300; 1.3%); when
      NIFTP was suspected, cases were reported as suspicious for a follicular
      neoplasm/follicular neoplasm (n = 10) or suspicious for malignancy (SUS; n = 7).
      Five of the 7 SUS cases (71%) underwent partial thyroidectomy, compared to 19% of
      those classified as SUS without an explanatory NIFTP note (P < .02). CONCLUSIONS:
      Thyroid FNA reporting modifications due to NIFTP affect only a small subset of
      specimens. When NIFTP is suspected, an explanatory note promotes limited surgical
      excision. More stringent criteria for malignancy affect few cases while
      potentially limiting false-positive diagnosis due to NIFTP. Cancer Cytopathol
      2017;125:854-64. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28902466
TI  - Learning-based deformable registration for infant MRI by integrating random
      forest with auto-context model.
AB  - PURPOSE: Accurately analyzing the rapid structural evolution of human brain in
      the first year of life is a key step in early brain development studies, which
      requires accurate deformable image registration. However, due to (a) dynamic
      appearance and (b) large anatomical changes, very few methods in the literature
      can work well for the registration of two infant brain MR images acquired at two
      arbitrary development phases, such as birth and one-year-old. METHODS: To address
      these challenging issues, we propose a learning-based registration method, which
      can handle the anatomical structures and the appearance changes between the two
      infant brain MR images with possible time gap. Specifically, in the training
      stage, we employ a multioutput random forest regression and auto-context model to
      learn the evolution of anatomical shape and appearance from a training set of
      longitudinal infant images. To make the learning procedure more robust, we
      further harness the multimodal MR imaging information. Then, in the testing
      stage, for registering the two new infant images scanned at two different
      development phases, the learned model will be used to predict both the
      deformation field and appearance changes between the images under registration.
      After that, it becomes much easier to deploy any conventional image registration
      method to complete the remaining registration since the above-mentioned
      challenges for state-of-the-art registration methods have been well addressed.
      RESULTS: We have applied our proposed registration method to intersubject
      registration of infant brain MR images acquired at 2-week-old, 3-month-old, 6
      month-old, and 9-month-old with the images acquired at 12-month-old. Promising
      registration results have been achieved in terms of registration accuracy,
      compared with the counterpart nonlearning based registration methods.
      CONCLUSIONS: The proposed new learning-based registration method have tackled the
      challenging issues in registering infant brain images acquired from the first
      year of life, by leveraging the multioutput random forest regression with auto
      context model, which can learn the evolution of shape and appearance from a
      training set of longitudinal infant images. Thus, for the new infant image, its
      deformation field to the template and also its template-like appearances can be
      predicted by the learned models. We have extensively compared our method with
      state-of-the-art deformable registration methods, as well as multiple variants of
      our method, which show that our method can achieve higher accuracy even for the
      difficult cases with large appearance and shape changes between subject and
      template images.

PMID- 28902467
TI  - EAACI guidelines on allergen immunotherapy: Prevention of allergy.
AB  - Allergic diseases are common and frequently coexist. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT)
      is a disease-modifying treatment for IgE-mediated allergic disease with effects
      beyond cessation of AIT that may include important preventive effects. The
      European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) has developed a
      clinical practice guideline to provide evidence-based recommendations for AIT for
      the prevention of (i) development of allergic comorbidities in those with
      established allergic diseases, (ii) development of first allergic condition, and
      (iii) allergic sensitization. This guideline has been developed using the
      Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE II) framework, which
      involved a multidisciplinary expert working group, a systematic review of the
      underpinning evidence, and external peer-review of draft recommendations. Our key
      recommendation is that a 3-year course of subcutaneous or sublingual AIT can be
      recommended for children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe allergic
      rhinitis (AR) triggered by grass/birch pollen allergy to prevent asthma for up to
      2 years post-AIT in addition to its sustained effect on AR symptoms and
      medication. Some trial data even suggest a preventive effect on asthma symptoms
      and medication more than 2 years post-AIT. We need more evidence concerning AIT
      for prevention in individuals with AR triggered by house dust mites or other
      allergens and for the prevention of allergic sensitization, the first allergic
      disease, or for the prevention of allergic comorbidities in those with other
      allergic conditions. Evidence for the preventive potential of AIT as disease
      modifying treatment exists but there is an urgent need for more high-quality
      clinical trials.

PMID- 28902469
TI  - Time-Dependent Changes in the Structure of Calcified Fibrocartilage in the Rat
      Achilles Tendon-Bone Interface With Sciatic Denervation.
AB  - The enthesis transmits a physiological load from soft to hard tissue via
      fibrocartilage. The histological alterations induced by this physiological
      loading remain unclear. This study was performed to examine the
      histomorphological alterations in the collagen fiber bundle alignment and depth
      of collagen interdigitation between the calcified fibrocartilage and the bone. We
      examined the Achilles enthesis of rats with sciatic denervation to explore the
      mechanical effects of structural changes in the enthesis. The parallelism of the
      collagen fiber bundles was significantly reduced 8 weeks after denervation.
      However, the depth of collagen interdigitation significantly increased at 2 and 4
      weeks after denervation and then significantly decreased 8 weeks after
      denervation. In conclusion, a lack of muscle loading induced structural
      alterations in the distal calcified fibrocartilage. These findings suggest that
      while structural changes in the enthesis are necessary for the development of
      physiological loading, structural deformities are required in the long term. Anat
      Rec, 300:2166-2174, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28902468
TI  - Fine-needle aspiration of lipoblastoma: Cytological, molecular, and clinical
      features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lipoblastomas are rare, benign adipocytic tumors that present mostly
      during infancy. In about 70% of cases, these tumors carry abnormalities in
      chromosome 8, mainly leading to rearrangements of the PLAG1 gene. METHODS: We
      report a series of histologically proven lipoblastomas with previous fine-needle
      aspiration (FNA) cytology from 9 patients (n = 10 samples) and describe their
      clinical, cytological, and molecular features. RESULTS: Our cohort included 5
      boys and 4 girls (median age, 2.5 years [range, 10 months to 13 years]) who
      presented with soft tissue masses in the thorax (n = 3), abdomen (n = 2), axilla
      (n = 2), and thigh (n = 2). In 1 patient, the FNA diagnosis was inconclusive due
      to hypocellularity, and in another patient a diagnosis of benign lipomatous tumor
      was made. In the remaining 8 samples (one of which confirmed relapse), a correct
      preoperative FNA diagnosis was rendered. Smears were hypo- to moderately cellular
      and contained fragments of mature adipose tissue with thin branching vessels
      admixed with some lipoblasts in a myxoid matrix. Spindle cells and naked oval
      nuclei with no atypia were observed in the background. Of the 4 patients tested
      for PLAG1 rearrangement using FISH probes, 3 harbored this alteration (1 was made
      on a FNA smear and 1 was made in a tumor imprint). All the patients are alive and
      well, except for 1 patient with a retroperitoneal tumor who, after an initial
      incomplete excision, died of local disease progression. CONCLUSION: FNA,
      especially if used together with molecular biology techniques (eg, PLAG1 FISH
      analysis), is a reliable and accurate diagnostic tool. Cancer Cytopathol
      2017;125:934-9. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28902470
TI  - Female fecundity and offspring survival are not increased through sexual
      cannibalism in the spider Larinioides sclopetarius.
AB  - Many hypotheses explaining the evolution and maintenance of sexual cannibalism
      incorporate the nutritional aspect of the consumption of males. Most studies have
      focused on a fecundity advantage through consumption of a male; however, recent
      studies have raised the intriguing possibility that consumption of a male may
      also affect offspring quality. In particular, recent studies suggest prolonged
      survival for offspring from sexually cannibalistic females. Here, we measured the
      protein and lipid content of males compared to insect prey (crickets), quantified
      female nutrient intake of both prey types and finally assessed how sexual
      cannibalism affects female fecundity and spiderling quality in the orb-web spider
      Larinioides sclopetarius. We found no evidence that sexual cannibalism increased
      fecundity when compared to a female control group fed a cricket. Contrary to
      previous studies, spiderlings from females fed a male showed reduced survival
      under food deprivation compared to spiderlings from the control group. Offspring
      from females fed a male also tended to begin web construction sooner. The low
      lipid content of males compared to crickets may have reduced offspring survival
      duration. Whether additional proteins obtained through consumption of a male
      translate to enhanced silk production in offspring requires further
      investigation.

PMID- 28902471
TI  - Narrow hybrid zones in spite of very low population differentiation in neutral
      markers in an island bird species complex.
AB  - Patterns of phenotypic and genic frequencies across hybrid zones provide insight
      into the origin and evolution of reproductive isolation. The Reunion grey white
      eye, Zosterops borbonicus, exhibits parapatrically distributed plumage colour
      forms across the lowlands of the small volcanic island of Reunion (Mascarene
      archipelago). These forms meet and hybridize in regions that are natural barriers
      to dispersal (rivers, lava fields). Here, we investigated the relationship among
      patterns of differentiation at neutral genetic (microsatellite) markers,
      phenotypic traits (morphology and plumage colour) and niche characteristics
      across three independent hybrid zones. Patterns of phenotypic divergence revealed
      that these hybrid zones are among the narrowest ever documented in birds.
      However, the levels of phenotypic divergence stand in stark contrast to the lack
      of clear population neutral genetic structure between forms. The position of the
      hybrid zones coincides with different natural physical barriers, yet is not
      associated with steep changes in vegetation and related climatic variables, and
      major habitat transitions are shifted from these locations by at least 18 km.
      This suggests that the hybrid zones are stabilized over natural dispersal
      barriers, independently of environmental boundaries, and are not associated with
      niche divergence. A striking feature of these hybrid zones is the very low levels
      of genetic differentiation in neutral markers between forms, suggesting that
      phenotypic divergence has a narrow genetic basis and may reflect recent
      divergence at a few linked genes under strong selection, with a possible role for
      assortative mating in keeping these forms apart.

PMID- 28902473
TI  - Preoperative biliary drainage for malignant biliary obstruction: results from a
      national database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) on postoperative
      morbidity and mortality in patients with malignant biliary obstruction is still
      unclear. We examined short-term surgical outcomes among drained and non-drained
      patients. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgical resection for their
      malignancies with biliary obstruction were identified using the American College
      of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Participant Use Files
      from 2014 to 2015. Mortality and morbidity were compared among patients who had
      PBD to those who did not undergo biliary drainage prior to surgery. RESULTS: A
      total of 2,306 patients were included; of these 1,803 (77.8%) had PBD. The
      postoperative mortality was 3.0% and 2.2% among direct surgery (DS) group and PBD
      group, respectively (P = 0.3). Postoperative complications were higher in the PBD
      group compared to the DS group (27.1% vs. 19.5%; P = 0.0005). Patients in the PBD
      group had higher risk of sepsis (13.5% vs. 7.2%; P = 0.0001), wound infections
      (16.5% vs. 10.9%; P = 0.002) and pancreatic fistula (17.5% vs. 12.4%; P = 0.006)
      compared to the DS group. CONCLUSION: Preoperative biliary drainage is associated
      with increased risk of sepsis and wound infections, but does not impact the
      postoperative mortality of patients undergoing PBD.

PMID- 28902472
TI  - The mushroom body D1 dopamine receptor controls innate courtship drive.
AB  - Mating is critical for species survival and is profoundly regulated by
      neuromodulators and neurohormones to accommodate internal states and external
      factors. To identify the underlying neuromodulatory mechanisms, we investigated
      the roles of dopamine receptors in various aspects of courtship behavior in
      Drosophila. Here, we report that the D1 dopamine receptor dDA1 regulates
      courtship drive in naive males. The wild-type naive males actively courted
      females regardless their appearance or mating status. On the contrary, the dDA1
      mutant (dumb) males exhibited substantially reduced courtship toward less
      appealing females including decapitated, leg-less and mated females. The dumb
      male's reduced courtship activity was due to delay in courtship initiation and
      prolonged intervals between courtship bouts. The dampened courtship drive of dumb
      males was rescued by reinstated dDA1 expression in the mushroom body alpha/beta
      and gamma neurons but not alpha/beta or gamma neurons alone, which is distinct
      from the previously characterized dDA1 functions in experience-dependent
      courtship or other learning and memory processes. We also found that the dopamine
      receptors dDA1, DAMB and dD2R are dispensable for associative memory formation
      and short-term memory of conditioned courtship, thus courtship motivation and
      associative courtship learning and memory are regulated by distinct
      neuromodulatory mechanisms. Taken together, our study narrows the gap in the
      knowledge of the mechanism that dopamine regulates male courtship behavior.

PMID- 28902474
TI  - Electrospun Nanofibrous Meshes Cultured With Wharton's Jelly Stem Cell: An
      Alternative for Cartilage Regeneration, Without the Need of Growth Factors.
AB  - Many efforts are being directed worldwide to the treatment of OA-focal lesions.
      The majority of those efforts comprise either the refinement of surgical
      techniques or combinations of biomaterials with various autologous cells. Herein,
      we tested electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous meshes for cartilage
      tissue engineering. For that, articular chondrocytes (hACs) isolated from human
      osteoarthritic joints and Wharton's Jelly Stem Cells (hWJSCs) are cultured on
      electrospun nanofiber meshes, without adding external growth factors. We observed
      higher glycosaminoglycans production and higher over-expression of cartilage
      related genes from hWJSCs cultured with basal medium, when compared to hACs
      isolated from osteoarthritic joints. Moreover, the presence of sulfated
      proteoglycans and collagen type II is observed on both types of cell cultures. We
      believe that this effect is due to either the electrospun nanofibers topography
      or the intrinsic chondrogenic differentiation potential of hWJSCs. Therefore, we
      propose the electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds in combination with hWJSCs as a
      viable alternative to the commercial membranes used in autologous chondrogenic
      regeneration approaches.

PMID- 28902475
TI  - Commentary - Food for thought on food environments in Canada.

PMID- 28902476
TI  - The healthfulness and prominence of sugar in child-targeted breakfast cereals in
      Canada.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to compare the nutritional content
      and healthfulness of child-targeted and "not child-targeted" breakfast cereals
      and to assess the predominance of added sugar in these products. METHODS: We
      collected data on the nutritional content of 262 unique breakfast cereals found
      in the five largest grocery store chains in Ottawa (Ontario) and Gatineau
      (Quebec). We noted the first five ingredients and the number of added sugars
      present in each cereal from the ingredients list. The various cereal brands were
      then classified as either "healthier" or "less healthy" using the UK Nutrient
      Profile Model. We assessed each cereal to determine if it was child-targeted or
      not, based on set criteria. Statistical comparisons were made between child and
      not child-targeted cereals. RESULTS: 19.8% of all breakfast cereals were child
      targeted, and these were significantly lower in total and saturated fat. Child
      targeted cereals were significantly higher in sodium and sugar and lower in fibre
      and protein, and were three times more likely to be classified as "less healthy"
      compared to not child-targeted cereals. No child-targeted cereals were sugar
      free, and sugar was the second most common ingredient in 75% of cereals. Six
      breakfast cereal companies had child-targeted product lines that consisted
      entirely of "less healthy" cereals. CONCLUSION: There is a need for regulations
      that restrict food marketing to children and youth under the age of 17 on
      packaging to reduce their appeal to this age group. Children's breakfast cereals
      also need to be reformulated through government-set targets, or through
      regulation should compliance be deemed unacceptable.

PMID- 28902477
TI  - Food marketing to children in Canada: a settings-based scoping review on
      exposure, power and impact.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Food marketing impacts children's food knowledge, behaviours and
      health. Current regulations in Canada focus on restricting promotional aspects of
      food marketing with little-to-no consideration of the places where children
      experience food. Understanding food marketing in children's everyday settings is
      necessary to protect children. This scoping review describes the current
      literature on food marketing to children in Canada by setting. METHODS: The
      author searched databases for Canadian research on children's exposure to food
      marketing, and the power and impact of food marketing to children (2-17 years)
      across settings, and on how current regulations may mediate the effect of food
      marketing on children. Peer-reviewed studies in English, published between 2000
      and 2016, were included. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies documented children's
      exposure to food marketing and its power and/or impact on them in homes (via
      television, or online) (n = 12), public schools (n = 1), grocery stores (n = 8),
      fast food restaurants (n = 2), and in general (n = 2). Research trends suggest
      that unhealthy foods are targeted at children using multiple promotional
      techniques that overlap across settings. Several research gaps exist in this
      area, leading to an incomplete, and potentially underestimated, picture of food
      marketing to children in Canada. Available evidence suggests that current
      Canadian approaches have not reduced children's exposure to or the power of food
      marketing in these settings, with the exception of some positive influences from
      Quebec's statutory regulations. CONCLUSION: The settings where children eat, buy
      or learn about food expose them to powerful, often unhealthy food marketing. The
      current evidence suggests that "place" may be an important marketing component to
      be included in public policy in order to broadly protect children from unhealthy
      food marketing. Organizations and communities can engage in settings-based health
      promotion interventions by developing their own marketing policies that address
      the promotion and place of unhealthy food and beverages.

PMID- 28902478
TI  - Development, reliability and use of a food environment assessment tool in
      supermarkets of four neighbourhoods in Montreal, Canada.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The food environment is a promising arena in which to influence
      people's dietary habits. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive food
      environment assessment tool for businesses and characterize the food environment
      of a low-tomedium income area of Montreal, Canada. METHODS: We developed a tool,
      Mesure de l'environnement alimentaire du consommateur dans les supermarches (MEAC
      S), and tested it for reliability. We used the MEAC-S to assess the consumer food
      environment of 17 supermarkets in four neighbourhoods of Montreal. We measured
      the shelf length, variety, price, display counts and in-store positions of fruits
      and vegetables (FV) and ultra-processed food products (UPFPs). We also assessed
      fresh FV for quality. Store size was estimated using the total measured shelf
      length for all food categories. We conducted Spearman correlations between these
      indicators of the food environment. RESULTS: Reliability analyses revealed
      satisfactory results for most indicators. Characterization of the food
      environment revealed high variability in shelf length, variety and price of FV
      between supermarkets and suggested a disproportionate promotion of UPFPs. Display
      counts of UPFPs outside their normal display location ranged from 7 to 26, and
      they occupied 8 to 33 strategic in-store positions, whereas the number of display
      counts of fresh FV outside their normal display location exceeded 1 in only 2 of
      the 17 stores surveyed, and they occupied a maximum of 2 strategic in-store
      positions per supermarket. Price of UPFPs was inversely associated with their
      prominence (p < .005) and promotion (p < .003). Store size was associated with
      display counts and strategic in-store positioning of UPFPs (p < .001), but not
      FV, and was inversely associated with the price of soft drinks (p < .003).
      CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the variability of the food environment
      between supermarkets and underscores the importance of measuring in-store
      characteristics to adequately picture the consumer food environment.

PMID- 28902479
TI  - Support for healthy eating at schools according to the comprehensive school
      health framework: evaluation during the early years of the Ontario School Food
      and Beverage Policy implementation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Provincial, national and international public health agencies
      recognize the importance of school nutrition policies that help create healthful
      environments aligned with healthy eating recommendations for youth. School-wide
      support for healthy living within the pillars of the comprehensive school health
      (CSH) framework (social and physical environments; teaching and learning; healthy
      school policy; and partnerships and services) has been positively associated with
      fostering improvements to student health behaviours. This study used the CSH
      framework to classify, compare and describe school support for healthy eating
      during the implementation of the Ontario School Food and Beverage Policy (P/PM
      150). METHODS: We collected data from consenting elementary and secondary schools
      in a populous region of Ontario in Time I (2012/13) and Time II (2014).
      Representatives from the schools completed the Healthy School Planner survey and
      a food environmental scan (FES), which underwent scoring and content analyses.
      Each school's support for healthy eating was classified as either "initiation,"
      "action" or "maintenance" along the Healthy School Continuum in both time
      periods, and as "high/increased," "moderate" or "low/decreased" within individual
      CSH pillars from Time I to Time II. RESULTS: Twenty-five school representatives
      (8 elementary, 17 secondary) participated. Most schools remained in the "action"
      category (n = 20) across both time periods, with varying levels of support in the
      CSH pillars. The physical environment was best supported (100% high/increased
      support) and the social environment was the least (68% low/decreased support).
      Only two schools achieved the highest rating (maintenance) in Time II. Supports
      aligned with P/PM 150 were reportedly influenced by administration buy-in,
      stakeholder support and relevancy to local context. CONCLUSION: Further
      assistance is required to sustain comprehensive support for healthy eating in
      Ontario school food environments.

PMID- 28902480
TI  - The Ontario Food and Nutrition Strategy: identifying indicators of food access
      and food literacy for early monitoring of the food environment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To address challenges Canadians face within their food
      environments, a comprehensive, multistakeholder, intergovernmental approach to
      policy development is essential. Food environment indicators are needed to assess
      population status and change. The Ontario Food and Nutrition Strategy (OFNS)
      integrates the food, agriculture and nutrition sectors, and aims to improve the
      health of Ontarians through actions that promote healthy food systems and
      environments. This report describes the process of identifying indicators for 11
      OFNS action areas in two strategic directions (SDs): Healthy Food Access, and
      Food Literacy and Skills. METHODS: The OFNS Indicators Advisory Group used a five
      step process to select indicators: (1) potential indicators from national and
      provincial data sources were identified; (2) indicators were organized by SD,
      action area and data type; (3) selection criteria were identified, pilot tested
      and finalized; (4) final criteria were applied to refine the indicator list; and
      (5) indicators were prioritized after reapplication of selection criteria.
      RESULTS: Sixty-nine potential indicators were initially identified; however, many
      were individual-level rather than system-level measures. After final application
      of the selection criteria, one individual-level indicator and six system-level
      indicators were prioritized in five action areas; for six of the action areas, no
      indicators were available. CONCLUSION: Data limitations suggest that available
      data may not measure important aspects of the food environment, highlighting the
      need for action and resources to improve system-level indicators and support
      monitoring of the food environment and health in Ontario and across Canada.

PMID- 28902487
TI  - Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Agent of a Sometimes Fatal Globally Emerging
      Infectious Disease (Rat Lungworm Disease).
AB  - Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is a dangerous invasive species
      that is the agent of a potentially fatal globally emerging infectious disease.
      Humans are infected most commonly by ingestion, deliberately or inadvertently, of
      the parasite larvae in their intermediate snail hosts. The larvae make their way
      to the brain where they can cause severe neurological damage before eventually
      dying. Symptoms of the disease are diverse, making it difficult to diagnose.
      Treatment is primarily with corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, while
      treatment with anthelmintics to kill the worms remains controversial. There have
      been almost 3000 cases globally, the majority in southern China, but the parasite
      is spreading and now occurs much more widely. In the USA, almost all cases have
      been in Hawaii, but the parasite is also present in southeastern states. As the
      climate warms, this tropical/subtropical parasite is likely to spread further.

PMID- 28902488
TI  - Strain Release Induced Novel Fluorescence Variation in CVD-Grown Monolayer WS2
      Crystals.
AB  - Tensile strain is intrinsic to monolayer crystals of transition metal disulfides
      such as Mo(W)S2 grown on oxidized silicon substrates by chemical vapor deposition
      (CVD) owing to the much larger thermal expansion coefficient of Mo(W)S2 than that
      of silica. Here we report fascinating fluorescent variation in intensity with
      aging time in CVD-grown triangular monolayer WS2 crystals on SiO2 (300 nm)/Si
      substrates and formation of interesting concentric triangular fluorescence
      patterns in monolayer crystals of large size. The novel fluorescence aging
      behavior is recognized to be induced by the partial release of intrinsic tensile
      strain after CVD growth and the induced localized variations or gradients of
      strain in the monolayer crystals. The results demonstrate that strain has a
      dramatic impact on the fluorescence and photoluminescence of monolayer WS2
      crystals and thus could potentially be utilized to tune electronic and
      optoelectronic properties of monolayer transition metal disulfides.

PMID- 28902489
TI  - Oral siRNA Delivery to Treat Colorectal Liver Metastases.
AB  - Convenient multiple dosing makes oral administration an ideal route for delivery
      of therapeutic siRNA. However, hostile GI environments and nonspecific biological
      trafficking prevent achieving appropriate bioavailability of siRNA. Here, an
      orally administered AuNP-siRNA-glycol chitosan-taurocholic acid nanoparticle (AR
      GT NPs) was developed to selectively deliver Akt2 siRNA and treat colorectal
      liver metastases (CLM). AR-GT NPs are dual padlocked nonviral vectors in which
      the initially formed AuNP-siRNA (AR) conjugates are further encompassed by
      bifunctional glycol chitosan-taurocholic acid (GT) conjugates. Covering the
      surface of AR with GT protected the Akt2 siRNA from GI degradation, facilitated
      active transport through enterocytes, and enhanced selective accumulation in CLM.
      Our studies in CLM animal models resulted in the reduction in Akt2 production,
      followed by initiation of apoptosis in cancer cells after oral administration of
      Akt2 siRNA-loaded AR-GT. This therapeutic siRNA delivery system may be a
      promising approach in treating liver-associated diseases.

PMID- 28902490
TI  - Direct Intranuclear Anticancer Drug Delivery via Polydimethylsiloxane
      Nanoparticles: in Vitro and in Vivo Xenograft Studies.
AB  - Direct delivery of anticancer drugs to nuclei of tumor cells is required to
      enhance the therapeutic activity, which can be achieved by a nuclear localization
      signal (NLS) or peptide-decorated nanovehicles. However, NLS/peptide-based
      approaches may create certain undesirable immunological responses and the
      utilized synthesis processes are generally labor intensive. To this end, we
      report ligand-free, enhanced intranuclear delivery of Doxorubicin (Dox) to
      different cancer cells via porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanoparticles
      (NPs). PDMS NPs were prepared by sacrificial silica template-based approach and
      Dox was loaded into the pores of PDMS NPs. These Dox-loaded PDMS NPs show
      enhanced cytotoxicity and reduce the IC50 values by 84 and 54% for HeLa and PC-3,
      respectively, compared to free Dox. Further, DNA damage in HeLa cells was
      estimated using comet assay suggesting enhanced DNA damage (72%) with Dox-loaded
      PDMS NPs as compared to free Dox (12%). The therapeutic efficiency of PDMS-Dox
      drug delivery system was tested in prostate cancer (PC-3) xenografts in NOD/SCID
      mice which showed enhanced tumor reduction (~66%) as compared to free Dox. Taken
      together, our PDMS-Dox delivery system shows efficient and enhanced
      transportation of Dox to tumor cells which can be harnessed to develop advanced
      chemotherapy-based approaches to treat prostate and other cancers.

PMID- 28902492
TI  - Rheotaxis of Bimetallic Micromotors Driven by Chemical-Acoustic Hybrid Power.
AB  - Rheotaxis is a common phenomenon in nature that refers to the directed movement
      of micro-organisms as a result of shear flow. The ability to mimic natural
      rheotaxis using synthetic micro/nanomotors adds functionality to enable their
      applications in biomedicine and chemistry. Here, we present a hybrid strategy
      that can achieve both positive and negative rheotaxis of synthetic bimetallic
      micromotors by employing a combination of chemical fuel and acoustic force. An
      acoustofluidic device is developed for the integration of the two propulsion
      mechanisms. Using acoustic force alone, bimetallic microrods are propelled along
      the bottom surface in the center of a fluid channel. The leading end of the
      microrod is always the less dense end, as established in earlier experiments.
      With chemical fuel (H2O2) alone, the microrods orient themselves with their anode
      end against the flow when shear flow is present. Numerical simulations confirm
      that this orientation results from tilting of the microrods relative to the
      bottom surface of the channel, which is caused by catalytically driven electro
      osmotic flow. By combining this catalytic orientation effect with more powerful,
      density-dependent acoustic propulsion, both positive and negative rheotaxis can
      be achieved. The ability to respond to flow stimuli and collectively propel
      synthetic microswimmers in a directed manner indicates an important step toward
      practical applications.

PMID- 28902491
TI  - Biodegradable Viral Nanoparticle/Polymer Implants Prepared via Melt-Processing.
AB  - Viral nanoparticles have been utilized as a platform for vaccine development and
      are a versatile system for the display of antigenic epitopes for a variety of
      disease states. However, the induction of a clinically relevant immune response
      often requires multiple injections over an extended period of time, limiting
      patient compliance. Polymeric systems to deliver proteinaceous materials have
      been extensively researched to provide sustained release, which would limit
      administration to a single dose. Melt-processing is an emerging manufacturing
      method that has been utilized to create polymeric materials laden with proteins
      as an alternative to typical solvent-based production methods. Melt-processing is
      advantageous because it is continuous, solvent-free, and 100% of the therapeutic
      protein is encapsulated. In this study, we utilized melt-encapsulation to
      fabricate viral nanoparticle laden polymeric materials that effectively deliver
      intact particles and generate carrier specific antibodies in vivo. The effects of
      initial processing and postprocessing on particle integrity and aggregation were
      studied to develop processing windows for scale-up and the creation of more
      complex materials. The dispersion of particles within the PLGA matrix was
      studied, and the effect of additives and loading level on the release profile was
      determined. Overall, melt-encapsulation was found to be an effective method to
      produce composite materials that can deliver viral nanoparticles over an extended
      period and elicit an immune response comparable to typical administration
      schedules.

PMID- 28902493
TI  - Direct Synthesis of Alloyed Si1-xGex Nanowires for Performance-Tunable Lithium
      Ion Battery Anodes.
AB  - Here we report the formation of high capacity Li-ion battery anodes from Si1-xGex
      alloy nanowire arrays that are grown directly on stainless steel current
      collectors, in a single-step synthesis. The direct formation of these Si1-xGex
      nanowires (ranging from Si0.20Ge0.80 to Si0.67Ge0.33) represents a simple and
      efficient processing route for the production of Li-ion battery anodes possessing
      the benefits of both Si (high capacity) and Ge (improved rate performance and
      capacity retention). The nanowires were characterized through SEM, TEM, XRD and
      ex situ HRSEM/HRTEM. Electrochemical analysis was conducted on these nanowires,
      in half-cell configurations, with capacities of up to 1360 mAh/g (Si0.67Ge0.33)
      sustained after 250 cycles and in full cells, against a commercial cathode, where
      capacities up to 1364 mAh/g (Si0.67Ge0.33) were retained after 100 cycles.

PMID- 28902494
TI  - Fully Atomistic Understanding of the Electronic and Optical Properties of a
      Prototypical Doped Charge-Transfer Interface.
AB  - The current study generates profound atomistic insights into doping-induced
      changes of the optical and electronic properties of the prototypical
      PTCDA/Ag(111) interface. For doping K atoms are used, as KxPTCDA/Ag(111) has the
      distinct advantage of forming well-defined stoichiometric phases. To arrive at a
      conclusive, unambiguous, and fully atomistic understanding of the interface
      properties, we combine state-of-the-art density-functional theory calculations
      with optical differential reflectance data, photoelectron spectra, and X-ray
      standing wave measurements. In combination with the full structural
      characterization of the KxPTCDA/Ag(111) interface by low-energy electron
      diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments (ACS Nano 2016, 10,
      2365-2374), the present comprehensive study provides access to a fully
      characterized reference system for a well-defined metal-organic interface in the
      presence of dopant atoms, which can serve as an ideal benchmark for future
      research and applications. The combination of the employed complementary
      techniques allows us to understand the peculiarities of the optical spectra of
      K2PTCDA/Ag(111) and their counterintuitive similarity to those of neutral PTCDA
      layers. They also clearly describe the transition from a metallic character of
      the (pristine) adsorbed PTCDA layer on Ag(111) to a semiconducting state upon
      doping, which is the opposite of the effect (degenerate) doping usually has on
      semiconducting materials. All experimental and theoretical efforts also
      unanimously reveal a reduced electronic coupling between the adsorbate and the
      substrate, which goes hand in hand with an increasing adsorption distance of the
      PTCDA molecules caused by a bending of their carboxylic oxygens away from the
      substrate and toward the potassium atoms.

PMID- 28902495
TI  - Selective Synthesis of Primary Anilines from Cyclohexanone Oximes by the
      Concerted Catalysis of a Mg-Al Layered Double Hydroxide Supported Pd Catalyst.
AB  - Although the selective conversion of cyclohexanone oximes to primary anilines
      would be a good complement to the classical synthetic methods for primary
      anilines, which utilize arenes as the starting materials, there have been no
      general and efficient methods for the conversion of cyclohexanone oximes to
      primary anilines until now. In this study, we have successfully realized the
      efficient conversion of cyclohexanone oximes to primary anilines by utilizing a
      Mg-Al layered double hydroxide supported Pd catalyst (Pd(OH)x/LDH) under ligand-,
      additive-, and hydrogen-acceptor-free conditions. The substrate scope was very
      broad with respect to both cyclohexanone oximes and cyclohexenone oximes, which
      gave the corresponding primary anilines in high yields with high selectivities
      (17 examples, 75% to >99% yields). The reaction could be scaled up (gram-scale)
      with a reduced amount of the catalyst (0.2 mol %). Furthermore, the one-pot
      synthesis of primary anilines directly from cyclohexanones and hydroxylamine was
      also successful (five examples, 66-99% yields). The catalysis was intrinsically
      heterogeneous, and the catalyst could be reused for the conversion of
      cyclohexanone oxime to aniline at least five times with keeping its high
      catalytic performance. Kinetic studies and several control experiments showed
      that the high activity and selectivity of the present catalyst system were
      attributed to the concerted catalysis of the basic LDH support and the active Pd
      species on LDH. The present transformation of cyclohexanone oximes to primary
      anilines proceeds through a dehydration/dehydrogenation sequence, and herein the
      plausible reaction mechanism is proposed on the basis of several pieces of
      experimental evidence.

PMID- 28902496
TI  - Photosensitization Behavior of Ir(III) Complexes in Selective Reduction of CO2 by
      Re(I)-Complex-Anchored TiO2 Hybrid Catalyst.
AB  - A series of cationic Ir(III) complexes ([Ir(btp)2(bpy-X2)]+ (Ir-X+: btp = (2
      pyridyl)benzo[b]thiophen-3-yl; bpy-X2 = 4,4'-X2-2,2'-bipyridine (X = OMe, tBu,
      Me, H, and CN)) were applied as visible-light photosensitizer to the CO2
      reduction to CO using a hybrid catalyst (TiO2/ReP) prepared by anchoring of
      Re(4,4'-Y2-bpy)(CO)3Cl (ReP; Y = CH2PO(OH)2) on TiO2 particles. Irradiation of a
      solution containing Ir-X+, TiO2/ReP particles, and an electron donor (1,3
      dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,3-dihydrobenzimidazole) in N,N-dimethylformamide at greater
      than 400 nm resulted in the reduction of CO2 to CO with efficiencies in the order
      X = OMe > tBu ~ Me > H; Ir-CN+ has no photosensitization effect. A notable
      observation is that Ir-tBu+ and Ir-Me+ are less efficient than Ir-OMe+ at an
      early stage of the reaction but reveal persistent photosensitization behavior for
      a much longer period of time unlike the latter. Comparable experiments showed
      that (1) the Ir-X+ sensitizers are commonly superior compared to Ru(bpy)32+, a
      widely used transition-metal photosensitizer, and (2) the system comprising Ir
      OMe+ and TiO2/ReP is much more efficient than a homogeneous-solution system using
      Ir-OMe+ and Re(4,4'-Y'2-bpy)(CO)3Cl (Y' = CH2PO(OEt)2). Implications of the
      present observations involving reaction mechanisms associated with the different
      behavior of the photosensitizers are discussed in detail.

PMID- 28902497
TI  - What Is the Contribution of City-Scale Actions to the Overall Food System's
      Environmental Impacts?: Assessing Water, Greenhouse Gas, and Land Impacts of
      Future Urban Food Scenarios.
AB  - This paper develops a methodology for individual cities to use to analyze the in-
      and trans-boundary water, greenhouse gas (GHG), and land impacts of city-scale
      food system actions. Applied to Delhi, India, the analysis demonstrates that city
      scale action can rival typical food policy interventions that occur at larger
      scales, although no single city-scale action can rival in all three environmental
      impacts. In particular, improved food-waste management within the city (7% system
      wide GHG reduction) matches the GHG impact of preconsumer trans-boundary food
      waste reduction. The systems approach is particularly useful in illustrating key
      trade-offs and co-benefits. For instance, multiple diet shifts that can reduce
      GHG emissions have trade-offs that increase water and land impacts. Vertical
      farming technology (VFT) with current applications for fruits and vegetables can
      provide modest system-wide water (4%) and land reductions (3%), although
      implementation within the city itself may raise questions of constraints in water
      stressed cities, with such a shift in Delhi increasing community-wide direct
      water use by 16%. Improving the nutrition status for the bottom 50% of the
      population to the median diet is accompanied by proportionally smaller increases
      of water, GHG, and land impacts (4%, 9%, and 8%, systemwide): increases that can
      be offset through simultaneous city-scale actions, e.g., improved food-waste
      management and VFT.

PMID- 28902498
TI  - Cobinding of Pharmaceutical Compounds at Mineral Surfaces: Mechanistic Modeling
      of Binding and Cobinding of Nalidixic Acid and Niflumic Acid at Goethite
      Surfaces.
AB  - Although emerging contaminants rarely exist individually in environmental
      contaminated systems, only limited information on their adsorption mechanisms in
      multicomponent solutions is currently available. To address this shortcoming,
      this work examines for the first time the accuracy of a surface complexation
      model in predicting the cooperative adsorption of nalidixic acid (NA) and
      niflumic acid (NFA) at goethite (alpha-FeOOH) surfaces. Our model adequately
      predicts cobinding of an outer-sphere (OS) complex of NFA onto NA bound to
      goethite through metal-bonded (MB), hydrogen-bonded (HB), or OS complexes. More
      positive charge is introduced in the system via sodium interactions in order to
      describe the NFA adsorption at high NaCl concentrations in both single and binary
      systems. Our model confidently predicts multilayers of NA on goethite as well as
      NFA binding on goethite-bound NA over a large range of pH and salinity values as
      well as NA and NFA loadings. These findings have strong implications in the
      assessment and prediction of contaminant fate in multicomponent contaminated
      systems by invoking a nontraditional form of ligand-ligand interaction in this
      field of study.

PMID- 28902499
TI  - The Lowest Triplet of Tetracyanoquinodimethane via UV-vis Absorption Spectroscopy
      with Br-Containing Solvents.
AB  - This study was undertaken to find the previously unknown lowest triplet of the
      isolated molecule of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), which is a widely used
      organic semiconductor. The problem is topical because the triplet excitation of
      this compound is involved in some processes which occur in electronic devices
      incorporating TCNQ and its derivatives, and information on the TCNQ triplet is
      needed for better understanding of these processes. The lowest triplet of TCNQ
      was obtained at 1.96 eV using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy with Br-containing
      solvents. Production of the triplet band with sufficient intensity in the spectra
      was provided by the capacity of the Br atom to augment the triplet excitation and
      through using a 100 mm cuvette. The assignment of the corresponding spectral band
      to the triplet transition was made by observation that this band appeared only in
      the spectra recorded in Br-containing solvents but not in spectra recorded in
      other solvents. Additional support for the triplet assignment came from the
      overall UV-vis absorption spectra of TCNQ recorded in various solvents, using a
      10 mm cuvette, in the 1.38-6.5 eV energy range. Singlet transitions of the
      neutral TCNQo molecule and doublet transitions of the TCNQ- negative ion were
      identified in these overall spectra and were assigned with TD B3LYP/6-31G
      calculations. Determination of the lowest triplet of TCNQ attained in this work
      may be useful for theoretical studies and practical applications of this
      important compound.

PMID- 28902501
TI  - Catalyst Architecture for Stable Single Atom Dispersion Enables Site-Specific
      Spectroscopic and Reactivity Measurements of CO Adsorbed to Pt Atoms, Oxidized Pt
      Clusters, and Metallic Pt Clusters on TiO2.
AB  - Oxide-supported precious metal nanoparticles are widely used industrial
      catalysts. Due to expense and rarity, developing synthetic protocols that reduce
      precious metal nanoparticle size and stabilize dispersed species is essential.
      Supported atomically dispersed, single precious metal atoms represent the most
      efficient metal utilization geometry, although debate regarding the catalytic
      activity of supported single precious atom species has arisen from difficulty in
      synthesizing homogeneous and stable single atom dispersions, and a lack of site
      specific characterization approaches. We propose a catalyst architecture and
      characterization approach to overcome these limitations, by depositing ~1
      precious metal atom per support particle and characterizing structures by
      correlating scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging and CO probe
      molecule infrared spectroscopy. This is demonstrated for Pt supported on anatase
      TiO2. In these structures, isolated Pt atoms, Ptiso, remain stable through
      various conditions, and spectroscopic evidence suggests Ptiso species exist in
      homogeneous local environments. Comparing Ptiso to ~1 nm preoxidized (Ptox) and
      prereduced (Ptmetal) Pt clusters on TiO2, we identify unique spectroscopic
      signatures of CO bound to each site and find CO adsorption energy is ordered:
      Ptiso ? Ptmetal < Ptox. Ptiso species exhibited a 2-fold greater turnover
      frequency for CO oxidation than 1 nm Ptmetal clusters but share an identical
      reaction mechanism. We propose the active catalytic sites are cationic
      interfacial Pt atoms bonded to TiO2 and that Ptiso exhibits optimal reactivity
      because every atom is exposed for catalysis and forms an interfacial site with
      TiO2. This approach should be generally useful for studying the behavior of
      supported precious metal atoms.

PMID- 28902502
TI  - Insight into the Electrochemical Sodium Insertion of Vanadium Superstoichiometric
      NASICON Phosphate.
AB  - A slight deviation of the stoichiometry has been introduced in Na3-3xV2+x(PO4)3
      (0 <= x <= 0.1) samples to determine the effect on the structural and
      electrochemical behavior as a positive electrode in sodium-ion batteries. X-ray
      diffraction and XPS results provide evidence for the flexibility of the NASICON
      framework to allow a limited vanadium superstoichiometry. In particular, the
      Na2.94V2.02(PO4)3 formula reveals the best electrochemical performance at the
      highest rate (40C) and capacity retention upon long cycling. It is attributed to
      the excellent kinetic response and interphase chemical stability upon cycling.
      The electrochemical performance of this vanadium superstoichiometric sample in a
      full sodium-ion cell is also described.

PMID- 28902500
TI  - Stratified UWHAM and Its Stochastic Approximation for Multicanonical Simulations
      Which Are Far from Equilibrium.
AB  - We describe a new analysis tool called Stratified unbinned Weighted Histogram
      Analysis Method (Stratified-UWHAM), which can be used to compute free energies
      and expectations from a multicanonical ensemble when a subset of the parallel
      simulations is far from being equilibrated because of barriers between free
      energy basins which are only rarely (or never) crossed at some states. The
      Stratified-UWHAM equations can be obtained in the form of UWHAM equations but
      with an expanded set of states. We also provide a stochastic solver, Stratified
      RE-SWHAM, for Stratified-UWHAM to remove its computational bottleneck. Stratified
      UWHAM and Stratified RE-SWHAM are applied to study three test topics: the free
      energy landscape of alanine dipeptide, the binding affinity of a host-guest
      binding complex, and path sampling for a two-dimensional double well potential.
      The examples show that when some of the parallel simulations are only locally
      equilibrated, the estimates of free energies and equilibrium distributions
      provided by the conventional UWHAM (or MBAR) solutions exhibit considerable
      biases, but the estimates provided by Stratified-UWHAM and Stratified RE-SWHAM
      agree with the benchmark very well. Lastly, we discuss features of the Stratified
      UWHAM approach which is based on coarse-graining in relation to two other maximum
      likelihood-based methods which were proposed recently, that also coarse-grain the
      multicanonical data.

PMID- 28902503
TI  - Correction to "Design Principles of Electronic Couplings for Intramolecular
      Singlet Fission in Covalently-Linked Systems".

PMID- 28902504
TI  - Synthesis of Altrose Poly-amido-saccharides with beta-N-(1->2)-d-amide Linkages:
      A Right-Handed Helical Conformation Engineered in at the Monomer Level.
AB  - The design and synthesis of amide-linked saccharide oligomers and polymers, which
      are predisposed to fold into specific ordered secondary structures, is of
      significant interest. Herein, right-handed helical poly amido-saccharides (PASs)
      with beta-N-(1->2)-d-amide linkages are synthesized by the anionic ring-opening
      polymerization of an altrose beta-lactam monomer (alt-lactam). The right-handed
      helical conformation is engineered into the polymers by preinstalling the beta
      configuration of the lactam ring in the monomer via the stereospecific [2+2]
      cycloaddition of trichloroacetyl isocyanate with a d-glycal possessing a 3
      benzyloxy group oriented to the alpha-face of the pyranose. The tert-butylacetyl
      chloride initiated polymerization of the alt-lactam proceeds smoothly to afford
      stereoregular polymers with narrow dispersities. Birch reduction of the
      benzylated polymers gives water-soluble altrose PASs (alt-PASs) in high yields
      without degradation of the polymer backbone. Circular dichroism analysis shows
      the alt-PASs adopt a right-handed helical conformation in aqueous solutions. This
      secondary conformation is stable over a wide range of different conditions, such
      as pH (2.0 to 12.0), temperature (5 to 75  degrees C), ionic salts (2.0 M LiCl,
      NaCl, and KCl), as well as in the presence of protein denaturants (4.0 M urea and
      guanidinium chloride). Cytotoxicity studies reveal that the alt-PASs are nontoxic
      to HEK, HeLa, and NIH3T3 cells. The results showcase the ability to direct
      solution conformation of polymers through monomer design. This approach is
      especially well-suited and straightforward for PASs as the helical conformations
      formed result from constraints imposed by the relatively rigid and sterically
      bulky repeating units.

PMID- 28902506
TI  - Noninvasive Synchrotron-Based X-ray Raman Scattering Discriminates Carbonaceous
      Compounds in Ancient and Historical Materials.
AB  - Carbon compounds are ubiquitous and occur in a diversity of chemical forms in
      many systems including ancient and historic materials ranging from cultural
      heritage to paleontology. Determining their speciation cannot only provide unique
      information on their origin but may also elucidate degradation processes.
      Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at
      the carbon K-edge (280-350 eV) is a very powerful method to probe carbon
      speciation. However, the short penetration depth of soft X-rays imposes stringent
      constraints on sample type, preparation, and analytical environment. A hard X-ray
      probe such as X-ray Raman scattering (XRS) can overcome many of these
      difficulties. Here we report the use of XRS at ~6 keV incident energy to collect
      carbon K-edge XANES data and probe the speciation of organic carbon in several
      specimens relevant to cultural heritage and natural history. This methodology
      enables the measurement to be done in a nondestructive way, in air, and provides
      information that is not compromised by surface contamination by ensuring that the
      dominant signal contribution is from the bulk of the probed material. Using the
      backscattering geometry at large photon momentum transfer maximizes the XRS
      signal at the given X-ray energy and enhances nondipole contributions compared to
      conventional XANES, thereby augmenting the speciation sensitivity. The
      capabilities and limitations of the technique are discussed. We show that despite
      its small cross section, for a range of systems the XRS method can provide
      satisfactory signals at realistic experimental conditions. XRS constitutes a
      powerful complement to FT-IR, Raman, and conventional XANES spectroscopy,
      overcoming some of the limitations of these techniques.

PMID- 28902505
TI  - Activation Mechanism of the Streptomyces Tyrosinase Assisted by the Caddie
      Protein.
AB  - Tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1), which possesses two copper ions at the active center,
      catalyzes a rate-limiting reaction of melanogenesis, that is, the conversion of a
      phenol to the corresponding ortho-quinone. The enzyme from the genus Streptomyces
      is generated as a complex with a "caddie" protein that assists the transport of
      two copper ions into the active center. In this complex, the Tyr98 residue in the
      caddie protein was found to be accommodated in the pocket of the active center of
      tyrosinase, probably in a manner similar to that of l-tyrosine as a genuine
      substrate of tyrosinase. Under physiological conditions, the addition of the
      copper ion to the complex releases tyrosinase from the complex, in accordance
      with the aggregation of the caddie protein. The release of the copper-bound
      tyrosinase was found to be accelerated by adding reducing agents under aerobic
      conditions. Mass spectroscopic analysis indicated that the Tyr98 residue was
      converted to a reactive quinone, and resonance Raman spectroscopic analysis
      indicated that the conversion occurred through the formations of MU-eta2:eta2
      peroxo-dicopper(II) and Cu(II)-semiquinone. Electron paramagnetic resonance
      analysis under anaerobic conditions and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic
      analysis using CO as a structural probe under anaerobic conditions indicated that
      the copper transportation process to the active center is a reversible event in
      the tyrosinase/caddie complex. Aggregation of the caddie protein, which is
      triggered by the conversion of the Tyr98 residue to dopaquinone, may ensure the
      generation of fully activated tyrosinase.

PMID- 28902507
TI  - [a]-Phenanthrene-Fused BF2 Azadipyrromethene (AzaBODIPY) Dyes as Bright Near
      Infrared Fluorophores.
AB  - A new substitution pattern of BF2 azadipyrromethene (azaBODIPY) dyes was obtained
      by phenanthrene fusion through a key palladium-catalyzed intramolecular C-H
      activation reaction. These [a]-phenanthrene-fused azaBODIPYs have a near planar
      structure of the phenanthrene-fused azadipyrromethene core in the crystalline
      state. The chromophore absorbs (log epsilon > 5) and fluoresces (phi = 0.32-0.38)
      strongly above 700 nm with excellent photostability and may be used as an
      attractive bright NIR bioimaging agent.

PMID- 28902508
TI  - Single-Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy Reveals Local Diffusion Coefficients in
      the Pore Network of an Individual Catalyst Particle.
AB  - We used single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to study self-diffusion of a
      feedstock-like probe molecule with nanometer accuracy in the macropores of a
      micrometer-sized, real-life fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) particle. Movies of
      single fluorescent molecules allowed their movement through the pore network to
      be reconstructed. The observed tracks were classified into three different states
      by machine learning and all found to be distributed homogeneously over the
      particle. Most probe molecules (88%) were immobile, with the molecule most likely
      being physisorbed or trapped; the remainder was either mobile (8%), with the
      molecule moving inside the macropores, or showed hybrid behavior (4%). Mobile
      tracks had an average diffusion coefficient of D = 8 * 10-14 +/- 1 * 10-13 m2 s
      1, with the standard deviation thought to be related to the large range of pore
      sizes found in FCC particles. The developed methodology can be used to evaluate,
      quantify and map heterogeneities in diffusional properties within complex
      hierarchically porous materials.

PMID- 28902509
TI  - Exploring a New Approach for Discovery of Conformational Heterogeneity in
      Homeodomain-DNA Complexes.

PMID- 28902511
TI  - Exploring the Stability of Ligand Binding Modes to Proteins by Molecular Dynamics
      Simulations: A Cross-docking Study.
AB  - Docking has become an indispensable approach in drug discovery research to
      predict the binding mode of a ligand. One great challenge in docking is to
      efficiently refine the correct pose from various putative docking poses through
      scoring functions. We recently examined the stability of self-docking poses under
      molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and showed that equilibrium MD simulations
      have some capability to discriminate between correct and decoy poses. Here, we
      have extended our previous work to cross-docking studies for practical
      applications. Three target proteins (thrombin, heat shock protein 90-alpha, and
      cyclin-dependent kinase 2) of pharmaceutical interest were selected. Three
      comparable poses (one correct pose and two decoys) for each ligand were then
      selected from the docking poses. To obtain the docking poses for the three target
      proteins, we used three different protocols, namely: normal docking, induced fit
      docking (IFD), and IFD against the homology model. Finally, five parallel MD
      equilibrium runs were performed on each pose for the statistical analysis. The
      results showed that the correct poses were generally more stable than the decoy
      poses under MD. The discrimination capability of MD depends on the strategy. The
      safest way was to judge a pose as being stable if any one run among five parallel
      runs was stable under MD. In this case, 95% of the correct poses were retained
      under MD, and about 25-44% of the decoys could be excluded by the simulations for
      all cases. On the other hand, if we judge a pose as being stable when any two or
      three runs were stable, with the risk of incorrectly excluding some correct
      poses, approximately 31-53% or 39-56% of the two decoys could be excluded by MD,
      respectively. Our results suggest that simple equilibrium simulations can serve
      as an effective filter to exclude decoy poses that cannot be distinguished by
      docking scores from the computationally expensive free-energy calculations.

PMID- 28902510
TI  - Stereospecific Formation of E- and Z-Disubstituted Double Bonds by Dehydratase
      Domains from Modules 1 and 2 of the Fostriecin Polyketide Synthase.
AB  - The dehydratase domain FosDH1 from module 1 of the fostriecin polyketide synthase
      (PKS) catalyzed the stereospecific interconversion of (3R)-3-hydroxybutyryl
      FosACP1 (5) and (E)-2-butenoyl-FosACP1 (11), as established by a combination of
      direct LC-MS/MS and chiral GC-MS. FosDH1 did not act on either (3S)-3
      hydroxybutyryl-FosACP1 (6) or (Z)-2-butenoyl-FosACP1 (12). FosKR2, the
      ketoreductase from module 2 of the fostriecin PKS that normally provides the
      natural substrate for FosDH2, was shown to catalyze the NADPH-dependent
      stereospecific reduction of 3-ketobutyryl-FosACP2 (23) to (3S)-3-hydroxybutyryl
      FosACP2 (8). Consistent with this finding, FosDH2 catalyzed the interconversion
      of the corresponding triketide substrates (3R,4E)-3-hydroxy-4-hexenoyl-FosACP2
      (18) and (2Z,4E)-2,4-hexadienoyl-FosACP2 (21). FosDH2 also catalyzed the
      stereospecific hydration of (Z)-2-butenoyl-FosACP2 (14) to (3S)-3-hydroxybutyryl
      FosACP2 (8). Although incubation of FosDH2 with (3S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-FosACP2 (8)
      did not result in detectable accumulation of (Z)-2-butenoyl-FosACP2 (14), FosDH2
      catalyzed the slow exchange of the 3-hydroxy group of 8 with [18O]-water. FosDH2
      unexpectedly could also support the stereospecific interconversion of (3R)-3
      hydroxybutyryl-FosACP2 (7) and (E)-2-butenoyl-FosACP2 (13).

PMID- 28902513
TI  - Coexistence of Physisorbed and Solvated HCl at Warm Ice Surfaces.
AB  - The interfacial ionization of strong acids is an essential factor of multiphase
      and heterogeneous chemistry in environmental science, cryospheric science,
      catalysis research and material science. Using near ambient pressure core level X
      ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we directly detected a low surface coverage of
      adsorbed HCl at 253 K in both molecular and dissociated states. Depth profiles
      derived from XPS data indicate the results as physisorbed molecular HCl at the
      outermost ice surface and dissociation occurring upon solvation deeper in the
      interfacial region. Complementary X-ray absorption measurements confirm that the
      presence of Cl- ions induces significant changes to the hydrogen bonding network
      in the interfacial region. This study gives clear evidence for nonuniformity
      across the air-ice interface and questions the use of acid-base concepts in
      interfacial processes.

PMID- 28902512
TI  - Cloud Processing of Secondary Organic Aerosol from Isoprene and Methacrolein
      Photooxidation.
AB  - Aerosol-cloud interaction contributes to the largest uncertainties in the
      estimation and interpretation of the Earth's changing energy budget. The present
      study explores experimentally the impacts of water condensation-evaporation
      events, mimicking processes occurring in atmospheric clouds, on the molecular
      composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from the photooxidation of
      methacrolein. A range of on- and off-line mass spectrometry techniques were used
      to obtain a detailed chemical characterization of SOA formed in control
      experiments in dry conditions, in triphasic experiments simulating gas-particle
      cloud droplet interactions (starting from dry conditions and from 60% relative
      humidity (RH)), and in bulk aqueous-phase experiments. We observed that cloud
      events trigger fast SOA formation accompanied by evaporative losses. These
      evaporative losses decreased SOA concentration in the simulation chamber by 25
      32% upon RH increase, while aqueous SOA was found to be metastable and slowly
      evaporated after cloud dissipation. In the simulation chamber, SOA composition
      measured with a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer, did not
      change during cloud events compared with high RH conditions (RH > 80%). In all
      experiments, off-line mass spectrometry techniques emphasize the critical role of
      2-methylglyceric acid as a major product of isoprene chemistry, as an important
      contributor to the total SOA mass (15-20%) and as a key building block of
      oligomers found in the particulate phase. Interestingly, the comparison between
      the series of oligomers obtained from experiments performed under different
      conditions show a markedly different reactivity. In particular, long reaction
      times at high RH seem to create the conditions for aqueous-phase processing to
      occur in a more efficient manner than during two relatively short cloud events.

PMID- 28902514
TI  - Chemoselective Double Annulation of Two Different Isocyanides: Rapid Access to
      Trifluoromethylated Indole-Fused Heterocycles.
AB  - An unprecedented chemoselective double annulation of alpha-trifluoromethylated
      isocyanides with o-acylaryl isocyanides has been developed. This new reaction
      provides a rapid, efficient, and complete atom-economic strategy for the
      synthesis of trifluoromethylated oxadiazino[3,2-a]indoles in a single operation
      from readily available starting materials. Isocyanide insertion into C?O double
      bonds is disclosed for the first time as indicated by the results of 18O-labeling
      experiment. A mechanism for this domino reaction is proposed involving
      chemoselective heterodimerization of two different isocyanides, followed by
      indole-2,3-epoxide formation and rearrangement.

PMID- 28902515
TI  - Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Acidity of the Glutamate Receptor
      Antagonist 6,7-Dinitro-1,4-dihydroquinoxaline-2,3-dione and Its Possible
      Implication in GluA2 Binding.
AB  - The acidity of organic compounds is highly relevant to understanding several
      biological processes. Although the relevance and challenges in estimating pKa
      values of organic acids is recognized by several reported works in the
      literature, there is a lack in determining the acidity of amides. This paper
      presents an experimental/theoretical combined investigation on the acid
      dissociation of the compound 6,7-dinitro-1,4-dihydroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX),
      a well-established antagonist of ionotropic glutamate receptor GluA2. DNQX was
      synthesized, and its two acidic constants were determined by UV-vis spectroscopy.
      The experimental pKa of 6.99 +/- 0.02 and 10.57 +/- 0.01 indicate that DNQX
      mainly exists as an anionic form (DNQXA1) in physiological media, which was also
      confirmed by 1H NMR analysis. Five computational methods were applied for
      estimating the theoretical pKa values of DNQX, including B3LYP, M06-2X,
      omegaB97XD, and CBS-QB3, which were able to provide reasonable estimates for pKa
      associated with DNQX. Molecular dynamics studies have demonstrated that DNQXA1'
      binds more effectively to the pocket of the GluA2 than neutral DNQX, and this
      fact is coherent to the interactions between amidic oxygens and Arg845 being the
      main interactions of this host-guest system. Moreover, interaction of GluA2 with
      endogenous glutamate is stronger than that with DNQXA1, which is in agreement
      with literature. To the best of our knowledge, we report herein an unprecedented
      approach involving acidity of the antagonist DNQX, as well as the possible
      implications in binding to GluA2.

PMID- 28902516
TI  - Electronic Band Structure of Helical Polyisocyanides.
AB  - Restricted Hartree-Fock computations are reported for a methyl isocyanide polymer
      (repeating unit -C?N-CH3), whose most stable conformation is expected to be a
      helical chain. The computations used a standard contracted Gaussian orbital set
      at the computational levels STO-3G, 3-21G, 6-31G, and 6-31G**, and studies were
      made for two line-group configurations motivated by earlier work and by studies
      of space-filling molecular models: (1) A structure of line-group symmetry L95,
      containing a 9-fold screw axis with atoms displaced in the axial direction by 5/9
      times the lattice constant, and (2) a structure of symmetry L41 that had been
      proposed, containing a 4-fold screw axis with translation by 1/4 of the lattice
      constant. Full use of the line-group symmetry was employed to cause most of the
      computational complexity to depend only on the size of the asymmetric repeating
      unit. Data reported include computed bond properties, atomic charge distribution,
      longitudinal polarizability, band structure, and the convoluted density of
      states. Most features of the description were found to be insensitive to the
      level of computational approximation. The work also illustrates the importance of
      exploiting line-group symmetry to extend the range of polymer structural problems
      that can be treated computationally.

PMID- 28902517
TI  - Te Monolayer-Driven Spontaneous van der Waals Epitaxy of Two-dimensional
      Pnictogen Chalcogenide Film on Sapphire.
AB  - Demands on high-quality layer structured two-dimensional (2D) thin films such as
      pnictogen chalcogenides and transition metal dichalcogenides are growing due to
      the findings of exotic physical properties and potentials for device
      applications. However, the difficulties in controlling epitaxial growth and the
      unclear understanding of van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE) for a 2D chalcogenide film
      on a three-dimensional (3D) substrate have been major obstacles for the further
      advances of 2D materials. Here, we exploit the spontaneous vdWE of a high-quality
      2D chalcogenide (Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3) film by the chalcogen-driven surface
      reconstruction of a conventional 3D sapphire substrate. It is verified that the
      in situ formation of a pseudomorphic Te atomic monolayer on the surface of
      sapphire, which results in a dangling bond-free surface, allows the spontaneous
      vdWE of 2D chalcogenide film. Since this route uses the natural surface
      reconstruction of sapphire with chalcogen under vacuum condition, it can be
      scalable and easily utilized for the developments of various 2D chalcogenide vdWE
      films through conventional thin-film fabrication technologies.

PMID- 28902518
TI  - The Reaction between Sodium Hydroxide and Atomic Hydrogen in Atmospheric and
      Flame Chemistry.
AB  - We report the first direct kinetic study of the gas-phase reaction NaOH + H -> Na
      + H2O, which is central to the chemistry of sodium in the upper atmosphere and in
      flames. The reaction was studied in a fast flow tube, where NaOH was observed by
      multiphoton ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry, yielding k(NaOH + H,
      230-298 K) = (3.8 +/- 0.8) * 10-11 cm3 molecule -1 s-1 (at 2sigma confidence
      level), showing no significant temperature dependence over the indicated
      temperature range and essentially in agreement with previous estimates of the
      rate constant in hydrogen-rich flames. We show, using theoretical trajectory
      calculations, that the unexpectedly slow, yet T-independent, rate coefficient for
      NaOH + H is explained by severe constraints in the angle of attack that H can
      make on NaOH to produce H2O. This reaction is also central to explaining Na
      catalyzed flame inhibition, which has been proposed to occur via the sequence Na
      + OH (+ M) -> NaOH followed by NaOH + H -> Na + H2O, thereby effectively
      recombinating H and OH to H2O. RRKM calculations for the recombination of Na and
      OH yield k(Na + OH + N2, 300-2400 K) = 2.7 * 10-29 (300/T)1.2 cm6 molecule-2 s-1,
      in agreement with a previous flash photolysis measurement at 653 K and Na-seeded
      flame studies in the 1800-2200 K range. These results therefore provide strong
      evidence to support the mechanism of flame inhibition by Na.

PMID- 28902519
TI  - Effects of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter on Anthracene Photolysis
      Kinetics in Aqueous Solution and Ice.
AB  - We measured photolysis kinetics of the PAH anthracene in aqueous solution, in
      bulk ice, and at ice surfaces in the presence and absence of chromophoric
      dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Self-association, which occurs readily at ice
      surfaces, may be responsible for the faster anthracene photolysis observed there.
      Photolysis rate constants in liquid water increased under conditions where
      anthracene self-association was observed. Concomitantly, kinetics changed from
      first-order to second-order, indicating that the photolysis mechanism at ice
      surfaces might be different than that in aqueous solution. Other factors that
      could lead to faster photolysis at ice surfaces were also investigated. Increased
      photon fluxes due to scattering in the ice samples can account for at most 20% of
      the observed rate increase, and other factors including singlet oxygen (1O2*)
      production and changes in pH and polarity were determined not to be responsible
      for the faster photolysis. CDOM (in the form of fulvic acid (FA)) did not affect
      anthracene photolysis kinetics in aqueous solution but suppressed photolysis in
      ice cubes and ice granules (by 30% and 56%, respectively). This was primarily due
      to competitive photon absorption (the inner filter effect). Freeze-concentration
      (or "salting out") appears to slightly increase the suppressing effects of FA on
      anthracene photolysis. This may be due to increased competitive photon absorption
      or to physical interactions between anthracene and FA.

PMID- 28902520
TI  - Cascade Radical Cyclization of N-Propargylindoles: Substituents Dictate
      Stereoselective Formation of N-Fused Indolines versus Indoles.
AB  - An efficient protocol for the synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole derivatives
      having sulfide functionality using cascade radical cyclization on propargylindole
      is described. The nature of the substituents at the propargylic carbon bearing
      nitrogen of the indole has a profound effect on the rate, yield, and nature of
      the product obtained by the cascade radical cyclization. An expeditious one-pot
      route for cascade radical cyclization-desulfurization is also presented. Products
      obtained were elaborated to the core of the putative structure of the yuremamine
      and indoline derivative with five contiguous stereocenters.

PMID- 28902521
TI  - Identification of Novel Protein Expression Changes Following Cisplatin Treatment
      and Application to Combination Therapy.
AB  - Determining the effect of chemotherapeutic treatment on changes in protein
      expression can provide important targets for overcoming resistance. Due to
      challenges in simultaneously measuring large numbers of proteins, a paucity of
      data exists on global changes. To overcome these challenges, we utilized
      microwestern arrays that allowed us to measure the abundance and modification
      state of hundreds of cell signaling and transcription factor proteins in cells
      following drug exposure. HapMap lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) were exposed to
      cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent commonly used to treat testicular, head and
      neck, non-small cell lung, and gynecological cancers. We evaluated the expression
      of 259 proteins following 2, 6, and 12 h of cisplatin treatment in two LCLs with
      discordant sensitivity to cisplatin. Of these 259 proteins, 66 displayed
      significantly different protein expression changes (p < 0.05). Fifteen of these
      proteins were evaluated in a second pair of LCLs with discordant sensitivities to
      cisplatin; six demonstrated significant differences in expression. We then
      evaluated a subset of 63 proteins in a second set of LCLs with discordant
      sensitivity, and 40% of those that were significant in the first pair were also
      significant in the second part with concordant directionality (p < 0.05). We
      functionally validated one of the top proteins identified, PDK1, and demonstrated
      a synergistic relationship between cisplatin and a PDK1 inhibitor in multiple
      lung cancer lines. This study highlights the potential for identifying novel
      targets through an understanding of cellular changes in protein expression and
      modification following drug treatments.

PMID- 28902522
TI  - Delinquency and sexual experiences across adolescence: does depression play a
      role?
AB  - PURPOSE: To elucidate a possible connection between delinquency and adolescent
      sexual behaviours in different age groups from 14 to 20 and the role of
      depression therein. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were gathered from the cross
      sectional Finnish School Health Promotion Study 2010 and 2011 with 186,632
      respondents. We first examined the bivariate relationship between delinquency and
      sexual behaviour, and then proceeded to multivariate models accounting for self
      reported depression. Analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys, in
      seven age groups. The main outcomes were analysed by chi2 test and logistic
      regression. RESULTS: Delinquency was connected to having experienced sexual
      intercourse across all age groups, and was related to reporting multiple sexual
      partners among sexually active adolescents, in both boys and girls, before and
      after controlling for depression. Delinquency and depression were independently
      associated with the sexual behaviours studied. CONCLUSIONS: Being sexually active
      and engaging in risky sexual behaviours are related to delinquency in the
      adolescent population throughout the developmental phase, even in late
      adolescence when being sexually active is developmentally normative. Being
      sexually active is further connected to depression until middle adolescence, and
      risky sexual behaviours across adolescence. Clinicians working with adolescents
      presenting with delinquent behaviour with or without depression need to address
      their sexual health needs.

PMID- 28902523
TI  - Functional assessment of lesion severity without using the pressure wire:
      coronary imaging and blood flow simulation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hemodynamic indices derived from measurements with the pressure
      wire (primarily fractional flow reserve [FFR]) have been established as a
      reliable tool for assessing coronary stenoses and improving clinical decision
      making. However, the use of the pressure wire constitutes a hurdle for the
      universal adoption of physiology-guided patient management. Technological
      advancements have enabled the large-scale application of blood flow simulation
      (computational fluid dynamics [CFD]) to medical imaging, thereby enabling the
      virtual assessment of coronary physiology. Areas covered: This review summarizes
      the stand-alone non-invasive (coronary computed tomographic imaging) and invasive
      (coronary angiography) imaging approaches which were initially used for
      predicting FFR, and focuses on the use of blood flow modeling for functional
      assessment of coronary lesions in clinical practice. Expert commentary:
      Validation studies of CFD-derived methodologies for functional assessment have
      shown that virtual indices correlate well and have good diagnostic accuracy
      compared to pressure wire-FFR despite inherent limitations of spatial resolution
      and assumptions regarding boundary conditions in flow modeling. Beyond point-to
      point agreement with FFR, further studies are needed to demonstrate the clinical
      safety/efficacy of these computational tools regarding patient outcomes. Such
      evidence base could support the incorporation of these methodologies into routine
      patient management for decision making and reliable risk stratification.

PMID- 28902524
TI  - Molecular Cytogenetic Characterization Identified the Murine B-Cell Lymphoma Cell
      Line A-20 as a Model for Sporadic Burkitt's Lymphoma.
AB  - Here, we report the first molecular cytogenetic characterization of the BALB/cAnN
      mouse derived B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-cell NHL) cell lines A-20. Even
      though previously used as a model for testing of, for example, dexametason, up to
      present, no data in the genetic properties of A-20 were available. The present
      study closed this gap and provides evidence that A-20 is a model for B-cell NHL
      subgroup sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma. C-myc oncogene is involved in a
      translocation and copy number alterations as gain of murine 14q material could be
      observed. Interestingly, the cell line showed the karyotype 39,X,-X or 
      Y,t(2;15)(qE5;qD2),del(6)(qB3qC3),del(9)(qA3qA4),dup(14)(qE1qE4) in ~95% of the
      cells, being exceptionally stable for cell lines being established 38 years ago.
      Still, ~5% of the cells showed polyploidization followed by chromothripsis. It
      remains to be determined if this can be observed also in other cell lines, just
      has not been reported yet, and/or if it is a unique feature of A-20. Overall,
      finally here, the necessary genetic data to identify A-20 as a model for human
      sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma are provided.

PMID- 28902525
TI  - Lurasidone: efficacy and safety in the treatment of psychotic and mood disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lurasidone ([3aR,4S,7R,7aS]-2-[(1R,2R)-2-[4-(1,2-benzisothiazol-3
      yl)piperazin-1yl-methyl] cyclohexylmethyl]-hexahydro-4,7-methano-2H-isoindole-1,3
      dione hydrochloride; Latuda(r)) is a novel benzisothiazole, second-generation
      antipsychotic drug developed by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Corporation in Japan.
      Similar to other atypical antipsychotics it has a distinctive pharmacodynamic
      profile, Areas covered: This review updates reported research findings on the
      efficacy, safety and tolerability of LRSD for treatment of psychotic and major
      affective disorders, with meta-analyses. Short-term efficacy of LRSD in
      schizophrenia is supported by several randomized, controlled trials with daily
      doses of 40-160 mg, yielding relatively modest symptomatic improvements.
      Lurasidone has regulatory approval for treatment of undefined duration in
      schizophrenia. Long-term benefits and effects in schizophrenia, and both short-
      and long-term use for other psychotic disorders and mania have not been tested.
      LRSD shows unusual efficacy in acute bipolar depression even without psychotic
      features. However, trials of adding LRSD to lithium or valproate for bipolar
      disorder have yielded inconsistent findings. Expert opinion: Available research
      findings indicate that LRSD is effective and well-tolerated for short-term
      treatment of schizophrenia, and for acute bipolar depression. It has low risk of
      inducing weight-gain, metabolic, or cardiac abnormalities, but its risk of
      akathisia may exceed that of other modern antipsychotics. Needed is adequate long
      term testing in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and testing for other
      indications, including against alternative treatments.

PMID- 28902526
TI  - Driving Performance After Self-Regulated Control Transitions in Highly Automated
      Vehicles.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore whether driver-paced, noncritical
      transitions of control may counteract some of the aftereffects observed in the
      contemporary literature, resulting in higher levels of vehicle control.
      BACKGROUND: Research into control transitions in highly automated driving has
      focused on urgent scenarios where drivers are given a relatively short time span
      to respond to a request to resume manual control, resulting in seemingly
      scrambled control when manual control is resumed. METHOD: Twenty-six drivers
      drove two scenarios with an automated driving feature activated. Drivers were
      asked to read a newspaper or monitor the system and relinquish or resume control
      from the automation when prompted by vehicle systems. Driving performance in
      terms of lane positioning and steering behavior was assessed for 20 seconds post
      resuming control to capture the resulting level of control. RESULTS: It was found
      that lane positioning was virtually unaffected for the duration of the 20-second
      time span in both automated conditions compared to the manual baseline when
      drivers resumed manual control; however, significant increases in the standard
      deviation of steering input were found for both automated conditions compared to
      baseline. No significant differences were found between the two automated
      conditions. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that when drivers self-paced the
      transfer back to manual control they exhibit less of the detrimental effects
      observed in system-paced conditions. APPLICATION: It was shown that self-paced
      transitions could reduce the risk of accidents near the edge of the operational
      design domain. Vehicle manufacturers must consider these benefits when designing
      contemporary systems.

PMID- 28902527
TI  - Smoking in the family is most predictive of the development of childhood asthma
      in preterm babies <30 weeks gestation: Results of the Respiratory Outcomes Study
      2 (RESPOS2).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Respiratory Outcomes Study 2 (RESPOS2) investigated the
      relationship between neonatal outcomes (specifically, chronic lung disease [CLD])
      and environmental factors on the development of asthma and atopic outcomes at
      primary school age for preterm babies (PBs) <30 weeks gestational age (GA).
      METHODS: The study included all surviving PBs <30 weeks GA admitted to the
      Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Canberra Hospital, Australian Capital Territory
      between 2007 and 2009. Parents were sent a questionnaire regarding asthma and
      atopy symptoms when the PBs were aged 5-7 years old. Data were compared based on
      CLD status. RESULTS: There were 103 PBs included in the study with a 68.9%
      response rate to the respiratory questionnaire (71/103). Of these PBs, 15/71
      (21.1%) received a diagnosis of CLD. There were no significant differences with
      regards to asthma, hay fever or eczema in PBs either with or without CLD. The
      most significant predictor for the development of asthma was smoking in the
      family (Odds Ratio [OR]: 11.66, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 2.01-67.56) with a
      trend toward significance for family history of asthma (OR: 3.83, 95% CI: 0.85
      17.25). CONCLUSION: The RESPOS2 has confirmed previous reports that CLD in PBs
      <30 weeks GA is not associated with the development of childhood asthma, hay
      fever or eczema. In our group of PBs, the strongest predictor of the development
      of asthma was smoking in the family.

PMID- 28902528
TI  - Serbian medical students' fertility awareness and attitudes towards future
      parenthood.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Medical students represent a group particularly at risk of
      involuntary childlessness due to their highly demanding careers and university
      curriculum. The aim of this study was to investigate Serbian medical students'
      attitudes towards future parenthood and their awareness of fertility issues.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among fourth year students at the
      Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia, between 12 and 16 December
      2016. Data were collected through an anonymous 56-item validated questionnaire,
      translated into the Serbian language. The participation rate was 87.1%. RESULTS:
      More than 95% of students, regardless of gender, wanted to have children in the
      future; most indicated three as the desired number of children. Both genders
      equally rated the importance of having children. Women rated significantly higher
      the likelihood of IVF treatment or child adoption if faced with infertility (both
      p = .001). All students wanted to have their first child before the age of 35
      years. Knowledge about the age-related decline in female fertility was not
      satisfactory. Women found it more important to have children when they felt
      sufficiently mature, were in a stable relationship, were financially secure, had
      completed their studies, were not too old to have children, and had access to
      childcare, although these prerequisites were rated highly by both genders.
      CONCLUSION: Serbian medical students greatly value and have a positive perception
      of future parenthood. Appropriate education is needed, however, because of their
      inadequate knowledge of the age-related decline in female fertility.

PMID- 28902529
TI  - Evaluation of the 2016 Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic
      Society Guideline Criteria for Risk of Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens in Patients
      with Hospital-acquired and Ventilator-associated Pneumonia in the ICU.

PMID- 28902530
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28902531
TI  - Estradiol in hormonal contraception: real evolution or just same old wine in a
      new bottle?

PMID- 28902532
TI  - Comparison of Spectrophotometry, Chromate Inhibition, and Cytofluorometry Versus
      Gene Sequencing for Detection of Heterozygously Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase
      Deficient Females.
AB  - Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common enzyme
      deficiency worldwide. Detection of heterozygously deficient females can be
      difficult as residual activity in G6PD-sufficient red blood cells (RBCs) can mask
      deficiency. In this study, we compared accuracy of 4 methods for detection of
      G6PD deficiency in females. Blood samples from females more than 3 months of age
      were used for spectrophotometric measurement of G6PD activity and for
      determination of the percentage G6PD-negative RBCs by cytofluorometry. An
      additional sample from females suspected to have G6PD deficiency based on the
      spectrophotometric G6PD activity was used for measuring chromate inhibition and
      sequencing of the G6PD gene. Of 165 included females, 114 were suspected to have
      heterozygous deficiency. From 75 females, an extra sample was obtained. In this
      group, mutation analysis detected 27 heterozygously deficient females. The
      sensitivity of spectrophotometry, cytofluorometry, and chromate inhibition was
      calculated to be 0.52 (confidence interval [CI]: 0.32-0.71), 0.85 (CI: 0.66
      0.96), and 0.96 (CI: 0.71-1.00, respectively, and the specificity was 1.00 (CI:
      0.93-1.00), 0.88 (CI: 0.75-0.95), and 0.98 (CI: 0.89-1.00), respectively.
      Heterozygously G6PD-deficient females with a larger percentage of G6PD-sufficient
      RBCs are missed by routine methods measuring total G6PD activity. However, the
      majority of these females can be detected with both chromate inhibition and
      cytofluorometry.

PMID- 28902535
TI  - Toward a Public Health Politics of Consequence: An Autobiographical Reflection.

PMID- 28902536
TI  - Income and Wealth Gaps, Inequitable Public Policies, and the Tentacles of Racism.

PMID- 28902533
TI  - Randomized Phase III Trial of Adjuvant Pazopanib Versus Placebo After Nephrectomy
      in Patients With Localized or Locally Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Purpose This phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of pazopanib
      versus placebo in patients with locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at
      high risk for relapse after nephrectomy. Patients and Methods A total of 1,538
      patients with resected pT2 (high grade) or >= pT3, including N1, clear cell RCC
      were randomly assigned to pazopanib or placebo for 1 year; 403 patients received
      a starting dose of 800 mg or placebo. To address toxicity attrition, the 800-mg
      starting dose was lowered to 600 mg, and the primary end point analysis was
      changed to disease-free survival (DFS) for pazopanib 600 mg versus placebo (n =
      1,135). Primary analysis was performed after 350 DFS events in the intent-to
      treat (ITT) pazopanib 600 mg group (ITT600mg), and DFS follow-up analysis was
      performed 12 months later. Secondary end point analyses included DFS with ITT
      pazopanib 800 mg (ITT800mg) and safety. Results The primary analysis results of
      DFS ITT600mg favored pazopanib but did not show a significant improvement over
      placebo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.06; P = .165). The secondary
      analysis of DFS in ITT800mg (n = 403) yielded an HR of 0.69 (95% CI, 0.51 to
      0.94). Follow-up analysis in ITT600mg yielded an HR of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.77 to
      1.14). Increased ALT and AST were common adverse events leading to treatment
      discontinuation in the pazopanib 600 mg (ALT, 16%; AST, 5%) and 800 mg (ALT, 18%;
      AST, 7%) groups. Conclusion The results of the primary DFS analysis of pazopanib
      600 mg showed no benefit over placebo in the adjuvant setting.

PMID- 28902537
TI  - Leveraging Interest to Decrease Rural Health Disparities in the United States.

PMID- 28902538
TI  - Growing Economic Inequality Sustains Health Disparities.

PMID- 28902534
TI  - Phase III, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial of Motesanib (AMG
      706) in Combination With Paclitaxel and Carboplatin in East Asian Patients With
      Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Purpose This phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study
      determined whether motesanib improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared
      with placebo in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin (P/C) in East Asian
      patients with stage IV/recurrent nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients
      and Methods Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive oral motesanib 125
      mg or placebo once daily plus paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 IV and carboplatin area under
      the concentration-time curve 6 mg/mL ? min IV for up to six 3-week cycles. Random
      assignment was stratified by epidermal growth factor receptor status, region, and
      weight loss in the 6 months before assignment. The primary end point was PFS, the
      key secondary end point was overall survival, and other secondary end points were
      objective response rate, time to tumor response, duration of response, and
      adverse events (AEs). Results Four hundred one patients were assigned to receive
      motesanib plus P/C (n = 197) or placebo plus P/C (n = 204). Median PFS was 6.1 v
      5.6 months for motesanib versus placebo (stratified log-rank test P = .0825;
      stratified hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.03; P = .0820); median overall
      survival was not reached versus 21.6 months ( P = .5514). In secondary analyses,
      the objective response rate was 60.1% v 41.6% ( P < .001); median time to tumor
      response, 1.4 v 1.6 months, and median duration of response, 5.3 v 4.1 months.
      Incidence of grade >= 3 AEs (86.7% v 67.6%) and AEs that led to drug
      discontinuation (32.7% v 14.2%) were higher with motesanib than with placebo. AEs
      reported more frequently with motesanib were GI disorders, hypertension, and
      gallbladder related. Conclusion Motesanib plus P/C did not significantly improve
      PFS versus placebo plus P/C in East Asian patients with stage IV/recurrent
      nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer.

PMID- 28902540
TI  - AJPH Global News.

PMID- 28902539
TI  - Can Population Health Science Counter In-Kind Dangerous Oversimplifications? A
      Public Health of Consequence, October 2017.

PMID- 28902541
TI  - Years of Life Lost, Age Discrimination, and the Myth of Productivity.

PMID- 28902542
TI  - Despair in the American Heartland? A Focus on Rural Health.

PMID- 28902543
TI  - Clarivate Analytics (Formerly Produced by Thomson Reuters) Journal Metrics and
      AJPH.

PMID- 28902544
TI  - Using All Means to Protect Public Health in Israel From Emerging Tobacco
      Products.

PMID- 28902545
TI  - The Complex Road Ahead for Preexposure Prophylaxis: A Primary Care Physician
      Perspective.

PMID- 28902546
TI  - Consumer-Directed Health Care for Medicaid Patients: Past and Future Reforms.

PMID- 28902547
TI  - Effect of Police Training and Accountability on the Mental Health of African
      American Adults.

PMID- 28902548
TI  - Antiretroviral Drugs as the Linchpin for Prevention of HIV Infections in the
      United States.

PMID- 28902549
TI  - Brexit: Severe Risks to Britain's National Health Service.

PMID- 28902550
TI  - The World Health Organization, Public Health Ethics, and Surveillance: Essential
      Architecture for Social Well-Being.

PMID- 28902551
TI  - Global Health and the "Inequality Machine".

PMID- 28902552
TI  - Despair as a Cause of Death: More Complex Than It First Appears.

PMID- 28902553
TI  - ERRATUM.

PMID- 28902554
TI  - Deaths of Despair: Why? What to Do?

PMID- 28902555
TI  - Obesity Prevention in the Supermarket-Choice Architecture and the Supplemental
      Nutrition Assistance Program.

PMID- 28902556
TI  - Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Neglected Group at Public Health and Epidemiology
      Meetings?

PMID- 28902557
TI  - Will Automated Driving Technologies Make Today's Effective Restraint Systems
      Obsolete?

PMID- 28902560
TI  - On Being Transnational and Transgender: Human Rights and Public Health
      Considerations.

PMID- 28902562
TI  - Preexposure Prophylaxis: Adapting HIV Prevention Models to Achieve Worldwide
      Access.

PMID- 28902563
TI  - Low-Income Housing Tax Credit: Optimizing Its Impact on Health.

PMID- 28902564
TI  - Relations of Shared and Unique Components of Personality and Psychosocial
      Functioning to Depressive Symptoms.
AB  - Consistent with theories of depression, several personality (e.g., high
      neuroticism, low extraversion) and psychosocial (e.g., interpersonal problems,
      cognitive content) variables predict depressive symptoms substantively. In this
      extended replication, we clarified whether 13 theoretically relevant personality
      and psychosocial variables were unique versus overlapping predictors of symptoms
      among 351 adult outpatients with recurrent major depressive disorder who received
      acute-phase cognitive therapy (CT). Using factor analysis and regression methods,
      we partitioned the measures' variance into general components common across the
      two types of measures (psychosocial and personality), within-type components
      shared only with other measures of the same type, and scale-specific components.
      From early to late in CT, and from late in CT through 8 months after response,
      the general components were the strongest (median r = .23)-and scale-specific
      components the weakest (median r = .01)-forward predictors of symptoms. We
      discuss implications for measurement and treatment of depression.

PMID- 28902565
TI  - Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Ribosomal Protein RPS9 in Echinococcus
      granulosus.
AB  - Ribosomal protein S9 (RPS9) is an essential functional gene that participates in
      DNA repair and developmental regulations. A sequence homolog of RPS9 has been
      found to be upregulated in the protoscoleces (PSCs) of Echinococcus granulosus
      treated with artemisinin. However, E. granulosus RPS9 (EgRPS9) has not been
      identified before. In the present study, the 657-base pair (bp) cDNA encoding
      EgRPS9 was cloned. Amino acid sequence analysis showed that EgRPS9 was similar to
      the RSP9 proteins from Schistosoma japonicum (SjRPS9, 86%) and Schistosoma
      mansoni (SmRPS9, 79%). Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that EgRPS9, SmRPS9, and
      SjRPS9 were clustered together. We detected the EgRPS9 gene and protein
      expression in PSCs exposed to artesunate (AS) which displayed a dose-dependent
      reduction in PSC viability for 24 hr. The results showed that the EgRPS9 ratio of
      the 10-MUM AS-treated ( P < 0.01) and 40-MUM AS-treated ( P < 0.05) groups were
      increased from that of the control group. In addition, the level of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) in the AS-treated groups increased in a dose-dependent
      manner compared to the level in the control group. In conclusion, the expression
      of EgRPS9 could be induced by ROS and might participate in the oxidative damage
      based anti-parasite mechanism of AS treatment.

PMID- 28902566
TI  - Jane Eva Huffman-Roscoe B.A., M.A., Ph.D., M.P.H., C.W.F.S.

PMID- 28902567
TI  - Phase II cancer clinical trials for biomarker-guided treatments.
AB  - The design and analysis of cancer clinical trials with biomarker depend on
      various factors, such as the phase of trials, the type of biomarker, whether the
      used biomarker is validated or not, and the study objectives. In this article, we
      demonstrate the design and analysis of two Phase II cancer clinical trials, one
      with a predictive biomarker and the other with an imaging prognostic biomarker.
      Statistical testing methods and their sample size calculation methods are
      presented for each trial. We assume that the primary endpoint of these trials is
      a time to event variable, but this concept can be used for any type of endpoint.

PMID- 28902569
TI  - A New Classification of Glaridacris Cooper, 1920 (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea),
      Parasites of Suckers (Catostomidae) in North America, Including Erection of
      Pseudoglaridacris N. Gen.
AB  - A taxonomic study of monozoic cestodes of the genus Glaridacris Cooper, 1920
      (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), parasites of catostomid fishes in North America,
      confirmed artificial character of the genus which is split to 2 different,
      morphologically distinct, and not closely related genera. Glaridacris is newly
      circumscribed to include only 3 species, Glaridacris catostomi Cooper, 1920 (type
      species), Glaridacris terebrans ( Linton, 1893 ), and Glaridacris vogei
      Mackiewicz, 1976 , which are characterized by an elongate body, a cuneiloculate
      or wedge-shaped scolex with 6 shallow loculi, male and female gonopores at a
      distance from each other, follicular ovary, and circum-medullary vitelline
      follicles (lateral and median). A new genus, Pseudoglaridacris n. gen., is
      proposed to accommodate 3 species characterized by a shorter body, a
      bothrioloculodiscate scolex with a pair of deeper median bothria and 2 shallower
      loculi, male and female gonopores close together, non-follicular ovary, and with
      only lateral vitelline follicles. The species are: Pseudoglaridacris laruei (
      Lamont, 1921 ) n. comb. (type species), Pseudoglaridacris confusa (Hunter, 1929)
      n. comb., and Pseudoglaridacris oligorchis ( Haderlie, 1953 ) n. comb. An
      annotated list of all species of both genera, with data on their hosts and
      distribution and keys to their identification, is provided.

PMID- 28902568
TI  - Interlinked bistable mechanisms generate robust mitotic transitions.
AB  - The transitions between phases of the cell cycle have evolved to be robust and
      switch-like, which ensures temporal separation of DNA replication, sister
      chromatid separation, and cell division. Mathematical models describing the
      biochemical interaction networks of cell cycle regulators attribute these
      properties to underlying bistable switches, which inherently generate robust,
      switch-like, and irreversible transitions between states. We have recently
      presented new mathematical models for two control systems that regulate crucial
      transitions in the cell cycle: mitotic entry and exit, 1 and the mitotic
      checkpoint. 2 Each of the two control systems is characterized by two interlinked
      bistable switches. In the case of mitotic checkpoint control, these switches are
      mutually activating, whereas in the case of the mitotic entry/exit network, the
      switches are mutually inhibiting. In this Perspective we describe the qualitative
      features of these regulatory motifs and show that having two interlinked bistable
      mechanisms further enhances robustness and irreversibility. We speculate that
      these network motifs also underlie other cell cycle transitions and cellular
      transitions between distinct biochemical states.

PMID- 28902570
TI  - Tragedy, Perseverance, and Chance - The Story of CAR-T Therapy.

PMID- 28902571
TI  - Pain Perception and Body Awareness Among Individuals With Borderline Personality
      Disorder.
AB  - Studies indicate that individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD)
      often demonstrate attenuated pain perception, termed hypoalgesia. This study
      examines the hypothesis that body awareness moderates the association between BPD
      and pain perception. Participants consisted of 46 women diagnosed with BPD and 47
      healthy controls. Sensory testing included the measurement of heat-pain
      thresholds, ratings of suprathreshold stimuli, measurement of temperature evoking
      moderate pain, and temporal summation of noxious mechanical stimuli. Body
      awareness was assessed by a self-report questionnaire. As hypothesized, among
      subjects with low levels of body awareness, those with BPD demonstrated
      hypoalgesia as manifested in their lower suprathreshold pain ratings and moderate
      pain evoked by higher temperature, in comparison with the controls. Among those
      with high levels of body awareness, BPD subjects demonstrated increased
      reactivity to pain as manifested in their higher pain ratings and moderate pain
      evoked by lower temperature, in comparison with the controls.

PMID- 28902572
TI  - Unique and Interactive Associations Between Maltreatment and Complex Emotion
      Recognition Deficits and Psychopathic Traits in an Undergraduate Sample.
AB  - Psychopathy is defined by affective and interpersonal deficits, deviant
      lifestyle, and antisocial behaviors. Poor recognition of emotions and childhood
      maltreatment are two risk factors implicated in psychopathy. The current study
      examined whether childhood maltreatment and complex emotion recognition deficits
      showed unique and interactive associations with psychopathic traits among 261
      undergraduate students. Results indicate that maltreatment was related to higher
      general psychopathy scores within a bifactor model comprising a general
      psychopathy factor and four specific factors tapping underlying dimensions of
      psychopathy (i.e., affective, interpersonal, lifestyle, and antisocial). A
      significant interaction emerged whereby maltreatment was related to higher
      antisocial factor scores among individuals showing poor recognition of positive
      emotions. In an intriguing interaction, more maltreatment was related to lower
      interpersonal factor scores among individuals with low/mean levels of neutral
      emotion recognition. The interaction of positive emotion recognition deficits and
      maltreatment highlights a potential intervention target among antisocial
      individuals who have experienced maltreatment.

PMID- 28902574
TI  - Dreams Deferred - The Public Health Consequences of Rescinding DACA.

PMID- 28902573
TI  - Preparation of umami octopeptide with recombined Escherichia coli: Feasibility
      and challenges.
AB  - The taste of umami peptide H-Lys-Gly-Asp-Glu-Glu-Ser-Leu-Ala-OH (LGAGGSLA) is
      controversial. One possible reason for this controversy is the use of chemically
      synthesized LGAGGSLA to confirm its taste. To explore other ways to further
      confirm the flavor of LGAGGSLA, we developed a new strategy to prepare a bio
      source peptide by adopting a gene engineering method to express LGAGGSLA in
      recombinant Escherichia coli. In our previous work, we structured the LGAGGSLA
      recombinant expression system and optimized the culturing conditions for
      preparing a fusion protein. However, the fusion protein was not cleaved by
      enterokinase to obtain LGAGGSLA. Because the cleavage conditions of commercial
      enterokinase were not specific and recombinant engineered bacteria had the
      potential to be used in industrial processes, in this addendum, we calculated the
      mass and volume yields of key processing steps in the preparation of LGAGGSLA,
      and established a model of cleavage conditions with the cleavage ratio of
      LGAGGSLA. When the LGAGGSLA was confirmed to show umami taste, it is considered
      as a new umami or umami enhancer. The gene information of LGAGGSLA should have a
      great potential in the development of new flavor product and food product
      containing high umami flavor.

PMID- 28902575
TI  - Sample-Size Planning for More Accurate Statistical Power: A Method Adjusting
      Sample Effect Sizes for Publication Bias and Uncertainty.
AB  - The sample size necessary to obtain a desired level of statistical power depends
      in part on the population value of the effect size, which is, by definition,
      unknown. A common approach to sample-size planning uses the sample effect size
      from a prior study as an estimate of the population value of the effect to be
      detected in the future study. Although this strategy is intuitively appealing,
      effect-size estimates, taken at face value, are typically not accurate estimates
      of the population effect size because of publication bias and uncertainty. We
      show that the use of this approach often results in underpowered studies,
      sometimes to an alarming degree. We present an alternative approach that adjusts
      sample effect sizes for bias and uncertainty, and we demonstrate its
      effectiveness for several experimental designs. Furthermore, we discuss an open
      source R package, BUCSS, and user-friendly Web applications that we have made
      available to researchers so that they can easily implement our suggested methods.

PMID- 28902576
TI  - Caring for patients with brain tumors compared to patients with non-brain tumors:
      Experiences and needs of informal caregivers in home care settings.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Informal caregivers of patients with advanced cancer
      experience a challenging time, especially while caring for the patient at home.
      The aim of this study is to compare experiences, perceived burdens, and needs
      during home care of informal caregivers of brain tumor patients and informal
      caregivers of non-brain tumor patients. METHODS: 28 informal caregivers (17 brain
      tumor group, 11 non-brain tumor group) participated in this study. Semi
      structured interviews were conducted to gather information retrospectively. Data
      was analyzed using principles of thematic analysis method. RESULTS: The results
      support existing evidence that the themes assessment of the situation, dealing
      with the situation, effects of the situation, and support by others are of
      importance to all informal caregivers. Caregivers in the brain tumor group put
      more emphasis on information and perception of the situation by others than
      caregivers in the non-brain tumor group. CONCLUSION: The emerging need for
      information of caregivers and the effects for caregivers of changes in the
      perception of the situation by others should be addressed to better support
      informal caregivers of brain tumor patients.

PMID- 28902577
TI  - Post-irradiation promotes susceptibility to reprogramming to pluripotent state in
      human fibroblasts.
AB  - Ionizing radiation causes not only targeted effects in cells that have been
      directly irradiated but also non-targeted effects in several cell generations
      after initial exposure. Recent studies suggest that radiation can enrich for a
      population of stem cells, derived from differentiated cells, through cellular
      reprogramming. Here, we elucidate the effect of irradiation on reprogramming,
      subjected to two different responses, using an induced pluripotent stem cell
      (iPSC) model. iPSCs were generated from non-irradiated cells, directly-irradiated
      cells, or cells subsequently generated after initial radiation exposure. We found
      that direct irradiation negatively affected iPSC induction in a dose-dependent
      manner. However, in the post-irradiated group, after five subsequent generations,
      cells became increasingly sensitive to the induction of reprogramming compared to
      that in non-irradiated cells as observed by an increased number of Tra1-81
      stained colonies as well as enhanced alkaline phosphatase and Oct4 promoter
      activity. Comparative analysis, based on reducing the number of defined factors
      utilized for reprogramming, also revealed enhanced efficiency of iPSC generation
      in post-irradiated cells. Furthermore, the phenotypic acquisition of
      characteristics of pluripotent stem cells was observed in all resulting iPSC
      lines, as shown by morphology, the expression of pluripotent markers, DNA
      methylation patterns of pluripotency genes, a normal diploid karyotype, and
      teratoma formation. Overall, these results suggested that reprogramming
      capability might be differentially modulated by altered radiation-induced
      responses. Our findings provide that susceptibility to reprogramming in somatic
      cells might be improved by the delayed effects of non-targeted response, and
      contribute to a better understanding of the biological effects of radiation
      exposure.

PMID- 28902578
TI  - Associations between the HLA-A/B/DRB1 polymorphisms and aplastic anemia: evidence
      from 17 case-control studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the associations between HLA-A/B/DRB1 polymorphisms and
      aplastic anemia (AA), we carried out the meta-analysis. METHODS: In this meta
      analysis, all publications in English and Chinese were considered up to 30
      September 2015. The electronic databases we searched were Pubmed, Science Direct,
      Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP. We conducted all statistical
      data analyses in the Stata11.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 17 studies including
      9164 subjects (containing 1372 cases and 7792 controls) were retrieved, which
      studied the relationship between HLA-A/B/DRB1 and AA. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) for the comparisons between cases and controls were
      calculated. The result revealed that HLA-A*02 and HLA-DRB1 (*0407, *15 and *1501)
      polymorphisms might increase the risk of AA. Otherwise, HLA-DRB1 (*0301, *04,
      *0406, *0802, *1301, *1302 and *14) were protective against AA. But, other sites
      of HLA-A/B/DRB1 in our study had no correlations with AA (all Pc > 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: In conclusion, HLA-A/B/DRB1 polymorphisms may play an important role
      in AA, but higher quality and larger sample studies are needed to confirm.

PMID- 28902579
TI  - Effect of liver histopathology on islet cell engraftment in the model mimicking
      autologous islet cell transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inflammatory milieu in the liver as determined by histopathology
      is different in individual patients undergoing autologous islet cell
      transplantation. We hypothesized that inflammation related to fatty-liver
      adversely impacts islet survival. To test this hypothesis, we used a mouse model
      of fatty-liver to determine the outcome of syngeneic islet transplantation after
      chemical pancreatectomy. METHODS: Mice (C57BL/6) were fed a high-fat-diet from 6
      weeks of age until attaining a weight of >=28 grams (6-8 weeks) to produce a
      fatty liver (histologically > 30% fat);steatosis was confirmed with lipidomic
      profile of liver tissue. Islets were infused via the intra-portal route in fatty
      liver and control mice after streptozotocin induction of diabetes. Outcomes were
      assessed by the rate of euglycemia, liver histopathology, evaluation of liver
      inflammation by measuring tissue cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha by RT-PCR and
      CD31 expression by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The difference in the
      euglycemic fraction between the normal liver group (90%, 9/10) and the fatty
      liver group (37.5%, 3/8) was statistically significant at the 18th day post-
      transplant and was maintained to the end of the study (day 28) (p = 0.019, X2 =
      5.51). Levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta were elevated in fatty-liver mice (p =
      0.042, p = 0.037). Compared to controls cytokine levels were elevated after islet
      cell transplantation and in transplanted fatty-liver mice as compared to either
      fatty- or islet transplant group alone (p = NS). A difference in the
      histochemical pattern of CD31 could not be determined. CONCLUSION: Fatty-liver
      creates an inflammatory state which adversely affects the outcome of autologous
      islet cell transplantation.

PMID- 28902581
TI  - Case 28-2017. A 13-Month-Old Girl with Pneumonia and a 33-Year-Old Woman with Hip
      Pain.

PMID- 28902582
TI  - Marfan's Syndrome with Ectopia Lentis.

PMID- 28902583
TI  - Transplanting HCV-Infected Kidneys into Uninfected Recipients.

PMID- 28902584
TI  - Transplanting HCV-Infected Kidneys into Uninfected Recipients.

PMID- 28902585
TI  - Transplanting HCV-Infected Kidneys into Uninfected Recipients.

PMID- 28902586
TI  - Vaccination Rates among Younger Siblings of Children with Autism.

PMID- 28902587
TI  - Hospital-Readmission Risk - Isolating Hospital Effects from Patient Effects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To isolate hospital effects on risk-standardized hospital-readmission
      rates, we examined readmission outcomes among patients who had multiple
      admissions for a similar diagnosis at more than one hospital within a given year.
      METHODS: We divided the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital-wide
      readmission measure cohort from July 2014 through June 2015 into two random
      samples. All the patients in the cohort were Medicare recipients who were at
      least 65 years of age. We used the first sample to calculate the risk
      standardized readmission rate within 30 days for each hospital, and we classified
      hospitals into performance quartiles, with a lower readmission rate indicating
      better performance (performance-classification sample). The study sample
      (identified from the second sample) included patients who had two admissions for
      similar diagnoses at different hospitals that occurred more than 1 month and less
      than 1 year apart, and we compared the observed readmission rates among patients
      who had been admitted to hospitals in different performance quartiles. RESULTS:
      In the performance-classification sample, the median risk-standardized
      readmission rate was 15.5% (interquartile range, 15.3 to 15.8). The study sample
      included 37,508 patients who had two admissions for similar diagnoses at a total
      of 4272 different hospitals. The observed readmission rate was consistently
      higher among patients admitted to hospitals in a worse-performing quartile than
      among those admitted to hospitals in a better-performing quartile, but the only
      significant difference was observed when the patients were admitted to hospitals
      in which one was in the best-performing quartile and the other was in the worst
      performing quartile (absolute difference in readmission rate, 2.0 percentage
      points; 95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 3.5; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: When the same
      patients were admitted with similar diagnoses to hospitals in the best-performing
      quartile as compared with the worst-performing quartile of hospital readmission
      performance, there was a significant difference in rates of readmission within 30
      days. The findings suggest that hospital quality contributes in part to
      readmission rates independent of factors involving patients. (Funded by Yale-New
      Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation and others.).

PMID- 28902588
TI  - Head Positioning in Acute Stroke.

PMID- 28902589
TI  - Head Positioning in Acute Stroke.

PMID- 28902591
TI  - Recent Developments in Radiotherapy.

PMID- 28902592
TI  - Tipping Point for Patent Foramen Ovale Closure.

PMID- 28902594
TI  - Waving Hello to Noninvasive Deep-Brain Stimulation.

PMID- 28902595
TI  - Patent Foramen Ovale after Cryptogenic Stroke - Assessing the Evidence for
      Closure.

PMID- 28902580
TI  - Patent Foramen Ovale Closure or Antiplatelet Therapy for Cryptogenic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in the
      prevention of recurrent stroke after cryptogenic stroke is uncertain. We
      investigated the effect of PFO closure combined with antiplatelet therapy versus
      antiplatelet therapy alone on the risks of recurrent stroke and new brain
      infarctions. METHODS: In this multinational trial involving patients with a PFO
      who had had a cryptogenic stroke, we randomly assigned patients, in a 2:1 ratio,
      to undergo PFO closure plus antiplatelet therapy (PFO closure group) or to
      receive antiplatelet therapy alone (antiplatelet-only group). Imaging of the
      brain was performed at the baseline screening and at 24 months. The coprimary end
      points were freedom from clinical evidence of ischemic stroke (reported here as
      the percentage of patients who had a recurrence of stroke) through at least 24
      months after randomization and the 24-month incidence of new brain infarction,
      which was a composite of clinical ischemic stroke or silent brain infarction
      detected on imaging. RESULTS: We enrolled 664 patients (mean age, 45.2 years), of
      whom 81% had moderate or large interatrial shunts. During a median follow-up of
      3.2 years, clinical ischemic stroke occurred in 6 of 441 patients (1.4%) in the
      PFO closure group and in 12 of 223 patients (5.4%) in the antiplatelet-only group
      (hazard ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09 to 0.62; P=0.002). The
      incidence of new brain infarctions was significantly lower in the PFO closure
      group than in the antiplatelet-only group (22 patients [5.7%] vs. 20 patients
      [11.3%]; relative risk, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.91; P=0.04), but the incidence of
      silent brain infarction did not differ significantly between the study groups
      (P=0.97). Serious adverse events occurred in 23.1% of the patients in the PFO
      closure group and in 27.8% of the patients in the antiplatelet-only group
      (P=0.22). Serious device-related adverse events occurred in 6 patients (1.4%) in
      the PFO closure group, and atrial fibrillation occurred in 29 patients (6.6%)
      after PFO closure. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with a PFO who had had a
      cryptogenic stroke, the risk of subsequent ischemic stroke was lower among those
      assigned to PFO closure combined with antiplatelet therapy than among those
      assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone; however, PFO closure was associated with
      higher rates of device complications and atrial fibrillation. (Funded by W.L.
      Gore and Associates; Gore REDUCE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00738894 .).

PMID- 28902597
TI  - Iridodonesis.

PMID- 28902596
TI  - Evaluation of a Rapid Molecular Drug-Susceptibility Test for Tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs are the backbone of
      treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and resistance to these
      drugs defines extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. We assessed the accuracy
      of an automated, cartridge-based molecular assay for the detection, directly from
      sputum specimens, of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with resistance to
      fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and isoniazid. METHODS: We conducted a
      prospective diagnostic accuracy study to compare the investigational assay
      against phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing and DNA sequencing among adults in
      China and South Korea who had symptoms of tuberculosis. The Xpert MTB/RIF assay
      and sputum culture were performed. M. tuberculosis isolates underwent phenotypic
      drug-susceptibility testing and DNA sequencing of the genes katG, gyrA, gyrB, and
      rrs and of the eis and inhA promoter regions. RESULTS: Among the 308 participants
      who were culture-positive for M. tuberculosis, when phenotypic drug
      susceptibility testing was used as the reference standard, the sensitivities of
      the investigational assay for detecting resistance were 83.3% for isoniazid (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 77.1 to 88.5), 88.4% for ofloxacin (95% CI, 80.2 to
      94.1), 87.6% for moxifloxacin at a critical concentration of 0.5 MUg per
      milliliter (95% CI, 79.0 to 93.7), 96.2% for moxifloxacin at a critical
      concentration of 2.0 MUg per milliliter (95% CI, 87.0 to 99.5), 71.4% for
      kanamycin (95% CI, 56.7 to 83.4), and 70.7% for amikacin (95% CI, 54.5 to 83.9).
      The specificity of the assay for the detection of phenotypic resistance was 94.3%
      or greater for all drugs except moxifloxacin at a critical concentration of 2.0
      MUg per milliliter (specificity, 84.0% [95% CI, 78.9 to 88.3]). When DNA
      sequencing was used as the reference standard, the sensitivities of the
      investigational assay for detecting mutations associated with resistance were
      98.1% for isoniazid (95% CI, 94.4 to 99.6), 95.8% for fluoroquinolones (95% CI,
      89.6 to 98.8), 92.7% for kanamycin (95% CI, 80.1 to 98.5), and 96.8% for amikacin
      (95% CI, 83.3 to 99.9), and the specificity for all drugs was 99.6% (95% CI, 97.9
      to 100) or greater. CONCLUSIONS: This investigational assay accurately detected
      M. tuberculosis mutations associated with resistance to isoniazid,
      fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides and holds promise as a rapid point-of-care
      test to guide therapeutic decisions for patients with tuberculosis. (Funded by
      the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of
      Health, and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China; ClinicalTrials.gov
      number, NCT02251327 .).

PMID- 28902598
TI  - Correction to: Viral Immunol 2017;30:298-301. DOI: 10.1089/vim.2016.0152.

PMID- 28902599
TI  - The Potential Role of Inhibitory Receptors in the Treatment of Psoriasis.
AB  - Psoriasis is a common autoimmune disorder that affects the skin. Approximately
      30% of individuals with psoriasis will develop inflammatory arthritis, often in
      the setting of human leukocyte antigen B27. Both forms of disease are thought to
      be the result of prolonged inflammation mediated by T lymphocytes, dendritic
      cells, and keratinocytes. While there are treatments aimed at immunomodulation,
      targeting T cell co-inhibitory receptors signaling pathways may provide
      therapeutic benefit. This review will discuss in detail four T cell co-inhibitory
      receptors and their potential application for the treatment of psoriasis and
      psoriatic arthritis.

PMID- 28902600
TI  - Contact Analysis of Horizontal Cleavage Tear Treatment.
AB  - Horizontal cleavage tears (HCT) commonly occur in the posterior horn of the
      medial meniscus due to aging and degeneration. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the surgical treatment of HCTs and their effect on dynamic
      tibiofemoral contact mechanics. The tibiofemoral contact mechanics of 10 cadaver
      knees were investigated using a custom dynamic loading apparatus, pressure
      sensor, and motion sensing camera. Three loading conditions were analyzed: 500 N
      compressive load, 500 N compressive load with 100 N posterior shear, and 500 N
      compressive load with 2.5 Nm of internal torque. Real-time peak contact pressures
      and contact areas were recorded throughout the full range of motion. After
      testing the intact meniscal state, a horizontal cleavage tear was created and
      included 50% of the width of the meniscus. The following procedures were
      performed, and the loading conditions described above were analyzed: HCT superior
      flap removal (5 specimens), HCT inferior flap removal (remaining 5 specimens),
      and both flaps removed (all 10 specimens). Statistical analysis was performed
      using a mixed linear effects model using the R-statistical package. The mixed
      linear effects statistical model identified statistically significant differences
      between independent variables, including the procedure performed, meniscal flap
      removed, meniscal region, loading condition, and knee flexion angle with respect
      to contact area and peak contact pressure. Peak contact pressure and contact area
      were not affected by selective flap removal (superior vs. inferior) or removal of
      both flaps of the HCT. We recommend that in the treatment of horizontal cleavage
      tears of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus, the outer 50% of the
      posterior horn of the medial meniscus should be maintained for load transmission.

PMID- 28902601
TI  - Impact of Diabetes on Perioperative Complications in Patients Undergoing Elective
      Total Shoulder Arthroplasty.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetes has been associated with negative outcomes following
      orthopaedic surgery. While previous studies have reported on diabetes-associated
      complications in shoulder arthroplasty, those cohorts were heterogeneous in terms
      of patient population, nature of elective surgery, and arthroplasty type. Given
      that the number of elective total shoulder arthroplasties (TSAs) performed has
      grown substantially in volume and is predicted to rise even further, it is
      important to recognize the role that diabetes may play in developing in-hospital
      complications within a more homogenous sample of patients undergoing elective
      TSA. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was searched for the year
      2012 to identify all patients undergoing elective TSA. Patients with diabetes
      were identified, and differences regarding demographics and in-hospital outcomes
      were compared to non-diabetics using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A
      total of 44,050 patients underwent elective total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) in
      2012. Diabetic patients tended to be older, of minority racial status, and had a
      greater medical comorbidity burden. When controlling for preoperative factors and
      comorbidities, diabetes was an independent risk factor for non-home bound
      discharge (OR 1.285; 95% CI 1.093-1.509, p = 0.002), length of stay in 75th
      percentile (OR 1.390; 95% CI 1.233-1.567, p < 0.001), total charges in the 75th
      percentile (OR 1.136; 95% CI 1.006-1.283, p = 0.040), and postoperative acute
      renal failure (OR 1.460; 1.002-2.128, p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Diabetes was
      associated with marginal increases in non-home bound discharge, length of stay,
      and total charges, following elective TSA. Subgroup analysis revealed that
      diabetic patients undergoing reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) have
      higher comorbidity burden and worse outcomes than diabetic patients undergoing
      anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA).

PMID- 28902602
TI  - Reestablishment of the Posterior Stability After the Posterior Cruciate Ligament
      Released Cruciate Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: The cruciate retaining (CR) design was developed to obtain knee
      stability with the natural posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in total knee
      arthroplasty (TKA). However, the preservation of the PCL can limit knee exposure
      and increase the technical challenge during the procedure. Knee exposure is
      easily achieved under the released PCL, and we hypothesized that the PCL
      naturally repairs after release, thus re-establishing the posterior stability.
      Accordingly, the objective of this study was to evaluate the varying of the
      posterior stability after the PCL-released CR TKA over time. METHODS: Eight
      consecutive patients received the CR TKA in which the entire PCL was
      subperiostealy released at its femoral insertion. Thereafter, the patients were
      examined with the Knee Society Score, the posterior drawer examination, and the
      knee ligament arthrometer postoperatively. RESULTS: Once the PCL was released,
      the tibia was easily subluxated, and the knee was clearly exposed
      intraoperatively. However, the posterior stability significantly improved with
      time postoperatively. We also had confirmed the reestablishment of the PCL
      directly at revision TKAs, one case of which is shown. CONCLUSION: The
      reestablishment of the posterior stability after the PCL-released CR TKA was
      demonstrated. This procedure to release the entire PCL subperiostealy is
      recommended as a means of facilitating CR TKA.

PMID- 28902603
TI  - The Utility of Conservative Treatment Modalities in the Management of
      Osteonecrosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Osteonecrosis is an ischemic pathologic process associated with a
      number of conditions affecting a range of age groups. The problem faced in the
      management of osteonecrosis is whether conservative treatment is a viable and
      effective option for patients. In this systematic review, we investigated the
      efficacy of various nonoperative treatment modalities for hip and knee
      osteonecrosis, including pharmacological management and biophysical modalities.
      METHODS: We identified 16 studies based on electronic searches through the
      PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and Cochrane databases from January 2001 to November
      2015. The therapies we assessed for the conservative osteonecrosis management
      included bisphosphonates, prostaglandin agents, enoxaparin, statins, hyperbaric
      oxygen, extracorporeal shockwave therapy, and pulsed electromagnetic field
      therapy. RESULTS: Several studies have reported that early intervention (Fiscat
      stage I/II) osteonecrosis can be effectively managed conservatively. Pain levels
      and rate of bone necrosis was decreased with bisphosphonate use. Iloprost was
      seen to have improvement in pain, functional, and radiological outcomes.
      Progression of osteonecrosis was curbed with enoxaparin use. Statin use was seen
      to have protective effects on bone in patients taking high dose corticosteroids.
      The biophysical modalities (hyperbaric oxygen, extracorporeal shockwave therapy,
      and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy) all saw delay and partial reversal of
      disease progression. CONCLUSION: Generally, stage I and II, prior to subchondral
      collapse, can be approached with both pharmacological and biophysical treatment
      modalities before more invasive measures, such as core decompression, are
      considered. At stage III and beyond, these conservative treatments are no longer
      viable treatment options. Further research must be performed to determine which
      modality carries the best cost to risk to benefit ratio in order to establish a
      standard of care for the treatment of osteonecrosis.

PMID- 28902593
TI  - Patent Foramen Ovale Closure or Anticoagulation vs. Antiplatelets after Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trials of patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure to prevent recurrent
      stroke have been inconclusive. We investigated whether patients with cryptogenic
      stroke and echocardiographic features representing risk of stroke would benefit
      from PFO closure or anticoagulation, as compared with antiplatelet therapy.
      METHODS: In a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial, we assigned, in a 1:1:1
      ratio, patients 16 to 60 years of age who had had a recent stroke attributed to
      PFO, with an associated atrial septal aneurysm or large interatrial shunt, to
      transcatheter PFO closure plus long-term antiplatelet therapy (PFO closure
      group), antiplatelet therapy alone (antiplatelet-only group), or oral
      anticoagulation (anticoagulation group) (randomization group 1). Patients with
      contraindications to anticoagulants or to PFO closure were randomly assigned to
      the alternative noncontraindicated treatment or to antiplatelet therapy
      (randomization groups 2 and 3). The primary outcome was occurrence of stroke. The
      comparison of PFO closure plus antiplatelet therapy with antiplatelet therapy
      alone was performed with combined data from randomization groups 1 and 2, and the
      comparison of oral anticoagulation with antiplatelet therapy alone was performed
      with combined data from randomization groups 1 and 3. RESULTS: A total of 663
      patients underwent randomization and were followed for a mean (+/-SD) of 5.3+/
      2.0 years. In the analysis of randomization groups 1 and 2, no stroke occurred
      among the 238 patients in the PFO closure group, whereas stroke occurred in 14 of
      the 235 patients in the antiplatelet-only group (hazard ratio, 0.03; 95%
      confidence interval, 0 to 0.26; P<0.001). Procedural complications from PFO
      closure occurred in 14 patients (5.9%). The rate of atrial fibrillation was
      higher in the PFO closure group than in the antiplatelet-only group (4.6% vs.
      0.9%, P=0.02). The number of serious adverse events did not differ significantly
      between the treatment groups (P=0.56). In the analysis of randomization groups 1
      and 3, stroke occurred in 3 of 187 patients assigned to oral anticoagulants and
      in 7 of 174 patients assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone. CONCLUSIONS: Among
      patients who had had a recent cryptogenic stroke attributed to PFO with an
      associated atrial septal aneurysm or large interatrial shunt, the rate of stroke
      recurrence was lower among those assigned to PFO closure combined with
      antiplatelet therapy than among those assigned to antiplatelet therapy alone. PFO
      closure was associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. (Funded by
      the French Ministry of Health; CLOSE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00562289 .).

PMID- 28902604
TI  - Age of Recurrence in Idiopathic Clubfoot Treated with the Ponseti Method.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: While studies of patients undergoing the Ponseti method for
      idiopathic clubfoot demonstrate excellent correction after initial treatment,
      recurrence can occur in more than half of the cases. Few studies have
      demonstrated the age at which recurrence typically occurs or if age at
      discontinuation of the foot ankle orthosis (FAO) is associated with risk for
      surgical intervention. METHODS: Patients with idiopathic clubfoot treated with
      the Ponseti method with greater than 3 years of follow-up were evaluated. Age at
      presentation, need for percutaneous Achilles tenotomy, age of initiation of foot
      abduction orthosis, adherence with FAO, and need for additional treatment were
      recorded. Severity scores were recorded at initial presentation and yearly
      throughout follow-up. RESULTS: 110 patients were followed for an average of 5.9
      years, and 32 patients required surgical intervention. Patients who eventually
      required surgery had significantly higher severity scores at presentation. Though
      they maintained higher scores throughout the follow-up period, they did not
      demonstrate significantly higher scores until 3 years of age. FAO was used until
      an average age of 2.6 years (range: 0.4 to 5.1 years). There was a significant
      difference in the age at which the FAO was stopped in those patients who
      eventually required surgery versus those who did not (2.2 years versus 2.8
      years). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with recurrence after initially successful Ponseti
      treatment generally do not become distinguishable by our current classification
      systems until 3 years of age. Patients who used the FAO for more than 2 years
      were 2.77 times less likely to require surgery than those who used it less than 2
      years. FAO use should be continued until at least 3 years of age in patients
      undergoing Ponseti treatment for idiopathic clubfoot.

PMID- 28902605
TI  - Trigger Finger Location and Association of Comorbidities.
AB  - Trigger finger is a common cause of hand pain in the adult population. Studies in
      the past have suggested that ring finger and thumb are the most prevalent trigger
      fingers. Risk factors, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism, have been reportedly
      linked to trigger fingers. This observational prospective study was carried out
      to identify the most commonly affected trigger finger and observe associated
      comorbidities. At a single clinical site, a total of 46 patients with 54 trigger
      fingers on 49 hands were identified over a 7-week period. Ring finger, thumb, and
      long finger were observed to be the most frequent trigger fingers. No strong
      association between trigger finger and comorbidities, such as diabetes or
      hypothyroidism was observed.

PMID- 28902606
TI  - An Evaluation of Patient Risk Factors to Determine Eligibility to Undergo
      Orthopaedic Surgery in a Freestanding Ambulatory Center A Survey of 4,242
      Consecutive Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The value proposition of surgery at freestanding ambulatory surgery
      centers (FSASCs) in terms of efficiency, safety, and patient satisfaction is well
      established and has led to increased FSASC utilization. However, there are
      comorbid conditions that disqualify certain patients from surgery at FSASCs.
      Understanding the percentage of patients whose comorbid conditions exclude them
      from FSASCs is important for the proper planning and utilization of operating
      room assets. We aim to understand the percentage of excluded patients, and we
      predict that certain procedures have higher rates of disqualification due to the
      types of patients who undergo them. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 4,242
      consecutive patients undergoing outpatient orthopaedic surgeries in our hospital
      system from July 2015 to February 2016. Patient characteristics, comorbidities,
      and procedures performed were included in our database. We analyzed each case and
      determined eligibility for surgery at our FSASC based on established comorbidity
      exclusionary guidelines. Chi-square and t-tests were used to establish
      statistical significance. RESULTS: Of 4,242 patients, 878 (20.7%) were ineligible
      for surgery at our FSASC based on accepted exclusionary guidelines. The average
      body mass index (BMI) of FSASC-eligible patients was 27.37, compared to 31.68 for
      FSASC-ineligible patients (p < 0.001). The majority, 85.6% (543/634), of American
      Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class 3 patients were FSASC-ineligible. The
      most common reasons for excluding patients from surgery at our FSASC were morbid
      obesity (25.4% of ineligible cases), untreated obstructive sleep apnea (22.1%),
      age less than 13 (19.6%), and coronary artery disease with prior intervention
      (13.3%). When stratifying by procedure, the operations most likely to be FSASC
      ineligible were contracture releases (39.13% ineligible, p = 0.03), trigger
      finger releases (36.14%, p < 0.001), carpal tunnel releases (30.63%, p = 0.009),
      tumor resections (38.89%, p = 0.056), rotator cuff repairs (25.47%, p = 0.078),
      and subacromial decompressions (30.23%, p = 0.12), primarily because these
      patients have more comorbidity (ASA 2.20 vs. 1.88, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Roughly 1 in 5 patients is ineligible for surgery at a freestanding ASC due to
      disqualifying comorbidities. Although FSASCs offer cost effective care that
      satisfies patients, we must understand that certain patients cannot have their
      surgeries at these venues. In addition, we must use additional caution when
      scheduling certain procedures at a FSASC. Therefore, as the number and complexity
      of the surgeries performed at FSASCs increase, we must better understand the
      factors that make patients better candidates for surgery in a hospital setting,
      thus minimizing transfers and readmissions and maximizing the value proposition
      of FSASCs.

PMID- 28902607
TI  - The Relationship Between Hospital-Specific Hip Arthroplasty Surgical Site
      Infection Rate and the Overall Hospital Infection Rate.
AB  - Surgical site infections (SSIs) following hip arthroplasty are a rare but
      devastating complication. The New York State Health Data website was analyzed for
      all health care acquired infections from 2008 to 2013 in all New York hospitals.
      Data points were SSI rates and standardized infection ratio (SIR) for each
      hospital-year. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated for each SSI rate
      comparison. As coronary artery bypass graft and hysterectomy SSI data was not
      available for many hospital-years, primary comparisons to hip SSI rate were
      between colon SSI rate and SIR. No correlation was found between hip and other
      SSI rate trends and SIR, which shows that hospital environment may not be as
      important to SSI prevention as department- and surgeon-specific measures.

PMID- 28902608
TI  - Technique Tricks for the Gleich-Koutsogiannis Surgical Procedure for Correction
      of the Adult Acquired Flatfoot.
AB  - Gleich-Koutsogiannis is a widely known extra-articular closing calcaneal
      osteotomic technique for correction of the adult flatfoot. Absolute care must be
      observed during each procedural step to avoid undesirable drawbacks, such as
      nerves and tendons lesions, incorrect fixation, and hardware painful prominence.
      It is the purpose of this report to introduce tricks to critical steps in order
      to improve the technique and minimize potential surgical complications.

PMID- 28902609
TI  - Knee Extension Loss Secondary to a "Cyclops-Like" Gouty Tophus A Case Report and
      Literature Review.
AB  - While gouty arthritis of the knee is not uncommon, associated mechanical block to
      extension is a rarely seen complication. This report presents a unique case of
      extension loss due to a single, isolated intra-articular gouty tophus. Only a few
      similar reports have been described in the literature involving cases that are
      often initially suspected to be related to inherent structural knee pathology as
      opposed to a systemic condition or illness.

PMID- 28902610
TI  - Transient Vasospastic Response Following the Injection of Corticosteroid into the
      Hand.
AB  - A sixty-year-old right hand dominant woman with longstanding left basal joint
      arthritis and right small trigger finger presented for corticosteroid injections
      to both areas. She had previously received injections with no adverse effects and
      good relief of symptoms. Following this most recent injection of corticosteroid,
      she experienced transient ischemia of the left hand and the right long and ring
      fingers. Corticosteroid injections can rarely cause local vasospasm, even when
      not inadvertently injected into the vascular system. This condition is self
      limited following supportive treatment.

PMID- 28902611
TI  - Accelerated Degenerative Joint Disease After Staged Hip Arthroscopy and
      Periacetabular Osteotomy in a Patient with Hip Dysplasia.
AB  - Hip dysplasia, when significant, is effectively treated with periacetabular
      osteotomy. There have been good results reported with hip arthroscopy when
      dysplasia is mild. However, when dysplasia is significant, hip arthroscopy with
      labral repair alone has led to poor results and even rapid decline to end stage
      arthritis. Staged hip arthroscopy and periacetabular osteotomy would potentially
      treat the labral lesion and correct the underlying bony abnormality that resulted
      in the labral pathology. Such a staged treatment plan should help prevent
      progression to degenerative joint disease. We report a case of a 33-year-old
      woman who presented with left hip pain and was diagnosed with mild hip dysplasia
      and a labral tear. She underwent staged hip arthroscopy and labral repair
      followed by periacetabular osteotomy 2 weeks later. Three and a half months after
      surgery she developed constant pain and began limping at 5 months. Radiographs
      showed progression to severe degenerative joint disease. The patient was
      indicated for total hip arthroplasty.

PMID- 28902612
TI  - Monkeys overharvest shellfish.
AB  - The use of stone tools by macaques in Thailand has reduced the size and
      population density of coastal shellfish: previously it was thought that
      overharvesting effects resulted from human activity alone.

PMID- 28902613
TI  - Identification of Genes Differentially Expressed Between Midgestational and
      Postnatal Mouse Skin Through Suppression Subtractive Hybridization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed genes
      between the skin of midgestational (embryonic day [ED] 14) and postnatal mice
      that might be involved in the wound healing process. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      BALB/c mice with dated pregnancy underwent laparotomy and hysterotomy on ED14,
      and skin from 20 fetuses were harvested. Full-thickness dorsal skin was also
      harvested from 30 three-month-old postnatal mice. Total ribonucleic acid (RNA)
      and mRNA were purified side-by-side from the harvested skins. Differentially
      expressed cDNA fragments were isolated by suppression subtractive hybridization
      (SSH). The cDNA fragments were subsequently cloned, sequenced, and identified
      through a Nucelotide Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLASTN) search. RESULTS:
      Twenty differentially expressed transcripts were identified, including 18
      uniquely expressed in fetal mice skin and 2 from postnatal mice skin. The known
      genes identified include RPS29, Nedd5, EndoA, TIEG, and eEF-1alpha, which may
      play an important role in scarless wound healing of embryonic mice. Two novel
      genes uniquely expressed in fetal mouse skin were also identified. CONCLUSION:
      Through SSH, 20 differentially expressed genes in the skin of midgestational and
      postnatal mice were identified. Two novel genes were identified that were
      uniquely expressed in the midgestational mouse skin. The authors suggest these
      genes might be involved in the scarless wound healing process.

PMID- 28902614
TI  - Can a combination of average of normals and "real time" External Quality
      Assurance replace Internal Quality Control?
AB  - Internal Quality Control and External Quality Assurance are separate but related
      processes that have developed independently in laboratory medicine over many
      years. They have different sample frequencies, statistical interpretations and
      immediacy. Both processes have evolved absorbing new understandings of the
      concept of laboratory error, sample material matrix and assay capability.
      However, we do not believe at the coalface that either process has led to much
      improvement in patient outcomes recently. It is the increasing reliability and
      automation of analytical platforms along with improved stability of reagents that
      has reduced systematic and random error, which in turn has minimised the risk of
      running less frequent IQC. We suggest that it is time to rethink the role of both
      these processes and unite them into a single approach using an Average of Normals
      model supported by more frequent External Quality Assurance samples. This new
      paradigm may lead to less confusion for laboratory staff and quicker responses to
      and identification of out of control situations.

PMID- 28902615
TI  - Irregular analytical errors in diagnostic testing - a novel concept.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In laboratory medicine, routine periodic analyses for internal and
      external quality control measurements interpreted by statistical methods are
      mandatory for batch clearance. Data analysis of these process-oriented
      measurements allows for insight into random analytical variation and systematic
      calibration bias over time. However, in such a setting, any individual sample is
      not under individual quality control. The quality control measurements act only
      at the batch level. Quantitative or qualitative data derived for many effects and
      interferences associated with an individual diagnostic sample can compromise any
      analyte. It is obvious that a process for a quality-control-sample-based approach
      of quality assurance is not sensitive to such errors. CONTENT: To address the
      potential causes and nature of such analytical interference in individual samples
      more systematically, we suggest the introduction of a new term called the
      irregular (individual) analytical error. Practically, this term can be applied in
      any analytical assay that is traceable to a reference measurement system. For an
      individual sample an irregular analytical error is defined as an inaccuracy
      (which is the deviation from a reference measurement procedure result) of a test
      result that is so high it cannot be explained by measurement uncertainty of the
      utilized routine assay operating within the accepted limitations of the
      associated process quality control measurements. SUMMARY: The deviation can be
      defined as the linear combination of the process measurement uncertainty and the
      method bias for the reference measurement system. Such errors should be coined
      irregular analytical errors of the individual sample. The measurement result is
      compromised either by an irregular effect associated with the individual
      composition (matrix) of the sample or an individual single sample associated
      processing error in the analytical process. OUTLOOK: Currently, the availability
      of reference measurement procedures is still highly limited, but LC-isotope
      dilution mass spectrometry methods are increasingly used for pre-market
      validation of routine diagnostic assays (these tests also involve substantial
      sets of clinical validation samples). Based on this definition/terminology, we
      list recognized causes of irregular analytical error as a risk catalog for
      clinical chemistry in this article. These issues include reproducible individual
      analytical errors (e.g. caused by anti-reagent antibodies) and non-reproducible,
      sporadic errors (e.g. errors due to incorrect pipetting volume due to air bubbles
      in a sample), which can both lead to inaccurate results and risks for patients.

PMID- 28902617
TI  - Analytical quality: an unfinished journey.

PMID- 28902616
TI  - MEF2C loss-of-function mutation associated with familial dilated cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The MADS-box transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C)
      is required for the cardiac development and postnatal adaptation and in mice
      targeted disruption of the MEF2C gene results in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
      However, in humans, the association of MEF2C variation with DCM remains to be
      investigated. METHODS: The coding regions and splicing boundaries of the MEF2C
      gene were sequenced in 172 unrelated patients with idiopathic DCM. The available
      close relatives of the index patient harboring an identified MEF2C mutation and
      300 unrelated, ethnically matched healthy individuals used as controls were
      genotyped for MEF2C. The functional effect of the mutant MEF2C protein was
      characterized in contrast to its wild-type counterpart by using a dual-luciferase
      reporter assay system. RESULTS: A novel heterozygous MEF2C mutation, p.Y157X, was
      detected in an index patient with adult-onset DCM. Genetic screen of the mutation
      carrier's family members revealed that the mutation co-segregated with DCM, which
      was transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait with complete penetrance. The non
      sense mutation was absent in 300 control individuals. Functional analyses
      unveiled that the mutant MEF2C protein had no transcriptional activity.
      Furthermore, the mutation abolished the synergistic transactivation between MEF2C
      and GATA4 as well as HAND1, two other transcription factors that have been
      associated with DCM. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates MEF2C as a new gene
      responsible for human DCM, which provides novel insight into the mechanism
      underpinning DCM, suggesting potential implications for development of innovative
      prophylactic and therapeutic strategies for DCM, the most prevalent form of
      primary myocardial disease.

PMID- 28902618
TI  - High-sensitivity assays for cardiac troponins - continued.

PMID- 28902619
TI  - A case-control association study of 12 candidate genes and attempted suicide in
      French adolescents.
AB  - Background Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10-19-year-olds.
      Evidence has shown that attempted suicide is a complex interplay of genes and
      environmental factors. In the adult population, possible associations between
      genetic polymorphisms and suicidal behaviors have been investigated for several
      genes, most often with inconsistent findings and poor replicability of
      significant associations. This study aimed to identify gene variants conferring
      risk for adolescent suicide attempt. Methods We selected the genes and variants
      after an analysis of the literature and a selection of the most significant
      associations identified. We performed analysis on 22 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) in 12 genes (COMT, CRHR1, FKBP5, SLC6A4, HTR1B, HTR2A, TPH1,
      TPH2, BDNF, NTRK2, NOS1 and IL28RA) for association with suicide attempt,
      hopelessness and impulsivity in an independent sample, composed of 98 adolescent
      suicide attempters who required hospitalization based on emergency assessments,
      and 150 healthy volunteers. Quality controls, deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg
      disequilibrium and statistical tests of association (case/control) were
      calculated using PLINK. Asymptotic p-values were corrected with the Benjamini
      Hochberg method. The level of significance was set to 0.05. Results We identified
      four polymorphisms of interest, rs10868235 (NTRK2), rs1659400 (NTRK2), rs2682826
      (NOS1) and rs7305115 (TPH2), with significant associations for suicide attempts
      or for the quantitative hopelessness or impulsivity phenotypes. However, none of
      the associations withstand statistical correction tests. Conclusion Our results
      do not support the role of the 22 SNPs selected in suicide attempt or
      hopelessness and impulsivity in adolescent population. However, the relatively
      small sample size and the probable effect of gene-gene interaction or gene
      environment interaction on suicidal behavior could not be ruled out.

PMID- 28902620
TI  - Associations between body weight status, psychological well-being and disordered
      eating with intuitive eating among Malaysian undergraduate university students.
AB  - Intuitive eating, which can be defined as reliance on physiological hunger and
      satiety cues to guide eating, has been proposed as a healthy weight management
      strategy. To date, there has not been a published study on intuitive eating in
      the context of Malaysia. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aims to determine
      associations between body weight status, psychological well-being and disordered
      eating behaviors with intuitive eating among undergraduate university students. A
      total of 333 undergraduate respondents (21.3% males and 78.7% females) from three
      randomly selected faculties in a public university in Malaysia participated in
      this study. Respondents completed a self-administered questionnaire which
      featured socio-demographic characteristics, intuitive eating, self-esteem, body
      appreciation, general unconditional acceptance, body acceptance by others, body
      function and disordered eating. Body weight, height, body fat percentage and
      waist circumference were measured. The results from this study revealed that
      there was no difference (t = 0.067, p = 0.947) in intuitive eating scores between
      males (75.69 +/- 7.16) and females (75.62 +/- 7.90). Multiple linear regression
      results have shown that body appreciation (beta = 0.385, p < 0.001) and
      disordered eating (beta = -0.168, p = 0.001) were significant predictors of
      intuitive eating, which accounted for 19.6% of the variance in intuitive eating.
      Health promotion programs should highlight the importance of enhancing body
      appreciation and preventing disordered eating behaviors among university students
      in order to promote intuitive eating as one of the healthy weight management
      approaches.

PMID- 28902590
TI  - Long-Term Outcomes of Patent Foramen Ovale Closure or Medical Therapy after
      Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether closure of a patent foramen ovale reduces the risk of
      recurrence of ischemic stroke in patients who have had a cryptogenic ischemic
      stroke is unknown. METHODS: In a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial, with
      blinded adjudication of end-point events, we randomly assigned patients 18 to 60
      years of age who had a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and had had a cryptogenic
      ischemic stroke to undergo closure of the PFO (PFO closure group) or to receive
      medical therapy alone (aspirin, warfarin, clopidogrel, or aspirin combined with
      extended-release dipyridamole; medical-therapy group). The primary efficacy end
      point was a composite of recurrent nonfatal ischemic stroke, fatal ischemic
      stroke, or early death after randomization. The results of the analysis of the
      primary outcome from the original trial period have been reported previously; the
      current analysis of data from the extended follow-up period was considered to be
      exploratory. RESULTS: We enrolled 980 patients (mean age, 45.9 years) at 69
      sites. Patients were followed for a median of 5.9 years. Treatment exposure in
      the two groups was unequal (3141 patient-years in the PFO closure group vs. 2669
      patient-years in the medical-therapy group), owing to a higher dropout rate in
      the medical-therapy group. In the intention-to-treat population, recurrent
      ischemic stroke occurred in 18 patients in the PFO closure group and in 28
      patients in the medical-therapy group, resulting in rates of 0.58 events per 100
      patient-years and 1.07 events per 100 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio
      with PFO closure vs. medical therapy, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31 to
      0.999; P=0.046 by the log-rank test). Recurrent ischemic stroke of undetermined
      cause occurred in 10 patients in the PFO closure group and in 23 patients in the
      medical-therapy group (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.79; P=0.007). Venous
      thromboembolism (which comprised events of pulmonary embolism and deep-vein
      thrombosis) was more common in the PFO closure group than in the medical-therapy
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Among adults who had had a cryptogenic ischemic stroke,
      closure of a PFO was associated with a lower rate of recurrent ischemic strokes
      than medical therapy alone during extended follow-up. (Funded by St. Jude
      Medical; RESPECT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00465270 .).

PMID- 28902621
TI  - Online Teaching Efficacy: A Product of Professional Development and Ongoing
      Support.
AB  - The purpose of the pilot study was to investigate the perceptions of online
      teaching efficacy of nursing faculty who teach courses in which 51% or more of
      the content is offered online. Bandura's psychological construct of self-efficacy
      served as the conceptual framework. The research survey was administered to
      nursing faculty in a state university system located in the southeastern United
      States of America, plus two private universities. The Michigan Nurse Educator's
      Sense of Efficacy for Online Teaching Scale, which contains 32 items that measure
      how nurse educators judge their current capabilities for teaching online nursing
      courses, was used to gather data. Overall, the scores reflected that faculty
      perceived themselves as quite a bit efficacious on a scale that ranged from 1 to
      9. As nursing educators received more support in designing and implementing
      online courses, their efficacy increased. It is critical that faculty are
      supported on an ongoing basis to increase and develop online teaching skills in
      order to teach high-quality courses in online programs. Faculty members must also
      be recognized for their work, time, and commitment required to be effective
      online educators. The findings of this study revealed those participants who had
      a number of professional development supports and release time to develop online
      courses have a greater sense of efficacy.

PMID- 28902622
TI  - Functional interaction between N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor and ascorbic acid
      during neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic
      nerve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain condition, which is resistant to
      therapy. Ascorbate was released because of the activation of glutaminergic
      neurons. Due to the important role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in
      the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, this study investigated the analgesic
      efficacy of ascorbic acid (AA) in neuropathic pain condition and the role of NMDA
      receptors in this effect. METHODS: For this purpose, adult male rats were
      randomly allocated to experimental groups (n=8 in each group). Neuropathic pain
      was induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. During the
      second week after CCI, animals received a single injection of 1, 3, 5, or 10
      mg/kg of AA intraperitoneally and pain threshold was determined 15 and 60 min
      later. The antinociceptive effect of chronic administration was also evaluated by
      intraperitoneal injection (IP) of 3 mg/kg AA for 3 weeks. To determine the role
      of NMDA receptors, separate groups of animals 30 min after single injection of AA
      (1 mg/kg) animals received i.p. injection of ketamine (5 mg/kg), MK-801 (0.01
      mg/kg), or glutamate (1000 nmol) and were tested 20 min afterwards. Data analyzed
      by ANOVA and Newman-Keuls tests and p<0.05 were considered as significant.
      RESULTS: IP of 3, 5 and 10 mg/kg increased the pain threshold during the second
      week after CCI (p<0.05, F=3 in tactile allodynia and p<0.01, F=3.2 in thermal and
      mechanical hyperalgeisa). Chronic administration of AA also produced
      antinociceptive effect. Ascorbic acid (1 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited MK-801 and
      ketamine-induced antinociception response significantly (p<0.001, F=2). It also
      prevented the analgesic effect of glutamate administration (p<0.001, F=2).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that AA produced a dose-dependent
      antinociceptive effect that seems to mediate through its interaction with NMDA
      receptors.

PMID- 28902623
TI  - Chronic endurance exercise antagonizes the cardiac UCP2 and UCP3 protein up
      regulation induced by nandrolone decanoate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several lines of evidence revealed that chronic treatment of anabolic
      androgenic steroids (AASs) is accompanied with some cardiovascular side effects
      and in addition they also negatively mask the beneficial effects of exercise
      training on cardiac performance. METHODS: The present study examined whether the
      nandrolone decanoate (ND)-induced cardiac effects were mediated by changing the
      cardiac uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and 3 (UCP3) expression. Five groups of male
      wistar-albino rats including sedentary control (SC), sedentary vehicle (SV),
      sedentary nandrolone decanoate (SND), exercise control (EC), and exercise
      nandrolone decanoate (END) were used. ND was injected (10 mg/kg/week,
      intramuscular) to the animals in the SND and END groups and endurance exercise
      training was performed on a treadmill five times per week. RESULTS: The protein
      expressions of cardiac UCP2 and UCP3 have significantly increased in both the SND
      and EC groups compared to the SC ones. In contrast to UCP3, no significant
      differences were found between UCP2 protein expressions of the END and SC groups.
      Compared with the SND group, the exercise training significantly decreased the
      UCP2 and UCP3 protein expressions in the END group. CONCLUSIONS: The study has
      indicated that endurance exercise in combination with ND can result in that the
      exercise effectively antagonizes the effects of ND treatment on UCP2 and UCP3 up
      regulation.

PMID- 28902625
TI  - Biological Big Bytes: Integrative Analysis of Large Biological Datasets.

PMID- 28902624
TI  - RNA-Seq Mouse Brain Regions Expression Data Analysis: Focus on ApoE Functional
      Network
AB  - ApoE expression status was proved to be a highly specific marker of energy
      metabolism rate in the brain. Along with its neighbor, Translocase of Outer
      Mitochondrial Membrane 40 kDa (TOMM40) which is involved in mitochondrial
      metabolism, the corresponding genomic region constitutes the neuroenergetic
      hotspot. Using RNA-Seq data from a murine model of chronic stress a significant
      positive expression coordination of seven neighboring genes in ApoE locus in five
      brain regions was observed. ApoE maintains one of the highest absolute expression
      values genome-wide, implying that ApoE can be the driver of the neighboring gene
      expression alteration observed under stressful loads. Notably, we revealed the
      highly statistically significant increase of ApoE expression in the hypothalamus
      of chronically aggressive (FDR < 0.007) and defeated (FDR < 0.001) mice compared
      to the control. Correlation analysis revealed a close association of ApoE and
      proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) gene expression profiles implying the putative
      neuroendocrine stress response background of ApoE expression elevation therein.

PMID- 28902626
TI  - Pediatric differentiated thyroid carcinoma: trends in practice and outcomes over
      40 years at a single tertiary care institution.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to analyze changes in characteristics, practice and
      outcomes of pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) at our tertiary care
      institution. METHODS: Patients <21 years of age diagnosed between 1973 and 2013
      were identified. Clinicopathological data, treatment and outcomes were obtained
      by a retrospective review. RESULTS: Thirteen males and 68 females were divided
      into Group A (n=35, diagnosed before July 1993) and Group B (n=46, diagnosed
      after July 1993). Group B was more likely to undergo neck ultrasound (US) (70%
      vs. 23%, p<0.0001) and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy (80% vs. 26%,
      p<0.0001). Patients in Group B more often underwent total thyroidectomy as a
      definitive surgical treatment (87% vs. 69%, p=0.04). There was no difference in
      radioactive iodine use. Recurrence-free survival was similar. CONCLUSIONS:
      Increased use of US and FNA has affected initial surgical management in the
      latter part of the study, possibly due to extension of adult DTC guidelines. The
      effects of the new pediatric DTC guidelines need further study.

PMID- 28902628
TI  - Physical activity and bone mineral density at the femoral neck subregions in
      adolescents with Down syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low bone mineral density (BMD) has been frequently described in
      subjects with Down syndrome (DS). Reduced physical activity (PA) levels may
      contribute to low BMD in this population. The objective of the study was to
      investigate whether PA levels were related to the femoral neck bone mass
      distribution in a sample of 14 males and 12 females with DS aged 12-18 years.
      METHODS: BMD was evaluated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the
      integral, superolateral and inferomedial femoral neck regions and PA levels were
      assessed by accelerometry. The BMDs between the sexes and PA groups (below and
      above the 50th percentile of the total PA) were compared using independent t
      tests and analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) controlling for age, height and body
      weight. RESULTS: No differences were found between the BMDs of males and females
      in any femoral neck region (p>0.05). Females with higher PA levels demonstrated
      increased integral (0.774 g/cm2 vs. 0.678 g/cm2) and superolateral femoral neck
      BMDs (0.696 g/cm2 vs. 0.595 g/cm2) compared to those with lower PA levels
      (p<0.05). In males, no differences (p<0.05) were found in the BMDs between the PA
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation shows that females accumulating more
      total PA presented increased BMDs at the integral and superolateral femoral neck
      regions (14.1% and 17.0%, respectively) when compared to their less active peers.
      These data highlight the importance of PA in females with DS to counteract their
      low bone mass and to improve their bone health.

PMID- 28902627
TI  - Serum alpha-klotho levels are not informative for the evaluation of growth
      hormone secretion in short children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: alpha-Klotho is a transmembrane protein that can be cleaved and act
      as a circulating hormone (s-klotho). s-Klotho serum levels seem to reflect growth
      hormone (GH) secretory status. We investigated the role of s-klotho as a reliable
      marker of GH secretion in short children and the factors influencing its
      secretion. METHODS: We enrolled 40 short Egyptian children (20 GH deficiency
      [GHD] and 20 idiopathic short stature [ISS]). They underwent a pegvisomant-primed
      insulin tolerance test (ITT) and were accordingly reclassified as 16 GHD and 24
      ISS. The samples obtained before and 3 days after pegvisomant administration,
      prior to the ITT, were used for assaying insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and s
      klotho. RESULTS: IGF-I and s-klotho serum levels were not significantly different
      (p=0.059 and p=0.212, respectively) between GHD and ISS. After pegvisomant, a
      significant reduction in IGF-I and s-klotho levels was found in both groups. s
      Klotho significantly correlated only with IGF-I levels in both groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: s-Klotho mainly reflects the IGF-I status and cannot be considered a
      reliable biomarker for GH secretion in children.

PMID- 28902629
TI  - Individualised growth response optimisation (iGRO) tool: an accessible and easy
      to-use growth prediction system to enable treatment optimisation for children
      treated with growth hormone.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Growth prediction models (GPMs) exist to support clinical management
      of children treated with growth hormone (GH) for growth hormone deficiency (GHD),
      Turner syndrome (TS) and for short children born small for gestational age (SGA).
      Currently, no prediction system has been widely adopted. CONTENT: The objective
      was to develop a stand-alone web-based system to enable the widespread use of an
      'individualised growth response optimisation' (iGRO) tool across European
      endocrinology clinics. A modern platform was developed to ensure compatibility
      with IT systems and web browsers. Seventeen GPMs derived from the KIGS database
      were included and tested for accuracy. SUMMARY: The iGRO system demonstrated
      prediction accuracy and IT compatibility. The observed discrepancies between
      actual and predicted height may support clinicians in investigating the reasons
      for deviations around the expected growth and optimise treatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      This system has the potential for wide access in endocrinology clinics to support
      the clinical management of children treated with GH for these three indications.

PMID- 28902631
TI  - Rare cases of galactose metabolic disorders: identification of more than two
      mutations per patient.

PMID- 28902630
TI  - Pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1B associated with assisted reproductive
      technology.
AB  - Evidence suggests an increased incidence of imprinting disorders in children
      conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Maternal loss-of
      methylation at GNAS exon A/B, observed in pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1b
      (PHP1B), leads to decreased expression of the stimulatory Gsalpha. We present a
      patient conceived by ART, who presented at age 4 years with delayed
      neurocognitive development and persistently increased creatine kinase (CK). At 6
      years an elevated PTH was detected with normal calcium and a low 25(OH) vitamin D
      level (25OHD). Physical exam showed a narrow forehead, nasal bridge hypoplasia
      and micropenis. After normalizing vitamin D, PTH remained elevated and PHP1B was
      therefore considered as the underlying diagnosis. An almost complete loss-of
      methylation was observed at GNAS exons A/B and AS, but not at exon XL, which was
      associated with a gain-of-methylation at exon NESP. There was no evidence of a
      microdeletion within the GNAS/STX16 region and analysis of several microsatellite
      markers for the GNAS region on Chr.20q revealed no evidence for paternal
      uniparental disomy (patUPD20q). Established facts Increased incidence of
      imprinting disorders in children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies
      (ART) Pseudohypoparathyroidism is caused by imprinting abnormalities. Novel
      Insights First report of a possible association between a methylation defects
      that causes PHP1B and assisted conception Increased creatine kinase level was
      associated with an increase in PTH concentration.

PMID- 28902632
TI  - E-cigarettes: risk mitigation for smokers or a public health disaster?

PMID- 28902634
TI  - Antiproliferative activity of synthesized some new benzimidazole carboxamidines
      against MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most endemic cause of cancer among women in both developed
      and developing countries. Benzimidazole derivatives exemplify one of the chemical
      classes that show strong cytotoxic activity especially against breast cancer
      cells (MCF-7). Aromatic amidine derivatives are known as a group of DNA
      interactive compounds that bind minor groove of the genome, especially A-T base
      pairs, and show significant in vitro and in vivo toxicity toward cancer cells. In
      light of these studies, some new mono/dicationic amidino benzimidazole
      derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxic activity on cultured MCF
      7 breast cancer cells. Some of these compounds have strongly inhibited MCF-7 cell
      viability in a dose-dependent manner compared with clinically used reference
      compounds, imatinib mesylate and docetaxel. Among them, 4-[(5(6)-bromo-1H
      benzimidazole-2-yl)amino]benzene-1-carboxamidine (30) showed the best inhibitory
      activity with IC50 value of 4.6 nM.

PMID- 28902635
TI  - GC-MS characterization of n-hexane soluble fraction from dandelion (Taraxacum
      officinale Weber ex F.H. Wigg.) aerial parts and its antioxidant and
      antimicrobial properties.
AB  - A comparative investigation of n-hexane soluble compounds from aerial parts of
      dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F.H. Wigg.) collected during different
      vegetative stages was carried out. The GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane (unpolar)
      fraction showed the presence of 30 biologically active compounds. Phytol [14.7%
      of total ion current (TIC)], lupeol (14.5% of TIC), taraxasteryl acetate (11.4%
      of TIC), beta-sitosterol (10.3% of TIC), alpha-amyrin (9.0% of TIC), beta-amyrin
      (8.3% of TIC), and cycloartenol acetate (5.8% of TIC) were identified as the
      major components in n-hexane fraction. The unpolar fraction exhibited promising
      antioxidant activity - 46.7 mmol Trolox equivalents/g extract (determined by 1,1
      diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl method). This fraction demonstrated insignificant
      antimicrobial activity and can be used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

PMID- 28902633
TI  - Ginkgetin inhibits proliferation of human leukemia cells via the TNF-alpha
      signaling pathway.
AB  - Ginkgetin is known to be an anticancer agent in many studies. However, its
      effectiveness in treating chronic myeloid leukemia [corrected] remains unknown.
      The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of ginkgetin on the growth of the
      K562 cell line. The MTT assay was employed to examine the proliferation of K562,
      and a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate
      nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was conducted to detect the apoptotic rates.
      Furthermore, changes of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected by
      Western blot analysis. Ginkgetin inhibited the proliferation of K562 cells in a
      dose- and time-dependent manner. Concentrations of ginkgetin required to induce
      50% death of K562 at 24, 48 and 72 h were 38.9, 31.3 and 19.2 MUM, respectively.
      Moreover, treatment of ginkgetin increased K562 apoptosis in vitro along with
      increased levels of TNF-alpha. Interestingly, anti-TNF-alpha antibody prevented
      ginkgetin-induced K562 cell apoptosis and growth inhibition via deactivation of
      caspase-8, caspase-9 and caspase-3. Concomitantly, downregulation of TNF-alpha by
      etanercept in vivo attenuated ginkgetin-induced inhibitory effects on the tumor
      growth in an xenograft mouse model. Our results indicate that ginkgetin
      effectively inhibits K562 cell proliferation, and TNF-alpha plays a key role in
      ginkgetin-induced cell apoptosis.

PMID- 28902636
TI  - Providing successful faculty development to graduate medical education program
      directors.

PMID- 28902637
TI  - Development of fish collagen/bioactive glass/chitosan composite nanofibers as a
      GTR/GBR membrane for inducing periodontal tissue regeneration.
AB  - The development of a guided tissue or bone regeneration (GTR/GBR) membrane with
      excellent performance has been a major challenge in the biomedical field. The
      present study was designed to prepare a biomimetic electrospun fish
      collagen/bioactive glass/chitosan (Col/BG/CS) composite nanofiber membrane and
      determine its structure, mechanical property, antibacterial activity, and
      biological effects on human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLCs). The effects of
      this composite membrane on inducing periodontal tissue regeneration were
      evaluated using a dog class II furcation defect model. It was found that the
      composite membrane had a biomimetic structure with good hydrophilicity (the
      contact angle was 12.83 +/- 3 degrees ) and a tensile strength of 13.1 +/- 0.43
      Mpa. Compared to the pure fish collagen membrane, the composite membrane showed
      some degree of antibacterial activity on Streptococcus mutans. The composite
      membrane not only enhanced the cell viability and osteogenic gene expression of
      the HPDLCs, but also promoted the expression of RUNX-2 and OPN protein. Further
      animal experiments confirmed that the composite membrane was able to promote bone
      regeneration in the furcation defect of dogs. In conclusion, a biomimetic fish
      Col/BG/CS composite membrane has been developed in the present study, which can
      induce tissue regeneration with a certain degree antibacterial activity,
      providing a basis for potential application as a GTR/GBR membrane.

PMID- 28902638
TI  - [How to design studies on premature myocardial infarction?]

PMID- 28902639
TI  - The role of specialized prevention clinics for the short term follow-up of acute
      coronary syndromes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of specialized prevention
      clinics and standard clinics follow-ups on secondary protection after acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) on cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: A total of 118
      patients who received thrombolytic therapy after being diagnosed with ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction were followed up for 6 months. After ACS,
      patients in a specialized prevention clinic (Group 1) (n=67) and those in a
      standard clinic (Group 2) (n=51) were compared in terms of the change in their
      lifestyle, management of risk factors, and drug compliance. RESULTS: No
      significant difference was found between groups in terms of baseline clinical and
      laboratory findings except for triglyceride level (Group 1: median 174 mg/dL;
      Group 2: median 136 mg/dL; p=0.039). Six months after indexing, smoking cessation
      (72.4% vs. 50%, p=0.037), diet compliance (43% vs.19.6%, p=0.012), and exercise
      rates (31% vs. 13.7%, p=0.044) were significantly higher in Group 1. Although the
      weight control rate was higher in Group 1, no significant difference was noted
      between the groups (27% vs. 15.6%, p=0.219). The rate of systolic and diastolic
      blood pressures >140/90 mmHg was significantly higher in Group 2 (23.5% vs. 9%,
      p=0.029) at 6 months. The median low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)
      value was significantly lower in Group 1 patients (Group 1: 91 mg/dL; Group 2:
      102 mg/dL; p=0.042). Moreover, the rate of LDL-C <=70 mg/dL or >=50% reduction
      compared with baseline was significantly higher in Group 1 (32.8% vs. 13.7%,
      p=0.016). Although the recommended treatments were similar in both groups, the
      statin use rate was significantly higher in Group 1 (95.5% vs. 80.3%, p=0.021) at
      6 months. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that specialized prevention
      clinics were more effective during the management of cardiovascular risk factors
      after ACS.

PMID- 28902640
TI  - Is neutrophyl to lymphocyte ratio really a useful marker for all grades of
      degenerative aortic stenosis?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory processes play an important role in cardiac valve
      calcification and ossification. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      relationship between the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and degenerative
      aortic stenosis (AS). METHODS: A total of 220 patients with AS and 158 healthy
      individuals who were a control group were included in the study. The NLR was
      calculated by dividing the number of neutrophils by number of lymphocytes in
      peripheral blood samples. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 220 AS patients
      (mild/ moderate group: n=110; severe group: n=110) and 157 healthy controls. Both
      the mild/moderate AS group (p<0.001) and the severe AS group (p<0.001) had a
      significantly higher NLR compared with the control group. The NLR in the severe
      AS group was significantly higher than that of the mild/moderate AS group
      (p<0.001). The groups were similar with respect to other baseline
      characteristics. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis yielded a
      strong predictive ability of NLR for the presence of AS (Area under the
      curve=0.930; 95% CI [confidence interval], 0.898-0.963; p<0.001). A cut-off value
      of 2.310 for NLR had a sensitivity and specificity of 80.4% and 92.4%,
      respectively, for the presence of AS. In multivariate logistic regression
      analysis, NLR (Odds ratio: 43.8; 95% CI, 14.7-130.7) was the only independent
      predictor of AS. CONCLUSION: The discriminative performance of NLR for AS is
      high. NLR is strongly and independently associated with AS.

PMID- 28902641
TI  - Assessment of the association between the personality traits of young patients
      with acute coronary syndrome and the severity of coronary artery disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The role of psychosocial risk factors is becoming increasingly
      important in the etiology of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The purpose of this
      study was to assess an association between the personality types of young
      patients with ACS and the prevalence and severity of coronary artery disease
      (CAD). METHODS: Patients younger than 45 years of age who presented with ACS and
      who underwent coronary angiography in the period from 2012 to 2016 were included
      in the study. The coronary angiography records of the patients were examined and
      their Gensini score (GS) was calculated; GS >=20 was considered to be severe CAD.
      The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Form scales were used to
      measure psychoticism, extraversion, lying, and neuroticism. RESULTS: A total of
      139 patients were included in the study. The median psychoticism score of
      patients with GS <20 was found to be significantly higher than that of patients
      with GS >=20 [1.0 (25th and 75th percentile: 0.0-2.0) vs. 1.0 (25th and 75th
      percentile: 0.0-1.0); p=0.015]. The median psychoticism score was 1.0 (25th and
      75th percentile: 1.0-2.0) in the unstable angina pectoris group, 0.5 (25th and
      75th percentile: 0.0-1.0) in the ST segment elevation myocardial infarction
      group, and 1.0 (25th and 75th percentile: 0.0-1.0) in the non-ST segment
      elevation myocardial infarction group (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: The presence of
      psychoticism characteristics in patients who present with ACS is associated with
      less severe CAD.

PMID- 28902642
TI  - The association between apelin gene polymorphism and coronary artery disease in
      young patients with acute obstructive coronary syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between
      V103V, 6140AG, TGA-Stop-TAA Stop, and 6016CA polymorphisms of the apelin (APLN)
      gene detected for the first time among young patients with acute coronary
      syndrome (ACS) and coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: This was a prospective
      cross-sectional study. The study population was divided into 2 groups. The first
      group included 132 patients who were found to have critical lesions in their
      coronary arteries, while the control group consisted of 41 patients who were
      found to have normal coronary arteries or non-critical atherosclerotic lesions.
      RESULTS: Among the gene polymorphisms, V103V was found to be more common in the
      critical CAD patients with the GG genotype compared with the control group (67.4%
      vs. 46.3%). On the other hand, the GT genotype was more common in the control
      group (53.7% vs. 32.6%). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis
      revealed that the GG genotype of V103V was an independent predictor for the
      presence of critical CAD (odds ratio: 2.397; 95% confidence interval, 1.174
      4.892; p=0.016). CONCLUSION: In cases of V103V polymorphism of the APLN gene,
      patients with the GG genotype were at a greater risk for the presence of
      atherosclerotic critical lesions compared with the control group.

PMID- 28902643
TI  - Prevalence and characteristics of coronary artery anomalies in children with
      congenital heart disease diagnosed with coronary angiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of coronary
      artery anomalies in children with congenital heart disease. METHODS: Data of 1138
      consecutive patients who were referred for cardiac catheterization and
      angiography for assessment of coronary anomaly between January 2005 and December
      2009 were retrospectively analyzed. Total of 515 patients whose coronary arteries
      could be examined through left ventricle and aortic root injection were included
      in the study. RESULTS: Of 515 angiograms with visible coronaries, 42 patients (20
      males, 22 females; mean age: 5.3+/-2.0 years) were found to have final diagnosis
      of coronary anomaly. Prevalence of coronary artery anomalies was 8.16% in this
      study. It was determined that 38 (90.4%) were anomalies of origination, 2 (4.8%)
      were anomalies of intrinsic coronary arterial anatomy, and 2 (4.8%) were
      anomalies of coronary termination. Most common coronary artery abnormality was
      anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left aortic sinus (16
      patients; 38.1%), and the most common congenital heart disease was tetralogy of
      Fallot (18 patients; 42.9%). CONCLUSION: Recognizing variability of coronary
      artery anomalies is critical when considering surgical or interventional
      therapies in children with congenital heart disease.

PMID- 28902644
TI  - Serum oxidized low-density lipoprotein level as a marker of oxidative stress in
      patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress (OS) is involved in the pathogenesis of
      atherosclerosis. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), in which 100% oxygen is
      inhaled under hyperbaric pressure, may create OS. Therefore, the aim of this
      research was to measure the serum oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) level
      in patients undergoing HBOT. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients who underwent HBOT to
      treat various diseases were enrolled in this study. The serum oxLDL level was
      measured at the beginning of the first and after the 10th therapy session.
      RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the oxLDL level of patients
      before and after HBOT (4.96+/-0.1 vs. 4.94+/-0.1 U/mL; p=0.36). CONCLUSION: HBOT
      seems to be safe in terms of oxLDL production up to 10 sessions. However, further
      large-scale studies investigating longer duration of HBOT treatment are required
      to understand the role of OS.

PMID- 28902645
TI  - [A rare cause of cyanosis in childhood: Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation].
AB  - Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation, which is defined as the presence of an ab
      normal connection between the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein, is rarely
      seen. Although it generally presents as a congenital condition, it may be
      accompanied by hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Clinical signs vary
      according to the amount of shunt in proportion to the number and size of the
      fistulae. Patients may present with cyanosis and respiratory trouble. If the
      disease remains untreated, it may result in cardiac failure and ineffective
      endocarditis, thereby leading to the rupture of the an-eurysmal fistula.
      Transcatheter embolization of abnormal vascular connection is the current
      treatment method in this disease. This article describes the case of an 81/2-year
      old child. He was presented with the symptom of getting tired quickly.
      Transcutaneous oxygen saturation of 75%, and pulmonary arteriovenous malfor
      mation was detected in his examination. Successful transcatheter fistula
      embolization was performed.

PMID- 28902646
TI  - A massive left-to-right shunt due to delayed spontaneous perforation of polyvinyl
      alcohol membrane of atrial septal occluder.
AB  - Percutaneous closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD) has emerged as an
      alternative to surgery. A 54-yearold woman with a history of percutaneous ASD
      closure with a 30-mm Cardia Ultrasept septal occluder (Cardia Inc., Eagan, MN,
      USA) comprising 2 discs made of Nitinol wire mesh covered with polyvinyl alcohol
      (PVA) membrane, was admitted to the hospital with unstable angina pectoris. In a
      routine examination, transthoracic echocardiography revealed a left-to-right
      shunt through the device. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) also
      demonstrated significant left-to-right shunt through the central portion of the
      prosthesis. Coronary angiography was performed, which disclosed severe stenosis
      in the right and left anterior descending coronary arteries. Threedimensional TEE
      showed multiple perforations of the PVA membrane with intact nitinol frame.
      Surgical removal of failing device and closure of the ASD with a pericardial
      patch was performed together with coronary artery bypass graft surgery. On
      perioperative view, the device appeared to have been correctly implanted, and the
      device frame was completely intact; however, the PVA membrane of both the right
      and left discs had almost completely disappeared and there was incomplete
      endothelialization around the frame. Surgeons must be aware of this rarely seen
      complication and they should re-examine all patients implanted with Cardia
      devices in regular follow-up examinations for a long period of time.

PMID- 28902647
TI  - Isolated left-sided partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection in a child.
AB  - Isolated left-sided partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection with intact
      interatrial septum is a rare diagnosis in childhood. In these cases, a vertical
      vein drains the left upper pulmonary lobe into the brachiocephalic vein and
      finally to the right atrium. Surgical treatment is performed to prevent right
      ventricular failure and pulmonary artery disease in advanced age. In this report,
      the rare entity of isolated left-sided anomalous pulmonary venous connection in a
      14-year-old girl and successful minimally invasive surgery without
      cardiopulmonary bypass are described.

PMID- 28902648
TI  - [Fabry disease: An overlooked diagnosis in adult cardiac patients].
AB  - Fabry disease is a rare, X-linked, lysosomal glycosphingolipid storage disorder.
      A deficiency of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase results in intracellular
      accumulation of globotriaosylceramide in multiple cell types, such as those of
      the nerves, kidneys, cardiac, and cutaneous tissues, leading to a multisystem
      disease. Male patients are more severely affected; however, heterozygous female
      patients may also be afflicted, though often the symptoms develop later. Cardiac
      involvement can include left ventricular hypertrophy, conduction abnormalities,
      arrhythmias, valvular abnormalities, and heart failure. A variant of the disease
      affects only cardiac tissue and mostly manifests as unexplained ventricular
      hypertrophy. Presently described are 2 cases of Fabry disease and the signs and
      symptoms of cardiac involvement, as well as the importance of early diagnosis to
      start enzyme replacement therapy before the development of irreversible tissue
      damage.

PMID- 28902649
TI  - Percutaneous treatment of a superior mesenteric artery pseudoaneurysm and
      arteriovenous fistula with coil embolization: a case report.
AB  - Visceral artery pseudoaneurysm and arteriovenous fistula following penetrating
      abdominal injuries is a rarely observed complication. Presently described is the
      case of a 44-year-old male admitted to the hospital after having previously
      experienced penetrating abdominal trauma. The patient had developed a
      pseudoaneurysm in the superior mesenteric artery and an arteriovenous fistula
      between the superior mesenteric artery and vein following surgery. The patient
      underwent successful coil embolization procedure and he was discharged 1 day
      after intervention.

PMID- 28902650
TI  - A rare cause of cyanosis and hypoxia that should not be forgotten after
      implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation.
AB  - Transvenous pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
      implantation procedures are usually performed under local anesthetic, and
      prilocaine is the most common agent to be used. The data regarding
      methemoglobinemia after cardiac device implantation are scarce. Thus, presently
      described is the case of a 47-year-old female patient with arrhythmogenic right
      ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia who underwent ICD implantation for secondary
      prophylaxis and developed cyanosis as a result of prilocaine-associated
      methemoglobinemia. Prilocaine was administered during the procedure. To our
      knowledge, this is the second case in the literature presenting methemoglobinemia
      due to local anesthetic after transvenous cardiac device implantation.

PMID- 28902651
TI  - Anticoagulant therapy for acute venous thromboembolism.
AB  - Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are currently defined as
      venous thromboembolism (VTE) since they share pathophysiological features and the
      treatment is similar in many respects. It has been determined that more than 90%
      of PE cases originate from DVT in the legs. PE, which is difficult to diagnose,
      has a mortality rate of 12% when untreated. The worldwide increase in obesity,
      cancer diseases, and average survival time also contribute to the increase in the
      incidence of VTE. Traditional treatment of VTE includes heparin, low-molecular
      weight heparin, and warfarin. Despite availability for oral use, warfarin has a
      narrow therapeutic range and a wide range of food interactions. After many years
      of research, new oral anticoagulant agents (NOACs) are expected to overcome these
      handicaps in treatment. In this review, the use of NOACs in the treatment of VTE
      is investigated in the light of current guidelines.

PMID- 28902652
TI  - Case Image: Occurrence of atrial fibrillation while isolating the left atrial
      appendage due to vasospasm at the sinoatrial node artery.

PMID- 28902653
TI  - Case Image: Inferior and anterior ST-segment elevation and successful
      percutaneous coronary intervention in a patient with anomalous right coronary
      artery originating from the mid-left anterior descending artery.

PMID- 28902654
TI  - Case Image: Acquired pseudoaneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva.

PMID- 28902655
TI  - Case Image: Conservative treatment of localized periatrial hematoma associated
      with functional mitral stenosis, a complication of percutaneous coronary
      intervention.

PMID- 28902656
TI  - Association of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and CHA2DS2-VASc score with left
      atrial thrombus in patients who are candidates for percutaneous mitral balloon
      valvuloplasty.

PMID- 28902657
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 28902658
TI  - Occupation, Sitting, and Weight Change in a Cohort of Women Employees.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Few studies have looked at occupation and weight gain over time. We
      examined the influence of occupation on sitting and weight change in employed
      women. METHODS: A total of 228 women working as appointment coordinators or
      clinical assistants were surveyed regarding sitting and physical activity.
      Medical records were reviewed to determine changes in weight while employed in
      that position. Follow-up averaged 6.9 years. RESULTS: Eight hours or more of
      sitting daily was seen in 74% of appointment coordinators and 38% of clinical
      assistants (P < 0.001). Appointment coordinators were not as physically active (P
      = 0.026) and gained more weight (P = 0.045) over time than clinical assistants.
      Controlling for physical activity modestly attenuated the effect of occupation on
      weight gain over time (P = 0.061). CONCLUSIONS: Occupation has a profound
      influence on sitting and may influence physical activity and weight gain over
      time.

PMID- 28902660
TI  - Lisfranc Injury in the Athlete.

PMID- 28902659
TI  - Tranexamic Acid in Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of tranexamic acid (TXA) in reducing blood loss following
      primary shoulder arthroplasty has been demonstrated in small retrospective and
      controlled clinical trials. This study comprehensively evaluates current
      literature on the efficacy of TXA to reduce perioperative blood loss and
      transfusion requirements following shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS: PubMed,
      MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and Embase were searched from the database inception date
      through October 27, 2016, for all articles evaluating TXA in shoulder
      arthroplasty. Two reviewers independently screened articles for eligibility and
      extracted data for analysis. A methodological quality assessment was completed
      for all included studies, including assessment of the risk of bias and strength
      of evidence. The primary outcome was change in hemoglobin and the secondary
      outcomes were drain output, transfusion requirements, and complications. Pooled
      outcomes assessing changes in hemoglobin, drain output, and transfusion
      requirements were determined. RESULTS: Five articles (n = 629 patients),
      including 3 Level-I and 2 Level-III studies, were included. Pooled analysis
      demonstrated a significant reduction in hemoglobin change (mean difference [MD], 
      0.64 g/dL; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.84 to -0.44 g/dL; p < 0.00001) and
      drain output (MD, -116.80 mL; 95% CI, -139.20 to -94.40 mL; p < 0.00001) with TXA
      compared with controls. TXA was associated with a point estimate of the treatment
      effect suggesting lower transfusion requirements (55% lower risk); however, the
      wide CI rendered this effect statistically nonsignificant (risk ratio, 0.45; 95%
      CI, 0.18 to 1.09; p = 0.08). Findings were robust with sensitivity analysis of
      pooled outcomes from only Level-I studies. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-strength
      evidence supports use of TXA for decreasing blood loss in primary shoulder
      arthroplasty. Further research is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of TXA in
      revision shoulder arthroplasty and to identify the optimal dosing and route of
      administration of TXA in shoulder arthroplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic
      Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of
      evidence.

PMID- 28902661
TI  - Giant thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

PMID- 28902662
TI  - Circadian hemodynamics in men and women with high blood pressure: dipper vs.
      nondipper and racial differences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The 'nondipping' pattern of circadian blood pressure (BP) variation is
      an established independent predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Although
      this phenomenon has been widely studied, its underlying circadian hemodynamics of
      cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) have not been well
      characterized. We evaluated the hypothesis that BP nondipping would be associated
      with a blunted night-time reduction in SVR in a biracial sample of 140 (63
      African-American and 77 white) men and women with elevated clinic BP (130-159/85
      99 mmHg). METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-four-hour ambulatory hemodynamics were
      assessed using standard ambulatory BP monitoring coupled with synchronized
      ambulatory impedance cardiography. Using the criterion of less than 10% dip in
      SBP, there were 51 nondippers (SBP dip = 7.3 +/- 2.6%) and 89 dippers (SBP dip =
      15.5 +/- 3.4%). There was minimal change in cardiac output from daytime to night
      time in both dippers and nondippers. However, SVR decreased from daytime to night
      time, but nondippers compared with dippers exhibited a significantly attenuated
      decrease in SVR from daytime to night-time (7.8 vs. 16.1%, P < 0.001). Relative
      to their white counterparts, African-Americans also exhibited blunted SBP dipping
      (10.9 vs. 14.6%, P < 0.001) as well as an attenuated decrease in SVR (10.8 vs.
      15.6%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Overall, these findings indicate that blunted
      night-time BP dipping is associated with impairment of the systemic vasodilation
      that is characteristic of the night-time sleep period and is especially prominent
      among African-Americans. In the context of high BP, these findings suggest that
      nondipping may be a manifestation, or marker, of more advanced vascular disease.

PMID- 28902663
TI  - Aldosterone induces left ventricular subclinical systolic dysfunction: a strain
      imaging study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary aldosteronism is associated with a higher incidence of left
      ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction than essential
      hypertension. However, systolic function via endocardial measurements is similar
      between patients with primary aldosteronism and essential hypertension. Speckle
      tracking echocardiography is a sensitive tool which can detect subclinical
      impairments in systolic function. The aim of this study was to investigate
      aldosterone-induced subclinical impairments in systolic function. METHODS: We
      prospectively enrolled patients with primary aldosteronism and essential
      hypertension and analyzed their clinical data, biochemical data, and
      echocardiographic parameters, including myocardial strain [global longitudinal
      strain (GLS)]. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients with primary aldosteronism and 31
      patients with essential hypertension were enrolled for analysis. The patients
      with primary aldosteronism had significantly lower serum potassium levels, lower
      plasma renin activity, higher aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR), and higher 24-h
      urinary aldosterone levels than patients with essential hypertension. With
      regards to echocardiographic parameters, the patients with primary aldosteronism
      had a thicker ventricular wall and higher LV mass index than those with essential
      hypertension. Most importantly, we found significant degradation of GLS in the
      patients with primary aldosteronism compared with those with essential
      hypertension (-17.84 +/- 2.36 vs. -20.13 +/- 2.32, P < 0.001). In correlation
      analysis, GLS was significantly correlated with serum potassium level, LV mass
      index, log-transformed plasma renin activity, log-transformed ARR, and log
      transformed 24-h urinary aldosterone levels (all P < 0.05). Multivariate linear
      regression analysis further identified log-transformed ARR (beta = 0.771, 95%
      confidence interval: 0.011-1.530, P = 0.047), and log-transformed 24-h urinary
      aldosterone level (beta = 1.765, 95% confidence interval: 0.01-3.529, P = 0.050)
      as independent factors correlated with GLS. CONCLUSION: Patients with primary
      aldosteronism have a lower magnitude of GLS than patients with essential
      hypertension, suggesting that aldosterone induces a subclinical decline in LV
      systolic function.

PMID- 28902664
TI  - Comparison of the Inhibitory Mechanisms of Diethyl Citrate, Sodium Citrate, and
      Phosphonoformic Acid on Calcification Induced by High Inorganic Phosphate
      Contents in Mouse Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the differences and inhibitory effects
      of diethyl citrate (Et2Cit), sodium citrate (Na3Cit), and phosphonoformic acid
      (PFA) on calcification induced by high inorganic phosphate (Pi) contents in mouse
      aortic smooth muscle cells (MOVAS) and to develop drugs that can induce
      anticoagulation and inhibit vascular calcification (VC). METHODS: Alive and fixed
      MOVAS were assessed for 14 days in the presence of high Pi with increasing
      Et2Cit, Na3Cit, and PFA concentrations. Calcification on MOVAS was measured
      through Alizarin red staining and the deposited calcium amount; apoptosis was
      detected by annexin V staining; and cell transdifferentiation was examined by
      measuring smooth muscle lineage gene (alpha-SMA) expression and alkaline
      phosphatase activity. RESULTS: Coincubation of MOVAS with Et2Cit, Na3Cit, and PFA
      significantly decreased Pi-induced VC in live MOVAS, and the apoptotic rate was
      reduced by low inhibitor concentrations. The 3 inhibitors could prevent the
      alkaline phosphatase activity induced by high Pi contents and increased the
      expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin genes. Thus, the transdifferentiation of
      MOVAS into osteoblast-like cells was blocked. Their inhibitory effects exhibited
      concentration dependence. The inhibitory effect of each inhibitor at the same
      concentration showed the following trend: PFA > Na3Cit > Et2Cit. CONCLUSIONS:
      Et2Cit, Na3Cit, and PFA prevented the calcification of MOVAS and inhibited the
      osteochondrocytic conversion of vascular smooth muscle cells. Thus, Et2Cit and
      Na3Cit as anticoagulants may alleviate VC in clinical applications.

PMID- 28902665
TI  - Dissecting Surgeon Behavior: Leveraging the Theoretical Domains Framework to
      Facilitate Evidence-based Surgical Practice.

PMID- 28902666
TI  - What is in a Pronoun?: Why Gender-fair Language Matters.
AB  - MINI: Mounting evidence demonstrates that gender inequity is perpetuated by
      language. As such, understanding the ways in which linguistic bias reinforces
      gender and other stereotypes is paramount to creating a culture of inclusivity.
      This perspective reviews the science detailing the ways language reinforces
      gender inequality and offers strategies to reduce linguistic bias.

PMID- 28902667
TI  - The Liver Tunnel: Intention-to-treat Validation of a New Type of Hepatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This prospective intention-to-treat validation study evaluated the
      liver tunnel (LT) technique for patients having >=1 deep centrally located liver
      tumor, with or without middle hepatic vein (MHV) invasion. BACKGROUND:
      Conservative surgery has been proposed for patients with deep liver tumors having
      complex relationships. LT is one such novel technique. METHODS: Eligible patients
      were prospectively enrolled for LT. LT relies on tumor-vessel detachment, and the
      presence of communicating veins if MHV resection is necessary. RESULTS: Twenty
      consecutive patients met the inclusion criteria: 17 had colorectal liver
      metastases, 1 had hepatocellular carcinoma, 1 had mass-forming
      cholangiocarcinoma, and 1 had mixed hepatocellular carcinoma-mass-forming
      cholangiocarcinoma. Nineteen patients underwent LT. The MHV was resected in 6
      patients, always sparing segments 4i and 5. Overall, 180 lesions were removed
      (median 7; range 1-37): 79 lesions were included in the LT specimen (median 3;
      range 1-13). There was no in-hospital 90-day mortality. Overall morbidity
      occurred in 10 (50%) patients: major in 2 (10%). All complications were managed
      conservatively. After a median 15-month follow-up (range 6-48), 2 instances of
      cut-edge local recurrences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that LT
      is technically feasible and safe. Further studies are needed for standardizing
      its use.

PMID- 28902668
TI  - Functional Results and Quality of Life Following Magnetic Anal Sphincter
      Augmentation in Severely Incontinent Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Magnetic anal sphincter augmentation is a novel surgical option in the
      treatment of severe fecal incontinence. This study aimed to analyze functional
      results, quality of life, and satisfaction after implantation in the mid-term,
      and to identify factors associated with success of this new treatment. METHODS:
      All patients, who underwent magnetic anal sphincter augmentation procedure at a
      single center between December 2008 and January 2016, were consecutively
      included. Symptom severity [Cleveland Clinic Incontinence Score (CCIS)], quality
      of life [Fecal-Incontinence Quality of Life Questionnaire (FIQL)], bowel diary
      data, and patients' satisfaction were assessed before and after implantation.
      RESULTS: Forty-five patients (43 female), mean (s.d.) age 66.82 (+/-10.07), were
      followed for a median of 36 months (range 6-84). Two patients were explanted and
      1 lost to follow-up. On a 3-week diary, major leakage rate significantly improved
      as did CCIS and FIQL. No significant difference was seen for flatus and minor
      leaks. Postoperative decrease of CCIS by >=5.5 points correlated best with
      satisfaction, expressed by 22 patients (48% in intention-to-treat analysis). An
      independent predictive factor for success after implantation was no previous
      fecal incontinence surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Satisfaction, functional, and
      quality of life outcomes improve significantly following magnetic anal sphincter
      augmentation.

PMID- 28902669
TI  - ALPPS Improves Resectability Compared With Conventional Two-stage Hepatectomy in
      Patients With Advanced Colorectal Liver Metastasis: Results From a Scandinavian
      Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (LIGRO Trial).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate if associating liver partition
      and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) could increase resection
      rates (RRs) compared with two-stage hepatectomy (TSH) in a randomized controlled
      trial (RCT). BACKGROUND: Radical liver metastasis resection offers the only
      chance of a cure for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients with
      colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) and an insufficient future liver remnant (FLR)
      volume are traditionally treated with chemotherapy with portal vein embolization
      or ligation followed by hepatectomy (TSH). This treatment sometimes fails due to
      insufficient liver growth or tumor progression. METHODS: A prospective,
      multicenter RCT was conducted between June 2014 and August 2016. It included 97
      patients with CRLM and a standardized FLR (sFLR) of less than 30%. Primary
      outcome-RRs were measured as the percentages of patients completing both stages
      of the treatment. Secondary outcomes were complications, radicality, and 90-day
      mortality measured from the final intervention. RESULTS: Baseline
      characteristics, besides body mass index, did not differ between the groups. The
      RR was 92% [95% confidence interval (CI) 84%-100%] (44/48) in the ALPPS arm
      compared with 57% (95% CI 43%-72%) (28/49) in the TSH arm [rate ratio 8.25 (95%
      CI 2.6-26.6); P < 0.0001]. No differences in complications (Clavien-Dindo >=3a)
      [43% (19/44) vs 43% (12/28)] [1.01 (95% CI 0.4-2.6); P = 0.99], 90-day mortality
      [8.3% (4/48) vs 6.1% (3/49)] [1.39 [95% CI 0.3-6.6]; P = 0.68] or R0 RRs [77%
      (34/44) vs 57% (16/28)] [2.55 [95% CI 0.9-7.1]; P = 0.11)] were observed. Of the
      patients in the TSH arm that failed to reach an sFLR of 30%, 12 were successfully
      treated with ALPPS. CONCLUSION: ALPPS is superior to TSH in terms of RR, with
      comparable surgical margins, complications, and short-term mortality.

PMID- 28902670
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of coenzyme Q10 on paraquat-induced Parkinson's disease
      in experimental animals.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) affects ~1-2% of the elderly population. Development of
      a neuroprotective therapy that may be initiated early in the course of the
      disease to retard/prevent disease progression is highly desirable. This study
      aimed to investigate prophylactic treatment with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) before
      paraquat (PQ) exposure, a herbicide known to increase the risk for PD, to attain
      neuroprotection. In addition, therapeutic intervention with CoQ10 in mice already
      exposed to PQ (24 h) might halt ongoing neurodegeneration and behavioural
      deterioration. PD was induced experimentally in mice by an injection of PQ (10
      mg/kg, intraperitoneal), twice a week for 3 consecutive weeks, either before or
      after the initiation of treatment with CoQ10 (200 mg/kg). The results of the
      sustained supplementation with CoQ10, prophylactically and therapeutically, were
      compared with L-DOPA (100 mg/kg). A battery of behavioural tests was performed,
      in addition to estimation of protein carbonyl in the brain. CoQ10 elicited a
      remarkable improvement in most of the behavioural tests and decreased protein
      carbonyl content in the brain, particularly when it was initiated before rather
      than after PQ induction of PD. Therefore, CoQ10, which protects against
      mitochondrial damage, may be beneficial in slowing the progression of PD,
      particularly when initiated as prophylactic treatment.

PMID- 28902671
TI  - Telemedicine: From Microsurgery and Free Flaps to Total Body Skin Examination.

PMID- 28902672
TI  - Teledermatology: Is it Beneficial to Patients?

PMID- 28902673
TI  - Malignant Hyperthermia Susceptibility and Related Diseases.

PMID- 28902674
TI  - Disruption of Hippocampal Multisynaptic Networks by General Anesthetics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that synaptic transmission is affected by
      general anesthetics, but an anesthetic dose response in freely moving animals has
      not been done. The hippocampus provides a neural network for the evaluation of
      isoflurane and pentobarbital on multisynaptic transmission that is relevant to
      memory function. METHODS: Male Long-Evans rats were implanted with multichannel
      and single electrodes in the hippocampus. Spontaneous local field potentials and
      evoked field potentials were recorded in freely behaving rats before (baseline)
      and after various doses of isoflurane (0.25 to 1.5%) and sodium pentobarbital (10
      mg/kg intraperitoneal). RESULTS: Monosynaptic population excitatory postsynaptic
      potentials at the basal and apical dendrites of CA1 were significantly decreased
      at greater than or equal to 0.25% (n = 4) and greater than or equal to 1.0% (n =
      6) isoflurane, respectively. The perforant path evoked multisynaptic response at
      CA1 was decreased by ~50% at greater than or equal to 0.25% isoflurane (n = 5). A
      decreased population excitatory postsynaptic potential was accompanied by
      increased paired-pulse facilitation. Population spike amplitude in relation to
      apical dendritic population excitatory postsynaptic potential was not
      significantly altered by isoflurane. Spontaneous hippocampal local field
      potential at 0.8 to 300 Hz was dose-dependently suppressed by isoflurane (n = 6),
      with local field potential power in the 50- to 150-Hz band showing the highest
      decrease with isoflurane dose, commensurate with the decrease in trisynaptic CA1
      response. Low-dose pentobarbital (n = 7) administration decreased the perforant
      path evoked trisynaptic CA1 response and hippocampal local field potentials at 78
      to 125 Hz. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal networks are sensitive to low doses of
      isoflurane and pentobarbital, possibly through both glutamatergic and gamma
      aminobutyric acid-mediated transmission. Network disruption could help explain
      the impairment of hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions with low-dose
      anesthetic.

PMID- 28902676
TI  - Validation of the Pangao PG-800B26 upper arm blood pressure monitor in the
      general population according to the European Society of Hypertension and the
      British Hypertension Society protocols.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the automated
      oscillometric upper arm blood pressure monitor Pangao PG-800B26 for home blood
      pressure monitoring according to the European Society of Hypertension
      International Protocol (ESH-IP) revision 2010 and the British Hypertension
      Society (BHS) protocols. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Systolic and diastolic blood
      pressures were measured sequentially in 33 and 85 adults, respectively, on the
      basis of the ESH-IP and BHS protocols using a mercury sphygmomanometer (two
      observers) and the device (one supervisor). The procedures and analysis methods
      of the protocols were followed precisely. RESULTS: The device fulfilled the
      criteria of the ESH-IP, with device-observer differences of 1.01+/-5.16 and 
      0.58+/-4.17 mmHg for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively.
      Furthermore, the A/A grade of the BHS protocol was also achieved for overall
      grading and for the three pressure levels, with average differences of 0.85+/
      6.35 and -0.15+/-5.65 mmHg for systolic and diastolic blood pressure,
      respectively, which also fulfilled the requirements of the Association for the
      Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. CONCLUSION: The Pangao PG-800B26
      fulfilled the criteria of the ESH-IP 2010 and achieved the A/A grade of the BHS
      protocol, and hence can be recommended for home use in adults.

PMID- 28902677
TI  - Disparities in Awareness of HIV Postexposure and Preexposure Prophylaxis Among
      Notified Partners of HIV-Positive Individuals, New York City 2015-2017.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Named sex- or needle-sharing partners of HIV-positive individuals are
      a priority prevention population due to their known HIV exposure. Understanding
      postexposure and preexposure prophylaxis (PEP and PrEP) awareness and use among
      them is important for successful interventions. METHODS: Data from notified
      partners of HIV-positive individuals (New York City, May 2015-April 2017) were
      analyzed to describe PEP/PrEP awareness, provider discussion, and use by
      sociodemographic and risk characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was
      used to generate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)
      of partners' PEP and PrEP awareness. RESULTS: Among notified partners (n = 621),
      PEP and PrEP awareness were 34% and 44%, respectively; provider discussion of PEP
      was reported by 32% and of PrEP by 42%; PEP use was reported by 2% and PrEP use
      by 14%. PEP awareness was higher among men who have sex with men sex partners
      than among heterosexual sex partners (aOR: 4.21; 95% CI: 2.10 to 8.44). Odds of
      PrEP awareness were lower among black (aOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.75) and
      Hispanic partners (aOR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.84) than among white partners,
      and higher among men who have sex with men than heterosexual sex partners (aOR:
      4.60; 95% CI: 2.38 to 8.87). Black partners were less likely than whites to
      report a provider discussion of PrEP. Postnotification HIV-positive test results
      were significantly lower among partners reporting PEP awareness than among those
      who had not heard of PEP. CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of PEP/PrEP awareness and of
      provider PEP/PrEP discussion among notified partners, particularly blacks,
      Hispanics, and heterosexual sex partners, indicate the timeliness of tailored
      prevention messaging, provider training, and sensitization, to avoid disparities
      in PEP/PrEP use.

PMID- 28902675
TI  - Malignant Hyperthermia in the Post-Genomics Era: New Perspectives on an Old
      Concept.
AB  - This article reviews advancements in the genetics of malignant hyperthermia, new
      technologies and approaches for its diagnosis, and the existing limitations of
      genetic testing for malignant hyperthermia. It also reviews the various RYR1
      related disorders and phenotypes, such as myopathies, exertional rhabdomyolysis,
      and bleeding disorders, and examines the connection between these disorders and
      malignant hyperthermia.

PMID- 28902678
TI  - Brief Report: High Need to Switch cART or Comedication With the Initiation of
      DAAs in Elderly HIV/HCV-Coinfected Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To describe the use of nonantiretroviral comedication and combination
      antiretroviral therapy (cART) in patients coinfected with HIV/hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) and to predict the potential for drug-drug interactions (DDIs) with direct
      acting antivirals (DAAs) against HCV. METHODS: This is a retrospective, cross
      sectional study, using the Dutch, nationwide ATHENA observational HIV cohort
      database. All patients with a known HIV/HCV coinfection on January 1, 2015, were
      included. Comedication and cART registered in the database were listed. The
      potential for DDIs between DAAs and comedication/cART were predicted using
      http://hep-druginteractions.org. DDIs were categorized as: (1) no clinically
      relevant DDI; (2) possible DDI; (3) contraindication; or (4) no information
      available. RESULTS: We included 777 patients of whom 488 (63%) used
      nonantiretroviral comedication. At risk for a category 2/3 DDI with
      nonantiretroviral comedications were 299 patients (38%). Most DDIs were predicted
      with paritaprevir/ritonavir, ombitasvir +/- dasabuvir (47% of the drugs) and
      least with grazoprevir/elbasvir (11% of the drugs). Concerning cART,
      daclatasvir/sofosbuvir is the most favorable combination as no cART is
      contraindicated with this combination. In genotype 1/4 patients,
      grazoprevir/elbasvir is least favorable as 75% of the patients must alter their
      cART. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that comedication use in the aging HIV/HCV
      population is frequent and diverse. There is a high potential for DDIs between
      DAAs and comedication/cART.

PMID- 28902679
TI  - Brief Report: Peripheral Monocyte/Macrophage Phenotypes Associated With the
      Evolution of Cognitive Performance in HIV-Infected Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The contribution of monocyte activation in the development of HIV
      associated neurocognitive disorders is not completely understood. This study
      aimed to explore the predictive value of peripheral monocyte/macrophage (M/M)
      phenotypes on the evolution of cognitive performance in a population of
      virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients. SETTING: Prospective,
      observational, longitudinal study. METHODS: HIV-1-infected patients with HIV-RNA
      <50copies/mL for >12 months underwent neuropsychological examination at baseline
      and after 1 year. Cognitive performance was evaluated using Z-transformed scores,
      and neurocognitive impairment (NCI) was defined according to Frascati criteria.
      Peripheral M/M phenotypes (classic CD14CD16, intermediate CD14CD16, and
      nonclassic CD14CD16) and specific surface activation markers (eg, CD163, CD11b,
      and CD38) were evaluated using flow cytometry at baseline. Predictive value of
      peripheral M/M phenotypes on the evolution of cognitive performance over 1-year
      follow-up was also evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, 54 patients [85.2% men, median
      age 50 years (range 27-60 years), 27.8% hepatitis C virus coinfected, 48.1% with
      past AIDS-defining events, median nadir CD4 83 cells/MUL (range 1-334), median
      baseline CD4 547 cells/MUL (range 136-1652)] were enrolled. Proportion of
      patients with NCI was low, accounting for 13% at baseline and 16.5% after 1 year
      (P = 0.687). Memory was the only single domain in which decreased performance
      after 1 year was observed (-0.25 Z-score, P = 0.025). In patients with
      significant decrease (>=0.5 SD) in memory performance (n = 20), significantly
      lower CD14CD16CD163 (% CD14CD16) (P = 0.038) and higher CD14CD38 (% CD14) (P =
      0.030) levels were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In virologically suppressed HIV
      infected patients, the evolution of memory performance could be linked to the
      expression of certain peripheral activated M/M phenotypes. Such associations
      should be verified in larger populations over the long term.

PMID- 28902680
TI  - Multicountry Validation of SAMBA - A Novel Molecular Point-of-Care Test for HIV-1
      Detection in Resource-Limited Setting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early diagnosis of HIV-1 infection and the prompt initiation of
      antiretroviral therapy are critical to achieving a reduction in the morbidity and
      mortality of infected infants. The Simple AMplification-Based Assay (SAMBA) HIV-1
      Qual Whole Blood Test was developed specifically for early infant diagnosis and
      prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs implemented at the point-of
      care in resource-limited settings. METHODS: We have evaluated the performance of
      this test run on the SAMBA I semiautomated platform with fresh whole blood
      specimens collected from 202 adults and 745 infants in Kenya, Uganda, and
      Zimbabwe. Results were compared with those obtained with the Roche COBAS
      AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan (CAP/CTM) HIV-1 assay as performed with fresh whole blood
      or dried blood spots of the same subjects, and discrepancies were resolved with
      alternative assays. RESULTS: The performance of the SAMBA and CAP/CTM assays
      evaluated at 5 laboratories in the 3 countries was similar for both adult and
      infant samples. The clinical sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value,
      and negative predictive value for the SAMBA test were 100%, 99.2%, 98.7%, and
      100%, respectively, with adult samples, and 98.5%, 99.8%, 99.7%, and 98.8%,
      respectively, with infant samples. DISCUSSION: Our data suggest that the SAMBA
      HIV-1 Qual Whole Blood Test would be effective for early diagnosis of HIV-1
      infection in infants at point-of-care settings in sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 28902681
TI  - Early Warning Scores to Predict Noncritical Events Overnight in Hospitalized
      Medical Patients: A Prospective Case Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physicians are often called to evaluate patients overnight with
      varying levels of clinical deterioration. Early warning scores predict critical
      clinical deterioration in patients; however, it is unknown whether they are able
      to reliably predict which patients will need to be seen overnight and whether
      these patients will require further resource use. METHODS: A prospective case
      cohort study of 522 patient nights in a single tertiary care hospital in
      Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was conducted to assess the ability of
      Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and National Early Warning Score (NEWS) to
      predict patients who will need to be seen overnight by physicians and will
      require other healthcare resources. Prediction ability was assessed using area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve and logistic regression models.
      RESULTS: The MEWS and NEWS both significantly predicted which patients needed to
      be seen overnight, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves
      (95% confidence interval) for MEWS and NEWS were 0.72 (0.66-0.78) and 0.69 (0.63
      0.76), respectively. Odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for MEWS and NEWS
      predicting need to be seen overnight were 1.52 (1.34-1.73) and 1.22 (1.14-1.31),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both MEWS and NEWS have fair ability to predict
      patients who will need to be seen overnight. This may be useful for improving
      handover and resource allocation for overnight care.

PMID- 28902682
TI  - The Influence of Foot-Strike Technique on the Neuromechanical Function of the
      Foot.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of foot-strike
      technique on longitudinal arch mechanics and intrinsic foot muscle function
      during running. METHODS: Thirteen healthy participants ran barefoot on a force
      instrumented treadmill at 2.8 ms with a forefoot (FFS) and rearfoot (RFS;
      habitual) running technique, whereas kinetic, kinematic, and electromyographic
      data from the intrinsic foot muscles were collected simultaneously. The
      longitudinal arch was modeled as a single "midfoot" joint representing motion of
      the rearfoot (calcaneus) relative to the forefoot (metatarsals). An inverse
      dynamic analysis was performed to estimate joint moments generated about the
      midfoot, as well as mechanical work and power. RESULTS: The midfoot was more
      plantar flexed (higher arch) at foot contact when running with a forefoot running
      technique (RFS 0.2 +/- 1.8 vs FFS 6.9 +/- 3.0 degrees , effect size (ES) = 2.7);
      however, there was no difference in peak midfoot dorsiflexion in stance (RFS 
      11.6 +/- 3.0 vs FFS -11.4 +/- 3.4 degrees , ES = 0.63). When running with a
      forefoot technique, participants generated greater moments about the midfoot (27%
      increase, ES = 1.1) and performed more negative work (240% increase, ES = 2.2)
      and positive work (42% increase, ES = 1.1) about the midfoot. Average stance
      phase muscle activation was greater for flexor digitorum brevis (20% increase, ES
      = 0.56) and abductor hallucis (17% increase, ES = 0.63) when running with a
      forefoot technique. CONCLUSIONS: Forefoot running increases loading about the
      longitudinal arch and also increases the mechanical work performed by the
      intrinsic foot muscles. These findings have substantial implications in terms of
      injury prevention and management for runners who transition from a rearfoot to a
      forefoot running technique.

PMID- 28902683
TI  - Exercise Oscillatory Ventilation: Interreviewer Agreement and a Novel
      Determination.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Determination of exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV) is
      subjective, and the interreviewer agreement has not been reported. The purposes
      of this study were, among patients with heart failure (HF), as follows: 1) to
      determine the interreviewer agreement for EOV and 2) to describe a novel,
      objective, and quantifiable measure of EOV. METHODS: This was a secondary
      analysis of the HEART Camp: Promoting Adherence to Exercise in Patients with
      Heart Failure study. EOV was determined through a blinded review by six
      individuals on the basis of their interpretation of the EOV literature.
      Interreviewer agreement was assessed using Fleiss kappa (kappa). Final
      determination of EOV was based on agreement by four of the six reviewers. A new
      measure (ventilation dispersion index; VDI) was calculated for each test, and its
      ability to predict EOV was assessed with the receiver operator characteristics
      curve. RESULTS: Among 243 patients with HF (age, 60 +/- 12 yr; 45% women), the
      interreviewer agreement for EOV was fair (kappa = 0.303) with 10-s discrete data
      averages and significantly better, but only moderate (kappa = 0.429) with 30-s
      rolling data averages. Prevalence rates of positive and indeterminate EOVs were
      18% and 30% with the 10-s discrete averages and 14% and 13% with the 30-s rolling
      averages, respectively. VDI was strongly associated with EOV, with areas under
      the receiver operator characteristics curve of 0.852 to 0.890. CONCLUSIONS:
      Interreviewer agreement for EOV in patients with HF is fair to moderate, which
      can negatively affect risk stratification. VDI has strong predictive validity
      with EOV; as such, it might be a useful measure of prognosis in patients with HF.

PMID- 28902685
TI  - Navigating a new narrative for developing countries: rising strong.

PMID- 28902687
TI  - Evidence implementation in lower- and middle-income countries: where the recipe
      is incomplete.

PMID- 28902686
TI  - "Worlds apart": the case of evidence utilization in Ghanaian health facilities.

PMID- 28902688
TI  - Facilitators and barriers to modern contraception use among reproductive-aged
      women living in sub-Saharan Africa: a qualitative systematic review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE:: The main objective of this qualitative review is to
      synthesize the best available evidence on facilitators and barriers of modern
      contraception use among reproductive-aged (15-49 years) women living in sub
      Saharan Africa [SSA].The specific review questions are.

PMID- 28902684
TI  - Estrogens synthesized and acting within a spinal oligomer suppress spinal
      endomorphin 2 antinociception: ebb and flow over the rat reproductive cycle.
AB  - The magnitude of antinociception elicited by intrathecal endomorphin 2 (EM2), an
      endogenous mu-opioid receptor (MOR) ligand, varies across the rat estrous cycle.
      We now report that phasic changes in analgesic responsiveness to spinal EM2
      result from plastic interactions within a novel membrane-bound oligomer
      containing estrogen receptors (mERs), aromatase (aka estrogen synthase),
      metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1), and MOR. During diestrus, spinal
      mERs, activated by locally synthesized estrogens, act with mGluR1 to suppress
      spinal EM2/MOR antinociception. The emergence of robust spinal EM2
      antinociception during proestrus results from the loss of mER-mGluR1 suppression,
      a consequence of altered interactions within the oligomer. The chemical pairing
      of aromatase with mERs within the oligomer containing MOR and mGluR1 allows
      estrogens to function as intracellular messengers whose synthesis and actions are
      confined to the same signaling oligomer. This form of estrogenic signaling, which
      we term "oligocrine," enables discrete, highly compartmentalized estrogen/mER
      mGluR1 signaling to regulate MOR-mediated antinociception induced by EM2.
      Finally, spinal neurons were observed not only to coexpress MOR, mERalpha,
      aromatase, and mGluR1 but also be apposed by EM2 varicosities. This suggests that
      modulation of spinal analgesic responsiveness to exogenous EM2 likely reflects
      changes in its endogenous analgesic activity. Analogous suppression of spinal EM2
      antinociception in women (eg, around menses, comparable with diestrus in rats) as
      well as the (pathological) inability to transition out of that suppressed state
      at other menstrual cycle stages could underlie, at least in part, the much
      greater prevalence and severity of chronic pain in women than men.

PMID- 28902689
TI  - Experiences of adults with intellectual disability who identify as lesbian, gay,
      bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex or asexual: a systematic
      review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW OBJECTIVE/QUESTION: The purpose of this systematic review is to identify,
      appraise and synthesize the best available qualitative evidence on the lived
      experiences of adults with intellectual disability who identify as lesbian, gay,
      bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex or asexual in mainstream
      society.

PMID- 28902690
TI  - Effectiveness of population based risk reduction programs for risky sexual
      behavior among young people in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic
      review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE:: The objective of this review is to synthesize the
      best available evidence on the effectiveness of population based (public health)
      risk reduction interventions (programs and services) on sexual risk taking among
      young people (aged 10 to 24 years old) in low- and middle-income countries
      (LMICs).The specific review questions are.

PMID- 28902691
TI  - Foot self-management for adults with diabetes in western countries: a scoping
      review protocol.
AB  - SCOPING REVIEW OBJECTIVE/QUESTION: The objective of this scoping review is to
      examine and map the range of issues related to self-management of feet in adults
      with diabetes with similar lifestyles, risks and health care in western
      countries.

PMID- 28902693
TI  - Nutritional interventions to reduce symptoms in children and adults with
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a scoping review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE:: The objective of this scoping review is to examine
      and map reported nutritional interventions and their outcomes in relieving
      symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the daily lives of
      children and adults. A further objective is to determine if experiences of people
      diagnosed with ADHD, their relatives or staff in being on a diet or having to eat
      or avoid eating specific food items have been reported in the existing
      literature.Specifically the scoping review questions are.

PMID- 28902692
TI  - The association between maternal exposure to pollutant particulate matter 2.5 and
      neonatal congenital heart defects: a systematic review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW QUESTION: The objective of this review is to identify if there is an
      association between maternal exposure to pollutant particulate matter 2.5 during
      the first trimester of pregnancy and neonatal congenital heart defects within the
      first year of life.

PMID- 28902694
TI  - Safety and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for depression in adults who have
      sustained a traumatic brain injury: a systematic review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW OBJECTIVE/QUESTION: The objective of this systematic review is to
      synthesize the current evidence on the effectiveness and harms of pharmacotherapy
      in the management of depression in adults who have sustained a traumatic brain
      injury.

PMID- 28902695
TI  - Effectiveness of droxidopa compared to midodrine in standing blood pressure and
      orthostatic tolerance in adults with neurogenic orthostatic hypotension: a
      systematic review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW QUESTION: The question of this review is: what is the effectiveness of
      droxidopa compared to midodrine on standing blood pressure and orthostatic
      intolerance symptoms in adults with neurogenic orthostatic hypotension?

PMID- 28902696
TI  - Impact of conditional cash transfers on child nutritional outcomes among sub
      Saharan African countries: a systematic review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE:: The objective of this review is to assess the impact
      of conditional cash transfers on child nutritional outcomes among sub-Saharan
      African countries. More specifically, the objectives are to assess the impact of
      conditional cash transfers on child anthropometry, micro-nutrient, and
      improvement in dietary diversity of households.

PMID- 28902697
TI  - Effect of Aloe vera on glycemic outcomes in patients with diabetes mellitus: a
      systematic review protocol.
AB  - REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE:: The objective is to identify the effectiveness of
      Aloe vera on glycemic outcomes (fasting blood glucose level and glycosylated
      hemoglobin) in patients with diabetes mellitus. Specifically, the review question
      is: what is the effectiveness of oral A. vera (Aloe barbadensis) on glycemic
      outcomes in adult patients with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus as
      compared to a placebo group?

PMID- 28902698
TI  - Effect of educational and support interventions on long-term breastfeeding rates
      in primiparous women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term breastfeeding, including exclusive breastfeeding for six
      months and continuation of breastfeeding with complementary food until two years
      of age, has been recommended by the World Health Organization. However, despite
      the clear benefits of long-term breastfeeding (six months and beyond), the rates
      of breastfeeding still continue to remain low. Although there are some individual
      interventional studies that aimed to increase prolonged breastfeeding rates among
      both multiparous and primiparous women, there is no systematic review or meta
      analysis to examine the effectiveness of those interventions among primiparous
      women who had no previous breastfeeding experience. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this
      review was to identify the effects of professional educational and support
      interventions on breastfeeding rates at six months and up to two years postpartum
      compared to the standard care among primiparous women. INCLUSION CRITERIA TYPES
      OF PARTICIPANTS: Studies that included primiparous women aged 18 and over who
      intended to breastfeed. TYPES OF INTERVENTION(S): Studies that investigated the
      effect of educational and support interventions provided by health professionals
      during the antenatal, postnatal period or both. TYPES OF STUDIES: Randomized
      controlled trials. OUTCOMES: Studies with reported breastfeeding rates at six
      months or up to two years postpartum. SEARCH STRATEGY: A three-step search
      strategy was utilized in this review. The search was conducted in Cochrane,
      MEDLINE and CINAHL databases. Only trials that met the inclusion criteria and
      published in English were considered for this review. Databases were searched
      from their commencement year to May 2016. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY: Two independent
      reviewers selected the papers using the standardized critical appraisal tool from
      the Joanna Briggs Institute. DATA EXTRACTION AND DATA SYNTHESIS: Data was
      extracted using the standardized Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction
      instrument. Quantitative data were, where possible, pooled in statistical meta
      analysis using RevMan v5.3 (Copenhagen: The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Cochrane). In
      the absence of trials comparing the same outcomes, meta-analysis could not be
      performed; the findings have therefore been presented in a narrative form,
      including tables and figures to aid in data presentation where appropriate.
      RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials were included in this review.
      Interventions with only one antenatal or postnatal component were not effective
      in increasing breastfeeding rates at six months. However, based on one trial, an
      intervention that included antenatal education and support in combination with
      postnatal education and support doubled the rate of breastfeeding at six months
      among primiparous women randomized to the intervention group compared to the
      control group (p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: Despite the good methodological quality of
      the trials, due to the heterogeneity of the interventions and outcome measures
      (types of breastfeeding) it was not possible to identify any specific effective
      intervention. However, based on a single trial, it appears that a combination of
      antenatal and postnatal education interventions may be useful in increasing
      breastfeeding rates at six months.

PMID- 28902699
TI  - Experiences of and support for nurses as second victims of adverse nursing
      errors: a qualitative systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Second victims are clinicians who have made adverse errors and feel
      traumatized by the experience. The current published literature on second victims
      is mainly representative of doctors, hence nurses' experiences are not fully
      depicted. This systematic review was necessary to understand the second victim
      experience for nurses, explore the support provided, and recommend appropriate
      support systems for nurses. OBJECTIVES: To synthesize the best available evidence
      on nurses' experiences as second victims, and explore their experiences of the
      support they receive and the support they need. INCLUSION CRITERIA PARTICIPANTS:
      Participants were registered nurses who made adverse errors. PHENOMENA OF
      INTEREST: The review included studies that described nurses' experiences as
      second victims and/or the support they received after making adverse errors.
      CONTEXT: All studies conducted in any health care settings worldwide. TYPES OF
      STUDIES: The qualitative studies included were grounded theory, discourse
      analysis and phenomenology. SEARCH STRATEGY: A structured search strategy was
      used to locate all unpublished and published qualitative studies, but was limited
      to the English language, and published between 1980 and February 2017. The
      references of studies selected for eligibility screening were hand-searched for
      additional literature. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY: Eligible studies were assessed by
      two independent reviewers for methodological quality using a standardized
      critical appraisal instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative
      Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI QARI). DATA EXTRACTION: Themes and
      narrative statements were extracted from papers included in the review using the
      standardized data extraction tool from JBI QARI. DATA SYNTHESIS: Data synthesis
      was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute meta-aggregation approach.
      RESULTS: There were nine qualitative studies included in the review. The
      narratives of 284 nurses generated a total of 43 findings, which formed 15
      categories based on similarity of meaning. Four synthesized findings were
      generated from the categories: (i) The error brings a considerable emotional
      burden to the nurse that can last for a long time. In some cases, the error can
      alter nurses' perspectives and disrupt workplace relations; (ii) The type of
      support received influences how the nurse will feel about the error. Often nurses
      choose to speak with colleagues who have had similar experiences. Strategies need
      to focus on helping them to overcome the negative emotions associated with being
      a second victim; (iii) After the error, nurses are confronted with the dilemma of
      disclosure. Disclosure is determined by the following factors: how nurses feel
      about the error, harm to the patient, the support available to the nurse, and how
      errors are dealt with in the past; and (iv) Reconciliation is every nurse's
      endeavor. Predominantly, this is achieved by accepting fallibility, followed by
      acts of restitution, such as making positive changes in practice and disclosure
      to attain closure (see "Summary of findings"). CONCLUSION: Adverse errors were
      distressing for nurses, but they did not always receive the support they needed
      from colleagues. The lack of support had a significant impact on nurses'
      decisions on whether to disclose the error and his/her recovery process.
      Therefore, a good support system is imperative in alleviating the emotional
      burden, promoting the disclosure process, and assisting nurses with
      reconciliation. This review also highlighted research gaps that encompass the
      characteristics of the support system preferred by nurses, and the scarcity of
      studies worldwide.

PMID- 28902700
TI  - Effectiveness of collaboration between emergency department and intensive care
      unit teams on mortality rates of patients presenting with critical illness: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increasing volume of adult patients with critical illness
      entering emergency departments (EDs) burdens the resources of EDs worldwide. This
      subpopulation faces a high risk of mortality because they require specialized
      care which many EDs are not yet poised to deliver. An element crucial to
      delivering care and decreasing the mortality of critically ill patients in the ED
      is expert collaborative practice across disciplines. Several ED and intensive
      care unit (ICU) collaborative models exist including: emergency department
      intensive care units (EDICU) and medical emergency teams (MET). OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate the effectiveness of collaboration between the ED and ICUs on the
      mortality rates of critically ill adult ED patients. INCLUSION CRITERIA TYPES OF
      PARTICIPANTS: Adult ED patients, 18 years and over, with non-surgical critical
      illness meeting the criteria for ICU admission. TYPES OF INTERVENTION(S):
      Collaboration between the ED and ICU in the management of critically ill patients
      in the ED. TYPES OF STUDIES: Observational and descriptive studies. TYPE OF
      OUTCOME: All-cause mortality, including 30-day mortality and in-hospital
      mortality rates at any time period. SEARCH STRATEGY: The comprehensive literature
      search included published and unpublished studies in English from the beginning
      of each database through November 30, 2016. Databases searched included: PubMed,
      CINAHL, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). A
      search for gray literature and electronic hand searching of relevant journals was
      also performed. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY: Studies were assessed for methodological
      quality by four independent reviewers using standardized appraisal tools from the
      Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). DATA EXTRACTION: Data related to the methods,
      participants, interventions and findings were extracted using a standardized data
      extraction tool from JBI. DATA SYNTHESIS: Statistical pooling into a meta
      analysis was not possible due to the clinical and methodological heterogeneity in
      the interventions and outcome measures of the included studies. Results are
      presented in a narrative form. RESULTS: Three collaborative models (EDICU, Direct
      Provider-Provider Collaboration and MET) were identified across five studies.
      Findings from these studies showed conflicting results. The reviewers were unable
      to synthesize the evidence to state conclusively the effectiveness of
      collaborative models on mortality rates of critically ill patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      There is limited and conflicting evidence related to the effectiveness of EDICU
      collaborative models on the mortality rates of critically ill patients preventing
      the development of practice recommendations. This review underscores the need for
      more research into the benefits of collaborative models between the ED and ICU.

PMID- 28902701
TI  - Diabetes self-management education training for community health center nurses in
      Indonesia: a best practice implementation project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes complications can increase progressively, leading to
      morbidity and mortality among diabetes sufferers. To address this, diabetes self
      management education is a strategy to increase patients' knowledge and awareness
      in self-care. However some issues related to diabetes self-management education
      have emerged for health care providers and patients. OBJECTIVES: The objective of
      this project was to improve nurses' skills and confidence in delivering diabetes
      self-management education among type 2 diabetes patients by promoting evidence
      based practice in community health centers, thereby enhancing patients' knowledge
      and skills in performing self-care. METHODS: The Joanna Briggs Institute three
      phase Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System and Getting Research into
      Practice audit and feedback tool were utilized in this project for promoting
      evidence utilization and changes in the community health setting. In phase 1 of
      the project, stakeholders were engaged and 12 evidence-based audit criteria were
      developed. A baseline audit was conducted by the project team in 41 community
      health centers. In phase 2, barriers underpinning areas of noncompliance found in
      the baseline audit were identified and strategies developed to target three key
      areas - staff, administration and patients. In phase 3, a follow-up audit was
      conducted. RESULTS: The baseline audit results showed that eight of the 12
      criteria recorded zero percent compliance, with the remaining four recording
      below 50%, representing poor compliance with the current evidence. Strategies
      implemented during phase 2 of the project included a diabetes educator training
      program, development of diabetes education curriculum and media, and a patient's
      logbook. After implementation of the strategies, the follow-up audit showed that
      all 12 criteria achieved 100% compliance. CONCLUSIONS: The diabetes training
      program for community health center nurses increased their skills and confidence
      in delivering diabetes self-management education to patients.

PMID- 28902702
TI  - Assessment and management of burn pain at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital: a
      best practice implementation project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain management is a significant issue in health facilities in Ghana.
      For burn patients, this is even more challenging as burn pain has varied facets.
      Despite the existence of pharmacological agents for pain management, complaints
      of pain still persist. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this project was to identify pain
      management practices in the burns units of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,
      compare these approaches to best practice, and implement strategies to enhance
      compliance to standards. METHODS: Ten evidence-based audit criteria were
      developed from evidence summaries. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute Practical
      Application of Clinical Evidence Software (PACES), a baseline audit was
      undertaken on a convenience sample of ten patients from the day of admission to
      the seventh day. Thereafter, the Getting Research into Practice (GRiP) component
      of PACES was used to identify barriers, strategies, resources and outcomes. After
      implementation of the strategies, a follow-up audit was undertaken using the same
      sample size and audit criteria. RESULTS: The baseline results showed poor
      adherence to best practice. However, following implementation of strategies,
      including ongoing professional education and provision of assessment tools and
      protocols, compliance rates improved significantly. Atlhough the success of this
      project was almost disrupted by an industrial action, collaboration with external
      bodies enabled the successful completion of the project. CONCLUSION: Pain
      management practices in the burns unit improved at the end of the project which
      reflects the importance of an audit process, education, providing feedback, group
      efforts and effective collaboration.

PMID- 28902703
TI  - Effect of Schooling on Age-Disparate Relationships and Number of Sexual Partners
      Among Young Women in Rural South Africa Enrolled in HPTN 068.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attending school may have a strong preventative association with
      sexually transmitted infections among young women, but the mechanism for this
      relationship is unknown. One hypothesis is that students who attend school
      practice safer sex with fewer partners, establishing safer sexual networks that
      make them less exposed to infection. SETTING: We used longitudinal data from a
      randomized controlled trial of young women aged 13-20 years in the Bushbuckridge
      district, South Africa, to determine whether the percentage of school days
      attended, school dropout, and grade repetition are associated with having a
      partner 5 or more years older (age-disparate) and with the number of sexual
      partners in the previous 12 months. METHODS: Risks of having an age-disparate
      relationship and number of sexual partners were compared using inverse
      probability of exposure weighted Poisson regression models. Generalized
      estimating equations were used to account for repeated measures. RESULTS: Young
      women who attended fewer school days (<80%) and who dropped out of school were
      more likely to have an age-disparate relationship (risk difference 9.9%, 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 3.9% to 16.0%; risk difference (%) dropout 17.2%, 95%
      CI: 5.4% to 29.0%) and those who dropped out reported having fewer partners
      (count difference dropout 0.343, 95% CI: 0.192 to 0.495). Grade repetition was
      not associated with either behavior. CONCLUSION: Young women who less frequently
      attend school or who drop out are more likely to have an age-disparate
      relationship. Young women who drop out have overall more partners. These
      behaviors may increase the risk of exposure to HIV infection in young women out
      of school.

PMID- 28902705
TI  - Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in
      HIV-Infected Youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low bone mineral density (BMD) is a significant comorbidity in HIV.
      However, studies evaluating vitamin D supplementation on bone health in this
      population are limited. This study investigates changes in bone health parameters
      after 12 months of supplementation in HIV-infected youth with vitamin D
      insufficiency. METHODS: This is a randomized, active-control, double-blind trial
      investigating changes in bone parameters with 3 different vitamin D3 doses
      [18,000 (standard/control dose), 60,000 (moderate dose), and 120,000 IU/monthly
      (high dose)] in HIV-infected youth 8-25 years old with baseline serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations <30 ng/mL. BMD and bone turnover
      markers were measured at baseline and 12 months. RESULTS: One hundred two
      subjects enrolled. Over 12 months, serum 25(OH)D concentrations increased with
      all doses, but the high dose (ie, 120,000 IU/monthly) maintained serum 25(OH)D
      concentrations in an optimal range (>=30 or >=20 ng/mL) throughout the study
      period for more subjects (85% and 93%, respectively) compared with either the
      moderate (54% and 88%, respectively) or standard dose (63% and 80%,
      respectively). All dosing groups showed some improvement in BMD; however, only
      the high-dose arm showed significant decreases in bone turnover markers for both
      procollagen type 1 aminoterminal propeptide (-3.7 ng/mL; P = 0.001) and Beta
      CrossLaps (-0.13 ng/mL; P = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: High-dose vitamin D
      supplementation (120,000 IU/mo) given over 12 months decreases bone turnover
      markers in HIV-infected youth with vitamin D insufficiency, which may represent
      an early, beneficial effect on bone health. High vitamin D doses are needed to
      maintain optimal serum 25(OH)D concentrations.

PMID- 28902706
TI  - Cognitive Impairment in a Clinical Setting.

PMID- 28902704
TI  - HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Implementation at Local Health Departments: A
      Statewide Assessment of Activities and Barriers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Expanding access to HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could help
      reduce rates of HIV infection in the United States. This study characterizes
      activities and barriers to PrEP implementation at local health departments (LHDs)
      in North Carolina (NC), which contains a large rural population. METHODS: In May
      2016, a web-based survey was distributed to health directors of all county and
      district health departments in NC to assess PrEP-related activities, perceived
      barriers to PrEP implementation, and desired PrEP-related resources. RESULTS: Of
      85 LHDs in NC, 56 (66%) responded to the survey. Of these, 2 (4%) reported PrEP
      prescribing and 7 (13%) externally referred for PrEP services. Among the 54
      departments not prescribing PrEP, the most frequently cited reasons were cost
      concerns (n = 25, 46%), lack of formal prescribing protocols (n = 21, 39%), and
      belief that PrEP would be better managed at primary care or specialty clinics (n
      = 19, 35%). Among the 47 departments not prescribing or referring clients for
      PrEP, the most frequently cited reasons for the lack of PrEP referral were the
      absence of local PrEP providers (n = 29, 62%), lack of PrEP knowledge among staff
      (n = 13, 28%), and perceived lack of PrEP candidates (n = 12, 26%). The most
      frequently requested PrEP-related resources included training to help identify
      PrEP candidates (n = 39, 70%) and training on PrEP prescribing and management (n
      = 38, 68%). CONCLUSIONS: PrEP prescribing and referral among LHDs in NC remains
      extremely limited. Increased PrEP-related training and support for LHD-based
      providers could enhance PrEP access, especially in rural and underserved areas.

PMID- 28902707
TI  - Impact of human CA8 on thermal antinociception in relation to morphine
      equivalence in mice.
AB  - Recently, we showed that murine dorsal root ganglion (DRG) Car8 expression is a
      cis-regulated eQTL that determines analgesic responses. In this report, we show
      that transduction through sciatic nerve injection of DRG with human wild-type
      carbonic anhydrase-8 using adeno-associated virus viral particles (AAV8-V5-CA8WT)
      produces analgesia in naive male C57BL/6J mice and antihyperalgesia after
      carrageenan treatment. A peak mean increase of about 4 s in thermal hindpaw
      withdrawal latency equaled increases in thermal withdrawal latency produced by 10
      mg/kg intraperitoneal morphine in these mice. Allometric conversion of this
      intraperitoneal morphine dose in mice equals an oral morphine dose of about 146
      mg in a 60-kg adult. Our work quantifies for the first time analgesia and
      antihyperalgesia in an inflammatory pain model after DRG transduction by CA8 gene
      therapy.

PMID- 28902708
TI  - The effects of MLC901 on tau phosphorylation.
AB  - Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by the presence
      of hyperphosphorylated tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain
      and include Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, which lack effective
      disease-modifying treatments. The presence of NFTs is known to correlate with
      cognition impairment, suggesting that targeting tau hyperphosphorylation may be
      therapeutically effective. MLC901 is a herbal formulation that is currently used
      in poststroke recovery and consists of nine herbal components. Previously,
      several components of MLC901 have been shown to have an effect on tau
      phosphorylation, but it remains unknown whether MLC901 itself has the same
      effect. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of MLC901 on
      ameliorating tau phosphorylation at epitopes associated with NFT formation. A
      stably transfected cell culture model expressing tau harboring the P301S mutation
      was generated and treated with various concentrations of MLC901 across different
      time points. Tau phosphorylation profiles and protein levels of enzymes
      associated with tau phosphorylation were assessed using western blotting. One-way
      analysis of variance with Bonferroni post-hoc analysis showed that MLC901
      significantly reduced tau phosphorylation at epitopes recognized by the AT8,
      AT270, and PHF-13 antibodies. MLC901 also induced a significant increase in the
      s9 phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta and a concurrent decrease in
      the activation of cyclin-dependent kinase 5, as measured by a significant
      decrease in the levels of p35/cyclin-dependent kinase 5. Our results provide
      supporting evidence to further study the effects of MLC901 on tau pathology and
      cognition using mouse models of tauopathy.

PMID- 28902709
TI  - Effect of food deprivation on the hypothalamic gene expression of the
      secretogranin II-derived peptide EM66 in rat.
AB  - EM66 is a peptide derived from the chromogranin, secretogranin II (SG-II). Recent
      findings in mice indicate that EM66 is a novel anorexigenic neuropeptide that
      regulates hypothalamic feeding behavior, at least in part, by activating the POMC
      neurons of the arcuate nucleus. The present study aimed to investigate the
      mechanism of action of EM66 in the control of feeding behavior and, more
      specifically, its potential interactions with the NPY and POMC systems in rat. We
      analyzed by Q-PCR the gene expression of the EM66 precursor, SG-II, in
      hypothalamic extracts following 2, 3, or 4 days of food deprivation and compared
      it with the expression levels of the two major neuropeptidergic systems, that is,
      POMC and NPY, modulating feeding behavior. Our results show that fasting for 2
      and 3 days has no effect on SG-II mRNA levels. However, 4 days of food
      deprivation induced a significant alteration in the expression levels of the
      three genes studied, with a significant increase in SG-II and NPY mRNAs, and
      conversely, a significant decrease in POMC mRNA. These data indicate that the
      EM66 gene expression is modulated by a negative energy status and suggest
      interactions between EM66 and NPY to regulate food intake through the POMC
      system.

PMID- 28902710
TI  - A novel method of organotypic spinal cord slice culture in rats.
AB  - This study was undertaken to establish a method for the culture of organotypic
      spinal cord slices. A long-term organotypic spinal cord slice culture was
      conducted from postnatal rats. Lumbar spinal cord was isolated, and meninges were
      removed from the spinal cord. The spinal cord was embedded in 4% agarose, and was
      sectioned by vibratome into slices. Then the slices were cultured on the surface
      of the membrane inserts, which were placed in six-well plates containing 1 ml of
      growth medium at 37 degrees C in an incubator with 5% humidified carbon dioxide.
      The cultured organotypic spinal cord slices were examined by light microscopy and
      immunocytochemistry. The organotypic spinal cord slices were fully attached to
      the membrane inserts after 10 days in vitro. The general change in color and
      transparency from whitish to transparent gray appeared at the seventh and eighth
      day. Under the light microscope, the outgrowth of cells from the edge of the
      living slices arose from the second day of the culture, and arose to peak at the
      sixth and seventh day. The organotypic spinal cord slices were characterized as
      clear, semitransparent structures with bright and good refraction until the 14th
      day of culture. The viability of the slices was excellent as assessed by the
      trypan blue exclusion method at the 28th day, and they were positive for NeuN and
      GFAP. This culture technique, which does not require complex operation skills,
      might be a simple and efficient method for obtaining organotypic spinal cord
      slices in sufficient number, high viability, and contamination-free from
      postnatal rats.

PMID- 28902711
TI  - Triggering of inflammasome by impaired autophagy in response to acute
      experimental Parkinson's disease: involvement of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.
AB  - Several lines of evidence suggest that the inflammasome activation is involved in
      the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the relation between
      Parkinson's disease (PD) and the inflammasome is still unclear. This study was
      designed to assess the involvement of inflammasome in acute experimental PD.
      Specifically, acute PD was induced in C57BL/6 mice by an injection of 1-methyl-4
      phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). At seven days from MPTP induction, mice
      were euthanized and the midbrains were sampled to carry out immunohistochemical
      evaluations and western blot analysis. Our results show the activation of Nod
      like receptor-3 inflammasome in acute MPTP mice, as suggested by the increase of
      nuclear factor-kappaB expression, which represents the first signal for
      inflammasome induction. The Nod-like receptor-3 assembly induces the activation
      of caspase-1, which in turn activates interleukin-1beta and interleukin-18
      production, as confirmed by our evaluations. A dysregulation of autophagy system
      was also found in acute MPTP mice by looking at the expression of Beclin-1, LC-3,
      and Bcl-2, chosen as markers of autophagy. Thus, in an effort to identify the
      molecular mechanism underlying the well-known crosstalk between autophagy and the
      inflammasome, we evaluated the involvement of the phosphoinositide-3
      kinase/protein kinase-B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway,
      which plays a key role in autophagy. Our results showed a clear upregulation of
      this signaling after MPTP induction. Taken together, our findings suggest that
      the triggering of inflammasome could be linked to impaired autophagy because of
      aberrant upstream activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Finally, our results
      propose the inflammasome as a new potential therapeutic target in the management
      of PD.

PMID- 28902712
TI  - Attenuation of pentylenetrazole-induced acute status epilepticus in rats by
      adenosine involves inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway.
AB  - Adenosine (ADO) has been characterized as an endogenous anticonvulsant and
      alternative therapeutic drug, but its mechanism is not entirely clear. This study
      aimed to examine the relationship of ADO with the mammalian target of rapamycin
      (mTOR) in a Wistar rat model of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced acute status
      epilepticus. ADO (200 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 30 min before PTZ
      (55-65 mg/kg) treatment, and Western blot assays and immunohistochemistry were
      performed 3 h after the onset of acute status epilepticus to detect phospho-TOR
      and the downstream target of mTOR, phospho-S6. The expression of these
      phosphoproteins in the hippocampus was significantly increased in PTZ-treated
      rats, but this increase was attenuated by the addition of ADO. To further verify
      a role for ADO in attenuating mTOR activity, we also evaluated its ability to
      suppress mTOR activity in normal rats that were not treated with PTZ. Our results
      suggest that ADO suppresses mTOR and S6 phosphorylation in normal rats and that
      this suppression can be reversed by the application of Compound C, an inhibitor
      of AMP-activated protein kinase, which functions as an upstream suppressor of the
      mTOR pathway. Thus, our results provide a novel antiepileptic mechanism for ADO
      in suppressing mTOR pathway activation upon PTZ-induced acute status epilepticus.

PMID- 28902713
TI  - Long-lasting repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates
      electroencephalography oscillation in patients with disorders of consciousness.
AB  - Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been applied for the
      treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Timely and accurate
      assessments of its modulation effects are very useful. This study evaluated rTMS
      modulation effects on electroencephalography (EEG) oscillation in patients with
      chronic DOC. Eighteen patients with a diagnosis of DOC lasting more than 3 months
      were recruited. All patients received one session of 10-Hz rTMS at the left
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and then 12 of them received consecutive rTMS
      treatment everyday for 20 consecutive days. Resting-state EEGs were recorded
      before the experiment (T0) after one session of rTMS (T1) and after the entire
      treatment (T2). The JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scale scores were also
      recorded at the time points. Our data showed that application of 10-Hz rTMS to
      the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreased low-frequency band power and
      increased high-frequency band power in DOC patients, especially in minimal
      conscious state patients. Considering the correlation of the EEG spectrum with
      the consciousness level of patients with DOC, quantitative EEG might be useful
      for assessment of the effect of rTMS in DOC patients.

PMID- 28902714
TI  - Altered subcellular localization of fragile X mental retardation signaling
      partners and targets in superior frontal cortex of individuals with
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a severe, debilitating, neurodevelopmental disorder that affects
      1% of the world's population. Recent findings from our laboratory have identified
      reduced levels of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) and several
      downstream FMRP targets in superior frontal cortex of individuals with
      schizophrenia. We hypothesized that altered subcellular expression of FMRP and
      its signaling partners may explain these changes. In the current study we
      employed subcellular fractionation and western blotting to determine levels of
      FMRP, phosphorylated-FMRP as well as selected signaling partners [protein
      phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit (PP2AC), p70 S6 kinase (p70 S6K), and amyloid
      beta A4 precursor protein (APP)] in the total homogenate, nuclear, and rough
      endoplasmic reticulum fractions in superior frontal cortex of individuals with
      schizophrenia versus controls (N=12/group). In total homogenate of individuals
      with schizophrenia, we identified significantly lower levels of FMRP,
      phosphorylated-FMRP, and PP2AC. In the nuclear fraction of individuals with
      schizophrenia we found significantly higher levels of PP2AC, p70 S6K, APP 120
      kDa, and APP 88 kDa proteins. Finally, in rough endoplasmic reticulum of
      individuals with schizophrenia, we identified significantly lower protein levels
      of p70 S6K and APP 120 kDa. These results provide evidence for a potential
      mechanism to explain altered FMRP expression in schizophrenia.

PMID- 28902715
TI  - Protecting the heart from ischemia/reperfusion injury: an update on remote
      ischemic preconditioning and postconditioning.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The most effective strategy for reducing acute myocardial
      ischemic injury is timely and effective reperfusion. However, myocardial
      reperfusion can induce further cardiomyocyte death (reperfusion injury).
      Interventions that protect the heart from ischemia/reperfusion injury, reducing
      infarct size, can involve remote ischemic preconditioning and postconditioning.
      These interventions have a promising potential clinical application, and have
      been the focus of recent research. In this review, we provide an update of remote
      ischemic preconditioning and postconditioning mechanisms. RECENT FINDINGS: Remote
      ischemic preconditioning cardioprotection can occur via a humoral pathway and/or
      a neural pathway. These two pathways have been described as mechanistically
      different, but it has been suggested that they could be interdependent. However,
      remote ischemic postconditioning mainly involves the humoral pathway. In this
      review, we will discuss the different pathways and mechanisms involved in remote
      ischemic preconditioning and postconditioning. SUMMARY: Remote ischemic
      preconditioning and postconditioning is possible to perform in a clinical setting
      by intermittent ischemia of an upper or lower limb. Furthermore, clinical trials
      using this procedure in the context of predictable ischemia-reperfusion have
      produced promising results, and other studies to define the potential clinical
      use of these strategies are ongoing.

PMID- 28902716
TI  - Volumetric high-resolution computed tomography in evaluating pulmonary metastases
      from differentiated thyroid carcinoma: considerations for evolving the optimal
      diagnostic pathway.

PMID- 28902717
TI  - New approaches to address dyslipidemia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although lipid-lowering treatment with statins, ezetimibe, and
      PCSK9 inhibitors is a very successful strategy to prevent cardiovascular events,
      there is a need for further drug developments. Not all patients respond
      sufficiently to the available therapy (very high baseline values, intolerance).
      Furthermore, patients may be characterized by dyslipidemias not accessible to
      available drugs such as patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia,
      chylomicronemia syndrome, or elevated lipoprotein(a). A number of drugs are being
      developed to close these gaps. RECENT FINDINGS: The focus is on new antibodies,
      antisense oligonucleotides, and small molecules that address different aspects of
      lipid metabolism. Many of these developments are promising as they decrease LDL
      cholesterol and/or non-HDL-cholesterol and/or triglycerides and/or lipoprotein(a)
      in patients who so far cannot be treated sufficiently. These drugs are currently
      in different stages of development and being tested in clinical trials. SUMMARY:
      Some of the new lipid-lowering drugs have a very promising profile. However,
      eventually phase 3 and outcome trials will be required to prove the usefulness of
      these compounds in clinical practice. Furthermore, it is unlikely that they will
      change the primary lipidological approach (statin and ezetimibe) even if they
      prove successful.

PMID- 28902718
TI  - Effect of drug-coated balloon on stent restenosis, neointimal proliferation, and
      coronary dissection: an optical coherence tomography analysis.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the acute and mid-term effects of drug
      coated balloon (DCB) in terms of the healing process of non-flow-limiting
      dissections and changes in the neointimal area after DCB treatment using
      frequency domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Thirty-six consecutive patients with in-stent restenosis pretreated with a
      scoring balloon were evaluated (19 and 17 patients with and without a DCB,
      respectively). FD-OCT was performed before and after each procedure during
      percutaneous coronary intervention and at 6 months of follow-up. RESULTS:
      Clinical characteristics and baseline FD-OCT findings were comparable between the
      two groups. No patient required stent implantation because of low-pressure DCB
      related dissections. In the acute phase, the DCB distributed paclitaxel to the
      vessel wall without increasing dissections. The DCB did not reduce the neointimal
      area by itself. At 6 months, more dissections healed in the DCB group (-4.5+/-2.3
      vs. -2.7+/-1.3, P=0.02). The DCB group showed less change in the neointimal area
      (-0.04+/-0.92 vs. 1.06+/-1.57 mm, P=0.03). CONCLUSION: The low-pressure DCB was
      not intended to expand the lumen, but instead to attach paclitaxel to the vessel
      wall by using FD-OCT examination. The DCB reduced the number of dissections and
      prevented neointimal proliferation during the mid-term follow-up.

PMID- 28902719
TI  - Wound closure and tissue adhesives in clear corneal incision cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Achieving secure wound closure in clear corneal incision
      cataract surgery remains highly desired for its role in reducing infection risk
      and leak-related complications, including hypotony, corneal edema, and lens
      dislocation. Although classic techniques of stromal hydration or wound suturing
      represent traditional approaches, the introduction of newer and more effective
      ocular surface adhesives has increased the options that are available. This
      review aims to provide an update on the peer-reviewed literature regarding wound
      closure and the currently available and investigational tissue adhesives used to
      seal clear corneal incisions in cataract surgery. RECENT FINDINGS: Stromal
      hydration and sutured closure of clear corneal incisions remain viable options
      for wound closure. Wound sealants, particularly polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based
      hydrogels, have been found to provide watertight wound seal with less foreign
      body sensation and surgically induced astigmatism compared with sutures, and less
      adverse effects and greater ease of use compared with cyanoacrylate and fibrin
      glues. SUMMARY: Stromal hydration, sutured closure, and use of a corneal adhesive
      are all wound closure options for clear corneal incisions. Of the currently
      available tissue adhesives, PEG hydrogel sealants have become the most widely
      accepted, with an improved side-effect and biocompatibility profile.

PMID- 28902720
TI  - Evaluation of the macula prior to cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe recent evidence regarding methods of evaluation of
      retinal structure and function prior to cataract surgery. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Studies in patients with cataract but no clinically detectable retinal disease
      have shown that routine use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) prior to
      cataract surgery can detect subtle macular disease, which may alter the course of
      treatment or lead to modification of consent. The routine use of OCT has been
      especially useful in patients being considered for advanced-technology
      intraocular lenses (IOLs) as subtle macular disease can be a contraindication to
      the use of these lenses. The cost-effectiveness of routine use of OCT prior to
      cataract surgery has not been studied. Other technologies that assess retinal
      function rather than structure, such as microperimetry and electroretinogram
      (ERG) need further study to determine whether they can predict retinal potential
      in cataract patients. SUMMARY: There is growing evidence for the importance of
      more detailed retinal evaluation of cataract patients even with clinically normal
      exam. OCT has been the most established and studied method for retinal evaluation
      in cataract patients, but other technologies such as microperimetry and ERG are
      beginning to be studied.

PMID- 28902721
TI  - HIV-associated pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (HIV-PAH) is a
      well-recognized severe cardiovascular complication of HIV infection that confers
      an adverse prognosis irrespective of the stage of disease. This review will
      summarize the available data on HIV-PAH epidemiology and provide insights into
      the pathophysiology and therapeutic strategies currently available. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Patients with HIV are several thousand times more likely to develop HIV
      PAH compared to the incidence of idiopathic PAH. Several HIV viral proteins are
      implicated in the pathogenesis although the exact mechanism remains unknown. In
      the past two decades, there have been several new treatment strategies that
      appear effective in treating HIV-PAH. Novel pathophysiologic mechanisms
      implicating the transforming growth factor beta receptor family may offer novel
      therapeutic targets in the future. SUMMARY: As antiretroviral therapy continues
      to improve health outcomes for patients with HIV, there needs to be a shift in
      focus of care toward chronic noncommunicable diseases. Among cardiovascular
      disease-complicating chronic HIV infection, HIV-PAH is a severe progressive
      disease that leads to right heart failure and death. Currently available
      treatment strategies are effective, however, furthering our understanding of HIV
      PAH will be critical as it is likely to become the commonest cause of PAH
      worldwide.

PMID- 28902722
TI  - Diagnostic Approach to Ocular Infections Using Various Techniques From
      Conventional Culture to Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis.
AB  - Ocular infection is caused by both endogenous (resident) and exogenous
      (environmental) microbes. As the ocular surface interacts with both outer
      environment and its own resident microbiota, clinical ocular samples are
      predicted to contain a diverse set of microorganisms. Microscopy of sample smears
      is an important step in the diagnostic process of infectious diseases to
      interpret the culture results. Traditional culture techniques have several
      limitations in the detection and/or identification of uncharacterized bacteria of
      environmental origin. Molecular biological techniques, such as polymerase chain
      reaction of pathogen-specific virulence genes, 16S rRNA gene clone library
      analysis, and next-generation sequencing of 16S rDNA amplicons, compensate for
      diagnostic culture techniques in diagnosing infectious diseases. These techniques
      are expected to provide novel insights into the ocular microbiota and pathology
      of ocular infections. In this article, we describe various ocular infections,
      including contact lens-related keratitis, silicone buckle infection, and
      dacryocystitis, which were analyzed using molecular biological techniques. The
      advantages and disadvantages of these highly sensitive and inclusive
      microbiological detection systems for ocular infections are discussed.

PMID- 28902723
TI  - Evaluation of Transient Motion During Gadoxetic Acid-Enhanced Multiphasic Liver
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using Free-Breathing Golden-Angle Radial Sparse
      Parallel Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to observe the pattern of transient
      motion after gadoxetic acid administration including incidence, onset, and
      duration, and to evaluate the clinical feasibility of free-breathing gadoxetic
      acid-enhanced liver magnetic resonance imaging using golden-angle radial sparse
      parallel (GRASP) imaging with respiratory gating. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this
      institutional review board-approved prospective study, 59 patients who provided
      informed consents were analyzed. Free-breathing dynamic T1-weighted images
      (T1WIs) were obtained using GRASP at 3 T after a standard dose of gadoxetic acid
      (0.025 mmol/kg) administration at a rate of 1 mL/s, and development of transient
      motion was monitored, which is defined as a distinctive respiratory frequency
      alteration of the self-gating MR signals. Early arterial, late arterial, and
      portal venous phases retrospectively reconstructed with and without respiratory
      gating and with different temporal resolutions (nongated 13.3-second, gated 13.3
      second, gated 6-second T1WI) were evaluated for image quality and motion
      artifacts. Diagnostic performance in detecting focal liver lesions was compared
      among the 3 data sets. RESULTS: Transient motion (mean duration, 21.5 +/- 13.0
      seconds) was observed in 40.0% (23/59) of patients, 73.9% (17/23) of which
      developed within 15 seconds after gadoxetic acid administration. On late arterial
      phase, motion artifacts were significantly reduced on gated 13.3-second and 6
      second T1WI (3.64 +/- 0.34, 3.61 +/- 0.36, respectively), compared with nongated
      13.3-second T1WI (3.12 +/- 0.51, P < 0.0001). Overall, image quality was the
      highest on gated 13.3-second T1WI (3.76 +/- 0.39) followed by gated 6-second and
      nongated 13.3-second T1WI (3.39 +/- 0.55, 2.57 +/- 0.57, P < 0.0001). Only gated
      6-second T1WI showed significantly higher detection performance than nongated
      13.3-second T1WI (figure of merit, 0.69 [0.63-0.76]) vs 0.60 [0.56-0.65], P =
      0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Transient motion developed in 40% (23/59) of patients
      shortly after gadoxetic acid administration, and gated free-breathing T1WI using
      GRASP was able to consistently provide acceptable arterial phase imaging in
      patients who exhibited transient motion.

PMID- 28902724
TI  - Validation of the Integrated Model of Health Literacy in Patients With Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health literacy (HL) enables patients with breast cancer to actively
      participate in health decisions and promote positive health outcomes. The
      Integrated Model of Health Literacy (IMHL), defined as the personal, situational,
      and societal/environmental factors that predict the level of HL that can
      influence health outcomes, incorporates the concepts, determinants, and
      consequences of HL. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the
      mechanisms and completeness of the IMHL in patients with breast cancer. METHODS:
      Five hundred eleven Taiwanese patients were prospectively recruited. We conducted
      structural equation modeling to confirm and modify the predictive pathways
      linking the HL-related factors in the IMHL. RESULTS: Results on a total of 511
      breast cancer patients showed good model-data fit. An alternative model revealed
      better fit with 2 pathways added from cancer stage to self-rated health and from
      cancer duration to shared decision making. Both the original model and
      alternative model modification revealed that only personal determinants (age,
      education, cancer stage, and duration) and not situational determinants (marital
      status) or social/environmental determinants (residence and occupation) could
      significantly predict the 3 domains of HL. Theorized consequences of HL were
      significantly influenced by HL in both models. CONCLUSIONS: Our results partially
      support the relationships proposed in the IMHL for patients with breast cancer as
      only personal determinants significantly predicted HL. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:
      Understanding the predictive pathways of the integrated HL model could help
      clinicians to tailor HL interventions using a patient's personal determinants to
      facilitate participation in decision making and promote health for breast cancer
      patients.

PMID- 28902725
TI  - Exercise and Pharmacology as Medicine for Cardiovascular Diseases: From Bench to
      Bedside and Back.

PMID- 28902726
TI  - Incremental dialysis: review of recent literature.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There are clinical, physiological, financial, and practical
      reasons to perform incremental hemodialysis in selected patients, incident to end
      stage renal disease. Recent papers inform us further, especially in the large
      database studies. RECENT FINDINGS: Small studies suggested, then a larger study
      corroborated, that incremental hemodialysis was associated with preservation of
      residual kidney function whenever compared with conventional hemodialysis. The
      well tolerated nutritional status of incremental hemodialysis was questioned in a
      small study but a larger study was more reassuring. The mortality rate of
      patients undergoing incremental hemodialysis is similar to that in conventional
      hemodialysis, but only if the comorbidity burden is low. SUMMARY: Incremental
      hemodialysis in incident patients can be performed safely, and probably is
      associated with preserved residual kidney function and a similar mortality rate
      to convention initiation of hemodialysis. Patients must be prudently selected and
      managed for this approach to the initiation of dialysis.

PMID- 28902727
TI  - Solitary Osteogenic Sternum Plasmacytoma on Bone Scintigraphy and FDG PET/CT.
AB  - We reported a rare solitary osteogenic sternum plasmacytoma case. A 49-year-old
      woman experienced progressing pain in the sternum for 2 years. Abnormal Tc-MDP
      accumulation and increase in F-FDG uptake (SUVmax, 4.4) were co-localized with
      the osteogenic lesion in the sternum body detected by diagnostic CT. The lesion
      was histologically confirmed as plasma cell neoplasm suggestive of plasmacytoma.
      The patient had good response to radiotherapy.

PMID- 28902728
TI  - Crohn Disease: FDG PET/CT Before and After Initial Dose of Anti-Tumor Necrosis
      Factor Therapy to Predict Long-term Response.
AB  - PURPOSE: Clinical assessments of Crohn disease activity are limited in their
      capacity to assess treatment response to biologic therapy. The purpose of this
      study was to determine if changes in FDG activity between baseline PET and repeat
      PET performed prior to the second dose of induction anti-tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF) therapy correlate with clinical response. METHODS: In this prospective,
      institutional review board-approved, Health Insurance Portability and
      Accountability Act-compliant pilot study of 8 adult patients with active Crohn
      disease, FDG activity before and 2 weeks after initiation of anti-TNF therapy was
      assessed using low-dose PET/CT. FDG activity was measured in the most inflamed
      bowel loop using an SUVratio (SUVmax/liver SUVmean). Changes in SUVratio were
      compared with a blinded gastroenterologist assessment of clinical response and
      steroid-free remission, as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), during a 12-month
      follow-up period. RESULTS: Of 8 patients, 7 showed FDG activity decline at 2
      weeks, 5 of whom achieved a clinical response and steroid-free remission at 8,
      26, and 52 weeks. The remaining 2 patients with FDG activity decline did not
      achieve a clinical response or steroid-free remission at these time points, but
      there were reductions in CRP. The 1 patient without FDG activity decline was a
      clinical nonresponder, had no reduction in CRP, and did not achieve steroid-free
      remission. CONCLUSIONS: A change in FDG activity at FDG PET/CT performed prior to
      the second induction dose of anti-TNF therapy has the potential to predict
      clinical response and steroid-free remission in patients with Crohn disease.

PMID- 28902729
TI  - Comparative Effectiveness of Ultrasonography, 99mTc-Sestamibi, and 18F
      Fluorocholine PET/CT in Detecting Parathyroid Adenomas in Patients With Primary
      Hyperparathyroidism.
AB  - PURPOSE: Accurate preoperative localization of parathyroid lesion(s) is crucial
      for successful surgical management of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). This
      study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of ultrasonography (USG) of the
      neck, Tc-sestamibi (MIBI) imaging with or without SPECT/CT, and F-fluorocholine
      (FCH) PET/CT imaging in the preoperative localization of parathyroid lesions in
      patients with PHPT. METHODS: Fifty-four consecutive patients with PHPT were
      included in this prospective study who underwent preoperative localization of the
      parathyroid lesion(s) using 3 diagnostic modalities followed by surgery. The
      sensitivity, positive predictive value, and accuracy of the 3 imaging procedures
      to accurately detect abnormal parathyroid glands were determined using
      histopathology as criterion standard with postoperative biochemical response
      confirmation. RESULTS: F-fluorocholine PET/CT detected 52 of 54 patients and 52
      of 56 lesions with histopathologically proven parathyroid adenomas on patient
      based and lesion-based analysis, respectively. Preoperative USG, MIBI, and FCH
      PET/CT localized abnormal parathyroid gland(s) in 39 (72.2%), 43 (79.6%), and 54
      (100%) patients, respectively. The sensitivity and positive predictive value were
      69.3% and 87.1% for USG, 80.7% and 97.6% for MIBI, and 100% and 96.3% for FCH
      PET/CT. The accuracy was 62.9%, 79.6%, and 96.3% for USG, MIBI, and FCH PET/CT,
      respectively, in patient-wise analysis. In 6 patients with ectopic lesions, FCH
      PET/CT demonstrated higher sensitivity and accuracy than MIBI and USG (100% vs
      66.6% and 16.7%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Among the 3 imaging techniques
      tested simultaneously, FCH PET/CT was superior for accurate preoperative
      localization of parathyroid adenomas, especially for ectopic or small parathyroid
      lesions.

PMID- 28902730
TI  - Dural MALT Lymphoma Detected by 11C-Methionine PET/CT.
AB  - A 53-year-old man had a diagnosis of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas
      of the dura in the left tentorium. The patient underwent whole-body F-FDG PET/CT
      and C-methionine PET/CT in order to complete the staging of dural mucosa
      associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. C-methionine uptake was detected in multiple
      meningeal sites, including left tentorium, with no significant FDG uptake in the
      same regions.

PMID- 28902731
TI  - Re: 18F-Fluorocholine PET/CT of Incidental Male Breast Cancer.

PMID- 28902732
TI  - Multimodality Radionuclide Imaging in a Patient With Hereditary Paraganglioma
      Pheochromocytoma Syndrome.
AB  - Hereditary paraganglioma (PGL)-pheochromocytoma (PCC) syndrome is a genetic
      disorder caused by a mutation of the tumor suppressor gene SDHD that results in a
      predisposition for head and neck PGLs and PCCs. We present a case of a 33-year
      old woman where F-FDG PET/CT showed areas of increased uptake in both the adrenal
      and cervical regions, consistent with PCCs and PGLs, respectively. Further
      imaging revealed that PCCs were I-MIBG avid, whereas the PGLs were In-octreotide
      avid. This demonstrates the varying sensitivities of different imaging modalities
      in regard to neuroendocrine tumors and the potential for treatment using multiple
      targeted therapies.

PMID- 28902733
TI  - 131I Whole-Body Scan Incidental Uptake Due to Spermatocele.
AB  - A 46-year-old man with papillary thyroid cancer post total thyroidectomy was
      referred for post radioiodine (I) whole-body scan. Whole-body images revealed
      intense I uptake in the bed thyroid and a focal abnormal uptake in the testicular
      area. Subsequent SPECT/CT demonstrated that the focal uptake corresponded to the
      left epididymis, and the pathology report revealed a spermatocele with no
      immunohistochemical features for thyroid tissue. Many cases of unexpected
      radioiodine uptake have been reported, and spermatocele could be counted for
      another possibility of incidental I uptake despite an unclear mechanism.

PMID- 28902734
TI  - Incidental Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma on 68Ga-Labeled Prostate
      Specific Membrane Antigen PET/CT.
AB  - A 66-year-old man with history of prostate carcinoma underwent Ga-labeled
      prostate-specific membrane antigen PET/CT for surveillance of rising prostate
      specific antigen. Intense tracer uptake was noted in segments 2, 7, and 8 of the
      liver. The lesions were not FDG avid on F-FDG PET/CT. Further characterization
      with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography with Gd-EOB (Primovist) contrast
      revealed ill-defined arterially enhancing lesions with central washout in the
      venous phase. CT-guided core biopsy was performed, and histopathology confirmed
      well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 28902735
TI  - Positive Captopril Renography Without Renal Artery Stenosis but a Renal Cell
      Carcinoma.
AB  - A positive captopril renography indicates that patient's hypertension is renin
      dependent, most commonly caused by renal artery stenosis. The authors reported a
      case of positive captopril renography; however, CT demonstrated that renal
      arteries were intact, but there was a huge chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.
      Renin-dependent hypertension was relieved soon after nephrectomy. It is an
      uncommon cause of positive captopril renography.

PMID- 28902736
TI  - Incidental 131I Activity in the Deltoid Region on Posttherapy Radioiodine Scan.
AB  - A 71-year-old woman underwent a posttherapy radioiodine scan after I
      administration for papillary thyroid carcinoma. On day 1 of the posttreatment
      hospital isolation, the patient received a Pneumovax injection in the left
      deltoid muscle. A localized hypersensitivity reaction ensued with development of
      soft tissue edema and erythema at the Pneumovax injection site. This localized
      reaction persisted up to the subsequent posttherapy radioiodine scan 5 days after
      injection. Increased activity at the left deltoid region suggests a false
      positive finding related to radiotracer sequestration due to inflammation from a
      localized postvaccination hypersensitivity reaction.

PMID- 28902737
TI  - Propranolol 18F-FDG PET/CT: A Noninvasive Approach for Differential Diagnosis of
      Hibernoma and Liposarcoma.
AB  - A 76-year-old woman was referred for F-FDG PET/CT assessment of a colorectal
      cancer. A 9-cm F-FDG-avid fatty mass was depicted in the right thigh, suggesting
      either hibernoma or liposarcoma. Because MRI could not rule out well
      differentiated liposarcoma, and biopsy was difficult, surveillance was decided.
      Follow-up PET/CT showed an increase of F-FDG uptake in the fatty mass. We
      repeated PET/CT after oral administration of 60 mg of propranolol 1 hour before F
      FDG injection. A dramatic decrease in F-FDG uptake was observed, strongly
      supporting the diagnosis of hibernoma.

PMID- 28902740
TI  - Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments for Chronic Low Back Pain.

PMID- 28902738
TI  - False-Positive Pancreatic Uptake Detected on 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT: A Priority
      Changing Incidental Finding While Assessing the Need for a Prostate Biopsy.
AB  - A 72-year-old man underwent Ga-PSMA PET/CT because of an elevated prostate
      specific antigen level despite prior prostatectomy. Besides low-intensity
      prostatic PSMA reactivities, a faintly PSMA-positive lesion in the pancreatic
      corpus drew attention, which seemed suggestive of a primary pancreatic cancer on
      the subsequent MRI and therefore had to be excised. The final diagnosis was pT3
      low-grade neuroendocrine tumor. PSMA-positive incidentalomas, detected on Ga-PSMA
      PET/CT, can reveal more clinically significant extraprostatic disorders.

PMID- 28902739
TI  - High-definition i-Scan colonoscopy is superior in the detection of diminutive
      polyps compared with high-definition white light colonoscopy: a prospective
      randomized-controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recognition of flat and small neoplastic lesions by colonoscopy is
      still challenging. High-definition (HD) i-Scan colonoscopy is a promising
      technique to maximize the sensitivity of colonoscopy; however, whether i-Scan can
      increase the detection rate of polyps is still unclear. The aim of this study was
      to prospectively compare HD i-Scan colonoscopy with HD colonoscopy for the
      detection rate of polyps in routine practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      449 patients who underwent total colonoscopy for the first time were randomized
      in a 1 : 1 ratio to undergo HD+i-Scan colonoscopy or HD colonoscopy. Detected
      colorectal polyps were judged according to type, location, and size. The primary
      endpoint was the detection rate and the total number of polyps. RESULTS: The
      number of polyps identified in the HD+i-Scan group was significantly higher than
      that in the HD group (P=0.041), and this difference was more obvious for
      diminutive polyps (P=0.035). The number of patients with at least one polyp was
      not significantly different between the two groups irrespective of the size or
      the location. Overall, 268 polyps were removed, 130 in the HD+i-Scan group and
      138 in the HD group. Among these, three high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia were
      found in diminutive polyps. CONCLUSION: HD+i-Scan colonoscopy is superior to HD
      colonoscopy in detecting diminutive polyps on the basis of this prospective
      randomized-controlled trial.

PMID- 28902741
TI  - The Influence of Geography, Time, and Payer Type on the Utilization of Bone
      Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) Between 2005 and 2015.
AB  - Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is a critical compound for endochondral bone
      formation and is used as a bone graft substitute to promote spinal fusion and
      fracture healing. We sought to identify rate, type, and applications of use of
      BMP in spinal fusion surgery during 2005 to 2015. The Medicare 5% national sample
      (SAF5) database and the Humana Orthopaedics database (HORTHO) were searched for
      patients who underwent spinal fusion with BMP. Rate of use over time and
      influence of geographic region and payer type on utilization of BMP during 2005
      to 2015 were analyzed. A total of 9879 and 12,598 patients were treated with BMP
      within the SAF5 database and HORTHO databases, respectively. There was a
      statistically significant variation in use of BMP among geographic regions. Rate
      of BMP usage for patients above 65 years old was 11.02 and 58.91 patients per
      100,000 members for SAF5 and HORTHO databases, respectively (P<0.001). Rate of
      use of BMP did not vary significantly during 2005 to 2012 within the SAF5
      database (P=0.153). There was a trend toward lower use of BMP in the HORTHO
      database between 2007 and 2015 (P=0.081). BMP use was higher for private pay than
      Medicare.

PMID- 28902742
TI  - Effectiveness of Surgical Treatment for Tarlov Cysts: A Systematic Review of
      Published Literature.
AB  - OF BACKGROUND DATA: In the general population, it has been estimated that 1.5% of
      people have >=1 Tarlov cysts, with about 13% of those being symptomatic. Despite
      a range of options for treatment, there is debate about when, and how to
      optimally treat individuals with Tarlov cysts among clinicians, and among policy
      decision makers. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the current evidence on surgical
      treatment of Tarlov cysts. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review was completed.
      METHODS: Nine databases were searched. Abstracts and full-texts were assessed by
      2 reviewers. To be included, studies had to assess safety, efficacy, or
      effectiveness of treating Tarlov cysts, had to be written in English or French,
      and had to be a randomized, quasi-randomized, observational cohort, case control,
      or case series design including >=2 participants. Logistic regression analysis
      was undertaken on the patient-level data collected to assess the association of
      patient and cyst characteristics on treatment success. RESULTS: In total, 31
      studies were included in this systematic review; all were case series. Among the
      646 participants included in these 31 studies, 210 experienced complete
      resolution of symptoms (32%), 327 had partial resolution (50%), 106 did not have
      any improvement or worsening of symptoms (16%), and 3 had their symptoms worsen
      after surgery (0.4%). A number of adverse events were reported after surgery;
      however, all were temporary. The analysis of 49 patients with data on cyst size
      resulted in the odds of complete resolution of symptoms being lower for patients
      with larger cysts (odds ratio=0.53, P-value=0.107) although this finding is not
      statistically significant. For those with a cyst >1.5 cm the odds of complete
      resolution were (odds ratio=0.36, P-value=0.190) compared with those with a cyst
      <1.5 cm. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence suggests that surgery for symptomatic Tarlov
      cysts may be an effective option for partially or completely relieving symptoms.
      Contrary to previous findings larger cysts were not associated with completely
      relieving symptoms.

PMID- 28902743
TI  - Use of an Alternative Surgical Corridor in Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion at
      the L5-S1 Segment: A Technical Report.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Technical report. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the use of an
      alternative surgical corridor in oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) at the
      L5-S1 segment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: OLIF L5-S1 is essentially performed
      through the central disk space between the bifurcations of the iliac vessels,
      which is sometimes difficult due to the vascular structures that obstruct the
      surgical field. Another concern is retrograde ejaculation following superior
      hypogastric plexus injury in male patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      alternative surgical corridor involves the lateral disk space external to the
      left iliac vessels. The patient position and the retroperitoneal approach are
      similar to those used in the conventional OLIF L5-S1. The left iliac vessels are
      identified and mobilized medially to the midline of the L5-S1 disk space. The
      vascular structures are then protected using the conventional OLIF 51 retractor
      system. RESULTS: Six patients underwent OLIF L5-S1 through the alternative
      lateral surgical corridor. The L5-S1 disk spaces were always exposed sufficiently
      for disk preparation and cage insertion. The postoperative radiographs showed a
      satisfactory L5-S1 reconstruction with good cage position. There were no
      perioperative complications during the surgical access and reconstruction
      procedures. CONCLUSIONS: When the central approach to the L5-S1 disk space poses
      a risk of vascular or superior hypogastric plexus injury, use of a lateral
      approach external to the left iliac vessels can be an alternative method to
      perform OLIF L5-S1.

PMID- 28902744
TI  - ACSM Clinician Profile.

PMID- 28902745
TI  - Is Heat Stress Nephropathy a Concern for Endurance Athletes?

PMID- 28902747
TI  - Exertional Heat Stroke.

PMID- 28902748
TI  - Pad Placement Pearl for Metatarsalgia.

PMID- 28902749
TI  - Replacement of Doped Olympic Medalists.

PMID- 28902750
TI  - How Do Athletes with Chronic Ankle Instability Suffer from Impaired Balance? An
      Update on Neurophysiological Mechanisms.

PMID- 28902751
TI  - Lunate Dislocation in a Division 1 Football Player.

PMID- 28902752
TI  - High-Stepping Cross-Country Athlete: A Unique Case of Foot Drop and a Novel
      Treatment Approach.

PMID- 28902753
TI  - Nonoperative Management and Novel Imaging for Posterior Circumflex Humeral Artery
      Injury in Volleyball.
AB  - We report on a 34-yr-old male elite volleyball player with symptomatic emboli in
      the spiking hand from a partially thrombosed aneurysm of the posterior circumflex
      humeral artery (PCHA) in his dominant shoulder. At initial diagnosis and follow
      up, a combination of time-resolved and high-resolution steady state contrast
      enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) enabled detailed visualization
      of: (1) emboli that were not detectable by vascular ultrasound; and (2) the PCHA
      aneurysm, including compression during abduction and external rotation (ABER
      provocation). At 15-month follow-up, including forced cessation of volleyball
      activities over the preceding 9 months, the PCHA aneurysm remained unchanged.
      Central filling defects in the palmar arch and digital arteries resolved over
      time and affected arterial vessel segments showed postthrombotic changes. Digital
      blood pressure values improved substantially and almost normalized during follow
      up. In conclusion, this case report is the first to show promising results of
      nonoperative management for a vascular shoulder overuse injury in a professional
      volleyball player as an alternative to invasive therapeutic options.

PMID- 28902754
TI  - Wrist Pain in Gymnasts: A Review of Common Overuse Wrist Pathology in the
      Gymnastics Athlete.
AB  - Injury rates among gymnasts are among the highest of any sport at the high school
      and collegiate level per athletic exposure. The wrist has increased injury risk
      due to repetitive physical stresses predisposing it to acute injury, overuse, and
      degenerative damage. This article will review the most common overuse wrist
      injuries seen in gymnasts. Prompt evaluation and management is necessary to avoid
      the negative sequelae that can often accompany these injuries. Little is known
      about effective sport-specific injury prevention strategies, but general
      guidelines for overuse injury prevention including limiting excessive loading of
      the wrist, maintaining wrist joint flexibility, an emphasis on proper technique,
      and incorporating wrist and general core strengthening seem beneficial. General
      return to play principles are similar for all gymnast-related wrist injuries,
      including resolution of pain, restoration of normal wrist joint function,
      completion of a progressive rehabilitation program, and use of proper technique.

PMID- 28902755
TI  - Treatment of Acute Carpal Bone Fractures.
AB  - Carpal bone fractures are common hand fractures that can be complicated by
      concomitant damage to surrounding structures, chronic comorbidities, or delays in
      diagnosis. This article provides an overview of wrist anatomy, an expedited
      review of the athlete's presenting condition, and a systematic approach to the
      evaluation of the wrist. Recommended treatment plans are based on a review of the
      literature and an evidence-based approach to imaging studies. It is imperative
      that sports medicine providers be aware of current literature for carpal bone
      fractures and collaborate with other medical subspecialties and the athlete to
      provide recommendations for a safe return to play.

PMID- 28902756
TI  - Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction in the Athlete: Diagnosis and Management.
AB  - Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction is a common cause of low back pain in the
      athlete, especially in sports with repetitive, asymmetric loading. Complex
      anatomy and broad pain referral pattern make diagnosis difficult. Identifying
      three or more positive physical examination maneuvers for the SIJ improves
      examination sensitivity and specificity. Imaging is rarely helpful in
      establishing the diagnosis but is often used to rule out other pathology.
      Conservative management with activity modification, medication, physical therapy,
      manipulation and bracing is first line treatment. After at least 6 weeks of
      conservative efforts or if pain limits the athlete's tolerance of these measures,
      diagnostic and therapeutic intra-articular or periarticular injections or nerve
      blocks can be used. Radiofrequency ablation is recommended as the next approach
      for treatment. When all other options have been exhausted, surgical management
      can be considered. For athletes, once the underlying dysfunction is adequately
      addressed, gradual progression to full participation is encouraged.

PMID- 28902757
TI  - Severe Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in a Collegiate American Football Player.

PMID- 28902758
TI  - A Case Series of Pectoralis Major Injuries on One Collegiate Football Team.

PMID- 28902759
TI  - Competitive Diving Principles and Injuries.
AB  - Competitive diving is a sport that has evolved over time to become an admired
      present-day aquatic sport, especially in the Olympic setting. Despite its
      popularity, sparse research has been written as it applies to our understanding
      of competitive diving injuries. This article attempts to discuss common
      principles of competitive diving as they relate to the sport, especially as it
      relates to the extreme physical forces encountered by the diver and also the
      repetitive nature of diving. Next, these principles will be applied in the
      context of musculoskeletal and medical diving specific injuries.

PMID- 28902760
TI  - Common Ice Hockey Injuries and Treatment: A Current Concepts Review.
AB  - Injuries are common in ice hockey, a contact sport where players skate at high
      speeds on a sheet of ice and shoot a vulcanized rubber puck in excess of one
      hundred miles per hour. This article reviews the diagnoses and treatment of
      concussions, injuries to the cervical spine, and lower and upper extremities as
      they pertain to hockey players. Soft tissue injury of the shoulder,
      acromioclavicular joint separation, glenohumeral joint dislocation, clavicle
      fractures, metacarpal fractures, and olecranon bursitis are discussed in the
      upper-extremity section of the article. Lower-extremity injuries reviewed in this
      article include adductor strain, athletic pubalgia, femoroacetabular impingement,
      sports hernia, medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligament tears, skate
      bite, and ankle sprains. This review is intended to aid the sports medicine
      physician in providing optimal sports-specific care to allow their athlete to
      return to their preinjury level of performance.

PMID- 28902761
TI  - Care of Water Polo Players.
AB  - Water polo is a team sport that combines swimming with overhead throwing and
      wrestling. This places water polo players at risk for a unique group of illnesses
      and injuries. In addition to the medical problems and injuries seen in
      competitive swimmers, water polo players are at risk for a variety of traumatic
      injuries, including concussions, eye injuries, tympanic membrane perforation,
      fractures, dislocations, and lacerations. Repetitive overhead throwing also
      places these athletes at risk for related injuries, such as shoulder problems,
      including rotator cuff strain and impingement, and elbow problems, such as ulnar
      collateral ligament injuries, posteromedial impingement, and osteochondritis
      dissecans of the radial capitellum. This article serves as an overview of these
      illnesses and injuries, as well as how the aquatic environment affects
      pathogenesis, treatment, and return to play.

PMID- 28902762
TI  - The Use and Abuse of the Therapeutic Use Exemptions Process.

PMID- 28902763
TI  - Response to the Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28902764
TI  - Development of a Prognostic Model That Predicts Survival After
      Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Ampullary Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to (i) identify independent predictors of
      survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for ampullary cancer and (ii) develop a
      prognostic model of survival. METHODS: Data were analyzed retrospectively on 110
      consecutive patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2002 and 2013.
      Subjects were categorized into 3 nodal subgroups as per the recently proposed
      nodal subclassification: N0 (node negative), N1 (1-2 metastatic nodes), or N2
      (>=3 metastatic nodes). Clinicopathological features and overall survival were
      compared by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: The overall 1-, 3
      , and 5-year survival rates were 79.8%, 42.2%, and 34.9%, respectively. The
      overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates for the N0 group were 85.2%, 71.9%, and
      67.4%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates for the N1 and N2
      subgroups were 81.5%, 49.4%, and 49.4% and 75%, 19.2%, and 6.4%, respectively
      (log rank, P < 0.0001). After performing a multivariate Cox regression analysis,
      vascular invasion and lymph node ratio were the only independent predictors of
      survival. Hence, a prediction model of survival was constructed based on those 2
      variables. CONCLUSIONS: Using data from a carefully selected cohort of patients,
      we created a pilot prognostic model of postresectional survival. The proposed
      model may help clinicians to guide treatments in the adjuvant setting.

PMID- 28902765
TI  - Low-dose 90Y PET/CT imaging optimized for lesion detectability and quantitative
      accuracy: a phantom study to assess the feasibility of pretherapy imaging to plan
      the therapeutic dose.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The overall aim of this work is to optimize the reconstruction
      parameters for low-dose yttrium-90 (Y) PET/CT imaging, and to determine Y minimum
      detectable activity, in an endeavor to investigate the feasibility of performing
      low-dose Y imaging in-vivo to plan the therapeutic dose in radioembolization.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out using a Siemens Biograph 6 True
      Point PET/CT scanner. A Jaszczak phantom containing five hot syringes was imaged
      serially over 15 days. For 128 reconstruction parameters/algorithms,
      detectability performance and quantitative accuracy were evaluated using the
      contrast-to-noise ratio and the recovery coefficient, respectively. RESULTS: For
      activity concentrations greater than 2.5 MBq/ml, the linearity of the scanner was
      confirmed while the corresponding relative error was below 10%. Reconstructions
      with smaller numbers of iterations and smoother filters led to higher
      detectability performance, irrespective of the activity concentration and lesion
      size. In this study, the minimum detectable activity was found to be 3.28+/-10%
      MBq/ml using the optimized reconstruction parameters. Although the recovered
      activities were generally underestimated, for lesions with activity concentration
      greater than 4 MBq/ml, the amount of underestimation is limited to -15% for
      optimized reconstructions. CONCLUSION: Y PET/CT imaging, even with a low activity
      concentration, is feasible for depicting the distribution of Y implanted
      microspheres using optimized reconstruction parameters. As such, in-vivo PET/CT
      imaging of low-dose Y in the pretherapeutic stage may be feasible and fruitful to
      optimally plan the therapeutic activity delivered to patients undergoing
      radioembolization.

PMID- 28902766
TI  - Future cardiac events in patients with ischemic ECG changes during adenosine
      infusion as a myocardial stress agent and normal cardiac scan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the prognostic importance of adenosine-induced
      ischemic ECG changes in patients with normal single-photon emission computed
      tomography myocardial perfusion images (MPI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried
      out a retrospective analysis of 765 patients undergoing adenosine MPI between
      January 2013 and January 2015. Patients with baseline ECG abnormalities and/or
      abnormal scan were excluded. RESULTS: Overall, 67 (8.7%) patients had ischemic
      ECG changes during adenosine infusion in the form of ST depression of 1 mm or
      more. Of these, 29 [43% (3.8% of all patients)] had normal MPI (positive ECG
      group). An age-matched and sex-matched group of 108 patients with normal MPI
      without ECG changes served as control participants (negative ECG group). During a
      mean follow-up duration of 33.3+/-6.1 months, patients in the positive ECG group
      did not have significantly more adverse cardiac events than those in the negative
      ECG group. One (0.9%) patient in the negative ECG group had a nonfatal myocardial
      infarction (0.7% annual event rate after a negative MPI). Also in this group, two
      (1.8%) patients admitted with a diagnosis of CAD where they have been ruled out
      by angiography. A fourth case in this, in the negative ECG group, was admitted
      because of heart failure that proved to be secondary to a pulmonary cause and not
      CAD. A case only in the positive ECG group was admitted as a CAD that was ruled
      out by coronary angiography. CONCLUSION: Patients with normal myocardial
      perfusion scintigraphy in whom ST-segment depression develops during adenosine
      stress test appear to have no increased risk for future cardiac events compared
      with similar patients without ECG evidence of ischemia.

PMID- 28902768
TI  - Economic and Clinical Outcomes Resulting From the Stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease
      Case Management Quality Improvement Initiative.
AB  - PURPOSE OF STUDY: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a costly and burdensome public
      health concern. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact on outcomes and
      utilization of a pilot program to identify and engage beneficiaries with CKD at
      risk for progression from Stage 4 to Stage 5. PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTINGS: A
      quality improvement initiative was conducted to assess the impact of case
      management on costs and outcomes among 7,720 Cigna commercial medical
      beneficiaries with Stage 4 CKD enrolled in the United States between January 2012
      and October 2012. METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE: Claims data were analyzed to compare
      3,861 beneficiaries randomized to receive condition-focused case management with
      3,859 controls, with follow-up through July 2013. After using an algorithm to
      identify beneficiaries at highest risk of progression, a case management team
      implemented, among those assigned to the intervention, an evidence-based
      assessment tool, provided education and follow-up, engaged nephrologists and
      other providers, and conducted weekly rounds. Primary outcome measures were
      hospital admissions, emergency department visits, nephrologist visits, dialysis,
      arteriovenous (AV) fistula creation, and total medical costs. Analysis of
      variance techniques were used to test group differences. RESULTS: As compared
      with controls, intervention beneficiaries were 12% more likely to have fistula
      creation (p = .004). Intervention beneficiaries were observed to have savings of
      $199 per member per month (PMPM), F = 23.05, p = .04. This difference equated to
      6% lower total medical costs in the intervention group. Savings observed were
      derived half from improved in-network utilization and half from reduced hospital
      costs. IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE: .

PMID- 28902769
TI  - Factors Associated With Financial Relationships Between Spine Surgeons and
      Industry: An Analysis of the Open Payments Database.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
      Services Database. OBJECTIVE: Utilizing Open Payments data, we aimed to determine
      the prevalence of industry payments to orthopedic and neurospine surgeons, report
      the magnitude of those relationships, and help outline the surgeon demographic
      factors associated with industry relationships. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:
      Previous Open Payments data revealed that orthopedic surgeons receive the highest
      value of industry payments. No study has investigated the financial relationship
      between spine surgeons and industry using the most recent release of Open
      Payments data. METHODS: A database of 5898 spine surgeons in the United States
      was derived from the Open Payments website. Demographic data were collected,
      including the type of residency training, years of experience, practice setting,
      type of medical degree, place of training, gender, and region of practice.
      Multivariate generalized linear mixed models were utilized to determine the
      relationship between demographics and industry payments. RESULTS: A total of 5898
      spine surgeons met inclusion criteria. About 91.6% of surgeons reported at least
      one financial relationship with industry. The median total value of payments was
      $994.07. Surgeons receiving over $1,000,000 from industry during the reporting
      period represented 6.6% of the database and accounted for 83.5% of the total
      value exchanged. Orthopedic training (P < 0.001), academic practice setting (P <
      0.0001), male gender (P < 0.0001), and West or South region of practice (P <
      0.0001) were associated with industry payments. Linear regression analysis
      revealed a strong inverse relationship between years of experience and number of
      payments from industry (r = -0.967, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Financial
      relationships between spine surgeons and industry are highly prevalent. Surgeon
      demographics have a significant association with industry-surgeon financial
      relationships. Our reported value of payments did not include ownership or
      research payments and thus likely underestimates the magnitude of these financial
      relationships. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28902770
TI  - Decompression Versus Decompression and Fusion for Degenerative Lumbar Stenosis in
      a Workers' Compensation Setting: Erratum.

PMID- 28902771
TI  - Attention and Visual Motor Integration in Young Children with Uncorrected
      Hyperopia.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: Among 4- and 5-year-old children, deficits in measures of
      attention, visual-motor integration (VMI) and visual perception (VP) are
      associated with moderate, uncorrected hyperopia (3 to 6 diopters [D]) accompanied
      by reduced near visual function (near visual acuity worse than 20/40 or
      stereoacuity worse than 240 seconds of arc). PURPOSE: To compare attention,
      visual motor, and visual perceptual skills in uncorrected hyperopes and
      emmetropes attending preschool or kindergarten and evaluate their associations
      with visual function. METHODS: Participants were 4 and 5 years of age with either
      hyperopia (>=3 to <=6 D, astigmatism <=1.5 D, anisometropia <=1 D) or emmetropia
      (hyperopia <=1 D; astigmatism, anisometropia, and myopia each <1 D), without
      amblyopia or strabismus. Examiners masked to refractive status administered tests
      of attention (sustained, receptive, and expressive), VMI, and VP. Binocular
      visual acuity, stereoacuity, and accommodative accuracy were also assessed at
      near. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and
      parent's/caregiver's education. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-four hyperopes (mean,
      +3.8 +/- [SD] 0.8 D) and 248 emmetropes (+0.5 +/- 0.5 D) completed testing. Mean
      sustained attention score was worse in hyperopes compared with emmetropes (mean
      difference, -4.1; P < .001 for 3 to 6 D). Mean Receptive Attention score was
      worse in 4 to 6 D hyperopes compared with emmetropes (by -2.6, P = .01).
      Hyperopes with reduced near visual acuity (20/40 or worse) had worse scores than
      emmetropes (-6.4, P < .001 for sustained attention; -3.0, P = .004 for Receptive
      Attention; -0.7, P = .006 for VMI; -1.3, P = .008 for VP). Hyperopes with
      stereoacuity of 240 seconds of arc or worse scored significantly worse than
      emmetropes (-6.7, P < .001 for sustained attention; -3.4, P = .03 for Expressive
      Attention; -2.2, P = .03 for Receptive Attention; -0.7, P = .01 for VMI; -1.7, P
      < .001 for VP). Overall, hyperopes with better near visual function generally
      performed similarly to emmetropes. CONCLUSIONS: Moderately hyperopic children
      were found to have deficits in measures of attention. Hyperopic children with
      reduced near visual function also had lower scores on VMI and VP than emmetropic
      children.

PMID- 28902772
TI  - Urinary CXCL10 Chemokine Is Associated With Alloimmune and Virus Compartment
      Specific Renal Allograft Inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urinary CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) is a promising biomarker for
      subclinical tubulointerstitial inflammation, but limited data exist regarding its
      correlation with (micro)vascular inflammation. Furthermore, no study has
      evaluated whether concomitant serum CXCL10 improves the discrimination for
      (micro)vascular inflammation. METHODS: We investigated whether serum/urinary
      CXCL10 reflect subclinical inflammation within different renal compartments.
      Patients (n = 107) with 107 surveillance biopsies were classified as: normal
      histology (n = 47), normal histology with polyomavirus BK (BKV) or
      cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia (n = 17), moderate-severe tubulointerstitial
      inflammation (tubulitis >=2, n = 18), pure microvascular inflammation (n = 15),
      and isolated v lesions (n = 10). Serum and urinary CXCL10 Enzyme-linked
      Immunosorbent Assay was performed. An independent validation set was evaluated
      for urine CXCL10: normal histology (n = 14), normal histology with BKV or CMV
      viremia (n = 19), tubulitis >=2 (n = 15), pure microvascular inflammation (n =
      41), and isolated v lesions (n = 14). RESULTS: Elevated urinary CXCL10 reflected
      inflammation within the tubulointerstitial (urinary CXCL10/creatinine, 1.23
      ng/mmol vs 0.46 ng/mmol; P = 0.02; area under the curve, 0.69; P = 0.001) and
      microvascular compartments (urinary CXCL10/creatinine, 1.72 ng/mmol vs 0.46
      ng/mmol; P = 0.03; area under the curve, 0.69; P = 0.02) compared to normal
      histology. Intriguingly, urinary CXCL10 was predominantly elevated with
      peritubular capillaritis, but not glomerulitis (P = 0.04). Furthermore, urinary
      CXCL10 corresponded with BKV, but not CMV viremia (P = 0.02). These urine CXCL10
      findings were confirmed in the independent validation set. Finally, serum CXCL10
      was elevated with BKV and CMV viremia but was not associated with microvascular
      or vascular inflammation (P >= 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary CXCL10 reflects
      subclinical inflammation within the tubulointerstitial and peritubular capillary
      spaces, but not the vascular/systemic compartments; this was consistent with BKV
      (tubulointerstitial) and CMV viremia (systemic). Serum CXCL10 was not a useful
      marker for (micro)vascular inflammation.

PMID- 28902774
TI  - Subcutaneous Islet Allotransplantation Without Immunosuppression Therapy: The
      Dream of the Diabetologists and of Their Patients.

PMID- 28902775
TI  - mTOR Inhibition for Transplantation: More May Not Be Better.

PMID- 28902773
TI  - Reduced TCR Signaling Contributes to Impaired Th17 Responses in Tolerant Kidney
      Transplant Recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The development of spontaneous kidney transplant tolerance has been
      associated with numerous B cell-related immune alterations. We have previously
      shown that tolerant recipients exhibit reduced B-cell receptor signalling and
      higher IL-10 production than healthy volunteers. However, it is unclear whether
      cluster of differentiation (CD)4 T cells from tolerant recipients also display an
      anti-inflammatory profile that could contribute to graft maintenance. METHODS:
      CD4 T cells were isolated from kidney transplant recipients who were identified
      as being tolerant recipients, patients with chronic rejection or healthy
      volunteers. CD4 T cells from the 3 groups were compared in terms of their gene
      expression profile, phenotype, and functionally upon activation. RESULTS: Gene
      expression analysis of transcription factors and signalling proteins, in addition
      to surface proteins expression and cytokine production, revealed that tolerant
      recipients possessed fewer Th17 cells and exhibited reduced Th17 responses,
      relative to patients with chronic rejection or healthy volunteers. Furthermore,
      impaired T-cell receptor signalling and altered cytokine cooperation by monocytes
      contributed to the development of Th17 cells in tolerant recipients. CONCLUSIONS:
      These data suggest that defective proinflammatory Th17 responses may contribute
      to the prolonged graft survival and stable graft function, which is observed in
      tolerant recipients in the absence of immunosuppressive agents.

PMID- 28902776
TI  - Pancreatic Cancer Arising From the Remnant Pancreas: Is It a Local Recurrence or
      New Primary Lesion?
AB  - Local recurrence of pancreatic cancer (PC) can occur in the pancreatic remnant.
      In addition, new primary PC can develop in the remnant. There are limited data
      available regarding this so-called remnant PC. The aim of this review was to
      describe the characteristics and therapeutic strategy regarding remnant PC. A
      literature search was performed using Medline published in English according to
      the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
      guidelines. The incidence of remnant PC has been reported to be 3% to 5%. It is
      difficult to distinguish local recurrence from new primary PC. Genetic diagnosis
      such as Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog mutation may resolve this
      problem. For patients with remnant PC, repeated pancreatectomy can be performed.
      Residual total pancreatectomy is the most common procedure. Recent studies have
      described the safety of the operation because of recent surgical progress and
      perioperative care. The patients with remnant PC without distant metastasis have
      shown good long-term outcomes, especially those who underwent repeated
      pancreatectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy may contribute to longer survival. In
      conclusion, this review found that both local recurrence and new primary PC can
      develop in the pancreatic remnant. Repeated pancreatectomy for the remnant PC is
      a feasible procedure and can prolong patient survival.

PMID- 28902777
TI  - Operative Versus Nonoperative Management of Blunt Pancreatic Trauma in Children:
      A Systematic Review.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare operative versus nonoperative management of
      blunt pancreatic trauma in children. A systematic literature search was
      performed. Studies including children with blunt pancreatic injuries classified
      according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma classification
      were included. The primary outcome was pseudocyst formation. After screening 526
      studies, 23 studies with 928 patients were included. Sufficient data were
      available for 674 patients (73%). Of 309 patients with grade I or II injuries,
      258 (83%) were initially managed nonoperatively with a 96% success rate. Of 365
      patients with grade III, IV, or V injuries, nonoperative management was initially
      chosen for 167 patients (46%) with an 89% success rate. Pseudocysts occurred in
      18% of patients managed nonoperatively versus 4% of patients managed operatively
      (P < 0.01), of whom 65% were treated nonoperatively. Hospitalization was 20.5
      days after nonoperative versus 15.1 days after operative management
      (nonparametric t test, P = 0.41). Blunt pancreatic trauma in children can be
      managed nonoperatively in the majority of patients with grade I or II injuries
      and in about half of the patients with grade III to V injuries. Although
      pseudocysts are more common after nonoperative management, two thirds can be
      managed nonoperatively.

PMID- 28902778
TI  - Incidences of Pancreatic Malignancy and Mortality in Patients With Untreated
      Branch-Duct Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms Undergoing Surveillance: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to pool incidences of increased cyst size,
      malignant branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs),
      pancreatic malignancy, and pancreatic malignancy-related death during follow-up
      (FU) of BD-IPMN patients. METHODS: Searches were performed from January 2010 to
      April 2016. All hits were checked on inclusion criteria, and outcomes were
      extracted. Incidences were pooled. Three subgroups were defined: (1) including
      only BD-IPMN patients, (2) short-interval FU (maximum 6 months), and (3) long
      interval FU (>6 months). RESULTS: Thirty-one articles were enrolled, including
      8455 patients (mean age, 66.4 years). Twenty-two studies included subgroup 1; 10
      and 6 studies included, respectively, subgroups 2 and 3. Incidence of increased
      cyst size was 17.4%. In subgroups 1, 2, and 3, incidences were, respectively,
      20.0%, 17.2%, and 31.7%. Incidence of malignant BD-IPMN was 2.5. In subgroups 1,
      2, and 3, incidences were, respectively, 3.0%, 2.4%, and 3.3%. Incidence of
      pancreatic malignancy was 2.6%. In subgroups 1, 2, and 3, incidences were,
      respectively, 2.3%, 1.2%, and 4.0%. Incidence of death was 0.5%. In subgroups 1,
      2, and 3, incidences were, respectively, 0.4%, 0.04%, and 0.12%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although not significant, all incidences on long-interval FU were higher;
      therefore, short-interval FU seems necessary to find resectable lesions.

PMID- 28902779
TI  - Increased Burden of Pediatric Acute Pancreatitis on the Health Care System.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The incidence of pediatric acute pancreatitis (AP) increased over the
      past 2 decades and is estimated to be 3 to 13 per 100,000. The impact of rising
      AP incidence on health care costs is unknown. Our aim was to examine pediatric AP
      admissions and associated hospital costs in the United States between years 2004
      and 2014. METHODS: Acute pancreatitis admission and cost data were extracted from
      the Pediatric Health Information System. We determined AP admission and cost
      percentages each year, as well as the ratio of AP cost to admission percentages
      to estimate AP "burden." Length of stay, costs of hospitalization, and the effect
      of intensive care unit care on these estimates were examined. RESULTS: Between
      2004 and 2014, AP admission percentages increased (P = 0.002). Length of stay
      decreased over time (P < 0.0001) and was longer for those requiring intensive
      care unit care (P < 0.0001). Acute pancreatitis admissions cost per day
      significantly increased over time (P < 0.0001). Median AP cost percentage
      remained 1.2 to 1.7 times higher than AP admission percentage. CONCLUSIONS: Acute
      pancreatitis admissions constitute an expensive burden on the health care system
      relative to the percentage of all admissions. If AP admissions continue to
      increase, the cost of AP admissions may pose a substantial financial health care
      burden.

PMID- 28902780
TI  - Is Multifocality an Indicator of Aggressive Behavior in Small Bowel
      Neuroendocrine Tumors?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Many patients with small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SBNETs) have
      multifocal tumors (MFTs), but the frequency of MFTs has varied widely across
      SBNET studies. It is also unclear whether patients with MFTs have more advanced
      disease or worse clinical course than do those with unifocal SBNETs. We set out
      to determine the frequency of multifocal and unifocal SBNETs and compare
      clinicopathologic factors, somatostatin receptor 2 expression, and survival.
      METHODS: Clinicopathologic variables from 179 patients with surgically managed
      SBNETs were collected. Statistical comparisons were made using Welch t-test,
      Wilcoxon test, and Fisher's exact test. Survival was assessed using the Kaplan
      Meier method. Somatostatin receptor 2 expression was analyzed by quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction, and Ki-67 expression by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:
      Multifocal tumors were found in 45% of patients with SBNETs. Clinicopathologic
      factors such as grade, TNM stage, presence of distant metastases, mean
      somatostatin receptor 2 expression, success of imaging modalities, and
      preoperative and postoperative hormone levels were not significantly different
      between multifocal and unifocal groups. Progression-free survival and overall
      survival were also not significantly affected by multifocality. CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinicopathologic features and survival of patients with MFTs and unifocal tumors
      are remarkably similar. Although the etiology of MFTs is unclear, patients with
      MFTs do not have a more aggressive clinical course than patients with unifocal
      SBNETs.

PMID- 28902781
TI  - Efficacy of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in a United States-Based Cohort
      of Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients: Single-Institution Retrospective
      Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze in a retrospective cohort study
      the outcomes of a United States-based group of metastatic neuroendocrine tumor
      (NET) patients who underwent peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT).
      METHODS: Twenty-eight patients from a single US NET Center were treated with
      PRRT. Toxicities were assessed using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse
      Events version 4.03. Progression was determined by the Response Evaluation
      Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression
      was performed to identify potential predictors of progression-free survival (PFS)
      and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The median age at NET diagnosis was 56 years,
      50% of the patients were male, 46% of NET primaries were located in the pancreas,
      71% of tumors were nonfunctional, 25% were World Health Organization (WHO) grade
      III, and 20% had at least a 25% hepatic tumor burden. Anemia (36%) was the most
      common post-PRRT toxicity, followed by leukopenia (31%), nephrotoxicity (27%),
      and thrombocytopenia (24%). Median PFS was 18 months, and median OS was 38
      months. Having a WHO grade III NET and receiving systemic chemotherapy prior to
      PRRT were found to be to independent predictors of shorter PFS and OS.
      CONCLUSIONS: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy is an effective therapy in a
      US population. Progression-free survival and OS were better in WHO grade I/II
      NETs and when PRRT was sequenced prior to systemic chemotherapy.

PMID- 28902782
TI  - Impact of MUC1 Expression on the Progression of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous
      Neoplasm With Worrisome Features During Follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether MUC1 expression is
      associated with progression of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms with
      worrisome features during follow-up. METHODS: Fifteen patients positive for MUC1
      and negative for MUC2 (MUC1 group) and 16 patients negative for MUC1 and MUC2
      (control group) were followed up and examined for changes in diameters of the
      main and ectatic branches of pancreatic ducts, enlargement of mural nodules, and
      appearance of a solid mass, by imaging studies. All of them presented worrisome
      features, and none had "high-risk stigmata." RESULTS: The sizes of the main and
      ectatic branches of pancreatic ducts increased in 8 (53.3%) and 8 (53.3%)
      patients, respectively, of the MUC1 group and in 1 (6.3%) and 1 (6.3%) patients,
      respectively, of the control group (P = 0.0059 and 0.0059, respectively). A solid
      mass developed in 6 patients (33.3%) of the MUC1 group but in none of the control
      group patients (P = 0.0373). CONCLUSIONS: Positive MUC1 expression in cell block
      cytology specimens may be associated with progressive dilation of the main and
      ectatic branches of pancreatic ducts and appearance of a solid mass in patients
      with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm with worrisome features during
      follow-up.

PMID- 28902783
TI  - A Normal Preoperative Lipase Serum Level Is an Easy and Objective Risk Factor of
      Pancreatic Fistula After Pancreaticoduodenectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The evaluation of the risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF)
      after pancreaticoduodenectomy is crucial to optimize perioperative strategies.
      Many risk factors of POPF have been identified and were included in scores.
      Performances of these scores have to be improved because of the use of subjective
      and/or intraoperative factors. We tried to identify new risk factors of POPF that
      could improve the performance of validated scores. METHODS: We analyzed data from
      a prospective database of 191 consecutive patients who underwent a
      pancreaticoduodenectomy. Recorded data included a comprehensive inventory of pre
      , intra- and postoperative clinical, biological and radiological data. RESULTS:
      The rate of POPF was significantly increased in patients with a normal
      preoperative lipase serum level (LSL) (29.8% vs 6.8%; P = 0.001). After
      multivariate analysis, a normal preoperative LSL was a strong independent risk
      factor of both POPF (odds ratio, 7.06; P = 0.001) and clinically relevant POPF
      (odds ratio, 3.11; P = 0.036). The addition of the normality of the preoperative
      LSL to the Fistula Risk Score significantly improved its performance (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: A normal preoperative LSL was a strong, easy, and objective
      preoperative risk factor of POPF. Its addition to the Fistula Risk Score improved
      its performance and allows a more accurate evaluation of the risk of POPF.

PMID- 28902784
TI  - Pancreatic Stellate Cells Have Distinct Characteristics From Hepatic Stellate
      Cells and Are Not the Unique Origin of Collagen-Producing Cells in the Pancreas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The origin of collagen-producing myofibroblasts in pancreatic
      fibrosis is still controversial. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), which have
      been recognized as the pancreatic counterparts of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs),
      are thought to play an important role in the development of pancreatic fibrosis.
      However, sources of myofibroblasts other than PSCs may exist because extensive
      studies of liver fibrosis have uncovered myofibroblasts that did not originate
      from HSCs. This study aimed to characterize myofibroblasts in an experimental
      pancreatic fibrosis model in mice. METHODS: We used transgenic mice expressing
      green fluorescent protein via the collagen type I alpha1 promoter and induced
      pancreatic fibrosis with repetitive injections of cerulein. RESULTS: Collagen
      producing cells that are negative for glial fibrillary acidic protein (ie, not
      derived from PSCs) exist in the pancreas. Pancreatic stellate cells had different
      characteristics from those of HSCs in a very small possession of vitamin A using
      mass spectrometry and a low expression of lecithin retinol acyltransferase. The
      microstructure of PSCs was entirely different from that of HSCs using flow
      cytometry and electron microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that
      characteristics of PSCs are different from those of HSCs, and myofibroblasts in
      the pancreas might be derived not only from PSCs but also from other fibrogenic
      cells.

PMID- 28902786
TI  - Diagnosing Chronic Pancreatitis: Comparison and Evaluation of Different
      Diagnostic Tools.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the M-ANNHEIM, Buchler, and Luneburg
      diagnostic tools for chronic pancreatitis (CP). METHODS: A cross-sectional
      analysis of the development of CP was performed in a prospectively collected
      multicenter cohort including 669 patients after a first episode of acute
      pancreatitis. We compared the individual components of the M-ANNHEIM, Buchler,
      and Luneburg tools, the agreement between tools, and estimated diagnostic
      accuracy using Bayesian latent-class analysis. RESULTS: A total of 669 patients
      with acute pancreatitis followed-up for a median period of 57 (interquartile
      range, 42-70) months were included. Chronic pancreatitis was diagnosed in 50
      patients (7%), 59 patients (9%), and 61 patients (9%) by the M-ANNHEIM, Luneburg,
      and Buchler tools, respectively. The overall agreement between these tools was
      substantial (kappa = 0.75). Differences between the tools regarding the following
      criteria led to significant changes in the total number of diagnoses of CP:
      abdominal pain, recurrent pancreatitis, moderate to marked ductal lesions,
      endocrine and exocrine insufficiency, pancreatic calcifications, and pancreatic
      pseudocysts. The Buchler tool had the highest sensitivity (94%), followed by the
      M-ANNHEIM (87%), and finally the Luneburg tool (81%). CONCLUSIONS: Differences
      between diagnostic tools for CP are mainly attributed to presence of clinical
      symptoms, endocrine insufficiency, and certain morphological complications.

PMID- 28902785
TI  - Predictors of Pancreatic Cancer-Associated Weight Loss and Nutritional
      Interventions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often accompanied by
      weight loss. We sought to characterize factors associated with weight loss and
      observed nutritional interventions, as well as define the effect of weight loss
      on survival. METHODS: Consecutive subjects diagnosed with PDAC (N = 123) were
      retrospectively evaluated. Univariate analysis was used to compare subjects with
      and without substantial (>5%) weight loss. Multivariate logistic regression was
      performed to identify factors associated with weight loss, and survival analyses
      were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox survival models. RESULTS:
      Substantial weight loss at diagnosis was present in 71.5% of subjects and was
      independently associated with higher baseline body mass index, longer symptom
      duration, and increased tumor size. Recommendations for nutrition consultation
      and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy occurred in 27.6% and 36.9% of
      subjects, respectively. Weight loss (>5%) was not associated with worse survival
      on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.76
      2.30), unless a higher threshold (>10%) was used (hazard ratio, 1.77; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.09-2.87). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high prevalence of
      weight loss at PDAC diagnosis, there are low observed rates of nutritional
      interventions. Weight loss based on current criteria for cancer cachexia is not
      associated with poor survival in PDAC.

PMID- 28902787
TI  - Venous Thromboembolism Is Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Hospitalized
      Patients With Acute Pancreatitis: A Population-Based Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The systemic inflammatory cascade and vascular stasis in hospitalized
      patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) serve as a milieu for development of venous
      thromboembolism (VTE). Our aim was to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of
      VTE in AP and to evaluate its impact on clinical outcomes of AP. METHODS: The
      Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2002-2011) was reviewed to identify all patients
      hospitalized with AP. Patients with a concomitant diagnosis of VTE were compared
      with those without. The primary clinical outcome (inpatient mortality) and
      secondary resources outcomes (length of stay and total hospital charges) were
      analyzed using univariate and multivariate comparisons. RESULTS: Among 2,382,426
      patients with AP, 22,205 (0.93%) had VTE. Multivariate analysis showed patients
      with greater comorbidity (odds ratio [OR], 1.47), white race (OR, 1.11), acute
      kidney injury (OR, 1.08), acute respiratory failure (OR, 1.40), pseudocyst (OR,
      1.41), total parenteral nutrition (OR, 1.28), and central venous catheter
      placement (OR, 3.01) were associated with a diagnosis of VTE. Venous
      thromboembolism was also independently associated with increased mortality (OR,
      1.31) and prolonged duration of hospitalization by 6.5 days (P < 0.001) and
      contributed to an excess $44,882 (P < 0.001) in hospitalization costs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Venous thromboembolism is adversely associated with mortality and
      health care resource utilization in AP.

PMID- 28902788
TI  - Effects of Rab27A and Rab27B on Invasion, Proliferation, Apoptosis, and
      Chemoresistance in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rab family members are key regulatory factors that function as
      molecular switches in multiple phases of vesicular trafficking. Our previous
      study demonstrated that Rab27A and Rab27B overexpression may predict a poor
      outcome of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the role of Rab27A and Rab27B in the progression of pancreatic
      cancer. METHODS: We down-regulated Rab27A and Rab27B expression in pancreatic
      cancer cell lines. The regulatory effects of knockdown Rab27A and Rab27B on
      pancreatic cancer cell were measured by cisplatin assay, invasion assay,
      proliferation assay, and Western blot assay. RESULTS: Rab27A and Rab27B down
      regulation enhances sensitivity to cisplatin and induces apoptosis in ASPC-1 and
      PANC-1 cells. In addition, down-regulation of Rab27A reduced the invasive and
      proliferative ability of ASPC-1 cells, and Rab27B knockdown significantly
      prevented cancer invasion and proliferation in PANC-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings provide evidence that Rab27A and Rab27B play significant roles in cell
      invasion, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as in chemotherapy resistance.

PMID- 28902790
TI  - Impact of Treatments on Diabetic Control and Gastrointestinal Symptoms After
      Total Pancreatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to compare the safety, efficacy, and
      patients' quality of life with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII)
      versus multiple daily injections (MDIs) in type 3c diabetes mellitus (T3cDM)
      following total pancreatectomy (TP) and pancreatic enzyme usage. METHODS: Thirty
      nine patients with T3cDM (18 CSII patients vs 21 MDI patients) who underwent TP
      between 2000 and 2016 at 3 Harvard-affiliated hospitals and the University of
      Minnesota returned prospectively obtained questionnaires examining quality of
      life and both endocrine and exocrine pancreatic functions. RESULTS: Main
      indications for TP were as follows: chronic pancreatitis (n = 19), intraductal
      papillary mucinous neoplasm (n = 12), and adenocarcinoma (n = 4). Median
      hemoglobin A1c using MDIs was 8.1% versus 7.3% in CSII. Severe hypoglycemic
      events using MDIs were increased compared with CSII (P = 0.02). There were no
      significant differences in quality-of-life measures with CSII versus MDIs.
      Pancreatic enzyme dose per meal (P < 0.05) differed between the hospitals.
      Gastrointestinal symptoms and unintended weight loss (P < 0.01) were more common
      with low doses of pancreatic enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: After TP, CSII therapy is safe
      compared with MDIs in T3cDM and not associated with an increase in severe
      hypoglycemic events. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy is highly variable
      with low doses associated with unintentional weight loss and gastrointestinal
      symptoms.

PMID- 28902789
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Patients With
      Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes
      (TILs) and their prognostic value in patients with pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma (PDAC) after neoadjuvant therapy. METHODS: Intratumoral CD4, CD8,
      and FOXP3 lymphocytes were examined by immunohistochemistry using a computer
      assisted quantitative analysis in 136 PDAC patients who received neoadjuvant
      therapy and pancreaticoduodenectomy. The results were correlated with
      clinicopathological parameters and survival. RESULTS: High CD4 TILs in treated
      PDAC were associated with high CD8 TILs (P = 0.003), differentiation (P = 0.04),
      and a lower frequency of recurrence (P = 0.02). Patients with high CD4 TILs had
      longer disease-free survival and overall survival (OS) than did patients with low
      CD4 TILs (P < 0.01). The median OS of patients with a high CD8/FOXP3 lymphocyte
      ratio (39.5 [standard deviation, 6.1] months) was longer than that of patients
      with a low CD8/FOXP3 lymphocyte ratio (28.3 [standard deviation, 2.3] months; P =
      0.01). In multivariate analysis, high CD4 TILs were an independent prognostic
      factor for disease-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval,
      0.30-0.81; P = 0.005) and OS (hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.33
      0.89; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: High level of CD4 lymphocytes is associated with
      tumor differentiation and lower recurrence and is an independent prognostic
      factor for survival in PDAC patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy.

PMID- 28902791
TI  - Initial Features of Hepatic Metastases From Pancreatic Cancer: Histological and
      Radiolographical Appraisal of Hepatic Micrometastases Detected by Real-Time
      Fluorescent Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The pathophysiology of primary-stage hepatic metastases from
      gastrointestinal cancers may provide clues to their formation. We investigated
      initial features of hepatic metastases from pancreatic cancer by examining the
      histologies of radiographically occult hepatic micrometastases. METHODS: We
      examined 133 consecutive pancreatic cancer patients with no evident hepatic
      metastases on preoperative imaging. An indocyanine green near-infrared camera
      system was used to detect hepatic metastases during surgery; preoperatively
      acquired images of patients were then retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Hepatic
      micrometastases were histologically confirmed in 20 patients (15%).
      Immunohistochemically, the metastatic cells were with higher positivity of
      carcinoembryonic antigen (100%), p53 overexpression (40%), and Ki-67 labeling
      index (38%, median). All the micrometastases were portal thromboemboli in the
      intrahepatic portal triad that invaded extravenous structures, causing
      desmoplasis, local biliary obstruction, and indocyanine green-contained bile
      stasis A review of preoperative dynamic computed tomography or magnetic resonance
      images revealed focal circular alterations presenting as arterioportal shunts in
      50% of the patient with micrometastases and 11% of those without (P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic metastasis from pancreatic cancer involves portal vein
      thrombosis that alters local circulation and bile stasis at the portal triad;
      this is detectable by presurgical radiological examination or intraoperative
      fluorescent imaging.

PMID- 28902792
TI  - Paracrine Secretion of Transforming Growth Factor beta by Ductal Cells Promotes
      Acinar-to-Ductal Metaplasia in Cultured Human Exocrine Pancreas Tissues.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the contribution of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia
      (ADM) to the accumulation of cells with a ductal phenotype in cultured human
      exocrine pancreatic tissues and reveal the underlying mechanism. METHODS: We
      sorted and cultured viable cell populations in human exocrine pancreatic tissues
      with a flow cytometry-based lineage tracing method to evaluate possible
      mechanisms of ADM. Cell surface markers, gene expression pattern, and sphere
      formation assay were used to examine ADM. RESULTS: A large proportion of acinar
      cells gained CD133 expression during the 2-dimensional culture and showed down
      regulation of acinar markers and up-regulation of ductal markers, assuming an ADM
      phenotype. In a serum-free culture condition, ADM induction was mainly dependent
      on transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) secreted from cultured ductal
      cells. Human acinar cells when cultured alone for a week in a serum-free
      condition do not undergo ADM. However, serum may contain other factors besides
      TGF-beta to induce ADM in human acinar cells. In addition, we found that TGF-beta
      cannot induce ADM of murine acinar cells. CONCLUSIONS: Ductal cells are the major
      source of TGF-beta that induces ADM in cultured human exocrine pancreatic
      tissues. This culture system might be a useful model to investigate the mechanism
      of ADM in human cells.

PMID- 28902793
TI  - The Risk Factors for Moderately Severe and Severe Post-Endoscopic Retrograde
      Cholangiopancreatography Pancreatitis According to the Revised Atlanta
      Classification.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to confirm the value of the revised Atlanta
      classification for predicting the severity of post-endoscopic retrograde
      choloangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP) and to validate the risk factors for
      moderately severe and severe PEP. METHODS: Among 2672 patients, 86 with PEP and
      172 randomly selected control patients were included in this study. Post
      endoscopic retrograde choloangiopancreatography pancreatitis was evaluated
      according to Cotton criteria and the revised Atlanta classification. The
      agreements between the 2 sets of criteria were compared, and the risk factors for
      moderately severe and severe PEP were identified. RESULTS: According to the
      revised Atlanta classification, 72 patients (83.7%) had mild, 11 (12.8%) had
      moderately severe, and 3 (3.5%) had severe disease. The agreement between the
      revised Atlanta classification and Cotton criteria was fair (kappa = 0.285).
      Statistically significant risk factors for PEP were difficult cannulation and dye
      injection in the pancreatic duct, including acinarization. For moderately severe
      or severe PEP, obesity (hazard ratio, 3.384 [95% confidence interval, 1.023
      11.191]) was the only statistically significant risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: The
      revised Atlanta classification of acute pancreatitis is an effective and feasible
      classification system for predicting PEP severity. Obesity was identified as an
      important risk factor predicting moderately severe and severe PEP.

PMID- 28902794
TI  - Lymph Node Metastasis in the Prognosis of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine
      Tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the prognostic use of the extent of
      lymph node (LN) involvement in patients with gastroenteropancreatic
      neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) by analyzing population-based data. METHODS:
      Patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry were
      identified with histologically confirmed, surgically resected GEP-NETs. We
      divided patients into 3 lymph node ratio (LNR) groups based on the ratio of
      positive LNs to total LNs examined: 0.2 or less, greater than 0.2 to 0.5, and
      greater than 0.5. Disease-specific survival was compared according to LNR group.
      RESULTS: We identified 3133 patients with surgically resected GEP-NETs. Primary
      sites included the stomach (11% of the total), pancreas (30%), colon (32%),
      appendix (20%), and rectum (7%). Survival was worse in patients with LNRs of 0.2
      or less (hazard ratio [HR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-2.0), greater
      than 0.2 to 0.5 (HR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.6-2.5), and greater than 0.5 (HR, 3.1; 95%
      CI, 2.5-3.9) compared with N0 patients. Ten-year disease-specific survival
      decreased as LNR increased from N0 (81%) to 0.2 or less (69%), greater than 0.2
      to 0.5 (55%), and greater than 0.5 (50%). Results were consistent for patients
      with both low- and high-grade tumors from most primary sites. CONCLUSIONS: Degree
      of LN involvement is a prognostic factor at the most common GEP-NET sites. Higher
      LNR is associated with decreased survival.

PMID- 28902795
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Neuroendocrine Tumor Hepatic Metastases: Does
      Hepatobiliary Phase Imaging Improve Lesion Conspicuity and Interobserver
      Agreement of Lesion Measurements?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) performed with hepatobiliary phase imaging results in higher lesion
      conspicuity and produces lesion measurements with higher interobserver agreement
      than other MRI sequences when imaging neuroendocrine hepatic metastases. METHODS:
      Patients who had MRIs with both gadoxetate disodium and gadopentetate dimeglumine
      contrast within a 6-month span were identified, and 23 hepatic lesions were
      selected. Three radiologists and 1 oncologist measured the greatest diameter of
      each lesion on the following sequences: T2 weighted, T1 weighted, postcontrast
      (dynamic, delayed, and hepatobiliary phase), and diffusion weighted. Signal
      intensity ratio (SIlesion/SIliver) and contrast-to-noise ratio ([SIlesion -
      SIliver]/noise) were calculated for all lesions on each sequence. The
      interobserver agreement of measurements on each sequence was calculated using
      concordance correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Diffusion-weighted sequences had
      the highest signal intensity ratio ranging from 147% to 187% (vs other sequences
      range of 19.6%-130%). One hepatobiliary sequence had the highest contrast-to
      noise ratio with a value of 41 (vs other sequences range of 3.2-28.1). Lesion
      measurements on all sequences showed high-interobserver agreement, with
      hepatobiliary sequences showing some of the highest levels of agreement.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the use of contrast agents with hepatobiliary
      excretion when imaging neuroendocrine tumors metastatic to liver.

PMID- 28902796
TI  - Carcinosarcoma of the Pancreas: Case Report With Comprehensive Literature Review.
AB  - Carcinosarcomas are rare biphasic neoplasms with distinct malignant epithelial
      and mesenchymal components. Most commonly, carcinosarcomas arise in the uterus as
      malignant mixed mullerian tumors, but also infrequently appear in other organs
      such as the ovaries and breast, the prostate and urinary tract, the lungs, or in
      the gastrointestinal system, among others. Pancreatic carcinosarcomas are
      exceedingly rare; only a few cases are reported in the English literature. Their
      pathogenesis remains to be fully clarified. We present here the case of a
      pancreatic carcinosarcoma with evidence for monoclonality via determination of
      Kras mutational status after microdissection and suggest a common origin of the 2
      tumor components. Comprehensive review of the available literature allows the
      conclusion that most pancreatic carcinosarcomas appear to be of monoclonal origin
      and seem to have arisen from a carcinoma via metaplastic transformation of 1 part
      or subclone of the tumor, probably by epithelial-mesenchymal transition. All
      reported patients were treated with surgery. Adjuvant therapy, if administered,
      consisted predominantly of gemcitabine. Prognosis for this neoplasm occurs to be
      similar or even worse compared with classic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
      Despite the lack of evidence-based recommendations for its treatment, resection
      should be performed, if possible.

PMID- 28902797
TI  - Polymorphism in DPPIV Gene in Acute Pancreatitis.

PMID- 28902798
TI  - Cumulative Radiation Exposure in Pancreatic Drainage: Could it be Improved?

PMID- 28902799
TI  - Current Strategies for Detection and Treatment of Recurrence of Pancreatic Ductal
      Adenocarcinoma After Resection: A Nationwide Survey.

PMID- 28902800
TI  - Pancreatic Steatosis Is Not Associated With Exocrine Pancreatic Function in
      Overweight Type 2 Diabetes Patients.

PMID- 28902801
TI  - The Characteristics of Aborted Procedures in Total Pancreatectomy With Islet
      Autotransplantation for Chronic Pancreatitis.

PMID- 28902802
TI  - Audiological Outcomes and Map Characteristics in Children With Perimodiolar and
      Slim Straight Array Cochlear Implants in Opposite Ears.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify differences in outcomes and map characteristics in
      pediatric bilateral cochlear implants with modiolar conforming and lateral wall
      arrays in opposite ears. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING:
      Tertiary care pediatric referral center. PATIENTS: Fourteen children who received
      a perimodiolar array in one ear and a slim straight array in the opposite ear in
      sequential surgeries. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Consonant
      nucleus-consonant test (CNC) word recognition score, battery life, power levels,
      electrical compound action potential (ECAP) thresholds, and electrical threshold
      and comfort charge levels. RESULTS: Speech perception outcomes were poorer in the
      lateral wall ears than the perimodiolar ears, and scores in the bilateral
      condition were better than with the lateral wall device alone. Sequential
      placement was a factor with differences in preoperative candidacy time
      correlating with greater difference in speech perception. There was no difference
      in charge levels between ears, in spite of higher ECAP threshold values for the
      lateral wall devices. CONCLUSION: While bilateral speech perception was good,
      speech perception with the lateral wall device alone was poorer. This cannot be
      explained solely by the device, as differences in preoperative candidacy time
      were a significant factor. ECAP thresholds are significantly higher for lateral
      wall electrodes, but that did not translate in to higher psychophysical
      measurements.

PMID- 28902803
TI  - Cochlear Implantation in Otosclerosis: Surgical and Auditory Outcomes With a
      Brief on Facial Nerve Stimulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: 1) To review the surgical and auditory outcomes in patients of
      cochlear implantation in otosclerosis. 2) To review complications and
      postimplantation facial nerve stimulation (FNS). 3) To compare the auditory
      outcomes between patients displaying cochlear ossification to the nonossified
      ones. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Quaternary Otology and Skull
      base surgery center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Charts of 36 patients (38 ears) with
      otosclerosis undergoing cochlear implantation were reviewed from the cochlear
      implant database. Demographic features, operative findings, auditory outcomes,
      and postimplantation FNS were analyzed. Operative findings included extent of
      cochlear ossification, approach (posterior tympantomy/subtotal petrosectomy),
      electrode insertion (partial/complete, scala tympani/vestibuli), and
      complications. All the patients underwent implantation using straight electrodes.
      Auditory outcomes were assessed over a 4-year follow-up period using vowel, word,
      sentence, and comprehension scores. Patients were divided into two groups (with
      and without cochlear ossification) for comparison of auditory outcomes. RESULTS:
      The mean age and duration of deafness of patients was 59.72 and 28.9 years
      respectively. Twenty-three of 38 ears had cochlear ossification, with exclusive
      round window involvement in 60% of the patients, with the rest having partial or
      complete basal turn ossification. 36.8% ears underwent subtotal petrosectomy for
      cochlear ossification. One patient underwent scala vestibuli insertion and two
      had incomplete electrode insertion. Patients with no ossification had no intra or
      postoperative complications. One patient had bilateral FNS managed by alterations
      in programming strategy. Auditory outcomes in patients without any ossification
      were better than in patients with ossification, though statistically
      insignificant in most parameters. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implantation in
      otosclerosis provides good auditory outcomes, despite high incidence of cochlear
      ossification. Patients of FNS can be managed by alterations in programming
      strategy, without affecting auditory outcomes.

PMID- 28902804
TI  - Long-Term Patient-Reported Outcomes After Surgery for Superior Canal Dehiscence
      Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the long-term patient-reported outcomes of surgery for
      superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.
      SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Adults who have undergone surgery
      for SCDS with at least 1 year since surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Primary
      outcome: change in symptoms that led to surgery. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: change in 11
      SCDS-associated symptoms, change in psychosocial metrics, and willingness to
      recommend surgery to friends with SCDS. RESULTS: Ninety-three (43%) respondents
      completed the survey with mean (SD) time since surgery of 5.3 (3.6) years. Ninety
      five percent of respondents reported the symptoms that led them to have surgery
      were "somewhat better," "much better," or "completely cured." Those with
      unilateral symptoms were more likely to report improvement than those with
      bilateral symptoms. There was no difference between those with short (1-5 yr)
      versus long (5-20 yr) follow-up. Each of the SCDS-associated symptoms showed
      significant improvement. The largest improvements were for autophony, pulsatile
      tinnitus, audible bodily sounds, and sensitivity to loud sound. Headaches,
      imbalance, dizziness, and brain fog showed the least improvements. Most patients
      reported improvements in quality of life, mood, and ability to function at work
      and socially. Ninety-five percent of patients would recommend SCDS surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Respondents demonstrated durable improvements in the symptoms that
      led them to have surgery. Auditory symptoms had the greatest improvements.
      Headaches, imbalance, dizziness, and brain fog showed the least improvements.
      Nearly, all patients would recommend SCDS surgery to others. These results can be
      used to counsel patients regarding the lasting benefits of surgery for SCDS.

PMID- 28902805
TI  - The Effect of Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants on Balance During Gait.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Auditory input in people with hearing impairment will improve balance
      while walking. BACKGROUND: Auditory input is increasingly recognized as an
      additional input for balance. Several studies have found auditory cues to improve
      static balance measured on a sway platform. The effect of audition on gait, a
      dynamic task also linked to fall risk, has not been fully examined. If a positive
      effect were shown between audition and balance, it would further indicate that
      improving hearing could also improve balance. METHODS: Inertial sensors
      quantified gait parameters of 13 bilateral hearing aid users and 12 bilateral
      cochlear implant (CI) users with their hearing devices on and off. Outcome
      measures included gait velocity, stride length variability, swing time
      variability, and double support phase. RESULTS: Group analysis of each of the
      gait outcomes showed no significant differences between the aided and unaided
      conditions in both the hearing aid and CI groups. Gait velocity, an outcome most
      strongly linked to fall risk had 95% confidence interval differences of -2.16 to
      1.52 and -1.45 to 4.17 cm/s in hearing aid and CI users, respectively (aided
      versus unaided condition). There was considerable variation among participants
      with some individuals improving in all four parameters. CONCLUSION: The overall
      findings were not statistically significant, however, a small subset of our
      population improved clinically across several outcomes. This demonstrates that
      audition may have a clinically beneficial effect on balance in some patients.

PMID- 28902806
TI  - Response to "Letter to Editor" Skin Necrosis After Implantation with the Baha
      Attract: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

PMID- 28902808
TI  - [Anticoagulant therapy of venous thromboembolic complications: balancing between
      risks].
AB  - This article is a review of the literature, related to the problem of recurrence
      of venous thromboembolic complications and the possibilities of their secondary
      prevention. The problems of determining the rational duration of anticoagulant
      therapy on the basis of an individual assessment of its benefit and risk are
      considered. The information on modern prognostic models allowing quantitative
      assessment of the probability of hemorrhagic and thrombotic events occurrence is
      presented (Vienna prediction model, DASH, HAS-BLED, stratification according to
      ACCP 2016). Particular attention is paid to the effectiveness and safety of new
      oral anticoagulants and acetylsalicylic acid in the context of secondary
      prevention of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. A review and a
      critical analysis of the EINSTEIN CHOICE study were carried out. The results
      demonstrated the high efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban 10 and 20 mg in the
      frame of prolonged therapy of venous thromboembolic complications in patients,
      who completed the standard 6-12-month course of treatment and who do not need
      further use therapeutic doses of anticoagulants. The study demonstrated that the
      use of rivaroxaban in both doses for 12 months is characterized by greater
      efficacy and a similar frequency of occurrence of large and clinically
      significant bleeding compared with the intake of 100 mg of acetylsalicylic acid.
      The authors attempted to determine rational indications for the application of 10
      mg of rivaroxaban in the frame of prolonged anticoagulant therapy, which will be
      possible after making appropriate changes to the official instruction for the
      drug.

PMID- 28902807
TI  - External Validation of Pooled Cohort Risk Equations to Predict 1-Year Clinical
      Outcome in Ischemic Stroke Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND The present study aimed to validate the pooled cohort risk (PCR)
      equations in a Chinese ischemic stroke population and to explore its prognostic
      value in predicting stroke recurrence, coronary heart disease, and vascular
      death. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients were selected from the China National Stroke
      Registry. The C statistic was used to examine the clinical prediction of the
      scores. To analyze the relevant risk factors, univariate and multivariate
      logistic regressions were performed. RESULTS Out of a total of 22 216 patients,
      8287 patients (including 7652 acute ischemic stroke [AIS] and 635 transient
      ischemic attack [TIA] patients) were selected and enrolled in the study. At 1
      year follow-up, for stroke recurrence rate, the C statistic value was 0.584 in
      AIS patients and 0.573 in all patients. For non-fatal myocardial infarction, the
      C statistic value was 0.533 in AIS patients and 0.493 in all patients. For
      vascular death, the C statistic value was 0.592 in AIS patients and 0.592 in all
      patients. For all events, the C statistic value was 0.582 in AIS patients and
      0.575 in all patients. For AIS patients, the 12-month cumulative rates for
      recurrent stroke, vascular death, and combined vascular events were higher in the
      high-PCR group (PCR >=20%). CONCLUSIONS Pooled cohort risk equations may serve as
      potential tools to predict and stratify the 1-year risk of recurrent stroke and
      combined vascular events in AIS/TIA patients in China.

PMID- 28902809
TI  - [Peculiarities of secretion of cytokines and chemokines by human blood monocytes
      in atherosclerosis].
AB  - The study included apparently healthy people, conventionally healthy people
      predisposed to atherosclerosis, and as well as people with preclinical
      atherosclerosis (50 subjects in each group). Monocytes were isolated from whole
      blood and transferred to culture followed by studying pro- and anti-inflammatory
      activation of monocytes in response to stimulation by interferon-gamma and
      interleukin-4, respectively. As a marker of pro-inflammatory activation was the
      level of secretion of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the culture
      medium measured by means of immunoenzymatic assay. Chemokine CCL18 served as a
      marker of anti-inflammatory activation. We also examined secretion of a series of
      other chemokines and cytokines: MCO-1, IL-6, IL-1beta, IL-8, GM-CFS, and others.
      Pronounced individual differences of cytokines and chemokines secretion were
      revealed in all groups. We carried out assessment the degree of altering
      secretion of cytokines and chemokines by stimulated monocytes compared with
      unstimulated culture. This approach may serve as an effective tool for assessment
      an individual reaction of congenital immunity.

PMID- 28902810
TI  - Biochemical markers in blood serum of patients undergoing various methods of
      carotid endarterectomy.
AB  - The authors studied the concentration of CRP, sE-selectin, sP-selectin, sICAM-1,
      sICAM-3, sVCAM-1, sPECAM and endothelin-1 in blood serum of patients presenting
      with stenotic lesions of carotid arteries and undergoing various methods of
      carotid endarterectomy (CEAE): eversion CEAE (Group I) and CEAE using a
      xenopericardium patch (Group II). Within the time frame of the study, patients in
      both groups were found to have an elevated CRP level in the early postoperative
      period, having returned to the baseline values at 6 postoperative months, as well
      as an increase in the concentration of endothelin-1 at six months after surgery
      and a decrease of the sE-selectin concentration in the early postoperative
      period. The level of sP-selectin in Group II patients was noted to increase
      considerably six months after correction of stenosis. The content of sICAM-1 and
      sVCAM-1 did not differ in the early postoperative and baseline periods, and was
      noted to decrease 6 months after the operation. Group II patients demonstrated a
      decrease in the sPECAM concentration during postoperative day one, followed by
      returning to the initial values six months after CEAE. The above-mentioned
      biochemical markers may be used during the postoperative follow-up period for
      early detection and appropriate correction of endothelial dysfunction and
      hyperplasia of the intima of the zone of reconstruction.

PMID- 28902811
TI  - [Oxidative carbonylation of proteins in experimental hind-limb ischaemia
      reperfusion injury].
AB  - Formation of carbonylated protein derivatives is one of the key signalling
      pathways in cellular damage and may be regarded as a reliable marker in cellular
      injury. It allows evaluating both direct effects of reactive oxygen species and
      indirect interrelations with the secondary by-products of oxidation. The present
      study was undertaken to investigate the activity of lysosomal cysteine
      proteinases (cathepsins B and L) in blood serum and the arterial wall in an
      experimental model of ischaemia and ischaemia-reperfusion injury. To this was
      added comprehensive assessment of oxidative modification of proteins derived from
      blood serum and the arterial wall, namely, calculating the area under the curve
      of the absorption spectrum of the products of protein carbonylation, the
      proportion of the primary and secondary markers of oxidative stress, as well as
      the reserve and adaptation potential. The obtained findings were indicative of
      the development of oxidative stress in the model of ischaemia-reperfusion injury
      from day 1 to day 7, and in the ischaemia model on day 3 and day 5 in both the
      vascular wall and blood serum, which was accompanied by activation of cathepsins
      B and L. Reversible oxidation of proteins was observed on days 3 and 5 in the
      experimental ischaemia model and on days 1 and 7 in the ischaemia-reperfusion
      injury model, which was confirmed by the predominance of the primary markers of
      oxidative stress. Irreversible oxidation of proteins, i. e., the predominance of
      the secondary markers, was suggestive of the enhancement of oxidative stress, its
      transition to the late stage, leading to the loss of biological properties of
      proteins and eventually followed by their aggregation and degradation as seen in
      the ischaemia-reperfusion injury model on days 3 and 5. Analysing the obtained
      findings revealed direct correlation between the total area under the curve of
      oxidative modification of proteins and overall activity of cathepsin L in the
      ischaemia model: in blood serum on days 3 and 5, in the vascular wall for
      cathepsins B and L on day 5; in the ischaemia-reperfusion injury model: the
      activity of cathepsin L in blood serum on day 3, in the vascular wall on day 5
      for cathepsins B and L.

PMID- 28902812
TI  - [The use nicergoline in the treatment of diabetes mellitus].
AB  - Presented herein is a literature review aimed at investigating the
      appropriateness and possibility of using nicergoline (sermion) for treatment of
      patients suffering from diabetes mellitus. The analysis includes the most
      clinically significant results of scientific studies. The material to be reviewed
      was retrieved using the following key words: 'nicergoline', 'sermion', and
      'diabetes mellitus' (with their respective Russian equivalents) in such databases
      as Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, PMC, Cochrane, as well as archives of both
      Russian and foreign journals, guidelines (clinical guidelines on rendering
      medical care for patients with diabetes mellitus, selected lectures on
      endocrinology). A broad spectrum of action and no significant side effects have
      made it possible to use this drug in various pathological conditions. At the same
      time, because of limited experience of using nicergoline for vascular diseases
      and an insufficient number of the carried out studies the precise role of this
      therapeutic agent in clinical practice has not yet been conclusively defined.
      Special attention is given to the analysis of efficacy of nicergoline in
      atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 28902813
TI  - [Surgical decision-making during treatment of a patient with multifocal
      atherosclerosis based on intraoperative epiaortic scanning].
AB  - The article deals with a clinical case report regarding surgical management of a
      patient presenting with multifocal atherosclerosis. Taking into consideration
      critical stenoses of the anterior interventricular artery (80%) and circumflex
      artery (80%), as well as subocclusion of the left internal carotid artery and
      stenosis of the right internal carotid artery (60%), there were high risks for
      intraoperative cerebral circulation impairment. It was decided to perform a two
      stage operation on the coronary and carotid beds. The envisaged scope of the
      intervention comprised: carotid endarterectomy on the left and coronary bypass
      grafting of the anterior interventricular and circumflex arteries in conditions
      of assisted circulation. The intraoperative epiaortic scanning revealed
      atheromatosis of the ascending portion of the aorta, thus making it impossible to
      cross-clamp the aorta for establishing distal anastomoses on the non-beating
      heart and proximal anastomoses on the aorta. A decision was made to change the
      treatment policy. The patient was subjected to endarterectomy from the left
      internal carotid artery and mammarocoronary bypass grafting of the anterior
      interventricular artery on the beating heart with the help of the Octopus
      myocardial stabiliser. The second stage consisted in stenting of the circumflex
      artery. This clinical case report demonstrates the necessity of precision
      diagnosis of an atherosclerotic lesion of the aorta by means of epiaortic
      scanning in order to prevent perioperative acute impairments of cerebral
      circulation.

PMID- 28902814
TI  - ['Life-saving' interventions in subacute thrombosis of crural and plantar
      arteries].
AB  - The authors report a clinical case concerning successful endovascular treatment
      for subacute thrombosis of crural and plantar arteries in a patient with the only
      leg, substantiating therapeutic decision making with due regard for the duration
      of thrombosis and localization of the lesion of the arterial bed. Taking into
      consideration the statistical data on survival in case of performing major
      amputation in this cohort of patients, an 'aggressive' endovascular approach
      including three vascularizations made it possible not only to preserve the leg
      but also to save the patient's life.

PMID- 28902815
TI  - [Endovascular treatment of a patient with post-thrombotic disease and obstruction
      of a cava filter].
AB  - Balloon angioplasty and stenting have increasingly been gaining widespread
      application for treatment of post-thrombotic alterations in the system of the
      vena cava. Endovascular ultrasonographic examination makes it possible with the
      utmost degree of reliability to determine both the extension and degree of the
      narrowing of venous segments, thus proving a possibility of choosing a venous
      stent of an appropriate diameter. Restoration of an adequate venous lumen leads
      to normalization of blood flow and elimination of venous hypertension. However,
      unsolved as yet remains the problem concerning proper management of post
      thrombotic obstructions of the inferior vena cava at the level of a cava filter.
      Owing to a wide variety of configurations of cava filters to deploy, there are no
      common approaches to elimination of such obstruction. Presented herein is a
      clinical case report regarding successful endovascular treatment of a patient
      diagnosed with post-thrombotic disease secondary to endured thrombosis. The
      findings of both phlebography and endovascular ultrasonographic examination made
      it possible to diagnose obstruction of the left common iliac vein, external iliac
      vein, and inferior vena cava to the level of the cava filter previously deployed.
      In the segment of the inferior vena cava at the level of the cava filter also
      revealed was a pronounced luminal narrowing exceeding 90% of its diameter. We
      carried out stenting of the common and external iliac veins, inferior vena cava,
      and the cava filter. Swelling of the left leg subsided spontaneously within 2
      weeks and the first postoperative month was accompanied by gradual disappearance
      of the previously existing feeling of heaviness in the lower limbs and a dramatic
      decrease in fatigue by the end of the working day.

PMID- 28902816
TI  - [Diagnosis and treatment of deep vein thrombosis in neonates and nurselings].
AB  - The authors share herein their experience in diagnosis and treatment of deep vein
      thrombosis in neonates and nurselings. We examined a total of 132 infants
      undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit. Of these, 15 infants were
      diagnosed with various-localization thromboses. Ultrasonographic study was the
      main method of diagnosis. Management consisted in anticoagulant therapy. Timely
      administration of anticoagulant therapy made it possible to achieve complete
      recanalization of venous lumens in 80% of cases. Only 20% of infants were found
      to have vein occlusion preserved, thus requiring further follow up and treatment.
      Neither complications nor relapsing thromboses were observed. A conclusion was
      drawn that characteristic of neonates and infants under 12 months of life is a
      specific profile of etiopathogenesis of deep vein thrombosis. In the majority of
      cases thrombosis appears to be catheter-related, and only in sporadic cases it
      forms spontaneously. Treatment of thromboses is typically associated with high
      successfulness of medicamentous therapy.

PMID- 28902817
TI  - [Clinical efficacy of electric stimulation of crural muscles in comprehensive
      treatment of post-thrombotic disease].
AB  - The purpose of the study was to evaluate clinical efficacy of
      electromyostimulation (EMS) of the crural muscles as part of comprehensive
      therapy for post-thrombotic disease in patients with residual venous obstruction
      in the femoropopliteal segment. We carried out a prospective comparative clinical
      study enrolling patients having endured a fist episode of clinically unprovoked
      venous thrombosis of the femoropopliteal segment and completed the standard 6
      month course of anticoagulant therapy and presenting with ultrasonographic signs
      of complete recanalization of the proximal venous segments (stenosis of 20% and
      more from the vessel's initial diameter), as well as scoring 5 points and more by
      the Villalta scale. The study included a total of 60 patients (38 men and 22
      women, mean age 58.5+/-11.4 years) subdivided into two groups consisting of 30
      patients each. Patients of both the Study and Control Groups underwent
      comprehensive therapy including wearing a compression knee sock (23-32 mmHg), a
      course phlebotrophic drugs, and dosed walking (not less than 5,000 steps a day).
      The Study Group patients were additionally subjected to daily electrical
      stimulation of the crural muscles with the "Veinoplus VI" unit (three 30-minute
      sessions a day). The duration of the follow up amounted to 12 months. The
      criteria for assessing therapeutic efficacy were as follows: severity of the
      disease by the VCSS and Villalta scales, quality of life as assessed by the CIVIQ
      20 questionnaire, and lack of relapses of the venous thrombus. Clinical and
      instrumental assessment of the patients' condition was carried out monthly, with
      the disease's severity and quality of life assesses each 6 months. Relapses of
      venous thrombosis were registered in 7 (23.3%) patients from the Control Group
      and were not observed in patients undergoing EMS (p=0.011). In 5 cases,
      thrombosis was asymptomatic and in 4 cases it was presented by reocclusion of the
      involved venous segments. Patients of the Study Group were found to have a
      decrease in the disease's severity, reflected in points: VCSS (9.9+/-1.6 - 7.8 +/
      1.6 - 6.1+/-1.5 (p <0.0001)); Villalta scale (18.9+/-3.9 - 12.8+/-4.0 - 8.3+/
      2.7 (p<0.0001)); CIVIQ-20 score (67.8+/-8.4 - 51.3+/-8.4 - 40.0+/-10.5
      (p<0.001)). The Control Group patients showed a similar tendency for the
      disease's severity: 8.1+/-2.8 - 7.3+/-2.1 - 7.2+/-2.1 points by the VCSS
      (p=0.014); 12.7+/-6.7 - 10.9+/-5.6 - 10.2+/-5.4 points by the Villalta scale
      (p=0.002), but not for quality of life: 48.2+/-19.3 - 46.7+/-17.3 - 47.4+/-16.2
      points by the CIVIQ-20 (p>0.05). On the background of using EMS, the alterations
      in the studied parameters were characterized by higher velocity and intensity
      (p<0.05). The use of electromyostimulation as part of comprehensive treatment for
      post-thrombotic disease makes it possible to efficiently eliminate both
      subjective and objective signs of venous insufficiency, improve patients' quality
      of life and decrease the risk for the development of relapsing venous thrombosis.

PMID- 28902818
TI  - [Efficacy of sulodexide in treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. Results of
      the ACCORD trial].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to evaluate both clinical and laboratory
      efficacy of sulodexide given at a daily dose of 500 lipasemic units (LSU) in
      patients presenting with class C3-C4 chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) according
      to the CEAP classification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included a total of
      25 patients diagnosed with C3-C4 CVI and prescribed to receive sulodexide at a
      daily dose of 500 LSU for 90 days. Efficacy was comprehensively controlled by the
      following tools: the disease-specific Chronic Venous Insufficiency Quality of
      Life Questionnaire (CIVIQ), visual-analogue methods of assessment separate
      symptoms; the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS), as well as ultrasonographic
      determination of the thickness of subcutaneous fat and crural fascia. Amongst the
      key laboratory indices determined by means of the ELISA test were the levels of
      interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), matrix
      metalloproteinases-2 and -9 (MMP-2, MMP-9), vascular endothelial growth factor A
      (VEGF-A), vasopressin and endothelin. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Of the initially
      enrolled 25 subjects, twenty-two patients completed the study and were taken as
      100%. The 90-day treatment yielded favourable results manifesting themselves in
      complete disappearance of convulsions in the calf muscles detected at the first
      visit in 22.7% of patients (p=0.0485), a significant reduction in the frequency
      of complaints of decreased tolerance to static loads from 27.3 to 9.1%
      (p=0.2404). The volume of the crus of the control lower extremity decreased from
      134.18+/-14. 92 to 128.42+/-12.46 cm3 (p=0.0006), subcutaneous fat thickness at
      the fixed point decreased from 1.50+/-0.53 to 1.32+/-0.46 cm (p=0.0007), and
      fascial thickness decreased from 0.14+/-0.7 to 0.11+/-0.04 (p=0.0359). Pain
      syndrome according to the visual analogue scale (VAS) decreased from 36.45+/
      25.60 to 17.50+/-19.27 mm (p=0.0002). The global index of quality of life (GIQoL)
      according to the CIVIQ-20 increased by 27.7% compared with the baseline level (p
      = 0.0001), the VCSS index decreased from 6.00+/-1.83 to 4.86+/-2.05 points
      (p=0.0002). as for the laboratory markers of endothelial dysfunction, there was a
      significant decrease in the levels of MMP-2 - from 178.53+/-36.30 to 176.35+/
      36.67 ng/ml (p=0.0152), MMP-9 - from 90.84+/-20.41 to 89.78+/-20.32 ng/ml
      (p=0.0394), and that of endothelin - from 0.42+/-0.10 to 0.39+/-0.10 fmol/ml.
      CONCLUSION: Sulodexide exerting a statistically significant clinical and
      endothelium-protecting effect turned out to be an effective drug for treatment of
      initial forms of chronic venous insufficiency of lower limbs.

PMID- 28902819
TI  - [Chronic venous diseases: valvular function and leukocyte-endothelial
      interaction, possibilities of pharmacotherapy].
AB  - This article provides a review of the literature focusing on the data elucidating
      the pathogenesis of chronic venous diseases from the positions of
      macrohaemodynamic (venous valvular function) and microcirculatory impairments.
      Presented herein are confirmations of the interaction between two important
      mechanisms, as well as the literature data concerning the role of the venous
      microvalvular structures and possible haemodynamic impairments in functional
      venous insufficiency. Also presented are substantiations in confirmation of the
      theory of leukocyte-endothelial interaction, forming the basis for contemporary
      understanding of the pathogenesis of chronic venous diseases. This is followed by
      elucidating the role of venoactive drugs in conservative treatment of patients
      with chronic venous diseases, and, finally, touching upon current problems and
      promising approaches to solve them.

PMID- 28902820
TI  - The operative technique of shunting to the third (V3) segment of the vertebral
      artery.
AB  - The authors provide a detailed description of the step-by-step technique of
      performing the operation of shunting to the V3 segment of the vertebral artery in
      patients with clinical manifestations of vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI).
      Reported are surgical outcomes in a total of 57 patients with VBI. Of these, 5
      patients underwent arterial bypass grafting and 52 patients endured autovenous
      shunting. One patient developed shunt thrombosis in the early postoperative
      period and, unfortunately, died, with the remaining 51 shunts being patent. At 3
      years of follow up, shunt thrombosis occurred in four (80%) patients with the
      arterial bypass and only in one (1.7%) of the 52 autovein-treated patients. The
      total duration of postoperative follow up amounted to 10 years. Long-term freedom
      from VBI clinical manifestations was achieved in 88.7 % of patients after 3 years
      and in 78.3% after 7 years, with the 3- and 7-year patency rate of the autovenous
      shunts amounting to 98.1 and 96.2%, respectively.

PMID- 28902821
TI  - [Outcomes of open endovascular operations on the internal carotid artery in acute
      stage of ischaemic stroke].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The authors share their experience in diagnosis and treatment of
      patients with acute ischaemic stroke. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included a
      total of 33 patients. Of these, 20 patients (Study Group) were operated on at
      terms ranging from 2 to 7 days after onset of acute cerebral circulatory
      impairment. The Control Group was composed of 13 patients with ischaemic stroke,
      having refused surgical prevention of recurrent stroke. Both groups were matched
      by age, gender, level of neurological deficiency and size of cerebral ischaemic
      foci. Surgical management in the Study Group consisted in either carotid
      endarterectomy (n=15) or stenting of the internal carotid artery (n=5). Depending
      on the severity of coronary artery lesion and the presence of accompanying
      therapeutic pathology, options of operative treatment with various
      anaesthesiological support were offered. RESULTS: At discharge, neurological
      deficit in the Study Group patients was lower - 1.2 points by the NIH Stroke
      Scale versus 2.7 points in the Control Group, however, this difference was not
      statistically significant (p=0.45). In the Study Group there were two
      complications: haematoma of the postoperative injury requiring its revision and a
      transient ischaemic attack during stenting of the internal carotid artery, having
      disappeared on the operation table after the distal cerebral protection device
      was removed. Significantly better results were obtained by the following
      parameters: in the Study Group the number of patients discharged with no
      neurological deficit (scoring 0 by the NIHSS scale) was significantly higher
      compared with the Control Group; 50% vs 7.7% (p<0.001). There were no lethal
      outcomes in either group. One patient (7.7%) from the Study Group developed
      recurrent ischaemic stroke, whereas neither intra- nor postoperative stroke was
      registered in the Control Group patients (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In carefully
      selected patients with ischaemic stroke (neurological deficit not exceeding 3
      points by the Rankin scale and not more than 11 points by the NIHSS, with the
      size of the ischaemic focus not exceeding 4 cm), surgical prevention of recurrent
      stroke within 7 days after the onset of an ischaemic event may be performed
      effectively and safely. Early operation effectively prevents relapsing ischaemic
      events at the in-hospital stage. Besides, reconstruction of brachiocephalic
      arteries during an acute stage of stroke in operated patients improves the
      neurological status in the postoperative period, decreases the degree of motor
      and sensory disorders and makes it possible in half of patients to completely
      eliminate neurological deficit present at admission.

PMID- 28902822
TI  - Assessing the effect of endoprosthetic repair of the thoracic portion on aortic
      remodelling after surgical correction for DeBakey type I dissection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of
      endoprosthetic repair of the aortic thoracic portion on remodelling of the
      descending aorta in patients after the surgical stage of correction for DeBakey
      type I aortic dissection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors retrospectively
      analysed a group of 12 patients (9 men and 3 women) subjected to endoprosthetic
      repair of the aortic thoracic portion after previously performed surgical
      correction of the ascending aorta and its braches. The average age of the
      patients amounted to 48 (43-56.7) years. All patients underwent multispiral
      computed tomography (MSCT) first performed at admission, then immediately after
      implantation of the stent graft and at 6, 12 and 24 months after discharge. The
      Control Group consisted of nine patients with a previous history of DeBakey type
      I aortic dissection, who had endured only surgical correction of the ascending
      aorta and arch. RESULTS: The success rate of the intervention amounted to 100%.
      There were no signs of ischaemia of the spinal cord, visceral organs or lower
      limbs. The diameter of the implanted stent grafts varied from 28 to 40 mm and the
      length ranged from 140 to 204 mm. Seven (58%) patients of the Study Group as
      early as during a year were found to have no blood flow along the false channel.
      The false channel remained patent in 100% of the Control Group patients. Over a
      two-year period of follow up, in patients after endoprosthetic repair, the
      diameter of the false channel did not increase. In the Control Group patients
      during the same period of follow up, there was a tendency towards an increase in
      the aortic diameter at the expense of dilatation of the false channel, with an
      enlargement of the false channel of the descending aorta at the level of the
      diaphragm from 1.8 (1.57-2.1) to 2.05 (1.7-2.31) cm (p=0.4) and at the level of
      the renal arteries from 1.5 (1.32-1.8) to 1.8 (1.58-1.97) cm (p=0.4). There were
      no lethal outcomes during follow up. CONCLUSION: Endoprosthetic repair of the
      thoracic portion after surgical correction was in the remote period accompanied
      and followed by stabilization of the diameter of the descending aorta, as well as
      contributed to closure of the false channel.

PMID- 28902823
TI  - [Comparing the risks for the development of perioperative complications in
      carotid endarterectomy and carotid angioplasty].
AB  - The article is a literature review presenting a comparative analysis of 30-day
      risks of mortality and complications after carotid endarterectomy and carotid
      angioplasty with stenting. The risks studied were as follows: myocardial
      infarction, stroke, transitory ischaemic attacks, bradycardia, hypotension,
      postoperative haematomas, and damages to the craniocerebral nerves. The authors
      analysed a series of recently published foreign studies and meta-analyses
      dedicated to the problem concerned. The obtained findings revealed that carotid
      endarterectomy turned out to be associated with a higher perioperative risk for
      the development of myocardial infarction, postoperative haematomas and damages to
      the craniocerebral nerves, whereas carotid angioplasty with stenting appeared to
      be associated with an increased risk for the development of stroke, bradycardia
      and hypotension within the first 30 postoperative days. As far as mortality is
      concerned, it proved to be relatively similar for both methods of
      revascularization. The use of systems of protection of the brain from embolism
      during stenting of carotid arteries decreases the perioperative risks, however,
      it seems difficult to unequivocally affirm which of the methods of cerebral
      protection demonstrates better results.

PMID- 28902824
TI  - [Aneurysm of the extracranial portion of the internal carotid artery combined
      with kinking of its distal segment].
AB  - Presented herein is a clinical case report regarding successful operation for an
      aneurysm of the left internal carotid artery (measuring 4.5*8.3 cm) combined with
      pathological tortuosity in its distal portion. The patient was subjected to
      aneurysmectomy of the left internal carotid artery with prosthetic repair.
      Kinking in the distal portion of the aneurysm made it possible with minimal
      technical difficulties to establish a distal anastomosis during prosthetic
      repair. The diagnosis of an atherosclerotic-aetiology aneurysm was
      morphologically confirmed.

PMID- 28902825
TI  - [Treatment of patients with critical lower limb ischaemia: endovascular methods
      or reconstructive operations].
AB  - Presented herein is a review of the literature related to endovascular methods of
      treatment of patients with critical lower limb ischaemia. This is followed by
      comparative assessment of the outcomes of endovascular and open surgical
      interventions. Also covered are problems concerning appropriate therapeutic
      decision making, taking into consideration peculiarities of lower limb ischaemia
      and the state at the expense of insufficiency of inflow/outflow.

PMID- 28902826
TI  - [Treatment of type IB endoleak after endoprosthetic repair of infrarenal
      aneurysm].
AB  - The article deals with a case report regarding successful surgical management of
      late type IB endoleak caused by dislocation of the leg of the stent graft,
      occurring three years after endoprosthetic repair of an aneurysm of the aortic
      infrarenal portion with the COOK stent graft, aneurysmectomy with prosthetic
      repair of the right common femoral artery using the linear vascular graft
      Intergard 8CH20. The patient underwent surgical treatment: endoprosthetic repair
      of the iliac branch ZSLE-24-90-90 ZT of the Zenith Spiral AAA stent graft. The
      findings of the check-up angiography and ultrasonographic examination revealed no
      evidence of endoleak, with the stent graft's patency preserved. The early
      postoperative period was marked with moderate manifestations of asthenic
      syndrome. The patient was discharged in a satisfactory condition. Cases
      concerning removal of similar complication in the remote period following
      endoprosthetic repair of the aorta are mentioned sporadically in the available
      literature.

PMID- 28902827
TI  - [Repeat prosthetic repair of the internal carotid artery].
AB  - Described herein is a clinical case report regarding reoperation on carotid
      arteries for thrombosis of a synthetic graft of the internal carotid artery in a
      patient presenting with a multifocal atherosclerotic lesion. Despite
      medicamentous treatment carried out after the primary operation, the presence of
      major risk factors had unfavourably contributed to progression of the
      disseminated atherosclerotic process. During eight years, the patient had endured
      reconstructive interventions on the brachiocephalic and coronary arteries, as
      well as on the vessels of the iliac-femoral-popliteal segment. Taking into
      consideration the peculiarities of the vascular anatomy, the degree of stenosis
      of the internal carotid artery with the presence of thrombotic masses in the
      lumen, and thrombosis inside the graft, a decision was made to perform repeat
      "open" reconstruction consisting in successful common carotid-internal carotid
      prosthetic repair using a synthetic graft with resection of the external carotid
      artery.

PMID- 28902828
TI  - [Open surgical treatment of a giant renal cyst on the background of an
      arteriovenous fistula of the right renal artery].
AB  - Presented herein is a clinical case report concerning open surgical treatment of
      an arteriovenous fistula of the renal artery with a large venous aneurysm in the
      hilum of the right kidney and a giant cyst of the upper pole in a 28-year-old
      woman. The intraoperative findings revealed disunion of the arteriovenous
      fistula, followed by edge-to-edge suturing of the arterial defect. The venous
      aneurysm in the hilum of the right kidney was dissected and sutured by the edge
      to-edge technique, with the additional varicose renal vein ligated. The
      postoperative period turned out to be uneventful with favourable convalescence
      and no complications. The check MSCT angiography performed 3 months later showed
      that the venous aneurysm was thrombosed, with no evidence of arterial blood
      ingress revealed. The excretory function of the kidney was preserved. Also
      discussed in the article are variants of diagnosis and treatment of an
      arteriovenous fistula of this localization and complications thereof.

PMID- 28902829
TI  - [Compression knitwear VENOTEKS TREND in treatment of patients with chronic venous
      diseases of the lower limbs].
AB  - The authors assessed efficacy and safety of class 2 compression knitwear VENOTEKS
      TREND used in conservative and injection phlebosclerosing therapy of patients
      presenting with clinical class C1-C3 chronic venous diseases of the lower limbs.
      The study included a total of 30 patients. The compliance rate amounted to 92%.
      It was demonstrated that class 2 compression knitwear Venoteks Trend
      statistically significantly decreases the degree of subjective symptomatology, is
      efficient and safe in therapy for oedematous syndrome in the programmes of
      conservative treatment and after sclerotherapy.

PMID- 28902830
TI  - [Use of Tachocomb agent in cardiovascular surgery].
AB  - The article contains a review of the literature concerning the use of the
      Tachocomb haemostatic sponge in cardiovascular surgery. This is followed by
      enumerating the pharmacological properties of the agent, mechanism of its action,
      and methods of application. Also shown herein is a high haemostatic effect of the
      sponge, exceeding that of other means of topical haemostasis. Both safety and a
      hypoallergenic nature make it possible to widely use Tachocomb in surgical
      practice.

PMID- 28902831
TI  - [Endovenous thermal interventions in treatment of patients with lower limb
      varicose veins].
AB  - The problem regarding treatment of patients suffering from lower limb varicose
      veins remains a matter of current concern and is important today because of high
      prevalence of the pathology concerned and a steadily growing number of newly
      diagnosed cases. Mention should be made that both Russian and foreign
      phlebologists along with an open surgical operation on veins have more and more
      often been using minimally invasive endovenous techniques in comprehensive
      management of patients presenting with varicose veins. The present article is a
      literature review dedicated to a detailed discussion of two most commonly
      performed and efficient procedures, namely, radiofrequency ablation of lower limb
      veins and endovasal laser coagulation. This is accompanied and followed by
      demonstrating advantages of these techniques, describing the immediate and remote
      results obtained, as well as possible complications, both typical and rarely
      occurring. The majority of specialists employing radiofrequency ablation of lower
      limb veins and endovasal endovenous laser coagulation report high effectiveness
      of their use for treatment of patients with lower limb varicose veins, including
      those diagnosed with pronounced trophic impairments. The findings obtained by
      many authors while comparing efficacy of various endovenous procedures make it
      possible to assess them objectively and to correctly determine the indications
      for a particular intervention.

PMID- 28902832
TI  - [Thrombosis of lower-limb deep veins: a present-day view on conservative
      treatment].
AB  - The article contains a review of the literature data concerning different
      variants of conservative treatment of patients suffering from lower limb deep
      vein thrombosis. This is accompanied and followed by demonstrating the manner of
      alterations in the views on using various anticoagulants, as well as analysing
      the attitude towards the place of compression therapy in treatment of patients
      with lower limb deep vein thrombosis.

PMID- 28902833
TI  - Rabies screen reveals GPe control of cocaine-triggered plasticity.
AB  - Identification of neural circuit changes that contribute to behavioural
      plasticity has routinely been conducted on candidate circuits that were
      preselected on the basis of previous results. Here we present an unbiased method
      for identifying experience-triggered circuit-level changes in neuronal ensembles
      in mice. Using rabies virus monosynaptic tracing, we mapped cocaine-induced
      global changes in inputs onto neurons in the ventral tegmental area. Cocaine
      increased rabies-labelled inputs from the globus pallidus externus (GPe), a basal
      ganglia nucleus not previously known to participate in behavioural plasticity
      triggered by drugs of abuse. We demonstrated that cocaine increased GPe neuron
      activity, which accounted for the increase in GPe labelling. Inhibition of GPe
      activity revealed that it contributes to two forms of cocaine-triggered
      behavioural plasticity, at least in part by disinhibiting dopamine neurons in the
      ventral tegmental area. These results suggest that rabies-based unbiased
      screening of changes in input populations can identify previously unappreciated
      circuit elements that critically support behavioural adaptations.

PMID- 28902834
TI  - Alternative evolutionary histories in the sequence space of an ancient protein.
AB  - To understand why molecular evolution turned out as it did, we must characterize
      not only the path that evolution followed across the space of possible molecular
      sequences but also the many alternative trajectories that could have been taken
      but were not. A large-scale comparison of real and possible histories would
      establish whether the outcome of evolution represents an optimal state driven by
      natural selection or the contingent product of historical chance events; it would
      also reveal how the underlying distribution of functions across sequence space
      shaped historical evolution. Here we combine ancestral protein reconstruction
      with deep mutational scanning to characterize alternative histories in the
      sequence space around an ancient transcription factor, which evolved a novel
      biological function through well-characterized mechanisms. We find hundreds of
      alternative protein sequences that use diverse biochemical mechanisms to perform
      the derived function at least as well as the historical outcome. These
      alternatives all require prior permissive substitutions that do not enhance the
      derived function, but not all require the same permissive changes that occurred
      during history. We find that if evolution had begun from a different starting
      point within the network of sequences encoding the ancestral function, outcomes
      with different genetic and biochemical forms would probably have resulted; this
      contingency arises from the distribution of functional variants in sequence space
      and epistasis between residues. Our results illuminate the topology of the vast
      space of possibilities from which history sampled one path, highlighting how the
      outcome of evolution depends on a serial chain of compounding chance events.

PMID- 28902835
TI  - Reversing behavioural abnormalities in mice exposed to maternal inflammation.
AB  - Viral infection during pregnancy is correlated with increased frequency of
      neurodevelopmental disorders, and this is studied in mice prenatally subjected to
      maternal immune activation (MIA). We previously showed that maternal T helper 17
      cells promote the development of cortical and behavioural abnormalities in MIA
      affected offspring. Here we show that cortical abnormalities are preferentially
      localized to a region encompassing the dysgranular zone of the primary
      somatosensory cortex (S1DZ). Moreover, activation of pyramidal neurons in this
      cortical region was sufficient to induce MIA-associated behavioural phenotypes in
      wild-type animals, whereas reduction in neural activity rescued the behavioural
      abnormalities in MIA-affected offspring. Sociability and repetitive behavioural
      phenotypes could be selectively modulated according to the efferent targets of
      S1DZ. Our work identifies a cortical region primarily, if not exclusively,
      centred on the S1DZ as the major node of a neural network that mediates
      behavioural abnormalities observed in offspring exposed to maternal inflammation.

PMID- 28902837
TI  - Neuroscience: Mum's bacteria linked to baby's behaviour.

PMID- 28902836
TI  - Hippocampal LTP and contextual learning require surface diffusion of AMPA
      receptors.
AB  - Long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synaptic transmission has long been
      considered a cellular correlate for learning and memory. Early LTP (less than 1
      h) had initially been explained either by presynaptic increases in glutamate
      release or by direct modification of postsynaptic AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5
      methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) receptor function. Compelling models have more
      recently proposed that synaptic potentiation can occur by the recruitment of
      additional postsynaptic AMPA receptors (AMPARs), sourced either from an
      intracellular reserve pool by exocytosis or from nearby extra-synaptic receptors
      pre-existing on the neuronal surface. However, the exact mechanism through which
      synapses can rapidly recruit new AMPARs during early LTP remains unknown. In
      particular, direct evidence for a pivotal role of AMPAR surface diffusion as a
      trafficking mechanism in synaptic plasticity is still lacking. Here, using AMPAR
      immobilization approaches, we show that interfering with AMPAR surface diffusion
      markedly impairs synaptic potentiation of Schaffer collaterals and commissural
      inputs to the CA1 area of the mouse hippocampus in cultured slices, acute slices
      and in vivo. Our data also identify distinct contributions of various AMPAR
      trafficking routes to the temporal profile of synaptic potentiation. In addition,
      AMPAR immobilization in vivo in the dorsal hippocampus inhibited fear
      conditioning, indicating that AMPAR diffusion is important for the early phase of
      contextual learning. Therefore, our results provide a direct demonstration that
      the recruitment of new receptors to synapses by surface diffusion is a critical
      mechanism for the expression of LTP and hippocampal learning. Since AMPAR surface
      diffusion is dictated by weak Brownian forces that are readily perturbed by
      protein-protein interactions, we anticipate that this fundamental trafficking
      mechanism will be a key target for modulating synaptic potentiation and learning.

PMID- 28902838
TI  - The cryo-electron microscopy structure of human transcription factor IIH.
AB  - Human transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) is part of the general transcriptional
      machinery required by RNA polymerase II for the initiation of eukaryotic gene
      transcription. Composed of ten subunits that add up to a molecular mass of about
      500 kDa, TFIIH is also essential for nucleotide excision repair. The seven
      subunit TFIIH core complex formed by XPB, XPD, p62, p52, p44, p34, and p8 is
      competent for DNA repair, while the CDK-activating kinase subcomplex, which
      includes the kinase activity of CDK7 as well as the cyclin H and MAT1 subunits,
      is additionally required for transcription initiation. Mutations in the TFIIH
      subunits XPB, XPD, and p8 lead to severe premature ageing and cancer propensity
      in the genetic diseases xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome, and
      trichothiodystrophy, highlighting the importance of TFIIH for cellular
      physiology. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of human TFIIH
      at 4.4 A resolution. The structure reveals the molecular architecture of the
      TFIIH core complex, the detailed structures of its constituent XPB and XPD
      ATPases, and how the core and kinase subcomplexes of TFIIH are connected.
      Additionally, our structure provides insight into the conformational dynamics of
      TFIIH and the regulation of its activity.

PMID- 28902839
TI  - SAM-dependent enzyme-catalysed pericyclic reactions in natural product
      biosynthesis.
AB  - Pericyclic reactions-which proceed in a concerted fashion through a cyclic
      transition state-are among the most powerful synthetic transformations used to
      make multiple regioselective and stereoselective carbon-carbon bonds. They have
      been widely applied to the synthesis of biologically active complex natural
      products containing contiguous stereogenic carbon centres. Despite the prominence
      of pericyclic reactions in total synthesis, only three naturally existing
      enzymatic examples (the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, and the Cope and the
      Claisen rearrangements) have been characterized. Here we report a versatile S
      adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM)-dependent enzyme, LepI, that can catalyse
      stereoselective dehydration followed by three pericyclic transformations:
      intramolecular Diels-Alder and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions via a single
      ambimodal transition state, and a retro-Claisen rearrangement. Together, these
      transformations lead to the formation of the dihydropyran core of the fungal
      natural product, leporin. Combined in vitro enzymatic characterization and
      computational studies provide insight into how LepI regulates these bifurcating
      biosynthetic reaction pathways by using SAM as the cofactor. These pathways
      converge to the desired biosynthetic end product via the (SAM-dependent) retro
      Claisen rearrangement catalysed by LepI. We expect that more pericyclic
      biosynthetic enzymatic transformations remain to be discovered in naturally
      occurring enzyme 'toolboxes'. The new role of the versatile cofactor SAM is
      likely to be found in other examples of enzyme catalysis.

PMID- 28902840
TI  - Maternal gut bacteria promote neurodevelopmental abnormalities in mouse
      offspring.
AB  - Maternal immune activation (MIA) contributes to behavioural abnormalities
      associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in both primate and rodent
      offspring. In humans, epidemiological studies suggest that exposure of fetuses to
      maternal inflammation increases the likelihood of developing autism spectrum
      disorder. In pregnant mice, interleukin-17a (IL-17a) produced by T helper 17
      (TH17) cells (CD4+ T helper effector cells involved in multiple inflammatory
      conditions) induces behavioural and cortical abnormalities in the offspring
      exposed to MIA. However, it is unclear whether other maternal factors are
      required to promote MIA-associated phenotypes. Moreover, the underlying
      mechanisms by which MIA leads to T cell activation with increased IL-17a in the
      maternal circulation are not well understood. Here we show that MIA phenotypes in
      offspring require maternal intestinal bacteria that promote TH17 cell
      differentiation. Pregnant mice that had been colonized with mouse commensal
      segmented filamentous bacteria or human commensal bacteria that induce intestinal
      TH17 cells were more likely to produce offspring with MIA-associated
      abnormalities. We also show that small intestine dendritic cells from pregnant,
      but not from non-pregnant, females secrete IL-1beta, IL-23 and IL-6 and stimulate
      T cells to produce IL-17a upon exposure to MIA. Overall, our data suggest that
      defined gut commensal bacteria with a propensity to induce TH17 cells may
      increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring of pregnant
      mothers undergoing immune system activation owing to infections or
      autoinflammatory syndromes.

PMID- 28902841
TI  - cGAS senses long and HMGB/TFAM-bound U-turn DNA by forming protein-DNA ladders.
AB  - Cytosolic DNA arising from intracellular pathogens triggers a powerful innate
      immune response. It is sensed by cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), which elicits
      the production of type I interferons by generating the second messenger 2'3'
      cyclic-GMP-AMP (cGAMP). Endogenous nuclear or mitochondrial DNA can also be
      sensed by cGAS under certain conditions, resulting in sterile inflammation. The
      cGAS dimer binds two DNA ligands shorter than 20 base pairs side-by-side, but 20
      base-pair DNA fails to activate cGAS in vivo and is a poor activator in vitro.
      Here we show that cGAS is activated in a strongly DNA length-dependent manner
      both in vitro and in human cells. We also show that cGAS dimers form ladder-like
      networks with DNA, leading to cooperative sensing of DNA length: assembly of the
      pioneering cGAS dimer between two DNA molecules is ineffective; but, once formed,
      it prearranges the flanking DNA to promote binding of subsequent cGAS dimers.
      Remarkably, bacterial and mitochondrial nucleoid proteins HU and mitochondrial
      transcription factor A (TFAM), as well as high-mobility group box 1 protein
      (HMGB1), can strongly stimulate long DNA sensing by cGAS. U-turns and bends in
      DNA induced by these proteins pre-structure DNA to nucleate cGAS dimers. Our
      results suggest a nucleation-cooperativity-based mechanism for sensitive
      detection of mitochondrial DNA and pathogen genomes, and identify HMGB/TFAM
      proteins as DNA-structuring host factors. They provide an explanation for the
      peculiar cGAS dimer structure and suggest that cGAS preferentially binds
      incomplete nucleoid-like structures or bent DNA.

PMID- 28902842
TI  - The neuropeptide NMU amplifies ILC2-driven allergic lung inflammation.
AB  - Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) both contribute to mucosal homeostasis and
      initiate pathologic inflammation in allergic asthma. However, the signals that
      direct ILC2s to promote homeostasis versus inflammation are unclear. To identify
      such molecular cues, we profiled mouse lung-resident ILCs using single-cell RNA
      sequencing at steady state and after in vivo stimulation with the alarmin
      cytokines IL-25 and IL-33. ILC2s were transcriptionally heterogeneous after
      activation, with subpopulations distinguished by expression of proliferative,
      homeostatic and effector genes. The neuropeptide receptor Nmur1 was
      preferentially expressed by ILC2s at steady state and after IL-25 stimulation.
      Neuromedin U (NMU), the ligand of NMUR1, activated ILC2s in vitro, and in vivo co
      administration of NMU with IL-25 strongly amplified allergic inflammation. Loss
      of NMU-NMUR1 signalling reduced ILC2 frequency and effector function, and altered
      transcriptional programs following allergen challenge in vivo. Thus, NMUR1
      signalling promotes inflammatory ILC2 responses, highlighting the importance of
      neuro-immune crosstalk in allergic inflammation at mucosal surfaces.

PMID- 28902844
TI  - Melioidosis in lower provincial Cambodia: A case series from a prospective study
      of sepsis in Takeo Province.
AB  - Melioidosis is a severe infectious disease caused by the gram-negative soil
      bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Melioidosis is well known to be a major
      cause of morbidity and mortality in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand.
      However, melioidosis remains underreported in surrounding areas such as Cambodia.
      We report a case series of melioidosis in seven patients from Takeo Province,
      Cambodia. The patients, aged 24-65 years, were enrolled from May 2014 to May 2015
      during a one year prospective study of sepsis at Takeo Provincial Hospital. They
      presented with fever, rigors, dyspnea, fatigue, diaphoresis, productive cough,
      and skin abscesses. Six of the seven patients were also hyponatremic. B.
      pseudomallei was cultured from the blood of six patients and the sputum of one
      patient. In this manuscript, we provide a detailed description of the clinical
      presentation, case management and laboratory confirmation of B. pseudomallei, as
      well as discuss the difficulties of identifying and treating melioidosis in low
      resource settings.

PMID- 28902843
TI  - The Apostasia genome and the evolution of orchids.
AB  - Constituting approximately 10% of flowering plant species, orchids (Orchidaceae)
      display unique flower morphologies, possess an extraordinary diversity in
      lifestyle, and have successfully colonized almost every habitat on Earth. Here we
      report the draft genome sequence of Apostasia shenzhenica, a representative of
      one of two genera that form a sister lineage to the rest of the Orchidaceae,
      providing a reference for inferring the genome content and structure of the most
      recent common ancestor of all extant orchids and improving our understanding of
      their origins and evolution. In addition, we present transcriptome data for
      representatives of Vanilloideae, Cypripedioideae and Orchidoideae, and novel
      third-generation genome data for two species of Epidendroideae, covering all five
      orchid subfamilies. A. shenzhenica shows clear evidence of a whole-genome
      duplication, which is shared by all orchids and occurred shortly before their
      divergence. Comparisons between A. shenzhenica and other orchids and angiosperms
      also permitted the reconstruction of an ancestral orchid gene toolkit. We
      identify new gene families, gene family expansions and contractions, and changes
      within MADS-box gene classes, which control a diverse suite of developmental
      processes, during orchid evolution. This study sheds new light on the genetic
      mechanisms underpinning key orchid innovations, including the development of the
      labellum and gynostemium, pollinia, and seeds without endosperm, as well as the
      evolution of epiphytism; reveals relationships between the Orchidaceae
      subfamilies; and helps clarify the evolutionary history of orchids within the
      angiosperms.

PMID- 28902845
TI  - Clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of dengue and other etiologic agents
      among patients with acute febrile illness, Puerto Rico, 2012-2015.
AB  - Identifying etiologies of acute febrile illnesses (AFI) is challenging due to non
      specific presentation and limited availability of diagnostics. Prospective AFI
      studies provide a methodology to describe the syndrome by age and etiology,
      findings that can be used to develop case definitions and multiplexed diagnostics
      to optimize management. We conducted a 3-year prospective AFI study in Puerto
      Rico. Patients with fever <=7 days were offered enrollment, and clinical data and
      specimens were collected at enrollment and upon discharge or follow-up. Blood and
      oro-nasopharyngeal specimens were tested by RT-PCR and immunodiagnostic methods
      for infection with dengue viruses (DENV) 1-4, chikungunya virus (CHIKV),
      influenza A and B viruses (FLU A/B), 12 other respiratory viruses (ORV),
      enterovirus, Leptospira spp., and Burkholderia pseudomallei. Clinical
      presentation and laboratory findings of participants infected with DENV were
      compared to those infected with CHIKV, FLU A/B, and ORV. Clinical predictors of
      laboratory-positive dengue compared to all other AFI etiologies were determined
      by age and day post-illness onset (DPO) at presentation. Of 8,996 participants
      enrolled from May 7, 2012 through May 6, 2015, more than half (54.8%, 4,930) had
      a pathogen detected. Pathogens most frequently detected were CHIKV (1,635,
      18.2%), FLU A/B (1,074, 11.9%), DENV 1-4 (970, 10.8%), and ORV (904, 10.3%).
      Participants with DENV infection presented later and a higher proportion were
      hospitalized than those with other diagnoses (46.7% versus 27.3% with ORV, 18.8%
      with FLU A/B, and 11.2% with CHIKV). Predictors of dengue in participants
      presenting <3 DPO included leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, headache, eye pain,
      nausea, and dizziness, while negative predictors were irritability and
      rhinorrhea. Predictors of dengue in participants presenting 3-5 DPO were
      leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, facial/neck erythema, nausea, eye pain, signs of
      poor circulation, and diarrhea; presence of rhinorrhea, cough, and red
      conjunctiva predicted non-dengue AFI. By enrolling febrile patients at clinical
      presentation, we identified unbiased predictors of laboratory-positive dengue as
      compared to other common causes of AFI. These findings can be used to assist in
      early identification of dengue patients, as well as direct anticipatory guidance
      and timely initiation of correct clinical management.

PMID- 28902846
TI  - Downregulation of microRNA-145 may contribute to liver fibrosis in biliary
      atresia by targeting ADD3.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Biliary atresia (BA) is a pediatric liver disease
      characterized by fibro-obliteration and obstruction of the extrahepatic biliary
      system, that invariably leads to cirrhosis and even death, if left untreated for
      extended time. However, its pathology and etiology still remained unknown. In
      this study, we tested the expression of adducin 3 (ADD3), the gene identified as
      a susceptibility gene in BA by GWAS, and uncovered its upstream regulatory
      microRNA in the pathogenesis of BA. METHODS: In this study, 14 infants with BA
      and 14 infants with choledochal cyst (CC) were enrolled as experimental group and
      control group, respectively. ADD3 and microRNA-145 (miR-145) expression profiles
      in liver tissues of BA and CC were determined using qPCR. Luciferase reporter
      assay was performed to verify the direct interaction between miR-145-5p and ADD3
      3' Untranslated Regions (3'UTR). The Lentiviral vectors containing miR-145, miR
      145-3p inhibitor, miR-145-5p inhibitor, empty vector were transfected into human
      hepatic stellate cell line (LX-2) to determine the functional effect of miR-145
      on ADD3 expression at both mRNA and protein level. RESULTS: MiR-145 was shown to
      be down-regulated in liver tissues of infants with BA compared to CC (p =
      0.0267). ADD3, verified as a target of miR-145-5p, was shown to be overexpressed
      in infants with BA at the mRNA level (p = 0.0118). Transfection of lentiviruses
      containing miR-145 into LX-2 cells decreased the expression of ADD3 at both mRNA
      and protein level compared to negative control group, and suppressed the
      expression of p-Akt at protein level. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has shown that
      overexpressed ADD3 and downregulated miR-145 were detected in BA liver tissues.
      MiR-145-5p was confirmed to target ADD3 by luciferase reporter assay. The
      downregulation of miR-145 may contribute to liver fibrosis in BA by upregulating
      the expression of ADD3.

PMID- 28902847
TI  - First insights in the variability of Borrelia recurrentis genomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Borrelia recurrentis is the causative agent of louse-borne relapsing
      fever, endemic to the Horn of Africa. New attention was raised in Europe, with
      the highest number of cases (n = 45) reported among migrants in 2015 in Germany
      and sporadically from other European countries. So far only one genome was
      sequenced, hindering the development of specific molecular diagnostic and typing
      tools. Here we report on modified culture conditions for B. recurrentis and the
      intraspecies genome variability of six isolates isolated and cultured in
      different years in order to explore the possibility to identify new targets for
      typing and examine the molecular epidemiology of the pathogen.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Two historical isolates from Ethiopia and four
      isolates from migrants from Somalia (n = 3) and Ethiopia (n = 1) obtained in 2015
      were cultured in MPK-medium supplemented with 50% foetal calf serum. Whole DNA
      was sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technology and analysed using the CLC Genomics
      Workbench and SPAdes de novo assembler. Compared to the reference B. recurrentis
      A1 29-38 SNPs were identified in the genome distributed on the chromosome and
      plasmids. In addition to that, plasmids of differing length, compared to the
      available reference genome were identified. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The
      observed low genetic variability of B. recurrentis isolates is possibly due to
      the adaptation to a very conserved vector-host (louse-human) cycle, or influenced
      by the fastidious nature of the pathogen and their resistance to in vitro growth.
      Nevertheless, isolates obtained in 2015 were bearing the same chromosomal SNPs
      and could be distinguished from the historical isolates by means of whole genome
      sequencing, but not hitherto used typing methods. This is the first study
      examining the molecular epidemiology of B. recurrentis and provides the necessary
      background for the development of better diagnostic tools.

PMID- 28902849
TI  - To what degree does the missing-data technique influence the estimated growth in
      learning strategies over time? A tutorial example of sensitivity analysis for
      longitudinal data.
AB  - Longitudinal data is almost always burdened with missing data. However, in
      educational and psychological research, there is a large discrepancy between
      methodological suggestions and research practice. The former suggests applying
      sensitivity analysis in order to the robustness of the results in terms of
      varying assumptions regarding the mechanism generating the missing data. However,
      in research practice, participants with missing data are usually discarded by
      relying on listwise deletion. To help bridge the gap between methodological
      recommendations and applied research in the educational and psychological domain,
      this study provides a tutorial example of sensitivity analysis for latent growth
      analysis. The example data concern students' changes in learning strategies
      during higher education. One cohort of students in a Belgian university college
      was asked to complete the Inventory of Learning Styles-Short Version, in three
      measurement waves. A substantial number of students did not participate on each
      occasion. Change over time in student learning strategies was assessed using
      eight missing data techniques, which assume different mechanisms for missingness.
      The results indicated that, for some learning strategy subscales, growth
      estimates differed between the models. Guidelines in terms of reporting the
      results from sensitivity analysis are synthesised and applied to the results from
      the tutorial example.

PMID- 28902848
TI  - The effect of HIV infection and HCV viremia on inflammatory mediators and hepatic
      injury-The Women's Interagency HIV Study.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus infection induces inflammation and while it is believed that
      HIV co-infection enhances this response, HIV control may reduce inflammation and
      liver fibrosis in resolved or viremic HCV infection. Measurement of systemic
      biomarkers in co-infection could help define the mechanism of inflammation on
      fibrosis and determine if HIV control reduces liver pathology. A nested case
      control study was performed to explore the relationship of systemic biomarkers of
      inflammation with liver fibrosis in HCV viremic and/or seropositive women with
      and without HIV infection. Serum cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and cell
      adhesion molecules were measured in HIV uninfected (HIV-, n = 18), ART-treated
      HIV-controlled (ARTc, n = 20), uncontrolled on anti-retroviral therapy (ARTuc, n
      = 21) and elite HIV controllers (Elite, n = 20). All were HCV seroreactive and
      had either resolved (HCV RNA-; <50IU/mL) or had chronic HCV infection (HCV RNA+).
      In HCV and HIV groups, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio (APRI) was
      measured and compared to serum cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and cell
      adhesion molecules. APRI correlated with sVCAM, sICAM, IL-10, and IP-10 levels
      and inversely correlated with EGF, IL-17, TGF-alpha and MMP-9 levels.
      Collectively, all HCV RNA+ subjects had higher sVCAM, sICAM and IP-10 compared to
      HCV RNA-. In the ART-treated HCV RNA+ groups, TNF-alpha, GRO, IP-10, MCP-1 and
      MDC were higher than HIV-, Elite or both. In ARTuc, FGF-2, MPO, soluble E
      selectin, MMP-9, IL-17, GM-CSF and TGF-alpha are lower than HIV-, Elite or both.
      Differential expression of soluble markers may reveal mechanisms of pathogenesis
      or possibly reduction of fibrosis in HCV/HIV co-infection.

PMID- 28902850
TI  - Copy number variation analysis in cytochromes and glutathione S-transferases may
      predict efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease characterized by
      the presence of BCR/ABL fusion gene in leukemic cells, which promotes
      uncontrolled cell proliferation. Up to 20% of CML patients show primary
      resistance or non-optimal response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. We
      investigated the association between copy number variation (CNV) in glutathione S
      transferases (GST) and cytochromes (CYP) and the response rate to TKI. We
      enrolled 47 patients with CML: 31 with an optimal response and 16 with failure at
      6 months in accordance with European LeukemiaNet 2013 recommendations. CNV
      detection was performed using SALSA MLPA P128-C1 Cytochrome P450 probe mix.
      Patients with optimal response and with failure of TKI therapy showed different
      frequencies of wild type and mutated CYPs and GST (p<0.0013). Validation in the
      group of 15 patients proved high prognostic value (p = 0.02): positive and
      negative predictive value 83% and 78%; sensitivity and specificity 71% and 88%.
      Wild type genotypes of CYP and GST associate with a worse response to TKI
      treatment in CML patients. This test can be recommended for further clinical
      trials.

PMID- 28902851
TI  - Redox-mediated quorum sensing in plants.
AB  - The rhizosphere, the narrow zone of soil around plant roots, is a complex network
      of interactions between plants, bacteria, and a variety of other organisms. The
      absolute dependence on host-derived signals, or xenognosins, to regulate critical
      developmental checkpoints for host commitment in the obligate parasitic plants
      provides a window into the rhizosphere's chemical dynamics. These sessile
      intruders use H2O2 in a process known as semagenesis to chemically modify the
      mature root surfaces of proximal host plants and generate p-benzoquinones (BQs).
      The resulting redox-active signaling network regulates the spatial and temporal
      commitments necessary for host attachment. Recent evidence from non-parasites,
      including Arabidopsis thaliana, establishes that reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production regulates similar redox circuits related to root recognition,
      broadening xenognosins' role beyond the parasites. Here we compare responses to
      the xenognosin dimethoxybenzoquinone (DMBQ) between the parasitic plant Striga
      asiatica and the non-parasitic A. thaliana. Exposure to DMBQ simulates the
      proximity of a mature root surface, stimulating an increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+
      concentration in both plants, but leads to remarkably different phenotypic
      responses in the parasite and non-parasite. In S. asiatica, DMBQ induces
      development of the host attachment organ, the haustorium, and decreases ROS
      production at the root tip, while in A. thaliana, ROS production increases and
      further growth of the root tip is arrested. Obstruction of Ca2+ channels and the
      addition of antioxidants both lead to a decrease in the DMBQ response in both
      parasitic and non-parasitic plants. These results are consistent with Ca2+
      regulating the activity of NADPH oxidases, which in turn sustain the
      autocatalytic production of ROS via an external quinone/hydroquinone redox cycle.
      Mechanistically, this chemistry is similar to black and white photography with
      the emerging dynamic reaction-diffusion network laying the foundation for the
      precise temporal and spatial control underlying rhizosphere architecture.

PMID- 28902852
TI  - Genome-wide chromatin mapping with size resolution reveals a dynamic sub
      nucleosomal landscape in Arabidopsis.
AB  - All eukaryotic genomes are packaged as chromatin, with DNA interlaced with both
      regularly patterned nucleosomes and sub-nucleosomal-sized protein structures such
      as mobile and labile transcription factors (TF) and initiation complexes,
      together forming a dynamic chromatin landscape. Whilst details of nucleosome
      position in Arabidopsis have been previously analysed, there is less
      understanding of their relationship to more dynamic sub-nucleosomal particles
      (subNSPs) defined as protected regions shorter than the ~150bp typical of
      nucleosomes. The genome-wide profile of these subNSPs has not been previously
      analysed in plants and this study investigates the relationship of dynamic bound
      particles with transcriptional control. Here we combine differential micrococcal
      nuclease (MNase) digestion and a modified paired-end sequencing protocol to
      reveal the chromatin structure landscape of Arabidopsis cells across a wide
      particle size range. Linking this data to RNAseq expression analysis provides
      detailed insight into the relationship of identified DNA-bound particles with
      transcriptional activity. The use of differential digestion reveals sensitive
      positions, including a labile -1 nucleosome positioned upstream of the
      transcription start site (TSS) of active genes. We investigated the response of
      the chromatin landscape to changes in environmental conditions using light and
      dark growth, given the large transcriptional changes resulting from this simple
      alteration. The resulting shifts in the suites of expressed and repressed genes
      show little correspondence to changes in nucleosome positioning, but led to
      significant alterations in the profile of subNSPs upstream of TSS both globally
      and locally. We examined previously mapped positions for the TFs PIF3, PIF4 and
      CCA1, which regulate light responses, and found that changes in subNSPs co
      localized with these binding sites. This small particle structure is detected
      only under low levels of MNase digestion and is lost on more complete digestion
      of chromatin to nucleosomes. We conclude that wide-spectrum analysis of the
      Arabidopsis genome by differential MNase digestion allows detection of sensitive
      features hereto obscured, and the comparisons between genome-wide subNSP profiles
      reveals dynamic changes in their distribution, particularly at distinct genomic
      locations (i.e. 5'UTRs). The method here employed allows insight into the complex
      influence of genetic and extrinsic factors in modifying the sub-nucleosomal
      landscape in association with transcriptional changes.

PMID- 28902853
TI  - The human bitter taste receptor T2R38 is broadly tuned for bacterial compounds.
AB  - T2R38 has been shown to be a specific bacterial detector implicated in innate
      immune defense mechanism of human upper airway. Several clinical studies have
      demonstrated that this receptor is associated with the development of chronic
      rhinosinusitis (CRS). T2R38 was previously reported to bind to homoserine
      lactones (HSL), quorum sensing molecules specific of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and
      other gram negative species. Nevertheless, these bacteria are not the major
      pathogens found in CRS. Here we report on the identification of bacterial
      metabolites acting as new agonists of T2R38 based on a single cell calcium
      imaging study. Two quorum sensing molecules (Agr D1 thiolactone from
      Staphylococcus Aureus and CSP-1 from Streptococcus Pneumoniae) and a list of 32
      bacterial metabolites from pathogens frequently implicated in CRS were tested.
      First, we observed that HSL failed to activate T2R38 in our experimental system,
      but that the dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), used as a solvent for these lactones may,
      by itself, account for the agonistic effect previously described. Secondly, we
      showed that both Agr D1 thiolactone and CSP-1 are inactive but that at least 7
      bacterial metabolites (acetone, 2-butanone, 2-pentanone, 2-methylpropanal,
      dimethyl disulfide, methylmercaptan, gamma-butyrolactone) are able to
      specifically trigger this receptor. T2R38 is thus much more broadly tuned for
      bacterial compounds than previously thought.

PMID- 28902854
TI  - An experimental study of the Online Information Paradox: Does en-route
      information improve road network performance?
AB  - This study investigates the empirical presence of a theoretical transportation
      paradox, defined as the "Online Information Paradox" (OIP). The paradox suggests
      that, for certain road networks, the provision of online information deteriorate
      travel conditions for all users of that network relative to the situation where
      no online information is provided to users. The analytical presence of the
      paradox was derived for a specific network structure by using two equilibrium
      models, the first being the Expected User Equilibrium (EUE) solution (no
      information scenario) and the other being the User Equilibrium with Recourse
      (UER) solution (with information scenario). An incentivised computerised route
      choice game was designed using the concepts of experimental economics and
      administered in a controlled laboratory environment to investigate the physical
      presence of the paradox. Aggregate statistics of path flows and Total System
      Travel Costs (TSTC) were used to compare the experimental results with the
      theoretical findings. A total of 12 groups of 12 participants completed the
      experiment and the OIP and the occurrence of the OIP being significant was
      observed in 11 of the 12 cases. Though information increased travel costs for
      users on average, it reduced the volatility of travel costs experienced in the no
      information scenario indicating that information can achieve a more reliable
      system. Further replications of similar experiments and more importantly field
      based identification of the phenomena will force transport professionals to be
      aware of the emergence of the paradox. In addition, studies such as this
      emphasise the need for the adoption of adaptive traffic assignment techniques to
      appropriately model the acquisition of information on a road network.

PMID- 28902855
TI  - Improving heterologous membrane protein production in Escherichia coli by
      combining transcriptional tuning and codon usage algorithms.
AB  - High-level, recombinant production of membrane-integrated proteins in Escherichia
      coli is extremely relevant for many purposes, but has also been proven
      challenging. Here we study a combination of transcriptional fine-tuning in E.
      coli LEMO21(DE3) with different codon usage algorithms for heterologous
      production of membrane proteins. The overexpression of 6 different membrane
      proteins is compared for the wild-type gene codon usage variant, a commercially
      codon-optimized variant, and a codon-harmonized variant. We show that
      transcriptional fine-tuning plays a major role in improving the production of all
      tested proteins. Moreover, different codon usage variants significantly improved
      production of some of the tested proteins. However, not a single algorithm
      performed consistently best for the membrane-integrated production of the 6
      tested proteins. In conclusion, for improving heterologous membrane protein
      production in E. coli, the major effect is accomplished by transcriptional
      tuning. In addition, further improvements may be realized by attempting different
      codon usage variants, such as codon harmonized variants, which can now be easily
      generated through our online Codon Harmonizer tool.

PMID- 28902856
TI  - Effect of vital dyes on human corneal endothelium and elasticity of Descemet's
      membrane.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of vital dyes on human
      Descemet's membranes (DMs) and endothelia. DMs of 25 human cadaveric corneas with
      research consent were treated with dyes routinely used in Descemet membrane
      endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), 0.05% Trypan blue (TB) or a combination of 0.15%
      Trypan blue, 0.025% Brilliant blue and 4% Polyethylene glycol (commercial name
      Membrane Blue Dual; MB). The effects of these two dyes on (i) endothelial cell
      viability, (ii) DM mechanical properties as assessed by atomic force microscopy,
      and iii) qualitative DM dye retention were tested for two varying exposure times
      (one or four minutes). No significant differences in cell toxicity were observed
      between treatments with TB and MB at the two different exposure times (P = 0.21).
      Further, both dyes led to a significant increase in DM stiffness: exposure to TB
      and MB for one minute increased the apparent elastic modulus of the DM by 11.2%
      (P = 8*10-3) and 17.7%, respectively (P = 4*10-6). A four-minute exposure led to
      an increase of 8.6% for TB (P = 0.004) and 13.6% for MB (P = 0.03). Finally, at
      25 minutes, the dye retention of the DM was considerably better for MB compared
      to TB. Taken together, a one-minute exposure to MB was found to improve DM
      visibility compared to TB, with a significant increase in DM stiffness and
      without detrimental effects on endothelial cell viability. The use of MB could
      therefore improve (i) visibility of the DM scroll, and (ii) intraoperative
      unfolding, enhancing the probability of successful DMEK surgery.

PMID- 28902858
TI  - Modeling the spatial distribution of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the
      Kruger National Park, South Africa.
AB  - The population density of wildlife reservoirs contributes to disease transmission
      risk for domestic animals. The objective of this study was to model the African
      buffalo distribution of the Kruger National Park. A secondary objective was to
      collect field data to evaluate models and determine environmental predictors of
      buffalo detection. Spatial distribution models were created using buffalo census
      information and archived data from previous research. Field data were collected
      during the dry (August 2012) and wet (January 2013) seasons using a random walk
      design. The fit of the prediction models were assessed descriptively and formally
      by calculating the root mean square error (rMSE) of deviations from field
      observations. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of
      environmental variables on the detection of buffalo herds and linear regression
      was used to identify predictors of larger herd sizes. A zero-inflated Poisson
      model produced distributions that were most consistent with expected buffalo
      behavior. Field data confirmed that environmental factors including season (P =
      0.008), vegetation type (P = 0.002), and vegetation density (P = 0.010) were
      significant predictors of buffalo detection. Bachelor herds were more likely to
      be detected in dense vegetation (P = 0.005) and during the wet season (P = 0.022)
      compared to the larger mixed-sex herds. Static distribution models for African
      buffalo can produce biologically reasonable results but environmental factors
      have significant effects and therefore could be used to improve model
      performance. Accurate distribution models are critical for the evaluation of
      disease risk and to model disease transmission.

PMID- 28902857
TI  - Willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention among men who have
      sex with men in Malaysia: Findings from an online survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV
      prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia. METHODS: An online
      survey of 990 MSM was conducted between March and April 2016. Eligibility
      criteria included being biological male, Malaysian citizen, 18 years of age or
      above, identifying as MSM, and being HIV negative or unknown status.
      Participants' demographics, sexual and drug use behaviors, attitudes towards
      PrEP, and preferences regarding future access to PrEP were collected. Bivariate
      analysis and logistic regression were performed to determine factors associated
      with willingness to use PrEP. RESULTS: Fewer than half of participants (44%) knew
      about PrEP before completing the survey. Overall, 39% of the sample were willing
      to take PrEP. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that Malay men (AOR:
      1.73, 95% CI:1.12, 2.70), having 2 or more male anal sex partners in the past 6
      months (AOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.05), previous knowledge of PrEP (AOR: 1.40,
      95%CI: 1.06, 1.86), lack of confidence in practising safer sex (AOR: 1.36, 95%
      CI: 1.02, 1.81), and having ever paid for sex with a male partner (AOR: 1.39, 95%
      CI: 1.01, 1.91) were independently associated with greater willingness to use
      PrEP, while men who identified as heterosexual were less willing to use PrEP
      (AOR, 0.36, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.97). Majority of participants preferred to access
      PrEP at affordable cost below 100 Malaysian Ringgit (USD25) per month from
      community based organisations followed by private or government hospitals.
      CONCLUSIONS: Overall, MSM in Malaysia reported a relatively low level of
      willingness to use PrEP, although willingness was higher among those previously
      aware of PrEP. There is a need to provide PrEP at affordable cost, increase
      demand and awareness of PrEP, and to provide access to this preventative
      medication via diverse, integrated and tailored sexual health services.

PMID- 28902859
TI  - Effects of roasting on kernel peroxide value, free fatty acid, fatty acid
      composition and crude protein content.
AB  - Roasting nuts may alter their chemical composition leading to changes in their
      health benefits. However, the presence of testa may alleviate the negative
      effects of thermal treatments. Hence, this study aimed to explore the effects of
      roasting on kernel chemical quality and colour development of Canarium indicum
      and examine to what extent testa would protect kernels against damage from
      roasting. Roasting decreased peroxide value but increased free fatty acid,
      probably due to increased cell destruction and lack of enzyme inactivation,
      respectively. Protein content of kernels significantly decreased after roasting
      compared to raw kernels. However, testa-on kernels contained significantly higher
      protein content compared to testa-off kernels. Whilst colour development and
      mottling were observed in temperatures beyond 120 degrees C, roasting did not
      alter fatty acid compositions of kernels. The mild roasting and presence of testa
      in kernels can be used to enhance health benefits of kernels.

PMID- 28902860
TI  - Alien species pathways to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
AB  - Alien species, one of the biggest threats to natural ecosystems worldwide, are of
      particular concern for oceanic archipelagos such as Galapagos. To enable more
      effective management of alien species, we reviewed, collated and analysed all
      available records of alien species for Galapagos. We also assembled a
      comprehensive dataset on pathways to and among the Galapagos Islands, including
      tourist and resident numbers, tourist vessels, their itineraries and visitation
      sites, aircraft capacity and occupancy, air and sea cargo and biosecurity
      interceptions. So far, 1,579 alien terrestrial and marine species have been
      introduced to Galapagos by humans. Of these, 1,476 have become established.
      Almost half of these were intentional introductions, mostly of plants. Most
      unintentional introductions arrived on plants and plant associated material,
      followed by transport vehicles, and commodities (in particular fruit and
      vegetables). The number, frequency and geographic origin of pathways for the
      arrival and dispersal of alien species to and within Galapagos have increased
      over time, tracking closely the increase in human population (residents and
      tourists) on the islands. Intentional introductions of alien species should
      decline as biosecurity is strengthened but there is a danger that unintentional
      introductions will increase further as tourism on Galapagos expands. This unique
      world heritage site will only retain its biodiversity values if the pathways for
      invasion are managed effectively.

PMID- 28902861
TI  - Epigenetic regulation of metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in rotator cuff
      tears.
AB  - Rotator cuff tear is a common orthopedic condition. Metalloproteinases (MMP) and
      their inhibitors (TIMP) seem to play a role in the development of joint injuries
      and in the failure of tissue healing. However, the mechanisms of regulation of
      gene expression in tendons are still unknown. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA
      methylation and microRNAs regulation, are involved in the dynamic control of gene
      expression. Here, the mRNA expression and DNA methylation status of MMPs (MMP1,
      MMP2, MMP3, MMP9, MMP13, and MMP14) and TIMPs (TIMP1-3) and the expression of miR
      29 family members in ruptured supraspinatus tendons were compared with non
      injured tendons of individuals without this lesion. Additionally, the gene
      expression and methylation status at the edge of the ruptured tendon were
      compared with macroscopically non-injured rotator cuff tendon samples from the
      anterior and posterior regions of patients with tendon tears. Moreover, the
      possible associations between the molecular alterations and the clinical and
      histologic characteristics were investigated. Dysregulated expression and DNA
      methylation of MMP and TIMP genes were found across the rotator cuff tendon
      samples of patients with supraspinatus tears. These alterations were influenced
      at least in part by age at surgery, sex, smoking habit, tear size, and duration
      of symptoms. Alterations in the studied MMP and TIMP genes may contribute to the
      presence of microcysts, fissures, necrosis, and neovascularization in tendons and
      may thus be involved in the tendon healing process. In conclusion, MMPs and their
      inhibitors are regulated by epigenetic modifications and may play a role in
      rotator cuff tears.

PMID- 28902862
TI  - Distinct genetic clades of enterovirus D68 detected in 2010, 2013, and 2015 in
      Osaka City, Japan.
AB  - The first upsurge of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), a causative agent of acute
      respiratory infections (ARIs), in Japan was reported in Osaka City in 2010. In
      this study, which began in 2010, we surveyed EV-D68 in children with ARIs and
      analyzed sequences of EV-D68 strains detected. Real-time PCR of 19 respiratory
      viruses or subtypes of viruses, including enterovirus, was performed on 2,215
      specimens from ARI patients (<10 years of age) collected between November 2010
      and December 2015 in Osaka City, Japan. EV-D68 was identified in 18 enterovirus
      positive specimens (n = 4 in 2013, n = 1 in 2014, and n = 13 in 2015) by analysis
      of viral protein 1 (VP1) or VP4 sequences, followed by a BLAST search for similar
      sequences. All EV-D68 strains were detected between June and October (summer to
      autumn), except for one strain detected in 2014. A phylogenetic analysis of
      available VP1 sequences revealed that the Osaka strains detected in 2010, 2013,
      and 2015 belonged to distinct clusters (Clades C, A, and B [Subclade B3],
      respectively). Comparison of the 5' untranslated regions of these viruses showed
      that Osaka strains in Clades A, B (Subclade B3), and C commonly had deletions at
      nucleotide positions 681-703 corresponding to the prototype Fermon strain. Clades
      B and C had deletions from nucleotide positions 713-724. Since the EV-D68
      epidemic in 2010, EV-D68 re-emerged in Osaka City, Japan, in 2013 and 2015.
      Results of this study indicate that distinct clades of EV-D68 contributed to re
      emergences of this virus in 2010, 2013, and 2015 in this limited region.

PMID- 28902863
TI  - Identification of vaccine-derived rotavirus strains in children with acute
      gastroenteritis in Japan, 2012-2015.
AB  - Two live attenuated oral rotavirus vaccines, Rotarix and RotaTeq, have been
      introduced as voluntary vaccination in Japan since 2011 and 2012, respectively.
      Effectiveness of the vaccines has been confirmed, whereas concerns such as
      shedding of the vaccine strains and gastroenteritis cases caused by vaccine
      strains are not well assessed. We aimed to identify the vaccine strains in
      children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) to investigate the prevalence of AGE
      caused by vaccination or horizontal transmission of vaccine strains. A total of
      1,824 stool samples were collected from children with AGE at six outpatient
      clinics in 2012-2015. Among all, 372 group A rotavirus (RVA) positive samples
      were screened for vaccine components by real-time RT-PCR which were designed to
      differentiate vaccine strains from rotavirus wild-type strains with high
      specificity. For samples possessing both vaccine and wild-type strains, analyses
      by next-generation sequencing (NGS) were conducted to characterize viruses
      existed in the intestine. As a result, Rotarix-derived strains were identified in
      6 of 372 (1.6%) RVA positive samples whereas no RotaTeq strain was detected.
      Among six samples, four possessed Rotarix-derived strains while two possessed
      both Rotarix-derived strains and wild-type strains. In addition, other pathogens
      such as norovirus, enterovirus and E.coli were detected in four samples. The
      contribution of these vaccine strains to each patient's symptoms was unclear as
      all of the cases were vaccinated 2-14 days before sample collection. Proportion
      of average coverage for each segmented gene by NGS strongly suggested the
      concurrent infection of the vaccine-derived strain and the wild-type strain
      rather than reassortment of these two strains in one sample. This is the first
      study to report the prevalence of vaccine-derived strains in patients with RVA
      AGE in Japan as 1.6% without evidence of horizontal transmission. The results
      emphasized the importance of continuous monitoring on vaccine strains and their
      clinical impacts on children.

PMID- 28902864
TI  - Comparative skull anatomy of terrestrial and crevice-dwelling Trachylepis skinks
      (Squamata: Scincidae) with a survey of resources in scincid cranial osteology.
AB  - Skinks account for more than 25% of all lizard species; however, representatives
      of fewer than a quarter of all species have been characterized osteologically.
      All but a few of the available cranial descriptions concentrate solely on
      characters that can be seen externally on the intact skull. Mabuyid skinks of the
      genus Trachylepis are the dominant, fully limbed skinks in Sub-Saharan Africa,
      and nearly all species have the same generalized body plan. Although a few rock
      crevice-dwelling species possess slight body depression, extreme dorsoventral
      depression is observed only in Trachylepis laevis. We investigated the detailed
      skull anatomy of three Trachylepis skinks (T. laevis, T. sulcata, and T.
      gonwouoi, a recently described species allied to T. affinis) using high
      resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography. Our goals were to review the scincid
      cranial osteology literature in a phylogenetic context, provide a detailed
      anatomical atlas for the mabuyid lineage, and investigate the morphological
      adaptations of the highly modified T. laevis. Our results demonstrate that there
      is significant morphological variation between these three taxa, including the
      loss and fusion of structures, as well as changes in the shape, scale, and
      relationship between individual elements. Trachylepis laevis possesses several
      osteological modifications that have produced a reducton in head depth that are
      likely functional consequences of extreme rupicolous habits, including a flat
      skull roof, many strongly recumbent elements, and a depressed neurocranium.We
      hypothesize these modifications may correspond to descreased bite force and
      increased capabilities of cranial kinesis. Our study is the first element-by
      element description of a skink using computed tomography technology.

PMID- 28902865
TI  - Optimization of the expression, purification and polymerase activity reaction
      conditions of recombinant human PrimPol.
AB  - Human PrimPol is a DNA primase/polymerase involved in DNA damage tolerance and
      prevents nuclear genome instability. PrimPol is also localized to the
      mitochondria, but its precise function in mitochondrial DNA maintenance has
      remained elusive. PrimPol works both as a translesion (TLS) polymerase and as the
      primase that restarts DNA replication after a lesion. However, the observed
      biochemical activities of PrimPol vary considerably between studies as a result
      of different reaction conditions used. To reveal the effects of reaction
      composition on PrimPol DNA polymerase activity, we tested the polymerase activity
      in the presence of various buffer agents, salt concentrations, pH values and
      metal cofactors. Additionally, the enzyme stability was analyzed under various
      conditions. We demonstrate that the reaction buffer with pH 6-6.5, low salt
      concentrations and 3 mM Mg2+ or 0.3-3 mM Mn2+ cofactor ions supports the highest
      DNA polymerase activity of human PrimPol in vitro. The DNA polymerase activity of
      PrimPol was found to be stable after multiple freeze-thaw cycles and prolonged
      protein incubation on ice. However, rapid heat-inactivation of the enzyme was
      observed at 37oC. We also for the first time describe the purification of human
      PrimPol from a human cell line and compare the benefits of this approach to the
      expression in Escherichia coli and in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Our results
      show that active PrimPol can be purified from E. coli and human suspension cell
      line in high quantities and that the activity of the purified enzyme is similar
      in both expression systems. Conversely, the yield of full-length protein
      expressed in S. cerevisiae was considerably lower and this system is therefore
      not recommended for expression of full-length recombinant human PrimPol.

PMID- 28902866
TI  - 5-year long-term efficacy of 120-W GreenLight photoselective vaporization of the
      prostate for benign prostate hyperplasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate 5-year long-term postoperative efficacy in benign
      prostate hyperplasia (BPH) following 120-W GreenLight high-performance system
      photoselective vaporization of the prostate (HPS-PVP). METHODS: This was a
      retrospective study of surgical outcomes in 159 men who underwent HPS-PVP and
      were followed over 60 months postoperatively. Definitions of treatment success
      were established based on the following three variables: international prostate
      symptom scores (IPSS), maximum flow rates (Qmax), and quality of life scores
      QoL). Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine predictors of the
      postoperative success. RESULTS: Postoperative IPSS/QoL, Qmax and post-voided
      residual urine volume were significantly improved after HPS-PVP. Postoperative
      Prostate specific antigen and prostate volume were also well reduced and
      sustained for 5 years. The postoperative success rate was assessed as 82.1%,
      80.8% and 76.1% for each 1-, 3-, and 5-year. Thirty-eight (23.9%) patients had
      immediate postoperative complications, which were managed successfully with
      nonsurgical methods. None required transfusions, two (1.2%) patients required
      endoscopic reoperation for postoperative voiding difficulty due to bladder neck
      contracture or urethral stricture, and five (3.1%) required HPS-PVP reoperation.
      Presence of diabetes, voiding symptom subscore, QoL, maximal cystometric
      capacity, and bladder outlet obstructive index were valuable preoperative
      parameters for predicting postoperative success. CONCLUSIONS: HPS-PVP is an
      effective, long-term treatment option for BPH, with sustained efficacy of 76.1%
      at 5-year follow up. Several preoperative parameters could help to predict the
      durable surgical improvements.

PMID- 28902867
TI  - Analysis of the relationship between coexpression domains and chromatin 3D
      organization.
AB  - Gene order is not random in eukaryotic chromosomes, and co-regulated genes tend
      to be clustered. The mechanisms that determine co-regulation of large regions of
      the genome and its connection with chromatin three-dimensional (3D) organization
      are still unclear however. Here we have adapted a recently described method for
      identifying chromatin topologically associating domains (TADs) to identify
      coexpression domains (which we term "CODs"). Using human normal breast and breast
      cancer RNA-seq data, we have identified approximately 500 CODs. CODs in the
      normal and breast cancer genomes share similar characteristics but differ in
      their gene composition. COD genes have a greater tendency to be coexpressed with
      genes that reside in other CODs than with non-COD genes. Such inter-COD
      coexpression is maintained over large chromosomal distances in the normal genome
      but is partially lost in the cancer genome. Analyzing the relationship between
      CODs and chromatin 3D organization using Hi-C contact data, we find that CODs do
      not correspond to TADs. In fact, intra-TAD gene coexpression is the same as
      random for most chromosomes. However, the contact profile is similar between gene
      pairs that reside either in the same COD or in coexpressed CODs. These data
      indicate that co-regulated genes in the genome present similar patterns of
      contacts irrespective of the frequency of physical chromatin contacts between
      them.

PMID- 28902868
TI  - Discovery of numerous novel small genes in the intergenic regions of the
      Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai genome.
AB  - In the past, short protein-coding genes were often disregarded by genome
      annotation pipelines. Transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq) signals outside of
      annotated genes have usually been interpreted to indicate either ncRNA or
      pervasive transcription. Therefore, in addition to the transcriptome, the
      translatome (RIBOseq) of the enteric pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain
      Sakai was determined at two optimal growth conditions and a severe stress
      condition combining low temperature and high osmotic pressure. All intergenic
      open reading frames potentially encoding a protein of >= 30 amino acids were
      investigated with regard to coverage by transcription and translation signals and
      their translatability expressed by the ribosomal coverage value. This led to
      discovery of 465 unique, putative novel genes not yet annotated in this E. coli
      strain, which are evenly distributed over both DNA strands of the genome. For 255
      of the novel genes, annotated homologs in other bacteria were found, and a
      machine-learning algorithm, trained on small protein-coding E. coli genes,
      predicted that 89% of these translated open reading frames represent bona fide
      genes. The remaining 210 putative novel genes without annotated homologs were
      compared to the 255 novel genes with homologs and to 250 short annotated genes of
      this E. coli strain. All three groups turned out to be similar with respect to
      their translatability distribution, fractions of differentially regulated genes,
      secondary structure composition, and the distribution of evolutionary constraint,
      suggesting that both novel groups represent legitimate genes. However, the
      machine-learning algorithm only recognized a small fraction of the 210 genes
      without annotated homologs. It is possible that these genes represent a novel
      group of genes, which have unusual features dissimilar to the genes of the
      machine-learning algorithm training set.

PMID- 28902869
TI  - High mortality rates in men initiated on anti-retroviral treatment in KwaZulu
      Natal, South Africa.
AB  - In attaining UNAIDS targets of 90-90-90 to achieve epidemic control,
      understanding who the current utilizers of HIV treatment services are will inform
      efforts aimed at reaching those not being reached. A retrospective chart review
      of CAPRISA AIDS Treatment Program (CAT) patients between 2004 and 2013 was
      undertaken. Of the 4043 HIV-infected patients initiated on ART, 2586 (64.0%) were
      women. At ART initiation, men, compared to women, had significantly lower median
      CD4+ cell counts (113 vs 131 cells/mm3, p <0.001), lower median body mass index
      (BMI) (21.0 vs 24.2 kg/m2, p<0.001), higher mean log viral load (5.0 vs 4.9
      copies/ml, p<0.001) and were significantly older (median age: 35 vs. 32 years,
      p<0.001). Men had higher mortality rates compared to women, 6.7 per 100 person
      years (p-y), (95% CI: 5.8-7.8) vs. 4.4 per 100 p-y, (95% CI: 3.8-5.0); mortality
      rate ratio: 1.54, (95% CI: 1.27-1.87), p <0.001. Age-standardised mortality rate
      was 7.9 per 100 p-y (95% CI: 4.1-11.7) for men and 5.7 per 100 p-y (95% CI: 2.7
      to 8.6) for women (standardised mortality ratio: 1.38 (1.15 to 1.70)). Mean CD4+
      cell count increases post-ART initiation were lower in men at all follow-up time
      points. Men presented later in the course of their HIV disease for ART initiation
      with more advanced disease and experienced a higher mortality rate compared to
      women.

PMID- 28902870
TI  - Reduced insulin signaling maintains electrical transmission in a neural circuit
      in aging flies.
AB  - Lowered insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling (IIS) can extend
      healthy lifespan in worms, flies, and mice, but it can also have adverse effects
      (the "insulin paradox"). Chronic, moderately lowered IIS rescues age-related
      decline in neurotransmission through the Drosophila giant fiber system (GFS), a
      simple escape response neuronal circuit, by increasing targeting of the gap
      junctional protein innexin shaking-B to gap junctions (GJs). Endosomal recycling
      of GJs was also stimulated in cultured human cells when IIS was reduced.
      Furthermore, increasing the activity of the recycling small guanosine
      triphosphatases (GTPases) Rab4 or Rab11 was sufficient to maintain GJs upon
      elevated IIS in cultured human cells and in flies, and to rescue age-related loss
      of GJs and of GFS function. Lowered IIS thus elevates endosomal recycling of GJs
      in neurons and other cell types, pointing to a cellular mechanism for therapeutic
      intervention into aging-related neuronal disorders.

PMID- 28902872
TI  - Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the right anterior temporal
      lobe did not significantly affect verbal insight.
AB  - Humans often utilize past experience to solve difficult problems. However, if
      past experience is insufficient to solve a problem, solvers may reach an impasse.
      Insight can be valuable for breaking an impasse, enabling the reinterpretation or
      re-representation of a problem. Previous studies using between-subjects designs
      have revealed a causal relationship between the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs)
      and non-verbal insight, by enhancing the right ATL while inhibiting the left ATL
      using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In addition, neuroimaging
      studies have reported a correlation between right ATL activity and verbal
      insight. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the right ATL is causally
      related to both non-verbal and verbal insight. To test this hypothesis, we
      conducted an experiment with 66 subjects using a within-subjects design, which
      typically has greater statistical power than a between-subjects design. Subjects
      participated in tDCS experiments across 2 days, in which they solved both non
      verbal and verbal insight problems under active or sham stimulation conditions.
      To dissociate the effects of right ATL stimulation from those of left ATL
      stimulation, we used two montage types; anodal tDCS of the right ATL together
      with cathodal tDCS of the left ATL (stimulating both ATLs) and anodal tDCS of the
      right ATL with cathodal tDCS of the left cheek (stimulating only the right ATL).
      The montage used was counterbalanced across subjects. Statistical analyses
      revealed that, regardless of the montage type, there were no significant
      differences between the active and sham conditions for either verbal or non
      verbal insight, although the finding for non-verbal insight was inconclusive
      because of a lack of statistical power. These results failed to support previous
      findings suggesting that the right ATL is the central locus of insight.

PMID- 28902871
TI  - PreImplantation Factor in endometriosis: A potential role in inducing immune
      privilege for ectopic endometrium.
AB  - Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition characterised by the growth of
      endometrial epithelial and stromal cells outside the uterine cavity. In addition
      to Sampson's theory of retrograde menstruation, endometriosis pathogenesis is
      facilitated by a privileged inflammatory microenvironment, with T regulatory
      FoxP3+ expressing T cells (Tregs) being a significant factor. PreImplantation
      Factor (PIF) is a peptide essential for pregnancy recognition and development. An
      immune modulatory function of the synthetic PIF analog (sPIF) has been
      successfully confirmed in multiple animal models. We report that PIF is expressed
      in the epithelial ectopic cells in close proximity to FoxP3+ stromal cells. We
      provide evidence that PIF interacts with FoxP3+ cells and modulates cell
      viability, dependent on cell source and presence of inflammatory mediators. Our
      finding represent a novel PIF-based mechanism in endometriosis that has potential
      for novel therapeutics.

PMID- 28902873
TI  - Sarcopenia in patients with hip fracture: A multicenter cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is prevalent in older persons and is a risk factor for
      falls, fractures, and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine a) the
      feasibility of determining sarcopenia in patients with acute hip fracture, b) the
      prevalence of sarcopenia and c) associations of sarcopenia with nutritional
      status and comorbidities. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study on
      sarcopenia in male and female patients with acute hip fracture. Participants were
      previously ambulatory and living in the community. Sarcopenia was assessed
      postoperatively with muscle mass estimated by anthropometry using triceps
      skinfold, arm circumference, height, weight and sex. Grip strength was measured
      by Jamar dynamometer and pre-fracture mobility was by self-report using the New
      Mobility Score. RESULTS: Out of 282 patients, 202 were assessed for sarcopenia of
      whom 74 (37%) were diagnosed as sarcopenic. Sarcopenia was associated with age,
      odds ratio (OR) 1.4 per 5 years, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.1, 1.8], ASA
      Physical Status Classification System score, OR 2.3 per point, 95% CI [1.3, 4.3]
      and number of medications at discharge, OR 1.2 per medication, 95% CI [1.0, 1.3]
      and inversely associated with BMI, OR 0.8, 95% CI [0.7, 0.9] and serum albumin,
      OR 0.9, 95% CI [0.8,1.0]. CONCLUSIONS: Thirty-seven percent of assessed subjects
      were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Our data demonstrates that the prevalence of
      sarcopenia is associated with older age, malnutrition and comorbidities.
      Determining sarcopenia at the bedside was feasible in postoperative hip fracture
      patients by using grip strength, estimation of muscle mass by anthropometry and
      self-reported mobility.

PMID- 28902874
TI  - Psychometric properties of the Brisbane Burn Scar Impact Profile in adults with
      burn scars.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the longitudinal validity,
      reproducibility, responsiveness and interpretability of the adult version of the
      Brisbane Burn Scar Impact Profile, a patient-report measure of health-related
      quality of life. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal cohort study of patients
      with or at risk of burn scarring was conducted at three assessment points (at
      baseline around the time of wound healing, one to two weeks post-baseline and 1
      month post-baseline). Participants attending a major metropolitan adult burn
      centre at baseline were recruited. Participants completed the Brisbane Burn Scar
      Impact Profile and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey and Patient Observer Scar
      Assessment Scale. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs), smallest detectable
      change, percentage of those who improved, stayed the same or worsened and Area
      under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) were used to test the
      aim. RESULTS: Data were included for 118 participants at baseline, 68
      participants at one to two weeks and 57 participants at 1-month post-baseline.
      All groups of items had acceptable reproducibility, except for the overall impact
      of burn scars (ICC = 0.69), the impact of sensations which was not expected to be
      stable (ICC = 0.63), mobility and daily activities (ICC = 0.63, 0.67
      respectively). The responsiveness of six out of seven groups of items able to be
      tested against external criterion was supported (AUC = 0.72-0.75). Hypothesised
      correlations of changes in the Brisbane Burn Scar Impact Profile items with
      changes in criterion measures generally supported longitudinal validity (e.g.,
      nine out of thirteen hypotheses using the SF-36 as an external criterion were
      supported). Internal consistency estimates, item-total and inter-item
      correlations indicated there was likely redundancy of some groups of items,
      particularly in the relationships and social interaction, appearance and
      emotional reactions items (Chronbach's alpha range = 0.94-0.95). CONCLUSION:
      Support was found for the reproducibility, longitudinal validity, responsiveness
      and interpretability of most groups of Brisbane Burn Scar Impact Profile items
      and some individual items in the test population. Potential redundancy of items
      should be investigated further.

PMID- 28902875
TI  - Interferon-gamma treatment in vitro elicits some of the changes in cathepsin S
      and antigen presentation characteristic of lacrimal glands and corneas from the
      NOD mouse model of Sjogren's Syndrome.
AB  - Inflammation and impaired secretion by lacrimal and salivary glands are hallmarks
      of the autoimmune disease, Sjogren's Syndrome. These changes in the lacrimal
      gland promote dryness and inflammation of the ocular surface, causing pain,
      irritation and corneal damage. The changes that initiate and sustain autoimmune
      inflammation in the lacrimal gland are not well-established. Here we demonstrate
      that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) is significantly elevated in lacrimal gland and
      tears of the male NOD mouse, a model of autoimmune dacryoadenitis which exhibits
      many ocular characteristics of Sjogren's Syndrome, by 12 weeks of age early in
      lacrimal gland inflammation. Working either with primary cultured lacrimal gland
      acinar cells from BALB/c mice and/or rabbits, in vitro IFN-gamma treatment for 48
      hr decreased expression of Rab3D concurrent with increased expression of
      cathepsin S. Although total cellular cathepsin S activity was not commensurately
      increased, IFN-gamma treated lacrimal gland acinar cells showed a significant
      increase in carbachol-stimulated secretion of cathepsin S similar to the lacrimal
      gland in disease. In vitro IFN-gamma treatment did not increase the expression of
      most components of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-mediated
      antigen presentation although antigen presentation was slightly but significantly
      stimulated in primary cultured lacrimal gland acinar cells. However, exposure of
      cultured human corneal epithelial cells to IFN-gamma more robustly increased
      expression and activity of cathepsin S in parallel with increased expression and
      function of MHC class II-mediated antigen presentation. We propose that early
      elevations in IFN-gamma contribute to specific features of ocular disease
      pathology in Sjogren's Syndrome.

PMID- 28902876
TI  - Postoperative lead migration in deep brain stimulation surgery: Incidence, risk
      factors, and clinical impact.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for multiple
      movement disorders and shows substantial promise for the treatment of some
      neuropsychiatric and other disorders of brain neurocircuitry. Optimal
      neuroanatomical lead position is a critical determinant of clinical outcomes in
      DBS surgery. Lead migration, defined as an unintended post-operative displacement
      of the DBS lead, has been previously reported. Despite several reports, however,
      there have been no systematic investigations of this issue. This study aimed to:
      1) quantify the incidence of lead migration in a large series of DBS patients, 2)
      identify potential risk factors contributing to DBS lead migration, and 3)
      investigate the practical importance of this complication by correlating its
      occurrence with clinical outcomes. METHODS: A database of all DBS procedures
      performed at UF was queried for patients who had undergone multiple post
      operative DBS lead localization imaging studies separated by at least two months.
      Bilateral DBS implantation has commonly been performed as a staged procedure at
      UF, with an interval of six or more months between sides. To localize the
      position of each DBS lead, a head CT is acquired ~4 weeks after lead implantation
      and fused to the pre-operative targeting MRI. The fused targeting images (MR +
      stereotactic CT) acquired in preparation for the delayed second side lead
      implantation provide an opportunity to repeat the localization of the first
      implanted lead. This paradigm offers an ideal patient population for the study of
      delayed DBS lead migration because it provides a large cohort of patients with
      localization of the same implanted DBS lead at two time points. The position of
      the tip of each implanted DBS lead was measured on both the initial post
      operative lead localization CT and the delayed CT. Lead tip displacement,
      intracranial lead length, and ventricular indices were collected and analyzed.
      Clinical outcomes were characterized with validated rating scales for all cases,
      and a comparison was made between outcomes of cases with lead migration versus
      those where migration of the lead did not occur. RESULTS: Data from 138 leads in
      132 patients with initial and delayed lead localization CT scans were analyzed.
      The mean distance between initial and delayed DBS lead tip position was 2.2 mm
      and the mean change in intracranial lead length was 0.45 mm. Significant delayed
      migration (>3 mm) was observed in 17 leads in 16 patients (12.3% of leads, 12.1%
      of patients). Factors associated with lead migration were: technical error,
      repetitive dystonic head movement, and twiddler's syndrome. Outcomes were worse
      in dystonia patients with lead migration (p = 0.035). In the PD group, worse
      clinical outcomes trended in cases with lead migration. CONCLUSIONS: Over 10% of
      DBS leads in this large single center cohort were displaced by greater than 3 mm
      on delayed measurement, adversely affecting outcomes. Multiple risk factors
      emerged, including technical error during implantation of the DBS pulse generator
      and failure of lead fixation at the burr hole site. We hypothesize that a change
      in surgical technique and a more effective lead fixation device might mitigate
      this problem.

PMID- 28902877
TI  - Purification and characterization of a highly specific polyclonal antibody
      against human extracellular signal-regulated kinase 8 and its detection in lung
      cancer.
AB  - Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 8 (ERK8), proposed as a novel potential
      therapeutic target for cancer, has been implicated in cell transformation,
      apoptosis, the protection of genomic integrity, and autophagy. To facilitate ERK8
      research, a highly specific anti-ERK8 antibody is needed. In this article, we use
      the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource online tool to predict B-cell
      epitopes of human ERK8 protein, and choose a 28 aa-peptide sequence to generate
      the GST-ERK8(28aa) fusion protein as the antigen for developing polyclonal
      antibody against ERK8. The specificity and sensitivity of anti-ERK8 antibody were
      robustly validated by immunoblotting, immunocytochemical and immunohistochemical
      analyses; and we found that both the endogenous and ectopically-expressed human
      ERK8 proteins can be recognized by our anti-ERK8 antibody. This suggested that
      our characterized anti-ERK8 antibody will be a valuable tool for the elucidation
      of the distribution of ERK8 at cellular and histological levels. Finally, our
      tissue array analysis also demonstrated that the ERK8 protein was localized in
      both the nucleus and cytoplasm of human lung cancers.

PMID- 28902878
TI  - Continuous selection pressure to improve temperature acclimation of Tisochrysis
      lutea.
AB  - Temperature plays a key role in outdoor industrial cultivation of microalgae.
      Improving the thermal tolerance of microalgae to both daily and seasonal
      temperature fluctuations can thus contribute to increase their annual
      productivity. A long term selection experiment was carried out to increase the
      thermal niche (temperature range for which the growth is possible) of a neutral
      lipid overproducing strain of Tisochrysis lutea. The experimental protocol
      consisted to submit cells to daily variations of temperature for 7 months. The
      stress intensity, defined as the amplitude of daily temperature variations, was
      progressively increased along successive selection cycles. Only the amplitude of
      the temperature variations were increased, the daily average temperature was kept
      constant along the experiment. This protocol resulted in a thermal niche increase
      by 3 degrees C (+16.5%), with an enhancement by 9% of the maximal growth rate.
      The selection process also affected T. lutea physiology, with a feature generally
      observed for 'cold-temperature' type of adaptation. The amount of total and
      neutral lipids was significantly increased, and eventually productivity was
      increased by 34%. This seven month selection experiment, carried out in a highly
      dynamic environment, challenges some of the hypotheses classically advanced to
      explain the temperature response of microalgae.

PMID- 28902879
TI  - Chronic Plasmodium brasilianum infections in wild Peruvian tamarins.
AB  - There is an increased interest in potential zoonotic malarias. To date,
      Plasmodium malariae that infects humans remains indistinguishable from Plasmodium
      brasilianum, which is widespread among New World primates. Distributed throughout
      tropical Central and South America, the Callitrichidae are small arboreal
      primates in which detection of natural Plasmodium infection has been extremely
      rare. Most prior screening efforts have been limited to small samples, the use of
      low-probability detection methods, or both. Rarely have screening efforts
      implemented a longitudinal sampling design. Through an annual mark-recapture
      program of two sympatric callitrichids, the emperor (Saguinus imperator) and
      saddleback (Saguinus fuscicollis) tamarins, whole blood samples were screened for
      Plasmodium by microscopy and nested PCR of the cytochrome b gene across four
      consecutive years (2012-2015). Following the first field season, approximately
      50% of the samples collected each subsequent year were from recaptured
      individuals. In particular, out of 245 samples from 129 individuals, 11 samples
      from 6 individuals were positive for Plasmodium, and all but one of these
      infections was found in S. imperator. Importantly, the cytochrome b sequences
      were 100% identical to former isolates of P. malariae from humans and P.
      brasilianum from Saimiri sp. Chronic infections were detected as evidenced by
      repeated infections (7) from two individuals across the 4-year study period.
      Furthermore, 4 of the 5 infected emperor tamarins were part of a single group
      spanning the entire study period. Overall, the low prevalence reported here is
      consistent with previous findings. This study identifies two new natural hosts
      for P. brasilianum and provides evidence in support of chronic infections in
      wildlife populations. Given that callitrichids are often found in mixed-species
      associations with other primates and can be resilient to human-disturbed
      environments, they could contribute to the maintenance of P. malariae populations
      if future work provides entomological and epidemiological evidence indicating
      human zoonotic infections.

PMID- 28902880
TI  - Cost and cost-effectiveness of a school-based education program to reduce salt
      intake in children and their families in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The School-based Education Program to Reduce Salt Intake in Children
      and Their Families study was a cluster randomized control trial among grade five
      students in 28 primary schools and their families in Changzhi, China. It achieved
      a significant effect in lowering systolic blood pressure (SBP) in all family
      adults by 2.3 mmHg and in elderlies (aged > = 60 years) by 9.5 mmHg. The aim of
      this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of this salt reduction program.
      METHODS: Costs of the intervention were assessed using an ingredients approach to
      identify resource use. A trial-based incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)
      was estimated based on the observed effectiveness in lowering SBP. A Markov model
      was used to estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness of the intervention, and
      then based on population data, extrapolated to a scenario where the program is
      scaled up nationwide. Findings were presented in terms of an incremental cost per
      quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The perspective was that of the health sector.
      RESULTS: The intervention cost Int$19.04 per family and yielded an ICER of
      Int$2.74 (90% CI: 1.17-12.30) per mmHg reduction of SBP in all participants
      (combining children and adult participants together) compared with control group.
      If scaled up nationwide for 10 years and assumed deterioration in treatment
      effect of 50% over this period, it would reach 165 million families and estimated
      to avert 42,720 acute myocardial infarction deaths and 107,512 stroke deaths in
      China. This would represent a gain of 635,816 QALYs over 10-year time frame,
      translating into Int$1,358 per QALY gained. CONCLUSION: Based on WHO-CHOICE
      criteria, our analysis demonstrated that the proposed salt reduction strategy is
      highly cost-effective, and if scaled up nationwide, the benefits could be
      substantial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01821144.

PMID- 28902881
TI  - Perioperative factors that are significantly correlated with final visual acuity
      in eyes after successful rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the perioperative factors that are significantly correlated
      with the final visual acuity following reattachment of a macula-off
      rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) by vitrectomy. METHODS: Twenty-nine eyes
      of 29 patients with a successfully reattached RRD by vitrectomy were
      retrospectively analyzed. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomographic images of
      the macular regions were used to measure the thicknesses of the retinal layers
      and the integrity of the microstructures of the photoreceptors at 2 weeks, 1, 2,
      3, 6, 9, and 12 months following the vitrectomy. The best-corrected visual
      acuities (BCVA) were evaluated at the same times. RESULTS: The improvement of the
      BCVA from the preoperative BCVA to that at postoperative Week 2 (-0.67 +/- 0.69
      logMAR units) was the largest change between adjacent observation periods for the
      entire study duration. It was significantly greater than the improvement between
      Week 2 and Month 12 (-0.32 +/- 0.22 logMAR units; P<0.001). The thickness of the
      ellipsoid zone (EZ)-retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) increased significantly with
      time (P<0.001). The final BCVA was significantly correlated with the BCVA at Week
      2 (r = 0.61, P<0.001), the EZ-RPE thickness at Week 2 (r = -0.40, P = 0.035), the
      integrity of the external limiting membrane (ELM) (r = -0.61, P = 0.003), and an
      intact EZ (r = -0.66, P = 0.001) at Week 2. Multiple stepwise regression analyses
      of the final BCVA showed that the BCVA at Week 2 (P = 0.017) and the integrity of
      the EZ at Week 2 (P = 0.006) were independent predictors of the final BCVA.
      CONCLUSIONS: The significantly better BCVA and presence of an intact EZ at 2
      weeks following vitrectomy and their significant correlations with the BCVA at
      Month 12 indicate that these perioperative values can be used to predict the BCVA
      at Month 12 after a reattachment of macula-off RRD following vitrectomy.

PMID- 28902882
TI  - Risk of myeloid neoplasms after radiotherapy among older women with localized
      breast cancer: A population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are inconsistent and limited data regarding the risk of myeloid
      neoplasms (MN) among breast cancer survivors who received radiotherapy (RT) in
      the absence of chemotherapy. Concern about subsequent MN might influence the
      decision to use adjuvant RT for women with localized disease. As patients with
      therapy-related MN have generally poor outcomes, the presumption of subsequent MN
      being therapy-related could affect treatment recommendations. METHODS: We used
      the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database
      to study older women with in-situ or stage 1-3 breast cancer diagnosed 2001-2009
      who received surgery. Chemotherapy and RT were ascertained using Medicare claims,
      and new MN diagnoses were captured using both SEER registry and Medicare claims.
      We excluded women who received chemotherapy for initial treatment, and censored
      at receipt of subsequent chemotherapy. Competing-risk survival analysis was used
      to assess the association between RT and risk of subsequent MN adjusting for
      relevant characteristics. RESULTS: Median follow-up for 60,426 eligible patients
      was 68 months (interquartile range, 46 to 92 months), with 47.6% receiving RT. In
      total, 316 patients (0.52%) were diagnosed with MN; the cumulative incidence per
      10,000 person-years was 10.6 vs 9.0 among RT-treated vs non-RT-treated women,
      respectively (p = .004); the increased risk of subsequent MN persisted in the
      adjusted analysis (hazard ratio = 1.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.80). The
      results were consistent in multiple sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      suggest that RT is associated with a significant risk of subsequent MN among
      older breast cancer survivors, though the absolute risk increase is very small.
      These findings suggest the benefits of RT outweigh the risks of development of
      subsequent MN.

PMID- 28902883
TI  - Association between E/e' ratio and fluid overload in patients with predialysis
      chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic fluid overload is common in patients with chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) and can with time lead to diastolic dysfunction and heart failure.
      We investigated whether markers of fluid status, such as NT-proBNP and
      bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS), can predict echocardiographic findings of
      diastolic dysfunction in non-dialysis CKD5 patients. METHODS: BIS,
      echocardiography, and measurement of serum NT-proBNP were performed in patients
      with non-dialysis CKD stage 5 at a single study visit. E/e' ratio reflect mean LV
      diastolic pressure and a ratio greater than 15 was used as a definition of
      diastolic dysfunction. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were analyzed. Forty-six
      patients (54.76%) had E/e' ratio <=15 and 38 patients (45.24%) had E/e' > 15
      (diastolic dysfunction). Patients with E/e'>15 had significantly higher serum NT
      proBNP (14,650 pg/mL) than patients with to E/e'<=15 (4,271 pg/mL) and had more
      overhydration (OH), 5.1 liters compared to 2.4 liters. The cut-off values
      predicting diastolic dysfunction were found to be 2,797 pg/mL for NT-proBNP and
      2.45 liters for OH. CONCLUSIONS: Regular monitoring of fluid status by BIS and NT
      proBNP can be used to find patient with risk of developing diastolic dysfunction.
      Treatments to correct fluid overload may reduce the risk of developing diastolic
      dysfunction and improve cardiovascular outcome in patients with CKD.

PMID- 28902884
TI  - Development of EST-SSR markers in flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris
      L. ssp. chinensis var. utilis Tsen et Lee) based on de novo transcriptomic
      assemblies.
AB  - Flowering Chinese cabbage is one of the most important vegetable crops in
      southern China. Genetic improvement of various agronomic traits in this crop is
      underway to meet high market demand in the region, but the progress is hampered
      by limited number of molecular markers available in this crop. This study aimed
      to develop EST-SSR markers from transcriptome sequences generated by next
      generation sequencing. RNA-seq of eight cabbage samples identified 48,975
      unigenes. Of these unigenes, 23,267 were annotated in 56 gene ontology (GO)
      categories, 6,033 were mapped to 131 KEGG pathways, and 7,825 were assigned to
      clusters of orthologous groups (COGs). From the unigenes, 8,165 EST-SSR loci were
      identified and 98.57% of them were 1-3 nucleotide repeats with 14.32%, 41.08% and
      43.17% of mono-, di- and tri-nucleotide repeats, respectively. Fifty-eight types
      of motifs were identified with A/T, AG/CT, AT/AT, AC/GT, AAG/CTT and AGG/CCT the
      most abundant. The lengths of repeated nucleotide sequences in all SSR loci
      ranged from 12 to 60 bp, with most (88.51%) under 20 bp. Among 170 primer pairs
      were randomly selected from a total of 4,912 SSR primers we designed, 48 yielded
      unambiguously polymorphic bands with high reproducibility. Cluster analysis using
      48 SSRs classified 34 flowering Chinese cabbage cultivars into three groups. A
      large number of EST-SSR markers identified in this study will facilitate marker
      assisted selection in the breeding programs of flowering Chinese cabbage.

PMID- 28902885
TI  - Overstatements in abstract conclusions claiming effectiveness of interventions in
      psychiatry: A meta-epidemiological investigation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Abstracts of scientific reports are sometimes criticized for
      exaggerating significant results when compared to the corresponding full texts.
      Such abstracts can mislead the readers. We aimed to conduct a systematic review
      of overstatements in abstract conclusions in psychiatry trials. METHODS: We
      searched for randomized controlled trials published in 2014 that explicitly
      claimed effectiveness of any intervention for mental disorders in their abstract
      conclusion, using the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. Claims of
      effectiveness in abstract conclusion were categorized into three types:
      superiority (stating superiority of intervention to control), limited superiority
      (intervention has limited superiority), and equal efficactiveness (claiming equal
      effectiveness of intervention with standard treatment control), and full text
      results into three types: significant (all primary outcomes were statistically
      significant in favor of the intervention), mixed (primary outcomes included both
      significant and non-significant results), or all results non-significant. By
      comparing these classifications, we assessed whether each abstract was
      overstated. Our primary outcome was the proportion of overstated abstract
      conclusions. RESULTS: We identified and included 60 relevant trials. 20 out of 60
      studies (33.3%) showed overstatements. Nine reports reported only significant
      results although none of their primary outcomes were significant. Large sample
      size (>300) and publication in high impact factor (IF>10) journals were
      associated with low occurrence of overstatements. CONCLUSIONS: We found that one
      in three psychiatry studies claiming effectiveness in their abstract conclusion,
      either superior to control or equal to standard treatment, for any mental
      disorders were overstated in comparison with the full text results. Readers of
      the psychiatry literature are advised to scrutinize the full text results
      regardless of the claims in the abstract. TRIAL REGISTRATION: University hospital
      Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000018668).

PMID- 28902886
TI  - Metabolic engineering to simultaneously activate anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin
      biosynthetic pathways in Nicotiana spp.
AB  - Proanthocyanidins (PAs), or condensed tannins, are powerful antioxidants that
      remove harmful free oxygen radicals from cells. To engineer the anthocyanin and
      proanthocyanidin biosynthetic pathways to de novo produce PAs in two Nicotiana
      species, we incorporated four transgenes to the plant chassis. We opted to
      perform a simultaneous transformation of the genes linked in a multigenic
      construct rather than classical breeding or retransformation approaches. We
      generated a GoldenBraid 2.0 multigenic construct containing two Antirrhinum majus
      transcription factors (AmRosea1 and AmDelila) to upregulate the anthocyanin
      pathway in combination with two Medicago truncatula genes (MtLAR and MtANR) to
      produce the enzymes that will derivate the biosynthetic pathway to PAs
      production. Transient and stable transformation of Nicotiana benthamiana and
      Nicotiana tabacum with the multigenic construct were respectively performed.
      Transient expression experiments in N. benthamiana showed the activation of the
      anthocyanin pathway producing a purple color in the agroinfiltrated leaves and
      also the effective production of 208.5 nmol (-) catechin/g FW and 228.5 nmol (-)
      epicatechin/g FW measured by the p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMACA) method.
      The integration capacity of the four transgenes, their respective expression
      levels and their heritability in the second generation were analyzed in stably
      transformed N. tabacum plants. DMACA and phoroglucinolysis/HPLC-MS analyses
      corroborated the activation of both pathways and the effective production of PAs
      in T0 and T1 transgenic tobacco plants up to a maximum of 3.48 mg/g DW. The
      possible biotechnological applications of the GB2.0 multigenic approach in forage
      legumes to produce "bloat-safe" plants and to improve the efficiency of
      conversion of plant protein into animal protein (ruminal protein bypass) are
      discussed.

PMID- 28902887
TI  - A checklist is associated with increased quality of reporting preclinical
      biomedical research: A systematic review.
AB  - Irreproducibility of preclinical biomedical research has gained recent attention.
      It is suggested that requiring authors to complete a checklist at the time of
      manuscript submission would improve the quality and transparency of scientific
      reporting, and ultimately enhance reproducibility. Whether a checklist enhances
      quality and transparency in reporting preclinical animal studies, however, has
      not been empirically studied. Here we searched two highly cited life science
      journals, one that requires a checklist at submission (Nature) and one that does
      not (Cell), to identify in vivo animal studies. After screening 943 articles, a
      total of 80 articles were identified in 2013 (pre-checklist) and 2015 (post
      checklist), and included for the detailed evaluation of reporting methodological
      and analytical information. We compared the quality of reporting preclinical
      animal studies between the two journals, accounting for differences between
      journals and changes over time in reporting. We find that reporting of
      randomization, blinding, and sample-size estimation significantly improved when
      comparing Nature to Cell from 2013 to 2015, likely due to implementation of a
      checklist. Specifically, improvement in reporting of the three methodological
      information was at least three times greater when a mandatory checklist was
      implemented than when it was not. Reporting the sex of animals and the number of
      independent experiments performed also improved from 2013 to 2015, likely from
      factors not related to a checklist. Our study demonstrates that completing a
      checklist at manuscript submission is associated with improved reporting of key
      methodological information in preclinical animal studies.

PMID- 28902888
TI  - Dendrimer-based selective autophagy-induction rescues DeltaF508-CFTR and inhibits
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder caused by mutation(s) in
      the CF-transmembrane conductance regulator (Cftr) gene. The most common mutation,
      DeltaF508, leads to accumulation of defective-CFTR protein in aggresome-bodies.
      Additionally, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), a common CF pathogen, exacerbates
      obstructive CF lung pathology. In the present study, we aimed to develop and test
      a novel strategy to improve the bioavailability and potentially achieve targeted
      drug delivery of cysteamine, a potent autophagy-inducing drug with anti-bacterial
      properties, by developing a dendrimer (PAMAM-DEN)-based cysteamine analogue.
      RESULTS: We first evaluated the effect of dendrimer-based cysteamine analogue
      (PAMAM-DENCYS) on the intrinsic autophagy response in IB3-1 cells and observed a
      significant reduction in Ub-RFP and LC3-GFP co-localization (aggresome-bodies) by
      PAMAM-DENCYS treatment as compared to plain dendrimer (PAMAM-DEN) control. Next,
      we observed that PAMAM-DENCYS treatment shows a modest rescue of DeltaF508-CFTR
      as the C-form. Moreover, immunofluorescence microscopy of HEK-293 cells
      transfected with DeltaF508-CFTR-GFP showed that PAMAM-DENCYS is able to rescue
      the misfolded-DeltaF508-CFTR from aggresome-bodies by inducing its trafficking to
      the plasma membrane. We further verified these results by flow cytometry and
      observed significant (p<0.05; PAMAM-DEN vs. PAMAM-DENCYS) rescue of membrane
      DeltaF508-CFTR with PAMAM-DENCYS treatment using non-permeabilized IB3-1 cells
      immunostained for CFTR. Finally, we assessed the autophagy-mediated bacterial
      clearance potential of PAMAM-DENCYS by treating IB3-1 cells infected with PA01
      GFP, and observed a significant (p<0.01; PAMAM-DEN vs. PAMAM-DENCYS) decrease in
      intracellular bacterial counts by immunofluorescence microscopy and flow
      cytometry. Also, PAMAM-DENCYS treatment significantly inhibits the growth of PA01
      GFP bacteria and demonstrates potent mucolytic properties. CONCLUSIONS: We
      demonstrate here the efficacy of dendrimer-based autophagy-induction in
      preventing sequestration of DeltaF508-CFTR to aggresome-bodies while promoting
      its trafficking to the plasma membrane. Moreover, PAMAM-DENCYS decreases Pa
      infection and growth, while showing mucolytic properties, suggesting its
      potential in rescuing Pa-induced DeltaF508-CF lung disease that warrants further
      investigation in CF murine model.

PMID- 28902889
TI  - On specimen killing in the era of conservation crisis - A quantitative case for
      modernizing taxonomy and biodiversity inventories.
AB  - BACKGROUND TO THE WORK: For centuries taxonomy has relied on dead animal
      specimens, a practice that persists today despite the emergence of innovative
      biodiversity assessment methods. Taxonomists and conservationists are engaged in
      vigorous discussions over the necessity of killing animals for specimen sampling,
      but quantitative data on taxonomic trends and specimen sampling over time, which
      could inform these debates, are lacking. METHODS: We interrogated a long-term
      research database documenting 2,723 land vertebrate and 419 invertebrate taxa
      from Madagascar, and their associated specimens conserved in the major natural
      history museums. We further compared specimen collection and species description
      rates for the birds, mammals and scorpions over the last two centuries, to
      identify trends and links to taxon descriptions. RESULTS: We located 15,364
      specimens documenting endemic mammals and 11,666 specimens documenting endemic
      birds collected between 1820 and 2010. Most specimens were collected at the time
      of the Mission Zoologique Franco-Anglo-Americaine (MZFAA) in the 1930s and during
      the last two decades, with major differences according to the groups considered.
      The small mammal and bat collections date primarily from recent years, and are
      paralleled by the description of new species. Lemur specimens were collected
      during the MZFAA but the descriptions of new taxa are recent, with the type
      series limited to non-killed specimens. Bird specimens, particularly of non
      passerines, are mainly from the time of the MZFAA. The passerines have also been
      intensely collected during the last two decades; the new material has been used
      to solve the phylogeny of the groups and only two new endemic taxa of passerine
      birds have been described over the last two decades. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show
      that specimen collection has been critical for advancing our understanding of the
      taxonomy of Madagascar's biodiversity at the onset of zoological work in
      Madagascar, but less so in recent decades. It is crucial to look for alternatives
      to avoid killing animals in the name of documenting life, and encourage all
      efforts to share the information attached to historical and recent collections
      held in natural history museums. In times of conservation crisis and the
      advancement in digital technologies and open source sharing, it seems obsolete to
      kill animals in well-known taxonomic groups for the sake of enriching natural
      history collections around the world.

PMID- 28902890
TI  - Simultaneous trimodal PET-MR-EEG imaging: Do EEG caps generate artefacts in PET
      images?
AB  - Trimodal simultaneous acquisition of positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI), and electroencephalography (EEG) has become feasible due
      to the development of hybrid PET-MR scanners. To capture the temporal dynamics of
      neuronal activation on a millisecond-by-millisecond basis, an EEG system is
      appended to the quantitative high resolution PET-MR imaging modality already
      established in our institute. One of the major difficulties associated with the
      development of simultaneous trimodal acquisition is that the components
      traditionally used in each modality can cause interferences in its counterpart.
      The mutual interferences of MRI components and PET components on PET and MR
      images, and the influence of EEG electrodes on functional MRI images have been
      studied and reported on. Building on this, this study aims to investigate the
      influence of the EEG cap on the quality and quantification of PET images acquired
      during simultaneous PET-MR measurements. A preliminary transmission scan study on
      the ECAT HR+ scanner, using an Iida phantom, showed visible attenuation effect
      due to the EEG cap. The BrainPET-MR emission images of the Iida phantom with
      [18F]Fluordeoxyglucose, as well as of human subjects with the EEG cap, did not
      show significant effects of the EEG cap, even though the applied attenuation
      correction did not take into account the attenuation of the EEG cap itself.

PMID- 28902891
TI  - TEMs but not DKK1 could serve as complementary biomarkers for AFP in diagnosing
      AFP-negative hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      is prevalent worldwide. Despite its limitations, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
      remains the most widely-used biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC. This study aimed
      to assess whether measurement of peripheral plasma Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and Tie2
      expressing monocytes (TEMs) could overcome the limitations of AFP and improve the
      diagnostic accuracy of HCC. METHODS: Plasma DKK1 level and the percentage of TEMs
      in peripheral CD14+CD16+ monocytes from HCC patients (n = 82), HBV-related liver
      cirrhosis (LC) patients (n = 29), chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infected patients (n
      = 28) and healthy volunteers (n = 31) were analyzed by ELISA and flow cytometry.
      Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze a single
      biomarker, or a combination of two or three biomarkers. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses were performed to assess the significance of each marker in
      prediction of HCC and AFP-negative HCC from LC patients. RESULTS: The percentage
      of TEMs in peripheral CD14+CD16+ monocytes and plasma level of DKK1 in HCC group
      were significantly higher than those in LC, CHB and healthy control groups (all P
      values <0.05). The percentage of TEMs alone was also significantly higher in AFP
      negative HCC group than that in LC, CHB and healthy control groups (all P-values
      <0.05). Plasma DKK1 level alone could not distinguish between AFP-negative HCC
      and LC patients. ROC curves showed that the optimal diagnostic cutoff value was
      550.93 ng/L for DKK1 and 4.95% for TEMs. There was no significant difference in
      AUC of DKK1, TEMs and AFP in HCC diagnosis between the four groups (all P>0.05).
      A combination of DKK1, TEMs and AFP measurements increased the AUC for HCC
      diagnosis as compared with either marker alone (0.833; 95%CI 0.768-0.886). The
      AUC for TEMs was 0.692 (95% CI 0.564-0.819) in differentiating AFP-negative HCC
      from LC, with a sensitivity of 80.0% and a specificity of 65.52%. Only TEMs
      prevailed as a significant predictor for AFP-negative HCC differentiating from LC
      patients in univariate and multivariate analyses (P = 0.016, P = 0.023).
      CONCLUSIONS: TEMs and DKK1 may prove to be potential complementary biomarkers for
      AFP in the diagnosis of HCC. TEMs rather than DKK1 could serve as a complementary
      biomarker for AFP in the differential diagnosis of AFP-negative HCC versus LC
      patients.

PMID- 28902892
TI  - Neanderthal and Denisova tooth protein variants in present-day humans.
AB  - Environment parameters, diet and genetic factors interact to shape tooth
      morphostructure. In the human lineage, archaic and modern hominins show
      differences in dental traits, including enamel thickness, but variability also
      exists among living populations. Several polymorphisms, in particular in the non
      collagenous extracellular matrix proteins of the tooth hard tissues, like
      enamelin, are involved in dental structure variation and defects and may be
      associated with dental disorders or susceptibility to caries. To gain insights
      into the relationships between tooth protein polymorphisms and dental structural
      morphology and defects, we searched for non-synonymous polymorphisms in tooth
      proteins from Neanderthal and Denisova hominins. The objective was to identify
      archaic-specific missense variants that may explain the dental morphostructural
      variability between extinct and modern humans, and to explore their putative
      impact on present-day dental phenotypes. Thirteen non-collagenous extracellular
      matrix proteins specific to hard dental tissues have been selected, searched in
      the publicly available sequence databases of Neanderthal and Denisova individuals
      and compared with modern human genome data. A total of 16 non-synonymous
      polymorphisms were identified in 6 proteins (ameloblastin, amelotin, cementum
      protein 1, dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein 1, enamelin and matrix Gla
      protein). Most of them are encoded by dentin and enamel genes located on
      chromosome 4, previously reported to show signs of archaic introgression within
      Africa. Among the variants shared with modern humans, two are ancestral (common
      with apes) and one is the derived enamelin major variant, T648I (rs7671281),
      associated with a thinner enamel and specific to the Homo lineage. All the others
      are specific to Neanderthals and Denisova, and are found at a very low frequency
      in modern Africans or East and South Asians, suggesting that they may be related
      to particular dental traits or disease susceptibility in these populations. This
      modern regional distribution of archaic dental polymorphisms may reflect
      persistence of archaic variants in some populations and may contribute in part to
      the geographic dental variations described in modern humans.

PMID- 28902893
TI  - Correlation of optic nerve sheath diameter with directly measured intracranial
      pressure in Korean adults using bedside ultrasonography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The correlation of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) as seen on
      ultrasonography (US) and directly measured intracranial pressure (ICP) has been
      well described. Nevertheless, differences in ethnicity and type of ICP monitor
      used are obstacles to the interpretation. Therefore, we investigated the direct
      correlation between ONSD and ventricular ICP and defined an optimal cut-off point
      for identifying increased ICP (IICP) in Korean adults with brain lesions.
      METHODS: This prospective study included patients who required an external
      ventricular drainage (EVD) catheter for ICP control. IICP was defined as an
      opening pressure over 20 mmHg. ONSD was measured using a 13 MHz US probe before
      the procedure. Linear regression analysis and receiver operator characteristic
      (ROC) curve were used to assess the association between ONSD and ICP. Optimal cut
      off value for identifying IICP was defined. RESULTS: A total of 62 patients who
      underwent ONSD measurement with simultaneous EVD catheter placement were enrolled
      in this study. Thirty-two patients (51.6%) were found to have IICP. ONSD in
      patients with IICP (5.80 +/- 0.45 mm) was significantly higher than in those
      without IICP (5.30 +/- 0.61 mm) (P < 0.01). The IICP group showed more
      significant linear correlation with ONSD (r = 0.57, P < 0.01) compared to the non
      IICP group (r = 0.42, P = 0.02). ONSD > 5.6 mm disclosed a sensitivity of 93.75%
      and a specificity of 86.67% for identifying IICP. CONCLUSION: ONSD as seen on
      bedside US correlated well with directly measured ICP in Korean adults with brain
      lesions. The optimal cut-off point of ONSD for detecting IICP was 5.6 mm.

PMID- 28902895
TI  - Optimal pseudorandom sequence selection for online c-VEP based BCI control
      applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In a c-VEP BCI setting, test subjects can have highly varying
      performances when different pseudorandom sequences are applied as stimulus, and
      ideally, multiple codes should be supported. On the other hand, repeating the
      experiment with many different pseudorandom sequences is a laborious process.
      AIMS: This study aimed to suggest an efficient method for choosing the optimal
      stimulus sequence based on a fast test and simple measures to increase the
      performance and minimize the time consumption for research trials. METHODS: A
      total of 21 healthy subjects were included in an online wheelchair control task
      and completed the same task using stimuli based on the m-code, the gold-code, and
      the Barker-code. Correct/incorrect identification and time consumption were
      obtained for each identification. Subject-specific templates were characterized
      and used in a forward-step first-order model to predict the chance of completion
      and accuracy score. RESULTS: No specific pseudorandom sequence showed superior
      accuracy on the group basis. When isolating the individual performances with the
      highest accuracy, time consumption per identification was not significantly
      increased. The Accuracy Score aids in predicting what pseudorandom sequence will
      lead to the best performance using only the templates. The Accuracy Score was
      higher when the template resembled a delta function the most and when repeated
      templates were consistent. For completion prediction, only the shape of the
      template was a significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS: The simple and fast method
      presented in this study as the Accuracy Score, allows c-VEP based BCI systems to
      support multiple pseudorandom sequences without increase in trial length. This
      allows for more personalized BCI systems with better performance to be tested
      without increased costs.

PMID- 28902894
TI  - What determines sclerobiont colonization on marine mollusk shells?
AB  - Empty mollusk shells may act as colonization surfaces for sclerobionts depending
      on the physical, chemical, and biological attributes of the shells. However, the
      main factors that can affect the establishment of an organism on hard substrates
      and the colonization patterns on modern and time-averaged shells remain unclear.
      Using experimental and field approaches, we compared sclerobiont (i.e., bacteria
      and invertebrate) colonization patterns on the exposed shells (internal and
      external sides) of three bivalve species (Anadara brasiliana, Mactra isabelleana,
      and Amarilladesma mactroides) with different external shell textures. In
      addition, we evaluated the influence of the host characteristics (mode of life,
      body size, color alteration, external and internal ornamentation and mineralogy)
      of sclerobionts on dead mollusk shells (bivalve and gastropod) collected from the
      Southern Brazilian coast. Finally, we compared field observations with
      experiments to evaluate how the biological signs of the present-day invertebrate
      settlements are preserved in molluscan death assemblages (incipient fossil
      record) in a subtropical shallow coastal setting. The results enhance our
      understanding of sclerobiont colonization over modern and paleoecology
      perspectives. The data suggest that sclerobiont settlement is enhanced by (i)
      high(er) biofilm bacteria density, which is more attracted to surfaces with high
      ornamentation; (ii) heterogeneous internal and external shell surface; (iii)
      shallow infaunal or attached epifaunal life modes; (iv) colorful or post-mortem
      oxidized shell surfaces; (v) shell size (<50 mm2 or >1,351 mm2); and (vi)
      calcitic mineralogy. Although the biofilm bacteria density, shell size, and
      texture are considered the most important factors, the effects of other covarying
      attributes should also be considered. We observed a similar pattern of
      sclerobiont colonization frequency over modern and paleoecology perspectives,
      with an increase of invertebrates occurring on textured bivalve shells. This
      study demonstrates how bacterial biofilms may influence sclerobiont colonization
      on biological hosts (mollusks), and shows how ecological relationships in marine
      organisms may be relevant for interpreting the fossil record of sclerobionts.

PMID- 28902896
TI  - Pathological grooming: Evidence for a single factor behind trichotillomania, skin
      picking and nail biting.
AB  - Although trichotillomania (TTM), skin picking (SP), and nail biting (NB) have
      been receiving growing scientific attention, the question as to whether these
      disorders can be regarded as separate entities or they are different
      manifestations of the same underlying tendency is unclear. Data were collected
      online in a community survey, yielding a sample of 2705 participants (66% women,
      mean age: 29.1, SD: 8.6). Hierarchical factor analysis was used to identify a
      common latent factor and the multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC)
      modelling was applied to test the predictive effect of borderline personality
      disorder symptoms, impulsivity, distress and self-esteem on pathological
      grooming. Pearson correlation coefficients between TTM, SP and NB were between
      0.13 and 0.29 (p < 0.01). The model yielded an excellent fit to the data (CFI =
      0.992, TLI = 0.991, chi2 = 696.65, p < 0.001, df = 222, RMSEA = 0.030, Cfit of
      RMSEA = 1.000), supporting the existence of a latent factor. The MIMIC model
      indicated an adequate fit (CFI = 0.993, TLI = 0.992, chi2 = 655.8, p < 0.001, df
      = 307, RMSEA = 0.25, CI: 0.022-0.028, pclose = 1.000). TTM, SP and NB each were
      loaded significantly on the latent factor, indicating the presence of a general
      grooming factor. Impulsivity, psychiatric distress and contingent self-esteem had
      significant predictive effects, whereas borderline personality disorder had a
      nonsignificant predictive effect on the latent factor. We found evidence that the
      category of pathological grooming is meaningful and encompasses three symptom
      manifestations: trichotillomania, skin picking and nail biting. This latent
      underlying factor is not better explained by indicators of psychopathology, which
      supports the notion that the urge to self-groom, rather than general psychiatric
      distress, impulsivity, self-esteem or borderline symptomatology, is what drives
      individual grooming behaviours.

PMID- 28902897
TI  - Testing the effects of sensory stimulation as a collateral-based therapeutic for
      ischemic stroke in C57BL/6J and CD1 mouse strains.
AB  - Utilizing a rat model of ischemic stroke, we have previously shown that sensory
      stimulation can completely protect rats from impending ischemic damage of cortex
      if this treatment is delivered within the first two hours post-permanent middle
      cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAo). The current study sought to extend our
      findings in rats to mice, which would allow new avenues of research not available
      in rats. Thus, young adult C57BL/6J and CD1 mice were tested for protection from
      ischemic stroke with the same protective sensory stimulation-based treatment.
      Cortical activity and blood flow were assessed with intrinsic signal optical
      imaging (ISOI) and laser speckle imaging (LSI), respectively, and histological
      analysis (TTC) was performed at the completion of the experiments. Standing in
      stark contrast to the positive results observed in rats, in both strains we found
      that there were no differences between treated and untreated mice at 24 hours
      post-pMCAo in terms of infarct volume, negative functional imaging results, and
      major reduction in retrograde collateral blood flow as compared to pre-pMCAo
      baseline and surgical controls. Also, no differences were found between the
      strains in terms of theses variables. Potential reasons for the differences
      between rats and mice are discussed.

PMID- 28902898
TI  - Identification and characterization of preferred DNA-binding sites for the
      Thermus thermophilus transcriptional regulator FadR.
AB  - One of the primary transcriptional regulators of fatty acid homeostasis in many
      prokaryotes is the protein FadR. To better understand its biological function in
      the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus HB8, we sought to first determine
      its preferred DNA-binding sequences in vitro using the combinatorial selection
      method Restriction Endonuclease Protection, Selection, and Amplification (REPSA)
      and then use this information to bioinformatically identify potential regulated
      genes. REPSA determined a consensus FadR-binding sequence 5'-TTRNACYNRGTNYAA-3',
      which was further characterized using quantitative electrophoretic mobility shift
      assays. With this information, a search of the T. thermophilus HB8 genome found
      multiple operons potentially regulated by FadR. Several of these were identified
      as encoding proteins involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and degradation;
      however, others were novel and not previously identified as targets of FadR. The
      role of FadR in regulating these genes was validated by physical and functional
      methods, as well as comparative genomic approaches to further characterize
      regulons in related organisms. Taken together, our study demonstrates that a
      systematic approach involving REPSA, biophysical characterization of protein-DNA
      binding, and bioinformatics can be used to postulate biological roles for
      potential transcriptional regulators.

PMID- 28902899
TI  - Selective autonomic stimulation of the AV node fat pad to control rapid post
      operative atrial arrhythmias.
AB  - Junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) and atrial fibrillation (AF) occur in
      patients recovering from open-heart surgery (OHS). Pharmacologic treatment is
      used for the control of post-operative atrial arrhythmias (POAA), but is
      associated with side effects. There is a need for a reversible, modulated
      solution to rate control. We propose a non-pharmacologic technique that can
      modulate AV nodal conduction in a selective fashion. Ten mongrel dogs underwent
      OHS. Stimulation of the anterior right (AR) and inferior right (IR) fat pad (FP)
      was done using a 7-pole electrode. The IR was more effective in slowing the
      ventricular rate (VR) to AF (52 +/- 20 vs. 15 +/- 10%, p = 0.003) and JET (12 +/-
      7 vs. 0 +/- 0%, p = 0.02). Selective site stimulation within a FP region could
      augment the effect of stimulation during AF (57 +/- 20% (maximum effect) vs. 0 +/
      0% (minimum effect), p<0.001). FP stimulation at increasing stimulation voltage
      (SV) demonstrated a voltage-dependent effect (8 +/- 14% (low V) vs. 63 +/- 17
      (high V) %, p<0.001). In summary, AV node fat pad stimulation had a selective
      effect on the AV node by decreasing AV nodal conduction, with little effect on
      atrial activity.

PMID- 28902901
TI  - Correction: Long-Term Regional Shifts in Plant Community Composition Are Largely
      Explained by Local Deer Impact Experiments.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115843.].

PMID- 28902900
TI  - Possible clinical effects of molecular hydrogen (H2) delivery during hemodialysis
      in chronic dialysis patients: Interim analysis in a 12 month observation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: It is supposed that enhanced oxidative stress and
      inflammation are involved with the poor clinical outcomes in patients on chronic
      dialysis treatment. Recent studies have shown that molecular hydrogen (H2) is
      biologically active as an anti-inflammatory agent. Thus, we developed a novel
      hemodialysis (E-HD) system which delivers H2 (30 to 80 ppb)-enriched dialysis
      solution, to conduct a prospective observational study (UMIN000004857) in order
      to compare the long-term outcomes between E-HD and conventional-HD (C-HD) in
      Japan. The present interim analysis aimed to look at potential clinical effects
      of E-HD during the first 12 months observation. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: 262 patients
      (140, E-HD; 122, C-HD) were subjected for analysis for comprehensive clinical
      profiles. They were all participating in the above mentioned study, and they had
      been under the respective HD treatment for 12 consecutive months without
      hospitalization. Collected data, such as, physical and laboratory examinations,
      medications, and self-assessment questionnaires on subjective symptoms (i.e.,
      fatigue and pruritus) were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In a 12
      month period, no clinical relevant differences were found in dialysis-related
      parameters between the two groups. However, there were differences in the defined
      daily dose of anti-hypertensive agents, and subjective symptoms, such as severe
      fatigue, and pruritus, which were all less in the E-HD group. Multivariate
      analysis revealed E-HD was an independent significant factor for the reduced use
      of anti-hypertensive agents as well as the absence of severe fatigue and pruritus
      at 12 months after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSION: The data
      indicates E-HD could have substantial clinical benefits beyond conventional HD
      therapy, and support the rationale to conduct clinical trials of H2 application
      to HD treatment.

PMID- 28902902
TI  - Multiscale biphasic modelling of peritumoural collagen microstructure: The effect
      of tumour growth on permeability and fluid flow.
AB  - We present an in-silico model of avascular poroelastic tumour growth coupled with
      a multiscale biphasic description of the tumour-host environment. The model is
      specified to in-vitro data, facilitating biophysically realistic simulations of
      tumour spheroid growth into a dense collagen hydrogel. We use the model to first
      confirm that passive mechanical remodelling of collagen fibres at the tumour
      boundary is driven by solid stress, and not fluid pressure. The model is then
      used to demonstrate the influence of collagen microstructure on peritumoural
      permeability and interstitial fluid flow. Our model suggests that at the tumour
      periphery, remodelling causes the peritumoural stroma to become more permeable in
      the circumferential than radial direction, and the interstitial fluid velocity is
      found to be dependent on initial collagen alignment. Finally we show that solid
      stresses are negatively correlated with peritumoural permeability, and positively
      correlated with interstitial fluid velocity. These results point to a
      heterogeneous, microstructure-dependent force environment at the tumour
      peritumoural stroma interface.

PMID- 28902903
TI  - Visuo-perceptual capabilities predict sensitivity for coinciding auditory and
      visual transients in multi-element displays.
AB  - In order to obtain a coherent representation of the outside world, auditory and
      visual information are integrated during human information processing. There is
      remarkable variance among observers in the capability to integrate auditory and
      visual information. Here, we propose that visuo-perceptual capabilities predict
      detection performance for audiovisually coinciding transients in multi-element
      displays due to severe capacity limitations in audiovisual integration. In the
      reported experiment, we employed an individual differences approach in order to
      investigate this hypothesis. Therefore, we measured performance in a useful-field
      of-view task that captures detection performance for briefly presented stimuli
      across a large perceptual field. Furthermore, we measured sensitivity for visual
      direction changes that coincide with tones within the same participants. Our
      results show that individual differences in visuo-perceptual capabilities
      predicted sensitivity for the presence of audiovisually synchronous events among
      competing visual stimuli. To ensure that this correlation does not stem from
      superordinate factors, we also tested performance in an unrelated working memory
      task. Performance in this task was independent of sensitivity for the presence of
      audiovisually synchronous events. Our findings strengthen the proposed link
      between visuo-perceptual capabilities and audiovisual integration. The results
      also suggest that basic visuo-perceptual capabilities provide the basis for the
      subsequent integration of auditory and visual information.

PMID- 28902905
TI  - Bio-physical characterisation of polynyas as a key foraging habitat for juvenile
      male southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica.
AB  - Antarctic coastal polynyas are persistent open water areas in the sea ice zone,
      and regions of high biological productivity thought to be important foraging
      habitat for marine predators. This study quantified southern elephant seal
      (Mirounga leonina) habitat use within and around the polynyas of the Prydz Bay
      region (63 degrees E- 88 degrees E) in East Antarctica, and examined the bio
      physical characteristics structuring polynyas as foraging habitat. Output from a
      climatological regional ocean model was used to provide context for in situ
      temperature-salinity vertical profiles collected by tagged elephant seals and to
      characterise the physical properties structuring polynyas. Biological properties
      were explored using remotely-sensed surface chlorophyll (Chl-a) and,
      qualitatively, historical fish assemblage data. Spatially gridded residence time
      of seals was examined in relation to habitat characteristics using generalized
      additive mixed models. The results showed clear polynya usage during early autumn
      and increasingly concentrated usage during early winter. Bathymetry, Chl-a,
      surface net heat flux (representing polynya location), and bottom temperature
      were identified as significant bio-physical predictors of the spatio-temporal
      habitat usage. The findings from this study confirm that the most important
      marine habitats for juvenile male southern elephant seals within Prydz Bay region
      are polynyas. A hypothesis exists regarding the seasonal evolution of primary
      productivity, coupling from surface to subsurface productivity and supporting
      elevated rates of secondary production in the upper water column during summer
      autumn. An advancement to this hypothesis is proposed here, whereby this bio
      physical coupling is likely to extend throughout the water column as it becomes
      fully convected during autumn-winter, to also promote pelagic-benthic linkages
      important for benthic foraging within polynyas.

PMID- 28902904
TI  - Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf
      of Mexico coast: Gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional
      sampling network.
AB  - Coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise are greatly influenced by
      biogeomorphic processes that affect wetland surface elevation. Small changes in
      elevation relative to sea level can lead to comparatively large changes in
      ecosystem structure, function, and stability. The surface elevation table-marker
      horizon (SET-MH) approach is being used globally to quantify the relative
      contributions of processes affecting wetland elevation change. Historically, SET
      MH measurements have been obtained at local scales to address site-specific
      research questions. However, in the face of accelerated sea-level rise, there is
      an increasing need for elevation change network data that can be incorporated
      into regional ecological models and vulnerability assessments. In particular,
      there is a need for long-term, high-temporal resolution data that are
      strategically distributed across ecologically-relevant abiotic gradients. Here,
      we quantify the distribution of SET-MH stations along the northern Gulf of Mexico
      coast (USA) across political boundaries (states), wetland habitats, and
      ecologically-relevant abiotic gradients (i.e., gradients in temperature,
      precipitation, elevation, and relative sea-level rise). Our analyses identify
      areas with high SET-MH station densities as well as areas with notable gaps. Salt
      marshes, intermediate elevations, and colder areas with high rainfall have a high
      number of stations, while salt flat ecosystems, certain elevation zones, the
      mangrove-marsh ecotone, and hypersaline coastal areas with low rainfall have
      fewer stations. Due to rapid rates of wetland loss and relative sea-level rise,
      the state of Louisiana has the most extensive SET-MH station network in the
      region, and we provide several recent examples where data from Louisiana's
      network have been used to assess and compare wetland vulnerability to sea-level
      rise. Our findings represent the first attempt to examine spatial gaps in SET-MH
      coverage across abiotic gradients. Our analyses can be used to transform a
      broadly disseminated and unplanned collection of SET-MH stations into a
      coordinated and strategic regional network. This regional network would provide
      data for predicting and preparing for the responses of coastal wetlands to
      accelerated sea-level rise and other aspects of global change.

PMID- 28902906
TI  - Users' participation and social influence during information spreading on
      Twitter.
AB  - Online Social Networks generate a prodigious wealth of real-time information at
      an incessant rate. In this paper we study the empirical data that crawled from
      Twitter to describe the topology and information spreading dynamics of Online
      Social Networks. We propose a measurement with three measures to state the
      efforts of users on Twitter to get their information spreading, based on the
      unique mechanisms for information retransmission on Twitter. It is noticed that
      small fraction of users with special performance on participation can gain great
      influence, while most other users play a role as middleware during the
      information propagation. Thus a community analysis is performed and four
      categories of users are found with different kinds of participation that cause
      the information dissemination dynamics. These suggest that exiting topological
      measures alone may reflect little about the influence of individuals and provide
      new insights for information spreading.

PMID- 28902907
TI  - PCR detection of human herpesviruses in colonic mucosa of individuals with
      inflammatory bowel disease: Comparison with individuals with immunocompetency and
      HIV infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detection of human herpesviruses (HHVs) other than cytomegalovirus
      (CMV) in colonic mucosa of individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
      remains unknown. This study identified eight HHVs in the colonic mucosa of
      individuals with IBD and compared the results with immunocompetent and human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. METHODS: A total of 89
      individuals who had colorectal ulcer on colonoscopy were enrolled: 26 with
      immunocompetency (n = 26), 41 with IBD, and 22 with HIV infection. We examined
      the colonic ulcers for the presence of eight HHVs-herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1/2,
      varicella zoster virus (VZV), CMV, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), HHV-6, HHV-7, and
      HHV-8-using mucosal PCR. RESULTS: The IBD group had positivity rates of 0%, 0%,
      0%, 53.7%, 24.4%, 39%, 39%, and 0% for HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV-6, HHV-7,
      and HHV-8, respectively. The positivity rates of EBV and CMV in colonic mucosa
      increased significantly in the order of the immunocompetent, IBD, and HIV groups
      (EBV: 23.1%, 53.7%, 72.7%, P for trend = 0.0005; CMV, 7.7%, 24.4%, 54.5%, P for
      trend = 0.0003, respectively), but no increase was found in the other HHVs.
      Median mucosal EBV DNA values in the immunocompetent, IBD, and HIV groups were 0,
      76, and 287 copies/MUg DNA, respectively (P for trend = 0.002). Corresponding
      median mucosal CMV DNA values were 0, 0, and 17 copies/MUg DNA (P for trend =
      0.0001). There was no significant difference in the positivity rates of the eight
      HHVs between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION: The HHVs of EBV,
      CMV, HHV-6, and HHV-7, but not of HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, or HHV-8, were identified in
      the colonic mucosa of IBD individuals. EBV and CMV in colonic mucosa was
      correlated with host immune status in increasing order of immunocompetent, IBD,
      and HIV-infected individuals.

PMID- 28902908
TI  - Histological assessment of granulomas in natural and experimental Schistosoma
      mansoni infections using whole slide imaging.
AB  - The pathology of schistosomiasis mansoni, a neglected tropical disease of great
      clinical and socioeconomic importance, results from the parasite eggs that become
      trapped in host tissues, particularly in the liver and intestines. Continuous
      antigenic stimulation from these eggs leads to recruitment of inflammatory cells
      to the sites of infection with formation of periovular granulomas. These complex
      structures have variable size and composition and are the most striking
      histopathological feature of schistosomiasis mansoni. However, evaluation of
      granulomas by conventional microscopy methods is time-consuming and limited,
      especially in large-scale studies. Here, we used high resolution Whole Slide
      Imaging (WSI), which allows fast scanning of entire histological slides, and
      multiple morphometric evaluations, to assess the granulomatous response elicited
      in target organs (liver, small and large intestines) of two models of
      schistosomiasis mansoni. One of the advantages of WSI, also termed virtual
      microscopy, is that it generates images that simultaneously offer high resolution
      and a wide field of observation. By using a model of natural (Nectomys squamipes,
      a wild reservoir captured from endemic areas in Brazil) and experimental (Swiss
      mouse) infection with Schistosoma mansoni, we provided the first detailed WSI
      characterization of granulomas and other pathological aspects. WSI and
      quantitative analyses enabled a fast and reliable assessment of the number,
      evolutional types, frequency and areas of granulomas and inflammatory infiltrates
      and revealed that target organs are differentially impacted by inflammatory
      responses in the natural and experimental infections. Remarkably, high-resolution
      analysis of individual eosinophils, key cells elicited by this helminthic
      infection, showed a great difference in eosinophil numbers between the two
      infections. Moreover, features such as the intestinal egg path and confluent
      granulomas were uncovered. Thus, WSI may be a suitable tool for detailed and
      precise histological analysis of granulomas and other pathological aspects for
      clinical and research studies of schistosomiasis.

PMID- 28902910
TI  - Pituitary genomic expression profiles of steers are altered by grazing of high
      vs. low endophyte-infected tall fescue forages.
AB  - Consumption of ergot alkaloid-containing tall fescue grass impairs several
      metabolic, vascular, growth, and reproductive processes in cattle, collectively
      producing a clinical condition known as "fescue toxicosis." Despite the apparent
      association between pituitary function and these physiological parameters,
      including depressed serum prolactin; no reports describe the effect of fescue
      toxicosis on pituitary genomic expression profiles. To identify candidate
      regulatory mechanisms, we compared the global and selected targeted mRNA
      expression patterns of pituitaries collected from beef steers that had been
      randomly assigned to undergo summer-long grazing (89 to 105 d) of a high-toxic
      endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture (HE; 0.746 MUg/g ergot alkaloids; 5.7 ha;
      n = 10; BW = 267 +/- 14.5 kg) or a low-toxic endophyte tall fescue-mixed pasture
      (LE; 0.023 MUg/g ergot alkaloids; 5.7 ha; n = 9; BW = 266 +/- 10.9 kg). As
      previously reported, in the HE steers, serum prolactin and body weights decreased
      and a potential for hepatic gluconeogenesis from amino acid-derived carbons
      increased. In this manuscript, we report that the pituitaries of HE steers had
      542 differentially expressed genes (P < 0.001, false discovery rate <= 4.8%), and
      the pattern of altered gene expression was dependent (P < 0.001) on treatment.
      Integrated Pathway Analysis revealed that canonical pathways central to prolactin
      production, secretion, or signaling were affected, in addition to those related
      to corticotropin-releasing hormone signaling, melanocyte development, and
      pigmentation signaling. Targeted RT-PCR analysis corroborated these findings,
      including decreased (P < 0.05) expression of DRD2, PRL, POU1F1, GAL, and VIP and
      that of POMC and PCSK1, respectively. Canonical pathway analysis identified HE
      dependent alteration in signaling of additional pituitary-derived hormones,
      including growth hormone and GnRH. We conclude that consumption of endophyte
      infected tall fescue alters the pituitary transcriptome profiles of steers in a
      manner consistent with their negatively affected physiological parameters.

PMID- 28902909
TI  - The cytoprotective protein clusterin is overexpressed in hypergastrinemic rodent
      models of oxyntic preneoplasia and promotes gastric cancer cell survival.
AB  - The cytoprotective protein clusterin is often dysregulated during tumorigenesis,
      and in the stomach, upregulation of clusterin marks emergence of the oxyntic
      atrophy (loss of acid-producing parietal cells)-associated spasmolytic
      polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM). The hormone gastrin is important for
      normal function and maturation of the gastric oxyntic mucosa and hypergastrinemia
      might be involved in gastric carcinogenesis. Gastrin induces expression of
      clusterin in adenocarcinoma cells. In the present study, we examined the
      expression patterns and gastrin-mediated regulation of clusterin in gastric
      tissue from: humans; rats treated with proton pump (H+/K+-ATPase) inhibitors
      and/or a gastrin receptor (CCK2R) antagonist; H+/K+-ATPase beta-subunit knockout
      (H/K-beta KO) mice; and Mongolian gerbils infected with Helicobacter pylori and
      given a CCK2R antagonist. Biological function of secretory clusterin was studied
      in human gastric cancer cells. Clusterin was highly expressed in neuroendocrine
      cells in normal oxyntic mucosa of humans and rodents. In response to
      hypergastrinemia, expression of clusterin increased significantly and its
      localization shifted to basal groups of proliferative cells in the mucous neck
      cell-chief cell lineage in all animal models. That shift was partially inhibited
      by antagonizing the CCK2R in rats and gerbils. The oxyntic mucosa of H/K-beta KO
      mice contained areas with clusterin-positive mucous cells resembling SPEM. In
      gastric adenocarcinomas, clusterin mRNA expression was higher in diffuse tumors
      containing signet ring cells compared with diffuse tumors without signet ring
      cells, and clusterin seemed to be secreted by tumor cells. In gastric cancer cell
      lines, gastrin increased secretion of clusterin, and both gastrin and secretory
      clusterin promoted survival after starvation- and chemotherapy-induced stress.
      Overall, our results indicate that clusterin is overexpressed in hypergastrinemic
      rodent models of oxyntic preneoplasia and stimulates gastric cancer cell
      survival.

PMID- 28902911
TI  - Serum calcium, alkaline phosphotase and hemoglobin as risk factors for bone
      metastases in bladder cancer.
AB  - Early detection of bone metastases is helpful for the treatment of bladder cancer
      (BC). In this study, we investigated the potential risk factors for bone
      metastasis in newly diagnosed patients with BC. A total of 902 patients diagnosed
      with BC between January 2000 and August 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Of
      these patient, 50 (5.5%) were identified with bone metastasis. The serum levels
      of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and calcium were significantly higher in patients
      with bone metastases than those without bone metastases (P = 0.015 and P<0.001).
      And the concentration of hemoglobin (HB) was significant lower in bone metastatic
      patients compared with non bone metastatic patients (P = 0.009). Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis indicated that ALP, HB and calcium were independent
      risk factors for bone metastases in patients with BC. The cut off values of ALP,
      HB and calcium were 116 U/L, 37.5g/L and 2.54 mmol/L according to the receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis. And combined ALP, HB with calcium
      had the highest diagnostic accuracy for predicting bone metastases in BC patients
      (AUC = 0.760, P<0.001). Therefore, for newly diagnosed patients with BC, the
      concentrations of ALP >116 U/L, HB <37.5 g/Land calcium >2.54 mmol/L were the
      risk factors for developing bone metastases. Combined ALP, HB with calcium was
      more useful to diagnose the bone metastases.

PMID- 28902912
TI  - Differential response to mosquito host sex and parasite dosage suggest mixed
      dispersal strategies in the parasite Ascogregarina taiwanensis.
AB  - Mixed dispersal strategies are a form of bet hedging in which a species or
      population utilizes different dispersal strategies dependent upon biotic or
      abiotic conditions. Here we provide an example of a mixed dispersal strategy in
      the Aedes albopictus / Ascogregarina taiwanensis host/parasite system, wherein
      upon host emergence, the gregarine parasite is either carried with an adult
      mosquito leaving the larval habitat, or released back into the larval habitat. We
      show that the parasite invests a larger proportion of its dispersing (oocyst)
      life stage into adult female mosquitoes as opposed to adult male mosquitoes at
      low parasite exposure levels. However, as the exposure level of parasite
      increases, so does the parasite investment in adult males, whereas there is no
      change in the proportion of oocysts in the adult female, regardless of dose.
      Thus, A. taiwanensis is utilizing several dispersal strategies, depending upon
      host sex and intraspecific density. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this
      parasite reduces body size, increases time to emergence in females, and leads to
      a reduction in estimates of per capita growth rate of the host.

PMID- 28902913
TI  - Identification of diverse viruses in upper respiratory samples in dromedary
      camels from United Arab Emirates.
AB  - Camels are known carriers for many viral pathogens, including Middle East
      respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). It is likely that there are
      additional, as yet unidentified viruses in camels with the potential to cause
      disease in humans. In this study, we performed metagenomic sequencing analysis on
      nasopharyngeal swab samples from 108 MERS-CoV-positive dromedary camels from a
      live animal market in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. We obtained a total of
      846.72 million high-quality reads from these nasopharyngeal swab samples, of
      which 2.88 million (0.34%) were related to viral sequences while 512.63 million
      (60.5%) and 50.87 million (6%) matched bacterial and eukaryotic sequences,
      respectively. Among the viral reads, sequences related to mammalian viruses from
      13 genera in 10 viral families were identified, including Coronaviridae,
      Nairoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Parvoviridae, Polyomaviridae, Papillomaviridae,
      Astroviridae, Picornaviridae, Poxviridae, and Genomoviridae. Some viral sequences
      belong to known camel or human viruses and others are from potentially novel
      camel viruses with only limited sequence similarity to virus sequences in
      GenBank. A total of five potentially novel virus species or strains were
      identified. Co-infection of at least two recently identified camel coronaviruses
      was detected in 92.6% of the camels in the study. This study provides a
      comprehensive survey of viruses in the virome of upper respiratory samples in
      camels that have extensive contact with the human population.

PMID- 28902914
TI  - Oxidative stress induces dysregulated autophagy in corneal epithelium of
      keratoconus patients.
AB  - Oxidative stress is one of the key factors that contributes to the pathogenesis
      of keratoconus (KC). Macroautophagy is a vital cellular mechanism that is
      activated in response to oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to
      understand the role of the autophagic lysosomal pathway in the oxidative damage
      of KC corneal epithelium and the human corneal epithelial cell line (HCE).The
      corneal epithelium was collected from 78 KC patients undergoing corneal cross
      linking or topography guided photorefractive keratectomy. We performed
      microarray, qPCR and western blot analysis for the expression of autophagy
      markers on this epithelium from patients with different clinical grades of KC. A
      differential expression pattern of autophagy related markers was observed in the
      diseased corneal cone-specific epithelium compared to matched peripheral
      epithelium from KC patients with increasing clinical severity. Human corneal
      epithelial cells exposed to oxidative stress were analyzed for the expression of
      key proteins associated with KC pathogenesis and the autophagic pathway.
      Oxidative stress led to an increase in reactive oxygen species and an imbalanced
      expression of autophagy markers in the HCE cells. Further, reduced levels of
      Akt/p70S6 Kinase, which is a known target of the mTOR pathway was observed in HCE
      cells under oxidative stress as well as in KC epithelium. Our results suggest
      that an altered expression of proteins suggestive of defective autophagy and is a
      consequence of oxidative damage. This could play a possible role in the
      pathogenesis of KC.

PMID- 28902915
TI  - Social interactions between live and artificial weakly electric fish:
      Electrocommunication and locomotor behavior of Mormyrus rume proboscirostris
      towards a mobile dummy fish.
AB  - Mormyrid weakly electric fish produce short, pulse-type electric organ discharges
      for actively probing their environment and to communicate with conspecifics.
      Animals emit sequences of pulse-trains that vary in overall frequency and
      temporal patterning and can lead to time-locked interactions with the discharge
      activity of other individuals. Both active electrolocation and
      electrocommunication are additionally accompanied by stereotypical locomotor
      patterns. However, the concrete roles of electrical and locomotor patterns during
      social interactions in mormyrids are not well understood. Here we used a mobile
      fish dummy that was emitting different types of electrical playback sequences to
      study following behavior and interaction patterns (electrical and locomotor)
      between individuals of weakly electric fish. We confronted single individuals of
      Mormyrus rume proboscirostris with a mobile dummy fish designed to attract fish
      from a shelter and recruit them into an open area by emitting electrical
      playbacks of natural discharge sequences. We found that fish were reliably
      recruited by the mobile dummy if it emitted electrical signals and followed it
      largely independently of the presented playback patterns. While following the
      dummy, fish interacted with it spatially by displaying stereotypical motor
      patterns, as well as electrically, e.g. through discharge regularizations and by
      synchronizing their own discharge activity to the playback. However, the overall
      emission frequencies of the dummy were not adopted by the following fish.
      Instead, social signals based on different temporal patterns were emitted
      depending on the type of playback. In particular, double pulses were displayed in
      response to electrical signaling of the dummy and their expression was positively
      correlated with an animals' rank in the dominance hierarchy. Based on additional
      analysis of swimming trajectories and stereotypical locomotor behavior patterns,
      we conclude that the reception and emission of electrical communication signals
      play a crucial role in mediating social interactions in mormyrid weakly electric
      fish.

PMID- 28902918
TI  - Phylogeography and larval spine length of the dragonfly Leucorhinia dubia in
      Europe.
AB  - Presence or absence of predators selects for different kind of morphologies.
      Hence, we expect variation in traits that protect against predators to vary over
      geographical areas where predators vary in past and present abundance. Abdominal
      larval spines in dragonfly larvae provide protection against fish predators. We
      studied geographical variation in larval spine length of the dragonfly
      Leucorrhinia dubia across Western Europe using a phylogenetic approach. Larvae
      were raised in a common garden laboratory experiment in the absence of fish
      predators. Results show that larvae from northern Europe (Sweden and Finland) had
      significantly longer larval spines compared to larvae from western and central
      Europe. A phylogeny based on SNP data suggests that short larval spines is the
      ancestral stage in the localities sampled in this study, and that long spines
      have evolved in the Fenno-Scandian clade. The role of predators in shaping the
      morphological differences among the sampled localities is discussed.

PMID- 28902916
TI  - Targeted N-glycan deletion at the receptor-binding site retains HIV Env NFL
      trimer integrity and accelerates the elicited antibody response.
AB  - Extensive shielding by N-glycans on the surface of the HIV envelope glycoproteins
      (Env) restricts B cell recognition of conserved neutralizing determinants.
      Elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) in selected HIV-infected
      individuals reveals that Abs capable of penetrating the glycan shield can be
      generated by the B cell repertoire. Accordingly, we sought to determine if
      targeted N-glycan deletion might alter antibody responses to Env. We focused on
      the conserved CD4 binding site (CD4bs) since this is a known neutralizing
      determinant that is devoid of glycosylation to allow CD4 receptor engagement, but
      is ringed by surrounding N-glycans. We selectively deleted potential N-glycan
      sites (PNGS) proximal to the CD4bs on well-ordered clade C 16055 native flexibly
      linked (NFL) trimers to potentially increase recognition by naive B cells in
      vivo. We generated glycan-deleted trimer variants that maintained native-like
      conformation and stability. Using a panel of CD4bs-directed bNAbs, we
      demonstrated improved accessibility of the CD4bs on the N-glycan-deleted trimer
      variants. We showed that pseudoviruses lacking these Env PNGSs were more
      sensitive to neutralization by CD4bs-specific bNAbs but remained resistant to non
      neutralizing mAbs. We performed rabbit immunogenicity experiments using two
      approaches comparing glycan-deleted to fully glycosylated NFL trimers. The first
      was to delete 4 PNGS sites and then boost with fully glycosylated Env; the second
      was to delete 4 sites and gradually re-introduce these N-glycans in subsequent
      boosts. We demonstrated that the 16055 PNGS-deleted trimers more rapidly elicited
      serum antibodies that more potently neutralized the CD4bs-proximal-PNGS-deleted
      viruses in a statistically significant manner and strongly trended towards
      increased neutralization of fully glycosylated autologous virus. This approach
      elicited serum IgG capable of cross-neutralizing selected tier 2 viruses lacking
      N-glycans at residue N276 (natural or engineered), indicating that PNGS deletion
      of well-ordered trimers is a promising strategy to prime B cell responses to this
      conserved neutralizing determinant.

PMID- 28902917
TI  - Hsp70/J-protein machinery from Glossina morsitans morsitans, vector of African
      trypanosomiasis.
AB  - Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are the sole vectors of the protozoan parasites of
      the genus Trypanosoma, the causative agents of African Trypanosomiasis. Species
      of Glossina differ in vector competence and Glossina morsitans morsitans is
      associated with transmission of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, which causes an
      acute and often fatal form of African Trypanosomiasis. Heat shock proteins are
      evolutionarily conserved proteins that play critical roles in proteostasis. The
      activity of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is regulated by interactions with its J
      protein (Hsp40) co-chaperones. Inhibition of these interactions are emerging as
      potential therapeutic targets. The assembly and annotation of the G. m. morsitans
      genome provided a platform to identify and characterize the Hsp70s and J
      proteins, and carry out an evolutionary comparison to its well-studied eukaryotic
      counterparts, Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens, as well as Stomoxys
      calcitrans, a comparator species. In our study, we identified 9 putative Hsp70
      proteins and 37 putative J-proteins in G. m. morsitans. Phylogenetic analyses
      revealed three evolutionarily distinct groups of Hsp70s, with a closer
      relationship to orthologues from its blood-feeding dipteran relative Stomoxys
      calcitrans. G. m. morsitans also lacked the high number of heat inducible Hsp70s
      found in D. melanogaster. The potential localisations, functions, domain
      organisations and Hsp70/J-protein partnerships were also identified. A greater
      understanding of the heat shock 70 (Hsp70) and J-protein (Hsp40) families in G.
      m. morsitans could enhance our understanding of the cell biology of the tsetse
      fly.

PMID- 28902919
TI  - Factors associated with pulmonary impairment in HIV-infected South African
      adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV-infected individuals have increased risk of developing
      obstructive lung disease (OLD). Studies from developed countries report high
      viral load, low CD4 counts, and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to be associated
      with OLD; but these findings may not be generalizable to populations in resource
      limited settings. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of lung
      function in 730 HIV-infected black South African adults. Pre-bronchodilator
      spirometry was performed at enrollment and repeated annually for three years.
      Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with OLD,
      defined as FEV1/FVC<0.70, at enrollment. Excess annual declines in FEV1 and FVC
      were modelled as the product-term of follow-up time and exposures using random
      effects regression. RESULTS: Median (IQR) age at enrollment was 36 (32-41) years,
      85% were female and 30% ever-smoked with a median (IQR) exposure of 3 (1-6) pack
      years. Median (IQR) CD4 count and viral load at enrollment were 372 (261-518)
      cells/mm3 and 2655 (91-13,548) copies/mL respectively. Overall, 25% were
      receiving ART at enrollment, 16% of whom reported at least 6 months of ART
      receipt. OLD was found in 35 (5%) at enrollment. Increasing age (aOR = 2.08 per
      10-years [95%CI 1.22-3.57], p = 0.007), current smoking (aOR = 3.55 [95%CI 1.20
      10.53], p = 0.02), and CRP (aOR = 1.01 per unit-increase [95%CI 1.00-1.03], p =
      0.04) were significantly associated with OLD at enrollment; while increasing CD4
      count (aOR = 1.02 per-100 cells/mm3 [95%CI 0.85-1.22], p = 0.82), viral load (aOR
      = 0.67 per log-increase [95%CI 0.43-1.10], p = 0.12) and receipt of ART (aOR =
      0.57 [95%CI 0.18-1.75], p = 0.32) were not. The median (IQR) follow-up time was
      18 (12-24) months. Participants with a history of tuberculosis (TB) had a 35 mL
      (95%CI 2-68, p = 0.03) and 57 mL (95%CI 19-96, p = 0.003) per year excess loss of
      FEV1 and FVC respectively. CONCLUSION: Prevalent OLD was associated with older
      age, current smoking and higher CRP levels, but not CD4 counts and ART, in HIV
      infected South African adults. Better understanding of the long-term effects of
      TB, smoking and inflammation on lung function in HIV-infected populations is
      urgently needed.

PMID- 28902920
TI  - Use of airborne lidar data to improve plant species richness and diversity
      monitoring in lowland and mountain forests.
AB  - We explored the potential of airborne laser scanner (ALS) data to improve
      Bayesian models linking biodiversity indicators of the understory vegetation to
      environmental factors. Biodiversity was studied at plot level and models were
      built to investigate species abundance for the most abundant plants found on each
      study site, and for ecological group richness based on light preference. The
      usual abiotic explanatory factors related to climate, topography and soil
      properties were used in the models. ALS data, available for two contrasting study
      sites, were used to provide biotic factors related to forest structure, which was
      assumed to be a key driver of understory biodiversity. Several ALS variables were
      found to have significant effects on biodiversity indicators. However, the
      responses of biodiversity indicators to forest structure variables, as revealed
      by the Bayesian model outputs, were shown to be dependent on the abiotic
      environmental conditions characterizing the study areas. Lower responses were
      observed on the lowland site than on the mountainous site. In the latter, shade
      tolerant and heliophilous species richness was impacted by vegetation structure
      indicators linked to light penetration through the canopy. However, to reveal the
      full effects of forest structure on biodiversity indicators, forest structure
      would need to be measured over much wider areas than the plot we assessed. It
      seems obvious that the forest structure surrounding the field plots can impact
      biodiversity indicators measured at plot level. Various scales were found to be
      relevant depending on: the biodiversity indicators that were modelled, and the
      ALS variable. Finally, our results underline the utility of lidar data in
      abundance and richness models to characterize forest structure with variables
      that are difficult to measure in the field, either due to their nature or to the
      size of the area they relate to.

PMID- 28902921
TI  - Correction: CD4 is expressed on a heterogeneous subset of hematopoietic
      progenitors, which persistently harbor CXCR4 and CCR5-tropic HIV proviral genomes
      in vivo.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006509.].

PMID- 28902923
TI  - Molecular, microbiological and clinical characterization of Clostridium difficile
      isolates from tertiary care hospitals in Colombia.
AB  - In Colombia, the epidemiology and circulating genotypes of Clostridium difficile
      have not yet been described. Therefore, we molecularly characterized clinical
      isolates of C.difficile from patients with suspicion of C.difficile infection
      (CDI) in three tertiary care hospitals. C.difficile was isolated from stool
      samples by culture, the presence of A/B toxins were detected by enzyme
      immunoassay, cytotoxicity was tested by cell culture and the antimicrobial
      susceptibility determined. After DNA extraction, tcdA, tcdB and binary toxin
      (CDTa/CDTb) genes were detected by PCR, and PCR-ribotyping performed. From a
      total of 913 stool samples collected during 2013-2014, 775 were included in the
      study. The frequency of A/B toxins-positive samples was 9.7% (75/775). A total of
      143 isolates of C.difficile were recovered from culture, 110 (76.9%) produced
      cytotoxic effect in cell culture, 100 (69.9%) were tcdA+/tcdB+, 11 (7.7%) tcdA
      /tcdB+, 32 (22.4%) tcdA-/tcdB- and 25 (17.5%) CDTa+/CDTb+. From 37 ribotypes
      identified, ribotypes 591 (20%), 106 (9%) and 002 (7.9%) were the most prevalent;
      only one isolate corresponded to ribotype 027, four to ribotype 078 and four were
      new ribotypes (794,795, 804,805). All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and
      metronidazole, while 85% and 7.7% were resistant to clindamycin and moxifloxacin,
      respectively. By multivariate analysis, significant risk factors associated to
      CDI were, staying in orthopedic service, exposure to third-generation
      cephalosporins and staying in an ICU before CDI symptoms; moreover, steroids
      showed to be a protector factor. These results revealed new C. difficile
      ribotypes and a high diversity profile circulating in Colombia different from
      those reported in America and European countries.

PMID- 28902922
TI  - Molecular clustering of patients with diabetes and pulmonary tuberculosis: A
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Many studies have explored the relationship between diabetes
      mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) demonstrating increased risk of TB among
      patients with DM and poor prognosis of patients suffering from the association of
      DM/TB. Owing to a paucity of studies addressing this question, it remains unclear
      whether patients with DM and TB are more likely than TB patients without DM to be
      grouped into molecular clusters defined according to the genotype of the
      infecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus. That is, whether there is
      convincing molecular epidemiological evidence for TB transmission among DM
      patients. Objective: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to
      quantitatively evaluate the propensity for patients with DM and pulmonary TB
      (PTB) to cluster according to the genotype of the infecting M. tuberculosis
      bacillus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in MEDLINE and
      LILACS from 1990 to June, 2016 with the following combinations of key words
      "tuberculosis AND transmission" OR "tuberculosis diabetes mellitus" OR
      "Mycobacterium tuberculosis molecular epidemiology" OR "RFLP-IS6110" OR
      "Spoligotyping" OR "MIRU-VNTR". Studies were included if they met the following
      criteria: (i) studies based on populations from defined geographical areas; (ii)
      use of genotyping by IS6110- restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)
      analysis and spoligotyping or mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable
      number of tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR) or other amplification methods to identify
      molecular clustering; (iii) genotyping and analysis of 50 or more cases of PTB;
      (iv) study duration of 11 months or more; (v) identification of quantitative risk
      factors for molecular clustering including DM; (vi) > 60% coverage of the study
      population; and (vii) patients with PTB confirmed bacteriologically. The
      exclusion criteria were: (i) Extrapulmonary TB; (ii) TB caused by nontuberculous
      mycobacteria; (iii) patients with PTB and HIV; (iv) pediatric PTB patients; (v)
      TB in closed environments (e.g. prisons, elderly homes, etc.); (vi) diabetes
      insipidus and (vii) outbreak reports. Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method was used
      to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of the association between DM with molecular
      clustering of cases with TB. In order to evaluate the degree of heterogeneity a
      statistical Q test was done. The publication bias was examined with Begg and
      Egger tests. Review Manager 5.3.5 CMA v.3 and Biostat and Software package R were
      used. RESULTS: Selection criteria were met by six articles which included 4076
      patients with PTB of which 13% had DM. Twenty seven percent of the cases were
      clustered. The majority of cases (48%) were reported in a study in China with 31%
      clustering. The highest incidence of TB occurred in two studies from China. The
      global OR for molecular clustering was 0.84 (IC 95% 0.40-1.72). The heterogeneity
      between studies was moderate (I2 = 55%, p = 0.05), although there was no
      publication bias (Beggs test p = 0.353 and Eggers p = 0.429). CONCLUSION: There
      were very few studies meeting our selection criteria. The wide confidence
      interval indicates that there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about
      the association. Clustering of patients with DM in TB transmission chains should
      be investigated in areas where both diseases are prevalent and focus on specific
      contexts.

PMID- 28902924
TI  - Molecular analysis of CIB4 gene and protein in Kermani sheep.
AB  - The human calcium- and integrin-binding protein (CIB) family is composed of CIB1,
      CIB2, CIB3, and CIB4 proteins and the CIB4 gene affects fertility. Kermani sheep
      is one of the most important breeds of Iranian sheep breeds. The aim of this
      study was to analyze for the first time molecular characteristics of the CIB4
      gene and protein in Kermani sheep. Different tissues were collected from the
      Kermani sheep and real time PCR was performed. The PCR products were sequenced,
      comparative analyses of the nucleotide sequences were performed, a phylogenetic
      tree was constructed, and different characteristics of CIB4 proteins were
      predicted. Real time PCR results showed that the CIB4 gene is expressed only in
      testis of Kermani sheep. The cDNA nucleotide sequence was identical with small
      tail Han sheep, cattle, goat, camel, horse, dog, mouse and human, respectively
      100, 99, 99, 98, 98, 96, 96, and 96%. Hence, it can be suggested that the CIB4
      gene plays a role in male fertility. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, sheep
      CIB4 gene has a close relationship with goat and cattle first, and then with
      camel and whale. Although we demonstrated that CIB4 is a testis-specific gene,
      expressed only in the testis and it interacts with other proteins, the mechanisms
      by which CIB4 expression is regulated need to be elucidated.

PMID- 28902925
TI  - Tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.5 is upregulated in intrauterine growth
      retardation rats with exaggerated pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with the development of
      adult-onset diseases, including pulmonary hypertension. However, the underlying
      mechanism of the early nutritional insult that results in pulmonary vascular
      dysfunction later in life is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the role
      of tyrosine phosphorylation of voltage-gated potassium channel 1.5 (Kv1.5) in
      this prenatal event that results in exaggerated adult vascular dysfunction. A rat
      model of chronic hypoxia (2 weeks of hypoxia at 12 weeks old) following IUGR was
      used to investigate the physiological and structural effect of intrauterine
      malnutrition on the pulmonary artery by evaluating pulmonary artery systolic
      pressure and vascular diameter in male rats. Kv1.5 expression and tyrosine
      phosphorylation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were determined.
      We found that IUGR increased mean pulmonary artery pressure and resulted in
      thicker pulmonary artery smooth muscle layer in 14-week-old rats after 2 weeks of
      hypoxia, while no difference was observed in normoxia groups. In the PASMCs of
      IUGR-hypoxia rats, Kv1.5 mRNA and protein expression decreased while that of
      tyrosine-phosphorylated Kv1.5 significantly increased. These results demonstrate
      that IUGR leads to exaggerated chronic hypoxia pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (CH-PAH) in association with decreased Kv1.5 expression in PASMCs. This
      phenomenon may be mediated by increased tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.5 in
      PASMCs and it provides new insight into the prevention and treatment of IUGR
      related CH-PAH.

PMID- 28902926
TI  - Down-regulation of single-stranded DNA-binding protein 1 expression induced by
      HCMV infection promotes lipid accumulation in cells.
AB  - The objective of this study was to observe the infection of human cytomegalovirus
      (HCMV) to human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and its effect on the
      expression of single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSBP1) and on lipid metabolism
      in endothelial cells. We screened the differential expression of mRNAs after HCMV
      infection by suppression subtractive hybridization and the expression levels of
      SSBP1 mRNA and protein after HCMV infection by real-time PCR and western blot.
      After verification of successful infection by indirect immunofluorescent staining
      and RT-PCR, we found a differential expression of lipid metabolism-related genes
      including LDLR, SCARB, CETP, HMGCR, ApoB and LPL induced by HCMV infection. The
      expression levels of SSBP1 mRNA and protein after HCMV infection were
      significantly down-regulated. Furthermore, we found that upregulation of SSBP1
      inhibited the expression of atherosclerosis-associated LDLR, SCARB, HMGCR, CETP
      as well as the accumulation of lipids in the cells. The results showed that the
      inhibition of SSBP1 by HCMV infection promotes lipid accumulation in the cells.

PMID- 28902927
TI  - Bradykinin, insulin, and glycemia responses to exercise performed above and below
      lactate threshold in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze the acute responses of bradykinin, insulin,
      and glycemia to exercise performed above and below lactate threshold (LT) in
      individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Eleven participants with a
      diagnosis of T2D randomly underwent three experimental sessions 72 h apart: 1) 20
      min of exercise performed at 120% of LT (120%LT), 2) 20 min of exercise performed
      at 80% of LT (80%LT), and 3) 20 min of control session. Blood glucose was
      analyzed before, during, and at 45 min post-exercise. Bradykinin and insulin were
      analyzed before and at 45 min post-exercise. Both exercise sessions elicited a
      parallel decrease in glucose level during exercise (P<=0.002), with a greater
      decrease being observed for 120%LT (P=0.005). Glucose decreased 22.7 mg/dL
      (95%CI=10.3 to 35, P=0.001) at the 45 min post-exercise recovery period for 80%LT
      and decreased 31.2 mg/dL (95%CI=18.1 to 44.4, P<0.001) for 120%LT (P=0.004).
      Insulin decreased at post-exercise for 80%LT (P=0.001) and control (P<=0.035).
      Bradykinin increased at 45 min post-exercise only for 80%LT (P=0.013), but was
      unrelated to the decrease in glucose (r=-0.16, P=0.642). In conclusion, exercise
      performed above and below LT reduced glycemia independently of insulin, but
      exercise above LT was more effective in individuals with T2D. However, these
      changes were unrelated to the increase in circulating bradykinin.

PMID- 28902928
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of coumarin derivatives against human lung cancer cell
      lines.
AB  - Series of novel coumarin derivatives [I (a-d) and II (a-d)] were successfully
      synthesized and their structures were determined based on infrared 1H-nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR), HRMS, and single crystal X-ray crystallography.
      Additionally, the new synthesized compounds were evaluated to identify the
      molecular characteristics that contribute to their cytotoxicity, which was tested
      against SK-LU-1, SPC-A-1 and 95D human lung cancer cell lines, using the MTT
      assay. The results of this study showed that compounds Ic, Id, IIc, and IId
      exhibited an efficient percentage of inhibition of cell proliferation.

PMID- 28902929
TI  - Women with recurrent spontaneous abortion have decreased 25(OH) vitamin D and VDR
      at the fetal-maternal interface.
AB  - Immunological mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the pathogenesis of
      recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Vitamin D has a potent immunomodulatory
      effect, which may affect pregnancy outcome. The objective of this study was to
      investigate 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] concentration and vitamin D receptor
      (VDR) expression in the decidual tissues of RSA patients. Thirty women with RSA
      (RSA group) and thirty women undergoing elective abortion (control group) were
      recruited during 2016 from gynecology outpatient clinics. We measured 25(OH) D,
      interleukin (IL)-17, IL-23, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), VDR and 1
      alpha-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) in decidual tissues collected during the abortion
      procedure. In the RSA group, 25(OH) D and TGF-beta were significantly decreased
      while IL-17 and IL-23 were significantly increased compared with the control
      group. VDR expression was significantly decreased in the RSA group compared with
      the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant negative
      correlation between 25(OH) D in decidual tissues and RSA. These results indicated
      that vitamin D concentrations in the decidua are associated with inflammatory
      cytokine production, suggesting that vitamin D and VDR may play a role in the
      etiology of RSA.

PMID- 28902930
TI  - Association between polymorphisms in the APOB gene and hyperlipidemia in the
      Chinese Yugur population.
AB  - We investigated the influence of apolipoprotein B gene (APOB) variants on the
      risk of hyperlipidemia (HL) in 631 middle-aged and elderly members of the Chinese
      Yugur population (HL, n=336; normolipidemia, n=295). APOB polymorphisms were
      identified using mass spectrometry, and five single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (rs1042034, rs2163204, rs512535, rs676210, and rs679899) and serum lipids were
      further analyzed. rs1042034 and rs676210 were significantly associated with HL
      (P<0.05). Compared with the GG or AA genotype, individuals with AG and AG+AA in
      rs1042034 and with AG and AG+GG in rs676210 had a 1.67-fold (95%CI=1.20
      2.33),1.63-fold (95%CI=1.19-2.24), 1.72-fold (95%CI=1.24-2.40), and 1.67-fold
      (95%CI=1.21-2.291) increased risk of high HL, respectively. rs2163204 was in
      strong linkage disequilibrium with rs1042034, rs676210, and rs679899, and strong
      disequilibrium was observed between rs1042034 and rs676210 (D'>0.9). Compared
      with the GTGAA haplotype, haplotypes ATGGA and ATAGG were more strongly
      associated with HL [odds ratio (OR)=1.46, 95%CI=0.02-2.11; OR=1.63, 95%CI=1.03
      2.60, respectively]. The risk factors age (P=0.008), body mass index (P<0.0001),
      GA+GG genotype in rs676210 (P=0.009), and alcohol consumption (P=0.056)
      contributed strongly to HL development. The A allele of rs1042034 and the G
      allele of rs676210 may thus predispose middle-aged and elderly members of the
      Chinese Yugur population to HL in combination with other genetic or nutritional
      factors, and could be used as new genetic markers for HL screening.

PMID- 28902931
TI  - Binge drinking: a pattern associated with a risk of problems of alcohol use among
      university students.
AB  - Objective:: to evaluate problems associated with alcohol use among university
      students who reported binge drinking in comparison to students who consumed
      alcohol without binging. Method:: a cross-sectional study among university
      students (N=2,408) who accessed the website about alcohol use. Logistic and
      linear regression models were included in the statistical analyzes. Results::
      alcohol use in the last three months was reported by 89.2% of university
      students; 51.6% reported binge drinking. Compared to students who did not binge
      drink, university students who presented this pattern were more likely to report
      all evaluated problems, among them: black out (aOR: 5.4); having academic
      problems (aOR: 3.4); acting impulsively and having regrets (aOR: 2.9); getting
      involved in fights (aOR: 2.6); drinking and driving (aOR: 2.6) and accepting a
      ride with someone who had drunk alcohol (aOR: 1.8). Students who binged also had
      higher scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (b=4.6; p<0.001),
      more negative consequences (b=1.0; p<0.001) and a reduced perception of the
      negativity of the consequences (b=-0.5; p<0.01). Conclusion:: binge drinking was
      associated with an increase in the chances of manifesting problems related to
      alcohol use. The conclusions of this study cannot be generalized for all of the
      Brazilian population. Objetivo:: avaliar problemas associados ao uso de alcool
      entre universitarios que relataram binge drinking em comparacao a estudantes que
      consumiram alcool sem binge drinking. Metodo:: estudo transversal entre
      universitarios (N=2.408) que acessaram website sobre o uso de alcool. Nas
      analises estatisticas incluiram-se modelos de regressao logistica e linear.
      Resultados:: o uso de alcool, nos ultimos tres meses, foi relatado por 89,2% dos
      universitarios e 51,6% referiram uso binge. Comparados a estudantes que nao
      praticaram binge, universitarios que apresentaram esse padrao tiveram maior
      chance de relatar todos os problemas avaliados, entre eles: incapacidade de
      lembrar o que aconteceu (aOR:5,4); problemas academicos (aOR:3,4); agir
      impulsivamente e se arrepender (aOR:2,9); envolver-se em brigas (aOR:2,6);
      dirigir apos beber (aOR:2,6) e pegar carona com alguem que bebeu (aOR:1,8).
      Estudantes que consumiram alcool no padrao binge tambem apresentaram maior
      pontuacao no Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (b=4,6; p<0,001), mais
      consequencias negativas (b=1,0; p<0,001) e menos percepcao da negatividade das
      consequencias (b=-0,5; p<0,01). Conclusao:: a pratica de binge drinking esteve
      associada ao aumento das chances de manifestacao de problemas relacionados ao uso
      de alcool. As conclusoes deste estudo nao podem ser reproduzidas para toda
      realidade brasileira. Objetivo:: evaluar problemas asociados al uso de alcohol
      entre estudiantes universitarios que relataron binge drinking en comparacion a
      estudiantes que consumieron alcohol sin binge drinking. Metodo:: estudio
      transversal entre estudiantes universitarios (N=2.408) que visitaron una pagina
      web sobre el uso de alcohol. En los analisis estadisticos, fueron incluidos
      modelos de regresion logistica y linear. Resultados:: el uso de alcohol, en los
      ultimos tres meses, fue relatado por 89,2% de los estudiantes universitarios, y
      entre ellos 51,6% relataron uso binge. En comparacion a estudiantes
      universitarios que no practicaron binge, los estudiantes que presentaron ese
      estandar tuvieron una mayor oportunidad de relatar todos los problemas evaluados,
      entre ellos: incapacidad de recordar lo que sucedio (aOR:5,4); problemas
      academicos (aOR:3,4); actuar por impulso y arrepentirse (aOR:2,9); involucrarse
      en peleas (aOR:2,6); manejar despues de beber (aOR:2,6) y compartieron viaje con
      alguien que bebio (aOR:1,8). Estudiantes que consumieron alcohol dentro del
      estandar binge tambien presentaron una mayor puntuacion en el Alcohol Use
      Disorders Identification Test (b=4,6; p<0,001), mas consecuencias negativas
      (b=1,0; p<0,001) y menor percepcion de la negatividad de las consecuencias (b=
      0,5; p<0,01). Conclusion:: la practica de binge drinking estuvo asociada al
      aumento de las oportunidades de manifestacion de problemas relacionados al
      alcohol. Las conclusiones de este estudio no pueden ser adaptadas a toda la
      realidad brasilena.

PMID- 28902932
TI  - Non-pharmacological interventions to promote the sleep of patients after cardiac
      surgery: a systematic review.
AB  - Objective:: to analyze evidence available in the literature concerning non
      pharmacological interventions that are effective to treat altered sleep patterns
      among patients who underwent cardiac surgery. Method:: systematic review
      conducted in the National Library of Medicine-National Institutes of Health,
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Latin American and Caribbean
      Health Sciences Literature, Scopus, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and
      Allied Health Literature and PsycINFO databases, and also grey literature.
      Results:: ten controlled, randomized clinical trials were included in this
      review. Non-pharmacological interventions were grouped into three main
      categories, namely: relaxation techniques, devices or equipment to minimize sleep
      interruptions and/or induce sleep, and educational strategies. Significant
      improvement was found in the scores assessing sleep quality among studies testing
      interventions such as earplugs, sleeping masks, muscle relaxation, posture and
      relaxation training, white noise, and educational strategies. In regard to the
      studies' methodological quality, high quality studies as established by Jadad
      scoring were not found. Conclusion:: significant improvement was found among the
      scores assessing sleep in the studies testing interventions such as earplugs,
      sleeping masks, muscle relaxation, posture and relaxation training, white noise
      and music, and educational strategies. Objetivo:: analisar as evidencias
      disponiveis, na literatura, sobre as intervencoes nao farmacologicas, efetivas
      para o tratamento da alteracao do padrao do sono em pacientes submetidos a
      cirurgia cardiaca. Metodo:: revisao sistematica realizada por meio de busca nas
      bases de dados National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health,
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Literatura Latino-Americana e do
      Caribe em Ciencias da Saude, Scopus, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and
      Allied Health Literature e PsycINFO, e na literatura cinzenta. Resultados:: dez
      ensaios clinicos controlados e randomizados foram incluidos na revisao. Constatou
      se que as intervencoes nao farmacologicas agruparam-se em tres categorias
      principais, a saber: tecnicas de relaxamento, dispositivos ou equipamentos para
      minimizar a interrupcao do sono e/ou induzir o sono e estrategias educacionais.
      Houve melhoria significativa nos escores de avaliacao do sono entre os estudos
      que testaram intervencoes como tampoes de ouvidos, mascara de olhos, relaxamento
      muscular, treinamento de postura e relaxamento, producao sonora e estrategia
      educacional. Em relacao a qualidade metodologica dos estudos, nao foram
      encontrados estudos considerados de alta qualidade pelo escore de Jadad.
      Conclusao:: houve melhora significativa nos escores de avaliacao do sono em
      estudos que avaliaram intervencoes como tampoes de ouvidos, mascara de olhos,
      relaxamento muscular, treinamento de postura e relaxamento, producao sonora e
      estrategia educacional. Objetivo:: analizar las evidencias disponibles en la
      literatura sobre las intervenciones no farmacologicas, eficientes para el
      tratamiento de la alteracion del patron del sueno en pacientes sometidos a una
      cirugia cardiaca. Metodo:: revision sistematica realizada mediante busqueda en
      las bases de datos de la Libreria Nacional de Medicina (National Library of
      Medicine), de los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud (National Institutes of
      Health), del Registro Central Cochrane de Ensayos Controlados (Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials), de la literatura latinoamericana y del Caribe, en
      Ciencias de la Salud, Scopus, Embase, Indice Acumulado de Enfermeria y Literatura
      en Ciencias de la Salud, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health
      Literature) y PsycINFO, y en la literatura gris. Resultados:: se incluyeron en la
      revision diez ensayos clinicos controlados y aleatorizados. Se constato que las
      intervenciones no farmacologicas se agruparon en tres categorias principales:
      tecnicas de relajacion, dispositivos o equipos para minimizar la interrupcion del
      sueno y/o inducirlo, y estrategias educativas. Hubo una mejora significativa en
      las puntuaciones de la evaluacion del sueno entre los estudios que probaron las
      intervenciones como tapon de oidos, mascara de ojos, relajacion muscular,
      entrenamiento de postura y relajacion, produccion sonora y estrategia
      educacional. Con respecto a la calidad metodologica de los estudios, no se
      hallaron los considerados de alta calidad mediante la puntuacion de Jadad.
      Conclusion:: hubo una mejora significativa en las puntuaciones de la evaluacion
      del sueno en los estudios que evaluaron intervenciones como tapones de oidos,
      mascara de ojos, relajacion muscular, entrenamiento de postura y relajacion,
      produccion sonora y estrategia educacional.

PMID- 28902933
TI  - Prototype of a computerized scale for the active search for potential organ
      donors.
AB  - Objective:: to develop a prototype of a computerized scale for the active search
      for potential organ and tissue donors. Method:: methodological study, with the
      analysis of 377 electronic medical records of patients who died due to encephalic
      death or cardiorespiratory arrest in the intensive care units of a tertiary
      hospital. Among the deaths due to cardiorespiratory arrest, the study aimed to
      identify factors indicating underreported encephalic death cases. The Acute
      Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Sepsis Related Organ Failure
      Assessment severity indexes were applied in the protocols. Based on this, a scale
      was built and sent to five experts for assessment of the scale content, and
      subsequently, it was computerized by using a prototyping model. Results:: 34
      underreported encephalic death cases were identified in the medical records of
      patients with cardiorespiratory arrest. Statistically significant differences
      were found in the Wilcoxon test between the scores of hospital admissions in the
      intensive care unit and the opening of the encephalic death protocol for both
      severity indexes. Conclusion:: the prototype was effective for identifying
      potential organ donors, as well as for the identification of the degree of organ
      dysfunction in patients with encephalic death. Objetivo:: desenvolver prototipo
      de escala informatizada para busca ativa de potenciais doadores de orgaos e
      tecidos. Metodo:: pesquisa metodologica, com analise de 377 prontuarios
      eletronicos de pacientes que evoluiram a obito, por morte encefalica, ou parada
      cardiorrespiratoria, nas unidades de terapia intensiva de hospital terciario. Nos
      obitos por parada cardiorrespiratoria, buscou-se identificar fatores que
      indicassem subnotificacao de morte encefalica. Nos protocolos, foram aplicados os
      indices de gravidade Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II e Sepsis
      Related Organ Failure Assessment. A partir disso, construiu-se a escala que foi
      encaminhada a cinco especialistas, para avaliacao de conteudo, e, posteriormente,
      foi informatizada por modelo de prototipacao. Resultados:: foram identificadas 34
      subnotificacoes de morte encefalica nos prontuarios dos casos de parada
      cardiorrespiratoria. O teste de Wilcoxon demonstrou diferenca estatisticamente
      significativa entre os escores de admissao em unidade de terapia intensiva e
      abertura do protocolo de morte encefalica, para ambos os indices de gravidade.
      Conclusao:: o prototipo foi efetivo para identificacao de potenciais doadores,
      bem como o grau de disfuncao organica de pacientes em morte encefalica.
      Objetivo:: desarrollar un prototipo de escala informatizada para la busqueda
      activa de potenciales donantes de organos y tejidos. Metodo:: investigacion
      metodologica, con el analisis de 377 registros medicos electronicos de pacientes,
      que fallecieron por muerte encefalica o paro cardiorrespiratorio, en las unidades
      de cuidados intensivos de un hospital terciario. Entre las muertes por paro
      cardiorrespiratorio, se busco identificar los factores que indicasen
      subnotificacion de muerte encefalica. Las puntuaciones de los indices de gravedad
      Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II y Sepsis Related Organ Failure
      Assessment se aplicaron en los protocolos. A partir de eso, la escala fue
      construida y enviada a cinco expertos para la evaluacion del contenido, y
      posteriormente, fue informatizada mediante un modelo de prototipacion.
      Resultados:: se identificaron 34 casos de subnotificacion de muerte encefalica en
      los registros medicos de los casos de paro cardiorrespiratorio. Se encontraron
      diferencias estadisticamente significativas en la prueba de Wilcoxon, entre las
      puntuaciones de los ingresos hospitalarios en unidad de cuidados intensivos y
      apertura del protocolo de muerte encefalica para ambos indices de gravedad.
      Conclusion:: el prototipo fue eficaz para la identificacion de potenciales
      donantes, asi como para la identificacion del grado de disfuncion organica en
      pacientes con muerte encefalica.

PMID- 28902934
TI  - Assessment and management of pain in newborns hospitalized in a Neonatal
      Intensive Care Unit: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - Objective:: to determine the frequency of pain, to verify the measures adopted
      for pain relief during the first seven days of hospitalization in the Neonatal
      Intensive Care Unit and to identify the type and frequency of invasive procedures
      to which newborns are submitted. Method:: cross-sectional retrospective study.
      Out of the 188 hospitalizations occurred during the 12-month period, 171 were
      included in the study. The data were collected from the charts and the presence
      of pain was analyzed based on the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale and on nursing notes
      suggestions of pain. For statistical analysis, the Statistical Package for the
      Social Sciences was used, and the significance level was set at 5%. Results::
      there was at least one record of pain in 50.3% of the hospitalizations, according
      to the pain scale adopted or nursing note. The newborns underwent a mean of 6.6
      invasive procedures per day. Only 32.5% of the pain records resulted in the
      adoption of pharmacological or non-pharmacological intervention for pain relief.
      Conclusion:: newborns are frequently exposed to pain and the low frequency of
      pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions reinforces the
      undertreatment of this condition. Objetivo:: determinar a frequencia de dor e
      verificar as medidas realizadas para seu alivio durante os sete primeiros dias de
      internacao na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal, bem como identificar o tipo
      e frequencia de procedimentos invasivos aos quais os recem-nascidos foram
      submetidos. Metodo:: estudo retrospectivo transversal. Das 188 internacoes
      ocorridas no periodo estipulado de 12 meses, 171 foram incluidas na pesquisa. Os
      dados foram coletados a partir dos prontuarios e a presenca de dor foi analisada
      tanto com base na escala de dor Neonatal Infant Pain Scale quanto mediante
      anotacao de enfermagem sugestiva de dor. Para analise estatistica, utilizou-se o
      programa Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, adotando-se nivel de
      significancia de 5%. Resultados:: em 50,3% das internacoes houve ao menos um
      registro de dor, conforme escala de dor adotada ou anotacao de enfermagem. Os
      recem-nascidos foram submetidos a media de 6,6 procedimentos invasivos por dia.
      Apenas 32,5% dos registros de dor resultaram na adocao de condutas farmacologicas
      ou nao farmacologicas para seu alivio. Conclusao:: observa-se que os recem
      nascidos sao frequentemente expostos a dor e a baixa frequencia de intervencoes
      farmacologicas ou nao farmacologicas reforca o subtratamento dessa condicao.
      Objetivo:: determinar la frecuencia del dolor, comprobar las medidas tomadas para
      su alivio durante los siete primeros dias de internacion en una Unidad de Terapia
      Intensiva Neonatal e identificar el tipo de procedimientos invasivos y la
      frecuencia a que se sometieron los recien nacidos. Metodo:: estudio retrospectivo
      transversal. De las 188 internaciones realizadas en el periodo estipulado de 12
      meses, se incluyeron 171 en la investigacion. Los datos se recolectaron a partir
      de los prontuarios; la presencia de dolor se analizo segun la Escala de
      Valorizacion del Dolor en el Neonato (Neonatal Infant Pain Scale) y las notas de
      enfermeria sobre el dolor. Para el analisis estadistico, se utilizo el programa
      'Paquete estadistico para las ciencias sociales' (Statistical Package for the
      Social Sciences), adoptandose el nivel de significacion del 5%. Resultados:: en
      el 50,3% de las internaciones hubo al menos un registro de dolor, segun la escala
      de dolor adoptada o las notas de la enfermeria. Se sometio a los recien nacidos a
      un promedio de 6,6 procedimientos invasivos por dia. Solo el 32,5% de los
      registros de dolor resultaron en la adopcion de conductas farmacologicas o no
      farmacologicas para su alivio. Conclusion:: se observa que los recien nacidos a
      menudo estan expuestos al dolor, y la frecuencia baja de intervenciones
      farmacologicas o de las no farmacologicas refuerza el subtratamiento de dicha
      condicion.

PMID- 28902935
TI  - Perconditioning combined with postconditioning on kidney ischemia and
      reperfusion.
AB  - Purpose:: To evaluate if combination of perconditioning and postconditioning
      provides improved renal protection compared to perconditioning alone in a model
      of renal reperfusion injury. Methods: : Thirty rats were assigned into 6 groups:
      normality; sham; ischemia and reperfusion; postconditioning; perconditioning;
      perconditioning + postconditioning. Animals were subjected to right nephrectomy
      and left renal ischemia for 30 minutes. Postconditioning consisted of 3 cycles of
      5 min renal perfusion followed by 5 min of renal ischemia after major ischemic
      period. Perconditioning consisted of 3 cycles of 5 min hindlimb ischemia followed
      by 5 min of hindlimb perfusion contemporaneously to renal major ischemic period.
      After 24 hours, kidney was harvested and blood collected to measure urea and
      creatinine. Results: : Perconditioning obtained better values for creatinine and
      urea level than only postconditioning (p<0.01); performing both techniques
      contemporaneously had no increased results (p>0.05). Regarding tissue structure,
      perconditioning was the only technique to protect the glomerulus and tubules
      (p<0.05), while postconditioning protected only the glomerulus (p<0.05).
      Combination of both techniques shows no effect on glomerulus or tubules (p>0.05).
      Conclusions:: Perconditioning had promising results on ischemia and reperfusion
      induced kidney injury, enhanced kidney function and protected glomerulus and
      tubules. There was no additive protection when postconditioning and
      perconditioning were combined.

PMID- 28902936
TI  - Corneal angiogenesis based on different protocols of alkaline cauterization in
      murine models.
AB  - Purpose: : To establish and compare protocols of alkaline cauterization for
      inducing corneal angiogenesis in murine models. Methods: : Twenty-four adult
      Wistar rats were distributed into four groups (G1, G2, G3, and G4). The right eye
      cornea from each rat was cauterized using filter paper (3 mm), soaked in a
      solution of silver and potassium nitrates (3:1). Cauterization times were 10 (G1
      and G4), or 20 seconds (G2 and G3). Cauterized corneas were washed with Ringer's
      lactate solution. The filter paper was either removed before washing (G1 and G2),
      or kept on the corneas (G3 and G4). Corneas were photographed at multiple time
      points (2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, and 15 days after the procedure), and
      neovascularization parameters were assayed. Results: : Neovascularization was
      observed in 66% of G1 corneas, and 100% of G2, G3, and G4 corneas. On day 15, G1
      corneas showed smaller vascularized areas (12.63 +/- 12.59%) compared to those in
      the G3 (41.95 +/- 17.32%) and G4 (33 +/- 11.74%) (P < 0.05) groups. Conclusions::
      The silver and potassium nitrate solution effectively induced corneal
      angiogenesis. The G2, G3, and G4 protocols showed excellent reproducibility, and
      induced vascularization in 100% of corneas.

PMID- 28902937
TI  - Inside-out and standard vein grafts associated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in
      sciatic nerve repair. A histomorphometric study.
AB  - Purpose:: To evaluated the tubulization technique with standard and inside-out
      vein, filled or not with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), in sciatic nerve repair.
      Methods:: Seventy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: IOVNF
      (Inside-Out Vein with No Filling); IOVPRP (Inside-Out Vein filled with PRP); SVNF
      (Standard Vein with No Filling); SVPRP (Standard Vein filled with PRP); Sham
      (Control). The left external jugular vein was used as graft in a 10 mm nervous
      gap. Results:: In the morphological analysis of all groups, myelinated nerve
      fibers with evident myelin sheath, neoformation of the epineurium and
      perineurium, organization of intraneural fascicles and blood vessels were
      observed. In the morphometry of the distal stump fibers, SVPRP group had the
      highest means regarding fiber diameter (3.63+/-0.42 MUm), axon diameter (2.37+/
      0.31 MUm) and myelin sheath area (11.70+/-0.84 MUm2). IOVPRP group had the
      highest means regarding axon area (4.39+/-1.16 MUm2) and myelin sheath thickness
      (0.80+/-0.19 MUm). As for values of the fiber area, IOVNF group shows highest
      means (15.54+/-0.67 MUm2), but are still lower than the values of the Sham group.
      Conclusion: : The graft filled with platelet-rich plasma, with use standard
      (SVPRP) or inside-out vein (IOVPRP), promoted the improvement in axonal
      regeneration on sciatic nerve injury.

PMID- 28902938
TI  - Evaluation of the effectiveness of sodium hyaluronate, sesame oil, honey, and
      silver nanoparticles in preventing postoperative surgical adhesion formation. An
      experimental study.
AB  - Purpose:: To evaluate the effectiveness of sodium hyaluronate, sesame oil, honey,
      and silver nanoparticles in preventing of postoperative surgical adhesion
      formation. Methods:: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into five
      groups with eight rats in each group including control, hyaluronate, sesame,
      honey and silver groups. After two weeks the animals underwent laparotomy and
      were evaluated by two different blinded surgeons for severity of adhesions based
      on the two different classification scoring systems including Nair classification
      and cumulative adhesion scoring scale. Results:: The scores of severity of
      adhesions in the hyaluronate and sesame groups were significantly lower than the
      control group based on the Nair classification (both P-values = 0.02), however
      based on the cumulative adhesion scoring scale just the score of severity of
      adhesions in the hyaluronate group was significantly lower than the control group
      (P-value = 0.02). In the hyaluronate group the severity of adhesions was
      decreased by 48% based on the cumulative adhesion scoring scale. Conclusions::
      Sodium hyaluronate and sesame oil may have a significant effect in preventing
      postoperative surgical adhesion formation.

PMID- 28902939
TI  - Hyperin protects against cisplatin-induced liver injury in mice.
AB  - Purpose:: To evaluate the effect of hyperin in cisplatin-induced liver injury in
      mice. Methods: : Mice were pretreated with hyperin at doses of 25 mg/kg and 50
      mg/kg, respectively, for six days, and intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin (40
      mg/kg) was administrated one hour after the final intragastrication of hyperin.
      Twenty-four hours later, blood and liver were collected for further research.
      Results:: A single injection of cisplatin (40 mg/kg) for 24 h significantly
      increased serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT/AST) and gamma
      glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities, whileas hyperin reversed cisplatin-induced
      such increases. Liver histopathological examination further demonstrated the
      protection of hyperin against cisplatin-induced liver injury. Further results
      showed hyperin reversed cisplatin-induced the increase in content of
      malondialdehyde (MDA) and the decrease in level of total antioxidant capacity (T
      AOC) in liver. Moreover, hyperin increased the levels of superoxide dismutase
      (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx),
      glutathione-s transferase (GST) in cisplatin-induced liver. Conclusion:: Hyperin
      inhibits cisplatin-induced hepatic oxidative stress, which contributes greatly to
      the amelioration of cisplatin-induced liver injury in mice.

PMID- 28902940
TI  - Bacterial translocation and mortality on rat model of intestinal ischemia and
      obstruction.
AB  - Purpose:: To develop an experimental model of intestinal ischemia and obstruction
      followed by surgical resection of the damaged segment and reestablishment of
      intestinal transit, looking at bacterial translocation and survival. Methods::
      After anesthesia, Wistar rats was subject to laparotomy, intestinal ischemia and
      obstruction through an ileal ligature 1.5cm of ileum cecal valve; and the
      mesenteric vessels that irrigate upstream of the obstruction site to
      approximately 7 to 10 cm were ligated. Abdominal wall was closed. Three, six or
      twenty-four hours after, rats were subject to enterectomy followed by an end to
      end anastomosis. After 24h, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen and lung
      tissues were surgically removed. It was studied survival rate and bacterial
      translocation. GraphPadPrism statistical program was used. Results:: Animals with
      intestinal ischemia and obstruction for 3 hours survived 24 hours after
      enterectomy; 6hx24h: survival was 70% at 24 hours; 24hx24h: survival was 70% and
      40%, before and after enterectomy, respectively. Culture of tissues showed
      positivity on the 6hx24h and negativity on the 3hx24h. Conclusion: : The model
      that best approached the clinic was the one of 6x24h of ischemia and intestinal
      obstruction, in which it was observed bacterial translocation and low mortality
      rate.

PMID- 28902941
TI  - Intestinal inflammatory and redox responses to the perioperative administration
      of teduglutide in rats.
AB  - Purpose: : To investigate the inflammatory and redox responses to teduglutide on
      an animal model of laparotomy and intestinal anastomosis. Methods:: Wistar rats
      (n=62) were allocated into four groups: "Ileal Resection and Anastomosis" vs.
      "Laparotomy", each one split into "Postoperative Teduglutide Administration" vs.
      "No Treatment"; and euthanized at the third or the seventh day. Ileal and blood
      samples were recovered at the baseline and at the euthanasia. Flow cytometry was
      used to study the inflammatory response (IL-1alpha, MCP-1, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma
      and IL-4 levels), oxidative stress (cytosolic peroxides, mitochondrial reactive
      species, intracellular glutathione and mitochondrial membrane potential) and
      cellular viability and death (annexin V/propidium iodide double staining).
      Results:: Postoperative teduglutide treatment was associated with higher cellular
      viability index and lower early apoptosis ratio at the seventh day; higher
      cytosolic peroxides level at the third day and mitochondrial overgeneration of
      reactive species at the seventh day; higher tissue concentration of IL-4 and
      lower local pro-to-anti-inflammatory cytokines ratio at the seventh day.
      Conclusion: : Those findings suggest an intestinal pro-oxidative and anti
      inflammatory influence of teduglutide on the peri-operative context with a
      potential interference in the intestinal anastomotic healing.

PMID- 28902942
TI  - A study on reducing the absorption of lidocaine from the airway in cats.
AB  - Purpose: : To determine if the combination of lidocaine with epinephrine or gamma
      globulin would decrease the rate or reduce the amount of local absorption of
      lidocaine through the airway. Methods:: Twenty adult male cats were randomly and
      evenly distributed into four groups: 1) Group LG: lidocaine administered with
      gamma globulin; 2) Group LS: lidocaine administered with physiological saline);
      3) Group LE: lidocaine administered with epinephrine; 4) Group C: control group.
      Invasive blood pressure, heart rate, and concentration of lidocaine were recorded
      before and after administration. Results: : The peak of plasma concentrations
      appeared difference (Group LG: 1.39 +/- 0.23 mg/L; Group LS: 1.47 +/- 0.29 mg/L
      and Group LE: 0.99 +/- 0.08 mg/L). Compared to Group C, there were significant
      differences in the average heart rate of Groups LG, LS, and LE (P < 0.05). The
      average systolic blood pressures were significantly different when each group was
      compared to Group C (P < 0.05). The biological half-life, AUC0-120, peak time,
      and half-life of absorption among the three groups have not presented
      statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). Conclusion:: Administering
      lidocaine in combination with gamma globulin through airway causes significant
      decrease the rate and reduce the amount of local absorption of lidocaine in cats.

PMID- 28902943
TI  - Use of fibrinogen and thrombin sponge in pediatric split liver transplantation.
AB  - Purpose:: To analyze the use of this sponge in pediatric patients undergoing
      split-liver transplantation. Methods:: Retrospective study, including 35
      pediatric patients undergoing split-liver transplantation, divided into two
      groups according to the use of the sponge: 18 patients in Group A (no sponge) and
      17 in Group B (with sponge). Results: : The characteristics of recipients and
      donors were similar. We observed greater number of reoperation due to bleeding in
      the wound area in Group A (10 patients - 55.5%) than in Group B (3 patients -
      17.6%); p = 0.035. The median volume of red blood cells transfused in Group A was
      significantly higher (73.4 +/- 102.38 mL/kg) than that in Group B (35.1 +/- 41.67
      mL/kg); p = 0.048. Regarding bile leak there was no statistical difference.
      Conclusion:: The use of the human fibrinogen and thrombin sponge, required lower
      volume of red blood cell transfusion and presented lower reoperation rates due to
      bleeding in the wound area.

PMID- 28902944
TI  - Fixation of the short-term central venous catheter. A comparison of two
      techniques.
AB  - Purpose:: To compare the fixation of the central venous catheter (CVC) using two
      suture techniques. Methods:: A clinical, analytical, interventional,
      longitudinal, prospective, controlled, single-blind and randomized study in
      adult, intensive care unit (ICU) patients. After admission and indication of CVC
      use, the patients were allocated to the Wing group (n = 35, catheter fixation
      with clamping wings and retainers) or Shoelace group (n = 35, catheter fixation
      using shoelace cross-tied sutures around the device). Displacement, kinking,
      fixation failure, hyperemia at the insertion site, purulent secretion, loss of
      the device, psychomotor agitation, mental confusion, and bacterial growth at the
      insertion site were evaluated. Results: : Compared with the Wing group, the
      Shoelace group had a lower occurrence of catheter displacement (n=0 versus n =4;
      p = 0.04), kinking (n=0 versus n=8; p=0.001), and fixation failure (n=2 versus
      n=8; p=0.018). No significant difference was found in bacterial growth (n=20
      versus n=14; p=0.267) between groups. Conclusion: : The Shoelace fixation
      technique presented fewer adverse events than the Wing fixation technique.

PMID- 28902945
TI  - Distinct Patterns and Aetiology of Chromonychia.
AB  - Abnormal colouring of the nails may be a sign of underlying systemic or local
      disorders. This study investigated the prevalence and causes of chromonychia as a
      whole, as well as of each subtype. Among 163 patients with chromonychia, trauma
      was the pathogenesis in up to 20.9% (34/163) of cases. The most common subtype
      was melanonychia (54.0%; 88/163), followed by leukonychia (23.9%), red (8.6%),
      green (6.7%), yellow (4.9%) and blue (1.8%) nails. Nail matrix naevus (33.3%;
      29/88) was the most common cause of melanonychia, while skin diseases (41.0%;
      16/39), such as psoriasis (75%, 12/16) and alopecia areata (18.8%; 3/16), in
      addition to systemic diseases (33.3%; 13/39) including anaemia (38.5%, 5/13) and
      chronic renal failure (15.4%; 2/13) were the dominant causes of leukonychia. As
      chromonychia may be the first or only sign of an underlying disorder, it should
      alert physicians and patients to the need for a prompt and thorough evaluation.

PMID- 28902946
TI  - The Association Between Low Grade Systemic Inflammation and Skin Diseases: A
      Cross-sectional Survey in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.
AB  - Low grade inflammation is associated with many noncommunicable diseases. The
      association between skin diseases in general and systemic inflammation has not
      previously been studied at the population level. A whole-body investigation on
      1,930 adults belonging to Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 was performed and
      high sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) level was measured as a marker of low
      grade inflammation in order to determine the association between low grade
      inflammation and skin diseases in an unselected adult population. After
      adjustment for confounding factors the following skin disorders were associated
      with low grade inflammation in multinomial logistic regression analysis: atopic
      eczema (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9), onychomycosis (OR 2.0, 1.2-3.2) and rosacea (OR
      1.7, 1.1-2.5). After additionally adjusting for body mass index and systemic
      diseases, the risks for atopic eczema (OR 2.4, 1.3-4.6) and onychomycosis (OR
      1.9, 1.1-3.1) remained statistically significant. In conclusion, low grade
      inflammation is present in several skin diseases.

PMID- 28902947
TI  - Clinical Characteristics of the Halo Phenomenon in Infants with Neurofibromatosis
      1: A Case Series.

PMID- 28902948
TI  - Psychological Health Status and Health-related Quality of Life in Adults with
      Atopic Dermatitis: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study in South Korea.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Patients with AD
      often experience psychological distress and poor health-related quality of life
      (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of several
      psychological health statuses and poor HRQoL in an adult population with AD in
      South Korea. A total of 37,578 adults who participated in the Korean National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationwide, population-based, cross
      sectional health survey between 2008 and 2013 were included. HRQoL was assessed
      by EuroQoL (EQ) 5-dimension questionnaire and EQ-visual analogue scale scores.
      Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association
      of stress, sleep duration, depressive mood, depression, suicidal ideation, and
      HRQoL with AD relative to matched controls. After adjusting in patients with AD
      confounding factors, stress, depressive mood, depression, suicidal ideation and
      poor HRQoL were significantly associated with AD. Dermatologists should be
      concerned with improving HRQoL and managing the psychological health status of
      adult patients with AD.

PMID- 28902949
TI  - Long-standing Verrucous Plaques on the Buttocks: A Quiz. Tuberculosis verrucosa
      cutis.

PMID- 28902950
TI  - Pre-emptive Evaluation of Venom Allergy in a Patient with Systemic Mastocytosis.

PMID- 28902951
TI  - Brachioradial Pruritus and Notalgia Paraesthetica: A Comparative Observational
      Study of Clinical Presentation and Morphological Pathologies.
AB  - Brachioradial pruritus (BRP) and notalgia paraesthetica (NP) represent 2 of the
      most common neuropathic itch syndromes. A total of 58 consecutive patients
      presenting at the Center for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Munster, were
      analysed with regard to clinical presentation, anatomical and morphological
      pathologies, impairment in quality of life, and response to treatment with
      topical capsaicin. Patients with BRP reported stinging and burning more often
      than those with NP. In the BRP group structural magnetic resonance imaging
      abnormalities more frequently correlated with localization of the symptoms
      compared with in patients with NP. In addition, intraepidermal nerve fibre
      density was decreased in lesional skin in patients with BRP, but not in those
      with NP, confirming the neuropathic origin in BRP. Topical capsaicin resulted in
      a significantly higher alleviation of itch and pain intensity and improvement in
      quality of life in patients with BRP compared with those with NP, which may
      reflect clinical and aetiological differences between the conditions.

PMID- 28902952
TI  - Successful Treatment of Severe Recalcitrant Hidradenitis Suppurativa with the
      Interleukin-17A Antibody Secukinumab.

PMID- 28902953
TI  - Dystrophic Calcification in a Patient with Primary Localized Cutaneous Nodular
      Amyloidosis: An Uncommon Ultrasound Finding.

PMID- 28902954
TI  - Predominant Contribution of CD4 T Cells to Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) Load in
      the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Drug-induced Hypersensitivity Syndrome and
      Persistent HHV-6 Infection.

PMID- 28902955
TI  - Regulation of citrus responses to the combined action of drought and high
      temperatures depends on the severity of water deprivation.
AB  - Plants grown in natural environment are regularly subjected to different
      combinations of abiotic stresses. Recent studies revealed that citrus plants
      subjected to a combination of severe drought and high temperatures displayed
      specific physiological, hormonal, molecular and metabolic responses. In the
      present study, we have performed a long-term experiment combining moderate
      drought and heat in Cleopatra mandarin to evaluate the impact of the stress
      sequence, intensity and duration. Our results support previous observation of
      high sensitivity of Cleopatra mandarin to abiotic stresses that include high
      temperatures. In this sense, a combination of drought and heat stress negatively
      impacts Cleopatra seedlings independently of the drought intensity. However, some
      responses to combined drought and heat depend on drought intensity, especially
      those involved in stomatal regulation. The intricate natural environment, abiotic
      stress combinations and global climatic changes increase the complexity of
      studying plant responses to stress factors in the laboratory. Consequently, new
      experimental approaches taking in consideration different stress combinations
      should be implemented to study the viability of Cleopatra mandarin as a rootstock
      in a rapidly changing environment.

PMID- 28902957
TI  - Research in Nursing & Health Author Guidelines.

PMID- 28902956
TI  - The First Gold(III) Formate: Evidence for beta-Hydride Elimination.
AB  - The first stable gold(III) formate and experimental evidence for its beta-hydride
      elimination are described. A catalytic dehydrogenation of formic acid together
      with mechanistic studies shed light on potential pathways operating in
      fundamental gold-catalyzed transformations.

PMID- 28902958
TI  - Nonregenerative immune-mediated anemia associated with a diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma in a captive jaguar (Panthera onca).
AB  - An 18-year-old male castrated jaguar (Panthera onca) was presented with anorexia
      and continuous bleeding from the oral cavity after a history of fighting with the
      partner animal. Clinical evaluation revealed ulcerating lesions on the gingiva
      and hard palate and a hematoma on the tongue. Computed tomography of the head and
      endoscopic examination of the esophagus and stomach were unremarkable. Hematology
      and clinical chemistry revealed severe nonregenerative anemia, mild
      thrombocytopenia, and moderate azotemia. Several PCRs for feline hemotropic
      mycoplasmas (Mycoplasma haemofelis, M heamominutium, M turicensis), Babesia
      felis, and Bartonella spp., as well as an FeLV antigen test were negative. The
      cytologic examination of a bone marrow aspirate was consistent with ineffective
      erythropoiesis, most likely due to immune-mediated destruction of the erythroid
      precursor cells. Prednisolone therapy was initiated (1.25 mg/kg/day), and the CBC
      returned to normal 16 days after the initiation of the therapy. Anemia relapsed
      after 4 months and severe splenomegaly was noted. A repeat bone marrow aspirate
      revealed active erythropoiesis in the presence of erythroid precursor
      phagocytosis suggesting an immune-mediated process. Splenic fine-needle
      aspiration and tissue biopsies were taken, and all findings including histology
      and immunohistochemistry were consistent with a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
      (DLBCL). Five days later, the clinical condition deteriorated and the jaguar
      died. Histopathology following necropsy showed infiltration with neoplastic
      lymphoblasts in the spleen, liver, and abdominal lymph nodes. This case report
      describes a nonregenerative immune-mediated anemia associated with a DLBCL in a
      jaguar.

PMID- 28902959
TI  - Insight into the Activation of In Situ Generated Chiral RhI Catalysts and Their
      Application in Cyclotrimerizations.
AB  - We report a detailed study concerning the efficient generation of highly active
      chiral rhodium complexes of the general structure [Rh(diphosphine)(solvent)2 ]+
      as well as their exemplary successful utilization as catalysts for
      cyclotrimerizations. Such solvent complexes could likewise be prepared from novel
      ammonia complexes of the type [Rh(diphosphine)(NH3 )2 ]+ . A valuable, feasible
      approach to generate novel chiral RhI complexes was found by in situ generation
      from Wilkinson's catalyst [RhCl(PPh3 )3 ] with chiral P,N ligands. The generated
      catalysts led to moderate to good enantioselectivities and excellent yields in
      the cyclotrimerizations of triynes, showcasing their usefulness in the synthesis
      of axially chiral benzene derivatives.

PMID- 28902960
TI  - The prognostic significance of lung function in stable heart failure outpatients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study investigated the impact on all-cause mortality of airflow
      limitation indicative of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or restrictive
      spirometry pattern (RSP) in a stable systolic heart failure population.
      HYPOTHESIS: Decreased lung function indicates poor survival in heart failure.
      METHODS: Inclusion criteria: NYHA class II-IV and left ventricular ejection
      fraction (LVEF) < 45%. Prognosis was assessed with multivariate Cox proportional
      hazards models. Two criteria of obstructive airflow limitation were applied: FEV1
      /FVC < 0.7 (GOLD), and FEV1 /FVC < lower limit of normality (LLN). RSP was
      defined as FEV1 /FVC > 0.7 and FVC<80% or FEV1 /FVC > LLN and FVC <LLN. RESULTS:
      There where 573 patients in the cohort (85% of eligible patients in study
      period). Median follow-up was 4.7 years and 176 patients died (31%). Age, NYHA
      class, smoking, body mass index and LVEF were independent prognostic factors
      (p<0.01). Obstructive airflow limitation increased mortality using both criteria
      (HRGOLD 2.07 [95% CI 1.45-2.95] p<0.01 and HRLLN 2.00 [1.40-2.84] p<0.01) and was
      an independent marker when using LLN criteria (HR 1.74 [1.17-2.59] p=0.006). RSP
      was independently associated with mortality when defined as FVC < LLN (HR 1.54
      [1.01-2.35] p=0.04) but not as FVC < 80%. Multivariate hazard ratios for a 10%
      decrease in predicted value of FEV1 or FVC were 1.42 (p<0.001) and 1.33 (p<0.001)
      in patients exhibiting airflow obstruction, and 1.36 (p=0.031) and 1.38 (p=0.041)
      in RSP. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of obstructive airflow limitation indicative of
      COPD or RSP were associated with increased all-cause mortality, however only
      independently when using the LLN definition.

PMID- 28902961
TI  - Photoluminescence of Diphenylalanine Peptide Nano/Microstructures: From
      Mechanisms to Applications.
AB  - Diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe, FF) molecules, which can self-assemble into highly
      ordered nano/microstructures, have increasingly aroused intense interests due to
      their special optical properties. In this review, recent advances in
      photoluminescence (PL) of supramolecular architectures of FF-based peptide and
      the underlying mechanisms are highlighted. Mainly deep ultraviolet emission at
      around 285 nm and/or blue emission at ~450 nm are observed in various FF peptide
      structures and its derivatives, which are primarily interpreted by quantum
      confinement effects, shallow radiative traps, and electron delocalization via
      hydrogen bonds in beta-sheet structures. Furthermore, current applications of
      such fluorescent peptide nano/microstructures are also reviewed here, e.g.,
      probing the number of water molecules confined in FF, temperature sensing, and
      visualization of deep ultraviolet beam. Yet, the PL mechanism is still under
      fierce debate and the application based on fluorescence is constantly under
      exploration. Thus, this review is endeavored to boost future explorations on the
      PL of the bioinspired FF peptide nano/microstructures.

PMID- 28902962
TI  - Combined genotyping strategy reveals structural differences between Aspergillus
      flavus lineages from different habitats impacting human health.
AB  - Aspergillus flavus is a filamentous fungus which is widespread on agricultural
      products and also able to cause various human diseases. This species is
      frequently isolated from indoor air as well, furthermore, it is known as a common
      causal agent of keratomycosis, particularly in subtropical and tropical areas. It
      is also able to produce aflatoxins, one of the most carcinogenic mycotoxins which
      are harmful to animals and humans. In this study, 59 A. flavus isolates from four
      different habitats and 1 A. minisclerotigenes isolate were investigated. The
      isolates were identified and confirmed at the species level by the sequence
      analysis of a part of their calmodulin gene. Applying a combined analysis of UP
      PCR, microsatellite, and calmodulin sequence data, the four group of isolates
      formed separate clusters on the phylogenetic tree. Examining the distribution of
      mating type genes MAT1-1 and MAT1-2, a ratio of approximately 3:1 was determined,
      and no correlation was found between the carried mating type gene and the
      aflatoxin production capability. HPLC analysis revealed that none of the examined
      isolates collected from indoor air or maize in Central Europe were able to
      produce aflatoxins, while about half of the isolates from India produced these
      mycotoxins under the test conditions.

PMID- 28902963
TI  - Rhizospheric fungi and their link with the nitrogen-fixing Frankia harbored in
      host plant Hippophae rhamnoides L.
AB  - Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a pioneer plant used for land
      reclamation and an appropriate material for studying the interactions of
      symbiotic microorganisms because of its nitrogen-fixing root nodules and
      mycorrhiza. We used high-throughput sequencing to reveal the diversities and
      community structures of rhizospheric fungi and their link with nitrogen-fixing
      Frankia harbored in sea buckthorn collected along an altitude gradient from the
      Qinghai Tibet Plateau to interior areas. We found that the fungal diversities and
      compositions varied between different sites. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and
      Zygomycota were the dominant phyla. The distribution of sea buckthorn
      rhizospheric fungi was driven by both environmental factors and the geographic
      distance. Among all examined soil characteristics, altitude, AP, and pH were
      found to have significant (p < 0.05) effect on the rhizospheric fungal community.
      The rhizospheric fungal communities became more distinct as the distance
      increased. Moreover, co-inertia analysis identified significant co-structures
      between Frankia and AMF communities in the rhizosphere of sea buckthorn. We
      conclude that at the large scale, there are certain linkages between nitrogen
      fixing bacteria and the AMF expressed in the distributional pattern.

PMID- 28902964
TI  - Plasmatic coagulation and fibrinolysis in healthy and Otostrongylus-affected
      Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prepatent Otostrongylus arteritis results in hemorrhagic diathesis in
      free-ranging Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) attributed to
      aberrant larval migration of the lungworm, Otostrongylus circumlitus. Clinical
      signs are often nonspecific, including lethargy, anorexia, and blepharospasm, but
      can progress to spontaneous frank hemorrhage and death within 72 hours of onset.
      Previously published case reports describe coagulopathy with prolonged PT and
      APTT, normal to elevated platelet counts, normal antithrombin concentrations, and
      low concentrations of fibrinogen degradation products. Disseminated intravascular
      coagulation was proposed as the cause of hemorrhage, but is inconsistent with
      some of the reported clinicopathologic changes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this
      study was to compare plasmatic coagulation and fibrinolysis in healthy and
      Otostrongylus-affected elephant seals, in order to identify potential therapy. We
      hypothesized that hyperfibrinolysis contributed to hemorrhage in these cases.
      METHODS: Citrated plasma samples were collected from 3- to 4-month-old Northern
      elephant seals in a wildlife rehabilitation hospital. The sampled population
      included 25 healthy, prerelease seals and 32 clinically ill seals diagnosed with
      presumptive Otostrongylus arteritis. Twenty-one of the included seals had
      Otostrongylus infestation confirmed at necropsy. Standard coagulation tests and
      plasma thromboelastography were performed for a complete assessment of
      coagulation and fibrinolysis. RESULTS: Northern elephant seals with definitive
      Otostrongylus infestation were hypocoagulable and hypofibrinolytic compared to
      healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Results were most consistent with disseminated
      intravascular coagulation. Treatment with antifibrinolytic drugs to control
      hemorrhage may be unrewarding; alternative therapies such as plasma transfusions
      or coagulation factor concentrates should be investigated.

PMID- 28902965
TI  - Mechanistic Insight into the Binding of Multivalent Pyrrolidines to alpha
      Mannosidases.
AB  - Novel pyrrolidine-based multivalent iminosugars, synthesized by a CuAAC approach,
      have shown remarkable multivalent effects towards jack bean alpha-mannosidase and
      a Golgi alpha-mannosidase from Drosophila melanogaster, as well as a good
      selectivity with respect to a lysosomal alpha-mannosidase, which is important for
      anticancer applications. STD NMR and molecular modeling studies supported a
      multivalent mechanism with specific interactions of the bioactive iminosugars
      with Jack bean alpha-mannosidase. TEM studies suggested a binding mode that
      involves the formation of aggregates, which result from the intermolecular cross
      linked network of interactions between the multivalent inhibitors and two or more
      dimers of JBMan heterodimeric subunits.

PMID- 28902966
TI  - In-Situ and Real-time Monitoring of Mechanochemical Preparation of Li2 Mg(NH2 BH3
      )4 and Na2 Mg(NH2 BH3 )4 and Their Thermal Dehydrogenation.
AB  - For the first time, in situ monitoring of uninterrupted mechanochemical synthesis
      of two bimetallic amidoboranes, M2 Mg(NH2 BH3 )4 (M=Li, Na), by means of Raman
      spectroscopy, has been applied. This approach allowed real-time observation of
      key intermediate phases, and a straightforward follow-up of the reaction course.
      Detailed analysis of time-dependent spectra revealed a two-step mechanism through
      MNH2 BH3 ?NH3 BH3 adducts as key intermediate phases which further reacted with
      MgH2 , giving M2 Mg(NH2 BH3 )4 as final products. The intermediates partially
      take a competitive pathway toward the oligomeric M(BH3 NH2 BH2 NH2 BH3 ) phases.
      The crystal structure of the novel bimetallic amidoborane Li2 Mg(NH2 BH3 )4 was
      solved from high-resolution powder diffraction data and showed an analogous metal
      coordination to Na2 Mg(NH2 BH3 )4 , but a significantly different crystal
      packing. Li2 Mg(NH2 BH3 )4 thermally dehydrogenates releasing highly pure H2 in
      the amount of 7 wt.%, and at a lower temperature then its sodium analogue, making
      it significantly more viable for practical applications.

PMID- 28902967
TI  - Superwettability of Gas Bubbles and Its Application: From Bioinspiration to
      Advanced Materials.
AB  - Gas bubbles in aqueous media are common and inevitable in, for example,
      agriculture and industrial processes. The behaviors of gas bubbles on solid
      interfaces, including generation, growth, coalescence, release, transport, and
      collection, are crucial to gas-bubble-related applications, which are always
      determined by gas-bubble wettability on solid interfaces. Here, the recent
      progress regarding the study of interfaces with gas-bubble superwettability in
      aqueous media, i.e., superaerophilicity and superaerophobicity, is summarized.
      Some examples illustrate how to design microstructures and chemical compositions
      to achieve reliable and effective manipulation of gas-bubble wettability on
      artificial interfaces. These designed interfaces exhibit excellent performance in
      gas-evolution reactions, gas-adsorption reactions, and directional gas-bubble
      transportation. Moreover, progress in the theoretical investigation of gas-bubble
      superwettability is reported. Lastly, some challenges are presented, such as the
      reliable manipulation of gas-bubble wettability and the establishment of mature
      theory for exactly and systematically explaining gas-bubble wetting phenomena.

PMID- 28902968
TI  - Two-step endoscopic ultrasonography-guided antegrade treatment of a difficult
      bile duct stone in a surgically altered anatomy patient.

PMID- 28902969
TI  - Cationic Nitrogen-Doped Helical Nanographenes.
AB  - Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a series of novel cationic nitrogen
      doped nanographenes (CNDNs) with nonplanar geometry and axial chirality. Single
      crystal X-ray analysis reveals helical and cove-edged structures. Compared to
      their all-carbon analogues, the frontier orbitals of the CNDNs are energetically
      lower lying, with a reduced optical energy gap and greater electron-accepting
      behavior. Cyclic voltammetry shows all the derivatives to undergo quasireversible
      reductions. In situ spectroelectrochemical studies prove that, depending on the
      number of nitrogen dopants, either neutral radicals (one nitrogen dopant) or
      radical cations (two nitrogen dopants) are formed upon reduction. The concept of
      cationic nitrogen doping and introducing helicity into nanographenes paves the
      way for the design and synthesis of expanded nanographenes or even graphene
      nanoribbons with cationic nitrogen dopants.

PMID- 28902970
TI  - A genetic screen in rodent malaria parasites identifies five new apicoplast
      putative membrane transporters, one of which is essential in human malaria
      parasites.
AB  - The malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium, contains a unique non-photosynthetic
      plastid known as the apicoplast. The apicoplast is an essential organelle bound
      by four membranes. Although membrane transporters are attractive drug targets,
      only two transporters have been characterised in the malaria parasite apicoplast
      membranes. We selected 27 candidate apicoplast membrane proteins, 20 of which are
      annotated as putative membrane transporters, and performed a genetic screen in
      Plasmodium berghei to determine blood stage essentiality and subcellular
      localisation. Eight apparently essential blood stage genes were identified, three
      of which were apicoplast-localised: PbANKA_0614600 (DMT2), PbANKA_0401200
      (ABCB4), and PbANKA_0505500. Nineteen candidates could be deleted at the blood
      stage, four of which were apicoplast-localised. Interestingly, three apicoplast
      localised candidates lack a canonical apicoplast targeting signal but do contain
      conserved N-terminal tyrosines with likely roles in targeting. An inducible
      knockdown of an essential apicoplast putative membrane transporter, PfDMT2, was
      only viable when supplemented with isopentenyl diphosphate. Knockdown of PfDMT2
      resulted in loss of the apicoplast, identifying PfDMT2 as a crucial apicoplast
      putative membrane transporter and a candidate for therapeutic intervention.

PMID- 28902971
TI  - Toward Cost-Effective Manufacturing of Silicon Solar Cells: Electrodeposition of
      High-Quality Si Films in a CaCl2 -based Molten Salt.
AB  - Electrodeposition of Si films from a Si-containing electrolyte is a cost
      effective approach for the manufacturing of solar cells. Proposals relying on
      fluoride-based molten salts have suffered from low product quality due to
      difficulties in impurity control. Here we demonstrate the successful
      electrodeposition of high-quality Si films from a CaCl2 -based molten salt.
      Soluble SiIV -O anions generated from solid SiO2 are electrodeposited onto a
      graphite substrate to form a dense film of crystalline Si. Impurities in the
      deposited Si film are controlled at low concentrations (both B and P are less
      than 1 ppm). In the photoelectrochemical measurements, the film shows p-type
      semiconductor character and large photocurrent. A p-n junction fabricated from
      the deposited Si film exhibits clear photovoltaic effects. This study represents
      the first step to the ultimate goal of developing a cost-effective manufacturing
      process for Si solar cells based on electrodeposition.

PMID- 28902972
TI  - Covered duodenal self-expandable metal stents prolong biliary stent patency in
      double stenting: The largest series of bilioduodenal obstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Endoscopic biliary and duodenal stenting (DS; double
      stenting) is widely accepted as a palliation therapy for malignant bilioduodenal
      obstruction. The aim of the current study was to investigate the patency and
      adverse events of duodenal and biliary stents in patients with DS. METHODS:
      Patients who underwent DS from April 2004 to March 2017 were analyzed
      retrospectively with regard to clinical outcomes and predictive factors of
      recurrent biliary and duodenal obstruction (recurrent biliary obstruction [RBO]
      and recurrent duodenal obstruction [RDO]). RESULTS: A total of 109 consecutive
      patients was enrolled. Technical success of DS was achieved in 108 patients
      (99.1%). Symptoms due to biliary and duodenal obstruction were improved in 89
      patients (81.7%). RBO occurred in 25 patients (22.9%) and RDO in 13 (11.9%). The
      median times to RBO and RDO from DS were 87 and 76 days, respectively. Placement
      of a duodenal uncovered self-expandable metal stent (U-SEMS) was significantly
      associated with RBO in the multivariable analysis (P = 0.007). Time to RBO was
      significantly longer in the duodenal covered self-expandable metal stent group
      than in the U-SEMS group (P = 0.003). No predictive factors of RDO were detected,
      and duodenal stent type was not associated with the time to RDO (P = 0.724).
      CONCLUSIONS: Double stenting was safe and effective for malignant bilioduodenal
      obstruction. Duodenal U-SEMS is a risk factor for RBO. The covered self
      expandable metal stent is the preferred type of duodenal SEMS in patients with DS
      (Clinical trial registration number: UMIN000027606).

PMID- 28902973
TI  - Neighboring Structure Visualization on a Grid-based Layout.
AB  - Here, we describe an algorithm to visualize chemical structures on a grid-based
      layout in such a way that similar structures are neighboring. It is based on
      structure reordering with the help of the Hilbert Schmidt Independence Criterion,
      representing an empirical estimate of the Hilbert-Schmidt norm of the cross
      covariance operator. The method can be applied to any layout of bi- or three
      dimensional shape. The approach is demonstrated on a set of dopamine D5 ligands
      visualized on squared, disk and spherical layouts.

PMID- 28902974
TI  - A DNA Origami Mechanical Device for the Regulation of Microcosmic Structural
      Rigidity.
AB  - DNA origami makes it feasible to fabricate a tremendous number of DNA
      nanostructures with various geometries, dimensions, and functionalities.
      Moreover, an increasing amount of research on DNA nanostructures is focused on
      biological and biomedical applications. Here, the reversible regulation of
      microcosmic structural rigidity is accomplished using a DNA origami device in
      vitro. The designed DNA origami monomer is composed of an internal central axis
      and an external sliding tube. Due to the external tube sliding, the device
      transforms between flexible and rigid states. By transporting the device into the
      liposome, the conformational change of the origami device induces a structural
      change in the liposome. The results obtained demonstrate that the programmed DNA
      origami device can be applied to regulate the microcosmic structural rigidity of
      liposomes. Because microcosmic structural rigidity is important to cell
      proliferation and function, the results obtained potentially provide a foundation
      for the regulation of cell microcosmic structural rigidity using DNA
      nanostructures.

PMID- 28902975
TI  - Optical and Optoelectronic Property Analysis of Nanomaterials inside Transmission
      Electron Microscope.
AB  - In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allows one to investigate
      nanostructures at high spatial resolution in response to external stimuli, such
      as heat, electrical current, mechanical force and light. This review exclusively
      focuses on the optical, optoelectronic and photocatalytic studies inside TEM.
      With the development of TEMs and specialized TEM holders that include in situ
      illumination and light collection optics, it is possible to perform optical
      spectroscopies and diverse optoelectronic experiments inside TEM with
      simultaneous high resolution imaging of nanostructures. Optical TEM holders
      combining the capability of a scanning tunneling microscopy probe have enabled
      nanomaterial bending/stretching and electrical measurements in tandem with
      illumination. Hence, deep insights into the optoelectronic property versus true
      structure and its dynamics could be established at the nanometer-range precision
      thus evaluating the suitability of a nanostructure for advanced light driven
      technologies. This report highlights systems for in situ illumination of TEM
      samples and recent research work based on the relevant methods, including
      nanomaterial cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence, photocatalysis,
      photodeposition, photoconductivity and piezophototronics.

PMID- 28902976
TI  - Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticle-Embedded Silver Cubic Mesh Nanostructures Using
      AgCl Nanocubes for Plasmonic Photocatalysis.
AB  - A novel room-temperature aqueous synthesis for gold nanoparticle-embedded silver
      cubic mesh nanostructures using AgCl templates via a template-assisted
      coreduction method is developed. The cubic AgCl templates are coreduced in the
      presence of AuCl4- and Ag+ , resulting in the reduction of AuCl4- into gold
      nanoparticles on the outer region of AgCl templates, followed by the reduction of
      AgCl and Ag+ into silver cubic mesh nanostructures. Removal of the template
      clearly demonstrates the delicately designed silver mesh nanostructures embedded
      with gold nanoparticles. The synthetic mechanism, structural properties, and
      surface functionalization are spectroscopically investigated. The plasmonic
      photocatalysis of the cubic mesh nanostructures for the degradation of organic
      pollutants and removal of highly toxic metal ions is investigated; the
      photocatalytic activity of the cubic mesh nanostructures is superior to those of
      conventional TiO2 catalysts and they are catalytically functional even in natural
      water, owing to their high surface area and excellent chemical stability. The
      synthetic development presented in this study can be exploited for the highly
      elaborate, yet, facile design of nanomaterials with outstanding properties.

PMID- 28902977
TI  - Contraceptive Sterilization: Introducing A Couple Perspective to Examine
      Sociodemographic Differences in Use.
AB  - CONTEXT: Most studies of contraceptive use have relied solely on the woman's
      perspective, but because men's attitudes and preferences are also important,
      analytic approaches based on couples should also be explored. METHODS: Data from
      the 2006-2010 and 2011-2013 rounds of the National Survey of Family Growth
      yielded a sample of 4,591 men and women who were married or cohabiting with an
      opposite-sex partner and who had completed their intended childbearing.
      Respondents' reports of both their own and their partners' characteristics and
      behaviors were employed in two sets of analyses examining educational and racial
      and ethnic differences in contraceptive use: an individualistic approach (using
      multinomial logistic regression) and a couple approach (using multinomial
      logistic diagonal reference models). RESULTS: In the full model using the
      individualistic approach, respondents with less than a high school education were
      less likely than those with at least a college degree to rely on male
      sterilization (odds ratios, 0.1-0.2) or a reversible method (0.4-0.5), as opposed
      to female sterilization. Parallel analyses limited to couples in which partners
      had the same educational levels (i.e., educationally homogamous couples) showed
      an even greater difference between those with the least and those with the most
      schooling (0.03 for male sterilization and 0.2 for a reversible method). When
      race and ethnicity, which had a much higher level of homogamy, were examined, the
      approaches yielded more similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Research on contraceptive
      use can benefit from a couple approach, particularly when focusing on partners'
      characteristics for which homogamy is relatively low.

PMID- 28902979
TI  - Core-Shell Nanoparticle Clusters Enable Synergistic Integration of Plasmonic and
      Catalytic Functions in a Single Platform.
AB  - Designing controlled hybrid nanoarchitectures between plasmonic and catalytic
      materials is of paramount importance to fully exploit each function of
      constituent materials. This study reports a new synthetic strategy for the
      realization of colloidal clusters of core-shell nanoparticles with plasmonic
      cores and catalytically active shells. The Au@M (M = Pd or Pt) nanoparticle
      clusters (NPCs) with a high density of sub-1 nm interparticle gaps are
      successfully prepared by the deposition of M shells onto thermally activated Au
      NPCs. NPCs with other metal, metal sulfide, and metal oxide shells can also be
      synthesized by using the present approach. The prepared Au@M NPCs show remarkably
      enhanced plasmonic performance compared to their Au@M nanoparticle counterparts
      due to the localization of a strong electromagnetic field at the interparticle
      gaps, while the inherent catalytic function of shells is intact. In situ real
      time Raman spectroscopy and plasmon-enhanced electrocatalysis experiments
      demonstrate that the controlled assembly of core-shell nanoparticles is a very
      effective route for the synergistic integration of plasmonic and catalytic
      functions in a single platform.

PMID- 28902980
TI  - Myoglobin and Polydopamine-Engineered Raman Nanoprobes for Detecting, Imaging,
      and Monitoring Reactive Oxygen Species in Biological Samples and Living Cells.
AB  - Highly reliable detection, imaging, and monitoring of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) are critical for understanding and studying the biological roles and
      pathogenesis of ROS. This study describes the design and synthesis of myoglobin
      and polydopamine-engineered surface-enhanced Raman scattering (MP-SERS)
      nanoprobes with strong, tunable SERS signals that allow for specifically
      detecting and imaging ROS sensitively and quantitatively. The study shows that a
      polydopamine nanolayer can facilitate the modification of Raman-active myoglobins
      and satellite Au nanoparticles (s-AuNPs) to a plasmonic core AuNP (c-AuNP) in a
      controllable manner and the generation of plasmonically coupled hot spots between
      a c-AuNP and s-AuNPs that can induce strong SERS signals. The six-coordinated
      Fe(III)-OH2 of myoglobins in plasmonic hotspots is reacted with ROS (H2 O2 , *OH,
      and O2- ) to form Fe(IV)?O. The characteristic Raman peaks of Fe(IV)?O from the
      Fe-porphyrin is used to analyze and quantify ROS. This chemistry allows for these
      probes to detect ROS in solution and image ROS in cells in a highly designable,
      specific, and sensitive manner. This work shows that these MP-SERS probes allow
      for detecting and imaging ROS to differentiate cancerous cells from noncancerous
      cells. Importantly, for the first time, SERS-based monitoring of the autophagy
      process in living cells under starvation conditions is validated.

PMID- 28902981
TI  - Layer Structured Materials for Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion.
AB  - Owing to the strong in-plane chemical bonds and weak van der Waals force between
      adjacent layers, investigations of layer structured materials have long been the
      hotspots in energy-related fields. The intrinsic large interlayer space endows
      them capabilities of guest ion intercalation, fast ion diffusion, and swift
      charge transfer along the channels. Meanwhile, the well-maintained in-plane
      integrity contributes to exceptional mechanical properties. This anisotropic
      structural feature is also conducive to effective chemical combination,
      exfoliation, or self-assembly into various nanoarchitectures, accompanied by the
      introduction of defects, lattice strains, and phase transformation. This review
      starts with a brief introduction of typical layered materials and their crystal
      structures, then the structural characteristics and structure oriented unique
      applications in batteries, capacitors, catalysis, flexible devices, etc., are
      highlighted. It is surprising to observe that layered materials possess: (1) high
      reactivity, high reversibility, and enhanced performance via forming additional
      chemical bonds in alkali-metal ion batteries; (2) facile phase modulation, great
      feasibility for in-plane/sandwich device design, and cation intercalation enabled
      high capacitance in supercapacitors; (3) promoted structural diversity, effective
      strain engineering, and capabilities to function as ideal supporting
      materials/templates in electrocatalysis field. Finally, the future prospects and
      challenges faced by layered materials are also outlined.

PMID- 28902982
TI  - Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-Free Multistep Synthesis of Silver Nanoplates with Plasmon
      Resonance in the Near Infrared Range.
AB  - Herein, a poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-free method is described for synthesizing
      Ag nanoplates that have localized surface plasmon resonance in the near-infrared
      (NIR) range. Citrate-capped Ag spherical nanoparticles are first grown into small
      Ag nanoplates that resonate in the range of 500-800 nm. The small Ag nanoplates
      are used as seeds to further grow into large Ag nanoplates with a lateral
      dimension of 100-600 nm and a plasmon resonance wavelength of 800-1660 nm and
      above. The number of growth steps can be increased as desired. Without
      introducing additional citrate into the solutions of small Ag nanoplate seeds,
      large Ag nanoplates can be synthesized within minutes. The entire synthesis is
      completely PVP free, which promotes the nanoparticle growth along the lateral
      direction to form large Ag nanoplates. The multistep growth and the minimum usage
      of citrate are essential for the fast growth of high-aspect-ratio Ag nanoplates
      resonating in the NIR range.

PMID- 28902983
TI  - Solid Tumor Immunotherapy with T Cell Engager-Armed Oncolytic Viruses.
AB  - Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are novel anticancer agents that combine direct cancer
      cell killing with the stimulation of antitumor immunity. In addition, OVs can be
      engineered to deliver biological therapeutics directly to tumors, offering unique
      opportunities to design multimodal anticancer strategies. Here, a case for arming
      OVs with bispecific T cell engagers (BiTEs) is put forward. BiTEs redirect the
      cytotoxicity of polyclonal T cells to target cells of choice, and have
      demonstrated efficacy against a number of hematological cancers. However, the
      success of BiTEs in the treatment of solid tumors appears more limited, at least
      in part due to: (i) poor delivery kinetics and penetration into tumors, and (ii)
      on-target off-tumor activity, leading to dose-limiting toxicities. Linking the
      production of BiTEs to OV replication provides an exciting means to restrict
      production to the tumor site, widen their therapeutic window, and synergize with
      direct oncolysis. This review summarizes progress thus far in the preclinical
      development of BiTE-armed OVs, and explores the possibility of cotargeting cancer
      cells and nontransformed stromal cells.

PMID- 28902984
TI  - Fine and Clean Photothermally Controlled NIR Drug Delivery from Biocompatible
      Nickel-bis(dithiolene)-Containing Liposomes.
AB  - This work demonstrates that metal-bis(dithiolene) complexes can be efficiently
      incorporated inside organic nanocarriers and, that under near-infrared (NIR)
      irradiation, their high photothermal activity can be finely used to release
      encapsulated drugs on demand. In contrast to gold nanoparticles and other organic
      NIR dyes, nickel-bis(dithiolene) complexes do not produce singlet oxygen under
      irradiation, a highly desirable characteristic to preserve the chemical integrity
      and activity of the loaded drug during the NIR-triggered release from the
      nanocarriers. Finally, cytotoxicity experiments performed on various cell lines
      have shown that the incorporation of such metal complexes do not increase the
      toxicity of the final liposomal formulation. These results offer great promise
      for the development of innovative biocompatible drug nanocargos that are able to
      safely deliver their content on demand under NIR laser irradiation. Moreover,
      this work demonstrates that metal-bis(dithiolene) complexes, owing to their
      versatility of functionalization and metal complexation, are attractive
      photothermal agents for the development of original NIR-responsive materials for
      application not only in biotechnology but also in materials science.

PMID- 28902985
TI  - Cellulose-Based Nanomaterials for Energy Applications.
AB  - Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer on earth, providing a sustainable
      green resource that is renewable, degradable, biocompatible, and cost effective.
      Recently, nanocellulose-based mesoporous structures, flexible thin films, fibers,
      and networks are increasingly developed and used in photovoltaic devices, energy
      storage systems, mechanical energy harvesters, and catalysts components, showing
      tremendous materials science value and application potential in many energy
      related fields. In this Review, the most recent advancements of processing,
      integration, and application of cellulose nanomaterials in the areas of solar
      energy harvesting, energy storage, and mechanical energy harvesting are reviewed.
      For solar energy harvesting, promising applications of cellulose-based
      nanostructures for both solar cells and photoelectrochemical electrodes
      development are reviewed, and their morphology-related merits are discussed. For
      energy storage, the discussion is primarily focused on the applications of
      cellulose-based nanomaterials in lithium-ion batteries, including electrodes
      (e.g., active materials, binders, and structural support), electrolytes, and
      separators. Applications of cellulose nanomaterials in supercapacitors are also
      reviewed briefly. For mechanical energy harvesting, the most recent technology
      evolution in cellulose-based triboelectric nanogenerators is reviewed, from
      fundamental property tuning to practical implementations. At last, the future
      research potential and opportunities of cellulose nanomaterials as a new energy
      material are discussed.

PMID- 28902986
TI  - How Many Bulk Metallic Glasses Are There?
AB  - Quantitative prediction of glass forming ability using a priori known parameters
      is highly desired in metallic glass development; however proven to be challenging
      because of the complexity of glass formation. Here, we estimate the number of
      potential metallic glasses (MGs) and bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) forming systems
      and alloys, from empirically determined alloy design rules based on a priori
      known parameters. Specifically, we take into account atomic size ratio, heat of
      mixing, and liquidus temperature, which we quantify on binary glasses and
      centimeter-sized BMGs. When expanding into higher order systems that can be
      formed among 32 practical elements, we reduce the composition space for BMG
      formation using developed criteria by 106 times and estimate ~3 million binary,
      ternary, quaternary, and quinary BMGs alloys.

PMID- 28902987
TI  - Understanding the Reduction Kinetics of Aqueous Vanadium(V) and Transformation
      Products Using Rotating Ring-Disk Electrodes.
AB  - Vanadium(V) is an emerging contaminant in the most recent Environmental
      Protection Agency's candidate contaminant list (CCL4). The redox chemistry of
      vanadium controls its occurrence in the aquatic environment, but the impact of
      vanadium(V) speciation on the redox properties remains largely unknown. This
      study utilized the rotating ring-disk electrode technique to examine the
      reduction kinetics of four pH- and concentration-dependent vanadium(V) species in
      the presence and the absence of phosphate. Results showed that the reduction of
      VO2+, HxV4O12+x(4+x)- (V4), and HVO42- proceeded via a one-electron transfer,
      while that of NaxHyV10O28(6-x-y)- (V10) underwent a two-electron transfer.
      Koutecky-Levich and Tafel analyses showed that the intrinsic reduction rate
      constants followed the order of V10 > VO2+ > V4 > HVO42-. Ring-electrode
      collection efficiency indicated that the reduction product of V10 was stable,
      while those of VO2+, HVO42-, and V4 had short half-lives that ranged from
      milliseconds to seconds. With molar ratios of phosphate to vanadium(V) varying
      from 0 to 1, phosphate accelerated the reduction kinetics of V10 and V4 and
      enhanced the stability of the reduction products of VO2+, V4, and HVO42-. This
      study suggests that phosphate complexation could enhance the reductive removal of
      vanadium(V) and inhibit the reoxidation of its reduction product in water
      treatment.

PMID- 28902988
TI  - Improvement of LOD in Fluorescence Detection with Spectrally Nonuniform
      Background by Optimization of Emission Filtering.
AB  - The limit-of-detection (LOD) in analytical instruments with fluorescence
      detection can be improved by reducing noise of optical background. Efficiently
      reducing optical background noise in systems with spectrally nonuniform
      background requires complex optimization of an emission filter-the main element
      of spectral filtration. Here, we introduce a filter-optimization method, which
      utilizes an expression for the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as a function of (i)
      all noise components (dark, shot, and flicker), (ii) emission spectrum of the
      analyte, (iii) emission spectrum of the optical background, and (iv)
      transmittance spectrum of the emission filter. In essence, the noise components
      and the emission spectra are determined experimentally and substituted into the
      expression. This leaves a single variable-the transmittance spectrum of the
      filter-which is optimized numerically by maximizing SNR. Maximizing SNR provides
      an accurate way of filter optimization, while a previously used approach based on
      maximizing a signal-to-background ratio (SBR) is the approximation that can lead
      to much poorer LOD specifically in detection of fluorescently labeled
      biomolecules. The proposed filter-optimization method will be an indispensable
      tool for developing new and improving existing fluorescence-detection systems
      aiming at ultimately low LOD.

PMID- 28902989
TI  - Characterizing the Impacts of Deposition Techniques on the Performance of MnO2
      Cathodes for Sodium Electrosorption in Hybrid Capacitive Deionization.
AB  - Capacitive deionization (CDI) is currently limited by poor ion-selectivity and
      low salt adsorption capacity of porous carbon electrodes. To enhance selectivity
      and capacity via sodium insertion reactions, carbon aerogel electrodes were
      modified by depositing amorphous manganese dioxide layers via cyclic voltammetry
      (CV) and electroless deposition (ED). MnO2-coated electrodes were evaluated in a
      hybrid capacitive deionization system to understand the relationship between
      oxide coating morphology, electrode capacitance, and sodium removal efficacy.
      Both deposition techniques increased electrode capacitance, but only ED
      electrodes improved desalination performance over bare aerogels. SEM imaging
      revealed ED deposition distributed MnO2 throughout the aerogel, while CV
      deposition created a discrete crust, indicating that CV electrodes were limited
      by diffusion. Sodium adsorption capacity of ED electrodes increased with MnO2
      mass deposition, reaching a maximum of 0.77 mmol-Na+ per gram of cathode (2.29
      mmol-Na+ g-MnO2-1), and peak charge efficiency of 0.95. The presence of MnO2 also
      positively shifted the electrode potential window of sodium removal, reducing
      parasitic oxygen reduction and inverting the desalination cycle so that energy
      discharge coincides with salt removal (1.96 kg-NaCl kWh-1). These results
      highlight the importance of deposition technique in improving desalination with
      MnO2-coated electrodes.

PMID- 28902990
TI  - High-Purity Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: A Key Enabling
      Material in Emerging Electronics.
AB  - Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (sc-SWCNTs) are emerging as a
      promising material for high-performance, high-density devices as well as low
      cost, large-area macroelectronics produced via additive manufacturing methods
      such as roll-to-roll printing. Proof-of-concept demonstrations have indicated the
      potential of sc-SWCNTs for digital electronics, radiofrequency circuits,
      radiation hard memory, improved sensors, and flexible, stretchable, conformable
      electronics. Advances toward commercial applications bring numerous opportunities
      in SWCNT materials development and characterization as well as fabrication
      processes and printing technologies. Commercialization in electronics will
      require large quantities of sc-SWCNTs, and the challenge for materials science is
      the development of scalable synthesis, purification, and enrichment methods.
      While a few synthesis routes have shown promising results in making near
      monochiral SWCNTs, gram quantities are available only for small-diameter sc
      SWCNTs, which underperform in transistors. Most synthesis routes yield mixtures
      of SWCNTs, typically 30% metallic and 70% semiconducting, necessitating the
      extraction of sc-SWCNTs from their metallic counterparts in high purity using
      scalable postsynthetic methods. Numerous routes to obtain high-purity sc-SWCNTs
      from raw soot have been developed, including density-gradient
      ultracentrifugation, chromatography, aqueous two-phase extraction, and selective
      DNA or polymer wrapping. By these methods (termed sorting or enrichment), >99% sc
      SWCNT content can be achieved. Currently, all of these approaches have drawbacks
      and limitations with respect to electronics applications, such as excessive
      dilution, expensive consumables, and high ionic impurity content. Excess amount
      of dispersant is a common challenge that hinders direct inclusion of sc-SWCNTs
      into electronic devices. At present, conjugated polymer extraction may represent
      the most practical route to sc-SWCNTs. By the use of polymers with a pi
      conjugated backbone, sc-SWCNTs with >99.9% purity can be dispersed in organic
      solvents via a simple sonication and centrifugation process. With 1000 times less
      excipient and the flexibility to accommodate a broad range of solvents via
      diverse polymer constructs, inks are readily deployable in solution-based
      fabrication processes such as aerosol spray, inkjet, and gravure. Further gains
      in sc-SWCNT purity, among other attributes, are possible with a better
      understanding of the structure-property relationships that govern conjugated
      polymer extraction. This Account covers three interlinked topics in SWCNT
      electronics: metrology, enrichment, and SWCNT transistors fabricated via solution
      processes. First, we describe how spectroscopic techniques such as optical
      absorption, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy are applied for sc-SWCNT purity
      assessment. Stringent requirements for sc-SWCNTs in electronics are pushing the
      techniques to new levels while serving as an important driver toward the
      development of quantitative metrology. Next, we highlight recent progress in
      understanding the sc-SWCNT enrichment process using conjugated polymers, with
      special consideration given to the effect of doping on the mechanism. Finally,
      developments in sc-SWCNT-based electronics are described, with emphasis on the
      performance of transistors utilizing random networks of sc-SWCNTs as the
      semiconducting channel material. Challenges and advances associated with using
      polymer-based dielectrics in the unique context of sc-SWCNT transistors are
      presented. Such transistor packages have enabled the realization of fully printed
      transistors as well as transparent and even stretchable transistors as a result
      of the unique and excellent electrical and mechanical properties of sc-SWCNTs.

PMID- 28902991
TI  - Coupled-Cluster in Real Space. 2. CC2 Excited States Using Multiresolution
      Analysis.
AB  - We report a first quantized approach to calculate approximate coupled-cluster
      singles and doubles CC2 excitation energies in real space. The cluster functions
      are directly represented on an adaptive grid using multiresolution analysis.
      Virtual orbitals are neither calculated nor needed in this approach. The nuclear
      and electronic cusps are taken into account explicitly regularizing the
      corresponding equations exactly. First calculations on small molecules are in
      excellent agreement with the best available LCAO results.

PMID- 28902992
TI  - Removal of Antibiotic Florfenicol by Sulfide-Modified Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron.
AB  - Florfenicol (FF, C12H14Cl2FNO4S), an emerging halogenated organic contaminant of
      concern was effectively degraded in water by sulfidized nanoscale zerovalent iron
      (S-nZVI). Sulfidized nZVI (62.5 m2 g-1) that was prepared using a one-step method
      resulted in small Fe0/Fe-sulfide particles that were more stable against
      aggregation than unsulfidized nZVI (10.2 m2 g-1). No obvious removal of FF was
      observed by unsulfidized nZVI. S-nZVI degraded FF, having a surface area
      normalized reaction rate constant of 3.1 * 10-4 L m-2 min-1. The effects of the
      S/Fe molar ratio, initial FF concentration, initial pH, temperature, and water
      composition on the removal of FF by S-nZVI, and on the formation of reaction
      products, were systematically investigated. Both dechlorination and
      defluorination were observed, resulting in four degradation products
      (C12H15ClFNO4S, C12H16FNO4S, C12H17NO4S, and C12H17NO5S). High removal
      efficiencies of FF by S-nZVI were achieved in groundwater, river water, seawater,
      and wastewater. The reactivity of S-nZVI was relatively unaffected by the
      presence of both dissolved ions and organic matter in the waters tested.

PMID- 28902993
TI  - Correction to "Silver Nanoassemblies Constructed from Boranephosphonate DNA".

PMID- 28902994
TI  - Discovery, Structure-Activity Relationship, and Antiparkinsonian Effect of a
      Potent and Brain-Penetrant Chemical Series of Positive Allosteric Modulators of
      Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 4.
AB  - The metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) is an emerging target for the
      treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, since the discovery of its
      therapeutic potential, no ligand has been successfully developed enough to be
      tested in the clinic. In the present paper, we report for the first time the
      medicinal chemistry efforts conducted around the pharmacological tool (-)-PHCCC.
      This work led to the identification of compound 40, a potent and selective mGluR4
      positive allosteric modulator (PAM) with good water solubility and demonstrating
      consistent activity across validated preclinical rodent models of PD motor
      symptoms after intraperitoneal administration: haloperidol-induced catalepsy in
      mouse and the rat 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion model. Moreover, we also
      describe the identification of compound 60 a close analogue of compound 40 with
      improved pharmacokinetic profile after oral administration. On the basis of its
      favorable and unique preclinical profile, compound 60 (PXT002331, now foliglurax)
      was nominated as a candidate for clinical development.

PMID- 28902995
TI  - Anion-pi Catalysis on Fullerenes.
AB  - Anion-pi interactions on fullerenes are about as poorly explored as the use of
      fullerenes in catalysis. However, strong exchange-correlation contributions and
      the localized pi holes on their surface promise unique selectivities. To
      elaborate on this promise, tertiary amines are attached nearby. Dependent on
      their positioning, the resulting stabilization of anionic transition states on
      fullerenes is shown to accelerate disfavored enolate addition and exo Diels-Alder
      reactions enantioselectively. The found selectivities are consistent with
      computational simulations, particularly concerning the discrimination of
      differently planarized and charge-delocalized enolate tautomers by anion-pi
      interactions. Enolate-pi interactions on fullerenes are much shorter than
      standard pi-pi interactions and anion-pi interactions on planar surfaces, and
      alternative cation-pi interactions are not observed. These findings open new
      perspectives with regard to anion-pi interactions in general and the use of
      carbon allotropes in catalysis.

PMID- 28902996
TI  - Modular, Scalable Synthesis of Group A Streptogramin Antibiotics.
AB  - Streptogramin antibiotics are used clinically to treat multidrug-resistant
      bacterial infections, but their poor physicochemical properties and narrow
      spectra of activity have limited their utility. New methods to chemically modify
      streptogramins would enable structural optimization to overcome these limitations
      as well as to combat growing resistance to the class. Here we report a modular,
      scalable synthesis of group A streptogramin antibiotics that proceeds in 6-8
      linear steps from simple chemical building blocks. We have applied our route to
      the synthesis of four natural products in this class including two that have
      never before been accessed by fully synthetic routes. We anticipate that this
      work will lead to the discovery of new streptogramin antibiotics that overcome
      previous limitations of the class.

PMID- 28902997
TI  - Coupled-Cluster in Real Space. 1. CC2 Ground State Energies Using Multiresolution
      Analysis.
AB  - A framework to calculate CC2 approximated coupled-cluster ground state
      correlation energies in a multiresolution basis is derived and implemented into
      the MADNESS library. The CC2 working equations are formulated in first
      quantization which makes them suitable for real-space methods. The first
      quantized equations can be interpreted diagrammatically using the usual diagrams
      from second quantization with adjusted interpretation rules. Singularities
      arising from the nuclear and electronic potentials are regularized by explicitly
      taking the nuclear and electronic cusps into account. The regularized three- and
      six-dimensional cluster functions are represented directly on an adaptive grid.
      The resulting equations are free of singularities and virtual orbitals, which
      results in a low intrinsic scaling. Correlation energies close to the basis set
      limit are computed for small molecules. This work is the first step toward CC2
      excitation energies in a multiresolution basis.

PMID- 28902998
TI  - Activation of C-H Bonds of Alkyl- and Arylnitriles by the TaCl5-PPh3 Lewis Pair.
AB  - A new pathway of activation of C-H bonds of alkyl- and arylnitriles by a
      cooperative action of TaCl5 and PPh3 under mild conditions is reported.
      Coordination of nitriles to the highly Lewis acidic Ta(V) center resulted in an
      activation of their aliphatic and aromatic C-H bonds, allowing nucleophilic
      attack and deprotonation by the relatively weak base PPh3. The propensity of
      Ta(V) to form multiple bonds to nitrogen-containing ligands is an important
      driving force of the reaction as it led to a sequence of bond rearrangements and
      the emergence of, in the case of benzonitrile, a zwitterionic enediimido complex
      of Ta(V) through C?C double bond formation between two activated nitrile
      fragments. These transformations highlight the special role of the high-valent
      transition metal halide in substrate activation and distinguish the reactivity of
      the TaCl5-PPh3 system from both non-metal- and late transition metal-based
      frustrated Lewis pairs.

PMID- 28903001
TI  - Open-Source Assisted Laboratory Automation through Graphical User Interfaces and
      3D Printers: Application to Equipment Hyphenation for Higher-Order Data
      Generation.
AB  - Higher-order data generation implies some automation challenges, which are mainly
      related to the hidden programming languages and electronic details of the
      equipment. When techniques and/or equipment hyphenation are the key to obtaining
      higher-order data, the required simultaneous control of them demands funds for
      new hardware, software, and licenses, in addition to very skilled operators. In
      this work, we present Design of Inputs-Outputs with Sikuli (DIOS), a free and
      open-source code program that provides a general framework for the design of
      automated experimental procedures without prior knowledge of programming or
      electronics. Basically, instruments and devices are considered as nodes in a
      network, and every node is associated both with physical and virtual inputs and
      outputs. Virtual components, such as graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of
      equipment, are handled by means of image recognition tools provided by Sikuli
      scripting language, while handling of their physical counterparts is achieved
      using an adapted open-source three-dimensional (3D) printer. Two previously
      reported experiments of our research group, related to fluorescence matrices
      derived from kinetics and high-performance liquid chromatography, were adapted to
      be carried out in a more automated fashion. Satisfactory results, in terms of
      analytical performance, were obtained. Similarly, advantages derived from open
      source tools assistance could be appreciated, mainly in terms of lesser
      intervention of operators and cost savings.

PMID- 28902999
TI  - Self-Assembled 2D Free-Standing Janus Nanosheets with Single-Layer Thickness.
AB  - We report the thermodynamically controlled growth of solution-processable and
      free-standing nanosheets via peptide assembly in two dimensions. By taking
      advantage of self-sorting between peptide beta-strands and hydrocarbon chains, we
      have demonstrated the formation of Janus 2D structures with single-layer
      thickness, which enable a predetermined surface heterofunctionalization. A
      controlled 2D-to-1D morphological transition was achieved by subtly adjusting the
      intermolecular forces. These nanosheets provide an ideal substrate for the
      engineering of guest components (e.g., proteins and nanoparticles), where
      enhanced enzyme activity was observed. We anticipate that sequence-specific
      programmed peptides will offer promise as design elements for 2D assemblies with
      face-selective functionalization.

PMID- 28903000
TI  - Structural Revision of Baulamycin A and Structure-Activity Relationships of
      Baulamycin A Derivatives.
AB  - Total synthesis of the proposed structure of baulamycin A was performed. The
      spectral properties of the synthetic compound differ from those reported for the
      natural product. On the basis of comprehensive NMR study, we proposed two other
      possible structures for natural baulamycin A. Total syntheses of these two
      substances were performed, which enabled assignment of the correct structure of
      baulamycin A. Key features of the convergent and fully stereocontrolled route
      include Evans Aldol and Brown allylation reactions to construct the left
      fragment, a prolinol amide-derived alkylation/desymmetrization to install the
      methyl-substituted centers in the right fragment, and finally, a Carreira
      alkynylation to join both fragments. In addition, we have determined the
      inhibitory activities of novel baulamycin A derivatives against the enzyme SbnE.
      This SAR study provides useful insight into the design of novel SbnE inhibitors
      that overcome the drug resistance of pathogens, which cause life-threatening
      infections.

PMID- 28903002
TI  - Quaternized alpha,alpha'-Amino Acids via Curtius Rearrangement of Substituted
      Malonate-Imidazolidinones.
AB  - An efficient synthesis protocol is presented for accessing quaternized alpha
      amino acids in chiral, nonracemic form via diastereoselective malonate alkylation
      followed by C- to N-transposition. The key stereodifferentiating step involves a
      diastereoselective alkylation of an alpha-monosubstituted malonate
      imidazolidinone, which is followed first by a chemoselective malonate PMB ester
      removal and then a Curtius rearrangement to provide the transposition. The method
      demonstrates a high product ee (89-99% for eight cases) for quaternizing a range
      of proteinogenic alpha-amino acids. The stereogenicity in targets 5a-i supports
      previous conclusions that the diastereoselective alkylation step proceeds via an
      alpha-substituted malonate-imidazolidinone enolate in its Z-configuration, with
      the auxiliary in an s-transC-N conformation.

PMID- 28903004
TI  - Infrared Spectroscopic Study of the Acidic CH Bonds in Hydrated Clusters of
      Cationic Pentane.
AB  - Infrared spectroscopy of the hydrated clusters of cationic pentane, which are
      generated through the vacuum ultraviolet photoionization in the gas phase, is
      carried out to probe the acidic properties of their CH bonds. The monohydrated
      pentane cation forms the proton-shared structure, in which the proton of CH in
      cationic pentane is shared between the pentyl radical and water molecule. In the
      di- and trihydrated clusters, the proton of CH is completely transferred to the
      water moiety so that the clusters are composed of the pentyl radical and
      protonated water cluster. These results indicate that two water molecules are
      enough to cause the proton transfer from CH of cationic pentane, and thus its
      acidity is highly enhanced with the ionization.

PMID- 28903003
TI  - Tumor Cell-Specific Nuclear Targeting of Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots In
      Vivo.
AB  - Specific targeting of tumor tissues is essential for tumor imaging and
      therapeutics but remains challenging. Here, we report an unprecedented method
      using synthetic sulfonic-graphene quantum dots (sulfonic-GQDs) to exactly target
      the cancer cell nuclei in vivo without any bio- ligand modification, with no
      intervention in cells of normal tissues. The key factor for such selectivity is
      the high interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) in tumor tissues, which allows the
      penetration of sulfonic-GQDs into the plasma membrane of tumor cells. In vitro,
      the sulfonic-GQDs are repelled out of the cell membrane because of the repulsive
      force between negatively charged sulfonic-GQDs and the cell membranes which
      contributes to the low distribution in normal tissues in vivo. However, the
      plasma membrane-crossing process can be activated by incubating cells in
      ultrathin film culture medium because of the attachment of sulfonic-GQDs on cell
      memebranes. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that, once transported
      across the plasma membrane, the negatively charged functional groups of these
      GQDs will leave the membrane with a self-cleaning function retaining a small
      enough size to achieve penetration through the nuclear membrane into the nucleus.
      Our study showed that IFP is a previously unrecognized mechanism for specific
      targeting of tumor cell nuclei and suggested that sulfonic-GQDs may be developed
      into novel tools for tumor-specific imaging and therapeutics.

PMID- 28903005
TI  - Afterglow Luminescence in Wet-Chemically Synthesized Inorganic Materials: Ultra
      Long Room Temperature Phosphorescence Instead of Persistent Luminescence.
AB  - Wet-chemically synthesized amorphous yttrium-aluminum-borates (a-YAB) exhibit
      intense visible photoluminescence (PL). Preliminary investigations revealed a
      correlation of PL with the presence of carbon-related impurities; however, their
      exact nature is still under investigation. These powders also exhibit afterglow
      luminescence that lasts for several seconds at room-temperature (RT). A
      comparison with persistent phosphors and phosphorescent dye revealed that the
      afterglow in a-YAB is a phosphorescence phenomenon and not the persistence
      luminescence, which is more common in inorganic solids. The unusual RT
      phosphorescence in a-YAB could be achieved due to triplet-state stabilization of
      trapped luminescent organic moieties in glassy matrix. This is indeed an
      important step forward in understanding the complex luminescence mechanism in
      such promising wet-chemically synthesized functional materials. Moreover,
      phosphorescence is detectable for over 10 s at RT, suggesting rigid glassy
      inorganic matrix is more efficient in preserving phosphorescence at elevated
      temperatures, opening the path for several attractive applications including time
      resolved bioimaging and thermometry.

PMID- 28903006
TI  - Constructing a Multiplexed DNA Pattern by Combining Precise Magnetic Manipulation
      and DNA-Driven Assembly.
AB  - There is an urgent demand to construct multiplexed biomolecular patterns to
      obtain more biological information from a single experiment. However, with only
      limited reports focusing on defective top-down approaches, challenges remain to
      develop a bottom-up strategy for multiplexed patterning. To this end, a novel
      strategy has been proposed to fabricate multiplexed DNA patterns via macroscopic
      assembly through combined precise magnetic manipulation and DNA hybridization
      driven self-assembly. Therefore, a multiplexed DNA pattern composed of glass
      fibers loaded with multiple specific strands of DNA was constructed, and its
      potential application in simultaneous detection of multiplex target DNA was
      demonstrated. Moreover, the fabricated multiplexed DNA pattern shows an erasable
      behavior because the hybridized DNA can be disassembled by strand displacement.

PMID- 28903007
TI  - Characterization of Repulsive Forces and Surface Deformation in Thin Micellar
      Films via AFM.
AB  - Here we examine how the force on an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip varies as
      it approaches micellar surfactant films, and use this information to discern the
      film's surface structure and Young's modulus. Rows of wormlike hemimicelles were
      created at a graphite interface using 10 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). We
      found that the repulsive force on a silicon nitride tip as it approached the
      surface was exponential, with a decay length of 2.0 +/- 0.1 nm. The addition of
      Na2SO4 was found to cause a change in this behavior, with a clear split into two
      exponential regions at concentrations above 1 mM. We also observed that the range
      of these forces increased with added salt from ~15 nm in pure SDS to ~20 nm at a
      Na2SO4 concentration of 1.34 mM. These forces were inconsistent with
      electrostatic repulsion, and were determined to be steric in nature. We show that
      the behavior at higher salt concentrations is consistent with the theory of
      polyelectrolyte brushes in the osmotic regime. From this, we hypothesize the
      presence of micellar brushes at the surface that behave similarly to adsorbed
      polymer chains. In addition, the Young's modulus of the film was taken from data
      near the interface using Sneddon's model, and found to be 80 +/- 40 MPa. Similar
      experiments were performed with 10 mM dodecylamine hydrochloride (DAH) solutions
      in the presence of added magnesium chloride. The decay length for the pure DAH
      solution was found to be 2.6 +/- 0.3 nm, and the addition of 1.34 mM of MgCl2
      caused this to increase to 3.7 +/- 0.3 nm. No decay length splitting was observed
      for DAH. We conclude that the behavior at the surface resembles that of an
      uncharged polymer brush, as the ionic and surface charge densities are much lower
      for DAH than for SDS.

PMID- 28903009
TI  - The Role of Licensure in Breastfeeding Support in Indonesia.

PMID- 28903008
TI  - Criticized, Fired, Sued, or Prosecuted: Hindsight and Public Health
      Accountability.

PMID- 28903010
TI  - Effect of Loading on In Vivo Tibiofemoral and Patellofemoral Kinematics of
      Healthy and ACL-Reconstructed Knees.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although knees that have undergone anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction (ACLR) often exhibit normal laxity on clinical examination,
      abnormal kinematic patterns have been observed when the joint is dynamically
      loaded during whole body activity. This study investigated whether abnormal knee
      kinematics arise with loading under isolated dynamic movements. HYPOTHESIS:
      Tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics of ACLR knees will be similar to those
      of the contralateral uninjured control knee during passive flexion-extension,
      with bilateral differences emerging when an inertial load is applied. STUDY
      DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: The bilateral knees of 18 subjects
      who had undergone unilateral ACLR within the past 4 years were imaged by use of
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Their knees were cyclically (0.5 Hz) flexed
      passively. Subjects then actively flexed and extended their knees against an
      inertial load that induced stretch-shortening quadriceps contractions, as seen
      during the load acceptance phase of gait. A dynamic, volumetric, MRI sequence was
      used to track tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics through 6 degrees of
      freedom. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare secondary
      tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics between ACLR and healthy contralateral
      knees during the passive and active extension phases of the cyclic motion.
      RESULTS: Relative to the passive motion, inertial loading induced significant
      shifts in anterior and superior tibial translation, internal tibial rotation, and
      all patellofemoral degrees of freedom. As hypothesized, tibiofemoral and
      patellofemoral kinematics were bilaterally symmetric during the passive
      condition. However, inertial loading induced bilateral differences, with the ACLR
      knees exhibiting a significant shift toward external tibial rotation. A trend
      toward greater medial and anterior tibial translation was seen in the ACLR knees.
      CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that abnormal knee kinematic patterns in ACLR
      knees emerge during a simple, active knee flexion-extension task that can be
      performed in an MRI scanner. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: It is hypothesized that abnormal
      knee kinematics may alter cartilage loading patterns and thereby contribute to
      increased risk for osteoarthritis. Recent advances in quantitative MRI can be
      used to detect early cartilage degeneration in ACLR knees. This study
      demonstrates the feasibility of identifying abnormal ACLR kinematics by use of
      dynamic MRI, supporting the combined use of dynamic and quantitative MRI to
      investigate the proposed link between knee motion, cartilage contact, and early
      biomarkers of cartilage degeneration.

PMID- 28903011
TI  - Inter-individual responses to sprint interval training, a pilot study
      investigating interactions with the sirtuin system.
AB  - Sprint interval training (SIT) is reported to improve blood glucose control and
      may be a useful public health tool. The sirtuins and associated genes are
      emerging as key players in blood glucose control. This study investigated the
      interplay between the sirtuin/NAD system and individual variation in insulin
      sensitivity responses after SIT in young healthy individuals. Before and after 4
      weeks of SIT, body mass and fat percentage were measured and oral glucose
      tolerance tests performed in 20 young healthy participants (7 females). Blood
      gene expression profiles (all 7 mammalian sirtuin genes and 15 enzymes involved
      in conversion of tryptophan, bioavailable vitamin B3, and metabolic precursors to
      NAD). NAD/NADP was measured in whole blood. Significant reductions in body weight
      and body fat post-SIT were associated with altered lipid profiles, NAD/NADP, and
      regulation of components of the sirtuin/NAD system (NAMPT, NMNAT1, CD38, and
      ABCA1). Variable improvements in measured metabolic health parameters were
      evident and attributed to different responses in males and females, together with
      marked inter-individual variation in responses of the sirtuin/NAD system to SIT.

PMID- 28903012
TI  - In Vitro Chondrotoxicity of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Opioid
      Medications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A variety of medications are administered to the intra-articular
      space for the relief of joint pain. While amide-type local anesthetics have been
      extensively studied, there is minimal information regarding the potential
      chondrotoxicity of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioid
      medications. PURPOSE: To investigate the in vitro chondrotoxicity of single-dose
      equivalent concentrations of ketorolac, morphine, meperidine, and fentanyl on
      human chondrocytes. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: Human
      cartilage was arthroscopically harvested from the intercondylar notch and
      expanded in vitro. Gene expression of cultured chondrocytes before treatment was
      performed with quantitative polymerase chain reaction for type I collagen, type
      II collagen, aggrecan, and SOX9. Chondrocytes were then exposed to 0.01%, 0.02%,
      and 0.04% morphine sulfate; 0.3% and 0.6% ketorolac tromethamine; 0.5%, 1.0%, and
      1.5% meperidine hydrochloride; 0.0005% and 0.001% fentanyl citrate; and saline. A
      custom bioreactor was used to constantly deliver medications, with the dosage of
      each medication and the duration of exposure based on standard dose equivalents,
      medication half-lives, and differences in the surface area between the 6-well
      plates and the native joint surface. After treatment, a live/dead assay was used
      to assess chondrocyte viability and if minimal cell death was detected. A subset
      of samples after treatment was maintained to analyze for possible delayed cell
      death. RESULTS: All tested concentrations of ketorolac and meperidine caused
      significantly increased cell death versus the saline control, demonstrating a
      dose-response relationship. The morphine and fentanyl groups did not show
      increased chondrotoxicity compared with the saline group, even after 2 weeks of
      additional culture. CONCLUSION: In vitro exposure of chondrocytes to single-dose
      equivalent concentrations of either ketorolac or meperidine demonstrated
      significant chondrotoxicity, while exposure to morphine or fentanyl did not lead
      to increased cell death.

PMID- 28903014
TI  - Impact of Preterm Birth on Glucocorticoid Variability in Human Milk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a stressful event for both the mother and infant.
      Whereas the initiation of breastfeeding is important for preterm infant health,
      little is known of the glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol and cortisone) in human
      milk following preterm birth. Research aim: The aim of this study was to
      investigate the relationship between human milk glucocorticoid concentrations and
      preterm birth. METHODS: Human milk was sampled weekly for up to 6 weeks from 22
      women who delivered a preterm infant at 28 to 32 weeks' gestation. Human milk was
      analyzed for total and free cortisol and cortisone concentrations using liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Milk sampled from mothers of
      preterm infants had more cortisone than cortisol ( p < .001), with a strong
      correlation between both hormones ( p = .001, r = .85). The cortisone was
      significantly higher in the milk of mothers who delivered infants after 30 weeks
      compared with those who delivered before 30 weeks of gestation ( p = .02).
      Glucocorticoid concentrations did not change over the sampling time (weeks 1 to 6
      postpartum) and did not differ by infant gender. CONCLUSION: Glucocorticoids were
      present in all milk samples following preterm birth. Cortisone concentration
      tended to be higher in those who delivered after 30 weeks' gestation but did not
      increase further over the weeks following birth.

PMID- 28903015
TI  - Kept clinical visits, as scheduled in the first 6 months of antiretroviral
      treatment, determine long-term treatment outcomes in people living with HIV: a
      large retrospective cohort study in China.
AB  - : Background Routine HIV clinical monitoring is vital for people living with HIV
      (PLHIV) after treatment initiation. The relationship between clinical visits
      during the first 6 months after initial antiretroviral therapy (ART) and long
      term, HIV-related mortality and service retention was investigated. METHODS: A
      retrospective ART observational research database was established based on de
      identified data extracted from 6959 records of adult HIV-positive registrants
      held by Hunan CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) between 2003 and
      2013. RESULTS: During the first 6 months of initiation into ART, 2364 (34.0%) of
      PLHIV had completed four scheduled visits, meeting the Chinese ART clinical
      monitoring standards. From 6 months onwards (up to 36 months), this group had the
      lowest HIV-related mortality (4.4%) compared with those who had more or less than
      four kept visits in the first 6 months [one visit only: adjusted hazards ratio
      (AHR)=3.15, 95% CI 2.24-3.88; two visits: AHR=2.24, 95% CI 1.80-3.01; three
      visits: AHR=1.86, 95% CI 1.69-2.05; and >4 visits: AHR=1.37, 95% CI 1.11-1.72].
      Those with less than three kept visits were also at increased risk of cohort loss
      to follow up (ART discontinuation, prolonged service disengagement or death). A
      myriad of personal, clinical and social factors are identified to be associated
      with increased HIV-related mortality and clinical retention. CONCLUSIONS:
      Enabling PLHIV to complete four scheduled clinical visits during the first 6
      months of ART initiation, as recommended by the Chinese CDC, is critical.

PMID- 28903016
TI  - Arthroscopic meniscectomy for degenerative meniscal tears reduces knee pain but
      is not cost-effective in a routine health care setting: a multi-center
      longitudinal observational study using data from the osteoarthritis initiative.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: It is disputed whether arthroscopic meniscectomy is an (cost-)
      effective treatment for degenerative meniscus tears in day-to-day clinical
      practice. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of
      arthroscopic meniscectomy in subjects with knee osteoarthritis, in routine
      clinical practice, while taking into account the increased risk for future knee
      replacement surgery. We compared cost-effectiveness of arthroscopic meniscectomy
      compared to no surgery. DESIGN: We used a state transition (Markov) simulation
      model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of arthroscopic meniscectomy compared to
      no surgery in subjects with knee osteoarthritis (age range 45-79 years). Data
      used in the preparation of the current study were obtained from the
      Osteoarthritis Initiative (AOI) database. We applied a 9 years' time horizon
      (which is equal to the current OAI study follow up period), and evaluated cost
      effectiveness from a societal perspective. The main outcome measure was the
      incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (Euros per quality adjusted life-year (QALY)
      gained). RESULTS: Arthroscopic meniscectomy was associated with 8.09 (SD +/-
      0.07) QALYs at a cost of ? 21,345 (SD +/- 841), whereas the no surgery was
      associated with 8.05 (SD +/- 0.07) QALYs at a cost of ? 16,284 (SD +/- 855). For
      arthroscopic meniscectomy, the incremental cost per QALY gained was ? 150,754.
      CONCLUSIONS: In day-to-day clinical practice, arthroscopic meniscectomy in
      subjects with knee osteoarthritis is associated with ? 150,754 per QALY gained,
      which exceeds the generally accepted willingness to pay (WTP) (range ? 20,000-?
      80,000).

PMID- 28903013
TI  - Spatiotemporally Non-Uniform Ca2+ Dynamics of Cardiac Purkinje Fibers in Mouse
      Myocardial Infarct.
AB  - Surviving Purkinje fibers in myocardial infarct are regarded as an important
      substrate in arrhythmogenesis. However, poorly understood are functional
      properties of Purkinje fibers in the infarcted heart. We sought to visualize
      intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) dynamics of Purkinje fiber networks in the mouse
      myocardial infarct. Using 3- to 4-day-old or 7- to 9-day-old infarcted hearts
      after the left coronary-artery ligation corresponding, respectively, to acute or
      healing phase, we conducted rapid fluo4-fluorescence imaging on the endocardial
      surface of the left ventricular septum by macro-zoom fluorescence microscopy and
      rapid-scanning confocal microscopy. In contrast with the intact heart, where
      uniform Ca2+ transients propagated rapidly, the infarcted heart exhibited slow,
      non-uniform impulse propagations. On confocal microscopy, Purkinje fibers in the
      peri-infarct zone exhibited non-uniform [Ca2+]i dynamics: beat-to-beat alternans
      of the Ca2+ transient amplitude in and among the individual fibers, whereas the
      intact fibers exhibited uniform Ca2+ transients. Such non-uniform [Ca2+]i
      dynamics were more conspicuous in the acute infarcted hearts than in the healing
      ones. In accordance with [Ca2+]i dynamics, fixed fluo4-loaded heart preparations
      exhibited definitive connexin-40 plaques in the peri-infarct Purkinje fibers,
      whereas the subjacent myocardium presented coagulative necrosis and granulation
      tissues, respectively. The surviving Purkinje fibers in the peri-infarct zone
      exhibited non-uniform [Ca2+]i dynamics, which may lead to arrhythmogenesis.

PMID- 28903017
TI  - Is a high tibial osteotomy (HTO) superior to non-surgical treatment in patients
      with varus malaligned medial knee osteoarthritis (OA)? A propensity matched study
      using 2 randomized controlled trial (RCT) datasets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: No randomized controlled trial (RCT) has compared the high tibial
      osteotomy (HTO) with non-surgical treatment in patients with medial knee
      osteoarthritis (OA) and varus malalignment. The aim was to compare the
      effectiveness of an unloader brace treatment or a usual care program to the HTO
      regarding pain severity and knee function. DESIGN: Surgical treatment (HTO) to
      two non-surgical options was compared by combining the data of two RCTs. One RCT
      (n = 117) compared an unloader brace to usual care treatment; the other RCT (n =
      92) compared closing to opening wedge HTO. One-to-many propensity score matching
      was used to equalize patient characteristics. We compared clinical outcome at 1
      year follow-up (VAS pain (0-10) and knee function (HSS, 0-100)) with mixed model
      analysis. RESULTS: Propensity score matching resulted in a comparison of 30 brace
      patient with 83 HTO patients, and of 28 usual care patients with 71 HTO patients.
      Pain at 1 year after HTO (VAS 3.8) was lower than after valgus bracing (VAS 5.0)
      with a mean difference of -1.1 (95% CI -2.2; -0.1). Function showed a
      nonsignificant mean difference of 2.1 [95% CI -3.1; 7.3]. Comparing HTO to usual
      care a difference was seen in pain (-1.7 [95% CI -2.8; -0.6]) and function (6.6
      [95% CI 0.2; 13.1]), in favor of the HTO. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that HTO
      was more effective in pain reduction compared to both non-surgical treatments.
      Function improved only when HTO was compared to usual care treatment. These small
      differences question the benefits of surgical treatment over the brace treatment.

PMID- 28903018
TI  - Structural Plasticity of Eph-Receptor A4 Facilitates Cross-Class Ephrin
      Signaling.

PMID- 28903019
TI  - Preparation of Multimilligram Quantities of Large, Linear DNA Molecules for
      Structural Studies.

PMID- 28903020
TI  - MicroRNA-Containing T-Regulatory-Cell-Derived Exosomes Suppress Pathogenic T
      Helper 1 Cells.

PMID- 28903021
TI  - MBD3/NuRD Facilitates Induction of Pluripotency in a Context-Dependent Manner.

PMID- 28903022
TI  - Phosphorus and mortality risk in end-stage renal disease: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies on the association of abnormal serum phosphorus level with
      all-cause mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have yielded
      inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of abnormal serum
      phosphorus level with all-cause mortality in patients with ESRD requiring
      dialysis by conducting a meta-analysis. METHODS: Pubmed and Embase databases were
      searched through March 2017 to identify all observational studies that assessed
      the association between abnormal serum phosphorus level and all-cause mortality
      risk in patients with ESRD requiring dialysis. Pooled hazard risk (HR) with 95%
      confidence interval (CI) was calculated for the highest versus referent
      phosphorus category and lower versus referent phosphorus category, separately.
      RESULTS: Nine cohort studies were eligible for analysis. During 12 to 97.6months
      follow-up duration, 24,463 death events occurred among 1,992,869 ESRD patients.
      Meta-analysis showed that the pooled HR of all-cause mortality was 1.16 (95% CI
      1.06-1.28) for the lower versus referent serum phosphorus category. Similarly,
      patients with highest serum phosphorus levels were associated with an increased
      risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.39; 95% CI 1.31-1.47) compared with those in
      the referent phosphorus category. Subgroup analyses revealed that the effect of
      phosphorus on the all-cause mortality risk appeared to be stronger within 2years
      follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Both very high and very low values of phosphorus are
      independently associated with an increased risk for all-cause mortality in ESRD
      patients requiring dialysis. This meta-analysis highlighted a non-linear
      association of serum phosphorus with all-cause mortality among dialysis-dependent
      ESRD patients.

PMID- 28903023
TI  - Platelet to lymphocyte ratio in biliary tract cancer: Review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been found to predict
      clinical outcomes in multiple malignancies. The aim of this study was to assess
      the prognostic value of pretreatment PLR in biliary tract cancer (BTC). METHODS:
      We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases to identify studies
      evaluating the prognostic significance of pretreatment PLR in BTC. The end points
      were overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS). Pooled hazard ratios
      (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated
      using fixed-effects/random-effects models. RESULTS: A total of eleven studies
      comprising 2392 patients were included in the study. Pooled results showed that
      elevated PLR was significantly associated with decreased overall survival (HR:
      1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.42-1.78, p<0.001) and recurrence-free
      survival (HR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.16-2.00, p=0.002). Subgroup analyses suggested that
      a high PLR predicted decreased OS in patient with BTC, regardless of sample size
      (<200 or >=200), treatment methods (surgery, mixed, or chemotherapy), tumor stage
      (mixed or metastatic), analysis methods (univariate or multivariate), cut-off
      values (<150 or >=150), and NOS score (<7 or >=7). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated
      pretreatment PLR may be an unfavorable prognostic factor for clinical outcomes in
      patients with biliary tract cancer.

PMID- 28903025
TI  - Experimental Neospora caninum infection in chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)
      with oocysts and tachyzoites of two recent isolates reveals resistance to
      infection.
AB  - The importance of birds in the biological cycle of Neospora caninum is not clear.
      We report unsuccessful Neospora infection in chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)
      using two isolates of N. caninum. In experiment #1, 30 White Leghorn chickens
      were orally inoculated with viable N. caninum oocysts (NC-SP1 isolate, 200
      oocysts per bird) via the crop at 21days of age. Groups of three birds were
      euthanised at intervals of 7days (a total of 9weeks) and one group was challenged
      with the same oocyst dose at 37daysp.i. and observed for 11weeks. Blood samples
      were collected weekly, and sera were tested using IFAT. Chicken tissues were
      collected for PCR, quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. Two dogs
      approximately 45days of age were fed with tissues from chickens euthanised at 138
      and 159daysp.i. The results indicated that the chickens were resistant to
      neosporosis as revealed by failure to seroconvert, to detect parasite DNA or N.
      caninum antigen by immunohistochemistry in inoculated bird tissues, and by no
      oocyst excretion by the dogs fed avian tissues. Similar results were obtained in
      experiment #2, in which 34 1-week-old chickens were each s.c. inoculated with
      100,000 tachyzoites of the NcWTDMn1 isolate of N. caninum. The chickens were
      euthanised on days 7, 15, 22, 28, 36 and 60p.i. At necropsy, all tissues and
      serum from each bird were collected. All chickens remained asymptomatic, and N.
      caninum antigen was not detected by immunohistochemistry. Seven chickens
      euthanised at day 60p.i. demonstrated low (1:25 dilution) levels of antibodies by
      using the Neospora agglutination test. Two 12-week-old dogs fed tissues pooled
      from 10 inoculated chickens euthanised at day 60p.i. did not excrete N. caninum
      oocysts. This investigation indicates that chickens are resistant to experimental
      infection by N. caninum.

PMID- 28903024
TI  - Neospora caninum in non-pregnant and pregnant mouse models: cross-talk between
      infection and immunity.
AB  - Neospora caninum is a cyst-forming coccidian which causes abortion in cattle,
      with a high economic impact globally. Vaccination is considered to be the most
      cost-effective strategy to control and prevent bovine neosporosis. However, there
      is no commercial vaccine available to date. To investigate this disease under
      laboratory conditions, mouse models were developed, and they have been
      efficiently used as an initial proof-of-concept platform to investigate different
      immunogenic formulations. We here provide a detailed review on the current
      knowledge on immunity against neosporosis in non-pregnant as well as pregnant
      mice, and present a general overview of the most relevant parameters that may be
      responsible for protective immunity, which in turn could be relevant for vaccine
      development. Despite the considerable differences in immunity between cattle and
      mice, it is essential to understand how mice respond immunologically to Neospora
      caninum infection and how this response influences congenital infection and
      offspring survival. In this context, pregnant mouse models play a key role, and
      allow correlation of the outcome of congenital neosporosis with specific immune
      mechanisms which could also be relevant in cattle.

PMID- 28903027
TI  - Sexually Dimorphic Tridimensionally Preserved Pterosaurs and Their Eggs from
      China.

PMID- 28903026
TI  - Differential expression of genes in fetal brain as a consequence of maternal
      protein deficiency and nematode infection.
AB  - Maternal dietary protein deficiency and gastrointestinal nematode infection
      during early pregnancy have negative impacts on both maternal placental gene
      expression and fetal growth in the mouse. Here we used next-generation RNA
      sequencing to test our hypothesis that maternal protein deficiency and/or
      nematode infection also alter the expression of genes in the developing fetal
      brain. Outbred pregnant CD1 mice were used in a 2*2 design with two levels of
      dietary protein (24% versus 6%) and two levels of infection (repeated sham versus
      Heligmosomoides bakeri beginning at gestation day 5). Pregnant dams were
      euthanized on gestation day 18 to harvest the whole fetal brain. Four fetal
      brains from each treatment group were analyzed using RNA Hi-Seq sequencing and
      the differential expression of genes was determined by the edgeR package using
      NetworkAnalyst. In response to maternal H. bakeri infection, 96 genes (88 up
      regulated and eight down-regulated) were differentially expressed in the fetal
      brain. Differentially expressed genes were involved in metabolic processes,
      developmental processes and the immune system according to the PANTHER
      classification system. Among the important biological functions identified,
      several up-regulated genes have known neurological functions including neuro
      development (Gdf15, Ing4), neural differentiation (miRNA let-7), synaptic
      plasticity (via suppression of NF-kappabeta), neuro-inflammation (S100A8, S100A9)
      and glucose metabolism (Tnnt1, Atf3). However, in response to maternal protein
      deficiency, brain-specific serine protease (Prss22) was the only up-regulated
      gene and only one gene (Dynlt1a) responded to the interaction of maternal
      nematode infection and protein deficiency. In conclusion, maternal exposure to GI
      nematode infection from day 5 to 18 of pregnancy may influence developmental
      programming of the fetal brain.

PMID- 28903028
TI  - Retromer Binding to FAM21 and the WASH Complex Is Perturbed by the Parkinson
      Disease-Linked VPS35(D620N) Mutation.

PMID- 28903029
TI  - Systematic Identification of Culture Conditions for Induction and Maintenance of
      Naive Human Pluripotency.

PMID- 28903030
TI  - Systematic Identification of Culture Conditions for Induction and Maintenance of
      Naive Human Pluripotency.

PMID- 28903031
TI  - Chronic Palmitate Exposure Inhibits Insulin Secretion by Dissociation of Ca2+
      Channels from Secretory Granules.

PMID- 28903032
TI  - Drosha Regulates Gene Expression Independently of RNA Cleavage Function.

PMID- 28903033
TI  - Structure of Ddn, the Deazaflavin-Dependent Nitroreductase from Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis Involved in Bioreductive Activation of PA-824.

PMID- 28903034
TI  - Piwi Is Required to Limit Exhaustion of Aging Somatic Stem Cells.
AB  - Sophisticated mechanisms that preserve genome integrity are critical to ensure
      the maintenance of regenerative capacity while preventing transformation of
      somatic stem cells (SCs), yet little is known about mechanisms regulating genome
      maintenance in these cells. Here, we show that intestinal stem cells (ISCs)
      induce the Argonaute family protein Piwi in response to JAK/STAT signaling during
      acute proliferative episodes. Piwi function is critical to ensure heterochromatin
      maintenance, suppress retrotransposon activation, and prevent DNA damage in
      homeostasis and under regenerative pressure. Accordingly, loss of Piwi results in
      the loss of actively dividing ISCs and their progenies by apoptosis. We further
      show that Piwi expression is sufficient to allay age-related retrotransposon
      expression, DNA damage, apoptosis, and mis-differentiation phenotypes in the ISC
      lineage, improving epithelial homeostasis. Our data identify a role for Piwi in
      the regulation of somatic SC function, and they highlight the importance of
      retrotransposon control in somatic SC maintenance.

PMID- 28903035
TI  - Functional Insights into ANP32A-Dependent Influenza A Virus Polymerase Host
      Restriction.
AB  - Host restriction of influenza A virus limits pandemic emergence. The viral RNA
      polymerase (vPol) is an essential enzyme that must adapt for avian viruses to
      replicate in humans. Species differences in host ANP32A dictate adaptation: human
      ANP32A lacks an uncharacterized 33 amino-acid insertion that is present in avian
      ANP32A. Here, we uncover important contributions of host SUMOylation to vPol
      activity, including avANP32A function. We also identify a hydrophobic SUMO
      interaction motif (SIM)-like sequence unique to avANP32A that critically supports
      avian-signature vPol. Unrelated SIM sequences partially recapitulate this
      function when introduced into huANP32A. By investigating ANP32A-vPol
      interactions, we find that huANP32A interacts weakly with both human- and avian
      signature vPols, while the hydrophobic motif of avANP32A promotes stronger
      interactions. Furthermore, we identify a highly acidic stretch in avANP32A that
      constitutes a major site of vPol interaction. Our data suggest compensatory
      mechanisms underlying vPol adaptation to host ANP32A independent of species
      specific interactions.

PMID- 28903036
TI  - Culturing CTLs under Hypoxic Conditions Enhances Their Cytolysis and Improves
      Their Anti-tumor Function.
AB  - Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) used in immunotherapy are typically cultured under
      atmospheric O2 pressure but encounter hypoxic conditions inside tumors.
      Activating CTLs under hypoxic conditions has been shown to improve their
      cytotoxicity in vitro, but the mechanism employed and the implications for
      immunotherapy remain unknown. We activated and cultured OT-I CD8 T cells at
      either 1% or 20% O2. Hypoxic CTLs survived, as well as normoxic ones, in vitro
      but killed OVA-expressing B16 melanoma cells more efficiently. Hypoxic CTLs
      contained similar numbers of cytolytic granules and released them as efficiently
      but packaged more granzyme-B in each granule without producing more perforin. We
      imaged CTL distribution and motility inside B16-OVA tumors using confocal and
      intravital 2-photon microscopy and observed no obvious differences. However, mice
      treated with hypoxic CTLs exhibited better tumor regression and survived longer.
      Thus, hypoxic CTLs may perform better in tumor immunotherapy because of higher
      intrinsic cytotoxicity rather than improved migration inside tumors.

PMID- 28903037
TI  - Genetic Predisposition to Multiple Myeloma at 5q15 Is Mediated by an ELL2
      Enhancer Polymorphism.
AB  - Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of plasma cells. Genome-wide association
      studies have shown that variation at 5q15 influences MM risk. Here, we have
      sought to decipher the causal variant at 5q15 and the mechanism by which it
      influences tumorigenesis. We show that rs6877329 G > C resides in a predicted
      enhancer element that physically interacts with the transcription start site of
      ELL2. The rs6877329-C risk allele is associated with reduced enhancer activity
      and lowered ELL2 expression. Since ELL2 is critical to the B cell differentiation
      process, reduced ELL2 expression is consistent with inherited genetic variation
      contributing to arrest of plasma cell development, facilitating MM clonal
      expansion. These data provide evidence for a biological mechanism underlying a
      hereditary risk of MM at 5q15.

PMID- 28903038
TI  - Lipidomic and Transcriptomic Basis of Lysosomal Dysfunction in Progranulin
      Deficiency.
AB  - Defective lysosomal function defines many neurodegenerative diseases, such as
      neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL) and Niemann-Pick type C (NPC), and is
      implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration
      (FTLD-TDP) with progranulin (PGRN) deficiency. Here, we show that PGRN is
      involved in lysosomal homeostasis and lipid metabolism. PGRN deficiency alters
      lysosome abundance and morphology in mouse neurons. Using an unbiased lipidomic
      approach, we found that brain lipid composition in humans and mice with PGRN
      deficiency shows disease-specific differences that distinguish them from normal
      and other pathologic groups. PGRN loss leads to an accumulation of
      polyunsaturated triacylglycerides, as well as a reduction of diacylglycerides and
      phosphatidylserines in fibroblast and enriched lysosome lipidomes. Transcriptomic
      analysis of PGRN-deficient mouse brains revealed distinct expression patterns of
      lysosomal, immune-related, and lipid metabolic genes. These findings have
      implications for the pathogenesis of FTLD-TDP due to PGRN deficiency and suggest
      lysosomal dysfunction as an underlying mechanism.

PMID- 28903039
TI  - Polyploidy and the Cellular and Areal Diversity of Rat Cortical Layer 5 Pyramidal
      Neurons.
AB  - In many species, polyploidy, in which an increase in nuclear DNA content is
      accompanied by an increase in cell size, contributes to cellular diversity. In
      the rat visual cortex, most neurons are small and homogeneous in size, while
      layer 5 cells are heterogeneous, containing some very large neurons. To measure
      DNA content, we quantified nuclear chromocenters and integrated DNA/DAPI
      fluorescence. The results suggest that most cortical neurons, non-neuronal cells,
      parvalbumin-positive interneurons, and large entorhinal layer 2 stellate
      projection neurons are diploid. In contrast, chromocenter counts and integrated
      fluorescence are ~2-fold higher for some excitatory neurons in layer 5,
      suggesting that large Ctip2-negative and Ctip2-positive layer 5 neurons might be
      tetraploid. The distribution of putatively tetraploid neurons differed between
      areas and showed sharp borders aligned with functional subdivisions of the
      somatosensory cortex. Telomere counting and flow cytometry supported layer 5
      polyploidy. We conclude that polyploidy contributes to cellular and areal
      diversity of rat cortex.

PMID- 28903041
TI  - miR-150-Mediated Foxo1 Regulation Programs CD8+ T Cell Differentiation.
AB  - MicroRNA (miR)-150 is a developmental regulator of several immune-cell types, but
      its role in CD8+ T cells is largely unexplored. Here, we show that miR-150
      regulates the generation of memory CD8+ T cells. After acute virus infection, miR
      150 knockout (KO) mice exhibited an accelerated differentiation of CD8+ T cells
      into memory cells and improved production of effector cytokines. Additionally,
      miR-150 KO CD8+ T cells displayed an enhanced recall response and improved
      protection against infections with another virus and bacteria. We found that
      forkhead box O1 (Foxo1) and T cell-specific transcription factor 1 (TCF1) are
      upregulated during the early activation phase in miR-150 KO CD8+ T cells and that
      miR-150 directly targets and suppresses Foxo1. These results suggest that miR-150
      mediated suppression of Foxo1 regulates the balance between effector and memory
      cell differentiation, which might aid in the development of improved vaccines and
      T cell therapeutics.

PMID- 28903040
TI  - miR-150 Regulates Memory CD8 T Cell Differentiation via c-Myb.
AB  - MicroRNAs play an important role in T cell responses. However, how microRNAs
      regulate CD8 T cell memory remains poorly defined. Here, we found that miR-150
      negatively regulates CD8 T cell memory in vivo. Genetic deletion of miR-150
      disrupted the balance between memory precursor and terminal effector CD8 T cells
      following acute viral infection. Moreover, miR-150-deficient memory CD8 T cells
      were more protective upon rechallenge. A key circuit whereby miR-150 repressed
      memory CD8 T cell development through the transcription factor c-Myb was
      identified. Without miR-150, c-Myb was upregulated and anti-apoptotic targets of
      c-Myb, such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, were also increased, suggesting a miR-150-c-Myb
      survival circuit during memory CD8 T cell development. Indeed, overexpression of
      non-repressible c-Myb rescued the memory CD8 T cell defects caused by
      overexpression of miR-150. Overall, these results identify a key role for miR-150
      in memory CD8 T cells through a c-Myb-controlled enhanced survival circuit.

PMID- 28903042
TI  - Distortion of the Actin A-Triad Results in Contractile Disinhibition and
      Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Striated muscle contraction is regulated by the movement of tropomyosin over the
      thin filament surface, which blocks or exposes myosin binding sites on actin.
      Findings suggest that electrostatic contacts, particularly those between K326,
      K328, and R147 on actin and tropomyosin, establish an energetically favorable F
      actin-tropomyosin configuration, with tropomyosin positioned in a location that
      impedes actomyosin associations and promotes relaxation. Here, we provide data
      that directly support a vital role for these actin residues, termed the A-triad,
      in tropomyosin positioning in intact functioning muscle. By examining the effects
      of an A295S alpha-cardiac actin hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-causing mutation,
      over a range of increasingly complex in silico, in vitro, and in vivo Drosophila
      muscle models, we propose that subtle A-triad-tropomyosin perturbation can
      destabilize thin filament regulation, which leads to hypercontractility and
      triggers disease. Our efforts increase understanding of basic thin filament
      biology and help unravel the mechanistic basis of a complex cardiac disorder.

PMID- 28903043
TI  - Mechanism of Catalytic Microtubule Depolymerization via KIF2-Tubulin Transitional
      Conformation.
AB  - Microtubules (MTs) are dynamic structures that are fundamental for cell
      morphogenesis and motility. MT-associated motors work efficiently to perform
      their functions. Unlike other motile kinesins, KIF2 catalytically depolymerizes
      MTs from the peeled protofilament end during ATP hydrolysis. However, the
      detailed mechanism by which KIF2 drives processive MT depolymerization remains
      unknown. To elucidate the catalytic mechanism, the transitional KIF2-tubulin
      complex during MT depolymerization was analyzed through multiple methods,
      including atomic force microscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, multi-angle
      light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering, analytical ultracentrifugation,
      and mass spectrometry. The analyses outlined the conformation in which one
      KIF2core domain binds tightly to two tubulin dimers in the middle pre-hydrolysis
      state during ATP hydrolysis, a process critical for catalytic MT
      depolymerization. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the KIF2core domain
      displays the activated conformation that sustains the large KIF2-tubulin 1:2
      complex.

PMID- 28903044
TI  - Engineering Synthetic Signaling Pathways with Programmable dCas9-Based Chimeric
      Receptors.
AB  - Synthetic receptors provide a powerful experimental tool for generation of
      designer cells capable of monitoring the environment, sensing specific input
      signals, and executing diverse custom response programs. To advance the promise
      of cellular engineering, we have developed a class of chimeric receptors that
      integrate a highly programmable and portable nuclease-deficient CRISPR/Cas9
      (dCas9) signal transduction module. We demonstrate that the core dCas9 synthetic
      receptor (dCas9-synR) architecture can be readily adapted to various classes of
      native ectodomain scaffolds, linking their natural inputs with orthogonal output
      functions. Importantly, these receptors achieved stringent OFF/ON state
      transition characteristics, showed agonist-mediated dose-dependent activation,
      and could be programmed to couple specific disease markers with diverse,
      therapeutically relevant multi-gene expression circuits. The modular dCas9-synR
      platform developed here provides a generalizable blueprint for designing next
      generations of synthetic receptors, which will enable the implementation of
      highly complex combinatorial functions in cellular engineering.

PMID- 28903045
TI  - Receptor Quaternary Organization Explains G Protein-Coupled Receptor Family
      Structure.
AB  - The organization of Rhodopsin-family G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) at the
      cell surface is controversial. Support both for and against the existence of
      dimers has been obtained in studies of mostly individual receptors. Here, we use
      a large-scale comparative study to examine the stoichiometric signatures of 60
      receptors expressed by a single human cell line. Using bioluminescence resonance
      energy transfer- and single-molecule microscopy-based assays, we found that a
      relatively small fraction of Rhodopsin-family GPCRs behaved as dimers and that
      these receptors otherwise appear to be monomeric. Overall, the analysis predicted
      that fewer than 20% of ~700 Rhodopsin-family receptors form dimers. The clustered
      distribution of the dimers in our sample and a striking correlation between
      receptor organization and GPCR family size that we also uncover each suggest that
      receptor stoichiometry might have profoundly influenced GPCR expansion and
      diversification.

PMID- 28903046
TI  - Genome-Scale Architecture of Small Molecule Regulatory Networks and the
      Fundamental Trade-Off between Regulation and Enzymatic Activity.
AB  - Metabolic flux is in part regulated by endogenous small molecules that modulate
      the catalytic activity of an enzyme, e.g., allosteric inhibition. In contrast to
      transcriptional regulation of enzymes, technical limitations have hindered the
      production of a genome-scale atlas of small molecule-enzyme regulatory
      interactions. Here, we develop a framework leveraging the vast, but fragmented,
      biochemical literature to reconstruct and analyze the small molecule regulatory
      network (SMRN) of the model organism Escherichia coli, including the primary
      metabolite regulators and enzyme targets. Using metabolic control analysis, we
      prove a fundamental trade-off between regulation and enzymatic activity, and we
      combine it with metabolomic measurements and the SMRN to make inferences on the
      sensitivity of enzymes to their regulators. Generalizing the analysis to other
      organisms, we identify highly conserved regulatory interactions across
      evolutionarily divergent species, further emphasizing a critical role for small
      molecule interactions in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis.

PMID- 28903047
TI  - Caloric Restriction Promotes Structural and Metabolic Changes in the Skin.
AB  - Caloric restriction (CR) is the most effective intervention known to enhance
      lifespan, but its effect on the skin is poorly understood. Here, we show that CR
      mice display fur coat remodeling associated with an expansion of the hair
      follicle stem cell (HFSC) pool. We also find that the dermal adipocyte depot
      (dWAT) is underdeveloped in CR animals. The dermal/vennule annulus vasculature is
      enlarged, and a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) switch and metabolic
      reprogramming in both the dermis and the epidermis are observed. When the fur
      coat is removed, CR mice display increased energy expenditure associated with
      lean weight loss and locomotion impairment. Our findings indicate that CR
      promotes extensive skin and fur remodeling. These changes are necessary for
      thermal homeostasis and metabolic fitness under conditions of limited energy
      intake, suggesting a potential adaptive mechanism.

PMID- 28903048
TI  - Set2 Methyltransferase Facilitates DNA Replication and Promotes Genotoxic Stress
      Responses through MBF-Dependent Transcription.
AB  - Chromatin modification through histone H3 lysine 36 methylation by the SETD2
      tumor suppressor plays a key role in maintaining genome stability. Here, we
      describe a role for Set2-dependent H3K36 methylation in facilitating DNA
      replication and the transcriptional responses to both replication stress and DNA
      damage through promoting MluI cell-cycle box (MCB) binding factor (MBF)-complex
      dependent transcription in fission yeast. Set2 loss leads to reduced MBF
      dependent ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) expression, reduced deoxyribonucleoside
      triphosphate (dNTP) synthesis, altered replication origin firing, and a
      checkpoint-dependent S-phase delay. Accordingly, prolonged S phase in the absence
      of Set2 is suppressed by increasing dNTP synthesis. Furthermore, H3K36 is di- and
      tri-methylated at these MBF gene promoters, and Set2 loss leads to reduced MBF
      binding and transcription in response to genotoxic stress. Together, these
      findings provide new insights into how H3K36 methylation facilitates DNA
      replication and promotes genotoxic stress responses in fission yeast.

PMID- 28903049
TI  - A Mass Spectrometry-Based Approach for Mapping Protein Subcellular Localization
      Reveals the Spatial Proteome of Mouse Primary Neurons.
AB  - We previously developed a mass spectrometry-based method, dynamic organellar
      maps, for the determination of protein subcellular localization and
      identification of translocation events in comparative experiments. The use of
      metabolic labeling for quantification (stable isotope labeling by amino acids in
      cell culture [SILAC]) renders the method best suited to cells grown in culture.
      Here, we have adapted the workflow to both label-free quantification (LFQ) and
      chemical labeling/multiplexing strategies (tandem mass tagging [TMT]). Both
      methods are highly effective for the generation of organellar maps and capture of
      protein translocations. Furthermore, application of label-free organellar mapping
      to acutely isolated mouse primary neurons provided subcellular localization and
      copy-number information for over 8,000 proteins, allowing a detailed analysis of
      organellar organization. Our study extends the scope of dynamic organellar maps
      to any cell type or tissue and also to high-throughput screening.

PMID- 28903050
TI  - Changes in the Coding and Non-coding Transcriptome and DNA Methylome that Define
      the Schwann Cell Repair Phenotype after Nerve Injury.
AB  - Repair Schwann cells play a critical role in orchestrating nerve repair after
      injury, but the cellular and molecular processes that generate them are poorly
      understood. Here, we perform a combined whole-genome, coding and non-coding RNA
      and CpG methylation study following nerve injury. We show that genes involved in
      the epithelial-mesenchymal transition are enriched in repair cells, and we
      identify several long non-coding RNAs in Schwann cells. We demonstrate that the
      AP-1 transcription factor C-JUN regulates the expression of certain micro RNAs in
      repair Schwann cells, in particular miR-21 and miR-34. Surprisingly, unlike
      during development, changes in CpG methylation are limited in injury, restricted
      to specific locations, such as enhancer regions of Schwann cell-specific genes
      (e.g., Nedd4l), and close to local enrichment of AP-1 motifs. These genetic and
      epigenomic changes broaden our mechanistic understanding of the formation of
      repair Schwann cell during peripheral nervous system tissue repair.

PMID- 28903052
TI  - Resolution Mediator Chemerin15 Reprograms the Wound Microenvironment to Promote
      Repair and Reduce Scarring.

PMID- 28903051
TI  - Features of the Chaperone Cellular Network Revealed through Systematic
      Interaction Mapping.
AB  - A comprehensive view of molecular chaperone function in the cell was obtained
      through a systematic global integrative network approach based on physical
      (protein-protein) and genetic (gene-gene or epistatic) interaction mapping. This
      allowed us to decipher interactions involving all core chaperones (67) and
      cochaperones (15) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our analysis revealed the presence
      of a large chaperone functional supercomplex, which we named the naturally joined
      (NAJ) chaperone complex, encompassing Hsp40, Hsp70, Hsp90, AAA+, CCT, and small
      Hsps. We further found that many chaperones interact with proteins that form foci
      or condensates under stress conditions. Using an in vitro reconstitution
      approach, we demonstrate condensate formation for the highly conserved AAA+
      ATPases Rvb1 and Rvb2, which are part of the R2TP complex that interacts with
      Hsp90. This expanded view of the chaperone network in the cell clearly
      demonstrates the distinction between chaperones having broad versus narrow
      substrate specificities in protein homeostasis.

PMID- 28903053
TI  - Human Hippocampus Arbitrates Approach-Avoidance Conflict.

PMID- 28903054
TI  - Mechanical Forces of Fission Yeast Growth.

PMID- 28903055
TI  - Interneuronal Mechanism for Tinbergen's Hierarchical Model of Behavioral Choice.

PMID- 28903056
TI  - Quality of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation during real-life out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can increase survival in out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, little is known about bystander CPR
      quality in real-life OHCA. AIM: To describe bystander CPR quality based on
      automated external defibrillator (AED) CPR process data during OHCA and compare
      it with the European Resuscitation Council 2010 and 2015 Guidelines. METHODS: We
      included OHCA cases from the Capital Region, Denmark, (2012-2016) where a Zoll
      AED was used before ambulance arrival. For cases with at least one minute of
      continuous data, the initial 10min of CPR data were analysed for compression
      rate, depth, fraction and compressions delivered for each minute of CPR. Data are
      presented as median [25th;75th percentile]. RESULTS: We included 136 cases.
      Bystander median compression rate was 101min-1 [94;113], compression depth was
      4.8cm [3.9;5.8] and compressions per minute were 62 [48;73]. Of all cases, the
      median compression rate was 100-120min-1 in 42%, compression depth was 5-6cm in
      26%, compression fraction>=60% in 51% and compressions delivered per minute
      exceeded 60 in 54%. In a minute-to-minute analysis, we found no evidence of
      deterioration in CPR quality over time. The median peri-shock pause was 27s
      [23;31] and the pre-shock pause was 19s [17;22]. CONCLUSIONS: The median CPR
      performed by bystanders using AEDs with audio-feedback in OHCA was within
      guideline recommendations without deterioration over time. Compression depth had
      poorer quality compared with other parameters. To improve bystander CPR quality,
      focus should be on proper compression depth and minimizing pauses.

PMID- 28903057
TI  - Failure of non-vacuum steam sterilization processes for dental handpieces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental handpieces are used in critical and semi-critical operative
      interventions. Although some dental professional bodies recommend that dental
      handpieces are sterilized between patient use there is a lack of clarity and
      understanding of the effectiveness of different steam sterilization processes.
      The internal mechanisms of dental handpieces contain narrow lumens (0.8-2.3 mm)
      which can impede the removal of air and ingress of saturated steam required to
      achieve sterilization conditions. AIM: To identify the extent of sterilization
      failure in dental handpieces using a non-vacuum process. METHODS: In-vitro and in
      vivo investigations were conducted on widely used UK bench-top steam sterilizers
      and three different types of dental handpieces. The sterilization process was
      monitored inside the lumens of dental handpieces using thermometric (TM;
      dataloggers), chemical indicator (CI), and biological indicator (BI) methods.
      FINDINGS: All three methods of assessing achievement of sterility within dental
      handpieces that had been exposed to non-vacuum sterilization conditions
      demonstrated a significant number of failures [CI: 8/3024 (fails/no. of tests);
      BI: 15/3024; TM: 56/56] compared to vacuum sterilization conditions (CI: 2/1944;
      BI: 0/1944; TM: 0/36). The dental handpiece most likely to fail sterilization in
      the non-vacuum process was the surgical handpiece. Non-vacuum sterilizers located
      in general dental practice had a higher rate of sterilization failure (CI:
      25/1620; BI: 32/1620; TM: 56/56) with no failures in vacuum process. CONCLUSION:
      Non-vacuum downward/gravity displacement, type N steam sterilizers are an
      unreliable method for sterilization of dental handpieces in general dental
      practice. The handpiece most likely to fail sterilization is the type most
      frequently used for surgical interventions.

PMID- 28903058
TI  - Insuperable problems of the genetic code initially emerging in an RNA world.
AB  - Differential equations for error-prone information transfer (template
      replication, transcription or translation) are developed in order to consider,
      within the theory of autocatalysis, the advent of coded protein synthesis.
      Variations of these equations furnish a basis for comparing the plausibility of
      contrasting scenarios for the emergence of specific tRNA aminoacylation,
      ultimately by enzymes, and the relationship of this process with the origin of
      the universal system of molecular biological information processing embodied in
      the Central Dogma. The hypothetical RNA World does not furnish an adequate basis
      for explaining how this system came into being, but principles of self
      organisation that transcend Darwinian natural selection furnish an unexpectedly
      robust basis for a rapid, concerted transition to genetic coding from a
      peptide.RNA world.

PMID- 28903059
TI  - Cognitive flexibility in neurological disorders: Cognitive components and event
      related potentials.
AB  - Performance deficits on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in patients with
      prefrontal cortex (PFC) lesions are traditionally interpreted as evidence for a
      role of the PFC in cognitive flexibility. However, WCST deficits do not occur
      exclusively after PFC lesions, but also in various neurological and psychiatric
      disorders. We propose a multi-component approach that can accommodate this
      pattern of omnipresent WCST deficits: the WCST is not a pure test of cognitive
      flexibility, but relies on the effective functioning of multiple dissociable
      cognitive components. Our review of recent efforts to decompose WCST performance
      deficits supports this view by revealing that WCST deficits in different
      neurological disorders can be attributed to alterations in different components.
      Frontoparietal changes underlying impaired set shifting seem to give rise to WCST
      deficits in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, whereas the WCST
      deficits associated with primary dystonia and Parkinson's disease are rather
      related to frontostriatal changes underlying deficient rule inference. Clinical
      implications of these findings and of a multi-component view of WCST performance
      are discussed.

PMID- 28903060
TI  - Effects of curcumin and curcumin analogues on TRP channels.
AB  - A series of 33 curcumin analogues was synthesized and tested on TRPA1, TRPM8, and
      TRPV1 channels. Twenty of them acted as good modulators of TRPA1 channels. None
      was able to significantly activate TRPM8 channels, while curcumin itself and six
      curcuminoids belonging to the 1,3-dicarbonyl and acyclic series behaved as 'true'
      antagonists with IC50 values<5MUM. Only few curcuminoids were able to modulate
      TRPV1 channels with EC50 and IC50 values ranging from 3.4 and 6.0MUM.

PMID- 28903061
TI  - Lymphatic drainage system of the brain: A novel target for intervention of
      neurological diseases.
AB  - The belief that the vertebrate brain functions normally without classical
      lymphatic drainage vessels has been held for many decades. On the contrary, new
      findings show that functional lymphatic drainage does exist in the brain. The
      brain lymphatic drainage system is composed of basement membrane-based
      perivascular pathway, a brain-wide glymphatic pathway, and cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) drainage routes including sinus-associated meningeal lymphatic vessels and
      olfactory/cervical lymphatic routes. The brain lymphatic systems function
      physiological as a route of drainage for interstitial fluid (ISF) from brain
      parenchyma to nearby lymph nodes. Brain lymphatic drainage helps maintain water
      and ion balance of the ISF, waste clearance, and reabsorption of macromolecular
      solutes. A second physiological function includes communication with the immune
      system modulating immune surveillance and responses of the brain. These
      physiological functions are influenced by aging, genetic phenotypes, sleep-wake
      cycle, and body posture. The impairment and dysfunction of the brain lymphatic
      system has crucial roles in age-related changes of brain function and the
      pathogenesis of neurovascular, neurodegenerative, and neuroinflammatory diseases,
      as well as brain injury and tumors. In this review, we summarize the key
      component elements (regions, cells, and water transporters) of the brain
      lymphatic system and their regulators as potential therapeutic targets in the
      treatment of neurologic diseases and their resulting complications. Finally, we
      highlight the clinical importance of ependymal route-based targeted gene therapy
      and intranasal drug administration in the brain by taking advantage of the unique
      role played by brain lymphatic pathways in the regulation of CSF flow and ISF/CSF
      exchange.

PMID- 28903063
TI  - Cooperative regulation of Gja1 expression by members of the AP-1 family cJun and
      cFos in TM3 Leydig and TM4 Sertoli cells.
AB  - Within the testis, connexin43 encoded by Gja1 plays an important role in cell-to
      cell communication between Leydig cells as well as between Sertoli cells and
      spermatogonia. In the adult male, Leydig cells are the principal producers of
      testosterone sustaining spermatogenesis, while Sertoli cells nourish, protect and
      support the differentiating germ cells. It has been shown previously that members
      of the AP-1 family regulate Gja1 expression in myometrial cells, suggesting that
      such regulatory mechanism may also be relevant within the testis. Thus, we
      performed cotransfections of AP-1 expression plasmids with different mouse Gja1
      promoter/luciferase reporter constructs within TM3 Leydig and TM4 Sertoli cells.
      We showed that a functional cooperation between cJun and cFos activates Gja1
      expression and requires an AP-1 DNA regulatory element located between -132 and 
      26 bp. In addition, such synergy relies on the recruitment of cFos to this region
      of the mouse Gja1 promoter. Hence, our data indicate that AP-1 members are
      important for optimal expression of Gja1 within Sertoli and Leydig cells from the
      testis.

PMID- 28903062
TI  - Inflammatory dietary patterns and depressive symptoms in Italian older adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Older adults are more susceptible to higher inflammatory levels and
      depression. Moreover, diet may influence inflammation as well as depression but
      no previous study examined whether inflammatory dietary patterns are related to
      depression in an older population. To investigate the longitudinal association
      between inflammatory dietary patterns (using reduced rank regression (RRR)) and
      depressive symptoms in a population sample of Italian older adults. METHODS: We
      included 827 participants (aged>=65years) at baseline in 1998. Follow-up
      measurements were collected after 3, 6 and 9years. We used RRR to identify
      inflammatory dietary patterns at baseline. The Centre for Epidemiologic Studies
      Depression (CES-D) scale was used to assess depressive symptoms by using
      continuous scores and depression by using a cut-off point (CES-D>=20). RESULTS:
      We identified two inflammatory dietary patterns using different sets of response
      variables. Dietary pattern I was related to inflammatory markers C-reactive
      protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha and was
      characterized by high intakes of refined grains, sweet snacks, pasta and rice.
      After full adjustment for confounders, no longitudinal association was found when
      comparing extreme quartiles of this dietary pattern and depressive symptoms (Q1vs
      Q4, model 4: B=0.04, 95% CI: -0.06, 0.13) or depression (Q1vs Q4, model 4:
      OR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.55, 1.45). Dietary pattern II was related to inflammatory
      markers CRP, IL-18, IL-1beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist and was characterized by
      high intakes of pasta, sugar-sweetened beverages, processed meat and chocolate
      and sweets. When comparing extreme quartiles, this dietary pattern was not
      longitudinally associated with depressive symptoms (Q1vs Q4, model 4: B=-0.04,
      95% CI: -0.13, 0.05) but an inverse association was found for depression (Q1vs
      Q4, model 4: OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.94). CONCLUSION: Our study does not support
      the hypothesis that dietary patterns linked to inflammatory markers are
      associated with higher depressive symptoms and higher depression incidence.
      However, dietary intake in our population of older adults was quite homogeneous
      which makes it difficult to show clear associations.

PMID- 28903064
TI  - Isolation and characterization of peroxiredoxin 1 gene of Dunaliella salina.
AB  - Peroxiredoxin 1 (Prdx1) is a ubiquitously expressed protein in eukaryotic cells,
      and plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis,
      and redox signaling. Although Prdx1 has been better studied in yeasts and humans,
      only few Prdx1 genes have been cloned in green algae. The microalga Dunaliella
      salina (D. salina) is a model for the study of a variety of human cilia-related
      diseases. In this study, a suppression subtractive hybridization cDNA library of
      D. salina was constructed, and 6 flagellum-associated genes including D. salina
      Prdx1 (DsPrdx1) were isolated and identified. A 956bp full-length cDNA of DsPrdx1
      was cloned using rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE). The open reading frame
      (ORF) of this DNA sequence encodes a polypeptide of 201 amino acids with a
      predicted molecular weight of 22kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point (pI) of
      5.27. Sequence comparison showed that Prdx1 is highly evolutionarily conserved
      from the unicellular green alga D. salina to human. To our knowledge, this is the
      first reported full-length sequence of Prdx1 in D. salina. Interestingly, the
      protein expression of DsPrdx1 was obviously increased during flagellar
      disassembly in D. salina. Additionally, a yeast two-hybrid assay showed
      interaction between Prdx1 and RNA, and suggested that DsPrdx1 can protect RNA
      from degradation by RNase. Taken together, DsPrdx1 not only participates in
      flagellar disassembly, but also protects RNA from degradation.

PMID- 28903066
TI  - Development of fine solid-crystal suspension with enhanced solubility, stability,
      and aerosolization performance for dry powder inhalation.
AB  - Dry powder for inhalation (DPI) is an attractive approach for the treatment of
      local lung diseases. However, the application of drugs with poor water solubility
      is often limited due to the dissolution obstacles in the fluid layer of the lung
      lining. In this study, fine solid-crystal suspension (FSCS) was proposed as a
      solvent-free method to improve the solubility of a drug with poor solubility
      (itraconazole) and achieve high deposition efficiency simultaneously. The FSCS,
      in which the crystalline drug particle was highly dispersed in the crystalline
      excipient, was initially prepared as drug-excipient extrudate by hot melt
      extrusion, followed by jet milling into fine particles. Unlike the amorphous
      solid dispersion in the high-energy state, which is liable to recrystallize and
      aggregate, the FSCS was expected not only to improve the solubility of
      itraconazole, but also to maintain excellent physical stability. As evidenced in
      the solubility and stability studies, the solubility of itraconazole in the FSCS
      was approximately 145-fold greater than that of the raw material, and the
      crystalline form of itraconazole in the FSCS was also unchanged after storage in
      the accelerated condition for 6 months (40 degrees C and 75% relative humidity
      [RH]). The improved solubility might be ascribed to the reduced crystal size and
      increased wettability, as confirmed by the particle size and contact angle test.
      The FSCS also showed an encouragingly high fine-particle fraction of 50.59+/
      0.67%, which might have benefited from the appropriate particle size. Therefore,
      the FSCS was suggested as a promising DPI for delivery of drugs with poor water
      solubility.

PMID- 28903065
TI  - Inflammation polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk in Jamaican men: Role of
      obesity/body size.
AB  - African ancestry and obesity are associated with higher risk of prostate cancer
      (PC). In a pilot study, we explored interactions between obesity (as measured by
      waist to hip ratio (WHR)) and inflammatory SNPs in relation to PC risk among
      Jamaican men. This study evaluated 87 chemokine and cytokine associated SNPs in
      obese and normal weight cases (N=109) and controls (N=102) using a stepwise
      penalized logistic regression approach in multivariable analyses. Upon
      stratification by WHR (normal weight (WHR<0.90) or obese (WHR>=0.90)),
      inheritance of CCR6 rs2023305 AG+GG (OR=1.75, p=0.007), CCR9 rs7613548 AG+GG
      (OR=1.71, p=0.012) and IL10ra rs2229113 AG+GG (OR=1.45, p=0.01) genotypes was
      associated with increase in overall or low grade (Gleason score<7) PC risk among
      normal weight men. These odds were elevated among obese men who possessed the
      CCR5 rs1799987 AG+GG (OR=1.95, p=0.003) and RNASEL rs12135247 CT+TT genotypes
      (OR=1.59, p=0.05). CCR7 rs3136685 AG+GG (p=0.032) was associated with a 1.52-1.70
      fold increase in the risk of high grade cancer (Gleason score>=7) among obese
      men. CCR7 variant emerged as an important factor associated with high grade PC
      risk among obese men in our analyses. Overall, genetic loci found significant in
      normal weight men were not significant in obese men and vice-versa, partially
      explaining the role of obesity on PC risk among black men. Also, older age was an
      important risk factor both in normal weight and obese men but only with regard to
      low grade PC. Associations of inflammatory SNPs with obesity are suggestive and
      require further validation in larger cohorts to help develop an understanding of
      PC risk among obese and non-obese men of African descent.

PMID- 28903067
TI  - Carboxymethyl chitosan/phospholipid bilayer-capped mesoporous carbon
      nanoparticles with pH-responsive and prolonged release properties for oral
      delivery of the antitumor drug, Docetaxel.
AB  - In this article, a new type of carboxymethyl chitosan/phospholipid bilayer-capped
      mesoporous carbon nanomatrix (CCS/PL/MC) was fabricated as a potential nano-drug
      delivery system. In this drug delivery system, a mesoporous carbon nanomatrix
      (MC) acts as the support for loading drug molecules, a positively charged
      phospholipid (PL) layer works as the inner shell for prolonged drug release and a
      negatively charged carboxymethyl chitosan (CCS) layer serves as the outer shell
      for pH-responsive drug release. Docetaxel (DTX) was selected as a model drug. The
      drug-loaded CCS/PL/MC was synthesized via a combination approach of double
      emulsion/solvent evaporation followed by lyophilization. The drug-loaded
      nanoparticles were characterized for their particle size, structure, morphology,
      zeta (zeta)-potential, specific surface area, porosity, drug loading and solid
      state. In vitro drug release tests showed that the drug-loaded CCS/PL/MC
      nanoparticles possess a good pH-sensitivity and prolonged releasing ability with
      negligible release in gastric media and controlled release in intestinal media.
      Compared with MC and PL-capped MC, CCS/PL/MC had a greater mucoadhesiveness.
      Moreover, cellular uptake study indicated that CCS/PL/MC might improve
      intracellular drug delivery. These results suggest that this hybrid nanocarrier,
      combining the beneficial features of CCS, PL and MC, is a promising drug delivery
      system able to improve the oral absorption of antitumor drugs.

PMID- 28903068
TI  - The influence of hydroalcoholic media on the performance of Grewia polysaccharide
      in sustained release tablets.
AB  - Co-administration of drugs with alcohol can affect the plasma concentration of
      drugs in patients. It is also known that the excipients used in the formulation
      of drugs may not always be resistant to alcohol. This study evaluates effect of
      varying alcohol concentrations on theophylline release from two grades of Grewia
      mollis polysaccharides. X-ray microtomography showed that native polysaccharide
      formulation compacts were not homogenous after the mixing process resulting in
      its failure in swelling studies. Removal of starch from the native polysaccharide
      resulted in homogenous formulation compacts resistant to damage in high alcoholic
      media in pH 6.8 (40%v/v absolute ethanol). Destarched polymer compacts had a
      significantly higher hardness (375N) than that of the native polysaccharide (82N)
      and HPMC K4M (146N). Dissolution studies showed similarity at all levels of
      alcohol tested (f2=57-91) in simulated gastric media (pH 1.2). The dissolution
      profiles in the simulated intestinal fluids were also similar (f2=60-94), with
      the exception of the native polysaccharide in pH 6.8 (40%v/v absolute ethanol)
      (f2=43). This work highlights the properties of Grewia polysaccharide as a matrix
      former that can resist high alcoholic effects therefore; it may be suitable as an
      alternative to some of the commercially available matrix formers with wider
      applications for drug delivery as a cheaper alternative in the developing world.

PMID- 28903069
TI  - Cell reprogramming: Therapeutic potential and the promise of rejuvenation for the
      aging brain.
AB  - Aging is associated with a progressive increase in the incidence of
      neurodegenerative diseases, with Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD) disease
      being the most conspicuous examples. Within this context, the absence of
      efficacious therapies for most age-related brain pathologies has increased the
      interest in regenerative medicine. In particular, cell reprogramming technologies
      have ushered in the era of personalized therapies that not only show a
      significant potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases but also
      promise to make biological rejuvenation feasible. We will first review recent
      evidence supporting the emerging view that aging is a reversible epigenetic
      phenomenon. Next, we will describe novel reprogramming approaches that overcome
      some of the intrinsic limitations of conventional induced-pluripotent-stem-cell
      technology. One of the alternative approaches, lineage reprogramming, consists of
      the direct conversion of one adult cell type into another by transgenic
      expression of multiple lineage-specific transcription factors (TF). Another
      strategy, termed pluripotency factor-mediated direct reprogramming, uses
      universal TF to generate epigenetically unstable intermediates able to
      differentiate into somatic cell types in response to specific differentiation
      factors. In the third part we will review studies showing the potential relevance
      of the above approaches for the treatment of AD and PD.

PMID- 28903070
TI  - Role of the AMPK pathway in promoting autophagic flux via modulating
      mitochondrial dynamics in neurodegenerative diseases: Insight into prion
      diseases.
AB  - Neurons are highly energy demanding cells dependent on the mitochondrial
      oxidative phosphorylation system. Mitochondria generate energy via respiratory
      complexes that constitute the electron transport chain. Adenosine triphosphate
      depletion or glucose starvation act as a trigger for the activation of adenosine
      monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is an evolutionarily
      conserved protein that plays an important role in cell survival and organismal
      longevity through modulation of energy homeostasis and autophagy. Several studies
      suggest that AMPK activation may improve energy metabolism and protein clearance
      in the brains of patients with vascular injury or neurodegenerative disease. Mild
      mitochondrial dysfunction leads to activated AMPK signaling, but severe
      endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may lead to a shift
      from autophagy towards apoptosis and perturbed AMPK signaling. Hence, controlling
      mitochondrial dynamics and autophagic flux via AMPK activation might be a useful
      therapeutic strategy in neurodegenerative diseases to reinstate energy
      homeostasis and degrade misfolded proteins. In this review article, we discuss
      briefly the role of AMPK signaling in energy homeostasis, the structure of AMPK,
      activation mechanisms of AMPK, regulation of AMPK, the role of AMPK in autophagy,
      the role of AMPK in neurodegenerative diseases, and finally the role of
      autophagic flux in prion diseases.

PMID- 28903071
TI  - Highly conserved M2e and hemagglutinin epitope-based recombinant proteins induce
      protection against influenza virus infection.
AB  - Highly pathogenic influenza viruses continue to cause serious threat to public
      health due to their pandemic potential, calling for an urgent need to develop
      effective, safe, convenient, and universal vaccines against influenza virus
      infection. In this study, we constructed two recombinant protein vaccines, 2H5M2e
      2H7M2e-H5FP-H7FP (hereinafter M2e-FP-1) and 2H5M2e-H5FP-2H7M2e-H7FP (hereinafter
      M2e-FP-2), by respectively linking highly conserved sequences of two molecules of
      ectodomain of M2 (M2e) and one molecule of fusion peptide (FP) epitope of
      hemagglutinin (HA) of H5N1 and H7N9 influenza viruses in different orders. The
      Escherichia coli-expressed M2e-FP-1 and M2e-FP-2 proteins induced similarly high
      titer M2e-FP-specific antibodies in the immunized mice. Importantly, both
      proteins were able to prevent lethal challenge of heterologous H1N1 influenza
      virus, with significantly reduced viral titers and alleviated pathological
      changes in the lungs, as well as increased body weight and complete survivals, in
      the challenge mice. Taken together, our study demonstrates that highly conserved
      M2e and FP epitope of HA of H5N1 and H7N9 influenza viruses can be used as
      important targets for development of safe and economical universal influenza
      vaccines, and that the position of H7N9 M2e and H5N1 HA epitope sequences in the
      vaccine components has no significant effects on the immunogenicity and efficacy
      of M2e-FP-based subunit vaccines.

PMID- 28903072
TI  - The role of nuclear NS1 protein in highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses.
AB  - The non-structural protein (NS1) of influenza A viruses (IAV) performs multiple
      functions during viral infection. NS1 contains two nuclear localization signals
      (NLS): NLS1 and NLS2. The NS1 protein is located predominantly in the nucleus
      during the early stages of infection and subsequently exported to the cytoplasm.
      A nonsense mutation that results in a large deletion in the carboxy-terminal
      region of the NS1 protein that contains the NLS2 domain was found in some IAV
      subtypes, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H7N9 and H5N1
      viruses. We introduced different mutations into the NLS domains of NS1 proteins
      in various strains of IAV, and demonstrated that mutation of the NLS2 region in
      the NS1 protein of HPAI H5N1 viruses severely affects its nuclear localization
      pattern. H5N1 viruses expressing NS1 protein that is unable to localize to the
      nucleus are less potent in antagonizing cellular antiviral responses than viruses
      expressing wild-type NS1. However, no significant difference was observed with
      respect to viral replication and pathogenesis. In contrast, the replication and
      antiviral defenses of H1N1 viruses are greatly attenuated when nuclear
      localization of the NS1 protein is blocked. Our data reveals a novel functional
      plasticity for NS1 proteins among different IAV subtypes.

PMID- 28903073
TI  - Reconciling disparate information in continuity of care documents: Piloting a
      system to consolidate structured clinical documents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to the nature of information generation in health care, clinical
      documents contain duplicate and sometimes conflicting information. Recent
      implementation of Health Information Exchange (HIE) mechanisms in which clinical
      summary documents are exchanged among disparate health care organizations can
      proliferate duplicate and conflicting information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To
      reduce information overload, a system to automatically consolidate information
      across multiple clinical summary documents was developed for an HIE network. The
      system receives any number of Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) and outputs a
      single, consolidated record. To test the system, a randomly sampled corpus of 522
      CCDs representing 50 unique patients was extracted from a large HIE network. The
      automated methods were compared to manual consolidation of information for three
      key sections of the CCD: problems, allergies, and medications. RESULTS: Manual
      consolidation of 11,631 entries was completed in approximately 150h. The same
      data were automatically consolidated in 3.3min. The system successfully
      consolidated 99.1% of problems, 87.0% of allergies, and 91.7% of medications.
      Almost all of the inaccuracies were caused by issues involving the use of
      standardized terminologies within the documents to represent individual
      information entries. CONCLUSION: This study represents a novel, tested tool for
      de-duplication and consolidation of CDA documents, which is a major step toward
      improving information access and the interoperability among information systems.
      While more work is necessary, automated systems like the one evaluated in this
      study will be necessary to meet the informatics needs of providers and health
      systems in the future.

PMID- 28903074
TI  - SIZ1-mediated SUMOylation during phosphate homeostasis in plants: Looking beyond
      the tip of the iceberg.
AB  - Availability of phosphate (Pi) is often limited in rhizospheres in different
      agroclimatic zones and adversely affects growth and development of plants. To
      circumvent this impasse, there is an urgent need and global consensus to develop
      Pi use efficient crops. To achieve this goal, it is essential to identify the
      molecular entities that exert regulatory influences on the sensing and signaling
      cascade governing Pi homeostasis. SIZ1 encodes a small ubiquitin-like modifier
      (SUMO E3) ligase, and plays a pivotal role in the post-translational SUMOylation
      of proteins. In this review, we discuss the reverse genetics approach
      conventionally used for providing circumstantial evidence towards the regulatory
      influences of SIZ1 on several morphophysiological and molecular traits that
      govern Pi homeostasis in taxonomically diverse Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis)
      and Oryza sativa (rice) model species. However, the efforts have been rather
      modest in identifying SUMO protein targets that play key roles in the maintenance
      of Pi homeostasis in these model plants contrary to the plethora of them now
      known in lower organisms and animals. Therefore, to predict the SIZ1-mediated
      SUMOylome involved in Pi homeostasis, the state-of-the-art high-throughput
      technologies often used for animals thus provide an attractive paradigm towards
      achieving the long-term goal of developing Pi use efficient crops.

PMID- 28903075
TI  - Hidden Bias in Cost-Analysis Research: What Is the Prevalence of Under-Reporting
      Cost Perspective in the General Surgical Literature?

PMID- 28903076
TI  - Role of human DNA2 (hDNA2) as a potential target for cancer and other diseases: A
      systematic review.
AB  - DNA nuclease/helicase 2 (DNA2), a multi-functional protein protecting the high
      fidelity of genomic transmission, plays critical roles in DNA replication and
      repair processes. In the maturation of Okazaki fragments, DNA2 acts
      synergistically with other enzymes to cleave the DNA-RNA primer flaps via
      different pathways. DNA2 is also involved in the stability of mitochondrial DNA
      and the maintenance of telomeres. Moreover, DNA2 potentially participates in
      controlling the cell cycle by repairing the DNA replication faults at main
      checkpoints. In addition, previous evidences demonstrated that DNA2 also
      functions in the repair process of DNA damages, such as base excision repair
      (BER). Currently, large studies revealed the structures and functions of DNA2 in
      prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes, such as bacteria and yeast. However, the
      studies that highlighted the functions of human DNA2 (hDNA2) and the
      relationships with other multifunctional proteins are still elusive, and more
      precise investigations are immensely needed. Therefore, this review mainly
      encompasses the key functions of DNA2 in human cells with various aspects,
      especially focusing on the genome integrity, and also generalizes the recent
      insights to the mechanisms related to the occurrence of cancer and other diseases
      potentially linked to the mutations in DNA2.

PMID- 28903077
TI  - Assessing toxicity of metal contaminated soil from glassworks sites with a
      battery of biotests.
AB  - The present study addresses toxicological properties of metal contaminated soils,
      using glassworks sites in south-eastern Sweden as study objects. Soil from five
      selected glassworks sites as well as from nearby reference areas were analysed
      for total and water-soluble metal concentrations and general geochemical
      parameters. A battery of biotests was then applied to assess the toxicity of the
      glassworks soil environments: a test of phytotoxicity with garden cress (Lepidium
      sativum); the BioToxTM test for toxicity to bacteria using Vibrio fischeri; and
      analyses of abundancies and biomass of nematodes and enchytraeids. The glassworks
      and reference areas were comparable with respect to pH and the content of
      organic matter and nutrients (C, N, P), but total metal concentrations (Pb, As,
      Ba, Cd and Zn) were significantly higher at the former sites. Higher metal
      concentrations in the water-soluble fraction were also observed, even though
      these concentrations were low compared to the total ones. Nevertheless, toxicity
      of the glassworks soils was not detected by the two ex situ tests; inhibition of
      light emission by V. fischeri could not be seen, nor was an effect seen on the
      growth of L. sativum. A decrease in enchytraeid and nematode abundance and
      biomass was, however, observed for the landfill soils as compared to reference
      soils, implying in situ toxicity to soil-inhabiting organisms. The confirmation
      of in situ bioavailability and negative effects motivates additional studies of
      the risk posed to humans of the glassworks villages.

PMID- 28903078
TI  - Derivation of reliable empirical models describing lead transfer from metal
      polluted soils to radish (Raphanus sativa L.): Determining factors and soil
      criteria.
AB  - Reliable models describing Pb transfer from soils to food crops are useful in the
      improvement of soil protection guidelines. This study provides mechanistic
      insights from in-situ soil solution measurement on the Pb uptake in the root
      tissues (RF) of radish, grown in 25 representative Pb-contaminated agricultural
      soils. Lead speciation and regression analysis indicate that >88.6% of the
      variation in RF Pb is attributable to free Pb2+ activity (aPb2+) in the soil
      solution, which is predominantly controlled by pH and DOC. Higher DOC would
      increase the total dissolved Pb (CSol-Pb) in the soil solution but reduce the
      bioavailability of Pb to radish. CSol-Pb performs poorly in predicting RF Pb
      unless pH and DOC are included. However, 0.01M CaCl2 extractable Pb (CCC-Pb)
      alone can satisfactorily predict RF Pb, attributable to the fact that CCC-Pb is
      consistent with aPb2+. CCC-Pb can be predicted using CSol-Pb and pH. Total soil
      Pb (CT-Pb), or 0.43M HNO3 extractable Pb (CNA-Pb) has a strong, non-linear
      correlation with CSol-Pb or CCC-Pb and it is therefore not surprising that CT-Pb
      or CNA-Pb, together with pH and CEC, can also satisfactorily predict RF Pb.
      Derived models are effective in identification of soils where RF Pb exceeds the
      food quality standard (FQS). Soil Pb criteria based on CT-Pb, CNA-Pb and CCC-Pb
      are derived by inverse use of empirical models. The derived Pb criterion (target
      value) based on CCC-Pb is 0.02mgkg-1 and the stricter criterion (safe value) is
      0.01mgkg-1, which allows a 5% probability for RF Pb to exceed FQS. Safe values
      based on CT-Pb and CNA-Pb ranged from 26 to 1036mgkg-1 and 9 to 745mgkg-1,
      respectively.

PMID- 28903079
TI  - Escalating patterns of emergency health care prior to first admission with
      amphetamine psychosis: A window of opportunity?
AB  - AIM: To describe health service contact in the two years prior to a first
      hospital admission with amphetamine-related psychosis, and to identify possible
      opportunities for early intervention. METHOD: Routine health data collections
      were used to identify 6130 persons aged 16-65 who had a first hospital admission
      with amphetamine-related psychosis in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, between
      2005 and 2016. Health service contacts in the two years prior to first admission
      were identified, using public hospital, emergency department and community mental
      health data. Prior care was compared to 41,444 people with first psychosis
      admissions without amphetamine diagnoses. RESULTS: Two thirds of people with
      amphetamine-related psychosis had health service contact in the two years prior
      to their first psychosis admission. Of these, 45% had ED contacts and 30% had
      prior general hospital admissions. The likelihood of contact escalated throughout
      the two years prior to admission. Prior substance-related conditions, infectious
      diseases, injuries and accidents were common. Compared to other first psychosis
      admissions, people with amphetamine-related psychoses were less likely to have
      prior specialised mental health care (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.78, 0.89) and more likely
      to have prior general health care (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.29, 1.51). CONCLUSION:
      Emergency departments and units treating people with infectious diseases or
      injuries should consider strategies to detect amphetamine and other substance
      use. Early detection and referral to specialist mental health or drug and alcohol
      care may prevent some amphetamine-related psychoses.

PMID- 28903080
TI  - Transplacental transfer of maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antibody
      and protection against RSV disease in infants in rural Nepal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important viral cause
      of pneumonia in children. RSV-specific antibody (ab) protects infants from
      disease, and may be increased by a potential strategy of maternal RSV
      vaccination. OBJECTIVES: To describe the effect of RSV antibody on RSV infection
      risk in infants in a resource-limited setting. STUDY DESIGN: In a prospective
      study in Nepal, women were enrolled during pregnancy and maternal and infant cord
      blood were collected at birth. Weekly surveillance for respiratory illness was
      performed from birth to 180days. Nasal swabs were tested for RSV by PCR and serum
      was tested using an RSV antibody microneutralization assay. Antibody
      concentrations at time of RSV infection were estimated based on a decay rate of
      0.026 log2/day. RESULTS: Cord:maternal RSV antibody transfer ratio was 1.03 (0.88
      1.19), with RSV antibody concentration of log2 11.3 and log2 11.7 in 310 paired
      maternal and infant samples, respectively. Cord blood RSV antibody was log2 12.1
      versus 11.6 in those with or without RSV infection (P=0.86). Among infants with
      RSV infection, estimated RSV antibody concentration at time of infection did not
      differ in infants with upper (n=8; log2 10.7) versus lower respiratory tract
      infection (n=21; log2 9.8; P=0.37). Cord blood RSV antibody concentrations did
      not correlate with age at primary RSV infection (R=0.11; P=0.57). CONCLUSIONS:
      Transplacental transfer of RSV antibody from mother to the fetus was highly
      efficient in mother-infant pairs in rural Nepal, though higher antibody
      concentrations were not protective against earlier or more severe RSV infection
      in infants.

PMID- 28903081
TI  - Ethical practices in community-based research in non-suicidal self-injury: A
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The growing interest in community-based research on non-suicidal self
      injury (NSSI) reflects the high prevalence rates found among vulnerable
      adolescents and young adults. A significant concern in research with vulnerable
      populations, and on sensitive topics, is the development of an ethical framework
      that protects the needs and rights of the participants while responding to
      researchers' goals and limitations and the broader clinical and public health
      concerns. AIM: The aim of the present study was to review the ethical practices
      followed in community-based research on NSSI. METHOD: A systematic review of
      literature was conducted, based on PRISMA guidelines, on community-based surveys
      in NSSI, published between 1995 and 2016. A total of 93 studies were included in
      the review. RESULTS: The results examine a range of ethical issues; the
      procedures for consent and assent for study participation, protection of
      confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality, assessment of imminent risk of
      suicide and subsequent processes, and debriefing measures. The interaction
      between the study characteristics and the reported ethical procedures has been
      examined, with a focus on participant age, study design (cross-sectional or
      longitudinal), survey modality (paper-based survey or online survey) and primary
      variable/s of interest (only NSSI or NSSI and suicidal ideation/behavior) under
      study. The review describes the typical ethical practices in community-based
      research on NSSI, identifies the gaps in the existing literature, and has
      implications for the formulation of best-practice guidelines.

PMID- 28903082
TI  - Hesperidin, a citrus bioflavonoid, alleviates trichloroethylene-induced oxidative
      stress in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a chlorinated organic pollutant of groundwater with
      diverse toxic effects in animals and humans. Here, we investigated the
      ameliorative role of hesperidin, a citrus bioflavonoid on TCE-induced toxicity in
      Drosophila melanogaster. Four groups of D. melanogaster (50 flies/vial, with 5
      vials/group) were exposed to ethanol (2.5%, control), HSP (400mg/10g diet), TCE
      (10MUM/10g diet) and TCE (10MUM/10g diet)+HSP (400mg/10g diet) respectively in
      the diet for 5days. Then, selected oxidative stress and antioxidant markers were
      evaluated. The results showed that TCE significantly increased the level of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibited catalase, glutathione S-transferase
      and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities with concurrent depletion of total
      thiol level. However, co-administration of TCE and hesperidin mitigated TCE
      induced depletion of antioxidants, and restored ROS level and AChE activity in
      the flies (p<0.05). Overall, hesperidin offered protective potency on TCE-induced
      oxidative stress in the flies via anti-oxidative mechanism.

PMID- 28903083
TI  - Delirium characteristics and outcomes in medical and surgical lnpatients: A
      subgroup analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Persistent delirium can negatively affect patients, increase healthcare
      costs, and extend the length of hospital stays. This investigation was undertaken
      to explore associations between patient characteristics and delirium outcomes.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intensive care unit (ICU) and medical and surgical ward
      inpatients for whom psychiatric consultation was requested for delirium were
      included in this study. Delirium screening and ongoing assessments were conducted
      using the Confusion Assessment Method for ICU patients. RESULTS: Postoperative
      delirium developing as a secondary complication following surgery was found to be
      of significantly longer duration and associated with greater length of
      hospitalization compared with postoperative delirium attributable to surgery and
      delirium in medical patients. Medical patients with delirium had lower delirium
      recovery rates at discharge compared with surgical patients. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings that patient type and timing of postoperative delirium are associated
      with differential delirium outcomes suggest that targeted screening and
      intervention approaches may be needed. Medical patients were more likely to be
      discharged before recovery from delirium compared with surgical patients.
      Differences in underlying chronic medical conditions may account for the observed
      differences in discharge condition between medical and surgical patients with
      delirium.

PMID- 28903084
TI  - Sepsis mortality score for the prediction of mortality in septic patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To derive a prediction equation for 30-day mortality in sepsis using a
      multi-marker approach and compare its performance to the Sequential Organ Failure
      Assessment (SOFA) score. METHODS: This study included 159 septic patients
      admitted to an intensive care unit. Leukocytes count, procalcitonin (PCT),
      interleukin-6 (IL-6), and paraoxonase (PON) and arylesterase (ARE) activities of
      PON-1 were assayed from blood obtained on ICU presentation. Logistic regression
      was used to derive sepsis mortality score (SMS), a prediction equation describing
      the relationship between biomarkers and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: The 30-day
      mortality rate was 28.9%. The SMS was [elogit(p)/(1+elogit(p))]*100;
      logit(p)=0.74+(0.004*PCT)+(0.001*IL-6)-(0.025*ARE)-(0.059*leukocytes count). The
      SMC had higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% Cl)
      than SOFA score [0.814 (0.736-0.892) vs. 0.767 (0.677-0.857)], but is not
      statistically significant. When the SMS was added to the SOFA score, prediction
      of 30-day mortality improved compared to SOFA score used alone [0.845 (0.777
      0.899), p=0.022]. CONCLUSIONS: A sepsis mortality score using baseline leukocytes
      count, PCT, IL-6 and ARE was derived, which predicted 30-day mortality with very
      good performance and added significant prognostic information to SOFA score.

PMID- 28903085
TI  - Multiscale molecular dynamics simulations of lipid interactions with P
      glycoprotein in a complex membrane.
AB  - P-glycoprotein (P-gp) can transport a wide range of very different hydrophobic
      organic molecules across the membrane. Its ability to extrude molecules from the
      cell creates delivery problems for drugs that target proteins in the central
      nervous system (CNS) and also causes drug-resistance in many forms of cancer.
      Whether a drug will be susceptible to export by P-gp is difficult to predict and
      currently this is usually assessed with empirical and/or animal models. Thus,
      there is a need to better understand how P-gp works at the molecular level in
      order to fulfil the 3Rs: Refinement, reduction and replacement of animals in
      research. As structural information increasingly becomes available, our
      understanding at the molecular level improves. Proteins like P-gp are however
      very dynamic entities and thus one of the most appropriate ways to study them is
      with molecular dynamics simulations, especially as this can capture the influence
      of the surrounding environment. Recent parameterization developments have meant
      that it is now possible to simulate lipid bilayers that more closely resemble in
      vivo membranes in terms of their composition. In this report we construct a
      complex lipid bilayer that mimics the composition of brain epithelial cells and
      examine the interactions of it with P-gp. We find that the negatively charged
      phosphatidylserine lipids in the inner leaflet of the membrane tend to form an
      annulus around P-gp. We also observed the interaction of cholesterol with three
      distinct areas of the P-gp. Potential of mean force (PMF) calculations suggest
      that a crevice between transmembrane helices 10 and 12 has particularly
      favourable interaction energy for cholesterol.

PMID- 28903086
TI  - An efficient size-dependent shear deformable shell model and molecular dynamics
      simulation for axial instability analysis of silicon nanoshells.
AB  - Understanding the size-dependent behavior of structures at nanoscale is essential
      in order to have an effective design of nanosystems. In the current
      investigation, the surface elasticity theory is extended to study the nonlinear
      buckling and postbuckling response of axially loaded silicon cylindrical
      naoshells. Thereby, an efficient size-dependent shear deformable shell model is
      developed including the size effect of surface free energy. A boundary layer
      theory of shell buckling in conjunction with a perturbation-based solution
      methodology is employed to predict the size dependency in the buckling loads and
      postbuckling behavior of silicon nanoshells having various thicknesses. After
      that, on the basis of the Tersoff empirical potential, a molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulation is performed for a silicon cylindrical nanoshell with thickness of
      four times of silicon lattice constant, the critical buckling load and critical
      shortening of which are extracted and compared with those of the developed non
      classical shell model. It is demonstrated that by taking the effects of surface
      free energy into account, a very good agreement is achieved between the results
      of the developed size-dependent continuum shell model and those of MD simulation.

PMID- 28903087
TI  - Control strategies for nitrous oxide emissions reduction on wastewater treatment
      plants operation.
AB  - The present paper focused on reducing greenhouse gases emissions in wastewater
      treatment plants operation by application of suitable control strategies.
      Specifically, the objective is to reduce nitrous oxide emissions during the
      nitrification process. Incomplete nitrification in the aerobic tanks can lead to
      an accumulation of nitrite that triggers the nitrous oxide emissions. In order to
      avoid the peaks of nitrous oxide emissions, this paper proposes a cascade control
      configuration by manipulating the dissolved oxygen set-points in the aerobic
      tanks. This control strategy is combined with ammonia cascade control already
      applied in the literature. This is performed with the objective to take also into
      account effluent pollutants and operational costs. In addition, other greenhouse
      gases emissions sources are also evaluated. Results have been obtained by
      simulation, using a modified version of Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2, which
      takes into account greenhouse gases emissions. This is called Benchmark
      Simulation Model no. 2 Gas. The results show that the proposed control strategies
      are able to reduce by 29.86% of nitrous oxide emissions compared to the default
      control strategy, while maintaining a satisfactory trade-off between water
      quality and costs.

PMID- 28903088
TI  - On-Line two dimensional liquid chromatography based on skeleton type molecularly
      imprinted column for selective determination of sulfonylurea additive in Chinese
      patent medicines or functional foods.
AB  - Substandard and counterfeit anti-diabetic medicines directly influence the health
      and impose a great danger to individual patients and to public health.
      Counterfeiting has become a serious and underreported problem in the
      pharmaceutical industry. There are a large number of counterfeit medicines
      flooded in anti-diabetic markets which effect human health directly and
      indirectly. Therefore, some novel analytical techniques are necessary to be
      established for detecting these counterfeit drugs. In this study, a novel
      skeleton type molecularly imprinted column was successfully prepared. Based on
      the column, a simple, fast and reliable two-dimensional chromatography analytical
      system was established for selective determination of the illegal sulfonylurea
      additive in traditional Chinese patent medicines and functional foods. The
      developed method was validated. The linearitiesof the method were tested with
      calibration curves using ten calibration points in the concentration range of
      0.25-12.5MUg/g. The LODs were 0.0125MUg/g and 0.01MUg/g for tolbutamide and
      glibenclamide respectively. The five batches of Chinese patent medicines and
      dietary supplements obtained from different markets and online websites were
      tested by the validated method. With good retention time and spectral
      confirmation, chemical anti-diabetic substances were identified and quantified in
      traditional Chinese medicine and in dietary supplements.

PMID- 28903089
TI  - Simultaneous determination of pentoxifylline, metabolites M1 (lisofylline), M4
      and M5, and caffeine in plasma and dried blood spots for pharmacokinetic studies
      in preterm infants and neonates.
AB  - Advances in bioanalytical methods are facilitating micro-volume and dried blood
      spot (DBS) analysis of drugs in biological matrices for pharmacokinetic studies
      in children and neonates. We sought to develop a UPLC-MS/MS assay for
      simultaneous measurement of caffeine, pentoxifylline (PTX) and three metabolites
      of PTX in both plasma and DBS. Caffeine, PTX, the metabolites M1 (lisofylline),
      M4 and M5, and the internal standards (caffeine-d9 and PTX-d6) were separated
      using a Waters Aquity T3 UPLC C18 column and gradient mobile phase (water
      methanol-formic acid). Retention times for caffeine, M5, M4, PTX and M1 were 1.6,
      1.7, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1min, respectively, with a run time of 5min. The precision
      (<=10%) and accuracy (<=15%) across the concentration range 0.1-50mg/L for
      caffeine, PTX and the three metabolites in plasma and DBS were within accepted
      limits, as were the limits of quantification (100MUg/L for caffeine and 10MUg/L
      for PTX, M1, M4 and M5). Caffeine, PTX and the metabolites were stable in DBS for
      >34days at room and refrigerated temperatures. Plasma and DBS samples were
      obtained from 24 preterm infants recruited into a clinical pharmacokinetic study
      of PTX. Paired analysis indicated that DBS concentrations were 9% lower than
      concurrent plasma concentrations for caffeine, 7% lower for PTX (consistent with
      the blood:plasma ratio) and 13% lower for M1 (lisofylline). The validated UPLC
      MS/MS method is suitable for micro-volume plasma and DBS analysis of caffeine,
      PTX and its metabolites for pharmacokinetic studies in paediatric patients.

PMID- 28903090
TI  - A descriptive analysis of alcohol behaviors across gender subgroups within a
      sample of transgender adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Transgender (trans) adults are identified as an at-risk group for
      problem alcohol use. Descriptive empirical data examining alcohol behaviors among
      trans adults is limited. The present study investigates alcohol behaviors -
      quantity, frequency, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope motives -
      across sex assigned at birth, gender expression, and gender identity subgroups
      within a sample of trans adults. METHOD: A total of 317 trans participants were
      recruited to complete a cross-sectional battery of online measures assessing
      alcohol use behaviors, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope. Gender
      identity was assessed through two methods: (1) an open-ended question in which
      participants wrote-in their primary gender identity; and (2) participants rated
      the extent to which they identified with 14 gender identity categories. RESULTS:
      This sample had high rates of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and drinking
      to cope motives relative to the general population. Significant and meaningful
      differences in drinking frequency, alcohol-related problems and drinking motives
      were found according to gender expression, but not sex assigned at birth or
      gender identity. CONCLUSIONS: Future work should examine alcohol behaviors among
      trans individuals, including investigation of predictors and causal pathways, to
      inform prevention and intervention work aimed at reducing trans people's risk for
      alcohol-related problems.

PMID- 28903091
TI  - Environmental relevant concentrations of a chlorpyrifos commercial formulation
      affect two neotropical fish species, Cheirodon interruptus and Cnesterodon
      decemmaculatus.
AB  - The increase of cultivated areas together with the intensive use of pesticides
      have greatly contributed to impair the quality of aquatic systems along different
      areas of South America. The main goal of the present study was to assess the
      effects of a commercial formulation of chlorpyrifos at environmentally relevant
      concentrations on two native fish species, Cheirodon interruptus and Cnesterodon
      decemmaculatus. Adult individuals were exposed during 48 h to the following
      concentrations: 0.084 nl/l (Ci-Cf 1) and 0.84 nl/l (Ci-CF 2) in C. interruptus
      (Ci) of Clorfox (CF), and 0.84 nl/l (Cd-CF 1) and 8.4 nl/l (Cd-CF 2) in C.
      decemmaculatus (Cd). Fish behavior was evaluated through locomotor activity and
      space usage variables. The activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in brain and
      muscle, catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in brain, liver,
      muscle and gills, and aspartate amino-transferase (AST), alanine amino
      transferase (ALT), AST/ALT ratio and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in liver, were
      measured. Both locomotor activity and space usage varied between the two species
      studied and between CF treatments. The enzyme activities showed significant
      variations in CAT for C. interruptus and in CAT, GST, AChE, AST, and AST/ALT for
      C. decemmaculatus under the exposure conditions. Given that both species
      responded to CF and the concentrations we tested are environmentally relevant,
      the presence of this pesticide in freshwater systems could impose a risk for
      populations of both native fish studied at field.

PMID- 28903092
TI  - Lethal and sublethal effects of the pirimicarb-based formulation Aficida(r) on
      Boana pulchella (Dumeril and Bibron, 1841) tadpoles (Anura, Hylidae).
AB  - Acute lethal and sublethal toxicity of the pirimicarb-based commercial
      formulation Aficida(r) were evaluated on Boana pulchella tadpoles. Whereas
      mortality was used as end point for lethality, frequency of micronuclei and other
      nuclear abnormalities as well as alterations in the frequency of erythroblasts in
      circulating blood as biomarkers for genotoxicity and cytotoxicity, respectively.
      Swimming, growth, developmental and morphological abnormalities were also
      employed as sublethal end points. Results show that the species is within the
      13th percentile of the distribution of acute sensitivity of species to pirimicarb
      for aquatic vertebrates. Results revealed values of 23.78 and 101.45mg/L
      pirimicarb as LC5096h for GS25 and GS36 tadpoles, respectively. The most evident
      effects were related with the swimming activity with NOEC and LOEC values within
      the 0.005-0.39mg/L pirimicarb concentration range. Aficida(r) induced DNA damage
      at the chromosomal level by increasing micronuclei frequency and other nuclear
      abnormalities, i.e., lobbed and notched nuclei and binucleated cells. Cellular
      cytotoxicity was found after Aficida(r) treatment. The presence of abdominal
      oedemas in exposed organisms and thus flotation response of organisms could be
      proposed as a new sensitive exposure parameter. The multiple end point assessment
      approach used allowed a complete understanding the multi level of effects
      occurring by exposure to pirimicarb, at least in B. pulchella.

PMID- 28903093
TI  - Chlorination, chloramination and ozonation of carbamazepine enhance cytotoxicity
      and genotoxicity: Multi-endpoint evaluation and identification of its genotoxic
      transformation products.
AB  - Investigations have focused on the removal and transformation of pharmaceuticals
      during drinking water and wastewater treatment. In the present study, we
      investigated for the first time the changes of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity
      based on different modes of action (MoAs) during chlorination, chloramination and
      ozonation processes of the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine (CBZ). The results
      illustrated that ozonation enhanced the cytotoxicity and the chromosome damage
      effects on CHO-K1 cells detected by cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay
      based on high-content screening technique, though ozonation showed the highest
      removal efficiency for CBZ. Non-target chemical analysis followed by quantitative
      structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis for the transformation products
      (TPs) suggested that the chromosomal damage effects could probably be attributed
      to 1-(2-benzaldehyde)-4-hydro-(1H,3H)-quinazoline-2-one (BQM) and 1-(2
      benzaldehyde)-(1H,3H)-quinazoline-2,4-dione (BQD). In contrast to CBZ itself and
      the ozonated sample, the chlorinated and chloraminated samples caused DNA damage
      effects in SOS/umu test. Acridine, 9 (10) H-acridone, chlorinated 9 (10) H
      acridone and TP-237, which were first identified in the chlorination or
      chloramination processes, were predicted to be the DNA damaging agents. These
      genotoxic TPs were primarily generated from the oxidation of seven-membered N
      heterocyclic in CBZ. This study highlighted the potential adverse effects
      generated in ozonation process and the oxidation of N-heterocyclic containing
      pollutants.

PMID- 28903094
TI  - Effectiveness of Mesalazine, Thiopurines and Tumour Necrosis Factor Antagonists
      in Preventing Post-Operative Crohn's Disease Recurrence in a Real-Life Setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most Crohn's disease (CD) patients develop endoscopic recurrence
      within one year of intestinal resection. The best treatment method to prevent
      post-operative CD recurrence remains uncertain. METHODS: A total of 155 CD
      patients from 2 referral centres, who were undergoing intestinal resection with
      ileo-colonic anastomosis (January 2004-January 2015), were included. All subjects
      received preventive therapy with tumour necrosis factor antagonists (anti-TNFs),
      thiopurinesor mesalazine. The primary outcome was the rate of endoscopic
      recurrence (Rutgeerts score >=i2) in the 3 treatment groups. RESULTS: Patients
      treated with anti-TNFs were at significantly lower risk of endoscopic recurrence
      during the follow-up than those receiving thiopurines or mesalazine (incidence
      rates of 2.2, 3.0 and 4.8 per 100 person-months, respectively, log-rank, p =
      0.011). The median time to recurrence was significantly longer in patients
      treated with anti-TNFs than in those who received thiopurines or mesalazine
      (37.0, 13.7, and 16.8 months, respectively, log-rank, p = 0.011). Anti-TNFs were
      more effective than mesalazine (univariable analysis, hazard ratio [HR] 0.45, 95%
      CI 0.26-0.77, p = 0.004; multivariable analysis, HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.26-0.77, p =
      0.004), and non-significantly superior over thiopurines. CONCLUSION: Anti-TNF
      therapy was the most effective strategy for the prevention of endoscopic CD
      recurrence.

PMID- 28903095
TI  - Injury Resistance in the Setting of Liver Fibrosis Is Accompanied by the
      Inhibition of High-Mobility Group Box-1 Translocation and Release.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Injury resistance occurring in the setting of liver fibrosis is an
      interesting phenomenon not yet well characterized. In the present study, we
      investigated dynamically the injury resistance against acute challenge using
      animal models of hepatic fibrosis and spontaneous resolution, and focused on high
      mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), an important proinflammatory mediator. METHODS: The
      hepatic damage of control, fibrosis (CCl4, 6 weeks), and regressive mice with or
      without CCl4 challenge was dynamically observed and compared. The translocation
      and release of HMGB1 were assessed by immunohistochemical staining and enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The gene expression of proinflammatory
      mediators was detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS: Our data showed that the
      fibrotic mice were invulnerable to acute CCl4 insult. The injury resistance
      diminished along with the resolution of liver fibrosis. Acute insult triggered
      the translocation and release of HMGB1 in control mice, which were remarkably
      inhibited in fibrotic mice, even under acute challenge. Nevertheless, regressive
      mice exhibited obvious translocation upon insult, especially for R12d mice. HMGB1
      related proinflammatory immune responses were suppressed in fibrotic mice;
      however, they were restored in regressive mice upon insult. CONCLUSION: The
      injury resistance in the setting of liver fibrosis is accompanied by the
      inhibition of HMGB1 translocation and release as well as the suppression of HMGB1
      related proinflammatory immune responses.

PMID- 28903096
TI  - Early Screening Parameters for Dysphagia in Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is a frequent symptom in patients with acute stroke. It is
      associated with malnutrition, aspiration and mortality. The identification of
      early screening parameters for dysphagia promptly leading to a professional
      swallowing examination is therefore of utmost importance. This study aimed to
      detect early and easily assessable predictors of dysphagia in a large cohort of
      patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: Our analysis was based on data from
      a prospective in-hospital registry. Patients with ischemic stroke were included
      over the course of 3 years. Patients were scheduled to undergo a clinical
      swallowing investigation within the first 24 h after hospital admission. Step
      wise multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors
      of dysphagia in general and of pneumonia in particular. RESULTS: 1,646 patients
      with ischemic stroke were included. Stroke severity in terms of higher National
      Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) values (p < 0.001), male gender (p =
      0.006) and higher age (p < 0.001) independently predicted dysphagia. A receiver
      operating characteristics analysis revealed an NIHSS cut-off value of 4.5 for
      optimal differentiation between patients with and without dysphagia (sensitivity
      0.77; specificity 0.77). Dysphagia (p < 0.001), male gender (p = 0.002), higher
      NIHSS scores (p < 0.001) and higher age (p = 0.002) were factors that were
      independently associated with pneumonia. The NIHSS cut-off value for
      differentiating between patients with and without pneumonia was 5.5 (sensitivity
      0.91; specificity 0.67). CONCLUSIONS: Stroke severity in terms of NIHSS is a
      simple and reliable predictor of dysphagia. Patients with NIHSS values >=5 should
      be quickly directed towards a professional swallowing examination. Dysphagia was
      confirmed to be a strong predictor of pneumonia.

PMID- 28903097
TI  - 21st Surgical Research Days. Section of Surgical Research of the German Society
      of Surgery. September 21-23, 2017, Cologne, Germany: Abstracts.

PMID- 28903098
TI  - Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy versus Escitalopram in
      Patients with Chronic Depression: Results from a Naturalistic Long-Term Follow
      Up.

PMID- 28903099
TI  - Resilience Mediates the Influence of a Polymorphism in the Serotonin Transporter
      Gene on the Relationship between the Burden of Chronic Illness and Depression.

PMID- 28903100
TI  - From the Lesson of George Engel to Current Knowledge: The Biopsychosocial Model
      40 Years Later.

PMID- 28903101
TI  - Citation Classics in Stroke: The Top-100 Cited Articles on Hemorrhagic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke is a disastrous disease and a major health burden worldwide,
      especially in Korea. Hemorrhagic stroke (HS) accounts for approximately 20% of
      all the types of strokes. It is important to be able to evaluate stroke diagnoses
      and evolving treatments. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the top-100 cited
      articles and assess a paradigm shift that occurred in the field of HS. METHODS:
      We searched all articles that had been cited more than 100 times using the Web of
      Science citation search tool during January 2016. Among a total of 2,651
      articles, we identified the top-100 cited articles on HS. RESULTS: The number of
      citations for the articles analyzed in this study ranged from 1,746 to 211, and
      the number of annual citations ranged from 125.6 to 5.5. Most of the articles
      that were published in Stroke (35%) and Journal of Neurosurgery (22%), originated
      in the United States (n = 56), were original articles (64%), and dealt with the
      natural history or etiology (n = 37) and vasospasm in subarachnoid hemorrhage (n
      = 8). CONCLUSIONS: We analyzed the top-100 cited articles in the field of HS
      based on citation rates. The results provide a unique perspective on historical
      and academic developments in this field.

PMID- 28903102
TI  - "Abandonment Psychotherapy" for Suicidal Patients with Borderline Personality
      Disorder: Long-Term Outcome.

PMID- 28903103
TI  - Change of Unresolved Attachment in Borderline Personality Disorder: RCT Study of
      Transference-Focused Psychotherapy.

PMID- 28903104
TI  - Basilar Artery Diameter Is Inversely Associated with Fetal Type Circle of Willis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between basilar artery (BA) diameter and Circle of
      Willis (CoW) configuration has been scarcely investigated. We aimed to assess
      this association in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: MRAs of 346
      individuals were reviewed. Using generalized linear models adjusted for
      demographics and cardiovascular risk factors, we assessed the relationship
      between BA diameter and fetal and non-fetal types CoW, as well as the impact of
      this relationship on BA ectasia prevalence. RESULTS: In the total population, the
      mean BA diameter was 3.13 +/- 0.68 mm and 7 subjects (2%) had ectasia (BA
      diameter >4.5 mm). In 248 subjects with non-fetal types CoW, the mean BA diameter
      was 3.32 +/- 0.62 mm, and 2.8% had ectasia. In 98 subjects with fetal type CoW,
      the mean BA diameter was 2.66 +/- 0.58 mm, and no individual had ectasia. The BA
      diameter was smaller in subjects with fetal type CoW than in those with non-fetal
      types (beta 0.65; 95% CI 0.51-0.79; p < 0.001). Individuals with fetal type CoW
      have an 18% reduction in BA diameter compared to those with non-fetal types,
      independently of demographics and cardiovascular risk factors. CONCLUSION: This
      study shows an inverse relationship between the BA diameter and the presence of
      fetal type CoW.

PMID- 28903105
TI  - Salvage Hepatectomy for Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Radiofrequency
      Ablation and/or Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization: A Propensity Score
      Matched Analysis.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term surgical outcomes of salvage
      hepatectomy for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radiofrequency
      ablation (RFA) and/or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). METHODS:
      We reviewed the surgical outcomes of 90 recurrent HCC patients after RFA and/or
      TACE (salvage group) and 490 HCC patients without preoperative treatment (primary
      group). We performed 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) between the 2 groups and
      matched 87 patients in each group. RESULTS: Before PSM, the salvage group was
      pathologically more advanced than the primary group. After PSM, there were no
      significant differences in the clinicopathological features between the groups.
      The outcomes of propensity score-matched groups were compared and there was no
      statistically significant difference between the 2 groups regarding perioperative
      outcomes and survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses of propensity score
      matched HCC patients revealed that stage, tumor size, differentiation, and portal
      vein invasion were independent prognostic factors for survival. Preoperative RFA
      and/or TACE was not a prognostic factor in a propensity score-matched cohort.
      CONCLUSIONS: The short- and long-term surgical outcomes of the primary and
      salvage groups were similar under the matched clinicopathological background.
      Salvage hepatectomy might be an acceptable treatment for recurrent HCC patients
      after RFA and/or TACE.

PMID- 28903106
TI  - Constantin Tsiminakis (1875-1942): Neurologist, Neuropathologist, Statesman.
AB  - The article is a 75-year memorial tribute to the Greek neurologist, Constantin
      Tsiminakis (1875-1942). Coming from a family of physicians, Tsiminakis graduated
      from the University of Athens in 1897, and trained in Vienna under Nothnagel,
      Frankl-Hochwart, and Obersteiner. In 1905, he was appointed Reader in Neurology
      and Psychiatry at his alma mater. He published over 40 articles on topics of
      neurology and neuropathology, including megalencephaly, hydrocephalus,
      progressive paralysis, epidemic encephalitis, dengue fever, and narcolepsy.
      However, his main focus of interest was epilepsy, including post-encephalitic
      forms. To differentially diagnose true from feigned epilepsy, he devised a method
      of compressing the carotids, which became known as the "Tsiminakis maneuver". A
      cultivated man and a talented poet, he rebutted the Freudian interpretation of
      artistic creativity. Finally, in the national legislative election in 1923,
      Tsiminakis was elected a Plenipotentiary Member of the Hellenic Parliament under
      the Liberal Party and served until 1925.

PMID- 28903108
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28903107
TI  - Dose Escalation of Antidepressants in Unipolar Depression: A Meta-Analysis of
      Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As many patients with unipolar depression do not respond sufficiently
      to initial antidepressant monotherapy, a dose increase of the current
      administered antidepressant (dose escalation, high-dose treatment) is frequently
      carried out as next treatment measure. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis
      which included all double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing a
      dose increase of antidepressants directly to continuation of standard-dose
      treatment in unipolar depressive patients who were non- responders to standard
      dose pharmacotherapy. A mean change in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
      (HAM-D) total score was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were response
      rates and discontinuation rates due to any reason, inefficacy, and adverse
      effects. Hedges g and risk ratios were calculated as effect sizes. RESULTS: Seven
      double-blind RCTs (8 study arms) representing 1,208 participants were included.
      Fluoxetine (N [number of studies] = 2, n [number of patients] = 448), sertraline
      (N = 2, n = 272), paroxetine (N = 2, n = 146), duloxetine (N = 1, n = 255), and
      maprotiline (N = 1, n = 87) were investigated. Dose escalation was not more
      efficacious in HAM-D total score reduction than maintaining standard-dose
      treatment, neither for the pooled antidepressant group (N = 7, n = 999; Hedges g
      = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.20 to 0.12; p = 0.63) nor the individual antidepressants. No
      differences could be determined for response rates, all-cause discontinuation,
      and drop-outs due to inefficacy. Significantly more patients in the dose
      escalation group dropped out due to adverse effects than in the standard-dose
      continuation group. The metaregressions indicate no influence of baseline symptom
      severity or amounts of dose increments on effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: According to
      our meta-analytic findings, dose escalation after initial non-response to
      standard-dose pharmacotherapy cannot be regarded as general evidence-based
      treatment option in unipolar depression.

PMID- 28903109
TI  - Does Breastfeeding Shape Food Preferences? Links to Obesity.
AB  - The first 2 years of life have been recognized as a critical window for obesity
      prevention efforts. This period is characterized by rapid growth and development
      and, in a relatively short period of time, a child transitions from a purely milk
      based diet to a more varied solid-food diet. Much learning about food and eating
      occurs during this critical window, and it is well-documented that early feeding
      and dietary exposures predict later food preferences, eating behaviors, and
      dietary patterns. The focus of this review will be on the earliest feeding
      experiences - breast- and formula-feeding - and the unique role of breastfeeding
      in shaping children's food preferences. Epidemiological data illustrate that
      children who were breastfed have healthier dietary patterns compared to children
      who were formula-fed, even after controlling for relevant sociodemographic
      characteristics associated with healthier dietary and lifestyle patterns. These
      dietary differences are underlined, in part, by early differences in the
      opportunities for flavor learning and preference development afforded by breast-
      versus formula-feeding. In particular, the flavors of the mothers' diet are
      transmitted from mother to child through the amniotic fluid and breastmilk. The
      flavors experienced in these mediums shape later food preferences and acceptance
      of the solid foods of the family and culture onto which the infant is weaned. All
      infants learn from flavor experiences in utero, but only breastfed infants
      receive the additional reinforcement and flavor learning provided by continued
      repeated exposure to a wide variety of flavors that occurs during breastfeeding.
      Given the numerous benefits of breastfeeding, promotion of breastfeeding during
      early infancy is an important focus for primary prevention efforts and should be
      combined with efforts to ensure that mothers consume healthy, varied diets during
      pregnancy and lactation, and expose their infants to a wide array of foods during
      weaning and solid-food feeding.

PMID- 28903110
TI  - Flavor Perception and Preference Development in Human Infants.
AB  - As most parents and caregivers are aware, feeding children a nutritionally
      balanced diet can be challenging. Children are born with a biological
      predisposition to prefer sweet and to avoid bitter foods such as green leafy
      vegetables. It has been hypothesized that this predisposition evolved to attract
      children to energy-dense foods while discouraging the consumption of toxins.
      Although this may have enhanced survival in environments historically
      characterized by food scarcity, it is clearly maladaptive in many of today's food
      environments where children are surrounded by an abundance of sweet-tasting,
      unhealthful foods and beverages that place them at risk for excessive weight
      gain. Because overweight or obese children tend to become overweight or obese
      adults who are at risk for a range of cardiovascular diseases, it is of primary
      importance to develop effective evidence-based strategies to promote the
      development of healthy eating styles. Fortunately, accumulating evidence suggests
      that, starting before birth and continuing throughout development, there are
      repeated and varied opportunities for children to learn to enjoy the flavors of
      healthful foods. Because flavors are transmitted from the maternal diet to
      amniotic fluid and breast milk, mothers who consume a variety of healthful foods
      throughout pregnancy and lactation provide their infants with an opportunity to
      learn to like these flavors. This in turn eases the transition to healthful foods
      at weaning. In contrast, infants fed formula learn to prefer its invariant flavor
      profile, which differs from breast milk, and may initially be less accepting of
      flavors not found in formula. This process can continue throughout weaning and
      into childhood if infants are repeatedly exposed to a variety of healthful foods,
      even if they initially dislike them. These early-life sensory experiences
      establish food preferences and dietary patterns that set the stage for lifelong
      dietary habits.

PMID- 28903111
TI  - Type 1 Taste Receptors in Taste and Metabolism.
AB  - Our sense of taste allows us to evaluate the nutritive value of foods prior to
      ingesting them. Sweet taste signals the presence of sugars, and savory taste
      signals the presence of amino acids. The ability to identify these macronutrients
      in foods was likely crucial for the survival of our species when nourishing food
      sources were sparse. In modern, industrialized settings, taste perception
      continues to play an important role in human health as we attempt to prevent and
      treat conditions stemming from overnutrition. Recent research has revealed that
      type 1 taste receptors (T1Rs), which are largely responsible for sweet and umami
      taste, may also influence the absorption and metabolism of the foods we eat.
      Preliminary research shows that T1Rs contribute to intestinal glucose absorption,
      blood sugar and insulin regulation, and the body's responses to excessive energy
      intake. In light of these findings, T1Rs have come to be understood as nutrient
      sensors, among other roles, that facilitate the selection, digestion, and
      metabolism of foods.

PMID- 28903112
TI  - Savoring Sweet: Sugars in Infant and Toddler Feeding.
AB  - During the first years of life, the sweetness of sugars has a capacity to hinder
      or to help in laying a strong nutritional foundation for food preferences that
      often extend over a lifetime. Aside from supplying 4 g/kcal of energy, sugars are
      non-nutritive. However, sugars have a powerful attribute, sweetness, which
      strongly influences human food preference. A child's first relationship with
      sweet taste begins even before birth and continues to evolve throughout
      complementary feeding. The sweetness of breastmilk encourages consumption and
      soothes the neonate. Conversely, inappropriate introduction of non-milk solids
      and beverages that are sweet at 0-4 months of age raises the newborn's risk for
      later obesity and may discourage the acceptance of other bitter or sour foods.
      Although cereals, fruits, 100% fruit juices, and some grains have naturally
      occurring sugars that impart sweet flavor notes, there is no clear role for added
      sugars between 6 and 12 months of age. Yet, 60% of infants are introduced to
      foods and beverages containing added sugars, threatening diet quality. Pairing
      foods with naturally occurring sugars, such as fruits, with foods that tend to be
      resisted initially, such as vegetables, can mask bitterness and promote
      acceptance. Utilizing the infants' extraordinary capacity for sensory-motor
      exploration is another strategy to expose them repeatedly to challenging tastes
      and flavors. The transitional year, as breast milk and infant formula are
      withdrawn, is a time when nutritional needs are high and diet quality often
      precarious. Rapid growth, along with brain and cognitive development, demand high
      quality nutrition. Snacks are necessary both for energy and valuable nutrients.
      However, the selection of snack foods often exposes toddlers to items that offer
      concentrated energy with low nutrient value. Recent trends suggest a rapid fall
      in added sugars among infants and toddlers. Parenting practices that use small
      amounts of sugars to promote nutrient-rich foods from all 5 food groups can
      enhance rather than hinder their child's emerging dietary pattern.

PMID- 28903114
TI  - A Reply to Stiefel et al. "Losing the 'Person' in Personalized Medicine".

PMID- 28903115
TI  - ERAP1 and PDE8A Are Downregulated in Cattle Protected against Bovine
      Tuberculosis.
AB  - Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis
      that is responsible for significant economic losses worldwide. In spite of its
      relevance, the limited knowledge about the host immune responses that provide
      effective protection against the disease has long hampered the development of an
      effective vaccine. The identification of host proteins with an expression that
      correlates with protection against bTB would contribute to the understanding of
      the cattle defence mechanisms against M. bovis infection. In this study, we found
      that ERAP1 and PDE8A were downregulated in vaccinated cattle that were protected
      from experimental M. bovis challenge. Remarkably, both genes encode proteins that
      have been negatively associated with immune protection against bTB.

PMID- 28903116
TI  - Poorer Long-Term Outcomes among Persons with Major Depressive Disorder Treated
      with Medication.

PMID- 28903117
TI  - The Mortality and Myocardial Effects of Antidepressants Are Moderated by
      Preexisting Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antidepressants (ADs) are commonly prescribed medications, but their
      long-term health effects are debated. ADs disrupt multiple adaptive processes
      regulated by evolutionarily ancient biochemicals, potentially increasing
      mortality. However, many ADs also have anticlotting properties that can be
      efficacious in treating cardiovascular disease. We conducted a meta-analysis
      assessing the effects of ADs on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in
      general-population and cardiovascular-patient samples. METHODS: Two reviewers
      independently assessed articles from PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar for AD
      related mortality controlling for depression and other comorbidities. From these
      articles, we extracted information about cardiovascular events, cardiovascular
      risk status, and AD class. We conducted mixed-effect meta-analyses testing sample
      type and AD class as moderators of all-cause mortality and new cardiovascular
      events. RESULTS: Seventeen studies met our search criteria. Sample type
      consistently moderated health risks. In general-population samples, AD use
      increased the risks of mortality (HR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.14-1.55) and new
      cardiovascular events (HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.08-1.21). In cardiovascular patients,
      AD use did not significantly affect risks. AD class also moderated mortality, but
      the serotonin reuptake inhibitors were not significantly different from tricyclic
      ADs (TCAs) (HR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.93-1.31, p = 0.27). Only "other ADs" were
      differentiable from TCAs (HR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.08-1.69). Mortality risk estimates
      increased when we analyzed the subset of studies controlling for premedication
      depression, suggesting the absence of confounding by indication. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results support the hypothesis that ADs are harmful in the general population but
      less harmful in cardiovascular patients.

PMID- 28903118
TI  - No Association between Vitiligo and Obesity: A Case-Control Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between
      vitiligo and body mass index (BMI) to assess the possible association between
      vitiligo and obesity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a case-control study on a
      total of 400 participants, i.e., 200 patients with vitiligo and 200 healthy
      volunteers. Medical assessments were performed by dermatologists using the
      modified Vitiligo European Task Force form. The height and weight of all of the
      participants were measured and used to calculate the BMI. Data were analyzed
      using multivariate logistic regression models. Adjustment for age and gender was
      carried out preliminarily in the case-control analysis, whereas a forward
      stepwise selection algorithm was used to assess which independent factors were
      associated with a BMI >=30 or a BMI <=18.5. RESULTS: Comparison of the vitiligo
      and control groups revealed the absence of a significant association. The
      multivariate analysis of factors associated with a high BMI (>=30) in vitiligo
      patients showed a significant association between a high BMI and a sudden onset
      of vitiligo (p = 0.021; OR = 3.83; 95% CI 1.22-11.99) and the presence of
      inflammation and pruritus (p = 0.031; OR = 3.26; 95% CI 1.11-9.57). No
      significant association was observed in the analysis of factors associated with a
      low BMI (<=18.5) in vitiligo patients. CONCLUSION: In this study, vitiligo did
      not appear to be associated with a high BMI; obesity might not be a risk factor
      for vitiligo, in contrast to most autoimmune diseases which are significantly
      associated with obesity.

PMID- 28903119
TI  - Multimodal Brain Analysis of Functional Neurological Disorders: A Functional
      Stroke Mimic Case Series.

PMID- 28903120
TI  - Opening the Black Box of Cognitive-Behavioural Case Management in Clients with
      Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is the first-choice treatment in
      clients with ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. However, CBT is an umbrella
      term for a plethora of different strategies, and little is known about the
      association between the intensity and content of CBT and the severity of
      symptomatic outcome. METHODS: A sample of 268 UHR participants received 6 months
      of CBT with case management (CBCM) in the context of the multi-centre NEURAPRO
      trial with monthly assessments of attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS). Using
      multilevel regressions and controlling for the initial severity of APS, the
      associations between (1) number of CBCM sessions received and severity of APS and
      (2) specific CBCM components and severity of APS were investigated. RESULTS: In
      month 1, a higher number of sessions and more assessment of symptoms predicted an
      increase in APS, while in month 3, a higher number of sessions and more
      monitoring predicted a decrease in the level of APS. More therapeutic focus on
      APS predicted an overall increase in APS. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that
      the association between intensity/content of CBCM and severity of APS in a sample
      of UHR participants depends on the length of time in treatment. CBCM may
      positively impact the severity of APS later in the course of treatment.
      Therefore, it would seem important to keep UHR young people engaged in treatment
      beyond this initial period. Regarding the specific content of CBCM, a therapeutic
      focus on APS may not necessarily be beneficial in reducing the severity of APS, a
      possibility in need of further investigation.

PMID- 28903121
TI  - Losing the "Person" in Personalized Medicine.

PMID- 28903122
TI  - Impact of Ixekizumab Treatment on Depressive Symptoms and Systemic Inflammation
      in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis: An Integrated Analysis of Three
      Phase 3 Clinical Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression is a common comorbidity in psoriasis, and both conditions
      are associated with systemic inflammation. The efficacy of ixekizumab, a high
      affinity monoclonal antibody that selectively targets interleukin (IL)-17A, was
      evaluated in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (psoriasis) and
      depressive symptoms that were at least moderately severe. METHODS: Data were
      integrated from 3 randomized, double-blind, controlled phase 3 trials. At
      baseline and week 12, depressive symptoms and inflammation were assessed by the
      16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology - Self-Report (QIDS-SR16) and
      by a high-sensitivity assay of serum C-reactive protein (hsCRP), respectively. A
      subgroup of patients with at least moderately severe depressive symptoms at
      baseline (QIDS-SR16 total score >=11) was analyzed. Improvement in psoriasis was
      assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). RESULTS: Approximately
      10% of the overall psoriasis population had at least moderately severe depressive
      symptoms at baseline. At week 12, comorbid patients treated with ixekizumab had
      significantly greater improvements in their QIDS-SR16 total score (ixekizumab 80
      mg every 2 weeks [Q2W], -7.1; ixekizumab 80 mg every 4 weeks [Q4W], -6.1) vs.
      placebo (-3.4) (p < 0.001, both comparisons) and higher rates of remission of
      depressive symptoms (ixekizumab Q2W, 45.2%; ixekizumab Q4W, 33.6%) vs. placebo
      (17.8%) (p <= 0.01, both comparisons). Patients treated with ixekizumab also had
      significant reductions in hsCRP and PASI compared to placebo. Etanercept
      treatment was not associated with significant improvements in depressive symptoms
      compared to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: In this comorbid population, 12 weeks of
      ixekizumab therapy resulted in remission of depression for approximately 40% of
      patients and improved systemic inflammation as indicated by hsCRP.

PMID- 28903123
TI  - Potential Effects of Hormone Therapy in Type 2 Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of hormone therapy with tamoxifen or
      estrogens on morphological changes in macular telangiectasia (MacTel) type 2
      patients as revealed clinically in multiple imaging modalities. METHODS: Patients
      with a history of tamoxifen or estrogen use were selected from the cohort of the
      MacTel Study. A race-, age- and best-corrected visual acuity-matched group of
      MacTel participants not under hormone therapy served as the comparison group. The
      frequencies of typical features of the MacTel phenotype apparent in color fundus,
      red-free, fluorescein angiographic and optical coherence tomographic images were
      graded and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Thirty-nine MacTel patients were
      included in the analyses, of whom 13 were receiving tamoxifen, 13 estrogens and
      13 patients no hormone treatment. Patients treated with estrogens showed
      significantly fewer breaks in the ellipsoid zone on optical coherence tomography
      (7 eyes, 29.1%, vs. tamoxifen: 14 eyes, 53.8%, and vs. controls: 14 eyes, 53.8%,
      p = 0.04 in both analyses, Fisher exact test). Retinal crystalline deposits were
      significantly more frequent in patients receiving estrogens (12 eyes, 16.2%, vs.
      2 eyes, 2.7%, p = 0.003, Fisher exact test). No significant between-group
      differences were apparent with regard to other features of the phenotype (extent
      of retinal low reflective spaces, late hyperfluorescence on fluorescein
      angiography or retinal thickness). CONCLUSIONS: Tamoxifen treatment does not seem
      to accentuate structural changes in patients with MacTel type 2. Treatment with
      estrogens may exhibit a neuroprotective effect as suggested by the decreased
      frequency of ellipsoid zone breaks in corresponding patients, although
      corroborative studies are warranted to confirm these exploratory data.

PMID- 28903124
TI  - Early monitoring of osteoporosis treatment response by technetium-99m-methylene
      diphosphonate bone scan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a
      technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate (Tc-MDP) bone scan and the bone mineral
      density (BMD) test in monitoring the efficacy of osteoporosis (OP) treatment.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 50 women with OP were prospectively enrolled in
      this study from January 2011 to October 2016 in our hospital. All the patients
      underwent a Tc-MDP whole-body bone scan and the BMD test before and after
      alendronate sodium treatment at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months, respectively. Bone
      metabolism rate on the Tc-MDP bone scan was analysed and expressed as the region
      of-interest (ROI) ratio of target bones (L1-L4 vertebrae and femoral neck) to the
      control right tibia shaft, which was subsequently compared with the bone mass on
      BMD test at each time point of the treatment. RESULTS: The mean ROI ratio of the
      L1 vertebra on the Tc-MDP bone scans decreased significantly starting at 3 months
      and continued to decrease at 6, 12 and 18 months, respectively (P<0.001). The
      mean ROI ratio decreased significantly starting at 6 months at the L2 (P<0.001)
      and L3 (P<0.001) and starting at 12 months at the L4 (P<0.001) and the right
      femoral head (P<0.001), respectively. In contrast, the BMD levels of the L1, L2,
      L3 and L4 vertebrae and the femoral neck increased significantly after 12, 12,
      18, 18 and 18 months alendronate treatment respectively. CONCLUSION: Tc-MDP bone
      scan can detect the alendronate therapeutic efficacy for OP much earlier than the
      BMD test.

PMID- 28903127
TI  - Considerations for Using the HIRI-MSM Screening Tool to Identify MSM Who Would
      Benefit Most From PrEP.

PMID- 28903128
TI  - Performance of Virological Testing for Early Infant Diagnosis: A Systematic
      Review: Erratum.

PMID- 28903129
TI  - Improving Detection of HIV-Associated Cognitive Impairment: Comparison of the
      International HIV Dementia Scale and a Brief Screening Battery: Erratum.

PMID- 28903126
TI  - Substance Use and HIV Risk Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Africa: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substance use and its relation to HIV risk among men who have sex in
      Africa, a population at high risk for HIV, has received little attention.
      METHODS: This systematic review summarizes and discusses findings from 68
      empirical studies, published between 1980 and 2016 that included data about
      substance use in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Africa. RESULTS: Substance
      use has rarely been the primary focus of studies in African MSM. In general,
      measurement of substance use was suboptimal. Whereas prevalence of alcohol use
      varied across studies, partly resulting from variety in assessment strategies, it
      seemed higher than in the general male population across countries. Alcohol use
      was associated with sexual risk practices, but not with HIV infection. The most
      frequently reported drug used by African MSM was cannabis. The use of other
      drugs, such as cocaine and heroin seemed relatively rare, although injection drug
      use was exceptionally high in a few studies. As alcohol, drugs were regularly
      used in conjunction with sex. Both alcohol and drug use were often associated
      with other risk factors for HIV infection, including violence and transactional
      sex. No interventions were found addressing substance use among African MSM.
      CONCLUSIONS: Given high HIV risk and prevalence in this population, substance use
      should be studied more in-depth, taking into account the specific social and
      cultural context. Assessment of substance use practices in this population has to
      be improved. The available information suggests, though, that there is an urgent
      need for interventions addressing substance use tailored to the needs of this
      critical population.

PMID- 28903130
TI  - Addressing Minority Representation in Dermatology: Answering a Call to Action
      Through Structured Mentorship and Instruction.

PMID- 28903132
TI  - Generalized Net-like Erythema and Stroke in a Young Female.

PMID- 28903133
TI  - Factors to Consider for Reducing US Opioid-Related Deaths: Looking Beyond Access
      Reply: Factors to Consider for Reducing US Opioid-Related Deaths-Reply.

PMID- 28903131
TI  - Association of O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Protein Expression With
      Postoperative Prognosis and Adjuvant Chemotherapeutic Benefits Among Patients
      With Stage II or III Gastric Cancer.
AB  - Importance: Loss of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) protein
      expression has been reported in several malignant tumors and predicts dismal
      survival outcomes. In gastric cancer, existing studies on this topic are limited
      and the association between MGMT and fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy
      remains obscure. Objective: To investigate the postoperative prognostic
      significance of MGMT in patients with resectable gastric cancer and its
      responsiveness to fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Design, Setting, and
      Participants: This study recruited 445 consecutive patients with resectable
      gastric cancer who underwent radical gastrectomy between August 1, 2007, and
      December 30, 2008, at Zhongshan Hospital at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.
      Patients were randomly divided into a discovery data set (n = 200) and a
      validation data set (n = 245), and the range of follow-up time was from 2 to 76
      months for the discovery group and 2 to 79 months for the validation group. The
      immunoreactivity for MGMT in cancer cells was reviewed under a light microscope
      by 2 pathologists who were blinded to the clinicopathological data. The
      association of MGMT expression with clinicopathological characteristics and
      measures and prognosis was inspected. Data and specimens were collected from
      patients from the date of surgery to April 25, 2014. Data analysis took place
      from May 9, 2016, to July 15, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures: Estimates of
      overall survival on the basis of MGMT expression and hazard ratio (HR) for
      estimates of overall mortality risk. Results: Of the 445 patients included in the
      study, 315 (70.8%) were men, and the mean (SD) age of all patients was 60 (12)
      years. Positive expression of MGMT indicated better overall survival for patients
      with stage II or III gastric cancer in both the discovery data set (HR, 0.52; 95%
      CI, 0.32-0.84; P = .003) and the validation data set (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.43
      0.93; P = .01). Multivariate analysis identified MGMT expression and TNM stage as
      2 independent prognostic factors for overall survival. In stage II disease, the
      benefit from fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy was superior among MGMT
      positive patients (HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.13-0.95; P = .007 for interaction)
      compared with MGMT-negative patients. Conclusions and Relevance: Positive
      expression of MGMT in gastric cancer was identified as an independent, favorable
      prognostic factor. Incorporating MGMT expression into the current TNM staging
      system could lead to better prognostic accuracy. These findings should be
      confirmed within the framework of randomized clinical trials associated with
      genomic DNA sequencing studies.

PMID- 28903134
TI  - Task Shifting in Dermatology: A Call to Action.
AB  - Clinical Question: Can task shifting be used to improve the delivery of
      dermatologic care in resource-poor settings worldwide? Bottom Line: Task shifting
      is a means of redistributing available resources, whereby highly trained
      individuals train an available workforce to provide necessary care in low
      resource settings. Limited evidence exists for task shifting in dermatology;
      however, studies from psychiatry demonstrate its efficacy. In the field of
      dermatology there is a need for high-quality evidence including randomized
      clinical trials to validate the implementation of task shifting in low-resource
      settings globally.

PMID- 28903135
TI  - What Is the Optimal Revascularization Strategy for Left Main Coronary Stenosis?

PMID- 28903136
TI  - When Is a Little Breast Tissue Too Much?: Nipple-Sparing Risk-Reducing Mastectomy
      in BRCA Carriers.

PMID- 28903137
TI  - Nationwide Coverage and Cost-Sharing for PCSK9 Inhibitors Among Medicare Part D
      Plans.

PMID- 28903138
TI  - Improvement of Genetic Testing for Cutaneous Melanoma in Countries With Low to
      Moderate Incidence: The Rule of 2 vs the Rule of 3.
AB  - Importance: Genetic testing for melanoma-prone mutation in France, a country with
      low to moderate incidence of melanoma, is proposed in cases with 2 invasive
      cutaneous melanomas and/or related cancers in the same patient, or in first- or
      second-degree relatives (rule of 2). In preclinical studies, these rules led to
      disclosure of mutation(s) in more than 10% of these families, the threshold
      widely accepted to justify genetic testing for cancers. Objective: To reconsider
      these criteria in a general population testing of patients. Design, Setting, and
      Participants: This was a retrospective study, performed from 2004 to 2015 at
      Angers and Lyons University Hospitals, of a cohort of 1032 patients who underwent
      genetic testing. Main Outcomes and Measures: Frequency of mutation in high
      (CDKN2A, CDK4, and BAP1) and intermediate (MITF) susceptibility genes;
      statistical effect of histologic subtype, age, dysplastic nevi syndrome, and
      associated cancers on mutation rate; and evaluation of cases with anamnestic
      uncertainty. Results: The mutation rate was 67 of 1032 patients (6.5%). Their
      mean (SD) age was 54.5 (14.2) years [range, 18-89 years], and 543 (52.6%) were
      men. It increased to 38 of 408 patients (9.3%) when applying a rule of 3 (those
      with >=3 primary melanomas or genetically related cancers) (P = .68) and to 27 of
      150 patients (18.0%) with a rule of 4 (4 primary melanomas or related cancer) (P
      < .001). The impact of age at first melanoma was observed only in those younger
      than 40 years, with a rate of 32 of 263 (12.1%) (P = .12) for the rule of 2 and
      22 of 121 (18.2%) (P = .001) for the rule of 3. Use of the rule of 2 in patients
      younger than 40 years reduced the number of missed CDKN2A-mutated-families when
      applying the rule of 3 from 14 of 43 to 7 of 43. Anamnestic uncertainty, found in
      88 families (8.5%), if excluded, would have led us to withdraw of only 21 cases
      (23.8%), and only 1 mutation would have been missed. Conclusions and Relevance:
      We propose using the rule of 3 to recommend genetic testing in France and
      countries with low to moderate incidence of melanoma, except in families and
      patients with a first melanoma occurrence before age 40 years in whom the rule of
      2 could be maintained.

PMID- 28903140
TI  - Humanitarian Surgical Care in the US Military Treatment Facilities in Afghanistan
      From 2002 to 2013.

PMID- 28903139
TI  - Percutaneous Coronary Intervention vs Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients
      With Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - Importance: In patients with left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis, coronary
      artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been the standard therapy for several decades.
      However, some studies suggest that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with
      drug-eluting stents may be an acceptable alternative. Objective: To compare the
      long-term safety of PCI with drug-eluting stent vs CABG in patients with LMCA
      stenosis. Data Sources: PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Knowledge, and
      ScienceDirect databases were searched from December 18, 2001, to February 1,
      2017. Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trial, patients with LMCA
      stenosis, PCI vs CABG, exclusive use of drug-eluting stents, and clinical follow
      up of 3 or more years. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Trial-level hazard ratios
      (HRs) and 95% CIs were pooled by fixed-effect and random-effects models with
      inverse variance weighting. Time-to-event individual patient data for the primary
      end point were reconstructed. Sensitivity analyses according to drug-eluting
      stent generation and coronary artery disease complexity were performed. Main
      Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was a composite of all-cause death,
      myocardial infarction, or stroke at long-term follow-up. Secondary end points
      included repeat revascularization and a composite of all-cause death, myocardial
      infarction, stroke, or repeat revascularization at long-term follow-up. Results:
      A total of 4 randomized clinical trials were pooled; 4394 patients were included
      in the analysis. Of these, 3371 (76.7%) were men; pooled mean age was 65.4 years.
      According to Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation,
      evidence quality with respect to the primary composite end point was high.
      Percutaneous coronary intervention and CABG were associated with a comparable
      risk of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke both by fixed-effect
      (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.90-1.24; P = .48) and random-effects (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.85
      1.32; P = .60) analysis. Sensitivity analyses according to low to intermediate
      Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score (random
      effects: HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.74-1.41; P = .89) and drug-eluting stent generation
      (first generation: HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.68-1.20; P = .49; second generation: HR,
      1.19; 95% CI, 0.82-1.73; P = .36) were consistent. Kaplan-Meier curve
      reconstruction did not show significant variations over time between the
      techniques, with a 5-year incidence of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or
      stroke of 18.3% (319 events) in patients treated with PCI and 16.9% (292 events)
      in patients treated with CABG. However, repeat revascularization after PCI was
      increased (HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.42-2.05; P < .001). Other individual secondary end
      points did not differ significantly between groups. Finally, pooled estimates of
      trials with LMCA stenosis tended overall to differ significantly from those of
      trials with multivessel coronary artery disease without left main LMCA stenosis.
      Conclusions and Relevance: Percutaneous coronary intervention and CABG show
      comparable safety in patients with LMCA stenosis and low to intermediate
      complexity coronary artery disease. However, repeat revascularization is more
      common after PCI.

PMID- 28903142
TI  - History of the Hemostat.

PMID- 28903144
TI  - Dermatologic Radiotherapy and Radioactive Quackery-Discovery and Tragedy at the
      Turn of the 20th Century.

PMID- 28903143
TI  - Arsenic in Dermatology-From Dermatologic Therapy to Carcinogen.

PMID- 28903145
TI  - Orangeness-Peeling Back the Myths Behind Carotenemia.

PMID- 28903146
TI  - An Average Face.

PMID- 28903147
TI  - Herpes-A Not So Simple(x) History.

PMID- 28903148
TI  - Psoriasis.

PMID- 28903150
TI  - Crx-L253X Mutation Produces Dominant Photoreceptor Defects in TVRM65 Mice.
AB  - Purpose: The cone-rod homeobox (CRX) transcription factor is essential for
      photoreceptor gene expression, differentiation, and survival. Human CRX mutations
      can cause dominant retinopathies of varying onset and phenotype severity. In
      animal models, dominant frameshift Crx mutations introduce a premature
      termination codon (PTC), producing inactive truncated proteins that interfere
      with normal CRX function. Previously, a mutant mouse, TVRM65, was reported to
      carry a recessive late PTC mutation, Crx-L253X. More detailed phenotype analysis
      of the pathogenicity of Crx-L253X sheds new light on the variability of CRX
      linked diseases. Methods: Homozygous (L253X/X); heterozygous (L253X/+); Crx-/-
      and control C57BL/6J (WT) mice were analyzed at various ages for changes in
      retinal function (ERG), morphology (histology) and photoreceptor gene expression
      (qRT-PCR). Results: At 1 month, L253X/X mice lack visual function, show greater
      reductions in retinal thickness, and distinct gene expression changes relative to
      Crx-/-, suggesting that the phenotype of L253X/X is more severe than Crx-/-.
      L253X/+ mice have reduced rod/cone function, but normal retinal morphology at all
      ages tested. qRT-PCR assays described a complex phenotype in which both
      developing and mature photoreceptors are unable to maintain proper gene
      expression. L253X mRNA/protein is overexpressed relative to normal Crx,
      suggesting a pathogenic mechanism similar to early PTC mutations. However, the
      overexpression is less pronounced, correlating with a relatively mild dominant
      phenotype. Conclusions: The L253X mouse provides a valuable model for CRX
      associated retinopathy. The pathogenicity of CRX frameshift mutations depends on
      the position of the PTC, which in turn determines the degree of mutant
      mRNA/protein overproduction.

PMID- 28903151
TI  - Anterior Chamber Invasion in Retinoblastoma: Not an Indication for Adjuvant
      Chemotherapy.
AB  - Purpose: In retinoblastoma, adjuvant chemotherapy after enucleation is given in
      eyes with histopathological high-risk features (HRFs) to reduced mortality.
      Anterior chamber seeds (AC seeds) on histopathological evaluation are a
      contentious finding. This study attempts to determine the effect of AC seeds on
      the survival rate. Methods: This is a retrospective case record review. Eyes were
      divided into four groups: those with neither AC seeds nor HRFs, those with only
      HRFs, those with only AC seeds, and those with both HRFs and AC seeds. The groups
      were compared for demographic and clinical features and survival curves were
      plotted for each. Results: For the 212 eyes included in the study, mean age was
      30.5 +/- 36.8 months. Children with only AC seeds were significantly older (75.3
      +/- 94.6 months) (P = 0.004). Chemotherapy was administered in 81 (38.2%) of 212
      eyes; 16 (13.7%) of 117 eyes without HRF and in 65 (68.4%) of 95 eyes with HRFs
      (P < 0.001). The survival rate at 1, 3, and 5 years was the highest for the group
      with only AC seeds, although the difference was not statistically significant.
      Conclusions: We conclude that AC seeds do not, by themselves, constitute an
      independent risk factor for metastasis. These children need not be treated with
      immediate adjuvant chemotherapy, but, instead, can be followed with regular
      screening for metastasis. However, AC seeds are seen in only a small proportion
      of enucleated eyes. A larger study would better validate our study results.

PMID- 28903152
TI  - Nuclear Respiratory Factor-1 (NRF-1) Regulates Transcription of the CXC Receptor
      4 (CXCR4) in the Rat Retina.
AB  - Purpose: The CXC receptor 4 (CXCR4) is required for various physiologic and
      pathologic processes in the eye, including stem cell trafficking, neuronal
      development, immune responses, and ocular neovascularization. Here, we used the
      rat retina models to determine the mechanisms driving CXCR4 transcription.
      Methods: The expression pattern of CXCR4 and nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1)
      were profiled in the rat retina during the course of development. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (CHiP) assay determined the transcriptional mechanism of
      CXCR4 in rat retina. A rat model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) that mimics
      retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury was established. Under either normoxic or
      hypoxic conditions, CXCR4 and NRF-1 expression in rat retinas was tracked by RT
      PCR and Western analysis. Immunofluorescence staining localized CXCR4 and NRF-1.
      Results: Both CXCR4 and NRF-1 were highly expressed in the neonatal rat retina,
      down-regulated in parallel, and silenced in fully developed retinas (1 month of
      age). ChIP assays revealed that NRF-1 was required for CXCR4 promoter activity in
      rat retinas. In the OIR rat model, retinal hypoxia induced up-regulation of CXCR4
      and NRF-1 concurrently. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that NRF-1 regulates
      the expression of CXCR4 in normal retinal development and in pathologic processes
      of retinal hypoxia and neovascularization.

PMID- 28903155
TI  - Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons.

PMID- 28903153
TI  - Colony Stimulating Factor-1 Receptor Expressing Cells Infiltrating the Cornea
      Control Corneal Nerve Degeneration in Response to HSV-1 Infection.
AB  - Purpose: Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) is a leading cause of neurotrophic
      keratitis, characterized by decreased or absent corneal sensation due to damage
      to the sensory corneal innervation. We previously reported the elicited immune
      response to infection contributes to the mechanism of corneal nerve
      regression/damage during acute HSV-1 infection. Our aim is to further establish
      the involvement of infiltrated macrophages in the mechanism of nerve loss upon
      infection. Methods: Macrophage Fas-Induced Apoptosis (MAFIA) transgenic C57BL/6
      mice were systemically treated with AP20187 dimerizer or vehicle (VEH), and their
      corneas, lymph nodes, and blood were assessed for CD45+CD11b+GFP+ cell depletion
      by flow cytometry (FC). Mice were ocularly infected with HSV-1 or left
      uninfected. At 2, 4, and/or 6 days post infection (PI), corneas were assessed for
      sensitivity and harvested for FC, nerve structure by immunohistochemistry, viral
      content by plaque assay, soluble factor content by suspension array, and
      activation of signaling pathways by Western blot analysis. C57BL6 mice were used
      to compare to the MAFIA mouse model. Results: MAFIA mice treated with AP20187 had
      efficient depletion of CD45+CD11b+GFP+ cells in the tissues analyzed. The
      reduction of CD45+CD11b+GFP+ cells recruited to the infected corneas of AP20187
      treated mice correlated with preservation of corneal nerve structure and
      function, decreased protein concentration of inflammatory cytokines, and
      decreased STAT3 activation despite no changes in viral content in the cornea
      compared to VEH-treated animals. Conclusions: Our results suggest infiltrated
      macrophages are early effectors in the nerve regression following HSV-1
      infection. We propose the neurodegeneration mechanism involves macrophages, local
      up-regulation of IL-6, and activation of STAT3.

PMID- 28903156
TI  - Left Main Revascularization in 2017: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting or
      Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?

PMID- 28903154
TI  - Incidence and Trends of Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical vs Claims Data,
      2009-2014.
AB  - Importance: Estimates from claims-based analyses suggest that the incidence of
      sepsis is increasing and mortality rates from sepsis are decreasing. However,
      estimates from claims data may lack clinical fidelity and can be affected by
      changing diagnosis and coding practices over time. Objective: To estimate the US
      national incidence of sepsis and trends using detailed clinical data from the
      electronic health record (EHR) systems of diverse hospitals. Design, Setting, and
      Population: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted to 409
      academic, community, and federal hospitals from 2009-2014. Exposures: Sepsis was
      identified using clinical indicators of presumed infection and concurrent acute
      organ dysfunction, adapting Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis
      and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) criteria for objective and consistent EHR-based
      surveillance. Main Outcomes and Measures: Sepsis incidence, outcomes, and trends
      from 2009-2014 were calculated using regression models and compared with claims
      based estimates using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision,
      Clinical Modification codes for severe sepsis or septic shock. Case-finding
      criteria were validated against Sepsis-3 criteria using medical record reviews.
      Results: A total of 173 690 sepsis cases (mean age, 66.5 [SD, 15.5] y; 77 660
      [42.4%] women) were identified using clinical criteria among 2 901 019 adults
      admitted to study hospitals in 2014 (6.0% incidence). Of these, 26 061 (15.0%)
      died in the hospital and 10 731 (6.2%) were discharged to hospice. From 2009
      2014, sepsis incidence using clinical criteria was stable (+0.6% relative
      change/y [95% CI, -2.3% to 3.5%], P = .67) whereas incidence per claims increased
      (+10.3%/y [95% CI, 7.2% to 13.3%], P < .001). In-hospital mortality using
      clinical criteria declined (-3.3%/y [95% CI, -5.6% to -1.0%], P = .004), but
      there was no significant change in the combined outcome of death or discharge to
      hospice (-1.3%/y [95% CI, -3.2% to 0.6%], P = .19). In contrast, mortality using
      claims declined significantly (-7.0%/y [95% CI, -8.8% to -5.2%], P < .001), as
      did death or discharge to hospice (-4.5%/y [95% CI, -6.1% to -2.8%], P < .001).
      Clinical criteria were more sensitive in identifying sepsis than claims (69.7%
      [95% CI, 52.9% to 92.0%] vs 32.3% [95% CI, 24.4% to 43.0%], P < .001), with
      comparable positive predictive value (70.4% [95% CI, 64.0% to 76.8%] vs 75.2%
      [95% CI, 69.8% to 80.6%], P = .23). Conclusions and Relevance: In clinical data
      from 409 hospitals, sepsis was present in 6% of adult hospitalizations, and in
      contrast to claims-based analyses, neither the incidence of sepsis nor the
      combined outcome of death or discharge to hospice changed significantly between
      2009-2014. The findings also suggest that EHR-based clinical data provide more
      objective estimates than claims-based data for sepsis surveillance.

PMID- 28903157
TI  - Transgender Surgery-Not the Benchmark for Gender Marker Determination.

PMID- 28903159
TI  - Communication as the Key to Breast Conservation.

PMID- 28903158
TI  - Surgeon Influence on Variation in Receipt of Contralateral Prophylactic
      Mastectomy for Women With Breast Cancer.
AB  - Importance: Rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) have markedly
      increased but we know little about the influence of surgeons on variability of
      the procedure in the community. Objective: To quantify the influence of the
      attending surgeon on rates of CPM and clinician attitudes that explained it.
      Design, Setting, and Participants: In this population-based survey study, we
      identified 7810 women with stages 0 to II breast cancer treated in 2013 to 2015
      through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries of Georgia and
      Los Angeles County. Surveys were sent approximately 2 months after surgery.
      Surveys were also sent to 488 attending surgeons identified by the patients. Main
      Outcomes and Measures: We conducted multilevel analyses to examine the impact of
      surgeon influence on variations in patient receipt of CPM using information from
      patient and surgeon surveys merged to Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results
      data. Results: A total of 5080 women responded to the survey (70% response rate),
      and 377 surgeons responded (77% response rate). The mean (SD) age of responding
      women was 61.9 (11) years; 28% had an increased risk of second primary cancer,
      and 16% received CPM. Half of surgeons (52%) practiced for more than 20 years and
      30% treated more than 50 new patients with breast cancer annually. Attending
      surgeon explained a large amount (20%) of the variation in CPM, controlling for
      patient factors. The odds of a patient receiving CPM increased almost 3-fold
      (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.1-3.4) if she saw a surgeon with a practice approach
      1 SD above a surgeon with the mean CPM rate (independent of age, diagnosis date,
      BRCA status, and risk of second primary). One-quarter (25%) of the surgeon
      influence was explained by attending attitudes about initial recommendations for
      surgery and responses to patient requests for CPM. The estimated rate of CPM was
      34% for surgeons who least favored initial breast conservation and were least
      reluctant to perform CPM vs 4% for surgeons who most favored initial breast
      conservation and were most reluctant to perform CPM. Conclusions and Relevance:
      In this study, attending surgeons exerted influence on the likelihood of receipt
      of CPM after a breast cancer diagnosis. Variations in surgeon attitudes about
      recommendations for surgery and response to patient requests for CPM explain a
      substantial amount of this influence.

PMID- 28903162
TI  - Suicide and Attempted Suicide in the United States During the 21st Century.

PMID- 28903160
TI  - Safety of Systemic Agents for the Treatment of Pediatric Psoriasis.
AB  - Importance: Use of systemic therapies for moderate to severe psoriasis in
      children is increasing, but comparative data on their use and toxicities are
      limited. Objective: To assess patterns of use and relative risks of systemic
      agents for moderate to severe psoriasis in children. Design, Setting, and
      Participants: A retrospective review was conducted at 20 centers in North America
      and Europe, and included all consecutive children with moderate to severe
      psoriasis who used systemic medications or phototherapy for at least 3 months
      from December 1, 1990, to September 16, 2014. Main Outcomes and Measures: The
      minimal core data set included age, sex, severity of psoriasis, systemic
      interventions, monitoring, adverse events (AEs), and reason for discontinuation.
      Results: For 390 children (203 girls and 187 boys; mean [SD] age at diagnosis,
      8.4 [3.7] years) with psoriasis who used 1 or more systemic medications, the mean
      interval between diagnosis and starting systemic therapy was 3.0 years.
      Methotrexate was used by 270 patients (69.2%), biologic agents (primarily
      etanercept) by 106 (27.2%), acitretin by 57 (14.6%), cyclosporine by 30 (7.7%),
      fumaric acid esters by 19 (4.9%), and more than 1 medication was used by 73
      (18.7%). Of 270 children taking methotrexate, 130 (48.1%) reported 1 or more AEs
      associated with methotrexate, primarily gastrointestinal (67 [24.8%]). Folic acid
      6 days per week (odds ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.06-0.41; P < .001) or 7 days per
      week (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.08-0.58; P = .003) protected against gastrointestinal
      AEs more than once-weekly folic acid, regardless of the total weekly dosage.
      Methotrexate-associated hepatic transaminase elevations were associated with
      obesity (35 of 270 patients [13.0%]), but a folic acid regimen was not. Injection
      site reactions occurred in 20 of 106 patients (18.9%) treated with tumor necrosis
      factor inhibitors, but did not lead to discontinuation of treatment. Having 1 or
      more AEs related to medication, gastrointestinal AE, laboratory abnormality, or
      AE leading to discontinuation of the drug was more likely with methotrexate than
      tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, but having 1 or more infections related to
      medication (predominantly upper airway) was less likely. Six patients developed a
      serious treatment-related AE (methotrexate, 3; fumaric acid esters, 2; and
      adalimumab, 1), but methotrexate and biologic agents were taken for a mean
      duration that was 2-fold greater than the mean duration for cyclosporine or
      fumaric acid esters. No patient developed tuberculosis or a malignant neoplasm.
      Conclusions and Relevance: Medication-related AEs occur less often with tumor
      necrosis factor inhibitors than with methotrexate. Folic acid administration 6 or
      7 times per week protected more against methotrexate-induced gastrointestinal AEs
      than did weekly administration. A prospective registry is needed to track the
      long-term risks of systemic agents for pediatric psoriasis.

PMID- 28903163
TI  - Myocardial Infarction and Postacute Care: Does One Size Fit All?

PMID- 28903161
TI  - National Trends in Suicide Attempts Among Adults in the United States.
AB  - Importance: A recent increase in suicide in the United States has raised public
      and clinical interest in determining whether a coincident national increase in
      suicide attempts has occurred and in characterizing trends in suicide attempts
      among sociodemographic and clinical groups. Objective: To describe trends in
      recent suicide attempts in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants:
      Data came from the 2004-2005 wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and
      Related Conditions (NESARC) and the 2012-2013 NESARC-III. These nationally
      representative surveys asked identical questions to 69 341 adults, 21 years and
      older, concerning the occurrence and timing of suicide attempts. Risk differences
      adjusted for age, sex, and race/ethnicity (ARDs) assessed trends from the 2004
      2005 to 2012-2013 surveys in suicide attempts across sociodemographic and
      psychiatric disorder strata. Additive interactions tests compared the magnitude
      of trends in prevalence of suicide attempts across levels of sociodemographic and
      psychiatric disorder groups. The analyses were performed from February 8, 2017,
      through May 31, 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Self-reported attempted suicide
      in the 3 years before the interview. Results: With use of data from the 69 341
      participants (42.8% men and 57.2% women; mean [SD] age, 48.1 [17.2] years), the
      weighted percentage of US adults making a recent suicide attempt increased from
      0.62% in 2004-2005 (221 of 34 629) to 0.79% in 2012-2013 (305 of 34 712; ARD,
      0.17%; 95% CI, 0.01%-0.33%; P = .04). In both surveys, most adults with recent
      suicide attempts were female (2004-2005, 60.17%; 2012-2013, 60.94%) and younger
      than 50 years (2004-2005, 84.75%; 2012-2013, 80.38%). The ARD for suicide
      attempts was significantly larger among adults aged 21 to 34 years (0.48%; 95%
      CI, 0.09% to 0.87%) than among adults 65 years and older (0.06%; 95% CI, -0.02%
      to 0.14%; interaction P = .04). The ARD for suicide attempts was also
      significantly larger among adults with no more than a high school education
      (0.49%; 95% CI, 0.18% to 0.80%) than among college graduates (0.03%; 95% CI, 
      0.17% to 0.23%; interaction P = .003); the ARD was also significantly larger
      among adults with antisocial personality disorder (2.16% [95% CI, 0.61% to 3.71%]
      vs 0.07% [95% CI, -0.09% to 0.23%]; interaction P = .01), a history of violent
      behavior (1.04% [95% CI, 0.35% to 1.73%] vs 0.00% [95% CI, -0.12% to 0.12%];
      interaction P = .003), or a history of anxiety (1.43% [95% CI, 0.47% to 2.39%] vs
      0.18% [95% CI, 0.04% to 0.32%]; interaction P = .01) or depressive (0.99% [95%
      CI, -0.09% to 2.07%] vs -0.08% [95% CI, -0.20% to 0.04%]; interaction P = .05)
      disorders than among adults without these conditions. Conclusions and Relevance:
      A recent overall increase in suicide attempts among adults in the United States
      has disproportionately affected younger adults with less formal education and
      those with antisocial personality disorder, anxiety disorders, depressive
      disorders, and a history of violence.

PMID- 28903164
TI  - Counting Sepsis, an Imprecise but Improving Science.

PMID- 28903166
TI  - Factors to Consider for Reducing US Opioid-Related Deaths: Looking Beyond Access.

PMID- 28903165
TI  - Association of Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Benzodiazepine
      Treatment During Pregnancy With Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes.
AB  - Importance: Registry data show that maternal panic disorder, or anxiety disorders
      in general, increase the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, diagnoses
      from registries may be imprecise and may not consider potential confounding
      factors, such as treatment with medication and maternal substance use. Objective:
      To determine whether panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in
      pregnancy, or medications used to treat these conditions, are associated with
      adverse maternal or neonatal pregnancy outcomes. Design, Setting, and
      Participants: This cohort study conducted between July 1, 2005, and July 14,
      2009, recruited women at 137 obstetric practices in Connecticut and Massachusetts
      before 17 weeks of pregnancy and reassessed them at 28 (+/-4) weeks of pregnancy
      and 8 (+/-4) weeks postpartum. Psychiatric diagnoses were determined by answers
      to the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview.
      Assessments also gathered information on treatment with medications and
      confounding factors, such as substance use, previous adverse birth outcomes, and
      demographic factors. Exposure: Panic disorder, GAD, or use of benzodiazepines or
      serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Main Outcomes and Measures: Among mothers: preterm
      birth, cesarean delivery, and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. Among neonates:
      low birth weight, use of minor respiratory interventions, and use of ventilatory
      support. Results: Of the 2654 women in the final analysis (mean [SD] age, 31.0
      [5.7] years), most were non-Hispanic white (1957 [73.7%]), 98 had panic disorder,
      252 had GAD, 67 were treated with a benzodiazepine, and 293 were treated with a
      serotonin reuptake inhibitor during pregnancy. In adjusted models, neither panic
      disorder nor GAD was associated with maternal or neonatal complications of
      interest. Most medication exposures occurred early in pregnancy. Maternal
      benzodiazepine use was associated with cesarean delivery (odds ratio [OR], 2.45;
      95% CI, 1.36-4.40), low birth weight (OR, 3.41; 95% CI, 1.61-7.26), and use of
      ventilatory support for the newborn (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.2-6.9). Maternal
      serotonin reuptake inhibitor use was associated with hypertensive diseases of
      pregnancy (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.58-5.04), preterm birth (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.02
      2.38), and use of minor respiratory interventions (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.39-2.37).
      With maternal benzodiazepine treatment, rates of ventilatory support increased by
      61 of 1000 neonates and duration of gestation was shortened by 3.6 days; with
      maternal serotonin reuptake inhibitor use, gestation was shortened by 1.8 days,
      152 of 1000 additional newborns required minor respiratory interventions, and 53
      of 1000 additional women experienced hypertensive diseases of pregnancy.
      Conclusions and Relevance: Panic disorder and GAD do not contribute to adverse
      pregnancy complications. Women may require treatment with medications during
      pregnancy, which can shorten the duration of gestation slightly. Maternal
      treatment with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor is also associated with
      hypertensive disease of pregnancy and cesarean delivery.

PMID- 28903167
TI  - Oncologic Safety of Prophylactic Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy in a Population With
      BRCA Mutations: A Multi-institutional Study.
AB  - Importance: Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) offers superior cosmetic outcomes and
      has been gaining wide acceptance; however, its role among patients with BRCA
      mutations remains controversial. Objective: To report on the oncologic safety of
      NSM and provide evidence-based data to patients and health care professionals
      regarding preservation of the nipple-areolar complex during a risk-reducing
      mastectomy in a population with BRCA mutations. Design, Setting, and
      Participants: We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of 9 institutions'
      experience with prophylactic NSM from 1968 to 2013 in a cohort of patients with
      BRCA mutations. Patients with breast cancer were included if they underwent
      contralateral risk-reducing mastectomy; however, only the prophylactic side was
      considered in the analysis. Patients found to have an occult primary breast
      cancer at the time of risk-reducing mastectomy, those having variant(s) of
      unknown significance, and those undergoing free nipple grafts were excluded. Main
      Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome measure was development of a new
      breast cancer after risk-reducing NSM. Three reference data sources were used to
      model the expected number of events, and this was compared with our observed
      number of events. Results: A total of 548 risk-reducing NSMs in 346 patients were
      performed at 9 institutions. The median age at NSM was 41 years (interquartile
      range, 34.5-47.5 years). Bilateral prophylactic NSMs were performed in 202
      patients (58.4%), and 144 patients (41.6%) underwent a unilateral risk-reducing
      NSM secondary to cancer in the contralateral breast. Overall, 201 patients with
      BRCA1 mutations and 145 with BRCA2 mutations were included. With median and mean
      follow-up of 34 and 56 months, respectively, no ipsilateral breast cancers
      occurred after prophylactic NSM. Breast cancer did not develop in any patients
      undergoing bilateral risk-reducing NSMs. Using risk models for BRCA1/2 mutation
      carriers, approximately 22 new primary breast cancers were expected without
      prophylactic NSM. Prophylactic NSM resulted in a significant reduction in breast
      cancer events (test of observed vs expected events, P < .001). Conclusions and
      Relevance: Nipple-sparing mastectomies are highly preventive against breast
      cancer in a BRCA population. Although the follow-up remains relatively short, NSM
      should be offered as a breast cancer risk-reducing strategy to appropriate
      patients with BRCA mutations.

PMID- 28903168
TI  - [Sharing bacterial microbiota between owners and their pets (dogs, cats)].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The microbiological aspect of a relationship between pets
      (dogs/cats) and their owners is mainly concerned with the incidence of shared
      bacterial species, in particular potential pathogens. Given the great popularity
      of sharing homes with pets (dogs/cats) in the Czech Republic, there is an
      increased possibility of communication between microbiota of the two
      macroorganisms (pet and owner). The aim of the study was to determine the
      biodiversity of shared bacteria and possibility of exchange of genes of
      resistance to antimicrobial agents between potential pathogens based on the close
      relationship between pets and humans. METHODS: A total of 103 samples were
      collected from 20 pairs (20 owners, 16 dogs and 4 cats). All owners completed a
      questionnaire with their pets' veterinarians. In owners, swabs were collected
      from the nasal mucosa, armpit and interdigital spaces of the foot. In pets, swabs
      were obtained from the external auditory meatus and nasal mucosa. In individuals
      with skin lesions, samples were also collected from the affected areas. Bacterial
      species were identified by culture and matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization - time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. In shared
      species, susceptibility to antibiotics was tested by the disk diffusion method.
      Statistical methods were used to correlate the closeness of relationship with the
      number of shared bacterial species and to correlate previous antimicrobial
      therapy with shared resistance of the common bacteria. RESULTS: Analysis of the
      questionnaires showed that 65 % of owners who participated in the study kept more
      pets at home than only the tested one. In the previous year, 5 % of pets and 5 %
      of owners received antimicrobial therapy. As many as 45 % of dogs or cats slept
      in their owners' beds and 80 % rested on a sofa together with their owners. Also,
      45 % owners had their faces licked by pets. Eighty percent of pets were fed with
      several types of food (dry food and cooked food). Further, 70 % of pets lived
      permanently with their owners in the same household. A total of 76 bacterial
      species of 33 genera were identified. The most frequently isolated species (29
      samples) was S. intermedius. Seventeen bacterial species occurring in both humans
      and animals were found and identified. At least one bacterial species was shared
      by 11 pairs and two shared species were found in two pairs. The shared species
      were S. intermedius, E. coli, E. faecalis, A. lwoffii, P. putida and S. aureus.
      Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested in the shared species. Common
      antimicrobial resistance was found in four pairs. In one pair, shared E. faecalis
      showed identical resistance to co-trimoxazole; in another pair, S. intermedius
      was resistant to gentamycin, erythromycin, clindamycin and co-trimoxazole. The
      third resistant bacterial species was E. coli; in one pair, it showed borderline
      resistance to colistin; in the second case, it was fully resistant to this
      antimicrobial agent. The other pairs with shared bacteria did not show any common
      resistance. CONCLUSION: The study results showed that there was an association
      between closeness of the human-pet relationship and the prevalence of shared
      bacterial species. Pairs with a close relationship were 37.5 % more likely to
      share bacteria than pairs with a less close relationship. The study suggests that
      antimicrobial therapy in at least one pair member may increase the risk of shared
      bacterial resistance.

PMID- 28903169
TI  - [A rare mechanism of resistance to colistin in Escherichia coli isolated from raw
      poultry meat].
AB  - Plasmid-mediated resistance to colistin is a recently described phenomenon. The
      study reports this new type of colistin resistance in food isolates of
      Escherichia coli in the Czech Republic. Strains with phenotypically determined
      colistin resistance were studied for presence of the mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes. A
      positive finding of E. coli harboring the mcr-1 gene was confirmed in a sample of
      raw minced turkey meat imported from Poland. Two different strains of E. coli
      carrying the mcr-1 gene were detected in the same sample. This is the first
      reported case of this type of resistance in E. coli strains isolated from foods
      at retail in the Czech Republic.

PMID- 28903170
TI  - [Salmonellosis in an infant as a result of indirect contact with reptiles].
AB  - Reported is a case of enteritis caused by Salmonella Oranienburg in an
      approximately one-month-old infant due to indirect contact with reptiles. An
      epidemiological investigation included tests of faeces of bearded dragons (Pogona
      vitticeps) kept in the patient's household that revealed Salmonella Oranienburg.
      The comparison of Salmonella isolates obtained from the infant's stools and the
      reptiles' faeces using macrorestriction analysis showed 100% similarity,
      confirming that the reptiles were the source of the infection. The transfer of
      Salmonella was probably indirect through the other family members. The detection
      of rare Salmonella serotypes should -lead to inclusion of less common sources of
      infection such as reptiles into epidemiological investigations.

PMID- 28903171
TI  - [Intraabdominal infections].
AB  - Intraabdominal infections are the second most common cause of sepsis in intensive
      care units. Intraabdominal infections represent a wide variety of pathological
      conditions that involve lesions of all the intraabdominal organs. They also
      include intraperitoneal, retroperitoneal and parenchymal abscesses. The etiology
      of these infections usually includes organisms derived from the gut microbiota.
      The increasing rate of bacterial resistance is alarming. The treatment of
      intraabdominal infections is complex and involves source control and antibiotics.
      The choice of an antibiotic plays a key role and reflects the source of infection
      and its etiology.

PMID- 28903172
TI  - [Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of acute bacterial meningitis].
AB  - Acute bacterial meningitis is a severe infectious disease of the central nervous
      system. Its incidence decreases but lethality and sequelae remain high. The early
      initiation of appropriate treatment is a factor strongly determining the
      patient's prognosis. The authors submit the Czech national guideline for
      diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired acute bacterial meningitis which
      has to provide clear and simple recommendations for clinicans involved in the
      care of meningitis in adults and children. The national guideline was based on
      the European guideline published in 2016 and adapted for the situation in the
      Czech Republic. It was acknowledged (approved? ratified?) by the Society for
      Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Society for Medical Microbiology of the
      Czech Medical Association.

PMID- 28903173
TI  - Climatic and watershed controls of dissolved organic matter variation in streams
      across a gradient of agricultural land use.
AB  - Human land use has led to significant changes in the character of dissolved
      organic matter (DOM) in lotic ecosystems. These changes are expected to have
      important environmental and ecological consequences. However, high spatiotemporal
      variability has been reported in previous studies, and the underlying mechanisms
      remain inadequately understood. This study assessed variation in the properties
      of stream water DOM within watersheds across a gradient of agricultural land use
      with grazing pasture lands as the dominant agricultural type in the southeastern
      United States. We collected water samples under baseflow conditions five times
      over eight months from a regional group of first- to fourth-order streams.
      Samples were analyzed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, DOM
      quality based on absorbance and fluorescence properties, as well as DOM
      biodegradability. We found that air temperature and antecedent hydrological
      conditions (indicated by antecedent precipitation index and stream water sodium
      concentrations) positively influenced stream water DOC concentration, DOM
      fluorescence index, and the proportion of soil-derived, microbial humic
      fluorescence. This observation suggests that elevated production and release of
      microbial DOM in soils facilitated by high temperature, in conjunction with
      strong soil-stream hydrological connectivity, were important drivers for changes
      in the concentration and composition of stream water DOM. By comparison,
      watersheds with a high percentage of agricultural land use showed higher DOC
      concentration, larger proportion of soil-derived, humic-like DOM compounds, and
      higher DOC biodegradability. These observations reflect preferential mobilization
      of humic DOM compounds from shallow organic matter-rich soils in agricultural
      watersheds, likely due to enhanced soil erosion, organic matter oxidation and
      relatively shallow soil-to-stream flow paths.

PMID- 28903174
TI  - Greenhouse gases emission from the sewage draining rivers.
AB  - Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) concentration,
      saturation and fluxes in rivers (Beitang drainage river, Dagu drainage rive,
      Duliujianhe river, Yongdingxinhe river and Nanyunhe river) of Tianjin city (Haihe
      watershed) were investigated during July and October in 2014, and January and
      April in 2015 by static headspace gas chromatography method and the two-layer
      model of diffusive gas exchange. The influence of environmental variables on
      greenhouse gases (GHGs) concentration under the disturbance of anthropogenic
      activities was discussed by Spearman correlative analysis and multiple stepwise
      regression analysis. The results showed that the concentration and fluxes of CO2,
      CH4 and N2O were seasonally variable with >winter>fall>summer,
      spring>summer>winter>fall and summer>spring>winter>fall for concentrations and
      spring>summer>fall>winter, spring>summer>winter>fall and
      summer>spring>fall>winter for fluxes respectively. The GHGs concentration and
      saturation were higher in comprehensively polluted river sites and lower in
      lightly polluted river sites. The three GHGs emission fluxes in two sewage
      draining rivers of Tianjin were clearly higher than those of other rivers
      (natural rivers) and the spatial variation of CH4 was more obvious than the
      others. CO2 and N2O air-water interface emission fluxes of the sewage draining
      rivers in four seasons were about 1.20-2.41 times and 1.13-3.12 times of those in
      the natural rivers. The CH4 emission fluxes of the sewage draining rivers were
      3.09 times in fall to 10.87 times in spring of those in the natural rivers in
      different season. The wind speed, water temperature and air temperature were
      related to GHGs concentrations. Nitrate and nitrite (NO3-+NO2--N) and ammonia
      (NH4+-N) were positively correlated with CO2 concentration and CH4 concentration;
      and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was negatively correlated with CH4
      concentration and N2O concentration. The effect of human activities on carbon and
      nitrogen cycling in river is great.

PMID- 28903175
TI  - Chelant-enhanced washing of CCA-contaminated soil: Coupled with selective
      dissolution or soil stabilization.
AB  - Remediation of CCA-contaminated soil (Cr, Cu, and As) by biodegradable chelant
      enhanced washing (EDDS, S,S-ethylene-diamine-disuccinic-acid) needs further
      enhancement. This study investigated the effectiveness of coupling with pre
      treatment by selective dissolution and post-treatment by soil amendments,
      respectively. Three groups of reagents (reductants, alkaline solvents, and
      organic ligands) were adopted in the pre-treatment to dissolve the oxide minerals
      before EDDS extraction. In the post-treatment, soil amendments (coal fly ash
      (CFA), acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS), green waste compost (GWC)), and their
      mixtures) were used for a 2-month stabilization after 2-h EDDS washing. Multi
      endpoint evaluation was performed by assessing the chemical state, leachability,
      mobility, bioaccessibility, and plant-availability of residual metal(loid)s as
      well as the cytotoxicity, enzyme activities, and available nutrients of the
      treated soils. Pre-treatment by dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate significantly
      enhanced extraction efficiency, but also increased the leachability of As and Cr
      and bioaccessibility of Cr in the treated soils. While sodium hydroxide removed
      the majority of As without increasing its leachability and bioaccessibility, it
      increased the cytotoxicity and inhibited the acid phosphatase activity. Post
      treatment with AMDS and CFA effectively controlled the mobility and leachability
      of residual As and Cr after EDDS washing. However, destabilized Cu was only
      marginally immobilized by GWC due to strong Cu-EDDS complexation. The
      bioaccessibility and phytoavailability of Cu was primarily reduced by EDDS
      washing, while those of As and Cr could be attenuated by AMDS and CFA. This study
      indicates that coupling chemical extraction with subsequent soil amendment plays
      complementary roles in mitigating effects of residual metal(loid)s and improving
      environmental quality.

PMID- 28903176
TI  - Assessment of PCBs and exposure risk to infants in breast milk of primiparae and
      multiparae mothers in an electronic waste hot spot and non-hot spot areas in
      Ghana.
AB  - The aim of the study was to assess the levels of PCBs in the breast milk of some
      Ghanaian women at suspected hotspot and relatively non-hotspot areas and to find
      out if the levels of these PCBs pose any risk to the breastfed infants. A total
      of 128 individual human breast milk were sampled from both primiparae and
      multiparae mothers. The levels of PCBs in the milk samples were compared. Some of
      these mothers (105 individuals) work or reside in and around Agbogbloshie (hot
      spot), the largest electric and electronic waste dump and recycling site in
      Accra, Ghana. Others (23 donor mothers) also reside in and around Kwabenya (non
      hotspot) which is a mainly residential area without any industrial activities.
      Samples were analyzed using GC-MS/MS. The total mean levels and range of
      Sigma7PCBs were 3.64ng/glipidwt and ?LOD-29.20ng/glipidwt, respectively. Mean
      concentrations from Agbogbloshie (hot-spot area) and Kwabenya (non-hotspot areas)
      were 4.43ng/glipidwt and 0.03ng/glipidwt, respectively. PCB-28 contributed the
      highest of 29.5% of the total PCBs in the milk samples, and PCB-101 contributed
      the lowest of 1.74%. The estimated daily intake of PCBs and total PCBs
      concentrations in this work were found to be lower as compared to similar studies
      across the world. The estimated hazard quotient using Health Canada's guidelines
      threshold limit of 1MUg/kgbw/day showed no potential health risk to babies.
      However, considering minimum tolerable value of 0.03MUg/kgbw/day defined by the
      Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the values of some
      mothers were found to be at the threshold limit. This may indicate a potential
      health risk to their babies. Mothers with values at the threshold levels of the
      minimum tolerable limits are those who work or reside in and around the
      Agbogbloshie e-waste site.

PMID- 28903177
TI  - Changes in bacteria composition and efficiency of constructed wetlands under
      sustained overloads: A modeling experiment.
AB  - The average organic and hydraulic loads that Constructed Wetlands (CWs) receive
      are key parameters for their adequate long-term functioning. However, over their
      lifespan they will inevitably be subject to either episodic or sustained
      overloadings. Despite that the consequences of sustained overloading are well
      known (e.g., clogging), the threshold of overloads that these systems can
      tolerate is difficult to determine. Moreover, the mechanisms that might sustain
      the buffering capacity (i.e., the reduction of peaks in nutrient load) during
      overloads are not well understood. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect
      of sudden but sustained organic and hydraulic overloads on the general
      functioning of CWs. To that end, the mathematical model BIO_PORE was used to
      simulate five different scenarios, based on the features and operation conditions
      of a pilot CW system: a control simulation representing the average loads; 2
      simulations representing +10% and +30% sustained organic overloads; one
      simulation representing a sustained +30% hydraulic overload; and one simulation
      with sustained organic and hydraulic overloads of +15% each. Different model
      outputs (e.g., total bacterial biomass and its spatial distribution, effluent
      concentrations) were compared among different simulations to evaluate the effects
      of such operation changes. Results reveal that overloads determine a temporary
      decrease in removal efficiency before microbial biomass adapts to the new
      conditions and COD removal efficiency is recovered. Increasing organic overloads
      cause stronger temporary decreases in COD removal efficiency compared to
      increasing hydraulic loads. The pace at which clogging develops increases by 10%
      for each 10% increase on the organic load.

PMID- 28903178
TI  - The effects of beta-caryophyllene oxide and trans-nerolidol on the efficacy of
      doxorubicin in breast cancer cells and breast tumor-bearing mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One approach to improve effect of chemotherapy is combination of
      classical cytostatic drugs with natural compounds, e. g. sesquiterpenes. In our
      previous study, sesquiterpenes beta-caryophyllene oxide (CAO) and trans-nerolidol
      (NER) improved the anti-proliferative effect of doxorubicin (DOX) in intestinal
      cancer cell lines. PURPOSE: The present study was designed to evaluate the effect
      of CAO and NER on DOX efficacy, focusing on cell proliferation, migration,
      apoptosis and DOX accumulation in breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 in
      vitro and in mice bearing solid Ehrlich tumors (EST) in vivo. METHODS: The impact
      of cytotoxic effect was assessed by the neutral red uptake test. The ability to
      migrate was tested using real-time measurement in x-CELLigence system.
      Expressions of molecules were examined using western blot analysis. The
      accumulation of DOX inside the cells using time lapse microscopy was observed.
      The mice with inoculated EST cells were treated repeatedly with DOX and DOX+CAO
      or DOX+NER and the growth of tumors were monitored. DOX concentrations in plasma
      and tumor were assayed using HPLC. RESULTS: In MDA-MB-231, combination of DOX
      with CAO enhanced anti-proliferative effect and acted strongly synergistic. NER
      increased accumulation of DOX inside the cells; moreover combination DOX with NER
      suppressed migration ability in vitro. In vivo, apoptosis was activated
      especially in group treated with DOX and CAO. However, none of tested
      sesquiterpenes was able to improve DOX accumulation in tumors and DOX-mediated
      inhibition of tumor growth. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, sesquiterpenes CAO and NER
      increased the efficacy of DOX in breast cancer cells in vitro, but did not
      improve its effect in vivo, in Ehrlich solid tumor bearing mice.

PMID- 28903179
TI  - Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic-like effects of the ethanolic
      extract, fractions and Hibalactone isolated from Hydrocotyle umbellata L.
      (Acaricoba) - Araliaceae.
AB  - Hydrocotyle umbellata Linn. (Araliaceae) is specie used in the treatment of
      inflammatory diseases. Crude extract (E-HU) was prepared from H. umbellata
      subterraneous parts and fractionated by liquid-liquid partition, resulting hexane
      fraction (HF-HU), dichloromethane fraction (DF-HU), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF
      HU) and aqueous fraction (AF-HU). The hibalactone (HU-1) was isolated from the DF
      HU and its structure was elucidated by 1H NMR and 13C NMR Spectroscopy, mass
      spectrometry and crystallographic x-ray analysis. The formalin-induced
      nociception was used to evaluate antinociceptive activity; carrageenan-induced
      edema and pleurisy tests to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity and light-dark
      box to evaluate anxiolytic-like activity in mice. The acute oral treatments with
      E-HU (1000mg/kg), DF-HU (150mg/kg), EAF-HU (400mg/kg) and HU-1 (33mg/kg)
      decreased the licking time in both phases of the formalin test. In the
      carrageenan-induced inflammation models, the treatment with the same doses of E
      HU, DF-HU, EAF-HU and HU-1 reduced the paw edema formation and leukocytes account
      into pleural cavity. In silico findings suggest that hibalactone present anti
      inflammatory activity by interacting with the enzymes 5-lipoxygenase and
      cyclooxygenase-2. In the light dark box, the treatments with DF-HU, EAF-HU and HU
      1 revealed an anxiolytic like effect. Thus, the E-HU and fractions of H.
      umbellata showed antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic like
      activities, as also hibalactone, a possible phytoconstituent responsible for the
      biological effects of this specie.

PMID- 28903180
TI  - Diamine derivative anti-Trichomonas vaginalis and anti-Tritrichomonas foetus
      activities by effect on polyamine metabolism.
AB  - Human and bovine trichomoniasis are sexually transmitted diseases (STD) caused by
      Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus, respectively. Human
      trichomoniasis is the most common non-viral STD in the world and bovine
      trichomoniasis causes significant economic losses to breeders. Considering the
      significant impact of the infections caused by these protozoa and the treatment
      failures, the search for new therapeutic alternatives becomes crucial. In this
      study the effect of diamines and amino alcohols in the in vitro viability of
      trichomonads was evaluated. Screening demonstrated the high activity of diamine 4
      against these protozoa. Although cytotoxicity against HMVII cell line and slight
      hemolysis were observed in vitro, the compound showed no toxic effect on the
      Galleria mellonella in vivo model. Importantly, diamine 4 was active against both
      trichomonads species at 6h and 24h of incubation, and these effects was reverted
      by putrescine, a polyamine, suggesting competition for the same metabolic
      pathway. These findings indicate that the mechanism of action of diamine 4 is
      through the polyamine metabolism, a pathway distinct from that presented by
      metronidazole, the drug usually used to treat trichomoniasis and to which
      resistance is widely reported. These data demonstrate the importance of diamines
      as potential novel candidates as anti-T. vaginalis and anti-T. foetus agents.

PMID- 28903181
TI  - Development and characterization of hyaluronic acid modified PLGA based
      nanoparticles for improved efficacy of cisplatin in solid tumor.
AB  - Cisplatin is a potent and widely used chemotherapeutic agent to treat a variety
      of tumors. However, its clinical use is associated with undesirable side effects
      and acquired resistance to cisplatin. In this study, cisplatin loaded hyaluronic
      acid (HA) functionalized poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)-poly (ethylene glycol)
      nanoparticles (CP-HA-PLGA-PEG-NPs) were fabricated using double emulsion solvent
      evaporation method to target CD44 receptor expressed on cancerous cells. The
      developed nanoconstructs were characterized for various in vitro parameters,
      including size distribution, zeta potential, morphology, drug loading and in
      vitro release. The HA content on the HA-PLGA-PEG-NPs was quantified by a
      turbidimetric method. The in vitro anticancer study in human ovarian cancer (SKOV
      3) cells showed significantly (p<0.05) higher cytotoxicity of CP-HA-PLGA-PEG NPs
      as compared to free cisplatin and non-targeted nanoparticles (CP-PLGA-PEG NPs).
      Further, laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed that there was enhanced
      cellular uptake of HA-PLGA-PEG NPs in CD44-over expressing ovarian cancer cell
      line (SKOV-3). The in vivo antitumor activity of CP-HA-PLGA-PEG-NPs was
      significantly (p<0.05) higher than free cisplatin and CP-PLGA-PEG-NPs in Ehrlich
      tumor (solid) bearing mice. The results demonstrated the potential of target
      specific nanoconstruct of cisplatin in the improved cancer chemotherapy.

PMID- 28903182
TI  - Molecular estimation of alteration in intestinal microbial composition in
      Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients.
AB  - The gut microbiota has a crucial effect on human health and physiology.
      Hypothyroid Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disorder manifested
      with environmental and genetic factors. However, it is hypothesized that
      intestinal microbes might play a vital role in the pathogenesis of HT. The aim of
      current was to investigate and characterize the gut microbial composition of HT
      patients both quantitatively and qualitatively. The fecal samples from 29 HT
      patients and 12 healthy individuals were collected. The PCR-DGGE targeted V3 site
      of 16S rRNA gene and real time PCR for Bifidobacterium Lactobacillus, Bacteroides
      vulgatus and Clostridium leptum were performed. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene
      with V4 location was performed on 20 randomly selected samples. The comparative
      analysis of diversity and richness indices revealed diversification of gut
      microbiota in HT as compared to control. The statistical data elucidate the
      alterations in phyla of HT patients which was also affirmed at the family level.
      We observed the declined abundance of Prevotella_9 and Dialister, while elevated
      genera of the diseased group included Escherichia-Shigella and Parasutterella.
      The alteration in gut microbial configuration was also monitored at the species
      level, which showed an increased abundance of E. coli in HT. Therefore, the
      current study is in agreement with the hypothesis that HT patients have
      intestinal microbial dysbiosis. The taxa statistics at species-level along with
      each gut microbial community were modified in HT. Thus, the current study may
      offer the new insights into the treatment of HT patients, disease pathway, and
      mechanism.

PMID- 28903183
TI  - Inhibition of hemangioma growth using polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles for
      delivery of rapamycin.
AB  - Although infantile hemangiomas is benign, its rapid growth may induce serious
      complications. However, only one drug HemangeolTM has been approved by US Food
      and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat infantile hemangiomas. Thus it is
      necessary to develop novel alternative drugs to treat infantile hemangiomas.
      Rapamycin is a well-know potent antiangiogenic agent, whereas the daily oral
      administration of rapamycin exerts undesired metabolic effects due to its
      inhibition of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) which is critical in cell
      metabolism. We hereby developed rapamycin-loaded polymer-lipid hybrid
      nanoparticles (Rapamycin-PLNPs) as a local controlled release system to realize
      local and sustained release of rapamycin, aiming to reduce the side effects and
      frequency of administration of rapamycin. Rapamycin-PLNPs are of a small size
      (129.1nm), desired drug encapsulation efficiency (63.7%), and sustained drug
      release for 5 days. Rapamycin-PLNPs were shown to be able to effectively bind to
      hemangioma endothelia cells (HemECs), induce significant proliferation inhibition
      and reduce expression of angiogenesis factors in HemECs. The therapeutic effect
      of Rapamycin-PLNPs against infantile hemangioma in vivo was superior to
      rapamycin, as reflected by reduced hemangioma volume, weight and microvessel
      density. Taken together, Rapamycin-PLNPs represent a very promising local
      approach in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas.

PMID- 28903184
TI  - Dexmedetomidine exerts neuroprotective effect via the activation of the
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in rats with traumatic brain injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the neuroprotective effects of
      dexmedetomidine (Dex) in rats suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) via the
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. METHODS: A weight drop model was performed for
      TBI model establishment. A total of 150 Sprague Dawley rats were selected and
      assigned into control, sham, TBI, TBI+Dex, TBI+LY294002 (LY) and TBI+Dex+LY
      groups. Modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) was conducted in order to
      evaluate the neurological injury. The water content in brain tissues was
      measured. The expressions of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway-related proteins,
      tight junction proteins (ZO-1 and Claudin-5) and autophagy proteins (LC3 I/II and
      Beclin-1) were detected using Western blot assay. A TUNEL assay was applied for
      cell apoptosis, immunofluorescence was employed for the detection of the positive
      expression of LC3, and ELISA was applied for detection of levels of inflammatory
      factors [tumor necrosis factor-alph (TNF-a), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta),
      interferon-gamma (INF-gamma) as well as IL-6], respectively. RESULTS: Compared
      with the control group, the other four groups exhibited increased mNSS, brain
      water content, expression of LC3, TNF-a, IL-1beta, INF-gamma and IL-6, and
      positive expression of LC3, expression of LC3 I/II and Beclin-1, but decreased
      expression of pp-PI3K/t-PI3K, p-Akt/t-Akt, p-mTOR/t-mTOR, ZO-1 and Claudin-5.
      Compared with the TBI group, the TBI+Dex group exhibited reduced mNSS, brain
      water content, expression of LC3, TNF-a, IL-1beta, INF-gamma and IL-6, positive
      expression of LC3, as well as expression of LC3 I/II and Beclin-1 but
      demonstrated an elevated expression of pp-PI3K/t-PI3K, p-Akt/t-Akt, p-mTOR/t
      mTOR, ZO-1 and Claudin-5, while opposite trends were observed in the TBI+LY
      group. The TBI+Dex group exhibited reduced mNSS, brain water content, expression
      of LC3, TNF-a, IL-1beta, INF-gamma and IL-6, positive expression of LC3, as well
      as expression of LC3 I/II and Beclin-1 but demonstrated an elevated expression of
      pp-PI3K/t-PI3K, p-Akt/t-Akt, p-mTOR/t-mTOR, ZO-1 and Claudin-5, while opposite
      trends were observed in the TBI+LY group, as compared with the TBI+Dex+LY group.
      CONCLUSION: The data shows that Dex exerts a neuroprotective effect via the
      activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in rats with TBI.

PMID- 28903185
TI  - Mixed micelles for encapsulation of doxorubicin with enhanced in vitro
      cytotoxicity on breast and ovarian cancer cell lines versus Doxil(r).
AB  - Doxorubicin (DOX) is used as a "first-line" antineoplastic drug in ovarian and
      metastatic breast cancer. However, serious side effects, such as cardiotoxicity
      have been reported after DOX intravenous administration. Hence, we investigated
      different micelle-former biomaterials, as Soluplus(r), Pluronic F127, Tetronic
      T1107 and d-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) to develop
      a potential mixed micellar nanocarrier for DOX delivery. Since DOX hydrochloride
      is a poor candidate to be encapsulated inside the hydrophobic core of the mixed
      micelles, we assayed a hydrophobic complex between DOX and sodium deoxycholate
      (NaDC) as an excellent candidate to be encapsulated within polymeric micelles.
      The combination of T1107:TPGS (1:3, weight ratio) demonstrated the best
      physicochemical properties together with a high DL capacity (6.43% w/v).
      Particularly, DOX in vitro release was higher at acidic tumour microenvironment
      pH value (5.5) than at physiological counterpart (7.4). The hydrodynamic diameter
      of the DOX/NaDC-loaded mixed micellar system was 10.7nm (PDI=0.239). The in vitro
      cytotoxicity of the mixed micellar formulation resulted significantly (p<0.05)
      higher than Doxil(r) against ovarian (SKOV-3) and triple-negative breast cancer
      cells (MDA-MB- 231). Further, the in vitro cellular uptake assays demonstrated a
      significant increment (p<0.05) of the DOX intracellular content for the mixed
      micelles versus Doxil(r) for both, SKOV-3 (at 2, 4 and 6h of incubation) and MDA
      MB-231 (at 4h of incubation) cells. These findings suggest that T1107:TPGS (1:3)
      mixed micelles could be employed as a potential nanotechnological platform for
      drug delivery of DOX.

PMID- 28903186
TI  - Maslinic acid inhibits impairment of endothelial functions induced by high
      glucose in HAEC cells through improving insulin signaling and oxidative stress.
AB  - Impaired endothelial functions are closely associated with many chronic vascular
      related diseases. Maslinic acid (MA), a natural pentacyclic triterpene compound,
      has received more and more attentions in recent years due to a variety of
      bioactivities. In the present study, we investigated the effect of MA on impaired
      endothelial functions in human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) induced by high
      glucose treatment and discussed its possible mechanism. We showed that MA
      decreased the ROS level, inhibited the inflammatory cytokines expression,
      facilitated insulin-mediated IRS-1/PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling and suppressed the
      cellular apoptosis ratio induced by high glucose. The molecular docking results
      showed that MA may regulate multiple targets to improve the endothelial
      dysfunction in HAECs exposed to high glucose. These results revealed potential
      application of MA in improving endothelia dysfunction.

PMID- 28903187
TI  - COMPARATIVE PHYSIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF HYDROPHOBINS PRODUCED IN ESCHERICHIA COLI
      AND PICHIA PASTORIS.
AB  - Hydrophobins (HFBs) are small surface-active proteins secreted by filamentous
      fungi. Being amphiphilic, they spontaneously form layers that convert surfaces
      from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and vice versa. We have compared properties of
      the class II HFB4 and HFB7 from Trichoderma virens as produced in Escherichia
      coli and Pichia pastoris. Since the production in E. coli required
      denaturation/renaturation steps because of inclusion bodies, this treatment was
      also applied to HFBs produced and secreted in yeast. The protein yields for both
      systems were similar. Both HFBs produced by E. coli proved less active on PET
      compared to HFBs produced in P. pastoris. HFBs produced in E. coli decreased the
      hydrophilicity of glass the most, which correlated with the adsorption of a more
      dense protein layer on glass compared to HFBs produced in P. pastoris. The
      hydrophobins produced in P. pastoris formed highly structured monolayers. Layers
      of hydrophobins produced in E. coli were less prone to self-organization. Our
      data suggests that irrespective of the production host, the HFBs could be used in
      various applications that are based on their surface activity. However, the
      production host and the subsequent purification procedure will influence the
      stability of HFB layers. In the area of high-value biomedical devices and
      nanomaterials, where the formation of highly ordered protein monolayers is
      essential, our results point to P. pastoris as the preferred production host.
      Furthermore, the choice of an appropriate hydrophobin for a given application
      appears to be equally important.

PMID- 28903188
TI  - Hair-on-hair static friction coefficient can be determined by tying a knot.
AB  - Characterizing the tribological properties of the hair-hair interface is
      important to quantify the manageability of hair and to assess the performance of
      hair care products. Audoly et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 164301, 2007) derived an
      equation relating the self-friction coefficient of an elastic fiber to the
      dimensions of a simple, relaxed overhand knot made from this fiber. I
      experimentally tested and validated their equation using nylon thread and an
      independent measurement of its self-friction coefficient. I show that this
      methodology can be applied to provide high-throughput data on the static self
      friction coefficient of single hair fibers in various conditions and to
      quantitatively assess how hair care treatments (conditioner, relaxant) alter
      frictional properties. I find that treatment of hair with 1M sodium hydroxide
      leads to a quick, irreversible self-friction coefficient increase; the resulting
      fine frictional fibers can be used to form very small knots for microsurgical
      vessel and organ ligature in medicine or embryology. The relaxed overhand knot
      method can more generally be used to measure the self-friction coefficients of a
      wide range of elastic fibers from the nano- (e.g. proteins, nanotubes) to the
      macro-scale (e.g. textile fiber, fiberglass).

PMID- 28903190
TI  - The Relative Performance of NDIR-based Sensors in the Near Real-time Analysis of
      CO2 in Air.
AB  - In this study, the reliability of NDIR-based sensors was explored by
      evaluatingthe comparability between measurement systems in the near real-time
      analysis of CO2. Forthis purpose, replicate analyses were performed using sensors
      of two different model types(H-550 and B-530, ELT Company, Korea). Three
      replicate data of each sensor typecollected continuously by side-by-side analysis
      in three second intervals (a duration of 304hour) were evaluated for the relative
      performance of NDIR sensors. The reproducibility ofsensors, when assessed by
      relative standard error (RSE %) values of all sensor units,showed moderate
      changes with time with the overall mean of 2.33%. When CO2measurements from all
      NDIR sensor units were evaluated by correlation analysis, theresults showed
      strong comparability, regardless of the model type. The overall results ofthis
      study suggest that NDIR sensors are reliable enough to produce highly
      comparabledata at least in a relative sense.

PMID- 28903191
TI  - High Resolution Marine Magnetic Survey of Shallow Water Littoral Area.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to present a system developed for detection
      andaccurate mapping of ferro-metallic objects buried below the seabed in shallow
      waters. Thesystem comprises a precise magnetic gradiometer and navigation
      subsystem, both installedon a non-magnetic catamaran towed by a low-magnetic
      interfering boat. In addition wepresent the results of a marine survey of a near
      shore area in the vicinity of Atlit, a townsituated on the Mediterranean coast of
      Israel, about 15 km south of Haifa. The primarypurpose of the survey was to
      search for a Harvard airplane that crashed into the sea in 1960.A magnetic map of
      the survey area (3.5 km2 on a 0.5 m grid) was created revealing theanomalies at
      sub-meter accuracy. For each investigated target location a correspondingferro
      metallic item was dug out, one of which turned to be very similar to a part of
      thecrashed airplane. The accuracy of location was confirmed by matching the
      position of theactual dug artifacts with the magnetic map within a range of +/- 1
      m, in a water depth of 9 m.

PMID- 28903189
TI  - Mechanosensor Channels in Mammalian Somatosensory Neurons.
AB  - Mechanoreceptive sensory neurons innervating the skin, skeletal muscles
      andviscera signal both innocuous and noxious information necessary for
      proprioception, touchand pain. These neurons are responsible for the transduction
      of mechanical stimuli intoaction potentials that propagate to the central nervous
      system. The ability of these cells todetect mechanical stimuli impinging on them
      relies on the presence of mechanosensitivechannels that transduce the external
      mechanical forces into electrical and chemical signals.Although a great deal of
      information regarding the molecular and biophysical properties ofmechanosensitive
      channels in prokaryotes has been accumulated over the past two decades,less is
      known about the mechanosensitive channels necessary for proprioception and
      thesenses of touch and pain. This review summarizes the most pertinent data
      onmechanosensitive channels of mammalian somatosensory neurons, focusing on
      theirproperties, pharmacology and putative identity.

PMID- 28903192
TI  - Modeling of Photoinduced Deformation in Silicon Microcantilever.
AB  - A model for prediction the photostriction effect in silicon microcantilevers is
      built up based on the fundamentals of mechanics and semiconductor physics. By
      considering the spatial distribution and surface recombination of photoinduced
      carriers in silicon, the model interprets the cause of the photoinduced bending.
      The results from our model much more closely approximate the experimental values
      than the former model built up by Datskos, Rajic and Datskou [1](APL, Vol.73
      (1998) No.16, pp 3219-2321), represented by the reduction of the error between
      calculation and measurement from 25 times to 0.85 times.

PMID- 28903193
TI  - Reliability of a MEMS Actuator Improved by Spring Corner Designs and Reshaped
      Driving Waveforms.
AB  - In this paper, we report spring corner designs and driving waveforms to improve
      the reliability for a MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) actuator. In order
      to prevent the stiction problems, no stopper or damping absorber is adopted.
      Therefore, an actuator could travel long distance by electromagnetic force
      without any object in moving path to absorb excess momentum. Due to long
      displacement and large mass, springs of MEMS actuators tend to crack from weak
      points with high stress concentration and this situation degrades reliability
      performance. Stress distribution over different spring designs were simulated and
      a serpentine spring with circular and wide corner design was chosen due to its
      low stress concentration. This design has smaller stress concentration versus
      displacement. Furthermore, the resonant frequencies are removed from the driving
      waveform based on the analysis of discrete Fourier transfer function. The
      reshaped waveform not only shortens actuator switching time, but also ensures
      that the spring is in a small displacement region without overshooting so that
      the maximum stress is kept below 200 MPa. The experimental results show that the
      MEMS device designed by theses principles can survive 500 g (gravity
      acceleration) shock test and pass 150 million switching cycles without failure.

PMID- 28903194
TI  - Cross-Reactive Sensor Array for Metal Ion Sensing Based on Fluorescent SAMs.
AB  - Fluorescent self assembled monolayers (SAMs) on glass were previouslydeveloped in
      our group as new sensing materials for metal ions. These fluorescent SAMs
      arecomprised by fluorophores and small molecules sequentially deposited on a
      monolayer onglass. The preorganization provided by the surface avoids the need
      for complex receptordesign, allowing for a combinatorial approach to sensing
      systems based on small molecules.Now we show the fabrication of an effective
      microarray for the screening of metal ions andthe properties of the sensing SAMs.
      A collection of fluorescent sensing SAMs wasgenerated by combinatorial methods
      and immobilized on the glass surfaces of a custom-made 140 well microtiter-plate.
      The resulting libraries are easily measured and show variedresponses to a series
      cations such as Cu2+ , Co2+ , Pb2+ , Ca2+ and Zn2+ . These surfaces are
      notdesigned to complex selectively a unique analyte but rather they are intended
      to producefingerprint type responses to a range of analytes by less specific
      interactions. The unselectiveresponses of the library to the presence of
      different cations generate a characteristic patternfor each analyte, a "finger
      print" response.

PMID- 28903195
TI  - A Wireless, Passive Sensor for Quantifying Packaged Food Quality.
AB  - This paper describes the fabrication of a wireless, passive sensor based on
      aninductive-capacitive resonant circuit, and its application for in situ
      monitoring of thequality of dry, packaged food such as cereals, and fried and
      baked snacks. The sensor ismade of a planar inductor and capacitor printed on a
      paper substrate. To monitor foodquality, the sensor is embedded inside the food
      package by adhering it to the package'sinner wall; its response is remotely
      detected through a coil connected to a sensor reader. Asfood quality degrades due
      to increasing humidity inside the package, the paper substrateabsorbs water
      vapor, changing the capacitor's capacitance and the sensor's resonantfrequency.
      Therefore, the taste quality of the packaged food can be indirectly determined
      bymeasuring the change in the sensor's resonant frequency. The novelty of this
      sensortechnology is its wireless and passive nature, which allows in situ
      determination of foodquality. In addition, the simple fabrication process and
      inexpensive sensor material ensure alow sensor cost, thus making this technology
      economically viable.

PMID- 28903196
TI  - Study of the origin of bending induced by bimetallic effect on microcantilever.
AB  - An analytical model for predicting the deflection and force of a
      bimaterialcantilever is presented. We introduce the clamping effect characterised
      by an axial loadupon temperature changes. This new approach predicts a non linear
      thermal dependence ofcantilever strain. A profilometry technique was used to
      measure the thermal strain.Comparison with experimental results is used to verify
      the model. The concordance of theanalytical model presented with experimental
      measurements is better than 10.

PMID- 28903197
TI  - Time Series Forecasting Energy-efficient Organization of Wireless Sensor
      Networks.
AB  - Due to their wide potential applications, wireless sensor networks have
      recentlyreceived tremendous attention. The strict energy constraints of sensor
      nodes result in thegreat challenges for energy efficiency. This paper
      investigates the energy efficiency problemand proposes an energy-efficient
      organization method with time series forecasting. Theorganization of wireless
      sensor networks is formulated for target tracking. Target model,multi-sensor
      model and energy model are defined accordingly. For the target
      trackingapplication, target localization is achieved by collaborative sensing
      with multi-sensor fusion.The historical localization results are utilized for
      adaptive target trajectory forecasting.Empirical mode decomposition is
      implemented to extract the inherent variation modes in thetime series of a target
      trajectory. Future target position is derived from autoregressivemoving average
      (ARMA) models, which forecast the decomposition components,respectively.
      Moreover, the energy-efficient organization method is presented to enhance
      theenergy efficiency of wireless sensor networks. The sensor nodes implement
      sensing tasksaccording to the probability awakening in a distributed manner. When
      the sensor nodestransfer their observations to achieve data fusion, the routing
      scheme is obtained by antcolony optimization. Thus, both the operation and
      communication energy consumption canbe minimized. Experimental results verify
      that the combination of the ARMA model andempirical mode decomposition can
      estimate the target position efficiently and energy savingis achieved by the
      proposed organization method in wireless sensor networks.

PMID- 28903198
TI  - Energy-efficient Optimization of Reorganization-Enabled Wireless Sensor Networks.
AB  - This paper studies the target tracking problem in wireless sensor networkswhere
      sensor nodes are deployed randomly. To achieve tracking accuracy constrained
      byenergy consumption, an energy-efficient optimization approach that
      enablesreorganization of wireless sensor networks is proposed. The approach
      includes threephases which are related to prediction, localization and recovery,
      respectively. A particlefilter algorithm is implemented on the sink node to
      forecast the future movement of thetarget in the first prediction phase. Upon the
      completion of this phase, the most energyefficient sensor nodes are awakened to
      collaboratively locate the target. Energy efficiencyis evaluated by the ratio of
      mutual information to energy consumption. The recoveryphase is needed to improve
      the robustness of the approach. It is performed when thetarget is missed because
      of the incorrect predicted target location. In order to recapture thetarget by
      awakening additional sensor nodes as few as possible, a genetic-algorithm
      basedmechanism is introduced to cover the recovery area. We show that the
      proposed approachhas excellent tracking performance. Moreover, it can efficiently
      reduce energyconsumption, prolong network lifetime and reduce network overheads.

PMID- 28903199
TI  - Multi-scale Analysis of MEMS Sensors Subject to Drop Impacts.
AB  - The effect of accidental drops on MEMS sensors are examined within the frame-work
      of a multi-scale finite element approach. With specific reference to a
      polysilicon MEMSaccelerometer supported by a naked die, the analysis is decoupled
      into macro-scale (at dielength-scale) and meso-scale (at MEMS length-scale)
      simulations, accounting for the verysmall inertial contribution of the sensor to
      the overall dynamics of the device. Macro-scaleanalyses are adopted to get
      insights into the link between shock waves caused by the impactagainst a target
      surface and propagating inside the die, and the displacement/acceleration his
      tories at the MEMS anchor points. Meso-scale analyses are adopted to detect the
      most stresseddetails of the sensor and to assess whether the impact can lead to
      possible localized failures.Numerical results show that the acceleration at
      sensor anchors cannot be considered an ob-jective indicator for drop severity.
      Instead, accurate analyses at sensor level are necessary toestablish how MEMS can
      fail because of drops.

PMID- 28903200
TI  - Measurement of the Mass and Rigidity of Adsorbates on a Microcantilever Sensor.
AB  - When microcantilevers are used in the dynamic mode, the resonance shift
      uponmaterial adsorption depends on the position of the adsorbate along the
      microcantilever. Wehave previously described that the adsorbate stiffness needs
      to be considered in addition toits mass in order to correctly interpret the
      resonance shift. Here we describe a method thatallows obtaining the Young's
      modulus of the adsorbed bacteria derived from themeasurement of the frequency
      shift when adsorbates are placed close to the clampingregion. As a model system
      we have used E. Coli bacteria deposited on the cantileversurface by the ink-jet
      technique. We demonstrate that the correct information aboutadsorbed mass can be
      extracted by recording the cantilever profile and its resonanceresponse. Also,
      the position and extent of adsorbates is determined by recording
      themicrocantilever profile. We use a theoretical model based on the Euler -
      Bernouilliequation for a beam with both mass and flexural rigidity local increase
      due to the depositedmaterial.

PMID- 28903201
TI  - A Compact Laboratory Spectro-Goniometer (CLabSpeG) to Assess the BRDF of
      Materials. Presentation, Calibration and Implementation on Fagus sylvatica L.
      Leaves.
AB  - The design and calibration of a new hyperspectral Compact Laboratory Spectro
      Goniometer (CLabSpeG) is presented. CLabSpeG effectively measures the
      bidirectionalreflectance Factor (BRF) of a sample, using a halogen light source
      and an AnalyticalSpectral Devices (ASD) spectroradiometer. The apparatus collects
      4356 reflectance datareadings covering the spectrum from 350 nm to 2500 nm by
      independent positioning of thesensor, sample holder, and light source. It has an
      azimuth and zenith resolution of 30 and15 degrees, respectively. CLabSpeG is used
      to collect BRF data and extract BidirectionalReflectance Distribution Function
      (BRDF) data of non-isotropic vegetation elements suchas bark, soil, and leaves.
      Accurate calibration has ensured robust geometric accuracy of theapparatus,
      correction for the conicality of the light source, while sufficient
      radiometricstability and repeatability between measurements are obtained. The
      bidirectionalreflectance data collection is automated and remotely controlled and
      takes approximatelytwo and half hours for a BRF measurement cycle over a full
      hemisphere with 125 cmradius and 2.4 minutes for a single BRF acquisition. A
      specific protocol for vegetative leafcollection and measurement was established
      in order to investigate the possibility to extractBRDF values from Fagus
      sylvatica L. leaves under laboratory conditions. Drying leafeffects induce a
      reflectance change during the BRF measurements due to the laboratorySensors 2007,
      7 1847 illumination source. Therefore, the full hemisphere could not be covered
      with one leaf. Instead 12 BRF measurements per leaf were acquired covering all
      azimuth positions for a single light source zenith position. Data are collected
      in radiance format and reflectance is calculated by dividing the leaf cycle
      measurement with a radiance cycle of a Spectralon reference panel, multiplied by
      a Spectralon reflectance correction factor and a factor to correct for the
      conical effect of the light source. BRF results of measured leaves are presented.

PMID- 28903203
TI  - The Investigation of a Shape Memory Alloy Micro-Damper for MEMS Applications.
AB  - Some shape memory alloys like NiTi show noticeable high damping property
      inpseudoelastic range. Due to its unique characteristics, a NiTi alloy is
      commonly used forpassive damping applications, in which the energy may be
      dissipated by the conversion frommechanical to thermal energy. This study
      presents a shape memory alloy based micro-damper, which exploits the
      pseudoelasticity of NiTi wires for energy dissipation. Themechanical model and
      functional principle of the micro-damper are explained in detail.Moreover, the
      mechanical behavior of NiTi wires subjected to various temperatures, strainrates
      and strain amplitudes is observed. Resulting from those experimental results,
      thedamping properties of the micro-damper involving secant stiffness, energy
      dissipation andloss factor are analyzed. The result indicates the proposed NiTi
      based micro-damper exhibitsgood energy dissipation ability, compared with
      conventional materials damper.

PMID- 28903202
TI  - Electrodeposited and Sol-gel Precipitated p-type SrTi1-xFexO3-delta
      Semiconductors for Gas Sensing.
AB  - In the present contribution, three methods for the preparation of nanoscaledSrTi1
      xFexO3-delta sensor films for hydrocarbon sensing were investigated. Besides
      screen-printed thick films based on sol-precipitated nanopowders, two novel
      synthesis methods,electrospinning and electrospraying, were tested successfully.
      All of these sensor devicesshowed improved sensor functionality in comparison to
      conventional microscaled thickfilms. In order to explain the impact of the
      enhanced surface-to-volume ratio on sensorproperties in a quantitative way, a
      mechanistic model was applied to micro- and nanoscaleddevices. In contrast to the
      conventional diffusion-reaction model that has been proposed forn-type
      semiconducting sensors, it contained novel approaches with respect to
      themicroscopic mechanism. With very few fit variables, the present model was
      found torepresent well sensor functionality of p-type conducting SrTi0.8Fe0.2O3
      delta films. In additionto the temperature dependency of the sensor response, the
      effect of the specific surface areaon the sensor response was predicted.

PMID- 28903204
TI  - Hybrid Integrated Silicon Microfluidic Platform for Fluorescence Based
      Biodetection.
AB  - The desideratum to develop a fully integrated Lab-on-a-chip device capable
      ofrapid specimen detection for high throughput in-situ biomedical diagnoses and
      Point-of-Care testing applications has called for the integration of some of the
      novel technologiessuch as the microfluidics, microphotonics, immunoproteomics and
      Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS). In the present work, a silicon based
      microfluidic device hasbeen developed for carrying out fluorescence based
      immunoassay. By hybrid attachment ofthe microfluidic device with a Spectrometer
      on-chip, the feasibility of synthesizing anintegrated Lab-on-a-chip type device
      for fluorescence based biosensing has beendemonstrated. Biodetection using the
      microfluidic device has been carried out usingantigen sheep IgG and Alexafluor
      647 tagged antibody particles and the experimentalresults prove that silicon is a
      compatible material for the present application given thevarious advantages it
      offers such as cost-effectiveness, ease of bulk microfabrication,superior surface
      affinity to biomolecules, ease of disposability of the device etc., and is
      thussuitable for fabricating Lab-on-a-chip type devices.

PMID- 28903205
TI  - Wetland Restoration Response Analysis using MODIS and Groundwater Data.
AB  - Vegetation cover and groundwater level changes over the period of restorationare
      the two most important indicators of the level of success in wetland
      ecohydrologicalrestoration. As a result of the regular presence of water and
      dense vegetation, the highestevapotranspiration (latent heat) rates usually occur
      within wetlands. Vegetation cover andevapotranspiration of large areas of
      restoration like that of Kissimmee River basin, SouthFlorida will be best
      estimated using remote sensing technique than point measurements.Kissimmee River
      basin has been the area of ecological restoration for some years. Thecurrent
      ecohydrological restoration activities were evaluated through fractional
      vegetationcover (FVC) changes and latent heat flux using Moderate Resolution
      ImagingSpectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Groundwater level data were also analyzed
      for selectedeight groundwater monitoring wells in the basin. Results have shown
      that the averagefractional vegetation cover and latent heat along 10 km buffer of
      Kissimmee River betweenLake Kissimmee and Lake Okeechobee was higher in 2004 than
      in 2000. It is evident thatover the 5-year period of time, vegetated and areas
      covered with wetlands have increasedsignificantly especially along the
      restoration corridor. Analysis of groundwater level data(2000-2004) from eight
      monitoring wells showed that, the average monthly level ofgroundwater was
      increased by 20 cm and 34 cm between 2000 and 2004, and 2000 and2003,
      respectively. This change was more evident for wells along the river.

PMID- 28903206
TI  - The Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer AVIS: Design,
      Characterization and Calibration.
AB  - The Airborne Visible / Infrared imaging Spectrometer AVIS is a
      hyperspectralimager designed for environmental monitoring purposes. The sensor,
      which wasconstructed entirely from commercially available components, has been
      successfullydeployed during several experiments between 1999 and 2007. We
      describe the instrumentdesign and present the results of laboratory
      characterization and calibration of the system'ssecond generation, AVIS-2, which
      is currently being operated. The processing of the datais described and examples
      of remote sensing reflectance data are presented.

PMID- 28903207
TI  - Development of a Surface Plasmon Resonance n-dodecane Vapor Sensor.
AB  - Using a high density polyethylene thin film over gold layer, a Surface
      PlasmonResonance sensor for detecting n-dodecane vapor is developed. Preliminary
      results will bepresented, showing that samples in the range of a few hundred
      ppm(V) of n-dodecanevapor in butane gas can be sensed. Also, studying the
      response as a function of time, it isdemonstrated that the sensing process is
      quickly reversible.

PMID- 28903208
TI  - Global Distribution and Density of Constructed Impervious Surfaces.
AB  - We present the first global inventory of the spatial distribution and density
      ofconstructed impervious surface area (ISA). Examples of ISA include roads,
      parking lots,buildings, driveways, sidewalks and other manmade surfaces. While
      high spatialresolution is required to observe these features, the new product
      reports the estimateddensity of ISA on a one-km2 grid based on two coarse
      resolution indicators of ISA - thebrightness of satellite observed nighttime
      lights and population count. The model wascalibrated using 30-meter resolution
      ISA of the USA from the U.S. Geological Survey.Nominally the product is for the
      years 2000-01 since both the nighttime lights andreference data are from those
      two years. We found that 1.05% of the United States landarea is impervious
      surface (83,337 km2) and 0.43 % of the world's land surface (579,703km2) is
      constructed impervious surface. China has more ISA than any other country(87,182
      km2), but has only 67 m2 of ISA per person, compared to 297 m2 per person in
      theUSA. The distribution of ISA in the world's primary drainage basins indicates
      that watersheds damaged by ISA are primarily concentrated in the USA, Europe,
      Japan, China and India. The authors believe the next step for improving the
      product is to include reference ISA data from many more areas around the world.

PMID- 28903209
TI  - Models of Hydrogel Swelling with Applications to Hydration Sensing.
AB  - Hydrogels, polymers and various other composite materials may be used insensing
      applications in which the swelling or de-swelling of the material in response
      tosome analyte is converted via a transducer to a measurable signal. In this
      paper, we analyzemodels used to predict the swelling behavior of hydrogels that
      may be used in applicationsrelated to hydration monitoring in humans. Preliminary
      experimental data related toosmolality changes in fluids is presented to compare
      to the theoretical models. Overall,good experimental agreement with the models is
      achieved.

PMID- 28903210
TI  - Integrated Love Wave Device Dedicated to Biomolecular Interactions Measurements
      in Aqueous Media.
AB  - Mass-sensitive electro-acoustic devices such as surface acoustic wave (SAW)micro
      balances, capable to operate with aqueous media are particularly favorable for
      thedevelopment of biosensors. Their dimensions and physical properties offer a
      large potentialin biological fluid investigations, especially for measuring
      physical phenomenon (massdeposition, adsorption, pressure...). In this work, we
      propose a specific gratingconfiguration to lower the influence of viscosity of
      fluids which reduces the signal dynamicsof the surface wave transducers. A
      dedicated liquid cell also has been developed to isolatethe electro-active part
      of the device. The fabrication of the cell is achieved using theSU-8TMphoto
      resist, allowing for manufacturing thick structures preventing any contact
      between thetested liquids and the transducers. Furthermore, the sensing area has
      been optimized tooptimize the sensor gravimetric sensitivity. The operation of
      the sensor is illustrated bydetecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption in
      the sensing area.

PMID- 28903211
TI  - Development of Standardization and Management System for the Severity of Unpaved
      Test Courses.
AB  - The vibration environment essentially accompanied by vehicle operation on
      theground is determined by the shape of road surface, which is called as profile.
      This paperfocuses on the development of profile measurement and severity analysis
      system forunpaved test courses. In general, the profile and severity of unpaved
      road is an importantissue in the reliability of endurance test. In order to
      measure and maintain unpaved roadprofile and severity, it is necessary to develop
      a profilometer system. The developedprofilometer system is composed of data
      processing computer, power unit, air compressorand sensors(encoder, vertical gyro
      and laser displacement). This study presents themeasuring system configuration,
      measurement principle of road profile and analysismethod of road characteristics
      used at CPG (Chang-won Proving Ground) for this purpose.In order to standardize
      and manage the severity of unpaved test courses, neural network isapplied.

PMID- 28903212
TI  - A Wetness Index Using Terrain-Corrected Surface Temperature and Normalized
      Difference Vegetation Index Derived from Standard MODIS Products: An Evaluation
      of Its Use in a Humid Forest-Dominated Region of Eastern Canada.
AB  - In this paper we develop a method to estimate land-surface water content in
      amostly forest-dominated (humid) and topographically-varied region of eastern
      Canada. Theapproach is centered on a temperature-vegetation wetness index (TVWI)
      that uses standard 8-day MODIS-based image composites of land surface temperature
      (TS) and surface reflectanceas primary input. In an attempt to improve estimates
      of TVWI in high elevation areas, terrain-induced variations in TS are removed by
      applying grid, digital elevation model-basedcalculations of vertical atmospheric
      pressure to calculations of surface potential temperature(thetaS). Here, thetaS
      corrects TS to the temperature value to what it would be at mean sea level
      (i.e.,~101.3 kPa) in a neutral atmosphere. The vegetation component of the TVWI
      uses 8-daycomposites of surface reflectance in the calculation of normalized
      difference vegetation index(NDVI) values. TVWI and corresponding wet and dry
      edges are based on an interpretation ofscatterplots generated by plotting thetaS
      as a function of NDVI. A comparison of spatially-averaged field measurements of
      volumetric soil water content (VSWC) and TVWI for the 2003-2005 period revealed
      that variation with time to both was similar in magnitudes. Growing season, point
      mean measurements of VSWC and TVWI were 31.0% and 28.8% for 2003, 28.6% and 29.4%
      for 2004, and 40.0% and 38.4% for 2005, respectively. An evaluation of the long
      term spatial distribution of land-surface wetness generated with the new thetaS
      NDVI function and a process-based model of soil water content showed a strong
      relationship (i.e., r2 = 95.7%).

PMID- 28903213
TI  - Investigation on Clarified Fruit Juice Composition by Using Visible Light Micro
      Raman Spectroscopy.
AB  - Liquid samples of clarified apple and apricot juices at different
      productionstages were investigated using visible light micro-Raman spectroscopy
      in order to assessits potential in monitoring fruit juice production. As is well
      known, pectin plays a strategicrole in the production of clarified juice and the
      possibility of using Raman for its detectionduring production was therefore
      evaluated. The data analysis has enabled the clearidentification of pectin. In
      particular, Raman spectra of apple juice samples from washedand crushed fruits
      revealed a peak at 845 cm-1 (typical of pectin) which disappears in theRaman
      spectra of depectinised samples. The fructose content was also revealed by
      thepresence of four peaks at 823 cm-1, 872 cm-1, 918 cm-1 and 975 cm-1. In the
      case of apricotjuice, several Raman fingerprints of beta-carotene at 1008, 1159
      and 1520 cm-1 were alsohighlighted. Present results resulted interesting for the
      exclusive use of optical methods forthe quantitative determination of the above
      mentioned substances in place of thebiochemical assays generally used for this
      purpose, which are time consuming and requiredifferent chemical reagents for each
      of them.

PMID- 28903214
TI  - Quantitative Boundary Support Characterization for Cantilever MEMS.
AB  - Microfabrication limitations are of concern especially for suspended Micro
      Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) microstructures such as cantilevers. The static
      anddynamic qualities of such microscale devices are directly related to the
      invariant and variantproperties of the microsystem. Among the invariant
      properties, microfabrication limitationscan be quantified only after the
      fabrication of the device through testing. However, MEMSare batch fabricated in
      large numbers where individual testing is neither possible nor costeffective.
      Hence, a suitable test algorithm needs to be developed where the test
      resultsobtained for a few devices can be applied to the whole fabrication batch,
      and also to thefoundry process in general. In this regard, this paper proposes a
      method to test MEMScantilevers under variant electro-thermal influences in order
      to quantify the effectiveboundary support condition obtained for a foundry
      process. A non-contact optical sensingapproach is employed for the dynamic
      testing. The Rayleigh-Ritz energy method usingboundary characteristic orthogonal
      polynomials is employed for the modeling andtheoretical analysis.

PMID- 28903215
TI  - Determination of DPPH Radical Oxidation Caused by Methanolic Extracts of Some
      Microalgal Species by Linear Regression Analysis of Spectrophotometric
      Measurements.
AB  - The demonstrated modified spectrophotometric method makes use of the 2,2-diphenyl
      1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and its specific absorbance properties.
      Theabsorbance decreases when the radical is reduced by antioxidants. In contrast
      to otherinvestigations, the absorbance was measured at a wavelength of 550 nm.
      This wavelengthenabled the measurements of the stable free DPPH radical without
      interference frommicroalgal pigments. This approach was applied to methanolic
      microalgae extracts for twodifferent DPPH concentrations. The changes in
      absorbance measured vs. the concentrationof the methanolic extract resulted in
      curves with a linear decrease ending in a saturationregion. Linear regression
      analysis of the linear part of DPPH reduction versus extractconcentration enabled
      the determination of the microalgae's methanolic extractsantioxidative potentials
      which was independent to the employed DPPH concentrations. Theresulting slopes
      showed significant differences (6 - 34 MUmol DPPH g-1 extractconcentration)
      between the single different species of microalgae (Anabaena sp.,Isochrysis
      galbana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Porphyridium purpureum, Synechocystissp.
      PCC6803) in their ability to reduce the DPPH radical. The independency of the
      signal on the DPPH concentration is a valuable advantage over the determination
      of the EC50 value.

PMID- 28903216
TI  - Synthesis, Characterization and Metal Ion Detection of Novel Fluoroionophores
      Based on Heterocyclic Substituted Alanines.
AB  - The synthesis of new fluorescent probes containing the thiophene andbenzoxazole
      moieties combined with an alanine residue is described. The resulting
      highlyfluorescent heterocyclic alanine derivatives respond via a quenching
      effect, withparamagnetic Cu(II) and Ni(II) metal ions and with diamagnetic
      Hg(II), as shown by theabsorption and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy
      studies. The formation ofmononuclear or dinuclear metal complexes was postulated
      based on the presence of thefree carboxylic acid as binding site and also with
      the interaction with the donor atoms inthe chromophore. Interaction with other
      important biological metal ions such as Zn(II),Ca(II) and Na(I) was also
      explored.

PMID- 28903217
TI  - Modeling Forest Productivity Using Envisat MERIS Data.
AB  - The aim of this study was to derive land cover products with a 300-m
      pixelresolution of Envisat MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) to
      quantify netprimary productivity (NPP) of conifer forests of Taurus Mountain
      range along the EasternMediterranean coast of Turkey. The Carnegie-Ames-Stanford
      approach (CASA) was usedto predict annual and monthly regional NPP as modified by
      temperature, precipitation,solar radiation, soil texture, fractional tree cover,
      land cover type, and normalizeddifference vegetation index (NDVI). Fractional
      tree cover was estimated using continuoustraining data and multi-temporal metrics
      of 47 Envisat MERIS images of March 2003 toSeptember 2005 and was derived by
      aggregating tree cover estimates made from high-resolution IKONOS imagery to
      coarser Landsat ETM imagery. A regression tree algorithmwas used to estimate
      response variables of fractional tree cover based on the multi-temporal metrics.
      This study showed that Envisat MERIS data yield a greater spatial detailin the
      quantification of NPP over a topographically complex terrain at the regional
      scalethan those used at the global scale such as AVHRR.

PMID- 28903218
TI  - Improving Estimation Performance in Networked Control Systems Applying the Send
      on-delta Transmission Method.
AB  - This paper is concerned with improving performance of a state estimationproblem
      over a network in which a send-on-delta (SOD) transmission method is used. TheSOD
      method requires that a sensor node transmit data to the estimator node only if
      itsmeasurement value changes more than a given specified delta value. This method
      has beenexplored and applied by researchers because of its efficiency in the
      network bandwidthimprovement. However, when this method is used, it is not
      ensured that the estimator nodereceives data from the sensor nodes regularly at
      every estimation period. Therefore, wepropose a method to reduce estimation error
      in case of no sensor data reception. When theestimator node does not receive data
      from the sensor node, the sensor value is known to bein a (-deltai , deltai )
      interval from the last transmitted sensor value. This implicit information
      hasbeen used to improve estimation performance in previous studies. The main
      contribution ofthis paper is to propose an algorithm, where the sensor value
      interval is reduced to(-deltai / 2, deltai / 2) in certain situations. Thus, the
      proposed algorithm improves the overallestimation performance without any changes
      in the send-on-delta algorithms of the sensornodes. Through numerical
      simulations, we demonstrate the feasibility and the usefulness ofthe proposed
      method.

PMID- 28903219
TI  - Physical-Mechanical Properties of Nitrodopes Affected by Ultra-Violet Radiation.
AB  - The FTIR spectroscopy has been employed in this research work to monitor
      theprocess of nitrodope photodegradation, by measuring surfaces of bands typical
      of a nitrogroup. Nitric esters are subject to degradation, which is reflected on
      a quantitative ratio ofthe surfaces of the IR bands that originate from the
      nitric ester. The obtained results showthat the length of the UV rays' activity
      on the samples over the time periods of 240, 480and 960 minutes directly affects
      the spectrum appearance of the same sample before andafter the irradiation. The
      longer the action time of the UV rays and the higher a masspercentage of
      nitrocellulose in the nitrodope is, the smaller the bands' surfaces become,
      i.e.the level of degradation is higher. In order to confirm the degradation of
      nitrodope, thedegree of crosslinking has also been examined by determining the
      Konig hardness and alsothe mean viscosity molar mass has been defined repeatedly
      applying the capillaryviscosimetry method.

PMID- 28903220
TI  - Wireless Sensor/Actuator Network Design for Mobile Control Applications.
AB  - Wireless sensor/actuator networks (WSANs) are emerging as a new generationof
      sensor networks. Serving as the backbone of control applications, WSANs will
      enablean unprecedented degree of distributed and mobile control. However, the
      unreliability ofwireless communications and the real-time requirements of control
      applications raise greatchallenges for WSAN design. With emphasis on the
      reliability issue, this paper presents anapplication-level design methodology for
      WSANs in mobile control applications. Thesolution is generic in that it is
      independent of the underlying platforms, environment,control system models, and
      controller design. To capture the link quality characteristics interms of packet
      loss rate, experiments are conducted on a real WSAN system. From theexperimental
      observations, a simple yet efficient method is proposed to deal withunpredictable
      packet loss on actuator nodes. Trace-based simulations give promisingresults,
      which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

PMID- 28903221
TI  - Magnetostrictive Micro Mirrors for an Optical Switch Matrix.
AB  - We have developed a wireless-controlled compact optical switch by
      siliconmicromachining techniques with DC magnetron sputtering. For the optical
      switchingoperation, micro mirror is designed as cantilever shape size of
      5mm*800MUm*50MUm.TbDyFe film is sputter-deposited on the upper side of the mirror
      with the condition as: Argas pressure below 1.2*10-9 torr, DC input power of 180W
      and heating temperature of up to250 degrees C for the wireless control of each
      component. Mirrors are actuated by externallyapplied magnetic fields for the
      micro application. Applied beam path can be changedaccording to the direction and
      the magnitude of applied magnetic field. Reflectivity changes,M-H curves and X
      ray diffractions of sputtered mirrors are measured to determine magneto-optical,
      magneto-elastic properties with variation in sputtered film thickness. The
      deflectedangle-magnetic field characteristics of the fabricated mirror are
      measured.

PMID- 28903222
TI  - High-rise Buildings versus Outdoor Thermal Environment in Chongqing.
AB  - This paper gives a brief description of the over quick urbanization
      sinceChongqing, one of the biggest cities in China, has been a municipality
      directly under theCentral Government in 1997, excessive development and exceeding
      increase of high-risebuildings because of its special geographical position which
      finally leads to the worseningof the urban outdoor thermal environment. Then,
      this paper makes a bright balance to thefield measurement and simulated results
      of the wind speed field, temperature field of onemultifunctional high-rise
      building in Chongqing university located in the city center, andthe contrasted
      results validate the correctness of CFD in the outdoor thermal
      environmentalsimulation, expose the disadvantages of high-rise buildings on the
      aspects of blocking thewind field, decreasing wind speed which results in
      accumulation of the air-conditioningheat revolving around and periscian region
      where sunshine can not rip into. Finally, inorder to improve the urban outdoor
      thermal environment near the high-rise buildingsespecially for the angle of
      natural ventilation, this paper simulates the wind environment indifferent
      architectural compositions and architectural layouts by CFD, and the
      simulatedresults show that freestyle and tower buildings which can guarantee the
      wind speed andtake the air-conditioning heat away are much suitable and
      reasonable for the specialChongqing geography. These conclusions can also be used
      as a reference in othermountain cities, especially for the one with a great
      number of populations.

PMID- 28903223
TI  - Multi-agent Negotiation Mechanisms for Statistical Target Classification in
      Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks.
AB  - The recent availability of low cost and miniaturized hardware has allowedwireless
      sensor networks (WSNs) to retrieve audio and video data in real
      worldapplications, which has fostered the development of wireless multimedia
      sensor networks(WMSNs). Resource constraints and challenging multimedia data
      volume makedevelopment of efficient algorithms to perform in-network processing
      of multimediacontents imperative. This paper proposes solving problems in the
      domain of WMSNs fromthe perspective of multi-agent systems. The multi-agent
      framework enables flexible networkconfiguration and efficient collaborative in
      network processing. The focus is placed ontarget classification in WMSNs where
      audio information is retrieved by microphones. Todeal with the uncertainties
      related to audio information retrieval, the statistical approachesof power
      spectral density estimates, principal component analysis and Gaussian
      processclassification are employed. A multi-agent negotiation mechanism is
      specially developed toefficiently utilize limited resources and simultaneously
      enhance classification accuracy andreliability. The negotiation is composed of
      two phases, where an auction based approach isfirst exploited to allocate the
      classification task among the agents and then individual agentdecisions are
      combined by the committee decision mechanism. Simulation experiments withreal
      world data are conducted and the results show that the proposed statistical
      approachesand negotiation mechanism not only reduce memory and computation requi.

PMID- 28903224
TI  - An Optical Biosensor based on Immobilization of Laccase and MBTH in Stacked Films
      for the Detection of Catechol.
AB  - The fabrication of an optical biosensor by using stacked films where 3-methyl-2
      benzothiazolinone hydrazone (MBTH) was immobilized in a hybrid nafion/sol
      gelsilicate film and laccase in a chitosan film for the detection of phenolic
      compounds wasdescribed. Quinone and/or phenoxy radical product from the enzymatic
      oxidation ofphenolic compounds was allowed to couple with MBTH to form a colored
      azo-dye productfor spectrophometric detection. The biosensor demonstrated a
      linear response to catecholconcentration range of 0.5-8.0 mM with detection limit
      of 0.33 mM and response time of10 min. The reproducibility of the fabricated
      biosensor was good with RSD value of 5.3 %(n = 8) and stable for at least 2
      months. The use of the hybrid materials of nafion/sol-gelsilicate to immobilize
      laccase has altered the selectivity of the enzyme to various phenoliccompounds
      such as catechol, guaicol, o-cresol and m-cresol when compared to the non
      immobilized enzyme. When immobilized in this hybrid film, the biosensor response
      onlyto catechol and not other phenolic compounds investigated. Immobilization in
      this hybridmaterial has enable the biosensor to be more selective to catechol
      compared with the non-immobilized enzyme. This shows that by a careful selection
      of different immobilizationmatrices, the selectivity of an enzyme can be modified
      to yield a biosensor with goodselectivity towards certain targeted analytes.

PMID- 28903225
TI  - A Urea Biosensor from Stacked Sol-Gel Films with Immobilized Nile Blue
      Chromoionophore and Urease Enzyme.
AB  - An optical urea biosensor was fabricated by stacking several layers of sol
      gelfilms. The stacking of the sol-gel films allowed the immobilization of a Nile
      Bluechromoionophore (ETH 5294) and urease enzyme separately without the need of
      anychemical attachment procedure. The absorbance response of the biosensor was
      monitoredat 550 nm, i.e. the deprotonation of the chromoionophore. This multi
      layer sol-gel filmformat enabled higher enzyme loading in the biosensor to be
      achieved. The urea opticalbiosensor constructed from three layers of sol-gel
      films that contained urease demonstrateda much wider linear response range of up
      to 100 mM urea when compared with biosensorsthat constructed from 1-2 layers of
      films. Analysis of urea in urine samples with thisoptical urea biosensor yielded
      results similar to that determined by a spectrophotometricmethod using the
      reagent p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (R2 = 0.982, n = 6). The averagerecovery of
      urea from urine samples using this urea biosensor is approximately 103%.

PMID- 28903226
TI  - Enhancement of BSA Binding on Au Surfaces by calix[4]bisazacrown Monolayer.
AB  - Effective investigation of biomolecular structure and function with chip
      basedmodern instruments often requires reliable and steady attachment of
      designatedbiomolecules on substrate. Here, we investigated the formation of self
      assembled monolayer(SAM) with a new calix[4]arene derivative containing
      bisazacrown ether at the lower rim(calix[4]bisazacrown) where ammonium moieties
      of proteins can mainly be interacted with.Immobilization process of protein using
      bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the Au surfacemodified with calix[4]bisazacrown
      monolyer as an artificial linker system was monitored bysurface plasmon resonance
      (SPR) technique. The surface concentration of BSA calculatedby the simulation of
      SPR experimental data was higher than that of a well-known similarcommercial
      protein linker. These results can help in modeling and understanding of
      proteinimmobilization on solid surface as well as further development lab-on-a
      chip (LOC) devicesfor biomedical diagnosis kit of certain protein related
      diseases as biomarkers.

PMID- 28903227
TI  - Modeling Potential Distribution and Carbon Dynamics of Natural Terrestrial
      Ecosystems: A Case Study of Turkey.
AB  - We derived a simple model that relates the classification of biogeoclimatezones,
      (co)existence and fractional coverage of plant functional types (PFTs), and
      patternsof ecosystem carbon (C) stocks to long-term average values of
      biogeoclimatic indices in atime- and space-varying fashion from climate
      vegetation equilibrium models. ProposedDynamic Ecosystem Classification and
      Productivity (DECP) model is based on the spatialinterpolation of annual
      biogeoclimatic variables through multiple linear regression (MLR)models and
      inverse distance weighting (IDW) and was applied to the entire Turkey of780,595
      km2 on a 500 m x 500 m grid resolution. Estimated total net primary
      production(TNPP) values of mutually exclusive PFTs ranged from 108 26 to 891 207
      Tg C yr-1under the optimal conditions and from 16 7 to 58 23 Tg C yr-1 under the
      growth-limiting conditions for all the natural ecosystems in Turkey. Total NPP
      values ofcoexisting PFTs ranged from 178 36 to 1231 253 Tg C yr-1 under the
      optimalconditions and from 23 8 to 92 31 Tg C yr-1 under the growth-limiting
      conditions. Thenational steady state soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in the
      surface one meter of soil wasestimated to range from 7.5 1.8 to 36.7 7.8 Pg C yr
      1 under the optimal conditions andfrom 1.3 0.7 to 5.8 2.6 Pg C yr-1 under the
      limiting conditions, with the national range of 1.3 to 36.7 Pg C elucidating 0.1%
      and 2.8% of the global SOC value (1272.4 Pg C), respectively. Our comparisons
      with literature compilations indicate that estimated patterns of biogeoclimate
      zones, PFTs, TNPP and SOC storage by the DECP model agree reasonably well with
      measurements from field and remotely sensed data.

PMID- 28903228
TI  - Impact of Climate Change on Irrigation Demand and Crop Growth in a Mediterranean
      Environment of Turkey.
AB  - A simulation study was carried out to describe effects of climate change on
      cropgrowth and irrigation water demand for a wheat-maize cropping sequence in
      aMediterranean environment of Turkey. Climate change scenarios were projected
      using dataof the three general circulation models-GCMs (CGCM2, ECHAM4 and MRI)
      for theperiod of 1990 to 2100 and one regional climate model-RCM-for the period
      of 2070 to2079. Potential impacts of climate change based on GCMs data were
      estimated for the A2scenario in the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES).
      The forcing data for theboundary condition of the RCM were given by the MRI
      model. Daily CGCM2 and RCMdata were used for computations of water balance and
      crop development. Predictionsderived from the models about changes in irrigation
      and crop growth in this study coveredthe period of 2070 to 2079 relative to the
      baseline period of 1994 to 2003. The effects ofclimate change on water demand and
      on wheat and maize yields were predicted using thedetailed crop growth subroutine
      of the SWAP (Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant) model. Precipitation was projected to
      decrease by about 163, 163 and 105 mm during the periodof 1990 to 2100 under the
      A2 scenario of the CGCM2, ECHAM4 and MRI models,respectively. The CGCM2, ECHAM4
      and MRI models projected a temperature rise of 4.3,5.3 and 3.1 oC, respectively
      by 2100. An increase in temperature may result in a higherevaporative demand of
      the atmosphere. However, actual evapotranspiration (ETa) fromwheat cropland under
      a doubling CO2 concentration for the period of 2070 to 2079 wasSensors 2007, 7
      2298 predicted to decrease by about 28 and 8% relative to the baseline period
      based on the CGCM2 and RCM data, respectively. According to these models,
      irrigation demand by wheat would be higher for the same period due to a decrease
      in precipitation. Both ETa and irrigation water for maize cropland were projected
      to decrease by 24 and 15% according to the CGCM2, and 28 and 22% according to the
      RCM, respectively. The temperature rise accelerated crop development but
      shortened the growing period by 24 days for wheat and 9 days for maize according
      to the CGCM2 data. The shortened growth duration with a higher temperature
      reduced the biomass accumulation of both crops regardless of CO2-fertilization
      effect. With the combined effect of CO2-fertilization and increased temperature,
      the CGCM2 and RCM projections resulted in an increase by 16 and 36% in grain
      yield of wheat and a decrease by about 25% and an increase by 3% in maize yield,
      respectively.

PMID- 28903229
TI  - Non-invasive Optical Biosensor for Probing Cell Signaling.
AB  - Cell signaling mediated through a cellular target is encoded by spatial
      andtemporal dynamics of downstream signaling networks. The coupling of temporal
      dynamicswith spatial gradients of signaling activities guides cellular responses
      upon stimulation.Monitoring the integration of cell signaling in real time, if
      realized, would provide a newdimension for understanding cell biology and
      physiology. Optical biosensors includingresonant waveguide grating (RWG)
      biosensor manifest a physiologically relevant andintegrated cellular response
      related to dynamic redistribution of cellular matters, thusproviding a non
      invasive means for cell signaling study. This paper reviews recentprogresses in
      biosensor instrumentation, and theoretical considerations and
      potentialapplications of optical biosensors for whole cell sensing.

PMID- 28903230
TI  - Effect of Estimated Daily Global Solar Radiation Data on the Results of Crop
      Growth Models.
AB  - The results of previous studies have suggested that estimated daily
      globalradiation (RG) values contain an error that could compromise the precision
      of subsequentcrop model applications. The following study presents a detailed
      site and spatial analysis ofthe RG error propagation in CERES and WOFOST crop
      growth models in Central Europeanclimate conditions. The research was conducted
      i) at the eight individual sites in Austria andthe Czech Republic where measured
      daily RG values were available as a reference, withseven methods for RG
      estimation being tested, and ii) for the agricultural areas of the CzechRepublic
      using daily data from 52 weather stations, with five RG estimation methods. In
      thelatter case the RG values estimated from the hours of sunshine using the
      angstrom-Prescottformula were used as the standard method because of the lack of
      measured RG data. At thesite level we found that even the use of methods based on
      hours of sunshine, which showedthe lowest bias in RG estimates, led to a
      significant distortion of the key crop model outputs.When the angstrom-Prescott
      method was used to estimate RG, for example, deviationsgreater than +/-10 per
      cent in winter wheat and spring barley yields were noted in 5 to 6 percent of
      cases. The precision of the yield estimates and other crop model outputs was
      lowerwhen RG estimates based on the diurnal temperature range and cloud cover
      were used (mean bias error 2.0 to 4.1 per cent). The methods for estimating RG
      from the diurnal temperature range produced a wheat yield bias of more than 25
      per cent in 12 to 16 per cent of the seasons. Such uncertainty in the crop model
      outputs makes the reliability of any seasonal yield forecasts or climate change
      impact assessments questionable if they are based on this type of data. The
      spatial assessment of the RG data uncertainty propagation over the winter wheat
      yields also revealed significant differences within the study area. We found that
      RG estimates based on diurnal temperature range or its combination with daily
      total precipitation produced a bias of to 30 per cent in the mean winter wheat
      grain yields in some regions compared with simulations in which RG values had
      been estimated using the angstrom-Prescott formula. In contrast to the results at
      the individual sites, the methods based on the diurnal temperature range in
      combination with daily precipitation totals showed significantly poorer
      performance than the methods based on the diurnal temperature range only. This
      was due to the marked increase in the bias in RG estimates with altitude,
      longitude or latitude of given region. These findings in our view should act as
      an incentive for further research to develop more precise and generally
      applicable methods for estimating daily RG based more on the underlying physical
      principles and/or the remote sensing approach.

PMID- 28903231
TI  - An Electronic Measurement Instrumentation of the Impedance of a Loaded Fuel Cell
      or Battery.
AB  - In this paper we present an inexpensive electronic measurement
      instrumentationdeveloped in our laboratory, to measure and plot the impedance of
      a loaded fuel cell orbattery. Impedance measurements were taken by using the load
      modulation method. Thisinstrumentation has been developed around a VXI system
      stand which controls electroniccards. Software under Hpvee(r) was developed for
      automatic measurements and the layout ofthe impedance of the fuel cell on load.
      The measurement environment, like the ambienttemperature, the fuel cell
      temperature, the level of the hydrogen, etc..., were taken withseveral sensors
      that enable us to control the measurement. To filter the noise and theinfluence
      of the 50Hz, we have implemented a synchronous detection which filters in a
      verynarrow way around the useful signal. The theoretical result obtained by a
      simulation underPspice(r) of the method used consolidates the choice of this
      method and the possibility ofobtaining correct and exploitable results. The
      experimental results are preliminary results ona 12V vehicle battery, having an
      inrush current of 330A and a capacity of 40Ah (impedancemeasurements on a fuel
      cell are in progress, and will be the subject of a forthcoming paper).The results
      were plotted at various nominal voltages of the battery (12.7V, 10V, 8V and
      5V)and with two imposed currents (0.6A and 4A). The Nyquist diagram resulting
      from theexperimental data enable us to show an influence of the load of the
      battery on its internalimpedance. The similitude in the graph form and in order
      of magnitude of the valuesobtained (both theoretical and practical) enables us to
      validate our electronic measurementinstrumentation. One of the future uses for
      this instrumentation is to integrate it with several control sensors, on a
      vehicle as an embedded system to monitor the degradation of fuel cell membranes.

PMID- 28903232
TI  - Development of QCM Trimethylamine Sensor Based on Water Soluble Polyaniline.
AB  - A rapid, sensitive, low-cost device to detect trimethylamine was presented in
      thispaper. The preparation of water soluble polyaniline was firstly studied. Then
      the polyanilinewas characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      (FTIR), UV-visiblespectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Based on
      the water solublepolyaniline film, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor for
      trimethylamine detectionwas fabricated and its characteristics were examined. The
      sensor consisted of one quartzcrystal oscillator coated with the polyaniline film
      for sensing and the other one forreference. Pretreated with trimethylamine, the
      QCM sensor had an excellent linearsensitivity to trimethylamine. Easily recovered
      by N2 purgation, the response of the sensorexhibited a good repeatability.
      Responses of the sensor to trimethylamine, ethanol and ethylacetate were
      compared, and the results showed that the response was related to the polarityof
      the analyte vapor. Experimental result also showed that the sensitivity of the
      sensor wasrelatively stable within one month. The simple and feasible method to
      prepare and coat thepolyaniline sensing film makes it promising for mass
      production.

PMID- 28903233
TI  - A MEMS-based Air Flow Sensor with a Free-standing Micro-cantilever Structure.
AB  - This paper presents a micro-scale air flow sensor based on a free
      standingcantilever structure. In the fabrication process, MEMS techniques are
      used to deposit asilicon nitride layer on a silicon wafer. A platinum layer is
      deposited on the silicon nitridelayer to form a piezoresistor, and the resulting
      structure is then etched to create afreestanding micro-cantilever. When an air
      flow passes over the surface of the cantileverbeam, the beam deflects in the
      downward direction, resulting in a small variation in theresistance of the
      piezoelectric layer. The air flow velocity is determined by measuring thechange
      in resistance using an external LCR meter. The experimental results indicate that
      theflow sensor has a high sensitivity (0.0284 omega/ms-1), a high velocity
      measurement limit (45ms-1) and a rapid response time (0.53 s).

PMID- 28903234
TI  - Utilizing of Square Wave Voltammetry to Detect Flavonoids in the Presence of
      Human Urine.
AB  - About biological affecting of flavonoids on animal organisms is known less,thus
      we selected flavonoids, flavanones and flavones, and their glycosides, which
      wereexamined as potential inducers of cytochrome(s) P450 when administrated by
      gavages intoexperimental male rats. The study was focused on induction of CYP1A1,
      the majorcytochrome P450 involved in carcinogen activation. The data obtained
      demonstrate thenecessity of taking into account not only ability of flavonoids to
      bind to Ah receptor(induction factor) but also to concentrate on their
      distribution and metabolism (includingcolon microflora) in the body. After that
      we examined certain flavonoids as potential inducers of cytochrome P450, we
      wanted to suggest and optimize suitable electrochemical technique for
      determination of selected flavonoids (quercetin, quercitrin, rutin, chrysin and
      diosmin) in body liquids. For these purposes, we selected square wave voltannetry
      using carbon paste electrode. Primarily we aimed on investigation of their basic
      electrochemical behaviour. After that we have optimized frequency, step potential
      and supporting electrolyte. Based on the results obtained, we selected the most
      suitable conditions for determination of the flavonoids as follows: frequency 180
      Hz, step potential 1.95 mV/s and phosphate buffer of pH 7 as supporting
      electrolyte. Detection limits (3 S/N) of the flavonoids were from units to tens
      of nM except diosmin, where the limit were higher than MUM. In addition, we
      attempted to suggest a sensor for analysis of flavonoids in urine. It clearly
      follows from the results obtained that flavonoids can be analysed in the presence
      of animal urine, because urine did not influence much the signals of flavonoids
      (recoveries of the signals were about 90 %).

PMID- 28903235
TI  - Shapes of Differential Pulse Voltammograms and Level of Metallothionein at
      Different Animal Species.
AB  - Metallothioneins play a key role in maintaining homeostasis of essential
      metalsand in protecting of cells against metal toxicity as well as oxidative
      damaging. Exceptinghumans, blood levels of metallothionein have not yet been
      reported from any animalspecies. Blood plasma samples of 9 animal species were
      analysed by the adsorptive transferstripping technique to obtain species specific
      voltammograms. Quite distinct records wereobtained from the Takin (Budorcas
      taxicolor), while other interesting records were observedin samples from the
      European Bison (Bison bonasus bonasus) and the Red-eared Slider(Trachemys scripta
      elegans). To quantify metallothionein the catalytic peak Cat2 was used,well
      developed in the Domestic Fowl (Gallus gallus f. domestica) and showing a very
      lowsignal in the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus). The highest levels of metallothionein
      reachingover 20 MUM were found in the Domestic Fowl. High levels of MT were also
      found in theBearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) and the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus
      lupus). The lowestvalues of about 1-3 MUM were determined in the Red-eared
      Slider, Takin and Red Deer. Employing a simple electrochemical detection it was
      possible to examine variation in blood metallothionein in different species of
      vertebrates.

PMID- 28903236
TI  - Planar Array Sensor for High-speed Component Distribution Imaging in Fluid Flow
      Applications.
AB  - A novel planar array sensor based on electrical conductivity measurements
      ispresented which may be applied to visualize surface fluid distributions. The
      sensor ismanufactured using printed-circuit board fabrication technology and
      comprises of 64 x 64interdigital sensing structures. An associated electronics
      measures the electricalconductivity of the fluid over each individual sensing
      structure in a multiplexed manner byapplying a bipolar excitation voltage and by
      measuring the electrical current flowing from adriver electrode to a sensing
      electrode. After interrogating all sensing structures, a two-dimensional image of
      the conductivity distribution over a surface is obtained which in turnrepresents
      fluid distributions over sensor's surface. The employed electronics can acquire
      upto 2500 frames per second thus being able to monitor fast transient phenomena.
      The systemhas been evaluated regarding measurement accuracy and depth
      sensitivity. Furthermore, theapplication of the sensor in the investigation of
      two different flow applications is presented.

PMID- 28903237
TI  - Electrochemical Sensor for Tryptophan Determination Based on Copper-cobalt
      Hexacyanoferrate Film Modified Graphite Electrode.
AB  - In this work, the development of a tryptophan sensor and its application to
      milkare described. The mixed metal (copper and cobalt) hexacynoferrates are
      electrodepositedon the graphite electrode, and this film exhibits an
      electrocatalytic activity towards for theoxidation of tryptophan. The
      experimental conditions, including the scan cycles, the ratio ofcopper(II) and
      cobalt(II), pH value, applied potential, are investigated in detail. At
      theoptimal conditions, the eletctrocatalytic response is a linear relationship
      with theconcentration of tryptophan in the range of 10 MUM and 900 MUM, with a
      detection limit ofabout 6 MUM. This modified electrode was also successfully used
      to detect the tryptophanconcentration in milk.

PMID- 28903238
TI  - Operational Mapping of Soil Moisture Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Data:
      Application to the Touch Basin (France).
AB  - Soil moisture is a key parameter in different environmental applications, suchas
      hydrology and natural risk assessment. In this paper, surface soil moisture
      mappingwas carried out over a basin in France using satellite synthetic aperture
      radar (SAR)images acquired in 2006 and 2007 by C-band (5.3 GHz) sensors. The
      comparisonbetween soil moisture estimated from SAR data and in situ measurements
      shows goodagreement, with a mapping accuracy better than 3%. This result shows
      that themonitoring of soil moisture from SAR images is possible in operational
      phase. Moreover,moistures simulated by the operational Meteo-France ISBA soil
      vegetation-atmospheretransfer model in the SIM-Safran-ISBA-Modcou chain were
      compared to radar moistureestimates to validate its pertinence. The difference
      between ISBA simulations and radarestimates fluctuates between 0.4 and 10%
      (RMSE). The comparison between ISBA andgravimetric measurements of the 12 March
      2007 shows a RMSE of about 6%. Generally,these results are very encouraging.
      Results show also that the soil moisture estimatedfrom SAR images is not
      correlated with the textural units defined in the European Soil Geographical
      Database (SGDBE) at 1:1000000 scale. However, dependence was observed between
      texture maps and ISBA moisture. This dependence is induced by the use of the
      texture map as an input parameter in the ISBA model. Even if this parameter is
      very important for soil moisture estimations, radar results shown that the
      textural map scale at 1:1000000 is not appropriate to differentiate moistures
      zones.

PMID- 28903239
TI  - D-galactose/D-glucose-binding Protein from Escherichia coli as Probe for a Non
      consuming Glucose Implantable Fluorescence Biosensor.
AB  - D-Galactose/D-glucose-binding protein from E. coli (GGBP) is a monomer thatbinds
      glucose with high affinity. The protein structure of GGBP is organized in
      twoprincipal domains linked by a hinge region that form the sugar-binding site.
      In this workwe show that the mutant form of GGBP at the amino acid position 182
      can be utilized as aprobe for the development of a non-consuming analyte
      fluorescence biosensor to monitorthe glucose level in diabetes health care.

PMID- 28903240
TI  - Refractive Index Measurement within a Photonic Crystal Fibre Based on Short
      Wavelength Diffraction.
AB  - A new class of refractive index sensors using solid core photonic crystal fibres
      isdemonstrated. Coherent scattering at the cladding lattice is used to optically
      characterizematerials inserted into the fibre holes. The liquid to solid phase
      transition of water uponfreezing to ice 1h is characterized by determining the
      refractive index.

PMID- 28903241
TI  - Formation and Fluorimetric Characterization of Micelles in a Micro-flow Through
      System with Static Micro Mixer.
AB  - The formation and behaviour of micelles of sodium dodecylsulfate in water byuse
      of a static micro mixer were studied. Trisbipyridylruthenium(II) was applied
      asindicator dye, 9-methylanthracene was used for fluorescence quenching. All
      experimentswere carried out by a micro fluid arrangement with three syringe
      pumps, a 2 1 two-stepstatic micro mixer (IPHT Jena) and a on-line micro
      fluorimetry including a luminescencediode for excitation, a blue glass filter (BG
      7, Linos), two edge filters (RG 630, Linos) anda photo counting module (MP 900,
      Perkin Elmer). It was possible to measure thefluorescence inside the PTFE tube
      (inner diameter 0.5 mm) directly. A linear dependenceof fluorescence intensity
      from dye concentration was observed in absence of quencher andsurfactant as
      expected. An aggregation number of about 62 was found in the flow raterange
      between 300 and 800 MUL/min. The fluorescence intensity increases slightly,
      butsignificant with increasing flow rate, if no quencher is present. In the
      presence of quencher,the fluorescence intensity decreases with decreasing
      surfactant concentration and withenhanced flow rate. The strength of the flow
      rate effect on the fluorescence increases withdecreasing surfactant
      concentration. The size of micelles was determined in micro channelsby the micro
      fluorimetric method in analogy to the conventional system. The micellesextract
      the quencher from the solution and lower, this way, the quenching effect. The
      sizeof micelles was estimated and it could be shown, that the flow rate has only
      low effect onthe aggregation number at the investigated flow rates. The effect of
      flow rate andsurfactant concentration on the fluorescence in the presence of
      quencher was interpreted asa shift in the micelle concentration due to the shear
      forces. It is expected, that thefluorescence intensity is lowered, if more
      quencher molecules are molecular disperse distributed inside the solution.
      Obviously, the lowered fluorescence intensity at higher flow rates suggests a
      reduction of the micelle density causing an increase of quencher concentration
      outside the micelles.

PMID- 28903242
TI  - Electrochemical Detection of a Dengue-related Oligonucleotide Sequence Using
      Ferrocenium as a Hybridization Indicator.
AB  - A simple method for electrochemical detection of a synthetic 20-bpoligonucleotide
      sequence related with dengue virus genome was developed. Acomplimentary DNA probe
      sequence was electrostatically immobilized onto a glassycarbon electrode modified
      with chitosan. Electrochemical detection of hybridizationbetween probe and target
      was performed by cyclic voltammetry, using ferrocene (Fc ) as ahybridization
      label. After hybridization, the peak current response of Fc oxidationincreased
      around 26%. A higher voltammetric decay rate constant (kd) and a lower half
      lifeperiod (t1/2) for the interaction of Fc with dsDNA compared to those with
      ssDNAquantitatively characterize the different strengths of interaction with both
      types of DNA.By combining the simplicity of DNA immobilization onto a chitosan
      film and suitablevoltammetric detection of hybridization concomitant with
      ferrocene attachment, a gooddiscrimination between ssDNA and dsDNA was obtained.

PMID- 28903243
TI  - Sub-pixel Area Calculation Methods for Estimating Irrigated Areas.
AB  - The goal of this paper was to develop and demonstrate practical methods
      forcomputing sub-pixel areas (SPAs) from coarse-resolution satellite sensor data.
      Themethods were tested and verified using: (a) global irrigated area map (GIAM)
      at 10-kmresolution based, primarily, on AVHRR data, and (b) irrigated area map
      for India at 500-mbased, primarily, on MODIS data. The sub-pixel irrigated areas
      (SPIAs) from coarse-resolution satellite sensor data were estimated by
      multiplying the full pixel irrigated areas(FPIAs) with irrigated area fractions
      (IAFs). Three methods were presented for IAFcomputation: (a) Google Earth
      Estimate (IAF-GEE); (b) High resolution imagery (IAF-HRI); and (c) Sub-pixel de
      composition technique (IAF-SPDT). The IAF-GEE involvedthe use of "zoom-in-views"
      of sub-meter to 4-meter very high resolution imagery (VHRI)from Google Earth and
      helped determine total area available for irrigation (TAAI) or netirrigated areas
      that does not consider intensity or seasonality of irrigation. The IAF-HRI isa
      well known method that uses finer-resolution data to determine SPAs of the
      coarser-resolution imagery. The IAF-SPDT is a unique and innovative method
      wherein SPAs aredetermined based on the precise location of every pixel of a
      class in 2-dimensionalbrightness-greenness-wetness (BGW) feature-space plot of
      red band versus near-infraredband spectral reflectivity. The SPIAs computed using
      IAF-SPDT for the GIAM was within2 % of the SPIA computed using well known IAF
      HRI. Further the fractions from the 2 methods were significantly correlated. The
      IAF-HRI and IAF-SPDT help to determine annualized or gross irrigated areas (AIA)
      that does consider intensity or seasonality (e.g., sum of areas from season 1,
      season 2, and continuous year-round crops). The national census based irrigated
      areas for the top 40 irrigated nations (which covers about 90% of global
      irrigation) was significantly better related (and had lesser uncertainties and
      errors) when compared to SPIAs than FPIAs derived using 10-km and 500-m data. The
      SPIAs were closer to actual areas whereas FPIAs grossly over-estimate areas. The
      research clearly demonstrated the value and the importance of sub-pixel areas as
      opposed to full pixel areas and presented 3 innovative methods for computing the
      same.

PMID- 28903244
TI  - SU-8 Guiding Layer for Love Wave Devices.
AB  - SU-8 is a technologically important photoresist used extensively for
      thefabrication of microfluidics and MEMS, allowing high aspect ratio structures
      to beproduced. In this work we report the use of SU-8 as a Love wave sensor
      guiding layerwhich allows the possibility of integrating a guiding layer with
      flow cell during fabrication.Devices were fabricated on ST-cut quartz substrates
      with a single-single finger design suchthat a surface skimming bulk wave (SSBW)
      at 97.4 MHz was excited. SU-8 polymer layerswere successively built up by spin
      coating and spectra recorded at each stage; showing afrequency decrease with
      increasing guiding layer thickness. The insertion loss andfrequency dependence as
      a function of guiding layer thickness was investigated over thefirst Love wave
      mode. Mass loading sensitivity of the resultant Love wave devices wasinvestigated
      by deposition of multiple gold layers. Liquid sensing using these devices wasalso
      demonstrated; water-glycerol mixtures were used to demonstrate sensing of density
      viscosity and the physical adsorption and removal of protein was also assessed
      usingalbumin and fibrinogen as model proteins.

PMID- 28903245
TI  - Flexible Time-Triggered Sampling in Smart Sensor-Based Wireless Control Systems.
AB  - Wireless control systems (WCSs) often have to operate in dynamic
      environmentswhere the network traffic load may vary unpredictably over time. The
      sampling in sensors isconventionally time triggered with fixed periods. In this
      context, only worse-than-possiblequality of control (QoC) can be achieved when
      the network is underloaded, whileoverloaded conditions may significantly degrade
      the QoC, even causing system instability.This is particularly true when the
      bandwidth of the wireless network is limited and sharedby multiple control loops.
      To address these problems, a flexible time-triggered samplingscheme is presented
      in this work. Smart sensors are used to facilitate dynamic adjustment ofsampling
      periods, which enhances the flexibility and resource efficiency of the system
      basedon time-triggered sampling. Feedback control technology is exploited for
      adapting samplingperiods in a periodic manner. The deadline miss ratio in each
      control loop is maintainedat/around a desired level, regardless of workload
      variations. Simulation results show that theproposed sampling scheme is able to
      deal with dynamic and unpredictable variations innetwork traffic load. Compared
      to conventional time-triggered sampling, it leads to muchbetter QoC in WCSs
      operating in dynamic environments.

PMID- 28903246
TI  - Mapping and Assessment of Degraded Land in the Heihe River Basin, Arid
      Northwestern China.
AB  - Land degradation is a great threat in the Heihe River Basin, located in the
      aridinland of northwestern China and land desertification is one of the main
      aspects ofenvironmental changes in this basin. Previous studies have focused on
      water resourceutilization and soil erosion, but the status of degraded land in
      the Heihe River Basin, suchas its distribution, extent and precise
      characteristics is often inadequately known. Based onfield observations and TM
      images from the year 2003, this study provides classificationand evaluation
      information concerning the degraded land in the basin of the Heihe River.There
      are five types of degraded land types in the Heihe River Basin: water eroded in
      thesouthern mountains, sandified and vegetation degraded near the oases, aridized
      in the lowreaches, and salinized in the lowlands. The total degraded area covers
      29,355.5 km2,22.58% of the land in the study area. Finally, degraded land in the
      Heihe River Basin wasevaluated according to changes in the physical structure and
      chemical components of soils,land productivity, secondary soil salt, and water
      conditions.

PMID- 28903247
TI  - Determining Position Inside Non-industrial Buildings Using Ultrasound
      Transducers.
AB  - The position determination inside a building where no GPS signal is beingreceived
      can be ascertained using laser transmitters in industrial situations where there
      areno people or using triangulation of the signal strength, normally electro
      magnetic signals,if the required accuracy is more than a metre. Our solution is
      aimed at situations wherepeople are present and where the required accuracy is
      less than 30 cm, such as in shoppingprecincts or supermarkets. To achieve this, a
      network of ultrasonic transmitters is fittedinto the ceiling which receives a
      synchronised time signal. Each transmitter has a uniqueidentifier code and emits
      its code with a delay with respect to the common time signalwhich is proportional
      to its code number with an ASK modulation over the ultrasonic bandcentred on 40
      KHz. The receivers circulating beneath the transmitters receive the codes ofthose
      within their detection range, translate the time delays into distances and then
      obtaintheir position by triangulation since the receivers know the position of
      every transmitter.Since the receivers are not synchronised with the common time
      signal or the actual speedof the sound, whose value varies appreciably with
      temperature, relative humidity andatmospheric pressure, a consecutive
      approximation algorithm has been introduced. This isbased on the fact that the Z
      coordinator of the receiver is known and constant and thus it is possible, with
      only three different identifiers received, to deduce the phase of the common time
      signal and estimate the speed of the sound with a fourth identifier.

PMID- 28903248
TI  - Biochemical Markers for Assessing Aquatic Contamination.
AB  - Biochemical markers, specifically enzymes of the first phase of xenobiotic
      transformation - cytochrome P450 and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) - were
      used to determine the quantities of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in fish
      muscle (PCB, HCB, HCH, OCS, DDT). Eight rivers were monitored (Orlice, Chrudimka,
      Cidlina, Jizera, Vltava, Ohre and Bilina; and the River Blanice was used as a
      control). The indicator species selected was the chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.).
      There were no significant differences in cytochrome P450 content between the
      locations monitored. The highest concentration of cytochrome P450 in fish liver
      was in the Vltava (0.241 nmol mg-1 protein), and the lowest was in the Orlice
      (0.120 nmol mg-1 protein). Analysis of EROD activity showed a significant
      difference between the Blanice and the Vltava (P< 0.05), and also between the
      Orlice and the Vltava (P< 0.01), the Orlice and the Bilina (P< 0.01), and the
      Orlice and the Ohre (P< 0.05). The highest EROD activity in fish liver was in the
      Vltava (576.4 pmol min-1 mg-1 protein), and the lowest was in the Orlice (63.05
      pmol min-1 mg-1 protein). In individual locations, results of chemical monitoring
      and values of biochemical markers were compared. A significant correlation (P<
      0.05) was found between biochemical markers and OCS, and PCB. Among the
      tributaries studied those that contaminated the Elbe most were the Vltava and the
      Bilina. These tributaries should not be considered the main sources of industrial
      contamination of the River Elbe, because the most important contamination sources
      were along the river Elbe itself.

PMID- 28903249
TI  - Glucose Determination by Means of Steady-state and Time-course UV Fluorescence in
      Free or Immobilized Glucose Oxidase.
AB  - Changes in steady-state UV fluorescence emission from free or immobilizedglucose
      oxidase have been investigated as a function of glucose concentration.Immobilized
      GOD has been obtained by entrapment into a gelatine membrane. Changes insteady
      state UV fluorescence have been quantitatively characterized by means
      ofoptokinetic parameters and their values have been compared with those
      previouslyobtained for FAD fluorescence in the visible range. The results
      confirmed that greatercalibration ranges are obtained from UV signals both for
      free and immobilized GOD inrespect to those obtained under visible fluorescence
      excitation. An alternative method tothe use UV fluorescence for glucose
      determination has been investigated by using timecourse measurements for
      monitoring the differential fluorescence of the redox forms of theFAD in GOD.
      Also in this case quantitative analysis have been carried out and acomparison
      with different experimental configurations has been performed. Time
      coarsemeasurements could be particularly useful for glucose monitoring in complex
      biologicalfluids in which the intrinsic UV fluorescence of GOD could be not
      specific by consideringthe presence of numerous proteins.

PMID- 28903250
TI  - Carbon-based Composite Electrodes: Preparation, Characterization and Application
      in Electroanalysis.
AB  - Electrodes based on carbon, i.e., expanded graphite (20%, wt.)-epoxy
      composite(20EG-Epoxy) and expanded graphite (20%, wt.)-polystyrene composite
      (20EG-PS) havebeen prepared, characterized using scanning electron microscopy
      (SEM) and cyclicvoltammetry (CV), and tested as anodic sensors. The electrodes
      exhibited good mechanicalresistance and low electrical resistances. Scan rate
      dependent cyclic voltammetry responsesat 20EG-Epoxy and 20EG-PS composite
      electrodes, which were exemplified for thiourea(TU), a toxic sulphur organic
      compound selected as testing target analyte in 0.1 M Na2SO4 supporting
      electrolyte, were investigated. The obtained voltammetric data were inaccordance
      with those for a random array of microelectrodes. The voltammetric
      andchronoamperometric detection results of TU in tap water samples, without a
      supplementaryaddition of supporting electrolyte, at 20EG-Epoxy electrode proved
      its use for directanalysis of environmental samples.

PMID- 28903251
TI  - Sensitivity of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Difference
      Vegetation Index (NDVI) to Topographic Effects: A Case Study in High-density
      Cypress Forest.
AB  - Vegetation indices play an important role in monitoring variations in
      vegetation.The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) proposed by the MODIS Land
      Discipline Groupand the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are both
      global-based vegetationindices aimed at providing consistent spatial and temporal
      information regarding globalvegetation. However, many environmental factors such
      as atmospheric conditions and soilbackground may produce errors in these indices.
      The topographic effect is another veryimportant factor, especially when the
      indices are used in areas of rough terrain. In thispaper, we theoretically
      analyzed differences in the topographic effect on the EVI and theNDVI based on a
      non-Lambertian model and two airborne-based images acquired from amountainous
      area covered by high-density Japanese cypress plantation were used as a
      casestudy. The results indicate that the soil adjustment factor "L" in the EVI
      makes it moresensitive to topographic conditions than is the NDVI. Based on these
      results, we stronglyrecommend that the topographic effect should be removed in
      the reflectance data beforethe EVI was calculated-as well as from other
      vegetation indices that similarly include a term without a band ratio format
      (e.g., the PVI and SAVI)-when these indices are used in the area of rough
      terrain, where the topographic effect on the vegetation indices having only a
      band ratio format (e.g., the NDVI) can usually be ignored.

PMID- 28903252
TI  - Application to Temperature Sensor Based on Green Up-conversion of Er3+ Doped
      Silicate Glass.
AB  - The green up-conversion emissions centered at the wavelengths of about 534nmand
      549nm of the Er3+ doped silicate glass were recorded, using a 978 nm
      semiconductorlaser diode (LD) as an excitation source. The fluorescence intensity
      ratio (FIR) of the greenup-conversion emissions at about 534nm and 549nm in the
      Er3+ doped silicate glass wasstudied as a function of temperature over the
      temperature range of 296K-673K. Themaximum sensitivity and the temperature
      resolution derived from the FIR of the green up-conversion emissions are
      approximately 0.0023K-1 and 0.8K, respectively. It isdemonstrated that the
      prototype optical temperature sensor based on the FIR technique fromthe green up
      conversion emissions in the Er3+ doped silicate glass could play a major role
      intemperature measurement.

PMID- 28903253
TI  - Modeling and Manufacturing of Micromechanical RF Switch with Inductors.
AB  - This study presents the simulation, fabrication and characterization
      ofmicromechanical radio frequency (RF) switch with micro inductors. The inductors
      areemployed to enhance the characteristic of the RF switch. An equivalent circuit
      model isdeveloped to simulate the performance of the RF switch. The behaviors of
      themicromechanical RF switch are simulated by the finite element method
      software,CoventorWare. The micromechanical RF switch is fabricated using the
      complementarymetal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and a post-process. The post
      process employs a wetetching to etch the sacrificial layer, and to release the
      suspended structures of the RF switch.The structure of the RF switch contains a
      coplanar waveguide (CPW), a suspendedmembrane, eight springs and two inductors in
      series. Experimental results reveal that theinsertion loss and isolation of the
      switch are 1.7 dB at 21 GHz and 19 dB at 21 GHz,respectively. The driving voltage
      of the switch is about 13 V.

PMID- 28903254
TI  - Electrochemical Interrogation of Interactions between Surface-Confined DNA and
      Methylene Blue.
AB  - In this work, we reported a systematic investigation on the interactions
      betweenmethylene blue (MB) and surface-confined DNA by using electrochemical
      methods. Wedemonstrated that the redox potential of MB and binding and
      dissociation kinetics of MB toDNA differed significantly for single-stranded DNA
      (ss-DNA) and double-stranded DNA(ds-DNA) immobilized on gold electrodes. This was
      possibly due to the different bindingmechanism between MB and ss- or ds-DNA. This
      work might provide useful informationfor developing MB-based sequence-specific
      electrochemical DNA sensors.

PMID- 28903255
TI  - Four-Wire Impedance Spectroscopy on Planar Zeolite/Chromium Oxide Based
      Hydrocarbon Gas Sensors.
AB  - Impedometric zeolite hydrocarbon sensors with a chromium oxide intermediatelayer
      show a very promising behavior with respect to sensitivity and selectivity.
      Theunderlying physico-chemical mechanism is under investigation at the moment. In
      order toverify that the effect occurs at the electrode and that zeolite bulk
      properties remain almostunaffected by hydrocarbons, a special planar setup was
      designed, which is very close to realsensor devices. It allows for conducting
      four-wire impedance spectroscopy as well as two-wire impedance spectroscopy.
      Using this setup, it could be clearly demonstrated that thesensing effect can be
      ascribed to an electrode impedance. Furthermore, by combining two-and four-wire
      impedance measurements at only one single frequency, the interference of
      thevolume impedance can be suppressed and an easy signal evaluation is possible,
      withouttaking impedance data at different frequencies.

PMID- 28903256
TI  - Hierarchical Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks for Collaborative Hybrid Semi
      Supervised Classifier Learning.
AB  - Wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSN) have recently emerged as one ofthe
      most important technologies, driven by the powerful multimedia signal acquisition
      andprocessing abilities. Target classification is an important research issue
      addressed in WMSN,which has strict requirement in robustness, quickness and
      accuracy. This paper proposes acollaborative semi-supervised classifier learning
      algorithm to achieve durative onlinelearning for support vector machine (SVM)
      based robust target classification. The proposedalgorithm incrementally carries
      out the semi-supervised classifier learning process inhierarchical WMSN, with the
      collaboration of multiple sensor nodes in a hybrid computingparadigm. For
      decreasing the energy consumption and improving the performance, somemetrics are
      introduced to evaluate the effectiveness of the samples in specific sensor
      nodes,and a sensor node selection strategy is also proposed to reduce the impact
      of inevitablemissing detection and false detection. With the ant optimization
      routing, the learningprocess is implemented with the selected sensor nodes, which
      can decrease the energyconsumption. Experimental results demonstrate that the
      collaborative hybrid semi-supervised classifier learning algorithm can
      effectively implement target classification inhierarchical WMSN. It has
      outstanding performance in terms of energy efficiency and timecost, which
      verifies the effectiveness of the sensor nodes selection and ant
      optimizationrouting.

PMID- 28903257
TI  - Modelling a Peroxidase-based Optical Biosensor.
AB  - The response of a peroxidase-based optical biosensor was modelled digitally.A
      mathematical model of the optical biosensor is based on a system of non-linear
      reaction-diffusion equations. The modelling biosensor comprises two compartments,
      an enzyme layerand an outer diffusion layer. The digital simulation was carried
      out using finite differencetechnique. The influence of the substrate
      concentration as well as of the thickness of both theenzyme and diffusion layers
      on the biosensor response was investigated. Calculations showedcomplex kinetics
      of the biosensor response, especially at low concentrations of the peroxidaseand
      of the hydrogen peroxide.

PMID- 28903258
TI  - Ammonia Optical Sensing by Microring Resonators.
AB  - A very compact (device area around 40 MUm2) optical ammonia sensor based on
      amicroring resonator is presented in this work. Silicon-on-insulator technology
      is used insensor design and a dye doped polymer is adopted as sensing material.
      The sensor exhibitsa very good linearity and a minimum detectable refractive
      index shift of sensing materialas low as 8x10-5, with a detection limit around 4
      0/00.

PMID- 28903259
TI  - Metalloporphyrin - based Electronic Tongue: an Application for the Analysis of
      Italian White wines.
AB  - An Electronic Tongue system (ET) composed of "all-solid-state"
      potentiometricsensors was developed and applied for the identification of white
      wines. The sensingproperties were due to the PVC based membranes doped with
      several metallo-porphyrinsdeposited on the surface of glassy carbon working
      electrodes; potentiometric responsetowards several ions in a concentration range
      from 10-5 M to 10-1 M were studied and cross-sensitivity of sensors was
      estimated. The sensor array was applied both for the classificationand
      quantitative analysis of "Verdicchio D.O.C." Italian dry white wines produced by
      ninecantinas. Peculiar parameters of white wines (namely alcoholic degree,
      volatile acidity, SO2,L-Malic Acid, L-Lactic Acid and Total Polyphenols)
      individuated by standard analyticalmethods were compared with the values
      evaluated by metalloporphyrin-based ET. Thesystem satisfactory discriminates
      between an artificial wine control and analyzed winescoming from different
      cantinas and produced in different years. A satisfactory correlationbetween
      results of wine analysis performed by certified methods and ET response has
      beenobtained for SO2, L-Malic Acid, and Total Phenols content. The developed
      procedureallows the monitoring of the acetic acid amount in wines and hence to
      control wine volatileacidity, so indicating the initial steps of wine spoilage
      process.

PMID- 28903260
TI  - Statistical Modeling of Spatio-Temporal Variability in Monthly Average Daily
      Solar Radiation over Turkey.
AB  - Though one of the most significant driving forces behind ecological processessuch
      as biogeochemical cycles and energy flows, solar radiation data are limited or
      non-existent by conventional ground-based measurements, and thus, often estimated
      from othermeteorological data through (geo)statistical models. In this study,
      spatial and temporalpatterns of monthly average daily solar radiation on a
      horizontal surface at the ground levelwere quantified using 130 climate stations
      for the entire Turkey and its conventionally-accepted seven geographical regions
      through multiple linear regression (MLR) models as afunction of latitude,
      longitude, altitude, aspect, distance to sea; minimum, maximum andmean air
      temperature and relative humidity, soil temperature, cloudiness, precipitation,
      panevapotranspiration, day length, maximum possible sunshine duration, monthly
      average dailyextraterrestrial solar radiation, and time (month), and universal
      kriging method. Theresulting 20 regional best-fit MLR models (three MLR models
      for each region) based onparameterization datasets had R2adj values of 91.5% for
      the Central Anatolia region to 98.0%for the Southeast Anatolia region. Validation
      of the best-fit MLR models for each region led to R2 values of 87.7% for the
      Mediterranean region to 98.5% for the Southeast Anatoliaregion. The best-fit
      anisotropic semi-variogram models for universal kriging as a result ofone-leave
      out cross-validation gave rise to R2 values of 10.9% in July to 52.4% inNovember.
      Surface maps of monthly average daily solar radiation were generated overTurkey,
      with a grid resolution of 500 m x 500 m.

PMID- 28903261
TI  - Robust Forecasting for Energy Efficiency of Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks.
AB  - An important criterion of wireless sensor network is the energy efficiency
      inspecified applications. In this wireless multimedia sensor network, the
      observations arederived from acoustic sensors. Focused on the energy problem of
      target tracking, this paperproposes a robust forecasting method to enhance the
      energy efficiency of wirelessmultimedia sensor networks. Target motion
      information is acquired by acoustic sensornodes while a distributed network with
      honeycomb configuration is constructed. Thereby,target localization is performed
      by multiple sensor nodes collaboratively through acousticsignal processing. A
      novel method, combining autoregressive moving average (ARMA)model and radial
      basis function networks (RBFNs), is exploited to perform robust targetposition
      forecasting during target tracking. Then sensor nodes around the target
      areawakened according to the forecasted target position. With committee decision
      of sensornodes, target localization is performed in a distributed manner and the
      uncertainty ofdetection is reduced. Moreover, a sensor-to-observer routing
      approach of the honeycombmesh network is investigated to solve the data reporting
      considering the residual energy ofsensor nodes. Target localization and
      forecasting are implemented in experiments.Meanwhile, sensor node awakening and
      dynamic routing are evaluated. Experimentalresults verify that energy efficiency
      of wireless multimedia sensor network is enhanced bythe proposed target tracking
      method.

PMID- 28903263
TI  - Piezoelectric Biosensor for a Simple Serological Diagnosis of Tularemia in
      Infected European Brown Hares (Lepus europaeus).
AB  - Piezoelectric biosensor was used for diagnosis of infection by
      Francisellatularensis subsp. holarctica in European brown hares. Two kinds of
      experiments wereperformed in this study. First, sera from experimentally infected
      European brown hares(Lepus europaeus) were assayed by piezoelectric biosensor and
      the seventh day postinfection was found as the first one when statistically
      significant diagnosis of tularemia waspossible; all other sera collected from
      hares later than on day 7 following the infection werefound tularemia positive.
      Typing to classify the field strain of F. tularensis used for theexperimental
      infection was confirmed by proteome study. Second, sera from 35 Europeanbrown
      hare specimens sampled at hunting grounds and tested as tularemia positive by
      slowagglutination allowed diagnosis of tularemia by the piezoelectric biosensor.
      All these sera ofnaturally infected hares were found as tularemia positive, too.
      Efficacy of the piezoelectricbiosensor for the serological diagnosis of tularemia
      is discussed.

PMID- 28903262
TI  - Antimicrobial Peptides: New Recognition Molecules for Detecting Botulinum Toxins.
AB  - Many organisms secrete antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) for protection
      againstharmful microbes. The present study describes detection of botulinum
      neurotoxoids A, Band E using AMPs as recognition elements in an array biosensor.
      While AMP affinitieswere similar to those for anti-botulinum antibodies,
      differences in binding patterns wereobserved and can potentially be used for
      identification of toxoid serotype. Furthermore,some AMPs also demonstrated
      superior detection sensitivity compared to antibodies: toxoidA could be detected
      at 3.5 LD50 of the active toxin in a 75-min assay, whereas toxoids B andE were
      detected at 14 and 80 LD50 for their respective toxins.

PMID- 28903264
TI  - Study on a Concentric Tube Bulb Manometer and its Performance Compared to U
      shaped Manometer.
AB  - This paper presents comparative study of a new type of manometer calledconcentric
      tube bulb (C.T.B) manometer. Its performance of measuring differential heightis
      studied against conventional U-shaped manometer. Pressure drops and mass flow
      ratesare calculated by taking various systems comprising of different flow
      measuring devicessuch as orifice and venturimeters using both U- shaped and C.T.B
      manometers.Comparison between the physically measured values of differential
      pressure drops andmass flow rates with the calculated values based on theoretical
      equations is also made.Experiments are carried out using mercury and CCl4 in
      these manometers as sensing fluids.Water is used as flowing fluid for mass flow
      rate and pressure drop measurements, whereasin gauge pressure measurements air is
      used.

PMID- 28903265
TI  - Quantitative Accelerated Life Testing of MEMS Accelerometers.
AB  - Quantitative Accelerated Life Testing (QALT) is a solution for assessing
      thereliability of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). A procedure for QALT
      is shownin this paper and an attempt to assess the reliability level for a batch
      of MEMSaccelerometers is reported. The testing plan is application-driven and
      contains combinedtests: thermal (high temperature) and mechanical stress. Two
      variants of mechanical stressare used: vibration (at a fixed frequency) and
      tilting. Original equipment for testing at tiltingand high temperature is used.
      Tilting is appropriate as application-driven stress, because thetilt movement is
      a natural environment for devices used for automotive and aerospaceapplications.
      Also, tilting is used by MEMS accelerometers for anti-theft systems. The
      testresults demonstrated the excellent reliability of the studied devices, the
      failure rate in the"worst case" being smaller than 10-7h-1.

PMID- 28903266
TI  - Object-Based Classification of Ikonos Imagery for Mapping Large-Scale Vegetation
      Communities in Urban Areas.
AB  - Effective assessment of biodiversity in cities requires detailed vegetation
      maps.To date, most remote sensing of urban vegetation has focused on thematically
      coarse landcover products. Detailed habitat maps are created by manual
      interpretation of aerialphotographs, but this is time consuming and costly at
      large scale. To address this issue, wetested the effectiveness of object-based
      classifications that use automated imagesegmentation to extract meaningful ground
      features from imagery. We applied thesetechniques to very high resolution
      multispectral Ikonos images to produce vegetationcommunity maps in Dunedin City,
      New Zealand. An Ikonos image was orthorectified and amulti-scale segmentation
      algorithm used to produce a hierarchical network of image objects.The upper level
      included four coarse strata: industrial/commercial (commercial
      buildings),residential (houses and backyard private gardens), vegetation
      (vegetation patches larger than0.8/1ha), and water. We focused on the vegetation
      stratum that was segmented at moredetailed level to extract and classify fifteen
      classes of vegetation communities. The firstclassification yielded a moderate
      overall classification accuracy (64%, kappa = 0.52), which ledus to consider a
      simplified classification with ten vegetation classes. The overallclassification
      accuracy from the simplified classification was 77% with a kappa value close
      tothe excellent range (kappa = 0.74). These results compared favourably with
      similar studies inother environments. We conclude that this approach does not
      provide maps as detailed as those produced by manually interpreting aerial
      photographs, but it can still extract ecologically significant classes. It is an
      efficient way to generate accurate and detailed maps in significantly shorter
      time. The final map accuracy could be improved by integrating segmentation,
      automated and manual classification in the mapping process, especially when
      considering important vegetation classes with limited spectral contrast.

PMID- 28903267
TI  - Tempo-Spatial Patterns of Land Use Changes and Urban Development in Globalizing
      China: A Study of Beijing.
AB  - This study examines the temporal and spatial changes in land use as aconsequence
      of rapid urban development in the city of Beijing. Using a combination
      oftechniques of remote sensing and GIS, the study identifies a substantial loss
      of plaindryland and a phenomenal expansion of urban construction land over the
      recent decade.Geographically, there is a clear shifting of urban construction
      land from the inner city tothe outskirts as a consequence of suburbanization. The
      outward expansion of the ring-roadsystem is found to be one of the most important
      driving forces explaining the temporal andspatial pattern of land use change. The
      uneven distribution of population stands as anotherfactor with significant
      correlation with land use change. The application of the techniquesof remote
      sensing and GIS can enhance the precision and comparability of research onland
      use change and urban transformation in China.

PMID- 28903268
TI  - Novel Deployment Schemes for Mobile Sensor Networks.
AB  - Virtual Force Algorithm (VFA) is becoming a main solution to area coverage
      forhomogeneous wireless sensor networks with random distribution of mobile sensor
      nodes.Consider the factors of the convergence, the boundary in Region Of Interest
      (ROI), effec-tive distance of acting force and useless moving, etc, VFA is
      improved to overcome the aboveproblems. Furthermore, an expression of exponential
      function for the relationship of vir-tual force is proposed to converge rapidly.
      Extensive simulation results indicate that theseimproved VFA get better
      performance in coverage rate, moving energy consumption, conver-gence etc. than
      original VFA.

PMID- 28903269
TI  - Enhanced Sensory Properties of a Multichannel Quartz Crystal Microbalance Coated
      with Polymeric Nanobeads.
AB  - In this study the sensorial performances of a four-channel quartz
      crystalmicrobalance implemented on a single quartz plate are reported and
      compared with those offour independent quartz crystal microbalances. Particular
      attention has been devoted to bothcross talk in responses and sensor sensitivity.
      A recently synthesized nanostructuredpolymer, poly[phenylacetylene-(co-2
      hydroxyethyl methacrylate)], has been used aschemical interactive material. The
      interactions of our sensor system with relative humidityare also reported. The
      multichannel device shows a better homogeneity of the masssensitivity with a
      spread of the values less then 4% compared to a 50% spread observed inthe set of
      four microbalances.

PMID- 28903270
TI  - Magnetostrictive Microcantilever as an Advanced Transducer for Biosensors.
AB  - The magnetostrictive microcantilever (MSMC) as a high-performance transducer was
      introduced for the development of biosensors. The principle and characterization
      of MSMC are presented. The MSMC is wireless and can be easily actuated and sensed
      using magnetic field/signal. More importantly, the MSMC exhibits a high Q value
      and works well in liquid. The resonance behavior of MSMC is characterized in air
      at different pressures and in different liquids, respectively. It is found that
      the Q value of the MSMC in water reaches about 40. Although the density and
      viscosity of the surrounding media affect the resonance frequency and the Q value
      of MSMC, the density has a stronger influence on the resonance frequency and the
      viscosity has a stronger influence on the Q value, which result in that, for MSMC
      in air at pressure of less than 100 Pa, the resonance frequency of MSMC is almost
      independent of the pressure, while the Q value increases with decreasing
      pressure. MSMC array was developed and characterized. It is experimentally
      demonstrated that the characterization of an MSMC array is as simple as the
      characterization of a single MSMC. A filamentous phage against Salmonella
      typhimurium was utilized as bio-recognition unit to develop an MSMC based
      biosensor. The detection of S. typhimurium in water demonstrated that the MSMC
      works well in liquid.

PMID- 28903271
TI  - Monitoring Transport Across Modified Nanoporous Alumina Membranes.
AB  - This paper describes the use of several characterization methods to
      examinealumina nanotubule membranes that have been modified with specific
      silanes. The functionof these silanes is to alter the transport properties
      through the membrane by changing thelocal environment inside the alumina
      nanotube. The presence of alkyl groups, either long(C18) or short and branched
      (isopropyl) hydrocarbon chains, on these silanes significantlydecreases the rate
      of transport of permeant molecules through membranes containingalumina nanotubes
      as monitored via absorbance spectroscopy. The presence of an ionicsurfactant can
      alter the polarity of these modified nanotubes, which correlates to anincreased
      transport of ions. Fluorescent spectroscopy is also utilized to enhance
      thesensitivity of detecting these permeant molecules. Confirmation of the
      alkylsilaneattachment to the alumina membrane is achieved with traditional
      infrared spectroscopy,which can also examine the lifetime of the modified
      membrane. The physical parameters ofthese silane-modified porous alumina
      membranes are studied via scanning electronmicroscopy. The alumina nanotubes are
      not physically closed off or capped by the silanesthat are attached to the
      alumina surfaces.

PMID- 28903272
TI  - Tactile Fabric Panel in an Eight Zones Structure.
AB  - By introducing a percentage of conductive material during the manufacture
      ofsewing thread, it is possible to obtain a fabric which is able to detect
      variations in pressurein certain areas. In previous experiments the existence of
      resistance variations has beendemonstrated, although some constrains of cause and
      effect were found in the fabric. Theresearch has been concentrated in obtaining a
      fabric that allows electronic detection of itsshape changes. Additionally, and
      because a causal behavior is needed, it is necessary thatthe fabric recovers its
      original shape when the external forces cease. The structure of thefabric varies
      with the type of deformation applied. Two kinds of deformation aredescribed:
      those caused by stretching and those caused by pressure. This last type
      ofdeformation gives different responses depending on the conductivity of the
      object used tocause the pressure. This effect is related to the type of thread
      used to manufacture thefabric. So, if the pressure is caused by a finger the
      response is different compared to theresponse caused by a conductive object.
      Another fact that has to be mentioned is that apressure in a specific point of
      the fabric can affect other detection points depending on theforce applied. This
      effect is related to the fabric structure. The goals of this article
      arevalidating the structure of the fabric used, as well as the study of the two
      types ofdeformation mentioned before.

PMID- 28903273
TI  - Recent Advances in High-Birefringence Fiber Loop Mirror Sensors.
AB  - Recent advances in devices and applications of high-birefringence fiber
      loopmirror sensors are addressed. In optical sensing, these devices may be used
      as strain andtemperature sensors, in a separate or in a simultaneous measurement.
      Other describedapplications include: refractive index measurement, optical
      filters for interrogate gratingsstructures and chemical etching control. The
      paper analyses and compares different types ofhigh-birefringence fiber loop
      mirror sensors using conventional and microstructured opticalfibers. Some
      configurations are presented for simultaneous measurement of physicalparameters
      when combined with others optical devices, for example with a long periodgrating.

PMID- 28903274
TI  - A Novel Gas Sensor Transducer Based on Phthalocyanine Heterojunction Devices.
AB  - Experimental data concerning the changes in the current-voltage (I-V) perfor
      mances of a molecular material-based heterojunction consisting of
      hexadecafluorinatednickel phthalocyanine (Ni(F16Pc)) and nickel phthalocyanine
      (NiPc),(Au|Ni(F16Pc)|NiPc|Al) are introduced as an unprecedented principle of
      transduction for gassensing performances. The respective n- and p-type doped
      insulator behaviors of therespective materials are supported, owing to the
      observed changes in surface potential(using the Kelvin probe method) after
      submission to electron donor (ammonia) and electronacceptor gases (ozone). On the
      other hand, the bilayer device exhibits strong variations inthe built-in
      potential of the junction and in its rectification ratio. Moreover, large
      increasesoccur in forward and reverse currents in presence of ammonia vapors.
      These make possiblea multimodal principle of detection controlled by a combined
      effect between theheterojunction and the NiPc|Al contact. Indeed, this
      metal/organic junction plays a criticalrole regarding the steady asymmetry of the
      I-V profiles during the device's doping evenusing high ammonia concentrations.
      This approach offers a more sophisticated alternative tothe classically studied,
      but at times rather operation-limited, resistive gas sensors.

PMID- 28903275
TI  - Effect of Electrical Contact on the Contact Residual Stress of a Microrelay
      Switch.
AB  - This paper investigates the effect of electrical contact on the thermal
      contactstress of a microrelay switch. A three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite
      element model withcontact elements is used to simulate the contact behavior
      between the microcantilever beamand the electrode. A model with thermal
      electrical coupling and thermal-stress coupling isused in the finite element
      analysis. The effects of contact gap, plating film thickness andnumber of
      switching cycles on the contact residual stress, contact force, plastic
      deformation,and temperature rise of the microrelay switch are explored. The
      numerical results indicatethat the residual stress increases with increasing
      contact gap or decreasing plating filmthickness. The results also show that the
      residual stress increases as the number of switchingcycles increases. A large
      residual stress inside the microcantilever beam can decrease thelifecycle of the
      microrelay.

PMID- 28903276
TI  - Influence of Damping on the Dynamical Behavior of the Electrostatic Parallel
      plate and Torsional Actuators with Intermolecular Forces.
AB  - The influence of damping on the dynamical behavior of the electrostaticparallel
      plate and torsional actuators with the van der Waals (vdW) or Casimir
      force(torque) is presented. The values of the pull-in parameters and the number
      of theequilibrium points do not change whether there is damping or not. The
      ability ofequilibrium points is varied with the appearance of damping. One
      equilibrium point is anunstable saddle with a different damping coefficient, the
      other equilibrium point is astable node when the damping coefficient is greater
      than some critical value, andotherwise it is a stable focus. Then there are two
      heteroclinic orbits passing from theunstable saddle point to the stable node or
      focus.

PMID- 28903277
TI  - State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM), Institute of Mechanics,
      Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China.
AB  - This paper reviews current state-of-the-art methods of measuring pH levels that
      are based on polymer materials. These include polymer-coated fibre optic sensors,
      devices with electrodes modified with pH-sensitive polymers, fluorescent pH
      indicators, potentiometric pH sensors as well as sensors that use combinatory
      approach for ion concentration monitoring.

PMID- 28903278
TI  - Reducing the Discrepancy Between ASTER and MODIS Land Surface Temperature
      Products.
AB  - Human-induced global warming has significantly increased the importance
      ofsatellite monitoring of land surface temperature (LST) on a global scale. The
      MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides a 1-km resolution
      LST productwith almost daily coverage of the Earth, invaluable to both local and
      global change studies.The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection
      Radiometer (ASTER) provides aLST product with a high spatial resolution of 90-m
      and a 16-day recurrent cycle,simultaneously acquired at the same height and nadir
      view as MODIS. ASTER andMODIS are complementary in resolution, offering a unique
      opportunity for scale-relatedstudies. ASTER and MODIS LST have been widely used
      but the errors in LST were mostlydisregarded. Correction of ASTER-to-MODIS LST
      discrepancies is essential for studiesreliant upon the joint use of these
      sensors. In this study, we compared three correctionapproaches: the Wan et al.'s
      approach, the refined Wan et al.'s approach, and thegeneralized split window
      (GSW) algorithm based approach. The Wan et al.'s approachcorrects the MODIS 1-km
      LST using MODIS 5-km LST. The refined approach modifiesthe Wan et al.'s approach
      through incorporating ASTER emissivity and MODIS 5-km data.The GSW algorithm
      approach does not use MODIS 5-km but only ASTER emissivity data. We examined the
      case over a semi-arid terrain area for the part of the Loess Plateau of China.
      All the approaches reduced the ASTER-to-MODIS LST discrepancy effectively. With
      terrain correction, the original ASTER-to-MODIS LST difference reduced from 2.7+/
      1.28 K to -0.1+/-1.87 K for the Wan et al.'s approach, 0.2+/-1.57 K for the
      refined approach, and 0.1+/-1.33 K for the GSW algorithm based approach. Among
      all the approaches, the GSW algorithm based approach performed best in terms of
      mean, standard deviation, root mean square root, and correlation coefficient.

PMID- 28903279
TI  - Development of a Space-charge-sensing System.
AB  - A system for remotely measuring the distribution of air space charge in real time
      is developed. The system consists of a loudspeaker and an electric field antenna.
      By propagating a burst of directional sound wave from the speaker, a modulation
      in the space charge and, therefore, an electric field change at ground is
      produced. The distribution of the space charge density is derived from the E
      field change which can be measured by the E- field antenna. The developed system
      has been confirmed by both laboratory and field experiments.

PMID- 28903280
TI  - Three Cavity Tunable MEMS Fabry Perot Interferometer.
AB  - In this paper a four-mirror tunable micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)Fabry
      Perot Interferometer (FPI) concept is proposed with the mathematical model.
      Thespectral range of the proposed FPI lies in the infrared spectrum ranging from
      2400 to 4018(nm). FPI can be finely tuned by deflecting the two middle mirrors
      (or by changing the threecavity lengths). Two different cases were separately
      considered for the tuning. In case one,tuning was achieved by deflecting mirror 2
      only and in case two, both mirrors 2 and 3 weredeflected for the tuning of the
      FPI.

PMID- 28903281
TI  - Animals as Mobile Biological Sensors for Forest Fire Detection.
AB  - This paper proposes a mobile biological sensor system that can assist in
      earlydetection of forest fires one of the most dreaded natural disasters on the
      earth. The main ideapresented in this paper is to utilize animals with sensors as
      Mobile Biological Sensors(MBS). The devices used in this system are animals which
      are native animals living inforests, sensors (thermo and radiation sensors with
      GPS features) that measure thetemperature and transmit the location of the MBS,
      access points for wireless communicationand a central computer system which
      classifies of animal actions. The system offers twodifferent methods, firstly:
      access points continuously receive data about animals' locationusing GPS at
      certain time intervals and the gathered data is then classified and checked tosee
      if there is a sudden movement (panic) of the animal groups: this method is called
      animalbehavior classification (ABC). The second method can be defined as thermal
      detection(TD): the access points get the temperature values from the MBS devices
      and send the datato a central computer to check for instant changes in the
      temperatures. This system may beused for many purposes other than fire detection,
      namely animal tracking, poachingprevention and detecting instantaneous animal
      death.

PMID- 28903282
TI  - Fiber Optic Sensors For Detection of Toxic and Biological Threats.
AB  - Protection of public and military personnel from chemical and biological
      warfareagents is an urgent and growing national security need. Along with this
      idea, we havedeveloped a novel class of fiber optic chemical sensors, for
      detection of toxic and biologicalmaterials. The design of these fiber optic
      sensors is based on a cladding modificationapproach. The original passive
      cladding of the fiber, in a small section, was removed and thefiber core was
      coated with a chemical sensitive material. Any change in the opticalproperties of
      the modified cladding material, due to the presence of a specific chemicalvapor,
      changes the transmission properties of the fiber and result in modal
      powerredistribution in multimode fibers. Both total intensity and modal power
      distribution (MPD)measurements were used to detect the output power change
      through the sensing fibers. TheMPD technique measures the power changes in the
      far field pattern, i.e. spatial intensitymodulation in two dimensions. Conducting
      polymers, such as polyaniline and polypyrrole,have been reported to undergo a
      reversible change in conductivity upon exposure tochemical vapors. It is found
      that the conductivity change is accompanied by optical propertychange in the
      material. Therefore, polyaniline and polypyrrole were selected as the
      modifiedcladding material for the detection of hydrochloride (HCl), ammonia
      (NH3), hydrazine(H4N2), and dimethyl-methl-phosphonate (DMMP) {a nerve agent,
      sarin stimulant},respectively. Several sensors were prepared and successfully
      tested. The results showeddramatic improvement in the sensor sensitivity, when
      the MPD method was applied. In thispaper, an overview on the developed class of
      fiber optic sensors is presented and supportedwith successful achieved results.

PMID- 28903283
TI  - Lanthanide Recognition: an Asymetric Erbium Microsensor Based on a Hydrazone
      Derivative.
AB  - N'-(2-hydroxy-1,2-diphenylethylidene)benzohydrazide (HDB) was found tohave a very
      selective and sensitive behavior towards erbium(III) ions, in comparison
      tothirteen lanthanide ions, inner transition and representative metal ions and
      was hence usedas a neutral ion carrier in construction of an Er(III)
      microelectrode. Theoretical calculationsand conductance studies of HDB to erbium
      and some other metal ions were carried out andconfirmed selectivity toward
      Er(III) ions.The best performance was obtained with a membrane contain 3%
      potassium tetrakis(p-chlorophenyl)borate (KTpClPB) as an anionic additive, 72%
      dibutyl phthalate (DBP) assolvent mediator, 5% HDB, and 20% poly(vinyl chloride)
      (PVC). The proposed Er(III)microelectrode exhibits a near Nernstian response of
      17.5+/-0.5 mV per decade of erbiumactivity, and a very wide linear range 1.0*10-3
      3.0*10-10 M. It can work well in the pHrange of 3.0-9.0. The lower detection
      limit (LDL) of the microelectrode was calculated tobe 2.0*10-10 M.

PMID- 28903284
TI  - Non-Destructive Evaluation of Historical Paper Based on pH Estimation from VOC
      Emissions.
AB  - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from materials during degradationcan be
      a valuable source of information. In this work, the emissions of furfural and
      aceticacid from cellulose were studied using solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME)
      incombination with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Two sampling techniques
      wereemployed: static headspace sampling using SPME for 1 h at 40 oC after 18-h
      samplepreparation at 80 oC in a closed glass vial, and contact SPME in a stack of
      paper (or abook). While a number of VOCs are emitted from paper under conditions
      of natural oraccelerated degradation, two compounds were confirmed to be of
      particular diagnosticvalue: acetic acid and furfural. The emissions of furfural
      are shown to correlate with pH ofthe cellulosic environment. Since pH is one of
      the most important parameters regardingdurability of this material, the developed
      method could be used for non-destructiveevaluation of historical paper.

PMID- 28903285
TI  - About Optimal Fractional Hold Circuits for Inter- sample Output Reconstruction in
      Sampled-data Systems.
AB  - The design of fractional order-holds (FROH) of correcting gains beta ? [ - 1 , 1
      ](potentially and possibly including zero-order-holds, ZOH with beta=0, and first
      order-holds,FROH with beta=1) is discussed related to achieving output deviations
      being close withrespect to its sampled values. A squared error time- integral
      between the current output andits sampled values is minimized to yield the
      appropriate correcting gain of the FROH in ananalytic way.

PMID- 28903286
TI  - Near-Field Thermometry Sensor Based on the Thermal Resonance of a Microcantilever
      in Aqueous Medium.
AB  - A new concept using a near-field thermometry sensor is presented, employing
      atipless microcantilever experimentally validated for an aqueous medium within
      approximatelyone cantilever width from the solid interface. By correlating the
      thermal Brownian vibratingmotion of the microcantilever with the surrounding
      liquid temperature, the near-fieldmicroscale temperature distributions at the
      probing site are determined at separation distancesof z = 5, 10, 20, and 40 MUm
      while the microheater temperature is maintained at 50 degrees C, 70 degrees C,
      or90 degrees C. In addition, the near-field correction of the correlation is
      discussed to account for thequenched cantilever vibration frequencies, which are
      quenched due to the no-slip solid-wallinterference. Higher thermal sensitivity
      and spatial resolution is expected when the vibrationfrequencies increase with a
      relatively short and thick cantilever and the dimensions of themicrocantilever
      are reduced. Use of the microcantilever thermometry sensor can also reduce
      thecomplexity and mitigate the high cost associated with existing microfabricated
      thermocouplesor thermoresistive sensors.

PMID- 28903287
TI  - Thermally Stable Merocyanine Form of Photochromic Spiropyran with Aluminum Ion as
      a Reversible Photo-driven Sensor in Aqueous Solution.
AB  - A reversible photo-driven sensor for aluminum ions based on
      photochromicspiropyran was reported with rapid response time. The detection of
      aluminum wasperformed via the chelation of aluminum ions with the merocyanine
      form (MC) ofphotochromic spiropyran. 1H NMR studies confirmed the conversation
      from the MC forminto the Al3+ -MC form. Addition of aluminum ions to the
      spiropyran (SP) in a MeCN/H2Omixture results in obvious color changes with a loss
      in absorbance at 539 nm and anenhancement in absorbance at about 420 nm after
      irradiation at 365 nm. The metal chelationcomplex (Al3+ -MC) can also be
      converted into the original SP form by irradiation withvisible light. Aluminum
      ions can be detected down to 0.5 MUM levels in a fast response ofless than 5
      seconds with no interference from other ionic species.

PMID- 28903288
TI  - Fuzzy Logic Control Based QoS Management in Wireless Sensor/Actuator Networks.
AB  - Wireless sensor/actuator networks (WSANs) are emerging rapidly as a newgeneration
      of sensor networks. Despite intensive research in wireless sensor networks(WSNs),
      limited work has been found in the open literature in the field of WSANs.
      Inparticular, quality-of-service (QoS) management in WSANs remains an important
      issue yetto be investigated. As an attempt in this direction, this paper develops
      a fuzzy logic controlbased QoS management (FLC-QM) scheme for WSANs with
      constrained resources and indynamic and unpredictable environments. Taking
      advantage of the feedback controltechnology, this scheme deals with the impact of
      unpredictable changes in traffic load on theQoS of WSANs. It utilizes a fuzzy
      logic controller inside each source sensor node to adaptsampling period to the
      deadline miss ratio associated with data transmission from the sensorto the
      actuator. The deadline miss ratio is maintained at a pre-determined desired level
      sothat the required QoS can be achieved. The FLC-QM has the advantages of
      generality,scalability, and simplicity. Simulation results show that the FLC-QM
      can provide WSANswith QoS support.

PMID- 28903289
TI  - Design Considerations for Aural Vital Signs Using PZT Piezoelectric Ceramics
      Sensor Based on the Computerization Method.
AB  - The purpose was to illustrate how system developed for measurement of the aural
      vital signs such as patient's heart and lung sounds in the hospital. For heart
      sounds measurement must operate the frequency response between 20 - 800 Hz, and
      lung sounds measurement must operate the frequency response between 160 - 4,000
      Hz. The method was designed PZT piezoelectric ceramics for both frequency
      response in the same PZT sensor. It converts a signal from aural vital sign form
      to voltage signal. The signal is suitably amplified and re-filtered in band pass
      frequency band. It is converted to digital signal by an analog to digital
      conversion circuitry developed for the purpose. The results were that all signals
      can fed to personal computer through the sound card port. With the supporting
      software for drawing of graphic on the screen, the signal for a specific duration
      is accessed and stored in the computer's memory in term of each patient's data.
      In conclusion, the data of each patient call dot pcg (.pcg) for drawing graph and
      dot wave (.wave) for sound listening or automatic sending via electronic mail to
      the physician for later analysis of interpreting the sounds on the basis of their
      time domain and frequency domain representation to diagnose heart disorders.

PMID- 28903290
TI  - Remote Sensing Sensors and Applications in Environmental Resources Mapping and
      Modelling.
AB  - The history of remote sensing and development of different sensors for
      environmental and natural resources mapping and data acquisition is reviewed and
      reported. Application examples in urban studies, hydrological modeling such as
      land-cover and floodplain mapping, fractional vegetation cover and impervious
      surface area mapping, surface energy flux and micro-topography correlation
      studies is discussed. The review also discusses the use of remotely sensed-based
      rainfall and potential evapotranspiration for estimating crop water requirement
      satisfaction index and hence provides early warning information for growers. The
      review is not an exhaustive application of the remote sensing techniques rather a
      summary of some important applications in environmental studies and modeling.

PMID- 28903291
TI  - Integrating Map Algebra and Statistical Modeling for Spatio- Temporal Analysis of
      Monthly Mean Daily Incident Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) over a
      Complex Terrain.
AB  - This study aims at quantifying spatio-temporal dynamics of monthly mean
      dailyincident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) over a vast and complex
      terrain such asTurkey. The spatial interpolation method of universal kriging, and
      the combination ofmultiple linear regression (MLR) models and map algebra
      techniques were implemented togenerate surface maps of PAR with a grid resolution
      of 500 x 500 m as a function of fivegeographical and 14 climatic variables.
      Performance of the geostatistical and MLR modelswas compared using mean
      prediction error (MPE), root-mean-square prediction error(RMSPE), average
      standard prediction error (ASE), mean standardized prediction error(MSPE), root
      mean-square standardized prediction error (RMSSPE), and adjustedcoefficient of
      determination (R2adj.). The best-fit MLR- and universal kriging-generatedmodels
      of monthly mean daily PAR were validated against an independent 37-year
      observeddataset of 35 climate stations derived from 160 stations across Turkey by
      the Jackknifingmethod. The spatial variability patterns of monthly mean daily
      incident PAR were moreaccurately reflected in the surface maps created by the MLR
      based models than in thosecreated by the universal kriging method, in particular,
      for spring (May) and autumn(November). The MLR-based spatial interpolation
      algorithms of PAR described in thisstudy indicated the significance of the
      multifactor approach to understanding and mappingspatio-temporal dynamics of PAR
      for a complex terrain over meso-scales.

PMID- 28903292
TI  - Detection of Brominated By-Products Using a Sensor Array Based on Nanostructured
      Thin Films of Conducting Polymers.
AB  - The detection of the carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THM) in public water
      supplysystems using low-cost equipment has become an essential feature, since
      these compoundsmay be generated as by-products of water-treatment processes. Here
      we report on a sensorarray that extends the concept of an "electronic tongue" to
      detect small amounts ofbromoform, bromodichloromethane and dibromochloromethane,
      with detection limits aslow as 0.02 mg L-1. The sensor array was made up of 10
      sensing units, in whichnanostructured films of conducting and natural polymers
      were deposited onto goldinterdigitated electrodes. The principle of detection was
      impedance spectroscopy, withmeasurements carried out in the range between 1 Hz to
      1 MHz. Using data at 1 kHz, atwhich the electrical response varied considerably
      by changing the analyte, we demonstratedwith principal component analysis (PCA)
      that samples with the 3 brominatedtrihalomethanes can be distinguished from each
      other and for various concentrations.

PMID- 28903293
TI  - PVC Membrane Sensors for Potentiometric Determination of Acebutolol.
AB  - The construction and general performance characteristics of two
      novelpotentiometric membrane sensors responsive to the acebutolol are described.
      Thesensors are based on the use of ion-association complexes of acebutolol (AC)
      withtetraphenylborate(TPB) (I) and phosphomolybdate(PM) (II) as exchange sites in
      a PVCmatrix. The sensors show a fast, stable and near- Nernstian for the mono
      charge cationof AC over the concentration range 1*10-3 - ~10-6 M at 25  degrees C
      over the pH range 2.0 -6.0 with cationic slope of 51.5 +/- 0.5 and 53.0 +/- 0.5
      per concentration decade for AC-Iand AC-II sensors respectively. The lower
      detection limit is 6*10-6 M and 4*0-6 M withthe response time 20-30 s in the same
      order of both sensors. Selectivity coefficients ofAC related to a number of
      interfering cation and some organic compounds wereinvestigated. There are
      negligible interferences are caused by most of the investigatedspecies. The
      direct determination of 3 - 370 MUg/ml of AC shows an average recovery of 99.4
      and 99.5% and a mean relative standard deviation of 1 . 5 % at 100.0 MUg/ml
      forsensor I and II respectively. The results obtained by determination of AC in
      tablets usingthe proposed sensors which comparable favorably with those obtained
      by the Britishpharmacopoeia method. In the present investigation the electrodes
      have been utilized asend point indicator for some precipitation titration
      reactions.

PMID- 28903294
TI  - From Hearing to Listening: Design and Properties of an Actively Tunable
      Electronic Hearing Sensor.
AB  - An important step towards understanding the working principles of the mammalian
      hearing sensor is the concept of an active cochlear amplifier. Theoretical
      arguments and physiological measurements suggest that the active cochlear
      amplifiers originate from systems close to a Hopf bifurcation. Efforts to model
      the mammalian hearing sensor on these grounds have, however, either had problems
      in reproducing sufficiently close essential aspects of the biological example
      (Magnasco, M.O. Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 058101 (2003); Duke, T. & Julicher, F. Phys.
      Rev. Lett. 90, 158101 (2003)), or required complicated spatially coupled
      differential equation systems that are unfeasible for transient signals (Kern, A.
      & Stoop, R. Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 128101 (2003)). Here, we demonstrate a simple
      system of electronically coupled Hopf amplifiers that not only leads to the
      desired biological response behavior, but also has real-time capacity. The
      obtained electronic Hopf cochlea shares all salient signal processing features
      exhibited by the mammalian cochlea and thus provides a simple and efficient
      design of an artificial mammalian hearing sensor.

PMID- 28903295
TI  - Gold Nanoparticles With Special Shapes: Controlled Synthesis, Surface-enhanced
      Raman Scattering, and The Application in Biodetection.
AB  - Specially shaped gold nanoparticles have intrigued considerable attention
      becausethey usually possess high-sensitivity surface-enhanced Raman scattering
      (SERS) and thusresult in large advantages in trace biodetermination. In this
      article, starch-capped goldnanoparticles with hexagon and boot shapes were
      prepared through using a nontoxic andbiologically benign aqueous-phase synthetic
      route. Shape effects of gold nanoparticles onSERS properties were mainly
      investigated, and found that different-shaped goldnanoparticles possess different
      SERS properties. Especially, the boot-shaped nanoparticlescould induce more 100
      fold SERS enhancements in sensitivity as compared with those fromgold
      nanospheres. The extremely strong SERS properties of gold nanoboots have
      beensuccessfully applied to the detection of avidin. The unique nanoboots with
      high-sensitivitySERS properties are also expected to find use in many other
      fields such as biolabel,bioassay, biodiagnosis, and even clinical diagnosis and
      therapy.

PMID- 28903296
TI  - Evaluation of Grassland Dynamics in the Northern-Tibet Plateau of China Using
      Remote Sensing and Climate Data.
AB  - The grassland ecosystem in the Northern-Tibet Plateau (NTP) of China is
      verysensitive to weather and climate conditions of the region. In this study, we
      investigate thespatial and temporal variations of the grassland ecosystem in the
      NTP using theNOAA/AVHRR ten-day maximum NDVI composite data of 1981-2001. The
      relationshipsamong Vegetation Peak-Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (VP
      NDVI) and climatevariables were quantified for six counties within the NTP. The
      notable and unevenalterations of the grassland in response to variation of
      climate and human impact in theNTP were revealed. Over the last two decades of
      the 20th century, the maximum greennessof the grassland has exhibited high
      increase, slight increase, no-change, slight decrease andhigh decrease, each
      occupies 0.27%, 8.71%, 77.27%, 13.06% and 0.69% of the total area ofthe NTP,
      respectively. A remarkable increase (decrease) in VP-NDVI occurred in thecentral
      eastern (eastern) NTP whereas little change was observed in the western
      andnorthwestern NTP. A strong negative relationship between VP-NDVI and ET0 was
      foundin sub-frigid, semi-arid and frigid- arid regions of the NTP (i.e., Nakchu,
      Shantsa, Palgonand Amdo counties), suggesting that the ET0 is one limiting factor
      affecting grasslanddegradation. In the temperate-humid, sub-frigid and sub-humid
      regions of the NTP (Chaliand Sokshan counties), a significant inverse correlation
      between VP-NDVI and populationindicates that human activities have adversely
      affected the grassland condition as waspreviously reported in the literature.
      Results from this research suggest that the alterationand degradation of the
      grassland in the lower altitude of the NTP over the last two decades of the 20th
      century are likely caused by variations of climate and anthropogenic activities.

PMID- 28903297
TI  - pH Sensitivity of Novel PANI/PVB/PS3 Composite Films.
AB  - This paper reports on the results from the investigation into the pH sensitivity
      ofnovel PANI/PVB/PS3 composite films. The conductimetric sensing mode was chosen
      as itis one of the most promising alternatives to the mainstream pH-sensing
      methods and it is theleast investigated due to the popularity of other
      approaches. The films were deposited usingboth screen-printing and a drop-coating
      method. It was found that the best response to pHwas obtained from the screen
      printed thick films, which demonstrated a change inconductance by as much as
      three orders of magnitude over the pH range pH2-pH11. Thedevices exhibited a
      stable response over 96 hours of operation. Several films were immersedin buffer
      solutions of different pH values for 96 hours and these were then investigated
      usingXPS. The resulting N 1s spectra for the various films confirmed that the
      change inconductance was due to deprotonation of the PANI polymer backbone. SEM
      andProfilometry were also undertaken and showed that no considerable changes in
      themorphology of the films took place and that the films did not swell or
      contract due toexposure to test solutions.

PMID- 28903298
TI  - Lidar-based Studies of Aerosol Optical Properties Over Coastal Areas.
AB  - Aerosol size distribution and concentration strongly depend on wind
      speed,direction, and measuring point location in the marine boundary layer over
      coastal areas.The marine aerosol particles which are found over the sea waves in
      high wind conditionsaffect visible and near infrared propagation for paths that
      pass very close to the surface aswell as the remote sensing measurements of the
      sea surface. These particles are producedby various air sea interactions. This
      paper presents the results of measurements taken atnumerous coastal stations
      between 1992 and 2006 using an FLS-12 lidar system togetherwith other supporting
      instrumentation. The investigations demonstrated that near-waterlayers in coastal
      areas differ significantly from those over open seas both in terms ofstructure
      and physical properties. Taking into consideration the above mentioned
      factors,aerosol concentrations and optical properties were determined in the
      marine boundary layeras a function of offshore distance and altitude at various
      coastal sites in two seasons. Thelidar results show that the remote sensing
      algorithms used currently in coastal areas needverification and are not fully
      reliable.

PMID- 28903299
TI  - A Novel Pulse Measurement System by Using Laser Triangulation and a CMOS Image
      Sensor.
AB  - This paper presents a novel, non-invasive, non-contact system to measure
      pulsewaveforms of artery via applying laser triangulation method to detect skin
      surfacevibration. The proposed arterial pulsation measurement (APM) system
      chiefly consists of alaser diode and a low cost complementary metal-oxide
      semiconductor (CMOS) imagesensor. Laser triangulation and centroid method are
      combined with the Fast FourierTransform (FFT) in this study. The shape and
      frequency of the arterial pulsation can bedetected rapidly by using our APM
      system. The relative variation of the pulse at differentmeasurement points near
      wrist joint is used as a prognostic guide in traditional Chinesemedicine (TCM).
      An extensive series of experiments was conducted to evaluate theperformance of
      the designed APM system. From experimental results, the pulse amplitudeand
      frequency at the Chun point (related to the small intestine) of left hand showed
      anobvious increase after having food. In these cases, the peak to peak amplitudes
      and thefrequencies of arterial pulsations range from 38 to 48 MUm and from 1.27
      to 1.35 Hz,respectively. The height of arterial pulsations on the area near wrist
      joint can be estimatedwith a resolution of better than 4 MUm. This research
      demonstrates that applying a CMOSimage sensor in designing a non-contact,
      portable, easy-to-use, low cost pulse measurementsystem is feasible. Also, the
      designed APM system is well suited for evaluating and pre-diagnosing the health
      of a human being in TCM clinical practice.

PMID- 28903300
TI  - Modeling and Fabrication of Micro FET Pressure Sensor with Circuits.
AB  - This paper presents the simulation, fabrication and characterization of a
      microFET (field effect transistor) pressure sensor with readout circuits. The
      pressure sensorincludes 16 sensing cells in parallel. Each sensing cell that is
      circular shape is composed ofan MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) and a suspended
      membrane, which the suspendedmembrane is the movable gate of the MOS. The
      CoventorWare is used to simulate thebehaviors of the pressure sensor, and the
      HSPICE is employed to evaluate the characteristicsof the circuits. The pressure
      sensor integrated with circuits is manufactured using thecommercial 0.35 MUm CMOS
      (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) process and apost-process. In order to
      obtain the suspended membranes, the pressure sensor requires apost-CMOS process.
      The post-process adopts etchants to etch the sacrificial layers in thepressure
      sensors to release the suspended membranes, and then the etch holes in the
      pressuresensor are sealed by LPCVD (low pressure chemical vapor deposition)
      parylene. Thepressure sensor produces a change in current when applying a
      pressure to the sensing cells.The circuits are utilized to convert the current
      variation of the pressure sensor into thevoltage output. Experimental results
      show that the pressure sensor has a sensitivity of 0.032mV/kPa in the pressure
      range of 0-500 kPa.

PMID- 28903301
TI  - Six-Degree-of-Freedom Sensor Fish Design and Instrumentation.
AB  - Fish passing through dams may be injured or killed despite advances in
      turbinedesign, project operations and other fish bypass systems. The six-degree
      of-freedom (6DOF)Sensor Fish device is an autonomous sensor package that
      characterizes the physical conditionsand physical stresses to which fish are
      exposed when they pass through complex hydraulicenvironments. It has been used to
      identify the locations and operations where conditions aresevere enough to injure
      or kill fish. During the design process, a set of governing equationsof motion
      for the Sensor Fish was derived and simulated to understand the design implica
      tions of instrument selection and placement within the body of the device. The
      Sensor Fishpackage includes three rotation sensors, three acceleration sensors, a
      pressure sensor, and atemperature sensor with a sampling frequency of 2,000 Hz.
      Its housing is constructed of clearpolycarbonate plastic. It is 24.5 mm in
      diameter and 90 mm in length and weighs about 43 g,similar to the size and
      density of a yearling salmon smolt. The accuracy of the pressure sensorwas
      determined to be within 0.2 psi. In laboratory acceptance tests, the relative
      errors of boththe linear acceleration and angular velocity measurements were
      determined to be less than5%. An exposure is defined as a significant event when
      the acceleration reaches predefinedthresholds. Based on the different
      characteristic of acceleration and rotation velocities, theexposure event is
      categorized as either a collision between the Sensor Fish and a solid struc-ture
      or shear caused by turbulence. Since its development in 2005, the 6DOF Sensor
      Fish hasbeen deployed successfully at many major dams in the United States.

PMID- 28903302
TI  - Satellite-based Flood Modeling Using TRMM-based Rainfall Products.
AB  - Increasingly available and a virtually uninterrupted supply of satellite
      estimatedrainfall data is gradually becoming a cost-effective source of input for
      flood predictionunder a variety of circumstances. However, most real-time and
      quasi-global satelliterainfall products are currently available at spatial scales
      ranging from 0.25o to 0.50o andhence, are considered somewhat coarse for dynamic
      hydrologic modeling of basin-scaleflood events. This study assesses the question:
      what are the hydrologic implications ofuncertainty of satellite rainfall data at
      the coarse scale? We investigated this question onthe 970 km2 Upper Cumberland
      river basin of Kentucky. The satellite rainfall productassessed was NASA's
      Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellitePrecipitation Analysis
      (TMPA) product called 3B41RT that is available in pseudo real timewith a latency
      of 6-10 hours. We observed that bias adjustment of satellite rainfall data
      canimprove application in flood prediction to some extent with the trade-off of
      more falsealarms in peak flow. However, a more rational and regime-based
      adjustment procedureneeds to be identified before the use of satellite data can
      be institutionalized among floodmodelers.

PMID- 28903303
TI  - Determination of Primary Spectral Bands for Remote Sensing of Aquatic
      Environments.
AB  - About 30 years ago, NASA launched the first ocean-color observing satellite:the
      Coastal Zone Color Scanner. CZCS had 5 bands in the visible-infrared domain with
      anobjective to detect changes of phytoplankton (measured by concentration of
      chlorophyll) inthe oceans. Twenty years later, for the same objective but with
      advanced technology, theSea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS, 7 bands),
      the Moderate-ResolutionImaging Spectrometer (MODIS, 8 bands), and the Medium
      Resolution ImagingSpectrometer (MERIS, 12 bands) were launched. The selection of
      the number of bands andtheir positions was based on experimental and theoretical
      results achieved before thedesign of these satellite sensors. Recently, Lee and
      Carder (2002) demonstrated that foradequate derivation of major properties
      (phytoplankton biomass, colored dissolved organicmatter, suspended sediments, and
      bottom properties) in both oceanic and coastalenvironments from observation of
      water color, it is better for a sensor to have ~15 bands inthe 400 - 800 nm
      range. In that study, however, it did not provide detailed analysesregarding the
      spectral locations of the 15 bands. Here, from nearly 400 hyperspectral (~ 3-nm
      resolution) measurements of remote-sensing reflectance (a measure of water
      color)taken in both coastal and oceanic waters covering both optically deep and
      optically shallowwaters, first- and second-order derivatives were calculated
      after interpolating themeasurements to 1-nm resolution. From these derivatives,
      the frequency of zero values foreach wavelength was accounted for, and the
      distribution spectrum of such frequencies wasobtained. Furthermore, the
      wavelengths that have the highest appearance of zeros wereidentified. Because
      these spectral locations indicate extrema (a local maximum orminimum) of the
      reflectance spectrum or inflections of the spectral curvature, placing the bands
      of a sensor at these wavelengths maximizes the potential of capturing (and then
      restoring) the spectral curve, and thus maximizes the potential of accurately
      deriving properties of the water column and/or bottom of various aquatic
      environments with a multi-band sensor.

PMID- 28903305
TI  - Use of a Dynamic Enclosure Approach to Test the Accuracy of the NDIR Sensor:
      Evaluation Based on the CO2 Equilibration Pattern.
AB  - As part of a quality assurance (QA) study for sensor systems, an
      enclosureapproach is applied to assess the accuracy of non-dispersive infrared
      (NDIR)-based CO2sensors. To examine the performance of the sensor system, an
      enclosure chambercontaining six sensor units of the two model types (B-530 and H
      500) was equilibratedwith calibrated CO2 standards at varying concentration
      levels. Initially, the equilibrationpattern was analyzed by CO2-free gas (0 ppm)
      at varying flow rates (i.e., 100, 200, 500, and1000 mL min-1). Results of the
      test yielded a highly predictable and quantifiable empiricalrelationship as a
      function of such parameters as CO2 concentration, flow rate, andequilibration
      time for the enclosure system. Hence, when the performance of the NDIR-method was
      evaluated at other concentrations (i.e., 500 and 1000 ppm), all the sensor
      unitsshowed an excellent compatibility, at least in terms of the correlation
      coefficients (r >0.999, p = 0.01). According to our analysis, the NDIR sensor
      system seems to attain anoverall accuracy near the 5% level. The relative
      performance of the NDIR sensor for CO2analysis is hence comparable with (or
      superior to) other methods previously investigated.The overall results of this
      study indicate that NDIR sensors can be used to provide highlyaccurate and
      precise analyses of CO2 both in absolute and relative terms.

PMID- 28903304
TI  - An Overview of Label-free Electrochemical Protein Sensors.
AB  - Electrochemical-based protein sensors offer sensitivity, selectivity and
      reliabilityat a low cost, making them very attractive tools for protein
      detection. Although the sensorsuse a broad range of different chemistries, they
      all depend on the solid electrode surface,interactions with the target protein
      and the molecular recognition layer. Traditionally, redoxenzymes have provided
      the molecular recognition elements from which target proteins haveinteracted
      with. This necessitates that the redox-active enzymes couple with
      electrodesurfaces and usually requires the participation of added diffusional
      components, or assemblyof the enzymes in functional chemical matrices. These
      complications, among many others,have seen a trend towards non-enzymatic-based
      electrochemical protein sensors. Severalelectrochemical detection approaches have
      been exploited. Basically, these have fallen intotwo categories: labeled and
      label-free detection systems. The former rely on a redox-activesignal from a
      reporter molecule or a label, which changes upon the interaction of the
      targetprotein. In this review, we discuss the label-free electrochemical
      detection of proteins,paying particular emphasis to those that exploit intrinsic
      redox-active amino acids.

PMID- 28903306
TI  - Combination of On-line pH and Oxygen Transfer Rate Measurement in Shake Flasks by
      Fiber Optical Technique and Respiration Activity MOnitoring System (RAMOS).
AB  - Shake flasks are commonly used for process development in biotechnologyindustry.
      For this purpose a lot of information is required from the growth conditions
      duringthe fermentation experiments. Therefore, Anderlei et al. developed the
      RAMOS technology[1, 2], which proviedes on-line oxygen and carbondioxide transfer
      rates in shake flasks.Besides oxygen consumption, the pH in the medium also plays
      an important role for thesuccessful cultivation of micro-organisms and for
      process development. For online pHmeasurement fiber optical methods based on
      fluorophores are available. Here a combinationof the on-line Oxygen Transfer Rate
      (OTR) measurements in the RAMOS device with anon-line, fiber optical pH
      measurement is presented. To demonstrate the application of thecombined
      measurement techniques, Escherichia coli cultivations were performed and on-line
      pH measurements were compared with off-line samples. The combination of on
      lineOTR and pH measurements gives a lot of information about the cultivation and,
      therefore, itis a powerful technique for monitoring shake flask experiments as
      well as for processdevelopment.

PMID- 28903307
TI  - Naked-eye and Selective Detection of Mercury (II) Ions in Mixed Aqueous Media
      Using a Cellulose-based Support.
AB  - A test paper for high-selectivity detecting Hg2+ ions in mixed acetonitrile
      watersolutions has been achieved using a bis(ferrocenyl) azine, as chromogenic
      chemosensormolecule, and a solid cellulose fibre, as a substrate. Depending on
      the amount of mercuryions in contact with the detecting molecule a spectacular
      color change in the celluloseindicator is produced, being possible to determine
      the concentration of Hg2+ ions either bynaked eye or spectroscopically.

PMID- 28903309
TI  - Analysis of Mean Access Delay in Variable-Window CSM.
AB  - The paper addresses the problem of the mean access delay characteristics in
      termof the channel load for networked sensor/control systems in LonWorks/EIA-709
      technology.The system modelling is focused on the Media Access Control protocol
      that provides theload prediction and determines the key network characteristics.
      The network model assumesthe consistency of load prediction between the nodes,
      and that the Transaction ControlSublayer does not introduce limitations on the
      data transmission. The latter means that thenumbers of concurrent outgoing
      transactions being in progress are unlimited. Furthermore, itis assumed that the
      destination addresses of transmitted messages are distributed rather
      thanconcentrated on particular nodes. The analytical approach based on Markov
      chains isapplied. The calculation of transition probabilities of the Markov chain
      is exemplified by theload scenario where all the transactions are acknowledged,
      unicast, and the optionalcollision detection is enabled. On the basis of the
      stochastic analysis, the probabilities of asuccessful transmission and collision,
      respectively, are computed. Furthermore, thenumerical results of the mean access
      delay are reported. The simulative validation ofanalytical results is provided.

PMID- 28903308
TI  - Optical Fiber Sensing Using Quantum Dots.
AB  - Recent advances in the application of semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantumdots,
      as biochemical sensors are reviewed. Quantum dots have unique optical properties
      thatmake them promising alternatives to traditional dyes in many luminescence
      basedbioanalytical techniques. An overview of the more relevant progresses in the
      application ofquantum dots as biochemical probes is addressed. Special focus will
      be given toconfigurations where the sensing dots are incorporated in solid
      membranes and immobilizedin optical fibers or planar waveguide platforms.

PMID- 28903310
TI  - Characterization of physiochemical properties of caveolin-1 from normal and prion
      infected human brains.
AB  - Caveolin-1 is a major component protein of the caveolae-a type of flask shaped,
      50-100 nm, nonclathrin-coated, microdomain present in the plasma membrane of most
      mammalian cells. Caveolin-1 functions as a scaffolding protein to organize and
      concentrate signaling molecules within the caveolae, which may be associated with
      its unique physicochemical properties including oligomerization, acquisition of
      detergent insolubility, and association with cholesterol. Here we demonstrate
      that caveolin-1 is detected in all brain areas examined and recovered in both
      detergent-soluble and -insoluble fractions. Surprisingly, the recovered molecules
      from the two different fractions share a similar molecular size ranging from 200
      to 2,000 kDa, indicated by gel filtration. Furthermore, both soluble and
      insoluble caveolin-1 molecules generate a proteinase K (PK)-resistant C-terminal
      core fragment upon the PK-treatment, by removing ~36 amino acids from the N
      terminus of the protein. Although it recognizes caveolin-1 from A431 cell lysate,
      an antibody against the C-terminus of caveolin-1 fails to detect the brain
      protein by Western blotting, suggesting that the epitope in the brain caveolin-1
      is concealed. No significant differences in the physicochemical properties of
      caveolin-1 between uninfected and prion-infected brains are observed.

PMID- 28903311
TI  - Development of hepatoma-derived, bidirectional oval-like cells as a model to
      study host interactions with hepatitis C virus during differentiation.
AB  - Directed differentiation of human stem cells including induced pluripotent stem
      cells into hepatic cells potentially leads to acquired susceptibility to
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, cellular determinants that change
      their expression during cell reprogramming or hepatic differentiation and are
      pivotal for supporting the HCV life cycle remain unclear. In this study, by
      introducing a set of reprogramming factors, we established HuH-7-derived oval
      like cell lines, Hdo-17 and -23, which possess features of bipotential liver
      precursors. Upon induction of hepatocyte differentiation, expression of mature
      hepatocyte markers and hepatoblast markers in cells increased and decreased,
      respectively. In contrast, in response to cholangiocytic differentiation
      induction, gene expression of epithelium markers increased and cells formed round
      cysts with a central luminal space. Hdo cells lost their susceptibility to HCV
      infection and viral RNA replication. Hepatic differentiation of Hdo cells
      potentially led to recovery of permissiveness to HCV RNA replication. Gene
      expression profiling showed that most host-cell factors known to be involved in
      the HCV life cycle, except CD81, are expressed in Hdo cells comparable to HuH-7
      cells. HCV pseudoparticle infectivity was significantly but partially recovered
      by ectopic expression of CD81, suggesting possible involvement of additional
      unidentified factors in HCV entry. In addition, we identified miR200a-3p, which
      is highly expressed in Hdo cells and stem cells but poorly expressed in
      differentiated cells and mature hepatocytes, as a novel negative regulator of HCV
      replication. In conclusion, our results showed that epigenetic reprogramming of
      human hepatoma cells potentially changes their permissivity to HCV.

PMID- 28903312
TI  - GNP-GAPDH1-22 nanovaccines prevent neonatal listeriosis by blocking microglial
      apoptosis and bacterial dissemination.
AB  - Clinical cases of neonatal listeriosis are associated with brain disease and
      fetal loss due to complications in early or late pregnancy, which suggests that
      microglial function is altered. This is believed to be the first study to link
      microglial apoptosis with neonatal listeriosis and listeriosis-associated brain
      disease, and to propose a new nanovaccine formulation that reverses all effects
      of listeriosis and confers Listeria monocytogenes (LM)-specific immunity. We
      examined clinical cases of neonatal listeriosis in 2013-2015 and defined two
      useful prognostic immune biomarkers to design listeriosis vaccines: high anti
      GAPDH1-22 titres and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)/interleukin (IL)-6 ratios.
      Therefore, we developed a nanovaccine with gold glyco-nanoparticles conjugated to
      LM peptide 1-22 of GAPDH (Lmo2459), GNP-GAPDH1-22 nanovaccinesformulated with a
      pro-inflammatory Toll-like receptor 2/4-targeted adjuvant. Neonates born to non
      vaccinated pregnant mice with listeriosis, showed brain and vascular diseases and
      significant microglial dysfunction by induction of TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis.
      This programmed TNF-mediated suicide explains LM dissemination in brains and
      livers and blocks production of early pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta
      and interferon-alpha/beta. In contrast, neonates born to GNP-GAPDH1-22-vaccinated
      mothers before LM infection, did not develop listeriosis or brain diseases and
      had functional microglia. In nanovaccinated mothers, immune responses shifted
      towards Th1/IL-12 pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles and high production of anti
      GAPDH1-22 antibodies, suggesting good induction of LM-specific memory.

PMID- 28903313
TI  - SNX10 promotes phagosome maturation in macrophages and protects mice against
      Listeria monocytogenes infection.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), which is a facultative intracellular
      bacterial pathogen that causes listeriosis, is widely used to study the mammalian
      immune response to infection. After phagocytosis by professional phagocytes, L.
      monocytogenes is initially contained within phagosomes, which mature into
      phagolysosomes, where the bacteria are degraded. Although phagocytosis and
      subsequent phagosome maturation is essential for the clearance of infectious
      microbial pathogens, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are still unclear.
      SNX10 (Sorting nexin 10) has the simplest structure of the SNX family and has
      been reported to regulate endosomal morphology, which might be crucial for
      macrophage function, including phagocytosis and digestion of pathogens,
      inflammatory response, and antigen presentation. Our results showed that SNX10
      expression was upregulated following L. monocytogenes infection in macrophages.
      It was also revealed that SNX10 promoted phagosome maturation by recruiting the
      Mon1-Ccz1 complex to endosomes and phagosomes. As a result, SNX10 deficiency
      decreased the bacterial killing ability of macrophages, and SNX10-deficient mice
      showed increased susceptibility to L. monocytogenes infection in vivo. Thus, this
      study revealed an essential role of SNX10 in controlling bacterial infection.

PMID- 28903314
TI  - PAQR3 suppresses the proliferation, migration and tumorigenicity of human
      prostate cancer cells.
AB  - As a newly discovered tumor suppressor, the potential function of PAQR3 in human
      prostate cancer has not been demonstrated. In this study, we report that PAQR3 is
      able to inhibit the growth and migration of human prostate cancer cells both in
      vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of PAQR3 inhibits the proliferation of PC3 and
      DU145 cells by both MTT and colony formation assays. Consistently, knockdown of
      PAQR3 enhances the proliferation of these cells. In wound-healing and transwell
      assays, overexpression of PAQR3 reduces the migration of PC3 and DU145 cells,
      while PAQR3 knockdown increases it. In a tumor xenograft model, overexpression of
      PAQR3 suppresses tumor growth of PC3 cells in vivo, while PAQR3 knockdown
      promotes the tumor growth. PAQR3 is also able to inhibit serum-induced
      phosphorylation of AKT and ERK in both PC3 and DU145 cells. In addition, PAQR3
      suppresses the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in
      PC3 cells. Collectively, these data indicate that PAQR3 has a tumor suppressive
      activity in human prostate cancer cells and may stand out as a potential
      therapeutic target for prostate cancers.

PMID- 28903315
TI  - Risk assessment models for genetic risk predictors of lung cancer using two-stage
      replication for Asian and European populations.
AB  - In the past ten years, great successes have been accumulated by taking advantage
      of both candidate-gene studies and genome-wide association studies. However,
      limited studies were available to systematically evaluate the genetic effects for
      lung cancer risk with large-scale and different ethnic populations. We
      systematically reviewed relevant literatures and filtered out 241 important
      genetic variants identified in 124 articles. A two-stage case-control study
      within specific subgroups was performed to assess the effects [Training set:
      2,331 cases vs. 3,077 controls (Chinese population); testing set: 1,937 cases vs.
      1,984 controls (European population)]. Variable selection and model development
      were used LASSO penalized regression and genetic risk score (GRS) system. Further
      change in area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUC) made by
      the epidemiologic model with and without GRS was used to compare predictions. It
      kept 38 genetic variants in our study and the ratios of lung cancer risk for
      subjects in the upper quartile GRS was three times higher compared to that in the
      low quartile (odds ratio: 4.64, 95% CI: 3.87-5.56). In addition, we found that
      adding genetic predictors to smoking risk factor-only model improved lung cancer
      predictive value greatly: AUC, 0.610 versus 0.697 (P < 0.001). Similar
      performance was derived in European population and the combined two data sets.
      Our findings suggested that genetic predictors could improve the predictive
      ability of risk model for lung cancer and highlighted the application among
      different populations, indicating that the lung cancer risk assessment model will
      be a promising tool for high risk population screening and prediction.

PMID- 28903316
TI  - MDM2 antagonists synergize with PI3K/mTOR inhibition in well
      differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Well-differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS/DDLPS) are
      characterized by a consistent amplification of the MDM2 gene. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR
      pathway has been suggested to play also an important role in their tumorigenesis.
      Our goal was to determine whether combined MDM2 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR targeting is
      associated with higher anti-tumor activity than single agent alone in preclinical
      models of WDLPS/DDLPS. METHODS: WDLPS/DDLPS cells were exposed to RG7388 (MDM2
      antagonist) and BEZ235 (PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor) after which apoptosis and
      signaling/survival pathway perturbations were monitored by flow cytometry and
      Western blot analysis. Xenograft mouse models were used to assess tumor growth
      and animal survival. Western blotting, histopathology, and tumor volume evolution
      were used for the assessment of treatment efficacy. RESULTS: The PI3K/AKT/mTOR
      was upregulated in up to 81% of the human WDLPS/DDLPS samples analysed. Treatment
      with RG7388 and BEZ235 resulted in a greater tumor activity than either drug
      alone with a significant difference in terms of cell viability after 72h of
      treatment with RG-73888 alone, BEZ235 alone and a combination of both agents.
      Consistent with these observations, we found a significant increase in apoptosis
      with the combination versus the single agent treatment alone. We then analysed
      the in vivo antitumor activity of RG7388 and BEZ235 in a xenograft model of
      DDLPS. The combination regimen significantly reduced tumor growth rate in
      comparison with single agent alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our results represent the first
      in vivo evidence of synergy between MDM2 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR antagonists and
      represent a strong rationale to evaluate the therapeutic potential of such a
      combination in WDLPS/DDLPS.

PMID- 28903317
TI  - PD-L1 and c-MET expression and survival in patients with small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blocking the binding between the PD-1 and PD-L1 has been reported to
      produce antitumor responses. The MET/HGF axis appears to be another signaling
      pathway frequently altered in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Our study was aimed
      to investigate the expression and prognostic roles of PD-L1 and c-MET in SCLC.
      METHODS: The expression levels of PD-L1 and c-MET were evaluated by
      immunohistochemical analysis in 83 SCLC specimens. Survival analysis was
      performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Of the SCLC specimens, 51.8%
      and 25.3% exhibited positivity for PD-L1 and c-MET, respectively. Higher PD-L1
      expression in tumor specimens was significantly correlated with a limited disease
      (LD) stage, normal levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and neuron
      specific enolase (NSE). No association was found between the levels of c-MET and
      PD-L1 expression or between c-MET expression and other clinical characteristics.
      SCLC patients with PD-L1-positive tumors showed significantly longer overall
      survival (OS) than patients with PD-L1-negative tumors (17.0 vs 9.0, p=0.018).
      Conversely, those with positive c-MET expression exhibited a shorter OS trend
      (12.0 vs 15.0, p=0.186). However, sub-analysis of LD-stage patients revealed
      longer OS among the c-MET-negative group (25.0 vs 14.0; p=0.011). The OS of
      patients with positivity for both PD-L1 and c-MET showed no significant
      difference compared with other patients (p=0.17). According to multivariate
      analyses, neither PD-L1 nor c-MET immunoreactivity was a prognostic factor.
      CONCLUSION: Expression of PD-L1 was correlated with LD stage and might serve as a
      prognostic for better OS in SCLC patients. In LD-stage patients, high c-MET
      expression might be predictive of a poor outcome.

PMID- 28903318
TI  - MYC-dependent recruitment of RUNX1 and GATA2 on the SET oncogene promoter
      enhances PP2A inactivation in acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The SET (I2PP2A) oncoprotein is a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A
      (PP2A) that regulates many cell processes and important signaling pathways.
      Despite the importance of SET overexpression and its prognostic impact in both
      hematologic and solid tumors, little is known about the mechanisms involved in
      its transcriptional regulation. In this report, we define the minimal promoter
      region of the SET gene, and identify a novel multi-protein transcription complex,
      composed of MYC, SP1, RUNX1 and GATA2, which activates SET expression in AML. The
      role of MYC is crucial, since it increases the expression of the other three
      transcription factors of the complex, and supports their recruitment to the
      promoter of SET. These data shed light on a new regulatory mechanism in cancer,
      in addition to the already known PP2A-MYC and SET-PP2A. Besides, we show that
      there is a significant positive correlation between the expression of SET and
      MYC, RUNX1, and GATA2 in AML patients, which further endorses our results.
      Altogether, this study opens new directions for understanding the mechanisms that
      lead to SET overexpression, and demonstrates that MYC, SP1, RUNX1 and GATA2 are
      key transcriptional regulators of SET expression in AML.

PMID- 28903319
TI  - Loss of giant obscurins alters breast epithelial cell mechanosensing of matrix
      stiffness.
AB  - Obscurins are a family of RhoGEF-containing proteins with tumor and metastasis
      suppressing roles in breast epithelium. Downregulation of giant obscurins in
      normal breast epithelial cells leads to reduced levels of active RhoA and of its
      downstream effectors. Herein, we elucidate how depletion of giant obscurins
      affects the response of breast epithelial cells to changes in the mechanical
      properties of the microenvironment. We find that knockdown of obscurins increases
      cell morphodynamics, migration speed, and diffusivity on polyacrylamide gels of
      >= 1 kPa, presumably by decreasing focal adhesion area and density as well as
      cell traction forces. Depletion of obscurins also increases cell
      mechanosensitivity on soft (0.4-4 kPa) surfaces. Similar to downregulation of
      obscurins, pharmacological inhibition of Rho kinase in breast epithelial cells
      increases migration and morphodynamics, suggesting that suppression of Rho kinase
      activity following obscurin knockdown can account for alterations in
      morphodynamics and migration. In contrast, inhibition of myosin light chain
      kinase reduces morphodynamics and migration, suggesting that temporal changes in
      cell shape are required for efficient migration. Collectively, downregulation of
      giant obscurins facilitates cell migration through heterogeneous
      microenvironments of varying stiffness by altering cell mechanobiology.

PMID- 28903320
TI  - E2F3 upregulation promotes tumor malignancy through the transcriptional
      activation of HIF-2alpha in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - The E2F3 transcriptional regulatory pathway plays a major part in multiple-cancer
      progression, but the specific contributions of this pathway to tumor formation
      and the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are not fully
      understood. Clinically, we demonstrated that E2F3 was overexpressed in advanced
      tumor features. Moreover, cytoplasmic restoration predicted the poor overall
      survival of ccRCC patients. As a remarkable oncogene for ccRCC, high HIF-2alpha
      levels closely correlated with E2F3 upregulation. We observed in vitro that E2F3
      overexpression and knockdown regulated HIF-2alpha expression. Furthermore, we
      found that HIF-2alpha harbored multiple E2F3 binding sites in the promoters.
      Mechanistically, E2F3 acted to transactivate HIF-2alpha transcription, which in
      turn exerted a serial effect on the pivotal epithelial-mesenchymal transition
      related genes. The RNA interference-mediated silencing of HIF-2alpha attenuated
      E2F3-enhanced cell migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our
      results identified HIF-2alpha as a direct target gene for E2F3 upregulation,
      which was critical for carcinogenesis and progression of ccRCC. Thus, targeting
      the E2F3-HIF-2alpha interaction may be a promising approach to ccRCC treatment.

PMID- 28903321
TI  - Alu-based cell-free DNA: a novel biomarker for screening of gastric cancer.
AB  - Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common cancer and the second major cause
      of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In our previous study, a novel and sensitive
      method for quantifying cell-free DNA (CFD) in human blood was established and
      tested for its ability to predict patients with tumor. We want to investigate CFD
      expression in the sera of GC patients in an attempt to explore the clinical
      significance of CFD in improving the early screening of GC and monitoring GC
      progression by the branched DNA (bDNA)-based Alu assay. The concentration of CFD
      was quantitated by bDNA-based Alu assay. CEA, CA19-9, C72-4 and CA50
      concentrations were determined by ABBOTT ARCHITECT I2000 SR. We found the CFD
      concentrations have significant differences between GC patients, benign gastric
      disease (BGD) patients and healthy controls (P < 0.05). CFD were weakly
      correlated with CEA (r = -0.197, P < 0.05) or CA50 (r = 0.206, P < 0.05), and no
      correlation with CA19-9 (r = -0.061, P > 0.05) or CA72-4 (r = 0.011, P > 0.05).
      In addition, CFD concentrations were significantly higher in stage I GC patients
      than BGD patients and healthy controls (P < 0.05), but there was no significant
      difference in CEA, CA19-9 and CA50 among the three traditional tumor markers (P >
      0.05). Our analysis showed that CFD was more sensitive than CEA, CA19-9, CA72-4
      or CA50 in early screening of GC. Compared with CEA, CA19-9, CA72-4 and CA50, CFD
      may prove to be a better biomarker for the screening of GC, thus providing a
      sensitive biomarker for screening and monitoring progression of GC.

PMID- 28903322
TI  - Evaluation of a community-based integrated heroin addiction treatment model in
      Chinese patients.
AB  - In this study, we analyzed the efficacy and feasibility of a community-based
      integrated heroin addiction treatment model in Chinese patients. The 210 heroin
      addicts belonging to six Chinese communities received an integrated
      biopsychosocial intervention that included pharmacological treatment, counseling
      and social assistance. High proportions of study participants were retained at
      the 12-month (91.9%; 193/210) and 24-month (88.1%; 185/210) follow-up visits. The
      number of morphine-positive subjects declined from 61.4% at baseline to 36.2% and
      30.5% (Q=52.01; P<0.001) after 12 and 24 months, respectively. The crime rate
      decreased from 32.4% at baseline to 2.2% and 1.6% (Q=7.84; P<0.001) after 12 and
      24 months, respectively. The number of patients that were employed increased from
      24.3% at baseline to 37.8% and 50.8% after 12 and 24 months, respectively
      (Q=41.68; P<0.001). Addiction-related issues and mental health status improved
      according to Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). We
      therefore conclude that this community-based, integrated heroin addiction
      treatment model is highly feasible with high treatment retention, reduced drug
      use, a lower crime rate, improved health and increased employment.

PMID- 28903323
TI  - The pancreatic tumor microenvironment drives changes in miRNA expression that
      promote cytokine production and inhibit migration by the tumor associated stroma.
AB  - The pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment is largely comprised of
      fibrotic tumor associated stroma (TAS) that contributes to the lethal biology of
      PDAC. microRNA (miRNA) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression.
      We hypothesized that interactions between PDAC cells and TAS cells within the
      microenvironment modulate miRNA expression and thus, tumor biology. We observed
      that miR-205 and members of the miR-200 family (miR-200a, -200b, -200c, -141 and
      miR-429) were exclusively expressed in PDAC cells, consistent with an epithelial
      miRNA signature, while miR-145 and miR-199 family members (miR-199a and -199b)
      were solely expressed in TAS cells, consistent with a stromal miRNA signature.
      This finding was confirmed by qRT-PCR of RNA obtained by laser-capture
      microdissection of surgical specimens. Using an in vitro co-culture model, we
      further demonstrated regulation of miRNA expression by cell-cell contact. Forced
      expression in TAS cells of miR-200b/-200c and miR-205 to mimic these observed
      changes in miRNA concentrations induced secretion of GM-CSF and IP10, and notably
      inhibited migration. These data suggest interactions within the tumor
      microenvironment alter miRNA expression, which in turn have a functional impact
      on TAS.

PMID- 28903324
TI  - The PWWP domain of the human oncogene WHSC1L1/NSD3 induces a metabolic shift
      toward fermentation.
AB  - WHSC1L1/NSD3, one of the most aggressive human oncogenes, has two isoforms
      derived from alternative splicing. Overexpression of long or short NSD3 is
      capable of transforming a healthy into a cancer cell. NSD3s, the short isoform,
      contains only a PWWP domain, a histone methyl-lysine reader involved in
      epigenetic regulation of gene expression. With the aim of understanding the NSD3s
      PWWP domain role in tumorigenesis, we used Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an
      experimental model. We identified the yeast protein Pdp3 that contains a PWWP
      domain that closely resembles NSD3s PWWP. Our results indicate that the yeast
      protein Pdp3 and human NSD3s seem to play similar roles in energy metabolism,
      leading to a metabolic shift toward fermentation. The swapping domain experiments
      suggested that the PWWP domain of NSD3s functionally substitutes that of yeast
      Pdp3, whose W21 is essential for its metabolic function.

PMID- 28903325
TI  - CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway is activated by oncogenic JAK2 in a PI3K-dependent manner.
AB  - JAK2 activation is the driver mechanism in BCR-ABL-negative myeloproliferative
      neoplasms (MPN). These diseases are characterized by an abnormal retention of
      hematopoietic stem cells within the bone marrow microenvironment and their
      increased trafficking to extramedullary sites. The CXCL12/CXCR4 axis plays a
      central role in hematopoietic stem cell/ progenitor trafficking and retention in
      hematopoietic sites. The present study explores the crosstalk between JAK2 and
      CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling pathways in MPN. We show that JAK2, activated by either
      MPL-W515L expression or cytokine stimulation, cooperates with CXCL12/CXCR4
      signaling to increase the chemotactic response of human cell lines and primary
      CD34+ cells through an increased phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) signaling.
      Accordingly, primary myelofibrosis (MF) patient cells demonstrate an increased
      CXCL12-induced chemotaxis when compared to controls. JAK2 inhibition by knock
      down or chemical inhibitors decreases this effect in MPL-W515L expressing cell
      lines and reduces the CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in some patient primary cells. Taken
      together, these data indicate that CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway is overactivated in MF
      patients by oncogenic JAK2 that maintains high PI3K signaling over the threshold
      required for CXCR4 activation. These results suggest that inhibition of this
      crosstalk may contribute to the therapeutic effects of JAK2 inhibitors.

PMID- 28903326
TI  - Distinct clinicopathological features in metanephric adenoma harboring BRAF
      mutation.
AB  - BRAF mutation recently has been reported in metanephric adenoma. We sought to
      determine the clinical and morphologic features of BRAF-mutated metanephric
      adenoma and to correlate BRAF mutation with BRAF V600E immunohistochemical
      staining results. A series of 48 metanephric adenomas and 15 epithelial
      predominant nephroblastomas were analyzed for the occurrence of BRAF mutation
      (BRAF V600E/V600E complex, BRAF V600D, BRAF V600K and BRAF V600R) using the BRAF
      RGQ PCR kit (Qiagen). Immunohistochemistry was performed using monoclonal mouse
      antibodies against p16INK4 and VE1 (Spring Bioscience), recognizing the BRAF
      V600E mutant protein. Forty-one of 48 cases (85%) showed BRAF V600E mutation;
      none of the other BRAF variants was detected. Of 41 BRAF-mutated metanephric
      adenomas, 33 showed positive VE1 immunostaining (sensitivity 80%, specificity
      100%); in all cases we detected p16INK4 expression regardless of BRAF mutation
      status. All epithelial-predominant nephroblastomas were BRAF-wild-type and none
      expressed VE1. The following features were associated with BRAF V600E mutation:
      older patients (p=0.01), female predominance (p=0.005) and the presence of a
      predominantly acinar architecture (p=0.003). In summary, BRAF-mutated metanephric
      adenomas were associated with older age, female predominance, and the presence of
      a predominant acinar component. A subset (20%) of BRAF-mutated metanephric
      adenomas was not detected by VE1 immunostaining.

PMID- 28903327
TI  - Pericardial effusion is correlated with clinical outcome after pulmonary artery
      denervation for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pericardial effusion (PE) is correlated with outcomes in patients
      with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Pulmonary artery denervation (PADN)
      was used for treatment of PAH. The present study aimed to analyze the prognostic
      value of PE for outcomes after PADN in patients with WHO Group I, Group II and
      Group IV PAH. RESULTS: PE, frequently seen in patients with connective tissue
      disease, was featured by fast heart rate, decreased exercise capacity, more
      syncope, worsening pulmonary arterial hemodynamic and right atrium size. PADN
      procedure resulted in dramatic reduction of PE. After a median of 376 days follow
      up, the rate of PAH-related event, all-cause death and rehospitalization
      increased over the PE amount and occurred in 29.8%, 19.7% and 25.2% of patients
      with PE, different to 3.4%, 3.4% and 6.8% of patients without PE (p = 0.034, p =
      0.041 and p = 0.039, respectively). The reduction of PE during follow-up was
      similar among three groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2012 and July
      2014, a total of 66 consecutive patients (52 +/- 16 years) who underwent PADN
      were stratified by no PE (n = 20), PE < 10 mm (n = 29) and PE >= 10 mm (n = 17)
      according to baseline echocardiograph. Dynamic change of PE and its correlation
      with PAH-related event after PADN were measured. CONCLUSIONS: PE is associated
      with increased PAH-related event after PADN. PADN results in significant similar
      reduction of PE among patients with Group I, Group II and Group IV PAH.

PMID- 28903328
TI  - CD164 promotes lung tumor-initiating cells with stem cell activity and determines
      tumor growth and drug resistance via Akt/mTOR signaling.
AB  - CD164 is a cell adhesion molecule that increases hematopoietic stem cell
      proliferation, adhesion, and migration via C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4
      (CXCR4) signaling. Emerging evidence indicates that elevated CD164 expression is
      associated with aggressive metastasis, advanced stages, and shorter overall
      survival in lung cancer. However, no data are available regarding the clinical
      significance of CD164 expression in lung cancer. This study explores whether
      CD164 promotes tumor-initiation and drug resistance through the stem cell
      property. Using tissue microarrays, we determine that CD164 expression is
      correlated with clinicopathological characteristics in human lung cancer. The
      CD164 overexpression in normal lung epithelial cells (BEAS2B cells) leads to
      malignant transformation in vitro, tumorigenicity in xenografted mice, stem cell
      like property, and drug resistance through ATP-binding cassette transporters. The
      CD164 overexpression increases CXCR4 expression and activates Akt/mTOR signaling.
      Rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, hinders cell proliferation along with sphere
      formation in vitro and impedes tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, we have
      provided evidence that CD164 promotes the growth of lung tumor-initiating cells
      with stem cell properties and induces tumor growth and drug resistance through
      Akt/mTOR signaling. Therefore, identification of CD164 as a cancer stem cell
      therapeutic marker may develop an effective therapy in patients with
      chemoresistant lung cancer.

PMID- 28903329
TI  - Fractalkine/CX3CL1 induced intercellular adhesion molecule-1-dependent tumor
      metastasis through the CX3CR1/PI3K/Akt/NF-kappaB pathway in human osteosarcoma.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in children and teens. The
      exact molecular mechanism underlying osteosarcoma progression still remains
      unclear. The CX3CL1/fractalkine has been implicated in various tumors but not in
      osteosarcoma. This study is the first to show that fractalkine promotes
      osteosarcoma metastasis by promoting cell migration. Fractalkine expression was
      higher in osteosarcoma cell lines than in normal osteoblasts. Fractalkine induced
      cell migration by upregulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)
      expression via CX3CR1/PI3K/Akt/NF-kappaB pathway in human osteosarcoma cells.
      Knockdown of fractalkine expression markedly inhibited cell migration and lung
      metastasis in osteosarcoma. Finally, we showed a clinical correlation between
      CX3CL1 expression and ICAM-1 expression as well as tumor stage in human
      osteosarcoma tissues. In conclusion, our results indicate that fractalkine
      promotes cell migration and metastasis of osteosarcoma by upregulating ICAM-1
      expression. Thus, fractalkine could serve a novel therapeutic target for
      preventing osteosarcoma metastasis.

PMID- 28903330
TI  - Inhibition of HSF1 suppresses the growth of hepatocarcinoma cell lines in vitro
      and AKT-driven hepatocarcinogenesis in mice.
AB  - Upregulation of the heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) has been described
      as a frequent event in many cancer types, but its oncogenic role in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poorly delineated. In the present study,
      we assessed the function(s) of HSF1 in hepatocarcinogenesis via in vitro and in
      vivo approaches. In particular, we determined the importance of HSF1 on v-Akt
      murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT)-induced liver cancer development in
      mice. We found that knockdown of HSF1 activity via specific siRNA triggered
      growth restraint by suppressing cell proliferation and inducing massive cell
      apoptosis in human HCC cell lines. At the molecular level, HSF1 inhibition was
      accompanied by downregulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase
      (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) cascade and related metabolic
      pathways. Most importantly, overexpression of a dominant negative form of HSF1
      (HSF1dn) in the mouse liver via hydrodynamic gene delivery led to the inhibition
      of mouse hepatocarcinogenesis driven by overexpression of AKT. In human liver
      cancer specimens, we detected that HSF1 is progressively induced from human non
      tumorous surrounding livers to HCC, reaching the highest expression in the tumors
      characterized by the poorest outcome (as defined by the length of patients'
      survival). In conclusion, HSF1 is an independent prognostic factor in liver
      cancer and might represent an innovative therapeutic target in HCC subsets
      characterized by activation of the AKT/mTOR pathway.

PMID- 28903331
TI  - The antigenic identity of human class I MHC phosphopeptides is critically
      dependent upon phosphorylation status.
AB  - Dysregulated post-translational modification provides a source of altered self
      antigens that can stimulate immune responses in autoimmunity, inflammation, and
      cancer. In recent years, phosphorylated peptides have emerged as a group of
      tumour-associated antigens presented by MHC molecules and recognised by T cells,
      and represent promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, the impact
      of phosphorylation on the antigenic identity of phosphopeptide epitopes is
      unclear. Here we examined this by determining structures of MHC-bound
      phosphopeptides bearing canonical position 4-phosphorylations in the presence and
      absence of their phosphate moiety, and examining phosphopeptide recognition by
      the T cell receptor (TCR). Strikingly, two peptides exhibited major
      conformational changes upon phosphorylation, involving a similar molecular
      mechanism, which focussed changes on the central peptide region most critical for
      T cell recognition. In contrast, a third epitope displayed little conformational
      alteration upon phosphorylation. In addition, binding studies demonstrated TCR
      interaction with an MHC-bound phosphopeptide was both epitope-specific and
      absolutely dependent upon phosphorylation status. These results highlight the
      critical influence of phosphorylation on the antigenic identity of naturally
      processed class I MHC epitopes. In doing so they provide a molecular framework
      for understanding phosphopeptide-specific immune responses, and have implications
      for the development of phosphopeptide antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy
      approaches.

PMID- 28903332
TI  - Myeloid-derived suppressor cell and macrophage exert distinct angiogenic and
      immunosuppressive effects in breast cancer.
AB  - The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment is a key obstacle to hinder a cancer
      immunotherapy. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been considered as a
      major player in immunosuppression. In this study, we find that tumor-infiltrating
      MDSCs (tiMDSCs) are less immunosuppressive than tumor-associated macrophages
      (TAMs) in multiple murine orthotopic breast tumor models. Compared to TAMs,
      tiMDSCs produce higher levels of pro-inflammatory factors and lower levels of
      anti-inflammatory factors. Furthermore, tiMDSCs are preferentially located in
      hypoxic areas and are more pro-angiogenic than TAMs. Consistent with these
      functional disparities, a shift from tiMDSCs to TAMs is observed during the
      progression of breast cancer. Moreover, infiltration of tiMDSCs is also noted in
      distal colonization of breast cancer cells in the lung. Taken together, our
      findings indicate that tiMDSCs are more pro-angiogenic and promote tumor
      initiation, while TAMs are more immunosuppressive and facilitate tumor immune
      evasion. This study suggests that selectively targeting on TAMs could alleviate
      the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and potentiate cancer immunotherapy.

PMID- 28903333
TI  - Effect of PKC inhibitor on experimental autoimmune myocarditis in Lewis rats.
AB  - Myocarditis is a major cause of sudden, unexpected death in young people.
      However, it is still one of the most challenging diseases to treat in cardiology.
      In the present study, we showed that both expression level and activity of PKC
      alpha were up-regulated in the rat heart of experimental autoimmune myocarditis
      (EAM). Intraperitoneal administration of PKC inhibitor (Ro-32-0432) at the end of
      the most severe inflammation period of EAM still significantly reduced the EAM
      induced expression of failure biomarkers. Furthermore, Ro-32-0432 reduced the
      ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and suppressed the expression of cleaved caspase-3, both of
      which were increased in the heart of the EAM rats, suggesting an anti-apoptotic
      role of Ro-32-0432. Besides, Ro-32-0432 suppressed EAM-induced cardiac fibrosis
      and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and IL-17. These results
      suggest that inhibition of PKC may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for
      the treatment of myocarditis.

PMID- 28903334
TI  - Base excision repair imbalance in colorectal cancer has prognostic value and
      modulates response to chemotherapy.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is prevalent worldwide, and treatment often involves
      surgery and genotoxic chemotherapy. DNA repair mechanisms, such as base excision
      repair (BER) and mismatch repair (MMR), may not only influence tumour
      characteristics and prognosis but also dictate chemotherapy response. Defective
      MMR contributes to chemoresistance in colorectal cancer. Moreover, BER affects
      cellular survival by repairing genotoxic base damage in a process that itself can
      disrupt metabolism. In this study, we characterized BER and MMR gene expression
      in colorectal tumours and the association between this repair profile with
      patients' clinical and pathological features. In addition, we exploited the
      possible mechanisms underlying the association between altered DNA repair,
      metabolism and response to chemotherapy. Seventy pairs of sporadic colorectal
      tumour samples and adjacent non-tumour mucosal specimens were assessed for BER
      and MMR gene and protein expression and their association with pathological and
      clinical features. MMR-deficient colon cancer cells (HCT116) transiently
      overexpressing MPG or XRCC1 were treated with 5-FU or TMZ and evaluated for
      viability and metabolic intermediate levels. Increase in BER gene and protein
      expression is associated with more aggressive tumour features and poor
      pathological outcomes in CRC. However, tumours with reduced MMR gene expression
      also displayed low MPG, OGG1 and PARP1 expression. Imbalancing BER by
      overexpression of MPG, but not XRCC1, sensitises MMR-deficient colon cancer cells
      to 5-FU and TMZ and leads to ATP depletion and lactate accumulation. MPG
      overexpression alters DNA repair and metabolism and is a potential strategy to
      overcome 5-FU chemotherapeutic resistance in MMR-deficient CRC.

PMID- 28903335
TI  - Sodium selenite prevents suppression of mucosal humoral response by AFB1 in
      broiler's cecal tonsil.
AB  - Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the most common mycotoxin in human food and animal feed,
      produces hepatotoxic, genotoxic and immunosuppressive effects in multiple
      species. Selenium (Se) has emerged as an important element in the dietary
      prevention of various toxic agents. The present study was designed to scrutinize
      the protective effects of sodium selenite on the histological lesions and
      suppression of mucosal humoral response in the cecal tonsil generated by AFB1. A
      total of 156 one-day-old broilers were divided into four groups and fed on basal
      diet (control group), 0.6 mg/kg AFB1 (AFB1 group), 0.4 mg/kg Se supplement (+Se
      group), and 0.6 mg/kg AFB1 + 0.4 mg/kg Se supplement (AFB1+Se group) respectively
      for 21 days. Our results showed that 0.4 mg/kg Se supplement in broiler's diets
      could improve the AFB1-induced histological lesions in the cecal tonsils
      including the depletion of lymphocytes in the lymphatic nodules as well as the
      shedding of microvilli in the absorptive cells. Moreover, Se could restore the
      decreased number of IgA+ cells and expression levels of pIgR, IgA, IgG, and IgM
      mRNA induced by AFB1 to be close to those in the control group. These results
      demonstrated that 0.4 mg/kg supplemented dietary Se in the form of sodium
      selenite could protect the cecal tonsils from the histological lesions and
      suppression of the mucosal humoral response provoked by 0.6 mg/kg AFB1. Our study
      may provide new experimental evidences for better understanding of AFB1-induced
      damage of mucosal immunity and protective effect of Se against this toxin.

PMID- 28903336
TI  - G protein-coupled receptor kinase 6 is overexpressed in glioma and promotes
      glioma cell proliferation.
AB  - The expression and potential biological functions of G protein-coupled receptor
      kinase 6 (GRK6) in human glioma are tested in this study. We show that protein
      and mRNA expression of GRK6 in human glioma tissues was significantly higher than
      that in the normal brain tissues. Further immunohistochemistry assay analyzing
      total 118 human glioma tissues showed that GRK6 over-expression was correlated
      with glioma pathologic grade and patients' Karnofsky performance status (KPS)
      score. At the molecular level, in the GRK6-low H4 glioma cells, forced over
      expression of GRK6 promoted cell proliferation. Reversely, siRNA-mediated
      knockdown of GRK6 in the U251MG (GRK6-high) cells led to proliferation inhibition
      and cell cycle arrest. Intriguingly, GRK6 could also be an important temozolomide
      resistance factor. Temozolomide-induced cytotoxicity was prominent only in GRK6
      low H4 glioma cells. On the other hand, knockdown of GRK6 by targeted siRNA
      sensitized U251MG cells (GRK6-high) to temozolomide. Thus, GRK6 over-expression
      in glioma is important for cell proliferation and temozolomide resistance.

PMID- 28903337
TI  - Targeting the apoptotic Mcl-1-PUMA interface with a dual-acting compound.
AB  - Despite intensive efforts in the search for small molecules with anti-cancer
      activity, it remains challenging to achieve both high effectiveness and safety,
      since many agents lack the selectivity to only act on cancer cells. The interface
      of two apoptotic proteins, myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) and p53 upregulated
      modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), has been recently affirmed as a target for
      treating cancers, as the disruption of Mcl-1-PUMA binding can reduce cancer cell
      survival and protect normal cells from apoptosis. However, therapeutic agents
      that target this interface are yet to be found. In this work, we combined
      pharmacophore modelling and biological tests to seek small molecules which target
      the Mcl-1-PUMA interface. For the first time, a small-molecule compound was
      identified. Its dual activity has been validated to reduce PUMA-dependent
      apoptosis while deactivating Mcl-1-mediated anti-apoptosis in cancer cells. Our
      results would provide a new avenue for the development of effective and safe anti
      cancer agents.

PMID- 28903338
TI  - TLR2 activation induces antioxidant defence in human monocyte-macrophage cell
      line models.
AB  - When monocytes are recruited to inflammation/infection sites, extravasate and
      differentiate into macrophages, they encounter increasing levels of oxidative
      stress, both from exogenous and endogenous sources. In this study, we aimed to
      determine whether there are specific biochemical mechanisms responsible for an
      increase in oxidative stress resistance in differentiating macrophages. We
      performed experiments on in vitro cell line models of the monocyte-macrophage
      differentiation axis (less differentiated THP-1 cells and more differentiated
      Mono Mac 6 cells). At the same time, we verified the hypothesis that activating
      monocyte/macrophage innate immune response by pathogens (exemplified by
      stimulating the TLR2 pattern recognition receptor) would further strengthen
      cellular antioxidant defences. We found that resistance to exogenous oxidative
      stress increased substantially both during differentiation and upon activation of
      TLR2. This increase in antioxidant resistance was accompanied by decrease in free
      radical damage to cellular proteins. On the molecular level, this resistance was
      mediated especially by increased levels and activity of glutathione, glutathione
      related antioxidant enzymes and Mn superoxide dismutase, as shown by gene
      expression assays, Western blotting and enzyme activity assays. Moreover, upon
      TLR2 activation additional molecular mechanisms came into play, conferring
      additional resistance levels even upon differentiated macrophage-like cells,
      mainly related to thioredoxin-linked antioxidant enzymes.

PMID- 28903339
TI  - ING5 knockdown enhances migration and invasion of lung cancer cells by inducing
      EMT via EGFR/PI3K/Akt and IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathways.
AB  - ING5 belongs to the Inhibitor of Growth (ING) candidate tumor suppressor family,
      whose functions have been involved in the regulation of chromatin remodeling,
      cell cycle progression, proliferation and apoptosis. Our previous study has shown
      that ING5 overexpression inhibits lung cancer aggressiveness via suppressing
      epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the mechanisms remain
      largely unknown. In the current study, by Phospho-Kinase array and western blot,
      we have defined significantly upregulated EGFR/PI3K/Akt and IL-6/STAT3 oncogenic
      signaling pathways in ING5 knockdown A549 cells, which could be downregulated by
      ING5 overexpression. PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 or STAT3 inhibitor Niclosamide not
      only abolished ING5 knockdown-promoted proliferation, colony formation, migration
      and invasion of lung cancer A549 cells, but also impaired ING5 knockdown
      stimulated metastasis of cancer cells in mouse xenograft models with tail vein
      injection of A549 cells. Furthermore, treatment with ZSTK474 or Niclosamide
      decreased protein level of EGFR, p-Akt, IL-6 and p-STAT3, and reversed ING5
      knockdown-promoted EMT, as indicated by downregulated expression of EMT marker E
      cadherin, an epithelial marker, increased expression of N-cadherin, a mesenchymal
      marker, and EMT-related transcription factors including Snail, Slug, Smad3 and
      Twist. Taken together, these results demonstrate that loss of ING5 enhances
      aggressiveness of lung cancer cells by promoting EMT via activation of
      EGFR/PI3K/Akt and IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathways.

PMID- 28903340
TI  - Multi-modality imaging-monitored creation of rat orthotopic pancreatic head
      cancer with obstructive jaundice.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of using multi-modality imaging to
      monitor the creation of rat models with orthotopic pancreatic head cancer with
      obstructive jaundice. RESULTS: 27 of 52 rats (51.92%) developed pancreatic head
      cancer. The tumor formation rate was significantly higher in the animal group
      receiving bioluminescent tumor, compared to the group receiving non
      bioluminescent donor tumors [78.1% (25/32 rats) vs 10.0% (2/20 rats), P =
      0.0001]. Both ultrasound imaging and MRI clearly characterized the orthotopic
      tumors. Laboratory biochemistry test for those rats with obstructive jaundice
      showed elevated levels of bilirubin, aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline
      phosphatase (ALT) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (lambda-GGT), compared with
      those rats without jaundice (P < 0.05). Correlative pathology confirmed that all
      tumors were ductal adenocarcinomas, and located in pancreatic head regions.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rat pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells (DSL-6A/C1) were first
      transfected with lentivirus/mCherry-luciferase genes, and then subcutaneously
      implanted into flanks of donor immunocompetent Lewis rats, to create pancreatic
      tumor tissues. The tumor tissues from donor rats with either bioluminescence
      signal or without the signal were then transplanted into the pancreatic heads of
      52 recipient Lewis rats. Bioluminescence optical and ultrasound imaging, as well
      as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were performed to follow up the tumor
      formation and growth in these tumor-transplanted rats. Physical examination and
      biochemistry test were used to discern the rats with obstructive jaundice. The
      rats were euthanized for subsequent histologic correlation and confirmation.
      CONCLUSIONS: We successfully created a new rat model with orthotopic pancreatic
      head cancer, which can be accurately monitored and visualized by different
      imaging modalities.

PMID- 28903341
TI  - APOBEC3G acts as a therapeutic target in mesenchymal gliomas by sensitizing cells
      to radiation-induced cell death.
AB  - Genomic, transcriptional, and proteomic analyses of brain tumors reveal that
      subtypes differ in their pathway activity, progression, and response to therapy.
      We performed an expression profiling of Glioma Initiating Cells (GICs) and
      comparative analysis between different groups of GICs indicates major variations
      in gene expression. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed groups of GICs
      reflecting their heterogeneity, and among some of the genes as major regulators
      of mesenchymal phenotype, we identified ABOBEC3G as one of the most
      discriminating genes in mesenchymal group. ABOBEC3G revealed a strong correlation
      with overall survival in TCGA GBM patient cohorts. APOBEC3G regulates cell
      invasion and silencing of this gene in GICs inhibits cell invasion and also
      glioma sphere initiation. APOBEC3G controls invasion through TGFbeta/Smad2
      pathway by regulating Smad2 target genes Thrombospondin 1, matrix
      metallopeptidase 2 and TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1. We also show that
      targeting APOBEC3G can sensitize cancer cells to radiation induced cell death by
      attenuating activation of the DNA repair pathway. This response is mainly shown
      by decreased pChk2 expression in knockdown APOBEC3G cells. Taken together, we
      show that APOBEC3G gene is a mesenchymal enriched gene that controls invasion and
      knockdown of APOBEC3G sensitizes cells to radiation induced cell death,
      suggesting that APOBEC3G can be considered for use in stratifying patients with
      GBM for prognostic considerations.

PMID- 28903343
TI  - A study on the anti-tumor mechanism of total flavonoids from Radix Tetrastigmae
      against additional cell line based on COX-2-mediated Wnt/beta-catenin signaling
      pathway.
AB  - This study is to explore the effect of total flavonoids from Radix Tetrastigmae
      (TF) against hepatic cancer and discuss the acting mechanism. Proliferation of
      HepG2 cells was promoted by PGE2 and Butaprost. Using AH6809 as the positive
      control, the inhibitory effect of TF on additional cell line was detected through
      a CCK-8 assay, the apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry, and the nuclear
      morphology of cells were observed by Hochest33258 staining. Then PCR was applied
      to determine the mRNA expression. The corresponding Protein expression were
      determined by Western Blot. The effects of TF on the body weight, tumor growth
      volume and tumor inhibition rate were observed in nude mice model of human
      hepatocellular carcinoma by vivo experiments. The results showed TF had an
      obvious inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells with a significant dose-dependent manner
      (P<0.01). Pyknosis was found under the fluorescence microscope after TF treatment
      for 24h by Hochest33258 staining. Typical features of apoptosis were observed in
      HepG2 cells treated with TF and the apoptosis rate increased with increase of
      concentration of the TF. mRNA expression levels of GSK-3beta, Akt, VEGF, COX-2
      and beta-catenin were down regulated greatly by the TF in HepG2 cells. Moderate
      and high concentrations of TF led to an obvious down regulation of GSK-3beta, p
      GSK-3beta, Akt, p-Akt, VEGF, COX-2 and beta-catenin in HepG2 cells, while p-beta
      catenin was up regulated. The tumor inhibition rates with high, medium and low
      dose of TF were 64.07%, 53.64%, 46.69%, respectively. The inhibitory effect of
      total flavonoids on tumor growth in mice was better than that of CTX, and the
      inhibitory effect of TF on tumor growth was less than CTX. TF exhibited a
      significant inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells, promoting the apoptosis of HepG2
      cells in a dose-dependent manner. TF was also regulatory of the COX-2-Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling pathway, which was presumed to be the working mechanism of
      Tetrastigmae.

PMID- 28903342
TI  - Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and complex karyotype show an adverse
      outcome even in absence of TP53/ATM FISH deletions.
AB  - Genomic complexity identified by chromosome banding analysis (CBA) predicts a
      worse clinical outcome in CLL patients treated either with standard or new
      treatments. Herein, we analyzed the clinical impact of complex karyotypes (CK)
      with or without high-risk FISH deletions (ATM and/or TP53, HR-FISH) in a cohort
      of 1045 untreated MBL/CLL patients. In all, 99/1045 (9.5%) patients displayed a
      CK. Despite ATM and TP53 deletions were more common in CK (25% vs 7%; P < 0.001;
      40% vs 5%; P < 0.001, respectively), only 44% (40/90) patients with TP53
      deletions showed a CK. CK group showed a significant higher two-year cumulative
      incidence of treatment (48% vs 20%; P < 0.001), as well as a shorter overall
      survival (OS) (79 mo vs not reached; P < 0.001). When patients were categorized
      regarding CK and HR-FISH, those with both characteristics showed the worst median
      OS (52 mo) being clearly distinct from those non-CK and non-HR-FISH (median not
      reached), but no significant differences were detected between cases with only CK
      or HR-FISH. Both CK and TP53 deletion remained statistically significant in the
      multivariate analysis for OS. In conclusion, CK group is globally associated with
      advanced disease and poor prognostic markers. Further investigation in larger
      cohorts with CK lacking HR-FISH is needed to elucidate which mechanisms underlie
      the poor outcome of this subgroup.

PMID- 28903344
TI  - Establishing a patient-derived xenograft model of human myxoid and round-cell
      liposarcoma.
AB  - Myxoid and round cell liposarcoma (MRCL) is a common type of soft tissue sarcoma.
      The lack of patient-derived tumor xenograft models that are highly consistent
      with human tumors has limited the drug experiments for this disease. Hence, we
      aimed to develop and validate a patient-derived tumor xenograft model of MRCL. A
      tumor sample from a patient with MRCL was implanted subcutaneously in an
      immunodeficient mouse shortly after resection to establish a patient-derived
      tumor xenograft model. After the tumor grew, it was resected and divided into
      several pieces for re-implantation and tumor passage. After passage 1, 3, and 5
      (i.e. P1, P3, and P5, respectively), tumor morphology and the presence of the FUS
      DDIT3 gene fusion were consistent with those of the original patient tumor. Short
      tandem repeat analysis demonstrated consistency from P1 to P5. Whole exome
      sequencing also showed that P5 tumors harbored many of the same gene mutations
      present in the original patient tumor, one of which was a PIK3CA mutation. PF
      04691502 significantly inhibited tumor growth in P5 models (tumor volumes of
      492.62 +/- 652.80 vs 3303.81 +/- 1480.79 mm3, P < 0.001, in treated vs control
      tumors, respectively) after 29 days of treatment. In conclusion, we have
      successfully established the first patient-derived xenograft model of MRCL. In
      addition to surgery, PI3K/mTOR inhibitors could potentially be used for the
      treatment of PIK3CA-positive MRCLs.

PMID- 28903345
TI  - Profiling of metastatic small intestine neuroendocrine tumors reveals
      characteristic miRNAs detectable in plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current diagnostic and prognostic blood-based biomarkers for
      neuroendocrine tumors are limited. MiRNAs have tumor-specific expression
      patterns, are relatively stable, and can be measured in patient blood specimens.
      We performed a multi-stage study to identify and validate characteristic
      circulating miRNAs in patients with metastatic small intestine neuroendocrine
      tumors, and to assess associations between miRNA levels and survival. METHODS:
      Using a 742-miRNA panel, we identified candidate miRNAs similarly expressed in 19
      small intestine neuroendocrine tumors and matched plasma samples. We refined our
      panel in an independent cohort of plasma samples from 40 patients with metastatic
      small intestine NET and 40 controls, and then validated this panel in a second,
      large cohort of 120 patients with metastatic small intestine NET and 120
      independent controls. RESULTS: miRNA profiling of 19 matched small intestine
      neuroendocrine tumors and matched plasma samples revealed 31 candidate miRNAs
      similarly expressed in both tissue and plasma. We evaluated expression of these
      31 candidate miRNAs in 40 independent cases and 40 normal controls, and
      identified 4 miRNAs (miR-21-5p, miR-22-3p, miR-29b-3p, and miR-150-5p) that were
      differently expressed in cases and controls (p<0.05). We validated these 4 miRNAs
      in a separate, larger panel of 120 cases and 120 controls. We confirmed that high
      circulating levels of miR-22-3p (p<0.0001), high levels of miR 21-5p, and low
      levels of miR-150-5p (p=0.027) were associated with the presence of metastatic
      small intestine NET. While levels of 29b-3p were lower in cases than in controls
      in both the initial cohort and the validation cohort, the difference in the
      validation cohort did not reach statistical significance. We further found that
      high levels of circulating miR-21-5p, high levels of circulating miR-22-3p and
      low levels of circulating miR-150-5p were each independently associated with
      shorter overall survival. A combined analysis using all three markers was highly
      prognostic for survival (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.27-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      suggests that elevated circulating levels of miR-21-5p and miR-22-3p and low
      levels of miR-150-5p are characteristic in patients with metastatic small
      intestine neuroendocrine tumors, and further suggests that levels of these miRNAs
      are associated with overall survival. These observations provide the basis for
      further validation studies, as well as studies to assess the biological function
      of these miRNAs in small intestine neuroendocrine tumors.

PMID- 28903346
TI  - Glutathione peroxidase 7 suppresses cancer cell growth and is hypermethylated in
      gastric cancer.
AB  - Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers in the world, and remains
      the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Glutathione
      peroxidase 7 (GPX7) is a member of GPX family which is downregulated in some
      cancer types. In this study, we investigated the expression, regulation, and
      molecular function of GPX7 in gastric cancer using 2D and 3D in vitro models and
      de-identified human tissue samples. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR,
      immunofluorescence, Western blot, 3D organotypic cultures, and pyrosequencing
      assays were used. We detected downregulation of GPX7 in all 7 gastric cancer cell
      lines that we tested and in approximately half (22/45) of human gastric cancer
      samples, as compared to histologically normal gastric tissues. Quantitative
      bisulfite pyrosequencing methylation analysis demonstrated DNA hypermethylation
      (> 10% methylation level) of GPX7 promoter in all 7 gastric cancer cell lines and
      in 56% (25/45) of gastric cancer samples, as compared to only 13% (6/45) in
      normal samples (p < 0.0001). Treatment of AGS and SNU1 cells with 5-Aza-2'
      deoxycytidine led to a significant demethylation of GPX7 promoter and restored
      the expression of GPX7. In vitro assays showed that reconstitution of GPX7
      significantly suppressed gastric cancer cell growth in both 2D and 3D organotypic
      cell culture models. This growth suppression was associated with inhibition of
      cell proliferation and induction of cell death. We detected significant
      upregulation of p27 and cleaved PARP and downregulation of Cyclin D1 upon
      reconstitution of GPX7. Taken together, we conclude that epigenetic silencing of
      GPX7 could play an important role in gastric tumorigenesis and progression.

PMID- 28903347
TI  - Retrospective analysis of risk factors associated with Kawasaki disease in China.
AB  - In order to provide early intervention for coronary artery lesion (CAL) caused by
      Kawasaki Disease (KD), we analyzed clinical characteristics of typical and
      incomplete KD cases from 1998 to 2008 in Northwest and Central China. A total of
      383 patients included 298 cases of typical KD and 85 cases of incomplete KD. The
      morbidity of incomplete KD was 28.5%, a percentage significantly lower than that
      of typical KD. The occurrence of bulbar conjunctiva congestion, erythra, crissum
      red, film-like decrustation, lip red, rhagades, raspberry tongue, bilateral toe
      end decrustation, limb sclerosis, cervical lymph nodes enlargement, agitation and
      irritability in incomplete KD group was lower than that in the group of typical
      KD (p < 0.05); however, the occurrence of unilateral toe-end decrustation, scar
      reappearance erythema, malaise, fatigue, liver incidence was significant higher
      in incomplete KD group (p < 0.05). Based on lab assays and inspection index
      comparisons, the incomplete KD cases whose C-reactive protein (CRP) and
      erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were significantly increased, had
      significantly higher reduction in blood platelet (PLT). Interestingly, the KD
      patients with CPR higher than 30 mg/L, ESR higher than 40 mm/h, hepatomegaly and
      IVIG ineffectiveness, had higher incidence of CAL development. Altogether, our
      data have indicated differential clinical characteristics between incomplete KD
      and typical KD, and have identified several high risk factors of KD for CAL, such
      as hepatomegaly.

PMID- 28903348
TI  - Nuclear receptor NR4A1 is a tumor suppressor down-regulated in triple-negative
      breast cancer.
AB  - The nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily contains hormone-inducible transcription
      factors that regulate many physiological and pathological processes through
      regulating gene expression. NR4A1 is an NR family member that still does not have
      an identified endogenous ligand, and its role in cancer is also currently unclear
      and controversial. In this study, we aimed to define the expression profiles and
      specific role of NR4A1 in the highly malignant triple-negative breast cancer
      (TNBC), which still lacks available targeted therapies. Bioinformatic analysis
      revealed a decrease of NR4A1 mRNA expression in human TNBC samples. Semi
      quantitative analysis of NR4A1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry also
      identified a progressive NR4A1 reduction during the development of mouse basal
      like mammary tumors and a significant NR4A1 downregulation in human TNBC samples.
      Furthermore, the expression levels of NR4A1 in human TNBC were negatively
      associated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and disease recurrence.
      Moreover, ectopic expression of NR4A1 in MDA-MB-231, a TNBC cell line with little
      endogenous NR4A1, inhibited the proliferation, viability, migration and invasion
      of these cells, and these inhibitions were associated with an attenuated JNK1-AP
      1-cyclin D1 pathway. NR4A1 expression also largely suppressed the growth and
      metastasis of these cell-derived tumors in mice. These results demonstrate that
      NR4A1 is downregulated in TNBC and restoration of NR4A1 expression inhibits TNBC
      growth and metastasis, suggesting that NR4A1 is a tumor suppressor in TNBC.

PMID- 28903349
TI  - The G-protein-coupled bile acid receptor Gpbar1 (TGR5) protects against renal
      inflammation and renal cancer cell proliferation and migration through
      antagonizing NF-kappaB and STAT3 signaling pathways.
AB  - Gpbar1 (TGR5), a G-protein-coupled bile acid membrane receptor, is well known for
      its roles in regulation of glucose metabolism and energy homeostasis. In the
      current work, we found that TGR5 activation by its ligand suppressed
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced proinflammatory gene expression in wild-type
      (WT) but not TGR5-/- mouse kidney. Furthermore, we found that TGR5 is a
      suppressor of kidney cancer cell proliferation and migration. We show that TGR5
      activation antagonized NF-kappaB and STAT3 signaling pathways through suppressing
      the phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha, the translocation of p65 and the
      phosphorylation of STAT3. TGR5 overexpression with ligand treatment inhibited
      gene expression mediated by NF-kappaB and STAT3. These results suggest that TGR5
      antagonizes kidney inflammation and kidney cancer cell proliferation and
      migration at least in part by inhibiting NF-kappaB and STAT3 signaling. These
      findings identify TGR5 may serve as an attractive therapeutic tool for human
      renal inflammation related diseases and cancer.

PMID- 28903350
TI  - ZEB1 confers stem cell-like properties in breast cancer by targeting neurogenin
      3.
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells believed to be
      implicated in cancer initiation, progression, and recurrence. Here, we report
      that ectopic expression of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 protein (ZEB1)
      results in the acquisition of CSC properties by breast cancer cells, leading to
      tumor initiation and progression in vitro and in vivo. The neurogenin 3 gene
      (Ngn3) is a bona fide target of ZEB1, and its repression is a key factor
      contributing to ZEB1-induced cancer cell stemness. ZEB1 suppressed Ngn3
      transcription by forming a ZEB1/DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)3B/histone
      deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) complex on the Ngn3 promoter, leading to promoter
      hypermethylation and gene silencing. The rescue of Ngn3 expression attenuated
      ZEB1-induced cancer stemness and symmetric CSC division. Immunohistological
      analysis of human breast cancer specimens revealed a strong inverse relationship
      between ZEB1 and NGN3 protein expression. Thus, our findings suggest ZEB1
      mediated silencing of Ngn3 is required for breast tumor initiation and
      maintenance. Targeted therapies against the ZEB1/Ngn3 axis may be highly valuable
      for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

PMID- 28903351
TI  - Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemotherapy may suppress oxidative stress in
      hepatocellular carcinoma cells and reduce the risk of short-term relapse.
AB  - In this study, we aim to investigate oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC) tissues in patients receiving preoperative transcatheter arterial
      chemotherapy (TAC) and its association with prognosis. A total of 89 HCC patients
      enrolled in this study, 39 received preoperative TAC 1 week before surgery (pTAC
      group) and 50 did not (non-pTAC group). All patients underwent hepatectomy and
      postoperative TAC and were followed up to 400 weeks. Samples of liver tissue
      without HCC and hepatitis (n = 15) served as normal controls. Cellular levels of
      8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), TP53, and p21waf1/cip1 were measured in
      both cancer and surrounding tissues using an immunohistochemistry assay. Taken
      together, our data suggested that preoperative TAC might postpone postoperative
      HCC relapse within 1 year via suppression of tumor cells by induction of high
      levels of oxidative stress.

PMID- 28903352
TI  - Analysis of Bos taurus and Sus scrofa X and Y chromosome transcriptome highlights
      reproductive driver genes.
AB  - The biology of sperm, its capability of fertilizing an egg and its role in sex
      ratio are the major biological questions in reproductive biology. To answer these
      question we integrated X and Y chromosome transcriptome across different species:
      Bos taurus and Sus scrofa and identified reproductive driver genes based on
      Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) algorithm. Our strategy
      resulted in 11007 and 10445 unique genes consisting of 9 and 11 reproductive
      modules in Bos taurus and Sus scrofa, respectively. The consensus module
      calculation yields an overall 167 overlapped genes which were mapped to 846 DEGs
      in Bos taurus to finally get a list of 67 dual feature genes. We develop gene co
      expression network of selected 67 genes that consists of 58 nodes (27 down
      regulated and 31 up-regulated genes) enriched to 66 GO biological process (BP)
      including 6 GO annotations related to reproduction and two KEGG pathways.
      Moreover, we searched significantly related TF (ISRE, AP1FJ, RP58, CREL) and
      miRNAs (bta-miR-181a, bta-miR-17-5p, bta-miR-146b, bta-miR-146a) which targeted
      the genes in co-expression network. In addition we performed genetic analysis
      including phylogenetic, functional domain identification, epigenetic
      modifications, mutation analysis of the most important reproductive driver genes
      PRM1, PPP2R2B and PAFAH1B1 and finally performed a protein docking analysis to
      visualize their therapeutic and gene expression regulation ability.

PMID- 28903353
TI  - Direct inhibition of STAT signaling by platinum drugs contributes to their anti
      cancer activity.
AB  - Platinum-based chemotherapeutics are amongst the most powerful anti-cancer drugs.
      Although their exact mechanism of action is not well understood, it is thought to
      be mediated through covalent DNA binding. We investigated the effect of platinum
      based chemotherapeutics on signaling through signal transducer and activator of
      transcription (STAT) proteins, which are involved in many oncogenic signaling
      pathways. We performed in vitro experiments in various cancer cell lines,
      investigating the effects of platinum chemotherapeutics on STAT phosphorylation
      and nuclear translocation, the expression of STAT-modulating proteins and
      downstream signaling pathways. Direct binding of platinum to STAT proteins was
      assessed using an AlphaScreen assay. Nuclear STAT3 expression was determined by
      immunohistochemistry and correlated with disease-free survival in retrospective
      cohorts of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with
      cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (n= 65) or with radiotherapy alone (n = 32). At
      clinically relevant concentrations, platinum compounds inhibited STAT
      phosphorylation, resulting in loss of constitutively activated STAT proteins in
      multiple distinct cancer cell lines. Platinum drugs specifically inhibited
      phospho-tyrosine binding to SH2 domains, thereby blocking STAT activation, and
      subsequently downregulating pro-survival- and anti-apoptotic- target genes.
      Importantly, we found that active STAT3 in tumors directly correlated with
      response to cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy in HNSCC patients (p = 0.006).
      These findings provide insight into a novel, non-DNA-targeted mechanism of action
      of platinum drugs, and could be leveraged into the use of STAT expression as
      predictive biomarker for cisplatin chemotherapy and to potentiate other
      therapeutic strategies such as immunotherapy.

PMID- 28903354
TI  - HER2 isoforms co-expression differently tunes mammary tumor phenotypes affecting
      onset, vasculature and therapeutic response.
AB  - Full-length HER2 oncoprotein and splice variant Delta16 are co-expressed in human
      breast cancer. We studied their interaction in hybrid transgenic mice bearing
      human full-length HER2 and Delta16 (F1 HER2/Delta16) in comparison to parental
      HER2 and Delta16 transgenic mice. Mammary carcinomas onset was faster in F1
      HER2/Delta16 and Delta16 than in HER2 mice, however tumor growth was slower, and
      metastatic spread was comparable in all transgenic mice. Full-length HER2 tumors
      contained few large vessels or vascular lacunae, whereas Delta16 tumors presented
      a more regular vascularization with numerous endothelium-lined small vessels.
      Delta16-expressing tumors showed a higher accumulation of i.v. injected
      doxorubicin than tumors expressing full-length HER2. F1 HER2/Delta16 tumors with
      high full-length HER2 expression made few large vessels, whereas tumors with low
      full-length HER2 and high Delta16 contained numerous small vessels and expressed
      higher levels of VEGF and VEGFR2. Trastuzumab strongly inhibited tumor onset in
      F1 HER2/Delta16 and Delta16 mice, but not in full-length HER2 mice. Addiction of
      F1 tumors to Delta16 was also shown by long-term stability of Delta16 levels
      during serial transplants, in contrast full-length HER2 levels underwent wide
      fluctuations. In conclusion, full-length HER2 leads to a faster tumor growth and
      to an irregular vascularization, whereas Delta16 leads to a faster tumor onset,
      with more regular vessels, which in turn could better transport cytotoxic drugs
      within the tumor, and to a higher sensitivity to targeted therapeutic agents. F1
      HER2/Delta16 mice are a new immunocompetent mouse model, complementary to patient
      derived xenografts, for studies of mammary carcinoma onset, prevention and
      therapy.

PMID- 28903355
TI  - Anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic and anti-invasive effect of EC/EV system in
      human osteosarcoma.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is the most common and aggressive bone tumor in children. The
      Endocannabinoid/Endovanilloid system has been proposed as anticancer target in
      tumor of different origins. This system is composed of two receptors (CB1 and
      CB2), the Transient Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel and their ligands and
      enzymes. CB1 is expressed mainly in central nervous system while CB2
      predominantly on immune and peripheral cells. We investigated the effects of JWH
      133 (CB2 agonist) and RTX (TRPV1 agonist) in six human Osteosarcoma cell lines:
      MG-63, U-2OS, MNNG/HOS, Saos-2, KHOS/NP, Hs888Lu, by Apoptosis and Migration
      Assay. We also compared the effects of these compounds on Caspase-3, AKT, MMP-2
      and Notch-1 regulation by Q-PCR and Western Blotting. We observed an anti
      proliferative, pro-apoptotic, anti-invasive effect. Our results show that both
      CB2 stimulation and TRPV1 activation, in different Osteosarcoma cell lines, can
      act on the same pathways to obtain the same effect, indicating the
      Endocannabinoid/Endovanilloid system as a new therapeutic target in Osteosarcoma.

PMID- 28903356
TI  - Sexual life satisfaction and its associated socio-demographic and workplace
      factors among Chinese female nurses of tertiary general hospitals.
AB  - Adverse workplace factors such as job stress are reported to be associated with
      poor physical and mental health of nurses. However, associations between
      occupational factors and sexual life satisfaction (SLS) of nurses remain
      understudied. This study investigated SLS of Chinese female nurses of tertiary
      general hospitals and socio-demographic and occupational factors associated with
      reduced SLS of nurses. In this cross-sectional survey, 393 Chinese female nurses
      of four tertiary general hospitals completed a standardized socio-demographic and
      occupational characteristics questionnaire, Zung's Self-rating Scale for
      Depression, Job Content Questionnaire, and a self-report SLS question. Multiple
      ordinal logistic regression was used to identify factors related to reduced SLS.
      Fourteen point five percent female nurses were dissatisfied with their current
      sex lives. In multiple regression, related factors for decreased SLS included
      being unmarried (OR = 1.49), shift work (OR = 1.92), contract employment (OR =
      1.63), high job demands (OR = 2.21), low job control (OR = 1.88), inadequate
      social support (OR = 2.32), and depression (OR = 3.14). Chinese female nurses of
      tertiary general hospitals have poor SLS. Reducing job stress and providing
      psycho-social support may help improve SLS of nurses.

PMID- 28903357
TI  - Intratumoral acidosis fosters cancer-induced bone pain through the activation of
      the mesenchymal tumor-associated stroma in bone metastasis from breast carcinoma.
AB  - Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) is common in patients with bone metastases (BM),
      significantly impairing quality of life. The current treatments for CIBP are
      limited since they are often ineffective. Local acidosis derived from glycolytic
      carcinoma and tumor-induced osteolysis is only barely explored cause of pain. We
      found that breast carcinoma cells that prefer bone as a metastatic site have very
      high extracellular proton efflux and expression of pumps/ion transporters
      associated with acid-base balance (MCT4, CA9, and V-ATPase). Further, the
      impairment of intratumoral acidification via V-ATPase targeting in xenografts
      with BM significantly reduced CIBP, as measured by incapacitance test. We
      hypothesize that in addition to the direct acid-induced stimulation of
      nociceptors in the bone, a novel mechanism mediated by the acid-induced and tumor
      associated mesenchymal stroma might ultimately lead to nociceptor sensitization
      and hyperalgesia. Consistent with this, short-term exposure of cancer-associated
      fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells, and osteoblasts to pH 6.8 promotes the
      expression of inflammatory and nociceptive mediators (NGF, BDNF, IL6, IL8, IL1b
      and CCL5). This is also consistent with a significant correlation between
      breakthrough pain, measured by pain questionnaire, and combined high serum levels
      of BDNF and IL6 in patients with BM, and also by immunofluorescence staining
      showing IL8 expression that was more in mesenchymal stromal cells rather than in
      tumors cells, and close to LAMP-2 positive acidifying carcinoma cells in BM
      tissue sections. In summary, intratumoral acidification in BM might promote CIBP
      also by activating the tumor-associated stroma, offering a new target for
      palliative treatments in advanced cancer.

PMID- 28903358
TI  - MRI-based radiotherapy planning method using rigid image registration technique
      combined with outer body correction scheme: a feasibility study.
AB  - An alternative pseudo CT generation method for magnetic resonance image (MRI)
      based radiotherapy planning was investigated in the work. A pseudo CT was
      initially generated using the rigid image registration between the planning MRI
      and previously acquired diagnostic CT scan. The pseudo CT generated was then
      refined to have the same morphology with that of the referenced planning image
      scan by applying the outer body correction scheme. This method was applied to
      some sample of brain image data and the feasibility of the method was assessed by
      comparing dosimetry results with those from the current gold standard CT-based
      calculations. Validation showed that nearly the entire pixel doses calculated
      from pseudo CT were agreed well with those from actual planning CT within 2% in
      dosimetric and 1mm in geometric uncertainty ranges. The results demonstrated that
      the method suggested in the study was sufficiently accurate, and thus could be
      applicable to MRI-based brain radiotherapy planning.

PMID- 28903359
TI  - Expression of sialyl-Tn sugar antigen in bladder cancer cells affects response to
      Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) and to oxidative damage.
AB  - The sialyl-Tn (sTn) antigen is an O-linked carbohydrate chain aberrantly
      expressed in bladder cancer (BC), whose biosynthesis is mainly controlled by the
      sialyltransferase ST6GALNAC1. Treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is
      the most effective adjuvant immunotherapy for superficial BC but one third of the
      patients fail to respond. A poorly understood correlation between the expression
      of sTn and BC patient's response to BCG was previously observed. By analyzing
      tumor tissues, we showed that patients with high ST6GALNAC1 and IL-6 mRNA
      expression were BCG responders. To investigate the role of sTn in BC cell biology
      and BCG response, we established the cell lines MCRsTn and MCRNc by retroviral
      transduction of the BC cell line MCR with the ST6GALNAC1 cDNA or with an empty
      vector, respectively. Compared with MCRNc, BCG-stimulated MCRsTn secreted higher
      levels of IL-6 and IL-8 and their secretome induced a stronger IL-6, IL-1beta,
      and TNFalpha secretion by macrophages, suggesting the induction of a stronger
      inflammatory response. Transcriptomic analysis of MCRNc and MCRsTn revealed that
      ST6GALNAC1/sTn expression modulates hundreds of genes towards a putative more
      malignant phenotype and down-regulates several genes maintaining genomic
      stability. Consistently, MCRsTn cells displayed higher H2O2 sensitivity. In
      MCRsTn,, BCG challenge induced an increased expression of several regulatory non
      coding RNA genes. These results indicate that the expression of ST6GALNAC1/sTn
      improves the response to BCG therapy by inducing a stronger macrophage response
      and alters gene expression towards malignancy and genomic instability, increasing
      the sensitivity of BC cells to the oxidizing agents released by BCG.

PMID- 28903360
TI  - Variants in the CXCL12 gene was associated with coronary artery disease
      susceptibility in Chinese Han population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most serious diseases all
      around the world. Previous studies have shown the function of CXCL12 in the
      process of atherosclerosis. The aim of this research is to examine whether
      variants of CXCL12 contribute to CAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To examine whether
      variants of CXCL12 contribute to CAD, we selected 6 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) of CXCL12, and genotyped by Sequenom MassARRAY technology in
      597 CAD patients and 685 healthy control. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) were calculated by unconditional logistic regression adjusted for
      age and gender. We also analysis the differences in continuous variables among
      the subjects with three genotypes of related genes were assessed using the ANOVA.
      RESULTS: We found significant differences in apoB concentrations with rs1065297
      and rs10793538 different genotype. In the allele model, rs1065297, rs266089 and
      rs10793538 in CXCL12 gene associated with the risk of CAD. Stratified according
      to gender, rs266089 and rs2839693 in CXCL12 gene were associated with the risk of
      CAD in men, while rs1065297 and rs10793538 in CXCL12 gene were associated with
      the risk of CAD in women. Stratified according to age, rs197452 decreased the
      risk of CAD in less than 50 years old group. While in more than 50 years old
      group, not find significant results. Haplotype analysis shown that haplotype
      "TGCC" in the block increased CAD risk (OR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.00-1.58, p=0.046).
      CONCLUSION: This study provides an evidence for polymorphism of CXCL12 gene
      associated with CAD development in Chinese Han population.

PMID- 28903361
TI  - Fulvestrant 500 milligrams as endocrine therapy for endocrine sensitive advanced
      breast cancer patients in the real world: the Ful500 prospective observational
      trial.
AB  - The observational prospective trial herein presented aimed at evaluating the
      efficacy of fulvestrant 500 mg in the treatment of endocrine sensitive advanced
      breast cancer patients from the real world setting. The primary end point was
      clinical benefit rate (CBR). Secondary end points were overall survival (OS),
      progression free survival (PFS) and tolerability. One hundred sixty three
      patients were enrolled. At a median follow up of 20 months, the 61% of patients
      reached CBR, whose median duration was 10.8 months. Median PFS and OS were 7 and
      35 months, respectively. Endocrine sensitive patients showed better PFS and OS.
      No relevant toxicity appeared when analyzing safety data. In multivariate
      analysis, visceral involvement, endocrine sensitivity and previous endocrine
      therapy were prognostic factor for PFS, whereas endocrine sensitivity and
      metastasis at diagnosis had prognostic relevance for OS. Estrogen receptor
      expression >50%, single metastatic site, and no prior endocrine therapy for
      advanced disease were predictive of CBR. In this prospective trial, fulvestrant
      500 mg appeared to be a safe and active treatment and confirmed its efficacy in
      the daily clinical practice. A high percent expression of estrogen receptors
      (above 50%) was associated with higher CBR. Treatment was very well tolerated.
      Endocrine sensitivity had a major impact on treatment outcome. As expected,
      patients who had received first-line endocrine therapy for advanced disease
      exhibited worse outcome and a lower CBR.

PMID- 28903362
TI  - Cell-free circulating DNA integrity is an independent predictor of impending
      breast cancer recurrence.
AB  - Non-invasive blood-based molecule markers are evaluated as promising biomarkers
      these days. Here we investigated the potential of cell-free circulating DNA
      Integrity (cfDI) as blood-based marker for the prediction of recurrence during
      the follow-up of breast cancer patients within a prospective study cohort. cfDI
      was determined in plasma of 212 individuals, by measuring ALU and LINE1
      repetitive DNA elements using quantitative PCR. A significant decrease of cfDI in
      recurrent breast cancer patients was observed. The group of patients who had
      impending recurrence during the follow-up had significant lower cfDI compared to
      the group of non-recurrent patients (P < 0.001 for ALU and LINE1 cfDI). cfDI
      could differentiate recurrent breast cancer patients from non-recurrent breast
      cancer subjects (area under the curve, AUC = 0.710 for ALU and 0.704 for LINE1).
      Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed a significant association of
      recurrence and cfDI. Breast cancer patients with a lower cfDI had a much higher
      risk to develop recurrence than the patients with a higher cfDI (P = 0.020 for
      ALU cfDI and P = 0.019 for LINE1 cfDI, respectively). Further we show that cfDI
      is an independent predictor of breast cancer recurrence. In combination with
      other molecular markers, cfDI might be a useful biomarker for the prediction for
      breast cancer recurrence in clinic utility. We propose that cfDI might also be
      useful for the prediction of recurrence during the follow-up of other cancers.

PMID- 28903363
TI  - P53 prevent tumor invasion and metastasis by down-regulating IDO in lung cancer.
AB  - In present study, we are to clear demonstrate the genetic evidence of IDO
      signaling's impact on invasion and metastasis in lung cancer. Here we examined
      IDO1 expression levels in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (64)
      tumor/normal pairs underwent RT-PCR and comprehensive histological,
      immunohistochemica and clinical analysis. The NSCLC cells stably expressing IDO1
      was analyzed for migration and invasion assays and the regulatory mechanism in
      vitro and metastasis assays in vivo. As results, we reported that IDO1 expression
      increased by more than 3.2-fold in lung cancer compared with their corresponding
      non-tumor tissues, and the up-regulation of IDO1 is significantly correlated to
      TNM stage and lymph node-metastasis. The over-expression of IDO1 significantly
      encouraged the metastasis and invasion of lung cancer cells, and IDO1 could
      promote metastasis formation in vivo. Furthermore, we further found that p53
      could attenuate IDO signaling in lung cancer cell migration partly. In
      conclusion, these results demonstrate that the IDO signaling's impact on invasion
      and metastasis and the suppressive effect of p53 on IDO1 in lung cancer, present
      one novel therapeutic strategy for early metastatic lung cancer in clinical.

PMID- 28903364
TI  - KIF7 attenuates prostate tumor growth through LKB1-mediated AKT inhibition.
AB  - This study investigated kinesin family member 7 (KIF7) expression and function in
      prostate cancer (PCa). Our results showed that KIF7 was significantly
      downregulated in PCa, compared with normal, benign prostatic hyperplasia and
      prostate intraepithelial neoplasia tissues, partially through promoter
      hypermethylation. We further investigated the effects of KIF7 coiled coil (CC)
      domain and motor domain (MD) on PCa development in vitro and in vivo. Our results
      showed that KIF7-CC but not KIF7-MD significantly attenuated proliferation and
      colony formation, impeded migration and invasion, induced apoptosis and
      sensitized PCa cells to paclitaxel. Further analysis revealed that KIF7-CC
      enhanced LKB1 expression and phosphorylation at Ser428, which induced PTEN
      phosphorylation at Ser380/Thr382/383 and consequently blocked AKT phosphorylation
      at Ser473. Downregulation of LKB1 significantly attenuated the suppressive
      effects of KIF7-CC on cell proliferation, colony formation and AKT
      phosphorylation. Furthermore, our in vivo studies showed that KIF7-CC reduced
      prostate tumorigenesis in cell-derived xenografts. Downregulation of LKB1
      abrogated the anti-tumor effects of KIF7-CC in these xenografts. Taken together,
      these findings provide the first evidence to support the role of KIF7 as a
      negative regulator that inhibits PCa development partially through LKB1-mediated
      AKT inhibition.

PMID- 28903365
TI  - Protective effects of circulating microvesicles derived from myocardial ischemic
      rats on apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of circulating microvesicles derived from
      myocardial ischemia (I-MVs) on apoptosis in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)
      injury in rats. METHODS: I-MVs from rats undergoing myocardial left anterior
      descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation were isolated by ultracentrifugation
      from circulating blood and characterized by flow cytometry. I-MVs were
      administered intravenously (4.8 mg/kg) at 5 min before reperfusion procedure in
      I/R injury model which was induced by 30-min of ischemia and 120-min of
      reperfusion of LAD in rats. RESULTS: Treatment with I-MVssignificantly reduced
      the size of myocardial infarction, the activities of serum CK-MB and LDH, and the
      number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes. The activities of caspase 3, caspase 9 and
      caspase 12 in myocardium were also decreased significantly with I-MVs treatment.
      Moreover, the expression of Bax was decreased but Bcl-2 was increased. The
      expression of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), sarco/endoplasmic reticulum
      Ca2+-ATPase 2 (SERCA2) and phosphorylated phospholamban (p-PLB) were increased
      after being treated with I-MVs. CONCLUSION: I-MVs could protect hearts from I/R
      injury in rats through SERCA2 and p-PLB of calcium regulatory proteins to
      alleviate intrinsic myocardial apoptosis including mitochondrial and endoplasmic
      reticulum pathways.

PMID- 28903366
TI  - Systematic analysis of coronary artery disease datasets revealed the potential
      biomarker and treatment target.
AB  - Coronary artery disease caused about 1 of every 7 deaths in the United States and
      early prevention was potential to decrease the incidence and mortality. We aimed
      to figure the genes involving in the coronary artery disease using meta-anlaysis.
      Five datasets of coronary heart disease from GEO series were retrieved and data
      preprocessing and quality control were carried out. Moderated t-test was used to
      decide the differentially expressed genes for a single dataset. And the combined
      p-value using systematic-analysis methods were conducted using MetaDE. The
      pathway enrichment was carried out using Reactome database. Protein-protein
      interactions of the identified differentially expressed genes were also analyzed
      using STRING v10.0 online tool. After removing unidentified or intermediate
      samples and a total of 238 cases and 189 matched or partially matched control
      from five microarray datasets were retrieved from GEO. Six different quality
      control measures were calculated and PCA biplots were plotted in order to
      visualize the quantitative measure. The first two PCs captured 91% of the
      variance and we decided to include all of the datasets for systematic analysis.
      Using the FDR cut-off as 0.1, nine genes, including LFNG, ID3, PLA2G7, FOLR3,
      PADI4, ARG1, IL1R2, NFIL3 and MGAM, were differentially expressed according to
      maxP. Their protein-protein interactions showed that they were closely connected
      and 24 Reactome pathways were related to coronary artery disease. We concluded
      that pathways related to immune responses, especially neutrophil degranulation,
      were associated with coronary heart disease.

PMID- 28903367
TI  - Exploratory investigation of PSCA-protein expression in primary breast cancer
      patients reveals a link to HER2/neu overexpression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) has been suggested as biomarker and
      therapeutic target for prostate cancer. Recent advances showed that PSCA is up
      regulated in other cancer entities, such as bladder or pancreatic cancer.
      However, the clinical relevance of PSCA-expression in breast cancer patients has
      not yet been established and is therefore addressed by the current study.
      METHODS: PSCA-protein expression was assessed in 405 breast cancer patients,
      using immunohistochemistry (PSCA antibody MB1) and tissue microarrays. RESULTS:
      PSCA-expression was detected in 94/405 patients (23%) and correlated with
      unfavorable histopathological grade (p=0.011) and increased Ki67 proliferation
      index (p=0.006). We observed a strong positive correlation between PSCA-protein
      expression and HER2/neu receptor status (p<0.001). PSCA did not provide
      prognostic information in the analyzed cohort. Interestingly, the distribution of
      PSCA-expression among triple negative patients was comparable to the total
      population. CONCLUSION: We identified a subgroup of PSCA-positive breast cancer
      patients, which could be amenable for a PSCA-targeted therapy. Moreover, given
      that we found a strong positive correlation between PSCA- and HER/neu expression,
      targeting PSCA may provide an alternative therapeutic option in case of
      trastuzumab resistance.

PMID- 28903368
TI  - Expression analysis of LC3B and p62 indicates intact activated autophagy is
      associated with an unfavorable prognosis in colon cancer.
AB  - Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation and recycling process implicated in cancer
      progression and therapy resistance. We assessed the impact of basal autophagy in
      colon cancer (CC) in vitro and ex vivo. Functional autophagy was demonstrated in
      CC cell lines (LoVo; HT-29) showing a dose-dependent increase of the autophagy
      markers LC3B, p62 and autophagic vesciles upon increasing concentrations of the
      autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, which was demonstrated by immunoblotting,
      immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Next, tissue microarrays with 292
      primary resected CC, with cores from different tumor regions, and normal mucosa
      were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for LC3B and p62. CC tissue showed LC3B dot
      like, p62 dot-like, cytoplasmic and nuclear staining in various levels without
      significant intratumoral heterogeneity. Tumoral LC3B and p62 expression was
      significantly higher than in normal tissue (p<0.001). No associations between
      staining patterns and pathological features (e.g. TNM categories; grading) were
      observed. Both low LC3B dot-like and low p62 dot-like-cytoplasmic staining were
      associated with worse overall survival (p=0.005 and p=0.002). The best prognostic
      discrimination, however, was seen for a combination of LC3B dot-like/p62 dot-like
      cytoplasmic staining: high expression of both markers, indicative of impaired
      activated autophagy, was associated with the best overall survival. In contrast,
      high LC3B dot-like/low p62 dot-like-cytoplasmic expression, indicative of intact
      activated autophagy, was associated with the worst outcome (p<0.001 in univariate
      and HR=0.751; CI=0.607-0.928; p=0.008 in multivariate analysis). These specific
      expression patterns of LC3B and p62 pointing to different states of autophagy
      associated with diverging clinical outcomes highlighte the potential significance
      of basal autophagy in CC biology.

PMID- 28903369
TI  - Toxicology and efficacy of tumor-targeting Salmonella typhimurium A1-R compared
      to VNP 20009 in a syngeneic mouse tumor model in immunocompetent mice.
AB  - Salmonella typhimurium A1-R (S. typhimurium A1-R) attenuated by leu and arg
      auxotrophy has been shown to target multiple types of cancer in mouse models. In
      the present study, toxicologic and biodistribution studies of tumor-targeting S.
      typhimurium A1-R and S. typhimurium VNP20009 (VNP 20009) were performed in a
      syngeneic tumor model growing in immunocompetent BALB/c mice. Single or multiple
      doses of S. typhimurium A1-R of 2.5 * 105 and 5 * 105 were tolerated. A single
      dose of 1 * 106 resulted in mouse death. S. typhimurium A1-R (5 * 105 CFU) was
      eliminated from the circulation, liver and spleen approximately 3-5 days after
      bacterial administration via the tail vein, but remained in the tumor in high
      amounts. S. typhimurium A1-R was cleared from other organs much more rapidly. S.
      typhimurium A1-R and VNP 20009 toxicity to the spleen and liver was minimal. S.
      typhimurium A1-R showed higher selective targeting to the necrotic areas of the
      tumors than VNP20009. S. typhimurium A1-R inhibited the growth of CT26 colon
      carcinoma to a greater extent at the same dose of VNP20009. In conclusion, we
      have determined a safe dose and schedule of S. typhimurium A1-R administration in
      BALB/c mice, which is also efficacious against tumor growth. The results of the
      present report indicate similar toxicity of S. typhimurium A1-R and VNP20009, but
      greater antitumor efficacy of S. typhimurium A1-R in an immunocompetent animal.
      Since VNP2009 has already proven safe in a Phase I clinical trial, the present
      results indicate the high clinical potential of S. typhimurium A1-R.

PMID- 28903370
TI  - Human mesenchymal stem cells preferentially migrate toward highly oncogenic human
      hepatocellular carcinoma cells with activated EpCAM signaling.
AB  - The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a type I transmembrane
      glycoprotein that is regarded as one of the markers for tumor initiating cells
      (TIC) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Much work has been directed
      towards targeting these TICs as a mean of placing these master regulators of cell
      proliferation and drug resistance under control. Human bone marrow-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells are known to exhibit an innate property of tumor tropism.
      However, the possible relationship between MSC and TIC is not well understood. In
      this study, we show that MSC migration to HCC can be effectively inhibited by
      TACE and gamma-secretase inhibitors that stop the activation of EpCAM signaling
      event. Silencing of EpCAM expression through siRNA and antibody approaches also
      resulted in impaired MSC migration. By contrast, increase levels of EpICD
      proteins in HCC cells and HCC mouse xenografts resulted in enhanced MSC
      migration. Taken together, these findings show that MSC is drawn to the more
      oncogenic population of HCC, and could potentially serve as a cell-based carrier
      of therapeutic genes to target EpICD-enriched hepatic tumor cells.

PMID- 28903371
TI  - Sociodemographic and economic factors are associated with weight gain between
      before and after cancer diagnosis: results from the prospective population-based
      NutriNet-Sante cohort.
AB  - PURPOSE: While many cancer patients are affected by weight loss, others tend to
      gain weight, which may impact prognosis and risk of recurrence and of second
      cancer. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate weight variation
      between before and after cancer diagnosis and socio-demographic, economic,
      lifestyle and clinical factors associated with moderate-to-severe weight gain.
      METHODS: 1051 incident cases of first primary cancer were diagnosed in the
      NutriNet-Sante cohort between 2009 and 2015. Weight was prospectively collected
      every 6 months since subjects' inclusion (i.e. an average of 2y before
      diagnosis). Mean weights before and after cancer diagnosis were compared with
      paired Student's t-test. Factors associated with moderate-to-severe weight gain
      (>=5% of initial weight) were investigated by age and sex-adjusted logistic
      regression. RESULTS: Weight loss was observed in men (-3.54+/-4.39kg in those who
      lost weight, p=0.0002) and in colorectal cancer patients (-3.94+/-4.40kg,
      p=0.001). Weight gain was observed in breast and skin cancers (2.83+/-3.21kg,
      p=0.04, and 2.96+/-2.75kg, p=0.04 respectively). Women (OR=1.75[1.06
      2.87],p=0.03), younger patients (2.44[1.51-3.70],p<0.0001), those with lower
      income (OR=1.30[1.01-1.72],p-trend=0.007), lower education (OR=1.32[1.03-2.70],p
      trend=0.03), excess weight before diagnosis (OR=1.64[1.12-2.42],p=0.01), lower
      physical activity (OR=1.28[1.01-1.64],p=0.04) and those who stopped smoking
      (OR=4.31[1.99-9.35],p=0.005]) were more likely to gain weight. In breast cancer
      patients, induced menopause was associated with weight gain (OR=4.12[1.76-9.67]),
      but no association was detected for tumor characteristics or treatments.
      CONCLUSION: This large prospective cohort provided original results on weight
      variation between before and after cancer diagnosis, highlighting different
      weight trajectories. Socio-demographic and economic factors appeared to influence
      the risk of weight gain, illustrating social inequalities in health.

PMID- 28903372
TI  - Myosin Va plays essential roles in maintaining normal mitosis, enhancing tumor
      cell motility and viability.
AB  - Myosin Va, a member of Class V myosin, functions in organelle motility, spindle
      formation, nuclear morphogenesis and cell motility. The purpose of this study is
      to explore the expression and localization of myosin Va in testicular cancer and
      prostate cancer, and its specific roles in tumor progression including cell
      division, migration and proliferation. We detected myosin Va in testicular and
      prostate tumor tissues using sqRT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence.
      Tumor samples showed an increased expression of myosin Va, abnormal actin and
      myosin Va distribution. Immunofluorescence images during the cell cycle showed
      that myosin Va tended to gather at cytoplasm during anaphase but co-localized
      with nucleus during other phases, suggesting the roles of myosin Va in
      disassembly of spindle microtubule, movement of chromosomes and normal
      cytokinesis. In addition, multi-nucleation and aberrant nuclear morphology were
      observed in myosin Va-knockdown cells. Wounding assay and CCK-8-based cell
      counting were conducted to explore myosin Va roles in cell migration, viability
      and proliferation. Our results suggest that myosin Va plays essential roles in
      maintaining normal mitosis, enhancing tumor cell motility and viability, and
      these properties are the hallmark of tumor progression and metastasis
      development. Therefore, an increased understanding of myosin Va expression and
      function will assist in the development of future oncodiagnosis and -therapy.

PMID- 28903373
TI  - Pre-operative to post-operative serum carcinoembryonic antigen ratio is a
      prognostic indicator in colorectal cancer.
AB  - We explored the prognostic significance of the pre-operative-to-post-operative
      serum carcinoembryonic antigen (pre-post-CEA) ratio in colorectal cancer (CRC).
      We detected pre- and post-operative CEA levels in 2035 CRC patients surgically
      treated at First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between June 2001
      and June 2011. Univariate analysis revealed the pre-post-CEA ratio is associated
      with distant metastasis and degree of tumor differentiation (both P < 0.05).
      Multivariate analysis showed that the pre-post-CEA ratio is associated with
      lymphatic and distant metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and degree of
      tumor differentiation (all P < 0.01). The pre-CEA levels, pre-post-CEA ratios,
      distant metastasis, TNM stage and degree of tumor differentiation were all
      associated with 5-yr overall survival (all P < 0.05) based on multivariate
      analysis. Consequently, pre-CEA levels, pre-post-CEA ratios, distant metastasis
      and TNM stage are independent risk factors for CRC. We have thus demonstrated
      that the pre-post-CEA ratio is a prognostic indicator for CRC patients.

PMID- 28903374
TI  - Resveratrol enhances polyubiquitination-mediated ARV7 degradation in prostate
      cancer cells.
AB  - Although androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) serves as the primary treatment
      option for localized or metastatic prostate cancer, most cases eventually develop
      into castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, androgen receptor (AR)
      continues to be functional in CRPC through various mechanisms, including the
      development of AR splicing variants, especially ARV7. Since it lacks the ligand
      binding domain but retains the intact DNA binding domain, ARV7 is constitutively
      active, which makes ARV7-positive prostate cancer responsive to neither
      abiraterone nor enzalutamide. In this study, we explored the effect of
      resveratrol on ARV7 transcriptional activity and the potential for development of
      resveratrol as a treatment for ARV7-positive prostate cancer. First, we
      ectopically expressed ARV7 in PC3 cells, an AR-negative prostate cancer cell
      line, and demonstrated that resveratrol is capable of inhibiting ARV7
      transcriptional activity by downregulating ARV7 protein levels. Of note,
      resveratrol does not affect the mRNA levels of ARV7 nor its nuclear
      translocation. Next, we demonstrated that resveratrol is capable of
      downregulating the levels of the endogenously expressed ARV7 as well as AR target
      gene mRNAs in 22RV1 prostate cancer cells. Mechanistically, resveratrol
      downregulates ARV7 by enhancing ARV7 polyubiquitination and subsequent proteasome
      mediated degradation. These findings suggest that resveratrol could be a
      potential treatment for ARV7-positive CPRC.

PMID- 28903375
TI  - Transcription factor Yin Yang 2 is a novel regulator of the p53/p21 axis.
AB  - Yin Yang 2 (YY2) is a multifunctional zinc-finger transcription factor that
      belongs to YY family. Unlike the well-characterized YY1, our understanding
      regarding the biological functions of YY2 is still very limited. Here we found
      for the first time that in contrast to YY1, which had been reported to be
      oncogenic, the expression level of YY2 in tumor cells and/or tissues was
      downregulated compared with its expression level in the normal ones. We also
      demonstrated that YY2 exerts biological function contrary to YY1 in cell
      proliferation. We elucidated that YY2 positively enhances p21 expression, and
      concomitantly, its silencing promotes cells to enter G2/M phase and enhances cell
      proliferation. Furthermore, we found that YY2 regulation on p21 occurs p53
      dependently. Finally, we identified a novel YY2 binding site in the promoter
      region of tumor suppressor p53. We found that YY2 binds to the p53 promoter and
      activates its transcriptional activity, and subsequently, regulates cell cycle
      progression via p53/p21 axis. Taken together, our study not only identifies YY2
      as a novel tumor suppressor gene that plays a pivotal role in cell cycle
      regulation, but also provides new insights regarding the regulatory mechanism of
      the conventional p53/p21 axis.

PMID- 28903376
TI  - Improving circulating tumor cells enumeration and characterization to predict
      outcome in first line chemotherapy mCRPC patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a critical need of new surrogate markers for improving the
      therapeutic selection and monitoring of metastatic prostate cancer patients.
      Nowadays clinical management of these patients is been driven by biochemical and
      clinical parameters without enough accuracy to allow a real personalized
      medicine. The present study was conducted to go insight the molecular profile of
      circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from advanced metastatic castration
      resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with the aim of identifying prognostic marker
      with potential utility for therapy selection and monitoring. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: CTCs isolation was carried out in peripheral blood samples from 29 mCRPC
      patients that undergo systemic chemotherapy based on taxanes
      (docetaxel/cabazitaxel) and 19 healthy controls using in parallel CellSearch and
      an alternative EpCAM-based immunoisolation followed by RT-qPCR analysis to
      characterize the CTC population. A panel of 17 genes related with prostate
      biology, hormone regulation, stem properties, tumor aggressiveness and taxanes
      responsiveness was analysed to identify an expression signature characterizing
      the CTCs. RESULTS: Patients with >= 5 CTCs/7.5ml of peripheral blood at baseline
      and during the treatment showed lower progression free survival (PFS) and overall
      survival (OS). Changes of CTCs levels during the treatment were also associated
      with the patient's outcome. These results confirmed previous data obtained using
      CellSearch in mCRPC. In addition, we found a CTC profile mainly characterized by
      the expression of relevant genes for the hormone dependent regulation of PCa such
      as AR and CYP19 together with genes strongly implicated in PCa progression and
      resistance development such as BIRC5, TUB1A, GDF15, RAB7 and SPINK1. Our gene
      expression profiling also permitted the identification of valuable prognostic
      biomarkers. Thus, high levels of AR, CYP19 and GDF15 were associated with poor
      PFS rates while AR, GDF15 and BIRC5 were also found as reliable predictors of OS.
      Besides, a logistic model using KLK3 and BIRC5 showed a high specificity and
      sensitivity compared to CellSearch to discriminate patients with a more
      aggressive evolution. CONCLUSIONS: The molecular characterization of CTCs from
      advanced mCRPC patients provided with a panel of specific biomarkers, including
      genes related to taxanes resistance, with a promising applicability as "liquid
      biopsy" for the management of these patients.

PMID- 28903378
TI  - AGO2 involves the malignant phenotypes and FAK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in
      hypopharyngeal-derived FaDu cells.
AB  - Argonaute 2 (AGO2) protein is usually overexpressed in various head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma. However, the precise molecular mechanisms of AGO2 in
      hypopharyngeal cancer have not yet been clearly understood. Here we found the
      AGO2 expression in hypopharyngeal cancer tissues were generally higher comparing
      with that of the corresponding adjacent noncancerous epithelium tissues, and
      these were associated with the more aggressive clinicopathologic features and the
      poor clinical outcomes. Stable knockdown of AGO2 protein retarded cell
      proliferation, migration, invasion, arrested cell cycle and induced apoptosis.
      Meanwhile the knockdown also inhibited the FAK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in
      hypopharyngeal-derived FaDu cells. These findings suggested that AGO2 gene might
      act as an oncogene which contributed to the tumorigenesis and progression, and
      has potential values for molecular diagnosis, clinical therapies and prognosis
      evaluation in hypopharyngeal cancer.

PMID- 28903377
TI  - PD-L1/PD-1 expression and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in conjunctival
      melanoma.
AB  - Conjunctival melanoma (CM) is an infrequent but potentially lethal malignancy,
      with limited therapeutic options for metastases. Recent inhibitors of the
      interaction of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 are
      associated with good clinical responses in many malignancies. To investigate the
      therapeutic potential of targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in CM, we analyzed the
      expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 and the density of various types of tumor
      infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in primary CM (n = 27), using immunofluorescence
      staining. Results were compared with clinical parameters and outcome. Flow
      cytometry was exploited to determine the PD-L1 and PD-1 protein expression in
      conjunctival and cutaneous melanoma cell lines. PD-L1 expression was identified
      on tumor cells in five (19%) primary CM and on stromal cells (mainly CD68+CD163+
      M2 macrophages) in 16 (59%) cases. PD-L1 expression on tumor cells was associated
      with the presence of distant metastases and a worse melanoma-related survival. PD
      1 expression was seen in 17 (63%) cases, all of which were T2 stage tumors. Small
      tumors had a higher density of TILs than large tumors. The density of TILs was
      not correlated with survival, tumoral/stromal PD-L1 or PD-1 expression. In vitro
      results showed that most CM and cutaneous melanoma cell lines do not
      constitutively express PD-L1. However, expression could be upregulated after
      interferon gamma stimulation. Our findings suggest that blocking the PD-1/PD-L1
      axis should be evaluated as a treatment for CM.

PMID- 28903379
TI  - Extracorporeal shock wave treatment attenuated left ventricular dysfunction and
      remodeling in mini-pig with cardiorenal syndrome.
AB  - This study tested the hypothesis that extracorporeal shock wave (ECSW) treatment
      can improve ischemia-induced left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in mini-pig with
      co-existing chronic kidney disease (CKD). LV ischemia in mini-pigs was induced by
      applying an ameroid constrictor over mid-left anterior descending artery (LAD),
      while model of CKD was established by right nephrectomy with partial ligation of
      left renal arterioles 2 weeks before LAD constriction. Thirty mini-pigs were
      randomly divided into group 1 (sham-control), group 2 (LV-ischemia), group 3 (LV
      ischemia + CKD), Group 4 [LV-ischemia + ECSW (applied 1200 shots at 0.1
      mJ/m2/equally to 4-ischemic regions by day-90 after LAD constriction], and group
      5 (LV-ischemia-CKD + ECSW). By day-180 after CKD induction, echocardiography
      showed that LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was highest in group 1, lowest in group
      3, significantly lower in group 2 than that in groups 4 and 5, and significantly
      lower in group 5 than that in group 4, whereas LV-end systolic and diastolic
      dimensions displayed an opposite pattern (all p<0.001). Protein expressions of
      oxidative-stress (NOX-1/NOX-2/oxidized protein), apoptotic (cleaved-caspase
      3/cleaved-PARP/mitochondrial-Bax), fibrotic (TGF-beta/Smad3), pressure/volume
      overload (BNP/beta-MHC), endothelial (CD31/vWF) and mitochondrial-integrity (PGC
      1/mitochondrial-cytochrome-C) biomarkers exhibited a pattern identical to that of
      LVEF, whereas angiogenesis factors (VEGF/CXCR4/SDF-1alpha) showed significant
      progressive increase among all groups (all p<0.0001). Microscopic findings of
      CD31+cells/vWF+cells/small-vessel density/sarcomere-length showed an identical
      pattern, whereas collagen-deposition area/fibrotic area/apoptotic nuclei
      expressed an opposite pattern compared to that of LVEF among all groups (all
      p<0.0001). In conclusion, CKD aggravated ischemia-induced LV dysfunction and
      remodeling and molecular-cellular perturbations that were reversed by ECSW
      treatment.

PMID- 28903380
TI  - Mex3a expression and survival analysis of bladder urothelial carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bladder urothelial carcinoma is a common tumor in humans and a
      multifactorial disease. The gene mex3a is associated with tumor formation and may
      promote cell proliferation and migration. Therefore, this study aimed to
      determine the relationship between mex3a and bladder urothelial carcinoma.
      METHODS: The clinical and RNA sequencing expression data in patients with bladder
      urothelial carcinoma were downloaded from the The Cancer Genome Atlas data
      portal. A total of 412 bladder urothelial carcinoma samples were available in the
      database, for which the clinical information was acquired, of which 412 are RNA
      sequencing samples with a total of 19 paired samples. Univariate and multivariate
      Cox analyses and univariate logistic regression analysis were conducted using the
      software SPSS version 22.0 and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
      RESULTS: The results of the independent t-test of 19 paired samples indicated
      that the expression level of mex3a was significantly higher in tumor tissues
      compared with adjacent normal tissues. Mex3a expression as a categorical
      dependent variable was not associated with overall survival, and the overall
      survival of bladder urothelial carcinoma was associated with the group of age,
      cancer status, lymphatic vascular invasion, pathological stage, pathological
      size, and pathological lymph metastasis. The multivariable Cox model adjusted for
      the group of mex3a expression level, age, gender, tumor status, and pathological
      stage showed that only the age and cancer status groups were associated with the
      overall survival. CONCLUSION: Mex3a expression was not a poor prognostic factor
      of bladder urothelial carcinoma. Moreover, the expression levels of mex3a in the
      papillary type of bladder urothelial carcinoma were higher than those of the non
      papillary type.

PMID- 28903381
TI  - Tumor location impacts immune response in mouse models of colon cancer.
AB  - Existing preclinical models of human colorectal cancer (CRC) that rely on
      syngeneic subcutaneous grafts are problematic, because of increasing evidence
      that the immune microenvironment in subcutaneous tissue is significantly
      different from the gastrointestinal tract. Similarly, existing orthotopic models
      that use a laparotomy for establishing grafts are also problematic, because the
      surgical procedure results in extensive inflammation, thereby creating a
      nonphysiologic tumor microenvironment. To facilitate the bench-to-bedside
      translation of CRC immunotherapy strategies, we developed a novel orthotopic
      model in mice that uses endoscopy-guided microinjection of syngeneic cancer
      cells. When we compared immune system infiltration, we found that tumors in the
      subcutaneous model had fewer T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, but
      more immunosuppressive myeloid cells; in contrast, tumors in our orthotopic model
      had a higher number of tumor-infiltrating T cells, B cells, and NK cells, with
      fewer immunosuppressive myeloid cells. The number of immune-stimulating
      cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and granzyme
      B, was also higher in tumors in our model, as compared with the subcutaneous
      model. Those differences resulted in heightened sensitivity to immune checkpoint
      blockade therapy in our endoscopy-guided orthotopic CRC model. Our study
      indicates that tumor location affects immune response in CRC mouse models;
      choosing the appropriate preclinical model is important when testing
      immunotherapy in CRC.

PMID- 28903382
TI  - MicroRNA16 regulates glioma cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion by
      targeting Wip1-ATM-p53 feedback loop.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of
      microRNA16 (miR-16) on proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of glioma cells. The
      cell models of miR-16 upregulation and Negative control group (NC group) were
      built. The cell functions of different groups were detected by colony formation
      assay, transwell chamber assay, proliferation, apoptosis and cycle experiments.
      The intracranial orthotopic transplantation animal models were built to different
      groups: miR-16 agomir group, miR-16 antagomir group and their NC group. The
      expressions of miR-16, Wip1, ATM and p53 were measured by qRT-PCR, western blot
      and immunohistochemistry. As a result, miR-16 overexpressed groups had lower
      cloning formation rate and proliferation rate, less invasive cells, higher early
      apoptosis rate than the control groups. G1 phase was significantly smaller
      compared miR-16 overexpressed groups with the control groups, and S phase
      significantly lesser. Cell growth was retardated. Differences were statistically
      significant (P <0.05). Compared with miR-16 overexpressed groups and NC groups,
      the Wip1 gene and protein expression were downregulated, while ATM and p53 genes,
      p-ATM and p-p53 proteins were upregulated. The differences were statistically
      significant (P <0.05). Taken together, our findings demonstrated that miR-16
      suppressed glioma cell proliferation and invasion, promoted apoptosis and
      inhibited cell cycle by targeting Wip1-ATM-p53 signaling pathway.

PMID- 28903383
TI  - Association between ABO blood types and sporadic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
      in the Chinese Han population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the relationship between non-O blood types and the risk of
      exocrine pancreatic cancer has been demonstrated, the association between ABO
      blood types and sporadic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET) has not been
      reported thus far. METHODS: This hospital-based, case-control study included 387
      patients with PNET and 542 age- and sex-matched controls. Unconditional
      multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the adjusted
      odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The relationship between
      ABO blood types and clinicopathologic features was also analyzed. RESULTS: After
      adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol drinking, and first-degree family
      history of any cancer, the AORs (95% CI) of functional PNET were 0.87 (0.59-1.28)
      for blood type A, 0.86 (0.58-1.28) for blood type B, and 0.71 (0.39-1.26) for
      blood type AB compared with subjects with blood type O. A similar ABO blood-type
      distribution was observed among cases with non-functional PNETs compared with
      controls. On comparing blood type B with non-B blood type, cases with non
      functional PNETs had marginally higher rates of lymph node invasion (P = 0.047),
      distant metastasis (P = 0.044), and advanced European Neuroendocrine Tumor
      Society Stage (P = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: There is no association between the ABO
      blood group and the development of functional and non-functional PNETs. The ABO
      blood types are not associated with the clinicopathologic features in patients
      with functional and non-functional PNETs.

PMID- 28903384
TI  - A novel SHARPIN-PRMT5-H3R2me1 axis is essential for lung cancer cell invasion.
AB  - SHARPIN (Shank-associated RH domain interacting protein) is the main component of
      the linear ubiquitin chain activation complex (LUBAC). SHARPIN is involved in
      regulating inflammation and cancer progression. However, whether SHARPIN plays an
      important role in lung cancer metastasis and the potential underlying mechanism
      are still unknown. Here, for the first time, we reported that SHARPIN expression
      is closely related to lung cancer progression. Moreover, SHARPIN plays a central
      role in controlling lung cancer cell metastasis. Mechanistic studies further
      revealed that PRMT5 (Protein arginine methyltransferase 5), responsible for
      catalyzing arginine methylation on histones, is a novel cofactor of SHARPIN. This
      finding provides the basis for further study of the crosstalk between protein
      ubiquitination and histone methylation. We further found that SHARPIN-PRMT5 is
      essential for the monomethylation of histones of chromatins at key metastasis
      related genes, defining a new mechanism regulating cancer invasion. A novel MLL
      complex (ASH2 and WDR5) was implied in the link between histone arginine2
      monomethylation (H3R2me1) and histone lysine4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) for the
      activation of metastasis-related genes. These novel findings establish a new
      epigenetic paradigm in which SHARPIN-PRMT5 has distinct roles in orchestrating
      chromatin environments for cancer-related genes via integrating signaling between
      H3R2me1 and H3K4me3.

PMID- 28903385
TI  - DPP-4 enzyme deficiency protects kidney from acute ischemia-reperfusion injury:
      role for remote intermittent bowel ischemia-reperfusion preconditioning.
AB  - We analyzed the effects of acute ischemia-reperfusion (KIR) injury on the status
      of kidney function and architecture in dipeptidyl peptidase4-difficient (DPP4D)
      rats and the effect of remote small bowel ischemia-reperfusion (BIR)
      preconditioning. DPP4-deficient (DPP4D) and normal Fischer344 (F344) rats were
      divided into 6 groups: (1) sham-F344, (2) sham-DPP4D, (3) KIR-F344 (4) KIR-DPP4D,
      (5) DPP4D-KIR-extendin-9-39 and (6) BIR-KIR-F344. Blood creatinine and urea
      nitrogen levels and the urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio was higher in KIR
      F344 rats than BIR-KIR-F344 or KIR-DPP4D rats 72 h after acute KIR. Conversely,
      the circulating glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) levels were higher in BIR-KIR
      F344 and KIR-DPP4D than KIR-F344 rats after acute KIR. KIR-F344 rats showed
      greater inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, DNA damage and kidney injury
      than other rat groups. Damage to the kidney architecture in KIR-F344 rats was
      greater than in BIR-KIR-F344 or KIR-DPP4D rats. Expression of antioxidant
      proteins and GLP-1 receptor was higher in kidneys from KIR-DPP4D and BIR-KIR-F344
      than KIR-F344 rats, which suggests better intrinsic responses. We therefore
      suggest that elevated circulating GLP-1 levels due to DPP4 deficiency and BIR
      preconditioning protect kidney function and architecture during acute IR injury.

PMID- 28903386
TI  - Synergistic inhibition of colon cancer growth by the combination of methylglyoxal
      and silencing of glyoxalase I mediated by the STAT1 pathway.
AB  - Methylglyoxal (MG), an extremely reactive glucose metabolite, exhibits antitumor
      activity. Glyoxalase I (GLOI), which catalyzes MG metabolism, is associated with
      the progression of human malignancies. While the roles of MG or GLOI have been
      demonstrated in some types of cancer, their effects in colon cancer and the
      mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown. For this study, MG
      and GLOI levels were manipulated in colon cancer cells and the effects on their
      viability, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion in vitro were
      quantified by Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, and
      transwell assays. The expression levels of STAT1 pathway-associated proteins and
      mRNAs in these cells were quantified by western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively.
      The antitumor effects of MG and silencing of GLOI were investigated in vivo in a
      SW620 colon cancer xenograft model in BALB/c nude mice. Our findings demonstrate
      that MG in combination with silencing of GLOI synergistically inhibited the
      cancer cells' proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion and
      induced apoptosis in vitro compared with the controls. Furthermore, these
      treatments up-regulated STAT1 and Bax while down-regulating Bcl-2 in vitro. MG
      treatment alone or in combination with silencing of GLOI also reduced the growth
      of the SW620 tumors in mice by up-regulation of STAT1 and Bax and down-regulation
      of Bcl-2. Taken together, our findings suggest that MG in combination with
      silencing of GLOI merits further evaluation as a targeted therapeutic strategy
      for colon cancer.

PMID- 28903387
TI  - Hyperactivated mTORC1 downregulation of FOXO3a/PDGFRalpha/AKT cascade restrains
      tuberous sclerosis complex-associated tumor development.
AB  - Hyperactivation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), caused by
      loss-of-function mutations in either the TSC1 or TSC2 gene, leads to the
      development of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a benign tumor syndrome with
      multiple affected organs. mTORC1-mediated inhibition of AKT constrains the tumor
      progression of TSC, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Herein we showed
      that loss of TSC1 or TSC2 downregulation of platelet-derived growth factor
      receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha) expression was mediated by mTORC1. Moreover, mTORC1
      inhibited PDGFRalpha expression via suppression of forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a)
      mediated PDGFRalpha gene transcription. In addition, ectopic expression of
      PDGFRalpha promoted AKT activation and enhanced proliferation and tumorigenic
      capacity of Tsc1- or Tsc2-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), and vice
      versa. Most importantly, rapamycin in combination with AG1295, a PDGFR inhibitor,
      significantly inhibited growth of TSC1/TSC2 complex-deficient cells in vitro and
      in vivo. Therefore, downregulated FOXO3a/PDGFRalpha/AKT pathway exerts a
      protective effect against hyperactivated mTORC1-induced tumorigenesis caused by
      loss of TSC1/TSC2 complex, and the combination of rapamycin and AG1295 may be a
      new effective strategy for TSC-associated tumors treatment.

PMID- 28903388
TI  - Cancer-associated mutations in the canonical cleavage site do not influence CD99
      shedding by the metalloprotease meprin beta but alter cell migration in vitro.
AB  - Transendothelial cell migration (TEM) is crucial for inflammation and metastasis.
      The adhesion molecule CD99 was shown to be important for correct immune cell
      extravasation and is highly expressed on certain cancer cells. Recently, we
      demonstrated that ectodomain shedding of CD99 by the metalloprotease meprin beta
      promotes TEM in vitro. In this study, we employed an acute inflammation model
      (air pouch/carrageenan) and found significantly less infiltrated cells in meprin
      beta knock-out animals validating the previously observed pro-inflammatory
      activity. To further analyze the impact of meprin beta on CD99 shedding with
      regard to cell adhesion and proliferation we characterized two lung cancer
      associated CD99 variants (D92H, D92Y), carrying point mutations at the main
      cleavage site. Interestingly, ectodomain shedding of these variants by meprin
      beta was still detectable. However the cleavage site shifted to adjacent
      positions. Nevertheless, expression of CD99 variants D92H and D92Y revealed
      partial misfolding and proteasomal degradation. A previously observed influence
      of CD99 on Src activation and increased proliferation could not be confirmed in
      this study, independent of wild-type CD99 or the variants D92H and D92Y. However,
      we identified meprin beta as a potent inducer of Src phosphorylation.
      Importantly, we found significantly increased cell migration when expressing the
      cancer-associated CD99 variant D92H compared to the wild-type protein.

PMID- 28903389
TI  - Epithelial HO-1/STAT3 affords the protection of subanesthetic isoflurane against
      zymosan-induced lung injury in mice.
AB  - Epithelial dysfunction is a key characteristic of acute lung injury (ALI).
      Isoflurane (ISO) confers lung protection via anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic
      properties. However, the specific role and potential mechanisms of subanesthetic
      ISO in lung epithelium protection during zymosan-induced ALI remain unclear. In
      this study, zymosan increased the expression and activity of beneficial heme
      oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3
      (STAT3) in the lung and isolated type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECs-II) from
      wild-type (WT) mice, which was further enhanced by ISO treatment. ISO reduced the
      mortality, lung edema, histological changes and pulmonary cell apoptosis, and
      simultaneously decreased total cells, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the
      zymosan-stimulated WT mice but not in HO-1-deficient mice. Moreover, ISO abated
      zymosan-augmented lactate dehydrogenase activity, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta
      production, and apoptosis in WT AECs-II but not in HO-1- or STAT3-silenced cells.
      Mechanisticly, the epithelial protective effects of ISO on zymosan insult in vivo
      and in vitro were mediated by a positive feedback loop comprising STAT3 and HO-1.
      Pro-survival and anti-apoptosis by ISO was highly reliant on activated STAT3,
      involving in downstream Akt activation and reduced ratio of pro-apoptotic/anti
      apoptotic molecules. Overall, HO-1/STAT3 signaling is in favor of lung epithelial
      protection of ISO in zymosan-challenged mice, suggesting ISO as a valuable
      therapeutic agent for ALI.

PMID- 28903390
TI  - Association between the functional polymorphism Ile31Phe in the AURKA gene and
      susceptibility of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers.
AB  - Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is a serine threonine kinase which affects chromosomal
      separation and mitotic spindle stability through interaction with the centrosome
      during mitosis. Two functional nonsynonymous polymorphisms of the AURKA gene
      (Ile31Phe and Val57Ile) have been reported recently. We analyzed the association
      between the two polymorphisms and risk of the occurrence of hepatitis B virus
      (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Guangxi population consisting
      of 348 patients with HCC and 359 control subjects, and then validated the
      significant association in the Guangdong population consisting of 440 cases and
      456 controls. All of the participants were of Chinese origin and HBV carriers.
      The two polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction
      fragment length polymorphism assay or Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. In the
      Guangxi population, carriers of the AURKA 31Phe allele (Ile/Phe + Phe/Phe) were
      significantly associated with decreased susceptibility to HBV-related HCC when
      compared with noncarriers (Ile/Ile) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] = 0.46-0.86, P = 3.4 * 10-3). On the contrary, no significant
      association was found between Val57Ile and HBV-related HCC occurrence. The
      association of Ile31Phe with HBV-related HCC occurrence was confirmed in the
      Guangdong population (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.49-0.83, P = 8.0 * 10-4). The pooled
      analysis gave a joint P value of 5.5 * 10-6 (joint OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.52
      0.77). Our findings suggest that AURKA Ile31Phe may play a role in mediating the
      susceptibility to HBV-related HCC among Chinese.

PMID- 28903391
TI  - Cancer/testis antigen PIWIL2 suppresses circadian rhythms by regulating the
      stability and activity of BMAL1 and CLOCK.
AB  - Circadian rhythms are regulated by transcriptional and post-translational
      feedback loops generated by appropriate functions of clock proteins. Rhythmic
      degradation of the circadian clock proteins is critical for maintenance of the
      circadian oscillations. Notably, circadian clock does not work during
      spermatogenesis and can be disrupted in tumors. However, the underlying mechanism
      that suppresses circadian rhythms in germ cells and cancer cells remains largely
      unknown. Here we report that the cancer/testis antigen PIWIL2 can repress
      circadian rhythms both in the testis and cancer cells. By facilitating SRC
      binding with PI3K, PIWIL2 activates the PI3K-AKT pathway to phosphorylate and
      deactivate GSK3beta, suppressing GSK3beta-induced phosphorylation and degradation
      of circadian protein BMAL1 and CLOCK. Meanwhile, PIWIL2 can bind with E-Box
      sequences associated with the BMAL1/CLOCK complex to negatively regulate the
      transcriptional activation activity of promoters of clock-controlled genes. Taken
      together, our results first described a function for the germline-specific
      protein PIWIL2 in regulation of the circadian clock, providing a molecular link
      between spermatogenesis as well as tumorigenesis to the dysfunction of circadian
      rhythms.

PMID- 28903392
TI  - A role for BRG1 in the regulation of genes required for development of the
      lymphatic system.
AB  - Lymphatic vasculature is an important part of the cardiovascular system with
      multiple functions, including regulation of the return of interstitial fluid
      (lymph) to the bloodstream, immune responses, and fat absorption. Consequently,
      lymphatic vasculature defects are involved in many pathological processes,
      including tumor metastasis and lymphedema. BRG1 is an important player in the
      developmental window when the lymphatic system is initiated. In the current
      study, we used tamoxifen inducible Rosa26CreERT2-BRG1floxed/floxed mice that
      allowed temporal analysis of the impact of BRG1 inactivation in the embryo. The
      BRG1floxed/floxed/Cre-TM embryos exhibited edema and hemorrhage at embryonic day
      13 and began to die. BRG1 deficient embryos had abnormal lymphatic sac linings
      with fewer LYVE1 positive lymphatic endothelial cells. Indeed, loss of BRG1
      attenuated expression of a subset of lymphatic genes in-vivo. Furthermore, BRG1
      binds at the promoters of COUP-TFII and LYVE1, suggesting that BRG1 modulates
      expression of these genes in the developing embryos. Conversely, re-expression of
      BRG1 in cells lacking endogenous BRG1 resulted in induction of lymphatic gene
      expression in-vitro, suggesting that BRG1 was both required and sufficient for
      lymphatic gene expression. These studies provide important insights into
      intrinsic regulation of BRG1-mediated lymphatic-gene expression, and further an
      understanding of lymphatic gene dysregulation in lymphedema and other disease
      conditions.

PMID- 28903393
TI  - EB1 protein alteration characterizes sporadic but not ulcerative colitis
      associated colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While carcinogenesis in Sporadic Colorectal Cancer (SCC) has been
      thoroughly studied, less is known about Ulcerative Colitis associated Colorectal
      Cancer (UCC). This study aimed to identify and validate differentially expressed
      proteins between clinical samples of SCC and UCC to elucidate new insights of
      UCC/SCC carcinogenesis and progression. RESULTS: Multiplex-fluorescence two
      dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) and mass spectrometry identified 67
      proteoforms representing 43 distinct proteins. After analysis by Ingenuity
      Pathway Analysis(r) (IPA), subsequent Western blot validation proofed the
      differential expression of Heat shock 27 kDA protein 1 (HSPB1) and Microtubule
      associated protein R/EB family, member 1 (EB1) while the latter one showed also
      expression differences by immunohistochemistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fresh
      frozen tissue of UCC (n = 10) matched with SCC (n = 10) was investigated.
      Proteins of cancerous intestinal mucosal cells were obtained by Laser Capture
      Microdissection (LCM) and compared by 2-D DIGE. Significant spots were identified
      by mass spectrometry. After IPA, three proteins [EB1, HSPB1, and Annexin 5
      (ANXA5)] were chosen for further validation by Western blotting and tissue
      microarray-based immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified
      significant differences in protein expression of colorectal carcinoma cells from
      UCC patients compared to patients with SCC. Particularly, EB1 was validated in an
      independent clinical cohort.

PMID- 28903394
TI  - Melittin suppresses tumor progression by regulating tumor-associated macrophages
      in a Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model.
AB  - Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) are a major component of tumor stroma. It has
      been reported that TAMs have M2-like phenotype and facilitate tumor progression
      by promoting angiogenesis and immunosuppression. Melittin, a major polypeptide of
      bee venom, has been widely studied as an anti-cancer drug due to its cytotoxicity
      to malignant cells. However, very little is known regarding the effect of
      melittin on immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. This study focuses on the
      effect of melittin on TAMs in a Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model. Melittin
      inhibited the rapid tumor growth compared to the control in vivo. Melittin
      increased the M1/M2 ratio of TAMs by selectively reducing the number of CD206+ M2
      like TAMs while not altering the population of CD86+ M1-like TAMs. Melittin also
      preferentially binds to M2 macrophages, and this binding was not associated with
      phagocytosis. Gene and protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor
      (Vegf) and mannose receptor C type 1 (Mrc1/CD206) was reduced in M2-like bone
      marrow-derived macrophages by melittin treatment, but there was no significant
      change in the gene level of Vegf and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 1 (Flt1/VEGFR1) in
      tumor cells in vitro. Additionally, the levels of VEGF and CD31, markers of
      angiogenesis, were significantly decreased by melittin treatment in tumor
      tissues. This study revealed a novel role for melittin in tumor treatment and
      suggested that melittin could be a promising therapeutic agent for targeting M2
      like TAMs.

PMID- 28903395
TI  - TGF-beta2-induced ANGPTL4 expression promotes tumor progression and osteoclast
      differentiation in giant cell tumor of bone.
AB  - Although emerging studies have implicated that Aiopoietin-like 4 Protein
      (ANGPTL4) is related to the aggressiveness and metastasis of many tumors, the
      role of ANGPLT4 in giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone was rarely investigated. The
      mechanism of ANGPLT4 in tumor-induced osteoclastogenesis still remains unclear.
      In this study, we first demonstrated that ANGPTL4 was highly expressed in GCT
      compared to normal tissues, while we showed that TGF-beta2 released by
      osteoclasts induced bone resorption could increase the expression of ANGPTL4 in
      GCTSCs. By using the luciferase reporter assay, we found that two downstreams of
      TGF-beta2, Smad3 and Smad4, could directly activate the promoter of ANGPTL4,
      which might explain the mechanism of TGF-beta2-induced ANGPLT4 expression.
      Moreover, knockout of ANGPTL4 by TALENs in GCTSCs inhibited tumor growth,
      angiogenesis and osteoclastogenesis in GCT in vitro. By using the chick chorio
      allantoic membrane (CAM) models, we further showed that inhibition of ANGPTL4
      suppressed tumor growth and giant cell formation in vivo. In addition, some new
      pathways involved in ANGPTL4 application were identified through microarray
      assay, which may partly explain the mechanism of ANGPTL4 in GCT. Taken together,
      our study for the first time identified the role of ANGPLT4 in GCT of bone, which
      may provide a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of GCT.

PMID- 28903396
TI  - IGFBP2 plays an important role in heat shock protein 27-mediated cancer
      progression and metastasis.
AB  - Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is a key chaperone that interacts with over 200
      client proteins. The expression of Hsp27 might be correlated with poor outcome in
      many types of cancer. Previous study indicated that Hsp27 might be an important
      biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the detailed mechanism is
      less well understood. The shRNA-mediated silencing of Hsp27 decreased the
      proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. In a xenograft model, the
      silencing of Hsp27 reduced tumor progression. We revealed that the silencing of
      Hsp27 led to a reduction in insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2
      (IGFBP2), which might mediate proliferation and metastasis through vimentin,
      snail and beta-catenin. The overexpression of IGFBP2 reversed the reductions in
      cell growth, migration and invasion. The tissue array results showed that HCC
      patients with high Hsp27 expression exhibited poor prognosis and increased
      metastasis. The Hsp27 expression was highly correlated with IGFPB2 in CRC
      specimen. ChIP and luciferase assays showed that Hsp27 does not directly bind the
      IGFBP2 promoter region to regulate the transcription of IGFBP2. In conclusion,
      our study demonstrated that Hsp27 is a key mediator of HCC progression and
      metastasis and that Hsp27 might regulate proliferation and metastasis through
      IGFBP2. This pathway might provide a new direction for the development of a novel
      therapeutic strategy for HCC.

PMID- 28903397
TI  - DlgR2 knockdown boosts dendritic cell activity and inhibits hepatocellular
      carcinoma tumor in-situ growth.
AB  - Tumor-specific hepatic stellate cells (tHSCs) positively participate in human
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumorigenesis and progression. Our previous
      studies have shown that tHSCs co-culture with dendritic cells (DCs) induced DIgR2
      (dendritic cell-derived immunoglobulin receptor 2) expression. The latter is a
      member of IgSF inhibitory receptor suppressing DCs-initiated antigen-specific T
      cell responses. In the current study, we show that hepatic artery injection of
      DlgR2 siRNA significantly inhibited in-situ HCC xenograft growth in rat livers.
      Further, 5-FU-medied inhibition of in-situ HCC growth was dramatically sensitized
      with DlgR2 silence. DlgR2 siRNA injection indeed downregulated DlgR2 in ex-vivo
      cultured tumor-derived DCs (tDCs). More importantly, tDCs activity was boosted
      following DlgR2 siRNA. These cells presented with upregulated CD80, CD86 and MHC
      II. Production of interleukin-12 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha was also
      increased in the DlgR2-silenced tDCs. We propose that DlgR2 knockdown likely
      boosts the activity of tumor-associated DCs, and inhibits growth of in-situ HCC
      xenografts.

PMID- 28903398
TI  - New perspectives of cobalt tris(bipyridine) system: anti-cancer effect and its
      collateral sensitivity towards multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancers.
AB  - Platinating compounds including cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin are
      common chemotherapeutic agents, however, patients developed resistance to these
      clinical agents after initial therapeutic treatments. Therefore, different
      approaches have been applied to identify novel therapeutic agents, molecular
      mechanisms, and targets for overcoming drug resistance. In this study, we have
      identified a panel of cobalt complexes that were able to specifically induce
      collateral sensitivity in taxol-resistant and p53-deficient cancer cells.
      Consistently, our reported anti-cancer functions of cobalt complexes 1-6 towards
      multidrug-resistant cancers have suggested the protective and non-toxic
      properties of cobalt metal-ions based compounds in anti-cancer therapies. As
      demonstrated in xenograft mouse model, our results also confirmed the identified
      cobalt complex 2 was able to suppress tumor growth in vivo. The anti-cancer
      effect of the cobalt complex 2 was further demonstrated to be exerted via the
      induction of autophagy, cell cycle arrest, and inhibition of cell invasion and P
      glycoprotein (P-gp) activity. These data have provided alternative metal ion
      compounds for targeting drug resistance cancers in chemotherapies.

PMID- 28903399
TI  - Phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C inhibition reduces HER2
      overexpression, cell proliferation and in vivo tumor growth in a highly
      tumorigenic ovarian cancer model.
AB  - Antagonizing the oncogenic effects of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      (HER2) with current anti-HER2 agents has not yet yielded major progress in the
      treatment of advanced HER2-positive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Using
      preclinical models to explore alternative molecular mechanisms affecting HER2
      overexpression and oncogenicity may lead to new strategies for EOC patient
      treatment. We previously reported that phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase
      C (PC-PLC) exerts a pivotal role in regulating HER2 overexpression in breast
      cancer cells. The present study, conducted on two human HER2-overexpressing EOC
      cell lines - SKOV3 and its in vivo-passaged SKOV3.ip cell variant characterized
      by enhanced in vivo tumorigenicity - and on SKOV3.ip xenografts implanted in SCID
      mice, showed: a) about 2-fold higher PC-PLC and HER2 protein expression levels in
      SKOV3.ip compared to SKOV3 cells; b) physical association of PC-PLC with HER2 in
      non-raft domains; c) HER2 internalization and ca. 50% reduction of HER2 mRNA and
      protein expression levels in SKOV3.ip cells exposed to the PC-PLC inhibitor
      tricyclodecan-9-yl-potassium xanthate (D609); d) differential effects of D609 and
      trastuzumab on HER2 protein expression and cell proliferation; e) decreased in
      vivo tumor growth in SKOV3.ip xenografts during in vivo treatment with D609; f)
      potential use of in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and imaging (MRI)
      parameters as biomarkers of EOC response to PC-PLC inhibition. Overall, these
      findings support the view that PC-PLC inhibition may represent an effective means
      to target the tumorigenic effects of HER2 overexpression in EOC and that in vivo
      MR approaches can efficiently monitor its effects.

PMID- 28903400
TI  - Hyperglycemia and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) suppress the
      differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.
AB  - Aging is characterized by mild hyperglycemia and accumulation of advanced
      glycation end products (AGEs). Effects of chronic exposure to hyperglycemia or
      AGEs on the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes remain unclear. We
      examined the chronic effect of AGEs and high glucose on the differentiation of
      3T3-L1 cells by culturing 3T3-L1 cells in the presence of AGEs or 25 mM glucose
      for 1 month. Chronic incubation of 3T3-L1 cells with AGEs or high glucose blocked
      their differentiation into mature adipocytes as evidenced by reduced levels of
      adipocyte markers such as accumulated oil droplets, GPDH, aP2, adiponectin and of
      adipogenesis regulators PPARgamma and C/EBPalpha. Levels or activities of Src,
      PDK1, Akt, and NF-kappaB were higher in AGEs- and high glucose-treated cells than
      those in 3T3-L1 cells. Levels of Bcl-2 were elevated in AGEs- and high glucose
      treated cells, and were attenuated by inhibitors of PI3-kinase, Akt and NF
      kappaB. Moreover, adipogenesis was attenuated in 3T3-L1 cells stably expressing
      Bcl-2 or YAP. These results suggest that chronic AGEs and high glucose treatments
      up-regulate Bcl-2 and YAP via the Akt-NF-kappaB pathway and impair adipogenesis.

PMID- 28903401
TI  - 7-deacetylgedunin suppresses inflammatory responses through activation of
      Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.
AB  - Macrophages play a critical role in a variety of inflammatory diseases.
      Activation of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling results in inactivation of macrophages
      and amelioration of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Hence, discovery for
      the activators of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling has become a promising strategy for
      treatment inflammatory diseases. In the current study, the anti-inflammatory
      potential of 7-deacetylgedunin (7-DGD), a limonin chemical isolated from the
      fruits of Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem, was intensively examined in vivo and in
      vitro for the first time. Results showed that 7-DGD alleviated mice mortality
      induced by LPS. Mechanistic study showed that 7-DGD suppressed macrophage
      proliferation via induction of cell arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, 7-DGD
      inhibited iNOS expression, which is correlated with the increases of NQO1, HO-1
      and UGT1A1 mRNA expression as well as HO-1 protein expression level in the cells.
      More importantly, 7-DGD markedly decreased Keap1 expression, promoted p62
      expression, and facilitated Nrf2 translocation and localization in the nucleus of
      macrophages, and in turn up-regulates these anti-oxidant enzymes expression,
      eventually mediated anti-inflammatory effect. Collectively, 7-DGD suppresses
      inflammation in vivo and in vitro, indicating that the compound is valuable for
      further investigation as an anti-inflammatory agent in future.

PMID- 28903402
TI  - Impact of chronic methamphetamine treatment on the atherosclerosis formation in
      ApoE-/- mice fed a high cholesterol diet.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously reported that methamphetamine could promote
      atherosclerosis (AS) in ApoE-/- mice fed normal chow. We herein observed the
      impact of methamphetamine on AS in ApoE-/- mice fed a high cholesterol diet and
      explored the potential mechanisms. RESULTS AND MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male ApoE-/
      mice fed a high cholesterol diet were treated with saline (NS, n = 5) or
      methamphetamine [8 mg/kg/day (M8, n = 6) through intraperitoneal injection] for
      24 weeks. Afterwards, the percentage area of atheromatous plaque in aortic root
      (44.31 +/- 3.21% vs. 32.91 +/- 3.58%, P < 0.01) and atherosclerotic lesion area
      on Oil red O stained en face aorta (32.74 +/- 6.97% vs. 18.72 +/- 3.65%, P <
      0.01) were significantly higher in M8 group than in NS group. The percentages of
      Th1 cells and Th17 cells in spleen were significantly higher while the
      percentages of Th2 cells and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs were significantly lower in M8
      group than in NS group. mRNA expressions of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-17 were
      significantly up-regulated, IL-4, IL-10, Foxp3, and TGF-beta were significantly
      down-regulated in carotid artery and in spleen in M8 group compared to NS group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Chronic methamphetamine treatment can enhance atherosclerotic plaque
      formation possibly through promoting proinflammatory cytokine secretions in ApoE
      /- mice fed a high cholesterol diet.

PMID- 28903403
TI  - Cofilin-1 and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 as promising indicators for glioma
      radiosensibility and prognosis.
AB  - Glioma is a primary malignancy in central nervous system. Radiotherapy has been
      used as one of the standard treatments for glioma for decades. Since
      radioresistance can reduce the curative efficacy of radiotherapy in glioma,
      investigating the cause of radioresistance and predicting the tumour
      radiosensibility appeared particularly important. We previously reported that
      CFL1 and PGK1 are over-expressed in radioresistant U251 glioma cells. In this
      study, the level of CFL1 and PGK1 of 113 glioma tissues were measured by ELISA
      method. The relevance of the expression of these two proteins to radiosensibility
      was analyzed by mean test and multivariate logistic regression. The survival
      analysis was carried out in 85 irradiated patients and 105 followed-up patients
      respectively. The relationship between protein expression and clinical parameters
      was explored in overall 113 patients, and the correlation between CFL1 and PGK1
      were determined as well. Our results showed that the expression of CFL1 and PGK1
      were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in radioresistant patients than others. The
      multivariate Logistic regression demonstrated that the expression of CFL1 (p <
      0.001) and PGK1 (p < 0.001) were associated with radioresistance in glioma. The
      multivariate Cox regression in overall survival suggested that CFL1 level or PGK1
      level could be the independent prognosis factor for poor prognosis in 113 glioma
      patients. In addition, CFL1 expression was positively correlated with PGK1
      expression in glioma. The results suggested that as promising indicators, CFL1
      and PGK1 could be used to evaluate glioma radiosensibility and prognosis. These
      two proteins could also be the potential therapeutic targets of glioma.

PMID- 28903404
TI  - Tumor-specific hepatic stellate cells (tHSCs) induces DIgR2 expression in
      dendritic cells to inhibit T cells.
AB  - Tumor-specific hepatic stellate cells (tHSCs) contributes to tumorigenesis and
      progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The potential function of tHSCs on
      dendritic cells (DCs) was studied here. We discovered that tHSCs co-culture
      induced upregulation of DIgR2 (dendritic cell-derived immunoglobulin receptor 2)
      in bone marrow-derived DCs (mDCs). Activation of MEK-ERK is required for DIgR2
      expression in mDCs. MEK-ERK inhibitors or shRNA-mediated silence of MEK1/2 in
      mDCs inhibited tHSCs-induced DIgR2 expression. Meanwhile, tHSCs stimulation
      decreased production of multiple cytokines (CD80, CD86 and IL-12) in mDCs. Such
      an effect was almost reversed by DIgR2 shRNA in mDCs. Further, tHSCs-stimulated
      mDCs induced T-cell hypo-responsiveness, leading to decreased cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte (CTL) activity and reduced IFN-gamma production in splenic T cells. T
      cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis were also noticed. These actions on T
      cells were again largely inhibited by DIgR2 shRNA in mDCs. Together, our results
      indicate that tHSCs directly induces DIgR2 expression in DCs to inhibit T cells.

PMID- 28903405
TI  - Uptake of PSMA-ligands in normal tissues is dependent on tumor load in patients
      with prostate cancer.
AB  - : Radioligand therapy (RLT) with Lu-177-labeled PSMA-ligands is a new therapy
      option for prostate cancer. Biodistribution in normal tissues is of interest for
      therapy planning. We evaluated if the biodistribution of Ga-68-PSMA-11 is
      influenced by tumor load. RESULTS: In patients with high tumor load, SUVmean was
      reduced to 61.5% in the lacrimal glands, to 56.6% in the parotid glands, to 63.7%
      in the submandibular glands, to 61.3% in the sublingual glands and to 55.4% in
      the kidneys (p < 0.001). Further significant differences were observed for brain,
      mediastinum, liver, spleen and muscle. Total tracer retention was higher in
      patients with high tumor load (p < 0.05). SUV in lacrimal, salivary glands and
      kidneys correlated negatively with PSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 135 patients were
      retrospectively evaluated. SUV was measured in the lacrimal and salivary glands,
      brain, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, muscle and bone. SUV was correlated with
      visual tumor load, total tracer retention and PSA. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with
      high tumor load show a significant reduction of tracer uptake in dose-limiting
      organs. As similar effects might occur when performing RLT using Lu-177-labeled
      PSMA-ligands, individual adaptations of therapy protocols based on diagnostic
      PSMA PET imaging before therapy might help to further increase efficacy and
      safety of RLT.

PMID- 28903406
TI  - Presence of Salmonella AvrA in colorectal tumor and its precursor lesions in
      mouse intestine and human specimens.
AB  - Evidence directly supporting an association between Salmonella infection and
      colorectal cancer in human subjects is sparse. It has been well recognized that
      Salmonella infection increases the risk of gallbladder cancer. AvrA, a bacterial
      protein from Salmonella enterica, plays a crucial role in establishing chronic
      infection. To our knowledge, the presence of the bacterial AvrA has never been
      studied in human samples. Here, we demonstrated the presence and cellular
      localization of AvrA in inflamed, colorectal tumor and its precursor lesions,
      using both animal experimental infection models and human clinical specimens. We
      performed a newly developed AvrA serological assay and to determine the presence
      of anti-Salmonella AvrA antibody in chronic infected mouse serum samples.
      Further, we tested the presence of AvrA gene in healthy human fecal samples, in
      order to advance etiological studies of Salmonella AvrA in human population. Our
      study suggests a potential role of this bacterial protein in human colorectal
      cancer. Moreover, our new serological assay may serve a useful tool to identify
      individuals at increased risk for colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28903408
TI  - Derlin-1 is a target to improve radiotherapy effect of esophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma.
AB  - Radiotherapy is widely used for treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
      (ESCC). This study aimed to explore the role of Derlin-1 on the sensitivity of
      ESCC to radiotherapy and its underlying mechanism. We examined the clinical
      significance of Derlin-1 in 125 ESCC tissues. We found that Derlin-1 protein was
      higher in ESCC tissues than that in normal esophageal epithelial tissues. Derlin
      1 overexpression was correlated with chemoradiotherapy resistance in ESCC
      patients and served an independent predictor for short overall survival. siRNA
      knockdown and plasmid transfection were carried out in ESCC cell lines. Derlin-1
      depletion inhibited cell growth while its overexpression facilitated cell growth.
      Derlin-1 overexpression in Eca-109 cells dramatically enhanced its resistance to
      radiotherapy with decreased apoptosis rate. On the contrary, Derlin-1 depletion
      in TE-1 cell line showed the opposite effects. In addition, radioresistance
      conferred by Derlin-1 was attributed to its role of activating AKT/Bcl-2
      signaling pathway and reducing caspase3 cleavage. Blockage of AKT signaling
      attenuated the role of Derlin-1 on radioresistance. Furthermore, Derlin-1 could
      interact with PI3K p110alpha in ESCC cell lines. Taken together, Our data
      demonstrate that Derlin-1 overexpression predicts poor prognosis and protects
      ESCC from irradiation induced apoptosis through PI3K/AKT/Bcl-2 signaling pathway.
      Derlin-1 may serve as a novel predictor for radiosentivity and a molecular target
      for ESCC.

PMID- 28903407
TI  - miR-331-3p and Aurora Kinase inhibitor II co-treatment suppresses prostate cancer
      tumorigenesis and progression.
AB  - RNA-based therapeutics could represent a new avenue of cancer treatment. miRNA
      331-3p (miR-331-3p) is implicated in prostate cancer (PCa) as a putative tumor
      suppressor, but its functional activity and synergy with other anti-tumor agents
      is largely unknown. We found miR-331-3p expression in PCa tumors was
      significantly decreased compared to non-malignant matched tissue. Analysis of
      publicly available PCa gene expression data sets showed miR-331-3p expression
      negatively correlated with Gleason Score, tumor stage, lymph node involvement and
      PSA value, and was significantly down regulated in tumor tissue relative to
      normal prostate tissue. Overexpression of miR-331-3p reduced PCa cell growth,
      migration and colony formation, as well as xenograft tumor initiation,
      proliferation and survival of mice. Microarray analysis identified seven novel
      targets of miR-331-3p in PCa. The 3'-untranslated regions of PLCgamma1 and RALA
      were confirmed as targets of miR-331-3p, with mutation analyses confirming RALA
      as a direct target. Expression of miR-331-3p or RALA siRNA in PCa cells reduced
      RALA expression, proliferation, migration and colony formation in vitro. RALA
      expression positively correlated with Gleason grade in two separate studies, as
      well as in a PCa tissue microarray. Co-treatment using siRALA with an Aurora
      Kinase inhibitor (AKi-II) decreased colony formation of PCa cells while the
      combination of AKi-II with miR-331-3p resulted in significant reduction of PCa
      cell proliferation in vitro and PCa xenograft growth in vivo. Thus, miR-331-3p
      directly targets the RALA pathway and the addition of the AKi-II has a
      synergistic effect on tumor growth inhibition, suggesting a potential role as
      combination therapy in PCa.

PMID- 28903409
TI  - Acetyl-lupeolic acid inhibits Akt signaling and induces apoptosis in
      chemoresistant prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - The triterpenoid acetyl-lupeolic acid (ac-LA) isolated from the oleogum resin of
      Boswellia carterii reduced the viability of a panel of cancer cell lines more
      efficiently than lupeol. There was no detectable intracellular conversion of ac
      LA to lupeol and vice versa. In contrast to docetaxel, ac-LA did not induce
      selection of treatment-resistant cancer cells. By various parameters including
      DNA fragmentation, ac-LA was shown to induce apoptosis in androgen-independent PC
      3 cells, whereas in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, ac-LA led to cell
      accumulation in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, but not to apoptosis. In silico
      docking combined with in vitro kinase assays implied that ac LA potently inhibits
      Akt mainly by direct binding to the pleckstrin homology domain. Consistently, an
      Akt1 mutant deficient of the PH domain afforded partial resistance to ac-LA and
      complete resistance to lupeol and the Akt inhibitor III. Ac-LA inhibited
      phosphorylation of downstream targets of the Akt signaling pathway, which was
      followed by inhibition of the mTOR target p70 ribosomal six protein kinase and
      the nuclear accumulation of p65/NF-kappaB, beta-catenin, and c-myc, as well as
      loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Ac-LA exhibited antiproliferative,
      proapoptotic, and antitumorigenic effects on PC-3-tumors xenografted either on
      chick chorioallantoic membranes or in nude mice. Ac-LA exhibited a clearly better
      safety profile than docetaxel or lupeol during chronic administration in vivo. In
      contrast to lupeol, ac-LA also inhibited release of vascular endothelial growth
      factor in vitro and accordingly angiogenesis in vivo. Thus, ac-LA deserves
      further exploration as a potential new antitumor compound.

PMID- 28903410
TI  - RASSF6 downregulation promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and predicts
      poor prognosis in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Distant metastasis is the primary barrier for the successful treatment of
      patients with colorectal cancer, and thus, searching for new therapeutic targets
      by further exploring the molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer metastasis is
      important. In this study, we investigated the biological and clinical
      significance of RASSF6 in colorectal cancer as well as the underlying molecular
      mechanisms. We found that low RASSF6 expression corresponds to a poor prognosis
      in colorectal cancer patients, and low RASSF6 expression is distinctly associated
      with tumour progression. Our in vitro analysis revealed that RASSF6 suppresses
      the proliferation and metastasis of DLD1 cells, and RASSF6 knockdown in HCT116
      cells confirmed these observations. Our mechanistic investigation revealed that
      RASSF6 inhibits the expression of the classical target genes of Wnt signalling,
      as demonstrated by the reduced expression of TCF1, c-Jun, and c-Myc in RASSF6
      overexpressing DLD1 stable cell lines. Furthermore, we show that RASSF6 functions
      as a negative regulator of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition; the expression
      levels of the epithelial markers ZO-1 and E-cadherin were increased, while the
      expression level of the mesenchymal marker Snail was decreased in a RASSF6
      overexpressing DLD1 cell line. Additionally, rescue assays revealed that the
      activation of Wnt signalling by LiCl treatment impaired the inhibitory effect of
      RASSF6 on the proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells, which
      implies that RASSF6 suppresses the tumorigenicity of colorectal cancer cells at
      least in part through inhibiting Wnt signalling pathway. Collectively, these
      findings provide new perspectives for the future study of RASSF6 as a therapeutic
      target for colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28903411
TI  - Efficacy and safety of Re-Du-Ning injection in the treatment of seasonal
      influenza: results from a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, oseltamivir
      controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of RDNI in the treatment of seasonal
      influenza. RESULTS: 1575 participants were screened and 229 completed the study
      and had a RT-PCR laboratory confirmation of influenza virus infection. Fever
      alleviation time was 2 and 6 hours, and fever clearance time was 27 and 47 in
      RDNI and oseltamivir, with significant difference between two groups. Total
      scores of influenza symptoms descended more in RDNI than oseltamivir on day 2 and
      day 3. Single symptom such as fever, aversion to cold, sore throat and nasal
      obstruction score descended more in RDNI than oseltamivir on different days. 20
      subjects used aspirin during the trial, and there was no significant difference
      between two groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double
      blind, double-dummy, oseltamivir controlled clinical trial. Patients with a
      positive influenza rapid test diagnosis were enrolled and randomized to receive
      RDNI or oseltamivir. Primary outcome was the median fever alleviation and
      clearance time. Secondary outcomes were total 8 influenza symptom scores, the
      single influenza symptom score, and the frequency of aspirin usage. CONCLUSIONS:
      The effect of RDNI was not worse than oseltamivir on the alleviation of influenza
      symptoms. RDNI was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events noted during
      the study period.

PMID- 28903412
TI  - Acute atorvastatin treatment restores the cardioprotective effects of ischemic
      postconditioning in hyperlipidemic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ischemic Postconditioning (IPC) reduces ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)
      injury under normal conditions. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), which
      inhibit the synthesis of mevalonate, can interfere with the cardioprotective
      effect of IPC. However, the beneficial role of IPC in hyperlipidemic patients,
      post-acute administration of statins remains unknown. This study was to determine
      if acute administration of atorvastatin affect the infarct size-limiting effect
      of IPC in hyperlipidemic rats. RESULTS: Compared to control group, infarct size
      decreased more significantly in atorvastatin+IPC and atorvastatin+IPC+wortmannin
      groups than IPC or atorvastatin+IPC+PD98059 groups. Phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt
      was attenuated in atorvastatin + IPC+ wortmannin group, phosphorylation of P42
      MAPK/ERK was increased in atorvastatin+IPC and atorvastatin+IPC+wortmannin
      groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety four-weeks old male SD rats fed with
      cholesterol enriched diet for six weeks were randomized into nine groups (n =
      10/group) - sham group, control group, IPC group, atorvastatin group, wortmannin
      group, PD98059 group, atorvastatin+IPC group, atorvastatin+IPC+wortmannin group
      and atorvastatin+IPC+PD98059 group. Atorvastatin was administered orally 12 hours
      before myocardial reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Post-translational activation of P42
      MAPK/ERK, rather than PI3K/Akt, participates in the net protective effect of IPC
      and atorvastatin in hyperlipidemia.

PMID- 28903413
TI  - A novel heterozygous germline deletion in MSH2 gene in a five generation Chinese
      family with Lynch syndrome.
AB  - Lynch syndrome (LS) is one of the most common familial forms of colorectal cancer
      predisposing syndrome with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. LS is
      caused by the germline mutations in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes including
      MSH2, MLH1, MSH6 and PMS2. Clinically, LS is characterized by high incidence of
      early-onset colorectal cancer as well as endometrial, small intestinal and
      urinary tract cancers, usually occur in the third to fourth decade of the life.
      Here we describe a five generation Chinese family with LS clinically diagnosed
      according to the Amsterdam II criteria. Immuno-histochemical staining of MSH2 and
      MSH6 shows only foci nuclear positive on the surface of the tumor with strong
      expression of MLH1 and PMS2 with diffuse immunoreactivity. In order to dig into
      the molecular basis of this LS pedigree, we collected the proband's blood sample,
      extracted the genomic DNA and applied the genetic screening. As a result, we
      identified a novel heterozygous deletion in MSH2 gene by targeted next generation
      sequencing, which is also proved to be co-segregated among other affected family
      members by following validation. To our knowledge, this novel heterozygous
      deletion (c.1676_1679 delTAAA) in MSH2 gene causes frameshift mutation
      (p.Asn560Lysfs*29) and leads to the formation of a truncated MSH2 protein which
      is confirmed to be a deleterious mutation according to the variant interpretation
      guidelines of American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG).
      Identification of novel DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutations can definitely
      benefit to the clinical diagnosis and management.

PMID- 28903414
TI  - Micro-HCCs in rats with liver cirrhosis: paradoxical targeting effects with
      vascular disrupting agent CA4P.
AB  - We sought to investigate anticancer efficacy of a vascular disrupting agent (VDA)
      combretastatin A-4 phosphate (CA4P) in relation to tumor size among
      hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in rats using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      and postmortem techniques. Nineteen rats with 43 chemically-induced HCCs of 2.8
      20.9 mm in size on liver cirrhosis received CA4P intravenously at 10 mg/kg. Tumor
      diameter was measured by T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) to define microcancers (< 5
      mm) versus larger HCCs. Vascular responses and tissue necrosis were detected by
      diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CE-T1WI)
      and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE-) MRI, which were validated by
      microangiography and histopathology. MRI revealed nearly complete necrosis in 5
      out of 7 micro-HCCs, but diverse therapeutic necrosis in larger HCCs with a
      positive correlation with tumor size. Necrosis in micro-HCCs was 36.9% more than
      that in larger HCCs. While increased diffusion coefficient (ADCdiff) suggested
      tumor necrosis, perfusion coefficient (ADCperf) indicated sharply decreased blood
      perfusion in cirrhotic liver together with a reduction in micro-HCCs. DCE
      revealed lowered tumor blood flow from intravascular into extravascular
      extracellular space (EES). Microangiography and histopathology revealed hypo- and
      hypervascularity in 4 and 3 micro-HCCs, massive, partial and minor degrees of
      tumoral necrosis in 5, 1 and 1 micro-HCCs respectively, and patchy necrotic foci
      in cirrhotic liver. CD34-PAS staining implicated that poorly vascularized micro
      HCCs growing on liver cirrhosis tended to respond better to CA4P treatment. In
      this study, more complete CA4P-response occurred unexpectedly in micro-HCCs in
      rats, along with CA4P-induced necrotic foci in cirrhotic liver. These may help to
      plan clinical applications of VDAs in patients with HCCs and liver cirrhosis.

PMID- 28903415
TI  - A missense mutation in TCN2 is associated with decreased risk for congenital
      heart defects and may increase cellular uptake of vitamin B12 via Megalin.
AB  - Deregulation of folate and vitamin B12 (VB12) metabolism contributes to the risk
      of congenital heart defects (CHDs). Transcobalamin (TCN2) is essential for
      transporting VB12 from blood to cells as TCN2-bound VB12 (holo-TC) is the only
      form for somatic cellular uptake. In this study, we performed an association
      study between common polymorphisms in 46 one carbon metabolism genes and CHD in
      412 CHDs and 213 controls. Only two significant association signals in coding
      regions were identified: FTCD c.1470C>T & TCN2 c.230A>T. The only missense
      mutation, TCN2 c.230A>T, was further validated in 412 CHDs and 1177 controls.
      TCN2 c.230T is significantly associated with reduced CHD risk in North Chinese
      (odds ratio = 0.67, P = 4.62e-05), compared with the 230A allele. Interestingly,
      the mean level of plasma holo-TC in women with the TA genotype was 1.77-fold
      higher than that in women with the AA genotype. Further analysis suggested that
      c.230A>T enhanced the cellular uptake of holo-TC via the LRP2 receptor. Our
      results determined that a functional polymorphism in TCN2 contributes to the
      prevalence of CHDs. TCN2 c.230A>T is significantly associated with a reduced CHD
      risk, likely due to TCN2 c.230T improving the interaction between holo-TC and its
      LRP2 receptor.

PMID- 28903416
TI  - Overriding TKI resistance of renal cell carcinoma by combination therapy with IL
      6 receptor blockade.
AB  - Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a tumor entity with poor prognosis due
      to limited therapy options. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) represent the
      standard of care for RCCs, however a significant proportion of RCC patients
      develop resistance to this therapy. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is considered to be
      associated with poor prognosis in RCCs. We therefore hypothesized that TKI
      resistance and IL-6 secretion are causally connected. We first analyzed IL-6
      expression after TKI treatment in RCC cells and RCC tumor specimens. Cell
      proliferation and signal transduction activity were then quantified after co
      treatment with tocilizumab, an IL-6R inhibitor, in vitro and in vivo. 786-O RCC
      cells secrete high IL-6 levels after low dose stimulation with the TKIs
      sorafenib, sunitinib and pazopanib, inducing activation of AKT-mTOR pathway,
      NFkappaB, HIF-2alpha and VEGF expression. Tocilizumab neutralizes the AKT-mTOR
      pathway activation and results in reduced proliferation. Using a mouse xenograft
      model we can show that a combination therapy with tocilizumab and low dosage of
      sorafenib suppresses 786-O tumor growth, reduces AKT-mTOR pathway and inhibits
      angiogenesis in vivo more efficient than sorafenib alone. Furthermore FDG-PET
      imaging detected early decrease of maximum standardized uptake values prior to
      extended central necrosis. Our findings suggest that a combination therapy of IL
      6R inhibitors and TKIs may represent a novel therapeutic approach for RCC
      treatment.

PMID- 28903417
TI  - Disruption of DNA repair in cancer cells by ubiquitination of a destabilising
      dimerization domain of nucleotide excision repair protein ERCC1.
AB  - DNA repair pathways present in all cells serve to preserve genome stability, but
      in cancer cells they also act reduce the efficacy of chemotherapy. The
      endonuclease ERCC1-XPF has an important role in the repair of DNA damage caused
      by a variety of chemotherapeutic agents and there has been intense interest in
      the use of ERCC1 as a predictive marker of therapeutic response in non-small cell
      lung carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and ovarian cancer. We have previously
      validated ERCC1 as a therapeutic target in melanoma, but all small molecule ERCC1
      XPF inhibitors reported to date have lacked sufficient potency and specificity
      for clinical use. In an alternative approach to prevent the repair activity of
      ERCC1-XPF, we investigated the mechanism of ERCC1 ubiquitination and found that
      the key region was the C-terminal (HhH)2 domain which heterodimerizes with XPF.
      This ERCC1 region was modified by non-conventional lysine-independent, but
      proteasome-dependent polyubiquitination, involving Lys33 of ubiquitin and a
      linear ubiquitin chain. XPF was not polyubiquitinated and its expression was
      dependent on presence of ERCC1, but not vice versa. To our surprise we found that
      ERCC1 can also homodimerize through its C-terminal (HhH)2 domain. We exploited
      the ability of a peptide containing this C-terminal domain to destabilise both
      endogenous ERCC1 and XPF in human melanoma cells and fibroblasts, resulting in
      reductions of up to 85% in nucleotide excision repair and near two-fold increased
      sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. We suggest that the ERCC1 (HhH)2 domain could
      be used in an alternative strategy to treat cancer.

PMID- 28903418
TI  - Histone modification alteration coordinated with acquisition of promoter DNA
      methylation during Epstein-Barr virus infection.
AB  - Aberrant DNA hypermethylation is a major epigenetic mechanism to inactivate tumor
      suppressor genes in cancer. Epstein-Barr virus positive gastric cancer is the
      most frequently hypermethylated tumor among human malignancies. Herein, we
      performed comprehensive analysis of epigenomic alteration during EBV infection,
      by Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip for DNA methylation and ChIP
      sequencing for histone modification alteration during EBV infection into gastric
      cancer cell line MKN7. Among 7,775 genes with increased DNA methylation in
      promoter regions, roughly half were "DNA methylation-sensitive" genes, which
      acquired DNA methylation in the whole promoter regions and thus were repressed.
      These included anti-oncogenic genes, e.g. CDKN2A. The other half were "DNA
      methylation-resistant" genes, where DNA methylation is acquired in the
      surrounding of promoter regions, but unmethylated status is protected in the
      vicinity of transcription start site. These genes thereby retained gene
      expression, and included DNA repair genes. Histone modification was altered
      dynamically and coordinately with DNA methylation alteration. DNA methylation
      sensitive genes significantly correlated with loss of H3K27me3 pre-marks or
      decrease of active histone marks, H3K4me3 and H3K27ac. Apoptosis-related genes
      were significantly enriched in these epigenetically repressed genes. Gain of
      active histone marks significantly correlated with DNA methylation-resistant
      genes. Genes related to mitotic cell cycle and DNA repair were significantly
      enriched in these epigenetically activated genes. Our data show that orchestrated
      epigenetic alterations are important in gene regulation during EBV infection, and
      histone modification status in promoter regions significantly associated with
      acquisition of de novo DNA methylation or protection of unmethylated status at
      transcription start site.

PMID- 28903419
TI  - Development of zebrafish medulloblastoma-like PNET model by TALEN-mediated
      somatic gene inactivation.
AB  - Genetically engineered animal tumor models have traditionally been generated by
      the gain of single or multiple oncogenes or the loss of tumor suppressor genes;
      however, the development of live animal models has been difficult given that
      cancer phenotypes are generally induced by somatic mutation rather than by
      germline genetic inactivation. In this study, we developed somatically mutated
      tumor models using TALEN-mediated somatic gene inactivation of cdkn2a/b or rb1
      tumor suppressor genes in zebrafish. One-cell stage injection of cdkn2a/b-TALEN
      mRNA resulted in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors with high frequency
      (about 39%) and early onset (about 35 weeks of age) in F0 tp53e7/e7 mutant
      zebrafish. Injection of rb1-TALEN mRNA also led to the formation of brain tumors
      at high frequency (58%, 31 weeks of age) in F0 tp53e7/e7 mutant zebrafish.
      Analysis of each tumor induced by somatic inactivation showed that the targeted
      genes had bi-allelic mutations. Tumors induced by rb1 somatic inactivation were
      characterized as medulloblastoma-like primitive neuroectodermal tumors based on
      incidence location, histopathological features, and immunohistochemical tests. In
      addition, 3' mRNA Quanti-Seq analysis showed differential activation of genes
      involved in cell cycle, DNA replication, and protein synthesis; especially, genes
      involved in neuronal development were up-regulated.

PMID- 28903420
TI  - High expression of Ki-67 is an independent favorable prognostic factor for
      esophageal small cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of Ki-67 expression in small cell carcinoma of
      the esophagus (SCCE) has not been explored in any previous studies. Therefore, we
      conducted this retrospective study to investigate the prognostic role of Ki-67 in
      SCCE for the first time. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were included for
      analysis. The baseline clinicopathological data of these SCCE patients shared
      similar characteristics with previous studies. Ten patients were at stage I, 17
      at stage II, and the remaining 17 were at stage III. Postoperatively, 23 patients
      received adjuvant therapy. Twenty-eight patients were found to have a high
      expression of Ki-67 (> 50%). After a median follow-up time of 54.8 months, the
      median survival time of those patients was 22.1 months. Early TNM stage,
      application of adjuvant therapy, and high expression of Ki-67 (Hazard Ratio =
      0.314, 95% CI: 0.127-0.774; P = 0.012) were found to be favorable prognostic
      factors of patients with SCCE. In subgroup analysis, adjuvant therapy could only
      bring significant survival benefit for patients with high expression of Ki-67 (P
      = 0.008). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing esophagectomy with
      lymphadenectomy for SCCE from January 2009 to January 2015 in our department were
      retrospectively analyzed. Data for analysis included demographic data, pathologic
      findings, tumor stage, adjuvant therapy, and survival time as well as Ki-67
      index. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that high expression of Ki-67 may not
      only serve as a favorable prognostic factor of SCCE but also an indication of
      providing adjuvant therapy for SCCE patients with surgical resection.

PMID- 28903421
TI  - Development and validation of a preoperative prediction model for colorectal
      cancer T-staging based on MDCT images and clinical information.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to establish and evaluate the efficacy of a
      prediction model for colorectal cancer T-staging. RESULTS: T-staging was
      positively correlated with the level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA),
      expression of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), wall deformity, blurred outer
      edges, fat infiltration, infiltration into the surrounding tissue, tumor size and
      wall thickness. Age, location, enhancement rate and enhancement homogeneity were
      negatively correlated with T-staging. The predictive results of the model were
      consistent with the pathological gold standard, and the kappa value was 0.805.
      The total accuracy of staging improved from 51.04% to 86.98% with the proposed
      model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical, imaging and pathological data of 611
      patients with colorectal cancer (419 patients in the training group and 192
      patients in the validation group) were collected. A spearman correlation analysis
      was used to validate the relationship among these factors and pathological T
      staging. A prediction model was trained with the random forest algorithm. T
      staging of the patients in the validation group was predicted by both prediction
      model and traditional method. The consistency, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity
      and area under the curve (AUC) were used to compare the efficacy of the two
      methods. CONCLUSIONS: The newly established comprehensive model can improve the
      predictive efficiency of preoperative colorectal cancer T-staging.

PMID- 28903422
TI  - CDK4/6 inhibition is more active against the glioblastoma proneural subtype.
AB  - Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal brain tumor. Gene expression
      profiling has classified GBM into distinct subtypes, including proneural,
      mesenchymal, and classical, and identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities of these
      subtypes is an extremely high priority. We leveraged The Cancer Genome Atlas
      (TCGA) data, in particular for microRNA expression, to seek druggable core
      pathways in GBM. The E2F1-regulated miR-17~92 cluster and its analogs are shown
      to be highly expressed in proneural GBM and in GSC lines, suggesting the E2F cell
      cycle pathway might be a key driver in proneural GBM. Consistently, CDK4/6
      inhibition with palbociclib preferentially inhibited cell proliferation in vitro
      in a majority of proneural GSCs versus those of other subtypes. Palbociclib
      treatment significantly prolonged survival of mice with established intracranial
      xenografts of a proneural GSC line. We show that most of these sensitive PN GSCs
      expressed higher levels of CDK6 and had intact Rb1, while two GSC lines with CDK4
      overexpression and null Rb1 were highly resistant to palbociclib. Importantly,
      palbociclib treatment of proneural GSCs upregulated mesenchymal-associated
      markers and downregulated proneural-associated markers, suggesting that CDK4/6
      inhibition induced proneural-mesenchymal transition and underscoring the enhanced
      role of the E2F cell cycle pathway in the proneural subtype. Lastly, the
      combination of palbociclib and N,N-diethylaminobenzaldehyde, an inhibitor of the
      mesenchymal driver ALDH1A3, showed strong synergistic inhibitory effects against
      proneural GSC proliferation. Taken together, our results reveal that proneural
      GBM has increased vulnerability to CDK4/6 inhibition, and the proneural subtype
      undergoes dynamic reprogramming upon palbociclib treatment-suggesting the need
      for a combination therapeutic strategy.

PMID- 28903423
TI  - Mitochondria sustain store-operated currents in colon cancer cells but not in
      normal colonic cells: reversal by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
AB  - Tumor cells undergo a critical remodeling of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis that
      contribute to important cancer hallmarks. Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), a
      Ca2+ entry pathway modulated by mitochondria, is dramatically enhanced in colon
      cancer cells. In addition, most cancer cells display the Warburg effect, a
      metabolic switch from mitochondrial metabolism to glycolysis that provides
      survival advantages. Accordingly, we investigated mitochondria control of store
      operated currents (SOCs) in two cell lines previously selected for representing
      human normal colonic cells and colon cancer cells. We found that, in normal
      cells, mitochondria are important for SOCs activity but they are unable to
      prevent current inactivation. In contrast, in colon cancer cells, mitochondria
      are dispensable for SOCs activation but are able to prevent the slow, Ca2+
      dependent inactivation of SOCs. This effect is associated to increased ability of
      tumor cell mitochondria to take up Ca2+ due to increased mitochondrial potential
      (DeltaPsi) linked to the Warburg effect. Consistently with this view, selected
      non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) depolarize mitochondria, inhibit
      mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and promote SOC inactivation, leading to inhibition of
      both SOCE and cancer cell proliferation. Thus, mitochondria sustain store
      operated currents in colon cancer cells but not in normal colonic cells and this
      effect is counteracted by selected NSAIDs providing a mechanism for cancer
      chemoprevention.

PMID- 28903424
TI  - Identification and characterization of a novel SCYL3-NTRK1 rearrangement in a
      colorectal cancer patient.
AB  - In colorectal cancer patients, chromosomal rearrangements involving NTRK1 gene
      (encoding the TRKA protein) are shown in a small subset of patients and are
      associated with the constitutive activation of the kinase domain of TRKA. In
      turn, activated TRKA-fusion proteins are associated with proliferation and
      survival in colorectal cancer tumors. Here we report the identification and
      functional characterization of a new SCYL3-NTRK1 fusion gene in a 61-year-old
      colorectal cancer patient. To our knowledge, this fusion protein has never been
      previously documented in oncological patients. We show that this novel fusion is
      oncogenic and sensitive to TRKA inhibitors. As suggested by other pieces of
      evidence, entrectinib - an orally available pan-TRK, ROS1 and ALK inhibitor - may
      have particular efficacy in patients with NTRK rearrangements. Therefore,
      screening for rearrangements involving NTRK genes may help identifying a subset
      of patients able to derive benefit from treatment with entrectinib or other
      targeted inhibitors.

PMID- 28903425
TI  - Pasireotide is more effective than octreotide, alone or combined with everolimus
      on human meningioma in vitro.
AB  - Pasireotide is a somatostatin analog (SSA) that targets somatostatin receptor
      subtype 1 (SST1), SST2, SST3, and SST5 with a high affinity. Pasireotide has a
      better antisecretory effect in acromegaly, Cushing's disease, and neuroendocrine
      tumors than octreotide. In this study, we compared the effects of pasireotide to
      those of octreotide in vitro on meningioma primary cell cultures, both alone and
      in combination with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus. Significant mRNA expression
      levels of SST1, SST2, and SST5 were observed in 40.5%, 100%, and 35% of
      meningioma samples, respectively. Pasireotide had a significantly stronger
      inhibitory effect on cell proliferation than octreotide. The effect of
      pasireotide, but not of octreotide, was significantly stronger in the group
      expressing the highest level of SST1 mRNA. Combined treatment with pasireotide
      and everolimus induced a higher reduction in cell viability than that with
      octreotide plus everolimus. Moreover, pasireotide decreased Akt phosphorylation
      and reversed everolimus-induced Akt hyperphosphorylation to a higher degree than
      octreotide. Using 4E-BP1 siRNA (si4E-BP), we demonstrated that 4E-BP1 protein
      silencing significantly reversed the response to everolimus, both alone and in
      combination with SSAs. Moreover, si4E-BP completely reversed the inhibition of
      cyclin D1 expression level and the increase in p27kip1 induced by SSAs, both
      alone and in combination with everolimus. Our results strongly support the need
      for further studies on the combination of pasireotide and everolimus in medical
      therapy for meningiomas.

PMID- 28903426
TI  - The prognostic implication of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate in metastatic
      castration-resistant prostate cancer and its potential predictive value in those
      treated with docetaxel or abiraterone as first-line therapy.
AB  - Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P) is recognized as a newly
      pathological entity in 2016 WHO classification. It's role in metastatic
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains obscure. We aimed to explore
      the association of IDC-P with clinical outcome and to further identify its
      potential predictive role in making first-line treatment decisions for mCRPC. We
      retrospectively analyzed data of 131 mCRPC patients. IDC-P was diagnosed by re
      biopsy at the time of mCRPC. Among total patients, 45 and 41 received abiraterone
      or docetaxel as first-line therapies, respectively. PSA response, PSA progression
      free survival (PSA-PFS) and overall survival (OS) from mCRPC to death were
      analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves, Log-rank test, Cox regression models and
      Harrell's C-index. The incidence of IDC-P in mCRPC reached 47.3%. IDC-P was not
      only related to rapid PSA progression, but also associated with a 20-month
      decrease in OS. Among IDC-P(-) patients, PSA response, PSA-PFS and OS were
      comparable in abiraterone-treated and docetaxel-treated groups. In contrast,
      among IDC-P(+) patients, PSA response rate is higher in abiraterone-treated group
      vs. docetaxel-treated group (52.4% vs. 21.7%; p = 0.035). Also, PSA-PFS and OS
      were much longer in the IDC-P(+) abiraterone-treated group vs. the docetaxel
      treated group (PSA-PFS: 13.5 vs.6.0 months, p = 0.012; OS: not reach vs.14.7
      months, p = 0.128). Overall, IDC-P in mCRPC from re-biopsy was an independent
      prognosticator for clinical outcome. Abiraterone was observed having a better
      therapeutic efficacy than docetaxel as the first-line therapy in IDC-P(+) mCRPC
      patients. Thus, we suggest IDC-P should be considered as a novel predictive
      marker helping physicians making treatment decisions for mCRPC.

PMID- 28903427
TI  - Ginsenoside Rg1 attenuates adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats via modulation of
      PPAR-gamma/NF-kappaB signal pathway.
AB  - Ginsenoside Rg1, the main active compound in Panax ginseng, has already been
      shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. However, the protective effects of Rg1
      on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate the effects and mechanisms of Rg1 on adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA)
      in rats. AIA rats were given Rg1 at doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg
      intraperitoneally for 14 days to observe the anti-arthritic effects. The results
      showed that Rg1 significantly alleviated joint swelling and injuries. Rg1 can
      also significantly reduce the level of TNF-alpha and IL-6, increase PPAR-gamma
      protein expression, inhibit IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and NF-kappaB nuclear
      translocation in the inflammatory joints of AIA rats and RAW264.7 cells
      stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results indicate that Rg1 has
      therapeutic effects on AIA rats, and the mechanism might be associated with its
      anti-inflammatory effects by up-regulating PPAR-gamma and subsequent inhibition
      of NF-kappaB signal pathway.

PMID- 28903428
TI  - Comparison of clinical utilities of the platelet count and platelet-lymphocyte
      ratio for predicting survival in patients with cervical cancer: a single
      institutional study and literature review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical utilities of the platelet count and platelet
      lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for predicting survival in patients with cervical cancer.
      RESULTS: Multivariate analyses demonstrated that thrombocytosis and elevated PLR
      were found to be independent prognostic factors for progression-free survival
      (PFS, P = 0.0077, P = 0.044) and overall survival (OS, P = 0.025, P = 0.019) in
      separate Multivariate analyses. In the ROC analysis, the platelet count showed a
      significantly greater area under the ROC curve (AUC) value than that of PLR for
      predicting patient recurrence (0.5941 versus 0.5331, p = 0.018) and survival
      (0.6139 versus 0.5468, p = 0.029). In patients without thrombocytosis, elevated
      PLR correlated with shorter survival (PFS, P = 0.041; OS, P = 0.017). In
      contrast, PLR in patients with thrombocytosis did not provide prognostic
      information. We divided patients into 3 prognostic groups using platelet counts
      and PLR: high-risk (thrombocytosis with any PLR); intermediate-risk (elevated PLR
      without thrombocytosis); low-risk (none of the above), which allowed for
      individualized and accurate survival estimates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of cervical cancer patients were
      identified. Patients were grouped according to their pretreatment platelet counts
      or PLR, and clinicopathological characteristics and patient survival were then
      compared between these groups. The clinical utilities of the platelet count and
      PLR were compared using a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment thrombocytosis and elevated PLR were
      identified as independent predictors in cervical cancer patients. Platelet counts
      were superior to PLR for predicting the prognosis of uterine cervical cancer
      patients. Our prognostic model consisting of platelet counts and PLR offers
      individualized survival estimates.

PMID- 28903429
TI  - Lenalidomide restores the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal
      stem cells from multiple myeloma patients via deactivating Notch signaling
      pathway.
AB  - Multiple myeloma (MM) always presents osteolytic bone lesions, resulting from the
      abnormal osteoblastic and osteoclastic function in patients. MM patients exhibit
      the impairment of osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs (bone marrow mesenchymal
      stem cells) and osteoblast deficiency. Effects of the drug, lenalidomide on the
      osteoblastic functions and the involved mechanisms remain unexplored. In the
      present study, it is observed that the osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs from
      MM patients (MM-MSCs) is impaired and activation of Notch signaling pathway in MM
      MSCs is abnormal. Notch signaling activation inhibits BMMSCs osteogenesis.
      Knockdown of Notch1 expression and DAPT application reverse the osteogenic
      differentiation from MM-MSCs. Furthermore, it is shown that the gene expression
      of Notch signaling molecules, including receptors, ligands and downstream factors
      are significantly decreased in MM-MSCs following lenalidomide treatment, compared
      with non-treated MM-MSCs. Taken together, treatment with lenalidomide restores
      the osteogenic differentiation of MM-MSCs via deactivating Notch signaling
      pathway.

PMID- 28903431
TI  - Detection of specific Chlamydia pneumoniae and cytomegalovirus antigens in human
      carotid atherosclerotic plaque in a Chinese population.
AB  - To explore the relationship between certain pathogens, such as chlamydia
      pneumonia (Cpn) and cytomegalovirus (CMV), and carotid atherosclerosis (AS) in a
      Chinese population.Twenty-five carotid atherosclerotic stenosis patients from the
      Beijing Tiantan Hospital (affiliated with Capital Medical University)
      participated in the study. After undergoing digital subtraction angiography (DSA)
      and/or computed tomography angiography (CTA), the degree of carotid artery
      stenosis was over 70% in all cases, and the patients underwent carotid
      endarterectomy. Plaque specimens were obtained during surgery. The streptavidin
      peroxidase (SP) method was used to test the Cpn and CMV antigens in the
      specimens, and the relationship between the Cpn and CMV pathogen infections and
      AS was analyzed based on the test results. In the group of 25 carotid
      atherosclerotic specimens, the detection rate of the Cpn-specific antigens was
      84.0% (21/25). In the control group, the detection rate was 13.3% (2/15) in the
      ascending aortic intima. Thus, the between-group difference was significant
      (P<0.01). The CMV-specific antigen detection rate was 72.0% (18/25) using the
      same experimental group specimens, and the detection rate was zero in the control
      group. Thus, there were significant between-group differences (P<0.01). Due to
      the high detection rate of Cpn- and CMV-specific antigens in carotid
      atherosclerotic plaque in a Chinese population, it can be inferred that pathogens
      such as Cpn and CMV are one factor associated with carotid atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28903430
TI  - Resveratrol inhibits age-dependent spontaneous tumorigenesis by SIRT1-mediated
      post-translational modulations in the annual fish Nothobranchius guentheri.
AB  - Resveratrol, SIRT1 activator, inhibits carcinogenesis predominantly performed in
      transgenic animal models, orthotopic cancers of nude mice or different cancer
      cell lines, but its effects during process of spontaneous tumors using vertebrate
      models remain untested. Spontaneous liver neoplasm is an age-related disease and
      is inhibited by resveratrol in the annual fish Nothobranchius guentheri, which
      indicates that the fish can act as an excellent model to study spontaneous
      tumorigenesis. Totally, 175 fish were fed with resveratrol and another 175 fish
      for controls. Treated fish were fed with resveratrol (25 MUg/fish/day) from
      sexual maturity (4-month-old) until they were sacrificed at 6-, 9- and 12-month
      old. Immunoblot, immunohistochemistry and co-immunoprecipitation were employed to
      investigate the underlying mechanisms that resveratrol inhibited age-dependent
      spontaneous tumorigenesis in the fish. Results showed that resveratrol increased
      protein level of SIRT1 and alleviated age-associated tumorigenesis in liver. With
      SIRT1 up-regulation, resveratrol reduced proliferation by deacetylating K-Ras and
      inactivating K-Ras/PI3K/AKT pathway; and promoted apoptosis through deacetylation
      and dephosphorylation of FoxOs, up-regulation of DLC1 and interaction between
      SIRT1 and DLC1, and dephosphorylation of DLC1 in spontaneous neoplasms. We
      established a novel short-lived fish model for understanding the molecular
      mechanisms of drugs on age-dependent spontaneous tumorigenesis.

PMID- 28903432
TI  - Genetic variation and forensic characteristic analysis of 25 STRs of a novel
      fluorescence co-amplification system in Chinese Southern Shaanxi Han population.
AB  - We analyzed the genetic polymorphisms of 15 autosomal and 10 Y-chromosomal STR
      loci in 214 individuals of Han population from Southern Shaanxi of China and
      studied the genetic relationships between Southern Shaanxi Han and other
      populations. We observed a total of 150 alleles at 15 autosomal STR loci with the
      corresponding allelic frequencies ranging from 0.0023 to 0.5210, and the combined
      power of discrimination and exclusion for the 15 autosomal STR loci were
      0.99999999999999998866 and 0.999998491, respectively. For the 10 Y-STR loci,
      totally 100 different haplotypes were obtained, of which 94 were unique. The
      discriminatory capacity and haplotype diversity values of the 10 Y-STR loci were
      0.9259 and 0.998269, respectively. The results demonstrated high genetic
      diversities of the 25 STR loci in the population for forensic applications. We
      constructed neighbor-joining tree and conducted principal component analysis
      based on 15 autosomal STR loci and conducted multidimensional scaling analysis
      and constructed neighbor-joining tree based on 10 Y-STR loci. The results of
      population genetic analyses based on both autosomal and Y-chromosome STRs
      indicated that the studied Southern Shaanxi Han population had relatively closer
      genetic relationship with Eastern Han population, and distant relationships with
      Croatian, Serbian and Moroccan populations.

PMID- 28903433
TI  - microRNA-451-modulated hnRNP A1 takes a part in granulocytic differentiation
      regulation and acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Myelopoiesis is under the control of a complex network containing various
      regulation factors. Deregulation of any important regulation factors may result
      in serious consequences including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In order to find
      out the genes that may take a part in AML development, we analyzed data from AML
      cDNA microarray (GSE2191) in the NCBI data pool and noticed that heterogeneous
      nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1) is abnormally over-expressed in AML
      patients. Then we investigated the function and mechanisms of hnRNP A1 in myeloid
      development. A gradually decreased hnRNP A1 expression was detected during
      granulocytic differentiation in ATRA-induced-NB4 and HL-60 cells and cytokines
      induced hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. By function-loss and winning
      experiments we demonstrated hnRNP A1's inhibition role via inhibiting expression
      of C/EBPalpha, a key regulator of granulocytic differentiation, in the
      granulocytic differentiation. During granulocytic differentiation the decrease of
      hnRNP A1 reduces inhibition on C/EBPalpha expression, and the increased
      C/EBPalpha promotes the differentiation. We also demonstrated that miR-451
      promotes granulocytic differentiation via targeting to and down-regulating hnRNP
      A1, and hnRNP A1 positively regulates c-Myc expression. Summarily, our results
      revealed new function and mechanisms of hnRNP A1 in normal granulocytiesis and
      the involvement of a feed-back loop comprising c-Myc, miR-451 and hnRNP A1 in AML
      development.

PMID- 28903434
TI  - Total fluid consumption and risk of bladder cancer: a meta-analysis with updated
      data.
AB  - With meta-analysis we tented to reveal the potential relationship between daily
      fluid consumption and bladder cancer risk, and to find out a recommendation on
      daily fluid intake. Databases of the Web of Science, PubMed and EMBASE were
      searched then 21 case-control and 5 cohort studies were included. Stratified
      analyses on gender, region, time of subjects recruiting and fluid quantity were
      performed as well as dose-response meta-analysis. Comparing the highest exposure
      category with the lowest in each study, no association appeared when all data
      pooled together (p=0.50), but a significant OR of 1.46 (1.02-2.08, p=0.04) was
      found in male subgroup. For different regions, the summarized OR was 1.44 (1.10
      1.89) in American case-control studies, 1.87 (1.20-2.90) in European male
      subgroup and 0.24 (0.10-0.60) in Asia. There was a significant relationship that
      each increment 1000ml daily consumption would increase the risk by 28.6% in
      European male (p=0.007). Similarly every additional 1000ml consumption may
      increase the OR by 14.9% in American people but the association wasn't that
      strong (p=0.057). Stratified analyses showed fluid consumption over 3000ml/day in
      American residents and 2000ml/day in European male resulted in OR>1 with
      statistical significance. In conclusion, a relationship between higher fluid
      intake and higher bladder cancer risk was observed in European male and American
      residents and a limitation to <2000ml and <3000ml per day are recommended
      respectively.

PMID- 28903435
TI  - Effects of metformin on survival outcomes of pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recent epidemiological studies indicated that metformin might
      improve the survival of various cancers. However, its benefit on pancreatic
      cancer was controversial. METHODS: We performed this meta-analysis to investigate
      the benefit of metformin on pancreatic cancer. A comprehensive literature search
      was performed through PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase. Relative risk (RR) and
      hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled. RESULTS: The
      meta-analysis of 2 randomized controlled trials including181 pancreatic patients,
      revealed that metformin use was not associated with an improved overall survival
      at 6 months (RR=0.90, 95% CI=0.67-1.21), overall survival (HR=1.19, 95% CI=0.86
      1.63) and progression-free survival (HR=1.39, 95% CI=0.97-1.99). But the meta
      analysis of 8 cohorts, involving 2805 pancreatic patients with diabetes,
      demonstrated a favorable result with improved overall survival (HR=0.78, 95%
      CI=0.66-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Observations in the cohort studies supported a
      favorable role of metformin while the data from randomized controlled trials did
      not support that. Therefore, more high-quality RCTs are warranted.

PMID- 28903437
TI  - Meta-analysis of microRNAs expression in head and neck cancer: uncovering
      association with outcome and mechanisms.
AB  - Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is often diagnosed at advanced
      stages, incurring significant high mortality and morbidity. This review explored
      the risk stratification of miRNAs, and investigated the impact of miRNA
      networking in HNSCC prognostication. We performed a meta-analysis and a
      systematic literature search on online databases for papers published prior to
      December 1, 2016. The list of miRNAs was uploaded to MetacoreTM to construct a
      protein-protein interaction network, which was used to identify targets of the
      miRNAs and potential drugs. In addition, a representative network was further
      validated by immunohistochemistry in a cohort of 100 patients. We found 116
      studies that included 8,194 subjects, in which the relationship between miRNA
      expression and prognosis of HNSCC were analyzed. Significant elevated expressions
      of 27 miRNAs and decreased expression of 26 miRNAs were associated with poor
      outcome. After excluding the studies causing heterogeneity, a fixed model was
      applied, which showed a statistically significant association between increased
      expression of miR-21 and poor survival (Pooled HR = 1.81,95% CI = 0.66-2.95, P <
      0.005). We identified four networks affected by the miRNAs expression and
      enriched in genes related to metabolic processes and regulation of cell
      mitogenesis in response to extracellular stimuli. One network point out to 16
      miRNAs directly or indirectly involved in the regulation of androgen-receptor
      (AR). Evaluation of AR protein expression in our cohort revealed that patients
      with upregulation of AR had poor survival rates (log-rank test, P < 0.005). This
      study showed that miRNAs have potential prognostic value to serve as screening
      tool for HNSCC during the follow-up. In addition, the implementation of a network
      based analysis may reveal proteins with potential to be used as a biomarker.

PMID- 28903438
TI  - A novel prognostic index for oral squamous cell carcinoma patients with
      surgically treated.
AB  - This study aims to develop an applicable prognostic index with conventional
      factors for predicting outcome of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma
      (OSCC). We performed a prospective study in a large cohort of 892 OSCC patients
      in Fujian, China. All patients were randomly divided into a discovery group and
      validation group. A prognostic index was developed based on beta value of each
      significant variable obtained from the multivariate Cox regression model. The
      results from discovery and validation set demonstrated thatthe model-4(included
      clinical stage, tumor differentiation, ill-fitting denture, oral hygiene and
      cigarette smoking) was the optimal model. The optimal cutoff points of prognostic
      index (1.88 and 2.80) were determined by X-tile program which categorized all
      subjects into low, middle and high risk subsets. Patients in high risk group were
      at the greatest risk of death compared with those in low risk group (HR: 6.02;
      95%CI: 4.33-8.38). Moreover, there was a significant tendency of the worse
      overall survival with the higher prognostic index (Ptrend <0.001). The
      discriminatory capacity of prognostic index was 0.661(95%CI: 0.621-0.701). This
      study developed and validated a prognostic index that is an economical and useful
      tool for predicting the clinical outcomes of OSCC patients in Southeast China.
      Future randomized trials with larger cohort are required to confirm our results.

PMID- 28903436
TI  - Prognostic value of microRNAs in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous articles have reported that expression levels of microRNAs
      (miRNAs) are associated with survival time of patients with gastric cancer (GC).
      A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to study the outcome of it.
      DESIGN: Meta-analysis. METHODS: English studies estimating expression levels of
      miRNAs with any of survival curves in GC were identified up till March 19, 2017
      through performing online searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane
      Database of Systematic Reviews by two authors independently. The pooled hazard
      ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the
      correlation between miRNA expression and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Sixty
      nine relevant articles about 26 miRNAs with 6148 patients were ultimately
      included. GC patients with high expression of miR-20b (HR=2.38, 95%CI=1.16-4.87),
      21 (HR=1.77, 95%CI=1.01-3.08), 106b (HR=1.84, 95%CI=1.15-2.94), 196a (HR=2.66,
      95%CI=1.94-3.63), 196b (HR=1.67, 95%CI=1.38-2.02), 214 (HR=1.84, 95%CI=1.27-2.67)
      or low expression of miR-125a (HR=2.06, 95%CI=1.26-3.37), 137 (HR=3.21,
      95%CI=1.68-6.13), 141 (HR=2.47, 95%CI=1.34-4.56), 145 (HR=1.62, 95%CI=1.07-2.46),
      146a (HR=2.60, 95%CI=1.63-4.13), 206 (HR=2.85, 95%CI=1.73-4.70), 218 (HR=2.61,
      95%CI=1.74-3.92), 451 (HR=1.73, 95%CI=1.19-2.52), 486-5p (HR=2.45, 95%CI=1.65
      3.65), 506 (HR=2.07, 95%CI=1.33-3.23) have significantly poor OS (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: In summary, miR-20b, 21, 106b, 125a, 137, 141, 145, 146a, 196a,
      196b, 206, 214, 218, 451, 486-5p and 506 demonstrate significantly prognostic
      value. Among them, miR-20b, 125a, 137, 141, 146a, 196a, 206, 218, 486-5p and 506
      are strong biomarkers of prognosis in GC.

PMID- 28903439
TI  - Lymph node status in different molecular subtype of breast cancer: triple
      negative tumours are more likely lymph node negative.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between different
      molecular subtype (MST) and the axillary lymph nodal (ALN) status. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 528 female patients with primary breast cancer were
      collected. Survival estimates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method,
      univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Triple negative
      and Luminal A breast cancers were more frequently node-negative (N0) when
      compared to Luminal B and Her-2 positive cancers (77.4% and 73.4% vs. 45.3% and
      40.0%, respectively; P < 0.0001). We observed a clearly significant difference
      among ALN status in patients with Her-2 positive (P = 0.001) and Luminal B (P <
      0.0001) breast cancer. While no significant prognostic diffreence among different
      LN status was detected in the Triple negative (P = 0.070) and Luminal A subtype
      (P = 0.660). On the other hand, we detected no prognostic diffreence among
      different MST in N1 and N3 subgroups (P = 0.569 and P = 0.484, respectively).
      Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node status (P < 0.01), molecular subtype
      (P < 0.01), and tumor size (P < 0.01) were significantly and independently
      prognostic factors. The c-index of the prognosis nomogram for recurrence
      prediction was 0.70. CONCLUSION: Triple negative breast cancer is not associated
      more frequently with a higher number of involved nodes. The prognosis nomogram
      can predict the probability of recurrence patients within 3 or 5 years.

PMID- 28903440
TI  - Evaluation of pituitary uptake incidentally identified on 18F-FDG PET/CT scan.
AB  - The clinical significance of pituitary uptake on routine whole body 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computer tomography
      (PET/CT) is not completely characterized. We seek to assess the potential
      differential diagnosis/underlying etiology of pituitary FDG uptake incidentally
      identified on routine PET/CT scans. A total of 24,007 PET/CT whole body scans in
      recent 5 years were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with maximum standardized
      uptake value (SUVmax) > 4.1 in the pituitary glands were identified. Cases with a
      known history of pituitary disorders were excluded. Nineteen cases were
      identified with incidental pituitary FDG uptake which all had a final
      pathological diagnosis/clinical follow up. Among them, there were 9 primary
      pituitary tumors, with SUVmax ranging from 4.7 to 29.3 (13.6 +/- 9.8); 3
      metastatic malignancy with SUVmax ranging from 7.3 to 32.3 (16.0 +/- 10.6); 3
      Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) with SUVmax ranging from 6.0 to 26.0 (15.0 +/
      10.2); 1 pituitary lymphocytic hypophysitis with SUVmax of 4.7. Of note, 3 cases
      with SUVmax of 7.5,7.9 and 9.6 showed no relevant clinical symptoms with negative
      results on subsequent magnetic resonance (MR) and were counted as benign
      physiologic uptake. The most common differential diagnosis of incidental
      pituitary uptake on routine whole body PET/CT scans was primary pituitary tumors,
      followed by metastatic malignancy, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and
      inflammatory lymphocytic hypophysitis. Of note, benign physiologic uptake without
      corresponding lesions could also occur in our population.

PMID- 28903441
TI  - Loss of steroid hormone receptors is common in malignant pleural and peritoneal
      effusions of breast cancer patients treated with endocrine therapy.
AB  - Discordance in estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), progesterone receptor (PR),
      androgen receptor (AR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status
      between primary breast cancers and solid distant metastases ("conversion") has
      been reported previously. Even though metastatic spread to the peritoneal and
      pleural cavities occurs frequently and is associated with high mortality, the
      rate of receptor conversion and the prognostic implications thereof remain
      elusive. We therefore determined receptor conversion in 91 effusion metastases
      (78 pleural, 13 peritoneal effusions) of 69 patients by immunohistochemistry
      (IHC) and in situ hybridization. Data were coupled to clinical variables and
      treatment history. ERalpha, PR and AR receptor status converted from positive in
      the primary tumor to negative in the effusion metastases or vice versa in 25-30%,
      30-35% and 46-51% of cases for the 1% and 10% thresholds for positivity,
      respectively. 19-25% of patients converted clinically relevant from "ERalpha+ or
      PR+" to ERalpha-/PR- and 3-4% from ERalpha-/PR- to "ERalpha+ or PR+". For HER2,
      conversion was observed in 6% of cases. Importantly, receptor conversion for
      ERalpha (p = 0.058) and AR (p < 0.001) was more often seen in patients adjuvantly
      treated with endocrine therapy. Analogous to this observation, HER2-loss was more
      frequent in patients adjuvantly treated with trastuzumab (p < 0.001). Alike solid
      distant metastases, receptor conversion for ERalpha, PR, AR and HER2 is a
      frequent phenomenon in peritoneal and pleural effusion metastases. Adjuvant
      endocrine and trastuzumab therapy imposes an evolutionary selection pressure on
      the tumor, leading to receptor loss in effusion metastases. Determination of
      receptor status in malignant effusion specimens will facilitate endocrine
      treatment decision-making at this lethal state of the disease, and is hence
      recommended whenever possible.

PMID- 28903442
TI  - Association between coronary heart disease and erectile dysfunction in Chinese
      Han population.
AB  - To investigate the association between coronary heart disease (CHD) and erectile
      dysfunction (ED) in Chinese Han population. Patients who went to the andrological
      out-patient clinic of our hospital between August 1, 2015 and May 1, 2016 and met
      all eligible criteria were enrolled in this study. The patients diagnosed as ED
      using self-administered International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5)
      questionnaire were considered as case group and others were considered as
      control. The cases were categorized as mild, moderate, and severe ED. Subjects
      were interviewed for the history of CHD. Uni- and multivariate logistic
      regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) using the SPSS 18.0 software. A total of 240
      participants (56 ED patients and 184 controls) were enrolled. CHD prevalence was
      higher in cases without statistical significance (OR = 1.20, 95%CI = 0.63-2.29; p
      = 0.58). Results of adjusted analysis also showed a non-significantly increased
      risk (OR = 1.25, 95%CI = 0.55-2.85; p = 0.59). Stratified analysis by severity of
      ED revealed similar results. This study suggests no significant association
      exists between CHD and ED in Chinese Han population.

PMID- 28903443
TI  - Radioligand therapy of metastatic prostate cancer using 177Lu-PSMA-617 after
      radiation exposure to 223Ra-dichloride.
AB  - Radioligand therapy with 177Lu-PSMA-617 is an innovative and effective therapy
      for castrate-resistant metastatic prostate cancer patients. For patients with
      symptomatic bone metastases without visceral metastases, the guidelines recommend
      radionuclide therapy with 223Ra-dichloride as a single therapeutic agent or in
      combination with hormone therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      safety of repeated cycles of 177Lu-PSMA-617 after exposure to more cycles of
      223Ra. Forty-nine patients were treated with three cycles of Lu-PSMA-617 divided
      into two groups subjected to a history of therapy with 223Ra. Group 1 included 20
      patients, who had received therapy with 223Ra prior to Lu-PSMA-617 therapy. Group
      2, which was the control group regarding hematotoxicity, comprised 29 patients
      without any history of a bone-targeted radionuclide therapy. No CTC 4 degrees 
      hematotoxicity was observed in the entire study population. There was no CTC 3
      degrees  or CTC 4 degrees  leucopenia in either group. One and three patients
      from group 1 and 2, respectively, showed CTC 3 degrees  anemia. In group 1 there
      was significantly more CTC 2 degrees  anemia (50% vs. 6.9%) (p=0.008). One
      patient from group 1 (5%) showed a CTC 3 degrees  thrombocytopenia without any
      concurrent anemia, and two patients from group 2 (7%) showed a CTC 3 degrees 
      thrombocytopenia, one with CTC 3 degrees  anemia and one without any anemia.
      There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding leucopenia
      and thrombocytopenia. These results confirmed that performing repeated cycles of
      Lu-PSMA-617 after 223Ra seems to be safe with a very small probability of
      hematotoxicity.

PMID- 28903444
TI  - Early tumour shrinkage as a survival predictor in patients with recurrent
      glioblastoma treated with bevacizumab in the AVAREG randomized phase II study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disease assessment for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) represents a
      challenge, especially with the use of antiangiogenic agents. Moreover, validated
      neuroradiological predictors of outcome are lacking. Recently, the concept of
      early tumor shrinkage (ETS) has been developed to better assess the ability of
      treatments in determining a rapid and remarkable tumor response. The aim of the
      study was to evaluate the role of ETS in predicting survival of GBM patients
      treated with BEV. METHODS: We examined the radiological data of patients with
      recurrent GBM treated with bevacizumab (BEV) or fotemustine (FTM) in the
      randomized phase II AVAREG trial (EudraCT: 2011-001363-46). Radiologic
      assessments at first disease assessment (day 46) were used to calculate the
      relative change in the sum of the products of perpendicular diameters of all
      measurable lesions determined by either T1 contrast and T2/FLAIR. RESULTS: In
      patients treated with BEV, the best ETS cut-off was reduction of 15% with T1
      contrast and of 40% with T2/FLAIR. Adopting this cut-off for T1 contrast
      radiological changes, ETS was a significant predictor of OS for patients treated
      with BEV (HR = 0.511, 95%CI:0.269-0.971, p = 0.040). The cut-off obtained for
      T2/FLAIR was not significantly correlated with OS (p = 0.102), but we found a
      trend for correlation with survival when considering the variable as continuous
      (p = 0.058). CONCLUSIONS: ETS evaluating T1 contrast reduction is a helpful
      predictor of survival in patients with recurrent GBM treated with BEV, and if
      validated in a larger prospective trial could be a helpful surrogate endpoint.

PMID- 28903445
TI  - Predicting clinical benefit from everolimus in patients with advanced solid
      tumors, the CPCT-03 study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, our aim was to identify molecular aberrations
      predictive for response to everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, regardless of tumor
      type. METHODS: To generate hypotheses about potential markers for sensitivity to
      mTOR inhibition, drug sensitivity and genomic profiles of 835 cell lines were
      analyzed. Subsequently, a multicenter study was conducted. Patients with advanced
      solid tumors lacking standard of care treatment options were included and
      underwent a pre-treatment tumor biopsy to enable DNA sequencing of 1,977 genes,
      derive copy number profiles and determine activation status of pS6 and pERK.
      Treatment benefit was determined according to TTP ratio and RECIST. We tested for
      associations between treatment benefit and single molecular aberrations, clusters
      of aberrations and pathway perturbation. RESULTS: Cell line screens indicated
      several genes, such as PTEN (P = 0.016; Wald test), to be associated with
      sensitivity to mTOR inhibition. Subsequently 73 patients were included, of which
      59 started treatment with everolimus. Response and molecular data were available
      from 43 patients. PTEN aberrations, i.e. copy number loss or mutation, were
      associated with treatment benefit (P = 0.046; Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSION:
      Loss-of-function aberrations in PTEN potentially represent a tumor type agnostic
      biomarker for benefit from everolimus and warrants further confirmation in
      subsequent studies.

PMID- 28903446
TI  - Application of embolization microspheres in interventional therapy of malignant
      non-hypervascular tumor of liver.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of transarterial embolization
      (TAE) using embolization microspheres in the treatment of non-hypervascular
      malignant liver tumors. METHODS: Patients with malignant non-hypervascular liver
      tumors, who were treated with TAE using embolization microspheres, were selected
      and analyzed retrospectively. The technical success rate, tumor response, and
      complications were assessed. RESULTS: Six patients were included in the study: 1
      patient each with hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma, intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma, hepatic metastasis after resection of common bile duct
      carcinoma, liver metastasis from colon cancer, liver metastasis from esophageal
      cancer, and liver metastasis from pancreatic cancer. The technical success rate
      was 100%. At 1 and 3 months after TAE, tumor local reactions were seen in 6/6 and
      2/6 patients, respectively, and the tumor necrosis rates were 48%-73% and 22%
      68%, respectively. The main complications were those related to the embolization
      syndrome, including 1 case of liver abscess and 1 case of severe pain on the
      first day after embolization. CONCLUSION: TAE with embolization microspheres is
      safe and effective in non-hypervascular liver tumors. It is a feasible option for
      palliative therapy of these tumors.

PMID- 28903447
TI  - Locoregionally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: incidence,
      survival, prognostic factors, and treatment outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: For locoregionally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
      (HNSCC), appropriate therapeutic decisions remain unclear. We examined the
      treatment outcomes of a national cohort to determine suitable treatments for and
      prognostic factors in patients with locoregionally recurrent HNSCCs at different
      stages and sites. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data of >20-year-old patients
      with HNSCC at American Joint Committee on Cancer clinical stages I-IV without
      metastasis from Taiwan National Health Insurance and cancer registry databases.
      The index date was the date of recurrent HNSCC diagnosis. Recurrent HNSCC was
      defined as the annotation of locoregional recurrence with tissue proof in cancer
      registry databases. The enrolled patients were categorized into three groups:
      Group 1 comprised those undergoing chemotherapy (CT) alone; Group 2 comprised
      those receiving reirradiation (re-RT) alone (total radiation dose >= 60 Gy
      through intensity modulation radiation therapy [IMRT]); Group 3 comprised those
      receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) alone (irradiation total dose >=60
      Gy through IMRT); and Group 4 comprised those receiving salvage surgery with or
      without RT or CT. RESULTS: We enrolled 4,839 and 28,664 HNSCC patients with and
      without locoregional recurrence, respectively (median follow-up, 3.25 years).
      Locoregional recurrence rate and incidence were 14.44% and 40.73 per 1,000 person
      years, respectively. Age >= 65 years, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score > 6,
      advanced clinical stage at first diagnosis, and recurrence-free interval < 1 year
      were significant independent prognostic risk factors for overall survival as per
      univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. After adjusting for age,
      sex, CCI scores, clinical stage at first diagnosis, and recurrence-free interval,
      adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for overall
      mortality in recurrent clinical stages I and II were 0.63 (0.45-0.89, p = 0.009),
      0.65 (0.52-0.83, p < 0.001), and 0.32 (0.26-0.40, p < 0.001) in Groups 2, 3, and
      4, respectively, whereas they were 1.23 (0.99-1.52, p = 0.062), 0.69 (0.60-0.79,
      p < 0.001), and 0.39 (0.34-0.44, p < 0.001) for Groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively,
      for overall mortality in recurrent clinical stage III and IV. CONCLUSIONS: Age,
      CCI score, clinical stage at first diagnosis, and recurrence-free interval are
      significant independent prognostic factors for overall survival of recurrent
      HNSCC patients. Regardless of recurrence stage or site, salvage surgery is the
      recommended first recurrent HNSCC treatment choice. Re-RT alone and CCRT are more
      suitable for inoperable recurrent early-stage oral and nonoral cavity recurrent
      HNSCCs, respectively.

PMID- 28903448
TI  - Positive expression of Y-box binding protein 1 and prognosis in non-small cell
      lung cancer: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) belongs to the cold shock domain
      protein family involved in transcription and translation. We conducted a meta
      analysis of the association between YB-1 expression and the survival and
      clinicopathological features in NSCLC. METHODS: PubMed and Embase were searched
      to identify studies that evaluated the YB-1 expression (by immunohistochemistry)
      and overall survival (OS) in NSCLC. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) of OS were pooled. Odds ratios (ORs) of clinicopathological
      features were computed. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software.
      RESULTS: Data on 692 NSCLC patients were collected from six eligible studies.
      Meta-analysis revealed that YB-1 was associated with worse OS (HR = 1.59, 95% CI
      [1.27, 2.00], P < 0.001, fixed effect), tumor stage (OR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.22
      0.82], P = 0.01, random effect), and depth of invasion (OR = 0.37, 95%CI [0.22
      0.63], P < 0.001, fixed effect). A subgroup was analyzed by IHC staining to
      determine the location of YB-1 positive expression. Poor OS was observed in
      nucleus staining (pooled HR = 1.86, 95% CI [1.41, 2.45], P < 0.001). However, no
      statistical significance was observed in combined cytoplasmic and nuclear
      staining (pooled HR = 1.14, 95% CI [0.76, 1.72], P = 0.536). CONCLUSIONS: Meta
      analysis indicated that YB-1 overexpression is correlated with worse OS and
      clinicopathological features in NSCLC. Subgroup analysis revealed that the
      nucleus expression of YB-1 may be more closely associated with NSCLC prognosis
      than cytoplasmic expression.

PMID- 28903449
TI  - Association between metformin and the risk of gastric cancer in patients with
      type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between
      metformin therapy and the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) in patients with type
      2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: We systemically searched the following
      databases for studies published between the databases' dates of inception and
      Nov. 2016: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, and the
      China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Hazard ratios (HR)and
      corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between
      metformin therapy and the incidence of GC in patients with T2DM were the outcome
      measures assessed in this study. STATA 12.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station,
      Texas, USA) was used to conduct the statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of
      seven cohort studies including 591,077 patients met all the criteria for
      inclusion in the analysis. Our data showed that metformin therapy was associated
      with a significantly lower incidence of GC in patients with T2DM than other types
      of therapy (HR=0.763, 95% CI: 0.642~0.905). Subgroup analysis showed that
      patients living in Taiwan benefitted more from metformin therapy than patients
      living in any other region, as metformin significantly decreased the risk of GC
      in patients living in Taiwan but did not significantly decrease the risk of GC in
      patients living in other regions (HR=0.514, 95% CI: 0.384-0.688). The results of
      the present analysis support the idea that metformin facilitates reductions in
      the risk of T2DM-related GC. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of GC among patients with T2DM
      is lower in patients receiving metformin therapy than in patients not receiving
      metformin therapy.

PMID- 28903450
TI  - Clinical and biological significance of circulating tumor cells, circulating
      tumor DNA, and exosomes as biomarkers in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been the fourth leading cause of cancer-related
      mortality worldwide. Owing to clonal evolution and selection, CRC treatment needs
      multimodal therapeutic approaches and due monitoring of tumor progression and
      therapeutic efficacy. Liquid biopsy, involving the use of circulating tumor cells
      (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and exosomes, may offer a promising
      noninvasive alternative for diagnosis and for real-time monitoring of tumor
      evolution and therapeutic response compared to traditional tissue biopsy.
      Monitoring of the disease processes can enable clinicians to readily adopt a
      strategy based on optimal therapeutic decision-making. This article provides an
      overview of the significant advances and the current clinical and biological
      significance of CTCs, ctDNA, and exosomes in CRC, as well as a comparison of the
      main merits and demerits of these three components. The hurdles that need to be
      resolved and potential directions to be followed with respect to liquid biopsies
      for detection and therapy of CRC are also discussed.

PMID- 28903451
TI  - The correlation of sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous
      abortion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Sperm morphology displays a potential impact on sperm function and may ultimately
      impact reproductive function. Current studies have investigated the correlation
      between sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA)
      but have shown inconsistent results. Hence, we systematically searched MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, CNKI databases, as well as the Cochrane Library for studies that examined
      the association between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA. Fifteen studies
      were identified, including 883 cases and 530 controls. Our meta-analysis results
      indicated that the percentage of normal sperm morphology from men with RSA
      partners was significantly lower than those from normal controls(SMD [95% CI]: -
      0.60 [-0.81, -0.40]; P<0.00001) and the percentage of sperm morphologic
      alterations was significantly higher in patients with RSA compared with the
      control group (SMD [95% CI]: 0.92 [0.42, 1.43]; P=0.0004). The present study
      suggested that the percentage of normal sperm morphology may indeed decrease in
      men from RSA group compared with controls. However, there were some limitations
      in the study such as the differences in stain techniques and classification
      criteria. Further evidences are needed to better elucidate the relationship
      between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA.

PMID- 28903452
TI  - Cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy improves
      survival for peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis of current evidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The therapeutic efficacy of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus
      hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for patients with peritoneal
      carcinomatosis (PC) from colorectal cancer (CRC) is still under debate. This meta
      analysis and systematic review of published literature on this comprehensive
      strategy aims to evaluate its efficacy on CRC patients with PC. METHODS: A
      systemic review with meta-analysis of published literatures on treatment of CRS
      plus HIPEC for patients with PC from CRC was performed. In addition, a summary of
      study results of published literatures concerning CRS plus HIPEC treating
      patients with PC from CRC was also conducted. RESULTS: A total of 76 studies were
      selected, including 1 randomized controlled trial, 14 non-randomized controlled
      studies, and 61 non-controlled studies. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for
      overall survival (OS) in the 15 researches for meta-analysis was 2.67 (95% CI,
      2.21-3.23, I2= 0%, P < 0.00001), and no significant evidence of publication bias
      was found. The difference of chemotherapy regimens of HIPEC was not associated
      with OS and DFS (disease-free survival) after CRS and HIPEC, with no significant
      difference of heterogeneity (P = 0.27, I2 = 24.1%). In both groups of mitomycin C
      based HIPEC group and oxaliplatin group, patients received HIPEC had significant
      better survival (P < 0.00001). The mean mortality and morbidity for HIPEC program
      were 2.8% and 33.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis revealed that
      comprehensive therapeutic strategy of CRS plus HIPEC could bring survival benefit
      for selected patients with PC from CRC with acceptable safety.

PMID- 28903454
TI  - Precision medicine for hepatocellular carcinoma: driver mutations and targeted
      therapy.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most frequent cause of tumor-related
      mortality and there are an estimated approximately 850,000 new cases annually.
      Most HCC patients are diagnosed at middle or advanced stage, losing the
      opportunity of surgery. The development of HCC is promoted by accumulated diverse
      genetic mutations, which confer selective growth advantages to tumor cells and
      are called "driver mutations". The discovery of driver mutations provides a novel
      precision medicine strategy for late stage HCC, called targeted therapy. In this
      review, we summarized currently discovered driver mutations and corresponding
      signaling pathways, made an overview of identification methods of driver
      mutations and genes, and classified targeted drugs for HCC. The knowledge of
      mutational landscape deepen our understanding of carcinogenesis and promise
      future precision medicine for HCC patients.

PMID- 28903455
TI  - Targeting EIF4F complex in non-small cell lung cancer cells.
AB  - Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85-90% of lung cancer
      cases, which represents the leading cause of cancer-related death in the world.
      The majority of lung cancer patients doesn't respond well to conventional chemo
      /radio-therapeutic regimens and have a poor prognosis. The recent introduction of
      targeted therapy and immunotherapy gives new hopes to NSCLC patients, but their
      outcome/prognosis is far from satisfactory. The translation initiation EIF4F
      complex has been shown to play important roles in cancer progression, but its
      functional role and therapeutic effect in lung cancers especially NSCLC remain
      largely unknown. In this current review, we summarize recent findings regarding
      the role of EIF4F complex in NSCLC progression and targeted therapy potentials.
      We also discuss the unanswered questions and future directions in this field.

PMID- 28903456
TI  - Tumor reductive therapies and antitumor immunity.
AB  - Tumor reductive therapy is to reduce tumor burden through direct killing of tumor
      cells. So far, there is no report on the connection between antitumor immunity
      and tumor reductive therapies. In the last few years, a new category of cancer
      treatment, immunotherapy, emerged and they are categorized separately from
      classic cytotoxic treatments (chemo and radiation therapy). The most prominent
      examples include cellular therapies (LAK and CAR-T) and immune checkpoint
      inhibitors (anti-PD-1 and CTLA-4). Recent advances in clinical immunotherapy and
      our understanding of the mechanism behind them revealed that these therapies have
      a closer relationship with classic cancer treatments than we thought. In many
      cases, the effectiveness of classic therapies is heavily influenced by the status
      of the underlying antitumor-immunity. On the other hand, immunotherapies have
      shown better outcome when combined with tumor reductive therapies, not only due
      to the combined effects of tumor killing by each therapy but also because of a
      synergy between the two. Many clinical observations can be explained once we
      start to look at these classic therapies from an immunity standpoint. We have
      seen their direct effect on tumor antigen in vivo that they impact antitumor
      immunity more than we have realized. In turn, antitumor immunity contributes to
      tumor control and destruction as well. This review will take the immunological
      view of the classic therapies and summarize historical as well as recent findings
      in animal and clinical studies to make the argument that most of the cancer
      treatments exert their ultimate efficacy through antitumor immunity.

PMID- 28903453
TI  - The p38 pathway, a major pleiotropic cascade that transduces stress and
      metastatic signals in endothelial cells.
AB  - By gating the traffic of molecules and cells across the vessel wall, endothelial
      cells play a central role in regulating cardiovascular functions and systemic
      homeostasis and in modulating pathophysiological processes such as inflammation
      and immunity. Accordingly, the loss of endothelial cell integrity is associated
      with pathological disorders that include atherosclerosis and cancer. The p38
      mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are major signaling pathways
      that regulate several functions of endothelial cells in response to exogenous and
      endogenous stimuli including growth factors, stress and cytokines. The p38 MAPK
      family contains four isoforms p38alpha, p38beta, p38gamma and p38delta that are
      encoded by four different genes. They are all widely expressed although to
      different levels in almost all human tissues. p38alpha/MAPK14, that is
      ubiquitously expressed is the prototype member of the family and is referred here
      as p38. It regulates the production of inflammatory mediators, and controls cell
      proliferation, differentiation, migration and survival. Its activation in
      endothelial cells leads to actin remodeling, angiogenesis, DNA damage response
      and thereby has major impact on cardiovascular homeostasis, and on cancer
      progression. In this manuscript, we review the biology of p38 in regulating
      endothelial functions especially in response to oxidative stress and during the
      metastatic process.

PMID- 28903459
TI  - Correction: A randomized, phase II study of gefitinib alone versus nimotuzumab
      plus gefitinib after platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung
      cancer (KCSG LU12-01).
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13056.].

PMID- 28903458
TI  - Epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant lung cancer in Down syndrome: a case
      presentation and review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Solid tumors have a markedly decreased incidence in individuals with
      Down syndrome (DS), including lung cancers. METHODS: The clinical presentation of
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      in DS was reported and literature on the subject reviewed. RESULTS: In
      individuals with DS, the risk of lung cancer appears markedly lower. EGFR
      mutation and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) resistance also exist in
      DS with lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should consider EGFR mutation and
      EGFR-TKIs resistance in lung cancer patients with DS.

PMID- 28903457
TI  - The lifecycle of the Ebola virus in host cells.
AB  - Ebola haemorrhagic fever causes deadly disease in humans and non-human primates
      resulting from infection with the Ebola virus (EBOV) genus of the family
      Filoviridae. However, the mechanisms of EBOV lifecycle in host cells, including
      viral entry, membrane fusion, RNP formation, GP-tetherin interaction, and VP40
      inner leaflet association remain poorly understood. This review describes the
      biological functions of EBOV proteins and their roles in the lifecycle,
      summarizes the factors related to EBOV proteins or RNA expression throughout the
      different phases, and reviews advances with regards to the molecular events and
      mechanisms of the EBOV lifecycle. Furthermore, the review outlines the aspects
      remain unclear that urgently need to be solved in future research.

PMID- 28903460
TI  - Correction: Increased expression of SKP2 is an independent predictor of
      locoregional recurrence in cervical cancer via promoting DNA-damage response
      after irradiation.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10057.].

PMID- 28903461
TI  - Comparative Genomics Reveals Two Major Bouts of Gene Retroposition Coinciding
      with Crucial Periods of Symbiodinium Evolution.
AB  - Gene retroposition is an important mechanism of genome evolution but the role it
      plays in dinoflagellates, a critical player in marine ecosystems, is not known.
      Until recently, when the genomes of two coral-symbiotic dinoflagellate genomes,
      Symbiodinium kawagutii and S. minutum, were released, it has not been possible to
      systematically study these retrogenes. Here we examine the abundant retrogenes
      (~23% of the total genes) in these species. The hallmark of retrogenes in the
      genome is the presence of DCCGTAGCCATTTTGGCTCAAG, a spliced leader (DinoSL)
      constitutively trans-spliced to the 5'-end of all nucleus-encoded mRNAs. Although
      the retrogenes have often lost part of the 22-nt DinoSL, the putative promoter
      motif from the DinoSL, TTT(T/G), is consistently retained in the upstream region
      of these genes, providing an explanation for the high survival rate of retrogenes
      in dinoflagellates. Our analysis of DinoSL sequence divergence revealed two major
      bursts of retroposition in the evolutionary history of Symbiodinium, occurring at
      ~60 and ~6 Ma. Reconstruction of the evolutionary trajectory of the Symbiodinium
      genomes mapped these 2 times to the origin and rapid radiation of this
      dinoflagellate lineage, respectively. GO analysis revealed differential
      functional enrichment of the retrogenes between the two episodes, with a broad
      impact on transport in the first bout and more localized influence on symbiosis
      related processes such as cell adhesion in the second bout. This study provides
      the first evidence of large-scale retroposition as a major mechanism of genome
      evolution for any organism and sheds light on evolution of coral symbiosis.

PMID- 28903463
TI  - Curriculum vitae writing and the academic job search.

PMID- 28903462
TI  - Distribution, Diversity, and Long-Term Retention of Grass Short Interspersed
      Nuclear Elements (SINEs).
AB  - Instances of highly conserved plant short interspersed nuclear element (SINE)
      families and their enrichment near genes have been well documented, but little is
      known about the general patterns of such conservation and enrichment and
      underlying mechanisms. Here, we perform a comprehensive investigation of the
      structure, distribution, and evolution of SINEs in the grass family by analyzing
      14 grass and 5 other flowering plant genomes using comparative genomics methods.
      We identify 61 SINE families composed of 29,572 copies, in which 46 families are
      first described. We find that comparing with other grass TEs, grass SINEs show
      much higher level of conservation in terms of genomic retention: The origin of at
      least 26% families can be traced to early grass diversification and these
      families are among most abundant SINE families in 86% species. We find that these
      families show much higher level of enrichment near protein coding genes than
      families of relatively recent origin (51%:28%), and that 40% of all grass SINEs
      are near gene and the percentage is higher than other types of grass TEs. The
      pattern of enrichment suggests that differential removal of SINE copies in gene
      poor regions plays an important role in shaping the genomic distribution of these
      elements. We also identify a sequence motif located at 3' SINE end which is
      shared in 17 families. In short, this study provides insights into structure and
      evolution of SINEs in the grass family.

PMID- 28903464
TI  - Characterization of the contaminant bacterial communities in sugarcane first
      generation industrial ethanol production.
AB  - The industrial ethanolic fermentation process is operated in distilleries, either
      in fed-batch or continuous mode. A consequence of the large industrial ethanol
      production is bacterial contamination in the fermentation tanks, which is
      responsible for significant economic losses. To investigate this community, we
      accessed the profile of bacterial contaminant from two distilleries in Brazil,
      each operating a different fermentation mode, throughout sugarcane harvest of
      2013-2014. Bacterial communities were accessed through Illumina culture
      independent 16S rDNA gene sequencing, and qPCR was used to quantify total
      bacteria abundance. Both ethanol production modes showed similar bacterial
      abundance, around 105 gene copies/mL. 16S rDNA sequencing showed that 92%-99% of
      the sequences affiliated to Lactobacillus genus. Operational taxonomic units
      differently represented belonged mainly to Lactobacillus, but also to Weissella,
      Pediococcus, Acetobacter and Anaeosporobacter, although in lower abundance. Alpha
      diversity only showed a correlation through the fermentation tanks in continuous
      mode, where it was always higher in the second and third tanks. Beta-diversity
      clearly separated the two distilleries and metagenome prediction reinforces
      clusterization within distilleries. Despite certain variations between bacterial
      community in the distilleries throughout harvest season, Lactobacillus were the
      main genera reported in both distilleries and bacterial community seemed to
      persist along time, suggesting bacterial reinfestation.

PMID- 28903465
TI  - Role of host cell integrins in the microsporidium Encephalitozoon intestinalis
      adherence and infection in vitro.
AB  - Microsporidia are obligate intracellular, spore-forming, fungal-related pathogens
      that employ a unique organelle, the polar tube, to transfer infectious spore
      contents into host cells to initiate infection. Spore adherence to host cells may
      provide the proximity required for polar tube/host cell interaction during in
      vivo infection. In previous in vitro studies, host sulfated glycosaminoglycans
      (GAGs) or recombinant microsporidia endospore protein (EnP1) was implicated in
      the pathogen adherence and infection process; however, complete ablation of spore
      adherence and infection could not be achieved, suggesting that additional or
      alternative spore and host cell determinants of adherence and infection may
      exist. Analysis of the Encephalitozoon intestinalis genome revealed about 100
      predicted proteins containing the canonical integrin-binding motif arginine
      glycine-aspartic acid (RGD); and, many pathogens have been shown to engage
      integrin molecules on cell surfaces. We hypothesized that host cell integrins
      play a role in microsporidia adherence and infection. In this study, we
      demonstrated that addition of exogenous integrin ligands or recombinant alpha 3
      beta 1 integrin or alpha 5 beta 1 integrin to assays of E. intestinalis adherence
      and infection significantly reduced spore adherence and infection of host cells,
      supporting our hypothesis and implicating these specific integrins as putative
      host cell receptors for E. intestinalis spores.

PMID- 28903466
TI  - Doxycycline enhances adsorption and inhibits early-stage replication of porcine
      reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in vitro.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has an important
      impact on the pig industry. Doxycycline (Dox) is a second-generation tetracycline
      widely used for treating bacterial infections. We evaluated the antiviral effect
      of Dox against PRRSV infection in Marc-145 cells that were susceptible to PRRSV
      infection. Dox significantly reduced the PRRSV-induced cytopathic effect and
      effectively restrained PRRSV replication in a dose-dependent manner. The 50%
      effective concentration of Dox was approximately 0.25 +/- 0.05 MUg/ml. We also
      determined the stage at which Dox influenced PRRSV replication, and showed that
      Dox enhanced PRRSV adsorption and inhibited the early stage of PRRSV replication
      after viral entry into host cells. These observations demonstrate that Dox is
      able to restrain PRRSV infection in cultured cells.

PMID- 28903468
TI  - A case for the protection of saline and hypersaline environments: a
      microbiological perspective.
AB  - Saline and hypersaline environments are known for their unique geochemical
      properties, microbial populations and aesthetic appeal. Microbial activities and
      a spectrum of diversity seen in hypersaline environments are distinct with many
      novel species being identified and reported on a regular basis. Many
      distinguishing characteristics about the adaptation, morphology, evolutionary
      history, and potential environmental and biotechnological applications of these
      organisms are continually investigated. An abundance of interdisciplinary
      activities and opportunities exist to explore and understand the importance of
      these environments that potentially hold promising solutions for current and
      future global issues. Therefore, it is critical to conserve these unique
      environments and limit the damage inflicted by anthropogenic influences.
      Increased salinization due to water diversions, undesired freshening, extensive
      mineral extraction, sewage effluents, pollution due to agricultural runoff and
      industrial processes, urbanization, and global climate change are factors
      negatively affecting hypersaline lakes and their surrounding environments. If
      these harmful effects continue to proceed at the current or even accelerated
      rates, irrevocable consequences for these environments will occur, resulting in
      the loss of potential opportunities to gain new knowledge of the biogeochemistry
      as well as beneficial microbial populations closely associated with these unique
      and interesting environments.

PMID- 28903467
TI  - Development and characterization of a synthetic DNA, NUversa, to be used as a
      standard in quantitative polymerase chain reactions for molecular pneumococcal
      serotyping.
AB  - Identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae and its more than 90 serotypes is
      routinely conducted by culture and Quellung reactions. Quantitative polymerase
      chain reactions (qPCRs) have been developed for molecular detection, including a
      pan-pneumococcus lytA assay, and assays targeting 79 serotypes. Reactions require
      genomic DNA from every target to prepare standards, which can be time consuming.
      In this study, we have developed a synthetic DNA molecule as a surrogate for
      genomic DNA and present new single-plex qPCR reactions to increase molecular
      detection to 94 pneumococcal serotypes. Specificity of these new reactions was
      confirmed with a limit of detection between 2 and 20 genome equivalents/reaction.
      A synthetic DNA (NUversa, ~8.2 kb) was then engineered to contain all available
      qPCR targets for serotyping and lytA. NUversa was cloned into pUC57-Amp-modified
      to generate pNUversa (~10.2 kb). Standards prepared from pNUversa and NUversa
      were compared against standards made out of genomic DNA. Linearity [NUversa (R2 >
      0.982); pNUversa (R2 > 0.991)] and efficiency of qPCR reactions were similar to
      those utilizing chromosomal DNA (R2 > 0.981). Quantification with plasmid
      pNUversa was affected, however, whereas quantification with synthetic NUversa was
      comparable to that of genomic DNA. Therefore, NUversa may be utilized as DNA
      standard in single-plex assays of the currently known 94 pneumococcal serotypes.

PMID- 28903469
TI  - Signatures in the gut microbiota of Japanese infants who developed food allergies
      in early childhood.
AB  - Bacterial colonization in infancy is considered crucial for the development of
      the immune system. Recently, there has been a drastic increase in childhood
      allergies in Japan. Therefore, we conducted a prospective study with 56 infants
      on the relationship between gut microbiota in the first year of life and the
      development of allergies during the first 3 years. In the lactation period,
      organic acid producers such as Leuconostoc, Weissella and Veillonella tended to
      be underrepresented in subjects who developed food allergies (FA, n = 14) within
      the first two years. In the weaning period, children in the FA group were highly
      colonized by unclassified Enterobacteriaceae and two Clostridium species closely
      related to Clostridium paraputrificum and C. tertium, and the whole tree
      phylogenetic diversity index was significantly lower in the FA group. All of
      these differences in the weaning period were statistically significant, even
      after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A higher abundance of
      unclassified Enterobacteriaceae was also found in the other allergic group (n =
      15), whereas the two Clostridium species were highly specific to the FA group.
      The mode of action of these Clostridium species in childhood food allergies
      remains unknown, warranting further investigation.

PMID- 28903470
TI  - A Decade of Information on the Use of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices and
      Interventional Electrophysiological Procedures in the European Society of
      Cardiology Countries: 2017 Report from the European Heart Rhythm Association.
AB  - Aims: The aim of this analysis was to provide comprehensive information on
      invasive cardiac arrhythmia therapies in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
      area over the past 10 years. Methods and results: The European Heart Rhythm
      Association (EHRA) has collected data on invasive arrhythmia therapies since
      2008. This year 53 of the 56 ESC member countries provided data for the EHRA
      White Book. Here we present updated data on procedure rates together with
      information on demographics, economy, vital statistics, local healthcare systems
      and training activities. Considerable heterogeneity in the access to invasive
      arrhythmia therapies still exists across the five geographical ESC regions. In
      2016, the device implantation rates per million population were 3-6 times higher
      in the Western region than in the non-European and Eastern ESC member countries.
      Catheter ablation activity was highest in the Western countries followed by the
      Northern and Southern areas. In the non-European countries, atrial fibrillation
      ablation rate was more than tenfold lower than in the European countries. On the
      other hand, the growth rate over the past ten years was highest in the non
      European and Eastern countries. In some Eastern European countries with relative
      low gross domestic product the procedure rates exceeded the average values.
      Conclusion: It was encouraging to note that during the past decade the growth in
      invasive arrhythmia therapies was greatest in the areas historically with
      relatively low activity. Nevertheless, there is substantial disparity and
      continued efforts are needed to improve harmonization of cardiac arrhythmia
      therapies in the ESC area.

PMID- 28903471
TI  - The role of TGF-beta in the pathophysiology of peritoneal endometriosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is estimated to affect 6-10% of women of reproductive
      age and it is associated with chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea and
      subfertility. It is currently managed surgically or medically but symptoms recur
      in up to 75% of cases and available medical treatments have undesirable side
      effects. Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside
      the uterus with lesions typically found on the peritoneum. The aetiology of
      endometriosis is uncertain but there is increasing evidence that transforming
      growth factor (TGF)-beta plays a major role. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: A
      descriptive review was undertaken of the published literature on the expression
      pattern of TGF-beta ligands and signalling molecules in women with and without
      endometriosis, and on the potential roles of TGF-beta signalling in the
      development and progression of peritoneal endometriosis. The current
      understanding of the TGF-beta signalling pathway is summarized. SEARCH METHODS:
      We searched the Pubmed database using the terms 'transforming growth factor beta'
      and 'endometriosis' for studies published between 1995 and 2016. The initial
      search identified 99 studies and these were used as the basic material for this
      review. We also extended our remit for important older publications. In addition,
      we searched the reference lists of studies used in this review for additional
      studies we judged as relevant. Studies which were included in the review focused
      on peritoneal endometriosis only as increasing evidence suggests that ovarian and
      deep endometriosis may have a differing pathophysiology. Thus, a final 95 studies
      were included in the review. OUTCOMES: TGF-beta1 is reported to be increased in
      the peritoneal fluid, serum, ectopic endometrium and peritoneum of women with
      endometriosis compared to women without endometriosis, and TGF-beta1-null mice
      have reduced endometriosis lesion growth when compared to their wild-type
      controls. Studies in mice and women have indicated that increasing levels of TGF
      beta ligands are associated with decreased immune cell activity within the
      peritoneum, together with an increase in ectopic endometrial cell survival,
      attachment, invasion and proliferation, during endometriosis lesion development.
      TGF-beta1 has been associated with changes in ectopic endometrial and peritoneal
      cell metabolism and the initiation of neoangiogenesis, further fuelling
      endometriosis lesion development. WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Together these studies
      suggest that TGF-beta1 plays a major role in the development of peritoneal
      endometriosis lesions and that targeting this pathway may be of therapeutic
      potential.

PMID- 28903472
TI  - GnRH antagonist versus long agonist protocols in IVF: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis accounting for patient type.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most reviews of IVF ovarian stimulation protocols have insufficiently
      accounted for various patient populations, such as ovulatory women, women with
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or women with poor ovarian response, and have
      included studies in which the agonist or antagonist was not the only variable
      between the compared study arms. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: The aim of the current
      study was to compare GnRH antagonist protocols versus standard long agonist
      protocols in couples undergoing IVF or ICSI, while accounting for various patient
      populations and treatment schedules. SEARCH METHODS: The Cochrane Menstrual
      Disorders and Subfertility Review Group specialized register of controlled trials
      and Pubmed and Embase databases were searched from inception until June 2016.
      Eligible trials were those that compared GnRH antagonist protocols and standard
      long GnRH agonist protocols in couples undergoing IVF or ICSI. The primary
      outcome was ongoing pregnancy rate. Secondary outcomes were: live birth rate,
      clinical pregnancy rate, number of oocytes retrieved and safety with regard to
      ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Separate comparisons were performed for
      the general IVF population, women with PCOS and women with poor ovarian response.
      Pre-planned subgroup analyses were performed for various antagonist treatment
      schedules. OUTCOMES: We included 50 studies. Of these, 34 studies reported on
      general IVF patients, 10 studies reported on PCOS patients and 6 studies reported
      on poor responders. In general IVF patients, ongoing pregnancy rate was
      significantly lower in the antagonist group compared with the agonist group (RR
      0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.96). In women with PCOS and in women with poor ovarian
      response, there was no evidence of a difference in ongoing pregnancy between the
      antagonist and agonist groups (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.84-1.11 and RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.65
      1.17, respectively). Subgroup analyses for various antagonist treatment schedules
      compared to the long protocol GnRH agonist showed a significantly lower ongoing
      pregnancy rate when the oral hormonal programming pill (OHP) pretreatment was
      combined with a flexible protocol (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59-0.91) while without OHP,
      the RR was 0.84, 95% CI 0.71-1.0. Subgroup analysis for the fixed antagonist
      schedule demonstrated no evidence of a significant difference with or without OHP
      (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.79-1.12 and RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.83-1.05, respectively).
      Antagonists resulted in significantly lower OHSS rates both in the general IVF
      patients and in women with PCOS (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.50-0.81 and RR 0.53, 95% CI
      0.30-0.95, respectively). No data on OHSS was available from trials in poor
      responders. WIDER IMPLICATIONS: In a general IVF population, GnRH antagonists are
      associated with lower ongoing pregnancy rates when compared to long protocol
      agonists, but also with lower OHSS rates. Within this population, antagonist
      treatment prevents one case of OHSS in 40 patients but results in one less
      ongoing pregnancy out of every 28 women treated. Thus standard use of the long
      GnRH agonist treatment is perhaps still the approach of choice for prevention of
      premature luteinization. In couples with PCOS and poor responders, GnRH
      antagonists do not seem to compromise ongoing pregnancy rates and are associated
      with less OHSS and therefore could be considered as standard treatment.

PMID- 28903473
TI  - Baseline anatomical assessment of the uterus and ovaries in infertile women: a
      systematic review of the evidence on which assessment methods are the safest and
      most effective in terms of improving fertility outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This review focuses on the initial presentation of women who suspect
      that they are infertile, and how best to assess the anatomy of their uterus and
      ovaries in order to investigate the cause of their infertility, and potentially
      improve desired fertility outcomes. This review was undertaken as part of a World
      Health Organization initiative to assess the evidence available to address
      guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility within a global context.
      Providing access to care for infertile women will help to ease the psycho-social
      burdens, such as ostracization, intimate partner violence and other negative
      consequences of being involuntarily childless or unable to become pregnant
      despite desiring a biological child or children. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: The aim
      of this paper was to present an evidence base for the diagnostic and prognostic
      value of various investigations used for detecting uterine and/or ovarian
      pathology in women presenting at fertility clinics for their initial assessment.
      SEARCH METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search of relevant studies on 28
      August and 10 September 2014. A further search was performed on 6 June 2016 to
      ensure all possible studies were captured. These strategies were not limited by
      date or language. The search returned 3968 publications in total; 63 full text
      articles were retrieved and 10 additional studies were found through hand
      searching. After excluding 54, a total of 19 studies were analysed. We extracted
      and tabulated data on the characteristics, quality and results of each eligible
      study and combined the findings in a narrative synthesis. Risk of bias was
      assessed according to article type using tools such as assessment of the
      methodological quality of systematic reviews, Newcastle Ottawa Scale, Cochrane
      risk of bias tool, quality assessment tool for diagnostic accuracy studies and
      quality in prognostic studies. Nineteen studies were selected as being the best
      evidence available. A narrative synthesis of the data was undertaken. Discussion
      of the data, and resultant consensus for best practice were accomplished in a
      consensus expert consultation in Geneva, October 2015. An independent expert
      review process concerning this work and outcomes was conducted during 2016.
      OUTCOMES: The draft recommendations presented here apply to infertile women
      whether or not they are undergoing fertility treatment. Transvaginal ultrasound
      (TVUS) should be offered to all infertile women with symptoms or signs of
      anatomic pelvic pathology. TVUS should not be offered routinely to women without
      symptoms of pelvic pathology. Hysteroscopy should be offered if intrauterine
      pathology is suspected by TVUS. Hysteroscopy should not be routinely offered to
      infertile women who have normal TVUS findings. In women who have normal TVUS
      findings and are undergoing IVF, hysteroscopy does not improve the outcome. Good
      practice points recommend that providers of fertility care should confirm that
      all infertile women have a recent pelvic examination, recent cervical screening
      and well-woman screening in line with local guidelines. Additionally, hystero
      contrast salpingography in infertile women does not improve clinical pregnancy
      rates with expectant management in heterosexual couples and should not be offered
      as a therapeutic procedure. Most of the findings of this review on diagnosis are
      based on a low, or very low, quality of evidence, according to GRADE Working
      Group (grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation)
      criteria. A low quality grading indicates that further research is very likely to
      have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is
      likely to change the estimate, while a very low grade indicates that any estimate
      of effect is very uncertain. WIDER IMPLICATIONS: This review provides the most
      reliable evidence available to guide clinicians worldwide in the initial,
      evidence-based investigation of women with fertility problems in order to
      undertake the most useful investigation and avoid the burden of unnecessary
      tests.

PMID- 28903475
TI  - Non-Newtonian pulsatile shear stress assessment: a method to differentiate
      bioresorbable scaffold platforms.

PMID- 28903474
TI  - Nitric oxide-heat shock protein axis in menopausal hot flushes: neglected
      metabolic issues of chronic inflammatory diseases associated with deranged heat
      shock response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although some unequivocal underlying mechanisms of menopausal hot
      flushes have been demonstrated in animal models, the paucity of similar
      approaches in humans impedes further mechanistic outcomes. Human studies might
      show some as yet unexpected physiological mechanisms of metabolic adaptation that
      permeate the phase of decreased oestrogen levels in both symptomatic and
      asymptomatic women. This is particularly relevant because both the severity and
      time span of hot flushes are associated with increased risk of chronic
      inflammatory disease. On the other hand, oestrogen induces the expression of heat
      shock proteins of the 70 kDa family (HSP70), which are anti-inflammatory and
      cytoprotective protein chaperones, whose expression is modulated by different
      types of physiologically stressful situations, including heat stress and
      exercise. Therefore, lower HSP70 expression secondary to oestrogen deficiency
      increases cardiovascular risk and predisposes the patient to senescence
      associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that culminates in chronic inflammatory
      diseases, such as obesities, type 2 diabetes, neuromuscular and neurodegenerative
      diseases. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: This review focuses on HSP70 and its
      accompanying heat shock response (HSR), which is an anti-inflammatory and
      antisenescent pathway whose intracellular triggering is also oestrogen-dependent
      via nitric oxide (NO) production. The main goal of the manuscript was to show
      that the vasomotor symptoms that accompany hot flushes may be a disguised clue
      for important neuroendocrine alterations linking oestrogen deficiency to the anti
      inflammatory HSR. SEARCH METHODS: Results from our own group and recent evidence
      on hypothalamic control of central temperature guided a search on PubMed and
      Google Scholar websites. OUTCOMES: Oestrogen elicits rapid production of the
      vasodilatory gas NO, a powerful activator of HSP70 expression. Whence, part of
      the protective effects of oestrogen over cardiovascular and neuroendocrine
      systems is tied to its capacity of inducing the NO-elicited HSR. The hypothalamic
      areas involved in thermoregulation (infundibular nucleus in humans and arcuate
      nucleus in other mammals) and whose neurons are known to have their function
      altered after long-term oestrogen ablation, particularly kisspeptin-neurokinin B
      dynorphin neurons, (KNDy) are the same that drive neuroprotective expression of
      HSP70 and, in many cases, this response is via NO even in the absence of
      oestrogen. From thence, it is not illogical that hot flushes might be related to
      an evolutionary adaptation to re-equip the NO-HSP70 axis during the downfall of
      circulating oestrogen. WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Understanding of HSR could shed light
      on yet uncovered mechanisms of menopause-associated diseases as well as on
      possible manipulation of HSR in menopausal women through physiological,
      pharmacological, nutraceutical and prebiotic interventions. Moreover, decreased
      HSR indices (that can be clinically determined with ease) in perimenopause could
      be of prognostic value in predicting the moment and appropriateness of starting a
      HRT.

PMID- 28903477
TI  - Chronic refractory angina pectoris: recent progress and remaining challenges.

PMID- 28903478
TI  - Thomas F. Luscher moves to London.

PMID- 28903476
TI  - Adenoviral intramyocardial VEGF-DDeltaNDeltaC gene transfer increases myocardial
      perfusion reserve in refractory angina patients: a phase I/IIa study with 1-year
      follow-up.
AB  - Aims: We evaluated for the first time the effects of angiogenic and
      lymphangiogenic AdVEGF-DDeltaNDeltaC gene therapy in patients with refractory
      angina. Methods and results: Thirty patients were randomized to AdVEGF
      DDeltaNDeltaC (AdVEGF-D) or placebo (control) groups. Electromechanical NOGA
      mapping and radiowater PET were used to identify hibernating viable myocardium
      where treatment was targeted. Safety, severity of symptoms, quality of life,
      lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and routine clinical chemistry were measured. Myocardial
      perfusion reserve (MPR) was assessed with radiowater PET at baseline and after 3-
      and 12-months follow-up. Treatment was well tolerated. Myocardial perfusion
      reserve increased significantly in the treated area in the AdVEGF-D group
      compared with baseline (1.00 +/- 0.36) at 3 months (1.31 +/- 0.46, P = 0.045) and
      12 months (1.44 +/- 0.48, P = 0.009) whereas MPR in the reference area tended to
      decrease (2.05 +/- 0.69, 1.76 +/- 0.62, and 1.87 +/- 0.69; baseline, 3 and 12
      months, respectively, P = 0.551). Myocardial perfusion reserve in the control
      group showed no significant change from baseline to 3 and 12 months (1.26 +/-
      0.37, 1.57 +/- 0.55, and 1.48 +/- 0.48; respectively, P = 0.690). No major
      changes were found in clinical chemistry but anti-adenovirus antibodies increased
      in 54% of the treated patients compared with baseline. AdVEGF-D patients in the
      highest Lp(a) tertile at baseline showed the best response to therapy (MPR 0.94
      +/- 0.32 and 1.76 +/- 0.41 baseline and 12 months, respectively, P = 0.023).
      Conclusion: AdVEGF-DDeltaNDeltaC gene therapy was safe, feasible, and well
      tolerated. Myocardial perfusion increased at 1 year in the treated areas with
      impaired MPR at baseline. Plasma Lp(a) may be a potential biomarker to identify
      patients that may have the greatest benefit with this therapy.

PMID- 28903479
TI  - Record high EHJ Impact Factor 2016.

PMID- 28903480
TI  - Royal Brompton Hospital, London.

PMID- 28903482
TI  - Record EHJ Impact Factor 20.213 in 2016.

PMID- 28903481
TI  - What Academic Research Captured the Public's Imagination in 2016?

PMID- 28903483
TI  - Frontiers in the management of coronary artery disease: bioabsorable scaffolds,
      regenerative medicine, and gene therapy.

PMID- 28903484
TI  - Novel Role of FBXW7 Circular RNA in Repressing Glioma Tumorigenesis.
AB  - Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are RNA transcripts that are widespread in
      the eukaryotic genome. Recent evidence indicates that circRNAs play important
      roles in tissue development, gene regulation, and carcinogenesis. However,
      whether circRNAs encode functional proteins remains elusive, although translation
      of several circRNAs was recently reported. Methods: CircRNA deep sequencing was
      performed by using 10 pathologically diagnosed glioblastoma samples and their
      paired adjacent normal brain tissues. Northern blotting, Sanger sequencing,
      antibody, and liquid chromatograph Tandem Mass Spectrometer were used to confirm
      the existence of circ-FBXW7 and its encoded protein in in two cell lines.
      Lentivirus-transfected stable U251 and U373 cells were used to assess the
      biological functions of the novel protein invitro and invivo (five mice per
      group). Clinical implications of circ-FBXW7 were assessed in 38 pathologically
      diagnosed glioblastoma samples and their paired periphery normal brain tissues by
      using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (two-sided log-rank test). Results:
      Circ-FBXW7 is abundantly expressed in the normal human brain (reads per kilobase
      per million mapped reads [RPKM] = 9.31). The spanning junction open reading frame
      in circ-FBXW7 driven by internal ribosome entry site encodes a novel 21-kDa
      protein, which we termed FBXW7-185aa. Upregulation of FBXW7-185aa in cancer cells
      inhibited proliferation and cell cycle acceleration, while knockdown of FBXW7
      185aa promoted malignant phenotypes invitro and invivo. FBXW7-185aa reduced the
      half-life of c-Myc by antagonizing USP28-induced c-Myc stabilization. Moreover,
      circ-FBXW7 and FBXW7-185aa levels were reduced in glioblastoma clinical samples
      compared with their paired tumor-adjacent tissues (P < .001). Circ-FBXW7
      expression positively associated with glioblastoma patient overall survival (P =
      .03). Conclusions: Endogenous circRNA encodes a functional protein in human
      cells, and circ-FBXW7 and FBXW7-185aa have potential prognostic implications in
      brain cancer.

PMID- 28903485
TI  - Editor's Highlight: Mechanistic Toxicity Tests Based on an Adverse Outcome
      Pathway Network for Hepatic Steatosis.
AB  - Risk assessors use liver endpoints in rodent toxicology studies to assess the
      safety of chemical exposures. Yet, rodent endpoints may not accurately reflect
      human responses. For this reason and others, human-based invitro models are being
      developed and anchored to adverse outcome pathways to better predict adverse
      human health outcomes. Here, a networked adverse outcome pathway-guided selection
      of biology-based assays for lipid uptake, lipid efflux, fatty acid oxidation, and
      lipid accumulation were developed. These assays were evaluated in a metabolically
      competent human hepatocyte cell model (HepaRG) exposed to compounds known to
      cause steatosis (amiodarone, cyclosporine A, and T0901317) or activate lipid
      metabolism pathways (troglitazone, Wyeth-14,643, and 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol).
      All of the chemicals activated at least one assay, however, only T0901317 and
      cyclosporin A dose-dependently increased lipid accumulation. T0901317 and
      cyclosporin A increased fatty acid uptake, decreased lipid efflux (inferred from
      apolipoprotein B100 levels), and increased fatty acid synthase protein levels.
      Using this biologically-based evaluation of key events regulating hepatic lipid
      levels, we demonstrated dysregulation of compensatory pathways that normally
      balance hepatic lipid levels. This approach may provide biological plausibility
      and data needed to increase confidence in linking invitro-based measurements to
      chemical effects on adverse human health outcomes.

PMID- 28903487
TI  - From the Cover: Arsenic Induces Hippocampal Neuronal Apoptosis and Cognitive
      Impairments via an Up-Regulated BMP2/Smad-Dependent Reduced BDNF/TrkB Signaling
      in Rats.
AB  - Arsenic promotes hippocampal neuronal damage inducing cognitive impairments.
      However, mechanism arbitrating arsenic-mediated cognitive deficits remains less
      known. Here, we identified that chronic exposure to environmentally relevant
      doses of arsenic increased apoptosis, characterized by caspase-3 activation,
      poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase
      dUTP nick-end labeling of rat hippocampal neurons, marked by NeuN. Investigating
      apoptotic mechanism through invivo and invitro studies revealed that arsenic
      promoted bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) expression, supported by increased
      BMP-receptor2 (BMPR2) and p-Smad1/5 in hippocampal neurons. BMP2-silencing and
      treatment with BMP antagonist, noggin, attenuated the arsenic-induced apoptosis
      and loss in hippocampal neurons. We then investigated whether BMP2/Smad signaling
      stimulated neuronal apoptosis independently or required other intermediate
      pathways. We hypothesized participation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF) that promotes neuronal survival. We identified an arsenic-mediated
      attenuation of BDNF-dependent TrkB signaling, and observed that co-treatment with
      recombinant-BDNF reinstated BDNF/TrkB and reduced neuronal apoptosis. To probe
      whether BMP2/Smad and BDNF/TrkB pathways could be linked, we co-treated arsenic
      with noggin or recombinant BDNF. We detected a noggin-mediated restored
      BDNF/TrkB, while recombinant-BDNF failed to affect BMP2/Smad signaling. In
      addition, we found that TrkB-inhibitor, K252a, nullified noggin-induced
      protection, proving the necessity of a downstream reduced BDNF/TrKB signaling for
      BMP2/Smad-mediated apoptosis in arsenic-treated neurons. We further related our
      observations with cognitive performances, and detected noggin-mediated
      restoration of transfer latency time and learning-memory ability for passive
      avoidance and Y-Maze tests respectively in arsenic-treated rats. Overall, our
      study proves that arsenic promotes hippocampal neuronal apoptosis through an up
      regulated BMP2/Smad-dependent attenuation of BDNF/TrkB pathway, inducing
      cognitive deficits.

PMID- 28903486
TI  - Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is a Susceptibility Factor for Perchloroethylene
      Induced Liver Effects in Mice.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent pathological liver
      condition in developed countries. NAFLD results in severe alterations in liver
      function, including xenobiotic metabolism. Perchloroethylene (PERC) is a
      ubiquitous environmental pollutant, a known hepatotoxicant in rodents, and a
      probable human carcinogen. It is known that PERC disposition and metabolism are
      affected by NAFLD in mice; here, we examined how NAFLD changes PERC-associated
      liver effects. Male C57Bl6/J mice were fed a low-fat diet (LFD), high-fat diet
      (HFD), or methionine/folate/choline-deficient diet (MCD) to model a healthy
      liver, or mild and severe forms of NAFLD, respectively. After 8 weeks on diets,
      mice were orally administered PERC (300 mg/kg/day) or vehicle (5% aqueous
      Alkamuls-EL620) for 5 days. PERC-induced liver effects were exacerbated in both
      NAFLD groups. PERC exposure was associated with up-regulation of genes involved
      in xenobiotic, lipid, and glutathione metabolism, and down-regulation of the
      complement and coagulation cascades, regardless of the diet. Interestingly, HFD
      fed mice, not MCD-fed mice, were generally more sensitive to PERC-induced liver
      effects. This was indicated by histopathology and transcriptional responses,
      where induction of genes associated with cell cycle and inflammation were
      prominent. Liver effects positively correlated with diet-specific differences in
      liver concentrations of PERC. We conclude that NAFLD alters the toxicodynamics of
      PERC and that NAFLD is a susceptibility factor that should be considered in
      future risk management decisions for PERC and other chlorinated solvents.

PMID- 28903488
TI  - An Analysis of the Relationship Between Preclinical and Clinical QT Interval
      Related Data.
AB  - There has been significant focus on drug-induced QT interval prolongation caused
      by block of the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG)-encoded potassium
      channel. Regulatory guidance has been implemented to assess QT interval
      prolongation risk: preclinical guidance requires a candidate drug's potency as a
      hERG channel blocker to be defined and also its effect on QT interval in a non
      rodent species; clinical guidance requires a "Thorough QT Study" during
      development, although some QT prolonging compounds are identified earlier via a
      Phase I study. Clinical, heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) data on 24
      compounds (13 positives; 11 negatives) were compared with their effect on dog QTc
      and the concentration of compound causing 50% inhibition (IC50) of hERG current.
      Concordance was assessed by calculating sensitivity and specificity across a
      range of decision thresholds, thus yielding receiver operating characteristic
      curves of sensitivity versus (1-specificity). The area under the curve of ROC
      curves (for which 0.5 and 1 indicate chance and perfect concordance,
      respectively) was used to summarize concordance. Three aspects of preclinical
      data were compared with the clinical outcome (receiver operating characteristic
      area under the curve values shown in brackets): absolute hERG IC50 (0.78); safety
      margin between hERG IC50 and clinical peak free plasma exposure (0.80); safety
      margin between QTc effects in dogs and clinical peak free plasma exposure (0.81).
      Positive and negative predictive values of absolute hERG IC50 indicated that from
      an early drug discovery perspective, low potency compounds can be progressed on
      the basis of a low risk of causing a QTc increase.

PMID- 28903489
TI  - From the Cover: Exposure to an Environmentally Relevant Mixture of Brominated
      Flame Retardants Decreased p-beta-Cateninser675 Expression and Its Interaction
      With E-Cadherin in the Mammary Glands of Lactating Rats.
AB  - Proper mammary gland development and function require precise hormonal regulation
      and bidirectional cross talk between cells provided by means of paracrine factors
      as well as intercellular junctions; exposure to environmental endocrine
      disruptors can disturb these processes. Exposure to one such family of chemicals,
      the brominated flame retardants (BFRs), is ubiquitous. Here, we tested the
      hypothesis that BFR exposures disrupt signaling pathways and intercellular
      junctions that control mammary gland development. Before mating, during pregnancy
      and throughout lactation, female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing
      that BFR mixture based on house dust, delivering nominal exposures of BFR of 0
      (control), 0.06, 20, or 60 mg/kg/d. Dams were euthanized and mammary glands
      collected on postnatal day 21. BFR exposure had no significant effects on mammary
      gland/body weight ratios or the levels of proteins involved in milk synthesis,
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell-cell interactions, or hormone signalling.
      However, BFR exposure (0.06 mg/kg/d) down-regulated phospho-ser675 beta-catenin
      (p-beta-catSer675) levels in the absence of any effect on total beta-catenin
      levels. Levels of p-CREB were also down-regulated, suggesting that PKA inhibition
      plays a role. p-beta-catSer675 co-localized with beta-catenin at the mammary
      epithelial cell membrane, and its expression was decreased in animals from the
      0.06 and 20 mg/kg/d BFR treatment groups. Although beta-Catenin signaling was not
      affected by BFR exposure, the interaction between p-beta-catSer675 and E-cadherin
      was significantly reduced. Together, our results demonstrate that exposure to an
      environmentally relevant mixture of BFR during pregnancy and lactation decreases
      p-beta-catser675 at cell adhesion sites, likely in a PKA-dependant manner,
      altering mammary gland signaling.

PMID- 28903490
TI  - Estimating Methylmercury Intake for the General Population of South Korea Using
      Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling.
AB  - The Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS 2009-2011) tracks levels
      of environmental pollutants in biological samples from the adult Korean
      population (age 19-88). Recent survey results for blood mercury (Hg) suggest some
      exceedance above existing blood Hg reference levels. Because total blood Hg
      represents both organic and inorganic forms, and methylmercury (MeHg) has been
      specifically linked to several adverse health outcomes, a need exists to quantify
      MeHg intake for this population. Gender, age, and frequency of fish consumption
      were first identified as important predictors of KoNEHS blood Hg levels using
      generalized linear models. Stratified distributions of total blood Hg were then
      used to estimate distributions of blood MeHg using fractions of MeHg to total Hg
      from the literature. Next, a published physiologically based pharmacokinetic
      (PBPK) model was used to predict distributions of blood MeHg as a function of
      MeHg intake; ratios of MeHg intake to model-predicted blood MeHg were then
      combined with KoNEHS-based blood MeHg values to produce MeHg intake estimates.
      These intake estimates were ultimately compared with the Reference Dose (RfD) for
      MeHg (0.1 ug/kg/day) and reported as margin of exposure (MOE) estimates for
      specific KoNEHS subgroups. The derived MOEs across all subgroups, based on
      estimated geometric mean intake, ranged from 1.6 to 4.1. These results suggest
      MeHg exposures approaching the RfD for several subgroups of the Korean
      population, and not just for specific subgroups (eg, those who eat fish very
      frequently).

PMID- 28903491
TI  - Use of Rat Primary Mesenteric Cells for the Prediction of PDE4 Inhibitor Drug
      Induced Vascular Injury.
AB  - Drug-induced vascular injury (DIVI) in preclinical studies can delay, if not
      terminate, a drug development program. Clinical detection of DIVI can be very
      difficult as there are no definitive biomarkers known to reliably detect this
      disorder in all instances. The preclinical identification of DIVI requires
      detailed microscopic examination of a wide range of tissues although one of the
      most commonly affected areas in rats is the mesenteric vasculature. The reason
      for this predisposition of mesenteric arteries in rats as well as the exact
      mechanism and cell types involved in the initial development of these lesions
      have not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that by using a mixed culture of
      cells from rat mesenteric tissue, we would be able to identify an RNA expression
      signature that could predict the invivo development of DIVI. Five compounds
      designed to inhibit Phosphodiesterase 4 activity (PDE4i) were chosen as positive
      controls. PDE4i's are well known to induce DIVI in the mesenteric vasculature of
      rats and there is microscopic evidence that this is associated, at least in part,
      with a proinflammatory mechanism. We surveyed, by qRT-PCR, the expression of 96
      genes known to be involved in inflammation and using a Random-Forest model,
      identified 12 genes predictive of invivo DIVI outcomes in rats. Using these
      genes, we were able to cross-validate the ability of the Random-Forest modeling
      to predict the concentration at which PDE4i caused DIVI invivo.

PMID- 28903493
TI  - Editor's Highlight: Formulation and Toxicology Evaluation of the Intrathecal AYX1
      DNA-Decoy in Sprague Dawley Rats.
AB  - The longevity of pain after surgery is debilitating and limits the recovery of
      patients. AYX1 is a double-stranded, unprotected, 23 base-pair oligonucleotide
      designed to reduce acute post-surgical pain and prevent its chronification with a
      single intrathecal perioperative dose. AYX1 mimics the DNA sequence normally
      bound by EGR1 on chromosomes, a transcription factor transiently induced in the
      dorsal root ganglia-spinal cord network following a noxious input. AYX1 binds to
      EGR1 and prevents it from launching waves of gene regulation that are necessary
      to maintain pain over time. A formulation suitable for an intrathecal injection
      of AYX1 was developed, including a specific ratio of AYX1 and calcium so the
      ionic homeostasis of the cerebrospinal fluid is maintained and no impact on
      neuromuscular control is produced upon injection. A GLP toxicology study in naive
      Sprague Dawley rats was conducted using 3 dose levels up to the maximum feasible
      dose. Clinical observations, neurobehavioral observations, clinical pathology and
      histopathology of the nervous system and peripheral tissues were conducted. An
      additional nonGLP study was conducted in the spared nerve injury model of chronic
      neuropathic pain in which EGR1 is induced in the dorsal root ganglia and spinal
      cord. Similar testing was performed, including a modified Irwin test to assess a
      potential impact of AYX1 on autonomic nervous system responses, locomotion,
      activity, arousal, sensorimotor, and neuromuscular function. No AYX1-related
      adverse events were observed in any of the studies and the no-observed-adverse
      effect-level was judged to be the maximum feasible dose.

PMID- 28903492
TI  - Editor's Highlight: Nlrp3 Is Required for Inflammatory Changes and Nigral Cell
      Loss Resulting From Chronic Intragastric Rotenone Exposure in Mice.
AB  - Complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors are widely
      believed to underlie the incidence and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD).
      Rotenone is a naturally occurring metabolic toxin employed as an insecticide and
      piscicide identified as a risk factor for the development of PD in agricultural
      workers. The Nlrp3 inflammasome is an intracellular mediator that can initiate an
      inflammatory cascade in response to cellular stress. Reports by others indicating
      that NLRP3 expression was detectable in tissues obtained from Alzheimer's disease
      patients and that the PD-associated protein alpha-synuclein could activate
      inflammasomes in cultured glial cells, prompted us to test the prediction that
      Nlrp3 was required for the development of Parkinson's-like changes resulting from
      rotenone exposure in mice. We exposed wild type and Nlrp3-/- mice to chronic low
      doses of intragastric rotenone and conducted longitudinal behavioral and serum
      cytokine analysis followed by evaluation of neuroinflammatory and
      neurodegenerative endpoints in brain tissues. We observed progressive rotenone
      dependent changes in serum cytokine levels and circulating leukocytes in wild
      type mice not observed in Nlrp3-/- mice. Analysis of brain tissues revealed Nlrp3
      dependent neuroinflammation and nigral cell loss in mice exposed to rotenone as
      compared with mice exposed to vehicle alone. Together, our findings provide
      compelling evidence of a role for Nlrp3 in nigral degeneration and
      neuroinflammation resulting from systemic rotenone exposure and suggest that the
      suppression of NLRP3 activity may be a rational neuroprotective strategy for
      toxin-associated PD.

PMID- 28903494
TI  - Optimization of the Ocular Treatment Following Organophosphate Nerve Agent
      Insult.
AB  - Eye exposure to organophosphate (OP) irreversible acetylcholinesterase
      inhibitors, results in long-term miosis and impaired visual function. The aim of
      this study was to find an anticholinergic antidote, which would counteract miosis
      and visual impairment induced by the nerve agents sarin and VX with minimal
      untoward side-effects. Rat pupil width and light reflex were evaluated from 15
      min up to 2 weeks following topical OP exposure with or without topical ocular
      treatment of atropine or homatropine or with a combined intramuscular treatment
      of trimedoxime (TMB-4) and atropine (TA). Visual function following insult and
      treatment was assessed using a cued Morris water maze task. Topical VX exposure
      showed a dose-dependent miosis with a significant reduction in visual function
      similar to the effect seen following sarin exposure. Homatropine (2%; w/v) and
      atropine (0.1%; w/v) treatment ameliorated both sarin and VX-induced miosis and
      the resulting visual impairment. TA treatment was sufficient in ameliorating the
      sarin-induced ocular impairment while an additional ocular treatment with either
      0.1% atropine or 2% homatropine was necessary following VX exposure. To conclude
      the use of 0.1% atropine or 2% homatropine was beneficial in ameliorating the
      ocular insult following VX or sarin ocular exposure and thus should be considered
      as universal treatments against this intoxication. The findings also emphasize
      the necessity of additional ocular treatment to the systemic treatment in
      visually impaired casualties following VX exposure.

PMID- 28903495
TI  - RNA-Seq of Human Neural Progenitor Cells Exposed to Lead (Pb) Reveals
      Transcriptome Dynamics, Splicing Alterations and Disease Risk Associations.
AB  - Lead (Pb) is a well-known toxicant, especially for the developing nervous system,
      albeit the mechanism is largely unknown. In this study, we use time series RNA
      seq to conduct a genome-wide survey of the transcriptome response of human
      embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells to lead treatment. Using a
      dynamic time warping algorithm coupled with statistical tests, we find that lead
      can either accelerate or decelerate the expression of specific genes during the
      time series. We further show that lead disrupts a neuron- and brain-specific
      splicing factor NOVA1 regulated splicing network. Using lead induced
      transcriptome change signatures, we predict several known and novel disease risks
      under lead exposure. The findings in this study will allow a better understanding
      of the mechanism of lead toxicity, facilitate the development of diagnostic
      biomarkers and treatment for lead exposure, and comprise a highly valuable
      resource for environmental toxicology. Our study also demonstrates that a human
      (embryonic stem) cell-derived system can be used for studying the mechanism of
      toxicants, which can be useful for drug or compound toxicity screens and safety
      assessment.

PMID- 28903496
TI  - Editor's Highlight: Development of Novel Neural Embryonic Stem CellTests for High
      Throughput Screening of Embryotoxic Chemicals.
AB  - There is a great demand for appropriate alternative methods to rapidly evaluate
      the developmental and reproductive toxicity of a wide variety of chemicals. We
      used the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) into
      cardiomyocytes as a basis for establishing a rapid and highly reproducible
      invitro embryotoxicity test known as the Hand1-Luc Embryonic Stem Cell Test
      (Hand1-Luc EST). In this study, we developed novel neural-Luc ESTs using two
      marker genes for neural development, tubulin beta-3 (Tubb3) and Reelin (Reln),
      and evaluated the capacity of these tests to predict developmental toxicity. In
      addition, we tested whether an integrated approach (a combination of neural-Luc
      ESTs and the Hand1-Luc EST) improved developmental toxicant detection. To perform
      our neural-Luc ESTs, we needed to generate stable transgenic mESCs with
      individual promoters linked to the luciferase gene, and to establish that similar
      changes in promoter activities and mRNA expression levels occur during neural
      differentiation. Based on the concentration-response curves of 15 developmental
      toxicants and 17 non-developmental toxic chemicals, we derived a prediction
      formula and assessed the capacity of this formula to predict developmental
      toxicity. Although both were highly sensitive and specific for predicting
      developmental toxicity, neural-Luc ESTs had similar predictive capacities. In
      contrast, neural-Luc ESTs and Hand1-Luc EST had significantly different
      predictive powers. As expected, the combination of these ESTs increased the
      sensitivity of developmental toxicant detection. These results demonstrate the
      convenience and the usefulness of this combination of ESTs as an alternative
      assay system for future toxicological and mechanistic studies of developmental
      toxicity.

PMID- 28903497
TI  - Downregulation of TMEM70 in Rat Liver Cells After Hepatocarcinogen Treatment
      Related to the Warburg Effect in Hepatocarcinogenesis Producing GST-P-Expressing
      Proliferative Lesions.
AB  - We previously observed downregulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation
      related protein, TMEM70, which is suggestive of disrupted cellular senescence, in
      GST-P-expressing (+) proliferative lesions from early hepatocarcinogenesis stages
      in rats. The present study investigated the immunohistochemical relationship
      between TMEM70 downregulation and cellular metabolic changes in carcinogenic
      processes, as well as the onset of the liver cell respiratory changes after
      repeated hepatocarcinogen treatment in rats. At the early hepatocarcinogenesis
      stage in a 2-stage model, GST-P+ preneoplastic lesions showing TMEM70
      downregulation also downregulated the mitochondrial ATPase, ATPB, but upregulated
      glycolysis-related glucose transporter member 1 (GLUT1) and glucose-6-phosphate
      dehydrogenase, suggesting a metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to
      glycolysis, known as the Warburg effect. Combined downregulation of TMEM70 and
      ATPB increased proliferation activity in GST-P+ preneoplastic lesions, suggesting
      cell proliferation facilitation by reducing mitochondrial respiration. Concurrent
      GLUT1-upregulation and TMEM70-downregulation increased nuclear phosphorylated c
      MYC+ cells in GST-P+ preneoplastic lesions, suggesting c-MYC-mediated
      transcription facilitation to promote glycolysis and cell proliferation. The
      TMEM70-related metabolic shift was enhanced in GST-P+ neoplastic lesions,
      suggesting a contribution to tumor progression. Conversely, the TMEM70-related
      metabolic shift was lacking in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha
      agonist-induced hepatocarcinogenesis, as well as in carcinogenic processes
      targeting other organs. Transcript expression analysis following 28- and 90-day
      repeated hepatocarcinogen treatment showed downregulation of Tmem70 from day 28
      and upregulation of Pkm and Myc at day 90, suggesting early onset of a
      catastrophic cellular senescence-related metabolic shift beginning from depressed
      mitochondrial respiration in the liver. These results suggest a contribution of
      TMEM70 downregulation to the Warburg effect, which directs tumor promotion and
      progression in GST-P+-linked hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.

PMID- 28903498
TI  - From the Cover: Lifelong Exposure of C57bl/6n Male Mice to Bisphenol A or
      Bisphenol S Reduces Recovery From a Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - Bisphenol A (BPA) leaches from plastics to contaminate foodstuffs. Analogs, such
      as bisphenol S (BPS), are now used increasingly in manufacturing. Greater BPA
      exposure has been correlated with exacerbation of cardiovascular disease,
      including myocardial infarction (MI). To test the hypothesis that bisphenol
      exposure impairs cardiac healing, we exposed C57bl/6n mice to water containing
      25ng/ml BPA or BPS from conception and surgically induced an MI in adult male
      progeny. Increased early death and cardiac dilation, and reduced cardiac function
      were found post-MI in BPA- and BPS-exposed mice. Flow cytometry revealed
      increased monocyte and macrophage infiltration that correlated with increased
      chemokine C-C motif ligand-2 expression in the infarct. In vitro BPA and BPS
      addition increased matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP) protein and secreted activity
      in RAW264.7 macrophage cells suggesting that invivo increases in MMP2 and MMP9 in
      exposed infarcts were myeloid-derived. Bone marrow-derived monocytes isolated
      from exposed mice had greater expression of pro-inflammatory polarization markers
      when chemokine stimulated indicating an enhanced susceptibility to develop a pro
      inflammatory monocyte population. Chronic BPA exposure of estrogen receptor beta
      (ERbeta) deficient mice did not worsen early death, cardiac structure/function,
      or expression of myeloid markers after an MI. In contrast, BPS exposure of ERbeta
      deficient mice resulted in greater death and expression of myeloid markers. We
      conclude that lifelong exposure to BPA or BPS augmented the monocyte/macrophage
      inflammatory response and adverse remodeling from an MI thereby reducing the
      ability to survive and successfully recover, and that the adverse effect of BPA,
      but not BPS, is downstream of ERbeta signaling.

PMID- 28903500
TI  - Intrinsic Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzyme Activities in Early Life Stages of
      Zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - Early life stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio, zf) are gaining attention as an
      alternative invivo test system for drug discovery, early developmental toxicity
      screenings and chemical testing in ecotoxicological and toxicological testing
      strategies. Previous studies have demonstrated transcriptional evidence for
      xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XME) during early zf development. However,
      elaborate experiments on XME activities during development are incomplete. In
      this work, the intrinsic activities of representative phase I and II XME were
      monitored by transformation of putative zf model substrates analyzed using
      photometry and high pressure liquid chromatography techniques. Six different
      defined stages of zf development (between 2.5 h postfertilization (hpf) to 120
      hpf) were investigated by preparing a subcellular fraction from whole organism
      homogenates. We demonstrated that zf embryos as early as 2.5 hpf possess
      intrinsic metabolic activities for esterase, Aldh, Gst, and Cyp1a above the
      methodological detection limit. The activities of the enzymes Cyp3a and Nat were
      measurable during later stages in development. Activities represent dynamic
      patterns during development. The role of XME activities revealed in this work is
      relevant for the assessing toxicity in this test system and therefore contributes
      to a valuable characterization of zf embryos as an alternative testing organism
      in toxicology.

PMID- 28903499
TI  - The Long-Lasting Rodenticide Brodifacoum Induces Neuropathology in Adult Male
      Rats.
AB  - Superwarfarins are very long-lasting rodenticides effective in warfarin-resistant
      rodents at extremely low doses. The consequences of chronic superwarfarin levels
      in tissues, due to biological half-lives on the order of 20 days, have not been
      examined. We now characterized the neurological effects of brodifacoum (BDF), one
      of the most widely used superwarfarins, in adult male Sprague Dawley rats. Dosing
      curves established the acute oral lethal dose for BDF as 221 +/- 14 MUg/kg.
      Measurement of tissue BDF levels showed accumulation throughout the body,
      including the central nervous system, with levels diminishing over several days.
      Immunocytochemical staining showed that both astrocyte and microglial activation
      was increased 4 days after BDF administration, as were levels of carbonylated
      proteins, and neuronal damage assessed by fluorojade B staining. Direct toxic
      effects of BDF on neurons and glia were observed using enriched cultures of
      cerebellar neurons and cortical astrocytes. Proteomic analysis of cerebellar
      lysates revealed that BDF altered expression of 667 proteins in adult rats. Gene
      ontology and pathway analysis identified changes in several functional pathways
      including cell metabolism, mitochondria function, and RNA handling with ribosomal
      proteins comprising the largest group. In vitro studies using primary astrocytes
      showed that BDF suppressed de novo protein synthesis. These findings demonstrate
      that superwarfarin accumulation increases indices of neuroinflammation and
      neuropathology in adult rodents, suggesting that methods which minimize BDF
      toxicity may not address delayed neurological sequelae.

PMID- 28903501
TI  - Sex-Differential Responses of Tumor Promotion-Associated Genes and Dysregulation
      of Novel Long Noncoding RNAs in Constitutive Androstane Receptor-Activated Mouse
      Liver.
AB  - Xenobiotic agonists of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) induce many hepatic
      drug metabolizing enzymes, but following prolonged exposure, promote
      hepatocellular carcinoma, most notably in male mouse liver. Here, we used nuclear
      RNA-seq to characterize global changes in the mouse liver transcriptome following
      exposure to the CAR-specific agonist ligand 1,4-bis-[2-(3,5
      dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene (TCPOBOP), including changes in novel long noncoding
      RNAs that may contribute to xenobiotic-induced pathophysiology. Protein-coding
      genes dysregulated by 3 h TCPOBOP exposure were strongly enriched in KEGG
      pathways of xenobiotic and drug metabolism, with stronger and more extensive gene
      responses observed in female than male liver. After 27 h TCPOBOP exposure, the
      number of responsive genes increased >8-fold in males, where the top enriched
      pathways and their upstream regulators expanded to include factors implicated in
      cell cycle dysregulation and hepatocellular carcinoma progression (cyclin-D1,
      oncogenes E2f, Yap, Rb, Myc, and proto-oncogenes beta-catenin, FoxM1, FoxO1, all
      predicted to be activated by TCPOBOP in male but not female liver; and tumor
      suppressors p21 and p53, both predicted to be inhibited). Upstream regulators
      uniquely associated with 3 h TCPOBOP-exposed females include TNF/NFkB pathway
      members, which negatively regulate CAR-dependent proliferative responses and may
      contribute to the relative resistance of female liver to TCPOBOP-induced tumor
      promotion. These responses may be modified by the many long noncoding liver RNAs
      we show are dysregulated by TCPOBOP or pregnane-X-receptor agonist exposure,
      including lncRNAs proximal to CAR target genes Cyp2b10, Por, and Alas1. These
      data provide a comprehensive view of the CAR-regulated transcriptome and give
      insight into the mechanism of sex-biased susceptibility to CAR-dependent mouse
      liver tumorigenesis.

PMID- 28903505
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28903503
TI  - Identifying Gaps in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Epidemiology in the
      United States Prior to the Introduction of Vaccines.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes lower respiratory tract illness
      frequently. No effective antivirals or vaccines for RSV are approved for use in
      the United States; however, there are at least 50 vaccines and monoclonal
      antibody products in development, with those targeting older adults and pregnant
      women (to protect young infants) in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials. Unanswered
      questions regarding RSV epidemiology need to be identified and addressed prior to
      RSV vaccine introduction to guide the measurement of impact and future
      recommendations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a
      technical consultation to gather input from external subject matter experts on
      their individual perspectives regarding evidence gaps in current RSV epidemiology
      in the United States, potential studies and surveillance platforms needed to fill
      these gaps, and prioritizing efforts. Participants articulated their individual
      views, and CDC staff synthesized individuals' input into this report.

PMID- 28903504
TI  - Spontaneous Viral Load Decline and Subsequent Clearance of Chronic Hepatitis C
      Virus in Postpartum Women Correlates With Favorable Interleukin-28B Gene Allele.
AB  - Background: Postpartum hepatitis C viral (HCV) load decline followed by
      spontaneous clearance has been previously described. Herein we identify
      predictors for viral decline in a cohort of HCV-infected postpartum women.
      Methods: Pregnant women at Cairo University were screened for anti-HCV antibodies
      and HCV RNA, and viremic women were tested for quantitative HCV RNA at 3, 6, 9,
      and 12 months postpartum. Spontaneous clearance was defined as undetectable
      viremia twice at least 6-months apart. Associations between viral load and
      demographic, obstetrical, HCV risk factors, and interleukin-28B gene (IL28B)
      polymorphism (rs12979860) were assessed. Results: Of 2514 women, 97 (3.9%) had
      anti-HCV antibodies, 54 (2.1%) were viremic and of those, 52 (2.1%) agreed to
      IL28B testing. From pregnancy until 12 months postpartum, IL28B-CC allele women
      had a significant viral decline (P = .009). After adjusting, the IL28B-CC allele
      had a near significant difference compared to the CT allele (odds ratio [OR],
      0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75,1.00; P = .05), but not the TT allele
      (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.61,1.38; P = .64). All 14/52 (26.9%) women who subsequently
      cleared were among the 15 with undetectable viremia at 12 months, making that
      time point a strong predictor of subsequent clearance (sensitivity = 100%,
      specificity = 97.4%, positive predictive value = 93.3%, negative predictive value
      = 100%). Conclusions: IL28B-CC genotype and 12-month postpartum undetectable
      viremia were the best predictors for viral decline and subsequent clearance.
      These 2 predictors should influence clinical decision making.

PMID- 28903506
TI  - A Population-Based Assessment of the Impact of 7- and 13-Valent Pneumococcal
      Conjugate Vaccines on Macrolide-Resistant Invasive Pneumococcal Disease:
      Emergence and Decline of Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 19A (CC320) With Dual
      Macrolide Resistance Mechanisms.
AB  - Background: Macrolide efflux encoded by mef(E)/mel and ribosomal methylation
      encoded by erm(B) confer most macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae.
      Introduction of the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in 2000
      reduced macrolide-resistant invasive pneumococcal disease (MR-IPD) due to PCV7
      serotypes (6B, 9V, 14, 19F, and 23F). Methods: In this study, the impact of PCV7
      and PCV13 on MR-IPD was prospectively assessed. A 20-year study of IPD performed
      in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, using active, population-based surveillance
      formed the basis for this study. Genetic determinants of macrolide resistance
      were evaluated using established techniques. Results: During the decade of PCV7
      use (2000-2009), MR-IPD decreased rapidly until 2002 and subsequently stabilized
      until the introduction of PCV13 in 2010 when MR-IPD incidence decreased further
      from 3.71 to 2.45/100000 population. In 2003, serotype 19A CC320 isolates
      containing both mef(E)/mel and erm(B) were observed and rapidly expanded in 2005
      2009, peaking in 2010 (incidence 1.38/100000 population), accounting for 36.1% of
      MR-IPD and 11.7% of all IPD isolates. Following PCV13 introduction, dual
      macrolide-resistant IPD decreased 74.1% (incidence 0.32/100000 in 2013). However,
      other macrolide-resistant serotypes (eg, 15A and 35B) not currently represented
      in PCV formulations increased modestly. Conclusions: The selective pressures of
      widespread macrolide use and PCV7 and PCV13 introductions on S. pneumoniae were
      associated with changes in macrolide resistance and the molecular basis over time
      in our population. Durable surveillance and programs that emphasize the judicious
      use of antibiotics need to continue to be a focus of public health strategies
      directed at S. pneumoniae.

PMID- 28903507
TI  - CD4:CD8 Ratio and CD8 Count as Prognostic Markers for Mortality in Human
      Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy: The
      Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC).
AB  - Background: We investigated whether CD4:CD8 ratio and CD8 count were prognostic
      for all-cause, AIDS, and non-AIDS mortality in virologically suppressed patients
      with high CD4 count. Methods: We used data from 13 European and North American
      cohorts of human immunodeficiency virus-infected, antiretroviral therapy (ART)
      naive adults who started ART during 1996-2010, who were followed from the date
      they had CD4 count >=350 cells/MUL and were virologically suppressed (baseline).
      We used stratified Cox models to estimate unadjusted and adjusted (for sex,
      people who inject drugs, ART initiation year, and baseline age, CD4 count, AIDS,
      duration of ART) all-cause and cause-specific mortality hazard ratios for
      tertiles of CD4:CD8 ratio (0-0.40, 0.41-0.64 [reference], >0.64) and CD8 count (0
      760, 761-1138 [reference], >1138 cells/MUL) and examined the shape of
      associations using cubic splines. Results: During 276526 person-years, 1834 of
      49865 patients died (249 AIDS-related; 1076 non-AIDS-defining; 509
      unknown/unclassifiable deaths). There was little evidence that CD4:CD8 ratio was
      prognostic for all-cause mortality after adjustment for other factors: the
      adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for lower vs middle tertile was 1.11 (95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.00-1.25). The association of CD8 count with all-cause mortality
      was U-shaped: aHR for higher vs middle tertile was 1.13 (95% CI, 1.01-1.26). AIDS
      related mortality declined with increasing CD4:CD8 ratio and decreasing CD8
      count. There was little evidence that CD4:CD8 ratio or CD8 count was prognostic
      for non-AIDS mortality. Conclusions: In this large cohort collaboration, the
      magnitude of adjusted associations of CD4:CD8 ratio or CD8 count with mortality
      was too small for them to be useful as independent prognostic markers in virally
      suppressed patients on ART.

PMID- 28903508
TI  - Effect of Paritaprevir/Ritonavir/Ombitasvir/Dasabuvir and Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir
      Regimens on Survival Compared With Untreated Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Persons:
      Results From ERCHIVES.
AB  - Background: Interferon-based regimens are associated with a substantial survival
      benefit for persons infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Survival data with
      direct-acting antiviral agents are not available. We conducted this study to
      quantify the effect of paritaprevir/ritonavir, ombitasvir, dasabuvir (PrOD) and
      ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) regimens upon mortality. Methods: In the
      Electronically Retrieved Cohort of HCV Infected Veterans (ERCHIVES), a well
      established national cohort of HCV-infected Veterans, we identified HCV-infected
      persons initiated on PrOD or LDV/SOF, excluding those with human immunodeficiency
      virus, hepatitis B surface antigen positivity, hepatocellular carcinoma, or
      missing HCV RNA or FIB-4 scores. For each case, we identified a propensity score
      matched control never initiated on treatment. Primary outcome was survival.
      Outcomes were assessed using frequency of events, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox
      proportional hazards regression analyses. Results: We identified 1473 persons on
      PrOD, 5497 on LDV/SOF, and 6970 propensity score-matched untreated persons.
      Treated persons were more likely to be obese and have cirrhosis, but less likely
      to have stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD), alcohol or drug abuse or
      dependence diagnosis, and anemia. The proportion of persons who died was higher
      in the untreated group compared with either treatment group (PrOD, 0.3%; LDV/SOF,
      1.4%; untreated controls, 2.5%; P < .001). A significantly larger percentage of
      treated patients survived to 18 months of follow-up, compared with untreated
      controls (P < .001). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, treatment with
      either regimen (hazard ratio [HR], 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], .33-.57)
      and attainment of sustained virologic response (SVR) were associated with
      significantly lower mortality (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, .33-.99). Conclusions: Treatment
      with PrOD or LDV/SOF and SVR are associated with a significant mortality benefit,
      apparent within the first 18 months of treatment.

PMID- 28903512
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28903510
TI  - Changes in Liver Steatosis After Switching From Efavirenz to Raltegravir Among
      Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver
      Disease.
AB  - Background: Antiretroviral drugs with a lower potential to induce hepatic
      steatosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection need to be identified.
      We compared the effect of switching efavirenz (EFV) to raltegravir (RAL) on
      hepatic steatosis among HIV-infected patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD) receiving EFV plus 2 nucleoside analogues. Methods: HIV-infected
      patients on EFV plus tenofovir/emtricitabine or abacavir/lamivudine with NAFLD
      were randomized 1:1 to switch from EFV to RAL (400 mg twice daily), maintaining
      nucleoside analogues unchanged, or to continue with EFV plus 2 nucleoside
      analogues. At baseline, eligible patients should show controlled attenuation
      parameter (CAP) values >=238 dB/m. Changes in hepatic steatosis at 48 weeks of
      follow-up over baseline levels were measured by CAP. Results: Overall, 39
      patients were included, and 19 of them were randomized to switch to RAL. At week
      48, median CAP for the RAL group was 250 (Q1-Q3, 221-277) dB/m and 286 (Q1-Q3,
      269-314) dB/m for the EFV group (P = .035). The median decrease in CAP values was
      -20 (Q1-Q3, -67 to 15) dB/m for the RAL arm and 30 (Q1-Q3, -17 to 49) dB/m for
      the EFV group (P = .011). CAP values <238 dB/m at week 48 were observed in 9
      (47%) patients on RAL and 3 (15%) individuals on EFV (P = .029). Conclusions:
      After 48 weeks, HIV-infected individuals switching EFV to RAL showed decreases in
      the degree of hepatic steatosis, as measured by CAP, compared with those
      continuing with EFV. In addition, the proportion of patients without significant
      hepatic steatosis after 48 weeks was greater for those who switched to RAL.
      Clinical Trials Registration: NCT01900015.

PMID- 28903511
TI  - Fatal Deer Tick Virus Infection in Maine.
AB  - Deer tick virus (DTV), a genetic variant (lineage II) of Powassan virus, is a
      rare cause of encephalitis in North America. We report a fatal case of DTV
      encephalitis following a documented bite from an Ixodes scapularis tick and the
      erythema migrans rash associated with Lyme disease.

PMID- 28903514
TI  - Impact of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on Antibiotic Use at a
      Nonfreestanding Children's Hospital.
AB  - Background: Pediatric stewardship programs have been successful at reducing
      unnecessary antibiotic use. Data from nonfreestanding children's hospitals are
      currently limited. This study is an analysis of antibiotic use after
      implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program at a community
      nonfreestanding children's hospital. Methods: In April 2013, an antimicrobial
      stewardship program that consisted of physician-group engagement and pharmacist
      prospective auditing and feedback was initiated. We compared antibiotic use in
      the preintervention period (April 2012 to March 2013) with that in the
      postintervention period (April 2013 to March 2015) in all units except the
      neonatal intensive care unit and the emergency department. In addition, drug
      acquisition costs, antibiotic-specific use, death, length of stay, and case-mix
      index were examined. Results: Antibiotic use decreased by 16.8% (95% confidence
      interval, 18.0% to -9.2%; P < .001) in the postintervention period. Vancomycin
      use decreased by 38% (P = .001), whereas antipseudomonal beta-lactam use was
      unaltered. Drug-acquisition cost savings were estimated to be $67 000/year over
      the 2-year postintervention period. Lengths of stay and mortality rates were
      unchanged in the postintervention period after adjusting for case-mix index.
      Conclusions: Implementation of a simple stewardship initiative with limited
      resources at a community nonfreestanding children's hospital effectively reduced
      antibiotic use without an overt negative impact on overall clinical outcomes. The
      results of this study suggest that nonfreestanding children's hospitals can
      achieve substantial reductions in antibiotic use despite limited resources.

PMID- 28903515
TI  - Update From the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
AB  - The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of medical and
      public health experts, meets 3 times per year to develop recommendations for
      vaccine use in the United States. The group has 15 voting members, and each
      member's term is 4 years. ACIP members and Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention (CDC) staff discuss the epidemiology of vaccine-preventable diseases
      and vaccine research, effectiveness, safety data, and clinical trial results.
      Representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics (C. L. B. and Y. A. M.)
      and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (S. T. O.) are present as liaisons
      to the ACIP. The ACIP met February 22 and 23, 2017, to discuss proposed
      recommendations regarding vaccination for unprotected infants born to hepatitis B
      surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers; topics included cost analysis,
      influenza surveillance, influenza vaccine effectiveness, herpes zoster vaccine,
      and considerations for meningococcal serogroup B booster doses in groups at
      increased risk. Updates on mumps epidemiology, Dengue virus vaccines, Zika virus
      vaccines, adult immunization, and yellow fever vaccine were also provided.

PMID- 28903516
TI  - Gradenigo Syndrome and Cavitary Lung Lesions in a 5-Year-Old With Recurrent
      Otitis Media.

PMID- 28903517
TI  - Association of Vancomycin Trough Concentration With Response to Treatment for
      Acute Pulmonary Exacerbation of Cystic Fibrosis.
AB  - Background: Our goal was to determine the relationship between serum vancomycin
      trough concentrations (VTCs) and changes in pulmonary function among individuals
      with an acute pulmonary exacerbation (APE) of cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods: We
      included subjects who were >=6 years of age, were hospitalized for an APE of CF
      between May 1, 2012, and April 30, 2014, were administered vancomycin for >=48
      hours, and had a history of airway infection with methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus. Pearson correlations were performed to characterize the
      relationship between VTC and pulmonary function. Results: The mean final VTC (+/-
      standard deviation) was 12.6 +/- 3.3 ug/mL; 40 (81.6%) of 49 final VTCs were in
      the range of 10 to <15 ug/mL. The mean change in forced expiratory volume in 1
      second (FEV1) between admission and discharge was 24.5% +/- 24.4% (P < .001) of
      predicted values. Forty-two (85.7%) patients returned to their baseline FEV1. No
      correlation between the change in FEV1 and VTC (Pearson r = -0.10; P = .49) was
      identified. Similarly, VTC, daily weight-adjusted vancomycin dose, and vancomycin
      area under the concentration-time curve normalized to the minimum inhibitory
      concentration (AUC/MIC) were not significant predictors of change in FEV1 or
      return to baseline FEV1 on multivariate analysis. One (2%) subject experienced
      acute kidney injury. Conclusions: The majority of patients experienced
      improvement in pulmonary function and a return to their baseline FEV1 while
      achieving a VTC in the range of 10 to <15 ug/mL. We were unable to identify a
      correlation between markers of vancomycin exposure and change in pulmonary
      function test results. Additional studies are needed to reinforce the efficacy of
      VTCs of 10 to 15 ug/mL for treating APEs of CF.

PMID- 28903518
TI  - Recurrent Fever and Mouth Ulcers in a Healthy Child.

PMID- 28903519
TI  - Septic Shock Secondary to Chikungunya Virus in a 3-Month-Old Traveler Returning
      From Honduras.

PMID- 28903521
TI  - Treatment-Related Complications in Children Hospitalized With Disseminated Lyme
      Disease.
AB  - We describe here treatment approaches and treatment-related complications in 138
      hospitalized children with disseminated Lyme disease. The patients who received
      parenteral antibiotics had a higher rate of complications than those who received
      oral therapy (15.4 vs 4.2 per 1000 days of therapy, respectively; P < .05). Oral
      therapy should be used preferentially if either route is supported by current
      guidelines.

PMID- 28903520
TI  - Hepatic, Renal, Hematologic, and Inflammatory Markers in HIV-Infected Children on
      Long-term Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy.
AB  - Background: Data on long-term toxicity of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV
      infected children are sparse. PENPACT-1 was an open-label trial in which HIV
      infected children were assigned randomly to receive protease inhibitor (PI)- or
      nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based ART. Methods: We
      examined changes in clinical, immunologic, and inflammatory markers from baseline
      to year 4 in the subset of children in the PENPACT-1 study who experienced viral
      suppression between week 24 and year 4 of ART. Liver enzyme, creatinine, and
      cholesterol levels and hematologic parameters were assessed during the trial.
      Cystatin C, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), d
      dimer, and soluble CD14 (sCD14) were assayed from cryopreserved specimens.
      Results: Ninety-nine children (52 on PI-based and 47 on NNRTI-based ART) met
      inclusion criteria. The median age at initiation of ART was 6.5 years
      (interquartile range [IQR], 3.7-13.4 years), and 22% were aged <3 years at ART
      initiation; 56% of the PI-treated children received lopinavir/ritonavir, and 70%
      of NNRTI-treated children received efavirenz initially. We found no evidence of
      significant clinical toxicity in either group; growth, liver, kidney, and
      hematologic parameters either remained unchanged or improved between baseline and
      year 4. Total cholesterol levels increased modestly, but no difference between
      the groups was found. IL-6 and hs-CRP levels decreased more after 4 years in the
      NNRTI-based ART group. The median change in IL-6 level was -0.35 pg/ml in the PI
      based ART group and -1.0 in the NNRTI-based ART group (P = .05), and the median
      change in hs-CRP level was 0.25 ug/ml in the PI-based ART group and -0.95 ug/ml
      in the NNRTI-based ART group (P = .005). Conclusion: These results support the
      safety of prolonged ART use in HIV-infected children and suggest that suppressive
      NNRTI-based regimens can be associated with lower levels of systemic
      inflammation.

PMID- 28903522
TI  - Retrospective Analysis of Posaconazole Suspension Dosing Strategies in a
      Pediatric Oncology Population: Single-Center Experience.
AB  - Limited data on optimal posaconazole dosing strategies for pediatric patients
      exist. In this study, we found that the median initial dose in patients who
      achieved a posaconazole plasma concentration of 0.7 MUg/mL was 22.8 mg/kg per day
      whereas the median initial dose in those who did not reach the target
      concentration was 15.8 mg/kg per day; this result suggests that higher initial
      doses might be warranted.

PMID- 28903523
TI  - Fungal Infections of the Central Nervous System in Children.
AB  - Although uncommon in children, fungal infections of the central nervous system
      can be devastating and difficult to treat. A better understanding of basic
      mycologic, immunologic, and pharmacologic processes has led to important advances
      in the diagnosis and management of these diseases, but their mortality rates
      remain unacceptably high. In this focused review, we examine the epidemiology and
      clinical features of the most common fungal pathogens of the central nervous
      system in children and explore recent advances in diagnosis and antifungal
      therapy.

PMID- 28903524
TI  - Pediatric Dental Clinic-Associated Outbreak of Mycobacterium abscessus Infection.
AB  - Background: Mycobacterium abscessus is an uncommon cause of invasive odontogenic
      infection. Methods: M abscessus-associated odontogenic infections occurred in a
      group of children after they each underwent a pulpotomy. A probable case-child
      was defined as a child with facial or neck swelling and biopsy-confirmed
      granulomatous inflammation after a pulpotomy between October 1, 2013, and
      September 30, 2015. M abscessus was isolated by culture in confirmed case
      children. Clinical presentation, management, and outcomes were determined by
      medical record abstraction. Results: Among 24 children, 14 (58%) were confirmed
      case-children. Their median age was 7.3 years (interquartile range, 5.8-8.2
      years), and the median time from pulpotomy to symptom onset was 74 days (range,
      14-262 days). Clinical diagnoses included cervical lymphadenitis (24 [100%] of
      24), mandibular or maxillary osteomyelitis (11 [48%] of 23), and pulmonary
      nodules (7 [37%] of 19). Each child had >=1 hospitalization and a median of 2
      surgeries (range, 1-6). Of the 24 children, 12 (50%) had surgery alone and 11
      (46%) received intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Nineteen of the 24 (79%) children
      experienced complications, including vascular access malfunction (7 [64%] of 11),
      high-frequency hearing loss (5 [56%] of 9), permanent tooth loss (11 [48%] of
      23), facial nerve palsy (7 [29%] of 24), urticarial rash (3 [25%] of 12),
      elevated liver enzyme levels (1 [20%] of 5), acute kidney injury (2 [18%] of 11),
      incision dehiscence/fibrosis (3 [13%] of 24), and neutropenia (1 [9%] of 11).
      Conclusions: M abscessus infection was associated with significant medical
      morbidity and treatment complications. Unique manifestations included extranodal
      mandibular or maxillary osteomyelitis and pulmonary nodules. Challenges in the
      identification of case-children resulted from an extended incubation period and
      various clinical manifestations. Clinicians should consider the association
      between M abscessus infection and pulpotomy in children who present with subacute
      cervical lymphadenitis. The use of treated/sterile water during pulpotomy might
      prevent further outbreaks.

PMID- 28903525
TI  - The interactive impact of root branch order and soil genetic horizon on root
      respiration and nitrogen concentration.
AB  - In general, respiration (RS) is highly correlated with nitrogen concentration (N)
      in plant organs, including roots, which exhibit a positive N-RS relationship.
      Less is known, however, about the relationship between N and RS in roots of
      different branch orders within an individual tree along a vertical soil profile;
      this is especially true in trees with contrasting life strategies, such as
      pioneer Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) vs mid-successional sessile oak (Quercus
      petraea Liebl.). In the present research, the impact of root branch order, as
      represented by those with absorptive vs transporting ability, and soil genetic
      horizon on root N, RS and the N-RS relationship was examined. Mean RS and total N
      concentration differed significantly among root branch orders and was
      significantly higher in absorptive roots than in transporting roots. The soil
      genetic horizon differentially affected root RS in Scots pine vs sessile oak. The
      genetic horizon mostly affected RS in absorptive roots of Scots pine and
      transporting roots in sessile oak. Root N was the highest in absorptive roots and
      most affected by soil genetic horizon in both tree species. Root N was not
      correlated with soil N, although N levels were higher in roots growing in fertile
      soil genetic horizons. Overall, RS in different root branch orders was positively
      correlated with N in both species. The N-RS relationship in roots, pooled by soil
      genetic horizon, was significant in both species, but was only significant in
      sessile oak when roots were pooled by root branch order. In both tree species, a
      significant interaction was found between the soil genetic horizon and root
      branch order with root function; however, species-specific responses were found.
      Both root N, which was unaffected by soil N, and the positive N-RS relationship
      consistently observed in different genetic horizons suggest that root function
      prevails over environmental factors, such as soil genetic horizon.

PMID- 28903526
TI  - Drought reduces growth and stimulates sugar accumulation: new evidence of
      environmentally driven non-structural carbohydrate use.

PMID- 28903528
TI  - Leptomeningeal metastases of lung adenocarcinoma detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT.

PMID- 28903527
TI  - Efficacy of early ureteral ligation on prevention of intravesical recurrence
      after radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma: a
      prospective single-arm multicenter clinical trial.
AB  - Objective: The rate of intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy
      for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma is high. Seeding upper urinary tract
      urothelial carcinoma cells onto the damaged bladder wall is considered to be one
      of the causes of intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy. We
      evaluated the utility of early ureteral ligation in preventing the intravesical
      recurrence. Methods: This prospective single-arm clinical trial included patients
      who underwent radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial
      carcinoma in the Tohoku Urological Evidence-Based Medicine Study Group between
      2012 and 2013. Early ureteral ligation was defined as ligation of the ureter as
      quickly as possible after expanding the retroperitoneal space. A historical
      control was extracted from 454 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy
      in the same group, using propensity score-matched analysis. Intravesical
      recurrence-free survival rates were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Factors
      predicting intravesical recurrence were assessed using multivariate analyses.
      Results: Seventy-four patients underwent early ureteral ligation. Seventeen (23%)
      patients had intravesical recurrence with a median follow-up period of 24 months.
      The 1- and 2-year intravesical recurrence-free survival rates in the early
      ureteral ligation group were 81% and 76%, and in the control group 75% and 63%,
      respectively (P = 0.160). In patients with renal pelvic cancer, the 1- and 2-year
      intravesical recurrence-free survival rates in the early ureteral ligation group
      were 89% and 86%, but in the control group 74% and 64%, respectively (P = 0.025).
      However, intravesical recurrence-free survival rates were similar in patients
      with ureteral cancer. Multivariate analyses of a subset of patients with renal
      pelvic cancer identified early ureteral ligation as an independent predictor of
      intravesical recurrence. Conclusions: Early ureteral ligation decreases the rate
      of intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy in patients with
      renal pelvic cancer. Thus, early ureteral ligation might help in prevention of
      intravesical recurrence for renal pelvic cancer.

PMID- 28903529
TI  - Retrospective analysis of definitive radiotherapy for neck node metastasis from
      unknown primary tumor: Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group study.
AB  - Objective: To investigate the optimal treatment method and risk factor of neck
      node metastasis from unknown primary tumors (NUP) treated by radiotherapy.
      Methods: Retrospective case study based on a multi-institutional survey was
      conducted by the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group. Patients pathologically
      diagnosed as having NUP from 1998 to 2007 were identified. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses of overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS),
      neck progression free survival (NPFS) and mucosal progression free survival
      (MPFS) were evaluated. Results: In total, 130 patients with median age of 65
      years were included. Nodal stages N1, N2a, N2b and N2c were observed for 10, 26,
      43, 12 and 39 patients, respectively. All the patients received radiotherapy (RT)
      with neck dissection in 60 and with chemotherapy in 67 cases. The median doses to
      the metastatic nodes, prophylactic neck and prophylactic mucosal sites were 60.0,
      50.4 and 50.4 Gy, respectively. The median follow-up period for surviving
      patients was 42 months. Among 12 patients, occult primary tumors in the neck
      region developed after radiotherapy. The 5-year OS, PFS, NPFS and MPFS were
      58.1%, 42.4%, 47.3% and 54.9%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that
      lower N stage (N1-2b), non-bulky node (<6 cm) and negative extracapsular
      extension (ECE) status were the factors associated with favorable OS, PFS, NPFS
      and MPFS. Radical surgery proved to be a favorable factor of OS, NPFS and MPFS.
      On multivariate analysis, lower N stage and negative ECE status were correlated
      with improved survival. Conclusions: Lower nodal stage and negative ECE status
      showed a favorable impact on survival and disease control in patients with NUP
      treated by radiotherapy.

PMID- 28903530
TI  - Antitumor activity of iNGR-GRIM-19 in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Background: Gene associated with retinoid-interferon induced mortality-19 (GRIM
      19) plays crucial roles in carcinogenesis. Objective: To explore the antitumor
      activity of internalizing NGR (iNGR) gene associated with GRIM-19 in colorectal
      cancer. Methods: Cells were incubated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled
      fusion proteins followed by fluorescence microscopic analysis. Cell proliferation
      was determined by MTT assay. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometric analysis.
      Cell migration and invasion capacity were evaluated by wound scratch and
      Transwell assays, respectively. Apoptosis was measured by Annexin V/PI staining
      and TUNEL assay. Gene expressions were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting.
      Nude mice bearing colorectal cancer received vehicle, GRIM-19, or iNGR-GRIM-19
      fusion protein injection, and the in vivo antitumor capacity of the fusion
      proteins was examined. Results: iNGR-GRIM-19 was specifically taken up by human
      colorectal cancer Colo205 cells, but not corneal epithelial (HCEpic) cells,
      whereas GRIM-19 was not internalized by either cell type. Unlike GRIM-19,
      incubation with iNGR-GRIM-19 dose-dependently inhibited proliferation, induced G1
      phase arrest, suppressed cell migration and invasion, and caused apoptosis in
      Colo205 cells. Additionally, injection of iNGR-GRIM-19 extended the lifespan of
      colorectal cancer-bearing nude mice and reduced in vivo tumor growth as compared
      with vehicle or GRIM-19 treatment. iNGR-GRIM-19 was localized only in the tumor
      mass, without affecting other tissues, such as liver or kidney. iNGR-GRIM-19
      injection led to G1 phase arrest and induced cell apoptosis in xenografted
      colorectal cancer tissues. Conclusions: iNGR-GRIM-19 has an efficient antitumor
      activity in vitro and in vivo, and might be a promising agent for the treatment
      of colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28903531
TI  - Local field radiotherapy without elective nodal irradiation for postoperative
      loco-regional recurrence of esophageal cancer.
AB  - Background: Radiotherapy is an effective treatment for the postoperative loco
      regional recurrence of esophageal cancer; however, the optimal treatment field
      remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate the outcome of local field
      radiotherapy without elective nodal irradiation for postoperative loco-regional
      recurrence of esophageal cancer. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 35
      patients treated for a postoperative loco-regional recurrence of esophageal
      cancer with local field radiotherapy between December 2008 and March 2016. The
      median irradiation dose was 60 Gy (range: 50-67.5 Gy). Thirty-one (88.6%)
      patients received concurrent chemotherapy. Results: The median follow-up period
      was 18 months (range: 5-94 months). The 2-year overall survival was 55.7%, with a
      median survival time of 29.9 months. In the univariate analysis, the maximal
      diameter <=20 mm (P = 0.0383), solitary lesion (P = 0.0352), and the complete
      remission after treatment (P = 0.00411) had a significantly better prognosis. A
      total of 27 of 35 patients (77.1%) had progressive disease (loco-regional failure
      [n = 9], distant metastasis [n = 7], and both loco-regional failure and distant
      metastasis [n = 11]). No patients had Grade 3 or greater mucositis. Conclusion:
      Local field radiotherapy is a considerable treatment option for postoperative
      loco-regional recurrence of esophageal cancer.

PMID- 28903532
TI  - Sex differences in lung cancer survival: long-term trends using population-based
      cancer registry data in Osaka, Japan.
AB  - Objective: Several studies of sex differences in lung cancer survival have been
      reported. However, large-size population-based studies based on long-term
      observation are scarce. We investigated long-term trends in sex differences in
      lung cancer survival using population-based cancer registry data from Osaka,
      Japan. Methods: We analyzed 79 330 cases from the Osaka Cancer Registry (OCR)
      diagnosed between 1975 and 2007. We calculated 5-year relative survival in the
      six periods (1975-1980, 1981-1986, 1987-1992, 1993-1997, 1998-2002 and 2003
      2007). To estimate the trends in sex differences in lung cancer survival
      throughout the study period, we applied a multivariate excess hazard model to
      control for confounders. Results: The proportion of adenocarcinoma (ADC) and 5
      year relative relative survival have increased for both sexes. Sex differences in
      lung cancer survival have widened over the period, especially in ADC and since
      the late 1990s. The excess hazard ratio of death within 5 years for males was
      1.19 (95% CI: 1.16-1.21), adjusting for period at diagnosis, histologic type,
      stage, age group and treatment. Conclusion: We reported that females have better
      prognosis in lung cancer than males and the sex differences in lung cancer
      survival have become wider in Osaka, Japan. This can be partly explained by the
      sex differences in the proportions of histologic type and stage. Further studies
      considering other factors that influence sex differences in lung cancer survival
      are needed.

PMID- 28903533
TI  - Joint Symposium of Korean Cancer Association & UICC-ARO-Cross-boundary cancer
      studies: cancer and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Asia.
AB  - On 16 June 2016, the Korean Cancer Association (KCA) and Union for International
      Cancer Control-Asia Regional Office (UICC-ARO) organized a joint symposium as
      part of the official program of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Korean Cancer
      Association to discuss the topic 'Cross-boundary Cancer Studies: Cancer and
      Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Asia.' Universal Health Coverage is included
      in the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as part of the
      2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The objectives of UHC are to ensure that
      all people can receive high-quality medical services, are protected from public
      health risks, and are prevented from falling into poverty due to medical costs or
      loss of income arising from illness. The participants discussed the growing cost
      of cancer in the Asian region and the challenges that this poses to the
      establishment and deployment of UHC in the countries of Asia, all of which face
      budgetary and other systemic constraints in controlling cancer in the region.
      Representatives from Korea, Japan and Indonesia reported on the status of UHC in
      their countries and the challenges that are being faced, many of which are common
      to other countries in Asia. In addition to country-specific presentations about
      the progress of and challenges facing UHC, there were also presentations from WHO
      Kobe Centre concerning advancing UHC in non-communicable diseases and prospects
      for further collaboration and research on UHC. A presentation from the University
      of Tokyo also highlighted the need to focus on multidisciplinary studies in an
      age of globalization and digitization.

PMID- 28903534
TI  - The estimates of 5-year lung cancer prevalence in adult population in 2012.

PMID- 28903535
TI  - Modeling the Multiple Facets of Speciation-with-Gene-Flow toward Inferring the
      Divergence History of Lake Whitefish Species Pairs (Coregonus clupeaformis).
AB  - Parallel divergence across replicated species pairs occurring in similar
      environmental contrasts may arise through distinct evolutionary scenarios.
      Deciphering whether such parallelism actually reflects repeated parallel
      divergence driven by divergent selection or a single divergence event with
      subsequent gene flow needs to be ascertained. Reconstructing historical gene flow
      is therefore of fundamental interest to understand how demography and selection
      jointly shaped genomic divergence during speciation. Here, we use an extended
      modeling framework to explore the multiple facets of speciation-with-gene-flow
      with demo-genetic divergence models that capture both temporal and genomic
      variation in effective population size and migration rate. We investigate the
      divergence history of replicate sympatric species pairs of Lake Whitefish (normal
      benthic and dwarf limnetic) characterized by variable degrees of ecological
      divergence and reproductive isolation. Genome-wide SNPs were used to document the
      extent of genetic differentiation in each species pair, and 26 divergence models
      were fitted and compared with the unfolded joint allele frequency spectrum of
      each pair. We found evidence that a recent (circa 3,000-4,000 generations)
      asymmetrical secondary contact between expanding postglacial populations has
      accompanied Whitefish diversification. Our results suggest that heterogeneous
      genomic differentiation has emerged through the combined effects of linked
      selection generating variable rates of lineage sorting across the genome during
      geographical isolation, and heterogeneous introgression eroding divergence at
      different rates across the genome upon secondary contact. This study thus
      provides a new retrospective insight into the historical demographic and
      selective processes that shaped a continuum of divergence associated with
      ecological speciation.

PMID- 28903536
TI  - An Alternative Strategy for Trypanosome Survival in the Mammalian Bloodstream
      Revealed through Genome and Transcriptome Analysis of the Ubiquitous Bovine
      Parasite Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) theileri.
AB  - There are hundreds of Trypanosoma species that live in the blood and tissue
      spaces of their vertebrate hosts. The vast majority of these do not have the
      ornate system of antigenic variation that has evolved in the small number of
      African trypanosome species, but can still maintain long-term infections in the
      face of the vertebrate adaptive immune system. Trypanosoma theileri is a typical
      example, has a restricted host range of cattle and other Bovinae, and is only
      occasionally reported to cause patent disease although no systematic survey of
      the effect of infection on agricultural productivity has been performed. Here, a
      detailed genome sequence and a transcriptome analysis of gene expression in
      bloodstream form T. theileri have been performed. Analysis of the genome sequence
      and expression showed that T. theileri has a typical kinetoplastid genome
      structure and allowed a prediction that it is capable of meiotic exchange, gene
      silencing via RNA interference and, potentially, density-dependent growth
      control. In particular, the transcriptome analysis has allowed a comparison of
      two distinct trypanosome cell surfaces, T. brucei and T. theileri, that have each
      evolved to enable the maintenance of a long-term extracellular infection in
      cattle. The T. theileri cell surface can be modeled to contain a mixture of
      proteins encoded by four novel large and divergent gene families and by members
      of a major surface protease gene family. This surface composition is distinct
      from the uniform variant surface glycoprotein coat on African trypanosomes
      providing an insight into a second mechanism used by trypanosome species that
      proliferate in an extracellular milieu in vertebrate hosts to avoid the adaptive
      immune response.

PMID- 28903538
TI  - POSSUM: a bioinformatics toolkit for generating numerical sequence feature
      descriptors based on PSSM profiles.
AB  - Summary: Evolutionary information in the form of a Position-Specific Scoring
      Matrix (PSSM) is a widely used and highly informative representation of protein
      sequences. Accordingly, PSSM-based feature descriptors have been successfully
      applied to improve the performance of various predictors of protein attributes.
      Even though a number of algorithms have been proposed in previous studies, there
      is currently no universal web server or toolkit available for generating this
      wide variety of descriptors. Here, we present POSSUM ( Po sition- S pecific S
      coring matrix-based feat u re generator for m achine learning), a versatile
      toolkit with an online web server that can generate 21 types of PSSM-based
      feature descriptors, thereby addressing a crucial need for bioinformaticians and
      computational biologists. We envisage that this comprehensive toolkit will be
      widely used as a powerful tool to facilitate feature extraction, selection, and
      benchmarking of machine learning-based models, thereby contributing to a more
      effective analysis and modeling pipeline for bioinformatics research.
      Availability and implementation: http://possum.erc.monash.edu/ . Contact:
      trevor.lithgow@monash.edu or jiangning.song@monash.edu. Supplementary
      information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 28903539
TI  - Kollector: transcript-informed, targeted de novo assembly of gene loci.

PMID- 28903537
TI  - Evolutionary Origins of Pax6 Control of Crystallin Genes.
AB  - The birth of novel genes, including their cell-specific transcriptional control,
      is a major source of evolutionary innovation. The lens-preferred proteins,
      crystallins (vertebrates: alpha- and beta/gamma-crystallins), provide a gateway
      to study eye evolution. Diversity of crystallins was thought to originate from
      convergent evolution through multiple, independent formation of Pax6/PaxB-binding
      sites within the promoters of genes able to act as crystallins. Here, we propose
      that alphaB-crystallin arose from a duplication of small heat shock protein
      (Hspb1-like) gene accompanied by Pax6-site and heat shock element (HSE)
      formation, followed by another duplication to generate the alphaA-crystallin gene
      in which HSE was converted into another Pax6-binding site. The founding
      beta/gamma-crystallin gene arose from the ancestral Hspb1-like gene promoter
      inserted into a Ca2+-binding protein coding region, early in the
      cephalochordate/tunicate lineage. Likewise, an ancestral aldehyde dehydrogenase
      (Aldh) gene, through multiple gene duplications, expanded into a multigene
      family, with specific genes expressed in invertebrate lenses (Omega
      crystallin/Aldh1a9) and both vertebrate lenses (eta-crystallin/Aldh1a7 and
      Aldh3a1) and corneas (Aldh3a1). Collectively, the present data reconstruct the
      evolution of diverse crystallin gene families.

PMID- 28903540
TI  - Molecular signatures that can be transferred across different omics platforms.

PMID- 28903541
TI  - Addressing unmet clinical needs: the potential of biosimilars in the treatment of
      rheumatic diseases.

PMID- 28903543
TI  - Biosimilars in rheumatology: A review of the evidence and their place in the
      treatment algorithm.
AB  - Determining biosimilarity involves a comprehensive exercise with a focus on
      determining the comparability of the molecular characteristics and preclinical
      profile of the biosimilar and reference product, such that there is less need for
      extensive clinical testing to assure comparability of clinical outcomes. Three
      anti-TNF biosimilar agents are approved for patients with rheumatic diseases in
      the European Union. The infliximab (Remicade(r)) biosimilars CT-P13 (Remsima(r)
      and Inflectra(r)) and SB2 (Flixabi(r)) and the etanercept (Enbrel(r)) biosimilar
      SB4 (Benepali(r)) have shown close comparability to their reference medicinal
      products, having undergone extensive evaluations. Guidelines on the treatment of
      rheumatic diseases have acknowledged that biosimilars and biologic DMARDs
      (bDMARDs) are interchangeable in clinical practice, except when patients
      experience lack of efficacy or tolerability with the reference agent. Given that
      cost is a barrier to effective bDMARD use, the introduction of less costly
      biosimilars is likely to widen access and dissipate treatment inequalities.
      Physicians faced with prescribing decisions should be reassured by the robust and
      exhaustive process that is involved in assuring comparability of biosimilars with
      their reference agents. De novo usage of a biosimilar and switching to a
      biosimilar following lack of efficacy or tolerability with a different reference
      biologic agent are likely to be strategies most easily adopted, although
      switching during successful treatment should also be considered given the
      potential cost implications. The introduction of biosimilar bDMARDs has the
      potential to improve patient access to effective biologic therapy, to better
      accommodate restraints within healthcare budgets and to improve overall patient
      outcomes.

PMID- 28903542
TI  - Reviewing the evidence for biosimilars: key insights, lessons learned and future
      horizons.
AB  - Biologic therapies have become central to the long-term management of many
      chronic diseases, including inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Over recent years,
      the development and licensing pathways for biosimilars have become more
      standardized, and several biosimilars have been made available for patients with
      inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as RA. Pre-licensing requirements for
      biosimilars mandate the demonstration of comparability with reference products in
      terms of clinical activity, safety and immunogenicity, whereas post-marketing
      surveillance and risk minimization requirements are set in place to ensure that
      long-term, real-world safety data are collected to assess biosimilars in clinical
      practice. These measures should provide a foundation for physician confidence in
      biosimilars, which can be established further through clinical experience.
      Biosimilars may help to fill an unmet need by improving patient access to
      effective biologic treatments for chronic diseases. Greater access may result in
      additional clinical benefits, with appropriate use of biologic therapies
      according to treatment guidelines being associated with improved outcomes and the
      potential for reduced costs of care. Key challenges for the integration of
      biosimilars into everyday practice include questions about interchangeability,
      switching and automatic substitution. Several switching studies have shown that
      biosimilars can be used in place of reference products while maintaining efficacy
      and safety. Additional ongoing studies and registries may help to optimize the
      process of switching, and different funding models are examining the optimal
      mechanisms to ensure effective uptake of these new treatments.

PMID- 28903544
TI  - The process defines the product: what really matters in biosimilar design and
      production?
AB  - Biologic drugs are highly complex molecules produced by living cells through a
      multistep manufacturing process. The key characteristics of these molecules,
      known as critical quality attributes (CQAs), can vary based on post-translational
      modifications that occur in the cellular environment or during the manufacturing
      process. The extent of the variation in each of the CQAs must be characterized
      for the originator molecule and systematically matched as closely as possible by
      the biosimilar developer to ensure bio-similarity. The close matching of the
      originator fingerprint is the foundation of the biosimilarity exercise, as the
      analytical tools designed to measure differences at the molecular level are far
      more sensitive and specific than tools available to physicians during clinical
      trials. Biosimilar development, therefore, has a greater focus on preclinical
      attributes compared with the development of an original biological agent. As
      changes in CQAs can occur at different stages of the manufacturing process, even
      small modifications to the process can alter biosimilar attributes beyond the
      point of similarity and impact clinical effectiveness and safety. The
      manufacturer's ability to provide consistent production and quality control will
      greatly influence the acceptance of biosimilars. To this end, preventing drift
      from the required specifications over time and avoiding the various implications
      brought by product shortage will enhance biosimilar integration into daily
      practice. As most prescribers are not familiar with this new drug development
      paradigm, educational programmes will be needed so that prescribers see
      biosimilars as fully equivalent, efficacious and safe medicines when compared
      with originator products.

PMID- 28903545
TI  - The road from development to approval: evaluating the body of evidence to confirm
      biosimilarity.
AB  - Biosimilars are products that contain a similar version of the active substance
      of an already authorized original biologic medicinal product (reference medicinal
      product). Their development requires special consideration, as similarity to the
      reference agent needs to be established through a comprehensive comparability
      exercise. Given the complex nature of these agents, minor structural differences
      may emerge, but the process of biosimilarity determination is designed to
      ascertain that the nature and impact of these differences are not clinically
      significant. Determination of biosimilarity should follow quality-by-design
      principles, which provide a deep understanding of the product development
      process, guided by pre-defined objectives, process control and risk management.
      Compared with novel biologic development, biosimilar development places greater
      emphasis on establishing preclinical quality characteristics. Determination of
      comparability of quality characteristics includes assessment of physicochemical
      properties, biological activity, immunochemical properties, purity, impurity and
      quantity, with appropriate in vivo pharmacology studies being conducted
      thereafter. Head-to-head comparisons are then conducted to determine
      pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics, and efficacy, safety and
      tolerability in phase I and phase III clinical studies. Post-approval risk
      management requirements include implementation of pharmacovigilance systems and
      risk management through, for example, the conduct of pharmacoepidemiological
      studies. There are several biosimilars used in the field of rheumatology that are
      available in the European Union, or in development, that offer the potential to
      increase affordability/accessibility of biological treatment. The role of these
      agents in rheumatology will be determined by the confidence placed in them by
      rheumatologists. These prescribers should expect high-quality data evaluated by
      an extensive assessment process.

PMID- 28903546
TI  - Cellular and molecular mechanisms of viral infection in the human placenta.
AB  - The placenta is a highly specialized organ that is formed during human gestation
      for conferring protection and generating an optimal microenvironment to maintain
      the equilibrium between immunological and biochemical factors for fetal
      development. Diverse pathogens, including viruses, can infect several cellular
      components of the placenta, such as trophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts and other
      hematopoietic cells. Viral infections during pregnancy have been associated with
      fetal malformation and pregnancy complications such as preterm labor. In this
      minireview, we describe the most recent findings regarding virus-host
      interactions at the placental interface and investigate the mechanisms through
      which viruses may access trophoblasts and the pathogenic processes involved in
      viral dissemination at the maternal-fetal interface.

PMID- 28903547
TI  - ERK signalling as a regulator of cell motility.
AB  - Cell motility is regulated by multiple processes, including cell protrusion, cell
      retraction, cell-matrix adhesion, polarized exocytosis and polarized vesicle
      trafficking, each of which is spatiotemporally controlled by various
      intracellular signalling pathways. Dysregulation of cell motility leads to
      pathological conditions, such as tumour invasion and metastasis. Accumulating
      evidence has revealed that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling
      is one of the critical regulators of cell motility, although it is classically
      known as an important regulator of cell proliferation, differentiation and
      survival through regulation of gene expression. ERK and its downstream kinase,
      p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK), dynamically regulate cell motility mainly through
      direct phosphorylation of various molecules that are not necessarily involved in
      the regulation of gene transcription and translation. In this review, we
      summarize how ERK signalling regulates cell motility by focusing on the
      components of the cell motility machinery that are directly regulated by ERK or
      RSK.

PMID- 28903548
TI  - Role of the unfolded protein response in the development of central nervous
      system.
AB  - The unfolded protein response (UPR) is an intracellular homeostatic signalling
      pathway that is induced by accumulated misfolded/unfolded proteins in the
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The UPR is closely associated with the development of
      disease in several tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS), in
      response to ER stress. More recently, the unique features and importance of the
      UPR have been revealed in neural stem cells (NSCs) and differentiated CNS cells
      [neurons and glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes)]. Although several UPR
      signalling pathways dynamically change in each CNS cell during brain development,
      the role of UPR signalling in CNS cells (especially NSCs and glial cells) under
      pathological or physiological conditions is poorly understood. Here, we discuss
      and summarize the recent progress in understanding how the UPR regulates the
      proliferation, differentiation, maturation and viability of CNS cells.

PMID- 28903549
TI  - NUDT15 Variants Cause Hematopoietic Toxicity with Low 6-TGN Levels in Children
      with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - Purpose: We aimed to identify the impact of NUDT15 variants on thiopurine
      intolerance and 6-thioguanine nucleotide (6-TGN) levels in Korean children with
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Materials and Methods: Genotyping of NUDT15
      was tested in 258 patients with ALL registered at Samsung Medical Center.
      Patients were classified into normal-activity (wild-type), intermediate-activity
      (heterozygous variant), and low-activity groups (homozygous or compound
      heterozygous variant). Clinical and laboratory features during the first year of
      maintenance therapy were investigated. Results: A total of 182 patients were
      included in the final analysis. There were five (2.7%), 46 (25.3%), and 131
      (72.0%) patients in low-, intermediate-, and normal-activity groups,
      respectively. The lowest 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) dose (mg/m2/day) was
      administered to the low-activity group (low-activity group 7.5 vs. intermediate
      activity group 24.4 vs. normalactivity group 31.1, p < 0.01) from three months to
      a year after beginning maintenance therapy. The low-activity group experienced
      the longest duration of therapy interruption during the first year (low-activity
      group 169 days vs. intermediate-activity group 30 days vs. normal-activity group
      16 days, p < 0.01). They also showed the lowest blood cell counts and had a
      longer duration of leukopenia (low-activity group 131 days vs. intermediate
      activity group 92 days vs. normal-activity group 59 days, p < 0.01). 6-TGN level
      and its ratio to 6-MP dose were lowest in the low-activity group. Conclusion:
      NUDT15 variants cause hematopoietic toxicity with low 6-TGN levels. NUDT15
      genotyping should be conducted before administering thiopurine, and dose
      adjustments require caution regardless of 6-TGN levels.

PMID- 28903550
TI  - Combination of Tumor Volume and Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Improved Prognostic
      Stratification of Stage II Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in the Intensity Modulated
      Radiotherapy Era: A Large-Scale Cohort Study.
AB  - Purpose: Little is known about combination of the circulating Epstein-Barr viral
      (EBV) DNA and tumor volume in prognosis of stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma
      (NPC) patients in the intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era. We conducted
      this cohort study to evaluate the prognostic values of combining these two
      factors. Materials and Methods: By Kaplan-Meier, we compare the differences of
      survival curves between 385 patients with different EBV DNA or tumor volume
      levels, or with the combination of two biomarkers mentioned above. Results: Gross
      tumor volume of cervical lymph nodes (GTVnd, p < 0.001) and total tumor volume
      (GTVtotal, p < 0.001) were both closely related to pretreatment EBV DNA, while
      gross tumor volume of nasopharynx (GTVnx, p=0.047) was weakly related to EBV DNA.
      EBV DNA was significantly correlated with progress-free survival (PFS, p=0.005),
      locoregional-free survival (LRFS, p=0.039), and distant metastasis-free survival
      (DMFS, p=0.017), while GTVtotal, regardless of GTVnx and GTVnd, had a significant
      correlation with PFS and LRFS. The p-values of GTVtotal for PFS and LRFS were
      0.008 and 0.001, respectively. According to GTVtotal and pretreatment EBV DNA
      level, patients were divided into a low-risk group (EBV DNA 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal <
      30 cm3; EBV DNA 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal >= 30 cm3; or EBV DNA > 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal <
      30 cm3) and a high-risk group (EBV DNA > 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal >= 30 cm3). When
      patients in the low-risk group were compared with those in the high-risk group, 3
      year PFS (p=0.003), LRFS (p=0.010), and DMFS (p=0.031) rates were statistically
      significant. Conclusion: Pretreatment plasma EBV DNA and tumor volume were both
      closely correlated with prognosis of stage II NPC patients in the IMRT era.
      Combination of EBV DNA and tumor volume can refine prognosis and indicate for
      clinical therapy.

PMID- 28903551
TI  - The Generation and Application of Patient-Derived Xenograft Model for Cancer
      Research.
AB  - Establishing an appropriate preclinical model is crucial for translational cancer
      research. The most common way that has been adopted by far is grafting cancer
      cell lines, derived from patients. Although this xenograft model is easy to
      generate, but has several limitations because this cancer model could not
      represent the unique features of each cancer patient sufficiently. Moreover,
      accumulating evidences demonstrate cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease so
      that a tumor is comprised of cancer cells with diverse characteristics. In
      attempt to avoid these discrepancies between xenograft model and patients' tumor,
      a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model has been actively generated and applied.
      The PDX model can be developed by the implantation of cancerous tissue from a
      patient's tumor into an immune-deficient mouse directly, thereby it preserves
      both cell-cell interactions and tumor microenvironment. In addition, the PDX
      model has shown advantages as a preclinical model in drug screening, biomarker
      development and co-clinical trial. In this review, we will summarize the
      methodology and applications of PDX in detail, and cover critical issues for the
      development of this model for preclinical research.

PMID- 28903552
TI  - Impact of Body Mass Index on the Quality of Life after Total Gastrectomy for
      Gastric Cancer.
AB  - Purpose: We evaluated the impact of postoperative body mass index (BMI) shifts on
      the quality of life (QoL) following total gastrectomy in patients with gastric
      cancer. Materials and Methods: QoL data collected from the European Organization
      for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ)
      C30 and QLQ-STO22 questionnaires were obtained from 417 patients preoperatively
      and 1 year after surgery. Patients were divided into two groups based on changes
      in BMI: group 1 comprised patientswhose BMIrange category dropped, and group 2
      included patients who maintained or rose to a higher category compared to their
      preoperative BMI category. Results: There were 276 patients in group 1 and 141 in
      group 2. QoLs with respect to the global health status and functional scales were
      not significantly different between the groups 1 year after surgery. However,
      there were significantly greater decreases in QoL in group 1 due to
      gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting (p=0.008), appetite loss
      (p=0.001), and constipation (p=0.038). Of the QLQ-STO22 parameters, dysphagia
      (p=0.013), pain (p=0.012), reflux symptoms (p=0.017), eating restrictions
      (p=0.007), taste (p=0.009), and body image (p=0.009) were associated with
      significantly worse QoL in group 1 than in group 2 1 year after surgery.
      Conclusion: Patients have significantly different QoLs depending on the BMI shift
      after total gastrectomy. Efforts to reduce the gap in QoL should include
      intensive nutritional support and restoration of dietary behaviors. Appropriate
      clinical and institutional approaches, plus active medical interventions, are
      required for maintaining patients' BMIs after surgery.

PMID- 28903553
TI  - Monitoring Microbial Mineralization Using Reverse Stable Isotope Labeling
      Analysis by Mid-Infrared Laser Spectroscopy.
AB  - Assessing the biodegradation of organic compounds is a frequent question in
      environmental science. Here, we present a sensitive, inexpensive, and simple
      approach to monitor microbial mineralization using reverse stable isotope
      labeling analysis (RIL) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The medium for the
      biodegradation assay contains regular organic compounds and 13C-labeled DIC with
      13C atom fractions (x(13C)DIC) higher than natural abundance (typically 2-50%).
      The produced CO2 (x(13C) ~ 1.11%) gradually dilutes the initial x(13C)DIC
      allowing to quantify microbial mineralization using mass-balance calculations.
      For 13C-enriched CO2 samples, a newly developed isotope ratio mid-infrared
      spectrometer was introduced with a precision of x(13C) < 0.006%. As an example
      for extremely difficult and slowly degradable compounds, CO2 production was close
      to the theoretical stoichiometry for anaerobic naphthalene degradation by a
      sulfate-reducing enrichment culture. Furthermore, we could measure the aerobic
      degradation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) adsorbed to granular activated
      carbon in a drinking water production plant, which cannot be labeled with 13C.
      Thus, the RIL approach can be applied to sensitively monitor biodegradation of
      various organic compounds under anoxic or oxic conditions.

PMID- 28903554
TI  - Mechanisms of Furfural Reduction on Metal Electrodes: Distinguishing Pathways for
      Selective Hydrogenation of Bioderived Oxygenates.
AB  - Electrochemical reduction of biomass-derived platform molecules is an emerging
      route for the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. However,
      understanding gaps between reaction conditions, underlying mechanisms, and
      product selectivity have limited the rational design of active, stable, and
      selective catalyst systems. In this work, the mechanisms of electrochemical
      reduction of furfural, an important biobased platform molecule and model for
      aldehyde reduction, are explored through a combination of voltammetry,
      preparative electrolysis, thiol-electrode modifications, and kinetic isotope
      studies. It is demonstrated that two distinct mechanisms are operable on metallic
      Cu electrodes in acidic electrolytes: (i) electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH)
      and (ii) direct electroreduction. The contributions of each mechanism to the
      observed product distribution are clarified by evaluating the requirement for
      direct chemical interactions with the electrode surface and the role of adsorbed
      hydrogen. Further analysis reveals that hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis products
      are generated by parallel ECH pathways. Understanding the underlying mechanisms
      enables the manipulation of furfural reduction by rationally tuning the electrode
      potential, electrolyte pH, and furfural concentration to promote selective
      formation of important biobased polymer precursors and fuels.

PMID- 28903555
TI  - Aldehyde and Ketone Photoproducts from Solar-Irradiated Crude Oil-Seawater
      Systems Determined by Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Aldehyde and ketone photoproducts were observed in the aqueous phase under oil
      exposed to simulated sunlight by using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH)
      derivatization and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS).
      Oil samples were spread over seawater in a jacketed beaker held at 27.0  degrees
      C and exposed to simulated sunlight. The aqueous phase was collected after
      irradiation and derivatized with DNPH, which selectively reacts with aldehydes
      and ketones. The derivatized hydrazones (aldehyde- and ketone-DNPH derivatives)
      were washed and enriched with a solid-phase extraction cartridge prior to
      analysis by ESI-MS/MS in negative ion mode. Over 80 aldehyde and ketone
      photoproducts were observed from scan range 200-1000 atomic mass units (amu) in
      the aqueous phase after irradiation but were absent in dark controls. Based on
      the MS/MS fragmentation of the aldehyde- and ketone-DNPH derivatives, most of the
      aldehyde and ketone photoproduct mass spectra observed from the aqueous phase
      were determined to be consistent with dicarbonyls, hydroxycarbonyls, and oxo
      carboxylic acids. The formation of the photoproducts can be attributed to
      photoinduced oxidation of oil. The approach in this study allows the easy
      identification of molar mass and other structural features of aldehyde and ketone
      photoproducts without interference from the many tens of thousands of parent
      compounds in the oil. These results will provide insight into the impact of
      photochemistry on the fate of oil in environmental systems and will have
      implications for oil-spill response decisions.

PMID- 28903556
TI  - 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase Inhibitors: From Chemical Biology to
      Agrochemicals.
AB  - The development of new herbicides is receiving considerable attention to control
      weed biotypes resistant to current herbicides. Consequently, new enzymes are
      always desired as targets for herbicide discovery. 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate
      dioxygenase (HPPD, EC 1.13.11.27) is an enzyme engaged in photosynthetic activity
      and catalyzes the transformation of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (HPPA) into
      homogentisic acid (HGA). HPPD inhibitors constitute a promising area of discovery
      and development of innovative herbicides with some advantages, including
      excellent crop selectivity, low application rates, and broad-spectrum weed
      control. HPPD inhibitors have been investigated for agrochemical interests, and
      some of them have already been commercialized as herbicides. In this review, we
      mainly focus on the chemical biology of HPPD, discovery of new potential
      inhibitors, and strategies for engineering transgenic crops resistant to current
      HPPD-inhibiting herbicides. The conclusion raises some relevant gaps for future
      research directions.

PMID- 28903558
TI  - Mustard Gas Surrogate Interactions with Modified Porous Carbon Fabrics: Effect of
      Oxidative Treatment.
AB  - Removal of chemical warfare agent (CWA) surrogates by highly porous carbon
      textiles was investigated. The carbon cloth was modified by oxidation in a
      mixture of concentrated sulfuric and nitric acid. This process did not affect
      textile structural integrity. The surface properties of the modified textiles
      were investigated, and their capabilities to remove 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide
      (CEES) and diethylsulfide (EES), two mustard gas surrogates, were evaluated. The
      oxidized carbon textiles have a highly active surface that has the ability to
      form radical species. This enhances the degradation of the surrogates, and so the
      detoxification efficiency. The reaction products detected suggest differences in
      degradation mechanisms which depend on the type of fabric surface features. Thus,
      the oxidized surfaces eliminate CEES mainly through dehydrohalogenation, while
      the nonoxidized surfaces act via hydrolysis. Only the oxidized carbon has a
      surface active enough to react with the less reactive surrogate EES, by cleavage
      of the C-S bond. The surface functional groups promote not only the radical
      formation but also contribute to a strong adsorption of the CWA surrogates, which
      enhance the decomposition of these toxic species.

PMID- 28903557
TI  - A Rheological Study of the Association and Dynamics of MUC5AC Gels.
AB  - The details of how a mucus hydrogel forms from its primary structural component,
      mucin polymers, remain incompletely resolved. To explore this, we use a
      combination of macrorheology and single-particle tracking to investigate the bulk
      and microscopic mechanical properties of reconstituted MUC5AC mucin gels. We find
      that analyses of thermal fluctuations on the length scale of the micrometer-sized
      particles are not predictive of the linear viscoelastic response of the mucin
      gels, and that taken together, the results from both techniques help to provide
      complementary insight into the structure of the network. In particular, we show
      that macroscopic stiffening of MUC5AC gels can be brought about in different ways
      by targeting specific associations within the network using environmental
      triggers such as modifications to the pH, surfactant, and salt concentration. Our
      work may be important for understanding how environmental factors, including
      pathogens and therapeutic agents, alter the mechanical properties of fully
      constituted mucus.

PMID- 28903559
TI  - Three Faces of N-Acetylaspartate: Activator, Substrate, and Inhibitor of Human
      Aspartoacylase.
AB  - Hydrolysis of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), one of the most concentrated metabolites
      in brain, catalyzed by human aspartoacylase (hAsp) shows a remarkable dependence
      of the reaction rate on substrate concentration. At low NAA concentrations,
      sigmoidal shape of kinetic curve is observed, followed by typical rate growth of
      the enzyme-catalyzed reaction, whereas at high NAA concentrations self-inhibition
      takes place. We show that this rate dependence is consistent with a molecular
      model, in which N-acetylaspartate appears to have three faces in the enzyme
      reaction, acting as activator at low concentrations, substrate at moderate
      concentrations, and inhibitor at high concentrations. To support this conclusion
      we identify binding sites of NAA at the hAsp dimer including those on the protein
      surface (activating sites) and at the dimer interface (inhibiting site). Using
      the Markov state model approach we demonstrate that population of either
      activating or inhibiting site shifts the equilibrium between the hAsp dimer
      conformations with the open and closed gates leading to the enzyme active site
      buried inside the protein. These conclusions are in accord with the calculated
      values of binding constants of NAA at the hAsp dimer, indicating that the
      activating site with a higher affinity to NAA should be occupied first, whereas
      the inhibiting site with a lower affinity to NAA should be occupied later.
      Application of the dynamical network analysis shows that communication pathways
      between the regulatory sites (activating or inhibiting) and the gates to the
      active site do not interfere. These considerations allow us to develop a kinetic
      mechanism and to derive the equation for the reaction rate covering the entire
      NAA concentration range. Perfect agreement between theoretical and experimental
      kinetic data provides strong support to the proposed catalytic model.

PMID- 28903560
TI  - Hot and Cold Charge-Transfer Mechanisms in Organic Photovoltaics: Insights into
      the Excited States of Donor/Acceptor Interfaces.
AB  - The evolution of the excited-state manifold in organic D/A aggregates (e.g., the
      prototypical P3HT/PCBM) is investigated through a bottom-up approach via first
      principles calculations. We show how the excited-state energies, the charge
      transfer (CT) states, and the electron-hole density distributions are strongly
      influenced by the size, the orientation, and the position (i.e., on-top versus on
      edge phases) of P3HT/PCBM domains. We discuss how the structural order influences
      the excited-state electronic structure, providing an atomistic interpretation of
      the photophysics of organic blends. We show how the simultaneous presence of on
      top and on-edge phases does not alter the optical absorption spectrum of the
      blend but does affect the photophysics. Photovoltaic processes such as (i) the
      simultaneous charge generation obtained from hot and cold excitations, (ii) the
      instantaneous and delayed charge separation, and (iii) the pump-push-probe charge
      generation can be interpreted based on our study.

PMID- 28903562
TI  - Spontaneous Octahedral Tilting in the Cubic Inorganic Cesium Halide Perovskites
      CsSnX3 and CsPbX3 (X = F, Cl, Br, I).
AB  - The local crystal structures of many perovskite-structured materials deviate from
      the average space-group symmetry. We demonstrate, from lattice-dynamics
      calculations based on quantum chemical force constants, that all of the cesium
      lead and cesium-tin halide perovskites exhibit vibrational instabilities
      associated with octahedral titling in their high-temperature cubic phase.
      Anharmonic double-well potentials are found for zone-boundary phonon modes in all
      compounds with barriers ranging from 108 to 512 meV. The well depth is correlated
      with the tolerance factor and the chemistry of the composition, but is not
      proportional to the imaginary harmonic phonon frequency. We provide quantitative
      insights into the thermodynamic driving forces and distinguish between dynamic
      and static disorder based on the potential-energy landscape. A positive band gap
      deformation (spectral blue shift) accompanies the structural distortion, with
      implications for understanding the performance of these materials in applications
      areas including solar cells and light-emitting diodes.

PMID- 28903561
TI  - Enhanced Sampling of Intrinsic Structural Heterogeneity of the BH3-Only Protein
      Binding Interface of Bcl-xL.
AB  - Antiapoptotic Bcl-xL plays central roles in regulating programed cell death.
      Partial unfolding of Bcl-xL has been observed at the interface upon specific
      binding to the pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein PUMA, which in turn disrupts the
      interaction of Bcl-xL with tumor suppressor p53 and promotes apoptosis. Previous
      analysis of existing Bcl-xL structures and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulations have suggested that substantial intrinsic structure heterogeneity
      exists at the BH3-only protein binding interface of Bcl-xL to facilitate its
      conformational transitions upon binding. In this study, enhanced sampling is
      applied to further characterize the interfacial conformations of unbound Bcl-xL
      in explicit solvent. Extensive replica exchange with solute tempering (REST)
      simulations, with a total accumulated time of 16 MUs, were able to cover much
      wider conformational spaces for the interfacial region of Bcl-xL. The resulting
      structural ensembles are much better converged, with local and long-range
      structural features that are highly consistent with existing NMR data. These
      simulations further demonstrate that the BH3-only protein binding interface of
      Bcl-xL is intrinsically disordered and samples many rapidly interconverting
      conformations. Intriguingly, all previously observed conformers are well
      represented in the unbound structure ensemble. Such intrinsic structural
      heterogeneity and flexibility may be critical for Bcl-xL to undergo partial
      unfolding induced by PUMA binding, and likely provide a robust basis that allows
      Bcl-xL to respond sensitively to binding of various ligands in cellular signaling
      and regulation.

PMID- 28903563
TI  - Three-fold Symmetric Doping Mechanism in GaAs Nanowires.
AB  - A new dopant incorporation mechanism in Ga-assisted GaAs nanowires grown by
      molecular beam epitaxy is reported. Off-axis electron holography revealed that p
      type Be dopants introduced in situ during molecular beam epitaxy growth of the
      nanowires were distributed inhomogeneously in the nanowire cross-section,
      perpendicular to the growth direction. The active dopants showed a remarkable
      azimuthal distribution along the (111)B flat top of the nanowires, which is
      attributed to preferred incorporation along 3-fold symmetric truncated facets
      under the Ga droplet. A diffusion model is presented to explain the unique radial
      and azimuthal variation of the active dopants in the GaAs nanowires.

PMID- 28903564
TI  - Impact of an Artificial Digestion Procedure on Aluminum-Containing Nanomaterials.
AB  - Aluminum has gathered toxicological attention based on relevant human exposure
      and its suspected hazardous potential. Nanoparticles from food supplements or
      food contact materials may reach the human gastrointestinal tract. Here, we
      monitored the physicochemical fate of aluminum-containing nanoparticles and
      aluminum ions when passaging an in vitro model of the human gastrointestinal
      tract. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM), ion beam microscopy (IBM), secondary ion beam mass spectrometry (TOF
      SIMS), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the single
      particle mode were employed to characterize two aluminum-containing nanomaterials
      with different particle core materials (Al0, gammaAl2O3) and soluble AlCl3.
      Particle size and shape remained unchanged in saliva, whereas strong
      agglomeration of both aluminum nanoparticle species was observed at low pH in
      gastric fluid together with an increased ion release. The levels of free aluminum
      ions decreased in intestinal fluid and the particles deagglomerated, thus
      liberating primary particles again. Dissolution of nanoparticles was limited and
      substantial changes of their shape and size were not detected. The amounts of
      particle-associated phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, and calcium increased in
      intestinal fluid, as compared to nanoparticles in standard dispersion.
      Interestingly, nanoparticles were found in the intestinal fluid after addition of
      ionic aluminum. We provide a comprehensive characterization of the fate of
      aluminum nanoparticles in simulated gastrointestinal fluids, demonstrating that
      orally ingested nanoparticles probably reach the intestinal epithelium. The
      balance between dissolution and de novo complex formation should be considered
      when evaluating nanotoxicological experiments.

PMID- 28903565
TI  - Liquid Biopsies - the Clinics and the Molecules.
AB  - Unlike bone marrow biopsies, liquid biopsies represent a gentler, more
      accessible, less painful, repeatable and more comprehensive approach to get
      biologically relevant information about the entire tumor but also about treatment
      response and level of minimal residual disease. This is all possible since
      peripheral blood contains not only circulating tumor cells but also many
      circulating molecules of nucleic acids (microRNA, cell-free DNA, long non-coding
      RNA etc.). Multiple myeloma is a genetically heterogeneous disease characterized
      by multifocal tumor deposits in the bone marrow but also focal lesions elsewhere.
      Single-site biopsy of the bone marrow creates a sampling bias that provides a
      limited molecular profile as the biopsy cannot capture all subclones. Moreover,
      during disease progression and treatment, molecular profile is changed and
      subclones of multiple myeloma cells resistant to treatment are formed. Likewise,
      various clones found in extramedullary sites that are not present in the bone
      marrow respond differently to treatment directly influencing survival of
      patients. Thus, liquid biopsies seem to be a relevant and necessary next step for
      diseases such as multiple myeloma.Key words: multiple myeloma - minimal residual
      disease - prognosis - liquid biopsies - cell-free DNA - non-coding RNA.

PMID- 28903566
TI  - Biobanking - the First Step to Successful Liquid Biopsy Experiments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Archiving of biological materials in biobanks is considered to be the
      initial crucial part of research activities. Most often, biobanks are founded for
      research purposes since they allow collection of sufficient material for analysis
      of new or testing of previously identified biomarkers. Biobanking needs to
      quickly react to current needs of researchers as well as clinicians, it is not a
      rigid system. Laboratory analyses of monoclonal gammopathies are based on
      separation of plasma cells from bone marrow of patients. A specific problem is
      usually a lack of tumor cell fraction, which is due to location of tumor cell in
      bone marrow in combination with low infiltration. One of the challenges in
      clinical research is the necessity of changes in biobanking for samples allowing
      detection of minimal residual disease in the bone marrow but also from peripheral
      blood by the so-called liquid biopsies. AIM: The aim of this review is to show
      the importance of archiving biological material in the Czech Republic and to show
      concrete examples of its usage in hematooncology. CONCLUSION: A general problem
      in solving many research questions is the availability of a critical amount of
      specimens for statistical analysis. Obtaining critical amount of specimens of
      biological material can be quickly archived by cooperation of biobanks sharing
      both methodological standards and informations about the availability of samples
      for research projects.Key words: archiving - biological material - informed
      consent - multiple myeloma - plasma cells.

PMID- 28903567
TI  - Minimal Residual Disease Assessment in Multiple Myeloma by Multiparametric Flow
      Cytometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Progress in treatment of multiple myeloma extensively increased
      patient remission rates, so minimal residual disease (MRD) detection becomes
      essential to assess the effectivity of treatment and depth of complete response.
      Nowadays, multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) is the most used method for
      monitoring of MRD presence in the bone marrow of multiple myeloma patients;
      however, detection on molecular level can be used as well. It is evident that
      choice of protocol used for MFC-MRD assessment can significantly affect required
      results; nevertheless, standardized and highly sensitive approach of "next
      generation flow" is already available. Although benefit of MRD assessment as an
      independent predictor of progression-free survival and overall survival is known,
      very recent research showed that MRD-negative status surpasses the prognostic
      value of complete response achievement for progression-free survival and overall
      survival. AIM: This review is focused on use MFC in MRD assessment in multiple
      myeloma. The technical aspects and clinical benefits of this approach are
      mentioned as well. CONCLUSION: The information about MRD level detected by highly
      sensitive and reproducible MFC can be potentially used as a biomarker to evaluate
      the efficacy of different treatment strategies, help on treatment decisions and
      act as a surrogate for overall survival in multiple myeloma patients.Key words:
      multiple myeloma - minimal residual disease - flow cytometry - plasma cells.

PMID- 28903568
TI  - Circulating Plasma Cells in Monoclonal Gammopathies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Monoclonal gammopathies are characterized by presence of clonal
      plasma cells in the bone marrow, although peripheral blood circulating plasma
      cells can be found in a significant proportion of patients. The number of
      circulating plasma cells is an independent prognostic marker associated with
      shorter survival, but it can also help to predict early relapse. The reason and
      mechanism of plasma cell expansion from the bone marrow to enter peripheral blood
      is still not entirely clear, but possible changes in the expression of adhesion
      molecules are probably involved. Multiparametric flow cytometry allows simple and
      exact enumeration of circulating plasma cells in different types of cell
      suspensions, even in their low quantity. The phenotype profile and confirmation
      of clonality regarding to their bone marrow clonal counterparts should be
      verified as well. There is no uniform method used in clinical laboratories for
      circulating plasma cells analyses at this moment. AIM: Review is focused on use
      of multiparametric flow cytometry for circulating plasma cells analysis in
      peripheral blood. It is comparing possibilities of their detection by different
      methods and on clinical relevance of that assessment. The standardization of
      analyses is the main goal. CONCLUSION: Multiparametric flow cytometry is a very
      sensitive method for detection of circulating plasma cells, so using a
      standardized approach can lead to determination and implementation of the flow
      cytometry diagnostic threshold in plasma cell leukemia suspicious cases as well
      as in prognostication of monoclonal gammopathies patients. Moreover, analysis of
      plasma cells phenotypic profile could probably clarify their future behaviour.Key
      words: monoclonal gammopathies - circulating plasma cells - plasma cell leukemia 
      flow cytometry.

PMID- 28903569
TI  - Epidemiology of Multiple Myeloma in the Czech Republic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of plasma cells with an incidence
      of 4.8 cases per 100,000 population in the Czech Republic in 2014; the burden of
      MM in the Czech Republic is moderate when compared to other European countries.
      This work brings the latest information on MM epidemiology in the Czech
      population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Czech National Cancer Registry is the basic
      source of data for the population-based evaluation of MM epidemiology. This
      database also makes it possible to assess patient survival and to predict
      probable short-term as well as long-term trends in the treatment burden of the
      entire population. RESULTS: According to the latest Czech National Cancer
      Registry data, there were 504 new cases of MM and 376 deaths from MM in 2014.
      Since 2004, there has been a 26.9% increase in MM incidence and an 8.3% increase
      in MM mortality. In 2014, there were 1,982 persons living with MM or a history of
      MM, corresponding to a 74.4% increase when compared to MM prevalence in 2004. The
      5-year survival of patients treated in the period 2010-2014 was nearly 40%.
      CONCLUSION: The available data make it possible to analyse long-term trends in MM
      epidemiology and to predict the future treatment burden as well as treatment
      results.Key words: multiple myeloma - epidemiology - Czech National Cancer
      Registry - Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies - Czech Republic.

PMID- 28903570
TI  - Czech Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies - Technical Solution, Data Collection
      and Visualisation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies (RMG) was established by the
      Czech Myeloma Group in 2007. RMG is a registry designed for the collection of
      clinical data concerning diagnosis, treatment, treatment results and survival of
      patients with monoclonal gammopathies. Data on patients with monoclonal
      gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), Waldenstrom macroglobulinaemia
      (WM), multiple myeloma (MM) or primary AL ("amyloid light-chain") amyloidosis are
      collected in the registry. DATA: Nineteen Czech centres and four Slovak centres
      currently contribute to the registry. The registry currently contains records on
      more than 5,000 patients with MM, almost 3,000 patients with MGUS, 170 patients
      with WM and 26 patients with primary AL amyloidosis, i.e. more than 8,000 records
      on patients with monoclonal gammopathies altogether. RESULTS: This paper
      describes technology employed for the collection, storage and subsequent online
      visualisation of data. The CLADE-IS platform is introduced as a new system for
      the collection and storage of data from the registry. The form structure and
      functions of the new system are described for all diagnoses in general; these
      functions facilitate data entry to the registry and minimise the error rate in
      data. Publicly available online visualisations of data on patients with MGUS, WM,
      MM or primary AL amyloidosis from all Czech or Slovak centres are introduced,
      together with authenticated visualisations of data on patients with MM from
      selected centres. CONCLUSION: The RMG represents a data basis that makes it
      possible to monitor the disease course in patients with monoclonal gammopathies
      on the population level.Key words: Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies - RMG -
      registries - monoclonal gammopathies - CLADE-IS - data visualisation - database.

PMID- 28903571
TI  - Asymptomatic and Treatment-requiring Multiple Myeloma - Data from the Czech
      Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and
      smouldering multiple myeloma (SMM) are premalignant stages of multiple myeloma
      (MM). MM is a malignancy of plasma cells, which is associated with a median
      overall survival of 5 to 7 years. MM accounts for approximately 10% of
      hematological malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Descriptive analysis of data
      from 19 Czech centres collected in the Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies (RMG)
      was performed. RESULTS: Over the last 10 years of prospective collection of data,
      together with retrospectively recorded data on patients diagnosed before the
      registry establishment, data on 7,467 patients with either asymptomatic or
      symptomatic form of MM have been gathered. Validation criteria for the analysis
      were met by 2,506 MGUS patients, 400 SMM patients and 4,738 MM patients. The
      median duration of follow-up was 4.3 years in MGUS patients and 2.4 years in SMM
      patients. The overall risk of progression from MGUS to malignancy was 1.7% per
      year. The risk of progression from SMM to MM was highest in the 1st years after
      diagnosis: overall, this risk was 16.6% per year. The median duration of follow
      up was 2.8 years in MM patients. The median overall survival from the diagnosis
      was 5.7 years. The median OS from treatment initiation/progression-free survival
      decreased from 60.5/21.0 months in the 1st line therapy to 34.3/12.4 months in
      the 2nd line therapy, 22.6/8.9 months in the 3rd line therapy and 13.8/5.8 months
      in the 4th or higher line therapies. Thanks to the availability of novel drugs
      for MM treatment in the Czech Republic, treatment strategies have changed
      dramatically over the last decade. CONCLUSION: RMG is a registry designated for
      the collection of data on diagnosis, treatment, treatment results and survival of
      patients with monoclonal gammopathies in the long-term follow-up. RMG is a
      valuable source of data from real clinical practice.Key words: registries -
      monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance - smouldering multiple myeloma
      - multiple myeloma - progression - treatment - survival.

PMID- 28903572
TI  - Biomarkers in Immunoglobulin Light Chain Amyloidosis.
AB  - Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis - ALA) is a monoclonal
      gammopathy characterized by presence of aberrant plasma cells producing
      amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chains. This leads to formation of amyloid
      fibrils in various organs and tissues, mainly in heart and kidney, and causes
      their dysfunction. As amyloid depositing in target organs is irreversible, there
      is a big effort to identify biomarker that could help to distinguish ALA from
      other monoclonal gammopathies in the early stages of disease, when amyloid
      deposits are not fatal yet. High throughput technologies bring new opportunities
      to modern cancer research as they enable to study disease within its complexity.
      Sophisticated methods such as next generation sequencing, gene expression
      profiling and circulating microRNA profiling are new approaches to study aberrant
      plasma cells from patients with light chain amyloidosis and related diseases.
      While generally known mutation in multiple myeloma patients (KRAS, NRAS, MYC,
      TP53) were not found in ALA, number of mutated genes is comparable. Transcriptome
      of ALA patients proves to be more similar to monoclonal gammopathy of
      undetermined significance patients, moreover level of circulating microRNA, that
      are known to correlate with heart damage, is increased in ALA patients, where
      heart damage in ALA typical symptom.Key words: amyloidosis - plasma cell - genome
      - transcriptome - microRNA.

PMID- 28903573
TI  - CRISPR in Research and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma.
AB  - In the recent years, there was a remarkable advance in research and clinical
      implementation of the genome editing technologies. The most remarkable was a
      discovery of the bacterial adaptive immune system called CRISPR and its rapid
      transformation into a robust and broadly applicable technology that completely
      revolutionized both basic and applied biomedical research. Implementation of
      CRISPR makes genome modification easier, faster and significantly cheaper compare
      to any other currently available technology. It also offers a tremendous
      potential for desiging novel research approaches and future treatment options for
      various genetic diseases including multiple myeloma. The hightroughput use of
      CRISPR in pooled screen formats promises faster identification and validation of
      valuable drug targets together with revealing high-confidence biomarkers and
      unknown resistance mechanisms. This can provide clinicians with new diagnostic
      and prognostic tolls and ultimately allow more accurate patient stratification
      for personalised treatment with better eficacy. In this review, we summarize
      current knowledge about the CRISPR technology and focus especially on its impact
      in exploring gene functions, screening for novel drug targets, diagnostic markers
      and genes involved in resistance to commonly used drug in the treatment of
      multiple myeloma. Finally, we also highlight a potential future use of CRISPR in
      actual clinical practise.Key words: multiple myeloma - CRISPR - therapeutics.

PMID- 28903574
TI  - Whole Exome Sequencing of Aberrant Plasma Cells in a Patient with Multiple
      Myeloma Minimal Residual Disease.
AB  - Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell dyscrasia. It is the second most common
      hematological malignancy which is characterized by proliferation of clonal plasma
      cells producing harmful monoclonal immunoglobulin. Despite treatment modalities
      greatly evolved during the last decade, small amount of aberrant residual cells
      reside in patients after therapy and can cause relapse of the disease.
      Characterization of the residual, resistant clones can help to reveal important
      therapeutic targets for application of effective and precious treatment. We use
      CD38, CD45, CD56 and CD19 sorted aberrant plasma cells to perform next generation
      sequencing of their exome. Among the 213 genes in which at least one variant was
      present, the most interesting was found gene NRAS, one of the most often mutated
      gene in multiple myeloma, and homologs of 88 gene panel previously used for
      multiple myeloma sequencing among which was a gene previously identified as gene
      meaningful in bortezomib resistance. Nevertheless, the results of next generation
      exome sequencing need to be interpreted with caution, since they rely on
      bioinformatical analysis, which is still being optimized. The results of next
      generation sequencing will also have to be confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Final
      results supported by larger cohort of patients will be published soon.Key words:
      multiple myeloma - minimal residual disease - exome - next generation sequencing.

PMID- 28903575
TI  - Diagnostic Tools of Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia - Best Possibilities for Non
      invasive and Long-term Disease Monitoring.
AB  - Waldenstroms macroglobulinemia (WM) is a B-cell malignancy characterized by high
      level of monoclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) paraprotein in blood serum and
      associated with the bone marrow infiltration by malignant cells with
      lymphoplasmacytic differentiation. WM remains incurable advances in therapy. Most
      of WM cases are associated with a somatic point mutation L265P in MYD88.
      Significantly higher risk of progression from the IgM monoclonal gammopathy of
      undetermined significance (IgM MGUS) to WM for patients with mutated MYD88 gene
      suggests that this mutation is an early oncogenic event and plays a central role
      in development of malignant clones. The second, most prevalent mutation in WM is
      found in the CXCR4 gene and is often associated with drug resistance and
      aggressive disease presentation. Therefore, detection of these mutations
      (MYD88L265P and CXCR4S338X) could be useful diagnostic and prognostic tool for
      the patients with WM. While detection of these mutations in bone marrow sample is
      common, the aim of our study was to compare sensitivity of detection of mutation
      from different cell fraction from peripheral blood and bone marrow. The results
      show possibility to describe MYD88 and CXCR4 mutation status even from peripheral
      blood sample (sensitivity for MYD88L265P was 100%, for CXCR4S338X 91%), which
      significantly facilitate material collection. Moreover, comparable detection
      sensitivity of these mutations in bone marrow and peripheral blood samples
      examined before and during the therapy offers a promising tool for more routine
      diagnostic and monitoring of disease progression.Key words: Waldenstrom
      macroglobulinemia - hematology - neoplasms - lymphoma - mutation - MYD88 - CXCR4.

PMID- 28903576
TI  - Mitigating intimate partner violence among South African women testing HIV
      positive during mobile counseling and testing.
AB  - South African women continue to suffer disproportionately from the interlinked
      epidemics of HIV and intimate partner violence (IPV). Effective strategies are
      needed to mitigate HIV-related IPV, which often creates barriers to successful
      engagement along the HIV continuum of care. More information is needed on how IPV
      impacts women's safety following mobile HCT diagnosis, and the HIV IPV Risk
      Assessment & Safety-planning (HIRS) protocol was developed to address several
      related gaps in knowledge. The sample included 255 black South African women
      experiencing IPV and testing HIV+ during mobile HCT in Gauteng province. Outcomes
      were compared between a standard of care (SOC) group and an Experimental group
      with two dosage levels (D1, D2). Of the total sample and in the last year, 99.2%
      had experienced non-violent control, 40.7% physical abuse, 44.8% sexual abuse,
      and 67.3% physical or sexual abuse. There were no significant differences in
      pre/post safety scores, or for satisfaction or acceptability items. The overall
      linkage rate was 45.8% (M = 12.97 days), and the Experimental group had more
      links to care in certain age groups-the highest in those aged <=23 years in D1
      (70%). The lowest linkage rate was for those aged 33-43 years in the SOC (22.2%).
      Almost two thirds of participants reported using the safety plan (61.9%), with
      80% reporting it was helpful, and 80% using >=1 safety strategy. The Experimental
      group reported significantly less violence upon partner notification of
      serostatus, but all groups felt significantly less safe getting to medical
      appointments by post-test. Overall, the study indicates the HIRS protocol is safe
      and helpful, brief to administer, and may mitigate violence during partner
      notification of serostatus, but further investigation is needed before
      implementing it as a standard of care.

PMID- 28903577
TI  - A 2-4-Amino Acid Deletion in the V5 Region of HIV-1 Env gp120 Confers Viral
      Resistance to the Broadly Neutralizing Human Monoclonal Antibody, VRC01.
AB  - The envelope glycoprotein (Env) gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV
      1) plays a critical role in viral entry into host cells. The broadly neutralizing
      human monoclonal antibody VRC01, which recognizes the CD4 binding site on gp120,
      neutralizes more than 90% of HIV-1 isolates. However, some of the CRF01_AE
      viruses prevalent in Southeast Asia are resistant to VRC01-mediated
      neutralization. We previously reported that 3 amino acid residues at positions
      185, 186, and 197 of gp120 played an important role in the VRC01 resistance of
      CRF01_AE Env (AE-Env) clones isolated from HIV-infected Thai individuals.
      However, the VRC01 susceptibility of AE-Env clones was not fully explained by
      mutations at these 3 residues. In the present study, we examined other factors
      involved in the acquisition of viral VRC01 resistance. Neutralization tests using
      lentiviral vectors expressing a series of mutant AE-Env clones revealed that the
      deletion of 2-4 amino acid residues on the loop structure in the V5 region of
      gp120 conferred VRC01 resistance to several AE-Env clones. Our results provide
      novel insights into the mechanisms underlying viral VRC01 resistance.

PMID- 28903578
TI  - Mental Health Services Use Trends in Canadian Veterans: A Population-Based
      Retrospective Cohort Study in Ontario.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A substantial evidence base in the peer-reviewed literature exists
      investigating mental illness in the military, but relatively less is documented
      about mental illness in veterans. This study uses provincial, administrative data
      to study the use of mental health services by Canadian veterans in Ontario.
      METHOD: This was a retrospective cohort study of Canadian Armed Forces and Royal
      Canadian Mounted Police veterans who were released between 1990 and 2013 and
      resided in Ontario. Mental health-related primary care physician, psychiatrist,
      emergency department (ED) visits, and psychiatric hospitalisations were counted.
      Repeated measures were presented in 5-year intervals, stratified by age at
      release. RESULTS: The cohort included 23,818 veterans. In the first 5 years
      following entry into the health care system, 28.9% of veterans had >=1 mental
      health-related primary care physician visit, 5.8% visited a psychiatrist at least
      once, and 2.4% received acute mental health services at an ED. The use of mental
      health services was consistent over time. Almost 8% of veterans aged 30 to 39
      years saw a psychiatrist in the first 5 years after release, compared to 3.5% of
      veterans aged >=50 years at release. The youngest veterans at release (<30 years)
      were the most frequent users of ED services for a mental health-related reason
      (5.1% had at least 1 ED visit). CONCLUSION: Understanding how veterans use the
      health care system for mental health problems is an important step to ensuring
      needs are met during the transition to civilian life.

PMID- 28903580
TI  - Reliability of parent recall of symptom onset and timing in autism spectrum
      disorder.
AB  - Past events are often reported as occurring more recently than they actually took
      place, an error called forward telescoping. This study examined whether forward
      telescoping was evident in parent reports of autism spectrum disorder symptom
      emergence and onset classification. Parents were interviewed when their child was
      2-3 years old (Time 1) and approximately 6 years old (Time 2). Significant
      forward telescoping was found in both age of social regression and age when
      language milestones were achieved, but not age of language regression. The
      correspondence between Time 1 and Time 2 onset report was low ( kappa = 0.38).
      Approximately one-quarter of the sample changed onset categories, most often due
      to parents not recalling a regression at Time 2 that they had reported at Time 1.
      These results challenge the use of retrospective methods in determining onset
      patterns.

PMID- 28903581
TI  - Geriatric Assessment Can Predict Outcomes of Endoscopic Surgery for Benign
      Prostatic Hyperplasia in Elderly Patients.
AB  - : Ojectives: Surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in elderly
      patients is associated with higher morbidity and mortality rate. This raises the
      question of benefice and risk balance. We conducted a prospective observational
      study to evaluate the results of endoscopic surgery for BPH in elderly patients,
      according to geriatric assessment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included
      prospectively 60 patients older than 75 years, with an indwelling catheter for
      acute or chronic retention, who were candidates to endoscopic surgery for BPH.
      Patients underwent the brief geriatric assessment (BGA) and the comprehensive
      geriatric assessment (CGA) to classify them into three groups: "vigorous,"
      "vulnerable," and "sick." Success was defined by the bladder catheter withdrawal
      after surgery. RESULTS: After geriatric assessment, 33 patients were classified
      in the "vigorous" group (55%), 25 in the "vulnerable" group (42%), and 2 in the
      "sick" group (3%). The success rate immediately after surgery was 85% and 41% in
      the "vigorous patient" group and the "vulnerable and sick" patient group,
      respectively (p < 0.05). The success rate at 3 months after surgery was 94% and
      55% (p < 0.05). The morbidity was higher for the "vulnerable and sick" group
      (44%) compared with the "vigorous" group (15%) (p < 0.05). The BGA also allowed
      predicting a higher risk of failure in patients with a score >=3 immediately
      after surgery (odds ratio 5.9, confidence interval [95% CI] 1.61, 29.9) and 3
      months after surgery (odds ratio 6.9, 95% CI 1.31, 70.8). CONCLUSION: Geriatric
      assessment can predict the outcome of endoscopic surgery for BPH for patients in
      retention older than 75 years. "Vulnerable and sick" patients had a higher risk
      to keep their indwelling catheter after the surgery compared with "vigorous"
      patients. The complication rate is also higher. The BGA can although predict a
      poor result of surgery when its score is equal or above 3/6.

PMID- 28903582
TI  - Methylprednisolone for prevention of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in
      patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome undergoing in-vitro fertilisation: a
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the effect of methylprednisolone on prevention of
      ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
      patients undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). This randomised controlled
      trial was carried out between November 2009 and December 2013. A total of 219
      eligible patients were randomly allocated for treatment (n = 108) or control
      groups (n = 111). The treatment group received oral methylprednisolone starting
      from the first day of stimulation. These patients also received an intravenous
      dose of methylprednisolone on the days of egg collection and embryo transfer. The
      control group received no glucocorticoid treatment to prevent OHSS. Nineteen
      percent of patients (18/93) who received methylprednisolone developed OHSS
      compared with 16.5% (15/91) in the control group and no significant difference
      was found (p = .61). There were no significant differences between treatment and
      control groups in the rates of implantation (10% versus 11%, p = .77) and
      clinical pregnancy (23.2% versus 17.7%, p = .46). Methylprednisolone did not
      reduce the incidence and severity of OHSS in PCOS patients undergoing IVF and no
      improvement in clinical outcomes was observed. Impact statement No significant
      differences were found in OHSS incidence and clinical outcomes between women who
      received methylprednisolone and control group. There seems to be no benefit for
      the routine use of glucocorticoids in IVF/ICSI treatments.

PMID- 28903579
TI  - Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Cardiovascular Health.
AB  - SIGNIFICANCE: Social and demographic changes have led to an increased prevalence
      of loneliness and social isolation in modern society. Recent Advances: Population
      based studies have demonstrated that both objective social isolation and the
      perception of social isolation (loneliness) are correlated with a higher risk of
      mortality and that both are clearly risk factors for cardiovascular disease
      (CVD). Lonely individuals have increased peripheral vascular resistance and
      elevated blood pressure. Socially isolated animals develop more atherosclerosis
      than those housed in groups. CRITICAL ISSUES: Molecular mechanisms responsible
      for the increased cardiovascular risk are poorly understood. In recent reports,
      loneliness and social stress were associated with activation of the hypothalamic
      pituitary-adrenocortical axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Repeated and
      chronic social stress leads to glucocorticoid resistance, enhanced myelopoiesis,
      upregulated proinflammatory gene expression, and oxidative stress. However, the
      causal role of these mechanisms in the development of loneliness-associated CVD
      remains unclear. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of
      how CVD is induced by loneliness and social isolation requires additional
      studies. Understanding of the pathomechanisms is essential for the development of
      therapeutic strategies to prevent the detrimental effects of social stress on
      health. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 837-851.

PMID- 28903583
TI  - Prenatal genetic diagnosis of Neu-Laxova syndrome.

PMID- 28903584
TI  - Re: "How Mohs Surgery Transformed Into a First-Line Treatment of Skin Cancer".

PMID- 28903585
TI  - Reconsidering Accuracy of Acne Self-Reports.

PMID- 28903589
TI  - The Struggle for Supremacy in Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen: The Breaking of
      the Father's Authority.

PMID- 28903586
TI  - JCMS, CME, and You / Le JCMS, le DPC et vous.

PMID- 28903591
TI  - Negative Self-Evaluating Emotions as Mediator in the Relationship Between
      Childhood Emotional Trauma and Alexithymia in Adulthood.

PMID- 28903595
TI  - Religious Coping and Defense Style in a Sample of Persons with Cognitive
      Complaints.

PMID- 28903596
TI  - Changes in Self-Representations Following Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Young
      Adults: A Comparative Typology.
AB  - Changes in dynamic psychological structures are often a treatment goal in
      psychotherapy. The present study aimed at creating a typology of self
      representations among young women and men in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, to
      study longitudinal changes in self-representations, and to compare self
      representations in the clinical sample with those of a nonclinical group. Twenty
      five women and sixteen men were interviewed according to Blatt's Object Relations
      Inventory pretreatment, at termination, and at a 1.5-year follow-up. In the
      comparison group, eleven women and nine men were interviewed at baseline, 1.5
      years, and three years later. Typologies of the 123 self-descriptions in the
      clinical group and 60 in the nonclinical group were constructed by means of ideal
      type analysis for men and women separately. Clusters of self-representations
      could be depicted on a two-dimensional matrix with the axes Relatedness-Self
      definition and Integration-Nonintegration. In most cases, the self-descriptions
      changed over time in terms of belonging to different ideal-type clusters. In the
      clinical group, there was a movement toward increased integration in self
      representations, but above all toward a better balance between relatedness and
      self-definition. The changes continued after termination, paralleled by reduced
      symptoms, improved functioning, and higher developmental levels of
      representations. No corresponding tendency could be observed in the nonclinical
      group.

PMID- 28903597
TI  - The Relationship Between Defense Style and Intelligence.

PMID- 28903598
TI  - Healthcare providers' attitude and knowledge regarding medication use in
      breastfeeding women: a Jordanian national questionnaire study.
AB  - : Medication use among women who have recently given birth is unavoidable in some
      situations. The aim of this study was to assess the attitude and knowledge of
      healthcare providers (HCPs) in Jordan about the safe use of medications during
      breastfeeding. The data were collected from HCPs in maternal and children care
      centres and hospitals from April 2015 to January 2016, using a self-administered
      questionnaire. A total of 904 HCPs (79.3%) were enrolled in the study. Half of
      the participants followed the World Health Organisation's and American Academy of
      Pediatrics' recommendations. The awareness of HCPs regarding these
      recommendations was lower among nurses (OR 0.212, 95%CI 0.132-0.338, p < .001)
      and pharmacists (OR 0.476, 95%CI 0.297-0.763, p = .002) than physicians. The
      majority of participants (80%) had low level of knowledge and nurses were more
      likely to have low knowledge than physicians (OR 0.099, 95%CI 0.050-0.197, p <
      .001). Professional continuous education programmes were highly encouraged.
      Impact statement What is already known on this subject: Use of medications among
      women who have recently given birth is unavoidable in some situations and most of
      them are safe to be given during breastfeeding. What the results of this study
      add: Healthcare providers in Jordan have variable attitudes regarding the safety
      of medication use during breastfeeding. The majority of healthcare providers have
      a low level of knowledge regarding the safe use of medication during
      breastfeeding. Nurses are more likely to have low knowledge as compared to
      physicians. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare providers should be
      encouraged to seek information regarding compatibility of medication use during
      breastfeeding from reliable sources. Professional continuing education programmes
      concerning the safety of medication use during breastfeeding period are needed to
      target all involved HCPs. More attention should be directed toward medical
      schools' curricula to widen the knowledge of medication use and focus on practice
      based clinical experience.

PMID- 28903599
TI  - An Open Letter to Health Canada.

PMID- 28903600
TI  - Basal Cell Carcinoma in Erythropoietic Protoporphyria: All About Ultraviolet
      Light?

PMID- 28903601
TI  - "The Good Physician Treats the Disease; the Great Physician Treats the Patient
      Who Has the Disease" / "Le bon medecin traite la maladie; le grand medecin traite
      le patient atteint de la maladie".

PMID- 28903602
TI  - Role of maternal serum ferritin in prediction of preterm labour.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of measurement of serum ferritin
      level in pregnant women to predict preterm labour. The study included 236 women
      whose haemoglobin (Hb) levels were >=10.5 gm/dl and gestational age (GA) was less
      than 30 weeks. Serum ferritin levels were measured at 30 weeks of gestational
      age. At the end of the study, 23 women delivered with preterm premature rupture
      of membrane (PPROM) and 17 women delivered before 37 weeks but without PROM
      (study group). The rest of the pregnant women (196 women) delivered between 37
      and 40 weeks (control group). We found a significant difference between the two
      groups with respect to serum ferritin level. The cut off value of serum ferritin
      between the two groups was 31 ng/ml with sensitivity 92.8%, specificity 99.4%,
      positive predictive value 97.5%, negative predictive value 98.4% and accuracy
      98.3%. Impact statement What is already known on this subject: maternal serum
      ferritin has been found to be elevated in women who delivered preterm. What the
      results of this study add: In this study, we have shown that serum ferritin 31
      ng/ml is the optimal cut-point between preterm and full-term women. What the
      implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research:
      Serum ferritin 31 ng/ml could be proposed as a potential helpful marker to
      predict preterm labour.

PMID- 28903603
TI  - Reconsideration ICF scheme.

PMID- 28903605
TI  - In honour of Professor Ruth Duncan, recipient of the Journal of Drug Targeting's
      Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017.

PMID- 28903604
TI  - Remediation of contaminated soils by biotechnology with nanomaterials: bio
      behavior, applications, and perspectives.
AB  - Soil contamination caused by heavy metals and organic pollutants has drawn world
      wide concern. Biotechnology has been applied for many years to the
      decontamination of soils polluted with organic and inorganic contaminants, and
      novel nanomaterials (NMs) has attracted much concern due to their high capacity
      for the removal/stabilization/degradation of pollutants. Recently, developing
      advanced biotechnology with NMs for the remediation of contaminated soils has
      become a hot research topic. Some researchers found that bioremediation
      efficiency of contaminated soils was enhanced by the addition of NMs, while
      others demonstrated that the toxicity of NMs to the organism negatively
      influenced the repair capacity of polluted soils. This paper reviews the
      application of biotechnology and NMs in soil remediation, and further provides a
      critical view of the effects of NMs on the phytoremediation and micro-remediation
      of contaminated soils. This review also discusses the future research needs for
      the combined application of biotechnology and NMs in soil remediation.

PMID- 28903606
TI  - Metabolic profile of oxazepam and related benzodiazepines: clinical and forensic
      aspects.
AB  - Anxiolytic drugs, namely benzodiazepines, are the most commonly used psychoactive
      substances since anxiety disorders are prevalent mental disorders particularly in
      the Western world. Oxazepam is a short-acting benzodiazepine and one of the most
      frequently prescribed anxiolytic drugs. It is also the active metabolite of a
      wide range of other benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, ketazolam, temazepam,
      chlordiazepoxide, demoxazepam, halazepam, medazepam, prazepam, pinazepam, and
      chlorazepate. Therefore, relevant clinical and forensic outocomes may arise,
      namely those related to interference in driving performance. It is clinically
      available as a racemic formulation, with S-enantiomer being more active than R
      enantiomer. In humans, it is mainly polimorphically metabolized by glucuronide
      conjugation at the 3-carbon hydroxyl group, yielding stable diastereomeric
      glucuronides (R- and S-oxazepam glucuronide). Relevant metabolic and
      stereoselective interspecies differences have been reported. In this work, the
      pharmacokinetics of oxazepam with particular focus on metabolic pathways is fully
      reviewed. Moreover, the metabolic profile of other prescribed benzodiazepines
      that produce oxazepam as a metabolite is also discussed. It is aimed that knowing
      the metabolism of oxazepam and related benzodiazepines may lead to the
      development of new analytical strategies for its early detection and help in
      further toxicological and clinical interpretations.

PMID- 28903607
TI  - Candida endocarditis: systematic literature review from 1997 to 2014 and analysis
      of 29 cases from the Italian Study of Endocarditis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Candida Endocarditis (CE) is a deadly disease. It is of paramount
      importance to assess risk factors for acquisition of both Candida native (NVE)
      and prosthetic (PVE) valve endocarditis and relate clinical features and
      treatment strategies with the outcome of the disease. Areas covered: We searched
      the literature using the Pubmed database. Cases of CE from the Italian Study on
      Endocarditis (SEI) were also included. Overall, 140 cases of CE were analyzed.
      Patients with a history of abdominal surgery and antibiotic exposure had higher
      probability of developing NVE than PVE. In the PVE group, time to onset of CE was
      significantly lower for biological prosthesis compared to mechanical prosthesis.
      In the whole population, greater age and longer time to diagnosis were associated
      with increased likelihood of death. Patients with effective anti-biofilm
      treatment, patients who underwent cardiac surgery and patients who were
      administered chronic suppressive antifungal treatment showed increased survival.
      For PVE, moderate active anti-biofilm and highly active anti-biofilm treatment
      were associated with lower mortality. Expert commentary: Both NVE and PVE could
      be considered biofilm-related diseases, pathogenetically characterized by Candida
      intestinal translocation and initial transient candidemia. Cardiac surgery, EAB
      treatment and chronic suppressive therapy might be crucial in increasing patient
      survival.

PMID- 28903608
TI  - Influence of substrates on the in vitro kinetics of steviol glucuronidation and
      interaction between steviol glycosides metabolites and UGT2B7.
AB  - Steviol glycosides, a natural sweetener, may perform bioactivities via steviol,
      their main metabolite in human digestion. The metabolising kinetics, i.e.
      glucuronidation kinetics and interaction between steviol glycosides or their
      metabolites and metabolising enzyme, are important for understanding the
      bioactivity and cytotoxicity. The present study investigated kinetics of steviol
      glucuronidation in human liver microsome and a recombinant human UDP
      glucuronosyltransferases isomer, UGT2B7, along with molecular docking to analyse
      interaction between UGT2B7 and steviol or glucose. The active pocket of UGT2B7 is
      consisted of Arg352, Leu347, Lys343, Phe339, Tyr354, Lys355 and Leu353. The
      influence of stevioside, rebaudioside A, glucose and some chemotherapy reagents
      on the glucuronidation was also studied. The predicted hepatic clearence
      suggested that steviol could be classified as high-clearence drug. The steviol
      glycosides did not affect the glucuronidation of steviol notably.

PMID- 28903609
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28903610
TI  - A broad ligament pregnancy successfully managed by laparoscopy.

PMID- 28903611
TI  - Maternal leukocytosis after antenatal corticosteroid administration: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Although it is known that corticosteroid administration causes leukocytosis, the
      magnitude and length of time this leukocytosis persists is unknown during
      pregnancy. This study aimed to establish the expected range of maternal
      leukocytosis in healthy pregnant women at risk for preterm delivery after
      antenatal corticosteroid administration. PubMed, Embase and ClinicalTrials.gov
      were searched to identify the studies in healthy women at risk for preterm
      delivery without signs of clinical infection that reported white blood cell
      values preceding and after antenatal corticosteroid administration. The inverse
      variance weighting technique was used to calculate the weighted means and the
      standard deviation from the mean for each time period. Six studies met inclusion
      criteria and included 524 patients and 1406 observations. Mean +/- standard
      deviation maternal white blood cell count values prior to antenatal
      corticosteroid administration and up to 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after
      corticosteroid administration were 10.4 +/- 2.4, 13.6 +/- 3.6, 12.1 +/- 3.0, 11.5
      +/- 2.9 and 11.1 +/- 2.5 * 109/L, respectively. Leukocytosis in healthy, non
      infected women is expected to peak 24 hours after antenatal corticosteroid
      administration and the magnitude of increase is small. Impact statement What is
      already known on this subject: While it is well known that administration of
      antenatal corticosteroids causes leukocytosis, it is currently unknown the
      magnitude and length of time the leukocytosis persists. What the results of this
      study add: This study establishes the expected range and the temporal progression
      and regression with antenatal corticosteroid administration in healthy pregnant
      women at risk for preterm delivery without clinical signs of infection. What the
      implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research:
      Clinicians may wish to consider further investigation into the clinical cause,
      whether infectious or non-infectious, for absolute values and changes outside
      this range.

PMID- 28903612
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28903613
TI  - A survey to explore what information, advice and support community-dwelling
      people with stroke currently receive to manage instability and falls.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe and determine the benefits of the information and support
      services currently offered to people with stroke experiencing instability and
      falls. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study. Two hundred and fifty-six surveys
      were sent out to community stroke groups in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, as
      well as to people with stroke on a patient register. RESULTS: One hundred and
      twenty-five surveys were returned. A total of 107 participants (86%) reported
      instability and 62 (50%) had experienced a fall in the preceding year; 29 (28%)
      had reportedly received information on falls prevention. Forty-four participants
      (43%) sought help from health professionals following instability and falls; just
      over half reported that the information they received was useful. One quarter (n
      = 11) of those seeking help were referred on to falls clinics; all attended and
      86% felt attending had been beneficial. However, only one participant was
      followed up by these clinics. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the majority of
      people with stroke who have experienced instability and falls did not receive any
      information and support, with very few referred on to falls clinics. Health
      professionals play a key role in information provision and facilitating access to
      falls prevention programs. Further research is required to determine the most
      effective ways to implement current guidelines to manage instability and falls in
      this high-risk group. Implications for rehabilitation: Many community-dwelling
      people with stroke did not receive any information, help or support after
      experiencing instability and falls. Clinicians must stress that falls are a
      complication, not an expectation, post-stroke. Information on falls prevention
      and available support services should be offered to individuals prior to
      discharge from hospital, in GP practices and in rehabilitation settings. All
      individuals with stroke seeking health professional help following instability
      and falls should be referred on to falls clinics for individualized
      multifactorial assessment and intervention to comply with current guidelines.

PMID- 28903614
TI  - Context-specific food-based approach for ensuring nutrition security in
      developing countries: a review.
AB  - Sustainable food strategies for meeting nutrient needs in developing countries
      are not well established. The available evidence shows that more than one-third
      of the world's population is facing under-nutrition, of which the most affected
      individuals are children and mothers from poor countries. In most developing
      countries, losses resulting from malnutrition are between 3 and 16% of the gross
      domestic product. This burden is far larger than the donor-driven and government
      programmes can tackle alone. As such, an innovative approach, which is
      independent and not donor-based, is needed to reduce the burden of malnutrition
      in low-income countries. In this review, we describe a context specific food
      based approach for addressing malnutrition in developing countries. The approach
      deploys the hybrid public-private delivery model that enables cost sharing and
      efficiency gains in resource-poor countries. The model influences players to
      consider consumers' perspectives, which often are neglected and truly engage them
      as key stakeholders.

PMID- 28903615
TI  - A study of oxidative stress in migraine with special reference to prophylactic
      therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The role of oxidative stress markers in migraine and effect of
      treatment on these has been reported. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty
      patients having > four attacks of migraine headache/month were included. Headache
      severity, Migraine Index (MI) and frequency of headache were noted. 120 patients
      received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy and 30
      patients received Amitriptyline (AMT). Recovery was defined by 50% improvement in
      frequency, severity or reduction in MI. Oxidative stress and antioxidant markers
      have been estimated in patients before and after treatment and correlate the
      clinical and outcome parameters. RESULTS: Glutathione (GSH) (P < 0.001),
      glutathione-S-transferase (GST) (P = 0.049) and total antioxidant activity (TAC)
      (P < 0.001) level were significantly reduced in migraine patients. GSH (P =
      0.02), GST (P = 0.05) and TAC (P < 0.001) were reduced in ictal migraineurs
      compared to controls. GSH (P < 0.001) and TAC (P = 0.003) levels increased after
      treatment compared to the base line. There is an increase in GSH levels in the
      patients who had improved following rTMS (P = 0.003); placebo (P = 0.001) and AMT
      (P = 0.013). TAC levels were also increased following rTMS (P = 0.009) and AMT (P
      = 0.020). CONCLUSION: There is evidence of oxidative stress in migraine
      pathophysiology. Following treatment, oxidative stress declined following both
      pharmacological and rTMS.

PMID- 28903616
TI  - Circulating dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate decreases even with a slight change
      in oestradiol.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hormone replacement therapy
      (HRT) on changes in circulating dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S) with
      focus on the relationship between oestrogen level and change in DHEA-S. Forty-two
      women were enrolled in this longitudinal study. Nineteen women received oral
      oestradiol and twenty-three women received transdermal oestradiol continuously.
      Twenty women received progesterone continuously except for women who had
      undergone hysterectomy. Circulating oestradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone,
      luteinising hormone and DHEA-S levels before and at 3 months after commencement
      of HRT were measured. Circulating DHEA-S level was significantly decreased at 3
      months (p < .001). Oestradiol level at 3 months ranged from 6.5 pg/ml to 159
      pg/ml. There was no significant correlation of DeltaDHEA-S (DHEAS level at 3
      months-DHEA-S level at baseline) with Deltaoestradiol (r = 0.114, p = .471).
      Circulating DHEA-S level was significantly decreased at 3 months in all the four
      quartiles and divided according to Deltaoestradiol, and DeltaDHEA-S did not show
      significant differences. In conclusion, circulating DHEA-S decreases even with a
      slight increase in oestradiol level. Impact statement What is already known on
      this subject: A transient increase in DHEA-S in women during the menopausal
      transition may be involved in the occurrence of menopausal symptoms and/or
      unfavourable metabolic changes. Hormone replacement therapy decreases circulating
      DHEA-S level. However, dose dependency of the change in DHEA-S on oestrogen has
      not been reported. What the results of this study add: Circulating DHEA-S
      decreases even with a slight increase in oestradiol level. What the implications
      are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research: Adrenal
      function may respond to a small change in oestrogen.

PMID- 28903617
TI  - Review of egg-related salmonellosis and reduction strategies in United States,
      Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
AB  - Globally, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica is one of the most commonly
      reported causes of foodborne illness in humans. Contaminated food products of
      animal origin, particularly egg and egg products are frequently implicated in
      outbreaks of human salmonellosis. Salmonella enteritidis is frequently involved
      in egg and egg products-associated foodborne outbreaks in the USA and UK.
      However, in Australia and New Zealand, human infections caused by this serovar
      occur as a result of infection acquired while overseas travel, with Salmonella
      typhimurium being a predominant cause of local foodborne outbreaks. In this
      paper, an overview of Salmonella epidemiology on laying farms, egg-related
      Salmonella outbreaks in humans, and regulatory practises to control Salmonella
      across USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand is provided. Considering the estimated
      production of eggs in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand in 2015, the risk of
      foodborne illness in general is quite low for humans consuming eggs. Salmonella
      diagnostics, reporting and surveillance systems have improved over the years and
      will continue to improve in the years to come. However, given the number of
      different emerging Salmonella serovars a regular review of Salmonella control
      strategies from farm to fork is required.

PMID- 28903618
TI  - Biomaterial Cues Regulate Epigenetic State and Cell Functions-A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - Biomaterial cues can act as potent regulators of cell niche and microenvironment.
      Epigenetic regulation plays an important role in cell functions, including
      proliferation, differentiation, and reprogramming. It is now well appreciated
      that biomaterials can alter epigenetic states of cells. In this study, we
      systematically reviewed the underlying epigenetic mechanisms of how different
      biomaterial cues, including material chemistry, topography, elasticity, and
      mechanical stimulus, influence cell functions, such as nuclear deformation, cell
      proliferation, differentiation, and reprogramming, to summarize the differences
      and similarities among each biomaterial cues and their mechanisms, and to find
      common and unique properties of different biomaterial cues. Moreover, this work
      aims to establish a mechanogenomic map facilitating highly functionalized
      biomaterial design, and renders new thoughts of epigenetic regulation in
      controlling cell fates in disease treatment and regenerative medicine.

PMID- 28903619
TI  - The volume of PET-defined, active bone marrow spared predicts acute hematologic
      toxicities in anal cancer patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

PMID- 28903620
TI  - Phylogenetic relationships of three representative sea krait species (genus
      Laticauda; elapidae; serpentes) based on 13 mitochondrial genes.
AB  - To investigate the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Laticauda to related
      higher taxa, we compared the sequences of four mitochondrial genes (12S rRNA, 16S
      rRNA, ND4, Cytb) from three Laticauda species (L. colubrina, L. laticaudata, and
      L. semifasciata) with those of 55 Asian and Australo-Melanesian elapid species.
      We also characterized the complete mitogenomes of the three Laticauda species and
      compared the sequences of 13 mitochondrial genes from Laticauda species with five
      terrestrial elapid and one viperid species to estimate phylogenetic relationships
      and divergence times. Our results showed that the genus Laticauda is paraphyletic
      to terrestrial elapids and diverged from the Asian elapids approximately 16.23
      Mya. The mitogenomes of the three Laticauda species commonly encoded 13 proteins,
      22 tRNAs, 12S and 16S rRNAs and two control regions and ranged from 17,170 and
      17,450 bp in size. The L. colubrina mitogenome was more similar to that of L.
      laticaudata than that of L. semifasciata. The divergence time among the three
      Laticauda clades was estimated at 8-10 Mya, and a close phylogenetic relationship
      between L. colubrina and L. laticaudata was found. Our results contribute to our
      understanding of the evolutionary history of sea kraits.

PMID- 28903621
TI  - Virtual environments as an assessment modality with pediatric ASD populations: a
      brief report.
AB  - Virtual environments (VEs) have demonstrated promise as a neuropsychological
      assessment modality and may be well suited for the evaluation of children
      suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some recent studies
      indicate their potential for enhancing reliability, ecologically validity, and
      sensitivity over traditional neuropsychological evaluation measures. Although
      research using VEs with ASD is increasing to the degree that several reviews of
      the literature have been conducted, the reviews to date lack rigor and are not
      necessarily specific to cognitive or neuropsychological assessment as many focus
      on intervention. The aim of this project was to comprehensively examine the
      current literature status of neuropsychological assessment in pediatric ASD using
      VEs by conducting a systematic review. Specifically, psychometric comparisons of
      VEs to traditional neuropsychological assessment measures that examined
      reliability, validity, and/or diagnostic accuracy for pediatric individuals, age
      18 and below, with ASD were sought. The search using key words yielded 899
      manuscripts, 894 of which were discarded for not meeting inclusion criteria. The
      remaining five met exclusion criteria. Therefore, the systematic review was
      modified to a brief report. These findings (or lack thereof) indicate a
      significant gap in the literature in that psychometric comparisons of these tools
      for the neuropsychological assessment of pediatric individuals with ASD are
      lacking. An important future direction of research will be extending the
      demonstrated incremental validity of VE neuropsychological assessment with other
      neurodevelopmental (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and adult
      populations to pediatric ASD populations.

PMID- 28903622
TI  - Maternal dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid deprivation does not exacerbate
      post-weaning reductions in arachidonic acid and its mediators in the mouse
      hippocampus.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study examines how lowering maternal dietary n-6
      polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (starting from pregnancy) compared to
      offspring (starting from post-weaning) affect the levels of n-6 and n-3 fatty
      acids in phospholipids (PL) and lipid mediators in the hippocampus of mice.
      METHODS: Pregnant mice were randomly assigned to consume either a deprived or an
      adequate n-6 PUFA diet during pregnancy and lactation (maternal exposure). On
      postnatal day (PND) 21, half of the male pups were weaned onto the same diet as
      their dams, and the other half were switched to the other diet for 9 weeks
      (offspring exposure). At PND 84, upon head-focused high-energy microwave
      irradiation, hippocampi were collected for PL fatty acid and lipid mediator
      analyses. RESULTS: Arachidonic acid (ARA) concentrations were significantly
      decreased in both total PL and PL fractions, while eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
      concentrations were increased only in PL fractions upon n-6 PUFA deprivation of
      offspring, regardless of maternal exposure. Several ARA-derived eicosanoids were
      reduced, while some of the EPA-derived eicosanoids were elevated by n-6 PUFA
      deprivation in offspring. There was no effect of diet on docosahexaenoic acid
      (DHA) or DHA-derived docosanoids concentrations under either maternal or
      offspring exposure. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that the maternal exposure
      to dietary n-6 PUFA may not be as important as the offspring exposure in
      regulating hippocampal ARA and some lipid mediators. Results from this study will
      be helpful in the design of experiments aimed at testing the significance of
      altering brain ARA levels over different stages of life.

PMID- 28903623
TI  - Endovascular stenting of mid-aortic syndrome due to Takayasu arteritis.
AB  - Introduction-patients: Takayasu arteritis may involve various parts of the aorta
      and its major branches. It leads to occlusive or aneurysmal disease of the
      vessel. It can be treated either with surgery or percutaneous intervention. We
      report a successful endovascular treatment of stenosis of the descending thoracic
      and abdominal aorta in a 19-year-old female. Methods-results-conclusions: Self
      expandable nitinol stent was deployed and adequate opening of the aorta was
      obtained in this patient. Long-term durability of endovascular approach is a
      matter of debate. We also reviewed the sufficiency of endovascular treatment
      versus surgery.

PMID- 28903624
TI  - Repair of Calvarial Bone Defect Using Jarid1a-Knockdown Bone Mesenchymal Stem
      Cells in Rats.
AB  - Histone methylation is regarded as an important epigenetic event during stem cell
      differentiation. Jumonji AT-rich interactive domain 1A (Jarid1a) is a histone
      demethylase that specifically catalyzes demethylation of dimethyl or trimethyl
      histone H3K4me3, which is normally associated with transcriptionally active
      genes. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) has been identified as a key
      transcription factor in the early stage of osteogenesis. A better understanding
      of this epigenetic mechanism that governs osteogenic differentiation of bone
      mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can provide new insights into BMSC-based bone
      tissue engineering. To define the function and regulatory mechanisms of Jarid1a
      in the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, we compared the expression of Jarid1a
      between undifferentiated and osteoinductive BMSCs. The expression of osteogenic
      transcriptional factors in BMSCs after Jarid1a knockdown was explored using
      western blot. To determine whether Jarid1a was associated with Runx2 during
      osteogenic differentiation, endogenous coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) experiments
      were performed with osteoinductive BMSCs extracts. Then, we systematically
      evaluated the function of si-Jarid1a in enhancing BMSCs osteogenesis and the
      therapeutic potential of si-Jarid1a-modified BMSCs in a rat calvarial bone defect
      model with beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds. Knockdown of Jarid1a by small
      interfering RNA enhanced osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro. Knockdown
      of Jarid1a significantly improved the mRNA and protein expression of bone
      specific factors. Furthermore, co-IP in BMSCs lysate suggested that Jarid1a was
      physically and functionally associated with Runx2. The repair potential of bone
      defect was dramatically improved by Jarid1a-knockdown BMSCs, including increased
      bone volume, increased bone mineral density, and decreased scaffold residue in
      vivo. Altogether, this study explores the functional and regulatory role of
      Jarid1a in osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration of BMSCs, and
      provides a new approach for bone defect repairing using epigenetic modification
      in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28903625
TI  - Radioprotective activity of curcumin-encapsulated liposomes against genotoxicity
      caused by Gamma Cobalt-60 irradiation in human blood cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: While the radioprotective activity of curcumin against genotoxicity has
      been well established, its poor oral bioavailability has limited its successful
      clinical applications. Nanoscale formulations, including liposomes, have been
      demonstrated to improve curcumin bioavailability. The objective of the present
      work was (1) to prepare and characterize curcumin-encapsulated liposomes (i.e.
      size, colloidal stability, encapsulation efficiency, and payload), and (2)
      subsequently to evaluate their radioprotective activity against genotoxicity in
      human blood cells caused by Gamma Cobalt-60 irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The curcumin-encapsulated liposomes were prepared by lipid-film hydration method
      using commercial phosphatidylcholine (i.e. Phospholipon(r) 90G). The blood cells
      were obtained from healthy male donors (n = 3) under an approved ethics protocol.
      The cell uptake and the radioprotective activity of the curcumin-encapsulated
      liposomes were characterized by fluorescence microscopy and micronucleus assay,
      respectively. RESULTS: Nanoscale curcumin-encapsulated liposomes exhibiting good
      physical characteristics and successful uptake by the human blood cells were
      successfully prepared. The radioprotective activity of the curcumin-encapsulated
      liposomes was found to be dependent on the curcumin concentration, where an
      optimal concentration existed (i.e. 30 MUg/mL) independent of the irradiation
      dose, above which the radioprotective activity had become stagnant (i.e. no more
      reduction in the micronuclei frequency). CONCLUSIONS: The present results
      established for the first time the radioprotective activity of curcumin
      encapsulated liposomes in human blood cells, which coupled by its well
      established bioavailability, boded well for its potential application as a
      nanoscale delivery system of other radioprotective phytochemicals.

PMID- 28903626
TI  - Light Dominates Peripheral Circadian Oscillations in Drosophila melanogaster
      During Sensory Conflict.
AB  - In Drosophila, as in other animals, the circadian clock is a singular entity in
      name and concept only. In reality, clock functions emerge from multiple processes
      and anatomical substrates. One distinction has conventionally been made between a
      central clock (in the brain) and peripheral clocks (e.g., in the gut and the
      eyes). Both types of clock generate robust circadian oscillations, which do not
      require external input. Furthermore, the phases of these oscillations remain
      exquisitely sensitive to specific environmental cues, such as the daily changes
      of light and temperature. When these cues conflict with one another, the central
      clock displays complex forms of sensory integration; how peripheral clocks
      respond to conflicting input is unclear. We therefore explored the effects of
      light and temperature misalignments on peripheral clocks. We show that under
      conflict, peripheral clocks preferentially synchronize to the light stimulus.
      This photic dominance requires the presence of the circadian photoreceptor,
      Cryptochrome.

PMID- 28903627
TI  - Reliability and minimal detectable change of a new treadmill-based progressive
      workload incremental test to measure cardiorespiratory fitness in manual
      wheelchair users.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiorespiratory fitness training is commonly provided to manual
      wheelchair users (MWUs) in rehabilitation and physical activity programs,
      emphasizing the need for a reliable task-specific incremental wheelchair
      propulsion test. OBJECTIVE: Quantifying test-retest reliability and minimal
      detectable change (MDC) of key cardiorespiratory fitness measures following
      performance of a newly developed continuous treadmill-based wheelchair propulsion
      test (WPTTreadmill). METHODS: Twenty-five MWUs completed the WPTTreadmill on two
      separate occasions within one week. During these tests, participants continuously
      propelled their wheelchair on a motorized treadmill while the exercise intensity
      was gradually increased every minute until exhaustion by changing the slope
      and/or speed according to a standardized protocol. Peak oxygen consumption
      (VO2peak), carbon dioxide production (VCO2peak), respiratory exchange ratio
      (RERpeak), minute ventilation (VEpeak) and heart rate (HRpeak) were computed.
      Time to exhaustion (TTE) and number of increments completed were also measured.
      Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to determine test
      retest reliability. Standard error of measurement (SEM) and MDC90% values were
      calculated. RESULTS: Excellent test-retest reliability was reached for almost all
      outcome measures (ICC=0.91-0.76), except for RERpeak (ICC=0.58), which reached
      good reliability. TTE (ICC=0.89) and number of increments (ICC=0.91) also reached
      excellent test-retest reliability. For the main outcome measures (VO2peak and
      TTE), absolute SEM was 2.27 mL/kg/min and 0.76 minutes, respectively and absolute
      MDC90% was 5.30 mL/kg/min and 1.77 minutes, respectively. CONCLUSION: The
      WPTTreadmill is a reliable test to assess cardiorespiratory fitness among MWUs.
      TTE and number of increments could be used as reliable outcome measures when VO2
      measurement is not possible.

PMID- 28903628
TI  - What motivates serodiscordant couples to prevent HIV transmission within their
      relationships: findings from a PrEP implementation study in Kenya.
AB  - With the planned scale-up of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention
      among serodiscordant couples in resource-limited settings, gaining an
      understanding of what motivates serodiscordant couples to prevent HIV is
      critical. We conducted 44 semi-structured, in-depth individual or couple
      interviews with 63 participants (33 HIV-infected and 30 HIV-uninfected
      participants) enrolled in a prospective implementation study of oral
      antiretroviral-based prevention in Kisumu, Kenya. Transcripts were iteratively
      analysed using inductive content analysis. Findings point to the importance of
      maintaining the emotional and economic stability of the partnership and family as
      motivators in preventing HIV transmission. Female participants identified fear of
      blame or potential violence for transmitting HIV as a motivator. Furthermore,
      couples primarily held the HIV-infected individual responsible for HIV
      prevention, but also held women more accountable for the use of prevention
      methods such as condoms. These themes substantiate traditional gender norms but
      also reveal how dyadic interdependence challenges these norms. As programmes in
      resource-limited settings scale up PrEP access, they should simultaneously
      capitalise on HIV serodiscordant couples' motivations for HIV prevention and
      address gender norms so women do not find themselves unduly responsible for the
      prevention of HIV transmission.

PMID- 28903629
TI  - A multidisciplinary approach for developing an assessment tool for touch screen
      devices.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to describe the processes of reaching consensus
      regarding the assessment of the user's skills required to operate various touch
      screen devices. A five-step procedure was used to collect and validate the
      required skills by a multidisciplinary team of 52 experts. Content validity was
      calculated to determine the agreement levels between the experts. A comparison
      was made between the discipline groups in order to test correlation between each
      group and their choice of specific clusters of tasks. METHODS: The final
      consensus set by the experts' recommendations included 15 domains and 50
      skills/measurements. The result of Cronbach's alpha test for the final assessment
      questionnaire (50 skills/measurements) was 0.94, which indicates a high degree of
      internal consistency. The results of Kruskal-Wallis's test showed the lack of any
      significant difference between agreements of the clinicians and the technicians
      groups, but significant differences were found between the educators and the
      clinicians groups. CONCLUSION: The assessment questionnaire, in its current form,
      can be used by clinicians and it is expected to help in developing an objective
      assessment tool to quantify the performance and touch characteristics of
      individuals with varying abilities and disabilities, in order to enhance
      accessibility of touch screen technology. Implications for Rehabilitation
      Collecting and creating the required knowledge needed for assessing the user's
      skills for operating touch screen devices. The created knowledge helps clinicians
      to focus on the essential skills and measurements needed for a comprehensive
      assessment of the individual's abilities and disabilities while operating touch
      screen devices. The results of the assessment can be used as recommendations for
      enhancing accessibility of touch screen devices for various disabilities. This
      knowledge is expected to help in developing an application that provides an
      objective assessment tool. The study emphasizes the importance of close
      collaboration with multidisciplinary teams for creating a valid assessment tool.

PMID- 28903630
TI  - Comparison of results of Bakri balloon tamponade and caesarean hysterectomy in
      management of placenta accreta and increta: a retrospective study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the postoperative results of the patients
      who were treated with Bakri balloon tamponade or hysterectomy for placenta
      accreta and increta. Patients who were diagnosed with placenta accreta or increta
      preoperatively and intraoperatively and treated with Bakri balloon tamponade
      (Group 1) or caesarean hysterectomy (Group 2) were compared in regards to the
      postoperative results. Among the 36 patients diagnosed with placenta accreta or
      increta, 19 patients were treated with Bakri balloon tamponade while 17 cases
      were treated with hysterectomy. Intraoperative blood loss amount was 1794 +/- 725
      ml in G1, which was lower than that in G2 (2694 +/- 893 ml). Blood transfusion
      amount was 2.7 +/- 2.6 units in G1, lower than that in G2 (5.7 +/- 2.4 units),
      too. Operation time was 64.5 +/- 29 min and 140 +/- 51 min in G1 and G2,
      respectively, showing significant differences between two groups. The success
      rate of Bakri balloon was determined as 84.21%. In conclusion, cases with
      placenta accreta/increta, with predicted placental detachment who are willing to
      preserve fertility, application of uterine balloon tamponade devices before the
      hysterectomy is encouraging with its advantages compared with the hysterectomy.
      Impact statement What is already known on this subject: Invasive placental
      anomalies are the most common indication of postpartum hysterectomy. Recently,
      uterine balloon tamponade was also included in the treatment modalities of
      postpartum haemorrhage.This study aimed to compare the postoperative results of
      UBT or hysterectomy for patients with placenta accreta and increta. What the
      results of this study add: In this study, the total amount of blood loss was
      higher in the caesarean hysterectomy group when compared with the Bakri balloon
      tamponade group. The mean transfusion requirement, mean operation time and
      hospitalisation period was significantly longer in the caesarean hysterectomy
      group. The success rate of the Bakri balloon was determined as 84.21%. Two
      patients who were treated with balloon application had a successful pregnancy and
      delivery later. Maternal mortality was reported in neither balloon nor
      hysterectomy groups. What the implications are of these findings for clinical
      practice and/or further research: In conclusion, patients diagnosed with placenta
      accreta/increta with ultrasound should be taken into the operation in elective
      conditions, if possible, on lithotomy position. In cases with predicted placental
      detachment that are willing to preserve fertility, application of uterine balloon
      tamponade devices before the hysterectomy has advantages compared with the
      hysterectomy.

PMID- 28903631
TI  - Evaluation of overactive bladder and nocturia as a risk factor for hip fracture
      in climacteric women: a matched pair case control study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate whether overactive bladder (OAB)
      influences hip fractures in climacteric women by comparing the frequency of OAB
      and nocturia symptoms in patients with hip fractures and their age-matched
      controls in pre-fracture period. A total of 30 climacteric patients with a
      history of hip fracture were compared to a control group of 51 women in terms of
      OAB, nocturia and nocturia-QoL. A questionnaire composed of structured questions
      and Turkish validated versions of the specific questionnaires for OAB, OAB
      Quality of Life (OAB-q) and nocturia-QoL was directed to the two groups. We did
      not detect statistically relevant differences between the groups for the presence
      or severity of OAB and OAB-q (p > .05). However, Nocturia-QoL was worse in the
      group with hip fracture (p = .022). Overactive bladder has no contribution to the
      overall risk of hip fracture, whereas, the severity of nocturia seems to play a
      role as a risk factor in the formation of hip fracture. Impact statement What is
      already known on this subject: Hip fracture is associated with high morbidity,
      mortality and the cost. Prevention of hip fracture is a high priority for the
      patients, physicians and the public health. Several studies and consensus
      opinions have investigated the risk factors for the hip fractures. What the
      results of this study add: Although urinary symptoms were not evaluated in
      previous studies as a risk factor, desire of urination makes people stand up and
      move to their toilet, and may put them in a hurry if it is sudden and
      uncontrollable one. Therefore, we hypothesised that overactive bladder (OAB) and
      nocturia may be a risk factor in the formation of hip fractures. Our study showed
      that Nocturia Quality of Life is worse in patients with the hip fracture.
      Therefore, overactive bladder may not have a role on the overall risk of hip
      fracture, but the severity of nocturia seems as a risk factor in the fracture
      process. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or
      further research: The getting up from the bed would probably be harder than
      getting up from a chair in elderly, and life style modifications such as
      illumination bedroom and organisation of living place may be helpful to minimise
      the risks.

PMID- 28903632
TI  - Maximization Paradox: Result of Believing in an Objective Best.
AB  - The results from four studies provide reliable evidence of how beliefs in an
      objective best influence the decision process and subjective feelings. A belief
      in an objective best serves as the fundamental mechanism connecting the concept
      of maximizing and the maximization paradox (i.e., expending great effort but
      feeling bad when making decisions, Study 1), and randomly chosen decision makers
      operate similar to maximizers once they are manipulated to believe that the best
      is objective (Studies 2A, 2B, and 3). In addition, the effect of a belief in an
      objective best on the maximization paradox is moderated by the presence of a
      dominant option (Study 3). The findings of this research contribute to the
      maximization literature by demonstrating that believing in an objective best
      leads to the maximization paradox. The maximization paradox is indeed the result
      of believing in an objective best.

PMID- 28903633
TI  - Collective Self-Determination: How the Agent of Help Promotes Pride, Well-Being,
      and Support for Intergroup Helping.
AB  - This research integrates self-determination theory and the social identity
      approach to investigate the notion of collective (group level) self
      determination, and to test how the agent of intergroup help (helping initiated by
      a group representative versus group members) shapes group members' motives and
      support for intergroup helping. Study 1 ( N = 432) demonstrates that collective
      self-determination predicts support for intergroup helping, group pride, and well
      being, over and above individual-level self-determined motivation. Study 2 ( N =
      216) confirmed that helping by group members was seen as more collectively self
      determined than helping by a group representative, producing effects on pride,
      well-being, and support. Study 3 ( N = 124) explores a qualifier of these
      effects: People who identify more strongly with the leader who is providing the
      help also experience representative helping as more collectively self-determined,
      thereby promoting well-being, group pride, and support. Findings highlight the
      value of integrating self-determination theory with intergroup theories to
      consider collective aspects of self-determination.

PMID- 28903634
TI  - The Dynamics of Compensation: When Ingroup Favoritism Paves the Way for Outgroup
      Praise.
AB  - Compensation research suggests that when people evaluate their own and another
      group, the search for positive differentiation fuels the emergence of
      compensatory ratings on the two fundamental dimensions of social perception,
      competence and warmth. In two experiments, we tested whether obstacles to
      positive differentiation on the preferred dimension disrupted compensation. Both
      experiments showed that high-status (low-status) group members grant the outgroup
      a higher standing on warmth (competence) when positive differentiation can be
      achieved on the orthogonal dimension, competence (warmth). Moreover, and in line
      with the " noblesse oblige" effect, Experiment 2 confirmed that, among high
      status group members, perceived higher pressures toward nondiscrimination were
      linked to outgroup bias on warmth only when ingroup bias on competence had been
      secured. The discussion focuses on compensation as one of the factors
      contributing to cooperative intergroup relations.

PMID- 28903635
TI  - Nothing Changes, Really: Why Women Who Break Through the Glass Ceiling End Up
      Reinforcing It.
AB  - Two correlational studies conducted in Switzerland ( N = 222) and Albania ( N =
      156) explained the opposition of female managers to gender quotas by examining
      the origins and consequences of the "Queen Bee (QB)-phenomenon," whereby women
      who have been successful in male-dominated organizations do not support the
      advancement of junior women. Results disconfirm previous accounts of the QB
      phenomenon as indicating competitiveness among women. Instead, the tendency of
      women managers to consider themselves as different from other women, and their
      opposition to gender quotas, emerged when junior women were addressed but not
      when they considered their direct competitors, other women managers. Personal
      sacrifices women managers reported having made for career success predicted self
      distancing from junior women and opposition to gender quotas targeting these
      women. We provide a more nuanced picture of what the QB-response is really about,
      explaining why women managers oppose quotas for junior women, while supporting
      quotas for women in the same rank.

PMID- 28903636
TI  - A Brief Mindfulness Exercise Promotes the Correspondence Between the Implicit
      Affiliation Motive and Goal Setting.
AB  - People often choose to pursue goals that are dissociated from their implicit
      motives, which jeopardizes their motivation and well-being. We hypothesized that
      mindfulness may attenuate this dissociation to the degree that it increases
      sensitivity to internal cues that signal one's implicit preferences. We tested
      this hypothesis with a longitudinal repeated measures experiment. In Session 1,
      participants' implicit affiliation motive was assessed. In Session 2, half of the
      participants completed a mindfulness exercise while the other half completed a
      control task before indicating their motivation toward pursuing affiliation and
      nonaffiliation goals. In Session 3, this procedure was repeated with reversed
      assignment to conditions. The results confirmed our hypothesis that, irrespective
      of the order of the conditions, the implicit affiliation motive predicted a
      preference to pursue affiliation goals immediately after the mindfulness
      exercise, but not after the control task. We discuss implications of these
      findings for satisfaction and well-being.

PMID- 28903637
TI  - Helping Others Regulate Emotion Predicts Increased Regulation of One's Own
      Emotions and Decreased Symptoms of Depression.
AB  - Although much research considers how individuals manage their own emotions, less
      is known about the emotional benefits of regulating the emotions of others. We
      examined this topic in a 3-week study of an online platform providing training
      and practice in the social regulation of emotion. We found that participants who
      engaged more by helping others (vs. sharing and receiving support for their own
      problems) showed greater decreases in depression, mediated by increased use of
      reappraisal in daily life. Moreover, social regulation messages with more other
      focused language (i.e., second-person pronouns) were (a) more likely to elicit
      expressions of gratitude from recipients and (b) predictive of increased use of
      reappraisal over time for message composers, suggesting perspective-taking
      enhances the benefits of practicing social regulation. These findings unpack
      potential mechanisms of socially oriented training in emotion regulation and
      suggest that by helping others regulate, we may enhance our own regulatory skills
      and emotional well-being.

PMID- 28903638
TI  - Trait Perception Accuracy and Acquaintance Within Groups: Tracking Accuracy
      Development.
AB  - Previous work on trait perception has evaluated accuracy at discrete stages of
      relationships (e.g., strangers, best friends). A relatively limited body of
      literature has investigated changes in accuracy as acquaintance within a dyad or
      group increases. Small groups of initially unacquainted individuals spent more
      than 30 hr participating in a wide range of activities designed to represent
      common interpersonal contexts (e.g., eating, traveling). We calculated how
      accurately each participant judged others in their group on the big five traits
      across three distinct points within the acquaintance process: zero acquaintance,
      after a getting-to-know-you conversation, and after 10 weeks of interaction and
      activity. Judgments of all five traits exhibited accuracy above chance levels
      after 10 weeks. An examination of the trait rating stability revealed that much
      of the revision in judgments occurred not over the course of the 10-week
      relationship as suspected, but between zero acquaintance and the getting-to-know
      you conversation.

PMID- 28903639
TI  - When Silence Is Not Golden: Why Acknowledgment Matters Even When Being Excluded.
AB  - Following ostracism, individuals are highly sensitive to social cues. Here we
      investigate whether and when minimal acknowledgment can improve need satisfaction
      following an ostracism experience. In four studies, participants were either
      ostracized during Cyberball (Studies 1 and 2) or through a novel apartment
      application paradigm (Studies 3 and 4). To signal acknowledgment following
      ostracism, participants were either thrown a ball a few times at the end of the
      Cyberball game, or received a message that was either friendly, neutral, or
      hostile in the apartment-application paradigm. Both forms of acknowledgment
      increased need satisfaction, even when the acknowledgment was hostile (Study 4),
      emphasizing the beneficial effect of any kind of acknowledgment following
      ostracism. Reinclusion buffered threat immediately, whereas acknowledgment
      without reinclusion primarily aided recovery. Our results suggest that minimal
      acknowledgment such as a few ball throws or even an unfriendly message can reduce
      the sting of ostracism.

PMID- 28903640
TI  - It's All About the Money (For Some): Consequences of Financially Contingent Self
      Worth.
AB  - Financial success is an important goal, yet striving for it is often associated
      with negative outcomes. One reason for this paradox is that financial pressures
      may be tied to basing self-worth on financial success. Studies 1a to 1c developed
      a measure of Financial Contingency of Self-Worth (Financial CSW), and found that
      it predicted more financial social comparisons, financial hassles, stress,
      anxiety, and less autonomy. In response to a financial (vs. academic) threat,
      higher Financial CSW participants experienced less autonomy, perceived financial
      problems more negatively, and disengaged from their financial problems (Study 2).
      When given an opportunity to self-affirm, however, Financial CSW participants did
      not show diminished autonomy in response to a financial (vs. academic) threat
      (Study 3). Finally, participants with higher Financial CSW were less likely to
      make extravagant spending decisions following a financial (vs. health) threat
      (Study 4). Together, these studies demonstrate the many consequences of staking
      self-worth on financial success.

PMID- 28903641
TI  - Sex Unleashes Your Tongue: Sexual Priming Motivates Self-Disclosure to a New
      Acquaintance and Interest in Future Interactions.
AB  - Research has demonstrated the contribution of sexual activity to the quality of
      ongoing relationships. Nevertheless, less attention has been given to how
      activation of the sexual system affects relationship-initiation processes. Three
      studies used complementary methodologies to examine the effect of sexual priming
      on self-disclosure, a relationship-promoting behavior. In Study 1, participants
      were subliminally exposed to sexual stimuli (vs. neutral stimuli), and then
      disclosed over Instant Messenger a personal event to an opposite-sex stranger.
      Results showed that merely thinking about sex, even without being aware of it,
      encouraged self-disclosure. Study 2 replicated these findings in relatively
      naturalistic conditions (live face-to-face interactions following supraliminal
      video priming). Study 3 extended these findings, indicating that sexual priming
      facilitated self-disclosure, which, in turn, increased interest in future
      interactions with the stranger. Together, these findings suggest that activation
      of the sexual system encourages the use of strategies that allow people to become
      closer to potential partners.

PMID- 28903642
TI  - The Self-Control Irony: Desire for Self-Control Limits Exertion of Self-Control
      in Demanding Settings.
AB  - Self-control is a highly adaptive human capacity. Accordingly, development of
      self-control is widely encouraged. Whereas the benefits of having self-control
      are well documented, little is known about the impact of wanting self-control.
      The present investigation fills this void by exploring the effect of desire for
      self-control on the ability to exert self-control. It was expected that in the
      context of demanding self-control challenges, a desire for self-control will
      highlight a discrepancy between one's goals and perceived performance potential,
      leading to reduced efficacy beliefs and task disengagement. Four studies ( N =
      635) supported the prediction. Study 1 showed that a strong desire impaired
      performance on a demanding task but not on a simple task. Study 2 conceptually
      replicated the decrement in performance and established causality by
      experimentally manipulating desire for self-control. Studies 3 and 4 showed that
      reduction in efficacy beliefs mediate the effect. Implications of the findings
      are discussed.

PMID- 28903644
TI  - The Curvilinear Relationship Between Attitude Certainty and Attitudinal Advocacy.
AB  - Do people advocate more on behalf of their own attitudes and opinions when they
      feel certain or uncertain? Although considerable past research suggests that
      people are more likely to advocate when they feel highly certain, there also is
      evidence for the opposite effect-that people sometimes advocate more when they
      experience a loss of certainty. The current research seeks to merge these
      insights. Specifically, we explore the possibility that the relationship between
      attitude certainty and attitudinal advocacy is curvilinear. Consistent with this
      hypothesis, we find evidence for a J-shaped curve: Advocacy intentions (and
      behavior) peak under high certainty, bottom out under moderate certainty, and
      show an uptick under low (relative to moderate) certainty. We document this
      relationship and investigate its potential mechanisms in three studies by
      examining advocacy intentions and the actual advocacy messages participants write
      when they feel high, moderate, or low certainty.

PMID- 28903643
TI  - A new measurement of an indirect measure of condom use and its relationships with
      barriers.
AB  - One of the challenges facing researchers in the domain of human immunodeficiency
      virus prevention is the assessment of condom use in an unbiased self-reported
      manner. The current study presents the development and preliminary validation of
      an indirect condom use test (I-CUTE), designed to assess condom use tendencies
      and to overcome self-report biases. Two samples were included using correlational
      designs. In sample 1, 88 students from European university completed the I-CUTE
      with questionnaires of condom use barriers, social desirability, and condom use
      negotiation self-efficacy. In sample 2, 212 students from sub-Saharan
      universities completed the I-CUTE with questionnaires of condom use barriers and
      knowledge. The I-CUTE included 17 pictures of human figures in relation to condom
      use, where participants had to choose one of the four a-priori given sentences
      reflecting the figures' thoughts. This represented a semi-projective, yet
      standardized test. In sample 1, I-CUTE scores were inversely related to barriers,
      positively correlated with condom use negotiation self-efficacy and unrelated to
      social desirability. In sample 2, I-CUTE scores were inversely related to
      barriers and unrelated to knowledge scores. In a multiple regression, condom use
      barriers had a unique contribution to explaining variance in I-CUTE scores,
      beyond the contribution of background variables and knowledge. These results
      support the preliminary reliability and validity of the I-CUTE tool in a variety
      of cultures, and reveal its lack of bias by social desirability and the
      importance of condom use barriers in condom use tendencies.

PMID- 28903645
TI  - Self-Expression on Social Media: Do Tweets Present Accurate and Positive
      Portraits of Impulsivity, Self-Esteem, and Attachment Style?
AB  - Self-expression values are at an all-time high, and people are increasingly
      relying upon social media platforms to express themselves positively and
      accurately. We examined whether self-expression on the social media platform
      Twitter elicits positive and accurate social perceptions. Eleven perceivers rated
      128 individuals (targets; total dyadic impressions = 1,408) on their impulsivity,
      self-esteem, and attachment style, based solely on the information provided in
      targets' 10 most recent tweets. Targets were on average perceived normatively and
      with distinctive self-other agreement, indicating both positive and accurate
      social perceptions. There were also individual differences in how positively and
      accurately targets were perceived, which exploratory analyses indicated may be
      partially driven by differential word usage, such as the use of positive emotion
      words and self- versus other-focus. This study demonstrates that self-expression
      on social media can elicit both positive and accurate perceptions and begins to
      shed light on how to curate such perceptions.

PMID- 28903646
TI  - Communal and Agentic Interpersonal and Intergroup Motives Predict Preferences for
      Status Versus Power.
AB  - Seven studies involving 1,343 participants showed how circumplex models of social
      motives can help explain individual differences in preferences for status (having
      others' admiration) versus power (controlling valuable resources). Studies 1 to 3
      and 7 concerned interpersonal motives in workplace contexts, and found that
      stronger communal motives (to have mutual trust, support, and cooperation)
      predicted being more attracted to status (but not power) and achieving more
      workplace status, while stronger agentic motives (to be firm, decisive, and
      influential) predicted being more attracted to and achieving more workplace
      power, and experiencing a stronger connection between workplace power and job
      satisfaction. Studies 4 to 6 found similar effects for intergroup motives:
      Stronger communal motives predicted wanting one's ingroup (e.g., country) to have
      status-but not power-relative to other groups. Finally, most people preferred
      status over power, and this was especially true for women, which was partially
      explained by women having stronger communal motives.

PMID- 28903647
TI  - Intergroup Contact and Social Change: Implications of Negative and Positive
      Contact for Collective Action in Advantaged and Disadvantaged Groups.
AB  - Previous research has shown that (a) positive intergroup contact with an
      advantaged group can discourage collective action among disadvantaged-group
      members and (b) positive intergroup contact can encourage advantaged-group
      members to take action on behalf of disadvantaged outgroups. Two studies
      investigated the effects of negative as well as positive intergroup contact.
      Study 1 ( n = 482) found that negative but not positive contact with heterosexual
      people was associated with sexual-minority students' engagement in collective
      action (via group identification and perceived discrimination). Among
      heterosexual students, positive and negative contacts were associated with,
      respectively, more and less LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) activism. Study 2 ( N =
      1,469) found that only negative contact (via perceived discrimination) predicted
      LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) students' collective action
      intentions longitudinally while only positive contact predicted
      heterosexual/cisgender students' LGBT activism. Implications for the relationship
      between intergroup contact, collective action, and social change are discussed.

PMID- 28903648
TI  - Using Groups to Measure Intergroup Prejudice.
AB  - Implicit measures of racial attitudes often assess reactions to images of
      individuals to infer attitudes toward an entire social category. However, an
      increasing amount of research indicates that responses to individuals are highly
      dependent on context and idiosyncratic features of individual exemplars. Thus,
      using images of individuals to assess beliefs about a whole social category may
      not be ideal. Across three time points, we predicted that using images of groups
      would mitigate the influence of idiosyncratic features of individual targets and,
      thus, provide a better measurement tool to assess beliefs about a category to
      which all group members belong. Results revealed that an implicit measure that
      presented images of Black and White groups had greater construct validity, test
      retest reliability, and predictive validity as compared with an implicit measure
      that presented the same exemplars individually. We conclude that groups provide a
      window into existing beliefs about social categories.

PMID- 28903649
TI  - Backlash: The Politics and Real-World Consequences of Minority Group
      Dehumanization.
AB  - Research suggests that members of advantaged groups who feel dehumanized by other
      groups respond aggressively. But little is known about how meta-dehumanization
      affects disadvantaged minority group members, historically the primary targets of
      dehumanization. We examine this important question in the context of the 2016
      U.S. Republican Primaries, which have witnessed the widespread derogation and
      dehumanization of Mexican immigrants and Muslims. Two initial studies document
      that Americans blatantly dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims; this
      dehumanization uniquely predicts support for aggressive policies proposed by
      Republican nominees, and dehumanization is highly associated with supporting
      Republican candidates (especially Donald Trump). Two further studies show that,
      in this climate, Latinos and Muslims in the United States feel heavily
      dehumanized, which predicts hostile responses including support for violent
      versus non-violent collective action and unwillingness to assist counterterrorism
      efforts. Our results extend theorizing on dehumanization, and suggest that it may
      have cyclical and self-fulfilling consequences.

PMID- 28903650
TI  - Is Comparison the Thief of Joy? Sexual Narcissism and Social Comparisons in the
      Domain of Sexuality.
AB  - Are people who are high in sexual narcissism more sensitive to information
      comparing their sex lives with the sex lives of others? Does this sensitivity
      explain narcissists' lower sexual and relationship satisfaction? We conducted
      three studies to address this question. Participants completed the Sexual
      Narcissism Scale (Widman & McNulty, 2010), and then either recalled (Study 1),
      imagined (Study 2), or actually made (Study 3) a sexual comparison. We found that
      people high in sexual narcissism (compared with those lower in sexual narcissism)
      were more bothered when comparing themselves with someone with a higher sexual
      frequency and felt better about a comparison with someone with a lower sexual
      frequency. In turn, narcissists' greater sensitivity to upward social comparisons
      predicted lower sexual and relationship satisfaction. These results suggest that
      those high in sexual narcissism may use downward sexual comparisons to maintain
      their grandiose self-views and be particularly sensitive to upward sexual
      comparisons.

PMID- 28903651
TI  - For the Sake of the Eternal Group: Perceiving the Group as Trans-Generational and
      Endurance of Ingroup Suffering.
AB  - We introduce the distinction between perceiving the group as Intra-Generational
      (IG; including only the present generation of group members) and Trans
      Generational (TG; including all past, present, and future generations of the
      group). In four studies ( N = 1,265) administered to Jewish Israeli, Palestinian
      Israeli, American, and Swedish samples, we demonstrate that a tendency to
      perceive the group as TG is related to willingness to endure ingroup suffering
      and that this relationship is mediated by the degree to which the interest of the
      group as a whole is given primacy over the interest of the group as a collection
      of group members (Primacy of Interest). Furthermore, experimentally raising the
      salience of the group as TG leads to increased willingness to endure ingroup
      suffering as compared with raising the salience of the group as IG, and the
      effect of the TG salience manipulation is mediated by Primacy of Interest.

PMID- 28903652
TI  - Salient Multiculturalism Enhances Minority Group Members' Feelings of Power.
AB  - The present research examined how messages advocating different intergroup
      ideologies affect outcomes relevant to minority group members' ability to exert
      power in exchanges with dominant group members. We expected that salient
      multiculturalism would have positive implications for minority group members'
      feelings of power by virtue of highlighting essential contributions they make to
      society, and that no such empowering effect would be evident for them in
      connection with alternative ideologies such as color-blindness or for dominant
      group members. Results across four studies involving different participant
      populations, operationalizations of ideology, ethnic minority groups, and
      experimental settings were consistent with these hypotheses and further indicated
      that the effects of salient multiculturalism on feelings of power had downstream
      implications for expectations of control in an ostensibly upcoming intergroup
      interaction and general goal-directed cognition.

PMID- 28903653
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - Fuesting, M. A., & Diekman, A. B. (2017). Not by success alone: Role models
      provide pathways to communal opportunities in STEM. Personality and Social
      Psychology Bulletin, 43(2), 163-176.

PMID- 28903654
TI  - Cultivating Effective Social Support Through Abstraction: Reframing Social
      Support Promotes Goal-Pursuit.
AB  - Social support, in theory, should promote individual goal-pursuit. However, a
      growing number of studies shows that receiving support can undermine goal
      pursuit. Addressing this paradox, we investigated a novel idea of the effects of
      how people think about their social support on their goal-pursuit. Four
      experiments showed that participants who were led to think abstractly (vs.
      concretely) about their social support showed higher intent to pursue their goal
      (Studies 1-3) and worked harder toward their goal (Study 4). The benefits of
      abstracting one's social support occurred over a variety of personal goals,
      support types, and support-providers, indicating the generalizability and
      robustness of our findings. These results demonstrate that how people think about
      their social support influences goal-pursuit and suggest ways in which support
      recipients can maximize their social support.

PMID- 28903655
TI  - Being Your Actual or Ideal Self? What It Means to Feel Authentic in a
      Relationship.
AB  - Relational authenticity-which refers to subjective feelings of authenticity in a
      specific relationship-confers well-being; yet little is known about what gives
      rise to it. The present research tested competing hypotheses about the basis of
      relational authenticity, whether it arises from being one's actual self in a
      relationship (actual-relational selves overlap), ideal self (relational-ideal
      selves overlap), or both. A pilot study examined lay beliefs about the basis of
      relational authenticity. Study 1 then showed that relational-ideal, but not
      actual-relational, overlap predicts relational authenticity. The remaining
      studies experimentally manipulated relational-ideal overlap, and showed that low
      overlap reduced relational authenticity compared with a control condition (Study
      2), with varying actual-relational overlap (Study 3), and with varying actual
      ideal overlap (Study 4). Several alternative accounts (e.g., negative general
      relationship perceptions) were addressed. We conclude that relational
      authenticity emanates largely from being one's ideal self in the relevant
      relationship, and discuss implications and future directions.

PMID- 28903656
TI  - On the Attitudinal Consequences of Being Mindful: Links Between Mindfulness and
      Attitudinal Ambivalence.
AB  - A series of studies examined whether mindfulness is associated with the
      experience of attitudinal ambivalence. Studies 1A and 1B found that mindful
      individuals expressed greater comfort holding ambivalent views and reported
      feeling ambivalent less often. More mindful individuals also responded more
      positively to feelings of uncertainty (as assessed in Study 1B). Study 2
      replicated these effects and demonstrated that mindful individuals had lower
      objective and subjective ambivalence across a range of attitude objects but did
      not differ in attitude valence, extremity, positivity/negativity, strength, or
      the need to evaluate. Study 3 showed that the link between greater ambivalence
      and negative affect was buffered by mindfulness, such that there was no link
      between the amount of ambivalence and negative affect among more mindful
      individuals. The results are discussed with respect to the benefits of
      mindfulness in relation to ambivalence and affect.

PMID- 28903657
TI  - When Wanting the Best Goes Right or Wrong: Distinguishing Between Adaptive and
      Maladaptive Maximization.
AB  - Researchers have often disagreed on how to define maximization, leading to
      conflicting conclusions about its potential benefits or drawbacks. Drawing from
      motivation research, we distinguish between the goals (i.e., wanting the best)
      and strategies (e.g., alternative search) associated with maximizing. Three
      studies illustrate how this differentiation offers insight into when maximizers
      do or do not experience affective costs when making decisions. In Study 1, we
      show that two motivational orientations, promotion focus and assessment mode, are
      both associated with the goal of wanting the best, yet assessment (not promotion)
      is related to the use of alternative search strategies. In Study 2, we
      demonstrate that alternative search strategies are associated with frustration on
      a discrete decision task. In Study 3, we provide evidence that one reason for
      this link may be due to reconsideration of previously dismissed options. We
      discuss the potential of this approach to integrate research in this area.

PMID- 28903658
TI  - A Social Recognition Approach to Autonomy: The Role of Equality-Based Respect.
AB  - Inspired by philosophical reasoning about the connection between equality and
      freedom, we examined whether experiences of (equality-based) respect increase
      perceived autonomy. This link was tested with generalized experiences of respect
      and autonomy people make in their daily lives (Study 1) and with more specific
      experiences of employees at the workplace (Study 2). In both studies, respect
      strongly and independently contributed to perceived autonomy over and above other
      forms of social recognition (need-based care and achievement-based social esteem)
      and further affected (life/work) satisfaction. Study 3 experimentally confirmed
      the hypothesized causal influence of respect on perceived autonomy and
      demonstrated that this effect further translates into social cooperation. The
      respect-cooperation link was simultaneously mediated by perceived autonomy and
      superordinate collective identification. We discuss how the recognition approach,
      which differentiates between respect, care, and social esteem, can enrich
      research on autonomy.

PMID- 28903659
TI  - Sage on the Stage: Women's Representation at an Academic Conference.
AB  - Who presents at conferences matters. Presenting research benefits speakers, and
      presenters shape the conclusions audiences draw about who can succeed in a field.
      This is particularly important for members of historically underrepresented or
      disadvantaged groups, such as women. We investigated gender representation over a
      13-year period among speakers at the largest social and personality psychology
      conference. On average, women were underrepresented as speakers, though this
      effect diminished over time. Chairs appeared to serve as gatekeepers: In symposia
      chaired by women, almost half of the invited speakers were women, whereas in
      symposia chaired by men, it was a third. The representation of women as speakers
      varied significantly by academic rank, with women underrepresented at lower ranks
      but not as full professors, and by topic. Women also tended to present with a
      smaller, less varied array of individuals than men, though this could be
      explained by women's lower average academic rank.

PMID- 28903661
TI  - Social Identification in Sports Teams: The Role of Personal, Social, and
      Collective Identity Motives.
AB  - Based on motivated identity construction theory (MICT; Vignoles, 2011), we offer
      an integrative approach examining the combined roles of six identity motives
      (self-esteem, distinctiveness, belonging, meaning, continuity, and efficacy)
      instantiated at three different motivational levels (personal, social, and
      collective identity) as predictors of group identification. These identity
      processes were investigated among 369 members of 45 sports teams from England and
      Italy in a longitudinal study over 6 months with four time points. Multilevel
      change modeling and cross-lagged analyses showed that satisfaction of four
      personal identity motives (individuals' personal feelings of self-esteem,
      distinctiveness, meaning, and efficacy derived from team membership), three
      social identity motives (individuals' feelings that the team identity carries a
      sense of belonging, meaning, and continuity), and one collective identity motive
      (a shared belief in group distinctiveness) significantly predicted group
      identification. Motivational processes underlying group identification are
      complex, multilayered, and not reducible to personal needs.

PMID- 28903660
TI  - The Process of Disengagement From Personal Goals: Reciprocal Influences Between
      the Experience of Action Crisis and Appraisals of Goal Desirability and
      Attainability.
AB  - To date, it is not well understood how individuals disengage from goals. A recent
      approach suggests that disengagement is often preceded by an action crisis, a
      motivational conflict in which the individual is torn between holding on to and
      letting go of a personal goal. We postulate that a dynamic interplay between the
      experience of action crisis and appraisals of goal desirability and attainability
      shapes the disengagement process from personal goals. In two longitudinal studies
      ( N = 364), an action crisis in the goal to complete a university degree
      predicted devaluations of its desirability and attainability, and reversely, low
      goal attainability (but not desirability) predicted an increase in action crisis.
      Moreover, studies provided first evidence that devaluing goal desirability might
      be functional for well-being in an action crisis. Studies strengthen the view
      that disengagement is shaped by reciprocal processes between the experience of
      action crisis and changes in goal appraisal.

PMID- 28903662
TI  - Looking Backward to Move Forward: Effects of Acknowledgment of Victimhood on
      Readiness to Compromise for Peace in the Protracted Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
AB  - Two large-scale surveys conducted in Israel (Study 1A) and the Palestinian
      Authority (Study 1B) show that the belief by group members that people in the
      "enemy" group acknowledge their victimhood (i.e., Holocaust and Nakba for Jews
      and Palestinians, respectively) is associated with Israeli-Jews' readiness to
      accept responsibility for Palestinian sufferings and offer apologies. For
      Palestinians, this belief is linked to a perceived higher likelihood of a
      reconciled future with Israelis. Three field experiments demonstrate that a
      manipulated high level of acknowledgment of Jewish victimhood by Palestinians
      (Studies 2 and 4) and of Palestinian victimhood by Israeli-Jews (Study 3) caused
      greater readiness to make concessions for the sake of peace on divisive issues
      (e.g., Jerusalem, the 1967 borders, the right of return) and increased
      conciliatory attitudes. Additional analyses indicate the mediating role of
      increased trust and reduced emotional needs in these relationships.

PMID- 28903663
TI  - The Shadows of the Past: Effects of Historical Group Trauma on Current Intergroup
      Conflicts.
AB  - We examined associations between two orientations based on historical group
      trauma, a form of enduring group victimhood (Perpetual Ingroup Victimhood
      Orientation [PIVO]) and the belief that one's group might itself become a
      victimizer (Fear of Victimizing [FOV]), and attitudes, cognitions, and emotions
      related to intergroup conflicts. PIVO was positively and FOV was negatively
      related to aggressive attitudes and emotions toward the outgroup (Studies 1a-1c,
      Israeli-Palestinian conflict), and to the attribution of responsibility for a
      series of hostilities to the outgroup (Study 3, Israeli-Palestinian conflict).
      PIVO was negatively and FOV positively related to support for forgiveness and
      reconciliation (Study 2, Northern Ireland conflict). In Experimental Study 4, FOV
      predicted greater accuracy in remembering harm, regardless of victims' group
      identity, whereas PIVO was associated with reduced accuracy only when victims
      were Palestinians (outgroup members). Taken together, these findings indicate
      that both orientations have a significant impact on intergroup conflicts and
      their resolution.

PMID- 28903664
TI  - Preferences and actual chemotherapy decision-making in the greater plains
      collaborative breast cancer study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is renewed interest in identifying breast cancer patients'
      participation in decision-making about adjuvant chemotherapy. There is a gap in
      the literature regarding the impact of these decisions on quality of life (QOL)
      and quality of care (QOC). Our aims were to determine similarities and
      differences in how patients diagnosed with breast cancer preferred to make
      decisions with providers about cancer treatment, to examine the patient's recall
      of her role when the decision was made about chemotherapy and to determine how
      preferred and actual roles, as well as congruence between them, relate to QOL and
      perceived QOC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Greater Plains Collaborative clinical data
      research network of PCORnet conducted the 'Share Thoughts on Breast Cancer'
      survey among women 12-18 months post-diagnosis at eight sites in seven Midwestern
      United States. Patients recalled their preferred and actual treatment decision
      making roles and three new shared decision-making (SDM) variables were created.
      Patients completed QOL and QOC measurements. Correlations and t-tests were used.
      RESULTS: Of 1235 returned surveys, 873 (full sample) and 329 (subsample who
      received chemotherapy) were used. About one-half of women in both the full
      (50.7%) and subsample (49.8%,) preferred SDM with providers about treatment
      decisions, but only 41.2% (full) and 42.6% (subsample) reported experiencing SDM.
      Significant differences were found between preferred versus actual roles in the
      full (p < .001) and subsample (p < .004). In the full sample, there were no
      relationships between five decision-making variables with QOL, but there was an
      association with QOC. The subsample's decision-making variables related to
      several QOL scales and QOC items, with a more patient-centered decision than
      originally preferred related to higher physical and social/family well-being,
      overall QOL and QOC. CONCLUSIONS: Patients benefit from providers' efforts to
      identify patient preferences, encourage an active role in SDM, and tailor
      decision making to their desired choice.

PMID- 28903665
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28903666
TI  - Who Represents Our Group? The Effects of Prototype Content on Perceived Status
      Dispersion and Social Undermining.
AB  - Group identity may be embodied in more typical or extreme member attributes. The
      present research suggests that individuals' perceptions of the group identity
      prototype predict their beliefs about the status hierarchy and, in turn, the
      prevalence of social undermining behavior. Across four studies using both
      experimental and field data, we find that perceiving that the group prototype is
      focused on the ideal rather than the central tendency is associated with greater
      levels of perceived status dispersion and social undermining, and that perceived
      status dispersion mediates the relationship between members' perception of the
      group prototype and social undermining behavior. We also find that social context
      specifically, salient group achievement goals elicited by intergroup competition
      and common ingroup identity-attenuates the effect of ideal prototypes on
      perceived social undermining. Theoretical implications for the social identity,
      status, and social undermining literatures are discussed.

PMID- 28903667
TI  - Identity and Professional Networking.
AB  - Despite evidence that large professional networks afford a host of financial and
      professional benefits, people vary in how motivated they are to build such
      networks. To help explain this variance, the present article moves beyond a
      rational self-interest account to examine the possibility that identity shapes
      individuals' intentions to network. Study 1 established a positive association
      between viewing professional networking as identity-congruent and the tendency to
      prioritize strengthening and expanding one's professional network. Study 2
      revealed that manipulating the salience of the self affects networking
      intentions, but only among those high in networking identity-congruence. Study 3
      further established causality by experimentally manipulating identity-congruence
      to increase networking intentions. Study 4 examined whether identity or self
      interest is a better predictor of networking intentions, providing support for
      the former. These findings indicate that identity influences the networks people
      develop. Implications for research on the self, identity-based motivation, and
      professional networking are discussed.

PMID- 28903668
TI  - The Mandate of the Collective: Apology Representativeness Determines Perceived
      Sincerity and Forgiveness in Intergroup Contexts.
AB  - The sincerity of an apology is often critical for it to be viewed positively by
      victims. For collective apologies, we argue that sincerity takes on a particular
      meaning: It is a function of the apology's perceived representativeness for the
      offender group's will or sentiment. Consistent with this notion, when an
      apologetic (vs. nonapologetic) message was democratically chosen (Study 1) or
      explicitly endorsed by the majority of the offending outgroup (Study 2), it was
      considered more sincere and, through this, led to more forgiveness. Furthermore,
      while disagreement about an apology within the offender group reduced its
      perceived representativeness and sincerity, this was less so when the dissenters
      could be subtyped: when disagreement was correlated with an existing subgroup
      within the offending outgroup (Study 3) and in line with expectations for that
      subgroup (Study 4). This research shows that victim group members consider
      intragroup processes within the offending outgroup for attributions of sincerity.

PMID- 28903669
TI  - The Evil Animal: A Terror Management Theory Perspective on the Human Tendency to
      Kill Animals.
AB  - This research tested whether support for the killing of animals serves a terror
      management function. In five studies, death primes caused participants to support
      the killing of animals more than control primes, unless the participants' self
      esteem had been elevated (Study 4). This effect was not moderated by gender,
      preexisting attitudes toward killing animals or animal rights, perceived human
      animal similarity, religiosity, political orientation, or by the degree to which
      the killing was justified. Support for killing animals after subliminal death
      primes was also associated with an increased sense of power and invulnerability
      (Study 5). Implications and future directions are discussed.

PMID- 28903670
TI  - Daily Autonomy Support and Sexual Identity Disclosure Predicts Daily Mental and
      Physical Health Outcomes.
AB  - Using a daily diary methodology, we examined how social environments support or
      fail to support sexual identity disclosure, and associated mental and physical
      health outcomes. Results showed that variability in disclosure across the diary
      period related to greater psychological well-being and fewer physical symptoms,
      suggesting potential adaptive benefits to selectively disclosing. A multilevel
      path model indicated that perceiving autonomy support in conversations predicted
      more disclosure, which in turn predicted more need satisfaction, greater well
      being, and fewer physical symptoms that day. Finally, mediation analyses revealed
      that disclosure and need satisfaction explained why perceiving autonomy support
      in a conversation predicted greater well-being and fewer physical symptoms. That
      is, perceiving autonomy support in conversations indirectly predicted greater
      wellness through sexual orientation disclosure, along with feeling authentic and
      connected in daily interactions with others. Discussion highlights the role of
      supportive social contexts and everyday opportunities to disclose in affecting
      sexual minority mental and physical health.

PMID- 28903671
TI  - Humor Use Moderates the Relation of Stressful Life Events With Psychological
      Distress.
AB  - Three studies examined humor and adjustment to stressful events. In Study 1,
      patients with fibromyalgia syndrome ( N = 22) reported on mental and physical
      adjustment, social interaction, and reappraisal of their illness. Dispositional
      humor was associated with reduced distress and fewer physical symptoms. Study 2 (
      N = 109) examined undergraduates' reports of stressful events. Dispositional,
      self-enhancing, affiliative, and self-defeating humor showed direct effects on
      distress, which were mediated by social interaction and reappraisal. Moreover,
      dispositional and aggressive humor showed stress-buffering effects. Study 3 ( N =
      105) examined undergraduates' adjustment to the September 11, 2001, attacks at 1
      and 3 months postattack. At T1, affiliative humor showed a stress-buffering
      effect on distress. Social interaction mediated the relation of self-enhancing
      humor with reduced T1 distress, and mediated relations of aggressive and self
      defeating humor with greater distress. Relations of T1 dispositional and self
      defeating humor to changes in T2 distress were mediated by reappraisal.

PMID- 28903672
TI  - Cognitive and Interpersonal Features of Intellectual Humility.
AB  - Four studies examined intellectual humility-the degree to which people recognize
      that their beliefs might be wrong. Using a new Intellectual Humility (IH) Scale,
      Study 1 showed that intellectual humility was associated with variables related
      to openness, curiosity, tolerance of ambiguity, and low dogmatism. Study 2
      revealed that participants high in intellectual humility were less certain that
      their beliefs about religion were correct and judged people less on the basis of
      their religious opinions. In Study 3, participants high in intellectual humility
      were less inclined to think that politicians who changed their attitudes were
      "flip-flopping," and Study 4 showed that people high in intellectual humility
      were more attuned to the strength of persuasive arguments than those who were
      low. In addition to extending our understanding of intellectual humility, this
      research demonstrates that the IH Scale is a valid measure of the degree to which
      people recognize that their beliefs are fallible.

PMID- 28903673
TI  - Affective and Cognitive Orientations in Intergroup Perception.
AB  - Three studies examined the role of need for affect (NFA) and need for cognition
      (NFC) in intergroup perception. We hypothesized that NFA predicts a preference
      for stereotypically warm groups over stereotypically cold groups, whereas NFC
      predicts a preference for stereotypically competent groups over stereotypically
      incompetent groups. Study 1 supported these hypotheses for attitudes toward
      stereotypically ambivalent groups, which are stereotyped as high on one of the
      trait dimensions (e.g., high warmth) and low on the other (e.g., low competence),
      but not for stereotypically univalent groups, which are seen as high or low on
      both dimensions. Studies 2 and 3 replicated this pattern for stereotypically
      ambivalent groups, and yielded provocative evidence regarding several putative
      mechanisms underlying these associations. Together, these findings help integrate
      and extend past evidence on attitude-relevant individual differences with
      research on intergroup perception.

PMID- 28903674
TI  - Social Traces of Generic Humans Increase the Value of Everyday Objects.
AB  - Past research finds that people behave as though the particular qualities of
      specific, strongly valenced individuals "rub off" on objects. People thus value a
      sweater worn by George Clooney but are disgusted by one worn by Hitler. We
      hypothesized that social traces of generic humans can also adhere to objects,
      increasing their value. Experiments 1 and 2 found that simply marking that
      consumer products (mugs, giftwrap) were made by generic strangers (e.g., "by
      people using machines" vs. "by machines run by people") increased their perceived
      value. Experiment 3 demonstrated that this effect was mediated by thoughts about
      attention the object received from other people, which, in turn, led people to
      see the object as possessing more positive social qualities (e.g., friendly),
      increasing valuation. The results suggest that generic humans are perceived
      positively, possessing warm social qualities, and these can "rub off" and adhere
      to everyday objects increasing their value.

PMID- 28903675
TI  - Interactive Effects of Obvious and Ambiguous Social Categories on Perceptions of
      Leadership: When Double-Minority Status May Be Beneficial.
AB  - Easily perceived identities (e.g., race) may interact with perceptually ambiguous
      identities (e.g., sexual orientation) in meaningful but elusive ways. Here, we
      investigated how intersecting identities impact impressions of leadership. People
      perceived gay Black men as better leaders than members of either single-minority
      group (i.e., gay or Black). Yet, different traits supported judgments of the
      leadership abilities of Black and White targets; for instance, warmth positively
      predicted leadership judgments for Black men but dominance positively predicted
      leadership judgments for White men. These differences partly occurred because of
      different perceptions of masculinity across the intersection of race and sexual
      orientation. Indeed, both categorical (race and sex) and noncategorical (trait)
      social information contributed to leadership judgments. These findings highlight
      differences in the traits associated with leadership in Black and White men, as
      well as the importance of considering how intersecting cues associated with
      obvious and ambiguous groups moderate perceptions.

PMID- 28903676
TI  - The Influence of Effortful Thought and Cognitive Proficiencies on the Conjunction
      Fallacy: Implications for Dual-Process Theories of Reasoning and Judgment.
AB  - Human judgment often violates normative standards, and virtually no judgment
      error has received as much attention as the conjunction fallacy. Judgment errors
      have historically served as evidence for dual-process theories of reasoning,
      insofar as these errors are assumed to arise from reliance on a fast and
      intuitive mental process, and are corrected via effortful deliberative reasoning.
      In the present research, three experiments tested the notion that conjunction
      errors are reduced by effortful thought. Predictions based on three different
      dual-process theory perspectives were tested: lax monitoring, override failure,
      and the Tripartite Model. Results indicated that participants higher in numeracy
      were less likely to make conjunction errors, but this association only emerged
      when participants engaged in two-sided reasoning, as opposed to one-sided or no
      reasoning. Confidence was higher for incorrect as opposed to correct judgments,
      suggesting that participants were unaware of their errors.

PMID- 28903677
TI  - Considering Roads Taken and Not Taken: How Psychological Distance Influences the
      Framing of Choice Events.
AB  - After people make choices, they can frame the choice event in terms of what they
      chose, or in terms of what they did not choose. The current research proposes
      psychological distance as one factor influencing this framing and suggests
      implications. Three experiments manipulated dimensions of distance to demonstrate
      people's greater tendency to frame choice events in terms of chosen options at
      greater psychological distances. Additional findings demonstrate that these
      effects occur regardless of whether the decision turned out well or poorly. In a
      final experiment, framing a decision in terms of choosing (versus not choosing) a
      task made people more likely to believe their choice reflected their liking for
      the chosen task, which led to more favorable expectations for it. The discussion
      focuses on possible implications of these findings for understanding prior work
      on self-other differences in decision making, motivations for past decisions,
      reactions to decision outcomes, and counterfactual thinking.

PMID- 28903678
TI  - Is Education a Fundamental Right? People's Lay Theories About Intellectual
      Potential Drive Their Positions on Education.
AB  - Does every child have a fundamental right to receive a high-quality education? We
      propose that people's beliefs about whether "nearly everyone" or "only some
      people" have high intellectual potential drive their positions on education.
      Three studies found that the more people believed that nearly everyone has high
      potential, the more they viewed education as a fundamental human right.
      Furthermore, people who viewed education as a fundamental right, in turn (a) were
      more likely to support the institution of free public education, (b) were more
      concerned upon learning that students in the country were not performing well
      academically compared with students in peer nations, and (c) were more likely to
      support redistributing educational funds more equitably across wealthier and
      poorer school districts. The studies show that people's beliefs about
      intellectual potential can influence their positions on education, which can
      affect the future quality of life for countless students.

PMID- 28903679
TI  - Distinctive Facial Cues Predict Leadership Rank and Selection.
AB  - Facial appearance correlates with leadership, both in terms of who is chosen
      (leader selection) and how they do (leader success). Leadership theories suggest
      that exceptional individuals acquire positions as leaders. Exceptional traits can
      differ between domains, however, and so the qualities valued in leaders in one
      occupation may not match those valued among leaders in another. To test this, we
      compared the relationship between facial appearance and leadership across two
      domains: law firms and mafia families. Perceptions of power correlated with
      leadership among law executives whereas social skill correlated with leadership
      in organized crime. Critically, these traits were distinctive within their
      respective groups. Furthermore, an experimental test showed that the relative
      frequency of facial traits in a group can render them either an asset or
      liability. Perceived leadership ability is therefore enhanced by characteristics
      that appear unique among individuals who satisfy the basic criteria for their
      group.

PMID- 28903680
TI  - Exaggerating Accessible Differences: When Gender Stereotypes Overestimate Actual
      Group Differences.
AB  - Stereotypes are often presumed to exaggerate group differences, but empirical
      evidence is mixed. We suggest exaggeration is moderated by the accessibility of
      specific stereotype content. In particular, because the most accessible
      stereotype contents are attributes perceived to differ between groups, those
      attributes are most likely to exaggerate actual group differences due to
      regression to the mean. We tested this hypothesis using a highly accessible
      gender stereotype: that women are more socially sensitive than men. We confirmed
      that the most accessible stereotype content involves attributes perceived to
      differ between groups (pretest), and that these stereotypes contain some accuracy
      but significantly exaggerate actual gender differences (Experiment 1). We observe
      less exaggeration when judging less accessible stereotype content (Experiment 2),
      or when judging individual men and women (Experiment 3). Considering the
      accessibility of specific stereotype content may explain when stereotypes
      exaggerate actual group differences and when they do not.

PMID- 28903681
TI  - Hedonic Benefits of Close and Distant Interaction Partners: The Mediating Roles
      of Social Approval and Authenticity.
AB  - The current research utilized ecological momentary assessment methodology to
      examine affective responses to interacting with close versus distant interaction
      partners during naturally occurring social interactions, and to test predictions
      regarding the mediating roles of perceived social approval and authenticity.
      Analysis of 4,602 social interactions reported by 176 participants suggested
      that, relative to interactions with distant partners, interactions with close
      partners were characterized by more positive affect. This effect was mediated by
      perceived social approval and authenticity. These findings suggest that social
      interactions with close others confer greater hedonic benefits relative to
      interactions with distant partners due to greater confidence in social approval
      and feelings of authenticity. Exploratory analyses suggested that interactions
      with close partners featured warmer and less shy behavior, and that participants
      who placed more importance on close relationships (as measured by high relational
      interdependent self-construal) experienced more approval and authenticity in
      their interactions, particularly with distant partners.

PMID- 28903682
TI  - Differential and Domain-Specific Associations Among Right-Wing Authoritarianism,
      Social Dominance Orientation, and Adolescent Delinquency.
AB  - Using a dual-process model (DPM) framework, this research examined whether right
      wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO) are
      differentially associated with adolescent delinquency. In Study 1 ( N = 847; Mage
      = 15.96) and Study 2 ( N = 340; Mage = 16.64), adolescents completed measures of
      RWA, SDO, and engagement in different forms of delinquency. In Study 2,
      adolescents also reported their beliefs about obeying different laws. Across both
      studies, adolescents who endorsed greater RWA engaged in lower levels of
      delinquency and those who endorsed greater SDO engaged in higher levels of
      delinquency. Findings from Study 2 suggest that these associations are contingent
      on the domain-specific purpose of the law being violated and are also present
      with adolescents' beliefs about their obligation to obey laws. These results
      extend the DPM, demonstrating that RWA and SDO are differentially linked with
      youth delinquency.

PMID- 28903683
TI  - Individual Perceptions of Self-Actualization: What Functional Motives Are Linked
      to Fulfilling One's Full Potential?
AB  - Maslow's self-actualization remains a popular notion in academic research as well
      as popular culture. The notion that life's highest calling is fulfilling one's
      own unique potential has been widely appealing. But what do people believe they
      are doing when they pursue the realization of their full, unique potentials?
      Here, we examine lay perceptions of self-actualization. Self-actualizing, like
      any drive, is unlikely to operate without regard to biological and social costs
      and benefits. We examine which functional outcomes (e.g., gaining status, making
      friends, finding mates, caring for kin) people perceive as central to their
      individual self-actualizing. Three studies suggest that people most frequently
      link self-actualization to seeking status, and, concordant with life history
      theory, what people regard as self-actualizing varies in predictable ways across
      the life span and across individuals. Contrasting with self-actualization, people
      do not view other types of well-being-eudaimonic, hedonic, subjective-as
      furthering status-linked functional outcomes.

PMID- 28903684
TI  - The "Wallpaper Effect" Revisited: Divergent Findings on the Effects of Intergroup
      Contact on Attitudes in Diverse Versus Nondiverse Contexts.
AB  - This article reexamines the so-called "wallpaper effect" of intergroup contact,
      which contends that for minority group members living in areas more densely
      populated by majority group members, intergroup contact fails to reduce
      prejudice. We tested this claim in five studies, using data from five countries,
      two types of contexts, a range of measures, and involving different minority
      versus majority groups. Using multilevel cross-level interaction models, we
      considered whether effects of contact on outgroup attitudes were moderated by
      relative outgroup size. Results failed to replicate the previously reported
      findings, revealing, by and large, nonsignificant cross-level moderation effects;
      instead, we witnessed consistent positive contact effects on attitudes. Findings
      are discussed against the backdrop of recent research on the consequences of
      diversity, as well as context-based considerations regarding minority versus
      majority constellations. We also discuss some exceptions to our findings that
      emerged for some respondent groups and contexts across the five studies.

PMID- 28903685
TI  - Evaluating the Dimensionality of Self-Determination Theory's Relative Autonomy
      Continuum.
AB  - We conducted a theoretical and psychometric evaluation of self-determination
      theory's "relative autonomy continuum" (RAC), an important aspect of the theory
      whose validity has recently been questioned. We first derived a Comprehensive
      Relative Autonomy Index (C-RAI) containing six subscales and 24 items, by
      conducting a paired paraphrase content analysis of existing RAI measures. We
      administered the C-RAI to multiple U.S. and Russian samples, assessing motivation
      to attend class, study a major, and take responsibility. Item-level and scale
      level multidimensional scaling analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and
      simplex/circumplex modeling analyses reaffirmed the validity of the RAC, across
      multiple samples, stems, and studies. Validation analyses predicting subjective
      well-being and trait autonomy from the six separate subscales, in combination
      with various higher order composites (weighted and unweighted), showed that an
      aggregate unweighted RAI score provides the most unbiased and efficient indicator
      of the overall quality of motivation within the behavioral domain being assessed.

PMID- 28903686
TI  - * Engineering Membranes for Bone Regeneration.
AB  - This review is focused on the use of membranes for the specific application of
      bone regeneration. The first section focuses on the relevance of membranes in
      this context and what are the specifications that they should possess to improve
      the regeneration of bone. Afterward, several techniques to engineer bone
      membranes by using "bulk"-like methods are discussed, where different parameters
      to induce bone formation are disclosed in a way to have desirable structural and
      functional properties. Subsequently, the production of nanostructured membranes
      using a bottom-up approach is discussed by highlighting the main advances in the
      field of bone regeneration. Primordial importance is given to the promotion of
      osteoconductive and osteoinductive capability during the membrane design.
      Whenever possible, the films prepared using different techniques are compared in
      terms of handability, bone guiding ability, osteoinductivity, adequate mechanical
      properties, or biodegradability. A last chapter contemplates membranes only
      composed by cells, disclosing their potential to regenerate bone.

PMID- 28903687
TI  - Post-Fight Respect Signals Valuations of Opponent's Fighting Performance.
AB  - The current research explores whether humans process inputs about combat (e.g.,
      assessments of formidability) that produce outputs of post-fight respect (e.g.,
      shaking an opponent's hand when the fight ends). Using an online questionnaire
      (Study 1, n = 132), an in-person questionnaire (Study 2, n = 131), and an in-lab
      fight simulation (Study 3, n = 58), we investigated whether participants were
      more likely to receive (Studies 1 and 3) and display (Studies 2 and 3) post-fight
      respect as a function of the fight outcome (Hypothesis 1), use of fight tactics
      (Hypothesis 2), fighter asymmetries (Hypothesis 3), fighter ranking (Hypothesis
      4), and the presence of witnesses (Hypothesis 5). The results support Hypotheses
      1 to 4 concerning expectations of receiving post-fight respect, and support only
      Hypotheses 2 and 3 concerning displays of post-fight respect. We suggest that
      post-fight respect signals positive valuations of fighting performance that may
      function to maintain valuable relationships within the social group.

PMID- 28903688
TI  - More Than Just Sex: Affection Mediates the Association Between Sexual Activity
      and Well-Being.
AB  - Positive interpersonal interactions such as affection are central to well-being.
      Sex is associated with greater individual well-being, but little is known about
      why this occurs. We predicted that experienced affection would account for the
      association between sex and well-being. Cross-sectional results indicated that
      affection mediated the association between sex and both life satisfaction (Study
      1) and positive emotions (however, among men only in Study 2). In Study 3, an
      experience sampling study with 106 dual-earner couples with children, affection
      mediated the association between sex and increased positive affect in daily life.
      Cross-lagged analyses in Study 3 to 4 supported the predicted direction of the
      associations. Moreover, the strength of the daily association between sex and
      positive affect predicted both partners' relationship satisfaction 6 months
      later. Our findings underscore the importance of affection and positive affect
      for understanding how sex promotes well-being and has long-term relational
      benefits.

PMID- 28903689
TI  - Temporal Stability of Implicit and Explicit Measures: A Longitudinal Analysis.
AB  - A common assumption about implicit measures is that they reflect early
      experiences, whereas explicit measures are assumed to reflect recent experiences.
      This assumption subsumes two distinct hypotheses: (a) Implicit measures are more
      resistant to situationally induced changes than explicit measures; (b) individual
      differences on implicit measures are more stable over time than individual
      differences on explicit measures. Although the first hypothesis has been the
      subject of numerous studies, the second hypothesis has received relatively little
      attention. The current research addressed the second hypothesis in two
      longitudinal studies that compared the temporal stability of individual
      differences on implicit and explicit measures in three content domains (self
      concept, racial attitudes, political attitudes). In both studies, implicit
      measures showed significantly lower stability over time (weighted average r =
      .54) than conceptually corresponding explicit measures (weighted average r =
      .75), despite comparable estimates of internal consistency. Implications for
      theories of implicit social cognition and interpretations of implicit and
      explicit measures are discussed.

PMID- 28903690
TI  - How Moral Perceptions Influence Intergroup Tolerance: Evidence From Lebanon,
      Morocco, and the United States.
AB  - Intergroup boundaries are often associated with differences in moral codes. How
      does the perception of similarity and dissimilarity in moral worldviews influence
      tolerant relationships between members of different groups? We theorized that the
      relationship between perceived moral similarity and intergroup tolerance is
      domain specific. Specifically, because people treat autonomy values (e.g., caring
      for others, being fair) as denoting universal rights and obligations, but binding
      values (e.g., purity) as denoting rights and obligations that apply
      preferentially for their own group, perceived similarity on autonomy values
      should be more relevant than perceived similarity on binding values to intergroup
      tolerance. Here, we describe correlational and experimental evidence to support
      these predictions from studies carried out in Lebanon (with sectarian groups), in
      Morocco (with ethnic groups), and in the United States (with ideological groups).
      Implications for understanding intergroup relations and theories of morality are
      discussed.

PMID- 28903691
TI  - Sadism, the Intuitive System, and Antisocial Punishment in the Public Goods Game.
AB  - In public goods situations, a specific destructive behavior emerges when
      individuals face the possibility of punishing others: antisocial punishment, that
      is, costly punishing cooperative individuals. So far, little is known about the
      (intuitive or reflective) processes underlying antisocial punishment. Building on
      the Social Heuristics Hypothesis and arguing that antisocial punishment reflects
      the basic characteristics of sadism, namely, aggressive behavior to dominate and
      to harm other individuals it is assumed that everyday sadists intuitively engage
      in antisocial punishment. Two studies document that activating (Study 1) and
      inhibiting (Study 2) the intuitive system when a punishment option can be
      realized in one-shot iterated public goods games increased (Study 1) and reduced
      (Study 2) antisocial punishment, in particular among individuals who reported a
      proneness to sadism. In sum, the present research suggests that sadistic
      tendencies executed intuitively play a crucial role regarding antisocial
      punishment in public goods situations.

PMID- 28903692
TI  - Authoritarianism, Institutional Confidence, and Willingness to Engage in
      Collective Action: A Multinational Analysis.
AB  - The antecedents of collective action have received considerable attention in
      psychology, political science, and sociology. However, few studies have addressed
      the extent to which individual differences in psychological needs, motives, and
      traits predict collective action tendencies. In the present study, we focus on an
      especially important individual difference: authoritarianism. We examined three
      key hypotheses: (1) that authoritarianism would be associated with lower
      willingness to engage in collective action (net of other factors known to predict
      protest), (2) that the negative relationship between authoritarianism and
      collective action would be stronger among the politically engaged; and (3) that
      the negative relationship between authoritarianism and collective action would be
      weaker among those who lacked confidence in major social institutions. Using data
      from three independent waves of the World Values Survey, we find cross-national
      evidence supporting all three hypotheses.

PMID- 28903693
TI  - Societal Conditions and the Gender Difference in Well-Being: Testing a Three
      Stage Model.
AB  - Findings from a meta-analysis on gender differences in self-esteem (Zuckerman et
      al., 2016) suggest that the relation between the degree to which societal
      conditions are favorable to women and gender difference in self-esteem might be
      quadratic; when conditions improve, women's self-esteem (relative to that of men)
      trends downward but when conditions continue to improve, women's self-esteem
      begins to trend upward. Testing whether these relations generalize to subjective
      well-being, the present study found a quadratic relation between improving
      societal conditions and the gender difference in life satisfaction and positive
      affect (women are lower than men when societal conditions are moderately
      favorable compared to when they are at their worst and at their best); the
      relation was linear for negative emotion (women report more negative emotions
      than men when societal conditions are better). Directions for future research
      that will address potential explanations for these results are proposed.

PMID- 28903694
TI  - Attachment and Self-Regulation.
AB  - Close relationships and self-regulation are inextricably intertwined, yet many of
      the details regarding how interpersonal processes influence self-regulation are
      not well understood. To gain a better understanding of this link, we investigated
      the association between attachment styles and self-regulatory mode orientations.
      According to regulatory mode theory, locomotors are concerned with initiating
      goal-directed movement, whereas assessors are concerned with appraising potential
      means and goals. We predicted that the presence of an attachment figure with whom
      one has an anxious attachment would be associated with higher assessment
      tendencies. In addition, we predicted that the presence of an attachment figure
      with whom one has an avoidant attachment would be associated with lower
      locomotion tendencies. Five studies ( N = 1,434) supported our predictions, and
      demonstrated that attachment styles and self-regulatory mode orientations covary
      across interaction partners.

PMID- 28903695
TI  - Toward a Comprehensive Understanding of Intergroup Contact: Descriptions and
      Mediators of Positive and Negative Contact Among Majority and Minority Groups.
AB  - Positive contact predicts reduced prejudice, but negative contact may increase
      prejudice at a stronger rate. The current project builds on this work in four
      ways: establishing an understanding of contact that is grounded in subjective
      experience, examining the affective mediators involved in the negative contact
      prejudice relationship, extending research on the effects of positive and
      negative contact to minority groups, and examining the contact asymmetry
      experimentally. Study 1 introduced anger as a mediator of the relationships
      between positive and negative contact and prejudice among White Americans ( N =
      371), using a contact measure that reflected the frequency and intensity of a
      wide range of experiences. Study 2 found a contact asymmetry among Black and
      Hispanic Americans ( N = 365). Study 3 found initial experimental evidence of a
      contact asymmetry ( N = 309). We conclude by calling for a more nuanced
      understanding of intergroup contact that recognizes its multifaceted and
      subjective nature.

PMID- 28903696
TI  - Permeability of Group Boundaries: Development of the Concept and a Scale.
AB  - The perceived possibility of movement between groups, referred to as permeability
      of group boundaries, is considered a key factor in explaining intergroup
      relations. However, so far, permeability has been conceptualized in different
      ways and there exists no validated measure. Integrating different
      conceptualizations, we developed a scale distinguishing membership permeability
      (e.g., a person changing from one sport team to another) versus status
      permeability (e.g., a person acquiring a higher social status). Scale validation
      occurred across samples representing five lower status groups (older adults,
      women, obese, lower educated, ethnic minorities). Our scale was related to
      central indicators of intergroup relations such as self-reported intergroup
      attitudes (e.g., identification) and endorsement of behavioral strategies
      (individual mobility, collective action). Moreover, it distinguished permeability
      characteristics of different types of social groups. The scale provides a novel
      theoretical conceptualization of permeability and can be used to examine levels
      and correlates of permeability perceptions across social groups.

PMID- 28903697
TI  - Foundational Tests of the Need-Support Model: A Framework for Bridging Regulatory
      Focus Theory and Self-Determination Theory.
AB  - This article introduces the need-support model, which proposes that regulatory
      focus can affect subjective support for the needs proposed by self-determination
      theory (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and support of these needs can
      affect subjective labeling of experiences as promotion-focused and prevention
      focused. Three studies tested these hypotheses ( N = 2,114). Study 1 found that
      people recall more need support in promotion-focused experiences than in
      prevention-focused experiences, and need support in their day yesterday (with no
      particular regulatory focus) fell in between. Study 2 found that experiences of
      higher need support were more likely to be labeled as promotion-focused rather
      than prevention-focused, and that each need accounted for distinct variance in
      the labeling of experiences. Study 3 varied regulatory focus within a performance
      task and found that participants in the promotion condition engaged in need
      support inflation, whereas participants in the prevention condition engaged in
      need-support deflation. Directions for future research are discussed.

PMID- 28903698
TI  - Media Violence and Other Aggression Risk Factors in Seven Nations.
AB  - Cultural generality versus specificity of media violence effects on aggression
      was examined in seven countries (Australia, China, Croatia, Germany, Japan,
      Romania, the United States). Participants reported aggressive behaviors, media
      use habits, and several other known risk and protective factors for aggression.
      Across nations, exposure to violent screen media was positively associated with
      aggression. This effect was partially mediated by aggressive cognitions and
      empathy. The media violence effect on aggression remained significant even after
      statistically controlling a number of relevant risk and protective factors (e.g.,
      abusive parenting, peer delinquency), and was similar in magnitude to effects of
      other risk factors. In support of the cumulative risk model, joint effects of
      different risk factors on aggressive behavior in each culture were larger than
      effects of any individual risk factor.

PMID- 28903699
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28903700
TI  - Motivational Differences in Seeking Out Evaluative Categorization Information.
AB  - Previous research shows that people draw finer evaluative distinctions when
      rating liked versus disliked objects (e.g., wanting a 5-point scale to evaluate
      liked cuisines and a 3-point scale to rate disliked cuisines). Known as the
      preference-categorization effect, this pattern may exist not only in how
      individuals form evaluative distinctions but also in how individuals seek out
      evaluative information. The current research presents three experiments that
      examine motivational differences in evaluative information seeking (rating scales
      and attributes). Experiment 1 found that freedom of choice (the ability to avoid
      undesirable stimuli) and sensitivity to punishment (as measured by the Behavior
      Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System [BIS/BAS] scale) influenced
      preferences for desirable and undesirable evaluative information in a health
      related decision. Experiment 2 examined choice optimization, finding that
      maximizers prefer finer evaluative information for both liked and disliked
      options in a consumer task. Experiment 3 found that this pattern generalizes to
      another type of evaluative categorization, attributes.

PMID- 28903701
TI  - When Praising Yourself Insults Others: Self-Superiority Claims Provoke
      Aggression.
AB  - We tested the prediction, derived from the hubris hypothesis, that bragging might
      serve as a verbal provocation and thus enhance aggression. Experiments 1 and 2
      were vignette studies where participants could express hypothetical aggression;
      Experiment 3 was an actual decision task where participants could make aggressive
      and/or prosocial choices. Observers disliked an explicit braggart (who claimed to
      be "better than others") or a competence braggart as compared with an implicit
      braggart (who claimed to be "good") or a warmth braggart, respectively. Showing
      that explicit and competence bragging function as verbal provocations, observers
      responded more aggressively to the explicit and competence braggart than to the
      implicit and warmth braggart, respectively. They did so because they inferred
      that an explicit and a competence braggart viewed other people and them
      negatively, and therefore disliked the braggart. Rather than praising the self,
      braggarts are sometimes viewed as insulting others.

PMID- 28903702
TI  - Information-Acquisition Processes in Moral Judgments of Blame.
AB  - When people make moral judgments, what information do they look for? Despite its
      theoretical and practical implications, this question has largely been neglected
      by prior literature. The recent Path Model of Blame predicts a canonical order in
      which people acquire information when judging blame. Upon discovering a negative
      event, perceivers consider information about causality, then intentionality, then
      (if the event is intentional) reasons or (if the event is unintentional)
      preventability. Three studies, using two novel paradigms, assessed and found
      support for these predictions: In constrained (Study 1) and open-ended (Study 2)
      information-acquisition contexts, participants were most likely, and fastest, to
      seek information in the canonical order, even when under time pressure (Study 3).
      These findings indicate that blame relies on a set of information components that
      are processed in a systematic order. Implications for moral judgment models are
      discussed, as are potential roles of emotion and motivated reasoning in
      information acquisition.

PMID- 28903703
TI  - Motivated Use of Numerical Anchors for Judgments Relevant to the Self.
AB  - The anchoring effect has been replicated so extensively that it is generally
      thought to be ubiquitous. However, anchoring has primarily been tested in domains
      in which people are motivated to reach accurate conclusions rather than biased
      conclusions. Is the anchoring effect robust even when the anchors are
      threatening? In three studies, participants made a series of probability
      judgments about their own futures paired with either optimistic anchors (e.g.,
      "Do you think that the chances that your current relationship will last a
      lifetime are more or less than 95%?"), pessimistic anchors (e.g., "more or less
      than 10%?"), or no anchors. A fourth study experimentally manipulated motivation
      to ignore the anchor with financial incentives. Across studies, anchors that
      implied high probabilities of unwanted events occurring were ineffective.
      Together, these studies suggest that anchoring has an important boundary
      condition: Personally threatening anchors are ignored as a result of motivated
      reasoning processes.

PMID- 28903704
TI  - Emotion Decoding and Incidental Processing Fluency as Antecedents of Attitude
      Certainty.
AB  - Previous research demonstrates that attitude certainty influences the degree to
      which an attitude changes in response to persuasive appeals. In the current
      research, decoding emotions from facial expressions and incidental processing
      fluency, during attitude formation, are examined as antecedents of both attitude
      certainty and attitude change. In Experiment 1, participants who decoded anger or
      happiness during attitude formation expressed their greater attitude certainty,
      and showed more resistance to persuasion than participants who decoded sadness.
      By manipulating the emotion decoded, the diagnosticity of processing fluency
      experienced during emotion decoding, and the gaze direction of the social
      targets, Experiment 2 suggests that the link between emotion decoding and
      attitude certainty results from incidental processing fluency. Experiment 3
      demonstrated that fluency in processing irrelevant stimuli influences attitude
      certainty, which in turn influences resistance to persuasion. Implications for
      appraisal-based accounts of attitude formation and attitude change are discussed.

PMID- 28903705
TI  - Perceptions of Active Versus Passive Risks, and the Effect of Personal
      Responsibility.
AB  - Not getting vaccinated or not backing up computer files are examples of passive
      risk taking: risk brought on or magnified by inaction. We suggest the difficulty
      in paying attention to absences, together with the reduced agency and
      responsibility that is associated with passive choices, leads to the perception
      of passive risks as being less risky than equivalent active risks. Using
      scenarios in which risk was taken either actively or passively, we demonstrate
      that passive risks are judged as less risky than equivalent active risks. We find
      the perception of personal responsibility mediates the differences between the
      perception of passive and active risks. The current research offers an additional
      explanation for omission or default biases: The passive nature of these choices
      causes them to appear less risky than they really are.

PMID- 28903706
TI  - Cross-Situational Self-Consistency in Nine Cultures: The Importance of Separating
      Influences of Social Norms and Distinctive Dispositions.
AB  - We assessed self-consistency (expressing similar traits in different situations)
      by having undergraduates in the United States ( n = 230), Australia ( n = 220),
      Canada ( n = 240), Ecuador ( n = 101), Mexico ( n = 209), Venezuela ( n = 209),
      Japan ( n = 178), Malaysia ( n = 254), and the Philippines ( n = 241) report the
      traits they expressed in four different social situations. Self-consistency was
      positively associated with age, well-being, living in Latin America, and not
      living in Japan; however, each of these variables showed a unique pattern of
      associations with various psychologically distinct sources of raw self
      consistency, including cross-situationally consistent social norms and
      injunctions. For example, low consistency between injunctive norms and trait
      expressions fully explained the low self-consistency in Japan. In accord with
      trait theory, after removing normative and injunctive sources of consistency,
      there remained robust distinctive noninjunctive self-consistency (reflecting
      individuating personality dispositions) in every country, including Japan. The
      results highlight how clarifying the determinants and implications of self
      consistency requires differentiating its distinctive, injunctive, and
      noninjunctive components.

PMID- 28903707
TI  - Putting Yourself on the Line: Self-Esteem and Expressing Affection in Romantic
      Relationships.
AB  - Although expressing affection is an important way to connect to a romantic
      partner, it also involves putting yourself on the line-revealing dependence on
      your partner. Extending the risk-regulation model, we hypothesized that
      individuals with lower self-esteem (SE), who are concerned about vulnerability in
      relationships, experience less rewarding reactions to expressing affection, and
      believe that their partners respond less positively to receiving affection. We
      assessed these predictions across two studies that measured retrospective
      reports, reactions to an in vivo exchange and responses in daily life. We found
      that participants with lower SE expressed less affection and experienced less
      positive emotional, cognitive, and physiological reactions when doing so.
      Participants with lower SE believed that their partners derived fewer benefits
      from their affection despite that their partners experienced normative boosts in
      positive emotion and relationship satisfaction during these exchanges. The
      consequences of these findings for relationship functioning and SE are discussed.

PMID- 28903708
TI  - United and Divided by Stress: How Stressors Differentially Influence Social
      Support in African American Couples Over Time.
AB  - The factors that allow people to be good support providers in relationships are
      not fully understood. We examined how support providers' stressful experiences
      (financial strain and racial discrimination) differentially influence their
      supportiveness, using longitudinal data from two samples of African American
      couples. Among couples that provided observational data ( N = 163 couples),
      providers who experienced high chronic financial strain behaved less supportively
      toward their partners, while those who experienced frequent racial discrimination
      behaved more supportively over a 2-year period. In a second sample of 213 couples
      over a 3-year period, support providers who experienced financial strain were
      perceived by their partners as slightly less supportive, while providers who
      experienced frequent racial discrimination were perceived by their partners as
      more supportive. Findings suggest that supportiveness in relationships may be
      differentially shaped by the specific stresses and strains that partners face.

PMID- 28903710
TI  - Are Some Attitudes More Self-Defining Than Others? Assessing Self-Related
      Attitude Functions and Their Consequences.
AB  - Attitudes serve multiple functions, some related to the self-concept. We call
      attitudes that help people define who they are "self-defining." Across four
      studies, we tested a brief self-report measure of the extent to which an attitude
      is self-defining. Studies 1 and 2 showed that self-defining attitudes tend to be
      extreme, positive, and unambivalent. Studies 3 and 4 produced two main findings.
      First, self-definition was related to, but not redundant with, a number of other
      characteristics of the attitude (e.g., attitude certainty). Second, self
      definition predicted participants' intentions to spontaneously advocate and, in
      Study 4, their reactions to an opportunity to advocate behaviorally (i.e.,
      writing about their attitude in an optional response box) following a self
      threat. Overall, the results highlight the utility of this approach and, more
      broadly, demonstrate the value of considering the role of the self in attitudinal
      processes, and vice versa.

PMID- 28903709
TI  - The Influence of Daily Coping on Anxiety Under Examination Stress: A Model of
      Interindividual Differences in Intraindividual Change.
AB  - Although much is known about people's attempts to cope with stressors, unmeasured
      heterogeneity in these stressors has made it difficult to assess the
      effectiveness of coping attempts. We remedied this problem by focusing on coping
      effectiveness in people preparing for a major, planned, uniform stressor, the Bar
      Examination. Within-person analyses of longitudinal data on anxiety in 321
      persons over 35 days provided evidence on (a) coping effectiveness for the
      typical person, (b) how effectiveness changed across time, and (c) the extent to
      which individuals differed in their effectiveness. For the typical person, active
      coping and positive reinterpretation on one day were associated with reduced
      anxiety the next morning, whereas practical support seeking, venting, and mental
      disengagement were associated with increased anxiety. The effectiveness of
      planning, acceptance, and disengagement varied as a function of time to the
      stressful event. Finally, there were large individual differences in coping
      effectiveness across the sample.

PMID- 28903711
TI  - Authoritarianism and National Identity: Examining the Longitudinal Effects of SDO
      and RWA on Nationalism and Patriotism.
AB  - The resurgence of right-wing political parties across the globe raises questions
      about the origins of national identity. Based on the Dual Process Model of
      Ideology and Prejudice, we argue that people's tendency to submit to ingroup
      authorities (Right-Wing Authoritarianism [RWA]) and preference for group-based
      hierarchy (Social Dominance Orientation [SDO]) underlie people's belief in the
      superiority of their nation (nationalism) and attachment to their homeland
      (patriotism). We examine these hypotheses using three waves of data from an
      annually conducted national longitudinal panel study of New Zealanders ( N =
      3,838). As predicted, RWA had positive cross-lagged effects on nationalism and
      patriotism. Conversely, SDO had a positive cross-lagged effect on nationalism,
      but a negative cross-lagged effect on patriotism. Little evidence of reciprocal
      cross-lagged effects (i.e., national identity on authoritarianism) was found.
      These results demonstrate that nationalism and patriotism are related, albeit
      distinct, ways of identifying with one's nation that are ultimately rooted in
      authoritarianism.

PMID- 28903713
TI  - Is It a Dangerous World Out There? The Motivational Bases of American Gun
      Ownership.
AB  - Americans are the world's best armed citizens and public polling suggests
      protection/self-defense is their main reason for gun ownership. However, there is
      virtually no psychological research on gun ownership. The present article
      develops the first psychological process model of defensive gun ownership
      specifically, a two-component model that considers both the antecedents and
      consequences of owning a gun for protection/self-defense. We demonstrate that
      different levels of threat construal-the specific perceived threat of assault and
      a diffuse threat of a dangerous world-independently predict handgun ownership; we
      also show how utility judgments can explain the motivated reasoning that drives
      beliefs about gun rights. We tested our model in two independent samples of gun
      owners (total N = 899), from just before and after the Orlando mass shooting.
      This study illustrates how social-cognitive theories can help explain what
      motivates Americans to own handguns and advocate for broad rights to carry and
      use them.

PMID- 28903712
TI  - Power Moves Beyond Complementarity: A Staring Look Elicits Avoidance in Low Power
      Perceivers and Approach in High Power Perceivers.
AB  - Sustained, direct eye-gaze-staring-is a powerful cue that elicits strong
      responses in many primate and nonprimate species. The present research examined
      whether fleeting experiences of high and low power alter individuals' spontaneous
      responses to the staring gaze of an onlooker. We report two experimental studies
      showing that sustained, direct gaze elicits spontaneous avoidance tendencies in
      low power perceivers and spontaneous approach tendencies in high power
      perceivers. These effects emerged during interactions with different targets and
      when power was manipulated between-individuals (Study 1) and within-individuals
      (Study 2), thus attesting to a high degree of flexibility in perceivers'
      reactions to gaze cues. Together, the present findings indicate that power can
      break the cycle of complementarity in individuals' spontaneous responding: Low
      power perceivers complement and move away from, and high power perceivers
      reciprocate and move toward, staring onlookers.

PMID- 28903714
TI  - Less Evil Than You: Bounded Self-Righteousness in Character Inferences, Emotional
      Reactions, and Behavioral Extremes.
AB  - Recent research suggests that self-righteousness is bounded, arising more
      reliably in evaluations of immoral actions than in evaluations of moral actions.
      Here, we test four implications of this asymmetry in self-righteousness and the
      mechanism explaining it. We find that people are less likely to make negative
      character inferences from their own unethical behavior than from others'
      unethical behavior (Experiment 1), believe they would feel worse after an
      unethical action than others (Experiment 2), and believe they are less capable of
      extreme unethical behavior than others (Experiment 3). We observe weaker self
      other differences in evaluations of ethical actions. This occurs partly because
      people base evaluations of themselves on their own moral intentions, leading to
      predictable individual differences. People more likely to ascribe cynical motives
      to their own behavior exhibit a smaller asymmetry in self-righteousness
      (Experiment 4). Self-righteousness seems better characterized as feeling "less
      evil than thou" than feeling "holier than thou."

PMID- 28903715
TI  - Reciprocal Influences Between Loneliness and Self-Centeredness: A Cross-Lagged
      Panel Analysis in a Population-Based Sample of African American, Hispanic, and
      Caucasian Adults.
AB  - Loneliness has been posited to increase the motivation to repair or replace
      deficient social relationships and, seemingly paradoxically, to increase the
      implicit motivation for self-preservation. In the current research, we report a
      cross-lagged panel analysis of 10 waves of longitudinal data ( N = 229) on
      loneliness and self-centeredness (as gauged by Feeney and Collins's measure of
      chronic self-focus) in a representative sample of middle-aged and older adults.
      As predicted by the proposition that loneliness increases the implicit motivation
      for self-preservation, loneliness in the current year predicts self-centeredness
      in the subsequent year beyond what is explained by current-year demographic
      variables, self-centeredness, depressive symptomatology, and overall negative
      mood. Analyses also show that self-centeredness in the current year (net
      covariates) predicts loneliness in the subsequent year, a reciprocal relationship
      that could potentially contribute to the maintenance of loneliness. Theoretical
      and practical implications are discussed.

PMID- 28903716
TI  - Predicting the Pursuit and Support of Challenging Life Opportunities.
AB  - Deciding to embrace challenging opportunities may present one life context
      through which individuals may thrive, and these decisions may be influenced by
      one's significant relationships. Married couples were unobtrusively videotaped as
      one couple-member was presented with a challenging opportunity and decided
      whether to accept it. We assessed interpersonal predictors of the decision to
      accept or forgo the opportunity, predictors of the spouse's support during
      decision-making, and follow-up thriving outcomes 6 months later. Results
      indicated that specific support behaviors enacted by the spouse-relational
      catalyst (RC) support provision-encouraged decision-makers to accept the
      challenge and that this decision predicted long-term thriving outcomes for the
      decision-maker. Results also indicated that the spouse's support behavior was
      influenced by both chronic and experimentally manipulated motivations for
      providing support, and these motives provide pathways by which relationship
      satisfaction and attachment security predict the provision of RC support.
      Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

PMID- 28903717
TI  - Subjective Importance as a Cue for Self-Reference.
AB  - We investigated whether people's judgments of self-reference could be influenced
      by cues of importance. Our investigation builds on evidence that information
      related to the self is processed in specialized ways and that implicit
      attributions affect how stimuli are interpreted. We hypothesized that the more
      important a trait descriptor was, the more likely participants would be to
      misremember it as having been presented in a self-referential manner. This
      hypothesis was tested using a source-memory task; subjective ratings of
      importance served as predictors of accuracy. In two experiments, logistic
      multilevel analyses supported our predictions, indicating that people use cues of
      importance when deciding if stimuli are self-referential. The results show that
      people do not rely solely on valence when making self-referential judgments;
      importance also can bias self-referential attributions. These findings have
      implications for social and autobiographical memory, including how people may
      assign responsibility for jointly produced actions.

PMID- 28903718
TI  - Understanding the MBA Gender Gap: Women Respond to Gender Norms by Reducing
      Public Assertiveness but Not Private Effort.
AB  - Women's underperformance in MBA programs has been the subject of recent debate
      and policy interventions, despite a lack of rigorous evidence documenting when
      and why it occurs. The current studies document a performance gap, specifying its
      contours and contributing factors. Two behaviors by female students that may
      factor into the gap are public conformity and private internalization. We
      predicted that women conform to the norm associating maleness with technical
      prowess by minimizing their public assertiveness in class discussions and
      meetings, but that they do not internalize the norm by reducing private effort.
      Data from multiple cohorts of a top-ranked MBA program reveal female
      underperformance occurred in technical subjects (e.g., accounting), but not
      social subjects (e.g., marketing). As predicted, the gender effect ran not
      through private effort but through public assertiveness, even controlling for
      gender differences in interests and aptitudes. These findings support some
      current policy interventions while casting doubt on others.

PMID- 28903719
TI  - Social Support in Intimate Relationships: The Role of Relationship Autonomy.
AB  - Prior research on effective support interactions in intimate relationships often
      focuses on support provision rather than how people seek support. The current
      study investigated how differences in relationship autonomy-authentic and self
      determined relationship motivations-predicted the behavior and outcomes of
      couples ( N = 80) in support interactions. Results indicated that support
      seekers' motivation and behavior were the primary contributor to effective
      support interactions. Support seekers who were autonomously motivated tended to
      seek support in a more direct and positive manner, which in turn promoted greater
      levels of emotional, informational, and tangible support from their partners. The
      relationship autonomy of both the support provider and the support seeker also
      predicted better subjective experiences regardless of behavior, such as
      perceiving the interaction as more supportive. These results illustrate how
      relationship autonomy promotes well-being in relationships via support seeking
      behaviors, as well as positive interpretations and experiences of important
      relationship interactions.

PMID- 28903720
TI  - Editorial: Personalized Medicine: A Positional Point of View about Precision
      Medicine and Clarity for Ethics of Public Health.

PMID- 28903721
TI  - Erratum to: Using technology to engage hospitalised patients in their care: a
      realist review.

PMID- 28903722
TI  - EEG power at 3 months in infants at high familial risk for autism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alterations in brain development during infancy may precede the
      behavioral manifestation of developmental disorders. Infants at increased risk
      for autism are also at increased risk for other developmental disorders,
      including, quite commonly, language disorders. Here we assess the extent to which
      electroencephalographic (EEG) differences in infants at high versus low familial
      risk for autism are present by 3 months of age, and elucidate the functional
      significance of EEG power at 3 months in predicting later development. METHODS:
      EEG data were acquired at 3 months in infant siblings of children with autism
      (high risk; n = 29) and infant siblings of typically developing children (low
      risk; n = 19) as part of a prospective, longitudinal investigation. Development
      across multiple domains was assessed at 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months.
      Diagnosis of autism was determined at 18-36 months. We assessed relationships
      between 3-month-olds' frontal EEG power and autism risk, autism outcome, language
      development, and development in other domains. RESULTS: Infants at high familial
      risk for autism had reduced frontal power at 3 months compared to infants at low
      familial risk for autism, across several frequency bands. Reduced frontal high
      alpha power at 3 months was robustly associated with poorer expressive language
      at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced frontal power at 3 months may indicate
      increased risk for reduced expressive language skills at 12 months. This finding
      aligns with prior studies suggesting reduced power is a marker for atypical brain
      function, and infants at familial risk for autism are also at increased risk for
      altered developmental functioning in non-autism-specific domains.

PMID- 28903723
TI  - Domains associated with successful quality improvement in healthcare - a
      nationwide case study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a distinct difference between what we know and what we do in
      healthcare: a gap that is impairing the quality of the care and increasing the
      costs. Quality improvement efforts have been made worldwide by learning
      collaboratives, based on recognized continual improvement theory with limited
      scientific evidence. The present study of 132 quality improvement projects in
      Norway explores the conditions for improvement from the perspectives of the
      frontline healthcare professionals, and evaluates the effectiveness of the
      continual improvement method. METHODS: An instrument with 25 questions was
      developed on prior focus group interviews with improvement project members who
      identified features that may promote or inhibit improvement. The questionnaire
      was sent to 189 improvement projects initiated by the Norwegian Medical
      Association, and responded by 70% (132) of the improvement teams. A sub study of
      their final reports by a validated instrument, made us able to identify the
      successful projects and compare their assessments with the assessments of the
      other projects. A factor analysis with Varimax rotation of the 25 questions
      identified five domains. A multivariate regression analysis was used to evaluate
      the association with successful quality improvements. RESULTS: Two of the five
      domains were associated with success: Measurement and Guidance (p = 0.011), and
      Professional environment (p = 0.015). The organizational leadership domain was
      not associated with successful quality improvements (p = 0.26). CONCLUSION: Our
      findings suggest that quality improvement projects with good guidance and focus
      on measurement for improvement have increased likelihood of success. The
      variables in these two domains are aligned with improvement theory and confirm
      the effectiveness of the continual improvement method provided by the learning
      collaborative. High performing professional environments successfully engaged in
      patient-centered quality improvement if they had access to: (a) knowledge of best
      practice provided by professional subject matter experts, (b) knowledge of
      current practice provided by simple measurement methods, assisted by (c)
      improvement knowledge experts who provided useful guidance on measurement, and
      made the team able to organize the improvement efforts well in spite of the
      difficult resource situation (time and personnel). Our findings may be used by
      healthcare organizations to develop effective infrastructure to support
      improvement and to create the conditions for making quality and safety
      improvement a part of everyone's job.

PMID- 28903724
TI  - Resting heart rate and impaired glucose regulation in middle-aged and elderly
      Chinese people: a cross-sectional analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated resting heart rate (RHR) has been reported to be associated
      with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to explore
      whether a positive relationship exists between RHR and impaired glucose
      regulation (IGR) among middle-aged and older Chinese individuals. METHODS: We
      conducted a cross-sectional analysis that included a total of 9898 subjects (3194
      men and 6704 women) in a Chinese population. The RHRs were derived from ECG
      recordings, and the subjects were stratified based on RHR quartiles. RESULTS: RHR
      levels were significantly higher in the subjects with isolated impaired fasting
      glucose (i-IFG), isolated impaired glucose tolerance (i-IGT), IFG + IGT and
      diabetes than in those with normal glucose regulation. When multivariate logistic
      regression analyses were performed, the odds ratios were substantially higher for
      the subjects with IGR (odds ratio 2.19, 95% confidence interval 1.85-2.58) in the
      fourth RHR quartile compared with those in the first quartile after adjustment
      for potential confounding covariates, and the corresponding OR for the combined
      IGR and type 2 diabetes group was 2.56 (95% CI 2.20-2.98, p < 0.001). Multiple
      regression analyses demonstrated that RHR was significantly associated with
      fasting plasma glucose, 2-h OGTT plasma glucose and A1c. CONCLUSIONS: Our cross
      sectional findings provide evidence that high RHR is associated with existing IGR
      among middle-aged and older Chinese individuals.

PMID- 28903725
TI  - Reporting of the translation and cultural adaptation procedures of the
      Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination version III (ACE-III) and its predecessors: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ACE-III, a gold standard for screening cognitive impairment, is
      restricted by language and culture, with no uniform set of guidelines for its
      adaptation. To develop guidelines a compilation of all the adaptation procedures
      undertaken by adapters of the ACE-III and its predecessors is needed. METHODS: We
      searched EMBASE, Medline and PsychINFO and screened publications from a previous
      review. We included publications on adapted versions of the ACE-III and its
      predecessors, extracting translation and cultural adaptation procedures and
      assessing their quality. RESULTS: We deemed 32 papers suitable for analysis. 7
      translation steps were identified and we determined which items of the ACE-III
      are culturally dependent. CONCLUSIONS: This review lists all adaptations of the
      ACE, ACE-R and ACE-III, rates the reporting of their adaptation procedures and
      summarises adaptation procedures into steps that can be undertaken by adapters.

PMID- 28903726
TI  - A novel diagnostic method for malaria using loop-mediated isothermal
      amplification (LAMP) and MinIONTM nanopore sequencer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A simple and accurate molecular diagnostic method for malaria is
      urgently needed due to the limitations of conventional microscopic examination.
      In this study, we demonstrate a new diagnostic procedure for human malaria using
      loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and the MinIONTM nanopore
      sequencer. METHODS: We generated specific LAMP primers targeting the 18S-rRNA
      gene of all five human Plasmodium species including two P. ovale subspecies (P.
      falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale wallikeri, P. ovale curtisi, P. knowlesi and P.
      malariae) and examined human blood samples collected from 63 malaria patients in
      Indonesia. Additionally, we performed amplicon sequencing of our LAMP products
      using MinIONTM nanopore sequencer to identify each Plasmodium species. RESULTS:
      Our LAMP method allowed amplification of all targeted 18S-rRNA genes of the
      reference plasmids with detection limits of 10-100 copies per reaction. Among the
      63 clinical samples, 54 and 55 samples were positive by nested PCR and our LAMP
      method, respectively. Identification of the Plasmodium species by LAMP amplicon
      sequencing analysis using the MinIONTM was consistent with the reference plasmid
      sequences and the results of nested PCR. CONCLUSIONS: Our diagnostic method
      combined with LAMP and MinIONTM could become a simple and accurate tool for the
      identification of human Plasmodium species, even in resource-limited situations.

PMID- 28903727
TI  - Uptake of health services among truck drivers in South Africa: analysis of
      routine data from nine roadside wellness centres.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-distance truck drivers are occupationally susceptible to poor
      health outcomes. Their patterns of healthcare utilisation and the suitability of
      healthcare services available to them are not well documented. We report on truck
      driver healthcare utilisation across South Africa and characterise the client
      population of the clinics serving them for future service development. METHODS:
      We analysed anonymised data routinely collected over a two-year period at nine
      Roadside Wellness Centres. Associations between services accessed and socio
      demographic characteristics were assessed using univariable and multivariable
      logistic regression models. RESULTS: We recorded 16,688 visits by 13,252
      individual truck drivers (average of 1.26 visits/person) who accessed 17,885
      services for an average of 1.07 services/visit and 1.35 services/person. The mean
      age of truck drivers was 39 years. Sixty-seven percent reported being in stable
      relationships. The most accessed services were primary healthcare (PHC)(62%)
      followed by HIV (32%). Low proportions (<=6%) accessed STI,TB and malaria
      services. Most visits were characterised by only one service being accessed (93%,
      n = 15,523/16,688). Of the remaining 7% of visits, up to five services were
      accessed per visit and the combination of TB /HIV services in one visit remained
      extremely low (<1%, n = 14/16,688). Besides PHC services at the beginning of the
      reporting period, all service categories displayed similar seasonal utilisation
      trends(i.e. service utilisation peaked in the immediate few months post clinics
      opening and substantially decreased before holidays). Across all service
      categories, younger truck drivers, those with a stable partner currently, and
      those of South African origin were the main clinic attendees. Older truck drivers
      (>=40 years) were more likely to access TB and PHC services, yet less likely to
      access HIV and STI services. Those with stable partners were less likely to
      access STI and TB services but more likely to access malaria and PHC services.
      South African attendees were more likely to access PHC, while attendees from
      other nationalities were more likely to access HIV and malaria services.
      CONCLUSIONS: This utilisation analysis shows that tailored services assist in
      alleviating healthcare access challenges faced by truck drivers, but it
      underscores the importance of ensuring that service packages and clinics speak to
      truck drivers' needs in terms of services offered and clinic location.

PMID- 28903728
TI  - Increased survival and proliferation of the epidemic strain Mycobacterium
      abscessus subsp. massiliense CRM0019 in alveolar epithelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outbreaks of infections caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria have
      been reported worldwide generally associated with medical procedures.
      Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense CRM0019 was obtained during an
      epidemic of postsurgical infections and was characterized by increased
      persistence in vivo. To better understand the successful survival strategies of
      this microorganism, we evaluated its infectivity and proliferation in macrophages
      (RAW and BMDM) and alveolar epithelial cells (A549). For that, we assessed the
      following parameters, for both M. abscessus CRM0019 as well as the reference
      strain M. abscessus ATCC 19977: internalization, intracellular survival for up 3
      days, competence to subvert lysosome fusion and the intracellular survival after
      cell reinfection. RESULTS: CRM0019 and ATCC 19977 strains showed the same
      internalization rate (approximately 30% after 6 h infection), in both A549 and
      RAW cells. However, colony forming units data showed that CRM0019 survived better
      in A549 cells than the ATCC 19977 strain. Phagosomal characteristics of CRM0019
      showed the bacteria inside tight phagosomes in A549 cells, contrasting to the
      loosely phagosomal membrane in macrophages. This observation holds for the ATCC
      19977 strain in both cell types. The competence to subvert lysosome fusion was
      assessed by acidification and acquisition of lysosomal protein. For M. abscessus
      strains the phagosomes were acidified in all cell lines; nevertheless, the
      acquisition of lysosomal protein was reduced by CRM0019 compared to the ATCC
      19977 strain, in A549 cells. Conversely, in macrophages, both M. abscessus
      strains were located in mature phagosomes, however without bacterial death. Once
      recovered from macrophages M. abscessus could establish a new intracellular
      infection. Nevertheless, only CRM0019 showed a higher growth rate in A549,
      increasing nearly 10-fold after 48 and 72 h. CONCLUSION: M. abscessus CRM0019
      creates a protective and replicative niche in alveolar epithelial cells mainly by
      avoiding phagosome maturation. Once recovered from infected macrophages, CRM0019
      remains infective and displays greater intracellular growth in A549 cells
      compared to the ATCC 19977 strain. This evasion strategy in alveolar epithelial
      cells may contribute to the long survival of the CRM0019 strain in the host and
      thus to the inefficacy of in vivo treatment.

PMID- 28903729
TI  - Dynamic-ETL: a hybrid approach for health data extraction, transformation and
      loading.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHRs) contain detailed clinical data
      stored in proprietary formats with non-standard codes and structures.
      Participating in multi-site clinical research networks requires EHR data to be
      restructured and transformed into a common format and standard terminologies, and
      optimally linked to other data sources. The expertise and scalable solutions
      needed to transform data to conform to network requirements are beyond the scope
      of many health care organizations and there is a need for practical tools that
      lower the barriers of data contribution to clinical research networks. METHODS:
      We designed and implemented a health data transformation and loading approach,
      which we refer to as Dynamic ETL (Extraction, Transformation and Loading) (D
      ETL), that automates part of the process through use of scalable, reusable and
      customizable code, while retaining manual aspects of the process that requires
      knowledge of complex coding syntax. This approach provides the flexibility
      required for the ETL of heterogeneous data, variations in semantic expertise, and
      transparency of transformation logic that are essential to implement ETL
      conventions across clinical research sharing networks. Processing workflows are
      directed by the ETL specifications guideline, developed by ETL designers with
      extensive knowledge of the structure and semantics of health data (i.e., "health
      data domain experts") and target common data model. RESULTS: D-ETL was
      implemented to perform ETL operations that load data from various sources with
      different database schema structures into the Observational Medical Outcome
      Partnership (OMOP) common data model. The results showed that ETL rule
      composition methods and the D-ETL engine offer a scalable solution for health
      data transformation via automatic query generation to harmonize source datasets.
      CONCLUSIONS: D-ETL supports a flexible and transparent process to transform and
      load health data into a target data model. This approach offers a solution that
      lowers technical barriers that prevent data partners from participating in
      research data networks, and therefore, promotes the advancement of comparative
      effectiveness research using secondary electronic health data.

PMID- 28903730
TI  - Routine monitoring and assessment of adults living with HIV: results of the
      British HIV Association (BHIVA) national audit 2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical care of people living with HIV changed fundamentally as
      a result of the development of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIV
      infection is now a long-term treatable condition. We report a national audit to
      assess adherence to British HIV Association guidelines for the routine
      investigation and monitoring of adult HIV-1-infected individuals. METHODS: All UK
      sites known as providers of adult HIV outpatient services were invited to
      complete a case-note review and a brief survey of local clinic practices.
      Participating sites were asked to randomly select 50-100 adults, who attended for
      specialist HIV care during 2014 and/or 2015. Each site collected data
      electronically using a self-audit spreadsheet tool. This included demographic
      details (gender, ethnicity, HIV exposure, and age) and whether 22 standardised
      and pre-defined clinical audited outcomes had been recorded. RESULTS: Data were
      collected on 8258 adults from 123 sites, representing approximately 10% of people
      living with HIV reported in public health surveillance as attending UK HIV
      services. Sexual health screening was provided within 96.4% of HIV services,
      cervical cytology and influenza vaccination within 71.4% of HIV services. There
      was wide variation in resistance testing across sites. Only 44.9% of patients on
      ART had a documented 10-year CVD risk within the past three years and fracture
      risk had been assessed within the past three years for only 16.7% patients aged
      over 50 years. CONCLUSIONS: There was high participation in the national audit
      and good practice was identified in some areas. However improvements can be made
      in monitoring of cardiovascular risk, bone and sexual health.

PMID- 28903731
TI  - Phytochemical-rich foods inhibit the growth of pathogenic trichomonads.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plants produce secondary metabolites that often possess widespread
      bioactivity, and are then known as phytochemicals. We previously determined that
      several phytochemical-rich food-derived preparations were active against
      pathogenic foodborne bacteria. Trichomonads produce disease (trichomoniasis) in
      humans and in certain animals. Trichomonads are increasingly becoming resistant
      to conventional modes of treatment. It is of interest to test bioactive, natural
      compounds for efficacy against these pathogens. METHODS: Using a cell assay,
      black tea, green tea, grape, pomegranate, and jujube extracts, as well as whole
      dried jujube were tested against three trichomonads: Trichomonas vaginalis strain
      G3 (found in humans), Tritrichomonas foetus strain D1 (found in cattle), and
      Tritrichomonas foetus-like organism strain C1 (found in cats). The most effective
      of the test substances was subsequently tested against two metronidazole
      resistant Trichomonas vaginalis strains, and on normal mucosal flora. RESULTS:
      Black tea extract inhibited all the tested trichomonads, but was most effective
      against the T. vaginalis organisms. Inhibition by black tea was correlated with
      the total and individual theaflavin content of the two tea extracts determined by
      HPLC. Metronidazole-resistant Trichomonas vaginalis strains were also inhibited
      by the black tea extract. The response of the organisms to the remaining
      preparations was variable and unique. We observed no effect of the black tea
      extract on common normal flora bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that
      the black tea, and to a lesser degree green tea, grape seed, and pomegranate
      extracts might present possible natural alternative therapeutic agents to treat
      Trichomonas vaginalis infections in humans and the related trichomonad infections
      in animals, without negatively affecting the normal flora.

PMID- 28903732
TI  - A comparison of sequencing platforms and bioinformatics pipelines for
      compositional analysis of the gut microbiome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advancements in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies
      regarding throughput, read length and accuracy had a major impact on microbiome
      research by significantly improving 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. As rapid
      improvements in sequencing platforms and new data analysis pipelines are
      introduced, it is essential to evaluate their capabilities in specific
      applications. The aim of this study was to assess whether the same project
      specific biological conclusions regarding microbiome composition could be reached
      using different sequencing platforms and bioinformatics pipelines. RESULTS:
      Chicken cecum microbiome was analyzed by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing using
      Illumina MiSeq, Ion Torrent PGM, and Roche 454 GS FLX Titanium platforms, with
      standard and modified protocols for library preparation. We labeled the
      bioinformatics pipelines included in our analysis QIIME1 and QIIME2 (de novo OTU
      picking [not to be confused with QIIME version 2 commonly referred to as
      QIIME2]), QIIME3 and QIIME4 (open reference OTU picking), UPARSE1 and UPARSE2
      (each pair differs only in the use of chimera depletion methods), and DADA2 (for
      Illumina data only). GS FLX+ yielded the longest reads and highest quality
      scores, while MiSeq generated the largest number of reads after quality
      filtering. Declines in quality scores were observed starting at bases 150-199 for
      GS FLX+ and bases 90-99 for MiSeq. Scores were stable for PGM-generated data.
      Overall microbiome compositional profiles were comparable between platforms;
      however, average relative abundance of specific taxa varied depending on
      sequencing platform, library preparation method, and bioinformatics analysis.
      Specifically, QIIME with de novo OTU picking yielded the highest number of unique
      species and alpha diversity was reduced with UPARSE and DADA2 compared to QIIME.
      CONCLUSIONS: The three platforms compared in this study were capable of
      discriminating samples by treatment, despite differences in diversity and
      abundance, leading to similar biological conclusions. Our results demonstrate
      that while there were differences in depth of coverage and phylogenetic
      diversity, all workflows revealed comparable treatment effects on microbial
      diversity. To increase reproducibility and reliability and to retain consistency
      between similar studies, it is important to consider the impact on data quality
      and relative abundance of taxa when selecting NGS platforms and analysis tools
      for microbiome studies.

PMID- 28903733
TI  - Increasing confidence and changing behaviors in primary care providers engaged in
      genetic counselling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Screening and counseling for genetic conditions is an increasingly
      important part of primary care practice, particularly given the paucity of
      genetic counselors in the United States. However, primary care physicians (PCPs)
      often have an inadequate understanding of evidence-based screening; communication
      approaches that encourage shared decision-making; ethical, legal, and social
      implication (ELSI) issues related to screening for genetic mutations; and the
      basics of clinical genetics. This study explored whether an interactive, web
      based genetics curriculum directed at PCPs in non-academic primary care settings
      was superior at changing practice knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors when
      compared to a traditional educational approach, particularly when discussing
      common genetic conditions. METHODS: One hundred twenty one PCPs in California and
      Pennsylvania physician practices were randomized to either an Intervention Group
      (IG) or Control Group (CG). IG physicians completed a 6 h interactive web-based
      curriculum covering communication skills, basics of genetic testing, risk
      assessment, ELSI issues and practice behaviors. CG physicians were provided with
      a traditional approach to Continuing Medical Education (CME) (clinical review
      articles) offering equivalent information. RESULTS: PCPs in the Intervention
      Group showed greater increases in knowledge compared to the Control Group.
      Intervention PCPs were also more satisfied with the educational materials, and
      more confident in their genetics knowledge and skills compared to those receiving
      traditional CME materials. Intervention PCPs felt that the web-based curriculum
      covered medical management, genetics, and ELSI issues significantly better than
      did the Control Group, and in comparison with traditional curricula. The
      Intervention Group felt the online tools offered several advantages, and engaged
      in better shared decision making with standardized patients, however, there was
      no difference in behavior change between groups with regard to increases in ELSI
      discussions between PCPs and patients. CONCLUSION: While our intervention was
      deemed more enjoyable, demonstrated significant factual learning and retention,
      and increased shared decision making practices, there were few differences in
      behavior changes around ELSI discussions. Unfortunately, barriers to implementing
      behavior change in clinical genetics is not unique to our intervention. Perhaps
      the missing element is that busy physicians need systems-level support to engage
      in meaningful discussions around genetics issues. The next step in promoting
      active engagement between doctors and patients may be to put into place the tools
      needed for PCPs to easily access the materials they need at the point-of-care to
      engage in joint discussions around clinical genetics.

PMID- 28903734
TI  - Transcriptomic profiling of genes in matured dimorphic seeds of euhalophyte
      Suaeda salsa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Suaeda salsa (S. salsa) is a euhalophyte with high economic value. S.
      salsa can produce dimorphic seeds. Brown seeds are more salt tolerant, can
      germinate quickly and maintain the fitness of the species under high saline
      conditions. Black seeds are less salt tolerant, may become part of the seed bank
      and germinate when soil salinity is reduced. Previous reports have mainly focused
      on the ecophysiological traits of seed germination and production under saline
      conditions in this species. However, there is no information available on the
      molecular characteristics of S. salsa dimorphic seeds. RESULTS: In the present
      study, a total of 5825 differentially expressed genes were obtained; and 4648
      differentially expressed genes were annotated based on a sequence similarity
      search, utilizing five public databases by transcriptome analysis. The different
      expression of these genes may be associated with embryo development, fatty acid,
      osmotic regulation substances and plant hormones in brown and black seeds.
      Compared to black seeds, most genes may relate to embryo development, and various
      genes that encode fatty acid desaturase and are involved in osmotic regulation
      substance synthesis or transport are upregulated in brown seeds. A large number
      of differentially expressed genes related to plant hormones were found in brown
      and black seeds, and their possible roles in regulating seed dormancy/germination
      were discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Upregulated genes involved in seed development and
      osmotic regulation substance accumulation may relate to bigger seed size and
      rapid seed germination in brown seeds, compared to black seeds. Differentially
      expressed genes of hormones may relate to seed dormancy/germination and the
      development of brown and black seeds. The transcriptome dataset will serve as a
      valuable resource to further understand gene expression and functional genomics
      in S. salsa dimorphic seeds.

PMID- 28903735
TI  - FOXP3 Is a HCC suppressor gene and Acts through regulating the TGF-beta/Smad2/3
      signaling pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: FOXP3 has been discovered to be expressed in tumor cells and
      participate in the regulation of tumor behavior. Herein, we investigated the
      clinical relevance and biological significance of FOXP3 expression in human
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Expression profile of FOXP3 was analyzed
      using real-time RT-PCR, western blotting and immunofluorescence on HCC cell
      lines, and immunostaing of a tissue microarray containing of 240 primary HCC
      samples. The potential regulatory roles of FOXP3 were dissected by an integrated
      approach, combining biochemical assays, analysis of patient survival, genetic
      manipulation of HCC cell lines, mouse xenograft tumor models and chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing. RESULTS: FOXP3 was constitutively
      expressed in HCC cells with the existence of splice variants (especially exon 3
      and 4 deleted, Delta3,4-FOXP3). High expression of FOXP3 significantly correlated
      with low serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, absence of vascular invasion and
      early TNM stage. Survival analyses revealed that increased FOXP3 expression was
      significantly associated with better survival and reduced recurrence, and served
      as an independent prognosticator for HCC patients. Furthermore, FOXP3 could
      potently suppress the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and reduce
      tumor growth in vivo. However, Delta3,4-FOXP3 showed a significant reduction in
      the tumor-inhibiting effect. The inhibition of FOXP3 on HCC aggressiveness was
      acted probably by enhancing the TGF-beta/Smad2/3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION:
      Our findings suggest that FOXP3 suppresses tumor progression in HCC via TGF
      beta/Smad2/3 signaling pathway, highlighting the role of FOXP3 as a prognostic
      factor and novel target for an optimal therapy against this fatal malignancy.

PMID- 28903736
TI  - Factors associated with syphilis treatment failure and reinfection: a
      longitudinal cohort study in Shenzhen, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment failure and reinfection rates among syphilis patients
      are high, and relevant studies in China are limited. The aim of this study was to
      detect the rates of treatment failure and reinfection after syphilis treatment
      and to explore the potential associated factors. METHODS: We conducted a
      longitudinal cohort study in a sexually transmitted disease clinic, the
      Department of Dermatology and Venereology in Nanshan Center for Chronic Disease
      Control. Serological testing was performed at baseline and throughout the 2-year
      follow-up for syphilis patients. To identify potential predictors of treatment
      outcomes, multivariate logistics analyses were utilized to compare the
      demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with serological
      failure/reinfection to those with serological cure/serofast. RESULTS: From June
      2011 to June 2016, a total of 1133 patients were screened for syphilis. Among the
      770 patients who completed the 2-year follow-up, 510 first-diagnosed patients
      were included in the final analysis. Multivariate logistics analysis revealed the
      stage of syphilis (secondary syphilis VS. primary syphilis: adjusted odds ratio,
      3.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-15.47; p = 0.04), HIV status (positive VS.
      negative: adjusted odds ratio, 3.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-8.04; p =
      0.02) and frequency of condom use (always use VS. never use: adjusted odds ratio,
      0.28; 95% confidence interval 0.08-0.75; p = 0.02) were significantly associated
      with the serological outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical implications of our
      findings suggest that it is very important to perform regular clinical and
      serologic evaluations after treatment. Health counseling and safety education on
      sex activity should be intensified among HIV-infected patients and secondary
      syphilis patients after treatment.

PMID- 28903737
TI  - Experiences with out-patient hospital service utilisation among older persons in
      the Asante Akyem North District- Ghana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Though ageing is not a disease, it has been associated with the
      occurrence of conditions which require health service utilisation. Ghana's
      population is characterised by a steady growth in the number of older adults and
      previous studies have noted limited levels regarding utilisation by older
      persons. METHODS: Thus, this study utilised a qualitative approach to explore
      older persons' experiences regarding out-patient hospital service utilisation in
      the Asante Akyem North District of Ghana. The aim was to generate findings that
      will guide future policies. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted and
      thematic analysis executed. The Andersen's Behavioural Model was used as a
      guiding framework. RESULTS: Medical condition was noted to characterise the need
      component of utilisation. Also, perceived effects of ageing, beliefs and past
      health status predisposed an older person to utilise available services. Beliefs
      were noted to make an older person utilise either orthodox or herbal services.
      Despite these, family support (in the form of financial assistance),
      accessibility (health facility, health professional, medication and information)
      and health care costs either enabled or prevented an older person from utilising
      services. Despite the existence of the National Health Insurance Scheme, health
      care costs are high and that delayed utilisation or made others avoid the
      services altogether. The care processes were noted to be cumbersome and involved
      long hours; though these features were noted to be absent whilst utilising
      traditional medicine services and this provides an avenue for further research in
      assessing patient outcomes associated with traditional medicine usage. These
      findings might be contributing factors to why other studies identified limited
      usage of health services among older persons in Ghana. CONCLUSION: Though older
      persons in the district may feel the need to utilise health services on
      outpatient basis, the enabling factors (notably finance) appeared to be a driving
      force to actual utilisation. Thus, more innovative health care financing
      strategies are needed to enhance the coverage of health services for older
      persons in the district.

PMID- 28903738
TI  - A randomized controlled trial of physical activity with individual goal-setting
      and volunteer mentors to overcome sedentary lifestyle in older adults at risk of
      cognitive decline: the INDIGO trial protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing physical activity (PA) effectively in those who are
      inactive is challenging. For those who have subjective memory complaints (SMC) or
      mild cognitive impairment (MCI) this is a greater challenge necessitating the
      need for more engaging and innovative approaches. The primary aim of this trial
      is to determine whether a home-based 6-month PA intervention with individual goal
      setting and peer mentors (GM-PA) can significantly increase PA levels in
      insufficiently active older adults at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). METHODS: Community living 60-80 year olds with SMC or MCI who do
      not engage in more than 60 min per week of moderate intensity PA will be
      recruited from memory clinics and the community via media advertisements to
      participate in this randomized, single-blind controlled trial. All participants
      will receive an individually tailored home-based PA program of 150 min of
      moderate intensity walking/week for 6 months. The intervention group will
      undertake individual goal-setting and behavioral education workshops with mentor
      support via telephone (GM-PA). Those randomized to the control group will have
      standard education workshops and Physical Activity Liaison (PAL) contact via
      telephone (CO-PA). Increase in PA is the primary outcome, fitness, cognitive,
      personality, demographic and clinical parameters will be measured and a health
      economic analysis performed. A saliva sample will be collected for APOE e4
      genotyping. All participants will have a goal-setting interview to determine
      their PA goals. Active volunteers aged 50-85 years will be recruited from the
      community randomized and trained to provide peer support as mentors (intervention
      group) or PALS (control group) for the 6-month intervention. Mentors and PALS
      will have PA, exercise self-efficacy and mentoring self-efficacy measured.
      Participants in both groups are asked to attend 3 workshops in 6 months. At the
      first workshop, they will meet their allocated Mentor or PAL who will deliver
      their respective programs and support via 6 telephone calls during the
      intervention. DISCUSSION: If the GM-PA program is successful in increasing the PA
      levels of the target group it will potentially provide another strategy and
      community resource that can be translated into practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613001181796 . (29/10/2013)
      retrospectively registered.

PMID- 28903740
TI  - Erratum to: Large intragenic deletion of CDC73 (exons 4-10) in a three-generation
      hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor (HPT-JT) syndrome family.

PMID- 28903739
TI  - Evolving DNA methylation and gene expression markers of B-cell chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia are present in pre-diagnostic blood samples more than 10
      years prior to diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a common type of adult
      leukemia. It often follows an indolent course and is preceded by monoclonal B
      cell lymphocytosis, an asymptomatic condition, however it is not known what
      causes subjects with this condition to progress to CLL. Hence the discovery of
      prediagnostic markers has the potential to improve the identification of subjects
      likely to develop CLL and may also provide insights into the pathogenesis of the
      disease of potential clinical relevance. RESULTS: We employed peripheral blood
      buffy coats of 347 apparently healthy subjects, of whom 28 were diagnosed with
      CLL 2.0-15.7 years after enrollment, to derive for the first time genome-wide DNA
      methylation, as well as gene and miRNA expression, profiles associated with the
      risk of future disease. After adjustment for white blood cell composition, we
      identified 722 differentially methylated CpG sites and 15 differentially
      expressed genes (Bonferroni-corrected p < 0.05) as well as 2 miRNAs (FDR < 0.05)
      which were associated with the risk of future CLL. The majority of these signals
      have also been observed in clinical CLL, suggesting the presence in prediagnostic
      blood of CLL-like cells. Future CLL cases who, at enrollment, had a relatively
      low B-cell fraction (<10%), and were therefore less likely to have been suffering
      from undiagnosed CLL or a precursor condition, showed profiles involving smaller
      numbers of the same differential signals with intensities, after adjusting for B
      cell content, generally smaller than those observed in the full set of cases. A
      similar picture was obtained when the differential profiles of cases with time-to
      diagnosis above the overall median period of 7.4 years were compared with those
      with shorted time-to-disease. Differentially methylated genes of major functional
      significance include numerous genes that encode for transcription factors,
      especially members of the homeobox family, while differentially expressed genes
      include, among others, multiple genes related to WNT signaling as well as the
      miRNAs miR-150-5p and miR-155-5p. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the
      presence in prediagnostic blood of future CLL patients, more than 10 years before
      diagnosis, of CLL-like cells which evolve as preclinical disease progresses, and
      point to early molecular alterations with a pathogenetic potential.

PMID- 28903741
TI  - Is economic dependence on the husband a risk factor for intimate partner violence
      against female factory workers in Nepal?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Violence related injury is a serious public health issue all over the
      world. This study aims to assess the association between several socio-economic
      factors and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nepal. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      study was conducted among 236 women working in carpet and garment factories in
      Kathmandu, Nepal. Interviews were conducted to collect quantitative data on three
      forms of IPV, namely physical violence, psychological violence and sexual
      violence, as well as on a number of potentially associated factors. RESULTS:
      Twenty-two percent of women experienced sexual IPV, 28% physical IPV and 35%
      psychological IPV at least once in the last 12 months. The variables
      independently associated with at least one form of IPV were: age of the woman >29
      years [OR = 4.23, p = 0.025 for physical IPV; OR = 6.94, p = 0.008 for sexual
      IPV; OR = 3.42, p = 0.043 for psychological IPV], alcohol consumption of the
      husband [OR = 9.97, p < 0.001 for physical IPV; OR = 3.76, p = 0.004 for sexual
      IPV; OR = 4.85, p < 0.001 for psychological IPV], education of the husband above
      primary level [OR = 0.43, p = 0.013 for physical IPV; OR = 0.51, p = 0.033 for
      psychological IPV], and economic dependency of the woman on the husband [OR =
      3.04, p = 0.021 for physical IPV; OR = 2.97, p = 0.008 for psychological IPV].
      CONCLUSIONS: This study identified various factors associated with IPV and showed
      that economic dependence of wives on their husband was among the most important
      ones. Thus, for the prevention of IPV against women, long term strategies aiming
      at livelihood and economic empowerment as well as independence of women would be
      suggested.

PMID- 28903743
TI  - A socio-ecological analysis of barriers to the adoption, sustainablity and
      consistent use of sanitation facilities in rural Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite evidence showing that access to and use of improved
      sanitation is associated with healthier households and communities, barriers
      influencing the adoption and sustainablity of sanitation facilities remain
      unclear. We conducted a qualitative case study to explore barriers influencing
      the adoption, sustainablity and consistent use of sanitation facilities in rural
      Ethiopia. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in the rural district of
      Becho, in central Ethiopia, from June to August 2016. A socio-ecological model
      and Integrated Behavioural Model (IBM) for a Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH)
      framework were employed to design the study and analyse data. A total of 10 in
      depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with latrine adopters (n = 3), latrine non
      adopters (n = 3), health extension workers (n = 3) and the district WASH
      coordinator (n = 1). Eight Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were undertaken with 75
      participants, of which 31 were women. The FGDs and IDIs were tape-recorded,
      transcribed verbatim and translated into English. The analysis was supported
      using Nvivo version 10 software. RESULTS: Barriers to sustained adoption and use
      of sanitation facilities were categorized into 1) individual level factors (e.g.,
      past latrine experience, lack of demand and perceived high cost to improved
      latrines), 2) household level factors (e.g., unaffordability, lack of space and
      absence of a physically strong family member), 3) community level factors (e.g.,
      lack of access to public latrines, lack of shared rules against open defecation,
      lack of financial access for the poor), and 4) societal level factors (e.g., lack
      of strong local leadership, flooding, soil conditions, lack of appropriate
      sanitation technology, lack of promotion and demand creation for improved
      latrines). CONCLUSION: The use of the socio-ecological model and IBM-WASH
      framework helped to achieve a better understanding of multi-level and multi
      dimensional barriers to sustained latrine adoption. The results indicate that
      there is a need to consider interventions that address multi-level factors
      concurrently.

PMID- 28903742
TI  - Can you un-ring the bell? A qualitative study of how affect influences cancer
      screening decisions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The belief that early detection is the best protection against cancer
      underlies cancer screening. Emerging research now suggests harms associated with
      early detection may sometimes outweigh the benefits. Governments, cancer
      agencies, and organizations that publish screening guidelines have found it is
      difficult to "un-ring the bell" on the message that "early detection is your best
      protection" because of its widespread communication and enduring resonance. This
      study explores affective factors-and their interplay with relevant analytical
      factors-in public/laypersons' decision making about cancer screening. METHODS: A
      total of 93 people (47 men, 46 women) attended focus groups about, respectively,
      prostate cancer screening and breast cancer screening in two Canadian cities.
      RESULTS: Affective factors were a major influence on many focus group
      participants' decision making about cancer screening, including fear of cancer
      and a generalized enthusiasm for prevention/screening, and they were often
      inspired by anecdotes about the cancer experiences of family and friends. Affect
      also existed alongside more analytical factors including assessments of reduced
      risk in the management of any cancer diagnosis if caught early, and, for men, the
      belief that an unreliable test is "better than nothing," and that men deserve
      prostate cancer screening because women have breast and cervical cancer
      screening. Affective factors were particularly noticeable in the sub-groups most
      supportive of screening and the "early detection" message: older women who felt
      that mammogram screening should begin at age 40 rather than 50, and older men who
      felt that prostate cancer screening should be expanded beyond its current
      unorganized, opportunistic usage. In contrast, younger participants displayed
      less affective attachments to "early detection" messages and had greater concerns
      about harms of screening and were more receptive to nuanced messages informed by
      evidence. CONCLUSION: Policymakers attempting to communicate more nuanced
      versions of the "early detection" message need to understand the role of affect
      alongside other judgments brought into laypersons' decision making processes and
      anticipate how affective responses to their messages will be shaped, transformed,
      and potentially subverted by external forces beyond their control. Particularly
      overt external factors are campaigns by cancer advocacy organizations actively
      promoting breast and prostate cancer awareness and screening to younger women and
      men using affectively-charged messages.

PMID- 28903744
TI  - Renin-angiotensin system gene polymorphisms and high blood pressure in Lithuanian
      children and adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the influence of
      environmental factors on HBP in the population of Lithuanian children, although
      the role of genetic factors in hypertension has not yet been studied. The aim of
      this study was to assess the distribution of AGTR1, AGT, and ACE genotypes in the
      Lithuanian child population and to determine whether these genotypes have an
      impact on HBP in childhood. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 709
      participants aged 12-15 years. The subjects were genotyped for AGT (M235 T,
      rs699), AGTR1 (A1166C, rs5186), and ACE (rs4340) gene polymorphisms using real
      time and conventional polymerase chain reactions. Blood pressure and
      anthropometric parameters were measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of HBP was 38.6%
      and was more frequently detected in boys than in girls (47.9% vs. 29.5%; p <
      0.001). No significant differences in the frequencies of the AGT or AGTR1
      genotypes or alleles between boys and girls were observed, except for ACE
      genotypes. The mean SBP value was higher in HBP subjects with ACE ID genotype
      compared to those with ACE II homozygotes (p = 0.04). No significant differences
      in BP between different AGT and AGTR1 genotype groups were found. Boys who
      carried the ACE ID + DD genotypes had higher odds of having HBP than carriers of
      the ACE II genotype did (controlling for the body mass index (BMI): ORMH = 1.83;
      95% CI, 1.11-3.02, p = 0.024; and controlling for waist circumference (WC): ORMH
      = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.07-2.92, p = 0.035). These associations were not significant
      among girls. The same trend was observed in the multivariate analysis - after
      adjustment for BMI and WC, only boys with ACE ID genotype and ACE ID + DD
      genotypes had statistically significantly increased odds of HBP (aOR = 2.05; 95%
      CI, 1.19-3.53 (p = 0.01) and aOR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.09-3.04 (p = 0.022),
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated polymorphisms of the AGT and AGTR1
      genes did not contribute to the presence of HBP in the present study and may be
      seen as predisposing factors, while ACE ID genotypes were associated with
      significantly increased odds for the development of HBP in the Lithuanian child
      and adolescent population - especially in boys.

PMID- 28903746
TI  - Correlation between patients' reasons for encounters/health problems and
      population density in Japan: a systematic review of observational studies coded
      by the International Classification of Health Problems in Primary Care (ICHPPC)
      and the International Classification of Primary care (ICPC).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Japanese health care system has yet to establish structured
      training for primary care physicians; therefore, physicians who received an
      internal medicine based training program continue to play a principal role in the
      primary care setting. To promote the development of a more efficient primary
      health care system, the assessment of its current status in regard to the
      spectrum of patients' reasons for encounters (RFEs) and health problems is an
      important step. Recognizing the proportions of patients' RFEs and health
      problems, which are not generally covered by an internist, can provide valuable
      information to promote the development of a primary care physician-centered
      system. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review in which we searched six
      databases (PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Ichushi-Web, JDreamIII
      and CiNii) for observational studies in Japan coded by International
      Classification of Health Problems in Primary Care (ICHPPC) and International
      Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) up to March 2015. We employed population
      density as index of accessibility. We calculated Spearman's rank correlation
      coefficient to examine the correlation between the proportion of "non-internal
      medicine-related" RFEs and health problems in each study area in consideration of
      the population density. RESULTS: We found 17 studies with diverse designs and
      settings. Among these studies, "non-internal medicine-related" RFEs, which was
      not thought to be covered by internists, ranged from about 4% to 40%. In
      addition, "non-internal medicine-related" health problems ranged from about 10%
      to 40%. However, no significant correlation was found between population density
      and the proportion of "non-internal medicine-related" RFEs and health problems.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first systematic review on RFEs and health problems
      coded by ICHPPC and ICPC undertaken to reveal the diversity of health problems in
      Japanese primary care. These results suggest that primary care physicians in some
      rural areas of Japan need to be able to deal with "non-internal-medicine-related"
      RFEs and health problems, and that curriculum including practical non-internal
      medicine-related training is likely to be important.

PMID- 28903745
TI  - Acceptance of guidance to care at the emergency department following attempted
      suicide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research, aimed at improving the continuity of care after hospital
      discharge following attempted suicide focuses on the effectiveness of the
      interventions. Little attention has been paid to patients who immediately decline
      guidance to advised post-discharge care. We aimed to identify differences between
      accepters and decliners of guidance to care (GtC) in relation to the
      characteristics of patients who presented at the emergency department (ED) of an
      urban hospital in the Netherlands after attempted suicide. METHOD: This cross
      sectional study included all patients who presented at the ED of OLVG-West
      Amsterdam with a suicide attempt or intentional self-harm and were referred for
      psychiatric evaluation. Data were collected over a period of twenty months using
      a semi-structured questionnaire. Subgroups were described in relation the
      acceptance of GtC using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
      RESULTS: In total, 257 patients were included. GtC was accepted by 77%. Suicide
      attempters who reported loneliness as reason for the attempt showed a positive
      relation to acceptance. No indication was found that patients at higher risk for
      suicide are more reluctant to accept GtC. Suicide attempters with a non-Western
      ethnicity, especially patients with a Turkish/Moroccan ethnicity, declined
      contact by the GtC nurse significantly more often. In addition, patients who
      currently did not receive care were significantly more often of non-Western
      ethnicity and younger than 25. CONCLUSION: Acceptance of GtC is high among
      patients who presented at the ED after attempted suicide. The patients who were
      the most reluctant to accept GtC were young suicide attempters of non-Western
      ethnicity who were not in current care. As this study is the first to address the
      acceptance of GtC, we point out two lines of inquiry for further research. First,
      reasons to accept or decline need to be investigated further since only
      interventions that are accepted by patients have a chance to improve clinically
      relevant outcome. Second, follow-up research is warranted comparing the adherence
      to advised post-discharge care and attempted or completed suicide among accepters
      versus decliners of GtC in various ethnic and sociodemographic subgroups.

PMID- 28903747
TI  - Antenatal magnesium sulphate administration for fetal neuroprotection: a French
      national survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) is the only treatment approved for fetal
      neuroprotection. No information on its use is available in the absence of a
      national registry of neonatal practices. The objective of our study was to
      evaluate the use of MgSO4 for fetal neuroprotection in French tertiary maternity
      hospitals (FTMH). METHODS: Online and phone survey of all FTMH between August
      2014 and May 2015. A participation was expected from one senior obstetrician, one
      senior anaesthetist and one senior neonatologist from each FTMH. Information was
      obtained from 63/63 (100%) FTMH and 138/189 (73%) physicians. Use of MgSO4 for
      fetal neuroprotection, regimen and injection protocols, reasons for non-use were
      the main outcome measures. RESULTS: 60.3% of FTMH used MgSO4 for fetal
      neuroprotection. No significant difference was observed between university and
      non-university hospitals or according to the annual number of births. Protocols
      differed especially in terms of the maximum gestational age (3% <28 WG, 71% <33
      WG, 18% <34 WG and 8% < 35 WG). Eighty seven percent of centers using MgSO4
      prescribed retreatment when necessary, but according to non-consensual modalities
      in terms of number of treatments or between-treatment intervals. Injections and
      monitoring were mostly performed in the delivery room (97%) but also in the
      recovery room in one half of hospitals. Lack of experience (52%), absence of a
      written protocol (49%) and national guidelines (46%) were the reasons most
      commonly reported to explain non-use of MgSO4 as a neuroprotective agent.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sixty percent of FTMH used MgSO4 for fetal neuroprotection, but
      according to heterogeneous regimens. National guidelines could allow
      standardization of practices and better MgSO4 coverage.

PMID- 28903748
TI  - Costs associated with adverse events among acute patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyse the additional treatment costs
      of acute patients admitted to a Danish hospital who suffered an adverse event
      (AE) during in-hospital treatment. METHODS: A matched case-control design was
      utilised. Using a combination of trigger words and patient record reviews 91
      patients exposed to AEs were identified. Controls were identified among patients
      admitted to the same department during the same 20-month period. The matching was
      based on age, gender, and main diagnosis. Cost data was extracted from the Danish
      National Cost Database for four different periods after beginning of the
      admission. RESULTS: Patients exposed to an AE were associated with higher mean
      cost of EUR 9505 during their index admission (p = 0.014). For the period of 6
      months from the beginning of the admission minus the admission itself they were
      associated with higher mean cost of EUR 4968 (p = 0.016). For the period from the
      7th month until the end of the 12th month there was no statistically significant
      difference (p = 0.104). For the total period of 12 month, patients exposed to an
      AE were associated with statistically significant higher mean cost of EUR 13,930
      (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: AEs are associated with significant hospital costs. Our
      findings suggest that a follow-up period of 6 months is necessary when
      investigating the costs associated with AEs among acute patients. Further
      research of specific types of AEs and the costs of preventing these types of AEs
      would improve the understanding of the relationship between adverse events and
      costs.

PMID- 28903749
TI  - Modelling the effects of booster dose vaccination schedules and recommendations
      for public health immunization programs: the case of Haemophilus influenzae
      serotype b.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (Hib) has yet to be eliminated
      despite the implementation of routine infant immunization programs. There is no
      consensus regarding the number of primary vaccine doses and an optimal schedule
      for the booster dose. We sought to evaluate the effect of a booster dose after
      receiving the primary series on the long-term disease incidence. METHODS: A
      stochastic model of Hib transmission dynamics was constructed to compare the long
      term impact of a booster vaccination and different booster schedules after
      receiving the primary series on the incidence of carriage and symptomatic
      disease. We parameterized the model with available estimates for the efficacy of
      Hib conjugate vaccine and durations of both vaccine-induced and naturally
      acquired immunity. RESULTS: We found that administering a booster dose
      substantially reduced the population burden of Hib disease compared to the
      scenario of only receiving the primary series. Comparing the schedules, the
      incidence of carriage for a 2-year delay (on average) in booster vaccination was
      comparable or lower than that observed for the scenario of booster dose within 1
      year after primary series. The temporal reduction of symptomatic disease was
      similar in the two booster schedules, suggesting no superiority of one schedule
      over the other in terms of reducing the incidence of symptomatic disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the importance of a booster vaccination for
      continued decline of Hib incidence. When the primary series provides a high level
      of protection temporarily, delaying the booster dose (still within the average
      duration of protection conferred by the primary series) may be beneficial to
      maintain longer-term protection levels and decelerate the decline of herd
      immunity in the population.

PMID- 28903750
TI  - Cancer survival disparities worsening by socio-economic disadvantage over the
      last 3 decades in new South Wales, Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Public concerns are commonly expressed about widening health gaps.
      This cohort study examines variations and trends in cancer survival by socio
      economic disadvantage, geographical remoteness and country of birth in an
      Australian population over a 30-year period. METHODS: Data for cases diagnosed in
      New South Wales (NSW) in 1980-2008 (n = 651,245) were extracted from the
      population-based NSW Cancer Registry. Competing risk regression models, using the
      Fine & Gray method, were used for comparative analyses to estimate sub-hazard
      ratios (SHR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) among people diagnosed with
      cancer. RESULTS: Increased risk of cancer death was associated with living in the
      most socio-economically disadvantaged areas compared with the least disadvantaged
      areas (SHR 1.15, 95% CI 1.13-1.17), and in outer regional/remote areas compared
      with major cities (SHR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.06). People born outside Australia had
      a similar or lower risk of cancer death than Australian-born (SHR 0.99, 95% CI
      0.98-1.01 and SHR 0.91, 95% CI 0.90-0.92 for people born in other English and non
      English speaking countries, respectively). An increasing comparative risk of
      cancer death was observed over time when comparing the most with the least socio
      economically disadvantaged areas (SHR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.10 for 1980-1989; SHR
      1.14, 95% CI 1.12-1.17 for 1990-1999; and SHR 1.24, 95% CI 1.21-1.27 for 2000
      2008; p < 0.001 for interaction between disadvantage quintile and year of
      diagnosis). CONCLUSIONS: There is a widening gap in comparative risk of cancer
      death by level of socio-economic disadvantage that warrants a policy response and
      further examination of reasons behind these disparities.

PMID- 28903751
TI  - RNA-seq comparative analysis of Peking ducks spleen gene expression 24 h post
      infected with duck plague virulent or attenuated virus.
AB  - Duck plague virus (DPV), a member of alphaherpesvirus sub-family, can cause
      significant economic losses on duck farms in China. DPV Chinese virulent strain
      (CHv) is highly pathogenic and could induce massive ducks death. Attenuated DPV
      vaccines (CHa) have been put into service against duck plague with billions of
      doses in China each year. Researches on DPV have been development for many years,
      however, a comprehensive understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying
      pathogenicity of CHv strain and protection of CHa strain to ducks is still blank.
      In present study, we performed RNA-seq technology to analyze transcriptome
      profiling of duck spleens for the first time to identify differentially expressed
      genes (DEGs) associated with the infection of CHv and CHa at 24 h. Comparison of
      gene expression with mock ducks revealed 748 DEGs and 484 DEGs after CHv and CHa
      infection, respectively. Gene pathway analysis of DEGs highlighted valuable
      biological processes involved in host immune response, cell apoptosis and viral
      invasion. Genes expressed in those pathways were different in CHv infected duck
      spleens and CHa vaccinated duck spleens. The results may provide valuable
      information for us to explore the reasons of pathogenicity caused by CHv strain
      and protection activated by CHa strain.

PMID- 28903752
TI  - Measurement of cortisol in saliva: a comparison of measurement error within and
      between international academic-research laboratories.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hundreds of scientific publications are produced annually that involve
      the measurement of cortisol in saliva. Intra- and inter-laboratory variation in
      salivary cortisol results has the potential to contribute to cross-study
      inconsistencies in findings, and the perception that salivary cortisol results
      are unreliable. This study rigorously estimates sources of measurement
      variability in the assay of salivary cortisol within and between established
      international academic-based laboratories that specialize in saliva analyses. One
      hundred young adults (Mean age: 23.10 years; 62 females) donated 2 mL of whole
      saliva by passive drool. Each sample was split into multiple- 100 uL aliquots and
      immediately frozen. One aliquot of each of the 100 participants' saliva was
      transported to academic laboratories (N = 9) in the United States, Canada, UK,
      and Germany and assayed for cortisol by the same commercially available
      immunoassay. RESULTS: 1.76% of the variance in salivary cortisol levels was
      attributable to differences between duplicate assays of the same sample within
      laboratories, 7.93% of the variance was associated with differences between
      laboratories, and 90.31% to differences between samples. In established-qualified
      laboratories, measurement error of salivary cortisol is minimal, and inter
      laboratory differences in measurement are unlikely to have a major influence on
      the determined values.

PMID- 28903753
TI  - Acquisition of resistance to avian leukosis virus subgroup B through mutations on
      tvb cysteine-rich domains in DF-1 chicken fibroblasts.
AB  - Avian leukosis virus (ALV) is a retrovirus that causes tumors in avian species,
      and its vertical and horizontal transmission in poultry flocks results in
      enormous economic losses. Despite the discovery of specific host receptors, there
      have been few reports on the modulation of viral susceptibility via genetic
      modification. We therefore engineered acquired resistance to ALV subgroup B using
      CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing technology in DF-1 chicken fibroblasts. Using
      this method, we efficiently modified the tumor virus locus B (tvb) gene, encoding
      the TVB receptor, which is essential for ALV subgroup B entry into host cells. By
      expanding individual DF-1 clones, we established that artificially generated
      premature stop codons in the cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of TVB receptor confer
      resistance to ALV subgroup B. Furthermore, we found that a cysteine residue (C80)
      of CRD2 plays a crucial role in ALV subgroup B entry. These results suggest that
      CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing can be used to efficiently modify avian cells
      and establish novel chicken cell lines with resistance to viral infection.

PMID- 28903754
TI  - Supporting research readiness in social enterprise health services.
AB  - Health-based social enterprises are spun out of the NHS, yet continue to provide
      NHS-funded services. With the spin-out, however, formal processes for research
      governance were lost. Patients have a right to take part in research, regardless
      of where they access healthcare. This paper discusses the barriers to social
      enterprises undertaking applied health research and makes recommendations to
      address the need for equivalence of governance processes with NHS trusts.

PMID- 28903755
TI  - Prevalence of K13 mutation and Day-3 positive parasitaemia in artemisinin
      resistant malaria endemic area of Cambodia: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The presence of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites was confirmed
      in western Cambodia in 2009. In 2013, mutations in the propeller domain of the
      kelch protein K13 was found to be associated with artemisinin resistance. A cross
      sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Day-3 parasitaemia,
      estimate the frequency of k13 molecular marker and assess their relationship in
      the context of operational research. METHODS: Blood smears and filter paper blood
      spots were collected from febrile patients in Kravanh District, Pursat Province.
      The blood smears were examined by microscopy, and blood spots by a k13 mutation
      assay. RESULTS: Data from 92 patients were analysed. Only one was positive for
      Day-3 parasitaemia. Results of the k13 assay were interpretable for 76 of the 92
      samples. The findings were: wild type: 9 (12%), C580Y: 64 (84%), Y493H: 3 (4%).
      Therefore, despite the high prevalence of k13 mutants (67/76: 88%), only 1 of the
      92 patients remained blood smear positive for Plasmodium falciparum on Day-3.
      CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings suggest good potency of artemisinin
      despite the dominance of k13 mutation in Kravanh, but the result is not
      necessarily representative of the western part of Cambodia. Further investigation
      should be made to determine if k13 marker remains useful as a tool for tracking
      artemisinin resistance and predicting the trend of the efficacy of artemisinin
      combination therapy once the mutant alleles have been well established in the
      population.

PMID- 28903756
TI  - Could the use of bedside lung ultrasound reduce the number of chest x-rays in the
      intensive care unit?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung ultrasound can be used as an alternative to chest radiography
      (CXR) for the diagnosis and follow-up of various lung diseases in the intensive
      care unit (ICU). Our aim was to evaluate the influence that introducing a routine
      daily use of lung ultrasound in critically ill patients may have on the number of
      CXRs and as a consequence, on medical costs and radiation exposure. METHODS: Data
      were collected by conducting a retrospective evaluation of the medical records of
      adult patients who needed thoracic imaging and were admitted to our academic
      polyvalent ICU. We compared the number of CXRs and relative costs before and
      after the introduction of lung ultrasound in our ICU. RESULTS: A total of 4134
      medical records were collected from January 2010 to December 2014. We divided our
      population into two groups, before (Group A, 1869 patients) and after (Group B,
      2265 patients) the introduction of a routine use of LUS in July 2012. Group A
      performed a higher number of CXRs compared to Group B (1810 vs 961, P = 0.012),
      at an average of 0.97 vs 0.42 exams per patient. The estimated reduction of costs
      between Groups A and B obtained after the introduction of LUS, was 57%. No
      statistically significant difference between the outcome parameters of the two
      groups was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Lung ultrasound was effective in reducing the
      number of CXRs and relative medical costs and radiation exposure in ICU, without
      affecting patient outcome.

PMID- 28903757
TI  - Access to medicines and hepatitis C in Africa: can tiered pricing and voluntary
      licencing assure universal access, health equity and fairness?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recent introduction of Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs) for
      treating Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) can significantly assist in the world reaching
      the international target of elimination by 2030. Yet, the challenge facing many
      individuals and countries today lies with their ability to access these
      treatments due to their relatively high prices. Gilead Sciences applies
      differential pricing and licensing strategies arguing that this provides fairer
      and more equitable access to these life-saving medicines. This paper analyses the
      implications of Gilead's tiered pricing and voluntary licencing strategy for
      access to the DAAs. METHODS: We examined seven countries in Africa (Egypt,
      Ethiopia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Rwanda and South
      Africa) to assess their financial capacity to provide DAAs for the treatment of
      HCV under present voluntary licensing and tiered-pricing arrangements. These
      countries have been selected to explore the experience of countries with a range
      of different burdens of HCV and shared eligibility for supply by licensed generic
      producers or from discounted Gilead prices. RESULTS: The cost of 12-weeks of
      generic DAA varies from $684 per patient treated in Egypt to $750 per patient
      treated in other countries. These countries can also procure the same DAA for 12
      weeks of treatment from the originator, Gilead, at a cost of $1200 per patient.
      The current prices of DAAs (both from generic and originator manufacturers) are
      much more than the median annual income per capita and the annual health budget
      of most of these countries. If governments alone were to bear the costs of
      universal treatment coverage, then the required additional health expenditure
      from present rates would range from a 4% increase in South Africa to a staggering
      403% in Cameroon. CONCLUSION: The current arrangements for increasing access to
      DAAs, towards elimination of HCV, are facing challenges that would require
      increases in expenditure that are either too burdensome to governments or
      potentially so to individuals and families. Countries need to implement the
      flexibilities in the Doha Declaration on Trade Related Intellectual Property
      Rights agreement, including compulsory licensing and patent opposition. This also
      requires political commitment, financial will, global solidarity and civil
      society activism.

PMID- 28903758
TI  - Factors associated with malaria microscopy diagnostic performance following a
      pilot quality-assurance programme in health facilities in malaria low
      transmission areas of Kenya, 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria accounts for ~21% of outpatient visits annually in Kenya;
      prompt and accurate malaria diagnosis is critical to ensure proper treatment. In
      2013, formal malaria microscopy refresher training for microscopists and a pilot
      quality-assurance (QA) programme for malaria diagnostics were independently
      implemented to improve malaria microscopy diagnosis in malaria low-transmission
      areas of Kenya. A study was conducted to identify factors associated with malaria
      microscopy performance in the same areas. METHODS: From March to April 2014, a
      cross-sectional survey was conducted in 42 public health facilities; 21 were QA
      pilot facilities. In each facility, 18 malaria thick blood slides archived during
      January-February 2014 were selected by simple random sampling. Each malaria slide
      was re-examined by two expert microscopists masked to health-facility results.
      Expert results were used as the reference for microscopy performance measures.
      Logistic regression with specific random effects modelling was performed to
      identify factors associated with accurate malaria microscopy diagnosis. RESULTS:
      Of 756 malaria slides collected, 204 (27%) were read as positive by health
      facility microscopists and 103 (14%) as positive by experts. Overall, 93% of
      slide results from QA-pilot facilities were concordant with expert reference
      compared to 77% in non-QA pilot facilities (p < 0.001). Recently trained
      microscopists in QA-pilot facilities performed better on microscopy performance
      measures with 97% sensitivity and 100% specificity compared to those in non-QA
      pilot facilities (69% sensitivity; 93% specificity; p < 0.01). The overall inter
      reader agreement between QA-pilot facilities and experts was kappa = 0.80 (95% CI
      0.74-0.88) compared to kappa = 0.35 (95% CI 0.24-0.46) between non-QA pilot
      facilities and experts (p < 0.001). In adjusted multivariable logistic regression
      analysis, recent microscopy refresher training (prevalence ratio [PR] = 13.8; 95%
      CI 4.6-41.4), >=5 years of work experience (PR = 3.8; 95% CI 1.5-9.9), and pilot
      QA programme participation (PR = 4.3; 95% CI 1.0-11.0) were significantly
      associated with accurate malaria diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Microscopists who had
      recently completed refresher training and worked in a QA-pilot facility performed
      the best overall. The QA programme and formal microscopy refresher training
      should be systematically implemented together to improve parasitological
      diagnosis of malaria by microscopy in Kenya.

PMID- 28903759
TI  - Knowledge, access and utilization of bed-nets among stable and seasonal migrants
      in an artemisinin resistance containment area of Myanmar.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myanmar lies in the Greater Mekong sub-region of South-East Asia
      faced with the challenge of emerging resistance to artemisinin combination
      therapies (ACT). Migrant populations are more likely than others to spread ACT
      resistance. A vital intervention to reduce malaria transmission, resistance
      spread and eliminate malaria is the use of bed nets. Among seasonal and stable
      migrants in an artemisinin resistance containment region of Myanmar, we compared
      a) their household characteristics, b) contact with health workers and
      information material, and c) household knowledge, access and utilization of bed
      nets. METHODS: Secondary data from community-based surveys on 2484 migrant
      workers (2013 and 2014, Bago Region) were analyzed of which 37% were seasonal
      migrants. Bed net access and utilization were assessed using a) availability of
      at least one bed net per household, and b) one bed net per two persons, and c)
      proportion of household members who slept under abed net during the previous
      night (Indicator targets = 100%). RESULTS: Over 70% of all migrants were from
      unstable work settings with short transitory stays. Average household size was
      five (range 1-25) and almost half of all households had children under-five
      years. Roughly 10 % of migrants were night-time workers. Less than 40% of
      households had contact with health workers and less than 30% had exposure to
      information education and communication (IEC) materials, the latter being
      significantly lower among seasonal migrants. About 70% of households were aware
      of the importance of insecticide-treated bed-nets/long-lasting insecticidal nets
      (ITNs/LLINs), but knowledge on insecticide impregnation and retreatment of ITNs
      was poor (< 10%). Although over 95% of households had access to at least one bed
      net, the number with one bed net per two persons was grossly inadequate (13% for
      stable migrants and 9% for seasonal migrants, P = 0.001). About half of all
      household members slept under a bed net during the previous night. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study reveals important short-falls in knowledge, access and utilization of
      bed nets among migrants in Myanmar. Possible ways forward include frequent
      distribution campaigns to compensate for short transitory stays, matching
      household distributions to household size, enhanced information campaigns and
      introducing legislation to make mosquito repellents available for night-time
      workers at plantations and farms. Better understanding through qualitative
      research is also merited.

PMID- 28903760
TI  - Feasibility of detecting myocardial infarction in the sheep fetus using late
      gadolinium enhancement CMR imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance
      (CMR) imaging has enabled the accurate assessment of myocardial infarction (MI).
      However, LGE CMR has not been performed successfully in the fetus, where it could
      be useful for animal studies of interventions to promote cardiac regeneration. We
      believe that LGE imaging could allow us to document the presence, extent and
      effect of MI in utero and would thereby expand our capacity for conducting fetal
      sheep MI research. We therefore aimed to investigate the feasibility of using LGE
      to detect MI in sheep fetuses. METHODS: Six sheep fetuses underwent a thoracotomy
      and ligation of a left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery branch; while
      two fetuses underwent a sham surgery. LGE CMR was performed in a subset of
      fetuses immediately after the surgery and three days later. Early gadolinium
      enhancement (EGE) CMR was also performed in a subset of fetuses on both days.
      Cine imaging of the heart was performed to measure ventricular function. RESULTS:
      The imaging performed immediately after LAD ligation revealed no evidence of
      infarct on LGE (n=3). Two of four infarcted fetuses (50%) showed hypoenhancement
      at the infarct site on the EGE images. Three days after the ligation, LGE images
      revealed a clear, hyper-enhanced infarct zone in four of the five infarcted
      fetuses (80%). No hyper-enhanced infarct zone was seen on the one sham fetus that
      underwent LGE CMR. No hypoenhancement could be seen in the EGE images in either
      the sham (n=1) or the infarcted fetus (n=1). No regional wall motion
      abnormalities were apparent in two of the five infarcted fetuses. CONCLUSION: LGE
      CMR detected the MI three days after LAD ligation, but not immediately after.
      Using available methods, EGE imaging was less useful for detecting deficits in
      perfusion. Our study provides evidence for the ability of a non-invasive tool to
      monitor the progression of cardiac repair and damage in fetuses with MI. However,
      further investigation into the optimal timing of LGE and EGE scans and
      improvement of the sequences should be pursued with the aim of expanding our
      capacity to monitor cardiac regeneration after MI in fetal sheep.

PMID- 28903761
TI  - Protective effects of grape seed and skin extract against high-fat-diet-induced
      lipotoxicity in rat lung.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is a public health problem characterized by increased fat
      accumulation in different tissues. Obesity is directly linked to breathing
      problems and medical complications with lung, including obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease, asthma....In the present work, we aimed to investigate the effect of
      high fat diet (HFD) on lung lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, fatty acid
      composition and proportions in lung and implication in asthma development. The
      likely protection provided by grape seed extract (GSSE) was also investigated.
      METHODS: In order to assess HFD effect on lung and GSSE protection we used a rat
      model. We analyzed the lipid plasma profile, lung peroxidation and antioxidant
      activities (SOD, CAT and POD). We also analyzed transition metals (Ca2+, Mg2+,
      Zn2+ and iron) and lung free fatty acids using gas chromatography coupled to mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: HFD induced lipid profile imbalance increasing
      cholesterol and VLDL-C. HFD also induced an oxidative stress assessed by elevated
      MDA level and the drop of antioxidant activities such as SOD, CAT and POD.
      Moreover, HFD induced mineral disturbances by decreasing magnesium level and
      increasing Calcium and iron levels. HFD induced also disturbances in lung fatty
      acid composition by increasing oleic, stearic and arachidonic acids.
      Interestingly, GSSE alleviated all these deleterious effects of HFD treatment.
      CONCLUSION: As a whole, GSSE had a significant preventive effect against HFD
      induced obesity, and hence may be used as an anti-obesity agent, and a benefic
      agent with potential applications against damages in lung tissue.

PMID- 28903762
TI  - Mesh penetrating the cecum and bladder following inguinal hernia surgery: a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tension-free repair using mesh is a common inguinal hernia surgical
      procedure. However, various complications such as mesh-related infection and
      recurrence may develop as a result. Moreover, although rare, there are also
      reports of intestinal obstruction caused by adhesion of the mesh to the
      intestinal wall and cases of mesh migration into various organs. Here, we report
      our experience with a patient in whom mesh extraction was performed due to
      migration of mesh into the intestinal tract following inguinal hernia surgery and
      formation of a fistula with the bladder. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient was a 63
      year-old Japanese man who had a history of operative treatment for right inguinal
      hernia during early childhood. Because a relapse subsequently occurred, he was
      diagnosed as having recurrent right inguinal hernia at the age of 56 years for
      which operative treatment (the Kugel method) was performed. He presented to our
      hospital 6 years later with the chief complaint of lower abdominal pain. Computed
      tomography findings revealed a mass shadow in contact with his bladder and cecal
      walls, and enteric bacteria were detected in his urine. Furthermore, because
      lower gastrointestinal endoscopic findings confirmed mesh in the cecum, we
      performed operative treatment. The mesh had migrated into the cecum and a fistula
      with his bladder had formed. We removed the mesh through ileocecal resection and
      partial cystectomy. CONCLUSIONS: It appeared that a peritoneal defect occurred
      when the mesh was placed, allowing the mesh to migrate into our patient's
      intestinal tract. Because contact between the mesh and the cecum resulted in
      inflammation, a fistula formed in his bladder. It is important to completely
      close the peritoneum when placing the mesh.

PMID- 28903763
TI  - Troponin as ischemic biomarker is related with all three echocardiographic risk
      factors for sudden death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ESC Guidelines 2014).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk stratification is the most important
      preventive action in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The
      identification of the ischemia biomarker high sensitive troponin I (hs-TnI) role
      for this arrhythmic disease may provide additional information for SCD risk
      stratification. The aim of the study was to compare echocardiographic parameters
      (prognostic for risk stratification of SCD in HCM) among two subgroups of HCM
      patients: with elevated hs-TnI versus non-elevated hs-TnI level. METHODS: In 51
      HCM patients (mean age 39 +/- 8 years, 31 males and 20 females) an
      echocardiographic examination, including the stimulating maneuvers to provoke
      maximized LVOT gradient, was performed. The hs-TnI was measured 24 h later.
      RESULTS: By comparing two subgroups of patients, 26 members with hs-TnI positive
      versus 25 with hs-TnI negative, the study showed that the values of all three
      parameters were greater: provocable left ventricular outflow tract gradient
      (LVOTG) - 49.1 +/- 45.9 vs 25.5 +/- 24.8 mmHg, p = 0.019; left atrial diameter -
      50.1 +/- 9.6 vs 43.9 +/- 9.8 mmHg, p = 0.041; maximal LV thickness - 22.1 +/- 5.3
      vs 19.9 +/- 34 mm, p = 0.029. CONCLUSION: The increased value of all three
      echocardiographic parameters used as risk factors for SCD (ESC Guidelines) is
      related to the elevated level of hs-TnI in HCM. Due to the high LVOTG - great hs
      TnI relationship, exercise stress, both diagnostic and even
      rehabilitation/training, should be monitored by biomarker control.

PMID- 28903764
TI  - Comparative assessment of fermentative capacity of different xylose-consuming
      yeasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the effects of oxygen levels on yeast xylose metabolism
      would benefit ethanol production. In this work, xylose fermentative capacity of
      Scheffersomyces stipitis, Spathaspora passalidarum, Spathaspora arborariae and
      Candida tenuis was systematically compared under aerobic, oxygen-limited and
      anaerobic conditions. RESULTS: Fermentative performances of the four yeasts were
      greatly influenced by oxygen availability. S. stipitis and S. passalidarum showed
      the highest ethanol yields (above 0.44 g g-1) under oxygen limitation. However,
      S. passalidarum produced 1.5 times more ethanol than S. stipitis under
      anaerobiosis. While C. tenuis showed the lowest xylose consumption rate and
      incapacity to produce ethanol, S. arborariae showed an intermediate fermentative
      performance among the yeasts. NAD(P)H xylose reductase (XR) activity in crude
      cell extracts correlated with xylose consumption rates and ethanol production.
      CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the present work demonstrates that the availability of
      oxygen influences the production of ethanol by yeasts and indicates that the NADH
      dependent XR activity is a limiting step on the xylose metabolism. S. stipitis
      and S. passalidarum have the greatest potential for ethanol production from
      xylose. Both yeasts showed similar ethanol yields near theoretical under oxygen
      limited condition. Besides that, S. passalidarum showed the best xylose
      consumption and ethanol production under anaerobiosis.

PMID- 28903765
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic bacteria from mink (Neovison vison) in
      Denmark.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For proper treatment of bacterial infections in mink, knowledge of
      the causative agents and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns is crucial.
      The used antimicrobials are in general not registered for mink, i.e. most usage
      is "off-label". In this study, we report the patterns of antimicrobial resistance
      among pathogenic bacteria isolated from Danish mink during the period 2014-2016.
      The aim of this investigation was to provide data on antimicrobial resistance and
      consumption, to serve as background knowledge for new veterinary guidelines for
      prudent and optimal antimicrobial usage in mink. RESULTS: A total number of 308
      Escherichia coli isolates, 41 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 36 Streptococcus canis, 30
      Streptococcus dysgalactiae, 55 Staphylococcus delphini, 9 Staphylococcus aureus,
      and 20 Staphylococcus schleiferi were included in this study. Among E. coli,
      resistance was observed more frequently among the hemolytic isolates than among
      the non-hemolytic ones. The highest frequency of resistance was found to
      ampicillin, 82.3% and 48.0% of the hemolytic of the non-hemolytic isolates,
      respectively. The majority of the P. aeruginosa isolates were only sensitive to
      ciprofloxacin and gentamicin. Among the Staphylococcus spp., the highest
      occurrence of resistance was found for tetracycline. Regarding the nine S.
      aureus, one isolate was resistant to cefoxitin indicating it was a methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Both beta-hemolytic Streptococcus species showed
      high levels of resistance to tetracycline and erythromycin. The antimicrobial
      consumption increased significantly during 2007-2012, and fluctuated at a high
      level during 2012-2016, except for a temporary drop in 2013-2014. The majority of
      the prescribed antimicrobials were aminopenicillins followed by tetracyclines and
      macrolides. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that antimicrobial resistance was
      common in most pathogenic bacteria from mink, in particular hemolytic E. coli.
      There is a need of guidelines for prudent use of antimicrobials for mink.

PMID- 28903766
TI  - Fluoxetine-enhanced autophagy ameliorates early brain injury via inhibition of
      NLRP3 inflammasome activation following subrachnoid hemorrhage in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that regulates the
      innate immune inflammatory response by activating caspase-1 and subsequent IL
      1beta and IL-18. Fluoxetine has been shown to have the anti-inflammatory
      properties in many disease models. However, the effects and mechanisms of these
      effects of fluoxetine in early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)
      have not been defined. METHODS: The SAH model was induced by an endovascular
      perforation in adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats weighing 300-320 g. N-Ac-Tyr
      Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethyl ketone (AC-YVAD-CMK) was injected intraperitoneally (5
      mg/kg) 1 h after SAH. Fluoxetine was administered via intravenous route 6 h after
      SAH. 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) was intracerebroventricularly injected 20 min before
      SAH. SAH grade, neurological function, brain water content, propidium iodide (PI)
      staining, western blot, double immunostaining, and transmission electron
      microscopy were performed. RESULTS: Expression of caspase-1 increased and peaked
      at 24 h after SAH. Caspase activation was along with the increased necrotic
      cells, which occurred mainly in neurons. Necrotic cell death of microglia and
      astrocyte were also found. Administration of AC-YVAD-CMK, a caspase-1 inhibitor,
      reduced the expression of IL-1beta and IL-18 and the number of PI-positive cells,
      attenuated brain edema, and improved neurological function, which was also
      observed in fluoxetine-treated rats. Furthermore, fluoxetine treatment
      significantly decreased the expression of NLRP3 and cleaved caspase-1 and
      upregulated the expression of beclin-1, a marker for autophagy. Finally, the
      effects of fluoxetine in NLRP3 inflammasome activation were reversed by
      additional 3-MA administration. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our present study
      indicated that NLRP3 inflammasome and caspase-1 activation play a deleterious
      role in early brain injury and fluoxetine mitigates NLRP3 inflammasome and
      caspase-1 activation through autophagy activation after SAH, providing a
      potential therapeutic agent for SAH treatment.

PMID- 28903768
TI  - Liquid dynamic medicine and N-of-1 clinical trials: a change of perspective in
      oncology research.
AB  - The increasing use of genomics to define the pattern of actionable mutations and
      to test and validate new therapies for individual cancer patients, and the
      growing application of liquid biopsy to dynamically track tumor evolution and to
      adapt molecularly targeted therapy according to the emergence of tumor clonal
      variants is shaping modern medical oncology., In order to better describe this
      new therapeutic paradigm we propose the term "Liquid dynamic medicine" in the
      place of "Personalized or Precision medicine". Clinical validation of the "Liquid
      dynamic medicine" approach is best captured by N-of-1 trials where each patient
      acts as tester and control of truly personalized therapies.

PMID- 28903767
TI  - Treatment of biofilms in bacterial vaginosis by an amphoteric tenside pessary
      clinical study and microbiota analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal syndrome among
      women in their reproductive years. It is associated with an increased risk of
      acquiring sexually transmitted infections and complications like preterm labor.
      BV is characterized by a high recurrence rate for which biofilms frequently found
      on vaginal epithelial cells may be a reason. RESULTS: Here, we report a
      controlled randomized clinical trial that tested the safety and effectiveness of
      a newly developed pessary containing an amphoteric tenside (WO3191) to disrupt
      biofilms after metronidazole treatment of BV. Pessaries containing lactic acid
      were provided to the control group, and microbial community composition was
      determined via Illumina sequencing of the V1-V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The
      most common community state type (CST) in healthy women was characterized by
      Lactobacillus crispatus. In BV, diversity was high with communities dominated by
      either Lactobacillus iners, Prevotella bivia, Sneathia amnii, or Prevotella
      amnii. Women with BV and proven biofilms had an increased abundance of Sneathia
      sanguinegens and a decreased abundance of Gardnerella vaginalis. Following
      metronidazole treatment, clinical symptoms cleared, Nugent score shifted to
      Lactobacillus dominance, biofilms disappeared, and diversity (Shannon index) was
      reduced in most women. Most of the patients responding to therapy exhibited a L.
      iners CST. Treatment with WO 3191 reduced biofilms but did not prevent
      recurrence. Women with high diversity after antibiotic treatment were more likely
      to develop recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Stabilizing the low diversity healthy flora
      by promoting growth of health-associated Lactobacillus sp. such as L. crispatus
      may be beneficial for long-term female health. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02687789.

PMID- 28903769
TI  - Specific barriers to the conduct of randomised clinical trials on medical
      devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical devices play an important role in the diagnosis, prevention,
      treatment and care of diseases. However, compared to pharmaceuticals, there is no
      rigorous formal regulation for demonstration of benefits and exclusion of harms
      to patients. The medical device industry argues that the classical evidence
      hierarchy cannot be applied for medical devices, as randomised clinical trials
      are impossible to perform. This article aims to identify the barriers for
      randomised clinical trials on medical devices. METHODS: Systematic literature
      searches without meta-analysis and internal European Clinical Research
      Infrastructure Network (ECRIN) communications taking place during face-to-face
      meetings and telephone conferences from 2013 to 2017 within the context of the
      ECRIN Integrating Activity (ECRIN-IA) project. RESULTS: In addition to the
      barriers that exist for all trials, we identified three major barriers for
      randomised clinical trials on medical devices, namely: (1) randomisation,
      including timing of assessment, acceptability, blinding, choice of the comparator
      group and considerations on the learning curve; (2) difficulties in determining
      appropriate outcomes; and (3) the lack of scientific advice, regulations and
      transparency. CONCLUSIONS: The present review offers potential solutions to break
      down the barriers identified, and argues for applying the randomised clinical
      trial design when assessing the benefits and harms of medical devices.

PMID- 28903770
TI  - A novel bi-directional promoter system allows tunable recombinant protein
      production in Pichia pastoris.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is a well-studied host
      organism for recombinant protein production, which is usually regulated either by
      a constitutive promoter (e.g. promoter of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
      dehydrogenase; PGAP) or an inducible promoter (e.g. promoter of alcohol oxidase
      1; PAOX1). Both promoter systems have several advantages and disadvantages; with
      one of the main disadvantages being their lack of tunability. Various novel
      promoter systems, which are either inducible or de-repressed, allowing higher
      degrees of freedom, have been reported. Recently, bi-directional promoter systems
      in P. pastoris with two promoter systems regulating recombinant expression of one
      or more genes were developed. In this study, we introduce a novel bi-directional
      promoter system combining a modified catalase promoter system (PDC; derepressible
      and inducible) and the traditional PAOX1, allowing tunable recombinant protein
      production. RESULTS: We characterized a recombinant P. pastoris strain, carrying
      the novel bi-directional promoter system, during growth and production in three
      dynamic bioreactor cultivations. We cloned the model enzyme cellobiohydralase
      downstream of either promoter and applied different feeding strategies to
      determine the physiological boundaries of the strain. We succeeded in
      demonstrating tunability of recombinant protein production solely in response to
      the different feeding strategies and identified a mixed feed regime allowing
      highest productivity. CONCLUSION: In this feasibility study, we present the first
      controlled bioreactor experiments with a recombinant P. pastoris strain carrying
      a novel bi-directional promotor combination of a catalase promoter variant (PDC)
      and the traditional PAOX1. We demonstrated that this bi-directional promoter
      system allows tunable recombinant protein expression only in response to the
      available C-sources. This bi-directional promoter system offers a high degree of
      freedom for bioprocess design and development, making bi-directional promoters in
      P. pastoris highly attractive for recombinant protein production.

PMID- 28903771
TI  - Novel spatiotemporal analysis of gait changes in body weight supported treadmill
      trained rats following cervical spinal cord injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Common gait measures such as stride length, cycle time, and step
      height are not independent variables, but different aspects of the same
      multidimensional step. This complicates comparisons between experimental groups.
      Here we present a novel multidimensional gait analysis method and use this method
      to assess the ability of body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) to
      improve rodent stepping after spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: In lieu of
      reducing a step to a collection of gait measures and comparing the means of
      several of these, we developed a multidimensional analysis technique that
      compares the step as a whole. While in a passive robotic gait training device,
      the pre-injury hindlimb stepping of 108 rats was recorded while they walked in a
      quadrupedal posture at 8 cm/s. Following a C4/5 over-hemisection spinal cord
      injury the weekly changes in stepping were tracked for 17 untrained and 10 BWSTT
      animals for 7 weeks. The performance of trained rats was recorded during training
      with BWS, as well as at the end of the training week without BWS. An additional
      six uninjured rats were trained for 5 weeks. RESULTS: Our novel multidimensional
      analysis shows that stepping is asymmetrically altered 1 week after SCI. The
      differences in stepping change over the following weeks, with the less impaired
      left hindlimb deviating further away from pre-injury than the more impaired right
      hindlimb. Uninjured rats do not significantly alter their stepping over 5 weeks.
      BWSTT improves the stepping of the right hindlimb, but only when the BWS is
      active. If the BWS is not present, the performance of trained animals is worse
      than untrained rats. The left hindlimb performance of BWSTT rats is worse than
      untrained rats, during both training sessions and weekly assessments.
      CONCLUSIONS: We feel that our novel multidimensional analysis is a more
      appropriate method to address the inter-dependencies of gait measures. Untrained
      rats exhibit both initial impairments as well as the development of compensatory
      techniques. BWSTT does not improve this spontaneous recovery, but exacerbates it,
      particularly in the less impaired left hindlimb.

PMID- 28903772
TI  - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving capacity in
      activities and arm function after stroke: a network meta-analysis of randomised
      controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is an emerging
      approach for improving capacity in activities of daily living (ADL) and upper
      limb function after stroke. However, it remains unclear what type of tDCS
      stimulation is most effective. Our aim was to give an overview of the evidence
      network regarding the efficacy and safety of tDCS and to estimate the
      effectiveness of the different stimulation types. METHODS: We performed a
      systematic review of randomised trials using network meta-analysis (NMA),
      searching the following databases until 5 July 2016: Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Web of Science, and
      four other databases. We included studies with adult people with stroke. We
      compared any kind of active tDCS (anodal, cathodal, or dual, that is applying
      anodal and cathodal tDCS concurrently) regarding improvement of our primary
      outcome of ADL capacity, versus control, after stroke. PROSPERO ID:
      CRD42016042055. RESULTS: We included 26 studies with 754 participants. Our NMA
      showed evidence of an effect of cathodal tDCS in improving our primary outcome,
      that of ADL capacity (standardized mean difference, SMD = 0.42; 95% CI 0.14 to
      0.70). tDCS did not improve our secondary outcome, that of arm function, measured
      by the Fugl-Meyer upper extremity assessment (FM-UE). There was no difference in
      safety between tDCS and its control interventions, measured by the number of
      dropouts and adverse events. CONCLUSION: Comparing different forms of tDCS shows
      that cathodal tDCS is the most promising treatment option to improve ADL capacity
      in people with stroke.

PMID- 28903773
TI  - Nutritional quality of meals and snacks assessed by the Food Standards Agency
      nutrient profiling system in relation to overall diet quality, body mass index,
      and waist circumference in British adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies examining meal and snack eating behaviors in relation to
      overall diet and health markers are limited, at least partly because there is no
      definitive consensus about what constitutes a snack, a meal, or an eating
      occasion. This cross-sectional study examined how nutritional quality of meals
      and snacks is associated with overall diet quality, body mass index (BMI), and
      waist circumference. METHODS: Based on 7-d weighed dietary record data, all
      eating occasions were divided into meals or snacks based on time (meals: 0600
      1000, 1200-1500, and 1800-2100 h; snacks: others) or contribution to energy
      intake (EI) (meals: >=15%; snacks: <15%) in 1451 British adults aged 19-64 years
      participating in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Nutritional quality of
      meals and snacks was assessed as the arithmetic EI-weighted means of the British
      Food Standards Agency (FSA) nutrient profiling system score of each food and
      beverage consumed, based on the contents of energy, saturated fatty acid, total
      sugar, sodium, fruits/vegetables/nuts, dietary fiber, and protein per 100 g.
      RESULTS: Irrespective of the definition of meals and snacks, higher FSA scores
      (lower nutritional quality) of both meals and snacks were associated with
      unfavorable profiles of individual components of overall diet, including lower
      intakes of fruits/vegetables/nuts and higher intakes of biscuits/cakes/pastries,
      total fat, and saturated fatty acid. The FSA scores of meals and snacks were also
      inversely associated with overall diet quality assessed by the healthy diet
      indicator (regression coefficient (beta) = -0.22 to -0.17 and -0.06 to -0.03,
      respectively) and Mediterranean diet score (beta = -0.25 to -0.19 and -0.08 to 
      0.05, respectively) in both sexes (P <= 0.005). However, the associations were
      stronger for meals, mainly due to their larger contribution to total EI (64% to
      84%). After adjustment for potential confounders, only the FSA score of snacks
      based on EI contribution was positively associated with BMI and waist
      circumference in women (P <= 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Although lower nutritional
      quality of both meals and snacks assessed by the FSA score was associated with
      adverse profiles of overall diet quality (but not necessarily adiposity
      measures), stronger associations were observed for nutritional quality of meals.

PMID- 28903774
TI  - Triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index as a predictor of incident hypertension: a 9
      year longitudinal population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension and the triglyceride and glucose index both have been
      associated with insulin resistance; however, the longitudinal association remains
      unclear. This study was designed to investigate the longitudinal association
      between the triglyceride and glucose index and incident hypertension among the
      Chinese population. METHODS: We studied 4686 subjects (3177 males and 1509
      females) and followed up for 9 years. The subjects were divided into four groups
      based on the triglyceride and glucose index. Univariate and multivariate Cox
      regression models were used to analyse the risk factors of hypertension. RESULTS:
      After 9 years of follow-up, 2047 subjects developed hypertension. The overall 9
      year cumulative incidence of hypertension was 43.7%, ranging from 28.5% in
      quartile 1 to 36.9% in quartile 2, 49.2% in quartile 3 and 59.8% in quartile 4 (p
      for trend < 0.001). Cox regression analyses indicated that higher triglyceride
      and glucose index was associated with an increased risk of subsequent incident
      hypertension. CONCLUSION: The triglyceride and glucose index can predict the
      incident hypertension among the Chinese population.

PMID- 28903775
TI  - Nonclinical and clinical pharmacology evidence for cardiovascular safety of
      saxagliptin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the Saxagliptin Assessment of Vascular Outcomes Recorded in
      Patients with Diabetes Mellitus (SAVOR) trial in patients with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2D) at high risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease, saxagliptin did not
      increase the risk for major CV adverse events. However, there was an unexpected
      imbalance in events of hospitalization for heart failure (hHF), one of six
      components of the secondary CV composite endpoint, with a greater number of
      events observed with saxagliptin. Here, we examined findings from nonclinical
      safety and clinical pharmacology studies of saxagliptin with the aim of
      identifying any potential signals of myocardial injury. METHODS: In vitro and in
      vivo (rat, dog, monkey) safety pharmacology and toxicology studies evaluating the
      potential effects of saxagliptin and its major active metabolite, 5-hydroxy
      saxagliptin, on the CV system are reviewed. In addition, results from saxagliptin
      clinical studies are discussed: one randomized, 2-period, double-blind, placebo
      controlled single-ascending-dose study (up to 100 mg); one randomized, double
      blind, placebo-controlled, sequential, multiple-ascending-high-dose study (up to
      400 mg/day for 14 days); and one randomized, double-blind, 4-period, 4-treatment,
      cross-over thorough QTc study (up to 40 mg/day for 4 days) in healthy volunteers;
      as well as one randomized, placebo-controlled, sequential multiple-ascending-dose
      study in patients with T2D (up to 50 mg/day for 14 days). RESULTS: Neither
      saxagliptin nor 5-hydroxy saxagliptin affected ligand binding to receptors and
      ion channels (e.g. potassium channels) or action potential duration in in vitro
      studies. In animal toxicology studies, no changes in the cardiac conduction
      system, blood pressure, heart rate, contractility, heart weight, or heart
      histopathology were observed. In healthy participants and patients with T2D,
      there were no findings suggestive of myocyte injury or fluid overload. Serum
      chemistry abnormalities indicative of cardiac injury, nonspecific muscle damage,
      or fluid homeostasis changes were infrequent and balanced across treatment
      groups. There were no QTc changes associated with saxagliptin. No treatment
      emergent adverse events suggestive of heart failure or myocardial damage were
      reported. CONCLUSIONS: The saxagliptin nonclinical and clinical pharmacology
      programs did not identify evidence of myocardial injury and/or CV harm that may
      have predicted or may explain the unexpected imbalance in the rate of hHF
      observed in SAVOR.

PMID- 28903776
TI  - Facilitatory effect of insulin treatment on hepatocellular carcinoma development
      in diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of insulin treatment on the incidence and/or
      severity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a mouse model of HCC based on
      diabetes. METHODS: We recently reported that neonatal streptozotocin (STZ)
      treatment causes type 1 diabetes and subsequent HCC in ddY, Institute for Animal
      Reproduction (DIAR) mice. Newborn male DIAR mice were divided into three groups
      based on STZ and insulin (INS) treatment. STZ was subcutaneously injected (60
      mg/g) into the STZ-treated group (DIAR-nSTZ mice, N = 13) and the STZ/insulin
      treated group (DIAR-nSTZ/INS mice, N = 20). A physiologic solution was injected
      into the control group (DIAR-control mice, N = 8) 1.5 days after birth. Insulin
      was subcutaneously injected into the DIAR-nSTZ/INS mice according to the
      following protocol: 2 IU/day at 4-5 weeks of age, 3 IU/day at 5-7 weeks of age,
      and 4 IU/day at 7-12 weeks of age. All mice were fed a normal diet and were
      subjected to physiological and histopathological assessments at 12 weeks of age.
      RESULTS: DIAR-nSTZ mice had significantly lower body weight and higher blood
      glucose levels than DIAR-control mice, whereas no significant differences were
      observed between DIAR-nSTZ/INS mice and control mice. At 12 weeks of age, lower
      weight of paratesticular fat and higher levels of total cholesterol,
      triglyceride, and free fatty acids were observed in DIAR-nSTZ mice compared to
      DIAR-control mice, whereas there were no significant differences between DIAR
      nSTZ/INS mice and DIAR-control mice. In the livers of DIAR-nSTZ mice, HCC was
      observed in 15% of cases, and dysplastic nodules were observed in 77% of cases.
      In the livers of DIAR-nSTZ/INS mice, HCC was observed in 39% of cases and
      dysplastic nodules were observed in 61% of cases (p = 0.011). Moreover, the
      average tumor size was significantly larger in STZ/INS-treated mice than in STZ
      treated mice. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that the expression of
      ERK1/2, downstream substrates of insulin signaling that activate cell
      proliferation, was significantly higher in STZ/INS-treated mice compared to STZ
      treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin treatment promoted, rather than inhibited, the
      progression of liver carcinogenesis in DIAR-nSTZ mice. Hyperinsulinemia rather
      than hyperglycemia can accelerate the progression of HCC via insulin signaling.

PMID- 28903777
TI  - Modest heterologous protection after Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite
      immunization: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A highly efficacious vaccine is needed for malaria control and
      eradication. Immunization with Plasmodium falciparum NF54 parasites under
      chemoprophylaxis (chemoprophylaxis and sporozoite (CPS)-immunization) induces the
      most efficient long-lasting protection against a homologous parasite. However,
      parasite genetic diversity is a major hurdle for protection against heterologous
      strains. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized controlled trial in 39
      healthy participants of NF54-CPS immunization by bites of 45 NF54-infected (n =
      24 volunteers) or uninfected mosquitoes (placebo; n = 15 volunteers) against a
      controlled human malaria infection with the homologous NF54 or the genetically
      distinct NF135.C10 and NF166.C8 clones. Cellular and humoral immune assays were
      performed as well as genetic characterization of the parasite clones. RESULTS:
      NF54-CPS immunization induced complete protection in 5/5 volunteers against NF54
      challenge infection at 14 weeks post-immunization, but sterilely protected only
      2/10 and 1/9 volunteers against NF135.C10 and NF166.C8 challenge infection,
      respectively. Post-immunization plasma showed a significantly lower capacity to
      block heterologous parasite development in primary human hepatocytes compared to
      NF54. Whole genome sequencing showed that NF135.C10 and NF166.C8 have amino acid
      changes in multiple antigens targeted by CPS-induced antibodies. Volunteers
      protected against heterologous challenge were among the stronger immune
      responders to in vitro parasite stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Although highly
      protective against homologous parasites, NF54-CPS-induced immunity is less
      effective against heterologous parasite clones both in vivo and in vitro. Our
      data indicate that whole sporozoite-based vaccine approaches require more potent
      immune responses for heterologous protection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is
      registered in clinicaltrials.gov, under identifier NCT02098590 .

PMID- 28903778
TI  - JTM advances in uncharted territories: diseases and disorders of unknown
      etiology.
AB  - We are delighted to announce a new section in the Journal of Translational
      Medicine, 'Illnesses of Unknown Etiology'. This section aims to provide a
      translational medicine forum for the publication of research on illnesses,
      multisystem diseases and syndromes of unknown etiology. Examples of these include
      Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

PMID- 28903779
TI  - Hepatitis delta: virological and clinical aspects.
AB  - There are an estimated 400 million chronic carriers of HBV worldwide; between 15
      and 20 million have serological evidence of exposure to HDV. Traditionally,
      regions with high rates of endemicity are central and northern Africa, the Amazon
      Basin, eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
      There are two types of HDV/HBV infection which are differentiated by the previous
      status infection by HBV for the individual. Individuals with acute HBV infection
      contaminated by HDV is an HDV/HBV co-infection, while individuals with chronic
      HBV infection contaminated by HDV represent an HDV/HBV super-infection. The
      appropriate treatment for chronic hepatitis delta is still widely discussed since
      it does not have an effective drug. Alpha interferon is currently the only
      licensed therapy for the treatment of chronic hepatitis D. The most widely used
      drug is pegylated interferon but only approximately 25% of patients maintain a
      sustained viral response after 1 year of treatment. The best marker of
      therapeutic success would be the clearance of HBsAg, but this data is rare in
      clinical practice. Therefore, the best way to predict a sustained virologic
      response is the maintenance of undetectable HDV RNA levels.

PMID- 28903780
TI  - Stat-6 signaling pathway and not Interleukin-1 mediates multi-walled carbon
      nanotube-induced lung fibrosis in mice: insights from an adverse outcome pathway
      framework.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The accumulation of MWCNTs in the lung environment leads to
      inflammation and the development of disease similar to pulmonary fibrosis in
      rodents. Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) are a framework for defining and
      organizing the key events that comprise the biological changes leading to
      undesirable events. A putative AOP has been developed describing MWCNT-induced
      pulmonary fibrosis; inflammation and the subsequent healing response induced by
      inflammatory mechanisms have been implicated in disease progression. The
      objective of the present study was to address a key data gap in this AOP:
      empirical data supporting the essentiality of pulmonary inflammation as a key
      event prior to fibrosis. Specifically, Interleukin-1 Receptor1 (IL-1R1) and
      Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 6 (STAT6) knock-out (KO) mice
      were employed to target inflammation and the subsequent healing response using
      MWCNTs as a model pro-fibrotic stressor to determine whether this altered the
      development of fibrosis. RESULTS: Wild type (WT) C57BL/6, IL-1R1 (KO) or STAT6 KO
      mice were exposed to a high dose of Mitsui-7 MWCNT by intratracheal
      administration. Inflammation was assessed 24 h and 28 days post MWCNT
      administration, and fibrotic lesion development was assessed 28 days post MWCNT
      administration. MWCNT-induced acute inflammation was suppressed in IL-1R1 KO mice
      at the 24 h time point relative to WT mice, but this suppression was not observed
      28 days post exposure, and IL-1R1 KO did not alter fibrotic disease development.
      In contrast, STAT6 KO mice exhibited suppressed acute inflammation and attenuated
      fibrotic disease in response to MWCNT administration compared to STAT6 WT mice.
      Whole genome analysis of all post-exposure time points identified a subset of
      differentially expressed genes associated with fibrosis in both KO mice compared
      to WT mice. CONCLUSION: The findings support the essentiality of STAT6-mediated
      signaling in the development of MWCNT-induced fibrotic disease. The IL-1R1 KO
      results also highlight the nature of the inflammatory response associated with
      MWCNT exposure, and indicate a system with multiple redundancies. These data add
      to the evidence supporting an existing AOP, and will be useful in designing
      screening strategies that could be used by regulatory agencies to distinguish
      between MWCNTs of varying toxicity.

PMID- 28903781
TI  - Transmission of alpha-synuclein-containing erythrocyte-derived extracellular
      vesicles across the blood-brain barrier via adsorptive mediated transcytosis:
      another mechanism for initiation and progression of Parkinson's disease?
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) pathophysiology develops in part from the formation,
      transmission, and aggregation of toxic species of the protein alpha-synuclein
      (alpha-syn). Recent evidence suggests that extracellular vesicles (EVs) may play
      a vital role in the transport of toxic alpha-syn between brain regions. Moreover,
      increasing evidence has highlighted the participation of peripheral molecules,
      particularly inflammatory species, which may influence or exacerbate the
      development of PD-related changes to the central nervous system (CNS), although
      detailed characterization of these species remains to be completed. Despite these
      findings, little attention has been devoted to erythrocytes, which contain alpha
      syn concentrations ~1000-fold higher than the cerebrospinal fluid, as a source of
      potentially pathogenic alpha-syn. Here, we demonstrate that erythrocytes produce
      alpha-syn-rich EVs, which can cross the BBB, particularly under inflammatory
      conditions provoked by peripheral administration of lipopolysaccharide. This
      transport likely occurs via adsorptive-mediated transcytosis, with EVs that
      transit the BBB co-localizing with brain microglia. Examination of microglial
      reactivity upon exposure to alpha-syn-containing erythrocyte EVs in vitro and in
      vivo revealed that uptake provoked an increase in microglial inflammatory
      responses. EVs derived from the erythrocytes of PD patients elicited stronger
      responses than did those of control subjects, suggesting that inherent
      characteristics of EVs arising in the periphery might contribute to, or even
      initiate, CNS alpha-syn-related pathology. These results provide new insight into
      the mechanisms by which the brain and periphery communicate throughout the
      process of synucleinopathy pathogenesis.

PMID- 28903783
TI  - The purification of reduced beta2-glycoprotein I showed its native activity in
      vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New evidence has shown that reduced beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2GPI)
      has anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory activity. However, the details
      are still poorly understood. This study aims to prepare stable reduced beta2GPI
      with its native bioactivity in vitro. METHODS: Human beta2GPI was purified from
      plasma first with perchloric acid precipitation and then purified with a series
      of chromatography methods including Sephadex G-25 desalting, SP HP, AF-heparin HC
      650 M, and Sephacryl S-200. The purified human beta2GPI was reduced with
      thioredoxin-1 (TRX-1) activated by DL-dithiothreitol (DTT). Glutathione (GSH) was
      selected to block the free thiols in reduced beta2GPI. LC/MS was used to verify
      the location of free thiols. Western blot analysis was used to detect beta2GPI
      immunoreactivity. MTS and flow cytometry were conducted to investigate its
      biological effect on oxidative-stress-induced death of human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVECs). The levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha),interleukin-6 (IL-6) interleukin-10 (IL-10),interleukin-12P70 (IL
      12P70),interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and monocyte chemoattractant protein -1(MCP
      1) in mouse serum were quantified to assess its anti-inflammatory activity in
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated systemic inflammation. RESULTS: We obtained
      approximately 10 mg beta2GPI (purity 98.7%) from 200 ml plasma. The protein yield
      was 0.05 mg/ml plasma. beta2GPI was then reduced by TRX-1/DTT in vitro; the free
      thiols were detected on Cys288 and Cys326 in domain V of beta2GPI. The GSH
      blockage stabilized the reduced beta2GPI in vitro. This reduced beta2GPI can be
      recognized by the anti-beta2GPI antibody, can significantly reduce the death of
      HUVECs after H2O2 treatment and can significantly decrease the levels of TNF
      alpha, IL-6,IFN-gamma and MCP-1 in mice upon LPS stimulation. CONCLUSION: Stable
      reduced beta2GPI can be obtained in vitro by TRX-1 deoxidation followed by the
      blockage of thiols with GSH. This reduced beta2GPI maintains the same
      immunological activity as oxidized beta2GPI and has the ability to counter the
      oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in HUVECs and inflammation in LPS-mediated
      inflammation in mice.

PMID- 28903784
TI  - Outbreaks attributed to pork in the United States, 1998-2015.
AB  - Each year in the United States, an estimated 525 000 infections, 2900
      hospitalizations, and 82 deaths are attributed to consumption of pork. We
      analyzed the epidemiology of outbreaks attributed to pork in the United States
      reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1998-2015.
      During that period, 288 outbreaks were attributed to pork, resulting in 6372
      illnesses, 443 hospitalizations, and four deaths. The frequency of outbreaks
      attributed to pork decreased by 37% during this period, consistent with a decline
      in total foodborne outbreaks. However, outbreaks attributed to pork increased by
      73% in 2015 (19 outbreaks) compared with the previous 3 years (average of 11
      outbreaks per year), without a similar increase in total foodborne outbreaks.
      Most (>99%) of these outbreaks occurred among people exposed in the same state.
      The most frequent etiology shifted from Staphylococcus aureus toxin during 1998
      2001 (19%) to Salmonella during 2012-2015 (46%). Outbreaks associated with ham
      decreased from eight outbreaks per year during 1998-2001, to one per year during
      2012-2015 (P < 0.01). Additional efforts are necessary to reduce outbreaks and
      sporadic illnesses associated with pork products.

PMID- 28903785
TI  - Food insecurity and emotional health in the USA: a systematic narrative review of
      longitudinal research.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the causal directionality in the relationship between food
      insecurity and emotional well-being among US-based populations. DESIGN:
      Systematic literature review from January 2006 to July 2016 using MEDLINE
      (PubMed), PsychInfo, Web of Science and CINHAL. Inclusion criteria were: written
      in English; examined a longitudinal association between food insecurity and
      emotional well-being. SETTING: The USA. SUBJECTS: Children and adults. RESULTS:
      Twelve out of 4161 peer-reviewed articles met inclusion criteria. Three articles
      examined the effect of emotional well-being on food insecurity, five studies
      examined the effect of food insecurity on emotional well-being, and four studies
      examined a bidirectional relationship. Most studies (83 %) reported a positive
      relationship between negative emotional well-being and food insecurity over time.
      CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest a bidirectional association whereby food insecurity
      increases the risk of poor emotional health, and poor emotional health increases
      the risk of food insecurity. Better-constructed studies are needed to follow
      cohorts at risk for both food insecurity and poor emotional health to further
      understand the mediators and moderators of the relationships. Intervention
      studies designed to mitigate or reverse risks are also needed to determine best
      evidence for practice and policy.

PMID- 28903782
TI  - Natural genetic variation of the cardiac transcriptome in non-diseased donors and
      patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic variation is an important determinant of RNA transcription
      and splicing, which in turn contributes to variation in human traits, including
      cardiovascular diseases. RESULTS: Here we report the first in-depth survey of
      heart transcriptome variation using RNA-sequencing in 97 patients with dilated
      cardiomyopathy and 108 non-diseased controls. We reveal extensive differences of
      gene expression and splicing between dilated cardiomyopathy patients and
      controls, affecting known as well as novel dilated cardiomyopathy genes.
      Moreover, we show a widespread effect of genetic variation on the regulation of
      transcription, isoform usage, and allele-specific expression. Systematic
      annotation of genome-wide association SNPs identifies 60 functional candidate
      genes for heart phenotypes, representing 20% of all published heart genome-wide
      association loci. Focusing on the dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype we found that
      eQTL variants are also enriched for dilated cardiomyopathy genome-wide
      association signals in two independent cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: RNA transcription,
      splicing, and allele-specific expression are each important determinants of the
      dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype and are controlled by genetic factors. Our
      results represent a powerful resource for the field of cardiovascular genetics.

PMID- 28903786
TI  - Identifying foods with good nutritional quality and price for the Opticourses
      intervention research project.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: People on a limited budget want to know the 'good price' of foods.
      Here we report the methodology used to produce an educational tool designed to
      help recognize foods with good nutritional quality and price, and assess the
      validity and relevancy of the tool. DESIGN: A 'Good Price Booklet' presenting a
      list of foods with good nutritional quality and price was constructed. The
      validity of the in-booklet prices was assessed by comparing them with prices
      actually paid by households from the Opticourses project. The relevancy of the
      booklet tool was assessed by semi-structured interviews with Opticourses
      participants. SETTING: Socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of
      Marseille, France. SUBJECTS: Ninety-one participants collected household food
      purchase receipts over a 1-month period. RESULTS: Based on the French food
      database, foods with higher-than-median nutritional quality were identified.
      After grouping similar foods, 100 foods were selected and their corresponding in
      booklet prices were derived based on the distribution of average national prices
      by food group. Household food purchases data revealed that of the 2386 purchases
      of foods listed in the booklet, 67.1 % were bought at prices lower than the in
      booklet prices. Nineteen semi-structured interviews showed that participants
      understood the tool and most continued using it more than a month after the
      intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A method was developed to ease the identification of
      foods with good nutritional quality and price. The Good Price Booklet is an
      effective tool to help guide people shopping on a low budget.

PMID- 28903787
TI  - A Preliminary Investigation of Metacognitive Therapy and Habit Reversal as a
      Treatment for Trichotillomania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Not all patients suffering from trichotillomania (TTM) recover
      completely using CBT and of those that do, only a few maintain their recovery
      over time. AIMS: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the
      effectiveness of metacognitive methods combined with habit reversal (MCT/HRT) in
      trichotillomania with a relatively long-term follow-up. METHOD: A case series (n
      = 8) and a randomized wait-list controlled trial (n = 34) design were conducted
      in this study. In the case series, three of the eight patients dropped out of the
      study. Therefore, TTM-related symptoms were evaluated in five patients suffering
      from TTM before and after brief metacognitive plus habit reversal therapy during
      1-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups. The treatment consisted of detached
      mindfulness (DM) techniques, ritual postponement and habit reversal training
      (HRT) in eight sessions. RESULTS: All patients were responders at post-treatment
      in case series. After the 12-month follow-up, the results were associated with
      higher pre-treatment levels of self-esteem and global functioning and lower pre
      treatment levels of depression and anxiety with nearly complete abstinence from
      hair pulling immediately after treatment. A randomized wait-list controlled trial
      with experimental (n = 17) and waiting list group (n = 17) was then conducted to
      confirm the case series results. There were significant differences between the
      two groups regarding changes in MGH-HPS, Y-BOCS-TM, RSES, GAF, BDI, BAI and self
      monitoring. Therefore, the MCT/HRT treatment was found to be more effective than
      the waiting list group. CONCLUSIONS: A combined treatment including metacognitive
      and habit reversal techniques is remarkably effective in patients with TTM.

PMID- 28903788
TI  - Vitamin D serostatus and dengue fever progression to dengue hemorrhagic
      fever/dengue shock syndrome.
AB  - Vitamin D could modulate pathways leading to dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue
      shock syndrome (DHF/DSS). We examined the associations of serum total 25-hydroxy
      vitamin D [25(OH)D] and vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) concentrations in
      patients with uncomplicated dengue fever (DF) with risk of progression to
      DHF/DSS. In a case-control study nested in a cohort of DF patients who were
      followed during the acute episode in Bucaramanga, Colombia, we compared 25(OH)D
      and VDBP at onset of fever between 110 cases who progressed to DHF/DSS and 235 DF
      controls who did not progress. 25(OH)D concentrations were also compared between
      the acute sample and a sample collected >1 year post-convalescence in a subgroup.
      Compared with 25(OH)D ?75 nmol/l, adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) for progression
      were 0.44 (0.22-0.88) and 0.13 (0.02-1.05) for 50 to 75 nmol/l (vitamin D
      insufficiency) and <50 nmol/l (vitamin D deficiency), respectively (P, trend =
      0.003). Mean 25(OH)D concentrations were much lower post-convalescence compared
      with the acute episode, regardless of case status. Compared with controls, mean
      VDBP was non-significantly lower in cases. We conclude that low serum 25(OH)D
      concentrations in DF patients predict decreased odds of progression to DHF/DSS.

PMID- 28903789
TI  - The mind of suicide terrorists.
AB  - After reviewing the available literature about the main hypotheses on suicide
      terrorism and the psychological characteristics of terrorists that have been
      proposed throughout the years, the present authors have put forward some personal
      considerations on what the distinctive traits of today's suicide bombers might
      be. In spite of the heterogeneity and paucity of "real" data, it is evident that
      there is no peculiar familial, educational, or socioeconomic factors that may
      account for religious radicalization leading to suicide terrorism. On the
      contrary, some common psychological features can be highlighted: such as
      isolation, feelings of emptiness, cold rationality, a lack of empathy, and a lust
      for martyrdom and death. To die to kill: this is the core feature, a sort of
      organizer that can twist higher cognitive and emotional processes, resulting in
      the supreme and highly rewarding suicidal and killing behaviors.

PMID- 28903790
TI  - Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for the Treatment of Dental Phobia: A Controlled
      Feasibility Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has been used to treat a
      variety of fears and phobias. AIM: To determine the feasibility (i.e. safety and
      efficacy) of using VRET to treat dental phobia. METHOD: Safety was evaluated by
      determining any adverse events or symptom exacerbation. Efficacy of VRET was
      evaluated by comparing the reduction in dental anxiety scores (measured 16 times
      within a 14-week study period, and at 6-month follow-up), and its behavioural
      effects with that of an informational pamphlet (IP) on ten randomized patients
      with dental phobia using a controlled multiple baseline design. Participants'
      heart rate response during VRET, and their experience post-VRET, were indexed.
      RESULTS: No personal adverse events or symptom exacerbation occurred. Visual
      analysis and post-hoc intention-to-treat analysis showed a significantly greater
      decrease in dental anxiety scores [higher PND (percentage of non-overlap data)
      scores of 100% and lower POD (percentage of overlap data) of 0%, Modified Dental
      Anxiety Scale, F (1,8) = 8.61, p = 0.019, and Dental Fear Scale, F (1,8) = 10.53,
      p = 0.012], and behavioural avoidance in the VRET compared with the IP group [d =
      4.2 and -1.4, respectively). There was no increase in average heart rate during
      VRET. Of the nine treatment completers, six (four from the VRET group and two
      from the IP group) no longer had dental phobia at 6-month follow-up. Four of the
      five VRET participants, but none of the IP participants, scheduled a dental
      treatment appointment following the intervention. CONCLUSION: VRET is a feasible
      alternative for patients with dental phobia.

PMID- 28903791
TI  - An outbreak of mumps with genetic strain variation in a highly vaccinated student
      population in Scotland.
AB  - An outbreak of mumps within a student population in Scotland was investigated to
      assess the effect of previous vaccination on infection and clinical presentation,
      and any genotypic variation. Of the 341 cases, 79% were aged 18-24. Vaccination
      status was available for 278 cases of whom 84% had received at least one dose of
      mumps containing vaccine and 62% had received two. The complication rate was 5.3%
      (mainly orchitis), and 1.2% were admitted to hospital. Genetic sequencing of
      mumps virus isolated from cases across Scotland classified 97% of the samples as
      genotype G. Two distinct clusters of genotype G were identified, one circulating
      before the outbreak and the other thereafter, suggesting the virus that caused
      this outbreak was genetically different from the previously circulating virus.
      Whilst the poor vaccine effectiveness we found may be due to waning immunity over
      time, a contributing factor may be that the current mumps vaccine is less
      effective against some genotypes. Although the general benefits of the measles
      mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine should continue to be promoted, there may be value in
      reassessing the UK vaccination schedule and the current mumps component of the
      MMR vaccine.

PMID- 28903792
TI  - The Relationship between Competence and Patient Outcome with Low-Intensity
      Cognitive Behavioural Interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is understood about the relationship between therapist
      competence and the outcomes of patients treated for common mental health
      disorders. Furthermore, the evidence is yet to extend to competence in the
      delivery of low-intensity cognitive behavioural interventions. Understanding this
      relationship is essential to the dissemination and implementation of low
      intensity cognitive behavioural interventions. AIMS: The aim of this study was to
      explore the relationship between Psychological Well-being Practitioner (PWP)
      competence and patient outcome within the framework of the British government's
      Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) initiative. METHOD: Forty
      seven PWPs treating 3688 patients participated. Relationships between PWP scores
      on three observed standardized clinical examinations and reliable change in
      patients' symptoms of anxiety and depression were explored at two time points:
      during the year-long training phase, and over a 12-month follow-up. RESULTS:
      Results indicated that patients treated by qualified PWPs achieved superior
      outcomes than those treated by trainees. Little support was found for a general
      association between practitioner competence in delivering low-intensity cognitive
      behavioural interventions and patient outcome, either during or post-training;
      however, significantly more patients of the most competent PWPs demonstrated
      reliable improvement in their symptoms of anxiety and depression than would be
      expected by chance alone and fewer deteriorated compared with those treated by
      the least competent PWPs. CONCLUSION: Results were indicative of a complex, non
      linear relationship, with patient outcome affected by PWP status (trainee or
      qualified) and by competence at its extremes. The implications of these results
      for the dissemination and implementation of low-intensity cognitive behavioural
      interventions are discussed.

PMID- 28903793
TI  - How Supervisees on a Foundation Course in CBT Perceive a Supervision Session and
      what they Bring Forward to the Next Therapy Session.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited research into the effect of supervision in cognitive
      behavioural therapy (CBT) from the supervisees' perspective. AIMS: The aim of the
      study was to acquire knowledge from the supervisees' perspective as to what in
      particular in the supervision process contributes to the therapy process. METHOD:
      Fourteen supervisees on a foundation course participated in the study. A
      qualitative approach was used with thematic analysis of the participants' written
      diaries after supervision and therapy sessions. RESULTS: Analyses of supervisees'
      experiences suggested that a variety of therapeutic interventions were easier to
      implement if one had the supervisor's support and felt free to decide if and when
      the suggested interventions could best be implemented. Evaluation in the form of
      positive feedback from the supervisor indicating that the supervisee was 'doing
      the right thing' was perceived to be important. A unifying theme when supervisees
      felt they were not getting anything out of the supervision was that the
      supervisees did not have a supervision question. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this
      research suggest that the supervisor's support during training is perceived to be
      important for the supervisee. Receiving positive feedback from one's supervisor
      in an evaluation is perceived to have a great impact on whether the therapist
      implements the suggested therapeutic interventions discussed in the previous
      supervision.

PMID- 28903794
TI  - Effect of dietary nutrients on ileal endogenous losses of threonine, cysteine,
      methionine, lysine, leucine and protein in broiler chicks.
AB  - An isotope dose technique was utilized (i) to determine endogenous amino acid
      (AA) and protein losses and (ii) to propose adjusted values for AA requirements.
      The endogenous flow rate was calculated from the pool of enrichment in plasma AA,
      assuming similitude to enrichment of endogenous AA. In experiment 1, chicks were
      orally administered D4-lysine at 2% of estimated lysine intake from 16 to 24 days
      to find the isotopic steady state of the atom percent excess (APE) of lysine for
      plasma and jejunal and ileal digesta. The APE of D4-lysine in plasma, jejunal
      digesta and ileal digesta reached the isotopic steady state at 5.5, 3.4 and 2.0
      days, respectively, by using the broken-line model. It was assumed that the
      isotopic steady state at 5 days identified for D4-lysine is also representative
      for the 15N-labeled AA. In experiment 2, chicks were fed diets from 1 to 21 days
      with increasing levels of fat (6%, 8%, 12%, 13% extract ether), protein (26%,
      28.5%, 31% CP) or fiber (14%, 16%, 18% NDF) by adding poultry fat, soybean meal,
      blended animal protein or barley. Chicks were orally administered 15N-threonine,
      15N-cysteine, 15N-methionine, 15N-lysine and 15N-leucine at 2% of estimated daily
      intake for 5 days from 17 to 21 days of age. Dietary nutrients influenced
      endogenous losses (EL), where dietary fat stimulated EL of lysine (P=0.06),
      leucine and protein (P=0.07); dietary protein enhanced EL of leucine and protein;
      and finally the dietary fiber increased EL of leucine. Dietary nutrients also
      affected apparent ileal digestibility (AID). Dietary fat increased AID of
      cysteine but decreased AID of lysine. Dietary protein reduced AID of protein,
      threonine, lysine and leucine, and similarly dietary fiber decreased AID of
      protein, threonine, methionine, lysine and leucine. In contrast, dietary fat or
      protein did not affect real ileal digestibility (RID) of protein and AA except
      threonine and leucine. The dietary fiber reduced the RID of protein, threonine
      and leucine. This indicate that variations of some endogenous AA and protein
      losses due to dietary nutrients almost eliminates the effects of RID, and thus
      the EL coming from the body should be utilized to adjust the AA requirement
      instead of changing the true digestible nutrients of ingredients. The present
      data suggest that 5 days' feeding labeled AA was enough to reach the isotopic
      steady state and AA requirements should be adjusted when additional dietary
      protein, fat or fiber is fed.

PMID- 28903795
TI  - Rapid Triage of Mental Health Risk in Emergency Medical Workers: Findings From
      Typhoon Haiyan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the ability of a novel responder mental health self
      triage system to predict post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in emergency
      medical responders after a disaster. METHODS: Participants in this study
      responded to Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November 2013. They
      completed the Psychological Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (PsySTART)
      responder triage tool, the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) and the Patient Health
      Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) shortly after responding to this disaster. The
      relationships between these 3 tools were compared to determine the association
      between different risk exposures while providing disaster medical care and
      subsequent levels of PTSD or depression. RESULTS: The total number of PsySTART
      responder risk factors was closely related to PCL-5 scores >=38, the threshold
      for clinical PTSD. Several of the PsySTART risk factors were predictive of
      clinical levels of PTSD as measured by the PCL-5 in this sample of deployed
      emergency medical responders. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a critical number and
      type of PsySTART responder self-triage risk factors predicted clinical levels of
      PTSD and subclinical depression in this sample of emergency medical workers. The
      ability to identify these disorders early can help categorize an at-risk subset
      for further timely "stepped care" interventions with the goals of both mitigating
      the long-term consequences and maximizing the return to resilience. (Disaster Med
      Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:19-22).

PMID- 28903796
TI  - Measurement of Fall Prevention Awareness and Behaviours among Older Adults at
      Home.
AB  - This study surveyed awareness of, and adherence to, six national fall prevention
      recommendations among community-dwelling older adults (n = 1050) in Ottawa.
      Although 76 per cent of respondents agreed falling is a concern and preventable,
      fewer perceived susceptibility to falling (63%). Respondents had high awareness
      that home modifications and physical activity can prevent falls. Reported
      modifications included grab bars (50%), night lights (44%), and raised toilet
      seats (19%). Half met aerobic activity recommendations; 38 per cent met strength
      recommendations. Respondents had lower awareness that an annual medication
      review, annual eye and physical examination, and daily vitamin D supplementation
      could reduce fall risk. However, reported annual medication review (79%) and eye
      examination (75%) was high. Nearly half met recommendations for vitamin D intake.
      These findings suggest a gap in knowledge of awareness and adherence to national
      recommendations, highlighting the ones that may require attention from those who
      work to prevent falls.

PMID- 28903798
TI  - What's the Twist? Twiddler's Syndrome in Deep Brain Stimulation.

PMID- 28903797
TI  - Prevalence of anti-hepatitis B surface antibodies among children and adolescents
      vaccinated in infancy and effect of booster dose administered within a pilot
      study.
AB  - We determined the prevalence of anti-hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs)
      among children and adolescents vaccinated for hepatitis B virus in infancy as
      part of the routine vaccination programme. A representative serum sample of the
      Israeli population age 0-19 was tested. In a separate pilot study, a booster dose
      of hepatitis B vaccine was administered to 31 candidates for national service,
      who were fully vaccinated in infancy and tested negative for hepatitis B surface
      antibodies at age 17-19 years and anti-HBs antibodies were assessed 8 weeks
      later. Of the 1273 samples tested, 631 (49.6%) were positive to anti-HBs
      antibodies. Seropositivity rates were 89.5% among infants aged 6-12 months and
      declined significantly with age to 20.7% at age 19 years. No differences in
      seropositivity rates were observed between Jews and Arabs, males and females and
      those born in Israel and in other countries. Seroconversion rate among the 31
      individuals who received a booster dose was 90.3% (95% CI: 75.1-96.6%). We
      recommend a booster dose for healthcare personnel before starting to work at the
      health care facility.

PMID- 28903799
TI  - A comparison of outcomes according to different diagnostic systems for delirium
      (DSM-5, DSM-IV, CAM, and DRS-R98).
AB  - ABSTRACTStudies indicate that DSM-5 criteria for delirium are relatively
      restrictive, and identify different cases of delirium compared with previous
      systems. We evaluate four outcomes of delirium (mortality, length of hospital
      stay, institutionalization, and cognitive improvement) in relation to delirium
      defined by different DSM classification systems.Prospective, longitudinal study
      of patients aged 70+ admitted to medical wards of a general hospital.
      Participants were assessed up to a maximum of four times during two weeks, using
      DSM-5 and DSM-IV criteria, DRS-R98 and CAM scales as proxies for DSM III-R and
      DSM III.Of the 200 assessed patients (mean age 81.1, SD = 6.5; and 50% female)
      during hospitalization, delirium was identified in 41 (20.5%) using DSM-5, 45
      (22.5%) according to DSM-IV, 46 (23%) with CAM positive, and 37 (18.5%) with DRS
      R98 severity score >15. Mortality was significantly associated with delirium
      according to any classification system, but those identified with DSM-5 were at
      greater risk. Length of stay was significantly longer for those with DSM-IV
      delirium. Discharge to a care home was associated only with DRS-R98 defined
      delirium. Cognitive improvement was only associated with CAM and DSM-IV.
      Different classification systems for delirium identify populations with different
      outcomes.

PMID- 28903800
TI  - Predicting treatment failure, death and drug resistance using a computed risk
      score among newly diagnosed TB patients in Tamaulipas, Mexico.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to develop a method for identifying newly diagnosed
      tuberculosis (TB) patients at risk for TB adverse events in Tamaulipas, Mexico.
      Surveillance data between 2006 and 2013 (8431 subjects) was used to develop risk
      scores based on predictive modelling. The final models revealed that TB patients
      failing their treatment regimen were more likely to have at most a primary school
      education, multi-drug resistance (MDR)-TB, and few to moderate bacilli on acid
      fast bacilli smear. TB patients who died were more likely to be older males with
      MDR-TB, HIV, malnutrition, and reporting excessive alcohol use. Modified risk
      scores were developed with strong predictability for treatment failure and death
      (c-statistic 0.65 and 0.70, respectively), and moderate predictability for drug
      resistance (c-statistic 0.57). Among TB patients with diabetes, risk scores
      showed moderate predictability for death (c-statistic 0.68). Our findings suggest
      that in the clinical setting, the use of our risk scores for TB treatment failure
      or death will help identify these individuals for tailored management to prevent
      these adverse events. In contrast, the available variables in the TB surveillance
      dataset are not robust predictors of drug resistance, indicating the need for
      prompt testing at time of diagnosis.

PMID- 28903801
TI  - S. aureus Infections in Chicago, 2006-2014: Increase in CA MSSA and Decrease in
      MRSA Incidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE To examine trends in Staphylococcus aureus infections in adults and
      children at a single academic center in 2006-2014. DESIGN Retrospective cohort
      study. SETTING Inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department settings in a
      private, tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Patients with an infection culture
      that grew S. aureus in January 1, 2006, through March 31, 2014. METHODS The first
      isolate per year for each patient was classified as community-associated (CA-),
      healthcare-associated (HA-), or HA-community-onset S. aureus. The incidence
      density of S. aureus, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), and methicillin
      resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections were calculated per quarter year. RESULTS
      Overall, 5,491 MRSA and 5,398 MSSA isolates were included. MRSA infections
      decreased by an average of 5.2% annually (P<.001). MRSA skin and soft-tissue
      infection (SSTI) incidence density decreased in adults (-3.5%; P<.001) and
      children (-2.9%; P=.004). MSSA infections at all anatomic sites increased by an
      average of 1.9% annually (P=.007) in adults and decreased 5.1% annually (P<.001)
      in children. MSSA SSTI incidence density increased in adults (+3.8%; P<.001) and
      children (+5.6%; P<.001). For MRSA and MSSA SSTI isolates, susceptibility to
      tetracycline and clindamycin decreased significantly. CONCLUSIONS In 2006-2014,
      MRSA SSTI incidence decreased among children and adults. MSSA SSTI incidence
      density increased in children and adults, suggesting that current empiric SSTI
      treatment recommendations may not be optimal. Adults experienced an overall
      increase in MSSA infections, which may prompt consideration of the need for
      horizontal infection control practices to decrease MSSA infection risk. Infect
      Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1226-1234.

PMID- 28903802
TI  - Can National Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) Data Differentiate Hospitals
      in the United States?
AB  - OBJECTIVE To determine whether patients using the Centers for Medicare and
      Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website
      (http://medicare.gov/hospitalcompare) can use nationally reported healthcare
      associated infection (HAI) data to differentiate hospitals. DESIGN Secondary
      analysis of publicly available HAI data for calendar year 2013. METHODS We
      assessed the availability of HAI data for geographically proximate hospitals (ie,
      hospitals within the same referral region) and then analyzed these data to
      determine whether they are useful to differentiate hospitals. We assessed data
      for the 6 HAIs reported by hospitals to the Centers for Disease Control and
      Prevention (CDC). RESULTS Data were analyzed for 4,561 hospitals representing 88%
      of registered community and federal government hospitals in the United States.
      Healthcare-associated infection data are only useful for comparing hospitals if
      they are available for multiple hospitals within a geographic region. We found
      that data availability differed by HAI. Clostridium difficile infections (CDI)
      data were most available, with 82% of geographic regions (ie, hospital referral
      regions) having >50% of hospitals reporting them. In contrast, 4% of geographic
      regions had >50% of member hospitals reporting surgical site infections (SSI) for
      hysterectomies, which had the lowest availability. The ability of HAI data to
      differentiate hospitals differed by HAI: 72% of hospital referral regions had at
      least 1 pair of hospitals with statistically different risk-adjusted CDI rates
      (SIRs), compared to 9% for SSI (hysterectomy). CONCLUSIONS HAI data generally are
      reported by enough hospitals to meet minimal criteria for useful comparisons in
      many geographic locations, though this varies by type of HAI. CDI and catheter
      associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) are more likely to differentiate
      hospitals than the other publicly reported HAIs. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
      2017;38:1167-1171.

PMID- 28903803
TI  - A Blueprint for Targeted Antimicrobial Stewardship in Neonatal Intensive Care
      Units.

PMID- 28903805
TI  - Recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor for acute hereditary angioedema attacks
      with upper airway involvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor (rhC1-INH) is approved for
      treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adolescents and adults. HAE attacks
      that involve the upper airway can be life threatening, and data on the
      administration of rhC1-INH for these types of attacks are currently limited.
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rhC1-INH for treatment of acute
      HAE attacks with upper airway involvement. METHODS: A pooled analysis of data
      from three clinical trials with open-label extensions examined rhC1-INH for
      treatment of acute HAE attacks with upper airway involvement. Patients with
      functional plasma C1 esterase inhibitor <50% of normal who had experienced an
      acute upper airway HAE attack and received rhC1-INH were identified
      retrospectively based on severity of breathing or swallowing symptoms. The
      primary end point was the time to beginning of relief (time at which the overall
      visual analog scale score [0-100 mm] decreased from baseline by >=20 mm for two
      consecutive time points [persistence]). RESULTS: Of 683 acute HAE attacks treated
      with rhC1-INH, data for 45 attacks with upper airway involvement were included.
      The median time to the beginning of symptom relief was 67 minutes (95% confidence
      interval, 60-120 minutes) and did not differ by attack number or by baseline
      breathing or swallowing symptom severity. Most attacks (91.1%) achieved the
      beginning of relief within 4 hours of rhC1-INH treatment. All attacks resolved
      without the need for any additional medication, and no patients required
      intubation or tracheostomy. Treatment with rhC1-INH was well tolerated, with no
      adverse events reported in more than one patient (except HAE reported as an
      adverse event [n = 2]). CONCLUSION: This pooled analysis of clinical trial data
      supports the efficacy of rhC1-INH for treatment of acute HAE attacks with upper
      airway involvement.

PMID- 28903804
TI  - Beyond the dinner table: who's having breakfast, lunch and dinner family meals
      and which meals are associated with better diet quality and BMI in pre-school
      children?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Having frequent family dinners is associated with better diet quality
      in children; however, it is unknown whether the frequency of certain family meal
      types (i.e. dinner) is more strongly associated with better child weight and diet
      quality compared with other meal types (i.e. breakfast, lunch). Thus, the current
      study examined the frequency of eating breakfast, lunch or dinner family meals
      and associations with pre-school children's overall diet quality (HEI-2010) and
      BMI percentile. DESIGN: Cross-sectional baseline data (2012-2014) from two
      randomized controlled childhood obesity prevention trials, NET-Works and GROW,
      were analysed together. SETTING: Studies were carried out in community and in
      home settings in urban areas of Minnesota and Tennessee, USA. SUBJECTS: Parent
      child (ages 2-5 years) pairs from Minnesota (n 222 non-Hispanics; n 312
      Hispanics) and Tennessee (n 545 Hispanics; n 55 non-Hispanics) participated in
      the study. RESULTS: Over 80 % of families ate breakfast or lunch family meals at
      least once per week. Over 65 % of families ate dinner family meals >=5
      times/week. Frequency of breakfast family meals and total weekly family meals
      were significantly associated with healthier diet quality for non-Hispanic pre
      school children (P<0.05), but not for Hispanic children. Family meal frequency by
      meal type was not associated with BMI percentile for non-Hispanic or Hispanic pre
      school children. CONCLUSIONS: Breakfast family meal frequency and total weekly
      family meal frequency were associated with healthier diet quality in non-Hispanic
      pre-school children but not in Hispanic children. Longitudinal research is needed
      to clarify the association between family meal type and child diet quality and
      BMI percentile.

PMID- 28903806
TI  - Development of an Accurate and Sensitive Analytical Method for the Determination
      of Cadmium at Trace Levels Using Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Based
      on the Solidification of Floating Organic Drops Combined with Slotted Quartz Tube
      Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.
AB  - A dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) technique based on a
      solidification-of-floating-organic-drop (SFOD) procedure was developed for the
      determination of trace amounts of cadmium (Cd) by using a flame atomic absorption
      spectrometer (FAAS) fitted with a slotted quartz tube (SQT). The extraction of Cd
      was achieved by forming a complex with diphenylcarbazone. Parameters affecting
      the formation of complex and extraction outputs were carefully optimized to
      obtain high-absorbance signals to achieve lower LODs. An SQT was fitted on top of
      the flame burner head to further enhance the absorbance of the signals recorded
      by the FAAS. Coupling the DLLME-SFOD procedure with SQT-FAAS produced an
      enhancement factor of about 183. The LOD of the method was 0.23 ug/L with an RSD
      of 3.8%. Matrix-matching was used to overcome any low recovery results obtained
      with tap water and municipal wastewater.

PMID- 28903807
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28903808
TI  - Active-shooter events in the workplace: Findings and policy implications.
AB  - Employees and citizens generally view places of business as inherently safe.
      Business leaders sometimes make hasty security decisions in hopes of protecting
      their employees and customers. Leadership should have empirical data to aid in
      the decision-making process. This paper provides an exhaustive breakdown of
      active-shooter events in the workplace. The data are disaggregated by business
      function (eg retail, factory/warehouse, and office space) and include information
      on the shooter, the event itself, and how the event was resolved. The analyses
      are followed up by an in-depth discussion of potential policy changes supported
      by the data.

PMID- 28903809
TI  - Decision-making in crisis: Applying a healthcare triage methodology to business
      continuity management.
AB  - The concept of triage in healthcare has been around for centuries and continues
      to be applied today so that scarce resources are allocated according to need. A
      business impact analysis (BIA) is a form of triage in that it identifies which
      processes are most critical, which to address first and how to allocate limited
      resources. On its own, however, the BIA provides only a roadmap of the impacts
      and interdependencies of an event. When disaster strikes, organisational decision
      makers often face difficult decisions with regard to allocating limited resources
      between multiple 'mission-critical' functions. Applying the concept of triage to
      business continuity provides those decision-makers navigating a rapidly evolving
      and unpredictable event with a path that protects the fundamental priorities of
      the organisation. A business triage methodology aids decision-makers in times of
      crisis by providing a simplified framework for decision-making based on
      objective, evidence-based criteria, which is universally accepted and understood.
      When disaster strikes, the survival of the organisation depends on critical
      decision-making and quick actions to stabilise the incident. This paper argues
      that organisations need to supplement BIA processes with a decision-making triage
      methodology that can be quickly applied during the chaos of an actual event.

PMID- 28903810
TI  - Effective crisis decision-making.
AB  - When an organisation's reputation is at stake, crisis decision-making (CDM) is
      challenging and prone to failure. Most CDM schemes are strong at certain aspects
      of the overall CDM process, but almost none are strong at all of them. This paper
      defines criteria for good CDM schemes, analyses common approaches and introduces
      an alternative, stakeholder-driven scheme. Focusing on the most important
      stakeholders and directing any actions to preserve the relationships with them is
      crucial. When doing so, the interdependencies between the stakeholders must be
      identified and considered. Without knowledge of the sometimes less than obvious
      links, wellmeaning actions can cause adverse effects, so a cross-check for the
      impacts of potential options is recommended before making the final decision. The
      paper also gives recommendations on how to implement these steps at any
      organisation in order to enhance the quality of CDM and thus protect the
      organisation's reputation.

PMID- 28903811
TI  - Does integration matter? A holistic model for building community resilience in
      Pakistan.
AB  - This paper analyses an integrated communitybased risk reduction model adopted by
      the Pakistan Red Crescent. The paper analyses the model's constructs and
      definitions, and provides a conceptual framework and a set of practical
      recommendations for building community resilience. The study uses the process of
      outcome-based resilience index to assess the effectiveness of the approach. The
      results indicate that the integrated programming approach is an effective way to
      build community resilience as it offers a number of tangible and longlasting
      benefits, including effective and efficient service delivery, local ownership,
      sustainability of results, and improved local resilience with respect to the
      shock and stress associated with disaster. The paper also outlines a set of
      recommendations for the effective and efficient use of the model for building
      community resilience in Pakistan.

PMID- 28903812
TI  - The capability and constraint model of recoverability: An integrated theory of
      continuity planning.
AB  - While there are best practices, good practices, regulations and standards for
      continuity planning, there is no single model to collate and sort their various
      recommended activities. To address this deficit, this paper presents the
      capability and constraint model of recoverability - a new model to provide an
      integrated foundation for business continuity planning. The model is non-linear
      in both construct and practice, thus allowing practitioners to remain adaptive in
      its application. The paper presents each facet of the model, outlines the model's
      use in both theory and practice, suggests a subsequent approach that arises from
      the model, and discusses some possible ramifications to the industry.

PMID- 28903813
TI  - Rebooting healthcare information technology downtime management.
AB  - Healthcare, like many other industries, has become reliant on technology to
      manage daily operations. Often, technology downtimes are managed within the
      information technology departments to ensure the technical staff can return the
      hardware or software to the end users as quickly as possible. However, if managed
      strictly through IT departments, such incidents lack critical communication
      components and an understanding of the impact on end users. This paper argues
      that such technological incidents need to be managed not just rapidly but also in
      conjunction with the emergency preparedness department. It presents the example
      of a healthcare system from the US Midwest where the IT department has worked
      closely with the emergency preparedness department to design a major incident
      management system that closely resembles the hospital incident command structure.
      The development and implementation of this process has improved several metrics,
      including time to declare (declaration of an incident) and mean time to restore
      (returning the technology back to the end users). This paper will describe how
      this collaboration between information technology and emergency preparedness has
      improved the impact on healthcare operations, and will highlight the metrics used
      to monitor success.

PMID- 28903814
TI  - Academic continuity planning in higher education.
AB  - Crisis planning in institutions of higher learning has focused largely on
      emergency management, physical safety and technology recovery. While these are
      clearly important, many aspects of planning for continuity have largely been
      ignored, including planning for the post-secondary education sector's core
      business, that is, the delivery of graduate and undergraduate academic
      programmes. Use of the term 'academic continuity' as a component of institutional
      planning is relatively new in higher education. Discussions on academic
      continuity have often centred on the use of technology-enhanced education and
      online teaching in the event of crisis or disaster affecting campuses. However,
      online approaches are only one aspect of academic continuity planning. Using
      examples of two different crisis situations encountered at a large urban
      university spanning three campuses, this paper presents an approach to academic
      continuity planning that can potentially serve as a model for other institutions.

PMID- 28903816
TI  - Publication of Negative Data Contributes to Sound Science.

PMID- 28903815
TI  - Determining the appropriate strategies for emergency planning through AHP-SWOT.
AB  - During an unexpected incident, companies should demonstrate appropriate behaviour
      based on predetermined and rehearsed emergency strategies. This paper describes
      how to select the proper strategies for emergency situations via means of the AHP
      SWOT tool, where the initial SWOT analysis is conducted for the emergency
      management system, and the final strategies are selected via the analytic
      hierarchy process (AHP). Alternative response strategies comprise internal,
      shared and external responses. Most of the scenarios investigated for this study
      demanded a shared response. These findings highlight the importance of mutual aid
      agreements, cooperative exercises and the improvement of communication systems.
      Organisations can take advantage of integrated approaches to select the best
      strategies and tactics for normal situations in general and emergency situations
      in particular.

PMID- 28903817
TI  - Properly Describing Individually Ventilated Caging Systems in Scientific
      Manuscripts.

PMID- 28903818
TI  - Responses to Drs Perkins' and Lipman's Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28903819
TI  - Review of CO2 as a Euthanasia Agent for Laboratory Rats and Mice.
AB  - Selecting an appropriate, effective euthanasia agent is controversial. Several
      recent publications provide clarity on the use of CO2 in laboratory rats and
      mice. This review examines previous studies on CO2 euthanasia and presents the
      current body of knowledge on the subject. Potential areas for further
      investigation and recommendations are provided.

PMID- 28903820
TI  - Considerations When Writing and Reviewing a Higher Education Teaching Protocol
      Involving Animals.
AB  - The targeted use of animals in teaching at institutions of higher learning is
      fundamental to educating the next generation of professionals in the biologic and
      animal sciences. As with animal research, universities and colleges that use
      animals in teaching are subject to regulatory oversight. Instructors must receive
      approval from their IACUC before using animals in their teaching. However, the
      questions asked on many institutions' animal care and use protocol (ACUP) are
      often geared more toward the use of animals for research. These questions may not
      be wholly appropriate in evaluating a teaching protocol; some questions are not
      applicable (for example, power analysis to justify animal numbers) whereas other
      important questions may be missing. This article discusses the issues surrounding
      the rationale for animal use in teaching; it also proposes a framework that
      instructors and IACUC members alike can use when writing and reviewing teaching
      ACUP. We hope this framework will help to ensure the most appropriate IACUC
      review of the ethical use of animals in higher education.

PMID- 28903821
TI  - Age- and Sex-associated Differences in Phenotypic and Functional Characteristics
      of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
AB  - Chimpanzees are the closest phylogenetic relatives to humans, sharing more than
      98% genetic sequence identity. These genetic similarities prompted the belief
      that chimpanzees can serve as an ideal model for human disease conditions and
      vaccine development. However, in light of the recent NIH decision to phase out
      biomedical research in chimpanzees and retire NIH-supported chimpanzees, data
      from the present study will continue to provide value for the care of aged and
      sick chimpanzees located in zoos, sanctuaries, and primate centers. Surprisingly
      little information has been published regarding the normal chimpanzee immune
      system, and most extant studies have been based on small numbers of animals. In
      the current study, we provide a better understanding of the chimpanzee immune
      system with regard to age and sex. We examined immune parameters of chimpanzees
      (n = 94; 51 female, 43 male; age, 6 to 47 y) by using flow cytometry, immune
      function analysis, and cytokine analysis. Because lymphocytes are key mediators
      of cellular immune responses, particularly to intracellular pathogens such as
      viruses, we surveyed the phenotypic and functional attributes of T and B
      lymphocytes in this healthy and age-stratified population of chimpanzees. We
      noted a significantly higher percentage of CD16+T cells in male compared with
      female chimpanzees but no significant changes in percentages of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+,
      or CD4+CD8+ T cells with age or sex. In addition, aging was associated with
      decreased proliferative responses to mitogens in both sexes. Sex-specific
      differences also were present in the percentage of NK cells but not in their
      cytotoxic activity and in circulating cytokine levels in plasma. Going forward,
      the data presented here regarding immune cell changes associated with aging in
      healthy chimpanzees will serve to enhance the care of geriatric and ill animals.

PMID- 28903822
TI  - Evaluation of a Zinc Gluconate Neutralized with Arginine Product as a Nonsurgical
      Method for Sterilization of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).
AB  - Because rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are prolific breeders, overpopulation
      can be problematic in both research and feral populations. Currently, the most
      effective contraceptive methods are hormonal control in female macaques and
      vasectomies in males. These methods each come with innate challenges, the
      foremost being the alteration of necessary hormonal patterns. In this study, we
      assessed the use of zinc gluconate neutralized with arginine as a novel,
      nonsurgical alternative to male contraception in 12 rhesus macaques. This FDA
      approved product for dogs is given as a one-time, intratesticular injection to
      cause permanent infertility yet theoretically spare the testosterone-producing
      Leydig cells of the testis. CBC counts, serum biochemistry analyses, testosterone
      levels, and testicular widths were evaluated at the time of injection and at 1
      wk, 1 mo, 2 mo, or 3 mo afterward. Daily postinjection observations revealed
      transient scrotal enlargement in 8 of the 12 macaques but no indications of pain.
      In addition, full necropsies including testicular histopathology were assessed at
      study endpoints. Although some portion of every testis had evidence of
      seminiferous tubule loss, normal spermatogenesis was present in 22 of the 24
      testes. In conclusion, chemical castration with the tested zinc gluconate
      neutralized with arginine product is not an effective method for sterilization of
      male rhesus macaques.

PMID- 28903823
TI  - Results of Survey Regarding Prevalence of Adventitial Infections in Mice and Rats
      at Biomedical Research Facilities.
AB  - Control of rodent adventitial infections in biomedical research facilities is of
      extreme importance in assuring both animal welfare and high-quality research
      results. Sixty-three U.S. institutions participated in a survey reporting the
      methods used to detect and control these infections and the prevalence of
      outbreaks from 1 January 2014 through 31 December 2015. These results were then
      compared with the results of 2 similar surveys published in 1998 and 2008. The
      results of the current survey demonstrated that the rate of viral outbreaks in
      mouse colonies was decreasing, particularly in barrier facilities, whereas the
      prevalence of parasitic outbreaks has remained constant. These results will help
      our profession focus its efforts in the control of adventitial rodent disease
      outbreaks to the areas of the greatest needs.

PMID- 28903824
TI  - Pharmacokinetic Profiles of Nalbuphine after Intraperitoneal and Subcutaneous
      Administration to C57BL/6 Mice.
AB  - Mice undergo a variety of procedures that necessitate the use of analgesic
      agents. Opioids are often essential to successful pain management plans, but most
      are controlled substances, and their use requires appropriate federal and state
      registrations. Nalbuphine is a potentially effective opioid analgesic for mice
      that is not currently classified as a controlled substance. This compound has
      received little attention as an analgesic for mice, and standard dosage regimens
      have not been developed. Here we compared the pharmacokinetic profiles of 10
      mg/kg nalbuphine in male C57BL/6 mice subcutaneous or intraperitoneal
      administration. Blood was collected from 3 mice per treatment at 5, 10, 20, and
      30 min and 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after administration. Plasma concentrations
      were measured, and standard pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Profile
      characteristics for each route of administration were similar, with significant
      differences in plasma concentration at 5 and 30 min and 1 and 3 h. Nalbuphine was
      absorbed more quickly when administered subcutaneously (Tmax, 5 min) than
      intraperitoneally (Tmax, 10 min), whereas the drug's half-life was similar
      between the intraperitoneal (0.94 h) and subcutaneous (1.12 h) routes. The AUC0
      tldc and AUC0-inf were higher but the apparent clearance and apparent volume of
      distribution were lower after subcutaneous administration compared with
      intraperitoneal dosing. Plasma concentrations were below the level of detection
      by 12 h. These results suggest that nalbuphine is absorbed in and eliminated
      quickly from mice, making it a possible candidate for acute pain management.

PMID- 28903825
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Single-dose Subcutaneous Meloxicam Injections in Black-tailed
      Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus).
AB  - This study evaluated the pharmacokinetic profile of a single dose of meloxicam
      (1.0 mg/kg) administered subcutaneously (n = 6) or intravenously (n = 2) to black
      tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Blood was collected immediately
      before (time 0) and at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 h after drug administration.
      Plasma meloxicam concentrations were quantified with HPLC-mass spectrometry, and
      noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. The peak plasma
      concentrations, time to peak plasma concentration, and terminal half-life of
      meloxicam after subcutaneous administration (median [minimum-maximum]) were 4.30
      (3.00-4.89) MUg/mL, 2.00 (0.62-4.00) h, and 11.88 (7.35-18.64) h, respectively.
      Plasma concentrations of meloxicam for prairie dogs in the present study showed
      high absorption and slow elimination after drug administration. The results of
      this study suggest that a 1.0-mg/kg SC dose of meloxicam administered every 24 h
      might be excessive for prairie dogs, although the ideal therapeutic dose in terms
      of safety and efficacy is unknown in this species.

PMID- 28903826
TI  - Comparison of 6 Injectable Anesthetic Regimens and Isoflurane in Gray Short
      tailed Opossums (Monodelphis domestica).
AB  - Gray short-tailed opossums are used in a wide variety of research in the areas of
      developmental biology, oncology, immunology, and comparative biology. Despite
      many frequent experimental manipulations of these animals under anesthesia, few
      studies to date have characterized the effects of anesthesia in this species. Our
      aim was to identify safe and effective injectable anesthetic combinations using
      ketamine and xylazine or ketamine and dexmedetomidine at doses of 40 mg/kg to 100
      mg/kg for ketamine, 5 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg for xylazine, and 0.05 mg/kg to 0.1 mg/kg
      for dexmedetomidine. Effects of the proposed regimens ranged from light sedation
      to surgical anesthesia, but only 100 mg/kg ketamine + 0.1 mg/kg dexmedetomidine
      induced surgical anesthesia in all opossums, with a mean duration of 25.4 min.
      The 2 lowest doses of ketamine and xylazine (40 mg/kg ketamine + 5 mg/kg xylazine
      and 40 mg/kg ketamine + 10 mg/kg xylazine) achieved sedation to light anesthesia
      in all animals but did not produce a surgical plane of anesthesia in any animal.
      All regimens that induced a surgical plane of anesthesia caused bradycardia and
      bradypnea, and 75 mg/kg ketamine + 10 mg/kg xylazine and 100 mg/kg ketamine + 0.1
      mg/kg dexmedetomidine caused the greatest decreases in SpO2. Except for one
      opossum that died of unknown causes, all animals remained healthy and apparently
      free of anesthetic complications. Among all treatments, isoflurane delivered by a
      precision vaporizer provided the most consistent and reliable anesthesia;
      therefore, we recommend inhalant anesthesia over the injectable combinations used
      in this study.

PMID- 28903827
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of a Transdermal Fentanyl Solution in Suffolk Sheep (Ovis
      aries).
AB  - Sheep used as surgical models require appropriate pain management, and the
      commonly used transdermal fentanyl patches require a long predosing period to
      achieve adequate plasma concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the
      pharmacokinetic parameters of an FDA-approved transdermal fentanyl solution (TFS)
      that has yet to be tested in sheep. In this study, we compared TFS at 2.7 mg/kg
      (n = 2), 1.7 mg/kg (n = 3), and 0.5 mg/kg (n = 3) with the control fentanyl patch
      at 2 MUg/kg/h (n = 1); both products were applied topically to the intrascapular
      region. Plasma concentrations showed significant interanimal variability. Severe
      adverse effects occurred at both 2.7 and 1.7 mg/kg TFS and mild to moderate
      adverse effects were noted at 0.5 mg/kg. At all 3 doses, TFS had greater maximal
      concentration, clearance rate, and volume of distribution; shorter time to
      maximal concentration; and similar half-lives to those of the patch. In addition,
      we validated the use of a commercial human fentanyl ELISA kit, which positively
      correlated with the liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy data, but absolute
      values did not match. Overall, at all 3 dosages tested (0.5, 1.7, and 2.7 mg/kg),
      TFS delivered fentanyl plasma concentrations that exceeded the minimal effective
      concentration; however, adverse effects were noted at all 3 dosages. Caution and
      further study are required before the use of TFS in sheep can be recommended
      fully.

PMID- 28903828
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Single-bolus Subcutaneous Cefovecin in C57BL/6 Mice.
AB  - Because of its extended half-life, cefovecin is a broad-spectrum cephalosporin
      antibiotic commonly used to treat dermatitis in dogs and cats. A single injection
      in dogs can yield an effective plasma concentration for as long as 14 d,
      depending on the strain of Staphylococcus and for as long as 7 d in cats for the
      treatment of Pasteurella multocida. In the laboratory animal setting, C57BL/6
      mice are commonly affected with dermatologic conditions that make these animals
      unsuitable for experiments. Therefore, we performed this pharmacokinetic study to
      determine whether cefovecin would be of benefit in mice. Plasma levels of the
      drug were determined by HPLC. For this study, single-bolus subcutaneous dosages
      of 8 and 40 mg/kg were assessed. The results showed that the dosage of 40 mg/kg
      achieved a maximal plasma concentration of 411.54 MUg/mL with a half-life of 0.84
      h, whereas 8 mg/kg yielded 78.18 MUg/mL and 1.07 h respectively. The
      pharmacokinetic results suggest that cefovecin is not suitable as a long-acting
      antibiotic after a single subcutaneous bolus injection in mice for the treatment
      of dermatitis or any other bacteria sensitive to this medication.

PMID- 28903829
TI  - Quantification of Induced Hypothermia from Aseptic Scrub Applications during
      Rodent Surgery Preparation.
AB  - Laboratory mice (Mus musculus) are prone to develop hypothermia during anesthesia
      for surgery, thus potentially impeding anesthetic recovery, wound healing, and
      future health. The core body temperatures of isoflurane-anesthetized mice are
      influenced by the choice of supplemental heat sources; however, the contribution
      of various surgical scrubs on the body temperatures of mice under gas anesthesia
      has not been assessed. We sought to quantify the effect of using alcohol (70%
      isopropyl alcohol [IPA]) compared with saline to rinse away surgical scrub on the
      progression of hypothermia in anesthetized mice (n = 47). IPA, room-temperature
      saline, or warmed saline (37  degrees C) was combined with povidone-iodine and
      then assessed for effects on core (rectal) and surface (infrared) temperatures.
      Agents were applied to a 2*2-cm shaved abdominal area of mice maintained on a
      water-recirculating blanket (at 38  degrees C) under isoflurane anesthesia (1.5%
      to 2.0% at 0.6 L/min) for 30 min. Although all scrub regimens significantly
      decreased body temperature at the time of application, treatments that included
      povidone-iodine led to the coldest core temperatures, which persisted while mice
      were anesthetized. Compared with room-temperature saline and when combined with
      povidone-iodine, warming of saline did not ameliorate heat loss. IPA alone
      demonstrated the most dramatic cooling of both surface and core readings at
      application but generated an unanticipated warming (rebound) phase during which
      body temperatures equilibrated with those of controls within minutes of
      application. Although alcohol is inappropriate as a stand-alone agent for
      surgical skin preparation, IPA is a viable alternative to saline-based rinses in
      this context, and its use should be encouraged within institutional guidance for
      rodent surgical procedures without concern for prolonged hypothermia in mice.

PMID- 28903831
TI  - Abstracts of Scientific Papers 2017 AALAS National Meeting.

PMID- 28903830
TI  - An Efficient, Simple, and Noninvasive Procedure for Genotyping Aquatic and
      Nonaquatic Laboratory Animals.
AB  - Various animal models are indispensible in biomedical research. Increasing
      awareness and regulations have prompted the adaptation of more humane approaches
      in the use of laboratory animals. With the development of easier and faster
      methodologies to generate genetically altered animals, convenient and humane
      methods to genotype these animals are important for research involving such
      animals. Here, we report skin swabbing as a simple and noninvasive method for
      extracting genomic DNA from mice and frogs for genotyping. We show that this
      method is highly reliable and suitable for both immature and adult animals. Our
      approach allows a simpler and more humane approach for genotyping vertebrate
      animals.

PMID- 28903832
TI  - Validation of Modifications to the ANSR for Listeria Method for Improved Internal
      Positive Control Performance.
AB  - A study was conducted to validate a minor reagent formulation change to the ANSR
      for Listeria method, Performance Tested MethodSM 101202. This change involves
      increasing the master mix volume prelyophilization by 40% and addition of salmon
      sperm DNA (nontarget DNA) to the master mix. These changes improve the robustness
      of the internal positive control response and reduce the possibility of obtaining
      invalid results due to weak-positive control curves. When three foods (hot dogs,
      Mexican-style cheese, and cantaloupe) and sponge samples taken from a stainless
      steel surface were tested, no significant differences in performance between the
      ANSR and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual or
      U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology
      Laboratory Guidebook reference culture procedures were observed for any of the
      matrixes as determined by probability of detection analysis. Inclusivity and
      exclusivity testing yielded 100% expected results for target and nontarget
      bacteria. Accelerated stability testing was carried out over a 7 week period and
      showed no decrease in assay performance over time.

PMID- 28903833
TI  - Resolution and Quantitation of Triamcinolone Acetonide and Its Coformulated Drug
      in the Presence of Its Impurities and Degradation Products by HPTLC and HPLC.
AB  - Two specific, sensitive, and precise stability-indicating chromatographic methods
      have been developed for the determination of triamcinolone acetonide (TMC) and
      its coformulated drug, econazole nitrate (ECZ), in the presence of TMC impurities
      and degradation products. The first method was based on HPTLC-spectrodensitometry
      in which resolution and quantitation was achieved by using silica gel 60 F254
      HPTLC plates and an ethyl acetate-tetrahydrofuran-ammonia mobile phase (10.0 +
      7.0 + 0.1, v/v/v). The second method was a reversed-phase HPLC method in which
      separation was achieved using an acetonitrile-methanol-0.05 M potassium
      dihydrogen phosphate mobile phase, pH 3.0 (25.0 + 15.0 + 60.0, v/v/v). In both
      methods, the separated components were detected at 225 nm. Validation of both
      methods was conducted in compliance with International Conference on
      Harmonization (ICH) guidelines, and system suitability was confirmed. The
      linearity ranges were 0.20-28.00 and 0.50-55.00 ug/band for TMC and ECZ by HPTLC,
      whereas for HPLC, the range was 0.05-30.00 and 1.00-40.00 ug/mL for both drugs,
      respectively. The methods were successfully applied for the analysis of a
      pharmaceutical formulation and were compared with the reported method with no
      significant difference.

PMID- 28903834
TI  - Radiologic Surveillance of Patients with Viral Hepatitis.

PMID- 28903835
TI  - Soyabean Oil Supplementation Effects on Perivascular Inflammation in Lungs
      Induced by Bisphenol A: A Histological Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of soyabean oil supplementation on
      perivascular inflammation in lungs of adult mice induced by Bisphenol A(BPA).
      STUDY DESIGN: An experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of
      Anatomy, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, in collaboration with the Animal
      House, National Institute of Health, Islamabad, from June to November 2016.
      METHODOLOGY: Thirty male and female BALB/c mice were divided into three groups,
      of 10 animals each. Group Aanimals served as control. Group B animals were given
      BPAat a dose of 50 mg/Kg body weight/day. Group C animals were given BPAand
      soyabean oil at doses of 50 mg/Kg body weight/day and 500 mg/day, respectively.
      All treatments were given once daily for a period of eight weeks. Animals were
      dissected 24 hours after receiving the last dose. Lung tissue specimen processing
      and H&E staining was carried out for routine histological study. Perivascular
      inflammation was morphometrically graded and statistically analysed using Chi
      square test with p<0.05. RESULTS: Grade 2 inflammation was recorded in two (20%)
      animals and grade 3 perivascular inflammation in 80% specimens in Group B;
      whereas 20% specimens of Group C had grade 2 inflammation and eight (80%) showed
      grade 1 inflammation. None of the control animals showed any inflammation. All
      groups were significantly different at p<0.001. CONCLUSION: BPAproduced
      perivascular inflammation and con-commitant administration of soyabean oil diet
      protected against it in rodent.

PMID- 28903836
TI  - Reconsidering a Lower Level of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone as Abnormal in Sub
      Fertile Males of Pakistan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
      and semen parameters in order to evaluate whether the current laboratory
      reference for abnormal FSH levels should be readjusted. STUDY DESIGN:
      Observational, cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Infertility
      Clinic of Gynecology Unit 1, Civil Hospital, Karachi, from May 2015 to April
      2016. METHODOLOGY: The study included 100 sub-fertile males inducted from the
      clinic. Those above 45 years of age, with hypo gonadotrophic hypogonadism, and
      those on anabolic steroids were excluded. After history and examination, semen
      parameters and FSH levels were tested. Abnormal semen values were based on WHO
      1999 criteria. Data was analyzed by SPSS 17 and mean, frequencies and percentages
      were calculated. Chi-square test was applied to check association between
      variables. RESULTS: The FSH levels had a significant association with abnormal
      semen sperm concentration, motility and morphology but not with semen volume
      (p=0.246). The mean FSH level was 5.8 +/-1.80 IU/Lwith two-thirds of individuals
      having value >4.5 IU/L. Frequency of semen abnormalities increased as the level
      of FSH increased. CONCLUSION: There is significantly an increased possibility of
      abnormal semen characteristics at FSH levels >4.5, so the current reference level
      should be lowered down and adjusted again.

PMID- 28903837
TI  - Impact of Different Treatment Modalities on the Outcome of Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze overall survival patterns of our pancreatic cancer patient
      population managed with a curative or palliative intent. STUDY DESIGN: Analytical
      study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and
      Research Centre, Lahore, from January 2000 till February 2015. METHODOLOGY:
      Aretrospective review of the data of all of our pancreatic cancer patients was
      performed, using the hospital information system. Patients with tumor other than
      adenocarcinoma or a histopathologic diagnosis not made at our hospital are
      excluded from the study, along with patients having an incomplete medical record
      for all included variables. The main outcome measure was overall survival in
      months from the date of diagnosis. All results were segregated and analyzed
      according to the intervention modality used, i.e. group A: surgery with curative
      intent, group B: Palliative chemotherapy, and group C: Supportive care. Results
      were controlled for the confounding variables including age, gender, significant
      comorbid conditions, stage of disease at initial presentation, tumor location,
      and histological grade. RESULTS: Among the 197 patients fulfilling the inclusion
      criteria, 21 (10.7%) were excluded as they were lost to follow-up. Overall Kaplan
      Meier survival analysis gave a 56% one-year survival, 22% at 3- and 16% at 5
      year. The subset analysis on Cox-regression survival plot showed inferior
      survival with advancing stage of the disease and a treatment less than definitive
      surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy. On Cox-proportional regression
      analysis, stage of the disease and treatment modality were only independent
      predictive factors for overall survival (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Stage for stage,
      surgery with curative intent (group A) or palliative chemotherapy (group B)
      showed a trend towards improved survival as compared to supportive management
      (group C) alone. The results were more significant for surgical resection arm.

PMID- 28903838
TI  - Prognostic Potential of N-Cadherin in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma via
      Immunohistochemical Methods.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognostic potential for N-cadherin in oral squamous
      cell carcinoma and oral epithelial dysplasia. STUDY DESIGN: Across-sectional
      study, analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Maharishi Markandeshwar
      College of Dental Science Research (MMCDSR), Ambala, India, from 2011 to 2014.
      METHODOLOGY: Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the N-cadherin expression
      in 100 cases having epithelium with normal oral mucosa, oral epithelial
      dysplastic lesions and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). For statistical
      significance, SPSS 13.0 was used to calculate the data by Mann-Whitney and
      Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: In OSCC, N-cadherin expression was more evident
      than in oral epithelial dysplasia followed by the normal oral epithelium that did
      not show any dysplastic changes (p=0.001). Conversely, N-cadherin expression was
      not significant among the histological grade of OSCC. CONCLUSION: N-cadherin can
      be used as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of OSCC. However, the N
      cadherin expression did not show any correlation with the histological grade of
      OSCC.

PMID- 28903839
TI  - Comparison of Cognitive Professionalism in Residents of Public and Private
      Hospitals of Karachi.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the cognitive professionalism in resident
      medical officers (RMOs) of public and private hospitals of Karachi. STUDY DESIGN:
      Across-sectional survey. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Civil Hospital and Ziauddin
      Medical University Clifton Campus, Karachi, from August to December 2014.
      METHODOLOGY: This survey was conducted in one public and one private medical
      college. All residents from Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medicine and Surgery
      departments were included with non-probability purposive sampling. Avalidated
      tool (Barry Challenges to Professionalism questionnaire) was used to assess
      professionalism, containing six challenges to professionalism (acceptance of
      gifts, conflict of interest, confidentiality, physician impairment, sexual
      harassment, and honesty) with multiple-choice responses. Data was analyzed with
      SPSS version 17 and chi-square test was used for determining significant
      difference between public and private institutes. RESULTS: Forty-three residents
      from both the places responded. The frequency of acceptable answers to the six
      scenarios ranged from 0% to 55.8%. Acceptable responses were more from private
      sector institute residents than public-sector residents, but no statistical
      significant difference was seen. CONCLUSION: Most residents did not provide
      appropriate responses to professional challenges. The postgraduate training
      programs are very stringent on medical knowledge and skills. However, it is
      needed to address formally professional attitudes and behaviors and include them
      as a competency in the training program.

PMID- 28903840
TI  - Burr Hole Aspiration of Brain Abscess in Children with Cyanotic Heart Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of burr hole aspiration of brain abscess in
      children with cyanotic heart disease in terms of number of aspirations and
      residual abscess. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY:
      Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery at The Children's Hospital and The Institute
      of Child Health, Multan, from July 2010 to June 2014. METHODOLOGY: Pediatric
      patients of cyanotic heart disease with brain abscess were admitted. After taking
      history, clinical examination and necessary investigation, aspiration of abscess
      through a burr hole was performed. Data was collected through pre-designed
      proforma. Analysis of results was performed and comparison was made through
      statistical package for social sciences (SPSS-20). RESULTS: Total number of
      patients were 50 with 31 (62%) male and 19 (38%) female children. Patients' age
      ranged from 5-10 years with mean age of 7.44 +/-1.11 years. Single abscess in
      supra tentorial was commonly found in 44 (88%) patients. Multiple abscesses were
      present in 4 (8%) patients. Cerebellum was involved in 2 (4%) patients. Abscess
      was completely aspirated in single attempt in 37 (74%) patients, two attempts in
      9 (18%) patients, and three attempts in 4 (8%) patients. No bacterial growth on
      culture was reported in 32 (64%) patients. Culture was positive in 18 (36%)
      patients. Postoperative hematoma developed in 2 (4%) patients. No mortality was
      reported in early postoperative period. CONCLUSION: Aspiration of brain abscess
      in children with cyanotic heart disease through a burr hole is safe and
      successful.

PMID- 28903841
TI  - Anatomical Outcome Following Indocyanine Green Assisted Internal Limiting
      Membrane Peeling for Stage 3 and 4 Macular Hole Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the anatomical success of stage 3 and 4 macular hole
      surgery after removal of internal limiting membrane (ILM) with the help of
      Indocyanine green (ICG). STUDY DESIGN: An experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION
      OF STUDY: LRBTTertiary Care Eye Hospital, Karachi, October 2015 to August 2016.
      METHODOLOGY: Twenty patients with stage 3 and 4 macular hole (confirmed by
      spectral domain optical coherence tomography) underwent standard 3 ports pars
      plana vitrectomy. Staining of ILM was performed with the help of 0.5% ICG to aid
      in visualization. ILM was removed by using intraocular forceps in circular
      fashion. Finally, gas fluid exchange with internal tamponade of SF6 20% was
      performed. Postoperative face down posture was maintained for seven days.
      Patients were followed-up for 8 months and assessment of macular hole closure was
      done using SD-OCT. RESULTS: After a follow-up of 8 months, macular hole was
      closed in 17 eyes (85%) and vision had improved in 6 patients. Postoperative
      complications included cataract, hyphema and vitreous hemorrhage. CONCLUSION:
      Surgery for stage 3 and 4 macular hole with ILM peeling has high anatomical
      success rate. Final visual acuity is dependent on preoperative macular hole stage
      and visual acuity at presentation.

PMID- 28903842
TI  - Effect of Early <= 3 Mets (Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks) of Physical Activity on
      Patient's Outcome after Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of <3 Mets (Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks) of
      physical activity on zero postoperative days for improving hemodynamic and
      respiratory parameters of patients after cardiac surgeries. STUDY DESIGN:
      Randomized control trial. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: BARMWTHospital,
      Rawalpindi, from March to August 2015. METHODOLOGY: Arandomized controlled trial
      was conducted on 174 CABG and valvular heart disease patients undergoing cardiac
      surgical procedures. After selection of sample via non-probability purposive
      sampling, they were randomly allocated into interventional group (n=87) and
      control group (n=87). Treatment protocol for experimental group was <=3 Mets of
      physical activity, i.e. chest physiotherapy, sitting over edge of bed, standing
      and sitting on chair at bedside, on zero postoperative day but the control group
      was treated with conventional treatment on first postoperative day. Pre- and post
      treatment assessment was done in control and interventional groups on both zero
      and first postoperative days. Data was analyzed on SPSS version 21. RESULTS: The
      patients' mean age was 51.86 +/-13.76 years. Male to female ratio was 132:42.
      Statistically significant differences in respiratory rate and SpO2 (p=0.000 and
      0.000, respectively) were found between both groups. Among ABG's, PCO2 and pH
      showed significant differences with p values of 0.039 and <0.001, respectively.
      No significant differences were observed between both groups regarding
      electrolytes (Na+, K+, Cl-, p-values of 0.361, 0.575 and 0.120 respectively) and
      creatinine (p=0.783). Marked improvement in oxygen saturation, dyspnea and a fall
      in systolic BPwas seen in interventional group. There was also observed to be a
      reduction in the length of ICU stay among interventional group patients as
      frequency with percentage of total stay was compared to control group.
      CONCLUSION: Early physical activity (<=3 METS) post-cardiac surgeries prevent
      respiratory complications through improvement in dyspnea, respiratory rate, and
      oxygen saturation.

PMID- 28903843
TI  - Causes and Adverse Impact of Physician Burnout: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the significant causes and effects of physician burnout in
      published literature. METHODOLOGY: Asystematic review was conducted for searching
      published literature on the causes and effects of burnout in three online
      databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed for final selection of
      papers. The selected papers were critically appraised and thematic analysis was
      done to identify major themes related to physician burnout. RESULTS: Thirty-one
      papers were finally selected among the 2,828 identified studies. The thematic
      analysis revealed demographic factors, e.g. age, gender, marital status,
      specialty and job position; and organizational factors, e.g. workload,
      interpersonal demands, job insecurity and lack of resources, as significant
      causes of burnout. The consequences of burnout included individual and
      organizational effects. The individual effects of burnout included physical
      health problems; while organizational effects included poor job performance, low
      organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. CONCLUSION: Burnout is a
      recognized workplace hazard in the healthcare sector. The individual
      characteristics of physicians and working environment within hospitals are
      contributory factors of burnout. Therefore, proactive interventions should be
      taken at individual and institutional levels for preventing physician burnout by
      improving the personal lifestyle of physician and working environment in
      hospitals.

PMID- 28903844
TI  - Bone Marrow Involvement in Metastatic Pediatric Ewing Sarcoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency of bone marrow involvement with metastatic
      lung and bone sites in newly-diagnosed pediatric patients with Ewing sarcoma
      (ES). STUDY DESIGN: An observational study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Shaukat
      Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from January 2010 to October
      2015. METHODOLOGY: Newly-diagnosed pediatric-age patients with ES were inducted.
      Ten patients were excluded because bone marrow aspiration/biopsy (BMAB) was not
      done. Patients'medical records were reviewed for data collection of age,
      diagnosis, tumor volume, bone marrow diagnosis, metastatic work-up and outcomes.
      RESULTS: Atotal of 139 patients with median age of 12 years were identified. The
      median volume of tumors was 529 ml. Eleven patients had bone marrow (BM) disease
      involvement. Five (45.5%) had bone metastatic disease and 1 (9%) had both
      pulmonary and bone metastases. Four patients (31.1%) with positive BM had primary
      limb disease. CONCLUSION: Ewing sarcoma patients with bone metastatic disease
      have a higher frequency of BM involvement. However, BM can be involved without
      metastatic disease. BMAB should still be considered at staging for newly
      diagnosed pediatric patients with localized ES.

PMID- 28903845
TI  - New Maneuver in Robotic Single-Port Cholecystectomy.
AB  - The need to integrate aspects of functional, psychosocial and cosmetic impairment
      into medical care is increasingly accepted among the physicians and the patients.
      For these reasons, single-port robotic surgery emerges as the most advanced
      approach using the technology. In this study, authors used a new robotic
      dissector with monopolar electrocautery feature in order to determine the
      device's safety and efficacy. Between January 2015 and February 2016, 10 out of
      11 consecutive cholecystectomies were included in the study. There was no
      significant differences in port placement and docking time between two groups
      (p=0.382, p=0.789). The time spent by surgeon was significantly shorter in group
      2 (p=0.005). Using robotic dissector with monopolar cautery significantly
      shortened the console time. This new instrument (Maryland monopolar dissector)
      provides more feasible and faster dissection of the Calot's triangle, supporting
      further the advantages of robotic single-site cholecystectomy.

PMID- 28903846
TI  - Ileocolonic Basidiobolomycosis in a Child: An Unusual Fungal Infection.
AB  - Systemic basidiobolomycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by Basidiobolus
      rararum (B. rararum). The clinical presentation is non-specific and is similar to
      many gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease (CD). The most
      consistent findings of basidiobolomycosis are recurrent abdominal pain, weight
      loss, fever and peripheral eosinophilia. Most of the patients are diagnosed on
      surgical resection of the involved region along with compatible histopathological
      findings like transmural inflammation, granulomas with eosinophilic infiltration
      (Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon) and more specifically detection of fungal hyphae
      on fungal stains. Effective and curative treatment for systemic
      basidiobolomycosis is available, if diagnosed and managed properly in time. We
      report here a Saudi boy who had ileo-caecal basidiobolomycosis, but diagnosed
      after a prolonged course of illness.

PMID- 28903847
TI  - Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever: ARare Cause of Acute Liver Failure.
AB  - Acute liver failure (ALF) is an acute medical emergency which carries high
      mortality without liver transplantation. Various hepatotropic viruses, drug
      induced liver injury, auto immune hepatitis, and metabolic liver diseases are the
      commonly implicated etiologic agents. Liver involvement in dengue hemorrhagic
      fever (DHF) is quite common, but acute liver failure is its rare complication.
      Neurological complications are also commonly seen in DHF. Ateenage girl presented
      with high grade fever and subconjunctival hemorrhage, and later developed
      jaundice due to acute liver failure. Liver transplantation could not be offered
      due to fungemia. During hospital stay, she had seizures and intracranial
      hemorrhage culminating in brain death. ALF with neurological involvement is a
      rare but very important and fatal complication of DHF; and it should be
      considered as a cause of acute liver failure, especially in endemic areas.

PMID- 28903848
TI  - Prosthetic Rehabilitation of a Partially Edentulous Patient with Maxillary
      Acquired Defect by a Two-Piece Hollow Bulb Obturator (Using a Dentogenic
      Concept).
AB  - Patients may face functional, aesthetic, and social distress because of the
      palatal defects. Prosthetic rehabilitation of maxillectomy or developmental
      defect can be challenging for prosthodontists. Prognosis of the prosthetic
      appliances can be affected not only by patients' own ability to adapt to the
      prosthesis but also by the factors like the remaining teeth, bony structure, and
      existing mucosa. Maxillary defects are usually developed by surgical intercession
      of the benign or malignant conditions and trauma cases. Speech, mastication and
      aesthetics can be hampered by any extent of palatal defect. During obturation of
      palatal/maxillectomy defects, the primary intent of the prosthodontist should be
      the shutting of the maxillectomy defect and parting of the oral cavity from the
      sinonasal openings by use of different bulb designs. In the present case,
      dentogenic concept has been applied while fabricating the two-piece hollow bulb
      obturator for restoration of the defect. Well known fact about the gravitational
      force is that it acts on maxillary obturator and reduces its retentive qualities,
      this can be counteracted to some extent by making the obturator hollow.
      Dentogenic concept is the skill, training, and procedure of generating the
      chimera of natural teeth in artificial teeth during prosthodontic restorations.

PMID- 28903849
TI  - Acute Complete Adult-onset Kawasaki Disease in a Middle-Aged Woman.
AB  - A 55-year-old Chinese lady was diagnosed with acute complete Kawasaki disease
      (KD) in January 2015. To our knowledge, this patient was the first described
      woman who was over 50 years and fulfilled all the characteristics of acute
      complete KD. The patient had a striking result on the 26th day since this disease
      onset after the initiation of treatment of immunoglobulin (IG) and aspirin; and
      did not have any complications up to now. The purpose of this case report was to
      raise the awareness of KD in the middle-aged persons and the therapeutic
      schedules, as there is no valid therapeutic therapeutic for adults with KD.

PMID- 28903851
TI  - Circulation of RNY-Derived Small RNAs: Novel Diagnostic Biomarker for CAD.

PMID- 28903850
TI  - Comparison of Oxacillin and Cefoxitin for the Detection of mecAGene to Determine
      Methicillin Resistance in Coagulase Negative Staphylococci(CoNs).
AB  - The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of Cefoxitin with that of
      Methicillin/Oxacillin in the determination of mecAgene in Methicillin resistant
      Coagulase-negative staphylococci(CoNS). We assessed 57 CoNS isolates for mecA
      gene via PCR, which were subsequently subjected to Methicillin/Oxacillin and
      Cefoxitin disc diffusion test. These methods are simple, inexpensive and easily
      available compared to PCR despite less specificity. Out of 41 mecApositive
      species, 33 (80.5%) were resistant to Methicillin/Oxacillin. Cefoxitin-resistance
      was seen in all 41 (100%) mecApositive samples. Two (12.5%) mecAnegative isolates
      of S.saprophyticuswere Methicillin/Oxacillin resistant, but were Cefoxitin
      sensitive. Four (9.7%) isolates of S.saprophyticus, three (7.3%) of
      S.epidermidisspecies, and one (2.4%) S.haemolyticusthat were mecApositive were
      sensitive to Methicillin/Oxacillin but resistant to Cefoxitin. Cefoxitin
      resistance provides a more accurate picture of mecAgene positivity as compared to
      Methicillin and Oxacillin.

PMID- 28903852
TI  - Prilocaine-induced Methemoglobinemia.

PMID- 28903853
TI  - Single Umbilical Artery.

PMID- 28903854
TI  - Controversies in Management of Hemorrhagic Stroke and Rehabilitation Challenges
      in Pakistan.

PMID- 28903855
TI  - Acute Copper Sulphate Poisoning.

PMID- 28903856
TI  - Triphenylamine-based hypercrosslinked organic polymer as adsorbent for the
      extraction of phenylurea herbicides.
AB  - A hypercrosslinked organic polymer material (named as PPTPA) was prepared by a
      simple one-step self-polycondensation of triphenylamine. A series of
      characterization experiments, including N2 adsorption, scanning electron
      microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and
      thermogravimetric analysis, were carried out to evaluate the morphology,
      structure and other intrinsic properties of the PPTPA. To investigate its
      adsorption performance, the PPTPA was used as the solid-phase extraction
      adsorbent for the extraction of phenylurea herbicides from water, milk and tomato
      juice samples followed by high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Under
      optimum conditions, good linearity for the analytes was observed in the range of
      0.05-40.0ngmL-1, 0.1-40.0ngmL-1 and 0.5-40.0ngmL-1 for water, milk and tomato
      juice samples, respectively. The established method also showed low limits of
      detection (S/N=3) in the range of 0.008-0.01ngmL-1, 0.01-0.03ngmL-1 and 0.05
      0.1ngmL-1 for water, milk and tomato juice samples, respectively. The possible
      adsorption mechanism of the PPTPA towards the analytes was investigated, and the
      results demonstrated that the hydrogen bonding was the main interaction force
      between the PPTPA and the analytes. It suggests that the PPTPA can serve as a
      promisingadsorbent for the efficient pre-enrichment of organic compounds with
      more hydrogen-bonding donor sites.

PMID- 28903857
TI  - Commentary on: Treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux using a sleep positioning
      device: A prospective cohort study.

PMID- 28903858
TI  - Submarine canyons along the upper Sardinian slope (Central Western Mediterranean)
      as repositories for derelict fishing gears.
AB  - By means of ROV surveys, we assessed the quantity, composition and bathymetric
      distribution of marine litter in 17 sites along the Sardinian continental margin
      (Central Western Mediterranean) at depths ranging from 100 to 480m. None of the
      investigated sites was litter free, but the mean density of litter (0.0175+/
      0.0022itemsm-2) was lower than that reported from other Tyrrhenian regions. The
      difference in the total litter density among sites was negligible, but the
      density of derelict fishing gear (DFG) items (most of which ascribable to small
      scale fishery) in submarine canyons was higher in submarine canyons than in other
      habitats. Our result suggest that submarine canyons (known to be highly
      vulnerable ecosystems) act as major repositories of DFGs, and, therefore, we
      anticipate the need of specific measures aimed at minimizing the loss and
      abandonment of DFGs in submarine canyons.

PMID- 28903859
TI  - Immune-mediated neurological syndromes: Old meets new.

PMID- 28903860
TI  - A review of synthetic phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) found as
      adulterants in dietary supplements.
AB  - To date, there are 80 synthetic PDE-5i found as adulterants in dietary
      supplements. Analogues of sildenafil remain as the top list with 50 (62%) and are
      followed by analogues of tadalafil, 21 (26%), analogues of vardenafil, 7 (9%) and
      others, 2 (3%). The sildenafil group can be sub-categorized into sulphonamide
      bonded (24, 48%), acetyl-bonded (11, 22%), carbonyl or thiocarbonyl-bonded (8,
      16%) and other types (7, 14%) based on the functional group linked to
      pyrazolopyrimidine-one moieties. Meanwhile, analogues of tadalafil have become
      popularly found as adulterants in dietary supplements like beverages and herbal
      extracts from 2015 to 2016. The uptrend has been observed with the increase in
      number and complexity with more trans-oriented and dimerized tadalafil analogues
      being reported. Interestingly, there is no much increase for analogues of
      vardenafil. About two thirds of analogues have been reported from the Asian
      countries (67%), followed by Europe (22%) and North America (11%). South Korea
      and Singapore have reported the most number of analogues with a total number of
      40 (50%). One plausible contributing factor to this trend is the convenient
      purchase of sexual enhancement dietary supplements, especially the on-line
      purchase. In terms of analytical methodologies, high performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) hyphenated to ultra-violet (UV) and/or mass spectrometry
      (MS) detection have been preferred in the screening analysis, i.e. 70 out of 77
      compounds have been analysed by HPLC-UV. In addition, the electrospray ionization
      multistage fragmentation experiments (ESI-MSn) for acquiring low- and high
      resolution mass spectra have been successfully applied to detect and quantify PDE
      5i in adulterated products simultaneously. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is
      another important technique in the structural elucidation of novel analogues.

PMID- 28903861
TI  - A decision support system and rule-based algorithm to augment the human
      interpretation of the 12-lead electrocardiogram.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 12-lead Electrocardiogram (ECG) has been used to detect cardiac
      abnormalities in the same format for more than 70years. However, due to the
      complex nature of 12-lead ECG interpretation, there is a significant cognitive
      workload required from the interpreter. This complexity in ECG interpretation
      often leads to errors in diagnosis and subsequent treatment. We have previously
      reported on the development of an ECG interpretation support system designed to
      augment the human interpretation process. This computerised decision support
      system has been named 'Interactive Progressive based Interpretation' (IPI). In
      this study, a decision support algorithm was built into the IPI system to suggest
      potential diagnoses based on the interpreter's annotations of the 12-lead ECG. We
      hypothesise semi-automatic interpretation using a digital assistant can be an
      optimal man-machine model for ECG interpretation. OBJECTIVES: To improve
      interpretation accuracy and reduce missed co-abnormalities. METHODS: The
      Differential Diagnoses Algorithm (DDA) was developed using web technologies where
      diagnostic ECG criteria are defined in an open storage format, Javascript Object
      Notation (JSON), which is queried using a rule-based reasoning algorithm to
      suggest diagnoses. To test our hypothesis, a counterbalanced trial was designed
      where subjects interpreted ECGs using the conventional approach and using the
      IPI+DDA approach. RESULTS: A total of 375 interpretations were collected. The
      IPI+DDA approach was shown to improve diagnostic accuracy by 8.7% (although not
      statistically significant, p-value=0.1852), the IPI+DDA suggested the correct
      interpretation more often than the human interpreter in 7/10 cases (varying
      statistical significance). Human interpretation accuracy increased to 70% when
      seven suggestions were generated. CONCLUSION: Although results were not found to
      be statistically significant, we found; 1) our decision support tool increased
      the number of correct interpretations, 2) the DDA algorithm suggested the correct
      interpretation more often than humans, and 3) as many as 7 computerised
      diagnostic suggestions augmented human decision making in ECG interpretation.
      Statistical significance may be achieved by expanding sample size.

PMID- 28903862
TI  - In a stable battlefield, avoid using austere surgical units to meet the golden
      hour of trauma time to care goal.

PMID- 28903863
TI  - Effectiveness trials in asthma: time to SaLSA?

PMID- 28903865
TI  - Economic evaluation of the eradication program for bovine viral diarrhea in the
      Swiss dairy sector.
AB  - Since 2008, the Swiss veterinary service has been running a mandatory eradication
      program for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) that is focused on detecting and
      eliminating persistently infected (PI) animals. Detection was initially based on
      antigen testing from ear tag samples of the entire cattle population, followed by
      antigen testing of all newborn calves until 2012. Since then, bulk milk serology
      (dairy herds) and blood sample serology (beef herds) have been used for the
      surveillance of disease-free herds. From 2008 to 2012, the proportion of newborn
      PI calves decreased from 1.4% to less than 0.02%. However, this success was
      associated with substantial expenditures. The aim of this study was to conduct an
      economic evaluation of the BVD eradication program in the Swiss dairy sector. The
      situation before the start of the program (herd-level prevalence: 20%) served as
      a baseline scenario. Production models for three dairy farm types were used to
      estimate gross margins as well as net production losses and expenditures caused
      by BVD. The total economic benefit was estimated as the difference in disease
      costs between the baseline scenario and the implemented eradication program and
      was compared to the total eradication costs in a benefit-cost analysis. Data on
      the impact of BVD virus (BVDV) infection on animal health, fertility and
      production parameters were obtained empirically in a retrospective
      epidemiological case-control study in Swiss dairy herds and complemented by
      literature. Economic and additional production parameters were based on
      benchmarking data and published agricultural statistics. The eradication costs
      comprised the cumulative expenses for sampling and diagnostics. The economic
      model consisted of a stochastic simulation in @Risk for Excel with 20,000
      iterations and was conducted for a time period of 14 years (2008-2021). The
      estimated annual financial losses in BVDV infected herds were CHF 85-89 per dairy
      cow and CHF 1337-2535 for an average farm, depending on the production type. The
      median net present value (NPV) was estimated at CHF 44.9 million (90% central
      range: CHF 13.4 million-69.4 million) and the break-even point to have been
      reached in 2015. Overall, the outcomes demonstrate that the Swiss BVD eradication
      program results in a net benefit for the dairy sector. These findings are
      relevant for planning similar BVD control programs in other countries.

PMID- 28903866
TI  - A Bayesian latent class model to estimate the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis by
      transrectal ultrasonography and laboratory detection of pregnancy-associated
      glycoproteins in dairy cows.
AB  - Accurate diagnosis of pregnancy is an essential component of an effective
      reproductive management plan for dairy cattle. Indirect methods of pregnancy
      detection can be performed soon after breeding and offer an advantage over
      traditional direct methods in not requiring an experienced veterinarian and
      having potential for automation. The objective of this study was to estimate the
      sensitivity and specificity of pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) detection
      ELISA and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) in dairy cows of South Africa using a
      Bayesian latent class approach. Commercial dairy cattle from the five important
      dairy regions in South Africa were enrolled in a short-term prospective cohort
      study. Cattle were examined at 28-35days after artificial insemination (AI) and
      then followed up 14days later. At both sampling times, TRUS was performed to
      detect pregnancy and commercially available PAG detection ELISAs were performed
      on collected serum and milk. A total of 1236 cows were sampled and 1006 had
      complete test information for use in the Bayesian latent class model. The
      estimated sensitivity (95% probability interval) and specificity for PAG
      detection serum ELISA were 99.4% (98.5, 99.9) and 97.4% (94.7, 99.2),
      respectively. The estimated sensitivity and specificity for PAG detection milk
      ELISA were 99.2% (98.2, 99.8) and 93.4% (89.7, 96.1), respectively. Sensitivity
      of veterinarian performed TRUS at 28-35days post-AI varied between 77.8% and
      90.5% and specificity varied between 94.7% and 99.8%. In summary, indirect
      detection of pregnancy using PAG ELISA is an accurate method for use in dairy
      cattle. The method is descriptively more sensitive than veterinarian-performed
      TRUS and therefore could be an economically viable addition to a reproductive
      management plan.

PMID- 28903864
TI  - Effectiveness of fluticasone furoate plus vilanterol on asthma control in
      clinical practice: an open-label, parallel group, randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence for management of asthma comes from closely monitored
      efficacy trials done in highly selected patient groups. There is a need for
      randomised trials that are closer to usual clinical practice. METHODS: We did an
      open-label, randomised, controlled, two-arm effectiveness trial at 74 general
      practice clinics in Salford and South Manchester, UK. Patients aged 18 years or
      older with a general practitioner's diagnosis of symptomatic asthma and on
      maintenance inhaler therapy were randomly assigned to initiate treatment with a
      once-daily inhaled combination of either 100 MUg or 200 MUg fluticasone furoate
      with 25 MUg vilanterol or optimised usual care and followed up for 12 months. The
      primary endpoint was the percentage of patients who achieved an asthma control
      test (ACT) score of 20 or greater or an increase in ACT score from baseline of 3
      or greater at 24 weeks (termed responders), in patients with a baseline ACT score
      less than 20 (the primary effectiveness analysis population). All effectiveness
      analyses were done according to the intention-to-treat principle. This study is
      registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01706198. FINDINGS: Between Nov 12,
      2012, and Dec 16, 2016, 4725 patients were enrolled and 4233 randomly assigned to
      initiate treatment with fluticasone furoate and vilanterol (n=2114) or usual care
      (n=2119). 1207 patients (605 assigned to usual care, 602 to fluticasone furoate
      and vilanterol) had a baseline ACT score greater than or equal to 20 and were
      thus excluded from the primary effectiveness analysis population. At week 24, the
      odds of being a responder were higher for patients who initiated treatment with
      fluticasone furoate and vilanterol than for those on usual care (977 [71%] of
      1373 in the fluticasone furoate and vilanterol group vs 784 [56%] of 1399 in the
      usual care group; odds ratio [OR] 2.00 [95% CI 1.70-2.34], p<0.0001). At week 24,
      the adjusted mean ACT score increased by 4.4 points from baseline in patients
      initiated with fluticasone furoate and vilanterol, compared with 2.8 points in
      the usual care group (difference 1.6 [95% CI 1.3-2.0], p<0.0001). This result was
      consistent for the duration of the study. Pneumonia was uncommon, with no
      differences between groups; there was no difference in other serious adverse
      events between the groups. INTERPRETATION: In patients with a general
      practitioner's diagnosis of symptomatic asthma and on maintenance inhaler
      therapy, initiation of a once-daily treatment regimen of combined fluticasone
      furoate and vilanterol improved asthma control without increasing the risk of
      serious adverse events when compared with optimised usual care. FUNDING:
      GlaxoSmithKline.

PMID- 28903867
TI  - Detection accuracy of Renibacterium salmoninarum in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus
      tshawytscha (Walbaum) from non-lethally collected samples: Effects of exposure
      route and disease severity.
AB  - Bacterial kidney disease (BKD), caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum, threatens
      salmonid populations throughout the Northern hemisphere. Many fishery regulatory
      authorities require ongoing disease monitoring in hatcheries and spawning runs
      prior to gamete collection to prevent BKD outbreaks and spread. According to
      diagnostic protocols of the American Fisheries Society-Fish Health Section,
      monitoring for R. salmoninarum generally consists of lethal sampling of visceral
      organs from fish. However, non-lethal sampling would be preferable, especially
      for valuable broodstock or endangered species. In this study, non-lethal sampling
      methods were evaluated for their ability to detect R. salmoninarum in Chinook
      salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) that were experimentally infected via two
      different routes (e.g., intraperitoneal injection and waterborne immersion) to
      mimic acute and chronic disease courses. Non-lethal (e.g., blood, mucus, and a
      urine/feces mixture) and lethal (e.g., kidney and spleen homogenate) samples were
      collected from challenged and mock-challenged Chinook salmon and the presence of
      R. salmoninarum was assessed by culture on modified kidney disease medium, nested
      polymerase chain reaction (nPCR), and semi-quantitative enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of lethal and
      non-lethal samples in detecting R. salmoninarum were calculated using receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. For ROC analyses, true disease status
      was evaluated under two different assumptions: 1) that lethal samples represented
      the true disease status and 2) that all experimentally challenged fish were truly
      infected. We found that sensitivity and specificity of non-lethal samples
      depended upon time of sampling after experimental infection, sample type, and R.
      salmoninarum exposure route. Uro-fecal samples had the greatest potential as non
      lethal samples compared to mucus and blood. In terms of future monitoring,
      combining lethal samples tested by ELISA assay with uro-fecal samples tested by
      nPCR could be the best strategy for detecting R. salmoninarum prevalence in a
      population as it reduces the overall number of fish required for sampling.

PMID- 28903868
TI  - Predicting farm-level animal populations using environmental and socioeconomic
      variables.
AB  - Accurate information on the geographic distribution of domestic animal
      populations helps biosecurity authorities to efficiently prepare for and rapidly
      eradicate exotic diseases, such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). Developing and
      maintaining sufficiently high-quality data resources is expensive and time
      consuming. Statistical modelling of population density and distribution has only
      begun to be applied to farm animal populations, although it is commonly used in
      wildlife ecology. We developed zero-inflated Poisson regression models in a
      Bayesian framework using environmental and socioeconomic variables to predict the
      counts of livestock units (LSUs) and of cattle on spatially referenced farm
      polygons in a commercially available New Zealand farm database, Agribase. Farm
      level counts of cattle and of LSUs varied considerably by region, because of the
      heterogeneous farming landscape in New Zealand. The amount of high quality
      pasture per farm was significantly associated with the presence of both cattle
      and LSUs. Internal model validation (predictive performance) showed that the
      models were able to predict the count of the animal population on groups of farms
      that were located in randomly selected 3km zones with a high level of accuracy.
      Predicting cattle or LSU counts on individual farms was less accurate. Predicted
      counts were statistically significantly more variable for farms that were
      contract grazing dry stock, such as replacement dairy heifers and dairy cattle
      not currently producing milk, compared with other farm types. This analysis
      presents a way to predict numbers of LSUs and cattle for farms using
      environmental and socio-economic data. The technique has the potential to be
      extrapolated to predicting other pastoral based livestock species.

PMID- 28903869
TI  - Interventions to reduce non-typhoidal Salmonella in pigs during transport to
      slaughter and lairage: Systematic review, meta-analysis, and research synthesis
      based infection models in support of assessment of effectiveness.
AB  - A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce Salmonella
      prevalence or concentration in pork was undertaken. A broad search was conducted
      in two electronic databases. Each citation was appraised using screening tools
      designed and tested a priori. Level 1 relevance screening excluded irrelevant
      citations; level 2 confirmed relevance and categorized. Data were then extracted,
      and intervention categories were descriptively summarized. Meta-analysis was
      performed to provide a summary estimate of treatment effect where two or more
      studies investigated the same intervention in comparable populations. The Grading
      of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was
      used to assess the confidence in the estimated summary measures of intervention
      effect for each data subgroup. Data were also extracted from the control groups
      of 25 challenge trials captured by the review, to fit logistic regression models
      of Salmonella infection in pigs, using odds of infection as the outcome measure.
      The only intervention captured by the review which was significantly associated
      with reduced risk of Salmonella in field settings, was elimination of lairage,
      which is not currently feasible commercially. The logistic regression model for
      fecal Salmonella shedding in pigs with a random intercept for trial yielded the
      following predictors significantly associated with increased odds of infection:
      oral challenge route relative to intra-nasal, log increase in challenge dose, and
      elapsed time post-challenge. Univariable exact logistic regression modeling lymph
      node contamination post-challenge yielded the following predictors significantly
      associated with increased odds of Salmonella infection: younger animals relative
      to older ones; intra-nasal challenge route relative to oral route; and animals
      sampled within the first 7days post-challenge relative to those sampled at 14 or
      21days. We hypothesize that the presence of absence of one or more of these
      predictors across studies could help to explain the inconsistent and/or non
      significant findings reported for some interventions applied at lairage.

PMID- 28903870
TI  - Spatial distribution of bovine cysticercosis-A retrospective study in Brazil from
      2010 through 2015.
AB  - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is frequently used in the control of
      animal diseases. In Brazil, the most impacting economical loss in the beef supply
      chain is bovine cysticercosis. This study focused on assessing the prevalence and
      geospatial distribution of bovine cysticercosis in 19 Brazilian states. To this,
      we gathered data from 146,346,244 bovines slaughtered between the years of 2010
      and 2015. The observed prevalence was 0.62% (C.I. 0.62-0.63). In total, 30.86%
      cysticerci were viable, while 69.14% were unviable. Bovine cysticercosis cases
      had a significant decrease (p<0.05) during this period. The states of Parana
      (2.01%; C.I. 2.00-2.02), Santa Catarina (1.96%; C.I. 1.93-2.00), Sao Paulo
      (1.77%; C.I. 1.76-1.77), Rio Grande do Sul (1.63%; C.I. 1.60-1.63) and Mato
      Grosso do Sul (0.80%; C.I. 0.80-0.80) had the highest prevalence values. In some
      states a significant (p<0.05) decreasing trend was detected in the prevalence. In
      conclusion, Taenia-saginata-cysticercosis remains endemic in Brazil and
      interventions are necessary to maintain Brazilian beef competitive in the
      international food market and improve food safety to population.

PMID- 28903871
TI  - Prevalence and risk factors for transition period diseases in grazing dairy cows
      in Brazil.
AB  - The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the incidence risk of
      dystocia, retained placenta (RP), pathological recumbence (down cow), the
      prevalence of metritis and subclinical ketosis (SCK), and the risk factors for
      SCK, metritis, and RP in grazing dairy herds in Southern Brazil. Fifty-three
      herds were visited 2-6 times from February to October of 2015. Body condition
      score (BCS), breed, days in milk (DIM), parity and disease status were recorded
      for each cow that was between 3 and 21 DIM at the time of the visits. Management
      practices were determined using a survey and environmental inspection was
      performed on each visit. SCK was identified if blood beta-hydroxybutyrate was
      >=1.2mmol/L and metritis by inspection of the vaginal discharge; cows were
      assessed once between 3 and 21 DIM. Multilevel logistic regression models,
      controlling for farm as a random effect, were built to identify risk factors for
      each disease and to assess the proportion of variance at the herd and cow levels.
      Models were constructed based on causal diagrams and variable screening. Overall,
      prevalence of SCK and metritis and incidence risk of RP were 21, 11 and 14%,
      respectively. Reported incidence risk of down cow was 6% and displaced abomasum
      was 1%. The odds (OR; 95% CI) of a cow having SCK were higher in herds with high
      (>10%) incidence of down cows (2.7; 1.4-5.0), limited access to water (1.9; 1.1
      3.1), Jersey cows (OR: 2.2; 1.2-4.1) and in cows that were in third or greater
      lactation (2.9; 1.4-5.5). BCS 3.0-3.5 decreased the odds (0.4; 0.2-0.8) of
      metritis, while DIM, RP and being in a herd with a dirty holding area increased
      the odds of metritis by 1.1 (1.1-1.2), 19.5 (9.9-38.3) and 2.1 (1.0-4.2) fold,
      respectively. Parity >2 and dystocia increased the odds of RP by 2.4 (1.2-4.6)
      and 3.0 (1.6-5.4) fold, respectively. Jersey breed, use of a maternity pen and
      keeping the newborn calf with the cow >12h decreased the odds of having RP by 0.1
      (0.0-0.4), 0.5 (0.3-1.0) and 0.4 (0.2-0.8) times, respectively. The variation in
      disease occurrence was largely dependent on cow-level factors. However, herd
      level risk factors also influenced disease occurrence and should be considered in
      order to design better preventive transition period diseases protocols.

PMID- 28903872
TI  - Prevalence of subclinical mastitis and associated risk factors at cow and herd
      level in dairy farms in North-West Ethiopia.
AB  - Knowledge of mastitis pathogens and their predominance as well as understanding
      of risk factors are prerequisites to improve udder health in a herd, region or
      country. In Ethiopia, such information is scarce, despite the fact that mastitis
      is an important cattle disease in the country. A cross-sectional study that
      describes prevalence and causative agents of subclinical mastitis (SCM) as well
      as risk factors at cow and herd level was conducted on 167 dairy farms in North
      West Ethiopia. On average, 33% of the quarters and 62% of the cows were
      California Mastitis Test (CMT) positive, but the within herd quarter level
      prevalence ranged between 0 and 100%. A total of 1543 milk samples, being 27
      quarters that showed signs of CM, 606 CMT positive quarters and 910 CMT negative
      quarters were cultured, respectively 40%, 67% and 47% was positive on
      bacteriological culture. Coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) (31%) followed by
      Staphylococcus aureus (9%) were the pathogens most frequently isolated. Based on
      face-to-face questionnaire data, 35 herd level and 13 cow level factors were
      evaluated for their association with SCM (based on CMT) and with a positive
      culture for any bacteria, CNS or S. aureus. Cows with a history of CM, of higher
      parity, >150days in milk (DIM) and herds with owners that have >10th grade level
      of education had higher odds of SCM. The odds of being culture positive for any
      bacteria was higher in cows with >=25% Holstein Friesian blood level (HBL), >150
      DIM, housed on cemented floors, and milked by squeezing rather than stripping.
      Similarly, the odds of culturing CNS was higher in cows with 25-50% HBL, >150
      DIM, and milked by squeezing. Staphylococcus aureus was more often found in cows
      with a history of CM and in larger herds. Checking the udder for mastitis,
      feeding cows according to their requirements and allowing calves to suckle the
      cows were negatively associated with SCM, with culturing any bacteria and with
      culturing CNS, respectively. Higher odds of SCM and of culturing CNS were found
      in herds owned by members of a dairy cooperative. In summary, we identified a
      high prevalence of SCM and intramammary infections with substantial variation
      between farms, and we found a number of risk factors explaining this variation.
      The risk factors for mastitis that were identified in this study can form the
      basis of an udder health control program specific for the dairy industry in North
      West Ethiopia.

PMID- 28903873
TI  - Validation of a model for ranking aquaculture facilities for risk-based disease
      surveillance.
AB  - A semi-quantitative model for risk ranking of aquaculture facilities in
      Switzerland with regard to the introduction and spread of Viral Haemorrhagic
      Septicaemia (VHS) and Infectious Haematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) was developed in a
      previous study (Diserens et al., 2013). The objective of the present study was to
      validate this model using data collected during field visits on aquaculture sites
      in four Swiss cantons compared to data collected through a questionnaire in the
      previous study. A discrepancy between the values obtained with the two different
      methods was found in 32.8% of the parameters, resulting in a significant
      difference (p<0.001) in the risk classification of the facilities. As data
      gathered exclusively by means of a questionnaire are not of sufficient quality to
      perform a risk-based surveillance of aquaculture facilities a combination of
      questionnaires and farm inspections is proposed. A web-based reporting system
      could be advantageous for the factors which were identified as being more likely
      to vary over time, in particular for factors considering fish movements, which
      showed a marginally significant difference in their risk scores (p>=0.1) within a
      six- month period. Nevertheless, the model proved to be stable over the
      considered period of time as no substantial fluctuations in the risk
      categorisation were observed (Kappa agreement of 0.77).Finally, the model proved
      to be suitable to deliver a reliable risk ranking of Swiss aquaculture facilities
      according to their risk of getting infected with or spreading of VHS and IHN, as
      the five facilities that tested positive for these diseases in the last ten years
      were ranked as medium or high risk. Moreover, because the seven fish farms that
      were infected with Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN) during the same period
      also belonged to the risk categories medium and high, the classification appeared
      to correlate with the occurrence of this third viral fish disease.

PMID- 28903874
TI  - Mortality in Danish Swine herds: Spatio-temporal clusters and risk factors.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore spatio-temporal mortality patterns in Danish
      swine herds from December 2013 to October 2015, and to discuss the use of
      mortality data for syndromic surveillance in Denmark. Although it has previously
      been assessed within the context of syndromic surveillance, the value of
      mortality data generated on a regular and mandatory basis from all swine herds
      remains unexplored in terms of swine surveillance in Denmark. A total of 5010
      farms were included in the analysis, corresponding to 1896 weaner herds, 1490 sow
      herds and 3839 finisher herds. The spatio-temporal analysis included data
      description for spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal cluster analysis for three
      age groups: weaners (up to 30kg), sows and finishers. Logistic regression models
      were used to assess the potential factors associated with finisher and weaner
      herds being included within multiple-herd clusters. The spatio-temporal
      distribution of mortality changed over time, and suggested a general increase in
      mortality for the months of January and July for the three age groups. A large
      number of single-herd clusters (i.e. clusters with only one herd), and fewer
      multiple-herd clusters (i.e. clusters with at least two herds) were found. The
      herd size affected whether weaner herds were within multiple-herd clusters, and
      factors such farm type, SPF status and presence of atrophic rhinitis had an
      impact on finisher herds being inside vs. outside multiple-herd clusters in the
      univariable analysis. However, due to a strong correlation between variables,
      only farm type remained in the multivariable analysis for the finisher herds. The
      higher mortality observed for the months of January and July could be linked to
      infrequent updates of the data used to calculate mortality. The presence of
      single-herd clusters might indicate welfare and disease issues, while multiple
      herd clusters could suggest the presence of infectious diseases within the
      cluster area. The impact of farm type is linked to the fact that larger farms
      specialize in only one age group, with high biosecurity and more specialized
      personnel, and subsequently a lower mortality. Mortality data have a potential
      use in disease surveillance. However, detected clusters might not be due to
      disease, but the result of changes such as herd management practices. Further
      analysis to explore other spatio-temporal monitoring methods is needed before
      mortality data can be incorporated into a Danish disease monitoring system.

PMID- 28903875
TI  - Risk assessment of the entry of canine-rabies into Papua New Guinea via sea and
      land routes.
AB  - Canine-rabies is endemic in parts of Indonesia and continues to spread eastwards
      through the Indonesian archipelago. Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a land border with
      Papua Province, Indonesia, as well as logging and fishing industry connections
      throughout Asia. PNG has a Human Development Index of 0.505; therefore, an
      incursion of canine-rabies could have devastating impacts on human (7.5 million)
      and animal populations. Given the known difficulties of rabies elimination in
      resource-scarce environments, an incursion of rabies into PNG would also likely
      compromise the campaign for global elimination of rabies. A previous qualitative
      study to determine routes for detailed risk assessment identified logging,
      fishing and three land-routes (unregulated crossers ["shopper-crossers"],
      traditional border crossers and illegal hunters) as potential high risk routes
      for entry of rabies-infected dogs into PNG. The objective of the current study
      was to quantify and compare the probability of entry of a rabies-infected dog via
      these routes into PNG and to identify the highest risk provinces and border
      districts to target rabies prevention and control activities. Online
      questionnaires were used to elicit expert-opinion about quantitative model
      parameter values. A quantitative, stochastic model was then used to assess risk,
      and parameters with the greatest influence on the estimated mean number of rabies
      infected dogs introduced/year were identified via global sensitivity analysis
      (Sobol method). Eight questionnaires - including 7 online - were implemented and
      >220 empirical distributions were parameterised using >2900 expert-opinions. The
      highest risk provinces for combined sea routes were West Sepik, Madang and
      Western Province, driven by the number of vessels and the probability of bringing
      dogs. The highest risk border districts for combined land routes were Vanimo
      Green River and South Fly, driven by the number of people crossing the border and
      the number of dogs (with hunters). Overall, the risk posed by land routes was
      much higher than the risk of rabies introduction by sea routes. This study
      provides a foundation to develop targeted border control measures, surveillance
      and response strategies for canine-rabies for the highest risk routes and regions
      in PNG. Sensitivity analysis using the Sobol method played a key role in this
      study and directed further data collection to refine risk estimates. The ease of
      expert-elicitation using online methods demonstrates the feasibility of using
      such methods for animal and human disease surveillance in PNG.

PMID- 28903876
TI  - Persistence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae sequence types in spite of a control
      program for enzootic pneumonia in pigs.
AB  - Enzootic pneumonia (EP) in pigs caused by Mycoplasma (M.) hyopneumoniae has
      successfully been combatted in Switzerland. A control program was fully
      implemented in 2004 which is based on total depopulation strategies of affected
      fattening farms as well as partial depopulation on breeding farms. Thereby, the
      number of cases has dropped drastically from more than 200 in 2003 to two cases
      in 2013. Currently monitoring is done based on clinical observation and
      subsequent diagnostic of coughing pigs. Moreover, in case of more than 10% gross
      pathological lesions per slaughter batch laboratory confirmation for EP is
      compulsory. Despite these strict measures it was not possible to eliminate M.
      hyopneumoniae from Swiss pig production. In fact, during the last few years the
      number of EP cases has slightly increased. Therefore, genotyping of the involved
      M. hyopneumoniae strains was conducted in order to elucidate possible sources and
      routes of infection. All available and typeable samples from totally 22 cases
      during the period 2014-2016 were investigated by extended multilocus sequence
      typing (MLST). A total of 16 cases, including eight from 2014, five from 2015 and
      three from 2016 could thereby be included in the study. MLST revealed that the
      majority of cases in 2014/2015 were due to two major spread scenarios, i.e. two
      M. hyopneumoniae sequence types, each scenario involving six individual
      production farms in five to six different Cantons (states), respectively.
      Moreover, by comparison of archived sequences some sequence types were observed
      over ten years demonstrating their persistence over a long time and the possible
      partial failure of elimination measures in Switzerland. Insufficient sanitation
      on affected farms and subsequent animal transport of symptomless infected pigs
      could lead to recurrent cases. Wild boar harbor identical strains found with EP
      but solid data are missing to assign a role as reservoir to this wild animal.
      Implementing a monitoring scheme for M. hyopneumoniae in wild boar in combination
      with genotyping of all available samples from domestic pigs could direct
      responsible authorities to possible gaps and deficiencies of control measures
      taken for combating enzootic pneumonia. With the newly installed PubMLST database
      sequence types for M. hyopneumoniae are now available and allow tracing back
      strains on the international level.

PMID- 28903877
TI  - Exploring the role of small-scale livestock keepers for national biosecurity-The
      pig case.
AB  - Small-scale keepers are less likely to engage with production organisations and
      may therefore be less aware of legislation, rules and biosecurity practices which
      are implemented in the livestock sector. Their role in the transmission of
      endemic and exotic diseases is not well studied, but is believed to be important.
      The authors use small-scale pig keepers in Scotland as an example of how
      important small-scale livestock keepers might be for national biosecurity. In
      Scotland more than two thirds of pig producers report that they keep less than 10
      pigs, meaning that biosecurity practices and pig health status on a substantial
      number of holdings are largely unknown; it is considered important to fill this
      knowledge gap. A questionnaire was designed and implemented in order to gather
      some of this information. The questionnaire comprised a total of 37 questions
      divided into seven sections (location of the enterprise, interest in pigs,
      details about the pig enterprise, marketing of pigs, transport of pigs, pig
      husbandry, and pig health/biosecurity). Over 610 questionnaires were sent through
      the post and the questionnaire was also available online. The questionnaire was
      implemented from June to October 2013 and 135 questionnaires were returned by
      target respondents. The responses for each question are discussed in detail in
      this paper. Overall, our results suggest that the level of disease identified by
      small-scale pig keepers is low but the majority of the small-scale pig keepers
      are mixed farms, with associated increased risk for disease transmission between
      species. Almost all respondents implemented at least one biosecurity measure,
      although the measures taken were not comprehensive in the majority of cases.
      Overall as interaction between small-scale keepers and commercial producers
      exists in Scotland the former can pose a risk for commercial production. This
      investigation fills gaps in knowledge which will allow industry stakeholders and
      policy makers to adapt their current disease programmes and contingency plans to
      the reality of small-scale pig-keeping enterprises' health and biosecurity
      status. We predict that some conclusions from this work will be relevant to
      countries with similar pig production systems and importantly some of these
      findings will relate to small-scale producers in other livestock sectors.

PMID- 28903878
TI  - Thermal Inactivation of avian influenza virus in poultry litter as a method to
      decontaminate poultry houses.
AB  - Removal of contaminated material from a poultry house during recovery from an
      avian influenza virus (AIV) outbreak is costly and labor intensive. Because AIV
      is not environmentally stable, heating poultry houses may provide an alternative
      disinfection method. The objective was to determine the time necessary to
      inactivate AIV in poultry litter at temperatures achievable in a poultry house.
      Low pathogenic (LP) AIV inactivation was evaluated between 10.0 degrees -48.9
      degrees C, at ~5.5 degrees C intervals and highly pathogenic (HP) AIV
      inactivation was evaluated between 10.0 degrees -43.3 degrees C, at ~11 degrees C
      intervals. Samples were collected at numerous time points for each temperature.
      Virus isolation in embryonating chicken eggs was conducted to determine if viable
      virus was present. Each sample was also tested by real-time RT-PCR. Low
      pathogenicity AIV was inactivated at 1day at 26.7 degrees C or above. At 10.0,
      15.6 and 21.1 degrees C, inactivation times increased to 2-5days. Highly
      pathogenic AIV followed a similar trend; the virus was inactivated after 1day at
      43.3 degrees C and 32.2 degrees C, and required 2 and 5days for inactivation at
      21.1 degrees C and 10.0 degrees C respectively. While low pathogenicity AIV
      appeared to be inactivated at a lower temperature than high pathogenicity AIV,
      this was not due to any difference in the strains, but due to fewer temperature
      points being evaluated for high pathogenicity. Endpoints for detection by real
      time RT-PCR were not found even weeks after the virus was inactivated. This
      provides a guideline for the time required, at specific temperatures to
      inactivate AIV in poultry litter and likely on surfaces within the house. Heat
      treatment will provide an added level of safety to personnel and against further
      spread by eliminating infectious virus prior to cleaning a house.

PMID- 28903879
TI  - Salmonella enterica subsp. diarizonae serotype 61:k:1,5,(7) associated with
      chronic proliferative rhinitis and high nasal colonization rates in a flock of
      Texel sheep in Switzerland.
AB  - Salmonella (S.) enterica subspecies diarizonae (IIIb) serovar 61:(k):1,5,(7) (S.
      IIIb 61:(k):1,5,(7)) is considered to be host adapted to sheep and is found
      regularly in feces of healthy carriers and of sheep with salmonellosis. A few
      cases of chronic proliferative rhinitis (CPR) in sheep have been described as a
      new disease in association with S. IIIb 61:k:1,5,(7) in the USA, in Spain and now
      for the first time in Switzerland. Three animals of a flock of Texel sheep
      suffering from chronic nasal discharge and dyspnea with subsequent death were
      necropsied. The pathological lesions are consistent with a severe proliferation
      of the nasal mucosae of the turbinates in association with severe chronic
      inflammation. S. IIIb 61:(k):1,5,(7) was isolated from the lesions by direct
      bacteriological culture and the presence of Salmonella spp. was confirmed by
      immunohistochemistry. The affected flock was systematically tested after the
      first occurrence of the disease. Clinical examination of the flock revealed
      approx. 20% of the adult sheep to show nasal discharge, approx. 5% having severe
      dyspnea and approx. 5% having chronic intermittent diarrhea. Lambs (n=28) showed
      no clinical signs at all. High positivity of nasal mucosa (46%), but low
      prevalence in feces (6%) for S. IIIb 61:k:1,5,(7) was found. The results lead to
      the assumption of a direct animal to animal transmission by nasal discharge
      followed by a chronic disease leading to death after several months to years.
      Animals tested positive for S. IIIb 61:k:1,5,(7) were all >1year old. CPR
      represents a chronic disease in adult sheep posing a risk for spreading S. IIIb
      61:k:1,5,(7) between flocks and with a zoonotic potential.

PMID- 28903880
TI  - Sampling pig farms at the abattoir in a cross-sectional study - Evaluation of a
      sampling method.
AB  - A cross-sectional study design is relatively inexpensive, fast and easy to
      conduct when compared to other study designs. Careful planning is essential to
      obtaining a representative sample of the population, and the recommended approach
      is to use simple random sampling from an exhaustive list of units in the target
      population. This approach is rarely feasible in practice, and other sampling
      procedures must often be adopted. For example, when slaughter pigs are the target
      population, sampling the pigs on the slaughter line may be an alternative to on
      site sampling at a list of farms. However, it is difficult to sample a large
      number of farms from an exact predefined list, due to the logistics and workflow
      of an abattoir. Therefore, it is necessary to have a systematic sampling
      procedure and to evaluate the obtained sample with respect to the study
      objective. We propose a method for 1) planning, 2) conducting, and 3) evaluating
      the representativeness and reproducibility of a cross-sectional study when simple
      random sampling is not possible. We used an example of a cross-sectional study
      with the aim of quantifying the association of antimicrobial resistance and
      antimicrobial consumption in Danish slaughter pigs. It was not possible to visit
      farms within the designated timeframe. Therefore, it was decided to use
      convenience sampling at the abattoir. Our approach was carried out in three
      steps: 1) planning: using data from meat inspection to plan at which abattoirs
      and how many farms to sample; 2) conducting: sampling was carried out at five
      abattoirs; 3) evaluation: representativeness was evaluated by comparing sampled
      and non-sampled farms, and the reproducibility of the study was assessed through
      simulated sampling based on meat inspection data from the period where the actual
      data collection was carried out. In the cross-sectional study samples were taken
      from 681 Danish pig farms, during five weeks from February to March 2015. The
      evaluation showed that the sampling procedure was reproducible with results
      comparable to the collected sample. However, the sampling procedure favoured
      sampling of large farms. Furthermore, both under-sampled and over-sampled areas
      were found using scan statistics. In conclusion, sampling conducted at abattoirs
      can provide a spatially representative sample. Hence it is a possible cost
      effective alternative to simple random sampling. However, it is important to
      assess the properties of the resulting sample so that any potential selection
      bias can be addressed when reporting the findings.

PMID- 28903882
TI  - Structural modeling and mutagenesis of endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase from
      Ogataea minuta identifies the importance of Trp295 for hydrolytic activity.
AB  - Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase from the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea minuta
      (Endo-Om) is a glycoside hydrolase family 85 enzyme that has dual catalytic
      activity in the hydrolysis and transglycosylation of complex N-glycans, in common
      with the enzymes from the eukaryotic species. In this study, we have conducted
      mutagenesis of Endo-Om at Trp295, to determine the effect on hydrolytic activity.
      Structural modeling predicted that Trp295 forms an important interaction with the
      alpha-1,3-linked mannose residue of the trimannosyl N-glycan core, rather than
      being directly involved in catalytic activity. Our results showed that an
      aromatic amino acid is required at position 295 for the hydrolytic activity of
      this enzyme. Notably, the tryptophan residue is highly conserved in eukaryotic
      endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases that show activity toward complex
      oligosaccharides. Accordingly, our results strongly suggested that Trp295 is
      involved in the recognition of oligosaccharide substrates by Endo-Om.

PMID- 28903883
TI  - The natural history of the patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Taiwan: A
      medical center experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common hereditary
      muscular dystrophy and caused by DMD gene mutation. In addition to progressive
      proximal muscle weakness, respiratory, orthopedic, and gastrointestinal
      complications are often observed in DMD. The natural history of patients with DMD
      in Taiwan has not been reported thus far. METHODS: Medical records of 39 patients
      who received a diagnosis of DMD between 1999 and 2016 at Kaohsiung Medical
      University Hospital were reviewed. The diagnosis of DMD was confirmed through
      muscle biopsy or DMD genetic analysis. RESULTS: The mean onset age and mean
      follow-up period were 2.75 years and 6.76 years, respectively. Seventeen patients
      (43.5%) had a family history of DMD. The mean full intelligence quotient of the
      patients was 71.08, and the mean age of walking ability loss was 9.7 years (25
      patients). The mean onset age of respiratory insufficiency was 10.64 years with a
      decline rate of 5.18% per year (25 patients). The mean onset age of
      cardiomyopathy was 14.69 years (seven patients). The mean onset age of scoliosis
      was 13.29 years with a progression rate of 11.48 degrees  per year (14 patients).
      Eleven (28.2%) and eight (20.5%) patients had deletions and duplications of DMD,
      respectively. Fourteen patients (35.9%) had point mutations or small deletions or
      insertions. Five patients received only multiplex ligation-dependent probe
      amplification (MLPA) analysis and exhibited neither deletion nor duplication. No
      mutation was identified in one patient through both MLPA and exon sequencing.
      CONCLUSION: The clinical phenotypes and disease course in our cohort were
      consistent with that reported in previous studies. However, the proportion of
      point mutations or small deletions or insertions in our study was considerably
      higher than that in reports from other populations. Cardiac ejection fraction was
      found not a reliable biomarker for identifying cardiac problems, discovering a
      better parameter is necessary.

PMID- 28903881
TI  - Factors affecting the cost-effectiveness of on-farm culture prior to the
      treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cows.
AB  - The objective of this study was to use probabilistic sensitivity analysis to
      evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using an on-farm culture (OFC) approach to the
      treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cows and compare this to a 'standard'
      treatment approach. A specific aim was to identify the herd circumstances under
      which an OFC approach would be most likely to be cost-effective. A stochastic
      Monte Carlo model was developed to simulate 5000 cases of clinical mastitis at
      the cow level and to calculate the associated costs simultaneously when treated
      according to 2 different treatment protocols; i) a 'conventional' approach (3
      tubes of intramammary antibiotic) and ii) an OFC programme, whereby cows are
      treated according to the results of OFC. Model parameters were taken from recent
      peer reviewed literature on the use of OFC prior to treatment of clinical
      mastitis. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the
      relationships between model input values and the estimated difference in cost
      between the standard and OFC treatment protocols. The simulation analyses
      revealed that both the difference in the bacteriological cure rate due to a delay
      in treatment when using OFC and the proportion of Gram-positive cases that occur
      on a dairy unit would have a fundamental impact on whether OFC would be cost
      effective. The results of this study illustrated that an OFC approach for the
      treatment of clinical mastitis would probably not be cost-effective in many
      circumstances, in particular, not those in which Gram-positive pathogens were
      responsible for more than 20% of all clinical cases. The results highlight an
      ethical dilemma surrounding reduced use of antimicrobials for clinical mastitis
      since it may be associated with financial losses and poorer cow welfare in many
      instances.

PMID- 28903884
TI  - Successful Outcome of Severe Intra-cerebral Bleeding Associated with Acquired
      Factor V Inhibition: Utilization of Multiple Therapeutic Agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acquired coagulation factor inhibitors are antibodies that either
      inhibit activity or increase the clearance of a clotting factor and lead to an
      increased risk of bleeding. Most of the time, the disorder is attributed to
      factor VIII inhibition (acquired haemophilia A); however, other coagulation
      factors could also be implicated. CASE REPORT: Herein, we report an interesting
      case of a patient who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and received
      antibiotic treatment after surgery with third generation cephalosporin. A month
      later, he presented with extreme bleeding diathesis and cerebral haemorrhage.
      Following a thorough clinical and laboratory investigation, an acquired factor V
      inhibitor was diagnosed. The patient received treatment with corticosteroids,
      intravenous immunoglobulins, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (rituximab),
      cyclophosphamide and recombinant factor VIIa. Finally, despite the poor initial
      prognosis, the patient managed to achieve a full recovery. CONCLUSION: As there
      are no clear guidelines on acquired coagulation inhibitor treatment, reports of
      such cases could offer insight for future therapy choices. The case was unique
      because the treatment regimen included a combination of multiple therapeutic
      agents including rituximab.

PMID- 28903885
TI  - The Effects of Baicalin on Myoglobinuric Acute Renal Failure in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myoglobinuric acute kidney injury is a uremic syndrome that develops
      due to damage of skeletal muscle. Free radicals and nitric oxide play an
      important role in the pathogenesis of myoglobinuric acute kidney injury. Baicalin
      has multiple bioactivities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and
      antioxidant properties and is a potent free radical scavenger. AIMS: To
      investigate the nephroprotective mechanism of baicalin on myoglobinuric acute
      kidney injury. STUDY DESIGN: Animal experimentation. METHODS: In our study, male
      Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups. Control (n=8), Baicalin (n=8),
      myoglobinuric acute kidney injury (n=10) and myoglobinuric acute kidney injury +
      baicalin (n=10). The rats were deprived of water for 24 hours before receiving
      intramuscular injection. The control and baicalin groups were injected
      intramuscularly with saline (8 ml/kg), and the myoglobinuric acute kidney injury
      and myoglobinuric acute kidney injury + baicalin groups were given 50% glycerol 8
      ml/kg. One hour later, the control and myoglobinuric acute kidney injury groups
      received saline intraperitoneally, and the baicalin and myoglobinuric acute
      kidney injury + baicalin groups were given 200 mg/kg baicalin. Twenty-four hours
      after the glycerol injection, urine and blood samples were taken, and the kidneys
      of the rats were harvested under intraperitoneally injections of anaesthesia.
      RESULTS: We found that the levels of creatinine, urea, nitric oxide, alanine
      transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase in serum samples,
      malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and endothelial
      nitric oxide synthase concentrations in renal tissue were increased in the
      myoglobinuric acute kidney injury group compared with the control group (p<0.05).
      The nitric oxide and glutathione levels in the kidney were significantly
      decreased in the myoglobinuric acute kidney injury + baicalin group compared with
      the myoglobinuric acute kidney injury group (p<0.05). There were no significant
      differences between any other parameters. CONCLUSION: Our results did not show
      any protective effect of baicalin on myoglobinuric acute kidney injury, possibly
      because the different effective factors in the pathogenesis of experimental
      myoglobinuric acute kidney injury used in this experiment deviate from other
      experimental models. Moreover, detailed studies are needed to clarify the effects
      of baicalin in different doses and treatment durations in glycerol-induced acute
      kidney injury model.

PMID- 28903886
TI  - Patient Privacy in the Era of Big Data.
AB  - Privacy was defined as a fundamental human right in the Universal Declaration of
      Human Rights at the 1948 United Nations General Assembly. However, there is still
      no consensus on what constitutes privacy. In this review, we look at the
      evolution of privacy as a concept from the era of Hippocrates to the era of
      social media and big data. To appreciate the modern measures of patient privacy
      protection and correctly interpret the current regulatory framework in the United
      States, we need to analyze and understand the concepts of individually
      identifiable information, individually identifiable health information, protected
      health information, and de-identification. The Privacy Rule of the Health
      Insurance Portability and Accountability Act defines the regulatory framework and
      casts a balance between protective measures and access to health information for
      secondary (scientific) use. The rule defines the conditions when health
      information is protected by law and how protected health information can be de
      identified for secondary use. With the advents of artificial intelligence and
      computational linguistics, computational text de-identification algorithms
      produce de-identified results nearly as well as those produced by human experts,
      but much faster, more consistently and basically for free. Modern clinical text
      de-identification systems now pave the road to big data and enable scientists to
      access de-identified clinical information while firmly protecting patient
      privacy. However, clinical text de-identification is not a perfect process. In
      order to maximize the protection of patient privacy and to free clinical and
      scientific information from the confines of electronic healthcare systems, all
      stakeholders, including patients, health institutions and institutional review
      boards, scientists and the scientific communities, as well as regulatory and law
      enforcement agencies must collaborate closely. On the one hand, public health
      laws and privacy regulations define rules and responsibilities such as requesting
      and granting only the amount of health information that is necessary for the
      scientific study. On the other hand, developers of de-identification systems
      provide guidelines to use different modes of operations to maximize the
      effectiveness of their tools and the success of de-identification. Institutions
      with clinical repositories need to follow these rules and guidelines closely to
      successfully protect patient privacy. To open the gates of big data to scientific
      communities, healthcare institutions need to be supported in their de
      identification and data sharing efforts by the public, scientific communities,
      and local, state, and federal legislators and government agencies.

PMID- 28903887
TI  - Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness in Preventing Laboratory Confirmed
      Influenza in 2014-2015 Season in Turkey: A Test-Negative Case Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Influenza has an important public health impact worldwide with its
      considerable annual morbidity among persons with or without risk factors and its
      serious complications among persons in high-risk groups. The seasonal influenza
      vaccine is essential for preventing the burden of influenza in a population.
      Since the vaccine is reformulated each season according to the virus serotypes in
      circulation, its effectiveness can vary from season to season. Vaccine
      effectiveness is defined as the relative risk reduction in vaccinated individuals
      in observational studies. AIMS: To calculate influenza vaccine effectiveness in
      preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza in the Turkish population for the first
      time using the national sentinel surveillance data in the 2014-2015 influenza
      season. STUDY DESIGN: Test-negative case-control study. METHODS: We compared
      vaccination odds of influenza positive cases to influenza negative controls in
      the national influenza surveillance in Turkey to estimate influenza vaccine
      effectiveness. RESULTS: The influenza vaccine effectiveness against influenza A
      (H1N1) (68.4%, 95% CI: -2.9 to 90.3) and B (44.6%, 95% CI: -27.9 to 66.6) were
      moderate, and the influenza vaccine effectiveness against influenza A (H3N2)
      (75.0%, 95% CI: -86.1 to 96.7) was relatively high; all had low precision given
      the low vaccination coverage. Overall, the influenza vaccination coverage rate
      was 4.2% (95% CI: 3.5 to 5.0), which is not sufficient to control the burden of
      influenza. CONCLUSION: In Turkey, national surveillance for influenza should be
      strengthened and utilised annually for the assessment of influenza vaccine
      effectiveness with more precision. Annual influenza vaccine effectiveness in
      Turkey should continue to be monitored as part of the national sentinel influenza
      surveillance.

PMID- 28903888
TI  - Serum Angiogenic and Anti-angiogenic Markers in Pregnant Women with Placenta
      Percreta.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Placenta percreta is the morbidly adherent form of all the placental
      invasion abnormalities. The pathology that underlies placenta percreta is poorly
      understood. AIMS: To compare the levels of circulating vascular endothelial
      growth factor, placental growth factor and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 in
      pregnant women with placenta percreta to a control group. STUDY DESIGN: Case
      control study. METHODS: Twenty-two women who underwent caesarean section due to
      placenta percreta and 22 women who underwent caesarean section for other
      obstetric reasons were included in this study. The diagnosis of placenta percreta
      was defined as extreme trophoblastic invasion involving serosa of the uterus.
      Venous blood samples were collected for biochemical comparison of circulating
      vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth factor and soluble fms-like
      tyrosine kinase 1 from all pregnant women. RESULTS: Women with placenta percreta
      were significantly older, had higher gravidity, received more frequent antenatal
      steroids and blood transfusions and delivered at an earlier gestational age when
      compared to the control group. In women with placenta percreta, preoperative
      circulating levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth factor
      and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 were lower than the controls (p<0.001,
      p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). While the postoperative levels of vascular
      endothelial growth factorand soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 levels were
      higher in placenta percreta (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively), placental growth
      factor levels were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study
      suggest that a decrease in vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth
      factor and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 levels may be related to placenta
      percreta etiopathogenesis.

PMID- 28903889
TI  - GDF9 and BMP15 Expressions and Fine Structure Changes During Folliculogenesis in
      Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most frequently seen endocrine
      disorder in women of reproductive age with a prevalence of about 10%. AIMS: To
      investigate the efficiency of growth differentiation factor 9 and bone
      morphogenetic protein 15 during folliculogenesis in a dehydroepiandrosterone
      induced mouse Polycystic ovary syndrome model. STUDY DESIGN: Animal
      experimentation. METHODS: Mice were divided into 3 groups: control, vehicle and
      Polycystic ovary syndrome. Polycystic ovary syndrome model mice were developed by
      the injection of dehydroepiandrosterone dissolved in 0.1 mL of sesame oil.
      Ovarian tissues were examined for growth differentiation factor 9 and bone
      morphogenetic protein 15 using immunofluorescent labelling and electron
      microscopic examinations. RESULTS: The immunoreactivity of growth differentiation
      factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15 proteins decreased (p<0.05) in the
      Polycystic ovary syndrome group (27.73+/-8.43 and 24.85+/-7.03, respectively)
      compared with the control group (33.72+/-11.22 and 31.12+/-11.05, respectively)
      and vehicle group (33.95+/-10.75 and 29.99+/-10.72, respectively). Apoptotic
      changes were observed in granulosa cells, lipid vacuoles increased in Theca cells
      and thickening and irregularities were noted in the basal lamina of granulosa
      cells. An increased electron density in the zona pellucida in some of the
      multilaminar primary and secondary follicles in the Polycystic ovary syndrome
      model was also observed at the ultrastructural level. CONCLUSION: These results
      suggest that the decrease in the growth differentiation factor 9 and bone
      morphogenetic protein 15 expression initiated at the primary follicle stage
      effect the follicle development and zona pellucida structure and may cause
      subfertility or infertility in Polycystic ovary syndrome.

PMID- 28903890
TI  - Human Parasitic Diseases in Bulgaria in Between 2013-2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Bulgaria, more than 20 autochthonous human parasitic infections
      have been described and some of them are widespread. Over 50 imported protozoan
      and helminthic infections represent diagnostic and therapeutic challenges and
      pose epidemiological risks due to the possibility of local transmission. AIMS: To
      establish the distribution of autochthonous and imported parasitic diseases among
      the population of the country over a 2-year period (2013-2014) and to evaluate
      their significance in the public health system. STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional
      study. METHODS: We used the annual reports by regional health inspectorates and
      data from the National Reference Laboratory at the National Centre of Infectious
      and Parasitic Diseases on all individuals infected with parasitic diseases in the
      country. Prevalence was calculated for parasitic diseases with few or absent
      clinical manifestations (oligosymptomatic or asymptomatic infections). Incidence
      per 100.000 was calculated for diseases with an overt clinical picture or those
      that required hospitalisation and specialised medical interventions (e.g.
      surgery). RESULTS: During the research period, parasitological studies were
      conducted on 1441.244 persons, and parasitic infections were diagnosed in 22.039
      individuals. Distribution of various parasitic pathogens among the population
      displayed statistically significant differences in prevalence for some intestinal
      parasites (enterobiasis 0.81%, giardiasis 0.34% and blastocystosis 0.22%). For
      certain zoonotic diseases such as cystic echinococcosis (average incidence of
      3.99 per 100.000) and trichinellosis (average incidence of 0.8 per 100.000), the
      incidence exceeds several times the annual incidence recorded in the European
      Union. CONCLUSION: Parasitic diseases still pose a substantial problem with
      social and medical impacts on the residents of our country. Improved efficiency
      regarding autochthonous and imported parasitic diseases is essential in providing
      the public health system the tools it needs to combat these diseases. Attention
      should be focused on the various imported vector-borne parasitic diseases (e.g.
      malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis) for which the country is potentially
      endemic.

PMID- 28903891
TI  - Health Information National Trends Survey in American Sign Language (HINTS-ASL):
      Protocol for the Cultural Adaptation and Linguistic Validation of a National
      Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) collects
      nationally representative data about the American's public use of health-related
      information. This survey is available in English and Spanish, but not in American
      Sign Language (ASL). Thus, the exclusion of ASL users from these national health
      information survey studies has led to a significant gap in knowledge of Internet
      usage for health information access in this underserved and understudied
      population. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are (1) to culturally adapt
      and linguistically translate the HINTS items to ASL (HINTS-ASL); and (2) to
      gather information about deaf people's health information seeking behaviors
      across technology-mediated platforms. METHODS: We modified the standard
      procedures developed at the US National Center for Health Statistics Cognitive
      Survey Laboratory to culturally adapt and translate HINTS items to ASL. Cognitive
      interviews were conducted to assess clarity and delivery of these HINTS-ASL
      items. Final ASL video items were uploaded to a protected online survey website.
      The HINTS-ASL online survey has been administered to over 1350 deaf adults (ages
      18 to 90 and up) who use ASL. Data collection is ongoing and includes deaf adult
      signers across the United States. RESULTS: Some items from HINTS item bank
      required cultural adaptation for use with deaf people who use accessible services
      or technology. A separate item bank for deaf-related experiences was created,
      reflecting deaf-specific technology such as sharing health-related ASL videos
      through social network sites and using video remote interpreting services in
      health settings. After data collection is complete, we will conduct a series of
      analyses on deaf people's health information seeking behaviors across technology
      mediated platforms. CONCLUSIONS: HINTS-ASL is an accessible health information
      national trends survey, which includes a culturally appropriate set of items that
      are relevant to the experiences of deaf people who use ASL. The final HINTS-ASL
      product will be available for public use upon completion of this study.

PMID- 28903892
TI  - Effectiveness of SmartMoms, a Novel eHealth Intervention for Management of
      Gestational Weight Gain: Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two-thirds of pregnant women exceed gestational weight gain (GWG)
      recommendations. Because excess GWG is associated with adverse outcomes for
      mother and child, development of scalable and cost-effective approaches to
      deliver intensive lifestyle programs during pregnancy is urgent. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to decrease the proportion of women who exceed the
      Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2009 GWG guidelines. METHODS: In a parallel-arm
      randomized controlled trial, 54 pregnant women (age 18-40 years) who were
      overweight (n=25) or obese (n=29) were enrolled to test whether an intensive
      lifestyle intervention (called SmartMoms) decreased the proportion of women with
      excess GWG, defined as exceeding the 2009 IOM guidelines, compared to no
      intervention (usual care group). The SmartMoms intervention was delivered through
      mobile phone (remote group) or in a traditional in-person, clinic-based setting
      (in-person group), and included a personalized dietary intake prescription, self
      monitoring weight against a personalized weight graph, activity tracking with a
      pedometer, receipt of health information, and continuous personalized feedback
      from counselors. RESULTS: A significantly smaller proportion of women exceeded
      the IOM 2009 GWG guidelines in the SmartMoms intervention groups (in-person: 56%,
      10/18; remote: 58%, 11/19) compared to usual care (85%, 11/13; P=.02). The remote
      intervention was a lower cost to participants (mean US $97, SD $6 vs mean US
      $347, SD $40 per participant; P<.001) and clinics (US $215 vs US $419 per
      participant) and with increased intervention adherence (76.5% vs 60.8%; P=.049).
      CONCLUSIONS: An intensive lifestyle intervention for GWG can be effectively
      delivered via a mobile phone, which is both cost-effective and scalable. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01610752;
      https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01610752 (Archived by WebCite at
      http://www.webcitation.org/6sarNB4iW).

PMID- 28903893
TI  - User Acceptance of Computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression:
      Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) has been proven to
      be effective in depression care. Moreover, cCBT packages are becoming
      increasingly popular. A central aspect concerning the take-up and success of any
      treatment is its user acceptance. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to update
      and expand on earlier work on user acceptance of cCBT for depression. METHODS:
      This paper systematically reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies regarding
      the user acceptance of cCBT for depression. The initial search was conducted in
      January 2016 and involved the following databases: Web of Science, PubMed, the
      Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO. Studies were retained if they described the
      explicit examination of the user acceptance, experiences, or satisfaction related
      to a cCBT intervention, if they reported depression as a primary outcome, and if
      they were published in German or English from July 2007 onward. RESULTS: A total
      of 1736 studies were identified, of which 29 studies were eligible for review.
      User acceptance was operationalized and analyzed very heterogeneously. Eight
      studies reported a very high level of acceptance, 17 indicated a high level of
      acceptance, and one study showed a moderate level of acceptance. Two qualitative
      studies considered the positive and negative aspects concerning the user
      acceptance of cCBT. However, a substantial proportion of reviewed studies
      revealed several methodical shortcomings. CONCLUSIONS: In general, people
      experience cCBT for depression as predominantly positive, which supports the
      potential role of these innovative treatments. However, methodological challenges
      do exist in terms of defining user acceptance, clear operationalization of
      concepts, and measurement.

PMID- 28903894
TI  - Prototype Development: Context-Driven Dynamic XML Ophthalmologic Data Capture
      Application.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The capture and integration of structured ophthalmologic data into
      electronic health records (EHRs) has historically been a challenge. However, the
      importance of this activity for patient care and research is critical. OBJECTIVE:
      The purpose of this study was to develop a prototype of a context-driven dynamic
      extensible markup language (XML) ophthalmologic data capture application for
      research and clinical care that could be easily integrated into an EHR system.
      METHODS: Stakeholders in the medical, research, and informatics fields were
      interviewed and surveyed to determine data and system requirements for
      ophthalmologic data capture. On the basis of these requirements, an ophthalmology
      data capture application was developed to collect and store discrete data
      elements with important graphical information. RESULTS: The context-driven data
      entry application supports several features, including ink-over drawing
      capability for documenting eye abnormalities, context-based Web controls that
      guide data entry based on preestablished dependencies, and an adaptable database
      or XML schema that stores Web form specifications and allows for immediate
      changes in form layout or content. The application utilizes Web services to
      enable data integration with a variety of EHRs for retrieval and storage of
      patient data. CONCLUSIONS: This paper describes the development process used to
      create a context-driven dynamic XML data capture application for optometry and
      ophthalmology. The list of ophthalmologic data elements identified as important
      for care and research can be used as a baseline list for future ophthalmologic
      data collection activities.

PMID- 28903895
TI  - Putting the Focus Back on the Patient: How Privacy Concerns Affect Personal
      Health Information Sharing Intentions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health care providers are driven by greater participation and
      systemic cost savings irrespective of benefits to individual patients derived
      from sharing Personal Health Information (PHI). Protecting PHI is a critical
      issue in the sharing of health care information systems; yet, there is very
      little literature examining the topic of sharing PHI electronically. A good
      overview of the regulatory, privacy, and societal barriers to sharing PHI can be
      found in the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health
      Act. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the factors that influence individuals'
      intentions to share their PHI electronically with health care providers, creating
      an understanding of how we can represent a patient's interests more accurately in
      sharing settings, instead of treating patients like predetermined subjects.
      Unlike privacy concern and trust, patient activation is a stable trait that is
      not subject to change in the short term and, thus, is a useful factor in
      predicting sharing behavior. We apply the extended privacy model in the health
      information sharing context and adapt this model to include patient activation
      and issue involvement to predict individuals' intentions. METHODS: This was a
      survey-based study with 1600+ participants using the Health Information National
      Trends Survey (HINTS) data to validate a model through various statistical
      techniques. The research method included an assessment of both the measurement
      and structural models with post hoc analysis. RESULTS: We find that privacy
      concern has the most influence on individuals' intentions to share. Patient
      activation, issue involvement, and patient-physician relationship are significant
      predictors of sharing intention. We contribute to theory by introducing patient
      activation and issue involvement as proxies for personal interest factors in the
      health care context. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study found that although
      patients are open to sharing their PHI, they still have concerns over the privacy
      of their PHI during the sharing process. It is paramount to address this factor
      to increase information flow and identify how patients can assure that their
      privacy is protected. The outcome of this study is a set of recommendations for
      motivating the sharing of PHI. The goal of this research is to increase the
      health profile of the patients by integrating the testing and diagnoses of
      various doctors across health care providers and, thus, bring patients closer to
      the physicians.

PMID- 28903896
TI  - The regulatory functions of piRNA/PIWI in spermatogenesis.
AB  - A class of 24-32 nt PIWI-binding small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) termed as PIWI
      interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have been identified in animal germline. Recent studies
      suggest that piRNA/PIWI pathway plays a critical role in both silencing of
      transposons and posttranscriptional regulation of mRNAs in animal germline. A
      study from Dr. Mofang Liu's lab in Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell
      Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, reveals the physiological and pathological
      importance of PIWI metabolism (mouse PIWI as known as MIWI; human PIWI as HIWI)
      in mammalian spermatogenesis. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the
      piRNA/PIWI pathway in mammals (focusing on mouse and human), which is emerging as
      a fundamental component of spermatogenesis that ensures male fertility and genome
      integrity.

PMID- 28903897
TI  - Ubiquitination modification precisely modulates the ABA signaling pathway in
      plants.
AB  - Protein post-translational modification by ubiquitination is essential for the
      activity and stability of proteins in the eukaryotic life cycle. In the past few
      years, it has been found that ubiquitination subtly modulates the abscisic acid
      (ABA) signaling pathway to regulate plant growth, development and stress
      responses, such as drought, salinity and cold stress responses. In this review,
      how the ubiquitin-proteasome system and ubiquitination-related membrane
      trafficking pathway affect ABA synthesis and signal transduction will be
      addressed and analysed. Also, the challenging questions in this field will be
      raised. These comprehensive views on the regulatory role of ubiquitination
      modification in the ABA pathway will shed light on future researches on how the
      ubiquitination-related process affects other hormone signaling pathways.

PMID- 28903898
TI  - Current status of pathway analysis in genome-wide association study.
AB  - Since the first publication in 2005, the genome-wide association study (GWAS)
      strategy has contributed significantly to the understanding of the mechanisms of
      human genetic diseases. Integrations of statistical methods and systematic
      biology are important means to explore the GWAS data. Pathway analysis
      establishes the importance of genetic variants from GWAS and provides insights
      into their biological significance. It is conducive in correlating the genetic
      variants, which have only small but interactive changes, to their importance in
      the biological pathways. At present, pathway analysis has been widely applied to
      studies of GWAS data, with relatively good results. In the meantime, various
      analytical methods are being developed and adapted for research on more types of
      complex data. In this review, we summarize the statistical methods of pathway
      analysis on GWAS data, and divide them into non-kernel methods and kernel
      methods. The non-kernel methods include gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and
      hierarchical Bayes prioritization (HBP) analysis, while kernel methods include
      linear kernel (LIN), identity-by-status kernel (IBS) and powered exponential
      kernel. We have summarized the calculation principles and features of these
      statistical methods to provide insights for further developments of new
      algorithms in GWAS research.

PMID- 28903899
TI  - The application of next-generation sequencing techniques in studying
      transcriptional regulation in embryonic stem cells.
AB  - The mechanism of transcriptional regulation has been the focus of many studies in
      the post-genomic era. The development of sequencing-based technologies for
      chromatin profiling enables current researchers to experimentally measure
      chromatin properties. Moreover, many studies aim at annotating the state of the
      chromatin into broad categories based on observed chromatin features and/or DNA
      sequences, then associating the resultant distal regulatory regions with the
      correct target genes based on DNA sequences, and predicting the dependence of
      epigenetic features on genetic variation. Stem cell biology has many applications
      in the area of regenerative medicine and tumorigenesis. In this review, we
      summarize recent research progresses on the application of next-generation
      sequencing techniques in studying transcriptional regulation in embryonic stem
      cells. This review mainly focuses on four areas: (1) microarray or RNA-seq; (2)
      chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP); (3) Dnase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs);
      (4) high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C). These technologies
      have been utilized in studying chromatin on three levels, i.e., gene expression,
      transcription factor binding and genome three-dimensional structure. We
      especially emphasize three master transcription factors of pluripotency: Oct4,
      Sox2 and Nanog. We aim to track the frontier of stem cell transcriptional
      regulation research and share important progresses in this field.

PMID- 28903900
TI  - Genetics association study and functional analysis on osteoporosis susceptibility
      gene BDNF.
AB  - To explore the relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene
      and bone mineral density (BMD) in Chinese Han population, we performed
      association analysis of 14 tag SNPs on BDNF gene with hip/spine BMD in 1300 Han
      Chinese samples from Shaanxi Province. We found that 8 of the 14 SNPs were
      significantly associated with hip or spine BMD (P < 0.05). Moreover, the SNP
      rs16917237 was significantly associated with both hip and spine BMD, with
      significant Bonferroni correlation (P value 0.05/14 = 0.0036) in hip BMD. To
      further explore the regulatory mechanism of BDNF gene in osteoporosis, we further
      performed a set of data analyses, including linkage disequilibrium and haplotype
      analysis, epigenetic annotation, expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL)
      analysis and metabolic pathway analysis. Further, we have established a mouse pre
      osteoblasts differentiation cell model (MC3T3-E1) by recombination human bone
      morphogenetic protein (rh-BMP2) induction. siRNA- mediated knock down of BDNF in
      this cell model showed that all 14 SNPs are in the same haplotype block. Strong
      signals of active histone H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K27ac modifications and P300
      binding were observed in osteoblasts, in the region surrounding the most
      significant SNP rs16917237, suggesting that this SNP might have a regulatory
      function in osteoblasts. Furthermore, analysis of genotype data of rs16917237 and
      BDNF expression in multiple tissues from GTEx showed that rs16917237 SNP could
      significantly affect the expression of BDNF in 11 tissues. Through analysis of
      the various BDNF pathways, we showed that BDNF participates in the MAPK pathway,
      which is a vital and well-established pathway affecting osteoblasts proliferation
      and differentiation. siRNA knock down of BDNF significantly decreased the mRNA
      and protein levels of CREB, which is important in the MAPK pathway in osteoblast
      differentiation. These findings suggest that BDNF might affect osteoblast
      differentiation via regulation of CREB expression. In conclusion, our results
      from combined genetic association and functional analyses show that BDNF is a
      vital osteoporosis susceptibility gene, which can affect BMD not only in Chinese
      Han but also likely in other populations.

PMID- 28903901
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of the GST gene family in Gossypium hirsutum L.
AB  - Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) is a ubiquitous multi-functional protein
      superfamily that plays important roles in plant primary and secondary metabolism,
      stress and intercellular signal transduction. Concomitantly, it also functions as
      a ligand in the metabolism of plant hormones and substance transport. In order to
      understand the GST gene family in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), herein
      we analyzed the species, evolutionary relationship, physical location, gene
      structure, conserved motifs and expression patterns. We identified 70 GST genes
      in the whole genome of upland cotton, and divided them into U, F, T, Z, EF1Bgamma
      and TCHQD groups by phylogenetic tree and gene structure analyses. The gene
      mapping analysis indicated that the GST genes were on every chromosome except
      chromosome AD/At2, AD/At4, AD/At5, AD/Dt5 and AD/Dt10. Moreover, the GST gene
      cluster appeared on four chromosomes (AD/At9, AD/Dt7, AD/Dt12 and AD/Dt13). qRT
      PCR assays showed that eight genes (GhGSTF2-9) were expressed in the root, stem,
      leave and fiber of different developmental stages while GhGSTF1 might be a
      pseudogene. Combining qRT-PCR and bioinformatic analysis, we speculated that
      GhGSTF8 might be involved in the transport and accumulation of
      proanthocyanidins/anthocyanins; GhGSTF4, 6 and 9 might play roles in regulating
      the growth and stress response of upland cotton; the function of GhGSTF2, 3, 5
      and 7 remains to be further investigated. Our work provides a theoretical basis
      for further studies on the molecular evolution and function of the GST gene
      family in upland cotton.

PMID- 28903902
TI  - Single-cell gene variation analysis method for single gland.
AB  - Single-cell analysis of heterogeneity has become the cutting-edge technology for
      profound understandings of relationships between cell populations. At present,
      common methods used in single cellular genomic research are mainly microfluidic
      technologies (Fluidigm) or based on microwells, both requiring a uniform size of
      cells at the entrance. However, the size of cells in specific tissues can vary
      from type to type. To address this issue, we need to establish a method to
      identify genomic features of individual cells of different sizes. In this paper,
      we developed a robust method in the analysis of single cellular genomic mutations
      among gastric tissues. Briefly, the single gastric gland was isolated from the
      whole tissue, and further enzymatically digested into single cells of various
      sizes by trypsin. These single cells were then spread on the polyethylene
      naphthalene slides and selected by the laser microdissection method. Whole genome
      amplification (WGA) and capillary electrophoresis were performed subsequently to
      detect single cell microsatellite. This method enabled us to detect the existence
      of microsatellite instability (MSI) of each single cell within the intestinal
      metaplasia, and to carry out a flexible and fine analysis of single cells with
      different sizes in tissues and glands. This reliable and practical method is well
      performed in both low and high-throughput genome analysis when combined with cell
      labeling methods, thus providing a novel and highly flexible way to study tissue
      heterogeneity on the single cell scale.

PMID- 28903903
TI  - Utilization of Caenorhabditis elegans in laboratory teaching of genetics.
AB  - Caenorhabditis elegans is one of the most important model organisms in the study
      of biology. It is ideal for laboratory teaching due to its short life cycle and
      low cost. It enriches the teaching content and can motivate students' interest of
      learning. In this article, we have shown cased C. elegans for the observation of
      life cycle and mating, as well as the investigation of single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) and RNA interfere. In addition, we also discuss the details of
      the experimental design, basic requirement, preparations and related information.
      We conclude that C. elegans can be used as the experimental materials for
      teaching college laboratory courses, such as genetic, cell biology, model biology
      and developmental biology.

PMID- 28903904
TI  - Insights of sex determination and differentiation from medaka as a teleost model.
AB  - The mechanisms of sex determination and differentiation in fish are highly
      divergent with a broad range of gonadal differentiation types from
      hermaphroditism to gonochorism. Multiple triggers regulate the process of sexual
      differentiation including genetic or environmental factors (temperature, light,
      hormones and/or pH value, etc.). In recent years, with the advances of molecular
      technologies and genetic engineering approaches, there are significant
      breakthroughs in identifying the master genes of vertebrate sex determination and
      differentiation. In this review, we explore the fundamental and molecular
      mechanisms underlying the sexual differentiation in teleost fish, using medaka
      (Oryzias latipes) as a model. We focus on the male pathways and factors,
      particularly on dmrt1, gsdf and amh genes involved in testicular differentiation,
      sexual reversal and plasticity. It is anticipated that new techniques will likely
      be developed in the field of sex manipulations and monosex breeding for fish
      aquaculture in the future.

PMID- 28903905
TI  - The pathogenicity of genomic/genetic variant of X-chromosomal genes in males with
      intellectual disability.
AB  - Intellectual Disability (ID, previously named mental retardation) is a group of
      common pediatric neurology disorders characterized by extensive genetic and
      phenotypic heterogeneity. About 25%-50% of ID was caused by genomic/genetic
      variants, in which genomic/genetic variants of X-chromosome are one of key
      pathogenic causation (25%-30%), resulting in X-linked ID (XLID). The
      epidemiological data showed that the male to female ratio is 1.3: 1 in ID
      patients. The prevalence of XLID in the whole ID population is 10%-15%, and this
      prevalence reaches 20%-25% in the male ID population. This sex-related
      differential proportion of ID may be attributed to hemizygosity of X chromosomes
      in males. A quick detection of genomic/genetic aberrations of X chromosome is
      feasible and available now due to the overwhelming development of next-generation
      genomic techniques and their clinical applications; in particular, whole exome
      sequencing, customer-designed whole genomic chip for the X chromosome, high
      density target sequencing and whole X chromosomal sequencing are used widely for
      clinical diagnosis. In this review, we systematically summarize the pathogenicity
      and characteristics of X-chromosomal genomic/genetic aberrations in the male
      patients with ID, and how the new technologies have been used to detect X
      chromosomal abnormalities. This review will help researchers understand the
      pathogenicity of X-chromosomal variations in male ID patients from the view of
      whole genome, refresh the knowledge about the genomic/genetic etiology of ID, and
      further provide a theoretical basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis
      in the future.

PMID- 28903906
TI  - The roles of Fanconi anemia genes in the regulation of follicle development.
AB  - Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare recessive autosomal or X-linked genetic disease
      caused by the mutations of the FA genes. The FA genes are involved in the
      homologous recombination repair processes of damaged interstrand crosslinks in
      DNA. Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is commonly observed in female FA
      patients and in mice of experimental FA models with serious deficiency of germ
      cells, suggesting that FA genes could play an important role(s) in follicle
      development in mammals. Studies have showed that FA genes play significant
      functions in promoting the proliferation of primordial germ cell, maintaining
      normal meiosis of the oocytes, participating in the gonadotropin regulation of
      oocytes and granular cell growth, and other aspects of regulation of follicular
      development. In this review, we summarize the roles and molecular mechanisms of
      FA genes in the development of mammalian follicle, which may provide some
      insights on the genetic basis for the etiology of POI.

PMID- 28903907
TI  - Research progress on genetic heterogeneity between primary and paired metastatic
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in China. A
      standard practice in treating metastatic CRC (mCRC) is to predict benefits of the
      anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody treatment based on the somatic mutation spectrum.
      Because metastatic samples are difficult to obtain clinically, primary tumors are
      normally used instead. However, due to the genetic heterogeneity between primary
      and paired metastatic tumors, primary site biopsy always underrepresents the
      mutational landscape of metastatic sites. Currently, the extent of genetic
      heterogeneity between primary and paired mCRC is still under debate. Here, we
      review comparative studies of primary and matched mCRC and discuss the underlying
      causes and potential strategies.

PMID- 28903908
TI  - Advances in genome-wide association studies for important traits in sheep and
      goats.
AB  - Genome-wide association study (GWAS), an effective strategy to identify genetic
      variants associated with complex traits, has been used to study candidate genes
      of economical traits in animals. With the recent completion of sheep and goat
      genomes, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips of different densities are
      developed and commercialized. All these advances have enlarged the collection of
      molecular markers and also shed new light on the genetics of traits of interest
      in sheep and goats. In this review, we focus on the adoption of GWAS for
      important traits in sheep and goats, such as horn types, wool, dairy, growth and
      meat, reproduction and disease types, etc., and summarize the populations, major
      statistical methods and results of the GWAS analysis. Moreover, we also discuss
      the current state of GWAS, aiming to provide a reference for further studies on
      the genetic background of the important traits of sheep and goats by GWAS.

PMID- 28903909
TI  - Identification of differentially expressed genes between subcutaneous and
      intramuscular adipose tissue of Large White pig using RNA-seq.
AB  - To explore the molecular mechanisms of lipid accumulation in different types of
      adipose tissue, the transcriptomes of the subcutaneous and intramuscular adipose
      tissues from the Large White pig were determined using RNA-seq technology and
      bioinformatics methods. The differential gene expression profiles were identified
      and analyzed with the Gene Ontology, KEGG pathway and protein-protein interaction
      network strategies. There were 180 differentially expressed genes between the two
      adipose tissues. The genes up-regulated in the subcutaneous, as compared to
      intramuscular, adipose tissues were mainly involved in the biological processes
      related to lipid metabolism. The down-regulated genes were significantly enriched
      in MAPK signaling pathway, suggesting that this signaling pathway could have an
      important regulatory role(s) in adipocyte differentiation. In summary,
      differentially expressed genes between the subcutaneous and intramuscular adipose
      tissues were predominantly involved in lipid metabolism/accumulation and
      regulation of adipogenesis in the Large White pig.

PMID- 28903910
TI  - Genome-wide identification, subcellular localization and gene expression analysis
      of the members of CESA gene family in common tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.).
AB  - Cellulose-synthase proteins (CESAs) are membrane localized proteins and they form
      protein complexes to produce cellulose in the plasma membrane. CESA proteins play
      very important roles in cell wall construction during plant growth and
      development. In this study, a total of 21 NtCESA gene sequences were identified
      by using PF03552 conserved protein sequence and 10 AtCESA protein sequences of
      Arabidopsis thaliana to blast against the common tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)
      genome database with TBLASTN protocol. We analyzed the physical and chemical
      properties of protein sequences based on some software or on-line analysis tools.
      The results showed that there were no significant variances in terms of the
      physical and chemical properties of the 21 NtCESA proteins. First, phylogenetic
      tree analysis showed that 21 NtCESA genes and 10 AtCESA genes were clustered into
      five groups, and the gene structures were similar among the genes that are
      clustered into the same group. Second, in all of the 21 NtCESA proteins the
      conserved zinc finger domain was identified in the N-terminus, transmembrane
      domains were identified in the C-terminus and the DDD-QXXRW conserved domains
      were also identified. Third, gene expression analysis results indicated that most
      NtCESA genes were expressed in roots and leaves of seedling or mature tissues of
      tobacco, seeds and callus tissues. The genes that clustered into the same group
      share similar expression patterns. Importantly, NtCESA proteins that are involved
      in secondary cell wall cellulose synthesis have two extra transmembrane domains
      compared with that involved in primary cell wall cellulose biosynthesis. In
      addition, subcellular localization results showed that NtCESA9 and NtCESA14 were
      two plasma membrane anchored proteins. This study will lay a foundation for
      further functional characterization of these NtCESA genes.

PMID- 28903911
TI  - A visual multiplex PCR microchip with easy sample loading.
AB  - There is an urgent demand for affordable, rapid and easy-to-use technology to
      simultaneously detect many different DNA targets within one reaction.
      Conventional multiplex PCR is an effective methodology to simultaneously amplify
      different DNA targets. However, its multiplicity is limited due to the intrinsic
      interference and competition among primer pairs within one tube. Here, we present
      an easy multiplex PCR microchip system, which can simultaneously detect 54
      targets. The design of the microchip is quite simple. There is a microchannel
      connected with multiple underlying parallel microwells. And every microchannel
      has an inlet/outlet for loading PCRmix. The surface of the microchannel is
      hydrophobic and the inner surface of the microwell is hydrophilic, which enables
      us to load and separate the PCRmix into different microwells simultaneously.
      Different primer pairs and low melting agarose are pre-fixed in different
      microwells, and the microchip is assembled with top glass. The PCRmix is loaded
      into inlets and then mineral oil is sequentially pipetted into channels to push
      the PCRmix into all microwells and subsequently mineral oil fills the channels to
      avoid cross contaminations. After the PCRmix is loaded, it would be placed on a
      plat thermal cycler for PCR. During PCR, the low melting gel in the well is
      liquid and after PCR it would be solidified due to temperature changes. When PCR
      is completed, a nucleic acid dye is introduced into channels and then results are
      visualized by a home-made, potable UV detector. In our platform we successfully
      detected seven frequently used targets of genetically modified (GM) organisms.
      The results demonstrate that our platform has high flexibility and specificity.
      Due to the excellent performance of this technology, we believe that it can be
      applied to multiple nucleic acid detection fields including GM organisms.

PMID- 28903912
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28903913
TI  - Hurricane Harvey and pharmacy's call to action.

PMID- 28903914
TI  - Long-term treatment with the ghrelin receptor antagonist [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6 does not
      improve glucose homeostasis in nonobese diabetic MKR mice.
AB  - Long-term treatment with the ghrelin receptor antagonist [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6 does not
      improve glucose homeostasis in nonobese diabetic MKR mice. Am J Physiol Regul
      Integr Comp Physiol 314: R71-R83, 2018. First published September 13, 2017; doi:
      10.1152/ajpregu.00157.2017 .-Ghrelin secretion has been associated with increased
      caloric intake and adiposity. The expressions of ghrelin and its receptor (GHS
      R1a) in the pancreas has raised the interest about the role of ghrelin in glucose
      homeostasis. Most of the studies showed that ghrelin promoted hyperglycemia and
      inhibited insulin secretion. This raised the interest in using GHS-R1a
      antagonists as therapeutic targets for type 2 diabetes. Available data of GHS-R
      antagonists are on a short-term basis. Moreover, the complexity of GHS-R1a
      signaling makes it difficult to understand the mechanism of action of GHS-R1a
      antagonists. This study examined the possible effects of long-term treatment with
      a GHS-R1a antagonist, [d-Lys3]-growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP)-6, on
      glucose homeostasis, food intake, and indirect calorimetric parameters in
      nonobese diabetic MKR mice. Our results showed that [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6 (200
      nmol/mouse) reduced pulsatile growth hormone secretion and body fat mass as
      expected but worsened glucose and insulin intolerances and increased cumulative
      food intake unexpectedly. In addition, a significant increase in blood glucose
      and decreases in plasma insulin and C-peptide levels were observed in MKR mice
      following long-term [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6 treatment, suggesting a direct inhibition of
      insulin secretion. Immunofluorescence staining of pancreatic islets showed a
      proportional increase in somatostatin-positive cells and a decrease in insulin
      positive cells in [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6-treated mice. Furthermore, [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6
      stimulated food intake on long-term treatment via reduction of
      proopiomelanocortin gene expression and antagonized GH secretion via reduced
      growth hormone-releasing hormone gene expression in hypothalamus. These results
      demonstrate that [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6 is not completely opposite to ghrelin and may
      not be a treatment option for type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 28903916
TI  - Beating type 2 diabetes into remission.

PMID- 28903917
TI  - Screening for glaucoma using intraocular pressure alone.

PMID- 28903915
TI  - Obesity modulates diaphragm curvature in subjects with and without COPD.
AB  - Obesity is a common comorbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
      and has been associated with worse outcomes. However, it is unknown whether the
      interaction between obesity and COPD modulates diaphragm shape and consequently
      its function. The body mass index (BMI) has been used as a correlate of obesity.
      We tested the hypothesis that the shape of the diaphragm muscle and size of the
      ring of its insertion in non-COPD and COPD subjects are modulated by BMI. We
      recruited 48 COPD patients with postbronchiodilator forced expiratory volume in 1
      s (FEV1)-to-forced vital capacity (FVC) < 0.7 and 29 age-matched smoker/exsmoker
      control (non-COPD) subjects, who underwent chest computed tomography (CT) at lung
      volumes ranging from functional residual capacity (FRC) to total lung capacity
      (TLC). We then computed maximum principal diaphragm curvature in the midcostal
      region of the left hemidiaphragm at the end of inspiration during quiet breathing
      (EI) and at TLC. The radius of maximum curvature of diaphragm muscle increased
      with BMI in both COPD and non-COPD subjects. The size of diaphragm ring of
      insertion on the chest wall also increased significantly with increasing BMI.
      Surprisingly, COPD severity did not appear to cause significant alteration in
      diaphragm shape except in normal-weight subjects at TLC. Our data uncovered
      important factors such as BMI, the size of the diaphragm ring of insertion, and
      disease severity that modulate the structure of the ventilatory pump in non-COPD
      and COPD subjects.

PMID- 28903919
TI  - Mary Black: Likely to change the rules.

PMID- 28903918
TI  - (Pro)renin receptor mediates albumin-induced cellular responses: role of site-1
      protease-derived soluble (pro)renin receptor in renal epithelial cells.
AB  - Proteinuria is a characteristic of chronic kidney disease and also a causative
      factor that promotes the disease progression, in part, via activation of the
      intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS). (Pro)renin receptor (PRR), a newly
      discovered component of the RAS, binds renin and (pro)renin to promote
      angiotensin I generation. The present study was performed to test the role of
      soluble PRR (sPRR) in albumin overload-induced responses in cultured human renal
      proximal tubular cell line human kidney 2 (HK-2) cells. Bovine serum albmuin
      (BSA) treatment for 24 h at 20 mg/ml induced renin activity and inflammation,
      both of which were attenuated by a PRR decoy inhibitor PRO20. BSA treatment
      induced a more than fivefold increase in medium sPRR due to enhanced cleavage of
      PRR. Surprisingly, this cleavage event was unaffected by inhibition of furin or a
      disintegrin and metalloproteinase 19. Screening for a novel cleavage enzyme led
      to the identification of site-1 protease (S1P). Inhibition of S1P with PF-429242
      or siRNA remarkably suppressed BSA-induced sPRR production, renin activity, and
      inflammatory response. Administration of a recombinant sPRR, termed sPRR-His,
      reversed the effects of S1P inhibition. In HK-2 cells overexpressing PRR,
      mutagenesis of the S1P, but not furin cleavage site, reduced sPRR levels.
      Together, these results suggest that PRR mediates albumin-induced cellular
      responses through S1P-derived sPRR.

PMID- 28903920
TI  - Should Google offer an online screening test for depression?

PMID- 28903921
TI  - Opioid prescriptions in England doubled over 12 years, study shows.

PMID- 28903923
TI  - Violent crime at GP surgeries is on the rise, figures show.

PMID- 28903922
TI  - Risk of relapse after antidepressant discontinuation in anxiety disorders,
      obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder: systematic
      review and meta-analysis of relapse prevention trials.
AB  - Objectives To examine the risk of relapse and time to relapse after
      discontinuation of antidepressants in patients with anxiety disorder who
      responded to antidepressants, and to explore whether relapse risk is related to
      type of anxiety disorder, type of antidepressant, mode of discontinuation,
      duration of treatment and follow-up, comorbidity, and allowance of
      psychotherapy.Design Systematic review and meta-analyses of relapse prevention
      trials.Data sources PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and clinical trial registers (from
      inception to July 2016).Study selection Eligible studies included patients with
      anxiety disorder who responded to antidepressants, randomised patients double
      blind to either continuing antidepressants or switching to placebo, and compared
      relapse rates or time to relapse.Data extraction Two independent raters selected
      studies and extracted data. Random effect models were used to estimate odds
      ratios for relapse, hazard ratios for time to relapse, and relapse prevalence per
      group. The effect of various categorical and continuous variables was explored
      with subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses respectively. Bias was
      assessed using the Cochrane tool.Results The meta-analysis included 28 studies
      (n=5233) examining relapse with a maximum follow-up of one year. Across studies,
      risk of bias was considered low. Discontinuation increased the odds of relapse
      compared with continuing antidepressants (summary odds ratio 3.11, 95% confidence
      interval 2.48 to 3.89). Subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses showed no
      statistical significance. Time to relapse (n=3002) was shorter when
      antidepressants were discontinued (summary hazard ratio 3.63, 2.58 to 5.10; n=11
      studies). Summary relapse prevalences were 36.4% (30.8% to 42.1%; n=28 studies)
      for the placebo group and 16.4% (12.6% to 20.1%; n=28 studies) for the
      antidepressant group, but prevalence varied considerably across studies, most
      likely owing to differences in the length of follow-up. Dropout was higher in the
      placebo group (summary odds ratio 1.31, 1.06 to 1.63; n=27 studies).Conclusions
      Up to one year of follow-up, discontinuation of antidepressant treatment results
      in higher relapse rates among responders compared with treatment continuation.
      The lack of evidence after a one year period should not be interpreted as
      explicit advice to discontinue antidepressants after one year. Given the
      chronicity of anxiety disorders, treatment should be directed by long term
      considerations, including relapse prevalence, side effects, and patients'
      preferences.

PMID- 28903925
TI  - Brenda Fitzgerald: Trump's public health chief wants to partner with industry.

PMID- 28903926
TI  - Working when exhausted is unacceptable.

PMID- 28903924
TI  - Multivariate and network meta-analysis of multiple outcomes and multiple
      treatments: rationale, concepts, and examples.

PMID- 28903927
TI  - Patient Commentary: Online screening for depression-old (paternalistic) wine in
      new (digital) bottles.

PMID- 28903928
TI  - Allergan transfers Restasis patent to Mohawk tribe to deter challenges from
      generics.

PMID- 28903929
TI  - What it feels like to have a facial disfigurement.

PMID- 28903930
TI  - Generations of care.

PMID- 28903931
TI  - When doctors disagree, how do patients decide?

PMID- 28903932
TI  - NHS is warned to be on high alert for flu this winter.

PMID- 28903933
TI  - Antibiotics are recommended in preterm labour to stop group B streptococcal
      transmission.

PMID- 28903934
TI  - STP savings plans are "not credible," think tanks warn.

PMID- 28903935
TI  - Glaucoma and intraocular pressure in EPIC-Norfolk Eye Study: cross sectional
      study.
AB  - Objectives To report the distribution of intraocular pressure (IOP) by age and
      sex and the prevalence of glaucoma.Design Community based cross sectional
      observational study.Setting EPIC-Norfolk cohort in Norwich and the surrounding
      rural and urban areas.Participants 8623 participants aged 48-92 recruited from
      the community who underwent ocular examination to identify glaucoma.Main outcome
      measures Prevalence and characteristics of glaucoma, distribution of IOP, and the
      sensitivity and specificity of IOP for case finding for glaucoma.Results The mean
      IOP in 8401 participants was 16.3 mm Hg (95% confidence interval 16.2 mm Hg to
      16.3 mm Hg; SD 3.6 mm Hg). In 363 participants (4%), glaucoma was present in
      either eye; 314 (87%) had primary open angle glaucoma. In the remaining
      participants, glaucoma was suspected in 607 (7%), and 863 (10.0%) had ocular
      hypertension. Two thirds (242) of those with glaucoma had previously already
      received the diagnosis. In 76% of patients with newly diagnosed primary open
      angle glaucoma (83/107), the mean IOP was under the threshold for ocular
      hypertension (21 mm Hg). No one IOP threshold provided adequately high
      sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of glaucoma.Conclusions In this British
      community, cases of glaucoma, suspected glaucoma, and ocular hypertension
      represent a large number of potential referrals to the hospital eye service. The
      use of IOP for detection of those with glaucoma is inaccurate and probably not
      viable.

PMID- 28903936
TI  - Aortic Valve Stenosis Alters Expression of Regional Aortic Wall Shear Stress: New
      Insights From a 4-Dimensional Flow Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of 571
      Subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wall shear stress (WSS) is a stimulus for vessel wall remodeling.
      Differences in ascending aorta (AAo) hemodynamics have been reported between
      bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve patients with aortic
      dilatation, but the confounding impact of aortic valve stenosis (AS) is unknown.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-one subjects underwent 4-dimensional
      flow magnetic resonance imaging in the thoracic aorta (210 right-left BAV cusp
      fusions, 60 right-noncoronary BAV cusp fusions, 245 tricuspid aortic valve
      patients with aortic dilatation, and 56 healthy controls). There were 166 of 515
      (32%) patients with AS. WSS atlases were created to quantify group-specific WSS
      patterns in the AAo as a function of AS severity. In BAV patients without AS, the
      different cusp fusion phenotypes resulted in distinct differences in eccentric
      WSS elevation: right-left BAV patients exhibited increased WSS by 9% to 34%
      (P<0.001) at the aortic root and along the entire outer curvature of the AAo
      whereas right-noncoronary BAV patients showed 30% WSS increase (P<0.001) at the
      distal portion of the AAo. WSS in tricuspid aortic valve patients with aortic
      dilatation patients with no AS was significantly reduced by 21% to 33% (P<0.01)
      in 4 of 6 AAo regions. In all patient groups, mild, moderate, and severe AS
      resulted in a marked increase in regional WSS (P<0.001). Moderate-to-severe AS
      further increased WSS magnitude and variability in the AAo. Differences between
      valve phenotypes were no longer apparent. CONCLUSIONS: AS significantly alters
      aortic hemodynamics and WSS independent of aortic valve phenotype and over-rides
      previously described flow patterns associated with BAV and tricuspid aortic valve
      with aortic dilatation. Severity of AS must be considered when investigating
      valve-mediated aortopathy.

PMID- 28903937
TI  - Ectopic Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 4 Expression in the Vascular Endothelium is
      Involved in Neointima Formation After Vascular Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) is expressed in adipocytes,
      macrophages, and endothelial cells of capillaries but not arteries. FABP4 is
      secreted from adipocytes in association with lipolysis, and an elevated
      circulating FABP4 level is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and
      atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the link between FABP4 and
      endovascular injury. We investigated the involvement of ectopic FABP4 expression
      in endothelial cells in neointima hyperplasia after vascular injury. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Femoral arteries of 8-week-old male mice were subjected to wire-induced
      vascular injury. After 4 weeks, immunofluorescence staining showed that FABP4 was
      ectopically expressed in endothelial cells of the hyperplastic neointima.
      Neointima formation determined by intima area and intima to media ratio was
      significantly decreased in FABP4-defficient mice compared with that in wild-type
      mice. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of FABP4 in human coronary artery
      endothelial cells (HCAECs) in vitro increased inflammatory cytokines and
      decreased phosphorylation of nitric oxide synthase 3. Furthermore, FABP4 was
      secreted from HCAECs. Treatment of human coronary smooth muscle cells or HCAECs
      with the conditioned medium of Fabp4-overexpressed HCAECs or recombinant FABP4
      significantly increased gene expression of inflammatory cytokines and
      proliferation- and adhesion-related molecules in cells, promoted cell
      proliferation and migration of human coronary smooth muscle cells, and decreased
      phosphorylation of nitric oxide synthase 3 in HCAECs, which were attenuated in
      the presence of an anti-FABP4 antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Ectopic expression and
      secretion of FABP4 in vascular endothelial cells contribute to neointima
      formation after vascular injury. Suppression of ectopic FABP4 in the vascular
      endothelium would be a novel strategy against post-angioplasty vascular
      restenosis.

PMID- 28903938
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation in Acute Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Autonomic Nervous Mechanism
      and Modulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) induced by obstructive
      sleep apnea (OSA) are not completely understood. This study investigated the
      roles of the intrinsic and extrinsic cardiac autonomic nervous system in OSA
      induced AF and provided noninvasive autonomic nervous modulation for the
      suppression of OSA-induced AF by using low-level transcutaneous electrical
      stimulation (LL-TS) of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve at the tragus.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighteen dogs received tracheostomy under general anesthesia
      and were randomly divided into 3 groups: the OSA group (OSA was simulated via
      clamping of the endotracheal tube at end expiration for 1.5 minutes every 10
      minutes, n=6), the LL-TS + OSA group (simulated OSA plus LL-TS, at 80% of the
      slowing sinus rate, n=6), and the control group (sham surgery without
      stimulation, n=6). The effective refractory period was significantly shortened
      after 1 hour of simulated OSA, and the window of vulnerability and plasma
      norepinephrine levels were both markedly increased in the OSA group. OSA
      dramatically increased the neural function and activity of the intrinsic and
      extrinsic cardiac autonomic nervous system, including the superior left
      ganglionated plexus, the left stellate ganglion, and the left renal sympathetic
      nerve. OSA also significantly upregulated the expression levels of c-fos and
      nerve growth factor in the superior left ganglionated plexus and the left
      stellate ganglion. However, LL-TS markedly improved these parameters.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the intrinsic and extrinsic cardiac
      autonomic nervous system plays crucial roles in the acute stage of OSA-induced
      AF. Noninvasive LL-TS suppressed shortening of atrial refractoriness and
      autonomic remodeling, which prevented OSA-induced AF.

PMID- 28903939
TI  - Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Versus Optimal Medical Therapy for Chronic
      Total Coronary Occlusion With Well-Developed Collaterals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on chronic
      total occlusion in patients with well-developed collaterals is not clear. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: A total of 640 chronic total occlusion patients with collateral flow
      grade >=2 were divided into 2 groups; chronic total occlusion patients either
      treated with PCI (the PCI group; n=305) or optimal medical therapy (the optimal
      medical therapy group; n=335). To adjust for potential confounders, a propensity
      score matching analysis was performed. Major clinical outcomes were compared
      between the 2 groups up to 5 years. In the entire population, the PCI group had a
      lower hazard of myocardial infarction (hazard ratio [HR], 0.177; P=0.039; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.91) and the composite of total death or
      myocardial infarction (HR, 0.298; P=0.017; 95% CI, 0.11-0.80); however, it showed
      higher hazard of target lesion revascularization (HR, 3.942; P=0.003; 95% CI,
      1.58-9.81) and target vessel revascularization (HR, 4.218; P=0.001; 95% CI, 1.85
      9.60). After propensity score matching, a total of 158 matched pairs were
      generated. Although the PCI group showed a higher hazard of target lesion
      revascularization (HR, 2.868; P=0.027; 95% CI, 1.13-7.31) and target vessel
      revascularization (HR=2.62; P=0.022; 95% CI, 1.15-5.97), it still exhibited a
      lower incidence of the composite of total death or myocardial infarction (HR,
      0.263; P=0.017; 95% CI, 0.087-0.790). The mean ejection fraction was improved
      from 47.8% to 51.6% (P<0.001) after PCI. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, successful
      revascularization by PCI for chronic total occlusion lesions with well-developed
      collaterals was associated with lower incidence of death and myocardial
      infarction, improved left ventricular function, but increased repeat
      revascularization rate.

PMID- 28903940
TI  - Secondary Open Aortic Procedure Following Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair:
      Meta-Analytic State of the Art.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is characterized by a substantial
      need for reintervention. Secondary open aortic procedure becomes necessary when
      further endoluminal options are exhausted. This synopsis and quantitative
      analysis of available evidence aims to overcome the limitations of institutional
      cohort reports on secondary open aortic procedure. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Electronic databases were searched from 1994 to the present date with a
      prospectively registered protocol. Pooled quantification of pre/intraoperative
      variables, and proportional meta-analysis with random effect model of early and
      midterm outcomes were performed. Subgroup analysis was conducted for patients who
      had early mortality. Fifteen studies were elected for final analysis,
      encompassing 330 patients. The following values are expressed as "pooled mean,
      95% confidence interval." Type B dissection was the most common pathology at
      index thoracic endovascular aortic repair (51.2%, 44.4-57.9). The most frequent
      indication for secondary open aortic procedure was endoleak (39.7%, 34.6-45.1).
      More than half of patients had surgery on the descending aorta (51.2%, 45.8
      56.6), and one fourth on the arch (25.2%, 20.8-30.1). Operative mortality was
      10.6% (7.4-14.9). Neurological morbidity was substantial between stroke (5.1%,
      2.8-9.1) and paraplegia (8.3%, 5.2-13.1). At 2-year follow-up, mortality (20.4%,
      11.5-33.5) and aortic adverse event (aortic death 7.7%, 4.3-13.3, tertiary aortic
      open procedure 7.4%, 4.0-13.2) were not negligible. CONCLUSIONS: In the secondary
      open aortic procedure population, type B dissection was both the most common
      pathology and the one associated with the lowest early mortality, whereas aortic
      infection and extra-anatomical bypass were associated with the most ominous
      prognosis.

PMID- 28903941
TI  - Increased Hazard of Myocardial Infarction With Insulin-Provision Therapy in
      Actively Smoking Patients With Diabetes Mellitus and Stable Ischemic Heart
      Disease: The BARI 2D (Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2
      Diabetes) Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the BARI 2D (Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2
      Diabetes) trial, randomization of diabetic patients with stable ischemic heart
      disease to insulin provision (IP) therapy, as opposed to insulin sensitization
      (IS) therapy, resulted in biochemical evidence of impaired fibrinolysis but no
      increase in adverse clinical outcomes. We hypothesized that the prothrombotic
      effect of IP therapy in combination with the hypercoagulable state induced by
      active smoking would result in an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI).
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed BARI 2D patients who were active smokers
      randomized to IP or IS therapy. The primary end point was fatal or nonfatal MI.
      PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1) activity was analyzed at 1, 3, and 5
      years. Of 295 active smokers, MI occurred in 15.4% randomized to IP and in 6.8%
      randomized to IS over the 5.3 years (P=0.023). IP therapy was associated with a
      3.2-fold increase in the hazard of MI compared with IS therapy (hazard ratio:
      3.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.43-7.28; P=0.005). Baseline PAI-1 activity (19.0
      versus 17.5 Au/mL, P=0.70) was similar in actively smoking patients randomized to
      IP or IS therapy. However, IP therapy resulted in significantly increased PAI-1
      activity at 1 year (23.0 versus 16.0 Au/mL, P=0.001), 3 years (24.0 versus 18.0
      Au/mL, P=0.049), and 5 years (29.0 versus 15.0 Au/mL, P=0.004) compared with IS
      therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Among diabetic patients with stable ischemic heart disease
      who were actively smoking, IP therapy was independently associated with a
      significantly increased hazard of MI. This finding may be explained by higher PAI
      1 activity in active smokers treated with IP therapy. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00006305.

PMID- 28903942
TI  - WIP deficiency severely affects human lymphocyte architecture during migration
      and synapse assembly.

PMID- 28903943
TI  - Therapeutic potential of SGN-CD19B, a PBD-based anti-CD19 drug conjugate, for
      treatment of B-cell malignancies.
AB  - Patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies such as non-Hodgkin
      lymphoma (B-NHL) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia have a poor prognosis. Despite
      measurable clinical activity with new targeted therapies, many patients do not
      achieve a complete or durable response suggesting an opportunity to improve upon
      existing therapies. Here we describe SGN-CD19B, a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD)
      based anti-CD19 antibody drug conjugate (ADC) being investigated for treatment of
      B-cell malignancies, which has improved potency compared with other ADCs. CD19
      expressing tumor cells rapidly internalize SGN-CD19B, and the released PBD drug
      induces DNA damage, resulting in G2/M cell cycle arrest and cell death. SGN-CD19B
      demonstrated activity against a broad panel of malignant B-cell lines and induced
      durable regressions in mice bearing xenografts derived from these B-cell
      malignancies. A single dose of SGN-CD19B induced durable regressions at 300
      MUg/kg (3 MUg/kg drug equivalents); combination with rituximab decreased the
      curative dose to 100 MUg/kg (1 MUg/kg drug equivalents). These doses are
      significantly lower than the level of drug required with other ADC payloads. In
      cynomolgus monkeys, SGN-CD19B effectively depleted CD20+ B lymphocytes in
      peripheral blood and lymphoid tissues confirming that SGN-CD19B is
      pharmacodynamically active at well-tolerated doses. In summary, preclinical
      studies show SGN-CD19B is a highly active ADC, which releases a DNA cross-linking
      agent rather than a microtubule inhibitor. The distinct mechanism of action,
      broad potency, and potential to combine with rituximab suggest that SGN-CD19B may
      offer unique clinical opportunities in B-cell malignancies. A phase 1 clinical
      trial is in progress to investigate the therapeutic potential of SGN-CD19B in
      relapsed/refractory B-NHL. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as
      #NCT02702141.

PMID- 28903945
TI  - Complement C5a receptors C5L2 and C5aR in renal fibrosis.
AB  - Complement factor C5a has two known receptors, C5aR, which mediates
      proinflammatory effects, and C5L2, a potential C5a decoy receptor. We previously
      identified C5a/C5aR signaling as a potent profibrotic pathway in the kidney. Here
      we tested for the first time the role of C5L2 in renal fibrosis. In unilateral
      ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced kidney fibrosis, the expression of C5aR and
      C5L2 increased similarly and gradually as fibrosis progressed and was
      particularly prominent in injured dilated tubules. Genetic deficiency of either
      C5aR or C5L2 significantly reduced UUO-induced tubular injury. Expression of key
      proinflammatory mediators, however, significantly increased in C5L2- compared
      with C5aR-deficient mice, but this had no effect on the number of renal
      infiltrating macrophages or T cells. Moreover, in C5L2-/- mice, the cytokine and
      matrix metalloproteinase-inhibitor tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1
      was specifically enhanced. Consequently, in C5L2-/- mice the degree of renal
      fibrosis was similar to wild type (WT), albeit with reduced mRNA expression of
      some fibrosis-related genes. In contrast, C5aR-/- mice had significantly reduced
      renal fibrosis compared with WT and C5L2-/- mice in UUO. In vitro experiments
      with primary tubular cells demonstrated that deficiency for either C5aR or C5L2
      led to a significantly reduced expression of tubular injury and fibrosis markers.
      Vice versa, stimulation of WT tubular cells with C5a significantly induced the
      expression of these markers, whereas the absence of either receptor abolished
      this induction. In conclusion, in experimental renal fibrosis C5L2 and C5aR both
      contribute to tubular injury, and, while C5aR acts profibrotic, C5L2 does not
      play a role in extracellular matrix accumulation, arguing against C5L2
      functioning simply as a decoy receptor.

PMID- 28903944
TI  - A dual role for the class III PI3K, Vps34, in platelet production and thrombus
      growth.
AB  - To uncover the role of Vps34, the sole class III phosphoinositide 3-kinase
      (PI3K), in megakaryocytes (MKs) and platelets, we created a mouse model with
      Vps34 deletion in the MK/platelet lineage (Pf4-Cre/Vps34lox/lox). Deletion of
      Vps34 in MKs led to the loss of its regulator protein, Vps15, and was associated
      with microthrombocytopenia and platelet granule abnormalities. Although Vps34
      deficiency did not affect MK polyploidisation or proplatelet formation, it
      dampened MK granule biogenesis and directional migration toward an SDF1alpha
      gradient, leading to ectopic platelet release within the bone marrow. In MKs, the
      level of phosphatidylinositol 3-monophosphate (PI3P) was significantly reduced by
      Vps34 deletion, resulting in endocytic/trafficking defects. In platelets, the
      basal level of PI3P was only slightly affected by Vps34 loss, whereas the
      stimulation-dependent pool of PI3P was significantly decreased. Accordingly, a
      significant increase in the specific activity of Vps34 lipid kinase was observed
      after acute platelet stimulation. Similar to Vps34-deficient platelets, ex vivo
      treatment of wild-type mouse or human platelets with the Vps34-specific
      inhibitors, SAR405 and VPS34-IN1, induced abnormal secretion and affected
      thrombus growth at arterial shear rate, indicating a role for Vps34 kinase
      activity in platelet activation, independent from its role in MKs. In vivo, Vps34
      deficiency had no impact on tail bleeding time, but significantly reduced
      platelet prothrombotic capacity after carotid injury. This study uncovers a dual
      role for Vps34 as a regulator of platelet production by MKs and as an unexpected
      regulator of platelet activation and arterial thrombus formation dynamics.

PMID- 28903947
TI  - Fight, flight or finished: forced fitness behaviours in Game of Thrones.

PMID- 28903946
TI  - PPARalpha agonist fenofibrate enhances fatty acid beta-oxidation and attenuates
      polycystic kidney and liver disease in mice.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is a nuclear hormone
      receptor that promotes fatty acid beta-oxidation (FAO) and oxidative
      phosphorylation (OXPHOS). We and others have recently shown that PPARalpha and
      its target genes are downregulated, and FAO and OXPHOS are impaired in autosomal
      dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, whether PPARalpha and
      FAO/OXPHOS are causally linked to ADPKD progression is not entirely clear. We
      report that expression of PPARalpha and FAO/OXPHOS genes is downregulated, and in
      vivo beta-oxidation rate of 3H-labeled triolein is reduced in Pkd1RC/RC mice, a
      slowly progressing orthologous model of ADPKD that closely mimics the human ADPKD
      phenotype. To evaluate the effects of upregulating PPARalpha, we conducted a 5
      mo, randomized, preclinical trial by treating Pkd1RC/RC mice with fenofibrate, a
      clinically available PPARalpha agonist. Fenofibrate treatment resulted in
      increased expression of PPARalpha and FAO/OXPHOS genes, upregulation of
      peroxisomal and mitochondrial biogenesis markers, and higher beta-oxidation rates
      in Pkd1RC/RC kidneys. MRI-assessed total kidney volume and total cyst volume,
      kidney-weight-to-body-weight ratio, cyst index, and serum creatinine levels were
      significantly reduced in fenofibrate-treated compared with untreated littermate
      Pkd1RC/RC mice. Moreover, fenofibrate treatment was associated with reduced
      kidney cyst proliferation and infiltration by inflammatory cells, including M2
      like macrophages. Finally, fenofibrate treatment also reduced bile duct cyst
      number, cyst proliferation, and liver inflammation and fibrosis. In conclusion,
      our studies suggest that promoting PPARalpha activity to enhance mitochondrial
      metabolism may be a useful therapeutic strategy for ADPKD.

PMID- 28903948
TI  - Bright spots, physical activity investments that work-Complete Streets:
      redesigning the built environment to promote health.

PMID- 28903950
TI  - Hearing the voices of children and young people to develop and test a patient
      reported experience measure in a specialist paediatric setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop and test patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) for
      children and young people in a specialist paediatric hospital setting. DESIGN:
      Six PREMs were developed and tested by children and young people for children and
      young people aged 8-11, 12-13 and 14-16 years in inpatient and outpatient
      settings. A week-long pilot was implemented across inpatient wards and outpatient
      clinics to identify facilitators and barriers to the routine use of PREMs in a
      real-time setting across our organisation. SETTING: Tertiary paediatric hospital.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Final PREMs; identified facilitators and barriers to
      implementation. PARTICIPANTS: 543 children and young people aged 8-16 years
      attending outpatient clinics or inpatient wards across a range of specialties.
      RESULTS: Three key themes about hospital experience were identified during focus
      groups: facilities, treatment and tests and people working at the hospital, and
      these provided the structure for the questionnaires. During cognitive testing the
      questionnaires were generally understood but some revisions to language and
      length of the questionnaires were required. Two designs were selected for the
      final PREMs. During acceptability and feasibility testing it was evident that
      children and young people liked the PREMs and wanted to give feedback on their
      hospital experience. Particular challenges for routine use of the PREMs focused
      on sustainability and resources. CONCLUSIONS: The new PREMs will provide children
      and young people receiving care in specialist paediatric hospitals with the
      opportunity to provide feedback on their experience. Sustainability and ensuring
      that feedback results in improvements need to be addressed in future work.

PMID- 28903949
TI  - Intramuscular tendon involvement on MRI has limited value for predicting time to
      return to play following acute hamstring injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hamstring injury with intramuscular tendon involvement is regarded as
      a serious injury with a delay in return to play (RTP) of more than 50 days and
      reinjury rates up to 63%. However, this reputation is based on retrospective case
      series with high risk of bias. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether intramuscular tendon
      involvement is associated with delayed RTP and elevated rates of reinjury.
      METHODS: MRI of male athletes with an acute hamstring injury was obtained within
      5 days of injury. Evaluation included standardised MRI scoring and scoring of
      intramuscular tendon involvement. Time to RTP and reinjury rate were
      prospectively recorded. RESULTS: Out of 70 included participants, intramuscular
      tendon disruption was present in 29 (41.4%) injuries. Injuries without
      intramuscular tendon disruption had a mean time to RTP of 22.2+/-7.4 days.
      Injuries with <50%, 50%-99% and 100% disruption of tendon cross-sectional area
      had a mean time to RTP of 24.0+/-9.7, 25.3+/-8.6 and 31.6+/-10.9 days,
      respectively. Injuries with full-thickness disruption took longer to RTP compared
      with injuries without disruption (p=0.025). Longitudinal intramuscular tendon
      disruption was not significantly associated with time to RTP. Waviness was
      present in 17 (24.3%) injuries. Mean time to RTP for injuries without and with
      waviness was 22.6+/-7.5 and 30.2+/-10.8 days (p=0.014). There were 11 (15.7%)
      reinjuries within 12 months, five (17.2%) in the group with intramuscular tendon
      disruption and six (14.6%) in the group without intramuscular tendon disruption.
      CONCLUSION: Time to RTP for injuries with full-thickness disruption of the
      intramuscular tendon and waviness is significantly longer (by slightly more than
      1 week) compared with injuries without intramuscular tendon involvement. However,
      due to the considerable overlap in time to RTP between groups with and without
      intramuscular tendon involvement, its clinical significance for the individual
      athlete is limited.

PMID- 28903951
TI  - Managing problematic severe asthma: beyond the guidelines.
AB  - This review discusses issues related to managing problematic severe asthma in
      children and young people. A small minority of children have genuinely severe
      asthma symptoms which are difficult to control. Children with genuinely severe
      asthma need investigations and treatments beyond those described within
      conventional guidelines. However, the majority of children with poor symptom
      control despite high-intensity treatment achieve improvement in their asthma
      control once attention has been paid to the basics of asthma management. Basic
      asthma management requires optimisation of inhaler technique and treatment
      adherence, avoidance of environmental triggers and self-management education. It
      is also important that clinicians recognise risk factors that predispose patients
      to asthma exacerbations and potentially life-threatening attacks. These
      correctable issues need to be tackled in partnership with children and young
      people and their families. This requires a coordinated approach between
      professionals across healthcare settings. Establishing appropriate infrastructure
      for coordinated asthma care benefits not only those with problematic severe
      asthma, but also the wider asthma population as similar correctable issues exist
      for children with asthma of all severities. Investigation and management of
      genuine severe asthma requires specialist multidisciplinary expertise and a
      systematic approach to characterising patients' asthma phenotypes and delivering
      individualised care. While inhaled corticosteroids continue to play a leading
      role in asthma therapy, new treatments on the horizon might further support
      phenotype-specific therapy.

PMID- 28903952
TI  - Humidified high-flow nasal cannula oxygen for bronchiolitis: should we go with
      the flow?

PMID- 28903953
TI  - Looking after each other when a child dies.

PMID- 28903954
TI  - Quantity and source of dietary protein influence metabolite production by gut
      microbiota and rectal mucosa gene expression: a randomized, parallel, double
      blind trial in overweight humans.
AB  - Background: Although high-protein diets (HPDs) are frequently consumed for body
      weight control, little is known about the consequences for gut microbiota
      composition and metabolic activity and for large intestine mucosal homeostasis.
      Moreover, the effects of HPDs according to the source of protein need to be
      considered in this context.Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate
      the effects of the quantity and source of dietary protein on microbiota
      composition, bacterial metabolite production, and consequences for the large
      intestinal mucosa in humans.Design: A randomized, double-blind, parallel-design
      trial was conducted in 38 overweight individuals who received a 3-wk isocaloric
      supplementation with casein, soy protein, or maltodextrin as a control. Fecal and
      rectal biopsy-associated microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S ribosomal DNA
      sequencing. Fecal, urinary, and plasma metabolomes were assessed by 1H-nuclear
      magnetic resonance. Mucosal transcriptome in rectal biopsies was determined with
      the use of microarrays.Results: HPDs did not alter the microbiota composition,
      but induced a shift in bacterial metabolism toward amino acid degradation with
      different metabolite profiles according to the protein source. Correlation
      analysis identified new potential bacterial taxa involved in amino acid
      degradation. Fecal water cytotoxicity was not modified by HPDs, but was
      associated with a specific microbiota and bacterial metabolite profile. Casein
      and soy protein HPDs did not induce inflammation, but differentially modified the
      expression of genes playing key roles in homeostatic processes in rectal mucosa,
      such as cell cycle or cell death.Conclusions: This human intervention study shows
      that the quantity and source of dietary proteins act as regulators of gut
      microbiota metabolite production and host gene expression in the rectal mucosa,
      raising new questions on the impact of HPDs on the large intestine mucosa
      homeostasis. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02351297.

PMID- 28903956
TI  - Closer to clarity on the effect of lipid consumption on fat-soluble vitamin and
      carotenoid absorption: do we need to close in further?

PMID- 28903955
TI  - In the elderly, meat protein assimilation from rare meat is lower than that from
      meat that is well done.
AB  - Background: Meat cooking conditions in in vitro and in vivo models have been
      shown to influence the rate of protein digestion, which is known to affect
      postprandial protein metabolism in the elderly.Objective: The present study was
      conducted to demonstrate the effect of cooking conditions on meat protein
      assimilation in the elderly. We used a single-meal protocol to assess the meat
      protein absorption rate and estimate postprandial meat protein utilization in
      elderly subjects.Design: The study recruited 10 elderly volunteers aged 70-82 y.
      Each received, on 2 separate occasions, a test meal exclusively composed of
      intrinsically 15N-labeled bovine meat (30 g protein), cooked at 55 degrees C for
      5 min [rare meat (RM)] or at 90 degrees C for 30 min [fully cooked meat (FCM)],
      and minced. Whole-body fluxes of leucine, before and after the meal, were
      determined with the use of a [1-13C]leucine intravenous infusion. Meat protein
      absorption was recorded with the use of 15N enrichment of amino acids.Results:
      Postprandial time course observations showed a lower concentration in the plasma
      of indispensable amino acids (P < 0.01), a lower entry rate of meat leucine in
      the plasma (P < 0.01), and a lower contribution of meat nitrogen to plasma amino
      acid nitrogen (P < 0.001), evidencing lower peripheral bioavailability of meat
      amino acids with RM than with FCM. This was associated with decreased
      postprandial whole-body protein synthesis with RM than with FCM (40% compared
      with 56% of leucine intake, respectively; P < 0.01).Conclusions: Whereas meat
      cooking conditions have little effect on postprandial protein utilization in
      young adults, the present work showed that the bioavailability and assimilation
      of meat amino acids in the elderly is lower when meat is poorly cooked. In view
      to preventing sarcopenia, elderly subjects should be advised to favor the
      consumption of well-cooked meat. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov
      as NCT02157805.

PMID- 28903958
TI  - Can changes in the plasma lipidome help explain the cardiovascular benefits of
      the Mediterranean diet?

PMID- 28903957
TI  - Within-day protein distribution does not influence body composition responses
      during weight loss in resistance-training adults who are overweight.
AB  - Background: Emerging research suggests that redistributing total protein intake
      from 1 high-protein meal/d to multiple moderately high-protein meals improves 24
      h muscle protein synthesis. Over time, this may promote positive changes in body
      composition.Objective: We sought to assess the effects of within-day protein
      intake distribution on changes in body composition during dietary energy
      restriction and resistance training.Design: In a randomized parallel-design
      study, 41 men and women [mean +/- SEM age: 35 +/- 2 y; body mass index (in
      kg/m2): 31.5 +/- 0.5] consumed an energy-restricted diet (750 kcal/d below the
      requirement) for 16 wk while performing resistance training 3 d/wk. Subjects
      consumed 90 g protein/d (1.0 +/- 0.03 g . kg-1 . d-1, 125% of the Recommended
      Dietary Allowance, at intervention week 1) in either a skewed (10 g at breakfast,
      20 g at lunch, and 60 g at dinner; n = 20) or even (30 g each at breakfast,
      lunch, and dinner; n = 21) distribution pattern. Body composition was measured
      pre- and postintervention.Results: Over time, whole-body mass (least-squares mean
      +/- SE: -7.9 +/- 0.6 kg), whole-body lean mass (-1.0 +/- 0.2 kg), whole-body fat
      mass (-6.9 +/- 0.5 kg), appendicular lean mass (-0.7 +/- 0.1 kg), and
      appendicular fat mass (-2.6 +/- 0.2 kg) each decreased. The midthigh muscle area
      (0 +/- 1 cm2) did not change over time, whereas the midcalf muscle area decreased
      (-3 +/- 1 cm2). Within-day protein distribution did not differentially affect
      these body-composition responses.Conclusion: The effectiveness of dietary energy
      restriction combined with resistance training to improve body composition is not
      influenced by the within-day distribution of protein when adequate total protein
      is consumed. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02066948.

PMID- 28903960
TI  - Biomarkers of food intake and nutrient status are associated with glucose
      tolerance status and development of type 2 diabetes in older Swedish women.
AB  - Background: Diet is frequently associated with both the development and
      prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but there is a lack of objective tools for
      assessing the relation between diet and T2D. Biomarkers of dietary intake are
      unconfounded by recall and reporting bias, and using multiple dietary biomarkers
      could help strengthen the link between a healthy diet and the prevention of
      T2D.Objective: The objective of this study was to explore how diet is related to
      glucose tolerance status (GTS) and to future development of T2D irrespective of
      common T2D and cardiovascular disease risk factors by using multiple dietary
      biomarkers.Design: Dietary biomarkers were measured in plasma from 64-y-old
      Swedish women with different GTS [normal glucose tolerance (NGT; n = 190),
      impaired glucose tolerance (IGT; n = 209), and diabetes (n = 230)]. The same
      subjects were followed up after 5 y to determine changes in glucose tolerance (n
      = 167 for NGT, n = 174 for IGT, and n = 159 for diabetes). ANCOVA and logistic
      regression were used to explore baseline data for associations between dietary
      biomarkers, GTS, and new T2D cases at follow-up (n = 69).Results: Of the 10
      dietary biomarkers analyzed, beta-alanine (beef) (P-raw < 0.001),
      alkylresorcinols C17 and C19 (whole-grain wheat and rye) (P-raw = 0.003 and
      0.011), eicosapentaenoic acid (fish) (P-raw = 0.041), 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl
      2-furanpropanoic acid (CMPF) (fish) (P-raw = 0.002), linoleic acid (P-raw <
      0.001), oleic acid (P-raw = 0.003), and alpha-tocopherol (margarine and vegetable
      oil) (P-raw < 0.001) were associated with GTS, and CMPF (fish) (OR: 0.72; 95% CI:
      0.56, 0.93; P-raw = 0.013) and alpha-tocopherol (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.98; P
      raw = 0.041) were inversely associated with future T2D development.Conclusions:
      Several circulating dietary biomarkers were strongly associated with GTS after
      correction for known T2D risk factors, underlining the role of diet in the
      development and prevention of T2D. To our knowledge, this study is the first to
      use multiple dietary biomarkers to investigate the link between diet and disease
      risk.

PMID- 28903959
TI  - Effect of prior meal macronutrient composition on postprandial glycemic responses
      and glycemic index and glycemic load value determinations.
AB  - Background: The potential impact of prior meal composition on the postprandial
      glycemic response and glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) value
      determinations remains unclear.Objective: We determined the effect of meals that
      varied in macronutrient composition on the glycemic response and determination of
      GI and GL values of a subsequent standard test food.Design: Twenty healthy
      participants underwent 6 test sessions within 12 wk. The subjects received each
      of 3 isocaloric breakfast meals (i.e., high carbohydrate, high fat, or high
      protein) on separate days in a random order, which was followed by a standard set
      of challenges (i.e., white bread and a glucose drink) that were tested on
      separate days in a random order 4 h thereafter. Each challenge provided 50 g
      available carbohydrate. Arterialized venous blood was sampled throughout the 2-h
      postchallenge period. GI, GL, and insulin index (II) values were calculated with
      the use of the incremental area under the curve (AUCi) method, and serum lipids
      were determined with the use of standard assays.Results: The consumption of the
      high-protein breakfast before the white-bread challenge attenuated the rise in
      the postprandial serum glucose response (P < 0.0001) and resulted in lower
      glucose AUCi (P < 0.0001), GI (P = 0.0096), and GL (P = 0.0101) values than did
      the high-carbohydrate and high-fat breakfasts. The high-protein breakfast
      resulted in a lower insulin AUCi (P = 0.0146) for white bread than did the high
      fat breakfast and a lower II value (P = 0.0285) than did the high-carbohydrate
      breakfast. The 3 breakfasts resulted in similar serum lipid responses to the
      white-bread challenge.Conclusions: These data indicate that the macronutrient
      composition of the prior meal influences the glycemic response and the
      determination of GI and GL values for white bread. Future studies are needed to
      determine whether the background food macronutrient composition influences mean
      dietary GI and GL values that are calculated for eating patterns, which may alter
      the interpretation of the associations between these values and chronic disease
      risk. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01023646.

PMID- 28903961
TI  - Paediatric optic neuritis: factors leading to unfavourable outcome and relapses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify prognostic factors associated with poor visual recovery
      and chronic relapsing diseases, for example, multiple sclerosis (MS), in children
      with optic neuritis (ON) at onset. METHODS: This multicentre retrospective study
      included 102 children with a first ON episode between 1990 and 2012. The primary
      criterion was poor visual recovery determined by visual acuity, and the secondary
      was relapses following ON. RESULTS: Median age was 11 years, 66% were girls and
      mean follow-up was 24 months. 58% of children were diagnosed with idiopathic
      isolated ON, 22% had MS, 5% had Devic's neuromyelitis optica and 6% chronic
      relapsing inflammatory ON. Complete visual acuity recovery rate was 57% (95%
      CI=[46%-69%]) at 6 months and 71% (95% CI=[60%-81%]) at 1 and 2 years but was
      lower in MS (p<0.01), with recovery rate of only 27% (95% CI=[12%-54%]) at 1
      year. Age >=10 years, optic disc pallor at funduscopy and MS were the principal
      factors associated with poor visual recovery. Age >=10 years, abnormal brain MRI
      at onset and oligoclonal banding were significantly associated with MS (p<0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Age >=10, optic disc pallor and MS were associated with poor
      recovery. Better identification of these patients may help to adapt treatment and
      lead to a prospective treatment study.

PMID- 28903962
TI  - An evaluation of intracameral mydriasis for routine cataract surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracameral Mydrane might facilitate a more streamlined cataract
      service and improve the patient experience. There is limited 'real-world'
      evidence of its use in a UK setting. METHODS: As part of a local evaluation of
      cataract surgery using intracameral Mydrane (group 2; n=60), data were collected
      on intraoperative pupil size and postoperative visual acuity (VA), as well as the
      rate of mechanical pupil dilation, intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) and
      complications. Preoperative and theatre turnaround time was recorded and patients
      completed a validated measure of satisfaction postoperatively. Data were compared
      with a previous cohort subjected to the existing standard regime of preoperative
      topical mydriatics (group 1; n=60). RESULTS: Postoperative VA was comparable
      between groups (0.09+/-0.16 vs 0.08+/-0.15; p=0.59). Pupil size in group 2 was
      7.0+/-1.0 mm prior to capsulorhexis and 6.5+/-0.29 mm after cortical aspiration,
      with a smaller pupil in patients on alpha-antagonists (4.7+/-1.1 mm; p=0.004) at
      this later time point. Comparing group 2 with group 1, preoperative waiting was
      less (87 vs 146 min; p<0.0001) and satisfaction was higher (76.0+/-11.2 vs 66.3+/
      8.6; p<0.0001), although theatre turnaround time was longer (25 min vs 22 min).
      CONCLUSION: Intracameral mydriasis was clinically effective in most patients
      undergoing cataract surgery and might be associated with an improved patient
      experience and a more streamlined preoperative flow. Mydrane represents a
      licensed alternative to the off-label use of other intracameral mydriatic agents,
      but was not judged to be a cost-effective intervention for routine use in this
      particular setting.

PMID- 28903963
TI  - Predictors of radio-induced visual impairment after radiosurgery for uveal
      melanoma.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of the present work is to assess the main predictors of the most
      clinically relevant radio-induced effects after Gamma Knife stereotactic
      radiosurgery (GKRS) for uveal melanoma (UM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical
      records and three-dimensional dosimetry data of critical structures of 66
      patients were retrospectively reviewed. Cox's proportional hazard model was used
      to identify clinical and dosimetric variables as independent risk factor for GKRS
      related complications. RESULTS: The fraction of the posterior segment receiving
      more than 20Gy (V20), Bruch's membrane rupture and tumour thickness were
      significant prognostic factors for neovascular glaucoma. A clear relationship
      with the dose received by 1% of the optic nerve (D1%) was found for radiation
      retinopathy and papillopathy. Multivariables models resulted for visual acuity
      (VA) reduction >20% of the basal value and for complete VA loss, both including
      largest tumour diameter and D1% to the optic nerve. The predictive model for
      complete VA loss includes also Bruch's membrane rupture. An alternative model for
      complete visual acuity loss, including the optic nerve-prescription isodose
      minimum distance, was also suggested. CONCLUSIONS: We found clinical and
      dosimetric variables to clearly predict the risk of the main side effects after
      GKRS for UM. These results may provide dose constraints to critical structures,
      potentially able to reduce side effects. Constraining D1% to the optic nerve
      below 12-13Gy may result in a dramatic reduction of blindness risk, while
      reducing V20 of the posterior segment of the bulb could limit the neovascular
      glaucoma onset.

PMID- 28903964
TI  - Clinical profile of pythium keratitis: perioperative measures to reduce risk of
      recurrence.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the clinical profile and role of perioperative adjunctive
      measures to reduce the risk of recurrence in Pythium insidiosum keratitis.
      METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 10 eyes of 10 patients with P. insidiosum
      keratitis. Diagnosis was confirmed by PCR DNA sequencing. RESULTS: 7out of 10
      patients were from urban locales, and none had any obvious history of injury with
      vegetative matter and were being treated for fungal keratitis. 6 eyes presented
      with central full thickness infiltrates with subepithelial and superficial
      stromal infiltrates radiating in a reticular pattern. Corneal scraping in all
      eyes revealed sparsely septate fungal-like filaments on potassium
      hydroxide/Calcofluor. All eyes underwent the first therapeutic penetrating
      keratoplasty (TPK) based on worsening or non-responsiveness of clinical features
      to the antifungal regimen. Recurrence was noted in 7 out of 10 eyes of which 2
      eyes underwent evisceration. Of the six eyes that underwent cryotherapy following
      confirmation of microbiological diagnosis of Pythium (along with primary TPK-1,
      with re-TPK-5), only one eye had a recurrence and had to be eviscerated. Of the
      two eyes that did not undergo cryotherapy during re-TPK, following
      microbiological diagnosis, one eye had a recurrence and had to be eviscerated. In
      two eyes with adjoining scleritis, the host bed was swabbed using absolute
      alcohol of which one eye was salvaged. CONCLUSION: This series highlights the
      need to be aware of this entity in the management of refractory fungal keratitis.
      It also brings to fore the adjunctive measures that could have a beneficial role
      in the management of pythium keratitis.

PMID- 28903965
TI  - Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium in the treatment of non-infectious
      intermediate uveitis: results of a prospective, controlled, randomised, open
      label, early terminated multicentre trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of enteric
      coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) in combination with low-dose corticosteroids
      compared with a monotherapy with low-dose corticosteroids in subjects with non
      infectious intermediate uveitis (IU). METHODS: Open-label, prospective,
      controlled, randomised multicentre trial. Patients were randomised in a 1:1 ratio
      to either the treatment group (prednisolone plus EC-MPS) or control group
      (prednisolone monotherapy). Patients in the control group who relapsed within 6
      months changed to the crossover group (prednisolone plus EC-MPS). Maximum
      treatment duration was 15 months. The primary endpoint was the time to first
      relapse in the treatment group and control group. RESULTS: Forty-one patients at
      eight sites were analysed. Twenty-two patients were allocated to the treatment
      group, with 19 patients in the control group. A first relapse occurred in 9
      patients (40.9%) in the treatment group and 15 patients (78.9%) in the control
      group (p=0.03). The median time to the first relapse was >15 months for the
      treatment group and 2.8 months for the control group (p=0.07). The probability of
      relapse-free survival at month 15 was estimated to be 52.9% in the treatment
      group and 19.7% in the control group (p=0.01). 15 patients changed to the
      crossover group. Of these, only four patients developed a second relapse. No
      safety concerns arose during the trial. Only one patient had to discontinue EC
      MPS due to increased liver enzymes. CONCLUSION: EC-MPS can be considered an
      effective and well-tolerated immunosuppressive drug to prevent relapses in
      patients with chronic IU. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: EUDRACT number: 2009-009998
      10, Results.

PMID- 28903966
TI  - Laser in Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension (LiGHT) trial. A multicentre,
      randomised controlled trial: design and methodology.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Laser in Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension (LiGHT) Trial aims to
      establish whether initial treatment with selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is
      superior to initial treatment with topical medication for primary open-angle
      glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT). DESIGN: The LiGHT Trial is a
      prospective, unmasked, multicentre, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial. 718
      previously untreated patients with POAG or OHT were recruited at six
      collaborating centres in the UK between 2012 and 2014. The trial comprises two
      treatment arms: initial SLT followed by conventional medical therapy as required,
      and medical therapy without laser therapy. Randomisation was provided online by a
      web-based randomisation service. Participants will be monitored for 3 years,
      according to routine clinical practice. The target intraocular pressure (IOP) was
      set at baseline according to an algorithm, based on disease severity and lifetime
      risk of loss of vision at recruitment, and subsequently adjusted on the basis of
      IOP control, optic disc and visual field. The primary outcome measure is health
      related quality of life (HRQL) (EQ-5D five-level). Secondary outcomes are
      treatment pathway cost and cost-effectiveness, Glaucoma Utility Index, Glaucoma
      Symptom Scale, Glaucoma Quality of Life, objective measures of pathway
      effectiveness, visual function and safety profiles and concordance. A single main
      analysis will be performed at the end of the trial on an intention-to-treat
      basis. CONCLUSIONS: The LiGHT Trial is a multicentre, pragmatic, randomised
      clinical trial that will provide valuable data on the relative HRQL, clinical
      effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SLT and topical IOP-lowering medication.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN32038223, Pre-results.

PMID- 28903967
TI  - Long-term follow-up of benign positional vertical opsoclonus in infants:
      retrospective cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Benign positional vertical opsoclonus in infants, also described
      as paroxysmal tonic downgaze, is an unsettling phenomenon that leads to extensive
      work-up, although benign course has been reported in sporadic cases. We describe
      long-term follow-up of a series of infants with the phenomenon. METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort included all infants diagnosed with rapid downgaze eye
      movement in 2012-2015 and followed until 2016. The databases of two medical
      centres were retrospectively reviewed. Benign positional vertical opsoclonus was
      diagnosed based on clinical findings of experienced neuro-ophthalmologists. Data
      were collected on demographics, symptoms and signs, neuro-ophthalmological and
      neurological evaluations, and outcome. Imaging studies were reviewed. Main
      outcome measures were long-term outcome and findings of the thorough
      investigation. RESULTS: The cohort included six infants. All infants were born at
      term. Age at presentation was several days to 12 weeks. Episodes lasted a few
      seconds and varied in frequency from <10 to dozens per day. In five infants,
      symptoms occurred in the supine position. There was a wide variability in the
      work-up without any pathological findings. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 2.5 years.
      Ocular symptoms gradually decreased until resolution. Infants reached normal
      developmental milestones. CONCLUSIONS: Our identification of six patients in only
      3 years suggests benign positional vertical opsoclonus may be more prevalent than
      previously described. In our experience, it affects otherwise healthy infants and
      resolves spontaneously. In view of the good long-term outcome, a comprehensive
      clinical investigation may not be necessary.

PMID- 28903968
TI  - What factors are associated with reporting lacking interest in sex and how do
      these vary by gender? Findings from the third British national survey of sexual
      attitudes and lifestyles.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate factors associated with reporting lacking interest in
      sex and how these vary by gender. SETTING: British general population. DESIGN:
      Complex survey analyses of data collected for a cross-sectional probability
      sample survey, undertaken 2010-2012, specifically logistic regression to
      calculate age-adjusted OR (AOR) to identify associated factors. PARTICIPANTS:
      4839 men and 6669 women aged 16-74 years who reported >=1 sexual partner
      (opposite-sex or same-sex) in the past year for the third National Survey of
      Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Lacking
      interest in sex for >=3 months in the past year. RESULTS: Overall, 15.0% (13.9
      16.2) of men and 34.2% (32.8-35.5) of women reported lacking interest in sex.
      This was associated with age and physical and mental health for both men and
      women, including self-reported general health and current depression. Lacking
      interest in sex was more prevalent among men and women reporting sexually
      transmitted infection diagnoses (ever), non-volitional sex (ever) and holding
      sexual attitudes related to normative expectations about sex. Some gender
      similarities in associated relationship and family-related factors were evident,
      including partner having had sexual difficulties in the last year (men: AOR 1.41
      (1.07-1.86); women: AOR 1.60 (1.32-1.94)), not feeling emotionally close to
      partner during sex (men: 3.74 (1.76-7.93); women: 4.80 (2.99-7.69) and ease of
      talking about sex (men: 1.53 (1.23-1.90);women: 2.06 (1.77-2.39)). Among women
      only, lack of interest in sex was higher among those in a relationship of >1 year
      in duration and those not sharing the same level of interest (4.57 (3.87-5.38))
      or preferences (2.91 (2.22-3.83)) with a partner. CONCLUSIONS: Both gender
      similarities and differences were found in factors associated with lacking
      interest in sex, with the most marked differences in relation to some
      relationship variables. Findings highlight the need to assess, and if
      appropriate, treat lacking interest in sex in a holistic and relationship
      specific way.

PMID- 28903969
TI  - Healing journey: a qualitative analysis of the healing experiences of Americans
      suffering from trauma and illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To elucidate pathways to healing for people having suffered injury to
      the integrity of their function as a human being. METHODS: A team of physician
      analysts conducted thematic analyses of in-depth interviews of 23 patients who
      experienced healing, as identified by six primary care physicians purposefully
      selected as exemplary healers. RESULTS: People in the sample experienced healing
      journeys that spanned a spectrum from overcoming unspeakable trauma and then
      becoming healers themselves to everyday heroes functioning well despite ongoing
      serious health challenges.The degree and quality of suffering experienced by each
      individual is framed by contextual factors that include personal characteristics,
      timing of their initial or ongoing wounding in the developmental life cycle and
      prior and current relationships.In the healing journey, bridges from suffering
      are developed to healing resources/skills and connections to helpers outside
      themselves. These bridges often evolve in fits and starts and involve persistence
      and developing a sense of safety and trust.From the iteration between suffering
      and developing resources and connections, a new state emerges that involves hope,
      self-acceptance and helping others. Over time, this leads to healing that
      includes a sense of integrity and flourishing in the pursuit of meaningful goals
      and purpose. CONCLUSION: Moving from being wounded, through suffering to healing,
      is possible. It is facilitated by developing safe, trusting relationships and by
      positive reframing that moves through the weight of responsibility to the ability
      to respond.

PMID- 28903970
TI  - Urinary Fibrinogen as a Predictor of Progression of CKD.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Fibrinogen has been reported to be involved in kidney
      tubulointerstitial fibrosis and podocyte injury in mouse models. However, the
      relationship between urinary fibrinogen and kidney outcomes has not been
      clarified in patients with CKD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We
      evaluated 402 patients with CKD and kidney biopsies, including 101 with diabetic
      nephropathy, 94 with idiopathic membranous nephropathy, 55 with idiopathic FSGS,
      and 152 with IgA nephropathy. We quantified urinary fibrinogen by ELISA and
      tested associations with kidney histology and progression to ESRD. RESULTS:
      Median (interquartile range) urinary fibrinogen-to-creatinine ratio was 536 (191
      1461) ng/mg for patients with CKD, significantly higher than 2 (2-3) ng/mg for
      healthy controls (P<0.001). Urinary fibrinogen was positively correlated with
      urine protein (r=0.64; P<0.001) and interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy
      (r=0.10; P=0.04), and it was negatively correlated with eGFR (r=-0.20; P<0.001).
      Over a median follow-up period of 35 months (interquartile range, 24-78 months),
      68 of 402 patients (17%) developed ESRD. Higher urinary fibrinogen level was
      associated with increased risk of ESRD (hazard ratio, 2.12; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.31 to 3.26) per log10 higher urinary fibrinogen-to-creatinine ratio
      (P=0.003) adjusting for age, sex, BP, urine protein, disease type, eGFR, and
      interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy. For prediction of ESRD, the addition
      of urinary fibrinogen to eGFR, urine protein, and BP increased the area under the
      receiver operating curve from 0.73 to 0.76, and the Akaike information criterion
      improved from 333.6 to 327.0. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary fibrinogen correlated with
      interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy and was an independent risk factor for
      progression of CKD to ESRD.

PMID- 28903971
TI  - Extracellular S100A9 Protein in Bone Marrow Supports Multiple Myeloma Survival by
      Stimulating Angiogenesis and Cytokine Secretion.
AB  - Dysregulated expression of S100 protein family members is associated with cancer
      proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and inflammation. S100A9 induces myeloid
      derived suppressor cell (MDSC) accumulation and activity. MDSCs,
      immunosuppressive cells that contribute to tumor immune escape, are the main
      producers of S100A9. In this study, we evaluated the role of extracellular S100A9
      and the therapeutic relevance of S100A9 inhibition in multiple myeloma (MM),
      using the immunocompetent murine 5T33MM model. We demonstrated the presence of
      S100A9 and its receptor TLR4 in both monocytic and granulocytic MDSCs in human
      and mouse samples. We showed that S100A9 acted as a chemoattractant for MM cells
      and induced MDSCs to express and secrete inflammatory and pro-myeloma cytokines,
      including TNFalpha, IL6, and IL10. Blocking S100A9 interactions in vivo with the
      small molecule ABR-238901 did not directly affect MDSC accumulation but did
      reduce IL6 and IL10 cytokine expression by MDSC. ABR-238901 treatment in vivo
      reduced angiogenesis but had only minor effects on tumor load as single agent (6%
      reduction). However, ABR-238901 treatment in combination with bortezomib resulted
      in an increased reduction in tumor load compared with single treatments (50%
      relative reduction compared with bortezomib alone). Our data suggest that
      extracellular S100A9 promotes MM and that inhibition of S100A9 may have
      therapeutic benefit. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(10); 839-46. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28903972
TI  - Lactobacillus: the not so friendly bacteria.
AB  - We present a 65-year-old diabetic patient with a complex liver abscess and
      bacteraemia from Lactobacillus paracasei The abscess resulted in a prolonged
      hospital stay due to ongoing sepsis despite ultrasound-guided drainage and broad
      spectrum antibiotics. Furthermore, the patient developed several secondary
      complications including a right-sided pleural effusion, an inferior vena cava
      thrombus and septic lung emboli. The abscess was eventually managed successfully
      with a prolonged course of antibiotics and multiple ultrasound-guided drainage
      procedures.To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of probiotic
      consumption, confirmed by strain identification, as the likely source of a liver
      abscess. Probiotic products have been widely used for many years and are
      advocated to the general public for their health benefits with no warning of side
      effects. Lactobacilli are one group of bacteria commonly used in these products.
      Although rare, complications have been reported. Susceptible patients, such as
      those who are immunocompromised, should be advised against excessive consumption.

PMID- 28903973
TI  - Cranial fasciitis of childhood (CFC): an unusual clinical case of a rare disease.
AB  - Cranial fasciitis of childhood (CFC) is a very uncommon tumour of the scalp,
      which is almost exclusively observed in the first years of life. It is a benign
      proliferation of fibroblasts, but its rapid growth rate may resemble a malignant
      disease. This disease may be suspected from clinical and radiological features,
      but a definitive diagnosis may be achieved only by pathological examination. We
      report a case whose onset was in late childhood and whose clinical and
      radiological characteristics were atypical.

PMID- 28903974
TI  - Ultrawide field imaging and sonography of a radial buckle.

PMID- 28903975
TI  - Proximal avulsion rupture of the flexor digitorum longus tendon associated with a
      medial malleolus ankle fracture.

PMID- 28903976
TI  - Working hard but working differently: a qualitative study of the impact of
      generational change on rural health care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited literature evaluating generational change in the
      physician workforce and the adjustments required of practices, practitioners and
      the health care system as a whole. The purpose of this study was to explore rural
      practitioners' experiences of their current contexts relevant to recruitment and
      retention and to determine how practices are responding to changing aspirations
      of new practitioners. METHODS: We used qualitative methods. Participants were
      selected to ensure diversity of career stage. Semistructured interviews conducted
      with 39 physicians, 2 nurses and 1 practice administrator from rural northwestern
      Canada (British Columbia, the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories)
      between June and October 2016 sought participants' views on research, training,
      recruitment and retention in the rural setting. Interviews lasted 30-50 minutes
      with the exception of 4 group interviews (45-90 min). Interviews were then
      conducted with 4 rural practitioners on Vancouver Island to confirm emerging
      themes. The interviews were recorded and analyzed interpretively. RESULTS: Three
      themes were identified that showed the interplay among practitioners, patients
      and resources within a rural health environment: 1) scope of practice and the
      changing concept of generalism, 2) connectivity and relationships and 3)
      divergent career aspirations. Within these themes, generational differences
      between early-career physicians and established practitioners influenced changes
      under way in rural practice in terms of adapting the practice environment to
      enhance recruitment and retention. INTERPRETATION: Some rural practices are
      beginning to adapt in ways that reflect changing generational aspirations.
      Specifically, they provide environments that support and nurture young
      physicians, encourage collaborative working and include flexible working
      arrangements, with varying support and financial models. Rural practices that
      were responsive to changing aspirations reported success in recruitment and
      retention.

PMID- 28903977
TI  - WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide: a systematic
      review of evidence from low and middle-income countries.
AB  - QUESTION: Despite mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders being
      highly prevalent, there is a worldwide gap between service need and provision.
      WHO launched its Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) in 2008, and the
      Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) in 2010. mhGAP-IG provides evidence-based guidance
      and tools for assessment and integrated management of priority MNS disorders in
      low and middle-income countries (LMICs), using clinical decision-making
      protocols. It targets a non-specialised primary healthcare audience, but has also
      been used by ministries, non-governmental organisations and academics, for mental
      health service scale-up in 90 countries. This review aimed to identify evidence
      to date for mhGAP-IG implementation in LMICs. STUDY SELECTION AND ANALYSIS: We
      searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge/Web of Science, Scopus,
      CINAHL, LILACS, SciELO/Web of Science, Cochrane, Pubmed databases and Google
      Scholar for studies reporting evidence, experience or evaluation of mhGAP-IG in
      LMICs, in any language. Data were extracted from included papers, but
      heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. FINDINGS: We conducted a systematic review
      of evidence to date, of mhGAP-IG implementation and evaluation in LMICs. Thirty
      three included studies reported 15 training courses, 9 clinical implementations,
      3 country contextualisations, 3 economic models, 2 uses as control interventions
      and 1 use to develop a rating scale. Our review identified the importance of
      detailed reports of contextual challenges in the field, alongside detailed
      protocols, qualitative studies and randomised controlled trials. CONCLUSIONS: The
      mhGAP-IG literature is substantial, relative to other published evaluations of
      clinical practice guidelines: an important contribution to a neglected field.

PMID- 28903978
TI  - Antihyperglycemic Medications: A Claims-Based Estimate of First-line Therapy Use
      Prior to Initialization of Second-line Medications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The American Diabetes Association recommends metformin as first-line
      therapy for type 2 diabetes. However, nonadherence to antihyperglycemic
      medication is common, and a clinician could confuse nonadherence with
      pharmacologic failure, potentially leading to premature prescribing of second
      line therapies. We measured metformin use prior to second-line therapy
      initialization. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional
      study used unidentifiable member claims data from individuals covered from 2010
      to 2015 by Aetna, a U.S. health benefits company. Beneficiaries with two
      physician claims or one hospitalization with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis were
      included. Recommended use of metformin was measured by the proportion of days
      covered over 60 days. Through sensitivity analysis, we varied estimates of the
      percentage of beneficiaries who used low-cost generic prescription medication
      programs. RESULTS: A total of 52,544 individuals with type 2 diabetes were
      eligible. Of 22,956 patients given second-line treatment, only 1,875 (8.2%) had
      evidence of recommended use of metformin in the prior 60 days, and 6,441 (28.0%)
      had no prior claims evidence of having taken metformin. At the top range of
      sensitivity, only 49.5% patients could have had recommended use. Patients were
      more likely to be given an additional second-line antihyperglycemic medication or
      insulin if they were given their initial second-line medication without evidence
      of recommended use of metformin (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite published
      guidelines, second-line therapy often is initiated without evidence of
      recommended use of first-line therapy. Apparent treatment failures, which may in
      fact be attributable to nonadherence to guidelines, are common. Point-of-care and
      population-level processes are needed to monitor and improve guideline adherence.

PMID- 28903980
TI  - Uniform gene expression in embryos is achieved by temporal averaging of
      transcription noise.
AB  - Transcription is often stochastic. This is seemingly incompatible with the
      importance of gene expression during development. Here we show that during
      zebrafish embryogenesis, transcription activation is stochastic due to (1) genes
      acquiring transcriptional competence at different times in different cells, (2)
      differences in cell cycle stage between cells, and (3) the stochastic nature of
      transcription. Initially, stochastic transcription causes large cell-to-cell
      differences in transcript levels. However, variability is reduced by lengthening
      cell cycles and the accumulation of transcription events in each cell. Temporal
      averaging might provide a general context in which to understand how embryos deal
      with stochastic transcription.

PMID- 28903979
TI  - Calcium-dependent O-GlcNAc signaling drives liver autophagy in adaptation to
      starvation.
AB  - Starvation induces liver autophagy, which is thought to provide nutrients for use
      by other organs and thereby maintain whole-body homeostasis. Here we demonstrate
      that O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) is required
      for glucagon-stimulated liver autophagy and metabolic adaptation to starvation.
      Genetic ablation of OGT in mouse livers reduces autophagic flux and the
      production of glucose and ketone bodies. Upon glucagon-induced calcium signaling,
      calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylates OGT, which in turn
      promotes O-GlcNAc modification and activation of Ulk proteins by potentiating
      AMPK-dependent phosphorylation. These findings uncover a signaling cascade by
      which starvation promotes autophagy through OGT phosphorylation and establish the
      importance of O-GlcNAc signaling in coupling liver autophagy to nutrient
      homeostasis.

PMID- 28903981
TI  - Serotonin Drives Predatory Feeding Behavior via Synchronous Feeding Rhythms in
      the Nematode Pristionchus pacificus.
AB  - Feeding behaviors in a wide range of animals are regulated by the
      neurotransmitter serotonin, although the exact neural circuits and associated
      mechanism are often unknown. The nematode Pristionchus pacificus can kill other
      nematodes by opening prey cuticles with movable teeth. Previous studies showed
      that exogenous serotonin treatment induces a predatory-like tooth movement and
      slower pharyngeal pumping in the absence of prey; however, physiological
      functions of serotonin during predation and other behaviors in P. pacificus
      remained completely unknown. Here, we investigate the roles of serotonin by
      generating mutations in Ppa-tph-1 and Ppa-bas-1, two key serotonin biosynthesis
      enzymes, and by genetic ablation of pharynx-associated serotonergic neurons.
      Mutations in Ppa-tph-1 reduced the pharyngeal pumping rate during bacterial
      feeding compared with wild-type. Moreover, the loss of serotonin or a subset of
      serotonergic neurons decreased the success of predation, but did not abolish the
      predatory feeding behavior completely. Detailed analysis using a high-speed
      camera revealed that the elimination of serotonin or the serotonergic neurons
      disrupted the timing and coordination of predatory tooth movement and pharyngeal
      pumping. This loss of synchrony significantly reduced the efficiency of
      successful predation events. These results suggest that serotonin has a conserved
      role in bacterial feeding and in addition drives the feeding rhythm of predatory
      behavior in Pristionchus.

PMID- 28903982
TI  - Mapping Loci That Control Tuber and Foliar Symptoms Caused by PVY in
      Autotetraploid Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).
AB  - Potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD) is a tuber deformity associated
      with infection by the tuber necrotic strain of Potato virus Y (PVYNTN). PTNRD
      negatively impacts tuber quality and marketability, and poses a serious threat to
      seed and commercial potato production worldwide. PVYNTN symptoms differ in the
      cultivars Waneta and Pike: Waneta expresses severe PTNRD and foliar mosaic with
      vein and leaf necrosis, whereas Pike does not express PTNRD and mosaic is the
      only foliar symptom. To map loci that influence tuber and foliar symptoms, 236 F1
      progeny of a cross between Waneta and Pike were inoculated with PVYNTN isolate
      NY090029 and genotyped using 12,808 potato SNPs. Foliar symptom type and severity
      were monitored for 10 wk, while tubers were evaluated for PTNRD expression at
      harvest and again after 60 d in storage. Pairwise correlation analyses indicate a
      strong association between PTNRD and vein necrosis (tau = 0.4195). QTL analyses
      revealed major-effect QTL on chromosomes 4 and 5 for mosaic, 4 for PTNRD, and 5
      for foliar necrosis symptoms. Locating QTL associated with PVY-related symptoms
      provides a foundation for breeders to develop markers that can be used to
      eliminate potato clones with undesirable phenotypes, e.g., those likely to
      develop PTNRD or to be symptomless carriers of PVY.

PMID- 28903983
TI  - Ivabradine in Heart Failure: The Representativeness of SHIFT (Systolic Heart
      Failure Treatment With the IF Inhibitor Ivabradine Trial) in a Broad Population
      of Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The sinus node inhibitor ivabradine was approved for patients with
      heart failure (HF) after the ivabradine and outcomes in chronic HF (SHIFT
      [Systolic Heart Failure Treatment With the IF Inhibitor Ivabradine Trial]) trial.
      Our objective was to characterize the proportion of patients with HF eligible for
      ivabradine and the representativeness of the SHIFT trial enrollees compared with
      those in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined 26
      404 patients with clinical HF from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry and divided
      them into SHIFT type (left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, New York Heart
      Association class II-IV, sinus rhythm, and heart rate >=70 beats per minute) and
      non-SHIFT type. Baseline characteristics and medication use were compared and
      change in eligibility over time was reported at 6 months and 1 year in a subset
      of patients. Overall, 14.2% (n=3741) of patients were SHIFT type. These patients
      were more likely to be younger, men, have diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart
      disease, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and more recent onset HF (<6
      months; all, P<0.001). Although 88.9% of SHIFT type and 88.5% of non-SHIFT type
      (P=0.421) were receiving selected beta-blockers, only 58.8% and 67.3% (P<0.001)
      were on >50% of target dose. From those patients who had repeated visits within 6
      months (n=5420) and 1 year (n=6840), respectively, 10.2% (n=555) and 10.6%
      (n=724) of SHIFT-type patients became ineligible, 77.3% (n=4188) and 77.3%
      (n=5287) remained ineligible, and 4.6% (n=252) and 4.9% (n=335) of non-SHIFT-type
      patients became eligible for initiation of ivabradine. CONCLUSIONS: From the
      Swedish Heart Failure Registry, 14.2% of patients with HF were eligible for
      ivabradine. These patients more commonly were not receiving target beta-blocker
      dose. Over time, a minority of patients became ineligible and an even smaller
      minority became eligible.

PMID- 28903984
TI  - How Many Heart Failure Patients Might We SHIFT to a Lower Heart Rate?

PMID- 28903986
TI  - Correction for Perry, "A Decade of Development of Chromogenic Culture Media for
      Clinical Microbiology in an Era of Molecular Diagnostics".

PMID- 28903985
TI  - Molecular Tools for the Detection and Deduction of Azole Antifungal Drug
      Resistance Phenotypes in Aspergillus Species.
AB  - The incidence of azole resistance in Aspergillus species has increased over the
      past years, most importantly for Aspergillus fumigatus. This is partially
      attributable to the global spread of only a few resistance alleles through the
      environment. Secondary resistance is a significant clinical concern, as invasive
      aspergillosis with drug-susceptible strains is already difficult to treat, and
      exclusion of azole-based antifungals from prophylaxis or first-line treatment of
      invasive aspergillosis in high-risk patients would dramatically limit drug
      choices, thus increasing mortality rates for immunocompromised patients.
      Management options for invasive aspergillosis caused by azole-resistant A.
      fumigatus strains were recently reevaluated by an international expert panel,
      which concluded that drug resistance testing of cultured isolates is highly
      indicated when antifungal therapy is intended. In geographical regions with a
      high environmental prevalence of azole-resistant strains, initial therapy should
      be guided by such analyses. More environmental and clinical screening studies are
      therefore needed to generate the local epidemiologic data if such measures are to
      be implemented on a sound basis. Here we propose a first workflow for evaluating
      isolates from screening studies, and we compile the MIC values correlating with
      individual amino acid substitutions in the products of cyp51 genes for
      interpretation of DNA sequencing data, especially in the absence of cultured
      isolates.

PMID- 28903987
TI  - Heat Shock Proteins in Histoplasma and Paracoccidioides.
AB  - Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are highly conserved biomolecules that are
      constitutively expressed and generally upregulated in response to various stress
      conditions (biotic and abiotic). Hsps have diverse functions, categorizations,
      and classifications. Their adaptive expression in fungi indicates their
      significance in these diverse species, particularly in dimorphic pathogens.
      Histoplasma capsulatum and Paracoccidioides species are dimorphic fungi that are
      the causative agents of histoplasmosis and paracoccidioidomycosis, respectively.
      This minireview focuses on the pathobiology of Hsps, with particular emphasis on
      their roles in the morphogenesis and virulence of Histoplasma and
      Paracoccidioides and the potential roles of active and passive immunization
      against Hsps in protection against infection with these fungi.

PMID- 28903989
TI  - Liquid Biopsy Technique May Allow Early Screening.
AB  - Researchers have developed a new liquid biopsy technique that may allow screening
      for certain types of cancer. The technique can detect tumor mutations from the
      small amount of blood DNA present early in the disease. In four types of cancer,
      the technique's overall sensitivity was between 56% and 83%, and it could
      pinpoint 62% of patients with early-stage cancer.

PMID- 28903988
TI  - The Use of Reverse Vaccinology in the Design and Construction of Nano
      glycoconjugate Vaccines against Burkholderia pseudomallei.
AB  - Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bpm) is a Gram negative, facultative intracellular
      pathogen that causes the disease melioidosis in humans and other mammals.
      Respiratory infection with B. pseudomallei leads to a fulminant and often fatal
      disease. It has previously been shown that glycoconjugate vaccines can provide
      significant protection against lethal challenge; however, the limited number of
      known Burkholderia antigens has slowed progress towards vaccine development. The
      objective of this study was to identify novel antigens and evaluate their
      protective capacity when incorporated into a nano-glycoconjugate vaccine
      platform. First, an in silico approach to identify antigens with strong predicted
      immunogenicity was developed. Protein candidates were screened and ranked
      according to predicted subcellular localization, transmembrane domains, adhesive
      properties and ability to interact with Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) I
      and II. From these in silico predictions, we identified seven "high priority"
      proteins that demonstrated seroreactivity with anti-Bpm murine sera and
      convalescent human melioidosis sera, providing validation of our methods. Two
      novel proteins, together with Hcp1, were linked to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and
      incorporated onto the surface of a gold nanoparticle (AuNP). Animals receiving
      AuNP-glycoconjugate vaccines generated high protein- and polysaccharide-specific
      antibody titers. Importantly, immunized animals receiving the AuNP-FlgL-LPS alone
      or as a combo demonstrated up to 100% survival and reduced lung colonization
      following lethal challenge with Bpm. Together, this study provides a rational
      approach to vaccine design that can be adapted for other complex pathogens, and
      provides rationale for further pre-clinical testing of AuNP-glycoconjugate in
      animal models of infection.

PMID- 28903990
TI  - The Influence of Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Susceptibility Regions, Age, Sex, and
      Family History on the Progression From Multiple Autoantibodies to Type 1
      Diabetes: A TEDDY Study Report.
AB  - This article seeks to determine whether factors related to autoimmunity risk
      remain significant after the initiation of two or more diabetes-related
      autoantibodies and continue to contribute to type 1 diabetes (T1D) risk among
      autoantibody-positive children in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in
      the Young (TEDDY) study. Characteristics included are age at multiple
      autoantibody positivity, sex, selected high-risk HLA-DR-DQ genotypes,
      relationship to a family member with T1D, autoantibody at seroconversion, INS
      gene (rs1004446_A), and non-HLA gene polymorphisms identified by the Type 1
      Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC). The risk of progression to T1D was not
      different among those with or without a family history of T1D (P = 0.39) or HLA
      DR-DQ genotypes (P = 0.74). Age at developing multiple autoantibodies (hazard
      ratio = 0.96 per 1-month increase in age; 95% CI 0.95, 0.97; P < 0.001) and the
      type of first autoantibody (when more than a single autoantibody was the first
      appearing indication of seroconversion [P = 0.006]) were statistically
      significant. Female sex was also a significant risk factor (P = 0.03). Three
      single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with increased diabetes risk
      (rs10517086_A [P = 0.03], rs1534422_G [P = 0.006], and rs2327832_G [P = 0.03] in
      TNFAIP3) and one with decreased risk (rs1004446_A in INS [P = 0.006]). The TEDDY
      data suggest that non-HLA gene polymorphisms may play a different role in the
      initiation of autoimmunity than they do in progression to T1D once autoimmunity
      has appeared. The strength of these associations may be related to the age of the
      population and the high-risk HLA-DR-DQ subtypes studied.

PMID- 28903992
TI  - Importance of the valve durability-life expectancy ratio in selection of a
      prosthetic aortic valve.

PMID- 28903993
TI  - Mitral regurgitation in patients with severe aortic stenosis: diagnosis and
      management.
AB  - Severe aortic stenosis (AS) and mitral regurgitation (MR) frequently coexist.
      Although some observational studies have reported that moderate or severe MR is
      associated with higher mortality, the optimal management of such patients is
      still unclear. Simultaneous replacement of both aortic and mitral valves is
      linked to significantly higher morbidity and mortality. Recent advances in
      minimally invasive surgical or transcatheter therapies for MR allow for staged
      procedures in which surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement
      (SAVR/TAVR) is done first and MR severity re-evaluated afterwards. Current
      evidence suggests MR severity improves in some patients after SAVR or TAVR,
      depending on several factors (MR aetiology, type of valve used for TAVR,
      presence/absence of atrial fibrillation, residual aortic regurgitation, etc).
      However, as of today, the absence of randomised clinical trials does not allow
      for evidence-based recommendations about whether or not MR should be addressed at
      the time of SAVR or TAVR. A careful patient evaluation and clinical judgement are
      recommended to distinguish patients who might benefit from a double valve
      intervention from those in which MR should be left alone. The aim of this review
      is to report and critique the available data on this subject in order to help
      guide the clinical decision making in this challenging subset of patients.

PMID- 28903991
TI  - Biology and Etiology of Young-Onset Breast Cancers among Premenopausal African
      American Women: Results from the AMBER Consortium.
AB  - Background: African American (AA) women have higher incidence of aggressive,
      young-onset (<40 years) breast cancers. Young- and older-onset disease may have
      distinct tumor biologies and etiologies; however, studies investigating age
      differences among AA women have been rare and generally underpowered.Methods: We
      examined tumor characteristics and breast cancer risk factors associated with
      premenopausal young (<40) vs. older (>=40) AA women's breast cancer in the
      African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk Consortium (2,008 cases and
      5,144 controls). Unconditional logistic regression models assessed heterogeneity
      of tumor biology and risk factor associations by age, overall, and by estrogen
      receptor status.Results: Premenopausal AA women <40 years had higher frequency of
      poorer-prognosis tumor characteristics compared with older women, including
      negative estrogen and progesterone receptor status, triple-negative subtype,
      higher grade, higher stage, and larger tumors. Adiposity (i.e., waist-to-hip
      ratio) and family history of breast cancer were more strongly associated with
      young-onset disease [case-control OR = 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04
      2.05; OR = 3.10, 95% CI = 2.08-4.63, respectively] compared with older-onset
      disease (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.91-1.35; OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.26-1.94).
      Breastfeeding showed a slight inverse risk association among young women (OR =
      0.70, 95% CI = 0.43-1.16). Oral contraceptive use was associated with increased
      risk regardless of age. Considering various cutoff points for young age (<40,
      <45, <50), age-related heterogeneity was greatest when <40 was used.Conclusions:
      Among premenopausal AA women, diagnosis before age 40 is associated with more
      aggressive breast tumor biology and some etiologic differences.Impact: Modifiable
      risk factors including breastfeeding, adiposity, and oral contraceptive use may
      be important targets for mitigating harms of young-onset breast cancer. Cancer
      Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(12); 1722-9. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28903994
TI  - The level of heparin-induced antibodies in correlation with the result of the
      flow cytometric functional assay in the patients with suspected HIT.
AB  - Heparin can induce the formation of antibodies against a heparin complex with a
      platelet factor 4 (PF4), leading to platelet activation and the development of
      heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia (HIT). Because screening ELISA does not
      discriminate between platelet activating and non-activating anti-heparin/PF4
      antibodies, each positive result is confirmed by an additional functional assay.
      We analysed 1004 sera of patients with suspected HIT. Optical density (OD) values
      of ELISA-positive results were correlated with the risk for a positive result
      with our functional flow cytometric assay. Only 10.7% were ELISA positive and
      59.8% of those were positive with the functional assay. The positive functional
      assay was found in 23.4% of patients with OD<1.0, in 57.7% with 1.0<OD<2.0 and in
      94.1% with OD>2.0. Although our results showed that higher ELISA OD values
      increasethe possibility of the presence of platelet-activating anti-heparin/PF4
      antibodies , there is no need for improving ELISA cut-off value for positive
      result.

PMID- 28903995
TI  - ROS1 [corrected].
AB  - ROS1 is a receptor tyrosine kinase that has recently been shown to undergo gene
      rearrangements in~1%-2% of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and in a variety
      of other tumours including cholangiocarcinoma, gastric carcinoma, colorectal
      carcinoma and in spitzoid neoplasms, glioblastoma and inflammatory
      myofibroblastic tumours. The ROS1 gene fusion undergoes constitutive activation,
      regulates cellular proliferation and is implicated in carcinogenesis. ROS1
      fusions can be detected by fluorescence in situ hybridisation, real-time PCR,
      sequencing-based techniques and immunohistochemistry-based methods in clinical
      laboratories. The small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, crizotinib has been
      shown to be an effective inhibitor of ROS1 and has received Food and Drug
      Administration approval for treatment of advanced NSCLC. The current review is an
      update on the clinical findings and detection methods of ROS1 in clinical
      laboratories in NSCLC and other tumours.

PMID- 28903996
TI  - Crouching tiger, hidden dragon.

PMID- 28903997
TI  - Mitotic post-translational modifications of histones promote chromatin compaction
      in vitro.
AB  - How eukaryotic chromosomes are compacted during mitosis has been a leading
      question in cell biology since the nineteenth century. Non-histone proteins such
      as condensin complexes contribute to chromosome shaping, but appear not to be
      necessary for mitotic chromatin compaction. Histone modifications are known to
      affect chromatin structure. As histones undergo major changes in their post
      translational modifications during mitotic entry, we speculated that the spectrum
      of cell-cycle-specific histone modifications might contribute to chromosome
      compaction during mitosis. To test this hypothesis, we isolated core histones
      from interphase and mitotic cells and reconstituted chromatin with them. We used
      mass spectrometry to show that key post-translational modifications remained
      intact during our isolation procedure. Light, atomic force and transmission
      electron microscopy analysis showed that chromatin assembled from mitotic
      histones has a much greater tendency to aggregate than chromatin assembled from
      interphase histones, even under low magnesium conditions where interphase
      chromatin remains as separate beads-on-a-string structures. These observations
      are consistent with the hypothesis that mitotic chromosome formation is a two
      stage process with changes in the spectrum of histone post-translational
      modifications driving mitotic chromatin compaction, while the action of non
      histone proteins such as condensin may then shape the condensed chromosomes into
      their classic mitotic morphology.

PMID- 28903998
TI  - Shape, form, function and Leishmania pathogenicity: from textbook descriptions to
      biological understanding.
AB  - The shape and form of protozoan parasites are inextricably linked to their
      pathogenicity. The evolutionary pressure associated with establishing and
      maintaining an infection and transmission to vector or host has shaped parasite
      morphology. However, there is not a 'one size fits all' morphological solution to
      these different pressures, and parasites exhibit a range of different
      morphologies, reflecting the diversity of their complex life cycles. In this
      review, we will focus on the shape and form of Leishmania spp., a group of very
      successful protozoan parasites that cause a range of diseases from self-healing
      cutaneous leishmaniasis to visceral leishmaniasis, which is fatal if left
      untreated.

PMID- 28904000
TI  - Correction: Dynamics of in vivo ASC speck formation.

PMID- 28903999
TI  - Cdc42 regulates junctional actin but not cell polarization in the Caenorhabditis
      elegans epidermis.
AB  - During morphogenesis, adherens junctions (AJs) remodel to allow changes in cell
      shape and position while preserving adhesion. Here, we examine the function of
      Rho guanosine triphosphatase CDC-42 in AJ formation and regulation during
      Caenorhabditis elegans embryo elongation, a process driven by asymmetric
      epidermal cell shape changes. cdc-42 mutant embryos arrest during elongation with
      epidermal ruptures. Unexpectedly, we find using time-lapse fluorescence imaging
      that cdc-42 is not required for epidermal cell polarization or junction assembly,
      but rather is needed for proper junctional actin regulation during elongation. We
      show that the RhoGAP PAC-1/ARHGAP21 inhibits CDC-42 activity at AJs, and loss of
      PAC-1 or the interacting linker protein PICC-1/CCDC85A-C blocks elongation in
      embryos with compromised AJ function. pac-1 embryos exhibit dynamic accumulations
      of junctional F-actin and an increase in AJ protein levels. Our findings identify
      a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism for inhibiting junctional CDC-42 to
      control actin organization and AJ protein levels during epithelial morphogenesis.

PMID- 28904002
TI  - Assessing Microvascular Function in Humans from a Chronic Disease Perspective.
AB  - Microvascular dysfunction (MVD) is considered a crucial pathway in the
      development and progression of cardiometabolic and renal disease and is
      associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. MVD often coexists with or
      even precedes macrovascular disease, possibly due to shared mechanisms of
      vascular damage, such as inflammatory processes and oxidative stress. One of the
      first events in MVD is endothelial dysfunction. With the use of different
      physiologic or pharmacologic stimuli, endothelium-dependent (micro)vascular
      reactivity can be studied. This reactivity depends on the balance between various
      mediators, including nitric oxide, endothelin, and prostanoids, among others. The
      measurement of microvascular (endothelial) function is important to understand
      the pathophysiologic mechanisms that contribute to MVD and the role of MVD in the
      development and progression of cardiometabolic/renal disease. Here, we review a
      selection of direct, noninvasive techniques for measuring human microcirculation,
      with a focus on methods, interpretation, and limitations from the perspective of
      chronic cardiometabolic and renal disease.

PMID- 28904004
TI  - Jadomycins Inhibit Type II Topoisomerases and Promote DNA Damage and Apoptosis in
      Multidrug-Resistant Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - Jadomycins are natural products that kill drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant
      (MDR) breast cancer cells. To date, the cytotoxic activity of jadomycins has
      never been tested in MDR breast cancer cells that are also triple negative.
      Additionally, there is only a rudimentary understanding of how jadomycins cause
      cancer cell death, which includes the induction of intracellular reactive oxygen
      species (ROS). We first created a paclitaxel-resistant, triple-negative breast
      cancer cell line [paclitaxel-resistant MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells (231-TXL)]
      from drug-sensitive control MDA-MB-231 cells (231-CON). Using thiazolyl blue
      methyltetrazolium bromide cell viability-measuring assays, jadomycins B, S, and F
      were found to be equipotent in drug-sensitive 231-CON and MDR 231-TXL cells; and
      using ROS-detecting assays, these jadomycins were determined to increase ROS
      activity in both cell lines by up to 7.3-fold. Jadomycins caused DNA double
      strand breaks in 231-CON and 231-TXL cells as measured by gammaH2AX Western
      blotting. Coincubation with the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine or pro-oxidant
      auranofin did not affect jadomycin-mediated DNA damage. Jadomycins induced
      apoptosis in 231-CON and 231-TXL cells as measured by annexin V affinity assays,
      a process that was retained when ROS were inhibited. This indicated that
      jadomycins are capable of inducing MDA-MB-231 apoptotic cell death independently
      of ROS activity. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting,
      and direct topoisomerase inhibition assays, it was determined that jadomycins
      inhibit type II topoisomerases and that jadomycins B and F selectively poison
      topoisomerase IIbeta We therefore propose novel mechanisms through which
      jadomycins induce breast cancer cell death independently of ROS activity, through
      inhibition or poisoning of type II topoisomerases and the induction of DNA damage
      and apoptosis.

PMID- 28904003
TI  - Preclinical Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics of Inhaled Hexadecyl-Treprostinil
      (C16TR), a Pulmonary Vasodilator Prodrug.
AB  - This article describes the preclinical pharmacology and pharmacokinetics (PK) of
      hexadecyl-treprostinil (C16TR), a prodrug of treprostinil (TRE), formulated in a
      lipid nanoparticle (LNP) for inhalation as a pulmonary vasodilator. C16TR showed
      no activity (>10 uM) in receptor binding and enzyme inhibition assays, including
      binding to prostaglandin E2 receptor 2, prostaglandin D2 receptor 1,
      prostaglandin I2 receptor, and prostaglandin E2 receptor 4; TRE potently bound to
      each of these prostanoid receptors. C16TR had no effect (up to 200 nM) on
      platelet aggregation induced by ADP in rat blood. In hypoxia-challenged rats,
      inhaled C16TR-LNP produced dose-dependent (0.06-6 ug/kg), sustained pulmonary
      vasodilation over 3 hours; inhaled TRE (6 ug/kg) was active at earlier times but
      lost its effect by 3 hours. Single- and multiple-dose PK studies of inhaled C16TR
      LNP in rats showed proportionate dose-dependent increases in TRE Cmax and area
      under the curve (AUC) for both plasma and lung; similar results were observed for
      dog plasma levels in single-dose PK studies. In both species, inhaled C16TR-LNP
      yielded prolonged plasma TRE levels and a lower plasma TRE Cmax compared with
      inhaled TRE. Inhaled C16TR-LNP was well tolerated in rats and dogs; TRE-related
      side effects included cough, respiratory tract irritation, and emesis and were
      seen only after high inhaled doses of C16TR-LNP in dogs. In guinea pigs, inhaled
      TRE (30 ug/ml) consistently produced cough, but C16TR-LNP (30 ug/ml) elicited no
      effect. These results demonstrate that C16TR-LNP provides long-acting pulmonary
      vasodilation, is well tolerated in animal studies, and may necessitate less
      frequent dosing than inhaled TRE with possibly fewer side effects.

PMID- 28904001
TI  - Kv3 Channels: Enablers of Rapid Firing, Neurotransmitter Release, and Neuronal
      Endurance.
AB  - The intrinsic electrical characteristics of different types of neurons are shaped
      by the K+ channels they express. From among the more than 70 different K+ channel
      genes expressed in neurons, Kv3 family voltage-dependent K+ channels are uniquely
      associated with the ability of certain neurons to fire action potentials and to
      release neurotransmitter at high rates of up to 1,000 Hz. In general, the four
      Kv3 channels Kv3.1-Kv3.4 share the property of activating and deactivating
      rapidly at potentials more positive than other channels. Each Kv3 channel gene
      can generate multiple protein isoforms, which contribute to the high-frequency
      firing of neurons such as auditory brain stem neurons, fast-spiking GABAergic
      interneurons, and Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, and to regulation of
      neurotransmitter release at the terminals of many neurons. The different Kv3
      channels have unique expression patterns and biophysical properties and are
      regulated in different ways by protein kinases. In this review, we cover the
      function, localization, and modulation of Kv3 channels and describe how levels
      and properties of the channels are altered by changes in ongoing neuronal
      activity. We also cover how the protein-protein interaction of these channels
      with other proteins affects neuronal functions, and how mutations or abnormal
      regulation of Kv3 channels are associated with neurological disorders such as
      ataxias, epilepsies, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 28904005
TI  - The coefficient of determination R2 and intra-class correlation coefficient from
      generalized linear mixed-effects models revisited and expanded.
AB  - The coefficient of determination R2 quantifies the proportion of variance
      explained by a statistical model and is an important summary statistic of
      biological interest. However, estimating R2 for generalized linear mixed models
      (GLMMs) remains challenging. We have previously introduced a version of R2 that
      we called [Formula: see text] for Poisson and binomial GLMMs, but not for other
      distributional families. Similarly, we earlier discussed how to estimate intra
      class correlation coefficients (ICCs) using Poisson and binomial GLMMs. In this
      paper, we generalize our methods to all other non-Gaussian distributions, in
      particular to negative binomial and gamma distributions that are commonly used
      for modelling biological data. While expanding our approach, we highlight two
      useful concepts for biologists, Jensen's inequality and the delta method, both of
      which help us in understanding the properties of GLMMs. Jensen's inequality has
      important implications for biologically meaningful interpretation of GLMMs,
      whereas the delta method allows a general derivation of variance associated with
      non-Gaussian distributions. We also discuss some special considerations for
      binomial GLMMs with binary or proportion data. We illustrate the implementation
      of our extension by worked examples from the field of ecology and evolution in
      the R environment. However, our method can be used across disciplines and
      regardless of statistical environments.

PMID- 28904006
TI  - The CRASH report: emergency management dilemmas facing acute physicians in
      patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - Treatment of acute emergencies in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (PAH) can be challenging. In the UK and Ireland, management of adult patients
      with PAH is centred in eight nationally designated pulmonary hypertension (PH)
      centres. However, many patients live far from these centres and physicians in
      local hospitals are often required to manage PAH emergencies. A committee of
      physicians from nationally designated PH centres identified the 'most common'
      emergency clinical scenarios encountered in patients with PAH. Thereafter, a
      review of the literature was performed centred on these specified topics and a
      management approach was developed based on best available evidence and expert
      consensus. Management protocols were developed on the following PAH emergencies:
      chest pain (including myocardial ischaemia), right ventricular failure,
      arrhythmias, sepsis, haemoptysis ('CRASH'), as well as considerations relevant to
      surgery, anaesthesia and pregnancy. Emergencies are not uncommon in PAH. While
      expertise in PAH management is essential, all physicians involved in acute care
      should be aware of the principles of acute management of PAH emergencies. A
      multidisciplinary approach is necessary, with physicians from tertiary PH centres
      supporting care locally and planning safe transfer of patients to PH centres when
      appropriate.

PMID- 28904007
TI  - Synthetic Analogs of Curcumin Modulate the Function of Multidrug Resistance
      Linked ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter ABCG2.
AB  - Multidrug resistance (MDR) caused by the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette
      (ABC) transporters in cancer cells is a major obstacle in cancer chemotherapy.
      Previous studies have shown that curcumin, a natural product and a dietary
      constituent of turmeric, inhibits the function of MDR-related ABC transporters,
      including ABCB1, ABCC1, and especially ABCG2. However, the limited
      bioavailability of curcumin prevents its use for modulation of the function of
      these transporters in the clinical setting. In this study, we investigated the
      effects of 24 synthetic curcumin analogs with increased bioavailability on the
      transport function of ABCG2. The screening of the 24 synthetic analogs by means
      of flow cytometry revealed that four of the curcumin analogs (GO-Y030, GO-Y078,
      GO-Y168, and GO-Y172) significantly inhibited the efflux of the ABCG2 substrates,
      mitoxantrone and pheophorbide A, from ABCG2-overexpressing K562/breast cancer
      resistance protein (BCRP) cells. Biochemical analyses showed that GO-Y030, GO
      Y078, and GO-Y172 stimulated the ATPase activity of ABCG2 at nanomolar
      concentrations and inhibited the photolabeling of ABCG2 with
      iodoarylazidoprazosin, suggesting that these analogs interact with the substrate
      binding sites of ABCG2. In addition, when used in cytotoxicity assays, GO-Y030
      and GO-Y078 were found to improve the sensitivity of the anticancer drug, SN-38,
      in K562/BCRP cells. Taken together, these results suggest that nontoxic synthetic
      curcumin analogs with increased bioavailability, especially GO-Y030 and GO-Y078,
      inhibit the function of ABCG2 by directly interacting at the substrate-binding
      site. These synthetic curcumin analogs could therefore be developed as potent
      modulators to overcome ABCG2-mediated MDR in cancer cells.

PMID- 28904008
TI  - MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: Clinical and pharmacogenetic aspects of the growth
      hormone receptor polymorphism.
AB  - Pharmacogenetics aims to maximize the beneficial effects of a medical therapy by
      identifying genetic finger prints from responders and non-responders and, thereby
      improving safety and efficacy profile of the drug. Most subjects who are
      deficient in growth hormone (GHD) are candidates for recombinant human GH (rhGH)
      therapy. To date, it is well established that even after adjustments for several
      clinical variables, such as age, gender, body composition and the age at onset of
      the GHD, response to rhGH treatment is highly variable among individuals, part of
      which is believed to be due to genetic factors within the GH system. As the first
      genetic variant to potentially influence the individual response to rhGH therapy
      in children with growth disorders, polymorphism in the GH receptor (GHR) has
      attracted a great interest as a target for pharmacogenetics. Studies have been
      conducted to compare the functional and molecular effects of the full-length GHR
      (fl-GHR) isoform with the exon 3 deleted (d3-GHR) isoform in children and adults
      treated with rhGH therapy. Additionally, the impact of the GHR polymorphism has
      been investigated in relation to the clinical status and response to medical
      treatment in acromegaly, especially to the GHR antagonist drug pegvisomant. We
      have performed a narrative review of the studies performed to date on the
      association of GHR polymorphism with rhGH response in children and adults, and
      its potential influence in the medical management of acromegaly. In addition,
      data from studies on the general population and in other chronic diseases
      examining a role of this genetic variant in the regulation of growth and
      metabolism are summarized.

PMID- 28904010
TI  - Vitamin D supplementation to palliative cancer patients: protocol of a double
      blind, randomised controlled trial 'Palliative-D'.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to a small pilot study on palliative cancer patients at our
      ward, vitamin D supplementation had beneficial effects on pain (measured as
      opioid consumption), infections and quality of life (QoL) without having any
      significant side effects. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the 'Palliative-D'
      study is to test the hypothesis that vitamin D supplementation for 12 weeks
      reduces opioid consumption. The secondary objectives are to study if reduction of
      antibiotic consumption and fatigue as well as improvement in QoL assessments can
      be observed. Effect on the 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) levels in serum after 12
      weeks of treatment will be studied, as well as the change in opioid dose in
      relation to genetic polymorphism in genes involved in the effect and metabolism
      of vitamin D. METHOD: A randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled multicentre
      trial has been designed. The trial will include 254 adult palliative cancer
      patients with 25-OHD levels <50 nmol/L and a life expectancy of more than 3
      months recruited from two advanced palliative home care centres in Stockholm.
      Included patients will be randomly assigned to 12 weeks of treatment with
      cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) 4000 IU/day or placebo. The study will start in
      November 2017 and will finish in December 2019. The study is approved by the
      Regional Ethical Committee, Dnr2017/405-31/1, by the Swedish Medical Products
      Agency, EudraCT: 2017-000268-14, and is registered at Clinicaltrial.gov:
      NCT03038516. The study is financed with research grants from the Swedish Cancer
      Society and the Stockholm County Council.

PMID- 28904009
TI  - DIAGNOSIS OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: 18-Oxocortisol and 18-hydroxycortisol: is there
      clinical utility of these steroids?
AB  - Since the early 1980s 18-hydroxycortisol and 18-oxocortisol have attracted
      attention when it was shown that the urinary excretion of these hybrid steroids
      was increased in primary aldosteronism. The development and more widespread use
      of specific assays has improved the understanding of their role in the
      (patho)physiology of adrenal disorders. The adrenal site of synthesis is not
      fully understood although it is clear that for the synthesis of 18
      hydroxycortisol and 18-oxocortisol the action of both aldosterone synthase (zona
      glomerulosa) and 17alpha-hydroxylase (zona fasciculata) is required with cortisol
      as main substrate. The major physiological regulator is ACTH and the biological
      activity of both steroids is very low and therefore only very high concentrations
      might be effective in vivo In healthy subjects, the secretion of both steroids is
      low with 18-hydroxycortisol being substantially higher than that of 18
      oxocortisol. The highest secretion of both steroids has been found in familial
      hyperaldosteronism type 1 (glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism) and in
      familial hyperaldosteronism type 3. Lower but yet substantially increased
      secretion is found in patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas in contrast to
      bilateral hyperplasia in whom the levels are similar to patients with
      hypertension. Several studies have attempted to show that these steroids, in
      particular, peripheral venous plasma 18-oxocortisol, might be a useful
      discriminatory biomarker for subtyping PA patients. The current available limited
      evidence precludes the use of these steroids for subtyping. We review the
      biosynthesis, regulation and function of 18-hydroxycortisol and 18-oxocortisol
      and their potential utility for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of
      patients with primary aldosteronism.

PMID- 28904011
TI  - Continuation of non-essential medications in actively dying hospitalised
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this analysis was to examine the use of 11 non
      essential medications in actively dying patients. METHODS: This was a planned
      secondary analysis of data from the Best Practices for End-of-Life Care for Our
      Nation's Veterans trial, a multicentre implementation trial of an intervention to
      improve processes of end-of-life care in inpatient settings. Supported with an
      electronic comfort care decision support tool, intervention included training
      hospital staff to identify actively dying patients, communicate the prognosis to
      patients/families and implement best practices of traditionally home-based
      hospice care. Data on medication use before and after intervention were derived
      from electronic medical records of 5476 deceased veterans. RESULTS: Five non
      essential medications, clopidogrel, donepezil, glyburide, metformin and
      propoxyphene, were ordered in less than 5% of cases. More common were orders for
      simvastatin (15.8%/15.1%), calcium tablets (8.4%/7.9%), multivitamins
      (11.6%/10.8%), ferrous sulfate (9.1%/7.6%), diphenhydramine (7.2%/5.1%) and
      subcutaneous heparin (29.9%/27.5%). Significant decreases were found for
      donepezil (2.5%/1.3%; p=0.001), propoxyphene (0.8%/0.1%; p=0.001), metformin
      (0.8%/0.3%; p=0.007) and multivitamins (11.6%/10.8%; p=0.01). Orders for one or
      more non-essential medications were less likely to occur in association with
      palliative care consultation (adjusted OR (AOR)=0.64, p<0.001), do-not
      resuscitate orders (AOR=0.66, p=0.001) and orders for death rattle medication
      (AOR=0.35, p<0.001). Patients who died in an intensive care unit were more likely
      to receive a non-essential medication (AOR=1.60, p=0.009), as were older patients
      (AOR=1.12 per 10 years, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Non-essential medications continue
      to be administered to actively dying patients. Discontinuation of these
      medications may be facilitated by interventions that enhance recognition and
      consideration of patients' actively dying status.

PMID- 28904012
TI  - Identification of a core TP53 transcriptional program with highly distributed
      tumor suppressive activity.
AB  - The tumor suppressor TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene product in human
      cancer. Close to half of all solid tumors carry inactivating mutations in the
      TP53 gene, while in the remaining cases, TP53 activity is abrogated by other
      oncogenic events, such as hyperactivation of its endogenous repressors MDM2 or
      MDM4. Despite identification of hundreds of genes regulated by this transcription
      factor, it remains unclear which direct target genes and downstream pathways are
      essential for the tumor suppressive function of TP53. We set out to address this
      problem by generating multiple genomic data sets for three different cancer cell
      lines, allowing the identification of distinct sets of TP53-regulated genes, from
      early transcriptional targets through to late targets controlled at the
      translational level. We found that although TP53 elicits vastly divergent
      signaling cascades across cell lines, it directly activates a core
      transcriptional program of ~100 genes with diverse biological functions,
      regardless of cell type or cellular response to TP53 activation. This core
      program is associated with high-occupancy TP53 enhancers, high levels of paused
      RNA polymerases, and accessible chromatin. Interestingly, two different shRNA
      screens failed to identify a single TP53 target gene required for the anti
      proliferative effects of TP53 during pharmacological activation in vitro.
      Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis of thousands of cancer genomes revealed that
      none of these core target genes are frequently inactivated in tumors expressing
      wild-type TP53. These results support the hypothesis that TP53 activates a
      genetically robust transcriptional program with highly distributed tumor
      suppressive functions acting in diverse cellular contexts.

PMID- 28904013
TI  - Integrative analysis of RNA polymerase II and transcriptional dynamics upon MYC
      activation.
AB  - Overexpression of the MYC transcription factor causes its widespread interaction
      with regulatory elements in the genome but leads to the up- and down-regulation
      of discrete sets of genes. The molecular determinants of these selective
      transcriptional responses remain elusive. Here, we present an integrated time
      course analysis of transcription and mRNA dynamics following MYC activation in
      proliferating mouse fibroblasts, based on chromatin immunoprecipitation,
      metabolic labeling of newly synthesized RNA, extensive sequencing, and
      mathematical modeling. Transcriptional activation correlated with the highest
      increases in MYC binding at promoters. Repression followed a reciprocal scenario,
      with the lowest gains in MYC binding. Altogether, the relative abundance
      (henceforth, "share") of MYC at promoters was the strongest predictor of
      transcriptional responses in diverse cell types, predominating over MYC's
      association with the corepressor ZBTB17 (also known as MIZ1). MYC activation
      elicited immediate loading of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) at activated promoters,
      followed by increases in pause-release, while repressed promoters showed opposite
      effects. Gains and losses in RNAPII loading were proportional to the changes in
      the MYC share, suggesting that repression by MYC may be partly indirect, owing to
      competition for limiting amounts of RNAPII. Secondary to the changes in RNAPII
      loading, the dynamics of elongation and pre-mRNA processing were also rapidly
      altered at MYC regulated genes, leading to the transient accumulation of
      partially or aberrantly processed mRNAs. Altogether, our results shed light on
      how overexpressed MYC alters the various phases of the RNAPII cycle and the
      resulting transcriptional response.

PMID- 28904016
TI  - lncRNA AK017368 promotes proliferation and suppresses differentiation of
      myoblasts in skeletal muscle development by attenuating the function of miR-30c.
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play diverse roles in
      biologic and pathologic processes, including myogenesis. We found that lncRNA
      AK017368 is highly expressed in skeletal muscle cells. Functional analyses showed
      that overexpression of AK017368 promoted proliferation and restrained
      differentiation of myoblasts; whereas inhibition of AK017368 had completely
      opposite effects in vitro In mice, knockdown of AK017368 promoted muscle
      hypertrophy in vivo RNA molecules of AK017368 acted mechanistically as competing
      endogenous RNAs to target micro-RNA (miR)-30c, which was supported by the results
      of bioinformatics analyses and dual-luciferase reporter assays. It has been shown
      that lncRNA AK017368 competes with trinucleotide repeat containing-6A (Tnrc6a)
      for miR-30c. Tnrc6a was previously reported to promote proliferation and inhibit
      differentiation of myoblast cells, whereas miR-30c targets the 3'-UTR of Tnrc6a
      mRNA to weaken its function. Taken together, lncRNA AK017368 promotes
      proliferation and inhibits differentiation of myoblast cells by attenuating
      function of miR-30c.-Liang, T., Zhou, B., Shi, L., Wang, H., Chu, Q., Xu, F., Li,
      Y., Chen, R., Shen, C., Schinckel, A. P. lncRNA AK017368 promotes proliferation
      and suppresses differentiation of myoblasts in skeletal muscle development by
      attenuating the function of miR-30c.

PMID- 28904015
TI  - Sasquatch: predicting the impact of regulatory SNPs on transcription factor
      binding from cell- and tissue-specific DNase footprints.
AB  - In the era of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and personalized medicine,
      predicting the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in regulatory
      elements is an important goal. Current approaches to determine the potential of
      regulatory SNPs depend on inadequate knowledge of cell-specific DNA binding
      motifs. Here, we present Sasquatch, a new computational approach that uses DNase
      footprint data to estimate and visualize the effects of noncoding variants on
      transcription factor binding. Sasquatch performs a comprehensive k-mer-based
      analysis of DNase footprints to determine any k-mer's potential for protein
      binding in a specific cell type and how this may be changed by sequence variants.
      Therefore, Sasquatch uses an unbiased approach, independent of known
      transcription factor binding sites and motifs. Sasquatch only requires a single
      DNase-seq data set per cell type, from any genotype, and produces consistent
      predictions from data generated by different experimental procedures and at
      different sequence depths. Here we demonstrate the effectiveness of Sasquatch
      using previously validated functional SNPs and benchmark its performance against
      existing approaches. Sasquatch is available as a versatile webtool incorporating
      publicly available data, including the human ENCODE collection. Thus, Sasquatch
      provides a powerful tool and repository for prioritizing likely regulatory SNPs
      in the noncoding genome.

PMID- 28904014
TI  - Redundant and incoherent regulations of multiple phenotypes suggest microRNAs'
      role in stability control.
AB  - Each microRNA (miRNA) represses a web of target genes and, through them, controls
      multiple phenotypes. The difficulties inherent in such controls cast doubt on how
      effective miRNAs are in driving phenotypic changes. A "simple regulation" model
      posits "one target-one phenotype" control under which most targeting is
      nonfunctional. In an alternative "coordinate regulation" model, multiple targets
      are assumed to control the same phenotypes coherently, and most targeting is
      functional. Both models have some empirical support but pose different conceptual
      challenges. Here, we concurrently analyze multiple targets and phenotypes
      associated with the miRNA-310 family (miR310s) of Drosophila Phenotypic rescue in
      the mir310s knockout background is achieved by promoter-directed RNA interference
      that restores wild-type expression. For one phenotype (eggshell morphology), we
      observed redundant regulation, hence rejecting "simple regulation" in favor of
      the "coordinate regulation" model. For other phenotypes (egg-hatching and male
      fertility), however, one gene shows full rescue, but three other rescues
      aggravate the phenotype. Overall, phenotypic controls by miR310s do not support
      either model. Like a thermostat that controls both heating and cooling elements
      to regulate temperature, redundancy and incoherence in regulation generally
      suggest some capacity in stability control. Our results therefore support the
      published view that miRNAs play a role in the canalization of transcriptome and,
      hence, phenotypes.

PMID- 28904017
TI  - Eliciting improved antibacterial efficacy of host proteins in the presence of
      antibiotics.
AB  - We recently reported the aptitude of a membrane-active lipopeptide (C10OOc12O) to
      sensitize gram-negative bacilli (GNB) to host antibacterial proteins. Here we
      explored the potential of harnessing such capacity in the presence of
      antibiotics. For this purpose, we compared Escherichia coli sensitization to
      antibiotics in broth and plasma; assessed inner and outer membrane damages using
      scanning electron microscopy, dyes, and mutant strains; and assessed the ability
      to affect disease course using the mouse peritonitis-sepsis model for mono- and
      combination therapies. We found that by altering permeability of both outer and
      inner membranes, subinhibitory concentrations of C10OOc12O can transiently
      sensitize GNB to diverse cytoplasm-targeting antibiotics in simple media.
      Sensitization was maintained in plasma, where C10OOc12O instigated greater
      bactericidal activities, including in the presence of a bacteriostatic antibiotic
      (erythromycin). Single-dose administrations of rifampin and C10OOc12O to E. coli
      infected mice resulted in 55% vs. 0, and 36% viability, respectively, for
      combined and individual treatments. Combining C10OOc12O and erythromycin has
      similarly improved mice protection from developing fatal sepsis. Consequently,
      the data confirmed that C10OOc12O renders GNB sensitive to both endogenous and
      exogenous antibacterials, and suggested that the tripartite concomitant presence
      increases therapeutic efficacy synergistically. This approach might expand the
      available treatment options to comprise antimicrobials with low permeability
      and/or efflux issues.-Jammal, J., Zaknoon, F., Mor, A. Eliciting improved
      antibacterial efficacy of host proteins in the presence of antibiotics.

PMID- 28904018
TI  - Dyslipidemia impairs mitochondrial trafficking and function in sensory neurons.
AB  - Mitochondrial trafficking plays a central role in dorsal root ganglion (DRG)
      neuronal cell survival and neurotransmission by transporting mitochondria from
      the neuronal cell body throughout the bundles of DRG axons. In type 2 diabetes
      (T2DM), dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia damage DRG neurons and induce
      mitochondrial dysfunction; however, the impact of free fatty acids and glucose on
      mitochondrial trafficking in DRG neurons remains unknown. To evaluate the impact
      of free fatty acids compared to hyperglycemia on mitochondrial transport, primary
      adult mouse DRG neuron cultures were treated with physiologic concentrations of
      palmitate and glucose and assessed for alterations in mitochondrial trafficking,
      mitochondrial membrane potential, and mitochondrial bioenergetics. Palmitate
      treatment significantly reduced the number of motile mitochondria in DRG axons,
      but physiologic concentrations of glucose did not impair mitochondrial
      trafficking dynamics. Palmitate-treated DRG neurons also exhibited a reduction in
      mitochondrial velocity, and impaired mitochondrial trafficking correlated with
      mitochondrial depolarization in palmitate-treated DRG neurons. Finally, we found
      differential bioenergetic effects of palmitate and glucose on resting and
      energetically challenged mitochondria in DRG neurons. Together, these results
      suggest that palmitate induces DRG neuron mitochondrial depolarization,
      inhibiting axonal mitochondrial trafficking and altering mitochondrial
      bioenergetic capacity.-Rumora, A. E., Lentz, S. I., Hinder, L. M., Jackson, S.
      W., Valesano, A., Levinson, G. E., Feldman, E. L. Dyslipidemia impairs
      mitochondrial trafficking and function in sensory neurons.

PMID- 28904019
TI  - Cathepsin B-mediated CD18 shedding regulates leukocyte recruitment from
      angiogenic vessels.
AB  - Cathepsin B (CtsB) contributes to atherosclerosis and cancer progression by
      processing the extracellular matrix and promoting angiogenesis. Although CtsB was
      reported to promote and reduce angiogenesis, there is no mechanistic explanation
      that reconciles this apparent discrepancy. CtsB cleaves CD18 from the surface of
      immune cells, but its contribution to angiogenesis has not been studied. We
      developed an in vivo technique for visualization of immune cell transmigration
      from corneal vessels toward implanted cytokines. Wild-type (WT) leukocytes
      extravasated from limbal vessels, angiogenic stalks, and growing tip vessels and
      migrated toward the cytokines, indicating immune competence of angiogenic
      vessels. Compared to WT leukocytes, CtsB-/- leukocytes accumulated in a higher
      number in angiogenic vessels, but extravasated less toward the implanted
      cytokine. The accumulated CtsB-/- leukocytes in angiogenic vessels expressed more
      CD18. CD18-/- leukocytes extravasated later than WT leukocytes. However, once
      extravasated, CD18-/- leukocytes transmigrated more rapidly than their WT
      counterparts. These results suggest that, although CD18 facilitates efficient
      extravasation, outside of the vessel CD18 interaction with the extracellular
      matrix, it reduced transmigration velocity. Our results reveal an unexpected role
      for CtsB in leukocyte extravasation and transmigration, which advances our
      understanding of the complex contribution of CtsB to angiogenesis.-Nakao, S.,
      Zandi, S., Sun, D., Hafezi-Moghadam, A. Cathepsin B-mediated CD18 shedding
      regulates leukocyte recruitment from angiogenic vessels.

PMID- 28904020
TI  - GTRAP3-18 regulates food intake and body weight by interacting with pro
      opiomelanocortin.
AB  - Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing neurons provide alpha-melanocyte
      stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), which stimulates melanocortin 4 receptor to
      induce hypophagia by AMPK inhibition in the hypothalamus. alpha-MSH is produced
      by POMC cleavage in secretory granules and released. However, it is not known yet
      whether any posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism of POMC signaling exists
      upstream of the secretory granules in neurons. Here we show that glutamate
      transporter-associated protein 3-18 (GTRAP3-18), an anchor protein that retains
      interacting proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, is a critical regulator of
      food intake and body weight by interacting with POMC. GTRAP3-18-deficient mice
      showed hypophagia, lean bodies, and lower blood glucose, insulin, and leptin
      levels with increased serum and brain alpha-MSH levels, leading to AMPK
      inhibition. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests revealed significantly
      decreased blood glucose levels and areas under the curve in GTRAP3-18-deficient
      mice compared to wild-type mice. An intracerebroventricular infusion of a
      selective melanocortin 4 receptor antagonist to GTRAP3-18-deficient mice
      significantly increased their food intake and body weight. A fluorescence
      resonance energy transfer study showed an interaction between GTRAP3-18 and POMC
      in vitro These findings suggest that activation of the melanocortin pathway by
      modulating GTRAP3-18/POMC interaction could be an alternative strategy for
      obesity and/or type 2 diabetes.-Aoyama, K., Bhadhprasit, W., Watabe, M., Wang,
      F., Matsumura, N., Nakaki, T. GTRAP3-18 regulates food intake and body weight by
      interacting with pro-opiomelanocortin.

PMID- 28904021
TI  - BaP exposure causes oocyte meiotic arrest and fertilization failure to weaken
      female fertility.
AB  - Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant and carcinogen that
      is frequently found in particulate matter, with a diameter of <=2.5 MUm (PM2.5).
      It has been reported to interrupt the normal reproductive system, but the exact
      molecular basis has not been clearly defined. To understand the underlying
      mechanisms regarding how BaP exposure disrupts female fertility, we evaluated
      oocyte quality by assessing the critical regulators and events during oocyte
      meiotic maturation and fertilization. We found that BaP exposure compromised the
      mouse oocyte meiotic progression by disrupting normal spindle assembly,
      chromosome alignment, and kinetochore-microtubule attachment, consequently
      leading to the generation of aneuploid eggs. In addition, BaP administration
      significantly decreased the fertilization rate of mouse eggs by reducing the
      number of sperm binding to the zona pellucida, which was consistent with the
      premature cleavage of N terminus of zona pellucida sperm-binding protein 2 and
      precocious exocytosis of ovastacin. Furthermore, BaP exposure interfered with the
      gamete fusion process by perturbing the localization and protein level of Juno.
      Notably, we found that BaP exposure induced oxidative stress with an increased
      level of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis in oocytes and thereby led to the
      deterioration of critical regulators and events during oocyte meiotic progression
      and fertilization. Our data document that BaP exposure reduces female fertility
      via impairing oocyte maturation and fertilization ability induced by oxidative
      stress and early apoptosis in murine models.-Zhang, M., Miao, Y., Chen, Q., Cai,
      M., Dong, W., Dai, X., Lu, Y., Zhou, C., Cui, Z., Xiong, B. BaP exposure causes
      oocyte meiotic arrest and fertilization failure to weaken female fertility.

PMID- 28904022
TI  - PI3Kgamma ablation does not promote diabetes in db/db mice, but improves insulin
      sensitivity and reduces pancreatic beta-cell apoptosis.
AB  - PI3Kgamma has emerged as a promising target for the treatment of obesity and
      insulin resistance; however, previous studies have indicated that PI3Kgamma
      activity in pancreatic beta cells is required for normal insulin secretion in
      response to glucose. Hence, a possible deterioration of insulin secretion
      capacity in patients who are predisposed to the failure of pancreatic beta-cell
      function is a major concern for the pharmacologic inhibition of PI3Kgamma. To
      address this issue, we investigated the effects of PI3Kgamma ablation in db/db
      diabetic mice, a genetic model of obesity-driven beta-cell failure and diabetes.
      Mice that lacked PI3Kgamma were backcrossed into db/+ mice C57BL/KS (>10
      generations) to obtain db/db-PI3Kgamma-/- mice. db/db-PI3Kgamma-/- mice and
      control db/db mice were phenotyped for glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity,
      insulin secretion, steatosis, metabolic inflammation, pancreatic islet
      morphometry, islet cellular composition, and inflammation. Pancreatic beta-cell
      apoptosis and proliferation were also evaluated. db/db-PI3Kgamma -/- mice and
      control db/db mice developed similar body weight, steatosis, glycemia, and
      insulin levels after a glucose load; however, db/db-PI3Kgamma-/- mice displayed
      improved insulin tolerance, higher levels of fasting serum insulin, and lower
      pancreatic insulin content. In db/db-PI3Kgamma-/- mice, the number of adipose
      tissue macrophages was similar to control, but displayed reduced adipose tissue
      neutrophils and M2-polarized adipose tissue gene expression. Finally, db/db
      PI3Kgamma-/- mice have more pancreatic beta cells and larger islets than db/db
      mice, despite displaying similar islet inflammation. This phenotype could be
      explained by reduced beta-cell apoptosis in db/db-PI3Kgamma-/- mice compared with
      control db/db mice. Our results are consistent with the concept that the
      beneficial action of PI3Kgamma ablation in obesity-driven glucose intolerance is
      largely a result of its leptin-dependent effects on adiposity and, to a lesser
      extent, the promotion of adipose tissue neutrophil recruitment and M1
      polarization of gene expression. Of importance, our data challenge the concept
      that PI3Kgamma is required for insulin secretion in response to glucose in vivo,
      and indicate that PI3Kgamma ablation protects db/db mice from beta-cell apoptosis
      and improves fasting insulin levels. We conclude that PI3Kgamma inhibition in
      obese patients who are predisposed to beta-cell failure is not expected to
      produce adverse effects on insulin secretion.-Breasson, L., Sardi, C., Becattini,
      B., Zani, F., Solinas, G. PI3Kgamma ablation does not promote diabetes in db/db
      mice, but improves insulin sensitivity and reduces pancreatic beta-cell
      apoptosis.

PMID- 28904023
TI  - alpha-Linolenic acid-derived metabolites from gut lactic acid bacteria induce
      differentiation of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages through G protein-coupled
      receptor 40.
AB  - Among dietary fatty acids with immunologic effects, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty
      acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), have been considered as factors that
      contribute to the differentiation of M2-type macrophages (M2 macrophages). In
      this study, we examined the effect of ALA and its gut lactic acid bacteria
      metabolites 13-hydroxy-9(Z),15(Z)-octadecadienoic acid (13-OH) and 13-oxo
      9(Z),15(Z)-octadecadienoic acid (13-oxo) on the differentiation of M2 macrophages
      from bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) and investigated the underlying
      mechanisms. BMDCs were stimulated with ALA, 13-OH, or 13-oxo in the presence of
      IL-4 or IL-13 for 24 h, and significant increases in M2 macrophage markers CD206
      and Arginase-1 (Arg1) were observed. In addition, M2 macrophage phenotypes were
      less prevalent following cotreatment with GPCR40 antagonists or inhibitors of PLC
      beta and MEK under these conditions, suggesting that GPCR40 signaling is involved
      in the regulation of M2 macrophage differentiation. In further experiments,
      remarkable M2 macrophage accumulation was observed in the lamina propria of the
      small intestine of C57BL/6 mice after intragastric treatments with ALA, 13-OH, or
      13-oxo at 1 g/kg of body weight per day for 3 d. These findings suggest a novel
      mechanism of M2 macrophage differentiation involving fatty acids from gut lactic
      acid bacteria and GPCR40 signaling.-Ohue-Kitano, R., Yasuoka, Y., Goto, T.,
      Kitamura, N., Park, S.-B., Kishino, S., Kimura, I., Kasubuchi, M., Takahashi, H.,
      Li, Y., Yeh, Y.-S., Jheng, H.-F., Iwase, M., Tanaka, M., Masuda, S., Inoue, T.,
      Yamakage, H., Kusakabe, T., Tani, F., Shimatsu, A., Takahashi, N., Ogawa, J.,
      Satoh-Asahara, N., Kawada, T. alpha-Linolenic acid-derived metabolites from gut
      lactic acid bacteria induce differentiation of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages
      through G protein-coupled receptor 40.

PMID- 28904025
TI  - What is a medical journal good for?

PMID- 28904026
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904024
TI  - Polyamines and Their Role in Virus Infection.
AB  - Polyamines are small, abundant, aliphatic molecules present in all mammalian
      cells. Within the context of the cell, they play a myriad of roles, from
      modulating nucleic acid conformation to promoting cellular proliferation and
      signaling. In addition, polyamines have emerged as important molecules in virus
      host interactions. Many viruses have been shown to require polyamines for one or
      more aspects of their replication cycle, including DNA and RNA polymerization,
      nucleic acid packaging, and protein synthesis. Understanding the role of
      polyamines has become easier with the application of small-molecule inhibitors of
      polyamine synthesis and the use of interferon-induced regulators of polyamines.
      Here we review the diverse mechanisms in which viruses require polyamines and
      investigate blocking polyamine synthesis as a potential broad-spectrum antiviral
      approach.

PMID- 28904027
TI  - Competing demands and opportunities in primary care.

PMID- 28904028
TI  - Spinal manipulative therapy for low back pain-time for an update.

PMID- 28904029
TI  - Response.

PMID- 28904030
TI  - Approach to advanced heart failure at the end of life.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To outline symptom management in, as well as offer a home-based
      protocol for, patients with advanced heart failure (HF). SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
      The terms palliative care and heart failure were searched in PubMed and relevant
      databases. All articles were reviewed. The specific medical management protocol
      was developed by the "HeartFull" collaborative team at the Temmy Latner Centre
      for Palliative Care in Toronto, Ont. MAIN MESSAGE: Educating patients about
      advanced HF and helping them understand their illness and illness trajectory can
      foster end-of-life discussions. Home-based care of patients with advanced HF that
      includes optimizing diuresis can lead to improved symptom management. It is also
      hoped that it can reduce both patient and health care system burden and result in
      greater health-related quality of life for patients with advanced HF. CONCLUSION:
      This article provides an overview of how to manage common symptoms in patients
      with advanced HF. The home diuresis protocol with guidelines for oral and
      intravenous diuretic therapy is available at CFPlus.

PMID- 28904031
TI  - Shared decision making in preventive health care: What it is; what it is not.

PMID- 28904032
TI  - Antibiotic therapy for children with acute otitis media.
AB  - Question Acute otitis media is one of the most common infections in childhood.
      Routine prescription of antibiotics has led to adverse events and bacterial
      resistance to antibiotics. I have heard that "watchful waiting" is a good
      strategy to reduce this potential problem in children older than 6 months of age.
      Should I apply this strategy in my clinical practice? Answer Watchful waiting can
      be applied in selected children with nonsevere acute otitis media by withholding
      antibiotics and observing the child for clinical improvement. Antibiotics should
      be promptly provided if the child's infection worsens or fails to improve within
      24 to 48 hours. Guidelines and most ongoing studies support these
      recommendations. Correct choice of regimen, dose, frequency, and length of
      treatment are all important.

PMID- 28904033
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904034
TI  - Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised might be an
      unreliable tool in the management of alcohol withdrawal.

PMID- 28904035
TI  - Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations: Interview with Dr Caroline Laberge.

PMID- 28904036
TI  - Sacubitril-valsartan: novel therapy for heart failure.

PMID- 28904037
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904038
TI  - Facilitated access to an integrated model of care for arthritis in an urban
      Aboriginal population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a model of care to improve arthritis detection and
      treatment in an urban Aboriginal population. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: The
      Elbow River Healing Lodge in Calgary, Alta. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 26
      participants with noninflammatory arthritis and 12 with inflammatory arthritis.
      INTERVENTION: A monthly rheumatology clinic was embedded in the primary health
      care service and received referrals from primary care providers and allied health
      care professionals, or self-referrals. All participants had a standardized
      assessment to determine their diagnosis. Those with noninflammatory
      musculoskeletal conditions were returned to primary care management and those
      with inflammatory arthritis conditions were followed by the rheumatologist. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Accessibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and cultural
      safety were evaluated as measures of quality for the model of care. RESULTS:
      Nearly all participants (87%) thought the services were very easy or easy to
      obtain, and overall satisfaction with the model of care was high (89% were very
      satisfied or satisfied). For inflammatory arthritis patients, the swollen and
      tender joint counts improved over time (both P < .01) and patient safety was
      assured. A high degree of cultural safety was provided, with 95% of participants
      responding that they did not perceive discrimination on the basis of race.
      CONCLUSION: This model of care facilitated access for diagnosis and return to
      care of inflammatory arthritis conditions, and was acceptable to participants.
      This model of care removes the complexities of access to non-family physician
      specialty care while providing health care in a setting valued by Aboriginal
      patients.

PMID- 28904039
TI  - Patient of steel.

PMID- 28904040
TI  - Courage, relationships, and applicability: Big research from small places.

PMID- 28904041
TI  - Engagement of people with lived experience in primary care research: Living with
      HIV Innovation Team Community Scholar Program.

PMID- 28904043
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904042
TI  - Serving vulnerable communities.

PMID- 28904044
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904045
TI  - Cultural competence and the Besrour Centre.

PMID- 28904046
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904047
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904048
TI  - What can organizations do to improve family physicians' interprofessional
      collaboration? Results of a survey of primary care in Quebec.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree of collaboration in primary health care
      organizations between FPs and other health care professionals; and to identify
      organizational factors associated with such collaboration. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional survey. SETTING: Primary health care organizations in the Montreal and
      Monteregie regions of Quebec. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians or administrative managers
      from 376 organizations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Degree of collaboration between
      FPs and other specialists and between FPs and nonphysician health professionals.
      RESULTS: Almost half (47.1%) of organizations reported a high degree of
      collaboration between FPs and other specialists, but a high degree of
      collaboration was considerably less common between FPs and nonphysician
      professionals (16.5%). Clinic collaboration with a hospital and having more
      patients with at least 1 chronic disease were associated with higher FP
      collaboration with other specialists. The proportion of patients with at least 1
      chronic disease was the only factor associated with collaboration between FPs and
      nonphysician professionals. CONCLUSION: There is room for improvement regarding
      interprofessional collaboration in primary health care, especially between FPs
      and nonphysician professionals. Organizations that manage patients with more
      chronic diseases collaborate more with both non-FP specialists and nonphysician
      professionals.

PMID- 28904049
TI  - Use of thyroid-stimulating hormone tests for identifying primary hypothyroidism
      in family medicine patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) tests for
      identifying primary hypothyroidism in 2 academic family medicine settings.
      DESIGN: Descriptive study involving a retrospective electronic chart review of
      family medicine patients who underwent TSH testing. SETTING: Two academic family
      practice sites: one site is within a tertiary hospital in Toronto, Ont, and the
      other is within a community hospital in Newmarket, Ont. PARTICIPANTS: A random
      sample of 205 adult family medicine patients who had 1 or more TSH tests for
      identifying potential primary hypothyroidism between July 1, 2009, and September
      15, 2013. Exclusion criteria included a previous diagnosis of any thyroid
      condition or abnormality, as well as pregnancy or recent pregnancy within the
      year preceding the study period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion of normal
      TSH test results and the proportion of TSH tests that did not conform to test
      ordering guidelines. RESULTS: Of the 205 TSH test results, 200 (97.6%, 95% CI
      94.4% to 99.2%) showed TSH levels within the normal range. All 5 patients with
      abnormal TSH test results had TSH levels above the upper reference limits. Nearly
      one-quarter (22.4%, 95% CI 16.9% to 28.8%) of tests did not conform to test
      ordering guidelines. All TSH tests classified as not conforming to test-ordering
      guidelines showed TSH levels within normal limits. There was a significant
      difference (P < .001) between the proportions of nonconforming TSH tests at the
      tertiary site (14.3%, 95% CI 8.2% to 22.5%) and the community site (31.0%, 95% CI
      22.1% to 41.0%). Preliminary analyses examining which variables might be
      associated with abnormal TSH levels showed that only muscle cramps or myalgia (P
      = .0286) and a history of an autoimmune disorder (P = .0623) met or approached
      statistical significance. CONCLUSION: In this study, the proportion of normal TSH
      test results in the context of primary hypothyroidism case finding and screening
      was high, and the overall proportion of TSH tests that did not conform to test
      ordering guidelines was relatively high as well. These results highlight a need
      for more consistent TSH test-ordering guidelines for primary hypothyroidism and
      perhaps some educational interventions to help curtail the overuse of TSH tests
      in the family medicine setting.

PMID- 28904051
TI  - ?

PMID- 28904050
TI  - Defining "high-frequency" emergency department use: Does one size fit all for
      urban and rural areas?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To suggest a functional definition for identification of "high
      frequency" emergency department (ED) users in rural areas. DESIGN: Retrospective
      analysis of secondary data. SETTING: Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre in
      northwestern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: All ED visitors (N = 7121) in 2014 (N = 17
      911 visits) in one rural hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of patients
      and visits identified using different definitions of high-frequency use. RESULTS:
      By using the most common definition of high-frequency use (>= 4 annual visits)
      for our hospital data, we identified 16.7% of ED patients. Using 6 or more annual
      visits as the definition, we identified 7.9% of ED patients; these patients
      accounted for 31.3% of the ED visit workload. Using the definition of 6 or more
      identifies less than 10% of the patients, which is a similar result to using the
      lower visit standard (>= 4) in urban centres. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the
      definition for high-frequency visitors to a rural ED should be 6 or more annual
      visits. Other useful subsets might include very high-frequency users (12 to 19
      annual visits) and super users (>= 20 annual visits).

PMID- 28904052
TI  - DNA Breathing Enables Closed-Tube Mutant Allele Enrichment for Circulating Tumor
      DNA Analysis.

PMID- 28904053
TI  - Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Hypertensive Patients with Medical Treatment-Results
      from the Randomized TEAMSTA Protect I Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High blood pressure (BP) is associated with an increased rate of
      cardiovascular events and mortality. Cardiovascular biomarkers are able to
      predict long-term risk in the general population, particularly in diseased
      cohorts. We undertook an investigation of the effect of 2 different
      antihypertensive treatments on cardiovascular biomarkers in a randomized trial.
      METHODS: The TEAMSTA study included 481 hypertensive patients. They were
      randomized to either 80-mg telmisartan + 5-mg amlodipine (TA) or 40-mg olmesartan
      + 12.5-mg hydrochlorothiazide (OH). The trial was performed as a prospective,
      randomized, double-blinded, controlled, single-center study. We measured BP, high
      sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs
      cTnT), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and N-terminal-pro-BNP (NT-proBNP)
      before randomization and after 6 months. RESULTS: Individuals were randomized
      into 2 groups: 230 individuals to the OH-group and 251 to the TA-group. After 6
      months of treatment, a reduction in BP (systolic/diastolic) was seen, from
      135.2/85.2 mmHg to 122.5/75.7 mmHg with similar effects in both groups. hs-cTnT
      concentrations were measureable in 26.2% of the study population, while hs-cTnI
      was detected in 98.3%. hs-cTnI concentrations were significantly reduced from 4.6
      to 4.2 ng/L in the overall population, from 4.7 to 4.4 ng/L in the OH-group, and
      from 4.6 to 4.0 ng/L in the TA-group (all P < 0.001). No significant changes of
      hs-cTnT were observed. BNP and NT-proBNP concentrations decreased from 15.0 to
      12.4 ng/L (P < 0.001) and from 64.8 to 53.3 ng/L (P < 0.001), respectively, after
      6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in BP was associated with a decrease of high
      sensitivity troponin I, BNP, and NT-proBNP concentrations, which might represent
      a cardiovascular risk reduction. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT 2009-017010
      68.

PMID- 28904054
TI  - A 13-Steroid Serum Panel Based on LC-MS/MS: Use in Detection of Adrenocortical
      Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy, with an annual
      incidence of 1 or 2 cases per million. Biochemical diagnosis is challenging
      because up to two-thirds of the carcinomas are biochemically silent, resulting
      from de facto enzyme deficiencies in steroid hormone biosynthesis. Urine steroid
      profiling by GC-MS is an effective diagnostic test for ACC because of its
      capacity to detect and quantify the increased metabolites of steroid pathway
      synthetic intermediates. Corresponding serum assays for most steroid pathway
      intermediates are usually unavailable because of low demand or lack of
      immunoassay specificity. Serum steroid analysis by LC-MS/MS is increasingly
      replacing immunoassay, in particular for steroids most subject to cross-reaction.
      METHODS: We developed an LC-MS/MS method for the measurement of serum
      androstenedione, corticosterone, cortisol, cortisone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, 11
      deoxycortisol, 21-deoxycortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, pregnenolone, 17
      hydroxypregnenolone, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and testosterone.
      Assay value in discriminating ACC from other adrenal lesions
      (phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma, cortisol-producing adenoma, and lesions
      demonstrating no hormonal excess) was then investigated. RESULTS: In ACC cases,
      between 4 and 7 steroids were increased (median = 6), and in the non-ACC groups,
      up to 2 steroids were increased. 11-Deoxycortisol was markedly increased in all
      cases of ACC. All steroids except testosterone in males and corticosterone and
      cortisone in both sexes were of use in discriminating ACC from non-ACC adrenal
      lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Serum steroid paneling by LC-MS/MS is useful for diagnosing
      ACC by combining the measurement of steroid hormones and their precursors in a
      single analysis.

PMID- 28904055
TI  - Toward Noninvasive Probing of Maternal-Fetal-Microbial Interactions during
      Pregnancy.

PMID- 28904056
TI  - Simultaneously Monitoring Immune Response and Microbial Infections during
      Pregnancy through Plasma cfRNA Sequencing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasma cell-free RNA (cfRNA) encompasses a broad spectrum of RNA
      species that can be derived from both human cells and microbes. Because cfRNA is
      fragmented and of low concentration, it has been challenging to profile its
      transcriptome using standard RNA-seq methods. METHODS: We assessed several
      recently developed RNA-seq methods on cfRNA samples. We then analyzed the dynamic
      changes of both the human transcriptome and the microbiome of plasma during
      pregnancy from 60 women. RESULTS: cfRNA reflects a well-orchestrated immune
      modulation during pregnancy: an up-regulation of antiinflammatory genes and an
      increased abundance of antimicrobial genes. We observed that the plasma
      microbiome remained relatively stable during pregnancy. The bacteria Ureaplasma
      shows an increased prevalence and increased abundance at postpartum, which is
      likely to be associated with postpartum infection. We demonstrated that cfRNA-seq
      can be used to monitor viral infections. We detected a number of human pathogens
      in our patients, including an undiagnosed patient with a high load of human
      parvovirus B19 virus (B19V), which is known to be a potential cause of
      complications in pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma cfRNA-seq demonstrates the
      potential to simultaneously monitor immune response and microbial infections
      during pregnancy.

PMID- 28904057
TI  - Prevalence of Rare Hemoglobin Variants Identified During Measurements of Hb A1c
      by Capillary Electrophoresis.

PMID- 28904058
TI  - Evaluation of Lipoprotein(a) Electrophoretic and Immunoassay Methods in
      Discriminating Risk of Calcific Aortic Valve Disease and Incident Coronary Heart
      Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] analytical techniques are
      available that quantify distinct particle components, yet their clinical efficacy
      has not been comprehensively evaluated. This study determined whether Lp(a) mass
      [Lp(a)-M], Lp(a) cholesterol content [Lp(a)-C], and particle concentration [Lp(a)
      P] differentially discriminated risk of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) or
      incident coronary heart disease (CHD) among 4679 participants of the Multi-Ethnic
      Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). METHODS: Lp(a)-M, Lp(a)-C, and Lp(a)-P were
      measured in individuals without clinical evidence of CHD at baseline. Relative
      risk regression and Cox proportional analysis determined associations between
      Lp(a) and the presence of CAVD or 12-year risk of CHD, respectively. To control
      for the relatively high lower limits of quantification for Lp(a)-C and Lp(a)-P
      assays, the upper 25th and 15th percentiles were selected as analytical cutoff
      points. RESULTS: Regardless of method or analytical cutoff, high Lp(a)
      concentrations were significantly associated with CAVD and CHD in MESA
      participants following adjustment for typical cardiovascular risk factors.
      Stratifying by race/ethnicity rendered most associations nonsignificant after
      correction for multiple comparisons, but Lp(a) remained associated with CAVD in
      whites irrespective of method (all P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Associations of
      Lp(a)-C, Lp(a)-P, and Lp(a)-M with CAVD or incident CHD were similar in this
      entire MESA sample using a dichotomized statistical approach. However, the high
      lower limits of quantification and imprecision of the Lp(a)-C and Lp(a)-P assays
      limited their usefulness in our analyses and would likely do so in research and
      clinical settings.

PMID- 28904059
TI  - Gene Methylation Biomarkers in Sputum and Plasma as Predictors for Lung Cancer
      Recurrence.
AB  - Detection of methylated genes in exfoliated cells from the lungs of smokers
      provides an assessment of the extent of field cancerization, is a validated
      biomarker for predicting lung cancer, and provides some discrimination when
      interrogated in blood. The potential utility of this 8-gene methylation panel for
      predicting tumor recurrence has not been assessed. The Eastern Cooperative
      Oncology Group initiated a prevention trial (ECOG-ACRIN5597) that enrolled
      resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients who were randomized 2:1 to
      receive selenized yeast versus placebo for 4 years. We conducted a correlative
      biomarker study to assess prevalence for methylation of the 8-gene panel in
      longitudinally collected sputum and blood after tumor resection to determine
      whether selenium alters their methylation profile and whether this panel predicts
      local and/or distant recurrence. Patients (N = 1,561) were enrolled into the
      prevention trial; 565 participated in the biomarker study with 122 recurrences
      among that group. Assessing the association between recurrence and risk of gene
      methylation longitudinally for up to 48 months showed a 1.4-fold increase in OR
      for methylation in sputum in the placebo group independent of location (local or
      distant). Kaplan-Meier curves evaluating the association between number of
      methylated genes and time to recurrence showed no increased risk in sputum, while
      a significant HR of 1.5 was seen in plasma. Methylation detection in sputum and
      blood is associated with risk for recurrence. Cancer Prev Res; 10(11); 635-40.
      (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904060
TI  - Early Exposure to a High Fat/High Sugar Diet Increases the Mammary Stem Cell
      Compartment and Mammary Tumor Risk in Female Mice.
AB  - Obesity and alterations in metabolic programming from early diet exposures can
      affect the propensity to disease in later life. Through dietary manipulation,
      developing mouse pups were exposed to a hyperinsulinemic, hyperglycemic milieu
      during three developmental phases: gestation, lactation, and postweaning.
      Analyses showed that a postweaning high fat/high sugar (HF/HS) diet had the main
      negative effect on adult body weight, glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance.
      However, dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced carcinogenesis revealed that
      animals born to a mother fed a HF/HS gestation diet, nursed by a mother on a
      mildly diet-restricted, low fat/low sugar diet (DR) and weaned onto a HF/HS diet
      (HF/DR/HF) had the highest mammary tumor incidence, while HF/HF/DR had the lowest
      tumor incidence. Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that a HF/HS
      postweaning diet doubled mammary cancer risk, and a HF/HS diet during gestation
      and postweaning increased risk 5.5 times. Exposure to a HF/HS diet during
      gestation, when combined with a postweaning DR diet, had a protective effect,
      reducing mammary tumor risk by 86% (HR = 0.142). Serum adipocytokine analysis
      revealed significant diet-dependent differences in leptin/adiponectin ratio and
      IGF-1. Flow cytometry analysis of cells isolated from mammary glands from a high
      tumor incidence group, DR/HF/HF, showed a significant increase in the size of the
      mammary stem cell compartment compared with a low tumor group, HF/HF/DR. These
      results indicate that dietary reprogramming induces an expansion of the mammary
      stem cell compartment during mammary development, increasing likely carcinogen
      targets and mammary cancer risk. Cancer Prev Res; 10(10); 553-62. (c)2017 AACRSee
      related editorial by Freedland, p. 551-2.

PMID- 28904061
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial of Green Tea Extract Supplementation and
      Mammographic Density in Postmenopausal Women at Increased Risk of Breast Cancer.
AB  - Epidemiologic and animal studies suggest a protective role of green tea against
      breast cancer. However, the underlying mechanism is not understood. We conducted
      a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial to
      investigate whether supplementation with green tea extract (GTE) modifies
      mammographic density (MD), as a potential mechanism, involving 1,075 healthy
      postmenopausal women. Women assigned to the treatment arm consumed daily 4
      decaffeinated GTE capsules containing 1,315 mg total catechins, including 843 mg
      epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for 12 months. A computer-assisted method
      (Madena) was used to assess MD in digital mammograms at baseline and month 12
      time points in 932 completers (462 in GTE and 470 in placebo). GTE
      supplementation for 12 months did not significantly change percent MD (PMD) or
      absolute MD in all women. In younger women (50-55 years), GTE supplementation
      significantly reduced PMD by 4.40% as compared with the placebo with a 1.02% PMD
      increase from pre- to postintervention (P = 0.05), but had no effect in older
      women (Pinteraction = 0.07). GTE supplementation did not induce MD change in
      other subgroups of women stratified by catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype or
      level of body mass index. In conclusion, 1-year supplementation with a high dose
      of EGCG did not have a significant effect on MD measures in all women, but
      reduced PMD in younger women, an age-dependent effect similar to those of
      tamoxifen. Further investigation of the potential chemopreventive effect of green
      tea intake on breast cancer risk in younger women is warranted. Cancer Prev Res;
      10(12); 710-8. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904062
TI  - Optical Coherence Tomography Detects Necrotic Regions and Volumetrically
      Quantifies Multicellular Tumor Spheroids.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroid models have gained increased recognition as
      important tools in cancer research and anticancer drug development. However,
      currently available imaging approaches used in high-throughput screening drug
      discovery platforms, for example, bright-field, phase contrast, and fluorescence
      microscopies, are unable to resolve 3D structures deep inside (>50 MUm) tumor
      spheroids. In this study, we established a label-free, noninvasive optical
      coherence tomography (OCT) imaging platform to characterize 3D morphologic and
      physiologic information of multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) growing from
      approximately 250 to 600 MUm in height over 21 days. In particular, tumor
      spheroids of two cell lines, glioblastoma (U-87MG) and colorectal carcinoma
      (HCT116), exhibited distinctive evolutions in their geometric shapes at late
      growth stages. Volumes of MCTS were accurately quantified using a voxel-based
      approach without presumptions of their geometries. In contrast, conventional
      diameter-based volume calculations assuming perfect spherical shape resulted in
      large quantification errors. Furthermore, we successfully detected necrotic
      regions within these tumor spheroids based on increased intrinsic optical
      attenuation, suggesting a promising alternative of label-free viability tests in
      tumor spheroids. Therefore, OCT can serve as a promising imaging modality to
      characterize morphologic and physiologic features of MCTS, showing great
      potential for high-throughput drug screening. Cancer Res; 77(21); 6011-20.
      (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904063
TI  - Anti-Jagged Immunotherapy Inhibits MDSCs and Overcomes Tumor-Induced Tolerance.
AB  - Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a major obstacle to promising forms
      of cancer immunotherapy, but tools to broadly limit their immunoregulatory
      effects remain lacking. In this study, we assessed the therapeutic effect of the
      humanized anti-Jagged1/2-blocking antibody CTX014 on MDSC-mediated T-cell
      suppression in tumor-bearing mice. CTX014 decreased tumor growth, affected the
      accumulation and tolerogenic activity of MDSCs in tumors, and inhibited the
      expression of immunosuppressive factors arginase I and iNOS. Consequently, anti
      Jagged therapy overcame tumor-induced T-cell tolerance, increased the
      infiltration of reactive CD8+ T cells into tumors, and enhanced the efficacy of T
      cell-based immunotherapy. Depletion of MDSC-like cells restored tumor growth in
      mice treated with anti-Jagged, whereas coinjection of MDSC-like cells from anti
      Jagged-treated mice with cancer cells delayed tumor growth. Jagged1/2 was induced
      in MDSCs by tumor-derived factors via NFkB-p65 signaling, and conditional
      deletion of NFkB-p65 blocked MDSC function. Collectively, our results offer a
      preclinical proof of concept for the use of anti-Jagged1/2 to reprogram MDSC
      mediated T-cell suppression in tumors, with implications to broadly improve the
      efficacy of cancer therapy. Cancer Res; 77(20); 5628-38. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904064
TI  - Structurally Novel Antiestrogens Elicit Differential Responses from
      Constitutively Active Mutant Estrogen Receptors in Breast Cancer Cells and
      Tumors.
AB  - Many estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)-positive breast cancers develop resistance
      to endocrine therapy via mutation of ERs whose constitutive activation is
      associated with shorter patient survival. Because there is now a clinical need
      for new antiestrogens (AE) against these mutant ERs, we describe here our
      development and characterization of three chemically novel AEs that effectively
      suppress proliferation of breast cancer cells and tumors. Our AEs are effective
      against wild-type and Y537S and D538G ERs, the two most commonly occurring
      constitutively active ERs. The three new AEs suppressed proliferation and
      estrogen target gene expression in WT and mutant ER-containing cells and were
      more effective in D538G than in Y537S cells and tumors. Compared with WT ER,
      mutants exhibited approximately 10- to 20-fold lower binding affinity for AE and
      a reduced ability to be blocked in coactivator interaction, likely contributing
      to their relative resistance to inhibition by AE. Comparisons between mutant ER
      containing MCF7 and T47D cells revealed that AE responses were compound, cell
      type, and ERalpha-mutant dependent. These new ligands have favorable
      pharmacokinetic properties and effectively suppressed growth of WT and mutant ER
      expressing tumor xenografts in NOD/SCID-gamma mice after oral or subcutaneous
      administration; D538G tumors were more potently inhibited by AE than Y537S
      tumors. These studies highlight the differential responsiveness of the mutant ERs
      to different AEs and make clear the value of having a toolkit of AEs for
      treatment of endocrine therapy-resistant tumors driven by different
      constitutively active ERs. Cancer Res; 77(20); 5602-13. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904065
TI  - ANGPTL1 Interacts with Integrin alpha1beta1 to Suppress HCC Angiogenesis and
      Metastasis by Inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 Signaling.
AB  - Downregulation of tumor suppressor signaling plays an important role in the
      pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we report that
      downregulation of the angiopoietin-like protein ANGPTL1 is associated with
      vascular invasion, tumor thrombus, metastasis, and poor prognosis in HCC. Ectopic
      expression of ANGPTL1 in HCC cells effectively decreased their in vitro and in
      vivo tumorigenicity, cell motility, and angiogenesis. shRNA-mediated depletion of
      ANGPTL1 exerted opposing effects. ANGPTL1 promoted apoptosis via inhibition of
      the STAT3/Bcl-2-mediated antiapoptotic pathway and decreased cell migration and
      invasion via downregulation of transcription factors SNAIL and SLUG. Furthermore,
      ANGPTL1 inhibited angiogenesis by attenuating ERK and AKT signaling and
      interacted with integrin alpha1beta1 receptor to suppress the downstream FAK/Src
      JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway. Taken together, these results suggest ANGPTL1 as a
      prognostic biomarker and novel therapeutic agent in HCC. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5831
      45. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904067
TI  - Whole-Genome Sequencing Reveals Breast Cancers with Mismatch Repair Deficiency.
AB  - Mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient cancers have been discovered to be highly
      responsive to immune therapies such as PD-1 checkpoint blockade, making their
      definition in patients, where they may be relatively rare, paramount for
      treatment decisions. In this study, we utilized patterns of mutagenesis known as
      mutational signatures, which are imprints of the mutagenic processes associated
      with MMR deficiency, to identify MMR-deficient breast tumors from a whole-genome
      sequencing dataset comprising a cohort of 640 patients. We identified 11 of 640
      tumors as MMR deficient, but only 2 of 11 exhibited germline mutations in MMR
      genes or Lynch Syndrome. Two additional tumors had a substantially reduced
      proportion of mutations attributed to MMR deficiency, where the predominant
      mutational signatures were related to APOBEC enzymatic activity. Overall, 6 of 11
      of the MMR-deficient cases in this cohort were confirmed genetically or
      epigenetically as having abrogation of MMR genes. However, IHC analysis of MMR
      related proteins revealed all but one of 10 samples available for testing as MMR
      deficient. Thus, the mutational signatures more faithfully reported MMR
      deficiency than sequencing of MMR genes, because they represent a direct
      pathophysiologic readout of repair pathway abnormalities. As whole-genome
      sequencing continues to become more affordable, it could be used to expose
      individually abnormal tumors in tissue types where MMR deficiency has been rarely
      detected, but also rarely sought. Cancer Res; 77(18); 4755-62. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904066
TI  - PD-1 Status in CD8+ T Cells Associates with Survival and Anti-PD-1 Therapeutic
      Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer.
AB  - Improved understanding of expression of immune checkpoint receptors (ICR) on
      tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) may facilitate more effective immunotherapy
      in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. A higher frequency of PD-1+ TIL has been
      reported in human papillomavirus (HPV)+ HNC patients, despite the role of PD-1 in
      T-cell exhaustion. This discordance led us to hypothesize that the extent of PD-1
      expression more accurately defines T-cell function and prognostic impact, because
      PD-1high T cells may be more exhausted than PD-1low T cells and may influence
      clinical outcome and response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. In this study, PD-1
      expression was indeed upregulated on HNC patient TIL, and the frequency of these
      PD-1+ TIL was higher in HPV+ patients (P = 0.006), who nonetheless experienced
      significantly better clinical outcome. However, PD-1high CD8+ TILs were more
      frequent in HPV- patients and represented a more dysfunctional subset with
      compromised IFN-gamma secretion. Moreover, HNC patients with higher frequencies
      of PD-1high CD8+ TIL showed significantly worse disease-free survival and higher
      hazard ratio for recurrence (P < 0.001), while higher fractions of PD-1low T
      cells associated with HPV positivity and better outcome. In a murine HPV+ HNC
      model, anti-PD-1 mAb therapy differentially modulated PD-1high/low populations,
      and tumor rejection associated with loss of dysfunctional PD-1high CD8+ T cells
      and a significant increase in PD-1low TIL. Thus, the extent of PD-1 expression on
      CD8+ TIL provides a potential biomarker for anti-PD-1-based immunotherapy. Cancer
      Res; 77(22); 6353-64. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904068
TI  - Empagliflozin and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus,
      Established Cardiovascular Disease, and Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, reduced
      cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      and established cardiovascular disease in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial
      (Empagliflozin Cardiovascular Outcome Event Trial in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
      Patients). Urinary glucose excretion with empagliflozin decreases with declining
      renal function, resulting in less potency for glucose lowering in patients with
      kidney disease. We investigated the effects of empagliflozin on clinical outcomes
      in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, established cardiovascular disease,
      and chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,
      established cardiovascular disease, and estimated glomerular filtration rate
      (eGFR) >=30 mL.min-1.1.73 m-2 at screening were randomized to receive
      empagliflozin 10 mg, empagliflozin 25 mg, or placebo once daily in addition to
      standard of care. We analyzed cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart
      failure, all-cause hospitalization, and all-cause mortality in patients with
      prevalent kidney disease (defined as eGFR <60 mL.min-1.1.73 m-2 and/or urine
      albumin-creatinine ratio >300 mg/g) at baseline. Additional analyses were
      performed in subgroups by baseline eGFR (<45, 45-<60, 60-<90, >=90 mL.min-1.1.73
      m-2) and baseline urine albumin-creatinine ratio (>300, 30-<=300, <30 mg/g).
      RESULTS: Of 7020 patients treated, 2250 patients had prevalent kidney disease at
      baseline, of whom 67% had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus for >10 years,
      58% were receiving insulin, and 84% were taking angiotensin-converting enzyme
      inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. In patients with prevalent kidney
      disease at baseline, empagliflozin reduced the risk of cardiovascular death by
      29% compared with placebo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      0.52-0.98), the risk of all-cause mortality by 24% (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.59-0.99),
      the risk of hospitalization for heart failure by 39% (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.42
      0.87), and the risk of all-cause hospitalization by 19% (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72
      0.92). Effects of empagliflozin on these outcomes were consistent across
      categories of eGFR and urine albumin-creatinine ratio at baseline and across the
      2 doses studied. The adverse event profile of empagliflozin in patients with eGFR
      <60 mL.min-1.1.73 m-2 was consistent with the overall trial population.
      CONCLUSIONS: Empagliflozin improved clinical outcomes and reduced mortality in
      vulnerable patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, established cardiovascular
      disease, and chronic kidney disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01131676.

PMID- 28904071
TI  - Assessing the Febrile Child for Serious Infection: A Step Closer to Meaningful
      Rapid Results.

PMID- 28904069
TI  - Disturbed Placental Imprinting in Preeclampsia Leads to Altered Expression of
      DLX5, a Human-Specific Early Trophoblast Marker.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a complex and common human-specific pregnancy
      syndrome associated with placental pathology. The human specificity provides both
      intellectual and methodological challenges, lacking a robust model system. Given
      the role of imprinted genes in human placentation and the vulnerability of
      imprinted genes to loss of imprinting changes, there has been extensive
      speculation, but no robust evidence, that imprinted genes are involved in
      preeclampsia. Our study aims to investigate whether disturbed imprinting
      contributes to preeclampsia. METHODS: We first aimed to confirm that preeclampsia
      is a disease of the placenta by generating and analyzing genome-wide molecular
      data on well-characterized patient material. We performed high-throughput
      transcriptome analyses of multiple placenta samples from healthy controls and
      patients with preeclampsia. Next, we identified differentially expressed genes in
      preeclamptic placentas and intersected them with the list of human imprinted
      genes. We used bioinformatics/statistical analyses to confirm association between
      imprinting and preeclampsia and to predict biological processes affected in
      preeclampsia. Validation included epigenetic and cellular assays. In terms of
      human specificity, we established an in vitro invasion-differentiation
      trophoblast model. Our comparative phylogenetic analysis involved single-cell
      transcriptome data of human, macaque, and mouse preimplantation embryogenesis.
      RESULTS: We found disturbed placental imprinting in preeclampsia and revealed
      potential candidates, including GATA3 and DLX5, with poorly explored imprinted
      status and no prior association with preeclampsia. As a result of loss of
      imprinting, DLX5 was upregulated in 69% of preeclamptic placentas. Levels of DLX5
      correlated with classic preeclampsia markers. DLX5 is expressed in human but not
      in murine trophoblast. The DLX5high phenotype resulted in reduced proliferation,
      increased metabolism, and endoplasmic reticulum stress-response activation in
      trophoblasts in vitro. The transcriptional profile of such cells mimics the
      transcriptome of preeclamptic placentas. Pan-mammalian comparative analysis
      identified DLX5 as part of the human-specific regulatory network of trophoblast
      differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis provides evidence of a true
      association among disturbed imprinting, gene expression, and preeclampsia. As a
      result of disturbed imprinting, the upregulated DLX5 affects trophoblast
      proliferation. Our in vitro model might fill a vital niche in preeclampsia
      research. Human-specific regulatory circuitry of DLX5 might help explain certain
      aspects of preeclampsia.

PMID- 28904070
TI  - Antiarrhythmic Drugs for Nonshockable-Turned-Shockable Out-of-Hospital Cardiac
      Arrest: The ALPS Study (Amiodarone, Lidocaine, or Placebo).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) commonly presents with
      nonshockable rhythms (asystole and pulseless electric activity). It is unknown
      whether antiarrhythmic drugs are safe and effective when nonshockable rhythms
      evolve to shockable rhythms (ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular
      tachycardia [VF/VT]) during resuscitation. METHODS: Adults with nontraumatic
      OHCA, vascular access, and VF/VT anytime after >=1 shock(s) were prospectively
      randomized, double-blind, to receive amiodarone, lidocaine, or placebo by
      paramedics. Patients presenting with initial shock-refractory VF/VT were
      previously reported. The current study was a prespecified analysis in a separate
      cohort that initially presented with nonshockable OHCA and was randomized on
      subsequently developing shock-refractory VF/VT. The primary outcome was survival
      to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included discharge functional status
      and adverse drug-related effects. RESULTS: Of 37 889 patients with OHCA, 3026
      with initial VF/VT and 1063 with initial nonshockable-turned-shockable rhythms
      were treatment-eligible, were randomized, and received their assigned drug.
      Baseline characteristics among patients with nonshockable-turned-shockable
      rhythms were balanced across treatment arms, except that recipients of a placebo
      included fewer men and were less likely to receive bystander cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation. Active-drug recipients in this cohort required fewer shocks,
      supplemental doses of their assigned drug, and ancillary antiarrhythmic drugs
      than recipients of a placebo (P<0.05). In all, 16 (4.1%) amiodarone, 11 (3.1%)
      lidocaine, and 6 (1.9%) placebo-treated patients survived to hospital discharge
      (P=0.24). No significant interaction between treatment assignment and discharge
      survival occurred with the initiating OHCA rhythm (asystole, pulseless electric
      activity, or VF/VT). Survival in each of these categories was consistently higher
      with active drugs, although the trends were not statistically significant.
      Adjusted absolute differences (95% confidence interval) in survival from
      nonshockable-turned-shockable arrhythmias with amiodarone versus placebo were
      2.3% (-0.3, 4.8), P=0.08, and for lidocaine versus placebo 1.2% (-1.1, 3.6),
      P=0.30. More than 50% of these survivors were functionally independent or
      required minimal assistance. Drug-related adverse effects were infrequent.
      CONCLUSIONS: Outcome from nonshockable-turned-shockable OHCA is poor but not
      invariably fatal. Although not statistically significant, point estimates for
      survival were greater after amiodarone or lidocaine than placebo, without
      increased risk of adverse effects or disability and consistent with previously
      observed favorable trends from treatment of initial shock-refractory VF/VT with
      these drugs. Together the findings may signal a clinical benefit that invites
      further investigation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01401647.

PMID- 28904072
TI  - Validation of a Novel Assay to Distinguish Bacterial and Viral Infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reliably distinguishing bacterial from viral infections is often
      challenging, leading to antibiotic misuse. A novel assay that integrates
      measurements of blood-borne host-proteins (tumor necrosis factor-related
      apoptosis-inducing ligand, interferon gamma-induced protein-10, and C-reactive
      protein [CRP]) was developed to assist in differentiation between bacterial and
      viral disease. METHODS: We performed double-blind, multicenter assay evaluation
      using serum remnants collected at 5 pediatric emergency departments and 2 wards
      from children >=3 months to <=18 years without (n = 68) and with (n = 529)
      suspicion of acute infection. Infectious cohort inclusion criteria were fever
      >=38 degrees C and symptom duration <=7 days. The reference standard diagnosis
      was based on predetermined criteria plus adjudication by experts blinded to assay
      results. Assay performers were blinded to the reference standard. Assay cutoffs
      were predefined. RESULTS: Of 529 potentially eligible patients with suspected
      acute infection, 100 did not fulfill infectious inclusion criteria and 68 had
      insufficient serum. The resulting cohort included 361 patients, with 239 viral,
      68 bacterial, and 54 indeterminate reference standard diagnoses. The assay
      distinguished between bacterial and viral patients with 93.8% sensitivity (95%
      confidence interval: 87.8%-99.8%) and 89.8% specificity (85.6%-94.0%); 11.7% had
      an equivocal assay outcome. The assay outperformed CRP (cutoff 40 mg/L;
      sensitivity 88.2% [80.4%-96.1%], specificity 73.2% [67.6%-78.9%]) and
      procalcitonin testing (cutoff 0.5 ng/mL; sensitivity 63.1% [51.0%-75.1%],
      specificity 82.3% [77.1%-87.5%]). CONCLUSIONS: Double-blinded evaluation
      confirmed high assay performance in febrile children. Assay was significantly
      more accurate than CRP, procalcitonin, and routine laboratory parameters.
      Additional studies are warranted to support its potential to improve
      antimicrobial treatment decisions.

PMID- 28904073
TI  - Wounding Triggers Callus Formation via Dynamic Hormonal and Transcriptional
      Changes.
AB  - Wounding is a primary trigger of organ regeneration, but how wound stress
      reactivates cell proliferation and promotes cellular reprogramming remains
      elusive. In this study, we combined transcriptome analysis with quantitative
      hormonal analysis to investigate how wounding induces callus formation in
      Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Our time course RNA-seq analysis revealed
      that wounding induces dynamic transcriptional changes, starting from rapid stress
      responses followed by the activation of metabolic processes and protein synthesis
      and subsequent activation of cell cycle regulators. Gene ontology analyses
      further uncovered that wounding modifies the expression of hormone biosynthesis
      and response genes, and quantitative analysis of endogenous plant hormones
      revealed accumulation of cytokinin prior to callus formation. Mutants defective
      in cytokinin synthesis and signaling display reduced efficiency in callus
      formation, indicating that de novo synthesis of cytokinin is critical for wound
      induced callus formation. We further demonstrate that type-B ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE
      REGULATOR-mediated cytokinin signaling regulates the expression of CYCLIN D3;1
      (CYCD3;1) and that mutations in CYCD3;1 and its homologs CYCD3;2 and 3 cause
      defects in callus formation. In addition to these hormone-mediated changes, our
      transcriptome data uncovered that wounding activates multiple developmental
      regulators, and we found novel roles of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 and
      PLETHORA3 (PLT3), PLT5, and PLT7 in callus generation. All together, these
      results provide novel mechanistic insights into how wounding reactivates cell
      proliferation during callus formation.

PMID- 28904074
TI  - MiR408 Regulates Grain Yield and Photosynthesis via a Phytocyanin Protein.
AB  - Increasing grain yield is the most important object of crop breeding. Here, we
      report that the elevated expression of a conserved microRNA, OsmiR408, could
      positively regulate grain yield in rice (Oryza sativa) by increasing panicle
      branches and grain number. We further showed that OsmiR408 regulates grain yield
      by down-regulating its downstream target, OsUCL8, which is an uclacyanin (UCL)
      gene of the phytocyanin family. The knock down or knock out of OsUCL8 also
      increases grain yield, while the overexpression of OsUCL8 results in an opposite
      phenotype. Spatial and temporal expression analyses showed that OsUCL8 was highly
      expressed in pistils, young panicles, developing seeds, and inflorescence
      meristem and was nearly complementary to that of OsmiR408. Interestingly, the
      OsUCL8 protein was localized to the cytoplasm, distinct from a majority of
      phytocyanins, which localize to the plasma membrane. Further studies revealed
      that the cleavage of OsUCL8 by miR408 affects copper homeostasis in the plant
      cell, which, in turn, affects the abundance of plastocyanin proteins and
      photosynthesis in rice. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the effects
      of miR408-OsUCL8 in regulating rice photosynthesis and grain yield. Our study
      further broadens the perspective of microRNAs and UCLs and provides important
      information for breeding high-yielding crops through genetic engineering.

PMID- 28904075
TI  - Association Between Living in Food Deserts and Cardiovascular Risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Food deserts (FD), neighborhoods defined as low-income areas with low
      access to healthy food, are a public health concern. We evaluated the impact of
      living in FD on cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) with the hypothesis that people living in FD will have an
      unfavorable CVD risk profile. We further assessed whether the impact of FD on
      these measures is driven by area income, individual household income, or area
      access to healthy food. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 1421 subjects residing in
      the Atlanta metropolitan area who participated in the META-Health study
      (Morehouse and Emory Team up to Eliminate Health Disparities; n=712) and the
      Predictive Health study (n=709). Participants' zip codes were entered into the
      United States Food Access Research Atlas for FD status. Demographic data,
      metabolic profiles, hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) levels,
      oxidative stress markers (glutathione and cystine), and arterial stiffness were
      evaluated. Mean age was 49.4 years, 38.5% male and 36.6% black. Compared with
      those not living in FD, subjects living in FD (n=187, 13.2%) had a higher
      prevalence of hypertension and smoking, higher body mass index, fasting glucose,
      and 10-year risk for CVD. They also had higher hs-CRP (P=0.014), higher central
      augmentation index (P=0.015), and lower glutathione level (P=0.003), indicative
      of increased oxidative stress. Area income and individual income, rather than
      food access, were associated with CVD risk measures. In a multivariate analysis
      that included food access, area income and individual income, both low-income
      area and low individual household income, were independent predictors of a higher
      10-year risk for CVD. Only low individual income was an independent predictor of
      higher hs-CRP and augmentation index. CONCLUSIONS: Although living in FD is
      associated with a higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors and preclinical
      indices of CVD, these associations are mainly driven by area income and
      individual income rather than access to healthy food.

PMID- 28904077
TI  - Food Deserts: Limited Healthy Foods in the Land of Plenty.

PMID- 28904076
TI  - Residual Angina After Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients
      With Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that among patients with stable coronary
      artery disease, patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have less angina and more
      silent ischemia when compared with those without DM. However, the burden of
      angina in diabetic versus nondiabetic patients after elective percutaneous
      coronary intervention (PCI) has not been recently examined. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      In a 10-site US PCI registry, we assessed angina before and at 1, 6, and 12
      months after elective PCI with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire angina frequency
      score (range, 0-100, higher=better). We also examined the rates of antianginal
      medication prescriptions at discharge. A multivariable, repeated-measures Poisson
      model was used to examine the independent association of DM with angina over the
      year after treatment. Among 1080 elective PCI patients (mean age, 65 years; 74.7%
      men), 34.0% had DM. At baseline and at each follow-up, patients with DM had
      similar angina prevalence and severity as those without DM. Patients with DM were
      more commonly prescribed calcium channel blockers and long-acting nitrates at
      discharge (DM versus not: 27.9% versus 20.9% [P=0.01] and 32.8% versus 25.5%
      [P=0.01], respectively), whereas beta-blockers and ranolazine were prescribed at
      similar rates. In the multivariable, repeated-measures model, the risk of angina
      was similar over the year after PCI in patients with versus without DM (relative
      risk, 1.04; range, 0.80-1.36). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with stable coronary artery
      disease and DM exhibit a burden of angina that is at least as high as those
      without DM despite more antianginal prescriptions at discharge. These findings
      contradict the conventional teachings that patients with DM experience less
      angina because of silent ischemia.

PMID- 28904078
TI  - Toward a systems approach to the human cytochrome P450 ensemble: interactions
      between CYP2D6 and CYP2E1 and their functional consequences.
AB  - Functional cross-talk among human drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 through their
      association is a topic of emerging importance. Here, we studied the interactions
      of human CYP2D6, a major metabolizer of psychoactive drugs, with one of the most
      prevalent human P450 enzymes, ethanol-inducible CYP2E1. Detection of P450-P450
      interactions was accomplished through luminescence resonance energy transfer
      between labeled proteins incorporated into human liver microsomes and the
      microsomes of insect cells containing NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. The
      potential of CYP2D6 to form oligomers in the microsomal membrane is among the
      highest observed with human cytochrome P450 studied up to date. We also observed
      the formation of heteromeric complexes of CYP2D6 with CYP2E1 and CYP3A4, and
      found a significant modulation of these interactions by 3,4
      methylenedioxymethylamphetamine, a widespread drug of abuse metabolized by
      CYP2D6. Our results demonstrate an ample alteration of the catalytic properties
      of CYP2D6 and CYP2E1 caused by their association. In particular, we demonstrated
      that preincubation of microsomes containing co-incorporated CYP2D6 and CYP2E1
      with CYP2D6-specific substrates resulted in considerable time-dependent
      activation of CYP2D6, which presumably occurs via a slow substrate-induced
      reorganization of CYP2E1-CYP2D6 hetero-oligomers. Furthermore, we demonstrated
      that the formation of heteromeric complexes between CYP2E1 and CYP2D6 affects the
      stoichiometry of futile cycling and substrate oxidation by CYP2D6 by means of
      decreasing the electron leakage through the peroxide-generating pathways. Our
      results further emphasize the role of P450-P450 interactions in regulatory cross
      talk in human drug-metabolizing ensemble and suggest a role of interactions of
      CYP2E1 with CYP2D6 in pharmacologically important instances of alcohol-drug
      interactions.

PMID- 28904079
TI  - Ascorbic acid promotes a TGFbeta1-induced myofibroblast phenotype switch.
AB  - l-Ascorbic acid (AA), generally known as vitamin C, is a crucial cofactor for a
      variety of enzymes, including prolyl-3-hydroxylase (P3H), prolyl-4-hydroxylase
      (P4H), and lysyl hydroxylase (LH)-mediated collagen maturation. Here, we
      investigated whether AA has additional functions in the regulation of the
      myofibroblast phenotype, besides its function in collagen biosynthesis. We found
      that AA positively influences TGFbeta1-induced expression of COL1A1, ACTA2, and
      COL4A1 Moreover, we demonstrated that AA promotes alphaSMA stress fiber formation
      as well as the synthesis and deposition of collagens type I and IV Additionally,
      AA amplified the contractile phenotype of the myofibroblasts, as seen by
      increased contraction of a 3D collagen lattice. Moreover, AA increased the
      expression of several TGFbeta1-induced genes, including DDR1 and CCN2 Finally, we
      demonstrated that the mechanism of AA action seems independent of Smad2/3
      signaling.

PMID- 28904080
TI  - Pressure and stretch differentially affect proliferation of renal proximal
      tubular cells.
AB  - Renal obstruction is frequently found in adults and children. Mechanical stimuli,
      including pressure and stretch in the obstructed kidney, contribute to damage;
      animal models of obstruction are characterized by increased cellular
      proliferation. We were interested in the direct effects of pressure and stretch
      on renal tubular cell proliferation. Human HKC-8 or rat NRK-52E proximal tubule
      cells were subjected to either pressure [0, 60 or 90 mmHg] or static stretch [0
      or 20%] for 24 or 48 h. Cell proliferation was measured by cell counting, cell
      cycle analyzed by flow cytometry, and PCNA and Skp2 expression were determined by
      qPCR or western blot. Blood gases were determined in an iSTAT system.
      Proliferation was also assessed in vivo after 24 h of ureteral obstruction. There
      was a significant increase in HKC-8 cell number after 48 h of exposure to either
      60 or 90 mmHg pressure. Western blot and qPCR confirmed increased expression of
      PCNA and Skp2 in pressurized cells. Cell cycle measurements demonstrated an
      increase in HKC-8 in S phase. Mechanical stretching increased PCNA protein
      expression in HKC-8 cells after 48 h while no effect was observed on Skp2 and
      cell cycle measurements. Increased PCNA expression was found at 24 h after
      ureteral obstruction. We demonstrate direct transduction of pressure into a
      proliferative response in HKC-8 and NRK-52E cells, measured by cell number, PCNA
      and Skp2 expression and increase in cells in S phase, whereas stretch had a less
      robust effect on proliferation.

PMID- 28904081
TI  - Variable setpoint as a relaxing component in physiological control.
AB  - Setpoints in physiology have been a puzzle for decades, and especially the notion
      of fixed or variable setpoints have received much attention. In this paper, we
      show how previously presented homeostatic controller motifs, extended with
      saturable signaling kinetics, can be described as variable setpoint controllers.
      The benefit of a variable setpoint controller is that an observed change in the
      concentration of the regulated biochemical species (the controlled variable) is
      fully characterized, and is not considered a deviation from a fixed setpoint. The
      variation in this biochemical species originate from variation in the
      disturbances (the perturbation), and thereby in the biochemical species
      representing the controller (the manipulated variable). Thus, we define an
      operational space which is spanned out by the combined high and low levels of the
      variations in (1) the controlled variable, (2) the manipulated variable, and (3)
      the perturbation. From this operational space, we investigate whether and how it
      imposes constraints on the different motif parameters, in order for the motif to
      represent a mathematical model of the regulatory system. Further analysis of the
      controller's ability to compensate for disturbances reveals that a variable
      setpoint represents a relaxing component for the controller, in that the
      necessary control action is reduced compared to that of a fixed setpoint
      controller. Such a relaxing component might serve as an important property from
      an evolutionary point of view. Finally, we illustrate the principles using the
      renal sodium and aldosterone regulatory system, where we model the variation in
      plasma sodium as a function of salt intake. We show that the experimentally
      observed variations in plasma sodium can be interpreted as a variable setpoint
      regulatory system.

PMID- 28904082
TI  - A relative L-arginine deficiency contributes to endothelial dysfunction across
      the stages of the menopausal transition.
AB  - Vascular endothelial function declines across the menopause transition in women.
      We tested the hypothesis that reduced availability of the endothelial nitric
      oxide synthase [eNOS] substrate L-arginine is an underlying mechanism to vascular
      endothelial dysfunction across menopause stages. Endothelial function (brachial
      artery flow-mediated dilation [FMD]) and plasma markers of L-arginine metabolism
      (citrulline, NG-mono-methyl-?-arginine [L-NMMA] asymmetric dimethylarginine
      [ADMA] and NG-N'G-dimethyl-l-arginine [SDMA]), were measured in 129 women: 36
      premenopausal (33 +/- 7 years), 16 early- (49 +/- 3 years) or 21 late- (50 +/- 4
      years) perimenopausal, and 21 early- (55 +/- 3 years) or 35 late- (61 +/- 4
      years) postmenopausal. FMD was progressively reduced across menopause stages (P <
      0.001). Menopause stage was associated with L-arginine concentrations (P =
      0.012), with higher levels in early postmenopausal compared to early and late
      perimenopausal women (P < 0.05). The methylarginine and eNOS inhibitor L-NMMA was
      higher in early and late postmenopausal women compared to premenopausal and early
      and late perimenopausal women (all P < 0.001), and was inversely correlated with
      FMD (r = -0.30, P = 0.001). The L-arginine/L-NMMA ratio, a potential biomarker of
      relative L-arginine levels, was lower in postmenopausal compared to either
      premenopausal or perimenopausal women (both P < 0.001), and was positively
      correlated with FMD (r = 0.33, P < 0.001). There were no differences in plasma
      citrulline, ADMA or SDMA across groups. These data suggest that a relative L
      arginine deficiency may be a mechanism underlying the decline in endothelial
      function with the menopause transition in women. The relative L-arginine
      deficiency may be related to elevated levels of the methylarginine L-NMMA, which
      would compete with L-arginine for eNOS and for intracellular transport, reducing
      NO biosynthesis.

PMID- 28904084
TI  - Relevance of supraventricular runs detected after cerebral ischemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prolonged ECG monitoring after stroke frequently reveals short
      paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) and supraventricular (SV) runs. The minimal
      duration of atrial fibrillation (AF) required to induce cardioembolism, the
      relevance of SV runs, and whether short pAF results from cerebral damage itself
      are currently being debated. We aimed to study the relevance of SV runs and short
      pAF detected by prolonged Holter ECG after cerebral ischemia during long-term
      follow-up. METHODS: Analysis is from the prospective Find-AF trial
      (ISRCTN46104198). We included patients with acute cerebral ischemia. Those
      without AF on admission received 7-day Holter ECG monitoring. We differentiated
      patients with AF on admission (AF-adm), with pAF (>30 seconds), with SV runs (>5
      beats but <30 seconds in a 24-hour ECG interval), and without SV runs (controls).
      During follow-up, those with baseline pAF received another 7-day Holter ECG to
      examine AF persistence. RESULTS: A total of 254 of 281 initially included
      patients were analyzed (mean age 70.0 years, 45.3% female). Forty-three (16.9%)
      had AF-adm. A total of 211 received 7-day Holter ECG monitoring: 27 (12.8%) had
      pAF, 67 (31.8%) had SV runs, and 117 (55.5%) were controls. During a mean 3.7
      years of follow-up, the SV runs group had more recurrent strokes (p = 0.04) and
      showed numerically more novel AF (12% vs 5%, p = 0.09) than the controls. Seventy
      five percent of the patients with manifest pAF detected after cerebral ischemia
      still had AF during follow-up (50% paroxysmal, 50% persisting/permanent).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cerebral ischemia and SV runs had more recurrent
      strokes and numerically more novel AF during follow-up and could benefit from
      further prolonged ECG monitoring. pAF detected after stroke is not a temporal
      phenomenon.

PMID- 28904083
TI  - Assessing the effects of mitofusin 2 deficiency in the adult heart using 3D
      electron tomography.
AB  - The effects of mitofusin 2 (MFN2) deficiency, on mitochondrial morphology and the
      mitochondria-junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (jSR) complex in the adult heart,
      have been previously investigated using 2D electron microscopy, an approach which
      is unable to provide a 3D spatial assessment of these imaging parameters. Here,
      we use 3D electron tomography to show that MFN2-deficient mitochondria are larger
      in volume, more elongated, and less rounded; have fewer mitochondria-jSR
      contacts, and an increase in the distance between mitochondria and jSR, when
      compared to WT mitochondria. In comparison to 2D electron microscopy, 3D electron
      tomography can provide further insights into mitochondrial morphology and the
      mitochondria-jSR complex in the adult heart.

PMID- 28904085
TI  - Preventing multiple sclerosis: To (take) vitamin D or not to (take) vitamin D?

PMID- 28904087
TI  - Striving to improve the quality of stroke care in the USA.

PMID- 28904088
TI  - Quality improvement in neurology: Stroke and Stroke Rehabilitation Quality
      Measurement Set update.

PMID- 28904089
TI  - Some light in the shadows of atrial fibrillation and stroke: To look or not to
      look.

PMID- 28904086
TI  - Cognitive trajectories over 4 years among HIV-infected women with optimal viral
      suppression.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether persistent viral suppression alters cognitive
      trajectories among HIV-infected (HIV+) women on combination antiretroviral
      therapy (cART) by investigating performance longitudinally in uninfected (HIV-)
      and 3 groups of HIV+ women: those with consistent viral suppression after
      continuous cART use (VS), those without consistent virologic suppression despite
      continuous cART use (NVS), and those without consistent virologic suppression
      after intermittent cART use (Int NVS). METHODS: Two hundred thirty-nine VS, 220
      NVS, 172 Int NVS, and 301 HIV- women from the Women's Interagency HIV Study
      (WIHS) completed neuropsychological testing every 2 years for 3 visits between
      2009 and 2013. Mixed-effects regressions were used to examine group differences
      on continuous T scores and categorical measures of impairment (T score <40).
      RESULTS: On global function, VS women demonstrated lower scores and were more
      likely to score in the impaired range than HIV- women (p = 0.01). These
      differences persisted over time (group * time, p > 0.39). VS women demonstrated
      lower learning and memory scores than HIV- women (p < 0.05) and lower
      attention/working memory and fluency scores than HIV- and NVS women (p < 0.05).
      Group differences in scores persisted over time. Categorically, VS women were
      more likely to be impaired on attention/working memory and executive function
      than HIV- women (p < 0.05). On motor skills, VS and NVS women showed a greater
      decline and were more likely to be impaired than HIV- women (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive difficulties remain among HIV+ women despite persistent
      viral suppression. In some instances, VS women are worse than NVS women,
      reinforcing the need for novel adjunctive therapies to attenuate cognitive
      problems.

PMID- 28904090
TI  - HIV-related cognitive decline despite viral suppression and complex confounds in
      American women.

PMID- 28904091
TI  - 25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and risk of MS among women in the Finnish
      Maternity Cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether and to what extent vitamin D deficiency is
      associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. METHODS: We conducted a prospective
      nested case-control study among women in the Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC). The
      FMC had 1.8 million stored serum samples taken during the pregnancies of over
      800,000 women at the time of this study. Through linkages with hospital and
      prescription registries, we identified 1,092 women with MS diagnosed between 1983
      and 2009 with at least 1 serum sample collected prior to date of MS diagnosis;
      >=2 serum samples were available for 511 cases. Cases were matched to up to 3
      controls (n = 2,123) on date of birth (+/-2 years) and area of residence. 25
      Hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels were measured using a chemiluminescence assay.
      We used conditional logistic regression adjusted for year of sample collection,
      gravidity, and parity to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs). RESULTS: A 50 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D was associated with a
      39% reduced risk of MS (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44-0.85), p = 0.003. Women with 25(OH)D
      levels <30 nmol/L had a 43% higher MS risk (RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.02-1.99, p = 0.04)
      as compared to women with levels >=50 nmol/L. In women with >=2 samples, MS risk
      was 2-fold higher in women with 25(OH)D <30 nmol/L as compared to women with
      25(OH)D >=50 nmol/L (RR 2.02, 95% CI 1.18-3.45, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These
      results directly support vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for MS and
      strengthen the rationale for broad public health interventions to improve vitamin
      D levels.

PMID- 28904092
TI  - MAP1B Light Chain Modulates Synaptic Transmission via AMPA Receptor Intracellular
      Trapping.
AB  - The regulated transport of AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) to the synaptic
      membrane is a key mechanism to determine the strength of excitatory synaptic
      transmission in the brain. In this work, we uncovered a new role for the
      microtubule-associated protein MAP1B in modulating access of AMPARs to the
      postsynaptic membrane. Using mice and rats of either sex, we show that MAP1B
      light chain (LC) accumulates in the somatodendritic compartment of hippocampal
      neurons, where it forms immobile complexes on microtubules that limit vesicular
      transport. These complexes restrict AMPAR dendritic mobility, leading to the
      intracellular trapping of receptors and impairing their access to the dendritic
      surface and spines. Accordingly, increasing MAP1B-LC expression depresses AMPAR
      mediated synaptic transmission. This effect is specific for the GluA2 subunit of
      the AMPAR and requires glutamate receptor interacting protein 1 (GRIP1)
      interaction with MAP1B-LC. Therefore, MAP1B-LC represents an alternative link
      between GRIP1-AMPARs and microtubules that does not result in productive
      transport, but rather limits AMPAR availability for synaptic insertion, with a
      direct impact on synaptic transmission.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ability of
      neurons to modify their synaptic connections, known as synaptic plasticity, is
      accepted as the cellular basis for learning and memory. One mechanism for
      synaptic plasticity is the regulated addition and removal of AMPA-type glutamate
      receptors (AMPARs) at excitatory synapses. In this study, we found that a
      microtubule-associated protein, MAP1B light chain (MAP1B-LC), participates in
      this process. MAP1B-LC forms immobile complexes along dendrites. These complexes
      limit intracellular vesicular trafficking and trap AMPARs inside the dendritic
      shaft. In this manner, MAP1B restricts the access of AMPARs to dendritic spines
      and the postsynaptic membrane, contributing to downregulating synaptic
      transmission.

PMID- 28904093
TI  - Sodium Dynamics in Pyramidal Neuron Dendritic Spines: Synaptically Evoked Entry
      Predominantly through AMPA Receptors and Removal by Diffusion.
AB  - Dendritic spines are key elements underlying synaptic integration and cellular
      plasticity, but many features of these important structures are not known or are
      controversial. We examined these properties using newly developed simultaneous
      sodium and calcium imaging with single-spine resolution in pyramidal neurons in
      rat hippocampal slices from either sex. Indicators for both ions were loaded
      through the somatic patch pipette, which also recorded electrical responses.
      Fluorescence changes were detected with a high-speed, low-noise CCD camera.
      Following subthreshold electrical stimulation, postsynaptic sodium entry is
      almost entirely through AMPA receptors with little contribution from entry
      through NMDA receptors or voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium removal from the
      spine head is through rapid diffusion out to the dendrite through the spine neck
      with a half-removal time of ~16 ms, which suggests the neck has low resistance.
      Peak [Na+]i changes during single EPSPs are ~5 mm Stronger electrical stimulation
      evoked small plateau potentials that had significant longer-lasting localized
      [Na+]i increases mediated through NMDA receptors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Dendritic
      spines, small structures that are difficult to investigate, are important
      elements in the fundamental processes of synaptic integration and plasticity. The
      main tool for examining these structures has been calcium imaging. However, the
      kinds of information that calcium imaging reveals is limited. We used newly
      developed, high-speed, simultaneous sodium and calcium imaging to examine ion
      dynamics in spines in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. We found that following
      single subthreshold synaptic activation most sodium entry was through AMPA
      receptors and not through NMDA receptors or through voltage-gated sodium channels
      and that the spine neck is not a significant resistance barrier. Most spine
      mechanisms are linear. However, regenerative NMDA conductances can be activated
      with stronger stimulation.

PMID- 28904094
TI  - Favored local structures in amorphous colloidal packings measured by microbeam X
      ray diffraction.
AB  - Local structure and symmetry are keys to understanding how a material is formed
      and the properties it subsequently exhibits. This applies to both crystals and
      amorphous and glassy materials. In the case of amorphous materials, strong links
      between processing and history, structure and properties have yet to be made
      because measuring amorphous structure remains a significant challenge. Here, we
      demonstrate a method to quantify proportions of the bond-orientational order of
      nearest neighbor clusters [Steinhardt, et al. (1983) Phys Rev B 28:784-805] in
      colloidal packings by statistically analyzing the angular correlations in an
      ensemble of scanning transmission microbeam small-angle X-ray scattering (MUSAXS)
      patterns. We show that local order can be modulated by tuning the potential
      between monodisperse, spherical colloidal silica particles using salt and
      surfactant additives and that more pronounced order is obtained by centrifugation
      than sedimentation. The order in the centrifuged glasses reflects the ground
      state order in the dispersion at lower packing fractions. This diffraction-based
      method can be applied to amorphous systems across decades in length scale to
      connect structure to behavior in disordered systems with a range of particle
      interactions.

PMID- 28904095
TI  - Distinct roles for motor neuron autophagy early and late in the SOD1G93A mouse
      model of ALS.
AB  - Mutations in autophagy genes can cause familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis (ALS). However, the role of autophagy in ALS pathogenesis is poorly
      understood, in part due to the lack of cell type-specific manipulations of this
      pathway in animal models. Using a mouse model of ALS expressing mutant superoxide
      dismutase 1 (SOD1G93A), we show that motor neurons form large autophagosomes
      containing ubiquitinated aggregates early in disease progression. To investigate
      whether this response is protective or detrimental, we generated mice in which
      the critical autophagy gene Atg7 was specifically disrupted in motor neurons
      (Atg7 cKO). Atg7 cKO mice were viable but exhibited structural and functional
      defects at a subset of vulnerable neuromuscular junctions. By crossing Atg7 cKO
      mice to the SOD1G93A mouse model, we found that autophagy inhibition accelerated
      early neuromuscular denervation of the tibialis anterior muscle and the onset of
      hindlimb tremor. Surprisingly, however, lifespan was extended in Atg7 cKO;
      SOD1G93A double-mutant mice. Autophagy inhibition did not prevent motor neuron
      cell death, but it reduced glial inflammation and blocked activation of the
      stress-related transcription factor c-Jun in spinal interneurons. We conclude
      that motor neuron autophagy is required to maintain neuromuscular innervation
      early in disease but eventually acts in a non-cell-autonomous manner to promote
      disease progression.

PMID- 28904097
TI  - Network approach to patterns in stratocumulus clouds.
AB  - Stratocumulus clouds (Sc) have a significant impact on the amount of sunlight
      reflected back to space, with important implications for Earth's climate.
      Representing Sc and their radiative impact is one of the largest challenges for
      global climate models. Sc fields self-organize into cellular patterns and thus
      lend themselves to analysis and quantification in terms of natural cellular
      networks. Based on large-eddy simulations of Sc fields, we present a first
      analysis of the geometric structure and self-organization of Sc patterns from
      this network perspective. Our network analysis shows that the Sc pattern is scale
      invariant as a consequence of entropy maximization that is known as Lewis's Law
      (scaling parameter: 0.16) and is largely independent of the Sc regime (cloud-free
      vs. cloudy cell centers). Cells are, on average, hexagonal with a neighbor number
      variance of about 2, and larger cells tend to be surrounded by smaller cells, as
      described by an Aboav-Weaire parameter of 0.9. The network structure is neither
      completely random nor characteristic of natural convection. Instead, it emerges
      from Sc-specific versions of cell division and cell merging that are shaped by
      cell expansion. This is shown with a heuristic model of network dynamics that
      incorporates our physical understanding of cloud processes.

PMID- 28904096
TI  - RIPK1 mediates a disease-associated microglial response in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Dysfunction of microglia is known to play an important role in Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). Here, we investigated the role of RIPK1 in microglia mediating the
      pathogenesis of AD. RIPK1 is highly expressed by microglial cells in human AD
      brains. Using the amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin 1 (PS1) transgenic
      mouse model, we found that inhibition of RIPK1, using both pharmacological and
      genetic means, reduced amyloid burden, the levels of inflammatory cytokines, and
      memory deficits. Furthermore, inhibition of RIPK1 promoted microglial degradation
      of Abeta in vitro. We characterized the transcriptional profiles of adult
      microglia from APP/PS1 mice and identified a role for RIPK1 in regulating the
      microglial expression of CH25H and Cst7, a marker for disease-associated
      microglia (DAM), which encodes an endosomal/lysosomal cathepsin inhibitor named
      Cystatin F. We present evidence that RIPK1-mediated induction of Cst7 leads to an
      impairment in the lysosomal pathway. These data suggest that RIPK1 may mediate a
      critical checkpoint in the transition to the DAM state. Together, our study
      highlights a non-cell death mechanism by which the activation of RIPK1 mediates
      the induction of a DAM phenotype, including an inflammatory response and a
      reduction in phagocytic activity, and connects RIPK1-mediated transcription in
      microglia to the etiology of AD. Our results support that RIPK1 is an important
      therapeutic target for the treatment of AD.

PMID- 28904098
TI  - Characterization of ion channels and O2 sensitivity in gill neuroepithelial cells
      of the anoxia-tolerant goldfish (Carassius auratus).
AB  - The neuroepithelial cell (NEC) of the fish gill is an important model for O2
      sensing in vertebrates; however, a complete picture of the chemosensory
      mechanisms in NECs is lacking, and O2 chemoreception in vertebrates that are
      tolerant to anoxia has not yet been explored. Using whole cell patch-clamp
      recording, we characterized four types of ion channels in NECs isolated from the
      anoxia-tolerant goldfish. A Ca2+-dependent K+ current (IKCa) peaked at ~20 mV,
      was potentiated by increased intracellular Ca2+, and was reduced by 100 MUM Cd2+
      A voltage-dependent inward current in Ba2+ solution, with peak at 0 mV, confirmed
      the presence of Ca2+ channels. A voltage-dependent K+ current (IKV) was inhibited
      by 20 mM tetraethylammonium and 5 mM 4-aminopyridine, revealing a background K+
      current (IKB) with open rectification. Mean resting membrane potential of -45.2
      +/- 11.6 mV did not change upon administration of hypoxia (Po2 = 11 mmHg), nor
      were any of the K+ currents sensitive to changes in Po2 during whole cell
      recording. By contrast, when the membrane and cytosol were left undisturbed
      during fura-2 or FM 1-43 imaging experiments, hypoxia increased intracellular
      Ca2+ concentration and initiated synaptic vesicle activity. 100 MUM Cd2+ and 50
      MUM nifedipine eliminated uptake of FM 1-43. We conclude that Ca2+ influx via L
      type Ca2+ channels is correlated with vesicular activity during hypoxic
      stimulation. In addition, we suggest that expression of IKCa in gill NECs is
      species specific and, in goldfish, may contribute to an attenuated response to
      acute hypoxia.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study provides the first physiological
      characterization of oxygen chemoreceptors from an anoxia-tolerant vertebrate.
      Neuroepithelial cells (NECs) from the gills of goldfish displayed L-type Ca2+
      channels and three types of K+ channels, one of which was dependent upon
      intracellular Ca2+ Although membrane currents were not inhibited by hypoxia
      during patch-clamp recording, this study is the first to show that NECs with an
      undisturbed cytosol responded to hypoxia with increased intracellular Ca2+ and
      synaptic vesicle activity.

PMID- 28904099
TI  - Spasticity may obscure motor learning ability after stroke.
AB  - Previous motor learning studies based on adapting movements of the hemiparetic
      arm in stroke subjects have not accounted for spasticity occurring in specific
      joint ranges (spasticity zones), resulting in equivocal conclusions about
      learning capacity. We compared the ability of participants with stroke to rapidly
      adapt elbow extension movements to changing external load conditions outside and
      inside spasticity zones. Participants with stroke ( n = 12, aged 57.8 +/- 9.6 yr)
      and healthy age-matched controls ( n = 8, 63.5 +/- 9.1 yr) made rapid 40 degrees 
      50 degrees  horizontal elbow extension movements from an initial (3 degrees ) to
      a final (6 degrees ) target. Sixteen blocks (6-10 trials/block) consisting of
      alternating loaded (30% maximal voluntary contraction) and nonloaded trials were
      made in one (controls) or two sessions (stroke; 1 wk apart). For the stroke
      group, the tonic stretch reflex threshold angle at which elbow flexors began to
      be activated during passive elbow extension was used to identify the beginning of
      the spasticity zone. The task was repeated in joint ranges that did or did not
      include the spasticity zone. Error correction strategies were identified by the
      angular positions before correction and compared between groups and sessions.
      Changes in load condition from no load to load and vice versa resulted in
      undershoot and overshoot errors, respectively. Stroke subjects corrected errors
      in 1-4 trials compared with 1-2 trials in controls. When movements did not
      include the spasticity zone, there was an immediate decrease in the number of
      trials needed to restore accuracy, suggesting that the capacity to learn may be
      preserved after stroke but masked by the presence of spasticity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY
      When arm movements were made outside, instead of inside, the range affected by
      spasticity, there was an immediate decrease in the number of trials needed to
      restore accuracy in response to a change in the external load. This suggests that
      motor learning processes may be preserved in patients with stroke but masked by
      the presence of spasticity in specific joint ranges. This has important
      implications for designing rehabilitation interventions predicated on motor
      learning principles.

PMID- 28904100
TI  - Influence of biases in numerical magnitude allocation on human prosocial decision
      making.
AB  - Over the past decade neuroscientific research has attempted to probe the
      neurobiological underpinnings of human prosocial decision making. Such research
      has almost ubiquitously employed tasks such as the dictator game or similar
      variations (i.e., ultimatum game). Considering the explicit numerical nature of
      such tasks, it is surprising that the influence of numerical cognition on
      decision making during task performance remains unknown. While performing these
      tasks, participants typically tend to anchor on a 50:50 split that necessitates
      an explicit numerical judgement (i.e., number-pair bisection). Accordingly, we
      hypothesize that the decision-making process during the dictator game recruits
      overlapping cognitive processes to those known to be engaged during number-pair
      bisection. We observed that biases in numerical magnitude allocation correlated
      with the formulation of decisions during the dictator game. That is, intrinsic
      biases toward smaller numerical magnitudes were associated with the formulation
      of less favorable decisions, whereas biases toward larger magnitudes were
      associated with more favorable choices. We proceeded to corroborate this
      relationship by subliminally and systematically inducing biases in numerical
      magnitude toward either higher or lower numbers using a visuo-vestibular
      stimulation paradigm. Such subliminal alterations in numerical magnitude
      allocation led to proportional and corresponding changes to an individual's
      decision making during the dictator game. Critically, no relationship was
      observed between neither intrinsic nor induced biases in numerical magnitude on
      decision making when assessed using a nonnumerical-based prosocial questionnaire.
      Our findings demonstrate numerical influences on decisions formulated during the
      dictator game and highlight the necessity to control for confounds associated
      with numerical cognition in human decision-making paradigms.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We
      demonstrate that intrinsic biases in numerical magnitude can directly predict the
      amount of money donated by an individual to an anonymous stranger during the
      dictator game. Furthermore, subliminally inducing perceptual biases in numerical
      magnitude allocation can actively drive prosocial choices in the corresponding
      direction. Our findings provide evidence for numerical influences on decision
      making during performance of the dictator game. Accordingly, without the
      implementation of an adequate control for numerical influences, the dictator game
      and other tasks with an inherent numerical component (i.e., ultimatum game)
      should be employed with caution in the assessment of human behavior.

PMID- 28904101
TI  - Methodological considerations for a chronic neural interface with the cuneate
      nucleus of macaques.
AB  - While the response properties of neurons in the somatosensory nerves and anterior
      parietal cortex have been extensively studied, little is known about the encoding
      of tactile and proprioceptive information in the cuneate nucleus (CN) or external
      cuneate nucleus (ECN), the first recipients of upper limb somatosensory afferent
      signals. The major challenge in characterizing neural coding in CN/ECN has been
      to record from these tiny, difficult-to-access brain stem structures. Most
      previous investigations of CN response properties have been carried out in
      decerebrate or anesthetized animals, thereby eliminating the well-documented top
      down signals from cortex, which likely exert a strong influence on CN responses.
      Seeking to fill this gap in our understanding of somatosensory processing, we
      describe an approach to chronically implanting arrays of electrodes in the upper
      limb representation in the brain stem in primates. First, we describe the
      topography of CN/ECN in rhesus macaques, including its somatotopic organization
      and the layout of its submodalities (touch and proprioception). Second, we
      describe the design of electrode arrays and the implantation strategy to obtain
      stable recordings. Third, we show sample responses of CN/ECN neurons in brain
      stem obtained from awake, behaving monkeys. With this method, we are in a
      position to characterize, for the first time, somatosensory representations in CN
      and ECN of primates.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In primates, the neural basis of touch and
      of our sense of limb posture and movements has been studied in the peripheral
      nerves and in somatosensory cortex, but coding in the cuneate and external
      cuneate nuclei, the first processing stage for these signals in the central
      nervous system, remains an enigma. We have developed a method to record from
      these nuclei, thereby paving the way to studying how sensory information from the
      limb is encoded there.

PMID- 28904102
TI  - Stability of hand force production. I. Hand level control variables and
      multifinger synergies.
AB  - We combined the theory of neural control of movement with referent coordinates
      and the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis to explore synergies stabilizing the
      hand action in accurate four-finger pressing tasks. In particular, we tested a
      hypothesis on two classes of synergies, those among the four fingers and those
      within a pair of control variables, stabilizing hand action under visual feedback
      and disappearing without visual feedback. Subjects performed four-finger total
      force and moment production tasks under visual feedback; the feedback was later
      partially or completely removed. The "inverse piano" device was used to lift and
      lower the fingers smoothly at the beginning and at the end of each trial. These
      data were used to compute pairs of hypothetical control variables. Intertrial
      analysis of variance within the finger force space was used to quantify
      multifinger synergies stabilizing both force and moment. A data permutation
      method was used to quantify synergies among control variables. Under visual
      feedback, synergies in the spaces of finger forces and hypothetical control
      variables were found to stabilize total force. Without visual feedback, the
      subjects showed a force drift to lower magnitudes and a moment drift toward
      pronation. This was accompanied by disappearance of the four-finger synergies and
      strong attenuation of the control variable synergies. The indexes of the two
      types of synergies correlated with each other. The findings are interpreted
      within the scheme with multiple levels of abundant variables.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We
      extended the idea of hierarchical control with referent spatial coordinates for
      the effectors and explored two types of synergies stabilizing multifinger force
      production tasks. We observed synergies among finger forces and synergies between
      hypothetical control variables that stabilized performance under visual feedback
      but failed to stabilize it after visual feedback had been removed. Indexes of two
      types of synergies correlated with each other. The data suggest the existence of
      multiple mechanisms stabilizing motor actions.

PMID- 28904103
TI  - Surface electrodes record and label brain neurons in insects.
AB  - We used suction electrodes to reliably record the activity of identified
      ascending auditory interneurons from the anterior surface of the brain in
      crickets. Electrodes were gently attached to the sheath covering the projection
      area of the ascending interneurons and the ringlike auditory neuropil in the
      protocerebrum. The specificity and selectivity of the recordings were determined
      by the precise electrode location, which could easily be changed without causing
      damage to the tissue. Different nonauditory fibers were recorded at other spots
      of the brain surface; stable recordings lasted for several hours. The same
      electrodes were used to deliver fluorescent tracers into the nervous system by
      means of electrophoresis. This allowed us to retrograde label the recorded
      auditory neurons and to reveal their cell body and dendritic structure in the
      first thoracic ganglion. By adjusting the amount of dye injected, we specifically
      stained the ringlike auditory neuropil in the brain, demonstrating the clusters
      of cell bodies contributing to it. Our data provide a proof that surface
      electrodes are a versatile tool to analyze neural processing in small brains of
      invertebrates.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that surface suction electrodes can be
      used to monitor the activity of auditory neurons in the cricket brain. They also
      allow delivering electrophoretically a fluorescent tracer to label the structure
      of the recorded neurons and the local neuropil to which the electrode was
      attached. This new extracellular recording and labeling technique is a versatile
      and useful method to explore neural processing in invertebrate sensory and motor
      systems.

PMID- 28904104
TI  - The superior colliculus and the steering of saccades toward a moving visual
      target.
AB  - Following the suggestion that a command encoding current target location feeds
      the oculomotor system during interceptive saccades, we tested the involvement of
      the deep superior colliculus (dSC). Extracellular activity of 52 saccade-related
      neurons was recorded in three monkeys while they generated saccades to targets
      that were static or moving along the preferred axis, away from (outward) or
      toward (inward) a fixated target with a constant speed (20 degrees /s). Vertical
      and horizontal motions were tested when possible. Movement field (MF) parameters
      (boundaries, preferred vector, and firing rate) were estimated after spline
      fitting of the relation between the average firing rate during the motor burst
      and saccade amplitude. During radial target motions, the inner MF boundary
      shifted in the motion direction for some, but not all, neurons. Likewise, for
      some neurons, the lower boundaries were shifted upward during upward motions and
      the upper boundaries downward during downward motions. No consistent change was
      observed during horizontal motions. For some neurons, the preferred vectors were
      also shifted in the motion direction for outward, upward, and "toward the
      midline" target motions. The shifts of boundary and preferred vector were not
      correlated. The burst firing rate was consistently reduced during interceptive
      saccades. Our study demonstrates an involvement of dSC neurons in steering the
      interceptive saccade. When observed, the shifts of boundary in the direction of
      target motion correspond to commands related to past target locations. The
      absence of shift in the opposite direction implies that dSC activity does not
      issue predictive commands related to future target location.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The
      deep superior colliculus is involved in steering the saccade toward the current
      location of a moving target. During interceptive saccades, the active population
      consists of a continuum of cells ranging from neurons issuing commands related to
      past locations of the target to neurons issuing commands related to its current
      location. The motor burst of collicular neurons does not contain commands related
      to the future location of a moving target.

PMID- 28904105
TI  - Contribution of sensory feedback to plantar flexor muscle activation during push
      off in adults with cerebral palsy.
AB  - Exaggerated sensory activity has been assumed to contribute to functional
      impairment following lesion of the central motor pathway. However, recent studies
      have suggested that sensory contribution to muscle activity during gait is
      reduced in stroke patients and children with cerebral palsy (CP). We investigated
      whether this also occurs in CP adults and whether daily treadmill training is
      accompanied by alterations in sensory contribution to muscle activity. Seventeen
      adults with CP and 12 uninjured individuals participated. The participants walked
      on a treadmill while a robotized ankle-foot orthosis applied unload perturbations
      at the ankle, thereby removing sensory feedback naturally activated during push
      off. Reduction of electromyographic (EMG) activity in the soleus muscle caused by
      unloads was compared and related to kinematics and ankle joint stiffness
      measurements. Similar measures were obtained after 6 wk of gait training. We
      found that sensory contribution to soleus EMG activation was reduced in CP adults
      compared with uninjured adults. The lowest contribution of sensory feedback was
      found in participants with lowest maximal gait speed. This was related to
      increased ankle plantar flexor stiffness. Six weeks of gait training did not
      alter the contribution of sensory feedback. We conclude that exaggerated sensory
      activity is unlikely to contribute to impaired gait in CP adults, because sensory
      contribution to muscle activity during gait was reduced compared with in
      uninjured individuals. Increased passive stiffness around the ankle joint is
      likely to diminish sensory feedback during gait so that a larger part of plantar
      flexor muscle activity must be generated by descending motor commands.NEW &
      NOTEWORTHY Findings suggest that adults with cerebral palsy have less
      contribution of sensory feedback to ongoing soleus muscle activation during push
      off than uninjured individuals. Increased passive stiffness around the ankle
      joint is likely to diminish sensory feedback during gait, and/or sensory feedback
      is less integrated with central motor commands in the activation of spinal motor
      neurons. Consequently, muscle activation must to a larger extent rely on
      descending drive, which is already decreased because of the cerebral lesion.

PMID- 28904106
TI  - Diversity in spatial scope of contrast adaptation among mouse retinal ganglion
      cells.
AB  - Retinal ganglion cells adapt to changes in visual contrast by adjusting their
      response kinetics and sensitivity. While much work has focused on the time scales
      of these adaptation processes, less is known about the spatial scale of contrast
      adaptation. For example, do small, localized contrast changes affect a cell's
      signal processing across its entire receptive field? Previous investigations have
      provided conflicting evidence, suggesting that contrast adaptation occurs either
      locally within subregions of a ganglion cell's receptive field or globally over
      the receptive field in its entirety. Here, we investigated the spatial extent of
      contrast adaptation in ganglion cells of the isolated mouse retina through
      multielectrode-array recordings. We applied visual stimuli so that ganglion cell
      receptive fields contained regions where the average contrast level changed
      periodically as well as regions with constant average contrast level. This
      allowed us to analyze temporal stimulus integration and sensitivity separately
      for stimulus regions with and without contrast changes. We found that the spatial
      scope of contrast adaptation depends strongly on cell identity, with some
      ganglion cells displaying clear local adaptation, whereas others, in particular
      large transient ganglion cells, adapted globally to contrast changes. Thus, the
      spatial scope of contrast adaptation in mouse retinal ganglion cells appears to
      be cell-type specific. This could reflect differences in mechanisms of contrast
      adaptation and may contribute to the functional diversity of different ganglion
      cell types.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Understanding whether adaptation of a neuron in a
      sensory system can occur locally inside the receptive field or whether it always
      globally affects the entire receptive field is important for understanding how
      the neuron processes complex sensory stimuli. For mouse retinal ganglion cells,
      we here show that both local and global contrast adaptation exist and that this
      diversity in spatial scope can contribute to the functional diversity of retinal
      ganglion cell types.

PMID- 28904107
TI  - Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels potentially modulate
      axonal excitability at different thresholds.
AB  - Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels mediate
      differences in sensory and motor axonal excitability at different thresholds in
      animal models. Importantly, HCN channels are responsible for voltage-gated inward
      rectifying (Ih) currents activated during hyperpolarization. The Ih currents
      exert a crucial role in determining the resting membrane potential and have been
      implicated in a variety of neurological disorders, including neuropathic pain. In
      humans, differences in biophysical properties of motor and sensory axons at
      different thresholds remain to be elucidated and could provide crucial
      pathophysiological insights in peripheral neurological diseases. Consequently,
      the aim of this study was to characterize sensory and motor axonal function at
      different threshold. Median nerve motor and sensory axonal excitability studies
      were undertaken in 15 healthy subjects (45 studies in total). Tracking targets
      were set to 20, 40, and 60% of maximum for sensory and motor axons.
      Hyperpolarizing threshold electrotonus (TEh) at 90-100 ms was significantly
      increased in lower threshold sensory axons times (F = 11.195, P < 0.001). In
      motor axons, the hyperpolarizing current/threshold (I/V) gradient was
      significantly increased in lower threshold axons (F = 3.191, P < 0.05). The
      minimum I/V gradient was increased in lower threshold motor and sensory axons. In
      conclusion, variation in the kinetics of HCN isoforms could account for the
      findings in motor and sensory axons. Importantly, assessing the function of HCN
      channels in sensory and motor axons of different thresholds may provide insights
      into the pathophysiological processes underlying peripheral neurological diseases
      in humans, particularly focusing on the role of HCN channels with the potential
      of identifying novel treatment targets.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Hyperpolarization
      activated cyclic-nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels, which underlie inward
      rectifying currents (Ih), appear to mediate differences in sensory and motor
      axonal properties. Inward rectifying currents are increased in lower threshold
      motor and sensory axons, although different HCN channel isoforms appear to
      underlie these changes. While faster activating HCN channels seem to underlie Ih
      changes in sensory axons, slower activating HCN isoforms appear to be mediating
      the differences in Ih conductances in motor axons of different thresholds. The
      differences in HCN gating properties could explain the predilection for
      dysfunction of sensory and motor axons in specific neurological diseases.

PMID- 28904109
TI  - A wound-healing program is hijacked to promote cancer metastasis.
AB  - In this issue of JEM, Sundaram et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20170354)
      report a mechanism by which the normal epithelial wound healing response is
      "hijacked" to promote invasion and metastasis in head and neck squamous
      carcinomas (HNSCCs), a finding that unveils new markers of poor outcomes and
      potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

PMID- 28904108
TI  - Comparison of three models of saccade disconjugacy in strabismus.
AB  - In pattern strabismus the horizontal and vertical misalignments vary with eye
      position along the orthogonal axis. The disorder is typically described in terms
      of overaction or underaction of oblique muscles. Recent behavioral studies in
      humans and monkeys, however, have reported that such actions are insufficient to
      fully explain the patterns of directional and amplitude disconjugacy of saccades.
      There is mounting evidence that the oculomotor abnormalities associated with
      strabismus are at least partially attributable to neurophysiological
      abnormalities. A number of control systems models have been developed to simulate
      the kinematic characteristics of saccades in normal primates. In the present
      study we sought to determine whether these models could simulate the
      abnormalities of saccades in strabismus by making two assumptions: 1) in
      strabismus the burst generator gains differ for the two eyes and 2) abnormal
      crosstalk exists between the horizontal and vertical saccadic circuits in the
      brain stem. We tested three models, distinguished by the location of the
      horizontal-vertical crosstalk. All three models were able to simulate amplitude
      and directional saccade disconjugacy, postsaccadic drift, and a pattern
      strabismus for static fixation, but they made different predictions about the
      dynamics of saccades. By assuming that crosstalk occurs at multiple nodes, the
      Distributed Crosstalk Model correctly predicted the dynamics of saccades. These
      new models make additional predictions that can be tested with future
      neurophysiological experiments.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Over the past several decades,
      numerous control systems models have been devised to simulate the known kinematic
      features of saccades in normal primates. These models have proven valuable to
      neurophysiology, as a means of generating testable predictions. The present
      manuscript, as far as we are aware, is the first to present control systems
      models to simulate the known abnormalities of saccades in strabismus.

PMID- 28904111
TI  - A Literature Review of the Effect of Malaria on Stunting.
AB  - Background: The current version of the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) maternal and child
      health impact modeling software does not include an effect of malaria on
      stunting.Objective: This literature review was undertaken to determine whether
      such a causal link should be included in the LiST model.Methods: The PubMed,
      Embase, and Scopus databases were searched by using broad search terms. The
      searches returned a total of 4281 documents. Twelve studies from among the
      retrieved documents were included in the review according to the inclusion and
      exclusion criteria.Results: There was mixed evidence for an effect of malaria on
      stunting among longitudinal observational studies, and none of the randomized
      controlled trials of malaria interventions found an effect of the interventions
      on stunting.Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to include malaria as a
      determinant of stunting or an effect of malaria interventions on stunting in the
      LiST model. The paucity and heterogeneity of the available literature were a
      major limitation. In addition, the studies included in the review consistently
      fulfilled their ethical responsibility to treat children under observation for
      malaria, which may have interfered with the natural history of the disease and
      prevented any observable effect on stunting or linear growth.

PMID- 28904110
TI  - The chromatin accessibility signature of human immune aging stems from CD8+ T
      cells.
AB  - Aging is linked to deficiencies in immune responses and increased systemic
      inflammation. To unravel the regulatory programs behind these changes, we applied
      systems immunology approaches and profiled chromatin accessibility and the
      transcriptome in PBMCs and purified monocytes, B cells, and T cells. Analysis of
      samples from 77 young and elderly donors revealed a novel and robust aging
      signature in PBMCs, with simultaneous systematic chromatin closing at promoters
      and enhancers associated with T cell signaling and a potentially stochastic
      chromatin opening mostly found at quiescent and repressed sites. Combined
      analyses of chromatin accessibility and the transcriptome uncovered immune
      molecules activated/inactivated with aging and identified the silencing of the
      IL7R gene and the IL-7 signaling pathway genes as potential biomarkers. This
      signature is borne by memory CD8+ T cells, which exhibited an aging-related loss
      in binding of NF-kappaB and STAT factors. Thus, our study provides a unique and
      comprehensive approach to identifying candidate biomarkers and provides
      mechanistic insights into aging-associated immunodeficiency.

PMID- 28904112
TI  - Modeling the Impact of Nutrition Interventions on Birth Outcomes in the Lives
      Saved Tool (LiST).
AB  - Background: Negative birth outcomes [small-for-gestational age (SGA) and preterm
      birth (PTB)] are common in low- and middle-income countries and have important
      subsequent health and developmental impacts on children. There are numerous
      nutritional and non-nutritional interventions that can decrease the risk of
      negative birth outcomes and reduce subsequent risk of mortality and growth
      faltering.Objective: The objective of this article was to review the current
      evidence for the impact of nutritional interventions in pregnancy [calcium
      supplementation, iron and folic acid supplementation, multiple micronutrient
      (MMN) supplementation, and balanced energy supplementation (BES)] and risk
      factors (maternal anemia) on birth outcomes, with the specific goal of
      determining which intervention-outcome linkages should be included in the Lives
      Saved Tool (LiST) software.Methods: A literature search was conducted by using
      the WHO e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions as the starting point. Recent
      studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews were reviewed for inclusion on the
      basis of their relevance to LiST.Results: On the basis of the available
      scientific evidence, the following linkages were found to be supported for
      inclusion in LiST: calcium supplementation on PTB (12% reduction), MMN
      supplementation on SGA (9% reduction), and BES on SGA (21% reduction among food
      insecure women).Conclusions: The inclusion of these linkages in LiST will improve
      the utility of the model for users who seek to estimate the impact of antenatal
      nutrition interventions on birth outcomes. Scaling up these interventions should
      lead to downstream impacts in reducing stunting and child mortality.

PMID- 28904113
TI  - Complementary Feeding Interventions Have a Small but Significant Impact on Linear
      and Ponderal Growth of Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Background: World Health Assembly member states have committed to ambitious
      global targets for reductions in stunting and wasting by 2025. Improving
      complementary diets of children aged 6-23 mo is a recommended approach for
      reducing stunting in children <5 y old. Less is known about the potential of
      these interventions to prevent wasting.Objective: The aim of this article was to
      review and synthesize the current literature for the impact of complementary
      feeding interventions on linear [length-for-age z score (LAZ)] and ponderal
      [weight-for-length z score (WLZ)] growth of children aged 6-23 mo, with the
      specific goal of updating intervention-outcome linkages in the Lives Saved Tool
      (LiST).Methods: We started our review with studies included in the previous LiST
      review and searched for articles published since January 2012. We identified
      longitudinal trials that compared children aged 6-23 mo who received 1 of 2 types
      of complementary feeding interventions (nutrition education or counseling alone
      or complementary food supplementation with or without nutrition education or
      counseling) with a no-intervention control. We assessed study quality and
      generated pooled estimates of LAZ and WLZ change, as well as length and weight
      gain, for each category of intervention.Results: Interventions that provided
      nutrition education or counseling had a small but significant impact on linear
      growth in food-secure populations [LAZ standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.11;
      95% CI: 0.01, 0.22] but not on ponderal growth. Complementary food
      supplementation interventions with or without nutrition education also had a
      small, significant effect in food-insecure settings on both LAZ (SMD: 0.08; 95%
      CI: 0.04, 0.13) and WLZ (SMD: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.08).Conclusions: Nutrition
      education and complementary feeding interventions both had a small but
      significant impact on linear growth, and complementary feeding interventions also
      had an impact on ponderal growth of children aged 6-23 mo in low- and middle
      income countries. The updated LiST model will support nutrition program planning
      and evaluation efforts by allowing users to model changes in intervention
      coverage on both stunting and wasting.

PMID- 28904114
TI  - The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) as a Model for Prevention of Anemia in Women of
      Reproductive Age.
AB  - Background: Anemia in women is a major public health burden worldwide,
      particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is a complex
      condition with multiple nutritional and non-nutritional causes, and geographic
      heterogeneity of burden. The World Health Assembly has set a target of a 50%
      reduction in anemia among women of reproductive age (WRA) by 2025.Objective: This
      article seeks to identify the leading causes of anemia among women in LMICs,
      review the evidence supporting interventions to address anemia in these settings,
      and ultimately use this information to decide which interventions should be
      included in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) model of anemia. It also seeks to examine
      the link between anemia and cause-specific maternal mortality.Methods: The
      leading causes of anemia in WRA were inventoried to identify preventive and
      curative interventions available for implementation at the public health scale. A
      literature review was then conducted for each identified intervention, as well as
      for the link between anemia and maternal mortality.Results: The interventions for
      which data were available fell into the following categories: provision of iron,
      malaria prevention, and treatment of parasitic infestation. Ultimately, 5
      interventions were included in the LiST model for anemia: blanket iron
      supplementation or fortification, iron and folic acid supplementation in
      pregnancy, multiple micronutrient supplementation in pregnancy, intermittent
      preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy, and household ownership of an
      insecticide-treated bednet. In addition, anemia was linked in the model with risk
      of maternal mortality due to hemorrhage.Conclusion: The updated LiST model for
      anemia reflects the state of the current scientific evidence and should be of use
      to researchers, program managers, and policymakers who seek to model the impact
      of scaling up nutrition and health interventions on anemia, and ultimately on
      maternal mortality.

PMID- 28904115
TI  - New Option in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) Allows for the Conversion of Prevalence
      of Small-for-Gestational-Age and Preterm Births to Prevalence of Low Birth
      Weight.
AB  - Background: The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) is a software model that estimates the
      health impact of scaling up interventions on maternal and child health. One of
      the outputs of the model is an estimation of births by fetal size [appropriate
      for-gestational-age (AGA) or small-for-gestational-age (SGA)] and by length of
      gestation (term or preterm), both of which influence birth weight. LiST uses
      prevalence estimates of births in these categories rather than of birth weight
      categories, because the causes and health consequences differ between SGA and
      preterm birth. The World Health Assembly nutrition plan, however, has set the
      prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) as a key indicator, with a specific goal of
      a 30% reduction in LBW prevalence by 2025.Objective: The objective of the study
      is to develop an algorithm that will allow LiST users to estimate changes in
      prevalence of LBW on the basis of changes in coverage of interventions and the
      resulting impact on prevalence estimates of SGA and preterm births.Methods: The
      study used 13 prospective cohort data sets from low- and middle-income countries
      (LMICs; 4 from sub-Saharan Africa, 5 from Asia, and 4 from Latin America), with
      reliable measures of gestational age and birth weight. By calculating the
      proportion of LBW births among SGA and preterm births in each data set and meta
      analyzing those estimates, we calculated region-specific pooled rates of LBW
      among SGA and preterm births.Results: In Africa, 0.4% of term-AGA, 36.7% of term
      SGA, 49.3% of preterm-AGA, and 100.0% of preterm-SGA births were LBW. In Asia,
      1.0% of term-SGA, 47.0% of term-SGA, 36.7% of preterm-AGA, and 100.0% of preterm
      SGA births were LBW. In Latin America, 0.4% of term-AGA, 34.4% of term-SGA, 32.3%
      of preterm-AGA, and 100.0% of preterm-SGA births were LBW.Conclusions: The simple
      conversion factor proposed here allows for the estimation of LBW within LiST for
      most LMICs. This will allow LiST users to approximate the impact of their health
      programs on LBW prevalence via the impact on SGA and preterm prevalence.

PMID- 28904116
TI  - Integrated Interventions Delivered in Health Systems, Home, and Community Have
      the Highest Impact on Breastfeeding Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
AB  - Background: Improving breastfeeding rates is critical. In low- and middle-income
      countries (LMICs), only subtle improvements in breastfeeding rates have been
      observed over the past decade, which highlights the need for accelerating
      breastfeeding promotion interventions.Objective: The objective of this article is
      to update evidence on the effect of interventions on early initiation of and
      exclusive (<1 and 1-5 mo) and continued (6-23 mo) breastfeeding rates in LMICs
      when delivered in health systems, in the home or in community environments, or in
      a combination of settings.Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted
      in PubMed, Cochrane, and CABI databases to identify new articles relevant to our
      current review, which were published after the search date of our earlier meta
      analysis (October 2014). Nine new articles were found to be relevant and were
      included, in addition to the other 52 studies that were identified in our earlier
      meta-analysis. We reported the pooled ORs and corresponding 95% CIs as our
      outcome estimates. In cases of high heterogeneity, random-effects models were
      used and causes were explored by subgroup analysis and meta-regression.Results:
      Early initiation of and exclusive (<1 and 1-5 mo) and continued (6-23 mo)
      breastfeeding rates in LMICs improved significantly as a result of interventions
      delivered in health systems, in the home or community, or a combination of these.
      Interventions delivered concurrently in a combination of settings were found to
      show the largest improvements in desired breastfeeding outcomes. Counseling
      provided in any setting and baby-friendly support in health systems appear to be
      the most effective interventions to improve breastfeeding.Conclusions:
      Improvements in breastfeeding practices are possible in LMICs with judicious use
      of tested interventions, particularly when delivered in a combination of settings
      concurrently. The findings can be considered for inclusion in the Lives Saved
      Tool model.

PMID- 28904117
TI  - Estimating Lives Saved by Achieving Dietary Micronutrient Adequacy, with a Focus
      on Vitamin A Intervention Programs in Cameroon.
AB  - Background: We previously compared the potential effects of different
      intervention strategies for achieving dietary vitamin A (VA) adequacy. The Lives
      Saved Tool (LiST) permits estimates of lives saved through VA interventions but
      currently only considers periodic VA supplements (VASs).Objective: We aimed to
      adapt the LiST method for estimating the mortality impact of VASs to estimate the
      impact of other VA interventions (e.g., food fortification) on child mortality
      and to estimate the number of lives saved by VA interventions in 3 macroregions
      in Cameroon.Methods: We used national dietary intake data to predict the effects
      of VA intervention programs on the adequacy of VA intake. LiST parameters of
      population affected fraction and intervention coverage were replaced with
      estimates of prevalence of inadequate intake and effective coverage (proportion
      achieving adequate VA intake). We used a model of liver VA stores to derive an
      estimate of the mortality reduction from achieving dietary VA adequacy; this
      estimate and a conservative assumption of equivalent mortality reduction for VAS
      and VA intake were applied to projections for Cameroon.Results: There were 2217
      3048 total estimated VA-preventable deaths in year 1, with 58% occurring in the
      North macroregion. The relation between effective coverage and lives saved
      differed by year and macroregion due to differences in total deaths, diarrhea
      burden, and prevalence of low VA intake. Estimates of lives saved by VASs (the
      intervention common to both methods) were similar with the use of the adapted
      method (in 2012: North, 743-1021; South, 280-385; Yaounde and Douala, 146-202)
      and the "usual" LiST method (North: 697; South: 381; Yaounde and Douala:
      147).Conclusions: Linking effective coverage estimates with an adapted LiST
      method permits estimation of the effects of combinations of VA programs (beyond
      VASs only) on child mortality to aid program planning and management. Rigorous
      program monitoring and evaluation are necessary to confirm predicted impacts.

PMID- 28904118
TI  - Nutrition Interventions in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST).
AB  - The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) was initially developed in 2003 to estimate the
      impact of increasing coverage of efficacious interventions on under-5 mortality.
      Over time, the model has been expanded to include more outcomes (neonatal
      mortality, maternal mortality, stillbirths) and interventions. The model has also
      added risk factors, such as stunting and wasting, and over time has attempted to
      capture a full range of nutrition and nutrition-related interventions (e.g.,
      antenatal supplementation, breastfeeding promotion, child supplemental feeding,
      acute malnutrition treatment), practices (e.g., age-appropriate breastfeeding),
      and outcomes (e.g., stunting, wasting, birth outcomes, maternal anemia). This
      article reviews the overall nutrition-related structure, assumptions, and outputs
      that are currently available in LiST. This review focuses on the new assumptions
      and structure that have been added to the model as part of the current effort to
      expand and improve the nutrition modeling capability of LiST. It presents the
      full set of linkages in the model that relate to nutrition outcomes, as well as
      the research literature used to support those linkages.

PMID- 28904119
TI  - Metrics for Identifying Food Security Status and the Population with Potential to
      Benefit from Nutrition Interventions in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST).
AB  - Background: The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) uses the poverty head-count ratio at
      $1.90/d as a proxy for food security to identify the percentage of the population
      with the potential to benefit from balanced energy supplementation and
      complementary feeding (CF) interventions, following the approach used for the
      Lancet's 2008 series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition. Because much work has
      been done in the development of food security indicators, a re-evaluation of the
      use of this indicator was warranted.Objective: The aim was to re-evaluate the use
      of the poverty head-count ratio at $1.90/d as the food security proxy indicator
      in LiST.Methods: We carried out a desk review to identify available indicators of
      food security. We identified 3 indicators and compared them by using
      scatterplots, Spearman's correlations, and Bland-Altman plot analysis. We
      generated LiST projections to compare the modeled impact results with the use of
      the different indicators.Results: There are many food security indicators
      available, but only 3 additional indicators were identified with the data
      availability requirements to be used as the food security indicator in LiST. As
      expected, analyzed food security indicators were significantly positively
      correlated (P < 0.001), but there was generally poor agreement between them. The
      disparity between the indicators also increases as the values of the indicators
      increase. Consequently, the choice of indicator can have a considerable effect on
      the impact of interventions modeled in LiST, especially in food-insecure
      contexts.Conclusions: There was no single indicator identified that is ideal for
      measuring the percentage of the population who is food insecure for LiST. Thus,
      LiST will use the food security indicators that were used in the meta-analyses
      that produced the effect estimates. These are the poverty head-count ratio at
      $1.90/d for CF interventions and the prevalence of a low body mass index in women
      of reproductive age for balanced energy supplementation interventions.

PMID- 28904120
TI  - Introduction to Nutrition Modeling in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST).

PMID- 28904121
TI  - Establishment of a Meal Coding System for the Characterization of Meal-Based
      Dietary Patterns in Japan.
AB  - Background: Most studies on dietary patterns to date have focused on the daily
      intake of individual foods, rather than the combination of foods simultaneously
      consumed during specific eating occasions (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and
      snacks).Objective: We aimed to establish a meal coding system for characterizing
      meal-based dietary patterns in Japan.Methods: Dietary data used were from the
      2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey, Japan, in which 1-d weighed dietary
      records were collected from 26,361 adults aged >=20 y. The food diary was based
      on a typical Japanese eating pattern, which comprised breakfast, lunch, dinner,
      and snacks; these eating occasions were prescribed in the diary. A total of
      94,439 eating occasions (25,187 breakfasts, 25,888 lunches, 26,248 dinners, and
      17,116 snacks) were identified. For all meal types, common food group
      combinations were identified to produce a range of generic meals. These generic
      meals were then used in principal components analysis to establish meal
      patterns.Results: In total, 94 generic meals (24 breakfasts, 27 lunches, 26
      dinners, and 17 snacks) were identified. The most frequently identified food
      group combination for all 3 main meals was "rice and vegetables" (9 generic meals
      for breakfast, 12 for lunch, and 16 for dinner), whereas "confectioneries and
      nonalcoholic and noncaloric beverages" was the most prevalent combination for
      snacks (3 generic meals). In total, 19 meal patterns were established by using
      principal components analysis, which accounted for 24.1% of total variance.
      Patterns ranged considerably with regard to meal-type inclusion and the selection
      of staple foods (rice, bread, and noodles) and beverages, as well as with regard
      to meal constituents.Conclusions: With the use of a meal coding system, we
      identified a wide range of meal-based dietary patterns in Japanese adults. This
      meal coding system may be useful in capturing and investigating the complex
      nature of Japanese meals and food combination patterns.

PMID- 28904123
TI  - Unveiling the Peptide Motifs of HLA-C and HLA-G from Naturally Presented Peptides
      and Generation of Binding Prediction Matrices.
AB  - The classical HLA-C and the nonclassical HLA-E and HLA-G molecules play important
      roles both in the innate and adaptive immune system. Starting already during
      embryogenesis and continuing throughout our lives, these three Ags exert major
      functions in immune tolerance, defense against infections, and anticancer immune
      responses. Despite these important roles, identification and characterization of
      the peptides presented by these molecules has been lacking behind the more
      abundant HLA-A and HLA-B gene products. In this study, we elucidated the peptide
      specificities of these HLA molecules using a comprehensive analysis of naturally
      presented peptides. To that end, the 15 most frequently expressed HLA-C alleles
      as well as HLA-E*01:01 and HLA-G*01:01 were transfected into lymphoblastoid C1R
      cells expressing low endogenous HLA. Identification of naturally presented
      peptides was performed by immunoprecipitation of HLA and subsequent analysis of
      HLA-bound peptides by liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry. Peptide
      motifs of HLA-C unveil anchors in position 2 or 3 with high variances between
      allotypes, and a less variable anchor at the C-terminal end. The previously
      reported small ligand repertoire of HLA-E was confirmed within our analysis, and
      we could show that HLA-G combines a large ligand repertoire with distinct
      features anchoring peptides at positions 3 and 9, supported by an auxiliary
      anchor in position 1 and preferred residues in positions 2 and 7. The wealth of
      HLA ligands resulted in prediction matrices for octa-, nona-, and decamers.
      Matrices were validated in terms of their binding prediction and compared with
      the latest NetMHC prediction algorithm NetMHCpan-3.0, which demonstrated their
      predictive power.

PMID- 28904122
TI  - Evolution of polymer formation within the actin superfamily.
AB  - While many are familiar with actin as a well-conserved component of the
      eukaryotic cytoskeleton, it is less often appreciated that actin is a member of a
      large superfamily of structurally related protein families found throughout the
      tree of life. Actin-related proteins include chaperones, carbohydrate kinases,
      and other enzymes, as well as a staggeringly diverse set of proteins that use the
      energy from ATP hydrolysis to form dynamic, linear polymers. Despite differing
      widely from one another in filament structure and dynamics, these polymers play
      important roles in ordering cell space in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. It
      is not known whether these polymers descended from a single ancestral polymer or
      arose multiple times by convergent evolution from monomeric actin-like proteins.
      In this work, we provide an overview of the structures, dynamics, and functions
      of this diverse set. Then, using a phylogenetic analysis to examine actin
      evolution, we show that the actin-related protein families that form polymers are
      more closely related to one another than they are to other nonpolymerizing
      members of the actin superfamily. Thus all the known actin-like polymers are
      likely to be the descendants of a single, ancestral, polymer-forming actin-like
      protein.

PMID- 28904124
TI  - Cutting Edge: Endogenous IFN-beta Regulates Survival and Development of
      Transitional B Cells.
AB  - The transitional stage of B cell development is a formative stage in the spleen
      where autoreactive specificities are censored as B cells gain immune competence,
      but the intrinsic and extrinsic factors regulating survival of transitional stage
      1 (T1) B cells are unknown. We report that B cell expression of IFN-beta is
      required for optimal survival and TLR7 responses of transitional B cells in the
      spleen and was overexpressed in T1 B cells from BXD2 lupus-prone mice. Single
      cell gene expression analysis of B6 Ifnb+/+ versus B6 Ifnb-/- T1 B cells revealed
      heterogeneous expression of Ifnb in wild-type B cells and distinct gene
      expression patterns associated with endogenous IFN-beta. Single-cell analysis of
      BXD2 T1 B cells revealed that Ifnb is expressed in early T1 B cell development
      with subsequent upregulation of Tlr7 and Ifna1 Together, these data suggest that
      T1 B cell expression of IFN-beta plays a key role in regulating responsiveness to
      external factors.

PMID- 28904125
TI  - Enhancing Vaccine Efficacy by Engineering a Complex Synthetic Peptide To Become a
      Super Immunogen.
AB  - Peptides offer enormous promise as vaccines to prevent and protect against many
      infectious and noninfectious diseases. However, to date, limited vaccine efficacy
      has been reported and none have been licensed for human use. Innovative ways to
      enhance their immunogenicity are being tested, but rational sequence modification
      as a means to improve immune responsiveness has been neglected. Our objective was
      to establish a two-step generic protocol to modify defined amino acids of a
      helical peptide epitope to create a superior immunogen. Peptide variants of p145,
      a conserved helical peptide epitope from the M protein of Streptococcus pyogenes,
      were designed by exchanging one amino acid at a time, without altering their
      alpha-helical structure, which is required for correct antigenicity. The
      immunogenicities of new peptides were assessed in outbred mice. Vaccine efficacy
      was assessed in a skin challenge and invasive disease model. Out of 86 variants
      of p145, seven amino acid substitutions were selected and made the basis of the
      design for 18 new peptides. Of these, 13 were more immunogenic than p145; 7
      induced Abs with significantly higher affinity for p145 than Abs induced by p145
      itself; and 1 peptide induced more than 10,000-fold greater protection following
      challenge than the parent peptide. This peptide also only required a single
      immunization (compared with three immunizations with the parent peptide) to
      induce complete protection against invasive streptococcal disease. This study
      defines a strategy to rationally improve the immunogenicity of peptides and will
      have broad applicability to the development of vaccines for infectious and
      noninfectious diseases.

PMID- 28904126
TI  - NLRP3 and Potassium Efflux Drive Rapid IL-1beta Release from Primary Human
      Monocytes during Toxoplasma gondii Infection.
AB  - IL-1beta is produced by myeloid cells and acts as a critical mediator of host
      defense during infection and injury. We found that the intracellular protozoan
      parasite Toxoplasma gondii induced an early IL-1beta response (within 4 h) in
      primary human peripheral blood monocytes isolated from healthy donors. This
      process involved upregulation of IL-1beta, IL-1RN (IL-1R antagonist), and NLRP3
      transcripts, de novo protein synthesis, and the release of pro- and mature IL
      1beta from infected primary monocytes. The released pro-IL-1beta was cleavable to
      mature bioactive IL-1beta in the extracellular space by the protease caspase-1.
      Treatment of primary monocytes with the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 or with
      extracellular potassium significantly reduced IL-1beta cleavage and release in
      response to T. gondii infection, without affecting the release of TNF-alpha, and
      indicated a role for the inflammasome sensor NLRP3 and for potassium efflux in T.
      gondii-induced IL-1beta production. Interestingly, T. gondii infection did not
      induce an IL-1beta response in primary human macrophages derived from the same
      blood donors as the monocytes. Consistent with this finding, NLRP3 was
      downregulated during the differentiation of monocytes to macrophages and was not
      induced in macrophages during T. gondii infection. To our knowledge, these
      findings are the first to identify NLRP3 as an inflammasome sensor for T. gondii
      in primary human peripheral blood cells and to define an upstream regulator of
      its activation through the release of intracellular potassium.

PMID- 28904127
TI  - Therapeutic Effects of Monoclonal Antibody against Dengue Virus NS1 in a STAT1
      Knockout Mouse Model of Dengue Infection.
AB  - Dengue virus (DENV) is the causative agent of dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic
      fever, and dengue shock syndrome and is endemic to tropical and subtropical
      regions of the world. Our previous studies showed the existence of epitopes in
      the C-terminal region of DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) which are cross
      reactive with host Ags and trigger anti-DENV NS1 Ab-mediated endothelial cell
      damage and platelet dysfunction. To circumvent these potentially harmful events,
      we replaced the C-terminal region of DENV NS1 with the corresponding region from
      Japanese encephalitis virus NS1 to create chimeric DJ NS1 protein. Passive
      immunization of DENV-infected mice with polyclonal anti-DJ NS1 Abs reduced viral
      Ag expression at skin inoculation sites and shortened DENV-induced prolonged
      bleeding time. We also investigated the therapeutic effects of anti-NS1 mAb. One
      mAb designated 2E8 does not recognize the C-terminal region of DENV NS1 in which
      host-cross-reactive epitopes reside. Moreover, mAb 2E8 recognizes NS1 of all four
      DENV serotypes. We also found that mAb 2E8 caused complement-mediated lysis in
      DENV-infected cells. In mouse model studies, treatment with mAb 2E8 shortened
      DENV-induced prolonged bleeding time and reduced viral Ag expression in the skin.
      Importantly, mAb 2E8 provided therapeutic effects against all four serotypes of
      DENV. We further found that mAb administration to mice as late as 1 d prior to
      severe bleeding still reduced prolonged bleeding time and hemorrhage. Therefore,
      administration with a single dose of mAb 2E8 can protect mice against DENV
      infection and pathological effects, suggesting that NS1-specific mAb may be a
      therapeutic option against dengue disease.

PMID- 28904128
TI  - Integration of Kinase and Calcium Signaling at the Level of Chromatin Underlies
      Inducible Gene Activation in T Cells.
AB  - TCR signaling pathways cooperate to activate the inducible transcription factors
      NF-kappaB, NFAT, and AP-1. In this study, using the calcium ionophore ionomycin
      and/or PMA on Jurkat T cells, we show that the gene expression program associated
      with activation of TCR signaling is closely related to specific chromatin
      landscapes. We find that calcium and kinase signaling cooperate to induce
      chromatin remodeling at ~2100 chromatin regions, which demonstrate enriched
      binding motifs for inducible factors and correlate with target gene expression.
      We found that these regions typically function as inducible enhancers. Many of
      these elements contain composite NFAT/AP-1 sites, which typically support
      cooperative binding, thus further reinforcing the need for cooperation between
      calcium and kinase signaling in the activation of genes in T cells. In contrast,
      treatment with PMA or ionomycin alone induces chromatin remodeling at far fewer
      regions (~600 and ~350, respectively), which mostly represent a subset of those
      induced by costimulation. This suggests that the integration of TCR signaling
      largely occurs at the level of chromatin, which we propose plays a crucial role
      in regulating T cell activation.

PMID- 28904130
TI  - CCR5-Dependent Homing of T Regulatory Cells to the Tumor Microenvironment
      Contributes to Skin Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development.
AB  - Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common human cancers worldwide.
      Recent studies show that regulatory T cells (Treg) have a critical role in the
      modulation of an antitumor immune response, and consequently the SCC development.
      Because the accumulation of Tregs at the tumor site is, in part, due to selective
      recruitment through CCR5- and CCR5-associated chemokines, we investigated the
      role of CCR5 in the SCC development. Our findings showed that CCR5-deficient mice
      (CCR5KO) were efficient in controlling papilloma's incidence when compared with
      wild-type mice. Analysis of tumor lesions in wild-type (WT) and CCR5KO mice
      revealed that lack of CCR5 lead to significant reduction in frequency of Tregs
      and increased of CD4 T cells into the tumors. Moreover, the adoptive transfer of
      naturally occurring Tregs CD4+CD25+CCR5+, CD4+CD25-CCR5+ or CD8+CCR5+
      conventional T cells to CCR5KO mice resulted in an increased papilloma incidence.
      Interestingly, adoptive transfer of WT CD4+CD25+CCR5+ cells to CCR5KO mice
      induced more undifferentiated SCC lesions, characterized by higher infiltration
      of macrophages and dendritic cells. In this study, we also demonstrated that Treg
      migration to the tumor microenvironment is mediated by CCR5, and these cells are
      promoting tumor growth via inhibition of antitumor cells such as cytotoxic CD8+ T
      cells. Our findings reinforce the therapeutic potential of CCR5 inhibition for
      cancer treatment, and indicate an attractive approach for SCC treatment. Mol
      Cancer Ther; 16(12); 2871-80. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904129
TI  - T Cells Regulate Peripheral Naive Mature B Cell Survival by Cell-Cell Contact
      Mediated through SLAMF6 and SAP.
AB  - The control of lymphoid homeostasis is the result of a very fine balance between
      lymphocyte production, proliferation, and apoptosis. In this study, we focused on
      the role of T cells in the maintenance/survival of the mature naive peripheral B
      cell population. We show that naive B and T cells interact via the signaling
      lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) family receptor, SLAMF6. This interaction
      induces cell type-specific signals in both cell types, mediated by the SLAM
      associated protein (SAP) family of adaptors. This signaling results in an
      upregulation of the expression of the cytokine migration inhibitory factor in the
      T cells and augmented expression of its receptor CD74 on the B cell counterparts,
      consequently enhancing B cell survival. Furthermore, in X-linked
      lymphoproliferative disease patients, SAP deficiency reduces CD74 expression,
      resulting in the perturbation of B cell maintenance from the naive stage. Thus,
      naive T cells regulate B cell survival in a SLAMF6- and SAP-dependent manner.

PMID- 28904131
TI  - Superior Properties of Fc-comprising scTRAIL Fusion Proteins.
AB  - The TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been considered as a
      promising molecule for cancer treatment. However, clinical studies with soluble
      TRAIL failed to show therapeutic activity, which resulted in subsequent
      development of more potent TRAIL-based therapeutics. In this study, we applied
      defined oligomerization and tumor targeting as strategies to further improve the
      activity of a single-chain version of TRAIL (scTRAIL). We compared three
      different formats of EGF receptor (EGFR)-targeting dimeric scTRAIL fusion
      proteins [Diabody (Db)-scTRAIL, scFv-IgE heavy chain domain 2 (EHD2)-scTRAIL,
      scFv-Fc-scTRAIL] as well as two nontargeted dimeric scTRAIL molecules (EHD2
      scTRAIL, Fc-scTRAIL) to reveal the influence of targeting and protein format on
      antitumor activity. All EGFR-targeted dimeric scTRAIL molecules showed similar
      binding properties and comparable cell death induction in vitro, exceeding the
      activity of the respective nontargeted dimeric format and monomeric scTRAIL.
      Superior properties were observed for the Fc fusion proteins with respect to
      production and in vivo half-life. In vivo studies using a Colo205 xenograft model
      revealed potent antitumor activity of all EGFR-targeting formats and Fc-scTRAIL
      and furthermore highlighted the higher efficacy of fusion proteins comprising an
      Fc part. Despite enhanced in vitro cell death induction of targeted scTRAIL
      molecules, however, comparable antitumor activities were found for the EGFR
      targeting scFv-Fc-scTRAIL and the nontargeting Fc-scTRAIL in vivoMol Cancer Ther;
      16(12); 2792-802. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904132
TI  - Inhibition of the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase AXL Restores Paclitaxel
      Chemosensitivity in Uterine Serous Cancer.
AB  - Uterine serous cancer (USC) is aggressive, and the majority of recurrent cases
      are chemoresistant. Because the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL promotes invasion
      and metastasis of USC and is implicated in chemoresistance in other cancers, we
      assessed the role of AXL in paclitaxel resistance in USC, determined the
      mechanism of action, and sought to restore chemosensitivity by inhibiting AXL in
      vitro and in vivo We used short hairpin RNAs and BGB324 to knock down and inhibit
      AXL. We assessed sensitivity of USC cell lines to paclitaxel and measured
      paclitaxel intracellular accumulation in vitro in the presence or absence of AXL.
      We also examined the role of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in AXL
      mediated paclitaxel resistance. Finally, we treated USC xenografts with
      paclitaxel, BGB324, or paclitaxel plus BGB324 and monitored tumor burden. AXL
      expression was higher in chemoresistant USC patient tumors and cell lines than in
      chemosensitive tumors and cell lines. Knockdown or inhibition of AXL increased
      sensitivity of USC cell lines to paclitaxel in vitro and increased cellular
      accumulation of paclitaxel. AXL promoted chemoresistance even in cells that
      underwent the EMT in vitro Finally, in vivo studies of combination treatment with
      BGB324 and paclitaxel showed a greater than 51% decrease in tumor volume after 2
      weeks of treatment when compared with no treatment or single-agent treatments (P
      < 0.001). Our results show that AXL expression mediates chemoresistance
      independent of EMT and prevents accumulation of paclitaxel. This study supports
      the continued investigation of AXL as a clinical target, particularly in
      chemoresistant USC. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(12); 2881-91. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28904133
TI  - Comparing physical and social cognitive skills in macaque species with different
      degrees of social tolerance.
AB  - Contemporary evolutionary theories propose that living in groups drives the
      selection of enhanced cognitive skills to face competition and facilitate
      cooperation between individuals. Being able to coordinate both in space and time
      with others and make strategic decisions are essential skills for cooperating
      within groups. Social tolerance and an egalitarian social structure have been
      proposed as one specific driver of cooperation. Therefore, social tolerance is
      predicted to be associated with enhanced cognitive skills that underpin
      communication and coordination. Social tolerance should also be associated with
      enhanced inhibition, which is crucial for suppressing automatic responses and
      permitting delayed gratification in cooperative contexts. We tested the
      performance of four closely related non-human primate species (genus Macaca)
      characterized by different degrees of social tolerance on a large battery of
      cognitive tasks covering physical and social cognition, and on an inhibitory
      control task. All species performed at a comparable level on the physical
      cognition tasks but the more tolerant species outperformed the less tolerant
      species at a social cognition task relevant to cooperation and in the inhibitory
      control task. These findings support the hypothesis that social tolerance is
      associated with the evolution of sophisticated cognitive skills relevant for
      cooperative social living.

PMID- 28904134
TI  - An ant-plant mutualism through the lens of cGMP-dependent kinase genes.
AB  - In plant-animal mutualisms, how an animal forages often determines how much
      benefit its plant partner receives. In many animals, foraging behaviour changes
      in response to foraging gene expression or activation of the cGMP-dependent
      protein kinase (PKG) that foraging encodes. Here, we show that this highly
      conserved molecular mechanism affects the outcome of a plant-animal mutualism. We
      studied the two PKG genes of Allomerus octoarticulatus, an Amazonian ant that
      defends the ant-plant Cordia nodosa against herbivores. Some ant colonies are
      better 'bodyguards' than others. Working in the field in Peru, we found that
      colonies fed with a PKG activator recruited more workers to attack herbivores
      than control colonies. This resulted in less herbivore damage. PKG gene
      expression in ant workers correlated with whether an ant colony discovered an
      herbivore and how much damage herbivores inflicted on leaves in a complex way;
      natural variation in expression levels of the two genes had significant
      interaction effects on ant behaviour and herbivory. Our results suggest a
      molecular basis for ant protection of plants in this mutualism.

PMID- 28904135
TI  - Bird and bat species' global vulnerability to collision mortality at wind farms
      revealed through a trait-based assessment.
AB  - Mitigation of anthropogenic climate change involves deployments of renewable
      energy worldwide, including wind farms, which can pose a significant collision
      risk to volant animals. Most studies into the collision risk between species and
      wind turbines, however, have taken place in industrialized countries. Potential
      effects for many locations and species therefore remain unclear. To redress this
      gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of recorded collisions between
      birds and bats and wind turbines within developed countries. We related collision
      rate to species-level traits and turbine characteristics to quantify the
      potential vulnerability of 9538 bird and 888 bat species globally. Avian
      collision rate was affected by migratory strategy, dispersal distance and habitat
      associations, and bat collision rates were influenced by dispersal distance. For
      birds and bats, larger turbine capacity (megawatts) increased collision rates;
      however, deploying a smaller number of large turbines with greater energy output
      reduced total collision risk per unit energy output, although bat mortality
      increased again with the largest turbines. Areas with high concentrations of
      vulnerable species were also identified, including migration corridors. Our
      results can therefore guide wind farm design and location to reduce the risk of
      large-scale animal mortality. This is the first quantitative global assessment of
      the relative collision vulnerability of species groups with wind turbines,
      providing valuable guidance for minimizing potentially serious negative impacts
      on biodiversity.

PMID- 28904136
TI  - Neural evidence supports a dual sensory-motor role for insect wings.
AB  - Flying insects use feedback from various sensory modalities including vision and
      mechanosensation to navigate through their environment. The rapid speed of
      mechanosensory information acquisition and processing compensates for the slower
      processing times associated with vision, particularly under low light conditions.
      While halteres in dipteran species are well known to provide such information for
      flight control, less is understood about the mechanosensory roles of their
      evolutionary antecedent, wings. The features that wing mechanosensory neurons
      (campaniform sensilla) encode remains relatively unexplored. We hypothesized that
      the wing campaniform sensilla of the hawkmoth, Manduca sexta, rapidly and
      selectively extract mechanical stimulus features in a manner similar to halteres.
      We used electrophysiological and computational techniques to characterize the
      encoding properties of wing campaniform sensilla. To accomplish this, we
      developed a novel technique for localizing receptive fields using a focused IR
      laser that elicits changes in the neural activity of mechanoreceptors. We found
      that (i) most wing mechanosensors encoded mechanical stimulus features rapidly
      and precisely, (ii) they are selective for specific stimulus features, and (iii)
      there is diversity in the encoding properties of wing campaniform sensilla. We
      found that the encoding properties of wing campaniform sensilla are similar to
      those for haltere neurons. Therefore, it appears that the neural architecture
      that underlies the haltere sensory function is present in wings, which lends
      credence to the notion that wings themselves may serve a similar sensory
      function. Thus, wings may not only function as the primary actuator of the
      organism but also as sensors of the inertial dynamics of the animal.

PMID- 28904137
TI  - Seasonal variation in nutrient utilization shapes gut microbiome structure and
      function in wild giant pandas.
AB  - Wild giant pandas use different parts of bamboo (shoots, leaves and stems) and
      different bamboo species at different times of the year. Their usage of bamboo
      can be classified temporally into a distinct leaf stage, shoot stage and
      transition stage. An association between this usage pattern and variation in the
      giant panda gut microbiome remains unknown. Here, we found associations using a
      gut metagenomic approach and nutritional analyses whereby diversity of the gut
      microbial community in the leaf and shoot stages was significantly different.
      Functional metagenomic analysis showed that in the leaf stage, bacteria species
      over-represented genes involved in raw fibre utilization and cell cycle control.
      Thus, raw fibre utilization by the gut microbiome was guaranteed during the
      nutrient-deficient leaf stage by reinforcing gut microbiome robustness. During
      the protein-abundant shoot stage, the functional capacity of the gut microbiome
      expanded to include prokaryotic secretion and signal transduction activity,
      suggesting active interactions between the gut microbiome and host. These results
      illustrate that seasonal nutrient variation in wild giant pandas substantially
      influences gut microbiome composition and function. Nutritional interactions
      between gut microbiomes and hosts appear to be complex and further work is
      needed.

PMID- 28904138
TI  - A restatement of the natural science evidence base concerning the health effects
      of low-level ionizing radiation.
AB  - Exposure to ionizing radiation is ubiquitous, and it is well established that
      moderate and high doses cause ill-health and can be lethal. The health effects of
      low doses or low dose-rates of ionizing radiation are not so clear. This paper
      describes a project which sets out to summarize, as a restatement, the natural
      science evidence base concerning the human health effects of exposure to low
      level ionizing radiation. A novel feature, compared to other reviews, is that a
      series of statements are listed and categorized according to the nature and
      strength of the evidence that underpins them. The purpose of this restatement is
      to provide a concise entree into this vibrant field, pointing the interested
      reader deeper into the literature when more detail is needed. It is not our
      purpose to reach conclusions on whether the legal limits on radiation exposures
      are too high, too low or just right. Our aim is to provide an introduction so
      that non-specialist individuals in this area (be they policy-makers, disputers of
      policy, health professionals or students) have a straightforward place to start.
      The summary restatement of the evidence and an extensively annotated bibliography
      are provided as appendices in the electronic supplementary material.

PMID- 28904139
TI  - An edrioasteroid from the Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstatte of England reveals
      the nature of the water vascular system in an extinct echinoderm.
AB  - Echinoderms are unique in having a water vascular system with tube feet, which
      perform a variety of functions in living forms. Here, we report the first example
      of preserved tube feet in an extinct group of echinoderms. The material, from the
      Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstatte, UK, is assigned to a new genus and species of
      rhenopyrgid edrioasteroid, Heropyrgus disterminus The tube feet attach to the
      inner surface of compound interradial plates and form two sets, an upper and a
      lower, an arrangement never reported previously in an extant or extinct
      echinoderm. Cover plates are absent and floor plates are separated creating a
      large permanent entrance to the interior of the oral area. The tube feet may have
      captured food particles that entered the oral area and/or enhanced respiration.
      The pentameral symmetry of the oral surface transitions to eight columns in which
      the plates are vertically offset resulting in a spiral appearance. This change in
      symmetry may reflect flexibility in the evolutionary development of the axial and
      extraxial zones in early echinoderm evolution.

PMID- 28904140
TI  - Quantitative study of developmental biology confirms Dickinsonia as a metazoan.
AB  - The late Ediacaran soft-bodied macroorganism Dickinsonia (age range approx. 560
      550 Ma) has often been interpreted as an early animal, and is increasingly
      invoked in debate on the evolutionary assembly of eumetazoan body plans. However,
      conclusive positive evidence in support of such a phylogenetic affinity has not
      been forthcoming. Here we subject a collection of Dickinsonia specimens
      interpreted to represent multiple ontogenetic stages to a novel, quantitative
      method for studying growth and development in organisms with an iterative body
      plan. Our study demonstrates that Dickinsonia grew via pre-terminal 'deltoidal'
      insertion and inflation of constructional units, followed by a later inflation
      dominated phase of growth. This growth model is contrary to the widely held
      assumption that Dickinsonia grew via terminal addition of units at the end of the
      organism bearing the smallest units. When considered alongside morphological and
      behavioural attributes, our developmental data phylogenetically constrain
      Dickinsonia to the Metazoa, specifically the Eumetazoa plus Placozoa total group.
      Our findings have implications for the use of Dickinsonia in developmental
      debates surrounding the metazoan acquisition of axis specification and
      metamerism.

PMID- 28904141
TI  - Extreme diel dissolved oxygen and carbon cycles in shallow vegetated lakes.
AB  - A common perception in limnology is that shallow lakes are homogeneously mixed
      owing to their small water volume. However, this perception is largely gained by
      downscaling knowledge from large lakes to their smaller counterparts. Here we
      show that shallow vegetated lakes (less than 0.6 m), in fact, undergo recurring
      daytime stratification and nocturnal mixing accompanied by extreme chemical
      variations during summer. Dense submerged vegetation effectively attenuates light
      and turbulence generating separation between warm surface waters and much colder
      bottom waters. Photosynthesis in surface waters produces oxygen accumulation and
      CO2 depletion, whereas respiration in dark bottom waters causes anoxia and CO2
      accumulation. High daytime pH in surface waters promotes precipitation of CaCO3
      which is re-dissolved in bottom waters. Nocturnal convective mixing re-introduces
      oxygen into bottom waters for aerobic respiration and regenerated inorganic
      carbon into surface waters, which supports intense photosynthesis. Our results
      reconfigure the basic understanding of local environmental gradients in shallow
      lakes, one of the most abundant freshwater habitats globally.

PMID- 28904142
TI  - Trophic dynamics of a simple model ecosystem.
AB  - We have constructed a model of community dynamics that is simple enough to
      enumerate all possible food webs, yet complex enough to represent a wide range of
      ecological processes. We use the transition matrix to predict the outcome of
      succession and then investigate how the transition probabilities are governed by
      resource supply and immigration. Low-input regimes lead to simple communities
      whereas trophically complex communities develop when there is an adequate supply
      of both resources and immigrants. Our interpretation of trophic dynamics in
      complex communities hinges on a new principle of mutual replenishment, defined as
      the reciprocal alternation of state in a pair of communities linked by the
      invasion and extinction of a shared species. Such neutral couples are the outcome
      of succession under local dispersal and imply that food webs will often be made
      up of suites of trophically equivalent species. When immigrants arrive from an
      external pool of fixed composition a similar principle predicts a dynamic core of
      webs constituting a neutral interchange network, although communities may express
      an extensive range of other webs whose membership is only in part predictable.
      The food web is not in general predictable from whole-community properties such
      as productivity or stability, although it may profoundly influence these
      properties.

PMID- 28904143
TI  - Hierarchical structure of ecological and non-ecological processes of
      differentiation shaped ongoing gastropod radiation in the Malawi Basin.
AB  - Ecological processes, non-ecological processes or a combination of both may cause
      reproductive isolation and speciation, but their specific roles and potentially
      complex interactions in evolutionary radiations remain poorly understood, which
      defines a central knowledge gap at the interface of microevolution and
      macroevolution. Here I examine genome scans in combination with phenotypic and
      environmental data to disentangle how ecological and non-ecological processes
      contributed to population differentiation and speciation in an ongoing radiation
      of Lanistes gastropods from the Malawi Basin. I found a remarkable hierarchical
      structure of differentiation mechanisms in space and time: neutral and mutation
      order processes are older and occur mainly between regions, whereas more recent
      adaptive processes are the main driver of genetic differentiation and
      reproductive isolation within regions. The strongest differentiation occurs
      between habitats and between regions, i.e. when ecological and non-ecological
      processes act synergistically. The structured occurrence of these processes based
      on the specific geographical setting and ecological opportunities strongly
      influenced the potential for evolutionary radiation. The results highlight the
      importance of interactions between various mechanisms of differentiation in
      evolutionary radiations, and suggest that non-ecological processes are important
      in adaptive radiations, including those of cichlids. Insight into such
      interactions is critical to understanding large-scale patterns of organismal
      diversity.

PMID- 28904144
TI  - Low recruitment due to altered settlement substrata as primary constraint for
      coral communities under ocean acidification.
AB  - The future of coral reefs under increasing CO2 depends on their capacity to
      recover from disturbances. To predict the recovery potential of coral communities
      that are fully acclimatized to elevated CO2, we compared the relative success of
      coral recruitment and later life stages at two volcanic CO2 seeps and adjacent
      control sites in Papua New Guinea. Our field experiments showed that the effects
      of ocean acidification (OA) on coral recruitment rates were up to an order of
      magnitude greater than the effects on the survival and growth of established
      corals. Settlement rates, recruit and juvenile densities were best predicted by
      the presence of crustose coralline algae, as opposed to the direct effects of
      seawater CO2 Offspring from high CO2 acclimatized parents had similarly impaired
      settlement rates as offspring from control parents. For most coral taxa, field
      data showed no evidence of cumulative and compounding detrimental effects of high
      CO2 on successive life stages, and three taxa showed improved adult performance
      at high CO2 that compensated for their low recruitment rates. Our data suggest
      that severely declining capacity for reefs to recover, due to altered settlement
      substrata and reduced coral recruitment, is likely to become a dominant mechanism
      of how OA will alter coral reefs.

PMID- 28904146
TI  - Correction to 'The evolution of dual meat and milk cattle husbandry in
      Linearbandkeramik societies'.

PMID- 28904145
TI  - Older fathers' children have lower evolutionary fitness across four centuries and
      in four populations.
AB  - Higher paternal age at offspring conception increases de novo genetic mutations.
      Based on evolutionary genetic theory we predicted older fathers' children, all
      else equal, would be less likely to survive and reproduce, i.e. have lower
      fitness. In sibling control studies, we find support for negative paternal age
      effects on offspring survival and reproductive success across four large
      populations with an aggregate N > 1.4 million. Three populations were pre
      industrial (1670-1850) Western populations and showed negative paternal age
      effects on infant survival and offspring reproductive success. In twentieth
      century Sweden, we found minuscule paternal age effects on survival, but found
      negative effects on reproductive success. Effects survived tests for key
      competing explanations, including maternal age and parental loss, but effects
      varied widely over different plausible model specifications and some competing
      explanations such as diminishing paternal investment and epigenetic mutations
      could not be tested. We can use our findings to aid in predicting the effect
      increasingly older parents in today's society will have on their children's
      survival and reproductive success. To the extent that we succeeded in isolating a
      mutation-driven effect of paternal age, our results can be understood to show
      that de novo mutations reduce offspring fitness across populations and time
      periods.

PMID- 28904149
TI  - Correction to: Intracerebroventricular Infusion of the (Pro)renin Receptor
      Antagonist PRO20 Attenuates Deoxycorticosterone Acetate-Salt-Induced
      Hypertension.

PMID- 28904147
TI  - Long-legged bees make adaptive leaps: linking adaptation to coevolution in a
      plant-pollinator network.
AB  - Adaptation is evolution in response to natural selection. Hence, an adaptation is
      expected to originate simultaneously with the acquisition of a particular
      selective environment. Here we test whether long legs evolve in oil-collecting
      Rediviva bees when they come under selection by long-spurred, oil-secreting
      flowers. To quantify the selective environment, we drew a large network of the
      interactions between Rediviva species and oil-secreting plant species. The
      selective environment of each bee species was summarized as the average spur
      length of the interacting plant species weighted by interaction frequency. Using
      phylogenetically independent contrasts, we calculated divergence in selective
      environment and evolutionary divergence in leg length between sister species (and
      sister clades) of Rediviva We found that change in the selective environment
      explained 80% of evolutionary change in leg length, with change in body size
      contributing an additional 6% of uniquely explained variance. The result is one
      of four proposed steps in testing for plant-pollinator coevolution.

PMID- 28904150
TI  - Emotional Intelligence Throughout the Lifecycle of Australian Radiographers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure global and domain trait emotional intelligence (EI)
      throughout the professional lifecycle of Australian radiographers and report the
      trends. METHODS: A combination retrospective and prospective cross-sectional
      multiple-cohort study using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short
      Form (TEIQue-SF) was designed to collect global and domain trait EI scores of
      several populations, including radiography students (n = 95), inexperienced
      radiographers (0-5 years' experience; n = 94), experienced radiographers (>= 6
      years' experience; n = 451), chief radiographers (n = 107), clinical educators (n
      = 24), application specialists (n = 24), and radiographers working in education
      (n = 15). Mean EI scores were calculated and statistical tests were performed to
      determine whether significant differences existed among the groups. RESULTS:
      Statistically significant differences were found among populations for global EI
      and the domains of self-control and well-being, with students demonstrating
      consistently lower scores than qualified radiographers (P >= .001). Chief
      radiographers demonstrated higher scores for well-being than inexperienced
      radiographers, radiographers working in education, and students (P < .001).
      Global EI scores increased steadily throughout the professional lifecycle of
      Australian radiographers, plateauing at 10 years of clinical experience.
      DISCUSSION: Chief radiographers demonstrated the highest scores for well-being,
      which is consistent with prior research acknowledging the importance of EI in
      organizational leadership. Students demonstrated lower EI scores likely because
      they are at the beginning of their careers and might not yet perceive themselves
      as confident or successful. Higher EI scores are expected in normal career
      advancement, plateauing at about 10 years of clinical experience. CONCLUSION: A
      statistically significant difference exists between global and domain trait EI
      scores throughout the professional lifecycle of Australian radiologic
      technologists. Global trait EI scores showed a marked increase after 6 years of
      clinical experience, indicating that clinical experience might have an effect on
      trait EI scores.

PMID- 28904151
TI  - Radiography Student Participation in Professional Organizations.
AB  - PURPOSE: To gather data on educational program requirements for student
      membership in a state or national professional society, organization, or
      association. METHODS: A 10-question online survey about student involvement in
      professional societies was emailed to 616 directors of Joint Review Committee on
      Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)-accredited radiography programs.
      RESULTS: A total of 219 responses were received, for a 36% response rate. Of
      these, 89 respondents (41%) answered that their programs require students to join
      a professional organization. The society respondents most often required (70%)
      was a state radiography society. Sixty respondents (68%) answered that students
      join a society at the beginning of the radiography program (from matriculation to
      3 months in). Of programs requiring student membership in professional societies,
      42 (49%) reported that their students attend the state or national society annual
      conference; however, participation in activities at the conferences and in the
      society throughout the year is lower than conference attendance. DISCUSSION: Some
      directors stated that although their programs' policies do not allow membership
      mandates, they encourage students to become members, primarily so that they can
      access webinars and other educational materials or information related to the
      profession. CONCLUSION: Survey data showed that most JRCERT-accredited
      radiography programs support but do not require student membership in
      professional organizations. The data reveal that more programs have added those
      requirements in recent years. Increased student participation could be realized
      if programs mandated membership and supported it financially.

PMID- 28904152
TI  - Imaging Atlantooccipital and Atlantoaxial Traumatic Injuries.
AB  - Cervical spine injuries, specifically the atlantooccipital joint and atlantoaxial
      joint, often involve the spinal canal or large blood vessels that supply blood to
      the brain. Patient handling, transport, and positioning for imaging plays an
      important role in diagnosis, treatment, and patient prognosis. This article
      discusses cervical spine anatomy, specific traumatic spinal injuries, and
      radiography's role in treating these injuries. Treatment options and imaging
      before and after treatment also are discussed, and a description of dose
      reduction techniques is included.

PMID- 28904153
TI  - Imaging and Diagnosis of Physical Child Abuse.
AB  - Child abuse involves grave and disturbing acts of violence that can have lasting
      physical and emotional consequences for children and their families. The
      diagnosis of child abuse is emotionally difficult for those involved, and an
      error in judgment either way can have a detrimental effect on the health and
      safety of the child. Physicians rely on the skills of the imaging team to produce
      high-quality images that assist in differentiating inflicted injuries from
      accidental trauma. This article explores the significance of imaging in child
      abuse by discussing the types of injuries that occur and the imaging studies that
      aid in diagnosing physical child abuse.

PMID- 28904154
TI  - Visualizing the Future.

PMID- 28904159
TI  - Pediatric Elbow Fracture Diagnosis Using 3-D MR Imaging.

PMID- 28904160
TI  - A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Visualization in Data Analysis.

PMID- 28904161
TI  - Domestic Violence, Concussion Injuries, and the Imaging Professional's Role in
      Identifying Traumatic Brain Injury.

PMID- 28904162
TI  - Keeping Up With Technology.

PMID- 28904163
TI  - Minimizing Incivility in the Online Classroom.

PMID- 28904164
TI  - Diagnostic Challenges of Postsurgical Breast Cancer Recurrence.

PMID- 28904165
TI  - The Importance of Precision Assessments When Serial Scanning.

PMID- 28904166
TI  - Reducing Occurrences of MR-related Claustrophobia in Patients With PTSD.

PMID- 28904167
TI  - Styrofoam Model Heads: A Tool for Learning Positioning and Anatomy.

PMID- 28904168
TI  - Dissemination of Translational Research.

PMID- 28904169
TI  - The Clinical Experience: A Student's Testimonial.

PMID- 28904171
TI  - Breast Sonography and Mammography: Complementarity and Correlation.
AB  - Mammography is a proven tool for detecting breast cancer and reducing breast
      cancer mortality, but breast sonography plays an important role in promoting
      breast health, too. These modalities can complement each other, especially when
      images are correlated to examine an abnormality or suspicious area. This article
      discusses how breast sonography supplements mammography as a screening and
      diagnostic technique, how mammographic and sonographic images are correlated, and
      how some common breast diseases and conditions appear on the 2 modalities. The
      limitations of both breast imaging modalities also are discussed.

PMID- 28904172
TI  - FDA Approval Summary: Daratumumab for Treatment of Multiple Myeloma After One
      Prior Therapy.
AB  - : On November 21, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted regular
      approval to daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or
      bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma
      who have received at least one prior therapy. Approval was based on two
      randomized, open-label trials in which daratumumab was added to these backbone
      therapies. The MMY3003 trial demonstrated substantial improvement in progression
      free survival (PFS) when daratumumab was added to lenalidomide and dexamethasone
      compared with lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone. The estimated median PFS had
      not been reached in the daratumumab arm and was 18.4 months in the control arm
      (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27-0.52; p < .0001),
      representing a 63% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. Similar
      results were observed in the MMY3004 trial comparing the combination of
      daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone with bortezomib and dexamethasone. The
      estimated median PFS was not reached in the daratumumab arm and was 7.2 months in
      the control arm (HR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.28-0.53; p < .0001), representing a 61%
      reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. The most frequently
      reported adverse reactions (greater than or equal to 20%) in MMY3003 were
      infusion reactions, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, pyrexia, upper respiratory tract
      infection, muscle spasm, cough, and dyspnea. The most frequently reported adverse
      reactions (greater than or equal to 20%) in MMY3004 were infusion reactions,
      diarrhea, peripheral edema, upper respiratory tract infection, and peripheral
      sensory neuropathy. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia have been added to the
      Warnings and Precautions of the drug label. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:
      Daratumumab, the first monoclonal antibody targeted against CD38, received U.S.
      Food and Drug Administration accelerated approval in 2015 based on data from
      single-agent, single-arm trials that provided response rate information. Results
      of the MMY3003 and MMY3004 trials established that daratumumab can be combined
      synergistically with some of the most highly active agents used to treat multiple
      myeloma, leading to daratumumab's regular approval in 2016. Daratumumab added to
      lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, provides a
      substantial improvement in progression-free survival in previously treated
      patients with multiple myeloma. These combinations will likely improve the
      survival outlook for patients with multiple myeloma.

PMID- 28904173
TI  - Impact of Metastasectomy in the Multimodality Approach for BRAF V600E Metastatic
      Colorectal Cancer: The Mayo Clinic Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: BRAF V600E mutations are present in 8%-10% of patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and portend poor prognosis. This study
      investigated the impact of metastasectomy for patients with BRAF V600E mCRC.
      SUBJECTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: Using prospective clinical and molecular data,
      patients with BRAF V600E mCRC were analyzed for clinical characteristics and
      survival. Statistical analyses utilized the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test,
      and Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were identified
      between July 1, 2008, and January 4, 2016. Patient characteristics included
      median age 65 years, 61% female, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance
      status <=1, 71% with right-sided tumors, and 28% with liver-limited metastasis.
      In the first-line setting, 7% (4/52) received fluorouracil, leucovorin,
      oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI)/bevacizumab (BEV) and 81% were treated
      with doublet chemotherapy consisting of fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and BEV.
      Median overall survival (OS) for all 52 patients was 25 months with median
      progression-free survival (PFS) of 9.3 months. With median follow-up of 18.3
      months, 21 patients underwent metastasectomy with longer OS (29.1 months vs. 22.7
      months, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.33; confidence interval [CI], 0.12-0.78; p = .01)
      and PFS (13.6 months vs. 6.2 months, HR = 0.53, CI, 0.28-0.97; p = .03) compared
      with the non-metastasectomy cohort. In multivariate analysis, metastasectomy
      remained significant for improved survival outcomes (HR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.07
      1.02; p = .02). Median disease-free survival after metastasectomy was 9.7 months
      (95% CI, 5.5-19.5). Two patients remain disease-free at the time of last follow
      up, with one patient without relapse for greater than 2 years (28.9 months).
      CONCLUSION: Multimodality therapy incorporating metastasectomy for BRAF V600E
      mCRC should be considered and might be associated with improved overall survival
      in select patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: BRAF V600E metastatic colorectal
      cancer (mCRC) represents an extremely difficult molecular subset of colorectal
      cancer to treat. To date, this subset remains refractory to standard
      chemotherapies, prompting extensive clinical investigation regarding novel
      treatment approaches and targeted modalities. While the use of metastasectomy for
      expanded RAS wild-type and RAS mutated mCRC has resulted in improved overall
      survival for select patients, utilization of metastasectomy in patients with BRAF
      V600E mCRC remains controversial. This article explores the authors' experience
      with BRAF V600E mCRC to ascertain whether a multidisciplinary approach
      incorporating metastasectomy for well-selected patients improves overall
      survival.

PMID- 28904174
TI  - In-Hospital Outcomes of Tumor Lysis Syndrome: A Population-Based Study Using the
      National Inpatient Sample.
AB  - The epidemiology and outcomes of tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) are understudied. We
      used the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), a nationally representative weighted
      sample of all U.S. hospital discharges, to study outcomes and predictors of
      mortality in hospitalized patients with TLS. The NIS was queried for patients
      with a discharge diagnosis of TLS (ICD-9 code 277.88) from 2010-2013. Baseline
      characteristics and outcomes were analyzed. A multivariable logistic regression
      analysis was performed to identify predictors of mortality. From 2010-2013,
      28,370 patients were discharged with a diagnosis of TLS. The most common
      malignancies were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (30%), solid tumors (20%), acute myeloid
      leukemia (19%), and acute lymphocytic leukemia (13%). Overall in-hospital
      mortality was 21%. The median length of stay was 10 days (IQR 5-22). Sixty-nine
      percent of patients experienced a severe complication, including sepsis (22%, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 21-23), dialysis (15%, 95% CI 14-16), acute respiratory
      failure (23%, 95% CI 22-24), mechanical ventilation (16%, 95% CI 15-17),
      gastrointestinal hemorrhage (6%, 95% CI 5-7), cerebral hemorrhage (2%, 95% CI 2
      3), seizures (1%, 95% CI 0.6-1), and cardiac arrest (2%, 95% CI 2-3). Predictors
      of mortality were derived from a multivariable logistic regression and included
      age, Elixhauser comorbidity score, insurance status, teaching versus nonteaching
      hospital, and cancer type. Predictors of increased length of stay included age,
      race, teaching versus nonteaching hospital, and cancer type. In the U.S., many
      patients with TLS develop life-threatening complications and a quarter die during
      hospitalization. As more cancer treatments become available, strategies to
      improve the supportive care of patients with TLS should be a priority.

PMID- 28904175
TI  - Splice variants of cytosolic polyadenylation element-binding protein 2 (CPEB2)
      differentially regulate pathways linked to cancer metastasis.
AB  - The translational regulator cytosolic polyadenylation element-binding protein 2
      (CPEB2) has two isoforms, CPEB2A and CPEB2B, derived by alternative splicing of
      RNA into a mature form that either includes or excludes exon 4. Previously, we
      reported that this splicing event is highly dysregulated in aggressive forms of
      breast cancers, which overexpress CPEB2B. The loss of CPEB2A with a concomitant
      increase in CPEB2B was also required for breast cancer cells to resist cell death
      because of detachment (anoikis resistance) and metastasize in vivo To examine the
      mechanism by which CPEB2 isoforms mediate opposing effects on cancer-related
      phenotypes, we used next generation sequencing of triple negative breast cancer
      cells in which the isoforms were specifically down-regulated. Down-regulation of
      the CPEB2B isoform inhibited pathways driving the epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition and hypoxic response, whereas down-regulation of the CPEB2A isoform
      did not have this effect. Examining key nodes of these pathways showed that
      CPEB2B induced the expression of regulatory DNA trans-factors (e.g. HIF1alpha and
      TWIST1). Specifically, CPEB2B functioned as a translational activator of TWIST1
      and HIF1alpha. Functional studies showed that specific down-regulation of either
      HIF1alpha or TWIST1 inhibited the ability of CPEB2B to induce the acquisition of
      anoikis resistance and drive metastasis. Overall, this study demonstrates that
      CPEB2 alternative splicing is a major regulator of key cellular pathways linked
      to anoikis resistance and metastasis.

PMID- 28904176
TI  - The crystal structure of the AhRR-ARNT heterodimer reveals the structural basis
      of the repression of AhR-mediated transcription.
AB  - 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and related compounds are extraordinarily
      potent environmental toxic pollutants. Most of the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p
      dioxin toxicities are mediated by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand
      dependent transcription factor belonging to the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) Per
      ARNT-Sim (PAS) family. Upon ligand binding, AhR forms a heterodimer with AhR
      nuclear translocator (ARNT) and induces the expression of genes involved in
      various biological responses. One of the genes induced by AhR encodes AhR
      repressor (AhRR), which also forms a heterodimer with ARNT and represses the
      activation of AhR-dependent transcription. The control of AhR activation is
      critical for managing AhR-mediated diseases, but the mechanisms by which AhRR
      represses AhR activation remain poorly understood, because of the lack of
      structural information. Here, we determined the structure of the AhRR-ARNT
      heterodimer by X-ray crystallography, which revealed an asymmetric intertwined
      domain organization presenting structural features that are both conserved and
      distinct among bHLH-PAS family members. The structures of AhRR-ARNT and AhR-ARNT
      were similar in the bHLH-PAS-A region, whereas the PAS-B of ARNT in the AhRR-ARNT
      complex exhibited a different domain arrangement in this family reported so far.
      The structure clearly disclosed that AhRR competitively represses AhR binding to
      ARNT and target DNA and further suggested the existence of an AhRR-ARNT-specific
      repression mechanism. This study provides a structural basis for understanding
      the mechanism by which AhRR represses AhR-mediated gene transcription.

PMID- 28904178
TI  - Offspring telomere length in the long lived Alpine swift is negatively related to
      the age of their biological father and foster mother.
AB  - A growing body of studies is showing that offspring telomere length (TL) can be
      influenced by the age of their parents. Such a relationship might be explained by
      variation in TL at conception (gamete effect) and/or by alteration of early
      growth conditions in species providing parental care. In a long-lived bird with
      bi-parental care, the Alpine swift (Apus melba), we exchanged an uneven number of
      2 to 4-day-old nestlings between pairs as part of a brood size manipulation.
      Nestling TL was measured at 50 days after hatching, which allowed investigation
      of the influence of the age of both their biological and foster parents on
      offspring TL, after controlling for the manipulation. Nestling TL was negatively
      related to the age of their biological father and foster mother. Nestling TL did
      not differ between enlarged and reduced broods. These findings suggest that
      offspring from older males were fertilized by gametes with shorter telomeres,
      presumably due to a greater cell division history or a longer accumulation of
      damage, and that older females may have provided poorer parental care to their
      offspring.

PMID- 28904177
TI  - Limited proteolysis as a tool to probe the tertiary conformation of dysferlin and
      structural consequences of patient missense variant L344P.
AB  - Dysferlin is a large transmembrane protein that plays a key role in cell membrane
      repair and underlies a recessive form of inherited muscular dystrophy.
      Dysferlinopathy is characterized by absence or marked reduction of dysferlin
      protein with 43% of reported pathogenic variants being missense variants that
      span the length of the dysferlin protein. The unique structure of dysferlin, with
      seven tandem C2 domains separated by linkers, suggests dysferlin may dynamically
      associate with phospholipid membranes in response to Ca2+ signaling. However, the
      overall conformation of the dysferlin protein is uncharacterized. To dissect the
      structural architecture of dysferlin, we have applied the method of limited
      proteolysis, which allows nonspecific digestion of unfolded peptides by trypsin.
      Using five antibodies spanning the dysferlin protein, we identified a highly
      reproducible jigsaw map of dysferlin fragments protected from digestion. Our data
      infer a modular architecture of four tertiary domains: 1) C2A, which is readily
      removed as a solo domain; 2) midregion C2B-C2C-Fer-DysF, commonly excised as an
      intact module, with subdigestion to different fragments suggesting several
      dynamic folding options; 3) C-terminal four-C2 domain module; and 4) calpain
      cleaved mini-dysferlinC72, which is particularly resistant to proteolysis.
      Importantly, we reveal a patient missense variant, L344P, that largely escapes
      proteasomal surveillance and shows subtle but clear changes in tertiary
      conformation. Accompanying evidence from immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry
      using antibodies with conformationally sensitive epitopes supports proteolysis
      data. Collectively, we provide insight into the structural topology of dysferlin
      and show how a single missense mutation within dysferlin can exert local changes
      in tertiary conformation.

PMID- 28904179
TI  - Phylogenomic analyses of more than 4000 nuclear loci resolve the origin of snakes
      among lizard families.
AB  - Squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) are the most diverse group of terrestrial
      vertebrates, with more than 10 000 species. Despite considerable effort to
      resolve relationships among major squamates clades, some branches have remained
      difficult. Among the most vexing has been the placement of snakes among lizard
      families, with most studies yielding only weak support for the position of
      snakes. Furthermore, the placement of iguanian lizards has remained
      controversial. Here we used targeted sequence capture to obtain data from 4178
      nuclear loci from ultraconserved elements from 32 squamate taxa (and five
      outgroups) including representatives of all major squamate groups. Using both
      concatenated and species-tree methods, we recover strong support for a sister
      relationship between iguanian and anguimorph lizards, with snakes strongly
      supported as the sister group of these two clades. These analyses strongly
      resolve the difficult placement of snakes within squamates and show overwhelming
      support for the contentious position of iguanians. More generally, we provide a
      strongly supported hypothesis of higher-level relationships in the most species
      rich tetrapod clade using coalescent-based species-tree methods and approximately
      100 times more loci than previous estimates.

PMID- 28904180
TI  - Females can solve the problem of low signal reliability by assessing multiple
      male traits.
AB  - Male signals that provide information to females about mating benefits are often
      of low reliability. It is thus not clear why females often express strong signal
      preferences. We tested the hypothesis that females can distinguish between males
      with preferred signals that provide lower and higher quality direct benefits. In
      the field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, females usually prefer higher male chirp
      rates, but chirp rate is positively correlated with the fecundity benefits
      females will receive from males only for males that have experienced low quality
      diets. We paired females with muted males that were maintained on low or high
      nutrition diets, during the interactions we broadcast a replacement high chirp
      rate, and we observed whether females mated with the assigned male. Females were
      more likely to mate when paired with low nutrition males. These results suggest
      that females have evolved assessment mechanisms that allow them distinguish
      between males with preferred signals that provide high quality benefits (low
      nutrition males with high chirp rates) and males with preferred signals that
      provide low quality benefits (high nutrition males with high chirp rates).

PMID- 28904181
TI  - Progress and Challenges towards Point-of-Care Diagnostic Development for Dengue.
AB  - Dengue detection strategies involve viral RNA, antigen, and/or antibody
      detection. Each strategy has its advantages and disadvantages. Optimal, user
      friendly, rapid diagnostic tests based on immunochromatographic assays are
      pragmatic point-of-care tests (POCTs) in regions where dengue is endemic where
      there are limited laboratory capabilities and optimal storage conditions.
      Increasingly, there is a greater public health significance for a multiplexing
      assay that differentiates dengue from Zika or pathogens with similar clinical
      presentations. Although there have been many assay/platform developments toward
      POCTs, independent validation and implementation remain very limited. This review
      highlights the current key progress and challenges toward the development of a
      dengue POCT.

PMID- 28904182
TI  - Finegoldia magna Isolated from Orthopedic Joint Implant-Associated Infections.
AB  - The anaerobic Gram-positive coccus Finegoldia magna is a rare cause of infections
      of bone and joints. The aim of this study was to describe the microbiological and
      clinical characteristics of orthopedic implant-associated infections caused by F.
      magna We retrospectively analyzed samples consisting of anaerobic Gram-positive
      cocci and samples already identified as F. magna from patients with orthopedic
      infections. The isolates found were determined to the species level using matrix
      assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF
      MS). The antibiotic susceptibility pattern was determined by Etest. Whole-genome
      sequencing (WGS) was performed. Clinical data were extracted from each patient's
      journal. In nine patients, orthopedic joint implant-associated infections were
      identified as being caused by F. magna The isolates were susceptible to most of
      the antibiotics tested, with the exception of rifampin and moxifloxacin in a few
      cases. Five of the nine infections were monomicrobial. The most common antibiotic
      used to treat the infection was penicillin V, but five of the nine patients
      received a combination of antibiotics. Eight patients underwent surgical
      treatment, with extraction of the implant performed in seven cases and
      reimplantation in only two cases. The WGS showed a relatively small core genome,
      with 126,647 single nucleotide polymorphisms identified within the core genome. A
      phylogenomic analysis revealed that the isolates clustered into two distinct
      clades. Orthopedic implant-associated infections caused by F. magna are rare, but
      the bacteria are generally susceptible to antibiotics. Despite this, surgical
      treatment combined with long-term antibiotics is often necessary. The WGS
      analysis revealed a high heterogeneity and suggested the existence of at least
      two different Finegoldia species.

PMID- 28904184
TI  - Improved Bactec MGIT 960 Pyrazinamide Test Decreases Detection of False
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pyrazinamide Resistance.

PMID- 28904183
TI  - The TB Portals: an Open-Access, Web-Based Platform for Global Drug-Resistant
      Tuberculosis Data Sharing and Analysis.
AB  - The TB Portals program is an international consortium of physicians,
      radiologists, and microbiologists from countries with a heavy burden of drug
      resistant tuberculosis working with data scientists and information technology
      professionals. Together, we have built the TB Portals, a repository of
      socioeconomic/geographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, and genomic data
      from patient cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis backed by shareable, physical
      samples. Currently, there are 1,299 total cases from five country sites
      (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, and Romania), 976 (75.1%) of which are
      multidrug or extensively drug resistant and 38.2%, 51.9%, and 36.3% of which
      contain X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, and genomic data, respectively. The
      top Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineages represented among collected samples are
      Beijing, T1, and H3, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that confer
      resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, ofloxacin, and moxifloxacin occur the most
      frequently. These data and samples have promoted drug discovery efforts and
      research into genomics and quantitative image analysis to improve diagnostics
      while also serving as a valuable resource for researchers and clinical providers.
      The TB Portals database and associated projects are continually growing, and we
      invite new partners and collaborations to our initiative. The TB Portals data and
      their associated analytical and statistical tools are freely available at
      https://tbportals.niaid.nih.gov/.

PMID- 28904185
TI  - Thinking beyond the Common Candida Species: Need for Species-Level Identification
      of Candida Due to the Emergence of Multidrug-Resistant Candida auris.
AB  - Candida species are one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections. Because
      much of the treatment for Candida infections is empirical, some institutions do
      not identify Candida to species level. With the worldwide emergence of the
      multidrug-resistant species Candida auris, identification of Candida to species
      level has new clinical relevance. Species should be identified for invasive
      candidiasis isolates, and species-level identification can be considered for
      selected noninvasive isolates to improve detection of C. auris.

PMID- 28904186
TI  - Stool Culture for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Children.
AB  - Bacteriological confirmation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is achieved in the
      minority of young children with tuberculosis (TB), since specimen collection is
      resource intensive and respiratory secretions are mostly paucibacillary, leading
      to limited sensitivity of available diagnostic tests. Although molecular tests
      are increasingly available globally, mycobacterial culture remains the gold
      standard for diagnosis and determination of drug susceptibility and is more
      sensitive than molecular methods for paucibacillary TB. We evaluated stool
      culture as an alternative to respiratory specimens for the diagnosis of suspected
      intrathoracic TB in a subgroup of 188 children (median age, 14.4 months; 15.4%
      HIV infected) enrolled in a TB diagnostic study at two local hospitals in Cape
      Town, South Africa. One stool culture was compared to overall bacteriological
      confirmation by stool Xpert and by Xpert and culture of multiple respiratory
      specimens. After decontamination/digestion with NALC (N-acetyl-l-cysteine)-NaOH
      (1.25%), concentrated fluorescent smear microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF, and liquid
      culture were completed for all specimens. Culture contamination of stool
      specimens was high at 41.5%. Seven of 90 (7.8%) children initiating TB treatment
      were stool culture positive for M. tuberculosis Excluding contaminated cultures,
      the sensitivity of stool culture versus confirmed TB was 6/25 (24.0%; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 9.4 to 45.1%). In addition, stool culture detected TB
      in 1/93 (1.1%) children with "unconfirmed TB." Testing the same stool by Xpert
      increased sensitivity to 33.3% (95% CI = 18.0 to 51.8%). In conclusion, stool
      culture had low sensitivity for M. tuberculosis detection in children with
      intrathoracic TB. Reducing culture contamination through improved laboratory
      protocols may enable more reliable estimates of its diagnostic utility.

PMID- 28904187
TI  - Genomic Characterization of Urethritis-Associated Neisseria meningitidis Shows
      that a Wide Range of N. meningitidis Strains Can Cause Urethritis.
AB  - Neisseria meningitidis, typically a resident of the oro- or nasopharynx and the
      causative agent of meningococcal meningitis and meningococcemia, is capable of
      invading and colonizing the urogenital tract. This can result in urethritis, akin
      to the syndrome caused by its sister species, N. gonorrhoeae, the etiologic agent
      of gonorrhea. Recently, meningococcal strains associated with outbreaks of
      urethritis were reported to share genetic characteristics with the gonococcus,
      raising the question of the extent to which these strains contain features that
      promote adaptation to the genitourinary niche, making them gonococcus-like and
      distinguishing them from other N. meningitidis strains. Here, we analyzed the
      genomes of 39 diverse N. meningitidis isolates associated with urethritis,
      collected independently over a decade and across three continents. In particular,
      we characterized the diversity of the nitrite reductase gene (aniA), the factor H
      binding protein gene (fHbp), and the capsule biosynthetic locus, all of which are
      loci previously suggested to be associated with urogenital colonization. We
      observed notable diversity, including frameshift variants, in aniA and fHbp and
      the presence of intact, disrupted, and absent capsule biosynthetic genes,
      indicating that urogenital colonization and urethritis caused by N. meningitidis
      are possible across a range of meningococcal genotypes. Previously identified
      allelic patterns in urethritis-associated N. meningitidis strains may reflect
      genetic diversity in the underlying meningococcal population rather than novel
      adaptation to the urogenital tract.

PMID- 28904188
TI  - Characterization of Antigenic Relatedness between GII.4 and GII.17 Noroviruses by
      Use of Serum Samples from Norovirus-Infected Patients.
AB  - A novel GII.17 norovirus variant caused major gastroenteritis epidemics in China
      in 2014 to 2016. To explore the host immune factors in selection of the emergence
      of this new variant, we characterized its antigenic relatedness with the GII.4
      noroviruses that have dominated in China for decades. Through an enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) blocking assay
      using sera from GII.4 and the GII.17 variant-infected patients, respectively, we
      observed limited cross-immune reactivity by the ELISA but little reactivity by
      the HBGA blocking assay between GII.4 norovirus and the new GII.17 variant. Our
      data suggest that, among other possible factors, GII.4-specific herd immunity had
      little role in the emergence of the new GII.17 variant. Thus, GII.17 may be an
      important active antigenic type or immunotype that needs to be considered for
      future vaccine strategies against human noroviruses.

PMID- 28904189
TI  - Comparison of Automated Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Systems To Detect
      mecC-Positive Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

PMID- 28904190
TI  - Exploring the Human-Nipah Virus Protein-Protein Interactome.
AB  - Nipah virus is an emerging, highly pathogenic, zoonotic virus of the
      Paramyxoviridae family. Human transmission occurs by close contact with infected
      animals, the consumption of contaminated food, or, occasionally, via other
      infected individuals. Currently, we lack therapeutic or prophylactic treatments
      for Nipah virus. To develop these agents we must now improve our understanding of
      the host-virus interactions that underpin a productive infection. This aim led us
      to perform the present work, in which we identified 101 human-Nipah virus protein
      protein interactions (PPIs), most of which (88) are novel. This data set provides
      a comprehensive view of the host complexes that are manipulated by viral
      proteins. Host targets include the PRP19 complex and the microRNA (miRNA)
      processing machinery. Furthermore, we explored the biologic consequences of the
      interaction with the PRP19 complex and found that the Nipah virus W protein is
      capable of altering p53 control and gene expression. We anticipate that these
      data will help in guiding the development of novel interventional strategies to
      counter this emerging viral threat.IMPORTANCE Nipah virus is a recently
      discovered virus that infects a wide range of mammals, including humans. Since
      its discovery there have been yearly outbreaks, and in some of them the mortality
      rate has reached 100% of the confirmed cases. However, the study of Nipah virus
      has been largely neglected, and currently we lack treatments for this infection.
      To develop these agents we must now improve our understanding of the host-virus
      interactions that underpin a productive infection. In the present work, we
      identified 101 human-Nipah virus protein-protein interactions using an affinity
      purification approach coupled with mass spectrometry. Additionally, we explored
      the cellular consequences of some of these interactions. Globally, this data set
      offers a comprehensive and detailed view of the host machinery's contribution to
      the Nipah virus's life cycle. Furthermore, our data present a large number of
      putative drug targets that could be exploited for the treatment of this
      infection.

PMID- 28904191
TI  - Dose of Retroviral Infection Determines Induction of Antiviral NK Cell Responses.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system and recognize
      virus-infected cells as well as tumor cells. Conflicting data about the
      beneficial or even detrimental role of NK cells in different infectious diseases
      have been described previously. While the type of pathogen strongly influences NK
      cell functionality, less is known about how the infection dose influences the
      quality of a NK cell response against retroviruses. In this study, we used the
      well-established Friend retrovirus (FV) mouse model to investigate the impact of
      virus dose on the induction of antiviral NK cell functions. High-dose virus
      inoculation increased initial virus replication compared to that with medium- or
      low-dose viral challenge and significantly improved NK cell activation. Antiviral
      NK cell activity, including in vivo cytotoxicity toward infected target cells,
      was also enhanced by high-dose virus infection. NK cell activation following high
      dose viral challenge was likely mediated by activated dendritic cells (DCs) and
      macrophages and the NK cell-stimulating cytokines interleukin 15 (IL-15) and IL
      18. Neutralization of these cytokines decreased NK cell functions and increased
      viral loads, whereas IL-15 and IL-18 therapy improved NK cell activity. Here we
      demonstrate that virus dose positively correlates with antiviral NK cell activity
      and function, which are at least partly driven by IL-15 and IL-18. Our results
      suggest that NK cell activity may be therapeutically enhanced by administering IL
      15 and IL-18 in virus infections that inadequately activate NK cells.IMPORTANCE
      In infections with retroviruses, like HIV and FV infection of mice, NK cells
      clearly mediate antiviral activities, but they are usually not sufficient to
      prevent severe pathology. Here we show that the initial infection dose impacts
      the induction of an antiviral NK cell response during an acute retroviral
      infection, which had not investigated before. High-dose infection resulted in a
      strong NK cell functionality, whereas no antiviral activities were detected after
      low- or medium-dose infection. Interestingly, DCs and macrophages were highly
      activated after high-dose FV challenge, which corresponded with increased levels
      of NK cell-stimulating cytokines IL-15 and IL-18. IL-15 and IL-18 neutralization
      decreased NK cell functions, whereas IL-15 and IL-18 therapy improved NK cell
      activity. Here we show the importance of cytokines for NK cell activation in
      retroviral infections; our findings suggest that immunotherapy combining the well
      tolerated cytokines IL-15 and IL-18 might be an interesting approach for
      antiretroviral treatment.

PMID- 28904192
TI  - Role of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 gamma34.5 in the Regulation of IRF3 Signaling.
AB  - During viral infection, pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and their associated
      adaptors recruit TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) to activate interferon regulatory
      factor 3 (IRF3), resulting in production of type I interferons (IFNs). ICP0 and
      ICP34.5 are among the proteins encoded by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) that
      modulate type I IFN signaling. We constructed a recombinant virus (DeltaXX) that
      lacks amino acids 87 to 106, a portion of the previously described TBK1-binding
      domain of the gamma34.5 gene (D. Verpooten, Y. Ma, S. Hou, Z. Yan, and B. He, J
      Biol Chem 284:1097-1105, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1074/JBC.M805905200). These 20
      residues are outside the gamma34.5 beclin1-binding domain (BBD) that interacts
      with beclin1 and regulates autophagy. Unexpectedly, DeltaXX showed no deficit in
      replication in vivo in a variety of tissues and showed virulence comparable to
      that of wild-type and marker-rescued viruses following intracerebral infection.
      DeltaXX was fully capable of mediating the dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha, and
      the virus was capable of controlling the phosphorylation of IRF3. In contrast, a
      null mutant in gamma34.5 failed to control IRF3 phosphorylation due to an
      inability of the mutant to sustain expression of ICP0. Our data show that while
      gamma34.5 regulates IRF3 phosphorylation, the TBK1-binding domain itself has no
      impact on IRF3 phosphorylation or on replication and pathogenesis in
      mice.IMPORTANCE Interferons (IFNs) are potent activators of a variety of host
      responses that serve to control virus infections. The Herpesviridae have evolved
      countermeasures to IFN responses. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) encodes the
      multifunctional neurovirulence protein ICP34.5. In this study, we investigated
      the biological relevance of the interaction between ICP34.5 and TANK-binding
      kinase 1 (TBK1), an activator of IFN responses. Here, we establish that although
      ICP34.5 binds TBK1 under certain conditions through a TBK1-binding domain (TBD),
      there was no direct impact of the TBD on viral replication or virulence in mice.
      Furthermore, we showed that activation of IRF3, a substrate of TBK1, was
      independent of the TBD. Instead, we provided evidence that the ability of ICP34.5
      to control IRF3 activation is through its ability to reverse translational
      shutoff and sustain the expression of other IFN inhibitors encoded by the virus.
      This work provides new insights into the immunomodulatory functions of ICP34.5.

PMID- 28904193
TI  - Mutations in the Fusion Protein of Measles Virus That Confer Resistance to the
      Membrane Fusion Inhibitors Carbobenzoxy-d-Phe-l-Phe-Gly and 4-Nitro-2
      Phenylacetyl Amino-Benzamide.
AB  - The inhibitors carbobenzoxy (Z)-d-Phe-l-Phe-Gly (fusion inhibitor peptide [FIP])
      and 4-nitro-2-phenylacetyl amino-benzamide (AS-48) have similar efficacies in
      blocking membrane fusion and syncytium formation mediated by measles virus (MeV).
      Other homologues, such as Z-d-Phe, are less effective but may act through the
      same mechanism. In an attempt to map the site of action of these inhibitors, we
      generated mutant viruses that were resistant to the inhibitory effects of Z-d-Phe
      l-Phe-Gly. These 10 mutations were localized to the heptad repeat B (HRB) region
      of the fusion protein, and no changes were observed in the viral hemagglutinin,
      which is the receptor attachment protein. Mutations were validated in a
      luciferase-based membrane fusion assay, using transfected fusion and
      hemagglutinin expression plasmids or with syncytium-based assays in Vero, Vero
      SLAM, and Vero-Nectin 4 cell lines. The changes I452T, D458N, D458G/V459A, N462K,
      N462H, G464E, and I483R conferred resistance to both FIP and AS-48 without
      compromising membrane fusion. The inhibitors did not block hemagglutinin protein
      mediated binding to the target cell. Edmonston vaccine/laboratory and IC323 wild
      type strains were equally affected by the inhibitors. Escape mutations were
      mapped upon a three-dimensional (3D) structure modeled from the published crystal
      structure of parainfluenzavirus 5 fusion protein. The most effective mutations
      were situated in a region located near the base of the globular head and its
      junction with the alpha-helical stalk of the prefusion protein. We hypothesize
      that the fusion inhibitors could interfere with the structural changes that occur
      between the prefusion and postfusion conformations of the fusion
      protein.IMPORTANCE Due to lapses in vaccination worldwide that have caused
      localized outbreaks, measles virus (MeV) has regained importance as a pathogen.
      Antiviral agents against measles virus are not commercially available but could
      be useful in conjunction with MeV eradication vaccine programs and as a safeguard
      in oncolytic viral therapy. Three decades ago, the small hydrophobic peptide Z-d
      Phe-l-Phe-Gly (FIP) was shown to block MeV infections and syncytium formation in
      monkey kidney cell lines. The exact mechanism of its action has yet to be
      determined, but it does appear to have properties similar to those of another
      chemical inhibitor, AS-48, which appears to interfere with the conformational
      change in the viral F protein that is required to elicit membrane fusion. Escape
      mutations were used to map the site of action for FIP. Knowledge gained from
      these studies could help in the design of new inhibitors against morbilliviruses
      and provide additional knowledge concerning the mechanism of virus-mediated
      membrane fusion.

PMID- 28904194
TI  - Distinct Mechanism for the Formation of the Ribonucleoprotein Complex of Tomato
      Spotted Wilt Virus.
AB  - The Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) belongs to the Tospovirus genus of the
      Bunyaviridae family and represents the sole plant-infecting group within
      bunyavirus. TSWV encodes a nucleocapsid protein (N) which encapsidates the RNA
      genome to form a ribonucleoprotein complex (RNP). In addition, the N has multiple
      roles during the infection of plant cells. Here, we report the crystal structure
      of the full-length TSWV N. The N features a body domain consisting of an N-lobe
      and a C-lobe. These lobes clamp a positively charged groove which may constitute
      the RNA binding site. Furthermore, the body domains are flanked by N- and C
      terminal arms which mediate homotypic interactions to the neighboring subunits,
      resulting in a ring-shaped N trimer. Interestingly, the C terminus of one
      protomer forms an additional interaction with the protomer of an adjacent trimer
      in the crystal, which may constitute a higher-order oligomerization contact. In
      this way, this study provides insights into the structure and trimeric assembly
      of TSWV N, which help to explain previous functional findings, but also suggests
      distinct N interactions within a higher-order RNP.IMPORTANCE TSWV is one of the
      most devastating plant pathogens that cause severe diseases in numerous agronomic
      and ornamental crops worldwide. TSWV is also the prototypic member of the
      Tospovirus genus, which is the sole group of plant-infecting viruses in the
      bunyavirus family. This study determined the structure of full-length TSWV N in
      an oligomeric state. The structural observations explain previously identified
      biological properties of TSWV N. Most importantly, the additional homotypic
      interaction between the C terminus of one protomer with another protomer
      indicates that there is a distinct mechanism of RNP formation in the bunyavirus
      family, thereby enhancing the current knowledge of negative-sense single-stranded
      RNA virus-encoded N. TSWV N is the last remaining representative N with an
      unknown structure in the bunyavirus family. Combined with previous studies, the
      structure of TSWV N helps to build a complete picture of the bunyavirus-encoded N
      family and reveals a close evolutionary relationship between orthobunyavirus,
      phlebovirus, hantavirus, and tospovirus.

PMID- 28904195
TI  - Vector order determines protection against pathogenic simian immunodeficiency
      virus infection in a triple component vaccine by balancing CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell
      responses.
AB  - An effective AIDS vaccine should elicit strong humoral and cellular immune
      responses while maintaining low levels of CD4+ T cell activation to avoid the
      generation of target cells for viral infection. The present study investigated
      two prime-boost regimens, both starting vaccination with single cycle
      immunodeficiency virus, followed by two mucosal boosts either with recombinant
      adenovirus (rAd) or fowlpox virus (rFWPV) expressing SIVmac239 or SIVmac251
      gag/pol and env genes, respectively. Finally, vectors were switched and
      systemically administered to the reciprocal group of animals. Only mucosal rFWPV
      immunizations followed by systemic rAd boost significantly protected animals
      against a repeated low-dose, intrarectal challenge with pathogenic SIVmac251
      resulting in a vaccine efficacy (i.e. risk reduction per exposure) of 68%.
      Delayed viral acquisition was associated with higher levels of activated CD8+ T
      cells and Gag-specific IFN-gamma secreting CD8+ cells, low virus-specific CD4+ T
      cell responses and low Env antibody titers. In contrast, the systemic rFWPV boost
      induced strong virus-specific CD4+ T cell activity. rAd and rFWPV also induced
      differential patterns of the innate immune responses, thereby possibly shaping
      the specific immunity. Plasma CXCL10 levels after final immunization correlated
      directly with virus-specific CD4+ T cell responses and inversely with the number
      of exposures to infection. Also, the percentage of activated CD69+ CD8+ T cells
      correlated with the number of exposures to infection. Differential stimulation of
      the immune response likely provided the basis for the diverging levels of
      protection afforded by this vaccine regimen.IMPORTANCE A failed phase II AIDS
      vaccine trial led to the hypothesis that CD4+ T cell activation can abrogate any
      potentially protective effects delivered by vaccination or promote acquisition of
      the virus because CD4+ T helper cells, required for an effective immune response,
      also represent the target cells for viral infection. We compared two vaccination
      protocols that elicited similar levels of Gag-specific immune responses in rhesus
      macaques. Only the animal group that had a low level of virus-specific CD4+ T
      cells in combination with high levels of activated CD8+ T cells was significantly
      protected from infection. Notably, protection was achieved despite the lack of
      appreciable Env-antibody titers. Moreover, we show that both, the vector and the
      route of immunization affected the level of CD4+ T cell responses. Thus, mucosal
      immunization with FWPV-based vaccines should be considered as potent prime in
      prime-boost vaccination protocols.

PMID- 28904196
TI  - Vaccinia Virus Encodes a Novel Inhibitor of Apoptosis That Associates with the
      Apoptosome.
AB  - Apoptosis is an important antiviral host defense mechanism. Here we report the
      identification of a novel apoptosis inhibitor encoded by the vaccinia virus
      (VACV) M1L gene. M1L is absent in the attenuated modified vaccinia virus Ankara
      (MVA) strain of VACV, a strain that stimulates apoptosis in several types of
      immune cells. M1 expression increased the viability of MVA-infected THP-1 and
      Jurkat cells and reduced several biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis, such as PARP
      1 and procaspase-3 cleavage. Furthermore, ectopic M1L expression decreased
      staurosporine-induced (intrinsic) apoptosis in HeLa cells. We then identified the
      molecular basis for M1 inhibitory function. M1 allowed mitochondrial
      depolarization but blocked procaspase-9 processing, suggesting that M1 targeted
      the apoptosome. In support of this model, we found that M1 promoted survival in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae overexpressing human Apaf-1 and procaspase-9, critical
      components of the apoptosome, or overexpressing only conformationally active
      caspase-9. In mammalian cells, M1 coimmunoprecipitated with Apaf-1-procaspase-9
      complexes. The current model is that M1 associates with and allows the formation
      of the apoptosome but prevents apoptotic functions of the apoptosome. The M1
      protein features 14 predicted ankyrin (ANK) repeat domains, and M1 is the first
      ANK-containing protein reported to use this inhibitory strategy. Since ANK
      containing proteins are encoded by many large DNA viruses and found in all
      domains of life, studies of M1 may lead to a better understanding of the roles of
      ANK proteins in virus-host interactions.IMPORTANCE Apoptosis selectively
      eliminates dangerous cells such as virus-infected cells. Poxviruses express
      apoptosis antagonists to neutralize this antiviral host defense. The vaccinia
      virus (VACV) M1 ankyrin (ANK) protein, a protein with no previously ascribed
      function, inhibits apoptosis. M1 interacts with the apoptosome and prevents
      procaspase-9 processing as well as downstream procaspase-3 cleavage in several
      cell types and under multiple conditions. M1 is the first poxviral protein
      reported to associate with and prevent the function of the apoptosome, giving a
      more detailed picture of the threats VACV encounters during infection.
      Dysregulation of apoptosis is associated with several human diseases. One
      potential treatment of apoptosis-related diseases is through the use of designed
      ANK repeat proteins (DARPins), similar to M1, as caspase inhibitors. Thus, the
      study of the novel antiapoptosis effects of M1 via apoptosome association will be
      helpful for understanding how to control apoptosis using either natural or
      synthetic molecules.

PMID- 28904198
TI  - Type I Interferon Signaling to Dendritic Cells Limits Murid Herpesvirus 4 Spread
      from the Olfactory Epithelium.
AB  - Murid herpesvirus 4 (MuHV-4) is a B cell-tropic gammaherpesvirus that can be
      studied in vivo Despite viral evasion, type I interferons (IFN-I) limit its
      spread. After MuHV-4 inoculation into footpads, IFN-I protect lymph node
      subcapsular sinus macrophages (SSM) against productive infection; after
      peritoneal inoculation, they protect splenic marginal zone macrophages, and they
      limit MuHV-4 replication in the lungs. While invasive infections can be used to
      test specific aspects of host colonization, it is also important to understand
      natural infection. MuHV-4 taken up spontaneously by alert mice enters them via
      olfactory neurons. We determined how IFN-I act in this context. Blocking IFN-I
      signaling did not increase neuronal infection but allowed the virus to spread to
      the adjacent respiratory epithelium. In lymph nodes, a complete IFN-I signaling
      block increased MuHV-4 lytic infection in SSM and increased the number of
      dendritic cells (DC) expressing viral green fluorescent protein (GFP)
      independently of lytic infection. A CD11c+ cell-directed signaling block
      increased infection of DC only. However, this was sufficient to increase
      downstream infection, consistent with DC providing the main viral route to B
      cells. The capacity of IFN-I to limit DC infection indicated that viral IFN-I
      evasion was only partly effective. Therefore, DC are a possible target for IFN-I
      based interventions to reduce host colonization.IMPORTANCE Human
      gammaherpesviruses infect B cells and cause B cell cancers. Interventions to
      block virus binding to B cells have not stopped their infection. Therefore, we
      must identify other control points that are relevant to natural infection. Human
      infections are difficult to analyze. However, gammaherpesviruses colonize all
      mammals. A related gammaherpesvirus of mice reaches B cells not directly but via
      infected dendritic cells. We show that type I interferons, an important general
      antiviral defense, limit gammaherpesvirus B cell infection by acting on dendritic
      cells. Therefore, dendritic cell infection is a potential point of interferon
      based therapeutic intervention.

PMID- 28904197
TI  - Differential Inhibitory Receptor Expression on T Cells Delineates Functional
      Capacities in Chronic Viral Infection.
AB  - Inhibitory receptors have been extensively described for their importance in
      regulating immune responses in chronic infections and cancers. Blocking the
      function of inhibitory receptors such as PD-1, CTLA-4, 2B4, Tim-3, and LAG-3 has
      shown promise for augmenting CD8 T cell activity and boosting pathogen-specific
      immunity. However, the prevalence of inhibitory receptors on CD4 T cells and
      their relative influence on CD4 T cell functionality in chronic HIV infection
      remains poorly described. We therefore determined and compared inhibitory
      receptor expression patterns of 2B4, CTLA-4, LAG-3, PD-1, and Tim-3 on virus
      specific CD4 and CD8 T cells in relation to their functional T cell profile. In
      chronic HIV infection, inhibitory receptor distribution differed markedly between
      cytokine-producing T cell subsets with, gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)- and tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)-producing cells displaying the highest and
      lowest prevalence of inhibitory receptors, respectively. Blockade of inhibitory
      receptors differentially affected cytokine production by cells in response to
      staphylococcal enterotoxin B stimulation. CTLA-4 blockade increased IFN-gamma and
      CD40L production, while PD-1 blockade strongly augmented IFN-gamma, interleukin-2
      (IL-2), and TNF-alpha production. In a Friend retrovirus infection model, CTLA-4
      blockade in particular was able to improve control of viral replication.
      Together, these results show that inhibitory receptor distribution on HIV
      specific CD4 T cells varies markedly with respect to the functional subset of CD4
      T cells being analyzed. Furthermore, the differential effects of receptor
      blockade suggest novel methods of immune response modulation, which could be
      important in the context of HIV vaccination or therapeutic strategies.IMPORTANCE
      Inhibitory receptors are important for limiting damage by the immune system
      during acute infections. In chronic infections, however, their expression limits
      immune system responsiveness. Studies have shown that blocking inhibitory
      receptors augments CD8 T cell functionality in HIV infection, but their influence
      on CD4 T cells remains unclear. We assessed the expression of inhibitory
      receptors on HIV-specific CD4 T cells and their relationship with T cell
      functionality. We uncovered differences in inhibitory receptor expression
      depending on the CD4 T cell function. We also found differences in functionality
      of CD4 T cells following blocking of different inhibitory receptors, and we
      confirmed our results in a Friend virus retroviral model of infection in mice.
      Our results show that inhibitory receptor expression on CD4 T cells is linked to
      CD4 T cell functionality and could be sculpted by blockade of specific inhibitory
      receptors. These data reveal exciting possibilities for the development of novel
      treatments and immunotherapeutics.

PMID- 28904199
TI  - Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Induces HIV-1 Proteasomal Degradation in Mucosal
      Langerhans Cells.
AB  - The neuroimmune dialogue between peripheral neurons and Langerhans cells (LCs)
      within mucosal epithelia protects against incoming pathogens. LCs rapidly
      internalize human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) upon its sexual
      transmission and then trans-infect CD4+ T cells. We recently found that the
      neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), secreted mucosally from
      peripheral neurons, inhibits LC-mediated HIV-1 trans-infection. In this study, we
      investigated the mechanism of CGRP-induced inhibition, focusing on HIV-1
      degradation in LCs and its interplay with trans-infection. We first show that HIV
      1 degradation occurs in endolysosomes in untreated LCs, and functionally blocking
      such degradation with lysosomotropic agents results in increased trans-infection.
      We demonstrate that CGRP acts via its cognate receptor and at a viral postentry
      step to induce faster HIV-1 degradation, but without affecting the kinetics of
      endolysosomal degradation. We reveal that unexpectedly, CGRP shifts HIV-1
      degradation from endolysosomes toward the proteasome, providing the first
      evidence for functional HIV-1 proteasomal degradation in LCs. Such efficient
      proteasomal degradation significantly inhibits the first phase of trans
      infection, and proteasomal, but not endolysosomal, inhibitors abrogate CGRP
      induced inhibition. Together, our results establish that CGRP controls the HIV-1
      degradation mode in LCs. The presence of endogenous CGRP within innervated
      mucosal tissues, especially during the sexual response, to which CGRP
      contributes, suggests that HIV-1 proteasomal degradation predominates in vivo
      Hence, proteasomal, rather than endolysosomal, HIV-1 degradation in LCs should be
      enhanced clinically to effectively restrict HIV-1 trans-infection.IMPORTANCE
      During sexual transmission, HIV-1 is internalized and degraded in LCs, the
      resident antigen-presenting cells in mucosal epithelia. Yet during trans
      infection, infectious virions escaping degradation are transferred to CD4+ T
      cells, the principal HIV-1 targets. We previously found that the neuroimmune
      dialogue between LCs and peripheral neurons, innervating mucosal epithelia,
      significantly inhibits trans-infection via the action of the secreted
      neuropeptide CGRP on LCs. In this study, we investigated whether CGRP-induced
      inhibition of trans-infection is linked to CGRP-controlled HIV-1 degradation in
      LCs. We show that in untreated LCs, HIV-1 is functionally degraded in
      endolysosomes. In sharp contrast, we reveal that in CGRP-treated LCs, HIV-1 is
      diverted toward and degraded via another cytosolic protein degradative pathway,
      namely, the proteasome. These results establish that CGRP regulates HIV-1
      degradation in LCs. As CGRP contributes to the sexual response and present within
      mucosal epithelia, HIV-1 proteasomal degradation in LCs might predominate in vivo
      and should be enhanced clinically.

PMID- 28904200
TI  - Epstein-Barr Virus BKRF4 Gene Product Is Required for Efficient Progeny
      Production.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a member of human gammaherpesvirus, infects mainly B
      cells. EBV has two alternative life cycles, latent and lytic, and is reactivated
      occasionally from the latent stage to the lytic cycle. To combat EBV-associated
      disorders, understanding the molecular mechanisms of the EBV lytic replication
      cycle is also important. Here, we focused on an EBV lytic gene, BKRF4. Using our
      anti-BKRF4 antibody, we revealed that the BKRF4 gene product is expressed during
      the lytic cycle with late kinetics. To characterize the role of BKRF4, we
      constructed BKRF4-knockout mutants using the bacterial artificial chromosome
      (BAC) and CRISPR/Cas9 systems. Although disruption of the BKRF4 gene had almost
      no effect on viral protein expression and DNA synthesis, it significantly
      decreased progeny virion levels in HEK293 and Akata cells. Furthermore, we show
      that BKRF4 is involved not only in production of progeny virions but also in
      increasing the infectivity of the virus particles. Immunoprecipitation assays
      revealed that BKRF4 interacted with a virion protein, BGLF2. We showed that the C
      terminal region of BKRF4 was critical for this interaction and for efficient
      progeny production. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that BKRF4 partially
      colocalized with BGLF2 in the nucleus and perinuclear region. Finally, we showed
      that BKRF4 is a phosphorylated, possible tegument protein and that the EBV
      protein kinase BGLF4 may be important for this phosphorylation. Taken together,
      our data suggest that BKRF4 is involved in the production of infectious
      virions.IMPORTANCE Although the latent genes of EBV have been studied
      extensively, the lytic genes are less well characterized. This study focused on
      one such lytic gene, BKRF4, which is conserved only among gammaherpesviruses
      (ORF45 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus or murine herpesvirus 68).
      After preparing the BKRF4 knockout virus using B95-8 EBV-BAC, we demonstrated
      that the BKRF4 gene was involved in infectious progeny particle production.
      Importantly, we successfully generated a BKRF4 knockout virus of Akata using
      CRISPR/Cas9 technology, confirming the phenotype in this separate strain. We
      further showed that BKRF4 interacted with another virion protein, BGLF2, and
      demonstrated the importance of this interaction in infectious virion production.
      These results shed light on the elusive process of EBV progeny maturation in the
      lytic cycle. Notably, this study describes a successful example of the generation
      and characterization of an EBV construct with a disrupted lytic gene using
      CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

PMID- 28904201
TI  - Heterogeneity of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Major Internal Repeat Reveals
      Evolutionary Mechanisms of EBV and a Functional Defect in the Prototype EBV
      Strain B95-8.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous pathogen of humans that can cause
      several types of lymphoma and carcinoma. Like other herpesviruses, EBV has
      diversified through both coevolution with its host and genetic exchange between
      virus strains. Sequence analysis of the EBV genome is unusually challenging
      because of the large number and lengths of repeat regions within the virus. Here
      we describe the sequence assembly and analysis of the large internal repeat 1 of
      EBV (IR1; also known as the BamW repeats) for more than 70 strains. The diversity
      of the latency protein EBV nuclear antigen leader protein (EBNA-LP) resides
      predominantly within the exons downstream of IR1. The integrity of the putative
      BWRF1 open reading frame (ORF) is retained in over 80% of strains, and deletions
      truncating IR1 always spare BWRF1. Conserved regions include the IR1 latency
      promoter (Wp) and one zone upstream of and two within BWRF1. IR1 is heterogeneous
      in 70% of strains, and this heterogeneity arises from sequence exchange between
      strains as well as from spontaneous mutation, with interstrain recombination
      being more common in tumor-derived viruses. This genetic exchange often
      incorporates regions of <1 kb, and allelic gene conversion changes the frequency
      of small regions within the repeat but not close to the flanks. These
      observations suggest that IR1-and, by extension, EBV-diversifies through both
      recombination and breakpoint repair, while concerted evolution of IR1 is driven
      by gene conversion of small regions. Finally, the prototype EBV strain B95-8
      contains four nonconsensus variants within a single IR1 repeat unit, including a
      stop codon in the EBNA-LP gene. Repairing IR1 improves EBNA-LP levels and the
      quality of transformation by the B95-8 bacterial artificial chromosome
      (BAC).IMPORTANCE Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects the majority of the world
      population but causes illness in only a small minority of people. Nevertheless,
      over 1% of cancers worldwide are attributable to EBV. Recent sequencing projects
      investigating virus diversity to see if different strains have different disease
      impacts have excluded regions of repeating sequence, as they are more technically
      challenging. Here we analyze the sequence of the largest repeat in EBV (IR1). We
      first characterized the variations in protein sequences encoded across IR1. In
      studying variations within the repeat of each strain, we identified a mutation in
      the main laboratory strain of EBV that impairs virus function, and we suggest
      that tumor-associated viruses may be more likely to contain DNA mixed from two
      strains. The patterns of this mixing suggest that sequences can spread between
      strains (and also within the repeat) by copying sequence from another strain (or
      repeat unit) to repair DNA damage.

PMID- 28904202
TI  - Discrete Dynamical Modeling of Influenza Virus Infection Suggests Age-Dependent
      Differences in Immunity.
AB  - Immunosenescence, an age-related decline in immune function, is a major
      contributor to morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Older hosts exhibit a
      delayed onset of immunity and prolonged inflammation after an infection, leading
      to excess damage and a greater likelihood of death. Our study applies a rule
      based model to infer which components of the immune response are most changed in
      an aged host. Two groups of BALB/c mice (aged 12 to 16 weeks and 72 to 76 weeks)
      were infected with 2 inocula: a survivable dose of 50 PFU and a lethal dose of
      500 PFU. Data were measured at 10 points over 19 days in the sublethal case and
      at 6 points over 7 days in the lethal case, after which all mice had died. Data
      varied primarily in the onset of immunity, particularly the inflammatory
      response, which led to a 2-day delay in the clearance of the virus from older
      hosts in the sublethal cohort. We developed a Boolean model to describe the
      interactions between the virus and 21 immune components, including cells,
      chemokines, and cytokines, of innate and adaptive immunity. The model identifies
      distinct sets of rules for each age group by using Boolean operators to describe
      the complex series of interactions that activate and deactivate immune
      components. Our model accurately simulates the immune responses of mice of both
      ages and with both inocula included in the data (95% accurate for younger mice
      and 94% accurate for older mice) and shows distinct rule choices for the innate
      immunity arm of the model between younger and aging mice in response to influenza
      A virus infection.IMPORTANCE Influenza virus infection causes high morbidity and
      mortality rates every year, especially in the elderly. The elderly tend to have a
      delayed onset of many immune responses as well as prolonged inflammatory
      responses, leading to an overall weakened response to infection. Many of the
      details of immune mechanisms that change with age are currently not well
      understood. We present a rule-based model of the intrahost immune response to
      influenza virus infection. The model is fit to experimental data for young and
      old mice infected with influenza virus. We generated distinct sets of rules for
      each age group to capture the temporal differences seen in the immune responses
      of these mice. These rules describe a network of interactions leading to either
      clearance of the virus or death of the host, depending on the initial dosage of
      the virus. Our models clearly demonstrate differences in these two age groups,
      particularly in the innate immune responses.

PMID- 28904203
TI  - Three Conserved Regions in Baculovirus Sulfhydryl Oxidase P33 Are Critical for
      Enzymatic Activity and Function.
AB  - Baculoviruses encode a conserved sulfhydryl oxidase, P33, which is necessary for
      budded virus (BV) production and multinucleocapsid occlusion-derived virus (ODV)
      formation. Here, the structural and functional relationship of P33 was revealed
      by X-ray crystallography, site-directed mutagenesis, and functional analysis.
      Based on crystallographic characterization and structural analysis, a series of
      P33 mutants within three conserved regions, i.e., the active site, the dimer
      interface, and the R127-E183 salt bridge, were constructed. In vitro experiments
      showed that mutations within the active site and dimer interface severely
      impaired the sulfhydryl oxidase activity of P33, while the mutations in the salt
      bridge had a relatively minor influence. Recombinant viruses containing mutated
      P33 were constructed and assayed in vivo Except for the active-site mutant AXXA,
      all other mutants produced infectious BVs, although certain mutants had a
      decreased BV production. The active-site mutant H114A, the dimer interface mutant
      H227D, and the salt bridge mutant R127A-E183A were further analyzed by electron
      microscopy and bioassays. The occlusion bodies (OBs) of mutants H114A and R127A
      E183A had a ragged surface and contained mostly ODVs with a single nucleocapsid.
      The OBs of all three mutants contained lower numbers of ODVs and had a
      significantly reduced oral infectivity in comparison to control virus.
      Crystallographic analyses further revealed that all three regions may coordinate
      with one another to achieve optimal function of P33. Taken together, our data
      revealed that all the three conserved regions are involved in P33 activity and
      are crucial for virus morphogenesis and peroral infectivity.IMPORTANCE Sulfhydryl
      oxidase catalyzes disulfide bond formation of substrate proteins. P33, a
      baculovirus-encoded sulfhydryl oxidase, is different from other cellular and
      viral sulfhydryl oxidases, bearing unique features in tertiary and quaternary
      structure organizations. In this study, we found that three conserved regions,
      i.e., the active site, dimer interface, and the R127-E183 salt bridge, play
      important roles in the enzymatic activity and function of P33. Previous
      observations showed that deletion of p33 results in a total loss of budded virus
      (BV) production and in morphological changes in occlusion-derived virus (ODV).
      Our study revealed that certain P33 mutants lead to occlusion bodies (OBs) with a
      ragged surface, decreased embedded ODVs, and reduced oral infectivity.
      Interestingly, some P33 mutants with impaired ODV/OB still retained BV
      productivity, indicating that the impacts on BV and on ODV/OB are two distinctly
      different functions of P33, which are likely to be performed via different
      substrate proteins.

PMID- 28904204
TI  - Distinct roles of the polarity factors Boi1 and Boi2 in the control of exocytosis
      and abscission in budding yeast.
AB  - Boi1 and Boi2 (Boi1/2) are budding yeast plasma membrane proteins that function
      in polarized growth, and in cytokinesis inhibition in response to chromosome
      bridges via the NoCut abscission checkpoint. How Boi1/2 act in these two distinct
      processes is not understood. We demonstrate that Boi1/2 are required for a late
      step in the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane of the growing
      bud. Cells lacking Boi1/2 accumulate secretory vesicles and are defective in bud
      growth. In contrast, Boi2 is specifically required for abscission inhibition in
      cells with chromatin bridges. The SH3 domain of Boi2, which is dispensable for
      bud growth and targets Boi2 to the site of abscission, is necessary and
      sufficient for abscission inhibition. Gain of function of the exocyst, a
      conserved protein complex involved in tethering of exocytic vesicles to the
      plasma membrane, rescued secretion and bud growth defects in boi mutant cells,
      and abrogated NoCut checkpoint function. Thus Boi2 functions redundantly with
      Boi1 to promote the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane at
      sites of polarized growth, and acts as an abscission inhibitor during cytokinesis
      in response to chromatin bridges.

PMID- 28904205
TI  - Hemodynamic forces can be accurately measured in vivo with optical tweezers.
AB  - Force sensing and generation at the tissue and cellular scale is central to many
      biological events. There is a growing interest in modern cell biology for methods
      enabling force measurements in vivo. Optical trapping allows noninvasive probing
      of piconewton forces and thus emerged as a promising mean for assessing
      biomechanics in vivo. Nevertheless, the main obstacles lie in the accurate
      determination of the trap stiffness in heterogeneous living organisms, at any
      position where the trap is used. A proper calibration of the trap stiffness is
      thus required for performing accurate and reliable force measurements in vivo.
      Here we introduce a method that overcomes these difficulties by accurately
      measuring hemodynamic profiles in order to calibrate the trap stiffness. Doing
      so, and using numerical methods to assess the accuracy of the experimental data,
      we measured flow profiles and drag forces imposed to trapped red blood cells of
      living zebrafish embryos. Using treatments enabling blood flow tuning, we
      demonstrated that such a method is powerful in measuring hemodynamic forces in
      vivo with accuracy and confidence. Altogether this study demonstrates the power
      of optical tweezing in measuring low range hemodynamic forces in vivo and offers
      an unprecedented tool in both cell and developmental biology.

PMID- 28904206
TI  - A disease-associated frameshift mutation in caveolin-1 disrupts caveolae
      formation and function through introduction of a de novo ER retention signal.
AB  - Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is an essential component of caveolae and is implicated in
      numerous physiological processes. Recent studies have identified heterozygous
      mutations in the CAV1 gene in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (PAH), but the mechanisms by which these mutations impact caveolae assembly and
      contribute to disease remain unclear. To address this question, we examined the
      consequences of a familial PAH-associated frameshift mutation in CAV1,
      P158PfsX22, on caveolae assembly and function. We show that C-terminus of the
      CAV1 P158 protein contains a functional ER-retention signal that inhibits ER exit
      and caveolae formation and accelerates CAV1 turnover in Cav1-/- MEFs. Moreover,
      when coexpressed with wild-type (WT) CAV1 in Cav1-/- MEFs, CAV1-P158 functions as
      a dominant negative by partially disrupting WT CAV1 trafficking. In patient skin
      fibroblasts, CAV1 and caveolar accessory protein levels are reduced, fewer
      caveolae are observed, and CAV1 complexes exhibit biochemical abnormalities.
      Patient fibroblasts also exhibit decreased resistance to a hypo-osmotic
      challenge, suggesting the function of caveolae as membrane reservoir is
      compromised. We conclude that the P158PfsX22 frameshift introduces a gain of
      function that gives rise to a dominant negative form of CAV1, defining a new
      mechanism by which disease-associated mutations in CAV1 impair caveolae assembly.

PMID- 28904207
TI  - Two kinesins drive anterograde neuropeptide transport.
AB  - Motor-dependent anterograde transport, a process that moves cytoplasmic
      components from sites of biosynthesis to sites of use within cells, is crucial in
      neurons with long axons. Evidence has emerged that multiple anterograde kinesins
      can contribute to some transport processes. To test the multi-kinesin possibility
      for a single vesicle type, we studied the functional relationships of axonal
      kinesins to dense core vesicles (DCVs) that were filled with a GFP-tagged
      neuropeptide in the Drosophila nervous system. Past work showed that Unc-104 (a
      kinesin-3) is a key anterograde DCV motor. Here we show that anterograde DCV
      transport requires the well-known mitochondrial motor Khc (kinesin-1). Our
      results indicate that this influence is direct. Khc mutations had specific
      effects on anterograde run parameters, neuron-specific inhibition of
      mitochondrial transport by Milton RNA interference had no influence on
      anterograde DCV runs, and detailed colocalization analysis by superresolution
      microscopy revealed that Unc-104 and Khc coassociate with individual DCVs. DCV
      distribution analysis in peptidergic neurons suggest the two kinesins have
      compartment specific influences. We suggest a mechanism in which Unc-104 is
      particularly important for moving DCVs from cell bodies into axons, and then Unc
      104 and kinesin-1 function together to support fast, highly processive runs
      toward axon terminals.

PMID- 28904208
TI  - Genome-wide screen of gamma-secretase-mediated intramembrane cleavage of receptor
      tyrosine kinases.
AB  - Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) have been demonstrated to signal via regulated
      intramembrane proteolysis, in which ectodomain shedding and subsequent
      intramembrane cleavage by gamma-secretase leads to release of a soluble
      intracellular receptor fragment with functional activity. For most RTKs, however,
      it is unknown whether they can exploit this new signaling mechanism. Here we used
      a system-wide screen to address the frequency of susceptibility to gamma
      secretase cleavage among human RTKs. The screen covering 45 of the 55 human RTKs
      identified 12 new as well as all nine previously published gamma-secretase
      substrates. We biochemically validated the screen by demonstrating that the
      release of a soluble intracellular fragment from endogenous AXL was dependent on
      the sheddase disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) and the gamma-secretase
      component presenilin-1. Functional analysis of the cleavable RTKs indicated that
      proliferation promoted by overexpression of the TAM family members AXL or TYRO3
      depends on gamma-secretase cleavage. Taken together, these data indicate that
      gamma-secretase-mediated cleavage provides an additional signaling mechanism for
      numerous human RTKs.

PMID- 28904209
TI  - Drosophila MIC60/mitofilin conducts dual roles in mitochondrial motility and
      crista structure.
AB  - MIC60/mitofilin constitutes a hetero-oligomeric complex on the inner
      mitochondrial membranes to maintain crista structure. However, little is known
      about its physiological functions. Here, by characterizing Drosophila MIC60
      mutants, we define its roles in vivo. We discover that MIC60 performs dual
      functions to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis. In addition to its canonical
      role in crista membrane structure, MIC60 regulates mitochondrial motility, likely
      by influencing protein levels of the outer mitochondrial membrane protein Miro
      that anchors mitochondria to the microtubule motors. Loss of MIC60 causes loss of
      Miro and mitochondrial arrest. At a cellular level, loss of MIC60 disrupts
      synaptic structure and function at the neuromuscular junctions. The dual roles of
      MIC60 in both mitochondrial crista structure and motility position it as a
      crucial player for cellular integrity and survival.

PMID- 28904210
TI  - Membrane mechanics govern spatiotemporal heterogeneity of endocytic clathrin coat
      dynamics.
AB  - Dynamics of endocytic clathrin-coated structures can be remarkably divergent
      across different cell types, cells within the same culture, or even distinct
      surfaces of the same cell. The origin of this astounding heterogeneity remains to
      be elucidated. Here we show that cellular processes associated with changes in
      effective plasma membrane tension induce significant spatiotemporal alterations
      in endocytic clathrin coat dynamics. Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of clathrin
      coat dynamics is also observed during morphological changes taking place within
      developing multicellular organisms. These findings suggest that tension gradients
      can lead to patterning and differentiation of tissues through mechanoregulation
      of clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

PMID- 28904212
TI  - Distinct Phases of Tau, Amyloid, and Functional Connectivity in Healthy Older
      Adults.

PMID- 28904211
TI  - Zonda is a novel early component of the autophagy pathway in Drosophila.
AB  - Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved process by which eukaryotic cells undergo
      self-digestion of cytoplasmic components. Here we report that a novel Drosophila
      immunophilin, which we have named Zonda, is critically required for starvation
      induced autophagy. We show that Zonda operates at early stages of the process,
      specifically for Vps34-mediated phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P)
      deposition. Zonda displays an even distribution under basal conditions and, soon
      after starvation, nucleates in endoplasmic reticulum-associated foci that
      colocalize with omegasome markers. Zonda nucleation depends on Atg1, Atg13, and
      Atg17 but does not require Vps34, Vps15, Atg6, or Atg14. Zonda interacts
      physically with Atg1 through its kinase domain, as well as with Atg6 and Vps34.
      We propose that Zonda is an early component of the autophagy cascade necessary
      for Vps34-dependent PI3P deposition and omegasome formation.

PMID- 28904213
TI  - The Medial Premotor Cortex as a Bridge from Internal Timekeeping to Action.

PMID- 28904215
TI  - Everyday Exotropia: Learning from the Littlest.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early onset exodeviations in systemically and ocularly
      healthy young children, diagnosed at less than 1 year of age, may be of the
      constant, "infantile XT" type, or early X(T) type. The onset of common childhood
      X(T) is not clearly known. The purpose of this lecture is to discuss theories and
      characteristics of early onset exodeviations, and report on our observations of
      infantile XT and early X(T) at Children's Eye Care in Michigan. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective review of 470 cases of childhood exodeviations (ages 6
      months to 15 years) were reviewed and met inclusion criteria of no prior surgical
      treatment, no ocular, CNS or craniofacial disease, and no significant
      prematurity. Thirty-nine cases were diagnosed at less than 1 year of age: thirty
      five patients with early X(T) and four patients with infantile XT, based upon a
      motility evaluation at 6 m and 1/3 m fixation using dissociative methods. The
      clinical characteristics and outcomes of these two groups were described and
      compared. RESULTS: Comparing infantile XT and early X(T) groups, reported onset
      by caregivers was significantly younger in the infantile XT group (3 months vs. 6
      months), and size of the deviation at both distance and near fixation ranges was
      significantly larger in the infantile XT group (XT-43/XT'-48Delta vs. X(T)
      25/X(T)'-23Delta). Three of 4 infantile XT patients received surgery, one
      spontaneously resolved, and all resulted in small, residual XT, and DVD without
      measurable stereoacuity. Many patients with early X(T) demonstrated
      good/excellent control at near range and fair/poor control at distance range.
      Four early X(T) patients who did not receive surgical correction either resolved,
      remained the same, or decompensated. Surgical correction for X(T) resulted in a
      50% success rate for one procedure with a minimum of 2 years postoperative follow
      up. Stereoacuity outcomes did not appear to correlate with quality of control.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most healthy children with X(T) are diagnosed by age 5 years,
      although many have a reported onset by caregivers of less than 1 year of age.
      Good control of X(T) at near range may preclude early examinations. Motility
      evaluation by dissociative methods at near and far-range fixation may facilitate
      early diagnosis. Infantile XT is less common than early X(T), by a ratio of 1:10.
      Characteristics of infantile XT and early X(T) have significant differences in
      report onset, deviation size, and outcomes with and without surgical
      intervention. Patients with either infantile XT or early X(T) may spontaneously
      resolve over time.

PMID- 28904214
TI  - After Nerve Injury, Lineage Tracing Shows That Myelin and Remak Schwann Cells
      Elongate Extensively and Branch to Form Repair Schwann Cells, Which Shorten
      Radically on Remyelination.
AB  - There is consensus that, distal to peripheral nerve injury, myelin and Remak
      cells reorganize to form cellular columns, Bungner's bands, which are
      indispensable for regeneration. However, knowledge of the structure of these
      regeneration tracks has not advanced for decades and the structure of the cells
      that form them, denervated or repair Schwann cells, remains obscure. Furthermore,
      the origin of these cells from myelin and Remak cells and their ability to give
      rise to myelin cells after regeneration has not been demonstrated directly,
      although these conversions are believed to be central to nerve repair. Using
      genetic lineage-tracing and scanning-block face electron microscopy, we show that
      injury of sciatic nerves from mice of either sex triggers extensive and
      unexpected Schwann cell elongation and branching to form long, parallel
      processes. Repair cells are 2- to 3-fold longer than myelin and Remak cells and 7
      to 10-fold longer than immature Schwann cells. Remarkably, when repair cells
      transit back to myelinating cells, they shorten ~7-fold to generate the typically
      short internodes of regenerated nerves. The present experiments define novel
      morphological transitions in injured nerves and show that repair Schwann cells
      have a cell-type-specific structure that differentiates them from other cells in
      the Schwann cell lineage. They also provide the first direct evidence using
      genetic lineage tracing for two basic assumptions in Schwann cell biology: that
      myelin and Remak cells generate the elongated cells that build Bungner bands in
      injured nerves and that such cells can transform to myelin cells after
      regeneration.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT After injury to peripheral nerves, the myelin
      and Remak Schwann cells distal to the injury site reorganize and modify their
      properties to form cells that support the survival of injured neurons, promote
      axon growth, remove myelin-associated growth inhibitors, and guide regenerating
      axons to their targets. We show that the generation of these repair-supportive
      Schwann cells involves an extensive cellular elongation and branching, often to
      form long, parallel processes. This generates a distinctive repair cell
      morphology that is favorable for the formation of the regeneration tracks that
      are essential for nerve repair. Remyelination, conversely, involves a striking
      cell shortening to form the typical short myelin cells of regenerated nerves. We
      also provide evidence for direct lineage relationships between: (1) repair cells
      and myelin and Remak cells of uninjured nerves and (2) remyelinating cells in
      regenerated nerves.

PMID- 28904216
TI  - Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography of Previously Operated Extraocular
      Muscles.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To assess the possibility of determining the insertion
      distance from the limbus of previously operated extraocular rectus muscles (EOM)
      with the Heidelberg Spectralis anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS
      OCT). PATIENT AND METHOD: Subjects with a history of previous strabismus surgery
      underwent AS-OCT of the EOM before planned additional strabismus surgery. The EOM
      insertion distances from the limbus were measured pre-operatively on the AS-OCT
      and compared to the caliper distance measured during the strabismus surgery.
      RESULTS: Ten previously operated muscles on nine subjects underwent AS-OCT before
      subsequent additional strabismus surgery. Four additional un-operated muscles
      subsequently operated on, were also imaged with the AS-OCT pre-operatively.
      Subject ages ranged from 13-52 years old (mean +/- SD; 27.9 +/- 13.2). The muscle
      insertion could be definitely identified in 6/10 muscles previously operated and
      4/4 un-operated muscles. The difference between the two measurements of limbus to
      insertion in previously operated muscles was <=1mm in 3/6, and <=1.5mm in 6/6;
      <1mm in 4/4 un-operated muscles. Of the four insertions not readily identifiable,
      two revealed the presence of the muscle with scar tissue; the other two, the
      muscle insertions, were not visible, which showed that the muscle was at least a
      minimal amount from the limbus. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the Heidelberg
      AS-OCT is capable of imaging previously operated EOM, which can give valuable
      information to the strabismus surgeon. The information from the AS-OCT was useful
      in all cases. The insertion to limbus measurements between pre-operative and
      intra-operative were within 1.5mm in all of the cases that the muscle insertion
      was able to be identified. The ability to accurately image EOM insertions has
      significant implications for the pre-operative procedure planning in previously
      operated and complicated strabismus patients.

PMID- 28904217
TI  - Two Orthoptic Treatments in Dragged-Fovea Diplopia Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: "Dragged-fovea diplopia syndrome" is a type of central binocular
      diplopia that is secondary to a foveal displacement, caused by epiretinal
      membranes (ERMs) or other macular diseases. Its management is difficult, because
      prisms are not effective. CASE REPORTS: Two cases of dragged-fovea diplopia
      syndrome were presented. Both patients were affected with a unilateral epiretinal
      membrane. Therefore, the pathophysiology underlying their diplopia was the
      conflict between central and peripheral fusion mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Diplopia
      caused by ERM "shift" deserves a complex management. We suggest to be careful
      about subjective symptoms and to optimize the residual visual function to
      customize the orthoptic management. A strict cooperation between ophthalmologists
      and orthoptists could lead to a successful outcome.

PMID- 28904218
TI  - Early Onset Sixth-Nerve Palsy with Eccentric Fixation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report four cases of early onset sixth-nerve palsy all of whom had
      eccentric fixation. METHODS: A retrospective case note review was undertaken of
      all cases presenting to the senior author's private and NHS practice with early
      onset sixth palsy between 2006 and 2012. As well as demographic information,
      details of ophthalmic, orthoptic, electrophysiological examinations, and
      radiological investigations that were extracted from the records. RESULTS: Four
      children with unilateral or asymmetric early onset sixth-nerve palsy were
      identified, of which three were congenital. All four had MRI and only one had a
      normal MRI. Age at presentation ranged from 14-42 months, but all four had marked
      esotropia and poor visual acuities in the worst affected eye with eccentric
      fixation, which became more easily or only noticeable after surgical correction.
      Three patients with congenital sixth-nerve palsy underwent vertical muscle
      transposition with Botulinum Toxin A (BTXA) to the ipsilateral medial rectus, and
      two of these patients also had Foster sutures to the transposed vertical muscles.
      The fourth patient had unilateral medial rectus recession and lateral rectus
      resection. The mean preoperative measurement was 55Delta ET (range 50-60Delta),
      and the mean postoperative measurement was 11Delta ET (range 16XT-25ET) at near,
      and 2Delta XT (range 15XT-14ET) at distance. CONCLUSIONS: We speculate that early
      onset paralytic strabismus due to congenital sixth-nerve palsy results in an
      inability to cross fixate which results in the development of eccentric fixation.
      Attempts to use reverse occlusion to negate the eccentric fixation failed. We
      therefore recommend early surgery for this condition to avoid this sequelae.

PMID- 28904219
TI  - Alfred Bielschowsky, 1871-1940: Ophthalmologist, Innovative Scientist, and
      Influential Teacher.

PMID- 28904220
TI  - Congenital Cranial Dysinnervation Disorders: A Literature Review.
AB  - Congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders (CCDD) is a new term describing a
      collection of non-progressive neurogenic syndromes. Initially referred to as
      congenital fibrosis syndrome, it was thought that the primary problem was
      extraocular muscular maldevelopment. Recent advancements in genetics and neuro
      radiology have now determined the initial observation of fibrotic muscles is
      secondary to a primary lack of innervation from deficient, absent, or misguided
      cranial nerves. This presentation provides an overview of the known genes and
      phenotypes currently recognized within the CCDD domain. It will also highlight
      areas of current research being done in the area of cranial nerve development.
      Increased knowledge and awareness of these disorders has resulted in more
      research being conducted. These studies have provided a more complete
      understanding of efferent motor system development and are leading to improved
      treatment strategies for patients.

PMID- 28904221
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28904222
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28904223
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28904224
TI  - Targeted inhibition of Gq signaling induces airway relaxation in mouse models of
      asthma.
AB  - Obstructive lung diseases are common causes of disability and death worldwide. A
      hallmark feature is aberrant activation of Gq protein-dependent signaling
      cascades. Currently, drugs targeting single G protein (heterotrimeric guanine
      nucleotide-binding protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are used to reduce airway
      tone. However, therapeutic efficacy is often limited, because various GPCRs
      contribute to bronchoconstriction, and chronic exposure to receptor-activating
      medications results in desensitization. We therefore hypothesized that
      pharmacological Gq inhibition could serve as a central mechanism to achieve
      efficient therapeutic bronchorelaxation. We found that the compound FR900359
      (FR), a membrane-permeable inhibitor of Gq, was effective in silencing Gq
      signaling in murine and human airway smooth muscle cells. Moreover, FR both
      prevented bronchoconstrictor responses and triggered sustained airway relaxation
      in mouse, pig, and human airway tissue ex vivo. Inhalation of FR in healthy wild
      type mice resulted in high local concentrations of the compound in the lungs and
      prevented airway constriction without acute effects on blood pressure and heart
      rate. FR administration also protected against airway hyperreactivity in murine
      models of allergen sensitization using ovalbumin and house dust mite as
      allergens. Our findings establish FR as a selective Gq inhibitor when applied
      locally to the airways of mice in vivo and suggest that pharmacological blockade
      of Gq proteins may be a useful therapeutic strategy to achieve bronchorelaxation
      in asthmatic lung disease.

PMID- 28904225
TI  - Endothelial APLNR regulates tissue fatty acid uptake and is essential for
      apelin's glucose-lowering effects.
AB  - Treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus continues to pose an important clinical
      challenge, with most existing therapies lacking demonstrable ability to improve
      cardiovascular outcomes. The atheroprotective peptide apelin (APLN) enhances
      glucose utilization and improves insulin sensitivity. However, the mechanism of
      these effects remains poorly defined. We demonstrate that the expression of APLNR
      (APJ/AGTRL1), the only known receptor for apelin, is predominantly restricted to
      the endothelial cells (ECs) of multiple adult metabolic organs, including
      skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Conditional endothelial-specific deletion of
      Aplnr (AplnrECKO ) resulted in markedly impaired glucose utilization and
      abrogation of apelin-induced glucose lowering. Furthermore, we identified
      inactivation of Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and inhibition of endothelial
      expression of fatty acid (FA) binding protein 4 (FABP4) as key downstream
      signaling targets of apelin/APLNR signaling. Both the Apln-/- and AplnrECKO mice
      demonstrated increased endothelial FABP4 expression and excess tissue FA
      accumulation, whereas concurrent endothelial Foxo1 deletion or pharmacologic
      FABP4 inhibition rescued the excess FA accumulation phenotype of the Apln-/-
      mice. The impaired glucose utilization in the AplnrECKO mice was associated with
      excess FA accumulation in the skeletal muscle. Treatment of these mice with an
      FABP4 inhibitor abrogated these metabolic phenotypes. These findings provide
      mechanistic insights that could greatly expand the therapeutic repertoire for
      type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders.

PMID- 28904226
TI  - Tumor lymphangiogenesis promotes T cell infiltration and potentiates
      immunotherapy in melanoma.
AB  - In melanoma, vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) expression and
      consequent lymphangiogenesis correlate with metastasis and poor prognosis. VEGF-C
      also promotes tumor immunosuppression, suggesting that lymphangiogenesis
      inhibitors may be clinically useful in combination with immunotherapy. We
      addressed this concept in mouse melanoma models with VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3)
      blocking antibodies and unexpectedly found that VEGF-C signaling enhanced rather
      than suppressed the response to immunotherapy. We further found that this effect
      was mediated by VEGF-C-induced CCL21 and tumor infiltration of naive T cells
      before immunotherapy because CCR7 blockade reversed the potentiating effects of
      VEGF-C. In human metastatic melanoma, gene expression of VEGF-C strongly
      correlated with CCL21 and T cell inflammation, and serum VEGF-C concentrations
      associated with both T cell activation and expansion after peptide vaccination
      and clinical response to checkpoint blockade. We propose that VEGF-C potentiates
      immunotherapy by attracting naive T cells, which are locally activated upon
      immunotherapy-induced tumor cell killing, and that serum VEGF-C may serve as a
      predictive biomarker for immunotherapy response.

PMID- 28904228
TI  - Anesthesia-Related Outcomes for Endovascular Stroke Revascularization: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is currently controversy on the ideal anesthesia
      strategy during mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke. We performed a
      systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing clinical and
      angiographic outcomes of patients undergoing general anesthesia (GA group) and
      those receiving either local anesthesia or conscious sedation (non-GA group).
      METHODS: A literature search on anesthesia and endovascular treatment of acute
      ischemic stroke was performed. Using random-effects meta-analysis, we evaluated
      the following outcomes: recanalization rate, good functional outcome at 90 days
      (modified Rankin Score<=2), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, death, vascular
      complications, respiratory complications, procedure time, and time to groin
      puncture. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies (3 randomized controlled trials and 19
      observational studies), including 4716 patients (1819 GA and 2897 non-GA) were
      included. In the nonadjusted analysis, patients in the GA group had higher odds
      of death (odds ratio [OR], 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.66-2.45) and
      respiratory complications (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.22-2.37) and lower odds of good
      functional outcome (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.48-0.64) compared with the non-GA group.
      There was no difference in procedure time between the 2 primary comparison
      groups. When adjusting for baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale,
      GA was still associated with lower odds of good functional outcome (OR, 0.59; 95%
      CI, 0.29-0.94). When considering studies performed in the stent
      retriever/aspiration era, there was no significant difference in good
      neurological outcome rates (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.67-1.06). CONCLUSIONS: Acute
      ischemic stroke patients undergoing intra-arterial therapy may have worse
      outcomes when treated with GA as compared with conscious sedation/local
      anesthesia. However, major limitations of current evidence (ie, retrospective
      studies and selection bias) indicate a need for adequately powered, multicenter
      randomized controlled trials to answer this question.

PMID- 28904227
TI  - Peptide probes detect misfolded transthyretin oligomers in plasma of hereditary
      amyloidosis patients.
AB  - Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that soluble misfolded protein
      assemblies contribute to the degeneration of postmitotic tissue in amyloid
      diseases. However, there is a dearth of reliable nonantibody-based probes for
      selectively detecting oligomeric aggregate structures circulating in plasma or
      deposited in tissues, making it difficult to scrutinize this hypothesis in
      patients. Hence, understanding the structure-proteotoxicity relationships driving
      amyloid diseases remains challenging, hampering the development of early
      diagnostic and novel treatment strategies. We report peptide-based probes that
      selectively label misfolded transthyretin (TTR) oligomers circulating in the
      plasma of TTR hereditary amyloidosis patients exhibiting a predominant
      neuropathic phenotype. These probes revealed that there are much fewer misfolded
      TTR oligomers in healthy controls, in asymptomatic carriers of mutations linked
      to amyloid polyneuropathy, and in patients with TTR-associated cardiomyopathies.
      The absence of misfolded TTR oligomers in the plasma of cardiomyopathy patients
      suggests that the tissue tropism observed in the TTR amyloidoses is structure
      based. Misfolded oligomers decrease in TTR amyloid polyneuropathy patients
      treated with disease-modifying therapies (tafamidis or liver transplant-mediated
      gene therapy). In a subset of TTR amyloid polyneuropathy patients, the probes
      also detected a circulating TTR fragment that disappeared after tafamidis
      treatment. Proteomic analysis of the isolated TTR oligomers revealed a specific
      patient-associated signature composed of proteins that likely associate with the
      circulating TTR oligomers. Quantification of plasma oligomer concentrations using
      peptide probes could become an early diagnostic strategy, a response-to-therapy
      biomarker, and a useful tool for understanding structure-proteotoxicity
      relationships in the TTR amyloidoses.

PMID- 28904230
TI  - Why Is It Worthwhile to Get Involved in Stroke Organizations?

PMID- 28904229
TI  - Eosinophil Cationic Protein, Carotid Plaque, and Incidence of Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ECP (eosinophil cationic protein) is a marker of
      eosinophil activity and degranulation, which has been linked to atherosclerosis
      and cardiovascular disease. We examined the relationship between ECP, carotid
      plaque, and incidence of stroke in a prospective population-based cohort.
      METHODS: The subjects participated in the Malmo Diet and Cancer Study between
      1991 and 1994. A total of 4706 subjects with no history of stroke were included
      (40% men; mean age, 57.5 years). Carotid plaque was determined by B-mode
      ultrasound of the right carotid artery. Incidence of stroke was followed up
      during a mean period of 16.5 years in relation to plasma ECP levels. RESULTS:
      Subjects in the third tertile (versus first tertile) of ECP tended to have higher
      prevalence of carotid plaque (odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.003
      1.39; P=0.044 after multivariate adjustments). A total of 258 subjects were
      diagnosed with ischemic stroke (IS) during follow-up. ECP was associated with
      increased incidence of IS after risk factor adjustment (hazard ratio, 1.57; 95%
      confidence interval: 1.13-2.18; for third versus first tertile; P=0.007). High
      ECP was associated with increased risk of IS in subjects with carotid plaque. The
      risk factor-adjusted hazard ratio for IS was 1.86 (95% confidence interval: 1.32
      2.63) in subjects with carotid plaque and ECP in the top tertile, compared with
      those without plaque and ECP in the first or second tertiles. CONCLUSIONS: High
      ECP is associated with increased incidence of IS. The association between ECP and
      IS was also present in the subgroup with carotid plaque.

PMID- 28904231
TI  - Interactions Between the Corticospinal Tract and Premotor-Motor Pathways for
      Residual Motor Output After Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Brain imaging has continuously enhanced our understanding
      how different brain networks contribute to motor recovery after stroke. However,
      the present models are still incomplete and do not fit for every patient. The
      interaction between the degree of damage of the corticospinal tract (CST) and of
      corticocortical motor connections, that is, the influence of the microstructural
      state of one connection on the importance of another has been largely neglected.
      METHODS: Applying diffusion-weighted imaging and probabilistic tractography, we
      investigated cross-network interactions between the integrity of ipsilesional CST
      and ipsilesional corticocortical motor pathways for variance in residual motor
      outcome in 53 patients with subacute stroke. RESULTS: The main finding was a
      significant interaction between the CST and corticocortical connections between
      the primary motor and ventral premotor cortex in relation to residual motor
      output. More specifically, the data indicate that the microstructural state of
      the connection primary motor-ventral premotor cortex plays only a role in
      patients with significant damage to the CST. In patients with slightly affected
      CST, this connection did not explain a relevant amount of variance in motor
      outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The present data show that patients with stroke with
      different degree of CST disruption differ in their dependency on structural
      premotor-motor connections for residual motor output. This finding might have
      important implications for future research on recovery prediction models and on
      responses to treatment strategies.

PMID- 28904232
TI  - Effects of High- Versus Moderate-Intensity Training on Neuroplasticity and
      Functional Recovery After Focal Ischemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study was designed to compare the effects of high
      intensity interval training (HIT) and moderate-intensity aerobic training (MOD)
      on functional recovery and cerebral plasticity during the first 2 weeks after
      cerebral ischemia. METHODS: Rats were randomized as follows: control (n=15), SHAM
      (n=9), middle cerebral artery occlusion (n=13), middle cerebral artery occlusion
      at day 1 (n=7), MOD (n=13), and HIT (n=13). Incremental tests were performed at
      day 1 (D1) and 14 (D14) to identify the running speed associated with the lactate
      threshold (SLT) and the maximal speed (Smax). Functional tests were performed at
      D1, D7, and D14. Microglia form, cytokines, p75NTR (pan-neurotrophin receptor
      p75), potassium-chloride cotransporter type 2, and sodium-potassium-chloride
      cotransporter type 1 expression were made at D15. RESULTS: HIT was more effective
      to improve the endurance performance than MOD and induced a fast recovery of the
      impaired forelimb grip force. The ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba
      1)-positive cells with amoeboid form and the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine
      expression were lower in HIT group, mainly in the ipsilesional hemisphere. A
      p75NTR overexpression is observed on the ipsilesional side together with a
      restored sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter type 1/potassium-chloride
      cotransporter type 2 ratio on the contralesional side. CONCLUSIONS: Low-volume
      HIT based on lactate threshold seems to be more effective after cerebral ischemia
      than work-matched MOD to improve aerobic fitness and grip strength and might
      promote cerebral plasticity.

PMID- 28904233
TI  - Hemorrhagic Transformation After Large Cerebral Infarction in Rats Pretreated
      With Dabigatran or Warfarin.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It is uncertain whether hemorrhagic transformation (HT)
      after large cerebral infarction is less frequent in dabigatran users than
      warfarin users. We compared the occurrence of HT after large cerebral infarction
      among rats pretreated with dabigatran, warfarin, or placebo. METHODS: This was a
      triple-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled experiment. After treatment with
      warfarin (0.2 mg/kg), dabigatran (20 mg/kg), or saline for 7 days, Wistar rats
      were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. As the primary
      outcome, HT was determined by gradient-recalled echo imaging. For the secondary
      outcome, intracranial hemorrhage was assessed via gradient-recalled echo imaging
      in surviving rats and via autopsy for dead rats. RESULTS: Of 62 rats, there were
      33 deaths (53.2%, 17 technical reasons). Of the intention-to-treat population, 33
      rats underwent brain imaging. HT was less frequent in the dabigatran group than
      the warfarin group (placebo 2/14 [14%], dabigatran 0/10 [0%], and warfarin 9/9
      [100%]; dabigatran versus warfarin; P<0.001). In all 62 rats, compared with the
      placebo (2/14 [14.3%]), the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage was
      significantly higher in the warfarin group (19/29 [65.5%]; P=0.003), but not in
      the dabigatran group (6/19 [31.6%]; P=0.420). Mortality was significantly higher
      in the warfarin group than the dabigatran group (79.3% versus 47.4%; P=0.022),
      but not related to the hemorrhage frequency. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of HT after a
      large cerebral infarction was significantly increased in rats pretreated with
      warfarin than those with dabigatran. However, the results here may not have an
      exact clinical translation.

PMID- 28904234
TI  - Fibrin Clot Permeability as a Predictor of Stroke and Bleeding in Anticoagulated
      Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Formation of denser fiber networks has been reported in
      atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke. In this longitudinal cohort study, we
      evaluated whether fibrin clot density may predict thromboembolic and bleeding
      risk in patients with atrial fibrillation on vitamin K antagonists. METHODS: In
      236 patients with atrial fibrillation receiving vitamin K antagonists treatment,
      we measured ex vivo plasma clot permeability (Ks), a measure of the pore size in
      fibrin networks. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 4.3 (interquartile range,
      3.7-4.8) years, annual rates of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and
      major bleeds were 2.96% and 3.45%, respectively. In multivariate Cox regression
      analysis, patients with lower Ks (<6.8 cm2*10-9, median) had increased risk of
      ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (hazard ratio [HR], 6.55; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 2.17-19.82) and major bleeds (HR, 10.65; 95% CI, 3.52
      32.22). Patients with elevated Ks (>=6.8 cm2*10-9) had an increased rate of minor
      bleeding compared with the remainder (11.63% per year versus 3.55% per year;
      P<0.0001). The independent predictors of stroke or transient ischemic attack were
      low Ks (<6.8 cm2*10-9; HR, 7.24; 95% CI, 2.53-20.76), age (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01
      1.10), and treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (HR, 2.27; 95%
      CI, 1.08-4.77). Major bleeds were predicted by low Ks (<6.8 cm2*10-9; HR, 8.48;
      95% CI, 2.99-24.1) and HAS-BLED score >=3 (HR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.12-4.38).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to show that unfavorable fibrin properties
      reflected by formation of denser fibrin networks determine, in part, the efficacy
      and safety of anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists in patients with atrial
      fibrillation.

PMID- 28904235
TI  - Response by Yoo et al to Letter Regarding Article, "Impact of Thrombus Length on
      Outcomes After Intra-Arterial Aspiration Thrombectomy in the THERAPY Trial".

PMID- 28904236
TI  - Letter by Li and Chen Regarding Article, "Impact of Thrombus Length on Outcomes
      After Intra-Arterial Aspiration Thrombectomy in the THERAPY Trial".

PMID- 28904237
TI  - Labetalol Use Is Associated With Increased In-Hospital Infection Compared With
      Nicardipine Use in Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Increased sympathetic tone causes hypertension after
      intracerebral hemorrhage, and blood pressure reduction has been studied as a way
      to decrease hemorrhage growth and improve outcomes. It is unknown if the
      antihypertensive used to achieve blood pressure goals influences either. Because
      sympatholytic drugs reduce death and infection in animal models, we hypothesized
      that labetalol would improve outcomes compared with nicardipine. METHODS:
      Prospective data from a single center were retrospectively reviewed. Patients
      receiving labetalol, nicardipine, or both during their first 3 days of
      hospitalization were included. Outcomes included in-hospital death; discharge
      modified Rankin Score >2; and in-hospital urinary tract infection, pneumonia, or
      bacteremia. Patients were compared with propensity scoring and analyzed with
      linear models adjusted for significant confounders. RESULTS: Of 1066 admissions,
      525 were treated with labetalol or nicardipine and are included; 229 (43.6%)
      received labetalol, 107 (20.4%) received nicardipine, and 189 (36.0%) received
      both. Mortality and infection rates were 40.2% and 15.8%, respectively, 77.2% had
      a modified Rankin Score >2. After adjustment, compared with nicardipine alone,
      labetalol alone was associated with infection (odds ratio, 3.12; confidence
      interval, 1.27-7.64; P=0.013) but not when combined with nicardipine (odds ratio,
      2.44; confidence interval, 0.98-6.07; P=0.055). Labetalol, with or without
      nicardipine, was not associated with death or discharge modified Rankin Score >2.
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with nicardipine, labetalol was associated with increased
      in-hospital infections, but not mortality or modified Rankin Score >2. These
      findings do not support our hypothesis that labetalol use improves outcomes
      relative to nicardipine in intracerebral hemorrhage.

PMID- 28904238
TI  - gamma-Glutamyl Transferase as a Risk Factor for All-Cause or Cardiovascular
      Disease Mortality Among 5912 Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of
      the measurement of serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations at
      admission with 1-year all-cause or cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in
      patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter
      cohort study was conducted in 4 stroke centers in China. Baseline GGT
      measurements were tested. The relationship of GGT to the risk of death from all
      cause or CVD was examined among 1-year follow-up patients. RESULTS: We recorded
      results from 5912 patients with stroke. In those patients, 51.0% were men, and
      the median age was 61 years. In both men and women, high GGT was significantly
      associated with total mortality from all-cause or CVD (P<0.001). The elevated GGT
      revealed adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of 3.03 (1.99-4.54) and
      3.24 (2.14-4.92) for mortality from all-cause and CVD, respectively. With an area
      under the curve of 0.69 (95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.73), GGT showed a
      significantly greater discriminatory ability to predict all-cause mortality as
      compared with others factors. GGT improved the National Institutes of Health
      Stroke Scale score (area under the curve of the combined model, 0.75 [95%
      confidence interval, 0.73-0.78]; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates
      that GGT is independently associated with all-cause and CVD mortality in patients
      with ischemic stroke.

PMID- 28904239
TI  - Stereotactic Catheter Ventriculocisternostomy for Clearance of Subarachnoid
      Hemorrhage: A Matched Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Delayed cerebral infarction (DCI) is a major source of
      morbidity and mortality after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. We report a
      novel intervention-stereotactic catheter ventriculocisternostomy (STX-VCS) and
      fibrinolytic/spasmolytic lavage therapy-for DCI prevention. Outcomes of 20
      consecutive patients are compared with 60 matched controls. METHODS: On the basis
      of individual treatment decisions, STX-VCS was performed in 20 high-risk
      aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients admitted to our department between
      September 2015 and October 2016. Three controls matched for age, sex, aneurysm
      treatment method, and admission Hunt and Hess grade were assigned to each case
      treated by STX-VCS. DCI was the primary outcome. Mortality and mRS at
      rehabilitation discharge were secondary outcome parameters. The association
      between STX-VCS and DCI, mortality, and mRS was assessed by conditional logistic
      regression. RESULTS: Stereotactic procedures were performed without surgical
      complications. Continuous cisternal lavage was feasible in 17 of 20 patients
      (85%). One adverse event because of cisternal lavage was without sequelae. DCI
      occurred in 25 of 60 (42%) controls and 3 of 20 (15%) patients with STX-VCS (odds
      ratio, 0.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.64). Mortality occurred in 20 of 60
      (33%) controls and 1 of 20 (5%) patients with STX-VCS, respectively (odds ratio,
      0.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.01 - 0.66). Favorable outcome (mRS<=3) at
      rehabilitation discharge was observed in 12 of 20 patients with STX-VCS (60%)
      versus 21 of 60 (35%) matched controls (odds ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.8-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: STX-VCS was feasible and safe in patients with
      severe aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Initial results indicate that DCI and
      mortality can be reduced, and neurological outcome may be improved with this
      method.

PMID- 28904241
TI  - Autophagic responses compensate mitochondrial impairments.

PMID- 28904243
TI  - Solitary Fibrous Tumour A rare cause of acute abdomen.
AB  - : Solitary Fibrous Tumours(SFT), previously known as haemangiopericytoma, are
      rarely encountered in surgery. They arise from mesenchyme tissue and can occur at
      several sites in the body - head and neck, extremities, thorax, abdomen and
      retroperitoneal space. In the thorax, where they arise from the pleura, and
      abdomen they may attain a large size before giving rise to symptoms. Most SFT
      behave in a benign manner. However a number of them recur locally or metastasize.
      Recurrences can occur several years after excision of the primary tumour.
      Complete surgical excision remains the primary modality of treatment. But, in
      sites where complete excision is not possible, other modalities have been tried
      with varying success. Here, we describe a SFT of the mesentery of the small
      intestine, an uncommon manifestation of the tumour, recurring after a period of
      19 years in a 55 year old female, and presenting to the Emergency Department as
      an acute abdomen caused by acute intestinal obstruction. Surgical excision of the
      tumour was performed together with primary anastomosis of the small intestine.
      KEY WORDS: Acute abdomen, Late recurrence, Mesentery, Solitary Fibrous tumour.

PMID- 28904242
TI  - The G-quadruplex DNA stabilizing drug pyridostatin promotes DNA damage and
      downregulates transcription of Brca1 in neurons.
AB  - The G-quadruplex is a non-canonical DNA secondary structure formed by four DNA
      strands containing multiple runs of guanines. G-quadruplexes play important roles
      in DNA recombination, replication, telomere maintenance, and regulation of
      transcription. Small molecules that stabilize the G-quadruplexes alter gene
      expression in cancer cells. Here, we hypothesized that the G-quadruplexes
      regulate transcription in neurons. We discovered that pyridostatin, a small
      molecule that specifically stabilizes G-quadruplex DNA complexes, induced
      neurotoxicity and promoted the formation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in
      cultured neurons. We also found that pyridostatin downregulated transcription of
      the Brca1 gene, a gene that is critical for DSB repair. Importantly, in an in
      vitro gel shift assay, we discovered that an antibody specific to the G
      quadruplex structure binds to a synthetic oligonucleotide, which corresponds to
      the first putative G-quadruplex in the Brca1 gene promoter. Our results suggest
      that the G-quadruplex complexes regulate transcription in neurons. Studying the G
      quadruplexes could represent a new avenue for neurodegeneration and brain aging
      research.

PMID- 28904244
TI  - Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica in recurrent retrosternal goiter.
      Surgical management.
AB  - : Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TPO) is a rare pathology
      characterized by a progressive segmentary stenosis of the respiratory tract due
      to proliferation of osteocartilagineous nodules in the lumen of the distal part
      of the trachea and large bronchial trunks. Prognosis is usually benign, but some
      cases with an acute progression and a lethal outcome have been described.
      Clinical presentation is non specific, the chest x-ray is generally normal and
      there are not typical radiological signs of suspicion: diagnosis of TPO is
      usually incidental. We report a case of TPO associated with a retrosternal
      recurrent goiter. The CT scan conducted to evaluate the extension and the
      vascular relationships showed the characteristic lesions of the TPO with a
      segmental stenosis of the trachea greater than 70%. A bronchofiberoscopy
      confirmed the suspect of TPO. To date, the clinical studies carried out do not
      show a certain etiology, but all agree that chronic damage or chronic
      inflammations could be the cause of the onset of structural anomalies of the
      respiratory tract In literature, there is only a report which describes an
      association between TPO and thyroid pathology. It is obscure whatever these
      disease could be etiologically or fortuitously associated but a relationship
      cannot be completely excluded. Surgeons, anesthetists and radiologists which deal
      with thyroid pathology must recognize the disease, especially in the presence of
      bulky retrosternal goiters, to make a correct diagnosis and provide adequate
      perioperative management. KEY WORDS: Mediastinal goiter, Osteocartilagineous
      Nodules, Tracheal Stenosis, Total Thyroidectomy, Tracheobronchopathia
      Osteochondroplastica.

PMID- 28904245
TI  - Gallstone ileus in an ederly patient Case report.
AB  - AIM: To report an another case of gallstone ileus in ederly patient that was
      treated with simple enterolithotomy. MATERIAL OF STUDY: We report a case of 84
      years old female that was admitted with intestinal obstruction. A CT scan
      suggested small bowel obstruction secondary to gallstone ileus. In relation to
      the overall clinical condition, we decided to perform a simple enterolithotomy.
      DISCUSSION: The first case of a cholecysto intestinal fistula with a gallstone
      within the gastro intestinal tract was described n 1654 by, Thomas Bartholin in a
      necropsy study. It constitutes the etiologic factor in less than 5% of cases of
      intestinal obstruction, but up to one quarter of nonstrangulated small bowel
      obstructions in elderly patients. CONCLUSION: In conclusion gallstone ileus is
      increasingly common, especially in the context of an aging population in
      developed helthcare system. It is an important differential diagnosis in ederly
      patients presenting with small bowel obstruction because it has a high mortality
      rate. KEY WORDS: Enterolithotomy, Gallstone ileus, Intestinal obstruction.

PMID- 28904246
TI  - Questions from and answers to a patient with groin hernia.
AB  - : Inguinal hernia surgical treatment are the most commonly performed operations
      in general surgery practice. There is a need for detailed anatomical knowledge
      and surgical skills to satisfactorily treat this disease. In this review, we
      aimed to present up-to-date information and approaches on basic diagnosis,
      treatment, complications and management of inguinal hernias in our institution.
      KEY WORDS: Chronic pain, Groin hernia, Inguinal hernia, Recurrence, Surgery.

PMID- 28904247
TI  - Efficacy and safety of subgroup analysis stratified by baseline HbA1c in a
      Japanese phase 3 study of dulaglutide 0.75 mg compared with insulin glargine in
      patients with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - The efficacy and safety of once-weekly dulaglutide 0.75 mg (dulaglutide) compared
      with once-daily insulin glargine (glargine) in Japanese patients with type 2
      diabetes were evaluated according to subgroups stratified by baseline glycated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c) (<=8.5% or >8.5%). This exploratory analysis of a randomized,
      open-label, phase 3 study included 361 patients. In both HbA1c subgroups
      (patients with baseline HbA1c <=8.5% or >8.5%), a statistically significantly
      greater reduction in HbA1c was observed in dulaglutide-treated patients compared
      with glargine-treated patients after 26 weeks of treatment (HbA1c <=8.5%:
      dulaglutide, -1.27%; glargine, -0.72%; HbA1c >8.5%: dulaglutide, -2.04%;
      glargine, -1.47%; p < 0.001 for both). Mean body weight was decreased from
      baseline in both subgroups of the dulaglutide group and increased in both
      subgroups of the glargine group; there were statistically significant differences
      between the treatment groups in both subgroups (p < 0.05 for both). In both
      subgroups, similar reductions in fasting blood glucose were observed for
      dulaglutide- and glargine-treated patients, and a greater reduction in
      postprandial blood glucose was observed for dulaglutide-treated patients compared
      with glargine-treated patients. Although dulaglutide increased gastrointestinal
      adverse events compared with glargine in both subgroups, all gastrointestinal
      events of diarrhea, nausea, constipation, and vomiting in dulaglutide-treated
      patients were mild in intensity and well tolerated. In both subgroups, there was
      a lower incidence of hypoglycemia with dulaglutide than with glargine.
      Dulaglutide demonstrated significantly greater HbA1c reduction compared with
      glargine, with an acceptable safety profile, regardless of baseline HbA1c.

PMID- 28904248
TI  - [The System and Human Resources for Occupational Health in Republic Of Indonesia
      for Japanese Enterprises to Manage Proper Occupational Health Activities at
      Overseas Workplaces].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To consider the appropriate occupational health system for Japanese
      enterprises in Indonesia with information on the regulations and development of
      the specialists. METHODS: In this study, we used the information-gathering
      checklist developed by Kajiki et al. Along with literature and internet surveys,
      we surveyed local corporations owned and operated by Indonesians, central
      government agencies in charge of medical and health issues, a Japanese
      independent administrative agency supporting subsidiaries of overseas Japanese
      enterprises, and an educational institution formulating specialized occupational
      physician training curricula. RESULTS: In Indonesia, the Ministry of Manpower and
      the Ministry of Health administer occupational health matters. The act No. 1 on
      safety serves as the fundamental regulation. We confirmed at least 40 respective
      regulations in pertinent areas, such as the placement of medical and health
      professionals, health examinations, occupational disease, and occupational health
      service agencies. There are some regulations that indicate only an outline of
      activities but not details. Occupational physicians and safety officers are the
      two professional roles responsible for occupational health activities. A new
      medical insurance system was started in 2014, and a workers' compensation system
      was also established in 2017 in Indonesia according to the National Social
      Security System Act. DISCUSSION: Although safety and health laws and regulations
      exist in Indonesia, their details are unclear and the quality of expert human
      resources needed varies. To conduct high-quality occupational health activities
      from the standpoint of Japanese companies' headquarters, the active promotion of
      employing highly specialized professionals and cooperation with educational
      institutions is recommended.

PMID- 28904249
TI  - Relationship between Serum Uric Acid and Vascular Function and Structure Markers
      and Gender Difference in a Real-World Population of China-From Beijing Vascular
      Disease Patients Evaluation Study (BEST) Study.
AB  - AIM: The study was done to establish the relationship between serum uric acid
      (UA) and vascular function and structure parameters including carotid femoral
      pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV), carotid radial pulse wave velocity (CR-PWV), cardio
      ankle vascular index (CAVI), ankle brachial index (ABI), and carotid intima-media
      thickness (CIMT), and the gender difference in a real-world population from
      China. METHODS: A total of 979 subjects were enrolled (aged 60.86+/-11.03 years,
      male 416 and female 563). Value of UA was divided by 100 (UA/100) for analysis.
      RESULTS: Body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting plasma
      glucose (FPG), UA, and UA/100 were significantly higher in males compared with
      females (all p<0.05); pulse pressure (PP), total cholesterol (TC), high density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)
      were lower in males than females (all p<0.05). All vascular parameters including
      CF-PWV, CR-PWV, CAVI, ABI, and CIMT were higher in males than females (all
      p<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that UA/100 was independently
      positively linearly correlated with CAVI (B=0.143, p=0.001) and negatively
      correlated with ABI in the male population (B=-0.012, p=0.020). In people with
      higher UA, the risk of higher CF-PWV was 1.593 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 1. All
      vascular parameters were higher in males than females. There was no gender
      difference in the relationship between UA and vascular markers except in ABI. 2.
      UA was independently linearly correlated with CAVI. 3. In people with higher UA
      level, the risk of higher CF-PWV increased. Therefore, higher UA may influence
      the vascular function mainly instead of vascular structure.

PMID- 28904250
TI  - Building a complete image of genome regulation in the model organism Escherichia
      coli.
AB  - The model organism, Escherichia coli, contains a total of more than 4,500 genes,
      but the total number of RNA polymerase (RNAP) core enzyme or the transcriptase is
      only about 2,000 molecules per genome. The regulatory targets of RNAP are,
      however, modulated by changing its promoter selectivity through two-steps of
      protein-protein interplay with 7 species of the sigma factor in the first step,
      and then 300 species of the transcription factor (TF) in the second step.
      Scientists working in the field of prokaryotic transcription in Japan have made
      considerable contributions to the elucidation of genetic frameworks and
      regulatory modes of the genome transcription in E. coli K-12. This review
      summarizes the findings by this group, first focusing on three sigma factors, the
      stationary-phase sigma RpoS, the heat-shock sigma RpoH, and the flagellar
      chemotaxis sigma RpoF, as examples. It also presents an overview of the current
      state of the systematic research being carried out to identify the regulatory
      functions of all TFs from a single and the same bacterium E. coli K-12, using the
      genomic SELEX and PS-TF screening systems. All these studies have been undertaken
      with the aim of understanding the genome regulation in E. coli K-12 as a whole.

PMID- 28904251
TI  - Effects of the deletion of hup genes encoding the uptake hydrogenase on the
      activity of hydrogen production in the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rubrivivax
      gelatinosus IL144.
AB  - The efficiency of hydrogen gas production by nitrogenase in bacteria has been
      improved by the inhibition of antagonistic activity by the uptake hydrogenase. In
      this study, a mutant lacking the gene coding for the uptake hydrogenase was
      generated from the photosynthetic beta-proteobacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus
      IL144 to explore new ways of hydrogen gas production driven by light energy. The
      mutant cells produced 25-30% higher amounts of molecular hydrogen than the wild
      type cells under nitrogen-deficient conditions under light. Furthermore, by the
      addition of 5 mM glutamate, the photosynthetic growth rate was greatly enhanced,
      and the hydrogen gas production activity reached 41.1 (mmol/l) in the mutant.

PMID- 28904252
TI  - Functional comparison of methionine sulphoxide reductase A and B in
      Corynebacterium glutamicum.
AB  - Methionine sulphoxide reductases (Msr) are able to reduce methionine sulfoxide to
      methionine and protect bacteria against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many
      organisms express both methionine sulphoxide reductase A (MsrA), specific for
      methionine-S-sulfoxide and methionine sulphoxide reductase B (MsrB), active
      against methionine-R-sulfoxide. Corynebacterium glutamicum expresses MsrA, the
      function of which has been well defined; however, the function of MsrB has not
      been studied. Whether MsrB and MsrA play an equally important role in the
      antioxidant process is also poorly understood. In this study, we identified MsrB
      encoded by ncgl1823 in C. glutamicum, investigated its function and made a
      comparison with MsrA. The msrB gene showed a slight effect on utilizing
      methionine sulfoxide (MetO) as the sole Met source; however, the survival rates
      showed no sensitivity to oxidants. MsrB showed catalytic activity using
      thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase (Trx/TrxR) reducing system as electron donors,
      but independent from the mycoredoxin 1/mycothione reductase/mycothiol
      (Mrx1/Mtr/MSH) system. Therefore, MsrB plays a limited role in resisting
      oxidative stress and it could reduce MetO to Met by the Trx/TrxR reducing system,
      which is useful for expanding the understanding of the functions of Msr in this
      important industrial microbe.

PMID- 28904254
TI  - Psychological Distress among Individuals Whose Partners Have Cancer.
AB  - Cancer diagnosis influences both patients and their closest relatives. This cross
      sectional study examined psychological distress among individuals whose partners
      had cancer in a population-based sample. Participants in the survey were citizens
      residing in Ohsaki City, Miyagi, Japan. Spouse pairs were identified by
      information of participants' relationship to the householder and address provided
      by municipality, and we collected self-report information on cancer history and
      current pain (but not the cause of pain). Psychological distress was evaluated
      using the Kessler 6 scale (K6). We identified 29,410 potential participants
      (14,705 couples), of which 23,766 (11,690 men and 12,076 women) were included in
      the analyses. A total of 1,374 participants (581 male and 793 female
      participants) had partners with history of cancer. Logistic regression analyses
      revealed that these participants, regardless of sex, did not show significantly
      higher risk of psychological distress (K6 score >= 13). When stratifying the
      analysis by partners' current pain, men whose partners had cancer and pain showed
      greater odds of psychological distress (odds ratio = 1.5, p = 0.04), compared
      with men whose partners had no cancer and had pain. However, male subjects whose
      partners had cancer but no pain did not show greater odds of psychological
      distress compared with men whose partners had no cancer and no pain. By contrast,
      in women whose partners had cancer, psychological distress was not associated
      with pain status. In conclusion, men whose partners had cancer and pain have
      higher risk of psychological distress, and its screening to these individuals may
      reduce the risk.

PMID- 28904255
TI  - Predictors of Favorable Responses to Immunosuppressive Treatment in Pulmonary
      Arterial Hypertension Associated With Connective Tissue Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The potential efficacy of immunosuppressive (IS) treatment has been
      reported in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with
      connective tissue disease (CTD), but its positioning in the treatment algorithm
      remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of favorable
      responses to first-line IS treatment.Methods and Results:This single-center
      retrospective study included 30 patients with PAH accompanied by systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE), mixed CTD (MCTD), or primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS) who
      received first-line IS treatment alone or in combination with pulmonary
      vasodilators. When short-term treatment response was defined as an improvement in
      World Health Organization functional class at 3 months, 16 patients (53%) were
      short-term responders. Simultaneous diagnosis of PAH and CTD, and the use of
      immunosuppressants, especially intravenous cyclophosphamide, in addition to
      glucocorticoids were identified as independent predictors of a short-term
      response (P=0.004 and 0.0002, respectively). Cumulative rates free of PAH-related
      death were better in short-term responders than non-responders (P=0.04), and were
      best in patients with a simultaneous diagnosis of PAH and CTD who were treated
      initially with a combination of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a simultaneous diagnosis of PAH and CTD, including
      SLE, MCTD, and primary SS, should receive intensive IS treatment regimens to
      achieve better short- and long-term outcomes.

PMID- 28904253
TI  - Genetic Variants of RAMP2 and CLR are Associated with Stroke.
AB  - AIM: Stroke is associated closely with vascular homeostasis, and several complex
      processes and interacting pathways, which involve various genetic and
      environmental factors, contribute to the risk of stroke. Although adrenomedullin
      (ADM) has a number of physiological and vasoprotective functions, there are few
      studies of the ADM receptor system in humans. The ADM receptor comprises a
      calcitonin-receptor-like receptor (CLR) and receptor activity-modifying proteins
      (RAMPs). We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the RAMP2 and CLR
      genes to determine their association with stroke in the light of gene-environment
      interactions. METHODS: Using cross-sectional data from the Japan Multi
      Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study in the baseline surveys, 14,087
      participants from 12 research areas were genotyped. We conducted a hypothesis
      based association between stroke prevalence and SNPs in the RAMP2 and CLR genes
      based on data abstracted from two SNPs in RAMP2 and 369 SNPs in CLR. We selected
      five SNPs from among the CLR variants (rs77035639, rs3815524, rs75380157,
      rs574603859, and rs147565266) and one RAMP2 SNP (rs753152), which were associated
      with stroke, for analysis. RESULTS: Five of the SNPs (rs77035639, rs3815524,
      rs75380157, rs147565266, and rs753152) showed no significant association with
      obesity, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. In the
      logistic regression analysis, rs574603859 had a lower odds ratio (0.238; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.076-0.745, adjusted for age, sex, and research area) and
      the other SNPs had higher odds ratios for association with stroke. CONCLUSIONS:
      This was the first study to investigate the relationships between ADM receptor
      genes (RAMP2 and CLR) and stroke in the light of gene-environment interactions in
      human.

PMID- 28904256
TI  - Current Surgical Outcomes of Congenital Heart Surgery for Patients With Down
      Syndrome in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current surgical outcomes of congenital heart surgery for patients
      with Down syndrome are unclear.Methods and Results:Of 29,087 operations between
      2008 and 2012 registered in the Japan Congenital Cardiovascular Surgery Database
      (JCCVSD), 2,651 were carried out for patients with Down syndrome (9%). Of those,
      5 major biventricular repair procedures [ventricular septal defect repair
      (n=752), atrioventricular septal defect repair (n=452), patent ductus arteriosus
      closure (n=184), atrial septal defect repair (n=167), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
      repair (n=108)], as well as 2 major single ventricular palliations [bidirectional
      Glenn (n=21) and Fontan operation (n=25)] were selected and their outcomes were
      compared. The 90-day and in-hospital mortality rates for all 5 major
      biventricular repair procedures and bidirectional Glenn were similarly low in
      patients with Down syndrome compared with patients without Down syndrome. On the
      other hand, mortality after Fontan operation in patients with Down syndrome was
      significantly higher than in patients without Down syndrome (42/1,558=2.7% vs.
      3/25=12.0%, P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Although intensive management of pulmonary
      hypertension is essential, analysis of the JCCVSD revealed favorable early
      prognostic outcomes after 5 major biventricular procedures and bidirectional
      Glenn in patients with Down syndrome. Indication of the Fontan operation for
      patients with Down syndrome should be carefully decided.

PMID- 28904257
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Blood Urea Nitrogen in Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior studies have shown an association between high blood urea
      nitrogen (BUN) and an elevated risk of mortality in heart failure patients, but
      data on the prognostic significance of BUN and other markers of kidney function
      in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients are sparse.Methods and Results:A total of
      3,355 AIS patients were enrolled from December 2013 to May 2014, across 22
      hospitals. Admission BUN was divided into quartiles (Q1, <4.39 mmol/L; Q2, >=4.39
      and <5.40 mmol/L; Q3, >=5.40 and <6.70 mmol/L and Q4, >=6.70 mmol/L) and
      estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), creatinine (Cr) and BUN/Cr were also
      categorized. Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression models were used to
      estimate the effect of BUN, eGFR, Cr and BUN/Cr on all-cause in-hospital
      mortality and poor outcome on discharge (modified Rankin Scale score >=3) in AIS
      patients. During hospitalization, 120 patients (3.6%) died from all causes and
      1,287 (38.4%) had poor outcome at discharge. BUN was independently associated
      with all-cause in-hospital mortality (adjusted HR for Q4 vs. Q1, 3.75; 95% CI:
      1.53-9.21; P-trend=0.003) but not poor outcome at discharge (P-trend=0.229). No
      significant association was found, however, between reduced eGFR, increased Cr
      and BUN/Cr and all-cause in-hospital mortality and poor outcome at discharge (all
      P-trend >=0.169). CONCLUSIONS: Increased BUN at admission is a significant
      prognostic factor associated with in-hospital mortality in AIS patients, but not
      with poor discharge outcome.

PMID- 28904258
TI  - Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among sonographers in China:
      results from a national web-based survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of present study were to determine the prevalence of work
      related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) among sonographers in China and to
      provide evidence for appropriate intervention measures to be taken. METHODS: A
      self-reported questionnaire was used to screen WRMSDs experienced by sonographers
      during the past 12 months. This questionnaire survey was created and hosted on
      the WeChat official account platform for sonographers. RESULTS: In the present
      study, 567 sonographers from 521 medical institutions completed the
      questionnaire. The vast majority (99.3%) of respondents reported experiencing
      symptoms of WRMSDs for at least one body region during the past 12 months. Work
      related musculoskeletal pain or discomfort was most frequently reported for the
      neck (95.1%), right shoulder (84.1%), lower back (82.4%), right wrist/hand
      (81.0%), upper back (78.1%), right forearm/elbow (72.0%), and left shoulder
      (66.1%). Scanning hours per day, number of patients per day, and years of
      experience were positively associated with the occurrence and frequency of
      experiencing WRMSDs of some common and specific anatomical regions. Taking a
      regular rest break during the scanning working day was associated with a
      reduction of WRMSDs of the right shoulder and right wrist/hand. Adopting a
      sitting posture while performing scanning was associated with a reduction of
      WRMSDs, particularly for the lower back and the neck. Performing regular physical
      activity during leisure time was associated with a reduction of WRMSDs of the
      neck. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of WRMSDs among sonographers in China was
      extremely high. It is necessary and essential to reduce the number of scanning
      hours and patients per day, adopt a sitting posture while performing scanning,
      schedule regular rest breaks during the scanning working day, and encourage
      performance of regular physical activity during leisure time to alleviate this
      WRMSD issue experienced by sonographers.

PMID- 28904259
TI  - Prevalence and risk factors of needle stick and sharp injury among tertiary
      hospital workers, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Health care workers (HCWs) face risks of needle stick and sharp
      injuries (NSIs). Most NSIs occur in developing countries, however, no
      epidemiological study on NSIs is publicly available in Lao PDR. The objective of
      this study is to identify the prevalence and risk factors of NSIs among HCWs in
      Lao PDR. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the
      prevalence and risk factors of NSIs among four tertiary hospitals in Vientiane,
      Lao People's Democratic Republic. RESULTS: Six months before the survey, 11.4%
      (106/932) of hospital staff had experienced NSIs, while 42.1% did in their entire
      career. Key protective factors of NSIs among nurses included adequate
      availability of needles, syringes, and sharp equipment (p = 0.042; odds ratio
      [OR], 0.47) and attendance to educational or refresher courses on safety
      regarding NSIs (p = 0.038; OR, 0.50). As an on-site practice, single-handed
      recapping was prevalent (46.7%, 257/550) among participants. CONCLUSIONS: The
      result showed that high rates of NSIs persist among HCWs. The findings of this
      research call for comprehensive health and injection safety programs for HCWs
      involved in clinical practice.

PMID- 28904260
TI  - Impaired beta-cell function and decreased insulin sensitivity in subjects with
      normal oral glucose tolerance but isolated high glycosylated hemoglobin.
AB  - The pathophysiology is distinct in various state of glucose metabolism
      abnormalities. As the defect of individuals with normal oral glucose tolerance
      (NGT) but isolated high glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), i.e. iHH, was ambiguous,
      we aimed to investigate the insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function of iHH.
      According to the ADA criteria of HbA1c cut-off point (5.7%), 3,517 subjects with
      NGT screened from a total of 7,855 middle-aged and elderly Chinese without known
      diabetes were divided into two groups, 1,877 subjects with HbA1c < 5.7% and 1,640
      with HbA1c >= 5.7% (i.e. iHH). A variety of indexes from blood glucose and
      insulin levels of oral glucose tolerance were calculated to evaluate insulin
      sensitivity and beta-cell function. Compared with subjects with HbA1c < 5.7%,
      individuals with iHH had increased homeostasis model assessment of insulin
      resistance (HOMA-IR), early-phase and total insulin release indexes (insulin
      release index 30 min and 120 min, i.e. INRS30 and INSR120), and decreased Matsuda
      insulin sensitivity index (Matsuda ISI) and early-phase disposition index (DI30).
      After adjustment for confounding factors, the significant difference of HOMA-IR
      and INSR30 between the two groups vanished, however, Matsuda ISI and DI30
      remained significantly lower and INSR120 was still higher in iHH group compared
      with HbA1c < 5.7%. In conculsion, subjects with NGT may not be perfectly healthy
      in glycometabolism, those with iHH have impaired early-phase beta-cell function
      and decreased insulin sensitivity.

PMID- 28904261
TI  - Chemical immobilization of free-ranging and captive Sunda clouded leopards
      (Neofelis diardi) with two anesthetic protocols: medetomidine-ketamine and
      tiletamine-zolazepam.
AB  - There is currently no available information regarding the veterinary management
      of Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi), either in captivity or in the wild.
      In this study, 12 Sunda clouded leopards were anesthetized between January 2008
      and February 2014 for medical exams, and/or GPS-collaring. Seven wild-caught
      individuals were kept in captivity and 5 free-ranging animals were captured by
      cage traps. Two anesthesia combinations were used: medetomidine-ketamine (M-K) or
      tiletamine-zolazepam (T-Z). Atipamezole (0.2 mg/kg im) was used as an antagonist
      for medetomidine. Medetomidine (range: 0.039-0.054 mg/kg) and ketamine (range: 3
      4.39 mg/kg) were administered during 5 immobilizations, resulting in median
      induction times of 7 min. After a median anesthesia time of 56 min, atipamezole
      was injected, observing effects of antagonism at a median time of 12 min. T-Z
      (range: 6.8-10.8 mg/kg) was administered on 7 occasions. Median induction times
      observed with this combination were shorter than with M-K (4 min vs 7 min;
      P=0.04), and anesthesia and recovery times were significantly longer (244 and 35
      min vs 56 and 16 min, respectively; P=0.02). Lower heart rates were measured in
      the M-K group, while lower rectal temperatures were found in the T-Z group. Both
      combinations resulted in safe and reliable immobilizations, although given the
      favorable anesthesia and recovery times of M-K, we recommend this approach over T
      Z for the veterinary handling of Sunda clouded leopards.

PMID- 28904263
TI  - Concerning Increase in Antimicrobial Resistance in Shiga Toxin-Producing
      Escherichia coli Isolated from Young Animals during 1980-2016.
AB  - This study was conducted in order to assess the antimicrobial resistance patterns
      of E. coli isolated from young animals affected between 1980 and 2016. The
      selected isolates for this study (n=175) carried stx1/stx2 genes and the most
      prevalent type of pathogenic E. coli found belonged to serogroup O101, antigen
      (K99)-F41 positive. All STEC-positive isolates were tested for susceptibility to
      11 antimicrobials. Multidrug resistance (MDR) increased from 11% during the 1980s
      to 40% between 2000 and 2016. Resistance to tetracycline and streptomycin was the
      most frequent co-resistance phenotype (37%). Co-resistance to tetracycline and
      sulfonamide was found in 21% of E. coli isolates, while the MDR pattern to
      tetracycline, sulfonamide, and streptomycin was observed in 12% of the strains
      tested. Only 8% of isolates were co-resistant to tetracycline, ampicillin,
      streptomycin, and sulfonamide. The most common resistance genes found were those
      encoding for tetracycline, sulphonamides, and streptomycin, with 54% (n=95) of
      the tested isolates containing at least one of the genes encoding tetracycline
      resistance. A total of 87% of E. coli that tested positive for tetracycline
      (tetA, tetB, and tetC) and sulphonamide (sul1) resistance genes were isolated
      between 2000 and 2016. A large number of isolates (n=21) carried int1 and a
      nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that all class 1 integron gene cassettes
      carried sul1, tet, and dfrA1 resistance genes. An increase was observed in the
      level of resistance to antimicrobials in Romania, highlighting the urgent need
      for a surveillance and prevention system for antimicrobial resistance in
      livestock in Eastern Europe.

PMID- 28904262
TI  - Biodegradation of Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Effects on
      Biodegradability under Co-Existing Conditions.
AB  - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major pollutants that are found in
      contaminated sites, particularly in developed countries such as Japan. Various
      microorganisms that degrade individual VOCs have been reported, and genomic
      information related to their phylogenetic classification and VOC-degrading
      enzymes is available. However, the biodegradation of multiple VOCs remains a
      challenging issue. Practical sites, such as chemical factories, research
      facilities, and illegal dumping sites, are often contaminated with multiple VOCs.
      In order to investigate the potential of biodegrading multiple VOCs, we initially
      reviewed the biodegradation of individual VOCs. VOCs include chlorinated ethenes
      (tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride), BTEX
      (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), and chlorinated methanes (carbon
      tetrachloride, chloroform, and dichloromethane). We also summarized essential
      information on the biodegradation of each kind of VOC under aerobic and anaerobic
      conditions, together with the microorganisms that are involved in VOC-degrading
      pathways. Interactions among multiple VOCs were then discussed based on concrete
      examples. Under conditions in which multiple VOCs co-exist, the biodegradation of
      a VOC may be constrained, enhanced, and/or unaffected by other compounds. Co
      metabolism may enhance the degradation of other VOCs. In contrast, constraints
      are imposed by the toxicity of co-existing VOCs and their by-products, catabolite
      repression, or competition between VOC-degrading enzymes. This review provides
      fundamental, but systematic information for designing strategies for the
      bioremediation of multiple VOCs, as well as information on the role of key
      microorganisms that degrade VOCs.

PMID- 28904264
TI  - Zoonotic Potential and Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli in Neonatal
      Calves in Uruguay.
AB  - Escherichia coli is one of the main etiological agents of neonatal calf diarrhea
      (NCD). The objective of this study was to assess the presence of virulence genes,
      genetic diversity, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms in E. coli associated
      with NCD in Uruguay. PCR was used to assess the presence of intimin, Shiga-like
      toxin, and stable and labile enterotoxin genes. Resistance to fluoroquinolones
      and oxyimino-cephalosporins was estimated on Muller-Hinton agar plates. Further
      antibiotic disc-diffusion tests were performed to assess bacterial multi
      resistance. The presence of PMQR, ESBL, MCR-1, and integron genes was evaluated.
      Isolates were typed using ERIC-PCR, and 20 were selected for MLST, adhesion to
      Hep-2 cells, in vitro biofilm formation, and eukaryotic cytotoxicity. The
      prevalence of ETEC genes was lower than 3% in each case (estA and elt). Six
      isolates were EPEC (eae+) and 2 were EHEC/STEC (eae+/stx1+). The results of a
      diversity analysis showed high genetic heterogenicity among isolates.
      Additionally, different sequence types, including ST10, ST21, and ST69, were
      assigned to selected isolates. Thirty-six percent (96/264) of the isolates were
      fluoroquinolone-resistant, with 61/96 (63.5%) being multidrug-resistant.
      Additionally, 6 were oxyimino-cephalosporin-resistant. The qnrB, qnrS1, and
      blaCTX-M-14 genes were detected, whereas no isolates carried the mcr-1 gene.
      Isolates had the ability to adhere to Hep-2 cells and form biofilms. Only 1
      isolate expressed toxins in vitro. E. coli from NCD cases in Uruguay are very
      diverse, potentially virulent, and may interact with eukaryotic cells. Zoonotic
      potential, together with resistance traits and the presence of horizontal
      transfer mechanisms, may play a significant role in infections caused by these
      microorganisms.

PMID- 28904265
TI  - Changes in Gut Microbial Ecology and Immunological Responses of Mice Fed the
      Insoluble Fraction of Brassica rapa L. that was Fermented or Not.
AB  - We aimed to investigate the effects of feeding fermented Brassica rapa L. on
      ecological and immunological changes in the mouse gut using in vitro cultivation
      tests and in vivo experiments in normal mice. In the preliminary in vitro study,
      two B. rapa L. products from different fermentation periods (one d [SF] or six
      months [LF]) were evaluated along with non-fermented vegetables (NF). Among the
      components of each product, the insoluble fraction resulted in the most prominent
      change such as a relative increase in butyrate production during a cultivation
      inoculated with mouse cecum contents. Based on this result, the boiled water
      insoluble fractions of B. rapa L. (SF, LF, and NF samples) were selected as test
      materials for the subsequent in vivo experiment. Male C57BL/6J mice were divided
      into four groups and fed either a control diet (CON) or control diet plus one of
      the insoluble fractions for two weeks. The NF and LF groups had higher relative
      populations of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii than the CON group. Therefore,
      colonic butyrate concentrations were higher in the NF and LF groups than in the
      CON group. The oral administration of B. rapa L. extract induced immune
      regulatory effects, even when mice were fed NF and SF, but not LF, as assessed by
      an increase in regulatory T cell numbers. Our results indicate that feeding a
      purified insoluble fraction from B. rapa L. affects enteric short-chain fatty
      acid production and immunological responses in the mouse gut in a similar manner,
      regardless of the fermentation status.

PMID- 28904266
TI  - Clinical Impact of Main Pulmonary Artery Dilatation on Outcome in Pediatric
      Idiopathic and Heritable Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the clinical impact of pulmonary artery
      (PA) dilatation on outcomes in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (PAH).Methods and Results:This study investigated the clinical outcomes of
      idiopathic or heritable PAH in 66 children aged <18 years at diagnosis. Main
      PA/thorax (MPA/T) ratio was measured on chest radiography in PAH patients.
      Patients were divided into 2 groups based on MPA/T ratio, and compared with a
      control group of 166 age- and gender-matched healthy children. Group A had higher
      MPA/T ratio than normal, and group B had normal MPA/T ratio. Composite outcomes
      included cardiac death, lung transplantation, and hospitalization due to heart
      failure. Group A consisted of 27 patients and group B, 39 patients. At diagnosis,
      group A had significantly higher brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiothoracic
      ratio, PA pressure, and pulmonary vascular resistance index compared with group
      B. The number of patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class
      III and IV was significantly higher in group A than in group B. Cumulative event
      free survival rate was significantly lower in group A. CONCLUSIONS: MPA
      dilatation correlated with BNP, NYHA functional class, and hemodynamics with
      regard to disease severity, and may be a potential prognostic factor in pediatric
      idiopathic and heritable PAH.

PMID- 28904267
TI  - Trends in Hospitalizations for Cardiac Sarcoidosis in the United States, 2005
      2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a life-threatening disease that is
      frequently under-diagnosed.Methods and Results:We used a nationwide inpatient
      sample to identify CS patients from 2005 to 2011 in the USA. The annual
      admissions of CS increased from 1,108 in 2005 to 2,182 in 2011, representing a 2
      fold rise over a short time. The proportions of CS patients with severe
      comorbidities, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and heart
      failure all increased from 2005 to 2011. However, the in-hospital mortality rate
      declined. CONCLUSIONS: An increasing trend of CS was observed. Cardiologists
      should notice that CS is not as rare as thought.

PMID- 28904269
TI  - The Effectiveness of Specific Risk Mitigation Techniques Used in the Production
      and Handling of Manufactured Nanomaterials: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Many kinds of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) have been developed and used as
      basic materials of industrial products, and they may pose health risks for
      workers in not only developed countries but also in developing countries. Few
      studies have looked at the evidence for effects of controls that mitigate the
      risk of exposure to MNMs. Therefore, we systematically searched the literature
      from the year 2000 to 2015. We included studies that compared the use of an
      exposure control to the situation without such a technique and those that
      measured the exposure to MNMs as the outcome. In order to evaluate the
      effectiveness of these controls, we used their "protection factor", defined as
      the ratio between concentrations without and with the control. We located 1,131
      references in PubMed and other lists, and out of these references, 41 studies
      fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We categorized them as engineering controls
      such as enclosure, local exhaust ventilation or process automation, and as
      personal protective equipment (PPE). For enclosure systems we found a protection
      factor beyond 100. For other engineering controls, the better controls scored 10
      to 20, but many cases of local exhaust ventilation had a protection factor of
      less than 10 and some cases even increased exposure. PPE such as N95 or
      equivalent filtering respirators had a protection factor of approximately 10
      tested with nano-sized aerosols. We conclude that there is low quality evidence
      that specific engineering controls can reduce exposure to MNMs but that enclosure
      is considerably more effective. For respiratory protection the evidence is of
      very low quality due to the lack of field studies. This information can be used
      to decide about controls when exposure to MNMs exceeds proposed occupational
      exposure limits or when no toxicological information is available for a MNM.

PMID- 28904270
TI  - Comparison of Chemicals in Mainstream Smoke in Heat-not-burn Tobacco and
      Combustion Cigarettes.
AB  - Because of the health effects of secondhand smoke, the Japanese government is
      trying to establish an effective law for total avoidance of secondhand smoke in
      indoor environments for tobacco-free Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games 2020, as
      requested by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Health
      Organization (WHO). Meanwhile, Philip Morris International has begun selling a
      new heat-not-burn tobacco, iQOS, which it claims is designed not to produce
      secondhand smoke. There is little scientific data, however, of the hazards and
      toxicity of iQOS. In this study, we evaluated several harmful compounds
      (nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide (CO) and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs))
      in the mainstream smoke and fillers of iQOS, and compared their concentrations
      with those from conventional combustion cigarettes. The concentrations of
      nicotine in tobacco fillers and the mainstream smoke of iQOS were almost the same
      as those of conventional combustion cigarettes, while the concentration of TSNAs
      was one fifth and CO was one hundredth of those of conventional combustion
      cigarettes. These toxic compounds are not completely removed from the mainstream
      smoke of iQOS, making it necessary to consider the health effects and regulation
      of iQOS.

PMID- 28904271
TI  - Frequent Oxygen Desaturation During Sleep on the Day of Bronchoscopy Evaluated by
      Continuous Pulse Oximeter Monitoring.
AB  - To perform a bronchoscopy safely, it is very important to make a risk assessment
      before and after the procedure. There have been no reports of hypoxemia during
      sleep on the day after a bronchoscopic examination; therefore, we evaluated the
      oxygen saturation status during sleep on the days before and after bronchoscopy.
      Thirty patients that underwent bronchoscopy were studied. Continuous pulse
      oximetry monitoring was performed on the day before bronchoscopy and the day when
      the bronchoscopy was performed. The average oxygen saturation levels and the
      oxygen desaturation index (ODI) were evaluated. There was a significant increase
      (P < 0.05) in the ODI-3% during sleep on the day of the bronchoscopy compared to
      the day before the bronchoscopy. Clinicians should pay careful attention to
      hypoxia not only during bronchoscopy, but also during sleep on the night
      following the procedure.

PMID- 28904272
TI  - The Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Stroke Impact Scale
      Version 3.0.
AB  - It is important to evaluate body functions and structures, activity, and
      participation in stroke rehabilitation. The Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), a new
      stroke-specific self-report measure that was developed by Duncan et al, is widely
      used to measure multidimensional consequences about health-related quality of
      life. The SIS version 3.0 includes 9 domains (strength, hand function, activity
      of daily living and instrumental activity of daily living, mobility,
      communication, emotion, memory and thinking, participation, and recovery).
      Patients are asked to make a percentage rating of their recovery since their
      stroke on a visual analog scale of 0 to 100 for the stroke recovery domain. Each
      item in the 8 domains other than stroke recovery are scored in a range of 1 to 5
      as a raw score and calculated using the manual to a final score. We developed a
      Japanese version of the SIS version 3.0 and assessed its reliability and validity
      in 32 chronic stroke survivors. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha <
      0.70) was satisfactory. The test-retest reliability (ICC, 0.86 to 0.96) was also
      satisfactory. Regarding convergent validity, a significant correlation
      (Spearman's correlation coefficient, P < 0.05) was found between the SIS physical
      domain score and Brunnstrom stage (r, 0.49 to 0.53) and short form 8 (r = 0.82).
      The Japanese version of the SIS version 3.0 is valid, reliable, and clinically
      useful for stroke survivors.

PMID- 28904273
TI  - A Review of 7 Cases of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Pediatric
      Cholecystolithiasis.
AB  - Pediatric cholecystolithiasis is a relatively rare disease, but it is recently
      increasing in Japan. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a standard procedure
      for cholecystolithiasis not only in adults but also in children, and we are
      aggressively introducing single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) at
      our hospital. We reviewed the patient characteristics, operation procedures and
      outcomes of 7 children (15 years old and under) with cholecystolithiasis who
      underwent LC in our hospital between August 1995 and December 2015. The 7
      patients included 5 males and 2 females, with a mean age of 8 years 6 months.
      Underlying diseases were found in 5 patients (cerebral palsy in 2 patients,
      pancreaticobiliary maljunction with common bile duct stones in 1, acute
      lymphocytic leukemia in 1, hereditary stomatocytosis in 1), and none were found
      in the other 2. LC (3 conventional LC and 2 SILC) was performed in 5 of the
      patients. Laparoscopic choledocholithotomy was performed in 1 patient and
      laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) was performed in 1 patient at the same time. The
      mean operative time in all the cases of LC was 108 (70-140) minutes (conventional
      LC 113 (70-140) min, SILC 100 (90-100) min). Intraoperative cholangiography was
      performed in 4 cases and omitted in 3 cases. The only postoperative complication
      was a wound infection in 1 patient. The umbilical skin incision length in the
      SILC was 2.0 cm. We conclude that LC can be safely performed for children with
      cholecsytolithiasis, and that SILC is feasible and advantageous in terms of its
      improved cosmesis.

PMID- 28904274
TI  - Factors Relating to Self-Efficacy Among Psychiatric Nurses.
AB  - This study aimed to clarify the factors related to self-efficacy experienced by
      psychiatric nurses. Analysis of qualitative descriptive data from a free self
      description questionnaire administered to 16 psychiatric nurses working in
      psychiatric hospitals revealed 24 codes across the following 8 categories as
      factors that increase self-efficacy: A1. possibility of practical use in nursing,
      A2. nursing judgment, A3. improvement of psychiatric symptoms, A4. the patients
      presenting a positive attitude, A5. building a relationship of trust with the
      patients, A6. building a relationship of trust with other nurses, A7. work
      progressing according to plan and A8. team medical practice. Twenty-five codes
      across the following 10 categories were identified as factors that decrease self
      efficacy: B1. lack of communication, B2. uncertainty in caregiving, B3.
      recurrence of psychiatric symptoms, B4. feeling overpowered by a patient, B5.
      sense of being too busy to work adequately, B6. difficulty in bringing about self
      improvement, B7. sense of loss regarding one's role as a nurse, B8. lack of
      physical strength, B9. mechanical performance of nursing and B10. fluctuating
      view of nursing due to mistakes. These factors require intervention for
      psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy.

PMID- 28904275
TI  - Family-Centered Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Combining Intensive Care
      and Family Support.
AB  - Advances in treatment in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) for preterm and
      sick newborns have improved the mortality rate of patients, but admission to the
      NICU may disrupt parent-infant interaction, with adverse consequences for infants
      and their families because of physical, psychological, and emotional separation.
      The concept of family centered care (FCC), in which family members are part of
      the care team and infants are close to the family, is important and has become
      popular in NICU. In 2013, we created a team called "Kodomo-Kazoku Mannaka" to
      promote FCC in Japan, and visited the NICU at Uppsala University Hospital in
      Sweden, which is internationally famous for FCC. Since this fruitful visit, we
      have been promoting FCC in Japan by exhibitions and presentations of the FCC
      ideas at academic conferences and using internet services. A questionnaire survey
      conducted in 2015 revealed that the importance and the benefits of FCC in NICU
      are recognized, although there are some barriers to FCC in each facility. It is
      hard to change facilities and social systems right away, but it is easier and
      more important to change people's minds. Our role is to spread the concept of FCC
      and to help each facility find its own way to adopt it. We will continue to make
      efforts encourage to promote FCC in Japan.

PMID- 28904276
TI  - A Case of Acromegaly in which a Pituitary Gland Tumor was Reduced Significantly
      by Administering Octreotide Long Acting Release (LAR) and Could Be Removed
      Surgically.
AB  - A 54-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for detailed examination of
      acromegaly because she noticed bilateral hand and finger swelling at the age of
      43 and plantar thickening, facial changes and unclear articulation at the age of
      49. She had prominent brow ridges, mandibular protrusion, and enlargement of the
      hands, feet, nasal wings, lips and tongue. Her growth hormone (GH) level was 39.8
      ng/ml, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level was 717 ng/ml, GH level was not
      suppressed (22.9 ng/ml) during a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
      Radiography showed cauliflower-like enlargement of the distal phalanx of the
      fingers, thickening/enlargement of the plantar soft tissues, and increased antero
      posterior diameter of the sella turcica. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass
      (21*17 mm) growing towards the right suprasellar region and invading the
      cavernous sinus. She was diagnosed with acromegaly based on the characteristic
      physical findings, GH excess, high IGF-1, lack of GH suppression during the 75-g
      OGTT, and the presence of a pituitary tumor. She was started on octreotide long
      acting release (Oct-LAR) 20 mg/4w for tumor shrinkage. After three doses, her GH
      and IGF-1 levels decreased to 2.19 ng/ml (1.69 during the 75-g OGTT) and 205
      ng/ml, respectively, meeting cure criteria for acromegaly. In this case, a
      decrease in GH and IGF-1 levels, tumor shrinkage, and resolution of cavernous
      sinus invasion allowed the patient to undergo surgery with curative intent (the
      first-line treatment for acromegaly) without postoperative complications. Thus,
      preoperative Oct-LAR administration has the potential to improve treatment
      outcomes of acromegaly.

PMID- 28904277
TI  - Announcement of the 35th Annual Meeting of the UOEH Association of Health
      Sciences and the 29th National Conference of the Research Association for the
      Promotion of Occupational Medicine.

PMID- 28904278
TI  - ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVAL DISORDERS AND THE BARRIER FUNCTION OF CONJUNCTIVA, FOCUSING
      ON TEARS AND CALT.

PMID- 28904279
TI  - ENDOTYPES OF NEUTROPHILIC AIRWAY INFLAMMATION.

PMID- 28904280
TI  - FOOD-DEPENDENT EXERCISE-INDUCED ANAPHYLAXIS DUE TO INGESTION OF MIKAN (CITRUS
      UNSHIU).
AB  - A 12-year-old girl was referred to our hospital owing to repeated anaphylactic
      reactions induced by exercise after meals. Food-dependent exercise-induced
      anaphylaxis (FDEIAn) was suspected. However, sequential tests of typical foods,
      including egg, milk, soy, and wheat, in combination with exercise, were all
      negative.The results of the skin prick test (SPT) for Citrus unshiu and specific
      IgE test for orange and grapefruit were positive. Although no symptoms were noted
      after an exercise challenge combined with the ingestion of only Citrus unshiu, an
      anaphylactic reaction was induced by additional acetyl-salicylic acid. From these
      results, she was diagnosed with FDEIAn due to the ingestion of Citrus unshiu.
      Because the SPT results for other citrus fruits (including orange, grapefruit,
      lemon, yuzu, sudachi, ponkan, and iyokan) were all positive, it was suggested
      that these fruits demonstrate cross-reactivity with each other. Since the girl
      eliminated citrus fruits from her diet, she has not developed any anaphylactic
      symptoms. Citrus fruits are not known to cause FDEIAn, but the findings of this
      case suggest that it is necessary to recognize them as a causative allergen of
      FDEIAn.

PMID- 28904281
TI  - YKL-40.

PMID- 28904282
TI  - Autophagy.

PMID- 28904283
TI  - RELATION BETWEEN ADULT ASTHMA AND UNDERWEIGHT-NECESSITY TO REVEAL ITS MECHANISM.

PMID- 28904284
TI  - OBESITY AND ASTHMA IN CHILDHOOD.

PMID- 28904285
TI  - OBESITY AND ATOPIC DERMATITIS, ALLERGIC RHINITIS.

PMID- 28904286
TI  - THE BRIEF COMMENTARY ON GUIDELINES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF ATOPIC DERMATITIS 2015 -
      FORCUSING ON THE BIOMARKER AND SKIN CARE.

PMID- 28904287
TI  - SKIN BARRIER AND EPIDERMAL DENDRITIC CELLS IN ATOPIC DERMATITIS.

PMID- 28904288
TI  - Alpha-PVP induces the rewarding effect via activating dopaminergic neuron.
AB  - A synthetic cathinone, 1-phenyl-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-pentanone (alpha-PVP), was
      occasionally found in the "bath salt" type of designer drugs, as an active
      ingredient. It has been reported that drivers who consumed alpha-PVP were in an
      excited state and incapable of controlling their behavior, causing traffic
      accidents. Despite its acute excitatory effects, there is no information on the
      psychological dependency elicited by alpha-PVP use. The purpose of the present
      study was to clarify whether the reward pathway is activated with repeated doses
      of alpha-PVP in experimental animals. Treatment of male C57BL/6j mice with alpha
      PVP (25 mg/kg, i.p.), once a day, for 3 days significantly increased the
      conditioned place preference scores. Therefore, repeated doses of alpha-PVP were
      shown to induce palatability in mice. alpha-PVP increases extracellular dopamine
      levels in the nucleus accumbens shell immediately after administration. The
      number of cells immunopositive for phosphorylated cAMP-regulatory element binding
      protein (CREB) was significantly increased in the alpha-PVP-treated mice in our
      study. These results indicate that the administration of alpha-PVP activates the
      phosphorylation of CREB in the nucleus accumbens shell. Our results suggest that
      alpha-PVP stimulates the reward pathway by increasing the extracellular dopamine
      levels and CREB phosphorylation in the nucleus accumbens shell, eventually
      causing positive reinforcement in mice.

PMID- 28904289
TI  - Restoration of YAP activation rescues HL-1 cardiomyocytes from apoptotic death by
      ethanol.
AB  - We reported previously that when mouse atrium-derived HL-1 cardiomyocytes undergo
      apoptosis upon exposure to 2% ethanol, the cellular cytoskeleton is severely
      disrupted and the anti-apoptotic transcriptional co-activator Yes-associated
      protein (YAP) is inactivated. Consistent with our previous observations, the
      expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), an anti-apoptotic growth
      factor and a target of YAP, decreases in a time-dependent manner during exposure
      to 2% ethanol. The restoration of YAP activation rescues the cells from
      apoptosis: both the retrovirus-mediated expression of constitutively active YAP
      and the stabilization of the actomyosin cytoskeleton by jasplakinolide prevent
      cell death. In contrast, YAP inhibitors have no effect on cell death, confirming
      the inactivation of YAP in ethanol-exposed cells. Thus, a decrease in actin
      tension and YAP inactivation should be crucially involved in the cytotoxicity of
      ethanol on HL-1 cardiomyocytes.

PMID- 28904290
TI  - Copper diethyldithiocarbamate as an inhibitor of tissue plasminogen activator
      synthesis in cultured human coronary endothelial cells.
AB  - Recent developments have shown that organic-inorganic hybrid molecules have the
      potential to provide useful tools for analyzing biological systems. In the case
      of fibrinolysis, which is the phenomenon whereby fibrin is degraded by plasmin
      that has been converted from plasminogen via tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA)
      secreted from vascular endothelial cells, we hypothesized that there may be
      organic-inorganic hybrid molecules that could be used to analyze the mechanisms
      by which endothelial fibrinolysis is regulated. In our present study, we found
      that a copper complex - copper diethyldithiocarbamate (Cu10) - reduces t-PA
      activity in a conditioned medium of cultured human coronary endothelial cells by
      inhibiting the t-PA synthesis without changing the synthesis of plasminogen
      activator inhibitor type 1, which is a t-PA inhibitor. Copper sulfate, the Cu10
      ligand, and zinc/iron complexes with the same Cu10 ligand, did not exhibit such
      biological activity. These results indicate that Cu10 has the potential to
      provide a useful tool for finding alternative pathways that downregulate
      endothelial t-PA synthesis.

PMID- 28904291
TI  - Concentration-dependent roles of DMT1 and ZIP14 in cadmium absorption in Caco-2
      cells.
AB  - Intestinal absorption of cadmium (Cd) is considered to be mediated mainly by the
      ferrous iron transporter DMT1, or the calcium transporter CaT1. The roles of zinc
      transporters such as ZIP8 and ZIP14 remain unclear, and the roles of these four
      transporters in the intestinal uptake of Cd under physiological conditions have
      not been compared. Here, we used a trans-well cell culture system to investigate
      the effects of the down-regulation of these four transporters on the uptake of Cd
      from the apical side of enterocytes. We used a Caco-2-kh cell line that can form
      tight junctions within a few days. The transfection of DMT1 siRNA significantly
      decreased the Cd uptake from the apical side at 5 MUM, but not at 0.1 or 1 MUM.
      The transfection of ZIP14 siRNA markedly decreased the Cd uptake at 0.1 and 1
      MUM, but not at 5 MUM. The transfection of siRNA of CaT1 or ZIP8 did not alter
      the Cd uptake at any concentrations of Cd examined. These results suggest that
      DMT1 and ZIP14 play different roles in intestinal Cd absorption depending on the
      concentration of Cd.

PMID- 28904292
TI  - Development of a modified 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Test protocol for
      evaluation of poorly water-soluble substances.
AB  - The 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test (OECD TG432) is an alternative
      phototoxicity test method that is relatively easy and rapid to implement, with
      results obtainable in a short time, and is reported to have high reproducibility
      compared with in vivo assay methods. However, this method has been shown to be
      unsuitable for testing poorly water-soluble substances, which tend to separate
      out when mixed with the assay buffer solution. This causes difficulties in
      determining the dose dependency of substances and subsequent determination of the
      photoirritation factor because the ratio of cell viability, expressed as the half
      maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) in the presence or absence of light, is
      not calculable. In this study, we investigated the optimum conditions for the
      evaluation of poorly water-soluble substances. In the conventional method, the
      final solvent concentration was 1% and the pre-incubation time was 60 min, but in
      the modified method, 10% and 5 min were used, respectively. Next, the results
      from the conventional method were compared with those of our modified method,
      which was found to be viable and comparable with the conventional method.
      Moreover, the false positive results frequently obtained with poorly water
      soluble substances in the conventional method were not evident with the modified
      method, thus confirming its usefulness for the evaluation of such substances. We
      therefore propose that the modified method can be used for the in vitro testing
      of poorly water-soluble substances in phototoxicity evaluations.

PMID- 28904293
TI  - Characteristics of electromechanical window in anesthetized rabbit models of
      short QT and long QT syndromes.
AB  - The current regulatory guidelines recommend the use of QT interval to assess the
      risk of arrhythmogenic potential of new chemical entities. Recently, the
      electromechanical window (EMW), the difference in duration between electrical and
      mechanical systole, has been proposed as markers for drug-induced torsades de
      pointes (TdP); however, data of EMW in short QT model are not available. This
      study aimed to characterize the EMW as a marker for drug-induced ventricular
      arrhythmias in anesthetized rabbit model of long QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2) and
      short QT syndrome (SQTS) infused with reference compounds known to lengthen or
      shorten QT intervals. After rabbits were anesthetized with isoflurane, body
      surface electrocardiograms and left ventricular pressure were recorded. The LQT2
      was produced by intravenous infusion with dofetilide (n = 6), quinidine (n = 6)
      and sotalol (n = 6) whereas the SQTS was induced by intravenous escalating
      concentrations of nicorandil (n = 7), pinacidil (n = 5) and cromakalim (n = 5).
      The EMW in anesthetized rabbits ranged from 1.3 to 53.3 msec. All three drugs
      known to lengthen QT intervals prolonged QT and QTcF interval while the EMW was
      markedly decreased to negative values. Pinacidil significantly produced QT and
      QTcF shortening and significantly abbreviated the EMW (p < 0.05). This study
      demonstrated that the EMW is associated with QT intervals (p < 0.001). It is
      negative in the presence of QT-prolonging drugs while it is more positive in the
      presence of QT-shortening drugs. The results suggest that the EMW in anesthetized
      rabbits can be used in drug safety evaluation in addition to the QT interval.

PMID- 28904294
TI  - Assessment of amiodarone-induced phospholipidosis in chimeric mice with a
      humanized liver.
AB  - It is important to consider susceptibility to drug-induced toxicity between
      animals and humans. Chimeric mice with a humanized liver are expected to predict
      hepatotoxicity in humans. Drug-induced phospholipidosis (DIPL), in which
      phospholipids accumulate, is a known entity. In this study, we examined whether
      chimeric mice can reveal species differences in DIPL. Changes in various
      phosphatidylcholine (PhC) molecules were investigated in the liver of chimeric
      mice after administering amiodarone, which induces phospholipidosis. Liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry revealed that levels of PhCs tended to
      increase in the liver after administration of amiodarone. The liver of chimeric
      mice consists of human hepatocytes and residual mouse hepatocytes. We used
      imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to evaluate the increase of PhCs in human and
      mouse hepatocytes after administration of amiodarone. IMS visualizes localization
      of endogenous and exogenous molecules in tissues. The IMS analysis suggested that
      the localized levels of several PhCs tended to be higher in the human hepatocytes
      than those in mouse hepatocytes, and PhC levels changed in response to
      amiodarone. Chimeric mice with a humanized liver will be useful to evaluate
      species differences in DIPL between mice and humans.

PMID- 28904295
TI  - Multidirectional analyses of hepatic chronotoxicity induced by cadmium in mice.
AB  - The expression levels or activities of biological defense factors can fluctuate
      daily following biological rhythms. We have focused on the relationship between
      injection timing and the degree of toxicity of cadmium (Cd) to promote the
      concept of "chronotoxicology," which introduces chronobiology to the field of
      toxicology. Our previous studies have clearly indicated that Cd may be subject to
      chronotoxicity. In this report, to confirm the character of the Cd-induced
      chronotoxicity, we performed multidirectional examinations. Male C57BL/6J mice
      that received a single intraperitoneal injection of CdCl2 at ZT6 showed drastic
      hepatic injury estimated by histopathological analyses, i.e., nuclear
      condensations, fatty degenerations, and hemorrhages, but showed no injury when
      injected at ZT18. This difference was supported by several biochemical analyses
      that were indicators of hepatic injury (levels of alanine aminotransferase,
      aspartate aminotransferase, and malondialdehyde). The chronotoxicity of Cd was
      also observed in multiple strains (ICR and Balb/c), in a different injection
      route (subcutaneous), and in multiple injections (5 injections). Based on these
      results, we propose that chronotoxicology may provide important information not
      only for toxicology but also for occupational health, i.e., the importance of
      injection timing for toxicity evaluation tests, the reproducibility of animal
      experiments, and the improvement in the quality of risk assessments for night
      shift workers who may be exposed to toxic substances at various times of the day.

PMID- 28904296
TI  - Developmental changes in drug-metabolizing enzyme expression during metamorphosis
      of Xenopus tropicalis.
AB  - A large number of chemicals are routinely detected in aquatic environments, and
      these chemicals may adversely affect aquatic organisms. Accurate risk assessment
      requires understanding drug-metabolizing systems in aquatic organisms because
      metabolism of these chemicals is a critical determinant of chemical
      bioaccumulation and related toxicity. In this study, we evaluated mRNA expression
      levels of nuclear receptors and drug-metabolizing enzymes as well as cytochrome
      P450 (CYP) activities in pro-metamorphic tadpoles, froglets, and adult frogs to
      determine how drug-metabolizing systems are altered at different life stages. We
      found that drug-metabolizing systems in tadpoles were entirely immature, and
      therefore, tadpoles appeared to be more susceptible to chemicals compared with
      metamorphosed frogs. On the other hand, cyp1a mRNA expression and CYP1A-like
      activity were higher in tadpoles. We found that thyroid hormone (TH), which
      increases during metamorphosis, induced CYP1A-like activity. Because endogenous
      TH concentration is significantly increased during metamorphosis, endogenous TH
      would induce CYP1A-like activity in tadpoles.

PMID- 28904297
TI  - Sex differences in the excretion levels of traditional and novel urinary
      biomarkers of nephrotoxicity in rats.
AB  - Urinary biomarkers have been used widely in preclinical toxicity studies to
      detect dysfunctions and injuries of the kidney caused by drugs under development.
      While they have been well studied for evaluating nephrotoxicity, knowledge of sex
      differences in excretion levels of urinary biomarkers remains inadequate. We
      conducted experiments focused on effects of endogenous sex hormones on urinary
      biomarkers using intact and castrated male and female rats. Comparisons of the
      urinary biomarker excretion levels between intact male and female rats at 5, 7, 9
      and 12 weeks of age revealed higher excretion levels of leucine aminopeptidase
      (LAP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gammaGTP), total protein, liver-type fatty
      acid-binding protein (L-FABP), cystatin C (Cys-C) and beta2-microglobulin (beta2
      MG), and lower excretion level of kidney injury molecule 1 (Kim-1), in male rats
      as compared to female rats. Orchidectomized male rats showed lower urinary
      excretion levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), LAP, gammaGTP, N-acetyl-beta-D
      glucosaminidase (NAG), glucose, total protein, L-FABP, Cys-C, beta2-MG and
      neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and higher urinary excretion
      levels of clusterin (CLU) and Kim-1, than sham-operated male rats. On the other
      hand, no significant differences in the urinary biomarker excretion levels
      excluding ALP were observed between ovariectomized and sham-operated female rats.
      In the present study, we demonstrated the existence of sex differences in
      excretion levels of urinary biomarkers that are universally used in preclinical
      toxicity studies, and also that these differences, especially in relation to the
      urinary excretions of ALP, LAP, gammaGTP, total protein, L-FABP, Cys-C, and beta2
      MG, may closely relate to the endogenous testosterone.

PMID- 28904298
TI  - Usefulness of urinary biomarkers for nephrotoxicity in cynomolgus monkeys treated
      with gentamicin, cisplatin, and puromycin aminonucleoside.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the availability of novel urinary
      biomarkers (BMs) such as total protein, albumin, beta2-microglobulin, clusterin,
      cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) for the detection
      of acute nephrotoxicity in cynomolgus monkeys. Animals (total 9 males/3 groups)
      were administered gentamicin (GM) subcutaneously at 40 mg/kg for 7 days,
      cisplatin (CDDP) intravenously at 3 mg/kg once and puromycin aminonucleoside
      (PAN) intravenously at 20 mg/kg for 7 days. Two-hr urine on Days 0, 3, and 6, and
      16-hr urine and blood on Days 1, 4, and 7 were collected. Novel urinary BMs and
      conventional clinical pathology parameters were evaluated in parallel to
      histopathological and electron microscopic examinations on the kidneys at
      termination. Urinary BMs and enzymes increased earlier than serum creatinine and
      blood urea nitrogen, particularly in 2-hr urine after dosing on Day 0, urinary
      albumin was increased in all groups and urinary NGAL with the highest magnitude
      of change rate among urinary BMs was observed in the GM and CDDP groups.
      Degeneration/necrosis and hyaline droplet of renal tubule, cellular cast and
      dilatation of renal tubule, and hypertrophy of podocytes were observed in the
      GEN, CDDP, and PAN groups, respectively. These results showed that the increases
      of urinary BMs reflected the agent-specific renal damages and these urinary BMs
      could be useful for the detection of segment-specific nephrotoxicity. Urinary
      albumin and NGAL are the most useful BMs to estimate glomerular and distal
      tubular damages, respectively, as well as proximal tubular damage in cynomolgus
      monkeys.

PMID- 28904299
TI  - A cell-based assay using HepaRG cells for predicting drug-induced
      phospholipidosis.
AB  - The utility of HepaRG cells as an in vitro cell-based assay system for predicting
      drug-induced phospholipidosis (PLD) was investigated. In experiment 1, 10 PLD
      positive compounds and 11 PLD-negative compounds were selected. HepaRG cells were
      treated with each compound for 48 hr. In experiment 2, loratadine and
      desloratadine, a major metabolite of loratadine, were used to assess metabolic
      activation for PLD. HepaRG cells were treated with loratadine and desloratadine
      in the presence or absence of 500 MUM 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT), a broad CYP
      inhibitor, for 48 hr. After treatment with compounds in experiments 1 and 2, the
      relative fluorescence intensity (RFI) was measured using LYSO-ID Red dye to
      assess the PLD induction. In experiment 1, our cell-based assay system using
      HepaRG cells exhibited 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for predicting drug
      induced PLD. In experiment 2, loratadine increased the RFI in the PLD assay.
      However, the increase in the RFI was not observed in co-treatment with loratadine
      and ABT. In addition, desloratadine increased the RFI in the presence and absence
      of ABT. These results suggested that metabolic activation of loratadine may
      contribute to PLD in HepaRG cells. We newly demonstrated that HepaRG cells have a
      high ability for predicting drug-induced PLD. In addition, we newly showed that
      HepaRG cells may predict drug-induced PLD mediated by metabolic activation of
      loratadine. Thus, a cell-based assay system using HepaRG cells is a useful model
      for predicting drug-induced PLD.

PMID- 28904300
TI  - Hair mercury levels in relation to fish consumption among Vietnamese in Hanoi.
AB  - People are exposed to methylmercury (MeHg) mainly through fish consumption, which
      is increasing in Vietnam. However, little information is available on estimating
      the health risk of MeHg exposure through fish consumption in Vietnam. The present
      study examined the association between mercury (Hg) levels in hair and selenium
      (Se) levels in toenails of 196 Vietnamese people and their fish consumption,
      using a dietary questionnaire to obtain information pertinent for assessing
      health risk owing to MeHg exposure. The geometric mean of Hg levels in the hair
      of males and females was 617 ng/g and 575 ng/g, respectively. We found that Hg
      levels in the hair of 98% of the Vietnamese study subjects were lower than the
      provisional tolerable weekly intake for MeHg (1.6 ug Hg/kg body weight; which is
      equivalent to a hair Hg concentration of approximately 2,300 ng/g, with an
      uncertainty factor of 6.4). There were significant differences in the age
      adjusted geometric mean of Hg levels found in hair from females related to their
      frequency of freshwater fish consumption. The levels of Hg in hair and Se in
      toenails increased with an increased frequency of marine fish consumption, and
      both showed a significant positive correlation in subjects who consumed marine
      fish >= once/week. This is the first cross-sectional study to investigate the
      association between hair Hg levels and fish consumption in Vietnam. These
      findings provide valuable information for future assessments of the health risk
      of MeHg exposure through fish consumption in Vietnam.

PMID- 28904301
TI  - A case of gastric lipoma resected by endoscopic submucosa dissection with
      difficulty in preoperative diagnosis.
AB  - A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital with an increasing subepithelial
      lesion in the gastric antrum. Using esophagogastroduodenoscopy, a tumor with a
      steep, 20-mm-high rise protruding in the lumen was observed. The mucosal surface
      of the tumor was reddish, with ulcers forming at the base. Moreover, the tumor
      was mobile and soft. A biopsy specimen was taken from the ulcer, but tumor tissue
      was not collected from the submucosa. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) showed a
      high echoic mass in the submucosa. However, because the mucosal surface of the
      ulceration was red, the mesenchymal tumor with internal bleeding was inferred to
      be lipoma. Additionally, because the tumor was small, flexible, and soft,
      collecting tumor tissue under EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration was inferred as
      difficult. We were unable to make a final diagnosis because the lesion showed a
      small tumor with atypical macroscopic morphology. Therefore, endoscopic submucosa
      dissection (ESD) was chosen for the diagnostic treatment. Sodium hyaluronate
      sufficient for separation from the muscular layer was injected into the
      submucosa. Then submucosal dissection was performed just above the muscle layer.
      Results demonstrate the possibility of removing the tumor reliably without
      perforation. Pathological evaluation of the ESD specimen indicated a diagnosis of
      gastric lipoma.

PMID- 28904303
TI  - Symposiums (S1-1 - S4-6).

PMID- 28904302
TI  - The incidence and severity of IgA vasculitis with nephritis over a 10-year period
      in our hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the recent frequency of onset and severity of IgA
      vasculitis with nephritis (IgAVN) in Fukushima Prefecture, we examined the
      epidemiology and clinico-pathological manifestations of IgAVN in our hospital
      over a 10-year period. METHODS: We enrolled 18 patients with IgAVN treated
      between 2004 and 2013 in the Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical
      University School of Medicine. These patients were divided into two groups; Group
      1 consisted of 12 patients with IgAVN hospitalized between 2004 and 2008 and
      Group 2 consisted of 6 patients with IgAVN hospitalized between 2009 and 2013.
      The epidemiology, clinical features, laboratory data, pathological findings, and
      outcome were retrospectively compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The
      numbers of patients with IgAVN per year in Group 2 were lower than that in Group
      1. The frequency of patients with higher than grade IIIb disease in Group 2 (50%)
      was lower than that in Group 1 (94%); furthermore, the frequency of patients with
      higher than grade IV disease in Group 2 (0%) was lower than that in Group 1
      (50%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the incidence of onset and severity
      of IgAVN in patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2013 were lower than those in
      patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2008.

PMID- 28904304
TI  - Workshops (PW-1 - WS10-7).

PMID- 28904305
TI  - General sessions (1A-01 - 3E-12).

PMID- 28904306
TI  - Noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features: a
      single-institutional experience in Japan.
AB  - Noninvasive encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)
      was reclassified as noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like
      nuclear features (NIFTP). To date, no studies on NIFTP have been reported in
      Japan. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, cytological, and pathological
      findings of 54 cases of NIFTP from a single center in Japan, and compare them
      with those in the western countries. There were no significant differences in
      age, sex, or tumor size between patients with NIFTP and those with invasive
      encapsulated follicular variant -PTC. Ultrasound investigation showed a high
      suspicion lesion in 6.5% of NIFTP and 44.1% of invasive encapsulated follicular
      variant -PTC (p<0.001). On fine needle aspiration cytology, 75.7% of NIFTP cases
      were reported as suspicious for malignancy or malignant. Nuclear grooves and
      irregular-shaped nuclei were observed in 94.6% of cases of NIFTP. Pathologically,
      27.8% cases of NIFTP and 13.0% cases of invasive encapsulated follicular variant 
      PTC had been originally diagnosed as macrofollicular variants of PTC. There were
      no NIFTP cases with nodal metastasis. We concluded that NIFTP should be renounced
      noninvasive encapsulated follicular variant -PTC, and should be considered as a
      malignant tumor with exceeding indolent behavior, and lobectomy alone should be
      satisfactory for the diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 28904307
TI  - Irisin is a biomarker for metabolic syndrome in prepubertal children.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of irisin with
      obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean prepubertal children. A total of
      96 children and adolescents aged 6 to 10 years (56 males) were included in this
      study. Subjects were divided into 3 groups: normal weight (n = 54), overweight (n
      = 16), and obese (n = 26). In the subgroup analyses, overweight/obese children
      were further divided based on their MetS status (with MetS vs. without MetS).
      Children with obesity tended to exhibit a lower mean irisin concentration
      compared to those with normal weight (p = 0.028). Using Pearson's correlation
      coefficient to compare all the children in the study, there was a significant
      inverse correlation between irisin and body mass index (BMI) standard deviation
      scores (SDS) (r = -0.210, p = 0.041), waist circumference SDS (r = -0.203, p =
      0.049), and glucose (r = -0.296, p = 0.004). In the subgroup analyses of
      overweight/obese children, irisin exhibited a significant inverse correlation
      with glucose (r = -0.507, p = 0.001) and triglycerides (r = -0.331, p = 0.033).
      Children with MetS exhibited lower irisin concentrations than those without MetS
      (14.70 ng/mL vs. 22.02 ng/mL, p = 0.001), and these associations were significant
      after adjusting for age, gender, and BMI SDS (14.51 ng/mL vs. 22.06 ng/mL, p =
      0.002). The irisin level of 15.43 ng/mL was determined to be a possible cutoff to
      distinguish children with metabolic syndrome from overweight/obese children, with
      a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 94% (p < 0.001). Our results suggest
      that decreased irisin levels may be associated with MetS in prepubertal children
      and that irisin might be a biomarker for MetS in prepubertal children.

PMID- 28904308
TI  - Aging Modulates the Substrate and Triggers Remodeling in Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - Aging plays a critical role in the genesis of atrial fibrillation (AF) and also
      increases the risks of cardiac dysfunction and stroke in AF patients. AF is
      caused by increased AF triggering from abnormalities of the thoracic vein and/or
      modulated substrate (atrial) with enhancement of AF maintenance. Clinical and
      laboratory evidence indicates that aging is significant in the creation of atrial
      electrical and structural remodeling that leads to increased susceptibility to AF
      occurrence. Aging is commonly associated with cardiovascular comorbidities,
      oxidative stress, calcium dysregulation, atrial myopathy with apoptosis, and
      fibrosis, which all contribute to the genesis of AF. This review updates the
      current understanding of the effects of aging on the pathophysiology of AF.

PMID- 28904309
TI  - Evaluation of black spaces between maxillary central incisors by dentistry
      students and laypeople.
AB  - This study aimed to compare the perception of smile esthetics and alterations
      among dentistry degree students and laypeople to identify differences in the
      esthetic perception of black spaces between the maxillary central incisors among
      Turkish laypeople and students in different study years. Photographs altered to
      include black spaces of various sizes at the midline were evaluated by 208
      dentistry students in years 1-5 and 45 Turkish laypeople. Perceptional
      differences in different photographs were statistically significant. The students
      in years 2-5 were more aware of differences between photographs than year 1
      students and laypeople. The proportion of participants who decided the most
      attractive photograph as A was highest among 3rd year students, followed by 5th
      year students. However, the proportion of students agreeing on the least
      attractive image was highest among 4th year students, followed by 3rd year
      students. Photographs A and H were selected as the most and least attractive,
      respectively, by all participants. The esthetic perception of 1st and 2nd year
      dentistry students was very different from that of laypeople. To increase
      esthetic perception among dentistry students, specific lessons with clinical
      photography should be included in dental education.

PMID- 28904310
TI  - Efficacy of botulinum toxin therapy in treatment of myofascial pain.
AB  - The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of using botulinum toxin (BTX) in
      temporomandibular joint disorders, particularly pertaining to myofascial pain
      from masseter and temporal muscles. The study included 11 patients who were
      diagnosed with masseter and temporalis myofascial pain. Visual analog scale for
      pain and pressure algometry were conducted initially, after 1 month of
      conservative therapy (control group), and after 1 month of BTX type A injections
      (study group). Data were statistically analyzed (analysis of variance and
      Wilcoxon's test) to determine intergroup differences. Both conservative therapy
      and BTX injections showed reduction in pain scores and increase in pain threshold
      compared with baseline, and statistically significant differences were noted
      between both groups. Thus, BTX injections appear to be effective in management of
      chronic myofascial pain targeting masseter and temporalis muscles.

PMID- 28904311
TI  - Retrospective cohort clinical investigation of a dental implant with a narrow
      diameter and short length for the partial rehabilitation of extremely atrophic
      jaws.
AB  - We investigated the short-term clinical outcomes of narrow-diameter short-length
      implants for the fixed-prosthetic partial rehabilitation of extremely resorbed
      jaws. Twenty-three patients requiring partial rehabilitations with narrow
      platform short-length implants in any jaw were included in this study. In total,
      30 implants 3.3 mm in diameter and 7 (n = 15 implants) or 8.5 (n = 15 implants)
      mm in length were inserted. The primary outcome measure was implant cumulative
      survival rate (CSR); the secondary outcome measures were marginal bone resorption
      at 1 and 3 years and the incidence of biologic and mechanical complications. Five
      patients (21.7%) with six implants (20%) were lost to follow-up. Two implants
      failed in two patients, yielding a CSR at 3 years of follow-up of 93.4%. The
      average (standard deviation) marginal bone resorption was 1.34 mm (0.95 mm) after
      the first year and 1.38 mm (0.78 mm) after the third year. Biologic complications
      occurred in three patients; mechanical complications occurred in three patients.
      Despite the limitations of the study, our findings show that the use of new
      narrow-diameter short-length implants for the rehabilitation of extremely
      atrophic regions is viable in the short-term, and can be considered a treatment
      alternative in extremely resorbed jaws.

PMID- 28904312
TI  - Adhesion of human periodontal ligament cells by three-dimensional culture to the
      sterilized root surface of extracted human teeth.
AB  - Residual periodontal ligament (PDL) and cement mass on the roots of extracted
      teeth are factors that considerably affect tooth transplantation. Therefore, when
      normal extracted teeth are used for autologous transplantation, it is necessary
      to regenerate the PDL of the root surface. Here we describe a method to examine
      human PDL cell adhesion on sterilized root surfaces. Sample teeth were extracted
      during orthodontic treatment. PDL cells were obtained from healthy periodontal
      tissue explants from teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons. We developed a
      method for adhering PDL cells to sterile root surfaces using three-dimensional
      culture for 3 weeks. We evaluated the adhesion of human PDL cells to the
      sterilized root surfaces biochemically and histologically. The adherent PDL cells
      presented new projections on the sterile root surfaces. Therefore, PDL cells can
      adhere to sterile root surfaces.

PMID- 28904313
TI  - Immune receptors CD40 and CD86 in oral keratinocytes and implications for oral
      lichen planus.
AB  - Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic T-cell-mediated mucocutaneous inflammatory
      disease that targets stratified epithelia, including those lining the oral
      cavity. The intraoral variant of LP (OLP) is associated with interferon (IFN)
      gamma production by infiltrating T lymphocytes; however, the role of epithelial
      cells in the etiopathogenesis OLP is not completely understood. There is however
      a growing body of evidence regarding the involvement of epithelial-derived
      cytokines, immune receptors, and costimulatory molecules in the pathobiological
      processes that promote and sustain OLP. In the present study, we used a reverse
      transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay to assess whether CD40-a receptor
      found mainly on antigen presenting cells-and the costimulatory molecule CD86 were
      expressed in oral keratinocytes (three strains of primary normal oral
      keratinocytes and the H357 cell line) in the presence or absence of IFN-gamma. To
      further characterize the involvement of CD40 in OLP, expression and distribution
      of receptor and ligand (CD40/CD154) in tissues from OLP were evaluated by
      immunohistochemistry. The present results are the first to show that both CD40
      and CD86 are constitutively expressed at low levels in oral keratinocytes and
      that their expression was enhanced by IFN-gamma stimulation. The intensity of
      CD40 staining in OLP tissues was strong. Taken together, the results strongly
      suggest that CD40 and CD86 play a role in the pathophysiology of oral
      inflammatory diseases such as OLP.

PMID- 28904314
TI  - Effects of tannin-fluoride and milk-fluoride mixture on human enamel erosion from
      inappropriately chlorinated pool water.
AB  - This in vitro study aimed to investigate the efficacy of tannin-fluoride and milk
      fluoride mixtures on human enamel erosion after exposure to inappropriately
      chlorinated pool water. Enamel specimens were immersed in swimming pool water (pH
      2.7) for 30 min and in each test reagent for 4 min once a day for 60 consecutive
      days (group I: control, group II: tannin-fluoride, group III: milk-fluoride,
      group IV: tannin-fluoride before and milk-fluoride after erosive challenge, and
      group V: milk containing tannin-fluoride before and after erosive exposure).
      Surface microhardness was assessed on days 0, 30, and 60. Scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) were performed after
      treatment of samples for 60 days. Surface microhardness of experimental groups
      was ranked as follows: group III > group IV-group V > group II > group I (P <
      0.05). Moreover, SEM images revealed deposition of substances on erosive enamel
      surface after treatment with tannin-fluoride and milk-fluoride mixtures.
      Furthermore, EPMA profiles showed decrease of phosphorus and increase of fluoride
      content in groups II and IV. In conclusion, we demonstrated that treatment with
      fluoridated milk with or without tannin-fluoride has protective effects against
      enamel erosion caused by low-pH swimming pool water.

PMID- 28904315
TI  - Microbiological assessment of effects of clinical mouth rinses on common oral
      microbes.
AB  - Dry mouth occurs frequently in aged individuals, as well as in patients who are
      hospitalized, receiving multiple drugs, undergoing radiation treatment to the
      head and neck, or wearing a removable denture prosthesis, use of mouth rinse
      being often an option for relief. In the present study, we performed
      microbiological assessments of subjects given three different commercially
      available mouth rinses commonly employed in clinical practice (Peptisal, Biotene,
      ConCool) to determine their effects. For bacterial clearance in vitro, Peptisal
      showed the highest level of suppression of oral indigenous bacteria found in both
      planktonic formations and biofilm. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of these
      agents on biofilm formation on acrylic resin plates were examined using scanning
      electron microscopy. Again, Peptisal proved superior, because acquisition of
      resistance to antimicrobial peptides by a sensitive microbial strain was rarely
      observed. We conclude that Peptisal is an effective mouth rinse for clearance of
      planktonic and biofilm microorganisms present in the oral cavity.

PMID- 28904316
TI  - Assessment of local and systemic 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, RANKL, OPG, and TNF levels
      in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis.
AB  - The present study aimed to evaluate proinflammatory cytokine and vitamin D levels
      in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic periodontitis (CP) patients and healthy
      individuals before and after initial periodontal treatment. Overall, 17 CP
      patients with RA (RA + CP), 18 systemically healthy CP patients (CP), and 18
      healthy controls (C) were included. Clinical periodontal measurements were
      recorded and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and blood samples were recorded. RA
      + CP and CP patients received nonsurgical periodontal treatment. Vitamin D, tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, receptor activator of nuclear factor-KB ligand
      (RANKL), and OPG levels were determined in GCF and serum. Baseline clinical
      parameters were similar in all periodontitis groups (P > 0.05) but were higher
      than that in controls (P < 0.05). Periodontal treatment improved clinical
      parameters in all periodontitis groups (P < 0.05). GCF vitamin D levels were
      higher in RA + CP and CP groups than in healthy controls, but these levels
      decreased in the RA + CP group after periodontal treatment (P < 0.05). Serum
      RANKL and GCF TNF-alpha levels in RA patients decreased after periodontal
      treatment (P < 0.05). Within the limitations of this study, the results suggested
      that GCF vitamin D levels are increased in RA patients and decrease after
      periodontal treatment; therefore, local vitamin D levels might be an important
      indicator of periodontal bone loss.

PMID- 28904317
TI  - Notch signaling partly regulates the osteogenic differentiation of retinoic acid
      treated murine induced pluripotent stem cells.
AB  - Notch signaling is involved in osteogenic differentiation; however, its role
      differs depending on cell type and differentiation stage. Here, we investigated
      the involvement of Notch signaling in the osteogenic differentiation of retinoic
      acid-treated embryoid bodies derived from mouse gingival fibroblast-derived
      induced pluripotent stem cells (mGF-iPSCs). When cultured in osteogenic media,
      mGF-iPSCs showed an increase in their expression of osteogenic marker genes and
      deposited a mineralized matrix. Furthermore, increased levels of mRNA for Notch1,
      Notch2, and Hey1 were observed. In the presence of DAPT, a Notch signaling
      inhibitor, during osteogenic induction, mRNA levels for osteogenic marker genes
      were significantly decreased; however, no difference was noted in mineral
      deposition. Moreover, activation of Notch signaling using Jagged1-immobilized
      surfaces resulted in a slight increase of in vitro mineralization on days 3 and 7
      of osteogenic induction. Significant upregulation of Dlx5, Bsp, and Col I mRNA
      expression was observed in mGF-iPSCs cultured on Jagged1 surfaces. In conclusion,
      inhibition and activation of Notch signaling was shown to decrease and increase
      mGF-iPSC osteogenic differentiation, respectively. However, the responses were
      not robust, suggesting the involvement of additional signaling pathways.

PMID- 28904318
TI  - CAY10591, a SIRT1 activator, suppresses cell growth, invasion, and migration in
      gingival epithelial carcinoma cells.
AB  - SIRT1 is a NAD-dependent histone deacetylase that is important in a wide variety
      of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Although many studies have
      examined the relationship between SIRT1 and cancer, the role of SIRT1 in tumor
      malignancy is controversial. Here, we examined the effects of the SIRT1 activator
      CAY10591 in gingival epithelial carcinoma Ca9-22 cells. CAY10591 treatment dose-
      and time-dependently increased SIRT1 level and activity. The treatment decreased
      cell growth and induced cell-cycle repressor p21 levels. In addition, dimethyl
      sulfoxide significantly reduced cellular invasion and migration, and CAY10591
      enhanced this decrease. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that CAY10591 decreased
      expression of several invasion/migration promoter genes and induced repressor
      genes. Our findings suggest that CAY10591 suppresses cell growth and
      invasion/migration activity in gingival squamous cell carcinoma Ca9-22 cells.

PMID- 28904319
TI  - In vivo study of antifungal effects of low-molecular-weight chitosan against
      Candida albicans.
AB  - This study investigated the antifungal effects of low-molecular-weight chitosan
      solution on Candida albicans in denture stomatitis in comparison with nystatin
      suspension. This randomized, sing-leblind clinical trial included 40 patients
      diagnosed with denture stomatitis. Patients were divided into two groups, wherein
      one was treated with chitosan and the other with nystatin for 2 weeks. Changes in
      the erythematous area were recorded during and after treatment. A palatal smear
      was obtained for each patient before and after treatment to determine the number
      of blastospores and mycelia of C. albicans. The results were compared using the
      Mann-Whitney U test, revealing that the chitosan solution significantly decreased
      the erythematous surface area, burning sensation, time required for clinical
      improvement, and number of blastospores and mycelia. The antifungal efficacy of
      chitosan along with its inherent biocompatibility makes it a promising candidate
      for use as an antifungal mouthwash.

PMID- 28904320
TI  - Geometrical effects of conventional and digital prosthodontic planning wax-ups on
      lateral occlusal contact number, contact area, and steepness.
AB  - This study evaluated and compared the effect of conventional and digital wax-ups
      on three lateral occlusion variables: contact number, contact area, and
      steepness. Dental casts of 10 patients with Angle Class I relationship were
      included in the study. All patients required fixed prosthodontic treatment that
      would affect lateral occlusion. The casts of all patients received conventional
      and digital wax-ups. For pretreatment, conventional wax-up, and digital wax-up
      casts, contact number, contact area, and occlusion steepness were measured at
      four lateral positions, that is, at excursions of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mm from
      maximal intercuspation. Lateral occlusion scheme variables were affected by use
      of diagnostic wax-ups. For all types of casts, contact number decreased as
      excursion increased. The two types of wax-ups had similar contact number
      patterns, and contact number was significantly greater for these casts than for
      pretreatment casts in the earlier stages of excursion. Similarly, contact area
      gradually decreased with increasing excursion in the pretreatment and
      conventional and digital wax-up casts. There was only a minimal decrease in
      occlusion steepness as excursion increased. However, lateral occlusion was
      generally steeper for digital wax-up casts.

PMID- 28904321
TI  - Altered expression of mitochondrial antioxidants in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species, if produced in excess by oxidative phosphorylation,
      contributes to mitochondrial DNA damage and progressive respiratory chain
      dysfunction, leading to various diseases including carcinogenesis. Mitochondria
      are susceptible to oxidative stress (OS) owing to lack of introns, protective
      histones, and DNA repair enzymes. However, mitochondria are protected from OS by
      numerous antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), catalase,
      glutaredoxin 2 (GLRX2), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX),
      and thioredoxin 2 (TXN2). To obtain insights regarding expression of these
      mitochondrial antioxidants in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we performed
      qualitative and quantitative estimations of key molecular players of
      mitochondrial antioxidants during various stages of OSCC by immunoblotting with
      specific antibodies against antioxidant enzymes and/or biochemical assays.
      Different mitochondrial antioxidants varied in their expression levels as OSCC
      progressed. The levels of GPX1, GPX4, and catalase reduced with progression of
      OSCC. However, GLRX2, PXR3, TXN2, and reduced GSH gradually increased. Expression
      of SOD2 decreased initially in Stages II and III of OSCC but increased in Stage
      IV. In conclusion, our findings indicate a complex interplay of various
      mitochondrial antioxidants in different stages of OSCC, and further insights
      regarding these molecular players can help us better understand the pathogenesis
      of OSCC in context of mitochondrial redox status.

PMID- 28904322
TI  - A preliminary study of effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS)
      irradiation on dentoalveolar ankylosis.
AB  - The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether low-intensity pulsed
      ultrasound (LIPUS) irradiation can inhibit dentoalveolar ankylosis in
      transplanted rat teeth. LIPUS irradiation (the pulsed ultrasound signal had a
      frequency of 3.0 MHz, a spatial average intensity of 30 mW/cm2, and a pulse ratio
      of 1:4) was performed on the face over the re-planted teeth of rats for 4 weeks.
      After the rats were euthanized, we measured mobility (Periotest value [PTV]) of
      the transplanted and control teeth using a Periotest. Finally, we performed
      histological evaluation to detect ankylosis. PTVs tended to be significantly
      lower for re-planted teeth than for control teeth. Histological evaluation
      revealed that the roots of all re-planted teeth were coalescent with alveolar
      bone. Furthermore, no ankylosis was observed in three-fifths of the re-planted
      teeth following LIPUS irradiation. These results indicate the potential efficacy
      of LIPUS to inhibit dentoalveolar ankylosis.

PMID- 28904323
TI  - Effects of bittern water on cariogenic bacteria and saliva secretion.
AB  - The effects of bittern water (BW), obtained from the ocean floor, on cariogenic
      bacteria and saliva secretion were examined. Streptococcus mutans was mixed with
      BW for 1, 3, 5, 10, and 20 min to explore the bactericidal effects of BW against
      cariogenic bacteria. Bacterial viability was calculated by counting the number of
      colony-forming units on Brain Heart Infusion agar plates. The results indicated a
      bacterial viability of more than 35% even after 20 min of incubation.
      Subsequently, the effects of BW on saliva secretion and the salivary
      concentration of secretory IgA (sIgA) were examined. Gargling with BW
      significantly augmented saliva secretion. Although the sIgA concentration was
      reduced, the total sIgA secreted into saliva was increased significantly. Our
      findings indicate that the use of BW may be a new strategy for the treatment of
      various oral diseases, including dry mouth.

PMID- 28904324
TI  - Management of developmental enamel defects in the primary dentition.
AB  - This study attempted to identify appropriate materials for restoration of enamel
      defects in the primary dentition, which were classified by severity and region
      with the modified developmental defects of enamel index. To identify the most
      appropriate materials, we used restorative materials to protect teeth and
      evaluated clinical outcomes of restoration. Three materials were used for
      restoration or repair after dislodgement of restorations. Our findings in this
      case suggest that, because of its durability and esthetic advantages, adhesive
      resin is beneficial for patients with enamel defects, particularly for
      restorations of less than two-thirds of the extent of the defect.

PMID- 28904325
TI  - New medical education reform in China: Towards healthy China 2030.
AB  - On July 11, 2017, the State Council of China issued a bold plan to revolutionize
      medical education and promote collaboration between medical education and
      practice. The cornerstone of the plan is training more qualified medical
      professionals to improve public healthcare on the path to Healthy China 2030.
      According to this plan, a "5+3" training system will be instituted to train
      medical professionals in China, and top medical colleges will be encouraged to
      recruit more students. However, given the less-than-ideal professional status of
      Chinese doctors, the frequent incidents of violence against them, long working
      hours and a heavy workload, and an unsatisfactory income, attracting personnel to
      work in medicine and health care has become a challenge. Prior to the end of
      2016, there were 3.19 million practicing (assistant) physicians in China, amount
      to 2.31 per thousand population. The average workload of physicians was 7.3
      outpatient visits per day and 2.6 beds per day, and these figures are much higher
      for physicians working in tertiary hospitals. Studies have found that 78% of
      physicians work more than 8 hours a day and 7% of physicians work more than 12
      hours a day, but the average annual income of physicians in 2015 was 77,000 yuan
      (about $12,360), in contrast to an average annual income of $294,000 for
      physicians in the United States. Medical humanities education is also emphasized
      by the new medical education reform to foster the humanistic spirts of medical
      students in order to improve public healthcare in China. In the face of a mindset
      that "medical technology comes first" and growing expectations among the public,
      public education is needed to provide the public with a more comprehensive view
      by explaining the limitations of modern medicine since "medicine is not a
      panacea". Additional efforts should be undertaken by the Government,
      organizations, physicians, patients, and the public to create a virtuous cycle of
      healthcare in China.

PMID- 28904326
TI  - Intravenous polymyxins: Revival with puzzle.
AB  - With the increasing incidence of multi-drug resistant strains, especially
      carbapenem resistant strains, polymyxsins (mainly colistin and polymyxin B) based
      regimens seem to be a revival as an effective treatment of last resort in these
      infections. Evidence from 47 clinical trials or case series we reviewed showed
      that polymyxins based regimens are effective and have less toxicity compared with
      previous trials. When used alone, the mortality of intravenous polymyxsins ranged
      from 0% to 74.3%, clinical response (cure and improvement) rate was 7-82.1%, and
      microbiological eradication was 27.3-73.9%. The main reasons for the combination
      therapy are to get potential synergistic effects and to prevent the selection of
      heteroresistant strains. Several studies showed combination therapy seemed to be
      more effective than monotherapy, though a few doubts remain. Clinically,
      polymyxsins can be used in combination with several antibiotics, such as
      carberpenem, sulbactam, tigecycline, fosfomycin, glycopeptide, rifampicin and so
      on, but the optimal combination regimen is yet to be confirmed. The optimal dose
      of polymyxins is also controversial. With the limited clinical evidence, it's
      suggested loading dose regimens may be more effective, but more attention should
      be paid to adverse effects. Although recommended in some studies, high dose
      polymxins regimens with inconsistent clinical evidence need more trials to
      confirm. It is important to note that concerning dosing regimens, colistin and
      polymyxin B are not quite the same. In renal impaired patients polymyxin B should
      be prescribed without dosing adjustment. Risk of renal failure may increase in
      the following situations, such as the combination of intravenous colistin plus
      intravenous vancomycin, higher doses-colistin, and intravenous colistin combined
      with inhalational colistin. In conclusion, there're still controversies in
      combination regimens, dosing strategies and so on. Prospective trials of lager
      sample size are needed.

PMID- 28904327
TI  - The clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide: A concise review
      and comparison of current guidelines from 2001 to 2017.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy and the second
      leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. In this review, we made a
      review on current guidelines published from January 2001 to June 2017 worldwide
      with a focus on the clinical management of HCC. The electronic databases MEDLINE,
      the Chinese SinoMed, and the Japanese CiNii were systematically searched. A total
      of 18 characteristic guidelines for HCC management were finally included,
      including 8 guidelines from Asia, 5 from Europe, and 5 from the United States of
      America (USA). If guidelines were published in multiple versions, the most recent
      update was included, and surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment were compared.
      The composition of and recommendations in current guidelines on HCC varied, so
      these guidelines were regrouped and diagnostic and treatment algorithms were
      summarized graphically to provide the latest information to clinicians. The
      diagnostic criteria were grouped into 2 categories of a "Size-based pathway" and
      a "Non-size-based pathway." The treatment criteria were divided into 4
      categories: i) Criteria based on the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging
      system; ii) Criteria based on the modified Union of International Cancer Control
      staging system; iii) Criteria based on the Child-Pugh class of liver function;
      and iv) Criteria based on tumor resectability. Findings from comparison of
      current guidelines might help target and concentrate efforts to improve the
      clinical management of HCC. However, further studies are needed to improve the
      management and outcomes of HCC. More straightforward or refined guidelines would
      help guide doctors to make better decisions in the treatment of HCC in the
      future.

PMID- 28904328
TI  - A narrative review of non-operative treatment, especially traditional Chinese
      medicine therapy, for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.
AB  - Lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (LIDH), as the main contributor to low back
      pain and sciatica, imposes a heavy burden on both the individual and society. Non
      operative treatment or conservative treatment has proven effective in alleviation
      of the symptoms of LIDH and are considered to be a first-line choice for most
      cases. Active lifestyle, physical therapy, complementary and alternative medicine
      therapy or Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy, and pharmacotherapy are
      routinely used as effective non-operative treatment for LIDH patients. However,
      how to choose one or several conservative treatments with higher efficacy, less
      side effects, minimal injury, and low cost is still a challenge for doctors and
      LIDH patients. Furthermore, there are some national characteristics for some
      conservative treatments in different countries, which bring difficulties for the
      widespread use of these methods. Here we initiated a search on the non-operative
      treatment especially TCM therapy for LIDH mainly using PubMed, Web of Science,
      China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), and Chinese biomedicine database since
      the 1980s with no restriction of language. According to these related references,
      we gave a narrative review which emphasizes up-to-date knowledge regarding the
      effectiveness and safety of various conservative methods with special
      consideration for TCM therapy including acupuncture, autonomy, Chinese massage,
      and Chinese herbal medicines, for LIDH treatment. We hope this review will
      further contribute to an understanding of conservative treatment as an important
      choice for LIDH patients and provide useful information for the development of
      more effective conservative methods for LIDH treatment.

PMID- 28904329
TI  - Latest advances in the efficacy, tolerability, and monotherapy of integrase
      inhibitors.
AB  - More than 30 drugs for antiretroviral therapy (ART), including integrase
      inhibitors (INIs), have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA) as of 2017. Integrase is the third essential enzyme in the cycle of human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication. INIs can effectively inhibit the
      replication of HIV and HIV is less prone to develop resistance to INIs
      clinically. Previous studies based on 7 phase III clinic trials indicate that
      INIs have satisfactory efficacy and tolerability in patients infected with HIV.
      The latest advances in INIs indicate that: i) dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimens
      are more efficacious, tolerable, and safer forms of first-, second-, and third
      Line ART; ii) current studies have indicated that DTG monotherapy fails both
      virologically and clinically; and iii) whether the most cost-effective treatment
      for DTG is to replace efavirenz (EFV) as a first-line ART, to replace protease
      inhibitors (PIs) in second-line ART, or to replace both as a monotherapy is
      unclear. Given these circumstances, further study of INIs in terms of drug
      interactions, dose reduction, drug convenience, and drug costs is warranted.

PMID- 28904330
TI  - Analysis of Mucosa-Associated Microbiota in Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the microbiota community
      structure, assess differences in intestinal bacterial types, and identify
      metagenomic biomarkers for disparate stages of colorectal cancer formation.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 160 individuals were recruited: 61 cases with non
      tumor colon were regarded as the normal group, 47 cases with histology
      substantiated colorectal adenomas were regarded as the adenoma group, and 52
      cases with invasive adenocarcinomas were regarded as the cancer group. Biopsy on
      the mucosa was performed on each subject. USEARCH was used to process the
      sequences data and generate OTUs. Gut mucosal microbiota from healthy controls,
      adenoma patients, and carcinoma patients were analyzed. RESULTS Principal
      coordinate analysis of unweighted and weighted UniFrac distance showed a
      separation in composition of microbiota in the 3 groups. Bacteria with potential
      tumorigenesis, like Bacteroides fragilis and Fusobacterium, were more common in
      the carcinoma group, while some SCFA (short chain fatty acids) - producing
      microbes were enriched in the normal group. The commensal Escherichia were more
      abundant in adenoma patients. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides insights into
      possible function of gut microbiota in diagnosis and treatment of colorectal
      cancer. Some bacteria, such as Butyricicoccus, E. coli, and Fusobacterium, can be
      used as potential biomarkers for normal, adenoma, and cancer groups,
      respectively.

PMID- 28904331
TI  - Angiomyolipoma of the Adrenal Gland: A Report of Two Cases and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND Angiomyolipoma is a benign tumor composed of blood vessels, smooth
      muscle cells, and adipose tissue and has been described as belonging to the group
      of tumors of perivascular epithelioid cell origin (PEComa), commonly found in the
      kidneys and strongly associated with tuberous sclerosis. Only a few cases of
      extra-renal angiomyolipoma have previously been reported in the literature, most
      commonly in the liver. Adrenal angiomyolipoma is very rare, is usually
      asymptomatic, and is often found incidentally, with only 14 previously reported
      cases identified in the literature. CASE REPORT We report two cases of adrenal
      angiomyolipoma that were identified by abdominal computed tomography (CT). The
      first case presented in a 36-year-old man and was an oval-shaped adrenal mass,
      measuring 5.2*4.2*3.1 cm. The second case presented in a 61-year-old woman and
      was a round-shaped mass measuring 8.6*9.5*8.1 cm. Both patients underwent
      adrenalectomy. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of
      benign angiomyolipoma composed of adipose tissues, blood vessels, and smooth
      muscle cells. CONCLUSIONS We present two rare cases of adrenal angiomyolipoma. We
      have reviewed the literature and identified 14 other cases of adrenal
      angiomyolipoma, and discuss the clinical, radiological, and pathological features
      of this rare tumor.

PMID- 28904332
TI  - Identification of sites of 2'-O-methylation vulnerability in human ribosomal RNAs
      by systematic mapping.
AB  - Ribosomal RNA modifications are important in optimizing ribosome function. Sugar
      2'-O-methylation performed by fibrillarin-associated box C/D antisense guide
      snoRNAs impacts all steps of translation, playing a role in disease etiology
      (cancer). As it renders adjacent phosphodiester bonds resistant to alkaline
      treatment, 2'-O-methylation can be monitored qualitatively and quantitatively by
      applying next-generation sequencing to fragments of randomly cleaved RNA. We
      remapped all sites of 2'-O-methylation in human rRNAs in two isogenic diploid
      cell lines, one producing and one not producing the antitumor protein p53. We
      identified sites naturally modified only partially (confirming the existence in
      cells of compositionally distinct ribosomes with potentially specialized
      functions) and sites whose 2'-O-methylation is sensitive to p53. We mapped sites
      particularly vulnerable to a reduced level of the methyltransferase fibrillarin.
      The remarkable fact that these are largely sites of natural hypomodification
      provides initial insights into the mechanism of partial RNA modification. Sites
      where methylation appeared vulnerable lie peripherally on the 3-D structure of
      the ribosomal subunits, whereas the numerous modifications present at the core of
      the subunits, where the functional centers lie, appeared robustly made. We
      suggest that vulnerable sites of 2'-O-methylation are highly likely to undergo
      specific regulation during normal and pathological processes.

PMID- 28904334
TI  - The first physical evidence of subglacial volcanism under the West Antarctic Ice
      Sheet.
AB  - The West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) is highly vulnerable to collapsing because of
      increased ocean and surface temperatures. New evidence from ice core tephra shows
      that subglacial volcanism can breach the surface of the ice sheet and may pose a
      great threat to WAIS stability. Micro-CT analyses on englacial ice core tephra
      along with detailed shard morphology characterization and geochemical analysis
      suggest that two tephra layers were derived from subglacial to emergent volcanism
      that erupted through the WAIS. These tephra were erupted though the center of the
      ice sheet, deposited near WAIS Divide and preserved in the WDC06A ice core. The
      sources of these tephra layers were likely to be nearby subglacial volcanoes, Mt.
      Resnik, Mt. Thiel, and/or Mt. Casertz. A widespread increase in ice loss from
      WAIS could trigger positive feedback by decreasing ice mass and increasing
      decompression melting under the WAIS, increasing volcanism. Both tephra were
      erupted during the last glacial period and a widespread increase in subglacial
      volcanism in the future could have a considerable effect on the stability of the
      WAIS and resulting sea level rise.

PMID- 28904333
TI  - The Ino80 complex mediates epigenetic centromere propagation via active removal
      of histone H3.
AB  - The centromere is the chromosomal locus at which the kinetochore is assembled to
      direct chromosome segregation. The histone H3 variant, centromere protein A (CENP
      A), is known to epigenetically mark active centromeres, but the mechanism by
      which CENP-A propagates at the centromere, replacing histone H3, remains poorly
      understood. Using fission yeast, here we show that the Ino80 adenosine
      triphosphate (ATP)-dependent chromatin-remodeling complex, which removes histone
      H3-containing nucleosomes from associated chromatin, promotes CENP-ACnp1
      chromatin assembly at the centromere in a redundant manner with another chromatin
      remodeling factor Chd1Hrp1. CENP-ACnp1 chromatin actively recruits the Ino80
      complex to centromeres to elicit eviction of histone H3-containing nucleosomes.
      Artificial targeting of Ino80 subunits to a non-centromeric DNA sequence placed
      in a native centromere enhances the spreading of CENP-ACnp1 chromatin into the
      non-centromeric DNA. Based on these results, we propose that CENP-ACnp1 chromatin
      employs the Ino80 complex to mediate the replacement of histone H3 with CENP
      ACnp1, and thereby reinforces itself.The histone variant CENP-A marks active
      centromeres and replaces H3 at centromeres through a poorly understood mechanism.
      Here, the authors provide evidence that the chromatin remodeller Ino80 promotes
      CENP-A chromatin assembly at the centromere in fission yeast.

PMID- 28904335
TI  - BRCA2 suppresses replication stress-induced mitotic and G1 abnormalities through
      homologous recombination.
AB  - Mutations in the tumor suppressor BRCA2 predominantly predispose to breast
      cancer. Paradoxically, while loss of BRCA2 promotes tumor formation, it also
      causes cell lethality, although how lethality is triggered is unclear. Here, we
      generate BRCA2 conditional non-transformed human mammary epithelial cell lines
      using CRISPR-Cas9. Cells are inviable upon BRCA2 loss, which leads to replication
      stress associated with under replication, causing mitotic abnormalities, 53BP1
      nuclear body formation in the ensuing G1 phase, and G1 arrest. Unexpected from
      other systems, the role of BRCA2 in homologous recombination, but not in stalled
      replication fork protection, is primarily associated with supporting human
      mammary epithelial cell viability, and, moreover, preventing replication stress,
      a hallmark of pre-cancerous lesions. Thus, we uncover a DNA under replication
      53BP1 nuclear body formation-G1 arrest axis as an unanticipated outcome of
      homologous recombination deficiency, which triggers cell lethality and, we
      propose, serves as a barrier that must be overcome for tumor formation.BRCA2
      mutations promote tumour formation while also paradoxically causing cell
      lethality. Here the authors generate conditional BRCA2 loss in a non-transformed
      human mammary cell line and see increased replication stress due to under
      replication of DNA.

PMID- 28904336
TI  - The relation between cesarean birth and child cognitive development.
AB  - This is the first detailed study of the relation between cesarean birth and child
      cognitive development. We measure differences in child cognitive performance at 4
      to 9 years of age between cesarean-born and vaginally-born children (n = 3,666)
      participating in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). LSAC is a
      nationally representative birth cohort surveyed biennially. Using multivariate
      regression, we control for a large range of confounders related to perinatal risk
      factors and the socio-economic advantage associated with cesarean-born children.
      Across several measures, we find that cesarean-born children perform
      significantly below vaginally-born children, by up to a tenth of a standard
      deviation in national numeracy test scores at age 8-9. Estimates from a low-risk
      sub-sample and lower-bound analysis suggest that the relation is not spuriously
      related to unobserved confounding. Lower rates of breastfeeding and adverse child
      and maternal health outcomes that are associated with cesarean birth are found to
      explain less than a third of the cognitive gap, which points to the importance of
      other mechanisms such as disturbed gut microbiota. The findings underline the
      need for a precautionary approach in responding to requests for a planned
      cesarean when there are no apparent elevated risks from vaginal birth.

PMID- 28904338
TI  - Aqueous synthesis of functionalized copper sulfide quantum dots as near-infrared
      luminescent probes for detection of Hg2+, Ag+ and Au3.
AB  - Stable water-soluble copper sulfide(Cu2S) quantum dots(QDs) with near-infrared
      emission were synthesized using N-acetyl-L-cysteine(NAC) as a modifier in aqueous
      solution and nitrogen atmosphere at room temperature. The product was
      characterized by TEM, XRD, XPS, FT-IR, FL and UV-VIS spectrometers. Effects of
      preparation conditions such as pH values, the molar ratio of reactants,
      temperature, and metal ions on the fluorescence properties of Cu2S QDs were
      discussed. Under optimal conditions, the prepared Cu2S QDs with average diameter
      about 2-5 nm show a near-infrared emission at 770 nm with the excitation
      wavelength of 466 nm, and have a good detection sensitivity for ions of Hg2+, Ag+
      and Au3+, based on the characteristic of fluorescence quenching. The fluorescence
      quenching mechanism was proposed via electron transfer with cation exchange,
      which based on the theory of Hard-Soft-Acid-Base (HSAB) and Ksp value of metal
      sulfide.

PMID- 28904339
TI  - A Plastid-Localized Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein is Required for Both Pollen
      Development and Plant Growth in Rice.
AB  - Several mitochondrial-targeted pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins involved
      in pollen development have been reported to be fertility restorer (Rf) proteins.
      However, the roles of plastid-localized PPR proteins in plant male reproduction
      are poorly defined. Here, we described a plastid-localized PPR-SMR protein,
      OsPPR676, which is required for plant growth and pollen development in rice. In
      this study, OsPPR676 was confirmed to be an interacted protein with Osj10gBTF3,
      beta-subunit of nascent polypeptide-associated complex (beta-NAC), by bimolecular
      fluorescence complementation assays, indicating that both proteins are probably
      involved in the same regulatory pathway of pollen development. Compared with
      other chloroplast-rich tissues, OsPPR676 was only weakly expressed in anther, but
      in the Mei and YM stages of pollen development, its expression was relatively
      strong in the tapetum. Disruption of OsPPR676 resulted in growth retardation of
      plants and partial sterility of pollens. Phenotypic analysis of different
      osppr676 mutant lines implied that the SMR domain was not essential for the
      function of OsPPR676. We further demonstrated that OsPPR676 is essential for
      production of plastid atpB subunit, and then plays crucial roles in biosynthesis
      of fatty acids, carbohydrates, and other organic matters via affecting activity
      of ATP synthase.

PMID- 28904340
TI  - MicroRNA-196b inhibits late apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells by targeting
      CADM1.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer (PC), as the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, is one of
      the deadliest tumors with a very low 5-year survival rate. Therefore, it is
      urgent to seek new biomarkers of PC for more accurate and reliable treatments. To
      identify the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEM) in PC tissues, we performed
      the systematic microarray and qRT-PCR analyses. We found miR-196b was the top
      dysregulated DEM in PC tissues as compared with the corresponding adjacent
      tissues, and positively correlated with poor differentiation, tumor size,
      lymphatic invasion and TNM stage. Furthermore, the late apoptosis rate was
      significantly reduced, while the cell proliferation was increased in PANC-1 and
      ASPC-1 cell-lines after treatment with miR-196b mimics. The qRT-PCR and Western
      blot analysis demonstrated that the level of CADM1 in PANC-1 cells response to
      the alteration of miR-196b. Moreover, blockade of CADM1 could decrease the late
      apoptosis in PANC-1 cells as up-regulated by inhibition of miR-196b. Finally,
      luciferase report assay confirmed that CADM1 was the direct target gene of miR
      196b. Overexpression of miR-196b in PC tissues can increase the late apoptosis of
      pancreatic cancer cells by targeting CADM1. These findings suggested miR-196b is
      a potential target for diagnosis and therapeutics of human pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 28904341
TI  - Erratum: Identification of Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition-independent proarrhythmic
      ionic mechanisms of cardiac glycosides.
AB  - A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML
      version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

PMID- 28904337
TI  - Toxoplasma Modulates Signature Pathways of Human Epilepsy, Neurodegeneration &
      Cancer.
AB  - One third of humans are infected lifelong with the brain-dwelling, protozoan
      parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Approximately fifteen million of these have
      congenital toxoplasmosis. Although neurobehavioral disease is associated with
      seropositivity, causality is unproven. To better understand what this parasite
      does to human brains, we performed a comprehensive systems analysis of the
      infected brain: We identified susceptibility genes for congenital toxoplasmosis
      in our cohort of infected humans and found these genes are expressed in human
      brain. Transcriptomic and quantitative proteomic analyses of infected human,
      primary, neuronal stem and monocytic cells revealed effects on neurodevelopment
      and plasticity in neural, immune, and endocrine networks. These findings were
      supported by identification of protein and miRNA biomarkers in sera of ill
      children reflecting brain damage and T. gondii infection. These data were
      deconvoluted using three systems biology approaches: "Orbital-deconvolution"
      elucidated upstream, regulatory pathways interconnecting human susceptibility
      genes, biomarkers, proteomes, and transcriptomes. "Cluster-deconvolution"
      revealed visual protein-protein interaction clusters involved in processes
      affecting brain functions and circuitry, including lipid metabolism, leukocyte
      migration and olfaction. Finally, "disease-deconvolution" identified associations
      between the parasite-brain interactions and epilepsy, movement disorders,
      Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. This "reconstruction-deconvolution" logic
      provides templates of progenitor cells' potentiating effects, and components
      affecting human brain parasitism and diseases.

PMID- 28904342
TI  - Evolution of T Cell Responses during Measles Virus Infection and RNA Clearance.
AB  - Measles is an acute viral disease associated both with immune suppression and
      development of life-long immunity. Clearance of measles virus (MeV) involves
      rapid elimination of infectious virus during the rash followed by slow
      elimination of viral RNA. To characterize cellular immune responses during
      recovery, we analyzed the appearance, specificity and function of MeV-specific T
      cells for 6 months after respiratory infection of rhesus macaques with wild type
      MeV. IFN-gamma and IL-17-producing cells specific for the hemagglutinin and
      nucleocapsid proteins appeared in circulation in multiple waves approximately 2
      3, 8 and 18-24 weeks after infection. IFN-gamma-secreting cells were most
      abundant early and IL-17-secreting cells late. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were
      sources of IFN-gamma and IL-17, and IL-17-producing cells expressed RORgammat.
      Therefore, the cellular immune response evolves during MeV clearance to produce
      functionally distinct subsets of MeV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells at different
      times after infection.

PMID- 28904343
TI  - Engineered factor Xa variants retain procoagulant activity independent of direct
      factor Xa inhibitors.
AB  - The absence of an adequate reversal strategy to prevent and stop potential life
      threatening bleeding complications is a major drawback to the clinical use of the
      direct oral inhibitors of blood coagulation factor Xa. Here we show that specific
      modifications of the substrate-binding aromatic S4 subpocket within the factor Xa
      active site disrupt high-affinity engagement of the direct factor Xa inhibitors.
      These modifications either entail amino-acid substitution of S4 subsite residues
      Tyr99 and/or Phe174 (chymotrypsinogen numbering), or extension of the 99-loop
      that borders the S4 subsite. The latter modifications led to the engineering of a
      factor Xa variant that is able to support coagulation in human plasma spiked with
      (supra-)physiological concentrations of direct factor Xa inhibitors. As such,
      this factor Xa variant has the potential to be employed to bypass the direct
      factor Xa inhibitor-mediated anticoagulation in patients that require restoration
      of blood coagulation.A major drawback in the clinical use of the oral
      anticoagulants that directly inhibit factor Xa in order to prevent blood clot
      formation is the potential for life threatening bleeding events. Here the authors
      describe factor Xa variants that are refractory to inhibition by these
      anticoagulants and could serve as rescue agents in treated patients.

PMID- 28904344
TI  - Perturbed cholesterol and vesicular trafficking associated with dengue blocking
      in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti cells.
AB  - Wolbachia are intracellular maternally inherited bacteria that can spread through
      insect populations and block virus transmission by mosquitoes, providing an
      important approach to dengue control. To better understand the mechanisms of
      virus inhibition, we here perform proteomic quantification of the effects of
      Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquito cells and midgut. Perturbations are observed
      in vesicular trafficking, lipid metabolism and in the endoplasmic reticulum that
      could impact viral entry and replication. Wolbachia-infected cells display a
      differential cholesterol profile, including elevated levels of esterified
      cholesterol, that is consistent with perturbed intracellular cholesterol
      trafficking. Cyclodextrins have been shown to reverse lipid accumulation defects
      in cells with disrupted cholesterol homeostasis. Treatment of Wolbachia-infected
      Ae. aegypti cells with 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin restores dengue
      replication in Wolbachia-carrying cells, suggesting dengue is inhibited in
      Wolbachia-infected cells by localised cholesterol accumulation. These results
      demonstrate parallels between the cellular Wolbachia viral inhibition phenotype
      and lipid storage genetic disorders. Wolbachia infection of mosquitoes can block
      dengue virus infection and is tested in field trials, but the mechanism of action
      is unclear. Using proteomics, Geoghegan et al. here identify effects of Wolbachia
      on cholesterol homeostasis and dengue virus replication in Aedes aegypti.

PMID- 28904345
TI  - Vdelta2+ T cell response to malaria correlates with protection from infection but
      is attenuated with repeated exposure.
AB  - Vdelta2+ gammadelta T cells are semi-innate T cells that expand markedly
      following P. falciparum (Pf) infection in naive adults, but are lost and become
      dysfunctional among children repeatedly exposed to malaria. The role of these
      cells in mediating clinical immunity (i.e. protection against symptoms) to
      malaria remains unclear. We measured Vdelta2+ T cell absolute counts at acute and
      convalescent malaria timepoints (n = 43), and Vdelta2+ counts, cellular
      phenotype, and cytokine production following in vitro stimulation at asymptomatic
      visits (n = 377), among children aged 6 months to 10 years living in Uganda.
      Increasing age was associated with diminished in vivo expansion following
      malaria, and lower Vdelta2 absolute counts overall, among children living in a
      high transmission setting. Microscopic parasitemia and expression of the
      immunoregulatory markers Tim-3 and CD57 were associated with diminished Vdelta2+
      T cell pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Higher Vdelta2 pro-inflammatory
      cytokine production was associated with protection from subsequent Pf infection,
      but also with an increased odds of symptoms once infected. Vdelta2+ T cells may
      play a role in preventing malaria infection in children living in endemic
      settings; progressive loss and dysfunction of these cells may represent a disease
      tolerance mechanism that contributes to the development of clinical immunity to
      malaria.

PMID- 28904346
TI  - Brain damage and behavioural disorders in fish induced by plastic nanoparticles
      delivered through the food chain.
AB  - The tremendous increases in production of plastic materials has led to an
      accumulation of plastic pollution worldwide. Many studies have addressed the
      physical effects of large-sized plastics on organisms, whereas few have focused
      on plastic nanoparticles, despite their distinct chemical, physical and
      mechanical properties. Hence our understanding of their effects on ecosystem
      function, behaviour and metabolism of organisms remains elusive. Here we
      demonstrate that plastic nanoparticles reduce survival of aquatic zooplankton and
      penetrate the blood-to-brain barrier in fish and cause behavioural disorders.
      Hence, for the first time, we uncover direct interactions between plastic
      nanoparticles and brain tissue, which is the likely mechanism behind the observed
      behavioural disorders in the top consumer. In a broader perspective, our findings
      demonstrate that plastic nanoparticles are transferred up through a food chain,
      enter the brain of the top consumer and affect its behaviour, thereby severely
      disrupting the function of natural ecosystems.

PMID- 28904347
TI  - Oscillatory dynamics of p38 activity with transcriptional and translational time
      delays.
AB  - Recent experimental evidence reports that oscillations of p38 MAPK (p38) activity
      would efficiently induce pro-inflammatory gene expression, which might be
      deleterious to immune systems and may even cause cellular damage and apoptosis.
      It is widely accepted now that transcriptional and translational delays are
      ubiquitous in gene expression, which can typically result in oscillatory
      responses of gene regulations. Consequently, delay-driven sustained oscillations
      in p38 activity (p38*) could in principle be commonplace. Nevertheless, so far
      the studies of the impact of such delays on p38* have been lacking both
      experimentally and theoretically. Here, we use experimental data to develop a
      delayed mathematical model, with the aim of understanding how such delays affect
      oscillatory behaviour on p38*. We analyze the stability and oscillation of the
      model with and without explicit time delays. We show that a sufficiently input
      stimulation strength is prerequisite for generating p38* oscillations, and that
      an optimal rate of model parameters is also essential to these oscillations.
      Moreover, we find that the time delays required for transcription and translation
      in mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) gene expression can
      drive p38* to be oscillatory even when the concentration of p38* level is at a
      stable state. Furthermore, the length of these delays can determine the amplitude
      and period of the oscillations and can enormously extend the oscillatory ranges
      of model parameters. These results indicate that time delays in MKP-1 synthesis
      are required, albeit not sufficient, for p38* oscillations, which may lead to new
      insights related to p38 oscillations.

PMID- 28904349
TI  - Cross-polarization coupling terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in a semiconductor
      based on the Hall effect.
AB  - We propose a new type of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in an isotropic
      semiconductor wafer applied by a magnetic field in which two cross-polarization
      THz pulses couple with each other via the Hall effect. We built a classic
      theoretic model to describe cross-polarization coupling THz spectroscopy (CPCTS).
      Numerical simulations show that the magnetic field can clearly affect the
      spectral features of the two THz pulses via the Hall effect in which both the
      magnitude and direction of the magnetic field and the thickness of the wafer play
      important roles. Using CPCTS, we present an improved method that is non-contact
      to measure the material parameters, such as the damping constant and carrier
      density of a semiconductor wafer, and discuss the possibility of THz functional
      devices. Finally, we describe an experimental scheme to guide CPCTS.

PMID- 28904348
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of genes involved in induced systemic salt tolerance
      conferred by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Plant growth-promoting Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 induces systemic salt
      tolerance in Arabidopsis and enhances the fresh and dry weight. However, the
      underlying molecular mechanism that allows plants to respond to FZB42 and exhibit
      salt tolerance is largely unknown. Therefore, we performed large-scale
      transcriptome sequencing of Arabidopsis shoot tissues grown under salt stress
      with or without FZB42 inoculation by using Illumina sequencing to identify the
      key genes and pathways with important roles during this interaction. In total,
      1461 genes were differentially expressed (FZB42-inoculated versus non-inoculated
      samples) at 0 mM NaCl, of which 953 were upregulated and 508 downregulated, while
      1288 genes were differentially expressed at 100 mM NaCl, of which 1024 were
      upregulated and 264 were downregulated. Transcripts associated with
      photosynthesis, auxin-related, SOS scavenging, Na+ translocation, and
      osmoprotectant synthesis, such as trehalose and proline, were differentially
      expressed by FZB42 inoculation, which reduced the susceptibility to salt and
      facilitated salt adaptation. Meanwhile, etr1-3, eto1, jar1-1, and abi4-102
      hormone-related mutants demonstrated that FZB42 might induce plant salt tolerance
      via activating plants ET/JA signaling but not ABA-dependent pathway. The results
      here characterize the plant transcriptome under salt stress with plant growth
      promoting bacteria inoculation, thereby providing insights into the molecular
      mechanisms responsible for induced salt tolerance.

PMID- 28904351
TI  - Localized-itinerant dichotomy and unconventional magnetism in SrRu2O6.
AB  - Electron correlations tend to generate local magnetic moments that usually order
      if the lattices are not too frustrated. The hexagonal compound SrRu2O6 has a
      relatively high Neel temperature but small local moments, which seem to be at
      odds with the nominal valence of Ru5+ in the [Formula: see text] configuration.
      Here, we investigate the electronic property of SrRu2O6 using density functional
      theory (DFT) combined with dynamical-mean-field theory (DMFT). We find that the
      strong hybridization between Ru d and O p states results in a Ru valence that is
      closer to +4, leading to the small ordered moment ~1.2 MU B . While this is
      consistent with a DFT prediction, correlation effects are found to play a
      significant role. The local moment per Ru site remains finite ~2.3 MU B in the
      whole temperature range investigated. Due to the lower symmetry, the t 2g
      manifold is split and the quasiparticle weight is renormalized significantly in
      the a 1g state, while the renormalization in [Formula: see text] states is about
      a factor of 2-3 weaker. Our theoretical Neel temperature ~700 K is in reasonable
      agreement with experimental observations. SrRu2O6 is a unique system in which
      localized and itinerant electrons coexist with the proximity to an orbitally
      selective Mott transition within the t 2g sector.

PMID- 28904350
TI  - Tia1 dependent regulation of mRNA subcellular location and translation controls
      p53 expression in B cells.
AB  - Post-transcriptional regulation of cellular mRNA is essential for protein
      synthesis. Here we describe the importance of mRNA translational repression and
      mRNA subcellular location for protein expression during B lymphocyte activation
      and the DNA damage response. Cytoplasmic RNA granules are formed upon cell
      activation with mitogens, including stress granules that contain the RNA binding
      protein Tia1. Tia1 binds to a subset of transcripts involved in cell stress,
      including p53 mRNA, and controls translational silencing and RNA granule
      localization. DNA damage promotes mRNA relocation and translation in part due to
      dissociation of Tia1 from its mRNA targets. Upon DNA damage, p53 mRNA is released
      from stress granules and associates with polyribosomes to increase protein
      synthesis in a CAP-independent manner. Global analysis of cellular mRNA abundance
      and translation indicates that this is an extended ATM-dependent mechanism to
      increase protein expression of key modulators of the DNA damage
      response.Sequestering mRNA in cytoplasmic stress granules is a mechanism for
      translational repression. Here the authors find that p53 mRNA, present in stress
      granules in activated B lymphocytes, is released upon DNA damage and is
      translated in a CAP-independent manner.

PMID- 28904352
TI  - Polyphenols journey through blood-brain barrier towards neuronal protection.
AB  - Age-related complications such as neurodegenerative disorders are increasing and
      remain cureless. The possibility of altering the progression or the development
      of these multifactorial diseases through diet is an emerging and attractive
      approach with increasing experimental support. We examined the potential of known
      bioavailable phenolic sulfates, arising from colonic metabolism of berries, to
      influence hallmarks of neurodegenerative processes. In silico predictions and in
      vitro transport studies across blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelial cells, at
      circulating concentrations, provided evidence for differential transport, likely
      related to chemical structure. Moreover, endothelial metabolism of these phenolic
      sulfates produced a plethora of novel chemical entities with further potential
      bioactivies. Pre-conditioning with phenolic sulfates improved cellular responses
      to oxidative, excitotoxicity and inflammatory injuries and this attenuation of
      neuroinflammation was achieved via modulation of NF-kappaB pathway. Our results
      support the hypothesis that these small molecules, derived from dietary
      (poly)phenols may cross the BBB, reach brain cells, modulate microglia-mediated
      inflammation and exert neuroprotective effects, with potential for alleviation of
      neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 28904353
TI  - Toll-like receptor 2 induced cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4
      regulates Aspergillus-induced regulatory T-cells with pro-inflammatory
      characteristics.
AB  - Patients with cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, severe
      asthma, pre-existing pulmonary lesions, and severely immunocompromised patients
      are susceptible to develop infections with the opportunistic pathogenic fungus
      Aspergillus fumigatus, called aspergillosis. Infections in these patients are
      associated with persistent pro-inflammatory T-helper (TH)2 and TH17 responses.
      Regulatory T-cells, natural suppressor cells of the immune system, control pro
      inflammatory T-cell responses, but can also contribute to disease by shifting to
      a pro-inflammatory TH17-like phenotype. Such a shift could play an important role
      in the detrimental immunopathology that is seen in aspergillosis. Our study
      demonstrates that Aspergillus fumigatus induces regulatory T-cells with a TH17
      like phenotype. We also demonstrate that these regulatory T-cells with a pro
      inflammatory TH17-like phenotype can be reprogrammed to their "classical" anti
      inflammatory phenotype by activating Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), which regulates
      the induction of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4). Similarly,
      soluble CTLA4 could reverse the pro-inflammatory phenotype of Aspergillus-induced
      regulatory T-cells. In conclusion, our results suggest a role for regulatory T
      cells with a pro-inflammatory TH17-like phenotype in Aspergillus-associated
      immunopathology, and identifies key players, i.e. TLR2 and CTLA4, involved in
      this mechanism.

PMID- 28904354
TI  - Identification and characterization of the novel reversible and selective
      cathepsin X inhibitors.
AB  - Cathepsin X is a cysteine peptidase involved in the progression of cancer and
      neurodegenerative diseases. Targeting this enzyme with selective inhibitors opens
      a new possibility for intervention in several therapeutic areas. In this study
      triazole-based reversible and selective inhibitors of cathepsin X have been
      identified. Their selectivity and binding is enhanced when the 2,3
      dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]dioxine moiety is present as the R1 substituent. Of a series
      of selected triazole-benzodioxine derivatives, compound 22 is the most potent
      inhibitor of cathepsin X carboxypeptidase activity (Ki = 2.45 +/- 0.05 MUM) with
      at least 100-fold greater selectivity in comparison to cathepsin B or other
      related cysteine peptidases. Compound 22 is not cytotoxic to prostate cancer
      cells PC-3 or pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells at concentrations up to 10 MUM. It
      significantly inhibits the migration of tumor cells and increases the outgrowth
      of neurites, both processes being under the control of cathepsin X
      carboxypeptidase activity. Compound 22 and other characterized triazole-based
      inhibitors thus possess a great potential for further development resulting in
      several in vivo applications.

PMID- 28904355
TI  - Highly potent antimicrobial modified peptides derived from the Acinetobacter
      baumannii phage endolysin LysAB2.
AB  - The increase in the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
      (MDRAB) strains is a serious public health concern. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)
      are a possible solution to this problem. In this study, we examined whether AMPs
      could be derived from phage endolysins. We synthesized four AMPs based on an
      amphipathic helical region in the C-terminus of endolysin LysAB2 encoded by the
      A. baumannii phage PhiAB2. These peptides showed potent antibacterial activity
      against A. baumannii (minimum inhibitory concentration, 4-64 MUM), including some
      MDR and colistin-resistant A. baumannii. Of the four peptides, LysAB2 P3, with
      modifications that increased its net positive charge and decreased its
      hydrophobicity, showed high antibacterial activity against A. baumannii but
      little haemolytic and no cytotoxic activity against normal eukaryotic cells. The
      results of electron microscopy experiments and a fluorescein isothiocyanate
      staining assay indicated that this peptide killed A. baumannii through membrane
      permeabilization. Moreover, in a mouse intraperitoneal infection model, at 4 h
      after the bacterial injection, LysAB2 P3 decreased the bacterial load by 13-fold
      in ascites and 27-fold in blood. Additionally, LysAB2 P3 rescued sixty percent of
      mice heavily infected with A. baumannii from lethal bacteremia. Our results
      confirmed that bacteriophage endolysins are a promising resource for developing
      effective AMPs.

PMID- 28904356
TI  - Extremely high electrical conductance of microporous 3D graphene-like zeolite
      templated carbon framework.
AB  - We report the remarkably high electrical conductance of microporous 3D graphene
      like carbons that were formed using lanthanum (La)-catalyzed synthesis in a Y
      zeolite (LaY) template investigated using conductive atomic force microscopy (C
      AFM) and theoretical calculations. To uncover the relation between local
      electrical conductance and the microporous structures, we tuned the
      crystallographic ordering of LaY-templated carbon systems by changing the heating
      temperature. The structure of the LaY-templated carbon prepared at the higher
      temperature has graphene-like sp 2 hybridized bonds, which was confirmed using
      high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction
      measurements. C-AFM current-voltage spectroscopy revealed that the local current
      flow in the LaY-templated carbon depends on the quantity of C-C bonds within the
      narrow neck between the closed supercages (i.e. there are three types of carbon:
      carbon with heat treatment, carbon without heat treatment, and carbon synthesized
      at low temperature). The difference in electrical conductance on the LaY
      templated carbon was also confirmed via theoretical computation using the
      Boltzmann transport theory and the deformation potential theory based on the
      density functional theory. These results suggest that the degree of order of the
      pores in the 3D zeolite-templated carbon structures is directly related to
      electrical conductance.

PMID- 28904357
TI  - Social-demographic shift in drug users at the first-ever- methadone maintenance
      treatment in Wuhan, China.
AB  - The methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been initiated in Wuhan, China
      since early 2006. To understand the social-demographic, behavioral, and
      infectious diseases characteristics of drug users enrolled in their first-ever
      MMT between 2006 and 2015, a retrospective observational study was implemented to
      also provide evidence for health policy-decisions to reduce harm and control
      disease. Pearson chi-square tests and t-tests were used to assess significant
      differences between two 5-year periods, 2006-2010 and 2011-2015. We observed
      increases in the mean age (38.65 vs. 42.43 years, P < 0.001), mean age of initial
      opioid drug use (28.18 vs. 31.07 years, P < 0.001), employment (11.9% vs. 30.7%,
      P < 0.001), married/co-habiting (42.4% vs. 47.8%, P < 0.001), and declines in
      higher education level (93.6% vs. 84.8%, P < 0.001), injection (82.3% vs. 75.1%,
      P < 0.001), syringe sharing (27.7% vs. 9.9%, P < 0.001), HCV infection rates
      (72.9% vs. 70.5%, P = 0.017). The number of drug users enrolling each year
      reduced following a continuous rapid growth in the first 3 years. The findings
      imply for adjusting in treatment services and allocation of resources to respond
      to emerging trends. In addition, the data will also be helpful for identifying
      needs and getting a baseline insight of the social-demographic and behavioral
      characteristics of the opioid abusers in the area.

PMID- 28904358
TI  - Monitoring osteoarthritis progression using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy.
AB  - We demonstrate in this study the potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as
      a tool for monitoring progression of cartilage degeneration in an animal model.
      Osteoarthritic degeneration was artificially induced in one joint in laboratory
      rats, and the animals were sacrificed at four time points: 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks
      (3 animals/week). NIR spectra were acquired from both (injured and intact) knees.
      Subsequently, the joint samples were subjected to histological evaluation and
      glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content analysis, to assess disease severity based on the
      Mankin scoring system and to determine proteoglycan loss, respectively.
      Multivariate spectral techniques were then employed for classification (principal
      component analysis and support vector machines) and prediction (partial least
      squares regression) of the samples' Mankin scores and GAG content from their NIR
      spectra. Our results demonstrate that NIR spectroscopy is sensitive to
      degenerative changes in articular cartilage, and is capable of distinguishing
      between mild (weeks 1&2; Mankin <=2) and advanced (weeks 4&6; Mankin =>3)
      cartilage degeneration. In addition, the spectral data contains information that
      enables estimation of the tissue's Mankin score (error = 12.6%, R2 = 86.2%) and
      GAG content (error = 7.6%, R2 = 95%). We conclude that NIR spectroscopy is a
      viable tool for assessing cartilage degeneration post-injury, such as, post
      traumatic osteoarthritis.

PMID- 28904359
TI  - Structured illumination microscopy and automatized image processing as a rapid
      diagnostic tool for podocyte effacement.
AB  - The morphology of podocyte foot processes is obligatory for renal function. Here
      we describe a method for the superresolution-visualization of podocyte foot
      processes using structured illumination microscopy of the slit diaphragm, which
      before has only been achieved by electron microscopy. As a proof of principle, we
      measured a mean foot process width of 0.249 +/- 0.068 um in healthy kidneys and a
      significant higher mean foot process width of 0.675 +/- 0.256 um in minimal
      change disease patients indicating effacement of foot processes. We then
      hypothesized that the slit length per glomerular capillary surface area (slit
      diaphragm density) could be used as an equivalent for the diagnosis of
      effacement. Using custom-made software we measured a mean value of 3.10 +/- 0.27
      um-1 in healthy subjects and 1.83 +/- 0.49 um-1 in the minimal change disease
      patients. As foot process width was highly correlated with slit diaphragm density
      (R2 = 0.91), we concluded that our approach is a valid method for the diagnosis
      of foot process effacement. In summary, we present a new technique to quantify
      podocyte damage, which combines superresolution microscopy with automatized image
      processing. Due to its diverse advantages, we propose this technique to be
      included into routine diagnostics of glomerular histopathology.

PMID- 28904360
TI  - Comparison of prognostic, clinical, and renal histopathological characteristics
      of overlapping idiopathic membranous nephropathy and IgA nephropathy versus
      idiopathic membranous nephropathy.
AB  - Overlapping idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) and immunoglobulin A
      nephropathy (IgAN) is rare. This study aims to investigate the unique prognostic,
      clinical, and renal histopathological characteristics of IMN+IgAN. This
      retrospective observational study included 73 consecutive cases of IMN+IgAN and
      425 cases of IMN treated between September 2006 and November 2015. Prognostic and
      baseline clinical and histopathological data were compared between the two
      patient groups. Poor prognostic events included a permanent 50% reduction in
      eGFR, end-stage renal disease, and all-cause mortality. Renal histopathology
      demonstrated that the patients with IMN+IgAN presented with significantly
      increased mesangial cell proliferation and matrix expansion, increased
      inflammatory cell infiltration, and higher proportions of arteriole hyalinosis
      and lesions than the patients with IMN (all P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis
      showed that the patients with IMN+IgAN had significantly higher cumulative
      incidence rates of partial or complete remission (PR or CR, P = 0.0085).
      Multivariate Cox model analysis revealed that old age at biopsy and high baseline
      serum creatinine and uric acid levels were significantly associated with poor
      prognosis (all P < 0.05), and increased IgA expression correlated significantly
      with PR or CR (P < 0.05). The present study found that overlapping IMN and IgAN
      presents with unique renal histopathology and appears not to cause a poorer
      prognosis than IMN.

PMID- 28904361
TI  - Intrafascial versus interfascial nerve sparing in radical prostatectomy for
      localized prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The present study aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety
      of the intrafascial and interfascial nerve sparing (ITR-NS and ITE-NS) radical
      prostatectomy. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for
      eligible studies. Meta-analysis with random-effects model was performed. Six
      comparative trials were selected and embraced in this research, including one
      randomized controlled trial, three prospective comparative trials, and two
      retrospective comparative trials. With regard to perioperative parameters, no
      significant association of operative time, blood loss, transfusion rates,
      duration of catheterization, and hospital stay existed between ITR-NS and ITE-NS.
      With respect to the functional results, ITR-NS had advantages in terms of both
      continence and potency recovery compared with ITE-NS. In reference to the
      oncologic results, the ITR-NS showed lower overall positive surgical margin (PSM)
      compared with ITE-NS but pT2 PSM and biochemical recurrence free rates were
      similar to the two surgical types. This study demonstrates that ITR-NS has better
      continence at 6 mo and 36 mo and better potency recovery at 6 mo and 12 mo
      postoperatively, regardless of the surgical technique. The cancer control of ITR
      NS was also better than that of ITE-NS. This may be explained by the fact that
      patients in ITE-NS group present higher risk cancer than patients in ITR-NS
      group.

PMID- 28904362
TI  - Detailed Balance Limit of Efficiency of Broadband-Pumped Lasers.
AB  - Broadband light sources are a wide class of pumping schemes for lasers including
      LEDs, sunlight and flash lamps. Recently, efficient coupling of broadband light
      to high-quality micro-cavities has been demonstrated for on-chip applications and
      low-threshold solar-pumped lasers via cascade energy transfer. However, the
      conversion of incoherent to coherent light comes with an inherent price of
      reduced efficiency, which has yet to be assessed. In this paper, we derive the
      detailed balance limit of efficiency of broadband-pumped lasers and discuss how
      it is affected by the need to maintain a threshold population inversion and
      thermodynamically dictated minimal Stokes' shift. We show that lasers' slope
      efficiency is analogous to the nominal efficiency of solar cells, limited by
      thermalisation losses and additional unavoidable Stokes' shift. The lasers' power
      efficiency is analogous to the detailed balance limit of efficiency of solar
      cells, affected by the cavity mirrors and impedance matching factor,
      respectively. As an example we analyze the specific case of solar-pumped
      sensitized Nd3+:YAG-like lasers and define the conditions to reach their
      thermodynamic limit of efficiency. Our work establishes an upper theoretical
      limit for the efficiency of broadband-pumped lasers. Our general, yet flexible
      model also provides a way to incorporate other optical and thermodynamic losses
      and, hence, to estimate the efficiency of non-ideal broadband-pumped lasers.

PMID- 28904363
TI  - Calcitriol reduces kidney development disorders in rats provoked by losartan
      administration during lactation.
AB  - Calcitriol has important effects on cellular differentiation and proliferation,
      as well as on the regulation of the renin gene. Disturbances in renal development
      can be observed in rats exposed to angiotensin II (AngII) antagonists during
      lactation period. The lack of tubular differentiation in losartan-treated rats
      can affect calcitriol uptake. This study evaluated the effect of calcitriol
      administration in renal development disturbances in rats provoked by losartan
      (AngII type 1 receptor antagonist) administration during lactation. Animals
      exposed to losartan presented higher albuminuria, systolic blood pressure,
      increased sodium and potassium fractional excretion, and decreased glomerular
      filtration rate compared to controls. These animals also showed a decreased
      glomerular area and a higher interstitial relative area from the renal cortex,
      with increased expression of fibronectin, alpha-SM-actin, vimentin, and p-JNK;
      and an increased number of macrophages, p-p38, PCNA and decreased cubilin
      expression. Increased urinary excretion of MCP-1 and TGF-beta was also observed.
      All these alterations were less intense in the losartan + calcitriol group.The
      animals treated with calcitriol showed an improvement in cellular
      differentiation, and in renal function and structure. This effect was associated
      with reduction of cell proliferation and inflammation.

PMID- 28904364
TI  - Acute doses of caffeine shift nervous system cell expression profiles toward
      promotion of neuronal projection growth.
AB  - Caffeine is a widely consumed psychoactive substance, but little is known about
      the effects of caffeine stimulation on global gene expression changes in neurons.
      Here, we conducted gene expression profiling of human neuroepithelial stem cell
      derived neurons, stimulated with normal consumption levels of caffeine (3 MUM and
      10 MUM), over a period of 9 h. We found dosage-dependent activation of immediate
      early genes after 1 h. Neuronal projection development processes were up
      regulated and negative regulation of axon extension processes were down-regulated
      at 3 h. In addition, genes involved in extracellular matrix organization,
      response for wound healing, and regulation of immune system processes were down
      regulated by caffeine at 3 h. This study identified novel genes within the
      neuronal projection guidance pathways that respond to acute caffeine stimulation
      and suggests potential mechanisms for the effects of caffeine on neuronal cells.

PMID- 28904365
TI  - RNAi-mediated silencing of a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase enhances
      triacylglycerol biosynthesis in the oleaginous marine alga Nannochloropsis
      salina.
AB  - Oleaginous microalgae have been emerging as the third-generation feedstocks for
      biofuel production. Genetic manipulation for improving triacylglycerol (TAG)
      accumulation represents a promising approach towards the economics of microalgal
      biofuels. Acetyl-CoA, the essential carbon precursor for de novo fatty acid
      biosynthesis, can be derived from pyruvate catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase,
      which is negatively regulated by pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK). In the
      present study, we characterized a PDK gene (NsPDK) from Nannochloropsis salina.
      Subcellular localization assay assisted by green fluorescence protein (GFP)
      fusion indicated the localization of NsPDK in mitochondria of N. salina cells.
      NsPDK knockdown via RNA interference strategy attenuated NsPDK expression at the
      mRNA level and its enzymatic activity in vivo, leading to faster TAG accumulation
      without compromising cell growth under high light stress conditions.
      Interestingly, the TAG increase was accompanied by a decline in membrane polar
      lipids. NsPDK knockdown also altered fatty acid profile in N. salina.
      Furthermore, transcriptional analysis suggested that the carbon metabolic
      pathways might be influenced by NsPDK knockdown leading to diverted carbon flux
      towards TAG synthesis. Taken together, our results demonstrate the role of NsPDK
      in regulating TAG accumulation and provide valuable insights into future
      manipulation of oleaginous microalgae for improving biofuel production.

PMID- 28904366
TI  - Identification of stiffness-induced signalling mechanisms in cells from patent
      and fused sutures associated with craniosynostosis.
AB  - Craniosynostosis is a bone developmental disease where premature ossification of
      the cranial sutures occurs leading to fused sutures. While biomechanical forces
      have been implicated in craniosynostosis, evidence of the effect of
      microenvironmental stiffness changes in the osteogenic commitment of cells from
      the sutures is lacking. Our aim was to identify the differential genetic
      expression and osteogenic capability between cells from patent and fused sutures
      of children with craniosynostosis and whether these differences are driven by
      changes in the stiffness of the microenvironment. Cells from both sutures
      demonstrated enhanced mineralisation with increasing substrate stiffness showing
      that stiffness is a stimulus capable of triggering the accelerated osteogenic
      commitment of the cells from patent to fused stages. The differences in the
      mechanoresponse of these cells were further investigated with a PCR array showing
      stiffness-dependent upregulation of genes mediating growth and bone development
      (TSHZ2, IGF1), involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix (MMP9),
      mediating the activation of inflammation (IL1beta) and controlling osteogenic
      differentiation (WIF1, BMP6, NOX1) in cells from fused sutures. In summary, this
      study indicates that stiffer substrates lead to greater osteogenic commitment and
      accelerated bone formation, suggesting that stiffening of the extracellular
      environment may trigger the premature ossification of the sutures.

PMID- 28904367
TI  - Changing smoking-mortality association over time and across social groups:
      National census-mortality cohort studies from 1981 to 2011.
AB  - The difference in mortality between current and never-smokers varies over time,
      affecting future projections of health gains from tobacco control. We examine
      this heterogeneity by sex, ethnicity and cause of death on absolute and relative
      scales using New Zealand census data. These data included smoking status, and
      were linked to subsequent mortality records in 1981-84, 1996-99 and 2006-11 for
      25-74 year olds (16.1 million person-years of follow-up). Age-standardised
      mortality rates and rate differences (SRDs) were calculated comparing current to
      never-smokers, and Poisson regression was used to adjust for multiple
      socioeconomic factors and household smoking. We found that mortality declined
      over time in never-smokers; however, mortality trends in current-smokers varied
      by sex, ethnicity and cause of death. SRDs were stable over time in
      European/Other men, moderately widened in European/Other women and markedly
      increased in Maori men and women (Indigenous population). Poisson smoking
      mortality rate ratios (RRs) increased from 1981-84 to 1996-99 with a moderate
      increase from 1996-99 to 2006-11 (RRs 1.48, 1.77, 1.79 in men and 1.51, 1.80,
      1.90 in women). Socioeconomic confounding increased over time. In summary, this
      marked heterogeneity in smoking-mortality RRs over time has implications for
      estimating the future health and inequality impacts of tobacco control
      interventions.

PMID- 28904368
TI  - Polycystin-1 inhibits eIF2alpha phosphorylation and cell apoptosis through a PKR
      eIF2alpha pathway.
AB  - Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in
      PKD1 or PKD2 which encodes polycystin-1 (PC1) and polycystin-2, respectively. PC1
      was previously shown to slow cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis but the
      underlying mechanisms remain elusive or controversial. Here we showed in cultured
      mammalian cells and Pkd1 knockout mouse kidney epithelial cells that PC1 and its
      truncation mutant comprising the last five transmembrane segments and the
      intracellular C-terminus (PC1-5TMC) down-regulate the phosphorylation of protein
      kinase R (PKR) and its substrate eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha
      (eIF2alpha). PKR is known to be activated by interferons and dsRNAs, inhibits
      protein synthesis and induces apoptosis. By co-immunoprecipitation experiments we
      found that PC1 truncation mutants associate with PKR, or with PKR and its
      activator PACT. Further experiments showed that PC1 and PC1-5TMC reduce
      phosphorylation of eIF2alpha through inhibiting PKR phosphorylation. Our TUNEL
      experiments using tunicamycin, an apoptosis inducer, and GADD34, an inhibitor of
      eIF2alpha phosphorylation, demonstrated that PC1-5TMC inhibits apoptosis of
      HEK293T cells in a PKR-eIF2alpha-dependent manner, with concurrent up- and down
      regulation of Bcl-2 and Bax, respectively, revealed by Western blotting.
      Involvement of PC1-regulated eIF2alpha phosphorylation and a PKR-eIF2alpha
      pathway in cell apoptosis may be an important part of the mechanism underlying
      ADPKD pathogenesis.

PMID- 28904369
TI  - Antimutagenic and antioxidant activity of the essential oils of Citrus sinensis
      and Citrus latifolia.
AB  - The essential oils of Citrus sinensis and Citrus latifolia showed antimycotic
      activity against Candida spp. isolated from the oral cavity; they are neither
      mutagenic on the Ames test nor cytotoxic. Their main components are R-(+)
      limonene, beta-thujene, alpha-myrcene and gamma-terpinene. The aim of this work
      was to evaluate their antimutagenic and antioxidant capacities. Antimutagenic
      properties were evaluated against MNNG and ENNG on S. typhimurium TA100; against
      2AA on strain TA98 and in front of 4NQO and NOR on strain TA102. Both were
      antimutagenic against MNNG (p < 0.001) but only C. latifolia was antimutagenic
      against ENNG (p < 0.001). Both presented antimutagenic activity against 2AA (p <
      0.001). They were antioxidant against the ROS-generating compound 4NQO (p <
      0.001) and the antibiotic NOR (p < 0.001). In the antioxidant evaluation, the
      activity in DPPH assay was in a range of 6-23% for C. sinensis and of 22-71% for
      C. latifolia. Both were antioxidant compared with BHT in beta-carotene bleaching
      assay and were able to decreased apoptosis in HaCat cells stimulated with H2O2.
      The levels of intracellular superoxide ion were lower in the presence of both
      oils. In conclusion, the essential oils of C. sinensis and C. latifolia are
      antimutagenic against at least three types of mutagens and have antioxidants
      properties.

PMID- 28904370
TI  - In planta expression of hyperthermophilic enzymes as a strategy for accelerated
      lignocellulosic digestion.
AB  - Conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels and biomaterials suffers from
      high production costs associated with biomass pretreatment and enzymatic
      hydrolysis. In-planta expression of lignocellulose-digesting enzymes is a
      promising approach to reduce these cost elements. However, this approach faces a
      number of challenges, including auto-hydrolysis of developing cell walls, plant
      growth and yield penalties, low expression levels and the limited stability of
      expressed enzymes at the high temperatures generally used for biomass processing
      to release fermentable sugars. To overcome these challenges we expressed codon
      optimized recombinant hyperthermophilic endoglucanase (EG) and xylanase (Xyn)
      genes in A. thaliana. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing EG and Xyn enzymes
      at high levels without any obvious plant growth or yield penalties were selected
      for further analysis. The highest enzyme activities were observed in the dry
      stems of transgenic lines, indicating that the enzymes were not degraded during
      stem senescence and storage. Biomass from transgenic lines exhibited improved
      saccharification efficiency relative to WT control plants. We conclude that the
      expression of hyperthermophilic enzymes in plants is a promising approach for
      combining pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis processes in lignocellulosic
      digestion. This study provides a valid foundation for further studies involving
      in planta co-expression of core and accessory lignocellulose-digesting enzymes.

PMID- 28904371
TI  - Acute interaction between hydrocortisone and insulin alters the plasma metabolome
      in humans.
AB  - With the aim of identifying biomarkers of glucocorticoid action and their
      relationship with biomarkers of insulin action, metabolomic profiling was carried
      out in plasma samples from twenty healthy men who were administered either a low
      or medium dose insulin infusion (n = 10 each group). In addition, all subjects
      were given metyrapone (to inhibit adrenal cortisol secretion) + /- hydrocortisone
      (HC) in a randomised crossover design to produce low, medium and high
      glucocorticoid levels. The clearest effects of insulin were to reduce plasma
      levels of the branched chain amino acids (BCAs) leucine/isoleucine and their
      deaminated metabolites, and lowered free fatty acids and acylcarnitines. The
      highest dose of hydrocortisone increased plasma BCAs in both insulin groups but
      increased free fatty acids only in the high insulin group, however hydrocortisone
      did not affect the levels of acyl carnitines in either group. The clearest
      interaction between HC and insulin was that hydrocortisone produced an elevation
      in levels of BCAs and their metabolites which were lowered by insulin. The direct
      modulation of BCAs by glucocorticoids and insulin may provide the basis for
      improved in vivo monitoring of glucocorticoid and insulin action.

PMID- 28904373
TI  - Spatial and temporal distribution of phase slips in Josephson junction chains.
AB  - The Josephson effect, tunnelling of a supercurrent through a thin insulator layer
      between two superconducting islands, is a phenomena characterized by a spatially
      distributed phase of the superconducting condensate. In recent years, there has
      been a growing focus on Josephson junction devices particularly for the
      applications of quantum metrology and superconducting qubits. In this study, we
      report the development of Josephson junction circuit formed by serially
      connecting many Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices, SQUIDs. We present
      experimental measurements as well as numerical simulations of a phase-slip
      center, a SQUID with weaker junctions, embedded in a Josephson junction chain.
      The DC transport properties of the chain are the result of phase slips which we
      simulate using a classical model that includes linear external damping,
      terminating impedance, as well as internal nonlinear quasiparticle damping. We
      find good agreement between the simulated and the experimental current voltage
      characteristics. The simulations allow us to examine the spatial and temporal
      distribution of phase-slip events occurring across the chains and also the
      existence of travelling voltage pulses which reflect at the chain edges.

PMID- 28904372
TI  - Butyrate-producing bacteria supplemented in vitro to Crohn's disease patient
      microbiota increased butyrate production and enhanced intestinal epithelial
      barrier integrity.
AB  - The management of the dysbiosed gut microbiota in inflammatory bowel diseases
      (IBD) is gaining more attention as a novel target to control this disease.
      Probiotic treatment with butyrate-producing bacteria has therapeutic potential
      since these bacteria are depleted in IBD patients and butyrate has beneficial
      effects on epithelial barrier function and overall gut health. However, studies
      assessing the effect of probiotic supplementation on microbe-microbe and host
      microbe interactions are rare. In this study, butyrate-producing bacteria (three
      mono-species and one multispecies mix) were supplemented to the fecal microbial
      communities of ten Crohn's disease (CD) patients in an in vitro system simulating
      the mucus- and lumen-associated microbiota. Effects of supplementation in short
      chain fatty acid levels, bacterial colonization of mucus environment and
      intestinal epithelial barrier function were evaluated. Treatment with F.
      prausnitzii and the mix of six butyrate-producers significantly increased the
      butyrate production by 5-11 mol%, and colonization capacity in mucus- and lumen
      associated CD microbiota. Treatments with B. pullicaecorum 25-3T and the mix of
      six butyrate-producers improved epithelial barrier integrity in vitro. This study
      provides proof-of-concept data for the therapeutic potential of butyrate
      producing bacteria in CD and supports the future preclinical development of a
      probiotic product containing butyrate-producing species.

PMID- 28904374
TI  - Corrigendum: High-throughput screening of metal-porphyrin-like graphenes for
      selective capture of carbon dioxide.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep21788.

PMID- 28904375
TI  - A rechargeable iodine-carbon battery that exploits ion intercalation and iodine
      redox chemistry.
AB  - Graphitic carbons have been used as conductive supports for developing
      rechargeable batteries. However, the classic ion intercalation in graphitic
      carbon has yet to be coupled with extrinsic redox reactions to develop
      rechargeable batteries. Herein, we demonstrate the preparation of a free
      standing, flexible nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped hierarchically porous
      graphitic carbon for iodine loading by pyrolysis of polyaniline coated cellulose
      wiper. We find that heteroatoms could provide additional defect sites for
      encapsulating iodine while the porous carbon skeleton facilitates redox reactions
      of iodine and ion intercalation. The combination of ion intercalation with redox
      reactions of iodine allows for developing rechargeable iodine-carbon batteries
      free from the unsafe lithium/sodium metals, and hence eliminates the long
      standing safety issue. The unique architecture of the hierarchically porous
      graphitic carbon with heteroatom doping not only provides suitable spaces for
      both iodine encapsulation and cation intercalation but also generates efficient
      electronic and ionic transport pathways, thus leading to enhanced
      performance.Carbon-based electrodes able to intercalate Li+ and Na+ ions have
      been exploited for high performing energy storage devices. Here, the authors
      combine the ion intercalation properties of porous graphitic carbons with the
      redox chemistry of iodine to produce iodine-carbon batteries with high reversible
      capacities.

PMID- 28904376
TI  - Erratum: Identification of a six-lncRNA signature associated with recurrence of
      ovarian cancer.
AB  - A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML
      version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

PMID- 28904377
TI  - Kleptoplasty does not promote major shifts in the lipidome of macroalgal
      chloroplasts sequestered by the sacoglossan sea slug Elysia viridis.
AB  - Sacoglossan sea slugs, also known as crawling leaves due to their photosynthetic
      activity, are highly selective feeders that incorporate chloroplasts from
      specific macroalgae. These "stolen" plastids - kleptoplasts - are kept functional
      inside animal cells and likely provide an alternative source of energy to their
      host. The mechanisms supporting the retention and functionality of kleptoplasts
      remain unknown. A lipidomic mass spectrometry-based analysis was performed to
      study kleptoplasty of the sacoglossan sea slug Elysia viridis fed with Codium
      tomentosum. Total lipid extract of both organisms was fractionated. The fraction
      rich in glycolipids, exclusive lipids from chloroplasts, and the fraction rich in
      betaine lipids, characteristic of algae, were analysed using hydrophilic
      interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-LC-MS). This approach
      allowed the identification of 81 molecular species, namely galactolipids (8 in
      both organisms), sulfolipids (17 in C. tomentosum and 13 in E. viridis) and
      betaine lipids (51 in C. tomentosum and 41 in E. viridis). These lipid classes
      presented similar lipidomic profiles in C. tomentosum and E. viridis, indicating
      that the necessary mechanisms to perform photosynthesis are preserved during the
      process of endosymbiosis. The present study shows that there are no major shifts
      in the lipidome of C. tomentosum chloroplasts sequestered by E. viridis.

PMID- 28904378
TI  - End-Cretaceous akaganeite as a mineral marker of Deccan volcanism in the
      sedimentary record.
AB  - An enigmatic chloride-rich iron (oxyhydr)oxide has been recently identified
      together with mercury anomalies in End-Cretaceous marine sediments coeval with
      the Deccan Traps eruptions. The mineral was observed in Bidart (France) and
      Gubbio (Italy), suggesting a widespread phenomenon. However, the exact nature and
      origin of this Cl-bearing mineral remained speculative. Here, we characterized
      the accurate composition and nanostructure of this chloride-rich phase by using
      micro-Raman spectroscopy, Transmission (TEM) and Scanning (SEM) Electron
      Microscopy on Focused Ion Beam foils. We also provide new evidence of its
      occurrence in Zumaia, a reference KPg section from Spain. Results confirm
      akaganeite (beta-FeOOH) as the main phase, with chloride content of 3-5 atomic
      weight %. Akaganeite particles are constituted by the aggregation of nanorods of
      akaganeite. Internal structures contain empty spaces, suggesting formation in a
      low-density (atmospheric) environment. This new mineralogical evidence supports
      the hypothesis that the observed akaganeite was formed in the Deccan volcanic
      plume and was transported to the Atlantic and Tethysian realms through the
      stratosphere. Therefore, akaganeite provides a potential new sedimentary marker
      to identify the imprint of the Deccan eruptions in the stratigraphic record and
      is evidence of volcanic halogen degassing and its potential role for the
      Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction.

PMID- 28904379
TI  - A Screening Mechanism Differentiating True from False Pain during Empathy.
AB  - Empathizing with another's suffering is important in social interactions.
      Empathic behavior is selectively elicited from genuine, meaningful pain but not
      from fake, meaningless scenarios. However, the brain's screening mechanism of
      false information from meaningful events and the time course for the screening
      process remains unclear. Using EEG combined with principle components analysis
      (PCA) techniques, here we compared temporal neurodynamics between the observation
      of pain and no-pain pictures as well as between true (painful expressions and
      needle-penetrated arms) and false (needle-penetrated faces with neutral
      expressions) pain pictures. The results revealed that pain vs. no-pain
      information is differentiated in the very early ERP components, i.e., the N1/P1
      for the face and arm pictures categories and the VPP/N170 for the facial
      expression category while the mid-latency ERP components, N2 and P3, played key
      roles in differentiating true from false situations. The complex of N2 and P3
      components may serve as a screening mechanism through which observers allocate
      their attentions to more important or relevant events and screen out false
      environmental information. This is the first study to describe and provide a time
      course of the screening process during pain empathy. These findings shed new
      light on the understanding of empathic processing.

PMID- 28904380
TI  - Transfer of labile organic matter and microbes from the ocean surface to the
      marine aerosol: an experimental approach.
AB  - Surface ocean bubble-bursting generates aerosols composed of microscopic salt
      water droplets, enriched in marine organic matter. The organic fraction
      profoundly influences aerosols' properties, by scattering solar radiations and
      nucleating water particles. Still little is known on the biochemical and
      microbiological composition of these organic particles. In the present study, we
      experimentally simulated the bursting of bubbles at the seawater surface of the
      North-Eastern Atlantic Ocean, analysing the organic materials and the diversity
      of the bacteria in the source-seawaters and in the produced aerosols. We show
      that, compared with seawater, the sub-micron aerosol particles were highly
      enriched in organic matter (up to 140,000x for lipids, 120,000x for proteins and
      100,000x for carbohydrates). Also DNA, viruses and prokaryotes were significantly
      enriched (up to 30,000, 250 and 45x, respectively). The relative importance of
      the organic components in the aerosol did not reflect those in the seawater,
      suggesting their selective transfer. Molecular analyses indicate the presence of
      selective transfers also for bacterial genotypes, highlighting higher
      contribution of less abundant seawater bacterial taxa to the marine aerosol.
      Overall, our results open new perspectives in the study of microbial dispersal
      through marine aerosol and provide new insights for a better understanding of
      climate-regulating processes of global relevance.

PMID- 28904381
TI  - Sexual-size dimorphism modulates the trade-off between exploiting food and wind
      resources in a large avian scavenger.
AB  - Animals are expected to synchronize activity routines with the temporal patterns
      at which resources appear in nature. Accordingly, species that depend on
      resources showing temporally mismatched patterns should be expected to schedule
      routines that balance the chances of exploiting each of them. Large avian
      scavengers depend on carcasses which are more likely available early in the
      morning, but they also depend on wind resources (i.e. uplifts) to subside flight
      which are stronger in afternoon hours. To understand how these birds deal with
      this potential trade-off, we studied the daily routines of GPS-tagged individuals
      of the world's largest terrestrial soaring scavenger, the Andean condor (Vultur
      gryphus). Andean condors vary largely in weight and show a huge sexual dimorphism
      that allowed us to evaluate the effect of sex and body size on their daily
      routines. We found that condors use an intermediate solution strategy between the
      best times to exploit carcasses and uplifts, with this strategy changing over the
      year. Bigger males scheduled earlier routines that aligned more closely with
      uplift availability compared to smaller females, resulting in a partial temporal
      segregation between sexes. Condors' routines reflect a sexual-size dependent
      trade-off that may underpin ecological and sociobiological traits of the studied
      population.

PMID- 28904382
TI  - Multidimensional encoding of brain connectomes.
AB  - The ability to map brain networks in living individuals is fundamental in efforts
      to chart the relation between human behavior, health and disease. Advances in
      network neuroscience may benefit from developing new frameworks for mapping brain
      connectomes. We present a framework to encode structural brain connectomes and
      diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (dMRI) data using multidimensional arrays.
      The framework integrates the relation between connectome nodes, edges, white
      matter fascicles and diffusion data. We demonstrate the utility of the framework
      for in vivo white matter mapping and anatomical computing by evaluating 1,490
      connectomes, thirteen tractography methods, and three data sets. The framework
      dramatically reduces storage requirements for connectome evaluation methods, with
      up to 40x compression factors. Evaluation of multiple, diverse datasets
      demonstrates the importance of spatial resolution in dMRI. We measured large
      increases in connectome resolution as function of data spatial resolution (up to
      52%). Moreover, we demonstrate that the framework allows performing anatomical
      manipulations on white matter tracts for statistical inference and to study the
      white matter geometrical organization. Finally, we provide open-source software
      implementing the method and data to reproduce the results.

PMID- 28904383
TI  - Effects of Coarse Graining and Saturation of Hydrocarbon Chains on Structure and
      Dynamics of Simulated Lipid Molecules.
AB  - Molecular dynamics simulations are used extensively to study the processes on
      biological membranes. The simulations can be conducted at different levels of
      resolution: all atom (AA), where all atomistic details are provided; united atom
      (UA), where hydrogen atoms are treated inseparably of corresponding heavy atoms;
      and coarse grained (CG), where atoms are grouped into larger particles. Here, we
      study the behavior of model bilayers consisting of saturated and unsaturated
      lipids DOPC, SOPC, OSPC and DSPC in simulations performed using all atom CHARMM36
      and coarse grained Martini force fields. Using principal components analysis, we
      show that the structural and dynamical properties of the lipids are similar, both
      in AA and CG simulations, although the unsaturated molecules are more dynamic and
      favor more extended conformations. We find that CG simulations capture 75 to 100%
      of the major collective motions, overestimate short range ordering, result in
      more flexible molecules and 5-7 fold faster sampling. We expect that the results
      reported here will be useful for comprehensive quantitative comparisons of
      simulations conducted at different resolution levels and for further development
      and improvement of CG force fields.

PMID- 28904384
TI  - Targeting the vulnerability to NAD+ depletion in B-cell acute lymphoblastic
      leukemia.
AB  - Although substantial progress has been made in the treatment of B-cell acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the prognosis of patients with either refractory
      or relapsed B-ALL remains dismal. Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to
      improve the outcome of these patients. KPT-9274 is a novel dual inhibitor of p21
      activated kinase 4 (PAK4) and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT).
      PAK4 is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates a variety of fundamental
      cellular processes. NAMPT is a rate-limiting enzyme in the salvage biosynthesis
      pathway of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) that plays a vital role in
      energy metabolism. Here, we show that KPT-9274 strongly inhibits B-ALL cell
      growth regardless of cytogenetic abnormalities. We also demonstrate the potent in
      vivo efficacy and tolerability of KPT-9274 in a patient-derived xenograft murine
      model of B-ALL. Interestingly, although KPT-9274 is a dual PAK4/NAMPT inhibitor,
      B-ALL cell growth inhibition by KPT-9274 was largely abolished with nicotinic
      acid supplementation, indicating that the inhibitory effects on B-ALL cells are
      mainly exerted by NAD+ depletion through NAMPT inhibition. Moreover, we have
      found that the extreme susceptibility of B-ALL cells to NAMPT inhibition is
      related to the reduced cellular NAD+ reserve. NAD+ depletion may be a promising
      alternative approach to treating patients with B-ALL.

PMID- 28904386
TI  - Skewed X inactivation in Lesch-Nyhan disease carrier females.
AB  - X chromosome inactivation (XCI) ratios of normal females can range from a highly
      skewed ratio of 0:100 to a 50:50 ratio. In several X-linked disorders, female
      carriers present skewed X inactivation. Hypoxanthine-guanine
      phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) deficiency is an X-linked disorder. Males are
      affected and present with the complete Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) or with a
      partial phenotype (Lesch-Nyhan variant, LNV). Female carriers are usually
      asymptomatic. The aim of the present study was to analyze the XCI pattern of HPRT
      deficiency carrier females. As a group, 75% of HPRT-deficiency carrier females
      presented skewed XCI. Moreover, skewed XCI is significantly more frequent in LND
      carriers (83%) than in LNV (0-50%, depending on the phenotype severity). The
      ratios of the preferentially inactivated allele of carrier females were
      significantly higher than the ratios of the preferentially inactivated allele of
      noncarrier females (89.4+/-15, n=52 vs 65.2+/-12, n=52; P<0.0001). For carrier
      diagnosis, the presence of skewed XCI presents a sensitivity of 75% with a
      specificity of 85%. In LND families, the presence of skewed XCI is more sensitive
      for carrier diagnosis than in LNV families; however, we believe that this test is
      not accurate for carrier diagnostic purposes.

PMID- 28904385
TI  - Rapid Discovery of De Novo Deleterious Mutations in Cattle Enhances the Value of
      Livestock as Model Species.
AB  - In humans, the clinical and molecular characterization of sporadic syndromes is
      often hindered by the small number of patients and the difficulty in developing
      animal models for severe dominant conditions. Here we show that the availability
      of large data sets of whole-genome sequences, high-density SNP chip genotypes and
      extensive recording of phenotype offers an unprecedented opportunity to quickly
      dissect the genetic architecture of severe dominant conditions in livestock. We
      report on the identification of seven dominant de novo mutations in CHD7, COL1A1,
      COL2A1, COPA, and MITF and exploit the structure of cattle populations to
      describe their clinical consequences and map modifier loci. Moreover, we
      demonstrate that the emergence of recessive genetic defects can be monitored by
      detecting de novo deleterious mutations in the genome of bulls used for
      artificial insemination. These results demonstrate the attractiveness of cattle
      as a model species in the post genomic era, particularly to confirm the genetic
      aetiology of isolated clinical case reports in humans.

PMID- 28904387
TI  - Bacterial distributions and prognosis of bloodstream infections in patients with
      liver cirrhosis.
AB  - Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are a frequently observed complication in liver
      cirrhosis patients. This study aimed to investigate the microbiological
      characteristics and outcomes of BSIs in patients with liver cirrhosis. We
      retrospectively studied 852 patients with liver cirrhosis who developed a BSI.
      Patient outcome was evaluated using 30-day mortality and assessed using
      multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. Antibiotic sensitivity of the
      pathogens was tested. Gram-negative bacteria were responsible for 59.6% of BSIs,
      and Gram-positive bacteria caused 40.4% of the episodes among liver cirrhosis
      patients. The bacterial distribution significantly differed between hospital
      acquired and community-acquired infections, especially in cases caused by Gram
      negative pathogens. The results of the drug sensitivity test suggested that
      amikacin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and piperacillin/tazobactam highly suppressed
      Gram-negative infections, while vancomycin and teicoplanin strongly inhibited
      Gram-positive BSIs. Liver failure, liver cancer, complications, Child-Pugh grade,
      septic shock, administration of appropriate antibiotics within 24 h, ICU
      admission, nosocomial infection, and Gram nature of the bacteria were independent
      risk factors for 30-day mortality (P < 0.05). The choice of initial empirical
      antibiotics should be based on the type, severity and origin of infection and on
      the local epidemiological data on antibiotic resistance. Accurate evaluation of
      risk factors for mortality may improve appropriate therapeutic choice.

PMID- 28904389
TI  - High wettability of liquid caesium iodine with solid uranium dioxide.
AB  - In March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused nuclear
      fuel to melt and the release of high-volatility fission products into the
      environment. Caesium and iodine caused environmental contamination and public
      exposure. Certain fission-product behaviours remain unclear. We found
      experimentally that liquid CsI disperses extremely favourably toward solid UO2,
      exhibiting a contact angle approaching zero. We further observed the presence of
      CsI several tens of micrometres below the surface of the solid UO2 sample, which
      would be caused by the infiltration of pores network by liquid CsI. Thus,
      volatile fission products released from molten nuclear fuels with complex
      internal composition and external structure migrate or evaporate to varying
      extents, depending on the nature of the solid-liquid interface and the fuel
      material surface, which becomes the pathway for the released fission products.
      Introducing the concept of the wettability of liquid chemical species of fission
      products in contact with solid fuels enabled developing accurate behavioural
      assessments of volatile fission products released by nuclear fuel.

PMID- 28904388
TI  - Protective efficacy of phosphodiesterase-1 inhibition against alpha-synuclein
      toxicity revealed by compound screening in LUHMES cells.
AB  - alpha-synuclein-induced neurotoxicity is a core pathogenic event in
      neurodegenerative synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease, dementia with
      Lewy bodies, or multiple system atrophy. There is currently no disease-modifying
      therapy available for these diseases. We screened 1,600 FDA-approved drugs for
      their efficacy to protect LUHMES cells from degeneration induced by wild-type
      alpha-synuclein and identified dipyridamole, a non-selective phosphodiesterase
      inhibitor, as top hit. Systematic analysis of other phosphodiesterase inhibitors
      identified a specific phosphodiesterase 1 inhibitor as most potent to rescue from
      alpha-synuclein toxicity. Protection was mediated by an increase of cGMP and
      associated with the reduction of a specific alpha-synuclein oligomeric species.
      RNA interference experiments confirmed PDE1A and to a smaller extent PDE1C as
      molecular targets accounting for the protective efficacy. PDE1 inhibition also
      rescued dopaminergic neurons from wild-type alpha-synuclein induced degeneration
      in the substantia nigra of mice. In conclusion, this work identifies inhibition
      of PDE1A in particular as promising target for neuroprotective treatment of
      synucleinopathies.

PMID- 28904390
TI  - Quantum interference in the presence of a resonant medium.
AB  - Interaction of light with media often occurs with a femtosecond response time.
      Its measurement by conventional techniques requires the use of femtosecond lasers
      and sophisticated time-gated optical detection. Here we demonstrate that by
      exploiting quantum interference of entangled photons it is possible to measure
      the dephasing time of a resonant media on the femtosecond time scale (down to 100
      fs) using accessible continuous wave laser and single-photon counting. We insert
      a sample in the Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer and observe the modification of the
      two-photon interference pattern, which is driven by the coherent response of the
      medium, determined by the dephasing time. The dephasing time is then inferred
      from the observed pattern. This effect is distinctively different from the basic
      effect of spectral filtering, which was studied in earlier works. In addition to
      its ease of use, our technique does not require compensation of group velocity
      dispersion and does not induce photo-damage of the samples. Our technique will be
      useful for characterization of ultrafast phase relaxation processes in material
      science, chemistry, and biology.

PMID- 28904391
TI  - Exposure to genetically engineered olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) has no negative
      impact on three non-target organisms.
AB  - Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) remains a major pest of olive fruit
      production worldwide. Current pest management programs largely depend on chemical
      insecticides, resulting in high economic and environmental costs. Alternative
      pest control approaches are therefore highly desirable. We have created a
      conditional female-specific self-limiting strain of B. oleae (OX3097D-Bol) that
      could be applied for sustainable pest control. OX3097D-Bol olive fly carries a
      fluorescent marker (DsRed2) for identification and a self-limiting genetic trait
      that is repressed by tetracycline. In the absence of tetracycline, the
      tetracycline transactivator (tTAV) accumulates, resulting in female death at
      larvae and early pupal stages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact
      of genetically engineered OX3097D-Bol olive fly on three non-target organisms
      that either predate or parasitize olive flies, one from the guild of parasitoids
      (Psyttalia concolor) and two from the guild of predators (Pardosa spider species
      and the rove beetle Aleochara bilineata). No significant negative effect was
      observed on life history parameters, mortality and reproductive capacity of the
      non-target organisms studied. These results suggest that potential exposure to
      DsRed2 and tTAV gene products (e.g. mRNA and encoded proteins) would have a
      negligible impact on on-target organisms in the guilds or predators and
      parasitoids.

PMID- 28904392
TI  - Emergent spectral properties of river network topology: an optimal channel
      network approach.
AB  - Characterization of river drainage networks has been a subject of research for
      many years. However, most previous studies have been limited to quantities which
      are loosely connected to the topological properties of these networks. In this
      work, through a graph-theoretic formulation of drainage river networks, we
      investigate the eigenvalue spectra of their adjacency matrix. First, we introduce
      a graph theory model for river networks and explore the properties of the network
      through its adjacency matrix. Next, we show that the eigenvalue spectra of such
      complex networks follow distinct patterns and exhibit striking features including
      a spectral gap in which no eigenvalue exists as well as a finite number of zero
      eigenvalues. We show that such spectral features are closely related to the
      branching topology of the associated river networks. In this regard, we find an
      empirical relation for the spectral gap and nullity in terms of the energy
      dissipation exponent of the drainage networks. In addition, the eigenvalue
      distribution is found to follow a finite-width probability density function with
      certain skewness which is related to the drainage pattern. Our results are based
      on optimal channel network simulations and validated through examples obtained
      from physical experiments on landscape evolution. These results suggest the
      potential of the spectral graph techniques in characterizing and modeling river
      networks.

PMID- 28904395
TI  - SECOND SPECIAL ISSUE: HERITAGE OF A PSYCHOANALYTIC MIND. FERENCZI INTERNATIONAL
      CONFERENCE IN TORONTO.

PMID- 28904393
TI  - MicroRNA pharmacogenomics based integrated model of miR-17-92 cluster in
      sorafenib resistant HCC cells reveals a strategy to forestall drug resistance.
AB  - Among solid tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) emerges as a prototypical
      therapy-resistant tumor. Considering the emerging sorafenib resistance crisis in
      HCC, future studies are urgently required to overcome resistance. Recently
      noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as significant regulators in signalling
      pathways involved in cancer drug resistance and pharmacologically targeting these
      ncRNAs might be a novel stratagem to reverse drug resistance. In the current
      study, using a hybrid Petri net based computational model, we have investigated
      the harmonious effect of miR-17-92 cluster inhibitors/mimics and circular RNAs on
      sorafenib resistant HCC cells in order to explore potential resistance mechanisms
      and to identify putative targets for sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. An integrated
      model was developed that incorporates seven miRNAs belonging to miR-17-92 cluster
      (hsa-miR-17-5p, hsa-miR-17-3p, hsa-miR-19a, hsa-miR-19b, hsa-miR-18a, hsa-miR-20a
      and hsa-miR-92) and crosstalk of two signaling pathways (EGFR and IL-6) that are
      differentially regulated by these miRNAs. The mechanistic connection was proposed
      by the correlation between members belonging to miR-17-92 cluster and
      corresponding changes in the protein levels of their targets in HCC, specifically
      those targets that have verified importance in sorafenib resistance. Current
      findings uncovered potential pathway features, underlining the significance of
      developing modulators of this cluster to combat drug resistance in HCC.

PMID- 28904394
TI  - Ultraviolet B Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Are More Efficient and Effective in
      Producing Vitamin D3 in Human Skin Compared to Natural Sunlight.
AB  - Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin is important for health. Those with fat
      malabsorption disorders malabsorb vitamin D and thus must rely on cutaneous
      production of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is generated secondary to exposure to
      ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (whether from the sun or from an artificial
      source). Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been developed to emit ultraviolet
      radiation. Little is known about the efficiency of UVB emitting LEDs tuned to
      different wavelengths for producing vitamin D3 in human skin. Ampoules containing
      7-dehydrocholesterol were exposed to a LED that emitted a peak wavelength at 293,
      295, 298 or 305 nm to determine their efficiency to produce previtamin D3. The
      293 nm LED was best suited for evaluating its effectiveness for producing vitamin
      D in human skin due to the shorter exposure time. This LED was found to be 2.4
      times more efficient in producing vitamin D3 in human skin than the sun in less
      than 1/60th the time. This has significant health implications for medical device
      development in the future that can be used for providing vitamin D
      supplementation to patients with fat malabsorption syndromes as well as patients
      with other metabolic abnormalities including patients with chronic kidney
      disease.

PMID- 28904396
TI  - The Failure of Clara Thompson's Ferenczian (Proxy) Analysis of Harry Stack
      Sullivan.
AB  - After hearing Ferenczi's talks on theory and practice in New York in 1926,
      psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan urged his friend and colleague Clara Thompson
      to get analyzed by Ferenczi so they could learn his technique. After saving for 2
      years Thompson was a patient of Ferenczi for three summers and then moved to
      Budapest full-time for analysis until Ferenczi's death. Two years after she
      returned to New York she attempted to analyze Sullivan. Analysis was broken off
      in anger by Sullivan after 14 months. Before the promised Ferenczian analysis
      began Thompson discovered Wilhelm Reich's Character Analysis (1933) and she tried
      an aggressive attack on character with Sullivan rather than Ferenczian trauma
      oriented "relaxation" and "neocathartic" therapy. Sullivan could not tolerate
      this. Because of their own unhealed trauma both individually and in relation to
      each other, neither Thompson nor Sullivan was able to advance Ferenczi's views on
      trauma or its healing in America.

PMID- 28904397
TI  - Study of the link between dopamine transporter gene polymorphisms and response to
      paroxetin and escitalopram in patients with lifelong premature ejaculation.
AB  - We evaluated the role of dopamine (DA) transporter gene polymorphism in lifelong
      premature ejaculation (LPE) and its role in determining the response to
      paroxetine and escitalopram. Eighty consecutive patients and controls were
      recruited. Sixty of them suffered from LPE. They were divided into two equal
      groups. One group received paroxetine 20 mg daily for 3 months and the other one
      received ecistalopram 20 mg daily for 3 months. Their wives were instructed to
      measure the intra-vaginal ejaculation latency time using stopwatch. Five
      milliliters of blood was withdrawn from patients and controls for PCR analysis.
      The present study revealed that the mean ages of the patients and controls were
      41.42 and 36.4 years, respectively. The majority of the patients were of
      (10R/10R) genotypes of the DA transporter gene polymorphism, whereas the controls
      were of (6R/6R) genotypes and this revealed statistically significant result (P
      value=0.001). Both paroxitine and escitalopram significantly delayed ejaculation
      in the responders (P-values=0.001 and 0.001, respectively). The study revealed
      significant association between such response and DA transporter gene
      polymorphism (P-values of fold increase and log FI were 0.019 and 0.010,
      respectively). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to
      demonstrate a highly significant association between such response and DA
      transporter gene polymorphism in patients with LPE.

PMID- 28904398
TI  - Genetic variants in PPP2CA are associated with gastric cancer risk in a Chinese
      population.
AB  - Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a tumor suppressor protein, has been implicated in
      cell cycle and apoptosis. Additionally, studies have illustrated its crucial
      roles in transformation of normal human cells to tumorigenic status. PPP2CA,
      which encodes the alpha isoform of the catalytic subunit of PP2A, has been
      recently reported to be associated with several types of cancers. Therefore, we
      hypothesized that genetic variants in PPP2CA might influence susceptibility of
      gastric cancer. To test this hypothesis, three tagging single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) in PPP2CA were genotyped in a case-control study including
      1,113 cases and 1,848 controls in a Chinese population. Three tagging SNPs in
      PPP2CA were genotyped using Illumina Human Exome BeadChip. We observed that the A
      allele of rs13187105 was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer
      (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.28, P =
      0.017). Further analyses showed that rs13187105 [A] was associated with decreased
      expression of PPP2CA mRNA (P = 5.1 * 10-6), and PPP2CA mRNA was significantly
      lower in gastric tumor tissues when comparing that in their adjacent normal
      tissues (P = 0.037). These findings support our hypothesis that genetic variants
      in PPP2CA may be implicated in gastric cancer susceptibility in Chinese
      population.

PMID- 28904400
TI  - Enhanced Bandwidth of High Directive Emission Fabry-Perot Resonator Antenna with
      Tapered Near-Zero Effective Index Using Metasurface.
AB  - In this paper, a novel explanation on high directive emission of Fabry-Perot
      resonator antenna with subwavelength metasurface is proposed. Based on image
      theory and effective constitutive parameter retrieval, the whole Fabry-Perot
      resonant cavity structure composed of a single-layer metasurface with square ring
      element and a PEC ground plate can be acted as an effective metamaterial media
      with very low refractive index (near zero index). According to Snell's theory,
      this property can be used to enhance the directive emission. Based on this, with
      tapered size square ring unitcell, the overlapped bandwidth in which the
      effective refractive index is near to zero is obtained to widen the bandwidth of
      high directive emission. It is demonstrated that the maximum of directivity is
      nearly approaching to 19 dBi, and its 3-dB bandwidth can be improved to 19.5%. A
      final prototype has been fabricated and measured to validate the proposed design
      concept. The measured 3-dB gain bandwidth is approximately 20.3% with a peak gain
      of 17.9 dBi. These results indicate the feasibility of such kind of antenna for
      broadband and high directivity applications simultaneously.

PMID- 28904399
TI  - Semaphorin 3 C drives epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasiveness, and
      stem-like characteristics in prostate cells.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) is among the most commonly-occurring cancers worldwide and
      a leader in cancer-related deaths. Local non-invasive PCa is highly treatable but
      limited treatment options exist for those with locally-advanced and metastatic
      forms of the disease underscoring the need to identify mechanisms mediating PCa
      progression. The semaphorins are a large grouping of membrane-associated or
      secreted signalling proteins whose normal roles reside in embryogenesis and
      neuronal development. In this context, semaphorins help establish chemotactic
      gradients and direct cell movement. Various semaphorin family members have been
      found to be up- and down-regulated in a number of cancers. One family member,
      Semaphorin 3 C (SEMA3C), has been implicated in prostate, breast, ovarian,
      gastric, lung, and pancreatic cancer as well as glioblastoma. Given SEMA3C's
      roles in development and its augmented expression in PCa, we hypothesized that
      SEMA3C promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem-like
      phenotypes in prostate cells. In the present study we show that ectopic
      expression of SEMA3C in RWPE-1 promotes the upregulation of EMT and stem markers,
      heightened sphere-formation, and cell plasticity. In addition, we show that
      SEMA3C promotes migration and invasion in vitro and cell dissemination in vivo.

PMID- 28904401
TI  - Identification of Genetically Important Individuals of the Rediscovered Floreana
      Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis elephantopus) Provide Founders for Species
      Restoration Program.
AB  - Species are being lost at an unprecedented rate due to human-driven environmental
      changes. The cases in which species declared extinct can be revived are rare.
      However, here we report that a remote volcano in the Galapagos Islands hosts many
      giant tortoises with high ancestry from a species previously declared as extinct:
      Chelonoidis elephantopus or the Floreana tortoise. Of 150 individuals with
      distinctive morphology sampled from the volcano, genetic analyses revealed that
      65 had C. elephantopus ancestry and thirty-two were translocated from the
      volcano's slopes to a captive breeding center. A genetically informed captive
      breeding program now being initiated will, over the next decades, return C.
      elephantopus tortoises to Floreana Island to serve as engineers of the island's
      ecosystems. Ironically, it was the haphazard translocations by mariners killing
      tortoises for food centuries ago that created the unique opportunity to revive
      this "lost" species today.

PMID- 28904403
TI  - An in planta biolistic method for stable wheat transformation.
AB  - The currently favoured method for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) transformation is
      inapplicable to many elite cultivars because it requires callus culture and
      regeneration. Here, we developed a simple, reproducible, in planta wheat
      transformation method using biolistic DNA delivery without callus culture or
      regeneration. Shoot apical meristems (SAMs) grown from dry imbibed seeds were
      exposed under a microscope and subjected to bombardment with different-sized gold
      particles coated with the GFP gene construct, introducing DNA into the L2 cell
      layer. Bombarded embryos were grown to mature, stably transformed T0 plants and
      integration of the GFP gene into the genome was determined at the fifth leaf. Use
      of 0.6-um particles and 1350-psi pressure resulted in dramatically increased
      maximum ratios of transient GFP expression in SAMs and transgene integration in
      the fifth leaf. The transgene was integrated into the germ cells of 62% of
      transformants, and was therefore inherited in the next generation. We
      successfully transformed the model wheat cultivar 'Fielder', as well as the
      recalcitrant Japanese elite cultivar 'Haruyokoi'. Our method could potentially be
      used to generate stable transgenic lines for a wide range of commercial wheat
      cultivars.

PMID- 28904404
TI  - Response to 'Non-invasive high frequency ventilation and the errors from the
      past: designing simple trials neglecting complex respiratory physiology'.

PMID- 28904402
TI  - Power frequency magnetic field promotes a more malignant phenotype in
      neuroblastoma cells via redox-related mechanisms.
AB  - In accordance with the classification of the International Agency for Research on
      Cancer, extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) are suspected to promote
      malignant progression by providing survival advantage to cancer cells through the
      activation of critical cytoprotective pathways. Among these, the major
      antioxidative and detoxification defence systems might be targeted by ELF-MF by
      conferring cells significant resistance against clinically-relevant cytotoxic
      agents. We investigated whether the hyperproliferation that is induced in SH-SY5Y
      human neuroblastoma cells by a 50 Hz, 1 mT ELF magnetic field was supported by
      improved defence towards reactive oxygen species (ROS) and xenobiotics, as well
      as by reduced vulnerability against both H2O2 and anti-tumor ROS-generating drug
      doxorubicin. ELF-MF induced a proliferative and survival advantage by activating
      key redox-responsive antioxidative and detoxification cytoprotective pathways
      that are associated with a more aggressive behavior of neuroblastoma cells. This
      was coupled with the upregulation of the major sirtuins, as well as with
      increased signaling activity of the erythroid 2-related nuclear transcription
      factor 2 (NRF2). Interestingly, we also showed that the exposure to 50 Hz MF as
      low as 100 uT may still be able to alter behavior and responses of cancer cells
      to clinically-relevant drugs.

PMID- 28904405
TI  - Noninvasive high-frequency ventilation and the errors from the past: designing
      simple trials neglecting complex respiratory physiology.

PMID- 28904406
TI  - Response dynamics of rat barrel cortex neurons to repeated sensory stimulation.
AB  - Neuronal adaptation is a common feature observed at various stages of sensory
      processing. Here, we quantified the time course of adaptation in rat
      somatosensory cortex. Under urethane anesthesia, we juxta-cellularly recorded
      single neurons (n = 147) while applying a series of whisker deflections at
      various frequencies (2-32 Hz). For ~90% of neurons, the response per unit of time
      decreased with frequency. The degree of adaptation increased along the train of
      deflections and was strongest at the highest frequency. However, a subset of
      neurons showed facilitation producing higher responses to subsequent deflections.
      The response latency to consecutive deflections increased both for neurons that
      exhibited adaptation and for those that exhibited response facilitation.
      Histological reconstruction of neurons (n = 45) did not reveal a systematic
      relationship between adaptation profiles and cell types. In addition to the
      periodic stimuli, we applied a temporally irregular train of deflections with a
      mean frequency of 8 Hz. For 70% of neurons, the response to the irregular
      stimulus was greater than that of the 8 Hz regular. This increased response to
      irregular stimulation was positively correlated with the degree of adaptation.
      Altogether, our findings demonstrate high levels of diversity among cortical
      neurons, with a proportion of neurons showing facilitation at specific temporal
      intervals.

PMID- 28904407
TI  - Syk-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 is required for optimal FcRgamma
      mediated phagocytosis and chemokine expression in U937 cells.
AB  - The adaptor protein c-Abl SH3 domain binding protein-2 (3BP2) is tyrosine
      phosphorylated by Syk in response to cross-linking of antigen receptors, which in
      turn activates various immune responses. Recently, a study using the mouse model
      of cherubism, a dominant inherited disorder caused by mutations in the gene
      encoding 3BP2, showed that 3BP2 is involved in the regulation of phagocytosis
      mediated by Fc receptor for IgG (FcgammaR) in macrophages. However, the molecular
      mechanisms underlying 3BP2-mediated regulation of phagocytosis and the
      physiological relevance of 3BP2 tyrosine phosphorylation remains elusive. In this
      study, we established various gene knockout U937 cell lines using the CRISPR/Cas9
      system and found that 3BP2 is rapidly tyrosine phosphorylated by Syk in response
      to cross-linking of FcgammaRI. Depletion of 3BP2 caused significant reduction in
      the Fc receptor gamma chain (FcRgamma)-mediated phagocytosis in addition to the
      FcgammaRI-mediated induction of chemokine mRNA for IL-8, CCL3L3 and CCL4L2. Syk
      dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 was required for overcoming these
      defects. Finally, we found that the PH and SH2 domains play important roles on
      FcgammaRI-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 in HL-60 cells. Taken
      together, these results indicate that Syk-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of
      3BP2 is required for optimal FcRgamma-mediated phagocytosis and chemokine
      expression.

PMID- 28904408
TI  - Schismatoglottis and Apoballis (Araceae: Schismatoglottideae): A new example for
      the significance of pollen morphology in Araceae systematics.
AB  - Pollen characters in Araceae accord well with recent DNA-based phylogenies, and
      here we provide a new example of "compass needle" quality in Araceae on the basis
      of two closely related genera, Schismatoglottis and Apoballis. All investigated
      Schismatoglottis pollen is psilate (smooth pollen surface) with calcium crystals
      covering the pollen surface. By contrast, pollen of species transferred to
      recently resurrected Apoballis (Apoballis acuminatissima and A. mutata) is
      distinctively echinate (spiny). A unique layer covers the endexine of
      Schismatoglottis, and the whole pollen surface of Apoballis. Our findings
      strongly suggest that "Schismatoglottis" species with echinate pollen fall into
      the genus Apoballis. Moreover, all schismatoglottid taxa perform spathe movements
      during anthesis to control the movement of pollinators. The spathe movements of
      Apoballis acuminatissima clearly differ from those known in Schismatoglottis
      species, and indeed are so far unique for the entire family. This, together with
      differences in floral odour is strongly suggestive of differences in pollination
      ecology between the genera Schismatoglottis and Apoballis.

PMID- 28904409
TI  - Biomedical Applications of Polyhydroxyalkanoates.
AB  - Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are produced by a large number of microbes under
      stress conditions such as high carbon (C) availability and limitations of
      nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and oxygen. Here,
      microbes store C as granules of PHAs-energy reservoir. PHAs have properties,
      which are quite similar to those of synthetic plastics. The unique properties,
      which make them desirable materials for biomedical applications is their
      biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. PHAs have been found
      suitable for various medical applications: biocontrol agents, drug carriers,
      biodegradable implants, tissue engineering, memory enhancers, and anticancer
      agents.

PMID- 28904410
TI  - Recent Advances in Ergosterol Biosynthesis and Regulation Mechanisms in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Ergosterol, an important component of the fungal cell membrane, is not only
      essential for fungal growth and development but also very important for
      adaptation to stress in fungi. Ergosterol is also a direct precursor for steroid
      drugs. The biosynthesis of ergosterol can be divided into three modules:
      mevalonate, farnesyl pyrophosphate (farnesyl-PP) and ergosterol biosynthesis. The
      regulation of ergosterol content is mainly achieved by feedback regulation of
      ergosterol synthase activity through transcription, translation and
      posttranslational modification. The synthesis of HMG-CoA, catalyzed by HMGR, is a
      major metabolic check point in ergosterol biosynthesis. Excessive sterols can be
      subsequently stored in lipid droplets or secreted into the extracellular milieu
      by esterification or acetylation to avoid toxic effects. As sterols are
      insoluble, the intracellular transport of ergosterol in cells requires
      transporters. In recent years, great progress has been made in understanding
      ergosterol biosynthesis and its regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However,
      few reviews have focused on these studies, especially the regulation of
      biosynthesis and intracellular transport. Therefore, this review summarizes
      recent research progress on the physiological functions, biosynthesis, regulation
      of biosynthesis and intracellular transportation of ergosterol in S. cerevisiae.

PMID- 28904411
TI  - Structural and Functional Properties, Biosynthesis, and Patenting Trends of
      Bacterial Succinoglycan: A Review.
AB  - The exopolysaccharide succinoglycan is produced mainly by a large number of soil
      microbes of Agrobacterium, Rhizobium or Pseudomonas genera etc. Structural
      properties of succinoglycan are unique in terms of its thermal stability and
      superior viscosifying property. Unlike the other highly commercialized bacterial
      exopolysaccharides like dextran or xanthan, mass scale application of
      succinoglycan has not been that much broadly explored yet. Bacterial
      succinoglycan is found suitable as a viscosifying and emulsifying agent in food
      industry, in gravel packing or fluid-loss control agent etc. In this present
      review, the key aspects of succinoglycan study, in particular, developments in
      structural characterizations, exo/exs operon system involved in biosynthesis
      pathway, commercial applications in food and other industries and patenting
      trends have been discussed.

PMID- 28904412
TI  - Bio-prospecting Bacterial Diversity of Hot Springs in Northern Himalayan Region
      of India for Laccases.
AB  - Bacterial diversity of hot springs of northern Himalayan region of India was
      studied and explored for laccases, the multicopper enzymes applicable in a large
      number of industries due to their ability to utilize a wide range of substrates.
      220 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) out of 5551 sequence reads for bacterial
      diversity and 3 OTUs out of 19 sequence reads for Laccase like multicopper
      oxidases (LMCOs) diversity were generated. Bacteroidetes (74.28%) was the most
      abundant phylum including genus Paludibacter (66.96%), followed by phylum
      Proteobacteria (24.53%) including genera Chitinilyticum (7.55%) and Cellvibrio
      (6.14%). In case of laccase diversity, three LMCO sequences showed affiliation
      with proteobacteria and one with two domain laccase from uncultivable
      bacteroidetes. LMCO sequences belonged to H and N families.

PMID- 28904413
TI  - Hexavalent Chromium Reduction from Pollutant Samples by Achromobacter
      xylosoxidans SHB 204 and its Kinetics Study.
AB  - Cr(VI) is most toxic heavy metal and second most widespread hazardous metal
      compound worldwide. Present work focused on Cr(VI) reduction from synthetic
      solutions and polluted samples by Achromobacter xylosoxidans SHB 204. It could
      tolerate Cr(VI) up to 1600 ppm and reduce 500 ppm with 4.5 chromium reductase
      enzyme units (U) having protein size 30 kDa. Changes in morphology of cells on
      interaction with Cr(VI) metal ion was also studied using SEM-EDX and FTIR.
      Microcosm studies in pollutant samples for Cr(VI) reduction and adsorption
      isotherm with biomass of bacterium was best fitted with Langmuir model along with
      kinetic studies. This study focuses on significance of Cr reduction from
      synthetic solutions and polluted samples by A. xylosoxidans SHB 204 and its
      potential for bioremediation.

PMID- 28904414
TI  - Identification of Arsenic Resistance Genes from Marine Sediment Metagenome.
AB  - A metagenomic library of sea sediment metagenome containing 245,000 recombinant
      clones representing ~ 2.45 Gb of sea sediment microbial DNA was constructed. Two
      unique arsenic resistance clones, A7 and A12, were identified by selection on
      sodium arsenite containing medium. Clone A7 showed a six-fold higher resistance
      to arsenate [As(V)], a three-fold higher resistance to arsenite [As(III)] and
      significantly increased resistance to antimony [Sb(III)], while clone A12 showed
      increased resistance only to sodium arsenite and not to the other two metalloids.
      The clones harbored inserts of 8.848 Kb and 6.771 Kb, respectively. Both the
      clones possess A + T rich nucleotide sequence with similarity to sequences from
      marine psychrophilic bacteria. Sequence and transposon-mutagenesis based analysis
      revealed the presence of a putative arsenate reductase (ArsC), a putative
      arsenite efflux pump (ArsB/ACR) and a putative NADPH-dependent FMN reductase
      (ArsH) in both the clones and also a putative transcriptional regulatory protein
      (ArsR) in pA7. The increased resistance of clone A7 to As(V), As(III) and Sb(III)
      indicates functional expression of ArsC and ArsB proteins from pA7. The absence
      of increased As(V) resistance in clone A12 may be due to the expression of a
      possible inactive ArsC, as conserved Arg60 residue in this protein was replaced
      by Glu60, while the absence of Sb(III) resistance may be due to the presence of
      an ACR3p-type arsenite pump, which is known to lack antimony transport ability.

PMID- 28904415
TI  - Targeted Metagenome Based Analyses Show Gut Microbial Diversity of Inflammatory
      Bowel Disease patients.
AB  - Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial disease including both
      genetic and environmental factors. We compared the diversity of intestinal
      microbesamong a cohort of IBD patients to study the microbial ecological effects
      on IBD. Fecal samples from patients were sequenced with next generation sequence
      technology at 16S rDNA region. With statistical tools, microbial community was
      investigated at different level. The gut microbial diversity of Crohn's disease
      (CD) patients and colonic polyp (CP) patients significantly different from each
      other. However, the character of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients has of both CD
      and CP features. The microbial community from IBD patients can be very different
      (CD patient) or somewhat similar (UC patients) to non-IBD patients. Microbial
      diversity can be an important etiological factor for IBD clinical phenotype.

PMID- 28904416
TI  - Knockout of pprM Decreases Resistance to Desiccation and Oxidation in Deinococcus
      radiodurans.
AB  - Deinococcus radiodurans has attracted a great interest in the past decades due to
      its extraordinary resistance to ionizing radiation and highly efficient DNA
      repair system. Recent studies indicated that pprM is a putative pleiotropic gene
      in D. radiodurans and plays an important role in radioresistance and
      antioxidation, but its underlying mechanisms are poorly elucidated. In this
      study, pprM mutation was generated to investigate resistance to desiccation and
      oxidative stress. The result showed that the survival of pprM mutant under
      desiccation was markedly retarded compared to the wild strain from day 7-28.
      Furthermore, knockout of pprM increases the intercellular accumulation of ROS and
      the sensibility to H2O2 stress in the bacterial growth inhibition assay. The
      absorbance spectrum experiment for detecting the carotenoid showed that
      deinoxanthin, a carotenoid that peculiarly exists in Deinococcus, was reduced in
      the pprM mutant in the pprM mutant. Quantitative real time PCR showed decreased
      expression of three genes viz. CrtI (DR0861, 50%),CrtB (DR0862, 40%) and CrtO
      (DR0093, 50%), which are involved in deinoxanthin synthesis, and of Dps (DNA
      protection during starving) gene (DRB0092) relevant to ion combining and DNA
      protection in cells. Our results suggest that pprM may affect antioxidative
      ability of D. radiodurans by regulating the synthesis of deinoxanthin and the
      concentration of metal ions. This may provide new clues for the treatment of
      antioxidants.

PMID- 28904417
TI  - Itaconic Acid Production by Filamentous Fungi in Starch-Rich Industrial Residues.
AB  - Several fungi and starch-rich industrial residues were screened for itaconic acid
      (IA) production. Out of 15 strains, only three fungal strains were found to
      produce IA, which was confirmed by HPLC and GC-MS analysis. These strains were
      identified as Aspergillus terreus strains C1 and C2, and Ustilago maydis strain
      C3 by sequencing of 18S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer regions. Cis
      aconitate decarboxylase (cad) gene, which encodes a key enzyme in IA production
      in A. terreus, was characterized from strains C1 and C2. C1 and C2 cad gene
      sequences showed about 96% similarity to the only available GenBank sequence of
      A. terreus cad gene. 3-D structure and cis-aconitic acid binding pocket of Cad
      enzyme were predicted by structural modeling. Rice, corn and potato starch wastes
      were screened for IA production. These materials were enzymatically hydrolyzed
      under experimentally optimized conditions resulting in the highest glucose
      production of 230 mg/mL from 20% potato waste. On comparing the production
      potential of selected strains with different wastes, the best IA production was
      achieved with strain C1 (255.7 mg/L) using potato waste. Elemental composition as
      well as batch-to-batch variation in waste substrates were analyzed. The
      difference in IA production from two different batches of potato waste was found
      to inversely correlate with their phosphorus content, which indicated that A.
      terreus produced IA under phosphate limiting condition. The potato waste
      hydrolysate was deionized to remove inhibitory ions like phosphate, resulting in
      improved IA production of 4.1 g/L by C1 strain, which is commercially
      competitive.

PMID- 28904418
TI  - Leaf Extracts of Selected Gardening Trees Can Attenuate Quorum Sensing and
      Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1.
AB  - An increasing concern on resistance to multiple-antibiotics has led to the
      discovery of novel agents and the establishment of new precaution strategy.
      Numerous plant sources have been widely studied to reduce virulence of pathogenic
      bacteria by interfering cell-to-cell based communication called quorum sensing
      (QS). Leaf extracts of 17 gardening trees were collected and investigated for
      their anti-QS effects using a sensor strain Chromobacterium violaceum CV026.
      Methanolic extracts of K4 (Acer palmatum), K9 (Acer pseudosieboldianum) and K13
      (Cercis chinensis) leaves were selected for further experiments based on their
      antagonism effect on QS without inhibiting C. violaceum CV026 growth.
      Subsequently, the leaf extracts on QS-mediated virulence of Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa PAO1 involved in biofilm formation, motility, bioluminescence,
      pyocyanin production, QS molecules production, and Caenorhabditis elegans killing
      activity were evaluated. The biofilm formation ability and swarming motility of
      P. aeruginosa PAO1 were decreased approximately 50% in the presence of these leaf
      extracts at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. The expression level of lecA::lux of P.
      aeruginosa PAO1 and pyocyanin production were also reduced. The three leaf
      extracts also decreased autoinducer (AI) production in P. aeruginosa PAO1 without
      direct degradation, suggesting that AI synthesis might have been suppressed by
      these extracts. The three leaf extracts also showed anti-infection activity in C.
      elegans model. Taken together, these results suggest that methanolic leaf
      extracts of K4, K9 and K13 have the potential to attenuate the virulence of P.
      aeruginosa PAO1.

PMID- 28904419
TI  - Fish Scales as Potential Substrate for Production of Alkaline Protease and Amino
      Acid Rich Aqua Hydrolyzate by Bacillus altitudinis GVC11.
AB  - Fish processing industries generate large quantities of fish scales as processing
      waste, if not treated leading to environmental pollution. Fish scales are hard to
      degrade, hence cause difficulty in waste management. In this context present
      study was made to utilize fish scales as substrate for the production of alkaline
      protease by Bacillus altitudinis GVC11 and subsequently amino acid rich aqua
      hydrolyzate. B. altitudinis GVC11 efficiently utilized five types of fish scales
      as substrates and produced maximum alkaline protease using Labeo rohita (28,150
      U/mL) followed by Catla catla (23,320 U/mL) at 48 h and Cyprinus carpio (17,146
      U/mL) Mugil cephalus (18,917 U/mL), Cirrhinus mrigala (12,430 U/mL) at 72 h. The
      HPLC analysis of protein hydrolyzate obtained after fermentation was enriched in
      essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, lysine and non
      essential amino acids, tyrosine, arginine and cysteine which can be used as
      animal feed supplement and organic fertilizer.

PMID- 28904420
TI  - Oxygen Reduction Reaction Affected by Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: Different Roles
      of Bacterial Cells and Metabolites.
AB  - Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were found to be capable of tolerating a certain
      amount of oxygen (O2), but how they affect oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has
      not been clear. The present work investigated the impact of SRB on ORR in 3.5 wt%
      sodium chloride solution with the cyclic voltammetry method. The addition of SRB
      culture solution hampered both the reduction of O2 to superoxide (O2.-) and
      hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to water (H2O), and the influence of SRB metabolites was
      much larger than that of bacterial cells. Sulfide and extracellular polymeric
      substances (EPS), typical inorganic and organic metabolic products, had great
      impact on ORR. Sulfide played an important role in the decrease of cathodic
      current for H2O2 reduction due to its hydrolysis and chemical reaction activity
      with H2O2. EPS were sticky, easy to adsorb on the electrode surface and abundant
      in functional groups, which hindered the transformation of O2 into O2.- and
      favored the reduction of H2O2 to H2O.

PMID- 28904421
TI  - Impact of Preservation Conditions on Fatty Acids, Xanthan Gum Production and
      Other Characteristics of Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae IBSBF 2103.
AB  - The conditions of storage, cultivation and maintenance of microbial cultures
      should preserve the microbiological homogeneity, phenotypic and genotypic
      characteristics to ensure better reproducibility of metabolic production. To
      evaluate the influence of the storage condition on the composition of cell fatty
      acids, genetic profile and biochemical characteristics of Xanthomonas campestris
      pv. mangiferaeindicae IBSBF 2103, as well as, to identify its relationship with
      the yielding and viscosity of the xanthan gum produced, this study monitored the
      strain preserved in two simple and widely used conditions, ultra-freezer (-80 
      degrees C) and refrigeration (3-8  degrees C) during 5 months. Were identified
      and quantified 13 fatty acids. The cells preserved at -80  degrees C showed more
      stable concentration of all fatty acids, producing more xanthan gum and with
      higher viscosity. The chromosomal analysis obtained with the enzyme XbaI revealed
      17 distinct fragments with maximum size of 485 kilobases, without variations
      among the subcultures maintained in both storage conditions. The X. campestris
      pv. mangiferaeindicae subcultures preserved at -80  degrees C showed less
      pronounced phenotypic variations, which had positive influence in the qualitative
      and quantitative characteristics of the xanthan gum produced.

PMID- 28904422
TI  - Melioration in Anti-staphylococcal Activity of Conventional Antibiotic(s) by
      Organic Acids Present in the Cell Free Supernatant of Lactobacillus
      paraplantarum.
AB  - In view of emerging drug resistance in pathogens, there is a need to explore
      alternative strategies to combat infections. Use of probiotics is one such
      option. In this regard, efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum has been reported
      against Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we propose that cell free supernatant (CFS)
      of Lactobacillus paraplantarum when used in combination with conventional
      antibiotics viz. ampicillin and oxacillin [to which the methicillin resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains were originally resistant] reduce the
      minimum inhibitory concentrations of these antibiotics, rendering the combination
      either synergistic or additive against the tested MRSA strain. The anti
      staphylococcal activity was observed to be due to organic acids (acetic acid and
      lactic acid as confirmed by HPLC analysis) present in the CFS, as neutralization
      of the CFS with an alkali, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), caused the complete
      abrogation of its activity. The role of H2O2 and bacteriocin present in the CFS
      was also ruled out. The findings of this study suggest that cell free supernatant
      and ampicillin/oxacillin combination(s) might help in rejuvenating the use of
      conventional anti-staphylococcal antibiotics for the treatment of multi-drug
      resistant strains.

PMID- 28904423
TI  - Ultra-High Efficient Colony PCR for High Throughput Screening of Bacterial Genes.
AB  - Current colony PCR methods are not suitable for screening genes encoded in
      genomic DNA and are limited to E. coli host strains. Here, we describe an ultra
      high efficient colony PCR method for high throughput screening of bacterial genes
      embedded in the genomic DNA of any bacterial species. This new technique expands
      colony PCR method to several hosts as well as offers a rapid, less expensive and
      reliable bacterial genomic DNA extraction.

PMID- 28904424
TI  - Uncommon pollen walls: reasons and consequences).
AB  - : The mature pollen wall of gymnosperms and angiosperms consists in principle of
      two fundamentally different layers, the complex, thick sporopolleninous exine and
      the homogeneous, thin, single-layered pectocellulosic intine. In angiosperms, the
      typical exine is usually formed by a tectum, columellae, a foot layer, and an
      endexine. An exine reduction (minimally up to the complete absence) occurs in
      many unrelated seed plants, without consequences for pollen viability. The intine
      sometimes also deviates from its common form, being either extremely thick or
      appearing two- or even three-layered. Environmental factors or developmental
      constraints are highlighted as being responsible for the various deviating exine
      and intine forms. PACINI E & HESSE M 2012 UNKOMPLETTE POLLENWAND - GRUNDE UND
      KONSEQUENZEN: Die fertige Pollenwand der Gymnospermen und der Angiospermen
      besteht im Prinzip aus zwei fundamental verschiedenen Lagen, aus der komplexen,
      dicken und sporopolleninhaltigen Exine, und der homogenen, dunnen, einschichtigen
      und uberwiegend zellulosehaltigen Intine. Bei Angiospermen ist die typische Exine
      aus einem Tectum, aus Columellae, aus einem Foot Layer und zumeist noch aus einer
      Endexine geformt. In vielen, nicht miteinander verwandten Angiospermen (seltener
      bei Gymnospermen) is die Exine mehr oder weniger stark reduziert, was allerdings
      keinen Einflubeta auf die Keimungsfahigkeit des Pollens hat. Auch die Intine
      weicht manchmal von ihrer ublichen Ausbildung ab, ist entweder auffallend dick
      oder zwei bis dreischichtig. Sowohl Umweltfaktoren als auch embryologisch und
      entwicklungsgeschichtlich bedingte Hemmungen sind fur die abweichenden Exine- und
      Intineformen verantwortlich.

PMID- 28904425
TI  - Wait Up!: Attachment and Sovereign Power.
AB  - Sociologists and feminist scholars have, over many decades, characterised
      attachment as a social construction that functions to support political and
      gender conservatism. We accept that attachment theory has seen use to these ends
      and consider recent deployments of attachment theory as justification for a
      minimal State within conservative political discourse in the UK since 2009.
      However, we contest that attachment is reducible to its discursive construction.
      We consider Judith Butler's depiction of the infant attached to an abusive
      caregiver as a foundation and parallel to the position of the adult citizen
      subjected to punitive cultural norms and political institutions. We develop and
      qualify Butler's account, drawing on the insights offered by the work of Lauren
      Berlant. We also return to Foucault's Psychiatric Power lectures, in which
      familial relations are situated as an island of sovereign power within the sea of
      modern disciplinary institutions. These reflections help advance analysis of
      three important issues: the social and political implications of attachment
      research; the relationship between disciplinary and sovereign power in the
      affective dynamic of subjection; and the political and ethical status of
      professional activity within the psy disciplines.

PMID- 28904426
TI  - Recurrent Crescentic Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy in the Graft Kidney.

PMID- 28904427
TI  - MicroRNAs Involvement in Renal Pathophysiology: A Bird's Eye View.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to suppress gene expression by binding to messenger
      RNAs and in turn regulate different pathophysiological processes. Transforming
      growth factor-beta, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and Wnt signaling
      like major pathways associated with miRNAs are involved with kidney diseases. The
      discovery of miRNAs has provided new insights into kidney pathologies and may
      provide effective therapeutic strategies. Research has demonstrated the role of
      miRNAs in a variety of kidney diseases including diabetic nephropathy, lupus
      nephritis, hypertension, nephritic syndrome, acute kidney injury, renal cell
      carcinoma, and renal fibrosis. miRNAs are implicated as playing a role in these
      diseases due to their role in apoptosis, cell proliferation, differentiation, and
      development. As miRNAs have been detected in a stable condition in different
      biological fluids, they have the potential to be tools to study the pathogenesis
      of human diseases with a great potential to be used in disease diagnosis and
      prognosis. The purpose of this review is to examine the role of miRNA in kidney
      disease.

PMID- 28904428
TI  - Collapsing Glomerulopathy- A Troublemaker for the Renal Allograft: Lessons
      Learnt.
AB  - Collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) is a well-recognized distinct morphological
      pattern of proliferative parenchymal injury leading to rapid graft failure. We
      conducted a single-center retrospective study to evaluate the prevalence,
      clinicopathological features, and prognosis of CG in renal transplant recepient.
      We analyzed 2518 renal allograft biopsies performed from 2007 to 2015 and
      correlated their clinicopathological features. The prevalence of CG was 0.83% (21
      out of 2518) of allograft biopsies with a higher prevalence of 1.4% during the
      period from 2012 to 2015. Out of 21 patients, 18 (85.71%) patients had undergone
      live donor and 3 (14.28%) patients had undergone deceased donor renal transplant.
      Hypertension was observed in 3 (14.28%) patients. The mean duration of diagnosis
      for CG was 1.85 +/- 1.91 years. Urinalysis revealed microhematuria in 5 (23.8%)
      patients. The mean 24 h urinary protein excretion was 4.77 +/- 5.3 g and serum
      creatinine was 2.12 +/- 1.5 mg/dl. The predominant native kidney diseases in
      recipients were chronic glomerulonephritis of unknown etiology in 12 (57.14%)
      patients and hypertensive nephropathy in 3 (14.28%) patients. CG was associated
      with rejection in 9 (42.85%), calcineurin-inhibitor toxicity in 2 (9.5%), and BK
      virus nephropathy in 1 patient. All patients received standard triple
      immunosuppression. Eleven (52.38%) patients developed graft failure over a mean
      period of 2.2 +/- 1.7 years and 6 (28.57%) patients recovered with stable graft
      function. CG can coexist with viral infection, drug toxicity, rejection,
      microvascular injury, etc. CG usually presents with moderate to severe
      proteinuria and may lead to rapid graft dysfunction and subsequent graft failure
      in most of the patients.

PMID- 28904429
TI  - Correlation of Pretransplant Donor-specific Antibody Assay Using Luminex
      Crossmatch with Graft Outcome in Renal Transplant Patients.
AB  - The significance of pretransplant anti-human leukocyte antigen antibody levels
      that are detectable by more sensitive platforms (including the Luminex platform)
      yet undetected by complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assay remains unclear.
      The aim of this study was to determine the clinical significance of the donor
      specific antibody (DSA) assay Luminex crossmatch and its impact on short-term
      renal graft outcome such as acute rejections, graft survival, and graft function.
      The results of pretransplant DSA-lymphocyte crossmatching (LCXM) assay in 126
      renal allograft recipients whose CDCs crossmatches were negative were
      retrospectively analyzed for correlation with posttransplant outcomes. Of the 126
      recipients, 32 (25.4%) had pretransplant DSA positive. Statistically significant
      association was found between DSA-LCXM positivity with 14th day estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (P = 0.05), DSA Class I with 3rd (P = 0.014)
      and 6th month (P = 0.02) eGFR, DSA Class II with 14th day (P = 0.06) and 1st
      month (P = 0.10) eGFR, mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) DSA with 7th day (P =
      0.08) and 14th day (P = 0.09) eGFR, and maximum MFI DSA with 7th day eGFR (P =
      0.09). The posttransplant eGFR was higher at various time intervals in DSA-LCXM
      negative patients as compared to DSA-positive patients. However, pretransplant
      DSA-LCXM results did not predict the rejection episodes, graft loss, and 1-year
      posttransplant 24 h urine protein. Pretransplant DSA detected by LCXM in patients
      with a negative CDC does not predict adverse short-term outcomes. However, the
      difference in posttransplant eGFR supports further investigation in long-term
      effects.

PMID- 28904430
TI  - Immunohistochemical Analysis of Anti-phospholipase A2 Receptor Antibody on Renal
      Biopsies: A Single Tertiary Care Center Study.
AB  - Membranous nephropathy (MN) is one of the common cause of nephrotic syndrome. The
      discrimination between primary MN (iMN) and secondary MN is essential because of
      treatment implications. Immunohistochemical (IHC) evaluation with the help of
      anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibody helps in tissue evaluation of
      iMN, which is an easy, cost-effective, and pathologist-friendly technique. The
      study included 82 cases of MN over a period of 3 years. IHC using PLA2R antibody
      was performed on iMN and secondary cases with adequate tissue. Cases of minimal
      change disease (MCD) were included as control. Granular staining along the
      basement membrane in the absence of staining of podocytes was considered
      positive. Medical records were verified for clinical information, baseline
      biochemical parameters, details of viral markers, connective tissue disease
      profile, and basic imaging workup. Of the 82 cases of MN, 51 were iMN and 31
      secondary MN (sMN). Thirteen MCD cases were included as control. IHC with PLA2R
      antibody showed a sensitivity of 91.8% and specificity of 95.1%, positive
      predictive value of 95.7%, and negative predictive value of 90.7% in the
      diagnosis of iMN. The other parameters, either clinical or laboratory, did not
      show significant differences between iMN and sMN groups. The results of PLA2R
      staining by IHC were comparable with other studies and showed a higher
      sensitivity (91.8%) and specificity (95.1%). IHC with anti-PLA2R antibody can be
      considered as the standard diagnostic approach to identify iMN and offer scope
      for individualized treatment.

PMID- 28904431
TI  - Role of Gut-derived Uremic Toxins on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in
      Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - Several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors have been identified among
      patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Gut-derived uremic toxins (GDUT) are
      important modifiable contributors in this respect. There are very few Indian
      studies on GDUT changes in CKD. One hundred and twenty patients older than 18
      years diagnosed with CKD were enrolled along with forty healthy subjects. The
      patients were classified into three groups of forty patients based on stage of
      CKD. Indoxyl sulfate (IS), para cresyl sulfate (p-CS), indole acetic acid (IAA),
      and phenol were estimated along with the assessment of oxidative stress (OS),
      inflammatory state, and bone mineral disturbance. All the GDUT increased across
      the three groups of CKD. All patients had higher levels of malondialdehyde (MDA),
      ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (hsCRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as compared to controls. IS and IAA showed
      positive association with MDA/FRAP corrected for uric acid, whereas IS and p-CS
      showed positive association with IL-6. IS, IAA, and phenol showed a positive
      association with calcium * phosphorus product. GDUT increase OS and inflammatory
      state in CKD and may contribute to CVD risk.

PMID- 28904432
TI  - Impact of Steroids on the Inflammatory Response after Ischemic Acute Kidney
      Injury in Rats.
AB  - Inflammation plays a crucial role in acute kidney injury (AKI). The current study
      was designed to analyze the influence of prednisolone treatment on the
      inflammatory reaction during the first 96 h after AKI induction in a rat model.
      AKI was induced by unilateral clipping of the renal vessels. The treatment group
      received prednisolone 5 mg/kg s.c. daily. Infiltration rates of macrophages,
      leukocytes, and T-cells (24, 96 h) as well as plasma concentrations of the
      inflammatory markers intercellular adhesion molecule, interleukin-1 beta (IL
      1beta), IL-18, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (0, 6, 24, 96 h) were
      determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis only. Ninety
      six hours after AKI induction, the prednisolone group demonstrated significantly
      lower creatinine concentrations compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Twenty
      four hours after induction of AKI, a significantly higher rate of infiltrating
      leukocytes was detectable with FACS analysis in the control group (P < 0.01) with
      a corresponding significantly higher rate of macrophages after 96 h (P < 0.01).
      IL-6 and IL-1beta demonstrated a peak after 6 h with a significantly higher
      release in the control group (IL-6: P < 0.01; IL-1beta: P < 0.05). In contrast to
      the control group, the prednisolone group demonstrated no further incline of IL
      18 after 24 h. The results demonstrate the importance of stretching the
      observation period in an ischemia-reperfusion-induced AKI setting beyond the
      first 24 h. Despite the demonstrated protective effects of a continuous
      prednisolone application, it seems that this single anti-inflammatory agent will
      not be able to completely suppress the inflammatory response after an ischemia
      reperfusion-induced AKI.

PMID- 28904433
TI  - Risk Factors for Urinary Tract Infections in Renal Allograft Recipients:
      Experience of a Tertiary Care Center in Hyderabad, South India.
AB  - Renal transplantation is an effective and commonly performed procedure for end
      stage renal disease. Urinary tract infections are a major cause of morbidity and
      mortality in renal transplant patients. As data on postrenal transplant urinary
      tract infections from the Indian subcontinent are limited, the present study was
      conducted to estimate the burden of urinary tract infections in this vulnerable
      group of patients. This was a prospective study on patients undergoing renal
      transplantation in 2014 at our tertiary hospital in South India with a follow-up
      of 2 years to evaluate the risk factors for urinary tract infections. The
      prevalence of urinary tract infections was 41.9% with a male preponderance of
      76.9%. Mean age of the 31 patients was 32.4 +/- 10.2 years (range: 16-55 years).
      Gram-negative bacilli were the most common isolates with Escherichia coli being
      the predominant pathogen (53.3%). All the infections occurred within 1 year of
      transplantation with delayed graft function (P < 0.001; confidence interval [CI]:
      29.0-96.3) and prolonged hospital stay (P = 0.0281; CI: 42.1-99.6) being the
      significant risk factors for acquiring urinary tract infections. Carbapenemase
      production was noted in 33.3% of isolates and all the Gram-negative organisms
      isolated in the 1st month of transplantation were carbapenem-resistant (CR) E.
      coli. The high rate of carbapenem-resistant organisms in the early posttransplant
      period is a point of concern, especially with cadaver transplants. Infection
      control practices and catheter care need to be strictly monitored to minimize the
      risk for UTI in the immediate posttransplant period.

PMID- 28904434
TI  - Effect of Double Filtration Plasmapheresis on Various Plasma Components and
      Patient Safety: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.
AB  - Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) was historically used for blood group
      incompatible renal transplantation. Very few studies are available worldwide
      regarding its efficiency in removing specific plasma components, and safety. We
      conducted a prospective observational cohort study over 1 year on patients
      undergoing DFPP for various renal indications. There were 15 patients with 39
      sessions. The pre- and post-procedure plasma samples of serum IgG, IgA, IgM,
      fibrinogen, calcium, phosphate, potassium, and magnesium were analyzed. The
      effluent albumin concentration was also measured, and complications during the
      hospital stay were recorded. Cumulative removal of serum IgG, IgA, IgM,
      fibrinogen, and albumin at the end of four sessions were 72%, 89%, 96%, 88.5%,
      and 21.3%, respectively and effluent albumin concentration was 1.75 - 2.0 times
      (range: 6.3 g/dl - 7.2 g/dl; mean +/- standard deviation (SD) - 7 g/dl +/- 0.3
      g/dl) the preprocedural serum albumin (mean +/- SD - 3.5 g/dl +/- 0.5 g/dl).
      Removal of other plasma components were not statistically significant.
      Hypotensive episodes were observed only 16.6%, with the usage of effluent
      concentration albumin as replacement fluid despite an average 2.4 (mean +/- SD -
      2.4 +/- 0.4 l) liters of plasma volume processing each session. DFPP removes IgG,
      IgA, IgM, fibrinogen, and albumin. The cumulative removal IgG (72%) is
      suboptimal, whereas IgA (89%) and IgM (96%) are comparable to historical
      controls. We observed lesser episodes (12.5%) of hypotension with effluent
      albumin concentration as replacement fluid, and all bleeding complications were
      observed when serum fibrinogen level was <50 mg/dl.

PMID- 28904435
TI  - Employment Status of Patients Receiving Maintenance Dialysis - Peritoneal and
      Hemodialysis: A Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - The long-term dialysis therapy for end-stage renal disease takes a heavy toll of
      quality of life of the patient. Several factors such as fatigue and decreased
      physical capability, impaired social and mental functioning, contribute to this
      forlorn state. To meld maintenance dialysis treatment with a regular employment
      can be a serious test. A cross-sectional study of employment of patients on
      hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in a state government tertiary institute in
      South India was performed between June 2015 and December 2015. Patients who
      completed 3 months of regular dialysis were only included in the study. The
      number of patients on hemodialysis was 157 and on peritoneal dialysis was 69. The
      employment status before the initiation of dialysis was 60% (93 out of 155) and
      63.7% (44 out of 69) in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, respectively. After
      initiation, the loss of employment was observed in 44% (41 out of 93) in
      hemodialysis and 51.2% (26 out of 44) in peritoneal dialysis (P = 0.2604). Even
      though there was fall of absolute number of job holders in both the blue and
      white collar jobs, the proportion of jobholders in the white collar job holders
      improved. On univariate analysis, the factors which influenced the loss of
      employment were males, age between 50 and 60 years, number of comorbidities >2,
      illiteracy and blue collar versus white collar job before the initiation of
      dialysis. The majority of patients had the scores above 80 on Karnofsky
      performance scale and the majority belonged upper and middle classes than lower
      classes on modified Kuppuswamy's socioeconomic status scale; however, the loss of
      employment was also disproportionately high. There appeared a substantial
      difference in the attitude of the patients toward the employment. There was no
      difference between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in the loss of employment
      of our patients.

PMID- 28904436
TI  - Strongyloid Hyperinfection in a Patient with Immunocompromised Chronic Kidney
      Disease.
AB  - Strongyloid hyperinfection is seen in immunocompromised individuals with
      underlying lung disease. The use of immunosuppressive drugs is an important risk
      factor. We report a case of IgA nephropathy with crescent, started on
      glucocorticoid and mycophenolate mofetil. He presented with bilateral lung
      opacities with breathlessness. As the breathlessness was not improving, despite
      adequate ultrafiltration, bronchoscopy was done. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
      examination showed the presence of strongyloid larvae, which was later
      demonstrated in stool also. He responded to antihelminthic treatment with
      disappearance of larvae from stool but later developed secondary bacterial
      infections.

PMID- 28904437
TI  - Cryptococcal Infection in Transplant Kidney Manifesting as Chronic Allograft
      Dysfunction.
AB  - Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a significant cause of morbidity in solid
      organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Common causes among them are Aspergillus,
      Candida, and Cryptococcus. Antifungal prophylaxis has led to decrease in overall
      incidence of IFI; however, there is very little decline in the incidence of
      Cryptococcal infections of SOT recipients because effective prophylaxis is not
      available against this infectious agent. Spectrum of manifestation of
      Cryptococcal infection varies in immunocompetent and immunocompromised host with
      subclinical and self-limiting with lungs being the primary site in
      immunocompetent and central nervous system as the most common site in an
      immunocompromised host. Other preferred sites are cutaneous, pulmonary, urinary
      tract (prostate) and the bone. Herein, we describe a young adult renal transplant
      recipient male diagnosed as a rare case of biopsy proven Cryptococcal infection
      in transplant kidney manifesting as chronic allograft dysfunction.

PMID- 28904438
TI  - Plasma Cell Infiltration of the Kidney as a Manifestation of Myeloma: A Report of
      Three Cases.
AB  - Infiltration of renal parenchyma by neoplastic plasma cells in myeloma patients
      is an unusual finding. We report 3 cases of myeloma, with renal biopsy being the
      first clue to the diagnosis in one. The plasma cell infiltrate in other two cases
      was not so evident but immunofluorescence (IF) and immunohistochemical (IHC)
      stains for light chains helped establish the monoclonal nature of the infiltrate.
      We surmise that plasma cell infiltration in the kidney can be an important clue
      to the diagnosis of an underlying myeloma and could in future be regarded as a
      myeloma-defining event (MDE) if monoclonality is confirmed. This finding could
      directly affect the prognosis and be a direct indicator of the tumor burden.
      Further studies are however required to determine the exact prognostic value and
      precise relationship of such a finding with deranged renal functions in myeloma.

PMID- 28904439
TI  - Association of Amelogenesis Imperfecta and Bartter's Syndrome.
AB  - Bartter's syndrome is an autosomal recessive renal tubular disorder characterized
      by hypokalemia, hypochloremia, metabolic alkalosis, and hyperreninemia with
      normal blood pressure. Bartter's syndrome is associated with hypercalciuria and
      nephrocalcinosis. Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a group of hereditary disorders
      that affect dental enamel. AI could be part of several syndromes. The enamel
      renal syndrome is the association of AI and nephrocalcinosis. We report two
      patients of AI with Bartter's syndrome.

PMID- 28904440
TI  - Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 with Homozygosity for a Double-mutated AGXT Allele
      in a 2-year-old Child.
AB  - Primary hyperoxaluria (PH) Type 1 is a rare, genetic disorder caused by
      deficiency of the liver enzyme alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase, which is
      encoded by AGXT gene. We report a 2-year-old South Indian Tamil child with
      nephrocalcinosis due to PH Type 1, in whom a homozygous genotype for two missense
      mutations in the AGXT gene was found: first, a C to G transversion (c. 32C>G) in
      exon 1 resulting in the amino acid substitution p.Pro11Arg; second, a T to A
      transversion (c. 167T>A) in exon 2 resulting in p.Ile56Asn. A therapy based on
      potassium citrate and pyridoxine was started. This is the first report of
      molecular testing-proven childhood onset-PH Type 1 from South India and is
      notable for the co-occurrence of two missense mutations in one AGXT allele, which
      might lead to different and more severe phenotype than each mutation alone. To
      the best of our knowledge, AGXT allele carrying two already known mutations has
      not been previously reported.

PMID- 28904441
TI  - Everolimus-associated Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Metastatic Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - Recently, everolimus (Evl) has been introduced in the management of hormone
      receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, in combination with aromatase
      inhibitors. Evl-induced acute kidney injury has hitherto been described in other
      malignancies, especially renal cell cancer, but only once before in a patient
      with breast cancer. We describe two cases of Evl-associated nephrotoxicity in
      patients with breast cancer, one of whom underwent a renal biopsy showing acute
      tubular necrosis. Both our patients improved after withdrawal of the offending
      agent and have normal renal functions on follow-up.

PMID- 28904442
TI  - Renal Cysts and Nephrocalcinosis in 11 Beta-hydroxylase Deficiency.

PMID- 28904443
TI  - To Compare Acute Peritoneal Dialysis with Sustained Low-efficiency Dialysis in
      Critically Ill Patients Requiring Renal Replacement Therapy.

PMID- 28904444
TI  - Utility of Determining Autoantibodies to M-type Phospholipase A2 Receptor in
      Diagnosing Primary Membranous Nephropathy: An Ideal Setting.

PMID- 28904446
TI  - Levodopa: History and Therapeutic Applications.
AB  - Levodopa - the aromatic amino acid L-3,4-dihydroxy phenylalanine has held the
      attention of neurologists and pharmacologists alike for more than half a century.
      Even though extensive research has been done across the globe in treatment of
      Parkinson's disease, with different molecules, none could replace the gold
      standard treatment or provide complete relief for the debilitated. Although
      research brought us better tips and tricks to modulate the dopamine blood levels
      to balance between the desired and deleterious effects, it could never replace
      the basic substrate. From simple oral preparation to more advanced treatment like
      duodenal dopa administration for better efficacy and compliance, L-dopa has sure
      undergone scrutiny and stayed strong as the fundamental neurotransmitter
      replacement therapy to pave path for many more new therapeutic strategies. So as
      a token of gratitude to the revolutionary agent and pioneers behind it, a trip
      down the memory lane is in order.

PMID- 28904445
TI  - Epidemiology of Peripheral Neuropathy: An Indian Perspective.
AB  - Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a common disorder and presents as diagnostic and
      therapeutic challenge to physicians and neurologists. In epidemiological studies
      from India from various regions the overall prevalence of PN varied from 5 to
      2400 per 10,000 population in various community studies. India is composed of a
      multiethnic, multicultural population who are exposed to different adverse
      environmental factors such as arsenic and lead. Use of different chemotherapeutic
      agents with propensity to affect peripheral nerves, increasing methods of
      diagnosis of connective tissue disorders and use of immunomodulating drugs,
      growing aging population is expected to change the spectrum and burden of
      peripheral neuropathy in the community. The other important aspect of peripheral
      neuropathies is in terms of the geographical and occupational distribution
      especially of toxic neuropathies like arsenic which is common in eastern belt;
      lead, mercury and organo-phosphorous compounds where occupational exposures are
      major sources. Inflammatory neuropathies either due to vasculitis or G B
      Syndrome, chronic inflammatory polyradiculopathies are another major group of
      neuropathies which is increasing due to increase longevity of Indian subjects and
      immunological impairment, also adds to morbidity of the patients and are
      potentially treatable. Leprous neuropathy is common in India and although its
      frequency is significantly decreasing because of national control program yet
      pure neuritic form still remains a cause of concern and similar is the case with
      another infective cause like diptheric neurpathy. Thus this article is an attempt
      to cover major categories and also highlight the areas where further studies are
      needed.

PMID- 28904447
TI  - Levodopa-induced Dyskinesia: Clinical Features, Pathophysiology, and Medical
      Management.
AB  - Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is commonly seen in Parkinson's disease
      patients treated with levodopa. This side effect is usually encountered after
      long duration of treatment, but occasionally, this may be seen even after few
      days or months of treatment. LID is broadly classified as peak-dose dyskinesia,
      wearing-off or off-period dyskinesia, and diphasic dyskinesia. Pathogenesis of
      LID is complex, and different neurotransmitters such as dopamine, glutamine,
      adenosine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid play important role altering the normal
      physiology of direct and indirect pathway of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic loop
      responsible for fine motor control. Treatment of LID requires careful history
      taking and clinical examination to find the type of dyskinesia as different
      approach is required for different types. Changes in dopaminergic medication
      including continuous dopaminergic stimulation are very helpful in the management
      of peak-dose dyskinesia. Different types of surgical approaches including
      unilateral pallidotomy and deep brain stimulation have given very good result in
      patients, who cannot be managed by medications alone. The surgical management of
      LID is dealt with in detail in another review in this series.

PMID- 28904449
TI  - James Wenceslaus Papez, His Circuit, and Emotion.
AB  - James Papez worked on the anatomical substrates of emotion and described a
      circuit, mainly composed of the hippocampus, thalamus and cingulum, and published
      his observations in 1937. However, such an idea existed before him, as evidenced
      by the rudimentary indications from Paul Broca, and Paul MacLean added some other
      structures like, septum, amygdala, and hypothalamus in its ambit and called it
      the limbic system. Paul Ivan Yakovlev, proposed a circuit which also referred to
      orbitofrontal, insular, anterior temporal lobe, and other nuclei of thalamus.
      Further works hinted at cerebellar projections into this system and the clinical
      picture of aggression, arousal and positive feeding responses with stimulation of
      cerebellar nuclei, attests its possible role. Finally, the work of Heinrich
      Kluver and Paul Bucy of the United States of America on ablating the temporal
      lobes and amygdala and the resultant behaviour of the animals, almost
      incontrovertibly adduced evidence for the operation of a neural circuitry in the
      genesis of emotion. Additionally, Papez circuit may also be concerned with memory
      and damage to its various components in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease,
      Korsakoff's syndrome, semantic dementia, and global amnesia, where cognitive
      disturbance is almost universal, lends credence to its putative role.

PMID- 28904448
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Levodopa-induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - The treatment of motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease (PD) is essentially
      a trade-off between adequate relief of motor symptoms and prevention and control
      of motor complications, particularly levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID).
      Progression of PD is paralleled by a progressive difficulty in achieving the
      balance. Functional neurosurgical procedures provide sustained relief of LID in
      carefully selected patients when further tailoring of medical therapy fails to
      achieve this goal. Though deep brain stimulation (DBS) has superseded lesioning
      surgeries, pallidotomy still has a role in those patients in whom DBS is not
      feasible for financial or other reasons.

PMID- 28904450
TI  - Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatment Using Mechanical Thrombectomy: A Study of 137
      Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the most effective treatment in large
      vessel occlusion (LVO). We have analyzed our initial experience of MT of 137
      patients in anterior circulation (AC) and posterior circulation (PC) LVO using
      Solitaire stent retriever device. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of 112
      AC and 25 PC acute ischemic strokes was done considering various baseline
      characteristics, risk factors, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)
      change, revascularization rate, complications, and functional outcome at 3 months
      using modified Rankin score. RESULTS: Out of 137 patients, occlusion was found in
      M1 segment (44.5%), carotid T occlusion (37.2%), and basilar artery (18.2%).
      Atrial fibrillation was important risk factor for Carotid T occlusion. 50.4%
      patients received intravenous thrombolysis. Baseline mean NIHSS in AC was 15.5
      (+/-4.32), and PC was 19 (+/-5.5). Tandem lesions were noted in 14.6%. There was
      significant difference in mean door-to-needle time for AC and PC (220 +/- 80.6
      and 326 +/- 191.8 min, respectively). Mean time to revascularization for AC (39.5
      +/- 14.1) and PC (42.2 +/- 19.4) was similar. Procedural success (modified
      thrombolysis in cerebral infarction >=2b) observed in AC and PC was 92.9% and
      84%, respectively (P = 0.154). NIHSS at admission between 5 and 15 and immediate
      postprocedure NIHSS improvement >4 was associated with significant better
      clinical outcome at 3 months. Overall complication rate was about 15.3% including
      symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in 8.1% and 6.6% deaths. CONCLUSION: MT is
      safe treatment and equally effective for both AC and PC LVO. With careful patient
      selection, clinical outcome in PC was comparable to AC despite delayed
      presentation and higher baseline NIHSS.

PMID- 28904451
TI  - Short Version of the Bilingual Aphasia Test in Malayalam.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brain damage can impair the use of all languages in bilingual
      persons. For effective management of aphasia (i.e., impaired language) in such
      persons, assessment of all languages is essential. The most widely used test for
      this purpose - the Bilingual Aphasia Test (BAT) - is cumbersome and requires a
      considerable amount of time for administration. To overcome this limitation, a
      short version of the BAT has been recommended. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this
      study was to derive a short version of BAT for Malayalam-English bilingual
      persons with aphasia and to establish the test-retest reliability as well as the
      content and construct validities of this version. METHODS: Following the
      recommendations of the test developers, we used seven subtests from the draft of
      an adapted full version of Malayalam BAT. These subtests in Malayalam and their
      counterparts in English were administered on a group of 22 Malayalam-English
      bilingual participants with aphasia. The scores obtained from these two languages
      were used to establish content and construct validities of the short version of
      the BAT in Malayalam. Further, we readministered the short version of BAT in a
      group of ten participants with aphasia to examine the test-retest reliability
      within 14 days from the date of first administration. RESULTS: The short version
      of BAT in Malayalam revealed high test-retest reliability as well as content and
      construct validities. The administration time ranged between 30 and 45 min.
      CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the short version of the BAT in Malayalam can be considered a
      valid and reliable language test that can be quickly administered in Malayalam
      English bilingual persons with aphasia.

PMID- 28904452
TI  - Long-term Response of Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure in Patients with Idiopathic
      Intracranial Hypertension - A Prospective Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is increased intracranial
      pressure (ICP) with normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contents, in the absence of
      an intracranial mass, hydrocephalus, or other identifiable causes. The current
      knowledge of the treatment outcome of IIH is limited, and the data on the natural
      history of this entity are scant. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to
      study the treatment response of IIH by serially measuring the CSF opening
      pressure and to delineate the factors influencing the same. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A prospective observational study in a cohort of fifty patients with IIH
      in whom CSF opening pressure was serially measured at pre-specified intervals.
      RESULTS: The mean CSF opening pressure at baseline was 302.4 +/- 51.69 mm of H2O
      (range: 220-410). Even though a higher body mass index (BMI) showed a trend
      toward a higher CSF opening pressure, the association was not significant (P =
      0.168). However, the age of the patient had a significant negative correlation
      with the CSF pressure (P = 0.006). The maximum reduction in CSF pressure occurred
      in the first 3 months of treatment, and thereafter it plateaued. Remission was
      attained in 12 (24%) patients. BMI had the strongest association with remission
      (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with IIH, treatment response is strongly
      related to BMI. However, patients with normal BMI are also shown to relapse and
      hence should have continuous, long-term follow-up. The reduction in CSF pressure
      attained in the first 3 months could reflect the long-term response to treatment.

PMID- 28904453
TI  - Hospital-based Retrospective Study of Cryptococcal Meningitis in a Large Cohort
      from India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryptococcal meningitis is an important and a fatal neuroinfection.
      Early diagnosis and treatment is of utmost importance in reducing morbidity and
      mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of patients with laboratory-confirmed
      cryptococcal meningitis seen in tertiary care hospital were reviewed. Details of
      demographic profile, clinical data, laboratory parameters, complications, and in
      hospital mortality were studied. RESULTS: Among 97 patients with cryptococcal
      meningitis (79 men, 18 women), 88 were HIV-positive, two were diabetic, and seven
      were sporadic. Their age ranged from 23 to 67 years (39.16 +/- 9.49). Additional
      pathogens for meningitis were identified in 24 patients. Headache was the most
      common symptom (91%) followed by fever (66%), vomiting (51%), altered sensorium
      (31%), and seizures (20%). Neurological deficits included cranial nerve palsies
      (28), motor deficits (11), sphincter disturbances (5), and sensory involvement in
      four patients. Complications included renal dysfunction (20%), dyselectrolytemia
      (20%), seizures (16%), hypersensitivity (7%), and hepatic dysfunction (5%).
      Favorable outcome was seen in 72 patients, 13 remained unchanged, and 12 died.
      Rapid clinical progression, low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell count and protein
      were associated with higher mortality. CSF cell count and protein were lower in
      patients who had isolated cryptococcal meningitis compared to those with
      additional pathogen. Mean sugar levels were higher and duration of illness was
      shorter in HIV-negative individuals. CONCLUSION: Cryptococcal meningitis is
      common in patients with AIDS. Effective and early antifungal treatment carries a
      good prognosis. On rapid evolution of the disease, decreased CSF cell count and
      protein heralds poor prognosis and warrants initiation of early specific
      treatment.

PMID- 28904454
TI  - Rituximab in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders: Our Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating central
      nervous system disease, with recurrent attacks of severe bilateral optic neuritis
      and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis. Aggressive immunosuppression is
      essential to prevent clinical relapses and permanent disability. Rituximab, a
      monoclonal antibody to CD20, has been found effective in several reports and
      small uncontrolled studies. There is a paucity of data regarding its use in
      Indian patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to report the results of
      rituximab treatment in NMO spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) in the Indian scenario.
      METHODS: This study is a retrospective, observational study including 13 NMOSD
      patients treated with rituximab. After initial therapy in the acute episode with
      IV methylprednisolone and if needed plasma exchange, therapy was initiated as a
      cycle of intravenous rituximab, two doses 2 weeks apart of 1 g each. Subsequent
      cycles were advised at intervals of every 6 months. The primary outcome measure
      was annualized relapse rate (ARR), defined as a number of clinical attacks per
      year. Clinical adverse events were recorded throughout the study. RESULTS: In the
      study, mean ARR reduced from 2.61 to 0.09 after therapy (P = 0.000685). Of 13
      patients, 8 (61.54%) were completely relapse free after starting treatment with
      rituximab. Treatment was well tolerated and no serious adverse events were noted.
      CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of NMOSDs with rituximab in Indian patients reduces
      the frequency of relapses and is well tolerated.

PMID- 28904455
TI  - Stigma and Polytherapy: Predictors of Quality of Life in Patients with Epilepsy
      from South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Apart from unpredictable seizures and consequent injuries, people
      with epilepsy (PWE) confront with psychosocial adjustments. Quality of life (QOL)
      varies with culture and socioeconomic milieu. Identification of predictors for
      QOL enables comprehensive and effective care. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this
      study was to investigate the role of stigma, demographic, socioeconomic, and
      clinical factors in QOL among PWE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this prospective
      observational study, 170 PWE answered QOL in epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) and stigma
      questionnaire. Internal consistency of instruments was evaluated by Cronbach's
      alpha and reproducibility by intracorrelation coefficient (ICC). Descriptive
      statistics were calculated, and predictors were identified by regression
      analysis. RESULTS: Mean age of the PWE was 34.39 +/- 11.49. Cronbach's alpha and
      ICC of the QOLIE-31 were 0.946 and 0.974 and stigma scale was 0.903 and 0.954,
      respectively. Mean total QOL was 60.29 +/- 14.12. Highest and lowest scores of
      subscales of QOL were observed in medication effects and social functioning. Mean
      stigma score of PWE was 22.21 +/- 14.64. Majority of PWE had mild stigma (75%)
      followed by moderate (22%) and high stigma (1%). Stigma score correlated with
      total and subscales of QOL (P < 0.01). Statistically significant decrease in
      scores of total and subscales of QOL was observed in high and moderate stigma
      when compared to mild stigma (P < 0.01). Stigma (standardized beta coefficient = 
      0.652, P < 0.00) and polytherapy (standardized beta coefficient = -0.180, P <
      0.02) were found to be the significant predictors of QOL. Significant decrease in
      total and subscale scores of QOL was observed in PWE under polytherapy when
      compared to monotherapy and also in seizure frequent against seizure-free PWE (P
      < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Besides control of seizures, encouragement of monotherapy
      and destigmatization campaigns may improve the QOL of PWE.

PMID- 28904456
TI  - Association of Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in Carotid Intima-media Thickness: A
      Study from South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abnormal carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a marker of carotid
      atherosclerosis which is a risk factor for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular
      diseases. Recent studies have found an association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D
      deficiency with abnormal carotid IMT. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to
      investigate the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels with carotid IMT
      in Indian participants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively recruited 300
      participants at Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad, during the study period between
      January 2012 and December 2014. All participants were assessed for fasting blood
      sugar, lipid profile, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum alkaline phosphatase, serum
      calcium, serum phosphorous, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, and carotid Doppler
      examination. RESULTS: Among the 300 participants, men were 190 (63.3%) and mean
      age was 51.9 +/- 7.7 years with a range from 35 to 64 years. On risk factors
      evaluation, 105 (35%) were hypertensive, 79 (26.3%) diabetics, 63 (21%) smokers,
      and 56 (18.6%) were alcoholics. On evaluation of biochemical parameters, 81 (27%)
      had dyslipidemia, 120 (40%) had elevated CRP levels, 119 (39.6%) had 25
      hydroxyvitamin D deficiency, mean alkaline phosphatase was 93.9 +/- 14.9 IU/L,
      serum calcium (mg/dL) was 9.2 +/- 2.3, and serum phosphorous 4.4 +/- 1.2 mg/dL.
      On carotid imaging, 121 (40.3%) had abnormal IMT. After multivariate analysis, 25
      hydroxyvitamin D deficiency (odds ratio [OR]: 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      1.29-3.55), dyslipidemia (OR: 2.53; 95% CI: 1.46-4.40), elevated CRP (OR: 2.27;
      95% CI: 1.37-3.76), smoking (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.16-3.77), and diabetes (OR:
      1.84; 95% CI: 1.05-3.21) were independently associated with abnormal IMT.
      CONCLUSION: In our study, we established 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency as an
      independently associated with abnormal IMT in Indian participants.

PMID- 28904457
TI  - Delayed Orthostatic Hypotension: A Pilot Study from India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orthostatic hypotension is defined as a sustained decrease in
      systolic blood pressure of 20 mm Hg or a decrease in diastolic blood pressure of
      10 mm Hg within three minutes of standing compared with blood pressure from the
      sitting or supine position or by head-up tilt-table testing (1). When sustained
      blood pressure (BP) drop is after three minutes of upright posture it is called
      delayed orthostatic hypotension (delayed OH) (2). AIM OF THE STUDY: To detect the
      incidence of delayed orthostatic hypotension in patients referred to our
      autonomic lab. MATERIALS AND METHOD: BP was measured noninvasively at 1-minute
      intervals with an automated cuff sphygmomanometer over the right brachial artery
      for 45 minutes. The onset and duration of falls in blood pressure either systolic
      or diastolic or both were documented, and any associated symptoms were recorded.
      Only patients with sustained falls in BP were included. Drugs causing OH was
      stopped 48 hours before testing as per protocol followed in lab. We also looked
      into other autonomic function test abnormalities in patients with delayed OH.
      INCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients above age of 18 years referred for evaluation of
      autonomic function tests. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients with severe cardiac
      failure and cardiac arrhythmias were excluded and patients with rapid fall in BP
      and bradycardia (Neurally mediated syncope) were excluded. RESULTS: Total 170
      patients underwent tilt table testing. Orthostatic hypotension was seen within 3
      minutes in seventy patients, fifty patients had delayed OH (BP fall after 3
      minutes). There were twenty seven males and twenty three females in this group.
      Twenty nine of the 50 patients with delayed orthostatic hypotension, had symptoms
      during the tilt table procedure. Asymptomatic OH was more common in patients who
      developed OH after 10 minutes. CONCLUSION: This is a pilot study, first in India
      where we looked into the incidence of delayed orthostatic hypotension in patients
      undergoing tilt table testing in our autonomic lab. We found that fifty patients
      had delayed orthostatic hypotension which could have been missed on clinical
      evaluation. High clinical suspicion is needed to detect this disorder and tilt
      table testing should be done in suspicious cases since orthostatic hypotension is
      cause of high morbidity.

PMID- 28904458
TI  - Can Transcranial Color Doppler Spectral Signatures be a Novel Biomarker for
      Monitoring Cerebrovascular Autoregulation and Intracranial Pressure? A
      Speculative Synthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trans Cranial Colour Doppler (TCCD) has been extensively used in
      various neurological and neurosurgical conditions causing severe raise in the
      intracranial pressure (ICP). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Our study explores the
      sequential evolution of TCCD flow pattern by correlating with pupillary
      reactivity, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), and imaging. Our cohort consisted of thirty
      patients with ten patients in each subgroup admitted to the neuro-Intensive Care
      Unit (NICU) for various neurological and neurosurgical causes. Middle cerebral
      artery was insonated through the transtemporal window at the time of admission to
      NICU. Doppler waveform and parameters such as peak systolic velocity, end
      diastolic velocity, systolic by diastolic ratio, pulsatility index, and
      resistivity index were recorded. The clinical variables for evaluating the degree
      of raised ICP were the GCS and pupil size. Other systemic parameters such as mean
      arterial pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate were also considered and
      these results were further correlated with TCCD findings. The groups were divided
      into three groups based on GCS, pupillary reactivity, and imaging. Imaging was
      done to indicate the etiology for ICP changes and also to look for signs of
      raised ICP. RESULTS: Ten distinct types of waveform patterns were noted, and
      these waveforms correlated with various physiological parameters suggestive of
      raised ICP. CONCLUSION: The sequential evolution of distinct patterns of Doppler
      waveform with increasing degree of raise in ICP has been described and can act as
      a quick screening tool in NICU and helps stratify patients for treatment and
      prognostication.

PMID- 28904459
TI  - Clinical, Biochemical Characteristics and Hospital Outcome of Acute Intermittent
      Porphyria Patients: A Descriptive Study from North India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an inherited metabolic
      disease characterized by disordered heme biosynthesis. There is no recent study
      reported from India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a retrospective, observational
      study. Clinical records of patients of AIP with acute porphyric attacks admitted
      from April 2008 to December 2016 were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifteen AIP patients
      constituted of eight females and seven males were analyzed. Mean age at
      presentation was 34.33 +/- 15.86 years. Thirteen patients (86.67%) had acute
      flaccid paralysis (AFP). All of them had peripheral neuropathy. These patients
      concomitantly had abdominal pain, seizure, encephalopathy, autonomic
      hyperactivity, history of passage of dark urine, and electrolyte abnormality
      (hyponatremia) in various combinations. Abdominal pain was the presenting symptom
      in 11 (73.33%) patients. Seven (46.67%) patients had seizure episodes. Five
      patients (33.33%) had hyponatremia at presentation. Significantly higher
      percentage of them had seizure at presentation or during hospital stay (P =
      0.007). These patients also had evidence of autonomic hyperactivity in the form
      of higher pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure at presentation. They
      had prolonged duration of hospital stay as well (P = 0.016). Eleven patients had
      partial recovery and rest four patients (26.67%) had in-hospital mortality.
      CONCLUSION: Patients had severe neurological involvement manifesting mainly as
      AFP and seizure episodes. We recommend screening for AIP in patients presenting
      with features of AFP along with any combination of clinical/laboratory
      manifestations such as abdominal pain, seizure, encephalopathy, autonomic
      hyperactivity, passage of dark urine, and hyponatremia. Electrolyte abnormality
      in the form of hyponatremia was an important severity marker.

PMID- 28904460
TI  - Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy with Frontal Executive Dysfunction is Associated with
      Reduced Gray Matter Volume by Voxel-based Morphometry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Frontal executive dysfunction (FED) and abnormalities in volumetric
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been described in juvenile myoclonic
      epilepsy (JME). We aimed to compare JME patients with and without FED by group
      analysis of voxel-based morphometric (VBM) estimates of brain volume in MRI.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We studied frontal executive functions in patients with JME
      and analyzed the possible association of FED with their demographic, clinical,
      and electrographic characteristics. We aimed to do group analysis of the VBM MRI
      brain data to compare the gray matter (GM) volumes of JME patients with and
      without FED. RESULTS: We recruited 34 patients (20 women) with JME (mean age 23.7
      +/- 4.58 years) from the epilepsy outpatient services. FED was detected in twenty
      patients (58.8%). Group analysis of VBM MRI brain showed significant (P < 0.001)
      reduction in GM volume in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (left Brodmann area [BA]
      10, 46, 9, Z-score 3.36, 2.91, 2.03, respectively, and right BA 10 and BA 45, Z
      score 2.98 and 3.36, respectively), left insula (BA 13, Z-score 2.14), temporal
      lobe (BA 38, Z-score 2.76), in the subgroup of JME with FED. INFERENCE: JME with
      FED has an anatomical correlate in the form of reduced GM volume in dorsolateral
      prefrontal cortex.

PMID- 28904461
TI  - The Prevalence and Severity of Autonomic Dysfunction in Chronic Inflammatory
      Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP),
      emphasis has been on motor disabilities, and autonomic dysfunction in these
      patients has not been addressed systematically. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Autonomic
      function was prospectively analyzed in 38 patients with CIDP. Quantitative
      autonomic function testing was done using Finometer(r) PRO and severity of
      adrenergic and cardiovagal dysfunction graded according to composite autonomic
      severity score and sudomotor dysfunction assessed using sympathetic skin
      response. RESULTS: Thirty-four (89%) patients had features of autonomic
      dysfunction. Thirty-three (86%) patients had cardiovagal dysfunction, 21 (55%)
      had adrenergic dysfunction, and 24 (63%) had sudomotor dysfunction. Autonomic
      dysfunction was mild to moderate in the majority (86%). CONCLUSIONS: Autonomic
      dysfunction in CIDP is underreported and potentially amenable to therapy. Our
      cohort had a high proportion of adrenergic dysfunction compared to previous
      studies.

PMID- 28904462
TI  - Clinical Spectrum, Therapeutic Outcomes, and Prognostic Predictors in Sjogren's
      Syndrome-associated Neuropathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There are limited data regarding long-term follow-up and therapeutic
      outcomes in Sjogren's syndrome (SS)-associated peripheral neuropathy. In this
      study, we aim to study the clinical, electrophysiological spectrum and
      therapeutic responses among the different subtypes of SS-associated neuropathy.
      The predictors of suboptimal treatment response will be identified. METHODS: The
      study included a retrospective cohort of patients with SS-associated neuropathy
      between January 2012 and November 2015. Baseline clinical, laboratory,
      electrophysiological data and details of treatment were noted. Therapeutic
      outcomes were assessed at follow-up and compared among the different subtypes.
      Prognostic predictors were determined using logistic regression analysis.
      RESULTS: Fifty-four patients were included in the study. Sensory ataxic
      neuropathy (17, including 9 with sensory ganglionopathy) and radiculoneuropathy
      (11) were the main subtypes. Notable atypical presentations included acute
      neuropathies, pure motor neuropathies, and hypertrophic neuropathy. Concomitant
      autoimmune disorders were present in 24 (44.4%) patients. Most presentations were
      subacute-chronic (51, 94.4%). Minor salivary gland biopsy had a higher yield
      compared to serological markers (81.5 vs. 44.4%). Sensory ataxic neuropathy was
      associated with greater severity and autonomic dysfunction. Improvement was noted
      in 33 (61%) patients. Cranial neuropathy and radiculoneuropathy subtypes were
      associated with the best treatment responses. Chronicity, orthostatic
      hypotension, baseline severity, and marked axonopathy (nerve biopsy) were
      predictive of a suboptimal therapeutic response. CONCLUSIONS: The study
      highlights the heterogeneous spectrum, atypical presentations, and differential
      therapeutic responses. SS-associated neuropathy remains underdiagnosed. Early
      diagnosis and prompt initiation of immunotherapy before worsening axonal
      degeneration is paramount. SS-associated neuropathy need not necessarily be
      associated with a poor prognosis.

PMID- 28904463
TI  - Relationship between Factor V Leiden Gene Variant and Risk of Ischemic Stroke: A
      Case-Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Factor V Leiden is the most common genetic variation among the blood
      coagulation pathway which leads to prothrombotic state, therefore, is considered
      an important gene for understating the stroke mechanism. AIM: The aim of the
      present study is to determine the relationship between single nucleotide
      polymorphism at G1691A position of Factor V gene and risk of ischemic stroke (IS)
      in North Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective case
      control study, 250 patients with IS and 250 age- and gender-matched controls were
      enrolled in the period of October 2012 to September 2014 from in- and out-patient
      department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi,
      India. Deoxyribonucleic acid for each case and control was isolated from
      peripheral blood using phenol-chloroform extraction method. Polymerase chain
      reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used to determine
      the polymorphism. Data were analyzed using STATA Software Version 13. RESULTS:
      The mean age of IS patient was 52.8 +/- 12.5 years and in control group was 50.97
      +/- 12.7 years. Genotypic frequency distributions were in accordance with Hardy
      Weinberg equilibrium in both cases and controls. As expected hypertension,
      diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, heavy alcohol intake, family history of stroke,
      and poor economic status were significantly associated with the risk of IS.
      Multivariate analysis revealed 5.17 times higher odds for developing the risk of
      large vessel subtype of IS in patients carrying Factor V Leiden G1691A gene
      variation as compared to control subjects (OR, 5.17; 95% CI, 1.32-20.3, P =
      0.01). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that Factor V Leiden G1691A
      polymorphism may be significantly associated with the risk of large vessel
      subtype of IS. Large sample size studies using prospective cohort designs are
      required to corroborate the present findings.

PMID- 28904464
TI  - Clinical Features, Risk Factors, and Short-term Outcome of Ischemic Stroke, in
      Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Data from a Population-based Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac rhythm
      disorder associated with stroke. This study was done to describe risk factors,
      clinical features, and short-term outcomes of stroke patients with AF. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This study was a part of the Indian Council of Medical Research
      funded "Ludhiana urban population based Stroke Registry." Data were collected
      using WHO STEPS stroke method. All patients >=18 years of age, who developed
      ischemic stroke between March 26, 2011, and March 25, 2013, were included in this
      study. Data about demographic details, clinical features, and risk factors were
      collected. The outcome was assessed at 28 days using modified Rankin scale (mRs)
      (good outcome: mRS <=2; poor outcome >2). The statistical measures calculated
      were descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Fischer's exact test, and
      independent t-test. RESULTS: Of the total 7199 patients enrolled in the registry,
      data of 1942 patients who fulfilled inclusion criteria were analyzed, and AF was
      seen in 203 (10%) patients. AF patients were older (AF 62 +/- 14 vs. non-AF 60 +/
      15 years, P = 0.01), had more hypertension (AF 176 [87%] vs. non-AF 1396 [80%],
      P = 0.03), hyperlipidemia (AF 60 [32%] vs. non-AF 345 [21%], P = 0.001), coronary
      artery disease (AF 60 [30%] vs. non-AF 195 [11%], P < 0.0001), and carotid
      stenosis (AF 14 [7%] vs. non-AF 57 (3%), P = 0.02). They had worse outcome (mRS
      >2; AF 90 [50%] vs. non-AF 555 [37%], P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ten percent of
      stroke patients had AF. They were older, had multiple risk factors and worse
      outcome. There was no gender difference in this large cohort.

PMID- 28904465
TI  - Spectrum of Visual Impairment in Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: Importance of
      Tailoring Therapies Based on Pathophysiology.
AB  - Visual impairment can complicate cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Here, we
      describe the various pathophysiological mechanisms and treatments available. A
      retrospective chart review of all patients treated for CVT in a large quaternary
      teaching hospital was done, and cases with visual impairment due to CVT were
      identified. The various mechanisms causing visual impairment in CVT were (1)
      raised intracranial pressure (ICP) caused by venous thrombosis without venous
      infarcts resulting in a benign intracranial hypertension-like presentation of
      CVT, (2) venous infarcts involving the occipital cortex, (3) raised ICP following
      the development of a secondary dural arteriovenous (AV) fistula, and (4) arterial
      occipital infarcts due to posterior cerebral artery compression secondary to
      herniation in large venous infarcts. Apart from using systemic anticoagulants to
      attempt recanalization and drugs with carbonic anhydrase inhibitor activity to
      reduce the ICPs, treatment modalities employed to save vision were (1)
      recanalization by local thrombolysis, stenting, or mechanical devices; (2)
      cerebrospinal fluid diversion procedures such as theco-periotoneal shunting; (3)
      optic nerve sheath fenestration; and (4) specific treatment for conditions such
      as dural AV fistula occurring as a late complication. CVT can cause visual
      impairment through different pathophysiological mechanisms. Depending on the
      mechanism, treatment strategies need to be tailored. Furthermore, very close
      monitoring is needed both in the acute and in the follow-up period, as new
      pathophysiological mechanisms can arise, compromising the vision. This may
      require a different treatment approach. Literature on this aspect of CVT is
      lacking.

PMID- 28904467
TI  - Post bariatric Surgery Acute Axonal Polyneuropathy: Doing Your Best is Not Always
      Enough.
AB  - Neurological complications are frequently recognized with weight reduction
      surgeries for morbid obesity. The spectrum of peripheral neuropathies
      complicating the weight loss surgery is wide, and among them, the acute axonal
      peripheral neuropathy resembling Guillain-Barre syndrome is rare and only less
      than a dozen cases are reported. We present three cases, which after bariatric
      surgery developed acute polyneuropathy that rapidly progressed over 4 weeks from
      the onset. All patients responded to aggressive parenteral Vitamin B1 and B12
      replacement therapy. These cases highlight the fact that bariatric surgery
      although is a promising option to treat morbid obesity; it is certainly not
      devoid of potential neurological complications due to micronutrient deficiencies.
      Delay in the diagnosis of acute polyneuropathy may worsen its long-term sequelae.
      A multidisciplinary team management with careful nutritional monitoring at
      regular interval is crucial in all patients for early recognition and
      intervention to avoid these complications after bariatric surgery.

PMID- 28904466
TI  - Detection of Dysferlin Gene Pathogenic Variants in the Indian Population in
      Patients Predicted to have a Dysferlinopathy Using a Blood-based Monocyte Assay
      and Clinical Algorithm: A Model for Accurate and Cost-effective Diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is the most common adult-onset
      class of muscular dystrophies in India, but a majority of suspected LGMDs in
      India remain unclassified to the genetic subtype level. The next-generation
      sequencing (NGS)-based approaches have allowed molecular characterization and
      subtype diagnosis in a majority of these patients in India. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: (I) To select probable dysferlinopathy (LGMD2B) cases from other LGMD
      subtypes using two screening methods (i) to determine the status of dysferlin
      protein expression in blood (peripheral blood mononuclear cell) by monocyte assay
      (ii) using a predictive algorithm called automated LGMD diagnostic assistant
      (ALDA) to obtain possible LGMD subtypes based on clinical symptoms. (II)
      Identification of gene pathogenic variants by NGS for 34 genes associated with
      LGMD or LGMD like muscular dystrophies, in cases showing: absence of dysferlin
      protein by the monocyte assay and/or a typical dysferlinopathy phenotype, with
      medium to high predictive scores using the ALDA tool. RESULTS: Out of the 125
      patients screened by NGS, 96 were confirmed with two dysferlin variants, of which
      84 were homozygous. Single dysferlin pathogenic variants were seen in 4 patients,
      whereas 25 showed no variants in the dysferlin gene. CONCLUSION: In this study,
      98.2% of patients with absence of the dysferlin protein showed one or more
      variants in the dysferlin gene and hence has a high predictive significance in
      diagnosing dysferlinopathies. However, collection of blood samples from all over
      India for protein analysis is expensive. Our analysis shows that the use of the
      "ALDA tool" could be a cost-effective alternative method. Identification of
      dysferlin pathogenic variants by NGS is the ultimate method for diagnosing
      dysferlinopathies though follow-up with the monocyte assay can be useful to
      understand the phenotype in relation to the dysferlin protein expression and also
      be a useful biomarker for future clinical trials.

PMID- 28904468
TI  - Gyriform Infarction in Cerebral Air Embolism: Imaging Mimicker of Status
      Epilepticus.
AB  - Cerebral air embolism (CAE) is a potentially fatal iatrogenic complication
      related to common procedures including central venous catheter (CVC) removal. We
      report an interesting case of CAE related to CVC removal that was further
      complicated with status epilepticus. Neuroimaging of CAE and status epilepticus
      could pose diagnostic dilemmas and require consideration of wide diagnostic
      differentials. We discuss the clinical presentation, mechanism, and diagnostic
      approach, especially neuroimaging to differentiate various etiologies in CAE
      patients.

PMID- 28904469
TI  - Hyper Acute Demyelinating Encephalomyelitis of Childhood: A Rare Entity.
AB  - A young child with catastrophic neurological illness diagnosed as a rare variant
      of acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis (ADEM). She succumbed to her illness
      despite of aggressive and appropriate management. Malignant demyelinating
      encephalomyelitis should be considered in children who are refractory to the
      treatment of ADEM.

PMID- 28904470
TI  - Susceptibility-weighted Imaging Torch Fire Sign in a Patient with Dystonia due to
      Hypoxic-ischemic Injury.

PMID- 28904471
TI  - Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis Presenting as Cauda Equina Syndrome.

PMID- 28904472
TI  - A Rare but Treatable Cause of Paroxysmal Nonkinesigenic Choreoathetosis.

PMID- 28904473
TI  - Surgical Interventions for Task-specific Dystonia (Writer's Dystonia).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Writer's cramp is a focal dystonia producing abnormal postures during
      selective motor activities. Thalamotomy or globus pallidus internus deep brain
      stimulation (GPi DBS) has been used as a surgical treatment in patients not
      responding to medical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients (all men,
      age 16-47 years) with refractory focal hand dystonia underwent either
      ventrooralis (Vo) thalamotomy (seven patients) or GPi DBS (one patient) using
      stereotactic techniques. Preoperative video recordings, Writing movment score for
      dystonic posture and latency of dystonia (WMS), and symptom severity scores
      (SSSs) were evaluated at baseline and latest follow-up ranging from 1 to 4 years.
      RESULTS: All patients had difficulty in performing their most common tasks. The
      duration of symptoms ranged from 6 months to 12 years. All patients obtained
      immediate postoperative relief from the dystonic symptoms, and the effect was
      sustained during the follow-up period. The WMS (range 0-28) improved from a mean
      of 14.5 before surgery to 2, whereas the SSS (maximum 43 and minimum 10) improved
      from a mean of 15.3 before surgery to 2 at the last follow-up. There were no
      surgical complications, morbidity, or mortality. CONCLUSION: Vo thalamotomy or
      GPi DBS offers successful symptom relief in patients with task-specific dystonia.

PMID- 28904474
TI  - Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy Syndrome with an Unusual
      Pattern of Inheritance.

PMID- 28904475
TI  - Stroke in a Child with Dengue Encephalopathy.

PMID- 28904476
TI  - A Methodological Study to Develop a Standard Operational Protocol for Nurses on
      Central Line Catheter Care of Patients in Selected Intensive Care Units.
AB  - AIM: This study aims to develop a standard operational protocol (SOP) for central
      line catheter care for nurses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A preliminary draft of
      protocol based on extensive review of the literature was developed. The current
      practices of the nurses regarding central line catheter care were observed. Focus
      group discussions (FGD) were conducted with the nurses to identify the problems
      encountered by them during care of central line. Four rounds of Delphi were
      conducted to validate the protocol. The protocol was found to be feasible in
      terms of understanding, clarity and easy implementation after conducting a pilot
      study. An observation checklist was developed from the final draft of the
      protocol. The nurses were taught regarding the central line catheter care as per
      the protocol. 30 nurses were observed during central line catheter care by the
      researcher. After implementation of the protocol, feedback of the nurses was
      taken by conducting FGDs. RESULTS: Content validity index of each item in the
      protocol was acceptable. The overall Cronbach's alpha value of the checklist was
      0.75. It was concluded that the checklist is reliable and each item has a
      contribution in the checklist. CONCLUSION: This protocol addresses interventions
      to enable staff to provide proper care of the central line catheter to prevent
      CLABSI.

PMID- 28904477
TI  - Studying the Power of the Integrative Weaning Index in Predicting the Success
      Rate of the Spontaneous Breathing Trial in Patients under Mechanical Ventilation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The use of weaning predictive indicators can avoid early
      extubation and wrongful prolonged mechanical ventilation. This study aimed to
      determine the power of the integrative weaning index (IWI) in predicting the
      success rate of the spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) in patients under
      mechanical ventilation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 105
      patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for over 48 h were enrolled. Before
      weaning initiation, the IWI was calculated and based on the defined cutoff point
      (>=25), the success rate of the SBT was predicted. In case of weaning from the
      device, 2-h SBT was performed and the physiologic and respiratory indices were
      continuously studied while being intubated. If they were in the normal range
      besides the patient's tolerance, the test was considered as a success. The result
      was then compared with the IWI and further analyzed. RESULTS: The SBT was
      successful in 90 (85.7%) and unsuccessful in 15 (14.3%) cases. The difference
      between the true patient outcome after SBT, and the IWI prediction was 0.143
      according to the Kappa agreement coefficient (P < 0.001). Moreover, regarding the
      predictive power, IWI had high sensitivity (95.6%), specificity (40%), positive
      and negative predictive values (90.5% and 60), positive and negative likelihood
      ratios (1.59 and 0.11), and accuracy (86.7%). CONCLUSION: The IWI as a more
      objective indicator has acceptable accuracy and power for predicting the 2-h SBT
      result. Therefore, in addition to the reliable prediction of the final weaning
      outcome, it has favorable power to predict if the patient is ready to breathe
      spontaneously as the first step to weaning.

PMID- 28904478
TI  - How Useful is Extravascular Lung Water Measurement in Managing Lung Injury in
      Intensive Care Unit?
AB  - CONTEXT: The primary goal of septic shock management is optimization of organ
      perfusion, often at the risk of overloading the interstitium and causing
      pulmonary edema. The conventionally used end points of resuscitation do not
      generally include volumetric parameters such as extravascular lung water index
      (EVLWI) and pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI). AIMS: This study aimed
      to assess the prognostic value of EVLWI and PVPI by calculating their correlation
      with the severity of lung injury. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This prospective
      observational study included twenty mechanically ventilated critically ill
      patients with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score (APACHE II)
      >20. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: EVLWI and PVPI were measured using transpulmonary
      thermodilution, and simultaneously, PaO2:FiO2 ratio, alveolar-arterial gradient
      of oxygen (AaDO2), and chest radiograph scores from two radiologists were
      obtained. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The correlation of EVLWI and PVPI with chest
      radiograph scores, PaO2:FiO2 ratio, and AaDO2 were calculated. The inter-observer
      agreement between the two radiologists was tested using kappa test. RESULTS:
      EVLWI and PVPI correlated modestly with PaO2:FiO2 (r = -0.32, P = 0.0004; r = 
      0.39, P = 0.0001). There was a better correlation of EVLWI and PVPI with
      PaO2:FiO2 ratio (r = -0.71, P < 0.0001; r = -0.58, P = 0.0001) in the acute
      respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) subgroup. The EVLWI values correlated
      significantly with corresponding chest radiograph scores (r = 0.71, P < 0.0001
      for observer 1 and r = 0.68, P < 0.0001 for observer 2). CONCLUSIONS: EVLWI and
      PVPI may have a prognostic significance in the assessment of lung injury in
      septic shock patients with ARDS. Further research is required to reveal the
      usefulness of EVLWI as an end point of fluid resuscitation in the management of
      septic shock with ARDS.

PMID- 28904479
TI  - Effect of Fat-based versus Carbohydrate-based Enteral Feeding on Glycemic Control
      in Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventive effects
      of high-fat enteral feeding on glycemic control and clinical outcomes in
      critically ill patients: a randomized clinical trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      study was done on 42 normoglycemic patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit
      (ICU). Patients were randomly classified into three groups of 14 each. Control
      group (A) received carbohydrate-based diet (protein: 20%, fat: 30%, and
      carbohydrate: 50%), study groups received two types of high-fat diet; Group B
      (protein: 20%, fat: 45% including half of olive oil and half sunflower oil, and
      carbohydrate: 35%); and Group C (protein: 20%, fat: 45% including sunflower oil,
      and carbohydrate: 35%) in the first 48 h of admission. RESULTS: Basal
      characteristics of participants were the same. After the feeding trial, there was
      no difference between the groups in mean plasma and capillary glucose levels and
      insulin requirements. Serum high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol level was
      increased significantly in Group B on day 10 compared to admission level (40.75
      +/- 5.58 vs. 43.56 +/- 2.25, P = 0.05). We did not find any difference in organ
      failure involvement and mortality rate between groups. The number of ICU free
      days was significantly more in Group B compared to the control group (P = 0.04).
      CONCLUSION: High-fat diets have no preventive effect on stress hyperglycemia.
      High monounsaturated fat diet may increase serum HDL-cholesterol level and
      decrease the length of stay in ICU.

PMID- 28904480
TI  - Association of Massive Transfusion for Resuscitation in Gastrointestinal Bleeding
      with Transfusion-related Acute Lung Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This study aimed to understand the use of massive
      transfusion (MT) for gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to our medical Intensive
      Care Unit (ICU) with GIB for the type of bleeding, quantity of blood products
      transfused, and risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) and death.
      MT was defined as transfusion of 10 or more units of red blood cell (RBC) within
      a 24-h period in a 1-unit RBC: 1-unit fresh frozen plasma: and 1-unit platelet
      ratio. TRALI was defined as development of acute lung injury (ALI), within 6 h of
      transfusion, with new bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, absence of circulatory
      overload, or other explanation for ALI. RESULTS: In a 43-month interval, 169
      patients were admitted to the ICU with GIB and received blood products, of whom
      13 received MT. Ten patients developed TRALI, of whom 7 (70%) had received MT. MT
      was associated with an increased risk of TRALI (odds ratio [OR]: 17.9, 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 2.9-111.2, P = 0.002) after adjusting for age, sex,
      body mass index, baseline vitals, and laboratory data. Death was predicted by MT
      (OR: 5.6, 95% CI: 1.6-19.7, P = 0.007), TRALI (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1-4.6, P =
      0.02), and Acute Physiologic Chronic Health Evaluation II score (OR: 1.17 per
      unit increase, 95% CI: 1.09-1.26, P < 0.001) after adjusting for age and sex.
      CONCLUSIONS: MT for GIB is associated with an increased risk of TRALI and death.
      Prospective studies assessing the use of MT in this population are needed to
      understand and improve outcomes.

PMID- 28904481
TI  - External Validation of Risk Prediction Scores for Invasive Candidiasis in a
      Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit: An Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to conduct external validation of risk
      prediction scores for invasive candidiasis. METHODS: We conducted a prospective
      observational study in a 12-bedded adult medical/surgical Intensive Care Unit
      (ICU) to evaluate Candida score >3, colonization index (CI) >0.5, corrected CI
      >0.4 (CCI), and Ostrosky's clinical prediction rule (CPR). Patients'
      characteristics and risk factors for invasive candidiasis were noted. Patients
      were divided into two groups; invasive candidiasis and no-invasive candidiasis.
      RESULTS: Of 198 patients, 17 developed invasive candidiasis. Discriminatory power
      (area under receiver operator curve [AUROC]) for Candida score, CI, CCI, and CPR
      were 0.66, 0.67, 0.63, and 0.62, respectively. A large number of patients in the
      no-invasive candidiasis group (114 out of 181) were exposed to antifungal agents
      during their stay in ICU. Subgroup analysis was carried out after excluding such
      patients from no-invasive candidiasis group. AUROC of Candida score, CI, CCI, and
      CPR were 0.7, 0.7, 0.65, and 0.72, respectively, and positive predictive values
      (PPVs) were in the range of 25%-47%, along with negative predictive values (NPVs)
      in the range of 84%-96% in the subgroup analysis. CONCLUSION: Currently available
      risk prediction scores have good NPV but poor PPV. They are useful for selecting
      patients who are not likely to benefit from antifungal therapy.

PMID- 28904482
TI  - Mathematics of Ventilator-induced Lung Injury.
AB  - Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) results from mechanical disruption of blood
      gas barrier and consequent edema and releases of inflammatory mediators. A
      transpulmonary pressure (PL) of 17 cmH2O increases baby lung volume to its
      anatomical limit, predisposing to VILI. Viscoelastic property of lung makes
      pulmonary mechanics time dependent so that stress (PL) increases with respiratory
      rate. Alveolar inhomogeneity in acute respiratory distress syndrome acts as a
      stress riser, multiplying global stress at regional level experienced by baby
      lung. Limitation of stress (PL) rather than strain (tidal volume [VT]) is the
      safe strategy of mechanical ventilation to prevent VILI. Driving pressure is the
      noninvasive surrogate of lung strain, but its relations to PL is dependent on the
      chest wall compliance. Determinants of lung stress (VT, driving pressure,
      positive end-expiratory pressure, and inspiratory flow) can be quantified in
      terms of mechanical power, and a safe threshold can be determined, which can be
      used in decision-making between safe mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal
      lung support.

PMID- 28904483
TI  - Fecal Carriage of Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae
      in Intensive Care Unit Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Increasing and indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led the
      bacteria to develop resistance to most of the antibiotics. Beta-lactamase
      production is the mechanism of resistance to beta-lactams. Extended-spectrum beta
      lactamases (ESBLs) have been found in the members of Enterobacteriaceae such as
      Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. which are the common health-care-associated
      pathogens. The aim was to study the rate of fecal carriage of ESBL-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of
      tertiary care hospital and follow them subsequently for the development of
      infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital-based descriptive study was
      conducted in the department of microbiology of a tertiary care hospital for a
      period of 2 months from June 2016 to August 2016. Rectal swabs were collected
      from the patients admitted to the ICU after a period of 48 h. The swab was
      inoculated onto a special selective media (ChromID ESBL media). The results were
      noted according to the color of the colony produced. These patients are followed
      for the development of infection and the ESBL-producing organisms. RESULTS: A
      total of 60 rectal swabs were cultured, 39 (65%) showed a positive result. Out of
      which, 22 (56%) were ESBL-producing E. coli and 17 (43%) Klebsiella spp. Twenty
      three (38%) of the total patients screened were infected with ESBL-producing
      organisms. CONCLUSION: The study revealed high rates of carriage of ESBL
      producers in patients admitted to the ICU.

PMID- 28904484
TI  - Effectiveness of Humidification with Heat and Moisture Exchanger-booster in
      Tracheostomized Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The two most commonly used types of humidifiers are heated
      humidifiers and heat and moisture exchange humidifiers. Heated humidifiers
      provide adequate temperature and humidity without affecting the respiratory
      pattern, but overdose can cause high temperatures and humidity resulting in
      condensation, which increases the risk of bacteria in the circuit. These devices
      are expensive. Heat and moisture exchanger filter is a new concept of
      humidification, increasing the moisture content in inspired gases. AIMS: This
      study aims to determine the effectiveness of the heat and moisture exchanger
      (HME)-Booster system to humidify inspired air in patients under mechanical
      ventilation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the humidification provided by
      10 HME-Booster for tracheostomized patients under mechanical ventilation using
      Servo I respirators, belonging to the Maquet company and Evita 4. RESULTS: There
      was an increase in the inspired air humidity after 1 h with the humidifier.
      CONCLUSION: The HME-Booster combines the advantages of heat and moisture exchange
      minimizing the negatives. It increases the amount of moisture in inspired gas in
      mechanically ventilated tracheostomized patients. It is easy and safe to use. The
      type of ventilator used has no influence on the result.

PMID- 28904485
TI  - Temporary Left Ventricular Pacing: A Desperate Life-saving Measure in Emergency
      Situation.
AB  - Transcutaneous or transvenous pacing of the right ventricle is performed as a
      routine practice for patients received with symptomatic bradycardia or complete
      heart block with relative ease in cath lab. However, more and more patients are
      received with multiple comorbidities, critical condition, and difficult vascular
      access. In this article, we describe a patient with difficult venous access with
      tricuspid regurgitation and displaced the right ventricular pacemaker temporary
      lead undergoing coronary angiography who was managed with emergent
      nonconventional left ventricular pacing.

PMID- 28904486
TI  - Hemolytic-uremic Syndrome Complicating Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) is characterized by acute kidney injury with
      hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. It has diverse etiologies, clinical
      manifestations, and risk factors. Acute pancreatitis as a cause of HUS is rare in
      adults. We report a case of 32-year-old male who presented with ethanol-induced
      acute pancreatitis complicated with hemolytic-uremic syndrome managed with
      hemodialysis and plasmapheresis.

PMID- 28904487
TI  - Hemodialysis for Lactic Acidosis.
AB  - Lactic acidosis (Type A) is common in critically ill patients and usually treated
      by correcting the underlying etiology. We present the case of a young female who
      presented with life-threatening lactic acidosis secondary to hematological
      malignancy. Timely initiation of hemodialysis was lifesaving. The case highlights
      the importance of considering Type B lactic acidosis (in this case secondary to a
      hematological malignancy) and also initiating renal replacement therapy when
      routine measures are ineffective.

PMID- 28904488
TI  - Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura or Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation?

PMID- 28904489
TI  - Does N-acetyl Cysteine Have Protective Effects in Acute Aluminum Phosphide
      Poisoning?

PMID- 28904490
TI  - Dengue and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

PMID- 28904491
TI  - Vitamin D Deficiency in Critically Ill.

PMID- 28904492
TI  - From the Editor's Desk.

PMID- 28904493
TI  - Comparative Prospective Study of Hysterosalpingography and Hysteroscopy in
      Infertile Women.
AB  - AIM: To compare the findings and diagnostic accuracy of Hysterosalpingography
      (HSG) and hysteroscopy in infertile women. SETTING AND DESIGN: Prospective
      comparative study in a tertiary care Centre. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 108 women with
      primary or secondary infertility were recruited. In all women after basic
      infertility workup, both HSG and hysteroscopy were performed. RESULTS: Out of 108
      women, in 3 women HSG couldn't be done and in one woman there was uterine
      perforation on hysteroscopy. HSG showed normal uterine cavity in 77.8% (81/105)
      women and abnormal in 22.85% (24/105). Hysteroscopy findings were normal in
      70.09% (75/107) and abnormal in 29.91% (32/107). Hysteroscopy detected incidental
      findings in 15.38% (16/104) cases. HSG showed irregular uterine cavity in 14.15%
      (15/105) women but on hysteroscopy; normal cavity was present in 6 (40%) women
      and abnormality was detected in 9 (60%) women. The sensitivity, specificity,
      positive predictive and negative predictive value of HSG in evaluating uterine
      cavity abnormalities were 44.83% (95% confidence interval (CI); 0.26-0.64),
      86.67% (95% CI; 0.76-0.93), 56.52% (95% CI; 0.34-0.76) and 80.25% (95%CI; 0.69
      0.88). Positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio of HSG in
      detecting uterine cavity abnormality was 3.36 and 0.64 respectively. The
      agreement between HSG and hysteroscopy was 75%. This was statistically
      significant (P value = 0.001) with fair strength of agreement between HSG and
      hysteroscopy. (k value= 0.336). CONCLUSION: Hysteroscopy should be performed in
      all infertile patients as it can detect significant number of incidental findings
      missed by HSG.

PMID- 28904494
TI  - Vitamin D Deficiency Does Not Influence Reproductive Outcomes of IVF-ICSI: A
      Study of Oocyte Donors and Recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin D and its active metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (1,25
      (OH)2D3), play a significant role in reproduction. AIM: To assess the effect of
      serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level on oocyte quality and endometrial receptivity by
      studying oocyte donors and their recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      prospective study consisted of two groups: Group A (recipient group) and Group B
      (donor group). All the participants of Groups A1 and B1 as well as Groups A2 and
      B2 were subcategorized into vitamin D-deficient (<20 ng/mL) and vitamin D replete
      insufficient (20 to >=30 ng/mL), respectively. RESULTS: In the recipient group,
      out of the 192 participants, 123 were in A1 group, and 69 were in A2 group. In
      donor group, out of the 99 participants, 54 were in B1 group, and 45 in B2 group.
      In the recipient group, Group A2 had a higher clinical pregnancy rate,
      implantation rate and ongoing pregnancy rate, and a lower abortion rate as
      compared to that of A1, but these are statistically insignificant. The difference
      in endometrial thickness and number of embryos transferred between both groups
      was insignificant. In the donor group, the total number of days of controlled
      ovarian hyperstimulation, the dose of gonadotropins, the number of oocytes
      retrieved, the percentage of mature oocytes, and the percentage of usable embryos
      were higher in Group B2 than those in Group B1, but these are statistically
      insignificant. The fertilization rate was statistically insignificant between
      Groups B1 and B2. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency leads to lower reproductive
      outcomes, though not statistically significant and, thereby, does not have a
      negative influence on in-vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection
      outcomes.

PMID- 28904495
TI  - To Study the Vitamin D Levels in Infertile Females and Correlation of Vitamin D
      Deficiency with AMH Levels in Comparison to Fertile Females.
AB  - CONTEXT: Human and animal data suggest that low vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D)
      status is associated with impaired fertility, endometriosis, and polycystic ovary
      syndrome. Vitamin D regulates antimullerian hormone (AMH), FSH, mRNA, and
      expression of genes in reproductive tissues, implicating a role in female
      reproduction. AIMS: To study the vitamin D levels in infertile females and to
      know the correlation of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) with serum AMH in infertile
      females compare to fertile females. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This prospective study
      was conducted in department of Maternal and Reproductive Health in between April
      2014 and April 2016. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After matching inclusion and
      exclusion criteria out of total 70 infertile females, 45 were found to have VDD.
      Of these 35 patients were identified as cases; in whom, the AMH levels were
      assessed. As control 35 fertile normal females were taken, in which vitamin D and
      AMH were taken. In both groups, correlation of VDD with AMH was studied.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: To analyze the correlation between vitamin D and AMH
      linear regression test and for comparison of both the groups, two sample t tests
      were used. RESULTS: The VDD was present in 64.28% of infertile females. In
      vitamin D deficient cases, the mean for vitamin D was 6.18 +/- 2.09 and AMH was
      1.94 +/- 1.30. In vitamin D deficient controls, the mean for vitamin D was 4.85
      +/- 3.02 and AMH was 3.47 +/- 2.59. On comparison, the vitamin D levels were
      lower in fertile than infertile females, which was significant (P = 0.04), and
      AMH levels were lower in cases than control group (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The
      VDD was present in 64.28% of infertile females. No significant correlation was
      found in between VDD and AMH levels in both the groups.

PMID- 28904496
TI  - Serum AMH Level to Predict the Hyper Response in Women with PCOS and Non-PCOS
      Undergoing Controlled Ovarian Stimulation in ART.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is essential to determine the cut-off value of serum anti
      Mullerian hormone (AMH) to predict the hyper response in assisted reproductive
      technology (ART). There are few studies mentioning the cut-off value for the
      hyper response in infertile women but not specifically for polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) and non-PCOS groups. With this in background, this study was
      conducted. AIM: To determine the cut-off value of serum AMH to predict the hyper
      response in women with PCOS and non-PCOS undergoing a controlled ovarian
      stimulation (COS) in ART. OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of stimulation in
      PCOS and non-PCOS groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All 246 women enrolled for Intra
      Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) fulfilling the selection criteria were
      recruited. On the day 3 of the cycle, the serum AMH, Follicle Stimulating Hormone
      (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), estradiol and antral follicle count (AFC) were
      measured. They underwent COS as per the unit protocol. They were divided into
      PCOS and non-PCOS groups as per the Rotterdam's criteria. The mean age, duration
      of infertility, Body Mass Index (BMI), Ovarian reserve markers and outcome of
      stimulation were compared. Using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
      version 16.0 software, the significant difference was measured by multivariate
      analysis, as well as a one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post-hoc test
      was used. RESULTS: Among 246 women, 31.3% were in PCOS group, and 68.7% were in
      non-PCOS group. Comparison of PCOS and non-PCOS groups showed a significant
      difference in the age with the mean age being 29.2 and 31.5 years, respectively.
      The mean AMH and AFC were 2-fold higher in PCOS group. The mean number of
      follicles, oocytes retrieved, MII and oocytes fertilised were significantly
      higher in PCOS group. The pregnancy rate was 52.6% in PCOS and 30.9% in non-PCOS
      group. In the PCOS group, 22.1% had ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS),
      and only 4.7% had OHSS in non-PCOS group (P = 0.0005). Receiving Operator Curve
      (ROC) curve was plotted to predict the hyper response, which showed a cut-off
      value of 6.85 ng/ml with a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 68.7% for
      PCOS group and 4.85 ng/ml with a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 89.7%
      in non-PCOS group. CONCLUSION: The cut-off value of serum AMH to predict the
      hyper response in PCOS group is 6.85 ng/ml and in non-PCOS group is 4.85 ng/ml.

PMID- 28904497
TI  - The Effect of Metformin Treatment on the Serum Levels of Homocysteine, Folic
      Acid, and Vitamin B12 in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hyperhomocysteinemia is a well-known risk factor for
      cardiovascular disease. Although metformin therapy can increase homocysteine
      (Hcy) levels, it frequently is used as an oral medicine in women with polycystic
      ovary syndrome (PCOS), who might be at risk of catching diabetes mellitus. The
      aim of this study was to investigate the effect of metformin on the levels of
      serum Hcy, vitamin B12 (vit B12), and folic acid in patients with PCOS. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: An interventional study was designed with 18 patients with PCOS at
      the Fatemehzahra infertility Hospital in Babol, Iran. Metformin treatment (500 mg
      twice daily) was initiated in all patients for a period of consecutive 6 months.
      The levels of serum Hcy, vit B12, and folic acid were measured in the
      participants before and after metformin treatment. RESULTS: The mean vit B12
      level showed a significant decrease in patients after 6 months of metformin
      treatment (P = 0.002). However, there was no significant difference in serum
      folic acid levels. The mean Hcy levels increased after treatment, but this
      difference not was statistically significant. When patients were stratified into
      four subgroups by their insulin sensitivity and body mass index (BMI), relatively
      similar results were obtained in the subgroups, except that Hcy levels in the
      overweight/obesity group (BMI > 25 kg/m2) after treatment showed a significant
      increase (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that metformin increases
      the serum Hcy concentration in patients with PCOS especially in the women with
      BMI > 25 kg/m2. The possible mechanism for this effect would be the obvious
      reduction in the levels of vit B12.

PMID- 28904498
TI  - Correlation of Site of Embryo Transfer with IVF Outcome: Analysis of 743 Cycles
      from a Single Center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of site of embryo transfer (ET) on
      reproductive outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 743
      ultrasound-guided ET in fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles from a single
      center over a period of 4 years was conducted. The distance between the fundal
      endometrial surface and the air bubble was measured, and accordingly, patients
      were divided into four groups (<=10 mm; >10 and <=15 mm; >15 and 20 mm; >20 and
      <25 mm). SETTING: Tertiary Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) center.
      PATIENTS: All patients enrolled in the IVF program undergoing ET. INTERVENTIONS:
      Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (OS), IVF, and ET. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Cleavage rate and clinical pregnancy rate. RESULTS: Clinical pregnancy rate was
      significantly more in groups 2 and 3 compared to the other groups. Logistic
      regression analysis showed that one unit increase in embryos transfer will
      enhance the pregnancy outcome about 3.7 (adjusted odds ratio) times with 95%
      confidence limits 2.6 to 5.4. Similarly, pregnancy outcome will be 3.1 (95%
      confidence limits: 1.5-6.4) times higher for distance group >15 and <20 mm
      compared to less than 10-mm distance group. Ectopic pregnancy rates were similar
      in all the four groups. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that site of
      ET has significant difference on reproductive outcome.

PMID- 28904499
TI  - Does First Serum Beta-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Value Prognosticate the Early
      Pregnancy Outcome in an In-Vitro Fertilisation Cycle?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancies achieved through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are
      associated with adverse first trimester outcomes in comparison to spontaneously
      achieved pregnancies. In view of this, it is imperative to predict the success as
      well as prognosticate the pregnancy outcome of an IVF cycle not only for the
      clinicians but also the couples undergoing IVF. Serum beta-human chorionic
      gonadotropin (beta-hCG) value has, thus, been used as a biomarker for pregnancy
      outcome after IVF and also an aid in counselling and management of the patient.
      AIM: The main objective of this study was to compare the predictive value of the
      first serum beta-hCG value and the pregnancy outcome after an IVF cycle (whether
      fresh or frozen embryo transfer) in the two subgroups of patients. SETTINGS AND
      DESIGN: The study was conducted at Assisted Reproductive Technology Centre of a
      tertiary care hospital, and it was a retrospective cohort study. METHODS AND
      MATERIALS: A retrospective study was performed for post-IVF pregnancies at a
      single IVF centre from March 2014 to February 2015 with serum beta-hCG values
      less than or equal to 1000 mIU/ml. The initial serum values of beta-hCG on the
      day 16 of embryo transfer were correlated with first trimester pregnancy outcome
      and ongoing pregnancy rate (>12 weeks gestation). RESULTS: Of the 208 post-IVF
      pregnancies included in the study, the group with beta-hCG more than 500 mIU/ml
      had statistically significant higher ongoing pregnancy rates and a lesser poor
      pregnancy outcome. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that an early serum beta-hCG
      value can be used as a predictor of a successful or an adverse first trimester
      pregnancy outcome helping in better counselling and monitoring of the high-risk
      precious IVF pregnancies.

PMID- 28904500
TI  - Retrospective Study of Factors Affecting Intrauterine Insemination Pregnancy
      Outcome: The Impact of Male Habits and Working Environment.
AB  - AIMS: This study is aimed at determining the prognostic factors influencing
      successful pregnancy following intrauterine insemination (IUI). SETTINGS AND
      DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2123 cycles
      undergone by 871 couples during the period of 5 years (2011-2015) were
      retrospectively studied. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Each of the factors was
      compared with pregnancy outcome (PO) using statistical analysis with a confidence
      interval of 95% in SPSS software version 19. Chi-square test and logistic
      regression analysis method were used to determine the significance of each factor
      with the PO. RESULTS: Among the various factors included in our study population,
      male habits (P = 0.004), male occupational environment (P = 0.025), male age (P =
      0.002), and female age (P = 0.001) were found to significantly influence the PO
      following IUI. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that avoiding smoking and alcohol
      consuming prior and during the IUI treatment along with working in low-heat
      generating environment might lead to better success following the treatment.

PMID- 28904501
TI  - Patient Experience with Conscious Sedation as a Method of Pain Relief for
      Transvaginal Oocyte Retrieval: A Cross Sectional Study.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to measure patient's satisfaction level and
      acceptance of conscious sedation as a method of pain relief following
      transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR) during assisted reproduction technology
      treatment. We also evaluated the factors that may influence the efficacy of
      conscious sedation method. SETTING AND DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional
      study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study was conducted from October 2015
      to January 2016 at a university-level hospital and 100 women were recruited.
      Variables for analysis included woman age, duration of procedure, number of
      oocytes retrieved, and transmyometrial passage of the needle. Pain assessment was
      done by visual analog scale (VAS). Medical complications, and patient
      satisfaction score [Likert's score and client satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ)]
      were recorded. RESULTS: There was a moderate positive correlation between age and
      pain score on day 1 post-procedure. When the duration of procedure was >12 min,
      immediate post-procedure pain score was significantly higher compared to those
      whose procedure where duration was <12 min. There was no correlation between pain
      score and the number of oocytes retrieved (<=5, 6-15, and >=16) and
      transmyometrial passage of needle. The VAS 10-point score immediately post
      procedure, after 6 and 24 h post-procedure, and on day of embryo transfer was
      2.83 (+/-1.67), 0.78 (+/-1.04), 0.39 (+/-1.09), and 0.14 (+/-0.58), respectively.
      The Likert's score was 3.65 (+/-0.82) and mean CSQ was 27.04 (+/-3.01). Majority
      of the women (86%) preferred the same pain relief method for future analgesia.
      There were no major complications. CONCLUSION: Conscious sedation was associated
      with high satisfaction level and acceptance rate among patients undergoing TVOR.

PMID- 28904502
TI  - Antispermatogenic Mechanism of Trona is Associated with Lipid Peroxidation but
      Not Testosterone Suppression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: About half of the cases of infertility in couples have been
      attributed to male factor. Despite the claim in folklore medicine that trona (a
      sesquicarbonate or hydrated carbonate of sodium) causes fetal loss, its effect on
      male reproductive function has not been investigated. AIM: This study sought to
      provide scientific evidence on the effect of trona on sperm characteristics, male
      reproductive hormones and organs, and lipid peroxidation. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Forty male Wistar rats of comparable weights were used for the study. Rats were
      randomized into four different groups. The control received 1 mL of distilled
      water orally, whereas those in groups 1, 2, and 3 (test groups) received orally,
      same volume of trona preparation corresponding to 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body
      weight, respectively, for 28 days. Body weight was monitored throughout the study
      period, and at the end of the experiment, testicular morphometry, sperm
      characteristic, reproductive hormones, and malondialdehyde (MDA), an index of
      lipid peroxidation, were determined. RESULTS: Sperm count, motility,
      progressibility, and percentage of normal sperm were significantly decreased in
      the trona-treated rats (P < 0.05). The percentage of abnormal sperm, luteinizing
      hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and MDA were significantly increased in
      the treated rats (P < 0.05). Body weight, testicular morphometry, and
      testosterone level were comparable across all groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      study showed that trona has a dose-dependent deleterious effect on sperm
      characteristic. The antispermatogenic effect of trona was associated with lipid
      peroxidation but not testosterone.

PMID- 28904503
TI  - An Experimental Study of the Effects of Combined Exposure to Microwave and Heat
      on Gene Expression and Sperm Parameters in Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Separate exposure to microwaves (MWs) or heat had effects on
      expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 and sperm parameters in studied group. AIMS:
      The objectives of this research were to determine the effects of separate and
      combined exposure to 900-MHz MW (as representative of cell phone radiation) and
      heat on gene expression and spermogram of male mice. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This
      experimental animal study was conducted in the school of public health. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The study was done on 12 male mice randomly divided into four groups
      (21-23 g): control, test group 1 with separate exposure to 900-MHz MW, test group
      2 with separate exposure to hot and sultry climate, and test group 3 with
      simultaneous whole body exposures to 900-MHz MW and hot and sultry climate. In
      all studied groups, gene expression and sperm parameters were measured. RESULTS:
      Tissue samples in all test groups showed integrity of the seminiferous tubule
      followed by all types of germ line cells. Significant increases in the number of
      dead sperms in mice with separate exposure to heat were observed in comparison
      with the other studied groups (P < 0.05). The ratio of Bax expression was
      elevated to 0.015 +/- 0.006 in mice after combined exposures to 900-MHz MW and
      heat. CONCLUSION: Separate and combined exposure to 900-MHz MW and heat may
      induce adverse effects on sperm parameters and gene expression of studied male
      mice.

PMID- 28904504
TI  - Role of Serpine Gene Polymorphism in Recurrent Implantation Failure and
      Preeclampsia.
AB  - This is a rare case of serpine gene polymorphism causing thrombophilia and
      recurrent implantation failure following intrauterine insemination. SERPINE1 gene
      encodes plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and inhibits fibrinolysis, or clot
      dissolution. The 4G variant results in increased expression of SERPINE1 and
      consequently higher inhibition of fibrinolysis, thus leading to thrombophilia.
      The patient had unexplained primary infertility for 9 years. Ovulation induction
      was done with gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist long protocol.
      Recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) with step down protocol was used.
      Ovulation trigger was given with recombinant human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG).
      Ovum pick up was done after 40 h of trigger. A total of 13 eggs were collected.
      Patient was put on Cabergoline to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
      (OHSS). Four frozen embryos were transferred on day 14 after Laser-assisted
      hatching. EmbryoGlue was used to prevent implantation failure. Luteal phase
      support was given. She was put on enoxaparin and pregnancy has now been
      confirmed. The patient was on strict monitoring as this gene is also associated
      with preeclampsia during pregnancy.

PMID- 28904505
TI  - Embryo Cryopreservation Following In-Vitro Maturation for Fertility Preservation
      in a Woman with Mullerian Adenosarcoma: A Case Report.
AB  - In-vitro maturation (IVM) of the immature oocytes recovered from the surgically
      removed ovarian tissue has been considered as a process for fertility
      preservation in patients with cancer. Fertility preservation for a woman with
      Mullerian adenocarcinoma. A 37-year-old woman with Mullerian adenocarcinoma was a
      candidate for ovarian resection. The immature oocytes were retrieved after
      ovarian resection from a 37-year-old woman with Mullerian adenocarcinoma. The
      oocytes underwent IVM and were fertilized using intracytoplasmic sperm injection
      (ICSI). Two healthy embryos were cryopreserved for future use. The immature
      oocytes from the ovarian tissue can be matured with IVM for generation of embryos
      after ICSI. The embryos can be vitrified using routine methods for fertility
      preservation in young women with cancer.

PMID- 28904506
TI  - Erratum: Relationship between morphology, euploidy and implantation potential of
      cleavage and blastocyst stage embryos.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 49 in vol. 10, PMID: 28479756.].

PMID- 28904507
TI  - Adjunctive Melatonin for Tardive Dyskinesia in Patients with Schizophrenia: A
      Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is characterized by abnormal and involuntary
      movements. Importantly, TD could cause considerable personal suffering and social
      and physical disabilities. AIMS: This meta-analysis based on randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) systematically assessed the therapeutic effect and
      tolerability of melatonin for TD in schizophrenia. METHODS: A computerized and
      systematical search of both Chinese (Wanfang Data, Chinese National Knowledge
      Infrastructure (CNKI), SINOMED) and English (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Cochrane
      Library databases) databases, from their inception until June 8, 2017, was
      conducted by two independent authors. The severity of TD symptoms were the
      primary outcome measure and analyzed using a random effects model by the Review
      Manager (RevMan) Version 5.3. Quality evaluation of included RCTs was conducted
      using the Cochrane risk of bias and Jadad scale. The GRADE (Grades of
      Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) system recommendation
      grading method was used to assess the overall quality level of meta-analytic
      outcomes. RESULTS: Four RCTs (n=130) were identified and analyzed. Three RCTs
      used double blind and 1 RCT used masked assessors using the Cochrane risk of
      bias, and 3 RCTs were rated as high quality based on Jadad scale. Compared with
      the control group, adjunctive melatonin was superior in reducing the severity of
      TD as measured by the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) (4 RCTs, n=130,
      weighted mean difference (WMD): -1.52 (95% confidence intervals (CI): -3.24,
      0.20), p=0.08; I2 =0%) although the improvement did not reach a significant
      level. The overall evidence quality of the improvement of TD symptoms, according
      to GRADE approach, was rated as "Low". The data on the ADRs and cognitive effect
      were limited. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis shows that melatonin has potential
      for improving TD symptoms in schizophrenia. Future higher quality and larger RCTs
      are warranted to confirm the findings.

PMID- 28904508
TI  - Changes in Cognitive Function in Patients with Primary Insomnia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuropsychological evidence is not sufficient concerning whether
      there is cognitive impairment in patients with primary insomnia. Further study is
      needed in this regard. AIMS: To measure the changes in cognitive functioning in
      patients with primary insomnia. METHODS: 40 patients with insomnia (insomnia
      group) and 48 normal sleepers (control group) were tested using the Pittsburgh
      Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), episodic memory test, and Montreal Cognitive
      Assessment (MoCA). RESULTS: The insomnia group had significantly lower scores
      than the control group in the naming (t=3.17, p=0.002), immediate memory (t=3.33,
      p=0.001), and delayed recall (t=6.05, p=0.001) sections of the MoCA, as well as a
      lower overall score on the MoCA (t=3.24, p=0.002). Participants with different
      degrees of insomnia also had significantly different scores in naming (F=7.56,
      p=0.001), language (F=3.22, p=0.045), total score (F=6.72, p=0.002), delayed
      memory (F=8.41, p=0.001), and delayed recall (F=22.67, p=0.001) sections of the
      MoCA. The age of primary insomnia patients was correlated to MoCA total score,
      immediate memory, delayed recall, and delayed recognition function, also with
      statistical significance. The years of education of primary insomnia patients was
      also significantly correlated to overall MoCA score, as well as visuospatial and
      executive function, naming, attention, language, and abstraction sections of the
      MoCA. CONCLUSION: Primary insomnia patients have cognitive impairment. The more
      severe the insomnia is, the wider the range of and the more serious the degree of
      cognitive impairment is.

PMID- 28904509
TI  - Peripheral SLC6A4 Gene Expression in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the Han
      Chinese Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serotonergic system dysfunction has been implicated in obsessive
      compulsive disorder (OCD). This study examined peripheral SLC6A4 gene expression
      in OCD patients and healthy controls to explore the relationship between SLC6A4
      and OCD. METHODS: Participants included 50 first episode OCD patients and 60 age
      and gender-matched healthy controls. Relative SLC6A4 gene expression were
      examined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR) in peripheral leukocytes of all the subjects. The Yale-Brown
      Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was used to assess the severity and subtype
      of OCD. RESULTS: SLC6A4 gene expression, normalized by glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
      dehydrogenase (GAPDH), were not significantly different between the OCD patients
      and healthy controls(z=-0.79, p=0.428). Male OCD patients showed a tendency of
      low gene expression of SLC6A4 in peripheral blood (z=-1.66, p=0.096). We did not
      find a significant correlation between SLC6A4 expression and the severity and
      subtype of OCD. CONCLUSION: There is no correlation between SLC6A4 expression
      levels and the severity and subtype of OCD, but male OCD patients showed a
      tendency of low gene expression of SLC6A4 in peripheral blood. These results
      suggest that gene expression of SLC6A4 in peripheral blood may not be a useful
      biomarker of OCD in the Han Chinese population.

PMID- 28904510
TI  - Dysfunction of Cognition Patterns Measured by MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery
      (MCCB) among First Episode Schizophrenia Patients and Their Biological Parents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is characterized by abnormal perception, thinking,
      emotions, and behaviors. Cognitive dysfunction is acknowledged as one of the most
      pivotal symptoms in schizophrenia. In addition to positive or negative symptoms,
      which had been proposed by Gallhofer in the early 1970s, schizophrenia patients
      suffered from cognitive impairments as well. Many studies show that there is
      genetic susceptibility in the first grading kinship of patients with
      schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia have cognitive impairment not only in
      the acute phase but also in the stable phase. Studies also show that the healthy
      first-grading relatives of patients with schizophrenia suffer from cognitive
      defects. However, there is still a lack of studies about the cognitive features
      of biological parents of those with schizophrenia. In this study, we speculate
      the biological parents of schizophrenia patients have specific cognitive
      dysfunction. And we explore the patterns of cognition among both schizophrenia
      patients and their biological parents using the Chinese version of MATRICS
      Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). AIMS: Cognitive features of patients with
      schizophrenia might be affected by the cognition mode of patients' biological
      parents. The dysfunctional cognitive patterns need to be characterized among the
      patients with schizophrenia and their parents. METHODS: We applied the MATRICS
      Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB, a novel measurement tool) to evaluate the
      cognitive function of 29 first-episode patients with schizophrenia (meeting ICD
      10 diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, aged between 17-45 years old), 58 cases
      of biological parents of schizophrenia patients (aged between 40-70 years old)
      and 46 healthy controls (aged between 40-70 years old). Furthermore, we explored
      the relationship between the cognitive dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia
      and their biological parents. All data were analyzed using SPSS18.0 statistical
      software. RESULTS: 1) Male patients with schizophrenia had obvious cognitive
      defects in six domains of cognitive function as measured by the MCCB (all except
      the social cognition domain) compared to their male parents. Female patients
      showed lower ability on both working memory and problem reasoning than their
      female parents. 2) The significant differences of both working memory and
      reasoning problems also existed between the patients' fathers and matched healthy
      controls. 3) Patients' mothers didn't show any significant difference on the
      problem reasoning domain compared with healthy controls. However, the visual
      learning domain appeared abnormal in patients' mothers compared with healthy
      controls. CONCLUSION: There are six dimensions of cognitive impairments in both
      first-episode schizophrenia patients and their biological parents. Compared with
      healthy controls, patients' biological parents have conspicuous dysfunction in
      domains of working memory, problem reasoning and visual learning as well. Further
      study is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms of similar cognitive
      dysfunction between first-episode schizophrenia patients and their biological
      parents.

PMID- 28904511
TI  - The Fantasmatic and Imaginary Child of the Pregnant Woman.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a period of transition, which makes women more
      vulnerable and in unfavorable conditions may lead to psychopathology in both
      mother and infant. It is essential to outline factors adversely affecting the
      resolution of this period. Early interventions and why they matter: Interventions
      during pregnancy can provide important improvement in the outcome for both
      maternal and infant mental health. AIM: The aim of the study is to evaluate the
      risk factors of antenatal anxiety and depression focusing particularly on
      maternal representations of the relationship towards the fetus and her own
      parents during pregnancy and the early postpartum period. METHODS: The study is
      outlined using a quantifiable interview during pregnancy to evaluate the woman's
      ability to keep her child in mind, measured by reflective functioning. Reflective
      functioning provides information regarding the pregnant woman's relationship
      quality to her fetus and important people in her life. Primiparae in Stockholm
      around gestation week 20 are asked about their experience with respect to
      pregnancy, their relationship to their family, partner, and their unborn child.
      The women selected to the study are an at risk population, with high levels of
      stress, childhood adversity, and/or history of mental health. These women are
      more vulnerable to develop perinatal anxiety and depression. RESULTS: The
      pregnancy interview provides valuable insight into the pregnant women's psychic
      constitution. The quantifiable measure of their mental state, reflective
      functioning, serves as measure of quality of the mother's parenting capacity. The
      countertransference and transference of the interviewer towards the women during
      the interview enables a more profound understanding of the underlying dynamics
      and constructs of repression, aggression, mourning, and narcissistic defenses.
      CONCLUSION: A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the pregnant
      women's intrapsychic reorganization of motherhood and her relation to the unborn
      child shall facilitate specific early interventions. These interventions shall be
      targeted to specific risk groups and enable the prevention of adverse child
      outcomes.

PMID- 28904512
TI  - Is Depression the Result of Immune System Abnormalities?
AB  - The etiology of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is still unclear. We reviewed the
      literature for the relationship between inflammatory signaling and cytokines in
      the pathogenesis of MDD. In addition, we provid evidence for adjunctive treatment
      using anti-inflammatory drugs to improve the therapeutic effect and prognosis.
      Finally, we explore the possible relationship between the pathogenesis of MDD and
      immune disturbances.

PMID- 28904513
TI  - Autoimmune Thyroiditis Presenting as Psychosis.
AB  - Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a rare condition associated mainly with neurological
      symptoms. It contains an abundant amount of auto-antibodies in the blood. Only a
      few cases of behavioral symptoms without significant neurological disturbances
      have been recorded in the literature. In this view, our case is unique as it was
      not associated with overt hypothyroid manifestations.

PMID- 28904514
TI  - Hyponatremia with Olanzapine - A Suspected Association.
AB  - Hyponatremia is a rare, yet potentially life threatening complication of
      antipsychotics. Here, we report a case of a 45-year-old female diagnosed with
      schizophrenia who developed hyponatremia soon after addition of olanzapine to the
      existing treatment. This prompted us to evaluate the relationship between
      hyponatremia and olanzapine, as timely management is crucial. Naranjo algorithm
      established a "probable" causal relation between olanzapine and hyponatremia.
      Possible etiological reasons of this clinically significant and life threatening
      adverse event have been discussed. We report the case and the literature focusing
      on hyponatremia as a possible adverse event of olanzapine. Medical illnesses are
      often ignored or missed in patients with psychiatric disorders either due to
      patients' inability to report complaints or non-serious attitude of physicians
      towards such patients. A high index of suspicion should be kept while dealing
      with this probable complication.

PMID- 28904515
TI  - Psychogenic Polydipsia - Management Challenges.
AB  - Compulsive water drinking or psychogenic polydipsia is now increasingly seen in
      psychiatric populations. Effects of increased water intake can lead to
      hyponatremia causing symptoms of nausea, vomiting, seizures, delirium and can
      even be life threatening if not recognized and managed early. Here we present a
      35-year old adult who was diagnosed with psychogenic polydipsia and was
      successfully managed with a combination of pharmacotherapy, fluid restriction and
      psychosocial management.

PMID- 28904516
TI  - The Differences and Similarities Between Two-Sample T-Test and Paired T-Test.
AB  - In clinical research, comparisons of the results from experimental and control
      groups are often encountered. The two-sample t-test (also called independent
      samples t-test) and the paired t-test are probably the most widely used tests in
      statistics for the comparison of mean values between two samples. However,
      confusion exists with regard to the use of the two test methods, resulting in
      their inappropriate use. In this paper, we discuss the differences and
      similarities between these two t-tests. Three examples are used to illustrate the
      calculation procedures of the two-sample t-test and paired t-test.

PMID- 28904517
TI  - On [Formula: see text]-Szasz-Mirakyan operators and their approximation
      properties.
AB  - In the present paper, we introduce a new modification of Szasz-Mirakyan operators
      based on [Formula: see text]-integers and investigate their approximation
      properties. We obtain weighted approximation and Voronovskaya-type theorem for
      new operators.

PMID- 28904518
TI  - Majorization, Csiszar divergence and Zipf-Mandelbrot law.
AB  - In this paper we show how the Shannon entropy is connected to the theory of
      majorization. They are both linked to the measure of disorder in a system.
      However, the theory of majorization usually gives stronger criteria than the
      entropic inequalities. We give some generalized results for majorization
      inequality using Csiszar f-divergence. This divergence, applied to some special
      convex functions, reduces the results for majorization inequality in the form of
      Shannon entropy and the Kullback-Leibler divergence. We give several applications
      by using the Zipf-Mandelbrot law.

PMID- 28904519
TI  - On homogeneous second order linear general quantum difference equations.
AB  - In this paper, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the beta
      Cauchy problem of second order beta-difference equations [Formula: see text]
      [Formula: see text], in a neighborhood of the unique fixed point [Formula: see
      text] of the strictly increasing continuous function beta, defined on an interval
      [Formula: see text]. These equations are based on the general quantum difference
      operator [Formula: see text], which is defined by [Formula: see text], [Formula:
      see text]. We also construct a fundamental set of solutions for the second order
      linear homogeneous beta-difference equations when the coefficients are constants
      and study the different cases of the roots of their characteristic equations.
      Finally, we drive the Euler-Cauchy beta-difference equation.

PMID- 28904520
TI  - Vapochromic Behaviour of Polycarbonate Films Doped with a Luminescent Molecular
      Rotor.
AB  - We report on vapochromic films suitable for detecting volatile organic compounds
      (VOCs), based on polycarbonate (PC) doped with 4-(triphenylamino)phthalonitrile
      (TPAP), a fluorescent molecular rotor sensitive to solvent polarity and
      viscosity. PC films of variable thickness (from 20 up to 80 um) and containing
      small amounts of TPAP (0.05 wt.%) were prepared and exposed to a saturated
      atmosphere of different VOCs. TPAP/PC films showed a gradual decrease and red
      shift of the emission during the exposure to solvents with high polarity index
      and favourable interaction with the polymer matrix such as THF, CHCl3, and
      acetonitrile. In the case of the most interacting solvents (THF and CHCl3),
      TPAP/PC films also showed a fluorescence increase at longer exposure times, as a
      consequence of an irreversible, solvent-induced crystallization process of the
      polymeric matrix. The vapochromism of TPAP/PC films is rationalized on the basis
      of alterations of the rotor intramolecular motion upon solvent uptake by PC and
      polarity effects of the microenvironment. Interestingly, the fluorescence
      response of the TPAP/PC films shows a non-trivial, tuneable dependence on film
      thickness during the second solvent-exposure stage. The latter effect is
      attributed to a variable extent of the crystallization process occurring in the
      PC films. This observation promptly suggests, in turn, an effective procedure to
      modulate the spectroscopic response in such functionalized polymeric materials
      through the precise control of the film thickness.

PMID- 28904522
TI  - Endoscopic Pilonidal Sinus Treatment: Long-Term Results of a Prospective Series.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pilonidal sinus is a common problem in the
      sacrococcygeal region, especially in obese, sedentary young men. The ideal
      surgical solution is still under debate, and there is a high rate of recurrence.
      In the present study, we analyzed the long-term results of a video-assisted
      minimally invasive technique for the treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal
      disease: endoscopic pilonidal sinus treatment (EPSiT). METHODS: From October 2013
      through November 2015, a total of 77 consecutive patients (69 Males and 8
      Females, median age: 23 y) were referred to our colorectal units. Sixty-eight
      patients had a primary sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus, and 9 had recurrent
      pilonidal sinus; all underwent EPSiT. A fistuloscope was introduced through an
      external opening and the sinus cavity was completely ablated under direct vision.
      Postoperative complications, wound infection rate, recurrence rate, time until
      return to work, and patient satisfaction score were recorded during follow-up or
      at the last interview. Clinical data were obtained at 7, 15, and 30 days and at
      6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. RESULTS: All patients completed the follow-up
      (median follow-up was 25 (range, 17-40) months. Median operative time was 18
      (range, 12-30) minutes. The median hospital stay was 6.5 (range, 5-9) hours, and
      the median time to return to work was 5 days. Median healing time was 26 (range,
      15-45) days. There were no major or minor complications. Six patients experienced
      recurrence. The overall satisfaction rate was 97%. CONCLUSIONS: The ideal
      surgical treatment for pilonidal sinus disease should be simple and effective. In
      our experience, EPSiT can be performed as a day surgery, with early return to
      daily activities. This technique is an uneventful procedure, with good aesthetic
      results and a low recurrence rate.

PMID- 28904521
TI  - Mesh Displacement After Bilateral Inguinal Hernia Repair With No Fixation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: About 20% of patients with inguinal hernia present
      bilateral hernias in the diagnosis. In these cases, laparoscopic procedure is
      considered gold standard approach. Mesh fixation is considered important step
      toward avoiding recurrence. However, because of cost and risk of pain, real need
      for mesh fixation has been debated. For bilateral inguinal hernias, there are few
      specific data about non fixation and mesh displacement. We assessed mesh movement
      in patients who had undergone laparoscopic bilateral inguinal hernia repair
      without mesh fixation and compared the results with those obtained in patients
      with unilateral hernia. METHODS: From January 2012 through May 2014, 20
      consecutive patients with bilateral inguinal hernia underwent TEP repair with no
      mesh fixation. Results were compared with 50 consecutive patients with unilateral
      inguinal hernia surgically repaired with similar technique. Mesh was marked with
      3 clips. Mesh movements were measured by comparing initial radiography performed
      at the end of surgery, with a second radiographic scan performed 30 days later.
      RESULTS: Mean movements of all 3 clips in bilateral nonfixation (NF) group were
      0.15-0.4 cm compared with 0.1-0.3 cm in unilateral NF group. Overall displacement
      of bilateral and unilateral NF groups did not show significant difference. Mean
      overall displacement was 1.9 cm versus 1.8 cm in the bilateral and unilateral NF
      groups, respectively (P = .78). CONCLUSIONS: TEP with no mesh fixation is safe in
      bilateral inguinal repairs. Early mesh displacement is minimal. This technique
      can be safely used in most patients with inguinal hernia.

PMID- 28904523
TI  - Music Listening Among Postoperative Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: A
      Randomized Controlled Trial with Mixed-Methods Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Music listening may reduce the physiological, emotional, and mental
      effects of distress and anxiety. It is unclear whether music listening may reduce
      the amount of opioids used for pain management in critical care, postoperative
      patients or whether music may improve patient experience in the intensive care
      unit (ICU). METHODS: A total of 41 surgical patients were randomized to either
      music listening or controlled non-music listening groups on ICU admission.
      Approximately 50-minute music listening interventions were offered 4 times per
      day (every 4-6 hours) during the 48 hours of patients' ICU stays. Pain, distress,
      and anxiety scores were measured immediately before and after music listening or
      controlled resting periods. Total opioid intake was recorded every 24 hours and
      during each intervention. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in pain,
      opioid intake, distress, or anxiety scores between the control and music
      listening groups during the first 4 time points of the study. However, a mixed
      modeling analysis examining the pre- and post-intervention scores at the first
      time point revealed a significant interaction in the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
      for pain between the music and the control groups (P = .037). The Numeric Rating
      Score decreased in the music group but remained stable in the control group.
      Following discharge from the ICU, the music group's interviews were analyzed for
      themes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limited sample size, this study identified music
      listening as an appropriate intervention that improved patients' post
      intervention experience, according to patients' self-report. Future mixed methods
      studies are needed to examine both qualitative patient perspectives and
      methodology to improve music listening in critical care units.

PMID- 28904524
TI  - Prevalence, Circumstances, and Management of Acute Pesticide Poisoning in
      Hospitals in Kampala City, Uganda.
AB  - This study was aimed at assessing prevalence, circumstance, and management of
      acute pesticide poisoning in hospitals in Kampala. It was a retrospective cross
      sectional study that involved reviewing of 739 poisoning patient records from 5
      hospitals in Kampala. Of the 739 patients, 212 were due to pesticide poisoning
      resulting in a prevalence of 28.8%. About 91.4% (191/210) of the cases were due
      to organophosphate poisoning, 63.3% (133/210) were intentional, and 98.1%
      (206/210) were exposed through ingestion. Diagnosis was majorly based on
      poisoning history 91.2% (187/205), and clinical features such as airways,
      breathing, and circulation examination 48.0% (95/198); nausea and vomiting 42.9%
      (91/212); muscle weakness 29.7% (63/212); excessive salivation 23.1% (49/212);
      and confusion 20.3% (43/212). More than half of the patients admitted were
      treated using atropine 52.3% (113/212). The prevalence of acute pesticide
      poisoning was high with most managed based on physical and clinical examination.

PMID- 28904525
TI  - Knowing About Device Algorithms to Understand the Rhythm and Role of Managed
      Ventricular Pacing.
AB  - A 66-year-old patient with a DR pacemaker for intermittent atrioventricular block
      presented with an electrocardiogram (ECG) showing some P waves non followed by
      QRS complexes, raising suspicion of device dysfunction. The device was equipped
      with a special algorithm (Managed Ventricular Pacing; Medtronic), and the
      observed ECG tracing was a normal consequence of the function of such algorithms.
      Being aware of the function of specific algorithms is essential to adequately
      analyze rhythms.

PMID- 28904526
TI  - A Case of a Very Elongated Styloid Process.
AB  - Eagle syndrome is characterized by recurrent pain in the oropharynx and face due
      to an elongated styloid process or calcified stylohyoid ligament. In this
      article, we experienced a case of an elongated styloid process which is very rare
      in size and detailed treatment process. The patient was a 53-year-old Chinese
      woman with a chief complaint of frequent episodes of radiating pain in left
      preauricular region for 2 years. An intraoral approach was chosen to shorten part
      of her styloid process, and the chief complaint disappeared immediately after the
      operation.

PMID- 28904527
TI  - Cost effectiveness of vildagliptin versus glimepiride as add-on treatment to
      metformin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients in Greece.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the cost-effectiveness of
      vildagliptin versus glimepiride as add-on to metformin in the management of type
      2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in the Greek healthcare setting. METHODS: A
      cost-effectiveness model was designed, using MS Excel, to compare two treatment
      strategies. Strategy 1 consisted of first-line metformin, followed by metformin +
      vildagliptin in second-line, while strategy 2 consisted of first line metformin,
      followed by metformin + glimepiride in second line. Subsequent lines were the
      same in both strategies and consisted of metformin + basal insulin and metformin
      + basal + rapid insulin. Clinical data and utility decrements relating to
      diabetes complications were taken from the published literature. Only direct
      medical costs were included in the analysis (cost base year 2014), and consisted
      of drug, adverse events and comorbidity costs (taken from local officially
      published sources and the literature). The perspective adopted was that of the
      Social Insurance Fund. The time horizon was lifetime, and future costs and
      outcomes were discounted at 3.5% per annum. RESULTS: Adding vildagliptin to
      metformin increased drug costs compared with adding glimepiride to metformin
      (?2853 vs. ?2427, respectively). However, this increase was offset by a decrease
      in the costs of associated comorbidities (?4393 vs. ?4539) and adverse events
      (?2757 vs. ?3111), resulting in a lower total cost of ?74 in strategy 1 compared
      with strategy 2. Comorbidities were the largest cost component in both
      strategies, accounting for 43.9 and 45.0% in strategies 1 and 2, respectively.
      Strategy 1 was also associated with increased life-years (LYs, 0.11) and quality
      adjusted life-years (QALYs, 0.11) compared with strategy 2. Strategy 1 is
      therefore dominant, as it is associated with both lower overall costs and
      increased effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Vildagliptin as add-on treatment to
      metformin in the management of T2DM in Greece appears to be dominant versus.
      glimepiride in terms of both cost per LY and cost per QALY gained.

PMID- 28904528
TI  - Access criteria for anti-TNF agents in spondyloarthritis: influence on
      comparative 1-year cost-effectiveness estimates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents are an effective, but
      costly, treatment for spondyloarthritis (SpA). Worldwide, multiple sets of access
      criteria aim to restrict anti-TNF therapy to patients with specific clinical
      characteristics, yet the influence of access criteria on anti-TNF cost
      effectiveness is unknown. Our objective was to use data from the DESIR cohort, a
      prospective study of early SpA patients in France, to determine whether the
      French anti-TNF access criteria are the most cost-effective in that setting
      relative to other potential restrictions. METHODS: We used data from the DESIR
      cohort to create five study populations of patients meeting anti-TNF access
      criteria from Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong,
      respectively. For each study population, we calculated the costs and quality
      adjusted life years (QALYs) over 1 year of patients treated and not treated with
      anti-TNF therapy. To control for differences between anti-TNF users and non
      users, we used linear regression models to derive adjusted mean costs and QALYs.
      We calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) representing the
      incremental cost per additional QALY gained by treating with an anti-TNF within
      each of the five study populations, using bootstrapping to explore the range of
      uncertainty in costs and QALYs. A series of sensitivity analyses was conducted,
      including one to simulate the effect of a 24-week stopping rule for anti-TNF non
      responders. RESULTS: Anti-TNF access criteria from France were satisfied by the
      largest proportion of DESIR patients (27.8%), followed by Germany (25.1%), Canada
      (23.8%), the UK (12.1%) and Hong Kong (8.6%). Confidence intervals around
      incremental costs and QALYs in the basecase analysis were overlapping, indicating
      that anti-TNF cost-effectiveness estimates derived from each subset were similar.
      In the sensitivity analysis that examined the effect of excluding costs
      accumulated past 24 weeks by anti-TNF non-responders, the incremental cost per
      QALY was reduced by approximately 25% relative to the basecase analysis (France:
      ?857,992 vs. ?1,105,859; Canada: ? 626,459 vs. ?818,186; Germany: ? 422,568 vs.
      ?545,808); UK ?578,899 vs. ?766,217; Hong Kong ?335,418 vs. ?456,850).
      CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TNF cost-effectiveness is strongly affected by treatment
      continuation among non-responders. Access criteria could improve anti-TNF cost
      effectiveness by defining patients likely to respond.

PMID- 28904529
TI  - Complementarity in dietary supplements and foods: are supplement users vegetable
      eaters?
AB  - Background: The consumption of fruits, vegetables, and dietary supplements
      correlate. Most previous studies have aimed to identify the determinants of
      supplement uses or the distinct features of supplement users; this literature
      lacks a discussion on dietary supplement consumption as a predictor of fruit and
      vegetable consumption. Objective: This study examines how dietary supplement
      consumption correlates with fruit and vegetable consumption by combining scanner
      data and surveys of Korean household grocery shopping. Methods: Propensity score
      matching (PSM) is used to identify the relationship between dietary supplement
      consumption and fruit and vegetable consumption in a household. A logit
      regression using supplement consumption as the dependent variable is used. Then,
      the supplement takers (the treatment group) are matched with non-takers (the
      control group) based on the propensity scores estimated in the logit regression.
      The fruit and vegetable consumption levels of the groups are then compared.
      Results: We found that dietary supplement use is associated with higher fruit and
      vegetable consumption. This supports the health consciousness hypothesis based on
      attention bias, availability heuristics, the focusing effect, and the consumption
      episode effect. It rejects the health substitute hypothesis based on economic
      substitutes and mental accounting. Conclusions: Future research on the health
      benefits of dietary supplements should address the complementary consumption of
      fruits/vegetables and their health benefits to avoid misstating the health
      effects of supplements.

PMID- 28904530
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1080/16546628.2017.1348865.].

PMID- 28904531
TI  - Potential Therapeutic Mechanisms and Tracking of Transplanted Stem Cells:
      Implications for Stroke Treatment.
AB  - Stem cell therapy is a promising potential therapeutic strategy to treat cerebral
      ischemia in preclinical and clinical trials. Currently proposed treatments for
      stroke employing stem cells include the replacement of lost neurons and
      integration into the existing host circuitry, the release of growth factors to
      support and promote endogenous repair processes, and the secretion of
      extracellular vesicles containing proteins, noncoding RNA, or DNA to regulate
      gene expression in recipient cells and achieve immunomodulation. Progress has
      been made to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying stem cell therapy and
      the homing, migration, distribution, and differentiation of transplanted stem
      cells in vivo using various imaging modalities. Noninvasive and safe tracer
      agents with high sensitivity and image resolution must be combined with long-term
      monitoring using imaging technology to determine the optimal therapy for stroke
      in terms of administration route, dosage, and timing. This review discusses
      potential therapeutic mechanisms of stem cell transplantation for the treatment
      of stroke and the limitations of current therapies. Methods to label transplanted
      cells and existing imaging systems for stem cell labeling and in vivo tracking
      will also be discussed.

PMID- 28904532
TI  - The Use of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Selected Skin Diseases (Vitiligo,
      Alopecia, and Nonhealing Wounds).
AB  - The promising results derived from the use of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)
      in many diseases are a subject of observation in preclinical studies. ADSCs seem
      to be the ideal cell population for the use in regenerative medicine due to their
      easy isolation, nonimmunogenic properties, multipotential nature, possibilities
      for differentiation into various cell lines, and potential for angiogenesis. This
      article reviews the current data on the use of ADSCs in the treatment of
      vitiligo, various types of hair loss, and the healing of chronic wounds.

PMID- 28904535
TI  - Effect of Massage Therapy on Labor Pain Reduction in Primiparous Women: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials in
      Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain is a common experience for women during labor. Therefore, pain
      relief care for mothers during labor is very important. This meta-analysis was
      conducted to evaluate the efficacy of massage therapy on labor pain reduction in
      primiparous women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this meta-analysis, the databases of
      Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Iranmedex, Scientific Information
      Database (SID), and Magiran were searched for published articles in English and
      Persian language up to January 2016. Among the studies, with regard to the
      inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 studies were selected. Data were analyzed by
      using Stata software version 11, and standard mean difference (SMD) of effects of
      massage therapy was calculated. The heterogeneity among studies was evaluated by
      the Chi-square based Q-test and I2 statistics. RESULTS: The results of Chi-square
      based on Q-test and I2 statistics showed heterogeneity among studies in the
      latent phase (Q = 63.52, P value < 0.001 and I2 = 87.4%), active phase (Q =
      26.42, P value < 0.001, and I2 = 77.3%), and transitional phase (Q = 104.84, P
      value <0.001, and I2 = 95.2%). Results showed that massage therapy reduces labor
      pain in the latent phase (SMD = -1.23, 95% CI: -1.73 to -0.74), active phase (SMD
      = -1.59, 95% CI: -2.06 to -1.12), and transitional phase (SMD = -1.90, 95% CI: 
      3.09 to -0.71). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides valid evidence for the effect of
      massage therapy in Iran for labor pain relief. Therefore, the use of massage
      therapy can be recommended in the primiparous women.

PMID- 28904536
TI  - Relationship between Differentiation of Self and Attitude Towards Physician-Nurse
      Relationship in Hospitals (Isfahan/Iran).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attitude towards physician-nurse relationship is fundamental to
      achieve health care quality. Such attitude maybe determined by some personality
      traits such as differentiation of self. Hence, the present study aimed to
      investigate the relationship between differentiation of self and attitude to
      professional physician-nurse relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross
      sectional study was done in three hospitals in Isfahan in 2015. The study
      included all nurses and physicians. In total, 400 participants were recruited
      through convenience-sampling method. Data gathering instruments included a three
      part questionnaire [demographic data sheet, Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward
      Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC) and differentiation of self-inventory
      (DSI)]. The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics [t
      test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple linear regression) by the
      Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 software. RESULTS:
      The mean [standard deviation (SD)] of the scores of differentiation of self in
      physicians and nurses were 86.43 (9.62) and 159.28 (9.53), respectively. The
      results showed that the predicting model of attitudes towards physician-nurse
      relationship based on dimensions of differentiation of self both in nurses and
      physicians were significant. Moreover, the findings from linear regression
      analyses showed that predictor variables explained 0.18 and 0.14 of the variance
      of attitudes towards physician-nurse relationships in nurses and physicians,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the significant role of differentiation of
      self to predict attitudes towards physician-nurse relationship, it is worthwhile
      to suggest provision of training programs particularly in the nursing and medical
      students to enhance differentiation of self both in physicians and nurses to
      improve culture of interprofessional relationships and to achieve optimum
      professional relationships between doctors and nurses.

PMID- 28904534
TI  - Three-Dimensional Organoid System Transplantation Technologies in Future
      Treatment of Central Nervous System Diseases.
AB  - In recent years, scientists have made great achievements in understanding the
      development of human brain and elucidating critical elements of stepwise
      spatiotemporal control strategies in neural stem cell specification lineage,
      which facilitates successful induction of neural organoid in vitro including the
      cerebral cortex, cerebellar, neural tube, hippocampus cortex, pituitary, and
      optic cup. Besides, emerging researches on neural organogenesis promote the
      application of 3D organoid system transplantation in treating central nervous
      system (CNS) diseases. Present review will categorize current researches on
      organogenesis into three approaches: (a) stepwise, direct organization of region
      specific or population-enriched neural organoid; (b) assemble and direct distinct
      organ-specific progenitor cells or stem cells to form specific morphogenesis
      organoid; and (c) assemble embryoid bodies for induction of multilayer organoid.
      However, the majority of these researches focus on elucidating cellular and
      molecular mechanisms involving in brain organogenesis or disease development and
      only a few of them conducted for treating diseases. In this work, we will compare
      three approaches and also analyze their possible indications for diseases in
      future treatment on the basis of their distinct characteristics.

PMID- 28904533
TI  - Gut Microbial Influences on the Mammalian Intestinal Stem Cell Niche.
AB  - The mammalian intestinal epithelial stem cell (IESC) niche is comprised of
      diverse epithelial, immune, and stromal cells, which together respond to
      environmental changes within the lumen and exert coordinated regulation of IESC
      behavior. There is growing appreciation for the role of the gut microbiota in
      modulating intestinal proliferation and differentiation, as well as other aspects
      of intestinal physiology. In this review, we evaluate the diverse roles of known
      niche cells in responding to gut microbiota and supporting IESCs. Furthermore, we
      discuss the potential mechanisms by which microbiota may exert their influence on
      niche cells and possibly on IESCs directly. Finally, we present an overview of
      the benefits and limitations of available tools to study niche-microbe
      interactions and provide our recommendations regarding their use and
      standardization. The study of host-microbe interactions in the gut is a rapidly
      growing field, and the IESC niche is at the forefront of host-microbe activity to
      control nutrient absorption, endocrine signaling, energy homeostasis, immune
      response, and systemic health.

PMID- 28904537
TI  - The Effect of New Model PREPARED on Obtaining Informed Consent Skill in Midwifery
      Students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Professional ethics culture should be taught to students
      appropriately. Studies have shown that midwifery students are not entirely
      familiar with the skill of obtaining informed consent. Using a new and applicable
      model to teach this skill to midwifery students is necessary. This study was
      conducted to determine the effect of a new standard model, PREPARED, on the skill
      of obtaining informed consent in midwifery students of Shahid Sadoughi University
      of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This interventional study was
      conducted on 37 5th semester midwifery students through a census method. After
      determining psychometric indices, in two phases with a 4-week interval (before
      and after the training), the PREPARED checklist was completed by the professors
      of the research team in the presence of students in the delivery room while they
      were performing midwifery care considering their compliance to the checklist.
      Descriptive statistics paired t-test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The
      lowest mean score before the training belonged to alternative methods (1.00) and
      treatment expenses (1.00). After the training, treatment plan had the highest
      mean score (3.54 (0.69)). The mean and standard deviation of scores before and
      after training the students were 9.12 (2.00) and 30.6824 (5.25), respectively.
      Based on the results of the paired t-test (P = 0.001), the difference was
      statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Results showed that the implementation of
      the new model of PREPARED would increase the skill of obtaining informed consent
      in midwifery students and could be applied for educating students of other
      medical majors in Iran.

PMID- 28904538
TI  - The Effect of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Stress, Anxiety, and
      Depression of Women with Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the factors that could influence the quality of life in
      patients with multiple sclerosis, which is usually overlooked, is its
      psychological aspects. Considering the increasing acceptance of complementary
      medicine in the health system, this study was designed and conducted to determine
      the effect of group cognitive therapy on the stress, anxiety, and depression of
      women suffering from multiple sclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical
      trial was conducted among 70 women suffering from multiple sclerosis who were
      referred to the health centers of Isfahan. Participants were randomly allocated
      into two groups of intervention and control, each containing 35 patients. The
      intervention group received cognitive behavioral therapy as 8 90-minute group
      sessions (a session per week), and the control group participated in 4 group
      sessions to express their feelings and experiences. Data were gathered using the
      Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-24). RESULTS: There was a significant
      difference between the mean score of stress (P = 0.03), anxiety (P = 0.02), and
      depression (P = 0.03) of the intervention and the control group immediately after
      and 1 month after the intervention. Least squares difference test showed that the
      mean score of stress (P = 0.02), anxiety (P = 0.02), and depression (P = 0.03)
      immediately and 1 month after the intervention was significantly lower in the
      intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of the present study,
      cognitive behavioral therapy could decrease stress, anxiety, and depression in
      patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28904539
TI  - The Relationship of Social Problem-Solving Skills and Dysfunctional Attitudes
      with Risk of Drug Abuse among Dormitory Students at Isfahan University of Medical
      Sciences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dormitory students encounter multiple social factors which cause
      pressure, such as new social relationships, fear of the future, and separation
      from family, which could cause serious problems such as tendency toward drug
      abuse. This research was conducted with the goal to determine social problem
      solving skills, dysfunctional attitudes, and risk of drug abuse among dormitory
      students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This was a descriptive-analytical, correlational, and cross-sectional research.
      The research sample consisted of 211 students living in dormitories. The
      participants were selected using randomized quota sampling method. The data
      collection tools included the Social Problem-Solving Inventory (SPSI),
      Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), and Identifying People at Risk of Addiction
      Questionnaire. RESULTS: The results indicated an inverse relationship between
      social problem-solving skills and risk of drug abuse (P = 0.0002), a direct
      relationship between dysfunctional attitude and risk of drug abuse (P = 0.030),
      and an inverse relationship between social problem-solving skills and
      dysfunctional attitude among students (P = 0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: Social problem
      solving skills have a correlation with dysfunctional attitudes. As a result,
      teaching these skills and the way to create efficient attitudes should be
      considered in dormitory students.

PMID- 28904540
TI  - Assessing Emergency Nurses' Clinical Competency: An Exploratory Factor Analysis
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nursing as a clinical discipline is developing in the emergency
      wards. Health care systems should continuously assess and prioritize indicators
      of clinical competency in these wards. The lack of clear standards of clinical
      competency indicators challenges evaluation. The purpose of this study was to
      determine clinical competency indicators and its priority based on nurses' views
      in educational and therapeutic centers in Guilan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Q
      methodology was conducted in three phases, that is, phase I (determining the
      clinical competency indicators), phase II (classifying clinical competency
      indicators by an expert panel), and phase III (prioritizing clinical competency
      indicators). The subjects were selected by convenience sampling among nurses
      working in the emergency wards of teaching hospitals affiliated to Guilan in
      2013. Finally, clinical competency indicators were prioritized using exploratory
      factor analysis. RESULTS: In the prioritizing phase, data were collected from 710
      nurses over two months. Five factors with 30 general competencies were found in
      three domains: communication, professional maturity, and personality
      characteristics. Six factors with 37 specific competencies were also found in two
      domains: scientific and technical capabilities and basic clinical skills that can
      provide a structured instrument for assessing clinical competence in emergency
      nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Achieved competencies can be used as a reference for nursing
      education and practice in emergency. Further research on health care system is
      needed in order to achieve a reliable and valid instrument.

PMID- 28904541
TI  - The Effect of Interactive Text Message Follow-up on Health Promoting Lifestyle of
      Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle modification is an essential factor in the promotion of
      health in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). One of the interventions
      to promote lifestyle is interactive follow-up, which, according to the
      traditional methods, requires spending significant amount of time and cost.
      Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of interactive text
      message follow-up on health promoting lifestyle of patients with ACS. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial among 100 patients suffering
      from ACS during October-February 2016. The participants were randomly assigned to
      the experimental and control groups. Collection of data on lifestyle was
      performed before, 3, and 4 months after the beginning of the intervention using
      Walker's Health Promoting lifestyle questionnaire. Six messages were sent to the
      intervention groups each week, and participants asked the questions by sending
      text message, each week 1 message were sent to the control group for 12 weeks.
      The statistical analysis of data was performed using independent t-test, Chi
      square, Mann-Whitney U test, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).
      RESULTS: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the
      mean score of lifestyle of the two groups, however, 3 months and 4 months after
      the beginning of the intervention, the mean score of lifestyle in the
      intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: The interactive text message follow-up is effective in
      promoting the lifestyle of patients with ACS and can be considered in the
      planning of follow-up of patients with ACS.

PMID- 28904542
TI  - Claims about Medical Malpractices Resulting in Maternal and Perinatal Mortality
      Referred to Iranian Legal Medicine Organization During 2011-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstetricians, gynecologists, and midwives are the most common
      specialists of the medical sciences group against whom medical malpractices are
      claimed, many of which are avoidable and preventable. Therefore, the present
      study was conducted to investigate the causes of claims regarding medical
      malpractices resulting in maternal and perinatal mortality. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted and 7616 claims of
      medical malpractices in the field of obstetrics, gynecology, and midwifery that
      were referred from all 31 provinces to the central commission of legal medicine
      were studied during 2011-2012. Therefore, the present research is a national
      inclusive study covering all the provinces across Iran. To collect information
      from the transcript of medical malpractices cases, a researcher-made checklist
      was used, and the collected data were analyzed. RESULTS: The results of the
      present study showed that among all the medical malpractice claims regarding
      pregnancy and childbirth (42.24%), the majority concerned perinatal death
      (71.82%) and maternal death (28.16%). CONCLUSIONS: Medical malpractice complaints
      are increasing; although, most of these claims are preventable. To achieve this
      aim, it is necessary for obstetricians, gynecologists, and midwives to try to
      reduce the complaints by paying more attention to the signs and symptoms of
      diseases, performing all the diagnostic and therapeutic measures according to the
      scientific criteria, and fully document patients' records. In addition, patients'
      acquaintance with the importance of measurements and examinations, before and
      during pregnancy care and even after childbirth is crucial.

PMID- 28904543
TI  - The Application of the Transtheoretical Model to Identify Physical Activity
      Behavior in Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The low level of physical activity is a risk factor behind several
      chronic diseases. Evidence shows the level of physical activity is decreasing,
      especially in women. This study aimed to apply the transtheoretical model to
      identify physical activity behavior in women who referred to health centers of
      Isfahan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out among
      400 women in Isfahan's health centers. Data were collected using a questionnaire
      including demographic factors, the standard of exercise behavior, stages-of
      change questionnaire, processes of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance.
      Data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
      (version 16). Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney test, one-way analysis of
      variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation were used. RESULTS: The mean (SD) of
      age was 31.46 (8.92); 81.5% of women were housewives and the others employees.
      The mean score of physical activity per day for women was 10.66 min. Ninety-six
      persons (24%) were classified in the pr-contemplation stage, 100 (33.3%) in the
      contemplation stage, 102 (25.5%) in the preparation stage, 29 (7.2%) in the
      action stage, and 40 (10%) in the maintenance stage. The results showed the
      stages of change significantly correlated with the decisional balance (P = 0.04),
      processes of change, and self-efficacy (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: With regard to
      the low level of physical activity in women and the role of the stages-of-change
      model in determining effective factors behind behavior, there should be an
      attempt to develop continuous and organized educational programs to promote
      physical activity in women by using the transtheoretical model.

PMID- 28904544
TI  - Changing Beliefs and Behaviors Related to Sexually Transmitted Diseases in
      Vulnerable Women: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The first step in health education is awareness of the people and
      their acceptance to change their behavior. Therefore, the aim of this study was
      to investigate the effects of empowerment program towards the concept of self
      care and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in women at risk of
      STDs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted as a qualitative
      approach (step of action and observation of an action) by using conventional
      content analysis method. An empowerment program regarding STDs (Action) was
      performed among 32 (with convenient sample) drug user women with addicted
      husbands referring to the counseling center for vulnerable women (drop in enter)
      in Isfahan in 2015. The knowledge of quiddity, transmission, and prevention of
      STDs, as well as some items of life skills such as self-awareness, interpersonal
      communication, and assertive behavior were taught in an educational program.
      Teaching methods were lectures, group, and individual training and role play. The
      impact of the program on modified belief and behavior change regarding STDs was
      evaluated with structured interviews. RESULTS: Analysis of the obtained results
      yielded three categories. The categories were awareness of STD, believing in
      being at risk, and decision and change. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting self-care and
      prevention through education programs based on action research can make a
      significant reduction in the incidence of problems and cause a behavior change in
      women with the disease or those at risk for STDs.

PMID- 28904545
TI  - The Effects of Massage and Breastfeeding on Response to Venipuncture Pain among
      Hospitalized Neonates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Untreated procedural pain leads to long-term and short-term
      complications in neonates. Preventing pain in sick infants and neonates, whose
      conditions are getting worse, not only is a professional and legal duty but also
      a prevention measure to decrease future psychological and even neurological
      complications. Therefore, nurses should prevent newborns' pain. The aim of this
      study was to compare the effects of massage and breastfeeding on the pain of the
      neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a clinical trial conducted among 75
      full-term and near-term infants who underwent venipuncture. The newborns were
      randomly allocated to the following groups (n = 25 for each): group 1,
      breastfeeding; group 2, massage; and group 3, control. In the first group,
      venipuncture was done 2 minutes after breastfeeding. In the second group, massage
      was done with effleurage technique for 3 minutes and venipuncture was done 2
      minutes after massage. The Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) was used for pain
      measurement in the first 30 seconds of venipuncture. Data were analyzed by t-test
      and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: The lowest mean pain score
      recorded in the massage group (0.92) whereas it was 4.84 in the breastfeeding
      group and 6.16 in the control group. ANOVA test and post-hoc statistics revealed
      that both interventions resulted in a significant reduction of the pain scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: According to the findings of this study, the lowest pain score was
      in massage group, then in breastfeeding group and control group accordingly.
      Considering the fact that massage and breastfeeding are natural, useful, and cost
      free interventions and do not need any special facility, these methods are
      suggested in pain management and pain control during painful procedures
      administrated for infants.

PMID- 28904546
TI  - Evidence-based Draft Guideline for Prevention of Midwifery Malpractices based on
      Referred Cases to the Forensic Medicine Commission and the Medical Council from
      2006-2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical errors are the main concerns in health systems, which
      considering their ascending rate in the recent years, especially in the field of
      midwifery, have caused a medical crisis. Considering the importance of evidence
      based health services as a way to improve health systems, the aim of this study
      was to suggest a guideline for preventing malpractice in midwifery services.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2013,
      we investigated 206 cases that were referred to the Isfahan Legal Medicine
      Organization and Medical Council of Forensic Medicine from 2006-2011. Data were
      collected by a checklist and were analyzed using SPSS-16 software. Descriptive
      statistical tests (mean, maximum, minimum, standard deviation, frequency, and
      percentage agreement) were used to describe the data. Then, we used the Delphi
      technique with the participation from 17 experts in midwifery, gynecology, and
      legal medicine to provide an evidence-based draft guideline for prevention of
      midwifery errors. RESULTS: A total of 206 cases were reviewed. In 66 cases (32%)
      the verdict for malpractice in midwifery services was approved. A practical draft
      guideline for preventing clinical errors for midwifery in the fields of
      pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period was developed. CONCLUSIONS: This
      evidence-based draft guideline can improve the attention of all the healthcare
      providers, especially midwives and physicians to prevent urgent problems and
      offer effective health services for mothers and infants.

PMID- 28904547
TI  - The Process of Transition to Hemodialysis: A Grounded Theory Research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transition is a passage or movement from one state, condition, or
      place to another. Patients with chronic disorders such as end-stage renal disease
      experience transitions. This study aims to explore the process of transition to
      hemodialysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a qualitative grounded theory of a
      doctoral dissertation. Twenty-four participants (19 patients on hemodialysis, 2
      family members, 2 nurses, and a physician) were selected through purposive and
      theoretical sampling until data saturation. Data collection was conducted through
      semi-structured interviews, as well as field notes and memos. Data analysis was
      done concurrently with data collection in three levels of open, axial, and
      selective coding according to the Strauss and Corbin (1998) method. Core variable
      was appeared at the end of selecting coding stage. RESULTS: Confronting
      unexpected situation of hemodialysis, challenge of accepting hemodialysis,
      comprehensive and pervasive changes, efforts made to self-management, and
      integration of hemodialysis with everyday life were considered to be the main
      themes of the process of transition to hemodialysis. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      would increase evidence-based knowledge regarding the process of transition to
      hemodialysis. Through identification of this process, effective factors such as
      determining strategies for management would lead to facilitate more specialized
      care of people undergoing hemodialysis, appropriate nursing interventions and
      more effective training programs to prepare patients and their families during
      the process of transition to hemodialysis. These results can be used for
      conducting and preparing other qualitative and quantitative studies.

PMID- 28904548
TI  - Effect of Family-Patient Communication on the Incidence of Delirium in
      Hospitalized Patients in Cardiovascular Surgery ICU.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are the most important causes of morbidity
      and mortality in the world, and cardiac surgery is one of the treatments that
      have complication for patients. One of the most important current psychological
      complications after cardiac surgery is delirium. For its prevention and
      treatment, considerable attention should be paid to the role of family. This
      study has been conducted for assessing the effect of the relationship between the
      family and patient on the incidence of delirium in hospitalized patients in
      cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit (ICU) of Isfahan Shahid Chamran
      hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a two-group, single-blind (for the
      questioner) clinical trial that was conducted among 68 patients in the cardiac
      surgery ICU of Shahid Chamran hospital affiliated to the Isfahan University of
      Medical Science in 2013. Sampling was convenient sampling, and the patients were
      allocated to two groups (n = 34 patients) based on random numbers table. The day
      after the surgery, one of the family members in the intervention group who had
      received education the day before was allowed to visit the patient in the morning
      shift. In the control group, patients received routine care. Two groups were
      assessed for delirium twice a day for a total of three times (two times in the
      morning and one time in the evening) with use of Richmond Agitation Sedation
      Scale and Confusion Assessment Method -ICU (CAM - ICU) scale. RESULTS: In the
      intervention group, 41.18% patients were females and 58.82% patients were males,
      and in the control group, 29.42% patients were females and 70.58% were males.
      Mean and SD of patients' age in the intervention group was 55.11 (12.11) and in
      the control group 54.12 (13.11) years. Based on study results, incidence of
      delirium in the morning after surgery (second day) in intervention group was
      11.76%, and in control group it was 23.53%. In the third day, it was 8.83% in
      intervention group and 20.58% in control group. Chi-square test showed a
      significant difference in incidence of delirium during the second (P = 0.04) and
      the third (P = 0.03) days of surgery in the two groups. In the control group, the
      incidence of delirium in the evening was 32.35%, which was more than that in the
      morning. Cochran test showed a significant difference in the morning and
      afternoon shifts in the control group (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Effective
      communication between the patient and family, as a nonmedical method, can reduce
      delirium after cardiac surgery, especially, at the end of the day; nurses should
      pay more attention to the prevention of delirium.

PMID- 28904549
TI  - Risk Factors Of Heart Disease in Nurses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying and correcting the modifiable risk factors reduces the
      prevalence of coronary artery disorders (CAD). Nurses, with regards to their
      employment conditions, can be prone to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study
      aimed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among nurses.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, census sampling was
      conducted among nurses of Jahrom, Iran, in 2014. Data were collected through
      interviews, blood pressure measurement, anthropometric parameters, and blood
      sample collection. To analyze the data, descriptive statistical analysis, and
      comparative (independent t-test) and correlation (Pearson) tests were used; the
      significance level was considered to be P < 0.05. RESULTS: In this study, 263
      (89.76%) nurses participated, 79.8% of whom were women. The mean age of the
      participants was 31.04 (6.97). In terms of body mass index, 41.7% was the waist
      to-hip ratio, 16.7% was the waist-to-height ratio, and 63.1% were in the range of
      obesity. In addition, 5.7% had abnormal triglyceride, 4.9% had high cholesterol,
      and 15.1% had high blood pressure. The mean percentage of the Framingham risk
      score of the participants was 1.07 (1.84). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the total
      mean percentage of the Framingham risk score of the nurses was 1.07, which showed
      a low risk of CAD in the study population over the next decade.

PMID- 28904550
TI  - Maoto, a Traditional Japanese Herbal Medicine, Inhibits Uncoating of Influenza
      Virus.
AB  - We previously reported in randomized controlled trials that maoto, a traditional
      herbal medicine, showed clinical and virological efficacy for seasonal influenza.
      In this study, a culturing system for influenza was used to test the effect of
      maoto. A549 cells in the culture were infected with influenza virus A (PR8) and
      followed after treatment with maoto; the virus titers in the culture supernatant,
      intracellular viral proteins, and viral RNA were determined. When infected cells
      were cultured with maoto for 24 hr, the virus titer and protein were
      significantly reduced compared with medium only. Other subtypes, A/H3N2, H1N1pdm,
      and B, were also inhibited by maoto. Proliferation of viral RNA in a 6 hr culture
      was inhibited by maoto in the early phase, especially in the first 30 min.
      Focusing on the entry step of the influenza virus, we found that endosomal pH,
      regulated by vacuolar-type H+ ATPase (V-ATPase) located in the membrane, was
      increased when treated with maoto. We also found that uncoating of influenza
      viruses was also inhibited by maoto, resulting in the increase of the number of
      virus particles in endosomes. These results strongly suggest that the inhibition
      of endosomal acidification by maoto results in blocking influenza virus entry to
      cytoplasm, probably through the inhibition of V-ATPase. The present study
      provides evidence that supports the clinical use of maoto for the treatment of
      influenza.

PMID- 28904551
TI  - Suppressive Effect of the n-Hexane Extract of Litsea japonica Fruit Flesh on
      Monosodium-Iodoacetate-Induced Osteoarthritis in Rats.
AB  - We examined the antiosteoarthritic effect of the n-hexane extract of Litsea
      japonica fruit flesh (LJF-HE) in a rat model of monosodium-iodoacetate- (MIA-)
      induced osteoarthritis. LJF-HE significantly reduced the difference in weight
      bearing capabilities of the hind paws between healthy and MIA-treated rats.
      Histological examination of the knee joints indicated that LJF-HE suppressed
      cartilage and bone destruction. Additionally, there were decreases in the
      expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-9 and
      cyclooxygenase-2 in the joints. The serum levels of deoxypyridinoline (DPD) and
      osteocalcin, which are markers of bone metabolism, also decreased. Furthermore,
      LJF-HE significantly suppressed infiltration of inflammatory cells into the
      synovium and inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor
      necrosis factor- (TNF-) alpha, interleukin- (IL-) 1, and IL-6 in the joints and
      serum. The serum levels of leukotriene B4 and lipoxygenase were also
      significantly lowered by LJF-HE. Finally, LJF-HE inhibited the production of
      nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in lipopolysaccharide
      activated macrophages, which might be associated with inhibited phosphorylation
      of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Our data
      suggest that LJF-HE has an anti-inflammatory effect and may have potential as an
      antiosteoarthritic agent.

PMID- 28904552
TI  - Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Anacardium occidentale Leaf
      Extract.
AB  - In tropical America, principally in Northeastern Brazil, the leaf extract of
      Anacardium occidentale is traditionally used for treatment of different diseases.
      However, chemical and biological properties and activities of Anacardium
      occidentale are poorly investigated and known. Here, we evaluated the antioxidant
      and anti-inflammatory activities "in vitro" of leaf extract from Anacardium
      occidentale. Our results show that leaf extract exhibits antioxidant activity
      when used to treat RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Antioxidant effects were observed
      by decrease in oxidative damage in macrophage cells treated with 0.5 ug/mL and 5
      ug/mL of leaf extract. Moreover, leaf extract reversed oxidative damage and
      inflammatory parameters induced in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.
      Leaf extract at 0.5 ug/mL and 5 ug/mL was able to inhibit release of TNF-alpha
      and IL-1beta in LPS-stimulated cells. Taken together, our results indicate
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of leaf extract from Anacardium
      occidentale and reveal the positive effects that intake of these products can
      mediate in biological system.

PMID- 28904553
TI  - Manual Acupuncture Suppresses the Expression of Proinflammatory Proteins
      Associated with the NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Hippocampus of SAMP8 Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of manual acupuncture (MA) on NLRP3
      inflammasome-related proteins. METHODS: SAMP8 mice were randomly divided into
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) group, the MA group, and the medicine (M) group. Mice in
      the M group were treated with donepezil hydrochloride at 0.65 MUg/g. In the MA
      group, MA was applied on Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29) for 20 min and then
      pricked at Shuigou (GV26). The Morris water maze was applied to assess spatial
      learning and memory. Immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis were
      used to observe the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome-related proteins. RESULTS:
      Compared with the normal (N) control group, spatial learning and the memory
      capabilities of the AD group significantly decreased (p < 0.01). The number of
      NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, and IL-1beta positively stained cells in the AD group was
      higher than the N group, and the relative expression levels of the above proteins
      were significantly higher than those in the N group (p < 0.01). These changes
      were reversed by both MA and donepezil (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: MA can improve the
      learning and memory capabilities of SAMP8 mice. The negative regulation of the
      NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway in the hippocampus may be a possible mechanism of MA in
      the treatment of AD.

PMID- 28904555
TI  - Acyclic Sesquiterpenes from the Fruit Pericarp of Sapindus saponaria Induce
      Ultrastructural Alterations and Cell Death in Leishmania amazonensis.
AB  - Previous studies reported antiprotozoal activities of Sapindus saponaria L. The
      aim of this work was the evaluation of antileishmanial activity and mechanism of
      action of extract and fractions of S. saponaria L. Hydroethanolic extract (EHA)
      obtained from fruit pericarps was fractionated using solid-phase extraction in a
      reversed phase, resulting in fractions enriched with saponins (SAP fraction) and
      acyclic sesquiterpene oligoglycosides (OGSA fraction). The activities of EHA,
      SAP, and OGSA were evaluated by antiproliferative assays with promastigote and
      intracellular amastigote forms. Cytotoxicity on macrophages and hemolytic
      activity were also analyzed. Morphological and ultrastructural changes in
      Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes were evaluated by electron microscopy. Flow
      cytometry was used to investigate mitochondrial dysfunction and
      phosphatidylserine exposure. OGSA was more selective for parasites than mammalian
      J774A1 macrophage cells, with selectivity indices of 3.79 and 7.35, respectively.
      Our results showed that only the OGSA fraction did not present hemolytic activity
      at its IC50 for promastigote growth. Electron microscopy revealed changes in
      parasite flagellum, cell body shape, and organelle size, mainly mitochondria.
      Flow cytometry analysis indicated mitochondrial membrane and cell membrane
      dysfunction. OGSA showed antileishmanial activity, resulting in several changes
      to protozoa cells, including mitochondrial depolarization and early
      phosphatidylserine exposure, suggesting a possible apoptotic induction.

PMID- 28904557
TI  - Ginger Ingredients Alleviate Diabetic Prostatic Complications: Effect on
      Oxidative Stress and Fibrosis.
AB  - Prostatic complications are common in patients with diabetes. This study
      investigated the effect of different ginger ingredients: zingerone, geraniol, and
      6-gingerol on the prostate in diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in Wistar rats
      by streptozotocin intraperitoneal injection (50 mg/kg), and the rats were left
      for 10 weeks to develop prostatic complications. In diabetic treated groups, rats
      received daily oral zingerone, geraniol, and 6-gingerol in doses of 20, 200, and
      75 mg/kg, respectively, in the last 8 weeks. Treatment with the compounds caused
      changes in the ventral prostate of diabetic animals as indicated by the columnar
      ductal epithelium and dense secretions. There was an amelioration of oxidative
      stress as evidenced by the lowering of prostate malondialdehyde and elevating
      prostate oxidized to reduced glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratios by geraniol and 6
      gingerol. None of the three ginger ingredients affected the hyperglycemia,
      reduction in body weight gain, and testosterone deficiency seen in diabetic
      animals. Interleukin-1beta and interleukin-6 levels remained unchanged. However,
      zingerone and geraniol ameliorated the fibrosis in diabetic prostate through
      suppressing the elevated prostate transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFbeta1)
      and collagen IV. Therefore, ginger ingredients could be beneficial in alleviating
      diabetic prostatic complications through suppressing oxidative stress and tissue
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28904558
TI  - Herbal Medicines: Personal Use, Knowledge, Attitude, Dispensing Practice, and the
      Barriers among Community Pharmacists in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Herbal medicine use is increasing and the global market is estimated
      to be US$107 billion by the year 2017. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at assessing
      community pharmacists' personal use, knowledge, attitude, dispensing practice,
      and the barriers regarding herbal medicines. METHODS: Institution based cross
      sectional study was conducted among 47 community pharmacists in Gondar, Northwest
      Ethiopia, using a structured interviewing questionnaire. RESULTS: Nearly half of
      the respondents (n = 22, 46.8%) sometimes use herbal medicines. Although
      knowledge related to such preparations was self-rated as poor/acceptable (n = 34,
      72.4%), majority (n = 44, 93.7%) of community pharmacists agree/strongly agree
      that herbal medicines have beneficial effects. Only 6 (12.7%) of them are
      sometimes/often engaged in dispensing herbal medicines and most of them (n = 34,
      72.3%) rarely/never counseled clients regarding these preparations. Limited
      knowledge on and access to information regarding herbal medicines are the main
      barriers to the pharmacists' practice. CONCLUSION: Although community pharmacists
      in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, commonly use and demonstrated good attitude
      towards herbal medicines, they are less involved in dispensing such products.
      They are also challenged with limited knowledge on and access to herbal medicine
      information. Thus, pharmacy educators, professional organizations, and the
      government shall pay more attention to solve the problem. Regulatory provisions
      on herbal medicine dispensing must be enacted and communicated very well.

PMID- 28904554
TI  - Plants-Derived Neuroprotective Agents: Cutting the Cycle of Cell Death through
      Multiple Mechanisms.
AB  - Neuroprotection is the preservation of the structure and function of neurons from
      insults arising from cellular injuries induced by a variety of agents or
      neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). The various NDs including Alzheimer's,
      Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases as well as amyotropic lateral sclerosis
      affect millions of people around the world with the main risk factor being
      advancing age. Each of these diseases affects specific neurons and/or regions in
      the brain and involves characteristic pathological and molecular features. Hence,
      several in vitro and in vivo study models specific to each disease have been
      employed to study NDs with the aim of understanding their underlying mechanisms
      and identifying new therapeutic strategies. Of the most prevalent drug
      development efforts employed in the past few decades, mechanisms implicated in
      the accumulation of protein-based deposits, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation,
      and certain neurotransmitter deficits such as acetylcholine and dopamine have
      been scrutinized in great detail. In this review, we presented classical examples
      of plant-derived neuroprotective agents by highlighting their structural class
      and specific mechanisms of action. Many of these natural products that have shown
      therapeutic efficacies appear to be working through the above-mentioned key
      multiple mechanisms of action.

PMID- 28904556
TI  - Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Local Tissue Damage Induced by Snake
      Venoms: An Overview from Traditional Use to Pharmacological Evidence.
AB  - Snakebites are a serious problem in public health due to their high
      morbimortality. Most of snake venoms produce intense local tissue damage, which
      could lead to temporary or permanent disability in victims. The available
      specific treatment is the antivenom serum therapy, whose effectiveness is reduced
      against these effects. Thus, the search for complementary alternatives for
      snakebite treatment is relevant. There are several reports of the popular use of
      medicinal plants against snakebites worldwide. In recent years, many studies have
      been published giving pharmacological evidence of benefits of several vegetal
      species against local effects induced by a broad range of snake venoms, including
      inhibitory potential against hyaluronidase, phospholipase, proteolytic,
      hemorrhagic, myotoxic, and edematogenic activities. In this context, this review
      aimed to provide an updated overview of medicinal plants used popularly as
      antiophidic agents and discuss the main species with pharmacological studies
      supporting the uses, with emphasis on plants inhibiting local effects of snake
      envenomation. The present review provides an updated scenario and insights into
      future research aiming at validation of medicinal plants as antiophidic agents
      and strengthens the potentiality of ethnopharmacology as a tool for design of
      potent inhibitors and/or development of herbal medicines against venom toxins,
      especially local tissue damage.

PMID- 28904559
TI  - Cartilage Protection and Analgesic Activity of a Botanical Composition Comprised
      of Morus alba, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Acacia catechu.
AB  - Although there have been augmented advances in drug discovery, current OA
      management is inadequate due to the lack of successful therapies proven to be
      effective in modifying disease progression. For some, the risk outweighs the
      benefit. As a result, there is a desperate need for safe and efficacious natural
      alternatives. Here we evaluated a composition from Morus alba, Scutellaria
      baicalensis, and Acacia catechu in maintaining joint structural integrity and
      alleviating OA associated symptoms in monoiodoacetate- (MIA-) induced rat OA
      disease model. Study lasted for 6 weeks. 59.6%, 64.6%, 70.7%, 69.9%, and 70.3%
      reductions in pain sensitivity were observed for rats treated with the
      composition from week 1 to week 5, respectively. Statistically significant
      improvements in articular cartilage matrix integrity (maintained at 57.1% versus
      MIA + vehicle treated rats) were shown from the modified total Mankin score for
      animals treated with the composition. The composition showed a statistically
      significant reduction in uCTX-II level (54.1% reductions). The merit of combining
      these botanicals was also demonstrated in their synergistic analgesic activity.
      Therefore, the standardized blend of Morus alba, Scutellaria baicalensis, and
      Acacia catechu could potentially be considered as an alternative remedy from
      natural sources for the management of OA and/or its associated symptoms.

PMID- 28904560
TI  - Antidiabetic Effect of Tibetan Medicine Tang-Kang-Fu-San on High-Fat Diet and
      Streptozotocin-Induced Type 2 Diabetic Rats.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic effects of a Tibetan
      medicine, Tang-Kang-Fu-San (TKFS), on experimental type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM) rats and to explore its underlying mechanisms. Firstly two major chemical
      compositions of TKFS, gallic acid and curcumin, were characterized by HPLC
      fingerprint analysis. Next T2DM in rats was induced by high-fat diet and a low
      dose streptozotocin (STZ 35 mg/kg). Then oral gavage administration of three
      different doses of TKFS (0.3 g/kg, 0.6 g/kg, and 1.2 g/kg) was given to T2DM
      rats. Experimental results showed that TKFS dramatically reduced the levels of
      fasting blood glucose, fasting blood insulin, triglyceride, total cholesterol,
      LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, even though it did not alter the animal
      body weight. The downregulation of phosphorylation-AKT (p-AKT) and glucose
      transporter-4 (GLUT4) in skeletal muscle of T2DM rats was restored and abnormal
      pathological changes in pancreas tissues were also improved. Our work showed that
      TKFS could alleviate diabetic syndromes, maintain the glucose homeostasis, and
      protect against insulin resistance in T2DM rats, and the improvement of AKT
      phosphorylation and GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle would be one of its
      possible underlying mechanisms.

PMID- 28904561
TI  - Understanding Mind-Body Interaction from the Perspective of East Asian Medicine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Attempts to understand the emotion have evolved from the perspective
      of an independent cognitive system of the mind to that of an interactive response
      involving the body. This study aimed to quantify and visualize relationships
      between different emotions and bodily organ systems from the perspective of East
      Asian medicine. METHODS: Term frequency-inverse document frequency (tf-idf)
      method was used to quantify the significance of Five Viscera and the gallbladder
      relative to seven different emotions through the classical medical text of
      DongUiBoGam. Bodily organs that corresponded to different emotions were
      visualized using a body template. RESULTS: The emotions had superior tf-idf
      values with the following bodily organs: anger with the liver, happiness with the
      heart, thoughtfulness with the heart and spleen, sadness with the heart and
      lungs, fear with the kidneys and the heart, surprise with the heart and the
      gallbladder, and anxiety with the heart and the lungs. Specific patterns between
      the emotions and corresponding bodily organ systems were identified. CONCLUSION:
      The present findings will further the current understanding of the relationship
      between the mind and body from the perspective of East Asian medicine. Western
      medicine characterizes emotional disorders using "neural" language while East
      Asian medicine uses "somatic" language.

PMID- 28904562
TI  - Proceedings from the CIHLMU 5th Infectious Diseases Symposium 2016 "Drug
      Resistant Tuberculosis: Old Disease - New Challenge".
AB  - The 5th CIHLMU Infectious Disease Symposium, Munich, Germany, March 12, 2016
      brought together Tuberculosis Experts from developed and low middle-income
      countries to discuss the control of drug resistance Tuberculosis. The meeting
      featured 9 presentations: Tuberculosis history and current scenario, Tuberculosis
      and migration - current scenario in Germany, Mechanism of Tuberculosis resistance
      development, Epidemiology of resistance - transmission vs. new generation of
      resistance, The impact of diagnostic in patients beyond - sensitivity and
      specificity, The Bangladesh regimen - new hope trough old drugs, New drugs and
      regimens - an overview on studies and Multi and Extensively Drug Resistant
      Tuberculosis from Europe. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion.
      Serious Multidrug Resistance epidemic in some countries may jeopardize the
      progress in Tuberculosis control. In this meeting epidemiology, mechanism,
      immigration and screening, diagnosis, research and treatment of drug resistant
      tuberculosis were discussed.

PMID- 28904563
TI  - Bacillus coagulans MA-13: a promising thermophilic and cellulolytic strain for
      the production of lactic acid from lignocellulosic hydrolysate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transition from a petroleum-based economy towards more
      sustainable bioprocesses for the production of fuels and chemicals (circular
      economy) is necessary to alleviate the impact of anthropic activities on the
      global ecosystem. Lignocellulosic biomass-derived sugars are suitable alternative
      feedstocks that can be fermented or biochemically converted to value-added
      products. An example is lactic acid, which is an essential chemical for the
      production of polylactic acid, a biodegradable bioplastic. However, lactic acid
      is still mainly produced by Lactobacillus species via fermentation of starch
      containing materials, the use of which competes with the supply of food and feed.
      RESULTS: A thermophilic and cellulolytic lactic acid producer was isolated from
      bean processing waste and was identified as a new strain of Bacillus coagulans,
      named MA-13. This bacterium fermented lignocellulose-derived sugars to lactic
      acid at 55  degrees C and pH 5.5. Moreover, it was found to be a robust strain
      able to tolerate high concentrations of hydrolysate obtained from wheat straw pre
      treated by acid-catalysed (pre-)hydrolysis and steam explosion, especially when
      cultivated in controlled bioreactor conditions. Indeed, unlike what was observed
      in microscale cultivations (complete growth inhibition at hydrolysate
      concentrations above 50%), B. coagulans MA-13 was able to grow and ferment in 95%
      hydrolysate-containing bioreactor fermentations. This bacterium was also found to
      secrete soluble thermophilic cellulases, which could be produced at low
      temperature (37  degrees C), still retaining an optimal operational activity at
      50  degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: The above-mentioned features make B. coagulans MA-13
      an appealing starting point for future development of a consolidated bioprocess
      for production of lactic acid from lignocellulosic biomass, after further strain
      development by genetic and evolutionary engineering. Its optimal temperature and
      pH of growth match with the operational conditions of fungal enzymes hitherto
      employed for the depolymerisation of lignocellulosic biomasses to fermentable
      sugars. Moreover, the robustness of B. coagulans MA-13 is a desirable trait,
      given the presence of microbial growth inhibitors in the pre-treated biomass
      hydrolysate.

PMID- 28904564
TI  - The role of pre-reduction MRI in the management of complex cervical spine
      fracture-dislocations: an ongoing controversy?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervical spine fracture-dislocations in neurologically intact
      patients represent a surgical challenge due to the risk of inflicting iatrogenic
      spinal cord compression by closed reduction maneuvers. The use of MRI for early
      advanced imaging in these injuries remains controversially debated. CASE
      PRESENTATION: A 54-year old man sustained a fall over the handlebars of his
      racing bicycle. The helmeted patient sustained a fall on his head which resulted
      in a hyperflexion injury of the neck. He was neurologically intact on
      presentation. Initial CT imaging revealed a complex multisegmental cervical spine
      injury with a left-sided C6/C7 perched facet, a right sided C7/T1 fracture
      dislocation, and a right-sided C6 and C7 traumatic laminotomy. The initial
      management consisted of temporary external Halo fixator application without
      closed reduction maneuver, to mitigate the risk of a delayed spinal cord injury.
      Subsequent advanced imaging by MRI revealed an acute traumatic C7/T1 disc
      herniation, with the intervertebral disc completely extruded into the spinal
      canal. Definitive surgical management was then accomplished by employing a three
      stage anterior-posterior-anterior spinal decompression, realignment, fixation and
      fusion C4-T2 in one operative session. The patient recovered well and retained
      full neurological function. He resumed bicycle street racing within 10 months of
      the injury following successful spinal reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: The
      diagnostic evaluation of cervical fracture-dislocations should include advanced
      imaging by MRI in order to fully understand the injury pattern prior to
      proceeding with spinal reduction maneuvers which may impose the imminent threat
      of a devastating iatrogenic injury to the spinal cord. The presented staged
      management by initial Halo fixation without attempts for spinal reduction,
      followed by a surgical decompression and multilevel fusion, appears to represent
      a feasible and safe strategy for patients at risk of a delayed neurological
      injury.

PMID- 28904565
TI  - Class 1 integrons and plasmid-mediated multiple resistance genes of the
      Campylobacter species from pediatric patient of a university hospital in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Campylobacter species usually causes infection between humans and
      livestock interaction via livestock breeding. The studies of the Campylobacter
      species thus far in all clinical isolates were to show the many kinds of
      antibiotic phenomenon that were produced. Their integrons cause the induction of
      antibiotic resistance between bacterial species in the Campylobacter species.
      RESULTS: The bacterial strains from the diarrhea of pediatric patient which
      isolated by China Medical University Hospital storage bank. These isolates were
      identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The anti-microbial susceptibility test
      showed that Campylobacter species resistant to cefepime, streptomycin, tobramycin
      and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (all C. jejuni and C. coli isolates),
      ampicillin (89% of C. jejuni; 75% of C. coli), cefotaxime (78% of C. jejuni; 100%
      of C. coli), nalidixic acid (78% of C. jejuni; 100% of C. coli), tetracycline
      (89% of C. jejuni; 25% C. coli), ciprofloxacin (67% of C. jejuni; 50% C. coli),
      kanamycin (33% of C. jejuni; 75% C. coli) and the C. fetus isolate resisted to
      ampicillin, cefotaxime, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, kanamycin by
      disc-diffusion method. The effect for ciprofloxacin and tetracycline of the
      Campylobacter species was tested using an E-test. The tet, erm, and integron
      genes were detected by PCR assay. According to the sequencing analysis (type I:
      dfr12-gcuF-aadA2 genes and type II: dfrA7 gene), the cassette type was
      identified. The most common gene cassette type (type I: 9 C. jejuni and 2 C. coli
      isolates; type II: 1 C. coli isolates) was found in 12 class I integrase-positive
      isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested an important information in the
      latency of Campylobacter species with resistance genes, and irrational
      antimicrobial use should be concerned.

PMID- 28904566
TI  - Is Vitamin D Deficiency Implicated in Autonomic Dysfunction?
AB  - Dysautonomia, dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, presents with
      heterogeneous clinical features from an imbalanced regulation of the sympathetic
      and parasympathetic nervous systems. Low Vitamin D levels can explain the
      heterogeneous clinical features of migraine headaches, cardiac and
      gastrointestinal dysfunction, and oxidative stress evident in dysautonomia
      patients. The role of Vitamin D in modulating pain sensitivity has been recently
      established. However, there is a lack of research and understanding regarding the
      association between Vitamin D deficiency and autonomic dysfunction. Vitamin D is
      a neuroactive hormone that modulates autonomic balance, regulating the
      sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and has multisystem benefits.
      The following review explores the literature and addresses the relationship
      between Vitamin D deficiency and autonomic dysfunction. Overall, this literature
      review implicates Vitamin D deficiency in autonomic dysfunction and elucidates
      the potential therapeutic role of Vitamin D in autonomic disorders. PubMed search
      was performed for English articles from 1996 to 2016. Following keywords: Vitamin
      D, autonomic dysfunction and orthostatic hypotension, Vitamin D receptor,
      migraine and traumatic brain injury, Vitamin D, cardiac and gastrointestinal
      disease, Vitamin D, glutathione, oxidative stress, and serotonin were included.
      Only articles reporting primary data relevant to the above question were included
      in the study.

PMID- 28904567
TI  - Intermittent Divergent Squint in Prematurity and Its Neurophysiological Aspects.
AB  - Intermittent distance exotropia is a deviation characterized by an exophoria at
      near fixation and manifest exotropia at distance fixation. There is normal
      binocular fusional vergence and stereoacuity at near fixation, but the eyes tend
      to diverge in bright sunlight, tiredness, day dreaming and the patient may close
      one eye in such circumstances. Prematurity is associated with numerous eye
      pathology, besides retinopathy of prematurity, amblyopia, refractive errors, it
      is also associated with a higher risk esotropia and exotropia. We report a case
      of a 5-year-old girl (preterm and very low birth weight) with an intermittent
      deviation of both eyes since three years. On her detailed ocular examination
      diagnosis of divergence excess intermittent exotropia with normal accommodative
      convergence to accommodation ratio was made. Bilateral lateral rectus recession
      was done using hang back technique. Postoperatively, the eyes were aligned
      normally thereby achieving orthotropia. This article reviews various
      neurophysiological aspects of intermittent divergent squint delineating the
      etiopathogenesis, classification system, and management options in intermittent
      exotropia.

PMID- 28904568
TI  - Pediatric Autoimmune Encephalitis.
AB  - Autoimmune (antibody mediated) encephalitis (AE) is emerging as a more common
      cause of pediatric encephalopathy than previously thought. The autoimmune process
      may be triggered by an infection, vaccine, or occult neoplasm. In the latter
      case, onconeural autoantibodies are directed against intracellular neuronal
      antigens, but a recent heterogeneous group of encephalitic syndromes has been
      found not to have underlying tumor but is associated with autoantibodies to the
      neuronal surface or synaptic antigens. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are very common
      in autoimmune encephalopathy; as a result, affected children may be initially
      present to psychiatrists. Neurological features are movement disorders, seizures,
      altered conscious level, and cognitive regression. Hypoventilation and autonomic
      features may be an aspect. Inflammatory findings in the cerebrospinal fluid may
      be present but are relatively nonspecific. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may
      also demonstrate abnormalities that provide clues for diagnosis, particularly on
      fluid-attenuated inversion recovery or T2-weighted images. AE is well responsive
      to immune therapy, with prompt diagnosis and treatment strongly beneficial.
      Patients with paraneoplastic encephalitis are more refractory to treatment
      compared to those in whom no malignancy is identified. Herein, the authors
      present an update of literature data on the clinical presentation, laboratory and
      imaging findings, therapy, and outcomes for the most common autoimmune
      encephalitides.

PMID- 28904569
TI  - Serum Insulin and Leptin Levels in Children with Epilepsy on Valproate-associated
      Obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Weight gain is a common adverse effect of sodium valproic acid (VPA)
      in children with epilepsy. Several mechanisms of VPA-induced obesity have been
      suggested such as increased appetite, facultative thermogenesis, and elevated
      insulin and leptin levels. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of
      Insulin and Leptin in the pathogenesis of weight gain caused by VPA. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and serum insulin and leptin
      levels were measured in 45 consecutive patients and 45 controls. RESULTS: The
      mean BMI of the cases and control group was 22.97 kg/m2 and 19.4 kg/m2,
      respectively, and it was significantly higher in cases (P < 0.001). Fasting serum
      insulin levels were higher in VPA group (26.3 MUU/ml) than in controls (15.83
      MUU/ml), which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Serum leptin levels
      were also found to be elevated significantly in VPA group (7.9 ng/ml) than in
      controls (1.6 ng/ml). CONCLUSION: Sodium VPA is associated with significant rise
      of BMI, hyperinsulinemia, raised insulin resistance, and increased leptin levels
      in children with epilepsy.

PMID- 28904570
TI  - Bone Mineral Status in Children with Epilepsy: Biochemical and Radiologic
      Markers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess bone mineral status in children
      with epilepsy, on different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) regimen, using dual-energy
      X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and routine biochemical bone markers. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: This is observational prospective controlled cohort study, conducted at
      Mansoura University Children Hospital, from January 2014 to June 2015. In this
      study, we had 152 participants with ages 3-13 years, 70 children diagnosed with
      epilepsy and 82 were controls. Children classified into two groups according to
      the duration of treatment, Group 1 children maintained on AEDs for 6-24 months,
      Group 2 children >=24 months. Bone mineral density (BMD) measured by DXA and
      biochemical markers includes serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP), and parathyroid hormone (PTH). RESULTS: In this study, we found that the
      serum level of calcium and phosphate were significantly low (P > 0.05) in total
      cases versus control. We found that the serum level of and ALP and PTH were
      significantly high (P > 0.05) in total cases versus control. Regarding the DXA
      markers, there was a significant decrease of BMD and Z-score for the total body
      and lumbar area in the total cases versus control (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      present study showed that all AEDs (new and old) affect bone mineral status in
      children receiving therapy for more than 6 months, altering both biochemical
      markers (serum calcium, phosphorus, ALP, and PTH) and radiologic markers (BMD
      assessed using DXA). Children on AEDs for a longer duration (>=2 years) showed
      more severe side effects on BMD. Children receiving multiple AEDs are more prone
      to altered bone mineral status, especially with long duration of therapy. The
      study also highlights the role of DXA as a safe noninvasive method to assess BMD
      in children on long-term AEDs.

PMID- 28904571
TI  - Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as an Additional Diagnostic Tool in Children
      with Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.
AB  - CONTEXT: The diagnosis of polyneuropathy may be challenging at the early stages
      of the disease. Despite electromyography (EMG) efficacy in the establishment of
      polyneuropathy diagnosis, in some cases, results are dubious and
      neurophysiologists may implement additional techniques to ensure that conduction
      is affected. AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate motor-evoked potential
      (MEP) characteristics in children with acute inflammatory demyelinating
      polyneuropathy (AIDP). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study was conducted at a
      pediatric research and clinical center for infectious diseases. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: Twenty healthy children (7-14 years old) without signs of neurological
      disorders were enrolled as controls. Thirty-seven patients (8-13 years old) with
      AIDP were enrolled as the main group. EMG and transcranial magnetic stimulation
      (TMS) were performed on the 3rd-7th days from the onset of the first symptoms.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive statistics and Student's t-test were used.
      Bonferroni method was applied to implement appropriate corrections for multiple
      comparisons. RESULTS: Significant differences between children with AIDP and
      controls on latencies of both cortical and lumbar MEPs were registered. Cortical
      MEP shapes were disperse in 100% of the cases and lumbar MEPs were disperse in
      57% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic TMS on the early stage of the AIDP in
      children may be implemented as the additional tool. The main finding in this
      population is lengthening of the latency of cortical and lumbar MEPs. Disperse
      shape of the lumbar MEPs may be used as the early sign of the acute
      demyelization.

PMID- 28904572
TI  - Outcome Predictors in Pediatric Head Trauma: A Study of Clinicoradiological
      Factors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death and a major cause
      of disability among children. About 70%-80% of the accidental deaths in pediatric
      age group result directly from central nervous system lesions. METHODS: The
      purpose of our study was to study all the patients of <=18 years of age with head
      or spinal injury admitted in neurointensive care unit at our center, an apex
      trauma center in a developing country, between June 2009 and September 2011. We
      retrospectively analyzed various factors including type of injury, mode of
      injury, admission Glasgow coma score (in case of head injury), and mortality
      rate. OBSERVATIONS: The study population consisted of 264 injured children. Mean
      age was 8.3 +/- 5.6 years (range 5 months to 18 years). Forty percent of patients
      were within 1-5-year age group. Head injury accounted for 89% of cases and 11% of
      cases were spinal injury patients. Low-velocity trauma was the most common mode
      of injury, accounting for 74% of the cases. The percentage of patients with mild,
      moderate, and severe head injury were 38%, 15%, and 47%, respectively, in the
      head injury group. Mortality in head injury patients was 18% and in spinal injury
      patients was 9%. Operative intervention was done in 56% of patients. Predictors
      of mortality included severe head injury, hospital stay <7 days, pneumothorax,
      the presence of hypotension, and deranged coagulation parameters. CONCLUSIONS:
      Head injury is much more common than spinal injury in pediatric patients and fall
      from height being the most common mode of injury. Severe head injury, hospital
      stay <7 days, pneumothorax, presence of hypotension, and deranged coagulation
      parameters are predictors of poor outcome.

PMID- 28904573
TI  - Lissencephaly-pachygyria Masquerading as Leukodystrophy on Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging Brain.

PMID- 28904574
TI  - Multicentric Chordoma in a Child.
AB  - Chordomas are primary malignant bone tumors that arise in the axial skeleton,
      believed to originate from remnants of embryologic notochordal cell rests.
      Multicentric origin of chordoma is extremely rare. To our literature search, we
      found only three cases of multicentric chordoma in adults. We report a first case
      of multicentric chordoma in pediatric age group. A 14-month-old child presented
      with torticolis and left upper limb monoparesis, imaging showed expansile bony
      destructive lesion in clivus and dorsal spine simultaneously. The child underwent
      laminectomy, decompression of cord, excision of lesion, and histopathology was
      suggestive of chordoma. Pediatric chordomas are aggressive tumors, require
      multidisciplinary management with maximal safe resection followed by radiotherapy
      (conventional and/or proton). Even with multidisciplinary management, pediatric
      chordomas have high morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28904575
TI  - Facial Palsy in Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: An Atypical Case in a Young Girl.
AB  - Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare and potentially life-threating cause
      of stroke. A number of etiologies and risk factors for CVT have been identified
      so far. These include head trauma, local and systemic infectious diseases,
      malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and oral contraceptive use. The most common
      clinical symptoms are headache and changes in consciousness. Cranial nerve palsy
      in CVT is uncommon, and there are very few reports of facial nerve palsy. This
      case report highlights an atypical manifestation in a CVT patient, who presented
      with peripheral facial palsy. The patient was successfully treated with
      anticoagulation.

PMID- 28904576
TI  - A Rare Complication of Subdural-peritoneal Shunt: Migration of Catheter
      Components through the Pelvic Inlet into the Subdural Space.
AB  - Subdural-peritoneal (SP) shunting is a simple procedure to treat subdural
      hygromas; however, several rare complications such as shunt migration exist. A 15
      year-old boy presented with headache, nausea, and vomiting, and underwent SP
      shunting for left frontoparietal chronic subdural effusion. Six weeks later,
      radiographic examinations revealed total migration of the shunt through the
      pelvic inlet. The migrated shunt was replaced with a new SP shunt. Four weeks
      later, radiographic examinations revealed shunt migration into the subdural
      space. The shunt catheter was removed and the subdural effusion was evacuated.
      Shunt migration may result from pressure differences between the abdomen and the
      cranium or from head movement, and insufficient fixation and/or large burr holes
      can facilitate shunt migration. Double firm anchoring and small-sized burr holes
      can prevent this complication. SP shunt is a simple procedure, and its assumed
      complications can be prevented through precaution.

PMID- 28904577
TI  - Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy of Childhood Secondary to Dengue Infection: A
      Case Report from Pakistan.
AB  - Acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood (ANEC) is a rare condition mainly
      affecting children with a distinct clinico-radiologic pattern. Initially thought
      to be secondary to respiratory viral infections, there have been more insights to
      the pathogenesis of ANEC including genetics. We present a case of a girl who
      developed this condition with classical clinico-radiologic findings of ANEC
      secondary to severe dengue infection and could not survive. We report this case
      with the aim to raise awareness about this fatal complication of dengue infection
      as dengue has become a global health-care problem.

PMID- 28904578
TI  - Rosette-forming Glioneuronal Tumor: A Rare Posterior Fossa Tumor in an
      Adolescent.
AB  - Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor (RGNT) is a rare variety of slow growing mixed
      glioneuronal tumor involving primarily fourth ventricular region and occurring
      predominantly in young adults. We present a case of a 16-year-old boy who
      presented with dizziness and occipital headache. On radiological evaluation, a
      fairly large hypodense posterior fossa mass lesion in relation to the left side
      of the vermis, with a large cystic component was found. Surgical resection of the
      tumor was performed. Histopathological examination showed a biphasic tumor
      composed of bland neurocytic cells, arranged in the form of neurocytic rosettes
      along with glial areas resembling low-grade glioma. The neurocytic rich region
      shows strong synaptophysin positivity in the neuropil-rich core of the rosettes.
      Methylation-inhibited binding proliferative index was low (<1%). Based on these
      features, a diagnosis of RGNT was made. RGNT of the fourth ventricle should be
      considered in differential diagnosis of posterior fossa lesions, especially in
      relation to fourth ventricle and vermis in young adults.

PMID- 28904579
TI  - Dopa-responsive Dystonia in a Child Misdiagnosed as Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - Dopa-responsive dystonia also known as "Segawa's syndrome" was first described in
      1976. The dystonia typically shows diurnal variations and is more marked toward
      the end of the day and improves in sleep. This entity is often misdiagnosed in
      the clinical setting, mostly due to the lack of awareness, and these patients are
      exposed to various treatment regimens and nonpharmacological measures. We present
      a boy being treated as dystonic cerebral palsy who showed significant improvement
      in dystonic symptoms with L-dopa therapy.

PMID- 28904580
TI  - Extradural Spinal Metastasis in Ovarian Mixed Germ Cell Tumor.
AB  - Ovarian germ cell tumors (GCTs) are rare and affect mainly young girls and women.
      Two histological groups are distinguished: dysgerminomas and nondysgerminomatous
      tumors. These tumors have initial good responses to surgery and chemotherapy in
      80% cases, but >75% of patients die due to complications of disease progression.
      There are very few case reports of mixed GCT with extradural spine metastases. We
      report a rare case of a 17-year-old girl who had undergone left salpingo
      oophorectomy with omental and peritoneal biopsy for ovarian GCT with extradural
      spinal metastasis.

PMID- 28904581
TI  - Split Notochord Syndrome: A Rare Variant.
AB  - Split notochord syndrome represents an extremely rare and pleomorphic form of
      spinal dysraphism characterized by a persistent communication between the
      endoderm and the ectoderm, resulting in splitting or deviation of the notochord.
      It manifests as a cleft in the dorsal midline of the body through which
      intestinal loops are exteriorized and even myelomeningoceles or teratomas may
      occur at the site. A rare variant was diagnosed on autopsy of a 23+4-week-old
      fetus showing a similar dorsal enteric fistula and midline protruding intestinal
      loops in thoracolumbar region. The anteroposterior radiograph showed a complete
      midline cleft in the vertebral bodies from T11 to L5 region, and a split in the
      spinal cord was further confirmed by ultrasonography. Myelomeningocele was
      erroneously reported on antenatal ultrasound. Thus, awareness of this rare
      anomaly is necessary to thoroughly evaluate the cases of such spinal defects or
      suspected myelomeningoceles.

PMID- 28904582
TI  - Giant Intracerebral Tuberculoma with Complete Disappearance on Antitubercular
      Therapy Alone in a Pediatric Case: A Case Illustration with Review of Management
      Strategy.
AB  - The Central nervous system can be affected in extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The
      intracranial tuberculoma occurrence is a rare entity occurrence; most often occur
      in the form of discrete small multiple lesions. Rarely a large sized tuberculoma
      is observed with mass effects and usually managed surgically to provide rapid
      relief of mass effect, histopathological confirmation of diagnosis, reduction of
      pathological mass thereby increasing efficacy of medical therapy. Author reports
      an extremely rare case of giant tuberculoma occurring in a pediatric patient,
      which was managed with antituberculous medication along with cerebral
      decongestant. The patient was also advised surgical therapy in view of giant size
      of tuberculoma associated with significant mass effect; however, the parents were
      unwilling for any form of surgical intervention and finally choose to continue
      medical treatment alone. After 6 months of antitubercular medical therapy,
      magnetic resonance imaging brain showed completely vanishing of lesion and also
      amelioration of mass effect with marked subsidence of perilesional edema
      correlated very well with marked improvement in the clinical status. He received
      antituberculous therapy for 24 months. To the best knowledge of authors, the
      current case represents first case of its kind in the pediatric age group with
      giant intracerebral tuberculoma responding favorably with medication. Management
      of such rare case and pertinent literature is reviewed briefly.

PMID- 28904583
TI  - Giant Unruptured Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysm Presenting with Complex Partial
      Seizure: A Short Review.
AB  - Intracranial aneurysm is a rare cause of seizure although few cases may develop
      new onset seizure following rupture of aneurysm. The causes of seizure in
      ruptured aneurysm may be caused due to presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage,
      intracerebral hematoma, infarct due to progressive vasospasm, worsening of
      hydrocephalus, or even after surgical craniotomy for clipping of aneurysm.
      However, incidental aneurysm solely presenting with complex partial seizure is
      not reported in literature. To the best of knowledge of authors, current case
      represents the first case as incidental aneurysm presenting with seizure and
      pertinent literature is briefly reviewed.

PMID- 28904584
TI  - Central Nervous System Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor Masquerading as Chronic
      Suppurative Otitis Media.
AB  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumor in the central nervous
      system (CNS), mostly being extracranial. Approximately 100 sporadic cases have
      been reported in the literature. The rarity of the tumor, its various
      histopathological characteristics, and its variable aggressive course render it
      difficult to diagnose and treat. IMT is generally a histological diagnosis which
      is rarely suspected preoperatively. It mimics other intracranial tumors such as
      giant cell tumor, hemangiopericytoma, anaplastic meningioma, plasmacytoma, and
      lymphoma. Rarely, it can present with a clinical picture which mimics a benign
      infective process, Rosai-Dorfman disease, or an idiopathic hypertrophic
      pachymeningitis. High index of suspicion is required as total resection of this
      lesion is mandatory to prevent recurrence. Here, we describe a case of a 10-year
      old child which initially presented with clinical features mimicking chronic
      suppurative otitis media and radiological presentation of a small intracranial
      abscess. He was initially treated by an ENT surgeon who started him on
      intravenous antibiotics, but the patient was lost to follow up. He returned after
      2 months with a large lesion at the same location. Histological examination
      revealed multiple spindle cells with plasma cells and lymphocytes scattered among
      these spindle cells. The spindle cells were immunopositive for smooth muscle
      actin and negative for epithelial membrane antigen, S100, and CD34.

PMID- 28904585
TI  - Is it the Monster "Teratoma" or Simply Meningomyelocele: Our Experience of
      "Histological Surprise".
AB  - Teratomas are one of the most common tumors in newborn with excellent prognosis
      arises from totipotent primordial germ cells harboring two or three germ cell
      layers. The tumor has been titled "Great masquerade." The teratomas of
      sacrococcygeal region present with lower limb weakness, urinary or bowel
      obstruction, and swelling at lower back or intrauterine mass in ultrasound or
      complicated delivery. A 2-month-old male child presented with complaints of
      swelling over lumbosacral region with discharging punctum since birth. Sagittal
      T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine showed myelocele at L5
      level forming placode with central defect at L4-S1 and low-lying tethered cord up
      to L4-L5. The patient was operated, and histopathology surprisingly came to be
      mature teratoma. We followed the patient with serum beta human chorionic
      gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein markers and MRI. Literature supports complete
      surgical removal, including coccyx and tumor base. Mature teratoma is considered
      as benign disease thus even subtotal excision is appropriate but with aggressive
      follow-up. The difference in recurrence following total compared to subtotal
      resection is considered insignificant. In this article, we have discussed the
      management of teratoma in detail. Teratoma with meningomyelocele is a rare
      entity. There is still dilemma in managing cases and prognosticating parents in
      such patients. The provisional diagnosis of teratoma should also be considered
      when child presents as midline sacrococcygeal mass.

PMID- 28904586
TI  - Case of Childhood Ataxia with Central Nervous System Hypomyelination with a Novel
      Mutation in EIF2B3 gene.
AB  - A 4-year-old boy presented with loss of motor milestones following viral fever.
      On examination, the child had increased tone and exaggerated deep tendon
      reflexes. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed white matter
      hyperintensities on T2-weighted images, which revealed partial inversion on fluid
      attenuated inversion recovery images. Clinical exome sequencing revealed a novel
      homozygous mutation c.1270T>G: pCys424Gly in exon 11 of the EIF2B3 gene. This
      novel mutation is reported in this article along with a literature review.

PMID- 28904587
TI  - Complete Resolution of Papilledema in Syndromic Craniosynostosis with Posterior
      Cranial Vault Distraction.
AB  - We report a case of surgical management of Crouzon syndrome with multisuture
      craniosynostosis presenting with increased intracranial pressure (ICP)
      manifesting with chronic papilledema without ventriculomegaly. A 12-month-old boy
      had complete resolution of papilledema after posterior cranial vault distraction
      followed by staged fronto-orbital advancement. Expansion of the cranial vault
      with posterior distraction osteogenesis posed an elegant treatment, obviating
      ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion.
      Strategies for the management of elevated ICP without ventriculomegaly in
      craniosynostosis include CSF shunting and cranial vault expansion. Posterior
      calvarial vault distraction associated with resolved papilledema has not been
      previously reported. Addressing the craniocephalic disproportion for this child
      with chronic papilledema, without ventriculomegaly, allowed the possibility of
      shunt freedom.

PMID- 28904588
TI  - A Case of Epilepsia Partialis Continua Due to Linear Nevus Syndrome with
      Hemimegalencephaly.
AB  - Epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) is a form of focal status epilepticus often
      refractory to anticonvulsant therapy. A wide range of abnormalities such as
      inflammatory, vascular, metabolic-toxic, developmental malformations, and
      neoplasia cause EPC. Linear nevus syndrome with hemimegalencephaly is one of the
      developmental malformations that can present with EPC.

PMID- 28904589
TI  - Arterial Stroke as an Isolated Manifestation of Homocystinuria in an Infant.

PMID- 28904590
TI  - Psychology in the Post-Truth Era.

PMID- 28904591
TI  - Representations of Death Among Italian Vegetarians: An Ethnographic Research on
      Environment, Disgust and Transcendence.
AB  - This paper focuses on the motives for vegetarian choices in contemporary Italian
      food culture, with specific reference to the role of the representations of
      death. The study adopts a qualitative research design aimed at an in-depth
      exploration of the reasons for avoiding meat, following an ethnographic method.
      Twenty-two participants (55% women, 45% men) aged 19-74, all vegetarians or
      vegans, mainly from Northern and Central Italy, were involved. Data from the
      Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis were examined according to the
      qualitative thematic analysis: the results show the role of death in the
      construction of disgust towards meat, running parallel with an emphasis on
      spirituality, ethical treatment of animals and the environment as reasons for
      avoiding meat, in particular, the concern-generating disgust and its relationship
      with the representation of death as a contaminating essence. The basis of disgust
      lies in this connection, from which the idea that oral consumption of
      contaminants characterized by corruptive properties, passing through the flesh of
      dead animals to humans, derives. The role of anti-speciesism is considered as a
      latent perspective, which may influence the vegetarian and vegan choices.

PMID- 28904592
TI  - Measuring Teacher Job Satisfaction: Assessing Invariance in the Teacher Job
      Satisfaction Scale (TJSS) Across Six Countries.
AB  - Work and organizational psychology has long been concerned with measuring job
      satisfaction in organizational contexts, and this has carried across to the field
      of education, leading to a research focus on the work-related satisfaction of
      teachers. Today, a myriad of organizations continue to assess employees' job
      satisfaction on a routine basis (Liu, Borg, & Spector, 2004). Unfortunately, a
      sort of balkanization of the field has resulted in the production of dozens of
      specific measurement tools, making it difficult to cross-compare samples and
      contexts. The present paper tested the measurement invariance of the Teacher Job
      Satisfaction Scale (TJSS) in six international cohorts (Netherlands, United
      States, Russia China, Italy and Palestine) of in-service teachers (N = 2,819).
      Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group invariance tests were applied. The
      TJSS-9 displayed robust psychometric proprieties and no substantial departures
      from measurement invariance (configural and metric). Future research is required
      to further test equivalence across additional countries, with view to developing
      a truly international tool for measuring job satisfaction in teaching.

PMID- 28904593
TI  - Criteria for the Transition to Adulthood, Developmental Features of Emerging
      Adulthood, and Views of the Future Among Greek Studying Youth.
AB  - This study investigated emerging adulthood and transition to adulthood in Greece,
      a highly underresearched issue in this country. Participants were 784 university
      students aged 17.5-27.5 years. Criteria for the transition to adulthood,
      developmental features of emerging adulthood, perceived adult status, views of
      the future (optimism), and sociodemographic variables were assessed. The results
      support the existence of emerging adulthood as a distinct life period in Greece.
      More than two thirds of the sample were self-perceived emerging adults. Most
      prevalent criteria were Norm compliance and Family capacities. Developmental
      features of emerging adulthood ranked high, especially Identity exploration,
      Experimentation/possibilities, and Feeling "in-between". Statistically
      significant variations emerged as a function of gender, age, living arrangement,
      job experience, and perceived adult status. Views of the future were cautiously
      optimistic. Similarities with existing data and differences related to the
      specific characteristics of the Southern European context are discussed.

PMID- 28904594
TI  - Psychological Well-Being in Italian Families: An Exploratory Approach to the
      Study of Mental Health Across the Adult Life Span in the Blue Zone.
AB  - Self-reported measures of psychological well-being and depressive symptoms were
      examined across differently aged family members, while controlling for the impact
      of marital status and personal satisfaction about family and non-family
      relations. Twenty-one grandchildren (i.e., ages 21-36 years) were recruited with
      their parents (i.e., 48-66 years old) and grandparents (i.e., 75-101 years of
      age) in the 'blue zone' of Ogliastra, an Italian area known for the longevity of
      its inhabitants. Each participant was individually presented a battery of
      questionnaires assessing their lifestyle and several perceived mental health
      indices, including the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS, Tennant
      et al., 2007), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (i.e.,
      CES-D, Radloff, 1977). After assessing the level of concordance among adults
      sharing the same context, the Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) approach was
      used to assess the nested dataset. It was found that family membership (i.e.,
      grandchildren versus parents and grandparents) predicted the WEMWBS score but not
      the CES-D when the impact of marital status and personal satisfaction about
      social (i.e., family and non-family) ties was controlled for. Moreover, two
      separate repeated-measure Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) documented similar level
      of personal satisfaction about social relationships across the three family
      groups. In conclusions, satisfying social ties with friends and family members
      together with an active socially oriented life style seems to contribute to the
      promotion of mental health in adult span.

PMID- 28904595
TI  - A Cross-Continental Study on Children's Drawings of Football Players:
      Implications for Understanding Key Issues and Controversies in Human Figure
      Drawings.
AB  - Professionals examine various aspects of girls' and boys' drawings as a way of
      understanding their intelligence, personality and emotional state. However, the
      extent to which such measures could be universally generalised or attributed to a
      specific cultural norm is still a debatable issue. In the present study five key
      features of children's drawings namely: the size (height) of the drawings,
      profile or full face, figure in action or static, shaded or non-shaded and the
      nature of additional details were examined from a cross-cultural perspective, and
      by providing a topic (football) for which children's drawing of a human figure
      could provide opportunities for the latter indices to manifest and flourish.
      Children from three countries; England, Iran and Brazil, representing three
      continents took part in this study. The participants were asked to draw a
      football player from their own country and from the other participating
      countries. The results showed that Brazilian children differ from Iranian and
      English children by drawing significantly smaller figures and putting more
      football action in the drawings. Shading of the figure drawn was more prevalent
      amongst English children. Such findings have implications for the interpretation
      of key aspects of children's drawings in educational, clinical and therapeutic
      settings and from a universal vs. culturally-specific viewpoint.

PMID- 28904596
TI  - A Psychobiographical Study of Intuition in a Writer's Life: Paulo Coelho
      Revisited.
AB  - Intuition is defined as a form of knowledge which materialises as awareness of
      thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. It is a key to a deeper understanding
      and meaningfulness. Intuition, used as a psychological function, supports the
      transmission and integration of perceptions from unconscious and conscious
      realms. This study uses a psychobiographical single case study approach to
      explore intuition across the life span of Paulo Coelho. Methodologically, the
      study is based on a single case study, using the methodological frame of
      Dilthey's modern hermeneutics. The author, Paulo Coelho, was chosen as a subject
      of research, based on the content analysis of first- and third-person perspective
      documents. Findings show that Paulo Coelho, as one of the most famous and most
      read contemporary authors in the world, uses his intuitions as a deeper guidance
      in life, for decision-making and self-development. Intuitive decision-making is
      described throughout his life and by referring to selected creative works.

PMID- 28904597
TI  - Machiavellianism, Relationship Satisfaction, and Romantic Relationship Quality.
AB  - Machiavellianism is characterised by a manipulative interpersonal style,
      willingness to exploit others, and a preference for emotionally detached
      relationships. The present studies investigate the extent to which
      Machiavellianism influences relationship satisfaction and romantic relationship
      quality. In Study 1, 194 heterosexual partnered women completed Machiavellianism
      and Relationship Satisfaction measures. Women with higher levels of
      Machiavellianism reported lower levels of relationship satisfaction. In Study 2,
      132 heterosexual partnered women completed Machiavellianism, Trust, Commitment,
      Control, and Emotional Abuse scales. Women with higher levels of Machiavellianism
      perceived their partners to be less dependable, reported less faith in their
      partners, and were less willing to persist with the relationship than those with
      low levels of Machiavellianism. With regards to negative behavior,
      Machiavellianism predicted each form of control and emotional abuse investigated,
      such that those with high levels of Machiavellianism were more likely to engage
      in controlling behavior and emotional abuse. Findings have important implications
      for the prediction of romantic relationship quality and in particular for
      negative behavior such as control and abuse.

PMID- 28904598
TI  - Delusional Ideation, Cognitive Processes and Crime Based Reasoning.
AB  - Probabilistic reasoning biases have been widely associated with levels of
      delusional belief ideation (Galbraith, Manktelow, & Morris, 2010; Lincoln,
      Ziegler, Mehl, & Rief, 2010; Speechley, Whitman, & Woodward, 2010; White &
      Mansell, 2009), however, little research has focused on biases occurring during
      every day reasoning (Galbraith, Manktelow, & Morris, 2011), and moral and crime
      based reasoning (Wilkinson, Caulfield, & Jones, 2014; Wilkinson, Jones, &
      Caulfield, 2011). 235 participants were recruited across four experiments
      exploring crime based reasoning through different modalities and dual processing
      tasks. Study one explored delusional ideation when completing a visually
      presented crime based reasoning task. Study two explored the same task in an
      auditory presentation. Study three utilised a dual task paradigm to explore
      modality and executive functioning. Study four extended this paradigm to the
      auditory modality. The results indicated that modality and delusional ideation
      have a significant effect on individuals reasoning about violent and non-violent
      crime (p < .05), which could have implication for the presentation of evidence in
      applied setting such as the courtroom.

PMID- 28904599
TI  - The Effectiveness of a Parent-Training Program for Promoting Cognitive
      Performance in Preschool Children.
AB  - The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a parent training program for
      promoting cognitive performance of young children through enriching the parent
      child interactions among mothers of preschool-aged children in Mashhad, Iran. A
      total of 29 couples of mothers and their children were assigned to an
      experimental group (n = 16 couples) and a control group (n = 13 couples). Mothers
      in the experimental group participated in 12 weekly sessions and were trained how
      to enrich their daily parent-child interactions as such. Children's cognitive
      performance was assessed by three subscales of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary
      Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). The results of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA)
      indicated a significant difference between the experimental and control group.
      The findings support the effectiveness of the parent training program for
      enhancing cognitive performance in preschoolers.

PMID- 28904600
TI  - Psychological Functions of Semiotic Borders in Sense-Making: Liminality of
      Narrative Processes.
AB  - In this paper we discuss the semiotic functions of the psychological borders that
      structure the flow of narrative processes. Each narration is always a contextual,
      situated and contingent process of sensemaking, made possible by the creation of
      borders, such as dynamic semiotic devices that are capable of connecting the past
      and the future, the inside and the outside, and the me with the non-me. Borders
      enable us to narratively construct one's own experiences using three inherent
      processes: contextualization, intersubjective positioning and setting of
      pertinence. The narrative process - as a subjective articulation of signs in a
      contingent social context - involves several functions of semiotic borders:
      separation, differentiation, distinction-making, connection, articulation and
      relation-enabling. The relevant psychological aspect highlighted here is that a
      border is a semiotic device which is required for both maintaining stability and
      inducing transformation at the same time. The peculiar dynamics and the semiotic
      structure of borders generate a liminal space, which is characterized by
      instability, by a blurred space-time distinction and by ambiguities in the
      semantic and syntactic processes of sensemaking. The psychological processes that
      occur in liminal space are strongly affectively loaded, yet it is exactly the
      setting and activation of liminality processes that lead to novelty and
      creativity and enable the creation of new narrative forms.

PMID- 28904601
TI  - From Militant Voices to Militant Irony: Examining Identity, Memory and Conflict
      in the Basque Country.
AB  - Collective memory and identity so often go hand in hand with conflicts. Alongside
      the use of violence, conflicts unfold against the backdrop of different
      narratives about the past through which groups constantly remind themselves of
      the supposed origin of the conflict, and consequently, what position individuals
      are expected to take as members of the group. Narratives - as symbolic tools for
      interpreting the past and the present, as well as happenings that have yet to
      occur - simultaneously underpin, and are underpinned by, the position held by
      each warring faction. Drawing on previous works, this paper compares different
      versions of the 2016 truce period in the Basque Country stemming from three
      subjects identified, to varying degrees, with the main political actors involved
      in that conflict. These three cases have been selected from a total of 16
      participants who were asked to define the Basque conflict and to provide an
      account of the 2006 truce period by using 23 documents taken from different
      Spanish newspapers. On the one hand, the results show two narratives reproducing
      the versions of two of the main political actors involved in the conflict, and on
      the other hand, a narrative characterized by a more personal and ironic
      appropriation of those versions. Results are discussed vis-a-vis the use of irony
      in history teaching in increasingly plural societies.

PMID- 28904602
TI  - There Is an 'Unconscious,' but It May Well Be Conscious.
AB  - Depth psychology finds empirical validation today in a variety of observations
      that suggest the presence of causally effective mental processes outside
      conscious experience. I submit that this is due to misinterpretation of the
      observations: the subset of consciousness called "meta-consciousness" in the
      literature is often mistaken for consciousness proper, thereby artificially
      creating space for an "unconscious." The implied hypothesis is that all mental
      processes may in fact be conscious, the appearance of unconsciousness arising
      from our dependence on self-reflective introspection for gauging awareness. After
      re-interpreting the empirical data according to a philosophically rigorous
      definition of consciousness, I show that two well-known phenomena corroborate
      this hypothesis: (a) experiences that, despite being conscious, aren't re
      represented during introspection; and (b) dissociated experiences inaccessible to
      the executive ego. If consciousness is inherent to all mentation, it may be
      fundamental in nature, as opposed to a product of particular types of brain
      function.

PMID- 28904603
TI  - Mindfulness-Based Treatment for Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Despite the increasing number of studies examining the effects of mindfulness
      interventions on symptoms associated with Bipolar Disorder (BD), the
      effectiveness of this type of interventions remains unclear. The aim of the
      present systematic review was to (i) critically review all available evidence on
      Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) as a form of intervention for BD; (ii)
      discuss clinical implications of MBCT in treating patients with BD; and (iii)
      provide a direction for future research. The review presents findings from 13
      studies (N = 429) that fulfilled the following selection criteria: (i) included
      BD patients; (ii) presented results separately for BD patients and control groups
      (where a control group was available); (iii) implemented MBCT intervention; (iv)
      were published in English; (v) were published in a peer reviewed journal; and
      (vi) reported results for adult participants. Although derived from a relatively
      small number of studies, results from the present review suggest that MBCT is a
      promising treatment in BD in conjunction with pharmacotherapy. MBCT in BD is
      associated with improvements in cognitive functioning and emotional regulation,
      reduction in symptoms of anxiety depression and mania symptoms (when participants
      had residual manic symptoms prior to MBCT). These, treatment gains were
      maintained at 12 month follow up when mindfulness was practiced for at least 3
      days per week or booster sessions were included. Additionally, the present review
      outlined some limitations of the current literature on MBCT interventions in BD,
      including small study sample sizes, lack of active control groups and
      idiosyncratic modifications to the MBCT intervention across studies. Suggestions
      for future research included focusing on factors underlying treatment adherence
      and understanding possible adverse effects of MBCT, which could be of crucial
      clinical importance.

PMID- 28904605
TI  - A novel approach to oxoisoaporphine alkaloids via regioselective metalation of
      alkoxy isoquinolines.
AB  - Oxoisoaporphine alkaloids are conveniently prepared via direct ring metalation of
      alkoxy-substituted isoquinolines at C-1, followed by reaction with iodine.
      Subsequent Suzuki cross-coupling of the resulting 1-iodoisoquinolines to methyl 2
      (isoquinolin-1-yl)benzoates and intramolecular acylation of the corresponding
      carboxylic acids with Eaton's reagent afforded five alkaloids of the
      oxoisoaporphine type. The yield of the cyclization step strongly depends on the
      electrophilic properties of ring B. An alternative cyclization protocol via
      directed remote metalation of ester and amide intermediates was investigated
      thoroughly, but found to be not feasible. Two of the alkaloids showed strong
      cytotoxicity against the HL-60 tumor cell line.

PMID- 28904604
TI  - Chemical systems, chemical contiguity and the emergence of life.
AB  - Charting the emergence of living cells from inanimate matter remains an intensely
      challenging scientific problem. The complexity of the biochemical machinery of
      cells with its exquisite intricacies hints at cells being the product of a long
      evolutionary process. Research on the emergence of life has long been focusing on
      specific, well-defined problems related to one aspect of cellular make-up, such
      as the formation of membranes or the build-up of information/catalytic apparatus.
      This approach is being gradually replaced by a more "systemic" approach that
      privileges processes inherent to complex chemical systems over specific isolated
      functional apparatuses. We will summarize the recent advances in system chemistry
      and show that chemical systems in the geochemical context imply a form of
      chemical contiguity in the syntheses of the various molecules that precede modern
      biomolecules.

PMID- 28904606
TI  - Molecular recognition of N-acetyltryptophan enantiomers by beta-cyclodextrin.
AB  - The enantioselectivity of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) towards L- and D-N
      acetyltryptophan (NAcTrp) has been studied in aqueous solution and the
      crystalline state. NMR studies in solution show that beta-CD forms complexes of
      very similar but not identical geometry with both L- and D-NAcTrp and exhibits
      stronger binding with L-NAcTrp. In the crystalline state, only beta-CD-L-NAcTrp
      crystallizes readily from aqueous solutions as a dimeric complex (two hosts
      enclosing two guest molecules). In contrast, crystals of the complex beta-CD-D
      NAcTrp were never obtained, although numerous conditions were tried. In aqueous
      solution, the orientation of the guest in both complexes is different than in the
      beta-CD-L-NAcTrp complex in the crystal. Overall, the study shows that subtle
      differences observed between the beta-CD-L,D-NAcTrp complexes in aqueous solution
      are magnified at the onset of crystallization, as a consequence of accumulation
      of many soft host-guest interactions and of the imposed crystallographic order,
      thus resulting in very dissimilar propensity of each enantiomer to produce
      crystals with beta-CD.

PMID- 28904607
TI  - New electroactive asymmetrical chalcones and therefrom derived 2-amino- / 2-(1H
      pyrrol-1-yl)pyrimidines, containing an N-[omega-(4-methoxyphenoxy)alkyl]carbazole
      fragment: synthesis, optical and electrochemical properties.
AB  - In this paper we present a synthetic approach to six new D-pi-A-D conjugated
      chromophores containing the N-[omega-(4-methoxyphenoxy)alkyl]carbazole fragment.
      Such readily functionalizable heterocycle as carbazole was used as a main
      starting compound for their preparation. The investigation of the optical
      properties has shown that the positive solvatochromism is inherent to the
      chromophores containing an electron-withdrawing prop-2-en-1-one fragment, while
      the compounds containing a 2-aminopyrimidine moiety exhibit both positive and
      negative solvatochromism. The fluorescence quantum yields were experimentally
      determined for some of the synthesized chromophores; e.g., 1-(5-arylthiophen-2
      yl)ethanones quantum yields were found to lie in an interval of 60-80%.
      Electrochemical oxidation of the synthesized chromophores has resulted in the
      formation of colored thin oligomeric films that became possible due to the
      presence of carbazole or pyrrole fragments with free electron-rich positions.

PMID- 28904609
TI  - Encaging palladium(0) in layered double hydroxide: A sustainable catalyst for
      solvent-free and ligand-free Heck reaction in a ball mill.
AB  - In this paper, the synthesis of a cheap, reusable and ligand-free Pd catalyst
      supported on MgAl layered double hydroxides (Pd/MgAl-LDHs) by co-precipitation
      and reduction methods is described. The catalyst was used in Heck reactions under
      high-speed ball milling (HSBM) conditions at room temperature. The effects of
      milling-ball size, milling-ball filling degree, reaction time, rotation speed and
      grinding auxiliary category, which would influence the yields of mechanochemical
      Heck reactions, were investigated in detail. The characterization results of XRD,
      ICP-MS and XPS suggest that Pd/MgAl-LDHs have excellent textural properties with
      zero-valence Pd on its layers. The reaction results indicate that the catalyst
      could be utilized in HSBM systems to afford a wide range of Heck coupling
      products in satisfactory yields. Furthermore, this catalyst could be easily
      recovered and reused for at least five times without significant loss of
      catalytic activity.

PMID- 28904610
TI  - Correction: Dynamic behavior of rearranging carbocations - implications for
      terpene biosynthesis.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.12.41.].

PMID- 28904608
TI  - The chemistry and biology of mycolactones.
AB  - Mycolactones are a group of macrolides excreted by the human pathogen
      Mycobacterium ulcerans, which exhibit cytotoxic, immunosuppressive and analgesic
      properties. As the virulence factor of M. ulcerans, mycolactones are central to
      the pathogenesis of the neglected disease Buruli ulcer, a chronic and
      debilitating medical condition characterized by necrotic skin ulcers. Due to
      their complex structure and fascinating biology, mycolactones have inspired
      various total synthesis endeavors and structure-activity relationship studies.
      Although this review intends to cover all synthesis efforts in the field, special
      emphasis is given to the comparison of conceptually different approaches and to
      the discussion of more recent contributions. Furthermore, a detailed discussion
      of molecular targets and structure-activity relationships is provided.

PMID- 28904611
TI  - Oxidative dehydrogenation of C-C and C-N bonds: A convenient approach to access
      diverse (dihydro)heteroaromatic compounds.
AB  - Nitrogen heteroarenes form an important class of compounds which can be found in
      natural products, synthetic drugs, building blocks etc. Among the diverse
      strategies that were developed for the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles,
      oxidative dehydrogenation is extremely effective. This review discusses various
      oxidative dehydrogenation strategies of C-C and C-N bonds to generate nitrogen
      heteroarenes from their corresponding heterocyclic substrates. The strategies are
      categorized under stoichiometric and catalytic usage of reagents that facilitate
      such transformations. The application of these strategies in the synthesis of
      nitrogen heteroarene natural products and synthetic drug intermediates are also
      discussed. We hope this review will arouse sufficient interest among the
      scientific community to further advance the application of oxidative
      dehydrogenation in the synthesis of nitrogen heteroarenes.

PMID- 28904612
TI  - Block copolymers from ionic liquids for the preparation of thin carbonaceous
      shells.
AB  - This paper describes the controlled radical polymerization of an ionic-liquid
      monomer by RAFT polymerization. This allows the control over the molecular weight
      of ionic liquid blocks in the range of 8000 and 22000 and of the block-copolymer
      synthesis. In this work we focus on block copolymers with an anchor block. They
      can be used to control the formation of TiO2 nanoparticles, which are
      functionalized thereafter with a block of ionic-liquid polymer. Pyrolysis of
      these polymer functionalized inorganic nanoparticles leads to TiO2 nanoparticles
      coated with a thin carbonaceous shell. Such materials may, e.g., be interesting
      as battery materials.

PMID- 28904613
TI  - A recursive microfluidic platform to explore the emergence of chemical evolution.
AB  - We propose that a chemically agnostic approach to explore the origin of life,
      using an automated recursive platform based on droplet microfluidics, could be
      used to induce artificial chemical evolution by iterations of growth, speciation,
      selection, and propagation. To explore this, we set about designing an open
      source prototype of a fully automated evolution machine, comprising seven
      modules. These modules are a droplet generator, droplet transfer, passive and
      active size sorting, splitter, incubation chamber, reservoir, and injectors, all
      run together via a LabVIEWTM program integration system. Together we aim for the
      system to be used to drive cycles of droplet birth, selection, fusion, and
      propagation. As a proof of principle, in addition to the working individual
      modules, we present data showing the osmotic exchange of glycylglycine containing
      and pure aqueous droplets, showing that the fittest droplets exhibit higher
      osomolarity relative to their neighbours, and increase in size compared to their
      neighbours. This demonstrates the ability of our platform to explore some
      different physicochemical conditions, combining the efficiency and unbiased
      nature of automation with our ability to select droplets as functional units
      based on simple criteria.

PMID- 28904614
TI  - Theoretical simulation of the infrared signature of mechanically stressed polymer
      solids.
AB  - Mechanical stress leads to deformation of strands in polymer solids, including
      elongation of covalent bonds and widening of bond angles, which changes the
      infrared spectrum. Here, the infrared spectrum of solid polymer samples exposed
      to mechanical stress is simulated by density functional theory calculations.
      Mechanical stress is described with the external force explicitly included (EFEI)
      method. The uneven distribution of the external stress on individual polymer
      strands is accounted for by a convolution of simulated spectra with a realistic
      force distribution. N-Propylpropanamide and propyl propanoate are chosen as model
      molecules for polyamide and polyester, respectively. The effect of a specific
      force on the polymer backbone is a redshift of vibrational modes involving the C
      N and C-O bonds in the backbone, while the free C-O stretching mode perpendicular
      to the backbone is largely unaffected. The convolution with a realistic force
      distribution shows that the dominant effect on the strongest infrared bands is
      not a shift of the peak position, but rather peak broadening and a characteristic
      change in the relative intensities of the strongest bands, which may serve for
      the identification and quantification of mechanical stress in polymer solids.

PMID- 28904615
TI  - An effective Pd nanocatalyst in aqueous media: stilbene synthesis by Mizoroki
      Heck coupling reaction under microwave irradiation.
AB  - Aqueous Mizoroki-Heck coupling reactions under microwave irradiation (MW) were
      carried out with a colloidal Pd nanocatalyst stabilized with poly(N
      vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). Many stilbenes and novel heterostilbenes were achieved
      in good to excellent yields starting from aryl bromides and different olefins.
      The reaction was carried out in a short reaction time and with low catalyst
      loading, leading to high turnover frequency (TOFs of the order of 100 h-1). The
      advantages like operational simplicity, high robustness, efficiency and turnover
      frequency, the utilization of aqueous media and simple product work-up make this
      protocol a great option for stilbene syntheses by Mizoroki-Heck reaction.

PMID- 28904616
TI  - Mechanochemical enzymatic resolution of N-benzylated-beta3-amino esters.
AB  - The use of mechanochemistry to carry out enantioselective reactions has been
      explored in the last ten years with excellent results. Several chiral
      organocatalysts and even enzymes have proved to be resistant to milling
      conditions, which allows for rather efficient enantioselective transformations
      under ball-milling conditions. The present article reports the first example of a
      liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) mechanochemical enzymatic resolution of racemic
      beta3-amino esters employing Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) to afford highly
      valuable enantioenriched N-benzylated-beta3-amino acids in good yields.
      Furthermore the present protocol is readily scalable.

PMID- 28904617
TI  - An efficient Pd-NHC catalyst system in situ generated from Na2PdCl4 and PEG
      functionalized imidazolium salts for Mizoroki-Heck reactions in water.
AB  - Three PEG-functionalized imidazolium salts L1-L3 were designed and prepared from
      commercially available materials via a simple method. Their corresponding water
      soluble Pd-NHC catalysts, in situ generated from the imidazolium salts L1-L3 and
      Na2PdCl4 in water, showed impressive catalytic activity for aqueous Mizoroki-Heck
      reactions. The kinetic study revealed that the Pd catalyst derived from the
      imidazolium salt L1, bearing a pyridine-2-methyl substituent at the N3 atom of
      the imidazole ring, showed the best catalytic activity. Under the optimal
      conditions, a wide range of substituted alkenes were achieved in good to
      excellent yields from various aryl bromides and alkenes with the catalyst TON of
      up to 10,000.

PMID- 28904618
TI  - Mechanochemical N-alkylation of imides.
AB  - The mechanochemical N-alkylation of imide derivatives was studied. Reactions
      under solvent-free conditions in a ball mill gave good yields and could be put in
      place of the classical solution conditions. The method is general and can be
      applied to various imides and alkyl halides. Phthalimides prepared under ball
      milling conditions were used in a mechanochemical Gabriel synthesis of amines by
      their reaction with 1,2-diaminoethane.

PMID- 28904619
TI  - Chiral phase-transfer catalysis in the asymmetric alpha-heterofunctionalization
      of prochiral nucleophiles.
AB  - Chiral phase-transfer catalysis is one of the major catalytic principles in
      asymmetric catalysis. A broad variety of different catalysts and their use for
      challenging applications have been reported over the last decades. Besides
      asymmetric C-C bond forming reactions the use of chiral phase-transfer catalysts
      for enantioselective alpha-heterofunctionalization reactions of prochiral
      nucleophiles became one of the most important field of application of this
      catalytic principle. Based on several highly spectacular recent reports, we thus
      wish to discuss some of the most important achievements in this field within the
      context of this review.

PMID- 28904620
TI  - 18-Hydroxydolabella-3,7-diene synthase - a diterpene synthase from Chitinophaga
      pinensis.
AB  - The product obtained in vitro from a diterpene synthase encoded in the genome of
      the bacterium Chitinophaga pinensis, an enzyme previously reported to have
      germacrene A synthase activity during heterologous expression in Escherichia
      coli, was identified by extensive NMR-spectroscopic methods as 18
      hydroxydolabella-3,7-diene. The absolute configuration of this diterpene alcohol
      and the stereochemical course of the terpene synthase reaction were addressed by
      isotopic labelling experiments. Heterologous expression of the diterpene synthase
      in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the production of 18-hydroxydolabella-3,7
      diene also in planta, while the results from the heterologous expression in E.
      coli were shown to be reproducible, revealing that the expression of one and the
      same terpene synthase in different heterologous hosts may yield different terpene
      products.

PMID- 28904621
TI  - Conformational impact of structural modifications in 2-fluorocyclohexanone.
AB  - 2-Haloketones are building blocks that combine physical, chemical and biological
      features of materials and bioactive compounds, while organic fluorine plays a
      fundamental role in the design of performance organic molecules. Since these
      features are dependent on the three-dimensional chemical structure of a molecule,
      simple structural modifications can affect its conformational stability and,
      consequently, the corresponding physicochemical/biological property of interest.
      In this work, structural changes in 2-fluorocyclohexanone were theoretically
      studied with the aim at finding intramolecular interactions that induce the
      conformational equilibrium towards the axial or equatorial conformer. The
      interactions evaluated were hydrogen bonding, hyperconjugation, electrostatic and
      steric effects. While the gauche effect, originated from hyperconjugative
      interactions, does not appear to cause some preferences for the axial
      conformation of organofluorine heterocycles, more classical effects indeed rule
      the conformational equilibrium of the compounds. Spectroscopic parameters (NMR
      chemical shifts and coupling constants), which can be useful to determine the
      stereochemistry and the interactions operating in the series of 2
      fluorocyclohexanone derivatives, were also calculated.

PMID- 28904622
TI  - Selective enzymatic esterification of lignin model compounds in the ball mill.
AB  - A lipase-catalyzed esterification of lignin model compounds in the ball mill was
      developed combining the advantages of enzyme catalysis and mechanochemistry.
      Under the described conditions, the primary aliphatic hydroxy groups present in
      the substrates were selectively modified by the biocatalyst to afford
      monoesterified products. Amongst the tested lipases, CALB proved to be the most
      effective biocatalyst for these transformations. Noteworthy, various acyl donors
      of different chain lengths were tolerated under the mechanochemical conditions.

PMID- 28904623
TI  - Ni nanoparticles on RGO as reusable heterogeneous catalyst: effect of Ni particle
      size and intermediate composite structures in C-S cross-coupling reaction.
AB  - The present work demonstrates the C-S cross-coupling reaction between aryl
      halides and thiols using nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs) supported on reduced
      graphene oxide (Ni/RGO) as a heterogeneous catalyst. It is observed that the
      uniformly dispersed Ni NPs supported on RGO could exhibit excellent catalytic
      activity in C-S cross-coupling reactions and the catalytic application is
      generalized with diverse coupling partners. Although the electron-rich planar RGO
      surface helps in stabilizing the agglomeration-free Ni NPs, the catalytic process
      is found to occur involving Ni(II) species and the recovered catalyst containing
      both Ni(0)/Ni(II) species is equally efficient in recycle runs. A correlation of
      loading of Ni species, size of NPs and the intermediate Ni-related
      heterostructures formed during the catalytic process has been established for the
      first time, and found to be best in the C-S cross-coupling reaction for Ni(0) and
      Ni(II) NPs of the average sizes 11-12 nm and 4 nm, respectively.

PMID- 28904624
TI  - Pd(OAc)2/Ph3P-catalyzed dimerization of isoprene and synthesis of monoterpenic
      heterocycles.
AB  - The palladium-catalyzed dimerization of isoprene is a practical approach of
      synthesizing monoterpenes. Though several highly selective methods have been
      reported, most of them still required pressure or costly ligands for attaining
      the active system and desired selectivity. Herein, we present a simple and
      economical procedure towards the tail-to-tail dimer using readily available
      Pd(OAc)2 and inexpensive triphenylphosphine as ligand. Furthermore, simple screw
      cap vials are employed, allowing carrying out the reaction at low pressure. In
      addition, the potential of the dimer as a chemical platform for the preparation
      of heterocyclic terpenes by subsequent (hetero)-Diels-Alder or [4 + 1]
      cycloadditions with nitrenes is also depicted.

PMID- 28904625
TI  - NHC-catalyzed cleavage of vicinal diketones and triketones followed by insertion
      of enones and ynones.
AB  - Thiazolium carbene-catalyzed reactions of 1,2-diketones and 1,2,3-triketones with
      enones and ynones have been investigated. The diketones gave alpha,beta-double
      acylation products via unique Breslow intermediates isolable as acid salts,
      whereas the triketones formed stable adducts with the NHC instead of the coupling
      products.

PMID- 28904626
TI  - Iodoarene-catalyzed cyclizations of N-propargylamides and beta-amidoketones:
      synthesis of 2-oxazolines.
AB  - Two complementary iodoarene-catalyzed methods for the preparation of 2-oxazolines
      are presented. The first involves the cyclization of N-propargylamides and the
      second involves the cyclization of beta-amidoketones. These are proposed to
      proceed through different mechanisms and have different substrate scopes.

PMID- 28904627
TI  - Mechanochemical synthesis of thioureas, ureas and guanidines.
AB  - In this review, the recent progress in the synthesis of ureas, thioureas and
      guanidines by solid-state mechanochemical ball milling is highlighted. While the
      literature is abundant on their preparation in conventional solution environment,
      it was not until the advent of solvent-free manual grinding using a mortar and
      pestle and automated ball milling that new synthetic opportunities have opened.
      The mechanochemical approach not only has enabled the quantitative synthesis of
      (thio)ureas and guanidines without using bulk solvents and the generation of
      byproducts, but it has also been established as a means to develop "click-type"
      chemistry for these classes of compounds and the concept of small molecule
      desymmetrization. Moreover, mechanochemistry has been demonstrated as an
      effective tool in reaction discovery, with emphasis on the reactivity differences
      in solution and in the solid state. These three classes of organic compounds
      share some structural features which are reflected in their physical and chemical
      properties, important for application as organocatalysts and sensors. On the
      other hand, the specific and unique nature of each of these functionalities
      render (thio)ureas and guanidines as the key constituents of pharmaceuticals and
      other biologically active compounds.

PMID- 28904628
TI  - Tibial derotational osteotomies in two neuromuscular populations: comparing
      cerebral palsy with myelomeningocele.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review the outcomes of tibial derotational osteotomies (TDOs) as a
      function of complication and revision surgery rates comparing a cohort of
      children with myelodysplasia to a cohort with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS: A
      chart review was completed on TDOs performed in a tertiary referral centre on
      patients with myelodysplasia or CP between 1985 and 2013 in patients aged > 5
      years with > 2 years follow-up. Charts were reviewed for demographics,
      direction/degree of derotation, complications and need for re-derotation. Two
      sample T-tests were used to compare the characteristics of the two groups. Two
      tailed chi-square tests were used to compare complications. Generalised linear
      logit models were used to identify independent risk factors for complication and
      re-rotation. RESULTS: The 153 patients (217 limbs) were included. Average follow
      up was 7.83 years. Overall complication incidence was 10.14%, including removal
      of hardware for any reason, with a 4.61% major complication incidence (fracture,
      deep infection, hardware failure). After adjusting for gender and age, the risk
      of complication was not statistically significantly different between groups (p =
      0.42) nor was requiring re-derotation (p = 0.09). The probability of requiring re
      derotation was 31.9% less likely per year increase in age at index surgery (p =
      0.005). CONCLUSION: With meticulous operative technique, TDO in children with
      neuromuscular disorders is a safe and effective treatment for tibial torsion,
      with an acceptable overall and major complication rate. The risk of re-operation
      decreases significantly in both groups with increasing age. The association
      between age at initial surgery and need for re-derotation should help guide the
      treatment of children with tibial torsion.

PMID- 28904629
TI  - Reliability of patellar height indices in children with cerebral palsy and spina
      bifida.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Koshino (KI) and Caton-Deschamps (CDI) indices are used to
      measure patellar height in children, with the CDI showing excellent reliability
      in typically developing (TD) children. Reliability of such measures in children
      with cerebral palsy (CP) and spina bifida (SB) is unknown. METHODS: Lateral knee
      radiographs were reviewed retrospectively for children with TD (n = 49), CP (n =
      48) and SB (n = 42). Five raters took measurements from radiographs twice, at
      least two weeks apart. Measurements included the CDI, Insall-Salvati Index (ISI)
      and KI. Systematic variability (bias) and random variability were examined using
      repeated measures ANOVA, 95% limits of agreement (LOA) and coefficients of
      variation (CV). RESULTS: Mean values of all three indices differed among raters
      (p < 0.0001). A significant difference was seen between the first and second
      measurements for CDI and KI indicating a learning effect. LOA ranges were large
      for the CDI (intra-rater: 0.37-0.95, inter-rater: 0.60-1.04) and ISI (intra
      rater: 0.25-0.49, inter-rater: 0.51-0.57) for all patient groups. The KI showed a
      clinically acceptable range for TD participants (intra-rater: 0.14-0.16, inter
      rater: 0.11-0.14) with larger ranges for CP (intra-rater: 0.26-0.33, inter-rater
      0.0.2-0.35) and SB patients (intra-rater: 0.23-0.27, inter-rater: 0.19-0.25). CVs
      were lowest (best) for KI (3.8% to 7.4%) and highest (worst) for CDI (14.7% to
      23.1%) for all three groups. Results were similar for patients with both open and
      closed physes. CONCLUSIONS: The KI is the most reliable patellar height measure
      for paediatric patients with TD, CP and SB, with either open or closed physes.
      The KI is more complex and experience may be important for valid, reliable
      measurement.

PMID- 28904630
TI  - Inter- and intra-rater reliability of the head-shaft angle in children with
      cerebral palsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are at increased risk for hip
      dislocation. This can be prevented in most cases using surveillance programmes
      that include radiographic examinations. Known risk factors for hip dislocation
      include young age, high Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level
      and high migration percentage (MP). The head-shaft angle (HSA) has recently been
      described as an additional risk factor. The study aim was to determine inter- and
      intra-rater reliability of the HSA in a surveillance programme for children with
      CP. METHODS: We included hip radiographs from the CP surveillance programme CPUP
      in southern Sweden during the first half of 2016. Fifty radiographs were included
      from children at GMFCS levels II-V, with a mean age of 6.6 (SD 3.2) years. Three
      raters measured the HSA of one hip (left or right) at baseline and four weeks
      later; intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to estimate inter- and
      intra-rater reliability. RESULTS: Inter- and intra-rater reliability were
      excellent for the HSA, with ICC 0.92 (95% CI 0.87-0.96) and ICC 0.99 (95% CI 0.98
      0.99), respectively. CONCLUSION: The HSA showed excellent inter- and intra-rater
      reliability for children with CP, providing further evidence for use of the HSA
      as an additional factor for identifying risk for further hip displacement or
      dislocation.

PMID- 28904631
TI  - Do research papers provide enough information on design and material used in
      ankle foot orthoses for children with cerebral palsy? A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article is to determine how many of the current
      peer-reviewed studies of ankle foot or-thoses (AFOs) on children with cerebral
      palsy (CP) have included adequate details of the design and material of the AFO,
      to enable the study to be reproduced and outcomes clearly understood. METHODS: A
      thorough search of studies published in English was conducted in March 2015, with
      no restriction on dates, within all major databases using relevant phrases. These
      searches were then supplemented by tracking all key references from the
      appropriate articles identified. STUDY SELECTION: The inclusion criteria were as
      follows: (1) population - children with CP; (2) intervention - AFOs; and (3)
      outcome measure. One reviewer extracted data regarding the characteristics of the
      included studies, with the extracted data checked for accuracy and completeness
      by a second reviewer. None of the studies reviewed gave adequate details of the
      AFOs. Only 3.6% (n = 2) of papers tested the stiffness. Many studies (54.5%) did
      not describe the material used nor the material thickness (72.7 %). None of them
      gave any clinical justification for the chosen design of AFO. CONCLUSIONS: There
      is a clear paucity of detail regarding the design and material used in AFOs on
      studies involving children with CP. Such a lack of detail has the potential to
      affect the validity of the reported outcomes, the ability to reproduce the
      studies and may misinform clinical practice.

PMID- 28904632
TI  - Incidence of acetabular dysplasia in breech infants following initially normal
      ultrasound: the effect of variable diagnostic criteria.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the incidence of acetabular dysplasia at
      six months of age in patients with breech presentation and previously normal hip
      ultrasounds, reporting primary radiographic measurements to allow for comparison
      with other patient cohorts. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of breech infants
      with initially normal clinical examinations and hip ultrasounds was performed to
      determine the rate of subsequent acetabular dysplasia and to characterise the
      distribution of acetabular index (AI). At approximately six months of age, AI was
      measured bilaterally on anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiographs and reported
      using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 94 hips in 47 breech infants
      were eligible for analysis. All infants demonstrated normal ultrasound findings
      at a mean age of 6.9 +/- 1.7 weeks and returned for follow-up at a mean age of
      6.4 +/- 0.5 months. On AP pelvic radiographs, mean right hip AI was 25.0 degrees
      , with an interquartile range (IQR) (25th -75th percentile) of 23 degrees  to 27
      degrees  and mean left hip AI was 25.5 degrees , with an IQR of 22 degrees  to 28
      degrees . If one applies a single commonly used threshold value for defining
      dysplasia (AI >= 30 degrees ), 10/94 hips (10.6%) meet diagnostic criteria.
      Alternatively, strict adherence to previously established normative AI values
      stratified by gender and laterality results in 4/94 hips (4.3%) qualifying as
      significantly dysplastic. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of breech infants who,
      despite normal initial ultrasound findings, were diagnosed with dysplasia at six
      months supports observation of breech-born patients beyond six weeks. Reliance on
      different threshold values for diagnosing acetabular dysplasia can lead to
      discrepancies in incidence rates.

PMID- 28904633
TI  - An improved method for measuring hip abduction in spica after surgical reduction
      for developmental dysplasia of the hip.
AB  - PURPOSE: Excessive in-spica abduction is a risk factor for oste-onecrosis after
      surgical reduction for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The traditional
      method for radiographically measuring hip abduction using axial imaging does not
      reflect the true angle, which usually lies in an oblique plane. The purpose of
      this study was to describe a novel method for measuring true hip position using
      advanced imaging. METHODS: A trigonometric model was derived to define hip
      position based upon the femoral axis angular deviation from midline as measured
      on axial and coronal sequences of MRI studies. In-spica MRIs of 28 hips having
      undergone surgery for DDH were reviewed. On two separate occasions, the same
      three raters measured the femoral axis deviation from mid-line on axial and
      coronal imaging. Abduction was estimated using the traditional method of
      measurement and our novel method. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were
      assessed. RESULTS: The methods yielded different estimates (p < 0.001). Inter-
      and intra-rater reliability were excellent for both methods (inter-rater ICC >
      0.922, intra-rater ICC > 0.919). The traditional method is accurate at 90 degrees
      of flexion, but it increasingly overestimates abduction as hip flexion
      decreases. All cases where hip flexion was <= 40 degrees  exhibited >= 10 degrees
      of error. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing hip flexion in spica modifies the perceived
      angle of abduction as measured using axial imaging. This inaccuracy can be
      overcome through assessment of orthogonal views using our new approach, which is
      accurate and reliable. It should be considered for future research investigating
      the effects of in-spica hip position on outcomes of DDH treatment.

PMID- 28904634
TI  - Treatment of chronic, stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis via surgical hip
      dislocation with combined osteochondroplasty and Imhauser osteotomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Treatment of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), including the
      modified Dunn procedure, restores anatomy with significant risk for avascular
      necrosis (AVN), if performed in the setting of moderate to severe, stable SCFE.
      The Imhauser osteotomy has been shown to be an effective way to correct residual
      deformity without the risk of AVN. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness and
      safety of a combined Imhauser osteotomy and osteochondroplasty, performed via a
      surgical hip dislocation approach for the acute and delayed treatment of stable
      SCFE. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on a series of patients who
      underwent Imhauser osteotomy and osteochondroplasty via surgical hip dislocation
      for treatment of chronic, stable SCFE. Patients were divided into acute or
      delayed treatment groups based on whether osteotomy was performed as the initial
      slip treatment. RESULTS: In total 19 patients (15 male, four female, average age
      13.7 years) were reviewed. Six osteotomies were performed acutely in combination
      with in situ pinning, 13 were delayed at least six months after in situ pinning
      (average 21.7 months). Two hips had labral tears that required repair. The mean
      follow-up was 61 months (23 to 120) (delayed) and 53 months (27 to 61) (acute).
      The average improvement in slip angle was 40.7 degrees  (delayed) and 50.2
      degrees  (acute) (p = 0.0916), final post-operative slip angle averaged 15.8
      degrees  (delayed) and 17.8 degrees  (acute) (p = 0.544). Femoral neck length and
      greater trochanteric height were similar between both groups. Average alpha angle
      at final follow-up measured 55.8 degrees  (delayed) and 60.8 degrees  (acute) (p
      = 0.542). No cases of AVN were identified. CONCLUSION: Imhauser osteotomy
      combined with osteochondroplasty via surgical hip dislocation approach is a safe
      and effective treatment of moderate to severe, stable SCFE performed in both the
      acute and delayed setting.

PMID- 28904636
TI  - The orthopaedic management of lower limb deformity in hypophosphataemic rickets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many patients with X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets (X-LHPR)
      demonstrate significant lower limb deformity despite optimal medical management.
      This study evaluates the use of guided growth by means of hemi-epiphysiodesis to
      address coronal plane deformity in the skeletally immature child. METHODS: Since
      2005, 24 patients with X-LHPR have been referred to our orthopaedic unit for
      evaluation. All patients had standardised long leg radiographs that were analysed
      sequentially before and after surgery if any was performed. The rate of
      correction of deformity was calculated based on peri-articular angles and
      diaphyseal deformity angles measured at regular intervals using Traumacad
      software. Clinical records were reviewed to obtain relevant clinical and
      demographic details. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23 (SPSS Inc.,
      Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: The indication for surgical intervention was a
      mechanical axis progressing through Zone 2 or in Zone 3 despite one year of
      optimised medical treatment. The 15 patients underwent 16 episodes of guided
      growth (30 limbs, 38 segments) at a mean age of 10.3 years. In four limbs,
      surgery has only taken place recently; and in three limbs, correction is ongoing.
      Neutral mechanical axis was restored in 16/23 (70%) limbs: six improved and one
      limb (one segment) required osteotomy for residual deformity. The mean rate of
      angular correction per month was 0.3 degrees  for the proximal tibia and 0.7
      degrees  for the distal femur. Patients with >= 3 years of growth remaining
      responded significantly better than older patients (p = 0.004). Guided growth was
      more successful in correcting valgus than varus deformity (p = 0.007). In younger
      patients, diaphyseal deformity corrected at a rate of 0.2 degrees  and 0.6
      degrees  per month for the tibia and the femur, respectively. There has been one
      case of recurrent deformity. Patients with corrected coronal plane alignment did
      not complain of significant residual torsional malalignment. Serum phosphate and
      alkaline phosphatase levels did not affect response to surgery. CONCLUSIONS:
      Guided growth is a successful, minimally invasive method of addressing coronal
      plane deformity in X-LHPR. If coronal plane deformity is corrected early in
      patients with good metabolic control, osteotomy can be avoided.

PMID- 28904635
TI  - Does orthopaedic surgery improve quality of life and function in patients with
      mucopolysaccharidoses?
AB  - PURPOSE: Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of rare lysosomal storage
      disorders associated with involvement of multiple organs along with a generalised
      skeletal dysplasia. Both haematopoetic stem cell transplant and enzyme
      replacement therapy have improved the outlook for patients while surgery remains
      high-risk and there is little information on clinical or functional outcome to
      justify many of the surgical procedures performed. This paper aims to summarise
      the orthopaedic surgical procedures in MPS patients for which quality of life
      (QoL) and functional data are available and to describe additional QoL and
      functional measurement tools of relevance to the assessment of orthopaedic
      outcomes in MPS. METHODS: We reviewed the available literature to look for
      reported outcomes of orthopaedic surgery to lower and upper limbs and the spine.
      In addition, we describe the general and MPS-specific health measures that might
      be of relevance to the orthopaedic surgeon. RESULTS: There is some evidence in
      the literature that orthopaedic surgery may improve QoL and function in some
      specific aspects of the MPS condition (in relation to genu valgum, carpal tunnel
      syndrome and trigger digits); however, the literature is sparse and consists of
      level 4/5 studies only. Further studies of these conditions should include QoL
      and functional assessment in order to confirm or refute these reports. In other
      areas (spine and hip), outcomes are judged largely on radiographic appearances
      with little clinical correlation and short follow-up; however, one long-term
      study of function following hip dysplasia surgery suggests poor outcomes.
      Anaesthetic morbidity/mortality is not insignificant in these complex patients
      with multi-organ involvement. Careful assessment is required, particularly when
      there is neurological involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Orthopaedic surgeons involved
      with MPS patients should be encouraged to use and report measures of QoL and
      function with respect to musculoskeletal manifestations and response to surgery,
      recognising that such assessments in these complex and challenging patients may
      require a multidisciplinary approach.

PMID- 28904637
TI  - The emerging trend of non-operative treatment in paediatric type I open forearm
      fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Open fractures are considered an orthopaedic emergency and are generally
      an indication for operative debridement. Recent studies have questioned this
      approach for the management of Gustilo-Anderson Type I open fractures in the
      paediatric population. This meta-analysis studies the non-operative management of
      Type I open paediatric forearm fractures. METHODS: An Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed
      database literature search was performed for studies that involved a quantified
      number of Gustilo-Anderson Type I open forearm fractures in the paediatric
      population, which were treated without operative intervention. A fixed-effect
      meta-analysis, weighting each study based on the number of patients, and a pooled
      estimate of infection risk (with 95% confidence interval (CI)) was performed.
      RESULTS: The search results yielded five studies that were eligible for
      inclusion. No included patients had operative debridement and all were treated
      with antibiotics. The number of patients in each study ranged from 3 to 45, with
      a total of 127 paediatric patients in the meta-analysis. The infection rate was
      0% for all patients included. The meta-analysis estimated a pooled infection risk
      of 0% (95% CI 0 to 2.9). CONCLUSIONS: The five included studies had a total of
      127 patients with no cases of infection after non-operative management of Type I
      open paediatric forearm fractures. The infection rate of Type I fractures among
      operatively managed patients is 1.9%. The trend in literature towards non
      operative treatment of paediatric Type I open fractures holds true in this meta
      analysis.

PMID- 28904638
TI  - Functional outcomes following non-operative versus operative treatment of
      clavicle fractures in adolescents.
AB  - PURPOSE: Superiority of non-operative versus operative treatment of clavicle
      shaft fractures remains unclear. We aimed to assess shoulder function in
      adolescents following shortened clavicle fracture and compare operative versus
      non-operative treatment. METHODS: Patients aged 12 to 18 years at the time of
      fracture and minimum 1.5 years post injury were identified for this institutional
      review board (IRB)-approved study. For this retrospective cohort study, patients
      were frequency-matched for age, gender, shortening of the clavicle fracture and
      activity level. The dominant arm was controlled in the statistical model. Initial
      radiographs were used to measure clavicle shortening. At follow-up, isokinetic
      testing of both shoulders was performed in flexion, external rotation and the
      plane of scapular motion. Maximum number of isotonic repetitions and average
      isometric torque were recorded, as were ASES and DASH scores. Data were analysed
      comparing non-operative and operative groups and involved and uninvolved
      shoulders. RESULTS: Twenty patients were recruited (18 male, 2 female), with ten
      in each group. Median clavicle shortening was 17.5 mm (11.4 to 23.6). There was
      no statistical difference in average ASES (100 vs 99; p = 0.84) or DASH (0.0 vs
      1.7; p = 0.08) between non-operative and operative groups, respectively. Results
      of isokinetic testing comparison between non-operative and operative groups
      showed no statistical difference for any individual association, controlling for
      the dominant arm. Among the non-operative group, the involved arm had decreased
      functional measures compared with the uninvolved arm on all measures, when
      controlling for dominant arm, and there was increased variability of the
      functional estimate. CONCLUSIONS: The increased variability in functional
      measures for the non-operative group suggests some patients may have dysfunction.

PMID- 28904639
TI  - A comparison of functional outcome between amputation and extension prosthesis in
      the treatment of congenital absence of the fibula with severe limb deformity.
AB  - PURPOSE: Complete fibula absence often presents with significant lower-limb
      deformity. Parental counselling regarding management is paramount in achieving
      the optimum functional outcome. Amputation offers a single surgical event with
      minimal complications. This study compares outcomes with an amputation protocol
      to those using an extension prosthesis. METHOD: Thirty-two patients were
      identified. Nine patients (2 males, 7 females; median age at assessment of 23.5
      years) used an extension prosthesis. Twenty-three patients (16  males, 7 females;
      median age at assessment of eight years) underwent 25 amputations during
      childhood. Mobility was assessed using SIGAM and K scores. Quality of life was
      assessed using the PedsQL inventory questionnaire; pain by a verbal severity
      score. RESULTS: The 19 Syme and one Boyd amputation in 19 patients were performed
      early (mean age 15 months). Four Syme and one trans-tibial amputation in four
      patients took place in older children (mean age 6.6 years). Only two underwent
      tibial kyphus correction to aid prosthetic fitting. K scores were significantly
      higher (mean 4 vs 2) and pain scores lower in the amputation group allowing high
      impact activity compared with community ambulation with an extension prosthesis.
      The SIGAM and PedsQL scores were all better in the amputation group, but not
      significantly so. CONCLUSION: Childhood amputation for severe limb length
      inequality and foot deformity in congenital fibula absence offers excellent short
      term functional outcome with prosthetic support. The tibial kyphus does not need
      routine correction and facilitates prosthetic suspension. Accommodative extension
      prostheses offer reasonable long-term function but outcome scores are lower.

PMID- 28904642
TI  - Focus on endeavor for creation of materials-tissues intelligent interface.

PMID- 28904640
TI  - Short-term dietary methionine supplementation affects one-carbon metabolism and
      DNA methylation in the mouse gut and leads to altered microbiome profiles,
      barrier function, gene expression and histomorphology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methionine, a central molecule in one-carbon metabolism, is an
      essential amino acid required for normal growth and development. Despite its
      importance to biological systems, methionine is toxic when administered at supra
      physiological levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of
      short-term methionine dietary modulation on the proximal jejunum, the section of
      the gut specifically responsible for amino acid absorption, in a mouse model.
      Eight-week-old CBA/J male mice were fed methionine-adequate (MAD; 6.5 g/kg) or
      methionine-supplemented (MSD; 19.5 g/kg) diets for 3.5 or 6 days (average food
      intake 100 g/kg body weight). The study design was developed in order to address
      the short-term effects of the methionine supplementation that corresponds to
      methionine dietary intake in Western populations. Biochemical indices in the
      blood as well as metabolic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, metagenomic, and
      histomorphological parameters in the gut were evaluated. RESULTS: By day 6,
      feeding mice with MSD (protein intake <10% different from MAD) resulted in
      increased plasma (2.3-fold; p < 0.054), but decreased proximal jejunum methionine
      concentrations (2.2-fold; p < 0.05) independently of the expression of neutral
      amino acid transporters. MSD has also caused small bowel bacteria colonization,
      increased the abundance of pathogenic bacterial species Burkholderiales and
      decreased the gene expression of the intestinal transmembrane proteins-Cldn8
      (0.18-fold, p < 0.05), Cldn9 (0.24-fold, p < 0.01) and Cldn10 (0.05-fold, p <
      0.05). Feeding MSD led to substantial histomorphological alterations in the
      proximal jejunum exhibited as a trend towards decreased plasma citrulline
      concentrations (1.8-fold, p < 0.07), as well as loss of crypt depth (by 28%, p <
      0.05) and mucosal surface (by 20%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Together, these
      changes indicate that short-term feeding of MSD substantially alters the normal
      gut physiology. These effects may contribute to the pathogenesis of intestinal
      inflammatory diseases and/or sensitize the gut to exposure to other stressors.

PMID- 28904643
TI  - Rolling Circle Mutagenesis of GST-mCherry to Understand Mutation, Gene
      Expression, and Regulation.
AB  - Undergraduates are often familiar with textbook examples of human mutations that
      affect coding regions and the subsequent disorders, but they may struggle with
      understanding the implications of mutations in the regulatory regions of genes.
      We have designed a laboratory sequence that will allow students to explore the
      effect random mutagenesis can have on protein function, expression, and
      ultimately phenotype. Students design and perform a safe and time-efficient
      random mutagenesis experiment using error-prone rolling circular amplification of
      a plasmid expressing the inducible fusion protein glutathione S-transferase (GST)
      mCherry. Mutagenized and wild-type control plasmid DNA, respectively, are then
      purified and transformed into bacteria to assess phenotypic changes. While
      bacteria transformed with the wild type control should be pink, some bacterial
      colonies transformed with mutagenized plasmids will exhibit a different color.
      Students attempt to identify their mutations by isolating plasmid from these
      mutant colonies, sequencing, and comparing their mutant sequence to the wild-type
      sequence. Additionally, students evaluate the potential effects of mutations on
      protein production by inducing GST-mCherry expression in cultures, generating
      cell lysates, and analyzing them using SDS-PAGE. Students who have a phenotypic
      difference but do not obtain a coding region mutation will be able to think
      critically about plasmid structure and regulation outside of the gene sequence.
      Students who do not obtain bacterial transformants have the chance to contemplate
      how mutation of antibiotic resistance genes or replication origins may have
      contributed to their results. Overall, this series of laboratories exposes
      students to basic genetic techniques and helps them conceptualize mutation beyond
      coding regions.

PMID- 28904641
TI  - Histone code and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) aberrations in lung cancer:
      implications in the therapy response.
AB  - Respiratory diseases hold several genome, epigenome, and transcriptional
      aberrations as a cause of the accumulated damage promoted by, among others,
      environmental risk factors. Such aberrations can also come about as an adaptive
      response when faced with therapeutic oncological drugs. In epigenetic terms,
      aberrations in DNA methylation patterns, histone code marks balance, and/or
      chromatin-remodeling complexes recruitment, among Polycomb Repressive Complex-2
      (PRC2) versus Trithorax (TRX) Activator Complex, have been proposed to be
      affected by several previously characterized functional long non-coding RNAs
      (lncRNAs). Such molecules are involved in modulating and/or controlling lung
      cancer epigenome and genome expression, as well as in malignancy and clinical
      progression in lung cancer. Several recent reports have described diverse
      epigenetic modifications in lung cancer cells and solid tumors, among others
      genomic DNA methylation and post-translational modifications (PTMs) on histone
      tails, as well as lncRNAs patterns and levels of expression. However, few
      systematic approaches have attempted to demonstrate a biological function and
      clinical association, aiming to improve therapeutic decisions in basic research
      and lung clinical oncology. A widely used example is the lncRNA HOTAIR and its
      functional histone mark H3K27me3, which is directly associated to the PRC2;
      however, few systematic pieces of solid evidence have been experimentally
      performed, conducted and/or validated to predict lung oncological therapeutic
      efficacy. Recent evidence suggests that chromatin-remodeling complexes
      accompanied by lncRNAs profiles are involved in several comprehensive lung
      carcinoma clinical parameters, including histopathology progression, prognosis,
      and/or responsiveness to unique or combined oncological therapies. The present
      manuscript offers a systematic revision of the current knowledge about the major
      epigenetic aberrations represented by changes in histone PTMs and lncRNAs
      expression levels and patterns in human lung carcinomas in cancer drug-based
      treatments, as an important comprehensive knowledge focusing on better
      oncological therapies. In addition, a new future direction must be refocusing on
      several gene target therapies, mainly on pharmaceutical EGFR-TKIs compounds,
      widely applied in lung cancer, currently the leading cause of death by malignant
      diseases.

PMID- 28904644
TI  - Teaching the History of Microbiology and the Transformation of the Laboratory: A
      Study in Miniature.
AB  - This article presents a technique for bringing the history of microbiology to
      life in an exciting way. Eight miniature models were created, based on
      photographs or drawings, showing scientists at work in their labs. The models
      chosen represent important discoveries in microbiology, illustrating changes and
      advances in techniques and tools over the history of the discipline from 1600
      through 2000. They serve as a novel and engaging teaching tool. While the
      instructor still presents the historic facts, the use of models provides the
      feeling of being there! They can also serve as a record for the future.

PMID- 28904645
TI  - Fitness of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in the Environment: A Laboratory
      Activity.
AB  - In this laboratory experiment, we propose an opportunity for students to broaden
      their understanding of the ecology of antibiotic-resistant and sensitive
      waterborne bacteria. Antibiotics can be found in rivers or soil as a consequence
      of agricultural practices or as a result of human use. Concentrations of
      antibiotics in the environment may range from a few ng to MUg L-1. Such
      concentrations can affect the selection and fitness of resistant bacteria. In
      this laboratory activity, students learn how to set up a fitness experiment by
      using an isogenic pair of antibiotic-resistant and sensitive bacteria in the
      presence or absence of selective pressure. Microcosms were generated by using
      filtered river water containing populations of resistant and sensitive bacteria.
      Competition of both populations was measured in the presence or absence of
      antibiotics. Students appreciated the use of microcosms for in vitro experiments
      and the extent to which the fitness of resistant and sensitive bacteria changed
      in the presence and/or absence of a selective pressure in river water. Student
      learning was measured by using different types of assessments: multiple-choice,
      true/false, fill in the blanks, laboratory skills observations, and laboratory
      reports. After the laboratory activity, the percentage of correct answers
      significantly rose from ~20% to ~85%. Laboratory skills were also evaluated
      during the exercises, showing no major issues during the experiment. Students
      showed proficiency in analyzing the complexity of fitness data by reaching a mean
      of 5.57 (standard error 0.57) over a maximum score of 7 points.

PMID- 28904646
TI  - Participation in a Year-Long CURE Embedded into Major Core Genetics and Cellular
      and Molecular Biology Laboratory Courses Results in Gains in Foundational
      Biological Concepts and Experimental Design Skills by Novice Undergraduate
      Researchers.
AB  - This two-year study describes the assessment of student learning gains arising
      from participation in a year-long curriculum consisting of a classroom
      undergraduate research experience (CURE) embedded into second-year, major core
      Genetics and Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB) laboratory courses. For the
      first course in our CURE, students used micro-array or RNAseq analyses to
      identify genes important for environmental stress responses by Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae. The students were tasked with creating overexpressing mutants of
      their genes and designing their own original experiments to investigate the
      functions of those genes using the overexpression and null mutants in the second
      CURE course. In order to evaluate student learning gains, we employed three
      validated concept inventories in a pretest/posttest format and compared gains on
      the posttest versus the pretest with student laboratory final grades. Our results
      demonstrated that there was a significant correlation between students earning
      lower grades in the Genetics laboratory for both years of this study and gains on
      the Genetics Concept Assessment (GCA). We also demonstrated a correlation between
      students earning lower grades in the Genetics laboratory and gains on the
      Introductory Molecular and Cell Biology Assessment (IMCA) for year 1 of the
      study. Students furthermore demonstrated significant gains in identifying the
      variable properties of experimental subjects when assessed using the Rubric for
      Experimental (RED) design tool. Results from the administration of the CURE
      survey support these findings. Our results suggest that a year-long CURE enables
      lower performing students to experience greater gains in their foundational
      skills for success in the STEM disciplines.

PMID- 28904647
TI  - Measuring and Advancing Experimental Design Ability in an Introductory Course
      without Altering Existing Lab Curriculum.
AB  - Introductory biology courses provide an important opportunity to prepare students
      for future courses, yet existing cookbook labs, although important in their own
      way, fail to provide many of the advantages of semester-long research
      experiences. Engaging, authentic research experiences aid biology students in
      meeting many learning goals. Therefore, overlaying a research experience onto the
      existing lab structure allows faculty to overcome barriers involving curricular
      change. Here we propose a working model for this overlay design in an
      introductory biology course and detail a means to conduct this lab with minimal
      increases in student and faculty workloads. Furthermore, we conducted exploratory
      factor analysis of the Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT) and uncovered two
      latent factors which provide valid means to assess this overlay model's ability
      to increase advanced experimental design abilities. In a pre-test/post-test
      design, we demonstrate significant increases in both basic and advanced
      experimental design abilities in an experimental and comparison group. We
      measured significantly higher gains in advanced experimental design understanding
      in students in the experimental group. We believe this overlay model and EDAT
      factor analysis contribute a novel means to conduct and assess the effectiveness
      of authentic research experiences in an introductory course without major changes
      to the course curriculum and with minimal increases in faculty and student
      workloads.

PMID- 28904648
TI  - Metacognition Modules: A Scaffolded Series of Online Assignments Designed to
      Improve Students' Study Skills.
AB  - Many first-year biology students begin college with high aspirations but limited
      skills in terms of those needed for their success. Teachers are increasingly
      focused on students' lack of metacognitive awareness combined with students'
      inability to self-regulate learning behaviors. To address this need, we have
      designed a series of out-of-class assignments to provide explicit instruction on
      memory and learning. Our metacognition modules consist of six video assignments
      with reflective journaling prompts, allowing students to explore the relationship
      between the learning cycle, neuroplasticity, memory function, expert and novice
      thinking, and effective study strategies. By setting lessons on improving study
      behavior within a biological context, we help students grasp the reason for
      changing their behavior based on an understanding of biological functions and
      their application to learning. Students who complete these scaffolded journaling
      assignments show a shift toward a growth mindset and a consistent ability to
      evaluate the efficacy of their own study behaviors. In this article, we discuss
      the modules and student assignments, as well as provide in depth support for
      faculty who wish to adopt the modules for their own courses.

PMID- 28904649
TI  - Harnessing Whole Genome Sequencing in Medical Mycology.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Comparative genome sequencing studies of human fungal
      pathogens enable identification of genes and variants associated with virulence
      and drug resistance. This review describes current approaches, resources, and
      advances in applying whole genome sequencing to study clinically important fungal
      pathogens. RECENT FINDINGS: Genomes for some important fungal pathogens were only
      recently assembled, revealing gene family expansions in many species and extreme
      gene loss in one obligate species. The scale and scope of species sequenced is
      rapidly expanding, leveraging technological advances to assemble and annotate
      genomes with higher precision. By using iteratively improved reference assemblies
      or those generated de novo for new species, recent studies have compared the
      sequence of isolates representing populations or clinical cohorts. Whole genome
      approaches provide the resolution necessary for comparison of closely related
      isolates, for example, in the analysis of outbreaks or sampled across time within
      a single host. SUMMARY: Genomic analysis of fungal pathogens has enabled both
      basic research and diagnostic studies. The increased scale of sequencing can be
      applied across populations, and new metagenomic methods allow direct analysis of
      complex samples.

PMID- 28904650
TI  - Dermatologic Microsutures Using Human Hair: A Useful Technique in Cutaneous
      Stitching.
AB  - Background: Facial wounds are challenging for dermatologic surgeons, particularly
      traumatic facial wounds, because they can yield disfiguring scars. To obtain good
      results, narrow needles and sutures are needed. Hair filaments have a very small
      diameter (0.06-0.1 mm) and could serve as suture threads for facial wounds.
      Objective: To determine the aesthetic outcomes by using autologous hair to suture
      facial wounds. Patients and Methods: This case series study examined the
      aesthetic outcomes of all consecutive female patients with traumatic facial
      wounds who underwent autologous hair-based stitching in 2009-2016. Autologous
      hair ampoules were generated from an insulin needle. Micro instruments were used
      for wound stitching. Results: In total, 54 females (mean age, 10.8; range, 3-45)
      years had 56 traumatic wounds. Mean wound length was 3.6 (range, 1-12) cm. Injury
      depth varied from cutaneous-only to muscle involvement. Suturing yielded good
      edge coaptation, nice healing, and excellent aesthetic outcomes; the scars were
      often scarcely visible. Suture marks were not detected. Cutaneous reactions did
      not occur. Conclusion: Autologous hair can serve as a thread for closing facial
      wounds. It is low cost and thus suitable in settings characterized by facility
      and equipment limitations. It is also suitable for the battlefield.

PMID- 28904651
TI  - [Primary cerebral gliosarcoma: about two cases and review of the literature].
AB  - Gliosarcoma is a very rare brain tumor accounting for 1.8 -8% of all glial
      tumors. It has been classified by the World Health Organization as a variant of
      glioblastoma. It is a tumor with double glial and sarcomatous component.
      Patient's clinical picture is polymorphic, imaging data are evocative, diagnosis
      is based on histology. Treatment is always surgical. Prognosis is closely linked
      to the quality of resection. We here report two clinical cases with the aim of
      assessing the diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic features of this rare
      entity.

PMID- 28904652
TI  - [Role of Trauma Damage Control Orthopaedic in polytraumas: a case of pelvic
      disjunction associated with hip dislocation with vascular injury].
AB  - The knowledge of the pathophysiology of patients with severe trauma and the
      hemodynamic and inflammatory consequences of initial surgical management has led
      many surgeons to change their approach to the treatment of patients with severe
      polytraumas associated with lesions of the pelvis or of limbs by integrating the
      principles of sequential treatment or Trauma Damage Control Orthopaedic (TDCO).
      We report the case of a patient involved in a public road accident, admitted to
      hospital in a state of shock with pelvic disjunction and hip dislocation
      complicated by vascular injury in the same limb. Our approach was based on TDCO
      concepts by favoring external fixation of the pelvis after hip dislocation
      reduction. The timeliness of our apprach allowed early limb revascularization
      while avoiding the hemodynamic and inflammatory complications of open surgery.

PMID- 28904653
TI  - [Pure internal subtalar dislocation: about a case].
AB  - Pure subtalar dislocation is a rare condition. We here report the case of a young
      patient presenting with pure internal subtalar dislocation as a result of a sport
      accident. He underwent orthopedic therapy achieving a good functional outcome.

PMID- 28904654
TI  - [Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the colon: about a case].
AB  - Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the colon is an exceptional tumor. Less
      than 150 cases have been reported in the literature up to the year 2014. In
      addition to its rarity, it is distinguished by its frequent association with
      other digestive neoplasias. We report the case of a 54-year old patient with
      primary SCC of the colon. In the light of this case study, we will discuss the
      anatomo-clinical and therapeutic features as well as the etiopathogenic
      assumptions of this unusual entity.

PMID- 28904656
TI  - Reversal of tenofovir induced nephrotoxicity: case reports of two patients.
AB  - The use of the antiretroviral drug tenofovir has been associated with
      nephrotoxicity. However, the overall impact of this adverse effect has not
      comprehensively evaluated. Some researchers have reported that it is quite severe
      to warrant monitoring for renal toxicity, while others have concluded that the
      magnitude may not be that significant. We report two clinical cases seen in our
      renal clinic with high creatinine levels suggestive of nephrotoxicity who
      reverted back to normality upon withdrawal of tenofovir.

PMID- 28904655
TI  - Assessment of potentially preventable hospitalizations in the regional hospital
      of Saint-Louis, Senegal.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The "potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH)'' are hospital
      admissions that could have been avoided through effective primary care given at
      the appropriate time. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), causes of PPH, are the
      leading cause of death worldwide with significant socioeconomic consequences
      especially in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the burden of
      potentially preventable hospitalizations in the St. Louis regional hospital.
      METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The surveyed population
      consisted of all patients older than one year, admitted to St. Louis hospital for
      more than four (04) hours time between January 20 and April 30, 2015. Patients
      hospitalized in surgery (general surgery, ENT, ophthalmology), maternity and
      neonatology, as well as those who refused or were unable to participate in the
      study were excluded. RESULTS: The study included one hundred forty four (144)
      individuals with an average age of 54.68+/-15 years (17-88 years) and sex ratio
      woman/man of 1.21. The PPH represented 54% of all hospitalizations. The main
      causes of hospitalizations were diabetes with 22.1%, chronic kidney disease 12%,
      hypertension 10.9%, Stroke 6.4% and finally broncho-pulmonary diseases 2.6%. The
      average length of stay was 6.68+/-5.51 days. The average distance between the
      residence and the hospital was 26.51+/-60KM with a median of 3.5KM. The average
      cost of care was Euros 104.583 +/-83.51. For 61.10%, it was a first
      hospitalization and for 30.60%, a second one. The Knowledge about signs of
      disease severity had changed significantly at the end of hospitalization, from
      29% at the beginning to 98% at the end of stay in hospital. As for the means of
      prevention, 30.55% reported knowing them before their hospitalization and 68%
      after hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Potentially preventable hospitalizations are a
      heavy burden for the population of St. Louis. Their negative social and economic
      impacts may hinder health policies initiated to relieve vulnerable groups. Their
      prevention should be a national priority.

PMID- 28904657
TI  - Risk factors for postoperative throat pain after general anaesthesia with
      endotracheal intubation at the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital, Northwest
      Ethiopia, 2014.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Postoperative sore throat is listed from the top as patients' most
      undesirable outcome in the postoperative period. It is believed to originate from
      mucosal dehydration or edema, tracheal ischemia secondary to the pressure of
      endotracheal tube cuffs, aggressive oropharyngeal suctioning, and mucosal erosion
      from friction between delicate tissues and the endotracheal tube. Even if the
      problem was indicated in many literatures, it has never been studied in our
      country. The study aimed to assess prevalence and factors associated with
      postoperative sore throat among patients who were operated under general
      anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. METHODS: Hospital based cross sectional
      study was conducted from February 25 - April 10, 2014 in Gondar University
      hospital. Patient interview and chart review were employed for data collection.
      Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the
      association. RESULTS: A total of 240 out of 299 patients were included in this
      study with a response rate of 80.3%. The prevalence of postoperative sore throat
      within 48 hours after operation was 59.6%. Factors which had association with
      postoperative sore throat from the multivariate logistic regression were female
      sex (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.07, 10.375), repeated number of attempts to intubate
      (AOR = 3.291, 95% CI: 1.658, 6.531), and the use of nasogastric tube (AOR = 0.41,
      95% CI: 0.174, 0.965) respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of postoperative
      sore throat was high in Gondar University Hospital. Awareness creation about the
      problem should be made for health professionals and postoperative sore throat
      management protocol need to be introduced.

PMID- 28904658
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis of caudal regression syndrome and omphalocele in a fetus of a
      diabetic mother.
AB  - The caudal regression syndrome is defined as total or partial agenesis of the
      sacrum and lumbar spine, frequently associated with other developmental
      malformations (orthopedic, neurological, genito-urinary, gastrointestinal...).
      Prenatal diagnosis is possible through fetal ultrasound (US) and magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI). A case of fetal caudal regression syndrome with
      omphalocele from a diabetic mother is presented, demonstrating the sonographic,
      MRI, CT and X-Ray features diagnostic. We will also discuss neonatal findings,
      risk factors and prognosis of this condition.

PMID- 28904659
TI  - [Pulmonary embolism at the University Hospital Campus of Lome (Togo): a
      retrospective study about 51 cases].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study provides an analysis of the evolutionary, clinical and
      epidemiological aspects of pulmonary embolism at the University Hospital Campus
      of Lome. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, analytic and descriptive study
      over a period of 39 months (November 1 , 2011- January 31, 2015). All the medical
      records of patients hospitalized for PE in the Department of Cardiology at the
      University Hospital Campus were analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of PE was 3.1%.
      Female/male sex ratio was 2.2. The average age was 52.7 +/- 14.4 years. Risk
      factors for venous thromboembolic disease VTD were dominated by: obesity (54.9%),
      bedrest (25.5%) and long journey (17.6%). The main symptoms were: dyspnoea
      (98.0%), chest pain (78.4%) and cough (60.8%). Wells' score was high in 29.4% of
      cases. ECG showed: tachycardia (78.4%), right ventricular hypertrophy
      (RVH)(49.0%), S1Q3T3 aspect (47.1%) and right block (39.2%). Transthoracic
      Doppler echocardiogram showed right cavitary dilation and right intraventricular
      thrombus in 5.6% of cases. Thoracic angioscanner was normal in 9.8% of cases and
      showed embolus in 82.4% of cases. Treatment was based on Low Molecular Weight
      Heparin (LMWH) at therapeutic doses with antivitamin K (AVK) relay. Thrombolysis
      was performed in 8 patients. Evolution was favorable in 86.3% of cases. Case
      fatality rate was 13.7%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PE is relatively low in
      our area but it is probably underestimated. PE is a therapeutic problem in Togo
      because of the high cost of complementary examinations and thrombolysis.
      Prevention is therefore the only effective weapon.

PMID- 28904660
TI  - [Ulceronecrotic cancer of the vulva].

PMID- 28904661
TI  - [Occlusion secondary to congenital internal transmesenteric hernia: about 2
      cases].
AB  - Internal hernia due to mesenteric defect or transmesenteric hernia is a rare
      cause of acute intestinal obstruction. Its diagnosis is most often done during
      surgery. The knowledge of its clinical peculiarities allows the preoperative
      diagnosis. We here report 2 cases of acute intestinal obstruction secondary to
      congenital transmesenteric hernia in two adult patients. This study aims to
      highlight the clinical peculiarities of this rare form of internal hernia.

PMID- 28904662
TI  - Long-term results of retromuscular hernia repair: a single center experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Incisional hernia (IH) is one of the most frequent postoperative
      complications after abdominal surgery. There are multiple surgical techniques
      described for IH repair. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of
      primary fascial closure on long-term results in retromuscular hernia repair (RHR)
      for incisional hernias. METHODS: A total of 132 patients underwent RHR for IH
      were included in our study. 109 patients were evaluated in 2009 and 55 patients
      in 2015 for short and long-term results. RESULTS: Among 132 patients perfromed
      RHR, fascia was closed in 107 (81%) and left open in 25 (19%) patients. The mean
      age of patients was 57.9 +/- 11.8 years. Average mesh area was 439.8 +/- 194.6
      cm2, hernia area was 112 +/- 77.5 cm2 and open area after repair was 40.8 +/-
      43.3 cm2. Mean follow-up of 104 patients regarding postoperative complications
      evaluated in 2009 was 30.7 +/- 14.1 months. Recurrent IH was observed in 6 (4.5%)
      patients according to data collected in 2009. Long-term results were; mean follow
      up period was 91 +/- 20.2 months (20-112 months) and recurrent IH was observed in
      4 (7.3%) patients. CONCLUSION: Retromuscular repair for incisional hernia
      regardless of the fascial closure gives high patient satisfaction, less
      recurrence rates and complications in long-term follow-up.

PMID- 28904663
TI  - [Direct medical costs of hospital treatment of fractures of the upper extremity
      of the femur].
AB  - Fractures of the upper extremity of the femur are serious because of their
      morbidity and social and/or economic consequences. They have been the subject of
      several studies of world literature concerning their hospital treatment,
      evolution and prevention. The increase in the incidence of this pathology seems
      unavoidable due to population ageing and to the lengthening life expectancy; it
      is posing a real long-term public health problem whose importance will be further
      increased by the need to control health care costs. The results of this study
      show that the average age of onset of fracture of the proximal extremity of the
      femur is 68,13 +/- 16.9 years, with a male predominance and a sex ratio of 1.14.
      In our study pertrochanterian fractures represented 69.4% of cases. Direct
      medical costs of the hospital treatment of fractures of the upper extremity of
      the femur at the Hassan II University Hospital were L387 714,38 in 222 cases,
      with an average cost of L1757,4 , including costs for patient's stay in hospital,
      which represented the majority of expenses ( 77% of total costs). It is desirable
      to raise staff awareness of the costs of consumables in order to reduce treatment
      costs and to adopt cost-oriented behaviour. Length of stay should be limited to
      the maximum extent because it only allows to reduce staff and accommodation
      costs.

PMID- 28904664
TI  - [Pregnancy and delivery in patients with a personal history of cesarean section
      in Dakar: epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and prognostic aspects].
AB  - The aim of our study was to determine hospitalization rate for vaginal birth
      after cesarean section in Pikine, to evaluate the quality of the management of
      pregnant women with previous cesarean section and to determine prognostic factors
      of the outcome of a trial of scar. We conducted a retrospective study based on
      medical records and operational protocols of patients who underwent vaginal birth
      after cesarean section over the period 1 January 2010 - 31 December 2011. We
      analyzed socio-demographic data, pregnancy follow-up, therapeutic modalities and
      prognosis. Data were collected and analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2007
      software and SPSS software 17.0. The frequency of vaginal births after cesarean
      section was 9.6%. The average age of our patients was 29.4 years. Primiparous
      women accounted for 54%. Short spacing interval between births was found in 52.6%
      of cases. Based on the number of cesarean sections, the breakdown was as follows:
      patients with a history of one previous cesarean section (79.8%), patients with a
      history of two previous caesarean sections (17.9%) and patients with a history of
      three previous caesarean sections (2.3%). The number of antenatal consultations
      performed was greater than or equal to 3 in 79.8% of cases. Patients undergoing
      evacuation accounted for 54.2% and they were already in labor at the time of
      admission in 81.7% of cases. Trial of scar was authorized in 177 patients (34.3%)
      and, at the end of this test, 147 patients (83%) had vaginal birth, of whom 21.7%
      by vacuum extraction. Cesarean section was performed in 71.4% of cases with 245
      emergency cesarean sections and 93 scheduled cesarean sections. A history of
      vaginal birth was a determining factor in normal delivery (p = 0.0001). There was
      also a significant relationship between mode of admission and decision to perform
      a cesarean section (p = 0.0001). Maternal mortality was 0.4%. Perinatal mortality
      rate was 28.20/00 of live births. We are witnessing a dramatic increase of
      deliveries after cesarean section in our SONUC Health Centre. The quality of
      management should be enhanced through a better strategy in preparation for
      delivery. Trial of scar is a procedure to encourage in order to reduce the rate
      of iterative cesarean sections.

PMID- 28904665
TI  - [Idiopathic gastric perforation in neonates: about a case].
AB  - Spontaneous neonatal gastric perforation is rare. We report the case of a newborn
      without any abnormality identified at delivery and whose mother had problem-free
      pregnancy. On the third day of life, he had a sudden onset of severe abdominal
      distension followed by bilious vomiting. Abdominal X-rays without treatment
      showed massive pneumoperitoneum and laparotomy showed a perforation at the level
      of the anterior gastric wall closed in a single layer closure. Postoperative
      course was uneventful. Spontaneous neonatal gastric perforation usually has a
      favorable outcome. Hence the importance of early diagnosis and patient
      management.

PMID- 28904667
TI  - Beaver in the liver.

PMID- 28904666
TI  - Detection of Human Herpes Virus 8 in Kaposi's sarcoma tissues at the University
      Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Human herpes virus-8, a gamma2-herpes virus, is the aetiological
      agent of Kaposi sarcoma. Recently, Kaposi's sarcoma cases have increased in
      Zambia. However, the diagnosis of this disease is based on morphological
      appearance of affected tissues using histological techniques, and the association
      with its causative agent, Human Herpes virus 8 is not sought. This means poor
      prognosis for affected patients since the causative agent is not targeted during
      diagnosis and KS lesions may be mistaken for other reactive and neoplastic
      vascular proliferations when only histological techniques are used. Therefore,
      this study was aimed at providing evidence of Human Herpes virus 8 infection in
      Kaposi's sarcoma tissues at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
      METHODS: One hundred and twenty suspected Kaposi's sarcoma archival formalin
      fixed paraffin-wax embedded tissues stored from January 2013 to December 2014 in
      the Histopathology Laboratory at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
      were analysed using histology and Polymerase Chain Reaction targeting the ORF26
      gene of Human Herpes virus 8. RESULTS: The predominant histological type of
      Kaposi's sarcoma detected was the Nodular type (60.7%) followed by the plaque
      type (22.6%) and patch type (16.7%). The nodular lesion was identified mostly in
      males (40.5%, 34/84) than females (20.2%, 17/84) (p=0.041). Human Herpes virus 8
      DNA was detected in 53.6% (45/84) and mostly in the nodular KS lesions (60%,
      27/84) (p=0.035). CONCLUSION: The findings in this study show that the Human
      Herpes virus-8 is detectable in Kaposi's sarcoma tissues, and, as previously
      reported in other settings, is closely associated with Kaposi's sarcoma. The
      study has provided important baseline data for use in the diagnosis of this
      disease and the identification of the virus in the tissues will aid in targeted
      therapy.

PMID- 28904668
TI  - [Squamous cell carcinoma complicating Verneuil's disease].

PMID- 28904669
TI  - An unexpected guest.

PMID- 28904670
TI  - Vanishing lung syndrome in a patient with HIV infection and recurrent
      pneumothorax.

PMID- 28904671
TI  - [Idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a rare case related to pregnancy].
AB  - We report the case of a 25-year old primipara whose pregnancy was complicated by
      idiopathic intracranial hypertension (ICHT) associated with visual impairment in
      the first quarter. She underwent lumboperitoneal shunt without obstetric
      consequences. This study aimed to determine the features of this rare
      pathological entity whose pathophysiological mechanism is poorly elucidated. It
      would be caused by poor absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the
      arachnoid granulations. Major risk factors are: obesity, polycystic ovary
      syndrome, thrombophilia and hyperfibrinolyse. Diagnosis is based on modified
      Dandy criteria after negative clinico-biological and radiological assessment.
      Visual prognosis is compromised, as in the case of " classical " ICHT. However,
      there is no risk for cerebral involvements which could be life-threatening. In
      addition, this disease does not influence pregnancy outcome. This said, rapid and
      effective treatment should be implemented in order to preserve visual function in
      these patients.

PMID- 28904672
TI  - [Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease: about a case].
AB  - Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease or histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis is a rare cause
      of benign cervical adenopathies. It is an anatomoclinic entity of unknown cause.
      Diagnosis is based on histologic examination of the lymph nodes. Patient's
      evolution is generally favorable with spontaneous healing after a few weeks. We
      here report the case of a 9-year old girl presenting with cervical
      lymphadenopathy associated with fever. Cervical lymph node biopsy showed Kikuchi
      Fujimoto disease. Patient's evolution was marked by regression of adenopathies
      without receiving any treatment.

PMID- 28904674
TI  - [A rare cause of exertional dry cough: agenesis of the left pulmonary artery
      associated with pulmonary hypoplasia].
AB  - Agenesis of the left pulmonary artery associated with hypoplasia of the
      ipsilateral lung is a rare congenital malformation in children; it can be
      discovered fortuitously or because of the presence of recurrent respiratory
      infections. Diagnosis is based on thoracic angioscanner. Treatment is essentially
      conservative. We report the case of a 6-year old child with agenesis of the left
      pulmonary artery associated with hypoplasia of the ipsilateral lung detected
      because of exertional dry cough.

PMID- 28904673
TI  - Mutations in rpoB and katG genes of multidrug resistant mycobacterium
      tuberculosis undetectable using genotyping diagnostic methods.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis remains the leading causes of death worldwide with
      frequencies of mutations in rifampicin and isoniazid resistant Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis isolates varying according to geographical location. There is
      limited information in Zimbabwe on specific antibiotic resistance gene mutation
      patterns in MTB and hence, increased rate of discordant results and mortality due
      to inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions. The rpoB and katG genes molecular
      markers are used for detecting rifampicin and isoniazid resistance respectively.
      Some mutations within these gene sequences are associated with drug resistance as
      they directly alter gene function. The objectives of this research was to
      determine the drug resistance profiles in M. tuberculosis isolates that are
      phenotypically resistant but not detected by the GeneXpert and MTBDRplus kit and
      also to detect mutations in the rpoB and katG genes which are not detected by the
      Hain Genotype MTBDRplus kit and GeneXpert diagnosis. METHODS: PCR was used for
      the amplification of the rpoB and katG genes from MTB isolates collected from
      human clinical samples between 2008 and 2015. The genes were sequenced and
      compared to the wild type MTB H37Rv rpoB (accession number L27989) and kat G
      genes (KP46920), respectively. Sequence analysis results were compared to
      genotyping results obtained from molecular assays and culture results of all
      isolates. RESULTS: The most frequent mutation responsible for rifampicin
      resistance was (25/92) S531L that was detected by using all molecular assays.
      Some inconsistencies were observed between phenotypic and genotypic assay results
      for both katG and rpoB genes in 30 strains. For these, eight codons; G507S,
      T508A, L511V, del513-526, P520P, L524L, R528H, R529Q and S531F were novel
      mutations. In addition, the I572P/F, E562Q, P564S, and Q490Y mutations were
      identified as novel mutations outside the rifampicin resistance determining
      region. In katG gene, amino acid changes to threonine, asparagine and isoleucine
      exhibited high degrees of polymorphism such as V473N, D311N, and L427I. The R463L
      (20/92) amino acid substitution was most common but was not associated with
      isoniazid resistance. CONCLUSION: These finding indicate that molecular assay kit
      diagnosis that is based on the rpoB and katG genes should be improved to cater
      for the genetic variations associated with the geographic specificity of the
      target genes and be able to detect most prevalent mutations in different areas.

PMID- 28904675
TI  - Von Willebrand's disease: case report and review of literature.
AB  - Von Willebrand Disease (VWD) is the most common human inherited bleeding disorder
      due to a defect of Von Willebrand Factor (VWF), which a glycoprotein crucial for
      platelet adhesion to the subendothelium after vascular injury. VWD include
      quantitative defects of VWF, either partial (type 1 with VWF levels < 50 IU/dL)
      or virtually total (type 3 with undetectable VWF levels) and also qualitative
      defects of VWF (type 2 variants with discrepant antigenic and functional VWF
      levels). The most bleeding forms of VWD usually do not concern type 1 patients
      with the mildest VWF defects (VWF levels between 30 and 50IU/dL). Von willebrand
      factor is a complex multimeric protein with two functions: it forms a bridge
      between the platelets and areas of vascular damage and it binds to and stabilizes
      factor VIII, which is necessary for the clotting cascade. By taking a clinical
      history of bleeding (mucocutaneous bleeding symptoms suggestive of a primary
      haemostatic disorder, a quantitative or qualitative abnormality of VWF is
      possible) it is important to think about VWD and to make the appropriate
      diagnosis. If the VWD is suspected diagnostic tests should include an activated
      partial thromboplastin time, bleeding time, factor VIII: C Ristocetin cofactor
      and vWF antigen. Additional testing of ristocetin induced plattlet adhesion
      (RIPA) the multimeric structure and collagen binding test and genanalysis allow
      diagnosing the different types of von. Willebrand Disease. The treatment of
      choice in mild forms is the synthetic agent desmopressin. In patients with severe
      type 1, type 2B, 2N and type 3 or in people who do not response to desmopressin,
      the appropriate treatment is a factor VIII concentrate that is rich of VWF. We
      report a case of infant in 27-month-old boy who had been referred due to
      haemorrhagic shock. His birth histories, his familie's social history and
      developmental milestones were unremarkable. He was born at full term with no
      antenatal or perinatal complications. Prior to the symptoms, the child was on a
      normal diet and was thriving appropriately. The child presented one days before
      his admission trauma to the inner face of the lower lip that caused an external
      acute bleeding loss. The laboratory data showed unfortunately, the most severe
      form of Von Willebrand's Disease; Type 3. The management was based on erythrocyte
      and fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions with administration of factor VII with
      good evolution.

PMID- 28904676
TI  - [Gestational diabetes revealed by inaugural diabetic ketoacidosis: about a case].
AB  - Ketoacidosis complicating gestational diabetes is rare and responsible for severe
      maternal-fetal mortality. It is an acute metabolic emergency whose management is
      multidisciplinary. Early diagnosis and treatment affect the vital prognosis of
      both the mother and the fetus. We report the case of a 27-year old pregnant woman
      at term, with a family history of diabetes, admitted to the emergency obstetric
      care with alertness problems associated with dyspnoea. The diagnosis of inaugural
      ketoacidosis decompensated due to severe malaria associated with gestational
      diabetes was retained on the basis of patient's medical history, of clinical
      examination and paraclinical assessment. The patient received insulin therapy,
      rehydration therapy, correction of electrolyte imbalance as well as antimalarial
      treatment. She underwent emergency cesarean section under general anesthesia and
      a dead-born macrosome macerated male fetus was extracted. Patient's evolution was
      favorable, with return of consciousness and standardization of biological
      parameters.

PMID- 28904677
TI  - [Pulmonary nocardiosis in immunocompetent patients: about 2 cases].
AB  - Nocardiosis is a rare but severe infection caused by bacteria of the genus
      nocardia, which belong to the order actinomycetales. If they can affect
      immunocompetent adult, nocardioses are pathologies affecting the individuals with
      weakened immune system. Pulmonary involvement is the most common manifestation,
      its correct management is based on diagnosis, which is often delayed due to non
      specific symptoms and inconclusive specimens. We here report two cases of
      nocardiosis in immunocompetent patients. The first case concerns a 24-year old
      man with a history of smoking and alcoholism, hospitalized for chest pain and
      hemoptysis of low abundance evolving for two months, associated with the
      occurrence of dorsal subcutaneous fistulized abscess. Radiological assessment
      showed right mediastino-pulmonary tissue mass associated with adjacent costal
      lysis and dissemination in rights paravertebral tissues. Bacteriological sampling
      remained negative motivating ultrasound-guided biopsy of the lesion, which
      confirmed the diagnosis of nocardia infection. The second case concerns a 22-year
      old man with a history of pleural tuberculosis treated 8 years ago and of relapse
      of tuberculosis in 2011 (mediastinal abscess). He was admitted to hospital due to
      suspicion of relapse of tuberculosis based on chronic cough with alteration of
      general state and hepatosplenomegaly. Chest CT scan showed alveolar condensations
      with pleurisy. During his hospitalization, purulent subcutaneous swellings
      occurred. Bacteriological analysis of the pus confirmed the diagnosis of
      nocardiosis. Nocardia strains were resistant to all antibiotics except for
      colistin and bactrim. This study aims to highlight the clinical and radiological
      aspects of pulmonary nocardiosis, focusing on diagnostic and therapeutic
      difficulties especially in a country with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and a
      very low incidence of nocardiosis.

PMID- 28904678
TI  - [Epidemiological profile of hemoglobinopathies: a cross-sectional and descriptive
      index case study].
AB  - Hemoglobinopathies are congenital disorders resultimg from hemoglobin
      abnormalities. Major forms are often severe, their management is difficult and
      associated with a great psychosocial impact on patients and their families. They
      are classified as rare diseases and are still insufficiently known by health
      professionals. This lack of knowledge is at the origin of diagnostic errors,
      delay in their management and therefore high morbidity and mortality rate for
      these patients. In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published data
      on hemoglobinopathies epidemiology: more than 330.000 cases of hemoglobinopathy
      occur each year (83% of cases of sickle cell anemia, 17 % of cases of
      thalassemia). Hemoglobin disorders are responsible for approximately 3.4% of
      deaths among people under the age of 5. At the global level, approximately 7% of
      pregnant women would be carriers of a form of thalassemia and 1% of couples are
      at risk. However, they are relatively frequent in some regions of the globe where
      consanguineous marriages are common. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional
      study based on two surveys, the first in May 2015 and the second in June of the
      same year. It was performed in the immunization days to deliver pneumococcal
      vaccine to the index cases and it was aimed to describe the epidemiological
      features of families at risk of hemoglobinopathies (index case study), whose
      index cases were treated in the Department of Pediatrics at the Provincial
      Hospital El Idrisi, Kenitra, Morocco. After having collected the epidemiological
      data from patients, laboratory tests were performed including: blood count with
      red blood cells morphological assessment using the MGG assay and automatic
      numbering of reticulocytes; hemoglobin electrophoresis at alkaline pH (8.8) and
      then at acid pH (5.4) on agarose gel and densitometric integration. 275 patients
      had laboratory profiles compatible with hemoglobinopathy. The majority of these
      patients were born to consanguineous marriages (83.1%) and came from the north
      regions of Morocco. This family survey allowed to identify families at risk with
      a high frequency of sickle cell anemia. Our results confirm the existence of
      hemoglobinopathies variants among Moroccan population.

PMID- 28904680
TI  - [A plantar nodule].

PMID- 28904679
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes and screening practices regarding prostatic diseases among
      men older than 40 years: a population-based study in Southwest Nigeria.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite the global increase in awareness of prostatic diseases
      resulting from widespread availability of screening tools, there is no evidence
      that the knowledge, attitudes and screening practices of Nigerian men have
      improved regarding prostatic diseases. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional
      study amongst 305 community-dwelling men. Respondents were selected using multi
      staged sampling techniques. Knowledge, attitudes and screening practices were
      determined based on responses to a semi-structured KAP questionnaire. Data were
      analyzed using SPSS version 18. Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact test (two
      tail) with level of significance set at 0.05 were used to determine the level of
      statistical significance. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to establish
      correlation between variables. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 63.4+/-11.8
      years. Slightly less than half, 145(47.5%) were aware of prostate cancer (PCa)
      while only 99(32.5%) and 91(29.8%) were aware of BPH and prostatitis
      respectively. About a quarter (25.1%) had heard of PSA. The main sources of
      information were radio and television. Overall, 143(46.9%) respondents had good
      knowledge while 162(53.1%) had poor knowledge. Sexually transmitted disease was
      the commonest misconception as the cause of prostatic diseases. Overall, 44.3%
      had good attitudes. Only 31(10.2%) respondents had ever carried out screening for
      PCa. Only educational and occupational status had significant associations with
      level of knowledge and attitudes of participants. The only factor that influenced
      screening practices was educational status. CONCLUSION: There is a poor level of
      knowledge, attitudes and screening practices regarding prostatic diseases in
      Nigeria. We recommend a widespread public health education to improve knowledge,
      attitudes and screening practices for prostatic diseases.

PMID- 28904681
TI  - Clinicopathological findings and outcome of lupus nephritis in Tunisian children:
      a review of 43 patients.
AB  - We report clinical and renal histological data, treatment modalities and outcome
      of 43 Tunisian children with biopsy-proven lupus nephritis seen over a 23-year
      period. There were 39 girls and 4 boys with a mean age of 12.5 years at diagnosis
      of lupus nephritis and followed for a mean period of 77 months. Renal symptoms
      included urinary abnormalities in all patients, hypertension in 40% of cases,
      nephrotic syndrome in 60% of cases and renal failure in 25% of cases. Class IV
      and class III nephritis were observed in 48.8 % and 30.2 % respectively.
      Corticosteroids were used in all cases, associated to immunosuppressive therapy
      in 23%. Overall survival was 86% at 5 years and 74% at 10 and 15 years. Renal
      survival was 83% at 5 and 10 years and 63% at 15 years. Initial renal failure and
      tubulointerstitial fibrosis were significantly increased risk for the development
      of end-stage renal disease in our study group. Renal histological findings
      provide the basis for treatment recommendations. Timely performed renal biopsy is
      greatly needed to accurately determine the prognosis and to guide treatment in
      children lupus nephritis.

PMID- 28904682
TI  - Severity of motor dysfunction in children with cerebral palsy seen in Enugu,
      Nigeria.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have gross motor dysfunction
      (GMD) of varying degrees of severity. The Gross Motor Function Classification
      System (GMFCS) is widely used internationally to classify children with CP into
      functional severity levels. There are few reports on the use of GMFCS in Nigeria
      to determine the severity of motor dysfunction in children with CP. This study
      aims to classify children with CP in Enugu on the basis of severity of their GMD
      in order to ascertain their management needs. METHODS: The study was a cross
      sectional observational study and sample selection was by consecutive
      recruitment. One hundred (100) children with CP aged 9 - 96 months, attending two
      Pediatric Neurology Clinics in Enugu, were consecutively recruited. Relevant
      history was taken including modalities of treatment received. Neurological
      examination was done and the GMFCS manual was used to classify the children into
      levels of severity. RESULTS: GMD varied in severity in the patients from mild
      (47%) (GMFCS levels I & II) to moderate (7%) (GMFCS levels III) and to severe
      (46%) (GMFCS levels IV & V). Those in levels I - III (54%) were ambulatory while
      those in levels IV & V (46%) were non-ambulatory. Of the 53 that required
      mobility assistive device, only 6 (11.3%) were using one. CONCLUSION: More than
      half of CP patients seen in Enugu were ambulatory with mild to moderate motor
      dysfunction based on the GMFCS. Only a few of our patients are appropriately
      rehabilitated with augmentative interventions.

PMID- 28904683
TI  - [Pertrochanterian fracture revealing multiple myeloma: how is it treated?]
AB  - Skeletal involvement is the major clinical complication of multiple myelomas,
      resulting in pathological fractures. Proximal femoral fractures are very frequent
      during multiple myeloma evolution and they seriously compromise survival and
      quality of life of patients with cancer. Early surgical treatment allows
      mortality and morbidity improvement. Cervicomedullary Gamma locking nail
      osteosynthesis allows efficient, sustainable and stable fixation associated with
      early patient mobilization and survival improvement. However, prolonged survival
      imposes regular monitoring of the osteosynthesis in order to detect and to treat
      equipment failure. We should not overlook the fact that the recovery of
      independence after pertrochanterian fracture also influences myeloma control
      through the possibility to perform bone marrow autograft or not.

PMID- 28904684
TI  - Anaesthetic management for awake craniotomy in brain glioma resection: initial
      experience in Military Hospital Mohamed V of Rabat.
AB  - The awake brain surgery is an innovative approach in the treatment of tumors in
      the functional areas of the brain. There are various anesthetic techniques for
      awake craniotomy (AC), including asleep-awake-asleep technique, monitored
      anesthesia care, and the recent introduced awake-awake-awake method. We describe
      our first experience with anesthetic management for awake craniotomy, which was a
      combination of these techniques with scalp nerve block, and propofol/remifentanil
      target controlled infusion. A 28-year-oldmale underwent an awake craniotomy for
      brain glioma resection. The scalp nerve block was performed and a low sedative
      state was maintained until removal of bone flap. During brain glioma resection,
      the patient awake state was maintained without any complications. Once, the
      tumorectomy was completed, the level of anesthesia was deepened and a laryngeal
      mask airway was inserted. A well psychological preparation, a reasonable choice
      of anesthetic techniques and agents, and continuous team communication were some
      of the key challenges for successful outcome in our patient.

PMID- 28904685
TI  - [Poorly tolerated broad QRS complex tachycardia in a newborn].
AB  - Poorly tolerated broad QRS complex tachycardia in a newborn poses problems with
      its diagnosis and emergency management. We report the case of a 35-day-old
      newborn with broad QRS complex tachycardia admitted because of cardiocirculatory
      distress. Doppler echocardiography showed morphologically normal heart. The
      patient received a loading dose of amiodarone but it didn't attenuate
      tachycardia. Normal sinus rhythm was restored after cardioversion through
      Lifeline semi-automatic external defibrillator. Maintenance therapy was based on
      oral amiodarone. The patient had normal sinus rhythm at 03 months of follow-up.

PMID- 28904686
TI  - [Rare and severe complication of spinal anesthesia: bacterial meningitis (about a
      case and literature review)].
AB  - Spinal anesthesia (SA) is the first locoregional anesthesia. It can cause side
      effects and carry risks that need to be avoided, prevented or treated early. We
      here report the case of a female patient operated under spinal anesthesia who had
      intense headache associated with nausea and vomiting evolving in the context of
      fever within a few days after surgeryLumbar puncture showed cloudy liquid
      revealing Gram + cocci on direct examination. This allowed the diagnosis of
      bacterial meningitis. Patient's evolution was favorable after antibiotic therapy.

PMID- 28904687
TI  - A case of reccuring giant condyloma of vulva in infant without sexual abuse
      successfully treated with electrocoagulation in Benin.
AB  - We report here a case of giant vulval condyloma in a two-year-old infant infected
      by her "baby sitter" without sexual abuse. Treated by surgical excision coupled
      with electrocoagulation, it was noted a rapid recurrence two weeks after
      treatment requiring a second electrocoagulation session. More than a year later,
      no lesion was noted, thus demonstrating therapeutic success. The unavailability
      of imiquimod in our context requires a systematic use of invasive treatment
      regardless of the age of the patient.

PMID- 28904688
TI  - Cellulitis in aged persons: a neglected infection in the literature.
AB  - Cellulitis is a frequent soft tissue and skin infection. The lower limbs are
      affected in 70 to 80% of cases. Cellulitis in aged persons is not yet well
      described in literature. A retrospective descriptive study conducted in the
      Internal Medicine Department of Sahloul hospital in Sousse in Tunisia. It
      included patients whose age was up to 65 years old admitted into hospital for
      cellulitis of the legs, the arms or the face. One hundred fifty eight patients
      with a mean age of 73 years old (range: 65 to 94 years old) were included. Female
      to male sex ratio was 0.68. Among them, we noted diabetes mellitus in 81 cases
      (50.6%). The infection was located in the lower limbs in 155 cases (98%), in the
      face in two cases (1.3%) and in the upper limb in one case (0.7%). Twenty one
      patients (13.3%) presented with severe cellulitis and one presented with
      necrotizing fasciitis. All patients received intra venous antibiotic therapy.
      Surgical treatment was indicated in 14 cases. Cefazolin was prescribed in 77
      cases (48%). Favorable evolution was noted in 144 patients (91.1%). Forty four
      patients (27.8%) received prophylactic antibiotics. Prevention of skin and soft
      tissue infection is a crucial step to preserve health in aged persons.

PMID- 28904689
TI  - Severe neonatal cytomegalovirus infection: about a case.
AB  - Maternofoetal infection with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital
      infection and a leading cause of mental retardation and sensori-neural hearing
      loss. Population-based studies indicate that at least 0.5% of all infants born
      alive have CMV of whom approximately 10% have clinically evident symptomsat
      birth. The Justification of systematic screening for foetal CMV infection is
      still controversial and is not recommended in most developed countries. This is
      mainly justified by the paucity of antenatal prognostic factors and the lack of
      established intrauterine treatment when foetal infection has been diagnosed. In
      case of congenital CMV infection, infants can be symptomatic or asymptomatic at
      birth. Mortality for such infants can reach 30%, and survivors can have mental
      retardation, sensorineural hearing loss, chorioretinitis, and other significant
      medical problems. A newborn symptomatic is defined by the existence of clinical
      and / or biological signs and / or neonatal imaging, the most frequent clinical
      signs are: hepatosplenomegaly (60%), microcephaly (53%), jaundice (67%),
      petechiae (76%), at least one neurological abnormality (68%). The frequency of
      biological abnormalities is as follows: increase in transaminases (83%),
      thrombocytopenia (77%), hyperbilirubinemia (69%), haemolysis (51%),
      hyperproteinorrachy (46%). The abnormalities of neonatal imaging are present in
      70% of symptomatic newborns; intracerebral calcifications are the most frequent
      abnormalities. We report a case of newborn who presented a congenital infection
      by CMV, evoked on the intrauterine growth retardation, organs of the reticulo
      endothelial and haematological system were reached while nervous system was
      spared, and CMV PCR was very positive. indicating an antiviral treatment for
      6weeks based on ganciclovir.

PMID- 28904690
TI  - [Mixed connective tissue disease: prevalence and clinical characteristics in
      African black, study of 7 cases in Gabon and review of the literature].
AB  - The literature reports that mixed connective tissue disease seems more frequent
      in the black population and among Asians. This study aims to determine the
      prevalence of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) among connective tissue
      disorders and all rheumatologic pathologies in a hospital population in Gabon as
      well as to describe the clinical features of this disease. We conducted a
      retrospective study by reviewing the medical records of patients treated for
      mixed connective tissue disease (Kasukawa criteria) and other entities of
      connective tissue disorders (ACR criteria) in the Division of Rheumatology at the
      University Hospital in Libreville between January 2010 and December 2015. For
      each case of MCTD the parameters studied were articular and extra-articular
      manifestations, anti-U1RNP antibodies levels, patient's evolution. Over a period
      of 6 years, data were collected by medical records of 7 patients out of 6050
      patients and 67 cases of connective tissue disorders, reflecting a prevalence of
      0.11% and 10.44% respectively. the 7 patients were women (100%), with an average
      age of 39.5 years. Articular manifestations included: polyarthritis, myalgias,
      chubby fingers and Raynaud's phenomenon in 87.5%, 87.5%, 28.6% and 14%
      respectively. The 7 patients had high anti-U1RNP antibodies levels, ranging
      between 5 and 35N (N<= 7 IU). A case of death due to pulmonary arterial
      hypertension (PAH) was certified. This is the largest case series of MCTD
      reported in Black Africa. The disease seems to be rare among the black Africans;
      the reason could be genetic. The demographic and clinical aspects appear similar
      to those in Caucasians, Asians and Blacks except for a low frequency of Raynaud?s
      phenomenon among Blacks.

PMID- 28904691
TI  - IL-21 Augments Rapamycin in Expansion of Alpha Fetoprotein Antigen Specific Stem
      Cell-like Memory T Cells in vitro.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Alloreactive tumor specific T cells are important arsenals of the
      adaptive immune system in the fight against tumors. However, stem cell-like
      memory T cells (Tscm) provide the key to effective elimination of tumor cells.
      Methods for generating these T cell subsets already exist. However, they could be
      made more efficient. Further, they are expensive and unattainable to the resource
      poor laboratories. In this regard, we are hereby describing a novel in vitro
      allogeneic co-culture method for raising allo-restricted tumor specific Tscm
      cells that we developed. METHODS: We started by obtaining PBLs that screened
      negative for HLA-A2 molecules from healthy donors followed by co-culture with
      T2/AFP cells to generate AFP peptide specific tumor-reactive T cells. Controls,
      IL-21 and/or rapamycin were applied to samples in 24 well plates. Samples were
      harvested and stained with anti-human CD3, CD8, CD44, CD62L, and HLA-A2/AFP dimer
      followed by flow cytometry analysis. Cell viability was measured by Trypan blue
      exclusion assay. One Way ANOVA and independent t test were used to compare the
      mean differences among and between groups where P values less than 0.05 were
      considered significant. RESULTS: Our results show that rapamycin arrests the
      differentiation of, and expands AFP specific Tscm cells. Further, the expansion
      of Tscm cells is augmented in the presence of IL-21. CONCLUSION: IL-21 and
      Rapamycin can be used concurrently to raise and maintain antigen specific Tscm
      cells in vitro for purposes of augmenting immunotherapy strategies against
      cancers.

PMID- 28904692
TI  - Evaluation of bacterial meningitis surveillance data of the northern region,
      Ghana, 2010-2015.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bacterial meningitis is a disease of major public health importance
      especially for countries such as Ghana; whose northern part lies within the
      meningitis belt. The Northern region of Ghana has been recording cases with
      outbreaks over the years. In order to generate evidence to improve surveillance,
      we described the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis using surveillance data of
      the northern region. METHODS: Bacterial meningitis datasets from January 2010 to
      December 2015 for all the 26 districts of the Northern region were retrieved from
      line lists. Data were analyzed in terms of person, place, time, and identity of
      causative organisms using descriptive statistics. The results were presented as
      proportions, rates, tables and graphs. RESULTS: A total of 1,176 cases were
      reported. Of these, 53.5% (629/1,176) were males. The proportion of cases aged 0
      to 29 years was 77.4%. The Overall Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 9.7% (114/1,176).
      About 65% of all cases were recorded from January to April. Only 23.7%
      (279/1,176) of cases were laboratory-confirmed. Neisseria meningitides and
      Streptococcus pneumonia accounted for 91.4% of confirmed cases. Over the period,
      the incidence reduced from 9.0/100,000 population to 3.8/100,000 population and
      CFR reduced from 16.6% to 5.7%. CONCLUSION: Most cases of bacterial meningitis
      were recorded in the dry season and in persons younger than 30 years. Less than a
      quarter of cases were laboratory confirmed, and no new bacteria species were
      identified. Both morbidity and mortality rates were on the decline. There is the
      need to consolidate these gains by intensifying meningitis surveillance and
      improving on the rate of laboratory case confirmation.

PMID- 28904693
TI  - [Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors "GIST": status and news through our experience
      on 54 cases and review of literature].
AB  - Tumors Gastrointestinal Stromal "GIST" are a very rare form of digestive tract
      cancers belonging to the family of sarcomas. The aim of this study is to
      establish the epidemiological profile, the diagnostic and therapeutic
      difficulties of this malignancy supported in a developing country. A
      retrospective study spread over 8 years from January 2002 to March 2010, was
      conducted at the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology of Casablanca (Morocco)
      have collated 54 cases of Gastrointestinal Stromal tumors. The average age of our
      patients was 55 years. The average time of evolution was 11 months (0-72 months).
      The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis in 14 cases and surgery in 40 cases. The main
      histological form was fusiform (92.6%). GIST in our series had an average tumor
      size of 12.5 cm with a positive C-Kit in 52 cases. The risk of progression was
      established in 47 cases of which 39 were high risk. Surgery was the main
      treatment of patients in our study. After a mean fellow of 31 months, half of
      evaluable patients in our series (n = 19) is maintained complete remission, one
      third (n= 13) died while a quarter (n= 8) has a local recurrence and / or
      metastatic. Although the recommendations are published for the treatment of these
      tumors, these still present many problems both diagnostic and therapeutic in our
      context.

PMID- 28904694
TI  - [Bellini duct carcinoma: a new case study and literature review].
AB  - Bellini duct carcinoma is a very rare type of renal cell carcinoma (RCC),
      accounting for less than 1%. It arises from the distal nephron, more specifically
      from the collecting duct. Its morphological features are extremely variable,
      making its diagnosis difficult. We report the case of a 62-year old patient
      admitted with a painless progressive left flank swelling. CT scan showed a huge
      mass occupying the upper portion of the left kidney. The patient underwent
      radical nephrectomy. Anatomopathological examination showed collecting duct
      carcinoma of the kidney. Patient's evolution was exceptionally favorable: no
      recurrence, no locoregional metastasis and no distant metastasis.

PMID- 28904695
TI  - A case of gestational gigantomastia in a 37-years-old woman associated with
      elevated ANA: a casual linkage?
AB  - Hypertrophy of the breast (macromastia and gigantomastia) is a rare medical
      condition of the breast connective tissues. The etiology of this condition is
      still not clear; rarely, gigantomastia has been reported to develop in the
      setting of an autoimmune illness. We reported a case of a 37-years-old woman with
      undifferentiated connective tissue disease of 2-years duration presented with
      enlargement of breasts. The breast enlargment started at 5 months of gestation.
      She successfully underwent reduction mammoplasty with free nipple graft. In the
      succeeding months the level of antinuclear ANA remained stable. It is uncertain
      whether a positive antinuclear antibodies in gigantomastia is a casuative agent
      or an effect.

PMID- 28904696
TI  - Health worker attrition at a rural district hospital in Rwanda: a need for
      improved placement and retention strategies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The shortage and maldistribution of health care workers in sub
      Saharan Africa is a major concern for rural health facilities. Rural areas have
      63% of sub-Saharan Africa population but only 37% of its doctors. Although
      attrition of health care workers is implicated in the human resources for health
      crisis in the rural settings, few studies report attrition rates and risk factors
      for attrition in rural district hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: We
      assessed attrition of health care workers at a Kirehe District Hospital in rural
      Rwanda. We included all hospital staff employed as of January 1, 2013 in this
      retrospective cohort study. We report the proportion of staff that left
      employment during 2013, and used a logistic regression to assess individual
      characteristics associated with attrition. RESULTS: Of the 142 staff employed at
      Kirehe District Hospital at the start of 2013, 31.7% (n=45) of all staff and
      81.8% (n=9) of doctors left employment in 2013. Being a doctor (OR=10.0, 95% CI:
      1.9-52.1, p=0.006) and having up to two years of experience at the hospital
      (OR=5.3, 95% CI: 1.3-21.7, p=0.022) were associated with attrition. CONCLUSION:
      Kirehe District Hospital experienced high attrition rates in 2013, particularly
      among doctors. Opportunities for further training through Rwanda's Human
      Resources for Health program in 2013 and a two-year compulsory service program
      for doctors that is not linked to interventions for rural retention may have
      driven these patterns. Efforts to link these programs with rural placement and
      retention strategies are recommended.

PMID- 28904697
TI  - [Acromegaly features in the aging population].
AB  - Somatotroph adenomas are rare in the aging population. Diagnosis of somatotroph
      adenomas is often long delayed and they are characterized by atypical clinical
      picture. Their diagnostic criteria are similar to those used for younger
      patients. Surgery, if possible, is the treatment of choice for acromegaly in the
      elderly. Somatostatin analogues have shown to be effective in these patients.
      Prognosis is inversely correlated with patient's age, duration of disease and
      last GH level under treatment. Beside evolution of disease, age is a major
      determinant of mortality. We report three cases of elderly patients with
      acromegaly aged 75, 70 and 66 years respectively with a literature review.

PMID- 28904698
TI  - HIV-related knowledge, attitude and practices of healthy adults in Cross River
      State Nigeria: a population based-survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) remains a global health problem
      disproportionately distributed across Nigeria. Cross river state (CRS), a tourist
      state, located in the Niger delta, has one of the highest prevalence rates. There
      is evidence that poor knowledge and stigmatization are obstacles to achieving
      universal access to HIV prevention programs. The objective of this study was to
      determine the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of HIV among adults resident
      in CRS, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive survey design was
      employed. A total of 1,620 healthy adults were recruited. KAP towards HIV was
      assessed using a structured pre-tested questionnaire. Categorical variables were
      described as frequencies and continuous variables as median and interquartile
      range. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine relationship between variables
      and median KAP scores. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. All analyses
      were performed using Stata 12 statistical package. RESULTS: A total of 1,465
      respondents completed the questionnaire correctly giving a response rate of 91%.
      The M: F ratio was 1:1.8. The median age was 38 years. Majority was married and
      had formal education. Knowledge of HIV and common routes of transmission was high
      (>80%). However, misconception that HIV can be transmitted through hugging, hand
      shake, mosquito bites and witch craft was also common (> 60%). The overall
      attitude and practice towards persons living with HIV infection was poor.
      CONCLUSION: This study showed misconceptions in the knowledge and consequences of
      HIV infection which is associated with negative attitude towards persons living
      with HIV.

PMID- 28904699
TI  - Primary spinal marginal zone lymphoma: an unusual cause of spinal cord
      compression.

PMID- 28904700
TI  - Descriptive epidemiology of a cholera outbreak in Kaduna State, Northwest
      Nigeria, 2014.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cholera is an acute gastrointestinal infection caused by Vibrio
      cholerae, which may lead to severe dehydration and death if not treated. This
      analysis is aimed at highlighting the magnitude, pattern and trend of cholera
      outbreak that occurred in Kaduna State in 2014. METHODS: We obtained the 2014
      cholera line-list from the Kaduna State Disease Surveillance and Notification
      officer (DSNO). We described the outbreaks in time, place and person using Epi
      info 7 and Health Mapper. RESULTS: A total of 1468 case-patients and 54 deaths
      were recorded, giving a case fatality rate (CFR) of 3.68%. Female case-patients
      were 809(55.08%). The median age for case-patients was 15 years, with an age
      range of 0.04-90 years. Age specific case fatality rate (ASCFR) is highest among
      the > 60 years. Seven (30%) out of the 23 local government areas (LGAs) in Kaduna
      State were affected by the cholera outbreak in 2014. Igabi LGA has the highest
      attack rate (150.46 per 100,000 population) while Chikun LGA has the lowest
      attack rate (12.22 per 100,000 population). Chikun LGA records the highest CFR
      (17.54%). Cholera infection spread across LGAs sharing the same borders. The
      outbreak started from the first epidemic week of 2014 and lasted over 33 weeks.
      CONCLUSION: Our analysis revealed a protracted cholera outbreak that gradually
      increases in magnitude throughout the first half of 2014 and spread within
      contiguous LGAs. We recommended the strengthening of the state's diseases
      surveillance system towards timely detection and early response to disease
      outbreaks in the future.

PMID- 28904701
TI  - Laparoscopic evaluation and management of isolated gastric rupture in a boy after
      blunt abdominal injury.
AB  - Blunt abdominal injury in children can be a significant diagnostic and
      therapeutic challenge. The extent and localization of organ damage cannot be
      always thoroughly investigated noninvasively and in spite of modern imaging
      techniques and a laparotomy may be necessary for diagnosis, even though it
      carries a significant morbidity. We present a rare case of isolated gastric
      rupture after blunt abdominal injury in a 12 year old boy that sustained a
      bicycle accident. He was hemodynamically stable, had signs of acute abdomen and
      axial tomography was inconclusive as of the site of visceral perforation.
      Definitive diagnosis and treatment were carried out laparoscopically with
      excellent results. Laparoscopic surgery in cases of blunt abdominal injury with
      gastric rupture can serve both as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality with the
      additional advantage of being less traumatic. The accumulation of relevant
      experience is mandatory in order to establish this modality in the diagnostic and
      therapeutic protocols.

PMID- 28904702
TI  - [Leprosy in children in the region of Thies, Senegal: study determining whether
      or not it is a signal of recrudescence].
AB  - Leprosy is an infectious and transmissible disease. According to the WHO, the
      number of new cases of leprosy in children in Senegal has risen moderately since
      2013. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and
      evolutionary features of leprosy in children in the geographical areas of two
      social rehabilitation villages in the region of Thies. We conducted a
      retrospective study over a period of 3 years (2013-2015). All new cases of
      Hansen's disease aged 0 -15 years were included. Over the three year period, 39
      children were included in the study, with a boy predominance (n=23, 59%). Among
      these children, 27 (66.7%) came from a social rehabilitation village for leprosy
      patients. One family member was affected by leprosy in 27 cases (69.2%). More
      than half of the children (23 cases, 58.9%) had multibacillary leprosy
      (lepromatous-lepromatous). All children underwent a 12-month treatment, at the
      end of which thirty-six (92.3%) children were healed. Leprosy is still present in
      Senegal despite the efforts made by the national programme to combat leprosy. In
      the light of these results, it is important to emphasize the role of active
      screening strategy targeted to children, which seems to have shown its
      effectiveness in the region. Early detection, contact tracing and early treatment
      are important factors in the reduction of the contagiousity of leprosy.

PMID- 28904703
TI  - Patient satisfaction with the perioperative surgical services and associated
      factors at a University Referral and Teaching Hospital, 2014: a cross-sectional
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Globally, increasing consideration has been given to the assessment
      of patient satisfaction as a method of monitor of the quality of health care
      provision in the health institutions. Perioperative patient satisfaction has been
      contemplated to be related with the level of postoperative pain intensity,
      patients' expectation of the outcome, patient health provider relationship,
      inpatient services, hospital facilities, access to care, waiting time, cost and
      helpfulness of treatments received. The study aimed to assess the level of
      patient satisfaction with perioperative surgical services and associated factors.
      METHODS: Hospital based quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in
      University of Gondar teaching hospital from April1-30, 2014. Structured Amharic
      version questionnaire and checklist used for data collection. All patients who
      operated upon during the study period were included. Both bivariate and
      multivariate logistic regression model used to identify the variables which had
      association with the dependent variable. P-values < 0.05 were considered
      statistically significant. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy eight patients
      underwent surgery during the study period. Nine patients were excluded due to
      refusal to participate in the study. A total of 269 out of 278 patients were
      included in the study with a response rate of 96.8%. The overall level of patient
      satisfaction with perioperative surgical services was 98.1%. The variables that
      had association with the outcome variable from the multivariate analysis were
      patient admission status (AOR=0.073, CI=0.007-0.765, P=0.029), information about
      the disease and operation (AOR=0.010, CI=0.001-0.140, P=0.001) and operation
      theatre staff attention to the patients complains (AOR=0.028, CI=0.002-0.390,
      P=0.008) respectively. CONCLUSION: The level of patient satisfaction with
      perioperative surgical services was high compared with previous studies conducted
      in the country and other countries in the world. Health professionals need to
      give emphasis for information on care provision processes, patients' health
      progress and patients' complaints.

PMID- 28904704
TI  - [Prolactin-secreting microadenoma in menopausal women].
AB  - Prolactin-secreting adenoma is rare in elderly women. Patient's clinical picture
      may be confused with that of menopause, making diagnosis sometimes difficult. We
      report the case of a 57-year old woman with a 2-year history of secondary
      amenorrhea without hot flushes associated with galactorrhea in order to highlight
      the peculiarities of prolactin-secreting microadenomas. Physical examination
      confirmed the diagnosis of galactorrhoea and biology showed hyperprolactinemia at
      mIU/L, FSH = 15.1 IU/L and LH = 4,1 IU/L. Pituitary MRI showed left adenoma
      measuring 8 mm. Patient's evolution under dopaminergic treatment was marked by
      the recovery, for a transitional period, of mestrual cycles and the occurrence of
      hot flushes, normalization of prolactin levels and reduction of adenoma size.

PMID- 28904705
TI  - A study to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hypertension
      among employees working at a call centre Nairobi Kenya.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension often referred to as Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
      Causes of hypertension are classified into modifiable and non-modifiable factors.
      The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and other associated
      factors leading to the onset of hypertension among employees working at the call
      center. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross sectional study design. Data
      collection was done in two parts; part one comprised of clinical health
      assessments; weight and height to aid determine Body Mass Index and blood
      pressure measurement. Part two was by self-administered questionnaires to
      participants to aid identify behavioral risk factors and further elicit lifestyle
      practices. Data was collected from a sample population of 370 respondents.
      Descriptive statistical analysis was applied in univariate analysis. Further
      analysis included bivariate and multiple regression analysis; Odds Ratio with 95%
      confidence interval was used to determine the strength of association. RESULTS:
      The proportion of hypertension was significantly higher among overweight
      respondents (32.7%) (OR= 11.55; 95% CI= 4.44-30.07; P < 0.001) and obese
      respondents (60.2%) (OR= 36.02; 95% CI= 13.43-96.60; P < 0.001) compared to those
      respondents who were within normal range of weight (4.0%). Nine (9) factors that
      were associated with hypertension at bivariate analysis (P < 0.05) were all
      subjected to a multiple regression analysis or reduced model where four factors
      remained in the final analysis. Respondents who were classified as overweight had
      10.6 times likelihood developing hypertension compared to those respondents with
      normal weight (AOR= 10.61; 95%CI= 3.98-28.32; P < 0.001). Likewise, obese
      respondents were 43.6 fold more likely to develop hypertension compared to those
      respondents within normal range of weight [OR=43.68; 95%CI=15.24-125.16;
      P<0.001]. Respondents not trying to reduce fat in their diet were highly
      predisposed having hypertension at (AOR=2.44; 95% CI=1.20-4.96; P= 0.014) than
      respondents who always tried to reduce fat in their diet. Respondents who
      sometimes engage on more physical exercises were 2.2 times likely to develop
      hypertension (AOR=2.22; 95%CI= 1.20-4.10; P= 0.011) compared to those who always
      engaged in more physical exercises. Respondents with parenting issues were about
      twice as likely to have hypertension (AOR= 2.15; 95% CI: 1.23-3.74; P= 0.007)
      than parents who did not have parenting issues. CONCLUSION: This study depicts
      rising cases of hypertension and an alarming rate of pre-hypertension among the
      working population. This vary based on the age, obesity, parental responsibility,
      unhealthy diet and lack of or reduced physical activity. These call for strategic
      interventions and greater emphasis on health promotion programs at the workplace
      alongside staff empowerment towards health seeking behaviors.

PMID- 28904706
TI  - [When the denture becomes dangerous!]
AB  - Although rare in adults, foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a serious accident
      which can be potentially life threatening or lead to significant sequelae. We
      report the case of a 50 year old patient without previous pathological history,
      presenting to the emergency department with chest pain, intermittent cough and
      exertional dyspnea occurring six days after the accidental aspiration of his
      plastic dental prosthesis during a meal. Clinical examination was unremarkable.
      Chest X-ray as well as abdominal x-ray requiring no prior preparation showed no
      abnormalities. Flexible bronchoscopy under general anesthesia showed FBA at the
      level of the intermediate trunk. Successful extraction was performed avoiding a
      much more invasive procedure. Standard X-ray can be useful to visualize radio
      opaque FBA or indirect signs suggesting the presence of FBA, but diagnostic and
      therapeutic bronchoscopyis is essential.

PMID- 28904707
TI  - Perspectives on utilization of community based health information systems in
      Western Kenya.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Health information systems (HIS) are considered fundamental for the
      efficient delivery of high quality health care. However, a large number of legal
      and practical constraints influence the design and introduction of such systems.
      The inability to quantify and analyse situations with credible data and to use
      data in planning and managing service delivery plagues Africa. Establishing
      effective information systems and using this data for planning efficient health
      service delivery is essential to district health systems' performance
      improvement. Community Health Units in Kenya are central points for community
      data collection, analysis, dissemination and use. In Kenya, data tend to be
      collected for reporting purposes and not for decision-making at the point of
      collection. This paper describes the perspectives of local users on information
      use in various socio-economic contexts in Kenya. METHODS: Information for this
      study was gathered through semi-structured interviews. The interviewees were
      purposefully selected from various community health units and public health
      facilities in the study area. The data were organized and analysed manually,
      grouping them into themes and categories. RESULTS: Information needs of the
      community included service utilization and health status information. Dialogue
      was the main way of information utilization in the community. However, health
      systems and personal challenges impeded proper collection and use of information.
      CONCLUSION: The challenges experienced in health information utilization may be
      overcome by linkages and coordination between the community and the health
      facilities. The personal challenges can be remedied using a motivational package
      that includes training of the Community Health Workers.

PMID- 28904708
TI  - [Latissimus dorsi flap in reconstruction following treatment of giant tumor of
      the abdominal wall: about a rare case].
AB  - We report the case of a 16-year old patient presenting with giant, multinodular,
      mesenchymal tumor of the abdominal wall occupying the left abdominal region and
      measuring 25 cm on the vertical axis, 20 cm on the transverse axis, mobile when
      compared with the deep structures and gradually increasing in volume over
      childhood and neglected. After small biopsy, which showed desmoid tumor, the
      patient underwent complete surgical resection of the tumor with immediate
      reconstruction by free muscolo skin flap of the latissimus dorsi attached to the
      large blood vessels of the inguinal fold (left iliac artery and left external
      iliac vein), connected by termino lateral anastomosis. Flap survival was
      correctly performed and reconstruction was successful.

PMID- 28904709
TI  - [Factor V congenital deficiency: about a case].
AB  - Factor V congenital deficiency is a rare coagulation disorder initially described
      by Owren in 1947 and known as para hemophilia. It is transmitted through
      autosomal-recessive inheritance and homozygous cases are usually symptomatic.
      Factor V is an essential cofactor in the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin by
      activated factor X. In the absence of factor V, thrombin generation is slowed
      down and fibrin formation is delayed. This results in a bleeding tendency. We
      report a case of factor V congenital deficiency in an infant with recurrent
      epistaxis.

PMID- 28904710
TI  - Self-medication and its risk factors among women before and during pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Self-medication can cause significant challenges for the
      individuals and community, especially in women during pregnancy. This study was
      aimed to compare the prevalence of self-medication before and during pregnancy
      among women in Iran. METHODS: in this cross-sectional study, a total of 384
      pregnant women were evaluated for the prevalence of self-medication and its
      associated factors before and during pregnancy. Stratified random sampling was
      used as the sampling method. Descriptive statistics and chi-square and logistic
      regression tests were used for statistical analysis of data. RESULTS: The results
      showed that the prevalence of self-medication, in women who had become ill at
      least once, was 63.9% before pregnancy and 43.5% and during pregnancy. Variables
      such as lack of insurance, high school education and not having a child increased
      odds ratio of self-medication before pregnancy, while the variables of lack of
      insurance, not having a child or fewer number of children and no history of
      abortion increased the odds ratio of self-medication during pregnancy.
      CONCLUSION: Although the prevalence of self-medication during pregnancy was less
      than that before pregnancy, but this prevalence during pregnancy was still
      significant. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide public trainings for all
      women of reproductive age and train them about the dangers and side effects of
      self-medication.

PMID- 28904711
TI  - Factors determining late antenatal care booking and the content of care among
      pregnant mother attending antenatal care services in East Wollega administrative
      zone, West Ethiopia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antenatal care (ANC) is important for both maternal and fetal
      health. However, the existing evidence from developing countries indicates that
      most pregnant women attending ANC in their late pregnancy. Little is known about
      the factors determining ANC booking and the content of care among pregnant women
      in West part of Ethiopia. Therefore, the present study was conducted to identify
      factors determining late ANC booking and the content of care among pregnant
      mother attending antenatal care services in East Wollega administrative zone,
      West Ethiopia. METHODS: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted
      from July to September, 2014 among 421 pregnant women's attending ANC services in
      purposively selected health facilities, East Wollega zone, Ethiopia. The
      pretested-structured questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic data
      and predictor factors of late initiation of ANC services. Five trained nurse
      working at ANC clinic at each health institution administered the questionnaire.
      The collected data was analysed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      late ANC booking was 81.5% (343/421) in the study area. Being from Oromo ethnic
      group (AOR 4.27, (95% CI, 1.48-12.33)), maternal age equal or more than 25 year
      old (AOR 3.09 (95% CI, 1.53-6.27)), second trimester (AOR 6.05(95% CI, 3.08
      11.88)) and third trimester (AOR 7.97 (95% CI, 3.92-16.23)) were main factors
      identified as contributing (favoring factors) for the likely occurrence of late
      booking for ANC whereas; monthly income more than and/or equal to 15000 Ethiopian
      birrs (AOR 0.38 (95% CI, 0.18-084)) were factors compromising (decreasing) the
      chances for late attendance for the services among the pregnant women.
      CONCLUSION: Late ANC initiation is high in the study area despite the services is
      provided free of charge. Hence, it is important to provide health education on
      the timing of ANC among women with reproductive age. Community's awareness on
      importance of receiving early ANC also needs to be promoted.

PMID- 28904712
TI  - [Colonic gallstone ileus: a rare cause of colonic obstruction].
AB  - Bile ileus with migration of the gallstone into the colon through
      cholecystocolonic fistula is rare. The diagnosis is difficult and often late. We
      here report the case of a 89-year old patient with a history of sigmoid
      diverticular disease presenting with colonic obstruction associated with bile
      ileus caused by migration of a large gallstone through cholecystocolonic fistula.
      Abdominal CT scan allowed the diagnosis. The patient underwent surgical
      extraction of the gallstone with sigmoidotomy followed by sigmoidostomy with
      subsequent recovery of the digestive continuity. The cholecystocolonic fistula
      wasn't identified.

PMID- 28904713
TI  - [Chase's amputation in a patient with melanoma on the index finger: about a
      case].
AB  - We report the case of a 40-year old patient referred by the Depatment of
      Dermatology at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat for amputation of the index finger
      as a result of a melanoma diagnosed by biopsy. The amputation was performed
      according to Chase's method. Aesthetic and functional outcome was very good six
      months following surgical treatment.

PMID- 28904714
TI  - [The overweight, the obesity and the glycemic control among diabetics of the
      provincial reference center of diabetes (CRD), Kenitra, Morocco].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is a disorder of assimilation, use and storage of sugars
      provided in the diet. Its management is based on follow-up of overweight and
      obese patients and on regular glycemic control. This study aimed to analyze
      overweight, obesity and glycemic control in 2227 patients with different types of
      diabetes (type 1, 2 and gestational) presenting to the Provincial referral center
      of diabetes (RCD) in Kenitra, Morocco. METHODS: We conducted a study over the
      period January-December 2015. Overweight and obesity assessment was performed
      using Body Mass Index calculator (BMI = weight/height2 (kg/m2). Overweight and
      obesity were defined by BMI > 25 kg/m2and BMI > 30 kg/m2 respectively; the weight
      and the height were measured according to World Health Organization's
      recommendations. Glycemic control was based on glycated hemoglobin levels and
      fasting blood glucose test. Current guidelines recommend a glycosylated
      hemoglobin level of 7% and a fasting blood glucose of 0.70g/l - 1.10g/L. RESULTS:
      The age of patients ranged from 8 months to 80 years, with a prevalence of
      diabetic patients from the urban environment (74%) compared to those from the
      rural areas (26%). The entire study population was overweight. The average BMI of
      women showed a trend toward obesity (BMI~30): (29.21 kg/m2 +/- 3,1) in patients
      with gestational diabetes and (29.15 kg/m2 +/- 3.2) in patients with type 2
      diabetes. Blood sugar levels were above the standards: 8.5% +/- 2.6 > 7% for
      glycosylated hemoglobin and 1.5 g/L +/- 1.3>1.10g/L for fasting blood glucose.
      The difference between glycosylated hemoglobin levels between men (8.57% +/- 2.6)
      and women (8.1% +/- 2.3) were not significant (p > 0.05), it was the same with
      fasting blood glucose: men (1.44 g/L +/- 1,1) and women (1.43 g/L +/- 1.2).
      Pearson's correlation coefficients were highly significant (p<0.005); on the one
      hand between BMI and fasting blood glucose(r = 0.5) and on the other hand between
      BMI and glycosylated hemoglobin levels (r = 0.4). CONCLUSION: The entire study
      population had BMI and glycaemic control levels above the standards. More
      research is needed on diabetic patients in order to develop a remediation plan.

PMID- 28904715
TI  - Awareness of hypertension and its impact on blood pressure control among elderly
      nigerians: report from the Ibadan study of aging.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is highly prevalent among the elderly. Its awareness
      has a direct influence on control through drug adherence. Earlier studies have
      shown that awareness of hypertension is low among sub-Saharan African populations
      but only a few studies have looked at the prevalence and awareness of
      hypertension among the elderly. METHODS: The Ibadan Study of Ageing is a
      longitudinal cohort study of the mental and physical health status as well as the
      functioning of elderly persons residing in the Yoruba-speaking areas of Nigeria.
      Study was conducted in multiple waves from 2003/2004 to 2009. This report is
      based on the sample studied in 2007 (N = 1469). Respondents, aged >= 65 years,
      were assessed for the presence of hypertension, its awareness, receipt of and
      adherence to medication for the condition, and effectiveness of treatment on the
      control of blood pressure. Blood pressure was measured with the use of digital
      monitors (Omron MS - 2 Basic Model). Awareness of the diagnosis of hypertension
      was ascertained by self-reports. We explored social, economic, demographic and
      clinical correlates of the presence of hypertension, its awareness and control
      using multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The sample was composed of
      809 (55.1%) females and 666 (44.9%) males. The mean age of the participants was
      76.9 +/- 8.4 years. Hypertension (defined as previous diagnosis by a health
      provider or a measured blood pressure higher than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg) was
      recorded in 973 (62.2%) participants, with females having a prevalence of 61.4%
      and males that of 70.1%. Other than female gender, residing in urban/semi urban
      areas and being overweight or obesity were associated with the occurrence of
      hypertension. Among those assessed to have hypertension, 78% were not previously
      aware of its presence. Factors independently associated with lack of awareness of
      hypertension included low socioeconomic class (OR 8.21, 95% CI 3.72-18.11, P <
      0.001), and BMI >25kg/m2 (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.36-7.09, P < 0.009). Among those who
      were aware of the presence of hypertension and were on treatment, 77.3% still had
      uncontrolled hypertension. Only obesity or overweight (OR 5.56, 95% CI 1.35 -
      22.83, P < 0.016) was independently associated with poor blood pressure control.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of hypertension among elderly Nigerians is high and
      those affected are often not aware of having the condition. Only a minority of
      those who receive treatment for the condition have adequate blood pressure
      control. The findings highlight the need for improved healthcare for the growing
      population of elderly persons, with particular attention to early detection and
      effective control of the condition.

PMID- 28904716
TI  - [Supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) with either cricohyoidoepiglottopexy
      (CHEP): our experience with 16 cases].
AB  - Partial laryngectomy with either cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) are mainly used
      to treat glottic cancers becuse they ensure a satisfactory preservation of
      physiological functions and satisfactory local carcinologic control. Our study
      aimed to analyze the functional and carcinologic results of this surgical
      technique. We conducted a retrospective study of patients undergoing partial
      laryngectomy with either cricohyoidoepiglottopexy in our Hospital between 2011
      and 2014. We analyzed the epidemiological data, the surgical peculiarities, the
      functional outcomes and the carcinologic control of the disease. A total of 16
      patients were included in this study. All our patients had T1 or T2 glottis
      squamous cell carcinoma. Functional outcomes were generally simple, especially in
      cases where the preservation of the 2 cricoarytenoid units was possible (75% of
      cases). However post-operative complications were reported in 31.25%.
      Carcinologic control was satisfactory, only one patient experienced local
      recurrence. Partial laryngectomy with either cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) is a
      safe surgery preserving physiological functions and ensuring satisfactory quality
      of life. It also allows for good carcinologic control (it is subject of course to
      compliance with surgical indications).

PMID- 28904717
TI  - Aseptic meningitis following a bupivacaine spinal anesthesia.
AB  - Spinal anesthesia complicated by meningitis is rare. The diagnosis is difficult
      and the clinical signs are unspecific. There is a subgroup called aseptic
      meningitis of a different mechanism (hypersensitive reaction and irritation of
      the meninges), which must be identified for appropriate care. We report the case
      of aseptic meningitis resulting from bupivacaine use complicating spinal
      anesthesia. She is 31 years old and was admitted to the intensive care unit for
      meningitis following a Caesarean delivery. 10 hours after the procedure, she was
      found to have severe headache, neck stiffness and was found restless. She lost
      consciousness; she was treated by attending physicians. A CT scan have been
      performed and was found normal. 24 hours after intubation, the patient woke up.
      The clinical and biological valuations were normal, allowing for the elimination
      of the other causes of meningitis.

PMID- 28904718
TI  - [Intrauterine device: about a rare complication and literature review].
AB  - The intrauterine device (IUD) is the most common contraceptive method used in the
      world. Transuterine migration is a rare complication, accounting for 1/350 -
      1/10000 insertions in the literature. We report the case of a 40-year old
      patient, who had had an IUD insertion 12-year before, presenting with pelvic and
      right lower back pain associated with intermittent hematuria and burning during
      urination. Radiological assessment showed calcific deposits on intra bladder IUD.
      The patient underwent cystostomy, without any difficulty, allowing stone and IUD
      extraction. A urinary catheter was left in place for 5 days and then withdrawn.
      The postoperative course was uneventful.

PMID- 28904719
TI  - About a rare complication of spondyloarthritis.

PMID- 28904720
TI  - Lodox reveals the ideal body.

PMID- 28904721
TI  - Septal alcoholization in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: about 11 cases.
AB  - Outcomes of septal alcoholization in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy are
      not enough studied in all centers. The purpose of this study was to determine the
      outcomes of septal alcoholization in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy in
      our hospital. A retrospective and prospective descriptive study focused on all
      patients aged at least 18 years treated by alcohol septal ablation between July
      2005 and June 2010 in the cardiology unit of Clermont-Ferrand teaching Hospital.
      The inclusion criteria were, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy with left
      ventricular outflow tract obstruction >= 50 mmHg, symptomatic despite optimal
      medical therapy. The clinical, paraclinical data and the results of alcohol
      ablation were collected from medical records of patients and a telephone
      conversation with the patients or their physicians. These data were analyzed by
      EPI info 6.04. Eleven patients with average age of 56.27 +/- 15, 83 were included
      of which 81.8% of men. The main indications of alcohol septal were dyspnea stage
      NYHA II-IV (45.5%), lipothymia (18.2%) and invalidating angina (18.2%). Main
      electrocardiographic abnormalities were left ventricular hypertrophy and
      disorders of repolarization with 72.7% each. Minor conductive disorders were
      found in 45.5% of the cases. The left ventricular outflow tract obstruction was
      98.18 +/- 25.93 mmHg before alcohol septal ablation and 18.91 +/- 31.97 mmHg
      after a follow-up of 25.64 +/- 21.97 months. The success rate was 81.8%.
      Conductive disorders (45.5%) required the establishment of a definitive pacemaker
      in 36.4% of the patients. A cardiac defibrillator was implanted at 27.3%. Septal
      alcoholization was succesful.

PMID- 28904722
TI  - [Normal adnexal torsion and pregnancy: about a case].
AB  - Normal adnexal torsion is rare during pregnancy. We here report the case of a 22
      year old patient presenting with acute lateropelvic pain associated with a 2
      month history amenorrhea. Exploratory laparotomy showed severe ischemia due to
      torsion in a normal ovary. The patient underwent adnexal detorsion without
      ovarian pexy. The postoperative course was uneventful. Ultrasound examination
      after 3 weeks showed normal pregnancy. Ovarian torsion is an emergency that
      should not be ignored in pregnant women with acute pelvic pain. Conservative
      treatment is the gold standard and proper management is necessary to avoid
      possible maternal and fetal complications.

PMID- 28904723
TI  - Osteogenesis imperfecta Type IV: a newly identified variant at position c.560 (G
      > T; p.Gly187Val) in the COL1A2 gene.
AB  - Osteogenesis imperfecta is a clinically heterogenous disease caused by defective
      collagen syntesis associated with a mutation in the COL1A1 or COL1A2 genes. In
      this report, we present a case of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type IV, seen in a
      female fetus with incurved femurs at 18 weeks of gestation. Molecular analysis of
      the newborn revealed a novel mutation at position c.560 (c.560 G > T) of the exon
      12 in the COL1A2 gene; which lead to the glycine modification with valine
      (p.Gly187Val) at codon 187. The pregnancy follow-up was uneventful. After
      delivery, the newborn underwent biphosponat therapy and no fracture was detected
      until 1 year old.

PMID- 28904724
TI  - Treatment of high-energy pilon fractures using the ILIZAROV treatment.
AB  - The management of high-energy pilon fractures is still controversial. Open
      reduction and internal fixation are often associated with serious complications.
      Various methods have been used to treat these injuries, with variable results.
      The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the clinical and radiographic
      outcome of the ILIZAROV technique in patients with high-energy pilon fractures.
      Thirty cases of distal tibia epiphysis fractures (pilon fractures) were managed
      from 1999 to 2012. The study group included 5 cases of open fractures. The mean
      age was 47 years. According to Ruedi and Algower classification; 11 fractures
      were type II, and 19 type III. All fractures were a consequence of high-energy
      trauma. Fractures of the lower fibula were present in 28 of the patients. An
      external Fixator was applied for open fractures. Closed injuries were operated on
      3 to 13 days after injury, with an average of 8 days. The mean follow-up was 48
      months. All fractures united. The external fixator was removed after a mean of 22
      weeks (10 - 28 weeks). Two patients with a type III fracture had a delayed union
      and were treated with corticotomy and dynamisation of the ILIZAROV fixator. Only
      one secondary displacement of a type III fracture was noted after two months and
      was treated by adjuction of 2 olive wires. There were no cases of osteomyelitis
      or deep infections. Pin-tract infections occurred in ten patients. We had not any
      case of nervous injury due to introduction of the pins. Using radiological
      criteria for assessement of reduction of the articular fragments, there was
      excellent and good restoration of articular structure in 24 cases. The average
      American Orthopeadic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hind foot score was excellent
      in 16, good in 6, fair in 6 and poor in 2. Soft tissue healing occurred without
      need for plastic surgery in all cases. The movements of the ankle ranged from 0
      to 20 degrees  of dorsiflexion and 5 degrees  to 40 degrees  of plantar flexion.
      Twenty patients had gone back to their preinjury profession. The ILIZAROV
      technique is a safe and a very effective treatment for severe pilon fractures
      with minimum complications and good healing results.

PMID- 28904725
TI  - [Hidradenitis suppurativa and psoriasis: manifestation of a hidden disease].

PMID- 28904726
TI  - Radiographic determination of cardiomegaly using cardiothoracic ratio and
      transverse cardiac diameter: can one size fit all? Part one.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The cardio-thoracic ratio (CTR) and the transverse cardiac diameter
      (TCD) on Plain chest radiography are the two parameters commonly used to diagnose
      cardiomegaly and heart disease. A CTR of greater than 50% on a PA film is
      abnormal and normally indicates cardiac or pericardial disease condition, whiles
      an increase of TCD from 1.5 to 2cm on two consecutive radiographs, taken at short
      interval, suggests possible cardiac pathology. The aim was to determine the
      suitability of using the same TCD and CTR to detect cardiomegaly for all age
      groups and genders respectively. METHODS: A retrospective study involved the
      review of 1047 radiological images of adults aged 21 to 80 years, who had plain
      postero-anterior chest radiographs between January 2012 and November 2013 by 3
      radiologists. Data recorded included the transverse cardiac, thoracic diameter
      and the cardiothoracic ratios. Descriptive analyses were carried out using the
      Microsoft excel 2010. RESULTS: The mean age and standard deviation for the study
      population was 35.1 +/- 12.7. The mean and standard deviations for the transverse
      cardiac diameter, thoracic diameter, and the cardiothoracic ratios for male
      participants were 13.08cm +/- 1.2, 29.7cm +/- 2.7 and 46.6% +/- 3.9; and 12.9 cm
      +/- 1.3, 27.1 cm +/- 2.6, and 47.8% +/- 4.8 for females. An increase in TCD of
      1cm resulted in a CTR of greater than 50.0% in all but the males aged 21-40
      years. CONCLUSION: The study found that the same TCD and CTR values are not
      suitable in detecting cardiomegaly for all age groups and genders.

PMID- 28904727
TI  - Post-ivermectin encephalopathy in Senegal: a case report.
AB  - Ivermectin is an ant parasitic drug used for combating onchocerciasis and
      lymphatic filariasis. It works by inhibiting the function of neurons and muscles,
      thus causing paralysis of microfilariae. Side effects of this drug have been
      reported including post-ivermectin encephalopathy requiring emergency care in
      hospital. We report the case of a 35 years old patient living in rural areas of
      Senegal who presented two days after a mistake in administration of a second dose
      of ivermectin, headaches, altered consciousness and bilateral blindness. The
      workup revealed brain white matter lesions, abnormal liver function tests and
      biological inflammation without evidence of Loa loa microfilariae in blood and
      cerebrospinal fluid. Corticosteroid treatment was administered in emergency and
      patient recovered despite the persistence of bilateral blindness. Inflammatory
      process seems to have an important role in the pathophysiology of this
      encephalopathy. We should therefore carefully control the administration of this
      drugs.

PMID- 28904728
TI  - Evaluation of the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system, Gokwe North
      district, Zimbabwe, 2015: a descriptive cross sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: AFP surveillance was adopted globally as a key strategy for
      monitoring the progress of the polio eradication initiative. Gokwe North district
      with an estimated 119 655 children <15 years detected 2 cases, 4 cases and 1 case
      of AFP in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively against a target of 5 cases per year.
      We therefore set out to evaluate the system and find out why it was failing to
      detect at least 5 cases per year. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study
      was carried out. All three hospitals in the district were purposively selected.
      Twelve of the nineteen health facilities were randomly selected and forty nine
      health workers were purposively recruited. An interviewer administered
      questionnaire and key informant interview guide were used to collect data.
      Quantitative data was analysed using Epi info. RESULTS: Out of the 49
      respondents, 17(34.7%) knew the target age group for AFP surveillance. Twelve
      (24.5%) knew the number of notification forms to be filled. Seven (14.3%) and ten
      (20.4%) respondents knew when to follow up an AFP case and when an AFP case
      should be followed up and completely notified and investigated respectively.
      Forty one (83.7%) respondents were not trained on AFP surveillance. Nineteen
      (39%) had AFP notification forms at the clinic and 33(67%) had displayed AFP case
      definitions. All the 22 health facilities in the district participate in AFP
      surveillance; however, all have hard to reach areas. Seventeen (34.7%) reportedly
      took public health actions based on AFP data. CONCLUSION: The system was found to
      be useful, simple, acceptable, timely, unstable, not representative and not
      sensitive. The system was threatened by lack of health worker knowledge and
      community active search. Advocacy, communication and social mobilization on AFP
      surveillance might improve the performance of the system in Gokwe North district.

PMID- 28904729
TI  - Evaluation of the maternal mortality surveillance system in Mutare district,
      Zimbabwe, 2014-2015: a cross sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In Zimbabwe the integrated disease surveillance and response
      guidelines include maternal mortality as a notifiable event reported through the
      Maternal Mortality Surveillance System (MMSS). A preliminary review of the MMSS
      data for Mutare district for the period January to June 2014 revealed that there
      were some discrepancies in cases notified and those captured on the T5 monthly
      return form. There were also delays in reporting of some maternal deaths. Poor
      reporting indicated shortcomings in the MMSS in Mutare district and we therefore
      sought to assess the performance of the maternal mortality surveillance system in
      Mutare district. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted using
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidelines for evaluating
      public health surveillance systems. A total of 64 health workers were enrolled
      into the study from 19 selected health facilities in Mutare district and 32
      maternal death notification forms submitted in 2014 to the provincial office were
      reviewed to assess the quality of information on the forms. Interviewer
      administered questionnaires were used to collect information from enrolled health
      workers, the system's attributes namely usefulness, acceptability, simplicity,
      stability, data quality, timeliness and completeness were assessed and a
      checklist was used to assess availability of resources for the implementation of
      the maternal mortality surveillance. We also determined the cost of reporting
      each maternal death in Mutare district. RESULTS: Half of the study participants
      gave the correct definition of a maternal death. All health workers participated
      and were willing to continue participating in the maternal mortality
      surveillance. Majority of health workers, 79.7% used data generated from the
      surveillance system and 59.5% found it easy to implement the system. A total of
      32 death notification forms were reviewed and of these, 31 forms were forwarded
      to the national office and all did not reach the national office on time. Average
      completeness of notification forms was 76.0% and 53.1% of the forms had all the
      necessary accompanying documents. Reporting each maternal death was estimated to
      cost $28.65 in Mutare district. CONCLUSION: The strongest components of the
      maternal mortality surveillance system in Mutare district were usefulness and
      acceptability. Timeliness and completeness were the weaker components of the
      system. The system was found to be simple; however, resources were not adequately
      available in all health facilities.

PMID- 28904730
TI  - [Tuberculous meningoencephalitis revealed by psychiatric disorders: about a
      case].
AB  - Tuberculous meningoencephalitis is fairly frequent in endemic countries and it is
      the most severe form of tuberculosis. Therapeutic failure is common because of
      diagnostic delay. This delay is primarily due to a wide clinical polymorphism
      and, in particular, to misleading forms. We here report a rare clinical case of
      tuberculous meningitis in a patient in prodromal phase of psychosis.

PMID- 28904731
TI  - [Management for esophageal foreign bodies: about 36 cases].
AB  - Esophageal foreign bodies are a frequent reason for consultation in the Pediatric
      Emergency Department. However, they can occur at all ages. This study aims to
      highlight the clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic features of esophageal
      foreign bodies management at the Hospital in Mali. We conducted a prospective
      study of all cases of ingestion of foreign bodies between January 2011 and
      December 2014. A total of 36 patients underwent endoscopic or surgical treatment.
      The average age was 6 years (with a range from 14 months to 62 years). They
      mainly affected male patients with a sex ratio of 1.75. Foreign bodies were
      blocked in the cricopharyngeal shrinkage in 69.45% of cases, 22.22% of whom had
      subsequent aortic shrinkage. The average time of foreign body removal was 7.30
      hours. Rigid fibroscopy allowed the removal of the foreign body in 88.89% of
      cases. Thoracotomy allowed the removal of the foreign body in 5.55%. Esophageal
      foreign bodies can occur at all ages but they are more frequent among children.
      Endoscopic removal is the gold standard treatment but surgical removal of a
      blocked esophageal foreign body, although rare, is the last resort, due to the
      nature of the foreign body and to the occurrence of complications. The best way
      to reduce accidents is prevention.

PMID- 28904732
TI  - [Type III Monteggia lesion: a rare association, about a case].
AB  - Type III Monteggia lesion is very rare, usually occurring within a context of
      violent trauma and often going unnoticed. We report the case of a 11-year old boy
      presenting to the Emergency Department with blunt trauma of the upper limb. The
      radiological evaluation showed olecranon fracture and radial epiphyseal
      separation associated with dislocation of the radial head. The patient underwent
      orthopedic treatment with good outcome after a mean follow-up of 3 months.

PMID- 28904733
TI  - [Bone metastases from malignant melanoma detected on 18F-FDG PET in a patient
      with normal skeletal scintigraphy].

PMID- 28904734
TI  - A 17-year-old male with a Small Bowel Neuroendocrine Tumor: flushing differential
      diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are heterogeneous neoplasms that
      originate from cells with a secretory function. Small bowel NETs (SB-NETs) are
      related to serotonin hypersecretion which causes: flushing, diarrhea, abdominal
      pain, bronchoconstriction and heart involvement, also known as carcinoid syndrome
      (CS). CS can be confused with an allergic reaction and thus should be considered
      as a differential diagnosis in the allergy consult. We present the case of a
      pediatric patient initially referred under the suspicion of food allergies. CASE
      PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 17-year-old male with evanescent non
      pruriginous erythematous lesions- flushing that appeared with food consumption,
      associated with conjunctival injection, warmth and diaphoresis after the lesions
      disappeared. He denied abdominal pain, diarrhea, cough or wheezing. The 24-h
      urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) excretion was elevated. The CT scan
      showed thickening of the distal ileum and multiple lesions on both hepatic
      lobules and the colonoscopy revealed a tumor in the ileocecal valve. Hepatic and
      intestinal biopsies reported a well-differentiated NET of the ileocecal valve
      with hepatic metastasis. He was started on octreotide and underwent a wide
      hepatectomy and right hemicolectomy with improvement of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      NETs can present as carcinoid syndrome (flushing, diarrhea, abdominal pain,
      wheezing), which constitutes vague symptomatology and represents a challenging
      diagnosis for physicians. They can be confused with an allergic reaction and the
      allergist should consider it as a differential diagnosis. Accurate diagnostic
      tests will help to diagnose NETs earlier and potentially prevent carcinoid heart
      disease, bowel obstruction, and improve quality of life and mortality in these
      patients.

PMID- 28904735
TI  - Corrigendum to "Immune Profile of Obese People and In Vitro Effects of Red Grape
      Polyphenols on Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2017/9210862.].

PMID- 28904736
TI  - Beer Polyphenols and Menopause: Effects and Mechanisms-A Review of Current
      Knowledge.
AB  - Beer is one of the most frequently consumed fermented beverages in the world, and
      it has been part of the human diet for thousands of years. Scientific evidence
      obtained from the development of new techniques of food analysis over the last
      two decades suggests that polyphenol intake derived from moderate beer
      consumption may play a positive role in different health outcomes including
      osteoporosis and cardiovascular risk and the relief of vasomotor symptoms, which
      are commonly experienced during menopause and are an important reason why women
      seek medical care during this period; here, we review the current knowledge
      regarding moderate beer consumption and its possible effects on menopausal
      symptoms. The effect of polyphenol intake on vasomotor symptoms in menopause may
      be driven by the direct interaction of the phenolic compounds present in beer,
      such as 8-prenylnaringenin, 6-prenylnaringenin, and isoxanthohumol, with
      intracellular estrogen receptors that leads to the modulation of gene expression,
      increase in sex hormone plasma concentrations, and thus modulation of
      physiological hormone imbalance in menopausal women. Since traditional hormone
      replacement therapies increase health risks, alternative, safer treatment options
      are needed to alleviate menopausal symptoms in women. The present work aims to
      review the current data on this subject.

PMID- 28904737
TI  - Anticataractogenesis and Antiretinopathy Effects of the Novel Protective Agent
      Containing the Combined Extract of Mango and Vietnamese Coriander in STZ-Diabetic
      Rats.
AB  - The novel protectant against diabetic cataract and diabetic retinopathy is
      currently required due to the increased prevalence and therapeutic limitation.
      Based on the advantage of polyphenol on diabetic eye complications, we
      hypothesized that the combined extract of mango seed Vietnamese coriander (MPO),
      a polyphenol-rich substance, should possess anticataractogenesis and
      antiretinopathy in streptozotocin- (STZ-) diabetic rats. MPO at doses of 2, 10,
      and 50 mg/kg.BW were orally given to STZ-diabetic rats for 10 weeks. Lens opacity
      was evaluated every week throughout a study period whereas the evaluation of
      cataract severity and histological changes of both rat lens epithelium and retina
      together with the biochemical assays of oxidative stress status, aldose
      reductase, p38MAPK, ERK1/2, and VEGF were performed at the end of experiment. Our
      data showed that MPO improved cataract and retinopathy in STZ-diabetic rats. The
      improved oxidative stress status and the decreased p38MAPK, ERK1/2, and VEGF were
      also observed. Therefore, anticataractogenesis and antiretinopathy of MPO might
      occur partly via the decreased oxidative stress status and the suppression of
      aldose reductase, p38MAPK, ERK1/2, and VEGF. This study points out that MPO is
      the potential candidate protectant against diabetic cataract and diabetic
      retinopathy. However, the exploration for possible active ingredient (S) still
      requires further researches.

PMID- 28904738
TI  - Total Oxidant and Antioxidant Status in Prepubertal Children with Obesity.
AB  - AIMS: Obesity is accompanied by the formation of oxygen free radicals, whose
      intensified activity without effective defense mechanisms can lead to oxidative
      stress and related complications. We evaluated the presence of oxidative stress
      in obese prepubertal children. METHODS: The study included 83 healthy children
      aged 2-10 years (62 with obesity and 21 nonobese controls). Total oxidant
      capacity (TOC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), oxidized low-density
      lipoprotein (ox-LDL), lipid parameters, glucose, and C-reactive protein (CRP)
      were measured in serum. Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. RESULTS:
      Serum TOC concentration was significantly higher (p < 0.05) and TAC concentration
      was lower (p < 0.05) in obese children. OSI was higher (p < 0.01) in obese
      subjects compared with controls. CRP levels were normal in all children, but
      median CRP value was higher (p < 0.01) and HDL cholesterol levels were lower (p <
      0.05) in the obese group. We found a significant negative correlation between TAC
      and ox-LDL concentrations (r = -0.27, p < 0.05) in obese children. Furthermore,
      obesity duration was positively correlated with TOC level (r = 0.32, p < 0.05) in
      this group. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity-related oxidative stress already occurs in
      prepubescence. Early obesity diagnosis and the necessary therapeutic activity
      implementation is a vital strategy for the prophylaxis of free radical damage and
      related multiorgan complications.

PMID- 28904739
TI  - Role of Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Sepsis and Potential
      Therapies.
AB  - Sepsis is one of the most important causes of death in intensive care units.
      Despite the fact that sepsis pathogenesis remains obscure, there is increasing
      evidence that oxidants and antioxidants play a key role. The imbalance of the
      abovementioned substances in favor of oxidants is called oxidative stress, and it
      contributes to sepsis process. The most important consequences are vascular
      permeability impairment, decreased cardiac performance, and mitochondrial
      malfunction leading to impaired respiration. Nitric oxide is perhaps the most
      important and well-studied oxidant. Selenium, vitamin C, and 3N-acetylcysteine
      among others are potential therapies for the restoration of redox balance in
      sepsis. Results from recent studies are promising, but there is a need for more
      human studies in a clinical setting for safety and efficiency evaluation.

PMID- 28904741
TI  - Complete genome of Arthrobacter alpinus strain R3.8, bioremediation potential
      unraveled with genomic analysis.
AB  - Arthrobacter alpinus R3.8 is a psychrotolerant bacterial strain isolated from a
      soil sample obtained at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, close to the Antarctic
      Peninsula. Strain R3.8 was sequenced in order to help discover potential cold
      active enzymes with biotechnological applications. Genome analysis identified
      various cold adaptation genes including some coding for anti-freeze proteins and
      cold-shock proteins, genes involved in bioremediation of xenobiotic compounds
      including naphthalene, and genes with chitinolytic and N-acetylglucosamine
      utilization properties and also plant-growth-influencing properties. In this
      genome report, we present a complete genome sequence of A. alpinus strain R3.8
      and its annotation data, which will facilitate exploitation of potential novel
      cold-active enzymes.

PMID- 28904740
TI  - Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation Affects Mesenchymal Stem Cells via Extracellular
      Oxidized Cell-Free DNA: A Possible Mediator of Bystander Effect and Adaptive
      Response.
AB  - We have hypothesized that the adaptive response to low doses of ionizing
      radiation (IR) is mediated by oxidized cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments. Here, we
      summarize our experimental evidence for this model. Studies involving
      measurements of ROS, expression of the NOX (superoxide radical production),
      induction of apoptosis and DNA double-strand breaks, antiapoptotic gene
      expression and cell cycle inhibition confirm this hypothesis. We have
      demonstrated that treatment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with low doses of IR
      (10 cGy) leads to cell death of part of cell population and release of oxidized
      cfDNA. cfDNA has the ability to penetrate into the cytoplasm of other cells.
      Oxidized cfDNA, like low doses of IR, induces oxidative stress, ROS production,
      ROS-induced oxidative modifications of nuclear DNA, DNA breaks, arrest of the
      cell cycle, activation of DNA reparation and antioxidant response, and inhibition
      of apoptosis. The MSCs pretreated with low dose of irradiation or oxidized cfDNA
      were equally effective in induction of adaptive response to challenge further
      dose of radiation. Our studies suggest that oxidized cfDNA is a signaling
      molecule in the stress signaling that mediates radiation-induced bystander
      effects and that it is an important component of the development of radioadaptive
      responses to low doses of IR.

PMID- 28904742
TI  - Draft genome sequence of the cellulolytic endophyte Chitinophaga costaii A37T2T.
AB  - Here we report the draft genome sequence of Chitinophaga costai A37T2T (=CIP
      110584T, =LMG 27458T), which was isolated from the endophytic community of Pinus
      pinaster tree. The total genome size of C. costaii A37T2T is 5.07 Mbp, containing
      4204 coding sequences. Strain A37T2T encoded multiple genes likely involved in
      cellulolytic, chitinolytic and lipolytic activities. This genome showed 1145
      unique genes assigned into 109 Cluster of Orthologous Groups in comparison with
      the complete genome of C. pinensis DSM 2588T. The genomic information suggests
      the potential of the strain A37T2T to interact with the plant metabolism. As
      there are only a few bacterial genomes related to Pine Wilt Disease, this work
      provides a contribution to the field.

PMID- 28904743
TI  - Complete genome sequence of the sulfur-oxidizing chemolithoautotrophic Sulfurovum
      lithotrophicum 42BKTT.
AB  - A sulfur-oxidizing chemolithoautotrophic bacterium, Sulfurovum lithotrophicum
      42BKTT, isolated from hydrothermal sediments in Okinawa, Japan, has been used
      industrially for CO2 bio-mitigation owing to its ability to convert CO2 into
      C5H8NO4- at a high rate of specific mitigation (0.42 g CO2/cell/h). The genome of
      S. lithotrophicum 42BKTT comprised of a single chromosome of 2217,891 bp with
      2217 genes, including 2146 protein-coding genes and 54 RNA genes. Here, we
      present its complete genome-sequence information, including information about the
      genes encoding enzymes involved in CO2 fixation and sulfur oxidation.

PMID- 28904744
TI  - Clinical and surgical characteristics of infected diabetic foot ulcers in a
      tertiary hospital of Mexico.
AB  - Background: The objective of this study was to determine the clinical and
      surgical characteristics of diabetic foot ulcers in a tertiary level hospital in
      Mexico. Methods: We performed a longitudinal, descriptive study from July, 2012
      to August, 2015 on a sample composed of 100 patients with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus and infected diabetic foot ulcers. We analyzed socio-demographic
      variables, comorbidities, characteristics of ulcers, and the applied treatment.
      Results: We found that the most affected areas were the forefoot (48%) and the
      plantar region (55%) of the foot. Also, most of the patients arrived with
      advanced stages of diabetic foot ulcers, since 93% of the lesions were of grades
      III-V according to the Wagner classification. Moreover, lesions usually present
      with advanced states of infection, since 60% of the lesions were of grades 3-4 in
      the PEDIS scale. In addition, the great majority of the patients are prone to
      complications because we found that 43% of the patients suffered from
      hypertension, 47% of the patients had chronic kidney disease, and 45% reported
      smoking. In fact, 45% of the patients eventually suffered an amputation. We also
      found that the situation is more difficult because the great majority of the
      patients (96%) have a low level of education and very low income and they do not
      have any health insurance. Nevertheless, we also found that an efficient
      treatment can help in avoiding amputations, since 53% of grade IV and 25% of
      grade V lesions according to the Wagner system did not suffer an amputation.
      Conclusions: Therefore, an effective antibiotic treatment and an education of the
      patient on the adequate care of their lesions are essential in increasing the
      welfare of patients, especially when they have a low level of education.

PMID- 28904745
TI  - Genome editing of the HIV co-receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 by CRISPR-Cas9 protects
      CD4+ T cells from HIV-1 infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main approach to treat HIV-1 infection is combination
      antiretroviral therapy (cART). Although cART is effective in reducing HIV-1 viral
      load and controlling disease progression, it has many side effects, and is
      expensive for HIV-1 infected patients who must remain on lifetime treatment. HIV
      1 gene therapy has drawn much attention as studies of genome editing tools have
      progressed. For example, zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator
      like effector nucleases (TALEN) and clustered regularly interspaced short
      palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 have been utilized to successfully disrupt the
      HIV-1 co-receptors CCR5 or CXCR4, thereby restricting HIV-1 infection. However,
      the effects of simultaneous genome editing of CXCR4 and CCR5 by CRISPR-Cas9 in
      blocking HIV-1 infection in primary CD4+ T cells has been rarely reported.
      Furthermore, combination of different target sites of CXCR4 and CCR5 for
      disruption also need investigation. RESULTS: In this report, we designed two
      different gRNA combinations targeting both CXCR4 and CCR5, in a single vector.
      The CRISPR-sgRNAs-Cas9 could successfully induce editing of CXCR4 and CCR5 genes
      in various cell lines and primary CD4+ T cells. Using HIV-1 challenge assays, we
      demonstrated that CXCR4-tropic or CCR5-tropic HIV-1 infections were significantly
      reduced in CXCR4- and CCR5-modified cells, and the modified cells exhibited a
      selective advantage over unmodified cells during HIV-1 infection. The off-target
      analysis showed that no non-specific editing was identified in all predicted
      sites. In addition, apoptosis assays indicated that simultaneous disruption of
      CXCR4 and CCR5 in primary CD4+ T cells by CRISPR-Cas9 had no obvious cytotoxic
      effects on cell viability. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that simultaneous
      genome editing of CXCR4 and CCR5 by CRISPR-Cas9 can potentially provide an
      effective and safe strategy towards a functional cure for HIV-1 infection.

PMID- 28904746
TI  - Discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in two
      anadromous alosine fishes of conservation concern.
AB  - Freshwater habitat alteration and marine fisheries can affect anadromous fish
      species, and populations fluctuating in size elicit conservation concern and
      coordinated management. We describe the development and characterization of two
      sets of 96 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays for two species of
      anadromous alosine fishes, alewife and blueback herring (collectively known as
      river herring), that are native to the Atlantic coast of North America. We used
      data from high-throughput DNA sequencing to discover SNPs and then developed
      molecular genetic assays for genotyping sets of 96 individual loci in each
      species. The two sets of assays were validated with multiple populations that
      encompass both the geographic range and the known regional genetic stocks of both
      species. The SNP panels developed herein accurately resolved the genetic stock
      structure for alewife and blueback herring that was previously identified using
      microsatellites and assigned individuals to regional stock of origin with high
      accuracy. These genetic markers, which generate data that are easily shared and
      combined, will greatly facilitate ongoing conservation and management of river
      herring including genetic assignment of marine caught individuals to stock of
      origin.

PMID- 28904747
TI  - Linking the wintering and breeding grounds of warblers along the Pacific Flyway.
AB  - Long-distance migration is a behavior that is exhibited by many animal groups.
      The evolution of novel migration routes can play an important role in range
      expansions, ecological interactions, and speciation. New migration routes may
      evolve in response to selection in favor of reducing distance between breeding
      and wintering areas, or avoiding navigational barriers. Many migratory changes
      are likely to evolve gradually and are therefore difficult to study. Here, we
      attempt to connect breeding and wintering populations of myrtle warblers
      (Setophaga coronata coronata) to better understand the possible evolution of
      distinct migration routes within this species. Myrtle warblers, unlike most other
      warblers with breeding ranges primarily in eastern North America, have two
      disjunct overwintering concentrations-one in the southeastern USA and one along
      the Pacific Coast-and presumably distinct routes to-and-from these locations. We
      studied both myrtle and Audubon's warblers (S. c. auduboni) captured during their
      spring migration along the Pacific Coast, south of the narrow region where these
      two taxa hybridize. Using stable hydrogen isotopes and biometric data, we show
      that those myrtle warblers wintering along the southern Pacific Coast of North
      America are likely to breed at high latitudes in Alaska and the Yukon rather than
      in Alberta or further east. Our interpretation is that the evolution of this
      wintering range and migration route along the Pacific Coast may have facilitated
      the breeding expansion of myrtle warblers into northwestern North America.
      Moreover, these data suggest that there may be a migratory divide within
      genetically similar populations of myrtle warblers.

PMID- 28904749
TI  - Do you hear what I see? Vocalization relative to visual detection rates of
      Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus semotus).
AB  - Bats vocalize during flight as part of the sensory modality called echolocation,
      but very little is known about whether flying bats consistently call. Occasional
      vocal silence during flight when bats approach prey or conspecifics has been
      documented for relatively few species and situations. Bats flying alone in
      clutter-free airspace are not known to forgo vocalization, yet prior observations
      suggested possible silent behavior in certain, unexpected situations. Determining
      when, why, and where silent behavior occurs in bats will help evaluate major
      assumptions of a primary monitoring method for bats used in ecological research,
      management, and conservation. In this study, we recorded flight activity of
      Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) under seminatural conditions
      using both thermal video cameras and acoustic detectors. Simultaneous video and
      audio recordings from 20 nights of observation at 10 sites were analyzed for
      correspondence between detection methods, with a focus on video observations in
      three distance categories for which accompanying vocalizations were detected.
      Comparison of video and audio detections revealed that a high proportion of
      Hawaiian hoary bats "seen" on video were not simultaneously "heard." On average,
      only about one in three visual detections within a night had an accompanying call
      detection, but this varied greatly among nights. Bats flying on curved flight
      paths and individuals nearer the cameras were more likely to be detected by both
      methods. Feeding and social calls were detected, but no clear pattern emerged
      from the small number of observations involving closely interacting bats. These
      results may indicate that flying Hawaiian hoary bats often forgo echolocation, or
      do not always vocalize in a way that is detectable with common sampling and
      monitoring methods. Possible reasons for the low correspondence between visual
      and acoustic detections range from methodological to biological and include a
      number of biases associated with the propagation and detection of sound, cryptic
      foraging strategies, or conspecific presence. Silent flight behavior may be more
      prevalent in echolocating bats than previously appreciated, has profound
      implications for ecological research, and deserves further characterization and
      study.

PMID- 28904748
TI  - The complexity of mating decisions in stalk-eyed flies.
AB  - All too often, studies of sexual selection focus exclusively on the responses in
      one sex, on single traits, typically those that are exaggerated and strongly
      sexually dimorphic. They ignore a range of less obvious traits and behavior, in
      both sexes, involved in the interactions leading to mate choice. To remedy this
      imbalance, we analyze a textbook example of sexual selection in the stalk-eyed
      fly (Diasemopsis meigenii). We studied several traits in a novel, insightful, and
      efficient experimental design, examining 2,400 male-female pairs in a "round
      robin" array, where each female was tested against multiple males and vice versa.
      In D. meigenii, females exhibit strong mate preference for males with highly
      exaggerated eyespan, and so we deliberately constrained variation in male eyespan
      to reveal the importance of other traits. Males performing more precopulatory
      behavior were more likely to attempt to mate with females and be accepted by
      them. However, behavior was not a necessary part of courtship, as it was absent
      from over almost half the interactions. Males with larger reproductive organs
      (testes and accessory glands) did not make more mating attempts, but there was a
      strong tendency for females to accept mating attempts from such males. How
      females detect differences in male reproductive organ size remains unclear. In
      addition, females with larger eyespan, an indicator of size and fecundity,
      attracted more mating attempts from males, but this trait did not alter female
      acceptance. Genetic variation among males had a strong influence on male mating
      attempts and female acceptance, both via the traits we studied and other
      unmeasured attributes. These findings demonstrate the importance of assaying
      multiple traits in males and females, rather than focusing solely on prominent
      and exaggerated sexually dimorphic traits. The approach allows a more complete
      understanding of the complex mating decisions made by both males and females.

PMID- 28904750
TI  - Phenology of brown marmorated stink bug described using female reproductive
      development.
AB  - Temperature-based degree-day models describe insect seasonality and to predict
      key phenological events. We expand on the use of a temperature-based process
      defining timing of reproduction through the incorporation of female reproductive
      physiology for the invasive pentatomid species Halyomorpha halys, the brown
      marmorated stink bug. A five-stage ranking system based on ovary development was
      able to distinguish between the reproductive statuses of field-collected females.
      Application of this ranking method described aspects of H. halys' seasonality,
      overwintering biology, and phenology across geographic locations. Female H. halys
      were collected in the US from NJ, WV, NC, OR, and two sites in PA in 2006-2008
      (Allentown, PA only) and 2012-2014. Results identify that H. halys enters
      reproductive diapause in temperate locations in the fall and that a delay occurs
      in developmental maturity after diapause termination in the spring. Modification
      of the Snyder method to identify biofix determined 12.7-hr photoperiod as the
      best fit to define initiation of reproduction in the spring. Applying the biofix,
      we demonstrated significant differences between locations for the rate at which
      the overwintering generation transition into reproductive status and the factors
      contributing to this difference require further study. For example, after
      including abiotic variables influencing development such as temperature and
      photoperiod (critical diapause cue), reproduction occurred earlier in OR and for
      an extended period in NJ. This data describe a method to investigate insect
      seasonality by incorporating physiological development across multiple regions
      that can clarify phenology for insects with overlapping generations.

PMID- 28904751
TI  - The thermal niche of Neotropical nectar-feeding bats: Its evolution and
      application to predict responses to global warming.
AB  - The thermal niche of a species is one of the main determinants of its ecology and
      biogeography. In this study, we determined the thermal niche of 23 species of
      Neotropical nectar-feeding bats of the subfamily Glossophaginae (Chiroptera,
      Phyllostomidae). We calculated their thermal niches using temperature data
      obtained from collection records, by generating a distribution curve of the
      maximum and minimum temperatures per locality, and using the inflection points of
      the temperature distributions to estimate the species optimal (STZ) and
      suboptimal (SRZ) zones of the thermal niche. Additionally, by mapping the values
      of the STZ and SRZ on a phylogeny of the group, we generated a hypothesis of the
      evolution of the thermal niches of this clade of nectar-feeding bats. Finally, we
      used the characteristics of their thermal niches to predict the responses of
      these organisms to climate change. We found a large variation in the width and
      limits of the thermal niches of nectar-feeding bats. Additionally, while the
      upper limits of the thermal niches varied little among species, their lower
      limits differ wildly. The ancestral reconstruction of the thermal niche indicated
      that this group of Neotropical bats evolved under cooler temperatures. The two
      clades inside the Glossophaginae differ in the evolution of their thermal niches,
      with most members of the clade Choeronycterines evolving "colder" thermal niches,
      while the majority of the species in the clade Glossophagines evolving "warmer"
      thermal niches. By comparing thermal niches with climate change models, we found
      that all species could be affected by an increase of 1 degrees C in temperature
      at the end of this century. This suggests that even nocturnal species could
      suffer important physiological costs from global warming. Our study highlights
      the value of scientific collections to obtain ecologically significant
      physiological data for a large number of species.

PMID- 28904752
TI  - Impacts of natural factors and farming practices on greenhouse gas emissions in
      the North China Plain: A meta-analysis.
AB  - Requirements for mitigation of the continued increase in greenhouse gas (GHG)
      emissions are much needed for the North China Plain (NCP). We conducted a meta
      analysis of 76 published studies of 24 sites in the NCP to examine the effects of
      natural conditions and farming practices on GHG emissions in that region. We
      found that N2O was the main component of the area-scaled total GHG balance, and
      the CH 4 contribution was <5%. Precipitation, temperature, soil pH, and texture
      had no significant impacts on annual GHG emissions, because of limited variation
      of these factors in the NCP. The N2O emissions increased exponentially with
      mineral fertilizer N application rate, with y = 0.2389e0.0058x for wheat season
      and y = 0.365e0.0071x for maize season. Emission factors were estimated at 0.37%
      for wheat and 0.90% for maize at conventional fertilizer N application rates. The
      agronomic optimal N rates (241 and 185 kg N ha-1 for wheat and maize,
      respectively) exhibited great potential for reducing N2O emissions, by 0.39 (29%)
      and 1.71 (56%) kg N2O-N ha-1 season-1 for the wheat and maize seasons,
      respectively. Mixed application of organic manure with reduced mineral fertilizer
      N could reduce annual N2O emissions by 16% relative to mineral N application
      alone while maintaining a high crop yield. Compared with conventional tillage, no
      tillage significantly reduced N2O emissions by ~30% in the wheat season, whereas
      it increased those emissions by ~10% in the maize season. This may have resulted
      from the lower soil temperature in winter and increased soil moisture in summer
      under no-tillage practice. Straw incorporation significantly increased annual N2O
      emissions, by 26% relative to straw removal. Our analysis indicates that these
      farming practices could be further tested to mitigate GHG emission and maintain
      high crop yields in the NCP.

PMID- 28904753
TI  - Connecting the dots: Stopover strategies of an intercontinental migratory
      songbird in the context of the annual cycle.
AB  - The phases of the annual cycle for migratory species are inextricably linked.
      Yet, less than five percent of ecological studies examine seasonal interactions.
      In this study, we utilized stable hydrogen isotopes to geographically link
      individual black-and-white warblers (Mniotilta varia) captured during spring
      migration with breeding destinations to understand a migrant's stopover strategy
      in the context of other phases of the annual cycle. We found that stopover
      strategy is not only a function of a bird's current energetic state, but also the
      distance remaining to breeding destination and a bird's time-schedule, which has
      previously been linked to habitat conditions experienced in the preceding phase
      of the annual cycle. Birds in close proximity to their breeding destination
      accumulate additional energy reserves prior to arrival on the breeding grounds,
      as reflected by higher migratory condition upon arrival, higher refueling rates
      measured via blood plasma metabolites, and longer stopover durations compared to
      birds migrating to breeding destinations farther from the stopover site. However,
      late birds near their breeding destination were more likely to depart on the day
      of arrival (i.e., transients), and among birds that stopped over at the site, the
      average duration of stopover was almost half the time of early conspecifics,
      suggesting late birds are trying to catch-up with the overall time-schedule of
      migration for optimal arrival time on the breeding grounds. In contrast, birds
      with long distances remaining to breeding destinations were more likely to depart
      on the day of arrival and primarily used stopover to rest before quickly resuming
      migration, adopting similar strategies regardless of a bird's time-schedule. Our
      study demonstrates that migrants adjust their en route strategies in relation to
      their time-schedule and distance remaining to their breeding destination,
      highlighting that strategies of migration should be examined in the context of
      other phases of the annual cycle.

PMID- 28904754
TI  - Interactive effects of leg autotomy and incline on locomotor performance and
      kinematics of the cellar spider, Pholcus manueli.
AB  - Leg autotomy can be a very effective strategy for escaping a predation attempt in
      many animals. In spiders, autotomy can be very common (5-40% of individuals can
      be missing legs) and has been shown to reduce locomotor speeds, which, in turn,
      can reduce the ability to find food, mates, and suitable habitat. Previous work
      on spiders has focused mostly on the influence of limb loss on horizontal
      movements. However, limb loss can have differential effects on locomotion on the
      nonhorizontal substrates often utilized by many species of spiders. We examined
      the effects of leg autotomy on maximal speed and kinematics while moving on
      horizontal, 45 degrees  inclines, and vertical (90 degrees ) inclines in the
      cellar spider Pholcus manueli, a widespread species that is a denizen of both
      natural and anthropogenic, three-dimensional microhabitats, which frequently
      exhibits autotomy in nature. Maximal speeds and kinematic variables were measured
      in all spiders, which were run on all three experimental inclines twice. First,
      all spiders were run at all inclines prior to autotomization. Second, half of the
      spiders had one of the front legs removed, while the other half was left intact
      before all individuals were run a second time on all inclines. Speeds decreased
      with increasing incline and following autotomy at all inclines. Autotomized
      spiders exhibited a larger decrease in speed when moving horizontally compared to
      on inclines. Stride length decreased at 90 degrees  but not after autotomy.
      Stride cycle time and duty factor increased after autotomy, but not when moving
      uphill. Results show that both incline and leg autotomy reduce speed with
      differential effects on kinematics with increasing incline reducing stride
      length, but not stride cycle time or duty factor, and vice versa for leg
      autotomy. The lack of a significant influence on a kinematic variable could be
      evidence for partial compensation to mitigate speed reduction.

PMID- 28904755
TI  - Effects of climate warming on net primary productivity in China during 1961-2010.
AB  - The response of ecosystems to different magnitudes of climate warming and
      corresponding precipitation changes during the last few decades may provide an
      important reference for predicting the magnitude and trajectory of net primary
      productivity (NPP) in the future. In this study, a process-based ecosystem model,
      Carbon Exchange between Vegetation, Soil and Atmosphere (CEVSA), was used to
      investigate the response of NPP to warming at both national and subregional
      scales during 1961-2010. The results suggest that a 1.3 degrees C increase in
      temperature stimulated the positive changing trend in NPP at national scale
      during the past 50 years. Regardless of the magnitude of temperature increase,
      warming enhanced the increase in NPP; however, the positive trend of NPP
      decreased when warming exceeded 2 degrees C. The largest increase in NPP was
      found in regions where temperature increased by 1-2 degrees C, and this rate of
      increase also contributed the most to the total increase in NPP in China's
      terrestrial ecosystems. Decreasing precipitation depressed the positive trend in
      NPP that was stimulated by warming. In northern China, warming depressed the
      increasing trend of NPP and warming that was accompanied by decreasing
      precipitation led to negative changing trends in NPP in large parts of northern
      China, especially when warming exceeded 2 degrees C. However, warming stimulated
      the increase in NPP until warming was greater than 2 degrees C, and decreased
      precipitation helped to increase the NPP in southern China.

PMID- 28904756
TI  - Phylogenetic conservatism and trait correlates of spring phenological responses
      to climate change in northeast China.
AB  - Climate change has resulted in major changes in plant phenology across the globe
      that includes leaf-out date and flowering time. The ability of species to respond
      to climate change, in part, depends on their response to climate as a
      phenological cue in general. Species that are not phenologically responsive may
      suffer in the face of continued climate change. Comparative studies of phenology
      have found phylogeny to be a reliable predictor of mean leaf-out date and
      flowering time at both the local and global scales. This is less true for
      flowering time response (i.e., the correlation between phenological timing and
      climate factors), while no study to date has explored whether the response of
      leaf-out date to climate factors exhibits phylogenetic signal. We used a 52-year
      observational phenological dataset for 52 woody species from the Forest Botanical
      Garden of Heilongjiang Province, China, to test phylogenetic signal in leaf-out
      date and flowering time, as well as, the response of these two phenological
      traits to both temperature and winter precipitation. Leaf-out date and flowering
      time were significantly responsive to temperature for most species, advancing, on
      average, 3.11 and 2.87 day/ degrees C, respectively. Both leaf-out and flowering,
      and their responses to temperature exhibited significant phylogenetic signals.
      The response of leaf-out date to precipitation exhibited no phylogenetic signal,
      while flowering time response to precipitation did. Native species tended to have
      a weaker flowering response to temperature than non-native species. Earlier leaf
      out species tended to have a greater response to winter precipitation. This study
      is the first to assess phylogenetic signal of leaf-out response to climate
      change, which suggests, that climate change has the potential to shape the plant
      communities, not only through flowering sensitivity, but also through leaf-out
      sensitivity.

PMID- 28904757
TI  - Social dilemma in the external immune system of the red flour beetle? It is a
      matter of time.
AB  - Sociobiology has revolutionized our understanding of interactions between
      organisms. Interactions may present a social dilemma where the interests of
      individual actors do not align with those of the group as a whole. Viewed through
      a sociobiological lens, nearly all interactions can be described regarding their
      costs and benefits, and a number of them then resemble a social dilemma. Numerous
      experimental systems, from bacteria to mammals, have been proposed as models for
      studying such dilemmas. Here, we make use of the external immune system of the
      red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, to investigate how the experimental
      duration can affect whether the external secretion comprises a social dilemma or
      not. Some beetles (secretors) produce a costly quinone-rich external secretion
      that inhibits microbial growth in the surrounding environment, providing the
      secretors with direct personal benefits. However, as the antimicrobial secretion
      acts in the environment of the beetle, it is potentially also advantageous to
      other beetles (nonsecretors), who avoid the cost of producing the secretion. We
      test experimentally if the secretion qualifies as a public good. We find that in
      the short term, costly quinone secretion can be interpreted as a public good
      presenting a social dilemma where the presence of secretors increases the fitness
      of the group. In the long run, the benefit to the group of having more secretors
      vanishes and becomes detrimental to the group. Therefore, in such seminatural
      environmental conditions, it turns out that qualifying a trait as social can be a
      matter of timing.

PMID- 28904758
TI  - Early-life foraging: Behavioral responses of newly fledged albatrosses to
      environmental conditions.
AB  - In order to survive and later recruit into a population, juvenile animals need to
      acquire resources through the use of innate and/or learnt behaviors in an
      environment new to them. For far-ranging marine species, such as the wandering
      albatross Diomedea exulans, this is particularly challenging as individuals need
      to be able to rapidly adapt and optimize their movement strategies in response to
      the highly dynamic and heterogeneous nature of their open-ocean pelagic habitats.
      Critical to this is the development and flexibility of dispersal and exploratory
      behaviors. Here, we examine the movements of eight juvenile wandering
      albatrosses, tracked using GPS/Argos satellite transmitters for eight months
      following fledging, and compare these to the trajectories of 17 adults to assess
      differences and similarities in behavioral strategies through time. Behavioral
      clustering algorithms (Expectation Maximization binary Clustering) were combined
      with multinomial regression analyses to investigate changes in behavioral mode
      probabilities over time, and how these may be influenced by variations in day
      duration and in biophysical oceanographic conditions. We found that juveniles
      appeared to quickly acquire the same large-scale behavioral strategies as those
      employed by adults, although generally more time was spent resting at night.
      Moreover, individuals were able to detect and exploit specific oceanographic
      features in a manner similar to that observed in adults. Together, the results of
      this study suggest that while shortly after fledging juvenile wandering
      albatrosses are able to employ similar foraging strategies to those observed in
      adults, additional skills need to be acquired during the immature period before
      the efficiency of these behaviors matches that of adults.

PMID- 28904759
TI  - Different facets of tree sapling diversity influence browsing intensity by deer
      dependent on spatial scale.
AB  - Browsing of tree saplings by deer hampers forest regeneration in mixed forests
      across Europe and North America. It is well known that tree species are
      differentially affected by deer browsing, but little is known about how different
      facets of diversity, such as species richness, identity, and composition, affect
      browsing intensity at different spatial scales. Using forest inventory data from
      the Hainich National Park, a mixed deciduous forest in central Germany, we
      applied a hierarchical approach to model the browsing probability of patches
      (regional scale) as well as the species-specific proportion of saplings browsed
      within patches (patch scale). We found that, at the regional scale, the
      probability that a patch was browsed increased with certain species composition,
      namely with low abundance of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and high
      abundance of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), whereas at the patch scale,
      the proportion of saplings browsed per species was mainly determined by the
      species' identity, providing a "preference ranking" of the 11 tree species under
      study. Interestingly, at the regional scale, species-rich patches were more
      likely to be browsed; however, at the patch scale, species-rich patches showed a
      lower proportion of saplings per species browsed. Presumably, diverse patches
      attract deer, but satisfy nutritional needs faster, such that fewer saplings need
      to be browsed. Some forest stand parameters, such as more open canopies,
      increased the browsing intensity at either scale. By showing the effects that
      various facets of diversity, as well as environmental parameters, exerted on
      browsing intensity at the regional as well as patch scale, our study advances the
      understanding of mammalian herbivore-plant interactions across scales. Our
      results also indicate which regeneration patches and species are (least) prone to
      browsing and show the importance of different facets of diversity for the
      prediction and management of browsing intensity and regeneration dynamics.

PMID- 28904760
TI  - Maintaining genetic integrity of coexisting wild and domestic populations:
      Genetic differentiation between wild and domestic Rangifer with long traditions
      of intentional interbreeding.
AB  - This study investigates the genetic effect of an indigenous tradition of
      deliberate and controlled interbreeding between wild and domestic Rangifer. The
      results are interpreted in the context of conservation concerns and debates on
      the origin of domestic animals. The study is located in Northeastern Zabaikal'e,
      Russia at approximately 57 degrees North latitude. Blood and skin samples,
      collected from wild and domestic Rangifer, are analyzed for their mtDNA and
      microsatellite signatures. Local husbandry traditions are documented
      ethnographically. The genetic data are analyzed with special reference to
      indigenous understandings of the distinctions between local domestic types and
      wild Rangifer. The genetic results demonstrate a strong differentiation between
      wild and domestic populations. Notably low levels of mtDNA haplotype sharing
      between wild and domestic reindeer, suggest mainly male-mediated gene flow
      between the two gene pools. The nuclear microsatellite results also point to
      distinct differences between regional domestic clusters. Our results indicate
      that the Evenki herders have an effective breeding technique which, while mixing
      pedigrees in the short term, guards against wholesale introgression between wild
      and domestic populations over the long term. They support a model of
      domestication where wild males and domestic females are selectively interbred,
      without hybridizing the two populations. Our conclusions inform a debate on the
      origins of domestication by documenting a situation where both wild and domestic
      types are in constant interaction. The study further informs a debate in
      conservation biology by demonstrating that certain types of controlled
      introgression between wild and domestic types need not reduce genetic diversity.

PMID- 28904761
TI  - Too hot to die? The effects of vegetation shading on past, present, and future
      activity budgets of two diurnal skinks from arid Australia.
AB  - Behavioral thermoregulation is an important mechanism allowing ectotherms to
      respond to thermal variations. Its efficiency might become imperative for
      securing activity budgets under future climate change. For diurnal lizards,
      thermal microhabitat variability appears to be of high importance, especially in
      hot deserts where vegetation is highly scattered and sensitive to climatic
      fluctuations. We investigated the effects of a shading gradient from vegetation
      on body temperatures and activity timing for two diurnal, terrestrial desert
      lizards, Ctenotus regius, and Morethia boulengeri, and analyzed their changes
      under past, present, and future climatic conditions. Both species' body
      temperatures and activity timing strongly depended on the shading gradient
      provided by vegetation heterogeneity. At high temperatures, shaded locations
      provided cooling temperatures and increased diurnal activity. Conversely, bushes
      also buffered cold temperature by saving heat. According to future climate change
      scenarios, cooler microhabitats might become beneficial to warm-adapted species,
      such as C. regius, by increasing the duration of daily activity. Contrarily,
      warmer microhabitats might become unsuitable for less warm-adapted species such
      as M. boulengeri for which midsummers might result in a complete restriction of
      activity irrespective of vegetation. However, total annual activity would still
      increase provided that individuals would be able to shift their seasonal timing
      towards spring and autumn. Overall, we highlight the critical importance of
      thermoregulatory behavior to buffer temperatures and its dependence on vegetation
      heterogeneity. Whereas studies often neglect ecological processes when
      anticipating species' responses to future climate change the strongest impact of
      a changing climate on terrestrial ectotherms in hot deserts is likely to be the
      loss of shaded microhabitats rather than the rise in temperature itself. We argue
      that conservation strategies aiming at addressing future climate changes should
      focus more on the cascading effects of vegetation rather than on shifts of
      species distributions predicted solely by climatic envelopes.

PMID- 28904763
TI  - Winter bait stations as a multispecies survey tool.
AB  - Winter bait stations are becoming a commonly used technique for multispecies
      inventory and monitoring but a technical evaluation of their effectiveness is
      lacking. Bait stations have three components: carcass attractant, remote camera,
      and hair snare. Our 22,975 km2 mountainous study area was stratified with a 5 * 5
      km sampling grid centered on northern Idaho and including portions of Washington,
      Montana, and British Columbia. From 2010-14, we conducted 563 sampling sessions
      at 497 bait stations in 453 5 * 5 km cells. We evaluated the effectiveness of
      cameras and hair snare DNA collection at stations to detect species and
      individual animals, factors affecting DNA viability, the effectiveness of re
      visiting stations, and the influence of elevation, seasonality, and latency on
      species detections. Cameras were more effective at detecting multiple species
      than DNA hair snaring. Length of deployment time and elevation increased genetic
      species ID success but individual ID success rates were increased only by
      collecting hairs earlier in the season. Re-visiting stations did not change
      camera or genetic species detection results but did increase the number of
      individual genotypes identified. Marten and fisher were detected quickly while
      bobcat and coyote showed longer latency to detection. Seasonality significantly
      affected coyote and bobcat detections but not marten, fisher, or weasel.
      Multispecies bait station study design should incorporate mixed elevation sites
      with stratified seasonality. Priority should be given to including cameras as
      components of bait stations over hair snares, unless there is a specific genetic
      goal to the study. A hair snare component should be added, however, if individual
      ID or genetic data are necessary. Winter stations should be deployed a minimum of
      45-60 days to allow for detection of low density species and species with long
      latency to detection times. Hair samples should be collected prior to DNA
      degrading late season rain events. Re-visiting stations does not change which
      species are detected at stations; therefore, studies with objectives to delineate
      species presence or distribution will be more effective if they focus on
      deploying more stations across a broader landscape in lieu of surveying the same
      site multiple times.

PMID- 28904762
TI  - Influences of thermal environment on fish growth.
AB  - Thermoregulation in ectothermic animals is influenced by the ability to
      effectively respond to thermal variations. While it is known that ectotherms are
      affected by thermal changes, it remains unknown whether physiological and/or
      metabolic traits are impacted by modifications to the thermal environment. Our
      research provides key evidence that fish ectotherms are highly influenced by
      thermal variability during development, which leads to important modifications at
      several metabolic levels (e.g., growth trajectories, microstructural alterations,
      muscle injuries, and molecular mechanisms). In Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a
      wide thermal range (DeltaT 6.4 degrees C) during development (posthatch larvae to
      juveniles) was associated with increases in key thermal performance measures for
      survival and growth trajectory. Other metabolic traits were also significantly
      influenced, such as size, muscle cellularity, and molecular growth regulators
      possibly affected by adaptive processes. In contrast, a restricted thermal range
      (DeltaT 1.4 degrees C) was detrimental to growth, survival, and cellular
      microstructure as muscle growth could not keep pace with increased metabolic
      demands. These findings provide a possible basic explanation for the effects of
      thermal environment during growth. In conclusion, our results highlight the key
      role of thermal range amplitude on survival and on interactions with major
      metabolism-regulating processes that have positive adaptive effects for
      organisms.

PMID- 28904764
TI  - The second Southern African Bird Atlas Project: Causes and consequences of
      geographical sampling bias.
AB  - Using the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) as a case study, we
      examine the possible determinants of spatial bias in volunteer sampling effort
      and how well such biased data represent environmental gradients across the area
      covered by the atlas. For each province in South Africa, we used generalized
      linear mixed models to determine the combination of variables that explain
      spatial variation in sampling effort (number of visits per 5' * 5' grid cell, or
      "pentad"). The explanatory variables were distance to major road and exceptional
      birding locations or "sampling hubs," percentage cover of protected, urban, and
      cultivated area, and the climate variables mean annual precipitation, winter
      temperatures, and summer temperatures. Further, we used the climate variables and
      plant biomes to define subsets of pentads representing environmental zones across
      South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. For each environmental zone, we quantified
      sampling intensity, and we assessed sampling completeness with species
      accumulation curves fitted to the asymptotic Lomolino model. Sampling effort was
      highest close to sampling hubs, major roads, urban areas, and protected areas.
      Cultivated area and the climate variables were less important. Further,
      environmental zones were not evenly represented by current data and the zones
      varied in the amount of sampling required representing the species that are
      present. SABAP2 volunteers' preferences in birding locations cause spatial bias
      in the dataset that should be taken into account when analyzing these data. Large
      parts of South Africa remain underrepresented, which may restrict the kind of
      ecological questions that may be addressed. However, sampling bias may be
      improved by directing volunteers toward undersampled regions while taking into
      account volunteer preferences.

PMID- 28904765
TI  - The evolutionary consequences of habitat fragmentation: Body morphology and
      coloration differentiation among brook trout populations of varying size.
AB  - A reduction in population size due to habitat fragmentation can alter the
      relative roles of different evolutionary mechanisms in phenotypic trait
      differentiation. While deterministic (selection) and stochastic (genetic drift)
      mechanisms are expected to affect trait evolution, genetic drift may be more
      important than selection in small populations. We examined relationships between
      mature adult traits and ecological (abiotic and biotic) variables among 14
      populations of brook trout. These naturally fragmented populations have shared
      ancestry but currently exhibit considerable variability in habitat
      characteristics and population size (49 < Nc < 10,032; 3 < Nb < 567). Body size,
      shape, and coloration differed among populations, with a tendency for more
      variation among small populations in both trait means and CV when compared to
      large populations. Phenotypic differences were more frequently and directly
      linked to habitat variation or operational sex ratio than to population size,
      suggesting that selection may overcome genetic drift at small population size.
      Phenotype-environment associations were also stronger in females than males,
      suggesting that natural selection due to abiotic conditions may act more strongly
      on females than males. Our results suggest that natural and sexual-selective
      pressures on phenotypic traits change during the process of habitat
      fragmentation, and that these changes are largely contingent upon existing
      habitat conditions within isolated fragments. Our study provides an improved
      understanding of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of habitat
      fragmentation and lends insight into the ability of some small populations to
      respond to selection and environmental change.

PMID- 28904766
TI  - Temporal degradation of data limits biodiversity research.
AB  - Spatial and/or temporal biases in biodiversity data can directly influence the
      utility, comparability, and reliability of ecological and evolutionary studies.
      While the effects of biased spatial coverage of biodiversity data are relatively
      well known, temporal variation in data quality (i.e., the congruence between
      recorded and actual information) has received much less attention. Here, we
      develop a conceptual framework for understanding the influence of time on
      biodiversity data quality based on three main processes: (1) the natural dynamics
      of ecological systems-such as species turnover or local extinction; (2) periodic
      taxonomic revisions, and; (3) the loss of physical and metadata due to
      inefficient curation, accidents, or funding shortfalls. Temporal decay in data
      quality driven by these three processes has fundamental consequences for the
      usage and comparability of data collected in different time periods. Data decay
      can be partly ameliorated by adopting standard protocols for generation, storage,
      and sharing data and metadata. However, some data degradation is unavoidable due
      to natural variations in ecological systems. Consequently, changes in
      biodiversity data quality over time need be carefully assessed and, if possible,
      taken into account when analyzing aging datasets.

PMID- 28904768
TI  - Herbivores alter plant-wind interactions by acting as a point mass on leaves and
      by removing leaf tissue.
AB  - In nature, plants regularly interact with herbivores and with wind. Herbivores
      can wound and alter the structure of plants, whereas wind can exert aerodynamic
      forces that cause the plants to flutter or sway. While herbivory has many
      negative consequences for plants, fluttering in wind can be beneficial for plants
      by facilitating gas exchange and loss of excess heat. Little is known about how
      herbivores affect plant motion in wind. We tested how the mass of an herbivore
      resting on a broad leaf of the tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera, and the damage
      caused by herbivores, affected the motion of the leaf in wind. For this, we
      placed mimics of herbivores on the leaves, varying each herbivore's mass or
      position, and used high-speed video to measure how the herbivore mimics affected
      leaf movement and reconfiguration at two wind speeds inside a laboratory wind
      tunnel. In a similar setup, we tested how naturally occurring herbivore damage on
      the leaves affected leaf movement and reconfiguration. We found that the mass of
      an herbivore resting on a leaf can change that leaf's orientation relative to the
      wind and interfere with the ability of the leaf to reconfigure into a smaller,
      more streamlined shape. A large herbivore load slowed the leaf's fluttering
      frequency, while naturally occurring damage from herbivores increased the leaf's
      fluttering frequency. We conclude that herbivores can alter the physical
      interactions between wind and plants by two methods: (1) acting as a point mass
      on the plant while it is feeding and (2) removing tissue from the plant. Altering
      a plant's interaction with wind can have physical and physiological consequences
      for the plant. Thus, future studies of plants in nature should consider the
      effect of herbivory on plant-wind interactions, and vice versa.

PMID- 28904767
TI  - Genetic differentiation and inferred dynamics of a hybrid zone between Northern
      Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) and California Spotted Owls (S. o.
      occidentalis) in northern California.
AB  - Genetic differentiation among Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) subspecies has
      been established in prior studies. These investigations also provided evidence
      for introgression and hybridization among taxa but were limited by a lack of
      samples from geographic regions where subspecies came into close contact. We
      analyzed new sets of samples from Northern Spotted Owls (NSO: S. o. caurina) and
      California Spotted Owls (CSO: S. o. occidentalis) in northern California using
      mitochondrial DNA sequences (mtDNA) and 10 nuclear microsatellite loci to obtain
      a clearer depiction of genetic differentiation and hybridization in the region.
      Our analyses revealed that a NSO population close to the northern edge of the CSO
      range in northern California (the NSO Contact Zone population) is highly
      differentiated relative to other NSO populations throughout the remainder of
      their range. Phylogenetic analyses identified a unique lineage of mtDNA in the
      NSO Contact Zone, and Bayesian clustering analyses of the microsatellite data
      identified the Contact Zone as a third distinct population that is differentiated
      from CSO and NSO found in the remainder of the subspecies' range. Hybridization
      between NSO and CSO was readily detected in the NSO Contact Zone, with over 50%
      of individuals showing evidence of hybrid ancestry. Hybridization was also
      identified among 14% of CSO samples, which were dispersed across the subspecies'
      range in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The asymmetry of hybridization suggested
      that the hybrid zone may be dynamic and moving. Although evidence of
      hybridization existed, we identified no F1 generation hybrid individuals. We
      instead found evidence for F2 or backcrossed individuals among our samples. The
      absence of F1 hybrids may indicate that (1) our 10 microsatellites were unable to
      distinguish hybrid types, (2) primary interactions between subspecies are
      occurring elsewhere on the landscape, or (3) dispersal between the subspecies'
      ranges is reduced relative to historical levels, potentially as a consequence of
      recent regional fires.

PMID- 28904769
TI  - Identifying coevolving loci using interspecific genetic correlations.
AB  - Evaluating the importance of coevolution for a wide range of evolutionary
      questions, such as the role parasites play in the evolution of sexual
      reproduction, requires that we understand the genetic basis of coevolutionary
      interactions. Despite its importance, little progress has been made identifying
      the genetic basis of coevolution, largely because we lack tools designed
      specifically for this purpose. Instead, coevolutionary studies are often forced
      to re-purpose single species techniques. Here, we propose a novel approach for
      identifying the genes mediating locally adapted coevolutionary interactions that
      relies on spatial correlations between genetic marker frequencies in the
      interacting species. Using individual-based multi-locus simulations, we quantify
      the performance of our approach across a range of coevolutionary genetic models.
      Our results show that when one species is strongly locally adapted to the other
      and a sufficient number of populations can be sampled, our approach accurately
      identifies functionally coupled host and parasite genes. Although not a panacea,
      the approach we outline here could help to focus the search for coevolving genes
      in a wide variety of well-studied systems for which substantial local adaptation
      has been demonstrated.

PMID- 28904770
TI  - Islands, mainland, and terrestrial fragments: How isolation shapes plant
      diversity.
AB  - The fragmentation of natural habitats is a major threat for biodiversity.
      However, the impact and spatial scale of natural isolation mechanisms leading to
      species loss, compared to anthropogenic fragmentation, are not clear, mainly due
      to differences between fragments and islands, such as matrix permeability. We
      studied a 500 km2 Mediterranean region in France, including urban habitat
      fragments, continuous habitat, and continental-shelf islands. On the basis of 295
      floristic releves, we built species-area relationships to compare isolation in
      fragments after urbanization, with continuous habitat and continental-shelf
      islands. We assumed either no dispersal, infinite dispersal, or estimated
      intermediate levels of habitat reachability through graph theory. Isolation
      mechanisms occurred in fragments but with a lower strength than in near-shore
      islands, and most importantly affected perennial plants. Annual plants were less
      affected, probably due to their smaller size and shorter life cycle. Isolation
      occurred at landscape level in fragments and at patch level in islands. The
      amount of reachable habitat (accounting for spatial configuration) explained
      local species richness in both systems, but the amount of habitat (no
      consideration of spatial configuration) was already a good predictor. These
      results suggest an important role of habitat amount around fragments in
      mitigating the isolation effects observed in near-shore islands, and the
      importance of carefully considering different functional groups.

PMID- 28904771
TI  - Sorting things out: Assessing effects of unequal specimen biomass on DNA
      metabarcoding.
AB  - Environmental bulk samples often contain many different taxa that vary several
      orders of magnitude in biomass. This can be problematic in DNA metabarcoding and
      metagenomic high-throughput sequencing approaches, as large specimens contribute
      disproportionately high amounts of DNA template. Thus, a few specimens of high
      biomass will dominate the dataset, potentially leading to smaller specimens
      remaining undetected. Sorting of samples by specimen size (as a proxy for
      biomass) and balancing the amounts of tissue used per size fraction should
      improve detection rates, but this approach has not been systematically tested.
      Here, we explored the effects of size sorting on taxa detection using two
      freshwater macroinvertebrate bulk samples, collected from a low-mountain stream
      in Germany. Specimens were morphologically identified and sorted into three size
      classes (body size < 2.5 * 5, 5 * 10, and up to 10 * 20 mm). Tissue powder from
      each size category was extracted individually and pooled based on tissue weight
      to simulate samples that were not sorted by biomass ("Unsorted"). Additionally,
      size fractions were pooled so that each specimen contributed approximately equal
      amounts of biomass ("Sorted"). Mock samples were amplified using four different
      DNA metabarcoding primer sets targeting the Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene.
      Sorting taxa by size and pooling them proportionately according to their
      abundance lead to a more equal amplification of taxa compared to the processing
      of complete samples without sorting. The sorted samples recovered 30% more taxa
      than the unsorted samples at the same sequencing depth. Our results imply that
      sequencing depth can be decreased approximately fivefold when sorting the samples
      into three size classes and pooling by specimen abundance. Even coarse size
      sorting can substantially improve taxa detection using DNA metabarcoding. While
      high-throughput sequencing will become more accessible and cheaper within the
      next years, sorting bulk samples by specimen biomass or size is a simple yet
      efficient method to reduce current sequencing costs.

PMID- 28904772
TI  - Carbon and nitrogen allocation shifts in plants and soils along aridity and
      fertility gradients in grasslands of China.
AB  - Plant carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stoichiometry play an important role in the
      maintenance of ecosystem structure and function. To decipher the influence of
      changing environment on plant C and N stoichiometry at the subcontinental scale,
      we studied the shoot and root C and N stoichiometry in two widely distributed and
      dominant genera along a 2,200-km climatic gradient in China's grasslands.
      Relationships between C and N concentrations and soil climatic variables factors
      were studied. In contrast to previous theory, plant C concentration and C:N
      ratios in both shoots and roots increased with increasing soil fertility and
      decreased with increasing aridity. Relative N allocation shifted from soils to
      plants and from roots to shoots with increasing aridity. Changes in the C:N ratio
      were associated with changes in N concentration. Dynamics of plant C
      concentration and C:N ratios were mainly caused by biomass reallocation and a
      nutrient dilution effect in the plant-soil system. Our results suggest that the
      shifted allocation of C and N to different ecosystem compartments under a
      changing environment may change the overall use of these elements by the plant
      soil system.

PMID- 28904773
TI  - A spatial theory for emergent multiple predator-prey interactions in food webs.
AB  - Predator-prey interaction is inherently spatial because animals move through
      landscapes to search for and consume food resources and to avoid being consumed
      by other species. The spatial nature of species interactions necessitates
      integrating spatial processes into food web theory and evaluating how predators
      combine to impact their prey. Here, we present a spatial modeling approach that
      examines emergent multiple predator effects on prey within landscapes. The
      modeling is inspired by the habitat domain concept derived from empirical
      synthesis of spatial movement and interactions studies. Because these principles
      are motivated by synthesis of short-term experiments, it remains uncertain
      whether spatial contingency principles hold in dynamical systems. We address this
      uncertainty by formulating dynamical systems models, guided by core habitat
      domain principles, to examine long-term multiple predator-prey spatial dynamics.
      To describe habitat domains, we use classical niche concepts describing resource
      utilization distributions, and assume species interactions emerge from the degree
      of overlap between species. The analytical results generally align with those
      from empirical synthesis and present a theoretical framework capable of
      demonstrating multiple predator effects that does not depend on the small spatial
      or temporal scales typical of mesocosm experiments, and help bridge between
      empirical experiments and long-term dynamics in natural systems.

PMID- 28904774
TI  - Phenotypic differentiation of the Solidago virgaurea complex along an elevational
      gradient: Insights from a common garden experiment and population genetics.
AB  - Plant species distributed along wide elevational or latitudinal gradients show
      phenotypic variation due to their heterogeneous habitats. This study investigated
      whether phenotypic variation in populations of the Solidago virgaurea complex
      along an elevational gradient is caused by genetic differentiation. A common
      garden experiment was based on seeds collected from nine populations of the S.
      virgaurea complex growing at elevations from 1,597 m to 2,779 m a.s.l. on Mt.
      Norikura in central Japan. Population genetic analyses with microsatellite
      markers were used to infer the genetic structure and levels of gene flow between
      populations. Leaf mass per area was lower, while leaf nitrogen and chlorophyll
      concentrations were greater for higher elevations at which seeds were originally
      collected. For reproductive traits, plants derived from higher elevations had
      larger flower heads on shorter stems and flowering started earlier. These
      elevational changes in morphology were consistent with the clines in the field,
      indicating that phenotypic variation along the elevational gradient would have
      been caused by genetic differentiation. However, population genetic analysis
      using 16 microsatellite loci suggested an extremely low level of genetic
      differentiation of neutral genes among the nine populations. Analysis of
      molecular variance also indicated that most genetic variation was partitioned
      into individuals within a population, and the genetic differentiation among the
      populations was not significant. This study suggests that genome regions
      responsible for adaptive traits may differ among the populations despite the
      existence of gene flow and that phenotypic variation of the S. virgaurea complex
      along the elevational gradient is maintained by strong selection pressure.

PMID- 28904775
TI  - How shrub encroachment under climate change could threaten pollination services
      for alpine wildflowers: A case study using the alpine skypilot, Polemonium
      viscosum.
AB  - : Under climate change, shrubs encroaching into high altitude plant communities
      disrupt ecosystem processes. Yet effects of encroachment on pollination
      mutualisms are poorly understood. Here, we probe potential fitness impacts of
      interference from encroaching Salix (willows) on pollination quality of the
      alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum. Overlap in flowering time of Salix and
      Polemonium is a precondition for interference and was surveyed in four extant and
      25 historic contact zones. Pollinator sharing was ascertained from observations
      of willow pollen on bumble bees visiting Polemonium flowers and on Polemonium
      pistils. We probed fitness effects of pollinator sharing by measuring the
      correlation between Salix pollen contamination and seed set in naturally
      pollinated Polemonium. To ascertain whether Salix interference occurred during or
      after pollination, we compared seed set under natural pollination, conspecific
      pollen addition, and Salix pollen addition. In current and past contact zones
      Polemonium and Salix overlapped in flowering time. After accounting for variance
      in flowering date due to latitude, Salix and Polemonium showed similar advances
      in flowering under warmer summers. This trend supports the idea that sensitivity
      to temperature promotes reproductive synchrony in both species. Salix pollen is
      carried by bumble bees when visiting Polemonium flowers and accounts for up to
      25% of the grains on Polemonium pistils. Salix contamination correlates with
      reduced seed set in nature and when applied experimentally. Postpollination
      processes likely mediate these deleterious effects as seed set in nature was not
      limited by pollen delivery. SYNTHESIS: As willows move higher with climate
      change, we predict that they will drive postpollination interference, reducing
      the fitness benefits of pollinator visitation for Polemonium and selecting for
      traits that reduce pollinator sharing.

PMID- 28904777
TI  - How relative size and abundance structures the relationship between size and
      individual growth in an ontogenetically piscivorous fish.
AB  - While individual growth ultimately reflects the quality and quantity of food
      resources, intra and interspecific interactions for these resources, as well as
      individual size, may have dramatic impacts on growth opportunity. Out-migrating
      anadromous salmonids make rapid transitions between habitat types resulting in
      large pulses of individuals into a given location over a short period, which may
      have significant impact on demand for local resources. We evaluated the spatial
      and temporal variation in IGF-1 concentrations (a proxy for growth rate) and the
      relationship between size and concentration for juvenile Chinook salmon in Puget
      Sound, WA, USA, as a function of the relative size and abundance of both Chinook
      salmon and Pacific herring, a species which commonly co-occurs with salmonids in
      nearshore marine habitats. The abundance of Chinook salmon and Pacific herring
      varied substantially among the sub-basins as function of outmigration timing and
      spawn timing, respectively, while size varied systematically and consistently for
      both species. Mean IGF-1 concentrations were different among sub-basins, although
      patterns were not consistent through time. In general, size was positively
      correlated with IGF-1 concentration, although the slope of the relationship was
      considerably higher where Pacific herring were more abundant than Chinook salmon;
      specifically where smaller individual herring, relative to Chinook salmon, were
      more abundant. Where Pacific herring were less abundant than Chinook salmon, IGF
      1 concentrations among small and large Chinook salmon were more variable and
      showed no consistent increase for larger individuals. The noticeable positive
      effect of relative Pacific herring abundance on the relationship between size and
      individual growth rates likely represents a shift to predation based on increased
      IGF-1 concentrations for individual Chinook salmon that are large enough to
      incorporate fish into their diet and co-occur with the highest abundances of
      Pacific herring.

PMID- 28904776
TI  - Escaping introns in COI through cDNA barcoding of mushrooms: Pleurotus as a test
      case.
AB  - DNA barcoding involves the use of one or more short, standardized DNA fragments
      for the rapid identification of species. A 648-bp segment near the 5' terminus of
      the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene has been adopted as
      the universal DNA barcode for members of the animal kingdom, but its utility in
      mushrooms is complicated by the frequent occurrence of large introns. As a
      consequence, ITS has been adopted as the standard DNA barcode marker for
      mushrooms despite several shortcomings. This study employed newly designed
      primers coupled with cDNA analysis to examine COI sequence diversity in six
      species of Pleurotus and compared these results with those for ITS. The ability
      of the COI gene to discriminate six species of Pleurotus, the commonly cultivated
      oyster mushroom, was examined by analysis of cDNA. The amplification success,
      sequence variation within and among species, and the ability to design effective
      primers was tested. We compared ITS sequences to their COI cDNA counterparts for
      all isolates. ITS discriminated between all six species, but some sequence
      results were uninterpretable, because of length variation among ITS copies. By
      comparison, a complete COI sequences were recovered from all but three
      individuals of Pleurotus giganteus where only the 5' region was obtained. The COI
      sequences permitted the resolution of all species when partial data was excluded
      for P. giganteus. Our results suggest that COI can be a useful barcode marker for
      mushrooms when cDNA analysis is adopted, permitting identifications in cases
      where ITS cannot be recovered or where it offers higher resolution when fresh
      tissue is. The suitability of this approach remains to be confirmed for other
      mushrooms.

PMID- 28904778
TI  - The influence of herbivory and weather on the vital rates of two closely related
      cactus species.
AB  - Herbivory has long been recognized as a significant driver of plant population
      dynamics, yet its effects along environmental gradients are unclear.
      Understanding how weather modulates plant-insect interactions can be particularly
      important for predicting the consequences of exotic insect invasions, and an
      explicit consideration of weather may help explain why the impact can vary
      greatly across space and time. We surveyed two native prickly pear cactus species
      (genus Opuntia) in the Florida panhandle, USA, and their specialist insect
      herbivores (the invasive South American cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, and
      three native insect species) for five years across six sites. We used generalized
      linear mixed models to assess the impact of herbivory and weather on plant
      relative growth rate (RGR) and sexual reproduction, and we used Fisher's exact
      test to estimate the impact of herbivory on survival. Weather variables
      (precipitation and temperature) were consistently significant predictors of vital
      rate variation for both cactus species, in contrast to the limited and varied
      impacts of insect herbivory. Weather only significantly influenced the impact of
      herbivory on Opuntia humifusa fruit production. The relationships of RGR and
      fruit production with precipitation suggest that precipitation serves as a cue in
      determining the trade-off in the allocation of resources to growth or fruit
      production. The presence of the native bug explained vital rate variation for
      both cactus species, whereas the invasive moth explained variation only for O.
      stricta. Despite the inconsistent effect of herbivory across vital rates and
      cactus species, almost half of O. stricta plants declined in size, and the
      invasive insect negatively affected RGR and fruit production. Given that fruit
      production was strongly size-dependent, this suggests that O. stricta populations
      at the locations surveyed are transitioning to a size distribution of
      predominantly smaller sizes and with reduced sexual reproduction potential.

PMID- 28904779
TI  - Discriminating patterns and drivers of multiscale movement in herpetofauna: The
      dynamic and changing environment of the Mojave desert tortoise.
AB  - Changes to animal movement in response to human-induced changes to the
      environment are of growing concern in conservation. Most research on this problem
      has focused on terrestrial endotherms, but changes to herpetofaunal movement are
      also of concern given their limited dispersal abilities and specialized
      thermophysiological requirements. Animals in the desert region of the
      southwestern United States are faced with environmental alterations driven by
      development (e.g., solar energy facilities) and climate change. Here, we study
      the movement ecology of a desert species of conservation concern, the Mojave
      desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). We collected weekly encounter locations of
      marked desert tortoises during the active (nonhibernation) seasons in 2013-2015,
      and used those data to discriminate movements among activity centers from those
      within them. We then modeled the probability of movement among activity centers
      using a suite of covariates describing characteristics of tortoises, natural and
      anthropogenic landscape features, vegetation, and weather. Multimodel inference
      indicated greatest support for a model that included individual tortoise
      characteristics, landscape features, and weather. After controlling for season,
      date, age, and sex, we found that desert tortoises were more likely to move among
      activity centers when they were further from minor roads and in the vicinity of
      barrier fencing; we also found that movement between activity centers was more
      common during periods of greater rainfall and during periods where cooler
      temperatures coincided with lower rainfall. Our findings indicate that landscape
      alterations and climate change both have the potential to impact movements by
      desert tortoises during the active season. This study provides an important
      baseline against which we can detect future changes in tortoise movement
      behavior.

PMID- 28904780
TI  - Spatial patterns of hypolithic cyanobacterial diversity in Northern Australia.
AB  - Photosynthetic microbial communities under translucent rocks (hypolithic) are
      found in many arid regions. At the global scale, there has been little
      intercontinental gene flow, and at a local scale, microbial composition is
      related to fine-scale features of the rocks and their environment. Few studies
      have investigated patterns of hypolithic community composition at intermediate
      distances. We examined hypolithic cyanobacterial diversity in semi-arid Australia
      along a 10-km transect by sampling six rocks from four adjacent 1 m2 quadrats
      ("distance zero") and from additional quadrats at 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 m to
      test the hypothesis that diversity would increase with the number of rocks
      sampled and distance. A total of 3,108 cyanobacterial operational taxonomic units
      (OTUs) were detected. Most were neither widespread nor abundant. The few that
      were widespread tended to be abundant. There was no difference in the community
      composition between the four sites at distance zero, but the samples 10 m away
      were significantly different, as were those at all other distances compared to
      distance zero. Many additional OTUs were recorded with increasing distance up to
      100 m. These patterns of distribution are consistent with a colonization model
      involving dispersal from rock to rock. Our results indicate that distance was a
      significant factor that can be confounded by interrock differences. Most
      diversity was represented in the first 100 m of the transect, with an additional
      1.5% of the total diversity added by the sample at 1 km, but only 0.2% added with
      the addition of the 10-km site.

PMID- 28904781
TI  - Sharing is caring? Measurement error and the issues arising from combining 3D
      morphometric datasets.
AB  - Geometric morphometrics is routinely used in ecology and evolution and
      morphometric datasets are increasingly shared among researchers, allowing for
      more comprehensive studies and higher statistical power (as a consequence of
      increased sample size). However, sharing of morphometric data opens up the
      question of how much nonbiologically relevant variation (i.e., measurement error)
      is introduced in the resulting datasets and how this variation affects analyses.
      We perform a set of analyses based on an empirical 3D geometric morphometric
      dataset. In particular, we quantify the amount of error associated with combining
      data from multiple devices and digitized by multiple operators and test for the
      presence of bias. We also extend these analyses to a dataset obtained with a
      recently developed automated method, which does not require human-digitized
      landmarks. Further, we analyze how measurement error affects estimates of
      phylogenetic signal and how its effect compares with the effect of phylogenetic
      uncertainty. We show that measurement error can be substantial when combining
      surface models produced by different devices and even more among landmarks
      digitized by different operators. We also document the presence of small, but
      significant, amounts of nonrandom error (i.e., bias). Measurement error is
      heavily reduced by excluding landmarks that are difficult to digitize. The
      automated method we tested had low levels of error, if used in combination with a
      procedure for dimensionality reduction. Estimates of phylogenetic signal can be
      more affected by measurement error than by phylogenetic uncertainty. Our results
      generally highlight the importance of landmark choice and the usefulness of
      estimating measurement error. Further, measurement error may limit comparisons of
      estimates of phylogenetic signal across studies if these have been performed
      using different devices or by different operators. Finally, we also show how
      widely held assumptions do not always hold true, particularly that measurement
      error affects inference more at a shallower phylogenetic scale and that automated
      methods perform worse than human digitization.

PMID- 28904782
TI  - Molecular phylogeny and phylogeography of genus Pseudois (Bovidae,
      Cetartiodactyla): New insights into the contrasting phylogeographic structure.
AB  - Blue sheep, Pseudois nayaur, is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and the
      surrounding mountains, which are the highest-elevation areas in the world.
      Classical morphological taxonomy suggests that there are two subspecies in genus
      Pseudois (Bovidae, Artiodactyla), namely Pseudois nayaur nayaur and Pseudois
      nayaur szechuanensis. However, the validity and geographic characteristics of
      these subspecies have never been carefully discussed and analyzed. This may be
      partially because previous studies have mainly focused on the vague taxonomic
      status of Pseudois schaeferi (dwarf blue sheep). Thus, there is an urgent need to
      investigate the evolutionary relationship and taxonomy system of this genus. This
      study enriches a previous dataset by providing a large number of new samples,
      based on a total of 225 samples covering almost the entire distribution of blue
      sheep. Molecular data from cytochrome b and the mitochondrial control region
      sequences were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of this species. The
      phylogenetic inferences show that vicariance plays an important role in
      diversification within this genus. In terms of molecular dating results and
      biogeographic analyses, the striking biogeographic pattern coincides
      significantly with major geophysical events. Although the results raise doubt
      about the present recognized distribution range of blue sheep, they have
      corroborated the validity of the identified subspecies in genus Pseudois.
      Meanwhile, these results demonstrate that the two geographically distinct
      populations, the Helan Mountains and Pamir Plateau populations, have been
      significantly differentiated from the identified subspecies, a finding that
      challenges the conventional taxonomy of blue sheep.

PMID- 28904783
TI  - Making the most of survey data: Incorporating age uncertainty when fitting growth
      parameters.
AB  - Individual growth is an important parameter and is linked to a number of other
      biological processes. It is commonly modeled using the von Bertalanffy growth
      function (VBGF), which is regularly fitted to age data where the ages of the
      animals are not known exactly but are binned into yearly age groups, such as fish
      survey data. Current methods of fitting the VBGF to these data treat all the
      binned ages as the actual ages. We present a new VBGF model that combines data
      from multiple surveys and allows the actual age of an animal to be inferred. By
      fitting to survey data for Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and Atlantic cod
      (Gadus morhua), we compare our model with two other ways of combining data from
      multiple surveys but where the ages are as reported in the survey data. We use
      the fitted parameters as inputs into a yield-per-recruit model to see what would
      happen to advice given to management. We found that each of the ways of combining
      the data leads to different parameter estimates for the VBGF and advice for
      policymakers. Our model fitted to the data better than either of the other models
      and also reduced the uncertainty in the parameter estimates and models used to
      inform management. Our model is a robust way of fitting the VBGF and can be used
      to combine data from multiple sources. The model is general enough to fit other
      growth curves for any taxon when the age of individuals is binned into groups.

PMID- 28904784
TI  - Marine dock pilings foster diverse, native cryptobenthic fish assemblages across
      bioregions.
AB  - Anthropogenic habitats are increasingly prevalent in coastal marine environments.
      Previous research on sessile epifauna suggests that artificial habitats act as a
      refuge for nonindigenous species, which results in highly homogenous communities
      across locations. However, vertebrate assemblages that live in association with
      artificial habitats are poorly understood. Here, we quantify the biodiversity of
      small, cryptic (henceforth "cryptobenthic") fishes from marine dock pilings
      across six locations over 35 degrees  of latitude from Maine to Panama. We also
      compare assemblages from dock pilings to natural habitats in the two southernmost
      locations (Panama and Belize). Our results suggest that the biodiversity patterns
      of cryptobenthic fishes from dock pilings follow a Latitudinal Diversity Gradient
      (LDG), with average local and regional diversity declining sharply with
      increasing latitude. Furthermore, a strong correlation between community
      composition and spatial distance suggests distinct regional assemblages of
      cryptobenthic fishes. Cryptobenthic fish assemblages from dock pilings in Belize
      and Panama were less diverse and had lower densities than nearby reef habitats.
      However, dock pilings harbored almost exclusively native species, including two
      species of conservation concern absent from nearby natural habitats. Our results
      suggest that, in contrast to sessile epifaunal assemblages on artificial
      substrates, artificial marine habitats can harbor diverse, regionally
      characteristic assemblages of vertebrates that follow macroecological patterns
      that are well documented for natural habitats. We therefore posit that, although
      dock pilings cannot function as a replacement for natural habitats, dock pilings
      may provide cost-effective means to preserve native vertebrate biodiversity, and
      provide a habitat that can be relatively easily monitored to track the status and
      trends of fish biodiversity in highly urbanized coastal marine environments.

PMID- 28904785
TI  - Genomic timetree and historical biogeography of Caribbean island ameiva lizards
      (Pholidoscelis: Teiidae).
AB  - The phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of Caribbean island
      ameivas (Pholidoscelis) are not well-known because of incomplete sampling,
      conflicting datasets, and poor support for many clades. Here, we use phylogenomic
      and mitochondrial DNA datasets to reconstruct a well-supported phylogeny and
      assess historical colonization patterns in the group. We obtained sequence data
      from 316 nuclear loci and one mitochondrial marker for 16 of 19 extant species of
      the Caribbean endemic genus Pholidoscelis. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out
      using both concatenation and species tree approaches. To estimate divergence
      times, we used fossil teiids to calibrate a timetree which was used to elucidate
      the historical biogeography of these lizards. All phylogenetic analyses recovered
      four well-supported species groups (clades) recognized previously and supported
      novel relationships of those groups, including a (P. auberi + P. lineolatus)
      clade (western + central Caribbean), and a (P. exsul + P. plei) clade (eastern
      Caribbean). Divergence between Pholidoscelis and its sister clade was estimated
      to have occurred ~25 Ma, with subsequent diversification on Caribbean islands
      occurring over the last 11 Myr. Of the six models compared in the biogeographic
      analyses, the scenario which considered the distance among islands and allowed
      dispersal in all directions best fit the data. These reconstructions suggest that
      the ancestor of this group colonized either Hispaniola or Puerto Rico from Middle
      America. We provide a well-supported phylogeny of Pholidoscelis with novel
      relationships not reported in previous studies that were based on significantly
      smaller datasets. We propose that Pholidoscelis colonized the eastern Greater
      Antilles from Middle America based on our biogeographic analysis, phylogeny, and
      divergence time estimates. The closing of the Central American Seaway and
      subsequent formation of the modern Atlantic meridional overturning circulation
      may have promoted dispersal in this group.

PMID- 28904786
TI  - Phylogenetic position and age of Lake Baikal candonids (Crustacea, Ostracoda)
      inferred from multigene sequence analyzes and molecular dating.
AB  - With 104 endemic species family Candonidae is one of the most diverse crustacean
      groups in Lake Baikal, yet their phylogenetic relationships and position in the
      family have not been addressed so far. Here, we study the phylogenetic position
      of Baikal candonids within the family and their evolutionary history using
      molecular markers for the first time since their original description. We choose
      10 Baikal and 28 species from around the world, and three ribosomal RNA-s (18S,
      28S, and 16S), and analyze individual and concatenated datasets using Bayesian
      Inference in MrBayes and BEAST. For molecular divergence time estimates, four
      fossil records are used to calibrate the root and three internal nodes. The 28S
      dataset is tested under the strict molecular clock, while for other data we use
      relaxed clocks. Resulting trees show incongruence between molecular and fossil
      divergence time estimates, with the former suggesting older ages. Strict
      molecular clock analysis results in narrower node age confidence intervals and
      younger time estimates than other analysis. All trees support at least two
      candonid lineages in Baikal, with two independent colonization events, and 28S
      suggests a major radiation between 12 and 5 Mya. This divergence time estimate
      mostly agrees with another, unrelated, ostracod group in the lake and other lake
      animals as well. Baikal candonid clades show a close phylogenetic relationship
      with Palearctic lineages, but their deep divergence is indicative of separate
      genera. Results also suggest a monophyly of tribes that today live exclusively in
      subterranean waters, and we offer several hypotheses of their evolutionary
      history.

PMID- 28904787
TI  - Spatiotemporal variability of soil respiration in a seasonal tropical forest.
AB  - We monitored soil CO 2 effluxes for over 3 years in a seasonally wet tropical
      forest in Central Panama using automated and manual measurements from 2013 to
      2016. The measurements displayed a high degree of spatial and temporal
      variability. Temporal variability could be largely explained by surface soil
      water dynamics over a broad range of temporal scales. Soil moisture was
      responsible for seasonal cycles, diurnal cycles, intraseasonal variability such
      as rain-induced pulses following dry spells, as well as suppression during near
      saturated conditions, and ultimately, interannual variability. Spatial
      variability, which remains largely unexplained, revealed an emergent role of
      forest structure in conjunction with physical drivers such as soil temperature
      and topography. Mean annual soil CO 2 effluxes (+/-SE) amounted to 1,613 (+/-59)
      gC m-2 year-1 with an increasing trend in phase with an El Nino/Southern
      Oscillation (ENSO) cycle which culminated with the strong 2015-2016 event. We
      attribute this trend to a relatively mild wet season during which soil saturated
      conditions were less persistent.

PMID- 28904789
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2809.].

PMID- 28904788
TI  - Biogeography and systematics of endemic island damselflies: The Nesobasis and
      Melanesobasis (Odonata: Zygoptera) of Fiji.
AB  - The study of island fauna has greatly informed our understanding of the evolution
      of diversity. We here examine the phylogenetics, biogeography, and
      diversification of the damselfly genera Nesobasis and Melanesobasis, endemic to
      the Fiji Islands, to explore mechanisms of speciation in these highly speciose
      groups. Using mitochondrial (COI, 12S) and nuclear (ITS) replicons, we recovered
      garli-part maximum likelihood and mrbayes Bayesian phylogenetic hypotheses for 26
      species of Nesobasis and eight species/subspecies of Melanesobasis.
      Biogeographical patterns were explored using lagrange and bayes-lagrange and
      interpreted through beast relaxed clock dating analyses. We found that Nesobasis
      and Melanesobasis have radiated throughout Fiji, but are not sister groups. For
      Nesobasis, while the two largest islands of the archipelago-Viti Levu and Vanua
      Levu-currently host two distinct species assemblages, they do not represent
      phylogenetic clades; of the three major groupings each contains some Viti Levu
      and some Vanua Levu species, suggesting independent colonization events across
      the archipelago. Our beast analysis suggests a high level of species
      diversification around 2-6 Ma. Our ancestral area reconstruction (rasp-lagrange)
      suggests that both dispersal and vicariance events contributed to the evolution
      of diversity. We thus conclude that the evolutionary history of Nesobasis and
      Melanesobasis is complex; while inter-island dispersal followed by speciation
      (i.e., peripatry) has contributed to diversity, speciation within islands appears
      to have taken place a number of times as well. This speciation has taken place
      relatively recently and appears to be driven more by reproductive isolation than
      by ecological differentiation: while species in Nesobasis are morphologically
      distinct from one another, they are ecologically very similar, and currently are
      found to exist sympatrically throughout the islands on which they are
      distributed. We consider the potential for allopatric speciation within islands,
      as well as the influence of parasitic endosymbionts, to explain the high rates of
      speciation in these damselflies.

PMID- 28904790
TI  - Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in retail food
      in Singapore.
AB  - We characterised 227 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from retail food and food
      handlers' gloves samples obtained through food surveillance and risk assessment
      studies between 2011 and 2014. Of 227 isolates, five (2.2%) were methicillin
      resistant and belonged to sequence types ST80 (n = 3) and ST6 (n = 2). All five
      isolates belonged to SCCmec type IV, were Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl)
      negative and staphylococcal enterotoxin genes-positive. Resistance to
      azithromycin was found in ST80 isolates, in addition to resistance to beta
      lactams. Our finding of two clinically relevant methicillin-resistant S. aureus
      (MRSA) strains (ST80 and ST6) in ready-to-eat food and food contact surfaces at
      retail in Singapore suggests food and food contact surfaces as potential
      environmental sources of MRSA in the community.

PMID- 28904791
TI  - Brucellosis in livestock and wildlife: zoonotic diseases without pandemic
      potential in need of innovative one health approaches.
AB  - Human brucellosis remains the commonest zoonotic disease worldwide with more than
      500 000 new cases annually. Understanding the biology of Brucella infections and
      the transmission patterns at the wildlife/livestock/human interface is of
      paramount importance before implementing any brucellosis control or eradication
      program in animals, even more so should interventions be justified within One
      Health. In addition to calling for transdisciplinary collaboration, One Health
      formally aims to conserve the environment and to promote the well-being of
      animals. In this opinion paper, the One Health approach of brucellosis is
      reviewed in the industrialized and the low and middle income countries,
      highlighting pitfalls and shortcomings of serological studies and discussing the
      role of urban and peri-urban farming for the re-emergence of brucellosis in the
      developing world. The role of wildlife as a potential reservoir is highlighted
      and different management strategies are discussed. Lastly, beyond its role in the
      control of brucellosis, the ethical dimension of culling wildlife to control
      disease emergence or spill-back of infections in livestock is discussed. Core
      transdisciplinary competencies such as values and ethics are critically important
      in guiding the development of One Health curricula and in continuing professional
      education, as they describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to be
      effective. A conceptual framework needs to be developed from inception to
      knowledge translation. Importantly, transdisciplinary competencies should be
      developed as an adjunct to discipline-specific areas of expertise, not as a
      replacement. A profound understanding of the biology of infectious agents is and
      will always remain a pre-requisite for any sound One Health approach.

PMID- 28904792
TI  - Desmoplastic small round cell tumors of the pleura: a review of the clinical
      literature.
AB  - Desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the pleura is a rare malignancy, with only
      a few cases reported in the scientific literature. The aim of the present review
      is to discuss the demographic, pathological, clinical, and therapeutic features
      of this rare tumor. English-language articles published since 1989, when the
      first case of desmoplastic small round cell tumor of the pleura was described,
      were retrieved, and fifteen cases included in fourteen articles were revised. The
      mean age of the patients was 25.5 years, out of them 60% were males. Chest pain,
      pleural effusion, and dyspnea were the most common clinical manifestations, while
      chest roentgenogram and computed tomography were the imaging techniques most
      commonly used. Surgical biopsy was employed in 80% of the cases for diagnosis. A
      multidisciplinary approach consisting in a combination of surgery with
      chemotherapy and radiation therapy was adopted in most cases. Only two patients
      (13.3%) were alive at 3 years from diagnosis, reflecting the aggressiveness of
      the disease, and the poor outcomes of the treatments currently available.
      Desmoplastic small round cell tumors of the pleura are extremely aggressive and
      challenging to diagnose, because of their rarity and unspecific demographic,
      clinical, and radiological features. An in-depth knowledge of such features is
      necessary for the optimal management of patients with this rare malignancy.

PMID- 28904793
TI  - Relationship between engagement and level of functional status in older adults.
AB  - : Functional status is an important component of quality of life for older adults
      and for their caregivers. Factors associated with level of functional status
      include age, comorbidity, cognitive status, depression, social support, and
      activity. Of the types of activity linked with functional status, the strongest
      evidence is for physical exercise, with weaker evidence for social and productive
      activity. Engagement is a construct including motivation, commitment, and
      participation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether or
      not engagement is associated with level of functional status after controlling
      for age, comorbidity, and depression among older adults. METHODS: In all, 92
      older adults were recruited from senior living centers and a university-based
      senior exercise group. The main independent variable was engagement. Other
      independent variables were age, comorbidity, and depression. The dependent
      variable was level of functional status. Two different measures of level of
      functional status were used: the Katz Activities of Daily Living Index and the
      Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale. RESULTS: Engagement
      was a significant predictor of Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily
      Living Scale level of function in the Lawton-Brody model (odds ratio: 1.147
      (1.011-1.302)) and age was a significant negative predictor (odds ratio: 0.838
      (0.769-0.914)). There were no significant predictors in the Katz model.
      CONCLUSION: Engagement is a significant predictor of perfect Lawton-Brody
      Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale score after controlling for age,
      comorbidity, and depression. Health-care professionals should consider including
      engagement in their assessment of older clients, whether using formal instruments
      such as the Engagement with Meaningful Activity Survey or assessing informally.

PMID- 28904794
TI  - Dexmedetomidine provides less body motion and respiratory depression during
      sedation in double-balloon enteroscopy than midazolam.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing double-balloon enteroscopy require sedatives such
      as midazolam; however, patient's body motion often hampers the outcome of double
      balloon enteroscopy. Recently, dexmedetomidine has been used for endoscopic
      sedation and was reported to effectively reduce body motion. This study aimed to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety of sedation with dexmedetomidine in double
      balloon enteroscopy (UMIN ID000015785). METHODS: A prospective, observational
      study was conducted in 81 patients who underwent 111 double-balloon enteroscopy
      from July to December 2015 (dexmedetomidine group). The medical records of 112
      patients who underwent 166 double-balloon enteroscopy with midazolam and
      pentazocine sedation from January 1 to October 31, 2014, were used for comparison
      (midazolam group). After propensity score matching, 182 double-balloon
      enteroscopy (91 double-balloon enteroscopy for each group) were analyzed.
      RESULTS: There were 13 cases (11.7%) with body movements in the dexmedetomidine
      group. Comparison of the two groups matched by propensity score showed that the
      dexmedetomidine group had less body movement (12.1% vs 34.1%, p = 0.001) and less
      respiratory depression (50.5% vs 68.1%, p = 0.023). Hypotension (8.8% vs 4.4%, p
      = 0.232) and bradycardia (2.2% vs 0%, p = 0.497) were not significantly different
      in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Using dexmedetomidine for conscious sedation can
      reduce body motion and respiratory depression compared to our previous records.

PMID- 28904795
TI  - Cervical superficial myofibroblastoma: Case report and review of the literature.
AB  - Superficial myofibroblastoma of the lower female genital tract is a rare benign,
      recently recognized neoplasm that mostly affects the vulvovaginal area. Our
      report discusses a case of cervical superficial myofibroblastoma of the lower
      female genital tract in a 45-year-old patient who is presented with
      menometrorrhagia. On examination, she had multiple uterine fibroids and a
      circumscribed submucosal mass lesion involving the anterior lip of cervix. At
      hysterectomy, histopathological examination of the cervical mass revealed a
      relatively hypocellular tumor consisted of bland spindled and stellate cells. An
      immunohistochemistry evaluation revealed reactivity for CD34, desmin, and smooth
      muscle actin. This neoplasm should be included in the differential diagnosis of
      cervical mass lesions. This tumor also needs to be differentiated from other
      mesenchymal lesions of lower female genital tract.

PMID- 28904796
TI  - Endovascular management of symptomatic cerebral aneurysm thromboembolism due to
      pre-aneurysmal arterial stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-aneurysmal internal carotid steno-occlusive disease resulting in
      cerebral intra-aneurysmal thrombosis and subsequent embolic infarction has not
      been previously described. CONCLUSION: Antithrombotic treatment for dissolution
      of the thrombus and pre-aneurysmal stent angioplasty followed by Pipeline
      embolization flow diverter placement through the aneurysm is a safe and feasible
      management option.

PMID- 28904797
TI  - A cross-validation-based approach for delimiting reliable home range estimates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With decreasing costs of GPS telemetry devices, data repositories of
      animal movement paths are increasing almost exponentially in size. A series of
      complex statistical tools have been developed in conjunction with this increase
      in data. Each of these methods offers certain improvements over previously
      proposed methods, but each has certain assumptions or shortcomings that make its
      general application difficult. In the case of the recently developed Time Local
      Convex Hull (T-LoCoH) method, the subjectivity in parameter selection serves as
      one of the primary impediments to its more widespread use. While there are
      certain advantages to the flexibility it offers for question-driven research, the
      lack of an objective approach for parameter selection may prevent some users from
      exploring the benefits of the method. METHODS: Here we present a cross-validation
      based approach for selecting parameter values to optimize the T-LoCoH algorithm.
      We demonstrate the utility of the approach using a case study from the Etosha
      National Park anthrax system. RESULTS: Utilizing the proposed algorithm, rather
      than the guidelines in the T-LoCoH documentation, results in significantly
      different values for derived site fidelity metrics. CONCLUSIONS: Due to its basis
      in principles of cross-validation, the application of this method offers a more
      objective approach than the relatively subjective guidelines set forth in the T
      LoCoH documentation and enables a more accurate basis for the comparison of home
      ranges among individuals and species, as well as among studies.

PMID- 28904798
TI  - Patterns of residual HIV-1 RNA shedding in the seminal plasma of patients on
      effective antiretroviral therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More and more HIV-1-infected men on effective antiretroviral
      treatment (ART) have unprotected sex in order to procreate. The main factor
      influencing transmission is seminal HIV shedding. While the risk of HIV
      transmission is very low, it is difficult to assess in individuals. Nevertheless,
      it should be quantified. RESULTS: We retrospectively analysed seminal plasma HIV
      1 shedding by 362 treated HIV-infected men attending a medically assisted
      reproduction centre (1998-2013) in order to determine its frequency, the impact
      of the antiretroviral regimen on HIV shedding, and to identify shedding patterns.
      The HIV-1 virus loads in 1396 synchronized blood and semen samples were measured,
      and antiretroviral treatment, biological and epidemiological data were recorded.
      We detected isolated HIV-1 shedding into the seminal plasma in 5.3% of patients
      on efficient antiretroviral treatment, but there was no association with the HIV
      antiretroviral drug regimen or the CD4 cell count. These men had undergone more
      regimen changes since treatment initiation and had been on the ongoing drug
      regimen longer than the non-shedding men. The patterns of HIV seminal shedding
      among patients with undetectable HIV blood virus load varied greatly. HIV seminal
      shedding can occur as long as 5 years after starting antiretroviral treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: The seminal HIV load was used to monitor risk for infertile HIV
      infected patients on an assisted reproductive technology program. This can still
      be recommended for patients who recently (6 months) started ART, or those with a
      poor history of adherence to ART but may also be usefull for some patients during
      counselling. Residual HIV seminal shedding is probably linked to breaks in
      adherence to antiretroviral treatment but local genital factors cannot be ruled
      out.

PMID- 28904799
TI  - Clinical significance of measuring plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disseminated thrombotic process in the microcirculation is considered
      to be an important cause of multiple organ dysfunction in sepsis. The fundamental
      purpose of this prothrombotic change was believed to be in the host defense
      against microbial dissemination. In that process, antifibrinolytic property plays
      an important role. MAIN BODY: For the understanding of pathophysiology of sepsis,
      it is quite useful to grasp the alterations in coagulation/fibrinolytic
      parameters, i.e., plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.
      They play crucial roles in the development of clot formation and disseminated
      intravascular coagulation that leads to fatal organ dysfunction. Basically,
      fibrinolysis is a simple system compared to the complex coagulation cascade.
      Plasmin is the only factor that regulates fibrinolysis, and this enzyme is
      modulated by several factors including plasminogen activators and plasminogen
      activator inhibitor-1. However, recent studies have elucidated the complex
      regulation of the production, activation, and inactivation of these fibrinolytic
      factors. CONCLUSION: The dynamic change of the fibrinolytic system plays a
      crucial role in the pathophysiology of sepsis. In this commentary, we introduce
      the recent advances of the research regarding fibrinolytic system.

PMID- 28904800
TI  - Alterations in hematologic indices during long-duration spaceflight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although a state of anemia is perceived to be associated with
      spaceflight, to date a peripheral blood hematologic assessment of red blood cell
      (RBC) indices has not been performed during long-duration space missions.
      METHODS: This investigation collected whole blood samples from astronauts
      participating in up to 6-months orbital spaceflight, and returned those samples
      (ambient storage) to Earth for analysis. As samples were always collected near
      undock of a returning vehicle, the delay from collection to analysis never
      exceeded 48 h. As a subset of a larger immunologic investigation, a complete
      blood count was performed. A parallel stability study of the effect of a 48 h
      delay on these parameters assisted interpretation of the in-flight data. RESULTS:
      We report that the RBC and hemoglobin were significantly elevated during flight,
      both parameters deemed stable through the delay of sample return. Although the
      stability data showed hematocrit to be mildly elevated at +48 h, there was an in
      flight increase in hematocrit that was ~3-fold higher in magnitude than the
      anticipated increase due to the delay in processing. CONCLUSIONS: While
      susceptible to the possible influence of dehydration or plasma volume
      alterations, these results suggest astronauts do not develop persistent anemia
      during spaceflight.

PMID- 28904801
TI  - Hypnotics use in children 0-18 months: moderate agreement between mother-reported
      survey data and prescription registry data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Different methods in pharmacoepidemiology can be used to study
      hypnotic use in children. But neither questionnaire-based data nor prescription
      records can be considered a "gold standard". This study aimed to investigate the
      agreement between mother-reported questionnaire-based data and prescription
      record data for hypnotic drugs in children aged 0-18 months. The agreement was
      compared to the agreement for a group of antiepileptic drugs. METHODS:
      Prescription record data were collected from the Norwegian prescription database
      for 47,413 children also surveyed in the Norwegian mother and child cohort
      between 2005 and 2009. Agreement between in the two data sources was calculated
      using Cohens Kappa. Multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate the
      effect of sociodemographic variables on discrepancies in data sources. RESULTS:
      The agreement between mother-reported and dispensed hypnotics was less than 50%
      for all hypnotics. Sensitivity of reporting increased with number of filled
      prescriptions. The agreement of antiepileptic drugs was 92.9% in the same
      population. Of several sociodemographic factors only paternal educational level
      and maternal work situation was significantly related to agreement between
      prescription record and survey data. CONCLUSION: There was a moderate agreement
      between reported use and dispensed hypnotic drugs for infants and toddlers.
      Results indicate that sociodemographic factors play only a minor role in
      explaining discrepancy.

PMID- 28904802
TI  - Analytical study of 226Ra activity concentration in market consuming foodstuffs
      of Ramsar, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ramsar, a city of Iran located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, has
      been considered to be enormously important due to its high natural radioactivity
      levels. People living in High Level Natural Radiation Areas (HLNRAs) have been
      exposed by several sources, one of which could be foodstuff. However, many
      studies have been carried out to measure the environmental radioactivity in
      Ramsar, but no survey has been conducted in all stapled consumed foods yet. This
      study was dedicated to determine 226Ra activity concentration in the daily diets
      of Ramsar residents as a probable exposure. METHODS: Approximately 70 different
      market samples were collected during the four seasons based on the daily
      consumption patterns of residents which have the highest consumption and their
      availability in the seasons. All samples, after washing, drying and pretreatment,
      were analyzed for 226Ra radionuclide determination by alpha-spectrometry.
      RESULTS: The mean radioactivity concentration of 226Ra ranged between 7 +/- 1 mBq
      Kg-1 wet weight in meat, and 318 +/- 118 mBq Kg-1 for tea dry leaves. The 226Ra
      activity concentrations in collected samples varied from below the minimum
      detectable activity up to 530 +/- 30 mBq Kg-1. To compare the results with United
      Nations Scientific Committee on Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reference
      values, the 226Ra activity concentrations concluded from the results appear to be
      higher in milk, chicken and eggs and less in grain products, vegetables, fruits
      and fish products. These results indicate that no significant 226Ra contamination
      is present in market foodstuffs and provide reference values for the foodstuffs
      in Ramsar. CONCLUSIONS: Of the total daily dietary 226Ra exposure from market
      consuming foodstuffs for adults in Ramsar, the largest percentage was from wheat.
      The residents consuming wheat and manufacturing wheat products such as bread,
      pasta, porridge, crackers, biscuits, pancakes, pies, pastries, cakes, cookies,
      muffins, rolls, doughnuts, breakfast cereals and so on may receive an elevated
      dose in the diet. In conclusion, with regards to presence of 226Ra in foodstuffs
      it is necessary to monitor regularly the activity of 226Ra in foodstuffs
      including market and local foods.

PMID- 28904803
TI  - Comparative transcriptome analysis during early fruit development between three
      seedy citrus genotypes and their seedless mutants.
AB  - Identification of genes with differential transcript abundance (GDTA) in seedless
      mutants may enhance understanding of seedless citrus development. Transcriptome
      analysis was conducted at three time points during early fruit development (Phase
      1) of three seedy citrus genotypes: Fallglo (Bower citrus hybrid (Citrus
      reticulata*C. reticulata*C. paradisi)*Temple (C. reticulata*C. sinensis)),
      grapefruit (C. paradisi), Pineapple sweet orange (C. sinensis), and their
      seedless mutants. Seed abortion in seedless mutants was observed at 26 days post
      anthesis (Time point 2). Affymetrix transcriptomic analysis revealed 359 to 1077
      probe sets with differential transcript abundance in the comparison of seedless
      versus seedy fruits for each citrus genotypes and time points. The GDTA
      identified by 18 microarray probe sets were validated by qPCR. Hierarchical
      clustering analysis revealed a range of GDTA associated with development, hormone
      and protein metabolism, all of which may reflect genes associated with seedless
      fruit development. There were 14, 9 and 12 genes found exhibiting similar
      abundance ratios in all three seedless versus seedy genotype comparisons at time
      point 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Among those genes were genes coding for an
      aspartic protease and a cysteine protease, which may play important roles in
      seedless fruit development. New insights into seedless citrus fruit development
      may contribute to biotech approaches to create seedless cultivars.

PMID- 28904804
TI  - Bringing new medicines to women with epithelial ovarian cancer: what is the unmet
      medical need?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapy for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) includes first
      line platinum/taxane-containing chemotherapy and re-treatment with platinum
      containing regimens for disease recurrence in patients likely to respond again.
      Single-agent, non-platinum, cytotoxic agents are commonly used to treat patients
      resistant to platinum retreatment, but these agents are associated with dose
      limiting toxicities and response rates below 20%. MAIN BODY: Recent advances have
      led to novel targeted treatments for recurrent OC that offer opportunities to
      improve response rates and prolong progression-free intervals. However, they also
      add complexity to the process of selecting treatment for individual patients at
      different stages of the disease process. Advanced and recurrent OC is rarely
      cured. Multiple lines of platinum combinations, and nonplatinum chemotherapeutics
      eventually fail to achieve clinical benefit, thus other active and tolerable
      systemic therapies are needed. Consequently, the US Food and Drug Administration
      has created a mechanism for "accelerated approval" of new medicines in situations
      of high unmet medical need. CONCLUSION: We review the clinical implications of
      recent key clinical studies in these settings and outline the path forward for
      study design and approval of novel therapeutics to treat recurrent OC.

PMID- 28904805
TI  - High-dose levothyroxine for the management of bipolar affective disorder: two
      case reports.
AB  - In this article, we report two cases from our centre: case A has the longest
      recovery period and case B is one of the most complex from a diagnostic and
      management perspective, highlighting how treatment resistance can be overcome
      depending on patient response and needs.

PMID- 28904806
TI  - Do clinicians receive adequate training to identify trafficked persons? A scoping
      review of NHS Foundation Trusts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigate whether physicians in secondary care in the English NHS
      receive adequate training to recognise and appropriately refer for services those
      persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking. DESIGN: Freedom of
      Information requests were sent to the 105 England's NHS Trusts delivering acute
      care in England. SETTING: NHS Trusts providing secondary care in England.
      PARTICIPANTS: English NHS Trusts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We requested data about
      the training provided on human trafficking to clinicians, including the nature,
      delivery, and format of any education, and any planned training. RESULTS: A total
      of 89.5% of the 105 Trusts responded. Of these Trusts, 69% provide education to
      physicians on human trafficking, and a further 6% provide training but did not
      specify who received it. The majority of Trusts providing training did so within
      wider safeguarding provision (91%). Only one trust reported that it provides
      stand-alone training on trafficking to all its staff, including physicians.
      Within training offered by Trusts, 54% observed best practice providing training
      on the clinical indicators of trafficking, while 16% referenced the National
      Referral Mechanism. Amongst those not providing training, 39% of Trusts report
      provision is in development. CONCLUSIONS: Our results find that 25% of NHS
      Foundation Trusts appear to lack training for physicians around human
      trafficking. It is also of concern that of the Trusts who currently do not
      provide training, only 39% are developing training or planning to do so. There is
      an urgent need to review and update the scope of available training and bring it
      into alignment with current legislation.

PMID- 28904807
TI  - The return of a former foe: syphilis with antiphospholipid syndrome as a cause of
      acute stroke.
AB  - This article highlights a rare complication of syphilis infection and the
      importance of including syphilis and antiphospholipid antibody testing in the
      acute stroke screen..

PMID- 28904808
TI  - Intracardiac fistula: an unusual complication of catheter-related blood stream
      infection.
AB  - In end stage renal disease patients on dialysis, the use of catheter as a
      vascular access is associated with a significant risk of sepsis compared to an
      arterio-venous fistula. Our case emphasizes the importance of having high index
      of suspicion for unusual complications in patients presenting with possible
      catheter-related blood stream infection and early use of complementary tools such
      as trans-oesophageal echocardiography whenever applicable.

PMID- 28904809
TI  - Magnetic resonance imaging performance for diagnosis of ovarian torsion in
      pregnant women with stimulated ovaries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine if asymmetric ovarian edema on non-contrast MRI can be
      used to distinguish torsed from non-torsed stimulated ovaries in pregnant women.
      METHODS: In this retrospective study, our radiology database was searched for
      women who were pregnant and who had undergone ovarian stimulation and underwent
      MRI abdomen/pelvis from 1/2000-12/2012. At our institution, ultrasound is
      typically performed as a first line study for pregnant women with pelvic pain,
      with MR for those patients with indeterminate findings. 64 pregnant women
      (gestational age range 3-37 weeks) were included. MRI indication, prospective
      interpretation, operative diagnosis, and follow-up were recorded. Two blinded
      radiologists (with a third radiologist tie-breaker) independently measured and
      described the ovaries, including the likelihood of torsion. If one or both
      ovaries/adnexa had an underlying lesion such as a dermoid, cystadenoma, or
      abscess, the patient was excluded from size and signal intensity comparison (N =
      14). For the remaining 50 women, comparison was made of the ovaries in women with
      normal ovaries (N = 27), stimulated ovaries without torsion (N = 11), non
      stimulated ovaries with torsion (N = 3), and stimulated ovaries with torsion (N =
      3). Patients with asymmetric ovarian edema without stimulation or torsion (N = 3)
      and with polycystic ovary syndrome (N = 3) were analyzed separately. RESULTS:
      Average normal ovarian length was 3.2 cm, compared to 4.5 cm for asymmetric edema
      and 5.6-8.8 cm for the other four groups. Average difference in greatest right
      and left ovarian diameter was 19% for normal ovaries compared to 24-37% for the
      other 5 groups. Asymmetric signal on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) was seen in 12%
      (3/27) of normal ovaries compared to 9% (1/11) of stimulated patients without
      torsion, 33% (1/3) of patients with PCOS and 67% (2/3) of patients with torsion
      both without and with stimulation. The correct diagnosis of torsion was made
      prospectively in 5/6 cases but retrospectively in only 3/6 cases. In patients
      with stimulation, correct diagnosis of torsion was made in 2/3 cases
      prospectively (both with asymmetric T2 signal) and retrospectively in only 1/3
      cases. In 13/64 patients, other acute gynecologic and non-gynecologic findings
      were diagnosed on MRI. CONCLUSIONS: Enlarged edematous ovary can be seen with
      ovarian stimulation, ovarian torsion, or both. Although asymmetric ovarian edema
      occurred more frequently in patients with torsion than without, in pregnant
      patients with stimulated ovaries referred for MRI (typically after non-diagnostic
      ultrasound), ovarian torsion could not be confidently diagnosed or excluded
      retrospectively with non-contrast MRI.

PMID- 28904810
TI  - Nasal high flow treatment in preterm infants.
AB  - Nasal High Flow (HF) is a mode of 'non-invasive' respiratory support for preterm
      infants, with several potential modes of action, including generation of
      distending airway pressure, washout of the nasopharyngeal dead space, reduction
      of work of breathing, and heating and humidification of inspired gas. HF has
      several potential advantages over continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the
      most commonly applied form of non-invasive support, such as reduced nasal trauma,
      ease of use, and infant comfort, which has led to its rapid adoption into
      neonatal care. In recent years, HF has become a well-established and commonly
      applied treatment in neonatal care. Recent trials comparing HF and CPAP as
      primary support have had differing results. Meta-analyses suggest that primary HF
      results in an increased risk of treatment failure, but that 'rescue' CPAP use in
      those infants with HF failure results in no greater risk of mechanical
      ventilation. Even in studies with higher rates of HF failure, the majority of
      infants were successfully treated with HF, and rates of important neonatal
      morbidities did not differ between treatment groups. Importantly, these studies
      have included only infants born at >=28 weeks' gestational age (GA). The decision
      whether to apply primary HF will depend on the value placed on its advantages
      over CPAP by clinicians, the approach to surfactant treatment, and the severity
      of respiratory disease in the relevant population of preterm infants. Post
      extubation HF use results in similar rates of treatment failure, mechanical
      ventilation, and adverse events compared to CPAP. Post-extubation HF appears most
      suited to infants >=28 weeks; there are few published data for infants below this
      gestation, and available evidence suggests that these infants are at high risk of
      HF failure, although rates of intubation and other morbidities are similar to
      those seen with CPAP. There is no evidence that using HF to 'wean' off CPAP
      allows for respiratory support to be ceased more quickly, but given its
      advantages it would appear to be a suitable alternative in infants who require
      ongoing non-invasive support. Safety data from randomised trials are reassuring,
      although more evidence in extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks' GA) is required.

PMID- 28904811
TI  - Which symptoms contribute the most to patients' perception of health in multiple
      sclerosis?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis is a polysymptomatic disease. Little is known
      about relative contributions of the different multiple sclerosis symptoms to self
      perception of health. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between symptom
      severity in 11 domains affected by multiple sclerosis and self-rated health.
      METHODS: Multiple sclerosis patients in two multiple sclerosis centers assessed
      self-rated health with a validated instrument and symptom burden with
      symptoMScreen, a validated battery of Likert scales for 11 domains commonly
      affected by multiple sclerosis. Pearson correlations and multivariate linear
      regressions were used to investigate the relationship between symptoMScreen
      scores and self-rated health. RESULTS: Among 1865 multiple sclerosis outpatients
      (68% women, 78% with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, mean age 46.38 +/-
      12.47 years, disease duration 13.43 +/- 10.04 years), average self-rated health
      score was 2.30 ('moderate to good'). Symptom burden (composite symptoMScreen
      score) highly correlated with self-rated health (r = 0.68, P < 0.0001) as did
      each of the symptoMScreen domain subscores. In regression analysis, pain (t =
      7.00), ambulation (t = 6.91), and fatigue (t = 5.85) contributed the highest
      amount of variance in self-rated health (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pain
      contributed the most to multiple sclerosis outpatients' perception of health,
      followed by gait dysfunction and fatigue. These findings suggest that 'invisible
      disability' may be more important to patients' sense of wellbeing than physical
      disability, and challenge the notion that physical disability should be the
      primary outcome measure in multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28904812
TI  - Strongest grip on the rod: tarsal morphology and attachment of Japanese pine
      sawyer beetles.

PMID- 28904813
TI  - Seasonal affective disorder and non-seasonal affective disorders: results from
      the NESDA study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is considered to be a subtype of
      depression. AIMS: To compare the clinical picture of SAD to non-seasonal
      affective disorders (non-SADs). METHOD: Diagnoses according to the Diagnostic and
      Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) were established in 2185
      participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. The Seasonal
      Pattern Assessment Questionnaire was administered to diagnose SAD. Symptoms of
      depression and anxiety were measured with the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms,
      the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Fear Questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants with
      SAD, participants with a lifetime bipolar disorder and participants with a
      lifetime comorbid anxiety and depressive disorder scored highest in terms of
      psychopathology in the past year. The seasonal distribution of major depressive
      episodes was not different for participants with or without SAD. CONCLUSIONS: SAD
      may be a measure of severity of depression with a subjectively perceived
      worsening of symptoms in the winter months. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: Y.M. has
      received research funding and served as a consultant for Royal Philips
      Electronics NV and The Litebook Company Ltd. W.A.N. has received grants from the
      Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development, the European Union,
      the Stanley Medical Research Institute, Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline
      and Wyeth; has received honoraria/speaker's fees from Astra Zeneca, Pfizer,
      Servier and Wyeth; and has served in advisory boards for Astra Zeneca, Pfizer and
      Servier. COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: (c) The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This
      is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non
      Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.

PMID- 28904814
TI  - Factors impacting perceived safety among staff working on mental health wards.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Safety at work is a core issue for mental health staff working on in
      patient units. At present, there is a limited theoretical base regarding which
      factors may affect staff perceptions of safety. AIMS: This study attempted to
      identify which factors affect perceived staff safety working on in-patient mental
      health wards. METHOD: A cross-sectional design was employed across 101 forensic
      and non-forensic mental health wards, over seven National Health Service trusts
      nationally. Measures included an online staff survey, Ward Features Checklist and
      recorded incident data. Data were analysed using categorical principal components
      analysis and ordinal regression. RESULTS: Perceptions of staff safety were
      increased by ward brightness, higher number of patient beds, lower staff to
      patient ratios, less dayroom space and more urban views. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings from this study do not represent common-sense assumptions. Results are
      discussed in the context of the literature and may have implications for current
      initiatives aimed at managing in-patient violence and aggression. DECLARATION OF
      INTEREST: None. COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: (c) The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017.
      This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
      Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

PMID- 28904815
TI  - Predictors, help-seeking behaviour and treatment coverage for depression in
      adults in Sehore district, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: National Mental Health Survey found that in India, the point
      prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) was 2.7% and the treatment gap was
      85.2%, whereas in Madhya Pradesh the point prevalence of MDD was 1.4% and the
      treatment gap was 80%. AIMS: To describe the baseline prevalence of depression
      among adults, association of various demographic and socioeconomic variables with
      depression and estimation of contact coverage for the same. METHOD: Population
      based cross-sectional survey of 3220 adults in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh,
      India. The outcome of interest was a probable diagnosis of depression that was
      measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the proportion of
      individuals with depression (PHQ-9>9) who sought care for the same. The data were
      analysed using simple and multiple log-linear regression. RESULTS: Low
      educational attainment, unemployment and indebtedness were associated with both
      moderate/severe depression (PHQ-9 score >9) and severe depression only (PHQ-9
      score >14), whereas age, caste and marital status were associated with only
      moderate or severe depression. Religion, type of house, land ownership and amount
      of loan taken were not associated with either moderate/severe or only severe
      depression. The contact coverage for moderate/severe depression was 13.08% (95%
      CI 10.2-16.63). CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to bridge the treatment gap
      by targeting individuals with social vulnerabilities and integrating evidence
      based interventions in primary care. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None. COPYRIGHT AND
      USAGE: (c) The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access
      article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No
      Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.

PMID- 28904816
TI  - Regulation of hnRNPA1 by microRNAs controls the miR-18a-K-RAS axis in
      chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer.
AB  - The regulation of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, function and degradation involves
      a range of mechanisms, including interactions with RNA-binding proteins. The
      potential contribution of regulatory miRNAs to the expression of these RNA
      interactor proteins that could control other miRNAs expression is still unclear.
      Here we demonstrate a regulatory circuit involving oncogenic and tumor-suppressor
      miRNAs and an RNA-binding protein in a chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer
      model. We identified and characterized miR-15a-5p and miR-25-3p as negative
      regulators of hnRNPA1 expression, which is required for the processing of miR-18a
      3p, an inhibitor of the K-RAS oncogene. The inhibition of miR-25-3p and miR-15a
      5p decreased the proliferation, motility, invasiveness and angiogenic potential
      and increased apoptosis when combined with docetaxel. Alteration of this
      regulatory circuit causes poor overall survival outcome in ovarian cancer
      patients. These results highlight miR-15a-5p and miR-25-3p as key regulators of
      miR-18a-3p expression and its downstream target K-RAS, through direct modulation
      of hnRNPA1 expression. Our results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of
      inhibiting miR-25-3p and miR-15a-5p and the use of miR-18a-3p/KRAS ratio as a
      prominent outcome prognostic factor.

PMID- 28904817
TI  - IHC-based subcellular quantification provides new insights into prognostic
      relevance of FLIP and procaspase-8 in non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - In this study, we developed an image analysis algorithm for quantification of two
      potential apoptotic biomarkers in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): FLIP and
      procaspase-8. Immunohistochemical expression of FLIP and procaspase-8 in 184
      NSCLC tumors were assessed. Individual patient cores were segmented and
      classified as tumor and stroma using the Definiens Tissue Studio. Subsequently,
      chromogenic expression of each biomarker was measured separately in the nucleus
      and cytoplasm and reported as a quantitative histological score. The software
      package pROC was applied to define biomarker thresholds. Cox proportional hazards
      analysis was applied to generate hazard ratios (HRs) and associated 95% CI for
      survival. High cytoplasmic expression of tumoral (but not stromal) FLIP was
      associated with a 2.5-fold increased risk of death in lung adenocarcinoma
      patients, even when adjusted for known confounders (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.14-5.35).
      Neither nuclear nor cytoplasmic tumoral procaspase-8 expression was associated
      with overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma patients; however, there was a
      significant trend (P for trend=0.03) for patients with adenocarcinomas with both
      high cytoplasmic FLIP and high cytoplasmic procaspase-8 to have a multiplicative
      increased risk of death. Notably, high stromal nuclear procaspase-8 expression
      was associated with a reduced risk of death in lung adenocarcinoma patients
      (adjusted HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.15-0.66). On further examination, the cells with high
      nuclear procaspase-8 were found to be of lymphoid origin, suggesting that the
      better prognosis of patients with tumors with high stromal nuclear procaspase-8
      is related to immune infiltration, a known favorable prognostic factor. No
      significant associations were detected in analysis of lung squamous cell
      carcinoma patients. Our results suggest that cytoplasmic expression of FLIP in
      the tumor and nuclear expression of procaspase-8 in the stroma are prognostically
      relevant in non-small-cell adenocarcinomas but not in squamous cell carcinomas of
      the lung.

PMID- 28904818
TI  - NF-kappaB pathway link with ER stress-induced autophagy and apoptosis in cervical
      tumor cells.
AB  - Targeting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is being investigated for its
      anticancer effect in various cancers, including cervical cancer. However, the
      molecular pathways whereby ER stress mediates cell death remain to be fully
      elucidated. In this study, we confirmed that ER stress triggered by compounds
      such as brefeldin A (BFA), tunicamycin (TM), and thapsigargin (TG) leads to the
      induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in cervical cancer cell lines,
      which is characterized by elevated levels of inositol-requiring kinase 1alpha,
      glucose-regulated protein-78, and C/EBP homologous protein, and swelling of the
      ER observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). We found that BFA
      significantly increased autophagy in tumor cells and induced TC-1 tumor cell
      death in a dose-dependent manner. BFA increased punctate staining of LC3 and the
      number of autophagosomes observed by TEM in TC-1 and HeLa cells. The autophagic
      flux was also assessed. Bafilomycin, which blocked degradation of LC3 in
      lysosomes, caused both LC3I and LC3II accumulation. BFA initiated apoptosis of TC
      1 tumor cells through activation of the caspase-12/caspase-3 pathway. At the same
      time, BFA enhanced the phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha protein and translocation
      into the nucleus of NF-kappaB p65. Quinazolinediamine, an NF-kappaB inhibitor,
      attenuated both autophagy and apoptosis induced by BFA; meanwhile, it partly
      enhances survival of cervical cancer cells following BFA treatment. In
      conclusion, our results indicate that the cross-talk between ER stress,
      autophagy, apoptosis, and the NF-kappaB pathways controls the fate of cervical
      cancer cells. Careful evaluation should be given to the addition of an NF-kappaB
      pathway inhibitor to treat cervical cancer in combination with drugs that induce
      ER stress-mediated cell death.

PMID- 28904819
TI  - Prdx6 retards senescence and restores trabecular meshwork cell health by
      regulating reactive oxygen species.
AB  - A progressive decline in antioxidant potential and accumulation of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) are major causes of pathogenesis of several diseases,
      including glaucoma. Trabecular meshwork (TM) dysfunction resulting in higher
      intraocular pressure (IOP) is a hallmark of glaucoma, but its causes are unclear.
      Using human (h) TM cells derived from glaucomatous and normal subjects of
      different ages and cells facing oxidative-stress, we showed that specific loss of
      moonlighting antioxidant protein Peroxiredoxin (Prdx) 6 in aging or in
      glaucomatous TM cells caused ROS accumulation and pathobiological changes in TM
      cells. Prdx6 limits the levels of ROS, thus preventing overstimulation of genes
      and resultant deleterious effects. We found that Prdx6 levels declined in aging
      and were reduced dramatically in glaucomatous and aged TM cells. Biochemical
      assays revealed enhanced levels of ROS, and high expression/activation of
      TGFbetas and its responsive extracellular matrix genes alpha-SM, fibronectin,
      TGase2 and Tsp1 in aged or glaucomatous cells. Furthermore, hTM cells displayed
      typical features of the combined effects of TGFbetas and oxidative-stress-induced
      cellular changes, showing increased levels of lipid peroxidation, oxidative DNA
      damage, and senescence markers p16, p21 and SA-betagal activity, along with
      reduced levels of telomerase expression and activity. Exposure to oxidative
      stress (H2O2) or knocking down of Prdx6 (with antisense) accelerated this
      process. Importantly, Prdx6 delivery to sick or aged TM cells reversed the
      process. We propose Prdx6 as a potential therapeutic target to guard the TM from
      oxidative-stress and age-dependent accumulation of ROS by balancing redox
      homeostasis to prevent ocular disorders, like glaucoma.

PMID- 28904820
TI  - Successful cerebral thrombectomy for a nonagenarian with stroke in the subacute
      phase after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thromboembolic events are infrequent but serious complications of
      transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), occurring in 2.3-10% of the
      patients. However, the cause of post-TAVI stroke is unclear. CASE DESCRIPTION: A
      90-year-old female underwent transfemoral-TAVI for severe aortic stenosis. Ten
      days later, she presented with an ischemic stroke of the left middle cerebral
      artery territory due to new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF). She underwent
      emergent endovascular thrombectomy with good reperfusion approximately 6 hours
      after onset of symptoms. At hospital discharge, her National Institutes of Health
      Stroke Scale score was 11. CONCLUSIONS: Although NOAF is rare during the subacute
      phase of TAVI, in this patient it might be the cause of her stroke. This finding
      suggests that dual antiplatelet therapy alone may be insufficient in the
      prevention of stroke after TAVI. Nonetheless, this case demonstrates the efficacy
      and safety of endovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke
      caused by NOAF after TAVI.

PMID- 28904821
TI  - Endoscopic transnasal suprasellar approach for anterior clinoidal meningioma: A
      case report and review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anterior clinoidal meningiomas (ACM) are traditionally approached
      through transcranial routes. Due to their tendency to extend laterally and their
      proximity to vital neurovascular structures, the endoscopic transnasal
      suprasellar approach is still questionable. We present and describe an ACM case
      that underwent an endoscopic transnasal suprasellar approach, and provide a
      review of the literature and operative technique. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 56 year-old
      lady who presented with chronic left-sided decreased vision. Brain imaging
      revealed a lesion measuring 9 * 10 * 11 mm attached to the left anterior clinoid
      process (ACP) and extending to the left optic canal. Lesion was compressing the
      left optic nerve (ON) and abutting the supraclinoid part of the left internal
      carotid artery (ICA). Utilizing the endoscopic transnasal suprasellar approach,
      the meningioma was resected and the optic canal was decompressed. Reconstruction
      was achieved using fascia lata, vomer bone, and nasoseptal flap. A lumbar drain
      was inserted perioperatively. Patient had no perioperative morbidity and retained
      vision in the affected eye. CONCLUSIONS: Resection of selected ACMs can be safely
      achieved utilizing the endoscopic transnasal suprasellar approach. Although the
      literature lacks long-term outcome comparison between the transnasal and the
      traditional transcranial approaches, specifically addressing ACMs, this technique
      is becoming more popular over the last decade. More efforts should be directed
      towards implementing and reporting the endoscopic transnasal suprasellar approach
      for meningiomas of the anterior clinoid process.

PMID- 28904823
TI  - A novel drainage approach in patients with cholesterol granuloma: From petrous
      apex to mastoid air cell.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cholesterol granulomas (CG) of the petrous apex (CGPA) are benign
      lesions that have high recurrence rates after surgical intervention. We describe
      the use of a robust silicon drain between the petrous apex and mastoid air cells
      to allow constant aeration of the lesion for preventing recurrence. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: A retrospective analysis was performed using the data of four
      patients treated at the Maastricht University Medical Centre between 2014 and
      2016. Using the middle fossa approach, the petrous apex was reached, the cyst was
      opened, and the content aspirated. Subsequently, a robust silicon drain was
      placed between the cyst and mastoid air cell system. The outcome measures were
      clinical improvement of the symptoms and radiological parameters. The patients
      were female (n = 2) and male (n = 2) with an age range between 33 and 53 years at
      the time of the operation. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging
      scans were used to confirm CG diagnosis. The most common presenting symptoms in
      our population were diplopia and headaches. The symptoms improved after surgery
      and there were no complications. Thus far, no recurrence has been observed and
      imaging shows aeration in the lesion area. CONCLUSION: The use of a robust drain
      seems to be an effective, safe, and feasible option to prevent recurrences in
      patients with CG.

PMID- 28904822
TI  - A parental perspective concerning barriers to care for neural tube defects in
      China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The People's Republic of China (PRC) has the highest incidence of
      neural tube defects (NTDs) in the world. NTDs remain a significant contributor to
      the global burden of disease amendable to surgical care; however, no studies to
      date have evaluated the patients' perspective regarding perceived barriers to
      care. METHODS: The study was conducted at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center
      (SCMC) between 6/11/2014 and 7/17/2014. Surveys were administered to families
      presenting to the clinic of the SCMC director for Pediatric Neurosurgery.
      Additionally, orphaned patients under the care of the Baobei Foundation were
      surveyed for comparison. Participants were allowed to mark as many barriers on
      the survey as they deemed relevant to their experience. RESULTS: A total of 69
      patients were surveyed. The most frequently chosen barrier to care, with a P
      value < 10-5, was that the referring physician did not know enough about the
      child's condition. As compared to the Baobei Foundation orphans, surveyed
      patients presented at an older age for initial treatment (7 months versus 1
      month, P value = 0.001), and visited more hospitals before reaching SCMC (3.14
      versus 1.0, P value < 10-5). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study highlight the
      referring physician as a primary barrier to care. The younger age at time of
      treatment for Baobei orphans born with NTDs supports this finding, as they
      essentially bypassed the referral process. An elaboration on reasons for this
      real or perceived barrier may provide insight into a means for expedited
      diagnosis and treatment of NTDs within the PRC.

PMID- 28904824
TI  - A case of unruptured aneurysm of the internal carotid artery presenting as
      olfactory hallucinations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Olfactory hallucination, a symptom of medial temporal lobe epilepsy,
      is rarely associated with unruptured intracranial aneurysms. CASE DESCRIPTION: We
      encountered this situation in a 70-year-old woman with an unruptured aneurysm at
      the bifurcation of the internal carotid and posterior communicating artery. We
      were able to achieve epileptic control by craniotomy clipping and medial temporal
      lesionectomy. CONCLUSION: According to our knowledge, previous reports are
      limited to cases of large middle cerebral artery aneurysms compressing the
      lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and this is apparently the first report of a case
      where olfactory hallucinations occurred from direct stimulation of the entorhinal
      cortex by an internal carotid and posterior communicating artery bifurcation
      aneurysm. We examined the pathophysiology underlying the development of olfactory
      hallucinations. We found craniotomy clipping and focal resection to be useful
      from the standpoint of seizure control. Whether seizure control can also be
      obtained with intracranial aneurysm coiling should be investigated in the future.

PMID- 28904825
TI  - Angiographic and epidemiological characteristics associated with aneurysm
      remnants after microsurgical clipping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite new techniques for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, the
      percentage of aneurysm remnants after surgical intervention seems to be
      relatively constant. The objective of this study was to assess angiographic and
      epidemiological features associated with aneurysm remnants after microsurgical
      clipping. METHODS: This study was conducted from February 2009 to August 2012 on
      a series of 90 patients with 105 aneurysms referred to the Santa Casa of Belo
      Horizonte who were surgically treated and angiographically controlled. RESULTS:
      Surgical clipping was considered incomplete in 13.3% of the aneurysms. The mean
      age of cases with an aneurysm remnant was 57.5 years, whereas the mean age
      without aneurysm remnant was 49.7 years (P = 0.02). Aneurysm remnants were
      detected more frequently on the internal carotid artery, nevertheless, no
      statistically significant differences were verified when comparing the locations.
      Aneurysm size in the preoperative angiography verified that the mean size of
      aneurysms operated was 6.56 mm, such that in cases showing a postoperative
      remnant, the mean size was 9.7 mm and in cases with complete clipping it was 6.08
      mm (P = 0.02). Postoperative angiography showed that, in cases with residual
      aneurysm, the number of clips used was higher - a mean of 1.8 for complete
      clipping and 3.1 for incomplete clipping (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Aneurysm size
      and patient age showed significant correlations with residual intracranial
      aneurysm. The mean number of clips used was higher in cases with incomplete
      occlusion.

PMID- 28904827
TI  - Horizontal distance of anterior communicating artery aneurysm neck from anterior
      clinoid process is critically important to predict postoperative complication in
      clipping via pterional approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The difficulty of clipping aneurysm of the anterior communicating
      artery (AcomA) depends on the size, direction, positional relationship with the
      parent artery, and height from the anterior frontal base. Cases of clipping
      unruptured AcomA aneurysm through pterional approach were analyzed to investigate
      the importance of the horizontal distance from the base of the anterior clinoid
      process. METHODS: Twenty-six consecutive unruptured AcomA aneurysms were treated
      by clipping through pterional approach in 10 males and 11 females aged 37-77
      years (mean 61.8 years). Size and direction of the aneurysm, and vertical
      distance from the anterior frontal base and horizontal distance from the base of
      the anterior clinoid process were measured by preoperative three-dimensional
      computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA). Correlations with occurrence of
      clinical complications and computed tomography (CT) abnormalities after operation
      were investigated. RESULTS: The aneurysms had a mean size of 4.7 mm (range 2.1
      8.9 mm). Three patients suffered complications and all had anosmia. Three
      patients had CT abnormality and all were contusion. The mean horizontal distance
      from the base of the anterior clinoid process was -4.7 mm (range -12.3-3.5 mm).
      The patients were divided into the anterior and posterior groups with the
      boundary set at -5 mm. There were no significant complications between two groups
      (P = 0.26). There were statistically significant CT abnormalities in posterior
      group (P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: The horizontal distance from the base of the
      anterior clinoid process is important to predict CT abnormalities and
      complications in clipping of AcomA aneurysm through pterional approach.

PMID- 28904826
TI  - Modified extradural temporopolar approach with mini-peeling of dura propria for
      paraclinoid and/or parasellar tumors: Operative technique and nuances.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modified extradural temporopolar approach (EDTPA) with mini-peeling
      of the dura propria can provide extensive exposure of the anterior clinoid
      process and early exposure, as well as complete mobilization and decompression of
      the optic nerve and internal carotid artery, which can prevent intraoperative
      neurovascular injury for paraclinoid and/or parasellar lesions. The present study
      investigated the usefulness of this modified technique and discusses the
      operative nuances. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical charts of 27
      consecutive patients with neoplastic paraclinoid and/or parasellar lesions who
      underwent this modified approach between September 2009 and August 2016. RESULTS:
      Preoperative visual acuity worsened in 2 patients (7.4%), and worsening of visual
      field function occurred in 2 patients (7.4%). Postoperative outcome was good
      recovery in 25 patients (92.6%) and moderate disability in 2 (7.4%). No operation
      related mortality occurred in the series. CONCLUSIONS: The modified EDTPA is safe
      and recommended for surgical treatment of paraclinoid and/or parasellar tumors to
      reduce the risk of intraoperative optic neurovascular injury.

PMID- 28904828
TI  - Usefulness of dural surface tracing of the cortical vessels with indocyanine
      green videoangiography just prior to dural opening for various cerebrovascular
      diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography can be used to delineate the
      locations of the cortical vessels just prior to dural opening, allowing safe and
      optimal dural opening. The present clinical series demonstrates the adjunct use
      of ICG videoangiography to optimize dural opening for the treatment of various
      cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: A total of 45 patients underwent surgery for
      superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery bypass (40), arteriovenous
      malformation (2), and dural arteriovenous fistula (3) between January 2012 and
      December 2016. After the dura had been exposed, ICG (0.25 mg/kg) was administered
      intravenously from the peripheral vein as a bolus just prior to dural opening.
      The operating microscope equipped with a fluorescent filter was used to examine
      the illuminated field of interest, and real-time flow assessment of the
      underlying cortical vessels and/or dural sinus was performed. The target
      recipient arteries for anastomosis or vascular malformations were visualized
      through the dura and marked using a pyoktanin pen on the dura mater. RESULTS: The
      optimal dural opening was performed for anastomosis, and safety was ensured by
      locating the vascular malformations through the dura mater in all cases. The
      cortical vessel injury was avoided in all cases. No complication was related to
      this procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Dural surface tracing of the cortical vessels with
      ICG videoangiography just prior to dural opening is a useful technique, which
      allows optimal and safe dural opening for treatment of various cerebrovascular
      diseases.

PMID- 28904829
TI  - Cavernous angioma presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage which was diffusely
      distributed in the basal cisterns and mimicked intracranial aneurysm rupture.

PMID- 28904830
TI  - Review of commercially available demineralized bone matrix products for spinal
      fusions: A selection paradigm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal fusions are commonly performed in the US each year for various
      spinal pathologies. There are multiple commercially available graft material
      options for these procedures, including an abundance of demineralized bone matrix
      (DBM) products. METHODS: This study reviews, clearly organizes, and puts forth
      meaningful information on select biological and physical properties of several
      commercially available DBM products. In addition, we provide an alternative
      classification method of DBM products by carrier. RESULTS: This review takes a
      closer look at the commercial and distributor practices of these products and
      companies in order to increase transparency between the consumer and source
      companies. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a novel patient-centered approach to DBM
      product selection. This requires prioritizing patient safety, product
      effectiveness, and product transparency. This review offers a practical paradigm
      to facilitate informed product choice for surgeons and hospital systems alike.

PMID- 28904831
TI  - Sagittal Normal Limits of Lumbosacral Spine in a Large Adult Population: A
      Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine, using magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbosacral spine from L1 to S1, the values of the
      normal sagittal diameter of the spinal canal (SCD), sagittal diameter of the
      dural sac (DSD), and the normal values of dural sac ratio (DSR) in a large
      nonsymptomatic adult population and to discriminate whether a vertebral canal is
      pathological or nonpathological for dural ectasia and/or stenosis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Six hundred and four patients were prospectively enrolled. All
      measurements were performed on MRI sagittal T1- and T2-weighted images. The 95%
      confidence interval (95% CI), defined as mean +/- 1.96 standard deviation, was
      determined for each metric. The upper limit of 95% CI was considered the cutoff
      value for the normal DSR; the lower limit of 95% CI was considered the cutoff
      value for the normal SCD. RESULTS: SCD cutoff values from L1 to S1 ranged from
      14.5-10.1 mm (males) to 15.0-9.9 mm (females). DSD ratios at S1 and L4 level show
      a significant difference in male and female groups: 11% of S1/L4 values exceeded
      1 in male group while only 4% of S1/L4 values exceeded 1 in female group. Mean
      DSR at each level was significantly higher in female patients than in male
      patients (P < 0.001), ranging from 0.70 to 0.56 (male) and from 0.82 to 0.63
      (female). CONCLUSIONS: We determined the cutoff values for the normal DSR and for
      the normal SCD. Our findings show the relevant discrepancies with respect to
      literature data for diagnosis of lumbar stenosis and/or dural ectasia.

PMID- 28904832
TI  - Correction: A new parrot taxon from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico-its position
      within genus Amazona based on morphology and molecular phylogeny.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3475.].

PMID- 28904833
TI  - Fluorination of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes: from CF4 plasma chemistry to
      surface functionalization.
AB  - The surface chemistry of plasma fluorinated vertically aligned carbon nanotubes
      (vCNT) is correlated to the CF4 plasma chemical composition. The results obtained
      via FTIR and mass spectrometry are combined with the XPS and Raman analysis of
      the sample surface showing the dependence on different plasma parameters (power,
      time and distance from the plasma region) on the resulting fluorination.
      Photoemission and absorption spectroscopies are used to investigate the evolution
      of the electronic properties as a function of the fluorine content at the vCNT
      surface. The samples suffer a limited ageing effect, with a small loss of
      fluorine functionalities after two weeks in ambient conditions.

PMID- 28904834
TI  - Methionine-mediated synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and functionalization
      with gold quantum dots for theranostic applications.
AB  - Biocompatible superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) through smart
      chemical functionalization of their surface with fluorescent species, therapeutic
      proteins, antibiotics, and aptamers offer remarkable potential for diagnosis and
      therapy of disease sites at their initial stage of growth. Such NPs can be
      obtained by the creation of proper linkers between magnetic NP and fluorescent or
      drug probes. One of these linkers is gold, because it is chemically stable,
      nontoxic and capable to link various biomolecules. In this study, we present a
      way for a simple and reliable decoration the surface of magnetic NPs with gold
      quantum dots (QDs) containing more than 13.5% of Au+. Emphasis is put on the
      synthesis of magnetic NPs by co-precipitation using the amino acid methionine as
      NP growth-stabilizing agent capable to later reduce and attach gold species. The
      surface of these NPs can be further conjugated with targeting and chemotherapy
      agents, such as cancer stem cell-related antibodies and the anticancer drug
      doxorubicin, for early detection and improved treatment. In order to verify our
      findings, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force
      microscopy (AFM), FTIR spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy
      (ICP-MS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of as-formed CoFe2O4 NPs
      before and after decoration with gold QDs were applied.

PMID- 28904835
TI  - Adsorption and diffusion characteristics of lithium on hydrogenated alpha- and
      beta-silicene.
AB  - Using first-principles density functional theory calculations, we investigate
      adsorption properties and the diffusion mechanism of a Li atom on hydrogenated
      single-layer alpha- and beta-silicene on a Ag(111) surface. It is found that a Li
      atom binds strongly on the surfaces of both alpha- and beta-silicene, and it
      forms an ionic bond through the transfer of charge from the adsorbed atom to the
      surface. The binding energies of a Li atom on these surfaces are very similar.
      However, the diffusion barrier of a Li atom on H-alpha-Si is much higher than
      that on H-beta-Si. The energy surface calculations show that a Li atom does not
      prefer to bind in the vicinity of the hydrogenated upper-Si atoms. Strong
      interaction between Li atoms and hydrogenated silicene phases and low diffusion
      barriers show that alpha- and beta-silicene are promising platforms for Li
      storage applications.

PMID- 28904836
TI  - Laser processing of thin-film multilayer structures: comparison between a 3D
      thermal model and experimental results.
AB  - In this research, a numerical model is introduced for simulation of laser
      processing of thin film multilayer structures, to predict the temperature and
      ablated area for a set of laser parameters including average power and repetition
      rate. Different thin-films on Si substrate were processed by nanosecond Nd:YAG
      laser pulses and the experimental and numerical results were compared to each
      other. The results show that applying a thin film on the surface can completely
      change the temperature field and vary the shape of the heat affected zone. The
      findings of this paper can have many potential applications including patterning
      the cell growth for biomedical applications and controlling the grain size in
      fabrication of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs).

PMID- 28904837
TI  - Nanotribological behavior of deep cryogenically treated martensitic stainless
      steel.
AB  - Cryogenic treatments are increasingly used to improve the wear resistance of
      various steel alloys by means of transformation of retained austenite,
      deformation of virgin martensite and carbide refinement. In this work the
      nanotribological behavior and mechanical properties at the nano-scale of
      cryogenically and conventionally treated AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel
      were evaluated. Conventionally treated specimens were subjected to quenching and
      annealing, while the deep cryogenically treated samples were quenched, soaked in
      liquid nitrogen for 2 h and annealed. The elastic-plastic parameters of the
      materials were assessed by nanoindentation tests under displacement control,
      while the friction behavior and wear rate were evaluated by a nanoscratch testing
      methodology that it is used for the first time in steels. It was found that
      cryogenic treatments increased both hardness and elastic limit of a low-carbon
      martensitic stainless steel, while its tribological performance was enhanced
      marginally.

PMID- 28904838
TI  - Synthesis and catalytic application of magnetic Co-Cu nanowires.
AB  - A rapid, template-free method was developed to prepare magnetic, bimetallic Co-Cu
      nanowires via liquid phase reduction and metal replacement under an external
      magnetic field. The characterization results confirmed that the as-prepared
      product was bimetallic Co-Cu nanowires with a desirable linear structure.
      Additionally, the magnetic hysteresis loop showed that the bimetallic Co-Cu
      nanowires were paramagnetic, which meant they could be easily separated from the
      reaction mixture. Furthermore, they were applied to the hydrolysis system of
      ammonia borane as a catalyst for the first time. More importantly, the catalysis
      results showed that the bimetallic nanowires possessed appealing catalytic
      performance. Therefore, a rapid and facile synthesis method is introduced which
      is capable of preparing bimetallic Co-Cu nanowires with great potential for
      industrial applications.

PMID- 28904839
TI  - Evaluation of preparation methods for suspended nano-objects on substrates for
      dimensional measurements by atomic force microscopy.
AB  - Dimensional measurements on nano-objects by atomic force microscopy (AFM) require
      samples of safely fixed and well individualized particles with a suitable surface
      specific particle number on flat and clean substrates. Several known and proven
      particle preparation methods, i.e., membrane filtration, drying, rinsing, dip
      coating as well as electrostatic and thermal precipitation, were performed by
      means of scanning electron microscopy to examine their suitability for preparing
      samples for dimensional AFM measurements. Different suspensions of nano-objects
      (with varying material, size and shape) stabilized in aqueous solutions were
      prepared therefore on different flat substrates. The drop-drying method was found
      to be the most suitable one for the analysed suspensions, because it does not
      require expensive dedicated equipment and led to a uniform local distribution of
      individualized nano-objects. Traceable AFM measurements based on Si and SiO2
      coated substrates confirmed the suitability of this technique.

PMID- 28904841
TI  - Non-intuitive clustering of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone on Au(111).
AB  - The direct injection of a 9,10-phenanthrenequinone in tetrahydrofuran solution on
      a Au(111) substrate in high vacuum results in the formation of metastable
      clusters with a non-intuitive structure. Metastable, rectangular tetramers of
      this molecule form in which the net molecular dipoles all orient toward the
      center of the cluster. This structure does not allow for additional hydrogen
      bonding and thus the origin of its metastability is not clear. We compare this
      feature to other structures observed on this surface, as well as those formed
      during the deposition of 9-fluorenone, which does not exhibit this anomalous
      clustering behavior.

PMID- 28904840
TI  - (Metallo)porphyrins for potential materials science applications.
AB  - The bottom-up approach to replace existing devices by molecular-based systems is
      a subject that attracts permanently increasing interest. Molecular-based devices
      offer not only to miniaturize the device further, but also to benefit from
      advanced functionalities of deposited molecules. Furthermore, the molecules
      itself can be tailored to allow via their self-assembly the potential fabrication
      of devices with an application potential, which is still unforeseeable at this
      time. Herein, we review efforts to use discrete (metallo)porphyrins for the
      formation of (sub)monolayers by surface-confined polymerization, of monolayers
      formed by supramolecular recognition and of thin films formed by sublimation
      techniques. Selected physical properties of these systems are reported as well.
      The application potential of those ensembles of (metallo)porphyrins in materials
      science is discussed.

PMID- 28904842
TI  - alpha-Silicene as oxidation-resistant ultra-thin coating material.
AB  - By performing density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations, the performance
      of alpha-silicene as oxidation-resistant coating on Ag(111) surface is
      investigated. First of all, it is shown that the Ag(111) surface is quite
      reactive against O atoms and O2 molecules. It is known that when single-layer
      silicene is formed on the Ag(111) surface, the 3 * 3-reconstructed phase, alpha
      silicene, is the ground state. Our investigation reveals that as a coating layer,
      alpha-silicene (i) strongly absorbs single O atoms and (ii) absorbs O2 molecules
      by breaking the strong O-O bond. (iii) Even the hollow sites, which are found to
      be most favorable penetration path for oxygens, serves as high-energy oxidation
      barrier, and (iv) alpha-silicene becomes more protective and less permeable in
      the presence of absorbed O atom. It appears that single-layer silicene is a quite
      promising material for ultra-thin oxidation-protective coating applications.

PMID- 28904843
TI  - Synthesis and functionalization of NaGdF4:Yb,Er@NaGdF4 core-shell nanoparticles
      for possible application as multimodal contrast agents.
AB  - Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising, new imaging probes capable of
      serving as multimodal contrast agents. In this study, monodisperse and ultrasmall
      core and core-shell UCNPs were synthesized via a thermal decomposition method.
      Furthermore, it was shown that the epitaxial growth of a NaGdF4 optical inert
      layer covering the NaGdF4:Yb,Er core effectively minimizes surface quenching due
      to the spatial isolation of the core from the surroundings. The mean diameter of
      the synthesized core and core-shell nanoparticles was ~8 and ~16 nm,
      respectively. Hydrophobic UCNPs were converted into hydrophilic ones using a
      nonionic surfactant Tween 80. The successful coating of the UCNPs by Tween 80 has
      been confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL)
      spectra and magnetic resonance (MR) T1 relaxation measurements were used to
      characterize the size, crystal structure, optical and magnetic properties of the
      core and core-shell nanoparticles. Moreover, Tween 80-coated core-shell
      nanoparticles presented enhanced optical and MR signal intensity, good colloidal
      stability, low cytotoxicity and nonspecific internalization into two different
      breast cancer cell lines, which indicates that these nanoparticles could be
      applied as an efficient, dual-modal contrast probe for in vivo bioimaging.

PMID- 28904844
TI  - The Story of Korean Health Insurance System.

PMID- 28904845
TI  - Biomarker for the Prediction of Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients with Non
      ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a well-known biomarker
      for the diagnosis and prognosis of heart failure, and is directly associated with
      myocardial dysfunction. We evaluated the prognostic value of NT-proBNP for major
      adverse cardiac events (MACEs) among patients with non-ST-segment elevation
      myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction
      Registry during their mid-term follow-up period. In this paper, we analyzed NT
      proBNP according to various MACE and level of NT-proBNP. We used multivariate
      logistic regression to determine the risk factors according to MACE type and NT
      proBNP levels, and to identify the cutoff value for each MACE by using the
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. NT-proBNP was a significant
      variable among cardiac deaths (p = 0.016), myocardial infarction (p = 0.000), and
      coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (p = 0.000) in patients with MACE compared
      with those without MACE. Two-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) (p = 0.037) and
      the maximum creatinine kinase (max-CK) (p = 0.031) produced significant results
      in repeat percutaneous coronary intervention. The area under the ROC curve was
      found to be statistically significant for cardiac death and CABG. NT-proBNP is a
      useful predictor for 12-month MACEs among patients with NSTEMI and in those with
      heart failure. We propose that a new index incorporating NT-proBNP, max-CK, and
      CAD vessel will be useful as a prognostic indicator of MACEs in the future.

PMID- 28904846
TI  - Analyzing the Historical Development and Transition of the Korean Health Care
      System.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Many economically advanced countries have attempted to minimize
      public expenditures and pursue privatization based on the principles of neo
      liberalism. However, Korea has moved contrary to this global trend. This study
      examines why and how the Korean health care system was formed, developed, and
      transformed into an integrated, single-insurer, National Health Insurance (NHI)
      system. METHODS: We describe the transition in the Korean health care system
      using an analytical framework that incorporates such critical variables as
      government economic development strategies and the relationships among social
      forces, state autonomy, and state power. This study focuses on how the
      relationships among social forces can change as a nation's economic development
      or governing strategy changes in response to changes in international
      circumstances such as globalization. RESULTS: The corporatist Social Health
      Insurance (SHI) system (multiple insurers) introduced in 1977 was transformed
      into the single-insurer NHI in July 2000. These changes were influenced
      externally by globalization and internally by political democratization, keeping
      Korea's private-dominant health care provision system unchanged over several
      decades. CONCLUSION: Major changes such as integration reform occurred, when high
      levels of state autonomy were ensured. The state's power (its policy capability),
      based on health care infrastructures, acts to limit the direction of any change
      in the health care system because it is very difficult to build the
      infrastructure for a health care system in a short timeframe.

PMID- 28904847
TI  - Correlation between Scapular Asymmetry and Differences in Left and Right Side
      Activity of Muscles Adjacent to the Scapula.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between scapular
      asymmetry in young female adults and differences in left and right side activity
      of muscles adjacent to the scapula. METHODS: This study included 60 female
      students from U university in Korea. In order to examine scapular asymmetry, the
      lateral scapular slide test (LSST) was used. The LSST was performed in 3
      different postures (LSST-1, LSST-2, and LSST-3; i.e., 0 degrees , 45 degrees ,
      and 90 degrees  of upper limb abduction, respectively). Muscle activity was
      measured during external and internal rotation of the shoulder joints. Muscle
      activity was measured at the upper, middle, and lower trapezius, and the serratus
      anterior. RESULTS: In external shoulder rotation, there was a significant
      correlation (R = 0.450) between LSST-2 and the middle trapezius. In internal
      shoulder rotation, there was a significant correlation (R = 0.472) between LSST-2
      and the upper trapezius, and between LSST-3 and the lower trapezius (R = 0.657);
      these results demonstrated a moderate positive linear correlation. CONCLUSION:
      There was a positive correlation between left and right scapular asymmetry and
      the difference in left and right muscle activity of the trapezius in female
      adults. Problems in the trapezius may lead to scapular asymmetry.

PMID- 28904848
TI  - Aflatoxin M1 Contamination Levels in Cheeses Sold in Isfahan Province, Iran.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1)-contaminated dairy products pose serious human
      health risks, causing liver and renal failure if consumed. They are also related
      to decreased milk and egg production in infected animals. This study investigated
      the AFM1 contamination levels in cheeses sold in Isfahan province, Iran, by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). METHODS: A total of 100 white cheese
      samples were randomly collected from supermarkets in Isfahan province and after
      extraction using dichloromethane were prepared for the ELISA. RESULTS: Of the 100
      samples, 52 (52%) were contaminated by AFM1, at levels ranging from 50.2 to 424.4
      ng/kg. The remaining 48% of the samples had undetectable AFM1 levels (< 50
      ng/kg). Based on the standard limit set by the European Commission and Iran, 8%
      (8/100) of the AFM1-positive samples (with concentrations between 250.2 and 424.4
      ng/kg) had levels higher than the permissible value of 250 ng/kg. CONCLUSION:
      Although the percentage of cheese samples in Isfahan province with AFM1 levels
      exceeding the national permissible limit was low, the examination of cheeses and
      the milk used for their production is nevertheless important for ensuring public
      health. Furthermore, optimum storage conditions of animal feed should be ensured,
      and livestock nutrition must be monitored for the presence of AFM1 and other
      aflatoxins.

PMID- 28904849
TI  - Influence of Socioeconomic Status, Comorbidity, and Disability on Late-stage
      Cancer Diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Understanding factors affecting advanced stage at diagnosis is vital
      to improve cancer outcomes and overall survival. We investigated the factors
      affecting later-stage cancer diagnosis. METHODS: Patients completed self-reported
      questionnaires. We collected cancer stage data from medical records review.
      Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with
      later stage cancer at diagnosis by gender. RESULTS: In total, 1,870 cancer
      patients were included in the study; 55.8% were men, 31.1% had more than one
      comorbid condition, and 63.5% had disabilities. About half of the patients were
      smokers, and drank alcohol, and 58.0% were diagnosed at an advanced stage. By
      cancer type, lung and liver cancers (both genders), prostate (men), colorectal,
      cervical, and thyroid cancer (women) were more likely to be diagnosed at a later
      stage. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, comorbidity (odds ratio [OR],
      1.48 in men) and disability (OR, 1.64 in men and 1.52 in women) remained
      significantly associated with late-stage diagnosis. CONCLUSION: In this
      nationwide study, using combined information from patients and medical records,
      we found that male patients with comorbidities or disabilities, and female
      patients with disabilities were more likely to have advanced stage cancer at
      diagnosis. Targeted approaches by cancer type and health conditions are
      recommended.

PMID- 28904850
TI  - Effects of Exercise on Cervical Angle and Respiratory Function in Smartphone
      Users.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether exercises can change
      the cervical angle and respiratory function in smartphone users. METHODS: Thirty
      healthy volunteers were recruited. The subjects were randomly divided into an
      exercise group and a control group. All participants used a smartphone for 1 hour
      while maintaining a sitting posture. Then, each group performed their assigned
      activity. The exercise group performed two types of exercises and the control
      group maintained routine activities for 20 minutes. To investigate the changes in
      cervical angle and respiratory function, we measured the craniovertebral angle by
      using a spirometer. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were noted in
      the craniovertebral angle, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume
      in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, peak expiratory flow, maximal inspiratory
      pressure, and maximal expiratory pressure of the two groups (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that proper exercise could be a good method of
      improving the cervical angle and respiratory function in smartphone users.

PMID- 28904851
TI  - Body-related Perspectives and Weight Control Methods of Korean-Chinese Nursing
      School Students in Yanbian, China: A Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at identifying the current nutrition knowledge, body
      related perspectives, and weight control behaviors of Korean-Chinese college
      students. METHODS: We conducted a pilot study by employing a healthy weight
      education program targeting Korean-Chinese nursing school students at the Yanbian
      University of Science and Technology in Yanbian, China. RESULTS: This pilot study
      included 40 participants (38 women and 2 men; mean age, 20.5 years). The current
      weight status of the participants was as follows: 7.9% underweight, 78.9% normal
      weight, 7.9% overweight, and 5.3% obese. However, nearly two-thirds of the
      participants were dissatisfied with their current body size (43.6% a little
      dissatisfied; 20.5% very dissatisfied). Fifty percent of the participants
      perceived their current body size as being either slightly fat (35.0%) or very
      fat (15.0%). The following unhealthy weight control methods were commonly used
      among the 24 participants who practiced weight control: (1) laxatives or
      diuretics (91.7%), (2) saunas or spas (87.5%), and (3) a one-food diet (79.2%).
      In addition, the nutrition knowledge of the participants increased by 24 points
      from 117 points (pretest) to 141 points (posttest) through the healthy weight
      education program. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate an urgent need
      to educate Korean-Chinese college students on healthy weight control methods and
      body-related perspectives.

PMID- 28904852
TI  - Seroprevalence of Brucellosis in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Patients
      in Hamadan, Iran.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Brucellosis is a systemic disease with a wide spectrum of clinical
      manifestations. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis
      in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients in Hamadan Province in
      the west of Iran. METHODS: A total of 157 HIV-infected patients were screened
      through standard serological tests, including Wright's test, Coombs' Wright test,
      and 2-mercaptoethanol Brucella agglutination test (2ME test), blood cultures in
      Castaneda media, and CD4 counting. Data were analyzed using Stata version 11.
      RESULTS: Wright and Coombs' Wright tests were carried out, and only 5 (3.2%)
      patients had positive serological results. However, all patients had negative 2ME
      results, and blood cultures were negative for Brucella spp. Moreover, patients
      with positive serology and a mean CD4 count of 355.8 +/- 203.11 cells/MUL had no
      clinical manifestations of brucellosis, and, and the other patients had a mean
      CD4 count of 335.55 +/- 261.71 cells/MUL. CONCLUSION: Results of this study
      showed that HIV infection is not a predisposing factor of acquiring brucellosis.

PMID- 28904853
TI  - Lyme Disease and YouTube TM: A Cross-Sectional Study of Video Contents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease. People seek
      health information on Lyme disease from YouTubeTM videos. In this study, we
      investigated if the contents of Lyme disease-related YouTubeTM videos varied by
      their sources. METHODS: Most viewed English YouTubeTM videos (n = 100) were
      identified and manually coded for contents and sources. RESULTS: Within the
      sample, 40 videos were consumer-generated, 31 were internet-based news, 16 were
      professional, and 13 were TV news. Compared with consumer-generated videos, TV
      news videos were more likely to mention celebrities (odds ratio [OR], 10.57; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 2.13-52.58), prevention of Lyme disease through wearing
      protective clothing (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 1.23-25.76), and spraying insecticides
      (OR, 7.71; 95% CI, 1.52-39.05). CONCLUSION: A majority of the most popular Lyme
      disease-related YouTube TM videos were not created by public health
      professionals. Responsible reporting and creative video-making facilitate Lyme
      disease education. Partnership with YouTubeTM celebrities to co-develop
      educational videos may be a future direction.

PMID- 28904854
TI  - Protein kinase C regulates AMPA receptor auxiliary protein Shisa9/CKAMP44 through
      interactions with neuronal scaffold PICK1.
AB  - Synaptic alpha-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA) receptors
      are essential mediators of neurotransmission in the central nervous system.
      Shisa9/cysteine-knot AMPAR modulating protein 44 (CKAMP44) is a transmembrane
      protein recently found to be present in AMPA receptor-associated protein
      complexes. Here, we show that the cytosolic tail of Shisa9/CKAMP44 interacts with
      multiple scaffold proteins that are important for regulating synaptic plasticity
      in central neurons. We focussed on the interaction with the scaffold protein
      PICK1, which facilitates the formation of a tripartite complex with the protein
      kinase C (PKC) and thereby regulates phosphorylation of Shisa9/CKAMP44 C-terminal
      residues. This work has implications for our understanding of how PICK1 modulates
      AMPAR-mediated transmission and plasticity and also highlights a novel function
      of PKC.

PMID- 28904855
TI  - Identification of genes associated with histologic tumor grade of esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - The present study aimed to identify the genes associated with the histologic
      tumor grade of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to
      provide valuable information for the identification of potential diagnostic
      biomarkers in ESCC. Tumor samples of ESCC patients retrieved from The Cancer
      Genome Atlas were divided into Grade 1 (well-differentiated; G1), Grade 2
      (moderately-differentiated; G2) and Grade 3 (poorly-differentiated; G3) groups in
      accordance with the clinical record of the tumor grade of ESCC patients. The
      genes associated with tumor grade were identified. The signaling pathways of
      identified genes were enriched from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
      (KEGG). The diagnostic value of candidate genes was assessed by receiver
      operating characteristic analysis. We used the GSE23400 dataset generated from
      the Gene Expression Omnibus to examine the expression levels of candidate genes
      in ESCC tissues compared to matched mucosa tissues. In total, 440 genes
      positively correlated with tumor grade and 882 genes negatively correlated with
      tumor grade were identified. There were 310 differentially expressed genes (DEGs)
      between G1 and G2, 184 DEGs between G2 and G3, and 710 DEGs between G1 and G3.
      There were 1322 genes associated with tumor grade that were significantly
      enriched in pathways in cancer and the phospholipase D signaling pathway. Cyclin
      dependent kinase inhibitor 1A, golgin A7 family member B and transforming growth
      factor B1-induced anti-apoptotic factor 1 (TIAF1) had potential diagnostic value
      for discriminating ESCC patients with G1 from those with G3. TIAF1 was
      significantly down-regulated in ESCC. The results of the present study comprise
      useful groundwork with respect to determining the tumorigenesis mechanism in ESCC
      and discovering potential diagnostic biomarkers for ESCC.

PMID- 28904856
TI  - MiR-101 inhibits ovarian carcinogenesis by repressing the expression of brain
      derived neurotrophic factor.
AB  - Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal malignant gynecological tumors as a
      result of difficulties in early-stage detection and a lack of effective
      treatments for patients with advanced or recurrent cancer. In the present study,
      we aimed to explore whether some of the microRNA (miRNA) content of serum might
      be related to ovarian cancer, as well as the role of these miRNAs and their
      intercellular transport via exosomes in ovarian cancer. We first detected the
      expression of six candidate miRNAs in ovarian cancer tissues and adjacent
      nontumor ovarian samples from 36 patients and confirmed the altered expression of
      four miRNAs. The level of these six candidate miRNAs was also examined in
      exosomes from patient serum samples. Only the level of miR-101 was altered in
      both ovarian tissue samples and serum exosomes. After prediction using online
      bioinformatics tools and confirmation by dual-luciferase assay and
      immunoblotting, we identified that miR-101 can repress the expression of brain
      derived neurotrophic factor by targeting its 3'-UTR. Using Transwell assays, we
      examined the effect of miR-101 on migration and invasion capacity of ovarian
      cancer cells. The results indicated that the reduction of miR-101 is mostly
      related to significant enhanced ovarian cancer cell migration. Thus, the results
      of the present study indicate that miR-101 content in serum exosomes has
      potential as a marker for diagnosis of ovarian cancer and that miR-101 mimics are
      potential therapeutic drugs for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

PMID- 28904857
TI  - Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus lytFM encoding an NlpC/P60 endopeptidase is also
      present in mite-associated bacteria that express LytFM variants.
AB  - The bodies and faecal pellets of the house dust mite (HDM), Dermatophagoides
      pteronyssinus, are the source of many allergenic and nonallergenic proteins. One
      of these, the 14-kDa bacteriolytic enzyme LytFM, originally isolated from the
      spent HDM growth medium, may contribute to bacteriolytic activity previously
      detected by zymography at 14 kDa in the culture supernatants of some bacterial
      species isolated from surface-sterilised HDM. Based on previously reported
      findings of lateral gene transfer between microbes and their eukaryotic hosts, we
      investigated the presence of lytFM in the genomes of nine Gram-positive bacteria
      from surface-sterilised HDM, and the expression by these isolates of LytFM and
      its variants LytFM1/LytFM2. The lytFM gene was detected by PCR in the genomes of
      three of the isolates: Bacillus licheniformis strain 1, B. licheniformis strain 2
      and Staphylococcus aureus. Expression of the variant LytFM1 was detected in
      culture supernatants of these bacteria by mass spectrometry (MS) and ELISA, and
      the bacterial LytFM proteins were shown by zymography to be able to hydrolyse
      peptidoglycan. Our previous reports of LytFM homologues in other mite species and
      their phylogenetic analysis had suggested that they originated from a common mite
      ancestor. The phylogenetic analysis reported herein and the detection of other D.
      pteronyssinus proteins by MS in the culture supernatants of the three isolates
      that secreted LytFM1 further support the hypothesis of lateral gene transfer to
      the bacterial endosymbionts from their HDM host. The complete sequence homology
      observed between the genes amplified from the microbes and those in their
      eukaryotic host indicated that the lateral gene transfer was an event that
      occurred recently.

PMID- 28904858
TI  - Maturation of phagosomes containing different erythrophagocytic particles in
      primary macrophages.
AB  - Erythrophagocytosis is a physiological process that aims to remove damaged red
      blood cells from the circulation in order to avoid hemolysis and uncontrolled
      liberation of iron. Many efforts have been made to understand heme trafficking
      inside macrophages, but little is known about the maturation of phagosomes
      containing different types of erythrophagocytic particles with different signals
      at their surfaces. Therefore, we performed a comparative study on the maturation
      of phagosomes containing three different models of red blood cells (RBC):
      aged/senescent, complement-opsonized, and IgG-opsonized. We also used two types
      of professional phagocytes: bone marrow-derived and peritoneal macrophages. By
      comparing markers from different stages of phagosomal maturation, we found that
      phagosomes carrying aged RBC reach lysosomes with a delay compared to those
      containing IgG- or complement-opsonized RBC, in both types of macrophages. These
      findings contribute to understanding the importance of the different signals at
      the RBC surface in phagolysosome biogenesis, as well as in the dynamics of RBC
      removal.

PMID- 28904859
TI  - Sirtuin 6 contributes to migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells via the
      ERK1/2/MMP9 pathway.
AB  - Dysregulation of sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) is actively involved in tumor progression.
      High levels of SIRT6 have been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and non
      small cell lung cancer, and SIRT6 facilitates growth and metastasis of cancer
      cells. However, the clinical significance and biological function of SIRT6 are
      not known for osteosarcoma (OS). Here, we report that SIRT6 was notably
      overexpressed in OS tissues compared with non-cancerous specimens. The high level
      of SIRT6 was prominently correlated with malignant clinical parameters and poor
      prognosis of OS patients. SIRT6 was also up-regulated in OS cells. SIRT6
      knockdown inhibited the invasion and migration of Saos-2 and U2OS cells in vitro,
      while SIRT6 restoration increased these cellular biological behaviors in MG-63
      cells. Mechanistically, SIRT6 up-regulated expression of matrix metallopeptidase
      9 (MMP9) in OS cells. MMP9 restoration partially abolished the effects of SIRT6
      knockdown on OS cells, with increased cell migration and invasion. MMP9 knockdown
      reduced migration and invasion of SIRT6-overexpressing MG-63 cells. Furthermore,
      SIRT6 positively modulated the levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal
      regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). PD098059 and PD0325901, inhibitors of mitogen
      activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), blocked the regulatory effects of SIRT6 on
      p-ERK1/2 and MMP9 levels, suggesting that SIRT6 regulated MMP9 abundance probably
      through the MEK-ERK1/2 pathway. These results suggest that SIRT6 may act as a
      prognostic predictor and a drug target for OS patients.

PMID- 28904860
TI  - Regulation of Neisseria meningitidis cytochrome bc1 components by NrrF, a Fur
      controlled small noncoding RNA.
AB  - NrrF is a small regulatory RNA of the human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. NrrF
      was previously shown to repress succinate dehydrogenase (sdhCDAB) under control
      of the ferric uptake regulator (Fur). Here, we provide evidence that cytochrome
      bc1 , encoded by the polycistronic mRNA petABC, is a NrrF target as well. We
      demonstrated differential expression of cytochrome bc1 comparing wild-type
      meningococci and meningococci expressing NrrF when sufficient iron is available.
      Using a gfp-reporter system monitoring translational control and target
      recognition of sRNA in Escherichia coli, we show that interaction between NrrF
      and the 5' untranslated region of the petABC mRNA results in its repression. The
      NrrF region essential for repression of petABC was identified by site-directed
      mutagenesis and is fully conserved among meningococci. Our results provide
      further insights into the mechanism by which Fur controls essential components of
      the N. meningitidis respiratory chain. Adaptation of cytochrome bc1 complex
      component levels upon iron limitation is post-transcriptionally regulated via the
      small regulatory RNA NrrF.

PMID- 28904861
TI  - A modified graft-versus-host-induced model for systemic sclerosis, with pulmonary
      fibrosis in Rag2-deficient mice.
AB  - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease that results in fibrosis
      in multiple organs. Various animal models for this disease have been developed,
      both genetic and induced. One of the induced models, sclerodermatous graft-versus
      host disease (scl-GvHD), exhibits the main characteristics of SSc, but involves
      lethal gamma-irradiation of recipients. We sought to develop a modified scl-GvHD
      model. Spleen cells from B10.D2 donor mice were transplanted into immunodeficient
      Rag-2 recipients on the BALB/c genetic background. Tissue fibrosis was analyzed
      at 3 and 9 weeks after transplantation. In addition to serum levels of anti-Scl
      70 autoantibody and cytokines, tissue inflammation, fibrosis, expression of
      collagen-I and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), infiltration of leukocytes,
      mRNA expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, collagen-I, alpha-SMA,
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-6, the classical signal
      pathway of TGF-beta, Smad-3, and p-Smad-3 expression in tissue were analyzed.
      Skin thickening and increased collagen synthesis, as well as the manifestation of
      tissue fibrosis, could be detected in skin, kidney, and lung of modified scl-GvHD
      mouse model. Increased serum levels of anti-Scl-70 autoantibody, IL-10, and TGF
      beta could be detected. Increased CD4+ T cells and F4/80+ macrophage infiltration
      were found in skin, kidney, and lung. Gene expression of collagen-I, TGF-beta,
      alpha-SMA, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 was increased in tissue of the scl-GvHD model.
      Moreover, TGF-beta expression and Smad-3 phosphorylation were detected in skin,
      kidney, and lung of scl-GvHD mice. Our data show that spleen cells from B10.D2
      donor mice transplanted into immunodeficient Rag-2 recipients could induce
      typical fibrosis not only of the skin and kidney but also of lung, which was
      missing from previous scl-GvHD models. Thus, the modified scl-GvHD model might be
      a promising model to explore the immunologic mechanisms of SSc and may be useful
      for investigation of new therapies for systemic sclerosis.

PMID- 28904862
TI  - t-Darpp is an elongated monomer that binds calcium and is phosphorylated by
      cyclin-dependent kinases 1 and 5.
AB  - t-Darpp (truncated isoform of dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein) is a
      protein encoded by the PPP1R1B gene and is expressed in breast, colon,
      esophageal, gastric, and prostate cancers, as well as in normal adult brain
      striatal cells. Overexpression of t-Darpp in cultured cells leads to increased
      protein kinase A activity and increased phosphorylation of AKT (protein kinase
      B). In HER2+ breast cancer cells, t-Darpp confers resistance to the
      chemotherapeutic agent trastuzumab. To shed light on t-Darpp function, we studied
      its secondary structure, oligomerization status, metal-binding properties, and
      phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinases 1 and 5. t-Darpp exhibits 12% alpha
      helix, 29% beta strand, 24% beta turn, and 35% random coil structures. It binds
      calcium, but not other metals commonly found in biological systems. The T39 site,
      critical for t-Darpp activation of the AKT signaling pathway, is a substrate for
      phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 5. Gel
      filtration chromatography, sedimentation equilibrium analysis, blue native gel
      electrophoresis, and glutaraldehyde-mediated cross-linking experiments
      demonstrate that the majority of t-Darpp exists as a monomer, but forms low
      levels (< 3%) of hetero-oligomers with its longer isoform Darpp-32. t-Darpp has a
      large Stokes radius of 4.4 nm relative to its mass of 19 kDa, indicating that it
      has an elongated structure.

PMID- 28904863
TI  - Chimeric ZHHH neuroglobin acts as a cell membrane-penetrating inducer of neurite
      outgrowth.
AB  - Neuroglobin (Ngb) is a heme protein expressed in the vertebrate brain. We
      previously engineered a chimeric Ngb protein, in which module M1 of human Ngb is
      replaced by that of zebrafish Ngb, and showed that the chimeric ZHHH Ngb has a
      cell membrane-penetrating activity similar to that of zebrafish Ngb and also
      rescues cells from death caused by hypoxia/reoxygenation as does human Ngb.
      Recently, it was reported that overexpression of mammalian Ngb in neuronal cells
      induces neurite outgrowth. In this study, we performed neurite outgrowth assays
      of chimeric Ngb using rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Addition of chimeric Ngb,
      but not human or zebrafish Ngb, exogenously to the cell medium induces neurite
      outgrowth. On the other hand, the K7A/K9Q chimeric Ngb double mutant, which
      cannot translocate into cells, did not induce neurite outgrowth, suggesting that
      the cell membrane-penetrating activity of the chimeric Ngb is crucial for its
      neurite outgrowth-promoting activity. We also prepared several site-directed
      chimeric Ngb mutants and demonstrated that residues crucial for neurite outgrowth
      inducing activity of the chimeric Ngb are not exactly the same as those for its
      neuroprotective activity.

PMID- 28904864
TI  - A G protein-coupled alpha7 nicotinic receptor regulates signaling and TNF-alpha
      release in microglia.
AB  - Acetylcholine activation of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (alpha7
      nAChRs) in microglia attenuates neuroinflammation and regulates TNF-alpha
      release. We used lipopolysaccharide to model inflammation in the microglial cell
      line EOC20 and examined signaling by the alpha7 nAChR. Co-immunoprecipitation
      experiments confirm that alpha7 nAChRs bind heterotrimeric G proteins in EOC20
      cells. Interaction with Galphai mediates alpha7 nAChR signaling via enhanced
      intracellular calcium release and a decrease in cAMP, p38 phosphorylation, and
      TNF-alpha release. These alpha7 nAChR effects were blocked by the inhibition of
      Galphai signaling via pertussis toxin, PLC activity with U73122, and alpha7 nAChR
      channel activity with the selective antagonist alpha-bungarotoxin. Moreover,
      alpha7 nAChR signaling in EOC20 cells was significantly diminished by the
      expression of a dominant-negative alpha7 nAChR, alpha7345-8A, shown to be
      impaired in G protein binding. These findings indicate an essential role for G
      protein coupling in alpha7 nAChR function in microglia leading to the regulation
      of inflammation in the nervous system.

PMID- 28904865
TI  - Mouse glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) has a similar enzyme activity and
      inhibition profile but a different tissue distribution to human GCPII.
AB  - Glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII), also known as prostate-specific membrane
      antigen (PSMA) or folate hydrolase, is a metallopeptidase expressed predominantly
      in the human brain and prostate. GCPII expression is considerably increased in
      prostate carcinoma, and the enzyme also participates in glutamate excitotoxicity
      in the brain. Therefore, GCPII represents an important diagnostic marker of
      prostate cancer progression and a putative target for the treatment of both
      prostate cancer and neuronal disorders associated with glutamate excitotoxicity.
      For the development of novel therapeutics, mouse models are widely used. However,
      although mouse GCPII activity has been characterized, a detailed comparison of
      the enzymatic activity and tissue distribution of the mouse and human GCPII
      orthologs remains lacking. In this study, we prepared extracellular mouse GCPII
      and compared it with human GCPII. We found that mouse GCPII possesses lower
      catalytic efficiency but similar substrate specificity compared with the human
      protein. Using a panel of GCPII inhibitors, we discovered that inhibition
      constants are generally similar for mouse and human GCPII. Furthermore, we
      observed highest expression of GCPII protein in the mouse kidney, brain, and
      salivary glands. Importantly, we did not detect GCPII in the mouse prostate. Our
      data suggest that the differences in enzymatic activity and inhibition profile
      are rather small; therefore, mouse GCPII can approximate human GCPII in drug
      development and testing. On the other hand, significant differences in GCPII
      tissue expression must be taken into account when developing novel GCPII-based
      anticancer and therapeutic methods, including targeted anticancer drug delivery
      systems, and when using mice as a model organism.

PMID- 28904866
TI  - IMM-H007, a new therapeutic candidate for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,
      improves hepatic steatosis in hamsters fed a high-fat diet.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common chronic liver disease
      in humans, is characterized by the accumulation of triacylglycerols (TGs) in
      hepatocytes. We tested whether 2',3',5'-tri-acetyl-N6-(3-hydroxylaniline)
      adenosine (IMM-H007) can eliminate hepatic steatosis in hamsters fed a high-fat
      diet (HFD), as a model of NAFLD. Compared with HFD-only controls, IMM-H007
      treatment significantly lowered serum levels of TG, total cholesterol, and free
      fatty acids (FFAs) in hamsters fed the HFD, with a prominent decrease in levels
      of serum transaminases and fasting insulin, without affecting fasting glucose
      levels. Moreover, 1H-MRI and histopathological analyses revealed that hepatic
      lipid accumulation and fibrosis were improved by IMM-H007 treatment. These
      changes were accompanied by improvement of insulin resistance and oxidative
      stress, and attenuation of inflammation. IMM-H007 reduced expression of proteins
      involved in uptake of hepatic fatty acids and lipogenesis, and increased very low
      density lipoprotein secretion and expression of proteins responsible for fatty
      acid oxidation and autophagy. In studies in vivo, IMM-H007 inhibited fatty acid
      import into hepatocytes and liver lipogenesis, and concomitantly stimulated fatty
      acid oxidation, autophagy, and export of hepatic lipids. These data suggest that
      IMM-H007 resolves hepatic steatosis in HFD-fed hamsters by the regulation of
      lipid metabolism. Thus, IMM-H007 has therapeutic potential for NAFLD.

PMID- 28904867
TI  - The asparagine 533 residue in the outer pore loop region of the mouse PKD2L1
      channel is essential for its voltage-dependent inactivation.
AB  - Voltage-dependent inactivation of ion channels contributes to the regulation of
      the membrane potential of excitable cells. Mouse polycystic kidney disease 2-like
      1 (PKD2L1) forms voltage-dependent nonselective cation channels, which are
      activated but subsequently inactivated in response to membrane depolarization.
      Here, we found that the mutation of an asparagine 533 residue (N533Q) in the
      outer pore loop region of PKD2L1 caused a marked increase in outward currents
      induced by depolarization. In addition, the tail current analysis demonstrated
      that the N533Q mutants are activated during depolarization but the subsequent
      inactivation does not occur. Interestingly, the N533Q mutants lacked the channel
      activation triggered by the removal of stimuli such as extracellular alkalization
      and heating. Our findings suggest that the N533 residue in the outer pore loop
      region of PKD2L1 has a key role in the voltage-dependent channel inactivation.

PMID- 28904868
TI  - High-density lipoprotein protects cardiomyocytes from oxidative stress via the
      PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway.
AB  - Low levels of plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are associated
      with an increased risk of heart failure, regardless of the presence or absence of
      coronary artery disease. However, the direct effects of HDL on failing myocardium
      have not been fully elucidated. We found that HDL treatment resulted in improved
      cell viability in H9c2 cardiomyocytes under oxidative stress. This
      cardioprotective effect of HDL was regulated via the phosphatidylinositol 3
      kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. mTOR signaling
      promotes cell survival through the inactivation of the BCL2-associated agonist of
      cell death via phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase. Modulation of
      cardiac PI3K/mTOR signaling by HDL could represent a novel therapeutic strategy
      for heart failure.

PMID- 28904869
TI  - High glucose stimulates expression of aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) and
      secretion of aldosterone in human adrenal cells.
AB  - Aldosterone synthase is the key rate-limiting enzyme in adrenal aldosterone
      production, and induction of its gene (CYP11B2) results in the progression of
      hypertension. As hypertension is a frequent complication among patients with
      diabetes, we set out to elucidate the link between diabetes mellitus and
      hypertension. We examined the effects of high glucose on CYP11B2 expression and
      aldosterone production using human adrenal H295R cells and a stable H295R cell
      line expressing a CYP11B2 5'-flanking region/luciferase cDNA chimeric construct.
      d-glucose (d-glu), but not its enantiomer l-glucose, dose dependently induced
      CYP11B2 transcription and mRNA expression. A high concentration (450 mg.dL-1) of
      d-glu time dependently induced CYP11B2 transcription and mRNA expression.
      Moreover, high glucose stimulated secretion of aldosterone into the media.
      Transient transfection studies using deletion mutants/nerve growth factor-induced
      clone B (NGFIB) response element 1 (NBRE-1) point mutant of CYP11B2 5'-flanking
      region revealed that the NBRE-1 element, known to be activated by transcription
      factors NGFIB and NURR1, was responsible for the high glucose-mediated effect.
      High glucose also induced the mRNA expression of these transcription factors,
      especially that of NURR1, but NURR1 knockdown using its siRNA did not affect high
      glucose-induced CYP11B2 mRNA expression. Taken together, it is speculated that
      high glucose may induce CYP11B2 transcription via the NBRE-1 element in its 5'
      flanking region, resulting in the increase in aldosterone production although
      high glucose-induced NURR1 is not directly involved in the effect. Additionally,
      glucose metabolism and calcium channels were found to be involved in the high
      glucose effect. Our observations suggest one possible explanation for the high
      incidence of hypertension in patients with diabetes.

PMID- 28904870
TI  - Membrane dynamics of resting and internalin B-bound MET receptor tyrosine kinase
      studied by single-molecule tracking.
AB  - The human MET receptor tyrosine kinase contributes to vertebrate development and
      cell proliferation. As a proto-oncogene, it is a target in cancer therapies. MET
      is also relevant for bacterial infection by Listeria monocytogenes and is
      activated by the bacterial protein internalin B. The processes of ligand binding,
      receptor activation, and the diffusion behavior of MET within the plasma membrane
      as well as its interconnections with various cell components are not fully
      understood. We investigated the receptor diffusion dynamics using single-particle
      tracking and imaging fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and elucidated
      mobility states of resting and internalin B-bound MET. We show that internalin B
      bound MET exhibits lower diffusion coefficients and diffuses in a more confined
      area in the membrane. We report that the fraction of immobile receptors is larger
      for internalin B-bound receptors than for resting MET. Results of single-particle
      tracking in cells treated with various cytotoxins depleting cholesterol from the
      membrane and disrupting the actin cytoskeleton and microtubules suggest that
      cholesterol and actin influence MET diffusion dynamics, while microtubules do not
      have any effect.

PMID- 28904871
TI  - The potential renoprotection of xanthine oxidase inhibitors: Febuxostat versus
      allopurinol.

PMID- 28904872
TI  - Treatment of renal anemia: Erythropoiesis stimulating agents and beyond.
AB  - Anemia, complicating the course of chronic kidney disease, is a significant
      parameter, whether interpreted as subjective impairment or an objective
      prognostic marker. Renal anemia is predominantly due to relative erythropoietin
      (EPO) deficiency. EPO inhibits apoptosis of erythrocyte precursors. Studies using
      EPO substitution have shown that increasing hemoglobin (Hb) levels up to 10-11
      g/dL is associated with clinical improvement. However, it has not been
      unequivocally proven that further intensification of erythropoiesis stimulating
      agent (ESA) therapy actually leads to a comprehensive benefit for the patient,
      especially as ESAs are potentially associated with increased cerebro
      cardiovascular events. Recently, new developments offer interesting options not
      only via stimulating erythropoeisis but also by employing additional mechanisms.
      The inhibition of activin, a member of the transforming growth factor
      superfamily, has the potential to correct anemia by stimulating liberation of
      mature erythrocyte forms and also to mitigate disturbed mineral and bone
      metabolism as well. Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors also
      show pleiotropic effects, which are at the focus of present research and have the
      potential of reducing mortality. However, conventional ESAs offer an extensive
      body of safety evidence, against which the newer substances should be measured.
      Carbamylated EPO is devoid of Hb augmenting effects whilst exerting promising
      tissue protective properties. Additionally, the role of hepcidin antagonists is
      discussed. An innovative new hemodialysis blood tube system, reducing blood
      contact with air, conveys a totally different and innocuous option to improve
      renal anemia by reducing mechanical hemolysis.

PMID- 28904873
TI  - A calpain inhibitor protects against fractalkine production in lipopolysaccharide
      treated endothelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fractalkine (CX3CL1) is a chemokine with a unique CX3C motif and is
      produced by endothelial cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1, and interferon-gamma. There have
      been several reports that the caspase/calpain system is activated in endotoxemia,
      which leads to cellular apoptosis and acute inflammatory processes. We aimed to
      determine the role of the caspase/calpain system in cell viability and regulation
      of fractalkine production in LPS-treated endothelial cells. METHODS: Human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were stimulated with 0.01-100 MUg/mL of
      LPS to determine cell viability. The changes of CX3CL1 expression were compared
      in control, LPS (1 MUg/mL)-, IL-1alpha (1 MUg/mL)-, and IL-1beta (1 MUg/mL)
      treated HUVECs. Cell viability and CX3CL1 production were compared with 50 MUM of
      inhibitors of caspase-1, caspase-3, caspase-9, and calpain in LPS-treated HUVECs.
      RESULTS: Cell viability was significantly decreased from 1 to 100 MUg/mL of LPS.
      Cell viability was significantly restored with inhibitors of caspase-1, caspase
      3, caspase-9, and calpain in LPS-treated HUVECs. The expression of CX3CL1 was
      highest in IL-1beta-treated HUVECs. CX3CL1 production was highly inhibited with a
      calpain inhibitor and significantly decreased with the individual inhibitors of
      caspase-1, caspase-3, and caspase-9. CONCLUSION: The caspase/calpain system is an
      important modulator of cell viability and CX3CL1 production in LPS-treated
      endothelial cells.

PMID- 28904874
TI  - Red cell distribution width predicts incident dipstick albuminuria in Korean
      adults without chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is an emerging marker of
      inflammation and a predictor of high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as
      well as all-cause mortality. A previous cross-sectional study showed that RDW was
      associated with microalbuminuria, an indicator of target organ damage. However,
      the longitudinal association of RDW and development of albuminuria is not known.
      METHODS: We analyzed 83,040 participants without chronic kidney disease (CKD) at
      baseline who underwent two health check-ups at a 4-year interval during 2005 to
      2014. Urine albumin was determined by single urine dipstick semi-quantitative
      analysis, and incident albuminuria was defined as >= 1+ dipstick albumin at the
      second check-up. We used logistic regression analysis to determine the
      relationship between RDW and incident albuminuria. RESULTS: Participants were
      divided into quartiles according to baseline RDW. After 4 years, 982 cases of
      incident albuminuria were observed. The cumulative incidences of albuminuria were
      0.94, 1.05, 1.18, and 1.62% for the 1st through 4th quartiles of RDW,
      respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the odds ratios (95%
      confidence interval) for incident albuminuria compared to those in the 1st
      quartile were 1.11 (0.92-1.34), 1.26 (1.04-1.52), and 1.88 (1.58-2.24) for the
      2nd, 3rd and 4th quartiles, respectively. CONCLUSION: RDW was associated with
      development of albuminuria in relatively healthy Korean adults without CKD.
      Further research is needed to verify the role of RDW in the development of
      albuminuria and renal injury.

PMID- 28904875
TI  - The influence of hypophosphatemia on outcomes of low- and high-intensity
      continuous renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute kidney
      injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the role of hypophosphatemia
      in major clinical outcomes of patients treated with low- or high-intensity
      continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective analysis of data collected from 492 patients. We divided patients
      into two CRRT groups based on treatment intensity (greater than or equal to or
      less than 40 mL/kg/hour of effluent generation) and measured serum phosphate
      level daily during CRRT. RESULTS: We obtained a total of 1,440 phosphate
      measurements on days 0, 1, and 2 and identified 39 patients (7.9%), 74 patients
      (15.0%), and 114 patients (23.1%) with hypophosphatemia on each of these
      respective days. In patients treated with low-intensity CRRT, there were 23
      episodes of hypophosphatemia/1,000 patient days, compared with 83 episodes/1,000
      patient days in patients who received high-intensity CRRT (P < 0.01). Multiple
      Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that Acute Physiology and Chronic Health
      Evaluation (APACHE) III score, utilization of vasoactive drugs, and arterial pH
      on the second day of CRRT were significant predictors of mortality, while serum
      phosphate level was not a significant contributor to mortality. CONCLUSION:
      APACHE score, use of vasoactive drugs, and arterial pH on the second CRRT day
      were identified as significant predictors of mortality. Hypophosphatemia might
      not be a major risk factor of increased mortality in patients treated with CRRT.

PMID- 28904876
TI  - Heart rate is associated with mortality in patients undergoing continuous renal
      replacement therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart rate (HR) is an essential vital sign based on the finding that
      HR beyond its normal range is associated with several conditions or diseases,
      including high mortality in several clinical settings. Nevertheless, the clinical
      implications of HR remain unresolved in patients undergoing continuous renal
      replacement therapy (CRRT). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 828
      patients who underwent CRRT due to acute kidney injury between 2010 and 2014. HR
      and other baseline parameters at the time of CRRT initiation were retrieved. The
      odds ratio (OR) of 30-day mortality was calculated using a multivariate logistic
      model. RESULTS: CRRT significantly lowered the HR of patients such that the pre-
      and post-CRRT HRs (average 6 hours) were 107 beats/min and 103 beats/min,
      respectively (P < 0.001). When we explored the relationship with 30-day
      mortality, only HR at the time of CRRT initiation, but not pre- or post-CRRT HR,
      had a significant relationship with mortality outcome. Based on this result, we
      divided patients into quartiles of HR at the time of CRRT initiation. Mortality
      OR in the 4th quartile HR group was 2.6 (1.78-3.92) compared with the 1st
      quartile HR group. This relationship remained consistent despite adjusting for 28
      baseline covariates: OR, 1.7 (1.09-2.76); P = 0.020. However, HR was not
      associated with the weaning rate from CRRT. CONCLUSION: High HR at the time of
      CRRT initiation is subsequently related with high mortality. These results can be
      a basis for a future predictive model of CRRT-related mortality.

PMID- 28904877
TI  - Long-term repeated rituximab treatment for childhood steroid-dependent nephrotic
      syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rituximab (RTX) can be used as a rescue therapy for steroid-dependent
      nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). However, the efficacy and safety of long-term,
      repeated use of RTX are not established. This study was conducted to assess the
      efficacy and safety of long-term, repeated RTX treatment in children. METHODS:
      Eighteen consecutive child patients with SDNS who were treated with three or more
      cycles of RTX for one year or longer were recruited, and their medical records
      were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The patients were followed for 4.7 +/-
      1.9 years and received 5.2 +/- 2.3 cycles of RTX over 2.8 +/- 1.1 years.
      Approximately 70% of the additional RTX cycles were administered due to recovery
      of B-cells without relapse. The relapse rate decreased from 3.4 +/- 2.0 per year
      initially to 0.4 +/- 0.8 per year at the third year after RTX treatment.
      Approximately 10% of the RTX infusions were accompanied by mild infusion
      reactions. Eight patients showed sustained remission without any oral medication
      after the last cycle of RTX, while 10 patients had one or more episodes of
      relapse after the last cycle of RTX. The relapse rate in the latter group
      decreased from 2.8 +/- 1.5 per year before RTX treatment to 1.3 +/- 0.8 per year
      after cessation of RTX treatment. No significant differences in clinical
      parameters were found between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This retrospective
      study showed that pre-emptive and long-term, repeated RTX treatment is relatively
      effective and safe in children with SDNS. However, well-designed prospective
      studies are needed to confirm these findings.

PMID- 28904878
TI  - The effects of different physical activities on atrial fibrillation in patients
      with hypertension and chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is highly common, and is most frequently
      observed in individuals with hypertension and structural cardiac disease.
      Sympathetic hyperactivity plays a fundamental role in the progression,
      maintenance and aggravation of arrhythmia. Endurance exercise training clearly
      lowers sympathetic activity in sympathoexcitatory disease states, and is well
      tolerated by patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: We assessed 50
      CKD patients with hypertension. Each patient provided a complete medical history
      and underwent a physical examination. We used an implantable cardiac monitor over
      a 3-year follow-up period to evaluate the effects of high-intensity interval
      training (HIIT) and moderate exercise (ModEx) physical activity protocols on AF
      occurrence, and determined the effectiveness of these protocols in improving
      renal function. Subjects were followed up every 6 months after the beginning of
      the intervention. RESULTS: During the 3-year follow-up, AF onset was higher in
      CKD patients who engaged in HIIT (72%) than in those who engaged in ModEx (24%)
      (hazard ratio, 3.847; 95% confidence interval, 1.694-8.740, P = 0.0013 by log
      rank test). Both groups exhibited significant intra-group changes in the mean
      systolic 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM) between baseline
      and 12, 24, and 36 months. There were also significant differences in the mean
      systolic 24-hour ABPM between the groups at the same time points. CONCLUSION: In
      CKD patients with hypertension, improvements in AF onset, renal function and some
      echocardiographic parameters were more evident in subjects who engaged in ModEx
      than in those who engaged in HIIT during 3 years of follow-up.

PMID- 28904879
TI  - Renoprotective effects of febuxostat compared with allopurinol in patients with
      hyperuricemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia is reported to be related to rapid progression of renal
      function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Allopurinol, a uric acid
      lowering agent, protects renal progression. However, it is not widely used in
      patients with CKD because of its serious adverse event. Febuxostat can be
      alternatively used for patients who are intolerable to allopurinol. We aimed to
      determine renoprotective effect and urate-lowering effect between the two drugs.
      METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized
      controlled trials to assess the effects of febuxostat compared to allopurinol in
      patients with hyperuricemia. MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were
      searched to identify research publications. RESULTS: Four relevant publications
      were selected from among 3,815 studies. No significant differences were found in
      the changes in serum creatinine from baseline between the febuxostat and
      allopurinol groups. Changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were
      observed between the two groups at 1 month (mean difference 1.65 mL/min/1.73 m2,
      95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38, 2.91 mL/min/1.73 m2; heterogeneity chi2 =
      1.25, I2 = 0%, P = 0.01); however, the changes in eGFR were not significantly
      different at 3 months. A significant difference did exist in the changes in
      albuminuria levels from baseline between the febuxostat and allopurinol groups
      (mean difference -80.47 mg/gCr, 95% CI -149.29, -11.64 mg/gCr; heterogeneity chi2
      = 0.81, I2 = 0%, P = 0.02). A significant difference was also observed in the
      changes in serum uric acid from baseline between the febuxostat and allopurinol
      groups (mean difference -0.92 mg/dL, 95% CI -1.29, -0.56 mg/dL; heterogeneity
      chi2 = 6.24, I2 = 52%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Febuxostat might be more
      renoprotective than allopurinol.

PMID- 28904880
TI  - Association of serum uric acid level with coronary artery stenosis severity in
      Korean end-stage renal disease patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients,
      and many previous studies have reported the associations between hyperuricemia
      and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, which are the major cause of death in such
      patients. We investigated the relationship between serum uric acid level and the
      severity of coronary stenosis in ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).
      METHODS: Among 721 patients who started MHD treatment, 102 underwent coronary
      angiographic tests complaining of chest discomfort that was new at initiation of
      MHD. We collected data on uric acid level and coronary artery luminal diameter,
      defining luminal diameter narrowing of more than 50% in any major coronary artery
      as critical-stenosis. RESULTS: We detected critical coronary artery stenosis in
      52 (57.8%) patients. The mean uric acid level was 6.6 +/- 2.2 mg/dL, and that was
      significantly higher in the critical-stenosis group (4.9 +/- 1.4 mg/dL vs. 7.8 +/
      2.0 mg/dL, P < 0.001). The only independent predictor of critical-stenosis in
      multivariate analysis was serum uric acid level (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: High
      serum uric acid was associated with severe coronary artery stenosis in Korean
      ESRD patients. Hyperuricemia is a readily modifiable factor, and appropriately
      preventing it could provide significant benefits in ESRD patients.

PMID- 28904881
TI  - Numerical expression of volume status using the bioimpedance ratio in continuous
      ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients: A pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Volume overload results in higher mortality rates in patients on
      continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The ratio of bioimpedance (RBI)
      might be a helpful parameter in adjusting dry body weight in CAPD patients. This
      study examined whether it is possible to distinguish between non-hypervolemic
      status and hypervolemic status in CAPD patients by using only RBI. METHODS: RBI
      was calculated as follows: RBI = impedance at 50 kHz/impedance at 500 kHz. Based
      on the experts' judgements, a total of 64 CAPD patients were divided into two
      groups, a non-hypervolemic group and a hypervolemic group. The RBI was measured
      from right wrist to right ankle (rw-raRBI) by bioimpedance spectroscopy (BCM(r),
      Fresenius Medical Care) before and after the peritosol was emptied. Other RBIs
      were measured from the right side of the anterior superior iliac spine to the
      ipsilateral ankle (rasis-raRBI) to control for the electro-physiological effects
      of peritoneal dialysate. RESULTS: The mean rw-raRBI of non-hypervolemic patients
      was higher than that of hypervolemic patients in the presence (1.141 +/- 0.022
      vs. 1.121 +/- 0.021, P < 0.001) of a peritosol. Likewise, the mean rasis-raRBI of
      non-hypervolemic patients was higher than that of hypervolemic patients (presence
      of peritosol: 1.136 +/- 0.026 vs. 1.109 +/- 0.022, P < 0.001; absence of
      peritosol: 1.131 +/- 0.022 vs. 1.107 +/- 0.022, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The
      volume status of CAPD patients was able to be simply expressed by RBI. Therefore,
      this study suggests that when patients cannot be analyzed using BCM, RBI could be
      an alternative.

PMID- 28904882
TI  - Staphylococcal infection-associated crescentic immunoglobulin A nephropathy.

PMID- 28904883
TI  - Spotlight on circulating tumour cells.

PMID- 28904884
TI  - Circulating tumor cells and CDX models as a tool for preclinical drug
      development.
AB  - Lung cancers are the main cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Efforts
      placed to improve the survival of lung cancer patients and untangle the
      complexity of this disease, have resulted in the generation of hundreds of lung
      cancer cell lines and several genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs).
      Although these research tools have extended our knowledge of lung cancer,
      improvement in the clinical care of lung cancer patients have been limited
      overall, with measured optimism regarding initial responses to targeted therapies
      in stratified subgroups of patients. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are
      beginning to assist 'personalized therapy' approaches particularly in non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) however biopsies of lung cancers to generate PDXs are
      not without challenges and risks to the patient. Liquid biopsies, on the other
      hand, are a rapid and non-invasive procedure allowing the collection of
      circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with a single 10 mL blood draw. These CTCs
      recapitulate the molecular heterogeneity of the corresponding tumors and,
      therefore, can be used as surrogates to study tumor biology and generate new
      patient-derived models. Here, we discuss the CTC-derived models that have been
      generated, most notably in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), highlighting challenges
      and opportunities related to these novel preclinical tools.

PMID- 28904885
TI  - The clinical utility of circulating tumour cells in patients with small cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of lung cancer diagnosed
      worldwide. It is aggressive and characterised by early metastatic spread with
      rapid development of chemo resistance such that less than 5% of patients
      diagnosed survive 5 years. Surgery is rarely performed and failure to identify
      new effective treatments has been attributed in a large part to lack of good
      quality tumour biopsies available for translational research. Liquid biopsies
      provide a minimally invasive alternative to traditional tumour biopsy.
      Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are abundant in SCLC and can be enriched and
      isolated from a venous blood sample. In recent years progress has been made into
      the molecular characterisation of CTCs and their use to form tumour xenografts in
      mice for preclinical studies. This review will discuss the current status of the
      clinical utility of CTCs in patients with SCLC, highlighting their potential
      application to treatment decision making, drug development in clinical trials and
      preclinical testing.

PMID- 28904886
TI  - Circulating tumor cell interactions with macrophages: implications for biology
      and treatment.
AB  - Cancer and metastasis are closely associated with inflammation. Macrophages are
      important effector cells in enhancing tumor proliferation, invasion and providing
      protection against the immune system. Despite advanced knowledge of tumor
      macrophage interactions, the role of macrophages in emergence and invasion of
      circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is not known. A series of six CTC cell lines have
      been derived from blood of patients with extensive disease small cell lung cancer
      (ED-SCLC) in our lab, most likely representing a homogenous cell population of
      the actual metastasis-initiating cells (MIC) of CTCs. SCLC has an unfavorable
      prognosis due to rapid dissemination and early chemoresistant relapses. SCLC CTCs
      recruit macrophages and elicit secretion of various cytokines and the six CTC
      lines express chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1), vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) in abundance. CHI3L1 is
      cytokine/growth factor expressed in inflammation and cancer and found to be
      correlated to metastasis and a dismal prognosis. In conclusion, SCLC CTCs have
      acquired the essential means for aggressiveness and invasion in a tumor
      microenvironment specifically shaped by macrophages and inflammation.

PMID- 28904887
TI  - Biology and clinical significance of circulating tumor cell subpopulations in
      lung cancer.
AB  - By identifying and tracking genetic changes in primary tumors and metastases,
      patients can be stratified for the most efficient therapeutic regimen by
      screening for known biomarkers. However, retrieving tissues biopsies is not
      always feasible due to tumor location or risk to patient. Therefore, a liquid
      biopsies approach offers an appealing solution to an otherwise invasive
      procedure. The rapid growth of the liquid biopsy field has been aided by
      improvements in the sensitivity and specificity of enrichment assays for
      isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from normal surrounding blood cells.
      Furthermore, the identification and molecular characterization of CTCs has been
      shown in numerous studies to be of diagnostic and prognostic relevance in breast,
      prostate and colon cancer patients. Despite these advancements, and the highly
      metastatic nature of lung cancer, it remains a challenge to detect CTCs in
      advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It may be that loss of epithelial
      features, in favor of a mesenchymal phenotype, and the highly heterogeneous
      nature of NSCLC CTCs contribute to their evasion from current detection methods.
      By identifying a broader spectrum of biomarkers that could better differentiate
      the various NSCLC CTCs subpopulations, it may be possible to not only improve
      detection rates but also to shed light on which CTC clones are likely to drive
      metastatic initiation. Here we review the biology of CTCs and describe a number
      of proteins and genetic targets which could potentially be utilized for the
      dissemination of heterogenic subpopulations of CTCs in NSCLC.

PMID- 28904888
TI  - Routine clinical use of circulating tumor cells for diagnosis of mutations and
      chromosomal rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancer-ready for prime-time?
AB  - In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), diagnosis of predictive biomarkers for
      targeted therapies is currently done in small tumor biopsies. However, tumor
      biopsies can be invasive, in some cases associated with risk, and tissue
      adequacy, both in terms of quantity and quality is often insufficient. The
      development of efficient and non-invasive methods to identify genetic alterations
      is a key challenge which circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have the potential to be
      exploited for. CTCs are extremely rare and phenotypically diverse, two
      characteristics that impose technical challenges and impact the success of robust
      molecular analysis. Here we introduce the clinical needs in this disease that
      mainly consist of the diagnosis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      activating alterations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement. We
      present the proof-of-concept studies that explore the detection of these genetic
      alterations in CTCs from NSCLC patients. Finally, we discuss steps that are still
      required before CTCs are routinely used for diagnosis of EGFR-mutations and ALK
      rearrangements in this disease.

PMID- 28904892
TI  - Technique and complications from masters in andrological surgery.

PMID- 28904890
TI  - Biophysical technologies for understanding circulating tumor cell biology and
      metastasis.
AB  - An understanding of cancer evolution in lung cancer with its associated
      resistance to therapy can only be achieved with repeated sampling and analysis of
      the cancer. Given the high risks and costs associated with repeat physical
      biopsy, alternative technologies must be applied. Several modalities exist for
      analysis and re-analysis of cancer biology. Among them are the CellSearch
      platform, the CTC chip, and the high-definition CTC platform. While the former is
      primarily able to provide prognosticating information in the form of CTC
      enumeration, the latter two have the advantage of serving as a platform to study
      tumor biology. Techniques for analysis of single cell genomics, as well as
      protein expression on a single cell basis provide scientists with the capacity to
      understand cancer cell populations as a collection of individual cells, rather
      than as an average of all cells. A multimodal combination of circulating tumor
      DNAs (ctDNAs), CTCs, proteomics, and CTC-derived xenografts (CDXs) to create
      computational models useful in diagnosis, prognostication, and predictiveness to
      treatment is likely the future of tailoring individualized cancer care.

PMID- 28904889
TI  - Challenges and unanswered questions for the next decade of circulating tumour
      cell research in lung cancer.
AB  - Since blood borne circulating tumour cells (CTCs) initially shed from the primary
      tumour can seed and initiate metastasis at distant sites a better understanding
      of the biology of CTCs and their dissemination could provide valuable information
      that could guide therapeutic intervention and real time monitoring of disease
      progression. Although CTC enumeration has provided a reliable prognostic readout
      for a number of cancers, including lung cancer, the precise clinical utility of
      CTCs remains to be established. The rarity of CTCs together with the vanishingly
      small amounts of nucleic acids present in a single cell as well as cell to cell
      heterogeneity has stimulated the development of a wide range of powerful cellular
      and molecular methodologies applied to CTCs. These technical developments are now
      enabling researchers to focus on understanding the biology of CTCs and their
      clinical utility as a predictive and pharmacodynamics markers. This review
      summarises recent advances in the field of CTC research with focus on technical
      and biological challenges as well the progress made towards clinical utility of
      characterisation of CTCs with emphasis on studies in lung cancer.

PMID- 28904893
TI  - Surgical patient selection and counseling.
AB  - The objectives of patient selection and counseling are ultimately to enhance
      successful outcomes. However, the definition for success is often narrowly
      defined in published literature (ability to complete surgery, complications,
      satisfaction) and fails to account for patient desires and expectations, temporal
      changes, natural history of underlying diseases, or independent validation.
      Factors associated with satisfaction and dissatisfaction are often surgery
      specific, although correlation with pre-operative expectations, revisions, and
      complications are common with most procedures. The process of appropriate patient
      selection is determined by the integration of patient and surgeon factors,
      including psychological capacity to handle unsatisfactory results, baseline
      expectations, complexity of case, and surgeon volume and experience. Using this
      model, a high-risk scenario includes one in which a low-volume surgeon performs a
      complex case in a patient with limited psychological capacity and high
      expectations. In contrast, a high-volume surgeon performing a routine case in a
      male with low expectations and abundant psychiatric reserve is more likely to
      achieve a successful outcome. To further help identify patients who are at high
      risk for dissatisfaction, a previously published mnemonic is recommended: CURSED
      Patient (compulsive/obsessive, unrealistic, revision, surgeon shopping, entitled,
      denial, and psychiatric). Appropriate patient counseling includes setting
      appropriate expectations, reviewing the potential and anticipated risks of
      surgery, post-operative instruction to limit complications, and long-term follow
      up. As thorough counseling is often a time-consuming endeavor, busy practices may
      elect to utilize various resources including educational materials, advanced
      practice providers, or group visits, among others. The consequences for poor
      patient selection and counseling may range from poor surgical outcomes and
      patient dissatisfaction to lawsuits, loss of credibility, or even significant
      patient or personal harm.

PMID- 28904891
TI  - Clinical utility of circulating tumor cells in patients with non-small-cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - Several different studies have addressed the role of the circulating tumor cells
      (CTC) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In particular, the potential of CTC
      analysis in the early diagnosis of NSCLC and in the prediction of the outcome of
      patients with early and advanced NSCLC have been explored. A major limit of these
      studies is that they used different techniques for CTC isolation and enumeration,
      they employed different thresholds to discriminate between high- and low-risk
      patients, and they enrolled heterogeneous and often small cohort of patients.
      Nevertheless, the results of many studies are concordant in indicating a
      correlation between high CTC count and poor prognosis in both early and advanced
      NSCLC. The reduction of CTC number following treatment might also represent an
      important indicator of sensitivity to therapy in patients with metastatic
      disease. Preliminary data also suggest the potential for CTC analysis in the
      early diagnosis of NSCLC in high-risk individuals. However, these findings need
      to be confirmed in large prospective trials in order to be transferred to the
      clinical practice. The molecular profiling of single CTC in NSCLC might provide
      important information on tumor biology and on the mechanisms involved in tumor
      dissemination and in acquired resistance to targeted therapies. In this respect,
      xenografts derived from CTC might represent a valuable tool to investigate these
      phenomena and to develop novel therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28904894
TI  - The infrapubic surgical approach for inflatable penile prosthesis placement.
AB  - In this invited article, we briefly review the history of the penile prosthesis
      and the various surgical approaches that have been described. With intra
      operative photos and illustrations, we discuss Dr. Perito's infrapubic surgical
      approach. We also highlight the patient selection, post-operative care and
      complications.

PMID- 28904895
TI  - The penoscrotal surgical approach for inflatable penile prosthesis placement.
AB  - Optimizing outcomes with placement of inflatable penile prostheses (IPPs) can be
      challenging, especially in inexperienced hands. In this article, we outline Dr.
      Kohler's penoscrotal penile prosthesis surgical approach. We also highlight
      patient selection, post-operative care and complications.

PMID- 28904896
TI  - Peyronie's penile plication.
AB  - Penile plication has become the preferred surgical technique for Peyronie's
      disease (PD) as it can be performed efficiently, safely, with a high success
      rate, low morbidity and a low complication rate. Here in we describe two modern
      plication techniques in detail: the Kiels Knot plication and the minimally
      invasive penoscrotal plication. Benefits of the techniques include no palpable
      sutures for the Kiels Knot Plication and less surgical trauma for the penoscrotal
      plication. Plication has a low rate of failure. However, when it does occur it is
      usually secondary to under-correction. Failures typically present early
      postoperatively and a contributing factor to underestimating the deformity is a
      poor intraoperative artificial erection. Complex, severe, or multiplanar
      deformities will require more sophisticated intraoperative decision-making, but
      can be managed effectively with penile plication nonetheless.

PMID- 28904897
TI  - Peyronie's graft surgery-tips and tricks from the masters in andrologic surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Grafting techniques in the surgical management of Peyronie's disease
      (PD) are challenging, especially in inexperienced hands. In order to improve
      surgical outcomes the urologist should follow a standard surgical approach,
      preferably of an established and reliable grafting technique. The aim of this
      study is to provide tips and tricks for graft surgery for PD. METHODS: This
      report offers a step-by-step tutorial for grafting techniques in PD, especially
      for the Sealing technique and the partial plaque excision and grafting (PEG)
      procedure. Two senior surgeons (GH, LAL) describe their surgical technique in
      detail, and provide important aspects and tips one has to be aware of when
      performing a grafting technique in patients with PD. Special attention is also
      paid to preoperative considerations and adequate patient counseling. Moreover,
      postoperative penile rehabilitation programs are discussed. RESULTS: Adequate
      preoperative counseling of patients is crucial, and should include possible
      adverse effects and negative outcomes, such as persistent or recurrent curvature,
      diminished sensation at the glans penis, diminished erectile function, or penile
      shortening. The correct indication for a grafting technique is imperative. There
      are many surgical details during grafting techniques, which have to be considered
      in order to achieve the best result possible. These include the correct
      preparation of the neurovascular bundle, the following partial plaque excision
      without damaging the underlying erectile tissue, and the sufficient closure of
      the resulting tunica albuginea defect. Defect closure can be done by grafts like
      pericardial graft (PEG procedure) or the collagen fleece (Sealing technique).
      Postoperatively, the patient should refrain from sexual activities for at least 6
      weeks, and follow a penile rehabilitation program with Phoshodiesterase-Type-5
      inhibitors, manual stretch, penile massage, and penile traction therapy.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present paper offers a step-by-step tutorial for grafting
      techniques in PD, especially for the Sealing technique and the PEG procedure, in
      order to help the reader to understand major steps during surgery and to avoid
      pitfalls. Careful patient selection, a reliable and established surgical
      technique and a postoperative rehabilitation program are main predictors for
      treatment success. In summary, the ultimate goal should be improved patient care,
      safety and satisfaction.

PMID- 28904898
TI  - Avoiding complications: surgery for ischemic priapism.
AB  - Ischemic, or low-flow, priapism is among the most common and challenging urologic
      emergencies. Management of recurrent or refractory ischemic priapism is even more
      challenging, with increasing levels of risk for both the patient and the
      urologist. The goal of this commentary is to condense a career of experience (TF
      Lue) in the management of ischemic priapism into a concise, practical clinical
      tool for the reader. We will describe our current algorithm for the treatment of
      ischemic priapism in addition to detailing how we arrived at these
      recommendations. We will also describe why we believe that the presented approach
      is the best available approach and why we have turned away from alternative
      procedures.

PMID- 28904899
TI  - Virtue Quadratic Male Sling for stress incontinence-surgical guide for placement
      and delayed revision.
AB  - The algorithm for surgical management of post prostatectomy incontinence
      classically includes male slings and artificial urinary sphincter (AUS)
      placement. The Virtue Quadratic Male Sling was designed to provide both urethral
      elevation and prepubic compression making it a viable option for a wider spectrum
      of incontinent men whose symptoms range from mild to severe. With a focus on two
      key steps of the surgery, (I) sling fixation (II) use of intraoperative
      retrograde leak point pressure (RLPP), this guide is intended to outline a safe
      and efficacious treatment for post-prostatectomy incontinence. Intriguingly, the
      sling can be revised in the event of refractory or worsening leakage, and does
      not preclude the placement of an AUS should it be needed. This paper describes a
      step by step approach to performing the procedure as well as expert tips to
      improve outcomes and avoid/manage complications that have been learned over the
      years.

PMID- 28904900
TI  - AdVance male sling.
AB  - The AdVance sling (American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN, United States of
      America) is a synthetic transobturator sling, which is a safe and effective
      minimally invasive treatment for mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence
      (SUI) in male patients. This article provides a step-by-step description of our
      technique for placement of the AdVance male sling, including details and nuances
      gained from surgical experience, advice for avoidance of complications and
      discussion on management of complications and sling failures. Patient selection
      is very important, including exclusion and preoperative treatment of urethral
      stenosis and bladder dysfunction. Previous pelvic radiation is a poor prognostic
      factor. In brief, the steps of sling placement are: (I) mobilization of the
      corpus spongiosum (CS); (II) marking and mobilization of the central tendon;
      (III) passage of the helical trocar needles exiting at the apex of the angle
      between the CS and inferior pubic ramus; (IV) fixation of the broad part of the
      sling body to the CS at the previous mark; (V) cystoscopy during sling
      tensioning; (VI) placement of a Foley urethral catheter; (VII) Subcutaneous
      tunnelling of the sling arms back toward the midline; (VIII) wound closure. The
      most common early postoperative complication is urinary retention but long-term
      retention is extremely rare. Management of sling failures include placement of an
      artificial urinary sphincter, repeat AdVance sling, urethral bulking agent or
      ProACT device.

PMID- 28904901
TI  - Artificial urinary sphincter.
AB  - Although currently still the gold standard treatment for post-prostatectomy
      urinary incontinence, the artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) (AMS800) is an
      invasive procedure with associated risks factors. In this paper, we aim to
      outline what the scientific literature and what we personally believe are the
      factors that are useful and/or necessary to mitigate these risks, including both
      patient factors and surgeon factors. We also review special populations,
      including transcorporal (TC) AUS approach, AUS with inflatable penile prosthesis,
      AUS after male urethral sling, AUS erosion management, and AUS after orthotopic
      urinary diversion.

PMID- 28904902
TI  - Technique considerations and complication management in transurethral resection
      of the prostate and photoselective vaporization of the prostate.
AB  - The prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and benign prostatic
      hyperplasia (BPH) increases with age. While a variety of treatments are available
      for these men, endoscopic treatments are generally preferred for men with small
      to moderate size glands. Novel treatment options are continually introduced into
      this large market. However, the practicing urologist should have a well tested
      surgical option in regular practice that is applicable to a wide range of
      patients. Herein we discuss two well recognized surgical options that can be used
      for the majority of men with LUTS due to BPH who have failed medical management.

PMID- 28904903
TI  - Vasectomy: tips and tricks.
AB  - According to data from the National Study of Family Growth, vasectomy is utilized
      by 6-13% of American couples for their form of contraception. Physician surveys
      have shown that over 500,000 men undergo vasectomies per year, and more than 75%
      of vasectomies are performed by urologists. This chapter provides a brief history
      of vasectomy, as well as recommendations for preoperative counseling, an overview
      of the modified no-scalpel vasectomy technique, and a brief description of the
      complications of vasectomy.

PMID- 28904905
TI  - The role of microsurgical varicocelectomy in treating male infertility.
AB  - Varicoceles are the most common cause of male infertility. They afflict 15-20% of
      the general male population and 40% of males with primary infertility. Although
      multiple treatment modalities exist, including radiographic embolization and
      laparoscopy, open subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy is currently the gold
      standard of treatment for this condition. In this article, we discuss the role of
      varicocelectomy in the treatment of the modern infertile male and present a
      practical, safe, and reproducible technique for the microsurgical approach.

PMID- 28904906
TI  - A step-by-step guide to office-based sperm retrieval for obstructive azoospermia.
AB  - A variety of surgical options exists for sperm retrieval in the setting of
      obstructive azoospermia (OA). With appropriate preparation, the majority of these
      techniques can safely be performed in the office with local anesthesia and with
      or without monitored anesthesia care (MAC). The available techniques include
      percutaneous options such as percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) and
      testicular sperm aspiration (TESA), as well as open techniques that include
      testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration
      (MESA). In addition to providing a step-by-step description of each available
      approach, we introduce and describe a new technique for sperm retrieval for OA
      called minimally invasive epididymal sperm aspiration (MIESA). The MIESA utilizes
      a tiny keyhole incision, and the epididymis is exposed without testicular
      delivery. Epididymal aspiration is performed in the style of MESA, except using
      loupe magnification rather than an operating microscope. MIESA is a safe, office
      based procedure in which millions of motile sperm can be retrieved for
      cryopreservation. While we prefer the MIESA technique for OA, there remain
      distinct advantages of each open and percutaneous approach. In the current era of
      assisted reproductive technology, sperm retrieval rates for OA should approach
      100% regardless of the technique. This reference provides a roadmap for both
      advanced and novice male reproductive surgeons to guide them through every stage
      of sperm retrieval for OA, including preoperative evaluation, patient selection,
      procedural techniques, and complications. With the incredible advances in in
      vitro fertilization (IVF), combined with innovative surgical treatment for male
      factor infertility in recent years, OA is no longer a barrier for men to become
      biologic fathers.

PMID- 28904904
TI  - Scrotal reconstruction and testicular prosthetics.
AB  - Scrotal surgery encompasses a wide-variety of surgical techniques for an even
      wider variety of indications. In this manuscript, we review our indications,
      techniques, and pit-falls for various reconstructive scrotal surgeries as-well-as
      surgical tips for placement of testicular prostheses. Penoscrotal webbing (PSW)
      is an abnormal, often-problematic distal insertion of scrotal skin onto the
      ventral penile shaft. There are several effective and straightforward techniques
      used to revise this condition, which include simple scrotoplasty, single- or
      double-Z-plasty, or the VY-flap scrotoplasty. Reconstruction is also commonly
      indicated following scrotal skin loss caused by infection, trauma, lymphedema,
      hidradenitis, and cancer. Although initial management of these conditions often
      involves scrotal skin removal, repair of expansive scrotal skin loss can be
      technically difficult and can be accomplished by using one of several skin flaps
      or skin grafting. Split-thickness skin grafting of scrotal defects can be
      accomplished easily, and provides durable results.

PMID- 28904907
TI  - Microdissection testicular sperm extraction.
AB  - Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (microTESE) is considered the gold
      standard method for surgical sperm retrieval among patients with non-obstructive
      azoospermia (NOA). In this review, we will discuss the optimal evaluation of NOA
      patients and strategies to medically optimize NOA patients prior to microTESE. In
      addition, we will also discuss technical principles and pearls to maximize the
      chances of successful sperm retrieval, sperm retrieval rates (SRR) based upon
      testicular histology, predictors of successful sperm retrieval, gonadal recovery
      following microTESE, and potential complications.

PMID- 28904908
TI  - Vasectomy reversal: decision making and technical innovations.
AB  - Vasectomy is the method of contraception chosen by more than 500,000 American men
      annually, and by upwards of 8% of married couples worldwide. However, following
      the procedure, nearly 20% of men express the desire for children in the future,
      and approximately 2-6% of American men will ultimately undergo vasectomy reversal
      (VR). VR is a complex microsurgical procedure. Intraoperative decision-making,
      surgical technique, and postoperative management are each critical step in
      achieving high success rates. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed
      description of the operative and perioperative procedures employed by surgeons
      performing VRs.

PMID- 28904909
TI  - Office-based andrology and male infertility procedures-a cost-effective
      alternative.
AB  - BACKGROUND: From 2014-2016, our clinical practice progressively incorporated
      several male infertility and andrology procedures performed under local
      anesthesia, including circumcision, hydrocelectomy, malleable penile prostheses,
      orchiectomy, penile plication, spermatocelectomy, testicular prostheses,
      varicocelectomy, vasectomy reversal (VR), and testicular and microepididymal
      sperm aspiration (TESE/MESA). Given the observed outcomes and potential financial
      and logistical benefits of this approach for surgeons and patients, we sought to
      describe our initial experience. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed
      of all andrologic office-based (local anesthesia only) and select OR (general or
      monitored anesthesia care) procedures performed from 2014-2016. Financial and
      outcomes analyses were performed for infertility cases due to the homogeneity of
      payment modalities and number of cases available. Demographic, clinicopathologic,
      and procedural costs (direct and indirect) were reviewed and compared. RESULTS: A
      total of 32 VRs, 24 hydrocelectomies, 24 TESEs, 10 circumcisions, 9 MESA/TESEs, 4
      spermatocelectomies, 3 orchiectomies (1 inguinal), 2 microTESEs, 2 testicular
      prostheses, 1 malleable penile prosthesis, 1 penile plication, and 1
      varicocelectomy. Compared to the OR, male infertility procedures performed in the
      clinic with local anesthesia were performed for a fraction of the cost: MESA/TESE
      (78% reduction), TESE (89% reduction), and VR (62% reduction). All office-based
      procedures were completed successfully without significant modifications to
      technique. Outcomes were similar between the office and OR including operative
      time (VR: 181 vs. 190 min, P=0.34), rate of vasoepididymostomy (VE) (23% vs. 32%,
      P=0.56), total sperm counts (72.2 vs. 50.9 million, P=0.56), and successful sperm
      retrieval (MESA/TESE 100% vs. 100%, P=1.00; TESE 80% vs. 100%, P=0.36). To our
      knowledge, the current study also represents the first report of office-based VE
      under local anesthesia alone. For hydrocelectomy procedures, recurrence (4%) and
      hematoma (4%) rates were low (mean 4.2 months follow-up), although this likely
      relates to modifications with technique and not the anesthesia or operative
      setting. Overall, when given the choice, 86% of patients chose an office-based
      approach over the OR. CONCLUSIONS: Office-based andrology procedures using local
      anesthesia may be successfully performed without compromising surgical technique
      or outcomes. This approach significantly reduces costs for patients and the
      overall healthcare system and has become our treatment modality of choice.

PMID- 28904911
TI  - Insulin Resistance: Quest for Surrogate Markers.

PMID- 28904910
TI  - Complications: acknowledging, managing, and coping with human error.
AB  - Errors are inherent in medicine due to the imperfectness of human nature. Health
      care providers may have a difficult time accepting their fallibility,
      acknowledging mistakes, and disclosing errors. Fear of litigation, shame, blame,
      and concern about reputation are just some of the barriers preventing physicians
      from being more candid with their patients, despite the supporting body of
      evidence that patients cite poor communication and lack of transparency as
      primary drivers to file a lawsuit in the wake of a medical complication. Proper
      error disclosure includes a timely explanation of what happened, who was
      involved, why the error occurred, and how it will be prevented in the future.
      Medical mistakes afford the opportunity for individuals and institutions to be
      candid about their weaknesses while improving patient care processes. When a
      physician takes the Hippocratic Oath they take on a tremendous sense of
      responsibility for the care of their patients, and often bear the burden of their
      mistakes in isolation. Physicians may struggle with guilt, shame, and a crisis of
      confidence, which may thwart efforts to identify areas for improvement that can
      lead to meaningful change. Coping strategies for providers include discussing the
      event with others, seeking professional counseling, and implementing quality
      improvement projects. Physicians and health care organizations need to find
      adaptive ways to deal with complications that will benefit patients, providers,
      and their institutions.

PMID- 28904912
TI  - Assessment of Anxiety Level of Emergency Health-care Workers by Generalized
      Anxiety Disorder-7 Tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dealing with emergency patients is considered to be a stressful
      situation to all health-care workers in the emergency department (ED). Prolonged
      stress predispose to physical and inconsequential psychiatric disturbances.
      Anxiety and depressive mode were found to be the most commonly experienced
      psychiatric manifestation among emergency health-care workers. The aim of this
      study is to screen and assess the severity of anxiety among health professionals
      working in ED. METHODS: Cross-sectional study design was used. Generalized
      anxiety disorder (GAD)-7 screening tool was used to assess for anxiety symptoms.
      GAD-7 is a validated self-report tool that comprises seven questions where each
      question is rated on a 3-point scale. Demographic data were collected from the
      study sample. The study sample consists of emergency physician, nurses, and other
      emergency medical services workers. Data analysis was performed using SAS version
      9.2 software. Descriptive statistics, nonparametric comparison, and correlation
      were performed as part of data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 135 participants
      completed the questionnaire, of which, 66% of the participants were males.
      Occupational status of the respondents indicated that majority (35.6%) were
      physicians followed by 27.4% of emergency medical, and 27% of nurses. The results
      of this study indicated that 48% of the subjects were observed without an anxiety
      disorder. However, moderate to mild degrees of anxiety disorder was identified
      among 20.7% and 23.7% of the subjects, respectively. Severe anxiety disorder was
      found among 7.6% of the respondents. Emergency medical services workers were
      reported to have the highest GAD-7 score followed by physicians and nurses P =
      0.039. Gender and older age group among health professionals were statistically
      significant correlated with higher GAD-7 score P = 0.028 and 0.048, respectively.
      There is no significant difference in GAD-7 score among health professional
      dealing with adult versus pediatrics patient. CONCLUSION: From this study, it was
      concluded that more than 52% of the health-care team members manifested with
      moderate to severe anxiety disorder that requires counseling and referral for
      support and treatment. Prolonged and unrecognized anxiety may predispose to major
      psychiatric morbidity, exhaustion, and resignations from the duties. Hospital
      administration needs to be aware of the level of anxiety and the most likely
      affected population to build preventive strategies.

PMID- 28904913
TI  - Inhibition by Benidipine of Contractility of Isolated Proximal and Distal Caprine
      Ureter.
AB  - CONTEXT: Benidipine is a calcium channel blocker that blocks all the major types
      (L, N, and T) of calcium channels. It has been shown to inhibit the contractility
      of many isolated smooth muscles but not isolated ureter. AIMS: This study
      evaluated the ability of benidipine to inhibit the spontaneous contractility of
      isolated proximal and distal caprine (goat) ureter. SETTINGS AND DESIGN:
      Spontaneous contractility of isolated goat ureter was recorded using a
      physiograph. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Benidipine at concentrations in the range of
      1 nM to 10 MUM was analyzed for its inhibitory effects on the spontaneous
      contractility of the isolated proximal and distal caprine ureter. STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS USED: Both parametric and nonparametric statistical tests were used.
      RESULTS: The EC50 of benidipine for inhibiting contractility in the distal ureter
      was found to be 54.68 nM. Benidipine was found to have a greater inhibitory
      effect on the distal ureter than on the proximal ureter. It was also found to
      inhibit amplitude of spontaneous ureteric contractility more readily than the
      frequency of spontaneous ureteric contractility. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      suggest that benidipine has differential inhibitory effects on the spontaneous
      contractility of the isolated ureter. Benidipine could be useful in the
      management of clinical conditions like ureteric colic due to its inhibitory
      effects on the contractility of the ureter.

PMID- 28904914
TI  - Novel Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Nigerian Cigarette Smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and
      morbidity worldwide. While the effect of cigarette smoking on conventional
      markers that account for <50% of CVD s has been well studied, there are only a
      few studies on the effect of cigarette smoking on novel cardiovascular (CV) risk
      markers. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of cigarette smoking on the novel CV
      markers such as homocysteine (HCY), lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), and C-reactive
      protein (CRP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty smokers, 12 ex
      smokers, and 84 controls were recruited for the study. A structured questionnaire
      was used to obtain information on their clinical history, daily cigarette
      consumption, and duration of smoking. The smokers were further grouped according
      to the amount of cigarette consumption: light (<5 sticks/day), moderate (6-10
      sticks/day), and heavy (>10 sticks/day) and duration of smoking: short (5-10
      years), medium (11-20 years), and long (>20 years). HCY was determined by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay method, and Lp(a) and CRP were determined
      spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: HCY, Lp(a), and CRP were significantly elevated
      in smokers when compared with control (P < 0.05) and they correlated with daily
      cigarette consumption and duration of smoking. Ex-smokers also exhibited a
      significant increase in HCY, Lp(a), and CRP level (P < 0.05) when compared with
      the control, but were significantly lower than the current smokers. CONCLUSION:
      There is a linear relationship between the intensity and duration of cigarette
      smoking and serum levels of all three novel risk CV markers. These findings
      suggest that these markers may be an important mechanism by which smoking
      promotes atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28904915
TI  - Microbiological Surveillance of Operation Theatres: Five Year Retrospective
      Analysis from a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Microbiological contamination of air and environment in the
      operation theaters (OTs) are major risk factor for surgical site and other
      hospital-associated infections. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to identify bacterial
      colonization of surfaces and equipment and to determine the microbial
      contamination of air in the OTs of a tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Five years (January 2010-December 2014) retrospective analysis of the
      data obtained from routine microbiological surveillance of the five OTs of the
      hospital was done. Surface samples were taken with wet swabs from different sites
      and equipment. Bacterial species were isolated and identified by conventional
      methods. Air quality surveillance of OTs was done by settle plate method.
      RESULTS: A total of 4387 samples were collected from surfaces and articles of
      various OTs. Out of these only 195 (4.4%), samples showed bacterial growth and
      yielded 210 isolates. The predominant species isolated was Bacillus with 184
      (87.6%) isolates followed by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus 17 (8.1%),
      Staphylococcus aureus 6 (2.9%), and Enteroccoccus spp. 3 (1.4%). Analysis of the
      OT air samples showed least colony forming unit (cfu) rate of air (27 cfu/m3) in
      ophthalmology OT and highest rate of 133 cfu/m3 in general surgery OT.
      CONCLUSION: The study shows that OTs of our hospital showed a very low bacterial
      contamination rate on surface swabbing and a cfu count per m3 of air well within
      permissible limits.

PMID- 28904916
TI  - Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Psoriasis and Levels of Interleukin-6 and
      Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha in Psoriasis Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: Indian
      Tertiary Care Hospital Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory multisystem disease, found to be
      associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and increased levels of cytokines. To
      evaluate the prevalence of MS in psoriasis and to determine the levels of
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in psoriasis
      patients with MS. METHODS: Observational study on 334 psoriasis patients and 230
      controls. MS was diagnosed by the presence of three or more criteria of original,
      revised, and modified National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment
      Panel III (NCEP ATP III). RESULTS: MS was significantly more common in psoriasis
      patients than in controls (multivariate odds ratio [95% confidence interval] of
      original NCEP ATP III = 5.73 [2.99-10.99], revised NCEP ATP III = 4.44 [2.43
      8.10], and modified NCEP ATP III = 6.00 [3.43-10.52]). Higher prevalence of
      abdominal obesity (66.2% vs. 47%, P < 0.001), hypertriglyceridemia (40.4% vs.
      29.6%, P = 0.009), systolic blood pressure (BP) >=130 mmHg (25.1% vs. 7.4%, P <
      0.001), diastolic BP >=85 mmHg (30.2% vs. 12.2%, P < 0.001), and fasting plasma
      glucose >=100 mg/dl (17.4% vs. 9.1%, P = 0.005) among psoriasis patients as
      compared to controls. Mean (standard deviation) values of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were
      76.7 (73.9) pg/ml and 234.3 (273.9) in subgroup of psoriasis patients with MS (n
      = 42), significantly higher than the normal population (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION:
      MS is more common in psoriasis. IL-6 and TNF-alpha is significantly higher in
      psoriasis patients with MS, signifying their role in pathogenesis of psoriasis
      and MS.

PMID- 28904917
TI  - Evaluation of Leptin as a Marker of Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes
      Mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a leading cause of mortality and
      morbidity worldwide, whose incidence is rapidly increasing in India. T2DM is
      caused by varying degrees of insulin resistance (IR) and relative insulin
      deficiency. Leptin, an adipokine with the primary function of regulating energy
      balance, is found to mediate insulin secretion and sensitivity in peripheral
      tissues. Hence, we aimed to determine the role of leptin in the development of IR
      in newly diagnosed T2DM patients. AIM: This study aims to compare the leptin
      levels and homeostatic model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) levels in the study
      population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included a total of sixty patients
      newly diagnosed with T2DM. Their fasting blood samples were collected to estimate
      the glucose, insulin, and leptin levels. IR was calculated using HOMA-IR formula.
      Statistical analysis was done by Pearson's correlation, Spearman's correlation,
      and One-sample Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. RESULTS: Leptin and HOMA-IR levels were
      significantly high in T2DM patients (P < 0.001) when compared with reference
      values. Body mass index showed a significant positive correlations with insulin
      (r = 0.40, P < 0.01), HOMA-IR (r = 0.37, P < 0.01), and leptin levels (r = 0.90,
      P < 0.01). Leptin levels showed significant positive correlations with plasma
      insulin (r = 0.35, P < 0.01) and HOMA-IR levels (r = 0.31, P < 0.05). The
      correlation between leptin and HOMA-IR levels was more pronounced and significant
      among the obese T2DM subjects (r = 0.82, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Hyperleptinemia
      reflecting leptin resistance plays an important role in the development of IR in
      obeseT2DM patients, making leptin a possible biomarker for the same.

PMID- 28904918
TI  - Evaluation of Genetic Polymorphisms in Glutathione S-Transferase Theta1,
      Glutathione S-Transferase Mu1, and Glutathione S-Transferase Mu3 in Oral
      Leukoplakia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Deleterious Habits using
      Polymerase Chain Reaction.
AB  - CONTEXT: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common cancer in
      the world. As per previous studies, most patients who develop oral cancer are
      elderly males who are heavy users of tobacco and alcohol; however, the incidence
      is increasing in younger individuals and in those who neither smoke nor drink.
      Many of the genes that code for the detoxification enzymes are polymorphic with
      abnormal activity profiles. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the risk of development of oral leukoplakia (OLP) and OSCC in
      glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms genes in the east coast of Andhra Pradesh
      population with tobacco consumption habit and habit-free controls using
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 15 patients each with histologically
      proven epithelial dysplasia and OSCC and compared with age- and gender-related
      controls with no tobacco habits in any form. A volume of 2 ml of blood sample was
      collected into presterilized vials containing ethylenediaminetetracetic acid from
      each individual under aseptic conditions. DNA extraction was done from whole
      blood, and PCR was performed. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square
      test and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The results
      are suggestive that glutathione S-transferase mu1 (GSTM1) null was associated
      with increased risk of OLP (OR = 5.5, 95% CI = 1.14-26.41, P = 0.021) and OSCC
      (OR = 11, 95% CI = 1.99-60.5, P = 0.021). Glutathione S-transferase theta1
      (GSTT1) null genotype was associated with increased risk of OLP (OR = 2.154, 95%
      CI = 0.74-26.672, P > 0.99) and OSCC (OR = 2.154, 95% CI = 0.74-26.672, P >
      0.99). The glutathione S-transferase mu3 (GSTM3) AB + BB genotypes appear to be
      risk factors for OSCC (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.31-5.58, P = 0.7) although
      statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: Hence to conclude, because of small
      sample size in the present study, statistically insignificant results were found
      and this study failed to observe the relationship between GSTM3 and GSTT1
      polymorphism and risk of developing OSCC and positive relationship was observed
      with GSTM1 polymorphism and risk of developing OSCC.

PMID- 28904919
TI  - Pre- and Post-operative Comparative Analysis of Serum Lipid Profile in Patients
      with Cholelithiasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gallstones have become a major health problem because of their silent
      manifestation and unclear pathogenesis. Although the association between the
      disturbed lipid metabolism and formation of gallstones has been elucidated in
      many studies, the effect of cholecystectomy on lipid profile has not been studied
      in detail. AIM: The aim of the present study was to study the effect of
      cholecystectomy on lipid levels in patients with gallstones. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The study was conducted on 50 patients with gallstones and 30 healthy
      volunteers for comparison of lipid levels. Subsequently, cholecystectomy was
      conducted on patients with gallstones and pre- and post-operative lipid levels
      were compared. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in total cholesterol,
      and triglycerides levels and increase in high-density lipoprotein levels after 1
      month of surgery, while low-density lipoprotein levels and very low-density
      lipoprotein were not statistically changed. CONCLUSION: Cholecystectomy can
      significantly improve lipid levels in patients with gallstones.

PMID- 28904920
TI  - Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamases
      Producing Organisms Isolated in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Bangladesh.
AB  - CONTEXT: Infection caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) producing
      organism is a major problem regarding antibiotic resistance. AIMS: The aim of
      this study was to find out the antibiogram of ESBL producing organisms isolated
      from various samples. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was carried
      out in the Department of Microbiology of a Tertiary Care Hospital, Dhaka,
      Bangladesh from January to June 2014. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One Hundred and
      seventy-nine ESBL producing Gram-negative organisms detected phenotypically by
      double-disc synergy test were enrolled in this study. Required data were
      collected from the records of the Microbiology laboratory. RESULTS: ESBL
      production was detected in 16.07% (179/1114) of isolated organism. Of Escherichia
      coli, 15.75% were ESBL producers; 14.01% Pseudomonas spp., 36.84% Proteus spp.,
      18.57% Klebsiella spp., and 21.05% of Acinetobacter spp., were ESBL producers.
      Maximum (43.58%) ESBL producers were isolated from surgery departments, and wound
      swabs yielded majority (53%) of them. About 13% ESBL producers were isolated in
      outdoor patients mostly from community-acquired infections. Most ESBL producers
      were resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Carbapenems especially imipenem was
      the most effective drug showing excellent sensitivity; colistin and
      piperacillin/tazobactam also had better sensitivity result. Most of the ESBL
      producers showed a good sensitivity to amikacin, but all of them were highly
      resistant to ciprofloxacin. CONCLUSIONS: ESBL production should be detected
      routinely in all Microbiology laboratories. Infection control, rational use of
      antibiotics must be done promptly to prevent the development and spread of ESBL
      producing organisms.

PMID- 28904921
TI  - Hashimoto's Encephalitis: Rare Manifestation of Hypothyroidism.
AB  - Hashimoto's encephalitis is a rare, heterogeneous and completely treatable form
      of neuroendocrine disorder manifesting with seizures, stroke-like episodes,
      encephalopathy, dementia and variable neuropsychiatric manifestations. It is
      generally associated with a background of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and the
      patient has high titers of antithyroid antibodies, especially antithyroid
      peroxidase antibodies. This entity responds dramatically to corticosteroids,
      hence should be always considered and excluded while treating a patient with
      encephalopathy in the background of a thyroid disease.

PMID- 28904922
TI  - Report of a Case and Review of Literature of Internal Hernia through Peritoneal
      Defect in Pouch of Douglas: A Rare Occurrence.
AB  - Intestinal obstruction attributable to internal hernia as a cause is a rare
      phenomenon with a reported incidence of 0.6%-5.8%. Internal hernias ensuing as a
      result of defect in the pouch of Douglas is extremely rare with only six such
      cases reported so far in the literature. We present a case of 74-year-old
      posthysterectomy status female who presented with features of intestinal
      obstruction. Intraoperatively, the site of obstruction was found to be a rent in
      the peritoneum of the pouch of Douglas through which a loop of ileum was found
      herniating. The viability of the bowel was confirmed, and the defect was closed.
      The postoperative course was uneventful. This report presents an extremely rare
      type of internal hernia caused by defect in the pouch of Douglas and review of
      the literature so far available.

PMID- 28904923
TI  - Congenital Cyst Adenoid Malformation Masquerading as Bronchial Asthma.
AB  - Congenital cyst adenoid malformation (CCAM) is a rare congenital malformation
      occurring in approximately 1-4 in 100,000 births. It is classified into five
      subtypes with type 1 CCAM is most common subtype. The diagnosis of CCAM is
      usually made in infancy, and it is rare in adolescents and adults. We report a 15
      year-old female, who presented in pediatric outpatient department with a history
      of recurrent cough since infancy. On the basis of clinical examination,
      provisional diagnosis of asthma was considered and patient was started on inhaled
      corticosteroid and long-term beta2 agonist. Lung function of the patient revealed
      low forced expiratory volume-1 s but without bronchodilator reversibility.
      Therefore, alternative diagnosis was suspected, and the patient was further
      evaluated with X-ray chest and high resolution computed tomography thorax. Based
      on radiological findings, a final diagnosis of CCAM was established. The case was
      highly unusual due to its atypical and late age of presentation. Acquaintance
      about this condition benefit clinician in making differential diagnosis of
      recurrent cough.

PMID- 28904924
TI  - Rare Opportunistic Bread Mold Fungal Infection of Maxillary Sinus in a Diabetic
      Patient.
AB  - Mucormycosis is a rare potentially fatal opportunistic fungal infection that
      affects human beings. Normally, a healthy is immune to such infections but there
      are some risk factors which predispose a person to mucormycosis, of which
      malnutrition and diabetes mellitus are the most common risk factors. India is the
      most commonly affected country by mucormycosis because of high proportion people
      with low socioeconomic status and diabetes mellitus. In diabetes mellitus,
      mucormycosis is more aggressive and fatal due to an impaired host defense
      mechanism. In spite of being a rare and fatal fungal infection, early diagnosis
      and prompt multidisciplinary treatment comprising control of underlying
      predisposing factor, surgical management, and medical management can be helpful
      in such cases.

PMID- 28904925
TI  - A Rare Case of Transvesical Cesarean Section.
AB  - Cesarean section, also commonly known as C-section, is a surgical procedure in
      which incision is made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or
      more babies. According to urgency, they are classified either as elective or
      emergency. According to technique, they have been classified as classical, lower
      uterine segment and cesarean hysterectomy. Intentional transvesical cesarean
      though not a routinely practiced technique is used for delivery in women born
      with imperforate anus, ectopic intravaginal urethra, vaginal and urethral
      strictures, and bladder adherent completely over the uterus. Since such cases are
      very rare, we are reporting one such case of transvesical cesarean section.

PMID- 28904926
TI  - Toxic Brain Injury with Nitrobenzene Poisoning.
AB  - Acute methemoglobinemia secondary to nitrobenzene ingestion is a rare but well
      known clinical entity. It is extremely important to identify such patients as
      rapid and effective management with methylene blue and other supportive measures
      will often save these lives. We present a rare and unfortunate case of a girl who
      developed acute toxic brain injury following nitrobenzene ingestion and
      succumbed.

PMID- 28904927
TI  - Cervical Lymph Nodes: Harbinger of Benign Inclusions As Well As Metastatic
      Deposits of Thyroid Malignancy.
AB  - Lymph nodes can be harbinger to benign epithelial inclusions as well as
      metastatic deposits. Cervical lymph nodes are home to benign epithelial
      inclusions from thyroid better known as lateral aberrant thyroid as well as
      inclusions from salivary gland due to the unique embryologic origins of nodes
      with these organs. We present a case of a young female suspected of thyroid
      malignancy who was intraoperative diagnosed by frozen sections with papillary
      carcinoma of the thyroid along with bilateral cervical nodes (Level I-V) positive
      for reactive lymphadenopathy with Level II node being positive to benign salivary
      gland inclusions and Level VI node being positive to metastatic deposits of
      papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.

PMID- 28904928
TI  - Prenatal Sonographic Diagnosis of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.
AB  - Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) represents a variety of cardiac
      malformations that may result from errors in the early stages of cardiac
      development. HLHS includes a wide spectrum of cardiac malformations including
      hypoplasia of the left ventricle, ascending aorta, hypoplasia, or atresia of the
      aortic and mitral valves. Over the recent years, the improved resolution of
      advanced equipment with awareness and increased performance of second-trimester
      ultrasound examinations for the assessment of fetal anomalies have helped in
      understanding the spectrum and have expanded our knowledge of HLHS. They are one
      of the causes which constitute for neonatal morbidity and mortality and hence the
      rapid need for prenatal evaluation with ultrasound to detect cardiac anomalies.
      Prenatal recognition of disease also allows families to prepare for a child with
      a life-threatening defect by consultation with the multidisciplinary team that
      will care for their newborn and discussing the short- and long-term prognosis.

PMID- 28904929
TI  - Diagnosing Mucopolysaccharidosis type IV a by the fluorometric assay of N
      Acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA, also known as Morquio A or MPS IV A,
      is an autosomal recessive disease caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal
      enzyme N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS). The loss of GALNS
      activity leads to the impaired breakdown of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) keratan
      sulfate and chondroitin-6-sulfate. The accumulation of GAGs results in multiple
      organ damage. The accurate and early diagnosis of this disorder helps enhance the
      effectiveness of the treatment. The present study uses a pre-designed protocol
      for testing GALNS activity in the leukocytes of Iranian patients with MPS IV A
      and their parents and compares it with healthy controls. METHODS: Patients with
      MPS IVA previously diagnosed through the measurement of enzyme activity or
      genetic analysis entered the study. Leukocytes were obtained from the heparinized
      blood of the participants. The GALNS activity was measured by a fluorometric
      method using 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-galactoside-6-sulfate (4MU-G6S) as the
      substrate and proper buffer solutions and calibrators. RESULTS: The GALNS
      activity (nmol/17 h/mg protein) was reported as 0-7.4 in the MPSIV A patients, as
      19.85-93.7 in their parents and as 38.4-164 in the healthy controls.
      Statistically significant differences were observed between the three groups in
      terms of enzyme activity. There were no significant differences in enzyme
      activity by age. The female subjects in both the patient and parents groups
      showed lower enzyme activity compared to the male subjects. CONCLUSION: The
      fluorometric method was validated for the measurement of GALNS activity in
      leukocyte samples and identifying Iranian patients with MPS IV A.

PMID- 28904930
TI  - Comment on "Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Hemodialysis
      Patients in Isfahan, Iran".

PMID- 28904931
TI  - Isolation of Candida Species from Gastroesophageal Lesions among Pediatrics in
      Isfahan, Iran: Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Clinical
      Isolates by E-test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Candida species can become opportunistic pathogens causing local or
      systemic invasive infections. Gastroesophageal candidiasis may depend on the
      Candida colonization and local damage of the mucosal barrier. Risk factors are
      gastric acid suppression, diabetes mellitus, chronic debilitating states such as
      carcinomas, and the use of systemic antibiotics and corticosteroids. The aim of
      this study is collection and molecular identification of Candida species from
      gastroesophageal lesions among pediatrics in Isfahan, and determination of
      minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges for clinical isolates. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A total of 200 patients underwent endoscopy (130 specimens from
      gastritis and 70 samples from esophagitis) were included in this study between
      April 2015 and November 2015. All specimens were subcultured on sabouraud
      dextrose agar, and genomic DNA of all strains was extracted using boiling method.
      Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing of the ITS1-5.8SrDNA-ITS2 region
      were used for the identification of all Candida strains. MIC ranges were
      determined for itraconazole (ITC), amphotericin B (AmB), and fluconazole (FLU) by
      E-test. RESULTS: Twenty of 200 suspected patients (10%) were positive by direct
      microscopy and culture. Candida albicans was the most common species (60%)
      followed by Candida glabrata (30%), Candida parapsilosis (5%), and Candida kefyr
      (5%). MIC ranges were determined for FLU (0.125-8 MUg/mL), ITC (0.008-0.75
      MUg/mL), and AmB (0.008-0.75 MUg/mL), respectively. CONCLUSION: Every
      colonization of Candida species should be considered as a potentially factor of
      mucocutaneous candidiasis and should be treated with antifungal drugs.

PMID- 28904932
TI  - A Comparative Study on the Results of Estimating Children's Weights Based on Arm
      Circumference, Height, and Body Habitus against Estimated Weight Broselow on 2-24
      Months Children in Isfahan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resuscitation of children in different treatment wards is a
      challenge. Given that the pediatric drug dosing is based on weight and weighing
      is not practical in emergency situations, it is critical to employ a fast, easy,
      and reliable technique. Hence, this study attempted to evaluate the real weight
      children against Broselow estimation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional
      study involved 1500 children of 2-24 months referred to Isfahan urban and rural
      health centers in 2015. Children's estimated weights were measured based on the
      standard Broselow tape and real weights through a digital scale. The factors such
      as age, sex, height, arm circumference, head circumference, and living place of
      children were recorded. The collected data were analyzed through independent t
      test, ANOVA, and linear regression using SPSS (version 20). RESULTS: The weight
      difference of children through Broselow estimation was 0.019 kg, and the
      correlation coefficient was 0.893 (P > 0.05). The difference sorted by age ranges
      was significant only in >12 months (P < 0.05). It was estimated at error of 10%
      to be 68.9% correctly. The mean weight estimation error was significant sorted by
      weight, sex, habitus, and living place of children (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION:
      Although Broselow tape has been proved to be accurate it led to a significant
      error at different age ranges. Hence, the present study estimated the age, arm
      circumference, and height of Iranian children based on new formulas providing
      more successful tool through controlling the confounding factors in estimating
      the real weight.

PMID- 28904933
TI  - Electrospun Gelatin/poly(Glycerol Sebacate) Membrane with Controlled Release of
      Antibiotics for Wound Dressing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most important risk that threatens the skin wounds is infections.
      Therefore, fabrication of a membrane as a wound dressing with the ability of
      antibiotic delivery in a proper delivery rate is especially important. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) was prepared from sebacic acid and
      glycerol with 1:1 ratio; then, it was added to gelatin in the 1:3 ratio and was
      dissolved in 80% (v/v) acetic acid, and finally, ciprofloxacin was added in 10%
      (w/v) of polymer solution. The gelatin/PGS membrane was fabricated using an
      electrospinning method. The membrane was cross-linked using ethyl-3-(3
      dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiim (EDC)
      and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) in different time periods to achieve a proper drug
      release rate. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was being used to
      manifest the peaks of polymers and drug in the membrane. Scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the morphology, fibers diameter, pore size,
      and porosity before and after crosslinking process. Ultraviolet (UV)-visible
      spectrophotometry was used to show the ciprofloxacin release from the cross
      linked membrane. RESULTS: FTIR analysis showed the characteristic peaks of
      gelatin, PGS, and ciprofloxacin without any added peaks after the crosslinking
      process. SEM images revealed that nanofibers' size increased during the
      crosslinking process and porosity was higher than 80% before and after
      crosslinking process. UV-visible spectrophotometry showed the proper rate of
      ciprofloxacin release occurred from cross-linked membrane that remaining in
      EDC/NHS ethanol solution for 120 min. CONCLUSION: The obtained results suggest
      that this recently developed gelatin/PGS membrane with controlled release of
      ciprofloxacin could be a promising biodegradable membrane for wound dressing.

PMID- 28904934
TI  - Comparison of Complications of Arteriovenous Fistula with Permanent Catheter in
      Hemodialysis Patients: A Six-month Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF), permanent catheter (PC), and vascular
      graft are three vascular access types used for hemodialysis procedure. Due to
      insufficient reliable information on the comparison between AVF and PC, this
      study was conducted to compare AVF and PC regarding dialysis adequacy. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This prospective study was carried out from March, 2013 to
      September, 2013. In this study, 76 hemodialysis patients were enrolled and
      assigned to two unequal groups of AVF and PC. Before and after the dialysis
      session, blood samples were taken for laboratory examinations and measurement of
      urea reduction ratio (URR) and Kt/V. The patients were followed up for six
      months, and then laboratory examinations were repeated. RESULTS: Of the 76
      hemodialysis patients, 30 had AVF and others PC. During the 6-month follow-up, 24
      patients in PC group but only one patient in AVF group showed infection (P =
      0.006), while in each group, three cases of thrombosis were seen (P = 0.58);
      however, catheter dysfunction was seen in 13 patients of PC group but no patients
      of AVF group (P = 0.004). There was no difference between the two groups in Kt/V
      and URR at the beginning of the study; however, after six months, Kt/V and URR
      were greater in AVF group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to some advantages
      of AVF over PC, such as lower rate of infection and thrombosis, we also found
      better dialysis adequacy in AVF group. We recommend that AVF be created in all of
      patients with chronic kidney disease who are candidates for hemodialysis.

PMID- 28904935
TI  - Evaluation of Dietary Intakes, Body Composition, and Cardiometabolic Parameters
      in Adolescent Team Sports Elite Athletes: A Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nutritional intake is an important issue in adolescent athletes.
      Proper athletes' performance is a multifactorial outcome of good training, body
      composition, and nutritional status. The aim of the present study was to assess
      nutritional status, body composition, and cardiometabolic factors in adolescent
      elite athlete's province of Isfahan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross
      sectional study, 100 adolescent elite athletes from volleyball, basketball, and
      soccer teams were selected for the study. Demographic, anthropometric, and
      cardiometabolic parameters were assessed. Nutritional intakes of participants
      were recorded using three 24-h recall questioners. RESULTS: Thirty-four female
      athletes and 66 male athletes participated in this study. Body mass index had not
      significantly different between the sexes. Energy, protein, carbohydrate, iron,
      and fat intakes were significantly higher in male athletes (P = 0.02), but
      calcium and folic acid intakes were not significantly different between the
      sexes, and Vitamin D intake was significantly higher in females (P = 0.01).
      Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in males (P =
      0.04) and heart rate had not significantly different between the sexes (P =
      0.09). Heart murmurs and heart sounds in the majority of participants were
      normal. CONCLUSION: All the evaluated anthropometric and cardiometabolic
      parameters were in normal range in the majority of participants. The results
      showed that dietary intake in these athletes is approximately normal but
      micronutrients intake status in these athletes needs to be investigated further
      and longer.

PMID- 28904936
TI  - Evaluation of Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor, Soluble Urokinase
      Plasminogen Activator Receptor, and beta1 Integrin in Patients with Hodgkin's
      Lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to indicate the role of urokinase
      plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), soluble uPAR (suPAR), and beta1 integrin
      in tumor growth and invasion of lymph nodes from Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL)
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 25 lymph nodes from HL patients
      were analyzed for the expression of beta1 integrin and uPAR on mononuclear cells
      using two-color flow cytometry and immunohistochemical analysis. Moreover, the
      levels of suPAR in the serum samples of HL patients were measured and compared
      with 32 healthy controls. RESULTS: Flowcytometry and immunohistochemical results
      indicated no significant association of uPAR expression with tumor size,
      different stages, or different histological subtypes of HL; however, an increased
      expression of beta1 integrin was detected in the advanced stages of HL. Higher
      expression of beta1 integrin was detected in nodular sclerosis compared to
      lymphocyte predominant. No significant difference was observed between the serum
      levels of suPAR in patients with different stages of HL and healthy controls.
      Moreover, the levels of suPAR were significantly higher in nodular sclerosis in
      comparison with other subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the levels of
      suPAR and beta1 integrin varied between different histological subtypes of HL.
      Although uPAR may play only a minor role in the growth and metastasis of
      lymphoma, beta1 integrin may be important in predicting prognosis and metastasis
      in HL.

PMID- 28904937
TI  - Effect of Magnesium Supplement on Pregnancy Outcomes: A Randomized Control Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral required to regulate body
      temperature, nucleic acid, and protein synthesis with an important role in
      maintaining nerve and muscle cell electrical potentials. It may reduce fetal
      growth restriction and preeclampsia as well as increase birth weight. This study
      aimed to assess the effects of consuming Mg supplementation during pregnancy on
      pregnancy outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a randomized controlled trial
      with three sixty populated groups of pregnant women. Participants were randomized
      to treatment or control groups through random table numbers. Participants with Mg
      serum levels more than 1.9 mg/dl considered as control group A randomly. They
      just received one multimineral tablet once a day until the end of pregnancy
      participants with hypomagnesemia consider as Group B and C. Participants in Group
      B received one multimineral tablet daily until the end of pregnancy. Participants
      in Group C received 200 mg effervescent Mg tablet from Vitafit Company once daily
      for 1 month, and also they consumed one multimineral tablet from Alhavi Company,
      which contains 100 mg Mg, once a day until the end of pregnancy. Intrauterine
      growth retardation, preterm labor, maternal body mass index, neonatal weight,
      pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus,
      cramps of the leg Apgar score were compared between three groups. RESULTS: In all
      pregnancy outcomes, Group C that received effervescent Mg tablet plus
      multimineral showed a better result than other groups, and frequency of
      complications of pregnancy was fewer than the other two groups and showed a
      significant difference. CONCLUSION: Mg supplement during pregnancy likely
      decrease probability occurrence of many complications of pregnancy.

PMID- 28904938
TI  - The Effects of Pentoxifylline on Serum Levels of Interleukin 10 and Interferon
      Gamma and Memory Function in Lipopolysaccharide-induced Inflammation in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that pentoxifylline (PTX) in addition to
      protective effects on blood vessels probably has positive influence against the
      brain inflammation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects
      of PTX on serum levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma)
      and passive avoidance learning in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation
      in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inflammation was induced by intraperitoneal
      (i.p.) injection of LPS (0.5 and 5 mg/kg) in male Wistar rats. After a week, PTX
      (25 mg/kg; i.p.) was injected for 14 days. Passive avoidance learning test was
      used for evaluation of learning and memory. Serum levels of cytokines were
      measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The behavioral results
      did not show any significant effect of LPS and PTX on learning and memory. Both
      doses of LPS (0.5 and 5 mg/kg) decreased IL-10 significantly (P < 0.05). PTX
      prevented this reduction just in the LPS 0.5 mg/kg + PTX 25 mg/kg group. Serum
      level of IFN-gamma was increased only in the LPS 0.5 mg/kg + PTX 25 mg/kg group
      comparing to the LPS 0.5 mg/kg group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed
      that LPS-induced inflammation decreased the serum levels of IL-10. PTX could
      prevent these decreases only in mild inflammation. Both PTX and LPS-induced
      inflammation had no significant effects on learning and memory; therefore, their
      effects on CNS require further study.

PMID- 28904939
TI  - Lung Cancer Prevalence in Iran by Histologic Subtypes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevalence statistics are essential for cancer control in addition to
      incidence and mortality data. As we know, there is no published report regarding
      lung cancer (LC) prevalence in Iran. Herein, we provide model-based estimates of
      limited time LC prevalence in Iran, 2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Incidence
      numbers of LC were extracted from Iranian National Cancer Registry reports for
      2003-2009. Trends were analyzed by joinpoint regression, assuming a logarithmic
      poisson model. Incidence numbers were projected up to 2015, using linear
      regression models which were trained by corrected annual percentage changes. A
      Monte Carlo-based model was generated, and absolute survival rates, number of
      incident cases, and incompleteness of Iranian cancer registry for LC were
      included into it. Limited-time prevalence (within 1, 2-3, and 4-5 years from
      diagnosis) and its respective 95% uncertainty level (UL) were estimated by age,
      gender, and histopathological type. RESULTS: Five-year prevalence was estimated
      to be 4.21 (95% UL: 3.37-5.38) per 100,000 adult person, with a male:female ratio
      of 2.01. Estimated number of patients within 1, 2-3, and 4-5 years from diagnosis
      were 1871 (1497-2392), 993 (770-1285), and 420 (322-550), respectively. Most
      prevalent form of LC were squamous cell carcinoma (802; 579-999) and
      adenocarcinoma (319; 230-389) in males and females, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      According to our results, the most plausible estimates of number of alive LC
      patients within initial treatment, clinical follow-up, and cure phases were 2392,
      1285, and 550 cases in Iran in 2015.

PMID- 28904940
TI  - Association of Animal and Plant Proteins Intake with Hypertension in Iranian
      Adult Population: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is evidence regarding the relationship between dietary proteins
      intake and blood pressure (BP), but they had inconsistent results. Therefore,
      this study was designed to assess the association between different kinds of
      protein intake (animal and plant protein) and BP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data
      were collected from Isfahan Healthy Heart Program. We performed a cross-sectional
      study among 9660 randomly selected Iranian adults aged >=19-year-old that they
      were selected from three large Iranian regions in 2007. A simplified validated 48
      item-food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake including all
      kinds of protein. Systolic and diastolic BPs were measured in duplicate by
      trained personnel using a standard protocol. Multivariable regressions were
      applied to assess the relationship between protein intake and BP levels and the
      presence of hypertension (HTN). RESULTS: More frequent consumption of animal,
      plant, and total protein intake were inversely associated with BP in a crude
      model (P < 0.001); however, after adjustment for potential confounders this
      relationship remained only for plant protein (P = 0.04). The risk of HTN
      occurrence decreased in the highest quintile of total and plant protein
      consumption by 19% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.81; confidence interval [CI]: [0.65
      0.96]; P for trend = 0.004) and 18% (OR = 0.82; [CI: (0.67-0.94]; P for trend =
      0.03), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: More frequent protein intake, especially plant
      protein consumption was inversely associated with BP and risk of HTN among
      Iranian adults.

PMID- 28904941
TI  - Is there any Relationship Between Bladder Trabeculation and Efficacy and Safety
      of Intravesical Botulinum Toxin A Injection in Refractory Idiopathic Overactive
      Bladder Women?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intradetrusor injection of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) might serve as a
      minimally invasive substitute in patients with refractory idiopathic overactive
      bladder (RIOAB). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes
      related to two different doses of abo-BTX-A (AboBTX-A) in patients with RIOAB.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective clinical trial was performed on 55 women
      with RIOAB. After determination of trabeculation grade, 300 (no or mild) or 500
      (moderate or severe) unit of AboBTX-A (Dysport) was intravesicaly injected.
      Before 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention, lower urinary tract symptoms during
      24 h were recorded. RESULTS: Of the study population, 62% had severe bladder
      trabeculation. The mean duration of overactive bladder (OAB) was 1.76 versus 5.85
      years, for no or mild versus severe trabeculation, respectively. After injections
      of 300- and 500-unit dosage, there were 19% and 26% early complications such as
      urinary retention. There was a statistically significant difference between the
      two groups in OAB score after 1 month (P < 0.001) and duration of OAB symptoms,
      over three follow-up times (P < 0.001). The mean preinjection OAB scores between
      patients with and without recurrence were statistically significant (29.36 vs.
      25.07; P < 0.03). Urinary tract infection as a late complication was
      distinguished in four patients. CONCLUSION: In RIOAB, by adjusted dosage of
      AboBTX-A related to the grade of bladder trabeculation, in addition to maintain
      efficacy, consequent complications might not be affected by dosage and the drug
      dosage could be increased to nearly 60% with less concern associated to
      complication.

PMID- 28904942
TI  - A Simple but Accurate Method for Evaluating Drug-Resistance in Infectious HCVcc
      System.
AB  - Use of direct-acting antivirals sometimes causes viral drug resistance, resulting
      in inefficiency in treated patients in real-world practice. Therefore, how to
      rapidly and accurately evaluate drug resistance is an urgent problem to be solved
      for rational use and development of antivirals in the future. Here, we aim to
      develop a new method by which we can evaluate easily but effectively whether a
      drug will still be efficient in the future treatment in infectious hepatitis C
      virus cell culture system. HCV-infected Huh7.5 cells were treated with drugs and
      the culture supernatants were replaced with fresh culture media containing the
      same drugs at 24 hours. The supernatants were harvested at 48 hours and incubated
      with naive Huh7.5 cells. Intracellular HCV RNAs or proteins in the newly infected
      cells were extracted and analyzed at 48 hours or longer. Results showed that
      after being treated with telaprevir mutant viruses were easily detected which
      were resistant to telaprevir, while after being treated with sofosbuvir drug
      resistant viruses did not emerge. In conclusion, the new method is simple and
      quick but accurate to evaluate whether a drug will be still efficient in the
      forthcoming therapeutic regimen and whether drug resistance will occur after long
      term treatment with drugs.

PMID- 28904943
TI  - Exercise for Health and Disease: Time to Move Ahead.

PMID- 28904944
TI  - Antibacterial and Antibiotic-Modifying Activity of Methanol Extracts from Six
      Cameroonian Food Plants against Multidrug-Resistant Enteric Bacteria.
AB  - The present work was designed to investigate the antibacterial activities of
      methanol extracts from six Cameroonian edible plants and their synergistic
      effects with some commonly used antibiotics against multidrug-resistant (MDR)
      Gram-negative bacteria expressing active efflux pumps. The extracts were
      subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening and the microdilution broth
      method was used for antibacterial assays. The results of phytochemical tests
      indicate that all tested crude extracts contained polyphenols, flavonoids,
      triterpenes, and steroids. Extracts displayed selective antibacterial activities
      with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 32 to 1024
      MUg/mL. The lowest MIC value (32 MUg/mL) was recorded with Coula edulis extract
      against E. coli AG102 and K. pneumoniae K2 and with Mangifera indica bark extract
      against P. aeruginosa PA01 and Citrus sinensis extract against E. coli W3110
      which also displayed the best MBC (256 MUg/mL) value against E. coli ATCC8739. In
      combination with antibiotics, extracts from M. indica leaves showed synergistic
      effects with 75% (6/8) of the tested antibiotics against more than 80% of the
      tested bacteria. The findings of the present work indicate that the tested plants
      may be used alone or in combination in the treatment of bacterial infections
      including the multidrug-resistant bacteria.

PMID- 28904945
TI  - Effectiveness of the Thermal Treatments Used for Curd Stretching in the
      Inactivation of Shiga Toxin-Producing O157 and O26 Escherichia coli.
AB  - The kneading treatment of the fresh curd in hot water is a critical control point
      in the manufacturing of mozzarella. Factors such as the ratio between hot water
      and curd mass, the rheological properties, and the mixing and kneading activity
      affect the processing time and the internal temperature of the curd. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the effect of thermal treatments on the fate of
      Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Nine curd samples (weight 160-270
      g) were artificially contaminated with O157 or O26 STEC and stretched in hot
      water (90-95 degrees C) for 5-10 min. Depending on the heating process and
      spinning, different nonisothermal profiles were recorded. Observed reductions of
      O157 and O26 STEC varied between 1.01 and more than 5.38 log?MPN (Most Probable
      Number)/g at the end of the temperature treatments. Further, nonisothermal log
      linear tail models were developed to compare observed reductions for O157 and O26
      VTEC under variable temperature conditions. Results obtained showed that the
      comparison of predictions provided by the dynamic model with observations
      described well the linear inactivation pattern since nonsignificant differences
      were denoted at all profiles tested. The dynamic model developed can be useful to
      evaluate the effectiveness of the thermal treatments used in the manufacturing of
      mozzarella in the inactivation of STEC.

PMID- 28904946
TI  - High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, Blood Urea Nitrogen, and Serum Creatinine
      Can Predict Severe Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Early prediction of disease severity of acute pancreatitis
      (AP) would be helpful for triaging patients to the appropriate level of care and
      intervention. The aim of the study was to develop a model able to predict Severe
      Acute Pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS: A total of 647 patients with AP were enrolled.
      The demographic data, hematocrit, High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C)
      determinant at time of admission, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine
      (Scr) determinant at time of admission and 24 hrs after hospitalization were
      collected and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression
      indicated that HDL-C at admission and BUN and Scr at 24 hours (hrs) were
      independently associated with SAP. A logistic regression function (LR model) was
      developed to predict SAP as follows: -2.25-0.06 HDL-C (mg/dl) at admission + 0.06
      BUN (mg/dl) at 24 hours + 0.66 Scr (mg/dl) at 24 hours. The optimism-corrected c
      index for LR model was 0.832 after bootstrap validation. The area under the
      receiver operating characteristic curve for LR model for the prediction of SAP
      was 0.84. CONCLUSIONS: The LR model consists of HDL-C at admission and BUN and
      Scr at 24 hours, representing an additional tool to stratify patients at risk of
      SAP.

PMID- 28904947
TI  - Sodium Hypochlorite Irrigation and Its Effect on Bond Strength to Dentin.
AB  - Effective shaping and cleaning of root canals are essential for the success of
      endodontic treatment. Due to the complex anatomy of root canal spaces, the use of
      various instrumentation techniques alone is not effective in producing bacteria
      free root canal spaces. Irrigation, disinfectants, rinses, and intervisit
      medications are used in conjunction with the mechanical instrumentation to ensure
      the success of endodontic treatment. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), a halogenated
      compound, is routinely used to irrigate the root canal during endodontic
      treatments. NaOCl has been known for its antibacterial action, proteolytic and
      dissolution capacity, and debridement properties. NaOCl, however, can alter the
      composition of dentin and hence its interaction with the adhesive resins used to
      bond the restorative materials to treated dentin. This review therefore covers in
      depth the action of NaOCl on dentin-adhesive resin bond strength including both
      enhancement and reduction, then mechanisms proposed for such action, and finally
      how the adverse action of NaOCl on dentin can be reversed.

PMID- 28904949
TI  - Bioengineering Materials in Dental Application.

PMID- 28904948
TI  - Recent Progress in Deciphering the Etiopathogenesis of Primary Membranous
      Nephropathy.
AB  - Primary membranous nephropathy (MN) is the leading cause of nephrotic syndrome in
      adults. Discovery of several antibodies has contributed to an increased
      understanding of MN. Antibodies against the M-type phospholipase A2 receptor
      (PLA2R) are present in 50-100% with primary MN and are associated with a lower
      frequency of spontaneous remission. High levels are linked with a higher
      probability of treatment resistance, higher proteinuria, and impaired renal
      function, as well as a more rapid decline of kidney function during follow-up.
      Immunologic remission precedes reduction of proteinuria by months. Pretransplant
      evaluation of PLA2R antibodies is warranted to predict recurrence of disease
      following renal transplantation. Several risk alleles related to the PLA2R1 gene
      and within the HLA loci have been identified, whereas epitope spreading of PLA2R
      may predict treatment response. More recently, thrombospondin type 1 domain
      containing 7A (THSD7A) antibodies have been discovered in primary MN. Several
      other rare antigens have been described, including antibodies against neutral
      endopeptidase as a cause of antenatal MN and circulating cationic bovine serum
      albumin as an antigen with implications in childhood MN. This review focuses on
      the progress with a special focus on diagnostic accuracy, predictive value, and
      treatment implications of the established and proposed antigens.

PMID- 28904950
TI  - Quantitative Changes in Cerebral Perfusion during Urinary Urgency in Women with
      Overactive Bladder.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantitatively measure changes in cerebral perfusion in select
      regions of interest in the brain during urinary urgency in women with overactive
      bladder (OAB) using arterial spin labeling (ASL). METHODS: Twelve women with OAB
      and 10 controls underwent bladder filling and rated urinary urgency (scale 0-10).
      ASL fMRI scans were performed (1) in the low urgency state after voiding and (2)
      high urgency state after drinking oral fluids. Absolute regional cerebral blood
      flow (rCBF) in select regions of interest was compared between the low and high
      urgency states. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in rCBF between
      the low and high urgency states in the control group. In the OAB group, rCBF
      (mean +/- SE, ml/100 g/min) increased by 10-14% from the low to the high urgency
      state in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (44.56 +/- 0.59 versus 49.52
      +/- 1.49, p < 0.05), left ACC (49.29 +/- 0.85 versus 54.02 +/- 1.46, p < 0.05),
      and left insula (50.46 +/- 1.72 versus 54.99 +/- 1.09, p < 0.05). Whole-brain
      analysis identified additional areas of activation in the right insula, right
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and pons/midbrain area. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary
      urgency is associated with quantitative increase in cerebral perfusion in regions
      of the brain associated with processing emotional response to discomfort.

PMID- 28904952
TI  - Internal Impingement of the Shoulder: A Risk of False Positive Test Outcomes in
      External Impingement Tests?
AB  - BACKGROUND: External impingement tests are considered as being particularly
      reliable for identifying subacromial and coracoid shoulder impingement
      mechanisms. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate if these tests are
      likely to provoke an internal shoulder impingement mechanism which, in cases of a
      pathologic condition, can lead to a positive test result. METHOD: In 37 subjects,
      the mechanical contact between the glenoid rim and the rotator cuff (RC) was
      measured quantitatively and qualitatively in external impingement test positions
      using an open MRI system. RESULTS: Mechanical contact of the supraspinatus with
      the posterosuperior glenoid was present in 30 subjects in the Neer test. In the
      Hawkins test, the subscapularis was in contact with the anterosuperior glenoid in
      33 subjects and the supraspinatus in 18. In the horizontal impingement test,
      anterosuperior contact of the supraspinatus with the glenoid was identified in 35
      subjects. CONCLUSION: The Neer, Hawkins, and horizontal impingement tests are
      likely to provoke the mechanism of an internal shoulder impingement. A
      posterosuperior internal impingement mechanism is being provoked predominately in
      the Neer test. The Hawkins test narrows the distance between the insertions of
      the subscapularis and supraspinatus and the anterosuperior labrum, which leads to
      an anterosuperior impingement mechanism.

PMID- 28904951
TI  - Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Epidermal Growth Factor: Revisiting the Local Delivery
      Route for a Successful Outcome.
AB  - Soon after epidermal growth factor (EGF) discovery, some in vivo models appeared
      demonstrating its property to enhance cutaneous wound healing. EGF was the first
      growth factor (GF) introduced in the clinical arena as a healing enhancer,
      exerting its mitogenic effects on epithelial, fibroblastoid, and endothelial
      cells via a tyrosine kinase membrane receptor. Compelling evidences from the 90s
      documented that, for EGF, locally prolonged bioavailability and hourly
      interaction with the receptor were necessary for a successful tissue response.
      Eventually, the enthusiasm on the clinical use of EGF to steer the healing
      process was wiped out as the topical route to deliver proteins started to be
      questioned. The simultaneous in vivo experiments, emphasizing the impact of the
      parenterally administered EGF on epithelial and nonepithelial organs in terms of
      mitogenesis and cytoprotection, rendered the theoretical fundamentals for the
      injectable use of EGF and shaped the hypothesis that locally infiltrating the
      diabetic ulcers would lead to an effective healing. Although the diabetic chronic
      wounds microenvironment is hostile for local GFs bioavailability, EGF local
      infiltration circumvented the limitations of its topical application, thus
      expanding its therapeutic prospect. Our clinical pharmacovigilance and basic
      studies attest the significance of the GF local infiltration for chronic wounds
      healing.

PMID- 28904953
TI  - Nonpaternity and Half-Siblingships as Objective Measures of Extramarital Sex:
      Mathematical Modeling and Simulations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the epidemiology of HIV and other sexually transmitted
      infections (STIs) requires knowledge of sexual behavior, but self-reported
      behavior has limitations. We explored the reliability and validity of
      nonpaternity and half-siblings ratios as biomarkers of current and past
      extramarital sex. METHODS: An individual-based Monte Carlo simulation model was
      constructed to describe partnering and conception in human populations with a
      focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The model was parameterized with
      representative biological, behavioral, and demographic data. RESULTS:
      Nonpaternity and half-siblings ratios were strongly correlated with extramarital
      sex, with Pearson correlation coefficients (PCC) of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71-0.86) and
      0.77 (0.68-0.84), respectively. Age-specific nonpaternity ratios correlated with
      past extramarital sex at time of conception for different scenarios: for example,
      PCC, after smoothing by moving averages, was 0.75 (0.52-0.89) in a scenario of
      steadily decreasing nonmarital sex and 0.39 (0.01-0.73) in a scenario of
      transient drops in nonmarital sex. Simulations assuming self-reported levels of
      extramarital sex from Kenya yielded nonpaternity levels lower than global
      nonpaternity data, suggesting sizable underreporting of extramarital sex.
      CONCLUSIONS: Nonpaternity and half-siblings ratios are useful objective measures
      of extramarital sex that avoid limitations in self-reported sexual behavior.

PMID- 28904954
TI  - Duodenum-Preserving Resection of the Pancreatic Head versus
      Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis with Enlargement of
      the Pancreatic Head: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - The results of this meta-analysis show that DPPHR should be established as first
      line treatment because of lower level of severe early postoperative
      complications, maintenance of endocrine pancreatic functions, shortening of
      postoperative hospitalization time, and increase of quality of life compared to
      pancreaticoduodenectomy.

PMID- 28904955
TI  - Dental Hygiene and Orthodontics: Effect of Ultrasonic Instrumentation on Bonding
      Efficacy of Different Lingual Orthodontic Brackets.
AB  - Dental hygienists are often faced with patients wearing lingual orthodontic
      therapy, as ultrasonic instrumentation (UI) is crucial for oral health. As the
      application of external forces can lead to premature bonding failure, the aim of
      this study was to evaluate the effect of UI on shear bond strength (SBS) and on
      adhesive remnant index (ARI) of different lingual orthodontic brackets. 200
      bovine incisors were divided into 10 groups. Four different lingual (STB, Ormco;
      TTR, Rocky Mountain Orthodontics; Idea, Leone; 2D, Forestadent) and vestibular
      control (Victory, 3M) brackets were bonded. UI was performed in half of
      specimens, whereas the other half did not receive any treatment. All groups were
      tested with a universal testing machine. SBS and ARI values were recorded.
      Statistical analysis was performed (significance: P = 0.05). TTR, Idea, and 2D
      lingual brackets significantly lowered SBS after UI, whereas for other braces no
      effect was recorded. Appliances with lower mesh area significantly reduced their
      adhesion capacity after UI. Moreover groups subjected to UI showed higher ARI
      scores than controls. UI lowered SBS of lingual appliances of small dimensions so
      particular care should be posed avoiding prolonged instrumentation around bracket
      base during plaque removal. Moreover, UI influenced also ARI scores.

PMID- 28904956
TI  - Application of the Subtractive Genomics and Molecular Docking Analysis for the
      Identification of Novel Putative Drug Targets against Salmonella enterica subsp.
      enterica serovar Poona.
AB  - The emergence of novel pathogenic strains with increased antibacterial resistance
      patterns poses a significant threat to the management of infectious diseases. In
      this study, we aimed at utilizing the subtractive genomic approach to identify
      novel drug targets against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Poona
      strain ATCC BAA-1673. We employed in silico bioinformatics tools to subtract the
      strain-specific paralogous and host-specific homologous sequences from the
      bacterial proteome. The sorted proteome was further refined to identify the
      essential genes in the pathogenic bacterium using the database of essential genes
      (DEG). We carried out metabolic pathway and subcellular location analysis of the
      essential proteins of the pathogen to elucidate the involvement of these proteins
      in important cellular processes. We found 52 unique essential proteins in the
      target proteome that could be utilized as novel targets to design newer drugs.
      Further, we investigated these proteins in the DrugBank databases and 11 of the
      unique essential proteins showed druggability according to the FDA approved drug
      bank databases with diverse broad-spectrum property. Molecular docking analyses
      of the novel druggable targets with the drugs were carried out by AutoDock Vina
      option based on scoring functions. The results showed promising candidates for
      novel drugs against Salmonella infections.

PMID- 28904958
TI  - Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Genes Mediating Salt Tolerance through
      Calcineurin/CchA-Independent Signaling in Aspergillus nidulans.
AB  - Adaptation to changes in the environment is crucial for the viability of all
      organisms. Although the importance of calcineurin in the stress response has been
      highlighted in filamentous fungi, little is known about the involvement of ion
      responsive genes and pathways in conferring salt tolerance without calcium
      signaling. In this study, high-throughput RNA-seq was used to investigate salt
      stress-induced genes in the parent, DeltacnaB, and DeltacnaBDeltacchA strains of
      Aspergillus nidulans, which differ greatly in salt adaption. In total, 2,884
      differentially expressed genes including 1,382 up- and 1,502 downregulated genes
      were identified. Secondary transporters, which were upregulated to a greater
      extent in DeltacnaBDeltacchA than in the parent or DeltacnaB strains, are likely
      to play important roles in response to salt stress. Furthermore, 36 genes were
      exclusively upregulated in the DeltacnaBDeltacchA under salt stress. Functional
      analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed that genes involved in
      transport, heat shock protein binding, and cell division processes were
      exclusively activated in DeltacnaBDeltacchA. Overall, our findings reveal that
      secondary transporters and stress-responsive genes may play crucial roles in salt
      tolerance to bypass the requirement for the CchA-calcineurin pathway,
      contributing to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that influence fungal
      salt stress adaption in Aspergillus.

PMID- 28904957
TI  - Echocardiographic Techniques of Deformation Imaging in the Evaluation of Maternal
      Cardiovascular System in Patients with Complicated Pregnancies.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the leading cause of maternal mortality
      and morbidity. Knowledge of CVD in women is constantly evolving and data are
      emerging that female-specific risk factors as complications of pregnancy are
      conditions associated with an increased risk for the long-term development of
      CVD. Echocardiography is a safe and effective imaging technique indicated in
      symptomatic or asymptomatic pregnant women with congenital heart diseases who
      require close monitoring of cardiac function. Deformation imaging is an
      echocardiographic technique used to assess myocardial function by measuring the
      actual deformation of the myocardium through the cardiac cycle. Speckle-tracking
      echocardiography (STE) is a two-dimensional (2D) technique which has been found
      to be more accurate than tissue Doppler to assess both left ventricular (LV) and
      right ventricular (RV) myocardial function. The use of 2D STE however might
      present some technical issues due to the tomographic nature of the technique and
      the motion in the three-dimensional space of the myocardial speckles. This has
      promoted the use of 3D STE to track the motion of the speckles in the 3D space.
      This review will focus on the clinical value of the new echocardiographic
      techniques of deformation imaging used to assess the maternal cardiovascular
      system in complicated pregnancies.

PMID- 28904959
TI  - A Novel Genetic Group of Bovine Hepacivirus in Archival Serum Samples from
      Brazilian Cattle.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) (genus Hepacivirus; family Flaviviridae) is a major human
      pathogen causing persistent infection and hepatic injury. Recently, emerging HCV
      like viruses were described infecting wild animals, such as bats and rodents, and
      domestic animals, including dogs, horses, and cattle. Using degenerate primers
      for detecting bovine pestiviruses in a 1996 survey three bovine serum samples
      showed a low identity with the genus Pestivirus of the Flaviviridae family. A
      virus could not be isolated in cell culture. The description of bovine
      hepaciviruses (BovHepV) in 2015 allowed us to retrospectively identify the
      sequences as BovHepV, with a 88.9% nucleotide identity. In a reconstructed
      phylogenetic tree, the Brazilian BovHepV samples grouped within the bovine HCV
      like cluster in a separated terminal node that was more closely related to the
      putative bovine Hepacivirus common ancestor than to bovine hepaciviruses detected
      in Europe and Africa.

PMID- 28904961
TI  - Analysis of Epidemiology and Risk Factors of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean Children
      and Adolescents from the 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease,
      but only few studies involved samples of children and adolescents that are
      representative of the entire Korean population. This study aimed to estimate the
      prevalence and risk factors of AD among children and adolescents in Korea by
      using nationally representative data. METHODS: We used data from the fifth Korean
      National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2010 and retrospectively
      evaluated 2,116 children and adolescents. Logistic regression analysis was
      performed to determine the relationship between AD and other variables, including
      IgE levels. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of AD in children and adolescents was
      15.0%. In the multivariate analysis of ages from 1 to 18 years, age (adjusted
      odds ratio [aOR], 0.96; p < 0.01) was related to AD. From age of 12 to 18 years,
      smoking (aOR, 8.99; p < 0.01) and elevated total IgE serum level (aOR, 5.31; p <
      0.01) were related to AD. CONCLUSION: Age, smoking, and elevated total IgE level
      were related to AD in the children and adolescents. Thus, an antismoking policy
      and public education are necessary for reducing the prevalence of allergic
      diseases. In addition, measurement of total IgE level and age may be helpful in
      the diagnosis of AD.

PMID- 28904960
TI  - Mystery of Retinal Vein Occlusion: Vasoactivity of the Vein and Possible
      Involvement of Endothelin-1.
AB  - Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a common vascular disease of retina; however, the
      pathomechanism leading to RVO is not yet clear. In general, increasing age,
      hypertension, arteriosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular
      disorder, and cerebral stroke are systemic risk factors of RVO. However, RVO
      often occur in the unilateral eye and sometimes develop in young subjects who
      have no arteriosclerosis. In addition, RVO show different variations on the
      degrees of severity; some RVO are resolved without any treatment and others
      develop vision-threatening complications such as macular edema, combined retinal
      artery occlusion, vitreous hemorrhage, and glaucoma. Clinical conditions leading
      to RVO are still open to question. In this review, we discuss how to treat RVO in
      practice by presenting some RVO cases. We also deliver possible pathomechanisms
      of RVO through our clinical experience and animal experiments.

PMID- 28904962
TI  - Self-Rated Health as a Predictor of Death after Two Years: The Importance of
      Physical and Mental Wellbeing Postintensive Care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study is, among half-year intensive care
      survivors, to determine whether self-assessment of health can predict two-year
      mortality. METHODS: The study is a prospective cohort study based on the
      Procalcitonin and Survival Study trial. Half-year survivors from this 1200
      patient multicenter intensive care trial were sent the SF-36 questionnaire. We
      used both a simple one-item question and multiple questions summarized as a
      Physical Component Summary (PCS) and a Mental Component Summary (MCS) score. The
      responders were followed for vital status 730 days after inclusion. Answers were
      dichotomized into a low-risk and a high-risk group and hazard ratios (HR) with
      95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated by Cox proportional hazard analyses.
      CONCLUSION: We found that self-rated health measured by a single question was a
      strong independent predictor of two-year all-cause mortality (HR: 1.8; 95% CI:
      1.1-3.0). The multi-item component scores of the SF-36 also predicted two-year
      mortality (PCS: HR: 2.9; 95% CI 1.7-5.0) (MCS: HR: 1.9; 95% CI 1.1-3.4). These
      results suggest that self-rated health questions could help in identifying
      patients at excess risk. Randomized controlled trials are needed to test whether
      our findings represent causality.

PMID- 28904963
TI  - Predictors of Good Long-Term Renal Outcomes in Lupus Nephritis: Results from a
      Single Lupus Cohort.
AB  - This study aims to elucidate the predictive capabilities of proteinuria, serum
      creatinine (Cr), and urine RBCs (uRBCs) with respect to long-term renal outcomes
      in lupus nephritis (LN) in patients followed in clinic. Methods. A retrospective
      analysis was performed on patients with LN. We evaluated the ability of
      proteinuria, serum Cr, and uRBCs at 12 months to predict good long-term renal
      outcomes defined as serum Cr <= 100 mmol/L and kidney transplant/dialysis-free at
      the 7th year. Receiver operator characteristic curves were generated for
      proteinuria, serum Cr, and uRBCs to study their ability to predict good long-term
      outcomes and to identify their best cut-off. Descriptive statistics studied the
      pattern of change of proteinuria and serum Cr. Results. Proteinuria of 0.6 g/d
      and Cr of 83 mmol/L performed independently moderately well in predicting good
      long-term renal outcomes while uRBC was less accurate. Combining serum Cr to
      proteinuria gave a small increase in positive predictive value with a trade-off
      in sensitivity. Proteinuria changed within the first year whereas serum Cr
      changed until the 7th year. Conclusions. Both proteinuria and Cr predict good
      long-term renal outcomes in LN. Proteinuria's ability to change faster at 12
      months makes it a favorable endpoint for clinical trials and research studies.

PMID- 28904964
TI  - Plague: A Millenary Infectious Disease Reemerging in the XXI Century.
AB  - Plague, in the Middle Ages known as Black Death, continues to occur at permanent
      foci in many countries, in Africa, Asia, South America, and even the USA. During
      the last years outbreaks were reported from at least 3 geographical areas, in all
      cases after tens of years without reported cases. The recent human plague
      outbreaks in Libya and Algeria suggest that climatic and other environmental
      changes in Northern Africa may be favourable for Y. pestis epidemiologic cycle.
      If so, other Northern Africa countries with plague foci also may be at risk for
      outbreaks in the near future. It is important to remember that the danger of
      plague reoccurrence is not limited to the known natural foci, for example, those
      of Algeria, Angola, and Madagascar. In a general context, it is important that
      governments know the dangerous impact that this disease may have and that the
      health and medical community be familiar with the epidemiology, symptoms,
      treatment, and control of plague, so an appropriated and timely response can be
      delivered should the worst case happen. Plague can be used as a potential agent
      of bioterrorism. We have concluded that plague is without a doubt a reemerging
      infectious disease.

PMID- 28904965
TI  - Prevalence of Smear-Positive Tuberculosis among Patients Who Visited Saint Paul's
      Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a health problem in both developed
      and developing countries, including Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the
      prevalence of smear-positive tuberculosis among presumptive TB cases who visited
      the hospital was assessed. METHOD: Acid fast bacilli (AFB) test was performed on
      samples collected from 200 presumptive TB cases. Data were analyzed using
      appropriate statistical tools. RESULT: Among 200 presumptive TB cases, 10% (20
      individuals) (60% were male and 40% were female) were found to be positive for
      the AFB. Of these AFB positive subjects, 11.2% and 6.3% were from urban and rural
      areas, respectively. Among 20 AFB positive cases, 45% (9), 45% (9), and 10% (2)
      were HIV positive, HIV negative, and with HIV status unknown, respectively. The
      highest AFB positive cases were found within age group between 25 and 44 years
      (70%) and followed by age above 40 years (30%). It was found out that 75% (15),
      15% (3), 5% (1), and 5% (1) were unemployed, government employed, student, and
      nongovernment employed, accordingly. CONCLUSION: This study indicated higher
      level of AFB positive cases within age groups of 25-44 and 65-74 years and also
      exhibited higher prevalence of TB cases from urban areas.

PMID- 28904967
TI  - Foot Structure in Boys with Down Syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Down syndrome (DS) is associated with numerous
      developmental abnormalities, some of which cause dysfunctions of the posture and
      the locomotor system. The analysis of selected features of the foot structure in
      boys with DS versus their peers without developmental disorders is done.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The podoscopic examination was performed on 30 boys with
      DS aged 14-15 years. A control group consisted of 30 age- and gender-matched
      peers without DS. RESULTS: The feet of boys with DS are flatter compared to their
      healthy peers. The hallux valgus angle is not the most important feature
      differentiating the shape of the foot in the boys with DS and their healthy
      peers. In terms of the V toe setting, healthy boys had poorer results.
      CONCLUSIONS: Specialized therapeutic treatment in individuals with DS should
      involve exercises to increase the muscle strength around the foot joints,
      enhancing the stabilization in the joints and proprioception. Introducing
      orthotics and proper footwear is also important. It is also necessary to monitor
      the state of the foot in order to modify undertaken therapies.

PMID- 28904966
TI  - The Effect of Oral Dexmedetomidine Premedication on Preoperative Cooperation and
      Emergence Delirium in Children Undergoing Dental Procedures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to detect the effect of 1 MUg/kg of oral
      dexmedetomidine (DEX) as premedication among children undergoing dental
      procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 100 children between 2 and
      6 years of age, ASA I, who underwent full-mouth dental rehabilitation. The DEX
      group (n = 50) received 1 MUg/kg DEX in apple juice, and the control group (n =
      50) received only apple juice. The patients' scores on the Ramsay Sedation Scale
      (RSS), parental separation anxiety scale, mask acceptance scale, and pediatric
      anesthesia emergence delirium scale (PAEDS) and hemodynamic parameters were
      recorded. The data were analyzed using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test,
      Student's t-test, and analysis of variance in SPSS. RESULTS: RSS scores were
      significantly higher in the DEX group than group C at 15, 30, and 45 min (p <
      0.05). More children (68% easy separation, 74% satisfactory mask acceptance) in
      the DEX group showed satisfactory ease of parental separation and mask acceptance
      behavior (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the PAEDS scores and
      mean hemodynamic parameters of both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Oral DEX administered at
      1 MUg/kg provided satisfactory sedation levels, ease of parental separation, and
      mask acceptance in children but was not effective in preventing emergence
      delirium. The trial was registered (Protocol Registration Receipt NCT03174678) at
      clinicaltrials.gov.

PMID- 28904968
TI  - The Prevalence of Ocular Allergy and Comorbidities in Chinese School Children in
      Shanghai.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and features of ocular allergy (OA) and
      comorbidities among school children in Shanghai, China. METHODS: This was a
      population-based cross-sectional study. Each participant completed an ISAAC-based
      questionnaire. The prevalence of OA symptoms, allergic rhinitis (AR) asthma,
      atopic dermatitis (AD), and sensitization to mites, pollen, and food was
      analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 724 and 942 completed questionnaires from the 7-9
      year-old (young group) and the 12-14-year-old (teen group) groups were analyzed,
      respectively. The overall prevalence of OA symptoms was 28%. However, more young
      students (10.6%) reported mild to severe daily life interference caused by OA
      than the teens (5.7%). The young group had higher prevalence of diagnosed
      allergic conjunctivitis (10.2%). The overall prevalence of AR symptom, diagnosed
      asthma, and diagnosed AD was 40.4%, 11.6%, and 16.7%, respectively. Young
      children had higher prevalence of diagnosed AR and AD than the teens. There were
      gender associated differences in the prevalence of AR and asthma among young
      children, but not among the teens. The comorbidities associated with OA was also
      analyzed. Sensitization to mites, food, and pollen was associated with higher
      prevalence of allergic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: OA together with other allergic
      conditions affected a significant number of children in Shanghai.

PMID- 28904969
TI  - Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of Centenarians in Mexico City.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little evidence about the demography and health status of
      adults aged 100 years and over in Latin America and there are no studies in
      Mexico. OBJECTIVES: To describe the demographic characteristics and health status
      of centenarians residing in Mexico City. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study
      using a population base of 393 community-dwelling centenarians in Mexico City. A
      comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed, including demographic
      information and health status. RESULTS: The mean age of centenarians was 101.82
      +/- 2.02 years, of whom 44 (9.1%) were semisupercentenarians (105-109 years old)
      and 5 (0.2%) were supercentenarians (>=110 years old). The female/male ratio was
      3.2 : 1. Twelve (4.5%) reside in nursing homes. Women versus men have unfavorable
      conditions given their criteria: being without a partner, dependence in 1 or more
      basic activities, dependence in 1 or more instrumental activities, hypertension,
      cancer, and Parkinson's disease. Nevertheless, as compared to other populations,
      Mexican centenarians report having good self-perception of health (78.9%),
      polypharmacy (17.8%), low rate of pain (11.4%), diabetes (4.8%), and dyslipidemia
      (1.8%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in Latin America that describes the
      social and clinical characteristics of centenarians in Mexico City. This
      population has a high percentage of malnutrition and osteoarthrosis, a high self
      perception of health, low frequency of diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular
      disease, and a high frequency of "escapers" (24%).

PMID- 28904970
TI  - Responders to Platelet-Rich Plasma in Osteoarthritis: A Technical Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the similarities and differences between the variety of
      platelet-rich plasma (PRP) formulations, preparation, and uses to try to
      determine the best responses for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A comparison of the outcomes of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      included in the 3 most recent and high-quality meta-analyses to classify the
      different studies in 2 groups (bad responders group (BRG) and very good
      responders group (VGRG)). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: From the 19 RCTs analyzed, 7
      trials were included in the VGRG and 4 in the BRG. In VGRG, 1 or 2 injections
      were performed in 4/7 trials, time between injections was 2 to 3 weeks in 4/5
      studies with many injections, volume injected varied from 2.5 to 8 mL, and single
      spinning technique was used in 5/7 studies. PRP classification was Mishra 4B and
      PAWP2Bbeta in 5/7 studies. The use of PRP with leukocytes is only found in the
      BRG. CONCLUSION: There is a lack of standardization in PRP preparation technique
      for knee osteoarthritis. However it appears that the use of a single spinning
      technique, a platelet concentration lower than 5 times the baseline, and
      avoidance of leukocytes should be preferred.

PMID- 28904971
TI  - Cognitive or Cognitive-Motor Executive Function Tasks? Evaluating Verbal Fluency
      Measures in People with Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Executive function deficits are observed in people with Parkinson's
      disease (PD) from early stages and have great impact on daily living activities.
      Verbal fluency and oral diadochokinesia involve phonarticulatory coordination,
      response inhibition, and phonological processing and may also be affected in
      people with PD. This study aimed to describe the performance of PD patients and
      an age- and education-matched control group on executive function, verbal
      fluency, and oral diadochokinesia tests and to investigate possible relationships
      between them. METHODS: Forty people with PD and forty controls were evaluated
      with Trail Making Test (TMT, executive function) and phonemic/semantic verbal
      fluency and oral diadochokinesia (/pataka/) tests. Groups were compared by ANOVA
      and relationships were investigated by Pearson tests. RESULTS: People with PD
      showed longer times in parts A and B of TMT. They also said fewer words in
      phonemic/semantic verbal fluency tests and less syllables in the diadochokinesia
      test. Oral diadochokinesia strongly correlated to parts A and B of TMT and to
      phonemic verbal fluency. CONCLUSION: Oral diadochokinesia was correlated to
      executive function and verbal fluency. The cognitive-motor interaction in verbal
      fluency and oral diadochokinesia must be considered not to overestimate the
      cognitive or motor impairments in people with PD.

PMID- 28904972
TI  - Evaluation of the Bacterial Diversity in the Human Tongue Coating Based on Genus
      Specific Primers for 16S rRNA Sequencing.
AB  - The characteristics of tongue coating are very important symbols for disease
      diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. As a habitat of oral
      microbiota, bacteria on the tongue dorsum have been proved to be the cause of
      many oral diseases. The high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS)
      platforms have been widely applied in the analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We
      developed a methodology based on genus-specific multiprimer amplification and
      ligation-based sequencing for microbiota analysis. In order to validate the
      efficiency of the approach, we thoroughly analyzed six tongue coating samples
      from lung cancer patients with different TCM types, and more than 600 genera of
      bacteria were detected by this platform. The results showed that ligation-based
      parallel sequencing combined with enzyme digestion and multiamplification could
      expand the effective length of sequencing reads and could be applied in the
      microbiota analysis.

PMID- 28904974
TI  - Microarray Analysis and Detection of MicroRNAs Associated with Chronic
      Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.
AB  - The aim of this study was to understand the importance of chronic thromboembolic
      pulmonary hypertension- (CTEPH-) associated microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs
      differentially expressed in CTEPH samples compared with control samples were
      identified, and the target genes were predicted. The target genes of the key
      differentially expressed miRNAs were analyzed, and functional enrichment analyses
      were carried out. Finally, the miRNAs were detected using RT-PCR. Among the
      downregulated miRNAs, MiR-3148 regulated the most target genes and was
      significantly enriched in pathways in cancer, glioma, and ErbB signaling pathway.
      Furthermore, the number of target genes coregulated by miR-3148 and other miRNAs
      was the most. AR (androgen receptor), a target gene of hsa-miR-3148, was enriched
      in pathways in cancer. PRKCA (Protein Kinase C Alpha), also a target gene of hsa
      miR-3148, was enriched in 15 of 16 KEGG pathways, such as pathways in cancer,
      glioma, and ErbB signaling pathway. In addition, the RT-PCR results showed that
      the expression of hsa-miR-3148 in CTEPH samples was significantly lower than that
      in control samples (P < 0.01). MiR-3148 may play an important role in the
      development of CTEPH. The key mechanisms for this miRNA may be hsa-miR-3148-AR
      pathways in cancer or hsa-miR-3148-PRKCA-pathways in cancer/glioma/ErbB signaling
      pathway.

PMID- 28904975
TI  - RAPD Profiling, DNA Fragmentation, and Histomorphometric Examination in Brains of
      Wistar Rats Exposed to Indoor 2.5 Ghz Wi-Fi Devices Radiation.
AB  - The advent of Wi-Fi connected high technology devices in executing day-to-day
      activities is fast evolving especially in developing countries of the world and
      hence the need to assess its safety among others. The present study was conducted
      to investigate the injurious effect of radiofrequency emissions from installed Wi
      Fi devices in brains of young male rats. Animals were divided into four equal
      groups; group 1 served as control while groups 2, 3, and 4 were exposed to 2.5
      Ghz at intervals of 30, 45, and 60 consecutive days with free access to food and
      water ad libitum. Alterations in harvested brain tissues were confirmed by
      histopathological analyses which showed vascular congestion and DNA damage in the
      brain was assayed using agarose gel electrophoresis. Histomorphometry analyses of
      their brain tissues showed perivascular congestion and tissue damage as well.

PMID- 28904973
TI  - Effects of Bacillus Serine Proteases on the Bacterial Biofilms.
AB  - Serratia marcescens is an emerging opportunistic pathogen responsible for many
      hospital-acquired infections including catheter-associated bacteremia and urinary
      tract and respiratory tract infections. Biofilm formation is one of the
      mechanisms employed by S. marcescens to increase its virulence and pathogenicity.
      Here, we have investigated the main steps of the biofilm formation by S.
      marcescens SR 41-8000. It was found that the biofilm growth is stimulated by the
      nutrient-rich environment. The time-course experiments showed that S. marcescens
      cells adhere to the surface of the catheter and start to produce extracellular
      polymeric substances (EPS) within the first 2 days of growth. After 7 days, S.
      marcescens biofilms maturate and consist of bacterial cells embedded in a self
      produced matrix of hydrated EPS. In this study, the effect of Bacillus pumilus 3
      19 proteolytic enzymes on the structure of 7-day-old S. marcescens biofilms was
      examined. Using quantitative methods and scanning electron microscopy for the
      detection of biofilm, we demonstrated a high efficacy of subtilisin-like protease
      and glutamyl endopeptidase in biofilm removal. Enzymatic treatment resulted in
      the degradation of the EPS components and significant eradication of the
      biofilms.

PMID- 28904976
TI  - Household Financial Burden and Poverty Impacts of Cancer Treatment in Vietnam.
AB  - PURPOSE: This paper aims to analyze the household financial burden and poverty
      impacts of cancer treatment in Vietnam. METHODS: Under the "ASEAN CosTs in
      ONcology" study design, three major specialized cancer hospitals were employed to
      assemble the Vietnamese data. Factors of socioeconomic, direct, and indirect
      costs of healthcare were collected prospectively through both individual
      interviews and hospital financial records. RESULTS: The rates of catastrophic
      expenditure based on the cut-off points of 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% of household's
      income were 82.6%, 73.7%, 64.7%, and 56.9%, respectively. 37.4% of the households
      with patient were impoverished by the treatment costs for cancer. The
      statistically significant correlates of the impoverishment problem were higher
      among older patients (40-60 years: 1.77, 95% CI 1.14-2.73; above 60 years: 1.75,
      95% CI 1.03-2.98); poorer patients (less than 100% national income: 29, 95% CI
      18.6-45.24; less than 200% national income: 2.89, 95% CI 1.69-4.93); patients who
      underwent surgery alone (receiving nonsurgery treatment: 2.46, 95% CI 1.32-4.59;
      receiving multiple treatments: 2.4, 95% CI 1.38-4.17). CONCLUSIONS: Lots of
      households were pushed into poverty due to their expenditure on cancer care; more
      actions are urgently needed to improve financial protection to the vulnerable
      groups.

PMID- 28904978
TI  - Corrigendum to "Molecular Epidemiological Investigation of Porcine kobuvirus and
      Its Coinfection Rate with PEDV and SaV in Northwest China".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/7590569.].

PMID- 28904977
TI  - Misuse of Topical Corticosteroids for Cosmetic Purpose in Antananarivo,
      Madagascar.
AB  - This cross-sectional study was conducted in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from June
      to September 2012. We aim to evaluate the misuse of TC on the face for cosmetic
      purpose and the adverse effects due to its application. A questionnaire-based
      analysis was done among females who use topical corticosteroids on the face for
      cosmetic purpose. Of the 770 women questioned, 384 (49,8%) used topical
      corticosteroids for cosmetic purpose whose mean age was 38 years (range 16-73
      years). Two hundred and sixty-one females (68%) used TC combined with handcrafted
      cosmetics, and 123 (32%) used TC alone. "Pandalao," which contains salicylic
      acid, peppermint oil, lanolin, powder of Juanes de Vigo (mercury powder), and
      Vaseline, is the most handcrafted cosmetic combined with TC in our study (used by
      29,4% respondents). Only one (0,26%) had obtained the TC by physician's
      prescription, 234 (61%) from cosmetic retailers, 92 (23%) directly from local
      pharmacies, 49 (12%) from beauticians, and 15 (4%) from unspecified sources.
      Lightening of skin color was the main reason for using TC in 44,8% of respondents
      in the absence of any primary dermatosis. Pigmentation disorders (63,2%) and
      cutaneous atrophy (52,1%) were the most adverse effects noted.

PMID- 28904979
TI  - The Russians Are the Fastest in Marathon Cross-Country Skiing: The "Engadin Ski
      Marathon".
AB  - It is well known that athletes from a specific region or country are dominating
      certain sports disciplines such as marathon running or Ironman triathlon;
      however, little relevant information exists on cross-country skiing. Therefore,
      the aim of the present study was to investigate the aspect of region and
      nationality in one of the largest cross-country skiing marathons in Europe, the
      "Engadin Ski Marathon." All athletes (n = 197,125) who finished the "Engadin Ski
      Marathon" between 1998 and 2016 were considered. More than two-thirds of the
      finishers (72.5% in women and 69.6% in men) were Swiss skiers, followed by
      German, Italian, and French athletes in both sexes. Most of the Swiss finishers
      were from Canton of Zurich (20.5%), Grisons (19.2%), and Berne (10.3%). Regarding
      performance, the Russians were the fastest and the British the slowest.
      Considering local athletes, finishers from Canton of Uri and Glarus were the
      fastest and those from Canton of Geneva and Basel the slowest. Based on the
      findings of the present study, it was concluded that local athletes were not the
      fastest in the "Engadin Ski Marathon." Future studies need to investigate other
      cross-country skiing races in order to find the nationalities and regions of the
      fastest cross-country skiers.

PMID- 28904980
TI  - Enterovirus-Human Rhinovirus: A Rare Cause of Acute Respiratory Distress
      Syndrome.
AB  - A 22-year-old Asian woman presented with respiratory distress, cough, and
      wheezing for 1 week. Prior history included asthma and Turner syndrome. On
      presentation to the emergency department, the patient was hypotensive,
      tachycardic, tachypneic, with an oxyhemoglobin saturation in the mid 80% range
      while breathing ambient air. Chest radiograph revealed pulmonary vascular
      congestion and a left lower lobe infiltrate. Endotracheal intubation, mechanical
      ventilation, and vasopressors were initiated. Empiric therapy for community
      acquired pneumonia was administered utilizing broad-spectrum intravenous
      antibiotics. Routine sputum culture was negative for pathogens. Nasopharyngeal
      swab submitted for multiplex amplified nucleic acid testing yielded enterovirus
      human rhinovirus (EV-HRV). Thus, the diagnosis of EV-HRV pneumonia complicated by
      acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was established. Multiple attempts to
      wean from the ventilator were unsuccessful, and a tracheostomy was performed.
      This report highlights EV-HRV as a cause of severe ARDS and prolonged respiratory
      failure in adults.

PMID- 28904981
TI  - Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome: It Is Not Always Gastritis.
AB  - Median arcuate ligament syndrome is a rare disorder that is clinically
      characterized by the triad of postprandial abdominal pain, weight loss, and often
      an abdominal bruit due to compression of the celiac artery by the median arcuate
      ligament. Given the nonspecific symptoms, this is a rare and difficult diagnosis
      to obtain. We present a patient with nonspecific abdominal pain in whom etiology
      was ultimately determined to be median arcuate ligament syndrome.

PMID- 28904982
TI  - Preseason Aerobic Fitness Predicts In-Season Injury and Illness in Female Youth
      Athletes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although preseason aerobic fitness has been suggested as a modifiable
      risk factor for injury in adult athletes, the relationship between aerobic
      fitness, injury, and illness in youth athletes is unknown. PURPOSE: To determine
      whether preseason aerobic fitness predicts in-season injury and illness risk in
      female adolescent soccer players. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of
      evidence, 3. METHODS: Fifty-four female adolescent soccer players underwent
      preseason evaluation to determine years of experience, body mass index (BMI),
      maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max), and time to exhaustion (Tmax) during cycle
      ergometer testing. All injuries and illnesses during the subsequent 20-week
      season were recorded. Variables were compared between individuals with and
      without a self-reported injury and individuals with and without a self-reported
      illness. Separate Poisson regression models were developed to predict number of
      injuries and illnesses for each individual by use of age, years of experience,
      BMI, VO2max, and Tmax. RESULTS: Twenty-eight injuries and 38 illnesses in 23
      individuals were recorded during the season. Although not a statistically
      significant finding, individuals who reported an in-season injury had lower
      VO2max than those who did not (54.9 +/- 7.3 vs 58.3 +/- 8.5 mL/kg/min, P = .13).
      Individuals who reported an illness had significantly lower VO2max than those who
      did not (54.5 +/- 9.9 vs 58.8 +/- 6.2 mL/kg/min, P = .014). With the Poisson
      regression models, VO2max was a significant predictor of both injury (odds ratio
      [OR], 0.95; P = .046) and illness (OR, 0.94; P = .009), while no significant
      relationships were identified between injury or illness and age, years of
      experience, Tmax, or BMI (all P > .05). CONCLUSION: Among adolescent female
      soccer players, greater preseason aerobic fitness is associated with a reduced
      risk of in-season injury and illness. Off-season intervention to promote aerobic
      fitness may help reduce the risk of lost time during the season due to injury and
      illness.

PMID- 28904983
TI  - Structure-function relationships in the visual system in multiple sclerosis: an
      MEG and OCT study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a multi-modal optical coherence tomography (OCT) and
      magnetoencephalography (MEG) study to test whether there is a relationship
      between retinal layer integrity and electrophysiological activity and
      connectivity (FC) in the visual network influenced by optic neuritis (ON) in
      patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: One hundred and two MS patients
      were included in this MEG/OCT study. Retinal OCT data were collected from the
      optic discs, macular region, and segmented. Neuronal activity and FC in the
      visual cortex was estimated from source-reconstructed resting-state MEG data by
      computing relative power and the phase lag index (PLI). Generalized estimating
      equations (GEE) were used to account for intereye within-patient dependencies.
      RESULTS: There was a significant relationship for both relative power and FC in
      the visual cortex with retinal layer thicknesses. The findings were influenced by
      the presence of MSON, particularly for connectivity in the alpha bands and the
      outer macular layers. In the absence of MSON, this relationship was dominated by
      the lower frequency bands (theta, delta) and inner and outer retinal layers.
      CONCLUSION: These results suggest that visual cortex FC more than activity alters
      in the presence of MSON, which may guide the understanding of FC plasticity
      effects following MSON.

PMID- 28904984
TI  - Impact of diabetes in the Friedreich ataxia clinical outcome measures study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Friedreich ataxia (FA) is a progressive neuromuscular disorder caused
      by GAA triplet repeat expansions or point mutations in the FXN gene. FA is
      associated with increased risk of diabetes mellitus (DM). This study assessed the
      age-specific prevalence of FA-associated DM and its impact on neurologic
      outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were 811 individuals with FA
      from 12 international sites in a prospective natural history study (FA Clinical
      Outcome Measures Study, FACOMS). Physical function was assessed, using validated
      instruments. Multivariable regression analyses examined the independent
      association of DM with outcomes. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 30.1 years
      (SD 15.3, range: 7-82), 50% were female, and 94% were non-Hispanic white. 9%
      (42/459) of adults and 3% (10/352) of children had DM. Individuals with FA
      associated DM were older (P < 0.001), had longer GAA repeat length on the least
      affected FXN allele (P = 0.037), and more severe FA (P = 0.0001). Of individuals
      with DM, 65% (34/52) were taking insulin. Even after accounting statistically for
      both age and GAA repeat length, DM was independently associated with greater FA
      symptom burden (P = 0.010), reduced capacity to perform activities of daily
      living (P = 0.021), and a decrease of 0.33 SDs on a composite performance measure
      (95% CI: -0.56-0.11, P = 0.004); the relative impact of DM was most apparent in
      younger individuals. CONCLUSIONS: DM-associated FA has an independent adverse
      impact on well-being in affected individuals, particularly at younger ages. In
      future, evidence-based approaches for identification and management of FA-related
      DM may improve both health and function.

PMID- 28904985
TI  - Cholinergic activity and levodopa-induced dyskinesia: a multitracer molecular
      imaging study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between levodopa-induced dyskinesias
      and striatal cholinergic activity in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS:
      This study included 13 Parkinson's disease patients with peak-of-dose levodopa
      induced dyskinesias, 12 nondyskinetic patients, and 12 healthy controls.
      Participants underwent 5-[123I]iodo-3-[2(S)-2-azetidinylmethoxy]pyridine single
      photon emission computed tomography, a marker of nicotinic acetylcholine
      receptors, [123I]N-omega-fluoropropyl-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4
      iodophenyl)nortropane single-photon emission computed tomography, to measure
      dopamine reuptake transporter density and 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron
      emission tomography to assess regional cerebral metabolic activity. Striatal
      binding potentials, uptake values at basal ganglia structures, and correlations
      with clinical variables were analyzed. RESULTS: Density of nicotinic
      acetylcholine receptors in the caudate nucleus of dyskinetic subjects was similar
      to that of healthy controls and significantly higher to that of nondyskinetic
      patients, in particular, contralaterally to the clinically most affected side.
      INTERPRETATION: Our findings support the hypothesis that the expression of
      dyskinesia may be related to cholinergic neuronal excitability in a dopaminergic
      depleted striatum. Cholinergic signaling would play a role in maintaining
      striatal dopaminergic responsiveness, possibly defining disease phenotype and
      progression.

PMID- 28904986
TI  - Sex matters: repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescent rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Whether sex differences contribute to the heterogeneity of mild
      traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and repeated mTBI (RmTBI) outcomes in adolescents
      is unknown. Therefore, this study examined changes in, and differences between,
      male and female rats following single mTBI and RmTBI. METHODS: Rats were given a
      single mTBI, RmTBI (i.e., 3x), or sham injuries. Injuries were administered using
      a lateral impact model that mimics forces common in human mTBI. After the final
      injury, rats underwent extensive behavioral testing to examine cognition, motor
      function, and anxiety- and depressive-like behavior. Postmortem analyses
      investigated gene expression and structural changes in the brain. RESULTS: Many
      of the outcomes exhibited a sex-dependent response to RmTBI. While all rats given
      RmTBI had deficits in balance, motor coordination, locomotion, and anxiety-like
      behavior, only male rats given RmTBI had short-term working memory deficits,
      whereas only females given RmTBI had increased depressive-like behavior.
      Volumetric and diffusion weighted MRI analyses found that while RmTBI-induced
      atrophy of the prefrontal cortex was greater in female rats, only the male rats
      exhibited worse white matter integrity in the corpus callosum following RmTBI.
      Sex-dependent changes in brain expression of mRNA for glial fibrillary acidic
      protein, myelin basic protein, and tau protein were also observed following
      injury. INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that in adolescent mTBI, sex
      matters; and future studies incorporating both male and females are warranted to
      provide a greater understanding of injury prognosis and better inform clinical
      practice.

PMID- 28904987
TI  - Respiratory magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the diaphragm and chest wall dynamics with cine breathing
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in ambulatory boys with Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy (DMD) without respiratory symptoms and controls. METHODS: In 11 DMD
      boys and 15 controls, cine MRI of maximal breathing was recorded for 10 sec. The
      lung segmentations were done by an automated pipeline based on a Holistically
      Nested Network model (HNN method). Lung areas, diaphragm, and chest wall motion
      were measured throughout the breathing cycle. RESULTS: The HNN method reliably
      identified the contours of the lung and the diaphragm in every frame of each
      dataset (~180 frames) within seconds. The lung areas at maximal inspiration and
      expiration were reduced in DMD patients relative to controls (P = 0.02 and <0.01,
      respectively). The change in the lung area between inspiration and expiration
      correlated with percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) in patients (rs  =
      0.75, P = 0.03) and was not significantly different between groups. The diaphragm
      position, length, contractility, and motion were not significantly different
      between groups. Chest wall motion was reduced in patients compared to controls (P
      < 0.01). INTERPRETATION: Cine breathing MRI allows independent and reliable
      assessment of the diaphragm and chest wall dynamics during the breathing cycle in
      DMD patients and controls. The MRI data indicate that ambulatory DMD patients
      breathe at lower lung volumes than controls when their FVC is in the normal
      range. The diaphragm moves normally, whereas chest wall motion is reduced in
      these boys with DMD.

PMID- 28904988
TI  - Neurite dispersion: a new marker of multiple sclerosis spinal cord pathology?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the multiple
      sclerosis spinal cord is limited by low specificity regarding the underlying
      pathological processes, and new MRI metrics assessing microscopic damage are
      required. We aim to show for the first time that neurite orientation dispersion
      (i.e., variability in axon/dendrite orientations) is a new biomarker that
      uncovers previously undetected layers of complexity of multiple sclerosis spinal
      cord pathology. Also, we validate against histology a clinically viable MRI
      technique for dispersion measurement (neurite orientation dispersion and density
      imaging, NODDI), to demonstrate the strong potential of the new marker. METHODS:
      We related quantitative metrics from histology and MRI in four post mortem spinal
      cord specimens (two controls; two progressive multiple sclerosis cases). The
      samples were scanned at high field, obtaining maps of neurite density and
      orientation dispersion from NODDI and routine diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
      indices. Histological procedures provided markers of astrocyte, microglia, myelin
      and neurofilament density, as well as neurite dispersion. RESULTS: We report from
      both NODDI and histology a trend toward lower neurite dispersion in demyelinated
      lesions, indicative of reduced neurite architecture complexity. Also, we provide
      unequivocal evidence that NODDI-derived dispersion matches its histological
      counterpart (P < 0.001), while DTI metrics are less specific and influenced by
      several biophysical substrates. INTERPRETATION: Neurite orientation dispersion
      detects a previously undescribed and potentially relevant layer of
      microstructural complexity of multiple sclerosis spinal cord pathology.
      Clinically feasible techniques such as NODDI may play a key role in clinical
      trial and practice settings, as they provide histologically meaningful dispersion
      indices.

PMID- 28904989
TI  - Antibodies to TRIM46 are associated with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes.
AB  - Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are often characterized by the
      presence of antineuronal antibodies in patient serum or cerebrospinal fluid. The
      detection of antineuronal antibodies has proven to be a useful tool in PNS
      diagnosis and the search for an underlying tumor. Here, we describe three
      patients with autoantibodies to several epitopes of the axon initial segment
      protein tripartite motif 46 (TRIM46). We show that anti-TRIM46 antibodies are
      easy to detect in routine immunohistochemistry screening and can be confirmed by
      western blotting and cell-based assay. Anti-TRIM46 antibodies can occur in
      patients with diverse neurological syndromes and are associated with small-cell
      lung carcinoma.

PMID- 28904991
TI  - Bioelectrospray Methodology for Dissection of the Host-pathogen Interaction in
      Human Tuberculosis.
AB  - Standard cell culture models have been used to investigate disease pathology and
      to test new therapies for over fifty years. However, these model systems have
      often failed to mimic the changes occurring within three-dimensional (3-D) space
      where pathology occurs in vivo. To truthfully represent this, an emerging
      paradigm in biology is the importance of modelling disease in a physiologically
      relevant 3-D environment. One of the approaches for 3-D cell culture is
      bioelectrospray technology. This technique uses an alginate-based 3-D environment
      as an inert backbone within which mammalian cells and extracellular matrix can be
      incorporated. These alginate-based matrices produce highly reproducible results
      and can be mixed with different extracellular matrix components. This protocol
      describes a 3-D system incorporating mycobacteria, primary human blood
      mononuclear cells and collagen-alginate matrix to dissect the host-pathogen
      interaction in tuberculosis.

PMID- 28904990
TI  - The Multiple Faces of Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 2.
AB  - Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is among the most common forms of autosomal
      dominant ataxias, accounting for 15% of the total families. Occurrence is higher
      in specific populations such as the Cuban and Southern Italian. The disease is
      caused by a CAG expansion in ATXN2 gene, leading to abnormal accumulation of the
      mutant protein, ataxin-2, in intracellular inclusions. The clinical picture is
      mainly dominated by cerebellar ataxia, although a number of other neurological
      signs have been described, ranging from parkinsonism to motor neuron involvement,
      making the diagnosis frequently challenging for neurologists, particularly when
      information about the family history is not available. Although the functions of
      ataxin-2 have not been completely elucidated, the protein is involved in mRNA
      processing and control of translation. Recently, it has also been shown that the
      size of the CAG repeat in normal alleles represents a risk factor for ALS,
      suggesting that ataxin-2 plays a fundamental role in maintenance of neuronal
      homeostasis.

PMID- 28904992
TI  - Too Many Choices Confuse Patients With Dementia.
AB  - Choices are often difficult to make by patients with Alzheimer Dementia. They
      often become acutely confused when faced with too many options because they are
      not able to retain in their working memory enough information about the various
      individual choices available. In this case study, we describe how an essentially
      simple benign task (choosing a dress to wear) can rapidly escalate and result in
      a catastrophic outcome. We examine what went wrong in the patient/caregiver
      interaction and how that potentially catastrophic situation could have been
      avoided or defused.

PMID- 28904993
TI  - Abnormalities of signal transduction networks in chronic schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a serious neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by disruptions
      of brain cell metabolism, microstructure, and neurotransmission. All of these
      processes require coordination of multiple kinase-mediated signaling events. We
      hypothesize that imbalances in kinase activity propagate through an
      interconnected network of intracellular signaling with potential to
      simultaneously contribute to many or all of the observed deficits in
      schizophrenia. We established a workflow distinguishing schizophrenia-altered
      kinases in anterior cingulate cortex using a previously published kinome array
      data set. We compared schizophrenia-altered kinases to haloperidol-altered
      kinases, and identified systems, functions, and regulators predicted using
      pathway analyses. We used kinase inhibitors with the kinome array to test
      hypotheses about imbalance in signaling and conducted preliminary studies of
      kinase proteins, phosphoproteins, and activity for kinases of interest. We
      investigated schizophrenia-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in one of
      these kinases, AKT, for genotype-dependent changes in AKT protein or activity.
      Kinome analyses identified new kinases as well as some previously implicated in
      schizophrenia. These results were not explained by chronic antipsychotic
      treatment. Kinases identified in our analyses aligned with cytoskeletal
      arrangement and molecular trafficking. Of the kinases we investigated further,
      AKT and (unexpectedly) JNK, showed the most dysregulation in the anterior
      cingulate cortex of schizophrenia subjects. Changes in kinase activity did not
      correspond to protein or phosphoprotein levels. We also show that AKT single
      nucleotide polymorphism rs1130214, previously associated with schizophrenia,
      influenced enzyme activity but not protein or phosphoprotein levels. Our data
      indicate subtle changes in kinase activity and regulation across an interlinked
      kinase network, suggesting signaling imbalances underlie the core symptoms of
      schizophrenia.

PMID- 28904994
TI  - N-Acetylglucosamine Metabolism Promotes Survival of Candida albicans in the
      Phagosome.
AB  - Phagocytosis by innate immune cells is one of the most effective barriers against
      the multiplication and dissemination of microbes within the mammalian host.
      Candida albicans, a pathogenic yeast, has robust mechanisms that allow survival
      upon macrophage phagocytosis. C. albicans survives in part because it can utilize
      the alternative carbon sources available in the phagosome, including carboxylic
      acids and amino acids. Furthermore, metabolism of these compounds raises the pH
      of the extracellular environment, which combats the acidification and maturation
      of the phagolysosome. In this study, we demonstrate that metabolism by C.
      albicans of an additional carbon source, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc),
      facilitates neutralization of the phagosome by a novel mechanism. Catabolism of
      GlcNAc raised the ambient pH through release of ammonia, which is distinct from
      growth on carboxylic acids but similar to growth on amino acids. However, the
      effect of GlcNAc metabolism on pH was genetically distinct from the
      neutralization induced by catabolism of amino acids, as mutation of STP2 or ATO5
      did not impair the effects of GlcNAc. In contrast, mutants lacking the dedicated
      GlcNAc transporter gene NGT1 or the enzymes responsible for catabolism of GlcNAc
      were defective in altering the pH of the phagosome. This correlated with reduced
      survival following phagocytosis and decreased ability to damage macrophages.
      Thus, GlcNAc metabolism represents the third genetically independent mechanism
      that C. albicans utilizes to combat the rapid acidification of the phagolysosome,
      allowing for cells to escape and propagate infection. IMPORTANCECandida albicans
      is the most important medically relevant fungal pathogen, with disseminated
      candidiasis being the fourth most common hospital-associated bloodstream
      infection. Macrophages and neutrophils are innate immune cells that play a key
      role in host defense by phagocytosing and destroying C. albicans cells. To
      survive this attack by macrophages, C. albicans generates energy by utilizing
      alternative carbon sources that are available in the phagosome. Interestingly,
      metabolism of amino acids and carboxylic acids by C. albicans raises the pH of
      the phagosome and thereby blocks the acidification of the phagosome, which is
      needed to initiate antimicrobial attack. In this work, we demonstrate that
      metabolism of a third type of carbon source, the amino sugar GlcNAc, also induces
      pH neutralization and survival of C. albicans upon phagocytosis. This mechanism
      is genetically and physiologically distinct from the previously described
      mechanisms of pH neutralization, indicating that the robust metabolic plasticity
      of C. albicans ensures survival upon macrophage phagocytosis.

PMID- 28904995
TI  - Distribution of O-Acetylated Sialic Acids among Target Host Tissues for Influenza
      Virus.
AB  - Sialic acids (Sias) are important glycans displayed on the cells and tissues of
      many different animals and are frequent targets for binding and modification by
      pathogens, including influenza viruses. Influenza virus hemagglutinins bind Sias
      during the infection of their normal hosts, while the encoded neuraminidases
      and/or esterases remove or modify the Sia to allow virion release or to prevent
      rebinding. Sias naturally occur in a variety of modified forms, and modified Sias
      can alter influenza virus host tropisms through their altered interactions with
      the viral glycoproteins. However, the distribution of modified Sia forms and
      their effects on pathogen-host interactions are still poorly understood. Here we
      used probes developed from viral Sia-binding proteins to detect O-acetylated (4-O
      acetyl, 9-O-acetyl, and 7,9-O-acetyl) Sias displayed on the tissues of some
      natural or experimental hosts for influenza viruses. These modified Sias showed
      highly variable displays between the hosts and tissues examined. The 9-O-acetyl
      (and 7,9-) modified Sia forms were found on cells and tissues of many hosts,
      including mice, humans, ferrets, guinea pigs, pigs, horses, dogs, as well as in
      those of ducks and embryonated chicken egg tissues and membranes, although in
      variable amounts. The 4-O-acetyl Sias were found in the respiratory tissues of
      fewer animals, being primarily displayed in the horse and guinea pig, but were
      not detected in humans or pigs. The results suggest that these Sia variants may
      influence virus tropisms by altering and selecting their cell interactions.
      IMPORTANCE Sialic acids (Sias) are key glycans that control or modulate many
      normal cell and tissue functions while also interacting with a variety of
      pathogens, including many different viruses. Sias are naturally displayed in a
      variety of different forms, with modifications at several positions that can
      alter their functional interactions with pathogens. In addition, Sias are often
      modified or removed by enzymes such as host or pathogen esterases or sialidases
      (neuraminidases), and Sia modifications can alter those enzymatic activities to
      impact pathogen infections. Sia chemical diversity in different hosts and tissues
      likely alters the pathogen-host interactions and influences the outcome of
      infection. Here we explored the display of 4-O-acetyl, 9-O-acetyl, and 7,9-O
      acetyl modified Sia forms in some target tissues for influenza virus infection in
      mice, humans, birds, guinea pigs, ferrets, swine, horses, and dogs, which
      encompass many natural and laboratory hosts of those viruses.

PMID- 28904996
TI  - Environmental and Genetic Determinants of Biofilm Formation in Paracoccus
      denitrificans.
AB  - The genome of the denitrifying bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans predicts the
      expression of a small heme-containing nitric oxide (NO) binding protein, H-NOX.
      The genome organization and prior work in other bacteria suggest that H-NOX
      interacts with a diguanylate cyclase that cyclizes GTP to make cyclic di-GMP
      (cdGMP). Since cdGMP frequently regulates attached growth as a biofilm, we first
      established conditions for biofilm development by P. denitrificans. We found that
      adhesion to a polystyrene surface is strongly stimulated by the addition of 10 mM
      Ca2+ to rich media. The genome encodes at least 11 repeats-in-toxin family
      proteins that are predicted to be secreted by the type I secretion system (TISS).
      We deleted the genes encoding the TISS and found that the mutant is almost
      completely deficient for attached growth. Adjacent to the TISS genes there is a
      potential open reading frame encoding a 2,211-residue protein with 891 Asp-Ala
      repeats. This protein is also predicted to bind calcium and to be a TISS
      substrate, and a mutant specifically lacking this protein is deficient in biofilm
      formation. By analysis of mutants and promoter reporter fusions, we show that
      biofilm formation is stimulated by NO generated endogenously by the respiratory
      reduction of nitrite. A mutant lacking both predicted diguanylate cyclases
      encoded in the genome overproduces biofilm, implying that cdGMP is a negative
      regulator of attached growth. Our data are consistent with a model in which there
      are H-NOX-dependent and -independent pathways by which NO stimulates biofilm
      formation. IMPORTANCE The bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans is a model for the
      process of denitrification, by which nitrate is reduced to dinitrogen during
      anaerobic growth. Denitrification is important for soil fertility and greenhouse
      gas emission and in waste and water treatment processes. The ability of bacteria
      to grow as a biofilm attached to a solid surface is important in many different
      contexts. In this paper, we report that attached growth of P. denitrificans is
      stimulated by nitric oxide, an intermediate in the denitrification pathway. We
      also show that calcium ions stimulate attached growth, and we identify a large
      calcium binding protein that is required for growth on a polystyrene surface. We
      identify components of a signaling pathway through which nitric oxide may
      regulate biofilm formation. Our results point to an intimate link between
      metabolic processes and the ability of P. denitrificans to grow attached to a
      surface.

PMID- 28904997
TI  - Development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Is Linked to a Longitudinal
      Restructuring of the Gut Metagenome in Mice.
AB  - The gut microbiome is linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) severity and
      altered in late-stage disease. However, it is unclear how gut microbial
      communities change over the course of IBD development, especially in regard to
      function. To investigate microbiome-mediated disease mechanisms and discover
      early biomarkers of IBD, we conducted a longitudinal metagenomic investigation in
      an established mouse model of IBD, where damped transforming growth factor beta
      (TGF-beta) signaling in T cells leads to peripheral immune activation, weight
      loss, and severe colitis. IBD development is associated with abnormal gut
      microbiome temporal dynamics, including damped acquisition of functional
      diversity and significant differences in abundance trajectories for KEGG modules
      such as glycosaminoglycan degradation, cellular chemotaxis, and type III and IV
      secretion systems. Most differences between sick and control mice emerge when
      mice begin to lose weight and heightened T cell activation is detected in
      peripheral blood. However, levels of lipooligosaccharide transporter abundance
      diverge prior to immune activation, indicating that it could be a predisease
      indicator or microbiome-mediated disease mechanism. Taxonomic structure of the
      gut microbiome also significantly changes in association with IBD development,
      and the abundances of particular taxa, including several species of Bacteroides,
      correlate with immune activation. These discoveries were enabled by our use of
      generalized linear mixed-effects models to test for differences in longitudinal
      profiles between healthy and diseased mice while accounting for the distributions
      of taxon and gene counts in metagenomic data. These findings demonstrate that
      longitudinal metagenomics is useful for discovering the potential mechanisms
      through which the gut microbiome becomes altered in IBD. IMPORTANCE IBD patients
      harbor distinct microbial communities with functional capabilities different from
      those seen with healthy people. But is this cause or effect? Answering this
      question requires data on changes in gut microbial communities leading to disease
      onset. By performing weekly metagenomic sequencing and mixed-effects modeling on
      an established mouse model of IBD, we identified several functional pathways
      encoded by the gut microbiome that covary with host immune status. These pathways
      are novel early biomarkers that may either enable microbes to live inside an
      inflamed gut or contribute to immune activation in IBD mice. Future work will
      validate the potential roles of these microbial pathways in host-microbe
      interactions and human disease. This study was novel in its longitudinal design
      and focus on microbial pathways, which provided new mechanistic insights into the
      role of gut microbes in IBD development.

PMID- 28904998
TI  - Parallel Evolution of Group B Streptococcus Hypervirulent Clonal Complex 17
      Unveils New Pathoadaptive Mutations.
AB  - Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a commensal of the gastrointestinal and
      genitourinary tracts, while a prevailing cause of neonatal disease worldwide. Of
      the various clonal complexes (CCs), CC17 is overrepresented in GBS-infected
      newborns for reasons that are still largely unknown. Here, we report a
      comprehensive genomic analysis of 626 CC17 isolates collected worldwide,
      identifying the genetic traits behind their successful adaptation to humans and
      the underlying differences between carriage and clinical strains. Comparative
      analysis with 923 GBS genomes belonging to CC1, CC19, and CC23 revealed that the
      evolution of CC17 is distinct from that of other human-adapted lineages and
      recurrently targets functions related to nucleotide and amino acid metabolism,
      cell adhesion, regulation, and immune evasion. We show that the most distinctive
      features of disease-specific CC17 isolates were frequent mutations in the
      virulence-associated CovS and Stk1 kinases, underscoring the crucial role of the
      entire CovRS regulatory pathway in modulating the pathogenicity of GBS.
      Importantly, parallel and convergent evolution of major components of the
      bacterial cell envelope, such as the capsule biosynthesis operon, the pilus, and
      Rib, reflects adaptation to host immune pressures and should be taken into
      account in the ongoing development of a GBS vaccine. The presence of recurrent
      targets of evolution not previously implicated in virulence also opens the way
      for uncovering new functions involved in host colonization and GBS pathogenesis.
      IMPORTANCE The incidence of group B Streptococcus (GBS) neonatal disease
      continues to be a significant cause of concern worldwide. Strains belonging to
      clonal complex 17 (CC17) are the most frequently responsible for GBS infections
      in neonates, especially among late-onset disease cases. Therefore, we undertook
      the largest genomic study of GBS CC17 strains to date to decipher the genetic
      bases of their remarkable colonization and infection ability. We show that
      crucial functions involved in different steps of the colonization or infection
      process of GBS are distinctly mutated during the adaptation of CC17 to the human
      host. In particular, our results implicate the CovRS two-component regulator of
      virulence in the differentiation between carriage- and disease-associated
      isolates. Not only does this work raise important implications for the ongoing
      development of a vaccine against GBS but might also drive the discovery of key
      functions for GBS adaptation and pathogenesis that have been overlooked until
      now. Author Video: An author video summary of this article is available.

PMID- 28904999
TI  - Linking Spatial Structure and Community-Level Biotic Interactions through
      Cooccurrence and Time Series Modeling of the Human Intestinal Microbiota.
AB  - The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome is a densely populated ecosystem where
      dynamics are determined by interactions between microbial community members, as
      well as host factors. The spatial organization of this system is thought to be
      important in human health, yet this aspect of our resident microbiome is still
      poorly understood. In this study, we report significant spatial structure of the
      GI microbiota, and we identify general categories of spatial patterning in the
      distribution of microbial taxa along a healthy human GI tract. We further
      estimate the biotic interaction structure in the GI microbiota, both through time
      series and cooccurrence modeling of microbial community data derived from a large
      number of sequentially collected fecal samples. Comparison of these two
      approaches showed that species pairs involved in significant negative
      interactions had strong positive contemporaneous correlations and vice versa,
      while for species pairs without significant interactions, contemporaneous
      correlations were distributed around zero. We observed similar patterns when
      comparing these models to the spatial correlations between taxa identified in the
      adherent microbiota. This suggests that colocalization of microbial taxon pairs,
      and thus the spatial organization of the GI microbiota, is driven, at least in
      part, by direct or indirect biotic interactions. Thus, our study can provide a
      basis for an ecological interpretation of the biogeography of the human gut.
      IMPORTANCE The human gut microbiome is the subject of intense study due to its
      importance in health and disease. The majority of these studies have been based
      on the analysis of feces. However, little is known about how the microbial
      composition in fecal samples relates to the spatial distribution of microbial
      taxa along the gastrointestinal tract. By characterizing the microbial content
      both in intestinal tissue samples and in fecal samples obtained daily, we provide
      a conceptual framework for how the spatial structure relates to biotic
      interactions on the community level. We further describe general categories of
      spatial distribution patterns and identify taxa conforming to these categories.
      To our knowledge, this is the first study combining spatial and temporal analyses
      of the human gut microbiome. This type of analysis can be used for identifying
      candidate probiotics and designing strategies for clinical intervention.

PMID- 28905002
TI  - Health care expenditure associated with overweight/obesity: a study among urban
      married women in Delhi, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is a multifaceted problem with wide-reaching medical, social
      and economic consequences. While health consequences are much known, but due to
      paucity of data, economic consequences are less known in India. The prevalence
      for excessive weight particularly among women population has been increasing
      dramatically in India in the last decades. We examined the economic burden on
      individual and households due to overweight and obesity among women in the
      national capital territory of India, Delhi. We particularly examined the health
      expenditure pattern in absolute amount as well as a proportion to their household
      expenditure among women according to their level of body mass index (BMI).
      METHODS: A population based follow-up survey of 325 ever-married women aged 20-54
      years residing in the national capital territory of Delhi in India,
      systematically selected from the second round of National Family Health Survey
      (NFHS-2, 1998-99) samples who were re-interviewed after four years in 2003.
      Women's expenditure on health has been seen as a gross and as a ratio of total
      household expenditure. Anthropometric measurements were obtained from women to
      compute their current body mass index. Multiple logistic regression analysis was
      used to estimate the odds ratios adjusting for various socio demographic
      confounders. RESULTS: A significantly (p<0.0001) higher monthly gross health
      expenditure as well as proportion of total household expenditure was found
      according to the women's level of BMI. Average monthly health expenditure was Rs.
      132 among overweight women, Rs 143 among obese women which further increased to
      Rs. 224 among morbidly obese women compared to only Rs 68 among normal weight
      women. Almost, 15% overweight, 16% obese and 21% morbidly obese women (p<0.0001)
      had economic burden which accounts for more than 5% of their total household
      expenditure on their health compared to only 10% normal weight women.
      Significantly, obese and morbidly obese women were more than two times more
      likely to spend higher amount on their health (OR 2.29 95% CI: 1.07-4.90;
      p=0.033) than normal weight women. Also overweight women were significantly two
      times more likely to spend high proportion on their health with respect to total
      household expenditure (OR 2.11; 95% CI: 1.03-4.35; p=0.042) than normal weight
      women. CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial economic burden of obesity for
      individuals as well as for the households which calls for urgent intervention in
      the obesity awareness and health promotion among Indian women who faced the
      greatest burden of increasing body weight in the last decade. Prevention is
      obviously more cost effective than treatment, both in terms of healthcare and
      personal costs. Health care providers and policy makers need to critically
      understand the issue of obesity and develop effective policies and programs for
      its prevention among Indian women.

PMID- 28905000
TI  - Transcriptome Analysis of Polyhydroxybutyrate Cycle Mutants Reveals Discrete Loci
      Connecting Nitrogen Utilization and Carbon Storage in Sinorhizobium meliloti.
AB  - Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and glycogen polymers are produced by bacteria as
      carbon storage compounds under unbalanced growth conditions. To gain insights
      into the transcriptional mechanisms controlling carbon storage in Sinorhizobium
      meliloti, we investigated the global transcriptomic response to the genetic
      disruption of key genes in PHB synthesis and degradation and in glycogen
      synthesis. Under both nitrogen-limited and balanced growth conditions,
      transcriptomic analysis was performed with genetic mutants deficient in PHB
      synthesis (phbA, phbB, phbAB, and phbC), PHB degradation (bdhA, phaZ, and acsA2),
      and glycogen synthesis (glgA1). Three distinct genomic regions of the pSymA
      megaplasmid exhibited altered expression in the wild type and the PHB cycle
      mutants that was not seen in the glycogen synthesis mutant. An Fnr family
      transcriptional motif was identified in the upstream regions of a cluster of
      genes showing similar transcriptional patterns across the mutants. This motif was
      found at the highest density in the genomic regions with the strongest
      transcriptional effect, and the presence of this motif upstream of genes in these
      regions was significantly correlated with decreased transcript abundance.
      Analysis of the genes in the pSymA regions revealed that they contain a genomic
      overrepresentation of Fnr family transcription factor-encoding genes. We
      hypothesize that these loci, containing mostly nitrogen utilization,
      denitrification, and nitrogen fixation genes, are regulated in response to the
      intracellular carbon/nitrogen balance. These results indicate a transcriptional
      regulatory association between intracellular carbon levels (mediated through the
      functionality of the PHB cycle) and the expression of nitrogen metabolism genes.
      IMPORTANCE The ability of bacteria to store carbon and energy as intracellular
      polymers uncouples cell growth and replication from nutrient uptake and provides
      flexibility in the use of resources as they are available to the cell. The impact
      of carbon storage on cellular metabolism would be reflected in global
      transcription patterns. By investigating the transcriptomic effects of
      genetically disrupting genes involved in the PHB carbon storage cycle, we
      revealed a relationship between intracellular carbon storage and nitrogen
      metabolism. This work demonstrates the utility of combining transcriptome
      sequencing with metabolic pathway mutations for identifying underlying gene
      regulatory mechanisms.

PMID- 28905001
TI  - Genome-Enabled Insights into the Ecophysiology of the Comammox Bacterium
      "Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa".
AB  - The recently discovered comammox bacteria have the potential to completely
      oxidize ammonia to nitrate. These microorganisms are part of the Nitrospira genus
      and are present in a variety of environments, including biological nutrient
      removal (BNR) systems. However, the physiological traits within and between
      comammox and nitrite-oxidizing bacterium (NOB)-like Nitrospira species have not
      been analyzed in these ecosystems. In this study, we identified Nitrospira
      strains dominating the nitrifying community of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR)
      performing BNR under microaerobic conditions. We recovered metagenome-derived
      draft genomes from two Nitrospira strains: (i) Nitrospira sp. strain UW-LDO-01, a
      comammox-like organism classified as "Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa," and (ii)
      Nitrospira sp. strain UW-LDO-02, a nitrite-oxidizing strain belonging to the
      Nitrospira defluvii species. A comparative genomic analysis of these strains with
      other Nitrospira-like genomes identified genomic differences in "Ca. Nitrospira
      nitrosa" mainly attributed to each strain's niche adaptation. Traits associated
      with energy metabolism also differentiate comammox from NOB-like genomes. We also
      identified several transcriptionally regulated adaptive traits, including stress
      tolerance, biofilm formation, and microaerobic metabolism, which might explain
      survival of Nitrospira under multiple environmental conditions. Overall, our
      analysis expanded our understanding of the genetic functional features of "Ca.
      Nitrospira nitrosa" and identified genomic traits that further illuminate the
      phylogenetic diversity and metabolic plasticity of the Nitrospira genus.
      IMPORTANCENitrospira-like bacteria are among the most diverse and widespread
      nitrifiers in natural ecosystems and the dominant nitrite oxidizers in wastewater
      treatment plants (WWTPs). The recent discovery of comammox-like Nitrospira
      strains, capable of complete oxidation of ammonia to nitrate, raises new
      questions about specific traits responsible for the functional versatility and
      adaptation of this genus to a variety of environments. The availability of new
      Nitrospira genome sequences from both nitrite-oxidizing and comammox bacteria
      offers a way to analyze traits in different Nitrospira functional groups. Our
      comparative genomics analysis provided new insights into the adaptation of
      Nitrospira strains to specific lifestyles and environmental niches.

PMID- 28905003
TI  - An immediate effect of PNF specific mobilization on the angle of trunk rotation
      and the Trunk-Pelvis-Hip Angle range of motion in adolescent girls with double
      idiopathic scoliosis-a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impairment of spine rotation is a key concept in several theories
      explaining the pathogenesis and progression of scoliosis. In previous studies, a
      more limited range of motion in scoliotic girls compared to their non-scoliotic
      peers was noted. The Trunk-Pelvis-Hip Angle measurement is a test used to assess
      the range of motion in the trunk-pelvis-hip complex in the transverse plane. The
      aim of this study was to assess an immediate effect of Proprioceptive
      Neuromuscular Facilitation specific mobilization (mPNF) on the angle of trunk
      rotation and Trunk-Pelvis-Hip Angle range of motion in adolescent girls with
      double scoliosis. METHODS: The study was conducted on 83 girls aged 10 to 17
      years (mean 13.7 +/- 1.9) with double idiopathic scoliosis consisting of a right
      sided thoracic curve (mean 25.1 degrees  +/- 13.9 degrees ) and a left-sided
      thoracolumbar or lumbar curve (mean 20.8 degrees  +/- 11.4 degrees ). The angle
      of trunk rotation and Trunk-Pelvis-Hip Angle were measured at baseline and after
      PNF mobilization. Bilateral lower limb patterns of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular
      Facilitation were used in combination with the "contract-relax" technique and
      stimulation of asymmetrical breathing. In the statistical analysis, the SAS rel.
      13.2 software was used. Preliminary statistical analysis was performed using
      descriptive statistics. According to Shapiro-Wilk criterion of normality, the
      Wilcoxon test was used to compare paired samples. Next, the data was analyzed
      using multivariate GLM models. RESULTS: In adolescent girls with double
      scoliosis, significant differences between the left and right side of the body
      concerning the Trunk-Pelvis-Hip Angle ranges were noted. A single, unilateral PNF
      mobilization significantly decreased the angle of trunk rotation in the thoracic
      (p < 0.001) and lumbar spine (p < 0.001). Unilateral PNF mobilization also
      increased the Trunk-Pelvis-Hip Angle ranges on the left (p < 0.001) and right (p
      < 0.001) side significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral PNF mobilization led to a
      decrease in the angle of trunk rotation, improvement in the range of motion, and
      the symmetry of mobility in the transverse plane in the trunk-pelvis-hip complex
      in adolescent girls with double idiopathic scoliosis. The effects should be
      treated only as immediate. Further studies are required to determine long-term
      effects of PNF mobilization on the spinal alignment. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ISRCTN11750900.

PMID- 28905004
TI  - Gastroenteritis Aggressive Versus Slow Treatment For Rehydration (GASTRO). A
      pilot rehydration study for severe dehydration: WHO plan C versus slower
      rehydration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) rehydration management guidelines
      (Plan C) for children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and severe dehydration are
      widely practiced in resource-poor settings, yet have never been formally
      evaluated in a clinical trial. A recent audit of outcome of AGE at Kilifi County
      Hospital, Kenya noted that 10% of children required high dependency care (20%
      mortality) and a number developed fluid-related complications. The fluid
      resuscitation trial, FEAST, conducted in African children with severe febrile
      illness, demonstrated higher mortality with fluid bolus therapy and raised
      concerns regarding the safety of rapid intravenous rehydration therapy. Those
      findings warrant a detailed physiological study of children's responses to
      rehydration therapy incorporating quantification of myocardial performance and
      haemodynamic changes.  Methods: GASTRO is a multi-centre, unblinded Phase II
      randomised controlled trial of 120 children aged 2 months to 12 years admitted to
      hospital with severe dehydration secondary to AGE. Children with severe
      malnutrition, chronic diarrhoea and congenital/rheumatic heart disease are
      excluded. Children will be enrolled over 18 months in 3 centres in Kenya and
      Uganda and followed until 7 days post-discharge. The trial will randomise
      children 1:1 to standard rapid rehydration using Ringers Lactate  (WHO plan 'C' -
      100mls/kg over 3-6 hours according to age, plus additional 0.9% saline boluses
      for children presenting in shock) or to a slower rehydration regimen (100mls/kg
      given over 8 hours and without the addition of fluid boluses). Enrolment started
      in November 2016 and is on-going. Primary outcome is frequency of adverse events,
      particularly related to cardiovascular compromise and neurological sequelae. 
      Secondary outcomes focus on clinical, biochemical, and physiological measures
      related to assessment of severity of dehydration, and response to treatment by
      intravenous rehydration. DISCUSSION: Results from this pilot will contribute to
      generating robust definitions of outcomes (in particular for non-mortality
      endpoints) for a larger Phase III trial.

PMID- 28905005
TI  - Management of gastric cancer in Indian population.
AB  - Adenocarcinoma stands the most common malignancies in the gastric carcinomas and
      holds a significant mortality and morbidity rates annually, due to the early
      vague symptoms among the population and hence the delayed presentation at
      advanced stages of cancer. In India the screening programs for gastric cancer has
      been a setback due to various logistics reasons and the data available from
      reporting is also not content. Our study is a review article featuring the
      management of gastric cancer in the Indian population. The lifestyle of India
      population is varied right from its southern region to its northern counterparts,
      which is due to its diversified culture within the country. Studies have
      concluded that the northern population tends to have a higher incidence
      comparatively and the various risk factors associated with the disease has been
      discussed. Management of the gastric cancer in India remains the same compared to
      the outside world, though the availability of endoscopic ultrasound and other
      technical advancements remain sparse in the field of diagnostics and staging of
      the disease. D2 gastrectomy remains the mainstay of surgery among the Indian
      population though significant number of patients are deemed inoperable on table.
      Neo adjuvant Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Targeted therapy is yet to be
      efficiently used across the country according to our study as there is lack of
      data in our registries. The incidence is decreasing in developing nations and
      more proximal cancers are reported. However, in India the major population-based
      cancer registries report an incidence decline only in Mumbai and Chennai. A shift
      from distal to proximal as the site of disease has not been reported from India.
      The contribution of the Indian scientific fraternity to the world medical
      literature for gastric cancer is sparse and it is clear that a lot more is to be
      done; the possible reason may be a busy clinical schedule or lack of initiatives.
      There is an urgent need for research in various aspects of gastric cancer from
      India including epidemiological and therapeutic areas.

PMID- 28905006
TI  - Overview of fluorescence imaging focusing on fusion-image for laparoscopic
      hepatectomy.

PMID- 28905007
TI  - Reconstruction after laparoscopic assisted distal gastrectomy: technical tips and
      pitfalls.
AB  - After the advent of the concept of laparoscopic assisted distal gastrectomy
      (LADG), the digestive reconstruction poses arguments among surgeons. There are
      three major different ways including Billroth I gastroduodenostomy, Billroth II
      gastrojejunostomy and Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy, and each of them has its own
      trick. In this article, the technical tips and pitfalls of each reconstruction
      will be discussed based on studies and author's experience.

PMID- 28905008
TI  - Probiotics as a preventive strategy for surgical infection in colorectal cancer
      patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infection following abdominal surgery remains a major factor in
      morbidity among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Probiotic therapy has been
      suggested to improve the clinical and laboratory outcome of patients undergoing
      gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy
      of probiotic lactic acid bacteria in patients with CRC in the pre- and
      postoperative phases. METHODS: Systematic database searches identified 1,080
      related articles. However, only seven articles were selected according to the
      eligibility criteria for qualitative and quantitative evaluation. RESULTS: Most
      of the reviewed articles presented satisfactory results related to the prevention
      of surgical inflammation in patients undergoing resection of CRC when using
      strains of Lactobacillus genus, predominantly. CONCLUSIONS: Probiotics are
      suggested to prevent surgical inflammation of CRC, at the same time that the
      combination of particular microorganisms administered is beneficial to the
      treatment and surgical recovery.

PMID- 28905010
TI  - Incomplete resection after macroscopic radical endoscopic resection of T1
      colorectal cancer-should a paradigm-changing approach to address the risk be
      considered?

PMID- 28905009
TI  - Living donor liver transplantation for hepatocellular cancer: an (almost)
      exclusive Eastern procedure?
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most prevalent cancer and it is
      linked with chronic liver disease. Liver transplantation (LT) is the best
      curative treatment modality, since it can cure simultaneously the underlying
      liver disease and HCC. Milan criteria (MC) are the benchmark for selecting
      patients with HCC for LT, achieving up to 91% 1-year survival post
      transplantation. However, when considering intention-to-treat (ITT) rates are
      substantially lower, mainly due dropout. Additionally, Milan criteria (MC) are
      too restrictive and more inclusive criteria have been reported with good
      outcomes. Mainly, in Eastern countries, deceased donors are scarce, therefore
      Asian centers have developed living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) to a state
      of-art status. There are many eastern centers reporting huge numbers of LDLT with
      outstanding results. Regarding HCC patients, they have reported many criteria
      including more advanced tumors achieving reasonable outcomes. Western countries
      have well-established deceased-donor liver transplantation (DDLT) programs.
      However, organ shortage and restrictive criteria for listing patients with HCC
      endorses LDLT as a good option to offer curative treatment to more HCC patients.
      However, there are some controversial reports claiming higher rates of HCC
      recurrence after LDLT than DDLT. An extensive review included 30 studies with
      cohorts of HCC patients who underwent LDLT in both East and West countries. We
      reported also the results of our Institution, in Brazil, where it was performed
      the first LDLT. This review also addresses the eligibility criteria for
      transplanting patients with HCC developed in Western and Eastern countries.

PMID- 28905011
TI  - Acute portal vein thrombosis secondary to hyperhomocysteinemia with folic acid
      deficiency and methyl tetrahydrofolate reductase mutation: a case report and
      literature review.

PMID- 28905012
TI  - A rare case, diagnosed as calcified callosal lipoma, when the patient presented
      with acute stroke.

PMID- 28905013
TI  - Common rs5918 (PlA1/A2) polymorphism in the ITGB3 gene and risk of coronary
      artery disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The T to C transition at nucleotide 1565 of the human glycoprotein
      IIIa (ITGB3) gene represents a genetic polymorphism (PlA1/A2) that can influence
      both platelet activation and aggregation and that has been associated with many
      types of disease. Here, we present a newly designed multiplex tetra-primer
      amplification refractory mutation system - polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR)
      for genotyping a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (dbSNP ID: rs5918) in the
      human ITGB3 gene. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We set up T-ARMS-PCR for the rs5918 SNP
      in a single-step PCR and the results were validated by the PCR-RFLP method in 132
      coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and 122 unrelated healthy individuals.
      RESULTS: Full accordance was found for genotype determination by the PCR-RFLP
      method. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed a significant
      association of the rs5918 polymorphism and CAD according to dominant and
      recessive models (dominant model OR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.33-4.35; p = 0.003,
      recessive model OR: 4.71, 95% CI: 1.32-16.80; p = 0.0067). CONCLUSIONS: Our T
      ARMS-PCR in comparison with RFLP and allele-specific PCR is more advantageous
      because this PCR method allows the evaluation of both the wild type and the
      mutant allele in the same tube. Our results suggest that the rs5918 (PlA1/A2)
      polymorphism in the ITGB3 gene may contribute to the susceptibility of sporadic
      Iranian coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

PMID- 28905014
TI  - Levels of brain natriuretic peptide as a marker for the diagnosis and prognosis
      of acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The relationships between plasma levels of brain natriuretic
      peptide (BNP) and severity and location of stroke, prognosis, and infarct volume
      were investigated in acute ischemic stroke patients who presented within the
      first 24 hours (h) of stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Brain natriuretic peptide
      levels were tested in 40 patients and 30 healthy controls. Infarct volume was
      automatically calculated by multi-slice computed tomography. Disease severity was
      assessed using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at
      presentation, 24 h, 72 h and the 28th day. Progression was defined as an increase
      of more than two points in the NIHSS scores. RESULTS: The mean BNP levels were
      284.16 +/-382.79 at presentation and 273.78 +/-451.91 at 72 h in the patient
      group, whereas the mean BNP level was 25.29 +/-13.47 in controls. There was a
      statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.001).
      Differences in BNP levels among patient subgroups according to the TOAST and OCSP
      classifications were not statistically significant (p = 0.534, p = 0.943,
      respectively). There was no significant correlation between plasma BNP level and
      infarct volume or NIHSS scores (p = 0.5, p = 0.07). A positive correlation was
      found between BNP levels and the length of the hospitalization period (p = 0.03
      and r = 0.33). There was no statistically significant relationship between
      elevated plasma BNP levels and progression of disease (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS:
      Plasma BNP levels were increased in the acute phase of stroke; therefore, BNP
      could be used as a biomarker for morbidity and mortality, even in patients
      without cardiac failure.

PMID- 28905016
TI  - Myocarditis suggesting acute myocardial ischemia, without occlusion of the
      coronary artery, in a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome and systemic
      vasculitis in the course of cold agglutinin disease.

PMID- 28905015
TI  - Usefulness of serum procalcitonin as a diagnostic biomarker of infection in
      children with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels are known to be low in healthy
      individuals in healthy subjects but are increased in patients with a severe
      bacterial infection. It has not been extensively studied in children with chronic
      kidney disease (CKD), treated either with hemodialysis (HD) or with renal
      transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During a 6-month period, blood samples
      were taken from 102 (55 HD children and 47 renal transplant recipients) children
      with a strong clinical suspicion of infection. Procalcitonin levels were measured
      by ELISA. RESULTS: Thirty-four/102 cases had proven infections as defined
      previously. Children with proven infections had a significantly higher PCT (0.920
      +/-0.24 ng/ml) than those without (0.456 +/-0.53 ng/ml), p = 0.04. The ideal
      cutoff value derived for serum PCT was 0.5 ng/ml. This threshold value
      established a sensitivity of 94.1% and a specificity of 87.9%. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study indicates that significantly increased PCT concentration is a promising
      predictor of systemic bacterial infection in children with CKD, with good
      sensitivity and specificity. This study proposes that serum PCT is a convenient
      index of infection in CKD children at a cutoff value of 0.5 ng/ml.

PMID- 28905017
TI  - Treat-to-target therapy does not prevent excessive progression of carotid intima
      media thickness during the first year of therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of subclinical
      atherosclerosis and predictors of change in carotid intima-media measures in
      early rheumatoid arthritis patients (eRA) as compared to chronic RA patients and
      patients without arthritis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-five consecutive eRA
      patients were assessed at the time of diagnosis and after 1 year of therapy.
      Fifty-five sex- and age-matched chronic RA patients and 29 patients without
      inflammatory disease were used as controls. Carotid artery intima-media thickness
      (CIMT) and carotid plaques were measured at baseline and after follow-up. In eRA
      patients ultrasound assessment of hand joints was performed before and after
      treatment. Carotid artery intima-media thickness was assessed again after 2 years
      in 44 eRA patients. RESULTS: Carotid artery intima-media thickness progression
      after 1 year of therapy was higher in eRA patients compared to both control
      groups (p = 0.017) and correlated with symptoms duration (p = 0.017) and DMARD
      monotherapy (p = 0.015). Ultrasound progression of hand joint erosions was
      associated with longer symptoms duration (p = 0.006). After 2 years of
      observation CIMT progression was similar in all examined groups. CONCLUSIONS: We
      observed rapid CIMT progression during the first year of RA therapy. Longer
      symptoms duration and less aggressive therapy were associated with CIMT increase.

PMID- 28905019
TI  - A rare neurologic deficiency in HaNDL syndrome: cranial neuropathy.

PMID- 28905018
TI  - Correlation between leukocyte count and infarct size in ST segment elevation
      myocardial infarction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Regarding the inflammatory mechanisms involved in ischemic heart
      disease, currently the leukocyte count is the subject of studies related to its
      association with the prognosis and mortality of ST segment elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI). Our aim is correlate the leukocyte count rise with the size
      of STEMI, evaluated with the area under the curve (AUC) and the peak of necrosis
      markers release. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study is a sub-analysis of the TETHYS
      trial, a clinical trial that evaluated the effects of methotrexate in STEMI. We
      evaluated the correlation between quantitative variables with Pearson's
      correlation, and the variables that did not follow a normal distribution were
      subjected to logarithmic transformation to base 10. The value of p < 0.05
      indicated statistical significance. RESULTS: Males accounted for 73% of the
      participants, who had an average age of 59 years. A total of 58% were
      hypertensive and 53% smokers. The leukocyte count at hospital admission was
      significantly correlated with the AUC creatine kinase (CK) (r = 0.256, p =
      0.021), troponin AUC (r = 0.247, p = 0.026), peak CK (r = 0.270, p = 0.015) and
      troponin peak (r = 0.233, p = 0.037). The leukocyte count at 72 h was
      significantly correlated with CK AUC (r = 0.238, p = 0.032), AUC of MB portion of
      CK (r = 0.240, p = 0.031) and peak CK (r = 0.224, p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: White
      blood cell count correlates with STEMI size assessed by serial cardiac biomarker
      levels.

PMID- 28905021
TI  - The importance of clinical signs as well as radiological findings in the
      diagnosis of incomplete locked-in syndrome.

PMID- 28905020
TI  - Increased circulating soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor
      (suPAR) levels in patients with slow coronary flow.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Slow coronary flow (SCF) is an angiographic phenomenon
      characterized by delayed opacification of epicardial coronary arteries without an
      obstructive coronary disease. Serum soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator
      receptor (suPAR) levels seem closely related to atherosclerosis due to increased
      inflammation and prothrombotic state. We studied whether circulating suPAR is
      related to SCF. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study was cross-sectional and
      observational. It included 75 individuals who underwent coronary angiography with
      suspected CAD and had angiographically normal coronary arteries of varying
      coronary flow rates. The relationship between suPAR, C-reactive protein (CRP) and
      SCF was investigated. Forty patients with isolated SCF (mean age: 46.0 +/-4.14
      years) and 35 age- and gender-matched control participants with normal coronary
      flow (NCF) and normal coronary arteries (NCA) (mean age: 46.0 +/-5.7 years) were
      included in the study. We used logistic regression analysis to determine the
      predictors of SCF. RESULTS: The clinical characteristics were not statistically
      significantly different between SCF and NCA groups. Serum suPAR level was
      significantly higher in the SCF group than the control group (2.5-5.4 ng/ml vs.
      0.1-1.4 ng/ml; p < 0.001). Also the serum CRP level was higher in the CSF group
      than the control group (1.57 +/-0.43 mg/l vs. 0.53 +/-0.23 mg/l; p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed significantly increased serum suPAR levels in
      patients with SCF. Although we cannot draw conclusions on the underlying
      pathological process of SCF, we believe that these findings may be pioneering for
      further studies investigating the specific roles of circulating suPAR in the SCF
      phenomenon in the coronary vasculature.

PMID- 28905022
TI  - Contrast-induced encephalopathy after coronary angioplasty and stent
      implantation.

PMID- 28905023
TI  - Subclavian artery dissection: a rare complication of transradial coronary
      angiography.

PMID- 28905024
TI  - Microvolt T-wave alternans in young myocardial infarction patients with preserved
      cardiac function treated with single-vessel primary percutaneous coronary
      intervention.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Myocardial infarction continues to be the most important cause of
      morbidity and mortality, and recently this disease has begun to be seen commonly
      at young ages. In our study we aimed to assess microvolt T-wave alternans in
      young patients who had ST segment elevation myocardial infarction with preserved
      left ventricular function and who underwent single-vessel revascularization.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 108 consecutive patients (age: 39.5 +/-4.1)
      with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous
      coronary intervention and 43 patients (age: 38.5 +/-3.7) with normal coronary
      angiograms as a control group. The myocardial infarction patients were younger
      than 45 and had a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. They were divided
      into three groups according to the culprit artery. The microvolt T-wave alternans
      (MTWA) values were calculated an average of 12 months after the primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention using the modified moving average method.
      RESULTS: The MTWA positivity was significantly higher in the STEMI group compared
      to the controls (p < 0.001). It was also significantly higher in STEMI patients
      with left anterior descending artery lesions compared to patients with circumflex
      artery and right coronary artery lesions (p = 0.013). Moreover, the culprit
      artery was independent predictor of MTWA positivity (p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: In
      STEMI patients of a young age, MTWA positivity was higher than in healthy
      individuals, especially when the responsible vessel fed a wider region.

PMID- 28905025
TI  - Internal carotid artery occlusion should not exclude surgery.

PMID- 28905026
TI  - Estimating fat mass in heart failure patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Body composition (BC) assessments in heart failure (HF) patients
      are mainly based on body weight, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio. The
      present study compares BC assessments by basic anthropometry, dual energy X-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA), bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS), and air
      displacement plethysmography (ADP) for the estimation of fat (FM) and fat-free
      mass (FFM) in a HF population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this single-centre,
      observational pilot study we enrolled 52 patients with HF (33 HF with reduced
      ejection fraction (HFrEF), 19 HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF); mean
      age was 67.7 +/-9.9 years, 41 male) and 20 healthy controls. DXA was used as a
      reference standard for the measurement of FM and FFM. RESULTS: In the HF
      population, linear regression for DXA-FM and waist-to-hip ratio (r = -0.05, 95%
      CI: (-0.32)-0.23), body mass index (r = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.23-0.669), and body
      density (r = -0.87, 95% CI: (-0.93)-(-0.87)) was obtained. In HF, Lin's
      concordance correlation coefficient of DXA-FM (%) with ADP-FM (%) was 0.76 (95%
      CI: 0.64-0.85) and DXA-FFM [kg] with DXA-ADP [kg] was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88-0.96).
      DXA-FM (%) for BIS-FM (%) was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.54-0.80) and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.60
      0.82) for DXA-FFM [kg] and BIS-FFM [kg]. CONCLUSIONS: Body density is a useful
      surrogate for FM. ADP was found suitable for estimating FM (%) and FFM [kg] in HF
      patients. BIS showed acceptable results for the estimation of FM (%) in HFrEF and
      for FFM [kg] in HFpEF patients. We encourage selecting a suitable method for BC
      assessment according to the compartment of interest in the HF population.

PMID- 28905027
TI  - Metabolic syndrome severity score: range and associations with cardiovascular
      risk factors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Metabolic Syndrome Severity Score (MSSS) is a new clinical
      prediction rule (CPR) for diagnostic and therapeutic decisions and employs
      available components (sex, age, race, systolic blood pressure, waistline
      circumference, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides and fasting blood
      glucose). The aim of our work was to perform cross-sectional pilot trial on
      middle-aged healthy volunteers and patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) with
      and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for studying feasibility and
      implementation of MSSS and its associations with cardiovascular risk factors.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We approached 64 eligible participants from Bulgaria. The
      MSSS values, together with demographic, anthropometric, medical history,
      laboratory findings, CVD risk factors, QRISK2 score for 10-year cardiovascular
      risk and predicted heart age, were analysed. Descriptive statistics with tests
      for comparison (e.g., t-test, chi2) between groups as well as ANOVA and logistic
      regression were applied. RESULTS: We analysed data from 56 participants (aged
      50.11 +/-3.43 years). The MSSS was higher in MetS patients (including 6 T2DM
      patients) than in controls (n = 29; 51.8%) presented as percentiles (69.97% and
      34.41%, respectively) and z-scores (0.60 and -0.45, respectively) (p < 0.05). The
      logistic regression model of MSSS indicated a positive association with MetS/T2DM
      cases (correctness > 85%, p < 0.01). For further validation purposes, positive
      correlations of MSSS with CVD risk factor as diastolic blood pressure (Rho =
      0.399; p < 0.003) and QRISK2 score (Rho = 0.524; p < 0.001) or predicted heart
      age (Rho = 0.368; p < 0.007) were also found. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot study of
      MSSS in Bulgaria indicated feasibility and consistency of its implementation
      among patients with metabolic syndrome and/or T2DM and healthy volunteers.

PMID- 28905028
TI  - Reduction of NAA/Cr ratio in a patient with reversible posterior
      leukoencephalopathy syndrome using MR spectroscopy.

PMID- 28905029
TI  - In-stent graft restenosis in the carotid artery. What is your opinion about this
      patient?

PMID- 28905030
TI  - Should all coronary artery perforations be treated immediately?

PMID- 28905032
TI  - Is there any association between vitamin D levels and isolated coronary artery
      ectasia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It has been postulated that low vitamin D levels are associated
      with coronary artery diseases. Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is associated with
      atherosclerosis, congenital cardiac defects, immunological diseases and
      connective tissue diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there
      is an association between vitamin D and parathormone levels and isolated coronary
      artery ectasia and its extent. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 93
      participants: 47 patients (35 male, 12 female) with isolated CAE and 46 subjects
      (28 male, 18 female) with normal coronary arteries. Demographic characteristics
      of patients and controls were obtained from medical records, and Markis scores of
      patients were calculated. Serum vitamin D and parathormone levels were
      quantitatively measured by the paramagnetic particle chemiluminescence method.
      RESULTS: Serum vitamin D levels were found to be significantly lower in patients
      with isolated CAE than the control group (9.15 +/-4.4 ng/ml, 13.35 +/-5.9 ng/ml,
      p < 0.001). Parathormone levels were significantly higher in the CAE group than
      the control group (61.4 +/-31.6, 48.7 +/-25.5, p < 0.036). However, the study
      revealed no association between serum vitamin D levels and the extent of CAE
      according to the Markis classification (p = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      revealed that lower vitamin D levels and higher parathormone levels were
      associated with isolated CAE, but there was no association between vitamin D
      levels and the extent of CAE.

PMID- 28905031
TI  - Update of treatment of heart failure with reduction of left ventricular ejection
      fraction.
AB  - Underlying and precipitating causes of heart failure (HF) with reduced left
      ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) should be identified and treated when
      possible. Hypertension should be treated with diuretics, angiotensin-converting
      enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and beta-blockers. Diuretics are the first-line drugs in
      the treatment of patients with HFrEF and volume overload. Angiotensin-converting
      enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers (carvedilol, sustained-release metoprolol
      succinate, or bisoprolol) should be used in treatment of HFrEF. Use an
      angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) (candesartan or valsartan) if intolerant to
      ACE inhibitors because of cough or angioneurotic edema. Sacubitril/valsartan may
      be used instead of an ACE inhibitor or ARB in patients with chronic symptomatic
      HFrEF class II or III to further reduce morbidity and mortality. Add an
      aldosterone antagonist (spironolactone or eplerenone) in selected patients with
      class II-IV HF who can be carefully monitored for renal function and potassium
      concentration. (Serum creatinine should be <= 2.5 mg/dl in men and <= 2.0 mg/dl
      in women. Serum potassium should be < 5.0 mEq/l). Add isosorbide dinitrate plus
      hydralazine in patients self-described as African Americans with class II-IV HF
      being treated with diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and beta-blockers. Ivabradine can
      be used in selected patients with HFrEF.

PMID- 28905033
TI  - Left ventricular steal syndrome caused by multiple plexiform coronary artery
      fistulae: case report, literature review and treatment.

PMID- 28905034
TI  - Assessment of subclinical cardiac damage in chronic plaque psoriasis patients: a
      case control study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological studies have suggested that patients with psoriasis
      are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Chronic
      inflammation may play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in psoriasis
      patients. Recent studies have evaluated the expression of plasma endocan and
      homocysteine levels. Endocan is a marker of vascular endothelial damage, and
      homocysteine plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis. Plasma endocan
      and homocysteine levels, as well as echocardiographic parameters, were evaluated
      in patients with psoriasis to assess cardiovascular disease risk. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: This was a prospective cohort analysis of 40 patients who were diagnosed
      with psoriasis and 40 healthy controls matched to the patient group according to
      demographic and biochemical parameters. RESULTS: Serum endocan and homocysteine
      concentrations were significantly higher in the psoriasis group than the control
      group (p < 0.001). Serum endocan concentrations correlated positively with
      disease duration (p < 0.001; r = 0.725). The Tei index (myocardial performance)
      was elevated in psoriasis patients (p < 0.001). Additionally, the E/A (mitral
      valve early diastolic peak flow velocity/mitral valve late diastolic peak flow
      velocity) and E/Em (early diastolic myocardial velocity) ratios were reduced in
      psoriasis patients (p < 0.001). Parameters indicative of left ventricular
      asynchrony were elevated significantly in the psoriasis group versus the control
      group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a substantial increase in serum
      endocan and homocysteine concentrations, and significant differences in key
      parameters of cardiac function, in psoriasis patients relative to controls. These
      results are consistent with the hypothesis that subclinical cardiac damage is
      increased in patients with psoriasis and that psoriasis itself may be a
      cardiovascular risk factor.

PMID- 28905035
TI  - The correlation between plasma human neutrophil peptide 1-3 levels and severity
      of coronary artery disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammation plays a key role in atherosclerosis, and discovering
      new biomarkers of inflammation is becoming important in order to uncover the
      pathogenesis of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). Recent studies
      have focused on polymorphonuclear neutrophils. It has been suggested that human
      neutrophil peptide 1-3 (HNP1-3) is proatherogenic. In this study, we aimed to
      investigate the associations between plasma HNP1-3 levels and the severity of
      atherosclerosis via a generally accepted scoring system. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      This cross-sectional, observational study included 107 consecutive patients
      suffering from stable angina pectoris and undergoing coronary angiography (CAG).
      Patients were divided into two groups according to the Gensini scoring (GS)
      system evaluating disease severity. Group 1 was composed of mild CAD patients
      with GS < 20 and group 2 consisted of severe CAD patients with GS >= 20. Plasma
      HNP1-3 levels were assessed by the ELISA method. RESULTS: The mean HNP1-3 levels
      were found to be lower in group 1 than group 2 (134.7 ng/ml vs. 147.5 ng/ml).
      HNP1-3 levels were significantly higher in the severe CAD group than the mild CAD
      group according to GS (p < 0.001). The results of multivariate logistic
      regression analysis revealed that only age > 62 years and HNP1-3 > 134 ng/ml were
      independent predictors of the severity of CAD after adjusting for gender,
      smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, family history of CAD and white
      blood cell count. In predicting the severity of CAD, the sensitivity and
      specificity of HNP1-3 were 83.9% (p < 0.001) and 58.8% (p < 0.001), respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that the plasma levels of HNP1-3 were
      significantly higher in severe CAD than mild CAD.

PMID- 28905037
TI  - Platelet mass index is increased in psoriasis. A possible link between psoriasis
      and atherosclerosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis, whose relation with atherosclerosis etc. has long been
      known, is a chronic inflammatory disease. Besides providing hemostasis, platelets
      play important roles in inflammatory reactions and immune responses and
      contribute to endothelial damage, thus leading to atherosclerotic plaque
      formation. Mean platelet volume (MPV) has been previously reported as a platelet
      activation marker. Platelet mass index (PMI) is also related to platelet
      functionality and is thought to be a useful parameter for plaque formation
      capacity of platelets. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sex, age, age of onset, disease
      duration, family history, psoriasis area severity index, nail and joint
      involvement, platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet mass index,
      erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) of 320 patients
      with psoriasis and 200 healthy persons were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean platelet
      counts were 277.7 +/-73.374 and 265.06 +/-59.682 (p = 0.032); MPV values were
      8.248 +/-1.150 and 7.442 +/-1.626 (p < 0.001); and PMI values were 2259 +/
      545.617 and 1964 +/-622.762 (p < 0.001) respectively in the psoriasis and control
      group. The MPV showed a significant but inverse correlation with hs-CRP (p =
      0.047, r = -0.149), and no correlation with ESR (p > 0.05). Platelet count and
      PMI had a significant and positive correlation with ESR (p < 0.001, r = 0.404 and
      p < 0.001, r = 0.371), but had no correlation with hs-CRP (p > 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Higher PMI and MPV values, which mean higher plaque formation
      capacity and more active platelets, in psoriasis may make psoriasis patients more
      sensitive to atherosclerotic plaque formation and complications. On the other
      hand, because of the positive PMI correlation with ESR (MPV had no correlation
      with ESR and had a negative correlation with CRP), PMI may be a better predictor
      of inflammation than MPV in psoriasis.

PMID- 28905036
TI  - Can thrombectomy and catheters used increase angiographically visible distal
      embolization in ST elevation myocardial infarction?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred
      treatment of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Manual
      thrombectomy catheters developed to prevent distant embolization are
      theoretically attractive; however, their clinical efficacy remains controversial.
      The effects of manual thrombectomy catheters on angiographically visible distal
      embolisation (AVDE) have not been studied so far. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the effects of manual thrombectomy during PPCI on AVDE and to
      investigate whether there are differences in the incidence of AVDE according to
      the catheters used. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six hundred thirty-six consecutive
      patients undergoing primary PCI were included in the study between January 2010
      and December 2012. Patients were divided into two groups: the PCI only group (465
      patients) and the PCI plus manual thrombectomy group (171 patients). RESULTS:
      Thrombus aspiration was associated with higher AVDE (13.55% vs. 26.9%, p =
      0.0001), lower thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame rate (2.49 +/-0.86 vs.
      2.79 +/-0.57, p = 0.0001), lower myocardial blush grade (2.31 +/-0.87 vs. 2.47 +/
      0.7, p = 0.016), lower ejection fraction (EF) (49.9 +/-8.5 vs. 46.1 +/-9.6, p =
      0.0001) and higher maximal troponin release (15.7 +/-16 vs. 9.4 +/-11, p =
      0.0001). No difference was observed in terms of mortality between the groups in
      follow-up (5.2% vs. 9.03%, p = 0.12). Angiographically visible distal
      embolisation was observed more frequently with Invatec catheters (p = 0.0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Angiographically visible distal embolisation during primary PCI
      occurs in a significant number of patients treated with manual thrombectomy. The
      results indicated that the incidence of AVDE may be different depending on the
      thrombectomy catheters used.

PMID- 28905038
TI  - The impact of clinical and angiographic factors on percutaneous coronary
      angioplasty outcomes in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) outcomes are dependent on
      certain clinical and angiographic factors. The impact of modifiable
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on PCI outcomes is still controversial.
      The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of clinical and angiographic
      factors on PCI outcomes for patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Age, gender, CVD risk factors, Killip
      class and culprit coronary artery (CA) localization, total CA occlusion, initial
      and post-procedural thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade, and
      thrombus aspiration characteristics were assessed retrospectively in 188
      consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI. Spearman's rho test
      was performed to assess hospital stay correlations, and logistic regression was
      applied to identify predictors of distal embolization (DE), in-hospital worsening
      of heart failure (WHF), and in-hospital mortality rate. Local ethics committee
      approval was obtained for the study. RESULTS: DE occurred in 12 (6.4%) patients.
      In-hospital WHF was diagnosed in 16 (8.5%) patients. Twelve (6.4%) patients died
      in hospital. Age had a positive weak correlation with hospital stay and was an
      independent predictor of distal embolization, in-hospital worsening of heart
      failure, and in-hospital mortality rate. Killip class, left main CA stenosis (>
      50.0%), and post-procedural TIMI flow grade 1-2 were other predictors of death in
      hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Age was an independent predictor of distal embolization,
      in-hospital worsening of heart failure, and in-hospital mortality. Other
      independent predictors of in-hospital mortality rate were Killip class, left main
      CA stenosis (> 50.0%), and post-procedural TIMI flow grade 1-2. The present
      analysis highlighted the "cholesterol paradox" with respect to in-hospital
      worsening of heart failure and mortality in hospital.

PMID- 28905039
TI  - Metabolic syndrome may be an important comorbidity in patients with seborrheic
      dermatitis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. One
      of the components of metabolic syndrome is inflammation, and many inflammatory
      cytokines play a critical role in the disease. The aim of this study is to
      investigate metabolic syndrome and to evaluate the relationship between the
      parameters of the disease and disease severity in patients with seborrheic
      dermatitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with seborrheic dermatitis
      and 36 healthy controls were included in the study. The parameters of metabolic
      syndrome were recorded in both groups. In the patient group, disease severity was
      determined with the seborrheic dermatitis area and severity index (SDASI). All
      the venous blood samples were taken at 8 a.m. after 10 h of fasting. RESULTS:
      High-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in the patient group were statistically
      significantly lower than in the controls. There was no significant difference
      between groups according to other parameters. In terms of history of metabolic
      disease in first degree relatives (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and
      dyslipidaemia), 78.7% of those in the patient group (n = 37) and 55.6% of those
      in the control group (n = 20) had a history of metabolic disease in their
      families, and the difference between the patient and control groups was found to
      be statistically significant (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation
      between disease severity and plasma HDL levels (p = 0.033, r = -0.312).
      CONCLUSIONS: The presence of seborrheic dermatitis may be a predictive factor for
      metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 28905040
TI  - Postrenal acute kidney injury and abdominal compartment syndrome associated with
      bladder pressure: type III rectus sheath hematoma.

PMID- 28905041
TI  - Presepsin (sCD14-ST): could it be a novel marker for the diagnosis of ST
      elevation myocardial infarction?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) could be considered to be a state
      of inflammation. Many inflammatory markers have been evaluated in the AMI setting
      so far. Presepsin (PSP) is a novel biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of
      systemic inflammation that has not been studied in the AMI setting to date. In
      this study, we aimed to examine serum PSP levels in patients with acute ST
      elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-eight
      patients with STEMI and fifty healthy controls without coronary artery disease,
      verified by coronary angiography, were included in the study. Together with
      routine laboratory tests needed for STEMI, plasma concentrations of PSP were
      measured in peripheral venous blood samples of the participants. RESULTS: Plasma
      PSP and troponin levels were significantly higher in patients with STEMI than
      controls (1988.89 +/-3101.55 vs. 914.22 +/-911.35 pg/ml, p = 0.001 and 3.46 +/
      3.39 vs. 0.08 +/-0.43 ng/ml, p = 0.001, respectively). The cut-off value for PSP
      of 447 pg/ml was found to detect STEMI with 87.5% sensitivity, 44% specificity,
      60% positive predictive value and 78.5% negative predictive value. CONCLUSIONS:
      In this study, PSP levels were found to be significantly elevated in patients
      with STEMI together with high-sensitivity troponins. The PSP may be a new marker
      for AMI detection. Large scale studies are needed to reveal the importance of PSP
      in the diagnosis and prognosis of AMI.

PMID- 28905042
TI  - Social, demographic and clinical characteristics of patients suffering from
      peripheral vascular disease treated surgically compared to patients treated with
      endovascular angioplasty.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of chronic lower limb
      ischaemia. Many factors that have a crucial influence on the development of the
      disease, its course and prognosis have been identified. The risk factors seem to
      be subject to interventions due to their susceptibility to changes. It is
      important to increase the engagement of doctors and nurses performing the
      screening oriented on risk factors, medical consultation regarding giving up
      smoking, changing the diet and undertaking physical activity. Therefore,
      knowledge of the patients' health situation allows introduction of optimal
      treatment in this group of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group
      consisted of 119 patients with peripheral artery atherosclerosis, who underwent
      surgical and endovascular repair. The diagnostic survey method was used in this
      study. The socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using an originally
      developed questionnaire. The statistical analysis was performed using the data
      analysis software system Statistica, version 10.0, by StatSoft Inc. (2011) and an
      Excel spreadsheet. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 for all
      calculations. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between
      the analysed groups with regard to severity of ischaemia (p = 0.0001),
      intermittent claudication (p = 0.0001), rest pain (p = 0.0001), ulceration (p =
      0.0031), smoking (p = 0.0075) and comorbidities (percutaneous coronary
      interventions p = 0.0299; ischaemic stroke p = 0.0235). CONCLUSIONS: There are
      significantly more patients with more advanced disease and ex-smokers in the
      surgically treated group. There are significantly more patients with a history of
      ischaemic stroke, surgical coronary interventions and current smokers in the
      endovascular group.

PMID- 28905043
TI  - Vascular parkinsonism and vascular dementia are associated with an increased risk
      of vascular events or death.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The natural course of vascular parkinsonism (VaP) and dementia
      (VaD) due to cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is not well known. The aim of
      this single-center study was to evaluate the long-term risk of vascular events,
      death and dependency in patients with VaP or VaD and to compare it with patients
      without cerebrovascular disease but with high atherothrombotic risk. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Seventy-eight consecutive, functionally independent patients with MRI
      features of SVD and with recently diagnosed VaD (n = 50) and VaP (n = 28) and 55
      controls (control group - CG) with high 10-year risk of total cardiovascular
      disease (SCORE >= 5%) were prospectively recruited and followed for 24 months.
      RESULTS: Patients with SVD had lower prevalence of coronary artery disease
      compared with the CG (20.5% vs. 40%; p = 0.02) but similar prevalence of other
      atherothrombotic risk factors including mean age (73.7 +/-7.3 vs. 72 +/-5.9
      years, p = 0.09). All outcomes were worse in SVD patients than controls. Thirty
      one percent of SVD patients (34% of VaD vs. 25% of VaP, p = 0.45) experienced
      vascular events or died compared to 6% of controls (p < 0.01). After adjustments
      for potential confounders (age, sex, vascular risk factors), patients with VaP
      (HR = 7.5; 95% CI: 1.6-33; p < 0.01) and VaD (HR = 8.7; 95% CI: 2.1-35; p < 0.01)
      had higher risk of vascular events or death and death or dependency
      (respectively; HR = 3.9; 95% CI: 0.83-18.8; p = 0.07 and HR = 4.7, 95% CI: 1.1
      19.7; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with VaP or VaD due to SVD had
      significantly higher risk of vascular events, death and dependency compared to
      controls with high cardiovascular risk and without cerebrovascular disease.

PMID- 28905044
TI  - Is there a relationship between blood lipids and lumbar disc herniation in young
      Turkish adults?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Atherosclerosis might diminish the nutrient supply to
      intervertebral discs (IVD), leading to disc herniation. Therefore, there is
      interest in determining the possible association between the blood lipid profile
      and lumbar disc herniation (LDH). We aimed to evaluate the association between
      blood lipids and LDH in a homogeneous group of patients, controlling for age- and
      sex-specific effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a case-control study which
      consisted of 100 individuals (mean age: 41.25 +/-9.09; 50 men and 50 women),
      classified into two groups, as follows. Group I (G-I) consisted of 50 patients
      who underwent surgery for symptomatic LDH, while group II (G-II) consisted of 50
      patients with nonspecific complaints of a headache, but with no previous history
      of back and/or leg pain, recruited among patients admitted to the outpatient
      clinic at the time of the study, and whose age and sex were matched to the study
      group. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood
      glucose, and hemoglobin A1c levels were measured. The TC/HDL-C ratio was
      calculated. Blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index, and the history
      of smoking were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The mean values of the TC, TG,
      LDL-C, HDL-C levels and TC/HDL-C ratio were 198.38, 132.76, 131.9, 40.38 mg/dl
      and 5.09, respectively. No statistically significant relationship between the
      blood lipid profile and LDH was identified in this population. CONCLUSIONS: Blood
      lipid levels in this young adult Turkish population did not predict LDH, and may
      not be a leading cause of IVD ischemia and IVD degeneration.

PMID- 28905045
TI  - Left atrial appendage occlusion in a patient with hereditary hemorrhagic
      telangiectasia and atrial fibrillation - a therapeutic option worth considering.

PMID- 28905046
TI  - Residents' Attitude, Knowledge, and Perceived Preparedness Toward Caring for
      Patients from Diverse Sociocultural Backgrounds.
AB  - Purpose: Training residents to deliver care to increasingly diverse patients in
      the United States is an important strategy to help alleviate racial and ethnic
      disparities in health outcomes. Cross-cultural care training of residents
      continues to present challenges. This study sought to explore the associations
      among residents' cross-cultural attitudes, preparedness, and knowledge about
      disparities to better elucidate possible training needs. Methods: This cross
      sectional study used web-based questionnaires from 2013 to 2014. Eighty-four
      internal medicine residency programs with 954 residents across the United States
      participated. The main outcome was perceived preparedness to care for
      sociocultural diverse patients. Key Results: Regression analysis showed attitude
      toward cross-cultural care (beta coefficient [beta]=0.57, 95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 0.49-0.64, p<0.001) and report of serving a large number of racial/ethnic
      minorities (beta=0.90, 95% CI: 0.56-1.24, p<0.001), and low-socioeconomic status
      patients (beta=0.74, 95% CI: 0.37-1.10, p<0.001) were positively associated with
      preparedness. Knowledge of disparities was poor and did not differ significantly
      across postgraduate year (PGY)-1, PGY-2, and PGY-3 residents (mean scores: 56%,
      58%, and 55%, respectively; p=0.08). Conclusion: Residents' knowledge of health
      and healthcare disparities is poor and does not improve during training.
      Residents' preparedness to provide cross-cultural care is directly associated
      with their attitude toward cross-cultural care and their level of exposure to
      patients from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Future studies should examine
      the role of residents' cross-cultural care-related attitudes on their ability to
      care for diverse patients.

PMID- 28905048
TI  - Social Determinants of Health, Violent Radicalization, and Terrorism: A Public
      Health Perspective.
AB  - Background: Terrorism-related deaths are at an all-time high as there were 32,685
      and 29,376 terrorism-related deaths in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Terrorism is
      defined as the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.
      Terrorism is detrimental for mental health, premature mortality, and economic
      losses and undermines the central tenets of public health to improve the health
      and well-being of populations. Despite the impact terrorism has on avoidable
      morbidity and mortality, population health research largely overlooks social
      determinants of terrorism and risk factors that contribute to terrorist
      activities. Methods: Drawing from what is known about commonly studied social
      determinants of health topics, including the relationships between structural and
      interpersonal discrimination, social cohesion, and gang violence and health, we
      present a public health framework, rooted in the social determinants of health,
      for identifying potential factors influencing terrorism and violent
      radicalization. Results: Social determinants of health provide unique insight
      into how interpersonal and structural factors can influence risk for violent
      radicalization and terrorist activity. Each of the topics we review provides an
      entry point for existing public health and behavioral science knowledge to be
      used in preventing and understanding violent radicalization and terrorism. For
      example, anti-Muslim sentiment has promoted discrimination against Muslims, while
      also serving to marginalize and stigmatize Muslim communities. These conditions
      limit the social resources, like social cohesion, that Muslims have access to and
      make political violence more appealing to some. Conclusions: Public health can
      contribute much to the ongoing debate around terrorism. The field must take a
      more prevention-focused approach to the problem of terrorism. Failure to do so
      only perpetuates approaches that have not been successful.

PMID- 28905047
TI  - Use of Community Health Workers and Patient Navigators to Improve Cancer Outcomes
      Among Patients Served by Federally Qualified Health Centers: A Systematic
      Literature Review.
AB  - Introduction: In the United States, disparities in cancer screening, morbidity,
      and mortality are well documented, and often are related to race/ethnicity and
      socioeconomic indicators including income, education, and healthcare access.
      Public health approaches that address social determinants of health have the
      greatest potential public health benefit, and can positively impact health
      disparities. As public health interventions, community health workers (CHWs), and
      patient navigators (PNs) work to address disparities and improve cancer outcomes
      through education, connecting patients to and navigating them through the
      healthcare system, supporting patient adherence to screening and diagnostic
      services, and providing social support and linkages to financial and community
      resources. Clinical settings, such as federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)
      are mandated to provide care to medically underserved communities, and thus are
      also valuable in the effort to address health disparities. We conducted a
      systematic literature review to identify studies of cancer-related CHW/PN
      interventions in FQHCs, and to describe the components and characteristics of
      those interventions in order to guide future intervention development and
      evaluation. Method: We searched five databases for peer-reviewed CHW/PN
      intervention studies conducted in partnership with FQHCs with a focus on cancer,
      carried out in the United States, and published in English between January 1990
      and December 2013. Results: We identified 24 articles, all reporting positive
      outcomes of CHW/PNs interventions in FQHCs. CHW/PN interventions most commonly
      promoted breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer screening and/or referral for
      diagnostic resolution. Studies were supported largely through federal funding.
      Partnerships with academic institutions and community-based organizations
      provided support and helped develop capacity among FQHC clinic leadership and
      community members. Discussion: Both the FQHC system and CHW/PNs were borne from
      the need to address persistent, complex health disparities among medically
      underserved communities. Our findings support the effectiveness of CHW/PN
      programs to improve completion and timeliness of breast, cervical, and colorectal
      cancer screening in FQHCs, and highlight intervention components useful to design
      and sustainability.

PMID- 28905049
TI  - A tandem annulation with a [1,3]-hydride transfer as the key step leading to
      isochromans.
AB  - An unprecedented method that enables the direct coupling of an alpha-C-H bond in
      alcohols with 2-arylacetaldehydes through a [1,3]-hydride transfer ([1,3]-HT) of
      oxocarbenium ions catalyzed by a Lewis acid has been developed. The redox neutral
      preparation of the isochroman derivatives proceeds via a tandem
      condensation/[1,3]-HT/Friedel-Crafts sequence with moderate to good yields.
      Deuterium-labeling studies provide mechanistic insights and reveal that the redox
      functionalization proceeds via a [1,3]-HT.

PMID- 28905050
TI  - Identification of inhibitors targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall
      biosynthesis via dynamic combinatorial chemistry.
AB  - In this study, we report a dynamic combinatorial approach along with highly
      efficient in situ screening to identify inhibitors of UDP-galactopyranose mutase
      (UGM), an essential enzyme involved in mycobacterial cell wall biosynthesis.
      These two technologies converged to the identification of a new UGM inhibitor
      chemotype. Importantly, the best molecule not only displayed high affinity for
      the target enzyme but also exhibited in vitro growth inhibition against whole
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells. The strategy described here provides an avenue
      to explore a novel inhibitor class for UGMs and paves the way for further
      pharmacological studies on tuberculosis treatment.

PMID- 28905051
TI  - Scaling behavior of oxide-based electrothermal threshold switching devices.
AB  - Materials exhibiting insulator to metal transition (IMT) and transition metal
      oxides showing threshold switching behavior are considered as promising
      candidates for selector devices for crossbar non-volatile memory application. In
      this study, we use an electrothermal model to simulate the behavior of nanoscale
      selectors based on several different functional oxides (TaOx, VO2 and NbO2). We
      extract the device characteristics, such as threshold voltage (VTH), leakage
      current, device temperature in the ON state, and the size of the conductive
      filament as a function of selector diameter and functional layer thickness. In
      addition, we benchmark these devices in a 1 selector/1 resistor (1S1R) cell with
      a generic phase change-like memory element. These findings provide an insight
      into how device performance changes with scaling and help with material selection
      and design of selectors.

PMID- 28905053
TI  - Hetero-metallic, functionalizable polyoxomolybdate clusters via a "top-down"
      synthetic method.
AB  - Two bi-metallic, organophosphonate-stabilised sandwich-type polyoxomolybdate
      clusters, [Mo6Cu4O16(OH)2(C4H9PO3)4(C5H5N)2 (CH3O)4(H2O)]2- and
      [Mo7Cu7O19(OH)(CH3O)7(C4H9PO3)6(C5H5N)2]2-, are reported. These compounds are
      accessed via the "top-down" in situ disassembly of the [Mo6O19]2- Lindqvist
      species into reactive oligomers, followed by subsequent reassembly with
      polynuclear CuII assemblies to form the reported compounds.

PMID- 28905054
TI  - NaH promoted [4+3] annulation of crotonate-derived sulfur ylides with
      thioaurones: synthesis of 2,5-dihydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-b]oxepines.
AB  - The [4+3] annulation reaction of crotonate-derived sulfur ylides with thioaurones
      has, for the first time, been reported using NaH as the base. A diverse array of
      2,5-dihydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-b]oxepines is obtained in good to excellent
      yields. The proposed mechanism is investigated and supported by DFT calculations.

PMID- 28905052
TI  - Cyclic peptide production using a macrocyclase with enhanced substrate
      promiscuity and relaxed recognition determinants.
AB  - Macrocyclic peptides have promising therapeutic potential but the scaling up of
      their chemical synthesis is challenging. The cyanobactin macrocyclase PatGmac is
      an efficient tool for production but is limited to substrates containing 6-11
      amino acids and at least one thiazoline or proline. Here we report a new
      cyanobactin macrocyclase that can cyclize longer peptide substrates and those not
      containing proline/thiazoline and thus allows exploring a wider chemical
      diversity.

PMID- 28905055
TI  - The C-terminal cytidine deaminase domain of APOBEC3G itself undergoes
      intersegmental transfer for a target search, as revealed by real-time NMR
      monitoring.
AB  - APOBEC3G (A3G), an anti-human immunodeficiency virus 1 factor, deaminates
      cytidines. We examined deamination of two cytidines located separately on
      substrate ssDNA by the C-terminal domain (CTD) of A3G using real-time NMR
      monitoring. The deamination preference between the two cytidines was lost when
      either the substrate or non-substrate ssDNA concentration increased. When the non
      substrate ssDNA concentration increased, the deamination activity first
      increased, but then decreased. This indicates that even a single domain, A3G-CTD,
      undergoes intersegmental transfer for a target search.

PMID- 28905056
TI  - Surface alteration of calcite: interpreting macroscopic observations by means of
      AFM.
AB  - Wettability has been recognized to play a fundamental role in the efficacy of
      water flooding processes of carbonate oil and gas reservoirs. However, the
      theoretical mechanism governing this process is still not entirely understood.
      This can be partly attributed to the absence of ad hoc tools and standardized
      sample-preparation methodologies for comprehensive transient characterization of
      the mineral surface. Here, we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate
      the effect of different calcite sample-preparation methodologies in estimating
      the macroscopic water static contact angle (SCA). Single crystal calcite surfaces
      are aged in deionized (DI) water baths, for different exposure times, and dried
      by different techniques, to reveal SCA discrepancies. Trends and observations are
      explained with the use of time-dependent adhesion maps of the surface obtained by
      bimodal AFM. In this context, the AFM interpretation of macroscopic observations
      provides a means to single out the different factors influencing wettability,
      thus allowing for a more standardized description of the processes responsible
      for the modification of the affinity between the mineral rock and injected water.

PMID- 28905057
TI  - A water-mediated and substrate-assisted aminoacylation mechanism in the
      discriminating aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase GlnRS and non-discriminating GluRS.
AB  - Glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS) catalyzes the aminoacylation of glutamine to
      the corresponding tRNAGln. However, most bacteria and all archaea lack GlnRS and
      thus an indirect noncanonical aminoacylation is required. With the assistance of
      a non-discriminating version of Glutamyl-tRNA synthetases (ND-GluRS) the tRNAGln
      is misaminoacylated by glutamate. In this study, we have computationally
      investigated the aminoacylation mechanism in GlnRS and ND-GluRS employing
      Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, Quantum Mechanics (QM) cluster and Quantum
      Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) calculations. Our investigations
      demonstrated the feasibility of a water-mediated, substrate-assisted catalysis
      pathway with rate limiting steps occurring at energy barriers of 25.0 and 25.4
      kcal mol-1 for GlnRS and ND-GluRS, respectively. A conserved lysine residue
      participates in a second proton transfer to facilitate the departure of the
      adenosine monophosphate (AMP) group. Thermodynamically stable (-29.9 and -9.3
      kcal mol-1 for GlnRS and ND-GluRS) product complexes are obtained only when the
      AMP group is neutral.

PMID- 28905058
TI  - A transition-metal-free fast track to flavones and 3-arylcoumarins.
AB  - A highly regioselective and transition-metal free one-pot arylation of
      chromenones with arylboronic acids has been achieved employing K2S2O8. The
      procedure consists of a sequence of some reactions including an
      arylation/decarboxylation cascade and proceeds well in aqueous media to afford
      biologically interesting flavones and 3-arylcoumarins. This method exhibited
      excellent selectivity and functional group tolerance under mild conditions. The
      reaction also showed perfect efficacy for the preparation of styryl coumarins.

PMID- 28905059
TI  - Fe2O3, a cost effective and environmentally friendly catalyst for the generation
      of NH3 - a future fuel - using a new Al2O3-looping based technology.
AB  - Fe2O3 is found to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly catalyst for
      chemical looping generation of NH3 - a future fuel. The optimal Fe2O3 loading on
      nitrogen carriers, AIN, is 5 wt%. Fe2O3 can reduce the activation energy of the N
      desorption step of AIN by 100 kJ mol-1 or ~30%.

PMID- 28905060
TI  - An engineering approach to synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles by
      controlling hydrodynamics and mixing based on a coaxial flow reactor.
AB  - In this work we present a detailed study of flow technology approaches that could
      open up new possibilities for nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesis of gold and
      silver nanoparticles (NPs) in a flow device based on a coaxial flow reactor (CFR)
      was investigated. The CFR comprised of an outer glass tube of 2 mm inner diameter
      (I.D.) and an inner glass tube whose I.D. varied between 0.142 and 0.798 mm. A
      split and recombine (SAR) mixer and coiled flow inverter (CFI) were further
      employed to alter the mixing conditions after the CFR. The 'Turkevich' method was
      used to synthesize gold NPs, with a CFR followed by a CFI. This assembly allows
      control over nucleation and growth through variation of residence time.
      Increasing the total flow rate from 0.25 ml min-1 to 3 ml min-1 resulted
      initially in a constant Au NP size, and beyond 1 ml min-1 to a size increase of
      Au NPs from 17.9 +/- 2.1 nm to 23.9 +/- 4.7 nm. The temperature was varied
      between 60-100  degrees C and a minimum Au NP size of 17.9 +/- 2.1 nm was
      observed at 80  degrees C. Silver NPs were synthesized in a CFR followed by a SAR
      mixer, using sodium borohydride to reduce silver nitrate in the presence of
      trisodium citrate. The SAR mixer provided an enhancement of the well-controlled
      laminar mixing in the CFR. Increasing silver nitrate concentration resulted in a
      decrease in Ag NP size from 5.5 +/- 2.4 nm to 3.4 +/- 1.4 nm. Different
      hydrodynamic conditions were studied in the CFR operated in isolation for silver
      NP synthesis. Increasing the Reynolds number from 132 to 530 in the inner tube
      created a vortex flow resulting in Ag NPs in the size range between 5.9 +/- 1.5
      nm to 7.7 +/- 3.4 nm. Decreasing the inner tube I.D. from 0.798 mm to 0.142 mm
      resulted in a decrease in Ag NP size from 10.5 +/- 4.0 nm to 4.7 +/- 1.4 nm.
      Thus, changing the thickness of the inner stream enabled control over size of the
      Ag NPs.

PMID- 28905061
TI  - An anionic Na(i)-organic framework platform: separation of organic dyes and post
      modification for highly sensitive detection of picric acid.
AB  - A cage-based anionic Na(i)-organic framework with a unique Na9 cluster-based
      secondary building unit and a cage-in-cage structure was constructed. The
      selective separation of dyes with different charges and sizes was investigated.
      Furthermore, the Rh6G@MOF composite could be applied as a recyclable fluorescent
      sensor for detecting picric acid (PA) with high sensitivity and selectivity.

PMID- 28905062
TI  - Selective synthesis of tetrahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and pyrrolidine
      derivatives via a one-pot two-step reaction.
AB  - In the presence of triethylamine, the addition reaction of substituted alpha
      amino acid alkyl esters including ethyl hyperphenylalaninate, phenylalaninate,
      isoleucinate, and alaninate with dialkyl but-2-ynedioate afforded active beta
      enamino esters, which in turn reacted with aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile
      to give tetrahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives in moderate yields. Under
      similar reaction conditions, the reaction of ethyl glycinate with dialkyl but-2
      ynedioate resulted in a 1,3-dipolar azomethine ylide, which reacted further with
      in situ-generated arylidene malononitrile, alkyl cyanoacetate, and cyanoacetamide
      to give polysubstituted pyrrolidine derivatives in good yields.

PMID- 28905063
TI  - Palladium-catalyzed oxidative coupling of arylboronic acid with isocyanide to
      form aromatic carboxylic acids.
AB  - A valuable palladium-catalyzed oxidative coupling of aryl- and alkenyl borides
      with isocyanide for the synthesis of corresponding carboxylic acids has been
      developed. With wide substrate scopes and good functional group tolerance, this
      reaction offers corresponding carboxylic acids in moderate to excellent yields.

PMID- 28905064
TI  - Mechanochemical synthesis of high coercivity Nd2(Fe,Co)14B magnetic particles.
AB  - With increasing demand for magnets in energy conversion systems, the quest for
      the development and understanding of novel processing routes to produce permanent
      magnets has become urgent. We report a novel mechanochemical process for the
      synthesis of Nd2(Fe,Co)14B magnetic particles with a high coercivity of 12.4 kOe.
      This process involves the reduction of neodymium oxide, iron oxide, cobalt oxide
      and boron anhydride in the presence of a calcium reducing agent and a CaO
      diluent. The formation mechanism of Nd2(Fe,Co)14B changed with increasing CaO
      content, and the average crystal size of the Nd2(Fe,Co)14B particles also
      increased, resulting in an increase in the coercivity values. The reaction
      mechanism during milling was revealed through a study of the phase
      transformations as a function of milling time. It was found that unlike self
      propagating reactions, this reduction reaction during milling requires continuous
      input of mechanical energy to reach a steady state.

PMID- 28905065
TI  - Be positive: optimizing pramlintide from microcanonical analysis of amylin
      isoforms.
AB  - Amylin, or human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), is a 37-residue hormone
      synergistic to insulin and co-secreted with it by beta-cells in the pancreas. The
      deposition of its cytotoxic amyloid fibrils is strongly related to the
      progression of Type II diabetes (T2D) and islet graft failures. Notably, isoforms
      from some mammalian species, such as rats (rIAPP) and porcine (pIAPP), present a
      few key mutations preventing aggregation. This has lead to biotechnological
      development of drugs for adjunct therapies of T2D, such as pramlintide, a variant
      of hIAPP inspired by rIAPP whose proline substitutions have beta-strand fibril
      breaking properties. Ideally, such a drug should be formulated with insulin and
      co-administered, but this has been prevented by a poor solubility profile at the
      appropriate pH. Hopefully, this could be improved with appropriate point
      mutations, increasing the molecular net charge. Despite experimental progress,
      preliminary screening during rational drug design can greatly benefit from
      thermodynamic insight derived from molecular simulations. So we introduce
      microcanonical thermostatistics analysis of multicanonical (MUCA) simulations of
      wild-type amylin isoforms as a systematic assessment of protein thermostability.
      As a consequence of this comprehensive investigation, the most suitable single
      point mutations able to optimize pramlintide are located among the wild-type
      amylin isoforms. In particular, we find that aggregation inhibition and increased
      solubility are inherited by pramlintide through further S20R substitution typical
      of pIAPP. Thus, we provide a consistent thermostatistical methodology to aid the
      design of improved adjunct therapies for T2D according to current clinical
      knowledge.

PMID- 28905066
TI  - FeCl3/ZnI2-Catalyzed regioselective synthesis of angularly fused furans.
AB  - The FeCl3/ZnI2-catalyzed synthesis of angularly fused furans by intermolecular
      coupling between enols and alkynes has been developed in ambient air. The
      methodology is successfully applicable to 4-hydroxycoumarin, 4-hydroxyquinolinone
      and alpha-tetralone affording regioselective 2-aryl furans in good yields. The
      control experiments suggest the possibility of a radical reaction mechanism.

PMID- 28905067
TI  - Non-noble metal plasmonic photocatalysis in semimetal bismuth films for
      photocatalytic NO oxidation.
AB  - Recently, non-noble metals with plasmonic properties have attracted great
      attention due to their potential applications in photocatalytic solar-energy
      conversion. However, in contrast to the well-studied plasmonic noble metals
      (mainly Au and Ag), which have distinct absorption peaks, the understanding of
      light absorption and the photocatalytic reaction mechanism of non-noble metals is
      far less. In this study, semimetal bismuth films are deposited on fluorine-doped
      tin oxide substrates by a dc magnetron sputtering method. Both theoretical
      calculation and UV-vis absorption spectra confirm that the field enhancement and
      location of plasmonic resonance peaks are strongly correlated with the size of Bi
      particles. Through tuning the sputtering power, for the first time, four distinct
      absorption peaks are observed over isolated Bi particles. Moreover, it is found
      that the energy barrier for the conversion of NO into NO2 over Bi is even lower
      than that with Au nanoclusters. Thus, Bi films are highly active for
      photocatalytic oxidation of NO. Moreover, the low NO2 desorption energy over Bi
      indicates that Bi films can be the main active sites during the reaction process
      and that they possess good stability.

PMID- 28905068
TI  - Mild synthesis of monodisperse tin nanocrystals and tin chalcogenide hollow
      nanostructures.
AB  - We report a mild synthetic method to access Sn nanocrystals with tunable diameter
      and narrow size distribution (6-8%). The self-templated formation of various
      types of Sn chalcogenide hollow nanostructures including oxides, sulfides,
      selenides, and tellurides is also demonstrated for the first time. The use of air
      stable tungsten hexacarbonyl that produces carbon monoxide at elevated
      temperature to reduce the SnCl2 precursor and coordinate the nanoparticle surface
      is thought to play an essential role in this method. This synthesis method is
      likely to be extended to other metal systems and could find potential
      applications including battery anodes and catalysts.

PMID- 28905069
TI  - Hollow Co2P nanoflowers assembled from nanorods for ultralong cycle-life
      supercapacitors.
AB  - Hollow Co2P nanoflowers (Co2P HNFs) were successfully prepared via a one-step,
      template-free method. Microstructure analysis reveals that Co2P HNFs are
      assembled from nanorods and possess abundant mesopores and an amorphous carbon
      shell. Density functional theory calculations and electrochemical measurements
      demonstrate the high electrical conductivity of Co2P. Benefiting from the unique
      nanostructures, when employed as an electrode material for supercapacitors, Co2P
      HNFs exhibit a high specific capacitance, an outstanding rate capability, and an
      ultralong cycling stability. Furthermore, the constructed Co2P HNF//AC ASC
      exhibits a high energy density of 30.5 W h kg-1 at a power density of 850 W kg-1,
      along with a superior cycling performance (108.0% specific capacitance retained
      after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g-1). These impressive results make Co2P HNFs a
      promising candidate for supercapacitor applications.

PMID- 28905070
TI  - Sodium-cationized carbohydrate gas-phase fragmentation chemistry: influence of
      glycosidic linkage position.
AB  - We investigate the gas-phase structures and fragmentation chemistry of two
      isomeric sodium-cationized carbohydrates using combined tandem mass spectrometry,
      hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments, and computational methods. Our model
      systems are the glucose-based disaccharide analytes cellobiose (beta-d
      glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 4)-d-glucose) and gentiobiose (beta-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 ->
      6)-d-glucose). These analytes show substantially different tandem mass spectra.
      We characterize the rate-determining barriers to both the glycosidic and
      structurally-informative cross-ring bond cleavages. Sodiated cellobiose produces
      abundant Y1 and B1 peaks. Our deuterium labelling and computational chemistry
      approach provides evidence for 1,6-anhydroglucose B1 ion structures rather than
      the 1,2-anhydroglucose and oxacarbenium ion structures proposed elsewhere. Unlike
      those earlier proposals, this finding is consistent with the experimentally
      observed Bn/Ym branching ratios. In contrast to cellobiose, sodiated gentiobiose
      primarily fragments by cross-ring cleavage to form various A2 ion types.
      Fragmentation is facilitated by ring-opening at the reducing end which enables
      losses of CnH2nOn oligomers. Deuterium labelling and theory enables
      rationalization of these processes. Theory and experiment also support the
      importance of consecutive fragmentation processes at higher collision energies.

PMID- 28905071
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905072
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905073
TI  - Erratum to: Stress and the nonsense-mediated RNA decay pathway.
AB  - The original version of this article unfortunately contained errors in the
      section entitled "NMD in stress responses in plants".

PMID- 28905074
TI  - Erratum to: Anatomical recommendations for safe botulinum toxin injection into
      temporalis muscle: a simplified reproducible approach.

PMID- 28905076
TI  - [Life after ARDS].
AB  - Patients who survive acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) often suffer from
      long-term physical and psychological sequelae. Lung function is commonly only
      mildly reduced, whereas general physical activity and walking distance are often
      compromised. Most markedly, these patients have a high incidence of depression,
      anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The rate of cognitive dysfunction is
      as high as 70-100% at the time of hospital discharge, and remains 46-80% and 20%
      one year and five years post discharge, respectively. The possibility of
      returning to work is markedly limited. Because of these outcomes, preventative
      strategies must be identified to reduce the high prevalence of physical and
      psychological morbidity. Prevention and treatment of delirium as well as early
      and consequent mobilization and intensive care unit diaries are potentially
      beneficial.

PMID- 28905077
TI  - [Stroke due to acute occlusion of the basilar artery : Diagnosis and treatment].
AB  - Acute occlusion of the basilar artery is a rare and, if left untreated, severe
      neurovascular condition with a high mortality. The clinical presentation is often
      atypical and hence diagnosis may be delayed. Because of the devastating natural
      course, recanalization strategies were often more aggressive than in patients
      with occlusions in the anterior circulation. To date, there is no evidence-based
      therapy, and recent larger registry studies and meta-analyses do not show a clear
      superiority of endovascular approaches over systemic thrombolysis alone. The
      current review aims to provide an overview of the most critical aspects in
      clinical and radiological diagnosis and treatment of basilar artery thrombosis.

PMID- 28905078
TI  - [Task force for falsified medicines].
AB  - In 2014, a large number of falsified medicines of Italian origin had come to
      light. Because of the extent of the falsification, the situation that most of
      these falsified medicines had been traced back to thefts in Italy by criminal
      networks, and the necessity of actions by national and local authorities, an
      intensified exchange of information was essential, in addition to a process of
      coordination. A task force for falsified medicines was established to optimize
      the flow of information among all parties involved and to coordinate the
      necessary measures.One result was the implementation of a procedure for
      optimizing the exchange of information and for harmonisation of required measures
      on falsified medicines. In particular, this procedure covers situations in which
      there is no clear legal responsibility, and is now considered as part of the work
      of the authorities. In addition, a database has been established in which all
      pharmaceutical wholesalers located in Germany with a valid wholesale license are
      publicly accessible. As a preventive measure, information about known thefts will
      be forwarded to parallel traders and their associations. This is to avoid these
      products coming onto the market in Germany.

PMID- 28905079
TI  - [Falsified medicines in parallel trade].
AB  - The number of falsified medicines on the German market has distinctly increased
      over the past few years. In particular, stolen pharmaceutical products, a form of
      falsified medicines, have increasingly been introduced into the legal supply
      chain via parallel trading. The reasons why parallel trading serves as a gateway
      for falsified medicines are most likely the complex supply chains and routes of
      transport. It is hardly possible for national authorities to trace the history of
      a medicinal product that was bought and sold by several intermediaries in
      different EU member states. In addition, the heterogeneous outward appearance of
      imported and relabelled pharmaceutical products facilitates the introduction of
      illegal products onto the market. Official batch release at the Paul-Ehrlich
      Institut offers the possibility of checking some aspects that might provide an
      indication of a falsified medicine. In some circumstances, this may allow the
      identification of falsified medicines before they come onto the German market.
      However, this control is only possible for biomedicinal products that have not
      received a waiver regarding official batch release. For improved control of
      parallel trade, better networking among the EU member states would be beneficial.
      European-wide regulations, e. g., for disclosure of the complete supply chain,
      would help to minimise the risks of parallel trading and hinder the marketing of
      falsified medicines.

PMID- 28905075
TI  - Ouabain attenuates ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ouabain, an Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor hormone, presents immunomodulatory
      actions, including anti-inflammatory effect on acute inflammation models.
      METHODS: In the present study, the effect of ouabain in a model of allergic
      airway inflammation induced by ovalbumin (OVA) was assessed. RESULTS: Initially,
      it was observed that ouabain treatment inhibited cellular migration induced by
      OVA on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), mostly granulocytes, without
      modulating macrophage migration. In addition, it was observed, by flow cytometry,
      that ouabain reduces CD3high lymphocytes cells on BALF. Furthermore, treatment
      with ouabain decreased IL-4 and IL-13 levels on BALF. Ouabain also promoted
      pulmonary histological alterations, including decreased cell migration into
      peribronchiolar and perivascular areas, and reduced mucus production in
      bronchioles regions observed through hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and by periodic acid
      Schiff stain, respectively. Allergic airway inflammation is characterized by high
      OVA-specific IgE serum titer. This parameter was also reduced by the treatment
      with ouabain. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, our data demonstrate that ouabain
      negatively modulates allergic airway inflammation induced by OVA.

PMID- 28905080
TI  - [Treatment of retroperitoneal sarcoma in Germany : Results of a survey of the
      German Society of General and Visceral Surgery, the German Interdisciplinary
      Sarcoma Study Group and the advocacy group Das Lebenshaus].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPSs) are rare cancers with some variability
      in clinical and histopathological presentation. In Germany, general treatment
      strategies of retroperitoneal sarcoma are unknown since centralized registries do
      not exist. The objective of this survey was to access the medical care of RPS
      patients in Germany. METHODS: In cooperation with the German Society of General
      and Visceral surgery, the German Interdisciplinary Sarcoma Study Group and the
      patient advocacy group Das Lebenshaus we designed an online survey assessing
      diagnostic and treatment strategies (e. g. performance of tumor biopsies,
      administration of multimodal therapies and surgical strategy). All departments
      for general and visceral surgery in Germany were addressed (n = 976). RESULTS:
      Responses were received from 191 of 976 departments. Only 11 surgical departments
      treat more than 10 RPS patients per year. A multidisciplinary sarcoma board
      exists in 19 hospitals. Staging is generally performed by cross-sectional
      imaging. In 54% of the departments pretreatment tumor biopsy is a standard
      procedure. Surgery is performed as compartment resection in 85% of the
      departments. A systematic lymph node dissection is done in 40%. Adjuvant radio-
      or chemotherapy is performed as a standard treatment in 27% and 22% departments,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The survey demonstrates a large heterogeneity in RPS
      diagnostic and treatment strategies. Dedicated education programs and centralized
      treatment strategies are warranted to improve the standard of care.

PMID- 28905081
TI  - [Cardiorenal syndrome].
AB  - Patients in the intensive care unit often suffer from cardiorenal syndrome, which
      can have an important influence on the patient's outcome. The heart and kidney
      influence each other via organ crosstalk. We screened and evaluated current
      publications on cardiorenal syndromes and their therapy. A key role in the
      management of cardiorenal syndromes is renal decongestion via loop diuretics.

PMID- 28905082
TI  - [Attenuated zoster vaccine is not recommended as a standard vaccine : Missed
      opportunity or logical implementation of the evidence-based approach of the
      Standing Committee on Vaccination].

PMID- 28905083
TI  - Assessing exercises recommended for women at risk of pelvic floor disorders using
      multivariate statistical techniques.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: There is a widely held, but untested, belief that
      certain exercises and activities generate intraabdominal pressure (IAP) that may
      compromise the function of the pelvic floor muscles. Women with, or at risk of,
      pelvic floor disorders are advised therefore to refrain from these exercises and
      activities in order to theoretically protect their pelvic floor. The aim of this
      study was to compare IAPs generated during exercises of different types that are
      recommended to women as pelvic floor "safe" with those generated during the
      corresponding conventional exercises that women are typically cautioned against.
      METHODS: This was a cross-sectional cohort study. All participants were guided by
      a trained exercise practitioner through a series of ten exercise pairs, one
      version recommended to women as pelvic floor "safe" and one conventional version
      which women are cautioned against. IAP components were extracted from the
      pressure traces from a wireless intravaginal pressure sensor and used in
      multivariate linear regression modelling, canonical discriminant analysis, and
      linear mixed modelling. RESULTS: A total of 53 participants were recruited. After
      adjusting for age, body mass index and parity, there was an exercise type-version
      effect (p < 0.01). After taking into account all pressure components of the IAP
      trace, there was a significant difference in IAP between the recommended and
      discouraged versions of the same exercise for five of the ten exercise types.
      Coughing and the Valsalva manoeuvre generated IAPs that were distinct from those
      generated by the exercises. CONCLUSIONS: No differences in IAPs were found
      between the recommended and discouraged versions of the same exercise for all
      exercise types. In particular, the IAPs generated during the two versions of ball
      rotations, lunges, core, push-ups and squats did not differ significantly.
      Performing the recommended pelvic floor "safe" version instead of the discouraged
      conventional version of these exercises may not necessarily protect the pelvic
      floor and vice versa.

PMID- 28905084
TI  - Plasmonic cell nanocoating: a new concept for rapid microbial screening.
AB  - Nanocoating of single microbial cells with gold nanostructures can confer
      optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties to microorganisms, thus
      enabling new avenues for their control, study, application, and detection. Cell
      nanocoating is often performed using layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition. LbL is time
      consuming and relies on nonspecific electrostatic interactions, which limit
      potential applications for microbial diagnostics. Here, we show that, by taking
      advantage of surface molecules densely present in the microbial outer layers,
      cell nanocoating with gold nanoparticles can be achieved within seconds using
      surface molecules, including disulfide- bond-containing (Dsbc) proteins and
      chitin. A simple activation of these markers and their subsequent interaction
      with gold nanoparticles allow specific microbial screening and quantification of
      bacteria and fungi within 5 and 30 min, respectively. The use of plasmonics and
      fluorescence as transduction methods offers a limit of detection below 35 cfu mL
      1 for E. coli bacteria and 1500 cfu mL-1 for M. circinelloides fungi using a hand
      held fluorescent reader. Graphical abstract A new concept for rapid microbial
      screening by targeting disulfide - bond-containing (Dsbc) proteins and chitin
      with reducing agents and gold nanoparticles.

PMID- 28905085
TI  - [Focal lesions in whole-body MRI in multiple myeloma : Quantification of tumor
      mass and correlation with disease-related parameters and prognosis].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In this study, we evaluated methods of quantification
      of tumor mass in whole-body MRI (wb-MRI) in multiple myeloma and correlated these
      with disease-related parameters in serum and bone marrow. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We retrospectively evaluated wb-MRIs of 52 patients with focal infiltration
      pattern and a total of 700 focal lesions (subsequently called lesions). We
      determined the longest diameter (LD), the segmented volume (SV), and the
      morphology (spherical or non-spherical). We correlated total number/volume of the
      lesions with clinical parameters and prognosis and furthermore LD with SV. After
      that we analyzed the agreement of SV and estimated volume (EV) using the volume
      formula of a sphere based on LD. RESULTS: Results showed no significant
      correlations of total number/volume with prognosis or clinical parameters. The
      latter were situated predominantly in the normal range. Furthermore, 10% of
      lesions were spherical. SV and LD correlated significantly in single lesions and
      on patient level. SV was in lesions <6 cm3 systematically larger and in lesions
      >=6 cm3 smaller than EV. In 95%, we found in small lesions a deviation of EV
      versus SV from +0.9 cm3 to -4.6 cm3 and in large lesions from +160 cm3 to -111
      cm3 (EV-SV). CONCLUSIONS: Quantification of tumor mass in the focal infiltration
      pattern is performed more accurately by volumetry than LD due to the predominant
      existence of non-spherical lesions. The patient cohort with clinical parameters
      predominantly in the normal range is distributed to ISS stage I and partly
      pretreated, a fact that makes interpretation of absent correlations more
      difficult. Consider also a variation in activitiy of lesions and a diffuse
      infiltration not detectable by MRI.

PMID- 28905086
TI  - Identification and characterization of a novel (-)-vibo-quercitol 1-dehydrogenase
      from Burkholderia terrae suitable for production of (-)-vibo-quercitol from 2
      deoxy-scyllo-inosose.
AB  - (-)-vibo-Quercitol is a deoxyinositol (1L-1,2,4/3,5-cyclohexanepentol) that
      naturally occurs in oak species, honeydew honey, wines aged in oak barrels, and
      Gymnema sylvestre and is a potential intermediate for pharmaceuticals. We found
      that (-)-vibo-quercitol is stereoselectively synthesized from 2-deoxy-scyllo
      inosose by the reductive reaction of a novel (-)-vibo-quercitol 1-dehydrogenase
      found in the proteomes of Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, and Arthrobacter. Among
      them, Burkholderia terrae sp. AKC-020 (40-1) produced a (-)-vibo-quercitol 1
      dehydrogenase appropriate for synthesizing (-)-vibo-quercitol with a high
      diastereomeric excess. The enzyme was strongly induced in Bu. terrae cells when
      quercitol or 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose was used as carbon source in the culture
      medium. The enzyme is NAD(H)-dependent and shows highly specific activity for (-)
      vibo-quercitol and myo-inositol among the substrates tested. The enzyme gene
      (qudh) was obtained by PCR using degenerate primers based on the N-terminal and
      internal amino acid sequences of the purified enzyme, followed by thermal
      asymmetric interlaced PCR. The qudh gene showed homology with inositol 2
      dehydrogenase (sharing 49.5% amino acid identity with IdhA from Sinorhizobium
      meliloti 1021). We successfully produced several recombinant (-)-vibo-quercitol 1
      dehydrogenases and related enzymes identified by genome database mining using an
      Escherichia coli expression system. This revealed that scyllo-inositol
      dehydrogenase (IolX) in Bacillus subtilis can catalyze the reduction of 2-deoxy
      scyllo-inosose to yield scyllo-quercitol, a stereoisomer of (-)-vibo-quercitol.
      Thus, we successfully identified two enzymes to produce both stereoisomers of
      deoxyinositols that are rare in nature.

PMID- 28905087
TI  - A droplet-based microfluidic chip as a platform for leukemia cell lysate
      identification using surface-enhanced Raman scattering.
AB  - A new approach is presented for cell lysate identification which uses SERS-active
      silver nanoparticles and a droplet-based microfluidic chip. Eighty-nanoliter
      droplets are generated by injecting silver nanoparticles, KCl as aggregation
      agent, and cell lysate containing cell constituents, such as nucleic acids,
      carbohydrates, metabolites, and proteins into a continuous flow of mineral oil.
      This platform enables accurate mixing of small volumes inside the meandering
      channels of the quartz chip and allows acquisition of thousands of SERS spectra
      with 785 nm excitation at an integration time of 1 s. Preparation of three
      batches of three leukemia cell lines demonstrated the experimental
      reproducibility. The main advantage of a high number of reproducible spectra is
      to apply statistics for large sample populations with robust classification
      results. A support vector machine with leave-one-batch-out cross-validation
      classified SERS spectra with sensitivities, specificities, and accuracies better
      than 99% to differentiate Jurkat, THP-1, and MONO-MAC-6 leukemia cell lysates.
      This approach is compared with previous published reports about Raman
      spectroscopy for leukemia detection, and an outlook is given for transfer to
      single cells. A quartz chip was designed for SERS at 785 nm excitation. Principal
      component analysis of SERS spectra clearly separates cell lysates using
      variations in band intensity ratios.

PMID- 28905089
TI  - [Radiochemotherapy improves failure-free survival in stage III endometrial cancer
      : Final results of the PORTEC-3 trial].

PMID- 28905090
TI  - Thermodynamics of enzyme-catalyzed esterifications: II. Levulinic acid
      esterification with short-chain alcohols.
AB  - Levulinic acid was esterified with methanol, ethanol, and 1-butanol with the
      final goal to predict the maximum yield of these equilibrium-limited reactions as
      function of medium composition. In a first step, standard reaction data (standard
      Gibbs energy of reaction Delta R g 0 ) were determined from experimental
      formation properties. Unexpectedly, these Delta R g 0 values strongly deviated
      from data obtained with classical group contribution methods that are typically
      used if experimental standard data is not available. In a second step, reaction
      equilibrium concentrations obtained from esterification catalyzed by Novozym 435
      at 323.15 K were measured, and the corresponding activity coefficients of the
      reacting agents were predicted with perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid
      theory (PC-SAFT). The so-obtained thermodynamic activities were used to determine
      Delta R g 0 at 323.15 K. These results could be used to cross-validate Delta R g
      0 from experimental formation data. In a third step, reaction-equilibrium
      experiments showed that equilibrium position of the reactions under consideration
      depends strongly on the concentration of water and on the ratio of levulinic
      acid: alcohol in the initial reaction mixtures. The maximum yield of the esters
      was calculated using Delta R g 0 data from this work and activity coefficients of
      the reacting agents predicted with PC-SAFT for varying feed composition of the
      reaction mixtures. The use of the new Delta R g 0 data combined with PC-SAFT
      allowed good agreement to the measured yields, while predictions based on Delta R
      g 0 values obtained with group contribution methods showed high deviations to
      experimental yields.

PMID- 28905088
TI  - New horizons in cardiac innervation imaging: introduction of novel 18F-labeled
      PET tracers.
AB  - Cardiac sympathetic nervous activity can be uniquely visualized by non-invasive
      radionuclide imaging techniques due to the fast growing and widespread
      application of nuclear cardiology in the last few years. The norepinephrine
      analogue 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) is a single photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT) tracer for the clinical implementation of sympathetic
      nervous imaging for both diagnosis and prognosis of heart failure. Meanwhile,
      positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has become increasingly attractive
      because of its higher spatial and temporal resolution compared to SPECT, which
      allows regional functional and dynamic kinetic analysis. Nevertheless, wider use
      of cardiac sympathetic nervous PET imaging is still limited mainly due to the
      demand of costly on-site cyclotrons, which are required for the production of
      conventional 11C-labeled (radiological half-life, 20 min) PET tracers. Most
      recently, more promising 18F-labeled (half-life, 110 min) PET
      radiopharmaceuticals targeting sympathetic nervous system have been introduced.
      These tracers optimize PET imaging and, by using delivery networks, cost less to
      produce. In this article, the latest advances of sympathetic nervous imaging
      using 18F-labeled radiotracers along with their possible applications are
      reviewed.

PMID- 28905091
TI  - Added value of dedicated axillary hybrid 18F-FDG PET/MRI for improved axillary
      nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer patients: a feasibility
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility and potential added value of dedicated
      axillary 18F-FDG hybrid PET/MRI, compared to standard imaging modalities (i.e.
      ultrasound [US], MRI and PET/CT), for axillary nodal staging in clinically node
      positive breast cancer. METHODS: Twelve patients with clinically node-positive
      breast cancer underwent axillary US and dedicated axillary hybrid 18F-FDG
      PET/MRI. Nine of the 12 patients also underwent whole-body PET/CT. Maximum
      standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were measured for the primary breast tumor
      and the most FDG-avid axillary lymph node. A positive axillary lymph node on
      dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI was defined as a moderate to very intense FDG
      avid lymph node. The diagnostic performance of dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI
      was calculated by comparing quantitative and its qualitative measurements to
      results of axillary US, MRI and PET/CT. The number of suspicious axillary lymph
      nodes was subdivided as follows: N0 (0 nodes), N1 (1-3 nodes), N2 (4-9 nodes) and
      N3 (>= 10 nodes). RESULTS: According to dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI
      findings, seven patients were diagnosed with N1, four with N2 and one with N3.
      With regard to mean SUVmax, there was no significant difference in the primary
      tumor (9.0 [+/-5.0] vs. 8.6 [+/-5.7], p = 0.678) or the most FDG-avid axillary
      lymph node (7.8 [+/-5.3] vs. 7.7 [+/-4.3], p = 0.767) between dedicated axillary
      PET/MRI and PET/CT. Compared to standard imaging modalities, dedicated axillary
      hybrid PET/MRI resulted in changes in nodal status as follows: 40% compared to
      US, 75% compared to T2-weighted MRI, 40% compared to contrast-enhanced MRI, and
      22% compared to PET/CT. CONCLUSIONS: Adding dedicated axillary 18F-FDG hybrid
      PET/MRI to diagnostic work-up may improve the diagnostic performance of axillary
      nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer patients.

PMID- 28905093
TI  - How do we measure success and at the same time meet patient expectations?

PMID- 28905092
TI  - Drug-induced oral lichenoid reactions: a real clinical entity? A systematic
      review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Drug-induced oral lichenoid reactions (DIOLRs) have been extensively
      reported in the literature, but the validity of the causality relationship
      between any drug and the oral lichenoid lesions (OLLs) still remains
      questionable. We sought to determine whether this causality relationship really
      exists, whether a resolution of the oral lesions upon withdrawal occurs, and what
      the most common alleged offending medications are. METHODS: Nine electronic
      databases from January 1966 to December 2016 were systematically searched to
      identify all relevant studies selected with specific inclusion criteria (a
      clinical and histopathological diagnosis of DIOLRs, and clearly statement on the
      systemic offending medication). Searched terms included but not limited to oral
      lichen planus/oral lichenoid lesions/oral lichenoid reactions, the adverse
      effects of medication, and drug-induced. Statistical analyses conducted. RESULTS:
      The search retrieved a total of 817 articles, of which only 46 were included into
      a qualitative synthesis: 40 case reports/series and 6 studies. The causality
      assessment was done only in 14.8% of cases with the C-D-R protocol. The Naranjo
      algorithm was not reported in the majority of cases (98.2%). Culprit medication
      was withdrawn in 68.5% of the cases, obtaining a partial or complete resolution
      without treatment in 16.7% of cases and with treatment in 27.7% of cases. The
      median number of culprit medication(s) described was 1 with the most frequent
      ones being Methyldopa (20.37%), Interferon (IFN)-alpha (11.11%), and Imatinib and
      Infliximab (9.26%). CONCLUSION: This systematic review demonstrated that there is
      no strong scientific evidence to support the causal relationship between any drug
      and oral lichenoid lesions; therefore, in all reviewed cases, we must question
      whether the DIOLRs represent a real and separate clinical entity. Further and
      more thorough investigations using one of the available algorithms for adverse
      drug reaction are warranted.

PMID- 28905094
TI  - Recent advances on the difructose anhydride IV preparation from levan conversion.
AB  - Difructose anhydride IV (DFA IV) is a cyclic disaccharide consisting of two
      fructose residues, which is obtained from levan conversion with levan
      fructotransferase (LFTase) and rarely found in nature as a low-calorie sugar
      substitute. Some beneficial effects of DFA IV connected with its consumption have
      been described. The article reviews the properties and physiological functions of
      DFA IV, levan conversion, resources and properties of LFTase and the produced
      methods of DFA IV. LFTase as a relatively novel enzyme and its molecular
      evolution are discussed as well. The aim is to better understand a novel sugar
      substituting sweetener of DFA IV as a food additive.

PMID- 28905095
TI  - Growing Canopy on a College Campus: Understanding Urban Forest Change through
      Archival Records and Aerial Photography.
AB  - Many municipalities are setting ambitious tree canopy cover goals to increase the
      extent of their urban forests. A historical perspective on urban forest
      development can help cities strategize how to establish and achieve appropriate
      tree cover targets. To understand how long-term urban forest change occurs, we
      examined the history of trees on an urban college campus: the University of
      Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Using a mixed methods approach, including
      qualitative assessments of archival records (1870-2017), complemented by
      quantitative analysis of tree cover from aerial imagery (1970-2012), our analysis
      revealed drastic canopy cover increase in the late 20th and early 21st centuries
      along with the principle mechanisms of that change. We organized the historical
      narrative into periods reflecting campus planting actions and management
      approaches; these periods are also connected to broader urban greening and city
      planning movements, such as City Beautiful and urban sustainability. University
      faculty in botany, landscape architecture, and urban design contributed to the
      design of campus green spaces, developed comprehensive landscape plans, and
      advocated for campus trees. A 1977 Landscape Development Plan was particularly
      influential, setting forth design principles and planting recommendations that
      enabled the dramatic canopy cover gains we observed, and continue to guide
      landscape management today. Our results indicate that increasing urban tree cover
      requires generational time scales and systematic management coupled with a clear
      urban design vision and long-term commitments. With the campus as a microcosm of
      broader trends in urban forest development, we conclude with a discussion of
      implications for municipal tree cover planning.

PMID- 28905096
TI  - Comparison of suction blistering and tape stripping for analysis of epidermal
      genes, proteins and lipids.
AB  - Analysis of epidermal genes, proteins and lipids is important in the research and
      diagnosis of skin diseases. Although punch biopsy is the first-choice technique
      for the skin sampling, it is unnecessarily invasive for obtaining a sample just
      for the epidermal analysis. Here we compare two less invasive methods, suction
      blistering (SB) and tape stripping (TS), for the analysis of selected epidermal
      genes (quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR, qRT-PCR), proteins
      (western blotting, WB), and lipids in ten healthy volunteers. TS provided
      significantly less material than SB and no viable epidermal layers could be
      obtained according to the reflectance confocal microscopy. Consistently, only the
      SC protein filaggrin and housekeeping GAPDH together with FLG and RPL13A mRNA
      were detected by TS. In the SB samples, WB and qRT-PCR could easily detect all
      the selected proteins (claudin-1, occludin, filaggrin, laminin and GAPDH) and
      genes (CLDN1, OCLN, FLG, LAMA3 and RPL13A), respectively. A single SB sample
      further provided enough of material for immunohistochemistry and lipid analyses,
      which was not feasible with the TS samples. Immunohistochemistry of the SB
      samples showed intact epidermal structure and a characteristic expression of
      claudin-1. Infrared spectroscopy showed well-ordered lipids with both
      orthorhombic and hexagonal packing and high-performance thin layer chromatography
      confirmed all lipid classes (including ceramide subclasses) in correct
      proportions. Taken together, SB represents a reliable sampling technique that can
      be utilized for multipurpose epidermal analyses in various studies.

PMID- 28905097
TI  - Color Doppler and spectral Doppler ultrasound detection of active sacroiliitis in
      spondyloarthritis compared to physical examination as gold standard.
AB  - Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) involvement is a distinctive feature of spondyloarthritis
      (SpA). The main objective of this study was to assess the validity of color
      Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) in SIJ. This was a cross-sectional, blinded, case
      control study of 108 cases divided into three groups: (a) 53 SpA patients with
      inflammatory back pain (IBP); (b) 28 SpA patients with no IBP; and (c) 27 healthy
      mechanical lumbar pain subjects. Physical examinations of the SIJs were assessed
      as positive or negative in each SIJ and were used as the gold standard. SIJs were
      examined with CDUS and spectral Doppler, and the SIJs were assessed as positive
      when both color Doppler and the resistance index (RI) were less than the cut-off
      point within the SIJs area. A total of 108 cases (53 female; mean age 36 +/- 10
      years old) were studied. The physical examination of the SIJs was positive in 38
      patients (59 SIJs). Ultrasound detected Doppler signal within the SIJs in 37
      cases (58 SIJs): 33 of them had symptomatic SpA (52 SIJs), 3 of them had
      asymptomatic SpA (5 SIJs), and 1 was a healthy control (1 SIJ). The accuracy of
      CDUS, when compared to physical SIJ examination, at the patient level in the
      overall group had a sensitivity of 70.3%, a specificity of 85.7%, a positive
      likelihood ratio of 4.9, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.36. For the
      spectral Doppler RI, with an optimal cut-off point <=0.75, the sensitivity was
      76.2%, and the specificity was 77.8%. CDUS of SIJs seems to be a feasible and
      valid method for detecting active inflammation in patients with SpA.

PMID- 28905098
TI  - Application of an Original Wildfire Smoke Health Cost Benefits Transfer Protocol
      to the Western US, 2005-2015.
AB  - Recent growth in the frequency and severity of US wildfires has led to more
      wildfire smoke and increased public exposure to harmful air pollutants.
      Populations exposed to wildfire smoke experience a variety of negative health
      impacts, imposing economic costs on society. However, few estimates of smoke
      health costs exist and none for the entire Western US, in particular, which
      experiences some of the largest and most intense wildfires in the US. The lack of
      cost estimates is troublesome because smoke health impacts are an important
      consideration of the overall costs of wildfire. To address this gap, this study
      provides the first time series estimates of PM2.5 smoke costs across mortality
      and several morbidity measures for the Western US over 2005-2015. This time
      period includes smoke from several megafires and includes years of record
      breaking acres burned. Smoke costs are estimated using a benefits transfer
      protocol developed for contexts when original health data are not available. The
      novelty of our protocol is that it synthesizes the literature on choices faced by
      researchers when conducting a smoke cost benefit transfer. On average, wildfire
      smoke in the Western US creates $165 million in annual morbidity and mortality
      health costs.

PMID- 28905099
TI  - Port Implantation in Patients with Severe Thrombocytopenia is Safe with
      Interventional Radiology.
AB  - PURPOSE: Platelet counts <50/nl are often considered a contraindication for
      surgical and interventional radiology procedures. Yet, there are patients
      requiring totally implantable venous access ports (TIVAP) in whom normalization
      of the coagulation state is not feasible. This retrospective study evaluates the
      safety of interventional radiological TIVAP implantation in patients with severe
      thrombocytopenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 12/2010 to 12/2014, a total 1200
      consecutive radiological TIVAP implantations were performed and retrospectively
      analyzed. Among those 181 patients had platelet counts (PC) below the reference
      value of 150-350 thrombocytes/nl: 55 patients with mild (PC: 100-150/nl), 58
      patients with moderate (PC: 50-100/nl) and 68 patients with severe
      thrombocytopenia (PC <50/nl). All patients diagnosed with severe thrombocytopenia
      received platelet concentrates before or during the procedure according to a
      fixed preparation protocol. All patients were assessed at least 2 weeks before
      and up to 12 months after intervention. Outcome parameters were recorded with a
      particular focus on bleeding complications. Data were statistically analyzed with
      a p value <0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The technical
      success rate for TIVAP implantation was 100%. Patients were followed for a mean
      of 833 indwelling catheter days in patients with thrombocytopenia (total: 150.923
      days) and for 936 indwelling catheter days in patients with normal platelet
      counts (total: 953.760 days). No significant differences in complication rates
      between patients with normal platelet counts and patients with mild to severe
      thrombocytopenia under platelet substitution were found (p > 0.05), especially no
      bleeding complications occurred during acute, early or late phase. CONCLUSION:
      With individualized platelet substitution, patients with severe thrombocytopenia
      may receive radiological TIVAP implantation without an increased risk of bleeding
      complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28905100
TI  - Frequency and influencing factors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation-related
      injuries during implementation of the American Heart Association 2010 Guidelines:
      a retrospective study based on autopsy and postmortem computed tomography.
AB  - AIM: To determine the frequency of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)-related
      injuries and factors involved in their occurrence, data based on forensic autopsy
      and postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) during implementation of the 2010
      American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR were studied. METHODS: We
      retrospectively evaluated data on adult patients with non-traumatic deaths who
      had undergone manual CPR and autopsy from January 2012 to December 2014. CPR
      related injuries were analyzed on autopsy records and PMCT images and compared
      with results of previous studies. RESULTS: In total, 180 consecutive cases were
      analyzed. Rib fractures and sternal fractures were most frequent (overall
      frequency, 66.1 and 52.8%, respectively), followed by heart injuries (12.8%) and
      abdominal visceral injuries (2.2%). Urgently life-threatening injuries were rare
      (2.8%). Older age was an independent risk factor for rib fracture [adjusted odds
      ratio (AOR), 1.06; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-1.08; p < 0.001], >= 3 rib
      fractures (AOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09; p = 0.002), and sternal fracture (AOR,
      1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05; p < 0.001). Female sex was significantly associated with
      sternal fracture (AOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.02-4.25; p = 0.04). Chest compression only
      by laypersons was inversely associated with rib and sternal fractures. Body mass
      index and in-hospital cardiac arrest were not significantly associated with any
      complications. The frequency of thoracic skeletal injuries was similar to that in
      recent autopsy-based studies. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the 2010 Guidelines
      had little impact on the frequency of CPR-related thoracic skeletal injuries or
      urgently life-threatening complications. Older age was the only independent
      factor related to thoracic skeletal injuries.

PMID- 28905101
TI  - Transanal minimally invasive surgery for rectal polyps and selected malignant
      tumors: caution concerning intermediate-term functional results.
AB  - PURPOSE: Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) is gaining worldwide
      popularity as an alternative for the transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEMS)
      method for the local excision of rectal polyps and selected neoplasms. Data on
      patient reported outcomes regarding short-term follow-up are scarce; data on
      functional outcomes for long-term follow-up is non-existent. METHODS: We used the
      fecal incontinence severity index (FISI) to prospectively assess the fecal
      continence on the intermediate-term follow-up after TAMIS. The primary outcome
      measure is postoperative fecal continence. Secondary outcome measures are as
      follows: perioperative and intermediate-term morbidity. RESULTS: Forty-two
      patients (m = 21:f = 21), median age 68.5 (range 34-94) years, were included in
      the analysis. In four patients (9.5%), postoperative complications occurred. The
      median follow-up was 36 months (range 24-48). Preoperative mean FISI score was
      8.3 points. One year after TAMIS, mean FISI score was 5.4 points (p = 0.501).
      After 3 years of follow-up, mean FISI score was 10.1 points (p = 0.01). Fecal
      continence improved in 11 patients (26%). Continence decreased in 20 patients
      (47.6%) (mean FISI score 15.2 points, [range 3-31]). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      found that the incidence of impaired fecal continence after TAMIS is substantial;
      however, the clinical significance of this deterioration seems minor. The present
      data is helpful in acquiring informed consent and emphasizes the need of proper
      patient information. Functional results seem to be comparable to results after
      TEMS. Furthermore, we confirmed TAMIS is safe and associated with low morbidity.

PMID- 28905103
TI  - Influence of the MIF polymorphism -173G > C on Turkish postmenopausal women with
      osteoporosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MIF, a proinflammatory cytokine, contributes to the pathogenesis of
      acute, chronic, and autoimmune inflammatory disorders and balances the
      suppressive effect of glucocorticoids on the immune system. There is an
      interaction between bone metabolism and the immune system via the production of
      cytokines. We aimed to analyze the relationship between the MIF gene -173G > C
      promoter polymorphism and osteoporosis. METHODS: In this case-control study
      performed in a university hospital, 286 samples (136 women with osteoporosis and
      150 healthy age-matched controls) participated. The polymerase chain reaction
      based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay was used to
      genotype the MIF gene polymorphism. The alleles and genotypes frequencies of
      patients and controls were compared using the chi2 test. RESULTS: The genotype
      frequencies of MIF gene -173G > C polymorphism showed statistically significant
      differences between patients and controls (p = 0.038). Also, the subjects
      carrying the variant C allele in the MIF -173 position were at significantly
      higher risk of osteoporosis than subjects carrying the wild-type G allele (p =
      0.009, odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.6). CONCLUSION: Our study
      suggested a strong association between MIF gene -173G > C polymorphism and
      osteoporosis in a Turkish population.

PMID- 28905104
TI  - Analysis of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in dentine: useful for age
      estimation?
AB  - Ageing of the human organism results in the accumulation of modified molecules.
      Some of these molecular changes may be used for age estimation, as already shown
      for aspartic acid racemization (AAR). Another example for an accumulation of
      damaged molecules is advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We examined, (1) if
      the correlation between the concentration of AGEs (pentosidine) in root dentine
      and age is close enough to be used as basis for age estimation, and (2) if the
      combined analysis of AGEs and AAR in dentine may be a useful approach to rule out
      or to detect relevant effects of confounding factors in age estimation. We
      determined the pentosidine content of root dentine samples of 64 healthy teeth as
      well as in carious, "pink", diabetic and heated teeth, and in teeth after
      different storage times. In 23 teeth, the extent of aspartic acid racemization
      (AAR) was determined in parallel. We observed a close relationship between the
      concentration of pentosidine in dentine and chronological age (r = 0.94) in
      healthy teeth. The analysis of pentosidine in dentine can theoretically be used
      as a basis for age estimation in healthy teeth of non-diabetic individuals;
      diabetic individuals may exhibit very high pentosidine levels in dentine. This
      finding limits the application of this method, since information regarding the
      question if an unidentified person suffered from diabetes mellitus or not are
      missing in most cases. Moreover, the method is not suitable to identify or rule
      out the influence of confounding factors in age estimation based on AAR, since
      both methods are sensible to the most relevant confounding factors (caries,
      heat).

PMID- 28905102
TI  - Digestive system in psoriasis: an update.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disorder associated and often
      coexisting with many other immune-related clinical conditions including those
      affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Data obtained from the reviewed literature
      suggest an association between psoriasis and pathologies of the oral cavity, both
      psoriasis-specific lesions, as well as non-specific, such as geographic tongue or
      fissured tongue. These findings show the importance of thorough examination of
      oral mucosa in psoriatic patients. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are also
      linked with psoriasis. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis share a common
      genetic background, inflammatory pathways and have an evident iatrogenic anti-TNF
      treatment link, necessitating dermatological or gastroenterological care in
      patients with IBD or psoriasis, respectively, as well as treatment adjusted to
      manifestations. The presence of celiac disease-specific antibodies in psoriatic
      patients and their correlation with the severity of the disease show the
      association between these disorders. The linking pathogenesis comprises vitamin D
      deficiency, immune pathway, genetic background and increase in the intestinal
      permeability, which suggests a potential benefit from gluten-free diet among
      psoriatic patients. The link between psoriasis and non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease implies screening patients for components of metabolic syndrome and
      lifestyle changes necessity. Some studies indicate increased prevalence of cancer
      in patients with psoriasis, probably due to negative influence of skin lesion
      impact on lifestyle rather than the role of psoriasis in carcinogenesis. However,
      there are no sufficient data to exclude such an oncogenic hit, which is yet to be
      confirmed. Therefore, all psoriasis-associated comorbidities establish the
      importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of these patients.

PMID- 28905106
TI  - Recombinant Mouse Osteocalcin Secreted by Lactococcus lactis Promotes Glucagon
      Like Peptide-1 Induction in STC-1 Cells.
AB  - An osteoblastic protein, osteocalcin (OC), exists in vivo in two forms:
      carboxylated OC, and uncarboxylated or low-carboxylated OC (ucOC). ucOC acts as a
      hormone to regulate carbon and energy metabolism. Recent studies demonstrated
      that ucOC exerts insulinotropic effects, mainly through the glucagon-like peptide
      1 (GLP-1) pathway. GLP-1 is an insulinotropic hormone secreted by enteroendocrine
      L cells in the small intestine. Thus, efficient delivery of ucOC to the small
      intestine may be a new therapeutic option for metabolic diseases such as diabetes
      and obesity. Here, we genetically engineered a lactic acid bacterium, Lactococcus
      lactis, to produce recombinant mouse ucOC. Western blotting showed that the
      engineered strain (designated NZ-OC) produces and secretes the designed peptide
      (rOC) in the presence of nisin, an inducer of the recombinant gene. Highly
      purified rOC was obtained from the culture supernatants of NZ-OC using
      immobilized metal affinity chromatography. An in vitro assay showed that purified
      rOC promotes GLP-1 secretion in a mouse intestinal neuroendocrine cell line, STC
      1, in a dose-dependent manner. These results clearly demonstrate that NZ-OC
      secretes rOC, and that rOC can promote GLP-1 secretion by STC-1 cells.
      Genetically modified lactic acid bacteria (gmLAB) have been proposed over the
      last two decades as an effective and low-cost mucosal delivery vehicle for
      biomedical proteins. NZ-OC may be an attractive tool for the delivery of rOC to
      trigger GLP-1 secretion in the small intestine to treat diabetes and obesity.

PMID- 28905107
TI  - Effect of changes of femoral offset on abductor and joint reaction forces in
      total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anatomical reconstruction in total hip arthroplasty (THA) allows for
      physiological muscle function, good functional outcome and implant longevity.
      Quantitative data on the effect of a loss or gain of femoral offset (FO) are
      scarce. The aim of this study was to quantitatively describe the effect of FO
      changes on abductor moment arms, muscle and joint reactions forces. METHODS: THA
      was virtually performed on 3D models built from preoperative CT scans of 15
      patients undergoing THA. Virtual THA was performed with a perfectly anatomical
      reconstruction, a loss of 20% of FO (-FO), and a gain of 20% of FO (+FO). These
      models were combined with a generic musculoskeletal model (OpenSim) to predict
      moment arms, muscle and joint reaction forces during normal gait cycles. RESULTS:
      In average, with -FO reconstructions, muscle moment arms decreased, while muscle
      and hip forces increased significantly (p < 0.001). We observed the opposite with
      +FO reconstructions. Gluteus medius was more affected than gluteus minimus. -FO
      had more effect than +FO. A change of 20% of FO induced an average change 8% of
      abductor moment arms, 16% of their forces, and 6% of the joint reaction force.
      CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report providing quantitative
      data on the effect of FO changes on muscle and joint forces during normal gait. A
      decrease of FO necessitates an increase of abductor muscle force to maintain
      normal gait, which in turn increases the joint reaction force. This effect
      underscores the importance of an accurate reconstruction of the femoral offset.

PMID- 28905105
TI  - Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of 18-FDG PET/CT in the Management of Resectable
      Biliary Tract Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Role of 18-FDG PET/CT had been well established in other more
      prevalent malignancies such as colorectal and lung cancer; however, this is not
      as well defined in cholangiocarcinoma. Literature focusing on the prognostic
      values of preoperative PET/CT for resectable cholangiocarcinoma is scarce.
      METHOD: This is a retrospective cohort of 66 consecutive patients who had
      received curative resection for cholangiocarcinoma from 2010 to 2015. All
      patients had preoperative 18-FDG PET/CT performed. Accuracy of metastatic lymph
      node detection of PET/CT and the prognostic value of maximum standard uptake
      value (SUV-max) was explored. RESULTS: There were 38 male and 28 female
      recruited, and the median age was 66. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC)
      constituted the majority (59.1%) of the cases, followed by hilar
      cholangiocarcinoma (22.8%), gallbladder cancer (13.6%) and common bile duct
      cancer (4.5%). The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS)
      of the whole population were 27.1 and 39.2%, respectively. The median follow-up
      duration was 27 months. The accuracy of PET/CT in metastatic lymph node detection
      was 72.7% (P = 0.005, 95% CI 0.583-0.871) and 81.8% (P = 0.011, 95% CI 0.635
      0.990) in whole population and ICC subgroup analysis, respectively. SUV-max was
      shown by multivariate analysis to be an independent factor for DFS (P = 0.007 OR
      1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.29) and OS (P = 0.012 OR 1.145, 95% CI 1.030-1.273) after
      resection. SUV-max of 8 was shown to be a discriminant cut-off for poor
      oncological outcomes in patients with early cholangiocarcinoma (TNM stage I or
      II) after curative resection (3-year DFS: 21.2 vs. 63.2%, P = 0.004, and 3-year
      OS: 29 vs. 74% P = 0.048, respectively). CONCLUSION: PET/CT is a reliable imaging
      modality for metastatic lymph node detection in cholangiocarcinoma. Tumour SUV
      max is an independent factor for oncological outcomes in patients with resectable
      disease. For patients who have TNM stage I or II cholangiocarcinoma, tumour SUV
      max over 8 is associated with significantly inferior disease-free and overall
      survival even after curative resection.

PMID- 28905108
TI  - A randomized phase II trial of erlotinib vs. S-1 as a third- or fourth-line
      therapy for patients with wild-type EGFR non-small cell lung cancer (HOT1002).
AB  - PURPOSE: A high proportion of patients with wild-type EGFR non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) receive third-line therapy and beyond, with no prospective
      randomized trials addressing the issue. This study aimed to select the most
      suitable regimen as a third- or fourth-line therapy for wild-type EGFR NSCLC.
      METHODS: This multicenter, randomized phase II study in Japan included patients
      with recurrent or advanced NSCLC with wild-type or unknown EGFR, who progressed
      after two or three previous chemotherapies. The patients were randomly assigned
      to erlotinib (150 mg/day, days 1-21) or S-1 (80-120 mg/day, days 1-14) every 3
      weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint
      was disease control rate (DCR). The secondary endpoints included overall survival
      (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), toxicity,
      and quality of life (QOL). RESULTS: From 2011 to 2016, 37 patients were randomly
      assigned to receive erlotinib (E arm, n = 19) and S-1 (S arm, n = 18). This study
      was terminated prematurely because of poor patient accrual. DCR/ORR were
      42.1%/15.8% in the E arm and 66.7%/16.7% in the S arm. Median PFS/OS were 1.6
      months/8.0 months in the E arm and 3.3 months/12.2 months in the S arm. In both
      groups, the most commonly reported grade 3-4 toxicities were fatigue, anorexia,
      and nausea. One grade 5 pneumonitis occurred in the S arm. No significant
      difference was seen in QOL. CONCLUSIONS: S-1 as a third- or fourth-line therapy
      for wild-type EGFR NSCLC showed numerically better clinical outcomes than
      erlotinib. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NO: UMIN000005308.

PMID- 28905109
TI  - White matter microstructure of attentional networks predicts attention and
      consciousness functional interactions.
AB  - Attention is considered as one of the pre-requisites of conscious perception.
      Phasic alerting and exogenous orienting improve conscious perception of near
      threshold information through segregated brain networks. Using a multimodal
      neuroimaging approach, combining data from functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion
      weighted imaging (DWI), we investigated the influence of white matter properties
      of the ventral branch of superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF III) in functional
      interactions between attentional systems and conscious perception. Results
      revealed that (1) reduced integrity of the left hemisphere SLF III was predictive
      of the neural interactions observed between exogenous orienting and conscious
      perception, and (2) increased integrity of the left hemisphere SLF III was
      predictive of the neural interactions observed between phasic alerting and
      conscious perception. Our results combining fMRI and DWI data demonstrate that
      structural properties of the white matter organization determine attentional
      modulations over conscious perception.

PMID- 28905110
TI  - [Indications and technique for transconjunctival optic nerve sheath fenestration
      : Video article].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Placement of a ventricular shunt is the primary surgical procedure
      for lowering intracranial pressure in pseudotumor cerebri syndrome; however, if
      ophthalmological symptoms prevail over neurological symptoms or if there are no
      neurological symptoms at all, optic nerve sheath fenestration may be a valuable
      option for relief of pressure on the retrobulbar optic nerve when papilledema
      caused by pseudotumor cerebri syndrome threatens vision despite previous
      conservative measures. METHODS: This review covers the indications, technique and
      results of optic nerve sheath fenestration compared to competing procedures based
      on a systematic literature search, analysis of own cases and a documentation of
      the surgical technique. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: After performing a medial
      transconjunctival orbitotomy the medial rectus muscle tendon is temporarily
      detached and the eye abducted by traction sutures. Using confocal illumination
      under a surgical microscope, the optic nerve can be visualized using orbital
      spatulas and the sheath can be punctured with a microscalpel. A video of this
      operation is available online. CONCLUSION: Transconjunctival optic nerve sheath
      fenestration is a relatively safe method to reduce the rate of visual loss in
      pseudotumor cerebri syndrome. In selected cases it can be a useful alternative to
      ventriculoperitoneal/atrial shunts or venous stents.

PMID- 28905112
TI  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in spina bifida and (H1N1)-induced acute
      respiratory distress syndrome.
AB  - Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized as an acute hypoxemic
      and/or hypercapnic respiratory failure seen in critically ill patients and is
      still, although decreased over the past few years, associated with high
      mortality. Furthermore, ARDS may be a life-threatening complication of H1N1
      pneumonia. We report on a 45-year-old spina bifida patient with confirmed H1N1
      influenza virus infection causing acute respiratory failure, who was successfully
      weaned from 42-day veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO)
      treatment with an excellent outcome. Due to the physical constitution of spina
      bifida patients, we experienced challenges concerning cannula positioning and
      mechanical ventilation settings during weaning.

PMID- 28905111
TI  - Maternal depressive symptoms in childhood and risky behaviours in early
      adolescence.
AB  - Longitudinal patterns of maternal depressive symptoms have yet to be linked to
      risky behaviours, such as substance use or violence, in early adolescence, when
      such behaviours may be particularly detrimental. This study was carried out to do
      this. Using data from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, it modelled the effect of
      trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms at child ages 3, 5, 7 and 11 years
      on antisocial behaviour and delinquency at age 11 years (N = 12,494). It also
      explored their role in predicting moral judgement and attitudes to alcohol at age
      11, important predictors of delinquent or antisocial behaviour and alcohol use,
      respectively. Latent class analysis showed four longitudinal types of maternal
      depressive symptoms (chronically high, consistently low, moderate-accelerating
      and moderate-decelerating). Maternal symptom typology predicted antisocial
      behaviour in males and attitudes to alcohol in females, even after adjusting for
      youth's age and pubertal status and after correcting for confounding.
      Specifically, compared to males growing up with never-depressed mothers, those
      exposed to chronically high or accelerating maternal depressive symptoms were
      more likely to report engaging in loud and rowdy behaviour, alcohol use and
      bullying. Females exposed to chronically high maternal depressive symptoms were
      more likely than those growing up with never-depressed mothers to support the
      view that alcohol use is harmless. While causal conclusions cannot be drawn,
      these findings suggest that preventing or treating maternal depressive symptoms
      in childhood may be a useful approach to reducing future externalising and health
      risk behaviours in offspring.

PMID- 28905113
TI  - Influence of increased heart rate and aortic pressure on resting indices of
      functional coronary stenosis severity.
AB  - : Baseline assessment of functional stenosis severity has been proposed as a
      practical alternative to hyperemic indices. However, intact autoregulation
      mechanisms may affect intracoronary hemodynamics. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the effect of changes in aortic pressure (Pa) and heart rate (HR) on
      baseline coronary hemodynamics and functional stenosis assessment. In 15 patients
      (55 +/- 3% diameter stenosis) Pa, intracoronary pressure (Pd) and flow velocity
      were obtained at control, and during atrial pacing at 120 bpm, increased Pa (+30
      mmHg) with intravenous phenylephrine (PE), and elevated Pa while pacing at sinus
      heart rate (PE + sHR). We derived rate pressure product (RPP = systolic Pa * HR),
      baseline microvascular resistance (BMR = Pd/velocity), and stenosis resistance
      [BSR = (Pa - Pd)/velocity] as well as whole-cycle Pd/Pa. Tachycardia (120 +/- 1
      bpm) raised RPP by 74% vs. CONTROL: Accordingly, BMR decreased by 27% (p < 0.01)
      and velocity increased by 36% (p < 0.05), while Pd/Pa decreased by 0.05 +/- 0.02
      (p < 0.05) and BSR remained similar to control. Raising Pa to 121 +/- 3 mmHg (PE)
      with concomitant reflex bradycardia increased BMR by 26% (p < 0.001) at
      essentially unchanged RPP and velocity. Consequently, BSR and Pd/Pa were only
      marginally affected. During PE + sHR, velocity increased by 21% (p < 0.01)
      attributable to a 46% higher RPP (p < 0.001). However, BMR, BSR, and Pd/Pa
      remained statistically unaffected. Nonetheless, the interventions tended to
      increase functional stenosis severity, causing Pd/Pa and BSR of borderline
      lesions to cross the diagnostic threshold. In conclusion, coronary microvascular
      adaptation to physiological conditions affecting metabolic demand at rest
      influences intracoronary hemodynamics, which may lead to altered basal stenosis
      indices used for clinical decision-making.

PMID- 28905114
TI  - Long-term outcomes of microvascular decompression and Gamma Knife surgery for
      trigeminal neuralgia: a retrospective comparison study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is still no clear guideline for surgical treatment for patients
      with medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN). When it comes to which
      surgical treatment to choose, microvascular decompression (MVD) or Gamma Knife
      surgery (GKS), we should know the long-term outcome of each treatment. METHODS:
      We analyzed 179 patients undergoing MVD and 52 patients undergoing GKS followed
      for 1 year or longer. We evaluated the patient's neurological status including
      pain relief, complications and recurrence. Results were assessed with Barrow
      Neurological Institute (BNI) pain intensity and facial numbness scores. Overall
      outcomes were compared between the two groups based on pain relief and
      complications. RESULTS: BNI pain intensity and facial numbness scores at the
      final visit were significantly lower in the MVD group than in the GKS group (P <
      0.001, P = 0.04, respectively). Overall outcomes were superior following MVD than
      following GKS (P < 0.001). Following whichever treatment, there were initially
      high rates of pain-free status "without medication": 96.6% in the MVD group and
      96.2% in the GKS group. However, 6.1% in the MVD group and 51.9% in the GKS group
      fell into a "with medication" state within median periods of 1.83 and 3.92 years,
      respectively (P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that pain recurred more
      often and later in the GKS group than in the MVD group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Considering the long-term outcomes, MVD should be chosen as the initial surgical
      treatment for patients with medically refractory TN.

PMID- 28905115
TI  - Clinical application of SNP array analysis in fetuses with ventricular septal
      defects and normal karyotypes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study aims to evaluate the utility of high-resolution single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays in fetuses with ventricular septal defects
      (VSDs) with or without other structural anomalies but with normal karyotypes and
      to investigate the outcomes of cases of prenatal VSDs via clinical follow-up.
      METHODS: We analyzed 144 fetuses with VSDs and normal karyotypes using Affymetrix
      CytoScan HD arrays and the analyses were carried out a year after birth. RESULTS:
      Clinically significant CNVs were detected in 12 fetuses (8.3%). The most common
      pathogenic CNV was a 22q11.2 deletion with a detection rate of 2.8% (4/144). Well
      known microdeletion or microduplication syndromes, including Smith-Magenis,
      Miller-Dieker, 9q subtelomeric deletion, 1p36 microdeletion, 1q21.1
      microduplication, and terminal 4q deletion syndrome, were identified in six
      cases. Three regions of chromosomal imbalance were also identified:
      microduplication at 12q24.32q24.33, microdeletion at 16p13.13p13.12 and
      microdeletion at Xp21.1. The genes TBX1, SKI, GJA5, EHMT1, NOTCH1 were identified
      as established genes and LZTR1, PRDM26, YWHAE, FAT1, AKAP10, ERCC4, and ULK1 were
      identified as potential candidate genes of fetal VSDs. There was no significant
      difference in pathogenic CNVs between isolated VSDs and VSDs with additional
      structural abnormalities. Ninety-five (74.8%) pregnant women with fetuses with
      benign CNVs chose to continue the pregnancy and had a favorable prognosis, while
      nine (75%) pregnant women with fetuses with pathogenic CNVs chose to terminate
      the pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution SNP arrays are valuable tools for
      identifying submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities in the prenatal diagnosis of
      VSDs. An excellent outcome can be expected for VSD fetuses that are negative for
      chromosomal anomalies and other severe anatomic abnormalities.

PMID- 28905116
TI  - [Teledermoscopy by mobile phones : Reliable help in the diagnosis of skin
      lesions?]
AB  - BACKGROUND: Teledermoscopy is a promising modern technique to complement or to
      substitute dermatologic examination. OBJECTIVE: In this pilot study, we compared
      the outcomes of teledermoscopic consultations with clinical examinations and
      histologic results. METHODS: Conventional and dermatoscopic photos of single
      lesions were taken in 26 patients using a mobile phone and an attached handyscope
      optical system. Five resident physicians performed a clinical examination
      including dermoscopy while the teledermatologic and teledermoscopic photos were
      assessed by an experienced dermatologist. Examination results were compared
      regarding diagnosis, differential diagnoses, recommended further management, as
      well as subjective and objective accuracy of diagnosis. In addition, 23% of the
      lesions were excised and histologically examined. RESULTS: The most frequent
      diagnosis was "nevus cell nevus", followed by "subungual hematoma" and "basal
      cell carcinoma". The concordance of diagnoses was 92.3%; the concordance of
      recommended further management was 76.9%. Of the 6 histologically proven
      diagnoses, 66.7% were given the same diagnosis by teledermatoscopy and
      conventional clinical assessment. Concerning accuracy of diagnosis,
      teledermoscopy showed no disadvantage. CONCLUSIONS: Teledermatologic photos of
      single lesions combined with teledermatoscopic photos can be reliably and safely
      assessed. Especially when access to dermatologic examination is difficult, mobile
      teledermoscopy is a good and reliable alternative.

PMID- 28905117
TI  - Mechanical characteristics of the maxillary sinus Schneiderian membrane ex vivo.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: It has been speculated that certain Schneiderian membrane thickness
      (SMT) might be more prone to perforation. This investigation was aimed at
      studying the mechanical characteristics of the Schneiderian membrane under one-
      and two-dimensional tests and their correlation to the histological SMT in human
      samples. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixteen Schneiderian membranes were collected from
      11 cadaver heads treated with Thiel's embalming method. The samples were
      processed and analyzed clinically and histologically. One-dimensional maximum
      elongation until perforation and two-dimensional resistance to ball penetration
      were performed after the biopsy. Data was analyzed by using the Wilcoxon rank
      test and the Spearman's rank correlation. RESULTS: The histological SMT was 1.36
      +/- 0.42 mm, whereas the clinical thickness was 0.27 +/- 0.21 mm, yielding
      statistical significance (p = 0.000). The resistance under ball penetration was
      0.59 +/- 0.43 N and the mean maximum elongation in the one-dimension test 11.19
      +/- 7.14 mm. Expressed in percentage, the mean stretch was 241.36 +/- 227.97%
      (range 31.5 up to 947%). A weak positive correlation was found between the ball
      penetration test and the SMT (r = 0.10, p = 0.711), while a weak negative
      correlation was found between stretching test and the SMT (r = -0.021, p = 0.94).
      CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical tests seem to indicate that SMT might not significantly
      predispose to Schneiderian membrane perforation. Hence, other anatomical and
      operator's factors should be considered of surpassing importance. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Thinner SM might be more prone to perforation when detaching it from
      the maxillary sinus antrum; however, a thick membrane is not prevented to tear,
      as their resistance under elastic forces is not higher than thinner ones.

PMID- 28905118
TI  - Administration of low-dose combination anti-CTLA4, anti-CD137, and anti-OX40 into
      murine tumor or proximal to the tumor draining lymph node induces systemic tumor
      regression.
AB  - The delivery of immunomodulators directly into the tumor potentially harnesses
      the existing antigen, tumor-specific infiltrating lymphocytes, and antigen
      presenting cells. This can confer specificity and generate a potent systemic anti
      tumor immune response with lower doses and less toxicity compared to systemic
      administration, in effect an in situ vaccine. Here, we test this concept using
      the novel combination of immunomodulators anti-CTLA4, -CD137, and -OX40. The
      triple combination administered intratumorally at low doses to one tumor of a
      dual tumor mouse model had dramatic local and systemic anti-tumor efficacy in
      lymphoma (A20) and solid tumor (MC38) models, consistent with an abscopal effect.
      The minimal effective dose was 10 MUg each. The effect was dependent on CD8 T
      cells. Intratumoral administration resulted in superior local and distant tumor
      control compared to systemic routes, supporting the in situ vaccine concept. In a
      single tumor A20 model, injection close to the tDLN resulted in similar efficacy
      as intratumoral and significantly better than targeting a non-tDLN, supporting
      the role of the tDLN as a viable immunotherapy target in addition to the tumor
      itself. Distribution studies confirmed expected concentration of antibodies in
      tumor and tDLN, in keeping with the anti-tumor results. Overall intratumoral or
      peri-tDLN administration of the novel combination of anti-CTLA4, anti-CD137, and
      anti-OX40, all agents in the clinic or clinical trials, demonstrates potent
      systemic anti-tumor effects. This immunotherapeutic combination is promising for
      future clinical development via both these safe and highly efficacious routes of
      administration.

PMID- 28905120
TI  - Animal and human bite injuries: a 5-year retrospective study in a large urban
      public hospital in Venezuela.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Animal bite injuries to the head and neck regions are an important
      public health problem. Most of these bites are from dogs. A 10-year retrospective
      study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of animal and human bites.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was done from January 2011 to
      December 2016 and included 387 patients with a mean age of 21.51 years. Data
      collection included age, sex, days of hospitalization, lesion type, and clinical
      management. RESULTS: Majority of patients were in age group of 21-29 years,
      followed by 31-55 years. Out of the total 281 patients, 42 patients (51.60%) were
      males and 34 patients (48.40%) were females. Mean hospital stay was 7.2 days with
      a minimum of 5 days and a maximum of 12 days. Surgical management included
      cleansing and primary closure of the wound. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the
      use of empiric antibiotic prophylaxis is essential for management of facial
      animal bite, and the antibiotic of first choice is amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.
      The aim of immediate surgical repair (< 6 h) is to avoid infections. The
      persistence of dog bite is public health problem in Venezuela.

PMID- 28905119
TI  - Jasmonic acid-induced tolerance to root-knot nematodes in tomato plants through
      altered photosynthetic and antioxidative defense mechanisms.
AB  - Plant parasitic nematodes cause severe damage to cultivated crops globally.
      Management of nematode population is a major concern as chemicals used as
      nematicides have negative impact on the environment. Natural plant products can
      be safely used for the control of nematodes. Among various plant metabolites,
      plant hormones play an essential role in developmental and physiological
      processes and also assist the plants to encounter stressful conditions. Keeping
      this in mind, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of jasmonic
      acid (JA) on the growth, pigments, polyphenols, antioxidants, osmolytes, and
      organic acids under nematode infection in tomato seedlings. It was observed that
      nematode inoculation reduced the growth of seedlings. Treatment with JA improved
      root growth (32.79%), total chlorophylls (71.51%), xanthophylls (94.63%),
      anthocyanins (37.5%), and flavonoids content (21.11%) when compared to inoculated
      seedlings alone. The JA application enhanced the total antioxidant capacity
      (lipid- and water-soluble antioxidants) by 38.23 and 34.37%, respectively, in
      comparison to infected seedlings. Confocal studies revealed that there was higher
      accumulation of glutathione in hormone-treated seedlings under nematode
      infection. Treatment with JA increased total polyphenols content (74.56%) in
      comparison to nematode-infested seedlings. JA-treated seedlings also enhanced
      osmolyte and organic acid contents under nematode stress. Overall, treatment with
      JA improved growth, enhanced pigment levels, modulated antioxidant content, and
      enhanced osmolyte and organic acid content in nematode-infected seedlings.

PMID- 28905121
TI  - A probabilistic atlas of fiber crossings for variability reduction of anisotropy
      measures.
AB  - Diffusion imaging enables assessment of human brain white matter (WM) in vivo. WM
      microstructural integrity is routinely quantified via fractional anisotropy (FA).
      However, FA is also influenced by the number of differentially oriented fiber
      populations per voxel. To date, the precise statistical relationship between FA
      and fiber populations has not been characterized, complicating microstructural
      integrity assessment. Here, we used 630 state-of-the-art diffusion datasets from
      the Human Connectome Project, which allowed us to infer the number of fiber
      populations per voxel in a model-free fashion. Beyond the known impact on mean
      FA, variance of anisotropy distributions was drastically impacted, not only for
      FA, but also the more recent anisotropy indices generalized FA and
      multidimensional anisotropy. To ameliorate this bias, we introduce a
      probabilistic WM atlas delineating the number of distinctly oriented fiber
      populations per voxel. Our atlas shows that the majority of WM voxels features
      two differentially directed fiber populations (44.7%) rather than unidirectional
      fibers (32.9%) and identified WM regions with high numbers of crossing fibers,
      referred to as crossing pockets. Compartmentalizing anisotropy drastically
      reduced variance in group comparisons ranging from the whole brain to a few
      voxels in a single slice. In summary, we demonstrate a systematic effect of intra
      voxel diffusion inhomogeneity on anisotropy. Moreover, we introduce a potential
      solution: The provided probabilistic WM atlas can easily be used with any given
      diffusion dataset to enhance the statistical robustness of anisotropy measures
      and increase their neurobiological utility.

PMID- 28905122
TI  - Static and free-vibration analyses of dental prosthesis and atherosclerotic human
      artery by refined finite element models.
AB  - Static and modal responses of representative biomechanical structures are
      investigated in this paper by employing higher-order theories of structures and
      finite element approximations. Refined models are implemented in the domain of
      the Carrera unified formulation (CUF), according to which low- to high-order
      kinematics can be postulated as arbitrary and, eventually, hierarchical
      expansions of the generalized displacement unknowns. By using CUF along with the
      principle of virtual work, the governing equations are expressed in terms of
      fundamental nuclei of finite element arrays. The fundamental nuclei are invariant
      of the theory approximation order and can be opportunely employed to implement
      variable kinematics theories of bio-structures. In this work, static and free
      vibration analyses of an atherosclerotic plaque of a human artery and a dental
      prosthesis are discussed. The results from the proposed methodologies highlight a
      number of advantages of CUF models with respect to already established theories
      and commercial software tools. Namely, (i) CUF models can represent correctly the
      higher-order phenomena related to complex stress/strain field distributions and
      coupled mode shapes; (ii) bio-structures can be modeled in a component-wise sense
      by only employing the physical boundaries of the problem domain and without
      making any geometrical simplification. This latter aspect, in particular, can be
      currently accomplished only by using three-dimensional analysis, which may be
      computationally unbearable as complex bio-systems are considered.

PMID- 28905123
TI  - No difference between manual and different power toothbrushes with and without
      specific instructions in young, oral healthy adults-results of a randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this randomized clinical study was to detect the effect of
      an instruction within a group using oscillating-rotating (OR), sonic-active (SA),
      or manual toothbrushes (MTB) in young, oral healthy adults. METHODS: One hundred
      fifty participants were randomly assigned into six groups (n = 25): with (OR-I,
      SA-I, MTB-I) and without instruction (OR-NI, SA-NI, MTB-NI). Participants in I
      subgroups received one standardized instruction of the toothbrush system. At
      baseline (t0), after 2 (t1), 4 (t2), and 12 weeks (t3), plaque indices including
      modified Quigley-Hein Index (QHI) and Marginal Plaque Index (MPI) as well as
      inflammation indices including Papilla Bleeding Index (PBI) and Gingival Index
      (GI) were assessed. Kruskal-Wallis test, Friedman test, and chi-square or
      Fisher's exact test (p < 0.05) were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: One
      hundred thirty-one participants completed the follow-up and were analyzed: OR-I =
      21, OR-NI = 22, SA-I = 22, SA-NI = 22, MTB-I = 22, and MTB-NI = 22. Within groups
      between t0 and t3, OR and SA systems showed a significant plaque reduction,
      irrespective of instruction (p i < 0.05). In MTB-I and in SA-NI subgroups, a
      reduction of GI was detected, while an improvement in PBI within SA-I was found
      (p i < 0.05). Thereby, after 12 weeks, gingival inflammation and plaque indices
      were comparable between all subgroups (p i > 0.05). Irrespective of the
      toothbrush system used, only QHI was positively influenced by instruction (p <
      0.01). CONCLUSION: The used toothbrush as well as the presence or absence of a
      single brush-specific instruction has no influence on plaque removal and
      reduction of gingival inflammation in young, oral healthy adults in an
      observation period of 12 weeks. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A single instruction might
      bring no benefit in this patient group, independently of the used toothbrush
      system.

PMID- 28905124
TI  - Arthritic psoriasis during natalizumab treatment: a case report and review of the
      literature.

PMID- 28905125
TI  - Biometeorological forecasts for health surveillance and prevention of meteor
      tropic effects.
AB  - An early method of biometeorological forecasts was developed for Cuba during the
      late 90s. It was based on the relationship between the daily occurrence of
      massive health crisis and the magnitude of the 24-h differences of partial
      density of oxygen in the air (PODA index). Ten years later, applying new
      technological facilities, a new model was developed in order to offer operational
      biometeorological forecast to Cuban health institutions. After a satisfactory
      validation process, the official bioforecast service to health institutions in
      Villa Clara province began on February of 2012. The effectiveness had different
      success levels: for the bronchial asthma crisis (94%), in the hypertensive crisis
      (88%), with the cerebrovascular illnesses (85%), as well as migraines (82%) and
      in case of cardiovascular diseases (75%) were acceptable. Since 2008, the
      application of the model was extended to other regions of the world, including
      some national applications. Furthermore, it allowed the beginning of regional
      monitoring of meteor-tropic effects, following the occurrence and movement of
      areas with higher weather contrasts, defined according to the normalized scale of
      PODA index. The paper describes the main regional results already available, with
      emphasis in the observed meteor-tropic effects increasing in all regions during
      recent years. It coincides with the general increase of energy imbalance in the
      whole climate system. Finally, the paper describes the current development of new
      global biometeorological forecast services.

PMID- 28905126
TI  - Neuroanatomical correlates of haptic object processing: combined evidence from
      tractography and functional neuroimaging.
AB  - Touch delivers a wealth of information already from birth, helping infants to
      acquire knowledge about a variety of important object properties using their
      hands. Despite the fact that we are touch experts as much as we are visual
      experts, surprisingly, little is known how our perceptual ability in touch is
      linked to either functional or structural aspects of the brain. The present
      study, therefore, investigates and identifies neuroanatomical correlates of
      haptic perceptual performance using a novel, multi-modal approach. For this,
      participants' performance in a difficult shape categorization task was first
      measured in the haptic domain. Using a multi-modal functional magnetic resonance
      imaging and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging analysis pipeline,
      functionally defined and anatomically constrained white-matter pathways were
      extracted and their microstructural characteristics correlated with individual
      variability in haptic categorization performance. Controlling for the effects of
      age, total intracranial volume and head movements in the regression model, haptic
      performance was found to correlate significantly with higher axial diffusivity in
      functionally defined superior longitudinal fasciculus (fSLF) linking frontal and
      parietal areas. These results were further localized in specific sub-parts of
      fSLF. Using additional data from a second group of participants, who first
      learned the categories in the visual domain and then transferred to the haptic
      domain, haptic performance correlates were obtained in the functionally defined
      inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Our results implicate SLF linking frontal and
      parietal areas as an important white-matter track in processing touch-specific
      information during object processing, whereas ILF relays visually learned
      information during haptic processing. Taken together, the present results chart
      for the first time potential neuroanatomical correlates and interactions of touch
      related object processing.

PMID- 28905127
TI  - ADHD is associated with migraine: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - An association between primary headaches and attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder (ADHD) has long been suggested. Moreover, headache is regarded as a
      common side effect of stimulants, the most effective treatment for ADHD. So far,
      no systematic review has evaluated the potential association between ADHD and
      headache. We performed a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis
      of all reported studies on ADHD and primary headaches. Our analysis showed a
      positive association between ADHD and migraine (OR 1.322, 95% CI 1.018-1717, p
      value 0.036), but not with tension-type headache. There is a significant
      association between migraine and ADHD. The mechanisms underlying this association
      remain to be elucidated, warranting further studies.

PMID- 28905128
TI  - Women's Subjective Experiences of Living with Vulvodynia: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-Ethnography.
AB  - Vulvodynia, the experience of an idiopathic pain in the form of burning,
      soreness, or throbbing in the vulval area, affects around 4-16% of the
      population. The current review used systematic search strategies and meta
      ethnography as a means of identifying, analyzing, and synthesizing the existing
      literature pertaining to women's subjective experiences of living with
      vulvodynia. Four key concepts were identified: (1) Social Constructions: Sex,
      Women, and Femininity: Women experienced negative consequences of social
      narratives around womanhood, sexuality, and femininity, including the
      prioritization of penetrative sex, the belief that it is the role of women to
      provide sex for men, and media portrayals of sex as easy and natural. (2) Seeking
      Help: Women experienced the healthcare system as dismissive, sometimes being
      prescribed treatments that exacerbated the experience of pain. (3) Psychological
      and Relational Impact of Vulvodynia: Women experienced feeling shame and guilt,
      which in turn led to the experience of psychological distress, low mood, anxiety,
      and low self-esteem. Moreover, women reported feeling silenced which in turn
      affected their heterosexual relationships and their peer relationships by feeling
      social isolated. (4) A Way Forward: Women found changing narratives, as well as
      group and individual multidisciplinary approaches, helpful in managing
      vulvodynia. The findings of the review conclude that interventions at the
      individual level, as well as interventions aimed at equipping women to challenge
      social narratives, may be helpful for the psychological well-being of women with
      vulvodynia.

PMID- 28905129
TI  - Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder in a cohort of pregnant
      Peruvian women.
AB  - Women have a higher prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than men,
      with a peak during the reproductive years. PTSD during pregnancy adversely
      impacts maternal and infant health outcomes. The objectives of this study were to
      estimate the prevalence of antepartum PTSD symptoms in a population of pregnant
      Peruvian women and to examine the impact of number of traumatic events and type
      of trauma experienced. The Traumatic Events Questionnaire was used to collect
      data about traumatic exposures. The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist
      Civilian Version (PCL-C) was used to assess PTSD. Multivariable logistic
      regression procedures were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (95% CI). Three thousand three hundred seventy-two pregnant
      women were interviewed. Of the 2920 who reported experiencing one or more
      traumatic events, 41.8% met criteria for PTSD (PCL-C score >= 26). A quarter of
      participants had experienced four or more traumas, and 60.5% of those women had
      PTSD. Interpersonal trauma was most strongly associated with PTSD (aOR, 3.20; 95%
      CI, 2.74-3.74), followed by unspeakable trauma (aOR, 2.87; 95% CI, 2.35-3.50),
      and structural trauma (aOR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.15-1.67). These findings indicate the
      high prevalence of PTSD during pregnancy in the Peruvian population, which is
      relevant to other countries suffering from terrorism, war, or high rates of
      violence. This underscores the importance of screening for PTSD in pregnancy.

PMID- 28905130
TI  - Clinico-serologic features of statin-induced necrotising autoimmune myopathy in a
      single-centre cohort.
AB  - Statin-induced necrotising autoimmune myopathy (NAM) is a rare but disabling
      complication of statin therapy. Data regarding treatment and outcomes in these
      patients is sparse. We retrospectively identified those patients with a diagnosis
      of statin-induced NAM who were managed in a single-tertiary referral centre from
      January 2014 to January 2017. Data regarding clinical features, serology,
      antibody status and functional outcome was collected. We identified 16 patients
      diagnosed with statin-induced NAM. Truncal weakness was present in 9/16 patients,
      of which one patient presented with camptocormia. Following treatment, the mean
      improvement in the 8-point manual muscle test (MMT8) score was 11 points (range 1
      25). Antibodies to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) were
      detected in 8/14 patients tested. Of patients who were HMGCR positive, 7/8 had
      significant truncal weakness, compared with 1/6 who were anti-HMGCR negative. In
      4/7 patients who had anti-HMGCR retested following treatment, these antibodies
      subsequently became undetectable. The disappearance of anti-HMGCR was accompanied
      by sustained clinical improvement in all four patients. The mean Karnofsky
      Performance Status (KPS) prior to diagnosis was 89/100, and at latest follow-up
      had fallen to 68/100. We report a novel association of anti-HMGCR antibodies with
      truncal weakness in patients with statin-induced NAM. Functional impairments
      persist despite normalisation of muscle strength. Anti-HMGCR antibodies may
      disappear with treatment, paralleled by clinical remission of disease. Further
      prospective clinical trials are needed to determine optimal management strategies
      for statin-induced NAM.

PMID- 28905132
TI  - Transethnic insight into the genetics of glycaemic traits: fine-mapping results
      from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE)
      consortium.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Elevated levels of fasting glucose and fasting insulin in non
      diabetic individuals are markers of dysregulation of glucose metabolism and are
      strong risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Genome-wide association studies have
      discovered over 50 SNPs associated with these traits. Most of these loci were
      discovered in European populations and have not been tested in a well-powered
      multi-ethnic study. We hypothesised that a large, ancestrally diverse, fine
      mapping genetic study of glycaemic traits would identify novel and population
      specific associations that were previously undetectable by European-centric
      studies. METHODS: A multiethnic study of up to 26,760 unrelated individuals
      without diabetes, of predominantly Hispanic/Latino and African ancestries, were
      genotyped using the Metabochip. Transethnic meta-analysis of racial/ethnic
      specific linear regression analyses were performed for fasting glucose and
      fasting insulin. We attempted to replicate 39 fasting glucose and 17 fasting
      insulin loci. Genetic fine-mapping was performed through sequential conditional
      analyses in 15 regions that included both the initially reported SNP
      association(s) and denser coverage of SNP markers. In addition, Metabochip-wide
      analyses were performed to discover novel fasting glucose and fasting insulin
      loci. The most significant SNP associations were further examined using
      bioinformatic functional annotation. RESULTS: Previously reported SNP
      associations were significantly replicated (p <= 0.05) in 31/39 fasting glucose
      loci and 14/17 fasting insulin loci. Eleven glycaemic trait loci were refined to
      a smaller list of potentially causal variants through transethnic meta-analysis.
      Stepwise conditional analysis identified two loci with independent secondary
      signals (G6PC2-rs477224 and GCK-rs2908290), which had not previously been
      reported. Population-specific conditional analyses identified an independent
      signal in G6PC2 tagged by the rare variant rs77719485 in African ancestry.
      Further Metabochip-wide analysis uncovered one novel fasting insulin locus at
      SLC17A2-rs75862513. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that while
      glycaemic trait loci often have generalisable effects across the studied
      populations, transethnic genetic studies help to prioritise likely functional
      SNPs, identify novel associations that may be population-specific and in turn
      have the potential to influence screening efforts or therapeutic discoveries.
      DATA AVAILABILITY: The summary statistics from each of the ancestry-specific and
      transethnic (combined ancestry) results can be found under the PAGE study on
      dbGaP here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi
      bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000356.v1.p1.

PMID- 28905133
TI  - RABBIT risk score and ICU admission due to infection in patients with rheumatoid
      arthritis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are at increased risk of infection. Aim of the
      present study was to investigate whether RA patients admitted to an intensive
      care unit (ICU) due to infection have higher Rheumatoid Arthritis Observation of
      Biologic Therapy (RABBIT) risk scores compared to control RA patients. Seventy
      four RA patients (32.4% male) admitted to an ICU due to infection (from January
      2002 to December 2013) and 74 frequency-matched control RA patients (16.2% male)
      were included in this cross-sectional study. There was strong evidence for a
      higher RABBIT risk score in ICU patients (median 2.0; IQR 1.3-3.2) as compared to
      controls (1.3; IQR 0.8-2.0; p < 0.0001). Traditional disease-modifying anti
      rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (82.4 vs 64.9%; p = 0.015) and biological DMARDs (28.4
      vs 14.9%; p = 0.012) were more frequently given to RA patients without ICU
      admission. Glucocorticoid users were more frequently found in the ICU group (51.4
      vs 31.1%; p = 0.012). In a multivariable analysis tDMARD use was associated with
      lower (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.15-0.93; p = 0.034) and glucocorticoid use with
      borderline higher odds of ICU admission (OR 2.05; 95% CI 0.92-4.58; p = 0.078).
      Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 2.89; 95% CI 1.10-7.54; p = 0.03),
      chronic kidney disease (OR 16.08; 95% CI 2.00-129.48; p = 0.009), and age
      category (OR 2.67; 95% CI 1.46-4.87; p = 0.001) were strongly associated with ICU
      admission. There was a strong trend towards higher odds of ICU admission with
      increasing RABBIT risk score. Use of tDMARDs was associated with lower odds of
      ICU admission. In an adjusted analysis, bDMARDs were not associated with ICU
      admission. COPD, CKD, and age were strong risk factors for ICU admission.

PMID- 28905131
TI  - Exploring evidence of positive selection signatures in cattle breeds selected for
      different traits.
AB  - Since domestication, the genome landscape of cattle has been changing due to
      natural and artificial selection forces resulting in several general and
      specialized cattle breeds of the world. Identifying genomic regions affected due
      to these forces in livestock gives an insight into the history of selection for
      economically important traits and genetic adaptation to specific environments of
      the populations under consideration. This study explores the genes/genomic
      regions under selection in relation to the phenotypes of Holstein, Hanwoo, and
      N'Dama cattle breeds using Tajima's D, XP-CLR, and XP-EHH population statistical
      methods. The whole genomes of 10 Holstein (South Korea), 11 Hanwoo (South Korea),
      and 10 N'Dama (West Africa-Guinea) cattle breeds re-sequenced to ~11x coverage
      and retained 37 million SNPs were used for the study. Selection signature
      analysis revealed 441, 512, and 461 genes under selection from Holstein, Hanwoo,
      and N'Dama cattle breeds, respectively. Among all these, seven genes including
      ARFGAP3, SNORA70, and other RNA genes were common between the breeds. From each
      of the gene lists, significant functional annotation cluster terms including milk
      protein and thyroid hormone signaling pathway (Holstein), histone
      acetyltransferase activity (Hanwoo), and renin secretion (N'Dama) were enriched.
      Genes that are related to the phenotypes of the respective breeds were also
      identified. Moreover, significant breed-specific missense variants were
      identified in CSN3, PAPPA2 (Holstein), C1orf116 (Hanwoo), and COMMD1 (N'Dama)
      genes. The genes identified from this study provide an insight into the
      biological mechanisms and pathways that are important in cattle breeds selected
      for different traits of economic significance.

PMID- 28905134
TI  - Postmortem MR diffusion-weighted imaging of the liver: time-behavior of the
      hepatic apparent diffusion coefficient in the early death interval.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess postmortem changes of the
      hepatic apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) at multiple time points in the time
      interval of 16 hours postmortem in comparison to in vivo controls and to
      literature data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Hepatic diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)
      was repeatedly performed at 1.5 Tesla (b values 50, 400, and 800 s/mm2) in 2
      hourly steps within 16 hours postmortem in 19 cases (male to female 13:6, mean
      age 68.5 +/- 12.2 years) and 5 in vivo controls. The core body temperature was
      measured rectally prior to every scan. Mean ADC values were calculated from
      regions of interest (ROIs) and compared to in vivo healthy controls and to
      literature data of normal liver parenchyma. Spearman rank correlation and
      Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm were used to assess a relationship between
      postmortem core body temperature and ADC values. RESULTS: Mean hepatic ADC values
      were significantly lower in postmortem cases than in in vivo controls (52.0 +/-
      15.0 . 10-5 mm2/s vs. 111.0 +/- 15.7 . 10-5 mm2/s, p < 0.0001). The ex vivo liver
      ADC correlated inversely to calculated liver temperature (-3.5 +/- 0.8) . 10-5
      mm2/s/ degrees C, r = -0.44, p < 0.0001. At low calculated liver temperature (<
      30  degrees C), the ADC described an average increase of (22 +/- 10) . 10-5
      mm2/s/ degrees C. CONCLUSION: Hepatic ADC values show a characteristic change in
      the immediate 16 hours postmortem, which is influenced by the postmortem liver
      temperature change. With the knowledge of characteristic postmortem liver
      changes, diffusion-weighted imaging could be added to conventional postmortem MRI
      for virtual autopsy.

PMID- 28905135
TI  - A case of reversible anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis: neuropsychological and
      neuroradiological features.
AB  - Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune
      encephalitis mainly affecting young women. We report a case of a mild
      paraneoplastic anti-NMDAR encephalitis in a 31-year-old female with an ovarian
      immature teratoma. The patient exhibited a severe short-term episodic memory
      impairment and psychiatric symptoms. A detailed diagnostic work-up including
      complete clinical and laboratory examinations, neuropsychological assessments,
      and neuroradiological investigations has been done at the onset and during follow
      up. The amnestic syndrome and MRI medial-temporal abnormalities reversed after
      medical and surgical treatment. The present report indicates that the disease can
      be rapidly reversible if promptly diagnosed and treated. While the disease has
      already been described elsewhere, the course of neurospychological deficits in
      adults is not as much known. Usually, when the diagnosis of anti-NMDAR
      encephalitis is made, the severity of the disease makes the assessment of the
      neuropsycological profile particulary challenging. The present report is of
      interest because it describes the complete neuropsychological profile of a mild
      form of anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

PMID- 28905136
TI  - Highly sensitive detection of ESR1 mutations in cell-free DNA from patients with
      metastatic breast cancer using molecular barcode sequencing.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aimed to develop a highly sensitive method to detect ESR1 mutations
      in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using next-generation sequencing with molecular barcode
      (MB-NGS) targeting the hotspot segment (c.1600-1713). METHODS: The sensitivity of
      MB-NGS was tested using serially diluted ESR1 mutant DNA and then cfDNA samples
      from 34 patients with metastatic breast cancer were analyzed with MB-NGS. The
      results of MB-NGS were validated in comparison with conventional NGS and droplet
      digital PCR (ddPCR). RESULTS: MB-NGS showed a higher sensitivity (0.1%) than NGS
      without barcode (1%) by reducing background errors. Of the cfDNA samples from 34
      patients with metastatic breast cancer, NGS without barcode revealed seven
      mutations in six patients (17.6%) and MB-NGS revealed six additional mutations
      including three mutations not reported in the COSMIC database of breast cancer,
      resulting in total 13 ESR1 mutations in ten patients (29.4%). Regarding the three
      hotspot mutations, all the patients with mutations detected by MB-NGS had
      identical mutations detected by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), and mutant allele
      frequency correlated very well between both (r = 0.850, p < 0.01). Moreover, all
      the patients without these mutations by MB-NGS were found to have no mutations by
      ddPCR. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, MB-NGS could successfully detect ESR1 mutations
      in cfDNA with a higher sensitivity of 0.1% than conventional NGS and was
      considered as clinically useful as ddPCR.

PMID- 28905137
TI  - The quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines for intracranial
      aneurysms: a systematic appraisal.
AB  - Intracranial aneurysms are common in adults. The relevant guidelines for patients
      with intracranial aneurysms aim to standardize the clinical practice and decision
      making for these patients. However, their management is controversial, and the
      quality of the guidelines has not been assessed. We aim to evaluate the quality
      of the guidelines for intracranial aneurysms as well as to compare and analyze
      the recommendations between different guidelines. Systematic searches were
      conducted to identify the guidelines for intracranial aneurysms from general
      electronic and guideline databases. Two independent reviewers identified the
      guidelines and extracted the data, and four reviewers independently evaluated the
      eligible guidelines through the AGREE II tool. Agreement among reviewers was
      measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient. A total of 12 guidelines,
      which were published from 1997 to 2016, were included. The agreement among
      reviewers was high (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.85 (95% CI: 0.8-0.89)).
      The mean scores of six domains ranged from 16.5 to 57.5% (scope and purpose 57.5%
      (39-68%); stakeholder 30.8% (19-46%); rigor 31.9% (19-52%); clarity 57.2% (42
      79%); applicability 24.9% (16-42%); and editorial independence: 16.5% (0-58%)).
      Furthermore, 202 recommendations related to intracranial aneurysms were collected
      from the included guidelines. Of these, 143 reported the quality of evidence
      and/or strength, and 119 reported both the quality of evidence and the strength.
      Of the 119 recommendations, there were six class A and 20 class B recommendations
      based on level III evidence. There were 12 recommendations in which the contents
      were similar between different guidelines and two recommendations with the
      opposite contents. The AGREE II scores of the guidelines for intracranial
      aneurysms were relatively low. The majority of recommendations were rated as
      classes A and B and based on levels II and III evidence. Approximately a fifth of
      strong recommendations was based on a low quality of evidence without
      interpretation or explanation.

PMID- 28905138
TI  - The Effectiveness of a Knowledge Translation Cognitive-Educational Intervention
      for Family Members of Persons Coping with Severe Mental Illness.
AB  - Keshet, a course for family members of persons' coping with mental illness, was
      developed to enhance positive family cognitive communication skills. Improving
      communication with the use of mediation techniques, primarily used by therapists,
      creates a learning environment viewed as a strategy of Knowledge Translation. To
      examine the effectiveness of Keshet in improving attitudes, problem solving,
      communication skills and attenuation of burden a quasi-experimental research
      design was applied with study and control condition. The same group of
      participants (N = 38) completed questionnaires at different stages: 3 months
      prior to course, initiation and completion. Following participation, significant
      changes were observed in attitudes regarding knowledge of how to cope and
      interact with family member. A correlation was found between improved knowledge
      and decline in burden. Implementing interventions which provide caregivers with
      professional "know-how" leads to lessened burden, thus contributing to
      maintaining well-being of family caregiver population.

PMID- 28905139
TI  - Fine-tuning indications for laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy.

PMID- 28905140
TI  - Long-term metabolic follow-up and clinical outcome of 35 patients with maple
      syrup urine disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare disease that requires a
      protein-restricted diet for successful management. Little is known, however,
      about the psychosocial outcome of MSUD patients. This study investigates the
      relationship between metabolic and clinical parameters and psychosocial outcomes
      in a cohort of patients with neonatal-onset MSUD. METHODS: Data on academic
      achievement, psychological care, family involvement, and biochemical parameters
      were collected from the medical records of neonatal MSUD patients treated at
      Necker Hospital (Paris) between 1964 and 2013. RESULTS: Thirty-five MSUD patients
      with a mean age of 16.3 (2.1-49.0) years participated. Metabolic decompensations
      (plasma leucine >380 MUmol/L) were more frequent during the first year of life
      and after 15 years, mainly due to infection and dietary noncompliance,
      respectively. Leucine levels increased significantly in adulthood: 61.5% of
      adults were independent and achieved adequate social and professional
      integration; 56% needed occasional or sustained psychological or psychiatric care
      (8/19, with externalizing, mood, emotional, and anxiety disorders being the most
      common). Patients needing psychiatric care were significantly older [mean and
      standard deviation (SD) 22.6 (7.7) years] than patients needing only
      psychological follow-up [mean (SD) 14.3 (8.9) years]. Patients with psychological
      follow-up experienced the highest lifetime number of decompensations; 45% of
      families had difficulty coping with the chronic disease. Parental involvement was
      negatively associated with the number of lifetime decompensations. CONCLUSION:
      Adults had increased levels of plasma leucine, consistent with greater chronic
      toxicity. Psychological care was associated with age and number of
      decompensations. In addition, parental involvement appeared to be crucial in the
      management of MSUD patients.

PMID- 28905141
TI  - Insights into the simultaneous utilization of glucose and glycerol by
      Streptomyces albulus M-Z18 for high epsilon-poly-L-lysine productivity.
AB  - The simultaneous consumption of glucose and glycerol led to remarkably higher
      productivity of both biomass and epsilon-poly-L-lysine (epsilon-PL), which was of
      great significance in industrial microbial fermentation. To further understand
      the superior fermentation performances, transcriptional analysis and exogenous
      substrates addition were carried out to study the simultaneous utilization of
      glucose and glycerol by Streptomyces albulus M-Z18. Transcriptome analysis
      revealed that there was no mutual transcriptional suppression between the
      utilization of glucose and glycerol, which was quite different from typical
      "glucose effect". In addition, microorganisms cultivated with single glycerol
      showed significant demand for ribose-5-phosphate, which resulted in potential
      demand for glucose and xylitol. The above demand could be relieved by glucose (in
      the mixed carbon source) or xylitol addition, leading to improvement of biomass
      production. It indicated that glucose in the mixed carbon source was more
      important for biomass production. Besides, transcriptional analysis and exogenous
      citrate addition proved that single carbon sources could not afford enough carbon
      skeletons for Embden Meyerhof pathway (EMP) while a glucose-glycerol combination
      could provided sufficient carbon skeletons to saturate the metabolic capability
      of EMP, which contributed to the replenishment of precursors and energy consumed
      in epsilon-PL production. This study offered insight into the simultaneous
      consumption of glucose and glycerol in the epsilon-PL batch fermentation, which
      deepened our comprehension on the high epsilon-PL productivity in the mixed
      carbon source.

PMID- 28905142
TI  - N-Terminal seven-amino-acid extension simultaneously improves the pH stability,
      optimal temperature, thermostability and catalytic efficiency of chitosanase
      CsnA.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of the extra N-terminal seven-amino-acid
      sequence on the function of chitosanase CsnA. RESULTS: Sequence and structure
      analysis indicated that the mature CsnA contains a seven-amino-acid extension in
      a disordered form at the N-terminus. To determine the function of this sequence,
      both mature CsnA and its N-terminus-truncated mutant, CsnADeltaN, were expressed
      in Escherichia coli and characterized. Compared with CsnADeltaN, CsnA exhibited a
      15  degrees C higher temperature optimum, enhanced pH stability, thermostability
      and catalytic efficiency. The underlying mechanisms responsible for these changes
      were analyzed by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. CD analysis revealed that
      the deletion of the N-terminal sequence resulted in a decrease in the Tm of 4.3 
      degrees C and this sequence altered the secondary structure of the enzyme.
      CONCLUSIONS: The N-terminal sequence is essential for the stability and activity
      of chitosanase CsnA.

PMID- 28905143
TI  - The value of quantitative shear wave elastography in differentiating the cervical
      lymph nodes in patients with thyroid nodules.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed at evaluating the diagnostic performance of
      quantitative shear wave elastography (SWE) in differentiating metastatic cervical
      lymph nodes from benign nodes in patients with thyroid nodules. METHODS: One
      hundred and forty-one cervical lymph nodes from 39 patients with thyroid nodules
      that were diagnosed as papillary thyroid cancer had been imaged with SWE. The
      shear elasticity modulus, which indicates the stiffness of the lymph nodes, was
      measured in terms of maximum shear elasticity modulus (maxSM), minimum shear
      elasticity modulus (minSM), mean shear elasticity modulus (meanSM), and standard
      deviation (SD) of the shear elasticity modulus. RESULTS: All the patients
      underwent thyroid surgery, 50 of the suspicious lymph nodes were resected, and 91
      lymph nodes were followed up for 6 months. The maxSM value, minSM value, meanSM
      value, and SD value of the metastatic lymph nodes were significantly higher than
      those of the benign nodes. The area under the curve of the maxSM value, minSM
      value, meanSM value, and SD value were 0.918, 0.606, 0.865, and 0.915,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SWE can differentiate metastasis from benign cervical
      lymph nodes in patients with thyroid nodules, and the maxSM, meanSM, and SD may
      be valuable quantitative indicators for characterizing cervical lymph nodes.

PMID- 28905145
TI  - Brainstem herniation into the internal acoustic canal secondary to hydrocephalus
      in context of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea: report of a novel entity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The authors report a case of a 5-year-old
      boy presenting with vision loss, right-sided hearing loss, and facial paralysis
      secondary to hydrocephalus causing brainstem herniation into the internal
      auditory canal (IAC) following cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhea. MANAGEMENT AND
      OUTCOME: After placement of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VP shunt), the vision
      and facial palsy improved whilst hearing loss persisted. Imaging demonstrated
      partial reduction of the herniated brainstem and resolution of hydrocephalus. To
      our knowledge, this is the first case reported of brainstem herniation into the
      internal auditory canal.

PMID- 28905144
TI  - Knee osteoarthritis and associated cardio-metabolic clusters in a tertiary
      hospital in Nigeria.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is the most common type of arthritis all over the
      world. Obesity is the strongest modifiable risk factor and causes OA through a
      combination metabolic factors and mechanical loading. This study aimed to
      determine the frequency of metabolic syndrome (Mets) among patients with knee OA
      and its relationship with pain and functional status. This was a descriptive
      hospital-based cross-sectional study involving patients with knee OA. Pain was
      measured using a 0-10 numeric rating visual analog scale (VAS). Functional status
      was assessed using Steinbrocker's functional classification. Metabolic syndrome
      was diagnosed using the International Diabetic Federation criteria. Radiographs
      of both knees were taken and graded using Kellgren and Lawrence scale.
      Relationship of pain and functional status with obesity and Mets was assessed
      using Pearson's correlation. A p value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Two
      hundred and forty-four patients with knee OA comprising 63 (25.8%) males and 181
      (74.2%) females were recruited. The median age was 50 years (range 18-73 years).
      Mets was diagnosed in 146 (59.8%). Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension were
      present in 154 (63.1%), 40 (16%), and 144 (59%) patients, respectively. Severe
      pain at first visit was present in 216 (88.5%) patients of which 128 (52.4%) had
      Mets compared to 85 (36.1%) without Mets (chi 2 = 2.40, p = 0.361). Two hundred
      and four (83.6%) had Steinbrocker's functional classes II and III. Waist
      circumference was higher in patients with Mets (p = 0.025) but age (p = 0.092),
      BMI (p = 0.831), VAS (p = 0.361), and functional class (p = 0.401) were similar
      in those with and without Mets. Body mass index showed significant association
      with severity of pain (p = 0.017) but not with functional class (p = 0.138).
      Kellgren and Lawrence radiographic grades III and IV were documented in 288
      (48.5%) and 136 (27.2%) knees, respectively. A higher BMI correlated with more
      severe radiographic grading for the right (p = 0.043) and left (p < 0.001) knees,
      respectively. Mets is prevalent (59.8%) among Nigerians with knee OA, and those
      with Mets have higher waist circumference. Significant association was observed
      between BMI with pain and Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade. Mets was not associated
      with pain, function, or KL grade.

PMID- 28905146
TI  - Long-Range Temporal Correlations Reflect Treatment Response in the
      Electroencephalogram of Patients with Infantile Spasms.
AB  - Infantile spasms syndrome is an epileptic encephalopathy in which prompt
      diagnosis and treatment initiation are critical to therapeutic response.
      Diagnosis of the disease heavily depends on the identification of characteristic
      electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns, including hypsarrhythmia. However, visual
      assessment of the presence and characteristics of hypsarrhythmia is challenging
      because multiple variants of the pattern exist, leading to poor inter-rater
      reliability. We investigated whether a quantitative measurement of the control of
      neural synchrony in the EEGs of infantile spasms patients could be used to
      reliably distinguish the presence of hypsarrhythmia and indicate successful
      treatment outcomes. We used autocorrelation and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis
      (DFA) to measure the strength of long-range temporal correlations in 21 infantile
      spasms patients before and after treatment and 21 control subjects. The strength
      of long-range temporal correlations was significantly lower in patients with
      hypsarrhythmia than control patients, indicating decreased control of neural
      synchrony. There was no difference between patients without hypsarrhythmia and
      control patients. Further, the presence of hypsarrhythmia could be classified
      based on the DFA exponent and intercept with 92% accuracy using a support vector
      machine. Successful treatment was marked by a larger increase in the DFA exponent
      compared to those in which spasms persisted. These results suggest that the
      strength of long-range temporal correlations is a marker of pathological cortical
      activity that correlates with treatment response. Combined with current clinical
      measures, this quantitative tool has the potential to aid objective
      identification of hypsarrhythmia and assessment of treatment efficacy to inform
      clinical decision-making.

PMID- 28905147
TI  - Evaluation and control of miRNA-like off-target repression for RNA interference.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely adopted to repress specific gene
      expression and is easily achieved by designing small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)
      with perfect sequence complementarity to the intended target mRNAs. Although
      siRNAs direct Argonaute (Ago), a core component of the RNA-induced silencing
      complex (RISC), to recognize and silence target mRNAs, they also inevitably
      function as microRNAs (miRNAs) and suppress hundreds of off-targets. Such miRNA
      like off-target repression is potentially detrimental, resulting in unwanted
      toxicity and phenotypes. Despite early recognition of the severity of miRNA-like
      off-target repression, this effect has often been overlooked because of
      difficulties in recognizing and avoiding off-targets. However, recent advances in
      genome-wide methods and knowledge of Ago-miRNA target interactions have set the
      stage for properly evaluating and controlling miRNA-like off-target repression.
      Here, we describe the intrinsic problems of miRNA-like off-target effects caused
      by canonical and noncanonical interactions. We particularly focus on various
      genome-wide approaches and chemical modifications for the evaluation and
      prevention of off-target repression to facilitate the use of RNAi with secured
      specificity.

PMID- 28905148
TI  - Building a PGC-LC-MS N-glycan retention library and elution mapping resource.
AB  - Porous graphitised carbon-liquid chromatography (PGC-LC) has been proven to be a
      powerful technique for the analysis and characterisation of complex mixtures of
      isomeric and isobaric glycan structures. Here we evaluate the elution behaviour
      of N-glycans on PGC-LC and thereby provide the potential of using chromatographic
      separation properties, together with mass spectrometry (MS) fragmentation, to
      determine glycan structure assignments more easily. We used previously reported N
      glycan structures released from the purified glycoproteins Immunoglobulin G
      (IgG), Immunoglobulin A (IgA), lactoferrin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein,
      Ribonuclease B (RNase B), fetuin and ovalbumin to profile their behaviour on
      capillary PGC-LC-MS. Over 100 glycan structures were determined by MS/MS, and
      together with targeted exoglycosidase digestions, created a N-glycan PGC
      retention library covering a full spectrum of biologically significant N-glycans
      from pauci mannose to sialylated tetra-antennary classes. The resultant PGC
      retention library ( http://www.glycostore.org/showPgc ) incorporates retention
      times and supporting fragmentation spectra including exoglycosidase digestion
      products, and provides detailed knowledge on the elution properties of N-glycans
      by PGC-LC. Consequently, this platform should serve as a valuable resource for
      facilitating the detailed analysis of the glycosylation of both purified
      recombinant, and complex mixtures of, glycoproteins using established workflows.

PMID- 28905150
TI  - Silver doped hydroxyapatite coatings by sacrificial anode deposition under
      magnetic field.
AB  - Uniform distribution of silver (Ag) in the hydroxyapatite (HA) coated Ti surface
      has been a concern for which an attempt has been made to dope Ag in HA coating
      with and without magnetic field. Cathodic deposition technique was employed to
      coat Ag incorporated hydroxyapatite coating using a sacrificial silver anode
      method by using NdFeB bar magnets producing 12 Tesla magnetic field. While
      uniform deposition of Ag was observed in the coatings under magnetic field, dense
      coating was evident in the coating without magnetic field conditions. Uniformly
      distributed Ag incorporated HA in the present study has potential to fight
      microorganism while providing osseoconduction properties of the composite
      coating.

PMID- 28905151
TI  - The role of the neural niche in brain metastasis.
AB  - Cancers with neurologic metastasis are a burdensome affliction. As primary cancer
      care improves, the incidence of metastatic cancer increases as a result of
      prolonged survival time. Because of this, advances in the understanding of the
      mechanisms of metastasis are important for the development of continuing
      management strategies. Knowing how metastatic tumor cells engage, survive, and
      proliferate in the central nervous system (CNS) is an important first step in
      developing treatment paradigms. The neural niche is the soil of the CNS that
      accommodates tumor cells, is a microenvironment of cell signaling that exists
      between the tumor cell and the native neural cellular network. Elements of the
      neural niche have been identified as acquaintances for metastatic tumor growth.
      As more is known about the neural niche, treatment strategies can be developed to
      target these networks of metastatic tumor progression.

PMID- 28905149
TI  - Interactions Between the Canonical WNT/Beta-Catenin Pathway and PPAR Gamma on
      Neuroinflammation, Demyelination, and Remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is marked by neuroinflammation and demyelination with
      loss of oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system. The immune response is
      regulated by WNT/beta-catenin pathway in MS. Activated NF-kappaB, a major
      effector of neuroinflammation, and upregulated canonical WNT/beta-catenin pathway
      positively regulate each other. Demyelinating events present an upregulation of
      WNT/beta-catenin pathway, whereas proper myelinating phases show a downregulation
      of WNT/beta-catenin pathway essential for the promotion of oligodendrocytes
      precursors cells proliferation and differentiation. The activation of WNT/beta
      catenin pathway results in differentiation failure and impairment in
      remyelination. However, PI3K/Akt pathway and TCF7L2, two downstream targets of
      WNT/beta-catenin pathway, are upregulated and promote proper remyelination. The
      interactions of these signaling pathways remain unclear. PPAR gamma activation
      can inhibit NF-kappaB, and can also downregulate the WNT/beta-catenin pathway.
      PPAR gamma and canonical WNT/beta-catenin pathway act in an opposite manner. PPAR
      gamma agonists appear as a promising treatment for the inhibition of
      demyelination and the promotion of proper remyelination through the control of
      both NF-kappaB activity and canonical WNT/beta-catenin pathway.

PMID- 28905153
TI  - Land use change and its driving forces toward mutual conversion in Zhangjiakou
      City, a farming-pastoral ecotone in Northern China.
AB  - Land use/cover change (LUCC), a local environmental issue of global importance,
      and its driving forces have been crucial issues in geography and environmental
      research. Previous studies primarily focused on major driving factors in various
      land use types, with few explorations of differences between driving forces of
      mutual land use type conversions, especially in fragile eco-environments. In this
      study, Zhangjiakou City, in a farming-pastoral ecotone in Northern China, was
      taken as an example to analyze land use change between 1989 and 2015, and explore
      the driving forces of mutual land use type conversions using canonical
      correlation analysis. Satellite images and government statistics, including
      social-economic and natural data, were used as sources. Arable land, forestland,
      and grassland formed the main land use structure. From 1989 to 2015 forestland,
      orchard land, and construction land significantly increased, while arable land,
      grassland, unused land, and water areas decreased. Conversions from grassland to
      forestland; from arable land to orchard land, forestland and construction land;
      and from unused land to grassland and forestland were the primary land use
      changes. Among these, the conversion from grassland to forestland had the highest
      ranking. Average annual precipitation and per capita net income of rural
      residents positively affected the conversion of arable land to forestland and
      unused land to grassland. GDP, total population, and urbanization rate
      contributed most significantly to converting arable land to construction land;
      total retail sales of social consumer goods, average annual temperature, and GDP
      had important positive influences in converting arable land to orchard land.

PMID- 28905154
TI  - Affordable self-regulating irrigation device for microsurgery using readily
      available malleable wire and a Silastic tube: a technical note.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A relevant irrigating and flushing maneuver during cerebral
      microsurgical procedures allows for a neat and optimal operative field. However,
      when operating on the deep region of the brain, a delicately created slim
      surgical corridor could unintentionally hinder the assisting surgeon from
      properly performing this routine maneuver. METHOD: To address this problem, the
      authors devised a useful and convenient irrigation system that can be used during
      cerebral microsurgery. RESULTS: This system only necessitates a readily available
      silastic feeding tube and a malleable wire. The advantages of our devised system
      include the convenience of free molding, good endurance of the molded contour,
      and easy control over the amount of irrigation. CONCLUSIONS: In this report, the
      authors demonstrated technical tips for using this newly devised system.

PMID- 28905152
TI  - A Controlled Trial to Reduce the Risk of Human Nipah Virus Exposure in
      Bangladesh.
AB  - Human Nipah virus (NiV) infection, often fatal in Bangladesh, is primarily
      transmitted by drinking raw date palm sap contaminated by Pteropus bats. We
      assessed the impact of a behavior change communication intervention on reducing
      consumption of potentially NiV-contaminated raw sap. During the 2012-2014 sap
      harvesting seasons, we implemented interventions in two areas and compared
      results with a control area. In one area, we disseminated a "do not drink raw
      sap" message and, in the other area, encouraged only drinking sap if it had been
      protected from bat contamination by a barrier ("only safe sap"). Post
      intervention, 40% more respondents in both intervention areas reported knowing
      about a disease contracted through raw sap consumption compared with control.
      Reported raw sap consumption decreased in all areas. The reductions in the
      intervention areas were not significantly greater compared to the control.
      Respondents directly exposed to the "only safe sap" message were more likely to
      report consuming raw sap from a protected source than those with no exposure (25
      vs. 15%, OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.6, P < 0.001). While the intervention increased
      knowledge in both intervention areas, the "only safe sap" intervention reduced
      exposure to potentially NiV-contaminated sap and should be considered for future
      dissemination.

PMID- 28905155
TI  - Association of TLR4 gene polymorphisms with childhood Henoch-Schonlein purpura in
      a Chinese population.
AB  - Recent studies demonstrated that aberrant activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)
      4 was involved in the pathogenesis of Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). In this
      study, we evaluated the association between TLR4 gene polymorphisms and the risk
      of childhood HSP in a Chinese population. A total of 175 HSP patients and 186
      controls were recruited in this case-control study. Three single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms of the TLR4 gene (rs1927914, rs10759932 and rs1927907) were
      genotyped using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight
      mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and Sequenom MassARRAY system. Our results
      revealed that a significantly reduced risk for HSP was associated with the G
      allele (OR = 0.71; p = 0.023) and G/G genotype (OR = 0.49; p = 0.021) of
      rs1927914. We also showed that rs1927914 variant decreased the risk of HSP in
      recessive inheritance model (OR = 0.55; p = 0.035, G/G vs A/A + A/G). In
      addition, we observed that a significantly decreased frequency of the haplotype
      GTC (rs1927914-rs10759932-rs1927907) in HSP patients compared with controls (OR =
      0.56; p = 0.028). Our data suggested that TLR 4 rs1927914 polymorphism was
      associated with the decreased susceptibility to HSP in the Chinese children.

PMID- 28905156
TI  - Cultural Factors relevant to Korean Americans in Health Research: A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - To eliminate health disparities in the United States, identifying cultural
      contexts salient to the target populations in an intervention study is critical;
      however, little research has been conducted on the identification of cultural
      contexts among Korean Americans who have significant risk factors for chronic
      diseases. This systematic review identifies critical cultural contexts central to
      the literature discussed in health research on Korean Americans. We examined 14
      research reports of 801 potentially eligible articles published between 2000 and
      2016 and analyzed their contribution to cultural contexts among Korean Americans
      based on the PEN-3 model. This review highlights how cultural contexts impact
      health and health behaviors of Korean Americans, and may contribute to health
      disparities in the United States. The key cultural contexts highlighted in this
      review include social support/social network, family, gender role expectations,
      and a holistic view of health and illness. These cultural contexts should be
      incorporated in designing culturally relevant, effective, and sustainable health
      interventions for Korean Americans, which will contribute to eliminating health
      disparities for this ethnic group who experience great obstacles to healthcare
      access and healthy behaviors.

PMID- 28905157
TI  - Landscape genetics in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys "chasiquensis" associated
      with highly disturbed habitats from the southeastern Pampas region, Argentina.
AB  - Studies of genetic differentiation in fragmented environments help us to identify
      those landscape features that most affect gene flow and dispersal patterns.
      Particularly, the assessment of the relative significance of intrinsic biological
      and environmental factors affecting the genetic structure of populations becomes
      crucial. In this work, we assess the current dispersal patterns and population
      structure of Ctenomys "chasiquensis", a vulnerable and endemic subterranean
      rodent distributed on a small area in Central Argentina, using 9 polymorphic
      microsatellite loci. We use landscape genetics approaches to assess the
      relationship between genetic connectivity among populations and environmental
      attributes. Our analyses show that populations of C. "chasiquensis" are
      moderately to highly structured at a regional level. This pattern is most likely
      the outcome of substantial gene flow on the more homogeneous sand dune habitat of
      the Northwest of its distributional range, in conjunction with an important
      degree of isolation of eastern and southwestern populations, where the optimal
      habitat is surrounded by a highly fragmented landscape. Landscape genetics
      analysis suggests that habitat quality and longitude were the environmental
      factors most strongly associated with genetic differentiation/uniqueness of
      populations. In conclusion, our results indicate an important genetic structure
      in this species, even at a small spatial scale, suggesting that contemporary
      habitat fragmentation increases population differentiation.

PMID- 28905158
TI  - Referrals to Mental Health Services: Exploring the Referral Process in Genetic
      Counseling.
AB  - Genetic counselors (GCs) are trained to identify and attend to distress; however,
      GCs may have patients with distress better managed by mental health professionals
      (MHPs). To understand the GCs' role in mental health care, we explored patient
      cues prompting GCs to refer to MHPs and where GCs thought their expertise in
      managing patient distress ended. We recruited GCs who have referred a patient for
      mental health services within the last year to participate in an interview study.
      A twelve-question interview guide explored GC demographics, reasons for referrals
      to MHPs, the obstacles to referrals, and perceived differences in counseling
      competencies between GCs and MHPs. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were
      conducted, recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using an
      inductive approach, consisting of reading a subset of transcripts and assigning
      codes to meaningful segments of text. Common reasons for referral included the
      GC's perception of the patient having limited social support, or when the patient
      indicated significant anxiety related to their at-risk status or recent
      diagnosis. GCs felt they referred when they were limited by time and training to
      provide adequate psychosocial services. The participants in this study
      acknowledged that their scope of practice is limited to short-term, client
      centered counseling. Our findings are a first step in helping increase GCs'
      awareness of factors that contribute to the referral process to MHPs.

PMID- 28905159
TI  - Are there two different binding sites for ATP on the myosin head, or only one
      that switches between two conformers?

PMID- 28905160
TI  - School Age Outcomes of Children Diagnosed Early and Later with Autism Spectrum
      Disorder.
AB  - Early diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder is considered best practice,
      increasing access to early intervention. Yet, many children are diagnosed after 3
      years. The current study investigated the school age outcomes of children who
      received an early and later diagnosis of ASD. The cognitive and behavioural
      outcomes of children diagnosed early (n = 48), were compared to children
      diagnosed after 3-years (n = 37). Children diagnosed early accessed more
      intervention, demonstrated better verbal and overall cognition at school age,
      were more likely to attend mainstream school and required less ongoing support
      than children diagnosed later. Behavioural differences were not found between
      groups. Earlier diagnosis is important and is likely to promote more positive
      outcomes at school age due to increased opportunity for EI.

PMID- 28905161
TI  - Retrospective observation on trabeculectomy of primary congenital glaucoma by
      applying biological amniotic membranes soaked with 5-fluorouracil.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report our experience on treatment of primary congenital glaucoma
      with trabeculectomy in combination with biological amniotic membranes soaked with
      5-fluorouracil. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. Thirty primary congenital
      glaucoma (PCG) patients (41 eyes) were treated with trabeculectomy in combination
      with biological amniotic membranes soaked with 5-fluorouracil before operation
      and followed up for 2.75 +/- 1.35 years in average ranging from 1.2 to 5.3 years
      (Group A). In addition, 22 PCG patients (32 eyes) treated with mitomycin C
      trabeculectomy were selected as control and followed up for 2.3 +/- 1.25 years in
      average ranging from 1.4 to 5.1 years (Group B). RESULTS: Patients in Group A
      were 4.74 +/- 2.13 years old. After treatment, their mean intraocular pressure
      decreased from preoperative 38.8 +/- 11.3-17.6 +/- 8.2 mmHg at 12 months of
      postoperation (P = 0.0000). At 12 months of follow-up, the intraocular pressure
      was less than 13 mmHg in 8 eyes (19.5%), between 17 and 13 mmHg in 15 eyes
      (36.6%), between 21 and 17 mmHg in 12 eyes (29.3%) and more than 21 mmHg in 6
      eyes (14.6%). The overall success rate was 85.4%, and total complication rate was
      17.1%. By comparison, the overall success rate and total complication rate were
      87.5 and 34.4%, respectively, at 12 months of follow-up for patients in Group B.
      Although the overall success rate was not significantly different between Groups
      A and B (P = 0.1203) at the end of follow-up, the total complication rate was
      significantly decreased in Group A (P = 0.0419). CONCLUSION: Application of
      trabeculectomy in combination with biological amniotic membranes soaked with 5
      fluorouracil can be an effective surgical treatment method for primary congenital
      glaucoma patients.

PMID- 28905162
TI  - Quality of prescribing in community-dwelling elderly patients in France: an
      observational study in community pharmacies.
AB  - Background In order to ensure safer prescriptions in the elderly, lists of
      potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and guidelines have been introduced.
      Whereas the effectiveness of these measures has been well studied in hospitals,
      data are sparse for the community-dwelling patients. Objective To assess the
      quality of prescriptions among community-dwelling elderly patients, and potential
      associations between prescription patterns, patient characteristics and
      medication adherence. Setting Community pharmacies in France. Method We conducted
      a prospective observational study between January and June 2013. Patients aged 75
      and over coming to the community pharmacy with a prescription from a general
      practitioner were invited to participate to the study. The compliance of the
      prescription was assessed with regards to Beers Criteria and French Health
      Authority guidelines (FHA) for prescription in the elderly, the degree of
      adherence was assessed with the Girerd score. Main outcome measure Percentage of
      prescriptions compliant with Beers Criteria and FHA guidelines. Results Among the
      1206 prescriptions analysed, 67.49% (n = 814) contained a PIM. Only 12.77% (n =
      154) complied with mandatory requirements of the FHA. Prescriptions were ordered
      by therapeutic field in 51.24% (n = 618) of cases. Dosing regimen was incomplete
      in 57.21% (n = 690) of prescriptions. Only 29.19% (n = 352) of patients reported
      no difficulty with regard to adherence (Girerd score = 0). The use of
      International Non-proprietary Name was associated with an increased risk of
      nonadherence (adjusted OR = 1.59 [95% CI = 1.13-2.23] and 1.68 [95% CI = 1.12
      2.49] respectively). Patient satisfaction with formulation was associated with a
      lower risk of non-adherence (adjusted OR = 0.63 [95% CI = 0.45-0.90]). Conclusion
      A substantial proportion of patients are exposed to PIMs and prescriptions that
      do not comply with the FHA Guidelines. This issue, as well as identified risk
      factors for non-adherence, should be taken into consideration by general
      practitioners and community pharmacists when prescribing/dispensing medications
      to the elderly.

PMID- 28905163
TI  - Data Sharing Mandates, Developmental Science, and Responsibly Supporting Authors.
AB  - Data sharing has come of age. Long expected as a professional courtesy but rarely
      honored, data sharing is now highlighted in codes of ethics, supported by
      research communities, required by leading funding organizations, and variously
      encouraged and mandated by journals and even publishers. These developments
      reveal how sharing generates many benefits, all of which go to the integrity of
      the scientific process. Yet, sharing remains a complex phenomenon. This Editorial
      explains the journal's response to the publisher's mandate to establish an
      appropriate data sharing policy for the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. It
      describes the need to balance the benefits of sharing with its costs for authors
      publishing in multidisciplinary, developmental science journals like this one.
      For this journal and at this time, that balance leads us to err on the side of
      caution, which means supporting those who created their data and not coercing
      public sharing as a condition for publishing. This approach recognizes authors'
      reliance on a wide variety of data, the needs of differentially situated authors,
      the requirements of robust peer review, and the potential harms that can come
      from editors' unilateral sharing mandates.

PMID- 28905164
TI  - Sauna bathing reduces the risk of respiratory diseases: a long-term prospective
      cohort study.
AB  - Sauna bathing has been linked with numerous health benefits. Sauna bathing may
      reduce the risk of respiratory diseases; however, no prospective evidence exists
      to support this hypothesis. We aimed to assess the association of frequency of
      sauna bathing with risk of respiratory diseases (defined as chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease, asthma, or pneumonia). Baseline sauna bathing habits were
      assessed in a prospective cohort of 1935 Caucasian men aged 42-61 years. During a
      median follow-up of 25.6 years, 379 hospital diagnosed incident cases of
      respiratory diseases were recorded. In adjustment for several major risk factors
      for respiratory conditions and other potential confounders, the hazard ratios
      (HRs) 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of respiratory diseases were 0.73 (0.58
      0.92) and 0.59 (0.37-0.94) for participants who had 2-3 and >=4 sauna sessions
      per week respectively compared with participants who had <=1 sauna session per
      week. The multivariate adjusted HR (95% CI) for pneumonia was 0.72 (0.57-0.90)
      and 0.63 (0.39-1.00) for participants who had 2-3 and >=4 sauna sessions per week
      respectively. Frequent sauna baths may be associated with a reduced risk of acute
      and chronic respiratory conditions in a middle-aged male Caucasian population.

PMID- 28905165
TI  - Interpersonal Relationships as Protective and Risk Factors for Psychopathy: A
      Follow-up Study in Adolescent Offenders.
AB  - Friendships and romantic relationships may function as protective and risk
      factors for psychopathic traits. To better understand potential causal
      associations, we investigated whether within-individual changes in relationship
      characteristics were related to changes in psychopathic traits over time. Data
      were derived from ten repeated measurements of the Pathways to Desistance
      longitudinal study of 1354 offending adolescents (14.3% female; 40.1% Black).
      Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, self-reported offending and
      living facilities. Relationships of high quality were associated with lower
      psychopathic traits, whereas antisocial behavior and antisocial influence in
      relationships were related to higher psychopathic traits. Within-individual
      analysis indicated that time-invariant individual characteristics did not
      confound these associations. The findings suggest that the quality and antisocial
      activities of interpersonal relationships can affect positively or negatively on
      the levels of psychopathy.

PMID- 28905166
TI  - Efficacy of a Self-Help Treatment for At-Risk and Pathological Gamblers.
AB  - Available evidence suggests that self-help treatments may reduce problem gambling
      severity but inconsistencies of results across clinical trials leave the extent
      of their benefits unclear. Moreover, no self-help treatment has yet been
      validated within a French Canadian setting. The current study therefore assesses
      the efficacy of a French language self-help treatment including three
      motivational telephone interviews spread over an 11-week period and a cognitive
      behavioral self-help workbook. At-risk and pathological gamblers were randomly
      assigned to the treatment group (n = 31) or the waiting list (n = 31). Relative
      to the waiting list, the treatment group showed a statistically significant
      reduction in the number of DSM-5 gambling disorder criteria met, gambling habits,
      and gambling consequences at Week 11. Perceived self-efficacy and life
      satisfaction also significantly improved after 11 weeks for the treatment group,
      but not for the waiting list group. At Week 11, 13% of participants had dropped
      out of the study. All significant changes reported for the treatment group were
      maintained throughout 1, 6 and 12-month follow-ups. Results support the efficacy
      of the self-help treatment to reduce problem gambling severity, gambling
      behaviour and to improve overall functioning among a sample of French Canadian
      problem gamblers over short, medium and long term. Findings from this study lend
      support to the appropriateness of self-help treatments for problem gamblers and
      help clarify inconsistencies found in the literature. The low dropout rate is
      discussed with respect to the advantages of the self-help format. Clinical and
      methodological implications of the results are put forth.

PMID- 28905167
TI  - Molecular diversity and phylogeny of indigenous Rhizobium leguminosarum strains
      associated with Trifolium repens plants in Romania.
AB  - The symbiotic nitrogen fixing legumes play an essential role in sustainable
      agriculture. White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is one of the most valuable
      perennial legumes in pastures and meadows of temperate regions. Despite its great
      agriculture and economic importance, there is no detailed available information
      on phylogenetic assignation and characterization of rhizobia associated with
      native white clover plants in South-Eastern Europe. In the present work, the
      diversity of indigenous white clover rhizobia originating in 11 different natural
      ecosystems in North-Eastern Romania were assessed by a polyphasic approach.
      Initial grouping showed that, 73 rhizobial isolates, representing seven distinct
      phenons were distributed into 12 genotypes, indicating a wide phenotypic and
      genotypic diversity among the isolates. To clarify their phylogeny, 44
      representative strains were used in sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene and IGS
      fragments, three housekeeping genes (atpD, glnII and recA) and two symbiosis
      related genes (nodA and nifH). Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) phylogeny
      based on concatenated housekeeping genes delineated the clover isolates into five
      putative genospecies. Despite their diverse chromosomal backgrounds, test strains
      shared highly similar symbiotic genes closely related to Rhizobium leguminosarum
      biovar trifolii. Phylogenies inferred from housekeeping genes were incongruent
      with those of symbiotic genes, probably due to occurrence of lateral transfer
      events among native strains. This is the first polyphasic taxonomic study to
      report on the MLSA-based phylogenetic diversity of indigenous rhizobia nodulating
      white clover plants grown in various soil types in South-Eastern Europe. Our
      results provide valuable taxonomic data on native clover rhizobia and may
      increase the pool of genetic material to be used as biofertilizers.

PMID- 28905169
TI  - The Interrelation of Prayer and Worship Service Attendance in Moderating the
      Negative Impact of Life Event Stressors on Mental Well-Being.
AB  - The interrelation of worship service attendance and private prayer in moderating
      the negative impact of life event stressors on mental well-being is examined
      using hierarchical multiple regressions on a national sample of 2601 Americans. A
      theoretical model is proposed in which stressful life events are made less
      distressing under conditions in which exposure to pro-social content at worship
      services is internalized through frequent private prayer. Interactive models
      controlling for a block of potential confounds are run to confirm that the stress
      moderating effects of worship service attendance are noted only when attendance
      is complemented by relatively frequent engagement in private prayer.

PMID- 28905168
TI  - The usefulness of testosterone administration in identifying false-positive
      elevation of serum human chorionic gonadotropin in patients with germ cell tumor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The pituitary production of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can
      cause false-positive results during or after germ cell tumor (GCT) treatment.
      Because hypogonadism leads to pituitary hCG production, testosterone
      administration test (TAT) has been recommended for pituitary hCG diagnosis.
      However, little is known about its efficacy for the discrimination of pituitary
      hCG as detected by currently used hCG assays in treatment of GCT. We conducted a
      retrospective multicenter study to determine the usefulness of TAT. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The study included 60 patients who underwent TAT for the discrimination
      of pituitary hCG. In principle, serum hCG levels were measured 1 week after
      testosterone enanthate administration (250 mg). When the serum hCG levels
      decreased below the normal upper range, the results of TAT were determined
      positive. In this case, the elevated hCG was considered to be derived from
      pituitary and not from GCT. RESULTS: Serum hCG levels were normalized after TAT
      in 36 of 60 patients (60%). Before TAT, the hCG levels were below 1.0 IU/L in 13
      patients (36%), 1.0-1.9 IU/L in 11 (31%), 2.0-2.9 IU/L in 7 (19%), and >3.0 IU/L
      in 5 (14%) of TAT-positive patients. Of them, 28 (78%) patients were successfully
      managed without further treatment with chemotherapy after TAT. Pituitary hCG was
      associated with higher levels of LH and not necessarily associated with low
      levels of testosterone. CONCLUSION: Determining the TAT status of patients was
      effective in discriminating pituitary hCG production.

PMID- 28905170
TI  - [Follow-up ultrasound of head and neck cancer].
AB  - In Germany high-resolution sonography using the color duplex mode in addition to
      computed tomography (CT) is a well-established and proven method in the context
      of restaging after primary therapy of head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC).
      There are no international evidence-based restaging guidelines. Decisions
      concerning neck dissection (ND) after primary radiochemotherapy (RCT) are often
      individually derived in the respective tumor conferences and are therefore
      subject to variance. Compared to the UK or USA, in Germany there is a high level
      of expertise in the use of ultrasound in combination with CT for the routine
      restaging of HNSCC after RCT. Using high-resolution sonography (B-mode and color
      duplex) morphological changes in neck lymph nodes can be clearly detected.
      Another important aspect in the field of sonographic follow-up is the accurate
      and standardized documentation of findings and control of dynamic changes during
      follow-up. In summary, clinical presentation and sonography enable therapeutic
      decisions and treatment from one source.

PMID- 28905171
TI  - Pharmacist intervention acceptance for the reduction of potentially inappropriate
      drug prescribing in acute psychiatry.
AB  - Background Prescribing for the elderly is challenging. A previous observational
      study conducted in our geriatric psychiatry admission unit (GPAU) using
      STOPP/START criteria showed a high number of potentially inappropriate drug
      prescriptions (PIDPs). A clinical pharmacist was added to our GPAU as a strategy
      to reduce PIDPs. Objective The objective of the present study was to assess the
      impact of a clinical pharmacist on PIDPs by measuring acceptance rates of
      pharmacist interventions (PhIs). Setting This study was conducted at the GPAU of
      Lausanne University Hospital. Method The clinical pharmacist attended four GPAU
      meetings weekly. Complete medication reviews were performed daily. The clinical
      pharmacist conducted standard analyses based on clinical judgment and STOPP/START
      criteria assessment. A PhI was generated when a PIDP was detected. When a PhI was
      accepted, the PIDP was considered as eliminated. Acceptance rate of PhI was
      calculated (number of PhI accepted/total number of PhI). Main outcome measure
      PhIs acceptance rates. Results In a cohort of 102 patients seen between July 2013
      and February 2014, a total of 697 PhIs (average 6.8/patient) were made based on
      standard evaluation (n = 479) and STOPP/START criteria (n = 243). The global
      acceptance rate was 68% (standard, 78%; STOPP/START, 47%). Conclusion Good PhIs
      acceptance rates demonstrated that a clinical pharmacist can reduce PIDPs in a
      GPAU. PhIs based on standard evaluation had a higher acceptance than those based
      on STOPP/START criteria, probably because they are better adapted to individual
      patients. However, these two evaluation approaches can be used in a complementary
      manner.

PMID- 28905172
TI  - N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and the risk of stroke among patients
      hospitalized with acute heart failure: an APEX trial substudy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (HF), the
      prognostic value of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in
      short-term stroke prediction remains unclear. METHODS: In the APEX trial, 7513
      patients hospitalized for an acute medical illness were randomized to receive
      either extended-duration betrixaban (80 mg once daily for 35-42 days) or standard
      of-care enoxaparin (40 mg once daily for 10 +/- 4 days) for venous
      thromboprophylaxis. Baseline NT-proBNP concentrations were obtained in 3261
      patients admitted for HF. Stroke events were adjudicated by an independent
      clinical events committee blinded to thromboprophylaxis allocation. The
      association of NT-proBNP level and other risk factors and biomarkers with stroke
      was assessed at 77 days after randomization. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, the
      risk of stroke at 77 days was associated with baseline NT-proBNP (HR 3.63 [95% CI
      1.47-8.99]; P = 0.005), D-dimer (HR 2.73 [95% CI 1.03-7.20]; P = 0.043), and
      hsCRP (HR 3.03 [95% CI 1.36-6.75]; P = 0.007). In multivariable analysis
      adjusting for hsCRP and thromboprophylaxis, NT-proBNP was associated with the
      risk of stroke (adjusted HR 3.64 [95% CI 1.35-9.83]; P = 0.011). The interaction
      of NT-proBNP with the treatment effect was not significant (Pint = 0.30).
      CONCLUSIONS: Baseline NT-proBNP concentration was associated with short-term
      stroke among patients hospitalized with acute HF. Stroke risk assessment models
      should consider incorporation of NT-proBNP measurement.

PMID- 28905173
TI  - Pharmacokinetic and Tissue Distribution Profile of Long Acting Tenofovir
      Alafenamide and Elvitegravir Loaded Nanoparticles in Humanized Mice Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: Non-adherence to the antiretroviral (ARV) regimen is a critical factor
      in determining efficacy of ARV drugs for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). A long
      acting parenteral formulation may be an effective alternative to daily oral
      dosing. A pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study of drug-loaded
      nanoparticle (NP) was performed in female humanized CD34+-NSG mice. METHODS: Mice
      received 200 mg/kg each of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and elvitegravir (EVG) as
      free drugs (TAF + EVG solution) or as drug loaded NP (TAF + EVG NP) formulation
      by subcutaneous (SubQ) administration. Plasma and tissue were collected to
      determine tenofovir (TFV) and EVG concentrations using LC-MS/MS. Non
      compartmental analysis was performed using WinNonlin. RESULTS: SubQ
      administration of TAF + EVG NP formulation resulted in long residence time and
      exposure for both drugs. The AUC(0-72h) of TFV and EVG was 14.1 +/- 2.0, 7.2 +/-
      1.8 MUg * hr./mL from drugs in solution (free) and the AUC(0-14day) for the same
      drugs was 23.1 +/- 4.4, 39.7 +/- 6.7 MUg * hr./mL from NPs. The observed
      elimination half-life (t1/2) for TFV of free and NPs were 14.2 h, 5.1 days and
      for EVG 10.8 h, 3.3 days, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study documents that a
      TAF + EVG NP provides sustained release, which can overcome patient non-adherence
      to dosing and may facilitate prediction of appropriate protective drug
      concentration for HIV prophylaxis.

PMID- 28905174
TI  - Mathematical Development and Computational Analysis of Harmonic Phase-Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging (HARP-MRI) Based on Bloch Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
      Diffusion Model for Myocardial Motion.
AB  - Harmonic Phase-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (HARP-MRI) is a tagged image analysis
      method that can measure myocardial motion and strain in near real-time and is
      considered a potential candidate to make magnetic resonance tagging clinically
      viable. However, analytical expressions of radially tagged transverse
      magnetization in polar coordinates (which is required to appropriately describe
      the shape of the heart) have not been explored because the physics required to
      directly connect myocardial deformation of tagged Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
      (NMR) transverse magnetization in polar geometry and the appropriate harmonic
      phase parameters are not yet available. The analytical solution of Bloch NMR
      diffusion equation in spherical geometry with appropriate spherical wave tagging
      function is important for proper analysis and monitoring of heart systolic and
      diastolic deformation with relevant boundary conditions. In this study, we
      applied Harmonic Phase MRI method to compute the difference between tagged and
      untagged NMR transverse magnetization based on the Bloch NMR diffusion equation
      and obtained radial wave tagging function for analysis of myocardial motion. The
      analytical solution of the Bloch NMR equations and the computational simulation
      of myocardial motion as developed in this study are intended to significantly
      improve healthcare for accurate diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of
      cardiovascular related deceases at the lowest cost because MRI scan is still one
      of the most expensive anywhere. The analysis is fundamental and significant
      because all Magnetic Resonance Imaging techniques are based on the Bloch NMR flow
      equations.

PMID- 28905175
TI  - The promotion of hair regrowth by topical application of a Perilla frutescens
      extract through increased cell viability and antagonism of testosterone and
      dihydrotestosterone.
AB  - This study investigated the potential hair regrowth effects associated with a
      plant extract of Perilla frutescens, which was selected due to its putative hair
      regrowth activity. Extracts were prepared from dried P. frutescens suspended in
      distilled water, where the resultant aqueous suspension was fractionated
      sequentially using hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and distilled water. We
      observed that the n-butanol fraction resulted in the highest hair regrowth
      activity. The n-butanol soluble fraction of P. frutescens extract (BFPE) was
      further separated using AB-8 macroporous resin and silica gel chromatography to
      obtain rosmarinic acid (RA), which demonstrated effective hair growth
      regeneration potential. BFPE also showed in vivo anti-androgenic activity
      following the use of a hair growth assay in testosterone-sensitive male
      C57Bl/6NCrSlc mice. Furthermore, the effects of cell viability promotion were
      investigated following an in vitro analysis in primary hair follicle fibroblast
      cells (PHFCs) treated with RA. The results suggested that RA was the active
      compound in P. frutescens that triggers hair growth, and RA could be a potential
      therapeutic agent for the promotion of hair growth and prevention of androgenetic
      alopecia (AGA).

PMID- 28905176
TI  - The impact of a family history of prostate cancer on the prognosis and features
      of the disease in Korea: results from a cross-sectional longitudinal pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Reports on the impact of a family history of prostate cancer among
      Asians are scarce. We evaluated whether a positive prostate cancer family history
      is associated with the prognosis and features of the disease. METHODS: From
      January 2006 to December 2015, patients who received treatment for pathologically
      diagnosed prostate cancer were enrolled. Information on family history was
      obtained via self-administered questionnaires between January 2015 and December
      2016. The overall survival rate for all patients and the rate of biochemical
      failure after radical prostatectomy were assessed according to the presence of
      family history. RESULTS: Of 1266 patients (median age, 68.1 years; median
      prostate-specific antigen, 8.73 ng/mL; median follow-up, 40.0 months), 47 (3.8%)
      were identified as having a family history. Men with a family history had a
      younger age, higher proportion of cases diagnosed before 55 years of age, and
      lower stage than those without a family history. Family history was not a
      potential risk factor for overall survival. In an analysis of patients who
      underwent radical prostatectomy (median prostate-specific antigen, 7.40 ng/mL;
      median follow-up, 40.5 months), no differences in pathologic characteristics were
      found between patients with (n = 39, 93.5%) and without (n = 567, 6.4%) a family
      history. Family history was not predictive of biochemical failure. CONCLUSIONS: A
      family history of prostate cancer seemed to have no effect on prognosis and
      disease aggressiveness. However, this study proposed a rationale for performing
      earlier prostate-specific antigen testing in men with a family history of
      prostate cancer.

PMID- 28905177
TI  - Readability assessment of online patient education materials provided by the
      European Association of Urology.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the readability of the web-based patient education material
      provided by the European Association of Urology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: English
      patient education materials (PEM) as available in May 2017 were obtained from the
      EAU website. Each topic was analyzed separately using six well-established
      readability assessment tools, including Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), SMOG
      Grade Level (SMOG), Coleman-Liau Index (CLI), Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Flesch
      Reading Ease Formula (FRE) and Fry Readability Graph (FRG). RESULTS: A total of
      17 main topics were identified of which separate basic and in-depth information
      is provided for 14 topics. Calculation of grade levels (FKGL, SMOG, CLI, GFI)
      showed readability scores of 7th-13th grade for basic information, 8th-15th grade
      for in-depth information and 7th-15th grade for single PEM. Median FRE score was
      54 points (range 45-65) for basic information and 56 points (41-64) for in-depth
      information. The FRG as a graphical assessment revealed only 13 valid results
      with an approximate 8th-17th grade level. CONCLUSION: The EAU provides carefully
      worked out PEM for 17 urological topics. Although improved readability compared
      to similar analyses was found, a simplification of certain chapters might be
      helpful to facilitate better patient understanding.

PMID- 28905178
TI  - Single versus dual anti-platelet therapy post transcatheter aortic valve
      implantation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the 30-days
      safety (bleeding and vascular events) and efficacy (reduction in major stroke,
      myocardial infarction and mortality) of single anti-platelet (SAPT) versus dual
      anti-platelet (DAPT) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We
      used a meta-analytic method with Mantel-Haenszel methods to calculate the odds
      ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Only randomized clinical trials that
      compared 30-days safety and efficacy based on Valve Academic Research Consortium
      criteria were included. Studies that included patients on anticoagulants were
      excluded. Our analysis included three studies with a total of 421 patients (210
      SAPT and 211 DAPT). Life-threatening and major bleeding as well as major vascular
      complications was similar between SAPT and DAPT. Similarly, major stroke,
      myocardial infarction and mortality was also comparable between the two groups.
      The combined outcomes of 30-day mortality, life-threatening and major bleeding
      showed tendency toward lower event rates in SAPT compared to DAPT (9.5 vs. 15.6%,
      OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.31-1.03, p = 0.06). In conclusion, SAPT provided similar safety
      without adding incremental efficacy compared to DAPT but showed tendency of lower
      combined endpoints of 30-day mortality, life-threatening and major bleeding.

PMID- 28905180
TI  - [Visual performance of animals and humans in comparison].

PMID- 28905179
TI  - Overtreatment and Deintensification of Diabetic Therapy among Medicare
      Beneficiaries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deintensification of diabetic therapy is often clinically appropriate
      for older adults, because the benefit of aggressive diabetes treatment declines
      with age, while the risks increase. OBJECTIVE: We examined rates of overtreatment
      and deintensification of therapy for older adults with diabetes, and whether
      these rates differed by medical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics.
      DESIGN, SUBJECTS, AND MAIN MEASURES: We analyzed Medicare claims data from 10
      states, linked to outpatient laboratory values to identify patients potentially
      overtreated for diabetes (HbA1c < 6.5% with fills for any diabetes medications
      beyond metformin, 1/1/2011-6/30/2011). We examined characteristics associated
      with deintensification for potentially overtreated diabetic patients. We used
      multinomial logistic regression to examine whether patient characteristics
      associated with overtreatment of diabetes differed from those associated with
      undertreatment (i.e. HbA1c > 9.0%). KEY RESULTS: Of 78,792 Medicare recipients
      with diabetes, 8560 (10.9%) were potentially overtreated. Overtreatment of
      diabetes was more common among those who were over 75 years of age and enrolled
      in Medicaid (p < 0.001), and was less common among Hispanics (p = 0.009). Therapy
      was deintensified for 14% of overtreated diabetics. Appropriate deintensification
      of diabetic therapy was more common for patients with six or more chronic
      conditions, more outpatient visits, or living in urban areas; deintensification
      was less common for those over age 75. Only 6.9% of Medicare recipients with
      diabetes were potentially undertreated. Variables associated with overtreatment
      of diabetes differed from those associated with undertreatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Medicare recipients are more frequently overtreated than undertreated for
      diabetes. Medicare recipients who are overtreated for diabetes rarely have their
      regimens deintensified.

PMID- 28905181
TI  - Attenuated audiovisual integration in middle-aged adults in a discrimination
      task.
AB  - Numerous studies have focused on the diversity of audiovisual integration between
      younger and older adults. However, consecutive trends in audiovisual integration
      throughout life are still unclear. In the present study, to clarify audiovisual
      integration characteristics in middle-aged adults, we instructed younger and
      middle-aged adults to conduct an auditory/visual stimuli discrimination
      experiment. Randomized streams of unimodal auditory (A), unimodal visual (V) or
      audiovisual stimuli were presented on the left or right hemispace of the central
      fixation point, and subjects were instructed to respond to the target stimuli
      rapidly and accurately. Our results demonstrated that the responses of middle
      aged adults to all unimodal and bimodal stimuli were significantly slower than
      those of younger adults (p < 0.05). Audiovisual integration was markedly delayed
      (onset time 360 ms) and weaker (peak 3.97%) in middle-aged adults than in younger
      adults (onset time 260 ms, peak 11.86%). The results suggested that audiovisual
      integration was attenuated in middle-aged adults and further confirmed age
      related decline in information processing.

PMID- 28905182
TI  - Effects of cyproterone acetate and vertically transmitted microsporidia parasite
      on Gammarus pulex sperm production.
AB  - Endocrine disruption compounds (EDCs) and parasitism can both interfere with the
      reproduction process of organisms. The amphipod Gammarus pulex is the host of the
      vertically transmitted microsporidia Dictyocoela duebenum, and this work was
      devoted to the investigation of the effect of an exposure to the anti-androgen
      compound, cyproterone acetate (CPA), and/or of the presence of D. duebenum on the
      spermatozoa production and length. Significant reduction of the spermatozoa
      production was observed when G. pulex males were uninfected and exposed to CPA.
      There also appeared a lower number of spermatozoa when D. duebenum infects G.
      pulex, whatever the exposure condition. Moreover, we highlighted that CPA has no
      effect on spermatozoa production when males are infected by D. duebenum, and no
      treatment has impacted the spermatozoa length. Our results suggest CPA and D.
      duebenum could impact the endocrine system of G. pulex and especially processes
      close to the spermatozoa production (e.g., androgenic gland, androgen gland
      hormone released, gonad-inhibiting hormone synthesized by X-organ). However, as
      no mechanism of action was highlighted, further testing need to be performed to
      improve the understanding of their impacts. Finally, results confirm that
      vertically transmitted microsporidia could be a confounding factor in the
      endocrine disruption assessments in Gammaridae.

PMID- 28905183
TI  - Effects of quebracho tannin extract on intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation,
      and methane production in crossbred heifers fed low-quality tropical grass.
AB  - The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of quebracho tannins extract
      (QTE) on feed intake, dry matter (DM) digestibility, and methane (CH4) emissions
      in cattle fed low-quality Pennisetum purpureum grass. Five heifers (Bos taurus *
      Bos indicus) with an average live weight (LW) of 295 +/- 19 kg were allotted to
      five treatments (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4% QTE/kg DM) in a 5 * 5 Latin square design.
      Intake, digestibility, and total methane emissions (L/day) were recorded for
      periods of 23 h when cattle were housed in open-circuit respiration chambers. Dry
      matter intake (DMI), organic matter intake (OMI), dry matter digestibility (DMD),
      and organic matter digestibility (OMD) were different between treatments with 0
      and 4% of QTE/kg DM (P < 0.05). Total volatile fatty acid and the molar
      proportion of acetate in the rumen was not affected (P < 0.05); however, the
      molar proportion of propionate increased linearly (P < 0.01) for treatments with
      3 and 4% QTE. Total CH4 production decreased linearly (P < 0.01) as QTE increased
      in the diet, particularly with 3 and 4% concentration. When expressed as DMI and
      OMI by CH4, production (L/kg) was different between treatments with 0 vs 3 and 4%
      QTE (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the addition of QTE at 2 or 3% of dry matter
      ration can decrease methane production up to 29 and 41%, respectively, without
      significantly compromising feed intake and nutrients digestibility.

PMID- 28905184
TI  - Energy transfer and kinetics in mechanochemistry.
AB  - Mechanochemistry (MC) exerts extraordinary degradation and decomposition effects
      on many chlorinated, brominated, and even fluorinated persistent organic
      pollutants (POPs). However, its application is still limited by inadequate study
      of its reaction kinetic aspects. In the present work, the ball motion and energy
      transfer in planetary ball mill are investigated in some detail. Almost all
      milling parameters are summarised in a single factor-total effective impact
      energy. Furthermore, the MC kinetic between calcium oxide/Al and
      hexachlorobenzene is well established and modelled. The results indicate that
      total effective impact energy and reagent ratio are the two factors sufficient
      for describing the MC degradation degree of POPs. The reaction rate constant only
      depends on the chemical properties of reactants, so it could be used as an
      important index to appraise the quality of MC additives. This model successfully
      predicts the reaction rate for different operating conditions, indicating that it
      could be suitably applied for conducting MC reactions in other reactors.

PMID- 28905185
TI  - Hepatotoxicity of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.
AB  - Public interest in natural therapies has increased significantly over past
      decades. Herbs and herbal products are extensively consumed worldwide and they
      are generally considered as safe. However, this may not always be true as many
      cases of herb-induced liver injury are reported every year. The liver is a
      frequent target tissue of toxicity from all classes of toxicants as liver
      structure and function predispose it to high sensitivity to xenobiotics. The
      present review is focused on the hepatotoxic properties of monoterpenes and
      sesquiterpenes, plant secondary metabolites that represent the major components
      of essential oils wildly used in folk medicines, pharmaceutical industry and
      cosmetics. Most of these terpenes easily enter the human body by oral absorption,
      penetration through the skin, or inhalation leading to measurable blood
      concentrations. Several studies showed that some monoterpenes (e.g., pulegone,
      menthofuran, camphor, and limonene) and sesquiterpenes (e.g., zederone,
      germacrone) exhibited liver toxicity, which is mainly based on reactive
      metabolites formation, increased concentration of reactive oxygen species and
      impaired antioxidant defense. There is a high probability that many other
      terpenes, without sufficiently known metabolism and effects in human liver, could
      also exert hepatotoxicity. Especially terpenes, that are important components of
      essential oils with proved hepatotoxicity, should deserve more attention.
      Intensive research in terpenes metabolism and toxicity represent the only way to
      reduce the risk of liver injury induced by essential oils and other terpenes
      containing products.

PMID- 28905186
TI  - Antidepressants inhibit Nav1.3, Nav1.7, and Nav1.8 neuronal voltage-gated sodium
      channels more potently than Nav1.2 and Nav1.6 channels expressed in Xenopus
      oocytes.
AB  - Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and duloxetine are used to treat neuropathic
      pain. However, the mechanisms underlying their analgesic effects remain unclear.
      Although many investigators have shown inhibitory effects of antidepressants on
      voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) as a possible mechanism of analgesia, to our
      knowledge, no one has compared effects on the diverse variety of sodium channel
      alpha subunits. We investigated the effects of antidepressants on sodium currents
      in Xenopus oocytes expressing Nav1.2, Nav1.3, Nav1.6, Nav1.7, and Nav1.8 with a
      beta1 subunit by using whole-cell, two-electrode, voltage clamp techniques. We
      also studied the role of the beta3 subunit on the effect of antidepressants on
      Nav1.3. All antidepressants inhibited sodium currents in an inactivated state
      induced by all five alpha subunits with beta1. The inhibitory effects were more
      potent for Nav1.3, Nav1.7, and Nav1.8, which are distributed in dorsal root
      ganglia, than Nav1.2 and Nav1.6, which are distributed primarily in the central
      nervous system. The effect of amitriptyline on Nav1.7 with beta1 was most potent
      with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) 4.6 MUmol/L. IC50 for
      amitriptyline on Nav1.3 coexpressed with beta1 was lowered from 8.4 to 4.5
      MUmol/L by coexpression with beta3. Antidepressants predominantly inhibited the
      sodium channels expressed in dorsal root ganglia, and amitriptyline has the most
      potent inhibitory effect. This is the first evidence, to our knowledge, showing
      the diverse effects of antidepressants on various alpha subunits. Moreover, the
      beta3 subunit appears important for inhibition of Nav1.3. These findings may aid
      better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the pain relieving effects of
      antidepressants.

PMID- 28905187
TI  - Altered B Cell Homeostasis in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder and
      Normalization of CD5 Surface Expression on Regulatory B Cells in Treatment
      Responders.
AB  - Pro-inflammatory activity and cell-mediated immune responses have been widely
      observed in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Besides their well
      known function as antibody-producers, B cells play a key role in inflammatory
      responses by secreting pro- and anti-inflammatory factors. However, homeostasis
      of specific B cell subsets has not been comprehensively investigated in MDD. In
      this study, we characterized circulating B cells of distinct developmental steps
      including transitional, naive-mature, antigen-experienced switched, and non
      switched memory cells, plasmablasts and regulatory B cells by multi-parameter
      flow cytometry. In a 6-weeks follow-up, circulating B cells were monitored in a
      small group of therapy responders and non-responders. Frequencies of naive
      lgD+CD27- B cells, but not lgD+CD27+ memory B cells, were reduced in severely
      depressed patients as compared to healthy donors (HD) or mildly to moderately
      depressed patients. Specifically, B cells with immune-regulatory capacities such
      as CD1d+CD5+ B cells and CD24+CD38hi transitional B cells were reduced in MDD.
      Also Bm1-Bm5 classification in MDD revealed reduced Bm2' cells comprising
      germinal center founder cells as well as transitional B cells. We further found
      that reduced CD5 surface expression on transitional B cells was associated with
      severe depression and normalized exclusively in clinical responders. This study
      demonstrates a compromised peripheral B cell compartment in MDD with a reduction
      in B cells exhibiting a regulatory phenotype. Recovery of CD5 surface expression
      on transitional B cells in clinical response, a molecule involved in activation
      and down-regulation of B cell responses, further points towards a B cell
      dependent process in the pathogenesis of MDD.

PMID- 28905188
TI  - Novel inhibitors of lysine (K)-specific Demethylase 4A with anticancer activity.
AB  - Lysine (K)-specific demethylase 4A (KDM4A) is a histone demethylase that removes
      methyl residues from trimethylated or dimethylated histone 3 at lysines 9 and 36.
      Overexpression of KDM4A is found in various cancer types. To identify KDM4A
      inhibitors with anti-tumor functions, screening with an in vitro KDM4A enzyme
      activity assay was carried out. The benzylidenehydrazine analogue LDD2269 was
      selected, with an IC50 of 6.56 MUM of KDM4A enzyme inhibition, and the binding
      mode was investigated using in silico molecular docking. Demethylation inhibition
      by LDD2269 was confirmed with a cell-based assay using antibodies against
      methylated histone at lysines 9 and 36. HCT-116 colon cancer cell line
      proliferation was suppressed by LDD2269, which also interfered with soft-agar
      growth and migration of HCT-116 cells. AnnexinV staining and PARP cleavage
      experiments showed apoptosis induction by LDD2269. Derivatives of LDD2269 were
      synthesized and the structure-activity relationship was explored. LDD2269 is
      reported here as a strong inhibitor of KDM4A in in vitro and cell-based systems,
      with anti-tumor functions.

PMID- 28905189
TI  - Bortezomib and low-dose dexamethasone with or without continuous low-dose oral
      cyclophosphamide for primary refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma: a
      randomized phase III study.
AB  - This phase III, open-label, randomized, controlled study aimed to evaluate the
      benefit of adding continuous low-dose oral cyclophosphamide to bortezomib
      dexamethasone in patients with primary relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.
      Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive up to eight 3-week cycles of bortezomib
      (1.3 mg/m2) and dexamethasone (20 mg; VD; n = 48) or bortezomib-dexamethasone
      plus oral cyclophosphamide (50 mg; VCD; n = 48). Median time to progression
      (primary endpoint) was slightly longer in the VD versus VCD group (12.6 vs 9.9
      months, P = 0.192), and the hazard ratio for disease progression was in favor of
      VD (hazard ratio = 0.71, 95% confidence interval = 0.43-1.19, P = 0.196). The
      overall response rate was 74% with VD and 70% with VCD. Most adverse events were
      similar in frequency between arms; however, grade >= 3 peripheral neuropathy was
      more frequent in the VCD versus VD arm (15 vs 4%). Infection rate was higher in
      the VCD arm (64 vs 52%); however, grade >=3 infection rates were comparable (19
      vs 17%). Further trials are needed to determine whether addition of
      cyclophosphamide to VD at a different dose/schedule confers clinical benefit.
      This study was terminated prematurely, with insufficient sample size to
      adequately compare the arms; the results should, therefore, be considered
      descriptive. This trial is registered: EudraCT Number 2008-003213-27;
      ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00813150.

PMID- 28905190
TI  - Primary synovial sarcoma of the left heart with large amount of necrotic tissue.
AB  - We present a case of primary synovial sarcoma arising from the left heart, an
      extremely rare occurrence, with a large amount of necrotic tissue, which
      suggested a poor prognosis. After incomplete tumor resection, chemotherapy and
      radiation therapy were performed; however, PET/CT findings at 26 months after the
      operation revealed local recurrence. Although we performed two additional
      operations following chemotherapy, the patient died from local recurrence at 36
      months after the initial operation. In this case of synovial sarcoma arising from
      the left heart, even though aggressive multimodality therapy was performed, the
      prognosis was still poor.

PMID- 28905191
TI  - Introduction to special section on digital technology and cancer survivorship.

PMID- 28905192
TI  - SGLT2 inhibitors and cancer: why further evidence is required.

PMID- 28905193
TI  - Siglec-8 as mast cell selective target: developing paradigms amidst inconvenient
      truths.
AB  - Due to the limited efficacy of current drugs in treating systemic mast cell
      activation disease, there is an urgent need for more effective drugs selectively
      acting at mast cells. In the past, a large number of compounds have been claimed
      to be effective and mast cell selective on the basis of cell culture experiments
      and studies on blood leukocytes which could not be verified in organ and animal
      studies. Nevertheless, over time in review papers about potential mast cell
      targets mast cell selectivity of these targets has been no longer challenged. A
      recent example for such developing paradigms amidst inconvenient truths is the
      hype on the purported selective expression of the putative adhesion molecule
      sialic acid binding Ig-like lectin 8 (Siglec-8) in mast cells and eosinophils,
      although current data from different publically available databases/sources
      clearly demonstrate a widespread expression of Siglec-8 in the cells of most
      tissues. Two suggestions are presented: (1) In the specific case of Siglec-8, the
      limited mast cell selectivity should be kept in mind in the development and
      surveillance of Siglec-8-based mast cell- and eosinophil-targeted therapeutic
      strategies because of potential severe adverse effects in the Siglec-8-positive
      tissues. (2) In general, readers should always challenge reports about the
      selective expression of potential targets for drugs in a few cell types of the
      organism, even if they are published in highly renown journals.

PMID- 28905194
TI  - Is there an association between pemphigus and hepatitis viruses? A population
      based large-scale study.
AB  - The association between pemphigus and hepatitis viruses has not been investigated
      sufficiently and remains unclear. Our objective was to assess the association
      between pemphigus and chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) infections
      using a large-scale real-life computerized database. This study was conducted as
      a cross-sectional study utilizing the database of Clalit Health Services. The
      proportion of chronic HBV and HCV infections was compared between patients
      diagnosed with pemphigus and age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched controls.
      Univariate analysis was performed using chi-square and Student's t test, and
      multivariate analysis was performed using a logistic regression model. A total of
      1985 pemphigus patients and 9874 controls were enrolled in the study. The
      prevalence of HBV chronic infection in patients with pemphigus was significantly
      higher than in control subjects (1.2 vs. 0.6%, respectively, p = 0.008). The
      prevalence rate of HCV carrier state was comparable between pemphigus patients
      and control subjects (1.1 vs. 1.0, respectively, p = 0.732). A multivariate
      analysis revealed a significant association between pemphigus and HBV with a
      multivariate odds ratio (OR) of 1.9 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2-3.90],
      whereas no association between pemphigus and HCV was identified (OR 1.1, 95% CI,
      0.7-1.7). In conclusion, patients with pemphigus have a greater proportion of
      chronic HBV but not HCV infection relative to matched controls.

PMID- 28905195
TI  - Experimental evidences for miR-30b as a negative regulator of FOXO3 upregulated
      by kynurenine.
AB  - Molecular constituents regulated by the microenvironment components profoundly
      influence the propensity of cancer metastasis, a key event of estimating
      therapeutic actions of anticancer drugs. On one hand, kynurenine (Kyn), one of
      the microenvironment components, plays key roles in the metastasis of cancer
      cells in vivo; on the other hand, forkhead box O3 (FOXO3) can serve as a
      therapeutic target of various anticancer drugs. However, the effect of Kyn on
      FOXO3 is still not clear. The current study demonstrated that the selected dose
      of Kyn significantly upregulated the FOXO3 protein rather than FOXO3 messenger
      RNA (mRNA) in the lung cancer 95D cells. However, only 50 MUM Kyn markedly
      reduced miR-30b expression at the same time. Furthermore, the direct interaction
      between FOXO3 mRNA and miR-30b was also confirmed by dual-luciferase assay
      system. More importantly, miR-30b-induced suppression of FOXO3 protein was
      significantly attenuated on Kyn treatment, which demonstrated that Kyn-mediated
      increase of FOXO3 depended at least partly on miR-30b. In addition, Kyn-mediated
      upregulation of migration, a method of measuring cancer metastasis, was markedly
      decreased on miR-30b treatment, in vitro, which was altered in some degree via
      regulating FOXO3. These results suggest that miR-30b plays important roles in Kyn
      induced increase of FOXO3 expression.

PMID- 28905196
TI  - Mechanical evaluation of cerebral aneurysm clip scissoring phenomenon: comparison
      of titanium alloy and cobalt alloy.
AB  - Cerebral aneurysm clip blades crossing during surgery is well known as
      scissoring. Scissoring might cause rupture of the aneurysm due to laceration of
      its neck. Although aneurysm clip scissoring is well known, there have been few
      reports describing the details of this phenomenon. Quasi-scissoring phenomenon
      was introduced mechanically by rotating the clip head attached to a silicone
      sheet. The anti-scissoring torque during the twist of the blades was measured by
      changing the depth and the opening width. The closing force was also evaluated.
      Sugita straight clips of titanium alloy and cobalt alloy were used in the present
      study. In both materials, the anti-scissoring torque and the closing force were
      bigger 3 mm in thickness than 1 mm. The initial closing forces and the anti
      scissoring torque values at each rotation angles were increased in proportion to
      depth. Closing forces of titanium alloy clip were slightly higher than those of
      cobalt alloy clip. By contrast, anti-scissoring torque values of cobalt alloy
      clip were bigger than those of titanium alloy clip in all conditions. In
      condition of 3 mm in thickness and 3 mm in depth, anti-scissoring torque vales of
      titanium alloy clip decreased suddenly when an angle surpassed 70 degrees.
      Aneurysm clip scissoring phenomenon tends to occur when clipping the aneurysm
      neck only with blade tips. Based on the results of this experiment, titanium
      alloy clip is more prone to scissoring than cobalt alloy clip under the condition
      that the wide blade separation distance and the shallow blade length.

PMID- 28905197
TI  - Systemic glyceryl trinitrate reduces anal sphincter tone: is there a therapeutic
      indication?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) has diverse roles as a biological messenger. [1]
      Topically applied nitrate donors cause relaxation of the internal anal sphincter
      (IAS) and facilitate healing of anal fissures [2,3]. Systemic nitrates are
      commonly used for the treatment of ischaemic heart disease, yet the effects of
      systemically administered nitrates on the smooth muscle of the IAS are unknown.
      AIM: Our aim was to test the hypothesis that systemically administered nitrates
      at a normal dose, cause inhibition of anal sphincter activity. METHODS: With
      fully informed consent, anal manometry was performed on nine volunteers. Maximum
      and mean anal resting pressure (representing the IAS), maximum squeeze pressure
      (representing the external anal sphincter), heart rate and blood pressure were
      measured, before and after administration of a normal 400 MUg dose of sublingual
      glyceryl trinitrate spray. RESULTS: Data are expressed as mean (+/- standard
      error of the mean (SEM)). In four females and five males ranging from 19 to 50
      years of age, administration of GTN resulted in a significant reduction in
      systolic blood pressure from 138 +/- 5 to 127 +/- 4 mmHg, P < 0.01. Mean resting
      pressure, over 5 min, was significantly reduced from 70 +/- 10 to 62 +/- 10 mmHg
      P < 0.05. The maximum resting pressure was also significantly reduced from 109 +/
      12 to 86 +/- 10 mmHg P = 0.04. Maximum squeeze pressure, heart rate and
      diastolic blood pressure were not significantly reduced. CONCLUSION: Systemic
      nitrates significantly inhibit internal anal sphincter function.

PMID- 28905198
TI  - Time for crowd knowledge-based approach in SBRT planning.

PMID- 28905199
TI  - Early prenatal diagnosis of a lumbo-costo-vertebral syndrome.
AB  - Lumbo-costo-vertebral syndrome (LCVS) is a rare type of lumbar hernia with
      associated abnormalities of the vertebral bodies, ribs, and trunk muscles. Only a
      few cases have been reported in the literature, all of which were diagnosed after
      birth. We present a case of LCVS diagnosed early in the second trimester of
      pregnancy using two- and three-dimensional ultrasound. In our case, the
      associated anomalies were: multiple costovertebral anomalies, lumbar hernia, anal
      imperforation, left hand supernumerary digit, and clubfoot.

PMID- 28905200
TI  - Development of a Stable Lung Microbiome in Healthy Neonatal Mice.
AB  - The lower respiratory tract has been previously considered sterile in a healthy
      state, but advances in culture-independent techniques for microbial
      identification and characterization have revealed that the lung harbors a diverse
      microbiome. Although research on the lung microbiome is increasing and important
      questions were already addressed, longitudinal studies aiming to describe
      developmental stages of the microbial communities from the early neonatal period
      to adulthood are lacking. Thus, little is known about the early-life development
      of the lung microbiome and the impact of external factors during these stages. In
      this study, we applied a barcoding approach based on high-throughput sequencing
      of 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon libraries to determine age-dependent
      differences in the bacterial fraction of the murine lung microbiome and to assess
      potential influences of differing "environmental microbiomes" (simulated by the
      application of used litter material to the cages). We could clearly show that the
      diversity of the bacterial community harbored in the murine lung increases with
      age. Interestingly, bacteria belonging to the genera Delftia and Rhodococcus
      formed an age-independent core microbiome. The addition of the used litter
      material influenced the lung microbiota of young mice but did not significantly
      alter the community composition of adult animals. Our findings elucidate the
      dynamic nature of the early-life lung microbiota and its stabilization with age.
      Further, this study indicates that even slight environmental changes modulate the
      bacterial community composition of the lung microbiome in early life, whereas the
      lung microbes of adults demonstrate higher resilience towards environmental
      variations.

PMID- 28905201
TI  - Assessment of intratumor heterogeneity in mesenchymal uterine tumor by an 18F-FDG
      PET/CT texture analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the clinical
      significance of 18F-FDG PET/CT textural features for discriminating uterine
      sarcoma from leiomyoma. METHODS: Fifty-five patients with suspected uterine
      sarcoma based on ultrasound and MRI findings who underwent pretreatment 18F-FDG
      PET/CT were included. Fifteen patients were histopathologically proven to have
      uterine sarcoma, 14 patients by surgical operation and one by biopsy, and 40
      patients were diagnosed with leiomyoma by surgical operation or in a follow-up
      for at least 2 years. A texture analysis was performed on PET/CT images from
      which second- and higher order textural features were extracted in addition to
      standardized uptake values (SUVs) and other first-order features. The accuracy of
      PET features for differentiating between uterine sarcoma and leiomyoma was
      evaluated using a receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: The
      intratumor distribution of 18F-FDG was more heterogeneous in uterine sarcoma than
      in leiomyoma. Entropy, correlation, and uniformity calculated from normalized
      gray-level co-occurrence matrices and SUV standard deviation derived from
      histogram statistics showed greater area under the ROC curves (AUCs) than did
      maximum SUV for differentiating between sarcoma and leiomyoma. Entropy, as a
      single feature, yielded the greatest AUC of 0.974 and the optimal cut-off value
      of 2.85 for entropy provided 93% sensitivity, 90% specificity, and 92% accuracy.
      When combining conventional features with textural ones, maximum SUV (cutoff:
      6.0) combined with entropy (2.85) and correlation (0.73) provided the best
      diagnostic performance (100% sensitivity, 94% specificity, and 95% accuracy).
      CONCLUSIONS: In combination with the conventional histogram statistics and/or
      volumetric parameters, 18F-FDG PET/CT textural features reflecting intratumor
      metabolic heterogeneity are useful for differentiating between uterine sarcoma
      and leiomyoma.

PMID- 28905202
TI  - Drug interactions in users of tablet vs. oral liquid levothyroxine formulations:
      a real-world evidence study in primary care.
AB  - PURPOSE: Several medications may interact with levothyroxine (LT4) intestinal
      absorption or metabolism, thus reducing its bioavailability. We investigated the
      variability of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and prescribed daily
      dosages (PDDs) of LT4 before and during potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs)
      in users of tablets vs. oral liquid LT4 formulations. METHODS: By using the
      Italian general practice Health Search Database (HSD), we retrospectively
      selected adult patients with at least one LT4 prescription from 2012 to 2015 and
      at least 1 year of clinical history recorded. The incident prescription of
      interacting medications (e.g., proton pump inhibitors, calcium or iron salts) was
      the index date. Analysis was carried out using a self-controlled study design.
      RESULTS: Overall, 3965 users of LT4 formed the study cohort (84.1% women, mean
      age 56 +/- 16.5 years). TSH variability on the entry date was greater among
      liquid LT4 users than in those prescribed with tablets as shown by the difference
      between 75th and 25th centile, which were 3.01 and 3.8, respectively. The
      incidence rate ratio (IRR) for TSH variability did not differ between groups,
      before and during exposure to DDIs. In contrast, PDDs less likely increased
      during the exposure to DDI with oral liquid LT4 compared with tablets (IRR =
      0.84; 95% CI: 0.77-0.92), especially in patients with post-surgical
      hypothyroidism (IRR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.64-0.85). CONCLUSIONS: In clinical
      practice, the use of oral liquid LT4 is not associated with increased PDDs,
      compared with tablets formulation, during exposure to DDIs. These results support
      the need for individualizing LT4 formulation to prescribe, especially in patients
      with various comorbidities and complex therapeutic regimens.

PMID- 28905205
TI  - Body farms.

PMID- 28905203
TI  - Adaptive resolution simulations of biomolecular systems.
AB  - In this review article, we discuss and analyze some recently developed hybrid
      atomistic-mesoscopic solvent models for multiscale biomolecular simulations. We
      focus on the biomolecular applications of the adaptive resolution scheme
      (AdResS), which allows solvent molecules to change their resolution back and
      forth between atomistic and coarse-grained representations according to their
      positions in the system. First, we discuss coupling of atomistic and coarse
      grained models of salt solution using a 1-to-1 molecular mapping-i.e., one coarse
      grained bead represents one water molecule-for development of a multiscale salt
      solution model. In order to make use of coarse-grained molecular models that are
      compatible with the MARTINI force field, one has to resort to a supramolecular
      mapping, in particular to a 4-to-1 mapping, where four water molecules are
      represented with one coarse-grained bead. To this end, bundled atomistic water
      models are employed, i.e., the relative movement of water molecules that are
      mapped to the same coarse-grained bead is restricted by employing harmonic
      springs. Supramolecular coupling has recently also been extended to polarizable
      coarse-grained water models with explicit charges. Since these coarse-grained
      models consist of several interaction sites, orientational degrees of freedom of
      the atomistic and coarse-grained representations are coupled via a harmonic
      energy penalty term. The latter aligns the dipole moments of both
      representations. The reviewed multiscale solvent models are ready to be used in
      biomolecular simulations, as illustrated in a few examples.

PMID- 28905204
TI  - Racial (vs. self) affirmation as a protective mechanism against the effects of
      racial exclusion on negative affect and substance use vulnerability among black
      young adults.
AB  - Affirming one's racial identity may help protect against the harmful effects of
      racial exclusion on substance use cognitions. This study examined whether racial
      versus self-affirmation (vs. no affirmation) buffers against the effects of
      racial exclusion on substance use willingness and substance use word associations
      in Black young adults. It also examined anger as a potential mediator of these
      effects. After being included, or racially excluded by White peers, participants
      were assigned to a writing task: self-affirmation, racial-affirmation, or
      describing their sleep routine (neutral). Racial exclusion predicted greater
      perceived discrimination and anger. Excluded participants who engaged in racial
      affirmation reported reduced perceived discrimination, anger, and fewer substance
      use cognitions compared to the neutral writing group. This relation between
      racial-affirmation and lower substance use willingness was mediated by reduced
      perceived discrimination and anger. Findings suggest racial-affirmation is
      protective against racial exclusion and, more generally, that ethnic based
      approaches to minority substance use prevention may have particular potential.

PMID- 28905206
TI  - Improved diagnosis of the number of stenosed coronary artery vessels by
      segmentation with scatter and photo-peak window data for attenuation correction
      in myocardial perfusion SPECT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attenuation correction using segmentation of scatter and photo-peak
      window data (SSPAC) enables an evaluation of the attenuation map in a patient
      specific manner without additional radiation exposure. We compared the accuracy
      of SSPAC and non-corrected myocardial perfusion scintigraphy methods for
      diagnosing the number of stenosed coronary artery vessels. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      We retrospectively reviewed the data from 183 consecutive patients who underwent
      99mTc-tetrofosmin stress/rest SPECT examination and a coronary angiography within
      3 months. The MPS images were reconstructed with and without SSPAC attenuation
      correction. We examined the accuracy of the quantitative interpretation using
      summed differential score in the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD). The
      attenuation maps were successfully determined in 179 of 183 patients (98%). In
      terms of the vessel-based diagnostic ability, sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive and negative predictive values of the SSPAC and non-correction methods
      for diagnosing CAD in individual coronary territories were 77%*, 89%, 74%*, and
      90%* vs 51%, 87%, 62%, and 82%, respectively (*P < .05). In 35 patients with
      multi-vessel CAD, those values were 78%*, 81%, 93%, and 55%* vs 49%, 81%, 89%,
      and 34%, respectively (*P < .05; AUC: 0.82 vs 0.62, P < .05). CONCLUSION: SSPAC
      corrected SPECT myocardial perfusion images exhibit improved accuracy in the
      detection of the number of stenosed coronary artery vessels, even in patients
      with multi-vessel CAD.

PMID- 28905207
TI  - Role of vasopressin V1a receptor in ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced cataleptic
      immobilization in mice.
AB  - RATIONALE: Cannabis is a widely used illicit substance. ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol
      (THC), the major psychoactive component of cannabis, is known to cause catalepsy
      in rodents. Recent studies have shown that vasopressin V1a and V1b receptors are
      widely distributed in the central nervous system and are capable of influencing a
      wide variety of brain functions such as social behavior, emotionality, and
      learning and memory. OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to examine the
      possible involvement of V1a and V1b receptors in THC-induced catalepsy-like
      immobilization. METHODS: The induction of catalepsy following treatment with THC
      (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or haloperidol (1 mg/kg, i.p.) was evaluated in wild-type (WT),
      V1a receptor knockout (V1aRKO), and V1b receptor knockout (V1bRKO) mice. The
      effect of treatment with the selective 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptor antagonist
      WAY100635 (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) on THC-induced catalepsy was also evaluated in V1aRKO
      mice. Moreover, the effects of the V1a receptor antagonist VMAX-357 and the V1b
      receptor antagonist ORG-52186 on THC-induced catalepsy were evaluated in ddY
      mice. RESULTS: THC and haloperidol markedly caused catalepsy in V1bRKO mice as
      well as in WT mice. However, V1aRKO mice exhibited a reduction in catalepsy
      induced by THC but not by haloperidol. WAY100635 dramatically enhanced THC
      induced catalepsy in V1aRKO mice. Although VMAX-357 (10 mg/kg, p.o.) but not ORG
      52186 significantly attenuated THC-induced catalepsy, it had no significant
      effect on the enhancement of THC-induced catalepsy by WAY100635 in ddY mice.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that V1a receptor regulates THC-induced
      catalepsy-like immobilization.

PMID- 28905208
TI  - Current Total Knee Designs: Does Baseplate Roughness or Locking Mechanism Design
      Affect Polyethylene Backside Wear?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tibial baseplate roughness and polyethylene-insert micromotion
      resulting from locking-mechanism loosening can lead to polyethylene backside wear
      in TKAs. However, many retrieval studies examining these variables have evaluated
      only older TKA implant designs. QUESTIONS: We used implant-retrieval analysis to
      examine if there were differences in: (1) backside damage scores, (2) backside
      damage modes, and (3) backside linear wear rates in five TKA implant designs
      owing to differing baseplate surface roughness and locking mechanisms.
      Additionally, we examined if (4) patient demographics influence backside damage
      and wear. METHODS: Five TKA implant models (four modern and one historical
      design) were selected with different tibial baseplate and/or locking mechanism
      designs. Six tibial inserts retrieved at the time of revision from each TKA model
      were matched for time in vivo, age of the patient at TKA revision, BMI, sex,
      revision number, and revision reason. Each insert backside was analyzed for: (1)
      visual total damage score and (2) individual visual damage modes, both by two
      observers and with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.39
      0.92), and (3) linear wear rate measured by micro-CT. Median primary outcomes
      were compared among the five designs. For our given sample size among five groups
      we could detect with 80% power a 10-point difference in damage score and an 0.11
      mm per year difference in wear rate. RESULTS: The polished tibial design with a
      partial peripheral capture locking mechanism and anterior constraint showed a
      lower total damage score compared with the nonpolished tibial design with only a
      complete peripheral-rim locking mechanism (median, 12.5; range, 9.5-18.0; 95% CI,
      9.58-16.42 versus median, 22.3; range, 15.5-27.0; 95% CI, 17.5-26.5; p = 0.019).
      The polished baseplate with a tongue-in-groove locking mechanism showed more
      abrasions than the nonpolished baseplate with a peripheral-rim capture and
      antirotational island (median, 7.25; range, 0.5-8.0; 95% CI, 2.67-8.99 versus
      median, 0.75; range, 0-1.5; 95% CI, 0.20-1.47; p = 0.016)). Dimpling was a unique
      wear mode to the nonpolished baseplates with the peripheral-rim capture and
      antirotational island (median, 5.5; range, 2.0-9.0; 95% CI, 2.96-8.38) and the
      peripheral-rim capture alone (median, 9.0; range, 6.0-10.0; 95% CI, 7.29-10.38).
      Overall, the linear wear rate for polished designs was lower than for nonpolished
      designs (0.0102 +/- 0.0044 mm/year versus 0.0224 +/- 0.0119 mm/year; p < 0.001).
      Two of the polished baseplate designs, the partial peripheral capture with
      anterior constraint (median, 0.083 mm/year; range, 0.0037-0.0111 mm/year; 95% CI,
      0.0050-0.0107 mm versus median, 0.0245 mm/year; range, 0.014-0.046 mm/year; 95%
      CI, 0.0130-0.0414 mm; p = 0.008) and the tongue-in-groove locking mechanism
      (median, 0.0085 mm/year; range, 0.005-0.015 mm/year; 95% CI, 0.0045-0.0138 mm; p
      = 0.032) showed lower polyethylene linear wear rates compared with the
      nonpolished baseplate design with only a peripheral-rim capture. CONCLUSIONS:
      Total damage scores and linear wear rates were highest involving the nonpolished
      design with only a peripheral rim capture. There were no differences among the
      other TKA designs regarding damage and wear, but this finding should be
      considered in the setting of a relatively small sample size. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      Our study showed that in the complex interplay between baseplate surface finish
      and locking mechanism design, a polished baseplate with a robust locking
      mechanism had the lowest backside damage and linear wear. However, improvements
      in locking mechanism design in nonpolished baseplates potentially may offset some
      advantages of a polished baseplate. Further retrieval analyses need to be done to
      confirm such findings, especially analyzing current crosslinked polyethylene.
      Additionally, we need mid- and long-term studies comparing TKA revisions
      attributable to wear and osteolysis among implants before understanding if such
      design differences are clinically relevant.

PMID- 28905209
TI  - Expression differences of genes in the PI3K/AKT, WNT/b-catenin, SHH, NOTCH and
      MAPK signaling pathways in CD34+ hematopoietic cells obtained from chronic phase
      patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and from healthy controls.
AB  - PURPOSE: The fusion gene BCR-ABL has an important role to the progression of
      chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and several signaling pathways have been
      characterized as responsible for the terminal blastic phase (BP). However, the
      initial phase, the chronic phase (CP), is long lasting and there is much yet to
      be understood about the critical role of BCR-ABL in this phase. This study aims
      to evaluate transcriptional deregulation in CD34+ hematopoietic cells (CD34+
      cells) from patients with untreated newly diagnosed CML compared with CD34+HC
      from healthy controls. METHODS: Gene expression profiling in CML-CD34 cells and
      CD34 cells from healthy controls were used for this purpose with emphasis on five
      main pathways important for enhanced proliferation/survival, enhanced self
      renewal and block of myeloid differentiation. RESULTS: We found 835 genes with
      changed expression levels (fold change >= +/-2) in CML-CD34 cells compared with
      CD34 cells. These include genes belonging to PI3K/AKT, WNT/b-catenin, SHH, NOTCH
      and MAPK signaling pathways. Four of these pathways converge to MYC activation.
      We also identified five transcripts upregulated in CD34-CML patients named
      OSBPL9, MEK2, p90RSK, TCF4 and FZD7 that can be potential biomarkers in CD34-CML
      CP. CONCLUSION: We show several mRNAs up- or downregulated in CD34-CML during the
      chronic phase.

PMID- 28905210
TI  - Impact of pharmacological spasm provocation test in patients with a history of
      syncope.
AB  - Coronary artery spasm is involved in the pathogenesis of various cardiac
      disorders. We investigated patients with a history of syncope who underwent
      elective coronary angiography. We retrospectively analyzed 5781 consecutive
      patients who had diagnostic or follow-up angiography during a 26-year period.
      During this period, we found 95 patients with a history of syncope before
      elective coronary angiography. Pharmacological spasm provocation testing was
      performed in 64 patients with a history of syncope (<1 year). Positive
      pharmacological response was observed in 48 patients, while the remaining 16
      patients had negative tests. Positive spasm was defined as a transient >=90%
      narrowing with ischemic electrocardiographic changes. Among the 64 patients,
      definite coronary spastic angina (CSA) was found in 35 patients (54.7%) and
      suspected CSA was found in 13 patients (20.3%). Among the 35 patients with
      definite CSA, 22 patients (62.9%) had chest symptoms before syncope, but 13
      (37.1%) had no chest symptom before syncope. No difference in clinical
      characteristics was observed between the two groups. Focal spasm during
      pharmacological spasm provocation tests was significantly higher in patients with
      chest symptoms than in those without chest symptoms before syncope (54.3 vs.
      12.0%, p < 0.002). CSA was observed in 75.0% of patients with a history of
      syncope (<1 year). Thirteen patients with definite CSA had neither chest pain nor
      chest pressure before syncope. We should therefore investigate coronary artery
      spasm as a potential etiology in patients with a history of syncope.

PMID- 28905211
TI  - Three nights leg thermal therapy could improve sleep quality in patients with
      chronic heart failure.
AB  - Sleep quality is often impaired in patients with chronic heart failure (HF),
      which may worsen their quality of life and even prognosis. Leg thermal therapy
      (LTT), topical leg warming, has been shown to improve endothelial function,
      oxidative stress, and cardiac function in patients with HF. However, its short
      term influence to sleep quality has not been evaluated in HF patients. Eighteen
      of 23 patients with stable HF received LTT (15 min of warming at 45  degrees C
      and 30 min of insulation) at bedtime for 3 consecutive nights and 5 patients
      served as control. Subjective sleep quality was evaluated by St. Mary's Hospital
      Sleep Questionnaire, Oguri-Shirakawa-Azumi Sleep Inventory, and Epworth
      sleepiness scale, and also objectively evaluated by polysomnography. LTT
      significantly improved subjective sleep quality indicated by depth of sleep (p <
      0.01), sleep duration (p < 0.05), number of awaking (p < 0.01), nap duration (p <
      0.01), sleep quality (p < 0.05), and sleep satisfaction (p < 0.05). It was also
      objectively affirmed by a slight but significant decrease of sleep stage N1 (p <
      0.01), and increase in sleep stage N2 (p < 0.05). No significant changes occurred
      in the controls. Hence, the short-term LTT could improve subjective and objective
      sleep quality in patients with HF. LTT can be a complimentary therapy to improve
      sleep quality in these patients.

PMID- 28905212
TI  - Hub-and-spoke stroke network in the Veneto region: a retrospective study
      investigating the effectiveness of the stroke pathway and trends over time.
AB  - After recognizing the pivotal role played by stroke unit (SU) admission in
      reducing mortality and dependency in stroke patients, the need to organize and
      monitor stroke networks has become an increasingly essential aspect of stroke
      care. We conducted a retrospective study of stroke patients admitted to hospitals
      in the Veneto region from 2007 to 2015 in order to evaluate the effectiveness of
      the stroke pathway and trends over time. Between 2007 and 2015, 61,062 stroke
      patients were discharged from Veneto hospitals: they were more frequently female,
      females were older than males, and had higher intrahospital mortality and a lower
      probability of undergoing systemic thrombolysis. Patients admitted to facilities
      with a level 2 SU were twice as likely to undergo thrombolytic treatment compared
      to those admitted to facilities with a level 1 and had a lower intrahospital
      mortality rate. During the collection period, thrombolytic treatments increased
      in both level 1 and 2 SUs, as did the number of patients admitted to neurology
      wards and to facilities with an SU. Our study confirmed that thrombolytic
      treatment and admission to a facility with an SU are important determinants in
      improving stroke patient outcome. The increase in the proportion of both SU
      admissions and thrombolytic treatments demonstrates the effectiveness of the
      regional hub-and-spoke organization model, suggesting that implementation of
      highly specialized facilities is an efficient strategy in improving stroke care.
      The role of the observed sex bias in stroke treatment and outcome needs to be
      explored.

PMID- 28905213
TI  - Questions about lower inner zone tumors in early-stage breast cancer.

PMID- 28905214
TI  - miR-217-5p induces apoptosis by directly targeting PRKCI, BAG3, ITGAV and MAPK1
      in colorectal cancer cells.
AB  - Apoptosis is a genetically directed process of programmed cell death. A variety
      of microRNAs (miRNAs), endogenous single-stranded non-coding RNAs of about 22
      nucleotides in length have been shown to be involved in the regulation of the
      intrinsic or extrinsic apoptotic pathways. There is increasing evidence that the
      aberrant expression of miRNAs plays a causal role in the development of diseases
      such as cancer. This makes miRNAs promising candidate molecules as therapeutic
      targets or agents. MicroRNA (miR)-217-5p has been implicated in carcinogenesis of
      various cancer entities, including colorectal cancer. Here, we analyzed the pro
      apoptotic potential of miR-217-5p in a variety of colorecatal cancer cell lines
      showing that miR-217-5p mimic transfection led to the induction of apoptosis
      causing the breakdown of mitochondrial membrane potential, externalization of
      phosphatidylserine, activation of caspases and fragmentation of DNA. Furthermore,
      elevated miR-217-5p levels downregulated mRNA and protein expression of atypical
      protein kinase c iota type I (PRKCI), BAG family molecular chaperone regulator 3
      (BAG3), integrin subunit alpha v (ITGAV) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1
      (MAPK1). A direct miR-217-5p mediated regulation to those targets was shown by
      repressed luciferase activity of reporter constructs containing the miR-217-5p
      binding sites in the 3' untranslated region. Taken together, our observations
      have uncovered the apoptosis-inducing potential of miR-217-5p through its
      regulation of multiple target genes involved in the ERK-MAPK signaling pathway by
      regulation of PRKCI, BAG3, ITGAV and MAPK1.

PMID- 28905215
TI  - GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 are seed-specific activators for isoflavonoid biosynthesis
      in Glycine max.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 are key positive regulators that are involved
      in isoflavonoid biosynthesis in seeds of Glycine max, and they activate the
      expression of several structural genes in the isoflavonoid pathway. MYB
      transcription factors (TFs) are major regulators involved in
      flavonoid/isoflavonoid biosynthesis in many plant species. However, functions of
      most MYB TFs remain unknown in flavonoid/isoflavonoid pathway in Glycine max. In
      this study, we identified 321 MYB TFs by genome-wide searching, and further
      isolated and functionally characterized two MYB TFs, GmMYB58 and GmMYB205. The
      deduced GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 proteins contain highly conserved R2R3 repeat domain
      at the N-terminal region that is the signature motif of R2R3-type MYB TFs.
      GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 were highly expressed in early seed development stages than
      in the other tested organs. GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 GFP fusion proteins were found
      to be localized in the nucleus when they were transiently expressed in
      Arabidopsis thaliana mesophyll protoplast. Both GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 can activate
      the promoter activities of GmCHS, GmIFS2, and GmHID in the transient trans
      activation assays, and the activation of GmHID by both GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 was
      further confirmed by yeast one-hybrid assay. In addition, over-expression of
      GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 resulted in significant increases in expression levels of
      several pathway genes in soybean hairy roots, in particular, IFS2 by more than
      fivefolds in GmMYB205-over-expressing lines. Moreover, isoflavonoid contents were
      remarkably enhanced in the GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 over-expressing hairy roots than
      in the control. Our results suggest that GmMYB58 and GmMYB205 are seed-specific
      TFs, and they can enhance isoflavonoid biosynthesis mainly through the regulation
      of GmIFS2 and GmHID in G. max.

PMID- 28905216
TI  - Slowly progressing varicella zoster brainstem encephalitis complicating Ramsay
      Hunt syndrome in an immunocompetent patient: case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - A 56-year-old immunocompetent male developed brainstem encephalitis complicating
      Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The disease had a slowly progressing course of months after
      the triggering infection, much longer than previously reported. Furthermore,
      magnetic resonance imaging, physical-chemical, and cell count analyses on
      cerebrospinal fluid were normal, whereas polymerase chain reaction for varicella
      zoster virus DNA was positive. The simultaneous negativity of both imaging and
      basic CSF exams is very rare, although possible event which confirms the
      irreplaceable role of viral screening on CSF. A systematic review of similar
      reports with highlights on the unusual aspects of our case is also presented.

PMID- 28905217
TI  - Early life arsenic exposure, infant and child growth, and morbidity: a systematic
      review.
AB  - Epidemiological studies have suggested a negative association between early life
      arsenic exposure and fetal size at birth, and subsequently with child morbidity
      and growth. However, our understanding of the relationship between arsenic
      exposure and morbidity and growth is limited. This paper aims to systematically
      review original human studies with an analytical epidemiological study design
      that have assessed arsenic exposure in fetal life or early childhood and
      evaluated the association with one or several of the following outcomes: fetal
      growth, birth weight or other birth anthropometry, infant and child growth,
      infectious disease morbidity in infancy and early childhood. A literature search
      was conducted in PubMed, TOXLINE, Web of Science, SciFinder and Scopus databases
      filtered for human studies. Based on the predefined eligibility criteria, two
      authors independently evaluated the studies. A total of 707 studies with
      morbidity outcomes were identified, of which six studies were eligible and
      included in this review. For the growth outcomes, a total of 2959 studies were
      found and nine fulfilled the criteria and were included in the review. A majority
      of the papers (10/15) emanated from Bangladesh, three from the USA, one from
      Romania and one from Canada. All included studies on arsenic exposure and
      morbidity showed an increased risk of respiratory tract infections and diarrhea.
      The findings in the studies of arsenic exposure and fetal, infant, and child
      growth were heterogeneous. Arsenic exposure was not associated with fetal growth.
      There was limited evidence of negative associations between arsenic exposures and
      birth weight and growth during early childhood. More studies from arsenic
      affected low- and middle-income countries are needed to support the
      generalizability of study findings.

PMID- 28905218
TI  - Health risk assessment of an abandoned herbicide factory site for transportation
      use in Dalian, China.
AB  - An abandoned herbicide factory site was used as an example of how planning should
      be considered for development of the site for transportation use in Dalian,
      China. Exposure pathways and parameters for three types of transportation use
      (land for a traffic hub, land for an urban road, and land for a subway) were
      developed. Twenty-five sampling sites were selected and 38 soil samples were
      collected in March 2015. Hexachlorobenzene and benzo(a)pyrene which were
      extracted by Soxhlet extraction and detected by gas chromatography mass
      spectrometry were the most significant pollutants detected. The maximum
      concentration of the two pollutants in the surface layer (0-0.5 m) were 0.57 and
      3.10 mg/kg, and in the bottom layer (1.0 m) were 2.57 and 3.72 mg/kg,
      respectively. In this study, risk assessment results based on the established
      exposure scenario and parameters showed that there was a significant difference
      in traffic hub land use under specific exposure pathway and common insensitive
      land use exposure pathways (direct ingestion of soil, dermal contact with soil,
      and inhalation of soil-derived dust). Commonly considered hexachlorobenzene and
      benzo(a)pyrene carcinogenic risk values exceeded the maximum acceptable level (10
      6) and were found to be 23.9-fold and 189-fold higher than the carcinogenic risk
      values, respectively. Parameter sensitivity analysis data showed that for
      transportation use, the two parameters "EFOa" and "OSIRa" were the most
      significant factors associated with variation of the carcinogenic risk value. For
      traffic hub land use, urban road land use, and subway land use, the main exposure
      pathways were through "inhalation of soil vapors outdoors (from surface soil),"
      "direct ingestion of soil," and "inhalation of soil vapors indoors (from bottom
      soil)," which contributed 84.75, 73.00, and 100.00% to the total risk value,
      respectively.

PMID- 28905219
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Presentation of extrapontine myelinolysis associated with
      hypernatremia in an infant: a case report.

PMID- 28905220
TI  - Haplotype Study in SCA10 Families Provides Further Evidence for a Common
      Ancestral Origin of the Mutation.
AB  - Spinocerebellar ataxia type 10 (SCA10) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative
      disorder characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia and epilepsy. The disease
      is caused by a pentanucleotide ATTCT expansion in intron 9 of the ATXN10 gene on
      chromosome 22q13.3. SCA10 has shown a geographical distribution throughout
      America with a likely degree of Amerindian ancestry from different countries so
      far. Currently available data suggest that SCA10 mutation might have spread out
      early during the peopling of the Americas. However, the ancestral origin of SCA10
      mutation remains under speculation. Samples of SCA10 patients from two Latin
      American countries were analysed, being 16 families from Brazil (29 patients) and
      21 families from Peru (27 patients) as well as 49 healthy individuals from
      Indigenous Quechua population and 51 healthy Brazilian individuals. Four
      polymorphic markers spanning a region of 5.2 cM harbouring the ATTCT expansion
      were used to define the haplotypes, which were genotyped by different approaches.
      Our data have shown that 19-CGGC-14 shared haplotype was found in 47% of
      Brazilian and in 63% of Peruvian families. Frequencies from both groups are not
      statistically different from Quechua controls (57%), but they are statistically
      different from Brazilian controls (12%) (p < 0.001). The most frequent expanded
      haplotype in Quechuas, 19-15-CGGC-14-10, is found in 50% of Brazilian and in 65%
      of Peruvian patients with SCA10. These findings bring valuable evidence that
      ATTCT expansion may have arisen in a Native American chromosome.

PMID- 28905221
TI  - Comparison between percutaneous and open reduction for treating paediatric talar
      neck fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to introduce percutaneous reduction and
      fixation of paediatric talar neck fractures. The study also included a comparison
      between the technique and the conventional open surgery. METHODS: From October
      2003 to May 2013, 23 children (group A) with closed two-part talar neck fractures
      were treated with percutaneous reduction. For comparison, another group of 26
      children (group B) were treated with the conventional open surgery. A p value <
      0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In group A, bone healing
      was achieved in all cases at a mean of eight weeks. At the mean follow-up of 27
      months, mean plantar flexion and dorsiflexion reached 96% of the opposite,
      normal, side. There were 20 excellent and three good results. In group B, bone
      healing occurred in 21 of 26 cases at a mean of 11 weeks. Nonunion was noted in
      five patients, among whom three were combined with avascular necrosis of the
      talar body. Mean follow-up was 29 months; mean plantar flexion and dorsiflexion
      reached 94% of the opposite normal side. There were 13 excellent, six good, two
      fair and five unsatisfactorily results. There were significant differences in the
      time to bone healing and in ankle-joint motion and function (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous reduction is a successful technique for paediatric
      talar neck fractures. Compared with conventional open surgery, the mini-invasive
      procedure may produce rapid bone healing and better functional results. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, Level Ia (perspective study).

PMID- 28905222
TI  - A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Maternal and Infant Outcomes in
      HIV-Infected Mothers Treated with Integrase Inhibitors During Pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTI) are currently being
      investigated for the treatment of HIV in pregnancy. The purpose of this study is
      to evaluate the differences in maternal and infant outcomes in HIV-positive
      mothers treated with INSTI-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) during
      pregnancy compared to protease inhibitor (PI)-containing ART. METHODS: A
      retrospective, cohort study of INSTI- and PI-based ART used in pregnancy between
      2007 and 2015 was performed. The primary objective was to evaluate the
      differences in viral load (VL) suppression prior to delivery. Secondary endpoints
      included time to and duration of VL suppression and safety parameters in both
      mothers and infants. For the primary analysis, the two arms were matched 1:2
      INSTI to PI based on the presence or absence of viremia at the time of pregnancy
      determination. Additional analysis was performed on the entire matched and
      unmatched dataset. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were matched (7 INSTI and 14 PI).
      There were no significant differences between groups with respect to the
      proportion of patients with VL suppression prior to delivery (71.4% INSTI vs.
      92.9% PI, p = 0.247), and there were no significant differences in any of the
      secondary endpoints. Patients with documented adherence issues were statistically
      more likely to not be virologically suppressed prior to delivery (p = 0.002).
      CONCLUSION: No differences in efficacy or safety were found between patients
      treated with INSTIs compared to PIs. This study supports the further
      investigation of the use of INSTIs during pregnancy to reduce HIV transmission.

PMID- 28905223
TI  - Phenotypic spectrum of POLG1 mutations.

PMID- 28905224
TI  - The outcome and risk factors for recurrence and extended hospitalization of
      secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.
AB  - PURPOSE: Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) is difficult to treat by itself
      and due to its association with serious underlying diseases. It has a high rate
      of recurrence and often requires extended hospitalization. Therefore, we
      evaluated the outcome and risk factors associated with recurrence and extended
      hospitalization. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 61 patients with SSP, and
      evaluated the patients' characteristics, underlying diseases, introduction of
      home oxygen therapy, Brinkman index, and X-ray imaging findings to determine the
      risk factors for recurrence and extended hospitalization. RESULTS: There were 28
      patients (46.0%) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 8 (13.1%) with
      interstitial pneumonia, 16 (26.2%) with massive emphysema, and 9 (14.8%) with
      other diseases. Adhesion and mediastinal shift visualized by X-ray imaging were
      observed in 37 (37.9%) and 25 patients (40.1%), respectively. Recurrence occurred
      in 25 patients (40.9%) and the average hospitalization duration was 14.5 days (+/
      11.2). A multivariate analysis showed that adhesion on X-ray imaging was a
      significant risk factor for recurrence (odds ratio 4.90, 95% confidence interval
      1.38-21.44) and mediastinal shift on X-ray imaging was a significant risk factor
      for extended hospitalization (odds ratio 6.05, 95% confidence interval 1.44
      31.06). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from X-ray imaging, and not underlying diseases,
      are risk factors for recurrence and extended hospitalization.

PMID- 28905225
TI  - The feasibility and short-term clinical outcomes of single-incision laparoscopic
      surgery for patients with complex Crohn's disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) offers excellent cosmetic
      results compared with conventional multi-port laparoscopic surgery. Recently,
      this technique has been applied to Crohn's disease (CD) with primary ileocolic
      strictures; however, the application of a laparoscopic approach for complex CD,
      which involves abscess formation, fistula formation, and recurrent CD, is
      controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and
      feasibility of SILS for patients with complex disease and to compare its clinical
      results in patients with complex disease vs. those with simple stricture disease.
      METHODS: Fifty patients who underwent SILS for CD were divided into two groups:
      those with complex disease (complex group, n = 25), and those with simple
      strictures (simple group, n = 25). The preoperative data and clinical outcomes
      were analyzed and compared between the groups. RESULTS: The operative time, blood
      loss and length of laparotomy incision were not significantly different between
      the groups. Although the rate of conversion and need for an additional port
      tended to be higher in the complex group, the rate of postoperative complications
      and length of hospital stay did not differ significantly between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: SILS may be feasible for carefully selected patients with complex CD.

PMID- 28905226
TI  - Identification and Characterization of Phospholipids with Very Long Chain Fatty
      Acids in Brewer's Yeast.
AB  - Yeast lipids and fatty acids (FA) were analyzed in Saccharomyces pastorianus from
      seven breweries and in the dietary yeast supplement Pangamin. GC-MS identified
      more than 30 FA, half of which were very-long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) with
      hydrocarbon chain lengths of >=22 C atoms. Positional isomers omega-9 and omega-7
      were identified in FA with C18-C28 even-numbered alkyl chains. The most abundant
      omega-7 isomer was cis-vaccenic acid. The structure of monounsaturated FA was
      proved by dimethyl disulfide adducts (position of double bonds and cis geometric
      configuration) and by GC-MS of pyridyl carbinol esters. Ultra-high performance
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with negative electrospray
      ionization identified the phospholipids phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine, with more than 150 molecular
      species. Wild-type unmutated brewer's yeast strains conventionally used for the
      manufacture of food supplements were found to contain VLCFA.

PMID- 28905227
TI  - Genomics for all in the 21st century?
AB  - As the field of genomics enters the second decade after the completion of the
      International Human Genome Project, human genomics research is still far from
      reflective of the ancestral diversity found in global populations. This special
      issue of the Journal of Community Genetics brings together a global perspective
      on the need for researchers and health care professionals to support achievable
      milestones that will enhance global ancestral diversity in genomic research for
      the 21st century, and integrate the resulting knowledge into health care that
      benefits everyone. As the publications in this special issue illustrate, this
      will require focused community engagement, including often overlooked isolated
      populations, as well as meaningful integration of genomics and health services
      across the global landscape. With the advancement of sequencing technology and
      reduction in the cost, the time has come to address critical barriers.

PMID- 28905228
TI  - Genetic susceptibility in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy and a
      leading cause of death due to disease in children. The genetic basis of ALL
      susceptibility has been supported by its association with certain congenital
      disorders and, more recently, by several genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
      These GWAS identified common variants in ARID5B, IKZF1, CEBPE, CDKN2A, PIP4K2A,
      LHPP and ELK3 influencing ALL risk. However, the risk variants of these SNPs were
      not validated in all populations, suggesting that some of the loci could be
      population specific. On the other hand, the currently identified risk SNPs in
      these genes only account for 19% of the additive heritable risk. This estimation
      indicates that additional susceptibility variants could be discovered. In this
      review, we will provide an overview of the most important findings carried out in
      genetic susceptibility of childhood ALL in all GWAS and subsequent studies and we
      will also point to future directions that could be explored in the near future.

PMID- 28905229
TI  - Increased plasma N-glycome complexity is associated with higher risk of type 2
      diabetes.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Better understanding of type 2 diabetes and its prevention is a
      pressing need. Changes in human plasma N-glycome are associated with many
      diseases and represent promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Variations
      in glucose metabolism directly affect glycosylation through the hexosamine
      pathway but studies of plasma glycome in type 2 diabetes are scarce. The aim of
      this study was to determine whether plasma protein N-glycome is changed in
      individuals who are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using
      a chromatographic approach, we analysed N-linked glycans from plasma proteins in
      two populations comprising individuals with registered hyperglycaemia during
      critical illness (increased risk for development of type 2 diabetes) and
      individuals who stayed normoglycaemic during the same condition:
      AcuteInflammation (59 cases vs 49 controls) and AcuteInflammation Replication (52
      cases vs 14 controls) populations. N-glycome was also studied in individuals from
      FinRisk (37 incident cases of type 2 diabetes collected at baseline vs 37
      controls), Orkney Complex Disease Study (ORCADES; 94 individuals with HbA1c >
      6.5% [47.5 mmol/mol] vs 658 controls) and Southall and Brent Revisited (SABRE)
      cohort studies (307 individuals with HbA1c > 6.5% [47.5 mmol/mol] vs 307
      controls). RESULTS: Individuals with increased risk for diabetes type 2
      development (AcuteInflammation and AcuteInflammation Replication populations),
      incident cases of type 2 diabetes collected at baseline (FinRisk population) and
      individuals with elevated HbA1c (ORCADES and SABRE populations) all presented
      with increased branching, galactosylation and sialylation of plasma protein N
      glycans and these changes were of similar magnitude. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION:
      Increased complexity of plasma N-glycan structures is associated with higher risk
      of developing type 2 diabetes and poorer regulation of blood glucose levels.
      Although further research is needed, this finding could offer a potential new
      approach for improvement in prevention of diabetes and its complications.

PMID- 28905230
TI  - Molecular detection of Anaplasma platys, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Wolbachia
      sp. but not Ehrlichia canis in Croatian dogs.
AB  - The bacteria Anaplasma platys, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia canis are
      tick-borne agents that cause canine vector-borne disease. The prevalence of these
      pathogens in South Eastern Europe is unknown with the exception of an isolated
      case of A. platys detected in a dog imported into Germany from Croatia. To gain a
      better insight into their presence and prevalence, PCR-based screening for these
      bacterial pathogens was performed on domesticated dogs from different regions of
      Croatia. Blood samples from 1080 apparently healthy dogs from coastal and
      continental parts of Croatia as well as tissue samples collected from 63 deceased
      dogs with a history of anaemia and thrombocytopenia were collected for molecular
      screening by an Anaplasmataceae-specific 16S rRNA conventional PCR. Positive
      samples were confirmed using a second Anaplasmataceae-specific PCR assay with the
      PCR product sequenced for the purpose of bacterial species identification. All
      sequenced isolates were georeferenced and a kernel intensity estimator was used
      to identify clusters of greater case intensity. 42/1080 (3.8%; CI 2.7-5.0) of the
      healthy dogs were PCR positive for bacteria in the Anaplasmataceae. Sequencing of
      the 16S rRNA gene amplified from these positive samples revealed the presence of
      A. platys in 2.5% (CI 1.6-3.4%, 27 dogs), A. phagocytophilum in 0.3% (CI 0-0.6%,
      3 dogs) and a Wolbachia endosymbiont in 1.1% (CI 0.4-1.6%, 12 dogs) of dogs
      screened in this study. Necropsied dogs were free from infection. Notably, no
      evidence of E. canis infection was found in any animal. This survey represents a
      rare molecular study of Anaplasmataceae in dogs in South Eastern Europe,
      confirming the presence of A. platys and A. phagocytophilum but not E. canis. The
      absence of E. canis was surprising given it has been described in all other
      Mediterranean countries surveyed and raises questions over the regional vector
      capacity of the Rhipicephalus sanguineus tick.

PMID- 28905231
TI  - Sleep-disordered breathing and the risk of cognitive decline: a meta-analysis of
      19,940 participants.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is related to the incidence of cognitive
      decline. However, results of cohort studies were inconsistent. We performed a
      meta-analysis of cohort studies to evaluate the sequential association between
      SDB and cognitive decline. Cohort studies were identified by the searching of
      PubMed and Embase databases. A random effect model was applied to combine the
      results. Nineteen thousand nine hundred forty participants from six cohort
      studies were included. Participants with SDB at baseline had significantly higher
      risk of cognitive decline, as indicated by a combined outcome of mild cognitive
      impairment (MCI) or dementia (RR = 1.69, p < 0.001; I 2 = 60%). The association
      between SDB and the subsequent risk of cognitive decline remains in older people
      (RR = 1.70, p < 0.001; I 2 = 66%). Results of subgroup analyses indicated
      consistent results regardless of whether SDB was confirmed by PSG or whether the
      apolipoprotein E4 allele was adjusted. However, participants with SDB at baseline
      were with higher risk for developing MCI (RR = 2.44, p < 0.001) than dementia (RR
      = 1.61, p < 0.001; p for subgroup difference = 0.04). Moreover, SDB was
      associated with a significantly higher risk of cognitive decline in female
      participants (RR = 2.06, p < 0.001), but not in the males (RR = 1.18, p = 0.19; p
      for subgroup difference = 0.03). SDB may be an independent risk factor for the
      developing of cognitive decline, and gender difference may exist regarding this
      association.

PMID- 28905232
TI  - Production of D-alanine from DL-alanine using immobilized cells of Bacillus
      subtilis HLZ-68.
AB  - Immobilized cells of Bacillus subtilis HLZ-68 were used to produce D-alanine from
      DL-alanine by asymmetric degradation. Different compounds such as polyvinyl
      alcohol and calcium alginate were employed for immobilizing the B. subtilis HLZ
      68 cells, and the results showed that cells immobilized using a mixture of these
      two compounds presented higher L-alanine degradation activity, when compared with
      free cells. Subsequently, the effects of different concentrations of polyvinyl
      alcohol and calcium alginate on L-alanine consumption were examined. Maximum L
      alanine degradation was exhibited by cells immobilized with 8% (w/v) polyvinyl
      alcohol and 2% (w/v) calcium alginate. Addition of 400 g of DL-alanine (200 g at
      the beginning of the reaction and 200 g after 30 h of incubation) into the
      reaction solution at 30  degrees C, pH 6.0, aeration of 1.0 vvm, and agitation of
      400 rpm resulted in complete L-alanine degradation within 60 h, leaving 185 g of
      D-alanine in the reaction solution. The immobilized cells were applied for more
      than 15 cycles of degradation and a maximum utilization rate was achieved at the
      third cycle. D-alanine was easily extracted from the reaction solution using
      cation-exchange resin, and the chemical and optical purity of the extracted D
      alanine was 99.1 and 99.6%, respectively.

PMID- 28905234
TI  - Endoscopic treatment of middle fossa arachnoid cysts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic treatment of middle fossa arachnoid cysts is an
      alternative option to microsurgical fenestration and shunting procedures. The
      procedure is minimally invasive and obviates the morbidity of craniotomy and
      shunting. METHODS: Operative charts and videos of patients undergoing endoscopic
      fenestration of middle fossa arachnoid cysts were retrieved from the senior
      author's database of endoscopic procedures and reviewed. Description of the
      surgical techniques was then formulated. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic fenestration of
      middle fossa arachnoid cysts entails communicating the cyst cavity to the basal
      cisterns via multiple fenestrations that should be made as large as possible with
      care to avoid injury of the juxtaposed neurovascular structures.

PMID- 28905233
TI  - Gated thoracic magnetic resonance angiography at 3T: noncontrast versus blood
      pool contrast.
AB  - Both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced approaches to gated thoracic magnetic
      resonance angiography (MRA) for aortic root evaluation have been reported at 3T.
      We compare qualitative and quantitative image quality measures for the two
      approaches, and assess the reproducibility of standard aortic measurements.
      Respiratory and cardiac gated MRA of the chest was performed at 3T in 45
      patients: 23 after administration of iron-based blood pool contrast, and 22
      without contrast. Image quality was assessed with a 5-point Likert scale, vessel
      lumen-to-muscle contrast ratios, and vessel wall sharpness. Two reviewers
      measured the ascending aorta diameter and valve annulus area. Interrater
      agreement was assessed using Bland-Altman plots and coefficient of variation
      (CV). Qualitative image quality was better with blood pool contrast in all
      principal vessels of the chest (mean Likert of 4.20 +/- 0.79 vs. 2.60 +/- 0.77, p
      < 0.001). Quantitative assessment was also improved with higher contrast ratios
      in all vessels (5.26 +/- 3.3 vs. 1.90 +/- 0.53, p < 0.001), and greater sharpness
      of the aortic annulus and ascending aorta (0.70 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.56 +/- 0.14 mm-1,
      p < 0.001, and 0.87 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.62 +/- 0.16 mm-1, p = 0.008, respectively).
      Reproducibility of measurement was marginally better for the ascending aorta
      diameter (CV of 2.80 vs. 3.23%), but substantially increased for the aortic valve
      annulus area with blood pool contrast (CV of 4.93 vs. 7.32%). The use of a blood
      pool contrast agent for gated thoracic MRA improves image quality compared to a
      noncontrast technique, and provides more reproducible measurements of the aortic
      valve annulus area.

PMID- 28905235
TI  - Two New Species of Xenotarsonemus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) from the Atlantic Forest,
      Brazil.
AB  - Two new species, Xenotarsonemus quiriri n. sp. and Xenotarsonemus scorpius n.
      sp., are described and illustrated in this paper based on specimens collected on
      Myrtaceae plants in Atlantic Forest areas of the states of Bahia and Santa
      Catarina, Brazil. A key to identification of Xenotarsonemus species reported from
      Brazil is provided.

PMID- 28905236
TI  - Diagnosis of coronary artery disease using an efficient hash table based closed
      frequent itemsets mining.
AB  - This paper proposes an efficient hash table based closed frequent itemsets (HCFI)
      mining algorithm to envisage coronary artery disease early. HCFI algorithm
      generates closed frequent itemsets efficiently by performing intersection
      operation on transaction id's of itemset without considering the name of
      item/itemset. The employed hash table reduces search efficiency to O(1) or
      constant time. HCFI algorithm is applied on the UCI (University of California,
      Irvine) Cleveland dataset, a biological database of cardiovascular disease to
      generate closed frequent itemsets on the dataset. The findings of HCFI algorithm
      are (1) it determines a set of distinguished features to differentiate a
      'healthy' and a 'sick' class. The features such as heart status being normal,
      oldpeak being less than or equal to 1.2, slope being up, number of vessels
      colored being zero, absence of exercise-induced angina, maximum heart rate
      achieved between 151 and 180 are referred as 'healthy' class. The features like
      chest pain are being asymptomatic, heart-status being reversible defect, slope
      being flat, and presence of exercise-induced-angina and serum cholesterol being
      greater than 240 indicate a presumption of heart disease to both genders. (2) It
      predicts that females have less chance of coronary heart disease than males. This
      algorithm is also compared with two other state-of-the-art-algorithms 'NAFCP' (N
      list based algorithm for mining frequent closed patterns) and 'PredictiveApriori'
      to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

PMID- 28905237
TI  - 1H, 13C and 15N assignments of the C-terminal intrinsically disordered cytosolic
      fragment of the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB2.
AB  - ErbB2 (or HER2) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is involved in signaling
      pathways controlling cell division, motility and apoptosis. Though important in
      development and cell growth homeostasis, this protein, when overexpressed,
      participates in triggering aggressive HER2+ breast cancers. It is composed of an
      extracellular part and a transmembrane domain, both important for activation by
      dimerization, and a cytosolic tyrosine kinase, which activates its intrinsically
      disordered C-terminal end (CtErbB2). Little is known about this C-terminal part
      of 268 residues, despite its crucial role in interacting with adaptor proteins
      involved in signaling. Understanding its structural and dynamic characteristics
      could eventually lead to the design of new interaction inhibitors, and treatments
      complementary to those already targeting other parts of ErbB2. Here we report
      backbone and side-chain assignment of CtErbB2, which, together with structural
      predictions, confirms its intrinsically disordered nature.

PMID- 28905238
TI  - Methological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on acupuncture for
      stroke: A review of review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta
      analyses regarding acupuncture intervention for stroke and the primary studies
      within them. METHODS: Two researchers searched PubMed, Cumulative index to
      Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, Cochrane,
      Allied and Complementary Medicine, Ovid Medline, Chinese Biomedical Literature
      Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and Traditional
      Chinese Medical Database to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses about
      acupuncture for stroke published from the inception to December 2016. Review
      characteristics and the criteria for assessing the primary studies within reviews
      were extracted. The methodological quality of the reviews was assessed using
      adapted Oxman and Guyatt Scale. The methodological quality of primary studies was
      also assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-two eligible reviews were identified, 15 in
      English and 17 in Chinese. The English reviews were scored higher than the
      Chinese reviews (P=0.025), especially in criteria for avoiding bias and the scope
      of search. All reviews used the quality criteria to evaluate the methodological
      quality of primary studies, but some criteria were not comprehensive. The primary
      studies, in particular the Chinese reviews, had problems with randomization,
      allocation concealment, blinding, dropouts and withdrawals, intent-to-treat
      analysis and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Important methodological flaws were
      found in Chinese systematic reviews and primary studies. It was necessary to
      improve the methodological quality and reporting quality of both the systematic
      reviews published in China and primary studies on acupuncture for stroke.

PMID- 28905239
TI  - Expression and distribution of three transient receptor potential vanilloid(TRPV)
      channel proteins in human odontoblast-like cells.
AB  - Odontoblasts have been suggested to contribute to nociceptive sensation in the
      tooth via expression of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. The TRP
      channels as a family of nonselective cation permeable channels play an important
      role in sensory transduction of human. In this study, we examined the expression
      of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1), transient receptor potential
      vanilloid-2 (TRPV2) and transient receptor potential vanilloid-3 (TRPV3) channels
      in native human odontoblasts (HODs) and long-term cultured human dental pulp
      cells with odontoblast phenotyoe (LHOPs) obtained from healthy wisdom teeth with
      the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR),western blotting (WB) and immunoelectron
      microscopy (IEM) assay. LHOPs samples were made into ultrathin sections, mounted
      on nickel grids, floated of three TRPV antibodies conjugated with 10 nm colloidal
      gold particles and observed under IEM at 60,000 magnifications. The relative
      intracellular distributions of these three channels were analyzed quantitatively
      on IEM images using a robust sampling, stereological estimation and statistical
      evaluation method. The results of IHC and IF convinced that TRPV1, TRPV2 and
      TRPV3 channels were expressed in native HODs and (LHOPs). The result of qRT-PCR
      and WB confirmed that the gene and protein expression of TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV3
      channels and TRPV1 mRNA are more abundantly expressed than TRPV2 and TRPV3 in
      HODs (P < 0.05). Quantitative analysis of IEM images showed that the relative
      intracellular distributions of these three channels are similar, and TRPV1, TRPV2
      and TRPV3 proteins were preferential labeled in human odontoblast processes,
      mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum. Thus, HODs could play an important role
      in mediating pulp thermo-sensation due to the expression of these three TRPV
      channels. The difference of relative intracellular distributions of three
      channels suggests that special structures such as processes may have an important
      role to sensing of the outer stimuli first.

PMID- 28905240
TI  - Different training programs decrease blood pressure during submaximal exercise.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to study the effects of aerobic, resistance, and mixed
      (aerobic and resistance) training programs on blood pressure, both at rest and
      during submaximal exercise in healthy people. METHODS: We randomized 39
      physically active, healthy participants into aerobic, resistance, and mixed
      (aerobic and resistance) exercise groups, and a control group. The exercise
      groups trained for 60 min three times/week for 6 weeks, and a submaximal cycle
      ergometer test was performed before and after training, and 3 weeks after
      detraining. Continuous blood pressure was determined before and during the test.
      RESULTS: At the submaximal test, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures
      decreased significantly (p < 0.05) after detraining in the exercise groups.
      However, between pre-training and detraining, we found significant reductions at
      rest only in the mixed exercise group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Although all
      exercise had similar effects on blood pressure during submaximal exercise, the
      mixed aerobic and resistance exercise may be optimal for blood pressure
      reduction, by the addition of diverse physiological pathways.

PMID- 28905241
TI  - Photostability Issues in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Photostabilization.
AB  - Photodegradation is one of the major pathways of the degradation of drugs. Some
      therapeutic agents and excipients are highly sensitive to light and undergo
      significant degradation, challenging the quality and the stability of the final
      product. The adequate knowledge of photodegradation mechanisms and kinetics of
      photosensitive therapeutic entities or excipients is a pivotal aspect in the
      product development phase. Hence, various pharmaceutical regulatory agencies,
      across the world, mandated the industries to assess the photodegradation of
      pharmaceutical products from manufacturing stage till storage, as per the
      guidelines given in the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH).
      Recently, numerous formulation and/or manufacturing strategies has been
      investigated for preventing the photodegradation and enhancing the photostability
      of photolabile components in the pharmaceutical dosage forms. The primary focus
      of this review is to discuss various photodegradation mechanisms, rate kinetics,
      and the factors that influence the rate of photodegradation. We also discuss
      light-induced degradation of photosensitive lipids and polymers. We conclude with
      a brief note on different approaches to improve the photostability of
      photosensitive products.

PMID- 28905242
TI  - Poly-N-Acetyl Glucosamine (sNAG) Enhances Early Rotator Cuff Tendon Healing in a
      Rat Model.
AB  - Rotator cuff injuries frequently require surgical repairs which have a high
      failure rate. Biological augmentation has been utilized in an attempt to improve
      tendon repair. Poly-N-acetyl glucosamine (sNAG) polymer containing nanofibers has
      been shown to increase the rate for healing of venous leg ulcers. The purpose of
      this study was to investigate the healing and analgesic properties of sNAG in a
      rat rotator cuff injury and repair model. 144 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats
      underwent a transection and repair of their left supraspinatus tendons. Half of
      the animals received a sNAG membrane on the tendon-to-bone insertion site.
      Animals were further subdivided, receiving 1 or 3 days of analgesics. Animals
      were sacrificed 2, 4, or 8 weeks post-injury. Animals sacrificed at 4 and 8 weeks
      underwent longitudinal in vivo ambulatory assessment. Histological properties
      were assessed at 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and mechanical properties at 4 and 8 weeks.
      In the presence of analgesics, tendons receiving the sNAG polymer had
      significantly increased max load and max stress at 4 weeks, but not at 8 weeks.
      Ambulatory improvements were observed at 14 days in stride length and speed.
      Therefore, sNAG improves tendon-to-bone healing in a rat rotator cuff detachment
      and repair model.

PMID- 28905243
TI  - 3D endothelial cell spheroid/human vitreous humor assay for the characterization
      of anti-angiogenic inhibitors for the treatment of proliferative diabetic
      retinopathy.
AB  - Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) represents a main cause of acquired
      blindness. Despite the recognition of the key role exerted by vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the pathogenesis of PDR, limitations to anti
      VEGF therapies do exist. Thus, rapid and cost-effective angiogenesis assays are
      crucial for the screening of anti-angiogenic drug candidates for PDR therapy. In
      this context, evaluation of the angiogenic potential of PDR vitreous fluid may
      represent a valuable tool for preclinical assessment of angiostatic molecules.
      Here, vitreous fluid obtained from PDR patients after pars plana vitrectomy was
      used as a pro-angiogenic stimulus in a 3D endothelial cell spheroid/human
      vitreous assay. The results show that PDR vitreous is able to stimulate the
      sprouting of fibrin-embedded HUVEC spheroids in a time- and dose-dependent
      manner. A remarkable variability was observed among 40 individual vitreous fluid
      samples in terms of sprouting-inducing activity that was related, at least in
      part, to defined clinical features of the PDR patient. This activity was hampered
      by various extracellular and intracellular signaling pathway inhibitors,
      including the VEGF antagonist ranibizumab. When tested on 20 individual vitreous
      fluid samples, the inhibitory activity of ranibizumab ranged between 0 and 100%
      of the activity measured in the absence of the drug, reflecting a variable
      contribution of angiogenic mediators distinct from VEGF. In conclusion, the 3D
      endothelial cell spheroid/human vitreous assay represents a rapid and cost
      effective experimental procedure suitable for the evaluation of the anti
      angiogenic activity of novel extracellular and intracellular drug candidates,
      with possible implications for the therapy of PDR.

PMID- 28905244
TI  - Bioresorbable vascular scaffold implantation to bail out nail gun injury in ST
      segment myocardial infarction.

PMID- 28905245
TI  - Identification of Polymorphic Forms of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient in Low
      Concentration Dry Powder Formulations by Synchrotron X-Ray Powder Diffraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The identification of different (pseudo) polymorphs of an active
      pharmaceutical ingredient in dry powder formulations is of importance during
      development and entire product lifecycle, e.g., quality control. Whereas
      determination of polymorphic differences of pure substances is rather easy, in
      dry powder formulations, it is generally difficult and the difficulties increase
      particularly, if the substance of interest is present only in low concentrations
      in the formulation. Such a formulation is Spiriva(r) inhalation powder
      (Boehringer Ingelheim), which contains only 0.4 w/w% of the active pharmaceutical
      ingredient tiotropium bromide monohydrate in a matrix of alpha-lactose
      monohydrate as excipient. METHODS: In this study, identification of 0.4 w/w%
      tiotropium bromide in the dry powder formulation was examined by X-ray powder
      diffraction (XRPD) using a synchrotron radiation source and the results were
      compared with the conventional laboratory XRPD measurements. RESULTS: The
      detection limit of tiotropium bromide by the laboratory XRPD was around 2-5 w/w%,
      and hence, detection of 0.4 w/w% tiotropium bromide was impossible. The
      synchrotron XRPD was capable to detect significantly lower level of tiotropium
      bromide by at least an order of magnitude. CONCLUSION: Four different polymorphic
      forms of tiotropium bromide present at 0.4 w/w% concentration in lactose powder
      blends were unambiguously identified by the synchrotron XRPD method.

PMID- 28905246
TI  - [Immunizing is not only a children's matter! : Why vaccinations are also
      important for adults].
AB  - Vaccinations belong to the ten most effective public health achievements
      worldwide. While immunization programms for children are installed in Europe,
      vaccinations for adults are not established. However, adult vaccination is
      extremely meaningful: increasing age means a higher susceptibility to infectious
      diseases, health problems and multimorbidity will increase. The burden of vaccine
      preventable diseases is still high in Europe. Due to immunosenescence (older)
      adults are less protected against pathogens, antibody titers after vaccinations
      are lower and immunity lasts shorter. There is striking lack of data of adult
      vaccination rates and an international consensus regarding adult vaccination
      recommendations or guidelines are not available in Europe. In only six countries
      a comprehensive document describing recommended vaccinations for adults is
      available, among them Austria. The awareness of the importance of adult
      vaccination over the whole lifetime is not present to the necessary extent in
      Europe and has to be promoted.

PMID- 28905247
TI  - Risky Sex in High-Risk Adolescents: Associations with Alcohol Use, Marijuana Use,
      and Co-Occurring Use.
AB  - Risky sexual behavior and substance use appear to be interconnected behaviors
      among adolescents, but data are scarce regarding the extent to which sexual risk
      behavior is associated with high levels of marijuana and alcohol use, both
      separately and in combination. 301 adolescents were recruited from a short-term
      detention facility, and substance use and risky sexual behavior were assessed. We
      found that adolescents who frequently used marijuana, but not alcohol, reported
      significantly less risky sex as well as greater intentions to use condoms than
      either adolescents who frequently used alcohol, but not marijuana, or adolescents
      who frequently used both substances. Substance use status as a predictor of
      future risky sexual behavior followed a similar pattern. When designing
      interventions to reduce substance use in the context of risky sex, it might be
      especially effective to target efforts toward reducing harm associated with
      alcohol use, either alone or in combination with marijuana use.

PMID- 28905248
TI  - Sexual Function and Breast-Specific Sensuality Remain Important After Breast
      Cancer Surgery.

PMID- 28905249
TI  - Difficulties in establishing the source of infection in recurrent neonatal group
      B streptococcal disease.

PMID- 28905250
TI  - Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs)-related genomic signature predicts
      chemotherapy response in breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study evaluated whether morphological-measured stromal and
      intra-tumour tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) levels were associated with
      gene expression profiles, and whether TILs-associated genomic signature (GS)
      could be used to predict clinical outcomes and response to therapies in several
      breast cancer subtypes. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated haematoxylin eosin
      (HE)-TILs levels and gene expression profiling data from 40 patients with primary
      breast cancer and extracted the 22 overexpressed genes in cases with high TILs
      scores as the TILs-GS. The TILs-GS were compared with breast cancer subtype and
      were evaluated predictive values for prognosis and response to therapies.
      RESULTS: Higher TILs-GS expressions were observed for triple-negative and human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive (+) breast cancers, compared
      to the luminal types (P < 0.001). With the exception of HER2+, the TILs-GS had no
      prognostic value in subtypes of breast cancers. The Wilcoxon test revealed
      significantly different TILs-GS levels between the cases with pathological
      complete response (pCR) and residual disease after anthracycline and taxane-based
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with the exception of the luminal-low proliferation
      subtype. In the multivariate analysis, pCR was independently associated with
      smaller tumour size, higher histological grade, ER negativity, HER2 positivity
      and higher TILs-GS scores (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.30-3.14, P = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS:
      TILs-GS was associated with stromal and intra-tumour TILs levels, as evaluated
      using HE, which predicted prognosis and chemotherapy response in several breast
      cancer subtypes. Further studies are needed to perform stratification according
      to TILs-GS levels and the conventional breast cancer subtypes.

PMID- 28905251
TI  - Comparing the face inversion effect in crows and humans.
AB  - Humans show impaired recognition of faces that are presented upside down, a
      phenomenon termed face inversion effect, which is thought to reflect the special
      relevance of faces for humans. Here, we investigated whether a phylogenetically
      distantly related avian species, the carrion crow, with similar socio-cognitive
      abilities to human and non-human primates, exhibits a face inversion effect. In a
      delayed matching-to-sample task, two crows had to differentiate profiles of crow
      faces as well as matched controls, presented both upright and inverted. Because
      crows can discriminate humans based on their faces, we also assessed the face
      inversion effect using human faces. Both crows performed better with crow faces
      than with human faces and performed worse when responding to inverted pictures in
      general compared to upright pictures. However, neither of the crows showed a face
      inversion effect. For comparative reasons, the tests were repeated with human
      subjects. As expected, humans showed a face-specific inversion effect. Therefore,
      we did not find any evidence that crows-like humans-process faces as a special
      visual stimulus. Instead, individual recognition in crows may be based on cues
      other than a conspecific's facial profile, such as their body, or on processing
      of local features rather than holistic processing.

PMID- 28905252
TI  - Human and equipment resources for difficult airway management, airway education
      programs, and capnometry use in Japanese emergency departments: a nationwide
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although human and equipment resources, proper training, and the
      verification of endotracheal intubation are vital elements of difficult airway
      management (DAM), their availability in Japanese emergency departments (EDs) has
      not been determined. How ED type and patient volume affect DAM preparation is
      also unclear. We conducted the present survey to address this knowledge gaps.
      METHODS: This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted from April to
      September 2016. All EDs received a mailed questionnaire regarding their DAM
      resources, airway training methods, and capnometry use for tube placement.
      Outcome measures were the availability of: (1) 24-h in-house back-up; (2) key DAM
      resources, including a supraglottic airway device (SGA), a dedicated DAM cart,
      surgical airway devices, and neuromuscular blocking agents; (3) anesthesiology
      rotation as part of an airway training program; and (4) the routine use of
      capnometry to verify tube placement. EDs were classified as academic, tertiary,
      high-volume (upper quartile of annual ambulance visits), and urban. RESULTS: Of
      the 530 EDs, 324 (61.1%) returned completed questionnaires. The availability of
      in-house back-up coverage, surgical airway devices, and neuromuscular blocking
      agents was 69.4, 95.7, and 68.5%, respectively. SGAs and dedicated DAM carts were
      present in 51.5 and 49.7% of the EDs. The rates of routine capnometry use (47.8%)
      and the availability of an anesthesiology rotation (38.6%) were low. The
      availability of 24-h back-up coverage was significantly higher in academic EDs
      and tertiary EDs in both the crude and adjusted analysis. Similarly,
      neuromuscular blocking agents were more likely to be present in academic EDs,
      high-volume EDs, and tertiary EDs; and the rate of routine use of capnometry was
      significantly higher in tertiary EDs in both the crude and adjusted analysis.
      CONCLUSIONS: In Japanese EDs, the rates of both the availability of SGAs and DAM
      carts and the use of routine capnometry to confirm tube placement were
      approximately 50%. These data demonstrate the lack of standard operating
      procedures for rescue ventilation and post-intubation care. Academic, tertiary,
      and high-volume EDs were likely to be well prepared for DAM.

PMID- 28905253
TI  - Co-transformation mediated stacking of blast resistance genes Pi54 and Pi54rh in
      rice provides broad spectrum resistance against Magnaporthe oryzae.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: This is the first report of stacking two major blast resistance
      genes in blast susceptible rice variety using co-transformation method to widen
      the resistance spectrum against different isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae. Single
      resistance (R-) gene mediated approach for the management of rice blast disease
      has met with frequent breakdown in resistance response. Besides providing the
      durable resistance, gene pyramiding or stacking also imparts broad spectrum
      resistance against plant pathogens, including rice blast. In the present study,
      we stacked two R-genes; Pi54 and Pi54rh having broad spectrum resistance against
      multiple isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae). Both Pi54 and Pi54rh
      expressed under independent promoters were transferred into the blast susceptible
      japonica rice Taipei 309 (TP309) using particle gun bombardment method.
      Functional complementation analysis of stacked transgenic rice lines showed
      higher level of resistance to a set of highly virulent M. oryzae isolates
      collected from different rice growing regions. qRT-PCR analysis has shown M.
      oryzae induced expression of both the R-genes in stacked transgenic lines. The
      present study also demonstrated the effectiveness of the strategy for rapid
      single step gene stacking using co-transformation approach to engineer durable
      resistance against rice blast disease and also this is the first report in which
      two blast R-genes are stacked together using co-transformation approach. The two
      gene-stacked transgenic line developed in this study can be used further to
      understand the molecular aspects of defense-related pathways vis-a-vis single R
      gene containing transgenic lines.

PMID- 28905254
TI  - Use of eculizumab in a systemic lupus erythemathosus patient presenting
      thrombotic microangiopathy and heterozygous deletion in CFHR1-CFHR3. A case
      report and systematic review.
AB  - The association of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) with systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE) has been described in 0.5 to 10% of cases, and patients
      present worse outcome. TMA is described as the association of microangiopathic
      hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and an organ injury, frequently the kidney.
      This study describes a successful case of use of eculizumab in a patient with SLE
      and TMA refractory to standard therapy, and provides a literature review. Case
      description and search in PubMed and MEDLINE using systemic lupus erythemathous
      and/or antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and eculizumab retrieved 15 case reports.
      Eighteen-year-old female presented acute renal failure and TMA and was diagnosed
      with SLE. Steroids and IV cyclophosphamide were started together with plasma
      exchange. After 55 days, she still persisted with microangiopathic anemia,
      thrombocytopenia, and anuria, and eculizumab was introduced. She had rapid
      improvement in hematological parameters, and dialysis was discontinued 25 days
      after the first dose. Genetic analysis showed large heterozygous deletion
      encompassing the entire CFHR1 and CFHR3, a finding previously associated with
      patients presenting atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS). Twenty patients
      who received eculizumab with SLE and/or APS have been published to date: 11 were
      female and mean age at presentation was 31 years. Seven out of the 20 patients
      presented only SLE, 5 patients only APS and 8 patients both SLE and APS. Eighteen
      patients underwent plasma exchange, with a mean of 20 (4-120) sessions per
      patient. Thirteen patients received rituximab. Hematological response was evident
      in 100% and kidney recovery in 85% of patients. The terminal complement blockade
      with eculizumab is an optional treatment for patients with SLE and/or APS
      presenting TMA and refractory to current immunosuppression therapies. Genetic
      testing may help recognize patients with aHUS and SLE/APS and therefore help to
      determine length of treatment with eculizumab.

PMID- 28905256
TI  - Erratum to: Imaging correlates for the 2016 update on WHO classification of grade
      II/III gliomas: implications for IDH, 1p/19q and ATRX status.
AB  - In the initial online publication, the values in the last two rows in Table 1
      were in the wrong rows. The original article has been corrected.

PMID- 28905255
TI  - Benefit-Risk Profile of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor Modulators in Relapsing
      and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Since the approval of fingolimod, several selective sphingosine-1-phosphate
      receptor modulators have entered clinical development for multiple sclerosis.
      However, side effects can occur with sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators.
      By considering short-term data across the drug class and longer term fingolimod
      data, we aim to highlight the potential of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor
      modulators in multiple sclerosis, while offering reassurance that their benefit
      risk profiles are suitable for long-term therapy. Short-term fingolimod studies
      demonstrated the efficacy of this drug class, showed that cardiac events upon
      first-dose administration are transient and manageable, and showed that serious
      adverse events are rare. Early-phase studies of selective sphingosine-1-phosphate
      receptor modulators also show efficacy with a similar or improved safety profile,
      and treatment initiation effects were reduced with dose titration. Longer term
      fingolimod studies demonstrated sustained efficacy and raised no new safety
      concerns, with no increases in macular edema, infection, or malignancy rates.
      Switch studies identified no safety concerns and greater patient satisfaction and
      persistence with fingolimod when switching from injectable therapies with no
      washout period. Better outcomes were seen with short than with long washouts when
      switching from natalizumab. The specific immunomodulatory effects of sphingosine
      1-phosphate receptor modulators are consistent with the low observed rates of
      long-term, drug-related adverse effects with fingolimod. Short-term data for
      selective sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators support their potential
      effectiveness in multiple sclerosis, and improved side-effect profiles may widen
      patient access to this drug class. The long-term safety, tolerability, and
      persistence profiles of fingolimod should reassure clinicians that sphingosine-1
      phosphate receptor modulators are likely to be suitable for the long-term
      treatment of multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28905257
TI  - Complete genome analysis of a novel umbravirus-polerovirus combination isolated
      from Ixeridium dentatum.
AB  - Two novel viruses, isolated in Bonghwa, Republic of Korea, from an Ixeridium
      dentatum plant with yellowing mottle symptoms, have been provisionally named
      Ixeridium yellow mottle-associated virus 1 (IxYMaV-1) and Ixeridium yellow mottle
      associated virus 2 (IxYMaV-2). IxYMaV-1 has a genome of 6,017 nucleotides sharing
      a 56.4% sequence identity with that of cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (genus
      Polerovirus). The IxYMaV-2 genome of 4,196 nucleotides has a sequence identity of
      less than 48.3% with e other species classified within the genus Umbravirus.
      Genome properties and phylogenetic analysis suggested that IxYMaV-1 and -2 are
      representative isolates of new species classifiable within the genus Polerovirus
      and Umbravirus, respectively.

PMID- 28905258
TI  - Is Biomedical Research Protected from Predatory Reviewers?
AB  - Authors endure considerable hardship carrying out biomedical research, from
      generating ideas to completing their manuscripts and submitting their findings
      and data (as is increasingly required) to a journal. When researchers submit to
      journals, they entrust their findings and ideas to editors and peer reviewers who
      are expected to respect the confidentiality of peer review. Inherent trust in
      peer review is built on the ethical conduct of authors, editors and reviewers,
      and on the respect of this confidentiality. If such confidentiality is breached
      by unethical reviewers who might steal or plagiarize the authors' ideas,
      researchers will lose trust in peer review and may resist submitting their
      findings to that journal. Science loses as a result, scientific and medical
      advances slow down, knowledge may become scarce, and it is unlikely that
      increasing bias in the literature will be detected or eliminated. In such a
      climate, society will ultimately be deprived from scientific and medical
      advances. Despite a rise in documented cases of abused peer review, there is
      still a relative lack of qualitative and quantitative studies on reviewer-related
      misconduct, most likely because evidence is difficult to come by. Our paper
      presents an assessment of editors' and reviewers' responsibilities in preserving
      the confidentiality of manuscripts during the peer review process, in response to
      a 2016 case of intellectual property theft by a reviewer. Our main objectives are
      to propose additional measures that would offer protection of authors'
      intellectual ideas from predatory reviewers, and increase researchers' awareness
      of the responsible reviewing of journal articles and reporting of biomedical
      research.

PMID- 28905259
TI  - Unintended Pregnancy, Induced Abortion, and Mental Health.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The early medical literature on mental health outcomes
      following abortion is fraught with methodological flaws that can improperly
      influence clinical practice. Our goal is to review the current medical literature
      on depression and other mental health outcomes for women obtaining abortions.
      RECENT FINDINGS: The Turnaway Study prospectively enrolled 956 women seeking
      abortion in the USA and followed their mental health outcomes for 5 years. The
      control group was comprised of women denied abortions based on gestational age
      limits, thereby circumventing the major methodological flaw that had plagued
      earlier studies on the topic. Rates of depression are not significantly different
      between women obtaining abortion and those denied abortion. Rates of anxiety are
      initially higher in women denied abortion care. Counseling on decision-making for
      women with unintended pregnancies should reflect these findings.

PMID- 28905260
TI  - Reply to: Walley KC, Appleton PT, Rodriguez EK (2017): Comparison of outcomes of
      operative versus non-operative treatment of acetabular fractures in the elderly
      and severely comorbid patient, Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 27(5):689-694.

PMID- 28905261
TI  - International society for gastrointestinal hereditary tumours-InSiGHT.

PMID- 28905262
TI  - Non-sterile fermentations for the economical biochemical conversion of renewable
      feedstocks.
AB  - Heavy reliance on petroleum-based products drives continuous exploitation of
      fossil fuels, and results in serious environmental and climate problems. To
      address such an issue, there is a shift from petroleum sources to renewable ones.
      Biochemical conversion via fermentation is a primary platform for converting
      renewable sources to biofuels and bulk chemicals. In order to provide cost
      competitive alternatives, it is imperative to develop efficient, cost-saving, and
      robust fermentation processes. Non-sterile fermentation offers several benefits
      compared to sterile fermentation, including elimination of sterility, reduced
      maintenance requirements, relatively simple bioreactor design, and simplified
      operation. Thus, cost effectiveness of non-sterile fermentation makes it a
      practical platform for low cost, large volume production of biofuels and bulk
      chemicals. Many approaches have been developed to conduct non-sterile
      fermentation without sacrificing the yields and productivities of fermentation
      products. This review focuses on the strategies for conducting non-sterile
      fermentation. The challenges facing non-sterile fermentation are also discussed.

PMID- 28905263
TI  - The Cricotopus (Oliveiriella) (Diptera: Chironomidae) of the High Altitude Andean
      Streams, with Description of a New Species, C. (O.) rieradevallae.
AB  - The genus Oliveiriella (Chironomidae, Orthocladiinae) was erected by Wiedenbrug &
      Fittkau (1997). The adults have characteristic black spots on their wings and
      other characteristics similar to the genus Cricotopus. Pupal skins are very
      characteristic with strong short spines in the anal lobe instead of setae, while
      larvae are distinguishable by the long anal papillae and the intense blue color
      of their body. However, Andersen et al (2013) consider Oliveiriella as a
      subgenera of Cricotopus. In this paper, using the sequences of the cox1 gene, we
      conclude that Oliveiriella should be considered a subgenus within Cricotopus,
      confirming its status in Andersen et al (2013). Furthermore, we describe
      Cricotopus (Oliveiriella) rieradevallae Prat & Paggi sp. n. from the Saltana
      river (Ecuador). The adult males, females, and preimaginal stages of the two
      species of subgenus Oliveiriella known from South America Cricotopus (O.)
      almeidai n. comb. from Peru, Brazil, and Argentina and Cricotopus (O.) sanjavieri
      n. comb. from Argentina are compared with those of Cricotopus (O.) rieradevallae
      sp. n. from Ecuador. The differences allow the distinction of the three species.
      The cox1 gene reveals that at least three different undescribed species of the
      same subgenus are present in the high-altitude tropical Andes. The morphology of
      the available pupae and pupal exuviae reveals the presence of several morphotypes
      that are candidates to be described as new species. A key used to distinguish
      these pupal morphotypes is provided, including the three described species.
      Additionally, the distribution of the subgenus is discussed.

PMID- 28905264
TI  - Evolution of bovine brucellosis in Colombia over a 7-year period (2006-2012).
AB  - Bovine brucellosis is endemic in Colombia, and is a mandatory notifiable disease,
      subjected to a control program based on four surveillance procedures: passive
      surveillance, test-and-remove, certification of disease-free farms, and animal
      movements. The objective of this study is to estimate the evolution of bovine
      brucellosis in Colombia over a 7-year period (2006-2012) using data from the
      official control program. A total of 58 epidemiologic variables were analyzed for
      each year at the department level. Univariate descriptive analysis and principal
      components analysis (PCA) were performed to ascertain the behavior of the
      variables. These programs covered 3% of the census in 2006, increasing to 15% in
      2012. The percentage of positive farms averaged 22% in 2006 and 23% in 2012. The
      highest proportion of positive farms was in the Orinoquia region (24.6 to 49.6%);
      the lowest was in the Amazon region, (17.9 to 32.7%). The percentage of positive
      animals presented certain differences between years but without any clear trend
      (4.7% in 2006 and 4.6% in 2012), indicating that the brucellosis control program
      had a low impact in Colombia in these years. The results for each surveillance
      procedure were 6.8% for passive surveillance, 5.9% for test-and-remove, and 4.4%
      both in disease-free farms and in animal movement tests. The results obtained by
      PCA led to finding three different clusters: geographic areas with low bovine
      production and low bovine brucellosis surveillance, areas with medium bovine
      production and medium surveillance for bovine brucellosis, and areas with a
      predominant bovine production, applying sanitary measures to control bovine
      brucellosis.

PMID- 28905265
TI  - Occurrence and effect of trematode metacercariae in two endangered killifishes
      from Greece.
AB  - We report digeneans (Diplostomidae, Crassiphialinae) in the endangered freshwater
      fishes Valencia letourneuxi and Valencia robertae, endemics of Western Greece.
      Digenean metacercariae occurred in two forms in the abdominal cavity, excysted
      and encysted, the latter attached to the gonads, liver and alimentary tract.
      Parasites were, using morphological and molecular techniques, identified as two
      representatives of Crassiphialinae, specifically part of the Posthodiplostomum
      Ornithodiplostomum clade. The spatial, seasonal, and age class variation in
      parasite prevalence was examined. Autumn parasite prevalence varied between the
      six populations sampled (18.2 to 100%). Seasonal prevalence at the two sites
      sampled quadannually peaked in autumn and reached its lowest value in spring;
      prevalence increased with size to 100% in young adult fish. We did not find a
      correlation between prevalence and host sex. Overall parasites' weight averaged
      0.64% of the host's, while parasite weight increased with host weight. A
      comparison of relative condition and hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indices of
      infected and metacercariae-free specimens showed that infection did not have a
      significant effect on host body condition and reproduction. Regarding the
      parasite's life cycle, planorbid gastropods are proposed as potential first
      intermediate hosts in view of the host's diet and occurrence data of molluscs in
      the ecosystem. This is the first record of a diplostomid digenean in valenciid
      fishes and of representatives of the Posthodiplostomum-Ornithodiplostomum clade
      in a native Greek freshwater fish. Our findings are discussed in conjunction to
      fish conservation interventions, since parasites may contribute to the decline of
      endangered species.

PMID- 28905266
TI  - Septin structure and filament assembly.
AB  - Septins are able to polymerize into long apolar filaments and have long been
      considered to be a component of the cytoskeleton alongside intermediate filaments
      (which are also apolar in nature), microtubules and actin filaments (which are
      not). Their central guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding domain, which is
      essential for stabilizing the filament itself, is flanked by N- and C-terminal
      domains for which no direct structural information is yet available. In most
      cases, physiological filaments are built from a number of different septin
      monomers, and in the case of mammalian septins this is most commonly either three
      or four. Comprehending the structural basis for the spontaneous assembly of such
      filaments requires a deeper understanding of the interfaces between individual
      GTP-binding domains than is currently available. Nevertheless, in this review we
      will summarize the considerable progress which has been made over the course of
      the last 10 years. We will provide a brief description of each structure
      determined to date and comment on how it has added to the body of knowledge which
      is rapidly growing. Rather than simply repeat data which have already been
      described in the literature, as far as is possible we will try to take advantage
      of the full set of information now available (mostly derived from human septins)
      and draw the reader's attention to some of the details of the structures
      themselves and the filaments they form which have not be commented on previously.
      An additional aim is to clarify some misconceptions.

PMID- 28905267
TI  - The Zappel-Philipp a historical example of ADHD Clinics.
AB  - In his book "Die Geschichte von dem Zappel-Philipp," the German psychiatrist
      Heinrich Hoffmann (1809-1894) offers a clinical vignette which raises the
      question of the description of a disobedient child or presenting hyperactivity
      symptoms. This article describes the historical context and the biographical
      aspects related to this interesting approach to describing a psychiatric syndrome
      to children and adults. It also underlines the importance of a global approach of
      ADHD that considers the familial environment and situational context of symptoms.

PMID- 28905268
TI  - Fluid- and Biomechanical Analysis of Ascending Thoracic Aorta Aneurysm with
      Concomitant Aortic Insufficiency.
AB  - We present a comprehensive and original framework for the biomechanical analysis
      of patients affected by ascending thoracic aorta aneurysm and aortic
      insufficiency. Our aim is to obtain crucial indications about the role played by
      deranged hemodynamics on the ATAAs risk of rupture. Computational fluid dynamics
      analysis was performed using patient-specific geometries and boundary conditions
      derived from 4D MRI. Blood flow helicity and wall shear stress descriptors were
      assessed. A bulge inflation test was carried out in vitro on the 4 ATAAs after
      surgical repair. The healthy volunteers showed no eccentric blood flow, a mean
      TAWSS of 1.5 +/- 0.3 Pa and mean OSI of 0.325 +/- 0.025. In 3 aneurismal
      patients, jet flow impingement on the aortic wall resulted in large TAWSS values
      and low OSI which were amplified by the AI degree. However, the tissue strength
      did not appear to be significantly reduced. The fourth patient, which showed the
      lowest TAWSS due to the absence of jet flow, had the smallest strength in vitro.
      Interestingly this patient presented a bovine arch abnormality. Jet flow
      impingement with high WSS values is frequent in ATAAs and our methodology seems
      to be appropriate for determining whether it may increase the risk of rupture or
      not.

PMID- 28905269
TI  - Differences in Neural Response to Romantic Stimuli in Monogamous and Non
      Monogamous Men.
AB  - In non-human animal research, studies comparing socially monogamous and
      promiscuous species of voles (Microtus) have identified some key neural
      differences related to monogamy and non-monogamy. Specifically, densities of the
      vasopressin V1a receptor and dopamine D2 receptors in subcortical reward-related
      and limbic areas of the brain have been linked to monogamous behavior in prairie
      voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Similar brain areas have been shown to be
      correlated with feelings of romantic love in monogamously pair-bonded humans.
      Humans vary in the degree to which they engage in (non-)monogamous behaviors. The
      present study examined the differences in neural activation in response to sexual
      and romantic stimuli in monogamous (n = 10) and non-monogamous (n = 10) men.
      Results indicated that monogamous men showed more reward-related neural activity
      when viewing romantic pictures compared to non-monogamous men. Areas with
      increased activation for monogamous men were all in the right hemisphere and
      included the thalamus, accumbens, striatum, pallidum, insula, and orbitofrontal
      cortex. There were no significant differences between groups in activation to
      sexual stimuli. These results demonstrate that the neural processing of romantic
      images is different for monogamous and non-monogamous men. There is some overlap
      in the neural areas showing increased activation in monogamous men in the present
      study and the neural areas that show differences in the vole models of monogamy
      and affiliation. Future research will be needed to clarify whether similar
      factors are contributing to the neural differences seen in monogamous and non
      monogamous humans and voles.

PMID- 28905270
TI  - Activities of Lysosomal Enzymes in Alloxan-Induced Diabetes in the Mouse.
AB  - The study investigated a panel of lysosomal enzymes in the liver and kidney
      tissues in alloxan-induced diabetes in the mouse. The mice were divided into six
      experimental groups receiving 10% alloxan at a dose of 50 and 75 mg/kg over a
      period of four, eight, and twelve days; each group was compared with controls
      receiving 0.9% NaCl. The findings were that diabetes induced by both doses of
      alloxan was accompanied by significant increases in the lysosomal activities of
      acid phosphatase and the glycosidases investigated: beta-glucuronidase, beta
      galactosidase, beta-glucosidase, and N-acetyl-hexosaminidase. The lysosomal
      enzyme activity in both liver and kidney cells peaked 12 days after onset of
      diabetes for most enzymes, at the time when hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia
      already started abating after their peak at 8 days into the course of diabetes.
      The enzyme activity was in most cases higher with the higher dose of alloxan and
      thus higher level of glycemia. Lysosomal enzymes degrade glycoconjugates, the
      molecules that are present in the basement membrane of endothelial cells where
      they contribute to capillary wall stability. Thus, enhanced activity of these
      enzymes could presage the progression of diabetic microangiopathy,
      atherosclerosis, and the development of microvascular complications.

PMID- 28905271
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of a New Oral Vitamin D Receptor Activator (2-Methylene-19-Nor
      (20S)-1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3) in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and
      Secondary Hyperparathyroidism on Hemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 2-Methylene-19-nor-(20S)-1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (DP001 or 2MD)
      is a novel, potent 1alpha-hydroxylated vitamin D analog that binds to the vitamin
      D receptor and suppresses parathyroid hormone synthesis and secretion with
      potential for an improved safety profile compared to existing active vitamin D
      analogs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of DP001
      given orally after hemodialysis. METHODS: DP001 (550 ng) was given orally to 11
      hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism after each dialysis
      session (3 times/week) for 4 weeks. Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed after
      the first and final dose. RESULTS: After the first and final dose, the half-life
      of DP001 was similar (55.8 +/- 13.0 and 50.8 +/- 8.2 h, respectively). At 4
      weeks, the time to maximum plasma concentration was 4.0 +/- 0.8 h, with a
      concentration maximum of 3.4 +/- 0.3 pg/mL. The area under the curve (0 to
      infinity) after the final dose was 204.3 +/- 23.9 pg h/mL, and apparent volume of
      distribution was 2.03 +/- 0.22 L/kg. At week 4, mean intact parathyroid hormone
      was suppressed 33% from the baseline (pre-dose) value (313 +/- 52 vs 462 +/- 39
      pg/mL, respectively). No clinically significant changes from baseline values were
      found for vital signs, electrocardiogram measurements, or other laboratory
      parameters, including serum calcium and phosphorus. CONCLUSIONS: In hemodialysis
      patients, DP001 has a longer half-life than existing vitamin D therapies and
      enables control of parathyroid hormone when administered every 2-3 days on the
      day of dialysis. It is effective at a lower concentration maximum and area under
      the curve than other clinically available vitamin D compounds. DP001 may
      represent a therapeutic improvement over existing compounds due to rapid and
      extensive distribution to its target and its long half-life enabling sustained
      parathyroid hormone suppression. These studies support further evaluation of
      DP001 in longer-term treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism.

PMID- 28905272
TI  - What is a good doctor?
AB  - Changes in medical curricula have led to a shift of focus in medical education.
      The goal was to implement a more practical approach to teaching and thereby
      create better doctors. However, the question of what makes a good doctor is not
      easy to answer. This article gives an overview on the literature about this
      topic. A systematized review and narrative synthesis were conducted including 20
      articles about the features of good doctors. Qualitative and quantitative studies
      as well as questionnaires were included. These studies reported research
      involving students, doctors, patients, and nurses. The resulting characteristics
      of good doctors fell into six categories: (1) General interpersonal qualities,
      (2) Communication and patient involvement, (3) Medical competence, (4) Ethics,
      (5) Medical management, (6) Teaching, research, and continuous education. The
      different stakeholders showed different ideas of the concept of a good doctor.
      Interestingly, patients had a stronger focus on communication skills, whereas
      doctors put more emphasis on medical skills. Balancing this discrepancy will be a
      challenge for future medical education.

PMID- 28905274
TI  - Erratum to: HIV Prevention Among Transgender Populations: Knowledge Gaps and
      Evidence for Action.

PMID- 28905275
TI  - Human Development and Pastoral Care in a Postmodern Age: Donald Capps, Erik H.
      Erikson, and Beyond.
AB  - This article discusses Donald Capps's use of Erik H. Erikson's life-cycle theory
      as the basic psychological framework for his theory of pastoral care. Capps was
      attracted to Erikson's existential-psychological model, his hermeneutic approach,
      and his religious sensitivity. Capps's thought develops from first exploring
      biblical foundations for using Eriksonian theory for pastoral care to gradually
      embracing certain postmodern features. The article concludes with reflections on
      the usefulness of Erikson's life-cycle theory and Capps's work for contemporary
      pastoral care.

PMID- 28905273
TI  - Early to Long-Term Alterations of CNS Barriers After Traumatic Brain Injury:
      Considerations for Drug Development.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and
      disability, particularly amongst the young and the elderly. The functions of the
      blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) are
      strongly impaired after TBI, thus affecting brain homeostasis. Following the
      primary mechanical injury that characterizes TBI, a secondary injury develops
      over time, including events such as edema formation, oxidative stress,
      neuroinflammation, and alterations in paracelullar and transcellular transport.
      To date, most therapeutic interventions for TBI have aimed at direct
      neuroprotection during the acute phase and have not been successful. Targeting
      the barriers of the central nervous system (CNS) could be a wider therapeutic
      approach, given that restoration of brain homeostasis would benefit all brain
      cells, including neurons. Importantly, BBB disregulation has been observed even
      years after TBI, concomitantly with neurological and psychosocial sequelae;
      however, treatments targeting the post-acute phase are scarce. Here, we review
      the mechanisms of primary and secondary injury of CNS barriers, the accumulating
      evidence showing long-term damage to these structures and some of the therapies
      that have targeted these mechanisms. Finally, we discuss how the injury
      characteristics (hemorrhagic vs non-hemorrhagic, involvement of head rotation,
      gray vs white matter), the sex, and the age of the patient need to be carefully
      considered to improve clinical trial design and outcome interpretation, and to
      improve future drug development.

PMID- 28905276
TI  - Causal explanation improves judgment under uncertainty, but rarely in a Bayesian
      way.
AB  - Three studies reexamined the claim that clarifying the causal origin of key
      statistics can increase normative performance on Bayesian problems involving
      judgment under uncertainty. Experiments 1 and 2 found that causal explanation did
      not increase the rate of normative solutions. However, certain types of causal
      explanation did lead to a reduction in the magnitude of errors in probability
      estimation. This effect was most pronounced when problem statistics were
      expressed in percentage formats. Experiment 3 used process-tracing methods to
      examine the impact of causal explanation of false positives on solution
      strategies. Changes in probability estimation following causal explanation were
      the result of a mixture of individual reasoning strategies, including non
      Bayesian mechanisms, such as increased attention to explained statistics and
      approximations of subcomponents of Bayes' rule. The results show that although
      causal explanation of statistics can affect the way that a problem is mentally
      represented, this does not necessarily lead to an increased rate of normative
      responding.

PMID- 28905277
TI  - On-site phytoremediation applicability assessment in Alur Ilmu, Universiti
      Kebangsaan Malaysia based on spatial and pollution removal analyses.
AB  - The present paper aims to assess the phytoremediation performance based on
      pollution removal efficiency of the highly polluted region of Alur Ilmu urban
      river for its applicability of on-site treatment. Thirteen stations along Alur
      Ilmu were selected to produce thematic maps through spatial distribution analysis
      based on six water quality parameters of Malaysia's Water Quality Index (WQI) for
      dry and raining seasons. The maps generated were used to identify the highly
      polluted region for phytoremediation applicability assessment. Four free-floating
      plants were tested in treating water samples from the highly polluted region
      under three different conditions, namely controlled, aerated and normal
      treatments. The selected free-floating plants were water hyacinth (Eichhornia
      crassipes), water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), rose water lettuce (Pistia sp.)
      and pennywort (Centella asiatica). The results showed that Alur Ilmu was more
      polluted during dry season compared to raining season based on the water quality
      analysis. During dry season, four parameters were marked as polluted along Alur
      Ilmu, namely dissolve oxygen (DO), 4.72 mg/L (class III); ammoniacal nitrogen
      (NH3-N), 0.85 mg/L (class IV); total suspended solid (TSS), 402 mg/L (class V)
      and biological oxygen demand (BOD), 3.89 mg/L (class III), whereas, two
      parameters were classed as polluted during raining season, namely total suspended
      solid (TSS), 571 mg/L (class V) and biological oxygen demand (BOD), 4.01 mg/L
      (class III). The thematic maps generated from spatial distribution analysis using
      Kriging gridding method showed that the highly polluted region was recorded at
      station AL 5. Hence, water samples were taken from this station for pollution
      removal analysis. All the free-floating plants were able to reduce TSS and COD in
      less than 14 days. However, water hyacinth showed the least detrimental effect
      from the phytoremediation process compared to other free-floating plants, thus
      made it a suitable free-floating plants to be used for on-site treatment.

PMID- 28905278
TI  - Hierarchical Heterostructure of ZnO@TiO2 Hollow Spheres for Highly Efficient
      Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.
AB  - The rational design and preparation of hierarchical nanoarchitectures are
      critical for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein,
      well-integrated hollow ZnO@TiO2 heterojunctions were obtained by a simple
      hydrothermal method. This unique hierarchical heterostructure not only caused
      multiple reflections which enhances the light absorption but also improved the
      lifetime and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers due to the potential
      difference generated on the ZnO-TiO2 interface. As a result, compared to bare ZnO
      and TiO2, the ZnO@TiO2 composite photocatalyst exhibited higher hydrogen
      production rated up to 0.152 mmol h-1 g-1 under simulated solar light. In
      addition, highly repeated photostability was also observed on the ZnO@TiO2
      composite photocatalyst even after a continuous test for 30 h. It is expected
      that this low-cost, nontoxic, and readily available ZnO@TiO2 catalyst could
      exhibit promising potential in photocatalytic H2 to meet the future fuel needs.

PMID- 28905279
TI  - Capturing Budget Impact Considerations Within Economic Evaluations: A Systematic
      Review of Economic Evaluations of Rotavirus Vaccine in Low- and Middle-Income
      Countries and a Proposed Assessment Framework.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In low- and middle-income countries, budget impact is an important
      criterion for funding new interventions, particularly for large public health
      investments such as new vaccines. However, budget impact analyses remain less
      frequently conducted and less well researched than cost-effectiveness analyses.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to fill the gap in research on budget
      impact analyses by assessing (1) the quality of stand-alone budget impact
      analyses, and (2) the feasibility of extending cost-effectiveness analyses to
      capture budget impact. METHODS: We developed a budget impact analysis checklist
      and scoring system for budget impact analyses, which we then adapted for cost
      effectiveness analyses, based on current International Society for
      Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Task Force recommendations. We applied
      both budget impact analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis checklists and
      scoring systems to examine the extent to which existing economic evaluations
      provide sufficient evidence about budget impact to enable decision making. We
      used rotavirus vaccination as an illustrative case in which low- and middle
      income countries uptake has been limited despite demonstrated cost effectiveness.
      A systematic literature review was conducted to identify economic evaluations of
      rotavirus vaccine in low- and middle-income countries published between January
      2000 and February 2017. We critically appraised the quality of budget impact
      analyses, and assessed the extension of cost-effectiveness analyses to provide
      useful budget impact information. RESULTS: Six budget impact analyses and 60 cost
      effectiveness analyses were identified. Budget impact analyses adhered to most
      International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research
      recommendations, with key exceptions being provision of undiscounted financial
      streams for each budget period and model validation. Most cost-effectiveness
      analyses could not be extended to provide useful budget impact information; cost
      effectiveness analyses also rarely presented undiscounted annual costs, or
      estimated financial streams during the first years of programme scale-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cost-effectiveness analyses vastly outnumber budget impact analyses
      of rotavirus vaccination, despite both being critical for policy decision making.
      Straightforward changes to the presentation of cost-effectiveness analyses
      results could facilitate their adaptation into budget impact analyses.

PMID- 28905280
TI  - Enzymatic synthesis of fucose-containing galacto-oligosaccharides using beta
      galactosidase and identification of novel disaccharide structures.
AB  - Fucosylated oligosaccharides have an important role in maintaining a healthy
      immune system and homeostatic gut microflora. This study employed a commercial
      beta-galactosidase in the production of fucose-containing galacto
      oligosaccharides (fGOS) from lactose and fucose. The production was optimized
      using experiment design and optimal conditions for a batch production in 3-liter
      scale. The reaction product was analyzed and the produced galactose-fucose
      disaccharides were purified. The structures of these disaccharides were
      determined using NMR and it was verified that one major product with the
      structure Galbeta1-3Fuc and two minor products with the structures Galbeta1-4Fuc
      and Galbeta1-2Fuc were formed. Additionally, the product composition was defined
      in more detail using several different analytical methods. It was concluded that
      the final product contained 42% total monosaccharides, 40% disaccharides and 18%
      of larger oligosaccharides. 290 MUmol of fGOS was produced per gram of reaction
      mixture and 37% of the added fucose was bound to fGOS. The fraction of fGOS from
      total oligosaccharides was determined as 44%. This fGOS product could be used as
      a new putative route to deliver fucose to the intestine.

PMID- 28905281
TI  - Enhanced degradation of acid red 1 dye using a coupled system of zero valent iron
      nanoparticles and sonolysis.
AB  - The heterogeneous catalytic degradation of a model azo dye, acid red 1 (AR1),
      initiated by zero valent iron nanoparticles (ZVINP), and its synergic effect with
      ultrasound (US) have been investigated in the present study. The treatment of AR1
      using ZVINP at pH 3 showed maximum efficiency in terms of colour removal (53.0%)
      and mineralization (48.5% TOC reduction) after 25 min of reaction. However, the
      coupling of this system with US showed an enhanced efficiency against the
      decolourization and mineralization of AR1. More than 95% colour removal was
      achieved within 5 min in the case of US/ZVINP system. Around 55% TOC reduction
      suggests the conversion of the parent molecules in to aromatic transformed
      products, and it is further supported by LC-Q-TOF analysis. The remarkably higher
      efficiency in the coupled system is attributed to the synergic effect of ZVINPs
      and ultrasound. The highest degradation rates observed at highly acidic (pH 3)
      and alkaline pH (pH 9) suggests that different mechanisms are operating at both
      pH. The products identified gave some insight into the mechanism. The ZVINPs
      prepared in the present study was easily recoverable (and reusable) and hence may
      be considered as an effective replacement for the conventional Fenton's reagent.

PMID- 28905282
TI  - Comparison of reporting phase I trial results in ClinicalTrials.gov and matched
      publications.
AB  - Background Data on completeness of reporting of phase I cancer clinical trials in
      publications are lacking. Methods The ClinicalTrials.gov database was searched
      for completed adult phase I cancer trials with reported results. PubMed was
      searched for matching primary publications published prior to November 1, 2016.
      Reporting in primary publications was compared with the ClinicalTrials.gov
      database using a 28-point score (2=complete; 1=partial; 0=no reporting) for 14
      items related to study design, outcome measures and safety profile.
      Inconsistencies between primary publications and ClinicalTrials.gov were
      recorded. Linear regression was used to identify factors associated with
      incomplete reporting. Results After a review of 583 trials in ClinicalTrials.gov
      , 163 matching primary publications were identified. Publications reported
      outcomes that did not appear in ClinicalTrials.gov in 25% of trials. Outcomes
      were upgraded, downgraded or omitted in publications in 47% of trials. The
      overall median reporting score was 23/28 (interquartile range 21-25).
      Incompletely reported items in >25% publications were: inclusion criteria (29%),
      primary outcome definition (26%), secondary outcome definitions (53%), adverse
      events (71%), serious adverse events (80%) and dates of study start and database
      lock (91%). Higher reporting scores were associated with phase I (vs phase I/II)
      trials (p<0.001), multicenter trials (p<0.001) and publication in journals with
      lower impact factor (p=0.004). Conclusions Reported results in primary
      publications for early phase cancer trials are frequently inconsistent or
      incomplete compared with ClinicalTrials.gov entries. ClinicalTrials.gov may
      provide more comprehensive data from new cancer drug trials.

PMID- 28905283
TI  - Chrysotile effects on the expression of anti-oncogene P53 and P16 and oncogene C
      jun and C-fos in Wistar rats' lung tissues.
AB  - Chrysotile is the most widely used form of asbestos worldwide. China is the
      world's largest consumer and second largest producer of chrysotile. The
      carcinogenicity of chrysotile has been extensively documented, and accumulative
      evidence has shown that chrysotile is capable of causing lung cancer and other
      forms of cancer. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the tumorigenic effects
      of chrysotile remained poorly understood. To explore the carcinogenicity of
      chrysotile, Wistar rats were administered by intratracheal instillation (by an
      artificial route of administration) for 0, 0.5, 2, or 8 mg/ml of natural
      chrysotile (from Mangnai, Qinghai, China) dissolved in saline, repeated once a
      month for 6 months (a repeated high-dose exposure which may have little bearing
      on the effects following human exposure). The lung tissues were analyzed for
      viscera coefficients and histopathological alterations. Expression of P53, P16, C
      JUN, and C-FOS was measured by western blotting and qRT-PCR. Our results found
      that chrysotile exposure leads the body weight to grow slowly and lung viscera
      coefficients to increase in a dose-dependent manner. General sample showed white
      nodules, punctiform asbestos spots, and irregular atrophy; moreover, HE staining
      revealed inflammatory infiltration, damage of alveolar structures,
      agglomerations, and pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, chrysotile can induce
      inactivation of the anti-oncogene P53 and P16 and activation of the proto
      oncogenes C-JUN and C-FOS both in the messenger RNA and protein level. In
      conclusion, chrysotile induced an imbalanced expression of cancer-related genes
      in rats' lung tissue. These results contribute to our understanding of the
      carcinogenic mechanism of chrysotile.

PMID- 28905284
TI  - Effect of cadmium bioavailability in food on its compartmentalisation in
      carabids.
AB  - Metals assimilated by organisms are sequestered in various compartments and some
      forms are more stable than others. Sequestration mechanisms used by invertebrates
      to detoxify metals and prevent interaction with important biomolecules include
      metal binding to proteins and other ligands, and storage in inorganic granules.
      The rate and extent at which metal concentrations in different compartments
      respond to metal concentrations in food and food characteristics has not received
      much attention, despite being of great relevance. We performed an experiment on
      the carabid beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus exposed to Cd via food made of
      ground mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae, either reared on Cd contaminated
      medium or artificially spiked after grinding with CdCl2 solution. Thus, in both
      cases we used the same type of food, differing only in the soluble Cd pool
      available to the predators, represented by P. oblongopunctatus. Subcellular
      compartmentalisation of Cd into organelles, heat-sensitive and heat-stable
      proteins (the first supernatant, S1 fraction), cellular debris (the second
      supernatant, S2 fraction) and metal-rich granules (G fraction) was checked a few
      times during the contamination (90 d) and decontamination (24 d) phases in a
      toxicokinetic experiment by using different centrifugation steps. The results
      showed no effect of the type of food (naturally, Cd-N, vs. artificially
      contaminated with Cd, Cd-A) on Cd sequestration kinetics in P. oblongopunctatus,
      but the amount of Cd sequestered in the S1 and G fractions were in general higher
      in the Cd-A than the Cd-N treatment, indicating that Cd transfer in the food web
      depends on the speciation of the metal in the food. The proportional distribution
      of Cd over different fractions was, however, similar in beetles fed both food
      types. Most of the accumulated Cd in the beetles existed as fraction S1 (ca.
      35%), which is important for the transfer of metals to higher trophic levels in a
      food web.

PMID- 28905285
TI  - Effect of bacteriocin and exopolysaccharides isolated from probiotic on P.
      aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm.
AB  - Microorganisms develop biofilms on indwelling medical devices and are associated
      with biofilm-related infections, resulting in substantial morbidity and
      mortality. Therefore, to prevent and control biofilm-associated infections, the
      present study was designed to assess the anti-biofilm potential of postbiotics
      derived from probiotic organisms against most prevalent biofilm-forming
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Eighty lactic acid bacteria isolated from eight
      neonatal fecal samples possessed antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa
      PAO1. Among these, only four lactic acid bacteria produced both bacteriocin and
      exopolysaccharides but only one isolate was found to maximally attenuate the P.
      aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm. More specifically, the phenotypic and probiotic
      characterization showed that the isolated lactic acid bacteria were gram
      positive, non-motile, and catalase and oxidase negative; tolerated acidic and
      alkaline pH; has bile salt concentration; showed 53% hydrophobicity; and was
      found to be non-hemolytic. Phylogenetically, the organism was found to be
      probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum with accession no. KT998657. Interestingly, pre
      coating of a microtiter plate either with bacteriocin or with exopolysaccharides
      as well as their combination significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the number of
      viable cells forming biofilms to 41.7% compared with simultaneous coating of
      postbiotics that had 72.4% biofilm-forming viable cells as observed by flow
      cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Therefore, it can be
      anticipated that postbiotics as the natural biointerventions can be employed as
      the prophylactic agents for medical devices used to treat gastrointestinal and
      urinary tract infections.

PMID- 28905286
TI  - Role of phase separation on the biological performance of 45S5 Bioglass(r).
AB  - We analyzed the biological performance of spinodally and droplet-type phase
      separated 45S5 Bioglass(r) generated by quenching the melt from different
      equilibrium temperatures. MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast cells attached more efficiently
      to 45S5 Bioglass(r) with spinodal than to the one with droplet morphology,
      providing the first demonstration of the role of micro-/nano-scale on the
      bioactivity of Bioglass(r). Upon exposure to biological solutions, phosphate
      buffered saline (PBS) and cell culture medium (alpha-MEM), a layer of
      hydroxyapatite (HA) formed on both glass morphologies. Although both Bioglass(r)
      varieties were incubated under identical conditions, and physico-chemical
      characteristics of the HA layers were similar, the adsorption magnitude of a
      model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA, an abundant blood serum component) and
      its beta-sheet/beta-turn ratio and alpha-helix content were significantly higher
      on spinodal than droplet type Bioglass(r). These results indicate that: (i) a
      protein layer quickly adsorbs on the surface of 45S5 Bioglass(r) varieties (with
      or without HA layer), (ii) the amount and the conformation of adsorbed proteins
      are guided by the glass micro-/nano-structure, and (iii) cell attachment and
      proliferation are influenced by the concentration and the conformation of
      attached proteins with a significantly better cell adhesion to spinodal type 45S5
      Bioglass(r) substrate. Taken together, our results indicate that the biological
      performance of 45S5 Bioglass(r) can be improved further with a relatively simple,
      inexpensive fabrication procedure that provides a superior glass micro-/nano
      structure. A simple modification to the fabrication procedure of classic 45S5
      Bioglass(r) generates spinodal (A(a)) and droplet (A(b)) varieties and has a
      significant impact on protein adsorption (B) and cell adhesion (C).

PMID- 28905287
TI  - Transoral robotic surgery for the base of tongue squamous cell carcinoma: a
      preliminary comparison between da Vinci Xi and Si.
AB  - Considering the emerging advantages related to da Vinci Xi robotic platform, the
      aim of this study is to compare for the first time the operative outcomes of this
      tool to the previous da Vinci Si during transoral robotic surgery (TORS), both
      performed for squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the base of tongue (BOT). Intra-
      and peri-operative outcomes of eight patients with early stage (T1-T2) of the BOT
      carcinoma and undergoing TORS by means of the da Vinci Xi robotic platform (Xi
      TORS) are compared with the da Vinci Si group ones (Si-TORS). With respect to Si
      TORS group, Xi-TORS group demonstrated a significantly shorter overall operative
      time, console time, and intraoperative blood loss, as well as peri-operative pain
      intensity and length of mean hospital stays and nasogastric tube positioning.
      Considering recent advantages offered by surgical robotic techniques, the da
      Vinci Xi Surgical System preliminary outcomes could suggest its possible future
      routine implementation in BOT squamous cell carcinoma procedures.

PMID- 28905288
TI  - On (scientific) integrity: conceptual clarification.
AB  - The notion of "integrity" is currently quite common and broadly recognized as
      complex, mostly due to its recurring and diverse application in various distinct
      domains such as the physical, psychic or moral, the personal or professional,
      that of the human being or of the totality of beings. Nevertheless, its
      adjectivation imprints a specific meaning, as happens in the case of "scientific
      integrity". This concept has been defined mostly by via negativa, by pointing out
      what goes against integrity, that is, through the identification of its
      infringements, which has also not facilitated the elaboration of an overarching
      and consensual code of scientific integrity. In this context, it is deemed
      necessary to clarify the notion of "integrity", first etymologically, recovering
      the original meaning of the term, and then in a specifically conceptual way,
      through the identification of the various meanings with which the term can be
      legitimately used, particularly in the domain of scientific research and
      innovation. These two steps are fundamental and indispensable for a forthcoming
      attempt at systematizing the requirements of "scientific integrity".

PMID- 28905289
TI  - Lymph node-positive prostate cancer after robotic prostatectomy and extended
      pelvic lymphadenectomy.
AB  - Optimal management of node-positive prostate cancer patients after prostatectomy
      remains a challenge. We evaluated clinically localized patients who demonstrated
      node positivity and identified predictors for secondary treatment. From 2010 to
      2015, clinically localized prostate cancer patients who underwent robot
      prostatectomy with extended lymphadenectomy and node-positive disease on
      pathologic analysis were identified. Clinical N1, M1 or salvage cases were
      excluded. Patients were stratified based on secondary treatments. Kaplan-Meier
      method was used to determine the time to biochemical and metastatic recurrence.
      Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors for additional
      treatment. 145 patients (45 no additional therapy, 47 adjuvant, 53 salvage) had a
      median follow-up of 31.2 months. Salvage patients had higher median pre-operative
      prostate-specific antigen (10.8 vs. 9.7 vs. 8.2, p = 0.1), higher percentage of
      pathologic Gleason >=8 (50.9 vs. 38.3% and 22.2%, p < 0.01), and higher median
      positive nodes (3 vs. 1 and 1, p < 0.0001) compared to adjuvant and no treatment
      groups, respectively. Pathologic Gleason >=8 (OR = 3.5, p = 0.007) and positive
      nodes >=2 (OR = 3.3, p = 0.006) were associated with additional therapy. In the
      no treatment group, two-year estimated BCRFS was 74.3%. Two-year metastatic
      recurrence-free rates for no treatment, adjuvant and salvage groups were 100,
      87.5, and 80.9%, respectively (p = 0.01). Observation is a viable alternative for
      low metastatic burden patients. In the largest series of node-positive patients
      from robotic prostatectomy and extended lymphadenectomy, those with pathologic
      Gleason >=8 and positive lymph nodes >=2 were more likely to receive additional
      treatment.

PMID- 28905290
TI  - Erratum to: Phenotyping Cellular Viability by Functional Analysis of Ion
      Channels: GlyR-Targeted Screening in NT2-N Cells.

PMID- 28905291
TI  - Morphology effect of nano-hydroxyapatite as a drug carrier of methotrexate.
AB  - In this study, morphology effect of nano-hydroxyapatite as a drug carrier was
      investigated for the first time. Hydroxyapatite/methotrexate (HAp/MTX) hybrids
      with different morphologies were successfully prepared in situ using polyethylene
      glycol (PEG) as a template. SEM, TEM, XRD and FTIR results confirmed that the
      hybrids of different morphologies (laminated, rod-like and spherical) with
      similar phase composition and functional groups were obtained by changing the
      preparation parameters. UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to identify the drug loading
      capacity and drug release mechanism of the three hybrids with different
      morphologies. It is concluded that the laminated hybrid exhibits a higher drug
      loading capacity compared to the other two hybrids, and all the three hybrids
      showed a sustained slow release which were fitted well by Bhaskar equation.
      Additionally, the result of in vitro bioassay test confirms that the inhibition
      efficacy of the three hybrids showed a positive correlation to the drug loading
      capacity.

PMID- 28905293
TI  - Kenneth B Jones Jr. MD FACS FASMBS.

PMID- 28905292
TI  - Effects of Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:
      Comparison of BMI > 30 and < 30 kg/m2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, many studies focused on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
      patients with body mass index (BMI) < 30 kg/m2 and suggested that those patients
      might benefit from Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). However, evidence on its
      effectiveness to improve T2DM patients with BMI < 30 kg/m2 is still lacking. The
      aim of this study is to explore whether T2DM patients with BMI < 30 kg/m2 get
      similar surgical effect from RYGB compared with those patients with BMI > 30
      kg/m2. METHODOLOGY: Seventy patients with uncontrolled T2DM underwent
      laparoscopic RYGB from May 2010 to December 2015 in the GI Department of Daping
      Hospital. Weight, BMI, waist circumference, glucose, and lipid metabolic
      parameters were collected and evaluated at baseline and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24
      months postsurgery. Patients with BMI < 30 kg/m2 were compared with those with
      BMI > 30 kg/m2. RESULTS: Among the 70 patients, 47 (67.1%) BMI < 30 kg/m2, and 23
      (32.9%) BMI > 30 kg/m2. Patients with BMI < 30 kg/m2 are significantly older;
      they are female predominant and have longer duration of diabetes. The complete
      remission of T2DM was 28.2% of the BMI < 30 kg/m2 group and 57.9% of the BMI > 30
      kg/m2 group (p = 0.029). There was no significant difference in the change of
      glucose and lipid metabolic parameters of both groups. FPG, 2hPG, and HbA1c%
      levels were significantly improved after 1 month (p < 0.05), and then remained
      essentially stable from the sixth month in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The 2-year
      study has shown that RYGB is a safe and effective procedure in treating T2DM with
      BMI < 30 kg/m2, although the complete remission of T2DM in the BMI < 30 kg/m2
      group is lower than the BMI > 30 kg/m2 group.

PMID- 28905294
TI  - High Patient Satisfaction with Daylight-Activated Methyl Aminolevulinate Cream in
      the Treatment of Multiple Actinic Keratoses: Results of an Observational Study in
      Australia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Actinic keratoses (AK) are treated to reduce the risk of
      progression to squamous cell carcinoma and for symptomatic and cosmetic benefits.
      The objective of this observational study was to generate real-life data on the
      use of daylight photodynamic therapy with methyl aminolevulinate cream (MAL DL
      PDT) in treating mild to moderate facial/scalp AK. METHODS: A multicenter,
      prospective, observational study was conducted in Australia in patients receiving
      a single treatment of MAL DL-PDT for mild to moderate AK. Efficacy was assessed 3
      months after treatment by investigator-assessed improvement and patient- and
      physician-completed satisfaction questionnaires. Adverse events were recorded
      throughout the study. RESULTS: Overall, 81 patients were enrolled of mean age
      62.7 years, mostly men (76.5%) with skin phototype I (64.2%) or II (35.8%) and a
      long history of AK (mean duration 16.8 years). Most had multiple lesions (82.7%
      had >10 lesions) of predominantly grade I (75.3%). At 3 months after treatment,
      almost half the patients (46.8%) required no further treatment. The proportions
      of patients and physicians satisfied to very satisfied with the MAL DL-PDT
      treatment were 79.7% and 83.3%, respectively. After receiving the treatment,
      74.1% of patients indicated via the questionnaire that they were not bothered at
      all by the pain. Related AEs were reported in 48.1% of patients, mainly mild
      erythema (44.4%). CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice in Australia, the use of MAL
      DL-PDT in treating multiple mild to moderate non-hyperkeratotic AK of the face
      and/or scalp results in high levels of patient and physician satisfaction
      reflecting the good efficacy and tolerability of this almost painless, convenient
      procedure. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02674048.
      FUNDING: Galderma R&D.

PMID- 28905295
TI  - Between-breed variations in resistance/resilience to gastrointestinal nematodes
      among indigenous goat breeds in Uganda.
AB  - Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs), Haemonchus contortus, are a major health
      problem in goat production. Resistance to H. contortus, the most prevalent GIN in
      Uganda, was studied among three indigenous goat breeds to assess their
      differences. Twelve male goats of each breed approximately 7 months old of small
      East African (SEA), Mubende, and Kigezi goats from smallholder farmers in Arua,
      Mubende, and Kabale were assembled for the study. At the station, they were
      dewormed with a combination therapy of the broad-spectrum dewormers closantel and
      albendazole to free the goats of gastrointestinal parasites. During
      experimentation, the goats were kept indoors and ad libitum fed on clean banana
      peels and napier grass. On attainment of zero-worm-egg status, the goats were
      artificially infected with 18,000 third-stage (L3) larvae of H. contortus
      prepared according to Baermann's procedure. Data were collected on fecal egg
      count (FEC), packed cell volume (PCV), and body weight (BW) on a 2-week basis
      until 12 weeks post infection and carcass weight and total worm count (WC) in the
      abomasum at termination of the experiment. The data on FEC, PCV, and BW were
      subjected to repeated-measure analysis of variance and the others by one-way
      analysis of variance. FEC between breeds was only significantly different at 12
      weeks post infection (p = 0.04). Generally, higher FEC was recorded in Kigezi
      compared to SEA and Mubende goats. Carcass weight was significantly different
      among breeds (p < 0.05), with Mubende having the highest carcass weight, followed
      by Kigezi and SEA. PCV and daily weight gains were significantly different
      between breeds (p < 0.05). WC was not significantly different between the breeds.
      FEC and PCV were weakly significant at later stages of the experiment with higher
      parasite burden suggesting potential variation in resistance to H. contortus.
      These differences could be exploited in designing breeding programs with disease
      resistance in indigenous goat breeds.

PMID- 28905296
TI  - Potentially Preventable Medical Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits
      by the Behavioral Health Population.
AB  - This study investigated geographic variation in potentially preventable medical
      outcomes that might be used to monitor access to high-quality medical care in the
      behavioral health population. Analyzing public and non-public data sources from
      California on adults admitted between 2009 and 2011 to all non-federal licensed
      medical inpatient (N = 6,603,146) or emergency department units (N = 21,011,958)
      revealed that 33.6% of nearly 1 million potentially preventable hospitalizations
      and 9.8% of 1.5 million potentially preventable emergency department visits were
      made by people with mental or substance use disorder diagnoses. Across California
      counties or county groups (N = 36), a higher preventable hospitalization rate in
      the behavioral health population was associated with higher poverty, higher
      primary care safety net utilization, and fewer mental health providers. Although
      further validation is required, rates of potentially preventable encounters,
      particularly hospitalizations, may be useful measures of access to high-quality
      care in the behavioral health population.

PMID- 28905297
TI  - Hydraulic performance and fouling characteristics of a membrane sequencing batch
      reactor (MSBR) for landfill leachate treatment under various operating
      conditions.
AB  - This study investigates the hydraulic performance and the fouling characteristics
      of a bench-scale membrane sequencing batch reactor (MSBR), treating mature
      landfill leachate under various time-based operating conditions. The MSBR system
      operated initially under a high-flux condition (Period 1) which resulted in a
      rapid trans-membrane pressure (TMP) rise due to intense fouling. Following the
      characterization of Period 1 as super-critical, the system was subsequently
      operated under a near-critical condition (Period 2). The overall filtration
      resistance analysis showed that cake layer formation was the dominant fouling
      mechanism during Period 1, contributing to 85.5% of the total resistance.
      However, regarding the MSBR operation during Period 2, adsorption was found to
      also be a dominant fouling mechanism (Days 1 to 47), contributing to 29.1% of the
      total resistance. Additionally, the irregular total resistance variation, which
      was observed during the subsequent operation (Days 48 to 75), and the respective
      filtration resistance analysis suggested also the formation of an initial sludge
      cake layer on the membrane surface, contributing to the 47.7% of the total
      resistance.

PMID- 28905298
TI  - Would environmental pollution affect home prices? An empirical study based on
      China's key cities.
AB  - With the development of China's economy, the problem of environmental pollution
      has become increasingly more serious, affecting the sustained and healthy
      development of Chinese cities and the willingness of residents to invest in fixed
      assets. In this paper, a panel data set of 70 of China's key cities from 2003 to
      2014 is used to study the effect of environmental pollution on home prices in
      China's key cities. In addition to the static panel data regression model, this
      paper uses the generalized method of moments (GMM) to control for the potential
      endogeneity and introduce the dynamics. To ensure the robustness of the research
      results, this paper uses four typical pollutants: per capita volume of SO2
      emissions, industrial soot (dust) emissions, industrial wastewater discharge, and
      industrial chemical oxygen demand discharge. The analysis shows that
      environmental pollution does have a negative impact on home prices, and the
      magnitude of this effect is dependent on the level of economic development. When
      GDP per capita increases, the size of the negative impact on home prices tends to
      reduce. Industrial soot (dust) has the greatest impact, and the impact of
      industrial wastewater is relatively small. It is also found that some other
      social and economic factors, including greening, public transport, citizen
      income, fiscal situation, loans, FDI, and population density, have positive
      effects on home prices, but the effect of employment on home prices is relatively
      weak.

PMID- 28905299
TI  - Use of Antihypertensive Drugs and Risk of Malignant Melanoma: A Meta-analysis of
      Observational Studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several antihypertensive drugs are photosensitizing and may promote
      the development of malignant melanoma (MM), but evidence remains inconsistent. We
      sought to quantify the association between use of antihypertensive drugs and MM
      risk. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL from
      inception to August 17, 2017 to identify observational studies that reported the
      MM risk associated with the use of antihypertensive drugs. A random-effects meta
      analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval
      (CI). RESULTS: Overall, we included eight observational studies (two cohort
      studies and six case-control studies). Compared with non-use, use of diuretics
      (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.03-1.17) or beta-adrenergic blocking agents (OR 1.19; 95% CI
      1.04-1.37) was significantly associated with increased risk of MM. The use of
      angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.95-1.23), angiotensin
      II receptor blockers (OR 1.12; 95% CI 0.95-1.31), and calcium channel blockers
      (OR 1.12; 95% CI 0.72-1.74) was not significantly associated with increased risk
      of MM. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence from observational studies suggests that use
      of diuretics or beta-adrenergic blocking agents may be associated with increased
      risk of MM. Further large well-conducted prospective studies are required to
      confirm our findings.

PMID- 28905301
TI  - ArtiFacts: Ivory Hemiarthroplasty: The Forgotten Concept Lives On.

PMID- 28905300
TI  - P2X7R antagonism after subfailure overstretch injury of blood vessels reverses
      vasomotor dysfunction and prevents apoptosis.
AB  - Human saphenous vein (HSV) is harvested and prepared prior to implantation as an
      arterial bypass graft. Injury and the response to injury from surgical harvest
      and preparation trigger cascades of molecular events and contribute to graft
      remodeling and intimal hyperplasia. Apoptosis is an early response after
      implantation that contributes the development of neointimal lesions. Here, we
      showed that surgical harvest and preparation of HSV leads to vasomotor
      dysfunction, increased apoptosis and downregulation of the phosphorylation of the
      anti-apoptotic protein, Niban. A model of subfailure overstretch injury in rat
      aorta (RA) was used to demonstrate impaired vasomotor function, increased
      extracellular ATP (eATP) release, and increased apoptosis following pathological
      vascular injury. The subfailure overstretch injury was associated with activation
      of p38 MAPK stress pathway and decreases in the phosphorylation of the anti
      apoptotic protein Niban. Treatment of RA after overstretch injury with
      antagonists to purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) antagonists or P2X7R/pannexin
      (PanX1) complex, but not PanX1 alone, restored vasomotor function. Inhibitors to
      P2X7R and PanX1 reduced stretch-induced eATP release. P2X7R/PanX1 antagonism led
      to decrease in p38 MAPK phosphorylation, restoration of Niban phosphorylation and
      increases in the phosphorylation of the anti-apoptotic protein Akt in RA and
      reduced TNFalpha-stimulated caspase 3/7 activity in cultured rat vascular smooth
      muscle cells. In conclusion, inhibition of P2X7R after overstretch injury
      restored vasomotor function and inhibited apoptosis. Treatment with P2X7R/PanX1
      complex inhibitors after harvest and preparation injury of blood vessels used for
      bypass conduits may prevent the subsequent response to injury that lead to
      apoptosis and represents a novel therapeutic approach to prevent graft failure.

PMID- 28905303
TI  - Measuring what matters to the patient: health related quality of life after
      aortic valve and thoracic aortic surgery.
AB  - With improved outcomes following cardiac surgery, health related quality of life
      (HRQoL) gains increasing importance for the better judgement of choosing the
      preferred treatment strategy in the individual patient. The physician perception
      of patient preferences can differ considerably from actual patient preferences,
      underlining the importance of gathering evidence of actual patient preferences
      before and quality of life after cardiac surgery. The objective of the current
      review is to provide an overview of current insights into the quality of life
      measurements after aortic valve and thoracic aortic surgery and to provide
      starting points for the application of HRQoL measurements toward the future. The
      amount and level of evidence on HRQoL outcomes after aortic valve and thoracic
      aortic surgery seems to be insufficient. Little has been investigated about the
      natural course of HRQoL after cardiac surgery, HRQoL outcomes between different
      surgical strategies, HRQoL outcomes between surgical patients and the general
      population, the different factors influencing HRQoL after cardiac surgery, and
      the effect of HRQoL on healthcare costs. More prospective studies should be
      performed, taking into account the knowledge gaps that need to be filled.
      Computerized adaptive testing methods through open source programs can be
      implemented to keep the burden to the patient as low as possible and catalyze the
      use of these tools. Our cardiovascular surgery community has the responsibility
      to deliberate how it can proceed to effectively fill in these knowledge gaps, and
      use this newfound knowledge to improve shared treatment decision making, patient
      outcomes, and ultimately optimize health care efficiency.

PMID- 28905302
TI  - Non-health Care Facility Medication Errors Associated with Hormones and Hormone
      Antagonists in the United States.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hormones and hormone antagonists are frequently associated with
      medication errors and may result in important adverse outcomes. The purpose of
      this study is to investigate non-health care facility (non-HCF) medication errors
      associated with hormones and hormone antagonists in the United States (US).
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis of National Poison Data System data was
      conducted to identify characteristics and trends of unintentional non-HCF
      therapeutic errors involving hormones and hormone antagonists among individuals
      of all ages from 2000 to 2012. RESULTS: From 2000 to 2012, US poison control
      centers received 169,695 calls regarding unintentional non-HCF therapeutic errors
      associated with hormone therapies, averaging 13,053 medication error calls
      annually. The rate of reported errors increased significantly by 162.6% (p <
      0.001), from 2.24 per 100,000 US residents in 2000 to 5.89 per 100,000 in 2012.
      Two thirds of the errors (65.2%) occurred among females. The medications most
      commonly associated with errors were thyroid preparations (23.2%),
      corticosteroids (21.9%), and insulin (20.0%). All nine deaths and 93.2% of major
      effects were attributed to hypoglycemic agents. Sulfonylureas alone accounted
      43.9% of major effects. The number and rate of therapeutic errors increased
      significantly for all medication categories except estrogen and
      thiazolidinediones. Most errors were managed at the site of exposure (82.9%) and
      did not result in serious medical outcomes (95.6%). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      provides an overview of non-HCF medication errors associated with hormones and
      hormone antagonists in the US. While most errors did not result in adverse
      outcomes, their increasing frequency places a greater burden on the health care
      system.

PMID- 28905305
TI  - A Systematic Review of Promising Strategies of Faith-Based Cancer Education and
      Lifestyle Interventions Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups.
AB  - Church-based interventions have been used to reach racial/ethnic minorities. In
      order to develop effective programs, we conducted a comprehensive systematic
      review of faith-based cancer prevention studies (2005~2016) to examine
      characteristics and promising strategies. Combination terms "church or faith
      based or religion," "intervention or program," and "cancer education or
      lifestyle" were used in searching the five major databases: CINAHL; ERIC; Health
      Technology Assessments; MEDLINE; and PsycInfo. A total of 20 studies met study
      criteria. CDC's Community Guide was used to analyze and review group
      interventions. Analyses were organized by two racial groups: African American
      (AA) and Latino/Hispanic American groups. Results showed most studies reviewed
      focused on breast cancer alone or in combination with other cancers. Studies of
      Latino/Hispanic groups targeted more on uninsured, Medicare, or Medicaid
      individuals, whereas AA studies generally did not include specific insurance
      criteria. The sample sizes of the AA studies were generally larger. The majority
      of these studies reviewed used pre-post, posttest only with control group, or
      quasi-experience designs. The Health Belief Model was the most commonly used
      theory in both groups. Community-based participatory research and
      empowerment/ecological frameworks were also used frequently in the
      Latino/Hispanic studies. Small media and group education were the top two most
      popular intervention strategies in both groups. Although one-on-one strategy was
      used in some Latino studies, neither group used reducing client out-of-pocket
      costs strategy. Client reminders could also be used more in both groups as well.
      Current review showed church-based cancer education programs were effective in
      changing knowledge, but not always screening utilization. Results show faith
      based cancer educational interventions are promising. To maximize intervention
      impact, future studies might consider using stronger study designs, incorporating
      a variety of proven effective strategies, including those frequently used
      evidence-based strategies, as well as exploring promising strategies among
      specific target groups.

PMID- 28905304
TI  - Robotically assisted thymectomy: a review of the literature.
AB  - The aim of this literature review is to see where the robotic thymectomy stands
      nowadays. A thorough search of the PubMed revealed eighty-two related articles
      which reviewed comprehensively. The zero intraoperative mortality, the minimal
      intraoperative morbidity, as well as the recorded recurrence rate of 0-11.1% and
      complete stable remission rate of 0-40% suggests that the robotic-assisted
      thymectomy is a feasible, safe and an upcoming procedure. However, the lack of
      prospective randomized controlled trials prevents this technique to become the
      standard approach for the nonce.

PMID- 28905306
TI  - Erratum to: An Update on Implants for Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS).

PMID- 28905307
TI  - Pathology of idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension.

PMID- 28905309
TI  - Blame-a novel by Tony Holtzman.
AB  - After writing many scientific articles at the interface of genetics and society,
      Neil A (Tony) Holtzman published a novel in Autumn 2016: Blame. This book review
      summarizes several of the story lines, some of which are related to the Inclusion
      of Diverse Populations in Genomics Research and Health Services, the topic of a
      special issue of the Journal of Community Genetics.

PMID- 28905308
TI  - An Automated Multidose Synthesis of the Potentiometric PET Probe 4
      [18F]Fluorobenzyl-Triphenylphosphonium ([18F]FBnTP).
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was the automated synthesis of the mitochondrial
      membrane potential sensor 4-[18F]fluorobenzyl-triphenylphosphonium ([18F]FBnTP)
      on a commercially available synthesizer in activity yields (AY) that allow for
      imaging of multiple patients. PROCEDURES: A three-pot, four-step synthesis was
      implemented on the ELIXYS FLEX/CHEM radiosynthesizer (Sofie Biosciences) and
      optimized for radiochemical yield (RCY), radiochemical purity (RCP) as well as
      chemical purity during several production runs (n = 24). The compound was
      purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with a Sep-Pak Plus Accell CM cartridge,
      thereby avoiding HPLC purification. RESULTS: Under optimized conditions, AY of
      1.4-2.2 GBq of [18F]FBnTP were obtained from 9.4 to 12.0 GBq [18F]fluoride in 90
      92 min (RCY = 28.6 +/- 5.1 % with n = 3). Molar activities ranged from 80 to 99
      GBq/MUmol at the end of synthesis. RCP of final formulations was > 99 % at the
      end of synthesis and > 95 % after 8 h. With starting activities of 23.2-33.0 GBq,
      RCY decreased to 16.1 +/- 0.4 % (n = 3). The main cause of the decline in RCY
      when high amounts of [18F]fluoride are used is radiolytic decomposition of
      [18F]FBnTP during SPE purification. CONCLUSIONS: In initial attempts, the probe
      was synthesized with RCY < 0.6 % when starting activities up to 44.6 GBq were
      used. Rapid radiolysis of the intermediate 4-[18F]fluorobenzaldehyde and the
      final product [18F]FBnTP during purification was identified as the main cause for
      low yields in high-activity runs. Radiolytic decomposition was hindered by the
      addition of radical scavengers during synthesis, purification, and formulation,
      thereby improving AY and RCP. The formulated probe in injectable form was
      synthesized without the use of HPLC and passed all applicable quality control
      tests.

PMID- 28905310
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28905311
TI  - [Abdominal pain in children: Rational diagnostics in the outpatient department].

PMID- 28905312
TI  - [Cubital tunnel syndrome].

PMID- 28905313
TI  - [Diagnosis and therapy of insomnia and basic aspects of other sleep disorders].

PMID- 28905314
TI  - [Pharmacotherapy in chronic Heart Failure].

PMID- 28905315
TI  - Preliminary Studies of Acute Cadmium Administration Effects on the Calcium
      Activated Potassium (SKCa and BKCa) Channels and Na+/K+-ATPase Activity in
      Isolated Aortic Rings of Rats.
AB  - Cadmium is an environmental pollutant closely linked with cardiovascular diseases
      that seems to involve endothelium dysfunction and reduced nitric oxide (NO)
      bioavailability. Knowing that NO causes dilatation through the activation of
      potassium channels and Na+/K+-ATPase, we aimed to determine whether acute cadmium
      administration (10 MUM) alters the participation of K+ channels, voltage
      activated calcium channel, and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in vascular function of
      isolated aortic rings of rats. Cadmium did not modify the acetylcholine-induced
      relaxation. After L-NAME addition, the relaxation induced by acetylcholine was
      abolished in presence or absence of cadmium, suggesting that acutely, this metal
      did not change NO release. However, tetraethylammonium (a nonselective K+
      channels blocker) reduced acetylcholine-induced relaxation but this effect was
      lower in the preparations with cadmium, suggesting a decrease of K+ channels
      function in acetylcholine response after cadmium incubation. Apamin (a selective
      blocker of small Ca2+-activated K+ channels-SKCa), iberiotoxin (a selective
      blocker of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels-BKCa), and verapamil (a
      blocker of calcium channel) reduced the endothelium-dependent relaxation only in
      the absence of cadmium. Finally, cadmium decreases Na+/K+-ATPase activity. Our
      results provide evidence that the cadmium acute incubation unaffected the calcium
      activated potassium channels (SKCa and BKCa) and voltage-calcium channels on the
      acetylcholine vasodilatation. In addition, acute cadmium incubation seems to
      reduce the Na+/K+-ATPase activity.

PMID- 28905317
TI  - Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs Associated with Ketosis Events in
      Pediatric and Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in the UK.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ketosis is a metabolic state associated with insulin deficiency.
      Untreated, it develops into diabetic ketoacidosis, a significant contributor to
      mortality and morbidity in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Little is
      understood about how patients utilize healthcare resources during ketosis events.
      This study aimed to identify and quantify healthcare resource utilization and
      provide estimates of associated costs of ketosis events in T1DM, treated unaided
      or with healthcare professional (HCP) assistance in the UK. METHODS: Qualitative
      interviews with adult patients, pediatric carers, and HCPs identified resources
      used by patients/carers during ketosis events. An online quantitative survey was
      then used to quantify patients/carers resource use during their/their child's
      most recent ketosis event, and HCPs estimated patient resource uptake to
      corroborate the findings. Associated costs estimated from UK data sources were
      applied to the survey results to calculate the cost of ketosis events in adults
      and children. RESULTS: Quantitative survey responses from 93 adults, 76 carers,
      and 52 HCPs were analyzed. Patients and carers monitored ketosis during and
      following the event with ketone strips and additional glucose strips, and
      administered treatment comprising insulin and pump set changes where appropriate.
      Additionally, patients/carers accessed phone services and many received follow-up
      medical appointments. In total, 70% (n = 65) of adult and 66% (n = 50) of
      pediatric ketosis events were managed at home, for which resource use costs per
      event were L23.87 and L38.00 respectively. Remaining events were treated in NHS
      facilities costing L217.57 per adult and L352.92 per child. Weighted averages
      identified that ketosis events cost L81.98 per adult and L142.97 per child.
      Indirect costs from work productivity loss increase these figures to L225.11 per
      adult and L256.88 per child. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare resource use for ketosis
      events is high in adults and children with T1DM and imposes an underappreciated
      economic burden for the NHS. FUNDING: Novo Nordisk A/S.

PMID- 28905316
TI  - Socially Housed Female Macaques: a Translational Model for the Interaction of
      Chronic Stress and Estrogen in Aging.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Estrogen's role in cognitive aging remains unclear. Despite
      evidence implicating stress in pathological aging, the interaction of stress with
      estrogen on cognition in older women has received little attention, and few
      animal models exist with which to examine this interaction. RECENT FINDINGS: We
      present evidence that aging socially subordinate female macaques that experience
      chronic psychosocial stress constitute a suitable model to investigate this.
      First, we review studies showing that estrogen modulates cognition in animal
      models, as well as studies demonstrating that estrogen's action on certain types
      of cognition is impaired by stress. Next, we discuss data showing that middle
      aged socially subordinate female macaques exhibit distinct stress-induced
      phenotypes, and review our investigations indicating that estrogen modulates
      behavior and physiology differently in subordinate female monkeys. We conclude
      that socially housed female macaques represent a translational animal model for
      investigating the interplay of chronic stress and estrogen on cognitive aging in
      women.

PMID- 28905318
TI  - The effects of climate, catchment land use and local factors on the abundance and
      community structure of sediment ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in Yangtze
      lakes.
AB  - Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) play important roles in
      regulating the nitrification process in lake ecosystems. However, the relative
      effects of climate, catchment land use and local conditions on the sediment
      ammonia-oxidizing communities in lakes remain unclear. In this study, the
      diversity and abundance of AOA and AOB communities were investigated in ten
      Yangtze lakes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), clone library and quantitative
      PCR techniques. The results showed that the abundances of both AOA and AOB in
      bare sediments were considerably but not significantly higher than those in
      vegetated sediments. Interestingly, AOB communities were more sensitive to
      changes in local environmental factors and vegetation characteristics than were
      AOA communities. Amongst climate and land use variables, mean annual
      precipitation, percentage of agriculture and percentage of vegetation were the
      key determinants of AOB abundance and diversity. Additionally, total organic
      carbon and chlorophyll-a concentrations in lake water were significantly related
      to AOB abundance and diversity. The results of the ordination analysis indicated
      that 81.2 and 84.3% of the cumulative variance for the species composition of AOA
      and AOB communities could be explained by the climate, land use and local
      factors. The climate and local environments played important roles in shaping AOA
      communities, whereas catchment agriculture and water chlorophyll-a concentration
      were key influencing factors of AOB communities. Our findings suggest that the
      composition and structure of sediment ammonia-oxidizing communities in Yangtze
      lakes are strongly influenced by different spatial scale factors.

PMID- 28905319
TI  - PI3K inhibition protects mice from NAFLD by down-regulating CMKLR1 and NLRP3 in
      Kupffer cells.
AB  - Inflammation induced by high-fat diet (HFD) is of critical importance in the
      development of hepatic steatosis. The role of chemerin in the progress of
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains controversial. Here, we have
      evaluated the effects and mechanism of chemerin on insulin sensitivity and
      inflammation. An inhibitor (wortmannin) and agonist (insulin-like growth factor 1
      (IGF-1) of phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) were applied to Kupffer cells
      (KCs) after treatment with a concentration gradient of chemerin in vitro. Mice
      were subjected to both HFD and intra-peritoneal injections of wortmannin and IGF
      1 for 12 weeks. Levels of cytokines were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assays and the mRNA and protein levels in the KCs were tested by quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Our data
      suggested that levels of interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) and IL-18 in the KCs and
      mice treated with wortmannin were significantly lower than that of IGF-1.
      Consistently, the expression of chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1) and nucleotide
      oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3
      (NLRP3) was significantly lower in the KCs and mice treated with wortmannin than
      those treated with IGF-1. Consistently, liver function, insulin resistance, and
      hepatic steatosis were much more severe in mice treated with IGF-1 than those
      treated with wortmannin. In conclusions, PI3K inhibition attenuates hepatic
      steatosis and KC-mediated inflammation via down-regulation of CMKLR1 and NLRP3 in
      HFD mice.

PMID- 28905320
TI  - Genetic algorithm with a crossover elitist preservation mechanism for protein
      ligand docking.
AB  - Protein-ligand docking plays an important role in computer-aided pharmaceutical
      development. Protein-ligand docking can be defined as a search algorithm with a
      scoring function, whose aim is to determine the conformation of the ligand and
      the receptor with the lowest energy. Hence, to improve an efficient algorithm has
      become a very significant challenge. In this paper, a novel search algorithm
      based on crossover elitist preservation mechanism (CEP) for solving protein
      ligand docking problems is proposed. The proposed algorithm, namely genetic
      algorithm with crossover elitist preservation (CEPGA), employ the CEP to keep the
      elite individuals of the last generation and make the crossover more efficient
      and robust. The performance of CEPGA is tested on sixteen molecular docking
      complexes from RCSB protein data bank. In comparison with GA, LGA and SODOCK in
      the aspects of lowest energy and highest accuracy, the results of which indicate
      that the CEPGA is a reliable and successful method for protein-ligand docking
      problems.

PMID- 28905321
TI  - Network Analysis of MPO and Other Relevant Proteins Involved in Diabetic Foot
      Ulcer and Other Diabetic Complications.
AB  - Network analysis and visualization of genes are very important to understand
      large complex biological data in a better manner. Large data on genes and
      proteins in the biological systems are analyzed on the occurrence, interactions,
      co-expression, and co-regulations of various genes. Here we have visualized the
      genes involved in type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and foot ulcer
      condition to put light on the corrective measures to the problem of impaired
      healing. The goal of this study was to identify the important genes involved in
      the pathogenesis of diabetes complications and foot ulcer and its association
      with the free radical-producing enzyme, the myeloperoxidase (MPO). In this study,
      we have used bioinformatics tools for the analysis of 24 genes that play a major
      role in diabetes mellitus and its complications, especially diabetic foot ulcer
      to reveal the relation between the genes and proteins involved in these disease
      conditions. We could conclude from the network model that MPO is related to foot
      ulcer and involved in pathogenesis of various co-associated diseases, such as
      oxidative stress, inflammation, peripheral vascular disease, and other related
      diabetes complications.

PMID- 28905322
TI  - Differences in immune response to anesthetics used for day surgery versus
      hospitalization surgery for breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgery/anesthetic technique-stimulated immunosuppression may be
      associated with outcome for cancer patients. Here, the immune responses of
      patients undergoing day surgery versus hospitalization surgery for breast cancer
      were compared in a prospective study. METHODS: Between February 2012 and August
      2014, 21 breast cancer patients underwent day surgery and 16 breast cancer
      patients underwent hospitalization surgery. The former group received
      lidocaine/propofol/pethidine, while propofol/systemic opioid- and
      sevoflurane/propofol/systemic opioid-based anesthesia were administered to the
      latter group. Surgical stress response was evaluated based on time of operation
      and amount of bleeding during operation. Immune function was assessed based on
      natural killer (NK) cell activity, CD4/8 T cell ratio, and cytokine levels of IL
      6 and IL-10 that were detected before surgery, after surgery, and on the first
      postoperative day. RESULTS: Operation time did not differ between the two groups.
      Blood loss was significantly less for the hospitalization surgery group. No
      change in NK cell activity was observed for either group, although the CD4/8 T
      cell ratio increased transiently following day surgery. Levels of IL-6 increased
      significantly in both groups following surgery, and these levels tended to be
      higher in the hospitalization surgery group. One patient who underwent
      hospitalization surgery had higher levels of IL-10. CONCLUSIONS: There were few
      differences in immune response between the two groups, potentially since a
      majority of the hospitalization surgery patients received propofol-based
      anesthesia. We hypothesize that the use of volatile anesthetic/opioid analgesia
      in hospitalization surgery has a greater influence on immune function in breast
      cancer patients than local anesthetic/propofol-based anesthesia in day surgery.

PMID- 28905324
TI  - The Diatraea Complex (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Colombia's Cauca River Valley:
      Making a Case for the Geographically Localized Approach.
AB  - The sugarcane stem borers Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) and D. indigenella
      Dyar & Heinrich are common pests of sugarcane crops in Colombia's Cauca river
      valley (CRV). In 2012, however, D. tabernella Dyar was recorded for the first
      time in northern CRV and just 1 year later, D. busckella Dyar & Heinrich was
      detected, also for the first time, in central CRV. The Diatraea outbreak in the
      CRV was studied, its distribution and population in the region was analyzed, and
      levels of larval parasitism were observed. During the study of the outbreak,
      Diatraea species in the CRV were characterized based on the morphology of larval,
      pupal, and adult stages. Keys to the identification of Diatraea in the CRV based
      on male genitalia and pupa are provided. Pupal cephalic horns and lateral lobes
      were discovered as new, reliable characteristics to separate the species at the
      pupal stage. We suggest biological control program modifications to decrease
      economic impact and studies at geographically localized levels to better
      understand the dynamics between the pest species and their parasitoids.

PMID- 28905323
TI  - Phase I study of panobinostat and 5-azacitidine in Japanese patients with
      myelodysplastic syndrome or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.
AB  - The current therapy for high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) involves
      repeated cycles of the DNA demethylating agent 5-azacitidine (5-Aza), but
      combination treatments have been proposed to improve patient outcomes. We
      performed a phase Ib study to investigate the safety and tolerability of 5-Aza
      (75 mg/m2) combined with the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat (PAN) in
      adult Japanese patients with MDS or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).
      Eleven patients were enrolled; five received 20 mg PAN + 5-Aza and six received
      30 mg PAN + 5-Aza. All patients in the 20 mg PAN cohort had MDS, while two in the
      30 mg PAN cohort had MDS and three had CMML. All patients experienced >=1 adverse
      event (AE) related to the study treatment, and five discontinued the study
      treatment because of AEs. One patient in each group exhibited dose-limiting
      toxicities: lung infection (PAN 20 mg + 5-Aza) and cellulitis (PAN 30 mg + 5
      Aza). PAN exposure increased with ascending doses, and combination therapy did
      not affect PAN plasma trough concentrations. In summary, 20 or 30 mg PAN combined
      with 5-Aza was safe and tolerable in adult Japanese patients with CMML or MDS.
      Study registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01613976.

PMID- 28905325
TI  - Managing Alcohol Use Disorder in Primary Health Care.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this study is to summarise the current literature
      on both the impact and the implementation of primary health care-based screening
      and advice programmes to reduce heavy drinking, as an evidence-based component of
      managing alcohol use disorder in primary health care. RECENT FINDINGS: Systematic
      reviews of reviews find conclusive evidence for the impact of primary health care
      delivered screening and brief advice programmes in reducing heavy drinking. The
      content, length of advice and which profession delivers the advice seems less
      important than the actual encounter between provider and patient. Despite the
      global burden of disease due to heavy drinking and the evidence that this can be
      reduced by screening and brief advice programmes delivered in primary health
      care, such programmes remain poorly implemented. Were such programmes widely
      implemented, there would be substantial health and productivity gains. Systematic
      reviews and international studies indicate that improved implementation requires
      tailoring of training and programme content to match the needs of providers,
      training and ongoing support and embedding of programmes within local community
      support, championed by local leaders. The next stage of implementation and scale
      up of evidence-based screening and brief advice programmes should take place
      embedded within supportive local community action, with appropriate research to
      demonstrate impact.

PMID- 28905326
TI  - Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Cognitive Skills: Evidence From an Unsleeping
      Giant.
AB  - This study analyzes the effects of sleep duration on cognitive skills and
      depression symptoms of older workers in urban China. Cognitive skills and mental
      health have been associated with sleep duration and are known to be strongly
      related to economic behavior and performance. However, causal evidence is
      lacking, and little is known about sleep deprivation in developing countries. We
      exploit the relationship between circadian rhythms and bedtime to identify the
      effects of sleep using sunset time as an instrument. Using the Chinese Health and
      Retirement Longitudinal Study, we show that a later sunset time significantly
      reduces sleep duration and that sleep duration increases cognitive skills and
      eases depression symptoms of workers aged 45 years and older. The results are
      driven by employed individuals living in urban areas, who are more likely to be
      constrained by rigid work schedules. We find no evidence of significant effects
      on the self-employed, non-employed, or farmers.

PMID- 28905327
TI  - Development of a Mini-Freeze Dryer for Material-Sparing Laboratory Processing
      with Representative Product Temperature History.
AB  - The goal of the work described in this publication was to evaluate a new, small,
      material-sparing freeze dryer, denoted as the "mini-freeze dryer or mini-FD",
      capable of reproducing the product temperature history of larger freeze dryers,
      thereby facilitating scale-up. The mini-FD wall temperatures can be controlled to
      mimic loading procedures and dryer process characteristics of larger dryers. The
      mini-FD is equipped with a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS)
      water vapor mass flow monitor and with other advanced process analytical
      technology (PAT) sensors. Drying experiments were performed to demonstrate
      scalability to larger freeze dryers, including the determination of vial heat
      transfer coefficients, K v . Product temperature histories during K v runs were
      evaluated and compared with those obtained with a commercial laboratory-scale
      freeze dryer (LyoStar II) for sucrose and mannitol product formulations. When the
      mini-FD wall temperature was set at the LyoStar II band temperature (- 20 degrees
      C) to mimic lab dryer edge vials, edge vial drying in the mini-FD possessed an
      average K v within 5% of those obtained during drying in the LyoStar II. When the
      wall temperature of the mini-FD was set equal to the central vial product
      temperature, edge vials behaved as center vials, possessing a K v value within 5%
      of those measured in the LyoStar II. During both K v runs and complete product
      freeze drying runs, the temperature-time profiles for the average edge vials and
      central vial in the mini-FD agreed well with the average edge and average central
      vials of the LyoStar II.

PMID- 28905329
TI  - Kant's 'formula of humanity' and assisted reproductive technology: a case for
      duties to future children.
AB  - The paper asks the question whether Kant's ethical theory can be applied to
      issues in assisted reproductive technology (ART). It argues against three
      objections to applying Kant's ethics to ART: (i) the non-identity objection, (ii)
      the gen-ethics objection, and (iii) the care-ethics objection. After showing that
      neither of the three objections is sufficiently persuasive the paper proposes a
      reading of Kant's 'formula of humanity,' and especially its negative clause
      (i.e., the 'merely as means' clause), that can be of some guidance in ART. The
      paper conclude that although Kant's 'formula of humanity' cannot be used as a
      simple litmus test for determining whether an ART practice is morally permissible
      or not, it nonetheless can supply us with some guidance in our moral
      deliberation.

PMID- 28905330
TI  - Complete chloroplast genome sequences of two endangered Phoebe (Lauraceae)
      species.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phoebe (Lauraceae) comprises of evergreen trees or shrubs with
      approximately 100 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia and
      Neotropical America. A total of 34 species and three varieties occur in China.
      Despite of economic and ecological value, only limited genomic resources are
      available for this genus. RESULTS: We sequenced the two complete chloroplast (cp)
      genomes of Phoebe chekiangensis and P. bournei using Illumina sequencing
      technology via a combined strategy of de novo and reference-guided assembly. We
      also performed comparative analyses with the cp genomes of P. sheareri and P.
      sheareri var. oineiensis previously reported. The chloroplast genomes of P.
      chekiangensis and P. bournei identically contain 112 genes consisting of 78
      protein coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes, with the size of 152,849
      and 152,853 bp, respectively. From the two chloroplast genomes, 131 SSRs were
      identified and 12 different SSRs located in five protein coding genes. The
      analysis showed the extremely conserved structure of chloroplast genomes with
      surprisingly little variations at the LSC/IR and SSC/IR boundaries. Moreover, the
      mean nucleotide diversity was found to be 0.162% for 77 regions, suggesting an
      extraordinarily low level of sequence divergence. Four highest divergent regions
      (trnH-psbA, rps14-trnT, petA-psbJ, ccsA-ndhD) with the percentage of nucleotide
      diversity higher than 0.50% were identified, which had potential use for species
      identification and phylogenetic studies. CONCLUSION: This study will facilitate
      our understanding of population genetics, phylogenetic relationship and plant
      evolution of Phoebe species.

PMID- 28905328
TI  - Lessons learned from protein aggregation: toward technological and biomedical
      applications.
AB  - The close relationship between protein aggregation and neurodegenerative diseases
      has been the driving force behind the renewed interest in a field where
      biophysics, neurobiology and nanotechnology converge in the study of the
      aggregate state. On one hand, knowledge of the molecular principles that govern
      the processes of protein aggregation has a direct impact on the design of new
      drugs for high-incidence pathologies that currently can only be treated
      palliatively. On the other hand, exploiting the benefits of protein aggregation
      in the design of new nanomaterials could have a strong impact on biotechnology.
      Here we review the contributions of our research group on novel neuroprotective
      strategies developed using a purely biophysical approach. First, we examine how
      doxycycline, a well-known and innocuous antibiotic, can reshape alpha-synuclein
      oligomers into non-toxic high-molecular-weight species with decreased ability to
      destabilize biological membranes, affect cell viability and form additional toxic
      species. This mechanism can be exploited to diminish the toxicity of alpha
      synuclein oligomers in Parkinson's disease. Second, we discuss a novel function
      in proteostasis for extracellular glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase
      (GAPDH) in combination with a specific glycosaminoglycan (GAG) present in the
      extracellular matrix. GAPDH, by changing its quaternary structure from a tetramer
      to protofibrillar assembly, can kidnap toxic species of alpha-synuclein, and
      thereby interfere with the spreading of the disease. Finally, we review a
      brighter side of protein aggregation, that of exploiting the physicochemical
      advantages of amyloid aggregates as nanomaterials. For this, we designed a new
      generation of insoluble biocatalysts based on the binding of photo-immobilized
      enzymes onto hybrid protein:GAG amyloid nanofibrils. These new nanomaterials can
      be easily functionalized by attaching different enzymes through dityrosine
      covalent bonds.

PMID- 28905332
TI  - Study on the removal and transport and migration mechanism for As with activated
      sludge system.
AB  - In this paper, the removal of As and the transport and migration of As at the
      process of activated sludge system was studied. The results showed that the
      activated sludge system has high removal efficiency for As, and the removal
      efficiency could be nearly 100%. The initial concentration of As has effect on
      the removal efficiency, and within the experimental scope, the increase of
      initial concentration of As improved the removal efficiency for As. The
      distribution of As in the surface and internal in activated sludge indicates that
      in the process of activated sludge, the As was first transferred from water to
      the surface of solid and was adsorbed by the surface and then transport to the
      interior of microbes and take part in some metabolisms of the microorganisms. The
      adsorption of As by activated sludge conforms to Freundlich adsorption isotherm,
      and the removal of As in activated sludge system follows to the pseudo second
      order reaction kinetics.

PMID- 28905333
TI  - Osteoblastoma of the hamate bone - a case report.

PMID- 28905331
TI  - Antibiotic Distribution into Cerebrospinal Fluid: Can Dosing Safely Account for
      Drug and Disease Factors in the Treatment of Ventriculostomy-Associated
      Infections?
AB  - Ventriculostomy-associated infections, or ventriculitis, in critically ill
      patients are associated with considerable morbidity. Efficacious antibiotic
      dosing for the treatment of these infections may be complicated by altered
      antibiotic concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid due to variable meningeal
      inflammation and antibiotic properties. Therefore, doses used to treat infections
      with a higher degree of meningeal inflammation (such as meningitis) may often
      fail to achieve equivalent exposures in patients with ventriculostomy-associated
      infections such as ventriculitis. This paper aims to review the disease burden,
      infection rates, and common pathogens associated with ventriculostomy-associated
      infections. This review also seeks to describe the disease- and drug-related
      factors that influence antibiotic distribution into cerebrospinal fluid and
      provide a critical appraisal of current dosing of antibiotics commonly used to
      treat these types of infections. A Medline search of relevant articles was
      conducted and used to support a review of cerebrospinal fluid penetration of
      vancomycin, including critical appraisal of the recent paper by Beach et al.
      recently published in this journal. We found that in the intensive care unit,
      ventriculostomy-associated infections are the most common and serious
      complication of external ventricular drain insertion and often result in
      prolonged patient stay and increased healthcare costs. Reported infection rates
      are extremely variable (between 0 and 45%), hindered by the inherent diagnostic
      difficulty. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms are associated with
      such infections and the rise of multi-drug-resistant pathogens means that
      effective treatment is an ongoing challenge. Disease factors that may need to be
      considered are reduced meningeal inflammation and the presence of critical
      illness; drug factors include physiochemical properties, degree of plasma-protein
      binding, and affinity to active transporter proteins present in the blood
      cerebrospinal fluid barrier. The relationship between cerebrospinal fluid
      antibiotic exposures in the setting of ventriculostomy-associated infection and
      clinical response has not been fully elucidated for many of the antibiotics
      commonly used in its treatment. More thorough and clinically relevant
      investigations are needed to better define blood pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics
      targets and optimal therapeutic exposures for treatment of ventriculostomy
      associated infections. It is hoped that this future research will be able to
      provide clearer recommendations for clinicians frequently faced with dosing
      related dilemmas when treating patients with these challenging infections.

PMID- 28905334
TI  - Endoscopic submucosal dissection for a heterotopic gland in the transverse colon.

PMID- 28905335
TI  - Rescue antegrade diathermic dilation of hyperplastic tissue at partially covered
      metallic stent after EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy.

PMID- 28905336
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided photodynamic therapy for recurrent intraductal
      papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas.

PMID- 28905337
TI  - Cholangioscopy-assisted guidewire placement in post-liver transplant anastomotic
      biliary stricture: efficient and potentially also cost-effective.

PMID- 28905338
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasound-guided choledochoduodenostomy with novel use of contrast
      enhanced harmonic imaging.

PMID- 28905339
TI  - Novel management of a necrotic pancreatic fluid collection with staged
      cystgastrostomy followed by cystgastrojejunostomy: the Lizzie Grace maneuver.

PMID- 28905341
TI  - Use of a Powered Stapling System for Minimally Invasive Lung Volume Reduction
      Surgery: Results of a Prospective Double-Blind Single-Center Randomized Trial.

PMID- 28905340
TI  - German Heart Surgery Report 2016: The Annual Updated Registry of the German
      Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
AB  - Based on a long-standing voluntary registry founded by the German Society
      forThoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS), well-defined data of all
      cardiac,thoracic, and vascular surgery procedures performed in 78 German heart
      surgerydepartments during the year 2016 are analyzed. In 2016, a total of 103,128
      heartsurgery procedures (implantable defibrillator, pacemaker, and extracardiac
      proceduresexcluded) were submitted to the registry. Approximately 15.7% of the
      patients were atleast 80 years of age, resulting in an increase of 0.9% compared
      with the data of 2015.For 37,614 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting
      procedures (relationship on-/off-pump4.4:1), an unadjusted in-hospital mortality
      of 2.9% was observed. Concerning the33,451 isolated heart valve procedures
      (including 11,701 catheter-based procedures),the unadjusted in-hospital mortality
      was 4.3%.This annual updated registry of the GSTCVS represents voluntary public
      reporting byaccumulating actual information for nearly all heart surgical
      procedures in Germany,describes advancements in heart medicine, and is a basis
      for internal and externalquality assurances for all participants. In addition,
      the registry demonstrates that theprovision of cardiac surgery in Germany is
      appropriate and patients are treatednationwide at all times.

PMID- 28905342
TI  - Quality of Life after Free Fibula Flap Reconstruction of Segmental Mandibular
      Defects.
AB  - BACKGROUND:  Free fibula flap (FFF) is considered gold standard in the
      reconstruction of mandibular defects. Despite the frequent use, patients' quality
      of life (QoL) after reconstruction has been sparsely investigated. This study
      aims to evaluate QoL and outcomes in patients who have undergone FFF
      reconstruction of segmental mandibular defects. METHODS:  A retrospective cohort
      study of consecutive patients (n = 73) operated at a single center during the
      years 2000 to 2014 was performed. Charts were reviewed and all living patients (n
      = 41) were invited to fill out three quality of life questionnaires (QLQ): SF-36,
      EORTC QLQ-C30, and QLQ-H&N35. Factors associated with poor outcome were derived
      from regression models and the results of the QLQs were compared with Swedish
      reference populations. Subgroup analysis was performed for two groups depending
      on reconstructive indication: cancer and osteoradionecrosis (ORN). RESULTS:  The
      response rate of the QLQs was 93%. General QoL did not differ from reference
      populations, but the study group had significantly larger proportions of poor
      functioning patients in three domains in EORTC QLQ-C30: global health status,
      role functioning, and social functioning. Patients also reported a high incidence
      of poor functioning/high symptom burden in EORTC QLQ-H&N35, with a significantly
      higher frequency in the ORN group compared with the cancer group for the domains
      "swallowing" and "social eating." The overall flap success rate was 92% and
      complication rate was 48%. Previous surgery had a significant association with
      reoperation due to bleeding, and longer duration of surgery was significantly
      associated with local infection. CONCLUSION:  When evaluated with validated QLQs,
      most patients experienced persistent functional loss in one or several domains,
      but still perceived a general QoL that is close to that of reference populations.
      Patients having ORN as the indication for surgery, as compared with cancer,
      reported a higher frequency of poor functioning patients in disease-specific QoL
      domains.

PMID- 28905343
TI  - Multidetector Computed Tomography (CT) Analysis of 168 Cases in Diabetic Patients
      with Total Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion: Is It Safe to Use an
      Anterolateral Thigh Flap without CT Angiography in Diabetic Patients?
AB  - BACKGROUND:  The superficial femoral artery (SFA) is the most common site of
      lower extremity atherosclerosis, and collateral vessels from the deep femoral
      artery (DFA) play an important compensatory role between the iliofemoral segment
      and the popliteal artery. We examined SFA occlusion and collateral vessel
      developments in patients with diabetes mellitus using computed tomography (CT)
      angiography. We also compared the collateral systems from the DFA and the
      descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (dbLCFA) in the case
      of SFA occlusion. METHODS:  We retrospectively reviewed 1,316 sets of CT
      angiographic data collected from 673 patients with diabetes between 2008 and
      2010. The degree of stenosis in each segment of the proximal and distal SFA and
      the number and size of collateral vessels originating from the DFA and dbLCFA
      were measured using established scoring systems. In cases where the SFA was
      occluded, the numbers of collateral vessels originating from the DFA and the
      dbLCFA vessel were compared. RESULTS:  The mean occlusion rate of the SFA was
      15.6%. We noted that collateral vessels from DFA and dbLCFA were the main
      circulatory route in cases of occlusions of the SFA. More collateral vessels
      developed from the DFA than from the dbLCFA. Overall, 0.6% of the patients had
      only collateral systems from the dbLCFA. CONCLUSION:  When planning to use
      anterolateral thigh free flaps in diabetic patients with suspected SFA total
      occlusion, thorough investigations of the peripheral vessels are essential.

PMID- 28905344
TI  - Application of Tissue Expansion with Perforator Flaps for Reconstruction of
      Challenging Skin Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND:  One set of perforators can supply its own perforasome as well as the
      adjacent perforasome. The process of tissue expansion can mimic the effect of
      surgical delay to include more perforasomes into the perforator flap. By
      combining the perforasome theory with the technique of tissue expansion, large
      and various expanded perforator flaps can be achieved. METHODS:  From July 2007
      to July 2014, we performed eight different types of expanded perforator flaps in
      a total of 83 cases: 41 supraclavicular artery perforator flaps, 11 superficial
      cervical artery perforator flaps, 15 lateral thoracic perforator flaps, 6
      internal mammary artery perforator flaps, 6 thoracoabdominal perforator flaps, 2
      facial artery perforator flaps, 1 posterior interosseous perforator flap, and 1
      ulnar collateral artery perforator flap. During the follow-up period, the
      survival rate, color, texture, and retraction of the flaps were assessed.
      RESULTS:  The dimensions of the flaps ranged from 8 * 6 to 25 * 25 cm. Minor flap
      necrosis occurred in 20.5% of the cases, and severe flap necrosis developed in
      2.4% of the cases. The donor sites were closed primarily in all but three cases.
      During the follow-up period (average, 13 months; range, 8-18 months), no flap
      contracture was observed with a good color and texture match. CONCLUSION:  By
      combining the concept of perforasome with the technique of tissue expansion,
      flaps with large dimensions and reliable blood supply can be achieved, allowing a
      more flexible design to reconstruct various and challenging skin lesions.

PMID- 28905345
TI  - Same-day Routine Chest-X Ray After Thoracic Surgery is Not Necessary!
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Performing a routine postoperative chest X-ray (CXR) after general
      thoracic surgery is daily practice in many thoracic surgery departments. The
      quality, frequency of pathological findings and the clinical consequences have
      not been well evaluated. Furthermore, exposure to ionising radiation should be
      restricted to a minimum and therefore routine practice can be questioned.
      METHODS: As a hospital standard, each patient was given a routine CXR after
      opening of the pleura and inserting a chest tube. From October 2015 to March
      2016, each postoperative patient with a routine CXR was included in a prospective
      database, including film quality, pathological findings, clinical and laboratory
      results and cardiorespiratory monitoring, as well as clinical consequences.
      RESULTS: 546 patients were included. Risk factors for postoperative complications
      were obesity in 50 patients (9.2%), emphysema in 127 patients (23.3%),
      coagulopathy in 34 patients (6.2%), longer operation time (more than two hours)
      in 242 patients (44.3%) and previous lung irradiation in 29 (5.3%) of patients.
      Major lung resections were performed in 191 patients (35.9%). 263 (48.2%)
      patients had procedures with minimally invasive access. The quality of the X-ray
      film was insufficient in 8.2% of patients. 90 (16.5%) of CXRs were found to show
      pathological findings, with a trend for more pathological findings after open
      surgery (55/283; 19.4%) compared to minimally invasive surgery (35/263; 13.3%) (p
      = 0.064). 11 (2.0%) patients needed a surgical or clinical intervention during
      postoperative observation; this corresponds to 12.2% of patients with a
      pathological finding on CXR. Nine of these 11 patients were clinically
      symptomatic and only two (0.37%) patients were asymptomatic with a relevant
      pneumothorax. CONCLUSIONS: Our study cannot support routine postoperative CXR
      after general thoracic procedures and we believe that restriction to clinically
      symptomatic cases should be a safe option.

PMID- 28905346
TI  - [Creating Enthusiasm for Surgery - Perceptions of the Impact of Undergraduate
      Practical Education (Clerkship) for Occupational Choices].
AB  - Background/Aim Surgical and other disciplines have been noticing difficulties in
      recruiting junior staff for several years. In response to a decrease in interest
      within study courses, surgical associations recommend better supervision during
      undergraduate practical education as "clerkships" in order to increase the
      attractiveness of surgery. This clerkship has an initiation function, as students
      for the first time - albeit marginally - can act as physicians. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the impact of clerkships on the disciplinary
      orientations and preferences of undergraduates' perceptions of specialist
      training. Methods Medical students of the Otto-von-Guericke University Medical
      School at Magdeburg were interviewed at 4 different time points in their clinical
      training (n = 373). The questionnaire included different dimensions on i) their
      choice of the subjects of clerkships and ii) on their clerkship experiences.
      Questions were subdivided into 5 basic topics, including 5 options to answer
      according to "Likert's scale" ranging from 1 to 5 ("completely true" to "does not
      apply at all"). Data were statistically analysed. Results Clerkships are an
      important component of medical studies. Undergraduate medical students
      deliberately use clerkships to get to know and to discriminate between medical
      disciplines they consider as possible choices for later specialisation. Their own
      assessment as well as reported experiences of specific clinics, departments or
      supervisors influence decision-making with regard to medical disciplines and
      locations/institutions for clerkships. The contents of the clerkships is expected
      to be closely related to the medical curricula. Students expect a detailed
      insight and practical, cross-departmental, interdisciplinary integration and
      collaboration in the medical discipline selected for clerkship. Clerkship
      experience in surgery affects the students' preference for surgical disciplines.
      They are a relevant predictor. Conclusion High-quality teaching - an important
      part of practical undergraduate training (clerkship) is effective in fostering a
      subsequent surgical orientation. Preference for surgical specialisation can be
      strengthened during medical studies by preparing seminars and extended practical
      experiences during clerkship.

PMID- 28905347
TI  - [Mixed epithelial and stromal tumour of the kidney: a case report].
AB  - Mixed epithelial and stromal tumours of the kidney are rare. Histologically, they
      are characterised by a complex of epithelium and stroma with cystic and solid
      areas. They usually occur in perimenopausal women receiving hormone replacement
      with oestrogen. Typical symptoms are haematuria, flank pain and a palpable mass,
      with more and more authors reporting incidentally diagnosed tumours. This also
      applies to our case report. We are reporting the first published case in Germany:
      a 60-year-old female with a mixed epithelial and stromal tumour of the right
      kidney. The tumour was removed through complete nephrectomy.

PMID- 28905348
TI  - [A rare complication of transrectal electrostimulation for sperm retrieval].
AB  - In men who wish to have children after a spinal cord injury, assisted ejaculation
      is frequently needed for sperm retrieval. Transrectal electrostimulation (TES) is
      often used for this purpose. Typical side effects of TES are autonomic
      dysreflexia or pain. In a 33-year old man with complete tetraplegia below C6
      since 2004, TES caused massive leg spasticity, leading to transcervical fracture
      of the femoral neck. This previously unreported complication of TES demonstrates
      that, in men with long-term chronic tetraplegia, spasticity and osteoporosis, TES
      in anesthesia should be taken into consideration.

PMID- 28905349
TI  - Managing and Supporting Surgery in Patients with Bleeding Disorders.

PMID- 28905350
TI  - Vitamin K-Dependent Protein S: Beyond the Protein C Pathway.
AB  - Protein S is a vitamin K-dependent plasma glycoprotein circulating in plasma at a
      concentration of around 350 nM. Approximately 60% of protein S in human plasma is
      bound to the complement regulatory protein C4b-binding protein (C4BP) in a high
      affinity, high-molecular-weight complex. Protein S in plasma has multiple
      anticoagulant properties and heterozygous protein S deficiency is associated with
      increased risk of venous thrombosis. Homozygous deficiency in man and mice is
      associated with severe thrombosis in fetal life, defects in the vascular system
      development, and not compatible with life. Protein S has additional functions
      beyond being an anticoagulant. It affects the complement regulatory properties of
      C4BP, and moreover, protein S interacts with tyrosine kinase receptors of the TAM
      family, which comprises Tyro3, Axl, and Mer. The TAM receptor interaction is
      important for the ability of protein S to stimulate phagocytosis of apoptotic
      cells. This review will discuss the multiple functions of protein S, describing
      its role as cofactor to activated protein C with a subsequent focus on the other
      functions of protein S.

PMID- 28905351
TI  - The Tissue Factor Pathway and Wound Healing.
AB  - The role of tissue factor (TF) as the major initiator of hemostatic blood
      coagulation is well recognized. The ability to form an adequate hemostatic clot
      is essential to the normal healing of an injury by staunching bleeding,
      stabilizing the injured tissue, and serving as a scaffold for repair processes.
      Also, some molecules produced during hemostasis, particularly thrombin, have
      cytokine and growth factor-like activities that contribute to inflammation and
      repair. However, TF itself has activities as a regulator of cellular processes
      via direct signaling, as well as by facilitating activation of proteolytically
      activated receptors by activated factors VII and X. The importance of hemostasis
      in the host response to injury makes it very difficult to separate the hemostatic
      from nonhemostatic effects of TF on wound healing. The literature in this area
      remains sparse but suggests that TF influences the course and tempo of healing by
      cell signaling events that impact inflammation, epithelialization, and
      angiogenesis.

PMID- 28905352
TI  - Factor IX Gene (F9) Genotyping Trends and Spectrum of Mutations Identified: A
      Reference Laboratory Experience.
AB  - In hemophilia B (HB), factor IX gene (F9) genotyping is used for molecular
      confirmation of affected individuals, for carrier testing, to facilitate the
      identification of those at risk for anaphylaxis/inhibitors (associated with large
      deletions), and to assist in assigning disease severity. Owing to test costs,
      optimal test utilization involves pre/post-test counseling and appropriate
      patient and test selection (e.g., mutation screening [F9MS] vs. known mutation
      [F9KM] testing). This article aims to review the trends and outcomes of F9
      genotyping orders and describe the spectrum of variants identified in a sample of
      individuals in our reference laboratory. We performed a retrospective review of
      consecutive orders submitted to the Special Coagulation DNA Diagnostic
      Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, between 2012 and 2015. A total of 133 orders (38%) were
      identified for men: 118 (88%) were F9MS and 15 (12%) were F9KM. Thirteen orders
      (10%) were cancelled. A total of 209 orders were identified for women: 178 (85%)
      were F9MS and 31 (15%) were F9KM. Thirty-seven orders (18%) were cancelled and
      30% of the tests performed yielded negative results. A total of 164 samples (47%)
      were received without clinical information. Seventeen previously unreported
      variants were identified. F9 genotyping provides useful information for HB
      management; however, 18% of our orders were cancelled and almost half were
      received without relevant clinical information, thus reaffirming the need for
      ongoing scrutiny of submitted orders. Optimal patient and test selection is
      important as is the accurate interpretation of variants identified. Most of the
      pathogenic variants identified were point mutations, with very few large
      deletions, consistent with the literature.

PMID- 28905353
TI  - Platelet RNA in Cancer Diagnostics.
AB  - Platelets are involved in several steps of cancer metastasis. During this
      process, platelets are exposed to the tumor and its environment, thereby
      exchanging biomolecules with the tumor cells and resulting in tumor-mediated
      "education" of the platelets and a change in their RNA profile. Analysis of
      platelet RNA profiles or direct measurement of tumor-derived biomarkers within
      platelets can provide information on ongoing cancer-related processes in the
      individual (e.g., whether the patient has cancer, the tumor type, and possibly
      identify oncogenic alterations driving the disease for treatment selection). The
      close interaction with the disease process and the ability to respond to systemic
      alterations make platelets an interesting biosource for implementation in
      precision medicine.

PMID- 28905354
TI  - Standardizing the Response to Category II Tracings during Induction with
      Oxytocin: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

PMID- 28905355
TI  - Revealing hidden talents: The development, use, and benefit of VESPARCH.
AB  - BACKGROUND: School attainment tests and Cognitive Abilities Tests are used in the
      United Kingdom to set targets for educational outcome. Whilst these are good
      predictors, they depend not only on basic ability but also on learnt knowledge
      and skills, such as reading. METHOD AND AIMS: VESPARCH is an online group test of
      verbal and spatial reasoning, which we propose gives a measure that more closely
      approximates to basic ability - fluid intelligence. The verbal test contains
      highly familiar words, does not require the child to read them, is untimed, and
      provides detailed feedback on five practice questions for each part of the test.
      The tests - one suitable and standardized for children aged 7-9 years and one for
      children aged 10-12 years - have good test-retest reliability and validity and
      conform to the Rasch model. Comparison of VESPARCH scores with school attainment
      measures allows identification of those students who are underachieving
      academically relative to their potential. The matched nature of the verbal and
      spatial tests allows reasoning ability in the two domains to be compared; those
      with much higher spatial scores might be expected to do well in STEM subjects.
      CONCLUSION: VESPARCH can be used alongside current school tests to ensure
      targeted teaching and encouragement for every child.

PMID- 28905356
TI  - Impact of shoulder dystocia, stratified by type of manoeuvre, on severe neonatal
      outcome and maternal morbidity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shoulder dystocia is an uncommon and unpredictable obstetric
      emergency. It is associated with significant neonatal, maternal and medico-legal
      consequences. AIM: To ascertain the impact shoulder dystocia has on severe
      neonatal and maternal outcomes specific to the type of manoeuvre. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 48 021 term singleton vaginal
      deliveries the Mater Mothers' Hospital in Brisbane between 2007 and 2015.
      Maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared between deliveries complicated by
      shoulder dystocia and those uncomplicated. RESULTS: Deliveries complicated by
      shoulder dystocia are associated with low Apgar scores (<=3) at five minutes
      (odds ratio (OR) 5.25, 95% CI 3.23-8.56, P < 0.001), acidosis (OR 3.10, 95% CI
      2.76-3.50, P < 0.001), postpartum haemorrhage (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.90-2.75, P <
      0.001) and perineal trauma (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.54-2.39, P < 0.001). Compared to
      McRoberts' manoeuvre and suprapubic pressure alone, the odds of serious neonatal
      outcome are increased with internal rotational manoeuvres (OR 3.82, 95% CI 2.54
      5.74, P < 0.001) and delivery of the posterior arm (OR 4.49, 95% CI 3.54-5.69, P
      < 0.001). The OR of maternal injury is 2.07 (95% CI 1.77-2.45, P < 0.001), 2.26
      (95% CI 1.21-4.21, P < 0.001) and 2.29 (95% CI 1.58-3.32, P < 0.001) with
      McRoberts'/suprapubic pressure, internal rotation and posterior arm delivery,
      respectively. Brachial plexus injuries and fractures complicate 1.4 and 0.9% of
      deliveries, with the risk of injury increasing when greater than one manoeuvre is
      required. CONCLUSION: The risk of neonatal and maternal trauma is strongly
      associated with the number and types of manoeuvres. Given the associated
      implications, adequate antenatal counselling, simulation training and enhanced
      labour surveillance are essential.

PMID- 28905357
TI  - Interval between IVF stimulation cycle and frozen embryo transfer: Is there a
      benefit to a delay between cycles?
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is currently limited evidence available regarding ideal timing
      for frozen embryo transfer (FET). Demonstrating that delaying FETs has few
      clinical benefits would allow patients to proceed with FET at their earliest
      convenience. AIMS: To examine whether the time interval between stimulation cycle
      and subsequent FET affects pregnancy and live birth rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This retrospective cohort study, based in a multi-site private in vitro
      fertilisation (IVF) clinic categorised women into two groups: those having FET
      cycles administered within 25-35 days or 50-70 days of IVF stimulation cycle and
      embryo freeze. Outcomes measured were clinical pregnancy and live birth rates.
      RESULTS: When comparing the patients who have had a 25-35 days gap between embryo
      freeze and FET, to the matched patients who had a 50-70 days gap, the
      statistically significant results showed an adjusted odds ratio for live birth of
      1.31 (1.02-1.67). The adjusted odds ratio for clinical pregnancy in matched case
      : control analysis was not statistically significant at 1.22 (0.97-1.53).
      CONCLUSION: A gap of 25-35 days between embryo freeze and FET was associated with
      improved live birth rates compared to a gap of 50-70 days.

PMID- 28905358
TI  - Prognosis Communication in Late-Life Disability: A Mixed Methods Study.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Long-term prognosis informs clinical and personal decisions for older
      adults with late-life disability. However, many clinicians worry that telling
      patients their prognosis may cause harm. OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety of and
      reactions to prognosis communication in late-life disability. DESIGN:
      Participants estimated their own life expectancy and were then presented their
      calculated life expectancy using a validated prognostic index. We used a semi
      structured interview guide to ask for their reactions. Qualitative data were
      analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Potential psychological and
      behavioral outcomes in response to receiving one's calculated prognosis were
      recorded and re-assessed 2-4 weeks later. SETTING: Community-dwelling older
      adults age 70+ residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty five
      older adults with a median age of 80 requiring assistance with >=1 Activity of
      Daily Living. RESULTS: Self-estimates of life expectancy were similar to
      calculated results for 16 participants. 15 estimated their life expectancy to be
      longer than their calculated life expectancy by >2 years, while 4 shorter by >2
      years. An overarching theme of, "fitting life expectancy into one's narrative"
      emerged from qualitative analysis. Discussing life expectancy led participants to
      express how they could alter their life expectancy (subtheme "locus of control"),
      how they saw their present health (subtheme "perceived health"), and their hopes
      and fears for the remaining years of their lives (subtheme "outlook on remaining
      years"). Feelings of anxiety and sadness in reaction to receiving calculated
      prognosis were rare. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: About half of the disabled older
      adults' self-estimates of prognosis were similar to calculated estimates.
      Evidence of sadness or anxiety was rare. These data suggest that in most cases,
      clinicians may offer to discuss prognosis.

PMID- 28905360
TI  - Distress levels in pregnant and matched non-pregnant women.
AB  - This study examined self-rated symptoms of distress (Depression Anxiety and
      Stress Scale-DASS-21 and Perceived Stress Scale-PSS-4) among 93 pregnant women
      and a comparison group of 93 non-pregnant women matched on age and educational
      attainment. There were no significant differences between the groups, either on
      mean levels of distress or on proportions above a clinical cut-off point.
      Overall, 22%, 31% and 16% of pregnant women reported experiencing at least
      moderate levels of depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. Implications for
      conceptualising distress in pregnancy and identifying and providing support for
      the substantial minority who are distressed are discussed.

PMID- 28905359
TI  - Guideline-Recommended Medications and Physical Function in Older Adults with
      Multiple Chronic Conditions.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The benefit or harm of a single medication recommended for
      one specific condition can be difficult to determine in individuals with multiple
      chronic conditions and polypharmacy. There is limited information on the
      associations between guideline-recommended medications and physical function in
      older adults with multiple chronic conditions. The objective of this study was to
      estimate the beneficial or harmful associations between guideline-recommended
      medications and decline in physical function in older adults with multiple
      chronic conditions. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort. SETTING: National.
      PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older from the Medicare
      Current Beneficiary Survey study (N = 3,273). Participants with atrial
      fibrillation, coronary artery disease, depression, diabetes mellitus, or heart
      failure were included. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported decline in physical function;
      guideline-recommended medications; polypharmacy (taking <7 vs >=7 concomitant
      medications); chronic conditions; and sociodemographic, behavioral, and health
      risk factors. RESULTS: The risk of decline in function in the overall sample was
      highest in participants with heart failure (35.4%, 95% confidence interval (CI) =
      26.3-44.5) and lowest for those with atrial fibrillation (20.6%, 95% CI = 14.9
      26.2). In the overall sample, none of the six guideline-recommended medications
      was associated with decline in physical function across the five study
      conditions, although in the group with low polypharmacy exposure, there was lower
      risk of decline in those with heart failure taking renin angiotensin system
      blockers (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.16-0.99) and greater risk of
      decline in physical function for participants with diabetes mellitus taking
      statins (HR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.39-3.69). CONCLUSIONS: In older adults with
      multiple chronic conditions, guideline-recommended medications for atrial
      fibrillation, coronary artery disease, depression, diabetes mellitus, and heart
      failure were largely not associated with self-reported decline in physical
      function, although there were associations for some medications in those with
      less polypharmacy.

PMID- 28905361
TI  - Association between oral health and upper respiratory tract infection among
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The oral cavity is a potential reservoir for respiratory pathogens.
      This longitudinal study investigated the association between upper respiratory
      tract infection (URI) and oral health among children. METHODS: A total of 288
      children aged 4 years were recruited. Their dental caries and oral hygiene status
      were clinically determined, using the dmft (decayed, missing and filled teeth)
      index and the Silness-Loe plaque index. Questionnaires were completed by parents
      to collect information on the child's socio-demographic background and URI
      episodes and symptoms in the following 12 months. Standard or zero-inflated
      negative binomial regressions were used to analyse the association between URI
      and both oral health indicators (dmft and plaque score). RESULTS: Some 138
      (47.9%) children had URI in 12 months, including 63 (21.9%) and 75 (26.0%)
      children with 1-2 episodes and >=3 episodes, respectively. The reported URI
      episodes fell into two peaks, coinciding with the two influenza peaks in Hong
      Kong. Significantly a higher dmft was found among children without URI compared
      with children who had >=3 URI episodes (1.32 vs. 0.49; P = 0.043). The number of
      URI episodes was inversely associated with dmft (IRR = 0.851; 95% CI: 0.766
      0.945; P = 0.003). There was no significant association between the plaque score
      and URI (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The children's caries experience was associated
      with reduced episodes of URI. Whether this inverse association is attributed to
      the immune response induced by dental caries is yet to be investigated.

PMID- 28905362
TI  - Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for neuropathic pain in
      adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain, which is due to nerve disease or damage, represents
      a significant burden on people and society. It can be particularly unpleasant and
      achieving adequate symptom control can be difficult. Non-pharmacological methods
      of treatment are often employed by people with neuropathic pain and may include
      transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This review supersedes one
      Cochrane Review 'Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for chronic
      pain' (Nnoaham 2014) and one withdrawn protocol 'Transcutaneous electrical nerve
      stimulation (TENS) for neuropathic pain in adults' (Claydon 2014). This review
      replaces the original protocol for neuropathic pain that was withdrawn.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine the analgesic effectiveness of TENS versus placebo
      (sham) TENS, TENS versus usual care, TENS versus no treatment and TENS in
      addition to usual care versus usual care alone in the management of neuropathic
      pain in adults. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO,
      AMED, CINAHL, Web of Science, PEDro, LILACS (up to September 2016) and various
      clinical trials registries. We also searched bibliographies of included studies
      for further relevant studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised
      controlled trials where TENS was evaluated in the treatment of central or
      peripheral neuropathic pain. We included studies if they investigated the
      following: TENS versus placebo (sham) TENS, TENS versus usual care, TENS versus
      no treatment and TENS in addition to usual care versus usual care alone in the
      management of neuropathic pain in adults. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two
      review authors independently screened all database search results and identified
      papers requiring full-text assessment. Subsequently, two review authors
      independently applied inclusion/exclusion criteria to these studies. The same
      review authors then independently extracted data, assessed for risk of bias using
      the Cochrane standard tool and rated the quality of evidence using GRADE. MAIN
      RESULTS: We included 15 studies with 724 participants. We found a range of
      treatment protocols in terms of duration of care, TENS application times and
      intensity of application. Briefly, duration of care ranged from four days through
      to three months. Similarly, we found variation of TENS application times; from 15
      minutes up to hourly sessions applied four times daily. We typically found
      intensity of TENS set to comfortable perceptible tingling with very few studies
      titrating the dose to maintain this perception. Of the comparisons, we had
      planned to explore, we were only able to undertake a quantitative synthesis for
      TENS versus sham TENS. Insufficient data and large diversity in the control
      conditions prevented us from undertaking a quantitative synthesis for the
      remaining comparisons.For TENS compared to sham TENS, five studies were suitable
      for pooled analysis. We described the remainder of the studies in narrative form.
      Overall, we judged 11 studies at high risk of bias, and four at unclear risk. Due
      to the small number of eligible studies, the high levels of risk of bias across
      the studies and small sample sizes, we rated the quality of the evidence as very
      low for the pooled analysis and very low individual GRADE rating of outcomes from
      single studies. For the individual studies discussed in narrative form, the
      methodological limitations, quality of reporting and heterogeneous nature of
      interventions compared did not allow for reliable overall estimates of the effect
      of TENS.Five studies (across various neuropathic conditions) were suitable for
      pooled analysis of TENS versus sham TENS investigating change in pain intensity
      using a visual analogue scale. We found a mean postintervention difference in
      effect size favouring TENS of -1.58 (95% confidence interval (CI) -2.08 to -1.09,
      P < 0.00001, n = 207, six comparisons from five studies) (very low quality
      evidence). There was no significant heterogeneity in this analysis. While this
      exceeded our prespecified minimally important difference for pain outcomes, we
      assessed the quality of evidence as very low meaning we have very little
      confidence in this effect estimate and the true effect is likely to be
      substantially different from that reported in this review. Only one study of
      these five investigated health related quality of life as an outcome meaning we
      were unable to report on this outcome in this comparison. Similarly, we were
      unable to report on global impression of change or changes in analgesic use in
      this pooled analysis.Ten small studies compared TENS to some form of usual care.
      However, there was great diversity in what constituted usual care, precluding
      pooling of data. Most of these studies found either no difference in pain
      outcomes between TENS versus other active treatments or favoured the comparator
      intervention (very low quality evidence). We were unable to report on other
      primary and secondary outcomes in these single trials (health-related quality of
      life, global impression of change and changes in analgesic use).Of the 15
      included studies, three reported adverse events which were minor and limited to
      'skin irritation' at or around the site of electrode placement (very low quality
      evidence). Three studies reported no adverse events while the remainder did not
      report any detail with regard adverse events. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In this
      review, we reported on the comparison between TENS and sham TENS. The quality of
      the evidence was very low meaning we were unable to confidently state whether
      TENS is effective for pain control in people with neuropathic pain. The very low
      quality of evidence means we have very limited confidence in the effect estimate
      reported; the true effect is likely to be substantially different. We make
      recommendations with respect to future TENS study designs which may meaningfully
      reduce the uncertainty relating to the effectiveness of this treatment modality.

PMID- 28905363
TI  - How Children Construct Views of Themselves: A Social-Developmental Perspective.
AB  - As they grow up, children construct views of themselves and their place in the
      world, known as their self-concept. This topic has often been addressed by social
      psychologists (studying how the self-concept is influenced by social contexts)
      and developmental psychologists (studying how the self-concept changes over
      time). Yet, relatively little is known about the origins of the self-concept.
      This article calls for research that bridges social and developmental psychology
      to illuminate this important issue. Adopting such a social-developmental
      approach, the current special section shows that children construct their self
      concept based on the social relationships they have, the feedback they receive,
      the social comparisons they make, and the cultural values they endorse. These
      findings underline the deeply social nature of self-development.

PMID- 28905364
TI  - A clinical risk score for pulmonary artery thrombosis during acute chest syndrome
      in adult patients with sickle cell disease.
AB  - Pulmonary artery thrombosis (PAT) is involved in lung vascular dysfunction during
      acute chest syndrome (ACS) complicating sickle cell disease (SCD). No clinical
      score is available to identify patients eligible for multi-detector computed
      tomography (MDCT) angiography during ACS. This retrospective study aimed to
      develop a risk score for PAT during ACS (PAT-ACS risk score). Patients with SCD
      were investigated by MDCT during ACS. A logistic regression was performed to
      determine independent risks factors for PAT and to build the PAT-ACS risk score.
      A total of 43 episodes (11.9%) of PAT were diagnosed in 361 episodes of ACS.
      Multivariate analysis identified four risk factors, which were included in the
      PAT-ACS risk score: a baseline haemoglobin >82 g/l, the lack of a triggering
      factor for ACS, a platelet count >440 * 109 /l and a PaCO2 <38 mmHg at ACS
      diagnosis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the PAT
      ACS risk score was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-0.79) and differed
      from that of the revised Geneva score (0.63 (95% CI 0.58-0.69); P = 0.04). The
      negative predictive value of a PAT-ACS risk score >=2 was 94%. In conclusion, we
      propose a simple clinical risk score to identify SCD patients at high risk of PAT
      during ACS.

PMID- 28905365
TI  - Iron storage in liver, bone marrow and splenic Gaucheroma reflects residual
      disease in type 1 Gaucher disease patients on treatment.
AB  - Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by the storage
      of glycosphingolipids in macrophages. Despite effective therapy, residual disease
      is present in varying degrees and may be associated with late complications, such
      as persistent bone or liver disease and increased cancer risk. Gaucher
      macrophages are capable of storing iron and locations of residual disease may
      thus be detectable with iron imaging. Forty type 1 GD (GD1) patients and 40
      matched healthy controls were examined using a whole-body magnetic resonance
      imaging protocol consisting of standard sequences, allowing analysis of iron
      content per organ, expressed as R2* (Hz). Median R2* values were significantly
      elevated in GD1 patients as compared to healthy controls in liver [41 Hz (range
      29-165) vs. 38 Hz (range 28-53), P < 0.01], femoral bone marrow [54 Hz (range 37
      129) vs. 49 Hz (range 39-69), P = 0.036] and vertebral bone marrow (118 Hz (range
      82-210) vs. 105 Hz (range 76-149), P < 0.01). In the spleen, primarily focal
      Gaucher lesions known as Gaucheroma were found to have increased R2* values. R2*
      values of liver, spleen and vertebral bone marrow strongly correlated with serum
      ferritin levels. GD1 patients with persistent hyperferritinaemia demonstrate
      increased iron levels in liver and bone marrow, which may carry a risk for liver
      fibrosis and cancer.

PMID- 28905366
TI  - The unregulated use of melanotan-II is of public health interest to Australian
      dermatologists.

PMID- 28905368
TI  - Interim FDG-PET has no value in selecting patients who require treatment
      modification in both early- and advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.

PMID- 28905367
TI  - Nursing Care Disparities in Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the variation across neonatal intensive care units
      (NICUs) in missed nursing care in disproportionately black and non-black-serving
      hospitals. To analyze the nursing factors associated with missing nursing care.
      DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Survey of random samples of licensed nurses in four
      large U.S. states. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective, secondary analysis of
      1,037 staff nurses in 134 NICUs classified into three groups based on their
      percent of infants of black race. Measures included the average patient load,
      individual nurses' patient loads, professional nursing characteristics, nurse
      work environment, and nursing care missed on the last shift. DATA COLLECTION:
      Survey data from a Multi-State Nursing Care and Patient Safety Study were
      analyzed (39 percent response rate). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The patient-to-nurse
      ratio was significantly higher in high-black hospitals. Nurses in high-black
      NICUs missed nearly 50 percent more nursing care than in low-black NICUs. Lower
      nurse staffing (an additional patient per nurse) significantly increased the odds
      of missed care, while better practice environments decreased the odds.
      CONCLUSIONS: Nurses in high-black NICUs face inadequate staffing. They are more
      likely to miss required nursing care. Improving staffing and workloads may
      improve the quality of care for the infants born in high-black hospitals.

PMID- 28905369
TI  - TSGA10 is a novel candidate gene associated with acephalic spermatozoa.
AB  - Acephalic spermatozoa is a rare teratozoospermia associated with male
      infertility. However, the pathogenesis of this disorder remains unclear. Here, we
      report a 27 years old infertile male from a consanguineous family, who presented
      with 99% headless sperm in his ejaculate. Electron microscopic and
      immunofluorescence analysis suggested breakage at the midpiece of the patient's
      sperm cells. Subsequent whole-exome sequencing analysis identified a homozygous
      deletion within TSGA10 (c.211delG; p.A71Hfs*12), which resulted in the production
      of truncated TSGA10 protein. TSGA10 is a testis-specific protein that localized
      to the midpiece in the spermatozoa of a normal control; however, immunostaining
      failed to detect TSGA10 protein in the patient's sperm. Western blot analysis
      also showed complete absence of TSGA10 protein in the patient. One cycle of in
      vitro fertilization-assisted reproduction was conducted, but pregnancy was not
      achieved after embryo transfer, possibly due to poor embryo quality. Therefore,
      we speculate that the presence of rare sequence variants within TSGA10 may be
      associated with acephalic spermatozoa in humans.

PMID- 28905370
TI  - Neuromodulation and Devices in Trigeminal Neuralgia.
AB  - PREMISE: Trigeminal neuralgia is a severe facial pain disorder that has been
      studied for decades. Classical trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) is either idiopathic or
      caused by neurovascular compression. The related painful trigeminal neuropathies
      are often secondary to other causes, such as multiple sclerosis or trauma.
      PROBLEM: Therapies for trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathy have often been
      pharmacologic or surgical. Pharmacologic therapies are not effective in some
      cases and often cause side effects, some substantial. Surgery can have
      comorbidity (such as anesthesia dolorosa, or painful differentiation of the
      affected nerve distribution) and also is not always effective. There is a desire,
      as in all chronic conditions, to find effective treatments with minimal morbidity
      and side effects. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS: We review several devices including
      neuromodulation, ranging in invasiveness, for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia
      and neuropathy. We review existing data on sphenopalatine ganglion blocks,
      transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcortical direct stimulation, deep brain
      stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, and
      transcutaneous electrical stimulation for CTN and pain trigeminal neuropathies.
      We also offer hope for further research in this area with the goal of discovering
      a device that can provide treatment for many with few side effects and minimal
      morbidity.

PMID- 28905371
TI  - The Origins of Children's Growth and Fixed Mindsets: New Research and a New
      Proposal.
AB  - Children's mindsets about intelligence (as a quality they can grow vs. a trait
      they cannot change) robustly influence their motivation and achievement. How do
      adults foster "growth mindsets" in children? One might assume that adults act in
      ways that communicate their own mindsets to children. However, new research shows
      that many parents and teachers with growth mindsets are not passing them on. This
      article presents a new perspective on why this is the case, and reviews research
      on adult practices that do instill growth mindsets, concluding that a sustained
      focus on the process of learning is critical. After discussing key implications
      and promising future directions, we consider the topic in the context of
      important societal issues, like high-stakes testing.

PMID- 28905372
TI  - Therapeutic outcomes using subcutaneous low dose alemtuzumab for acquired bone
      marrow failure conditions.

PMID- 28905373
TI  - Interactions between range-expanding tropical fishes and the northern Gulf of
      Mexico red snapper Lutjanus campechanus.
AB  - Experimental investigation of the intensity of potential competitive interactions
      among increasingly abundant tropically-associated grey Lutjanus griseus and lane
      snapper Lutjanus synagris and resident northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) red snapper
      Lutjanus campechanus was undertaken in large outdoor mesocosms. In pair-wise
      interaction trials, compared with L. synagris, L. campechanus demonstrated
      significantly increased roving behaviour and predatory activity. While no
      significant difference in these activities was observed between L. campechanus
      and L. griseus, when all three snappers (Lutjanidae) were grouped together L.
      campechanus swimming activity significantly decreased in the presence of both
      tropically-associated species. Overall, L. campechanus were more active and
      aggressive predators and appear to be competitively resistant to L. griseus and
      L. synagris. As lower latitude species have continued to become increasingly
      prevalent in nGOM habitats and regional warming continues to affect resident reef
      associated fishes, these findings contribute to the assessment of the effects of
      warming-related species shifts upon nGOM fishes and document current partial
      resilience of L. campechanus to climate-related expansions of tropical
      confamilials.

PMID- 28905374
TI  - Heat and moisture exchangers versus heated humidifiers for mechanically
      ventilated adults and children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invasive ventilation is used to assist or replace breathing when a
      person is unable to breathe adequately on their own. Because the upper airway is
      bypassed during mechanical ventilation, the respiratory system is no longer able
      to warm and moisten inhaled gases, potentially causing additional breathing
      problems in people who already require assisted breathing. To prevent these
      problems, gases are artificially warmed and humidified. There are two main forms
      of humidification, heat and moisture exchangers (HME) or heated humidifiers (HH).
      Both are associated with potential benefits and advantages but it is unclear
      whether HME or HH are more effective in preventing some of the negative outcomes
      associated with mechanical ventilation. This review was originally published in
      2010 and updated in 2017. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether heat and moisture
      exchangers or heated humidifiers are more effective in preventing complications
      in people receiving invasive mechanical ventilation and to identify whether the
      age group of participants, length of humidification, type of HME, and ventilation
      delivered through a tracheostomy had an effect on these findings. SEARCH METHODS:
      We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase
      and CINAHL up to May 2017 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and
      reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews. There were no language
      limitations. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included RCTs comparing HMEs to HHs in adults
      and children receiving invasive ventilation. We included randomized cross-over
      studies. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We assessed the quality of each study and
      extracted the relevant data. Where possible, we analysed data through meta
      analysis. For dichotomous outcomes, we calculated the risk ratio (RR) and 95%
      confidence interval (95% CI). For continuous outcomes, we calculated the mean
      difference (MD) and 95% CI or standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI for
      parallel studies. For cross-over trials, we calculated the MD and 95% CI using
      correlation estimates to correct for paired analyses. We aimed to conduct
      subgroup analyses based on the age group of participants, how long they received
      humidification, type of HME and whether ventilation was delivered through a
      tracheostomy. We also conducted sensitivity analysis to identify whether the
      quality of trials had an effect on meta-analytic findings. MAIN RESULTS: We
      included 34 trials with 2848 participants; 26 studies were parallel-group design
      (2725 participants) and eight used a cross-over design (123 participants). Only
      three included studies reported data for infants or children. Two further studies
      (76 participants) are awaiting classification.There was no overall statistical
      difference in artificial airway occlusion (RR 1.59, 95% CI 0.60 to 4.19;
      participants = 2171; studies = 15; I2 = 54%), mortality (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.89 to
      1.20; participants = 1951; studies = 12; I2 = 0%) or pneumonia (RR 0.93, 95% CI
      0.73 to 1.19; participants = 2251; studies = 13; I2 = 27%). There was some
      evidence that hydrophobic HMEs may reduce the risk of pneumonia compared to HHs
      (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.82; participants = 469; studies = 3; I2 = 0%)..The
      overall GRADE quality of evidence was low. Although the overall methodological
      risk of bias was generally unclear for selection and detection bias and low risk
      for follow-up, the selection of study participants who were considered suitable
      for HME and in some studies removing participants from the HME group made the
      findings of this review difficult to generalize. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The
      available evidence suggests no difference between HMEs and HHs on the primary
      outcomes of airway blockages, pneumonia and mortality. However, the overall low
      quality of this evidence makes it difficult to be confident about these findings.
      Further research is needed to compare HMEs to HHs, particularly in paediatric and
      neonatal populations, but research is also needed to more effectively compare
      different types of HME to each other as well as different types of HH.

PMID- 28905375
TI  - Elemental turnover rates and trophic discrimination in juvenile Lebranche mullet
      Mugil liza under experimental conditions.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the isotopic-turnover rate (RIT ) and
      trophic-discrimination factor (FTD ) in muscle tissues of Lebranche mullet Mugil
      liza fed an experimental diet (delta13 C = -27.10/00; delta15 N = 1.00/00).
      Juvenile M. liza exhibited a relatively fast RIT , with a half-life (t50 ) of
      only 16 and 14 days for delta13 C and delta15 N respectively and a nearly
      complete isotopic turnover (t95 ) of 68 and 60 days for delta13 C and delta15 N.

PMID- 28905376
TI  - HIV and Headache: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The head and neck are the second most common locations for pain
      among HIV-positive individuals. Most studies were conducted among HIV patients at
      an advanced stage of the disease. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study.
      Patients with HIV and CD4+ T lymphocyte counts >500 were included. Semi
      structured interview, the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), and the Hospital Anxiety
      and Depression Scale were used. RESULTS: Of the 119 cases included, 63% were men.
      The mean age was 35.5 +/- 10.4 years. Among the patients, 103 (87%) had
      headaches, 53 (45%) had migraines, 50 (42%) had tension-type headaches, and 53
      (45%) had substantial and severe impact of headaches. Eleven patients had
      headaches that started after they had been diagnosed with HIV. These patients had
      more migraines (72% vs 43%; P < 0.05), greater intensity (8 +/- 2 vs 6 +/- 2; P <
      0.01), and impact (HIT-6: 60 +/- 11 vs 51 +/- 12; P = 0.02) of headaches compared
      to others HIV patients. There were no correlations between CD4 counts and the
      intensity, frequency, or impact of headaches. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-positive patients
      had a high frequency of headaches, which had a great impact on patients' lives.
      The pattern most often found was migraine. There was no correlation between CD4
      counts and the severity of headaches.

PMID- 28905377
TI  - Implementation challenges and outcomes of a randomized controlled pilot study of
      a group prenatal care model in Malawi and Tanzania.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify implementation challenges associated with conducting a
      randomized controlled trial (RCT) of group prenatal care (PNC) and report
      outcomes of the pilot. METHODS: A multi-site randomized pilot was conducted in
      Malawi and Tanzania between July 31, 2014, and June 30, 2015. Women aged at least
      16 years with a pregnancy of 20-24 weeks were randomly assigned using sealed
      envelopes (1:1) to individual or group PNC. Structured interviews were conducted
      at baseline, in the third trimester and 6-8 weeks after delivery. The primary
      outcomes were attendance at four PNC visits and attendance at the 6-week
      postnatal visit. RESULTS: The pilot showed that an RCT with individual
      randomization can be conducted in these two low-resource settings. Significantly
      more women in group PNC than in individual PNC completed at least four PNC visits
      (96/102 [94.1%] vs 53/91 [58.2%]) and attended the postnatal visit (76/102
      [74.5%] vs 45/90 [50.0%]; both P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Group PNC was feasible and
      associated with an increase in healthcare utilization and improved outcomes in
      Malawi and Tanzania. Lessons learned should be considered when designing large
      RCTs to determine efficacy. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02999334.

PMID- 28905378
TI  - Do Reduced Hospital Mortality Rates Lead to Increased Utilization of Inpatient
      Emergency Care? A Population-Based Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To measure the impact of the improvement in hospital survival rates
      on patients' subsequent utilization of unplanned (emergency) admissions. DATA
      SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Unplanned admissions occurring in all acute hospitals of
      the National Health Service in England between 2000 and 2009, including 286,027
      hip fractures, 375,880 AMI, 387,761 strokes, and 9,966,246 any cause admissions.
      STUDY DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort study. Unplanned admissions
      experienced by patients within 28 days, 1 year, and 2 years of discharge from the
      index admission are modeled as a function of hospital risk-adjusted survival
      rates using patient-level probit and negative binomial models. Identification is
      also supported by an instrumental variable approach and placebo test. PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: The improvement in hospital survival rates that occurred between 2000
      and 2009 explains 37.3 percent of the total increment in unplanned admissions
      observed over the same period. One extra patient surviving increases the expected
      number of subsequent admissions occurring within 1 year from discharge by 1.9
      admissions for every 100 index admissions (0.019 per admission, 95% CI, 0.016
      0.022). Similar results in hip fracture (0.006[0.004-0.007]), AMI (0.006[0.04
      0.007]), and stroke (0.004(0.003-0.005)). CONCLUSIONS: The success of hospitals
      in improving survival from unplanned admissions can be an important contributory
      factor to the increase in subsequent admissions.

PMID- 28905379
TI  - A new species of Pomatoschistus (Teleostei, Gobiidae): the Mediterranean's
      smallest marine fish.
AB  - The new sand goby species Pomatoschistus nanus (Teleostei: Gobiidae) is described
      from the northern coast of the Levantine Sea (eastern Mediterranean Sea) based on
      both morphological and DNA barcoding data. The new species is the smallest fish
      in the Mediterranean Sea and may be distinguished from congeners by the following
      features: predorsal area, first dorsal-fin base and breast naked; delta-pore
      missing; anterior point of the suborbital row b not reaching level of posterior
      point of suborbital row d; slightly emarginated caudal fin and nape coloration
      pattern. DNA barcode data clearly discriminate Pomatoschistus spp. in the
      neighbour-joining tree with an average of 17.7% interspecific K2P distance. The
      most closely related taxon to P. nanus sp. nov. is Pomatoschistus bathi and the
      most distantly related is Pomatoschistus tortonesei with 11.9 and 21.9% K2P
      distances respectively. Morphometric and genetic data are also provided for
      Pomatoschistus bathi.

PMID- 28905380
TI  - Enhancing blood donor skin disinfection using natural oils.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effective donor skin disinfection is essential in preventing
      bacterial contamination of blood components with skin flora bacteria like
      Staphylococcus epidermidis. Cell aggregates of S. epidermidis (biofilms) are
      found on the skin and are resistant to the commonly used donor skin disinfectants
      chlorhexidine-gluconate and isopropyl alcohol. It has been demonstrated that
      essential oils synergistically enhance the antibacterial activity of
      chlorhexidine-gluconate. The objective of this study was to test plant-extracted
      essential oils in combination with chlorhexidine-gluconate or chlorhexidine
      gluconate plus isopropyl alcohol for their ability to eliminate S. epidermidis
      biofilms. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The composition of oils extracted from
      Artemisia herba-alba, Lavandula multifida, Origanum marjoram, Rosmarinus
      officinalis, and Thymus capitatus was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry. A rabbit model was used to assess skin irritation caused by the
      oils. In addition, the anti-biofilm activity of the oils used alone or in
      combination with chlorhexidine-gluconate or chlorhexidine-gluconate plus
      isopropyl alcohol was tested against S. epidermidis biofilms. RESULTS: Essential
      oil concentrations 10%, 20%, and 30% were chosen for anti-biofilm assays, because
      skin irritation was observed at concentrations greater than 30%. All oils except
      for O. marjoram had anti-biofilm activity at these three concentrations. L.
      multifida synergistically enhanced the anti-biofilm activity of chlorhexidine
      gluconate and resulted in the highest anti-biofilm activity observed when
      combined with chlorhexidine-gluconate plus isopropyl alcohol. Gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry revealed that the main component contributing to the activity
      of L. multifida oil was a natural terpene alcohol called linalool. CONCLUSION:
      The anti-biofilm activity of chlorhexidine-gluconate plus isopropyl alcohol can
      be greatly enhanced by L. multifida oil or linalool. Therefore, these components
      could potentially be used to improve blood donor skin disinfection.

PMID- 28905381
TI  - False-positive pregnancy test after transfusion of solvent/detergent-treated
      plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transmission of pathogens, antibodies, and proteins is a possible
      consequence of blood product transfusion. A female patient had an unexpected
      positive serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin result, indicative of pregnancy,
      after she had received a transfusion with 1 unit of platelet concentrate, 4 units
      of red blood cells, and 4 units of pooled solvent/detergent-treated plasma
      (Octaplas). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To investigate the possibility of passive
      transfusion of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin from the plasma transfusion, one
      additional unit from the same batch was thawed and analyzed. To validate the beta
      human chorionic gonadotropin assay for use in solvent/detergent-treated plasma
      and to investigate any interference in the assay, dilution experiments were
      performed using the implicated plasma batch diluted with male and non-pregnant
      female sera. Also, plasma from a known pregnant woman was diluted with Octaplas
      (tested negative for beta-human chorionic gonadotropin) and with a male serum to
      validate the assay for use in solvent/detergent-treated plasma. RESULTS: The
      implicated solvent/detergent-treated plasma had a mean beta-human chorionic
      gonadotropin level of 91.5 mIU/mL. Results from the dilution experiments revealed
      an excellent correlation (r > 0.99) between beta-human chorionic gonadotropin
      measurement in solvent/detergent-treated plasma and male serum and no over or
      under recovery of the expected results. Further measurements of beta-human
      chorionic gonadotropin levels in the female recipient revealed an estimated half
      life of 6 hours. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates the importance of considering
      the possibility of passive transmission of analytes to a patient from the
      transfusion of blood products. Furthermore, the measurement of beta-human
      chorionic gonadotropin is valid in solvent/detergent-treated plasma using a Roche
      Cobas analyzer.

PMID- 28905382
TI  - A new sexually dichromatic miniature Hyphessobrycon (Teleostei: Characiformes:
      Characidae) from the Rio Formiga, upper Rio Juruena basin, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
      with a review of sexual dichromatism in Characiformes.
AB  - Hyphessobrycon myrmex sp. nov., is described from the Rio Formiga, upper Rio
      Juruena, upper Rio Tapajos basin, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The new species can be
      distinguished from congeners by having the lower half of the body deeply
      pigmented with dark chromatophores, chromatophores concentrated above the anal
      fin and forming a broad, diffuse, dark midlateral stripe and by having a dense
      concentration of dark chromatophores along unbranched dorsal-fin rays and distal
      portions of the two or three subsequent branched rays. In life, H. myrmex
      exhibits a conspicuous sexual dichromatism, with adult males red to orange and
      females and immatures pale yellow. A list containing 108 sexually dichromatic
      taxa in six families of Characiformes is provided and the distribution of this
      poorly known type of dimorphism across the Characiformes is discussed.

PMID- 28905383
TI  - Leukoencephalopathy-causing CLCN2 mutations are associated with impaired Cl-
      channel function and trafficking.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Characterisation of most mutations found in CLCN2 in patients with
      CC2L leukodystrophy show that they cause a reduction in function of the chloride
      channel ClC-2. GlialCAM, a regulatory subunit of ClC-2 in glial cells and
      involved in the leukodystrophy megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with
      subcortical cysts (MLC), increases the activity of a ClC-2 mutant by affecting
      ClC-2 gating and by stabilising the mutant at the plasma membrane. The
      stabilisation of ClC-2 at the plasma membrane by GlialCAM depends on its
      localisation at cell-cell junctions. The membrane protein MLC1, which is
      defective in MLC, also contributes to the stabilisation of ClC-2 at the plasma
      membrane, providing further support for the view that GlialCAM, MLC1 and ClC-2
      form a protein complex in glial cells. ABSTRACT: Mutations in CLCN2 have been
      recently identified in patients suffering from a type of leukoencephalopathy
      involving intramyelinic oedema. Here, we characterised most of these mutations
      that reduce the function of the chloride channel ClC-2 and impair its plasma
      membrane (PM) expression. Detailed biochemical and electrophysiological analyses
      of the Ala500Val mutation revealed that defective gating and increased cellular
      and PM turnover contributed to defective A500V-ClC-2 functional expression. Co
      expression of the adhesion molecule GlialCAM, which forms a tertiary complex with
      ClC-2 and megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts 1 (MLC1),
      rescued the functional expression of the mutant by modifying its gating
      properties. GlialCAM also restored the PM levels of the channel by impeding its
      turnover at the PM. This rescue required ClC-2 localisation to cell-cell
      junctions, since a GlialCAM mutant with compromised junctional localisation
      failed to rescue the impaired stability of mutant ClC-2 at the PM. Wild-type, but
      not mutant, ClC-2 was also stabilised by MLC1 overexpression. We suggest that
      leukodystrophy-causing CLCN2 mutations reduce the functional expression of ClC-2,
      which is partly counteracted by GlialCAM/MLC1-mediated increase in the gating and
      stability of the channel.

PMID- 28905384
TI  - Heteromeric alpha/beta glycine receptors regulate excitability in parvalbumin
      expressing dorsal horn neurons through phasic and tonic glycinergic inhibition.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Spinal parvalbumin-expressing interneurons have been identified as a
      critical source of inhibition to regulate sensory thresholds by gating mechanical
      inputs in the dorsal horn. This study assessed the inhibitory regulation of the
      parvalbumin-expressing interneurons, showing that synaptic and tonic glycinergic
      currents dominate, blocking neuronal or glial glycine transporters enhances tonic
      glycinergic currents, and these manipulations reduce excitability. Synaptically
      released glycine also enhanced tonic glycinergic currents and resulted in
      decreased parvalbumin-expressing interneuron excitability. Analysis of the
      glycine receptor properties mediating inhibition of parvalbumin neurons, as well
      as single channel recordings, indicates that heteromeric alpha/beta subunit
      containing receptors underlie both synaptic and tonic glycinergic currents. Our
      findings indicate that glycinergic inhibition provides critical control of
      excitability in parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in the dorsal horn and
      represents a pharmacological target to manipulate spinal sensory processing.
      ABSTRACT: The dorsal horn (DH) of the spinal cord is an important site for
      modality-specific processing of sensory information and is essential for
      contextually relevant sensory experience. Parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory
      interneurons (PV+ INs) have functional properties and connectivity that enables
      them to segregate tactile and nociceptive information. Here we examine inhibitory
      drive to PV+ INs using targeted patch-clamp recording in spinal cord slices from
      adult transgenic mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein in PV+ INs.
      Analysis of inhibitory synaptic currents showed glycinergic transmission is the
      dominant form of phasic inhibition to PV+ INs. In addition, PV+ INs expressed
      robust glycine-mediated tonic currents; however, we found no evidence for tonic
      GABAergic currents. Manipulation of extracellular glycine by blocking either, or
      both, the glial and neuronal glycine transporters markedly decreased PV+ IN
      excitability, as assessed by action potential discharge. This decreased
      excitability was replicated when tonic glycinergic currents were increased by
      electrically activating glycinergic synapses. Finally, we show that both phasic
      and tonic forms of glycinergic inhibition are mediated by heteromeric alpha/beta
      glycine receptors. This differs from GABAA receptors in the dorsal horn, where
      different receptor stoichiometries underlie phasic and tonic inhibition. Together
      these data suggest both phasic and tonic glycinergic inhibition regulate the
      output of PV+ INs and contribute to the processing and segregation of tactile and
      nociceptive information. The shared stoichiometry for phasic and tonic glycine
      receptors suggests pharmacology is unlikely to be able to selectively target each
      form of inhibition in PV+ INs.

PMID- 28905385
TI  - Synthetic breast phantoms from patient based eigenbreasts.
AB  - PURPOSE: The limited number of 3D patient-based breast phantoms available could
      be augmented by synthetic breast phantoms in order to facilitate virtual clinical
      trials (VCTs) using model observers for breast imaging optimization and
      evaluation. METHODS: These synthetic breast phantoms were developed using
      Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce the number of dimensions needed to
      describe a training set of images. PCA decomposed a training set of M breast CT
      volumes (with millions of voxels each) into an M-1-dimensional space of
      eigenvectors, which we call eigenbreasts. Each of the training breast phantoms
      was compactly represented by the mean image plus a weighted sum of eigenbreasts.
      The distribution of weights observed from training was then sampled to create new
      synthesized breast phantoms. RESULTS: The resulting synthesized breast phantoms
      demonstrated a high degree of realism, as supported by an observer study. Two out
      of three experienced physicist observers were unable to distinguish between the
      synthesized breast phantoms and the patient-based phantoms. The fibroglandular
      density and noise power law exponent of the synthesized breast phantoms agreed
      well with the training data. CONCLUSIONS: Our method extends our series of
      digital breast phantoms based on breast CT data, providing the capability to
      generate new, statistically varying ensembles consisting of tens of thousands of
      virtual subjects. This work represents an important step toward conducting future
      virtual trials for task-based assessment of breast imaging, where it is vital to
      have a large ensemble of realistic phantoms for statistical power as well as
      clinical relevance.

PMID- 28905386
TI  - Squalus bassi sp. nov., a new long-snouted spurdog (Chondrichthyes: Squaliformes:
      Squalidae) from the Agulhas Bank.
AB  - The long-snouted African spurdog Squalus bassi sp. nov. is described based on
      material collected from the outer shelf and upper continental slope off South
      Africa and Mozambique. Squalus bassi shares with S. mitsukurii, S. montalbani, S.
      chloroculus, S. grahami, S. griffini, S. edmundsi, S. quasimodo and S. lobularis
      a large snout with prenarial length greater than distance between nostrils and
      upper labial furrows, dermal denticles tricuspidate and rhomboid and elevated
      number of vertebrae. Squalus bassi can be distinguished from all its congeners by
      a combination of body and fin colouration, external morphometrics, vertebral
      counts and shape of dermal denticles. Similar long-snouted congeners from the
      Indo-Pacific region, including S. montalbani, S. edmundsi and S. lalannei are
      compared in detail with the new species. This new species has been misidentified
      as the Japanese S. mitsukurii and the Mediterranean S. blainvillei due to the
      lack of comparative morphological analyses. The validity of the nominal species
      S. mitsukurii in the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean and western Indian Ocean is
      also clarified herein, indicating it has a more restricted geographical
      distribution in the North Pacific Ocean.

PMID- 28905387
TI  - Management of Leigh syndrome: Current status and new insights.
AB  - Leigh syndrome (LS) is an inherited mitochondrial encephalopathy associated with
      gene mutations of oxidative phosphorylation pathway that result in early
      disability and death in affected young children. Currently, LS is incurable and
      unresponsive to many treatments, although some case reports indicate that
      supplements can improve the condition. Many novel therapies are being
      continuously tested in pre-clinical studies. In this review, we summarize the
      genetic basis of LS, current treatment, pre-clinical studies in animal models and
      the management of other mitochondrial diseases. Future therapeutical strategies
      and challenges are also discussed.

PMID- 28905388
TI  - Alcohol and Road Traffic Injuries in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Case
      Crossover Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study reports dose-response estimates for the odds ratio (OR)
      and population attributable risk of acute alcohol use and road traffic injury
      (RTI). METHODS: Data were analyzed on 1,119 RTI patients arriving at 16 emergency
      departments (EDs) in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
      Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago. Case
      crossover analysis, pair-matching the number of standard drinks consumed within
      the 6 hours prior to the RTI with 2 control periods (prior d/wk), was performed
      using fractional polynomial analysis for dose-response. RESULTS: About 1 in 6 RTI
      patients in EDs were positive for self-reported alcohol 6 hours prior to the
      injury (country range 8.6 to 24.1%). The likelihood of an RTI with any drinking
      prior (compared to not drinking) was 5 times higher (country range OR 2.50 to
      15.00) and the more a person drinks the higher the risk. Every drink (12.8 g
      alcohol) increased the risk of an RTI by 13%, even 1 to 2 drinks were associated
      with a sizable increase in risk of an RTI and a dose-response was found.
      Differences in ORs for drivers (OR = 3.51; 95% CI = 2.25 to 5.45), passengers (OR
      = 8.12; 95% CI = 4.22 to 15.61), and pedestrians (OR = 6.30; 95% CI = 3.14 to
      12.64) and attributable fractions were noted. Acute use of alcohol was
      attributable to 14% of all RTIs, varying from 7% for females to 19% for being
      injured as a passenger. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that the presence of alcohol
      increases risk among drivers and nondrivers alike may further help to urge
      interventions targeting passengers and pedestrians. Routine screening and brief
      interventions in all health services could also have a beneficial impact in
      decreasing rates of RTIs. Higher priority should be given to alcohol as a risk
      factor for RTIs, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PMID- 28905389
TI  - The first reported case of concurrent trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-induced
      immune hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia (DIIHA) and drug-induced immune
      thrombocytopenia (DIIT) are rare but dangerous complications of pharmacotherapy
      that may be underrecognized in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients
      due to overlap of signs and symptoms with those of more common disease processes.
      CASE REPORT: A 61-year-old woman with NK-cell deficiency and GATA-2-associated
      myelodysplastic syndrome, status post-recent allogeneic HSCT (Day +58), presented
      with 3 days of acute-onset severe back pain, muscle cramps, and increasingly dark
      urine. She was found to be anemic, thrombocytopenic, and in acute renal failure.
      On admission, the direct antiglobulin test was positive for complement (C3) only.
      After careful review of her medication list, the possibility of DIIHA was raised.
      She had started taking trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for Pneumocystis
      jiroveci pneumonia prophylaxis 24 days prior on a weekend dose schedule.
      Serologic tests on peripheral blood samples were performed using standard
      methods. Drug studies were performed at an immunohematology reference laboratory.
      RESULTS: The patient's serum showed hemolysis of donor red blood cells in the
      presence of TMP-SMX and also TMP-SMX-induced platelet antibodies. The patient was
      treated with transfusions, hemodialysis, and immunosuppressive agents. Her
      clinical condition improved and she was discharged after 8 days in stable
      condition. CONCLUSION: This case describes the first reported concurrent DIIHA
      and DIIT due to TMP-SMX-induced antibodies in an HSCT patient. DIIHA and DIIT can
      present a diagnostic challenge in the setting of intermittent medication dosing.

PMID- 28905390
TI  - Validation of the Gatortail method for accurate sizing of pulmonary vessels from
      3D medical images.
AB  - PURPOSE: Detailed characterization of changes in vessel size is crucial for the
      diagnosis and management of a variety of vascular diseases. Because clinical
      measurement of vessel size is typically dependent on the radiologist's subjective
      interpretation of the vessel borders, it is often prone to high inter- and intra
      user variability. Automatic methods of vessel sizing have been developed for two
      dimensional images but a fully three-dimensional (3D) method suitable for vessel
      sizing from volumetric X-ray computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance
      imaging has heretofore not been demonstrated and validated robustly. METHODS: In
      this paper, we refined and objectively validated Gatortail, a method that creates
      a mathematical geometric 3D model of each branch in a vascular tree, simulates
      the appearance of the virtual vascular tree in a 3D CT image, and uses the
      similarity of the simulated image to a patient's CT scan to drive the
      optimization of the model parameters, including vessel size, to match that of the
      patient. The method was validated with a 2-dimensional virtual tree structure
      under deformation, and with a realistic 3D-printed vascular phantom in which the
      diameter of 64 branches were manually measured 3 times each. The phantom was then
      scanned on a conventional clinical CT imaging system and the images processed
      with the in-house software to automatically segment and mathematically model the
      vascular tree, label each branch, and perform the Gatortail optimization of
      branch size and trajectory. Previously proposed methods of vessel sizing using
      matched Gaussian filters and tubularity metrics were also tested. The Gatortail
      method was then demonstrated on the pulmonary arterial tree segmented from a
      human volunteer's CT scan. RESULTS: The standard deviation of the difference
      between the manually measured and Gatortail-based radii in the 3D physical
      phantom was 0.074 mm (0.087 in-plane pixel units for image voxels of dimension
      0.85 * 0.85 * 1.0 mm) over the 64 branches, representing vessel diameters ranging
      from 1.2 to 7 mm. The linear regression fit gave a slope of 1.056 and an R2 value
      of 0.989. These three metrics reflect superior agreement of the radii estimates
      relative to previously published results over all sizes tested. Sizing via
      matched Gaussian filters resulted in size underestimates of >33% over all three
      test vessels, while the tubularity-metric matching exhibited a sizing uncertainty
      of >50%. In the human chest CT data set, the vessel voxel intensity profiles with
      and without branch model optimization showed excellent agreement and improvement
      in the objective measure of image similarity. CONCLUSIONS: Gatortail has been
      demonstrated to be an automated, objective, accurate and robust method for sizing
      of vessels in 3D non-invasively from chest CT scans. We anticipate that
      Gatortail, an image-based approach to automatically compute estimates of blood
      vessel radii and trajectories from 3D medical images, will facilitate future
      quantitative evaluation of vascular response to disease and environmental insult
      and improve understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying vascular
      disease processes.

PMID- 28905391
TI  - Vox Sanguinis International Forum on provision of granulocytes for transfusion
      and their clinical use: summary.

PMID- 28905392
TI  - Cryopreserved platelets demonstrate reduced activation responses and impaired
      signaling after agonist stimulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Room temperature-stored (20-24 degrees C) platelets (PLTs) have a
      shelf life of 5 days, making it logistically challenging to supply remote medical
      centers with PLT products. Cryopreservation of PLTs in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)
      and storage at -80 degrees C enables an extended shelf life up to 2 years.
      Although cryopreserved PLTs have been widely characterized under resting
      conditions, their ability to undergo agonist-induced activation is yet to be
      fully explored. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Buffy coat PLTs were cryopreserved at 
      80 degrees C with 5% to 6% DMSO and sampled before freezing and after thawing.
      PLTs were analyzed under resting conditions and after agonist stimulation with
      adenosine diphosphate, collagen, or thrombin receptor-activating peptide-6. The
      expression of activation markers, microparticle formation, and calcium
      mobilization were analyzed by flow cytometry. Soluble PLT proteins present in the
      PLT supernatant were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Protein
      phosphorylation was investigated with Western blotting. RESULTS: After
      cryopreservation, PLTs displayed increased surface activation markers and higher
      basal calcium levels. Cryopreserved PLTs demonstrated diminished aggregation
      responses. Additionally, cryopreserved PLTs showed a limited ability to become
      activated (as measured by CD62P and phosphatidylserine exposure and cytokine
      release) after agonist stimulation. A reduction in the abundance and
      phosphorylation of key signaling proteins (Akt, Src, Lyn, ERK, and p38) was seen
      in cryopreserved PLTs. CONCLUSIONS: Cryopreservation of PLTs induces dramatic
      changes to the basal PLT phenotype and renders them largely nonresponsive to
      agonist stimulation, likely due to the alterations in signal transduction.
      Therefore, further efforts are required to understand how cryopreserved PLTs
      achieve their hemostatic effect once transfused.

PMID- 28905393
TI  - PET motion correction in context of integrated PET/MR: Current techniques,
      limitations, and future projections.
AB  - Patient motion is an important consideration in modern PET image reconstruction.
      Advances in PET technology mean motion has an increasingly important influence on
      resulting image quality. Motion-induced artifacts can have adverse effects on
      clinical outcomes, including missed diagnoses and oversized radiotherapy
      treatment volumes. This review aims to summarize the wide variety of motion
      correction techniques available in PET and combined PET/CT and PET/MR, with a
      focus on the latter. A general framework for the motion correction of PET images
      is presented, consisting of acquisition, modeling, and correction stages. Methods
      for measuring, modeling, and correcting motion and associated artifacts, both in
      literature and commercially available, are presented, and their relative merits
      are contrasted. Identified limitations of current methods include modeling of
      aperiodic and/or unpredictable motion, attaining adequate temporal resolution for
      motion correction in dynamic kinetic modeling acquisitions, and maintaining
      availability of the MR in PET/MR scans for diagnostic acquisitions. Finally,
      avenues for future investigation are discussed, with a focus on improvements that
      could improve PET image quality, and that are practical in the clinical
      environment.

PMID- 28905394
TI  - Neutron damage induced in cardiovascular implantable electronic devices from a
      clinical 18 MV photon beam: A Monte Carlo study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to quantify the relative neutron damage
      induced in CIEDs from clinical 18 MV photon beams for varying field sizes,
      depths, and off axis distances. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Damage was assessed using
      silicon damage response functions and ICRP neutron dose conversion factors in
      MCNPX. Particular attention was devoted to the modelling of the Varian 2100C/D
      linear accelerator to ensure accurate contamination neutron spectra. Neutron
      dose, fluence and relative damage to CIEDs was calculated. RESULTS: CIED damage
      from neutrons is related to the neutron dose rather than the neutron fluence. As
      field size increases, the region of high damage probability extends to a greater
      distance beyond the edge of the field than with smaller fields. At a distance
      greater than 50 cm or from the central axis or a depth deeper than 10 cm, the
      probability of damage is less than 10% of the central axis damage probability for
      all field sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically, increasing the depth or the distance
      from the central axis to the CIED will reduce the probability of damage from
      neutrons. Care must be taken when treating large fields as the overall
      probability of damage increase as does the distance the higher probability of
      damage extends beyond the field edge.

PMID- 28905395
TI  - St. Louis encephalitis virus possibly transmitted through blood transfusion
      Arizona, 2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: St. Louis encephalitis virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that
      infrequently causes epidemic central nervous system infections. In the United
      States, blood donors are not screened for St. Louis encephalitis virus infection,
      and transmission through blood transfusion has not been reported. During
      September 2015, St. Louis encephalitis virus infection was confirmed in an
      Arizona kidney transplant recipient. An investigation was initiated to determine
      the infection source. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The patient was interviewed, and
      medical records were reviewed. To determine the likelihood of mosquito-borne
      infection, mosquito surveillance data collected at patient and blood donor
      residences in timeframes consistent with their possible exposure periods were
      reviewed. To investigate other routes of exposure, organ and blood donor and
      recipient specimens were obtained and tested for evidence of St. Louis
      encephalitis virus infection. RESULTS: The patient presented with symptoms of
      central nervous system infection. Recent St. Louis encephalitis virus infection
      was serologically confirmed. The organ donor and three other organ recipients
      showed no laboratory or clinical evidence of St. Louis encephalitis virus
      infection. Among four donors of blood products received by the patient via
      transfusion, one donor had a serologically confirmed, recent St. Louis
      encephalitis virus infection. Exposure to an infected mosquito was unlikely based
      on the patient's minimal outdoor exposure. In addition, no St. Louis encephalitis
      virus-infected mosquito pools were identified around the patient's residence.
      CONCLUSION: This investigation provides evidence of the first reported possible
      case of St. Louis encephalitis virus transmission through blood product
      transfusion. Health care providers and public health professionals should
      maintain heightened awareness for St. Louis encephalitis virus transmission
      through blood transfusion in settings where outbreaks are identified.

PMID- 28905396
TI  - Vox Sanguinis International Forum on provision of granulocytes for transfusion
      and their clinical use.

PMID- 28905397
TI  - Alcohol Advertising in Magazines and Underage Readership: Are Underage Youth
      Disproportionately Exposed?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The question of whether underage youth are disproportionately exposed
      to alcohol advertising lies at the heart of the public health debate about
      whether restrictions on alcohol advertising are warranted. The aim of this study
      was to determine whether alcohol brands popular among underage (ages 12 to 20
      years) drinkers ("underage brands") are more likely than others ("other brands")
      to advertise in magazines with high underage readerships. METHODS: We analyze the
      advertising of 680 alcohol brands in 49 magazines between 2006 and 2011. Using a
      random effects probit model, we examine the relationship between a magazine's
      underage readership and the probability of an underage or other brand advertising
      in a magazine, controlling for young adult (ages 21 to 29 years) and total
      readerships, advertising costs and expenditures, and readership demographics.
      RESULTS: We find that underage brands are more likely than other brands to
      advertise in magazines with a higher percentage of underage readers. Holding all
      other variables constant at their sample means, the probability of an "other"
      brand advertising in a magazine remains essentially constant over the range of
      underage readership from 0.010 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.007 to 0.013) at
      5% to 0.012 (95% CI, 0.008 to 0.016) at 35%. In contrast, the probability of an
      underage brand advertising nearly quadruples, ranging from 0.025 (95% CI, 0.015
      to 0.035) to 0.096 (95% CI, 0.057 to 0.135), where underage brands are 7.90 (95%
      CI, 3.89 to 11.90) times more likely than other brands to advertise. CONCLUSIONS:
      Alcohol brands popular among underage drinkers are more likely than other brands
      to advertise in magazines with high underage readerships, resulting in the
      disproportionate exposure of underage youth. Current voluntary advertising
      industry guidelines are not adequate to protect underage youth from high and
      disproportionate exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines. To limit
      advertising exposure among underage youth, policy makers may want to consider
      regulation of alcohol advertising in magazines.

PMID- 28905398
TI  - Mitigation of acidified salmon rivers - effects of liming on young brown trout
      Salmo trutta.
AB  - In southern Norway, 22 acidified rivers supporting anadromous salmonids were
      mitigated with lime to improve water quality and restore fish populations. In 13
      of these rivers, effects on Salmo trutta and Salmo salar densities were monitored
      over 10-12 years, grouped into age 0 and age >= 1 year fish. These rivers had a
      mean annual discharge of between 4.9 and 85.5 m3  s-1 , and six of them were
      regulated for hydro-power production. Salmo salar were lost in six of these
      rivers prior to liming, and highly reduced in the remaining seven rivers. Post
      liming, S. salar became re-established in all six rivers with lost populations,
      and recovered in the seven other rivers. Salmo trutta occurred in all 13 study
      rivers prior to liming. Despite the improved water quality, both age 0 and age >=
      1 year S. trutta densities decreased as S. salar density increased, with an
      average reduction of >50% after 10 years of liming. For age 0 year S. trutta this
      effect was less strong in rivers where S. salar were present prior to liming. In
      contrast, densities of S. trutta increased in unlimed streams above the
      anadromous stretches in two of the rivers following improved water quality due to
      natural recovery. Density increases of both age 0 and age >= 1 year S. salar
      showed a positive effect of river discharge. The results suggest that the decline
      in S. trutta density after liming is related to interspecific resource
      competition due to the recovery of S. salar. Thus, improved water quality through
      liming may not only sustain susceptible species, but can have a negative effect
      on species that are more tolerant prior to the treatment, such as S. trutta.

PMID- 28905399
TI  - Microdosimetric measurements of a clinical proton beam with micrometer-sized
      solid-state detector.
AB  - PURPOSE: Microdosimetry is a vital tool for assessing the microscopic patterns of
      energy deposition by radiation, which ultimately govern biological effect. Solid
      state, silicon-on-insulator microdosimeters offer an approach for making
      microdosimetric measurements with high spatial resolution (on the order of tens
      of micrometers). These high-resolution, solid-state microdosimeters may therefore
      play a useful role in characterizing proton radiotherapy fields, particularly for
      making highly resolved measurements within the Bragg peak region. In this work,
      we obtain microdosimetric measurements with a solid-state microdosimeter
      (MicroPlus probe) in a clinical, spot-scanning proton beam of small spot size.
      METHODS: The MicroPlus probe had a 3D single sensitive volume on top of silicon
      oxide. The sensitive volume had an active cross-sectional area of 250 MUm * 10
      MUm and thickness of 10 MUm. The proton facility was a synchrotron-based, spot
      scanning system with small spot size (sigma ~ 2 mm). We performed measurements
      with the clinical beam current (~1 nA) and had no detected pulse pile-up.
      Measurements were made in a water-equivalent phantom in water-equivalent depth
      (WED) increments of 0.25 mm or 1.0 mm along pristine Bragg peaks of energies 71.3
      MeV and 159.9 MeV, respectively. For each depth, we measured lineal energy
      distributions and then calculated the dose-weighted mean lineal energy, y-D. The
      measurements were repeated for two field sizes: 4 * 4 cm2 and 20 * 20 cm2 .
      RESULTS: For both 71.3 MeV and 159.9 MeV and for both field sizes, y-D increased
      with depth toward the distal edge of the Bragg peak, a result consistent with
      Monte Carlo calculations and measurements performed elsewhere. For the 71.3 MeV,
      4 * 4 cm2 beam (range at 80% distal falloff, R80  = 3.99 cm), we measured y
      D=1.96+/-0.08 keV/MUm at WED = 2 cm, and y-D=10.6+/-0.32 keV/MUm at WED = 3.95
      cm. For the 71.3 MeV, 20 * 20 cm2 beam, we measured y-D=2.46+/-0.12 keV/MUm at
      WED = 2.6 cm, and y-D=11.0+/-0.24 keV/MUm at WED = 3 cm. For the 159.9 MeV, 4 * 4
      cm2 beam (R80  = 17.7 cm), y-D=2.24+/-0.15 keV/MUm at WED = 5 cm, and y-D=8.99+/
      0.71 keV/MUm at WED = 17.6 cm. For the 159.9 MeV, 20 * 20 cm2 beam, y-D=2.56+/
      0.10 keV/MUm at WED = 5 cm, and y-D=9.24+/-0.73 keV/MUm at WED = 17.6 cm.
      CONCLUSIONS: We performed microdosimetric measurements with a novel solid-state,
      silicon-on-insulator microdosimeter in a clinical spot-scanning proton beam of
      small spot size and unmodified beam current. For all of the proton field sizes
      and energies considered, the measurements of y-D were in agreement with expected
      trends. Furthermore, we obtained measurements with a spatial resolution of 10 MUm
      in the beam direction. This spatial resolution greatly exceeded that possible
      with a conventional gaseous tissue-equivalent proportional counter and allowed us
      to perform a high-resolution investigation within the Bragg peak region. The
      MicroPlus probe is therefore suitable for applications in proton radiotherapy.

PMID- 28905400
TI  - Somatostatin receptor subtype 1 as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic
      target in prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a highly prevalent neoplasia that is
      strongly influenced by the endocrine system. Somatostatin (SST) and its five
      receptors (sst1-5 encoded by SSTR1-5 genes) comprise a pleiotropic system present
      in most endocrine-related cancers, some of which are successfully treated with
      SST analogs. Interestingly, it has been reported that SSTR1 is overexpressed in
      PCa, but its regulation, functional role, and clinical implications are still
      poorly known. METHODS: PCa specimens (n = 52) from biopsies and control prostates
      from cystoprostatectomies (n = 12), as well as in silico databases were used to
      evaluate SSTR1 and miRNAs expression. In vitro studies in 22Rv1 PCa cells were
      implemented to explore the regulation of SSTR1/sst1 by different miRNAs, and to
      evaluate the consequences of SSTR1/sst1 overexpression, silencing and/or
      activation [with the specific BIM-23926 sst1 agonist (IPSEN)] on cell
      proliferation, migration, signaling-pathways, and androgen-signaling. RESULTS: We
      found that SSTR1 is overexpressed in multiple cohorts of PCa samples, as compared
      with normal prostate tissues, wherein it correlates with androgen receptor (AR)
      expression, and appears to be associated with aggressiveness (metastasis).
      Furthermore, our data revealed that SSTR1/sst1 expression might be regulated by
      specific miRNAs in PCa, including miR-24, which is downregulated in PCa samples
      and correlates inversely with SSTR1 expression. In vitro studies indicated that
      treatment with the BIM-23926 sst1 agonist, as well as SSTR1 overexpression,
      decreased, whereas SSTR1 silencing increased, cell-proliferation in 22Rv1 cells,
      likely through the regulation of PI3K/AKT-CCND3 signaling-pathway. Importantly,
      sst1 action was also able to modulate androgen/AR activity, and reduced PSA
      secretion from PCa cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our results indicate that
      SSTR1 is overexpressed in PCa, where it can exert a relevant pathophysiological
      role by decreasing cell-proliferation and PSA secretion. Therefore, sst1,
      possibly in combination with miR-24, could be used as a novel tool to explore
      therapeutic targets in PCa.

PMID- 28905401
TI  - Mycothiol acetyltransferase (Rv0819) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a potential
      biomarker for direct diagnosis of tuberculosis using patient serum specimens.
AB  - : Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection constitutes a global threat that results
      in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Efficient and early diagnosis
      of tuberculosis (TB) is of paramount importance for successful treatment. The aim
      of the current study is to investigate the mycobacterial mycothiol
      acetyltransferase Rv0819 as a potential novel biomarker for the diagnosis of
      active TB infection. The gene encoding Rv0819 was cloned and successfully
      expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant Rv0819 was purified using metal
      affinity chromatography and was used to raise murine polyclonal antibodies
      against Rv0819. The raised antibodies were employed for direct detection of
      Rv0819 in patient serum samples using dot blot assay and competitive enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum samples were obtained from 68 confirmed
      new TB patients and 35 healthy volunteers as negative controls. The dot blot
      assay showed sensitivity of 64.7% and specificity of 100%, whereas the
      competitive ELISA assay showed lower sensitivity (54.4%) and specificity
      (88.57%). The overall sensitivity of the combined results of the two tests was
      found to be 89.7%. Overall, the mycobacterial Rv0819 is a potential TB serum
      biomarker that can be exploited, in combination with other TB biomarkers, for
      efficient and reliable diagnosis of active TB infection. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT
      OF THE STUDY: The early and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis infection is of
      paramount importance for initiating treatment and avoiding clinical
      complications. Most current diagnostic tests have poor sensitivity and/or
      specificity and in many cases they are too expensive for routine diagnostic
      testing in resource-limited settings. In the current study, we examined a novel
      mycobacterial serum biomarker, namely mycothiol acetyltransferase Rv0819. The
      antigen was detectable in serum specimens of a significant number of tuberculosis
      patients. This article proves the importance of Rv0819 and paves the way towards
      its future use as a useful diagnostic marker for tuberculosis infection.

PMID- 28905402
TI  - Affinity capillary electrophoresis for the assessment of binding affinity of
      carbohydrate-based cholera toxin inhibitors.
AB  - Developing tools for the study of protein carbohydrate interactions is an
      important goal in glycobiology. Cholera toxin inhibition is an interesting target
      in this context, as its inhibition may help to fight against cholera. For the
      study of novel ligands an affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) method was
      optimized and applied. The method uses unlabeled cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB)
      and unlabeled carbohydrate ligands based on ganglioside GM1-oligosaccharides
      (GM1os). In an optimized method at pH 4, adsorption of the protein to the
      capillary walls was prevented by a polybrene-dextran sulfate-polybrene coating.
      Different concentrations of the ligands were added to the BGE. CTB binding was
      observed by a mobility shift that could be used for dissociation constant (Kd )
      determination. The Kd values of two GM1 derivatives differed by close to an order
      of magnitude (600 +/- 20 nM and 90 +/- 50 nM) which was in good agreement with
      the differences in their reported nanomolar IC50 values of an ELISA-type assay.
      Moreover, the selectivity of GM1os towards CTB was demonstrated using Influenza
      hemagglutinin (H5) as a binding competitor. The developed method can be an
      important platform for preclinical development of drugs targeting pathogen
      induced secretory diarrhea.

PMID- 28905403
TI  - Infectious disease prediction with kernel conditional density estimation.
AB  - Creating statistical models that generate accurate predictions of infectious
      disease incidence is a challenging problem whose solution could benefit public
      health decision makers. We develop a new approach to this problem using kernel
      conditional density estimation (KCDE) and copulas. We obtain predictive
      distributions for incidence in individual weeks using KCDE and tie those
      distributions together into joint distributions using copulas. This strategy
      enables us to create predictions for the timing of and incidence in the peak week
      of the season. Our implementation of KCDE incorporates 2 novel kernel components:
      a periodic component that captures seasonality in disease incidence and a
      component that allows for a full parameterization of the bandwidth matrix with
      discrete variables. We demonstrate via simulation that a fully parameterized
      bandwidth matrix can be beneficial for estimating conditional densities. We apply
      the method to predicting dengue fever and influenza and compare to a seasonal
      autoregressive integrated moving average model and HHH4, a previously published
      extension to the generalized linear model framework developed for infectious
      disease incidence. The KCDE outperforms the baseline methods for predictions of
      dengue incidence in individual weeks. The KCDE also offers more consistent
      performance than the baseline models for predictions of incidence in the peak
      week and is comparable to the baseline models on the other prediction targets.
      Using the periodic kernel function led to better predictions of incidence. Our
      approach and extensions of it could yield improved predictions for public health
      decision makers, particularly in diseases with heterogeneous seasonal dynamics
      such as dengue fever.

PMID- 28905404
TI  - Current practice of allergy diagnosis and the potential impact of regulation in
      Europe.
AB  - In the European Union (EU), the regulatory framework regarding diagnostic
      allergen extracts is currently in the process of being implemented at the
      national level. Due to these regulations, the initial and periodic renewal
      expenses for the registration of diagnostic allergen extracts may render extract
      production unprofitable. Consequently, many extracts may be at risk of removal
      from the market. The current survey, which was conducted by a task force of the
      European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, aimed to assess the current
      practice of allergy diagnosis in Europe. This survey revealed that skin tests
      continue to be the main diagnostic procedure and are used as the first option in
      almost two-third of all types of allergic diseases and in 90% of individuals
      suffering from respiratory allergies. Therefore, there is a need to ensure the
      availability of high-quality allergen extracts to maintain the common diagnostic
      procedures used by EU professionals. To reach this goal, it is necessary to align
      efforts and establish active partnerships between manufacturers, relevant
      scientific societies, consumer organizations and authorities to maintain the
      availability of these diagnostic tools.

PMID- 28905405
TI  - Bioassay, determination and separation of enantiomers of atenolol by direct and
      indirect approaches using liquid chromatography: A review.
AB  - Atenolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, is a chiral compound used for
      the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and to treat hypertension, coronary
      heart disease, arrhythmias, sinus tachycardia and myocardial infarction, where it
      acts preferentially upon the beta-adrenergic receptors in the heart. It is
      marketed as a racemate, but only the (S)-enantiomer of (RS)-atenolol is
      responsible for the beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity. Different
      chromatographic methods have been applied for the separation and determination of
      enantiomers. In this article a review is presented on liquid chromatographic
      methods for enantioseparation of (RS)-atenolol by both direct and indirect
      approaches involving practical applications of several chiral stationary phases,
      chiral derivatization reagents and ligand exchange and impregnation methods.
      These include methods using both HPLC and TLC for separation, determination and
      bioassay of enantiomers of atenolol. In addition, some aspects of
      enantioseparation under achiral phases of liquid chromatography have been briefly
      mentioned as applicable to (RS)-atenolol. This review provides current available
      enantioseparation choices not only for (RS)-atenolol but also for other
      applicable racemic drugs.

PMID- 28905406
TI  - Thiamine content of F-75 therapeutic milk for complicated severe acute
      malnutrition: time for a change?
AB  - Since community-based management of severe acute malnutrition has become the
      standard of care, the clinical profile of severe acutely malnourished patients
      admitted to hospitals or inpatient therapeutic feeding centers has changed
      significantly. These patients are usually very ill and often present with several
      comorbidities, such as shock, sepsis, and pneumonia. Complicated severe acute
      malnutrition patients are at risk of thiamine insufficiency, and critically ill
      patients have higher thiamine requirements. The thiamine content of F-75, the
      therapeutic milk formula used in the early stabilization phase of refeeding in
      patients with severe acute malnutrition, seems insufficient. Here, we discuss the
      need and rationale for a substantial increase in the thiamine content of F-75.

PMID- 28905407
TI  - Ethics of frailty: Some thoughts on equality and autonomy.

PMID- 28905408
TI  - Resting-state functional connectivity in the rat cervical spinal cord at 9.4 T.
AB  - PURPOSE: Numerous studies have adopted resting-state functional MRI methods to
      infer functional connectivity between cortical regions, but very few have
      translated them to the spinal cord, despite its critical role in the central
      nervous system. Resting-state functional connectivity between gray matter horns
      of the spinal cord has previously been shown to be detectable in humans and
      nonhuman primates, but it has not been reported previously in rodents. METHODS:
      Resting-state functional MRI of the cervical spinal cord of live anesthetized
      rats was performed at 9.4 T. The quality of the functional images acquired was
      assessed, and quantitative analyses of functional connectivity in C4-C7 of the
      spinal cord were derived. RESULTS: Robust gray matter horn-to-horn connectivity
      patterns were found that were statistically significant when compared with
      adjacent control regions. Specifically, dorsal-dorsal and ventral-ventral
      connectivity measurements were most prominent, while ipsilateral dorsal-ventral
      connectivity was also observed but to a lesser extent. Quantitative evaluation of
      reproducibility also revealed moderate robustness in the bilateral sensory and
      motor networks that was weaker in the dorsal-ventral connections. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study reports the first evidence of resting-state functional circuits within
      gray matter in the rat spinal cord, and verifies their detectability using
      resting-state functional MRI at 9.4 T. Magn Reson Med 79:2773-2783, 2018. (c)
      2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28905409
TI  - Generalized survival models for correlated time-to-event data.
AB  - Our aim is to develop a rich and coherent framework for modeling correlated time
      to-event data, including (1) survival regression models with different links and
      (2) flexible modeling for time-dependent and nonlinear effects with rich
      postestimation. We extend the class of generalized survival models, which
      expresses a transformed survival in terms of a linear predictor, by incorporating
      a shared frailty or random effects for correlated survival data. The proposed
      approach can include parametric or penalized smooth functions for time, time
      dependent effects, nonlinear effects, and their interactions. The maximum
      (penalized) marginal likelihood method is used to estimate the regression
      coefficients and the variance for the frailty or random effects. The optimal
      smoothing parameters for the penalized marginal likelihood estimation can be
      automatically selected by a likelihood-based cross-validation criterion. For
      models with normal random effects, Gauss-Hermite quadrature can be used to obtain
      the cluster-level marginal likelihoods. The Akaike Information Criterion can be
      used to compare models and select the link function. We have implemented these
      methods in the R package rstpm2. Simulating for both small and larger clusters,
      we find that this approach performs well. Through 2 applications, we demonstrate
      (1) a comparison of proportional hazards and proportional odds models with random
      effects for clustered survival data and (2) the estimation of time-varying
      effects on the log-time scale, age-varying effects for a specific treatment, and
      two-dimensional splines for time and age.

PMID- 28905410
TI  - Simultaneous determination of boscalid and fludioxonil in grape and soil under
      field conditions by gas chromatography/tandem triple quadrupole mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - A gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated
      to simultaneously determine boscalid and fludioxonil in grape and soil samples.
      These samples were extracted with 10 mL of acetonitrile and purified using a
      mixed primary secondary amine/octadecylsilane sorbent. The method showed good
      linearity (R2  > 0.99) in the calibration range 0.005-2 MUg/mL for both
      pesticides. The limits of detection and quantification for the two analytes in
      grape and soil were 0.006 and 0.02 mg/kg, respectively. Fungicide recoveries in
      grape and soil were 81.18-92.11% for boscalid and 82.73-97.67% for fludioxonil
      with relative standard deviations of 1.31-10.31%. The established method was
      successfully applied to the residual analysis of boscalid and fludioxonil in real
      grape and soil samples. The terminal residue concentrations of boscalid and
      fludioxonil in grape samples collected from Anhui and Guizhou were <5 mg/kg (the
      maximum residue limit set by China) 7 days after the last application and 1 mg/kg
      (the maximum residue limit set by USA) 14 days after the last application. These
      results could provide guidance for the proper and safe use of boscalid and
      fludioxonil in grape and help the Chinese government to establish an MRL for
      fludioxonil in grape.

PMID- 28905411
TI  - Joint arterial input function and tracer kinetic parameter estimation from
      undersampled dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI using a model consistency constraint.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop and evaluate a model-based reconstruction framework for joint
      arterial input function (AIF) and kinetic parameter estimation from undersampled
      brain tumor dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) data. METHODS: The proposed
      method poses the tracer-kinetic (TK) model as a model consistency constraint,
      enabling the flexible inclusion of different TK models and TK solvers, and the
      joint estimation of the AIF. The proposed method is evaluated using an anatomic
      realistic digital reference object (DRO), and nine retrospectively down-sampled
      brain tumor DCE-MRI datasets. We also demonstrate application to 30-fold
      prospectively undersampled brain tumor DCE-MRI. RESULTS: In DRO studies with up
      to 60-fold undersampling, the proposed method provided TK maps with low error
      that were comparable to fully sampled data and were demonstrated to be compatible
      with a third-party TK solver. In retrospective undersampling studies, this method
      provided patient-specific AIF with normalized root mean-squared-error (normalized
      by the 90th percentile value) less than 8% at up to 100-fold undersampling. In
      the 30-fold undersampled prospective study, the proposed method provided high
      resolution whole-brain TK maps and patient-specific AIF. CONCLUSION: The proposed
      model-based DCE-MRI reconstruction enables the use of different TK solvers with a
      model consistency constraint and enables joint estimation of patient-specific
      AIF. TK maps and patient-specific AIF with high fidelity can be reconstructed at
      up to 100-fold undersampling in k,t-space. Magn Reson Med 79:2804-2815, 2018. (c)
      2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28905412
TI  - Long-term treatment costs for aggressive periodontitis in a German population.
AB  - AIM: This study assessed the long-term annual costs for treating aggressive
      periodontitis (AgP) patients. METHODS: A cohort of compliant AgP patients was
      retrospectively evaluated. Costs for active periodontal therapy (APT, including
      scaling and root planing, open flap debridement, root resections, but not pocket
      elimination or regenerative surgery) and supportive periodontal therapy (SPT,
      including also costs for restorative, endodontic, prosthetic and surgical
      treatments) were estimated from a mixed payer perspective in Germany. The impact
      of tooth- and patient-level factors on annual costs was assessed using mixed
      modelling. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients (mean [SD] age: 35.2/6.8 years), with
      26.5 (4.0) teeth (38% with bone loss >50%) were treated. Mean follow-up
      (retention) time was 16.9 (5.4) years. Total treatment costs per patient and per
      tooth were 6,998 (3,807) and 267 (148) Euro, respectively. Approximately 87% of
      the costs were generated during SPT, 13% during APT. Annual patient- and tooth
      level costs were 536 (209) and 20.1 (65.0) Euro, respectively. Annual tooth-level
      costs were significantly increased in patients aged 34 years or older, male
      patients, former or current smokers, teeth with furcation involvement degree
      II/III, and bone loss 50%-70%. CONCLUSIONS: Annual treatment costs for treating
      AgP patients were similar to those found for chronic periodontitis patients.
      Certain parameters might predict costs.

PMID- 28905413
TI  - Simultaneous acquisition sequence for improved hepatic pharmacokinetics
      quantification accuracy (SAHA) for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of liver.
AB  - PURPOSE: To propose a simultaneous acquisition sequence for improved hepatic
      pharmacokinetics quantification accuracy (SAHA) method for liver dynamic contrast
      enhanced MRI. METHODS: The proposed SAHA simultaneously acquired high temporal
      resolution 2D images for vascular input function extraction using Cartesian
      sampling and 3D large-coverage high spatial-resolution liver dynamic contrast
      enhanced images using golden angle stack-of-stars acquisition in an interleaved
      way. Simulations were conducted to investigate the accuracy of SAHA in
      pharmacokinetic analysis. A healthy volunteer and three patients with cirrhosis
      or hepatocellular carcinoma were included in the study to investigate the
      feasibility of SAHA in vivo. RESULTS: Simulation studies showed that SAHA can
      provide closer results to the true values and lower root mean square error of
      estimated pharmacokinetic parameters in all of the tested scenarios. The in vivo
      scans of subjects provided fair image quality of both 2D images for arterial
      input function and portal venous input function and 3D whole liver images. The in
      vivo fitting results showed that the perfusion parameters of healthy liver were
      significantly different from those of cirrhotic liver and HCC. CONCLUSIONS: The
      proposed SAHA can provide improved accuracy in pharmacokinetic modeling and is
      feasible in human liver dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, suggesting that SAHA is a
      potential tool for liver dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Magn Reson Med 79:2629
      2641, 2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28905414
TI  - High spatio-temporal resolution in functional MRI with 3D echo planar imaging
      using cylindrical excitation and a CAIPIRINHA undersampling pattern.
AB  - PURPOSE: The combination of 3D echo planar imaging (3D-EPI) with a 2D-CAIPIRINHA
      undersampling scheme provides high flexibility in the optimization for spatial or
      temporal resolution. This flexibility can be increased further with the addition
      of a cylindrical excitation pulse, which exclusively excites the brain regions of
      interest. Here, 3D-EPI was combined with a 2D radiofrequency pulse to reduce the
      brain area from which signal is generated, and hence, allowing either reduction
      of the field of view or reduction of parallel imaging noise amplification.
      METHODS: 3D-EPI with cylindrical excitation and 4 * 3-fold undersampling in a 2D
      CAIPIRINHA sampling scheme was used to generate functional MRI (fMRI) data with
      either 2-mm or 0.9-mm in-plane resolution and 1.1-s temporal resolution over a 5
      cm diameter cylinder placed over both temporal lobes for an auditory fMRI
      experiment. RESULTS: Significant increases in image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
      and temporal SNR (tSNR) were found for both 2-mm isotropic data and the high
      resolution protocol when using the cylindrical excitation pulse. Both protocols
      yielded highly significant blood oxygenation level-dependent responses for the
      presentation of natural sounds. CONCLUSION: The higher tSNR of the cylindrical
      excitation 3D-EPI data makes this sequence an ideal choice for high
      spatiotemporal resolution fMRI acquisitions. Magn Reson Med 79:2589-2596, 2018.
      (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28905415
TI  - Hyperactive mTOR induces neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate cancer cell
      with concurrent up-regulation of IRF1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine-differentiated prostate cancer (NEPCa) is refractory
      to androgen deprivation therapy and shows a poor prognosis. The underlying
      mechanisms responsible for neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) are yet to be
      clarified. In this study, we investigated the role of mammalian target of
      rapamycin (mTOR) in NEPCa. METHODS: We utilized a gain-of-function analysis by
      establishing a human PCa LNCaP stable line that expresses hyperactive mTOR (LNCaP
      mTOR). Then, we employed a comprehensive mass spectrometric analysis to identify
      a key transcription factor in LNCaP-mTOR, followed by a loss-of-function analysis
      using CRISPR/Cas system. RESULTS: The activation of mTOR induced NED. We observed
      significant cell growth arrest in NED of LNCaP-mTOR, which accompanied increased
      expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 . A comprehensive mass spectrometric analysis
      identified interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) as a key transcription factor in
      growth arrest of LNCaP-mTOR. The disruption of IRF1 gene in LNCaP-mTOR reversed
      cell growth arrest along with the suppression of its target p21WAF1/CIP1 . These
      results indicate that the growth arrest in NED is at least in part dependent on
      IRF1 through the induction of p21WAF1/CIP1 . CONCLUSIONS: We identified active
      mTOR as a novel inducer of NED, and elucidated a mechanism underlying the
      malignant transformation of NEPCa by recapitulating NED in vitro.

PMID- 28905416
TI  - SAR and scan-time optimized 3D whole-brain double inversion recovery imaging at
      7T.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this project was to implement an ultra-high field (UHF)
      optimized double inversion recovery (DIR) sequence for gray matter (GM) imaging,
      enabling whole brain coverage in short acquisition times ( ~5 min, image
      resolution 1 mm3 ). METHODS: A 3D variable flip angle DIR turbo spin echo (TSE)
      sequence was optimized for UHF application. We implemented an improved, fast, and
      specific absorption rate (SAR) efficient TSE imaging module, utilizing improved
      reordering. The DIR preparation was tailored to UHF application. Additionally,
      fat artifacts were minimized by employing water excitation instead of fat
      saturation. RESULTS: GM images, covering the whole brain, were acquired in 7 min
      scan time at 1 mm isotropic resolution. SAR issues were overcome by using a
      dedicated flip angle calculation considering SAR and SNR efficiency. Furthermore,
      UHF related artifacts were minimized. CONCLUSION: The suggested sequence is
      suitable to generate GM images with whole-brain coverage at UHF. Due to the short
      total acquisition times and overall robustness, this approach can potentially
      enable DIR application in a routine setting and enhance lesion detection in
      neurological diseases. Magn Reson Med 79:2620-2628, 2018. (c) 2017 International
      Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28905417
TI  - Investigating the structural dynamics of the PIEZO1 channel activation and
      inactivation by coarse-grained modeling.
AB  - The PIEZO channels, a family of mechanosensitive channels in vertebrates, feature
      a fast activation by mechanical stimuli (eg, membrane tension) followed by a
      slower inactivation. Although a medium-resolution structure of the trimeric form
      of PIEZO1 was solved by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), key structural
      changes responsible for the channel activation and inactivation are still
      unknown. Toward decrypting the structural mechanism of the PIEZO1 activation and
      inactivation, we performed systematic coarse-grained modeling using an elastic
      network model and related modeling/analysis tools (ie, normal mode analysis,
      flexibility and hotspot analysis, correlation analysis, and cryo-EM-based hybrid
      modeling and flexible fitting). We identified four key motional modes that may
      drive the tension-induced activation and inactivation, with fast and slow
      relaxation time, respectively. These modes allosterically couple the lateral and
      vertical motions of the peripheral domains to the opening and closing of the
      intra-cellular vestibule, enabling external mechanical forces to trigger, and
      regulate the activation/inactivation transitions. We also calculated domain
      specific flexibility profiles, and predicted hotspot residues at key domain
      domain interfaces and hinges. Our results offer unprecedented structural and
      dynamic information, which is consistent with the literature on mutational and
      functional studies of the PIEZO channels, and will guide future studies of this
      important family of mechanosensitive channels.

PMID- 28905418
TI  - Misunderstanding the preorganization concept can lead to confusions about the
      origin of enzyme catalysis.
AB  - Understanding the origin of the catalytic power of enzymes has both conceptual
      and practical importance. One of the most important finding from computational
      studies of enzyme catalysis is that a major part of the catalytic power is due to
      the preorganization of the enzyme active site. Unfortunately, misunderstanding of
      the nontrivial preorganization idea lead some to assume that it does not consider
      the effect of the protein residues. This major confusion reflects a
      misunderstanding of the statement that the interaction energy of the enzyme group
      and the transition state (TS) is similar to the corresponding interaction between
      the water molecules (in the reference system) and the TS, and that the catalysis
      is due to the reorganization free energy of the water molecules. Obviously, this
      finding does not mean that we do not consider the enzyme groups. Another problem
      is the idea that catalysis is due to substrate preorganization. This more
      traditional idea is based in some cases on inconsistent interpretation of the
      action of model compounds, which unfortunately, do not reflect the actual
      situation in the enzyme active site. The present article addresses the above
      problems, clarifying first the enzyme polar preorganization idea and the current
      misunderstandings. Next we take a specific model compound that was used to
      promote the substrate preorganization proposal and establish its irrelevance to
      enzyme catalysis. Overall, we show that the origin of the catalytic power of
      enzymes cannot be assessed uniquely without computer simulations, since at
      present this is the only way of relating structure and energetics.

PMID- 28905419
TI  - Fast 3D rosette spectroscopic imaging of neocortical abnormalities at 3 T:
      Assessment of spectral quality.
AB  - PURPOSE: To use a fast 3D rosette spectroscopic imaging acquisition to
      quantitatively evaluate how spectral quality influences detection of the
      endogenous variation of gray and white matter metabolite differences in controls,
      and demonstrate how rosette spectroscopic imaging can detect metabolic
      dysfunction in patients with neocortical abnormalities. METHODS: Data were
      acquired on a 3T MR scanner and 32-channel head coil, with rosette spectroscopic
      imaging covering a 4-cm slab of fronto-parietal-temporal lobes. The influence of
      acquisition parameters and filtering on spectral quality and sensitivity to
      tissue composition was assessed by LCModel analysis, the Cramer-Rao lower bound,
      and the standard errors from regression analyses. The optimized protocol was used
      to generate normative white and gray matter regressions and evaluate three
      patients with neocortical abnormalities. RESULTS: As a measure of the sensitivity
      to detect abnormalities, the standard errors of regression for Cr/NAA and Ch/NAA
      were significantly correlated with the Cramer-Rao lower bound values (R = 0.89
      and 0.92, respectively, both with P < 0.001). The rosette acquisition with a
      duration of 9.6 min, produces a mean Cramer-Rao lower bound (%) over the entire
      slab of 4.6 +/- 2.6 and 5.8 +/- 2.3 for NAA and Cr, respectively. This enables a
      Cr/NAA standard error of 0.08 (i.e., detection sensitivity of 25% for a 50/50
      mixed gray and white matter voxel). In healthy controls, the regression of Cr/NAA
      versus fraction gray matter in the cingulate differs from frontal and parietal
      regions. CONCLUSIONS: Fast rosette spectroscopic imaging acquisitions with
      regression analyses are able to identify metabolic differences across 4-cm slabs
      of the brain centrally and over the cortical periphery with high efficiency,
      generating results that are consistent with clinical findings. Magn Reson Med
      79:2470-2480, 2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in
      Medicine.

PMID- 28905420
TI  - The HIV-1 p66 homodimeric RT exhibits different conformations in the binding
      competent and -incompetent NNRTI site.
AB  - Non-nucleoside inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse
      transcriptase (RT), NNRTIs, which bind to the p66/p51 heterodimeric RT, also
      interact with the p66/p66 homodimer, whose structure is unknown. 19 F nuclear
      magnetic resonance of a single 4-trifluoromethylphenylalanine (tfmF) residue,
      incorporated into the NNRTI binding pocket of the p66/p66 homodimer at position
      181, was used to investigate NNRTI binding. In the NNRTI-bound homodimer complex,
      two different 19 F signals are observed, with the resonance frequencies matching
      those of the NNRTI-bound p66/p51 heterodimer spectra, in which the individual p66
      subunit or p51-subunit were labeled with tfmF at positions 181. These data
      suggest that the NNRTI-bound p66/p66 homodimer conformation, particularly around
      residue 181, is very similar to that in the p66/p51 heterodimer, explaining why
      NNRTI binding to p66/p66 enhances dimer formation.

PMID- 28905421
TI  - Exercise to preserve beta-cell function in recent-onset Type 1 diabetes mellitus
      (EXTOD) - a randomized controlled pilot trial.
AB  - AIM: Residual beta-cell function is present at the time of diagnosis with Type 1
      diabetes. Preserving this beta-cell function reduces complications. We
      hypothesized that exercise preserves beta-cell function in Type 1 diabetes and
      undertook a pilot trial to address the key uncertainties in designing a
      definitive trial to test this hypothesis. METHODS: A randomized controlled pilot
      trial in adults aged 16-60 years diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes within the
      previous 3 months was undertaken. Participants were assigned to control (usual
      care) or intervention (exercise consultation every month), in a 1 : 1 ratio for
      12 months. The primary outcomes were recruitment rate, drop out, exercise
      adherence [weeks with >= 150 min of self-reported moderate to vigorous physical
      activity (MVPA)], and exercise uptake in the control group. The secondary
      outcomes were differences in insulin sensitivity and rate of loss of beta-cell
      function between intervention and control at 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Of 507
      individuals who were approached, 58 (28 control, 30 intervention) entered the
      study and 41 completed it. Participants were largely white European males, BMI
      24.8 +/- 3.8 kg/m2 , HbA1c 75 +/- 25 mmol/mol (9 +/- 2%). Mean level of
      objectively measured MVPA increased in the intervention group (mean 243 to 273
      min/week) and 61% of intervention participants reached the target of >= 150
      min/week of self-reported MVPA on at least 42 weeks of the year. Physical
      activity levels fell slightly in the control group (mean 277 to 235 min of
      MVPA/week). There was exploratory evidence that intervention group became more
      insulin sensitive and required less insulin. However, the rate of loss of beta
      cell function appeared similar between the groups, although the change in insulin
      sensitivity may have affected this. CONCLUSION: We show that it is possible to
      recruit and randomize people with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes to a trial of
      an exercise intervention, and increase and maintain their exercise levels for 12
      months. Future trials need to incorporate measures of greater adherence to
      exercise training targets, and include more appropriate measures of beta-cell
      function. (Clinical Trials Registry No; ISRCTN91388505).

PMID- 28905422
TI  - The Role of Primary Care for the Oral Health of Rural and Urban Older Adults.
AB  - CONTEXT: Rural populations often have restricted access to dental care and poor
      oral health. These problems may disproportionately affect older blacks in rural
      areas. Little is known about how access to primary health care may improve the
      oral health of rural seniors. PURPOSE: This study examines whether the
      relationship between having a usual source of health care and oral health varies
      for white and black older adults in rural and urban areas in the United States.
      METHODS: We draw on cross-sectional data of adults (50 years+) from the
      nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (n = 15,473). Multivariate
      logistic regression examined the role of a usual source of health care in
      conditioning racial differences in complete tooth loss and a dental visit in the
      past 2 years. A usual source of health care is a place, not including an
      emergency room, where a person goes when he or she is sick or needs health
      advice. FINDINGS: In rural areas, blacks had high rates of tooth loss (28%) and
      low rates of dental visits (34%). Having a usual source of health care was
      associated with higher odds of a dental visit for all adults. In rural areas, the
      association between a usual source of health care and tooth loss varied by race
      (P < .001); blacks had more tooth loss than whites even with a usual source of
      health care. CONCLUSIONS: Access to primary health care was associated with
      improved oral health outcomes, but it did not close the gap between whites and
      blacks in rural areas.

PMID- 28905423
TI  - WHO standards for biotherapeutics, including biosimilars: an example of the
      evaluation of complex biological products.
AB  - The most advanced regulatory processes for complex biological products have been
      put in place in many countries to provide appropriate regulatory oversight of
      biotherapeutic products in general, and similar biotherapeutics in particular.
      This process is still ongoing and requires regular updates to national regulatory
      requirements in line with scientific developments and up-to-date standards. For
      this purpose, strong knowledge of and expertise in evaluating biotherapeutics in
      general and similar biotherapeutic products, also called biosimilars, in
      particular is essential. Here, we discuss the World Health Organization's
      international standard-setting role in the regulatory evaluation of recombinant
      DNA-derived biotherapeutic products, including biosimilars, and provide examples
      that may serve as models for moving forward with nonbiological complex medicinal
      products. A number of scientific challenges and regulatory considerations imposed
      by the advent of biosimilars are described, together with the lessons learned, to
      stimulate future discussions on this topic. In addition, the experiences of
      facilitating the implementation of guiding principles for evaluation of similar
      biotherapeutic products into regulatory and manufacturers' practices in various
      countries over the past 10 years are briefly explained, with the aim of promoting
      further developments and regulatory convergence of complex biological and
      nonbiological products.

PMID- 28905424
TI  - Editorial Comment to Intermittent everolimus administration for renal
      angiomyolipoma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

PMID- 28905425
TI  - Modeling CAPRI targets 110-120 by template-based and free docking using contact
      potential and combined scoring function.
AB  - The paper presents analysis of our template-based and free docking predictions in
      the joint CASP12/CAPRI37 round. A new scoring function for template-based docking
      was developed, benchmarked on the Dockground resource, and applied to the
      targets. The results showed that the function successfully discriminates the
      incorrect docking predictions. In correctly predicted targets, the scoring
      function was complemented by other considerations, such as consistency of the
      oligomeric states among templates, similarity of the biological functions,
      biological interface relevance, etc. The scoring function still does not
      distinguish well biological from crystal packing interfaces, and needs further
      development for the docking of bundles of alpha-helices. In the case of the
      trimeric targets, sequence-based methods did not find common templates, despite
      similarity of the structures, suggesting complementary use of structure- and
      sequence-based alignments in comparative docking. The results showed that if a
      good docking template is found, an accurate model of the interface can be built
      even from largely inaccurate models of individual subunits. Free docking however
      is very sensitive to the quality of the individual models. However, our newly
      developed contact potential detected approximate locations of the binding sites.

PMID- 28905426
TI  - Optically controlled on-coil amplifier with RF monitoring feedback.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a new optically controlled on-coil amplifier that facilitates
      safe use of multi-channel radiofrequency (RF) transmission in MRI by real-time
      monitoring of signal phase and amplitude. METHODS: Monitoring was carried out
      with a 4-channel prototype system by sensing, down sampling, digitizing, and
      optically transmitting the RF transmit signal to a remote PC to control the
      amplifiers. Performance was evaluated with benchtop and 7 T MRI experiments.
      RESULTS: Monitored amplitude and phase were stable across repetitions and had
      standard deviations of 0.061 MUT and 0.0073 rad, respectively. The feedback
      system allowed inter-channel phase and B1 amplitude to be adjusted within two
      iterations. MRI experiments demonstrated the feasibility of this approach to
      perform safe and accurate multi-channel RF transmission and monitoring at high
      field. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated a 4-channel transceiver system based on
      optically controlled on-coil amplifiers with RF signal monitoring and feedback
      control. The approach allows the safe and precise control of RF transmission
      fields, required to achieve uniform excitation at high field. Magn Reson Med
      79:2833-2841, 2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in
      Medicine.

PMID- 28905427
TI  - Anion induced conformational preference of Calpha NN motif residues in functional
      proteins.
AB  - Among different ligand binding motifs, anion binding Calpha NN motif consisting
      of peptide backbone atoms of three consecutive residues are observed to be
      important for recognition of free anions, like sulphate or biphosphate and
      participate in different key functions. Here we study the interaction of sulphate
      and biphosphate with Calpha NN motif present in different proteins. Instead of
      total protein, a peptide fragment has been studied keeping Calpha NN motif
      flanked in between other residues. We use classical force field based molecular
      dynamics simulations to understand the stability of this motif. Our data indicate
      fluctuations in conformational preferences of the motif residues in absence of
      the anion. The anion gives stability to one of these conformations. However, the
      anion induced conformational preferences are highly sequence dependent and
      specific to the type of anion. In particular, the polar residues are more
      favourable compared to the other residues for recognising the anion.

PMID- 28905429
TI  - Intermittent everolimus administration for renal angiomyolipoma associated with
      tuberous sclerosis complex.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects and utility of intermittent everolimus
      treatment for renal angiomyolipoma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.
      METHODS: We investigated a total of 26 patients with tuberous sclerosis complex
      who had angiomyolipoma >=4 cm in diameter. For each patient, we analyzed the
      reduction in the size of the angiomyolipoma, the change in size after everolimus
      withdrawal, the size reduction rate on everolimus readministration and adverse
      events caused by everolimus. The volume of angiomyolipoma was measured using
      abdominal computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Adverse events were
      evaluated according to CTCAE v4.0-JCOG. RESULTS: The average size reduction rate
      of angiomyolipoma in the initial treatment with everolimus was 67%. Eight
      patients (31%) did not have enlarged angiomyolipoma after everolimus withdrawal.
      The other 18 patients (69%) restarted everolimus treatment because of enlargement
      of the angiomyolipoma. The average size reduction rate of angiomyolipoma in the
      everolimus retreatment group was 61%, which was equivalent to the rate for the
      initial treatment. There were fewer adverse events during everolimus retreatment
      than in the initial treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report regarding
      intermittent everolimus treatment for renal angiomyolipoma associated with
      tuberous sclerosis complex. This treatment is effective for tumor control and
      adverse event management. This beneficial treatment option for patients can
      minimize the drug dosage and the occurrence of adverse events.

PMID- 28905428
TI  - Cost-effective screening of DNMT3A coding sequence identifies somatic mutation in
      pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T
      ALL), risk assignment schemes preclude reliable prediction of outcome, and thus,
      new prognostic factors are needed. Mutations in DNMT3A are candidate prognostic
      and classification markers in adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and T-ALL
      and thus were considered as candidates prognostic markers in pediatric T-ALL.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: DNMT3A mutational status was investigated in 74 pediatric T
      ALL samples collected at diagnosis. We applied high-resolution melt (HRM)
      analysis and Sanger sequencing to study the hotspot position (R882) within
      catalytic MTase domain and exons coding for other functional domains of the
      protein, known to be mutated in the wide spectrum of hematological malignancies.
      RESULTS: We demonstrate a low frequency of mutations in DNMT3A coding sequence in
      pediatric T-ALL (1.4%, n = 1/74). We identified missense mutation, p.Ala644Thr,
      which has not been described previously in pediatric T-ALL, but is recurrent in
      adults with T-ALL and AML. CONCLUSIONS: Low frequency of DNMT3A mutations in
      pediatric T-ALL is in striking contrast to adult T-ALL and renders the necessity
      for the search of other candidate prognostic markers. Combined Sanger sequencing
      HRM approach offers a cost-effective option for genotyping DNMT3A coding
      sequence, with potential clinical application in other hematological
      malignancies.

PMID- 28905430
TI  - Archaea S-layer nanotube from a "black smoker" in complex with cyclo-octasulfur
      (S8 ) rings.
AB  - Elemental sulfur exists primarily as an S80 ring and serves as terminal electron
      acceptor for a variety of sulfur-fermenting bacteria. Hyperthermophilic archaea
      from black smoker vents are an exciting research tool to advance our knowledge of
      sulfur respiration under extreme conditions. Here, we use a hybrid method
      approach to demonstrate that the proteinaceous cavities of the S-layer nanotube
      of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Staphylothermus marinus act as a storage
      reservoir for cyclo-octasulfur S8. Fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulations were performed and the method of multiconfigurational thermodynamic
      integration was employed to compute the absolute free energy for transferring a
      ring of elemental sulfur S8 from an aqueous bath into the largest hydrophobic
      cavity of a fragment of archaeal tetrabrachion. Comparisons with earlier MD
      studies of the free energy of hydration as a function of water occupancy in the
      same cavity of archaeal tetrabrachion show that the sulfur ring is energetically
      favored over water.

PMID- 28905431
TI  - Including health promotion and illness prevention in medical education: a
      progress report.
AB  - CONTEXT: In 1988, the World Federation of Medical Education called for reform in
      medical education, publishing 12 recommendations. The sixth recommendation of
      this Edinburgh Declaration was to 'complement instruction about the management of
      patients with increased emphasis on promotion of health and prevention of
      disease'. Thirty years on, this paper reports an exploration of what has changed
      since then. METHODS: Several search strategies were used, including websites of
      medical standards organisations, and formal searches of PubMed and Google Scholar
      using key words such as 'medical education standards', 'health promotion',
      'illness prevention', 'effectiveness' and 'assessment'. As these searches
      produced more descriptive than evidence-based papers, the exploration widened to
      follow evolving discussions about changing emphases in medical education relevant
      to public health. RESULTS: Health promotion and illness prevention are in the
      undergraduate medical education standards of the more influential regulators.
      There is little evidence of the impact of this inclusion on graduate outcomes and
      later medical practice, although 'differently educated' doctors may have
      contributed to the success of broader public health strategies achieved through
      reorganisation of health care, media campaigns and legislation changes. There is
      greater success in postgraduate specialty training of general practitioners and
      public health doctors. The discussion about public health interventions and the
      roles of doctors has moved on to topics such as patient safety, the health of
      doctors, global health and planetary health. CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of health
      promotion and illness prevention strategies in undergraduate curricula varied
      considerably, but was strongest in programmes claiming social accountability and
      responding to medical education standards of the more influential regulators.
      However, the contribution of medical education to improvements in health care and
      the health of populations is difficult to measure. It may be timely to revisit
      the purpose and practicality of broadening the scope of undergraduate medical
      curricula in public health medicine.

PMID- 28905432
TI  - "Taking the Bull by the Horns": Four Principles to Align Public Health, Primary
      Care, and Community Efforts to Improve Rural Cancer Control.

PMID- 28905433
TI  - Integrating Oral Health Into Rural Primary Care-the What and the Why.

PMID- 28905434
TI  - Decline of insulin therapy and delays in insulin initiation in people with
      uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.
AB  - AIMS: To design and validate a natural language processing algorithm to identify
      insulin therapy decline from the text of physician notes, and to determine the
      prevalence of insulin therapy decline and its impact on insulin initiation.
      METHODS: We designed the algorithm using the publicly available natural language
      processing platform Canary. We evaluated the accuracy of the algorithm on 1501
      randomly selected primary care physicians' notes from the electronic medical
      record system of a large academic medical centre. Using the validated language
      model, we then studied the prevalence of insulin therapy decline between 2000 and
      2014. RESULTS: The algorithm identified documentation of insulin therapy decline
      with a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 82.4-100), a positive predictive value of 95%
      (95% CI 74.4-99.9), and a specificity of 99.9% (95% CI 99.6-100.0). We identified
      3295 insulin-naive adults with Type 2 diabetes who were recommended insulin
      therapy; 984 of them (29.9%) initially declined insulin. People with HbA1c >= 75
      mmol/mol (9.0%) were more likely [766/2239 (34.2%)] to have declined insulin than
      people with HbA1c 53-63 mmol/mol (7.0-7.9%) and 64-74 mmol/mol (8.0-8.9%; P <
      0.0001). Among the people who initially declined but ultimately started insulin
      [374/984 (38.0%)], mean time to insulin initiation was 790 days. CONCLUSIONS:
      Insulin therapy decline is common, potentially leading to progression of
      hyperglycaemia and a delay in achievement of glycaemic control. Further
      investigation is needed to determine the reasons, risk factors and long-term
      outcomes of this important clinical phenomenon.

PMID- 28905435
TI  - Isatin-induced increase in the affinity of human ferrochelatase and adrenodoxin
      reductase interaction.
AB  - Isatin (indol-2,3-dione) is an endogenous non-peptide regulator exhibiting a wide
      range of biological and pharmacological activities, which are poorly
      characterized in terms of their molecular mechanisms. Identification of many
      isatin-binding proteins in the mammalian brain and liver suggests that isatin may
      influence their functions. We have hypothesized that besides direct action on
      particular protein targets, isatin can act as a regulator of protein-protein
      interactions (PPIs). In this surface plasmon resonance-based biosensor study we
      have found that physiologically relevant concentrations of isatin (25-100 MUM)
      increase affinity of interactions between human recombinant ferrochelatase (FECH)
      and NADPH-dependent adrenodoxin reductase (ADR). In the presence of increasing
      concentrations of isatin the Kd values demonstrated a significant (up to 6-fold)
      decrease. It is especially important that the interaction of isatin with each
      individual protein (FECH, ADR) was basically negligible and therefore could not
      contribute to the observed effect. This effect was specific only for the FECH/ADR
      complex formation and was not observed for other protein complexes studied:
      FECH/cytochrome b5(CYB5A) and FECH/SMAD4.

PMID- 28905436
TI  - Dentition of the apron ray Discopyge tschudii (Elasmobranchii: Narcinidae).
AB  - The present study provides quantitative and qualitative analyses of the dentition
      of Discopyge tschudii. Overall, 193 individuals (99 males and 94 females) of D.
      tschudii were collected on scientific trawl surveys conducted by the National
      Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) and commercial vessels
      in Argentina. Discopyge tschudii has rhombic-shaped teeth, arranged in a
      semipavement-like dentition; each tooth has an erect cusp slightly inclined
      posteriorly and holaulachorized root. Mature males have greater tooth lengths
      than females and immature specimens. Discopyge tschudii exhibits dignathic
      homodonty and gradient monognathic heterodonty where teeth of the commissural row
      are shorter than those of the symphyseal and internal rows.

PMID- 28905437
TI  - The Use of Traditional Herbal Medicines Amongst South Asian Diasporic Communities
      in the UK.
AB  - Migrant South Asian communities in the UK have brought with them their own
      traditional forms of medicine, yet little is known about their current use of
      herbal medicines (HMs) in the UK. The aim of the study was to explore the
      origins, use and transmission of knowledge of traditional HMs used by diasporic
      South Asian communities in the UK. A researcher-administered questionnaire was
      used for data collection (n = 192). An opportunity sampling technique was used to
      recruit participants across several locations in Birmingham and Leicester. Two
      thirds of participants (n = 126) stated they used HMs to maintain their health
      and to treat various health conditions such as digestive problems, skin
      conditions and diabetes. Almost 2000 actively used HMs were documented including
      123 plant species that were identified. Participants imported HMs from abroad as
      well as sourcing them locally and even growing some of their own plants. Up to
      82% (n = 87) of participants who took prescription medicines did not tell their
      healthcare professionals about any HMs they consumed; this raises concerns about
      people's knowledge of herb-drug interactions, compliance and effect on prescribed
      medicine regimens. Similar studies to explore the use of HMs by other ethnic
      groups are imperative to help optimise pharmaceutical care of patients. Copyright
      (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28905438
TI  - Research to support optimization of prescription drug monitoring programs.
AB  - PURPOSE: Research is needed to evaluate the impact of prescription drug
      monitoring programs (PDMPs). This paper describes research priorities for PDMPs
      that were initially discussed at a 2015 meeting of PDMP administrators,
      researchers, public health officials, and other stakeholders. METHODS: Meeting
      participants defined the current landscape of PDMP research and identified
      research gaps. Research priorities were grouped by theme. RESULTS: Prescription
      drug monitoring program research priorities were identified for 3 key areas:
      individual patient health outcomes, prescriber use and decision making, and
      population-level outcomes. Research areas for individual patient outcomes include
      examining drug-use thresholds that best predict risk for overdose or substance
      use disorder and unintended consequences of PDMP use. Proposed research on
      prescriber PDMP use include evaluating how enhancements to the content and format
      of PDMP reports informs clinical decision making and optimal clinician actions in
      response to a concerning PDMP report. Finally, research topics related to
      population-level outcomes include measuring the impact of PDMP policies on the
      incidence of substance misuse and harms and assessing the return on investment
      for these databases. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical, public health, and economic
      impacts of PDMPs must be evaluated, using both quantitative and qualitative
      methods. In addition to assessing patient outcomes, qualitative research should
      examine how clinicians use and interpret PDMP information. Research should also
      examine the impact of PDMP features and policies on prescriber utilization.
      Comparative analyses across states with differing PDMP policies should be
      conducted to inform best practices.

PMID- 28905439
TI  - Testing the performance of a prototype lateral flow device using bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in high-risk
      patients.
AB  - The diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) increasingly relies on
      non-culture-based biomarkers in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. The
      Aspergillus lateral flow device (LFD) is a rapid immunoassay that uses a novel
      Aspergillus monoclonal antibody to gain specificity. The objective of the study
      is to compare specificity and sensitivity of the prototype LFD and the
      galactomannan (GM) enzyme immunoassay in BAL fluid in high-risk patients. A total
      of 114 BAL samples from 106 patients at high risk for IPA were studied: 8
      patients had proven/probable IPA, 16 had possible IPA and 82 did not have IPA. In
      patients with proven/probable IPA, specificity of LFD was 94% and GM was 89%;
      sensitivity of LFD was 38% and GM was 75%. Negative predictive value (NPV) for
      LFD was 94% and for GM was 98%; positive predictive value (PPV) was 38% for both
      tests. The use of anti-mould prophylaxis did not affect specificity but resulted
      in decreased NPV of both LFD and GM. Union and intersection analysis showed no
      improvement in the performance by using both tests. Among patients at risk for
      IPA, the diagnostic performance of LFD and GM in BAL fluid appears comparable;
      specificity is high, but sensitivity of both LFD and GM is poor.

PMID- 28905440
TI  - Child fosterage and sex-biased nutritional outcomes among Namibian pastoralists.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Across cultures, fosterage has been shown to impact child health.
      Contextual factors, such as the reason for fosterage and the relationship between
      foster parent and child, are known to magnify variance in nutritional outcomes
      for foster children. Another important, but less studied, factor is the role of
      gender. Sex-biases in physiology and cultural norms are both known to affect
      child nutrition, and we posit these effects might be magnified in the presence of
      fosterage. In this study, we investigate how sex interacts with fosterage to
      affect nutritional outcomes among Namibian pastoralists. METHODS: Anthropometrics
      for children and adults were collected using standard procedures, and linear
      models were used to predict the effects of age, sex, and fosterage on height,
      weight, and body mass index Z-scores. Semi-structured interviews with adults
      provided context for understanding sex specific reasons for fosterage and biases
      in investment. RESULTS: Boys in this population have lower nutritional scores
      than girls, and fostered boys have lower weight and BMI Z-scores than nonfostered
      boys. Fostered girls have lower height Z-scores and are more likely to be stunted
      and underweight than nonfostered girls. These effects extend into adulthood, with
      fostered women being shorter than their nonfostered counterparts. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sex plays a role in the nutritional impact of fosterage among Himba children.
      These differences could be related to differential child labor demands,
      investment patterns, and the divergent reasons girls and boys are placed into
      fosterage. Future studies should consider how fosterage can magnify existing
      biases, like sex, when studying its impact on child health.

PMID- 28905441
TI  - The vasopressin system: new insights for patients with kidney diseases:
      Epidemiological evidence and therapeutic perspectives.
AB  - People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at risk of severe outcomes, such as
      end-stage renal disease or cardiovascular disease, and CKD is a globally
      increasing health burden with a high personal and economic cost. Despite major
      progresses in prevention and therapeutics in last decades, research is still
      needed to reverse this epidemic trend. The regulation of water balance and the
      state of activation of the vasopressin system have emerged as factors tightly
      associated with kidney health, in the general population but also in specific
      conditions; among them, various stages of CKD, diabetes and autosomal dominant
      polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Basic science findings and also
      epidemiological evidence have justified important efforts towards interventional
      studies supporting causality, and opening therapeutic avenues. On the basis of
      recent clinical data, the blockade of V2 vasopressin receptors using tolvaptan in
      patients with rapidly progressing ADPKD has been granted in several countries,
      and a long-term randomized trial evaluating the effect of an increase in water
      intake in patients with CKD is on-going.

PMID- 28905443
TI  - On the Mechanism of Connecting Deltahedral Zintl Clusters via Conjugated Buta-1,3
      dien-1,4-diyl Functionalities: Synthesis and Structure of [Ge9 -CH=CH-CH=CH-Ge9
      ]6.
AB  - We report on the synthesis and structure, as well as on the mechanism of
      formation of the [Ge9 -CH=CH-CH=CH-Ge9 ]6- unit. As shown by in situ NMR
      spectroscopy (1 H, COSY, HSQC, HMBC), both (1Z,3Z)- and (1E,3Z)-[Ge9 -CH=CH-CH=CH
      Ge9 ]6- are formed during the reaction of a mixture of 1,4
      bis(trimethylsilyl)butadiyne and A4 Ge9 (A=K, Rb) with ethylenediamine. However,
      upon layering of the obtained solution with 222-crypt/toluene (222
      crypt=4,7,13,16,21,24-hexaoxa-1,10-diazabicyclo-[8.8.8]hexacosan) only the
      (1Z,3Z)-isomer crystallizes as {[A(222-crypt)]6 [(1Z,3Z)-(Ge9 -CH=CH-CH=CH-Ge9
      )]}(tol)2 (en)2 (A=K, Rb) salts. Single crystals of these salts were
      characterized by X-ray structure analysis and Raman spectroscopy, indicating the
      presence of three superimposed conformers of (1Z,3Z)-[Ge9 -CH=CH-CH=CH-Ge9 ]6- ,
      which show different orientations of the cluster units with respect to the planar
      (1Z,3Z)-buta-1,3-dien-1,4-diyl linker unit.

PMID- 28905444
TI  - Response to hepatitis B vaccination in patients with liver cirrhosis.
AB  - Hepatitis B vaccination is strongly recommended for all infants and children but
      also for adults who are at risk of HBV infection. Attempts to immunize patients
      with liver cirrhosis have been proven relatively ineffective, and several
      strategies have already been used to improve the immune response in this group.
      The primary aim of this review is to examine, discuss, and summarize the
      immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccination in patients with liver cirrhosis.
      MEDLINE search identified 11 studies (n = 961). The dose of the vaccine and the
      schedule of the vaccination varied. The response rates to the HBV vaccination
      ranged from 16% to 87% among patients with cirrhosis regardless of the number and
      vaccine dose. In particular, patients who received the standard dose of
      vaccination achieved seroprotection rates ranged from 16% to 79% (mean response
      rate 38%) and those who received a double dose achieved relatively better
      seroprotection rates (range: 26%-87%; mean response rate 53%). The overall mean
      response rate to the HBV vaccination was 47%. In conclusion, cirrhotic patients
      achieve lower seroprotection rates after the completion of HBV vaccination
      series. Several strategies have tried to improve the immunogenicity; however,
      there is a great need for additional studies to further explore (1) the immune
      response in relation to poor vaccination responsiveness confounding factors, (2)
      novel strategies to improve immunogenicity, and (3) the immune mechanism
      underlying the differences in response rates to HBV vaccination.

PMID- 28905445
TI  - The meaning of play for children and young people with physical disabilities: A
      systematic thematic synthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children and young people with physical disabilities are often
      reported to play less than their typically developing peers. Few studies explore
      the meaning of play from the child's perspective; this study carried out a
      thematic synthesis of the findings of qualitative studies about the meaning of
      play following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta
      Analyses guidelines. METHODS: A search of CINAHL, AHMED, PsycINFO, MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, and ERIC was undertaken between September 2015 and March 2016.
      Qualitative studies exploring the meaning of play from the perspective of 0- to
      18-year-olds with physical disabilities impacting function were included. Quality
      appraisal and thematic synthesis were undertaken in order to develop analytical
      themes. RESULTS: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria in part addressing
      the meaning of play for children and young people with physical disabilities.
      Synthesis of the findings identified 5 analytical themes: Play can feel both
      positive and negative; play can draw attention towards or away from my
      disability; play is a social interaction; I participate differently to my peers,
      and needing help feels normal. CONCLUSIONS: The themes highlight the potential
      for play experiences of individuals with physical disabilities being overlooked
      by parents and professionals; further research is needed to explore play
      experience from these individual's perspective.

PMID- 28905442
TI  - Fell-Muir Lecture: Fibrillin microfibrils: structural tensometers of elastic
      tissues?
AB  - Fibrillin microfibrils are indispensable structural elements of connective
      tissues in multicellular organisms from early metazoans to humans. They have an
      extensible periodic beaded organization, and support dynamic tissues such as
      ciliary zonules that suspend the lens. In tissues that express elastin, including
      blood vessels, skin and lungs, microfibrils support elastin deposition and shape
      the functional architecture of elastic fibres. The vital contribution of
      microfibrils to tissue form and function is underscored by the heritable
      fibrillinopathies, especially Marfan syndrome with severe elastic, ocular and
      skeletal tissue defects. Research since the early 1990s has advanced our
      knowledge of biology of microfibrils, yet understanding of their mechanical and
      homeostatic contributions to tissues remains far from complete. This review is a
      personal reflection on key insights, and puts forward the conceptual hypothesis
      that microfibrils are structural 'tensometers' that direct cells to monitor and
      respond to altered tissue mechanics.

PMID- 28905446
TI  - Impact of five-tiered Gleason grade groups on prognostic prediction in clinical
      stage T3 prostate cancer undergoing high-dose-rate brachytherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated a five-tiered Gleason grade groups arising from the 2014
      International Society of Urological Pathology consensus conference on prognostic
      prediction in clinical stage T3a (extracapsular invasion) and T3b (seminal
      vesicle involvement) prostate cancer undergoing high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR
      BT). METHODS: From November 2003 to December 2012, 283 patients with stage T3
      prostate cancer received HDR-BT and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with
      long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Of these, 203 (72%) and 80 (28%)
      patients had stage T3a and T3b disease, respectively. The mean dose to 90% of the
      planning target volume was 7.5 Gy/fraction of HDR-BT. After five fractions, EBRT
      with 10 fractions of 3 Gy was administered. All patients first underwent >=6
      months of neoadjuvant ADT, and adjuvant ADT continued for 36 months. Median
      follow-up was 74 months from the start of radiotherapy. RESULTS: The 10-year
      biochemical recurrence (BCR) -free rate for stage T3a and T3b disease was 79% and
      64%, respectively (P = 0.0083). The 10-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate
      for stage T3a and T3b was 96% and 91%, respectively (P = 0.0305). Although grade
      groups >=4 were independent predictors for BCR in cT3a patients (P = 0.0270),
      they failed to significantly predict prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM)
      among cT3a patients. Among cT3b patients, grade group 5 was a significant
      predictor of both BCR (P = 0.0017) and PCSM (P = 0.0233). Among stage T3a
      patients, no significant difference existed in 10-year CSS between grade groups 5
      and 4 (94% vs 97%, P = 0.3960). In contrast, grade group 5 had a significantly
      worse outcome in 10-year CSS than grade group 4 among stage T3b patients (74% vs
      100%, P = 0.0350). CONCLUSIONS: Stage T3a patients with grade groups 4/5 and
      stage T3b with grade group 4 had fairly low PCSM risk. Approximately one of four
      patients among stage T3b patients with grade group 5 showed PCSM after combined
      HDR-BT and EBRT with long-term ADT. Stage T3b patients with grade group 5 may
      have a greater risk for PCSM.

PMID- 28905447
TI  - Assessment of the quality of neonatal care in the Solomon Islands.
AB  - AIM: To identify strengths and obstacles for improving the quality of newborn
      care in the Solomon Islands. Improving the quality of newborn care is a priority
      in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Action Plan for Healthy Newborns in
      the Western Pacific. The neonatal mortality rate in the Solomon Islands, a lower
      middle-income country, has improved slower than overall child mortality. In 2013,
      neonatal mortality (13.2/1000) constituted 44% of under-5 deaths (30.1/1000).
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study of newborn care in five provincial hospitals
      using a World Health Organization assessment tool for hospital quality of care.
      Twelve months of neonatal records of the National Referral Hospital (NRH) labour
      ward and nursery were audited. RESULTS: Essential medications and basic equipment
      were generally available. Challenges included workforce shortages and lack of
      expertise, high costs, organisation and maintenance of equipment, infection
      control and high rates of stillbirth. Over 12 months at the NRH labour ward,
      there were 5412 live births, 65 (1.2%) 'fresh' stillbirths and 96 (1.8%)
      'macerated' stillbirths. Over the same period, there were an associated 779
      nursery admissions, and the main causes of mortality were complications of
      prematurity, birth asphyxia, congenital abnormalities and sepsis. Total neonatal
      mortality at NRH was 16 per 1000 live births, and 77% of deaths occurred in the
      first 3 days of life. CONCLUSIONS: Infrastructure limitations, technical
      maintenance and equipment organisation were obstacles to newborn care. Greater
      health-care worker knowledge and skills for early essential newborn care,
      infection control and management of newborn complications is needed.

PMID- 28905448
TI  - Myeloid Zinc Finger 1 and GA Binding Protein Co-Operate with Sox2 in Regulating
      the Expression of Yes-Associated Protein 1 in Cancer Cells.
AB  - The transcription factor (TF) yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is a major effector
      of the tumor suppressive Hippo signaling pathway and is also necessary to
      maintain pluripotency in embryonic stem cells. Elevated levels of YAP1 expression
      antagonize the tumor suppressive effects of the Hippo pathway that normally
      represses YAP1 function. High YAP1 expression is observed in several types of
      human cancers and is particularly prominent in cancer stem cells (CSCs). The stem
      cell TF Sox2, which marks and maintains CSCs in osteosarcomas (OSs), promotes
      YAP1 expression by binding to an intronic enhancer element and YAP1 expression is
      also crucial for the maintainance of OS stem cells. To further understand the
      regulation of YAP1 expression in OSs, we subjected the YAP1 intronic enhancer to
      scanning mutagenesis to identify all DNA cis-elements critical for enhancer
      function. Through this approach, we identified two novel TFs, GA binding protein
      (GABP) and myeloid zinc finger 1 (MZF1), which are essential for basal YAP1
      transcription. These factors are highly expressed in OSs and bind to distinct
      sites in the YAP1 enhancer. Depletion of either factor leads to drastically
      reduced YAP1 expression and thus a reversal of stem cell properties. We also
      found that YAP1 can regulate the expression of Sox2 by binding to two distinct
      DNA binding sites upstream and downstream of the Sox2 gene. Thus, Sox2 and YAP1
      reinforce each others expression to maintain stemness and tumorigenicity in OSs,
      but the activity of MZF1 and GABP is essential for YAP1 transcription. Stem Cells
      2017;35:2340-2350.

PMID- 28905449
TI  - Lull pgm system: A suitable technique to improve the regenerative potential of
      autologous fat grafting.
AB  - Autologous fat grafting and methods of purification of harvested tissue have
      become one of the most current themes in regenerative medicine. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the in vitro regenerative potential of abdomen
      lipoaspirates subjected to a combined washing-decantation purifying procedure,
      the Lull pgm System (Lull). Blood cells and stromal-vascular fraction (SVF) cells
      contained in the aspirates were investigated and compared with those obtained
      through more conventional fat-processing methods, that is, the decantation and
      Coleman's centrifugation techniques. The lowest number of erythrocytes, which are
      proinflammatory cells, was observed in the Lull samples, corresponding to about
      50% of those isolated by decantation and centrifugation. The highest amount of
      SVF cells were isolated from the Lull samples whose number of colony forming
      units, representative of the amount of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), was
      about fourfold and sixfold higher than in the decantation and centrifugation
      samples, respectively. Adipocyte and osteoblast commitment of SVF cells obtained
      from all the three procedures also confirmed that the subpopulation of ADSCs was
      actively represented in the processed aspirates. Moreover, the growth rate of the
      SVF cells was more accentuated in the samples obtained from decantation and Lull
      than centrifugation. In conclusion, Lull seems to be the best processing
      technique for adipose tissue graft with respect to decantation and
      centrifugation, because it clears more efficiently the fat from proinflammatory
      blood cells and provides the greatest number of proliferating SFV cells and
      ADSCs.

PMID- 28905450
TI  - Nrf2 transfection enhances the efficacy of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells
      to repair lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide.
AB  - Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are
      clinical emergencies with no effective pharmaceutical treatment. This study aims
      to determine the protective effects of Nrf2-transfected human amniotic
      mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung
      injury in mice. hAMSCs stably transfected with Nrf2 or green fluorescent protein
      control were transplanted into male C57BL/6 mice via the tail vein 4 h after
      intratracheal instillation of LPS. At 3, 7, and 14 days after cell
      transplantation, total lung injury score (the Smith score) was determined by
      hematoxylin and eosin staining. Lung fibrosis was assessed by Masson's trichrome
      staining. Alveolar epithelial apoptosis was determined by terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining. The plasma levels
      of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and IL-10 were determined by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The homing and differentiation of hAMSCs into type
      II alveolar epithelial (AT II) cells were examined by immunofluorescent staining
      and/or western blot analysis. Nrf2, mRNA, and protein expression in lungs were
      examined by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis, and DNA-binding activity of Nrf2
      was detected by ELISA. We found that, compared with control hAMSCs, treatment
      with Nrf2-overexpressing hAMSCs led to further reduced lung injury, lung
      fibrosis, and inflammation in LPS-challenged mice. Nrf2-overexpressing hAMSCs
      also exhibited increased cell retention in the lung, more efficient
      differentiation into AT II cells, and more prominent effects on the increased
      mRNA and protein expression as well as DNA-binding activity of Nrf2 than control.
      These results support Nrf2-overexpressing hAMSCs as a potential cell-based
      therapy for clinical ALI/ARDS.

PMID- 28905452
TI  - Influence of scanning rate on quality of AFM image: Study of surface statistical
      metrics.
AB  - The purpose of this work is to study the dependence of AFM-data reliability on
      scanning rate. The three-dimensional (3D) surface topography of the samples with
      different micro-motifs is investigated. The analysis of surface metrics for
      estimation of artifacts from inappropriate scanning rate is presented. Fractal
      analysis was done by cube counting method and evaluation of statistical metrics
      was carrying out on the basis of AFM-data. Combination of quantitate parameters
      is also presented in graphs for every measurement. The results indicate that the
      sensitivity to scanning rate growths with fractal dimension of the sample. This
      approach allows describing the distortion of the images against scanning rate and
      could be applied for dependences on the other measurement parameters. The article
      explains the relevance and comparison of fractal and statistical surface
      parameters for characterization of data distortion caused by inappropriate choice
      of scanning rate.

PMID- 28905451
TI  - Gene-Edited Human Kidney Organoids Reveal Mechanisms of Disease in Podocyte
      Development.
AB  - A critical event during kidney organogenesis is the differentiation of podocytes,
      specialized epithelial cells that filter blood plasma to form urine. Podocytes
      derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC-podocytes) have recently been
      generated in nephron-like kidney organoids, but the developmental stage of these
      cells and their capacity to reveal disease mechanisms remains unclear. Here, we
      show that hPSC-podocytes phenocopy mammalian podocytes at the capillary loop
      stage (CLS), recapitulating key features of ultrastructure, gene expression, and
      mutant phenotype. hPSC-podocytes in vitro progressively establish junction-rich
      basal membranes (nephrin+ podocin+ ZO-1+ ) and microvillus-rich apical membranes
      (podocalyxin+ ), similar to CLS podocytes in vivo. Ultrastructural, biophysical,
      and transcriptomic analysis of podocalyxin-knockout hPSCs and derived podocytes,
      generated using CRISPR/Cas9, reveals defects in the assembly of microvilli and
      lateral spaces between developing podocytes, resulting in failed junctional
      migration. These defects are phenocopied in CLS glomeruli of podocalyxin
      deficient mice, which cannot produce urine, thereby demonstrating that
      podocalyxin has a conserved and essential role in mammalian podocyte maturation.
      Defining the maturity of hPSC-podocytes and their capacity to reveal and
      recapitulate pathophysiological mechanisms establishes a powerful framework for
      studying human kidney disease and regeneration. Stem Cells 2017;35:2366-2378.

PMID- 28905453
TI  - Sexual steroids in serum and prostatic tissue of human non-cancerous prostate
      (STERPROSER trial).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The specific involvement of the sex steroids in the growth of the
      prostatic tissue remains unclear. Sex steroid concentrations in plasma and in
      fresh surgical samples of benign central prostate were correlated to prostate
      volume. METHODS: Monocentric prospective study performed between September 2014
      and January 2017. Age, obesity parameters, and both serum and intraprostatic
      concentrations of sex steroids were collected complying with the latest Endocrine
      Society guidelines and the steroids assessed by GC/MS. Statistical calculations
      were adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Thirty-two patients,
      equally divided between normal- and high-volume prostate groups, were included in
      the analysis. High-volume prostate patients were older, heavier and had higher
      BMI. Comparison adjusted for age and BMI showed higher DHT concentrations in high
      volume prostate. Both normal- and high-volume prostate tissues concentrate sex
      steroids in a similar way. Comparison of enzymatic activity surrogate marker
      ratios within tissue highlighted similar TT/E1 and TT/E2 ratios, and higher
      DHT/E1 ratio and lower DHT/PSA ratio in the high-volume prostates. CONCLUSIONS:
      STERPROSER trial provides evidence for higher DHT concentration in highvolume
      prostates, that could reflect either higher 5-alpha reductase expression or lower
      expression of downstream metabolizing enzymes such as 3a-hydoxysteroid
      dehydrogenase.

PMID- 28905455
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28905456
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28905454
TI  - Management considerations in the failing renal allograft.
AB  - Patients with a failed or failing renal transplant are increasing in number.
      Graft failure resulting in dialysis re-initiation is not uncommon, yet there are
      limited data to guide management of these patients. Physician practices vary
      regarding timing of dialysis initiation and the timing and extent of
      immunosuppression withdrawal. The risks of immunosuppression withdrawal need to
      be carefully balanced against the benefits of continuing low-dose therapy. The
      latter helps minimize the risk of sensitisation and has been proposed to possibly
      slow the loss of residual renal function; however, the use of common
      immunosuppressive agents may contribute to cardiovascular disease, malignancy,
      and infection, the major causes of death following the loss of a renal
      transplant. The evolving area of personalised transplant immunosuppression may
      offer future tools for monitoring and managing patients during and after
      transplant failure. This article aims to discuss some of the important issues
      that arise when managing these patients.

PMID- 28905457
TI  - Asthma management: A new phenotype-based approach using presence of eosinophilia
      and allergy.

PMID- 28905458
TI  - Phosphorylation of ETS-1 is a critical event in DNA polymerase iota-induced
      invasion and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - An aberrantly elevated expression of DNA polymerase iota (Pol iota) is
      significantly associated with poor prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous
      cell carcinoma (ESCC), yet the mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain obscure.
      Based on the RNA-Seq transcriptome and real-time PCR analysis, we identified ETS
      1 as a candidate gene involved in Pol iota-mediated progression of ESCC. Wound
      healing and transwell assay indicated that downregulation of ETS-1 attenuates Pol
      iota-mediated invasiveness of ESCC. Signaling pathway analysis showed that Pol
      iota enhances ETS-1 phosphorylation at threonine-38 through the Erk signaling
      pathway in ESCC cells. Kaplan-Meier analysis, based on 93 clinical tissue
      samples, revealed that ETS-1 phosphorylation at threonine-38 is associated with
      poor prognosis of ESCC patients. The present study thus demonstrates that
      phosphorylation of ETS-1 is a critical event in the Pol iota-induced invasion and
      metastasis of ESCC.

PMID- 28905460
TI  - Synthesis of Acylborons by Ozonolysis of Alkenylboronates: Preparation of an
      Enantioenriched Amino Acid Acylboronate.
AB  - A concise synthesis of acylborons was achieved by ozonolysis of alkenyl MIDA (N
      methyliminodiacetic acid) boronates. This reaction exhibits excellent functional
      group tolerance and is applicable to various acyl MIDA boronates and potassium
      acyltrifluroborates (KATs) which could not be synthesized by previous methods. In
      addition, alpha-amino acylborons, which would be essential for peptide ligations,
      were prepared for the first time. The acylboron of l-alanine was obtained in high
      enantiopurity and found to be configurationally stable. Oligopeptide synthesis
      between the alpha-amino KATs and amino acid in dilute aqueous media was studied.

PMID- 28905459
TI  - Rescue therapy within the UK Cystic Fibrosis Registry: An exploration of
      predictors of intravenous antibiotic use amongst adults with CF.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Intravenous (i.v.) antibiotics are needed for rescue
      when preventative therapy fails to achieve stability among adults with cystic
      fibrosis (CF). Understanding the distribution of i.v. days can provide insight
      into the care that adults with CF need. We aim to determine the baseline
      characteristics that are associated with higher i.v. use, in particular to test
      the hypothesis that prior-year i.v. use is associated with future-year i.v. use.
      METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis of the 2013-2014 UK CF registry data.
      Stepwise logistic regression was performed using current-year i.v. days as the
      dependent variable, and demographic variables including prior-year i.v. days as
      the covariates. Based on these results, study sample was divided into clinically
      meaningful subgroups using analysis similar to tree-based method. RESULTS: Data
      were available for 4269 adults in 2013 and 4644 adults in 2014. Prior-year i.v.
      use was the strongest predictor for current-year i.v. use followed by forced
      expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ). Adults with high prior-year i.v. use (>14 days)
      continued to require high levels of i.v., regardless of FEV1 . Those with high
      prior-year i.v. use and FEV1 >=70% had higher current-year i.v. days compared to
      adults with low prior-year i.v. use and FEV1 <40% (28 days, interquartile range
      (IQR): 11-41 days vs 14 days, IQR: 0-28 days; Mann-Whitney P-value <0.001 in
      2013). CONCLUSION: CF people with prior high levels of rescue often continue to
      need high levels of rescue even if they have good FEV1 . The reasons for this
      require further investigations.

PMID- 28905461
TI  - Assessment of ecosystem resilience to hydroclimatic disturbances in India.
AB  - Recent studies have shown an increasing trend in hydroclimatic disturbances like
      droughts, which are anticipated to become more frequent and intense under global
      warming and climate change. Droughts adversely affect the vegetation growth and
      crop yield, which enhances the risks to food security for a country like India
      with over 1.2 billion people to feed. Here, we compared the response of
      terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) to hydroclimatic disturbances in India
      at different scales (i.e., at river basins, land covers, and climate types) to
      examine the ecosystems' resilience to such adverse conditions. The ecosystem
      water use efficiency (WUEe : NPP/Evapotranspiration) is an effective indicator of
      ecosystem productivity, linking carbon (C) and water cycles. We found a
      significant difference (p < .05) in WUEe across India at different scales. The
      ecosystem resilience analysis indicated that most of the river basins were not
      resilient enough to hydroclimatic disturbances. Drastic reduction in WUEe under
      dry conditions was observed for some basins, which highlighted the cross-biome
      incapability to withstand such conditions. The ecosystem resilience at land cover
      and climate type scale did not completely relate to the basin-scale ecosystem
      resilience, which indicated that ecosystem resilience at basin scale is
      controlled by some other ecohydrological processes. Our results facilitate the
      identification of the most sensitive regions in the country for ecosystem
      management and climate policy making, and highlight the need for taking
      sufficient adaptation measures to ensure sustainability of ecosystems.

PMID- 28905462
TI  - Referrals to dietitians/nutritionists: A cross-sectional analysis of Australian
      GP registrars' clinical practice.
AB  - AIM: The present study aimed to describe referral patterns of general
      practitioner (GP) registrars to dietitians/nutritionists. There is a paucity of
      research regarding GP referral patterns to dietitians/nutritionists. Limited data
      show increasing referrals from established GPs to dietitians/nutritionists. There
      are no data on GP registrar (trainee) referrals. METHODS: This was a cross
      sectional analysis of data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training
      (ReCEnT) study. ReCEnT is an ongoing, multicentre, prospective cohort study of
      registrars, which documents 60 consecutive consultations of each registrar in
      each of the three six-month GP training terms. The outcome factor in this
      analysis was a problem/diagnosis resulting in dietitian/nutritionist referral
      (2010-2015). Independent variables were related to registrar, patient, practice
      and consultation. RESULTS: A total of 1124 registrars contributed data from 145
      708 consultations. Of 227 190 problems/diagnoses, 587 (0.26% (confidence
      interval: 0.23-0.29)) resulted in dietitian/nutritionist referral. The most
      common problems/diagnoses referred related to overweight/obesity (27.1%) and type
      2 diabetes (21.1%). Of referrals to a dietitian/nutritionist, 60.8% were for a
      chronic disease, and 38.8% were related to a Chronic Disease Management plan.
      Dietitian/nutritionist referral was significantly associated with a number of
      independent variables reflecting continuity of care, patient complexity, chronic
      disease, health equity and registrar engagement. CONCLUSIONS: Established
      patients with chronic disease and complex care needs are more likely than other
      patients to be referred by registrars to dietitians/nutritionists. Nutrition
      behaviours are a major risk factor in chronic disease, and we have found evidence
      for dietitian/nutritionist referrals representing one facet of engagement by
      registrars with patients' complex care needs.

PMID- 28905463
TI  - Epidemiological and clinical features of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma in Japan,
      2010-2011: A nationwide survey.
AB  - Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) is a mature T-cell malignancy associated
      with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection. Japan is the most
      endemic country for HTLV-1 and ATL in the world. Recent nationwide studies of
      Japanese blood donors reported that HTLV-1 carriers spread from endemic areas to
      non-endemic areas. Therefore, the latest information on nationwide
      epidemiological and clinical data for ATL is necessary to guide clinical
      practice. We undertook a multicenter, hospital-based survey of newly diagnosed
      ATL patients from 2010 to 2011. A total of 996 patients with ATL were registered
      from 126 hospitals across Japan. Of those, 922 (487 men and 435 women) were
      included in the analysis. The median age at diagnosis was 68 years (interquartile
      range, 60-75 years). Overall, 67.2% of ATL was diagnosed in the Kyushu-Okinawa
      area. The most common subtype was acute (49.5%), followed by lymphoma (25.7%),
      chronic (14.2%), and smoldering (10.6%). Lymphoma type was more prevalent in men
      (60%), whereas chronic was more prevalent in women (60%). Half of patients with
      lymphoma type were aged over 70 years, whereas one-third of patients with the
      chronic type were aged under 60 years. All of these characteristics were
      different from those of the previous nationwide surveys in the 1980s and 1990s.
      This survey clarified that half of current patients with ATL are aged over 68
      years who were unable to receive intensive cytotoxic therapies. New less toxic
      agents for aged patients and further strategies to prevent the development of ATL
      from HTLV-1 carrier status are needed.

PMID- 28905465
TI  - Inclusion of sepsis and hypoxaemia in mortality prediction of hospitalized
      patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

PMID- 28905464
TI  - Urinary desmosine is associated with emphysema severity and frequent exacerbation
      in patients with COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Matrix degradation is a key feature of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Desmosine and isodesmosine (desmosines) are
      excreted in urine following matrix degradation. The main purpose of this study
      was to investigate the association between computed tomography (CT) emphysema
      indices and urinary desmosines in patients with COPD. METHODS: A total of 152
      subjects were selected from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease cohort. Their
      urine samples were assayed for desmosines using liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods. The cohort was divided into emphysema-dominant
      (n = 80) and non-emphysema dominant- (n = 72) groups according to the CT
      emphysema index. RESULTS: The level of urinary desmosines was significantly
      higher in the emphysema-dominant group. Significant differences were also
      observed between the two groups for body mass index and lung function.
      Multivariate analysis indicated that a high level of urinary desmosines was a
      significant independent predictor of emphysema (relative risk: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.11
      6.09; P = 0.028). The percentage of frequent exacerbators was significantly
      higher in the high urinary desmosine group in the first year of follow-up (P =
      0.041). The mean number of exacerbations was higher in the high urinary desmosine
      group, although this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.067).
      The changes in emphysema index did not differ between the two urinary desmosine
      groups over 3 years of follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the level
      of urinary desmosines measured by LC-MS/MS methods is associated with the CT
      emphysema index. Urinary desmosine can be a useful predictor in identifying
      frequent exacerbators.

PMID- 28905466
TI  - Adherence to PI-based 2nd-line regimens in Cambodia is not simply a question of
      individual behaviour: the ANRS 12276 2PICAM study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART)
      can be explained not only by individual factors but also by health care
      facilities' characteristics, among a sample of people living with HIV (PLWH)
      treated with PI-based regimens in Cambodia. METHODS: The ANRS 12276 2PICAM cross
      sectional survey was conducted between February 2013 and April 2014 among PLWH
      followed up in 13 health care facilities. The 1316 patients in this analysis
      corresponded to 90% of the total number of adult patients treated with 2nd-line
      PI-based regimens in Cambodia in the study period. A variable indicating whether
      patients were non-adherent (=1) or completely adherent (=0) was constructed.
      Health care facilities and individual characteristics were included in a two
      level logistic model to investigate their influence on patients' adherence to
      ART. RESULTS: A total of 17% of participants did not adhere to ART. Patients in
      health care facilities outside the capital Phnom Penh were six times more likely
      to be non-adherent than those treated in health care facilities in the capital
      (OR: 6.15, 95% CI [1.47, 25.79]). Providing psychosocial care (provided by
      psychologist counsellors and/or full-time coaches) was found to be a structural
      facilitator of adherence, as the probability of non-adherence fell by 38.5% per
      each additional psychological worker present in health care facilities (OR: 0.62,
      95% CI [0.43, 0.89]). Financial constraints were the main individual factor
      preventing adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that inefficiencies in
      health care delivery are detrimental to PLWH health and to the exceptional
      progress currently being made by Cambodia in response to HIV. Policy makers
      should focus on increasing the number of psychosocial workers, especially in
      areas outside the capital.

PMID- 28905467
TI  - Modeling of protein complexes in CAPRI Round 37 using template-based approach
      combined with model selection.
AB  - We participated in Round 37 of the Critical Assessment of PRediction of
      Interactions (CAPRI), held jointly with the 12th edition of the Critical
      Assessment of protein Structure Prediction (CASP12), having two major objectives.
      First, we intended to test the utility of our PPI3D web server in finding and
      selecting templates for comparative modeling of structures of protein complexes.
      Our second aim was to evaluate the ability of our model accuracy estimation
      method VoroMQA to score and rank structural models for protein-protein
      interactions. Using sequence search in PPI3D and HHpred servers we identified
      multimeric templates for 7 of 11 CAPRI targets, and models of at least acceptable
      quality were constructed for 6 of them. The clustering and visual analysis
      features implemented in the PPI3D software were instrumental in detecting
      alternative protein-protein interaction interfaces among the identified
      templates. When a single binding mode was observed for homologous proteins, the
      structural modeling of the protein complex was fairly straightforward, whereas
      choosing the correct interaction template from several alternatives turned out to
      be a difficult task requiring manual intervention. The combination of full
      structure and interaction interface VoroMQA scores effectively ranked structural
      models of protein complexes and selected models of better quality from the CAPRI
      Scoring sets. The overall results show possible uses of PPI3D and VoroMQA in
      structural modeling of protein-protein interactions and suggest ways for further
      improvements of both methods.

PMID- 28905468
TI  - Preventive Dental Checkups and Their Association With Access to Usual Source of
      Care Among Rural and Urban Adult Residents.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the relationship between rural or urban
      residence and having a usual source of care (USC), and the utilization of
      preventive dental checkups among adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis was
      conducted using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2012. We performed
      a logit regression on the relationship between rural and urban residence, having
      a USC, and having at least 1 dental checkup in the past year, adjusting for
      sociodemographic characteristics and health status. FINDINGS: After controlling
      for covariates, rural adult residents had significantly lower odds of having at
      least 1 dental checkup per year compared to their urban counterparts (odds ratio
      [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62-0.86, P < .001). Additionally,
      individuals with a USC had higher odds of having at least 1 dental checkup per
      year (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.59-1.95, P < .001). Among both rural and urban
      residents, having a USC was significantly associated with an 11% (95% CI = 9%
      13%) increase in the probability of having a preventive dental checkup within a
      year. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with a USC were more likely to obtain a preventive
      dental visit, with similar effects in rural and urban settings. We attributed the
      lower odds of having a checkup in rural regions to the lower density of oral
      health care providers in these areas. Integration of rural oral health care into
      primary care may help mitigate the challenges due to a shortage of oral health
      care providers in rural areas.

PMID- 28905469
TI  - Institutional review boards' attitudes towards remuneration in paediatric
      research: Ethical considerations.
AB  - Remuneration in paediatric research poses an ethical dilemma. Too large a sum
      might cause parents to enrol their children in research projects with no benefit
      for the child, whereas too modest a sum might hamper recruitment. The
      institutional review boards have the responsibility to only approve remuneration
      in paediatric trials with ethically sound research plans. However, little is
      known about which factors influence institutional review boards' evaluation of
      remuneration in paediatric research.

PMID- 28905470
TI  - Outcomes of Berlin Heart EXCOR(r) pediatric ventricular assist device support in
      patients with restrictive and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - The outcomes of pediatric ventricular assist device support in patients with
      diastolic heart failure have not been well described. This study reviews the
      North American experience with Berlin Heart EXCOR(r) ventricular assist device
      implants in children with such physiology. The Berlin Heart clinical database was
      reviewed. Patients with primary diastolic dysfunction are included in this study.
      Twenty pediatric patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy (n = 13), hypertrophic
      cardiomyopathy (n = 3), or congenital heart disease with restrictive physiology
      (n = 4) who were supported with EXCOR(r) were identified. Of these, nine (45%)
      were successfully bridged to transplant, one (5%) weaned from support, and 10
      (50%) died after support was withdrawn. Of patients under age 3 years (n = 13),
      38.5% survived, whereas those aged 3 or older (n = 7) had 71.4% survival (P =
      .35). Biventricular assist device (BiVAD) patients experienced a 27.3% survival,
      vs 77.8% for patients with left ventricular assist device only (P = .07). Primary
      causes of death included stroke, infection, acidosis, multisystem organ failure,
      and bleeding. Pediatric patients with diastolic heart failure comprise a high
      risk population for mechanical circulatory support. However, half of patients
      with this physiology have been successfully supported to explant with EXCOR(r) .
      The trends toward higher mortality for younger patients and those receiving BiVAD
      support warrant consideration.

PMID- 28905471
TI  - Novel assessment tool to detect breathing pattern disorder in patients with
      refractory asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Breathing pattern disorder (BPD) can co-exist with and
      mimic asthma, acting to amplify symptoms and confound assessment of disease
      control, resulting in inappropriate treatment escalation. The aim of this
      research was to report the utility of a novel breathing pattern assessment tool
      (BPAT) to detect BPD in treatment-refractory asthma. METHODS: As a component of a
      multidisciplinary assessment, adult patients referred with treatment-refractory
      asthma underwent respiratory physiotherapy assessment to diagnose BPD. Based on
      this assessment, patients were classified as having asthma, asthma + BPD or BPD
      alone. BPAT data were collected in addition to questionnaire data (Asthma Quality
      of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) and Nijmegen Questionnaire (NQ)), pulmonary function
      and an assessment of exercise capacity. RESULTS: Data were retrospectively
      analysed for 150 (female; 69%) patients, mean (SD) age of 43 (14) years;
      characterized as asthma-only (n = 54, 36%), asthma + BPD (n = 63, 42%) and BPD
      only (n = 33, 22%). Of the total population, 113 (76%) had an NQ score >=23, but
      of these only 68% had physiotherapy evidence of BPD. Exercise capacity and AQLQ
      were lower in the asthma + BPD group than in the asthma-only group (P < 0.05),
      whilst lung function was similar between groups. Sensitivity analysis indicated
      that a BPAT score of >=4 corresponded to a sensitivity of 0.92 and a specificity
      of 0.75 for diagnosis of BPD in this cohort. CONCLUSION: Breathing pattern
      irregularities are highly prevalent in individuals referred with treatment
      refractory asthma and can be characterized using the BPAT. Further work is needed
      to determine inter-observer and within-subject variability and ensure the BPAT is
      a robust clinical tool. Watch the video abstract.

PMID- 28905472
TI  - Design paper: Japan Endoscopy Database (JED): A prospective, large database
      project related to gastroenterological endoscopy in Japan.
AB  - The advent of electronic medical records brought image filing systems to many
      hospitals, as well as electronic endoscopic medical records. However, data
      integration among multiple different vendors has not yet been accomplished. We
      start the Japan Endoscopic Database (JED) Project endorsed by Japan
      Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society (JGES) from January 2015. The purposes of
      this project are as follows: (i) developing the world's largest endoscopic
      database generated from daily use of the reporting system; (ii) capturing the
      actual performance of endoscopic practice in Japan; and (iii) standardizing the
      terminology and fundamental items for registry of clinical studies. Moreover, the
      JED project has the potential to automatically collect data about adverse events,
      competency and evaluation of residents, and actual numbers of procedures on a
      nationwide scale, certification for the specialty board system, and so on. We
      believe that this design paper will be helpful not only for future nationwide
      research but also for international research (UMIN000016093).

PMID- 28905473
TI  - Does multigenerational exposure to hormetic concentrations of imidacloprid
      precondition aphids for increased insecticide tolerance?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hormetic preconditioning, whereby exposure to mild stress primes an
      organism to better tolerate subsequent stress, is well documented. It is unknown
      if exposure to hormetic concentrations of insecticide can trans-generationally
      prime insects to better tolerate insecticide exposure, or whether exposure to
      hormetic concentrations of insecticide can induce mutations in genes responsible
      for insecticide resistance. Using the aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and the
      insecticide imidacloprid as a model, we examined if exposure to mildly toxic and
      hormetic concentrations of imidacloprid reduced aphid susceptibility to
      insecticides across four generations, and whether such exposures induced
      mutations in the imidacloprid binding site in post-synaptic nicotinic
      acetylcholine receptors. RESULTS: Chronic, multigenerational exposure of aphids
      to hormetic concentrations of imidacloprid primed offspring to better survive
      exposure to certain concentrations of imidacloprid, but not exposure to
      spirotetramat, an insecticide with a different mode of action. Exposure to
      hormetic and mildly toxic concentrations of imidacloprid did not result in
      mutations in any of the examined nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that exposure to hormetic concentrations of
      insecticide can prime insects to better withstand subsequent chemical stress, but
      this is dependent upon the insecticide exposure scenario, and may be subtle over
      generations. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28905474
TI  - Steer-PROP: a GRASE-PROPELLER sequence with interecho steering gradient pulses.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study demonstrates a novel PROPELLER (periodically rotated
      overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction) pulse sequence, termed
      Steer-PROP, based on gradient and spin echo (GRASE), to reduce the imaging times
      and address phase errors inherent to GRASE. The study also illustrates the
      feasibility of using Steer-PROP as an alternative to single-shot echo planar
      imaging (SS-EPI) to produce distortion-free diffusion images in all imaging
      planes. METHODS: Steer-PROP uses a series of blip gradient pulses to produce N (N
      = 3-5) adjacent k-space blades in each repetition time, where N is the number of
      gradient echoes in a GRASE sequence. This sampling strategy enables a phase
      correction algorithm to systematically address the GRASE phase errors as well as
      the motion-induced phase inconsistency. Steer-PROP was evaluated on phantoms and
      healthy human subjects at both 1.5T and 3.0T for T2 - and diffusion-weighted
      imaging. RESULTS: Steer-PROP produced similar image quality as conventional
      PROPELLER based on fast spin echo (FSE), while taking only a fraction (e.g., 1/3)
      of the scan time. The robustness against motion in Steer-PROP was comparable to
      that of FSE-based PROPELLER. Using Steer-PROP, high quality and distortion-free
      diffusion images were obtained from human subjects in all imaging planes,
      demonstrating a considerable advantage over SS-EPI. CONCLUSION: The proposed
      Steer-PROP sequence can substantially reduce the scan times compared with FSE
      based PROPELLER while achieving adequate image quality. The novel k-space
      sampling strategy in Steer-PROP not only enables an integrated phase correction
      method that addresses various sources of phase errors, but also minimizes the
      echo spacing compared with alternative sampling strategies. Steer-PROP can also
      be a viable alternative to SS-EPI to decrease image distortion in all imaging
      planes. Magn Reson Med 79:2533-2541, 2018. (c) 2017 International Society for
      Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28905475
TI  - Evaluation of volumetric dimensional changes in posterior extraction sites with
      and without ARP using a novel imaging device.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alveolar ridge volume loss may be minimized when postextraction
      sockets are filled by bone substitutes. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to
      measure the effect of alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) in maintaining the
      external contour of the ridge after fresh socket grafting with or without
      particulate anorganic bovine bone mineral (BBM) and resorbable barrier covering.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present controlled study, patients subjected to
      single-tooth extraction were allocated to 2 groups: postextraction sockets
      grafted with bovine bone mineral (bbm), and naturally healing sockets (nat).
      Before and at 5 months following tooth extraction, plaster cast contours of the
      sockets were acquired by means of an optical scanner; the 2 contours of each
      patient underwent voxelization and fusion using a matrix elaborator. Outcome
      variables at 5 months (volumetric, surface, and linear changes) were measured in
      digital fused plaster casts with a dental scan software analyzing a volume of
      interest ranging from residual papilla to 10 mm toward the apical point. Intra-
      and inter-group pair-wise variables' comparisons were conducted. Level of
      significance was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Twenty-four sites were enrolled: 12 ARP
      and 12 naturally healed. Five-month percentage of volume loss of the bbm-group
      (21.7% +/- 7.4%) was significantly lower (Ps < .0003) than that of the naturally
      healing group (38.8% +/- 7.9%). When tooth position was investigated, volume loss
      in percentage registered a significantly better (P values <= .0485) behavior in
      molars (DeltaV% = -19.1% +/- 6.5% and DeltaV% = -35.6% +/- 7.6%, respectively,
      for bbm and nat) than that in premolars (DeltaV% = -26.9% +/- 7.2% and DeltaV% = 
      45.1% +/- 4.2%, respectively, for bbm and nat), in both the preserved and
      naturally healing groups. CONCLUSION: The dimensional loss in postextraction
      sockets grafted with anorganic bovine bone substitute and covered by a resorbable
      collagen barrier was lower than that of the naturally healing sites. However,
      ridge preservation was able to maintain almost 80% of the pristine bone.

PMID- 28905476
TI  - Increased frequency of CD45 negative T cells (T zone cells) in older Golden
      retriever dogs.
AB  - T zone lymphoma (TZL) is characterized by the clonal expansion of T cells lacking
      expression of the pan-leukocyte antigen CD45 (TZ cells). A strong breed
      predisposition is observed in Golden retrievers. This study aimed to confirm
      aberrant CD45 mRNA expression and determine if Golden retrievers without clinical
      lymphoma have an increased frequency of circulating TZ cells. Gene expression
      analysis on confirmed TZL cases showed a significant decrease in CD45 expression
      compared to normal dogs. Peripheral blood samples from senior dogs, 242 Golden
      retrievers and 42 non-Golden retrievers, without evidence of lymphoproliferative
      disease were assessed for the presence of TZ cells by flow cytometry. Thirty-one
      percent of Golden retrievers had TZ cells compared to 14% of non-Golden
      retrievers. Thirty-four percent of Golden retrievers with TZ cells had a clonal T
      cell receptor gamma (TRG) gene rearrangement. Interestingly, 20% of Golden
      retrievers without TZ cells also had a clonal TRG rearrangement. Golden
      retrievers may have an increased risk of TZL due to an increased frequency of TZ
      cells.

PMID- 28905477
TI  - A HD-ZIP III gene, PtrHB4, is required for interfascicular cambium development in
      Populus.
AB  - Wood production is dependent on the activity of the vascular cambium, which
      develops from the fascicular and interfascicular cambia. However, little is known
      about the mechanisms controlling how the vascular cambium is developed in woody
      species. Here, we show that PtrHB4, belonging to the Populus HD-ZIP III family,
      plays a critical role in the process of vascular cambium development. PtrHB4 was
      specifically expressed in shoot tip and stem vascular tissue at an early
      developmental stage. Repression of PtrHB4 caused defects in the development of
      the secondary vascular system due to failures in interfascicular cambium
      formation. By contrast, overexpression of PtrHB4 induced cambium activity and
      xylem differentiation during secondary vascular development. Transcriptional
      analysis of PtrHB4 repressed plants indicated that auxin response and cell
      proliferation were affected in the formation of the interfascicular cambium.
      Taken together, these results suggest that PtrHB4 is required for interfascicular
      cambium formation to develop the vascular cambium in woody species.

PMID- 28905479
TI  - Abstracts of the Irish Society of Urology Annual Meeting, 15-16 September 2017,
      Kingsley Hotel, Cork, Ireland.

PMID- 28905480
TI  - Biogas.
AB  - Biogas production represents a fascinating process for the recovery of nutrients
      and renewable energy from various organic waste streams. The process is of
      interest for the production of value-added chemicals by mixed cultures and can
      also be applied in combined bioenergy production systems. Strategies and
      opportunities for optimization of biogas quality and quantity are presented.

PMID- 28905478
TI  - Efficacy and safety of alirocumab in insulin-treated individuals with type 1 or
      type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk: The ODYSSEY DM-INSULIN randomized
      trial.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the efficacy and safety of alirocumab in participants with
      type 2 (T2D) or type 1 diabetes (T1D) treated with insulin who have elevated LDL
      cholesterol levels despite maximally tolerated statin therapy. METHODS:
      Participants at high cardiovascular risk with T2D (n = 441) or T1D (n = 76) and
      LDL cholesterol levels >=1.8 mmol/L (>=70 mg/dL) were randomized 2:1 to
      alirocumab:placebo administered subcutaneously every 2 weeks, for 24 weeks'
      double-blind treatment. Alirocumab-treated participants received 75 mg every 2
      weeks, with blinded dose increase to 150 mg every 2 weeks at week 12 if week 8
      LDL cholesterol levels were >=1.8 mmol/L. Primary endpoints were percentage
      change in calculated LDL cholesterol from baseline to week 24, and safety
      assessments. RESULTS: Alirocumab reduced LDL cholesterol from baseline to week 24
      by a mean +/- standard error of 49.0% +/- 2.7% and 47.8% +/- 6.5% vs placebo
      (both P < .0001) in participants with T2D and T1D, respectively. Significant
      reductions were observed in non-HDL cholesterol (P < .0001), apolipoprotein B (P
      < .0001) and lipoprotein (a) (P <= .0039). At week 24, 76.4% and 70.2% of the
      alirocumab group achieved LDL cholesterol <1.8 mmol/L in the T2D and T1D
      populations (P < .0001), respectively. Glycated haemoglobin and fasting plasma
      glucose levels remained stable for the study duration. Treatment-emergent adverse
      events were observed in 64.5% of alirocumab- vs 64.1% of placebo-treated
      individuals (overall population). CONCLUSIONS: Alirocumab produced significant
      LDL cholesterol reductions in participants with insulin-treated diabetes
      regardless of diabetes type, and was generally well tolerated. Concomitant
      administration of alirocumab and insulin did not raise any safety concerns
      (NCT02585778).

PMID- 28905481
TI  - Reducing copper use in the environment: the use of larixol and larixyl acetate to
      treat downy mildew caused by Plasmopara viticola in viticulture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plant extracts might provide sustainable alternatives to copper
      fungicides, which are still widely used despite their unfavourable
      ecotoxicological profile. Larch bark extract and its constituents, larixyl
      acetate and larixol, have been shown to be effective against grapevine downy
      mildew (Plasmopara viticola) under semi-controlled conditions. The aim of this
      study was to reduce the gap between innovation and the registration of a
      marketable product, namely to develop scalable extraction processes and to
      evaluate and optimise the performance of larch extracts under different
      conditions. RESULTS: Toxicologically and technically acceptable solvents like
      ethanol were used to extract the active compounds larixyl acetate and larixol
      from bark in sufficient amounts and their combined concentration could be
      increased by up to 39% by purification steps. The combined concentration of
      larixyl acetate and larixol from larch turpentine could be increased by up to
      66%. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC100 ) against P. viticola in vitro
      (6-23 ug mL-1 ) and the Effective Concentration (EC50 ) in planta under semi
      controlled conditions (0.2-0.4 mg mL-1 ) were promising compared with other plant
      extracts. In vineyards, efficacies of larch extracts reached up to 68% in a stand
      alone strategy and 84% in low-copper strategies. CONCLUSION: Larch extracts
      represent valid candidates for copper reduction in organic vineyards, and their
      development into a sustainable plant protection product might be feasible. (c)
      2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28905482
TI  - Energy drink consumption among New Zealand adolescents: Associations with mental
      health, health risk behaviours and body size.
AB  - AIM: With the increase in popularity of energy drinks come multiple concerns
      about the associated health indicators of young people. The current study aims to
      describe the frequency of consumption of energy drinks in a nationally
      representative sample of adolescents and to explore the relationship between
      energy drink consumption and health risk behaviours, body size and mental health.
      METHODS: Data were collected as part of Youth'12, a nationally representative
      survey of high school students in New Zealand (2012). In total, 8500 students
      answered a comprehensive questionnaire about their health and well-being,
      including multiple measures of mental well-being, and were weighed and measured
      for height. RESULTS: More than one-third (35%) of young people consumed energy
      drinks in the past week, and 12% consumed energy drinks four or more times in the
      past week. Energy drink consumption was significantly associated with greater
      depressive symptoms, greater emotional difficulties and lower general subjective
      well-being. Frequent energy drink consumption was also associated with binge
      drinking, smoking, engagement in unsafe sex, violent behaviours, risky motor
      vehicle use and disordered eating behaviours. There was no association between
      consumption of energy drinks and student body size. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of
      energy drinks is associated with a range of health risk behaviours for young
      people. Strategies to limit consumption of energy drinks by young people are
      warranted.

PMID- 28905483
TI  - Lung cancer in young women in southern Sweden: A descriptive study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer, a common malignancy and cause of cancer-related
      deaths, is strongly linked to several environmental exposures, and thus primarily
      affects the elderly. Formerly a man's disease, its incidence is rising among
      women, and lung cancer is now more common in women than men in Sweden. Women are
      particularly over-represented among young patients. While overall cancer
      mortality in Europe is decreasing, female lung cancer mortality is increasing.
      OBJECTIVES: We describe the epidemiological presentation of lung cancer in young
      Swedish women, aiming to pinpoint its risk factors for young women. METHODS: 1159
      women with newly diagnosed lung cancer in southern Sweden 1997-2015 answered
      questionnaires on their lifestyles and personal and family medical histories. We
      identified those below age 50. RESULTS: 70 (6.0%) of 1159 women were below age
      50. Most (n = 49, 70.0%) were aged 45-50; eight (11.4%) were below age 40. The
      most common lung cancer subtype was adenocarcinoma (n = 33, 47.1%). 12.9% (n = 9)
      had carcinoid tumors. Most women reported both first- and second-hand tobacco
      smoke exposure (n = 54, 77.1%); 2.9% (n = 2) reported neither. 17.1% (n = 12)
      were never-smokers. 34.3% (n = 24) reported frequent X-ray radiation exposure.
      78.6% reported at least one near relative with cancer. 25.7% reported relatives
      with lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Lung cancer remains rare in young women, and
      tobacco smoke exposure is the single greatest risk factor, even for never
      smokers. Thus, avoiding tobacco smoke exposure remains the most important
      preventive measure against lung cancer for young women in Sweden and elsewhere.

PMID- 28905484
TI  - Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection With Increased Virus DNA Levels in a Chronic
      Hemodialysis Patient.

PMID- 28905485
TI  - Public expenditure costs of carers leaving employment in England, 2015/2016.
AB  - In the context of global population ageing, the reconciliation of employment and
      unpaid caring is becoming an important social issue. The estimation of the public
      expenditure costs of carers leaving employment is a valuable measure that is of
      considerable interest to policy makers. In 2012, the Personal Social Services
      Research Unit estimated that the public expenditure costs of unpaid carers
      leaving employment in England were approximately L1.3 billion a year, based on
      the costs of Carer's Allowance and lost tax revenues on forgone incomes. However,
      this figure was known to be an underestimate partly because it did not include
      other key benefits that carers who have given up work to care may receive. This
      paper presents a new estimate of the public expenditure costs of carers leaving
      employment. Key sources of information are the 2009/2010 Survey of Carers in
      Households, 2011 Census and 2015/2016 costs data. As well as Carer's Allowance,
      the estimate also now includes the costs of other benefits that carers leaving
      work may receive, namely, Income Support and Housing Benefit. The results show
      that the estimated numbers of carers who have left employment because of caring
      have increased from approximately 315,000 to 345,000. Due mainly to the inclusion
      of a wider range of benefits, the public expenditure costs of carers leaving
      employment in England are now estimated at L2.9 billion a year. The new estimate
      comprises L1.7 billion in social security benefits paid to people who have left
      their jobs because of unpaid caring, plus another L1.2 billion in taxes forgone
      on this group's lost earnings. The paper concludes that, if there was greater
      public investment in social care, such as "replacement care" to support carers in
      employment, and fewer carers then left employment, public spending on benefits
      would be lower and revenues from taxation would be higher.

PMID- 28905487
TI  - Endogenous neurosteroids influence synaptic GABAA receptors during postnatal
      development.
AB  - GABA plays a key role in both embryonic and neonatal brain development. For
      example, during early neonatal nervous system maturation, synaptic transmission,
      mediated by GABAA receptors (GABAA Rs), undergoes a temporally specific form of
      synaptic plasticity to accommodate the changing requirements of maturing neural
      networks. Specifically, the duration of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic
      currents (mIPSCs), resulting from vesicular GABA activating synaptic GABAA Rs, is
      reduced, permitting neurones to appropriately influence the window for
      postsynaptic excitation. Conventionally, programmed expression changes to the
      subtype of synaptic GABAA R are primarily implicated in this plasticity. However,
      it is now evident that, in developing thalamic and cortical principal- and inter
      neurones, an endogenous neurosteroid tone (eg, allopregnanolone) enhances
      synaptic GABAA R function. Furthermore, a cessation of steroidogenesis, as a
      result of a lack of substrate, or a co-factor, appears to be primarily
      responsible for early neonatal changes to GABAergic synaptic transmission,
      followed by further refinement, which results from subsequent alterations of the
      GABAA R subtype. The timing of this cessation of neurosteroid influence is
      neurone-specific, occurring by postnatal day (P)10 in the thalamus but
      approximately 1 week later in the cortex. Neurosteroid levels are not static and
      change dynamically in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological
      scenarios. Given that GABA plays an important role in brain development, abnormal
      perturbations of neonatal GABAA R-active neurosteroids may have not only a
      considerable immediate, but also a longer-term impact upon neural network
      activity. Here, we review recent evidence indicating that changes in
      neurosteroidogenesis substantially influence neonatal GABAergic synaptic
      transmission. We discuss the physiological relevance of these findings and how
      the interference of neurosteroid-GABAA R interaction early in life may contribute
      to psychiatric conditions later in life.

PMID- 28905486
TI  - Peri-operative allogeneic blood transfusion does not adversely affect oncological
      outcomes after radical cystectomy for urinary bladder cancer: a propensity score
      weighted European multicentre study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of peri-operative blood transfusion (PBT) on
      recurrence-free survival, overall survival, cancer-specific mortality and other
      cause mortality in patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC), using a
      contemporary European multicentre cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Prospective
      Multicentre Radical Cystectomy Series (PROMETRICS) includes data on 679 patients
      who underwent RC at 18 European tertiary care centres in 2011. The association
      between PBT and oncological survival outcomes was assessed using Kaplan-Meier,
      Cox regression and competing-risks analyses. Imbalances in clinicopathological
      features between patients receiving PBT vs those not receiving PBT were mitigated
      using conventional multivariable adjusting as well as inverse probability of
      treatment weighting (IPTW). RESULTS: Overall, 611 patients had complete
      information on PBT, and 315 (51.6%) received PBT. The two groups (PBT vs no PBT)
      differed significantly with respect to most clinicopathological features,
      including peri-operative blood loss: median (interquartile range [IQR]) 1000 (600
      1500) mL vs 500 (400-800) mL (P < 0.001). Independent predictors of receipt of
      PBT in multivariable logistic regression analysis were female gender (odds ratio
      [OR] 5.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.62-9.71; P < 0.001), body mass index
      (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.87-0.95; P < 0.001), type of urinary diversion (OR 0.38, 95%
      CI 0.18-0.82; P = 0.013), blood loss (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.23-1.40; P < 0.001),
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.37-5.00; P = 0.004), and >=pT3
      tumours (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.02-2.48; P = 0.041). In 531 patients with complete
      data on survival outcomes, unweighted and unadjusted survival analyses showed
      worse overall survival, cancer-specific mortality and other-cause mortality rates
      for patients receiving PBT(P < 0.001, P = 0.017 and P = 0.001, respectively).
      After IPTW adjustment, those differences no longer held true. PBT was not
      associated with recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.92, 95% CI 0.53
      1.58; P = 0.8), overall survival (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.55-2.05; P = 0.9), cancer
      specific mortality (sub-HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.62-1.92; P = 0.8) and other-cause
      mortality (sub-HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.26-3.85; P > 0.9) in IPTW-adjusted Cox
      regression and competing-risks analyses. The same held true in conventional
      multivariable Cox and competing-risks analyses, where PBT could not be confirmed
      as a predictor of any given endpoint (all P values >0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      present results did not show an adverse effect of PBT on oncological outcomes
      after adjusting for baseline differences in patient characteristics.

PMID- 28905488
TI  - Genetically engineering better fungal biopesticides.
AB  - Microbial insect pathogens offer an alternative means of pest control with the
      potential to wean us off our heavy reliance on chemical pesticides. Insect
      pathogenic fungi play an important natural role in controlling disease vectors
      and agricultural pests. Most commercial products employ Ascomycetes in the genera
      Metarhizium and Beauveria. However, their utilization has been limited by
      inconsistent field results as a consequence of sensitivity to abiotic stresses
      and naturally low virulence. Other naturally occurring biocontrol agents also
      face these hurdles to successful application, but the availability of complete
      genomes and recombinant DNA technologies have facilitated design of multiple
      fungal pathogens with enhanced virulence and stress resistance. Many natural and
      synthetic genes have been inserted into entomopathogen genomes. Some of the
      biggest gains in virulence have been obtained using genes encoding neurotoxic
      peptides, peptides that manipulate host physiology and proteases and chitinases
      that degrade the insect cuticle. Prokaryotes, particularly extremophiles, are
      useful sources of genes for improving entomopathogen resistance to ultraviolet
      (UV) radiation. These biological insecticides are environmentally friendly and
      cost-effective insect pest control options. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical
      Industry.

PMID- 28905489
TI  - Consensus and controversies regarding the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma.
AB  - Optimal treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) requires multidisciplinary approach,
      incorporating chemotherapy with local control. Although current therapies are
      built on cooperative group trials, a comprehensive standard of care to guide
      clinical decision making has been lacking, especially for relapsed patients.
      Therefore, we assembled a panel of pediatric and adolescent and young adult
      sarcoma experts to develop treatment guidelines for managing RMS and to identify
      areas in which further research is needed. We created algorithms incorporating
      evidence-based care for patients with RMS, emphasizing the importance of clinical
      trials and close integration of all specialties involved in the care of these
      patients.

PMID- 28905490
TI  - Intrinsic Broadband White-Light Emission from Ultrastable, Cationic Lead Halide
      Layered Materials.
AB  - We report a family of cationic lead halide layered materials, formulated as [Pb2
      X2 ]2+ [- O2 C(CH)2 CO2- ] (X=F, Cl, Br), exhibiting pronounced broadband white
      light emission in bulk form. These well-defined PbX-based structures achieve an
      external quantum efficiency as high as 11.8 %, which is comparable to the highest
      reported value (ca.9 %) for broadband phosphors based on layered organolead
      halide perovskites. More importantly, our cationic materials are ultrastable lead
      halide materials, which overcome the air/moisture-sensitivity problems of lead
      perovskites. In contrast to the perovskites and other bulk emitters, the white
      light emission intensity of our materials remains undiminished after continuous
      UV irradiation for 30 days under atmospheric conditions (ca.60 % relative
      humidity). Our mechanistic studies confirm that the broadband emission is
      ascribed to short-range electron-phonon coupling in the strongly deformable
      lattice and generated self-trapped carriers.

PMID- 28905491
TI  - Expressions of p53 and PUMA in fibroblasts of systemic sclerosis patients are
      normal at transcription level.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) fibroblasts show resistance apoptosis
      mechanisms, which enhances the fibrosis stage of the disease. Impaired function
      of p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) has been related to deficits in
      p53-dependant apoptosis pathway. This study aimed to evaluate the transcriptional
      levels of p53 and PUMA mRNAs in fibroblasts from SSc patients and compare it with
      healthy individuals. METHODS: In this case-control study, skin biopsy samples
      were obtained from 19 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (DcSSc) and 16 healthy
      controls. Afterward, dermal fibroblasts were isolated and cultured. After
      extraction of total RNA from cultured fibroblasts, complementary DNA (cDNA) was
      synthesized. mRNA quantification was carried out using real-time PCR, SYBR Green
      PCR master mix, and specific primers for p53 and PUMA. RESULTS: No significant
      alteration was observed in mRNA expression levels of p53 and PUMA (P = .99 and
      .23, respectively) in fibroblasts from SSc patients compared with controls.
      CONCLUSIONS: Apoptosis pathways are impaired in fibroblasts from patients with
      SSc, leading to chronic fibrosis. Nonetheless, PUMA/p53 pathway may not be
      involved in dysfunction of apoptosis mechanisms in fibroblasts of patients with
      SSc.

PMID- 28905493
TI  - Current status of robotic surgery in urology.
AB  - As a result of ergonomics, optimal magnification of the operative field, surgeon
      dexterity, and precision of surgical manipulation, robotic technology has been
      shown to overcome many difficulties associated with pure laparoscopy. With the
      recent expansion of robot-assisted surgery in the field of urology and following
      the success of robot-assisted prostatectomy and robot-assisted partial
      nephrectomy, robot-assisted surgery is being applied to treat many other
      genitourinary diseases, such as bladder cancer and ureteropelvic junction
      obstruction. The aim of the present review is to discuss the role of robotic
      surgery in urology and summarize recent developments in the field of urologic
      robotic surgery.

PMID- 28905494
TI  - Atopic Dermatitis, The Skin-Disease.

PMID- 28905495
TI  - Topical skin care - a domain for allergy prevention.

PMID- 28905496
TI  - Microbial biotechnologies for potable water production.

PMID- 28905497
TI  - Alveolar soft part sarcoma: A case report with emphasis on some unusual
      cytological features.
AB  - Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a very rare, slow growing highly angiogenic tumor
      with poor prognosis. Most common site in children and infants is head and neck
      region and in adults it most commonly occurs in extremities especially thigh. In
      our case study, an 8 years old female patient presented with a gradually
      progressive left shoulder lump. FNAC from the lesion showed cellular smears with
      polyhedral and spindly cells showing abundant finely vacuolated cytoplasm,
      nuclear pleomorphism, intranuclear pseudoinclusions, and few bare nuclei.
      Perivascular arrangement of cells was peculiar in addition to the presence of
      intracytoplasmic metachromatic PAS positive diastase resistant granules. A
      presumptive diagnosis of alveolar soft part sarcoma with differentials of
      granular cell tumor and PEComa was considered and the lesion was excised.
      Although the histopathological features were not characteristic (ie, showing
      mainly solid pattern without classic alveolar pattern), immunohistochemistry were
      diagnostic (negative for S 100, Desmin, Cytokeratin, EMA, and moderate to strong
      nuclear positivity for TFE3). Thus, the diagnosis of alveolar soft part sarcoma
      was established. This case is being presented for its rarity and unique
      cytological and histopathological features.

PMID- 28905499
TI  - Metabolic diseases: Breakthrough discoveries in diabetes and obesity.

PMID- 28905498
TI  - Effect of bimagrumab on thigh muscle volume and composition in men with casting
      induced atrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients experiencing disuse atrophy report acute loss of skeletal
      muscle mass which subsequently leads to loss of strength and physical capacity.
      In such patients, especially the elderly, complete recovery remains a challenge
      even with improved nutrition and resistance exercise. This study aimed to explore
      the clinical potential of bimagrumab, a human monoclonal antibody targeting the
      activin type II receptor, for the recovery of skeletal muscle volume from disuse
      atrophy using an experimental model of lower extremity immobilization. METHODS:
      In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, healthy young men (n = 24; mean
      age, 24.1 years) were placed in a full-length cast of one of the lower
      extremities for 2 weeks to induce disuse atrophy. After cast removal, subjects
      were randomized to receive a single intravenous (i.v.) dose of either bimagrumab
      30 mg/kg (n = 15) or placebo (n = 9) and were followed for 12 weeks. Changes in
      thigh muscle volume (TMV) and inter-muscular adipose tissue (IMAT) and
      subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT) of the thigh, maximum voluntary knee extension
      strength, and safety were assessed throughout the 12 week study. RESULTS: Casting
      resulted in an average TMV loss of -4.8% and comparable increases in IMAT and
      SCAT volumes. Bimagrumab 30 mg/kg i.v. resulted in a rapid increase in TMV at 2
      weeks following cast removal and a +5.1% increase above pre-cast levels at 12
      weeks. In comparison, TMV returned to pre-cast level at 12 weeks (-0.1%) in the
      placebo group. The increased adiposity of the casted leg was sustained in the
      placebo group and decreased substantially in the bimagrumab group at Week 12
      (IMAT: -6.6%, SCAT: -3.5%). Knee extension strength decreased by ~25% in the
      casted leg for all subjects and returned to pre-cast levels within 6 weeks after
      cast removal in both treatment arms. Bimagrumab was well tolerated with no
      serious or severe adverse events reported during the study. CONCLUSIONS: A single
      dose of bimagrumab 30 mg/kg i.v. safely accelerated the recovery of TMV and
      reversal of accumulated IMAT following 2 weeks in a joint-immobilizing cast.

PMID- 28905501
TI  - Outbreak of tularaemia connected to a contaminated well in the Vastra Gotaland
      region in Sweden.
AB  - Tularaemia, is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.
      This disease has been reported in Sweden since 1931 and its wide distribution in
      the country poses a challenge for understanding the transmission, ecology and
      epidemiology of the disease. In Sweden, the disease is usually transmitted by
      mosquitoes, but in this study we could show that consumption of well water was
      epidemiologically linked to the outbreak, by isolating F. tularensis from the
      water. In this article, we describe an outbreak of tularaemia in the region of
      Vastra Gotaland in the southwest of Sweden in spring of 2013.

PMID- 28905500
TI  - Salidroside suppressing LPS-induced myocardial injury by inhibiting ROS-mediated
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of salidroside
      (Sal) on myocardial injury in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemic in
      vitro and in vivo. SD rats were randomly divided into five groups: control group,
      LPS group (15 mg/kg), LPS plus dexamethasone (2 mg/kg), LPS plus Sal groups with
      different Sal doses (20, 40 mg/kg). Hemodynamic measurement and haematoxylin and
      eosin staining were performed. Serum levels of creatine kinase (CK), lactate
      dehydrogenase, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT),
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), glutathione, tumour
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1beta
      (IL-1beta) were measured after the rats were killed. iNOS, COX-2, NF-kappaB and
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway proteins were detected by Western blot. In vitro, we
      evaluated the protective effect of Sal on rat embryonic heart-derived myogenic
      cell line H9c2 induced by LPS. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in H9c2 cells was
      measured by flow cytometry, and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes CAT,
      SOD, GSH-px, glutathione-S-transferase, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta in cellular
      supernatant were measured. PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling was examined by Western blot.
      As a result, Sal significantly attenuated the above indices. In addition, Sal
      exerts pronounced cardioprotective effect in rats subjected to LPS possibly
      through inhibiting the iNOS, COX-2, NF-kappaB and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in vivo.
      Furthermore, the pharmacological effect of Sal associated with the ROS-mediated
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was proved by the use of ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-l
      cysteine, in LPS-stimulated H9C2 cells. Our results indicated that Sal could be a
      potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28905502
TI  - Prevalence trends of selected major birth defects: A multi-state population-based
      retrospective study, United States, 1999 to 2007.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated selected birth defects over a 9-year period to assess
      prevalence trends by selected maternal and infant factors. METHODS: Data were
      pooled from 11 population-based birth defects surveillance programs in the United
      States for children born between 1999 and 2007. Overall prevalence, as well as 3
      year interval prevalence, was calculated for 26 specific birth defects,
      stratified by maternal age, maternal race/ethnicity, and infant sex. Average
      annual percent change (AAPC) was calculated for each birth defect. Poisson
      regression was used to determine change in AAPC, and joinpoint regression to
      identify breakpoints and changes in slope for prevalence of each defect over
      time. RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2001 and 2005 and 2007, four birth defects
      increased by 10% or more: coarctation of the aorta (17%), gastroschisis (83%),
      omphalocele (11%), and Down syndrome (10%). Among mothers <20 years of age, the
      gastroschisis AAPC increased 10.1% overall and, cross-classified by maternal
      race/ethnicity, the AAPC for mothers <20 years increased 9.2%, 25.7%, and 7.7%
      among non-Hispanic white (NHW), non-Hispanic black (NHB), and Hispanic mothers,
      respectively. A small increase in Down syndrome (AAPC 4.4%) was found for NHB
      mothers >=35 years. CONCLUSION: No significant trends in prevalence were
      identified for most birth defects. Gastroschisis prevalence increased
      significantly among NHW and NHB mothers <20 years of age, with the greatest
      increases in NHB mothers. Prevalence of Down syndrome among NHB mothers >=35
      years also increased slightly. Stratified results may suggest avenues of research
      in birth defect etiology and in evaluating prevention efforts. Birth Defects
      Research 109:1442-1450, 2017.(c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28905503
TI  - The complex interplay between systolic and diastolic function at rest and during
      exercise in heart failure: the case of cardiac amyloidosis.

PMID- 28905504
TI  - Is essential tremor a single entity?
AB  - Essential tremor (ET) is a frequent movement disorder. The new tremor
      classification has subdivided ET into the classical form with bilateral action
      tremor of the hands with or without involvement of further tremor locations and
      without any other explaining signs or symptoms for the tremor and into 'ET plus'
      which comes additionally with further neurological signs of unknown origin. This
      will provide a better foundation for subclassifying the condition. The immediate
      cause of ET is a preformed oscillating network within the central nervous system
      as revealed with electrophysiological methods. The reason why this network is
      getting into the tremor mode is unclear. Pathology has so far not convincingly
      proved neurodegeneration for the condition but possibly adaptive changes of the
      brain particularly in the cerebellum are likely. Genetics have not yet provided
      insight into the molecular causes of the condition but several genetic diseases
      presenting with an ET syndrome have been uncovered. Treatment options cover
      medication (propranolol, primidone, topiramate) and surgical interventions with
      deep brain stimulation, gamma-knife surgery and the recently introduced magnetic
      resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound lesioning. Further progress is
      awaited from the better integration of large prospective cohort assessment and
      basic science studies on the possible etiologies. In particular, aging-related
      tremor may explain a large number of the patients seen in clinical practice.
      Currently ET is considered a clinically relatively uniform condition with
      presumably various underlying etiologies.

PMID- 28905506
TI  - Nutritive value and fermentation quality of palisadegrass and stylo mixed
      silages.
AB  - The nutritive value and fermentation quality of palisadegrass (Brachiaria
      brizantha cv. Xaraes) and stylo (Stylosanthes capitata * S. macrocephala cv.
      Campo Grande) mixed silages were evaluated. The experiment was analyzed in a
      factorial scheme (5 * 2) in a completely randomized design using increasing
      levels of stylo (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% on a fresh matter basis) on palisadegrass
      silages, with and without microbial inoculants (MI). With the increased ratio of
      stylo in mixed silages, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber
      (ADF), and lignin content increased in silages. The presence of MI promoted lower
      DM content, and higher neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein, ADF
      and lignin content. The acid detergent insoluble nitrogen content and the lactic
      acid bacteria populations were not affected by treatments. The in vitroDM
      digestibility was affected by the interaction of levels of the stylo and MI. The
      pH, NH3 -N/total nitrogen and butyric acid concentrations decreased with
      increasing levels of stylo. Better nutritive value and quality of fermentation
      was found in the silage containing higher proportions of this stylo mixed with
      palisadegrass. The microbial inoculant evaluated did not alter the nutritive
      value or quality of the fermentation of the silages in this experiment.

PMID- 28905507
TI  - September 2017 at a glance: epidemiology, prognosis, Mediterranean diet and
      different viewpoints on aspirin.

PMID- 28905505
TI  - Biallelic variants in WARS2 encoding mitochondrial tryptophanyl-tRNA synthase in
      six individuals with mitochondrial encephalopathy.
AB  - Mitochondrial protein synthesis involves an intricate interplay between
      mitochondrial DNA encoded RNAs and nuclear DNA encoded proteins, such as
      ribosomal proteins and aminoacyl-tRNA synthases. Eukaryotic cells contain 17
      mitochondria-specific aminoacyl-tRNA synthases. WARS2 encodes mitochondrial
      tryptophanyl-tRNA synthase (mtTrpRS), a homodimeric class Ic enzyme
      (mitochondrial tryptophan-tRNA ligase; EC 6.1.1.2). Here, we report six
      individuals from five families presenting with either severe neonatal onset
      lactic acidosis, encephalomyopathy and early death or a later onset, more
      attenuated course of disease with predominating intellectual disability.
      Respiratory chain enzymes were usually normal in muscle and fibroblasts, while a
      severe combined respiratory chain deficiency was found in the liver of a severely
      affected individual. Exome sequencing revealed rare biallelic variants in WARS2
      in all affected individuals. An increase of uncharged mitochondrial tRNATrp and a
      decrease of mtTrpRS protein content were found in fibroblasts of affected
      individuals. We hereby define the clinical, neuroradiological, and metabolic
      phenotype of WARS2 defects. This confidently implicates that mutations in WARS2
      cause mitochondrial disease with a broad spectrum of clinical presentation.

PMID- 28905508
TI  - Tandem thiotepa with autologous hematopoietic cell rescue in patients with
      recurrent, refractory, or poor prognosis solid tumor malignancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and
      tolerability of tandem courses of high-dose thiotepa with autologous
      hematopoietic cell rescue (AHCR) in patients with recurrent, refractory solid
      tumors who were ineligible for a single course of high-dose therapy due to
      greater than minimal residual disease. Patients with decreased hearing or poor
      renal function were eligible. PROCEDURE: Thiotepa was administered intravenously
      at a dose of 200 mg/m2 /day (6.67 mg/kg/day) daily for 3 days followed by AHCR. A
      second course of thiotepa was given 4 weeks later provided blood counts recovered
      sufficiently without evidence of tumor progression. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients
      received 96 courses. Thirty-eight (65%) patients received two courses of therapy.
      Twenty-seven courses (28%) were administered completely in the outpatient
      setting. A toxic mortality rate of 3.4% was observed. Five of 26 patients with
      medulloblastoma were alive at a median of 35 months, whereas 21 patients died at
      a median of 11.7 months. Four of five patients with central nervous system germ
      cell tumors (CNS GCT) were alive 68-103 months following AHCR. CONCLUSIONS: Two
      cycles of high-dose thiotepa with AHCR were well tolerated even in these heavily
      pretreated patients. This therapy may provide prolonged survival in patients with
      recurrent malignant brain tumors, particularly medulloblastoma and CNS GCT.

PMID- 28905510
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28905509
TI  - De novo SETD5 loss-of-function variant as a cause for intellectual disability in
      a 10-year old boy with an aberrant blind ending bronchus.
AB  - Although rare, 3p microdeletion cases have been well described in the clinical
      literature. The clinical phenotype includes; intellectual disability (ID), growth
      retardation, facial dysmorphism, and cardiac malformations. Advances in
      chromosome microarray (CMA) testing narrowed the 3p25 critical region to a 124 kb
      region, and recent Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) studies have suggested that the
      SETD5 gene contributes significantly to the 3p25 phenotype. Loss-of-Function
      (LoF) variants in SETD5 are now considered a likely cause of ID. We report here a
      patient with a frameshift LoF variant in exon 12 of SETD5. This patient has
      features overlapping with other patients described with LoF SETD5 variants to
      include; similar facial morphology, feeding difficulties, ID, behavioral
      abnormalities and leg length discrepancy. In addition, he presents with an
      aberrant blind ending bronchus. This report adds to publications describing
      intragenic mutations in SETD5 and supports the assertion that de novo LoF
      mutations in SETD5 present with an overlapping but distinct phenotype in
      comparison with 3p25 microdeletion syndromes.

PMID- 28905511
TI  - TALEN-mediated targeted mutagenesis of more than 100 COMT copies/alleles in
      highly polyploid sugarcane improves saccharification efficiency without
      compromising biomass yield.
AB  - Sugarcane is the world's most efficient feedstock for commercial production of
      bioethanol due to its superior biomass production and accumulation of sucrose in
      stems. Integrating first- and second-generation ethanol conversion processes will
      enhance the biofuel yield per unit area by utilizing both sucrose and cell wall
      bound sugars for fermentation. RNAi suppression of the lignin biosynthetic gene
      caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) has been demonstrated to improve
      bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Genome editing has been used
      in a number of crops for creation of loss of function phenotypes but is very
      challenging in sugarcane due to its highly polyploid genome. In this study, a
      conserved region of COMT was targeted with a single-transcription activator-like
      effector nuclease (TALEN) pair for multi-allelic mutagenesis to modify lignin
      biosynthesis in sugarcane. Field-grown TALEN-mediated COMT mutants showed up to
      19.7% lignin reduction and significantly decreased syringyl to guaiacyl (S/G)
      ratio resulting in an up to 43.8% improved saccharification efficiency. Biomass
      production of COMT mutant lines with superior saccharification efficiency did not
      differ significantly from the original cultivar under replicated field
      conditions. Sanger sequencing of cloned COMT amplicons (1351-1657 bp) revealed co
      editing of 107 of the 109 unique COMT copies/alleles in vegetative progeny of
      line CB6 using a single TALEN pair. Line CB6 combined altered cell wall
      composition and drastically improved saccharification efficiency with good
      agronomic performance. These findings confirm the feasibility of co-mutagenesis
      of a very large number of target alleles/copies for improvement in crops with
      complex genomes.

PMID- 28905512
TI  - Comparison of molecular interactions of Ag2 Te and CdTe quantum dots with human
      serum albumin by spectroscopic approaches.
AB  - Ag2 Te quantum dots (QDs) have attracted great attention in biological
      applications due to their superior photoluminescence qualities and good
      biocompatibility, but their potential biotoxicity at a molecular biology level
      has been rarely discussed. In order to better understand the basic behavior of
      Ag2 Te QDs in biological systems and compare their biotoxicity to cadmium
      containing QDs, a series of spectroscopic measurements was applied to reveal the
      molecular interactions of Ag2 Te QDs and CdTe QDs with human serum albumin (HSA).
      Ag2 Te QDs and CdTe QDs statically quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA by
      electrostatic interactions, but Ag2 Te QDs exhibited weaker quenching ability and
      weaker binding ability compared with CdTe QDs. Electrostatic interactions were
      the main binding forces and Sudlow's site I was the primary binding site during
      these binding interactions. Furthermore, micro-environmental and conformational
      variations of HSA were induced by their binding interactions with two QDs. Ag2 Te
      QDs caused less secondary structural and conformational change in HSA,
      illustrating the lower potential biotoxicity risk of Ag2 Te QDs. Our results
      systematically indicated the molecular binding mechanism of Ag2 Te QDs with HSA,
      which provided important information for possible toxicity risk of these cadmium
      free QDs to human health.

PMID- 28905513
TI  - Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the maxillary sinus on fine needle
      aspiration cytology: Report of a rare case with a focus on pitfalls in diagnosis.
AB  - Head and neck large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a rare high-grade
      malignant tumor with neuroendocrine differentiation. We report a case of LCNEC
      causing difficulty in cytological diagnosis. A 60-year-old man with right-sided
      face pain presented with a swelling at the right cheek, and he complained of
      right nasal obstruction and lacrimation. Preoperative fine-needle aspiration
      cytology (FNAC) showed high cellularity, with a moderate number of clusters of
      tumor cells on an abundant necrotic background. The clusters were arranged in
      sheet structures with palisading, and were cohesive with overlapping. The tumor
      cells had comparatively abundant cytoplasm, with conspicuous large, irregular
      nucleoli with a fine granular chromatin pattern. Mitotic figures were observed
      easily. On immunocytochemistry using LBC smear, tumor cells were negative for
      p40. High-grade carcinoma other than non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma was
      suggested from these findings on FNAC. The pretreatment histological biopsy
      sample revealed tumor cells with solid growth pattern, necrotic materials and
      large polygonal cells with abundant cytoplasm, fine granular chromatin, and
      conspicuous nucleoli. Head and neck LCNEC with abundant cytoplasm, fine granular
      chromatin patterns, prominent nucleoli, and necrotic background were very
      characteristic of LCNEC. If considered carefully, these findings can enable us to
      exclude the majority of non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinomas, and FNAC using
      ancillary technique can be very useful for proper diagnosis.

PMID- 28905514
TI  - Dosimetric characterization of GMS BT-125-1 125 I radioactive seed with Monte
      Carlo simulations and experimental measurement.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the dosimetric characteristics of the new GMS BT-125-1
      125 I radioactive seed, including dose rate constant, radial dose functions, and
      anisotropy functions. METHODS: Dosimetric parameters of GMS BT-125-1 125 I seed
      including dose rate constant, radial dose functions, and anisotropy functions
      were calculated using the Monte Carlo code of MCNP5, and measured with
      thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). The results were compared with those of
      PharmaSeed BT-125-1, PharmaSeed BT-125-2 125 I, and model 6711 125 I seeds.
      RESULTS: The dose rate constant of GMS BT-125-1 125 I seed was 0.959 cGy.h-1.U-1,
      with the difference of 0.94%, 0.83%, and 0.73% compared with the PharmaSeed BT
      125-1 125 I seed, PharmaSeed BT-125-2 125 I seed, and Model 6711 125 I seed,
      respectively. For radial dose function, the differences between the Monte Carlo
      and the experimental g(r) results were mostly within 10%. Monte Carlo results of
      g(r) for GMS BT-125-1 125 I seed were found in agreement (within 3.3%) with
      corresponding results for the PharmaSeed BT-125-2 125 I seed. The largest
      differences were 8.1% and 6.2% compared with PharmaSeed BT-125-1 125 I seed and
      model 6711 125 I seed, respectively. For anisotropy function, the difference
      between GMS BT-125-1 125 I seed and PharmaSeed BT-125-2 125 I seed was typically
      <10%. CONCLUSIONS: The measured dose rate constant, radial dose functions, and
      two-dimensional anisotropy functions for the GMS BT-125-1 125 I seed showed good
      agreement with the Monte Carlo results. The dose rate constant of the GMS BT-125
      1 125 I seed is similar to that of the PharmaSeed BT-125-1 125 I seed, the
      PharmaSeed BT-125-2 125 I seed, and the model 6711 125 I seed. For radial dose
      functions and two-dimensional anisotropy functions, the GMS BT-125-1 125 I seed
      is similar to the PharmaSeed BT-125-2 125 I seed but different from the
      PharmaSeed BT-125-1 125 I seed and the model 6711 125 I seed.

PMID- 28905516
TI  - Simple method for RF pulse measurement using gradient reversal.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop and evaluate a simple method for measuring the envelope of
      small-tip radiofrequency (RF) excitation waveforms in MRI, without extra hardware
      or synchronization. THEORY AND METHODS: Gradient reversal approach to evaluate RF
      (GRATER) involves RF excitation with a constant gradient and reversal of that
      gradient during signal reception to acquire the time-reversed version of an RF
      envelope. An outer-volume suppression prepulse is used optionally to preselect a
      uniform volume. GRATER was evaluated in phantom and in vivo experiments. It was
      compared with the programmed waveform and the traditional pick-up coil method.
      RESULTS: In uniform phantom experiments, pick-up coil, GRATER, and outer-volume
      suppression + GRATER matched the programmed waveforms to less than 2.1%, less
      than 6.1%, and less than 2.4% normalized root mean square error, respectively,
      for real RF pulses with flip angle less than or equal to 30 degrees , time
      bandwidth product 2 to 8, and two to five excitation bands. For flip angles
      greater than 30 degrees , GRATER measurement error increased as predicted by
      Bloch simulation. Fat-water phantom and in vivo experiments with outer-volume
      suppression + GRATER demonstrated less than 6.4% normalized root mean square
      error. CONCLUSIONS: The GRATER sequence measures small-tip RF envelopes without
      extra hardware or synchronization in just over two times the RF duration. The
      sequence may be useful in prescan calibration and for measurement and
      precompensation of RF amplifier nonlinearity. Magn Reson Med 79:2642-2651, 2018.
      (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28905515
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9-mediated efficient targeted mutagenesis in grape in the first
      generation.
AB  - The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein
      9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system is a powerful tool for editing plant genomes. Efficient
      genome editing of grape (Vitis vinifera) suspension cells using the type II
      CRISPR/Cas9 system has been demonstrated; however, it has not been established
      whether this system can be applied to get biallelic mutations in the first
      generation of grape. In this current study, we designed four guide RNAs for the
      VvWRKY52 transcription factor gene for using with the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and
      obtained transgenic plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, using
      somatic embryos of the Thompson Seedless cultivar. Analysis of the first
      generation transgenic plants verified 22 mutant plants of the 72 T-DNA-inserted
      plants. Of these, 15 lines carried biallelic mutations and seven were
      heterozygous. A range of RNA-guided editing events, including large deletions,
      were found in the mutant plants, while smaller deletions comprised the majority
      of the detected mutations. Sequencing of potential off-target sites for all four
      targets revealed no off-target events. In addition, knockout of VvWRKY52 in grape
      increased the resistance to Botrytis cinerea. We conclude that the CRISPR/Cas9
      system allows precise genome editing in the first generation of grape and
      represents a useful tool for gene functional analysis and grape molecular
      breeding.

PMID- 28905517
TI  - The prognostic significance of tricuspid valve regurgitation in pulmonary
      arterial hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) is a frequent finding in
      patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, its prognostic
      significance and relation to PAH, while suspected, are poorly understood. We
      assessed 727 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PAH who underwent
      transthoracic echocardiographic evaluation of tricuspid valve function.
      OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to determine the association of TR presence
      and severity with patient characteristics, pulmonary artery hemodynamics and
      outcome. METHODS: Consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PAH (N = 727 with
      group 1 pulmonary hypertension) underwent transthoracic echocardiographic
      evaluation of tricuspid valve function at diagnosis. The primary study end point
      was all-cause mortality or lung transplantation. RESULTS: In this population, 702
      patients (96.5%) had TR; in 165 patients (23%), TR was severe. Compared with
      those with no or mild TR by echocardiography criteria, patients with severe TR
      had shorter mean (SD) 6-minute walk distances (285 [125] m vs 360 [121] m; P =
      .02) and higher levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (695 [672] pg/dL vs 328
      [300] pg/dL; P < .05). Severe TR was associated with greater right atrial
      dilatation (91% vs 47%; P = .004) and right ventricular (RV) dilatation (92% vs
      51%; P = .008), greater right atrial pressure (mean [SD] 15 [7] mm Hg vs 10 [6]
      mm Hg; P < .001) and lower cardiac index (mean [SD], 2.2 [0.7] L/min/m2 vs 2.8
      [0.9] L/min/m2; P < .001). Severe TR was strongly predictive of greater 5-year
      mortality risk after adjustment for age, sex, functional class, 6-minute walk
      distance, diffusing capacity, RV size and pulmonary vascular resistance index
      (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.38-2.41; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Severe
      TR was a significant predictor of long-term mortality rate in PAH, and TR
      severity correlated with PAH severity.

PMID- 28905519
TI  - The cost of sarcopenia.

PMID- 28905518
TI  - Production of a novel medium chain length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) using
      unprocessed biodiesel waste and its evaluation as a tissue engineering scaffold.
AB  - This study demonstrated the utilization of unprocessed biodiesel waste as a
      carbon feedstock for Pseudomonas mendocinaCH50, for the production of PHAs. A PHA
      yield of 39.5% CDM was obtained using 5% (v/v) biodiesel waste substrate.
      Chemical analysis confirmed that the polymer produced was poly(3-hydroxyhexanoate
      co-3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxydecanoate-co-3-hydroxydodecanoate) or P(3HHx
      3HO-3HD-3HDD). P(3HHx-3HO-3HD-3HDD) was further characterized and evaluated for
      its use as a tissue engineering scaffold (TES). This study demonstrated that
      P(3HHx-3HO-3HD-3HDD) was biocompatible with the C2C12 (myoblast) cell line. In
      fact, the % cell proliferation of C2C12 on the P(3HHx-3HO-3HD-3HDD) scaffold was
      72% higher than the standard tissue culture plastic confirming that this novel
      PHA was indeed a promising new material for soft tissue engineering.

PMID- 28905520
TI  - Vaginal Enterobius vermicularis diagnosed on liquid-based cytology during
      Papanicolaou test cervical cancer screening: A report of two cases and a review
      of the literature.
AB  - Enterobiasis is one of the most common human parasitic infections. It is
      considered an intestinal parasite, but cases of extra-intestinal affections
      exist, notably infections of the female genital tract. Enterobius vermicularis
      (EV) eggs (or ova) have been found in the cervical smears of two patients in our
      institute during the last 16 years. No gynaecological or gastrointestinal
      symptoms were reported, and there was no known intestinal infection in these two
      cases. A review of the available literature revealed rare cases of vaginal
      enterobiasis, with a wide range of clinical presentations, many patients being
      asymptomatic. The diagnosis may sometimes be difficult, mainly because of the
      lack of clinical suspicion. However, cytological identification of EV in cervico
      vaginal smears is important, especially when considering the risk of ascending
      infections of the genital tract associated with severe complications.

PMID- 28905521
TI  - Covalently Assembled Monolayers of Homo- and Heteroleptic FeII -Terpyridyl
      Complexes on SiOx and ITO-Coated Glass Substrates: An Experimental and
      Theoretical Study.
AB  - Well-defined FeII -terpyridyl monolayers were fabricated on SiOx and conductive
      ITO-coated glass substrates through covalent-bond formation between the metallo
      organic complexes and a preassembled coupling layer. Three different homo- and
      heteroleptic complexes with terminal pyridyl, amine, and phenyl groups were
      tested. All the films were found to be densely packed and homogeneous, and
      consist of molecules standing upright. They exhibited high thermal (up to ~220 
      degrees C) and temporal (up to 5 h at 100  degrees C) stability. The UV/Vis
      spectra of the monolayers showed pronounced metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands
      with a significant redshift compared with the solution spectra of the metallo
      ligands with a pendant pyridyl group quaternized with the coupling layer, whereas
      the shift was significantly smaller when the coupling layer was bonded to the
      primary amine (-NH2 ) group of the complex. Cyclic voltammograms of the
      monolayers showed reversible, one-electron redox behavior and suggested strong
      electronic coupling between the confined molecules and the underlying substrate.
      Analysis of the electrochemistry data allowed us to estimate the charge-transfer
      rate constant between the metal center and the substrate. Additionally, detailed
      quantum-chemical calculations were performed to support and rationalize the
      experimentally observed photophysical properties of the FeII -terpyridyl
      complexes both in the solution state and when bound to a SiOx -based substrate.

PMID- 28905522
TI  - Inclusion of sepsis and hypoxaemia in mortality prediction of hospitalized
      patients with community-acquired pneumonia - Reply.

PMID- 28905523
TI  - Abstractband anlasslich des 27. Deutschen Hautkrebskongresses (ADO-Jahrestagung)
      21. bis 23. September 2017 in Mainz.

PMID- 28905524
TI  - First experience in colorectal surgery with a new robotic platform with haptic
      feedback.
AB  - : The use of robotic techniques is increasing in colorectal surgery. Recently,
      the SenhanceTM surgical robotic system was introduced as a novel robotic platform
      designed to overcome some of the limits of standard laparoscopy. This study
      describes the initial, single center experience, evaluating feasibility and
      safety of the new robotic system in performing colorectal surgical procedures.
      METHODS: From June 2015 to November 2016, perioperative data of the first 45
      patients who underwent robotic colorectal surgery with the SenhanceTM surgical
      robotic system were collected and analyzed. Indications for surgery included
      inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, endoscopically unresectable
      adenomas and complicated diverticular disease. RESULTS: The median age was 57
      years (18-92) and the median BMI was 24 Kg/m2 (16-30). Surgical indications were
      colorectal cancer (66%), complicated inflammatory bowel disease (18%),
      diverticular disease (11%) and endoscopically unresectable adenoma (4.4%). The
      median operative time was 256 minutes; the median docking time 10.7 min (range 2
      25). There were 3 conversions to standard laparoscopy, and none to laparotomy.
      All patients operated on for malignancy (28 adenocarcinoma, 2 neuroendocrine
      tumors) underwent an appropriate oncological procedure. The median time to
      discharge was 5 days (range 3-19). The incidence of post-operative complications
      was 35.5% (Clavien-Dindo I/II-14 patients, III-2 patients). One patient was
      readmitted in the postoperative period. No patient required reoperation.
      CONCLUSION: The results of this audit suggest that adoption of The SenhanceTM
      surgical robotic system in colorectal surgery is feasible and safe. More clinical
      data are needed to determine whether this approach can offer any other benefits
      over other minimally invasive surgical techniques. This article is protected by
      copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID- 28905525
TI  - New insights into the mechanism of action of pyrazolo[1,2
      a]benzo[1,2,3,4]tetrazin-3-one derivatives endowed with anticancer potential.
AB  - Due to the scarce biological profile, the pyrazolo[1,2-a]benzo[1,2,3,4]tetrazine
      3-one scaffold (PBT) has been recently explored as promising core for potential
      anticancer candidates. Several suitably decorated derivatives (PBTs) exhibited
      antiproliferative activity in the low-micromolar range associated with apoptosis
      induction and cell cycle arrest on S phase. Herein, we selected the most active
      derivatives and submitted them to further biological explorations to deepen the
      mechanism of action. At first, a DNA targeting is approached by means of flow
      Linear Dichroism experiments so as to evaluate how small planar molecules might
      interact with DNA, including the interference with the catalytic cycle of
      topoisomerase II and the influence on the cleavable complex stabilization
      (poisoning effect). In support of the experimental data, in silico studies have
      been achieved to better understand the chemical space of the interactions.
      Interestingly some meaningful structural features, useful for further
      developments, were found. The 8,9-di-Cl substituted derivative revealed as the
      most effective in the intercalative process, as well as on the inhibition of
      catalytic activity of topoisomerase II. Predicted ADME studies confirm that PBTs
      are promising as potential drug candidates.

PMID- 28905526
TI  - Transmission and immunopathology of the avian influenza virus A/Anhui/1/2013
      (H7N9) human isolate in three commonly commercialized avian species.
AB  - H7N9 virus infection is a global concern, given that it can cause severe
      infection and mortality in humans. However, the understanding of H7N9
      epidemiology, animal reservoir species and zoonotic risk remains limited. This
      work evaluates the pathogenicity, transmissibility and local innate immune
      response of three avian species harbouring different respiratory distribution of
      alpha2,6 and alpha2,3 SA receptors. Muscovy ducks, European quails and SPF
      chickens were intranasally inoculated with 105 embryo infectious dose (EID)50 of
      the human H7N9 (A/Anhui/1/2013) influenza isolate. None of the avian species
      showed clinical signs or macroscopic lesions, and only mild microscopic lesions
      were observed in the upper respiratory tract of quail and chickens. Quail
      presented more severe histopathologic lesions and avian influenza virus (AIV)
      positivity by immunohistochemistry (IHC), which correlated with higher IL-6
      responses. In contrast, Muscovy ducks were resistant to disease and presented
      higher IFNalpha and TLR7 response. In all species, viral shedding was higher in
      the respiratory than in the digestive tract. Higher viral shedding was observed
      in quail, followed by chicken and ducks, which presented similar viral titres.
      Efficient transmission was observed in all contact quail and half of the Muscovy
      ducks, while no transmission was observed between chicken. All avian species
      showed viral shedding in drinking water throughout infection.

PMID- 28905527
TI  - Small Airway Disease in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - Small airway disease (SAD) has been recognized for many years as a central
      feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Histopathology studies
      have shown that the narrowing and destruction of small airways in COPD combined
      with inflammatory cell infiltration in the submucosa increases the severity of
      the disease. SAD is present in the early stages of COPD and becomes more
      widespread over time as the disease progresses to more severe COPD. The
      development of inhalers containing extra-fine particles allows the small airways
      to be pharmacologically targeted. Recent clinical trials have shown the efficacy
      of extra-fine triple therapy that targets the small airways in patients with
      COPD. This article reviews the importance and treatment of SAD in COPD.

PMID- 28905528
TI  - Humidifier Disinfectant-Associated Lung Injury: Six Years after the Tragic Event.
AB  - In 2011, a cluster of peripartum patients were admitted to the intensive care
      unit of a tertiary hospital in Seoul with signs and symptoms of severe
      respiratory distress of unknown etiology. Subsequent epidemiological and animal
      studies suggested that humidifier disinfectant (HD) might represent the source of
      this pathology. Epidemiological studies, animal studies, and dose-response
      analysis demonstrated a strong association between HD use and lung injuries. The
      diagnostic criteria for HD-associated lung injury (HDALI) was defined on the
      basis of the clinical, pathological, and radiological attributes of the patients.
      The clinical spectrum of HDALI appears to range from asymptomatic to full-blown
      acute respiratory failure, and some patients have required actual lung
      transplantation for survival. The overall mortality of the exposed population was
      not significant, although peripartum patients and children who were admitted to
      the intensive care unit did show high mortality rates. Persistent clinical
      findings such as diffuse ill-defined centrilobular nodules and restrictive lung
      dysfunction were observed in some of the survivors. The findings of this review
      emphasize the importance of assessment of the level of toxicity of chemical
      inhalants utilized in a home setting, as well as the need to identify and monitor
      afflicted individuals after inhalational injury.

PMID- 28905529
TI  - WHO Treatment Guidelines for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, 2016 Update:
      Applicability in South Korea.
AB  - Despite progress made in tuberculosis control worldwide, the disease burden and
      treatment outcome of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients have
      remained virtually unchanged. In 2016, the World Health Organization released new
      guidelines for the management of MDR-TB. The guidelines are intended to improve
      detection rate and treatment outcome for MDR-TB through novel, rapid molecular
      testing and shorter treatment regimens. Key changes include the introduction of a
      new, shorter MDR-TB treatment regimen, a new classification of medicines and
      updated recommendations for the conventional MDR-TB regimen. This paper will
      review these key changes and discuss the potential issues with regard to the
      implementation of these guidelines in South Korea.

PMID- 28905530
TI  - Nonspecific Bronchoprovocation Test.
AB  - Bronchial asthma is a disease characterized by the condition of airway hyper
      responsiveness, which serves to produce narrowing of the airway secondary to
      airway inflammation and/or various spasm-inducing stimulus. Nonspecific
      bronchoprovocation testing is an important method implemented for the purpose of
      diagnosing asthma; this test measures the actual degree of airway hyper
      responsiveness and utilizes direct and indirect bronchoprovocation testing.
      Direct bronchoprovocation testing using methacholine or histamine may have
      superior sensitivity as these substances directly stimulate the airway smooth
      muscle cells. On the other hand, this method also engenders the specific
      disadvantage of relatively low specificity. Indirect bronchoprovocation testing
      using mannitol, exercise, hypertonic saline, adenosine and hyperventilation
      serves to produce reactions in the airway smooth muscle cells by liberating
      mediators with stimulation of airway inflammatory cells. Therefore, this method
      has the advantage of high specificity and also demonstrates relatively low
      sensitivity. Direct and indirect testing both call for very precise descriptions
      of very specific measurement conditions. In addition, it has become evident that
      challenge testing utilizing each of the various bronchoconstrictor stimuli
      requires distinct and specific protocols. It is therefore important that the
      clinician understand the mechanism by which the most commonly used
      bronchoprovocation testing works. It is important that the clinician understand
      the mechanism of action in the testing, whether direct stimuli (methacholine) or
      indirect stimuli (mannitol, exercise) is implemented, when the testing is
      performed and the results interpreted.

PMID- 28905531
TI  - Elucidation of Bacterial Pneumonia-Causing Pathogens in Patients with Respiratory
      Viral Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial pneumonia occurring after respiratory viral infection is
      common. However, the predominant bacterial species causing pneumonia secondary to
      respiratory viral infections other than influenza remain unknown. The purpose of
      this study was to know whether the pathogens causing post-viral bacterial
      pneumonia vary according to the type of respiratory virus. METHODS: Study
      subjects were 5,298 patients, who underwent multiplex real-time polymerase chain
      reaction for simultaneous detection of respiratory viruses, among who visited the
      emergency department or outpatient clinic with respiratory symptoms at Ulsan
      University Hospital between April 2013 and March 2016. The patients' medical
      records were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 251 clinically
      significant bacteria were identified in 233 patients with post-viral bacterial
      pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most frequent bacterium in patients aged
      <16 years, regardless of the preceding virus type (p=0.630). In patients aged
      >=16 years, the isolated bacteria varied according to the preceding virus type.
      The major results were as follows (p<0.001): pneumonia in patients with influenza
      virus (type A/B), rhinovirus, and human metapneumovirus infections was caused by
      similar bacteria, and the findings indicated that Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia
      was very common in these patients. In contrast, coronavirus, parainfluenza virus,
      and respiratory syncytial virus infections were associated with pneumonia caused
      by gram-negative bacteria. CONCLUSION: The pathogens causing post-viral bacterial
      pneumonia vary according to the type of preceding respiratory virus. This
      information could help in selecting empirical antibiotics in patients with post
      viral pneumonia.

PMID- 28905532
TI  - Incidence and Risk Factors of Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients with Seasonal
      Influenza A or B.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most patients with influenza recover spontaneously or following
      treatment with an anti-viral agent, but some patients experience pneumonia
      requiring hospitalization. We conducted a retrospective review to determine the
      incidence and risk factors of pneumonia in hospitalized patients with influenza A
      or B. METHODS: A total of 213 patients aged 18 years or older and hospitalized
      with influenza between January 2012 and January 2015 were included in this study.
      A reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay was used to detect the
      influenza A or B virus in the patients' sputum samples. We collected demographic
      and laboratory data, combined coexisting diseases, and radiologic findings.
      RESULTS: The incidence of pneumonia was higher in patients in the influenza A
      group compared to those in the influenza B group (68.6% vs. 56.9%), but this
      difference was not statistically significant. The presence of underlying
      respiratory disease was significantly associated with pneumonia in the influenza
      A group (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.975; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.312
      12.043; p=0.015). In the influenza B group, the white blood cell count (adjusted
      OR, 1.413; 95% CI, 1.053-1.896; p=0.021), platelet count (adjusted OR, 0.988; 95%
      CI, 0.978-0.999; p=0.027), and existence of an underlying medical disease
      (adjusted OR, 15.858; 95% CI, 1.757-143.088; p=0.014) were all significantly
      associated with pneumonia in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: The incidence of
      pneumonia was 65.7% in hospitalized patients with influenza A or B. The risk
      factors of pneumonia differed in hospitalized patients with influenza A or B.

PMID- 28905533
TI  - Short-term Evaluation of a Comprehensive Education Program Including Inhaler
      Training and Disease Management on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proper education regarding inhaler usage and optimal management of
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is essential for effectively
      treating patients with COPD. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of
      a comprehensive education program including inhaler training and COPD management.
      METHODS: We enlisted 127 patients with COPD on an outpatient basis at 43 private
      clinics in Korea. The patients were educated on inhaler usage and disease
      management for three visits across 2 weeks. Physicians and patients were
      administered a COPD assessment test (CAT) and questionnaires about the correct
      usage of inhalers and management of COPD before commencement of this program and
      after their third visit. RESULTS: The outcomes of 127 COPD patients were
      analyzed. CAT scores (19.6+/-12.5 vs. 15.1+/-12.3) improved significantly after
      this program (p<0.05). Patients with improved CAT scores of 4 points or more had
      a better understanding of COPD management and the correct technique for using
      inhalers than those who did not have improved CAT scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: A
      comprehensive education program including inhaler training and COPD management at
      a primary care setting improved CAT scores and led to patients' better
      understanding of COPD management.

PMID- 28905534
TI  - Larger Testicular Volume Is Independently Associated with Favorable Indices of
      Lung Function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have reduced
      endogenous testosterone levels, but the relationship between pulmonary function
      and endogenous testosterone levels, is inconsistent. Testicular volume is a known
      indicator of endogenous testosterone levels, male fertility, and male potency. In
      the present study, the authors investigated the relationship, between testicular
      volume and lung function. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-one South Korean men
      age 40-70, hospitalized for urological surgery, were retrospectively enrolled,
      irrespective of the presence of respiratory disease. Study subjects underwent
      pulmonary function testing, prior to procedures, and testicular volumes were
      measured by orchidometry. Testosterone levels of patients in blood samples
      collected between 7 AM and 11 AM, were measured by a direct chemiluminescent
      immunoassay. RESULTS: The 181 study subjects were divided into two groups, by
      testicular volume (>=35 mL vs. <35 mL), the larger testes group, had better lung
      functions (forced vital capacity [FVC]: 3.87+/-0.65 L vs. 3.66+/-0.65 L, p=0.037;
      forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]: 2.92+/-0.57 L vs. 2.65+/-0.61 L,
      p=0.002; FVC % predicted: 98.2+/-15.2% vs. 93.8+/-13.1%, p=0.040; FEV1 %
      predicted: 105.4+/-19.5% vs. 95.9+/-21.2%, p=0.002). In addition, the proportion
      of patients with a FEV1/FVC of <70%, was lower in the larger testes group.
      Univariate analysis conducted using linear regression models, revealed that
      testicular volume was correlated with FVC (r=0.162, p=0.029), FEV1 (r=0.218,
      p=0.003), FEV1/FVC (r=0.149, p=0.046), and FEV1 % predicted (r=0.178, p=0.017),
      and multivariate analysis using linear regression models, revealed that
      testicular volume was a significant predictive factor for FEV1 % predicted
      (beta=0.159, p=0.041). CONCLUSION: Larger testicular volume was independently
      associated, with favorable indices of lung function. These results suggest that
      androgens, may contribute to better lung function.

PMID- 28905535
TI  - Are There Any Additional Benefits to Performing Positron Emission
      Tomography/Computed Tomography Scans and Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging on
      Patients with Ground-Glass Nodules Prior to Surgery?
AB  - BACKGROUND: A ground-glass nodule (GGN) represents early-stage lung
      adenocarcinoma. However, there is still no consensus for preoperative staging of
      GGNs. Therefore, we evaluated the need for the routine use of positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scans and brain
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during staging. METHODS: A retrospective
      analysis was undertaken in 72 patients with 74 GGNs of less than 3 cm in
      diameter, which were confirmed via surgery as malignancy, at the Samsung Medical
      Center between May 2010 and December 2011. RESULTS: The median age of the
      patients was 59 years. The median GGN diameter was 18 mm. Pure and part-solid
      GGNs were identified in 35 (47.3%) and 39 (52.7%) cases, respectively. No
      mediastinal or distant metastasis was observed in these patients. In preoperative
      staging, all of the 74 GGNs were categorized as stage IA via chest CT scans.
      Additional PET/CT scans and brain MRIs classified 71 GGNs as stage IA, one as
      stage IIIA, and two as stage IV. However, surgery and additional diagnostic work
      ups for abnormal findings from PET/CT scans classified 70 GGNs as stage IA, three
      as stage IB, and one as stage IIA. The chest CT scans did not differ from the
      combined modality of PET/CT scans and brain MRIs for the determination of the
      overall stage (94.6% vs. 90.5%; kappa value, 0.712). CONCLUSION: PET/CT scans in
      combination with brain MRIs have no additional benefit for the staging of
      patients with GGN lung adenocarcinoma before surgery.

PMID- 28905536
TI  - A Rare Case of Tracheobronchitis Alternariosis in a Renal Transplant Recipient.

PMID- 28905538
TI  - Staging Work-up for Early Lung Cancer: The More the Better?

PMID- 28905537
TI  - The Relationship between Airway Inflammation and Exacerbation in Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with abnormal
      inflammatory response and airflow limitation. Acute exacerbation involves
      increased inflammatory burden leading to worsening respiratory symptoms,
      including dyspnea and sputum production. Some COPD patients have frequent
      exacerbations (two or more exacerbations per year). A substantial proportion of
      COPD patients may remain stable without exacerbation. Bacterial and viral
      infections are the most common causative factors that breach airway stability and
      lead to exacerbation. The increasing prevalence of exacerbation is associated
      with deteriorating lung function, hospitalization, and risk of death. In this
      review, we summarize the mechanisms of airway inflammation in COPD and discuss
      how bacterial or viral infection, temperature, air pollution, eosinophilic
      inflammation, and concomitant chronic diseases increase airway inflammation and
      the risk of exacerbation.

PMID- 28905539
TI  - New Treatment Modalities for Geographic Atrophy.
AB  - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a significant cause of global visual
      morbidity and is projected to affect 288 million people by the year 2040. The
      advent of treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF)
      drugs has revolutionized the treatment of neovascular AMD (nAMD) but there have
      been no similar breakthroughs for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) to
      retard its progression. The advancements in imaging and new understanding of
      disease mechanisms, based on molecular and genetic models, have paved the way for
      the development of novel experimental treatment options for GA that aim to cater
      to a thus far largely unmet need. This review paper focuses on the recent
      clinical trials of new treatment options for slowing GA progression rates with
      emphasis on the agents that are currently undergoing, or have already undergone,
      significant clinical trial testing. Several new groups of drugs, including those
      targeting the complement cascade and agents considered as neuroprotective, have
      shown some promising results and could potentially pave the way forward in the
      treatment of this devastating disease.

PMID- 28905540
TI  - Nanosecond Laser Cataract Surgery in LOCS III Grade 4 and 5: A Case Series.
AB  - PURPOSE: A major obstacle to the widespread implementation of nanosecond laser
      cataract removal has been its limited efficacy in cases when the cataract is
      harder than Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCS III ) grade 3. The
      latest technological modifications seem to have overcome this obstacle. DESIGN: A
      case series. METHODS: This study presents a case series of 17 consecutive
      patients with a cataract classified as harder than LOCS III grade 3 who underwent
      nanolaser cataract surgery. The basic surgical procedure included administration
      of topical or local anesthesia, capsulorhexis, hydrodissection, cataract removal
      with a nanosecond laser, cortical cleanup, intraocular lens implantation, and
      clear corneal incision closure with physiological solution. RESULTS: The
      nanosecond laser system effectively removed the cataract in all patients. This
      result was statistically significant (P < 0.000001) compared with an expected
      conversion rate to ultrasound phacoemulsification of 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Harder
      cataracts should no longer be considered a limitation for the use of nanosecond
      laser in cataract surgery.

PMID- 28905541
TI  - The Role of New Imaging Methods in Managing Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - The use of imaging for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) depends on how it
      benefits clinical management and on reimbursement. The latter should relate to
      the former. This review assesses how different forms of AMD can be imaged and
      what information this provides. For nonneovascular AMD high-resolution optical
      coherence tomography (OCT), autofluorescence, and near infrared imaging can
      identify the type of drusen, such as reticular pseudodrusen, which influences
      prognosis, and the amount of atrophy, for which phase 3 trials are underway.
      Clarifying the correct diagnosis for late-onset Stargardt and macular
      telangiectasia, if treatment becomes available, will be especially important.
      Choroidal thickness can be measured and changes with anti-vascular endothelial
      growth factor treatment, but how this influences management is less clear. The
      finding of a thick choroid may alter the diagnosis to pachychoroid
      neovasculopathy, which may have a different treatment response. Peripheral
      retinal changes are commonly found on ultrawide-field imaging but their
      importance is not yet determined. The mainstay of imaging is OCT, which can
      detect neovascular AMD by detecting thickening and be used for follow-up, as the
      presence or absence of thickening is the main determinant of treatment. Higher
      resolution systems and now OCT angiography are able to distinguish neovascular
      type, especially type 2 choroidal neovascularization but also polypoidal
      choroidal vasculopathy and retinal angiomatous proliferation. Fundus fluorescein
      and indocyanine green angiographies still have a role, although that partly
      depends on whether photodynamic therapy is being considered. Automated image
      analysis and machine learning will be increasingly important in supporting
      clinician decisions.

PMID- 28905542
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905543
TI  - [How to start an antihypertensive treatment: from evidence to personalized
      choice].
AB  - Considering the high prevalence of hypertension among general population, the
      general practitioner is frequently challenged to start an antihypertensive
      therapy, which aims to lower blood pressure and to reduce the cardiovascular
      risk. At the initial stage, several critical questions must be asked : " Is a
      pharmacological treatment necessary ? ", " Which are the target blood pressures ?
      " and " Which antihypertensive drug should be chosen to start therapy ? "The aim
      of this article is to give general practicioners some practical tools to guide
      them in the initial management of hypertensive patients.

PMID- 28905544
TI  - [Text messaging and self-care support of hypertensive patients : first
      achievements].
AB  - Text messaging applied to self-care support of hypertensive patients is a new e
      health tool available via mobile phones and computers. First validated programs
      are just emerging. Without being a panacea intended to replace the doctors by
      machines they could be provide a significant reinforcement of the patient's
      empowerment for self-monitoring. It is now time to begin their evaluation in real
      life and in primary care setting.

PMID- 28905545
TI  - [Practical reading grids to better understand our hypertensive patients].
AB  - Hypertension is well identified as the main factor of mortality, cardiovascular
      disease and renal damage worldwide. However, only half of hypertensive patients
      are diagnosed as hypertensive, and only a quarter of hypertensive patients has
      blood pressure values normalized by the medical treatment. The aim of this
      article is to propose a practical reading grid in order to get a better
      understanding of our patients, in the GP's office, and a comprehensive approach
      of problematics encountered by the patient with its own perception, to identify
      barriers, tools and patients' available ressources.

PMID- 28905546
TI  - [Hypertension in people of African descent].
AB  - Hypertension in people of African descent presents an increased prevalence, an
      earlier and more severe target organ damage and is harder to control compared to
      other ethnicities. Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension are more frequent in
      black women. The physiological phenomenon of night time blood pressure dipping is
      often blunted. The low renin hypertension phenotype seems to be caused by an
      increase in sodium retention at renal level. The treatment of choice is calcium
      channel blockers and thiazide diuretics along with a renin-angiotensin
      aldosterone blocker for kidney protection. Addition of spironolactone or
      amiloride is advised for resistant hypertension. A diet poor in sodium and rich
      in potassium is recommended.

PMID- 28905548
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905549
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905547
TI  - [Fibromuscular dysplasia and hypertension : beyond renal arteries].
AB  - Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a disease associated with abnormalities of the
      arterial wall of medium-sized arteries. These abnormalities can lead to stenosis
      or less frequently to dissections or aneurysms. FMD is probably more frequent
      than initially thought. Nowadays, it is often a chance finding during a
      radiologic exam. In symptomatic cases, poor organ perfusion due to stenosis,
      dissection or aneurysm rupture may lead to the diagnosis. The aim of this non
      systematic review illustrated with a clinical case is to present our current
      knowledge of FMD and to highlight the necessity of a standardized and
      multidisciplinary work-up to improve management of affected patients and
      understanding of the disease.

PMID- 28905550
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905551
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905552
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905553
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905554
TI  - ?

PMID- 28905555
TI  - [Pesudostellariae Radix industry status and development countermeasures].
AB  - In recent years, with increasing role in traditional Chinese medicine industry of
      many provinces in china, Pseudostellariae Radix is one of the rapid development
      traditional Chinese medicine. Based on references and on-site investigation of
      main producing area, we clear the process of change from the small of the Panax
      ginseng to the Pseudostellariae Radix in aspects of history, and the change of
      producing area from Shandong, Jiangsu provinces to Fujian, Anhui and Guizhou
      provinces. And we clear how the Pseudostellariae Radix become a commonly used
      Chinese medicinal herbs from a small variety based on the market supply and
      demand and price changes, and it has gradually become a hot topic of the
      research. This paper summarized the status quo and the existing problems in the
      Pseudostellariae Radix industry. On this basis, we put forward countermeasures
      and suggestions for the development of the Pseudostellariae Radix industry.

PMID- 28905556
TI  - [Breeding and extension of Pseudostellaria heterophylla new variety "Shitai No.1"
      in Guizhou province].
AB  - Based on collections and researches of Pesudostellaria heterophylla germplasm
      resources from different areas of China, by using Shibing SB-4 provenance as
      materials, the new variety "Shitai No.1" was bred by mass selection, small plot
      variety comparative test, regional variety comparative test and field trial
      planting. Compared with "Qian taizishen No.1" and P. heterophylla land races. The
      disease and lodging resistance, root yield, polysaccharide content and the first
      grade rate of "Shitai No.1" have obvious advantages. In addition, it is
      relatively stable of yield in "Shitai No.1" in different places. It is
      demonstrated that "Shitai No.1" is a fine variety that adapt to the producing
      areas of P. heterophylla in Guizhou province, it is worthy to be promoted.

PMID- 28905557
TI  - [Research on quality regionalization of cultivated Pseudostellaria heterophylla
      based on climate factors].
AB  - Maxent model was applied in the study to filtering the climate factors layer by
      layer. Polysaccharides and pseudostellarin B the two internal quality evaluation
      index were combined to analyse the interlinkages between climate factors and
      chemical constituents in order to search for the critical climate factors of
      Pseudostellaria heterophylla. Then based on the key climate factors to explicit
      the quality spatial distribution of P. heterophylla. The results showed that
      polysaccharides and climatic factors had no significant correlation, suggesting
      that the indicator was not climate-driven metabolites. Pseudostellarin B could
      construct regression model with the precipitation. And quality regionalization
      results showed that pseudostellarin B content presented firstly increased and
      then decreased trend from southeast to northwest, which was the consistent change
      with precipitation. It clearly proposed that precipitation was the key climate
      factor, which affected the accumulation of cyclopeptide compound for
      Pseudostellariae Radix.

PMID- 28905558
TI  - [Quality evaluation and growing regionalization of Pseudostellaria heterophylla
      in Guizhou].
AB  - This paper is aimed to study the potential ecological suitability regionalization
      of Pseudostellaria heterophylla for selecting GAP planting base location and
      designing rational production layout. The ecological factors and contribution
      rate were determined by using maximum entropy (Maxent) model. Then, the
      information entropy theory was used to determine the relative importance of each
      environmental factor, and thus to determine the most limiting habitat criteria.
      Finally, the probable spatial distribution of P. heterophylla was determined
      based on GIS spatial analysis of habitat conditions. Meanwhile, the optimal index
      range of ecological factors was quantified. The moderately and highly suitable
      habitats were mainly located in Shibing, Huangping, Cengong, the middle and east
      of Kaili, the south of Yuqing, the west of Tongren. The percentage of moderately
      and highly suitable habitats for P. heterophylla in the study area was 3.64%, and
      its area was 6 405.39 km2. The results also showed that seven dominant ecological
      factors controlled the distribution of P. heterophylla. These factors included
      agrotype, the warmest rain, aspect, slope, the warmest and highest temperature,
      contents of soil organic carbon, and the driest month precipitation. The habitat
      suitability assessment model based on GIS and Maxent model theory could
      accurately evaluate the habitat suitability distribution of P. heterophylla in
      Guizhou. In addition, we recommended Cengong and Zhenyuan county in Guizhou
      province as the worthy developing potential planting areas.

PMID- 28905559
TI  - [Cloning and bioinformatics analysis of abscisic acid 8'-hydroxylase from
      Pseudostellariae Radix].
AB  - Abscisic acid 8'-hydroxylase was one of key enzymes genes in the metabolism of
      abscisic acid (ABA). Seven menbers of abscisic acid 8'-hydroxylase were
      identified from Pseudostellaria heterophylla transcriptome sequencing results by
      using sequence homology. The expression profiles of these genes were analyzed by
      transcriptome data. The coding sequence of ABA8ox1 was cloned and analyzed by
      informational technology. The full-length cDNA of ABA8ox1 was 1 401 bp,with 480
      encoded amino acids. The predicated isoelectric point (pI) and relative molecular
      mass (MW) were 8.55 and 53 kDa,respectively. Transmembrane structure analysis
      showed that there were 21 amino acids in-side and 445 amino acids out-side. High
      level of transcripts can detect in bark of root and fibrous root. Multi-alignment
      and phylogenetic analysis both show that ABA8ox1 had a high similarity with the
      CYP707As from other plants,especially with AtCYP707A1 and AtCYP707A3 in
      Arabidopsis thaliana. These results lay a foundation for molecular mechanism of
      tuberous root expanding and response to adversity stress.

PMID- 28905560
TI  - [Cloning and expression analysis of four carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases genes
      from Pseudostellaria heterophylla].
AB  - To investigate the molecular mechanism of quality formation of Pseudostellaria
      heterophylla, the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) genes were cloned from
      the transcriptome database of P. heterophylla, and analyzed them with
      bioinformatics analysis and expression analysis. The sequence length of four new
      gene were 1 617, 1 461, 1 746, 1 875 bp, and subsequently, named as
      PhCCD1,PhNCED2,PhNCED3 and PhCCD4 according to its genetic relationship with
      Arabidopsis thaliana. The sequence analysis showed that four new gene were all
      containing REP65 domains and binding sites of ferrous ion, such as histidine,
      glutamates and aspartates. Analysis phylogeny showed that PhNCED2 and PhNCED3
      were the cluster of NCEDs, PhCCD1 and PhCCD4 were the cluster of CCDs. In
      addition, PhCCD1 and AtCDD1 of Arabidopsis thaliana, PhCCD4 and AtCCD4 of A.
      thaliana,PhNCED2, PhNCED3 and AtNCED3 of A. thaliana have high similarities.
      Analysis of real-time fluorescence quantitative showed that PhNCED2 and PhNCED3
      were expressed mainly in underground part, the expression quantity of PhNCED2
      reached the highest in fibrous root, PhNCED3 keeps higher in phloem and xylem, it
      may be the key enzymes of ABA biosynthesis genes. Moreover,PhCCD1 and PhCCD4 were
      expressed mainly in aerial part,the expression quantity of PhCCD1 reached the
      highest in leaf,PhCCD4 keeps higher in stem and leaf.It may be involved in the
      biosynthesis of carotenoids for P. heterophylla. The study obtained CDDs gene of
      P. heterophylla for the first time,this would lay the foundation of developing
      the response mechanism of P. heterophylla about external stress further,and then
      exploring the biological approach of quality formation in P. heterophylla.

PMID- 28905561
TI  - [Pathogen identification, regularity of development and control measures of
      diseases on Atractylodes lancea].
AB  - Based on current progress and field investigations,this review summarized the
      symptoms,epidemiology and control methods of 11 diseases on Atractylodes lancea,
      including the most severely harmed root diseases such as root rot and southern
      blight, as well as the sclerotinia rot that was newly happened. This review aims
      to demonstrate the progress of studies on diseases of A. lancea, providing
      guidance for field production. Sclerotonia disease and leaf spot disease are new
      diseases,suggesting the awareness of this disease on plant quarantine.

PMID- 28905562
TI  - [Pathomechanisms of podocyte injury in diabetic nephropathy and interventional
      effects of Chinese herbal medicine].
AB  - Podocyte injury is closely related to proteinuria in the progress of diabetic
      nephropathy(DN). The pathological characters of podocyte injury mainly refer to
      the change of podocyte form and function, including foot process effacement,
      reduction of podocyte number and density, podocyte apoptosis, podocyte epithelial
      mesenchymal transdifferentiation(EMT)and podocyte hypertrophy. These pathological
      damages are controlled by multiple signaling pathways in the kidney, such as
      mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)/autophagy pathway, transforming growth
      factor(TGF)-beta1 pathway and Notch pathway. For podocyte injuries induced by
      high glucose or in murine models of DN, some Chinese herbal
      medicine(CHM)extracts, such as multiglycoside of Tripterygium wilfordii(GTW),
      triptolide(TP), astragaloside IV(AS-IV), astragalus polysaccharide(APS)and Panax
      notoginseng saponins(PNS), have the protective effects in vivo or in vitro. The
      preliminary studies in China showed that GTW improves podocyte injury in the DN
      model rats probably through regulating the activity of mTORC1 signaling pathway
      in the kidney. Therefore, it is the developmental direction for the further study
      to clarify the interventional effects of CHM based on podocyte injury-related
      signaling pathway in DN.

PMID- 28905563
TI  - [Research progress on pharmacological effects and their differences among the
      flowers, stems and leaves of Lonicera japonica].
AB  - It's a common phenomenon that two kinds or more than two kinds of herbs belong to
      different parts of the same plant. Lonicera Japonica Flos, Lonicera Japonica
      Caulis and Lonicera Japonica Folium are the typical representative of this
      phenomenon. They belong to different parts of the Lonicera japonica Thunb. This
      paper reviewed the research progress on pharmacological effects and their
      differences among them. It was found that the research mainly concentrated on
      Lonicera Japonica Flos, and the others were ignored. However, some
      pharmacological effects in leaves are stronger than that of flowers and stems,
      such as antibacterial, anti-bird flu and antioxidant activity.Lonicera Japonica
      Flos is mainly used for the treatment of respiratory tract virus infection while
      Lonicera Japonica Caulis is mainly used for the treatment of hepatitis virus
      infection, respectively. Finally, main problems and suggestions on
      pharmacological effects among them were also discussed.

PMID- 28905564
TI  - [Research progress on meridian-guiding theory of traditional Chinese medicine].
AB  - Ancient materia medica and medical formularies were consulted to illustrate the
      development history of meridian-guiding theory of traditional Chinese medicine
      (TCM). The influences of various meridian-guiding drugs (Achyranthis Bidentatae
      Radix, borneol, Bupleuri Radix, Platycodon Radix) on the pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic characteristics of other drugs were summarized. Meridian-guiding
      drugs can promote the absorption and targeted distribution of other drugs and
      enhance the efficacy of injured tissues. The possible mechanisms of meridian
      guiding are related with changing the component of cell membrane, inhibiting the
      efflux of P-gp, opening physiological barriers, modulating the levels of
      biochemicals, promoting microcirculation and adjusting the pH of targeted
      tissues. The chemical components of meridian-guiding drugs are the substance
      basis of meridian-guiding. The aim of exploring meridian-guiding chemicals is to
      find a natural targeted delivery system. At the present time, some progress has
      been made in the research on meridian-guiding field. However, further studies are
      required for the meridian-guiding theory of TCM.

PMID- 28905565
TI  - [Monitoring method for macroporous resin column chromatography process of
      salvianolic acids based on near infrared spectroscopy].
AB  - To study and establish a monitoring method for macroporous resin column
      chromatography process of salvianolic acids by using near infrared spectroscopy
      (NIR) as a process analytical technology (PAT).The multivariate statistical
      process control (MSPC) model was developed based on 7 normal operation batches,
      and 2 test batches (including one normal operation batch and one abnormal
      operation batch) were used to verify the monitoring performance of this model.
      The results showed that MSPC model had a good monitoring ability for the column
      chromatography process. Meanwhile, NIR quantitative calibration model was
      established for three key quality indexes (rosmarinic acid, lithospermic acid and
      salvianolic acid B) by using partial least squares (PLS) algorithm. The
      verification results demonstrated that this model had satisfactory prediction
      performance. The combined application of the above two models could effectively
      achieve real-time monitoring for macroporous resin column chromatography process
      of salvianolic acids, and can be used to conduct on-line analysis of key quality
      indexes. This established process monitoring method could provide reference for
      the development of process analytical technology for traditional Chinese
      medicines manufacturing.

PMID- 28905566
TI  - [Optimize preparation parameters of colon-specific pellets of Angelica Sinensis
      Radix supercritical fluid extraction with response surface analysis methodology].
AB  - To prepare pellets of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of Angelica Sinensis
      Radix by using the ionic crosslinking method, and the drug loading and
      encapsulation efficiency were used as the index to investigate the multiple
      factors which may impact the drug loading and encapsulation efficiency. Box
      Behnken design and response surface analysis method were then taken to optimize
      the prescription of pellets and study the coating technology. Through the study
      on the release of pellets in vitro, an optimal coating technology and
      prescription of colon-specific pellets of Angelica Sinensis Radix SFE were
      selected and their colon targeting was evaluated. The optimal preparation
      parameters of pellets were determined as follows: 3% pectin; 4?1 for
      pectin/lecithin; 4?5 for pectin/SFE of Angelica Sinensis Radix; 4% zinc acetate
      solution as crosslinking agent, blending temperature 35 C, crosslinking
      temperature 35 C, crosslinking time 30 min; coating technology: coating material
      Eudragit FS 30D, 1.5% triethyl citrate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan
      monooleate(tween-80), 1.2% monostearin and 15% coating weight gained. The colon
      specific pellets of Angelica Sinensis Radix SFE prepared with optimized
      conditions were almost not released in simulated gastric fluid in 2 h, released
      less than 20% in simulated intestine fluid in 4 h, and released more than 90% in
      simulated colon fluid in 6 h, indicating that the colon-specific pellets of
      Angelica Sinensis Radix SFE had an excellent colon targeting property.

PMID- 28905567
TI  - [Application of high performance liquid-ion trap mass spectrometry in analyzing
      saponins in sodium aescinate].
AB  - Sodium aescinate, which is produced from saponins of Chinese Buckeye Seed, is a
      prescription drug for treatment of brain edema and all kinds of swellings caused
      by surgery. In this article, high-performance liquid chromatography/ion trap
      (HPLC-IT) mass spectrometry was applied to study the characteristic ions of ten
      reference substances, namely escin Ia, escin Ib, isoescin Ia, isoescin Ib,
      aesculiside A, aesculiside B, aesculuside A, escin IVc, escinIIa and escin V,
      which were isolated from aescinate. Furthermore, 19 saponin compounds were
      predicted in sodium aescinate, besides the above mentioned reference substances.
      The study showed that sapogenins in sodium aescinate had two structural types,
      namely protoaescigenin and barringenol C, and the substituent acetyl, tigloyl or
      angeloyl was usually located at C-21, C-22 or C-28 position. Among these
      predicted saponins, their sugar chains were all located at C-3 position
      consisting of glucose and glucuronide. This study provides experimental data for
      chemical constituents in sodium aescinate and scientific basis for quality and
      safety evaluation.

PMID- 28905568
TI  - [Chemical constituents of ethyl acetate fraction from seed melon
      (Citrulluslanatus ssp. vulgaris var. megalaspermus)].
AB  - In this paper, the chemical composition of ethyl acetate parts of seed melon were
      studied by using ethanol re-flux method, extraction method, and isolated by
      column chromatography oversilica gel and Sephadex LH-20 and HPLC. The structures
      of the separated compounds were identified by physical-chemical methods and
      spectral data such as MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, etc. 12 compounds were got from the
      plant including one new compound, 4-hydroxymet-hyl-2-methoxyphenyl 1-O-beta-D-[6'
      O-(4"-hydroxybenzoyl)-glucopyranoside] (1) and 11 known compounds, uracil (2),
      thymine (3), 2'-deoxyuridine (4), 7,8-dimethylalloxazine (5), indole-3-carboxylic
      acid (6), beta-adenosine (7), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (8), p-coumaric acid (9),
      cucumegastigmanesI (10), 3'-methoxyl-quercetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (11)
      and 3,3'-dimethyloxy-4,4'-dihydroxy-9,9'-monoepoxy lignan (12).

PMID- 28905569
TI  - [Chemical constituents from Barringtonia racemosa].
AB  - To investigate the chemical constituents from Barringtonia racemosa, twelve
      compounds were isolated by chromatography methods and identified as 3beta-p-E
      coumaroymaslinic acid (1), cis-careaborin (2), careaborin (3), maslinic acid (4),
      2alpha, 3beta, 19alpha-trihydroxyolean-12-ene-24, 28-dioic acid (5), 3beta-p-Z
      coumaroylcorosolic acid (6), corosolic acid (7), 1alpha, 2alpha, 3beta, 19alpha
      tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (8), 19alpha-hydroxyl ursolic acid (9), 3alpha,
      19alpha-dihydroxyurs-12-en-24, 28-dioic acid (10), tormentic acid (11), 3-hydroxy
      7, 22-dien-ergosterol(12) by the NMR and MS data analysis. Among them, compounds
      1-4,7-12 were obtained from the genus Barringtonia for the first time. All the
      compounds didn't show nocytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and A549 cell lines
      (IC50>50 mg*L-1).

PMID- 28905570
TI  - [Cerebrosides isolated from Arisaema flavum].
AB  - Silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and reverse phase (C-18) column chromatography were
      used for the research of chemical constituents occurred in Arisaema
      flavum(Forsk.) Schott. The structures were elucidated by comparison physico
      chemical properties and NMR spectroscopic data with those of known compounds.
      Seventeen cerebrosides were identified as 1-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(2S, 3R, 4E,
      8E)-2-[(2'(R)-acetoxyoctadecanoyl)amido]-4, 8-octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (1), 2'-O
      acetylsoyacerebroside I (2), 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4E, 13Z)-2
      [(2'R)-2-hydroxytetradecanoylamino]-1, 3-dihydroxy-4, 13-docosadiene (3), (2S,
      3R, 4E, 8E)1-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-3-hydroxy-2-[(R)-2'
      hydroxyhexadecanoyl]amino-9-methyl-4, 8-heptadecadiene (4), (2S, 3R, 4E, 8E)1
      (beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-3-hydroxy-2-[(R)-2'-hydroxyhexadecanoyl]amino-9-methyl-4,
      8-octadecadiene (5), (2S, 3R, 4E, 8E)1-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-3-hydroxy-2-[(R)
      2'-hydroxypalmitoyl]amino-9-methyl-4, 8-octadecadiene (6), (2S, 3R, 4E, 8E)1
      (beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-3-hydroxy-2-[(R)-2'-hydroxyoctadecanoyl]amino-9-methyl-4,
      8-octadecadiene (7), 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4E, 8E)-2-[(R)-2'
      hydroxytetradecanoylamino]-4, 8-octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (8), 1-O-(beta-D
      glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4E, 8E)-2-[(R)-2'-hydroxypentadecanoylamino]-4, 8
      octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (9), 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4E, 8E)-2-[(R)
      2'-hydroxyhexadecanoylamino]-4, 8-octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (10), 1-O-(beta-D
      glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4E, 8Z)-2-[(R)-2'-hydroxyhexadecanoylamino]-4, 8
      octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (11), 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4E, 8E)-2-[(R)
      2'-hydroxyoctadecanoylamino]-1, 3-hydroxy-4, 8-octadecadiene (12), 1-O-(beta-D
      glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4E)-2-[(R)-2'-hydroxytetracosanoylamino]-1, 3-hydroxy-4
      hexadecane (13), 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3R, 4R, 8Z)-2N-[(2'R)-2'
      hydroxytetracosanoyl]-8-(Z)-octadecene-1, 3, 4-triol (14), 1-O-(beta-D
      glucopyranosyl)-(2S, 3S, 4E, 8E)-2N-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxyhexadecanoyl]-4-(E), 8-(Z)
      octadecadiene-1, 3-diol (15), typhoniside A (16), and 1-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl
      (2S, 3R, 8E)-2-[(2'R)-2-hydroxypalmitoylamino]-8-octadecene-1, 3-diol (17).
      Compounds 1 and 2 were isolated from the plant for the first time, while the
      remained compounds were isolated from the genus Arisaema for the first time.

PMID- 28905571
TI  - [Screening of active fractions with antithrombotic effect from Caragana jubata].
AB  - The antithrombotic effect of Caragana jubata (Pall.)Poir.ethanolic extract
      (TE)was evaluated by inferior vena cava thrombosis in rats and acute pulmonary
      thrombosis in mice. To search for the bioactive fractions of TE, comparison on
      acute pulmonary thrombosis was made between the two main fractions of TE (TE-1
      and TE-2). Besides, pharmacological effects of TE, TE-1 and TE-2 on bleeding time
      and clotting time were also studied. Reference substances combined with UPLC/DAD
      q-TOF-MS were applied to identify the main six compounds and other chemical
      constituents of the TE. The results showed that TE could significantly reduce the
      rat thrombosis weight in all doses (P<0.01) and improve the protective rate to
      mice in medium and high doses (P<0.05). TE-2 showed a stronger effect on
      protecting the mice from paralysis or death and prolonging the bleeding time and
      clotting time than TE-1. Chemical constituents in TE mainly include isoflavones,
      pterocarpans and stilbenoids. Constituents in TE-2 were mainly isoflavones and
      pterocarpans, while those in TE-1 were mainly stilbenoids, which could be
      inferred that all of these three kinds of constituents may be responsible for the
      antithrombotic effects of Caragana jubata.

PMID- 28905572
TI  - [Separation and identification of specific components and quality standard of
      stem of Dendrobium officinale].
AB  - The violanthin, a specific component, was separated and identified from the stems
      of Dendrobium officinale by chromatographic technique and spectroscopic method
      for the first time. The microscopic characteristics of D. officinale powder were
      examined under a microscopy and described. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) method
      was used for qualitative analysis of the violanthin from D. officinale stems with
      a mixture of ethyl acetate, butanone, formic acid and water (4?3?1?1) as the
      developing solvent on high performance silica gel precoated plate (SGF254) and
      using aluminium trichloride as a chromagenic agent. The results showed
      significant characteristics of violanthin from D. officinale stems on TLC, with
      certain specificity, and could be used to distinguish it from other easily
      confusing processed medicinal stems of D. devonianum, D. gratiosissimum and D.
      aphyllum. The content of naringenin, an active ingredient in D. officinale stems
      was determined by HPLC analysis on a Bischoff Chromatography HIPAK NC-04 ODS AB
      column (4.4 mm*250 mm, 5 mm) with acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid solution as
      the mobile phase for gradient elution. The wavelength was set at 226 nm and
      column temperature was 25 C. The HPLC method showed good linearity within the
      range of 3.90-250.00 g*mL-1 (r = 0.999 9) for naringenin. The average recovery of
      naringenin was 99.20% with 0.17% of RSD. The mass fraction of 20 batches of D.
      officinale stems was between 0.190 and 0.498 mg*g-1. The established qualitative
      and quantitative method was simple and rapid with good repeatability and
      accuracy, providing experimental basis for improving the quality standard of D.
      officinale, with a very important significance to ensure its quality and clinical
      effect.

PMID- 28905573
TI  - [Studies of pattern recognition of fingerprint profile of cattle bile powder and
      determination of multi-component in it].
AB  - An HPLC-ELSD method with good specificity and good accuracy was used for the
      studies of fingerprint and quantification of multi-components for cattle bile
      powder. The chromatographic analysis was carried out on a Phenomenex Gemini C18
      column (4.6 mm*250 mm, 5 MUm) with a column temperature of 40 C and a liquid flow
      rate of 1.0 mL*min-1 using 10 mmol ammonium acetate solution and acetonitrile as
      the mobile phase with a linear gradient. An ELSD was used with a nitrogen flow
      rate of 2.8 L*h-1, at a drift tube temperature of 110 C. The average contents of
      glycocholic acid, glycodeoxycholic acid, taurocholic acid, taurodeoxycholic acid
      were (25.2+/-17.0)%, (4.1+/-3.4)%, (24.5+/-20.0)% and (5.2+/-3.8)% respectively,
      and the total content of the four bile acids was (59.0+/-26.0)%. Beyond that, the
      preprocessing and pattern recognition analysis of the chromatographic
      fingerprints of samples were applied with chemometric method. The results of this
      chemometric analysis indicated that the samples from market and self-made samples
      were different signally, and four regions were noteworthy due to their great
      impact with poor chromatographic signal. All in one, because this HPLC-ELSD
      method was simple and accurate, it was suitable for the quality assessment and
      quality control of cattle bile powder and could be the technological base for its
      standard perfection.

PMID- 28905574
TI  - [Quantitative analysis of nucleosides in four Cordyceps genus by HPLC].
AB  - To compare the main nucleosides in Cordyceps genus herbs (C. sinensis, C.
      millitaris, Hirsutella sinensis and C. sobolifera), an HPLC method for
      simultaneous determination of uridine, inosine, guanosine, adenosine and
      cordycepine in Cordyceps genus herbs was developed. The sample was extracted with
      0.5% phosphoric acid solution to prepare test solution. The separation was
      performed on a Zorbax SB-Aq (4.6 mm*150 mm, 5 MUm) column with gradient elution
      by 0.04 mol*L-1 potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution and acetonitrile, column
      temperature 30 C,flow rate 0.8 mL*min-1,and detection wavelength 260 nm. The
      content of nucleosides in four Cordyceps genus herbs was evaluated by fingerprint
      analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The calibration curves of five
      nucleosides showed good linear regression (r>0.99) and the average recoveries
      were between 95.0% and 105.0%. The contents of the five nucleosides in the four
      Cordyceps genus herbs were different and could be obviously distinguished by HCA.
      The fingerprint analysis result showed that the similarity between C. sinensis
      and the others was less than 0.9. The method was accurate and reliable, which can
      be used for quality control of Cordyceps genus herbs.

PMID- 28905575
TI  - [Association between chemical composition of essential oil with penetration
      enhancement effect and drug properties of traditional Chinese medicine].
AB  - The results of previous studies showed potential correlations between the
      penetration enhancement effect of essential oils and the drug properties of
      traditional Chinese medicine based on the data mining method. As chemical
      composition is the material basis of drug properties of traditional Chinese
      medicine, this article further analyzed the correlation between the chemical
      composition of essential oils and the drug properties. Firstly, essential oils
      were extracted by steam distillation, and then physicochemical parameters of
      essential oils, such as relative density and refractive index, were measured. The
      chemical components of 20 essential oils were analyzed by GC-MS, and divided into
      12 categories according to skeleton features and functional groups. Finally,
      Logistic regression analysis was applied to reveal the correlations. The results
      proved that five flavors, four tastes and channel tropisms showed the correlation
      with chemical composition of essential oils (P<0.05). In conclusion, there were
      obvious correlations and regularity between the drug properties of traditional
      Chinese medicine and the chemical composition of essential oils.

PMID- 28905576
TI  - [Inhibitory effects of acteoside on LPS-induced inflammatory response on BV-2
      microglial cells].
AB  - To investigate the inhibitory effects of acteoside (ACT) on BV-2 microglial cells
      and the potential mechanism,LPS was used to treat BV-2 cells with or without ACT
      (12.5,25,50 MUmol*L -1). Then, the expressions of inflammatory factors (NO,TNF
      alpha,IL-6) and inflammation related proteins (iNOS,COX-2,p-IKKbeta,IKKbeta,p
      IkappaB,IkappaB) were detected. In addition,the nuclear translocation of NF
      kappaB was explored. The results showed that ACT could significantly suppress the
      inflammatory response against LPS stimulation by decreasing the expressions of
      NO,IL-6,TNF-alpha,iNOS,COX-2 and the phosphorylations of IKKbeta and IkappaB.
      Moreover,the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB p65 was inhibited by ACT. Taken
      together, ACT could significantly inhibit the inflammatory response of BV-2
      microglial cells which were induced by LPS via inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling
      pathway.

PMID- 28905577
TI  - [Screen potential CYP450 2E1 inhibitors from Chinese herbal medicine based on
      support vector regression and molecular docking method].
AB  - Inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes is the most common reasons for
      drug interactions, so the study on early prediction of CYPs inhibitors can help
      to decrease the incidence of adverse reactions caused by drug interactions.CYP450
      2E1(CYP2E1), as a key role in drug metabolism process, has broad spectrum of drug
      metabolism substrate. In this study, 32 CYP2E1 inhibitors were collected for the
      construction of support vector regression (SVR) model. The test set data were
      used to verify CYP2E1 quantitative models and obtain the optimal prediction model
      of CYP2E1 inhibitor. Meanwhile, one molecular docking program, CDOCKER, was
      utilized to analyze the interaction pattern between positive compounds and active
      pocket to establish the optimal screening model of CYP2E1 inhibitors.SVR model
      and molecular docking prediction model were combined to screen traditional
      Chinese medicine database (TCMD), which could improve the calculation efficiency
      and prediction accuracy. 6 376 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds
      predicted by SVR model were obtained, and in further verification by using
      molecular docking model, 247 TCM compounds with potential inhibitory activities
      against CYP2E1 were finally retained. Some of them have been verified by
      experiments. The results demonstrated that this study could provide guidance for
      the virtual screening of CYP450 inhibitors and the prediction of CYPs-mediated
      DDIs, and also provide references for clinical rational drug use.

PMID- 28905578
TI  - [Effect of allicin on myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction in rats and
      its relationship with TGFbeta/Smads signal transduction].
AB  - Allicin is the internationally accepted active substance of garlic, and has
      cardiovascular protective effect. This research was designed to investigate the
      effect of allicin on myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction and explore
      the relationship between the effect and TGFbeta1/Smads signaling pathway. The rat
      myocardial infarction model were made by ligating the left anterior desending
      coronary artery. The drugs were administered intraperitoneally 24 h after the
      operation. After 21 days, the rats were sacrificed and myocardial collagen fibres
      were observed by Masson staining. The protein expression of I, III collagen and
      TGFbeta1, Smad3, Smad7 in the myocardium was measured by the
      immunohistochemistry. The results showed that myocardial fibrosis was serious and
      the expression of I, III collagen was increased in model group. After treatment
      with allicin, the myocardial fibrosis could be relieved markedly, and the
      expression of collagen was down-regulated. Meanwhile, TGFbeta1 and Smad3 in heart
      tissue could be down-regulated and Smad7 could be up-regulated in allicin groups.
      So allicin may exhibit anti-myocardial fibrosis effect on rats, and the mechanism
      of this is related to TGFbeta/Smads signal transduction.

PMID- 28905579
TI  - [Screening of anti-aging active ingredients and mechanism analysis based on
      molecular docking technology].
AB  - Dampness evil is the source of all diseases, which is easy to cause disease and
      promote aging, while aging could also promote the occurence and development of
      diseases. In this paper, the relationship between the dampness evil and aging
      would be discussed, to find the anti-aging active ingredients in traditional
      Chinese medicine (TCM), and analyze the anti-aging mechanism of dampness
      eliminating drug. Molecular docking technology was used, with aging-related
      mammalian target of rapamycin as the docking receptors, and chemical components
      of Fuling, Sangzhi, Mugua, Yiyiren and Houpo as the docking molecules, to
      preliminarily screen the anti-aging active ingredients in dampness eliminating
      drug. Through the comparison with active drugs already on the market
      (temsirolimus and everolimus), 12 kinds of potential anti-aging active
      ingredients were found, but their drug gability still needs further study. The
      docking results showed that various components in the dampness eliminating drug
      can play anti-aging activities by acting on mammalian target of rapamycin. This
      result provides a new thought and direction for the method of delaying aging by
      eliminating dampness.

PMID- 28905580
TI  - [In vivo intestinal absorption characteristics of phloridzin in rats].
AB  - To study the in vivo intestinal absorption kinetics of phloridzin in rats. The
      absorption of phloridzin in the small intestines and colon of rats was
      investigated using an in vivo single-pass perfusion method and the drug
      concentration was measured by HPLC. The effects on intestinal absorption of
      different drug concentration and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor were conducted.
      The results showed that the phloridzin could be absorbed in whole intestine, but
      more fully in the jejunum and colon segment,poorly absorbed in the duodenum and
      ileum. The absorption rate constant (Ka) and the apparent absorption
      coefficient(Papp)of phloridzin decreased following the sequence of jejunum> colon
      > duodenum > ileum. Absorption parameters of phloridzin had no significant
      difference at different concentration (5.14, 10.28, 20.56 mg*L-1) . The saturate
      phenomena was not observed under the test range of drug concentration, and the
      absorption mechanism may be the passive diffusion transport.There had a
      significant difference in Ka and Papp values between P-gp inhibitor and no P-gp
      inhibitor groups. Phloridzin may be the substrate of P-gp.

PMID- 28905581
TI  - [Absorption and metabolism of icariin in different osteoporosis rat models].
AB  - To compare the intestinal absorption and metabolism of icariin in different
      osteoporosis rat models. Ovariectomy and intragastric administration of
      cyclophosphamide were used to establish two kinds of rat osteoporosis models.
      Then the rat intestinal perfusion was conducted, and HPLC was used to measure and
      calculate the permeability coefficients of icariin in different intestines and
      production amount of metabolites. Western blot was used to detect LPH enzyme
      expression in two models. Experimental results showed that both ovariectomy and
      intragastric administration of cyclophosphamide 4.5 mg*kg-1 could reduce rat bone
      density and successfully construct the rat osteoporosis models. The apparent
      permeability coefficient Papp of 20 MUmol icariin in duodenum, jejunum, ileum,
      colon was 5.695, 5.224, 1.492, 0.520 respectively in sham operation group; 3.876,
      3.608, 0.863, and 0.291 in ovariectomized group; 4.945, 3.601, 1.990, 1.042 in
      normal saline group; 3.301, 2.108, 1.209, 1.233 in cyclophosphamide-induced
      osteoporosis model group. In addition, the protein expression levels of LPH
      enzyme in two model groups were lower than those in normal group. The absorption
      and metabolism of icariin in two kinds of osteoporosis models was lower than that
      in sham operation group and normal saline group; the reduction of expression
      level of LPH enzymes in rat intestine of different osteoporosis models was one of
      the reasons for leading to the reduced intestinal absorption and metabolism of
      icariin.

PMID- 28905582
TI  - [In vitro recovery rate of bullatine A microdialysis probe].
AB  - To establish UPLC-MS/MS method for determination of the recovery rate of
      bullatine A microdialysis probe. The concentration difference method(incremental
      method, decrement method) was used to measure in vitro recoveries, and the
      effects of perfusate pH value, flow rate, concentration, and temperature on the
      recovery rate were investigated to explore the feasibility of microdialysis for
      the pharmacokinetic study of bullatine A. The method of UPLC-MS/MS showed good
      linear relationship within the required range; the specificity, recovery rate and
      precision of chromatography met the requirements of microdialysis samples. There
      was no significant difference in the measured recovery rate between incremental
      method and decrement method. Under the same conditions, in vitro recovery rate of
      the probe was decreased with the increase of flow rate, and was significantly
      increased with the increase of temperature, but was independent of bullatine A
      concentrations around the probe. The results showed that, microdialysis
      technology can be used for the pharmacokinetic study of bullatine A, and
      retrodialysis method (decrement method) can be used for the determination of the
      in vivo recovery rate of bullatine A microdialysis.

PMID- 28905583
TI  - [Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of alpha-hederin sodium salt in rats].
AB  - To study the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution characteristics of alpha
      hederin sodium salt in rats. 100 mg*kg-1 alpha-hederin sodium salt was given to
      the rats by intragastric administration, and LC-MS/MS method was used to
      determine its concentration at different time in plasma and tissues. Plasma and
      tissue samples were treated with methanol protein deposition method. Main
      pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows: tmax (0.97+/-1.23) h, Cmax (222.53+/
      57.28) MUg*L-1, AUC0-t (1 262+/-788.9) h*MUg*L-1, T1/2 (17.94+/-9.50) h. alpha
      hederin can be detected in heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, brain, muscle and
      adipose. The results showed that alpha-hederin sodium salt was absorbed fast and
      eliminated slowly in rats after oral administration. It was widely distributed in
      body tissues and livers kept the highest concentrations among various tissues at
      different time, so it can be speculated that alpha-hederin may have certain
      targeting property on livers.

PMID- 28905584
TI  - [Analysis on composition principles of prescriptions for nausea by using
      traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system].
AB  - Nausea is special in the symptoms, and is different from hiccups and vomiting.
      The main symptom is that the patients throw up the indigested food from the
      stomach regularly--if the patients have a dinner, they will throw out it in the
      next morning, or if the patients have a breakfast, they will throw out it at
      night. Nausea is common in clinic, and different physicians may use different
      treatment methods for it. This disease also cannot be treated efficiently and may
      happen repeatedly with the western medicine. In this study, the composition
      principles of prescriptions in past traditional Chinese medicine for nausea were
      analyzed and summarized by using traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support
      system(V2.5), hoping to provide guidance for clinical drug use and summarize the
      basic rules for treatment of nausea.The prescriptions for nausea in "the
      prescription of traditional Chinese medicine dictionary" were selected, and the
      information was entered into the traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support
      system(TCMISS) to build a database. Data mining methods such as frequency
      statistics, association rules, complex system entropy clustering were used to
      analyze and summarize the composition principles of these prescriptions. The herb
      frequencies of the prescriptions were finally determined; herbs with higher use
      frequencies were obtained; and the association rules between herbs were found. 19
      commonly used herb pairs, 10 core combinations and 10 newly developed
      prescriptions were found. The basic pathogenesis of nausea in traditional Chinese
      medicine is the weakness and coldness of spleen and stomach, and the Qi
      adverseness of stomach. Generations of physicians' main therapeutic method for
      nausea is mainly to warm the middle and invigorate the spleen, lower Qi and
      regulate stomach. The commonly used herbs for nausea are ginger, ginseng, large
      head attractylodes, tuckahoe, licorice, and appropriately supplemented with the
      herbs of eliminating dampness and eliminating phlegm, and regulating Qi-flowing
      for harmonizing stomach. In addition, it shall be treated according to the
      different accompanying syndromes such as phlegm, blood stasis, and yin
      deficiency.

PMID- 28905585
TI  - [Analysis of clinical medication rules in 48 398 patients with limb fractures
      based on hospital information system].
AB  - To explore the clinical medication rules in the patients with limb fractures, and
      provide guidance for clinical practice. Data of 48 398 patients with limb
      fractures from 2001 to 2011 was extracted from the hospital information
      system(HIS) established by the institute of basic research in clinical medicine,
      China academy of Chinese medical sciences. The gender and age distribution of
      patients and clinical medication characteristics were described. Apriori
      algorithm was adopted to analyze the common drug combinations of Chinese
      medicine(CM) and western medicine(WM). The study results showed that the ratio of
      included males and females was 1.83?1. There was a high peak of incidence for the
      patients from 18 to 44 years. Apriori algorithm showed that the usage of WM was
      more frequent than that of CM. The most commonly used CM was Lugua polypeptide
      and sodium aescinate injection. Blood-activating and stasis-resolving medicines,
      as well as tendons and bones-strengthening medicines were the commonly used CM
      types. In addition, WM antibiotics plus blood-activating and stasis-resolving CM,
      or antibiotics plus tendons and bones-strengthening CM was the most commonly used
      drug combination. Based on the analysis of available data, the prevalence of limb
      fracture was higher in men than in women; more in young and middle-aged patients;
      the common drug combination was antibiotics plus blood-activating and stasis
      resolving CM, or antibiotics plus tendons and bones-strengthening CM. More
      prospective and high-quality clinical trials are necessary to evaluate the effect
      of CM or integrative medicine treatment for limb fracture in the future research.

PMID- 28905586
TI  - [Development of rapid setting-drying device for herbarium specimens and its
      application in survey of Chinese materia medica resources in Anhui].
AB  - Herbarium specimens are the basis for the plant classification and indispensable
      media in teaching, scientific research and resources investigation. They have
      also played an important role in identifying and producing traditional Chinese
      medicine. High-quality herbarium specimens shall meet high requirements for
      integrity, smoothness, color and fabricating efficiency. Therefore, we designed a
      rapid setting and drying device for herbarium specimens, which could make the
      herbarium specimens smooth, colorful and not easy to mildew. In this paper, we
      pointed out the deficiency of traditional methods in making herbarium specimens,
      and introduced the structure and working principle of the device. Besides, we
      also discussed the effect of the device in setting and drying herbarium specimens
      and its application in the fourth national survey of the Chinese material medica
      resources (CMMR) in Anhui province. As a result, the device provides new ideas
      for producing herbarium specimens, with a reasonable design, good uniformity,
      high efficiency, safety and portability, and so is worthy of promotion and
      application in the national survey of CMMR.

PMID- 28905587
TI  - [Development ideas of fine pharmaceutical materials of traditional Chinese
      medicine preparations based on active cluster theory].
AB  - The pharmaceutical materials are divided into coarse and fine types in the
      development of traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Fine materials with
      clear composition, stable content and high quality control conform to the
      international development trend of traditional Chinese medicine preparations. In
      this paper, the status of fine materials was analyzed, and the development ideas
      were tentatively put forward. On the one hand, the study on simple methods and
      efficient equipment shall be strengthened for the simultaneous separation of
      multiple components of traditional Chinese medicine; on the other hand, the
      knowledge for traditional Chinese medicine shall be broadened to further develop
      the scientific compatibility of monomers under the guidance of the theory of
      traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28905588
TI  - [Comparison of sulfur fumigation processing and direct hot air heating technology
      on puerarin contents and efficacy of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix].
AB  - In order to compare the effect of sulfur fumigation processing and direct hot air
      heating technology on puerarin contents and efficacy of Puerariae Thomsonii
      Radix, the fresh roots of Pueraria thomsonii were cut into small pieces and
      prepared into direct sunshine drying samples, direct hot air drying samples, and
      sulfur fumigation-hot air drying samples. Moisture contents of the samples were
      then determined. The puerarin contents of different samples were compared by HPLC
      method. Moreover, the models of drunkenness mice were established, and then with
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) content as the index, aqueous decoction extracts of
      Puerariae Thomsonii Radix samples with sulfur fumigation processing and non
      sulfur fumigation processing methods were administrated by ig; the effects of
      sulfur fumigation on contents of SOD in mice liver and serum were determined, and
      the sulfur fumigation samples and non-sulfur fumigation samples were investigated
      for moth and mildew under different packaging and storage conditions. Results
      showed that the sulfur fumigation samples significantly changed the puerarin
      content from Puerariae Thomsonii Radix. The content of puerarin was decreased
      gradually when increasing the times of sulfur fumigation and amount of sulfur.
      SOD content in drunken mice liver and serum was significantly decreased when
      increasing the times of sulfur fumigation, showing significant difference with
      both direct sunshine drying group and direct hot air drying group. Moth and
      mildew were not found in the sulfur fumigation samples and direct hot air drying
      samples whose moisture contents were lower than the limit in Pharmacopoeia.
      Research showed that sulfur fumigation can significantly reduce the content of
      main active ingredients and reduce the efficacy of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix,
      indicating that the quality of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix was significantly
      decreased after sulfur fumigation. However, the contents of the main active
      ingredients, efficacy and storage results of the direct hot air drying samples
      were similar to those in direct sunshine drying samples, so the hot air drying
      process was a nice drying technology which could be promoted for use.

PMID- 28905589
TI  - [Effects of Atractylodis Macrocephale Rhizoma processed by different methods on
      salivary amylase and D-xylose excretion rate in rats].
AB  - To observe the effects of Atractylodis Macrocephale Rhizoma processed by
      different methods (sulfur-fumigation, different temperatures baking and microwave
      sterilization) on salivary amylase and D-xylose excretion rate in spleen
      deficiency rats. The rats were divided into blank control group, rhubarb-induced
      spleen deficiency model control group, and Atractylodis Macrocephale Rhizoma
      experimental groups processed with different methods. Amylase colorimetric method
      was used to determine the activities of salivary amylase and D-xylose excretion
      rate was measured with O-benzylamine method. Then the correlation of salivary
      amylase activity and D-xylose excretion rate in urinary was analyzed. As compared
      with blank control group, Atractylodis Macrocephale Rhizoma baked at 100,110 C
      can increase the unit content of rat salivary amylase and D-xylose excretion
      rate, with a significant difference (P<0.05). As compared with the model group,
      Atractylodis Macrocephale Rhizoma baked at 70 C and Atractylodis Macrocephale
      Rhizoma with microwave treatment had stronger effects than the others, with
      statistically significant differences (P<0.01). Atractylodis Macrocephale Rhizoma
      could improve D-xylose absorption function and salivary amylase activity in
      spleen deficiency rats. In addition, D-xylose excretion rate in urine was
      positively correlated with salivary amylase activity. Atractylodis Macrocephale
      Rhizoma processed with different temperatures baking and microwave sterilization
      had little impact on salivary amylase activity and D-xylose excretion rate in
      urine of spleen deficiency rats, while sulfur fumigation had great effects on the
      above two indexes.

PMID- 28905590
TI  - [Select alternative technology to sulfur fumigation for Astragali Radix based on
      multi-index method].
AB  - Sulfur fumigation method is often used in the habitat processing of Astragali
      Radix in order to make it mothproof, mildewproof and easy to dry; however, this
      method has great influence on the inherent quality of Astragali Radix. Therefore,
      it is urgent to develop the alternative technology to sulfur fumigation. In the
      present paper, appearance characteristics, content of active ingredients,
      containing water, extracting content and microbial content in Astragali Radix
      were taken as the indexes to compare the quality of Astragali Radix processed
      with 9 kinds of processing methods (traditional processing method, sulfur
      fumigation and 7 kinds of alternative processing technologies). Combined hot air
      microwave technology was finally determined as an alternative technology to
      sulfur fumigation.

PMID- 28905591
TI  - [Effects of different drying methods on quality of Gastrodiae Rhizoma].
AB  - Different drying methods, including drying in the sun, sulphur fumigation, hot
      air drying, microwave drying, infrared drying and various coupling
      techniques,were used to dry fresh Gastrodiae Rhizoma. Characteristics, extracts
      and the contents of active components of all samples were compared to investigate
      the effects of different drying methods on quality of Gastrodiae Rhizoma. The
      results showed that the characteristics of the samples would be better with use
      of sulphur fumigation, hot air drying, and hot air-microwave drying. Different
      drying methods had little effects on extracts. Among them, the extract content
      was higher after hot air drying. The stilbene glycosides would transformation and
      the contents of Gastrodiae Rhizoma polysaccharides would decline with use of
      sulphur fumigation, microwave drying and infrared drying. In the comprehensive
      analysis of characteristics, content of active components, production cost and
      other factors, hot air drying or hot air-microwave drying was recommended as the
      first choice.

PMID- 28905592
TI  - [Research progress on antioxidation effect of traditional Chinese medicine
      polysaccharides and sports for diabetes prevention and treatment].
AB  - Researchers found that oxidative stress was closely related to the development of
      diabetes, and hyperglycemia was a main cause for oxidative stress. Many
      researchers have proved that oxidative stress, present in diabetes, can aggravate
      diabetes. Now, traditional Chinese medicines have certain treatment and relief
      effects for oxidative stress in diabetes, but there are no scientific and
      systematic conclusions on the efficacy of different Chinese medicines for
      diabetes and complications. Tomakea scientific and systematic review on the
      recent years' researches on antioxidation effects of traditional Chinese
      medication polysaccharides for diabetes, analyze the antioxidation effects of
      sports in treatment of diabetes, and provide the reference and basis for
      medications and sports in diabetic patients, as well as prevention and treatments
      of diabetes and complications from aspects of "internal nursing and external
      workouts". Databases of CNKI and PubMed were retrieved with key words of
      "diabetes, oxidative stress, antioxidant, traditional Chinese medication,
      polysaccharide, sports" in both Chinese and English from Jan 2000 to Apr
      2016.Finally 118 papers were included in for analysis and review. Polysaccharides
      of traditional Chinese medications as well as sports have antioxidation effects
      for diabetes and its complications, and the combination of these two would
      produce huge significance for relieving oxidative stress in diabetes, as well as
      for the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications. We need
      further researches on the levels of oxidative stress markers, doses of Chinese
      medicines, and the time of taking medications.

PMID- 28905593
TI  - [Progress of antibacterial activity and antibacterial mechanism of isoquinoline
      alkaloids].
AB  - This paper reviewed the antibacterial activity and structure-activity
      relationship of isoquinoline alkaloids, such as protoberberine, protopine,
      benzophenanthridine, aporphine, double benzyl isoquinoline, etc. The
      antibacterial mechanism of alkaloids were illustrated from cell wall and membrane
      damage, membrane permeability changes, related enzymes and efflux pump
      inhibition, influence of bacterial DNA and related protein synthesis and so on.
      In addition, this paper summarized the structure-activity relationship of
      isoquinoline alkaloids. In order to improve the screening efficiency of drug
      targets, the complementary effect of biological information science and
      combinatorial chemistry should be developed abundantly in the development of
      natural product. This paper will provide a theoretical reference for the research
      and development of new antibacterial agent.

PMID- 28905594
TI  - [Study on difference of functional components content of different Rheum
      tanguticum variation type].
AB  - Rheum tanguticum from the same area was divided into 8 types of variation
      according to the plant morphology, content differences of free anthraquinones,
      combined anthraquinones, double anthrone were studied. The results showed that
      the functional components of different variation types were significantly
      different. The average content of free anthraquinone combined anthraquinone was
      2.10-6.71 and 15.43-22.04 mg*g-1, respectively. The average content of sennoside
      A plus sennoside B was 32.88-42.36 mg*g-1. There were significant differences
      among the difference of 10 kinds of active components, except for sennoside B and
      physcion glycoside. Interred with the content and proportion of functional
      components, type B and type E might be potential special medicinal germplasm for
      diarrhea attack product, type G and type H might be a potential special medicinal
      germplasm for clearing heat and detoxifing, type C and type F might be potential
      special medicinal germplasm for activating blood circulation to dissipate blood
      stasis, type A and type D might be potential special medicinal germplasm with
      anastaltic funtion. The conclusion laid the foundation for the directional
      cultivation of fine varieties of special purpose of rhubarb.

PMID- 28905595
TI  - [Cloning, subcellular lacalization and expression analysis of chloroplast
      targeted Obg gene in Cyathula officinalis].
AB  - According to ObgC gene sequences from Cyathula officinalis genomic data, the
      specific primers were designed, and a full-length CoObgC cDNA (2 226 bp) was
      obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends
      (RACE) methord. Sequence alignment showed that CoObgC gene contained a 1 818 bp
      open reading frame (ORF) encoding 605 amino acids. Sequence analysis predicted
      that molecular weight of CoObgC protein was about 66.39 kDa, the academic
      isoelectric point was 5.35, and the protein was stable protein. Then multiple
      sequence alignment was applied to construct phylogenetic tree. The real-time
      fluorescence quantification PCR (RT-qPCR) demonstrated that a high expression
      level in leaf, followed by root and flower, the low transcription was in stem.
      The recombinant vector pCABIA2300-CoObgC was constructed and introduced into
      tobacco epidermal cells by agrobacterium-mediated transformation, green
      fluorescence was tested and targeted to chloroplast under a laser scanning
      confocal microscope. These findings will be helpful to lay a foundation for
      studying the structure and function of CoObgC gene, and elucidating C.
      officinalis molecular biology experiment.

PMID- 28905596
TI  - [Preliminary studies on critical control point of traceability system in
      wolfberry].
AB  - As a traditional Chinese medicine, wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) has a long
      cultivation history and a good industrial development foundation. With the
      development of wolfberry production, the expansion of cultivation area and the
      increased attention of governments and consumers on food safety, the quality and
      safety requirement of wolfberry is higher demanded. The quality tracing and
      traceability system of production entire processes is the important technology
      tools to protect the wolfberry safety, and to maintain sustained and healthy
      development of the wolfberry industry. Thus, this article analyzed the wolfberry
      quality management from the actual situation, the safety hazard sources were
      discussed according to the HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) and
      GAP (good agricultural practice for Chinese crude drugs), and to provide a
      reference for the traceability system of wolfberry.

PMID- 28905597
TI  - [Effects of fluridone, gibberellin acid and germination temperature on dormancy
      breaking for Epimedium wushanense].
AB  - We introduced Epimedium wushanense seed which has been stratified for 90 days at
      10/20 C as experimental materials, with which we studied the effects of
      fluridone, gibberellin acid and temperature on E. wushanense germination. The
      results were suggested as shown below. 1Temperature, fluridone and gibberellin
      acid can both solely or jointly affect germination energy, germination rate
      significantly. Among those factors, fluridone affect germination rate and
      germination energy the most, followed by gibberellin acid and temperature. The
      highest germination rate under 4 C and 10/20 C stratification are 79.3%, 72.0%
      respectively, which resulted from treatment of F10GA300 and F20GA200
      respectively. The highest germination energy under 4 C and 10/20 C stratification
      are 52.7%, 52.0%, respectively, which both resulted from F20GA200. 2Compared with
      4 C germination, seed could not germinate at 10/20 C germination. Nontheless,
      application of fluridone can lead E. wushanense seeds to germinating.3The effects
      of gibberellin acid and interaction between gibberellin acid and fluridone
      significantly affect seed rotten rate during germination. In addition, soaking is
      another remarkable factor which increased seed rotten rate. As a result, it is
      feasible to promote E. wushanense dormancy releasing with gibberellin acid and
      fluridone associating with a proper germination temperature. Further, it is
      necessary taking actions to avoid seed rotten rate for saving E. wushanense
      nurseries'cost.

PMID- 28905598
TI  - [Synergistic effect of Epimedii Folium fried with suet oil for warming kidney and
      enhancing yang in dosage form of self-assembled micelles].
AB  - The fried method with suet oil, which can strengthen the effect of Epimedii
      Folium in warming kidney and enhancing yang, has been widely used in the
      processing of Epimedii Folium in traditional Chinese medicine. In this paper, we
      adopted hydrocortisone-induced kidney-yang deficiency rat models, and took
      physical signs, serum testosterone, corticosterone levels and histopathological
      examination of rats as indictors to systematically study the synergistic effect
      of suet oil in warming kidney and enhancing yang of fried Epimedii Folium in the
      dosage form of self-assembled micelles. Drugs were given orally, and compared
      with model group, indicating normal physical signs and biochemical indicators,
      and significant alleviation in disorder of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-thymus
      (HPAT) axis suppression. All these experimental results indicated that both
      Epimedium flavonoids and its self-assembled micelles, especially the processed
      self-assembled micelles of Epimedii Folium, showed the significant effects in
      warming kidney and enhancing yang, which might be correlated with the regulation
      of the disorder of HPAT axis suppression and the improvement of major
      pathological conditions of testicular gonadal tissues. This discovery can further
      reveal the synergistic effect and mechanism of processing material suet oil on
      Epimedii Folium.

PMID- 28905599
TI  - [Differences in effective mechanisms of Coptidis Rhizoma and bile processed
      Coptidis Rhizoma on heat syndrome based on urinary metabonomics].
AB  - A urinary metabonomics method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography
      coupled with LTQ-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (UPLC/LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) was developed
      to study the difference of action mechanism of Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and bile
      processed CR on the heat syndromein rats, and reveal the scientificity of CR
      processing method. The heat syndrome rat models were established by intragastric
      administration of water decoction of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata,
      Zingiberis Rhizoma and Cinnamomi Cortex for 15 days combined with subcutaneous
      injection of dry yeast suspension. After administration for 15 days, the urine of
      rats in each group was collected at 0-6 h after modeling, 6-12 h after modeling
      and 12-24 h after modeling; principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least
      squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used for data treatment. Good
      separation was observed between the normal groups and model group at 0-6 h and 6
      12 h, but overlapped at 12-24 h with no separation trend. Obvious separation was
      achieved in urine samples between CR group, BCR group and model groups at 0-6 h,
      close to the normal group. Separation trend occurred between CR group and BCR
      group at 0-6 h and 6-12 h. Thirty potential biomarkers related with heat syndrome
      were identified by PLS-DA approach. The results showed that the overall
      therapeutic effect of CR for heat syndrome had been changed after being processed
      with pig bile. Bile processed CR has the characteristics of multiple targets,
      rapid onset and strong effects, mainly playing a role of antipyretic effect
      through regulating cholinergic neurotransmitter, amino acid metabolism and purine
      metabolism.

PMID- 28905600
TI  - [GC-MS combined with AMDIS and Kovats retention index to investigate dynamic
      change rules of volatile components from Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma with
      different stir-baking degrees].
AB  - To investigate the dynamic change rules of volatile components from Atractylodis
      Macrocephalae Rhizoma with different stir-baking degrees (from slight stir
      baking, stir-baking to yellow, stir-baking to brown, to stir-baking to scorch).
      In the present experiment, the Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma samples with
      different stir-baking degrees were collected at different processing time points.
      The contents of volatile oil in various samples were determined by steam
      distillation method, and the volatile compounds were extracted by using static
      headspace sampling method. Gas chromatography-mass spectrography (GC-MS) and
      automated mass spectral deconrolution and identification system (AMDIS) were
      combined with Kovats retention index to analyze the chemical constituents of the
      volatile compounds. The results showed that with the deepening of the stir-baking
      degree, the content of volatile oil was decreased step by step in 4 phases, and
      both the compositions and contents of volatile components from Atractylodis
      Macrocephalae Rhizoma showed significant changes. The results showed that the
      dynamic change rules of volatile components from Atractylodis Macrocephalae
      Rhizoma in the process of stir-baking were closely related to the processing
      degree; in addition, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and honey bran had
      adsorption on each other. These results can provide a scientific basis for
      elucidating the stir-baking (with bran) mechanism of Atractylodis Macrocephalae
      Rhizoma.

PMID- 28905601
TI  - [A new furan-2-carboxylic acid from stem bark of Cassia alata].
AB  - A new furan-2-carboxylic acid, 5-[3-(hydroxymethyl)-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl]-3
      methylfuran-2-carboxylic acid(1),has been isolated from the bark of Cassia alata
      by using various chromatographic techniques. It displayed cytotoxicity against
      NB4, A549, SHSY5Y, PC3 and MCF7 cell lines with IC50 values of 2.5, 1.2, 2.2, 3.6
      and 1.9 MUmol*L-1, respectively.

PMID- 28905602
TI  - [Sesquiterpenoids from rhizome of Homalomena occulta].
AB  - Twelve compounds were isolated from alcohol extracts of the rhizome of Homalomena
      occulta by using various chromatographic techniques including column
      chromatography onsilica gel and C18 reverse-phase silica gel, and semi
      preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by physico-chemical properties
      and spectroscopic data analysis as 3alpha, 7alpha-dihydroxy-cadin-4-ene (1), 3
      oxofabiaimbricatan (2), 3beta, 4alpha-dihydroxy-7-epi-eudesm-11(13)-ene (3),
      integrifonol A(4), 1beta, 6beta-dihydroxy-7-epi-eudesm-11(13)-ene (5), 4beta,
      7beta, 11-enantioeudesmantriol (6), epi-guaidiol (7), oplopanone(8), (-)-1beta,
      4beta, 6alpha-trihydroxy-eudesmane (9),2alpha-hydroxyhomalomenol(10), (-)-T
      muurolol (11) and hamalomenol A(12). Compounds 1-7 were obtained from the genus
      Homalomena for the first time and 11-12 were firstly reported from the species.
      Additionally, compounds 3, 5 and 8 displayed inhibitory effects against the
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse macrophage
      RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values of 6.51, 3.25, 7.78 MUmol*L-1, respectively.

PMID- 28905603
TI  - [Exploration on feasibility of introducing bioassay method into quality
      evaluation of Chinese herbal medicines by studying on the correlation between
      antioxidant activity of Prunella vulgaris and its total phenolic acids content
      for example].
AB  - This paper aims to investigate the correlation between the antioxidant activity
      of Prunella vulgaris and its total phenolic acids content by measuring the
      antioxidant activity of different sources and different organs of P. vulgaris and
      the total contents of protocatechuic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, caffeic acid,
      salviaflaside and rosmarinic acid in these samples. Using the 50% methanol
      extract of P. vulgaris samples as the research object, DPPH method and HPLC
      method were used respectively to determine the antioxidant activities and the
      total contents of the above-mentioned five analytes in P. vulgaris samples. 0.5
      mL of 50% methanol extract of P. vulgaris reacts with 0.1 mmol*L-1 DPPH ethanol
      solution for 60 min, then the absorbance of the reaction solution was measured at
      517 nm, scavenging rate and IC50 values were calculated by the absorbance and the
      sample concentration for evaluating the antioxidant activity. HPLC analysis was
      made on a C18 Epic column, with acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as
      mobile phase (gradient elution), and the detection wavelength was set at 280 nm.
      The correlation between the antioxidant capacity of different habitats and
      different organs of P. vulgaris and the total contents of five kinds of phenolic
      acids was analyzed by partial least squares method. The reaction dose-response
      range of 50% methanol extract of P. vulgaris with 0.1 mmol*L-1 DPPH ethanol
      solution was 0.300-1.65 g*L-1. When the quantities of potocatechuic acid,
      protocatechuic aldehyde, caffeic acid, salviaflaside and rosmarinic acid were
      respectively in 0.007 84-0.980, 0.011 5-1.44, 0.008 64-1.08, 0.080 0-1.00 and
      0.079 8-0.998 MUg range, their quantities were in good linear relationship with
      the corresponding peak areas. The average recovery of 5 components were 97.76%,
      96.88%, 100.3%, 102.1%, 104.5%, with RSD of 1.8%, 1.6%, 1.7%, 1.6% and 1.7%,
      respectively. In a certain range of crude drug quantity, the antioxidant activity
      of each organ of P. vulgaris and total phenolic acids content inside has a good
      linear correlation. Therefore, in certain quality range of crude drug, DPPH
      bioassay combined with HPLC content determination can be used for the quality
      control of P. vulgaris, as is a new method for the quality control of P.
      vulgaris.

PMID- 28905604
TI  - [Study on characteristic spectrum of ingredients from different species Cordyceps
      and its anti-fibrotic activity on human embryonic fibroblasts].
AB  - In this study, 10 samples of parasites, cursive, and the whole from six different
      species of Cordyceps were determined and compared by HPLC and LC-MS methods.
      Uridine, adenosine, and cordycepin were selected as the main evaluation index.
      The anti-fibrotic activity of different species Cordyceps extracts was observed
      using in vitro TGF-beta1-induced ECM accumulation in human embryonic fibroblasts
      CCC-ESF-1. The results demonstrated that the number of atoms and hyphae
      ingredients of different species showed little difference, however, the content
      distribution of each component has obvious significance. The in vitro anti
      fibrotic activities of different species were as follow: Cordyceps flower >
      Cicada Cordyceps (Cicada flower)> Silkworm Cordyceps> Tussah Cordyceps>natural
      Cordyceps. Our preliminary data could serve as reference for the discovery of
      artificial alternatives of natural Cordyceps.

PMID- 28905605
TI  - [Density functional theory investigation on antioxidation activity of four
      flavonoids from Rhododendri Daurici Folium].
AB  - Four main flavonoids of the Chinese medicine Rhododendri Daurici Folium were
      studied using the density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP method with 6-311 + + G
      (d, p) basis set.Their activities were analyzed based on molecular structure,
      bond dissociation energy (BDE) and the energy gap between HOMO and LUMO. As a
      result, the antioxidant ability order of the four flavonoids compounds is
      farrerol<kaempferol< quercetin <myricetin base on the work.

PMID- 28905606
TI  - [Mechanism of anti-aging therapy on Parkinson's disease].
AB  - Many studies have shown that anti-aging treatment has value to prevention and
      treatment of some diseases. For the treatment of Parkinson' s disease, clinical
      and experimental researches have proved the potential value of anti-aging
      treatment, yet the mechanism remains unclear. For this reason, this work used the
      anti-aging prescriptions of Buyang Huanwu decoction in traditional Chinese
      medicines example to discover the anti-aging treatment mechanism on Parkinson's
      disease. The results showed that the mechanism of mitochondrial damage,
      apoptosis, free radicals and oxidative stress could contribute to the treatment
      of Parkinson' s disease. Buyang Huanwu decoction is more than as the carrier in
      this article, the discovered anti-aging treatment mechanism Parkinson's disease
      is not confined to Buyang Huanwu decoction, could also be used to understand the
      anti-aging treatment mechanism using other prescription. The main contribution of
      this paper is to clarify the mechanism of anti-aging treatment of Parkinson's
      disease, and provide a new strategy for the treatment and prevention of
      Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 28905607
TI  - [Kudzu root (Ge-Gen) regulates on glucose and lipid metabolism to ameliorating
      insulin resistance on 3T3-L1 adipocytes].
AB  - This study aimed to explore the mechanism of Chinese traditional medicine, Kudzu
      root(Chinese name:Ge-Gen; Latin name: Puerariae Lobatae Radix) how to improving
      insulin resistance (IR) through the regulation of the glucose and lipid
      metabolism in the IR-3T3-L1 adipocytes. After the 3T3-L1 mouse preadipocytes were
      differentiated into mature adipocytes, IR model(IR-3T3-L1) was built with 1
      MUmol*L-1 dexamethasone treatment for 96 h. IR adipocytes were treated with
      different concentrations (5%,10% and 15%) of Ge-Gen containing serum (GG-CS)for
      12 h or 24 h, whereas rosiglitazone group as positive control in this study. The
      glucose contents in cell culture supernatants were detected by glucose oxidase
      assay and the intracellular triglyceride (TG) contents were measured by glycerol
      phosphate oxidase assay respectively.The mRNA expression levels of PPARgamma,
      ADPN, GLUT4, LPL, FABP4 and FASn gene were determined by real-time quantitative
      PCR(qPCR).Results showed that IR-3T3-L1 adipocytes significantly increased
      glucose consumption (P<0.01)and decreased TG contents (P<0.01) as compared with
      the normal control group, the glucose consumption significantly increased with
      the treatment of GG-CS (P<0.01) by dose-dependent and time-dependent
      manners,whereas the intracellular TG content was sigificantly decreased (P<0.01)
      by dose-dependent manner.qPCR analysis revealed that 10% and 15% GG-CS
      significantly up-regulated the mRNA expression level of PPARgamma, ADPN and GLUT4
      (P<0.01) with the same dose-dependent manner,whereas the GLUT4 mRNA expression
      was showed similar expression pattern with the treatment of 10% and 15% GG-CS
      (P<0.01).We also detected the mRNA expression levels of several important lipid
      metabolizing enzymes such as LPL, FASn and FABP4 by PPARgamma regulation. 15% GG
      CS elevated LPL mRNA expression (P<0.05);10% and 15% GG-CS enhanced the FASn mRNA
      expression (P<0.01), whereas 5%,10% and 15% GG-CS down-regulated FABP4 mRNA
      expression (P<0.01). Together, our results indicated that GG could regulate the
      glucose and lipid metabolism to ameliorate IR with multi-target manners in 3T3-L1
      adipocytes.

PMID- 28905608
TI  - [Anti-tumor mechanism of Artemisia annua based on bioinformatics].
AB  - This paper was aimed to explore the relationship between Artemisia annua and
      tumor, and investigate its anti-tumor mechanism based on the bioinformatics
      molecular network analysis, text mining technique and other related methods. Text
      mining tool Polysearch database was used to get the information, and after
      formatting conversion, the information was imported into the bioinformatics
      analysis software Cytoscape3.2.1 for visualization and subsequent bioinformatics
      molecular network analysis .It was shown that the A. annua was associated with
      the tumor by 8 key proteins: TNF,VEGF,PI3K, ALDH1, Bcl-2, MicroRNA, p38 and CASP3
      by text mining technique. The main biological processes involved in its anti
      tumor effect included cell cycle, post-translational protein modification, cell
      cycle regulation, protein ubiquitination and organelle tissues regulation. The
      key network analysis showed that the action may be achieved by regulation of
      triglyceride metabolic process, positive regulation of triglyceride metabolic
      process, positive regulation of triglyceride catabolic process, regulation of
      budding cell apical bud growth, negative regulation of mitotic cell cycle,
      negative regulation of meiotic cell cycle, and positive regulation of
      transcription factors. The results showed that the anti-tumor effect of A. annua
      may be associated with regulating lipid metabolism of tumor cells, decomposing
      large amounts of lipids, releasing energy, reducing the rate of tumor cell
      division and accelerating tumor cell apoptosis.

PMID- 28905609
TI  - [Study on effect and mechanism of Huaier aqueous extract on growth and invasion
      of human prostate cancer PC3 cells].
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of Huaier
      aqueous extracton growth and invasion of human prostate cancer PC3 cells. CCK-8
      assay was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Huaier aqueous extract on
      proliferation of PC3 cells. The effects of Huaier aqueous extract on cell cycle
      and apoptosis of PC3 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Moreover, wound
      healing assay and Transwell assay were performed to determine the effect of
      Huaier aqueous extract on invasion and migration abilities of PC3 cells. PC3
      cells treated with Huaier aqueous extract were subjected to western blotting for
      protein levels of EMT markers and phosphorylation levels of key proteins in MAPK
      pathway. Results revealed that Huaier aqueous extract significantly inhibited the
      proliferation of PC3 cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Huaier
      aqueous extract dramatically increased the apoptosis rate and induced S-phase
      arrest in PC3 cells.Furthermore, Huaier suppressed invasion and migration
      abilities of PC3 cells, and facilitated MET process of PC3 cells via down
      regulation of N-cadherin and TCF8/ZEB1 and up-regulation of E-cadherin. In
      addition, Huaier reduced the phosphorylation of JNK and ERK. Therefore, the
      regulatory effects of Huaier on EMT and MAPK pathway may be responsible for the
      suppressive effect of Huaier on growth and invasion of PC3 cells.

PMID- 28905610
TI  - [Establishment of MDCK-pHaMDR cell model and standard operation procedure for
      assessing blood-brain barrier permeability of chemical components of traditional
      Chinese medicine].
AB  - To establish MDCK-pHaMDR cell model and standard operation procedure for
      assessing the blood-brain barrier permeability of chemical components of
      traditional Chinese medicine. MDCK-pHaMDR cell model was evaluated by determining
      the morphology features, transepithelial electrical resistance, bidirectional
      transport and intracellular accumulation of Rhodamine 123 and the apparent
      permeability of positive control drugs caffeine and atenolol. The MDCK-pHaMDR
      cell model had satisfactory integrity and tightness, and stable expression of P
      gp. In addition, the transport results of the positive control drugs were
      consistent with the reported values in literature. All the parameters tested of
      the MDCK-pHaMDR cell model were consistent with the requirements, so the model
      can be used to study the blood-brain barrier permeability of chemical components
      of traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28905611
TI  - [Comparison of Coptidis Rhizoma processed with different ginger juice based on
      metabolomics].
AB  - To investigate the effects of two different ginger juices on the medicinal
      properties of Coptidis Rhizoma(CR) by using UPLC-MS-TOF. The rats were fed with
      decoction of raw CR (RCR), CR processed with ginger juice from fresh
      ginger(CRGJFG), CR processed with ginger juice from Zinger (CRGJZ), ginger juice
      from fresh ginger (GJFG) and ginger juice from Zinger (GJZ), and then their urine
      was collected at different time points for metabolomics analysis. PeakviewTM 1.7
      software was applied to analyze the total ion current under positive ion mode;
      MarkerviewTM 2.0 software was applied for principal component analysis (PCA). The
      possible biomarkers were screened and their content changes were described
      according to the searching results in Scifinder and Chemspider databases and
      related literature reports. The results showed that CR processed with different
      ginger juice would produce different effects on energy metabolism. Nine possible
      biomarkers relating to medicinal properties were found as sarcosine, hippuric
      acid, creatinine, kynurenine, tyrosine, L-tryptophan, nicotinic acid, arachidonic
      acid and L-proline. L-tryptophan, kynurenine and nicotinic acid were involved in
      the metabolism of tryptophan; sarcosine, creatinine, L-proline and tyrosine were
      involved in arginine and proline metabolism; the content of arachidonic acid in
      urine, precursor of leukotrienes B4, from high to low were CRGJZ, CRGJFG and RCR.
      The contents of all biomarkers in GJZ group were higher than those in GJFG group,
      indicating the cold nature of CR was gradually decreased in the following order:
      RCR, CRGJZ and CRGJFG, and resulting in different anti-inflammatory effects of
      samples. The results were in consistent with the conclusion that GJFG had hot
      nature and GJZ had warm nature. The study provided the scientific basis for
      proper use of different ginger juice as processing assistants.

PMID- 28905612
TI  - [Borneol promotes oral absorption and penetration into brain of puerarin and
      catalpol].
AB  - To investigate the effect of borneol on the oral absorption and penetration into
      brain of puerarin and catalpol from cell level and animal level, and screen the
      concentration of borneol that is suitable for Zige compound oral preparation.
      Blood-brain barrier(BBB) model was established by co-culture of primary brain
      microvessel endothelial cells(BMEC) and astrocytes(As) in rats, and it was used
      to investigate the effect of borneol(concentration from 6.25 to 100 mg*L-1) on
      the transport of puerarin and catalpol. The pharmacokinetics of puerarin and
      catalpol in plasma and brain of rats were compared after intragastric
      administration of borneol solution (0, 25, 50 and 100 mg*kg-1) immediately
      followed by puerarin(200 mg*kg-1) and catalpol(45 mg*kg-1) nanocrystal
      suspension. Barrier function was basically formed after co-culturing of brain
      microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes for 7 d. The permeability of
      puerarin and catalpol across blood-brain barrier was increased
      significantly(P<0.05) and transendothelial electrical resistance(TEER) values at
      2 h were decreased significantly(P<0.01) when the concentration of borneol was
      between 12.5 to 100 mg*L-1 as compared with the control group. Borneol at the
      dose of 50 mg*kg-1 and 100 mg*kg-1 could significantly increase the oral
      absorption of puerarin(P<0.05), but there was no obvious effect for catalpol.
      AUCbrain/AUCblood for puerarin was highest with borneol at dose of 100 mg*kg-1
      (P<0.05), while AUCbrain/AUCblood for catalpol was highest with borneol at dose
      of 50 mg*kg-1 (P<0.05). AUCbrain was highest at 100 mg*kg-1 for puerarin(P<0.05);
      while for catapol, it was highest at 50 mg*kg-1, but it was not significantly
      different from 100 mg*kg-1. In conclusion, borneol could increase the amount of
      puerarin and catalpol in brain after oral administration and the optimized dose
      shall be 100 mg*kg-1.

PMID- 28905613
TI  - [LC-MS/MS method for determination of tripterine in plasma: pharmacokinetic study
      in Beagles].
AB  - To establish a LC-MS/MS method for determination of tripterine in Beagle plasma
      and study its pharmacokinetics after oral administration of tripterygium tablet.
      Plasma samples were extracted with dichloromethane and separated on a Phenomenex
      Luna C8 (2.0 mm*50 mm, 3 MUm) column with methanol-acetonitrile isopropanol(1?1)
      10/00formic acid (15?55 ?30) as the mobile phase. Tripterine ([M+H] +, m/z
      451.3/201.1) and internal standard prednisolone ([M+H] +, m/z 361.1/147.1) were
      monitored in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The concentration-time curves
      were simulated by drug and statistic software 1.0 and the pharmacokinetic
      parameters were calculated. There was a good linear relationship between peak
      area ratio and concentration of tripterine and internal standard prednisolone
      within range of 0.680 0-136.0 MUg*L-1. The limit of quantitation was 0.680 0
      MUg*L-1 and the intra- and inter-day precision was within 6.15%. The absolute
      recovery rate was between 50.42% to 51.65%. The concentration-time curves were
      consistent with the one-compartment model(w=1/cc). The main pharmacokinetic
      parameters after a single dose were as follows: Cmax (35.64+/-9.540) MUg *L
      1,Tmax(2.62+/-0.69) h,T1/2(2.93+/-0.29) h, CL (0.308+/-0.056) L*kg-1*h-1, AUC0-12
      (131.16+/-31.94) MUg*L*h-1, AUC0-infinity (142.83+/-37.57) MUg*L*h-1. The
      established LC-MS/MS method was proved to be sensitive, accurate and convenient,
      suitable for the pharmacokinetic study of Tripterygium tablet in Beagle dogs.

PMID- 28905614
TI  - [Meta-analysis on incidence of adverse drug reaction induced by Shuanghuanglian
      injection].
AB  - To conducted a systematic review on the safety of Shuanghuanglian injection in
      clinical use. In this paper, data from Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library,
      CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were retrieved. After extracting information and
      evaluating research methodological quality according to inclusion and exclusion
      criteria, Meta-analysis was conducted by using R3.2.3 software. A total of 56
      individual studies were included, in which 585 cases showed adverse reactions in
      a total of 11 001 patients with Shuanghuanglian injections. Meta-analysis showed
      that the total incidence of adverse reactions was 6.5% (95%CI 0.051 to 0.082).
      Subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of adverse reactions was 4.8% (95%CI
      (0.032 to 0.067) and 8.1% (95%CI 0.054 to 0.112) respectively in children and
      adults; 7.2% (95%CI 0.049 to 0.095) and 6.6% (95%CI 0.036 to 0.104) respectively
      in 5%-10% glucose injection and 0.9% sodium chloride injection; 6.3% (95%CI 0.047
      to 0.082) and 7.0% (95%CI 0.044 to 0.099) respectively in powder injection and
      liquid injection; 5.8% (95%CI 0.043 to 0.075) and 8.9% (95%CI 0.049 to 0.140)
      respectively in cases with duration of <=7 d and >7 d; 4.2%(95%CI 0.027 to 0.059)
      and 8.4% (95%CI 0.059 to 0.113) respectively in single use and combined
      medication. Three most frequent types of adverse reaction symptoms reported were
      in skin and mucosa, digestive system, and body temperature center, with an
      incidence of 4% (95%CI 0.03 to 0.04), 3% (95%CI 0.02 to 0.03), and 1% (95%CI 0.00
      to 0.01), respectively. The systemic evaluation demonstrated that the occurrence
      of adverse reaction of Shuanghuanglian injection was related to age, menstruum,
      duration of medication and combined medication. Incidence of adverse reactions
      differed considerably among different damage types. From the study demonstrated
      above, this paper concludes that we should follow the principles of evidence
      based medication of traditional Chinese medicine; use Shuanghuanglian injection
      singly instead of combination with other drugs in clinical use; use
      Shuanghuanglian injection strictly in accordance to instructions, especially for
      children and the elderly, whose weight should be calculated and considered in
      medication; intensively monitor the drug adverse reaction after use; assess the
      risks of adverse effects for long-term usage, and take corresponding safety
      measures to ensure safety.

PMID- 28905615
TI  - [Adverse reactions and countermeasures of drugs for children in China].
AB  - In recent years, the clinical medication safety for children has gained wide
      public concern. Because of the growth and development characteristics of the
      children and drug usage conditions for children, the adverse reactions of drugs
      in clinic are more common in children than those in adults. In this paper, the
      common adverse drug reactions and their causes would be briefly introduced, and
      some suggestions would be put forward on how to reduce the incidence of adverse
      drug reactions.

PMID- 28905616
TI  - Head Positioning in Acute Stroke.

PMID- 28905617
TI  - Head Positioning in Acute Stroke.

PMID- 28905618
TI  - Functionalization of Reduced Graphene Oxide via Thiol-Maleimide "Click"
      Chemistry: Facile Fabrication of Targeted Drug Delivery Vehicles.
AB  - Materials based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have shown to be amenable to
      noncovalent functionalization through hydrophobic interactions. The scaffold,
      however, does not provide sufficient covalent linkage given the low number of
      reactive carboxyl and alcohol groups typically available on the rGO. The
      integration of clickable groups, particularly the ones that can undergo efficient
      conjugation without any metal catalyst, would allow facile functionalization of
      these materials. This study reports on the noncovalent association of a maleimide
      containing catechol (dopa-MAL) surface anchor onto the rGO. Thiol-maleimide
      chemistry allows thereafter the facile attachment of thiol-containing molecules
      under ambient metal-free conditions. Although the attachment of glutathione and 6
      (ferrocenyl)hexanethiol was used as model thiols, the attachment of a cancer cell
      targeting cyclic peptide, c(RGDfC), opened the possibility of using the dopa-MAL
      modified rGO as a targeted drug delivery system for doxorubicin (DOX). Although
      free DOX showed to be more effective at killing the human cervical cancer cells
      (HeLa) over human breast adenocarcinoma cancer cells (MDA-MB-231), the DOX-loaded
      rGO/dopa-MAL-c (RGDfC) nanostructure showed an opposite effect being notably more
      effective at targeting and killing the MDA-MB-231 cells. The effect is enhanced
      upon laser irradiation for 10 min at 2 W cm-2. The facile fabrication and
      functionalization to readily obtain a functional material in a modular fashion
      make this clickable-rGO construct an attractive platform for various
      applications.

PMID- 28905619
TI  - Determination of Trace Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylic Acids in Edible Crop Matrices:
      Matrix Effect and Method Development.
AB  - A robust method was developed for simultaneous determination of nine trace
      perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in various edible crop matrices including
      cereal (grain), root vegetable (carrot), leafy vegetable (lettuce), and melon
      vegetable (pumpkin) using ultrasonic extraction followed by solid-phase
      extraction cleanup and high liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC
      MS/MS). The varieties of extractants and cleanup cartridges, the usage of
      Supelclean graphitized carbon, and the matrix effect and its potential
      influencing factors were estimated to gain an optimal extraction procedure. The
      developed method presented high sensitivity and accuracy with the method
      detection limits and the recoveries at four fortification levels in various
      matrices ranging from 0.017 to 0.180 ng/g (dry weight) and from 70% to 114%,
      respectively. The successful application of the developed method to determine
      PFCAs in various crops sampled from several farms demonstrated its practicability
      for regular monitoring of PFCAs in real crops.

PMID- 28905620
TI  - Hierarchically Structured Graphene Coupled Microporous Organic Polymers for
      Superior CO2 Capture.
AB  - Hierarchically porous materials containing interconnected macro-/meso-/micropores
      are promising candidates for energy storage, catalysis, and gas separation. Here,
      we present an effective approach for synthesizing three-dimensional (3D)
      sulfonated graphene coupled microporous organic polymers (SG-MOPs). The resulting
      SG-MOPs possess uniform macropores with an average size of ca. 350 nm, abundant
      mesopores, and micropores with an average size of ca. 0.6 nm. The SG-supported
      adsorbents exhibit a high nitrogen content (more than 38.1 wt %), high adsorption
      capacity (up to 3.37 mmol CO2 g-1), high CO2/N2 selectivity from 42 to 51,
      moderate heat of adsorption, as well as good stability because of the
      hierarchical porous structure and excellent thermal conductivity of the SG
      scaffold. Thus, these nitrogen-enriched adsorbents allow the overall CO2 capture
      process to be promising and sustainable.

PMID- 28905621
TI  - Optimizing Nonlinear Optical Visibility of Two-Dimensional Materials.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted broad research interests across
      various nonlinear optical (NLO) studies, including nonlinear photoluminescence
      (NPL), second harmonic generation (SHG), transient absorption (TA), and so forth.
      These studies have unveiled important features and information of 2D materials,
      such as in grain boundaries, defects, and crystal orientations. However, as most
      research studies focused on the intrinsic NLO processes, little attention has
      been paid to the substrates underneath. Here, we discovered that the NLO signal
      depends significantly on the thickness of SiO2 in SiO2/Si substrates. A 40-fold
      enhancement of the NPL signal of graphene was observed when the SiO2 thickness
      was varied from 270 to 125 nm under 800 nm excitation. We systematically studied
      the NPL intensity of graphene on three different SiO2 thicknesses within a pump
      wavelength range of 800-1100 nm. The results agreed with a numerical model based
      on back reflection and interference. Furthermore, we have extended our
      measurements to include TA and SHG of graphene and MoS2, confirming that SiO2
      thickness has similar effects on all of the three major types of NLO signals. Our
      results will serve as an important guidance for choosing the optimum substrates
      to conduct NLO research studies on 2D materials.

PMID- 28905622
TI  - Proton Diffusion through Bilayer Pores.
AB  - The transport of protons through channels in complex environments is important in
      biology and materials science. In this work, we use multistate empirical valence
      bond simulations to study proton transport within a well-defined bilayer pore in
      a lamellar Lbeta phase lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC). The LLC is formed from the
      self-assembly of dicarboxylate gemini surfactants in water, and a bilayer
      spanning pore of radius of approximately 3-5 A results from the uneven
      partitioning of surfactants between the two leaflets of the lamella. Local proton
      diffusion within the pore is significantly faster than diffusion at the bilayer
      surface, which is due to the greater hydrophobicity of the surfactant/water
      interface within the pore. Proton diffusion proceeds by surface transport along
      exposed hydrophobic pockets at the surfactant/water interface and depends on the
      continuity of hydronium-water hydrogen bond networks. At the bilayer surface,
      there is a reduced fraction of the "Zundel" intermediates that are central to the
      Grotthuss transport mechanism, whereas the fraction of these species within the
      bilayer pore is similar to that in bulk water. Our results demonstrate that the
      chemical nature of the confining interface, in addition to confinement length
      scale, is an important determiner of local proton transport in nanoconfined
      aqueous environments.

PMID- 28905623
TI  - Electropumping of Water Through Human Aquaporin 4 by Circularly Polarized
      Electric Fields: Dramatic Enhancement and Control Revealed by Non-Equilibrium
      Molecular Dynamics.
AB  - An extensive suite of nonequilibrium molecular-dynamics (NEMD) simulations have
      been performed for ~60 ns of human aquaporin 4 in externally applied circularly
      polarized (CP) electric fields, applied axially along channels. These external
      fields were 0.05 V/A in intensity and 100 GHz in frequency. This has the effect
      of "electro-pumping" the water through the pores as prototypical biochannels,
      from conversion of molecules' spin angular momentum to linear momentum in the
      asymmetric heterogeneous-frictional environment of the pores, thus inducing
      overall net flow. Water's osmotic permeability was enhanced very substantially
      (doubled) vis-a-vis the zero-field case. This raises the tantalizing possibility
      of CP-field-mediated control of water permeability in aquaporins, or other
      biological (or biomimetic) channels as a potential viable and competitive water
      treatment technology.

PMID- 28905624
TI  - Zinc Bioavailability from Phytate-Rich Foods and Zinc Supplements. Modeling the
      Effects of Food Components with Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Sulfur Donor Ligands.
AB  - Aqueous solubility of zinc phytate (Ksp = (2.6 +/- 0.2) * 10-47 mol7/L7),
      essential for zinc bioavailability from plant foods, was found to decrease with
      increasing temperature corresponding to DeltaHdis of -301 +/- 22 kJ/mol and
      DeltaSdis of -1901 +/- 72 J/(mol K). Binding of zinc to phytate was found to be
      exothermic for the stronger binding site and endothermic for the weaker binding
      site. The solubility of the slightly soluble zinc citrate and insoluble zinc
      phytate was found to be considerably enhanced by the food components with oxygen
      donor, nitrogen donor, and sulfur donor ligands. The driving force for the
      enhanced solubility is mainly due to the complex formation between zinc and the
      investigated food components rather than ligand exchange and ternary complex
      formation as revealed by quantum mechanical calculations and isothermal titration
      calorimetry. Histidine and citrate are promising ligands for improving zinc
      absorption from phytate-rich foods.

PMID- 28905625
TI  - Oral Ingestion and Intraventricular Injection of Curcumin Attenuates the Effort
      Related Effects of the VMAT-2 Inhibitor Tetrabenazine: Implications for
      Motivational Symptoms of Depression.
AB  - Effort-related choice tasks are used for studying depressive motivational
      symptoms such as anergia/fatigue. These studies investigated the ability of the
      dietary supplement curcumin to reverse the low-effort bias induced by the
      monoamine storage blocker tetrabenazine. Tetrabenazine shifted effort-related
      choice in rats, decreasing high-effort lever pressing but increasing chow intake.
      The effects of tetrabenazine were reversed by oral ingestion of curcumin (80.0
      160.0 mg/kg) and infusions of curcumin into the cerebral ventricles (2.0-8.0
      MUg). Curcumin attenuates the effort-related effects of tetrabenazine in this
      model via actions on the brain, suggesting that curcumin may be useful for
      treating human motivational symptoms.

PMID- 28905626
TI  - DNA-Assisted Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes and Comparison with Other Dispersing
      Agents.
AB  - Separation and sorting of pristine carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from bundle geometry
      is a very challenging task due to the insoluble and nondispersive nature of CNTs
      in aqueous medium. Recently, many studies have been performed to address this
      problem using various organic and inorganic solutions, surfactant molecules, and
      biomolecules as dispersing agents. Recent experimental studies have reported the
      DNA to be highly efficient in dispersing CNTs from bundle geometry. However,
      there is no microscopic study and also quantitative estimation of the dispersion
      efficiency of the DNA. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation, we study the
      structure and stability of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-single-walled carbon
      nanotube (SWNT) (6,5) complex. To quantify the dispersion efficiency of various
      DNA sequences, we perform potential of mean forces (PMF) calculation between two
      bare SWNTs as well ssDNA-wrapped CNTs for different base sequences. From the PMF
      calculation, we find the PMF between two bare (6,5) SWNTs to be approximately -29
      kcal/mol. For the ssDNA-wrapped SWNTs, the PMF reduces significantly and becomes
      repulsive. In the presence of ssDNA of different polynucleotide bases (A, T, G,
      and C), we present a microscopic picture of the ssDNA-SWNT (6,5) complex and also
      a quantitative estimate of the interaction strength between nanotubes from PMF
      calculation. From PMF, we show the sequence of dispersion efficiency for four
      different nucleic bases to be T > A > C > G. We have also presented a comparison
      of the dispersion efficiencies of ssDNA, flavin mononucleotide surfactant, and
      poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer by comparing their respective PMF values.

PMID- 28905627
TI  - An Aminocatalyzed Michael Addition/Iron-Mediated Decarboxylative Cyclization
      Sequence for the Preparation of 2,3,4,6-Tetrasubstituted Pyridines: Scope and
      Mechanistic Insights.
AB  - A novel, scalable strategy for the preparation of 2,3,4,6-tetrasubstituted
      pyridines is described. This protocol has two steps: an aminocatalyzed addition
      of ketones to alkylidene isoxazol-5-ones, followed by an iron-mediated
      decarboxylative cyclization event. Mechanistic insights for both steps are
      provided based on HRMS-ESI(+) studies.

PMID- 28905628
TI  - Impact of Interfaces and Laser Repetition Rate on Photocarrier Dynamics in Lead
      Halide Perovskites.
AB  - We studied charge carrier recombination in methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3)
      perovskite and the impact of interfaces on the charge carrier lifetime using time
      resolved photoluminescence. Pristine films and those covered with organic
      electron and hole transport materials (ETM and HTM) were investigated at various
      laser repetition rates ranging from 10 kHz to 10 MHz in order to separate the
      bulk and interface-affected recombination. We revealed two different components
      in the PL decay. The fast component (shorter than 300 ns) is assigned to
      interfacial processes and the slow one to bulk recombination. A high repetition
      pulse train was shown to shorten PL decay in pristine perovskite while
      significantly prolonging the photocarrier lifetime in MAPbI3 covered by TMs. This
      effect can be qualitatively explained with a kinetic model taking interface traps
      into account. We demonstrate a significant influence of the excitation repetition
      rate on photocarrier lifetime, which should be considered when studying charge
      carrier dynamics in perovskites.

PMID- 28905629
TI  - Nanoparticle and Ionic Zn Promote Nutrient Loading of Sorghum Grain under Low NPK
      Fertilization.
AB  - This study evaluated the effects of ZnO nanoparticles (NP) or Zn salt amendment
      on sorghum yield, macronutrient use efficiency, and grain Zn-enrichment.
      Amendments were through soil and foliar pathways, under "low" and "high" levels
      of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). In soil and foliar amendments,
      grain yield was significantly (p <= 0.05) increased by both Zn types, albeit
      insignificantly with soil-applied Zn at low NPK. Across NPK levels and Zn
      exposure pathways, both Zn types increased N and K accumulation relative to
      control plants. Compared to N and K, both Zn types had a mixed effect on P
      accumulation, depending on NPK level and Zn exposure pathway, and permitted
      greater soil P retention. Both Zn types significantly (p <= 0.05) increased grain
      Zn content, irrespective of exposure pathway. These findings suggest a
      nanoenabled strategy for enhancing crop productivity, grain nutritional quality,
      and N use efficiency based on Zn micronutrient amendments, with potential
      implications for improved human and environmental health.

PMID- 28905630
TI  - Catalytic One-Pot Synthesis of Trisubstituted Allenes from Terminal Alkynes and
      Ketones.
AB  - An efficient one-pot synthesis of trisubstituted allenes from readily available
      terminal alkynes and ketones is realized. A wide range of trisubstituted allenes
      may be synthesized efficiently via this method. Preliminary mechanistic studies
      revealed that CuI and Ti(OEt)4 are in charge of the formation of propargylic
      amine, while ZnBr2 is responsible for the transformation from propargylic amine
      to allene.

PMID- 28905631
TI  - MS/MS-Free Protein Identification in Complex Mixtures Using Multiple Enzymes with
      Complementary Specificity.
AB  - In this work, we present the results of evaluation of a workflow that employs a
      multienzyme digestion strategy for MS1-based protein identification in "shotgun"
      proteomic applications. In the proposed strategy, several cleavage reagents of
      different specificity were used for parallel digestion of the protein sample
      followed by MS1 and retention time (RT) based search. Proof of principle for the
      proposed strategy was performed using experimental data obtained for the
      annotated 48-protein standard. By using the developed approach, up to 90% of
      proteins from the standard were unambiguously identified. The approach was
      further applied to HeLa proteome data. For the sample of this complexity, the
      proposed MS1-only strategy determined correctly up to 34% of all proteins
      identified using standard MS/MS-based database search. It was also found that the
      results of MS1-only search were independent of the chromatographic gradient time
      in a wide range of gradients from 15-120 min. Potentially, rapid MS1-only
      proteome characterization can be an alternative or complementary to the MS/MS
      based "shotgun" analyses in the studies, in which the experimental time is more
      important than the depth of the proteome coverage.

PMID- 28905632
TI  - A caution for suicide prevention focused on help-seeking in young people.

PMID- 28905633
TI  - Effect of particle size distribution of maize and soybean meal on the precaecal
      amino acid digestibility in broiler chickens.
AB  - 1. Herein, it was investigated whether different particle size distributions of
      feed ingredients achieved by grinding through a 2- or 3-mm grid would have an
      effect on precaecal (pc) amino acid (AA) digestibility. Maize and soybean meal
      were used as the test ingredients. 2. Maize and soybean meal was ground with grid
      sizes of 2 or 3 mm. Nine diets were prepared. The basal diet contained 500 g/kg
      of maize starch. The other experimental diets contained maize or soybean meal
      samples at concentrations of 250 and 500, and 150 and 300 g/kg, respectively,
      instead of maize starch. Each diet was tested using 6 replicate groups of 10
      birds each. The regression approach was applied to calculate the pc AA
      digestibility of the test ingredients. 3. The reduction of the grid size from 3
      to 2 mm reduced the average particle size of both maize and soybean meal, mainly
      by reducing the proportion of coarse particles. Reducing the grid size
      significantly (P < 0.050) increased the pc digestibility of all AA in the soybean
      meal. In maize, reducing the grid size decreased the pc digestibility of all AA
      numerically, but not significantly (P > 0.050). The mean numerical differences in
      pc AA digestibility between the grid sizes were 0.045 and 0.055 in maize and
      soybean meal, respectively. 4. Future studies investigating the pc AA
      digestibility should specify the particle size distribution and should
      investigate the test ingredients ground similarly for practical applications.

PMID- 28905635
TI  - Developing a Health Care System for Children in Foster Care.
AB  - In 2012, the Comprehensive Health Evaluations for Cincinnati's Kids (CHECK)
      Center was launched at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to provide
      health care for over 1,000 children placed into foster care each year in the
      Cincinnati community. This consultation model clinical program was developed
      because children in foster care have been difficult to manage in the traditional
      health care setting due to unmet health needs, missing medical records,
      cumbersome state mandates, and transient and impoverished social settings. This
      case study describes the history and creation of the CHECK Center, demonstrating
      the development of a successful foster care health delivery system that is
      inclusive of all community partners, tailored for the needs and resources of the
      community, and able to adapt and respond to new information and changing systems.

PMID- 28905634
TI  - Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma
      Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) Imaging of Cerebral Ischemia: Combined Analysis of
      Rat Brain Thin Cuts Toward Improved Tissue Classification.
AB  - Microspectroscopic techniques are widely used to complement histological studies.
      Due to recent developments in the field of chemical imaging, combined chemical
      analysis has become attractive. This technique facilitates a deepened analysis
      compared to single techniques or side-by-side analysis. In this study, rat brains
      harvested one week after induction of photothrombotic stroke were investigated.
      Adjacent thin cuts from rats' brains were imaged using Fourier transform infrared
      (FT-IR) microspectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass
      spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The LA-ICP-MS data were normalized using an internal
      standard (a thin gold layer). The acquired hyperspectral data cubes were fused
      and subjected to multivariate analysis. Brain regions affected by stroke as well
      as unaffected gray and white matter were identified and classified using a model
      based on either partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) or random
      decision forest (RDF) algorithms. The RDF algorithm demonstrated the best results
      for classification. Improved classification was observed in the case of fused
      data in comparison to individual data sets (either FT-IR or LA-ICP-MS). Variable
      importance analysis demonstrated that both molecular and elemental content
      contribute to the improved RDF classification. Univariate spectral analysis
      identified biochemical properties of the assigned tissue types. Classification of
      multisensor hyperspectral data sets using an RDF algorithm allows access to a
      novel and in-depth understanding of biochemical processes and solid chemical
      allocation of different brain regions.

PMID- 28905636
TI  - The Role of Leisure Activities in the Relationship Between Marital Transition in
      Later Midlife and Psychological Well-Being Trajectories.
AB  - This study examined the levels and rates of changes in psychological well-being
      for middle-aged adults of different statuses or marital transitions. The
      moderating effects of different leisure activities were also tested. Longitudinal
      data on 1,270 persons aged 50 to 65 years at baseline from the Taiwan
      longitudinal study on aging were analyzed. Adults who were stably unmarried or
      unpartnered reported worse mental health at baseline, but their psychological
      well-being improved over time. The trajectory of depressive symptoms fluctuated
      markedly in adults who became widowed during our observation period. Engagement
      in physical, cognitive, or social activities was significantly associated with
      participants' psychological well-being. Participation in religious activities was
      significantly associated with life satisfaction and decreased depressive symptoms
      for those undergoing bereavement. Findings from this study suggest that social
      and physical activities, among the four selected leisure activities, have the
      greatest association between decreasing depressive symptoms and increasing life
      satisfaction, respectively. Religious activities, in particular, may improve
      psychological well-being in bereaved middle-aged and older adults.

PMID- 28905637
TI  - Recent Changes in End-of-Life Decisions for Newborns in a Korean Hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite recent advances in neonatal intensive care in Korea, few
      studies exist on the end-of-life decisions in newborns. In this study, we sought
      to examine the status of end-of-life decisions in neonates, changes over time,
      and affecting factors. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of neonates who
      died between 2001 and 2015 in the neonatal intensive care unit of Dong-A
      University Hospital in Busan. The types of end-of-life decisions were divided
      into active resuscitation, withholding treatment, and withdrawing treatment. The
      study period was divided into 3 time frames using 5-year intervals to investigate
      changes over time. To identify the associated factors, we analyzed the
      demographic and clinical characteristics of the neonates and their parents using
      the chi2 test and independent t test. RESULTS: Of the neonatal deaths included in
      the analysis (n = 222), active resuscitation, withholding treatment, and
      withdrawing treatment groups accounted for 73.4%, 25.2%, and 1.4% of cases,
      respectively. When comparing changes over time, between period 1 (2001-2005), 2
      (2006-2010), and 3 (2011-2015), the proportion of active resuscitation decreased
      significantly, from 80.9% to 60.8%, while that of nonactive resuscitation
      increased significantly from 19.1% to 39.2%. The factors associated with end-of
      life decisions were the clinical condition of the neonate at the time of death,
      rather than general characteristics or socioeconomic factors. CONCLUSIONS: In
      Korea, changes in the decisions on end-of-life care in neonates are shifting from
      active resuscitation to nonactive resuscitation based on clinical conditions.

PMID- 28905638
TI  - Higher Risk of Bleeding in Asians Presenting With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial
      Infarction: Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample Database.
AB  - Bleeding is a major complication in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation
      myocardial infarction (STEMI). Several studies suggested that Asians are more
      susceptible to bleeding when treated with antiplatelets, anticoagulants, and
      thrombolytic agents. In our study, we aimed to investigate the association
      between Asian ethnicity and bleeding events in patients who presented with STEMI.
      We analyzed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2002 to 2013 and
      identified patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of STEMI. We compared
      clinical outcomes between patients of Asian and white ethnicity. Primary outcome
      was inhospital major bleeding defined as a composite of intracranial hemorrhage
      and blood transfusions for bleeding events. After exclusions, an estimated 1 695
      680 white and 46 563 Asian patients with STEMI were included in the analysis.
      Asian patients had a higher incidence of inhospital major bleeding (3.6% vs 2.2%,
      P < .001) without a significant difference in inhospital mortality (9.3% vs 8.7%,
      P = .06). Asian ethnicity was an independent predictor for major bleeding
      (estimated odds ratio: 1.32; 95% confidence interval: 1.16-1.51; P < .001). This
      increased risk of bleeding would warrant further investigation of optimal
      treatment strategies tailored for patients with STEMI of Asian ethnicity.

PMID- 28905639
TI  - Clinical Manifestations of Kawasaki Disease Shock Syndrome.
AB  - A case-control study was performed to ascertain clinical features of children who
      had been diagnosed as Kawasaki disease shock syndrome (KDSS), a severe condition
      related to Kawasaki disease (KD). Hospitalized patients were selected in Nanjing
      Children's Hospital. Demographic characteristics, clinical presentation,
      laboratory data, cardiovascular findings, and therapies were analyzed. Compared
      with the control group, KDSS patients were older and had more serious skin rash.
      The proportions of leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and hypoalbuminemia was higher, as
      was the level of while blood cell count, C-reactive protein, brain natriuretic
      peptide, and ferroprotein. KDSS patients had higher incidence of arrhythmias and
      more severe coronary artery involvement. All case patients received aspirin,
      glucocorticoid, and intravenous immunoglobulin, 33.3% required albumin, and 90.4%
      needed vasoactive infusions. In conclusion, KDSS patients may have more serious
      inflammatory responses in the acute phase. Short-term use of glucocorticoid may
      be important in inhibiting the inflammatory response. Albumin and vasoactive
      drugs are useful to rescue shock.

PMID- 28905640
TI  - Neurobiological mechanisms of exercise and psychotherapy in depression: The SPeED
      study-Rationale, design, and methodological issues.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Even though cognitive behavioral therapy has become a relatively
      effective treatment for major depressive disorder and cognitive behavioral
      therapy-related changes of dysfunctional neural activations were shown in recent
      studies, remission rates still remain at an insufficient level. Therefore, the
      implementation of effective augmentation strategies is needed. In recent meta
      analyses, exercise therapy (especially endurance exercise) was reported to be an
      effective intervention in major depressive disorder. Despite these findings,
      underlying mechanisms of the antidepressant effect of exercise especially in
      combination with cognitive behavioral therapy have rarely been studied to date
      and an investigation of its neural underpinnings is lacking. A better
      understanding of the psychological and neural mechanisms of exercise and
      cognitive behavioral therapy would be important for developing optimal treatment
      strategies in depression. The SPeED study (Sport/Exercise Therapy and
      Psychotherapy-evaluating treatment Effects in Depressive patients) is a
      randomized controlled trial to investigate underlying physiological,
      neurobiological, and psychological mechanisms of the augmentation of cognitive
      behavioral therapy with endurance exercise. It is investigated if a preceding
      endurance exercise program will enhance the effect of a subsequent cognitive
      behavioral therapy. METHODS: This study will include 105 patients diagnosed with
      a mild or moderate depressive episode according to the Diagnostic and Statistical
      Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). The participants are randomized into one of
      three groups: a high-intensive or a low-intensive endurance exercise group or a
      waiting list control group. After the exercise program/waiting period, all
      patients receive an outpatient cognitive behavioral therapy treatment according
      to a standardized therapy manual. At four measurement points, major depressive
      disorder symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for
      Depression), (neuro)biological measures (neural activations during working
      memory, monetary incentive delay task, and emotion regulation, as well as
      cortisol levels and brain-derived neurotrophic factor), neuropsychological test
      performance, and questionnaires (psychological needs, self-efficacy, and quality
      of life) are assessed. RESULTS: In this article, we report the design of the
      SPeED study and refer to important methodological issues such as including both
      high- and low-intensity endurance exercise groups to allow the investigation of
      dose-response effects and physiological components of the therapy effects.
      CONCLUSION: The main aims of this research project are to study effects of
      endurance exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy on depressive symptoms and to
      investigate underlying physiological and neurobiological mechanisms of these
      effects. Results may provide important implications for the development of
      effective treatment strategies in major depressive disorder, specifically
      concerning the augmentation of cognitive behavioral therapy by endurance
      exercise.

PMID- 28905641
TI  - ?????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ? ??? ??? ?? ? ????

PMID- 28905642
TI  - Socioeconomic Moderators of the Relationship Between Different Quitting Motives
      and Smoking Cessation in Hong Kong Men.
AB  - To facilitate effective tobacco control, it is important to identify the
      socioeconomic strata in which different quitting motives are more strongly
      associated with cessation. This study aims to examine such a moderating role of
      socioeconomic background. A total of 2022 past or current daily smoking men from
      the Hong Kong Thematic Household Survey 2010 who had attempted for cessation were
      analyzed. Binary socioeconomic indicators, quitting motives, and 1-year
      abstinence were entered in an exploratory backward-stepwise log-linear model,
      followed by a binary logistic regression to estimate the probability of one-year
      abstinence in each socioeconomic stratum. Results suggest that the association
      between cessation and health motives is stronger in less educated men ( P = .004)
      and nonmarried men ( P = .003). The estimated probability of cessation ranges
      from 0.02 (95% CI = 0.00-0.06) to 0.96 (95% CI = 0.89-1.00). Accordingly, policy
      makers should educate less-educated men and nonmarried men about the adverse
      health impacts of tobacco use.

PMID- 28905643
TI  - Hematemesis in a 5-Month-Old Girl: A Tale of Double Whammy.

PMID- 28905644
TI  - Utilizing two-tiered screening for early detection of autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - Despite advances in autism screening practices, challenges persist, including
      barriers to implementing universal screening in primary care and difficulty
      accessing services. The high false positive rate of Level 1 screening methods
      presents especially daunting difficulties because it increases the need for
      comprehensive autism evaluations. This study explored whether two-tiered
      screening-combining Level 1 (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised
      with Follow-Up) and Level 2 (Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young
      Children) measures-improves the early detection of autism. This study examined a
      sample of 109 toddlers who screened positive on Level 1 screening and completed a
      Level 2 screening measure prior to a diagnostic evaluation. Results indicated
      that two-tiered screening reduced the false positive rate using published
      Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children cutoffs compared to
      Level 1 screening alone, although at a cost to sensitivity. However, alternative
      Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children scoring in the two
      tiered screening improved both positive predictive value and sensitivity.
      Exploratory analyses were conducted, including comparison of autism symptoms and
      clinical profiles across screening subsamples. Recommendations regarding clinical
      implications of two-tiered screening and future areas of research are presented.

PMID- 28905645
TI  - 'I'd rather you didn't come': The impact of stigma on exercising with epilepsy.
AB  - Epilepsy is a common but hidden disorder, leading to stigma in everyday life.
      Despite stigma being widely researched, little is known about the impact of
      stigma for people with epilepsy within a sports and exercise setting. Using
      constructionist grounded theory, we explored the barriers and adaptations to
      exercise for people with epilepsy. Three focus groups (2-3 participants per
      group) and three semi-structured interviews were conducted (11 participants in
      total). Stigma negatively impacted joining team sports, running groups, and
      disclosure to others. The effect of stigma was reduced by educating others about
      epilepsy, thus creating more awareness and understanding.

PMID- 28905646
TI  - Side-Effects of Convulsive Seizures and Anti-Seizure Therapy on Bone in a Rat
      Model of Epilepsy.
AB  - The severe sole effects of seizures on the cortical part of bone were reported in
      our previous study. However, the side effects of anti-epileptic drug therapy on
      bones has not been differentiated from the effects of the convulsive seizures,
      yet. This study provides the first report on differentiation of the effects of
      seizures and carbamazepine (a widely used antiepileptic drug) therapy on bones;
      50 mg/kg/day drug was given to genetically induced absence epileptic rats for
      five weeks. Distinct bone regions including cortical, trabecular, and growth
      plate in each of tibia, femur, and spine tissues were studied using Fourier
      transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging and Vickers microhardness test. Blood levels
      of vitamin D and bone turnover biomarkers were also measured. According to the FT
      IR imaging results, both seizure and carbamazepine-treated groups, more
      dominantly the drug-treated group, had lower mineral content with altered
      collagen crosslinks and higher crystallinity, implying reduced bone strength.
      Lower microhardness values also supported lower mechanical strength in bones. The
      most affected bone tissue and region from seizures and treatment was found as the
      spine and cortical, respectively. While there was a reduction in vitamin D and
      calcium levels in both seizure and carbamazepin-treated groups, significantly
      elevated PTH and bone turnover biomarkers were only seen in the drug-treated
      group.

PMID- 28905647
TI  - The challenge pathway: A mixed methods evaluation of an innovative care model for
      the palliative and end-of-life care of people with dementia (Innovative
      practice).
AB  - An innovative service for the palliative and end-of-life care of people with
      dementia was introduced at a UK hospice. This evaluation involved analysis of
      audit data, semi-structured interviews with project staff (n=3) and surveys of
      family carers (n=15) and professionals (n=20). The service has increased access
      to palliative, end-of-life care and other services. Improvements were reported in
      the knowledge, confidence and care skills of family carers and professionals.
      Carers felt better supported and it was perceived that the service enabled more
      patients to be cared for at home or in their usual place of care.

PMID- 28905648
TI  - Personhood, dementia policy and the Irish National Dementia Strategy.
AB  - Personhood and its realisation in person-centred care is part of the narrative,
      if not always the reality, of care for people with dementia. This paper examines
      how personhood is conceptualised and actualised in Ireland through a content
      analysis of organisational and individual submissions from stakeholders in the
      development of the Irish National Dementia Strategy, followed by an examination
      of the Strategy itself. The organisational submissions are further categorised
      into dementia care models. A structural analysis of the Strategy examines its
      principles, actions and outcomes in relation to personhood. Of the 72
      organisational and individual submissions received in the formulation of the
      Strategy, 61% contained references to personhood and its synonyms. Of the 35
      organisational submissions, 40% fit a biomedical model, 31% a social model and
      29% a biopsychosocial model. The Strategy contains one direct reference to
      personhood and 33 to personhood synonyms. Half of these references were contained
      within its key principles and objectives; none were associated with priority
      actions or outcomes. While stakeholders value personhood and the Strategy
      identifies personhood as an overarching principle, clearer direction on how
      personhood and person-centred care can be supported in practice and through
      regulation is necessary in Ireland. The challenge, therefore, is to provide the
      information, knowledge, incentives and resources for personhood to take hold in
      dementia care in Ireland.

PMID- 28905649
TI  - Participatory arts programs in residential dementia care: Playing with language
      differences.
AB  - This article examines connections between language, identity, and cultural
      difference in the context of participatory arts in residential dementia care.
      Specifically, it looks at how language differences become instruments for the
      language play that characterizes the participatory arts programs, TimeSlips and
      the Alzheimer's Poetry Project. These are two approaches that are predominantly
      spoken-word driven. Although people living with dementia experience cognitive
      decline that affects language, they are linguistic agents capable of
      participating in ongoing negotiation processes of connection, belonging, and in-
      and exclusion through language use. The analysis of two ethnographic vignettes,
      based on extensive fieldwork in the closed wards of two Dutch nursing homes,
      illustrates how TimeSlips and the Alzheimer's Poetry Project support them in this
      agency. The theoretical framework of the analysis consists of literature on the
      linguistic agency of people living with dementia, the notions of the homo ludens
      (or man the player) and ludic language, as well as linguistic strategies of
      belonging in relation to place.

PMID- 28905650
TI  - A Contextual Behavior Science Framework for Understanding How Behavioral
      Flexibility Relates to Anxiety.
AB  - There is a growing literature focusing on the emerging idea that behavioral
      flexibility, rather than particular emotion regulation strategies per se,
      provides greater promise in predicting and influencing anxiety-related
      psychopathology. Yet this line of research and theoretical analysis appear to be
      plagued by its own challenges. For example, middle-level constructs, such as
      behavioral flexibility, are difficult to define, difficult to measure, and
      difficult to interpret in relation to clinical interventions. A key point that
      some researchers have made is that previous studies examining flexible use of
      emotion regulation strategies (or, more broadly, coping) have failed due to a
      lack of focus on context. That is, examining strategies in isolation of the
      context in which they are used provides limited information on the suitability,
      rigid adherence, or effectiveness of a given strategy in that situation. Several
      of these researchers have proposed the development of new models to define and
      measure various types of behavioral flexibility. We would like to suggest that an
      explanation of the phenomenon already exists and that we can go back to our
      behavioral roots to understand this phenomenon rather than focusing on defining
      and capturing a new process. Indeed, thorough contextual behavioral analyses
      already yield a useful account of what has been observed. We will articulate a
      model explaining behavioral flexibility using a functional, contextual framework,
      with anxiety-related disorders as an example.

PMID- 28905651
TI  - Interdisciplinary Management of Pediatric Obesity: Lessons Learned in the
      Midsouth.
AB  - The Healthy Lifestyle Clinic (HLC) is an interdisciplinary weight management
      clinic conceived to address alarming rates of pediatric obesity and related
      comorbidities in the midsouth region of the United States. The clinical cohort
      presented is a subset of the 609 patients evaluated during the first 2 years of
      the HLC and comprises 380 patients with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up. The
      primarily non-Hispanic black (67.1%) cohort presented with severe obesity ( MzBMI
      = 2.52 +/- 0.41) and particularly high rates of insulin resistance, among other
      comorbidities. This article offers insight into the challenges of intervening
      with a cohort of youth and their families, many with limited resources to support
      intensive behavioral and lifestyle changes. Our experiences implementing a weight
      management clinic with a diverse clinical cohort provide guidance for emerging
      programs and impetus to investigate environmental and cultural factors that
      contribute to high attrition in the treatment of pediatric obesity.

PMID- 28905652
TI  - Determination of Rare Earth Elements in Geological Samples Using Laser-Induced
      Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).
AB  - Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to detect rare earth
      elements (REEs) in natural geological samples. Low and high intensity emission
      lines of Ce, La, Nd, Y, Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, and Dy were identified in the spectra
      recorded from the samples to claim the presence of these REEs. Multivariate
      analysis was executed by developing partial least squares regression (PLS-R)
      models for the quantification of Ce, La, and Nd. Analysis of unknown samples
      indicated that the prediction results of these samples were found comparable to
      those obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. Data
      support that LIBS has potential to quantify REEs in geological minerals/ores.

PMID- 28905653
TI  - Induction of cellular and molecular Immunomodulatory pathways by vitamin E and
      vitamin C.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vitamins E and C are well known small molecules that have been used
      to maintain health for decades. Recent studies of the cellular and molecular
      pathways leading to immunomodulation by these molecules have been of interest, as
      have their anti-oxidant properties and signal transduction pathways for curing or
      improving infectious diseases and cancer. Areas covered: Herein, the authors
      provide a definition and the structural classification of vitamins E and C and
      how these molecules influence cellular function. The studies include in vitro, ex
      vivo and in vivo studies in animal models as well as clinical trials. The authors
      give particular focus to the scientifically factual and putative roles of these
      molecules in innate and adaptive immunomodulation and prevention or cure of
      diseases. Expert opinion: The antioxidant properties of vitamins E and C are well
      studied. However, whether there is a link between their antioxidant and
      immunomodulation properties is unclear. In addition, there is a strong, albeit
      putative, prevailing notion that vitamin C can prevent or cure infectious
      diseases or cancer. Presently, while there is proven evidence that vitamin E
      possesses immunomodulatory properties that may play a positive role in disease
      outcomes, this evidence is less available for vitamin C.

PMID- 28905654
TI  - Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome following long-term use of cyclosporine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a widely used immunosuppressive agent that
      may provoke unexpected neurologic complications. The mechanism is unclear and
      variable intervals have been reported between CsA administration and onset of the
      related side effects. Here, we describe a case of delayed-onset CsA neurotoxicity
      presenting as opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS). CASE DETAILS: A 37-year-old
      woman with a two-week period of opsoclonus and upper extremity myoclonus was
      admitted to our hospital. The patient had been taking CsA for 17 years after
      receiving a kidney transplant. Further evaluation did not reveal any other
      abnormalities. Seven days after switching from CsA to tacrolimus, in the absence
      of additional immune-modulating therapy, her neurologic symptoms improved
      considerably. CONCLUSION: This is the case of delayed, long-term complications of
      CsA presenting as OMS. Symptoms resolved by substituting CsA with another
      immunomodulating drug. The etiology of the neurologic complications may involve
      paradoxically-enhanced delayed-type hypersensitivity.

PMID- 28905655
TI  - Inverted Takotsubo syndrome in Androctonus australis scorpion envenomation.
AB  - CONTEXT: The nature of scorpion-related cardiomyopathy is still a matter of
      debate where specific toxin-induced cardiomyopathy, ischemic, or
      catecholaminergic cardiomyopathy is advocated as well. We report two cases of
      Takotsubo syndrome following envenomation by Androctonus australis, bringing new
      evidence for the fundamental role of catecholamines in the pathogenesis of this
      cardiomyopathy. Case 1: A woman aged 36 presented with pulmonary edema and shock
      following scorpion envenomation. Echocardiography-Doppler showed a LVEF at 30%.
      Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging showed a basal ballooning of the left
      and right ventricles suggestive of an inverted biventricular Takotsubo syndrome.
      A second CMR performed after recovery was normal. Case 2: A woman aged 45 was
      admitted for pulmonary edema and shock consecutive to scorpion envenomation.
      Echocardiography showed a LVEF at 35%. CMR showed a basal ballooning. The patient
      was discharged four days following admission with a normal LV function on repeat
      echocardiography examination. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiomyopathy in these cases,
      following scorpion envenomation by Androctonus australis, fulfills the criteria
      of Takotsubo syndrome. These observations contribute to our understanding of the
      mechanism, prognosis, and treatment of scorpion-related cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 28905656
TI  - Comparison of low dose and standard dose abdominal CT scan in body stuffers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Detection of body stuffers is challenging in emergency departments.
      Because of the small size of baggies, plain radiograph is of little value in most
      suspects. On the other hand, abdomen CT scan is burdened by high cost and
      radiation dose. This study was performed to compare the image quality, radiation
      dose and accuracy of low-dose CT scan in comparison with standard dose. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: In this prospective study, suspected body stuffers who were referred
      to the radiology department underwent two different protocols of abdominal non
      contrast CT scan simultaneously: low-dose (with equivalent dose to conventional
      abdominal x-ray) and standard dose. Standard dose CT scan was considered as the
      reference. Low-dose CT scans were evaluated for detection of baggies by two
      radiologists blinded to the result of standard dose CT. Image quality, noise,
      dose-length product (DLP) and effective dose (ED) compared between two groups.
      RESULTS: The study consisted of 40 patients (33.38 +/- 7.4 years). Standard dose
      CT evaluation was positive in 22 patients (55%). In comparison with standard dose
      CT scan, low-dose group had a sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 100%, PPV and
      NPV of 100% and 86%. The accuracy of low-dose CT scan for detection of baggies
      larger than 1 cm was 100%. However, from the 3 cases that could not be detected
      with low dose protocol, one had CT features suspected for baggies rupture which
      was intubated and later deceased. Noise average of low-dose protocol, was
      approximately 7 times greater than standard dose group, while DLP and ED were 9.7
      times less. CONCLUSION: Low dose CT scan appears to be an appropriate screening
      method for body stuffers, especially when the baggies are larger than one
      centimeter. However, in the presence of severe clinical symptoms, a standard dose
      CT scan will be more helpful due to better image quality especially in suspected
      ruptured baggies.

PMID- 28905657
TI  - Selecting a Risk-Based SQC Procedure for a HbA1c Total QC Plan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent US practice guidelines and laboratory regulations for quality
      control (QC) emphasize the development of QC plans and the application of risk
      management principles. The US Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)
      now includes an option to comply with QC regulations by developing an
      individualized QC plan (IQCP) based on a risk assessment of the total testing
      process. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) has provided new
      practice guidelines for application of risk management to QC plans and
      statistical QC (SQC). METHODS: We describe an alternative approach for developing
      a total QC plan (TQCP) that includes a risk-based SQC procedure. CLIA compliance
      is maintained by analyzing at least 2 levels of controls per day. A Sigma-Metric
      SQC Run Size nomogram provides a graphical tool to simplify the selection of risk
      based SQC procedures. APPLICATIONS: Current HbA1c method performance, as
      demonstrated by published method validation studies, is estimated to be 4-Sigma
      quality at best. Optimal SQC strategies require more QC than the CLIA minimum
      requirement of 2 levels per day. More complex control algorithms, more control
      measurements, and a bracketed mode of operation are needed to assure the intended
      quality of results. CONCLUSIONS: A total QC plan with a risk-based SQC procedure
      provides a simpler alternative to an individualized QC plan. A Sigma-Metric SQC
      Run Size nomogram provides a practical tool for selecting appropriate control
      rules, numbers of control measurements, and run size (or frequency of SQC).
      Applications demonstrate the need for continued improvement of analytical
      performance of HbA1c laboratory methods.

PMID- 28905658
TI  - Decision Support for Diabetes in Scotland: Implementation and Evaluation of a
      Clinical Decision Support System.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Automated clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are associated
      with improvements in health care delivery to those with long-term conditions,
      including diabetes. A CDSS was introduced to two Scottish regions (combined
      diabetes population ~30 000) via a national diabetes electronic health record.
      This study aims to describe users' reactions to the CDSS and to quantify impact
      on clinical processes and outcomes over two improvement cycles: December 2013 to
      February 2014 and August 2014 to November 2014. METHODS: Feedback was sought via
      patient questionnaires, health care professional (HCP) focus groups, and
      questionnaires. Multivariable regression was used to analyze HCP SCI-Diabetes
      usage (with respect to CDSS message presence/absence) and case-control comparison
      of clinical processes/outcomes. Cases were patients whose HCP received a CDSS
      messages during the study period. Closely matched controls were selected from
      regions outside the study, following similar clinical practice (without CDSS).
      Clinical process measures were screening rates for diabetes-related
      complications. Clinical outcomes included HbA1c at 1 year. RESULTS: The CDSS had
      no adverse impact on consultations. HCPs were generally positive toward CDSS and
      used it within normal clinical workflow. CDSS messages were generated for 5692
      cases, matched to 10 667 controls. Following clinic, the probability of patients
      being appropriately screened for complications more than doubled for most
      measures. Mean HbA1c improved in cases and controls but more so in cases (-2.3
      mmol/mol [-0.2%] versus -1.1 [-0.1%], P = .003). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The
      CDSS was well received; associated with improved efficiencies in working
      practices; and large improvements in guideline adherence. These evidence-based,
      early interventions can significantly reduce costly and devastating
      complications.

PMID- 28905659
TI  - Comparative Handling Analysis of Different Insulin Pump Systems.
AB  - Insulin pumps are used by many patients with diabetes to manage their diabetes
      therapy. Adequate handling of the systems is important to avoid errors. In this
      study, one aspect of device handling-the number of steps required to operate the
      system-was evaluated for different insulin pump systems. Specific tasks that are
      usually performed by insulin pump users were simulated and all necessary actions
      were documented. Differences between the required numbers of steps strongly
      depended on the specific task. So did the level of guidance for these tasks
      provided by the systems. Results of this study provide an overview of this
      particular aspect of insulin pump handling rather than a general advice.

PMID- 28905660
TI  - Analysis of "Seven Year Surveillance of the Clinical Performance of a Blood
      Glucose Test-Strip Product".
AB  - The article titled "Seven Year Surveillance of the Clinical Performance of a
      Blood Glucose Test-Strip Product" by Setford and coworkers in this issue of
      Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology is an impressive study showing that
      over 7 years in three clinics, using multiple reagent lots, a total of 73 600
      samples met the ISO 15197 2015 standard with no results in the D or E zones of a
      Parkes glucose meter error grid. Three requirements are suggested for a
      clinically acceptable glucose meter. The authors provide strong evidence for
      meeting two requirements but fail to provide summarized data about the number of
      nonnumeric results. Finally, the authors overstate some results, called "spin" by
      some which is not necessary. The superb results should stand on their own.

PMID- 28905661
TI  - Genetic parameters for the prediction of abdominal fat traits using blood
      biochemical indicators in broilers.
AB  - 1. Excessive deposition of body fat, especially abdominal fat, is detrimental in
      chickens and the prevention of excessive fat accumulation is an important
      problem. The aim of this study was to identify blood biochemical indicators that
      could be used as criteria to select lean Yellow-feathered chicken lines. 2.
      Levels of blood biochemical indicators in the fed and fasted states and the
      abdominal fat traits were measured in 332 Guangxi Yellow chickens. In the fed
      state, the genetic correlations (rg) of triglycerides and very low density
      lipoprotein levels were positive for the abdominal fat traits (0.47 <= rg <=
      0.67), whereas total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)
      and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) showed higher negative
      correlations with abdominal fat traits (-0.59 <= rg <= -0.33). Heritabilities of
      these blood biochemical parameters were high, varying from 0.26 to 0.60. 3. In
      the fasted state, HDL-C:LDL-C level was positively correlated with abdominal fat
      traits (0.35 <= rg <= 0.38), but triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C,
      total protein, albumin, aspartate transaminase, uric acid and creatinine levels
      were negatively correlated with abdominal fat traits (-0.79 <= rg <= -0.35). The
      heritabilities of these 10 blood biochemical parameters were high (0.22 <= h2 <=
      0.59). 4. In the fed state, optimal multiple regression models were constructed
      to predict abdominal fat traits by using triglycerides and LDL-C. In the fasted
      state, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, total protein, albumin and
      uric acid could be used to predict abdominal fat content. 5. It was concluded
      that these models in both nutritional states could be used to predict abdominal
      fat content in Guangxi Yellow broiler chickens.

PMID- 28905662
TI  - Self-Reported Height and Weight in Oceanian School-Going Adolescents and Factors
      Associated With Errors.
AB  - We examined the accuracy of self-reported weight and height in New Caledonian
      school-going adolescents. Self-reported and measured height and weight data were
      collected from 665 adolescents of New Caledonia and were then compared.
      Multivariable logistic regressions identified the factors associated with
      inaccurate self-reports. Sensitivity and specificity of self-reported body mass
      index values to detect overweight or obesity were evaluated. Self-reported weight
      was significantly lower than measured weight (boys, -3.56 kg; girls, -3.13 kg).
      Similar results were found for height (boys, -2.51 cm; girls, -3.23 cm). Multiple
      regression analyses indicated that the difference between self-reported and
      measured height was significantly associated with ethnicity and pubertal status.
      Inaccurate self-reported weight was associated with socioeconomic status, place
      of residence, body-size perception and weight status. Screening accuracy of self
      reported body mass index was low, particularly in the Melanesian subgroup. These
      findings should be considered when overweight is estimated in the Melanesian
      adolescent population at individual scale.

PMID- 28905663
TI  - Epidemiology and clinics of mushroom poisoning in Northern Italy: A 21-year
      retrospective analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited information exists about epidemiology and management of
      mushroom poisoning. We analyzed and described epidemiology, clinical
      presentation, and clinical course of mushroom-poisoned patients admitted to
      emergency departments (EDs) of the Province of Parma, Italy. METHODS: Data from
      the database of mycological service were matched with clinical information
      retrieved from hospitals' database, from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2016.
      RESULTS: Mycologist consultation was obtained in 379/443 identified mushroom
      poisonings. A remarkable seasonality was found, with significant peak in autumn.
      Thanks to the collaboration, the implicated species could be identified in 397
      cases (89.6%); 108 cases (24.4%) were due to edible mushrooms, Boletus edulis
      being the most represented (63 cases). Overall, 408 (92%) cases presented with
      gastrointestinal toxicity. Twenty cases of amatoxin poisoning were recorded (11
      Amanita phalloides and 9 Lepiota brunneoincarnata). One liver transplantation was
      needed. We observed 13 cases of cholinergic toxicity and 2 cases of
      hallucinogenic toxicity. Finally, 46 cases were due to "mixed" toxicities, and a
      total of 69 needed hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification and
      management of potentially life-threatening cases is challenging in the ED, so
      that a mycologist service on call is highly advisable, especially during periods
      characterized by the highest incidence of poisoning.

PMID- 28905664
TI  - Assessment of the neutralizing potency of antisera raised against native and
      gamma-irradiated Naja nigricollis (black-necked spitting cobra) venom in rabbits,
      concerning its cardiotoxic effect.
AB  - The present study was designed to prepare a specific safe antiserum for Naja
      nigricollis using gamma-irradiated (1.5KGy and3KGy) venoms. Rabbits were used for
      active immunization using irradiated venoms (1.5 and 3 kGy) as a toxoid, mice
      were used for determination of LD50 post immunization and the rats were used for
      neutralization of the cardiotoxic effect of venom. Results of the immunodiffusion
      test indicated that the sera of rabbits raised against non-irradiated, 1.5- and 3
      kGy gamma-irradiated venom, had the same results of precipitin bands. A
      significant inhibition of phospholipase A2 activities was obtained when
      neutralized with native, gamma-irradiated (1.5KGy and3KGy) venoms. On the other
      hand, preincubation of the venom 1/2 LD50 (0.154 mg/kg i.p.) with each antiserum
      (non-irradiated or irradiated venom) at 37 degrees C for 1 h in a ratio (1:4)
      produced a significant reduction in the values of creatine kinase and creatine
      kinase isoenzyme-MB. However, significant elevation in aspartate aminotransferase
      level and no change in lactate dehydrogenase level were observed. So the results
      of this study indicated that the irradiated venom treatment reduces the
      cardiotoxic effect of venom in immunized immunization animals for preparing
      vaccines.

PMID- 28905665
TI  - Does the DEKA Arm substitute for or supplement conventional prostheses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research on home use of advanced upper limb prostheses is needed.
      OBJECTIVES: To describe and compare DEKA Arm usage patterns during the last 4
      weeks of a home trial for participants with a personal prosthesis and those
      without. To compare usage patterns during home trial to those of the personal
      prosthesis prior to home trial. To evaluate user activity preferences for the
      DEKA Arm and personal prosthesis after a trial of home use. STUDY DESIGN: Quasi
      experimental, time-series design. METHODS: Data from 17 participants were
      analyzed. At baseline, prosthesis users reported days and hours they wore and
      used personal device(s). Home trial diaries documented days and hours of wear and
      use for the DEKA Arm and personal device(s), if applicable. Questionnaires asked
      prosthesis users to list activities they could do with the DEKA Arm but not with
      their current prosthesis and vice versa and activities they preferred doing with
      either devices. RESULTS: The DEKA Arm was worn 81% and used 73% of functioning
      days, averaging 4.2 h worn and 2.4 h used on days worn. During home trial,
      prosthesis users used personal devices and any prosthesis for fewer hours/day
      than at baseline. CONCLUSION: The DEKA supplemented but did not substitute for
      the personal prosthesis. Clinical relevance Findings strongly suggest that given
      the limitations of the DEKA Arm and conventional prosthesis, persons with upper
      limb amputation would be best served and would be able to perform the widest
      range of activities if they had several types of devices.

PMID- 28905666
TI  - Second Opinion Expert Pathology Review in Bladder Cancer: Implications for
      Patient Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review bladder specimens referred to our facility for secondary
      review to determine the frequency and degree of changes in pathological
      diagnoses, which could affect patient care. METHODS: A retrospective review of
      246 bladder specimens sent to our pathology department for second opinion
      pathological review was performed. All consultation specimens were reviewed by a
      single genitourinary (GU)-subspecialized surgical pathologist. Any changes in the
      pathological grade, stage, or histological tumor type were noted as well as
      patient demographic data. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the
      frequency and type of discrepancies in diagnoses and determine any associations
      with patient demographic parameters. RESULTS: Secondary pathology consultation of
      246 bladder specimens from 233 patients were reviewed and compared with the
      primary diagnosis. The diagnosis was altered in 91/246 cases (37.0%). The number
      of cases reviewed per patient and specimen type was not associated with a change
      in diagnosis ( P = .19; P = .1). Of the cases with a change in diagnosis, 8
      (8.8%) changed malignancy status, 46 (50.5%) changed stage, 16 (17.6%) changed
      tumor type (ie, change from urothelial carcinoma to prostate adenocarcinoma), 16
      (17.6%) changed histological variant subtype, and 14 (15.4%) changed grade. There
      was no association noted between age, gender, or race and changes in diagnosis (
      P = .53; P = .41; P = .70). CONCLUSIONS: Secondary pathology review with a GU
      subspecialized surgical pathologist can change the stage, grade, or histological
      subtype on bladder biopsy and tumor resection specimens in more than one-third of
      cases. Age and gender were not associated with the frequency of change in
      diagnosis on consultation review.

PMID- 28905667
TI  - Preliminary pharmacokinetics of intravenous and subcutaneous dolasetron and
      pharmacodynamics of subcutaneous dolasetron in healthy cats.
AB  - Objectives The objectives were to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of
      subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous (IV) dolasetron and the pharmacodynamics (PD)
      of SC dolasetron in healthy cats. Methods Five cats with unremarkable complete
      blood count, serum biochemistry and urinalyses were utilized. In the PK study,
      cats received 0.8 mg/kg SC and IV dolasetron in a crossover format. Serum samples
      were obtained via a jugular catheter at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36 and
      48 h after the administration of dolasetron. Dolasetron and the active metabolite
      hydrodolasetron were measured using liquid chromatography/tandem mass
      spectrometry. Non-compartmental PK analysis was performed. In the PD study, SC
      dolasetron (0.8 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg) and saline were administered 30 mins prior
      to administration of 0.44 mg/kg intramuscular xylazine in a randomized three-way
      crossover. Number of emetic events, lip licks, time to onset of emesis and visual
      nausea score were scored by a blinded observer. Results In the PK study,
      dolasetron was quickly metabolized to the active metabolite hydrodolasetron,
      limiting assessment of dolasetron PK parameters. Median (range) PK parameters for
      IV hydrodolasetron were as follows: maximum serum concentration (Cmax) 116 ng/ml
      (69-316 ng/ml), time to maximum concentration (Tmax) 0.5 h (0.3-0.5 h), half-life
      3.3 h (2.9-7.2 h) and area under the curve until the last measurable
      concentration (AUClast) 323 h/ng/ml (138-454 h/ng/ml). Median (range) PK
      parameters for SC hydrodolasetron were as follows: Cmax 67.9 ng/ml (60.4-117
      ng/ml), Tmax 0.5 h (0.5-1.0 h), half-life 3.8 h (2.9-5.3 h) and AUClast 437
      h/ng/ml (221.5-621.8 h/ng/ml). There was no significant difference in exposure to
      hydrodolasetron between the routes of administration. With regard to PD, when
      dolasetron was administered prior to xylazine, there was no significant
      difference in the mean number of emetic events, lip licks, time to onset of
      emesis or visual nausea score when compared with saline. Conclusions and
      relevance Administration of 0.8 mg/kg dolasetron does not maintain serum
      concentrations of active metabolite for 24 h. Administration of dolasetron at 0.8
      mg/kg and 1 mg/kg did not prevent xylazine-induced vomiting. Additional feline
      dose studies are needed to determine if a higher dose is efficacious.

PMID- 28905668
TI  - The impact of Agent Orange exposure on prognosis and management in patients with
      chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a National Veteran Affairs Tumor Registry Study.
AB  - Exposure to Agent Orange (AO) has been associated with the development of chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We performed a retrospective study of 2052 Vietnam
      veterans identified in the National VA Tumor Registry to assess the impact of AO
      exposure on CLL prognosis, treatment and survival. Prognostic factors did not
      differ based on exposure. Veterans exposed to AO were diagnosed younger (63.2 vs.
      70.5 years, p < .0001) and had longer overall survival (median not reached vs. 91
      months, p < .001). This prolonged survival was in the subgroups of patients aged
      60-69 years (p< .0001) and those with 11q deletion (p < .0001). Those exposed to
      AO were more likely to be treated with fludarabine, chlorambucil and rituximab
      (38 vs. 21%, p < .001) and bendamustine plus rituximab (25 vs. 18%, p = 0.039) as
      first line therapy. Exposure to AO was not associated with either poor prognostic
      factors or shortened overall survival in our large veteran population with CLL.

PMID- 28905669
TI  - Correction Notice.
AB  - Agee, M. D., & Gates, Z. (2014). The Impact of an Insurance Administration-Free
      Primary Care Office on Hospital Admissions: A Community-Level Comparison With
      Traditional Fee-for-Service Family Practice Groups. Journal of Primary Care &
      Community Health, 5, 202-207. doi: 10.1177/2150131914522123 The following
      Conflict of Interest statement was originally omitted and will be added to the
      article: Author Zane Gates's affiliation, UPMC Altoona, is the parent
      organization of Partnering for Health Services. Additionally, author Zane Gates
      has an ownership interest in the Empower3 Center for Health, a direct-pay primary
      care clinic using a subscription coverage model, that additionally provides
      insurance counseling and prescription programs.

PMID- 28905670
TI  - A model to facilitate implementation of the International Classification of
      Functioning, Disability and Health into prosthetics and orthotics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
      Health is a classification of human functioning and disability and is based on a
      biopsychosocial model of health. As such, International Classification of
      Functioning, Disability and Health seems suitable as a basis for constructing
      models defining the clinical P&O process. The aim was to use International
      Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health to facilitate development of
      such a model. Proposed model: A model, the Prosthetic and Orthotic Process (POP)
      model, is proposed. The Prosthetic and Orthotic Process model is based on the
      concepts of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
      Health and comprises four steps in a cycle: (1) Assessment, including the medical
      history and physical examination of the patient. (2) Goals, specified on four
      levels including those related to participation, activity, body functions and
      structures and technical requirements of the device. (3) Intervention, in which
      the appropriate course of action is determined based on the specified goal and
      evidence-based practice. (4) Evaluation of outcomes, where the outcomes are
      assessed and compared to the corresponding goals. After the evaluation of goal
      fulfilment, the first cycle in the process is complete, and a broad evaluation is
      now made including overriding questions about the patient's satisfaction with the
      outcomes and the process. This evaluation will determine if the process should be
      ended or if another cycle in the process should be initiated. CONCLUSION: The
      Prosthetic and Orthotic Process model can provide a common understanding of the
      P&O process. Concepts of International Classification of Functioning, Disability
      and Health have been incorporated into the model to facilitate communication with
      other rehabilitation professionals and encourage a holistic and patient-centred
      approach in clinical practice. Clinical relevance The Prosthetic and Orthotic
      Process model can support the implementation of International Classification of
      Functioning, Disability and Health in P&O practice, thereby providing a common
      understanding of the P&O process and a common language to facilitate
      communication with other rehabilitation professionals.

PMID- 28905672
TI  - The influence of ketogenic therapy on the 5 R's of radiobiology.
AB  - PURPOSE: Radiotherapy (RT) is a mainstay in the treatment of solid tumors and
      works by inducing free radical stress in tumor cells, leading to loss of
      reproductive integrity. The optimal treatment strategy has to consider damage to
      both tumor and normal cells and is determined by five factors known as the 5 R's
      of radiobiology: Reoxygenation, DNA repair, radiosensitivity, redistribution in
      the cell cycle and repopulation. The aim of this review is (i) to present
      evidence that these 5 R's are strongly influenced by cellular and whole-body
      metabolism that in turn can be modified through ketogenic therapy in form of
      ketogenic diets and short-term fasting and (ii) to stimulate new research into
      this field including some research questions deserving further study.
      CONCLUSIONS: Preclinical and some preliminary clinical data support the
      hypothesis that ketogenic therapy could be utilized as a complementary treatment
      in order to improve the outcome after RT, both in terms of higher tumor control
      and in terms of lower normal tissue complication probability. The first effect
      relates to the metabolic shift from glycolysis toward mitochondrial metabolism
      that selectively increases ROS production and impairs ATP production in tumor
      cells. The second effect is based on the differential stress resistance
      phenomenon, which is achieved when glucose and growth factors are reduced and
      ketone bodies are elevated, reprogramming normal but not tumor cells from
      proliferation toward maintenance and stress resistance. Underlying both effects
      are metabolic differences between normal and tumor cells that ketogenic therapy
      seeks to exploit. Specifically, the recently discovered role of the ketone body
      beta-hydroxybutyrate as an endogenous class-I histone deacetylase inhibitor
      suggests a dual role as a radioprotector of normal cells and a radiosensitzer of
      tumor cells that opens up exciting possibilities to employ ketogenic therapy as a
      cost-effective adjunct to radiotherapy against cancer.

PMID- 28905673
TI  - The Practice of Research Ethics in Lebanon and Qatar: Perspectives of Researchers
      on Informed Consent.
AB  - Informed consent requirements for conducting research with human participants are
      set by institutional review boards (IRBs) following established guidelines.
      Despite this, researchers continue to face challenges in seeking and obtaining
      informed consent. This study discusses researchers' views of such problems in
      Lebanon and Qatar, which vary in research regulation. We conducted in-depth
      interviews with 52 academic researchers from various fields of research in both
      countries and analyzed them using thematic analysis. Important disjunctions
      emerged between IRB requirements and actual practice. Variations in obtaining
      informed consent were affected by the research context, type of research, and the
      prevalent cultural norms and values. Regulatory systems and guidelines for
      informed consent do not necessarily ensure ethical research conduct. Implications
      for improvement are presented.

PMID- 28905671
TI  - Microbiota-derived uremic retention solutes: perpetrators of altered nonrenal
      drug clearance in kidney disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Scientific interest in the gut microbiota is increasing due to
      improved understanding of its implications in human health and disease. In
      patients with kidney disease, gut microbiota-derived uremic toxins directly
      contribute to altered nonrenal drug clearance. Microbial imbalances, known as
      dysbiosis, potentially increase formation of microbiota-derived toxins, and
      diminished renal clearance leads to toxin accumulation. High concentrations of
      microbiota-derived toxins such as indoxyl sulfate and p-cresol sulfate perpetrate
      interactions with drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters, which provides a
      mechanistic link between increases in drug-related adverse events and dysbiosis
      in kidney disease. Areas covered: This review summarizes the effects of
      microbiota-derived uremic toxins on hepatic phase I and phase II drug
      metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. Research articles that tested
      individual toxins were included. Therapeutic strategies to target microbial
      toxins are also discussed. Expert commentary: Large interindividual variability
      in toxin concentrations may explain some differences in nonrenal clearance of
      medications. Advances in human microbiome research provide unique opportunities
      to systematically evaluate the impact of individual and combined microbial toxins
      on drug metabolism and transport, and to explore microbiota-derived uremic toxins
      as potential therapeutic targets.

PMID- 28905674
TI  - Angioleiomyoma of Uterus: A Clinicopathologic Study of 6 Cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Angioleiomyoma is a benign perivascular neoplasm
      commonly involving subcutaneous tissue of extremities, head, and trunk region.
      They rarely involve the female genital tract. This study analyses
      clinicopathological features of 6 cases of uterine angioleiomyoma. METHODS:
      Routine sections of 6 cases were reviewed and immunohistochemical markers namely
      muscle-specific actin, h-caldesmon, desmin, CD10, WT-1, HMB-45, and melan-A were
      done. RESULTS: Of the 6 cases, 4 cases had tumor involving the corpus and 2 cases
      had tumor in the cervix. Grossly, all tumors had a whorled and congested cut
      surface. Microscopic examination of all the cases revealed circumscribed
      neoplasms composed of interlacing fascicles of benign perivascular smooth muscle
      cells with evenly distributed slit-like blood vessels (solid variant) along with
      vessels exhibiting thick muscular walls with swirling pattern (venous variant).
      In only 2 cases many dilated vessels were seen (cavernous variant).
      Immunohistochemically, all cases were positive for muscle-specific actin, h
      caldesmon, and desmin. All cases were negative for CD10 and WT-1 ruling out
      endometrial stromal tumor and were negative for HMB-45 and melan-A ruling out
      perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (both endometrial stromal tumor and
      perivascular epithelioid cell tumor have prominent vessels but have different
      histomorphology). In all cases, surgical excision was curative and there were no
      intraoperative or postoperative complications. Follow-up of all the cases has
      been unremarkable. CONCLUSION: As the World Health Organization has not included
      angioleiomyoma in the classification of mesenchymal tumors of uterine corpus and
      cervix, we recommend that it should be included in the classification.

PMID- 28905675
TI  - An exploratory study of Behavioural Specialist experiences of involving service
      users in the development of their positive behavioural support plans.
AB  - : There is limited research that explores the experiences of how behavioural
      specialists actively involve people with a learning disability and challenging
      behaviour in the development of their positive behavioural support (PBS) plan.
      Accordingly, this exploratory research study aimed to explore this little
      understood area of practice. METHODS: The study included semi-structured
      interviews comprised of nine Behavioural Specialists in three focus groups across
      two health boards. A descriptive thematic analysis study. FINDINGS: Three major
      themes and 11 minor themes were identified illustrating how people with learning
      disabilities and behaviours that challenge were involved in developing their PBS
      plan. Significantly, the themes illustrated the complexity of truly involving
      service users in the process. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of people with a learning
      disability and behaviours that challenge in their PBS plan poses significant
      challenges. Person-centred care struggles to be truly embedded in the PBS model.

PMID- 28905676
TI  - Nurses', nursing students', and nursing instructors' perceptions of professional
      values: A comparative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In order to prove their commitment to the nursing profession, nurses
      need to base their professional activities on certain acknowledged values.
      Although a large number of studies have addressed professional values in nursing,
      only a few studies are available on the identification and comparison of nurses',
      nursing students', and nursing instructors' understanding of such values.
      OBJECTIVE: The study aims to compare nurses', nursing students', and nursing
      instructors' perception of nursing professional values. RESEARCH DESIGN: In this
      descriptive-comparative study, data were collected using Weis and Schank's
      Nurses' Professional Values Scale-Revised. The data were analyzed using the SPSS
      statistical software (v 22). Participants and research context: A total of 299
      nurses, 341 nursing students, and 100 nursing instructors from multisite, 20
      different wards from 3 university hospitals and associated nursing schools
      located in the cities of Shiraz, Fasa, and Jahrom in Fars province, participated
      in 2016. Ethical considerations: The Institutional Review Board of the
      researchers' primary university has verified that the study complies with
      research ethics. FINDINGS: The total mean scores of the nurses', nursing
      students', and nursing instructors' perception were found to be 4.23 (0.44), 3.92
      (0.50), and 4.34 (0.35), respectively, in the domain of justice-this domain was
      the subjects' top priority-and 3.40 (0.56), 3.29 (0.49), and 3.55 (0.36),
      respectively, in the domain of activism-this domain was attached the least
      importance by the subjects. There were significant differences across the three
      groups' perception in all of the dimensions of professional values ( p < 0.001).
      DISCUSSION: The three study groups' overall mean scores fall within the range of
      relatively important or important. Several studies show the same results, but
      there are still controversies in this regard. CONCLUSION: There is need for plans
      to increase nurses' awareness of certain professional duties and improve their
      professional performance in all areas alongside their care duties.

PMID- 28905677
TI  - Ethical tensions: A qualitative systematic review of new graduate perceptions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New graduate transition into the workforce is challenging and can
      involve managing ethical tensions. Ethical tensions cause new graduates to doubt
      their capabilities due to their lack of experience. To support new graduates, we
      need to know what these ethical tensions are. OBJECTIVES: To explore the ethical
      tensions perceived to occur in practice for new graduate health professionals.
      RESEARCH DESIGN: This qualitative systematic review involved a search of five
      databases (Medline, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL and Scopus) which resulted in the
      retrieval of 3554 papers. After the two-phased screening process, eight studies
      were identified that met the inclusion criteria and had rich data on the review
      question. Articles were read several times, critically appraised and analysed
      through thematic analysis. Ethical considerations: No ethical approval was
      required for the systematic review. The review was conducted following well
      established reporting guidelines enabling transparency and rigour. FINDINGS:
      Studies originated from Australia, United States, Iran and China. One study
      included speech pathologists and seven were with nurses. Four themes included the
      following: (1) enduring an unknown workplace culture that generates uncertainty
      without support for new graduates; (2) being vulnerable because of distress from
      bullying, exclusion and being a scapegoat; (3) constraining systems and
      institutional restrictions that cause dilemmas; and (4) experiencing
      disillusionment from lost ideals about ethical practice. DISCUSSION: This review
      has brought to light the vulnerability of new graduates to negative workplace
      culture and collegial incivility. In addition, new graduates are subjected to
      ethical tensions created by institutional constraints which can create dilemmas
      and uncertainties through practice that does not align with what they
      anticipated. CONCLUSION: Understanding ethical tensions experienced by new
      graduates enables provision of informed support. There needs to be considerable
      cultural change for orientation and socialisation of new graduates to enable them
      to learn and manage ethical tensions.

PMID- 28905678
TI  - Negative emotional appraisal selectively disrupts retrieval of expected outcome
      values required for goal-directed instrumental choice.
AB  - Stress induction reduces people's ability to modify their instrumental choices
      following changes in the value of outcomes, but the mechanisms underpinning this
      effect have not been specified because previous studies have lacked crucial
      control conditions. To address this, the current study had participants learn two
      instrumental responses for food and water, respectively, before water was
      devalued by specific satiety. Choice between these two responses was then
      measured in extinction, reacquisition and Pavlovian to instrumental transfer
      (PIT) tests. Concurrently during these tests, a negative emotional appraisal
      group evaluated aversive images (stress induction), whereas a control group
      evaluated neutral images, at the same time as choosing between the two
      instrumental responses. Negative emotional appraisal abolished the impact of
      water devaluation on instrumental choice in the extinction test, but did not
      affect instrumental choice in the reacquisition or PIT tests. These findings
      suggest that negative emotional appraisal selectively impaired participants'
      ability to retrieve the expected value of outcomes required to make goal-directed
      instrumental choices in the extinction test, and that this effect was not due to
      task disengagement, nullification of the devaluation treatment or impaired
      knowledge of response-outcome relationships.

PMID- 28905679
TI  - The effect of liner design and materials selection on prosthesis interface heat
      dissipation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Thermal discomfort often affects prosthesis wearers and could
      be addressed by increasing liner thermal conductivity. This note explores a liner
      made from thermally conductive silicone and two additional alternative liner
      designs. TECHNIQUE: Thermally conductive silicone was used to create a conductive
      liner and a hybrid liner. Additionally, one with open elements was made. These
      were compared with a plain silicone liner and a no liner scenario. Scaled down
      liner prototypes were used due to the high-cost of the thermally conductive
      silicone. Temperature decay profiles were collected by attaching thermistors to a
      heated liner phantom and used to evaluate scenarios. DISCUSSION: No scenario
      performed much better than the plain silicone liner. Implementation of passive
      solutions may be easier, but alternative liner materials are unlikely to affect
      dissipation enough to address thermal discomfort. Based on this work, future
      research efforts may be better spent developing active thermal discomfort
      solutions. Clinical relevance Thermal discomfort can increase the probability of
      skin damage, reduce prosthesis satisfaction and, ultimately, the quality of life.
      The prosthesis-wearing experience could be improved if thermal discomfort can be
      addressed by technological improvements.

PMID- 28905680
TI  - Roma Never Die Alone.
AB  - A common characteristic of Roma as a cultural group is that they do not allow
      their elderly to die alone. Nevertheless, rooted in a mainstream cultural
      perspective of health provision services, public institutions usually do not
      allow Roma people to be with their loved ones in their last moments. Following
      the communicative methodology, we conducted a communicative case study on the
      death of the most relevant female Roma leader in Catalonia. She was accompanied
      by more than two hundred family members and friends in her room and corridor at
      an important hospital in Barcelona. We performed our research in the 2 years
      following her death to obtain the reflections of the Roma members involved. These
      reflections revealed the egalitarian dialogue forged between these Roma members
      and the hospital personnel, which enabled the former to embrace their culture and
      support their loved ones before death. Because this dialogue was possible and
      fruitful, the acknowledgment of cultural diversity and the improvement of the
      quality of services offered to Roma might also be possible in other health
      institutions.

PMID- 28905681
TI  - Re "Choosing between bad, worse and worst".

PMID- 28905682
TI  - Management of Post-Traumatic Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens via Right-to-Left Femoral
      Vein to Femoral Vein Bypass (Palma Procedure).
AB  - Phlegmasia cerulea dolens (PCD) is a rare condition resulting from venous
      occlusion that impairs arterial flow. We report a rare case of post-traumatic PCD
      after ligation of the iliac vein with successful treatment by right-to-left
      femoral vein to femoral vein bypass using left great saphenous vein (Palma
      procedure). The clinical presentation, diagnostic process, and approach to
      management along with a literature review on the operative management of PCD are
      presented in this case report.

PMID- 28905683
TI  - A modified walk-in system versus scheduled appointments in a secondary-care
      prosthetic and orthotic clinic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Waiting is common in health care, delays intervention, and has
      negative effects on satisfaction with services. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate effects
      of a modified walk-in system, where patients were invited consecutively from the
      waiting list to attend the clinic on a walk-in basis, on waiting times, services,
      and work environment. STUDY DESIGN: Parallel-group trial. METHODS: In all, 1286
      consecutive patients in need of shoe insoles were randomized to waiting lists for
      modified walk-in ( n = 655) or a scheduled appointment ( n = 631). Seven staff
      members also participated. RESULTS: The median indirect waiting time to first
      appointment was 40 days shorter for modified walk-in (135 days) than for
      scheduled appointment (175 days; p < 0.001); 17% of those randomized to modified
      walk-in did not attend the clinic compared to 6% for scheduled appointment ( p <
      0.001). Mean direct waiting time in the waiting room was 9.9 min longer for
      modified walk-in than for scheduled appointment ( p < 0.001). Patients attending
      modified walk-in or a scheduled appointment reported similar levels of
      satisfaction with services. Staff reported more support from co-workers with
      modified walk-in than with scheduled appointment ( p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: The
      modified walk-in can reduce indirect waiting times without any substantial
      worsening of direct waiting times, service quality, or work environment. Studies
      are needed to investigate why many patients drop out from modified walk-in.
      Clinical relevance A modified walk-in system can cut the queues and create more
      timely interventions by reducing indirect waiting times. This system can
      therefore be recommended in secondary-care prosthetic and orthotic clinics to
      reduce patients' suffering from their health condition.

PMID- 28905684
TI  - Distinctive role of income in the all-cause mortality among working age migrants
      and the settled population in Finland: A follow-up study from 2001 to 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although income level may play a significant part in mortality among
      migrants, previous research has not focused on the relationship between income,
      migration and mortality risk. The aim of this register study was to compare all
      cause mortality by income level between different migrant groups and the majority
      settled population of Finland. METHODS: A random sample was drawn of 1,058,391
      working age people (age range 18-64 years; 50.4% men) living in Finland in 2000
      and linked to mortality data from 2001 to 2014. The data were obtained from
      Statistics Finland. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the
      association between region of origin and all-cause mortality in low- and high
      income groups. RESULTS: The risk for all-cause mortality was significantly lower
      among migrants than among the settled majority population (hazards ratio (HR)
      0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53-0.62). After adjustment for age, sex,
      marital status, employment status and personal income, the risk of mortality was
      significantly reduced for low-income migrants compared with the settled majority
      population with a low income level (HR 0.46; 95% CI 0.42-0.50) and for high
      income migrants compared with the high-income settled majority (HR 0.81; 95% CI
      0.69-0.95). Results comparing individual high-income migrant groups and the
      settled population were not significant. Low-income migrants from Africa, the
      Middle East and Asia had the lowest mortality risk of any migrant group studied
      (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.27-0.39). CONCLUSIONS: Particularly low-income migrants seem
      to display a survival advantage compared with the corresponding income group in
      the settled majority population. Downward social mobility, differences in health
      related lifestyles and the healthy migrant effect may explain this phenomenon.

PMID- 28905685
TI  - Helping coaches apply the principles of representative learning design:
      validation of a tennis specific practice assessment tool.
AB  - Representative Learning Design (RLD) is a framework for assessing the degree to
      which experimental or practice tasks simulate key aspects of specific performance
      environments (i.e. competition). The key premise being that when practice
      replicates the performance environment, skills are more likely to transfer. In
      applied situations, however, there is currently no simple or quick method for
      coaches to assess the key concepts of RLD (e.g. during on-court tasks). The aim
      of this study was to develop a tool for coaches to efficiently assess practice
      task design in tennis. A consensus-based tool was developed using a 4-round
      Delphi process with 10 academic and 13 tennis-coaching experts. Expert consensus
      was reached for the inclusion of seven items, each consisting of two sub
      questions related to (i) the task goal and (ii) the relevance of the task to
      competition performance. The Representative Practice Assessment Tool (RPAT) is
      proposed for use in assessing and enhancing practice task designs in tennis to
      increase the functional coupling between information and movement, and to
      maximise the potential for skill transfer to competition contexts.

PMID- 28905686
TI  - Long-term results of early myoelectric prosthesis fittings: A prospective case
      control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Different recommendations exist regarding what age is best for first
      time fitting of myoelectric hand prostheses in children. OBJECTIVES: To compare
      prosthetic skill, prosthetic use and risk for rejection over time between
      children fitted with myoelectric hand prostheses before or after 21/2 years of
      age. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case-control design. METHODS: The cases were nine
      children fitted with myoelectric hand prostheses before the age of 21/2 years,
      whereas the controls were 27 children who were fitted with myoelectric hand
      prostheses after the age of 21/2 years. The Skills Index Ranking Scale was used
      to classify prosthetic skill, and prosthetic use was categorised based on wearing
      time and pattern. Independent samples tests were used to compare data between
      groups. To estimate and compare the risk of prosthesis rejection between groups
      and over time, survival analysis was used. RESULTS: Cases showed prosthetic skill
      early, but controls had caught up by the age of 31/2 years. Cases had a
      significant ( p = 0.046) decrease in prosthetic use at the age of 9 years. In the
      long term, cases had a higher percentage of prosthesis rejection. CONCLUSIONS:
      Considering young children's development of prosthetic skill and prosthetic use
      over time, this study shows no additional advantages from fitting a myoelectric
      hand prosthesis before 21/2 years of age. Clinical relevance Children may be
      fitted with myoelectric hand prostheses to assist in daily tasks and to prevent
      future over-use problems. Most children fitted with myoelectric hand prostheses
      before 4 years of age become regular users. No advantages of fitting myoelectric
      hand prostheses before 21/2 years of age were observed.

PMID- 28905687
TI  - Victimisation and life satisfaction of gay and bisexual individuals in 44
      European countries: the moderating role of country-level and person-level
      attitudes towards homosexuality.
AB  - We examined the link between victimisation and life satisfaction for 85,301 gay
      and bisexual individuals across 44 European countries. We expected this negative
      link to be stronger when the internalised homonegativity of the victim was high
      (e.g. because the victim is more vulnerable) and weaker when victimisation occurs
      in countries that express intolerance towards homosexuality (e.g. because in such
      contexts victims expect victimisation more and they attribute it to their
      external environment). Additionally, we expected internalised homonegativity to
      relate negatively to life satisfaction. Multilevel analyses revealed that
      victimisation (i.e. verbal insults, threats of violence, minor or major physical
      assaults) and internalised homonegativity were negatively related to life
      satisfaction. Furthermore, as we expected, the negative link between
      victimisation and life satisfaction was stronger when high internalised
      homonegativity was reported (and the interaction effect occurred for verbal
      insults and major assaults as outcome variables), while it was weaker when there
      was low national tolerance of homosexuality (and the interaction effect occurred
      for verbal insults and for minor assaults). Future research and social policy
      should consider how the consequences of victimisation are dependent on personal
      as well as national attitudes towards homosexuality.

PMID- 28905689
TI  - IgG4-Related Cholangiopathy and Its Mimickers: A Case Report and Review
      Highlighting the Importance of Early Diagnosis.
AB  - Immunoglobulin (Ig) G4 (IgG4)-related disease is a recently described clinical
      entity that can involve multiple organs. It is an autoimmune disorder
      characterized by a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, storiform fibrosis, and
      obliterative phlebitis. A key distinguishing factor is its dramatic response to
      steroid therapy. Although best described in cases of autoimmune pancreatitis,
      IgG4-related disease has also been implicated in patients with cholangitis and is
      now commonly referred to as IgG4-related cholangiopathy. It is characterized by
      elevated serum IgG4 levels, an IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltration with
      storiform fibrosis/obliterative phlebitis of the bile duct wall, and a response
      to steroids. It is crucial to differentiate IgG4-related cholangiopathy from its
      mimickers, such as primary biliary cholangitis, secondary biliary cholangitis,
      primary sclerosing cholangitis, secondary sclerosing cholangitis, and
      cholangiocarcinoma, because treatment modalities and outcomes of IgG4-related
      cholangiopathy differ significantly from these disorders. Here, we present an
      interesting case of IgG4-related cholangiopathy, discuss clinical and
      pathological features crucial to its early diagnosis, and compare and contrast
      this condition with its potentially confounding mimickers.

PMID- 28905688
TI  - eHealth and behavioral weight loss interventions for female cancer survivors: A
      review.
AB  - Cancer survivors are at increased risk of chronic disease and diminished quality
      of life. The presence of overweight and obesity can exacerbate these health
      risks. Fortunately, even small weight losses have been found to produce
      clinically meaningful health outcomes. However, effective obesity treatment is
      difficult to access, and recently, efforts have been made to disseminate
      interventions using eHealth or distantly delivered technology. This review aims
      to focus on the efficacy and limitations of these technologies for female cancer
      survivors. Suggestions are also provided to encourage further meaningful work in
      this area.

PMID- 28905690
TI  - The acromiohumeral centre edge angle: A new radiographic measurement and its
      association with rotator cuff pathology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various radiographic measurements that describe humeral head coverage
      by the acromion and the effect on rotator cuff pathology have been reported. This
      study aimed to describe and validate a new radiographic measurement, the
      acromiohumeral centre edge angle (ACEA). METHODS: We compared the ACEA on
      computed tomography (CT) and plain X-ray to determine whether X-ray is accurate
      for measuring this angle. We then compared the results from this control
      population with 107 patients with acute rotator cuff tears. We compared
      functional outcomes in rotator cuff tear patients to determine whether the ACEA
      has any effect on outcome after surgery. An intra- and inter-observer variability
      analysis was performed and we compared the ACEA to the acromial index (AI) on
      rotation X-rays. RESULTS: The ACEA was comparable on CT and plain X-ray and was
      most accurate when true anteroposterior glenohumeral X-rays were used (15.94
      degrees  vs. 15.87 degrees  on CT, p = 0.476). The ACEA showed high intra- and
      inter-observer reproducibility and was unchanged on internal and external
      rotation X-rays (20.48 vs. 20.47, p = 0.842), whereas the AI was significantly
      different (0.74 vs. 0.70, p < 0.001). The ACEA was significantly higher in our
      rotator cuff tear patients than the control population (23.9 degrees  vs. 16.6
      degrees , p < 0.001), although a higher ACEA was not associated with poorer
      outcomes. CONCLUSION: The ACEA is a valid measurement for describing humeral head
      coverage by the acromion and can be accurately measured on plain radiographs with
      good reproducibility. It is unaffected by shoulder rotation and was significantly
      higher in patients with acute rotator cuff tears.

PMID- 28905691
TI  - From Family Violence Exposure to Violent Offending: Examining Effects of Race and
      Mental Health in a Moderated Mediation Model Among Confined Male Juveniles.
AB  - Depression, substance use, and impulsivity have been linked to family violence
      exposure and to the development of violent offending during adolescence.
      Additionally, the indirect effects associated with these factors may not
      generalize across different racial/ethnic adolescent populations. The present
      study tested whether race/ethnicity moderated the mediated relationship between
      family violence exposure and violent offending, with depression, substance use,
      and impulsivity as mediators. A sample of 1,359 male adolescents was obtained
      from a juvenile correctional program. Between-racial/ethnic group comparisons
      were generally consistent with previous findings. The overall moderated mediation
      model was significant in predicting violence for both racial/ethnic groups.
      Different factors influenced violent offending among African Americans and
      European Americans in the tested model. Furthermore, race/ethnicity moderated the
      relationship between family violence exposure and impulsivity and substance use.
      Implications and future directions resolving issues are discussed concerning
      whether race/ethnicity should be included as a moderator in models of violence.

PMID- 28905692
TI  - The emerging challenge of optimal blood pressure management and hypertensive
      syndromes in pregnant women with sickle cell disease: a review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common
      hemoglobinopathy, affecting a considerable proportion of black populations of
      African origin, Middle East and in the Indian sub-continent. Women with SCD are
      more likely to experience adverse pregnancy and delivery outcomes. Hypertensive
      diseases in pregnancy such as preeclampsia and eclampsia are more common in women
      with sickle cell disease. Areas covered: This review examined the influence of
      hypertension and SCD in pregnancy, and provides the preliminary evidence that the
      traditional systolic and diastolic blood pressure thresholds for hypertensive
      disorders such as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia may require reassessment in
      pregnant women with SCD. The causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and
      mortality, hypertensive complications of pregnancy in women with and without
      sickle cell disease were reviewed. A MEDLINE database search using medical
      subject headings (MeSH) and keywords for articles regarding sickle cell disease,
      pregnancy and hypertension was performed. Expert commentary: Pregnancy in women
      with sickle cell disease is associated with high maternal and perinatal morbidity
      and mortality. Using the existing thresholds for diagnosis and treatment for
      hypertensive disease in pregnancy without adjustment to accommodate for the lower
      systolic and diastolic blood pressure in those with sickle cell disease may
      worsen an already poor maternal and perinatal outcome in this population.

PMID- 28905693
TI  - SGEM Hot Off the Press: Management of bronchiolitis in community hospitals.

PMID- 28905694
TI  - Sphingomonas carri sp. nov., isolated from a car air-conditioning system.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, yellow-pigmented bacterial strain, designated PR0302T, was
      isolated from a car evaporator core collected in Korea. The cells were strictly
      aerobic, non-spore-forming and rod-shaped. The strain grew at 15-37  degrees C
      (optimum, 25  degrees C), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum, 7.0) and in the presence of 0-1
      % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetically, the strain was closely related to members of the
      genus Sphingomonas(97.04-91.22 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities) and showed
      the highest sequence similarity of 97.04 % to Sphingomonas kyeonggiensis THG
      DT81T. It contained C16 : 0, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1omega7c and/or C18 :
      1omega6c) and C14 : 0 2-OH as the predominant fatty acids and Q-10 as the major
      ubiquinone. The predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and
      sphingoglycolipid. The major polyamine was sym-homospermidine. The serine
      palmitoyl transferase gene (spt) was detected and sphingolipid synthesis was
      confirmed. The mean DNA G+C content of the strain was 67.8+/-0.5 mol%. DNA-DNA
      relatedness between strain PR0302T and closely related type strains of
      Sphingomonas species was less than 30 %. The low levels of DNA-DNA relatedness
      identified strain PR0302T as a member of a novel species in the genus
      Sphingomonas. Based on phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic data, strain
      PR0302T represents a novel species in the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name
      Sphingomonas carri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is PR0302T (=KACC
      18487T=NBRC 111532T).

PMID- 28905695
TI  - Description of Anaerotignum aminivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., a strictly
      anaerobic, amino-acid-decomposing bacterium isolated from a methanogenic reactor,
      and reclassification of Clostridium propionicum, Clostridium neopropionicum and
      Clostridium lactatifermentans as species of the genus Anaerotignum.
AB  - A strictly anaerobic bacterial strain (SH021T) was isolated from a methanogenic
      reactor. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, motile, straight or slightly curved
      rods. The optimum temperature for growth was 35  degrees C, and the optimum pH
      was 6.1-7.7. The strain was asaccharolytic and utilized amino acids as growth
      substrates. The strain produced acetate and propionate from l-alanine and l
      serine, and propionate and butyrate from l-threonine. Branched-chain amino acids
      (l-isoleucine, l-leucine and l-valine) were utilized weakly, and isovalerate or
      isobutyrate was produced. Strain SH021T utilized pyruvate and lactate, and
      converted them to acetate and propionate. The genomic DNA G+C content was 38.2
      mol%. Compounds related to iso-C15 : 0 were detected as major components in the
      cellular fatty acids analysis. The diagnostic diamino acid of the cell-wall
      peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene
      sequences, the most closely related known species were Clostridium propionicum,
      Clostridium neopropionicum and Clostridium lactatifermentans in cluster XIVb of
      the class Clostridia. Based on the phylogenetic and phenotypic data, Anaerotignum
      aminivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate strain SH021T (=JCM
      31556T=DSM 103575T). For the three related species of the genus Clostridium,
      Anaerotignum propionicum comb. nov. (type strain DSM 1682T=JCM 1430T=ATCC
      25522T=CCUG 9280T=NCIMB 10656T=VPI 5303T), Anaerotignum neopropionicum comb. nov.
      (type strain X4T=DSM 3847T=KCTC 15564T) and Anaerotignum lactatifermentans comb.
      nov. (type strain G17T=DSM 14214T=LMG 20954T) are proposed with emended
      descriptions of these species.

PMID- 28905696
TI  - Paralkalibacillus indicireducens gen., nov., sp. nov., an indigo-reducing
      obligate alkaliphile isolated from indigo fermentation liquor used for dyeing.
AB  - Obligately alkaliphilic, indigo-reducing strains, designated Bps-1T, Bps-2 and
      Bps-3, were isolated from an indigo fermentation liquor used for dyeing, which
      was produced from sukumo (composted Polygonum indigo leaves) obtained from a
      craft centre in Data City, Hokkaido, Japan, by using medium containing cellulase
      treated sukumo. The 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogeny suggested that Bps-1T has a
      distinctive position among the alkaliphilic species of the genus Bacillus, with
      its closest neighbours being Bacillus pseudofirmus DSM 8715T, Bacillus
      lindianensis DSM 26864T and Bacillus alcalophilus DSM 485T (96.1, 95.8 and 95.5 %
      16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, respectively). The 16S rRNA sequence of
      strain Bps-1T was identical to those of strains Bps-2 and Bps-3. Cells of the
      novel isolate were Gram-stain-positive and were facultatively anaerobic straight
      rods that were motile by means of a pair of flagella (subpolar and centre sides).
      Spherical endospores were formed in the terminal position. Strain Bps-1T grew
      between 18 and 40  degrees C with optimum growth at 33  degrees C. The isolate
      grew in the pH range 8-11, with optimum growth at pH 9-10. The isoprenoid quinone
      detected was menaquinone-7 (MK-7), and the DNA G+C content was 40.3 %. The whole
      cell fatty acid profile (>10 %) mainly consisted of anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0
      and C16 : 0. On the basis of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic
      data, the isolates represent a novel species of a novel genus, for which the name
      Paralkalibacillus indicireducens gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain
      of this species is Bps-1T (JCM 31808T=NCIMB 15080T), with strains Bps-2 and Bps-3
      representing additional strains of the species.

PMID- 28905697
TI  - Luteolibacter gellanilyticus sp. nov., a gellan-gum-degrading bacterium of the
      phylum Verrucomicrobia isolated from miniaturized diffusion chambers.
AB  - A novel chemo-organoheterotrophic bacterium, strain CB-286403T, was isolated from
      a Mediterranean forest soil, collected at Sierra de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama
      Natural Park, Spain, by using the Diffusion Sandwich System, a device with 384
      miniature diffusion chambers. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses identified the
      isolate as a member of the genus Luteolibacter where the type strains
      Luteolibacterpohnpeiensis A4T-83T (GenBank acc. no. AB331895),
      Luteolibacteryonseiensis EBTL01T (JQ319003), Luteolibacterluojiensis DR4-30T
      (JN630810) and Luteolibacteralgae A5J-41-2T (AB331893) were the closest relatives
      with similarities of 97.0, 96.3, 96.3 and 94.5 %, respectively. The novel isolate
      was characterized as a Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, short-rod-shaped
      bacterium. The strain showed a positive response for catalase and cytochrome-c
      oxidase, divided by binary fission and/or budding, and exhibited an aerobic
      metabolism. Strain CB-286403T showed a mesophilic and neutrophilic growth range
      and showed a nutritional preference for simple sugars and complex protein
      substrates. Major fatty acids included iso-C14 : 0, C16 : 0, C16 : 1omega7c/iso
      C15 : 0 2-OH and anteiso-C15 : 0. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-9.
      Polar lipids comprised major amounts of phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol and minor amounts of three
      unidentified lipids, a glycolipid, a phospholipid and a phosphoglycolipid. Based
      on a polyphasic taxonomic characterization, strain CB-286403T represents a novel
      species of the genus Luteolibacter, for which the name Luteolibacter
      gellanilyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CB-286403T (=DSM
      28998T=CECT 8659T).

PMID- 28905698
TI  - Microbulbifer aggregans sp. nov., isolated from estuarine sediment from a
      mangrove forest.
AB  - A novel, rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative, halophilic and non-motile bacterium,
      designated CCB-MM1T, was isolated from a sample of estuarine sediment collected
      from Matang Mangrove Forest, Malaysia. The cells possessed a rod-coccus cell
      cycle in association with growth phase and formed aggregates. Strain CCB-MM1T was
      both catalase and oxidase positive, and able to degrade starch. Optimum growth
      occurred at 30  degrees C and pH 7.0 in the presence of 2-3 % (w/v) NaCl. The 16S
      rRNA gene sequence of strain CCB-MM1T showed 98.12, 97.46 and 97.33 % sequence
      similarity with Microbulbifer rhizosphaerae Cs16bT, Microbulbifer maritimus TF
      17T and Microbulbifergwangyangensis GY2T respectively. Strain CCB-MM1T and M.
      rhizosphaerae Cs16bT formed a cluster in the phylogenetic tree. The major
      cellular fatty acids were iso-C17 : 1 omega9c and iso-C15 : 0, and the total
      polar lipid profile consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphoaminolipid, two unidentified lipids, an unidentified glycolipid and an
      unidentified aminolipid. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-8 and the
      genomic DNA G+C content of the strain was 58.9 mol%. On the basis of the
      phylogenetic, phenotypic and genotypic data presented here, strain CCB-MM1T
      represents a novel species of the genus Microbulbifer, for which the name
      Microbulbiferaggregans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CCB-MM1T (=LMG
      29920T=JCM 31875T).

PMID- 28905699
TI  - Sphingomonas jeddahensis sp. nov., isolated from Saudi Arabian desert soil.
AB  - A novel Sphingomonas strain was isolated from a sample of desert soil collected
      near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. A polyphasic approach was performed to characterize
      this strain, initially designated as G39T. Cells of strain G39T are motile, Gram
      negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive. The strain is able to grow aerobically
      at 20-35  degrees C, pH 6.5-8 and tolerates up to 4 % (w/v) NaCl. Based on 16S
      rRNA gene sequence similarity, the closest relative type strains of G39T are
      Sphingomonas mucosissima DSM 17494T (98.6 %), S. dokdonensis DSM 21029T (98.4 %)
      and S. hankookensis DSM 23329T (97.4 %). Furthermore, the average nucleotide
      identities between the draft genome sequence of strain G39T and the genome
      sequences of all other available and related Sphingomonas species are
      significantly below the threshold of 94 %. The G+C content of the draft genome
      (3.12 Mbp) is 65.84 %. The prevalent (>5 %) cellular fatty acids of G39T were C18
      : 1omega7c, C16 : 1omega7c and/or C16 : 1omega6c, C14 : 0 2-OH and C16 : 0. The
      only detectable respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the polar lipids
      profile is composed of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid, as well as unidentified lipids,
      phospholipids and glycolipids. The results of the conducted polyphasic approach
      confirmed that this isolate represents a novel species of the genus Sphingomonas,
      for which the name Sphingomonas jeddahensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain
      of this species is G39T (=DSM 103790T=LMG 29955T).

PMID- 28905700
TI  - Roseomonas aerofrigidensis sp. nov., isolated from an air conditioner.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic bacterium, designated HC1T, was isolated
      from an air conditioner in South Korea. Cells were orange, non-motile cocci with
      oxidase- and catalase-positive activities and did not contain bacteriochlorophyll
      a. Growth of strain HC1T was observed at 10-45  degrees C (optimum, 30  degrees
      C), pH 4.5-9.5 (optimum, pH 7.0) and 0-3 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0 %). Strain HC1T
      contained summed feature 8 (comprising C18 : 1omega7c/C18 : 1omega6c), C16 : 0
      and cyclo-C19 : 0omega8c as the major fatty acids and ubiquinone-10 as the sole
      isoprenoid quinone. Phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylcholine and an unknown aminolipid were detected as the major polar
      lipids. The major carotenoid was hydroxyspirilloxanthin. The G+C content of the
      genomic DNA was 70.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequences, showed that strain HC1T formed a phylogenetic lineage within the genus
      Roseomonas. Strain HC1T was most closely related to the type strains of
      Roseomonas oryzae, Roseomonas rubra, Roseomonas aestuarii and Roseomonas
      rhizosphaerae with 98.1, 97.9, 97.6 and 96.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarities, respectively, but the DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain
      HC1T and closely related type strains were less than 70 %. Based on phenotypic,
      chemotaxonomic and molecular properties, strain HC1T represents a novel species
      of the genus Roseomonas, for which the name Roseomonas aerofrigidensis sp. nov.
      is proposed. The type strain is HC1T (=KACC 19097T=JCM 31878T).

PMID- 28905701
TI  - Outcomes of patients with severe influenza infection admitted to intensive care
      units: a retrospective study in a medical centre.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study assessed clinical manifestations and prognostic factors of
      critically ill patients with severe influenza admitted to the intensive care unit
      (ICU) in Taiwan's recent outbreak. METHODOLOGY: Patients admitted to ICU for
      severe influenza between January 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, were identified and
      their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. The primary endpoints were
      outcomes and predictors of in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: There were 125
      patients with an average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II
      (APACHE II) score of 20.8. Hypertension (62.4 %) and diabetes mellitus (40.8 %)
      were the two most common underlying diseases. Ninety-eight (78.4 %) patients had
      at least one organ failure: the lungs were the most common (71.2 %), followed by
      the heart (53.6 %). Two of the most common symptoms of patients at ICU admission
      were fever (68.0 %) and cough (78.4 %). Thirty-three patients (26.4 %) died; most
      (40.9 %) were middle-aged (50-65 years old). A Cox regression analysis showed
      that multiple organ failure (MOF) [hazard ratio (HR)=3.618; 95 % CI=1.058-13.662]
      was significantly associated with higher risk of death. In contrast, a fluid
      negative balance within 7 days of admission (HR=0.362; 95 % CI=0.140-0.934) was
      significantly associated with a lower risk of death. CONCLUSION: The mortality
      rate of severe influenza patients admitted to the ICU was high, especially in
      middle-aged adults. The risk of mortality was associated with >=2 organ failures.
      A negative fluid balance predicts survival.

PMID- 28905702
TI  - Alteromonas pelagimontana sp. nov., a marine exopolysaccharide-producing
      bacterium isolated from the Southwest Indian Ridge.
AB  - A novel exopolysaccharide-producing strain, designated as 5.12T, was isolated
      from a sediment sample from the Southwest Indian Ridge, Indian Ocean. The strain
      was Gram-stain-negative, motile, strictly aerobic, and oxidase- and catalase
      positive. It grew optimally at 35  degrees C, at pH 6.0 and in the presence of
      3.5 % (w/v) NaCl. Its major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8) and summed
      feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1omega6c and/or C16 : 1omega7c), C16 : 0 and C18 :
      1omega7c were the major cellular fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 46.1 mol%.
      16S rRNA gene sequence analysis suggested that strain 5.12T is a member of the
      genus Alteromonas. Strain 5.12T exhibited close 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity
      to Alteromonas lipolytica JW12T (96.1 %), Alteromonas hispanica F-32T (95.9 %),
      Alteromonas confluentis DSSK2-12T (95.9 %), Alteromonas litorea TF-22T (95.6 %)
      and Alteromonas mediterranea DET (95.5 %). Strain 5.12T contained
      phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipids.
      Owing to significant differences in the 16S rRNA gene sequences, as well as the
      phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, the novel isolate described here
      merits classification as a representative of a novel species of the genus
      Alteromonas, for which the name Alteromonas pelagimontana sp. nov. is proposed.
      The type strain of this species is 5.12T (LMG 29661T= MCC 3250T).

PMID- 28905703
TI  - Saliphagus infecundisoli gen. nov., sp. nov., an extremely halophilic archaeon
      isolated from a saline soil.
AB  - Two extremely halophilic archaea, strains YIM 93745T and YIM 93707, were isolated
      from a saline soil sample collected from Loulan, China. Cells of the two strains
      were coccus, non-motile and Gram-stain negative. The strains were aerobic and
      grew at 25-50  degrees C (optimum, 37  degrees C), in the presence of 5-35 %
      (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 20 %), 0.01-0.1 M Mg2+ (optimum, 0.03 M) and pH 6.0-8.5
      (optimum, 7.0-7.5). Cells lysed in distilled water and with 0-5 % NaCl. Major
      polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl
      ester, phosphatidylglycerol sulfate, sulfated mannosyl glycosyl diether and two
      unidentified glycolipids. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA sequence
      revealed that the two strains were most closely related to Halovivax cerinus
      IC35T (95.1 and 95.2 % sequence similarities, respectively). The two strains,
      however, shared highest rpoB' gene sequence identities with Natrinema pellirubrum
      JCM 10476T (87.8 and 87.7 % respectively). Phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA
      and rpoB' gene sequences demonstrated a robust clade of the two strains with
      members of related genera of the family Natrialbaceae. The DNA G+C contents of
      the two strains were 64.6 and 64.4 mol%, respectively. DNA-DNA relatedness values
      between them were 95+/-2 %. Phenotypic, chemotaxonomic characteristics and
      phylogenetic properties suggested that the two strains YIM 93745T and YIM 93707
      represent a novel species in a new genus within the family Natrialbaceae, for
      which the name Saliphagus infecundisoli gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type
      strain is YIM 93745T (=KCTC 4228T=CGMCC 1.15824T).

PMID- 28905704
TI  - Nesterenkonia pannonica sp. nov., a novel alkaliphilic and moderately halophilic
      actinobacterium.
AB  - An alkaliphilic and moderately halophilic bacterial strain characterized by
      optimal growth at pH 9.0-10.0 and with 5-7 % (w/v) NaCl, designated BV-35T, was
      isolated from water of a soda pan located in Kiskunsag National Park, Hungary.
      Cells of the orange-pigmented colony were Gram-stain-positive, non-motile and non
      endospore-forming coccoid rods. The isolate was strictly aerobic, catalase
      positive and oxidase-negative. Strain BV-35T displayed a peptidoglycan similar to
      type A4alpha, l-Lys-l-Glu (A11.54 according to www.peptidoglycan-types.info) but
      containing additionally 4-aminobutyric acid. Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) was the
      predominant isoprenoid quinone, and anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0 were its
      major cellular fatty acids. The DNA G+C content of strain BV-35T was 65.4 mol%.
      Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, the novel isolate showed the
      closest relationship to Nesterenkonia populi GP 10-3T (97.9 %). The DNA-DNA
      relatedness between BV-35T and N. populi was 46.7 %. The distinguishing
      phenotypic and genetic results of this polyphasic study revealed that strain BV
      35T represents a novel member of the genus Nesterenkonia, for which the name
      Nesterenkonia pannonica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BV-35T (=DSM
      29786T=NCAIM B 02606T).

PMID- 28905705
TI  - Mucilaginibacter terrae sp. nov., isolated from Antarctic soil.
AB  - A bacterial strain designated CCM 8645T was isolated from a soil sample collected
      nearby a mummified seal carcass in the northern part of James Ross Island,
      Antarctica. The cells were short rods, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, catalase
      and oxidase positive, and produced a red-pink pigment on R2A agar. A polyphasic
      taxonomic approach based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, extensive biotyping using
      conventional tests and commercial identification kits and chemotaxonomic analyses
      were applied to clarify its taxonomic position. Phylogenetic analysis based on
      the 16S rRNA gene placed strain CCM 8645T in the genus Mucilaginibacter with the
      closest relative being Mucilaginibacter daejeonensis Jip 10T, exhibiting 96.5 %
      16S rRNA pairwise similarity which was clearly below the 97 % threshold value
      recommended for species demarcation. The major components in fatty acid profiles
      were Summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c/C16 : 1omega6c), C15 : 0 iso and C17 : 0
      iso 3OH. The cellular quinone content was exclusively menaquinone MK-7. The major
      polyamine was sym-homospermidine and predominant polar lipids were
      phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine. Based on presented results, we
      propose a novel species for which the name Mucilaginibacter terrae sp. nov. is
      suggested, with the type strain CCM 8645T (=LMG 29437T).

PMID- 28905706
TI  - Classification of Actinoplanes sp. ATCC 33076, an actinomycete that produces the
      glycolipodepsipeptide antibiotic ramoplanin, as Actinoplanes ramoplaninifer sp.
      nov.
AB  - Strain ATCC 33076, which produces the antibiotic ramoplanin, was isolated from a
      soil sample collected in India, and it was classified as a member of the genus
      Actinoplanes on the basis of morphology and cell-wall composition. A phylogenetic
      analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the strain forms a
      distinct clade within the genus Actinoplanes, and it is most closely related to
      Actinoplanes deccanensis IFO 13994T (98.71 % similarity) and Actinoplanes
      atraurantiacus Y16T (98.33 %). The strain forms an extensively branched substrate
      mycelium; the sporangia are formed very scantily and are globose with irregular
      surface. Spores are oval and motile. The cell wall contains meso-diaminopimelic
      acid and the diagnostic sugars are xylose and arabinose. The predominant
      menaquinone is MK-9(H6), with minor amounts of MK-9(H4) and MK-9(H2). Mycolic
      acids are absent. The diagnostic phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine,
      hydroxyphosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. The major cellular
      fatty acids are anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0, followed by iso-C15 : 0 and
      moderate amounts of anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 and C18 : 1omega9c. The genomic
      DNA G+C content is 71.4 mol%. Significant differences in the morphological,
      chemotaxonomic and biochemical data, together with DNA-DNA relatedness between
      strain ATCC 33076 and closely related type strains, clearly demonstrated that
      strain ATCC 33076 represents a novel species of the genus Actinoplanes, for which
      the name Actinoplanes ramoplaninifer sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is
      ATCC 33076T (=DSM 105064T=NRRL B-65484T).

PMID- 28905707
TI  - 'Candidatus Phytoplasma wodyetiae', a new taxon associated with yellow decline
      disease of foxtail palm (Wodyetia bifurcata) in Malaysia.
AB  - Landscape-grown foxtail palm (Wodyetia bifurcata A. K. Irvine) trees displaying
      symptoms of severe foliar chlorosis, stunting, general decline and mortality
      reminiscent of coconut yellow decline disease were observed in Bangi, Malaysia,
      during 2012. DNA samples from foliage tissues of 15 symptomatic palms were
      analysed by employing a nested PCR assay primed by phytoplasma universal
      ribosomal RNA operon primer pairs, P1/P7 followed by R16F2n/R2. The assay yielded
      amplicons of a single band of 1.25 kb from DNA samples of 11 symptomatic palms.
      Results from cloning and sequence analysis of the PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene
      segments revealed that, in three palms, three mutually distinct phytoplasmas
      comprising strains related to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' and 'Candidatus
      Phytoplasma cynodontis', as well as a novel phytoplasma, were present as triple
      infections. The 16S rRNA gene sequence derived from the novel phytoplasma shared
      less than 96 % nucleotide sequence identity with that of each previously
      describedspecies of the provisional genus 'Ca. Phytoplasma', justifying its
      recognition as the reference strain of a new taxon, 'Candidatus Phytoplasma
      wodyetiae'. Virtual RFLP profiles of the R16F2n/R2 portion of the 16S rRNA gene
      and the pattern similarity coefficient value (0.74) supported the delineation of
      'Ca. Phytoplasma wodyetiae' as the sole representative subgroup A member of a new
      phytoplasma ribosomal group, 16SrXXXVI.

PMID- 28905708
TI  - Williamwhitmania taraxaci gen. nov., sp. nov., a proteolytic anaerobe with a
      novel type of cytology from Lake Untersee in Antarctica, description of
      Williamwhitmaniaceae fam. nov., and emendation of the order Bacteroidales Krieg
      2012.
AB  - The proteolytic bacterium strain A7P-90mT was isolated from Lake Untersee,
      Antarctica. The anoxic water was collected from a perennially sealed (~100
      millennia) glacial ice lake. Gram-stain-negative cells were 0.18-0.3*8.0-25.0 um
      in size, straight, slender rods with unusual gliding motility by external, not
      previously reported, organelles named here as antiae. At the end of stationary
      phase of growth, spheroplasts were terminally formed and the cells resembled
      dandelions. After death, cells were helical. The isolate was an athalassic,
      strictly anaerobic and catalase-negative proteolytic chemoorganotroph. It was
      moderately psychrophilic with a temperature range for growth of 3-26  degrees C
      and an optimum at 22-23  degrees C. The pH range for growth was 5.5-7.8 with an
      optimum at 6.9. Major cellular fatty acids were branched pentadecanoic and
      tridecanoic acids, and saturated tetradecanoic acids. The quinone system
      comprised menaquinone MK-7. The strain was sensitive to all checked antibiotics
      and ascorbic acid. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 42.6 mol%. Based on
      average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity and phylogenetic
      analyses, the novel isolate was placed within a unique phylogenetic cluster
      distant from all eight families in the order Bacteroidales and formed a novel
      family with the proposed name Williamwhitmaniaceae fam. nov. The description of
      the order Bacteroidales was emended accordingly. The name Williamwhitmania
      taraxaci gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed for the new genus and novel species with
      the type strain A7P-90mT (=DSM 100563T=JCM 30888T). The complete draft genome
      sequence was deposited at the Joint Genomes Institute (JGI) under number IMG OID
      2654588148 and in SRA listed as SRP088197.

PMID- 28905709
TI  - Antimicrobial Stewardship in Laboratory Animal Facilities.
AB  - Bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs has become a global health crisis.
      Physicians and veterinarians are embracing the concept of 'antimicrobial
      stewardship' (AMS) to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics for future
      generations. Antimicrobials are used in laboratory animals to treat clinical
      disease, to protect populations that may be vulnerable to infection, and in
      research projects including studies of the microbiome and to influence expression
      in genetically engineered animals. This overview provides a critical look at the
      use of antimicrobials in contemporary vivaria, with special attention to rodents
      because they are the most commonly used species in research and because
      antimicrobial use in rodents is not straightforward. Improvements in antibiotic
      use are encouraged with the goal of decreasing bacterial resistance while
      continuing to provide quality clinical care and research support. Suggestions are
      framed by using the 5 Rs: Reduce, Refine, Replace, and Review antimicrobial use
      in the vivarium, and take Responsibility for the judicious use of antibiotics in
      research animals.

PMID- 28905710
TI  - Cleavage Speed and Blastomere Number in DBA/2J Compared with C57BL/6J Mouse
      Embryos.
AB  - DBA/2J mice are among the oldest and most important inbred strains still used in
      many research fields. However, this strain has reproductive problems, which may
      consume considerable time and effort during experiments requiring a large
      population. Because the quality of DBA/2J embryos has not yet been described in
      detail, we compared DBA/2J mice with the reproductively efficient C57BL/6J
      strain. Compared with C57BL/6J embryos, DBA/2J embryos had a slower cleavage
      speed (mean +/- 1 SD; first cleavage: C57BL/6J, 16.87 +/- 1.32 ; DBA/2J, 19.64 +/
      0.96 h; P < 0.01; second cleavage: C57BL/6J, 41.12 +/- 2.02 h; DBA/2J, 46.20 +/-
      2.68 h, P < 0.01) and lower cell counts at the morula and blastocyst stages
      (morula stage: C57BL/6J, 15 +/- 3 cells per embryo; DBA/2J, 9 +/- 5 cells per
      embryo; P < 0.05; blastocyst stage: C57BL/6J, 52 +/- 6 cells per embryo; DBA/2J,
      35 +/- 14 cells per embryo; P < 0.05). In addition, the results of reciprocal in
      vitro fertilization and male-female reciprocal crosses revealed that these
      phenotypes were not affected by the sperm genome and were recessively inherited.
      These findings likely will facilitate the production of DBA/2J mice and
      genetically modified mice with their background. Our results also suggest that,
      due to their slow cleavage speed, DBA/2J mice can serve as a new model for human
      infertility.

PMID- 28905711
TI  - Automated Tracking of Motion and Body Weight for Objective Monitoring of Rats in
      Colony Housing.
AB  - Living together in large social communities within an enriched environment
      stimulates self-motivated activity in rats. We developed a modular housing system
      in which a single unit can accommodate as many as 48 rats and contains multiple
      functional areas. This rat colony cage further allowed us to remotely measure
      body weight and to continuously measure movement, including jumping and stair
      walking between areas. Compared with pair-housed, age-, strain-, and weight
      matched rats in conventional cages, the colony-housed rats exhibited higher body
      mass indices, had more exploratory behavior, and were more cooperative during
      handling. Continuous activity tracking revealed that the amount of spontaneous
      locomotion, such as jumping between levels and running through the staircase,
      fell after surgery, blood sampling, injections, and behavioral tests to a similar
      extent regardless of the specific intervention. Data from the automated system
      allowed us to identify individual rats with significant differences (>2 SD) from
      other cohoused rats; these rats showed potential health problems, as verified
      using conventional health scoring. Thus, our rat colony cage permits social
      interaction and provides a variety of functional areas, thereby perhaps improving
      animal wellbeing. Furthermore, automated online tracking enabled continuous
      quantification of spontaneous motion, potentially providing objective measures of
      animal behavior in various disease models and reducing the need for experimental
      manipulation. Finally, health monitoring of individual rats was facilitated in an
      objective manner.

PMID- 28905712
TI  - Evaluation of Traditional and Contemporary Methods for Detecting Syphacia
      obvelata and Aspiculuris tetraptera in Laboratory Mice.
AB  - There is no consensus regarding the best practice for detecting murine pinworm
      infections. Initially, we evaluated 7 fecal concentration methods by using feces
      containing Aspiculuris tetraptera (AT) eggs (n = 20 samples per method). Sodium
      nitrate flotation, sodium nitrate centrifugation, Sheather sugar centrifugation,
      and zinc sulfate centrifugation detected eggs in 100% of samples; zinc sulfate
      flotation and water sedimentation detected eggs in 90%. All had better detection
      rates than Sheather sugar flotation (50%). To determine optimal detection
      methods, Swiss Webster mice were exposed to Syphacia obvelata (SO; n = 60) or AT
      (n = 60). We compared the following methods at days 0, 30, and 90, beginning 21
      or 28 d after SO and AT exposure, respectively: fecal concentration (AT only),
      anal tape test (SO only), direct examination of intestinal contents (cecum and
      colon), Swiss roll histology (cecum and colon), and PCR analysis (pooled fur swab
      and feces). Detection rates for SO-exposed mice were: PCR analysis, 45%; Swiss
      roll histology, 30%; intestinal content exam, 27%; and tape test, 27%. The SO
      detection rate for PCR analysis was significantly greater than that for the tape
      test. Detection rates for AT-exposed mice were: intestinal content exam, 53%; PCR
      analysis, 33%; fecal flotation, 22%; and Swiss roll histology, 17%. The AT
      detection rate of PCR analysis combined with intestinal content examination was
      greater than for PCR analysis only and the AT detection rate of intestinal
      content examination was greater than for Swiss roll histology. Combining PCR
      analysis with intestinal content examination detected 100% of infected animals.
      No single test detected all positive animals. We recommend combining PCR analysis
      with intestinal content examination for optimal pinworm detection.

PMID- 28905713
TI  - Interspecies Variation in the Susceptibility of a Wild-Derived Colony of Mice to
      Pinworms (Aspiculuris tetraptera).
AB  - Pinworms are common parasites in wild and laboratory rodents. Despite their
      relative nonpathogenicity in immunocompetent models, pinworm infections add an
      unwanted variable and may confound some types of research. For this reason,
      health monitoring programs and biosecurity measures aim to minimize the spread of
      pinworm infections into colonies free from the organisms. Wild-derived and
      laboratory strains of mice have shown varied susceptibility to infection with
      Aspiculuris tetraptera, the most commonly found murine pinworm. In particular,
      susceptibility is increased in wild-derived mice, young animals, and males.
      Routine surveillance at our institution revealed pinworm infection (A. tetraptera
      only) within a colony of multiple, wild-derived species of Mus, although only
      specific species showed positive results during initial sampling. To assess
      whether species-associated differences in susceptibility were present, we
      analyzed fecal egg counts of A. tetraptera in every cage of the colony. Our
      results revealed significant differences in susceptibility between various
      species and subspecies of Mus. Egg counts were significantly higher in Mus
      spicilegus than Mus m. domesticus (WSB/EiJ) and Mus macedonicus. Mus spretus had
      higher egg counts than M. m. domesticus (WSB/EiJ), M. m. musculus (PWK/PhJ), and
      M. macedonicus. Egg counts did not differ in regard to age, sex, or number of
      mice per cage. As wild-derived mouse models continue to compliment research
      largely based on laboratory strains, it will be important to understand host
      parasite interactions and their effects on research, particularly studies
      evaluating immune responses, behavior, growth, and other physiologic parameters.

PMID- 28905714
TI  - Cross-Foster Rederivation Compared with Antibiotic Administration in the Drinking
      Water to Eradicate Bordetella pseudohinzii.
AB  - Bordetella pseudohinzii is a microbial agent of potential importance in mice and
      has confounded pulmonary research at our institution. The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate cross-foster rederivation and antibiotic administration in the
      drinking water as methods to eradicate B. pseudohinzii. To evaluate the efficacy
      of cross-foster rederivation, 29 litters representing 16 strains of mice were
      cross-fostered from cages positive for B. pseudohinzii to B. pseudohinzii
      negative Crl:CD1-Elite surrogate dams. To evaluate antibiotic administration,
      sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (TMS; 0.66 and 0.13 mg/mL, respectively) and
      tetracycline (4.5 mg/mL) were administered in the drinking water. We assessed 3
      antibiotic treatment groups with 12 B. pseudohinzii-positive cages per group (6
      cages of CD1 and 6 cages of C57BL/6 mice): TMS for 4 wk, TMS for 6 wk, and
      tetracycline for 6 wk. Of the 29 litters that underwent cross-foster
      rederivation, 24 were negative for B. pseudohinzii. Five of the 12 cages treated
      with TMS for 4 wk and 1 of the 12 cages treated with TMS for 6 wk were negative
      for B. pseudohinzii at 2 wk after treatment. Three of the 12 cages treated with
      tetracycline were negative for B. pseudohinzii at 2 wk after treatment. Pearson
      chi2 analysis revealed significant association between the method of eradication
      (cross-foster rederivation compared with antibiotic administration) and B.
      pseudohinzii infection, and an odds-ratio estimate from a logistic regression
      demonstrated that cross-foster rederivation was more successful. Whereas
      antibiotic administration in the drinking water failed to eradicate B.
      pseudohinzii, cross-foster rederivation was successful and has been used to
      establish a B. pseudohinzii-negative barrier.

PMID- 28905715
TI  - Pilot Study to Assess the Efficacy of Ivermectin and Fenbendazole for Treating
      Captive-Born Olive Baboons (Papio anubis) Coinfected with Strongyloides
      fulleborni and Trichuris trichiura.
AB  - In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of combined treatment with ivermectin
      and fenbendazole (IVM-FBZ) for treating captive olive baboons (Papio anubis)
      infected with Strongyloides fulleborni and Trichuris trichiura, 2 common nematode
      parasites of these NHP. Infected baboons were treated for a total of 9 wk with
      ivermectin (400 MUg/kg IM twice weekly) and fenbendazole (50 mg/kg PO once daily
      for 3 d; 3 rounds of treatment, 21 d apart). Five baboons naturally infected with
      both S. fulleborni and T. trichiura (n = 4) or S. fulleborni alone (n = 1)
      received the combination therapy; an additional baboon infected with both
      parasites served as a nontreated control. The efficacy of IVM-FBZ was measured as
      the reduction in fecal egg counts of S. fulleborni and T. trichiura as determined
      by quantitative fecal flotation examination after treatment of baboons with IVM
      FBZ. All baboons treated with IVM-FBZ stopped shedding S. fulleborni and T.
      trichiura eggs by 8 d after treatment and remained negative for at least 161 d.
      The nontreated control baboon shed S. fulleborni and T. trichiura eggs throughout
      the study period. Our results indicate that the IVM-FBZ regimen was efficacious
      for treating olive baboons infected with S. fulleborni and T. trichiura.

PMID- 28905716
TI  - Lack of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Urban Roof Rats (Rattus rattus) at a Texas
      Facility Housing Naturally Infected Nonhuman Primates.
AB  - The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, uses kissing bugs
      as a vector, and is maintained in nature by a variety of wildlife reservoirs.
      Many natural cases of Chagas disease have been reported in NHP at facilities
      across the southern United States, where infected vectors and wildlife occur.
      Infection of NHP with T. cruzi can diminish their value as research models and
      lead to health problems and death. Identifying the modes of transmission and role
      of wildlife reservoirs in these facilities is therefore critical to guide
      interventions to reduce transmission. Here we investigated the role of roof rats
      (Rattus rattus), the most abundant nuisance species at a primate facility in San
      Antonio, in the maintenance and transmission of T. cruzi. The hearts and blood
      from the carcasses of the 145 rats collected underwent 2 independent PCR assays
      for detection of T. cruzi and other trypanosomes. The 145 hearts and 61 blood
      samples were all negative for T. cruzi. This population sample of 145 subjects
      would allow the detection of disease prevalence of 0.020 with a confidence level
      of 95%. The limited active vector surveillance efforts by our team combined with
      passive surveillance by facility personnel yielded no kissing bugs during the
      study period. Our results suggest that roof rats are unlikely to be important
      local reservoirs of T. cruzi at this facility. Further investigation of
      transmission dynamics across multiple years and more comprehensive vector
      surveillance is warranted.

PMID- 28905717
TI  - Use of Liposomal Bupivacaine for Postoperative Analgesia in an Incisional Pain
      Model in Rats (Rattus norvegicus).
AB  - The local anesthetic bupivacaine is valuable for perioperative analgesia, but its
      use in the postoperative period is limited by its short duration of action. Here,
      we evaluated the application of a slow-release liposomal formulation of
      bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia. The aim was to assess whether liposomal
      bupivacaine effectively attenuates postoperative mechanical and thermal
      hypersensitivity in a rat model of incisional pain. Rats (n = 36) were randomly
      assigned to 1 of 5 treatment groups: saline, 1 mL/kg SC every 12 h for 2 d;
      buprenorphine HCl, 0.05 mg/kg SC every 12 h for 2 d (Bup HCl); 0.5% bupivacaine,
      2 mg/kg SC local infiltration once (Bupi); liposomal bupivacaine, 1 mg/kg SC
      local infiltration once (Exp1); and liposomal bupivacaine, 6 mg/kg SC local
      infiltration once (Exp6). Mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity were evaluated
      daily on days -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. The saline group exhibited both
      hypersensitivities through all 4 evaluated postoperative days. Bup HCl attenuated
      mechanical hypersensitivity for 2 d and thermal hypersensitivity for 1 d. Bupi
      attenuated only thermal hypersensitivity for 4 d. Rats in the Exp1 group showed
      attenuation of both mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity for 4 d, and those in
      the Exp6 group had attenuation of mechanical hypersensitivity on day 0 and
      thermal hypersensitivity for 4 d. These data suggest that a single local
      infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine at a dose of 1 mg/kg SC effectively
      attenuates postoperative mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity for 4 d in a rat
      model of incisional pain.

PMID- 28905718
TI  - Physiologic, Behavioral, and Histologic Responses to Various Euthanasia Methods
      in C57BL/6NTac Male Mice.
AB  - Rodent euthanasia using exposure to increasing concentrations of CO2 has come
      under scrutiny due to concerns of potential pain during the euthanasia process.
      Alternatives to CO2, such as isoflurane and barbiturates, have been proposed as
      more humane methods of euthanasia. In this study, we examined 3 commonly used
      euthanasia methods in mice: intraperitoneal injection of pentobarbital-phenytoin
      solution, CO2 inhalation, and isoflurane anesthesia followed by CO2 inhalation.
      We hypothesized that pentobarbital-phenytoin euthanasia would cause fewer
      alterations in cardiovascular response, result in less behavioral evidence of
      pain or stress, and produce lower elevations in ACTH than would the isoflurane
      and CO2 methods, which we hypothesized would not differ in regard to these
      parameters. ACTH data suggested that pentobarbital-phenytoin euthanasia may be
      less stressful to mice than are isoflurane and CO2 euthanasia. Cardiovascular,
      behavioral, and activity data did not consistently or significantly support
      isoflurane or pentobarbital-phenytoin euthanasia as less stressful methods than
      CO2. Euthanasia with CO2 was the fastest method of the 3 techniques. Therefore,
      we conclude that using CO2 with or without isoflurane is an acceptable euthanasia
      method. Pathologic alterations in the lungs were most severe with CO2 euthanasia,
      and alternative euthanasia techniques likely are better suited for studies that
      rely on analysis of the lungs.

PMID- 28905719
TI  - Consequences of Oral Gavage during Gestation and Lactation on Rat Dams and the
      Neurodevelopment and Behavior of Their Offspring.
AB  - Oral gavage is a popular route of drug administration during preclinical testing.
      Despite the growing body of information regarding the effects of oral gavage and
      the stress associated with this technique, the consequences of such exposure
      during pregnancy or lactation have rarely been investigated. Therefore, we sought
      to determine the consequences of oral gavage exposure during pregnancy and
      lactation on the neurodevelopment and behavior of rat offspring. Pregnant Sprague
      Dawley dams underwent either no treatment or oral gavage of distilled water once
      daily from gestational day 7 until postnatal day 21. Oral gavage treatment had no
      significant effect on maternal parameters, including bodyweight gain, duration of
      gestation, litter size, and incidence of neonatal death. Compared with their
      counterparts from untreated dams, male and female progeny of gavaged dams had
      longer body lengths on PND 7 and 14 but reduced forelimb grip performance on PND
      14 and 17. Therefore, the use of oral gavage during pregnancy and lactation in
      rats can have opposite effects on the somatic and behavioral development of the
      offspring. These factors should be considered when using oral gavage as a route
      of administration during pregnancy. In addition, the inclusion of no-treatment
      controls is important because they may reveal various restraint-associated
      effects.

PMID- 28905720
TI  - Evaluation of Infrared Thermometry in Cynomolgus Macaques (Macaca fascicularis).
AB  - Recording an accurate body temperature is important to assess an animal's health
      status. We compared temperature data from sedated cynomolgus macaques (Macaca
      fascicularis) to evaluate differences between rectal, infrared (inguinal and
      chest), and implanted telemetry techniques with the objective of demonstrating
      the diagnostic equivalence of the infrared device with other approaches. Infrared
      thermometer readings are instantaneous and require no contact with the animal.
      Body temperature data were obtained from 205 (137 male, 68 female) cynomolgus
      macaques under ketamine (10 mg/kg IM) sedation over a 3-mo period during
      scheduled physical examinations. Infrared measurements were taken 5 cm from the
      chest and inguinal areas. We evaluated 10 (9 functional devices) sedated
      cynomolgus macaques (5 male, 5 female) implanted with telemetry units in a
      muscular pouch between the internal and external abdominal oblique muscles. We
      determined that the mean body temperature acquired by using telemetry did not
      differ from either the mean of inguinal and chest infrared measurements but did
      differ from the mean of temperature obtained rectally. In addition, the mean
      rectal temperature differed from the mean of the inguinal reading but not the
      mean of the chest temperature. The results confirm our hypothesis that the
      infrared thermometer can be used to replace standard rectal thermometry.

PMID- 28905722
TI  - Calculation of Glucose Dose for Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Tests in Lean
      and Obese Mice.
AB  - Glucose tolerance tests are used frequently in nonclinical research with
      laboratory animals, for example during characterization of obese phenotypes.
      Despite published standard operating procedures for glucose tolerance tests in
      rodents, how glucose doses should be calculated when obese and lean animals are
      compared is not well documented. Typically the glucose dose is calculated as 2
      g/kg body weight, regardless of body composition. With this approach, obese mice
      receive larger glucose doses than do lean animals, potentially leading to
      overestimation of glucose intolerance in obese animals. In this study, we
      performed intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests in mice with diet-induced
      obesity and their lean controls, with glucose doses based on either the total
      body weight or the lean body mass of the animals. To determine glucose tolerance,
      we determined the blood glucose AUC during the glucose tolerance test. We found
      that the blood glucose AUC was increased significantly in obese mice compared
      with lean mice by 75% on average when glucose was dosed according to the lean
      body mass and by 87% when the glucose dose was calculated according to total body
      weight. Therefore, mice with diet-induced obesity were approximately equally
      glucose intolerant between the 2 dose-calculation protocols. However, we
      recommend calculating the glucose dose according to the lean body mass of the
      mice, because doing so eliminates the concern regarding overdosing of obese
      animals.

PMID- 28905721
TI  - Using a Cageside Device for Testing Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Cynomolgus
      Macaques (Macaca fascicularis).
AB  - Nonhuman primates naturally develop type 2 diabetes mellitus and exhibit clinical
      features that are similar to those observed in humans, including obesity, insulin
      resistance, dyslipidemia, and pancreatic pathology. The glycosylated hemoglobin
      (HbA1C) test is the primary test used for diabetes management in humans because
      it reflects the average blood glucose levels over the previous 3 mo. The HbA1C
      results are a better predictor of potential risk of complications than are single
      or episodic measures of glucose levels. HbA1C levels have proven useful for the
      diagnosis and monitoring of blood glucose levels in NHP, but for testing by a
      commercial laboratory, the test requires a vial of whole blood, results are not
      available for several days, and the test is expensive. The cageside device
      requires a single drop of blood, it displays the HbA1C percentage in 5 min, and
      the cost per sample is less than for sending it to a commercial lab. We therefore
      assessed the correlation between a cageside test using a handheld unit and the
      commercial lab test for measuring HbA1C in cynomolgus macaques. From both normal
      and confirmed diabetic animals, 4 mL blood was collected from a peripheral vessel
      and sent to a commercial lab for HbA1C testing. At the same time, a drop of
      capillary blood was collected and tested immediately in the HbA1C cageside test.
      A comparison of the results revealed significant correlation between the cageside
      and commercial lab tests. Therefore, we feel that the HbA1C test using handheld
      device may help to rule out nondiabetics and indicate which animals require
      additional testing.

PMID- 28905723
TI  - Breeding and Rearing Naked Mole-Rats (Heterocephalus glaber) under Laboratory
      Conditions.
AB  - The unique biologic characteristics of naked mole-rats (NMR, Heterocephalus
      glaber) include longevity, cancer resistance, hypoxia tolerance, and pain
      insensitivity, making NMR an attractive model for biomedical research on aging,
      cancer, and neurobiology. However, breeding and rearing NMR in captivity is
      challenging. Here, we report a method for breeding NMR by using a closed-colony
      mating system. We selected sexually mature male and female NMR from different
      natal colonies and mated them 1:1. The 5 original colonies had an annual parity
      of 3.20 +/- 0.84 (mean +/- 1 SD), with 38.80 +/- 9.50 pups born, 33.80 +/- 8.32
      pups weaned, and a survival rate of 87.19% +/- 6.09% after weaning. The average
      annual parity of 22 N1 pairs (established from the progeny of the 5 original
      pairs) was 3.09 +/- 0.81, with 34.86 +/- 10.66 total pups born during the year,
      30.14 +/- 10.23 pups weaned, and a survival rate after weaning of 85.51% +/-
      6.60%. The average annual parity of 29 N2 pairs (that is, offspring of N1 pairs)
      was 3.04 +/- 0.87, with 33.69 +/- 11.42 pups born, 28.17 +/- 10.43 pups weaned,
      and a survival rate after weaning of 83.66% +/- 10.75%. None of these measures
      differed among the 3 generations, with average reproductive success exceeding 70%
      for each. In addition, the reproduction and growth of the N1 and N2 generations
      was similar to the original colonies. Our breeding method remarkably increases
      the production of NMR, thus representing a great potential to promote
      experimental NMR research and its applications.

PMID- 28905724
TI  - Position Statement: "Functionally Appropriate Nonhuman Primate Environments" as
      an Alternative to the Term "Ethologically Appropriate Environments".
AB  - The American Society of Primatologists (ASP), the Association of Primate
      Veterinarians (APV), and the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
      (ACLAM) have come together to develop this position statement in which the term
      "functionally appropriate nonhuman primate environments" is proposed as a better
      descriptor and as an alternative to the previously used term, "ethologically
      appropriate environments" to describe environments that are suitable for nonhuman
      primates involved in biomedical research. In 2015, the United States Department
      of Agriculture requested comments on a petition which called for amending the
      Animal Welfare Act so that all research primates would be housed in
      "ethologically appropriate physical and social environments." We are critical of
      this term because: (1) it does not provide clarification beyond that in current
      regulatory language; (2) it does not provide for balance between animal welfare
      goals and the reasons why the primates are housed in captivity; (3) it discounts
      the adaptability that is inherent in the behavior of primates; (4) it conveys
      that duplication of features of the natural environment are required for suitable
      holding environments; (5) objective studies reveal that environments that appear
      to be more ethologically appropriate do not necessarily better meet the needs of
      animals; and (6) using the term "ethology" is inherently confusing. We propose
      that the term "functionally appropriate nonhuman primate environments" be used
      instead, as it emphasizes how environments work for nonhuman primates, it better
      describes current activities underway to improve nonhuman primate welfare, and
      the balance that is achieved between meeting the needs of the animals and the
      requirements of the research in which they are involved.

PMID- 28905725
TI  - Ethics Students Go to the Jail.
AB  - This article describes an educational initiative in which clinical ethics
      students, who were either in a bioethics master's degree program or in the fourth
      year of medical school, spent two days observing health care in an urban jail.
      Students submitted reflections about their experience, in which they drew
      attention to concerns about privacy, physical restriction, due care, drug
      addiction, mistrust, and the conflicting expectations that arise when
      incarcerated people become patients. The rotation was of great value to the
      students both because it exposed them to many of the ethical issues that arise in
      a correctional setting and because it deepened their understanding of various
      ethical concerns that are pervasive in health care.

PMID- 28905726
TI  - Compassionate Release Policy Reform: Physicians as Advocates for Human Dignity.
AB  - A rapidly aging correctional population has led to an increasing number of
      patients with serious progressive and terminal illnesses in correctional
      settings. "Compassionate release" describes a range of policies offering early
      release or parole to incarcerated patients with serious or debilitating
      illnesses. However, in many states that have compassionate release policies, few
      patients are actually granted release. We describe how the continued
      incarceration of patients with serious or debilitating illness can constitute a
      violation of human dignity if appropriate palliative care is unavailable. We
      argue that, given the importance in medical ethics of upholding dignity,
      physicians should advocate for the appropriate application and use of
      compassionate release. We describe several opportunities for physicians to take
      leadership on this issue.

PMID- 28905728
TI  - What Are Physicians' Responsibilities to Patients Whose Health Conditions Can
      Influence Their Legal Proceedings?
AB  - Correctional populations are disproportionately affected by conditions that
      affect cognition, such as psychiatric illness and head trauma. Honoring
      bioethical principles in the care of such patients can be particularly difficult
      in the correctional setting. However, the approach should not change markedly
      because a patient is incarcerated. That is, the same standards of respecting
      patient autonomy and confidentiality should be maintained, and the fact that
      correctional populations are already marginalized makes it all the more important
      for clinicians to honor these principles. Physicians should act in the best
      interest of their patients; in jails this might include disclosing information to
      and consulting with a patient's legal defense. However, this step should only be
      taken with a patient's consent or, in cases in which the patient does not have
      decision-making capacity, when it seems consistent with a patient's wishes.

PMID- 28905727
TI  - "Teach-to-Goal" to Better Assess Informed Consent Comprehension among
      Incarcerated Clinical Research Participants.
AB  - Correctional health research requires important safeguards to ensure that
      research participation is ethically conducted. In addition to having
      disproportionately low educational attainment and low literacy, incarcerated
      people suffer from health-related conditions that can affect cognition (e.g.,
      traumatic brain injury, substance use disorders, mental illness). Yet modified
      informed consent processes that assess participants' comprehension of the risks
      and benefits of participation are not required by relevant federal guidelines. A
      push to assess comprehension of informed consent documents is particularly timely
      given an increase in demand for correctional health research in the context of
      criminal justice reform. We argue that comprehension assessments can identify
      persons who should be excluded from research and help those who will ultimately
      participate in studies better understand the risks and benefits of their
      participation.

PMID- 28905729
TI  - How to Talk with Patients about Incarceration and Health.
AB  - The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any nation in the world
      more than 700 people per 100,000. For this reason alone, clinicians practicing in
      the US should be aware of the numerous ways in which incarceration adversely
      affects the health of individuals, their families, and communities. While we
      clinicians are taught how to discuss ways that culture, religion, or sexuality
      can affect health outcomes, we are not instructed on how to talk about
      incarceration history with patients when it might be affecting their health, as
      highlighted in the case scenario. Here I present a "structural vulnerability"
      screen, a theoretical approach that clinics or individuals can take to better
      understand how structures of power (i.e., mass incarceration) directly and
      indirectly affect our patients. I also offer practical tips on how to talk to
      patients about incarceration history and why it matters for good health.

PMID- 28905730
TI  - How Should a Health Care Professional Respond to an Incarcerated Patient's
      Request for a Particular Treatment?
AB  - Incarceration complicates the ethical provision of clinical care through
      reduction in access to treatment modalities and institutional cultures that value
      order over autonomy. Correctional care clinicians should expand their guiding
      principles to consider autonomy and health justice for their patients, which in
      turn should prompt development of processes and care plans that are patient
      centered and account for the inherent restrictions of the setting.

PMID- 28905731
TI  - What Does Health Justice Look Like for People Returning from Incarceration?
AB  - Access to health care is a constitutional right in the United States correctional
      system, and many incarcerated adults are newly diagnosed with chronic diseases in
      prison. Despite this right, the quality of correctional health care is variable,
      largely unmeasured and unregulated, and characterized by patients' widespread
      distrust of a health system that is intimately tied to a punitive criminal
      justice system. Upon release, discontinuity of care is the norm, and when
      continuity is established, it is often hindered by distrust, discrimination, poor
      communication, and racism in the health system. In this paper, we will propose
      best practices in transitioning from correctional- to community-based health care
      and argue that achieving health equity for people with criminal justice
      involvement in the United States is not possible without ethical provision of
      health care.

PMID- 28905732
TI  - Medicine and Mass Incarceration: Education and Advocacy in the New York City Jail
      System.
AB  - The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world.
      The scale of mass incarceration ensures that almost all practicing physicians
      will treat formerly incarcerated patients. Yet the majority of physicians receive
      little training on this topic. In this paper, we will outline the need for
      expanded education on the interface between incarceration and health, describe
      initiatives taking place within the New York City jail system and nationally, and
      describe future directions for curriculum development. We conclude by
      highlighting the important role health care workers can play in transforming our
      criminal justice system and ending mass incarceration.

PMID- 28905733
TI  - Why It's Inappropriate Not to Treat Incarcerated Patients with Opioid Agonist
      Therapy.
AB  - Due to the criminalization of drug use and addiction, opioid use disorder is
      overrepresented in incarcerated populations. Decades of evidence supports opioid
      agonist therapy as a highly effective treatment that improves clinical outcomes
      and reduces illicit opioid use, overdose death, and cost. Opioid agonist therapy
      has been both studied within correctional facilities and initiated prerelease. It
      has been found to be beneficial, yet few incarcerated persons receive this
      evidence-based treatment. In addition to not offering treatment initiation for
      those who need it, most correctional facilities forcibly withdraw stable patients
      from opioid agonist therapy upon their entry into the criminal justice system.
      This approach limits their access to evidence-based health care and results in
      negative outcomes for individuals, communities, and society.

PMID- 28905734
TI  - Swift and Certain, Proportionate and Consistent: Key Values of Urine Drug Test
      Consequences for Probationers.
AB  - Traditionally, urine drug testing (UDT) in the correctional population (both
      prison and community corrections) has been infrequent, is scheduled, and has a
      high possibility of delayed results. Of practical relevance is that scheduled
      testing is ineffective for identifying drug misuse. Of ethical relevance is that
      consequences of positive scheduled tests can be unpredictable-in the form of
      overly severe punishment or a lack of treatment options-and that the scheduled
      testing paradigm is a poor way to change behaviors. More innovative programs now
      use a UDT paradigm with more frequent, random testing providing rapid results and
      certain, swift consequences and addiction treatment when warranted or requested.
      Studies have shown these new programs-the foundation of which is frequent, random
      UDTs-to significantly reduce drug use, criminal recidivism, and incarceration.

PMID- 28905735
TI  - Surgery in Shackles: What Are Surgeons' Obligations to Incarcerated Patients in
      the Operating Room?
AB  - Incarcerated patients frequently require surgery outside of the correctional
      setting, where they can be shackled to the operating table in the presence of
      armed corrections officers who observe them throughout the procedure. In this
      circumstance, privacy protection-central to the patient-physician relationship
      and the need to control the incarcerated patient for the safety of health care
      workers, corrections officers, and society must be balanced. Surgeons recognize
      the heightened need for gaining a patient's trust within the context of an
      operation. For an anesthetized patient, undergoing an operation while shackled
      and observed by persons in positions of power is a violation of patient privacy
      that can lead to increased feelings of vulnerability, mistrust of health care
      professionals, and reduced therapeutic potential of a procedure.

PMID- 28905736
TI  - Hydrochlorothiazide.

PMID- 28905738
TI  - Extraskeletal osteochondroma within the iliopsoas muscle: case report.
AB  - Osteochondromas, occurring usually in the metaphyses of long bones, are among the
      most frequent benign musculoskeletal neoplasms and both their sporadic and
      hereditary variants have been studied extensively. Extraskeletal osteochondromas,
      however, are much less common. They have been shown to arise near joints or
      synovial spaces of feet, hands, or bursae. Herein, we present a very rare case of
      an extraskeletal osteochondroma within the iliopsoas muscle.

PMID- 28905737
TI  - Giant cell tumor of bone revisited.
AB  - Giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone is a locally aggressive benign neoplasm that is
      associated with a large biological spectrum ranging from latent benign to highly
      recurrent and occasionally metastatic malignant bone tumor. It accounts for 4-10%
      of all bone tumors and typically affects the meta-epiphyseal region of long bones
      of young adults. The most common site involved is the distal femur, followed by
      the distal radius, sacrum, and proximal humerus. Clinical symptoms are
      nonspecific and may include local pain, swelling, and limited range of motion of
      the adjacent joint. Radiographs and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) are the imaging modalities of choice for diagnosis. Surgical treatment with
      curettage is the optimal treatment for local tumor control. A favorable clinical
      outcome is expected when the tumor is excised to tumor-free margins, however, for
      periarticular lesions this is usually accompanied with a suboptimal functional
      outcome. Local adjuvants have been used for improved curettage, in addition to
      systematic agents such as denosumab, bisphosphonates, or interferon alpha. This
      article aims to discuss the clinicopathological features, diagnosis, and
      treatments for GCT of bone.

PMID- 28905740
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28905739
TI  - Of pigs and people-WHO prepares to battle cysticercosis.

PMID- 28905741
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28905742
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28905743
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28905744
TI  - August 16-22, 2014.

PMID- 28905745
TI  - Re: Rates of Prostate Surgery and Acute Urinary Retention for Benign Prostatic
      Hyperplasia in Men Treated with Dutasteride or Finasteride.

PMID- 28905746
TI  - Re: A Possible Relationship between Serum Sex Hormones and Benign Prostatic
      Hyperplasia/Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men Who Underwent Transurethral
      Prostate Resection.

PMID- 28905747
TI  - Re: Analysis of Risk Factors Leading to Postoperative Urethral Stricture and
      Bladder Neck Contracture following Transurethral Resection of Prostate.

PMID- 28905748
TI  - Re: Do no Harm, Except to Ourselves? A Survey of Symptoms and Injuries in
      Oncologic Surgeons and Pilot Study of an Intraoperative Ergonomic Intervention.

PMID- 28905749
TI  - Re: Ultrasound-Assisted Prompted Voiding for Management of Urinary Incontinence
      of Nursing Home Residents: Efficacy and Feasibility.

PMID- 28905750
TI  - Re: Understanding Help-Seeking in Older People with Urinary Incontinence: An
      Interview Study.

PMID- 28905751
TI  - Re: Which Better Predicts Mortality among Older Men, a Prostate Cancer (PCa)
      Diagnosis or Vulnerability on the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13)? A
      Retrospective Cohort Study.

PMID- 28905752
TI  - Re: Comorbidity and Age Cannot Explain Variation in Life Expectancy Associated
      with Treatment of Non-Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

PMID- 28905753
TI  - Re: Current Impact of Age and Comorbidity Assessment on Prostate Cancer Treatment
      Choice and Over/Undertreatment Risk.

PMID- 28905754
TI  - Re: Antibacterial Susceptibilities of Escherichia coli from Community-Acquired
      Urinary Tract Infections in the Faroe Islands, Associations with Antibacterial
      Sales, and Comparison with Iceland and Denmark.

PMID- 28905755
TI  - Re: Incidental Findings in Abdominal Dual-Energy Computed Tomography: Correlation
      between True Noncontrast and Virtual Noncontrast Images Considering Renal and
      Liver Cysts and Adrenal Masses.

PMID- 28905756
TI  - Re: Variation in the Use of Open Pyeloplasty, Minimally Invasive Pyeloplasty, and
      Endopyelotomy for the Treatment of Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction in Adults.

PMID- 28905757
TI  - Re: Development and Characterization of a Stable Adhesive Bond between a
      Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Catheter Material and a Bacterial Biofilm Resistant
      Acrylate Polymer Coating.

PMID- 28905758
TI  - Re: Testosterone Treatment and Coronary Artery Plaque Volume in Older Men with
      Low Testosterone.

PMID- 28905759
TI  - Re: Statin, Testosterone and Phosphodiesterase 5-Inhibitor Treatments and Age
      Related Mortality in Diabetes.

PMID- 28905760
TI  - Re: High Prevalence of Low Serum Biologically Active Testosterone in Older Male
      Veterans.

PMID- 28905761
TI  - Re: Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Female Pelvic Floor Disorders.

PMID- 28905762
TI  - Re: Six out of Ten Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Complain of
      Distressful Sexual Dysfunction-A Case-Control Study.

PMID- 28905763
TI  - Re: Is Advanced Paternal Age a Health Risk for the Offspring?

PMID- 28905764
TI  - Re: Age-Related Alterations in the Genetics and Genomics of the Male Germ Line.

PMID- 28905765
TI  - Re: Behavioral, Cognitive, and Motor Performance and Physical Development of Five
      Year-Old Children Who Were Born after Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection with the
      Use of Testicular Sperm.

PMID- 28905766
TI  - Re: Semen Quality of Young Adult ICSI Offspring: The First Results.

PMID- 28905767
TI  - Re: Applying Data Mining Techniques for Increasing Implantation Rate by Selecting
      Best Sperms for Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection Treatment.

PMID- 28905768
TI  - Re: Paratesticular Rhabdomyosarcoma: Importance of Initial Therapy.

PMID- 28905769
TI  - Re: Topical Dihydrotestosterone to Treat Micropenis Secondary to Partial Androgen
      Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS) before, during, and after Puberty-A Case Series.

PMID- 28905770
TI  - Re: A Comparison between Tourniquet Application and Epinephrine Injection for
      Hemostasis during Hypospadias Surgery: The Effect on Bleeding and Postoperative
      Outcome.

PMID- 28905771
TI  - Re: Pediatric Inguinal and Scrotal Surgery-Practice Patterns in U.S. Academic
      Centers.

PMID- 28905772
TI  - Re: Sharp Decline in Prostate Cancer Treatment among Men in the General
      Population, but Not among Diagnosed Men.

PMID- 28905773
TI  - Re: Continuous Normothermic Ex Vivo Kidney Perfusion is Superior to Brief
      Normothermic Perfusion following Static Cold Storage in Donation after
      Circulatory Death Pig Kidney Transplantation.

PMID- 28905774
TI  - Re: Better Defining the Spectrum of Adult Hypospadias: Examining the Effect of
      Childhood Surgery on Adult Presentation.

PMID- 28905775
TI  - Re: Incidence of Urethral Stricture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury Treated
      with Clean Intermittent Self-Catheterization.

PMID- 28905776
TI  - Re: Improving Outcomes of Bulbomembranous Urethroplasty for Radiation-Induced
      Urethral Strictures in Post-UroLume Era.

PMID- 28905777
TI  - Re: Primary SWL is an Efficient and Cost-Effective Treatment for Lower Pole Renal
      Stones between 10 and 20 mm in Size: A Large Single Center Study.

PMID- 28905778
TI  - Re: A Multi-Institutional Study of Struvite Stones: Patterns of Infection and
      Colonization.

PMID- 28905779
TI  - Re: Use of the Moses Technology to Improve Holmium Laser Lithotripsy Outcomes: A
      Preclinical Study.

PMID- 28905780
TI  - Re: Development of Endoscopic Diagnosis and Treatment for Chronic Unilateral
      Hematuria: 35 Years Experience.

PMID- 28905782
TI  - Re: Effects of Immunonutrition for Cystectomy on Immune Response and Infection
      Rates: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

PMID- 28905781
TI  - Re: Effectiveness of Adjuvant Chemotherapy after Radical Nephroureterectomy for
      Locally Advanced and/or Positive Regional Lymph Node Upper Tract Urothelial
      Carcinoma.

PMID- 28905783
TI  - Re: Detrusor Muscle in TUR-Derived Bladder Tumor Specimens: Can we Actually
      Improve the Surgical Quality?

PMID- 28905784
TI  - Re: Active Surveillance in Younger Men with Prostate Cancer.

PMID- 28905785
TI  - Re: Germline Mutations in ATM and BRCA1/2 Distinguish Risk for Lethal and
      Indolent Prostate Cancer and are Associated with Early Age at Death.

PMID- 28905787
TI  - Re: Association between Radiation Therapy, Surgery, or Observation for Localized
      Prostate Cancer and Patient-Reported Outcomes after 3 Years.

PMID- 28905786
TI  - Re: Association between Radiation Therapy, Surgery, or Observation for Localized
      Prostate Cancer and Patient-Reported Outcomes after 3 Years.

PMID- 28905788
TI  - Re: Presence of Invasive Cribriform or Intraductal Growth at Biopsy Outperforms
      Percentage Grade 4 in Predicting Outcome of Gleason Score 3+4=7 Prostate Cancer.

PMID- 28905789
TI  - Re: Inactivation of the PBRM1 Tumor Suppressor Gene Amplifies the HIF-Response in
      VHL-/- Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma.

PMID- 28905790
TI  - Re: Genetic Determinants of Cisplatin Resistance in Patients with Advanced Germ
      Cell Tumors.

PMID- 28905791
TI  - Re: Antagonists of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Inhibit Proliferation Induced
      by Inflammation in Prostatic Epithelial Cells.

PMID- 28905792
TI  - Re: Genome-Wide Association Study of Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels Identifies
      Novel Loci Independent of Prostate Cancer.

PMID- 28905793
TI  - Re: Reduction of Urgency Severity is the Most Important Factor in the Subjective
      Therapeutic Outcome of Intravesical OnabotulinumtoxinA Injection for Overactive
      Bladder.

PMID- 28905794
TI  - Re: Brain Activity on fMRI Associated with Urinary Bladder Filling in Patients
      with a Complete Spinal Cord Injury.

PMID- 28905795
TI  - Re: Continuous Urethral Pressure Measurements; Measurement Techniques; Pressure
      Variations; Clinical Interpretations; and Clinical Relevance. A Systematic
      Literature Analysis.

PMID- 28905796
TI  - Re: The Relationship between Anxiety and Overactive Bladder or Urinary
      Incontinence Symptoms in the Clinical Population.

PMID- 28905797
TI  - Re: Sacral Neuromodulation in Urological Practice.

PMID- 28905798
TI  - Re: Long-Term Efficacy of Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate in Patients
      with Detrusor Underactivity or Acontractility.

PMID- 28905799
TI  - Improvement of psoriasiform eruptions after resection of breast cancer.

PMID- 28905800
TI  - Analysis of factors affecting the quality of life of those suffering from Crohn's
      disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease of unknown
      etiology. Its chronic nature, as well as symptoms of intestinal and overall
      significantly impedes the daily functioning of patients. Alternately occurring
      periods of exacerbation and remission are the cause of reduced quality of life of
      patients. Understanding the factors that caused the decrease in the quality of
      life, it allows us to understand the behavior and the situation of the patient
      and the ability to cope with stress caused by the disease. AIM OF THE STUDY: The
      aim of the study was to analyze the factors affecting the quality of life of
      people with Crohn's disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of
      50 people diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Respondents were treated at the
      Department of General Surgery and Colorectal Medical University of Lodz and
      Gastroenterological Clinic at the University Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Lodz.
      Quality of Life Survey was carried out by a diagnostic survey using a research
      tool SF-36v2 and surveys of its own design. RESULTS: Analysis of the results
      demonstrated that the quality of life of patients with Crohn's disease was
      reduced, especially during exacerbations. Evaluation of the quality of life of
      respondents in physical terms was slightly higher than in the mental aspect.
      Higher education subjects and the lack of need for surgical treatment
      significantly improves the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of
      chronic disease reduces the quality of life of respondents. Elderly patients are
      better able to adapt to the difficult situation caused by the disease. The
      quality of life of women and men is at a similar level and patients in remission
      of the disease have a better quality of life of patients during exacerbations.

PMID- 28905801
TI  - The Impact of Obesity on the Perioperative, Clinicopathologic, and Oncologic
      Outcomes of Robot Assisted Total Mesorectal Excision for Rectal Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the feasibility and outcomes of robotic rectal cancer surgery
      in obese patients. METHODS: From 2005 to 2012, 101 consecutive rectal cancers
      operated robotically were enrolled in a prospective database. Patients were
      stratified into obese (BMI >= 30 kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m2) groups.
      Operative, perioperative parameters, and pathologic outcomes were compared. Data
      were analyzed using SPSS 22.0, while statistical significance was defined as a p
      value <= .05. RESULTS: There were 33 obese patients (mean BMI 33.8 kg/m2).
      Patients were comparable regarding gender, T stage, and type of operation.
      Operative time and blood loss were higher in the obese group; only operative time
      was statistically significant. The conversion rate, length of stay, and
      anastomotic leak rates were similar. Circumferential margin positivity and lymph
      node yield were comparable. Disease free and overall survivals at 3 years were
      75.8% versus 80.9% and 84.8% versus 92.6%, respectively for obese and non-obese
      subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic surgery for curative treatment of rectal cancer
      in the obese is safe and feasible. BMI does not influence conversion rates,
      length of stay, postoperative complications, and quality of the specimen or
      survival when the robotic platform is used.

PMID- 28905802
TI  - Coccygodynia - pathogenesis, diagnostics and therapy. Review of the writing.
AB  - Coccygodynia is a problem with a small percentage (1%) of the population
      suffering from musculoskeletal disorders. This pain is often associated with
      trauma, falling on the tailbone, long cycling, or by women after childbirth. The
      reason for the described problem can be the actual morphological changes.
      Idiopathic coccygodynia causes therapeutic difficulties to specialists of many
      fields. Unsatisfactory treatment, including coccygectomy tends to seek new
      solutions. They belong to them techniques exploited in the manual therapy which
      in their spectrum hold: direct techniques - per rectum as well as indirect
      techniques taking into account distant structures of the motor organ, remaining
      in dense interactions with the coccygeal part. Idiopathic coccygodynia is a
      result perhaps from exaggerated tension the muscle of the levator ani, coccygeus
      and gluteus maximus as well as from irritating soft tissue structures surrounding
      the coccyx: of sacrococcygeum, sacrospinale, and sacrotuberale ligament.
      Unfortunately we can't see them in objective examinations so as: the RTG, MR or
      TK, therefore constitute the both diagnostic and therapeutic problem. For
      describing the problem a writing of the object was used both from the field of
      the surgery and of manual therapy. Detailed and multifaceted knowledge about
      causes of the described problem allows more accurately to categorize the patient
      to the appropriate group and helps to select the best procedure of treatment.

PMID- 28905803
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease complicated by
      Barrett's esophagus.
AB  - : The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a diagnostic and
      therapeutic algorithm for gastroesophageal reflux disease complicated by
      Barrett's esophagus in 46 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A diagnostic and
      therapeutic algorithm for complicated GERD was developed. To describe the changes
      in the esophagus with reflux esophagitis, the Los Angeles classification was
      used. Intestinal metaplasia of the epithelium in the lower third of the esophagus
      was assessed using videoendoscopy, chromoscopy, and biopsy. Quality of life was
      assessed with the Gastro-Intestinal Quality of Life Index. The used methods were
      modeling, clinical, analytical, comparative, standardized, and questionnaire
      based. Results and their discussion. Among the complications of GERD, Barrett's
      esophagus was diagnosed in 9 (19.6 %), peptic ulcer in the esophagus in 10 (21.7
      %), peptic stricture of the esophagus in 4 (8.7 %), esophageal-gastric bleeding
      in 23 (50.0 %), including Malory-Weiss syndrome in 18, and erosive ulcerous
      bleeding in 5 people. Hiatal hernia was diagnosed in 171 (87.7 %) patients
      (sliding in 157 (91.8%), paraesophageal hernia in 2 (1.2%), and mixed hernia in
      12 (7.0%) cases). One hundred ninety-five patients underwent laparoscopic
      surgery. Nissen fundoplication was conducted in 176 (90.2%) patients, Toupet
      fundoplication in 14 (7.2%), and Dor fundoplication in 5 (2.6%). It was
      established that the use of the diagnostic and treatment algorithm promoted
      systematization and objectification of changes in complicated GERD, contributed
      to early diagnosis, helped in choosing treatment, and improved quality of life.
      CONCLUSIONS: Argon coagulation and use of PPIs for 8-12 weeks before surgery led
      to the regeneration of the mucous membrane in the esophagus. The developed
      diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm facilitated systematization and
      objectification of changes in complicated GERD, contributed to early diagnosis,
      helped in choosing treatment, and improved quality of life.

PMID- 28905804
TI  - Large pancreatic pseudocyst penetrating into posterior mediastinum.
AB  - We report a rare case of a large mediastinal pancreatic pseudocyst compressing
      the left atrium and the esophagus and causing dyspnea, palpitations, and emesis.
      Chest radiograph was non-diagnostic, esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed diffuse
      extrinsic compression of the distal esophagus and gastric corpus, but a
      definitive diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography. We decided to perform
      surgery due to the recurrence of the pancreatic pseudocyst, a history of
      unsuccessful radiologically guided external drainage a few years earlier, and a
      very large diameter of the pseudocyst causing acute cardio-pulmonary distress
      syndrome.

PMID- 28905805
TI  - A novel model of acellular dermal matrix plug for anal fistula treatment. Report
      of a case and surgical consideration based on first utility in Poland.
AB  - Anal fistula (AF) is a pathological connection between anus and skin in its
      surroundings. The main reason for the formation of anal fistula is a bacterial
      infection of the glands within the anal crypts. One of the modern techniques for
      the treatment of fistulas that do not interfere with the sphincters consists in
      implantation of a plug made from collagen material. We are presenting the first
      Polish experience with a new model of biomaterial plug for the treatment of anal
      fistula. We also point out key elements of the procedure (both preoperative and
      intraoperative) associated with this method. In the authors' opinion, the method
      is simple, safe and reproducible. Innovative shape of the plug minimizes the risk
      of its migration and rotation. It also perfectly blends with and adapts to the
      course and shape of the fistula canal, allowing it to become incorporated and
      overgrown with tissue in the fistula canal. The relatively short operation time,
      minor postoperative pain and faster convalescence are with no doubt additional
      advantages of the method. Long-term observation involving more patients is
      essential for evaluation of the efficacy of the treatment of fistulas with the
      new type of plug.

PMID- 28905806
TI  - Oesophageal perforation - therapeutic and diagnostics challenge. Retrospective,
      single-center case report analysis (2009-2015).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Esophageal perforation is a life-threatening condition of a complex
      etiology. No clear guidelines are available regarding the management of this
      condition. In this study, we review publications related to esophageal
      perforation, and analyze patients treated for this condition at our Department of
      Thoracic, General and Oncological Surgery. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study
      was to retrospectively assess and analyze management methods for esophageal
      perforations of different etiologies. All patients were treated in the Department
      of Thoracic, General and Oncological Surgery in years 2009-2015. Patients with
      perforations resulting from post-operational leaks within surgical anastomoses
      were excluded from the study. Material, methods, results: The analysis involved a
      total of 16 cases of esophageal ruptures. All cases were treated in years 2009
      2015. Patients with perforations resulting from postoperative leaks within
      surgical anastomoses following elective surgeries for either oncological or non
      oncological causes were excluded. The most common reason for esophageal rupture
      was iatrogenic injury (7 cases, 44%). Other causes included Boerhaave syndrome (5
      cases, 31.2%), blunt trauma (2 cases, 12.5%), abscess perforation (1 case, 6.2%),
      and ulcer perforation (1 case, 6.2%). Ten patients underwent surgery, and the
      rest underwent esophageal prosthesis placement, of whom 2 cases required drainage
      of the mediastinum and pleural cavity. The mortality rate in the study group was
      9/16 cases (56.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Esophageal perforation poses a significant
      interdisciplinary challenge regarding diagnostic workup, selection of treatment
      methods, and management of potential postoperative complications. This
      retrospective study was conducted in a single center. Although the analyzed
      period was long, we found only 16 cases. In spite of a variety of etiologies
      present, we found several statistically significant results of potential clinical
      value. 1. Most perforations that are not diagnosed within 48 hours affected the
      lower part of the esophagus and presented with unclear symptoms and imaging
      findings 2. Delaying diagnosis and treatment beyond 24 hours was associated with
      a higher mortality rate.

PMID- 28905807
TI  - Buttressing hepaticojejunostomy&apos;s with hepatic round ligament flap may be
      beneficial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bile leaks and anastomotic strictures are important complications of
      hepaticojejunostomy (HJ). Evidence suggests that the use of hepatic round
      ligament (HRL) to buttress HJ may be beneficial. This study evaluates the
      feasibility of this approach. METHODS: HJs performed over 2 years (Jun 2014- May
      2016), with HRL reinforcement, were analyzed. Operative outcomes measured
      included technical difficulty, blood loss, time necessary for flap harvest, and
      reinforcement of HJ. The postoperative outcomes measured were the presence of
      bile leak and anastomotic stricture. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (27 M: 14 F),
      aged 2-79 years, median age of61 years, underwent HJ with HRL buttress; 27 for
      periampullary/ head of the pancreas carcinoma; 4 for choledochal cysts; 4 for
      chronic pancreatitis; 3 for gallbladder carcinoma; 3 for benign biliary
      stricture. The time for harvesting HRL flaps and buttressing HJ was <10 minutes.
      No blood was lost during harvesting the flaps. One patient (2.5 %) had grade A
      leak following radical cholecystectomy, and structures were not observed during a
      median follow-up of 18 months (6 months to 2years). CONCLUSION: HRL-based
      buttressing of HJ can reduce the bile leak and/or stricture rate.

PMID- 28905808
TI  - Patient with metastatic breast cancer presenting as acute cholecystitis with one
      year survival on hormonotherapy.
AB  - Breast cancer has high metastatic potential with distant metastases involving
      mainly lungs, liver and bones. Less frequently it gives distant spread to other
      organs. Herein we would like to present a very rare case of an acute
      cholecystitis which turned out to be a metastatic breast cancer in previously
      healthy woman. A female patient, 64-years old, presented to the emergency
      department with symptoms of biliary colic and acute abdomen. During the emergency
      cholecystectomy, we diagnosed the gallbladder empyema with thickened wall. There
      were also multiple metastatic nodules in the peritoneal cavity and an excessive
      amount of free fluid. The emergency physicians diagnosing female patient with the
      acute abdominal symptoms and a breast cancer history might suspect malignant
      spread into abdominal organs including gallbladder. On the other hand, acute
      cholecystitis symptoms might be the first symptoms of metastatic process in the
      gallbladder from the unknown primary source, which may be breast.

PMID- 28905809
TI  - The acceptance of illness in lung cancer patients before and after surgical
      treatment.
AB  - : Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the world, as well as one of
      the cancers with the most fatal prognosis. The acceptance of the disease is the
      most important element of the adaptive process. The better the illness
      acceptance, the lower the stress level and the higher the self-esteem, which
      facilitates the adaptation to the health status. AIM: The aim of this study was
      to assess the acceptance of the disease in patients before and after lung cancer
      surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in 2016 at the Center of
      Oncology in Bydgoszcz and the Kuyavian and Pomeranian Pulmonology Center in
      Bydgoszcz. The study involved 87 patients who were assessed both before and after
      lung cancer surgery. The original questionnaire, as well as the Acceptance of
      Illness Scale, were used. RESULTS: Men accounted for 75% of the probands, 65% of
      the study population were 50-69 years old. The highest number of patients - 25
      (28.7%) had a 5-pack-year history, and the lowest amount of patients - 8 (9.2%)
      had a 2.5-pack-year history. The level of acceptance of illness before and after
      surgery differed in 58 persons. In 29, the level of acceptance remained the same,
      in 45, the level of acceptance decreased, and in 13 - it increased. Before
      surgery, the mean acceptance of illness score was 26.2 points, and after surgery 
      20.89 points. The patients both after and before surgery had acceptance of
      illness scores regardless of their gender, age, education, place of residence or
      occupational activity. CONCLUSIONS: In more than a half of the patients, the
      acceptance of illness decreases after surgery and is at an average level. Male
      patients, patients aged 50-69 years, with primary, middle or vocational
      education, employed persons show a significantly worse illness acceptance,
      regardless of their place of residence, and occupational activity do not
      influence the acceptance of the disease.

PMID- 28905810
TI  - Design and application of cationic amphiphilic beta-cyclodextrin derivatives as
      gene delivery vectors.
AB  - The nano self-assembly profiles of amphiphilic gene delivery vectors could
      improve the density of local cationic head groups to promote their DNA
      condensation capability and enhance the interaction between cell membrane and
      hydrophobic tails, thus increasing cellular uptake and gene transfection. In this
      paper, two series of cationic amphiphilic beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) derivatives
      were designed and synthesized by using 6-mono-OTs-beta-CD (1) as the precursor to
      construct amphiphilic gene vectors with different building blocks in a selective
      and controlled manner. The effect of different type and degree of cationic head
      groups on transfection and the endocytic mechanism of beta-CD derivatives/DNA
      nanocomplexes were also investigated. The results demonstrated that the designed
      beta-cyclodextrin derivatives were able to compact DNA to form stable
      nanocomplexes and exhibited low cytotoxicity. Among them, PEI-1 with PEI head
      group showed enhanced transfection activity, significantly higher than
      commercially available agent PEI25000 especially in the presence of serum,
      showing potential application prospects in clinical trials. Moreover, the
      endocytic uptake mechanism involved in the gene transfection of PEI-1 was mainly
      through caveolae-mediated endocytosis, which could avoid the lysosomal
      degradation of loaded gene, and had great importance for improving gene
      transfection activity.

PMID- 28905811
TI  - First-principles study of Enhanced Magnetic Anisotropies in Transition-Metal
      Atoms Doped WS<sub>2</sub> Monolayer.
AB  - Considerable progress in contemporary spintronics has been made in recent years
      for developing nanoscale data memory and quantum information processing. It is,
      however, still a great challenge to achieve the ultimate limit of storage bit.
      Two-dimensional materials, fortunately, provide an alternative solution to design
      materials with the expected miniaturizing scale, the chemical stability as well
      as the giant magnetic anisotropy energy. By performing first-principles
      calculations, we have examined two possible doping sites on WS<sub>2</sub>
      monolayer using three kind of transition metal (TM) atoms (Mn, Fe and Co). It is
      found that the TM atoms prefer to stay on the W atom site. Additionally,
      different from the case of Mn, doping Co and Fe atoms on the W vacancy can
      achieve perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with much larger magnitude, which
      provides a bright prospect for generating the atomic-scale magnets of storage
      devices.

PMID- 28905812
TI  - Carbon fiber on polyimide ultra-microelectrodes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Most preparations for making neural recordings degrade over time and
      eventually fail due to insertion trauma and reactive tissue response. The
      magnitudes of these responses are thought to be related to the electrode size
      (specifically, the cross-sectional area), the relative stiffness of the
      electrode, and the degree of tissue tolerance for the material. Flexible carbon
      fiber ultra-microelectrodes have a much smaller cross-section than traditional
      electrodes and low tissue reactivity, and thus may enable improved longevity of
      neural recordings in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Only two carbon
      fiber array designs have been described previously, each with limited channel
      densities due to limitations of the fabrication processes or interconnect
      strategies. Here, we describe a method for assembling carbon fiber electrodes on
      a flexible polyimide substrate that is expected to facilitate the construction of
      high-density recording and stimulating arrays. APPROACH: Individual carbon fibers
      were aligned using an alignment tool that was 3D-printed with sub-micron
      resolution using direct laser writing. Indium deposition on the carbon fibers,
      followed by low-temperature microsoldering, provided a robust and reliable method
      of electrical connection to the polyimide interconnect. MAIN RESULTS: Spontaneous
      multiunit activity and stimulation-evoked compound responses with SNR  >10 and 
      >120, respectively, were recorded from a small (125 um) peripheral nerve. We also
      improved the typically poor charge injection capacity of small diameter carbon
      fibers by electrodepositing 100 nm-thick iridium oxide films, making the carbon
      fiber arrays usable for electrical stimulation as well as recording.
      SIGNIFICANCE: Our innovations in fabrication technique pave the way for further
      miniaturization of carbon fiber ultra-microelectrode arrays. We believe these
      advances to be key steps to enable a shift from labor intensive, manual assembly
      to a more automated manufacturing process.

PMID- 28905813
TI  - Effect of hydrostatic pressure on the superconducting properties of quasi-one
      dimensional superconductor K<sub>2</sub>Cr<sub>3</sub>As<sub>3</sub>.
AB  - K2Cr3As3 is a newly discovered quasi-one-dimensional superconductor with a Tc =
      6.1 K and an upper critical field MU0Hc2(0) ~ 40 T three times larger than the
      Pauli paramagnetic limit MU0Hp that is suggestive of a spin-triplet Cooper
      pairing. In this paper, we have investigated the effects of hydrostatic pressure
      on its Tc and MU0Hc2 by measuring the ac magnetic susceptibility chi(T) under
      magnetic fields at various hydrostatic pressures up to 7.5 GPa. The major
      findings include: (1) Tc is suppressed gradually to below 2 K at 7.5 GPa; (2) the
      estimated MU0Hc2(0) decreases dramatically to below MU0Hp above ~2 GPa and
      becomes slight lower than the orbital limiting field MU0Hc2orb(0) estimated from
      the initial slope of upper critical field via MU0Hc2orb(0) = -0.73TcdHc2/dTc|Tc
      in the clean limit; (3) the estimated Maki parameter alpha = ?2Hc2orb(0)/Hp drops
      from 4 at ambient pressure to well below 1 at P >2 GPa, suggesting the crossover
      from Pauli paramagnetic limiting to orbital limiting in the pair breaking process
      upon increasing pressure. These observations suggested that the application of
      hydrostatic pressure could drive K2Cr3As3 away from the ferromagnetic instability
      and lead to a breakdown of the spin-triplet pairing channel. We have also made a
      side-by-side comparison and discussed the distinct effects of chemical and
      physical pressures on the superconducting properties of K2Cr3As3.

PMID- 28905814
TI  - New electrical impedance methods for the in situ measurement of the complex
      permittivity of anisotropic biological tissues.
AB  - The capability of measuring the complex permittivity of tissues has the potential
      to provide valuable new insights to inform medical assessment and diagnosis.
      However, existing electrical impedance approaches have practical limitations when
      aiming to measure tissues' anisotropy with accuracy. Here we present new methods
      that overcome the limitations of previous approaches by modeling the anisotropy
      in both the resistivity and reactivity of tissues measured in three or more
      different directions. These new methods are validated with numerical simulations
      and in situ experiments on healthy ovine skeletal muscle. The obtained data
      between 3 kHz and 1 MHz are also made publicly available in the supplementary
      information.

PMID- 28905815
TI  - PSA time to nadir as a prognostic factor of first-line docetaxel treatment in
      castration-resistant prostate cancer: evidence from patients in Northwestern
      China.
AB  - Docetaxel-based chemotherapy remains the first-line treatment for patients with
      metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in China; however, the
      prognostic factors associated with effects in these patients are still
      controversial. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the data from 71
      eligible Chinese patients who received docetaxel chemotherapy from 2009 to 2016
      in our hospital and experienced a reduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      level >=50% during the treatment and investigated the potential role of time to
      nadir (TTN) of PSA. TTN was defined as the time from start of chemotherapy to the
      nadir of PSA level during the treatment. Multivariable Cox regression models and
      Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to predict overall survival (OS). In these
      patients, the median of TTN was 17 weeks. Patients with TTN >=17 weeks had a
      longer response time to chemotherapy compared to TTN <17 weeks (42.83 vs 21.50
      weeks, P < 0.001). The time to PSA progression in patients with TTN >=17 weeks
      was 11.44 weeks compared to 5.63 weeks when TTN was <17 weeks. We found several
      factors to be associated with OS, including TTN (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.937, 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 1.502-10.309, P = 0.005), PSA level at the diagnosis of
      cancer (HR: 4.337, 95% CI: 1.616-11.645, P = 0.004), duration of initial androgen
      deprivation therapy (HR: 2.982, 95% CI: 1.104-8.045, P = 0.031), neutrophil-to
      lymphocyte ratio (HR: 3.963, 95% CI: 1.380-11.384, P = 0.011), and total PSA
      response (Class 1 [<0 response] compared to Class 2 [0-50% response], HR: 3.978,
      95% CI: 1.278-12.387, P = 0.017). In conclusion, TTN of PSA remains an important
      prognostic marker in predicting therapeutic outcome in Chinese population who
      receive chemotherapy for mCRPC and have >50% PSA remission.

PMID- 28905816
TI  - How good a surgeon are you? - Standardized formative assessment of surgical
      competence for ophthalmology residents in training.

PMID- 28905817
TI  - Practice patterns in pediatric cataract management: Time for real world data.

PMID- 28905818
TI  - Retinopathy of Prematurity: An emerging and evolving challenge.

PMID- 28905819
TI  - Plication: How apt in application?

PMID- 28905820
TI  - Recent advances in corneal collagen cross-linking.
AB  - Corneal collagen cross-linking has become the preferred modality of treatment for
      corneal ectasia since its inception in late 1990s. Numerous studies have
      demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the conventional protocol. Our
      understanding of the cross-linking process is ever evolving, with its wide
      implications in the form of accelerated and pulsed protocols. Newer advancements
      in technology include various riboflavin formulations and the ability to deliver
      higher fluence protocols with customised irradiation patterns. A greater degree
      of customisation is likely the path forward, which will aim at achieving
      refractive improvements along with disease stability. The use of cross-linking
      for myopic correction is another avenue under exploration. Combination of half
      fluence cross-linking with refractive correction for high errors to prevent post
      LASIK regression is gaining interest. This review aims to highlight the various
      advancements in the cross-linking technology and its clinical applications.

PMID- 28905821
TI  - Update on conjunctival pathology.
AB  - Conjunctival biopsies constitute a fairly large number of cases in a typical busy
      ophthalmic pathology practice. They range from a single biopsy through multiple
      mapping biopsies to assess the extent of a particular pathological process. Like
      most anatomical sites, the conjunctiva is subject to a very wide range of
      pathological processes. This article will cover key, commonly encountered
      nonneoplastic and neoplastic entities. Where relevant, sections will include
      recommendations on how best to submit specimens to the ophthalmic pathology
      laboratory and the relevance of up-to-date molecular techniques.

PMID- 28905822
TI  - Higher-order aberration 4 years after corneal collagen cross-linking.
AB  - PURPOSE: Corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) is a treatment strategy used in
      keratoconic eyes. Evaluation of long-term changes of higher-order aberrations
      (HOAs) after CXL is useful in understanding the efficacy of this procedure in
      improving optical, refractive, and visual acuity. This study aims to investigate
      the long-term effect of CXL on ocular HOA in patients with progressive
      keratoconus (KC). METHODS: Using an OPD-Scan II aberrometer, ocular HOAs
      measurements of 56 eyes of 56 patients that underwent CXL was evaluated at the
      baseline, 1, 2, and 4 years after the procedure. All OPD-Scan measurements were
      decomposed into Zernike coefficients from 3rd to 6th order. RESULTS: The results
      revealed that except for a few parameters, most of the aberration parameters
      continuously decreased during the study. In the 4-year postoperative period, a
      statistically significant improvement in all HOA parameters except 5th order
      Zernike polynomials (Z51, Z5-1, Z53, Z5-3, Z55, and Z5-5) was observed. All the
      values significantly decreased compared to the preoperative measurements (P <
      0.05). The mean +/- standard deviation (SD) root mean square of the 3rd, 4th, and
      the 5th order as well as coma, coma like, and total HOA parameters were
      significantly decreased compared to both preoperative and previous visits (P <
      0.001). There were significant correlations between preoperative measurements of
      HOAs parameters with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) including Z31, Z3-1,
      Z40, Z51, and Z42. Moreover, all the HOAs parameters in 4 years after the CXL
      were significantly correlated with BCVA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CXL is effective
      in improving HOA parameters in eyes with progressive KC during a long-term follow
      up.

PMID- 28905823
TI  - Refractive outcomes of intraoperative wavefront aberrometry versus optical
      biometry alone for intraocular lens power calculation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of intraoperative wavefront aberrometry versus
      optical biometry alone for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation in eyes
      undergoing cataract surgery with monofocal IOL implantation. METHODS:
      Preoperative data were obtained with the IOLMaster. Intraoperative aphakic
      measurements and IOL power calculations were obtained in some patients with the
      optiwave refractive analysis (ORA) system. Analysis was performed to determine
      the accuracy of monofocal IOL power prediction and postoperative manifest
      refraction at 1 month of the ORA versus IOLMaster. RESULTS: Two hundred and
      ninety-five eyes reviewed, 61 had only preoperative IOLMaster measurements and
      234 had both IOLMaster and ORA measurements. Of these 234 eyes, 6 were excluded,
      107 had the same recommended IOL power by ORA and IOLMaster. Sixty-four percent
      of these eyes were within +/-0.5D. 95 eyes had IOL power implantation based on
      ORA instead of IOLMaster. Seventy percent of these eyes were within +/-0.5D of
      target refraction. 26 eyes had IOL power chosen based on IOLMaster predictions
      instead of ORA. Sixty-five percent were within +/-0.5D. In the group with
      IOLMaster without ORA measurements, 80% of eyes were within +/-0.5D of target
      refraction. The absolute error was statistically smaller in those eyes where the
      ORA and IOLMaster recommended the same IOL power based on preoperative target
      refraction compared to instances in which IOL selection was based on ORA or
      IOLMaster alone. Neither prediction errors were statistically different between
      the ORA and IOLMaster alone. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative wavefront aberrometry
      with the ORA system provides postoperative refractive results comparable to
      conventional biometry with the IOLMaster for monofocal IOL selection.

PMID- 28905824
TI  - Management of cataracts and ectopia lentis in children: Practice patterns of
      pediatric ophthalmologists in India.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the current practice patterns of Indian pediatric
      ophthalmologists in the management of lens anomalies. This study was conducted in
      a tertiary eye care hospital and involved an online questionnaire survey for
      practicing pediatric ophthalmologists in India. METHODS: A questionnaire was
      devised by the authors, which included the various options available for the
      management of lens anomalies in children. The questionnaire was sent to each of
      them using an online portal. Commercial software (Stata ver. 13.1; StataCorp,
      College Station, TX, USA) was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In
      unilateral cataracts in children aged <6 months, 85.42% of surgeons did not
      prefer to insert an intraocular lens (IOL). In the age group of 6-12 months,
      almost half of them preferred to insert an IOL. In the age group of 12-24 months
      and> 24 months, 92.63% and 88.54%, respectively, preferred to insert an IOL. In
      bilateral cataracts, in children aged <6 months, 91.84% of surgeons did not
      prefer to insert an IOL, whereas in the age group of 6-12 months, 69.39% did not
      prefer to insert an IOL. In the age group of 12-24 months and> 24 months, 80.61%
      and 90.82%, respectively, preferred to insert an IOL. Seventy-four percent of
      surgeons preferred to use a single-piece hydrophobic acrylic IOL. CONCLUSION: The
      management of lens anomalies by pediatric ophthalmologists in India varies with
      laterality and appears to be comparable to that followed worldwide.

PMID- 28905825
TI  - Intraocular pressure and its correlation with midnight plasma cortisol level in
      Cushing's disease and other endogenous Cushing's syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to measure intraocular pressure (IOP) and
      evaluate the correlation between IOP and midnight plasma cortisol (MPC) level in
      patients with Cushing's disease (CD) and other endogenous Cushing's syndrome
      (ECS). METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study from a single center including
      newly diagnosed patients with CD or ECS. All patients underwent detailed
      ophthalmological evaluation. IOP was measured by Goldmann applanation tonometry
      in the morning and evening on two consecutive days. MPC value was obtained for
      each patient. The data were compared using paired and unpaired t-test, Mann
      Whitney U-test, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Among 32
      patients, 22 were CD (68.75%) and 10 patients were other ECS (31.25%). A total of
      25 patients (78.12%) in our study group had normal IOP (<22 mmHg), and seven
      patients (21.88%) had increased IOP (>=22 mmHg). The percentage of patients with
      normal IOP was found to be significantly higher compared to percentage of
      patients with high IOP (P = 0.001) using one-sample Chi-square test. Mean MPC
      value was 468.6 +/- 388.3 nmol/L in patients having IOP >=22 mmHg and 658.5 +/-
      584 nmol/L in those with IOP <22 mmHg from both CD and ECS groups, but the
      difference was not statistically significant. No correlation was found between
      IOP and MPC (Spearman's rank correlation rho = -0.16 [P = 0.38]). CONCLUSION: In
      CD and ECS patients, IOP elevation is an uncommon feature, and high IOP in either
      group does not correlate with MPC level.

PMID- 28905826
TI  - Risk factors in patients with macular telangiectasia 2A in an Asian population: A
      case-control study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors in patients with
      macular telangiectasia (MacTel) 2A in an Asian population. This was a hospital
      based case-control study. METHODS: We reviewed the case records of patients in
      our hospital, diagnosed as MacTel 2A over a 3-year period from April 2011 to
      March 2014. Controls were selected from patients seen in the hospital at the same
      time for visual defects after matching for age and sex. A multivariate logistic
      regression model was constructed using the variables that showed a statistically
      significant association (P < 0.05) with MacTel 2A in the univariate analysis.
      RESULTS: The mean age of the patients with MacTel 2A was 58.63 years. A majority
      (76; 73.8%) of the patients were female. Of the patients with MacTel 2A, 61
      (59.2%) patients had diabetes mellitus, and 50 (48.5%) revealed hypertension.
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the presence of diabetes
      mellitus to be the risk factor with the highest odds ratio (OR) of 5.7 followed
      by hypertension with an OR of 2.6. Binary logistic regression showed
      hypermetropia to have a greater risk factor compared to emmetropia, OR 2.64.
      CONCLUSION: Our case-control study revealed that MacTel 2A is significantly
      associated with systemic diseases. Diabetes mellitus was found to have the
      strongest association with MacTel 2A, showing a high OR of 5.7. Systemic
      hypertension followed by an OR of 2.6. Compared to emmetropia, hypermetropia was
      significantly associated with MacTel 2A. There could be a genetic link between
      the two. Determining risk factors draws us close to the goal of identifying the
      etiopathogenesis of MacTel 2A.

PMID- 28905827
TI  - Refractive and ocular biometric profile of children with a history of laser
      treatment for retinopathy of prematurity.
AB  - PURPOSE: Indian children belong to a diverse socioeconomic strata with
      retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) developing in mature, higher birth weight babies
      as well. The purpose of our study is to analyze the long-term status of
      refractive errors and its relationship with ocular biometry in children with ROP
      who were laser treated at a tertiary center in North India. METHODS: Cross
      sectional study. Children (<16 years) enrolled from January 2014 to December 2014
      with a history of laser treatment for ROP and examined for refractive and
      biometric status. RESULTS: Thirty-six children presenting to us at the mean age
      of 7.37 +/- 3.07 years (6-15 years) were included. Mean spherical equivalent (SE)
      was -4.05 D +/- 5.10. 75% were myopic, with high astigmatism in 31%. Higher lens
      thickness (P = 0.03) and higher SE (P = 0.002) at 1 year postnatal age were
      predictors of larger SE. 79.4% achieved a favorable functional outcome (visual
      acuity >=20/40). 5.88% achieved unsatisfactory outcome (<20/200) despite having a
      favorable structural outcome. CONCLUSION: There are a substantial number of
      children who develop myopia and high astigmatism while undergoing laser treatment
      for ROP. We found myopia in our cohort to be lenticular and greater axial length
      contributing to the development of high myopia. An initial large refractive error
      predicts the future development of myopia in these children. Nearly 6% of
      patients with good structural outcome have unexplained subnormal vision. Our
      threshold for prescribing glasses in these children should be low.

PMID- 28905828
TI  - Influence of laser versus lens-sparing vitrectomy on myopia in children with
      retinopathy of prematurity.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to compare the refractive error outcomes in
      the eyes of premature babies with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) who underwent
      laser plus lens-sparing vitrectomy (LSV) in one eye and laser alone in the fellow
      eye. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. Fourteen babies with Stage 4A of ROP
      or worse who underwent laser plus LSV in one eye (Group 1) and laser alone in the
      fellow eye (Group 2) were followed at 2 months, 6 months, 1 year, one and a half
      year, and 2 years. The main outcome variable studied was cycloplegic refraction
      at the baseline and follow-up visits. The change in spherical and cylindrical
      power at each visit was compared in Groups 1 and 2. The changes in spherical
      equivalent in subgroups were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean gestational age at birth was
      29.43 +/- 2.10 weeks (range 26-32 weeks). Mean chronological age at the time of
      surgery was 4.11 +/- 3.00 months (range 2-10 months). Mean postmenstrual age was
      45.86 +/- 12.13 weeks (range 39-75 weeks). Mean birth weight was 1340.71 +/-
      361.59 g (range 860-1980 g). All the babies in both groups had progressive myopia
      till 2 years follow-up; laser group had less myopia than LSV group till 1 year,
      thereafter, there was no difference in median till 2-year follow-up. The mean +/-
      standard deviation of spherical equivalent in LSV versus laser group was: -4.36
      +/- 5.52 versus -3.21 +/- 4.59 at 2 months; -5.09 +/- 5.82 versus -4.04 +/- 4.68
      at 6 months; -7.14 +/- 5.36 versus -5.36 +/- 5.09 at 1 year; and -7.47 +/- 1.38
      versus -6.41 +/- 1.91 at 2 years. Spherical equivalent difference across the
      visits did not differ significantly between Groups 1 and Group 2 in children
      whose birth weight was <1500 g (P = 0.247) and those who had more than 1500 g (P
      = 0.748), in those with gestational age between 20 and 30 weeks (P = 0.215)
      compared to those> 30 weeks (P = 0.602). CONCLUSION: No difference in the
      progression of myopia was noted in eyes that underwent additional LSV following
      laser photocoagulation in one eye and laser alone in the fellow eye.

PMID- 28905829
TI  - Variation in the vitreoretinal configuration of Stage 4 retinopathy of
      prematurity in photocoagulated and treatment naive eyes undergoing vitrectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We sought to document the difference in the vitreoretinal configuration
      of Stage 4 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in photocoagulated and treatment
      naive eyes undergoing vitrectomy and to correlate it with surgical complexity.
      METHODS: Consecutive eyes posted for vitrectomy with Stage 4 ROP were documented
      preoperatively using a RetCam for the presence of peripheral traction (PT),
      presence of central traction just outside the arcades, and presence of traction
      extending to the lens. A note was made of the following intraoperative events:
      lensectomy, intraoperative bleeding, and iatrogenic breaks. Wilcoxon rank-sum
      test was used for analysis. RESULTS: From a total of 46 eyes, 16 and 30 eyes were
      from the treated and treatment naive group, respectively. More eyes in the
      treated group had central (P < 0.0001) and lenticular traction (P = 0.022). More
      eyes in the untreated group had PT (P < 0.0001). A significant number of eyes
      without photocoagulation needed lensectomy (P = 0.042), and no difference in
      intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.94) was demonstrable. Iatrogenic retinotomy
      occurred in three eyes, all naive. Notably, age at surgery was more in the
      untreated group (P = 0.00008). CONCLUSION: Vasoproliferative activity in all
      retinopathies occurs at the junction of the ischemic and nonischemic retina. In
      the natural course of ROP, this takes place peripherally, at the ridge. In
      photocoagulated eyes, this junction is displaced posteriorly due to peripheral
      ablation. Treated eyes manifested with posterior proliferative changes and were
      more amenable to lens-sparing vitrectomy. Naive eyes were older when they
      underwent surgery to relieve PT with greater chances of lensectomy and iatrogenic
      breaks.

PMID- 28905830
TI  - Plication as an alternative to resection in horizontal strabismus: A randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Resections and plications tighten recti although the latter are less
      traumatic, potentially reversible, quicker, and vascularity preserving. To
      compare inflammation, scarring, and alignment in horizontal strabismus, operated
      uniocularly by either resections or plications (with recessions): recession and
      resection (R&R) or recession and plication (R&P) groups. This was a prospective,
      patient and assessor blind, randomized trial. METHODS: All consenting strabismus
      patients qualifying for the first-time uniocular horizontal rectus surgeries
      underwent detailed ocular examination and were randomized into standard R&R or
      R&P groups. For the latter, we folded the tendon-muscle strap the desired amount
      using 6-0 polyglactin, suturing it to its insertion, entailing no disinsertion.
      We compared the groups for inflammatory grades (individually for congestion,
      chemosis, discharge, foreign-body sensation, and drop intolerance and aggregated
      to a total inflammatory score (TIS), scar visibility (SV) at 1 m, and successful
      alignment (<=10 prism diopter of orthotropia). We used Mann-Whitney and Fisher's
      exact tests, with significance at P <= 0.05. RESULTS: We randomized 40 patients:
      22 to R&R and 18 to R&P. The groups were comparable in age, strabismus onset and
      duration, and strabismus amount. The inflammatory scores, both individual and
      TIS, were comparable at all time-points: all P > 0.05. SV proportions were not
      significantly different: 16/22 in R&R versus 9/18 in R&P; P = 0.19. There were no
      significant differences in success rates: 14/22 versus 10/18, P = 0.74.
      CONCLUSION: Our study shows that plication is similarly effective as resection,
      when combined with recession in horizontal strabismus, and should be resorted to
      more frequently.

PMID- 28905831
TI  - Primary prevention of ocular injury in agricultural workers with safety eyewear.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of
      preventing eye injury with the use of safety eyewear in agriculture workers.
      METHODS: A sample group of 575 agricultural workers (Group A) engaged in
      harvesting paddy were provided with goggles with side covers. Following
      harvesting, a questionnaire-based survey was carried out to determine the
      frequency of their eye injuries. Workers with goggles were asked about the
      duration for which they used the goggles and also list barriers or difficulties
      with the same. The frequency of eye injuries in this group was compared with
      another group of agriculture workers (Group B) who did not use any safety
      eyewear. RESULTS: The frequency of eye injuries in Group A was 4 (0.7%) and Group
      B was 61 (11.3%) which was highly significant (P = 0.0001). The relative risk
      calculated was 0.06 (95% confidence interval: 0.02-0.2). Agricultural workers in
      Group A had 94% less risk of ocular trauma compared to those in Group B. Injuries
      in both groups were caused by parts of the paddy plant. A significant number
      (76.2%) of workers used the goggles all or most of the time during work. Impaired
      vision when wearing goggles was the most frequent barrier reported by the
      workers. Other barriers were discomfort, shyness, forgetfulness, apathy, slowing
      of work pace, awkward appearance, and breakages. CONCLUSION: Safety eyewear
      conferred significant protection against work-related eye injuries in
      agriculture. Although safety eyewear was widely adopted by the workers, barriers
      reported by them will need to be addressed to make such programs more effective.

PMID- 28905832
TI  - Multimodal imaging in dominant cystoid macular dystrophy.

PMID- 28905833
TI  - Unusual case of vitiligo reversal in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome.

PMID- 28905834
TI  - Microsporidial infection masquerading as graft rejection post-Descemet's
      stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty.
AB  - A 51-year-old immunocompetent male with a history of Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy
      and immature cataract who underwent Descemet's stripping automated endothelial
      keratoplasty with intraocular lens implantation in both eyes presented with
      redness and defective vision of 1-day duration in his left eye. Slit lamp
      examination revealed coarse superficial punctate lesions with graft edema. He was
      diagnosed with acute graft rejection and treated with topical steroids. Two days
      later, symptoms worsened in his left eye with the involvement of his right eye
      showing a similar clinical picture. An infectious etiology was suspected and in
      vivo confocal microscopy ordered, which revealed hyperreflective dots, highly
      suggestive of microsporidial spores. The patient was prescribed topical
      fluconazole 0.3% in both eyes. This unique presentation of bilateral graft edema
      following microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis in postgraft patients requires a
      high index of suspicion as it can be easily be mistaken for and mismanaged as
      acute graft rejection.

PMID- 28905835
TI  - Corneal ulcer due to a rare coelomycetes fungus Chaetomium strumarium: Case
      report and global review of Chaetomium keratomycosis.
AB  - We present a rare case of corneal ulcer caused by a species of a coelomycetes
      fungus, Chaetomium strumarium. This fungal genus is a rare causative agent of
      keratomycosis, with only a handful of cases reported. The clinical presentation,
      investigative techniques, and preliminary management of our patient are reported.
      The cases reported in global literature are also summarized in a tabular form in
      the discussion.

PMID- 28905836
TI  - Rare ocular manifestations in keratosis follicularis (Darier-White disease).
AB  - Keratosis follicularis (Darier's disease) is a rare (1 in 30,000-100,000) genetic
      autosomal-dominant predominantly dermatological disorder characterized by
      hyperkeratosis and acantholysis due to a defective calcium transport in the
      cells. Ocular findings, if present, are very rare in this condition. Here, we are
      reporting a case of keratosis follicularis (Darier's disease) with ocular
      manifestations that have not been reported so far to the best of our knowledge.

PMID- 28905837
TI  - En face optical coherence tomography findings in a case of Alport syndrome.
AB  - Alport syndrome is a rare hereditary disease that is associated with retinal
      abnormalities such as dot-and-fleck retinopathy and temporal macular thinning.
      The main pathophysiological process of Alport syndrome is loss of the collagen
      network in the basement membrane. However, the alterations in each retinal layer
      have not been fully evaluated. In the case presented here, we evaluated the
      retina of a patient with Alport syndrome using en face optical coherence
      tomography (OCT). The findings suggested that the primary alterations occur in
      the internal limiting membrane and the retinal pigment epithelium basement
      membrane which is a part of the Bruch's membrane. The adjacent retinal layers are
      damaged subsequently. In conclusion, en face OCT could be useful in evaluating
      retinal abnormalities and understanding their underlying pathophysiology in
      Alport syndrome.

PMID- 28905838
TI  - Retinal meteor.
AB  - We describe a case of a 65-year old man diagnosed with retinal vasoproliferative
      tumour secondary to posterior uveitis. The fluorescein angiography shows an
      interesting meteor-like leak emanating from the tumour and rising towards the
      superior retina in the later frames of the angiogram. Pictorially, we call it the
      "Retinal Meteor" and also describe the possible mechanism for this pattern of
      leakage.

PMID- 28905839
TI  - Postvitrectomy macular hole undergoing delayed closure after 28 months.
AB  - Case report of a 70-year-old male who developed full thickness macular hole (MH)
      following vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction syndrome. The further
      intervention was deferred due to the unwillingness of the patient for the second
      surgery. Periodic follow up of the patient, revealed improvement in visual acuity
      with the closure of the MH after 28 months.

PMID- 28905840
TI  - Giant eyelid eccrine hidrocystoma-induced progressive ptosis in childhood.
AB  - An upper lid eccrine hidrocystoma presenting as early childhood progressive
      ptosis is very rare. We present a 9-year-old female child with droopy right upper
      lid since birth and progressive increase in symptoms. She had right upper lid
      ptosis (marginal reflex distance 1 of -1 mm) with fair levator function (8 mm)
      and abnormal cystic change on the conjunctival side. Computerized tomography
      imaging delineated the well-defined cystic lesion with homogeneous cavity with no
      contrast enhancement. Following the cyst excision, a giant eccrine hidrocystoma
      measuring 25 mm * 15 mm was removed, the largest reported in pediatric eyes. The
      case demonstrates the possibility of giant lid eccrine hidrocystomas presenting
      as progressive ptosis at a pediatric age and the need for early surgical
      intervention to prevent amblyopia.

PMID- 28905841
TI  - Lacrimal gland myxoma.
AB  - Myxomas are rare neoplasms of mesenchymal origin. Cases of conjunctival, corneal,
      and orbital myxomas have been reported in the literature; however, to the best of
      our knowledge, there is no report of a lacrimal gland myxoma. We report a case of
      an orbital myxoma involving the lacrimal gland and its management.

PMID- 28905842
TI  - Malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of the orbit: Report of a case and
      review of literature.
AB  - Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a rare neoplasm considered to
      arise from myomelanocytic cell lineage. The uterus is reportedly the most common
      site to be involved. Orbital PEComa is extremely rare with only two cases
      reported till date. A 5-year-old male presented with a right medial orbital mass
      for the last 6 months. The patient was diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma
      elsewhere. Magnetic resonance imaging features were suggestive of lymphangioma
      with bleeding. The excision biopsy revealed multiple tumor cells comprising
      epithelioid cells with clear cytoplasm, along with nuclear atypia and mitosis.
      Immunohistochemistry was positive for HMB-45, smooth muscle actin, vimentin, and
      CD-34. It was negative for cytokeratin, S-100, and synaptophysin, which clinched
      the diagnosis of malignant orbital PEComa. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was
      administered. There was no recurrence at 24 months of follow-up. At present,
      there is no consensus on management protocol for malignant PEComa. Complete
      surgical excision with chemotherapy appears to offer the best prognosis.

PMID- 28905843
TI  - Orbital dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with frontal and ethmoid sinus
      involvement: A case report and brief review of literature.
AB  - Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a soft tissue sarcoma that is dermal in
      origin. The incidence is <0.1% of all malignancies and 1% of soft tissue sarcoma.
      Most commonly, it involves trunk (62%) followed by extremities (25%) and head and
      neck (13%). It is a slow growing tumor with locally aggressive behavior. Here, a
      50-year-old female diagnosed with orbital dermatofibrosarcoma developed extra
      axial component in right frontal region even on chemotherapy. Hence, the bad
      prognostic factors are yet to be established in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

PMID- 28905844
TI  - Metastatic renal cell carcinoma presenting as one-and-a-half syndrome.
AB  - We report a case of 43-year-old male, presented with sudden onset binocular
      diplopia on lateral gazes. Ocular examination showed features of ipsilateral one
      and-a-half syndrome. Comprehensive systemic work in conjunction with magnetic
      resonance imaging of the brain illustrated irregular mixed solid and cystic
      lesions in the brainstem, possibly indicative of brain metastases. Further
      imaging revealed hidden renal cell carcinoma as a primary neoplasm, which led to
      secondary manifestations.

PMID- 28905845
TI  - Use of modified international council of ophthalmology- ophthalmology surgical
      competency assessment rubric (ICO- OSCAR) for phacoemulsification- wet lab
      training in residency program.

PMID- 28905846
TI  - Comment: Allergen-specific exposure associated with high immunoglobulin E and eye
      rubbing predisposes to progression of keratoconus.

PMID- 28905847
TI  - Reply: Allergen-specific exposure associated with high immunoglobulin E and eye
      rubbing predisposes to progression of keratoconus.

PMID- 28905848
TI  - Comment: Intra-arterial chemotherapy for retinoblastoma.

PMID- 28905849
TI  - Reply: Intra-arterial chemotherapy for retinoblastoma: 2-year results from
      tertiary eye-care center in India.

PMID- 28905850
TI  - Erratum: A cross-sectional study to compare intraocular pressure measurement by
      sequential use of Goldman applanation tonometry, dynamic contour tonometry,
      ocular response analyzer, and Corvis ST.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.4103/0301-4738.171956.].

PMID- 28905853
TI  - Bone: Targeting old cells to protect old bones.

PMID- 28905851
TI  - Increased double product on Monday morning during work.
AB  - It has been reported that cardiovascular events often occur on Monday morning,
      especially in the young working population. Because hypertension is a major
      cardiovascular risk, we examined whether blood pressure was elevated on Monday,
      especially in the morning during work. However, there were no weekly rhythms in
      blood pressure itself. Instead, we found significant interactions between the
      double product (systolic blood pressure * heart rate) and weekly (high on Monday)
      and circadian (high in the morning) rhythms. Further studies are required to
      determine whether Monday morning preference in cardiovascular events is caused by
      increased double product.

PMID- 28905854
TI  - Pain: Caution needed in use of gabapentinoids for LBP.

PMID- 28905852
TI  - Differential antibody glycosylation in autoimmunity: sweet biomarker or modulator
      of disease activity?
AB  - A loss of humoral tolerance is a hallmark of many autoimmune diseases and the
      detection of self-reactive antibodies (autoantibodies) of the immunoglobulin G
      (IgG) isotype is widely used as a biomarker and diagnostic tool. However,
      autoantibodies might also be present in individuals without autoimmune disease,
      thus limiting their usefulness as a sole indicator of disease development.
      Moreover, while clear evidence exists of the pathogenic effects of autoantibodies
      in mouse model systems, the contribution of autoantibodies to the pathology of
      many autoimmune diseases has yet to be established. In this Review, the authors
      discuss the changes in total serum IgG and autoantibody glycosylation that occur
      during autoimmune disease and how these changes might help to predict disease
      development in the future. Furthermore, current knowledge of the signals
      regulating antibody glycosylation and how individual antibody glycoforms could be
      used to optimize current treatment approaches will be discussed.

PMID- 28905857
TI  - Risk factors: Oral contraceptive use linked to lower risk of RA.

PMID- 28905856
TI  - Position paper: Revised 2017 international consensus on testing of ANCAs in
      granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis.
AB  - Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) are valuable laboratory markers
      used for the diagnosis of well-defined types of small-vessel vasculitis,
      including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis
      (MPA). According to the 1999 international consensus on ANCA testing, indirect
      immunofluorescence (IIF) should be used to screen for ANCAs, and samples
      containing ANCAs should then be tested by immunoassays for proteinase 3 (PR3)
      ANCAs and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCAs. The distinction between PR3-ANCAs and MPO
      ANCAs has important clinical and pathogenic implications. As dependable
      immunoassays for PR3-ANCAs and MPO-ANCAs have become broadly available, there is
      increasing international agreement that high-quality immunoassays are the
      preferred screening method for the diagnosis of ANCA-associated vasculitis. The
      present Consensus Statement proposes that high-quality immunoassays can be used
      as the primary screening method for patients suspected of having the ANCA
      associated vaculitides GPA and MPA without the categorical need for IIF, and
      presents and discusses evidence to support this recommendation.

PMID- 28905858
TI  - Infection: Infection risk after switching biologics.

PMID- 28905855
TI  - New insights into the epigenetics of inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
AB  - Over the past decade, awareness of the importance of epigenetic alterations in
      the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases has grown in parallel with a general
      recognition of the fundamental role of epigenetics in the regulation of gene
      expression. Large-scale efforts to generate genome-wide maps of epigenetic
      modifications in different cell types, as well as in physiological and
      pathological contexts, illustrate the increasing recognition of the relevance of
      epigenetics. To date, although several reports have demonstrated the occurrence
      of epigenetic alterations in a wide range of inflammatory rheumatic conditions,
      epigenomic information is rarely used in a clinical setting. By contrast, several
      epigenetic biomarkers and treatments are currently in use for personalized
      therapies in patients with cancer. This Review highlights advances from the past
      5 years in the field of epigenetics and their application to inflammatory
      rheumatic diseases, delineating the future lines of development for a rational
      use of epigenetic information in clinical settings and in personalized medicine.
      These advances include the identification of epipolymorphisms associated with
      clinical outcomes, DNA methylation as a contributor to disease susceptibility in
      rheumatic conditions, the discovery of novel epigenetic mechanisms that modulate
      disease susceptibility and the development of new epigenetic therapies.

PMID- 28905859
TI  - Clinical trials: Intravenous golimumab effective for PsA.

PMID- 28905860
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis: Reducing the risk of herpes zoster.

PMID- 28905862
TI  - Vascular disease: Benefits of population screening for vascular risk.

PMID- 28905863
TI  - Antithrombotic therapy: COMPASS points to low-dose rivaroxaban and aspirin for
      secondary prevention.

PMID- 28905864
TI  - Antithrombotic therapy: Dual therapy after PCI in AF.

PMID- 28905865
TI  - Prevention: The healthy diet - fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fats.

PMID- 28905861
TI  - Giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: current challenges and
      opportunities.
AB  - The fields of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) have
      advanced rapidly, resulting in a new understanding of these diseases. Fast-track
      strategies and improved awareness programmes that prevent irreversible sight loss
      through early diagnosis and treatment are a notable advance. Ultrasonography and
      other imaging techniques have been introduced into routine clinical practice and
      there have been promising reports on the efficacy of biologic agents,
      particularly IL-6 antagonists such as tocilizumab, in treating these conditions.
      Along with these developments, which should improve outcomes in patients with GCA
      and PMR, new questions and unmet needs have emerged; future research should
      address which pathogenetic mechanisms contribute to the different phases and
      clinical phenotypes of GCA, what role imaging has in the early diagnosis and
      monitoring of GCA and PMR, and in which patients and phases of these diseases
      novel biologic drugs should be used. This article discusses the implications of
      recent developments in our understanding of GCA and PMR, as well as the unmet
      needs concerning epidemiology, pathogenesis, imaging and treatment of these
      diseases.

PMID- 28905866
TI  - Anticoagulation therapy: Bivalirudin not superior to heparin in PCI.

PMID- 28905867
TI  - Coronary artery disease: Coronary artery calcium testing.

PMID- 28905868
TI  - Lipids: Very low achieved LDL-cholesterol levels improve cardiovascular outcomes.

PMID- 28905869
TI  - Acute coronary syndromes: Supplemental oxygen in myocardial infarction.

PMID- 28905870
TI  - Inflammation: Targeting inflammatory pathways to treat atherosclerosis and
      cancer.

PMID- 28905871
TI  - Hypertension: Proof of concept for renal denervation.

PMID- 28905872
TI  - Hypertension: Ibuprofen increases blood pressure in patients with arthritis.

PMID- 28905874
TI  - Ovarian Hormones and Transdermal Nicotine Administration Independently and
      Synergistically Suppress Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms and Smoking Reinstatement in
      the Human Laboratory.
AB  - Modeling intra-individual fluctuations in estradiol and progesterone may provide
      unique insight into the effects of ovarian hormones on the etiology and treatment
      of nicotine dependence. This randomized placebo-controlled laboratory study
      tested the independent and interactive effects of intra-individual ovarian
      hormone variation and nicotine on suppression of tobacco withdrawal symptoms and
      smoking behavior. Female smokers randomized to 21 mg nicotine (TNP; n=37) or
      placebo (PBO; n=43) transdermal patch following overnight abstinence completed
      three sessions occurring during hormonally distinct menstrual cycle phases. At
      each session, participants provided saliva for hormone assays and completed
      repeated self-report measures (ie, tobacco withdrawal symptoms, smoking urge, and
      negative affect (NA)) followed by an analog smoking reinstatement task for which
      participants could earn money to delay smoking and subsequently purchase
      cigarettes to smoke. Higher (vs lower) progesterone levels were associated with
      greater reductions in NA. Higher (vs lower) progesterone levels and progesterone
      to estradiol ratios were associated with reducing smoking urges over time to a
      greater extent with TNP compared to PBO. There was an interaction between Patch
      and estradiol on NA. With TNP, higher-than-usual estradiol was associated with
      greater decreases in NA. However with PBO, lower-than-usual estradiol was
      associated with greater decreases in NA. These results suggest that the effects
      of TNP on mood- and smoking-related outcomes may vary depending on the ovarian
      hormone levels.

PMID- 28905873
TI  - Cardiovascular effects of marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids: the good, the
      bad, and the ugly.
AB  - Dysregulation of the endogenous lipid mediators endocannabinoids and their G
      protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1R and CB2R) has been implicated
      in a variety of cardiovascular pathologies. Activation of CB1R facilitates the
      development of cardiometabolic disease, whereas activation of CB2R (expressed
      primarily in immune cells) exerts anti-inflammatory effects. The psychoactive
      constituent of marijuana, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is an agonist of
      both CB1R and CB2R, and exerts its psychoactive and adverse cardiovascular
      effects through the activation of CB1R in the central nervous and cardiovascular
      systems. The past decade has seen a nearly tenfold increase in the THC content of
      marijuana as well as the increased availability of highly potent synthetic
      cannabinoids for recreational use. These changes have been accompanied by the
      emergence of serious adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial
      infarction, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, stroke, and cardiac arrest. In this
      Review, we summarize the role of the endocannabinoid system in cardiovascular
      disease, and critically discuss the cardiovascular consequences of marijuana and
      synthetic cannabinoid use. With the legalization of marijuana for medicinal
      purposes and/or recreational use in many countries, physicians should be alert to
      the possibility that the use of marijuana or its potent synthetic analogues might
      be the underlying cause of severe cardiovascular events and pathologies.

PMID- 28905875
TI  - Structural and Functional Characterization of the Interaction of Snapin with the
      Dopamine Transporter: Differential Modulation of Psychostimulant Actions.
AB  - The importance of dopamine (DA) neurotransmission is emphasized by its direct
      implication in several neurological and psychiatric disorders. The DA transporter
      (DAT), target of psychostimulant drugs, is the key protein that regulates spatial
      and temporal activity of DA in the synaptic cleft via the rapid reuptake of DA
      into the presynaptic terminal. There is strong evidence suggesting that DAT
      interacting proteins may have a role in its function and regulation. Performing a
      two-hybrid screening, we identified snapin, a SNARE-associated protein implicated
      in synaptic transmission, as a new binding partner of the carboxyl terminal of
      DAT. Our data show that snapin is a direct partner and regulator of DAT. First,
      we determined the domains required for this interaction in both proteins and
      characterized the DAT-snapin interface by generating a 3D model. Using different
      approaches, we demonstrated that (i) snapin is expressed in vivo in dopaminergic
      neurons along with DAT; (ii) both proteins colocalize in cultured cells and brain
      and, (iii) DAT and snapin are present in the same protein complex. Moreover, by
      functional studies we showed that snapin produces a significant decrease in DAT
      uptake activity. Finally, snapin downregulation in mice produces an increase in
      DAT levels and transport activity, hence increasing DA concentration and
      locomotor response to amphetamine. In conclusion, snapin/DAT interaction
      represents a direct link between exocytotic and reuptake mechanisms and is a
      potential target for DA transmission modulation.

PMID- 28905876
TI  - Lysenko and Russian genetics: an alternative view.

PMID- 28905877
TI  - Population-specific genetic variation in large sequencing data sets: why more
      data is still better.
AB  - We have generated a next-generation whole-exome sequencing data set of 2628
      participants of the population-based Rotterdam Study cohort, comprising 669 737
      single-nucleotide variants and 24 019 short insertions and deletions. Because of
      broad and deep longitudinal phenotyping of the Rotterdam Study, this data set
      permits extensive interpretation of genetic variants on a range of clinically
      relevant outcomes, and is accessible as a control data set. We show that next
      generation sequencing data sets yield a large degree of population-specific
      variants, which are not captured by other available large sequencing efforts,
      being ExAC, ESP, 1000G, UK10K, GoNL and DECODE.

PMID- 28905879
TI  - Lysenko and Russian genetics: Reply to Wang &Liu.

PMID- 28905878
TI  - Detecting splicing patterns in genes involved in hereditary breast and ovarian
      cancer.
AB  - Interpretation of variants of unknown significance (VUS) is a major challenge for
      laboratories performing molecular diagnosis of hereditary breast and ovarian
      cancer (HBOC), especially considering that many genes are now known to be
      involved in this syndrome. One important way these VUS can have a functional
      impact is through their effects on RNA splicing. Here we present a custom RNA-Seq
      assay plus bioinformatics and biostatistics pipeline to analyse specifically
      alternative and abnormal splicing junctions in 11 targeted HBOC genes. Our
      pipeline identified 14 new alternative splices in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in addition to
      detecting the majority of known alternative spliced transcripts therein. We
      provide here the first global splicing pattern analysis for the other nine genes,
      which will enable a comprehensive interpretation of splicing defects caused by
      VUS in HBOC. Previously known splicing alterations were consistently detected,
      occasionally with a more complex splicing pattern than expected. We also found
      that splicing in the 11 genes is similar in blood and breast tissue, supporting
      the utility and simplicity of blood splicing assays. Our pipeline is ready to be
      integrated into standard molecular diagnosis for HBOC, but it could equally be
      adapted for an integrative analysis of any multigene disorder.

PMID- 28905880
TI  - Mutations in RARS cause a hypomyelination disorder akin to Pelizaeus-Merzbacher
      disease.
AB  - Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is a rare Mendelian disorder characterised by
      central nervous system hypomyelination. PMD typically manifests in infancy or
      early childhood and is caused by mutations in proteolipid protein-1 (PLP1).
      However, variants in several other genes including gap junction protein gamma 2
      (GJC2) can also cause a similar phenotype and are referred to PMD-like disease
      (PMLD). Whole-exome sequencing in two siblings presenting with clinical symptoms
      of PMD revealed a homozygous variant in the arginyl-tRNA synthetase (RARS) gene:
      NM_002887.3: c.[5A>G] p.(Asp2Gly). Subsequent screening of a PMD cohort without a
      genetic diagnosis identified an unrelated individual with novel compound
      heterozygous variants including a missense variant c.[1367C>T] p.(Ser456Leu) and
      a de novo deletion c.[1846_1847delTA] p.(Tyr616Leufs*6). Protein levels of RARS
      and the multi-tRNA synthetase complex into which it assembles were found to be
      significantly reduced by 80 and 90% by western blotting and Blue native-PAGE
      respectively using patient fibroblast extracts. As RARS is involved in protein
      synthesis whereby it attaches arginine to its cognate tRNA, patient cells were
      studied to determine their ability to proliferate with limiting amounts of this
      essential amino acid. Patient fibroblasts cultured in medium with limited
      arginine at 30  degrees C and 40  degrees C, showed a significant decrease in
      fibroblast proliferation (P<0.001) compared to control cells, suggestive of
      inefficiency of protein synthesis in the patient cells. Our functional studies
      provide further evidence that RARS is a PMD-causing gene.

PMID- 28905881
TI  - Identification of ASAH1 as a susceptibility gene for familial keloids.
AB  - Keloids result from abnormal proliferative scar formation with scar tissue
      expanding beyond the margin of the original wound and are mostly found in
      individuals of sub-Saharan African descent. The etiology of keloids has not been
      resolved but previous studies suggest that keloids are a genetically
      heterogeneous disorder. Although possible candidate genes have been suggested by
      genome-wide association studies using common variants, by upregulation in keloids
      or their involvement in syndromes that include keloid formation, rare coding
      variants that contribute to susceptibility in non-syndromic keloid formation have
      not been previously identified. Through analysis of whole-genome data we mapped a
      locus to chromosome 8p23.3-p21.3 with a statistically significant maximum
      multipoint LOD score of 4.48. This finding was followed up using exome sequencing
      and led to the identification of a c.1202T>C (p.(Leu401Pro)) variant in the N
      acylsphingosine amidohydrolase (ASAH1) gene that co-segregates with the keloid
      phenotype in a large Yoruba family. ASAH1 is an acid ceramidase known to be
      involved in tumor formation by controlling the ratio of ceramide and sphingosine.
      ASAH1 is also involved in cell proliferation and inflammation, and may affect the
      development of keloids via multiple mechanisms. Functional studies need to
      clarify the role of the ASAH1 variant in wound healing.

PMID- 28905882
TI  - Identification of causative variants in TXNL4A in Burn-McKeown syndrome and
      isolated choanal atresia.
AB  - Burn-McKeown syndrome (BMKS) is a rare syndrome characterized by choanal atresia,
      prominent ears, abnormalities of the outer third of the lower eyelid, structural
      cardiac abnormalities, conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, and cleft lip.
      Recently, causative compound heterozygous variants were identified in TXNL4A. We
      analyzed an individual with clinical features of BMKS and her parents by whole
      genome sequencing and identified compound heterozygous variants in TXNL4A (a
      novel splice site variant (c.258-2A>G, (p.?)) and a 34 bp promoter deletion (hg19
      chr18:g.77748581_77748614del (type 1Delta) in the proband). Subsequently, we
      tested a cohort of 19 individuals with (mild) features of BMKS and 17 individuals
      with isolated choanal atresia for causative variants in TXNL4A by dideoxy
      sequence analysis. In one individual with BMKS unrelated to the first family, we
      identified the identical compound heterozygous variants. In an individual with
      isolated choanal atresia, we found homozygosity for the same type 1Delta promoter
      deletion, whilst in two cousins from a family with choanal atresia and other
      minor anomalies we found homozygosity for a different deletion within the
      promoter (hg19 chr18: g.77748604_77748637del (type 2Delta)). Hence, we identified
      causative recessive variants in TXNL4A in two individuals with BMKS as well as in
      three individuals (from two families) with isolated choanal atresia.

PMID- 28905884
TI  - Clinical Utility Gene Card for hereditary angioedema with normal C1 inhibitor
      (HAEnC1).

PMID- 28905883
TI  - Acceptable applications of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) among Israeli
      PGD users.
AB  - The use of PGD technology to select against genetic disorders and traits is
      increasing. Although PGD may eliminate some of the obstacles related to
      conservative options of prenatal diagnosis, it can raise personal, social and
      moral questions. Ethical issues concerning the justified uses of PGD are a
      subject of ongoing debate among medical and bioethical communities. Although
      attitudes toward the acceptable uses of PGD were evaluated among population
      groups worldwide, bioethics councils were criticized for ignoring public
      perspectives. In the last decade PGD has been widely used in Israel. The ethical
      guidelines were created solely by medical-bioethics experts and, some felt,
      totally isolated from public opinions. Semi-structured in-depth interviews of 37
      users (carriers of autosomal recessive, dominant and X-linked disorders, and HLA
      matching) were performed. The interviews explored attitudes toward ethical and
      sociological aspects of PGD. The overall results of this study show highly
      favorable attitudes of Israeli PGD users toward medical applications.
      Furthermore, our subjects demonstrate a more permissive stand toward the
      controversial application of social sex selection albeit with strong objection to
      esthetic means of selection. PGD users are coping with both genetic disease and
      load of the PGD procedure. Taking into consideration their opinion is important
      since it reflects the gains and burdens of these procedures alongside the demand
      for future optional services. Their attitudes should play an important role in
      the professional discussion concerning the justified uses of PGD and should
      significantly influence the design of policy making in this field.

PMID- 28905885
TI  - Long-term correction of hemophilia A mice following lentiviral mediated delivery
      of an optimized canine factor VIII gene.
AB  - Current therapies for hemophilia A include frequent prophylactic or on-demand
      intravenous factor treatments which are costly, inconvenient and may lead to
      inhibitor formation. Viral vector delivery of factor VIII (FVIII) cDNA has the
      potential to alleviate the debilitating clotting defects. Lentiviral-based
      vectors delivered to murine models of hemophilia A mediate phenotypic correction.
      However, a limitation of lentiviral-mediated FVIII delivery is inefficient
      transduction of target cells. Here, we engineer a feline immunodeficiency virus
      (FIV) -based lentiviral vector pseudotyped with the baculovirus GP64 envelope
      glycoprotein to mediate efficient gene transfer to mouse hepatocytes. In
      anticipation of future studies in FVIII-deficient dogs, we investigated the
      efficacy of FIV-delivered canine FVIII (cFVIII). Codon-optimization of the cFVIII
      sequence increased activity and decreased blood loss as compared to the native
      sequence. Further, we compared a standard B-domain deleted FVIII cDNA to a cDNA
      including 256 amino acids of the B-domain with 11 potential asparagine-linked
      oligosaccharide linkages. Restoring a partial B-domain resulted in modest
      reduction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers. Importantly, our
      optimized vectors achieved wild-type levels of phenotypic correction with minimal
      inhibitor formation. These studies provide insights into optimal design of a
      therapeutically relevant gene therapy vector for a devastating bleeding disorder.

PMID- 28905886
TI  - Time-series oligonucleotide count to assign antiviral siRNAs with long utility
      fit in the big data era.
AB  - Oligonucleotides are key elements of nucleic acid therapeutics such as small
      interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Influenza and Ebolaviruses are zoonotic RNA viruses
      mutating very rapidly, and their sequence changes must be characterized
      intensively to design therapeutic oligonucleotides with long utility. Focusing on
      a total of 182 experimentally validated siRNAs for influenza A, B and
      Ebolaviruses compiled by the siRNA database, we conducted time-series analyses of
      occurrences of siRNA targets in these viral genomes. Reflecting their high
      mutation rates, occurrences of target oligonucleotides evidently fluctuate in
      viral populations and often disappear. Time-series analysis of the one-base
      changed sequences derived from each original target identified the
      oligonucleotide that shows a compensatory increase and will potentially become
      the 'awaiting-type oligonucleotide'; the combined use of this oligonucleotide
      with the original can provide therapeutics with long utility. This strategy is
      also useful for assigning diagnostic reverse transcription-PCR primers with long
      utility.

PMID- 28905888
TI  - Corrigendum: Sub-ice-shelf sediments record history of twentieth-century retreat
      of Pine Island Glacier.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nature20136.

PMID- 28905887
TI  - An efficient, non-viral dendritic vector for gene delivery in tissue engineering.
AB  - Recent developments within the field of tissue engineering (TE) have shown that
      biomaterial scaffold systems can be augmented via the incorporation of gene
      therapeutics. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of the
      activated polyamidoamine dendrimer (dPAMAM) transfection reagent (SuperfectTM) as
      a gene delivery system to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in both monolayer and 3D
      culture on collagen based scaffolds. dPAMAM-pDNA polyplexes at a mass ratio (M:R)
      10:1 (dPAMAM : pDNA) (1 ug pDNA) were capable of facilitating prolonged reporter
      gene expression in monolayer MSCs which was superior to that facilitated using
      polyethylenimine (PEI)-pDNA polyplexes (2 ug pDNA). When dPAMAM-pDNA polyplexes
      (1 ug pDNA) were soak loaded onto a collagen-chondroitin sulphate (CS) scaffold
      prolonged transgene expression was facilitated which was higher than that
      obtained for a PEI-pDNA polyplex (2 ug pDNA) loaded scaffold. Transgene
      expression was dependent on the composite nature of the collagen scaffold with
      varying expression profiles obtained from a suite of collagen constructs
      including a collagen alone, collagen-CS, collagen-hydroxyapatite, collagen
      nanohydroxyapatite and collagen-hyaluronic acid scaffold. Therefore, the dPAMAM
      vector described herein represents a biocompatible, effective gene delivery
      vector for TE applications which, via matching with a particular composite
      scaffold type, can be tailored for regeneration of various tissue defects.

PMID- 28905890
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28905889
TI  - Real-space imaging of non-collinear antiferromagnetic order with a single-spin
      magnetometer.
AB  - Although ferromagnets have many applications, their large magnetization and the
      resulting energy cost for switching magnetic moments bring into question their
      suitability for reliable low-power spintronic devices. Non-collinear
      antiferromagnetic systems do not suffer from this problem, and often have extra
      functionalities: non-collinear spin order may break space-inversion symmetry and
      thus allow electric-field control of magnetism, or may produce emergent spin
      orbit effects that enable efficient spin-charge interconversion. To harness these
      traits for next-generation spintronics, the nanoscale control and imaging
      capabilities that are now routine for ferromagnets must be developed for
      antiferromagnetic systems. Here, using a non-invasive, scanning single-spin
      magnetometer based on a nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond, we demonstrate real
      space visualization of non-collinear antiferromagnetic order in a magnetic thin
      film at room temperature. We image the spin cycloid of a multiferroic bismuth
      ferrite (BiFeO3) thin film and extract a period of about 70 nanometres,
      consistent with values determined by macroscopic diffraction. In addition, we
      take advantage of the magnetoelectric coupling present in BiFeO3 to manipulate
      the cycloid propagation direction by an electric field. Besides highlighting the
      potential of nitrogen-vacancy magnetometry for imaging complex antiferromagnetic
      orders at the nanoscale, these results demonstrate how BiFeO3 can be used in the
      design of reconfigurable nanoscale spin textures.

PMID- 28905891
TI  - Post-quantum cryptography.
AB  - Cryptography is essential for the security of online communication, cars and
      implanted medical devices. However, many commonly used cryptosystems will be
      completely broken once large quantum computers exist. Post-quantum cryptography
      is cryptography under the assumption that the attacker has a large quantum
      computer; post-quantum cryptosystems strive to remain secure even in this
      scenario. This relatively young research area has seen some successes in
      identifying mathematical operations for which quantum algorithms offer little
      advantage in speed, and then building cryptographic systems around those. The
      central challenge in post-quantum cryptography is to meet demands for
      cryptographic usability and flexibility without sacrificing confidence.

PMID- 28905892
TI  - Materials science: Nanomagnets boost thermoelectric output.

PMID- 28905893
TI  - Units: Don't tamper with SI-unit consistency.

PMID- 28905895
TI  - Superparamagnetic enhancement of thermoelectric performance.
AB  - The ability to control chemical and physical structuring at the nanometre scale
      is important for developing high-performance thermoelectric materials. Progress
      in this area has been achieved mainly by enhancing phonon scattering and
      consequently decreasing the thermal conductivity of the lattice through the
      design of either interface structures at nanometre or mesoscopic length scales or
      multiscale hierarchical architectures. A nanostructuring approach that enables
      electron transport as well as phonon transport to be manipulated could
      potentially lead to further enhancements in thermoelectric performance. Here we
      show that by embedding nanoparticles of a soft magnetic material in a
      thermoelectric matrix we achieve dual control of phonon- and electron-transport
      properties. The properties of the nanoparticles-in particular, their
      superparamagnetic behaviour (in which the nanoparticles can be magnetized
      similarly to a paramagnet under an external magnetic field)-lead to three kinds
      of thermoelectromagnetic effect: charge transfer from the magnetic inclusions to
      the matrix; multiple scattering of electrons by superparamagnetic fluctuations;
      and enhanced phonon scattering as a result of both the magnetic fluctuations and
      the nanostructures themselves. We show that together these effects can
      effectively manipulate electron and phonon transport at nanometre and mesoscopic
      length scales and thereby improve the thermoelectric performance of the resulting
      nanocomposites.

PMID- 28905896
TI  - Detection of titanium oxide in the atmosphere of a hot Jupiter.
AB  - As an exoplanet transits its host star, some of the light from the star is
      absorbed by the atoms and molecules in the planet's atmosphere, causing the
      planet to seem bigger; plotting the planet's observed size as a function of the
      wavelength of the light produces a transmission spectrum. Measuring the tiny
      variations in the transmission spectrum, together with atmospheric modelling,
      then gives clues to the properties of the exoplanet's atmosphere. Chemical
      species composed of light elements-such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, sodium and
      potassium-have in this way been detected in the atmospheres of several hot giant
      exoplanets, but molecules composed of heavier elements have thus far proved
      elusive. Nonetheless, it has been predicted that metal oxides such as titanium
      oxide (TiO) and vanadium oxide occur in the observable regions of the very
      hottest exoplanetary atmospheres, causing thermal inversions on the dayside. Here
      we report the detection of TiO in the atmosphere of the hot-Jupiter planet WASP
      19b. Our combined spectrum, with its wide spectral coverage, reveals the presence
      of TiO (to a confidence level of 7.7sigma), a strongly scattering haze (7.4sigma)
      and sodium (3.4sigma), and confirms the presence of water (7.9sigma) in the
      atmosphere.

PMID- 28905897
TI  - Impact of a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius on Asia's glaciers.
AB  - Glaciers in the high mountains of Asia (HMA) make a substantial contribution to
      the water supply of millions of people, and they are retreating and losing mass
      as a result of anthropogenic climate change at similar rates to those seen
      elsewhere. In the Paris Agreement of 2015, 195 nations agreed on the aspiration
      to limit the level of global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (  degrees
      C) above pre-industrial levels. However, it is not known what an increase of 1.5 
      degrees C would mean for the glaciers in HMA. Here we show that a global
      temperature rise of 1.5  degrees C will lead to a warming of 2.1 +/- 0.1  degrees
      C in HMA, and that 64 +/- 7 per cent of the present-day ice mass stored in the
      HMA glaciers will remain by the end of the century. The 1.5  degrees C goal is
      extremely ambitious and is projected by only a small number of climate models of
      the conservative IPCC's Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)2.6 ensemble.
      Projections for RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 reveal that much of the glacier ice is
      likely to disappear, with projected mass losses of 49 +/- 7 per cent, 51 +/- 6
      per cent and 64 +/- 5 per cent, respectively, by the end of the century; these
      projections have potentially serious consequences for regional water management
      and mountain communities.

PMID- 28905898
TI  - Protein maps chart the causes of disease.

PMID- 28905899
TI  - Detecting recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer.
AB  - As a result of the 1987 Montreal Protocol and its amendments, the atmospheric
      loading of anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances is decreasing. Accordingly,
      the stratospheric ozone layer is expected to recover. However, short data records
      and atmospheric variability confound the search for early signs of recovery, and
      climate change is masking ozone recovery from ozone-depleting substances in some
      regions and will increasingly affect the extent of recovery. Here we discuss the
      nature and timescales of ozone recovery, and explore the extent to which it can
      be currently detected in different atmospheric regions.

PMID- 28905900
TI  - Statues: learn from mistakes.

PMID- 28905901
TI  - Optical physics: A laser model for cosmology.

PMID- 28905902
TI  - Roads towards fault-tolerant universal quantum computation.
AB  - A practical quantum computer must not merely store information, but also process
      it. To prevent errors introduced by noise from multiplying and spreading, a fault
      tolerant computational architecture is required. Current experiments are taking
      the first steps toward noise-resilient logical qubits. But to convert these
      quantum devices from memories to processors, it is necessary to specify how a
      universal set of gates is performed on them. The leading proposals for doing so,
      such as magic-state distillation and colour-code techniques, have high resource
      demands. Alternative schemes, such as those that use high-dimensional quantum
      codes in a modular architecture, have potential benefits, but need to be explored
      further.

PMID- 28905903
TI  - Climate science: The future of Asia's glaciers.

PMID- 28905906
TI  - Programming languages and compiler design for realistic quantum hardware.
AB  - Quantum computing sits at an important inflection point. For years, high-level
      algorithms for quantum computers have shown considerable promise, and recent
      advances in quantum device fabrication offer hope of utility. A gap still exists,
      however, between the hardware size and reliability requirements of quantum
      computing algorithms and the physical machines foreseen within the next ten
      years. To bridge this gap, quantum computers require appropriate software to
      translate and optimize applications (toolflows) and abstraction layers. Given the
      stringent resource constraints in quantum computing, information passed between
      layers of software and implementations will differ markedly from in classical
      computing. Quantum toolflows must expose more physical details between layers, so
      the challenge is to find abstractions that expose key details while hiding enough
      complexity.

PMID- 28905907
TI  - Statues: a mother of gynaecology.

PMID- 28905909
TI  - Quantum software.

PMID- 28905910
TI  - Microbiology: A fight for scraps of ammonia.

PMID- 28905912
TI  - Quantum computational supremacy.
AB  - The field of quantum algorithms aims to find ways to speed up the solution of
      computational problems by using a quantum computer. A key milestone in this field
      will be when a universal quantum computer performs a computational task that is
      beyond the capability of any classical computer, an event known as quantum
      supremacy. This would be easier to achieve experimentally than full-scale quantum
      computing, but involves new theoretical challenges. Here we present the leading
      proposals to achieve quantum supremacy, and discuss how we can reliably compare
      the power of a classical computer to the power of a quantum computer.

PMID- 28905914
TI  - Erratum: A novel mechanism for mechanosensory-based rheotaxis in larval
      zebrafish.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nature23014.

PMID- 28905915
TI  - Statues: for those deserving respect.

PMID- 28905911
TI  - The 4D nucleome project.
AB  - The 4D Nucleome Network aims to develop and apply approaches to map the structure
      and dynamics of the human and mouse genomes in space and time with the goal of
      gaining deeper mechanistic insights into how the nucleus is organized and
      functions. The project will develop and benchmark experimental and computational
      approaches for measuring genome conformation and nuclear organization, and
      investigate how these contribute to gene regulation and other genome functions.
      Validated experimental technologies will be combined with biophysical approaches
      to generate quantitative models of spatial genome organization in different
      biological states, both in cell populations and in single cells.

PMID- 28905916
TI  - Hardware-efficient variational quantum eigensolver for small molecules and
      quantum magnets.
AB  - Quantum computers can be used to address electronic-structure problems and
      problems in materials science and condensed matter physics that can be formulated
      as interacting fermionic problems, problems which stretch the limits of existing
      high-performance computers. Finding exact solutions to such problems numerically
      has a computational cost that scales exponentially with the size of the system,
      and Monte Carlo methods are unsuitable owing to the fermionic sign problem. These
      limitations of classical computational methods have made solving even few-atom
      electronic-structure problems interesting for implementation using medium-sized
      quantum computers. Yet experimental implementations have so far been restricted
      to molecules involving only hydrogen and helium. Here we demonstrate the
      experimental optimization of Hamiltonian problems with up to six qubits and more
      than one hundred Pauli terms, determining the ground-state energy for molecules
      of increasing size, up to BeH2. We achieve this result by using a variational
      quantum eigenvalue solver (eigensolver) with efficiently prepared trial states
      that are tailored specifically to the interactions that are available in our
      quantum processor, combined with a compact encoding of fermionic Hamiltonians and
      a robust stochastic optimization routine. We demonstrate the flexibility of our
      approach by applying it to a problem of quantum magnetism, an antiferromagnetic
      Heisenberg model in an external magnetic field. In all cases, we find agreement
      between our experiments and numerical simulations using a model of the device
      with noise. Our results help to elucidate the requirements for scaling the method
      to larger systems and for bridging the gap between key problems in high
      performance computing and their implementation on quantum hardware.

PMID- 28905918
TI  - Palaeontology: Plenty of fish in the tree.

PMID- 28905917
TI  - Quantum machine learning.
AB  - Fuelled by increasing computer power and algorithmic advances, machine learning
      techniques have become powerful tools for finding patterns in data. Quantum
      systems produce atypical patterns that classical systems are thought not to
      produce efficiently, so it is reasonable to postulate that quantum computers may
      outperform classical computers on machine learning tasks. The field of quantum
      machine learning explores how to devise and implement quantum software that could
      enable machine learning that is faster than that of classical computers. Recent
      work has produced quantum algorithms that could act as the building blocks of
      machine learning programs, but the hardware and software challenges are still
      considerable.

PMID- 28905920
TI  - Support Ismail Serageldin.

PMID- 28905919
TI  - Erratum: T cells from patients with Parkinson's disease recognize alpha-synuclein
      peptides.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nature22815.

PMID- 28905922
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28905921
TI  - South Korean researchers lobby government to lift human-embryo restrictions.

PMID- 28905923
TI  - Geneticists pan paper that claims to predict a person's face from their DNA.

PMID- 28905924
TI  - Hurricane havoc, deep-ocean floats and Mexico's fatal quake.

PMID- 28905925
TI  - Faculty promotion must assess reproducibility.

PMID- 28905926
TI  - Pregnant mice illuminate risk factors that could lead to autism.

PMID- 28905927
TI  - UK gender-equality scheme spreads across the world.

PMID- 28905928
TI  - Giraffes could have evolved long necks to keep cool.

PMID- 28905929
TI  - First quantum computers need smart software.

PMID- 28905930
TI  - The new economy of excrement.

PMID- 28905931
TI  - Jordan seeks to become an oasis of water-saving technology.

PMID- 28905932
TI  - Insurance companies should collect a carbon levy.

PMID- 28905933
TI  - Researchers riled by lack of detail in Brexit science plans.

PMID- 28905934
TI  - Conversion and pharmacokinetics profiles of a novel pro-drug of 3-n
      butylphthalide, potassium 2-(1-hydroxypentyl)-benzoate, in rats and dogs.
AB  - Potassium 2-(1-hydroxypentyl)-benzoate (dl-PHPB) is a novel pro-drug of 3-n
      butylphthalide (dl-NBP) that is used to treat ischemic stroke. Currently, dl-PHPB
      is in phase II-III clinical trials in China. In this study, we investigated the
      conversion and pharmacokinetics profiles of dl-PHPB in vitro and in vivo. The
      conversion of dl-PHPB to dl-NBP was pH- and calcium-dependent, and paraoxonase
      was identified as a major enzyme for the conversion in rat plasma. The
      pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion of dl-PHPB were studied and
      compared with equal-molar doses of dl-NBP in rats and dogs. The in vivo studies
      showed that dl-PHPB could be quickly and completely converted to dl-NBP. The
      plasma concentration-time course of converted dl-NBP after intravenous dl-PHPB
      administration was nearly the same as that after equal-molar dl-NBP. The Cmax and
      AUC of dl-NBP after oral dl-PHPB administration in rats and dogs were higher by
      60% and 170%, respectively, than those after oral dl-NBP administration. Analysis
      of the tissue distribution of dl-PHPB revealed that converted dl-NBP was
      primarily distributed in fat, the brain and the stomach. In the brain, the levels
      of dl-NBP were relatively higher after dl-PHPB treatment by orally than after
      treatment with equal-molar dl-NBP. Approximately 3%-4% of dl-NBP was excreted
      within 72 h after dosing with dl-PHPB or dl-NBP, but no dl-PHPB was detected in
      urine or feces excrements. Our results demonstrate that the conversion of dl-PHPB
      is fast after oral or intravenous administration. Furthermore, the
      bioavailability of dl-PHPB was obviously better than that of dl-NBP.

PMID- 28905935
TI  - Age-related differences in interferon regulatory factor-4 and -5 signaling in
      ischemic brains of mice.
AB  - Stroke is a disease that mainly affects the elderly. Since the age-related
      differences in stroke have not been well studied, modeling stroke in aged animals
      is clinically more relevant. The inflammatory responses to stroke are a
      fundamental pathological procedure, in which microglial activation plays an
      important role. Interferon regulatory factor-5 (IRF5) and IRF4 regulate M1 and M2
      activation of macrophages, respectively, in peripheral inflammation; but it is
      unknown whether IRF5/IRF4 are also involved in cerebral inflammatory responses to
      stroke and whether age-related differences of the IRF5/IRF4 signaling exist in
      ischemic brain. Here, we investigated the influences of aging on IRF5/IRF4
      signaling and post-stroke inflammation in mice. Both young (9-12 weeks) and aged
      (18 months) male mice were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).
      Morphological and biochemical changes in the ischemic brains and behavior
      deficits were assessed on 1, 3, and 7 d post-stroke. After MCAO, the aged mice
      showed smaller infarct sizes but higher neurological deficits and corner test
      scores than young mice. Young mice had higher levels of IRF4 and CD206 microglia
      in the ischemic brains, whereas the aged mice expressed more IRF5 and MHCII
      microglia. After MCAO, serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, iNOS, IL-6)
      were more prominently up-regulated in aged mice, whereas serum anti-inflammatory
      cytokines (TGF-beta, IL-4, IL-10) were more prominently up-regulated in young
      mice. Our results demonstrate that aging has a significant influence on stroke
      outcomes in mice, which is probably mediated by age-specific inflammatory
      responses.

PMID- 28905936
TI  - Combing oncolytic adenovirus expressing Beclin-1 with chemotherapy agent
      doxorubicin synergistically enhances cytotoxicity in human CML cells in vitro.
AB  - Cancer virotherapy provides a new strategy to treat cancer that can directly kill
      cancer cells by oncolysis. Insertion of therapeutic genes into the genome of a
      modified adenovirus, thereby creating a so-called gene-virotherapy that shares
      the advantages of gene therapy and virotherapy. In this study we investigated
      whether a strategy that combines the oncolytic effects of an adenoviral vector
      with the simultaneous expression of the autophagy gene Beclin-1 offered a
      therapeutic advantage for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells with resistance to
      chemotherapy and evaluated the synergistic effects of SG511-BECN and doxorubicin
      (Dox) in human CML cells in vitro. Oncolytic virus SG511-BECN was constructed
      through introducing the Beclin-1 gene into the oncolytic adenoviral backbone.
      SG511-BECN displayed significantly improved antileukemia activity on multidrug
      resistant CML cell line K562/A02, which was mediated via induction of autophagic
      cell death. Furthermore, Dox could synergize with SG511-BECN to kill the CML
      cells by improving the infectious efficiency of the oncolytic adenovirus without
      causing significant damage to normal human mononuclear cells. The results
      demonstrate that targeting the autophagic cell death pathway and combination of a
      chemotherapy agent with oncolytic adenovirus may be a novel strategy for the
      treatment of leukemia with chemotherapy resistance.

PMID- 28905937
TI  - SOMCL-085, a novel multi-targeted FGFR inhibitor, displays potent anticancer
      activity in FGFR-addicted human cancer models.
AB  - Aberrant fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) activation is found across a
      diverse spectrum of malignancies, especially those lacking effective treatments.
      SOMCL-085 is a novel FGFR-dominant multi-target kinase inhibitor. Here, we
      explored the FGFR-targeting anticancer activity of SOMCL-085 both in vitro and in
      vivo. Among a panel of 20 tyrosine kinases screened, SOMCL-085 potently inhibited
      FGFR1, FGFR2 and FGFR3 kinase activity, with IC50 values of 1.8, 1.9 and 6.9
      nmol/L, respectively. This compound simultaneously inhibited the angiogenesis
      kinases VEGFR and PDGFR, but without obvious inhibitory effect on other 12
      tyrosine kinases. In 3 representative human cancer cell lines with different
      mechanisms of FGFR activation tested, SOMCL-085 (20-500 nmol/L) dose-dependently
      inhibited FGFR1-3 phosphorylation and the phosphorylation of their key downstream
      effectors PLCgamma and Erk. In 7 FGFR aberrant human cancer cell lines,
      regardless of the mechanistic complexity of FGFR over-activation, SOMCL-085
      potently inhibited FGFR-driven cell proliferation by arresting cells at the G1/S
      phase. In the FGFR1-amplified lung cancer cell line H1581 xenograft mice and
      FGFR2-amplified gastric cancer cell line SNU16 xenograft mice, oral
      administration of SOMCL-085 (25, 50 mg.kg-1.d-1) for 21 days substantially
      suppressed tumor growth without affecting their body-weight. These results
      suggest that SOMCL-085 is a potent multi-target FGFR inhibitor that inhibits the
      FGFR-dependent neoplastic phenotypes of human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28905938
TI  - Triptolide induces Sertoli cell apoptosis in mice via ROS/JNK-dependent
      activation of the mitochondrial pathway and inhibition of Nrf2-mediated
      antioxidant response.
AB  - Triptolide (TP), an oxygenated diterpene, has a variety of beneficial
      pharmacodynamic activities but its clinical applications are restricted due to
      severe testicular injury. This study aimed to delineate the molecular mechanisms
      of TP-induced testicular injury in vitro and in vivo. TP (5-50000 nmol/L) dose
      dependently decreased the viability of TM4 Sertoli cells with an IC50 value of
      669.5-269.45 nmol/L at 24 h. TP (125, 250, and 500 nmol/L) dose-dependently
      increased the accumulation of ROS, the phosphorylation of JNK, mitochondrial
      dysfunction and activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in TM4 cells. These
      processes were attenuated by co-treatment with the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine
      (NAC, 1 mmol/L). Furthermore, TP treatment inhibited the translocation of Nrf2
      from cytoplasm into the nucleus as well as the expression of downstream genes
      NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase1 (NQO1), catalase (CAT) and hemeoxygenase 1 (HO
      1), thus abrogating Nrf2-mediated defense mechanisms against oxidative stress.
      Moreover, siRNA knockdown of Nrf2 significantly potentiated TP-induced apoptosis
      of TM4 cells. The above results from in vitro experiments were further validated
      in male mice after oral administration of TP (30, 60, and 120 mg.kg-1.d-1, for 14
      d), as evidenced by the detected indexes, including dose-dependently decreased
      SDH activity, increased MDA concentration, altered testicle histomorphology,
      elevated caspase-3 activation, apoptosis induction, increased phosphorylation of
      JNK, and decreased gene expression of NQO1, CAT and HO-1 as well as nuclear
      protein expression of Nrf2 in testicular tissue. Our results demonstrate that TP
      activates apoptosis of Sertoli cells and injury of the testis via the ROS/JNK
      mediated mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis pathway and down-regulates Nrf2
      activation.

PMID- 28905940
TI  - Bivalirudin for patients with STEMI at high risk of bleeding undergoing PPCI.

PMID- 28905939
TI  - Curcumin administration suppresses collagen synthesis in the hearts of rats with
      experimental diabetes.
AB  - Cardiac fibrosis is considered the initial change of diabetic cardiomyopathy
      (DCM). We have shown that curcumin alleviates collagen deposition in DCM, but the
      mechanism remains unknown. In this study we sought to investigate the effects of
      curcumin on cardiac fibrosis in vivo and in vitro and to elucidate the underlying
      mechanisms. Experimental diabetes was induced in rats by injection of low-dose
      streptozotocin (STZ) combined with high energy diet. The rats were orally treated
      with curcumin (300 mg.kg-1.d-1) for 16 weeks. Curcumin administration
      significantly suppressed the deposition of type I and type III collagens in the
      heart tissues of diabetic rats, accompanied by markedly reduced TGF-beta1
      production, suppressed TbetaR II levels and Smad2/3 phosphorylation, and
      increased Smad7 expression. Similar effects were observed in human cardiac
      fibroblasts exposed to high glucose (HG, 30 mmol/L) or exogenous TGF-beta1 (5
      ng/mL). Furthermore, TGF-beta1 or HG treatment significantly increased the
      phosphorylation levels of AMPK and p38 MAPK in the fibroblasts. Application of
      curcumin (25 MUmol/L) inhibited TGF-beta1- or HG-induced AMPK/p38 MAPK activation
      and suppressed collagen synthesis in the fibroblasts. These effects were similar
      to those of the AMPK inhibitor compound C (10 MUmol/L) but opposite to the
      effects of the AMPK activator metformin (2 mmol/L) in the fibroblasts. Our
      results demonstrate that curcumin suppresses diabetes-associated collagen
      synthesis in rat myocardium not only by inhibiting TGF-beta1 production and
      canonical Smad signaling but also by blocking the non-canonical AMPK/p38 MAPK
      pathway.

PMID- 28905941
TI  - A quantitative point-of-care test for periodontal and dental peri-implant
      diseases.

PMID- 28905942
TI  - Authors' reply: Predictive diagnostic tests in periodontal diseases.

PMID- 28905944
TI  - Snakebite envenoming.
AB  - Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that kills >100,000 people
      and maims >400,000 people every year. Impoverished populations living in the
      rural tropics are particularly vulnerable; snakebite envenoming perpetuates the
      cycle of poverty. Snake venoms are complex mixtures of proteins that exert a wide
      range of toxic actions. The high variability in snake venom composition is
      responsible for the various clinical manifestations in envenomings, ranging from
      local tissue damage to potentially life-threatening systemic effects. Intravenous
      administration of antivenom is the only specific treatment to counteract
      envenoming. Analgesics, ventilator support, fluid therapy, haemodialysis and
      antibiotic therapy are also used. Novel therapeutic alternatives based on
      recombinant antibody technologies and new toxin inhibitors are being explored.
      Confronting snakebite envenoming at a global level demands the implementation of
      an integrated intervention strategy involving the WHO, the research community,
      antivenom manufacturers, regulatory agencies, national and regional health
      authorities, professional health organizations, international funding agencies,
      advocacy groups and civil society institutions.

PMID- 28905945
TI  - The effect of Sn doping on thermoelectric performance of n-type half-Heusler
      NbCoSb.
AB  - Herein, Sn was successfully doped into the Sb site of n-type NbCoSb half-Heusler
      compounds to tune the carrier concentration, and a maximum ZT value of ~0.56 was
      obtained at 973 K for NbCoSb1-xSnx with x = 0.2, an increase of ~40% as compared
      to that of NbCoSb. This enhancement is mainly attributed to the reduced carrier
      concentration by Sn doping, leading to a doubled Seebeck coefficient at 300 K.
      More importantly, the total thermal conductivity was reduced with Sn doping, and
      the reduction was mainly due to the lowered electron thermal conductivity. The
      decreased electron thermal conductivity resulted from the reduced carrier
      concentration and the consequent enhanced carrier degeneracy, contributing to a
      reduced Lorenz constant. A quantitative description of the electron transport
      characteristics was performed under a single parabolic band model supposing that
      the acoustic phonon scattering was dominant in the carrier transport. A high
      density of the state effective mass, m* ~ 10 me, and relatively high deformation
      potential Edef = 21 eV were found for the solid solutions.

PMID- 28905947
TI  - Ab initio molecular dynamics of thiophene: the interplay of internal conversion
      and intersystem crossing.
AB  - The fast and slow components of the relaxation of photoexcited thiophene have
      been investigated by means of SHARC (surface hopping including arbitrary
      couplings) molecular dynamics based on multiconfiguration electronic structure
      calculations. Triplet states are included to ascertain their role in the
      relaxation process. After thiophene is excited to the S1 state, ultrafast
      dynamics (taufast = 96 fs) initiates a ring opening due to cleavage of a carbon
      sulfur bond and simultaneous ring puckering. This time constant is in agreement
      with previous experimental and theoretical studies. The subsequent dynamics of
      the open-ring structures is characterized by the interplay of internal conversion
      and intersystem crossing. For the open-ring structures, the S0, S1, T1 and T2
      states are nearly degenerate and the spin-orbit couplings are large. The
      underlying potential energy surface is flat and long-lived open-ring structures
      in the singlet as well as in the triplet states are formed. Both the
      participation of triplet states and the shape of the energy surface explain the
      experimentally observed slow ring closure in the ground state.

PMID- 28905946
TI  - Sequential molecule-triggered-release system based on acetylated amylose helix
      aggregates.
AB  - We developed a novel sequential molecule-triggered-release system based on
      acetylated amylose helix aggregates with a proper degree of substitution, in
      which a loaded molecule can be trigger-released by trigger molecules in sequence.
      The system is sensitive and capable of time-controllable triggered release. The
      mechanism involves the sequential pushing of wrapped molecules with low binding
      free energy out of the helix cavity by a triggered molecule with a high binding
      free energy.

PMID- 28905948
TI  - Bistriazole-p-benzoquinone and its alkali salts: electrochemical behaviour in
      aqueous alkaline solutions.
AB  - Quinones are well known as redox-active compounds. In this work bistriazole-p
      benzoquinone was prepared and its electrochemical behaviour in aqueous alkaline
      solutions was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Two successive one-electron
      reduction steps were observed - the first step was reversible and the second
      quasireversible. Based on the nature of the alkali cation, the potential of the
      cathodic peak minimum and the anodic peak maximum was shifted towards positive
      direction as follows Li+ > Na+ > K+. In order to know more about the chemical
      structure of the alkali salts, the lithium, sodium and potassium salts of
      bistriazole-p-benzoquinone were crystallized and their structure could be
      revealed by single crystal X-ray analysis. Additionally, the thermal stability of
      the compounds was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and variable
      temperature X-ray powder diffraction analysis.

PMID- 28905949
TI  - Electronic and molecular structure relations in diiron compounds mimicking the
      [FeFe]-hydrogenase active site studied by X-ray spectroscopy and quantum
      chemistry.
AB  - Synthetic diiron compounds of the general formula Fe2(MU-S2R)(CO)n(L)6-n (R =
      alkyl or aromatic groups; L = CN- or phosphines) are versatile models for the
      active-site cofactor of hydrogen turnover in [FeFe]-hydrogenases. A series of 18
      diiron compounds, containing mostly a dithiolate bridge and terminal ligands of
      increasing complexity, was characterized by X-ray absorption and emission
      spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory. Fe K-edge absorption
      and Kbeta main-line emission spectra revealed the varying geometry and the low
      spin state of the Fe(i) centers. Good agreement between experimental and
      calculated core-to-valence-excitation absorption and radiative valence-to-core
      decay emission spectra revealed correlations between spectroscopic and structural
      features and provided access to the electronic configuration. Four main effects
      on the diiron core were identified, which were preferentially related to
      variation either of the dithiolate or of the terminal ligands. Alteration of the
      dithiolate bridge affected mainly the Fe-Fe bond strength, while more potent
      donor substitution and ligand field asymmetrization changed the metal charge and
      valence level localization. In contrast, cyanide ligation altered all relevant
      properties and, in particular, the frontier molecular orbital energies of the
      diiron core. Mutual benchmarking of experimental and theoretical parameters
      provides guidelines to verify the electronic properties of related diiron
      compounds.

PMID- 28905950
TI  - A DFT study on the aldol condensation reaction on MgO in the process of ethanol
      to 1,3-butadiene: understanding the structure-activity relationship.
AB  - Using periodic density functional theory calculations, the aldol condensation of
      acetaldehyde to 3-hydroxybutanal over dehydroxylated MgO surfaces with and
      without structure defects was investigated. Compared with the C-C coupling step,
      the enolization step via proton transfer of the alpha-hydrogen of acetaldehyde to
      the MgO surface or the proton back-transfer step to form the desired 3
      hydroxybutanal has a higher energy barrier, indicating that the proton transfer
      process is the key step for the aldol condensation on MgO. To highlight the
      effect of water, we also calculated the proton transfer steps in the presence of
      water and studied the reaction pathways over the partially hydroxylated MgO
      surface. The results show that water can participate in the proton back-transfer
      step by donating a proton to the alkoxide anion to form the 3-hydroxybutanal,
      thus reducing the activation energy; the surface OH groups induce a lowering of
      the activation energy barriers for the overall reaction. The results of the
      electronic structure analysis indicate that a strong Lewis acid-weak/medium base
      pair may have the best performance for aldol condensation, such as Mg3C-O4C-D
      produced by divacancy defects and Mg4C-O2CH produced by the dissociative
      adsorption of water. A strong Lewis acid generated by low-coordinated Mg2+ can
      adsorb and stabilize the acetaldehyde molecule near the catalyst surface which is
      beneficial for the abstraction of an alpha-proton from an acetaldehyde molecule,
      and a medium or weak Bronsted base is favorable for the proton back-transfer
      step.

PMID- 28905951
TI  - Order-disorder phase transition in an anhydrous pyrazole-based proton conductor:
      the enhancement of electrical transport properties.
AB  - The crystal structure of 1H-pyrazol-2-ium hydrogen oxalate has been studied at
      100 K. It consists of two-dimensional layers built with one-dimensional chains
      that contain pyrazolium and oxalate acids bonded by N-HO and O-HO hydrogen bonds.
      According to the X-ray data and the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules, it was
      shown that weak and moderate hydrogen bonds are present in the crystal at room
      temperature. The thermal stability was studied with the DSC, TGA, and DTG
      methods: three endothermic peaks are observed at 384, 420, and 469 K.
      Conductivity measurements have been performed in the temperature range from 300
      to 433 K. At 383 K the pyrazole-oxalic acid framework loses its rigidity and the
      crystal undergoes an ordered-disordered phase transition. At this temperature,
      the value of the activation energy of proton conductivity changes from 1.14 to
      2.31 eV. The proton conduction pathways and the transport mechanism have been
      studied with theoretical methods.

PMID- 28905953
TI  - Protective effect of Potentilla anserina polysaccharide on cadmium-induced
      nephrotoxicity in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - The aim of this research was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-apoptotic
      activities of Potentilla anserina polysaccharide (PAP) on kidney damage induced
      by cadmium (Cd) in vitro and in vivo. PAP has been suggested to have anti
      oxidation, anti-apoptosis, immunoregulation, antimicrobial, antitussive, and
      expectorant abilities. In this study, PAP was extracted and the major components
      of PAP were analyzed. It was shown that PAP pretreatment remarkably improved
      redox homeostasis, both in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells and in
      BALB/c mice. Administration of PAP attenuated the mitochondrial dysfunction,
      degeneration, and fibrosis of kidney induced by Cd. Furthermore, PAP exhibited
      anti-apoptotic activity, which involved regulating both the mitochondria-mediated
      intrinsic apoptotic pathway and the death receptor-initiated extrinsic pathway.
      These results suggest that PAP is a potential therapeutic agent for Cd-induced
      nephrotoxicity.

PMID- 28905952
TI  - Detection of membrane-bound and soluble antigens by magnetic levitation.
AB  - Magnetic levitation is a technique for measuring the density and the magnetic
      properties of objects suspended in a paramagnetic field. We describe a novel
      magnetic levitation-based method that can specifically detect cell membrane-bound
      and soluble antigens by measurable changes in levitation height that result from
      the formation of antibody-coated bead and antigen complex. We demonstrate our
      method's ability to sensitively detect an array of membrane-bound and soluble
      antigens found in blood, including T-cell antigen CD3, eosinophil antigen Siglec
      8, red blood cell antigens CD35 and RhD, red blood cell-bound Epstein-Barr viral
      particles, and soluble IL-6, and validate the results by flow cytometry and
      immunofluorescence microscopy performed in parallel. Additionally, employing an
      inexpensive, single lens, manual focus, wifi-enabled camera, we extend the
      portability of our method for its potential use as a point-of-care diagnostic
      assay.

PMID- 28905954
TI  - Nanoelectromagnetic of the N-doped single wall carbon nanotube in the extremely
      high frequency band.
AB  - Materials offering excellent mechanical flexibility, high electrical conductivity
      and electromagnetic interference (EMI) attenuation with minimal thickness are in
      high demand, particularly if they can be easily processed into films. Carbon
      nanotube films deposited on a PDMS substrate combine these requirements. In this
      work, the potential of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) deposited on flexible
      polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer substrates for EMI attenuation is
      demonstrated. A 6-micrometer-thick SWCNT film exhibits EMI shielding
      effectiveness of 24.5 decibels in the extreme high frequency band (EHF), reaching
      40 decibels when the SWCNTs are N-doped, which is one of the highest specific EMI
      attenuation performances optimized with film thickness realized to date. This
      performance stems from the good electrical conductivity of N-SWCNT films (150
      Siemens per centimeter) and possible internal multireflections within the SWCNTs
      network. The excellent mechanical flexibility and easy coating processing enable
      them to sheathe complex shaped surfaces while providing high electromagnetic
      interference attenuation efficiency.

PMID- 28905955
TI  - A low-cost, large field-of-view scanning ion conductance microscope for studying
      nanoparticle-cell membrane interactions.
AB  - Nanoparticles have the potential to become versatile tools in the medical and
      life sciences. One potential application is delivering drugs or other compounds
      to the cell cytoplasm, which requires the nanoparticles to bind to or cross the
      cell membrane. However, there are only a few tools available which allow studying
      the interaction of nanoparticles and the cell membrane of living cells in a
      physiological environment. Currently, the tool which least biases living cells is
      Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM). Specialized SICMs allow imaging at
      high resolution, however, they are cost intensive, particularly when providing a
      large field-of-view. In contrast, less cost intensive SICMs which provide a large
      field-of-view do not allow imaging at high resolutions. We have developed a SICM
      setup consisting of a compact three-axis piezo system and an additional fast
      shear-force piezo actor. This combination allows imaging fields-of-view of up to
      80 MUm * 80 MUm, recording sections of living cells with a temporal resolution in
      the range of minutes as well as imaging with a spatial resolution of below 70 nm.
      Using our SICM we found that the cell membrane of HeLa cells treated with
      carboxylated latex nanoparticles was significantly more convoluted compared to
      control cells. The SICM setup we introduce here combines high resolution imaging
      with a large field-of-view at low costs. Our setup only requires a mounting
      adapter to extend existing inverted light microscopes, thus it could be a
      valuable and cost effective tool for researchers in all fields of the medical and
      life sciences performing investigations at the nanometer scale.

PMID- 28905957
TI  - Correction: A dual-ion electrochemistry deionization system based on AgCl
      Na0.44MnO2 electrodes.
AB  - Correction for 'A dual-ion electrochemistry deionization system based on AgCl
      Na0.44MnO2 electrodes' by Fuming Chen et al., Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 10101-10108.

PMID- 28905956
TI  - Poly-cytosine-mediated nanotags for SERS detection of Hg2.
AB  - Highly sensitive and selective detection of heavy metal ions, such as Hg2+, is of
      great importance because the contamination of heavy metal ions has been a serious
      threat to human health. Herein, we have developed poly-cytosine (polyC)-mediated
      surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanotags as a sensor system for rapid,
      selective, and sensitive detection of Hg2+ based on thymidine-Hg2+-thymidine (T
      Hg2+-T) coordination and polyC-mediated Raman activity. The SERS nanotags exploit
      the mismatched T-T base pairs to capture Hg2+ form T-Hg2+-T bridges, which induce
      the aggregation of nanotags giving rise to the drastic amplification in the SERS
      signals. Moreover, this polyC not only provides the anchoring function to induce
      the formation of intrinsic silver-cytosine coordination but also engineers the
      Raman-activity of SERS nanotags by mediating its length. As a result, the polyC
      mediated SERS nanotags show an excellent response for Hg2+ in the concentration
      range from 0.1 to 1000 nM and good selectivity over other metal ions. Given its
      simple principle and easy operation, the polyC-mediated SERS nanotags, therefore,
      could serve as a promising sensor for practical use.

PMID- 28905960
TI  - Correction: A study of pH-dependence of shrink and stretch of tetrahedral DNA
      nanostructures.
AB  - Correction for 'A study of pH-dependence of shrink and stretch of tetrahedral DNA
      nanostructures' by Ping Wang et al., Nanoscale, 2015, 7, 6467-6470.

PMID- 28905961
TI  - Correction: Stereodivergent synthesis of right- and left-handed iminoxylitol
      heterodimers and monomers. Study of their impact on beta-glucocerebrosidase
      activity.
AB  - Correction for 'Stereodivergent synthesis of right- and left-handed iminoxylitol
      heterodimers and monomers. Study of their impact on beta-glucocerebrosidase
      activity' by Fabien Stauffert et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 3681-3705.

PMID- 28905962
TI  - The dendritic effect and magnetic permeability in dendron coated nickel and
      manganese zinc ferrite nanoparticles.
AB  - The collective magnetic properties of nanoparticle (NP) solid films are greatly
      affected by inter-particle dipole-dipole interactions and therefore the proximity
      of the neighboring particles. In this study, a series of dendritic ligands
      (generations 0 to 3, G0-G3) have been designed and used to cover the surface of
      magnetic NPs to control the spacings between the NP components in single
      lattices. The dendrons of different generations introduced here were based on the
      2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (Bis-MPA) scaffold and equipped with an
      appropriate surface binding group at one end and several fatty acid segments at
      the other extremity. The surface of the NPs was then modified by partial ligand
      exchange between the primary stabilizing surfactants and the new dendritic
      wedges. It was shown that this strategy permitted very precise tuning of inter
      particle spacings in the range of 2.9-5.0 nm. As expected, the increase in the
      inter-particle spacings reduced the dipole-dipole interactions between magnetic
      NPs and therefore allowed changes in their magnetic permeability. The dendron
      size and inter-particle distance dependence was studied to reveal the dendritic
      effect and identify the optimal geometry and generation.

PMID- 28905964
TI  - Development and applications of a near-infrared dye-benzylguanine conjugate to
      specifically label SNAP-tagged proteins.
AB  - Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes are advantageous over visible ones, for
      they can avoid the interference from the short-wavelength background emission in
      biological systems. However, there are a very limited number of NIR probes that
      can specifically label target proteins in living cells. In this work, a series of
      long-wavelength dyes (N-NIR, S-NIR, and K-NIR) analogous to the novel Changsha
      NIR family are synthesized conveniently through a new approach that is different
      from the previously reported one. These three dyes have similar conjugation
      structures but exhibit tunable photophysical properties. N-NIR and S-NIR have
      large extinction coefficients over 100 000, and high fluorescence quantum yields.
      Although NIR absorption and emission of K-NIR are inferior to the former two, it
      emits in a much longer wavelength region. And all the three dyes can easily pass
      through the cell membranes to obtain the high-resolution NIR fluorescence images.
      Furthermore, N-NIR is chosen as the NIR fluorophore to develop a protein-labeling
      reagent PYBG-D, since it demonstrates the highest fluorescence quantum yield of
      up to 0.4 (in methanol). PYBG-D is efficiently synthesized through Sonogashira
      coupling between bromo-substituted N-NIR and alkyne-substituted benzylguanine
      (PYBG). The conjugate PYBG-D proves to be a specific and efficient label for O6
      alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (SNAP-tag) that fused to target proteins in
      living cells, which contributes to high resolution NIR fluorescence images under
      a laser confocal microscope.

PMID- 28905963
TI  - Coarse-grained molecular dynamics studies of the structure and stability of
      peptide-based drug amphiphile filaments.
AB  - Peptide-based supramolecular filaments, in particular filaments self-assembled by
      drug amphiphiles (DAs), possess great potential in the field of drug delivery.
      These filaments possess one hundred percent drug loading, with a release
      mechanism that can be tuned based on the dissociation of the supramolecular
      filaments and the degradation of the DAs [Cheetham et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc.,
      2013, 135(8), 2907]. Recently, much attention has been drawn to the competing
      intermolecular interactions that drive the self-assembly of peptide-based
      amphiphiles into supramolecular filaments. Recently, we reported on long-time
      atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the structure and growth
      of chiral filaments by the self-assembly of a DA containing the aromatic anti
      cancer drug camptothecin [Kang et al., Macromolecules, 2016, 49(3), 994]. We
      found that the pi-pi stacking of the aromatic drug governs the early stages of
      the self-assembly process, while also contributing towards the chirality of the
      self-assembled filament. Based on these all-atomistic simulations, we now build a
      chemically accurate coarse-grained model that can capture the structure and
      stability of these supramolecular filaments at long time-scales (microseconds).
      These coarse-grained models successfully recapitulate the growth of the molecular
      clusters (and their elongation trends) compared with previously reported
      atomistic simulations. Furthermore, the interfacial structure and the helicity of
      the filaments are conserved. Next, we focus on characterization of the
      disassembly process of a 0.675 MUm DA filament at microsecond time-scales. These
      results provide very useful tools for the rational design of functional
      supramolecular filaments, in particular supramolecular filaments for drug
      delivery applications.

PMID- 28905966
TI  - Computational insights into active site shaping for substrate specificity and
      reaction regioselectivity in the EXTL2 retaining glycosyltransferase.
AB  - Glycosyltransferases are enzymes that catalyze a monosaccharide transfer reaction
      from a donor to an acceptor substrate with the synthesis of a new glycosidic
      bond. They are highly substrate specific and regioselective, even though the
      acceptor substrate often presents multiple reactive groups. Currently, many
      efforts are dedicated to the development of biocatalysts for glycan synthesis
      and, therefore, a better understanding of how natural enzymes achieve this goal
      can be of valuable help. To gain a deeper insight into the catalytic strategies
      used by retaining glycosyltransferases, the wild type EXTL2 (CAZy family GT64)
      and four mutant forms (at positions 293 and 246) were studied using QM(DFT)/MM
      calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. Existing hypotheses on the roles
      of Arg293, an enigmatic residue in the CAZy family GT64 that seemed to contradict
      a mechanism through an oxocarbenium intermediate, and of Asp246 have been tested.
      We also provide a molecular interpretation for the results of site-directed
      mutagenesis experiments. Moreover, we have investigated why an Asp, and not a Glu
      like in the family GT6, is found on the beta-face of the transferred GlcNAc. It
      is predicted that an Asp246Glu mutant of EXTL2 would be unable to catalyze the
      alpha-1,4 transfer. The results herein presented clarify the roles that Arg293,
      Asp246 and Leu213 have at different stages of the catalytic process (for binding
      but also for efficient chemical reaction). Altogether, we provide a molecular
      view that connects the identity and conformation of these residues to the
      substrate specificity and regioselectivity of the enzyme, illustrating a delicate
      interplay between all these aspects.

PMID- 28905969
TI  - Highly stretchable hydrogels from complex coacervation of natural
      polyelectrolytes.
AB  - The controlled complex coacervation of oppositely charged hyaluronic acid (Mw ~
      800-1000 kg mol-1) and chitosan (Mw ~ 160 kg mol-1, degree of acetylation = 15%)
      led to hydrogels with controllable properties in terms of elasticity and
      strength. In this work, we performed desalting by dialysis of high ionic strength
      solutions of mixed polyelectrolytes and showed that the control of the pH during
      the polyelectrolyte assembly greatly impacts the mechanical properties of the
      hydrogel. First, for pHs from 5.5 to 7.5, a slight coacervation was observed due
      to low chitosan protonation and poor polyelectrolyte associations. Then, for pHs
      from 3.0 to 5.5, coacervation and syneresis led to free-standing and easy to
      handle hydrogels. Finally, for pHs from 2.0 to 3.0 (close to the pKa of the
      hyaluronic acid), we observed the unusual stretchability of these hydrogels that
      could arise from the pre-folding of hyaluronic acid chains while physical
      crosslinking was achieved by hyaluronic acid/chitosan polyelectrolyte
      complexation.

PMID- 28905970
TI  - On the discovery of new potent human farnesyltransferase inhibitors: emerging
      pyroglutamic derivatives.
AB  - In the current context of lack of emergence of innovative human
      farnesyltransferase inhibitors families, and given all new therapeutic
      perspectives that open up for such molecules in rare diseases (e.g. Hutchinson
      Gilford progeria syndrome), and in delta hepatitis, cardiovascular or
      neuroinflammatory diseases, we have just discovered a new series of powerful
      inhibitors. These molecules are pyroglutamic acid derivatives, and were evaluated
      on human farnesyltransferase in vitro then modeled in silico on the active site
      of the protein. Three main points of the pyroglutamic acid cycle have undergone
      chemical modulations pyroglutamides in position 5 (compounds 7a-h), constrained
      bicyclic analogues of pyrroloimidazoledione type (compounds 1a-h), modulation of
      the position 3 (compounds 2-5 and 8), and allowed the first SAR in the field.
      Five derivatives in the current work have IC50 values in the small nanomolar
      range (2-5 nM). These new lead compounds open the way for the next generation of
      farnesyltransferase inhibitors.

PMID- 28905971
TI  - Structural behavior of competitive temperature and pH-responsive tethered polymer
      layers.
AB  - Herein, we develop a molecular theory to examine a class of pH and temperature
      responsive tethered polymer layers. The response of pH depends on intramolecular
      charge repulsion of weakly acidic monomers and the response of temperature
      depends on hydrogen bonding between polymer monomers and water molecules akin to
      the behavior of water-soluble polymers such as PEG (poly-ethylene glycol) or
      NIPAAm (n-isopropylacrylamide). We investigate the changes in structural behavior
      that result for various end-tethered copolymers: pH/T responsive monomers alone,
      in alternating sequence with hydrophobic monomers, and as 50/50 diblocks with
      hydrophobic monomers. We find that the sequence and location of hydrophobic units
      play a critical role in the thermodynamic stability and structural behavior of
      these responsive polymer layers. Additionally, the polymers exhibit tunable
      collapse when varying the surface coverage, location and sequence of hydrophobic
      units as a function of temperature and pH. As far as we know, our results present
      the first molecularly detailed theory for end-tethered polymers that are both pH
      and temperature-responsive via hydrogen bonding. We propose that this work holds
      predictive power for the guided design of future biomaterials.

PMID- 28905972
TI  - Red-emissive triplex-forming PNA probes carrying cyanine base surrogates for
      fluorescence sensing of double-stranded RNA.
AB  - Red-emissive fluorescent probes have been developed by integration of quinoline
      blue or thiazole red as the base surrogate into triplex-forming PNAs, allowing
      selective sensing of a sequence of double-stranded RNA.

PMID- 28905973
TI  - Copper-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling of alpha-aminocarbonyl compounds with
      primary amines toward 2-oxo-acetamidines.
AB  - A general and mild method for the construction of a carbon-nitrogen bond via
      copper-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling of amines with alpha-aminocarbonyl
      compounds was achieved. Amines, either aliphatic primary amines, aromatic primary
      amines or secondary amines can be used as the starting materials. When R2 was
      different from R3, two isomers would be observed. Therefore, this reaction system
      has a broad substrate scope and provides a facile pathway for the synthesis of 2
      oxo-acetamidines.

PMID- 28905974
TI  - Synthesis of functionalized indolizines via gold(i)-catalyzed intramolecular
      hydroarylation/aromatization of pyrrole-ynes.
AB  - A gold-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation/aromatization of pyrrole-ynes has
      been developed. This method provides a concise and straightforward route to
      functionalized indolizines through the construction of the pyridine ring of
      indolizines and also allows elaboration of its pyrrole moiety with or without
      functional groups. In addition, a wide variety of functional groups, such as
      aryl, alkenyl, alkynyl, pyridyl or thienyl groups, can be easily incorporated
      into the pyridine unit of the indolizine products under mild conditions. The
      utility of the indolizine products was demonstrated by their efficient
      transformations into various C3-functionalized indolizine derivatives.

PMID- 28905975
TI  - Visible light-induced C3-sulfonamidation of imidazopyridines with sulfamides.
AB  - A visible light-induced regioselective sulfonamidation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines
      was developed using sulfamides as the nitrogen sources and aqueous NaClO solution
      as the oxidant under mild conditions. With the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines bearing
      various substituents, the reaction proceeded smoothly to furnish the C3
      sulfonamidation products in moderate to good yields. The method was also suitable
      for the sulfonamidation of some other imidazoheterocycles.

PMID- 28905976
TI  - Cutaneous alternariosis in an immunocompromised dog successfully treated with
      cold plasma and cessation of immunosuppressive medication.
AB  - A cutaneous infection with Alternaria spp. was diagnosed in a 2-year-old male
      intact Irish setter dog, presenting with multifocal papules, plaques and
      ulcerations involving all four distal limbs, shoulder blades, scrotum, pinnae and
      nasal mucous membranes. The dog had been treated for inflammatory bowel disease
      and lymphangiectasia with immunosuppressive doses of cyclosporine and
      prednisolone for approximately 3 months. The diagnosis was based on clinical
      signs, the demonstration of fungal elements within skin biopsies, deep fungal
      culture and fungal PCR from a formalin-fixed tissue specimen. Complete clinical
      remission was achieved by tapering and cessation of the immunosuppressive
      medication, treatment with cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAPP) and topical
      enilconazole within 8 weeks.

PMID- 28905977
TI  - [Incidence and mortality of common neonatal diseases in the foal during the first
      10 days post natum in a veterinary hospital].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to present the incidence and lethality of
      diseases in foals during the first 10 days following birth by analyzing patient
      data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over a period of 6 years, patient data from 393
      foals, that had been presented within the first 10 days after birth in a
      hospital, were evaluated. The number of diseases, the sex of the affected foals
      and the lethality were documented. RESULTS: A total of 28 diseases were
      diagnosed, with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), meconium
      impaction and bronchopneumonia being the most frequent diagnoses. The mortality
      rate for SIRS was 41.8%, for meconium impaction 29.7% and for bronchopneumonia
      37.9%. The mean time of death for patients with SIRS was 4.2   +/-   2.9 days,
      for patients with meconium impaction 4.6 +/- 3.2 days and for foals suffering
      from bronchopneumonia 5.2    +/-   3.5 days post partum. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Based on the data collection, the frequency and thus the importance of
      individual disease patterns can be deduced. The information on lethality helps to
      make predictions for the prognosis of the most common neonatal foal diseases
      based on first diagnosis.

PMID- 28905979
TI  - [Cyanosis in a calf with a double outlet right ventricle].
AB  - A 4-day-old female Holstein Friesian calf was presented for evaluation of
      cyanosis and dyspnea. On auscultation, severe bronchovesicular sounds and a
      systolic heart murmur of grade IV/VI above the tricuspid valve were found. On
      echocardiography, a marked dextroposition of the aorta (> 50% originating from
      the right ventricle), leading to both great arteries arising from the right
      ventricle - a so-called double-outlet right ventricle - was detected. Two
      ventricular septal defects were present, one in the perimembranous, subpulmonary
      region, the other non-committed in the muscular region. The subpulmonary
      ventricular septal defect was responsible for the shunting of unoxygenated blood
      into the aorta. Additionally, an aneurysma-like atrial septal defect (type
      secundum) and a large patent ductus arteriosus were visualized. The main
      pulmonary artery was severely enlarged without the presence of a stenotic defect.
      The findings could be verified by angiography. Additionally, a diffuse
      hypoplastic ascending aorta was visualized. Necropsy confirmed the
      echocardiographic and angiographic findings.

PMID- 28905978
TI  - Redesign of computerized decision support to improve antimicrobial prescribing. A
      controlled before-and-after study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of the introduction of new pre-written orders
      for antimicrobials in a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system on 1)
      accuracy of documented indications for antimicrobials in the CPOE system, 2)
      appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing, and 3) compliance with the
      hospital's antimicrobial policy. Prescriber opinions of the new decision support
      were also explored to determine why the redesign was effective or ineffective in
      altering prescribing practices. METHODS: The study comprised two parts: a
      controlled pre-post study and qualitative interviews. The intervention involved
      the redesign of pre-written orders for half the antimicrobials so that approved
      indications were incorporated into pre-written orders. 555 antimicrobials
      prescribed before (September - October, 2013) and 534 antimicrobials prescribed
      after (March - April, 2015) the intervention on all general wards of a hospital
      were audited by study pharmacists. Eleven prescribers participated in semi
      structured interviews. RESULTS: Redesign of computerized decision support did not
      result in more appropriate or compliant antimicrobial prescribing, nor did it
      improve accuracy of indication documentation in the CPOE system (Intervention
      antimicrobials: appropriateness 49% vs. 50%; compliance 44% vs. 42%; accuracy 58%
      vs. 38%; all p>0.05). Via our interviews with prescribers we identified five main
      reasons for this, primarily that indications entered into the CPOE system were
      not monitored or followed-up, and that the antimicrobial approval process did not
      align well with prescriber workflow. CONCLUSION: Redesign of pre-written orders
      to incorporate appropriate indications did not improve antimicrobial prescribing.
      Workarounds are likely when compliance with hospital policy creates additional
      work for prescribers or when system usability is poor. Implementation of IT, in
      the absence of support or follow-up, is unlikely to achieve all anticipated
      benefits.

PMID- 28905980
TI  - Response to Lapkoff and Sittig. Who Watches the Watchers: Working Towards Safety
      for Clinical Decision Support Knowledge Resources.

PMID- 28905981
TI  - [Heterogeneity of canine immune responses to Borrelia burgdorferi in a line
      immunoassay comprising recombinant VlsE and C6 peptide].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the distribution of specific immune
      responses (IgG) to Borrelia burgdorferi using a line immunoassay with recombinant
      VlsE (variable major protein-like sequence, expressed) protein and synthetic C
      peptide among other antigens. We compared the immune responses to VlsE protein
      and C6 peptide, because both antigens have been considered specific for a
      Borrelia infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1355 blood samples from
      dogs suspected of Borrelia infection were analysed. The line immunoassay employed
      nine antigens. RESULTS: A total of 64.4% of all samples tested negative, 16.4%
      were positive for an infection and 17.4% were positive for vaccination. Band
      patterns specific for both infection and vaccination were observed in 1.2% of the
      dogs. The bands that most frequently tested positive were p100 (24.3%), p31/OspA
      (18.5%), C6 (16.3%) and VlsE (13.9%). A total of 236 dogs (17.4% of the
      population) had antibodies to VlsE and/or C6 peptide. In 73.3% of these dogs,
      results for VlsE and C6 peptide were consistent, whereas this was not the case
      for 26.7% of these animals. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Testing using a
      line immunoassay allows for qualitative analyses of different immune responses to
      various antigens used as probes. In our study, >  26% of the dogs displayed
      discrepant results with regard to VlsE and C6, the two antigens considered
      specific for Borrelia burgdorferi infection. To confirm or rule out infection,
      the results of several band patterns, thought to be specific for infection, need
      to be taken into consideration.

PMID- 28905982
TI  - Vector-borne diseases in cats in Germany.
AB  - Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) are caused by a wide range of pathogens, which are
      transmitted by a variety of vectors, such as ticks and fleas. As a result of
      climate changes, more vector-borne diseases are becoming endemic in Germany, not
      only in dogs, but also in cats. For some of the pathogens prevalence data still
      need to be investigated in Germany. However, natural infections with Bartonella,
      Anaplasma, haemotropic Mycoplasma and Borrelia species have already been
      described in German cats. Clinical relevance of these pathogens is not fully
      understood, and it is still unknown, why most infected cats stay asymptomatic and
      which predisposing factors contribute to the development of clinical signs in
      cats. Moreover, there is a risk of zoonotic transmission for some of the
      pathogens, e.  g., for some Bartonella spp. infections that are associated with
      cat scratch disease in humans. Due to the increasing number of VBDs in cats in
      Germany, preventive measures, such as the use of acaricides and insecticides,
      should be performed on a regular base in order to reduce the risk of these
      infections.

PMID- 28905983
TI  - [Occurrence of Ehrlichia canis in dogs living in Germany and comparison of direct
      and indirect diagnostic methods].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the occurrence of Ehrlichia (E.) canis in dogs living in
      Germany and evaluate the possibilities and limits of direct and indirect
      diagnostic methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The first part of the study was a
      retrospective analysis of routine samples, which had been examined for E. canis
      antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). The
      examination was part of a laboratory profile for the detection of travel-related
      diseases (travel disease profile) or was performed on an individual basis. In the
      second part, samples which were examined within a travel disease profile,
      including E. canis antibodies, were further evaluated for E. canis DNA by a
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Medical histories were obtained of E. canis
      positive dogs (animals which were positive in IFAT and/or PCR) and for a part of
      the negative animals. RESULTS: For 2015, 11.8% of 12220 samples had antibodies
      for E. canis. Dogs, which were examined with a travel disease profile, displayed
      antibodies in 5.6% cases of 1172 animals (investigation period February to March
      2016). Of the E. canis-positive dogs (n = 67), 91% were positive with only the
      IFAT, 7.5% with the IFAT and PCR and 1.5% were only positive by PCR. Anamnesis
      showed that particularly imported dogs without symptoms were controlled for
      travel diseases during their first year in Germany. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Although endemic E. canis infections play a minor role in Germany,
      infections with this pathogen are still of importance in this country,
      particularly because of the import of dogs. Therefore, a medical history helps in
      early ehrlichiosis diagnosis and to start an adequate treatment. Pathogen
      detection in imported E. canis-seropositive dogs, which often did not display
      clinical symptoms in this study, was frequently negative in blood samples by PCR.
      The diagnostic method should be chosen depending on the disease phase and the
      underlying question (symptoms or preventive screening).

PMID- 28905984
TI  - Fetal Intra-abdominal Umbilical Vein Aneurysm.
AB  - Importance: Fetal umbilical vein aneurysm is an uncommon anomaly that accounts
      for approximately 4% of umbilical cord abnormalities. The rate of intrauterine
      fetal death is reported to be approximately 4% to 5%, higher than the background
      rate of 0.7% that is generally reported during pregnancy. Objective: The aim of
      this study was to review the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and clinical management
      of fetal umbilical vein aneurysm. Evidence Acquisition: Advances in high
      resolution ultrasound combined with color Doppler and 3-dimensional rendering
      have contributed to an increased understanding of the fetal venous circulation in
      recent years. Results: When the diagnosis of umbilical vein aneurysm is made, the
      patient should undergo a detailed ultrasound evaluation of the fetal anatomy,
      including fetal echocardiography, to exclude associated anomalies. Amniocentesis
      should be offered when other anomalies are found. Patients should be informed
      about the potential for an unfavorable outcome of pregnancy and should undergo
      close ultrasound surveillance to assess the size of the aneurysm, as well as any
      evidence of thrombosis or signs of hydrops. Conclusions: The main prognostic
      feature associated with a poor outcome of umbilical vein aneurysm seems to be the
      presence of other anomalies. Early diagnosis is associated with a somewhat worse
      prognosis, and most fetal deaths have been observed between 27 and 30 weeks of
      gestation. In the third trimester, it is reasonable to perform serial ultrasound
      examinations to assess fetal growth, the size of the aneurysm, and the blood flow
      pattern within the aneurysm.

PMID- 28905985
TI  - It Is Time for Routine Screening for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders in
      Obstetrics and Gynecology Settings.
AB  - Importance: Women are 2 to 3 times more likely than men to experience depression
      in their lifetime, and the greatest risk occurs during the reproductive years. As
      an obstetrics and gynecology physician or provider, you will likely encounter
      women who are at risk of development or relapse of a mental disorder during this
      vulnerable time. Objective: The aim of this review is to examine theory and
      research on mood and anxiety disorders during the perinatal period with an
      emphasis on screening recommendations. Evidence Acquisition: A PubMed and
      PsycINFO search for English-language publications about perinatal mood and
      anxiety disorders and screening was performed and included studies on subtopics.
      Results: The literature reviewed suggests that perinatal mood and anxiety
      symptoms are prevalent and have significant consequences, and best practices for
      early detection are through routine depression and anxiety screening in the
      obstetrics setting. This includes overcoming barriers to care and use of liaison
      services to potentially reduce risk. Conclusions and Relevance: High-quality
      prenatal care systems should develop the capacity for depression and anxiety risk
      assessment and treatment. Providers should routinely screen using validated
      screening tools, provide maternal mental health education, and be aware of the
      various medical, psychological, and complementary approaches for treating mood
      and anxiety disorders, to best guide and refer patients. The use of this practice
      will increase the quality of life in pregnant women with depression and anxiety
      and may help to reduce the likelihood of adverse birth outcomes, postpartum
      mental health problems, and adverse effects on offspring.

PMID- 28905986
TI  - Gearing up for the Pearl Anniversary: AGNP Set to Hold its 30th Meeting in Munich
      October 4-6, 2017. Overview and Abstracts

PMID- 28905988
TI  - Lack of Bioequivalence Among Low-dose, Enteric-coated Aspirin Preparations.
AB  - Low-dose aspirin (75 mg or 81 mg) is considered to be the lowest effective dose
      for cardiovascular protection; however, the use of enteric preparations has
      created a source of variability in bioavailability. As part of regulatory
      requirements, we carried out bioequivalence tests for two 75 mg enteric-coated
      aspirin preparations (Caprin and Protek) using Nu-Seals 75 mg aspirin as the
      comparator. The primary endpoint was serum thromboxane levels after 14 days of
      treatment. Protek failed to meet bioequivalence, as it was significantly less
      effective than Nu-Seals. In contrast, Caprin was not bioequivalent with Nu-Seals
      but as it was more effective it was granted approval. However, 75 mg plain
      aspirin was found to be more effective than Nu-Seals at inhibiting serum
      thromboxane production. Thus, there is significant variation in the ability of
      low-dose aspirin preparations to inhibit serum thromboxane production.

PMID- 28905987
TI  - Novel carbonic anhydrase IX-targeted therapy enhances the anti-tumour effects of
      cisplatin in small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has an extremely poor prognosis and methods of
      improving chemotherapeutic intervention are much sought after. A promising
      approach lies in inhibiting the tumour-associated enzyme, carbonic anhydrase IX
      (CA IX), which supports tumour cell survival. The aim of this study was to assess
      the potential of CA IX inhibition using 4-(3'-(3",5"-dimethylphenyl)ureido)phenyl
      sulfamate (S4), for the treatment of human SCLC alone and in combination with
      cisplatin chemotherapy. Treating SCLC cell lines (DMS 79 and COR-L24) with 100 uM
      S4 reduced viability in vitro and enhanced cell death when combined with 7 uM
      cisplatin, most prominently under hypoxic conditions (0.1% O2 ). When either cell
      line was grown as a xenograft tumour in nude mice, intraperitoneal injection of
      50 mg/kg S4 alone and in combination with 3 mg/kg cisplatin led to significantly
      reduced tumour growth. Combination therapy was superior to single agents and
      response was greatly accentuated when administering repeated doses of cisplatin
      in DMS 79 tumours. The mechanism of therapeutic response was investigated in
      vitro, where S4 treatment increased apoptosis under hypoxic conditions in both
      DMS 79 and COR-L24 cells. DMS 79 tumours receiving S4 in vivo also displayed
      increased apoptosis and necrosis. Combining S4 with cisplatin reduced both the
      area of hypoxia and CA IX-positive cells within tumours and increased necrosis,
      suggesting hypoxia-specific targeting. This study presents a novel, targeted
      approach to improving current SCLC therapy via inhibition of CA IX, which
      enhances apoptosis and significantly inhibits xenograft tumour growth when
      administered alone and in combination with cisplatin chemotherapy.

PMID- 28905989
TI  - Assessment of futility in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our aim was to evaluate the impact of futile resuscitation attempts
      to the outcome calculations of attempted resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest (OHCA). Defined as partial resuscitations, we focused on a subgroup of
      patients in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated, but further
      efforts were soon abandoned due to evidence of futility. METHODS: We conducted
      this study using the Utstein template during a 12-month study period. We compared
      the event characteristics between full and partial resuscitation attempts and
      determined the incidence, survival and neurological outcome. RESULTS: Emergency
      Medical Services (EMS) attended a total of 314 OHCA cases. In 34 cases,
      resuscitation was not attempted due to futility. Seventy-four cases were partial
      resuscitation attempts where resuscitation was soon discontinued due to dismal
      prognostic factors. Partial attempts were associated with an unwitnessed OHCA,
      prolonged downtime, end-stage malignant disease, multiple trauma, asystole or
      pulseless electrical activity as the initial rhythm, and a first responding unit
      being the first unit on the scene (P < 0.05, respectively). The calculation of
      survival to hospital discharge rate was 14% and increased 5% when partial
      resuscitation attempts were excluded from the analysis. Seventy-four percentage
      had a Cerebral Performance Category 1-2 at hospital discharge. Shockable initial
      rhythm, public location and bystander CPR had a positive impact on survival.
      CONCLUSIONS: Resuscitative efforts were considered futile in 11% of cases and
      resuscitation was discontinued due to evidence of futility in additional 24%
      cases based on additional information. Terminating resuscitation should be
      identified as a separate subgroup of OHCA cases to better reflect the outcome.

PMID- 28905990
TI  - The mTOR kinase inhibitor everolimus synergistically enhances the anti-tumor
      effect of the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor PLS-123 on Mantle cell
      lymphoma.
AB  - Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive and incurable malignant disease.
      Despite of general chemotherapy, relapse and mortality are common, highlighting
      the need for the development of novel targeted drugs or combination of
      therapeutic regimens. Recently, several drugs that target the B-cell receptor
      (BCR) signaling pathway, especially the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor
      ibrutinib, have demonstrated notable therapeutic effects in relapsed/refractory
      patients, which indicate that pharmacological inhibition of BCR pathway holds
      promise in MCL treatment. Here, we have developed a novel irreversible BTK
      inhibitor, PLS-123, that has more potent and selective anti-tumor activity than
      ibrutinib in vitro and in vivo. Using in vitro screening, we discovered that the
      combination of PLS-123 and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor
      everolimus exert synergistic activity in attenuating proliferation and motility
      of MCL cell lines. Simultaneous inhibition of BTK and mTOR resulted in marked
      induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, which were
      accompanied by upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (cleaved Caspase-3, cleaved
      PARP and Bax), repression of anti-apoptotic proteins (Mcl-1, Bcl-xl and XIAP),
      and downregulation of regulators of the G1/S phase transition (CDK2, CDK4, CDK6
      and Cyclin D1). Gene expression profile analysis revealed simultaneous treatment
      with these agents led to inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3, AKT/mTOR signaling
      pathways and SGK1 expression. Finally, the anti-tumor and pro-apoptotic
      activities of combination strategy have also been demonstrated using xenograft
      mice models. Taken together, simultaneous suppression of BTK and mTOR may be
      indicated as a potential therapeutic modality for the treatment of MCL.

PMID- 28905992
TI  - The vertebrate heart: an evolutionary perspective.
AB  - Convergence is the tendency of independent species to evolve similarly when
      subjected to the same environmental conditions. The primitive blueprint for the
      circulatory system emerged around 700-600 Mya and exhibits diverse physiological
      adaptations across the radiations of vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata, Phylum
      Chordata). It has evolved from the early chordate circulatory system with a
      single layered tube in the tunicate (Subphylum Urchordata) or an amphioxus
      (Subphylum Cephalochordata), to a vertebrate circulatory system with a two
      chambered heart made up of one atrium and one ventricle in gnathostome fish
      (Infraphylum Gnathostomata), to a system with a three-chambered heart made up of
      two atria which maybe partially divided or completely separated in amphibian
      tetrapods (Class Amphibia). Subsequent tetrapods, including crocodiles and
      alligators (Order Crocodylia, Subclass Crocodylomorpha, Class Reptilia), birds
      (Subclass Aves, Class Reptilia) and mammals (Class Mammalia) evolved a four
      chambered heart. The structure and function of the circulatory system of each
      individual holds a vital role which benefits each species specifically. The
      special characteristics of the four-chamber mammalian heart are highlighted by
      the peculiar structure of the myocardial muscle.

PMID- 28905991
TI  - Target of rapamycin signaling orchestrates growth-defense trade-offs in plants.
AB  - Plant defense to microbial pathogens is often accompanied by significant growth
      inhibition. How plants merge immune system function with normal growth and
      development is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of target
      of rapamycin (TOR), an evolutionary conserved serine/threonine kinase, in the
      plant defense response. We used rice as a model system and applied a combination
      of chemical, genetic, genomic and cell-based analyses. We demonstrate that
      ectopic expression of TOR and Raptor (regulatory-associated protein of mTOR), a
      protein previously demonstrated to interact with TOR in Arabidopsis, positively
      regulates growth and development in rice. Transcriptome analysis of rice cells
      treated with the TOR-specific inhibitor rapamycin revealed that TOR not only
      dictates transcriptional reprogramming of extensive gene sets involved in central
      and secondary metabolism, cell cycle and transcription, but also suppresses many
      defense-related genes. TOR overexpression lines displayed increased
      susceptibility to both bacterial and fungal pathogens, whereas plants with
      reduced TOR signaling displayed enhanced resistance. Finally, we found that TOR
      antagonizes the action of the classic defense hormones salicylic acid and
      jasmonic acid. Together, these results indicate that TOR acts as a molecular
      switch for the activation of cell proliferation and plant growth at the expense
      of cellular immunity.

PMID- 28905994
TI  - MicroRNA-324-5p regulates stemness, pathogenesis and sensitivity to bortezomib in
      multiple myeloma cells by targeting hedgehog signaling.
AB  - Chromosome 17p deletions are present in 10% of patients with newly diagnosed
      multiple myeloma (MM), and are associated with inferior prognosis. miR-324-5p is
      located on chromosome 17p, and shows diverse functions in different types of
      cancers. However, its role in MM is largely unknown. Here we found the expression
      of miR-324-5p was decreased in MM, especially in del(17p) MM. In contrast, the
      expression of hedgehog (Hh) signaling components was elevated, indicating a
      correlation between miR-324-5p and Hh signaling in MM. Hh signaling is important
      for the pathogenesis of MM and maintenance of MM stem cell compartment. Indeed,
      overexpression of miR-324-5p significantly decreased Hh signaling components Smo
      and Gli1, and functionally reduced cell growth, survival as well as stem cell
      compartment in MM. Moreover, miR-324-5p potentiated the anti-MM efficacy of
      bortezomib through regulating the activities of multidrug-resistance proteins and
      the expression of Bcl-2 family genes. Consistent results were obtained in vivo.
      Finally, miR-324-5p overcame the protective effect of bone marrow stromal cells
      on MM cells. Taken together, our data demonstrate that miR-324-5p is essential
      for MM pathogenesis and downregulation of miR-324-5p is a novel mechanism of Hh
      signaling activation in MM. Therefore, targeting miR-324-5p provides a potential
      therapeutic strategy for MM.

PMID- 28905993
TI  - Overexpression of F-box only protein 31 predicts poor prognosis and deregulates
      p38alpha- and JNK-mediated apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - F-box only protein 31 (FBXO31), a subunit of the Skp1-Cul1-F box ubiquitin
      ligase, plays a crucial role in DNA damage response and tumorigenesis. Yet its
      expression and function vary in different types of human cancer. The expression
      of FBXO31 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its association with
      clinicopathological features is not well studied. The underlying mechanism by
      which deregulated FBXO31 contributes to ESCC tumorigenesis is largely unknown. By
      immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue microarray containing 85 cases of ESCC
      and matched adjacent noncancerous tissue and an additional 10 cases of ESCC
      tissue samples, we found that FBXO31 was overexpressed in ESCC, and that its
      expression was significantly correlated with histological grade (p = 0.04) and
      clinical stage (p = 0.022). Higher expression of FBXO31 was associated with poor
      prognosis in univariate (p = 0.013) and multivariate (p = 0.014) analyses. We
      found that FBXO31 functioned as an antiapoptotic molecule in ESCC cells exposed
      to different types of genotoxic stress. Knockdown of FBXO31 inhibited serum
      starved cell viability and decreased tumorigenicity of ESCC cells. In addition,
      the antiapoptotic effects of FBXO31 were associated with deactivation of stress
      induced MAPK p38alpha and JNK. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo data showed that
      silencing of FBXO31-sensitized ESCC cells and tumors to cisplatin treatment.
      Taken together, in addition to revealing that FBXO31 is an independent prognostic
      marker for ESCC, our findings substantiate a novel regulatory role of FBXO31 in
      tumorigenesis and drug resistance of ESCC.

PMID- 28905995
TI  - Leptomeningeal collateral status predicts outcome after middle cerebral artery
      occlusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Perfusion through leptomeningeal collateral vessels is a likely
      pivotal factor in the outcome of stroke patients. We aimed to investigate the
      effect of collateral status on outcome in a cohort of unselected, consecutive
      stroke patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion undergoing reperfusion
      therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospectively planned analysis was passed
      on prospectively collected data from 187 consecutive patients with middle
      cerebral artery occlusion admitted within 4.5 hours to one center and treated
      with intravenous thrombolysis alone (N = 126), mechanical thrombectomy alone (N =
      5), or both (N = 56) from May 2009 to April 2014. Non-contrast CT (NCCT) and
      computed tomography angiography (CTA) were provided on admission and NCCT
      repeated at 24 hours. Collateral status was assessed based on the initial CTA.
      Hemorrhagic transformation was evaluated on the 24-hour NCCT and according to
      European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS) criteria. Modified Rankin Scale
      score was assessed at 90 days, and mortality at 1 year. RESULTS: At 90 days,
      median (IQR) modified Rankin Scale score in patients with poor collateral status
      was 4 (3-6) compared to 2 (1-4) in patients with good collateral status (P <
      .0001). Patients with poor collateral status were less likely to achieve a good
      90-day outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) (Adjusted odds ratio 0.27, 95%
      CI: 0.09-0.86). During the first year, 40.9% of patients with poor collateral
      status died vs 18.2% of the remaining population (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Leptomeningeal collateral status predicts functional outcome, mortality, and
      hemorrhagic transformation following middle cerebral artery occlusion.

PMID- 28905996
TI  - Merkel cells and Meissner's corpuscles in human digital skin display Piezo2
      immunoreactivity.
AB  - The transformation of mechanical energy into electrical signals is the first step
      in mechanotransduction in the peripheral sensory nervous system and relies on the
      presence of mechanically gated ion channels within specialized sensory organs
      called mechanoreceptors. Piezo2 is a vertebrate stretch-gated ion channel
      necessary for mechanosensitive channels in mammalian cells. Functionally, it is
      related to light touch, which has been detected in murine cutaneous Merkel cell
      neurite complexes, Meissner-like corpuscles and lanceolate nerve endings. To the
      best of our knowledge, the occurrence of Piezo2 in human cutaneous
      mechanoreceptors has never been investigated. Here, we used simple and double
      immunohistochemistry to investigate the occurrence of Piezo2 in human digital
      glabrous skin. Piezo2 immunoreactivity was detected in approximately 80% of
      morphologically and immunohistochemically characterized (cytokeratin 20+ ,
      chromogranin A+ and synaptophisin+ ) Merkel cells. Most of them were in close
      contact with Piezo2- nerve fibre profiles. Moreover, the axon, but not the
      lamellar cells, of Meissner's corpuscles was also Piezo2+ , but other
      mechanoreceptors, i.e. Pacinian or Ruffini's corpuscles, were devoid of
      immunoreactivity. Piezo2 was also observed in non-nervous tissue, especially the
      basal keratinocytes, endothelial cells and sweat glands. The present results
      demonstrate the occurrence of Piezo2 in cutaneous sensory nerve formations that
      functionally work as slowly adapting (Merkel cells) and rapidly adapting
      (Meissner's corpuscles) low-threshold mechanoreceptors and are related to fine
      and discriminative touch but not to vibration or hard touch. These data offer
      additional insight into the molecular basis of mechanosensing in humans.

PMID- 28905997
TI  - Children with neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities: a population-based
      study of healthcare service utilization using administrative data.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to identify children with neurodevelopmental
      disorders and disabilities (NDD/D) and compare their healthcare service
      utilization to children without NDD/D using provincial linked administrative
      data. METHOD: The sample included children aged 6 to 10 years (n=183 041), who
      were registered with the British Columbia Medical Services Plan. Diagnostic
      information was used for the identification and classification of NDD/D in six
      functional domains. Healthcare service utilization included outcomes based on
      physician claims, prescription medication use, and hospitalization. RESULTS:
      Overall, 8.3% of children were identified with NDD/D. Children with NDD/D had
      higher healthcare service utilization rates than those without NDD/D. Effect
      sizes were: very large for the number of days a prescription medication was
      dispensed; large for the number of prescriptions; medium for the number of
      physician visits, different specialists visited, number of different prescription
      medications, and ever hospitalized; and small for the number of laboratory
      visits, X-ray visits, and number of days hospitalized. INTERPRETATION: The
      findings have policy implications for service and resource planning. Given the
      high use of psychostimulants, specialized services for both NDD/D and psychiatric
      conditions may be the most needed services for children with NDD/D. Future
      studies may examine patterns of physician behaviours and costs attributable to
      healthcare service utilization for children with NDD/D. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS:
      Children with neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities (NDD/D) have higher
      healthcare service utilization than those without. Based on provincial population
      based linked administrative health data, a sizeable number of children are living
      with NDD/D. Given the high use of psychostimulants, specialized services for
      children with both NDD/D and psychiatric conditions may be the most needed
      services for children with NDD/D.

PMID- 28905998
TI  - Mast cells and sphingosine-1-phosphate underlie prelesional remodeling in a mouse
      model of eczema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin inflammation that affects
      children and adults worldwide, but its pathogenesis remains ill-understood.
      METHODS: We show that a single application of OVA to mouse skin initiates
      remodeling and cellular infiltration of the hypodermis measured by a newly
      developed computer-aided method. RESULTS: Importantly, we demonstrate that skin
      mast cell (MC) activation and local sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are
      significantly augmented after OVA treatment in mice. Deficiency in sphingosine
      kinase (SphK)1, the S1P-producing enzyme, or in MC, remarkably mitigates all
      signs of OVA-mediated remodeling and MC activation. Furthermore, skin S1P levels
      remain unchanged in MC-deficient mice exposed to OVA. LPS-free OVA does not
      recapitulate any of the precursor signs of AD, supporting a triggering
      contribution of LPS in AD that, per se, suffice to activate local MC and elevate
      skin S1P. CONCLUSION: We describe MC and S1P as novel pathogenic effectors that
      initiate remodeling in AD prior to any skin lesions and reveal the significance
      of LPS in OVA used in most studies, thus mimicking natural antigen (Ag) exposure.

PMID- 28905999
TI  - Validation of patient-reported global severity of atopic dermatitis in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with a heterogeneous
      presentation and clinical course. There is a lack of simple and validated
      severity assessments that are feasible for clinical practice and epidemiological
      research. OBJECTIVES: We sought to validate patient-reported global AD severity
      in adults. METHODS: We performed a prospective dermatology practice-based study
      using questionnaires and evaluation by a dermatologist (n = 265). RESULTS: At
      baseline and follow-up, patient-reported global AD severity significantly
      correlated with oSCORAD (Spearman rho = 0.56 and 0.49), SCORAD (0.64 and 0.56),
      EASI (0.56 and 0.50), BSA (0.52 and 0.45), NRS-itch (0.60 and 0.53), POEM (0.50
      and 0.48), and DLQI (0.50 and 0.49) (P < .0001 for all). Patient-reported
      moderate and severe AD vs mild AD were associated with significantly higher
      oSCORAD, SCORAD, EASI, BSA, NRS-itch, POEM, and DLQI (P < .0001 for all). There
      was moderate concordance between patient-reported AD severity (mild, moderate,
      and severe) and previously developed severity strata for oSCORAD (kappa = 0.39),
      SCORAD (kappa = 0.47), EASI (kappa = 0.37), NRS-itch (kappa = 0.49), POEM (kappa
      = 0.37), and DLQI (kappa = 0.40). Among patients with severe disease at baseline,
      those who reported mild or moderate disease on follow-up had significantly
      greater absolute reductions of oSCORAD (-23.4/-9.7/-1.8), SCORAD (-33.0/-13.2/
      2.3), EASI (-17.1/-9.8/-3.2), BSA (-46%/-15%/-4%), NRS-itch (-5/-2/0), POEM (-5/
      2/0), and DLQI (-8/-6/-1) than those who continued to report severe disease
      (Kruskal-Wallis, P <= .0003 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported AD severity
      appears to be sufficiently valid for assessing AD severity in the clinical and
      epidemiological setting.

PMID- 28906000
TI  - A phosphoarray platform is capable of personalizing kinase inhibitor therapy in
      head and neck cancers.
AB  - Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are effective treatments for cancers. Knowing the
      specific kinase mutants that drive the underlying cancers predict therapeutic
      response to these inhibitors. Thus, the current protocol for personalized cancer
      therapy involves genotyping tumors in search of various driver mutations and
      subsequently individualizing the tyrosine kinase inhibitor to the patients whose
      tumors express the corresponding driver mutant. While this approach works when
      known driver mutations are found, its limitation is the dependence on driver
      mutations as predictors for response. To complement the genotype approach, we
      hypothesize that a phosphoarray platform is equally capable of personalizing
      kinase inhibitor therapy. We selected head and neck squamous cell carcinoma as
      the cancer model to test our hypothesis. Using the receptor tyrosine kinase
      phosphoarray, we identified the phosphorylation profiles of 49 different tyrosine
      kinase receptors in five different head and neck cancer cell lines. Based on
      these results, we tested the cell line response to the corresponding kinase
      inhibitor therapy. We found that this phosphoarray accurately informed the kinase
      inhibitor response profile of the cell lines. Next, we determined the
      phosphorylation profiles of 39 head and neck cancer patient derived xenografts.
      We found that absent phosphorylated EGFR signal predicted primary resistance to
      cetuximab treatment in the xenografts without phosphorylated ErbB2. Meanwhile,
      absent ErbB2 signaling in the xenografts with phosphorylated EGFR is associated
      with a higher likelihood of response to cetuximab. In summary, the phosphoarray
      technology has the potential to become a new diagnostic platform for personalized
      cancer therapy.

PMID- 28906001
TI  - Overcoming interference of plasma phospholipids using HybridSPE for the
      determination of trimetazidine by UPLC-MS/MS.
AB  - An improved, precise and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem
      mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed for the quantification
      of trimetazidine, using trimetazidine-d8 as the internal standard (IS).
      Interference owing to plasma phospholipids during sample preparation was overcome
      using a hybrid solid-phase extraction-phospholipid ultra cartridge. The mean
      extraction recovery of trimetazidine (98.66%) and trimetazidine-d8 (97.63%) from
      spiked plasma was consistent and reproducible. Chromatographic analysis was
      performed on a UPLC Ethylene Bridged Hybrid (BEH) C18 (50 * 2.1 mm, 1.7 MUm)
      column with isocratic elution using acetonitrile-5 mm ammonium formate, pH 3.5
      (40:60, v/v) as the mobile phase. The parent -> product ion transitions for
      trimetazidine (m/z 267.1 -> 181.1) and trimetazidine-d8 (m/z 275.2 -> 181.1) were
      monitored on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization
      functioning in the positive multiple reaction monitoring mode. The linearity of
      the method was established in the concentration range of 0.05-100 ng/mL for
      trimetazidine. The intra-batch and inter-batch accuracy and precision (CV) were
      97.3-103.1 and 1.7-5.3%, respectively. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of
      matrix effect showed no interference of endogenous/exogenous components. The
      developed method was used to measure plasma trimetazidine concentration for a
      bioequivalence study with 12 healthy subjects.

PMID- 28906002
TI  - Anti-inflammatory activities and glycerophospholipids metabolism in KLA
      stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells by diarylheptanoids from the rhizomes of
      Alpinia officinarum.
AB  - Alpinia officinarum is used for its anti-inflammatory activity historically in
      China. Diarylheptanoids isolated from A. officinarum play important biological
      roles in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory disorders. Seven
      diarylheptanoids (1-7) were isolated from A. officinarum. The cell viabilities
      and anti-inflammatory activities of diarylheptanoids were evaluated by MTT assay
      and tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in Kdo2-lipid A-stimulated RAW 264.7
      cells in vitro. The relationships between their anti-inflammatories and structure
      activities are discussed. The results indicated that compounds 1 and 3-7 had
      significant anti-inflammatory activities. The relationships between inflammation
      and phospholipids metabolism were elucidated by multivariate data analysis.
      Twenty-two potential biomarkers were identified in inflammatory group vs. blank
      group, and 11 potential biomarkers were identified for inflammatory group vs.
      drug-treatment groups. Ten common phospholipids were characterized. On the basis
      of a previous study in our laboratory, we found that phosphatidylethanolamine
      (18:0/18:1) might be the important glycerophospholipid biomarker in inflammation.
      In this study, we firstly combined anti-inflammatory activities and
      glycerophospholipids changes of traditional Chinese medicine. This work suggests
      that the anti-inflammatory activities of diarylheptanoids might be significantly
      related to glycerophospholipids and could provide a useful database for
      investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28906003
TI  - Inclusion of MERS-spike protein ELISA in algorithm to determine serologic
      evidence of MERS-CoV infection.
AB  - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) algorithm for detecting
      presence of serum antibodies against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus
      (MERS-CoV) in subjects with potential infections with the virus has included
      screening by indirect ELISA against recombinant nucleocapsid (N) protein and
      confirmation by immunofluorescent staining of infected monolayers and/or
      microneutralization titration. Other international groups include indirect ELISA
      assays using the spike (S) protein, as part of their serological determinations.
      In the current study, we describe development and validation of an indirect MERS
      CoV S ELISA to be used as part of our serological determination for evidence of
      previous exposure to the virus.

PMID- 28906004
TI  - Acute myeloid leukaemia (FAB AML-M4Eo) with cryptic insertion of cbfb resulting
      in cbfb-Myh11 fusion.
AB  - Inv(16)(p13q22) and t(16;16)(p13;q22) are cytogenetic hallmarks of acute
      myelomonoblastic leukaemia, most of them associated with abnormal bone marrow
      eosinophils [acute myeloid leukaemia French-American-British classification M4
      with eosinophilia (FAB AML-M4Eo)] and a relatively favourable clinical course.
      They generate a 5'CBFB-3'MYH11 fusion gene. However, in a few cases, although RT
      PCR identified a CBFB-MYH11 transcript, normal karyotype and/or fluorescent in
      situ hybridization (FISH) analyses using commercially available probes are found.
      We identified a 32-year-old woman with AML-M4Eo and normal karyotype and FISH
      results. Using two libraries of Bacterial Artificial Chromosome clones on 16p13
      and 16q22, FISH analyses identified an insertion of 16q22 material in band 16p13,
      generating a CBFB-MYH11 type A transcript. Although very rare, insertions should
      be searched for in patients with discordant cytological and cytogenetic features
      because of the therapeutic consequences. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons,
      Ltd.

PMID- 28906005
TI  - Group A rotaviruses circulating prior to a national immunization programme in
      Nigeria: Clinical manifestations, high G12P[8] frequency, intra-genotypic
      divergence of VP4 and VP7.
AB  - Nigeria having approximately 50 000 Rotavirus A (RVA) deaths annually is yet to
      introduce RVA vaccine into routine national immunization; therefore surveillance
      of RVA strains circulating before vaccine introduction is essential in evaluating
      impact of the intervention. Stool samples and sociodemographic data of diarrhoeic
      children, <5 years were collected between August 2012 and December 2013. While a
      high prevalence of RVA infection (47.6%; 49/103) was observed by quantitative
      reverse transcription real time PCR, only 25% (26/103) had high RVA genome
      concentrations and were antigen positive. G and P types were obtained for 31 and
      37 samples respectively. G12P[8] strains were predominant (30.6%; 16/31); Other
      genotypes found included G9, G3, G2 and P[4], P[6], P[8]. A G12 + G2/P[8] + P[6]
      mixed infection was detected. The P[8] genotype showed divergence with strains
      distributed in lineage III and IV. Compared to the vaccines, changes in antigenic
      sites of VP8* and VP7 were found. The finding of the G2P[6] genotype combination
      and emergence of G12 strains support observations in most of the recent RVA
      studies from Africa. P[6] is common in many African countries, in contrast to
      countries in Europe and the Americas. In conclusion, this study shows the
      circulation of other RVA genotypes compared to the common RVA genotypes in
      Nigeria. PCR results should be interpreted with caution to avoid significant bias
      from samples with low RVA genome concentrations. These findings provide important
      information on the detection and molecular epidemiology of RVA prior to
      vaccination and contribute as a baseline for future evaluations after possible
      vaccine introduction.

PMID- 28906006
TI  - Prevalence of anal, oral, penile and urethral Human Papillomavirus in HIV
      infected and HIV uninfected men who have sex with men.
AB  - Aims of the study were to evaluate Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and type-specific
      prevalence in four anatomical sites in HIV infected men who have sex with men
      (MSM) compared with HIV uninfected MSM. Participants were recruited among the
      attendees of Infectious Diseases Clinics in Central Italy. A trained medical
      practitioner collected by interview sociodemographic data and information on
      medical history, sexual behavior, and drug use. Swabs from anal canal, oral
      cavity, urethral mucosa, and coronal sulcus were tested for HPV DNA and
      genotyping. Ninety MSM were enrolled, 45 subjects within each group. Overall,
      48.9% MSM were HPV positive and prevalence was higher in HIV infected men (60.0%
      vs 37.8%, P = 0.035). HPV at multiple anatomic sites occurred in 59.1% MSM, with
      34.1% and 22.7% at two and three sites, respectively. Prevalence of anal, coronal
      sulcus, oral, and urethral HPV was 96.3%, 37%, 21.6%, and 18.5% in HIV infected
      MSM, and 70.6%, 70.6%, 29.4%, and 23.5% among HIV uninfected. A similar
      proportion of HIV infected and uninfected MSM (59.2% and 58.8%) carried at least
      one high-risk genotype. Prevalence of types covered by nonavalent vaccine was
      77.8% in HIV infected compared with 82.3% in HIV uninfected MSM. HPV 58 and 16
      were mostly detected in HIV positive (43.7% and 31.2%) and negative MSM (50.0%
      and 40.0%). HPV detection rate underlined the high vulnerability of MSM to
      acquire multisite infections, characterized by various genotype combinations.
      Since nonavalent vaccine could have prevented 80% of HPV infections, study
      findings support the implementation of vaccination programs among MSM.

PMID- 28906007
TI  - Intergrated metabonomic study of the effects of Guizhi Fuling capsule
      intervention on primary dysmenorrheal using RP-UPLC-MS complementary with HILIC
      UPLC-MS technique.
AB  - Guizhi Fuling capsule (GFC), developed from the traditional Chinese prescription
      of Guizhi Fuling Wan, has been commonly used for the treatment of primary
      dysmenorrhea (PD). However, the intervention effective mechanism in vivo has not
      been well elucidated. In this study, an integrated plasma metabonomic strategy
      based on RP-UPLC-MS coupled with HILIC-UPLC-MS technique has been developed to
      investigate the global therapeutic effects and intervention mechanisms of GFC on
      dysmenorrhea rats induced by oxytocin. The 20 potential biomarkers were
      identified and primarily related to sphingolipid metabolism, steroid hormone
      biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, lipid
      metabolism and energy metabolism. The results showed that the GFC has therapeutic
      effects on rats with dysmenorrhea via the regulation of multiple metabolic
      pathways. Some new potential biomarkers associated with primary dysmenorrhea such
      as phenylalanine, tryptophan, taurine, carnitine, betaine, creatine and
      creatinine have been discovered in this study for the first time. This study
      provides a metabonomic platform based on RP-UPLC-MS complementary to HILIC-UPLC
      MS technique to investigate both nonpolar and polar compounds, so as to get a
      more comprehensive metabolite information to yield insight into the
      pathophysiology of PD and assessing the efficacy of GFC on PD rats.

PMID- 28906008
TI  - Role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the effects of oxidative
      stress on human retinal pigment epithelial cells.
AB  - Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the major cause of treatment failure in
      individuals who undergo surgery for retinal detachment. The epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT) in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells
      contributes to the pathogenesis of PVR. Oxidative stress is thought to play a
      role in the progression of retinal diseases including PVR. We have now examined
      the effects of oxidative stress on the EMT and related processes in the human RPE
      cell line. We found that H2 O2 induced the contraction of RPE cells in a three
      dimensional collagen gel. Analysis of a cytokine array revealed that H2 O2
      specifically increased the release of macrophage migration inhibitory factor
      (MIF) from RPE cells. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and
      immunoblot analyses showed that H2 O2 increased the expression of MIF in RPE
      cells. Immunoblot and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that H2 O2 upregulated
      the expression of alpha-SMA and vimentin and downregulated that of ZO-1 and N
      cadherin. Consistent with these observations, the transepithelial electrical
      resistance of cell was reduced by exposure to H2 O2 . The effects of oxidative
      stress on EMT-related and junctional protein expression as well as on
      transepithelial electrical resistance were inhibited by antibodies to MIF, but
      they were not mimicked by treatment with recombinant MIF. Finally, analysis with
      a profiling array for mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling revealed that
      H2 O2 specifically induced the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinase. Our results thus suggest that MIF may play a role in induction of the EMT
      and related processes by oxidative stress in RPE cells and that it might thereby
      contribute to the pathogenesis of PVR. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy is a major
      complication of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, and both oxidative stress and
      induction of the EMT in RPE cells are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis
      of this condition. We have now examined the effects of oxidative stress on the
      EMT and related processes in the human RPE cell line ARPE19. Our results thus
      implicate MIF in induction of the EMT and related processes by oxidative stress
      in RPE cells and the regulated expression of EMT markers. They further suggest
      that MIF may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PVR.

PMID- 28906009
TI  - Does Lesion Size Affect the Value of Shear Wave Elastography for Differentiating
      Between Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of shear wave
      elastography (SWE) combined with conventional ultrasonography (US) for
      differentiating between benign and malignant thyroid nodules of different sizes.
      METHODS: A total of 445 thyroid nodules from 445 patients were divided into 3
      groups based on diameter (group 1, <= 10 mm; group 2, 10-20 mm; and group 3, > 20
      mm). The mean elasticity index of the whole lesion was automatically calculated,
      and the threshold for differentiation between benign and malignant nodules was
      constructed by a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Diagnostic
      performances of conventional US and SWE were compared by using pathologic results
      as reference standards. RESULTS: The mean elasticity was significantly higher in
      malignant versus benign nodules for all size groups. The differences in mean
      elasticity in the size groups were not statistically significant for malignant or
      benign nodules. The specificity of US combined with SWE for group 1 was
      significantly higher than that for groups 2 and 3 (77.8% versus 62.9% and 53.3%;
      P < .05), and compared with group 1, the sensitivity was significantly higher for
      groups 2 and 3 (92.4% and 94.3% versus 80.7%; P < .05). When SWE was added, the
      specificity increased and the sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy decreased for
      group 1, and the sensitivity increased and the specificity decreased for groups 2
      and 3; however, the differences were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Combined with
      SWE, US yielded higher specificity for nodules of 10 mm and smaller and higher
      sensitivity for nodules larger than 10 mm.

PMID- 28906010
TI  - Serial changes in liver stiffness and controlled attenuation parameter following
      direct-acting antiviral therapy against hepatitis C virus genotype 1b.
AB  - Little information is available on the impact of direct-acting antiviral (DAA)
      therapy on changes in liver fibrosis and steatosis. Liver stiffness (LS) and
      controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values were evaluated using transient
      elastography. The study subjects were 214 elderly patients infected with HCV
      genotype 1b who received 24-week daclatasvir and asunaprevir dual therapy. All
      patients of this retrospective study had no hepatocellular carcinoma before and
      during DAA therapy. LS and CAP were assessed before treatment (baseline), at end
      of treatment (EOT), and at 24, 48, 72 weeks (W) after EOT. The rate of sustained
      viral response (SVR) by daclatasvir and asunaprevir therapy was 91%. LS values
      for the entire group correlated with Fib-4 index at baseline (r = 0.565, P <
      0.001). LS in both chronic hepatitis group (Fib-4 index <3.25) and cirrhosis
      group (Fib-4 index >=3.25) decreased significantly at each time point compared
      with baseline (P < 0.001). Especially, a larger decrease in LS from baseline to
      EOT was seen in the cirrhosis group than chronic hepatitis group (P < 0.001). LS
      was also significantly lower in the SVR group at EOT, 24W, 48W, 72W compared with
      baseline (P < 0.001). Even in the non-SVR group, LS tended to be lower at EOT (P
      = 0.039), 24W (P = 0.009), 48W (P = 0.475), 72W (P = 0.033) compared with
      baseline. CAP increased significantly following the treatment from baseline to
      48W post-EOT (P = 0.018). Our results showed significant improvement in LS in
      response to daclatasvir and asunaprevir dual therapy. In the other hand, there
      was a tendency that CAP increased from baseline.

PMID- 28906012
TI  - PacBio metabarcoding of Fungi and other eukaryotes: errors, biases and
      perspectives.
AB  - Second-generation, high-throughput sequencing methods have greatly improved our
      understanding of the ecology of soil microorganisms, yet the short barcodes (<
      500 bp) provide limited taxonomic and phylogenetic information for species
      discrimination and taxonomic assignment. Here, we utilized the third-generation
      Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RSII and Sequel instruments to evaluate the
      suitability of full-length internal transcribed spacer (ITS) barcodes and longer
      rRNA gene amplicons for metabarcoding Fungi, Oomycetes and other eukaryotes in
      soil samples. Metabarcoding revealed multiple errors and biases: Taq polymerase
      substitution errors and mis-incorporating indels in sequencing homopolymers
      constitute major errors; sequence length biases occur during PCR, library
      preparation, loading to the sequencing instrument and quality filtering; primer
      template mismatches bias the taxonomic profile when using regular and highly
      degenerate primers. The RSII and Sequel platforms enable the sequencing of
      amplicons up to 3000 bp, but the sequence quality remains slightly inferior to
      Illumina sequencing especially in longer amplicons. The full ITS barcode and
      flanking rRNA small subunit gene greatly improve taxonomic identification at the
      species and phylum levels, respectively. We conclude that PacBio sequencing
      provides a viable alternative for metabarcoding of organisms that are of
      relatively low diversity, require > 500-bp barcode for reliable identification or
      when phylogenetic approaches are intended.

PMID- 28906011
TI  - The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) score of allergic rhinitis
      using mobile technology correlates with quality of life: The MASK study.
AB  - Mobile technology has been used to appraise allergic rhinitis control, but more
      data are needed. To better assess the importance of mobile technologies in
      rhinitis control, the ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) score
      ranging from 0 to 4 of the Allergy Diary was compared with EQ-5D (EuroQuol) and
      WPAI-AS (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment in allergy) in 1288 users in
      18 countries. This study showed that quality-of-life data (EQ-5D visual analogue
      scale and WPA-IS Question 9) are similar in users without rhinitis and in those
      with mild rhinitis (scores 0-2). Users with a score of 3 or 4 had a significant
      impairment in quality-of-life questionnaires.

PMID- 28906013
TI  - Novel Insights into the Inhibitory Effect and Mechanism of Proanthocyanidins from
      Pyracantha fortuneana Fruit on alpha-Glucosidase.
AB  - : Proanthocyanidins were extracted from Pyracantha fortuneana fruit (PFF), and
      their structures were investigated through 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (13 C
      NMR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high resolution mass
      spectrometry (HRMS). The results showed that these compounds were predominantly
      constituted of procyanidin with A-type and B-type linkage and coexistence of
      procyanidins glucoside. Spectroscopy methods were used to analyze the inhibitory
      activity of proanthocyanidins on alpha-glucosidase. The results demonstrated that
      these compounds exhibited excellent inhibitory effect on alpha-glucosidase with
      the IC50 value of 0.15 +/- 0.01 MUg/mL, and they reversibly inhibited alpha
      glucosidase in a non-competitive type. The fluorescence quenching analysis
      revealed that proanthocyanidins statically quenched the fluorescence spectra by
      forming an inhibitor-alpha-glucosidase complex. Molecular docking results further
      indicated that the driving powers of the interaction between proanthocyanidins
      and alpha-glucosidase were hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic force. The main
      inhibitory mechanism of proanthocyanidins on alpha-glucosidase may be due to the
      insertion of proanthocyanidins into the pocket of the enzyme altering the
      catalytic configuration of the active site in a manner, thus reducing substrate
      binding affinity. The findings of this work provided a new perspective that
      proanthocyanidins from PFF with a possibility to be used as novel natural anti
      diabetic agents in functional food industries. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this
      study, Pyracantha fortuneana fruit proanthocyanidins with a yield of 3.05% were
      identified for the first time as predominantly constituted of procyanidin with A
      type and B-type linkage and coexistence of procyanidins glucoside.
      Proanthocyanidins from P. fortuneana fruit had higher anti-alpha-glucosidase
      activity value compared with positive control acarbose, which indicated that P.
      fortuneana fruit proanthocyanidins with a possibility to be used as novel natural
      antidiabetic agents in functional food industries.

PMID- 28906014
TI  - Development and initial validation of a novel smoothed-particle hydrodynamics
      based simulation model of trabecular bone penetration by metallic implants.
AB  - A novel computational model of implant migration in trabecular bone was developed
      using smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH), and an initial validation was
      performed via correlation with experimental data. Six fresh-frozen human
      cadaveric specimens measuring 10 * 10 * 20 mm were extracted from the proximal
      femurs of female donors (mean age of 82 years, range 75-90, BV/TV ratios between
      17.88% and 30.49%). These specimens were then penetrated under axial loading to a
      depth of 10 mm with 5 mm diameter cylindrical indenters bearing either flat or
      sharp/conical tip designs similar to blunt and self-tapping cancellous screws,
      assigned in a random manner. SPH models were constructed based on microCT scans
      (17.33 um) of the cadaveric specimens. Two initial specimens were used for
      calibration of material model parameters. The remaining four specimens were then
      simulated in silico using identical material model parameters. Peak forces varied
      between 92.0 and 365.0 N in the experiments, and 115.5-352.2 N in the SPH
      simulations. The concordance correlation coefficient between experimental and
      simulated pairs was 0.888, with a 95%CI of 0.8832-0.8926, a Pearson rho
      (precision) value of 0.9396, and a bias correction factor Cb (accuracy) value of
      0.945. Patterns of bone compaction were qualitatively similar; both experimental
      and simulated flat-tipped indenters produced dense regions of compacted material
      adjacent to the advancing face of the indenter, while sharp-tipped indenters
      deposited compacted material along their peripheries. Simulations based on SPH
      can produce accurate predictions of trabecular bone penetration that are useful
      for characterizing implant performance under high-strain loading conditions. (c)
      2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop
      Res 36:1114-1123, 2018.

PMID- 28906015
TI  - Influence of coexistent Hashimoto's thyroiditis on the extent of cervical lymph
      node dissection and prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies did not focus on the differences in the extent of
      cervical lymph node (LN) dissection according to coexistent Hashimoto's
      thyroiditis (HT) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and its
      clinical impact. We aimed to determine whether extensive cervical LN dissection
      is responsible for favourable clinical outcomes in PTC patients with HT and
      whether the coexistence of HT itself has an independent protective effect
      regardless of LN status. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS: 1369
      patients with PTC who underwent total thyroidectomy with central compartment neck
      dissection. MEASUREMENTS: Metastatic LN ratio, defined as number of metastatic
      LNs divided by number of removed LNs, was used to evaluate the extent of LN
      dissection as well as the status of LN metastasis. Disease-free survival and
      dynamic risk stratification were compared for clinical outcomes. RESULTS:
      Presence of HT did not lower the risk of cervical LN metastasis (61.6% in
      patients with HT vs 65.1% in patients without HT, P = .292). Patients with HT had
      significantly larger numbers of removed LNs than patients without HT (11 vs 8,
      respectively, P < .001). Accordingly, metastatic LN ratio was smaller in patients
      with HT (P = .002), which was independently associated with structural
      persistent/recurrent disease (hazard ratio [HR] 2.33, 95% confidence interval
      [CI] 1.30-4.16, P = .004). HT itself was negatively associated with structural
      persistent/recurrent disease after adjustment for other clinicopathological
      factors (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.87, P = .020). CONCLUSIONS: Coexistence of HT
      itself is an independent factor associated with favourable outcome in PTC
      patients, regardless of the extent of LN dissection.

PMID- 28906016
TI  - CXCL10 is upregulated in synovium and cartilage following articular fracture.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of the chemokine
      CXCL10 and its role in joint tissues following articular fracture. We
      hypothesized that CXCL10 is upregulated following articular fracture and
      contributes to cartilage degradation associated with post-traumatic arthritis
      (PTA). To evaluate CXCL10 expression following articular fracture, gene
      expression was quantified in synovial tissue from knee joints of C57BL/6 mice
      that develop PTA following articular fracture, and MRL/MpJ mice that are
      protected from PTA. CXCL10 protein expression was assessed in human cartilage in
      normal, osteoarthritic (OA), and post-traumatic tissue using
      immunohistochemistry. The effects of exogenous CXCL10, alone and in combination
      with IL-1, on porcine cartilage explants were assessed by quantifying the release
      of catabolic mediators. Synovial tissue gene expression of CXCL10 was upregulated
      by joint trauma, peaking one day in C57BL/6 mice (25-fold) versus 3 days post
      fracture in MRL/MpJ mice (15-fold). CXCL10 protein in articular cartilage was
      most highly expressed following trauma compared with normal and OA tissue. In a
      dose dependent manner, exogenous CXCL10 significantly reduced total matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP) and aggrecanase activity of culture media from cartilage
      explants. CXCL10 also trended toward a reduction in IL-1alpha-stimulated total
      MMP activity (p = 0.09) and S-GAG (p = 0.09), but not NO release. In conclusion,
      CXCL10 was upregulated in synovium and chondrocytes following trauma. However,
      exogenous CXCL10 did not induce a catabolic response in cartilage. CXCL10 may
      play a role in modulating the chondrocyte response to inflammatory stimuli
      associated with joint injury and the progression of PTA. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic
      Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1220-1227,
      2018.

PMID- 28906017
TI  - Assessing recovery of in vitro steroid production in male rainbow darter
      (Etheostoma caeruleum) in response to municipal wastewater treatment plant
      infrastructure changes.
AB  - The present study examined in vitro 11-ketotestosterone and testosterone
      production by the testes of rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum) collected from
      selected reference sites and downstream of 2 municipal wastewater treatment
      plants (MWWTPs; Waterloo and Kitchener) on the central Grand River (Ontario,
      Canada), over a 6-yr period (2011-2016). The main objective was to investigate if
      infrastructure upgrades at the Kitchener MWWTP in 2012 resulted in a recovery of
      this response in the post-upgrade period (2013-2016). Two supporting studies
      showed that the fall season is appropriate for measuring in vitro sex steroid
      production because it provides stable detection of steroid patterns, and that the
      sample handling practiced in the present study did not introduce a bias.
      Infrastructure upgrades of the Kitchener MWWTP resulted in significant reductions
      in ammonia and estrogenicity. After the upgrades, 11-ketotestosterone production
      by MWWTP-exposed fish increased in 2013 and it continued to recover throughout
      the study period of 2014 through 2016, returning to levels measured in reference
      fish. Testosterone production was less sensitive and it lacked consistency. The
      Waterloo MWWTP underwent some minor upgrades but the level of ammonia and
      estrogenicity remained variable over time. The production of 11-ketotestosterone
      and testosterone in rainbow darter below the Waterloo MWWTP was variable and
      without a clear recovery pattern over the course of the present study. The
      results of the present study demonstrated that measuring production of sex
      steroids (especially 11-ketotestosterone) over multiple years can be relevant for
      assessing responses in fish to environmental changes such as those resulting from
      major infrastructure upgrades. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:501-514. (c) 2017
      SETAC.

PMID- 28906018
TI  - Normal hematology and serum chemistry of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus)
      in captivity.
AB  - Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) are endemic to the North Pacific Ocean.
      They were hunted for their fur and became endangered in the late 1800s, but their
      populations recovered following the introduction of protection laws. Recently,
      populations have been decreasing again, although the reasons are unclear. For
      individuals that are bred and reared in captivity as part of ex situ conservation
      projects, details of blood characteristics are essential to ensure good health.
      However, the normal ranges of hematology and serum chemistry of captive northern
      fur seals have not been defined. This study determined the normal ranges of
      hematology and serum chemistry of captive fur seals. Blood samples were collected
      every month for 2 years from four captive northern fur seals in Japan (three born
      in an aquarium and one kept in the same aquarium following rescue). Fifteen blood
      characteristics and 29 serum chemistry properties were compared with those
      previously reported for wild northern fur seals in the USA. Several parameters
      were not within the normal ranges reported previously in wild northern fur seals.
      In particular, levels of alkaline phosphatase was outside of the normal ranges
      previously reported. The hematological and serum chemistry ranges in this study
      can help provide a guideline for understanding the health of northern fur seals
      in captivity.

PMID- 28906019
TI  - Response Letter to 'Optimising physiology for adolescents with dysautonomia'.

PMID- 28906020
TI  - Diagnostic impact of anterior segment angiography of limbal stem cell
      insufficiency in PAX6-related aniridia.
AB  - PAX6 is a master gene of ocular development and postnatal ocular equilibrium.
      Congenital aniridia is the hallmark of PAX6 gene haploinsufficiency (Chr. 11 p.
      13), but PAX6-associated aniridia is a profound, progressive pan-ocular
      developmental disorder often leading to blindness. There is congenital visual
      impairment with advancing loss of vision mainly due to secondary glaucoma and to
      corneal blindness caused by limbal stem cell insufficiency (LSCI). LSCI leads to
      ARK (aniridia-related keratopathy), which typically develops in four stages.
      Incipient LSCI with vessels starting to grow into the cornea can be imaged by
      fluorescein anterior segment angiography, which enables fine vessels to be more
      easily detected than by routine slit lamp examination, especially in patients
      with nystagmus. Thus, clinical stage 1 ARK is often diagnosed at stage 2 by
      angiography. Corneal neovascularizations often start at the 12 and 6 positions
      and subsequently progress circumferentially, not at the 3 and 9 positions as
      previously believed. Anterior segment angiography can provide an easily
      standardizable tool for monitoring progress, treatment-induced regress or
      stabilization of ARK. Especially in children, angiography could be used to
      monitor new treatment regimens for reducing LSCI. Angiography could enable
      treatment to begin earlier to preserve corneal hemostasis. In addition, the fact
      that vascularization often starts at the subpalpebral 6 and 12 positions as
      opposed to the 3 and 9 positions raises more questions concerning factors that
      promote LSCI and related corneal injuries. Clin. Anat. 31:392-397, 2018. (c) 2018
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28906021
TI  - Primary hyperparathyroidism: Dynamic postoperative metabolic changes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the natural changes in parathyroid function
      after successful parathyroid surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism. The
      association of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and calcium (Ca) with "temporary
      hypoparathyroidism" and "hungry bone syndrome" (HBS) was evaluated. DESIGN:
      Potential risk factors for temporary hypoparathyroidism and HBS were evaluated by
      taking blood samples before surgery, intra-operatively, at postoperative day
      (POD) 1, at POD 5 to 7, in postoperative week (POW) 8 and in postoperative month
      (POM) 6. PATIENTS: Of 425 patients, 43 (10.1%) had temporary hypoparathyroidism
      and 36 (8.5%) had HBS. MEASUREMENTS: The discriminative ability of iPTH and Ca on
      POD 1 for temporary hypoparathyroidism and HBS. RESULTS: Intact parathyroid
      hormone (IPTH) on POD 1 showed the highest discriminative ability for temporary
      hypoparathyroidism (C-index = 0.952), but not for HBS. IPTH was helpful in
      diagnosing HBS between POD 5 and 7 (C-index = 0.708). Extending the model by
      including Ca resulted in little improvement of the discriminative ability for
      temporary hypoparathyroidism (C-index = 0.964) and a decreased discriminative
      ability for HBS (C-index = 0.705). Normal parathyroid metabolism was documented
      in 139 (32.7%) patients on POD 1 and in 423 (99.5%) 6 months postoperatively,
      while 2 (0.5%) patients had persistent hyperparathyroidism, one diagnosed between
      POD 5 and 7 and another at POW 8. No patients suffered from permanent
      hypoparathyroidism. CONCLUSIONS: The necessity for Ca and vitamin D3 substitution
      cannot be predicted with certainty before POD 5 to 7 without serial laboratory
      measurements. Based on the results, a routine 8-week course of Ca and vitamin D3
      treatment seems reasonable and its necessity should be evaluated in a follow-up
      study.

PMID- 28906022
TI  - Identification and characterization of a brilliant yellow pigment produced by
      Bordetella pertussis.
AB  - Culture supernatants of Bordetella pertussis are a brilliant yellow; however, the
      structure and biological role of the responsible pigment have not been
      investigated. In this study, a brilliant yellow-colored fraction was extracted
      from culture supernatants of B. pertussis and analyzed by HPLC. UV-visible
      spectral analysis and mass spectrometry identified the brilliant yellow pigment
      as riboflavin. Riboflavin production was high in lag and early log phases and
      riboflavin was found to enhance growth of B. pertussis in low-density cultures.
      Riboflavin production is not regulated by the BvgAS system. In addition, it was
      found that other Bordetella species, such as B. parapertussis, B. holmesii and B.
      bronchiseptica, also release riboflavin into their culture supernatants. This is
      the first report that B. pertussis secrets riboflavin to the extracellular space
      and that riboflavin may promote its growth. The mechanism may be associated with
      pathogenesis of B. pertussis.

PMID- 28906023
TI  - Immunophenotypic and molecular comparison between allogeneic and autologous graft
      vs-host disease of the skin: A retrospective study using immunohistochemical and
      proteomics methods.

PMID- 28906024
TI  - Father group leaders' experiences of creating an arena for father support - A
      qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parental classes consisting of only fathers, hereafter referred to as
      father groups, have existed in Sweden since the mid-1990s. OBJECTIVE: To describe
      the father group leaders' perspectives on and experiences of father groups.
      METHOD: A qualitative study was conducted using content analysis. Eleven
      individual interviews with father group leaders were conducted. An interview
      guide was used. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was set in different parts
      of Sweden. The participants were eleven men who are father group leaders. They
      were recruited using the snowball method. FINDINGS: The father group leaders
      described how participants often have high education levels and orderly social
      circumstances. The leaders described that the groups increased the fathers'
      reflection about parenthood, which could benefit the whole family in both the
      short and long term. The father group leaders reported that some of the topics in
      the sessions directly influenced fathers to discuss issues regarding equality and
      their co-parenting relationship. They also argued that participating in father
      groups might help convince fathers to take more parental leave and build stronger
      relationships with their partner and child.

PMID- 28906025
TI  - Vitamin D in the Parkinson Associated Risk Syndrome (PARS) study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lower vitamin D levels have been associated with manifest Parkinson's
      disease, prompting the hypothesis that vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency may
      increase risk for PD. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate vitamin D levels in a population at
      risk for developing PD. METHODS: Plasma vitamin D levels were measured in the
      Parkinson Associated Risk Syndrome Study, a cohort of asymptomatic individuals,
      some of whom are at high risk for PD. Vitamin D levels were compared between
      subjects at high risk for PD (hyposmia and dopamine transporter scan deficit)
      versus all others and examined for correlations with dopaminergic system
      integrity. RESULTS: Mean vitamin D levels did not differ between groups, with a
      level of 27.8 ng/mL (standard deviation = 12.0) in the high-risk group versus
      24.7 ng/mL (standard deviation = 9.0) in all others (P = 0.09). Vitamin D levels
      did not associate with putaminal dopamine transporter uptake. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      data from the asymptomatic Parkinson Associated Risk Syndrome cohort do not
      support the hypothesis that chronic vitamin D insufficiency threatens
      dopaminergic system integrity, contributing to PD pathogenesis. (c) 2017
      International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

PMID- 28906026
TI  - Total synthesis and biological evaluation of spirotryprostatin A analogs.
AB  - Based on the spirotryprostatin A structure, a series of compounds belonging to
      spiro-indolyl diketopiperazine structural class were designed and synthesized,
      which embody an oxindole with an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter. The total
      synthesis can efficiently be accessed in a seven-step reaction sequence with 18
      28% overall yield from commercially available materials, and a highly
      enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, N-acylation of the resulting
      stereochemically complex spiro[pyrrolidin-3,3'-oxindole]s core with Fmoc-L-pro-Cl
      and spontaneous ring closure upon N-deprotection were obtained. The synthesized
      compounds 13a-e and 15a-e were evaluated for their antibacterial activities. The
      result showed that compounds 13b and 15b were active only against Gram-positive
      bacteria, and selective antibacterial activity was exhibited by compounds 13d and
      13e against Streptococcus lactis. Further, all the remaining compounds showed a
      certain degree of antibacterial activity. In addition, the structure-activity
      relationship is also discussed.

PMID- 28906028
TI  - Graft outcomes following diagnosis of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease
      in pediatric kidney recipients: a retrospective study.
AB  - Data related to graft outcomes following post-transplant lymphoproliferative
      disease (PTLD) in pediatric kidney transplantation are scarce. Data were analyzed
      retrospectively from 12 children (eight boys) for 3 years after diagnosis of
      PTLD, with a loss of follow-up after 2 years in two of 12. In all cases,
      intensity of immunosuppressive therapy was reduced, which switched from
      calcineurin inhibitor to a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor in ten
      cases. Nine children were treated with six doses of rituximab according to the
      PED-PTLD-2005 protocol, with additional treatment in one child as per protocol.
      One patient received EuroNet-PHL C1. In four patients, donor-specific antibodies
      were detected after PTLD diagnosis at 3, 4, 5 and 7 years, respectively. One
      patient developed chronic antibody-mediated rejection (cAMR) 12 years after
      diagnosis, losing the graft 1 year later. Three patients with recurrence of the
      original disease also lost their grafts, one at the time of diagnosis of PTLD,
      and two after 4 years. Range-based analysis of variance showed that there was no
      decrease in estimated GFR at 1, 2, or 3 years after diagnosis of PTLD (P =
      0.978). In conclusion, treatment of PTLD with reduced immunosuppression is safe
      and efficient. This may be due to B-cell-depleting therapy of PTLD with
      rituximab.

PMID- 28906027
TI  - SUR1-TRPM4 and AQP4 form a heteromultimeric complex that amplifies ion/water
      osmotic coupling and drives astrocyte swelling.
AB  - Astrocyte swelling occurs after central nervous system injury and contributes to
      brain swelling, which can increase mortality. Mechanisms proffered to explain
      astrocyte swelling emphasize the importance of either aquaporin-4 (AQP4), an
      astrocyte water channel, or of Na+ -permeable channels, which mediate cellular
      osmolyte influx. However, the spatio-temporal functional interactions between
      AQP4 and Na+ -permeable channels that drive swelling are poorly understood. We
      hypothesized that astrocyte swelling after injury is linked to an interaction
      between AQP4 and Na+ -permeable channels that are newly upregulated. Here, using
      co-immunoprecipitation and Forster resonance energy transfer, we report that AQP4
      physically co-assembles with the sulfonylurea receptor 1-transient receptor
      potential melastatin 4 (SUR1-TRPM4) monovalent cation channel to form a novel
      heteromultimeric water/ion channel complex. In vitro cell-swelling studies using
      calcein fluorescence imaging of COS-7 cells expressing various combinations of
      AQP4, SUR1, and TRPM4 showed that the full tripartite complex, comprised of SUR1
      TRPM4-AQP4, was required for fast, high-capacity transmembrane water transport
      that drives cell swelling, with these findings corroborated in cultured primary
      astrocytes. In a murine model of brain edema involving cold-injury to the
      cerebellum, we found that astrocytes newly upregulate SUR1-TRPM4, that AQP4 co
      associates with SUR1-TRPM4, and that genetic inactivation of the solute pore of
      the SUR1-TRPM4-AQP4 complex blocked in vivo astrocyte swelling measured by
      diolistic labeling, thereby corroborating our in vitro functional studies.
      Together, these findings demonstrate a novel molecular mechanism involving the
      SUR1-TRPM4-AQP4 complex to account for bulk water influx during astrocyte
      swelling. These findings have broad implications for the understanding and
      treatment of AQP4-mediated pathological conditions.

PMID- 28906030
TI  - Pathological and immunoblot analysis of phosphorylated TDP-43 in sporadic
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with pallido-nigro-luysian degeneration.
AB  - Transactivation response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) is a key protein of
      sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and phosphorylated form of TDP-43
      (p-TDP-43) is a major pathological protein that accumulates in sporadic ALS. p
      TDP-43 is found not only in primary motor neurons, but often propagates to non
      motor systems as well. However, pallido-nigro-luysian (PNL) degeneration (PNLD)
      is rarely associated with ALS. We describe here a 68-year-old ALS patient
      presenting severe PNLD. He had difficulty walking due to poor movement of his
      right leg, and was diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease because of akinesia.
      About 2 years after onset, weakness of his left hand and leg led to a diagnosis
      of ALS. Tube feeding and non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation were
      initiated. He died of respiratory failure at the age of 71. There was no family
      history of either neurological disorders or dementia. Neuropathological
      examination revealed severe loss of neurons and gliosis in the PNL system in
      addition to the upper and lower motor neuron system. p-TDP-43 pathology was
      widespread in the PNL and motor neuron systems and also in the amygdala and
      hippocampus where no significant gliosis or neuronal loss was detected. Synuclein
      pathology was not observed in the investigated areas. Immunoblot analysis of p
      TDP-43 C-terminal fragments showed a type B band pattern consistent with sporadic
      ALS. This is the first case of ALS with PNLD, in which p-TDP-43 distribution was
      widespread in the hippocampal formation (Nishihira type 2 and Brettschneider
      stage 4), and the type B immunoblot pattern was confirmed. Our case indicated
      that the PNL system can be involved in the disease process in sporadic ALS cases,
      although rarely. We also reviewed previous autopsy cases of ALS with PNLD to
      clarify the clinicopathological features.

PMID- 28906029
TI  - IL-6 production by monocytes is associated with graft function decline in
      patients with borderline changes suspicious for acute T-cell-mediated rejection:
      a pilot study.
AB  - Although borderline changes (BL) suspicious for acute T-cell-mediated rejection
      represent a diagnostic category, its clinical relevance is questioned leading to
      heterogeneous therapeutic management. We hypothesized that measuring IL-6
      secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells identifies patients with ongoing
      graft damage. We examined the association between secreted IL-6 and the change in
      estimated glomerular filtration rate at 6 months after the biopsy (DeltaeGFR). We
      then conducted phenotypic and functional studies on patient and mouse innate
      immune cells in the blood and the kidney. In a training set, DeltaeGFR was
      strongly associated with IL-6 levels, showing a clinically meaningful decline of
      4.6 +/- 1.5 ml/min per increase in log10 IL-6 (P = 0.001). These results were
      consistent after adjustment and were reproduced in a validation cohort.
      Phenotyping of peripheral blood cells revealed that the main source of IL-6 was
      CD14+ CD16- CCR2+ HLA-DR+ CD86+ CD11c+ inflammatory monocytes. There was a
      significant correlation between IL-6 secretion and interstitial dendritic cell
      density in the biopsy. Finally, characterization of mouse kidney dendritic cells
      revealed that they share features with macrophages and function as effector cells
      secreting IL-6. In conclusion, measuring IL-6 secreted by peripheral blood cells
      can be useful in the management of patients with BL in the absence of a
      concurrent inflammatory condition.

PMID- 28906031
TI  - Design optimization for clinical trials in early-stage manifest Huntington's
      disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to inform the design of randomized
      clinical trials in early-stage manifest Huntington's disease through analysis of
      longitudinal data from TRACK-Huntington's Disease (TRACK-HD), a multicenter
      observational study. METHODS: We compute sample sizes required for trials with
      candidate clinical, functional, and imaging outcomes, whose aims are to reduce
      rates of change. The calculations use a 2-stage approach: first using linear
      mixed models to estimate mean rates of change and components of variability from
      TRACK-HD data and second using these to predict sample sizes for a range of trial
      designs. RESULTS: For each outcome, the primary drivers of the required sample
      size were the anticipated treatment effect and the duration of treatment.
      Extending durations from 1 to 2 years yielded large sample size reductions.
      Including interim visits and incorporating stratified randomization on predictors
      of outcome together with covariate adjustment gave more modest, but nontrivial,
      benefits. Caudate atrophy, expressed as a percentage of its baseline, was the
      outcome that gave smallest required sample sizes. DISCUSSION: Here we consider
      potential required sample sizes for clinical trials estimated from naturalistic
      observation of longitudinal change. Choice among outcome measures for a trial
      must additionally consider their relevance to patients and the expected effect of
      the treatment under study. For all outcomes considered, our results provide
      compelling arguments for 2-year trials, and we also demonstrate the benefits of
      incorporating stratified randomization coupled with covariate adjustment,
      particularly for trials with caudate atrophy as the primary outcome. The benefits
      of enrichment are more debatable, with statistical benefits offset by potential
      recruitment difficulties and reduced generalizability. (c) 2017 International
      Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

PMID- 28906032
TI  - From Anilines to Quinolines: Iodide- and Silver-Mediated Aerobic Double C-H
      Oxidative Annulation-Aromatization.
AB  - Quinoline synthesis from easily accessible raw materials such as anilines is a
      valuable and meaningful task. Herein, we communicate an iodide- and silver
      mediated C-H/C-H oxidative annulation-aromatization between anilines and allyl
      alcohols. This protocol provides a direct route to the synthesis of quinoline
      derivatives from inexpensive commodities. Various kinds of anilines, even
      heterocyclic anilines, were shown to be workable substrates, generating the
      corresponding multi-substituted quinolines in good yields.

PMID- 28906033
TI  - Collagen peptides modulate the metabolism of extracellular matrix by human dermal
      fibroblasts derived from sun-protected and sun-exposed body sites.
AB  - Clinical data published in recent years have demonstrated positive effects of
      collagen hydrolysate (CH) on skin aging clinical signs. CH use as food supplement
      has a long history; however, few studies have addressed the underlying purpose of
      CH on the cellular and molecular biology of skin cells that could elucidate
      clinical improvement findings. Wide diversity of characteristics has been
      reported for dermal fibroblasts derived from different body sites and it is
      unknown whether collagen peptides could modulate differently cells from
      chronological aged and photoaged skin areas. This study investigated the
      influence of CH on the extracellular matrix metabolism and proliferation of human
      dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) derived from chronological aged (sun-protected) and
      photoaged (sun-exposed) body sites. CH treatment did not affect cellular
      proliferation of either cell cultures, but notably modulated cell metabolism in
      monolayer model, increasing the content of dermal matrix precursor and main
      protein, procollagen I and collagen I, respectively. These effects were confirmed
      in the human dermal equivalent model. The increase in collagen content in the
      cultures was attributed to stimulation of biosynthesis and decreased collagen I
      metabolism through inhibition of metalloproteinase activity (MMP) 1 and 2.
      Modulation of CH in dermal metabolism did not differ between cells derived from
      sun-protected and sun-exposed areas, although lower concentrations of CH seemed
      to be enough to stimulate sun-exposed-derived HDFs, suggesting more pronounced
      effect in these cells. This study contributes to understanding the biological
      effects of CH on skin cells and viability of its use as a functional ingredient
      in food supplements.

PMID- 28906034
TI  - Small airway disease: A different phenotype of early stage COPD associated with
      biomass smoke exposure.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic exposure to biomass smoke (BS) can
      significantly compromise pulmonary function and lead to chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). To determine whether BS exposure induces a unique
      phenotype of COPD from an early stage, with different physiopathological features
      compared with COPD associated with smoking (cigarette-smoke (CS) COPD), we
      assessed the physiopathology of early COPD associated with BS exposure (BS COPD)
      by incorporating spirometry, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging,
      bronchoscopy and pathological examinations. METHODS: In this cross-sectional
      study, we recruited 29 patients with BS COPD, 31 patients with CS COPD and 22
      healthy controls, including 12 BS-exposed subjects who did not smoke and 10
      healthy smokers without BS exposure. Spirometry, HRCT scans, bronchoscopy and
      bronchial mucosa biopsies were performed to assess lung function, emphysema and
      air trapping, as well as the pathological characteristics and levels of
      inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). RESULTS: Among COPD
      patients with mild-to-moderate airflow limitation, BS exposure caused greater
      small airway dysfunction in BS COPD patients, although these patients had less
      emphysema and air trapping, as detected by HRCT (P < 0.05). We also observed
      significantly thicker basement membranes and greater endobronchial pigmentation
      in BS COPD than in CS COPD (P < 0.05). Moreover, patients with BS COPD exhibited
      greater macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration but reduced neutrophil
      infiltration in their BALF (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We used both radiology and
      pathology to document a distinct COPD phenotype associated with BS exposure. This
      is characterized by small airway disease.

PMID- 28906035
TI  - Magnetic Control of MOF Crystal Orientation and Alignment.
AB  - Most metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess anisotropic properties, the full
      exploitation of which necessitates a general strategy for the controllable
      orientation of such MOF crystals. Current methods largely rely upon layer-by
      layer MOF epitaxy or tuning of MOF crystal growth on appropriate substrates,
      yielding MOFs with fixed crystal orientations. Here, the dynamic magnetic
      alignment of different MOF crystals (NH2 -MIL-53(Al) and NU-1000) is shown. The
      MOFs were magnetized by electrostatic adsorption of iron oxide nanoparticles,
      dispersed in curable polymer resins (Formlabs 1+ clear resin/ Sylgard 184),
      magnetically oriented, and fixed by resin curing. The importance of crystal
      orientation on MOF functionality was demonstrated whereby magnetically aligned NU
      1000/Sylgard 184 composite was excited with linearly polarized 405 nm light,
      affording an anisotropic fluorescence response dependent on the polarization
      angle of the excitation beam relative to NU-1000 crystal orientation.

PMID- 28906036
TI  - Phosphorus and Fluorine Co-Doping Induced Enhancement of Oxygen Evolution
      Reaction in Bimetallic Nitride Nanorods Arrays: Ionic Liquid-Driven and Mechanism
      Clarification.
AB  - Electrocatalytic splitting of water is becoming increasingly crucial for
      renewable energy and device technologies. As one of the most important half
      reactions for water splitting reactions, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a
      kinetically sluggish process that will greatly affect the energy conversion
      efficiency. Therefore, exploring a highly efficient and durable catalyst to boost
      the OER is of great urgency. In this work, we develop a facile strategy for the
      synthesis of well-defined phosphorus and fluorine co-doped Ni1.5 Co1.5 N hybrid
      nanorods (HNs) by using ionic liquids (ILs; 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium
      hexafluorophosphate). In comparison to the IrO2 catalyst, the as-obtained
      PF/Ni1.5 Co1.5 N HNs manifests a low overpotential of 280 mV at 10 mA cm-2 ,
      Tafel slope of 66.1 mV dec-1 , and excellent durability in 1.0 m KOH solution.
      Furthermore, the iR-corrected electrochemical results indicate it could achieve a
      current density of 100 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 350 mV. The combination of
      cobalt and nickel elements, 1D mesoporous nanostructure, heteroatom
      incorporation, and ionic liquid-assisted nitridation, which result in faster
      charge transfer capability and more active surface sites, can facilitate the
      release of oxygen bubbles from the catalyst surface. Our findings confirm that
      surface heteroatom doping in bimetallic nitrides could serve as a new class of
      OER catalyst with excellent catalytic activity.

PMID- 28906037
TI  - Patterns of Smoking and Unhealthy Alcohol Use Following Sexual Trauma Among U.S.
      Service Members.
AB  - In the first known longitudinal study of the topic, we examined whether
      experiencing sexual assault or sexual harassment while in the military was
      associated with increased risk for subsequent unhealthy alcohol use and smoking
      among U.S. service members in the Millennium Cohort Study (2001-2012). Adjusted
      complementary log-log models were fit to estimate the relative risk of (a)
      smoking relapse among former smokers (men: n = 4,610; women: n = 1,453); (b)
      initiation of unhealthy alcohol use (problem drinking and/or drinking over
      recommended limits) among those with no known history of unhealthy alcohol use
      (men: n = 8,459; women: n = 4,816); and (c) relapse among those previously
      reporting unhealthy alcohol use (men: n = 3,487; women: n = 1,318). Men who
      reported experiencing sexual assault while in the military had sixfold higher
      risk for smoking relapse: relative risk (RR) = 6.62; 95% confidence interval (CI)
      [2.34, 18.73], than men who did not. Women who reported experiencing sexual
      assault while in the military had almost twice the risk for alcohol relapse: RR =
      1.73; 95% CI [1.06, 2.83]. There were no other significant associations. These
      findings suggest that men and women may respond differently following sexual
      trauma, and support future concerted policy efforts by military leadership to
      prevent, detect, and intervene on sexual assault.

PMID- 28906038
TI  - beta-carotene suppresses Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide-mediated
      cytokine production in THP-1 monocytes cultured with high glucose condition.
AB  - Periodontitis is associated with development of diabetes mellitus. Although
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), a major pathogen of
      periodontitis, may lead the progression of diabetes complications, the precise
      mechanisms are unclear. We, therefore, investigated the effects of beta-carotene
      on production of Pg LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines in human monocytes
      cultured high glucose (HG) condition. THP-1 cells were cultured under 5.5 mM or
      25 mM glucose conditions, and cells were stimulated with Pg LPS. To investigate
      the productivity of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and MCP-1, cell supernatants were collected
      for ELISA. To examine the effects of NF-kB signals on cytokine production, Bay11
      7082 was used. HG enhanced Pg LPS-induced production of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and MCP
      1 via NF-kB signals in THP-1. beta-carotene suppressed the enhancement of the Pg
      LPS-induced cytokine production in THP-1 via NF-kappaB inactivation. Our results
      suggest that beta-carotene might be a potential anti-inflammatory nutrient for
      circulating Pg LPS-mediated cytokine production in diabetic patients with
      periodontitis.

PMID- 28906041
TI  - Total Synthesis of Skyllamycins A-C.
AB  - The skyllamycins are a family of highly functionalized non-ribosomal cyclic
      depsipeptide natural products which contain the extremely rare alpha-OH-glycine
      functionality. Herein the first total synthesis of skyllamycins A-C is reported,
      together with the biofilm inhibitory activity of the natural products. Linear
      peptide precursors for each natural product were prepared through an efficient
      solid-phase route incorporating a number of synthetic modified amino acids. A
      novel macrocyclization step between a C-terminal amide and an N-terminal
      glyoxylamide moiety served as a key transformation to install the unique alpha-OH
      glycine unit and generate the natural products in the final step of the
      synthesis.

PMID- 28906040
TI  - A blinded, randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of
      lokivetmab compared to ciclosporin in client-owned dogs with atopic dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lokivetmab is an injectable anti-canine-IL-31 monoclonal antibody to
      treat clinical manifestations of atopic dermatitis (AD) in dogs.
      HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To characterize the efficacy and safety of lokivetmab, and
      to demonstrate its noninferiority to ciclosporin under field conditions. ANIMALS:
      Dogs with chronic AD (n = 274) were enrolled from 40 practices in Belgium, The
      Netherlands, France and Germany. METHODS: Animals were randomized (1:1) to oral
      ciclosporin (5 mg/kg/once daily) or monthly injectable lokivetmab (1-3.3 mg/kg)
      for three months. Eighty one animals that successfully completed the comparative
      phase were enrolled in a continuation phase receiving lokivetmab for an
      additional six months. Owners assessed pruritus on a Visual Analog Scale, skin
      lesions were assessed by veterinary investigators with a Canine AD Extent and
      Severity Index (CADESI-03) scale. RESULTS: Lokivetmab was noninferior to
      ciclosporin for pruritus reduction on Day 28 (51.90% versus 43.72%). For Day 28
      CADESI-03 percentage reduction, noninferiority of lokivetmab (54.17) versus
      ciclosporin (56.86%) was not achieved. At none of the time points were mean
      CADESI-03 scores significantly different between groups. Continued efficacy
      towards pruritus and lesions was demonstrated in the continuation phase where
      76.3% of animals (n = 45) were assessed as 'normal' for pruritus at study end. No
      abnormal health events associated with lokivetmab were observed during the
      initial three month phase (142 dogs) or during the subsequent six month phase (81
      dogs). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Lokivetmab at a minimum monthly dose
      of 1 mg/kg provided quick onset (within one day) of a lasting effect in reducing
      pruritus and skin lesions with a good safety profile.

PMID- 28906039
TI  - Novel role of the nociceptin system as a regulator of glutamate transporter
      expression in developing astrocytes.
AB  - Our previous results showed that oligodendrocyte development is regulated by both
      nociceptin and its G-protein coupled receptor, the nociceptin/orphanin FQ
      receptor (NOR). The present in vitro and in vivo findings show that nociceptin
      plays a crucial conserved role regulating the levels of the glutamate/aspartate
      transporter GLAST/EAAT1 in both human and rodent brain astrocytes. This
      nociceptin-mediated response takes place during a critical developmental window
      that coincides with the early stages of astrocyte maturation. GLAST/EAAT1
      upregulation by nociceptin is mediated by NOR and the downstream participation of
      a complex signaling cascade that involves the interaction of several kinase
      systems, including PI-3K/AKT, mTOR, and JAK. Because GLAST is the main glutamate
      transporter during brain maturation, these novel findings suggest that nociceptin
      plays a crucial role in regulating the function of early astrocytes and their
      capacity to support glutamate homeostasis in the developing brain.

PMID- 28906042
TI  - Vascular configurations of anastomotic basket of conus medullaris in human spinal
      cord.
AB  - The arterial basket of the conus medullaris is one of several anastomoses between
      the anterior and posterior spinal arteries. The anatomy of this structure has
      attracted little attention. This work sought to investigate its configuration in
      human spinal cords. Spinal cords from male and female cadavers (n = 32) were
      injected with colored latex through the intercostal, lumbar, medial sacral and
      the posterior trunks of the hypogastric arteries. After injection, specimens
      preserving the dural sac were obtained and fixed in formaldehyde solution.
      Finally, the spinal arteries were microdissected. In 18.75% of the specimens, the
      anterior spinal artery divided symmetrically and formed anastomoses with the
      posterior spinal arteries. In 81.25%, the branching pattern observed was
      asymmetrical. In 21.87% there were differences in the diameter of the anastomotic
      arteries, and 40.63% originated at different levels along the craniocaudal axis.
      Interestingly, 12.5% of the specimens presented an intraparenchymatous
      anastomosis that has not been described previously. True unilateral anastomosis
      was only observed in 6.25% of the spinal cords. The most frequent configuration
      of the anastomotic basket of the conus medullaris is a bilateral asymmetric
      anastomosis. The asymmetry of the branches could be caused by differences in
      their diameters or in their origins along the craniocaudal axis. Symmetrical
      patterns are less frequent, and unilateral anastomoses are rare. In reality, some
      cases of apparently unilateral anastomosis present an intramedullary course of
      the anastomotic artery. Clin. Anat. 31:441-448, 2018. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc.

PMID- 28906043
TI  - Diluted sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in dogs: antiseptic efficacy, local
      tolerability and in vitro effect on skin barrier function and inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diluted sodium hypochlorite represents an inexpensive and widely
      available topical antiseptic, but there are no tolerability and efficacy data in
      veterinary dermatology. OBJECTIVES: To determine the in vivo antibacterial effect
      and tolerability of topical diluted bleach application and to assess its in vitro
      effect on skin barrier lipids and anti-inflammatory properties on keratinocytes.
      METHODS: Topical hypochlorite at 0.05% and tap water were applied to both sides
      of the thorax of four healthy dogs. The anti-inflammatory effect on canine
      keratinocytes was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction; skin barrier
      integrity was assessed by evaluating stratum corneum lipid changes in canine
      stratified epidermal constructs. RESULTS: The cell viability of primary
      keratinocytes treated with water and diluted hypochlorite at 0.005 and 0.01%,
      reduced the percentage of viable cells by 10%. The exposure of primary
      keratinocytes to 0.005% diluted hypochlorite significantly reduced the induction
      of inflammatory genes chemokine ligand-2 (CCL2; P = 0.015) and thymus and
      activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17, P = 0.032). There were no changes in
      skin lipid ceramide and nonceramide fractions in stratified epidermal constructs
      cultured for 17 days with 0.05% hypochlorite. Topical hypochlorite at 0.05% and
      tap water were well-tolerated without signs of skin irritation. Although a marked
      reduction in bacterial counts was seen within 20 min of diluted bleach
      application compared to the tap water control, this was only marginally
      significant (P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The results indicate
      that a topical diluted bleach solution, at either 0.05 or 0.005% hypochlorite
      concentrations, is a well-tolerated antiseptic that also exhibits anti
      inflammatory properties.

PMID- 28906044
TI  - Specific IgE to peanut 2S albumin Ara h 7 has a discriminative ability comparable
      to Ara h 2 and 6.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known on the clinical relevance of peanut 2S albumin Ara h
      7. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the discriminative ability of Ara h 7 in peanut
      allergy and assess the role of cross-reactivity between Ara h 2, 6 and Ara h 7
      isoforms. METHODS: Sensitization to recombinant peanut storage proteins Ara h 1,
      2, 3, 6, and 7 was assessed using a line blot in sera from 40 peanut-tolerant and
      40 peanut-allergic patients, based on food challenge outcome. A dose-dependent
      ELISA inhibition experiment was performed with recombinant Ara h 2, 6 and Ara h 7
      isoforms. RESULTS: For Ara h 7.0201, an area under the ROC curve was found of
      0.83, comparable to Ara h 2 (AUC 0.81) and Ara h 6 (AUC 0.85). Ara h 7 intensity
      values strongly correlated with those from Ara h 2 and 6 (rs = 0.81). Of all
      patients sensitized to 2S albumins Ara h 2, 6, or 7, the majority was co
      sensitized to all three (n = 24, 68%), although mono-sensitization to either 2S
      albumin was also observed in selected patients (Ara h 2: n = 6, 17%; Ara h 6: n =
      2, 6%; Ara h 7: n = 2, 6%). Binding to Ara h 7.0101 could be strongly inhibited
      by Ara h 7.0201, but not the other way around. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Specific IgE against Ara h 7.0201 has a predictive ability for peanut
      allergy similar to Ara h 2 and 6 and possesses unique IgE epitopes as well as
      epitopes shared between the other Ara h 7 isoform and Ara h 2 and 6. While co
      sensitization to all three 2S albumins is most common, mono-sensitization to
      either Ara h 2, 6, or 7 occurs in selected patients, leading to a risk of
      misdiagnosis when testing for a single 2S albumin.

PMID- 28906045
TI  - Actinorhodin is a redox-active antibiotic with a complex mode of action against
      Gram-positive cells.
AB  - Actinorhodin is a blue-pigmented, redox-active secondary metabolite that is
      produced by the bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor. Although actinorhodin has been
      used as a model compound for studying secondary metabolism, its biological
      activity is not well understood. Indeed, redox-active antibiotics in general have
      not been widely investigated at the mechanistic level. In this work, we have
      conducted a comprehensive chemical genetic investigation of actinorhodin's
      antibacterial effect on target organisms. We find that actinorhodin is a potent,
      bacteriostatic, pH-responsive antibiotic. Cells activate at least three stress
      responses in the presence of actinorhodin, including those responsible for
      managing oxidative damage, protein damage and selected forms of DNA damage. We
      find that mutations in the Staphylococcus aureus walRKHI operon can confer low
      level resistance to actinorhodin, indicating possible targeting of the cell
      envelope. Our study indicates a complex mechanism of action, involving multiple
      molecular targets, that is distinct from other antibiotics.

PMID- 28906046
TI  - The unique N-terminal zinc finger of synaptotagmin-like protein 4 reveals FYVE
      structure.
AB  - Synaptotagmin-like protein 4 (Slp4), expressed in human platelets, is associated
      with dense granule release. Slp4 is comprised of the N-terminal zinc finger, Slp
      homology domain, and C2 domains. We synthesized a compact construct (the Slp4N
      peptide) corresponding to the Slp4 N-terminal zinc finger. Herein, we have
      determined the solution structure of the Slp4N peptide by nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR). Furthermore, experimental, chemical modification of Cys residues
      revealed that the Slp4N peptide binds two zinc atoms to mediate proper folding.
      NMR data showed that eight Cys residues coordinate zinc atoms in a cross-brace
      fashion. The Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool database predicted the
      structure of Slp4N as a RING finger. However, the actual structure of the Slp4N
      peptide adopts a unique C4 C4 -type FYVE fold and is distinct from a RING fold.
      To create an artificial RING finger (ARF) with specific ubiquitin-conjugating
      enzyme (E2)-binding capability, cross-brace structures with eight zinc-ligating
      residues are needed as the scaffold. The cross-brace structure of the Slp4N
      peptide could be utilized as the scaffold for the design of ARFs.

PMID- 28906047
TI  - A systematic review to explore influences on parental attitudes towards
      antibiotic prescribing in children.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To understand the factors influencing parental attitudes
      towards antibiotic prescribing. BACKGROUND: Overuse of antibiotics and
      inappropriate prescribing has resulted in rapid development of antimicrobial
      resistance (AMR) and is a significant global threat to patient safety. In primary
      care settings, substantial numbers of antibiotics are prescribed for young
      children, despite viral nature of illness for which antibiotics are ineffective.
      Parents play a vital role in decision-making regarding accessing healthcare
      services and requesting treatment for their children. DESIGN: A systematic review
      was conducted in alignment with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic
      Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement (Moher et al., Systematic Reviews,
      4, 2015, p. 1). METHODS: The CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library,
      BRITISH NURSING INDEX, EMBASE and PUBMED databases were searched for primary
      research published between 2006-2016. All types of primary research were searched
      and screened against inclusion criteria. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme
      tool was used to appraise identified publications. Quantitative data were
      summarised descriptively, and qualitative data were thematically analysed.
      RESULTS: A total of 515 publications were initially screened, and 55 full-text
      articles were eligibility assessed. Twenty papers met inclusion criteria. Four
      main themes were identified: the quality of relationships with healthcare
      providers, dealing with conflicting messages, rationalising antibiotic use and
      parental practices informed by past experience. CONCLUSIONS: Parents wanted
      reassurance and advice regarding children's illnesses, had poor antibiotic
      knowledge and were influenced by personal past experiences. More accessible
      education, including simple information leaflets, is required. Further research
      on the influence of culture, ethnicity and socio-economic factors would be
      beneficial. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals must provide
      adequate time for reassurance and explanations of decision-making. Easy-to-read
      information regarding appropriate antibiotic usage should be easily accessible
      for parents.

PMID- 28906048
TI  - Synthesis of RNA Containing 5-Hydroxymethyl-, 5-Formyl-, and 5-Carboxycytidine.
AB  - 5-Hydroxymethyl-, 5-formyl-, and 5-carboxy-2'-deoxycytidine are new epigenetic
      bases (hmdC, fdC, cadC) that were recently discovered in the DNA of higher
      eukaryotes. The same bases (5-hydroxymethyl-, 5-formyl-, and 5-carboxycytidine;
      hmC, fC, and caC) have now also been detected in mammalian RNA with a high
      abundance in mRNA. While DNA phosphoramidites (PAs) that allow the synthesis of
      xdC-containing oligonucleotides for deeper biological studies are available, the
      corresponding silyl-protected RNA PAs for fC and caC have not yet been disclosed.
      Here, we report novel RNA PAs for hmC, fC, and caC that can be used in routine
      RNA synthesis. The new building blocks are compatible with the canonical PAs and
      also with themselves, which enables even the synthesis of RNA strands containing
      all three of these bases. The study will pave the way for detailed physical,
      biochemical, and biological studies to unravel the function of these non
      canonical modifications in RNA.

PMID- 28906049
TI  - Alitretinoin treatment of lichen amyloidosis.
AB  - Lichen amyloidosis (LA) is characterized by the deposition of amyloid that may
      respond to chronic scratching that may be secondary to atopic dermatitis, stasis
      dermatitis, or interface dermatitis. Despite the development of several
      therapeutic strategies, including topical steroids, oral antihistamines,
      cyclosporine, and retinoids, an effective treatment for LA has not been
      established. A 49-year-old woman who has been treated irregularly for atopic
      dermatitis for 7 years presented with localized brownish papules on the left
      forearm and right elbow. They developed 3 months prior and were becoming more
      prominent despite of treatment with cyclosporine, oral antihistamines, and
      topical steroids for 5 months prior to presentation. A skin biopsy revealed
      amyloid deposition in the dermal papillae and the patient was diagnosed with LA
      associated with atopic dermatitis. A 6-month course of daily oral alitretinoin 30
      mg produced marked improvement in the thickness and color of the hyperkeratotic
      papules without aggravation of the patient's atopic dermatitis. Histologic
      evaluation showed clearance of amyloid deposition and almost normalization of the
      epidermal changes. Herein, we report a case of LA treated with alitretinoin and
      suggest that it could be a potential treatment option for LA, especially in
      patients with inflammatory skin diseases including atopic dermatitis.

PMID- 28906050
TI  - Labral calcification in end-stage osteoarthritis of the hip correlates with pain
      and clinical function.
AB  - : The acetabular labrum of the hip (ALH) is recognized as a clinically important
      structure, but knowledge about the pathophysiology of this fibrocartilage is
      scarce. In this prospective study we determined the prevalence of ALH
      calcification in patients with end-stage osteoarthritis (OA) and analyzed the
      relationship of cartilage calcification (CC) with hip pain and clinical function.
      Cohort of 80 patients (70.2 +/- 7.6years) with primary OA scheduled for total hip
      replacement. Harris Hip Score (HHS) was recorded preoperatively. Total ALH and
      femoral head (FH) were sampled intraoperatively. CC of the ALH and FH was
      analyzed by high-resolution digital contact radiography. Histological
      degeneration of the ALH (Krenn-Score) and FH (OARSI-Score) was determined.
      Multivariate linear regression model and partial correlation analyses were
      performed. The prevalence of cartilage calcification both in the ALH and FH was
      100%, while the amount of CC in the ALH was 1.55 times higher than in the FH (p <
      0.001). There was a significant inverse regression between the amount of
      calcification of both the ALH and the FH and preoperative HHS (betaALH  = -2.1, p
      = 0.04), (betaFH  = -2.9, p = 0.005), but pain was influenced only by ALH
      calcification (betaALH  = -2.7, p = 0.008). Age-adjusted, there was a significant
      correlation between cartilage calcification and histological degeneration (ALH:rs
      = 0.53, p < 0.001/FH: rs  = 0.30, p = 0.007). Fibrocartilage and articular
      cartilage calcification are inseparable pathological findings in end-stage
      osteoarthritis of the hip. Fibrocartilage calcification is associated with poor
      and painful hip function. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: ALH fibrocartilage appears to be
      particularly prone to calcification, which may explain higher pain levels in
      individuals with a high degree of ALH calcification independent of age and
      histological degeneration. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1248-1255, 2018.

PMID- 28906051
TI  - Effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in 69 patients with moderate to severe
      plaque psoriasis: A retrospective multicenter study.
AB  - Secukinumab (anti-IL17A) is effective as treatment for moderate to severe plaque
      psoriasis, but real-life data on effectiveness and safety lack. We aimed to
      present real-life data of all Danish patients treated with secukinumab (n = 69).
      At baseline, before initiation of treatment with secukinumab 300 mg (47.8%) or
      off-label treatment with secukinumab 150 mg (52.2%), the median PASI score was
      7.1. A total of 66.7% (34/51) and 52.9% (27/51) of patients still on secukinumab
      at week 12 achieved a PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index)-50 and PASI-75 of
      66.7% and 52.9%, respectively. A total of 83.0% (44/53) and 60.4% (32/53) of the
      patients had a PASI-score < 5 and PASI-score < 2, respectively, after 12 weeks on
      treatment with secukinumab. A third of the patients had secukinumab discontinued
      due to limited clinical improvement or adverse events (n = 23) within a median of
      92 days (interquartile range 51-212 days). Notably, the majority of the patients
      may represent a particularly difficult-to-treat group of patients, as 92.8% had
      been refractory to other biologic treatment. A total of 26.1% (n = 18)
      experienced adverse events. Secukinumab appears to be an effective treatment
      option with a favorable side effect profile in patients with plaque psoriasis who
      are refractory to or have side effects of traditional biologic drugs.

PMID- 28906053
TI  - The effects of menstrual cycle phase on the incidence of plateau at VO2max and
      associated cardiorespiratory dynamics.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of menstrual cycle phase on
      maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and associated cardiodynamic responses. A total of
      16 active females volunteered of which n = 10 formed the non-oral contraceptive
      pill group (n-OCP), displaying a regular menstrual cycle of 28.4 +/- 2.2 days
      (age 20.6 +/- 1.6 years, height 169.9 +/- 6.4 cm, mass 68.7 +/- 7.9 kg) and n = 6
      formed the oral contraceptive pill group (OCP) (monophasic pill) (age 21.7 years
      +/- 2.16, height 168.1 cm +/- 6.8 cm, mass 61.6 +/- 6.8 kg). Each completed four
      incremental exercise tests for determination of VO2max, cardiac output, stroke
      volume and heart rate. Each test was completed according to the phases of the
      menstrual cycle as determined through salivary analysis of 17-beta oestrodiol and
      progesterone. Non-significant differences were observed for VO2max across phases
      and between groups (P>0.05) with additional non-significant differences for Qmax,
      HRmax and SVmax between groups. For ? VO2 during the final 60 s of the VO2max
      trial, significant differences were observed between OCP and n-OCP (P<0.05) with
      OCP showing zero VO2 plateaus in three pseudo-phases. Significant difference
      observed for a-vO2dif n-OCP between premenstruation and menstruation at 30-100%
      VO2max (P<0.05). Data suggest that the VO2 -plateau is effected by monophasic
      oral contraceptive pill, furthermore these data imply that VO2max test outcome is
      independent of menstrual cycle phase but caution should be applied when
      evaluating maximal oxygen uptake in females who are administered a monophasic
      oral contraceptive pill.

PMID- 28906052
TI  - Forest biomass, productivity and carbon cycling along a rainfall gradient in West
      Africa.
AB  - Net Primary Productivity (NPP) is one of the most important parameters in
      describing the functioning of any ecosystem and yet it arguably remains a poorly
      quantified and understood component of carbon cycling in tropical forests,
      especially outside of the Americas. We provide the first comprehensive analysis
      of NPP and its carbon allocation to woody, canopy and root growth components at
      contrasting lowland West African forests spanning a rainfall gradient. Using a
      standardized methodology to study evergreen (EF), semi-deciduous (SDF), dry
      forests (DF) and woody savanna (WS), we find that (i) climate is more closely
      related with above and belowground C stocks than with NPP (ii) total NPP is
      highest in the SDF site, then the EF followed by the DF and WS and that (iii)
      different forest types have distinct carbon allocation patterns whereby SDF
      allocate in excess of 50% to canopy production and the DF and WS sites allocate
      40%-50% to woody production. Furthermore, we find that (iv) compared with canopy
      and root growth rates the woody growth rate of these forests is a poor proxy for
      their overall productivity and that (v) residence time is the primary driver in
      the productivity-allocation-turnover chain for the observed spatial differences
      in woody, leaf and root biomass across the rainfall gradient. Through a
      systematic assessment of forest productivity we demonstrate the importance of
      directly measuring the main components of above and belowground NPP and encourage
      the establishment of more permanent carbon intensive monitoring plots across the
      tropics.

PMID- 28906054
TI  - Neuropathological comorbidity associated with argyrophilic grain disease.
AB  - Argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) is a common four-repeat tauopathy in elderly
      people. While dementia is a major clinical picture of AGD, recent studies support
      the possibility that AGD may be a pathological base in some patients with mild
      cognitive impairment, late-onset psychosis, bipolar disorder and depression. AGD
      often coexists with various other degenerative changes. The frequency of AGD in
      progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) cases was reported to range from 18.8% to
      80%. The frequency of AGD in corticobasal degeneration (CBD) cases tends to be
      higher than that in PSP cases, ranging from 41.2% to 100%. Conversely, in our
      previous study of the frequencies of mild PSP and CBD pathologies in AGD cases,
      five of 20 AGD cases (25%) had a few Gallyas-positive tufted astrocytes, six
      cases (30%) had a few granular/fuzzy astrocytes, and one case (5.0%) had a few
      Gallyas-positive astrocytic plaques in the putamen, caudate nucleus and/or
      superior frontal gyrus. Both Gallyas-positive tufted astrocytes and Gallyas
      negative tau-positive granular/fuzzy astrocytes preferentially developed in the
      putamen, caudate nucleus and superior frontal cortex in AGD cases, being
      consistent with the predilection sites of Gallyas-positive tufted astrocytes in
      PSP cases. Further, in AGD cases, the quantities of Gallyas-positive tufted
      astrocytes, overall tau-positive astrocytes, and tau-positive neurons in the
      subcortical nuclei and superior frontal cortex were significantly correlated with
      Saito AGD stage, respectively. The frequency of AGD in AD cases was reported to
      reach up to 25% when using four-repeat tau immunohistochemistry. Pretangles are
      essential pathologies in AGD; however, the Braak stage of three-repeat tau
      positive NFTs, which may indicate mild AD pathology or primary age-related
      tauopathy, was not correlated with Saito AGD stage. Clinicians should be aware of
      the possibility that coexisting AGD may impact clinical and radiological features
      in cases of other degenerative diseases.

PMID- 28906056
TI  - Perioperative management of haemophilia A using recombinant factor VIII Fc fusion
      protein in a patient undergoing endoscopic nasal pituitary adenomectomy for a
      growth hormone-producing pituitary adenoma.

PMID- 28906055
TI  - The role of genomic location and flanking 3'UTR in the generation of functional
      levels of variant surface glycoprotein in Trypanosoma brucei.
AB  - Trypanosoma brucei faces relentless immune attack in the mammalian bloodstream,
      where it is protected by an essential coat of Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG)
      comprising ~10% total protein. The active VSG gene is in a Pol I-transcribed
      telomeric expression site (ES). We investigated factors mediating these extremely
      high levels of VSG expression by inserting ectopic VSG117 into VSG221 expressing
      T. brucei. Mutational analysis of the ectopic VSG 3'UTR demonstrated the
      essentiality of a conserved 16-mer for mRNA stability. Expressing ectopic VSG117
      from different genomic locations showed that functional VSG levels could be
      produced from a gene 60 kb upstream of its normal telomeric location. High, but
      very heterogeneous levels of VSG117 were obtained from the Pol I-transcribed
      rDNA. Blocking VSG synthesis normally triggers a precise precytokinesis cell
      cycle checkpoint. VSG117 expression from the rDNA was not adequate for functional
      complementation, and the stalled cells arrested prior to cytokinesis. However,
      VSG levels were not consistently low enough to trigger a characteristic 'VSG
      synthesis block' cell-cycle checkpoint, as some cells reinitiated S phase. This
      demonstrates the essentiality of a Pol I-transcribed ES, as well as conserved VSG
      3'UTR 16-mer sequences for the generation of functional levels of VSG expression
      in bloodstream form T. brucei.

PMID- 28906057
TI  - A Chemical Disruptor of the ClpX Chaperone Complex Attenuates the Virulence of
      Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - The Staphylococcus aureus ClpXP protease is an important regulator of cell
      homeostasis and virulence. We utilized a high-throughput screen against the ClpXP
      complex and identified a specific inhibitor of the ClpX chaperone that disrupts
      its oligomeric state. Synthesis of 34 derivatives revealed that the molecular
      scaffold is restrictive for diversification, with only minor changes tolerated.
      Subsequent analysis of the most active compound revealed strong attenuation of S.
      aureus toxin production, which was quantified with a customized MS-based assay
      platform. Transcriptome and whole-proteome studies further confirmed the global
      reduction of virulence and revealed characteristic signatures of protein
      expression in the compound-treated cells. Although these partially matched the
      pattern of ClpX knockout cells, further depletion of toxins was observed, leading
      to the intriguing perspective that additional virulence pathways may be directly
      or indirectly addressed by the small molecule.

PMID- 28906058
TI  - Stabilization of Low-Valent Iron(I) in a High-Valent Vanadium(V) Oxide Cluster.
AB  - Low-valent iron centers are critical intermediates in chemical and bio-chemical
      processes. Herein, we show the first example of a low-valent FeI center
      stabilized in a high-valent polyoxometalate framework. Electrochemical studies
      show that the FeIII -functionalized molecular vanadium(V) oxide (DMA)[FeIII
      ClVV12 O32 Cl]3- (DMA=dimethylammonium) features two well-defined, reversible,
      iron-based electrochemical reductions which cleanly yield the FeI species
      (DMA)[FeI ClVV12 O32 Cl]5- . Experimental and theoretical studies including
      electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and density functional theory
      computations verify the formation of the FeI species. The study presents the
      first example for the seemingly paradoxical embedding of low-valent metal species
      in high-valent metal oxide anions and opens new avenues for reductive electron
      transfer catalysis by polyoxometalates.

PMID- 28906059
TI  - Benefits and Limitations of DNA Barcoding and Metabarcoding in Herbal Product
      Authentication.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Herbal medicines play an important role globally in the health care
      sector and in industrialised countries they are often considered as an
      alternative to mono-substance medicines. Current quality and authentication
      assessment methods rely mainly on morphology and analytical phytochemistry-based
      methods detailed in pharmacopoeias. Herbal products however are often highly
      processed with numerous ingredients, and even if these analytical methods are
      accurate for quality control of specific lead or marker compounds, they are of
      limited suitability for the authentication of biological ingredients. OBJECTIVE:
      To review the benefits and limitations of DNA barcoding and metabarcoding in
      complementing current herbal product authentication. METHOD: Recent literature
      relating to DNA based authentication of medicinal plants, herbal medicines and
      products are summarised to provide a basic understanding of how DNA barcoding and
      metabarcoding can be applied to this field. RESULTS: Different methods of quality
      control and authentication have varying resolution and usefulness along the value
      chain of these products. DNA barcoding can be used for authenticating products
      based on single herbal ingredients and DNA metabarcoding for assessment of
      species diversity in processed products, and both methods should be used in
      combination with appropriate hyphenated chemical methods for quality control.
      CONCLUSIONS: DNA barcoding and metabarcoding have potential in the context of
      quality control of both well and poorly regulated supply systems. Standardisation
      of protocols for DNA barcoding and DNA sequence-based identification are
      necessary before DNA-based biological methods can be implemented as routine
      analytical approaches and approved by the competent authorities for use in
      regulated procedures. (c) 2017 The Authors. Phytochemical Analysis Published by
      John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 28906061
TI  - Electrostatic interactions drive native-like aggregation of human
      alanine:glyoxylate aminostransferase.
AB  - Protein aggregate formation is the basis of several misfolding diseases,
      including those displaying loss-of-function pathogenesis. Although aggregation is
      often attributed to the population of intermediates exposing hydrophobic
      surfaces, the contribution of electrostatic forces has recently gained attention.
      Here, we combined computational and in vitro studies to investigate the
      aggregation process of human peroxisomal alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase
      (AGT), a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme involved in glyoxylate
      detoxification. We demonstrated that AGT is susceptible to electrostatic
      aggregation due to its peculiar surface charge anisotropy and that PLP binding
      counteracts the self-association process. The two polymorphic mutations P11L and
      I340M exert opposite effects. The P11L substitution enhances the aggregation
      tendency, probably by increasing surface charge anisotropy, while I340M plays a
      stabilizing role. In light of these results, we examined the effects of the most
      common missense mutations leading to primary hyperoxaluria type I (PH1), a rare
      genetic disorder associated with abnormal calcium oxalate precipitation in the
      urinary tract. All of them endow AGT with a strong electrostatic aggregation
      propensity. Moreover, we predicted that pathogenic mutations of surface residues
      could alter charge distribution, thus inducing aggregation under physiological
      conditions. A global model describing the AGT aggregation process is provided.
      Overall, the results indicate that the contribution of electrostatic interactions
      in determining the fate of proteins and the effect of amino acid substitutions
      should not be underestimated and provide the basis for the development of new
      therapeutic strategies for PH1 aimed at increasing AGT stability.

PMID- 28906060
TI  - Novel coordination of lipopolysaccharide modifications in Vibrio cholerae
      promotes CAMP resistance.
AB  - In the environment and during infection, the human intestinal pathogen Vibrio
      cholerae must overcome noxious compounds that damage the bacterial outer
      membrane. The El Tor and classical biotypes of O1 V. cholerae show striking
      differences in their resistance to membrane disrupting cationic antimicrobial
      peptides (CAMPs), such as polymyxins. The classical biotype is susceptible to
      CAMPs, but current pandemic El Tor biotype isolates gain CAMP resistance by
      altering the net charge of their cell surface through glycine modification of
      lipid A. Here we report a second lipid A modification mechanism that only
      functions in the V. cholerae El Tor biotype. We identify a functional EptA
      ortholog responsible for the transfer of the amino-residue phosphoethanolamine
      (pEtN) to the lipid A of V. cholerae El Tor that is not functional in the
      classical biotype. We previously reported that mildly acidic growth conditions
      (pH 5.8) downregulate expression of genes encoding the glycine modification
      machinery. In this report, growth at pH 5.8 increases expression of eptA with
      concomitant pEtN modification suggesting coordinated regulation of these LPS
      modification systems. Similarly, efficient pEtN lipid A substitution is seen in
      the absence of lipid A glycinylation. We further demonstrate EptA orthologs from
      non-cholerae Vibrio species are functional.

PMID- 28906062
TI  - Gemcitabine, Pyrrologemcitabine, and 2'-Fluoro-2'-Deoxycytidines: Synthesis,
      Physical Properties, and Impact of Sugar Fluorination on Silver Ion Mediated Base
      Pairing.
AB  - The stability of silver-mediated "dC-dC" base pairs relies not only on the
      structure of the nucleobase, but is also sensitive to structural modification of
      the sugar moiety. 2'-Fluorinated 2'-deoxycytidines with fluorine atoms in the
      arabino (up) and ribo (down) configuration as well as with geminal fluorine
      substitution (anticancer drug gemcitabine) and the novel fluorescent
      phenylpyrrolo-gemcitabine (ph PyrGem) have been synthesized. All the nucleosides
      display the recognition face of naturally occurring 2'-deoxycytidine. The
      nucleosides were converted into phosphoramidites and incorporated into 12-mer
      oligonucleotides by solid-phase synthesis. The addition of silver ions to DNA
      duplexes with a fluorine-modified "dC-dC" pair near the central position led to
      significant duplex stabilization. The increase in stability was higher for
      duplexes with fluorinated sugar residues than for those with an unchanged 2'
      deoxyribose moiety. Similar observations were made for "dC-dT" pairs and to a
      minor extent for "dC-dA" pairs. The increase in silver ion mediated base-pair
      stability was reversed by annulation of a pyrrole ring to the cytosine moiety, as
      shown for 2'-fluorinated ph PyrGem in comparison with phenylpyrrolo-dC (ph
      PyrdC). This phenomenon results from stereoelectronic effects induced by fluoro
      substitution, which are transmitted from the sugar moiety to the silver ion
      mediated base pairs. The extent of the effect depends on the number of fluorine
      substituents, their configuration, and the structure of the nucleobase.

PMID- 28906064
TI  - Reactive oxygen species generated in chloroplasts contribute to tobacco leaf
      infection by the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play fundamental roles in plant responses to
      pathogen infection, including modulation of cell death processes and defense
      related gene expression. Cell death triggered as part of the hypersensitive
      response enhances resistance to biotrophic pathogens, but favors the virulence of
      necrotrophs. Even though the involvement of ROS in the orchestration of defense
      responses is well established, the relative contribution of specific subcellular
      ROS sources to plant resistance against microorganisms with different
      pathogenesis strategies is not completely known. The aim of this work was to
      investigate the role of chloroplastic ROS in plant defense against a typical
      necrotrophic fungus, Botrytis cinerea. For this purpose, we used transgenic
      Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) lines expressing a plastid-targeted cyanobacterial
      flavodoxin (pfld lines), which accumulate lower chloroplastic ROS in response to
      different stresses. Tissue damage and fungal growth were significantly reduced in
      infected leaves of pfld plants, as compared with infected wild-type (WT)
      counterparts. ROS build-up triggered by Botrytis infection and associated with
      chloroplasts was significantly decreased (70-80%) in pfld leaves relative to the
      wild type. Phytoalexin accumulation and expression of pathogenesis-related genes
      were induced to a lower degree in pfld plants than in WT siblings. The impact of
      fungal infection on photosynthetic activity was also lower in pfld leaves. The
      results indicate that chloroplast-generated ROS play a major role in lesion
      development during Botrytis infection. This work demonstrates that the modulation
      of chloroplastic ROS levels by the expression of a heterologous antioxidant
      protein can provide a significant degree of protection against a canonical
      necrotrophic fungus.

PMID- 28906065
TI  - Colloidal Synthesis and Photophysics of M3 Sb2 I9 (M=Cs and Rb) Nanocrystals:
      Lead-Free Perovskites.
AB  - Herein we report the colloidal synthesis of Cs3 Sb2 I9 and Rb3 Sb2 I9 perovskite
      nanocrystals, and explore their potential for optoelectronic applications.
      Different morphologies, such as nanoplatelets and nanorods of Cs3 Sb2 I9 , and
      spherical Rb3 Sb2 I9 nanocrystals were prepared. All these samples show band-edge
      emissions in the yellow-red region. Exciton many-body interactions studied by
      femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy of Cs3 Sb2 I9 nanorods reveals
      characteristic second-derivative-type spectral features, suggesting red-shifted
      excitons by as much as 79 meV. A high absorption cross-section of ca. 10-15  cm2
      was estimated. The results suggest that colloidal Cs3 Sb2 I9 and Rb3 Sb2 I9
      nanocrystals are potential candidates for optical and optoelectronic applications
      in the visible region, though a better control of defect chemistry is required
      for efficient applications.

PMID- 28906063
TI  - Models of convergent extension during morphogenesis.
AB  - Convergent extension (CE) is a fundamental and conserved collective cell movement
      that forms elongated tissues during embryonic development. Thus far, studies have
      demonstrated two different mechanistic models of collective cell movements during
      CE. The first, termed the crawling mode, was discovered in the process of
      notochord formation in Xenopus laevis embryos, and has been the established model
      of CE for decades. The second model, known as the contraction mode, was
      originally reported in studies of germband extension in Drosophila melanogaster
      embryos and was recently demonstrated to be a conserved mechanism of CE among
      tissues and stages of development across species. This review summarizes the two
      modes of CE by focusing on the differences in cytoskeletal behaviors and relative
      expression of cell adhesion molecules. The upstream molecules regulating these
      machineries are also discussed. There are abundant studies of notochord formation
      in X. laevis embryos, as this was one of the pioneering model systems in this
      field. Therefore, the present review discusses these findings as an approach to
      the fundamental biological question of collective cell regulation. WIREs Dev Biol
      2018, 7:e293. doi: 10.1002/wdev.293 This article is categorized under: Early
      Embryonic Development > Gastrulation and Neurulation Comparative Development and
      Evolution > Model Systems.

PMID- 28906066
TI  - Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Activated in Situ by Embedded Nickel through the Mott
      Schottky Effect for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction.
AB  - The development of low-cost non-precious-metal electrocatalysts with high
      activity and stability in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a great
      challenge. Heteroatom-doped carbon materials are receiving increased attention in
      research as effective catalysts. However, the uncontrolled doping of heteroatoms
      into a carbon matrix tends to inhibit the activity of a catalyst. Here, the in
      situ activation of a uniquely structured nitrogen-doped carbon/Ni composite
      catalyst for the ORR is demonstrated. This well-designed catalyst is composed of
      a nitrogen-doped carbon shell and embedded metallic nickel. The embedded Ni
      nanoparticles, dispersed on stable alumina with a high specific surface area for
      protecting them from agglomeration and in an unambiguous composite structure, are
      electron-donating and are shielded by the nitrogen-doped carbon from
      oxidation/dissolution in harsh environments. The electronic structure of the
      nitrogen-doped carbon shell is modulated by the transfer of electrons at the
      interface of nitrogen-doped carbon-Ni heterojunctions owing to the Mott-Schottky
      effect. The electrochemically active surface area result implies that the active
      sites do not relate to Ni directly and the enhanced catalytic activity mainly
      arises from the modulation of nitrogen-doped carbon by nickel. XPS and
      theoretical calculations suggest that the donated electrons are transferred to
      pyridinic N primarily, which ought to enhance the catalytic activity
      intrinsically. Benefiting from these transferred electrons, the half-wave
      potential of the nitrogen-doped carbon/Ni composite catalyst is 94 mV positively
      shifted compared to the Ni-free sample.

PMID- 28906067
TI  - Ruminal phytate degradation of maize grain and rapeseed meal in vitro and as
      affected by phytate content in donor animal diets and inorganic phosphorus in the
      buffer.
AB  - The ruminal disappearance of phytate phosphorus (InsP6 -P) from maize grain and
      rapeseed meal (RSM) was determined in two in vitro studies. In experiment 1, two
      diets differing in phosphorus (P) and InsP6 -P concentration were fed to the
      donor animals of rumen fluid (diet HP: 0.49% P in dry matter, diet LP: 0.29% P).
      Maize grain and RSM were incubated in a rumen fluid/saliva mixture for 3, 6, 12
      and 24 h. In experiment 2, a diet similar to diet HP was fed, and the rumen fluid
      was mixed with artificial saliva containing 120 mg inorganic P/l (Pi) or no
      inorganic P (P0). Maize grain and RSM were incubated with either buffer for 3, 6,
      12 and 24 h. Total P (tP) and InsP6 concentration were analysed in the fermenter
      fluids and feed residues. The disappearance of InsP6 -P from maize was completed
      after 12 h of incubation in both experiments. From RSM, 93% (diet LP) and 99%
      (diet HP) of the InsP6 -P in experiment 1 and 80% (Pi) and 89% (P0) in experiment
      2 had disappeared after 24 h of incubation. InsP6 -P disappearance was higher
      when diet HP was fed (maize: 3 and 6 h; RSM: 6 and 24 h of incubation) and when
      rumen fluid was mixed with buffer P0 (maize: 6 h; RSM: 12 and 24 h of
      incubation). InsP6 -P concentration in the fermenter fluids was higher for maize,
      but no accumulation of InsP6 -P occurred, indicating a prompt degradation of
      soluble InsP6 . These results confirmed the capability of rumen micro-organisms
      to efficiently degrade InsP6 . However, differences between the feedstuffs and
      diet composition as well as the presence of inorganic P in the in vitro system
      influenced the degradation process. Further studies are required to understand
      how these factors affect InsP6 degradation and their respective relevance in
      vivo.

PMID- 28906068
TI  - Human mating strategies: from past causes to present consequences.
AB  - In both humans and nonhuman animals, mating strategies represent a set of
      evolutionary adaptations aimed at promoting individual fitness by means of
      reproduction with the best possible partners. Given this critical role, mating
      strategies influence numerous aspects of human life. In particular, between-sex
      divergence in the intensity of intrasexual competition could account for robust
      cross-cultural sex differences in psychology and behavior (e.g., personality,
      psychiatric disorders, social behavior, violence). Several other factors
      (including individual differences, relationship type and environment) affect-in
      an evolutionarily consistent manner-variation in mating strategy that individuals
      pursue (as one example, awareness of one's own attractiveness impinges on mating
      standards). Here we provide an overview of relevant theoretical frameworks and
      empirical evidence on variation in mating strategies. Given its multifaceted
      nature and intense research interest over several decades, this is a challenging
      task, and we highlight areas where further investigation is warranted in order to
      achieve a clearer picture and resolve apparent inconsistencies. However, we
      suggest that addressing outstanding questions using a variety of different
      methodological approaches, a deeper understanding of the cognitive
      representations involved in mating strategies is within reach. WIREs Cogn Sci
      2018, 9:e1456. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1456 This article is categorized under: Cognitive
      Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Neuroscience > Behavior Neuroscience >
      Cognition.

PMID- 28906069
TI  - Distribution of Amyloid-Like and Oligomeric Species from Protein Aggregation
      Kinetics.
AB  - Amyloid fibrils and soluble oligomers are two types of protein aggregates
      associated with neurodegeneration. Classic therapeutic strategies try to prevent
      the nucleation and spread of amyloid fibrils, whilst diffusible oligomers have
      emerged as promising drug targets affecting downstream pathogenic processes. We
      developed a generic protein aggregation model and validate it against measured
      compositions of fibrillar and non-fibrillar assemblies of ataxin-3, a protein
      implicated in Machado-Joseph disease. The derived analytic rate-law equations can
      be used to 1) identify the presence of parallel aggregation pathways and 2)
      estimate the critical sizes of amyloid fibrils. The discretized population
      balance supporting our model is the first to quantitatively fit time-resolved
      measurements of size and composition of both amyloid-like and oligomeric species.
      The new theoretical framework can be used to screen a new class of drugs
      specifically targeting toxic oligomers.

PMID- 28906070
TI  - Ring Expansion, Photoisomerization, and Retrocyclization of 1,4,2-Diazaboroles.
AB  - Diverse skeletal transformations of 1,4,2-diazaboroles through ring expansion,
      photoisomerization, and retrocyclization led to the isolation of various B,N
      dihydroindole (compounds 3 and 6), 1,3-azaborolidin-2-imine (compound 7), and
      1,4,2-diazaborol-3-imine derivatives (compound 11).

PMID- 28906071
TI  - Construction of Quaternary Stereogenic Centers in the Total Synthesis of Natural
      Products.
AB  - Total syntheses of the tetracyclic terpene waihoensene and the densely
      functionalized tetracyclic compound ryanodol have recently been reported. Both
      approaches constitute examples of the efficient and innovative construction of
      multiple quaternary centers.

PMID- 28906072
TI  - "It just made me feel so desolate": Patients' narratives of weight gain following
      laparoscopic insertion of a gastric band.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe the experiences of patients who have failed to
      maintain weight loss following the insertion of a laparoscopic adjustable gastric
      band (LAGB) for the treatment of morbid obesity. BACKGROUND: Obesity is a global
      health problem resulting in physical, psychological and economic problems and
      presenting challenges for health services. Surgical intervention is an
      increasingly common approach to treatment; however, some patients do not sustain
      their weight loss following bariatric surgery and little is known about people's
      longer-term experiences following LAGB insertion. DESIGN: A narrative-based
      qualitative interview study. METHODS: A purposive sample of ten participants who
      had undergone LAGB insertion for morbid obesity was recruited. Semistructured
      interviews were conducted in 2014. Thematic analysis identified codes and
      emerging themes common to the participants' experiences. FINDINGS: Three major
      themes emerged: living with the side effects, regret and lack of support. These
      reflect the difficulties participants experienced and provide new insights on why
      weight loss is not sustained after 2 years following surgery. CONCLUSION:
      Participants reported that the surgery had a detrimental effect on their lives
      and some regretted having the band inserted. These findings identify areas of
      care that need to be addressed if patients undergoing LAGB are to experience its
      potential benefits and indicate that further research is needed into the long
      term effects of gastric band insertion. Patients need to be better informed about
      the consequences of bariatric surgery if it is to have a lasting impact on their
      weight reduction. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Patients require comprehensive
      information and support before and after LAGB insertion to develop strategies
      which will help them lose weight and sustain it over the longer term. Clinicians
      need to be sensitive to patients' needs when weight loss plateaus or weight is
      regained and intensify support during these periods.

PMID- 28906073
TI  - Salvage radiotherapy for regional lymph node oligo-recurrence after radical
      surgery of non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Currently, evidence-based guidelines for salvage therapy to treat
      mediastinal lymph node (LN) oligo-recurrence in post-resection non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) are limited. In patients previously treated by surgery
      without irradiation, radiotherapy (RT) might be safely utilized. We evaluate the
      clinical outcomes of salvage RT for patients with LN oligo-recurrence that
      developed after radical surgery for NSCLC. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with
      stage I-IIIA NSCLC who developed regional LN oligo-recurrence between 2008 and
      2013 were reviewed. The median time from surgery to recurrence was 12 months.
      Fifteen patients (48.4%) had single LN recurrence. All patients were irradiated
      by 3-dimensional conformal RT at the recurrent LN area with daily fractions of 2
      3 Gy, with a median dose of 66 Gy (range 51-66). Sixteen patients also received
      chemotherapy. RESULTS: After salvage RT, 16 patients achieved a complete
      response, nine a partial response, and six had stable disease. The median follow
      up was 14 months (range 3-76). One and two-year in-field control rates were 88.4%
      and 75.8%, respectively. One and two-year progression-free survival rates were
      73.1% and 50.9%, respectively. Progression sites were predominantly distant. Ten
      of the 31 patients (32.3%) met the revised Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid
      Tumors for a complete response by the final follow-up. Recurrent LN size (<3 vs.
      >=3 cm) was a significant prognostic factor for progression-free survival (P =
      0.013). CONCLUSION: Salvage RT for patients with regional LN oligo-recurrence
      after radical surgery was an effective treatment option with an acceptable level
      of toxicity.

PMID- 28906074
TI  - Fully Automated Quantum-Chemistry-Based Computation of Spin-Spin-Coupled Nuclear
      Magnetic Resonance Spectra.
AB  - We present a composite procedure for the quantum-chemical computation of spin
      spin-coupled 1 H NMR spectra for general, flexible molecules in solution that is
      based on four main steps, namely conformer/rotamer ensemble (CRE) generation by
      the fast tight-binding method GFN-xTB and a newly developed search algorithm,
      computation of the relative free energies and NMR parameters, and solving the
      spin Hamiltonian. In this way the NMR-specific nuclear permutation problem is
      solved, and the correct spin symmetries are obtained. Energies, shielding
      constants, and spin-spin couplings are computed at state-of-the-art DFT levels
      with continuum solvation. A few (in)organic and transition-metal complexes are
      presented, and very good, unprecedented agreement between the theoretical and
      experimental spectra was achieved. The approach is routinely applicable to
      systems with up to 100-150 atoms and may open new avenues for the detailed
      (conformational) structure elucidation of, for example, natural products or drug
      molecules.

PMID- 28906076
TI  - Stimulus-sensitive myoclonus with trigeminal neuralgia.

PMID- 28906077
TI  - Thalamotomy for paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesias in a multiplex family.

PMID- 28906078
TI  - Response to Dr Voring et al.

PMID- 28906079
TI  - Comment on 'Efficacy and feasibility of antidepressants for the prevention of
      migraine in adults: a meta-analysis'.

PMID- 28906080
TI  - Persistence and adherence with mirabegron vs antimuscarinics in overactive
      bladder: Retrospective analysis of a UK General Practice prescription database.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Persistence with antimuscarinic (AM) drugs
      prescribed for overactive bladder (OAB) is poor. This study aimed to compare
      persistence and adherence with the beta-3-adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron (MIR)
      vs AMs over 12 months. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort analysis
      included patients aged >=18 years who were prescribed MIR, or any AM. A 12-month
      look-back was used to assess inclusion eligibility. The primary end-point was
      persistence, defined as time to first discontinuation of index drug, during 1
      year follow-up. The secondary end-point was adherence, estimated by medication
      possession ratio (MPR). RESULTS: Inclusion criteria were met by 6189 patients.
      Those prescribed AMs were mostly treatment-naive (range 72.9%-95.3%) vs 54.4% of
      MIR patients. There was greater persistence with MIR vs AM. The median number of
      days on therapy with MIR was 101, vs 27-56 for AMs. Patients receiving AMs were
      significantly more likely to discontinue than those receiving MIR (hazard ratio
      [HR] range 1.24-2.05, P < .01 for each AM vs MIR. In treatment-naive patients,
      HRs ranged from 1.25 (solifenacin, P = .012) to 2.07 (oxybutynin IR, P < .001).
      In treatment-experienced patients, they ranged from 1.10 (fesoterodine, P = NS)
      to 2.12 (oxybutynin IR, P < .001). Adherence was greater with MIR (mean MPR
      48.4%) than with AMs (range 27.6%-40.4%, P < .001). Treatment-experienced
      patients were significantly less likely to discontinue treatment (HR 0.87, P =
      .006). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: MIR was associated with a significantly longer
      time to discontinuation, greater persistence and better adherence than AMs.
      However, there was a steep decline in persistence with all drugs after 1 month.
      This is unlikely to be wholly explained by anticholinergic adverse events, as it
      was also seen with MIR. The lower proportion of MIR patients who were treatment
      naive reflects current prescribing guidelines whereby MIR is prescribed after an
      initial generic AM trial. The study was limited by the small number of MIR
      patients. Study identifier: ISN 178-MA-3059.

PMID- 28906082
TI  - Public money spent in pursuit of public money: Does it add up?

PMID- 28906083
TI  - Are in-house diagnostic MR physicists necessary for clinical implementation of
      MRI guided radiotherapy?

PMID- 28906084
TI  - Updates on the Epidemiology of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - This meta-analysis reports on current estimates of the prevalence of age-related
      macular degeneration (AMD) based on a review of recent meta-analyses and
      literature research. Within an age of 45-85 years, global prevalences of any AMD,
      early AMD, and late AMD were 8.7% [95% credible interval (CrI), 4.3-17.4], 8.0%
      (95% CrI, 4.0-15.5), and 0.4% (95% CrI, 0.2-0.8). Early AMD was more common in
      individuals of European ancestry (11.2%) than in Asians (6.8%), whereas
      prevalence of late AMD did not differ significantly. AMD of any type was less
      common in individuals of African ancestry. The number of individuals with AMD was
      estimated to be 196 million (95% CrI, 140-261) in 2020 and 288 million (95% CrI,
      205-399) in 2040. The worldwide number of persons blind (presenting visual acuity
      < 3/60) or with moderate to severe vision impairment (MSVI; presenting visual
      acuity < 6/18 to 3/60 inclusive) due to macular disease in 2010 was 2.1 million
      [95% uncertainty interval (UI), 1.9-2.7] individuals out of 32.4 million
      individuals blind and 6.0 million (95% UI, 5.2-8.1) persons out of 191 million
      people with MSVI. Age-standardized prevalence of macular diseases as cause of
      blindness in adults aged 50+ years worldwide decreased from 0.2% (95% UI, 0.2
      0.2) in 1990 to 0.1% (95% UI, 0.1-0.2) in 2010; as cause for MSVI, it remained
      mostly unchanged (1990: 0.4%; 95% UI, 0.3-0.5; 2010: 0.4%; 95% UI, 0.4-0.6), with
      no significant sex difference. In 2015, AMD was the fourth most common cause of
      blindness globally (in approximately 5.8% of blind individuals) and third most
      common cause for MSVI (3.9%). These data show the globally increasing importance
      of AMD.

PMID- 28906085
TI  - Quality of life of psoriasis patients measured by the PSOdisk: a new visual
      method for assessing the impact of the disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease with a chronic course; often it
      is associated with various serious comorbidity and a compromised quality of life.
      Psoriasis patients experience a low self-esteem, feelings of shame and
      frustration, they report a seriously compromised social and sentimental sphere,
      difficulties at work and in daily activities, coming in most serious cases to
      suicidal ideation. METHODS: Our job is to experiment the introduction of the
      innovative PSOdisk tool to quantify the impact of psoriasis on quality of life,
      comparing it with PASI Index. We presented the empirical analysis, gathered
      through a sample of 24 patients, followed for 6 months of therapy with biologics.
      Patients were encountered three times, at a distance of three months each, during
      which we calculated a PASI score and we administered the PSOdisk. RESULTS:
      Through various statistical analyses we have identified a relationship between
      PSOdisk value and other parameters such as patient age and particular locations
      of psoriasis. Specifically we systematically observed that patients aged less
      than 50 years reported a more compromised quality of life (QoL) when compared to
      older patients with the same clinical severity. At the same time patients with
      hands or genitals involvement show higher values associated with the PSOdisk
      compared with patients without such anatomical deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: PSOdisk
      instrument proved to be effective and optimal for widespread distribution in the
      outpatient activity. It also encourages dialogue between doctor and patient; it
      increases compliance of the latter with regard to the therapy and a desirable
      improvement in outcomes. A systematic assessment of the impact of psoriasis on
      patients' QoL is fundamental and must complement the objective assessment in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 28906086
TI  - New formulation for topical treatment of onychomycoses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In order to treat onychomycosis, topical and systemic medications are
      available. The choice of a systemic or topic treatment depends on numerous
      factors, such as patient's age, the presence of comorbidity, responsible fungal
      species, the clinical form of onychomycosis, its location (fingernails or
      toenails), the number of nails affected and the percentage of the nail plate
      infected. As for topical medications, given that nail plate has an insufficiently
      permeable structure, it is necessary to use appropriate formulae that create in
      the surface of the nail plate a film able, in turn, to function both as an active
      ingredient's deposit and moisturising agent in nail's superficial layers in order
      to facilitate the spread of the active ingredient. In this manuscript, we wanted
      to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability rate of a new topical formulation
      (Miconal Nails(r), Morgan srl, Vicenza, Italy) composed of hydrogenated castor
      oil, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and other ingredients (urea, climbazole, piroctone
      olamine, undecylenic acid). METHODS: We selected 25 patients of both sexes whose
      median age was between 20 and 70 years, and were affected by onychomycosis in a
      single toe. Their onychomycosis was a distolateral subungual type (with a <50%
      invasion of nail plate and sparing of lunula) and white superficial. The
      treatment was evaluated with the following possible outcomes: complete healing,
      improvement, stationarity, worsening. RESULTS: Patients were 11 female subjects
      and 14 male subjects, whose median age was 45. A complete healing was achieved in
      15 patients. In 3 cases the clinical presentation appeared unchanged with a
      persistence of mycological evidence. The response to the treatment was assessed
      as improvement in 7 patients. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, this new product is
      an effective weapon that enhances the therapeutic selection of topical formulae
      for treating onychomycosis. If used alone in the cases that meet inclusion
      criteria for topical treatment, it allowed us to achieve a complete healing just
      with a 5-month treatment in 60% of cases, data that reached 76% on the follow-up
      visit.

PMID- 28906087
TI  - Phototherapy for vitiligo, what's new?
AB  - Vitiligo is a disorder characterized by the development of depigmented macules
      and patches. Existing treatments include topical and systemic immunosuppressants,
      topical vitamin D analogues in monotherapy or in association with phototherapy,
      phototherapy and surgical techniques, which together may serve to halt disease
      progression, stabilize depigmented lesions, and encourage repigmentation. Narrow
      band UVB (NB-UVB 310-315 nm) radiation is now considered as the "gold standard"
      for the treatment of diffuse vitiligo. This article provides a brief overview of
      the different phototherapy based treatments in vitiligo.

PMID- 28906088
TI  - Bullous cutaneous larva migrans: case series and review of atypical clinical
      presentations.
AB  - Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans (HRCLM) is caused by the penetration and
      migration in the epidermis of larvae of Ancylostoma braziliense and Ancylostoma
      caninum. It is characterized by slightly raised and erythematous tracks, located
      especially on the feet. These tracks may be single or multiple, serpiginous or
      linear, ramified and intertwined, accompanied by pruritus. Atypical clinical
      presentations of HRCLM are currently more frequent than in the past. We present
      six patients with bullous HRCLM and discuss the possible pathogenetic factors.
      Furthermore, we present a review of atypical clinical presentations of HRCLM.
      From 1998 to 2013 we observed approximately 180 patients with HRCLM. In all
      patients race, nationality, sex, age, country of infestation, location of the
      disease, clinical picture, laboratory and instrumental examinations and therapy
      were collected. In six patients (4 males and 2 females), we made a diagnosis,
      based on the history and clinical picture, of bullous HRCLM. The infestation was
      characterized by single or multiple blisters, round or oval in shape, of
      different size, with a clear serous fluid. Some tracks were also visible. All
      patients complained of pruritus. General physical examination and laboratory and
      instrumental examinations were normal or negative. Cytological examinations of
      the blisters showed the presence of lymphocytes and neutrophils, with numerous
      eosinophils. All patients were successfully treated with oral albendazole.
      Blisters appear because of the release by the larvae of lytic enzymes
      (metalloproteases and hyaluronidases). Furthermore, blisters might be the final
      clinical result of a delayed hypersensitivity reaction due to the release by
      larvae of unknown antigens. Finally, only in some patients, bullous HRCLM might
      represent an acute irritant/allergic contact dermatitis caused by topical drugs
      applied on the lesions. This hypothesis has been excluded in our patients because
      no topical treatment was made before our observation.

PMID- 28906089
TI  - Alopecia as unique clue to syphilis in a patient.
AB  - Alopecia is an uncommon manifestation of syphilis, simulating other common forms
      of hair-loss, but representing a crucial complaint for the patient, who might by
      converse have not noticed other signs and symptoms of the disease. Esthetic
      issues undervaluation might prolong illness, and postpone appropriate treatment.
      A 42-year-old patient, HIV negative, presented with a 2-month history of
      progressive generalized thinning of the hairs and small non-scarring irregular
      alopecia patches of the parietal-occipital areas of the scalp. The patient was
      under sertraline hydrochloride therapy for a recent diagnosis of bipolar
      disorder, and expressed the concern that the drug was causing the hair-loss.
      Accurate anamnesis and visiting of the patients revealed asymptomatic pale pink
      speckles of the trunk and limbs, and a bilateral psoriasis-like palmo-plantar
      hyperkeratosis, suggestive of secondary syphilis, further confirmed by serology.
      Specific antibiotic treatment healed all skin and scalp manifestations, but also
      the moodiness disorders, which allowed complete psychiatric drug dismissing.
      Skilled expertise and careful patient's examination are the clue to recognize
      minimal signs of serious systemic disease, such as syphilis, considered
      disappeared for decades. The risk of minimizing esthetic complaints, such as hair
      loss can deceive a not trained eye, or escape in busy daily practice. Physicians
      should maintain a high level of clinical suspicion to contain the disease burden,
      especially among heterosexual apparently not at risk patients.

PMID- 28906090
TI  - Multiple keratoacanthoma centrifugum marginatum associated with juvenile
      idiopathic arthritis and persistent corneal epithelial defect: an unusual case.
AB  - We report here a case of a child with multiple keratoacanthoma centrifugum
      marginatum in association with corneal epithelial defect and juvenile arthritis.
      Keratoacanthoma is a skin tumor and the patient presented with an uncommon type
      of it.

PMID- 28906091
TI  - Acquired disseminated superficial porokeratosis in a patient affected by chronic
      lymphocitic leukemia.

PMID- 28906092
TI  - Prevalence of actinic keratosis in a French cohort of elderly people: the PROOF
      study.

PMID- 28906093
TI  - Cutaneous extramedullary hematopoiesis.

PMID- 28906094
TI  - Retinitis pigmentosa: an unusual ocular manifestation in a patient with
      neurofibromatosis type 1.

PMID- 28906095
TI  - Can taurine energy drink worsen psoriasis?

PMID- 28906096
TI  - Becker's nevus in neurofibromatosis type 1: a single center experience in Italy.

PMID- 28906097
TI  - Hypertrophic perianal Herpes simplex in renal transplant recipient.

PMID- 28906098
TI  - Anemic nevus is a new diagnostic criterion for neurofibromatosis type 1.

PMID- 28906099
TI  - One-Dimensional Hydroxyapatite Nanostructures with Tunable Length for Efficient
      Stem Cell Differentiation Regulation.
AB  - It is well-accepted that most osteogenic differentiation processes do need growth
      factors assistance to improve efficiency. As a material cue, hydroxyapatite (HAp)
      can promote osteogenic differentiation of stem cells only in a way. Up to now,
      rare work related to the relationship between HAp nanostructures and stem cells
      in osteogenic differentiation process without the assistance of growth factors
      has been reported. In this study, one-dimensional (1D) HAp nanostructures with
      tunable length were synthesized by an oleic acid assisted solvothermal method by
      adjusting the alcohol/water ratio (eta). The morphology of 1D HAp nanostructures
      can be changed from long nanowires into nanorods with the eta value change.
      Different substrates constructed by 1D HAp nanostructures were prepared to
      investigate the effect of morphology of nanostructured HAp on stem cell fate
      without any growth factors or differentiation induce media. Human adipose-derived
      stem cells (hADSCs), a kind of promising stem cell for autologous stem cell
      tissue engineering, were used as the stem cell model. The experiments prove that
      HAp morphology can determine the performance of hADSCs cultured on different
      substrates. Substrate constructed by HAp nanorods (100 nm) is of little benefit
      to osteogenic differentiations. Substrate constructed on HAp long nanowires (50
      MUm) causes growth and spread inhibition of hADSCs, which even causes most cells
      death after 7 days of culture. However, substrate constructed by HAp short
      nanowires (5 MUm) can destine the hADSCs differentiation to osteoblasts
      efficiently in normal medium (after 3 weeks) without any growth factors. It is
      surprise that hADSCs have changed to polyhedral morphology and exhibited the
      tendency to osteogenic differentiation after only 24 h culture. Hydroxyapatite
      nanostructures mediated stem cell osteogenic differentiation excluding growth
      factors provides a powerful cue to design biomaterials with special
      nanostructures, and helps to elucidate the interaction of stem cell and
      biomaterials nanostructures. The results from this study are promising for
      application in bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 28906100
TI  - Exploration of the Electrical Conductivity of Double-Network Silver
      Nanowires/Polyimide Porous Low-Density Compressible Sponges.
AB  - Stress-responsive, highly flexible, and breathable nanocomposite sponges show an
      electrical conductivity from 1.7 to 166.6 S/cm depending on the applied stress.
      Key for the responsive electrical conductivity of the sponges is the change of
      percolation of the silver nanowires. These sponges made of short electrospun
      fibers and silver nanowires could be applied without any amplifier for the
      operation of automobile bulbs and as an efficient Joule heater. The time required
      for electric heating (current on) and cooling is very short. Interestingly, the
      maximum temperature reached by electric heating depends on the compression
      status. The higher the compression status, the lower is the maximum temperature,
      which is in accordance with the understanding of Joule heaters. It is noteworthy
      that these sponges are thermally, chemically, and mechanically very stable. These
      conductive sponges will open a new area for novel conductive devices with
      relevance for real-world applications.

PMID- 28906101
TI  - Sulfur in Hyper-cross-linked Porous Polymer as Cathode in Lithium-Sulfur
      Batteries with Enhanced Electrochemical Properties.
AB  - Sulfur was impregnated into hyper-cross-linked porous polymer (HCP) with a high
      specific area and unique porous structure. Compared to its inorganic or carbon
      counterparts, the HCP has a relatively high specific surface area of 1980 m2 g-1
      with a total pore volume of 2.61 cm3 g-1, resulting in sulfur content in HCP/S of
      as high as 80 wt %. As a benefit of the unique HCP structure, the HCP/S composite
      exhibits a high initial discharge specific capacity (1333 mA h g-1 at 0.2 C),
      high-rate property, and good cycling stability (658 mA h g-1 after 120 cycles at
      0.5 C and 604 mA h g-1 after 80 cycles at 1 C). Furthermore, the capacity of
      cells loses less than 1% after the first 20 charge/discharge cycles, while the
      HCP/S cathode can be cycled with an excellent Coulombic efficiency of above 94%
      after 120 cycles. Compared with pristine sulfur, the superior electrochemical
      performance of HCP/S composite is related to the cross-linked porous framework.
      Such structure could provide short ionic/electronic conduction pathways and
      suppress the polysulfide shuttle during the discharge process.

PMID- 28906102
TI  - Porous Coconut Shell Carbon Offering High Retention and Deep Lithiation of Sulfur
      for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.
AB  - Retaining soluble polysulfides in the sulfur cathodes and allowing for deep redox
      are essential to develop high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. The versatile
      textures and physicochemical characteristics of abundant biomass offer a great
      opportunity to prepare biochar materials that can enhance the performance of Li-S
      batteries in sustainable mode. Here, we exploit micro-/mesoporous coconut shell
      carbon (CSC) with high specific surface areas as a sulfur host for Li-S
      batteries. The sulfur-infiltrated CSC materials show superior discharge-charge
      capacity, cycling stability, and high rate capability. High discharge capacities
      of 1599 and 1500 mA h g-1 were achieved at current rates of 0.5 and 2.0 C,
      respectively. A high reversible capacity of 517 mA h g-1 was retained at 2.0 C
      even after 400 cycles. The results demonstrate a high retention and a deep
      lithiation of the CSC-confined sulfur. The success of this strategy provides
      insights into seeking high-performance biochar materials for Li-S batteries from
      abundant bioresources.

PMID- 28906103
TI  - Resolving the Atomistic Modes of Anle138b Inhibitory Action on Peptide Oligomer
      Formation.
AB  - The diphenyl-pyrazole compound anle138b is a known inhibitor of oligomeric
      aggregate formation in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, anle138b is considered a
      promising drug candidate to beneficially interfere with neurodegenerative
      processes causing devastating pathologies in humans. The atomistic details of the
      aggregation inhibition mechanism, however, are to date unknown since the ensemble
      of small nonfibrillar aggregates is structurally heterogeneous and inaccessible
      to direct structural characterization. Here, we set out to elucidate anle138b's
      mode of action using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations on the multi
      microsecond time scale. By comparing simulations of dimeric to tetrameric
      aggregates from fragments of four amyloidogenic proteins (Abeta, hTau40, hIAPP,
      and Sup35N) in the presence and absence of anle138b, we show that the compound
      reduces the overall number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds, disfavors the
      sampling of the aggregated state, and remodels the conformational distributions
      within the small oligomeric peptide aggregates. Most notably, anle138b
      preferentially interacts with the disordered structure ensemble via its pyrazole
      moiety, thereby effectively blocking interpeptide main chain interactions and
      impeding the spontaneous formation of ordered beta-sheet structures, in
      particular those with out-of-register antiparallel beta-strands. The structurally
      very similar compound anle234b was previously identified as inactive by in vitro
      experiments. Here, we show that anle234b has no significant effect on the
      aggregation process in terms of reducing the beta-structure content. Moreover, we
      demonstrate that the hydrogen bonding capabilities are autoinhibited due to
      steric effects imposed by the molecular geometry of anle234b and thereby
      indirectly confirm the proposed inhibitory mechanism of anle138b. We anticipate
      that the prominent binding of anle138b to partially disordered and dynamical
      aggregate structures is a generic basis for anle138b's ability to suppress toxic
      oligomer formation in a wide range of amyloidogenic peptides and proteins.

PMID- 28906104
TI  - Synthesis and Electrochemical Performance of SnOx Quantum Dots@ UiO-66 Hybrid for
      Lithium Ion Battery Applications.
AB  - A novel method that combines the dehydration of inorganic clusters in metal
      organic frameworks (MOFs) with nonaqueous sol-gel chemistry and pyrolysis
      processes is developed to synthesize SnOx quantum dots@Zr-MOFs (UIO-66)
      composites. The size of as-prepared SnOx nanoparticles is approximately 4 nm.
      Moreover, SnOx nanoparticles are uniformly anchored on the surface of the Zr
      MOFs, which serves as a matrix to alleviate the agglomeration of SnOx grains.
      This structure provides an accessible surrounding space to accommodate the volume
      change of SnOx during the charge/discharge process. Cyclic voltammetry and
      galvanostatic charge/discharge were employed to examine the electrochemical
      properties of the ultrafine SnOx@Zr-MOF (UIO-66) material. Benefiting from the
      advantages of the smaller size of SnOx nanoparticles and the synergistic effect
      between SnOx nanoparticles and the Zr-MOFs, the SnOx@Zr-MOF composite exhibits
      enhanced electrochemical performance when compared to that of its SnOx bulk
      counterpart. Specifically, the discharge-specific capacity of the SnOx@Zr-MOF
      electrode can still remain at 994 mA h g-1 at 50 mA g-1 after 100 cycles. The
      columbic efficiencies can reach 99%.

PMID- 28906105
TI  - Enantioselective Phytotoxicity of Dichlorprop to Arabidopsis thaliana: The Effect
      of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and the Role of Fe.
AB  - The ecotoxicology effects of chiral herbicides have long been recognized and have
      drawn increasing attention. The toxic mechanisms of herbicides in plants are
      involved in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause damage to
      target enzymes, but the relationship between these two factors in the
      enantioselectivity of chiral herbicides has rarely been investigated.
      Furthermore, even though cytochromes P450 enzymes (CYP450s) have been related to
      the phytotoxicity of herbicides, their roles in the enantioselectivity of chiral
      herbicides have yet to be explored. To solve this puzzle, the CYP450s suicide
      inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT) was added to an exposure system made from
      dichlorprop (DCPP) enantiomers in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The
      results indicated that different phytotoxicities of DCPP enantiomers by causing
      oxidative stress and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) damage were observed in the
      presence and the absence of ABT. The addition of ABT decreased the toxicity of
      (R)-DCPP but was not significantly affected that of (S)-DCPP, resulting in
      smaller differences between enantiomers. Furthermore, profound differences were
      also observed in Fe uptake and distribution, exhibiting different distribution
      patterns in A. thaliana leaves exposed to DCPP and ABT, which helped bridge the
      relationship between ROS production and target enzyme ACCase damage through the
      function of CYP450s. These results offer an opportunity for a more-comprehensive
      understanding of chiral herbicide action mechanism and provide basic evidence for
      risk assessments of chiral herbicides in the environment.

PMID- 28906106
TI  - Cobalt-Catalyzed and Lewis Acid-Assisted Nitrile Hydrogenation to Primary Amines:
      A Combined Effort.
AB  - The selective hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines using a bench-stable
      cobalt precatalyst under 4 atm of H2 is reported herein. The catalyst precursor
      was reduced in situ using NaHBEt3, and the resulting Lewis acid formed, BEt3, was
      found to be integral to the observed catalysis. Mechanistic insights gleaned from
      para-hydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) transfer NMR studies revealed that the
      pairwise hydrogenation of nitriles proceeded through a Co(I/III) redox process.

PMID- 28906107
TI  - Concepts and Methods of Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy Applied to Biomembranes.
AB  - Concepts of solid-state NMR spectroscopy and applications to fluid membranes are
      reviewed in this paper. Membrane lipids with 2H-labeled acyl chains or polar head
      groups are studied using 2H NMR to yield knowledge of their atomistic structures
      in relation to equilibrium properties. This review demonstrates the principles
      and applications of solid-state NMR by unifying dipolar and quadrupolar
      interactions and highlights the unique features offered by solid-state 2H NMR
      with experimental illustrations. For randomly oriented multilamellar lipids or
      aligned membranes, solid-state 2H NMR enables direct measurement of residual
      quadrupolar couplings (RQCs) due to individual C-2H-labeled segments. The
      distribution of RQC values gives nearly complete profiles of the segmental order
      parameters SCD(i) as a function of acyl segment position (i). Alternatively, one
      can measure residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) for natural abundance lipid samples
      to obtain segmental SCH order parameters. A theoretical mean-torque model
      provides acyl-packing profiles representing the cumulative chain extension along
      the normal to the aqueous interface. Equilibrium structural properties of fluid
      bilayers and various thermodynamic quantities can then be calculated, which
      describe the interactions with cholesterol, detergents, peptides, and integral
      membrane proteins and formation of lipid rafts. One can also obtain direct
      information for membrane-bound peptides or proteins by measuring RDCs using magic
      angle spinning (MAS) in combination with dipolar recoupling methods. Solid-state
      NMR methods have been extensively applied to characterize model membranes and
      membrane-bound peptides and proteins, giving unique information on their
      conformations, orientations, and interactions in the natural liquid-crystalline
      state.

PMID- 28906109
TI  - Aqueous Reaction of Alcohols, Organohalides, and Odorless Sodium Thiosulfate
      under Transition-Metal-Free Conditions: Synthesis of Unsymmetrical Aryl Sulfides
      via Dual C-S Bond Formation.
AB  - A transition-metal-free process for the synthesis of unsymmetrical aryl sulfides
      via dual C-S bond formation by a one-pot three-component reaction of alcohols,
      organohalides, and odorless sodium thiosulfate in water has been developed. In
      addition, the aryl sulfides could also be prepared by the reaction of the
      corresponding alcohols and Bunte salts under the identical conditions. This
      protocol provides a green and efficient manner for the construction of various
      unsymmetrical aryl sulfides.

PMID- 28906108
TI  - A Diaminopropane-Appended Metal-Organic Framework Enabling Efficient CO2 Capture
      from Coal Flue Gas via a Mixed Adsorption Mechanism.
AB  - A new diamine-functionalized metal-organic framework comprised of 2,2-dimethyl
      1,3-diaminopropane (dmpn) appended to the Mg2+ sites lining the channels of
      Mg2(dobpdc) (dobpdc4- = 4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) is characterized
      for the removal of CO2 from the flue gas emissions of coal-fired power plants.
      Unique to members of this promising class of adsorbents, dmpn-Mg2(dobpdc)
      displays facile step-shaped adsorption of CO2 from coal flue gas at 40  degrees C
      and near complete CO2 desorption upon heating to 100  degrees C, enabling a high
      CO2 working capacity (2.42 mmol/g, 9.1 wt %) with a modest 60  degrees C
      temperature swing. Evaluation of the thermodynamic parameters of adsorption for
      dmpn-Mg2(dobpdc) suggests that the narrow temperature swing of its CO2 adsorption
      steps is due to the high magnitude of its differential enthalpy of adsorption
      (Deltahads = -73 +/- 1 kJ/mol), with a larger than expected entropic penalty for
      CO2 adsorption (Deltasads = -204 +/- 4 J/mol.K) positioning the step in the
      optimal range for carbon capture from coal flue gas. In addition,
      thermogravimetric analysis and breakthrough experiments indicate that, in
      contrast to many adsorbents, dmpn-Mg2(dobpdc) captures CO2 effectively in the
      presence of water and can be subjected to 1000 humid adsorption/desorption cycles
      with minimal degradation. Solid-state 13C NMR spectra and single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction structures of the Zn analogue reveal that this material adsorbs CO2
      via formation of both ammonium carbamates and carbamic acid pairs, the latter of
      which are crystallographically verified for the first time in a porous material.
      Taken together, these properties render dmpn-Mg2(dobpdc) one of the most
      promising adsorbents for carbon capture applications.

PMID- 28906110
TI  - Anti-inflammatory Effect of Essential Oil from Citrus aurantium L. var. amara
      Engl.
AB  - Essential oil has been popularly used as an alternative for the treatment of
      inflammation. The bioactivities of essential oil from blossoms of Citrus
      aurantium L. var. amara Engl (CAVAO) showed greater anti-inflammation potential
      than that of antioxidant, anticancer, and 3T3-L1 proliferation inhibition. CAVAO
      (250 MUg/mL) significantly inhibited production of nitric oxide (NO) (99.54 +/-
      2.81%), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (98.11 +/- 1.62%), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha) (41.84 +/- 1.52%), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) (56.09 +/- 2.21%) as
      well as their gene expression level. CAVAO also markedly decreased the expression
      levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene and protein. Furthermore, CAVAO inhibited
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation, which was justified by the
      inhibitory effect on NF-kappaB nuclear translocation, IkappaBalpha
      phosphorylation and degradation, and phosphorylation-dependent IkappaB kinase
      activation in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharides. CAVAO also
      suppressed the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38,
      indicating that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were
      also blocked. The major constituents of CAVAO were characterized as linalool
      (64.6 +/- 0.04%), alpha-terpineol (7.61 +/- 0.03%), (R)-limonene (6.15 +/-
      0.04%), and linalyl acetate (5.02 +/- 0.03%), which might be responsible for its
      observed anti-inflammation activity. It is concluded that CAVAO has great
      potential to be developed into a functional food for the treatment of
      inflammatory-associated diseases.

PMID- 28906112
TI  - Copper(I)-Catalyzed Ligand-Promoted Multicomponent Reactions of Isocyanides,
      Selenium, Amines, and Iodoarenes: Access to Highly Functionalized
      Carbamimidoselenoates.
AB  - A new and facile approach toward highly functionalized carbamimidoseleknoates was
      developed through the copper(I)-catalyzed ligand-promoted four-component reaction
      of isocyanides, selenium, amines, and aryl iodides. The reaction constructed a
      range of organoselenium compounds containing an isoselenourea skeleton with
      potential bioactivity directly from selenium powder. The simplicity of method and
      broad diversity of substrates also highlight this work.

PMID- 28906113
TI  - Photoinduced Electron Transfer Coupled to Donor Deprotonation and Acceptor
      Protonation in a Molecular Triad Mimicking Photosystem II.
AB  - The first artificial donor-sensitizer-acceptor compound in which photoinduced
      long-range electron transfer is coupled to donor deprotonation and acceptor
      protonation is reported. The long-lived photoproduct stores energy in the form of
      a radical pair state in which the charges of the donor and the acceptor remain
      unchanged, much in contrast to previously investigated systems that exhibit
      charge-separated states comprised of electron-hole pairs. This finding is
      relevant for light-driven accumulation of redox equivalents, because it
      exemplifies how the buildup of charge can be avoided yet light energy can be
      stored. Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions at a phenol donor and a
      monoquat acceptor triggered by excitation of a Ru(II) sensitizer enable this form
      of photochemical energy storage. Our triad emulates photosystem II more closely
      than previously investigated systems, because tyrosine Z is oxidized and
      deprotonated, whereas plastoquinone B is reduced and protonated.

PMID- 28906114
TI  - doGlycans-Tools for Preparing Carbohydrate Structures for Atomistic Simulations
      of Glycoproteins, Glycolipids, and Carbohydrate Polymers for GROMACS.
AB  - Carbohydrates constitute a structurally and functionally diverse group of
      biological molecules and macromolecules. In cells they are involved in, e.g.,
      energy storage, signaling, and cell-cell recognition. All of these phenomena take
      place in atomistic scales, thus atomistic simulation would be the method of
      choice to explore how carbohydrates function. However, the progress in the field
      is limited by the lack of appropriate tools for preparing carbohydrate structures
      and related topology files for the simulation models. Here we present tools that
      fill this gap. Applications where the tools discussed in this paper are
      particularly useful include, among others, the preparation of structures for
      glycolipids, nanocellulose, and glycans linked to glycoproteins. The molecular
      structures and simulation files generated by the tools are compatible with
      GROMACS.

PMID- 28906115
TI  - Use of the Antimicrobial Peptide Sublancin with Combined Antibacterial and
      Immunomodulatory Activities To Protect against Methicillin-Resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus Infection in Mice.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the major pathogen causing
      serious hospital infections worldwide. With the emergence and rapid spread of
      drug-resistant bacteria, there is extraordinary interest in antimicrobial
      peptides (AMPs) as promising candidates for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant
      bacterial infections. Sublancin, a glycosylated AMP produced by Bacillus subtilis
      168, has been reported to possess protective activity against bacterial
      infection. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of sublancin in the
      prevention of MRSA ATCC43300 intraperitoneal infection in mice. We determined
      that sublancin had a minimal inhibitory concentration of 15 MUM against MRSA
      ATCC43300. The antimicrobial action of sublancin involved the destruction of the
      bacterial cell wall. Dosing of mice with sublancin greatly alleviated (p < 0.05)
      the bacterial burden caused by MRSA intraperitoneal infection and considerably
      reduced the mortality and weight loss (19.2 +/- 0.62 g vs 20.6 +/- 0.63 g for
      MRSA vs 2.0 mg/kg sublancin, respectively, on day 3) of MRSA-challenged mice (p <
      0.05). Sublancin was further found to balance the immune response during
      infection and relieve intestinal inflammation through inhibition of NF-kappaB
      activation (p < 0.01). With their combined antibacterial and immunomodulatory
      activities, sublancin may have potent therapeutic potential for drug-resistant
      infections and sepsis.

PMID- 28906116
TI  - PhID: An Open-Access Integrated Pharmacology Interactions Database for Drugs,
      Targets, Diseases, Genes, Side-Effects, and Pathways.
AB  - The current network pharmacology study encountered a bottleneck with a lot of
      public data scattered in different databases. There is a lack of an open-access
      and consolidated platform that integrates this information for systemic research.
      To address this issue, we have developed PhID, an integrated pharmacology
      database which integrates >400 000 pharmacology elements (drug, target, disease,
      gene, side-effect, and pathway) and >200 000 element interactions in branches of
      public databases. PhID has three major applications: (1) assisting scientists
      searching through the overwhelming amount of pharmacology element interaction
      data by names, public IDs, molecule structures, or molecular substructures; (2)
      helping visualizing pharmacology elements and their interactions with a web-based
      network graph; and (3) providing prediction of drug-target interactions through
      two modules: PreDPI-ki and FIM, by which users can predict drug-target
      interactions of PhID entities or some drug-target pairs of their own interest. To
      get a systems-level understanding of drug action and disease complexity, PhID as
      a network pharmacology tool was established from the perspective of data layer,
      visualization layer, and prediction model layer to present information untapped
      by current databases.

PMID- 28906111
TI  - Synthesis and Deployment of an Elusive Fluorovinyl Cation Equivalent: Access to
      Quaternary alpha-(1'-Fluoro)vinyl Amino Acids as Potential PLP Enzyme
      Inactivators.
AB  - Developing specific chemical functionalities to deploy in biological environments
      for targeted enzyme inactivation lies at the heart of mechanism-based inhibitor
      development but also is central to other protein-tagging methods in modern
      chemical biology including activity-based protein profiling and proteolysis
      targeting chimeras. We describe here a previously unknown class of potential PLP
      enzyme inactivators; namely, a family of quaternary, alpha-(1'-fluoro)vinyl amino
      acids, bearing the side chains of the cognate amino acids. These are obtained by
      the capture of suitably protected amino acid enolates with beta,beta
      difluorovinyl phenyl sulfone, a new (1'-fluoro)vinyl cation equivalent, and an
      electrophile that previously eluded synthesis, capture and characterization. A
      significant variety of biologically relevant AA side chains are tolerated
      including those for alanine, valine, leucine, methionine, lysine, phenylalanine,
      tyrosine, and tryptophan. Following addition/elimination, the resulting transoid
      alpha-(1'-fluoro)-beta-(phenylsulfonyl)vinyl AA-esters undergo smooth sulfone
      stannane interchange to stereoselectively give the corresponding transoid alpha
      (1'-fluoro)-beta-(tributylstannyl)vinyl AA-esters. Protodestannylation and global
      deprotection then yield these sterically encumbered and densely functionalized
      quaternary amino acids. The alpha-(1'-fluoro)vinyl trigger, a potential allene
      generating functionality originally proposed by Abeles, is now available in a
      quaternary AA context for the first time. In an initial test of this new
      inhibitor class, alpha-(1'-fluoro)vinyllysine is seen to act as a time-dependent,
      irreversible inactivator of lysine decarboxylase from Hafnia alvei. The
      enantiomers of the inhibitor could be resolved, and each is seen to give time
      dependent inactivation with this enzyme. Kitz-Wilson analysis reveals similar
      inactivation parameters for the two antipodes, L-alpha-(1'-fluoro)vinyllysine (Ki
      = 630 +/- 20 MUM; t1/2 = 2.8 min) and D-alpha-(1'-fluoro)vinyllysine (Ki = 470 +/
      30 MUM; t1/2 = 3.6 min). The stage is now set for exploration of the efficacy of
      this trigger in other PLP-enzyme active sites.

PMID- 28906117
TI  - Conformational Entropy as Collective Variable for Proteins.
AB  - Many enhanced sampling methods rely on the identification of appropriate
      collective variables. For proteins, even small ones, finding appropriate
      descriptors has proven challenging. Here we suggest that the NMR S2 order
      parameter can be used to this effect. We trace the validity of this statement to
      the suggested relation between S2 and conformational entropy. Using the S2 order
      parameter and a surrogate for the protein enthalpy in conjunction with
      metadynamics or variationally enhanced sampling, we are able to reversibly fold
      and unfold a small protein and draw its free energy at a fraction of the time
      that is needed in unbiased simulations. We also use S2 in combination with the
      free energy flooding method to compute the unfolding rate of this peptide. We
      repeat this calculation at different temperatures to obtain the unfolding
      activation energy.

PMID- 28906118
TI  - Pauli Repulsion Versus van der Waals: Interaction of Indenocorannulene with a
      Cu(111) Surface.
AB  - Modification of metal electrode surfaces with functional organic molecules is an
      important step toward organic electronics. The interaction of the buckybowl
      indenocorannulene with a Cu(111) surface and the two-dimensional self-assembly on
      the same surface was studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and
      dispersion-enabled density functional theory. Based on the conjecture of
      maximizing van der Waals interaction with the surface one would expect the indeno
      group to be aligned parallel to the surface. Theoretical investigations predict a
      nonparallel arrangement with the benzo ring of the indeno group located higher
      above the surface than the bowl rim connected to the indeno group. This adsorbate
      geometry is due to strong electronic interaction between molecule and surface,
      including substantial Pauli repulsion. The long-range ordered monolayer shows
      differences for two molecules of the unit cell in scanning tunneling microscopy
      contrast, suggesting either different polar alignments, and therefore a different
      tilt of the indeno group, or occupation of different adsorption sites.

PMID- 28906119
TI  - High Quality Factor Graphene-Based Two-Dimensional Heterostructure Mechanical
      Resonator.
AB  - Ultralight mechanical resonators based on low-dimensional materials are well
      suited as exceptional transducers of minuscule forces or mass changes. However,
      the low dimensionality also provides a challenge to minimize resistive losses and
      heating. Here, we report on a novel approach that aims to combine different two
      dimensional (2D) materials to tackle this challenge. We fabricated a
      heterostructure mechanical resonator consisting of few layers of niobium
      diselenide (NbSe2) encapsulated by two graphene sheets. The hybrid membrane shows
      high quality factors up to 245,000 at low temperatures, comparable to the best
      few-layer graphene mechanical resonators. In contrast to few-layer graphene
      resonators, the device shows reduced electrical losses attributed to the lower
      resistivity of the NbSe2 layer. The peculiar low-temperature dependence of the
      intrinsic quality factor points to dissipation over two-level systems which in
      turn relax over the electronic system. Our high sensitivity readout is enabled by
      coupling the membrane to a superconducting cavity which allows for the
      integration of the hybrid mechanical resonator as a sensitive and low loss
      transducer in future quantum circuits.

PMID- 28906120
TI  - Diastereodivergent and Enantioselective Access to Spiroepoxides via
      Organocatalytic Epoxidation of Unsaturated Pyrazolones.
AB  - Readily available chiral amine-thioureas are effective catalysts for the first
      diastereo- and enantioselective epoxidation of unsaturated pyrazolones. The trans
      or cis-spiroepoxides are preferentially obtained in good yield and high to
      excellent enantioselectivity using an appropriate organocatalyst and tert-butyl
      hydroperoxide as the oxidant. The epoxidation appears applicable to highly
      challenging beta,beta'-substituted unsaturated pyrazolones, giving access to
      spiroepoxides bearing two vicinal quaternary stereocenters. The reaction
      represents a unique example of Weitz-Scheffer epoxidation, where the catalyst
      controlled ring-closure step is usefully exploited to prepare both
      enantioenriched diastereomeric epoxides.

PMID- 28906121
TI  - N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Stereoselective Glycosylation of 2
      Nitrogalactals.
AB  - An efficient N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed glycosylation of 2-nitrogalactals
      with alcohols and phenol has been developed for the first time. A wide variety of
      1,2-cis-2-nitroglycosides can be obtained with good to excellent yields and high
      to excellent alpha-selectivities.

PMID- 28906122
TI  - Tip-triggered Thermal Cascade Manipulation of Magic Number Gold-Fullerene
      Clusters in the Scanning Tunnelling Microscope.
AB  - We demonstrate cascade manipulation between magic number gold-fullerene hybrid
      clusters by channelling thermal energy into a specific reaction pathway with a
      trigger from the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). The (C60)m-Aun
      clusters, formed via self-assembly on the Au(111) surface, consist of n Au atoms
      and m C60 molecules; the three smallest stable clusters are (C60)7-Au19, (C60)10
      Au35, and (C60)12-Au49. The manipulation cascade was initiated by driving the STM
      tip into the cluster followed by tip retraction. Temporary, partial fragmentation
      of the cluster was followed by reorganization. Self-selection of the correct
      numbers of Au atoms and C60 molecules led to the formation of the next magic
      number cluster. This cascade manipulation is efficient and facile with an
      extremely high selectivity. It offers a way to perform on-surface tailoring of
      atomic and molecular clusters by harnessing thermal energy, which is known as the
      principal enemy of the quest to achieve ultimate structural control with the STM.

PMID- 28906123
TI  - Manganese-Catalyzed Directed Methylation of C(sp2)-H Bonds at 25  degrees C with
      High Catalytic Turnover.
AB  - We report here a manganese-catalyzed C-H methylation reaction of considerable
      substrate scope, using MeMgBr, a catalytic amount of MnCl2.2LiCl, and an organic
      dihalide oxidant. The reaction features ambient temperature, low catalyst
      loading, typically 1%, high catalytic turnover reaching 5.9 * 103, and no need
      for an extraneous ligand and illustrates a unique catalytic use of simple
      manganese salts for C-H activation, which so far has relied on catalysis by
      manganese carbonyls.

PMID- 28906124
TI  - Temperature-Dependent Electron-Electron Interaction in Graphene on SrTiO3.
AB  - The electron band structure of graphene on SrTiO3 substrate has been investigated
      as a function of temperature. The high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission
      study reveals that the spectral width at Fermi energy and the Fermi velocity of
      graphene on SrTiO3 are comparable to those of graphene on a BN substrate. Near
      the charge neutrality, the energy-momentum dispersion of graphene exhibits a
      strong deviation from the well-known linearity, which is magnified as temperature
      decreases. Such modification resembles the characteristics of enhanced electron
      electron interaction. Our results not only suggest that SrTiO3 can be a plausible
      candidate as a substrate material for applications in graphene-based electronics
      but also provide a possible route toward the realization of a new type of
      strongly correlated electron phases in the prototypical two-dimensional system
      via the manipulation of temperature and a proper choice of dielectric substrates.

PMID- 28906125
TI  - Imaging of rare appendicular non-acral soft-tissue chondromas in adults with
      histopathologic correlation.
AB  - Background Soft-tissue chondroma (STC) is a rare benign soft tissue tumor that
      arises primarily in acral extra-skeletal locations. Occasionally, STCs may arise
      in more proximal non-acral locations, accompanied by non-classic features that
      label them as indeterminate lesions and pose diagnostic challenge for both
      radiologists and pathologists alike. Purpose To explicate the potential of
      diagnostic imaging in the identification and characterization of appendicular non
      acral STCs with emphasis on their morphologic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      enhancement. Material and Methods Our clinical database records were searched for
      patients with histologically proven primary soft-tissue chondroid lesions over a
      five-year period. Two musculoskeletal (MSK) trained radiologists evaluated the
      imaging studies and an MSK pathologist revised the pathological findings. Results
      The study included six cases of appendicular non-acral STCs (mean age = 40.5
      years). The mean size of the tumors was 5.6 cm, with four localized to the knee
      region, one in the thigh, and one in the sternoclavicular region. All cases
      showed high signal intensity matrix with low-signal intensity septa on T2
      weighted MRI and post-contrast marginal/septal enhancement. The lesions were
      lobulated and lacked host tissue reaction except for one showing subjacent mild
      soft-tissue edema. Histologically, the cases lacked overt features of malignancy
      although one was originally misdiagnosed as chondrosarcoma. Conclusion Non-acral
      STCs are benign cartilaginous tumors that may pose a diagnostic challenge, both
      radiologically and pathologically. Collaborative imaging and pathologic workup is
      needed for better characterization of non-aggression of these lesions, and to
      avoid diagnostic pitfalls and unnecessary radical resections.

PMID- 28906126
TI  - Isolated cortical vasogenic edema and hyperintense vessel signs may be early
      features of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: Case reports.
AB  - Background The temporal and anatomical features of vasoconstriction in patients
      with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome within hours after symptom
      onset, in the hyperacute phase, are unclear. Case result Herein we report the
      cases of two patients with acute severe headache who were diagnosed with
      reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging within
      hours after symptom onset revealed multiple areas of isolated cortical vasogenic
      edema and hyperintense vessel signs of the distal cerebral arteries. Follow-up
      imaging performed four days later in both cases showed diffuse segmental arterial
      vasoconstriction in the proximal regions of the cerebral arteries. Both patients
      received antivasoconstrictive therapy shortly after admission, and neither had
      neurological sequelae at discharge. The magnetic resonance imaging findings
      improved gradually within three months after symptom onset. Conclusion Isolated
      cortical vasogenic edema and hyperintense vessel signs, when observed within
      hours from sudden severe headache onset, may be useful early markers of
      reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome.

PMID- 28906127
TI  - Cluster headache - clinical pattern and a new severity scale in a Swedish cohort.
AB  - Background The aim of this study was to investigate clinical features of a
      cluster headache cohort in Sweden and to construct and test a new scale for
      grading severity. Methods Subjects were identified by screening medical records
      for the ICD 10 code G44.0, that is, cluster headache. Five hundred participating
      research subjects filled in a questionnaire including personal, demographic and
      medical aspects. We constructed a novel scale for grading cluster headache in
      this cohort: The Cluster Headache Severity Scale, which included number of
      attacks per day, attack and period duration. The lowest total score was three and
      the highest 12, and we used the Cluster Headache Severity Scale to grade subjects
      suffering from cluster headache. We further implemented the scale by defining a
      cluster headache maximum severity subgroup with a high Cluster Headache Severity
      Scale score >= 9. Results A majority (66.7%) of the patients reported that
      attacks appear at certain time intervals. In addition, cluster headache patients
      who were current tobacco users or had a history of tobacco consumption had a
      later age of disease onset (31.7 years) compared to non-tobacco users (28.5
      years). The Cluster Headache Severity Scale score was higher in the patient group
      reporting sporadic or no alcohol intake than in the groups reporting an alcohol
      consumption of three to four standard units per week or more. Maximum severity
      cluster headache patients were characterised by higher age at disease onset,
      greater use of prophylactic medication, reduced hours of sleep, and lower alcohol
      consumption compared to the non-cluster headache maximum severity group.
      Conclusion There was a wide variation of severity grade among cluster headache
      patients, with a very marked impact on daily living for the most profoundly
      affected.

PMID- 28906129
TI  - Perceptions of U.S. Veterans Affairs and community healthcare providers regarding
      cross-system care for heart failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study explores perceptions of US Veterans Affairs (VA) and non
      VA healthcare providers caring for Veterans with heart failure (HF) regarding
      Veteran knowledge and motivations for dual use, provider roles in recommending
      and coordinating dual use, systems barriers and facilitators, and suggestions for
      improving cross-system care. METHODS: Twenty VA and 11 non-VA providers
      participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using parallel
      qualitative content and discourse analysis. RESULTS: VA and non-VA providers
      described variable HF knowledge and self-management among Veterans, and both
      groups described the need for improved education addressing medication adherence,
      self-care, and management of acute symptoms. Both groups described highly limited
      roles for providers in shaping choices surrounding dual use. VA and non-VA
      providers had significantly different perceptions regarding the availability,
      quality, and effectiveness of VA HF services. Multiple non-VA providers expressed
      frustration with and difficulty in contacting VA providers, accessing records,
      and making referrals into the VA system. Suggestions for improved care focused on
      patient education and care coordination. DISCUSSION: Dual healthcare system use
      for Veterans is increasingly common. Similarities and contrasts in perceptions of
      VA and non-VA providers are instructive and should be incorporated into future
      policy and program initiatives.

PMID- 28906128
TI  - Effect of Preoperative Fatty Degeneration of the Rotator Cuff Muscles on the
      Clinical Outcome of Patients With Intact Tendons After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff
      Repair of Large/Massive Cuff Tears.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscles is associated not only
      with postoperative retear but also with postoperative muscle weakness; therefore,
      fatty changes in the muscles may affect the clinical outcome even in patients
      with these tears who have intact tendons after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
      (ARCR). PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of fatty infiltration on the clinical
      outcome in patients with intact tendons after arthroscopic repair of
      large/massive cuff tears. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.
      METHODS: One hundred fifty-five consecutive patients with large/massive rotator
      cuff tears underwent ARCR. Of these, 55 patients (mean +/- SD age, 64.4 +/- 9.1
      years) in whom intact tendons after surgery were confirmed with magnetic
      resonance imaging at final follow-up (mean +/- SD, 2.5 +/- 1.4 years) were
      included in this study. Depending on their University of California Los Angeles
      (UCLA) score at the final follow-up, they were assigned to either the
      unsatisfactory group (score <=27; n = 12) or the satisfactory group (score >27; n
      = 43). Various clinical parameters affecting the clinical outcome were examined
      through univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The UCLA score of all
      patients significantly improved from 18.1 +/- 4.4 points preoperatively to 29.8
      +/- 4.5 points postoperatively ( P < .0001). The mean preoperative UCLA scores
      were not significantly different between the satisfactory and unsatisfactory
      groups ( P = .39). Multivariate analysis showed that the preoperative Goutallier
      stages of the infraspinatus (odds ratio [OR], 8.87; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      1.51-52.0; P = .016) and/or subscapularis (OR, 7.53; 95% CI, 1.58-35.9; P = .011)
      were significantly associated with outcome. Receiver operating characteristic
      curve analysis revealed a cutoff value of Goutallier stage 1 in both muscles,
      with area under the curve values of 0.79 (sensitivity 91% and specificity 51%)
      and 0.84 (sensitivity 100% and specificity 54%) in the infraspinatus and
      subscapularis, respectively. CONCLUSION: Preoperative fatty degeneration of the
      infraspinatus and/or subscapularis with Goutallier stage 2 or higher was
      significantly associated with worse outcome in patients with large/massive tears
      who had intact tendons after ARCR.

PMID- 28906130
TI  - Human Movement Responses to the Rorschach and Mirroring Activity: An fMRI Study.
AB  - It has been suggested that the Rorschach human movement (M) response could be
      associated with an embodied simulation mechanism mediated by the mirror neuron
      system (MNS). To date, evidence for this hypothesis comes from two
      electroencephalogram studies and one repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
      study. To provide additional data on this topic, the Rorschach was administered
      during fMRI to a sample of 26 healthy adult volunteers. Activity in MNS-related
      brain areas temporally associated with M responses was compared with such
      activity for other, non-M Rorschach responses. Data analyses focused on MNS
      regions of interest identified by Neurosynth, a web-based platform for large
      scale, automated meta-analysis of fMRI data. Consistent with the hypothesis that
      M responses involve embodied simulation and MNS activity, univariate region of
      interest analyses showed that production of M responses associated with
      significantly greater activity in MNS-related brain areas when compared with non
      M Rorschach responses. This finding is consistent with the traditional
      interpretation of the M code.

PMID- 28906131
TI  - Effects of immunomodulators on the response induced by vaccines against
      autoimmune diseases.
AB  - A promising treatment for T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases is the induction of
      immune tolerance by modulating the immune response against self-antigens, an
      objective that may be achieved by vaccination. There are two main types of
      vaccines currently under development. The tolerogenic vaccines, composed of
      proteins formed by a cytokine fused to a self-antigen, which usually induce
      tolerance by eliminating the T-cells that are immune reactive against the self
      antigen. The immunogenic vaccines, comprised of a self-antigen plus a sole Th2
      adjuvant either free or conjugated, that alleviate autoimmunity by switching the
      immune response against the self-antigen, from a damaging pro-inflammatory
      Th1/Th17 to an anti-inflammatory Th2 immunity. Another type of vaccines is the
      DNA vaccines, where cells transiently express the self-antigen encoded by DNA,
      which induces a Th2 immunity. Actually, DNA vaccines can benefit from the
      presence of an adjuvant that elicits a systemic sole Th2 immunity to enhance the
      initially weak immune response characteristic of these vaccines. While in the
      tolerogenic vaccines, cytokines are the endogenous immunomodulators, in the
      immunogenic vaccines, the adjuvants are exogenous agents that elicit Th2 immunity
      with a production of anti-inflammatory cytokines and antibodies against the self
      antigen. Because the commonly used Th2 adjuvant alum, fails to induce an
      effective immunity in the elderly population, it is unlikely that it would be
      widely used. Another Th2 adjuvant, the oil/water emulsions mixed with the
      antigen, while effective in vaccines against infectious agents, due to potential
      aldehydes in their formulation may be not suitable for autoimmune vaccines. A
      unique compound is glatiramer, which seems to be both a random polypeptide
      antigen and an immune modulator that biases the response to Th2 immunity. Its
      mechanism of action seems to implicate binding to MHC-II, which alters the
      outcome of T-cell signaling, leading to anergy. Glatiramer, while effective in
      the treatment of multiple sclerosis has not shown efficacy in other autoimmune
      diseases. An important new group of promising sole Th2 adjuvants are the
      fucosylated glycans, which by binding to DC-SIGN bias dendritic cells to Th2
      immunity while inhibiting Th1/Th7 immunities. These glycans are similar to those
      produced by parasitic helminths to prevent inflammatory responses by mammalian
      hosts. A novel group of sole Th2 adjuvants are some plant-derived fucosylated
      triterpene glycosides, which share the immune modulatory properties from the
      fucosylated glycans. These glycosides have also an aldehyde group that delivers
      an alternative co-stimulatory signal to T-cells, averting the anergy associated
      with aging due to the loss of the CD28 receptor on T-cells. Hence, the
      development of vaccines to treat and/or prevent autoimmune conditions and some
      proteopathies, will significantly benefit from the availability of new sole Th2
      adjuvants that while inducing an anti-inflammatory immunity, they do not abrogate
      pro-inflammatory Th1/Th17 immunities.

PMID- 28906132
TI  - Effects of different dietary sources and levels of selenium supplements on growth
      performance, antioxidant status and immune parameters in Ross 308 broiler
      chickens.
AB  - 1. Although different impacts of various sources of selenium (Se) on chicken
      performance have been largely studied, there is a lack of comparative experiments
      studying the effects of these sources on the immune system and antioxidant
      indices of broiler tissues. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of
      various sources and levels of dietary Se supplements on performance, antioxidant
      status and immune parameters in Ross 308 broiler chickens. 2. A total of 1200 1-d
      old male broilers (Ross * Ross 308) were divided into 8 treatments with 6
      replicate pens and 25 birds per pen. This experiment was conducted as a
      completely randomised design with a 4 * 2 factorial arrangement. Main factors
      included Se sources as sodium selenite (SS), Se-enriched yeast (SY), DL
      selenomethionine (SM) and nano-selenium (NS) and levels at 0.1 or 0.4 mg/kg Se.
      3. Dietary supplementation of organic Se sources significantly improved average
      daily gain (ADG), gain: feed ratio and European production efficiency factor (P <
      0.05) compared to birds fed on diets supplemented with inorganic source. In
      addition, ADG was increased in response to increased level of supplemental Se.
      Based on contrast comparison, there were significant differences in these
      parameters between organic versus inorganic sources of Se. However, there was no
      difference between contrast comparisons of NS versus SM and SY. 4. Total anti
      sheep red blood cell (SRBC) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) titres and
      hypersensitivity were enhanced by increasing supplemental concentration of Se and
      using organic sources of Se rather than SS (P < 0.05). 5. Oxidation resistance
      assessment of tissues demonstrated that supplementation of organic sources of Se
      and increase in supplemental concentration of Se ameliorated glutathione
      peroxidase activity, total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde formation (P
      < 0.05). Mostly, there were significant differences between organic versus
      inorganic sources of Se in oxidation resistance. 6. Overall, dietary
      supplementation of 0.4 mg/kg Se from an organic source resulted in better
      production performance and immune system response. Moreover, minimum formation of
      malondialdehyde in broiler tissue was observed in birds fed on diets supplemented
      with SM at 0.4 mg/kg. 7. It can be concluded that SM is more effective than other
      sources of Se in reducing lipid oxidation.

PMID- 28906133
TI  - An Online Calculator to Estimate the Impact of Changes in Breastfeeding Rates on
      Population Health and Costs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the impact of changes in breastfeeding rates on
      population health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a Monte Carlo simulation model
      to estimate the population-level changes in disease burden associated with
      marginal changes in rates of any breastfeeding at each month from birth to 12
      months of life, and in rates of exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 6 months of
      life. We used these marginal estimates to construct an interactive online
      calculator (available at www.usbreastfeeding.org/saving-calc ). The Institutional
      Review Board of the Cambridge Health Alliance exempted the study. RESULTS: Using
      our interactive online calculator, we found that a 5% point increase in
      breastfeeding rates was associated with statistically significant differences in
      child infectious morbidity for the U.S. population, including otitis media
      (101,952 cases, 95% confidence interval [CI] 77,929-131,894 cases) and
      gastrointestinal infection (236,073 cases, 95% CI 190,643-290,278 cases).
      Associated medical cost differences were $31,784,763 (95% CI $24,295,235
      $41,119,548) for otitis media and $12,588,848 ($10,166,203-$15,479,352) for
      gastrointestinal infection. The state-level impact of attaining Healthy People
      2020 goals varied by population size and current breastfeeding rates. CONCLUSION:
      Modest increases in breastfeeding rates substantially impact healthcare costs in
      the first year of life.

PMID- 28906134
TI  - Direct axillary artery cannulation in cardiac surgery: clinical outcomes.
AB  - Objective Axillary artery cannulation is still regarded with distrust by surgeons
      because the artery is supposed to be fragile, difficult to access, and its
      cannulation is often considered time-consuming. This study was carried out to
      assess our results in a series of patients, using a simplified surgical approach
      to axillary artery cannulation. Methods Data were collected retrospectively from
      our prospective database. All patients operated on in our department between
      January 2004 and October 2016 and scheduled for various cardiac procedures with
      direct axillary artery cannulation were included in this study. In this twelve
      year period, 246 patients had direct axillary artery cannulation during a cardiac
      surgical procedure. The mean age was 67.3 +/- 14.7 years. The artery was
      approached at the level of the deltopectoral groove and cannulated by the direct
      Seldinger technique. Results The main indications for axillary artery cannulation
      were: right minithoracotomy aortic valve replacement ( n = 93), aortic dissection
      ( n = 57), extracorporeal life support ( n = 36), transarterial valve replacement
      ( n = 27), ascending aortic aneurysm ( n = 16), and others ( n = 17). The
      cannulation was right-sided in 90.6% of patients. Axillary cannulation-related
      morbidity was 6.1%. Axillary cannulation-related mortality was 0.8% (2 patients).
      Conclusions The axillary artery is a reliable site for rapid cannulation,
      carrying a low risk of morbidity and mortality. Our findings show that this
      artery is solid and can be very useful in everyday cardiac surgical practice.

PMID- 28906135
TI  - Cement fragment from hip arthroplasty causing deep femoral artery pseudoaneurysm.
AB  - An 81-year-old woman who had undergone total hip arthroplasty 12 years earlier
      presented with a painful spontaneous hematoma in the proximal left thigh. A left
      hip radiograph showed a displaced cement fragment from the acetabular component
      of the hip prosthesis. Computed tomography confirmed an extruded cement fragment
      causing a large pseudoaneurysm of the deep femoral artery. The patient underwent
      successful percutaneous embolization of the pseudoaneurysm with coils.

PMID- 28906136
TI  - Redo quadruple-valve repair after Ross procedure: a viable option?
AB  - Quadruple-valve repair or replacement is associated with significant morbidity
      and mortality because the clinical situation of severe disease of all 4 valves
      implies incipient myocardial damage. We report a case of redo quadruple-valve
      repair in a patient with rheumatic heart disease who had undergone the Ross
      procedure 14 years earlier. He presented with heart failure. Cardiac evaluation
      revealed severe disease of all 4 valves, necessitating surgery. Because he was in
      advanced heart failure and all 4 valves were suitable for repair, a quadruple
      valve repair was performed.

PMID- 28906137
TI  - Treatment of Achromobacter Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Critically Ill
      Trauma Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Achromobacter sp are nonfermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) that
      rarely cause severe infections, including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
      Data on the treatment of Achromobacter pneumonia are very limited, and the
      organism has been associated with a high mortality rate. Thus, more data are
      needed on treating this organism. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment of
      Achromobacter VAP in critically ill trauma patients. METHODS: This retrospective,
      observational study evaluated critically ill trauma patients who developed
      Achromobacter VAP. A previously published pathway for the diagnosis and
      management of VAP was used according to routine patient care. This included the
      use of quantitative bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage cultures to definitively
      diagnose VAP. RESULTS: A total of 37 episodes of Achromobacter VAP occurred in 34
      trauma intensive care unit patients over a 15-year period. The most commonly used
      definitive antibiotics were imipenem/cilastatin, cefepime, or
      trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The primary outcome of clinical success was
      achieved in 32 of 37 episodes (87%). This is similar to previous studies of other
      NFGNB VAP (eg, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter) from the study center. Microbiological
      success was seen in 21 of 28 episodes (75%), and VAP-related mortality was 9% (3
      of 34 patients). CONCLUSIONS: Achromobacter is a rare but potentially serious
      cause of VAP in critically ill patients. In this study, there was an acceptable
      success rate compared with other causes of NFGNB VAP in this patient population.

PMID- 28906138
TI  - In vivo effect of antibacterial and fluoride-releasing adhesives on enamel
      demineralization around brackets: A micro-CT study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this in vivo study was to investigate the preventive
      effect of two different adhesives on enamel demineralization and compare these
      adhesives with a conventional one. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients
      requiring the extraction of their first four premolars for orthodontic treatment
      were included in the study. One premolar was randomly selected, and an
      antibacterial monomer-containing and fluoride-releasing adhesive (Clearfil
      Protect Bond, Kuraray Medical, Okayama, Japan) was used for orthodontic bracket
      bonding. Another premolar was randomly selected, and a fluoride-releasing and
      recharging orthodontic adhesive (Opal Seal, Ultradent Products, South Jordan,
      Utah) was used. One premolar was assigned as a control, and a conventional
      adhesive (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif) was used. The teeth were
      extracted after 8 weeks, and the demineralization areas of the 45 extracted teeth
      were analyzed using microcomputed tomography with software. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference between the white spot lesion (WSL) rates of the adhesives
      (P > .05). The volumes of the WSLs varied from 0 to 0.019349 mm3. Although Opal
      Seal showed the smallest lesion volumes, there was no significant difference in
      volumetric measurements of the lesions among the groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS:
      The findings indicated no significant differences between the preventive effects
      of the adhesives used in this in vivo study over 8 weeks.

PMID- 28906139
TI  - Evaluation of maxillary central incisors on the noncleft and cleft sides in
      patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate-Part 1: Relationship between root
      length and orthodontic tooth movement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To measure the root lengths of maxillary central incisors (U1) and
      evaluate the relationship among U1 root length, tooth movement, and type of
      treatment appliance in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate over a long
      term follow-up period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Occlusal radiographs of 30 patients
      with unilateral cleft lip and palate, acquired less than 6 months before
      secondary alveolar bone grafting (SBG, T1) and after edgewise treatment (T2),
      were measured for U1 root length (R1 and R2, root lengths at T1 and T2,
      respectively). Frontal and lateral cephalometric radiographs acquired at eruption
      of U1 (T0), T1, and T2 were evaluated to determine the inclination and position
      of U1. RESULTS: The average values of R1 and R2 on the cleft side were
      significantly lower than those on the noncleft side. Frontal cephalometric
      analysis revealed that the horizontal distance of the root apex from the median
      vertical line at T0 on the cleft side was significantly smaller than that on the
      noncleft side and was correlated with short U1 root length on the cleft side. On
      the other hand, R1 in patients treated with maxillary protraction appliances
      between T0 and T1 was significantly shorter than that in patients without
      maxillary protraction appliances. However, none of the changes in cephalometric
      measurements were correlated with root length. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with
      unilateral cleft lip and palate, the short root length of cleft-adjacent central
      incisors might be associated with the horizontal position of the root apex. In
      addition, orthodontic treatment with a maxillary protraction appliance before
      secondary alveolar bone grafting might be associated with short U1 root length.

PMID- 28906140
TI  - Evaluation of maxillary central incisors on the noncleft and cleft sides in
      patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate-Part 2: Relationship between root
      resorption, horizontal tooth movement, and quantity of grafted autogenous bone.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between external apical root resorption
      (EARR) of the maxillary central incisors (U1), horizontal orthodontic tooth
      movement, and quantity of grafted bone in subjects with unilateral cleft lip and
      palate (UCLP) over an average duration of 8 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty
      subjects with UCLP were evaluated for EARR of U1 after edgewise treatment (T2).
      The teeth were classified as having no EARR, moderate EARR (combined into
      "no/moderate" EARR), or severe EARR. Frontal cephalometric radiographs acquired
      at eruption of U1 (T0), less than 6 months before secondary alveolar bone
      grafting (T1), and T2 were evaluated to determine the horizontal inclination (U1
      axis angle) and distance of the root apex from the median line (U1-root-VL
      distance). On the cleft side, the quantities of grafted bone at less than 12
      months postsecondary bone grafting and at T2 were evaluated using the alveolar
      bone graft (ABG) scale. RESULTS: Cleft-adjacent teeth exhibited more severe EARR
      than did teeth on the noncleft side. The cleft side exhibited greater changes in
      U1-axis angle and U1-root-VL distance between T0 and T2 than did the noncleft
      side. On the cleft side, the ABG score at T2 in the severe EARR group was
      significantly lower than that in the no/moderate EARR group. These measurements
      were correlated with EARR grade. CONCLUSIONS: Cleft-adjacent U1 exhibited more
      severe EARR than did the U1 on the noncleft side, which might be associated with
      orthodontic treatment-induced changes in horizontal inclination and root apex
      movement. On the cleft side, severity of EARR may be correlated with the success
      of ABG.

PMID- 28906141
TI  - A new dihydrochalcone glycoside from the stems of Homalium stenophyllum.
AB  - A new dihydrochalcone glycoside, phloretin-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1),
      together with seven known flavonoids (2-8), were isolated from the stems of
      Homalium stenophyllum. The structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive
      spectroscopic methods and the known compounds were identified by comparisons with
      data reported in the literature. The known compounds (2-8) were isolated from the
      genus Homalium for the first time. All compounds were evaluated for their
      antibacterial activities against six pathogenic bacteria in vitro.

PMID- 28906142
TI  - Educational Quality of YouTube Videos in Thumb Exercises for Carpometacarpal
      Osteoarthritis: A Search on Current Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conservative treatments are commonly performed therapeutic
      interventions for the management of carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis
      (OA). Physical and occupational therapies are starting to use video-based online
      content as both a patient teaching tool and a source for treatment techniques.
      YouTube is a popular video-sharing website that can be accessed easily. The
      purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of content and potential sources
      of bias in videos available on YouTube pertaining to thumb exercises for CMC OA.
      METHODS: The YouTube video database was systematically searched using the search
      term thumb osteoarthritis and exercises from its inception to March 10, 2017.
      Authors independently selected videos, conducted quality assessment, and
      extracted results. RESULTS: A total of 832 videos were found using the keywords.
      Of these, 10 videos clearly demonstrated therapeutic exercise for the management
      of CMC OA. In addition, the top-ranked video found by performing a search of
      "views" was a video with more than 121 863 views uploaded in 2015 that lasted
      12.33 minutes and scored only 2 points on the Global Score for Educational Value
      rating scale. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the videos viewed that described conservative
      interventions for CMC OA management have a low level of evidence to support their
      use. Although patients and novice hand therapists are using YouTube and other
      online resources, videos that are produced by expert hand therapists are scarce.

PMID- 28906143
TI  - Composition of essential oils from four Apiaceae and Asteraceae species growing
      in Uzbekistan.
AB  - The chemical composition of essential oils isolated from the aerial parts of
      Heracleum lehmannianum, Prangos pabularia, Pseudohandelia umbellifera and
      Pulicaria salviifolia, all of them growing in Uzbekistan, were determined by GC
      MS analysis. The main components of the oil from H. lehmannianum were alpha
      phellandrene (10.5%), 1-butanol (9.0%), delta-cadinene (6.2%), alpha-cadinol
      (5.7%), tau-muurolol (3.1%), 4-terpineol (2.4%) and alpha-muurolene (2.6%), while
      cis-allo-ocimene (17.6%), delta-3-carene (14.2%), limonene (7.6%), 2,4,6
      trimethylbenzaldehyde (6.8%), alpha-terpinolene (6.1%), beta-ocimene (4.3%),
      alpha-ocimene (4.2%), alpha-phellandrene (4.2%) were the major oil components in
      P. pabularia, and borneol (4.4%), t-cadinol (4.1%), alpha-humulene oxide (4.0%),
      caryophyllene oxide (3.6%), bornyl chloride (3.1%), beta-pinene (2.9%) in P.
      umbellifera. The essential oil of P. salviifolia had a much more complex
      composition which was dominated by 4-terpineol (13.4%), alpha-cadinol (5.7%), 6
      epi-shyobunol (5.2%), gamma-terpinene (5.0%), delta-cadinene (4.4%), alpha
      terpinene (3.5%).

PMID- 28906144
TI  - Fabrication of multicomponent amorphous bufadienolides nanosuspension with wet
      milling improves dissolution and stability.
AB  - Multicomponent formulations have attracted increasing attention because of their
      favourable patient compliance and greater therapeutic effect. The aim of this
      study was to develop a multicomponent nanosuspension formulation of
      bufadienolides, the antitumor components of a traditional Chinese medicine, toad
      venom, using a wet-milling technique to improve its dissolution behaviour.
      Croscarmellose sodium (CCS) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) were chosen as the
      combined stabilizers of the nanosuspension. A Taguchi orthogonal array design was
      used for this study to optimize the formulation and process parameters. The
      optimized nanosuspension was characterized by its particle size distribution,
      zeta potential, morphology, crystallinity, molecular interactions, stability and
      dissolution. The results showed that the nanosuspension was a homogeneous
      amorphous system with average particle sizes of <100 nm and significantly
      improved dissolution behaviour. It was also physically stable for at least 2
      months; steric and kinetic stabilization were its main stability mechanisms.
      These findings suggested that the use of wet milling to fabricate nanosuspensions
      is a promising method for achieving the fast and synchronized dissolution of
      multicomponent formulations, presumably increasing the bioavailability of poorly
      water-soluble drugs.

PMID- 28906145
TI  - Protective effect of rutin against brain injury induced by acrylamide or gamma
      radiation: role of PI3K/AKT/GSK-3beta/NRF-2 signalling pathway.
AB  - This study was designed to evaluate the effect of rutin on PI3K/AKT-signalling in
      case of acrylamide or gamma-radiation-induced neurotoxicity. To induce brain
      damage, animals were received acrylamide (25 mg/kg b.wt./orally/day) or 5 Gy of
      gamma-radiation exposure accompanied with an administration of rutin (200 mg/kg
      b.wt./orally/day). Our data revealed that, compared to acrylamide or gamma
      radiation, rutin activated PI3K/AKT/GSK-3beta/NRF-2-pathway through increased
      protein levels of p-PI3K, p-AKT and p-GSK-3beta and up-regulated the expression
      of NRF-2. This was achieved by modulating MDA, GST, IL-1beta, IL-6 and reduced
      the interference of ROS with IGF-1 and NGF stimulating the PI3K/AKT-signaling.
      Furthermore, histopathological examinations of brain tissues showed that rutin
      has modulated tissue architecture after acrylamide or gamma-radiation induced
      tissue damage. It could be concluded that rutin provides protection effect
      against acrylamide or gamma-radiation-induced neurotoxicity via activation of the
      PI3K/AKT/GSK-3beta/NRF-2-pathway by altering the phosphorylation state through
      its ability to scavenge free radicals generation, modulating gene expression and
      its anti-inflammatory effects.

PMID- 28906146
TI  - New cerebroside and chondrocyte proliferation activity of Caryota mitis L.
AB  - Caryota mitis L., a flowering plant, belongs to the family Arecaceae. In Vietnam,
      its fruits were used to treat joint pain. The present study was designed to
      investigate the phytochemicals and chondrocyte proliferation activity of C. mitis
      L. fruits on young human chondrocyte. The results showed that all of extracts
      (crude extract as well as n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol
      fractions) were stimulated the growth of chondrocyte at 0.1 MUg/mL; 0.01 MUg/mL
      concentrations, of which the n-hexane and methanol fractions significantly
      increased the proliferation of chondrocyte by 30.75 and 24.42% at concentrations
      of 0.01 MUg/mL, respectively. Repeated chromatography of the methanol fraction on
      silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and ODS columns afforded a new cerebroside and eight
      known ones. Their structures were elucidated by analysis of spectral data and in
      comparison with the published reports.

PMID- 28906147
TI  - Carbon monoxide poisoning from waterpipe smoking: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Waterpipe smoking may increasingly account for unintentional carbon
      monoxide poisoning, a serious health hazard with high morbidity and mortality. We
      aimed at identifying waterpipe smoking as a cause for carbon monoxide poisoning
      in a large critical care database of a specialty care referral center. METHODS:
      This retrospective cohort study included patients with a history of exposure to
      waterpipe smoking and carbon monoxide blood gas levels >10% or presence of
      clinical symptoms compatible with CO poisoning admitted between January 2013 and
      December 2016. Patients' initial symptoms and carbon monoxide blood levels were
      retrieved from records and neurologic status was assessed before and after
      hyperbaric oxygen treatment. RESULTS: Sixty-one subjects with carbon monoxide
      poisoning were included [41 males, 20 females; mean age 23 (SD +/- 6) years;
      range 13-45] with an initial mean carboxyhemoglobin of 26.93% (SD +/- 9.72). Most
      common symptoms included syncope, dizziness, headache, and nausea; 75% had
      temporary syncope. Symptoms were not closely associated with blood COHb levels.
      CONCLUSION: CO poisoning after waterpipe smoking may present in young adults with
      a wide variability of symptoms from none to unconsciousness. Therefore diagnosis
      should be suspected even in the absence of symptoms.

PMID- 28906148
TI  - Hip and knee arthroplasty are common among patients with transthyretin cardiac
      amyloidosis, occurring years before cardiac amyloid diagnosis: can we identify
      affected patients earlier?
AB  - Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) causes a restrictive cardiomyopathy
      in older adults, often diagnosed at advanced stages when emerging therapies in
      late phase clinical trials may not have clinical benefit. This investigation
      aimed to detect clinical entities that may provide more advanced warning of ATTR
      CA. Since ATTR preferentially deposits in ligaments, tendons, and articular
      cartilage, we hypothesized that ATTR-CA patients have a greater prevalence of
      total hip (THA) and knee (TKA) arthroplasties compared with the general
      population, and that arthroplasty occurs significantly before ATTR-CA diagnosis.
      Three-hundred and thirteen patients with cardiac amyloidosis (172 with ATTR-CA,
      141 with light-chain) from our institutional database were analyzed and compared
      to published data in over 300 million patients. Overall, 23.3% of patients with
      ATTR-CA and 9.2% of patients with light-chain cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA)
      underwent lower extremity arthroplasty. Compared to the general population, both
      THA and TKA were significantly more common among patients with ATTR-CA (THA: RR
      5.61, 95% CI 2.25-4.64; TKA: RR 3.32, 95% CI 2.25-4.64) but not those with AL-CA
      (THA: RR 1.87, 95% CI 0.85-4.08; TKA: RR 1.42, 95% CI 0.73-2.84). On an average,
      arthroplasty occurred 7.2 years before ATTR-CA diagnosis.

PMID- 28906149
TI  - A rare cause of sciatica discovered during digital rectal examination: case
      report of an intrapelvic sciatic notch schwannoma.
AB  - Intrapelvic sciatic nerve schwannomas are rare causes for non-discogenic
      sciatica. We describe a 44-year-old female who had a palpable mass on digital
      rectal examination that exhibited a positive Tinel's sign. The schwannoma was
      excised by a posterior transgluteal approach. Patients with negative spinal
      imaging should undergo pelvic scanning to rule out these tumors.

PMID- 28906150
TI  - Safety and efficacy of a TTR specific antisense oligonucleotide in patients with
      transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cardiomyopathy is a major cause of death in both the hereditary form
      of transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis and the sporadic late-age-onset transthyretin
      amyloidosis (ATTR wild-type (ATTRwt)). Clinically disease progression from time
      of diagnosis to death is usually quoted as 5- to 15-years. In prior studies,
      significant progression of cardiac parameters in patients with moderate to severe
      cardiomyopathy has been noted within a 12-month time span. METHODS: The present
      study was designed to prospectively monitor changes in cardiac parameters, both
      structural and functional, in patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy while treated
      with a TTR specific antisense oligonucleotide (ASO; IONIS-TTRPx) designed to
      lower blood levels of the amyloid fibril precursor protein. To date 22 patients
      have been admitted to the study, 15 have completed 12 months on the drug and are
      the subject of this report. RESULTS: Eight patients with hereditary ATTR
      amyloidosis and 7 patients with wild-type ATTR amyloidosis with moderate to
      severely advanced restrictive cardiomyopathy showed stabilization of disease as
      measured by left ventricular wall thickness, left ventricular mass (LVM), 6-min
      walk test (6MWT), and echocardiographic global systolic strain. IONIS-TTRPx was
      well tolerated by all 15 subjects and showed a good safety profile. CONCLUSIONS:
      ASO treatment of patients with moderate to advanced ATTR cardiomyopathy shows
      indication of stabilization of disease progression and may therefore contribute
      to enhanced life expectancy.

PMID- 28906151
TI  - Photopolymerization-based synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticle embedded PNIPAM
      nanogels for biomedical applications.
AB  - Conventional therapeutic techniques treat patients by delivering biotherapeutics
      to the entire body. With targeted delivery, biotherapeutics are transported to
      the afflicted tissue reducing exposure to healthy tissue. Targeted delivery
      devices are minimally composed of a stimuli responsive polymer allowing triggered
      release and magnetic nanoparticles enabling targeting as well as alternating
      magnetic field (AMF) heating. Although more traditional methods, like emulsion
      polymerization, have been used to realize such devices, the synthesis is
      problematic. For example, surfactants preventing agglomeration must be removed
      from the product increasing time and cost. Ultraviolet (UV) photopolymerization
      is more efficient and ensures safety by using biocompatible substances. Reactants
      selected for nanogel fabrication were N-isopropylacrylamide (monomer), methylene
      bis-acrylamide (crosslinker), and Irgacure 2959 (photoinitiator). The 10 nm
      superparamagnetic nanoparticles for encapsulation were composed of iron oxide.
      Herein, a low-cost, scalable, and rapid, custom-built UV photoreactor with in
      situ, spectroscopic monitoring system is used to observe synthesis. This method
      also allows in situ encapsulation of the magnetic nanoparticles simplifying the
      process. Nanogel characterization, performed by transmission electron microscopy,
      reveals size-tunable nanogel spheres between 40 and 800 nm in diameter. Samples
      of nanogels encapsulating magnetic nanoparticles were subjected to an AMF and
      temperature increase was observed indicating triggered release is possible.
      Results presented here will have a wide range of applications in medical sciences
      like oncology, gene delivery, cardiology, and endocrinology.

PMID- 28906152
TI  - Relapse outcomes, safety, and treatment patterns in patients diagnosed with
      relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and initiated on subcutaneous interferon
      beta-1a or dimethyl fumarate: a real-world study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate real-world treatment patterns, safety, and relapse
      outcomes of subcutaneous (sc) interferon (IFN) beta-1a (Rebif) vs dimethyl
      fumarate (DMF; Tecfidera), to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
      (RRMS). METHODS: A US retrospective chart review of 450 randomly selected adults
      newly diagnosed with RRMS who received sc IFN beta-1a (n = 143) or DMF (n = 307)
      was conducted. Patients were either (a) treatment-naive, initiating first-line
      treatment with sc IFN beta-1a or DMF, or (b) previously treated, switching to sc
      IFN beta-1a or DMF. Two years' follow-up data were captured. Patient
      characteristics, persistence, and adverse events between treatment groups were
      compared using t-tests or Chi-square tests. Kaplan-Meier curves with log-rank
      tests and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare time to, and risk
      of non-persistence. Annualized Relapse Rates (ARR) were calculated using a robust
      variance Poisson model adjusting for covariates. Propensity scores were used to
      address possible selection bias. RESULTS: One hundred and twelve patients became
      non-persistent, most commonly due to an adverse event (n = 37). No difference was
      observed in time to overall non-persistence between sc IFN beta-1a and DMF
      patients. Among treatment-naive patients, those receiving DMF had 2.4-times the
      risk (HR = 2.439, 95% CI = 1.007-5.917, p = .0483) of experiencing a
      discontinuation than patients receiving sc IFN beta-1a. Non-persistent patients
      receiving DMF had 2.3-times the risk (HR = 2.311, 95% CI = 1.350-3.958, p =
      .0023) of experiencing an adverse event at a given time point than patients
      prescribed sc IFN beta-1a. No differences in relapse risk or ARR between sc IFN
      beta-1a- and DMF-treated patients were observed. CONCLUSIONS: sc IFN beta-1a
      treated patients had comparable persistence and relapse outcomes, and better
      safety outcomes vs DMF-treated patients across 2 years.

PMID- 28906153
TI  - Investigational drugs in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of
      neuroblastoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neuroblastoma (NB) is an embryonal tumor originating from
      undifferentiated neural crest cell, highly heterogeneous ranging from spontaneous
      regression to progression despite multimodal treatments. Approximately, 20% of
      patients are refractory to frontline therapy and 50% will relapse/progress after
      an initial response. The overall five year survival for high-risk neuroblastoma
      ranges from 35-45%. Despite enhanced understanding of NB biology and the addition
      of myeloablative chemotherapy, isotretinoin and immunotherapy, survival for high
      risk NB remains less than 50%. Areas covered: This review summarizes and gives a
      critical overview of phase II trials investigating therapies for relapsed
      refractory and high risk neuroblastoma. Expert opinion: Several novel molecules
      have been developed and are currently under investigation for the treatment of
      NB. The trend of novel targeted agents is one towards individualized, tailored
      therapy, based on the molecular and biological differences that characterize
      tumors that seem similar based solely on histological analysis. The task of
      developing new molecules is particularly difficult for NB, given the recurrent
      development of new patterns of drug resistance. However, even if current research
      is focused towards identifying the best treatments for each children and young
      adult with a NB defined disease, a deeper knowledge of the molecular biology and
      genetics is needed.

PMID- 28906154
TI  - Moving toward consensus on diagnosis and management of severe asthma in adults.
AB  - Asthma is a considerable health problem with an increasing global prevalence. The
      burden of severe asthma is expected to notably increase in the following years.
      Some misleading concepts that sometimes appear in the literature can drive the
      physician responsible for a patient's management to make incorrect decisions.
      Furthermore, some of the concepts that appear in the literature and in the
      guidelines may not be clear to understand, follow or adapt to regional and local
      realities. This could again drive the physicians responsible for a patient's
      management to make incorrect clinical judgments. In this article, we review the
      definition, prevalence and immunopathology of severe asthma, describe the asthma
      phenotypes, clinical features and comorbidities, the diagnosis of severe asthma
      and personalized asthma treatment. At the end, we offer a treatment approach
      based on literature publications, personalized medicine and marketed biologic
      treatment options.

PMID- 28906155
TI  - The role of tapentadol as a strong opioid in cancer pain management: a systematic
      and critical review.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this review was to assess the role of tapentadol given at medium
      high doses in opioid-tolerant patients for cancer pain management in place of
      step-3 analgesics. METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic literature search was
      performed out of which six studies and one secondary analysis provided data
      regarding tapentadol used as a step-3 analgesic for this review. Tapentadol, when
      used at >=60 mg of oral morphine equivalents in opioid-tolerant patients with
      cancer pain, or passing from step-2 doses to >=60 mg of oral morphine
      equivalents, was well tolerated and effective and could be considered as a
      flexible drug to be used for the management of moderate-to-severe cancer pain.
      The limited occurrence of gastrointestinal adverse effects may be a great
      advantage in the context of a disease like cancer, where multiple causes
      contribute to nausea, vomiting, or constipation; however, studies of tapentadol
      given at doses equivalent to step-3 level have some weaknesses, as data from
      prospective observational studies are poorly generalizable due to a small number
      of participants, controlled studies do not clearly show a superiority of
      tapentadol with respect to other opioids, and the sample size is often small.
      CONCLUSIONS: More studies are necessary to confirm the role of tapentadol in
      cancer patients requiring strong opioids for their pain.

PMID- 28906156
TI  - Canadian Consumer Food Safety Practices and Knowledge: Foodbook Study.
AB  - Understanding consumers' food safety practices and knowledge supports food safety
      education for the prevention of foodborne illness. The objective of this study
      was to describe Canadian consumer food safety practices and knowledge. This study
      identifies demographic groups for targeted food safety education messaging and
      establishes a baseline measurement to assess the effectiveness of food safety
      interventions over time. Questions regarding consumer food safety practices and
      knowledge were included in a population-based telephone survey, Foodbook,
      conducted from November 2014 to March 2015. The results were analyzed nationally
      by age group and by gender. The results showed that approximately 90% of
      Canadians reported taking the recommended cleaning and separating precautions
      when handling raw meat to prevent foodborne illness. Only 29% of respondents
      reported using a food thermometer when cooking any meat, and even fewer (12%)
      reported using a food thermometer for small cuts of meat such as chicken pieces.
      The majority (>80%) of Canadians were aware of the foodborne illness risks
      related to chicken and hamburger, but fewer (<40%) were aware of the risks
      related to frozen chicken nuggets, alfalfa sprouts, soft unpasteurized cheese,
      and unpasteurized juices. Generally, men were less likely to follow cooking
      instructions on packaging and took fewer steps to prevent cross-contamination
      than women. The youngest (18 to 29 years) age group was less likely to take steps
      to avoid cross-contamination and was less aware of the risks associated with
      eating an undercooked hamburger. The oldest (60+ years) respondents were less
      likely to be aware of the risks associated with raw eggs, alfalfa sprouts, and
      unpasteurized juice than the middle (30 to 59 years) age group. As a priority,
      food safety education in Canada should focus on increasing people's awareness of
      high-risk foods, specifically foods for which the awareness of risk found in this
      study was low; targeting messaging to demographic groups as appropriate; and
      promoting the use of food thermometers when cooking meat and poultry.

PMID- 28906157
TI  - Economic Factors Impacting Food Allergen Management: Perspectives from the Food
      Industry.
AB  - Food allergies affect up to 8% of children in the United States and may
      occasionally lead to severe life-threatening reactions. Because there is
      currently no cure for food allergies, strict avoidance of the allergen-containing
      foods is the only means of preventing an allergic reaction. Consumers rely on
      food manufacturers to reliably track and declare the presence of food allergens
      in products. Over the past 10 to 20 years, the food industry has increasingly
      adopted allergen control approaches in its processing facilities. However, the
      major industry costs related to food allergen management have not been fully
      described. The objective of this study was to characterize the factors that
      contribute to the economic impact of food allergen control practices on the food
      industry. A focus group (n = 100) was conducted with food industry professionals
      to identify key areas of cost for food allergen management. A survey based on the
      domains identified was then developed and disseminated to a convenience sample (n
      = 50) of quality control food industry specialists with knowledge of their
      company's food allergen management practices. Nearly all companies (92%) produced
      food products containing one or more of the top eight allergenic foods recognized
      by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or sesame seeds. Cleaning procedures,
      employee training, and the potential for a recall due to allergen cross-contact
      were most frequently rated as the important factors in food allergen management.
      Recalls due to food allergen cross-contact, cleaning procedures, equipment and
      premises design, and employee training were ranked as the greatest allergen
      management expenses. Although 96% of companies had a food allergen control plan
      in place, nearly half (42%) had at least one food allergen-related recall within
      the past 5 years. The industry appears to endorse a willingness to unify
      precautionary allergen labeling to communicate a clear message more effectively
      to consumers.

PMID- 28906158
TI  - Prevalence of Putative Virulence Genes in Campylobacter and Arcobacter Species
      Isolated from Poultry and Poultry By-Products in Tunisia.
AB  - Campylobacter and Arcobacter spp. are common causes of gastroenteritis in humans;
      these infections are commonly due to undercooked poultry. However, their
      virulence mechanism is still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the presence of genotypic virulence markers in Campylobacter and
      Arcobacter species using PCR. The prevalence of virulence and cytolethal
      distending toxin (CDT) genes was estimated in 71 Campylobacteraceae isolates. PCR
      was used to detect the presence of virulence genes (iam, cadF, virB1, flaA, cdtA,
      cdtB, and cdtC) using specific primers for a total of 45 Campylobacter isolates,
      including 37 C. jejuni and 8 C. coli. All the Campylobacter isolates were
      positive for the cadF gene. The plasmid gene virB11 was not detected in any
      strain. The invasion associated marker was not detected in C. jejuni. Lower
      detection rates were observed for flaA, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC. The presence of
      nine putative Arcobacter virulence genes (cadF, ciaB, cj1349, mviN, pldA, tlyA,
      irgA, hecA, and hecB) was checked in a set of 22 Arcobacter butzleri and 4
      Arcobacter cryaerophilus isolates. The pldA and mviN genes were predominant
      (88.64%). Lower detection rates were observed for tlyA (84.76%), ciaB (84.61%),
      cadF and cj1349 (76.92%), IrgA and hecA (61.53%), and hecB (57.69%). The findings
      revealed that a majority of the Campylobacteraceae strains have these putative
      virulence genes that may lead to pathogenic effects in humans.

PMID- 28906159
TI  - Advances in nano-delivery systems for doxorubicin: an updated insight.
AB  - Doxorubicin (DOX) is the most effective chemotherapeutic drug developed against
      broad range of cancers such as solid tumours, transplantable leukemias and
      lymphomas. Conventional DOX-induced cardiotoxicity has limited its use. FDA
      approved drugs i.e. non-pegylated liposomal (Myocet(r)) and pegylated liposomal
      (Doxil(r)) formulations have no doubt shown comparatively reduced cardiotoxicity,
      but has raised new toxicity issues. The entrapment of DOX in biocompatible,
      biodegradable and safe nano delivery systems can prevent its degradation in
      circulation minimising its toxicity with increased half-life, enhanced
      pharmacokinetic profile leading to improved patient compliance. In addition, nano
      delivery systems can actively and passively target the tumour resulting increase
      in therapeutic index and decreased side effects of drug. Foreseeing the need of a
      comprehensive review on DOX nanoformulations, in this article we for the first
      time have given an updated insight on DOX nano delivery systems.

PMID- 28906160
TI  - Tone production and perception and intelligibility of produced speech in Mandarin
      speaking cochlear implanted children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study explored tone production, tone perception and
      intelligibility of produced speech in Mandarin-speaking prelingually deaf
      children with at least 5 years of cochlear implant (CI) experience. Another focus
      was on the predictive value of tone perception and tone production as they relate
      to speech intelligibility. DESIGN: Cross-sectional research. STUDY SAMPLE: Thirty
      three prelingually deafened children aged over eight years with over five years
      of experience with CI underwent tests for tone perception, tone production, and
      the Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR). A Pearson correlation and a stepwise
      regression analysis were used to estimate the correlations among tone perception,
      tone production, and SIR scores. RESULTS: The mean scores for tone perception,
      tone production, and SIR were 76.88%, 90.08%, and 4.08, respectively. Moderately
      positive Pearson correlations were found between tone perception and production,
      tone production and SIR, and tone perception and SIR (p < 0.01, p < 0.01 and p <
      0.01, respectively). In the stepwise regression analysis, tone production, as the
      major predictor, accounted for 29% of the variations in the SIR (p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Mandarin-speaking cochlear-implanted children with sufficient
      duration of CI use produce intelligent speech. Speech intelligibility can be
      predicted by tone production performance.

PMID- 28906162
TI  - Effects of tinnitus treatments on sleep disorders in patients with tinnitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of tinnitus treatments on sleep disorders in
      patients with tinnitus. DESIGN: Subjects completed the Pittsburg Sleep Quality
      Index (PSQI), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Self-rating Depression Scale
      (SDS), and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The questionnaire results and
      the patients' sex, age, time since the onset of tinnitus, and mean hearing level
      were examined, and differences between a sleep disorder group and a normal sleep
      group were examined. Patients completed the questionnaires again after initiating
      tinnitus treatments (counselling and use of sound generators), and the change in
      questionnaire scores at follow-up was evaluated. STUDY SAMPLE: Patients (N = 100)
      with tinnitus who visited Keio University Hospital and started treatment without
      medication between 2005 and 2008. RESULTS: Sixty-six percent of the patients had
      sleep disorders. Compared with patients without sleep disorders, patients with
      sleep disorders had significantly higher SDS and STAI scores at the first visit.
      The mean PSQI scores showed significant improvement at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sleep disorders in patients with tinnitus improved after tinnitus treatments.
      Complex interactions between depressive symptoms and anxiety may occur in these
      patients. The improvement in sleep disorders at follow-up was correlated with
      improvements in tinnitus severity and state anxiety.

PMID- 28906161
TI  - Heat stress modulated gastrointestinal barrier dysfunction: role of tight
      junctions and heat shock proteins.
AB  - Increased environmental temperature exerts a visible impact on an individual's
      physiology. At the onset of heat stress, there is an increase in core body
      temperature which triggers peripheral vasodilation and sweating in an effort to
      dissipate the elevated body heat. The increase in peripheral circulation however
      reduces blood flow to the internal organs which are thus adversely affected. In
      particular, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract gets adversely affected during
      hyperthermia resulting in loosening of the tight junctions (TJs) that finally
      leads to higher intestinal permeability. At the cellular level, elevated levels
      of heat shock proteins (HSPs) induced in response to heat stress mediated
      cytoprotection by maintaining proper protein folding, releasing survival signals
      and preserving cytoskeleton integrity. Recent studies have indicated that HSPs
      play a crucial role in maintaining the localization of TJ proteins. Dietary
      supplements have also shown to have a positive effect on the maintenance of
      intestinal TJs. Therefore, it becomes imperative to understand the cellular,
      molecular and physiological alterations in response to heat stress in GI tract.
      In the present report, the effect of thermal stress on GI tract has been
      summarized. Specific role of HSPs along with mitogen activated protein (MAP)
      kinase signaling pathway in response to hyperthermia has also been discussed.

PMID- 28906163
TI  - Colorectal cancer death after adenoma removal in Scandinavia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Improved understanding of the subsequent risk death from colorectal
      cancer (CRC) among individuals who had adenomas removed is needed. We aimed to
      quantify this risk using prospectively collected data from population-based
      cohorts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using Norwegian and Swedish registries, a cohort
      of 90,864 individuals with colorectal adenomas removed between 1980 and 2013 was
      identified. Surveillance was only recommended for high-risk adenomas. The
      validity of the registry data did not allow classification into low- and high
      risk adenomas. Virtually complete follow-up was achieved through linkage to
      nationwide registers. We calculated incidence-based standardised mortality ratios
      (SMRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 7.2
      years; 48,058 individuals were followed for more than 10 years. We observed 819
      deaths (0.9%) from CRC and expected 731 CRC deaths (0.8%), corresponding to an
      absolute excess risk of 88 cases (0.1%) and a relative risk of 12% (SMR 1.12;
      95%CI 1.05-1.20). The relative risk of CRC death following adenoma removal was
      slightly higher in Sweden (SMR 1.22; 95%CI 1.11-1.34) than in Norway (SMR 1.03;
      95%CI 0.93-1.14), and higher in women (SMR 1.24; 95%CI 1.12-1.36) than in men
      (SMR 1.02; 95%CI 0.93-1.13). Among individuals with more than 10 years of follow
      up, the estimates were similar to the overall cohort, absolute excess risk 0.1%
      (SMR 1.15; 95%CI 1.06-1.24). CONCLUSION: The excess risk of CRC death following
      adenoma removal is small. Optimal surveillance recommendations should be tested
      in randomised trials.

PMID- 28906164
TI  - Comparative pharmacokinetics study of anastrozole after single administration and
      combination with celecoxib.
AB  - 1. There are numerous investigations demonstrating that the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX
      2) inhibitors might enhance the efficiency of anastrozole in breast cancer.
      Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the comparative pharmacokinetics
      of anastrozole after single administration and combination with celecoxib. 2. A
      simple protein precipitation procedure was adopted for the sample preparation
      with satisfactory extraction recovery for both anastrozole and the internal
      standard, and then anastrozole was separated and analysed on an ACQUITY BEH UPLC
      C18 column (50 * 2.0 mm, 1.7 MUm, Waters) within 2 min. The calibration curves
      showed good linarites (r = 0.994). Intra- and inter-day precision were within
      4.93 and 13.83%, respectively. The mean extraction recoveries across QC levels
      were within 91.4%, and the matrix effects were within 94.5%. 3. Results showed
      that the method was reliable to determine anastrozole in rat plasma. Compared
      with rats in single administration group, no significant difference was found in
      the combination group. It is workable to use celecoxib combined with anastrozole
      in clinical therapy.

PMID- 28906165
TI  - Radiologically isolated syndrome should be treated with disease-modifying therapy
      - Yes.

PMID- 28906166
TI  - Radiologically isolated syndrome should be treated with disease-modifying therapy
      - Commentary.

PMID- 28906167
TI  - "It's Totally Destroyed Our Life": Exploring the Pathways and Mechanisms Between
      Precarious Employment and Health and Well-being Among Immigrant Men and Women in
      Toronto.
AB  - Precarious employment is rapidly growing, but qualitative data on pathways to and
      mechanisms for health and well-being is lacking. This article describes the
      cumulative and intersecting micro-level pathways and mechanisms between
      precarious employment and health among immigrant men and women in Toronto. It
      draws on semi-structured interviews conducted in 2014 with 15 women and 12 men
      from 11 countries of origin. The article describes how precarious employment,
      conceptualized by workers as encompassing powerlessness, economic insecurity,
      work for multiple employers, nonstandard and unpredictable schedules, hazardous
      working conditions, and lack of benefits and protections, negatively impacts
      workers' physical and mental health as well as that of their spouses or partners
      and children. It documents pathways to health and well-being, including stress,
      material and social deprivation, and exposure to hazards, as well as commuting
      difficulties and childcare challenges. Throughout, gender and migration are shown
      to influence experiences of work and health. The findings draw attention to
      dimensions of precarity and pathways to health that are not always highlighted in
      research and discourse on precarious employment and provide valuable insights
      into the vicious circle of precarious employment and health.

PMID- 28906168
TI  - The Affordable Care Act: How Nixon's Health Reform Proposal Became Democrats'
      Albatross.
AB  - President Obama's signature health care reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA),
      was passed in 2010 and fully implemented in 2014. Two years later, Republicans'
      attacks on the ACA as a failed reform helped fuel their recent electoral victory.
      The legislation significantly expanded insurance coverage. But it was built on,
      and fortified, private health insurance firms, and it accelerated the corporate
      takeover of hospitals and physicians' practices. This obeisance to corporate
      interests precluded making coverage universal or care affordable. As a result,
      the reform failed to address the grave health care problems faced by most working
      and middle-class Americans and left many of them feeling betrayed by Democrats
      who oversold the ACA's benefits.

PMID- 28906169
TI  - Radiologically isolated syndrome should be treated with disease-modifying therapy
      - No.

PMID- 28906171
TI  - Association of State-Level Restrictions in Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice
      With the Quality of Primary Care Provided to Medicare Beneficiaries.
AB  - CONTEXT: State scope of practice (SoP) laws impose significant restrictions on
      the services that a nurse practitioner (NP) may provide in some states, yet
      evidence about SoP limitations on the quality of primary care is very limited.
      METHOD: This study uses six different classifications of state regulations and
      bivariate and multivariate analyses to compare beneficiaries attributed to
      primary care nurse practitioners and primary care physicians in 2013 testing two
      hypotheses: (1) chronic disease management, cancer screening, preventable
      hospitalizations, and adverse outcomes of care provided by primary care nurse
      practitioners are better in reduced and restricted practice states compared to
      states without restrictions and (2) by decreasing access to care, SoP
      restrictions negatively affect the quality of primary care. FINDINGS: Results
      show a lack of consistent association between quality of primary care provided by
      NPs and state SoP restrictions. CONCLUSION: State regulations restricting NP SoP
      do not improve the quality of care.

PMID- 28906170
TI  - Developmental graphemic buffer dysgraphia in English: A single case study.
AB  - A single case study is reported of a 10-year-old, English-speaking boy, L.S., who
      presented with spelling errors similar to those described in acquired graphemic
      buffer dysgraphia (GBD). We used this case to evaluate the appropriateness of
      applying adult cognitive models to the investigation of developmental cognitive
      disorders. The dual-route model of spelling guided this investigation. L.S.
      primarily made "letter errors" (deletions, additions, substitutions,
      transpositions, or a combination of these errors) on words and nonwords and in
      all input (aural and visual) and output modalities (writing, typing, oral
      spelling); there was also some evidence of a length effect and U-shaped serial
      position curve. An effect of lexical variables on spelling performance was also
      found. We conclude that the most parsimonious account is an impairment at the
      level of the graphemic buffer and without systematic cognitive neuropsychological
      investigation, the nature of L.S.'s spelling difficulty would likely have been
      missed.

PMID- 28906172
TI  - From Misperception to Social Connection: Correlates and Consequences of
      Overestimating Others' Social Connectedness.
AB  - Two studies document the existence and correlates of a widespread social belief,
      wherein individuals who have recently moved to a new social environment see their
      peers as more socially connected than they themselves are. In Study 1, the
      prevalence of this belief was documented in a large sample of first-year students
      ( N = 1,099). In Study 2, the prevalence of this social belief was replicated in
      a targeted sample of university students ( N = 389). Study 2 also documented both
      positive and negative implications of this belief. Specifically, at any given
      time, students who believed that their peers were more socially connected
      reported lower well-being and belonging. Over time, however, the belief that
      one's peers are moderately more socially connected than oneself was associated
      with more friendship formation.

PMID- 28906173
TI  - Diagnosing prosopagnosia in East Asian individuals: Norms for the Cambridge Face
      Memory Test-Chinese.
AB  - The Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) is widely accepted as providing a valid and
      reliable tool in diagnosing prosopagnosia (inability to recognize people's
      faces). Previously, large-sample norms have been available only for Caucasian
      face versions, suitable for diagnosis in Caucasian observers. These are invalid
      for observers of different races due to potentially severe other-race effects.
      Here, we provide large-sample norms (N = 306) for East Asian observers on an
      Asian-face version (CFMT-Chinese). We also demonstrate methodological suitability
      of the CFMT-Chinese for prosopagnosia diagnosis (high internal reliability,
      approximately normal distribution, norm-score range sufficiently far above
      chance). Additional findings were a female advantage on mean performance, plus a
      difference between participants living in the East (China) or the West
      (international students, second-generation children of immigrants), which we
      suggest might reflect personality differences associated with willingness to
      emigrate. Finally, we demonstrate suitability of the CFMT-Chinese for individual
      differences studies that use correlations within the normal range.

PMID- 28906174
TI  - A patent review of oxytocin receptor antagonists 2013-2017.

PMID- 28906175
TI  - Iatrogenic patient injuries in otology during a 10-year period: review of
      national patient insurance charts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess patient injury characteristics and contributing factors in
      otology. METHODS: Data on the accepted patient-injury claims involving
      otorhinolaryngology (ORL), closed between 2001 and 2011, from the Finnish Patient
      Insurance Centre registry was retrieved. We included all injuries concerning
      otology, with evaluation and classification of their causes and types. RESULTS:
      During the 10-year study period, a total of 44 claims were accepted as
      compensated patient injuries in otology. From a total of 233 patient injuries in
      all ORL, this amounted to 19%. In outpatient care, occurred 12 (27%) injuries and
      in surgical procedures 32 (73%). Five (11%) patients were children. Errors in
      surgical technique were identified as the primary cause of the injury in 22 (69%)
      operation-related cases. Failure to remove all auricular tampons or packing in
      postoperative control was a contributing factor in 4 (13%) injuries, a facial
      nerve was damaged in 9 (28%) operations, and in 12 (38%) patients, the injury
      resulted in severe hearing loss or deafness. Six patients (21%) needed one or
      more re-operations related to the injury, of which two were due to an incomplete
      primary operation. CONCLUSION: Typical compensated patient injuries in operative
      otology resulted from common complications of common operations in high volume
      centres.

PMID- 28906176
TI  - Developmental dysgraphia: An overview and framework for research.
AB  - Developmental deficits in the acquisition of writing skills (developmental
      dysgraphias) are common and have significant consequences, yet these deficits
      have received relatively little attention from researchers. We offer a framework
      for studying developmental dysgraphias (including both spelling and handwriting
      deficits), arguing that research should be grounded in theories describing normal
      cognitive writing mechanisms and the acquisition of these mechanisms. We survey
      the current state of knowledge concerning developmental dysgraphia, discussing
      potential proximal and distal causes. One conclusion emerging from this
      discussion is that developmental writing deficits are diverse in their
      manifestations and causes. We suggest an agenda for research on developmental
      dysgraphia, and suggest that pursuing this agenda may contribute not only to a
      better understanding of developmental writing impairment, but also to a better
      understanding of normal writing mechanisms and their acquisition. Finally, we
      provide a brief introduction to the subsequent articles in this special issue on
      developmental dysgraphia.

PMID- 28906177
TI  - Brachyspira hyodysenteriae detection in the large intestine of slaughtered pigs.
AB  - Detection of subclinical Brachyspira hyodysenteriae infection in pig herds using
      feces is challenging. However, the ability to detect the pathogen in intestinal
      samples of slaughtered pigs has not been investigated, to our knowledge.
      Therefore, we determined the detection of B. hyodysenteriae in the colon, cecum,
      and rectum from slaughtered pigs. We analyzed the correlation between detection
      rates and intestinal lesions, ingesta or fecal consistency, and time from sample
      collection until processing. A total of 400 ingesta-mucosal (colon, cecum) and
      200 fecal (rectum) samples from 200 pigs originating from 20 different herds were
      bacteriologically examined using selective culture followed by Brachyspira spp.
      identification by PCR and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of
      flight mass spectrometry. Ingesta or fecal consistency and intestinal lesions
      were scored. Brachyspira hyodysenteriae was detected in 23 samples from 16
      intestines originating from 7 herds. Brachyspira spp. were detected in 96
      samples. More intestinal (16) than fecal (7) samples tested positive for B.
      hyodysenteriae. For Brachyspira spp., this difference was significant (69 vs. 27;
      p < 0.01). In particular, colon samples tested positive ( n = 42, p = 0.06). Most
      (91%) of the intestines showed no lesions typical for clinical B. hyodysenteriae
      infection, and median ingesta or fecal consistency was "soft and formed,"
      indicating subclinical infection, colonization, or absence of infection. Ingesta
      from slaughtered pigs, in particular from the colon and sites with lesions, is
      useful material for detection of B. hyodysenteriae.

PMID- 28906178
TI  - Comparison of whole genome sequencing to restriction endonuclease analysis and
      gel diffusion precipitin-based serotyping of Pasteurella multocida.
AB  - The gel diffusion precipitin test (GDPT) and restriction endonuclease analysis
      (REA) have commonly been used in the serotyping and genotyping of Pasteurella
      multocida. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      analysis has become the gold standard for other organisms, offering higher
      resolution than previously available methods. We compared WGS to REA and GDPT on
      163 isolates of P. multocida to determine if WGS produced more precise results.
      The isolates used represented the 16 reference serovars, isolates with REA
      profiles matching an attenuated fowl cholera vaccine strain, and isolates from 10
      different animal species. Isolates originated from across the United States and
      from Chile. Identical REA profiles clustered together in the phylogenetic tree.
      REA profiles that differed by only a few bands had fewer SNP differences than REA
      profiles with more differences, as expected. The GDPT results were diverse but it
      was common to see a single serovar show up repeatedly within clusters. Several
      errors were found when examining the REA profiles. WGS was able to confirm these
      errors and compensate for the subjectivity in analysis of REA. Also, results of
      WGS and SNP analysis correlated more closely with the epidemiologic data than
      GDPT. In silico results were also compared to a lipopolysaccharide rapid
      multiplex PCR test. From the data produced in our study, WGS and SNP analysis was
      superior to REA and GDPT and highlighted some of the issues with the older tests.

PMID- 28906179
TI  - Multi-locus sequence types of Mycoplasma bovis isolated from Ontario, Canada in
      the past three decades have a temporal distribution.
AB  - A total of 217 Mycoplasma bovis isolates cultured from clinical cases in Ontario,
      Canada, over the past 30 y were selected to be characterized by a multi-locus
      sequence typing (MLST) method. Eleven housekeeping genes were evaluated for
      suitability for MLST; 2 loci that had been used in prior MLST schemes, dnaN and
      metS, along with hsp70 were chosen for further sequence analysis. The remaining
      loci- adk, efp, gmk, gyrB, polC, rpoB, tpiA, and uvrC genes-were not used because
      they had little to no sequence variation. The sequence data from the chosen loci
      ( dnaN, hsp70, metS) generated 28 sequence types (STs), with the 3 loci having
      15, 5, and 7 alleles, respectively. These molecular typing results revealed that
      the STs had a temporal distribution; over the course of 3 decades, some STs
      disappeared and new STs appeared. Recent isolates had a greater variety of STs,
      which may indicate that new strains are emerging more rapidly now than in the
      past.

PMID- 28906180
TI  - Amplification of Mycoplasma haemofelis DNA by a PCR for point-of-care use.
AB  - We compared a qualitative in-clinic (IC)-PCR for the detection of Mycoplasma
      haemofelis DNA with the results of a commercial qualitative laboratory-based,
      conventional (c)PCR. In order to determine the specificity of both tests,
      Bartonella spp. samples were included. Forty-three previously tested blood
      samples with known PCR results for hemoplasmas and Bartonella spp. were selected.
      The samples were split between 2 laboratories. At the first laboratory, DNA was
      purified and run on 2 cPCR assays for the detection of hemoplasmas and Bartonella
      spp. At the second laboratory, DNA was purified using 2 purification protocols
      and both run in the IC-PCR assay. The cPCR results confirmed that 18 samples were
      positive for M. haemofelis, 5 for ' Candidatus M. haemominutum', 8 for Bartonella
      henselae, 2 for Bartonella clarridgeiae, and 10 were negative for both genera. No
      mixed infections were observed. The IC-PCR assay for the detection of M.
      haemofelis had a sensitivity of 94.4% and specificity of 96%, when using the same
      DNA purification method as the first laboratory. Using the second purification
      method, the sensitivity of the IC-PCR assay was 77.8% and specificity was 96%.
      Bartonella species were not detected by the IC-PCR M. haemofelis assay. The IC
      PCR assay decreased the amount of time to final result compared to a cPCR assay.

PMID- 28906181
TI  - A decade of using small-to-medium throughput allele discrimination assay to
      determine prion protein gene ( Prnp) genotypes in sheep in Slovenia.
AB  - Sheep with valine (V) at codon 136 and glutamine (Q) at codon 171 of the prion
      protein gene ( Prnp) are highly susceptible to classical scrapie, whereas
      phenylalanine (F) at codon 141 and histidine (H) at codon 154 play a major role
      in the susceptibility to atypical scrapie. A TaqMan real-time PCR assay was
      developed to determine Prnp alleles at codons 136, 141, 154, and 171 and used in
      classical scrapie eradication and breeding programs adopted in Slovenia. The
      frequency of the most resistant genotypes ARR/ARR and ARR/ARQ increased
      significantly in tested animals ( n = 35,138) from 6.7 and 27.1% of the tested
      sheep in 2006 to 12.1 and 32.4%, respectively, in 2015. Frequencies of more
      susceptible genotypes ARQ/ARQ and ARQ/VRQ decreased significantly from 36.4 and
      3.5% in 2006 to 31.1 and 1.8%, respectively, in 2015. The most susceptible
      genotype VRQ/VRQ was detected in <0.5% of tested sheep. Frequencies of alleles
      AFRQ and AHQ affecting the susceptibility to atypical scrapie did not change
      significantly. The developed assay was suitable for genotyping on a small-to
      medium throughput scale and was successfully used in classical scrapie
      eradication, as well as for the selection of classical scrapie-resistant sheep
      within breeding programs in Slovenia.

PMID- 28906183
TI  - Odontomas in two long-finned ocellaris clownfish ( Amphiprion ocellaris).
AB  - Two adult long-finned ocellaris clownfish ( Amphiprion ocellaris) from 2
      different aquaculture facilities were examined at the University of Florida,
      Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory for oral masses. Incisional biopsies were
      obtained from the masses under anesthesia, and histologic examination revealed
      both to be odontomas. Most benign odontomas are classified as hamartomas
      (disorganized proliferations of tissues found normally at the site of origin).
      Odontomas have previously been reported in wild teleost fish in association with
      viral infections and pollution.

PMID- 28906182
TI  - Multi-locus sequence typing of Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus
      strains isolated from cats.
AB  - Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus ( S. zooepidemicus) causes outbreaks
      of fatal respiratory disease in dog shelters and fatal respiratory and neurologic
      disease in cat shelters. We conducted multi-locus sequence typing analysis on S.
      zooepidemicus isolates from 5 Canadian and 3 Israeli cats with severe respiratory
      and neurologic disease, plus 1 isolate from a clinically normal shelter cat. Our
      aim was to determine if feline outbreaks are clonal and whether there is
      commonality between feline and canine strains. ST363 was identified as the
      causative strain of a Canadian outbreak of S. zooepidemicus-linked disease, and
      is a double-locus variant of ST173, which was isolated from one of the Israeli
      cats. ST363 was also isolated from the clinically normal cat, indicative of the
      potential for enzootic infection in shelters. Strains within the ST173 clonal
      complex were responsible for 2 large canine outbreaks in the United States and
      the United Kingdom, as well as the death of 1 cat in the United States outbreak.
      ST215 was isolated from 2 cats in the Israeli outbreak, and is unrelated to the
      ST173 complex. We conclude that S. zooepidemicus outbreaks in cat shelters are
      clonal and that strains within the ST173 clonal complex are pathogenic for both
      dogs and cats.

PMID- 28906184
TI  - Teetering on the Edge of Rejection.

PMID- 28906186
TI  - Midwest Nursing Research Society News.

PMID- 28906185
TI  - Effects of Abbreviated Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Stress in Jordanian
      Nursing Students.

PMID- 28906187
TI  - Assessing Dysphagia in Older Adults.

PMID- 28906188
TI  - Analysis of the Omaha System Prototype Icons for Health Literacy: A Global
      Survey.

PMID- 28906189
TI  - The Rehabilitation Continuum from Hospital to Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Study of
      147,000 Medicare Beneficiaries.

PMID- 28906190
TI  - Exploring factors associated with pressure ulcers in long-term care facilities
      using decision tree analysis: Use of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment
      Service National Inpatient Sample.

PMID- 28906191
TI  - Implementation of a Mentor Led Physical Activity Program among Disadvantaged
      Youth.

PMID- 28906192
TI  - Preoperative Risks for Subsyndromal Delirium in Older Adults following Orthopedic
      Surgery.

PMID- 28906193
TI  - Translation and Psychometric Properties of a Chinese Version of the Dutch Eating
      Behavior Questionnaire for Children in Taiwanese Preadolescents.

PMID- 28906195
TI  - Impact of Leg Elevation and Compression Bandaging on Skin Microcirculation in
      Healthy Adults.

PMID- 28906194
TI  - Physical and Psychological Effects of Qigong Exercise in Community-Dwelling Older
      Adults: An Exploratory Study.

PMID- 28906196
TI  - Photovoice: Primary Care Redesign Guided by Nursing Research.

PMID- 28906197
TI  - Teaching to the Affective Domain: An end-of-life Simulation.

PMID- 28906198
TI  - Supplemental Oxygen Quality Improvement Process.

PMID- 28906199
TI  - Improving intimate partner violence detection in the primary care setting: review
      of the literature.

PMID- 28906200
TI  - Using Personal ResilienceTM Techniques to Reduce Anxiety in University Students.

PMID- 28906201
TI  - Coercive Control and Suicide Risk: What is Known?

PMID- 28906202
TI  - Predictors of Maternal Vaccination in the United States: An Integrative Review of
      Literature.

PMID- 28906203
TI  - The relation between total cerebral small vessel disease burden and gait
      impairment in patients with minor stroke.
AB  - Background and aims Individual MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease are
      associated with gait impairment. The impact of total cerebral small vessel
      disease-related brain damage, expressed by a cerebral small vessel disease MRI
      burden score, on mobility after stroke, has not been considered, although this
      score gives a better representation of the overall effect of cerebral small
      vessel disease on the brain. We determined if the total cerebral small vessel
      disease burden is associated with gait impairment three years after minor stroke.
      Methods In total, 200 patients with minor lacunar or non-lacunar stroke (NIHSS <=
      7) underwent a brain MRI at presentation. Presence of lacunes, white matter
      hyperintensities, cerebral microbleeds, and perivascular spaces were summed in a
      total cerebral small vessel disease MRI burden score (range 0-4). Gait
      disturbances, measured by timed-up-and-go test and self-reported stroke impact
      scale mobility domain were assessed three years after stroke. We tested
      associations adjusted for key variables by linear regression analysis. Results
      Total cerebral small vessel disease burden was not associated with gait
      impairment after minor stroke in all patients, nor in lacunar stroke patients ( n
      = 87). In non-lacunar stroke patients ( n = 113), total cerebral small vessel
      disease burden was associated with lower stroke impact scale mobility domain
      scores, independent of age, vascular risk factors, and stroke severity
      (unstandardized B -4.61; 95% CI -8.42; -0.79, p < 0.05). Conclusion Patients with
      non-lacunar stroke and a higher total cerebral small vessel disease burden have
      more subjective mobility impairment three years after stroke. The total cerebral
      small vessel disease MRI burden score is a possible marker to identify patients
      at risk for subjective gait impairment. These findings should be confirmed in
      larger studies.

PMID- 28906204
TI  - Context is everything: From cardiovascular disease to cerebral microbleeds.
AB  - Increasingly, our approach to cerebrovascular disease has become blurred by
      evidence published in literature often without careful consideration of what this
      evidence implies for specific patients at hand. In this essay, we analyze key
      contextual issues in cerebrovascular small vessel disease, in an attempt to
      highlight the symbolic gap that exists between research and clinical practice, a
      recurring theme in medicine. We highlight the importance of considering context
      when using data from epidemiologic, neuroimaging, and biomarker studies in
      determining relevance to the patient at hand. We argue, that while biomarkers and
      neuroimaging may eventually serve to help to identify individuals with specific
      cerebrovascular diseases, we must always continue to understand patients in a
      specific clinical context. These reflections are particularly relevant when
      considering cerebral microbleeds-a key marker of cerebrovascular small vessel
      disease whose detection often raises thorny clinical dilemmas.

PMID- 28906205
TI  - Preventing cognitive decline and dementia from cerebral small vessel disease: The
      LACI-1 Trial. Protocol and statistical analysis plan of a phase IIa dose
      escalation trial testing tolerability, safety and effect on intermediary
      endpoints of isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol, separately and in
      combination.
AB  - Rationale The pathophysiology of most lacunar stroke, a form of small vessel
      disease, is thought to differ from large artery atherothrombo- or cardio-embolic
      stroke. Licensed drugs, isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol, have promising
      mechanisms of action to support their testing to prevent stroke recurrence,
      cognitive impairment, or radiological progression after lacunar stroke. Aim LACI
      1 will assess the tolerability, safety, and efficacy, by dose, of isosorbide
      mononitrate and cilostazol, alone and in combination, in patients with ischemic
      lacunar stroke. Sample size A sample of 60 provides 80+% power (significance
      0.05) to detect a difference of 35% (90% versus 55%) between those reaching
      target dose on one versus both drugs. Methods and design LACI-1 is a phase IIa
      partial factorial, dose-escalation, prospective, randomized, open label, blinded
      endpoint trial. Participants are randomized to isosorbide mononitrate and/or
      cilostazol for 11 weeks with dose escalation to target as tolerated in two
      centers (Edinburgh, Nottingham). At three visits, tolerability, safety, blood
      pressure, pulse wave velocity, and platelet function are assessed, plus magnetic
      resonance imaging to assess cerebrovascular reactivity in a subgroup. Study
      outcomes Primary: proportion of patients completing study achieving target
      maximum dose. Secondary symptoms whilst taking medications; safety (hemorrhage,
      recurrent vascular events, falls); blood pressure, platelet function, arterial
      stiffness, and cerebrovascular reactivity. Discussion This study will inform the
      design of a larger phase III trial of isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol in
      lacunar stroke, whilst providing data on the drugs' effects on vascular and
      platelet function. Trial registration ISRCTN (ISRCTN12580546) and EudraCT (2015
      001953-33).

PMID- 28906206
TI  - Anatomical characteristics of the styloid process in internal carotid artery
      dissection: Case-control study.
AB  - Introduction Pathophysiology of cervical artery dissection is complex and poorly
      understood. In addition to well-known causative and predisposing factors,
      including major trauma and monogenic connective tissue disorders, morphological
      characteristics of the styloid process have been recently recognized as a
      possible risk factor for cervical internal carotid artery dissection. Aims To
      study the association of the anatomical characteristics of styloid process with
      internal carotid artery dissection. Methods Retrospective, multicenter, case
      control study of patients with internal carotid artery dissection and age- and
      sex-matched controls. Consecutive patients with internal carotid artery
      dissection and controls with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack of any
      etiology excluding internal carotid artery dissection, who had performed computed
      tomography angiography, diagnosed between January 2010 and September 2016. Two
      independent observers measured styloid process length and styloid process
      distance to internal carotid artery. Results Sixty-two patients with internal
      carotid artery dissection and 70 controls were included. Interobserver agreement
      was good for styloid process length and styloid process-internal carotid artery
      distance (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.89 and 0.76, respectively).
      Styloid process ipsilateral to dissection was longer than left and right styloid
      process in controls (35.8 +/- 14.4 mm versus 30.4 +/- 8.9 mm and 30.3 +/- 8.2 mm,
      p = 0.011 and p = 0.008, respectively). Styloid process-internal carotid artery
      distance ipsilateral to dissection was shorter than left and right distance in
      controls (6.3 +/- 1.9 mm versus 7.2 +/- 2.1 mm and 7.0 +/- 2.3 mm, p = 0.003 and
      p = 0.026, respectively). Internal carotid artery dissection was associated with
      styloid process length (odds ratio = 1.04 mm-1, 95% confidence interval = 1.01
      1.08, p = 0.015) and styloid process-internal carotid artery distance (OR = 0.77
      mm-1, 95% confidence interval = 0.64-0.92, p = 0.004). Conclusion Longer styloid
      process and shorter distance between styloid process and cervical internal
      carotid artery are associated with cervical internal carotid artery dissection.

PMID- 28906207
TI  - High absolute basophil count is a powerful independent predictor of inferior
      overall survival in patients with primary myelofibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical and prognostic significance of absolute
      basophil count (ABC) in patients with primary myelofibrosis (PMF). METHODS: We
      retrospectively investigated 58 patients with PMF treated in our institution in
      the period from 2006 to 2017. ABC was obtained in addition to other hematological
      and clinical parameters. Patients were separated into high and low ABC groups
      using the Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: ABC was
      higher in PMF patients than in healthy controls (P < 0.001). Patients with high
      ABC had higher white blood cells (P < 0.001), higher red cell distribution width
      (P = 0.035), higher lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.001), more frequently had
      circulatory blasts (P < 0.001), constitutional symptoms (P = 0.030) and massive
      splenomegaly (P = 0.014). ABC was also positively correlated with absolute
      monocyte count (AMC) (P < 0.001) and other components of differential blood
      count. There was no difference in ABC regarding driver mutations or degree of
      bone marrow fibrosis. Univariately, high ABC was significantly associated with
      inferior overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) 4.79, P < 0.001). This effect
      remained statistically significant (HR 4.27, P = 0.009) in a multivariate Cox
      regression model adjusted for age, gender, Dynamic International Prognostic
      Scoring System (HR 2.6, P = 0.001) and AMC (HR 8.45, P = 0.002). DISCUSSION: High
      ABC reflects higher disease activity and stronger proliferative potential of
      disease. ABC and AMC independently predict survival and therefore seem to reflect
      different underlying pathophysiologic processes. Hence, both have a potential for
      improvement of current prognostic scores. CONCLUSION: Basophils represent a part
      of malignant clone in PMF and are associated with unfavorable disease features
      and poor prognosis which is independent of currently established prognostic
      scoring system and monocytosis.

PMID- 28906208
TI  - Pattern-recognition receptors: signaling pathways and dysregulation in canine
      chronic enteropathies-brief review.
AB  - Pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) are expressed by innate immune cells and
      recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) as well as endogenous
      damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules. With a large potential for
      synergism or convergence between their signaling pathways, PRRs orchestrate a
      complex interplay of cellular mediators and transcription factors, and thus play
      a central role in homeostasis and host defense. Aberrant activation of PRR
      signaling, mutations of the receptors and/or their downstream signaling
      molecules, and/or DAMP/PAMP complex-mediated receptor signaling can potentially
      lead to chronic auto-inflammatory diseases or development of cancer. PRR
      signaling pathways appear to also present an interesting new avenue for the
      modulation of inflammatory responses and to serve as potential novel therapeutic
      targets. Evidence for a dysregulation of the PRR toll-like receptor (TLR)2, TLR4,
      TLR5, and TLR9, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein
      (NOD)2, and the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) exists in dogs
      with chronic enteropathies. We describe the TLR, NOD2, and RAGE signaling
      pathways and evaluate the current veterinary literature-in comparison to human
      medicine-to determine the role of TLRs, NOD2, and RAGE in canine chronic
      enteropathies.

PMID- 28906231
TI  - Health and Healthcare in Canada 150 Years After Confederation and Beyond.

PMID- 28906230
TI  - Novel insights into bat influenza A viruses.
AB  - In 2012 and 2013, influenza virus genome sequences of two new influenza A virus
      (IAV) subtypes were discovered in bat specimens, but further characterization was
      largely impeded by the lack of infectious virus. With the identification of
      highly susceptible cell lines, reconstitution of infectious bat IAV by reverse
      genetics recently succeeded and allowed a first insight into the life cycle of
      these viruses. Although there is a certain degree of functional compatibility
      between bat and conventional influenza A virus proteins, there are striking
      differences, including receptor usage, polarity of infection and reassortment
      potential.

PMID- 28906232
TI  - The Pharmaceutical Industry and the Canadian Government: Folie a Deux.
AB  - The interest of the pharmaceutical industry is in achieving a profit for its
      shareholders while the interest of the Canadian government should be in
      protecting public health. However, over the course of the past few decades the
      actions of the Canadian government have been tilted in favour of industry in two
      areas. The first is in the relationship between industry and Health Canada and is
      manifested in the regulation of clinical trials, the drug approval system, drug
      safety and promotion. The second is in economic policy as it applies to policies
      about patent protection, the price of medications and measures taken to
      incentivize research and development. The problems in the relationship are
      structural and will only be solved through systemic changes.

PMID- 28906233
TI  - Marijuana Use and Perceptions of Risk and Harm: A Survey among Canadians in 2016.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe marijuana use by Canadians and their perceptions of risk
      and harm. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, structured, online and telephone survey.
      PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of Canadians. METHODS: This
      survey used random probability sampling and targeted respondents based on age,
      sex, region and their expected response rate. RESULTS: Of the 20% of respondents
      reporting marijuana use in the past 12 months, they were more likely to be
      younger and male. The most common form of use was smoking, 79%. When asked about
      harmfulness, 42% and 41% responded that they considered marijuana more harmful
      than helpful to mental health and to physical health, respectively. When asked
      about driving under the influence, 71% responded that it was the same as alcohol.
      CONCLUSION: This research is important for health providers and policy makers
      seeking to maximize public health through clinical and legislative reform of non
      medical use of marijuana.

PMID- 28906234
TI  - An Integrated Needs-Based Approach to Health Service and Health Workforce
      Planning: Applications for Pandemic Influenza.
AB  - Healthcare systems must be responsive to the healthcare needs of the populations
      they serve. However, typically neither health services nor health workforce
      planning account for populations' needs for care, resulting in substantial and
      unnecessary unmet needs. These are further exacerbated during unexpected surges
      in need, such as pandemics or natural disasters. To illustrate the potential of
      improved methods to help planning for these types of events, we applied an
      integrated, needs-based approach to health service and workforce planning in the
      context of a potential influenza pandemic at the provincial level in Canada. This
      application provides evidence on the province's capacity to respond to surges in
      need for healthcare and identifies specific services which may be in short supply
      in such scenarios. This type of approach can be implemented by planners to
      address a variety of health issues in different contexts.

PMID- 28906235
TI  - Is Canadian Healthcare Affordable? A Comparative Analysis of the Canadian
      Healthcare System from 2004 to 2014.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare cost-related non-adherence (CRNA), serious problems paying
      medical bills and average annual out-of-pocket cost over time in five countries.
      METHODS: Repeated cross-sectional analysis of the Commonwealth Fund International
      Health Policy survey from 2004 to 2014. Responses were compared between Canada,
      the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US. RESULTS: Compared to the UK,
      respondents in Canada, Australia and New Zealand were two to three times and
      respondents in the US were eight times more likely to experience CRNA; these odds
      remained stable over time. From 2004 to 2014, Canadian respondents paid US $852
      1,767 out-of-pocket for care. The US reported the largest risks of serious
      problems paying for care (13-18.5%), highest out-of-pocket costs (US $2,060
      3,319) and greatest rise in expenditures. INTERPRETATION: Over the 10-year
      period, financial barriers to care were identified in Canada and internationally.
      Such persistent challenges are of great concern to countries striving for
      equitable access to healthcare.

PMID- 28906238
TI  - Safe Stimulus Intensities for VEMP Testing.

PMID- 28906236
TI  - Ranked Performance of Canada's Health System on the International Stage: A
      Scoping Review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since the release of the World Health Report in 2000, health system
      performance ranking studies have garnered significant health policy attention.
      However, this literature has produced variable results. The objective of this
      study was to synthesize the research and analyze the ranked performance of
      Canada's health system on the international stage. METHOD: We conducted a scoping
      review exploring Canada's place in ranked health system performance among its
      peer Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Arksey and
      O'Malley's five-stage scoping review framework was adopted, yielding 48 academic
      and grey literature articles. A literature extraction tool was developed to
      gather information on themes that emerged from the literature. SYNTHESIS:
      Although various methodologies were used to rank health system performance
      internationally, results generally suggested that Canada has been a middle-of-the
      pack performer in overall health system performance for the last 15 years.
      Canada's overall rankings were 7/191, 11/24, 10/11, 10/17, "Promising" and "B"
      grade across different studies. According to past literature, Canada performed
      well in areas of efficiency, productivity, attaining health system goals, years
      of life lived with disability and stroke mortality. By contrast, Canada performed
      poorly in areas related to disability-adjusted life expectancy, potential years
      of life lost, obesity in adults and children, diabetes, female lung cancer and
      infant mortality. CONCLUSION: As countries introduce health system reforms aimed
      at improving the health of populations, international comparisons are useful to
      inform cross-country learning in health and social policy. While ranking systems
      do have shortcomings, they can serve to shine a spotlight on Canada's health
      system strengths and weaknesses to better inform the health policy agenda.

PMID- 28906237
TI  - Exploring Context and the Factors Shaping Team-Based Primary Healthcare Policies
      in Three Canadian Provinces: A Comparative Analysis.
AB  - This paper discusses findings from a high-level scan of the contextual factors
      and actors that influenced policies on team-based primary healthcare in three
      Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The team searched
      diverse sources (e.g., news reports, press releases, discussion papers) for
      contextual information relevant to primary healthcare teams. We also conducted
      qualitative interviews with key health system informants from the three
      provinces. Data from documents and interviews were analyzed qualitatively using
      thematic analysis. We then wrote narrative summaries highlighting pivotal policy
      and local system events and the influence of actors and context. Our overall
      findings highlight the value of reviewing the context, relationships and power
      dynamics, which come together and create "policy windows" at different points in
      time. We observed physician-centric policy processes with some recent moves to
      rebalance power and be inclusive of other actors and perspectives. The context
      review also highlighted the significant influence of changes in political
      leadership and prioritization in driving policies on team-based care. While this
      existed in different degrees in the three provinces, the push and pull of
      political and professional power dynamics shaped Canadian provincial policies
      governing team-based care. If we are to move team-based primary healthcare
      forward in Canada, the provinces need to review the external factors and the
      complex set of relationships and trade-offs that underscore the policy process.

PMID- 28906239
TI  - Auditory Processing Testing: In the Booth versus Outside the Booth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many audiologists believe that auditory processing testing must be
      carried out in a soundproof booth. This expectation is especially a problem in
      places such as elementary schools. Research comparing pure-tone thresholds
      obtained in sound booths compared to quiet test environments outside of these
      booths does not support that belief. Auditory processing testing is generally
      carried out at above threshold levels, and therefore may be even less likely to
      require a soundproof booth. The present study was carried out to compare test
      results in soundproof booths versus quiet rooms. PURPOSE: The purpose of this
      study was to determine whether auditory processing tests can be administered in a
      quiet test room rather than in the soundproof test suite. The outcomes would
      identify that audiologists can provide auditory processing testing for children
      under various test conditions including quiet rooms at their school. RESEARCH
      DESIGN: A battery of auditory processing tests was administered at a test level
      equivalent to 50 dB HL through headphones. The same equipment was used for
      testing in both locations. STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty participants identified with
      normal hearing were included in this study, ten having no auditory processing
      concerns and ten exhibiting auditory processing problems. All participants
      underwent a battery of tests, both inside the test booth and outside the booth in
      a quiet room. Order of testing (inside versus outside) was counterbalanced. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Participants were first determined to have normal
      hearing thresholds for tones and speech. Auditory processing tests were recorded
      and presented from an HP EliteBook laptop computer with noise-canceling
      headphones attached to a y-cord that not only presented the test stimuli to the
      participants but also allowed monitor headphones to be worn by the evaluator. The
      same equipment was used inside as well as outside the booth. RESULTS: No
      differences were found for each auditory processing measure as a function of the
      test setting or the order in which testing was done, that is, in the booth or in
      the room. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the present study indicate that one can
      obtain the same results on auditory processing tests, regardless of whether
      testing is completed in a soundproof booth or in a quiet test environment.
      Therefore, audiologists should not be required to test for auditory processing in
      a soundproof booth. This study shows that audiologists can conduct testing in a
      quiet room so long as the background noise is sufficiently controlled.

PMID- 28906240
TI  - Listening Effort Measured in Adults with Normal Hearing and Cochlear Implants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have examined listening effort in individuals with hearing
      loss to determine the extent of the impairment. Regarding cochlear implants
      (CIs), results suggest that listening effort is improved using bilateral CIs
      compared to unilateral CIs. Few studies have investigated listening effort and
      outcomes related to the hybrid CI. PURPOSE: Here, we compared listening effort
      across three CI groups, and to a normal-hearing control group. The impact of
      listener traits, that is, age, age at onset of hearing loss, duration of CI use,
      and working memory capacity, were examined relative to listening effort. RESEARCH
      DESIGN: The participants completed a dual-task paradigm with a primary task
      identifying sentences in noise and a secondary task measuring reaction time on a
      Stroop test. Performance was assessed for all participant groups at different
      signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), ranging in 2-dB steps from 0 to +10 dB relative to
      an individual's SNR-50, at which the speech recognition performance is 50%
      correct. Participants completed three questions on listening effort, the Spatial
      Hearing Questionnaire, and a reading span test. STUDY SAMPLE: All 46 participants
      were adults. The four participant groups included (1) 12 individuals with normal
      hearing, (2) 10 with unilateral CIs, (3) 12 with bilateral CIs, and (4) 12 with a
      hybrid short-electrode CI and bilateral residual hearing. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: Results from the dual-task experiment were compared using a mixed 4
      (hearing group) by 6 (SNR condition) analysis of variance (ANOVA). Questionnaire
      results were compared using one-way ANOVAs, and correlations between listener
      traits and the objective and subjective measures were compared using Pearson
      correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in speech
      perception among the normal-hearing and the unilateral and the bilateral CI
      groups. There was no difference in primary task performance among the hybrid CI
      and the normal-hearing groups. Across the six SNR conditions, listening effort
      improved to a greater degree for the normal-hearing group compared to the CI
      groups. However, there was no significant difference in listening effort between
      the CI groups. The subjective measures revealed significant differences between
      the normal-hearing and CI groups, but no difference among the three CI groups.
      Across all groups, age was significantly correlated with listening effort. We
      found no relationship between listening effort and the age at the onset of
      hearing loss, age at implantation, the duration of CI use, and working memory
      capacity for these participants. CONCLUSIONS: Listening effort was reduced to a
      greater degree for the normal-hearing group compared to the CI users. There was
      no significant difference in listening effort among the CI groups. For the CI
      users in this study, age was a significant factor with regard to listening
      effort, whereas other variables such as the duration of CI use and the age at the
      onset of hearing loss were not significantly related to listening effort.

PMID- 28906241
TI  - Tracking of Noise Tolerance to Measure Hearing Aid Benefit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The benefits offered by noise reduction (NR) features on a hearing
      aid had been studied traditionally using test conditions that set the hearing
      aids into a stable state of performance. While adequate, this approach does not
      allow the differentiation of two NR algorithms that differ in their timing
      characteristics (i.e., activation and stabilization time). PURPOSE: The current
      study investigated a new method of measuring noise tolerance (Tracking of Noise
      Tolerance [TNT]) as a means to differentiate hearing aid technologies. The study
      determined the within-session and between-session reliability of the procedure.
      The benefits provided by various hearing aid conditions (aided, two NR
      algorithms, and a directional microphone algorithm) were measured using this
      procedure. Performance on normal-hearing listeners was also measured for
      referencing. RESEARCH DESIGN: A single-blinded, repeated-measures design was
      used. STUDY SAMPLE: Thirteen experienced hearing aid wearers with a bilaterally
      symmetrical (<=10 dB) mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss participated in
      the study. In addition, seven normal-hearing listeners were tested in the unaided
      condition. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Participants tracked the noise level
      that met the criterion of tolerable noise level (TNL) in the presence of an 85 dB
      SPL continuous discourse passage. The test conditions included an unaided
      condition and an aided condition with combinations of NR and microphone modes
      within the UNIQUE hearing aid (omnidirectional microphone, no NR; omnidirectional
      microphone, NR; directional microphone, no NR; and directional microphone, NR)
      and the DREAM hearing aid (omnidirectional microphone, no NR; omnidirectional
      microphone, NR). Each tracking trial lasted 2 min for each hearing aid condition.
      Normal-hearing listeners tracked in the unaided condition only. Nine of the 13
      hearing-impaired listeners returned after 3 mo for retesting in the unaided and
      aided conditions with the UNIQUE hearing aid. The individual TNL was estimated
      for each participant for all test conditions. The TNT index was calculated as the
      difference between 85 dB SPL and the TNL. RESULTS: The TNT index varied from 2.2
      dB in the omnidirectional microphone, no NR condition to -4.4 dB in the
      directional microphone, NR on condition. Normal-hearing listeners reported a TNT
      index of -5.7 dB using this procedure. The averaged improvement in TNT offered by
      the NR algorithm on the UNIQUE varied from 2.1 dB when used with a directional
      microphone to 3.0 dB when used with the omnidirectional microphone. The time
      course of the NR algorithm was different between the UNIQUE and the DREAM hearing
      aids, with the UNIQUE reaching a stable TNL sooner than the DREAM. The averaged
      improvement in TNT index from the UNIQUE directional microphone was 3.6 dB when
      NR was activated and 4.4 dB when NR was deactivated. Together, directional
      microphone and NR resulted in a total TNT improvement of 6.5 dB. The test-retest
      reliability of the procedure was high, with an intrasession 95% confidence
      interval (CI) of 2.2 dB and an intersession 95% CI of 4.2 dB. CONCLUSIONS: The
      effect of the NR and directional microphone algorithms was measured to be 2-3 and
      3.6-4.4 dB, respectively, using the TNT procedure. Because of its tracking
      property and reliability, this procedure may hold promise in differentiating
      among some hearing aid features that also differ in their time course of action.

PMID- 28906242
TI  - Safe Use of Acoustic Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential Stimuli: Protocol and
      Patient-Specific Considerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are commonly used
      clinical assessments for patients with complaints of dizziness. However,
      relatively high air-conducted stimuli are required to elicit the VEMP, and
      ultimately may compromise safe noise exposure limits. Recently, research has
      reported the potential for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) from VEMP stimulus
      exposure through studies of reduced otoacoustic emission levels after VEMP
      testing, as well as a recent case study showing permanent sensorineural hearing
      loss associated with VEMP exposure. PURPOSE: The purpose of this report is to
      review the potential for hazardous noise exposure from VEMP stimuli and to
      suggest clinical parameters for safe VEMP testing. RESEARCH DESIGN: Literature
      review with presentation of clinical guidelines and a clinical tool for
      estimating noise exposure. RESULTS: The literature surrounding VEMP stimulus
      induced hearing loss is reviewed, including several cases of overexposure. The
      article then presents a clinical calculation tool for the estimation of a
      patient's safe noise exposure from VEMP stimuli, considering stimulus parameters,
      and includes a discussion of how varying stimulus parameters affect a patient's
      noise exposure. Finally, recommendations are provided for recognizing and
      managing specific patient populations who may be at higher risk for NIHL from
      VEMP stimulus exposure. A sample protocol is provided that allows for safe noise
      exposure. CONCLUSIONS: VEMP stimuli have the potential to cause NIHL due to high
      sound exposure levels. However, with proper safety protocols in place, clinicians
      may reduce or eliminate this risk to their patients. Use of the tools provided,
      including the noise exposure calculation tool and sample protocols, may help
      clinicians to understand and ensure safe use of VEMP stimuli.

PMID- 28906243
TI  - Pediatric Hearing Aid Management: Challenges among Hispanic Families.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hearing aid fitting in infancy has become more common in the United
      States as a result of earlier identification of hearing loss. Consistency of
      hearing aid use is an area of concern for young children, as well as other
      hearing aid management challenges parents encounter that may contribute to less
      than-optimal speech and language outcomes. Research that describes parent hearing
      aid management experiences of Spanish-speaking Hispanic families, or the extent
      of their needs, is not available. To effectively support parent learning, in a
      culturally sensitive manner, providers may benefit from having a better
      understanding of the needs and challenges Hispanic families experience with
      hearing aid management. PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to describe
      challenges with hearing aid management and use for children from birth to 5 yr of
      age, as reported by Spanish-speaking parents in the United States, and factors
      that may influence hearing aid use. RESEARCH DESIGN: This study used a cross
      sectional survey design. STUDY SAMPLE: Forty-two Spanish-speaking parents of
      children up to 5 yr of age who had been fitted with hearing aids. DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: Responses were obtained from surveys mailed to parents through
      early intervention programs and audiology clinics. Descriptive statistics were
      used to describe frequencies and variance in responses. RESULTS: Forty-seven
      percent of the parents reported the need for help from an interpreter during
      audiology appointments. Even though parents received information and were taught
      skills by their audiologist, many wanted to receive more information. For
      example, 59% wanted to know how to meet other parents of children who have
      hearing loss, although 88% had previously received this information; 56% wanted
      to know how to do basic hearing aid maintenance, although 71% had previously
      received instruction. The two most frequently reported hearing aid use challenges
      were fear of losing the hearing aids, and not seeing benefit from the hearing
      aids. Hearing aid use during all waking hours was reported by more parents (66%)
      when their child had a good day than when their child had a bad day (37%); during
      the previous two weeks, 35% of the parents indicated their child had all good
      days. CONCLUSIONS: Hispanic parents wanted more comprehensive information,
      concrete resources, and emotional support from the audiologist to overcome
      hearing aid management challenges. Understanding parents' perspectives,
      experiences, and challenges is critical for audiologists to provide appropriate
      support in a culturally sensitive manner and to effectively address families'
      needs.

PMID- 28906244
TI  - Hearing Aid Use and Mild Hearing Impairment: Learnings from Big Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous research, mostly reliant on self-reports, has indicated that
      hearing aid (HA) use is related to the degree of hearing impairment (HI). No
      large-scale investigation of the relationship between data-logged HA use and HI
      has been conducted to date. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate if objective
      measures of overall daily HA use and HA use in various listening environments are
      different for adults with mild HI compared to adults with moderate HI. RESEARCH
      DESIGN: This retrospective study used data extracted from a database of fitting
      appointments from an international group of HA providers. Only data from the
      participants' most recent fitting appointment were included in the final dataset.
      STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 8,489 bilateral HA fittings of adults over the age of 18
      yr, conducted between January 2013 and June 2014, were included. Participants
      were subsequently allocated to HI groups, based on British Society of Audiology
      and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association audiometric descriptors. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Fitting data from participating HA providers were
      regularly transferred to a central server. The data, with all personal
      information except age and gender removed, contained participants' four-frequency
      average (at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz) as well as information on HA
      characteristics and usage. Following data cleaning, bivariate and post hoc
      statistical analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The total sample of adults' average
      daily HA use was 8.52 hr (interquartile range [IQR] = 5.49-11.77) in the left ear
      and 8.51 hr (IQR = 5.49-11.72) in the right ear. With a few exceptions, there
      were no statistical differences between hours of HA use for participants with
      mild HI compared to those with moderate impairment. Across all mild and moderate
      HI groups, the most common overall HA usage was between 8 and 12 hr per day.
      Other factors such as age, gender, and HA style also showed no relationship to
      hours of use. HAs were used, on average, for 7 hr (IQR = 4.27-9.96) per day in
      quiet and 1 hr (IQR = 0.33-1.41) per day in noisy listening situations.
      CONCLUSIONS: Clinical populations with mild HI use HAs as frequently as those
      with a moderate HI. These findings support the recommendation of HAs for adults
      with milder degrees of HI.

PMID- 28906245
TI  - Potential Audiological and MRI Markers of Tinnitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Subjective tinnitus, or ringing sensation in the ear, is a common
      disorder with no accepted objective diagnostic markers. PURPOSE: The purpose of
      this study was to identify possible objective markers of tinnitus by combining
      audiological and imaging-based techniques. RESEARCH DESIGN: Case-control studies.
      STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty adults drawn from our audiology clinic served as
      participants. The tinnitus group consisted of ten participants with chronic
      bilateral constant tinnitus, and the control group consisted of ten participants
      with no history of tinnitus. Each participant with tinnitus was closely matched
      with a control participant on the basis of age, gender, and hearing thresholds.
      DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSES: Data acquisition focused on systematic
      administration and evaluation of various audiological tests, including auditory
      evoked potentials (AEP) and otoacoustic emissions, and magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) tests. A total of 14 objective test measures (predictors) obtained from
      audiological and MRI tests were subjected to statistical analyses to identify the
      best predictors of tinnitus group membership. The least absolute shrinkage and
      selection operator technique for feature extraction, supplemented by the leave
      one-out cross-validation technique, were used to extract the best predictors.
      This approach provided a conservative model that was highly regularized with its
      error within 1 standard error of the minimum. RESULTS: The model selected
      increased frontal cortex (FC) functional MRI activity to pure tones matching
      their respective tinnitus pitch, and augmented AEP wave N1 amplitude growth in
      the tinnitus group as the top two predictors of tinnitus group membership. These
      findings suggest that the amplified responses to acoustic signals and
      hyperactivity in attention regions of the brain may be a result of overattention
      among individuals that experience chronic tinnitus. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      suggest that increased functional MRI activity in the FC to sounds and augmented
      N1 amplitude growth may potentially be the objective diagnostic indicators of
      tinnitus. However, due to the small sample size and lack of subgroups within the
      tinnitus population in this study, more research is needed before generalizing
      these findings.

PMID- 28906246
TI  - The Relationship between Central Auditory Processing, Language, and Cognition in
      Children Being Evaluated for Central Auditory Processing Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pediatric central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is frequently
      comorbid with other childhood disorders. However, few studies have examined the
      relationship between commonly used CAPD, language, and cognition tests within the
      same sample. PURPOSE: The present study examined the relationship between
      diagnostic CAPD tests and "gold standard" measures of language and cognitive
      ability, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF) and the Wechsler
      Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). RESEARCH DESIGN: A retrospective study.
      STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-seven patients referred for CAPD testing who scored average
      or better on the CELF and low average or better on the WISC were initially
      included. Seven children who scored below the CELF and/or WISC inclusion criteria
      were then added to the dataset for a second analysis, yielding a sample size of
      34. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Participants were administered a CAPD battery
      that included at least the following three CAPD tests: Frequency Patterns (FP),
      Dichotic Digits (DD), and Competing Sentences (CS). In addition, they were
      administered the CELF and WISC. Relationships between scores on CAPD, language
      (CELF), and cognition (WISC) tests were examined using correlation analysis.
      RESULTS: DD and FP showed significant correlations with Full Scale Intelligence
      Quotient, and the DD left ear and the DD interaural difference measures both
      showed significant correlations with working memory. However, ~80% or more of the
      variance in these CAPD tests was unexplained by language and cognition measures.
      Language and cognition measures were more strongly correlated with each other
      than were the CAPD tests with any CELF or WISC scale. Additional correlations
      with the CAPD tests were revealed when patients who scored in the mild-moderate
      deficit range on the CELF and/or in the borderline low intellectual functioning
      range on the WISC were included in the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: While both the DD
      and FP tests showed significant correlations with one or more cognition measures,
      the majority of the variance in these CAPD measures went unexplained by
      cognition. Unlike DD and FP, the CS test was not correlated with cognition.
      Additionally, language measures were not significantly correlated with any of the
      CAPD tests. Our findings emphasize that the outcomes and interpretation of
      results vary as a function of the subject inclusion criteria that are applied for
      the CELF and WISC. Including participants with poorer cognition and/or language
      scores increased the number of significant correlations observed. For this
      reason, it is important that studies investigating the relationship between CAPD
      and other domains or disorders report the specific inclusion criteria used for
      all tests.

PMID- 28906248
TI  - Transcription of a 5' extended mRNA isoform directs dynamic chromatin changes and
      interference of a downstream promoter.
AB  - Cell differentiation programs require dynamic regulation of gene expression.
      During meiotic prophase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, expression of the
      kinetochore complex subunit Ndc80 is downregulated by a 5' extended long
      undecoded NDC80 transcript isoform. Here we demonstrate a transcriptional
      interference mechanism that is responsible for inhibiting expression of the
      coding NDC80 mRNA isoform. Transcription from a distal NDC80 promoter directs
      Set1-dependent histone H3K4 dimethylation and Set2-dependent H3K36 trimethylation
      to establish a repressive chromatin state in the downstream canonical NDC80
      promoter. As a consequence, NDC80 expression is repressed during meiotic
      prophase. The transcriptional mechanism described here is rapidly reversible,
      adaptable to fine-tune gene expression, and relies on Set2 and the Set3 histone
      deacetylase complex. Thus, expression of a 5' extended mRNA isoform causes
      transcriptional interference at the downstream promoter. We demonstrate that this
      is an effective mechanism to promote dynamic changes in gene expression during
      cell differentiation.

PMID- 28906250
TI  - The AAA protein Msp1 mediates clearance of excess tail-anchored proteins from the
      peroxisomal membrane.
AB  - Msp1 is a conserved AAA ATPase in budding yeast localized to mitochondria where
      it prevents accumulation of mistargeted tail-anchored (TA) proteins, including
      the peroxisomal TA protein Pex15. Msp1 also resides on peroxisomes but it remains
      unknown how native TA proteins on mitochondria and peroxisomes evade Msp1
      surveillance. We used live-cell quantitative cell microscopy tools and drug
      inducible gene expression to dissect Msp1 function. We found that a small
      fraction of peroxisomal Pex15, exaggerated by overexpression, is turned over by
      Msp1. Kinetic measurements guided by theoretical modeling revealed that Pex15
      molecules at mitochondria display age-independent Msp1 sensitivity. By contrast,
      Pex15 molecules at peroxisomes are rapidly converted from an initial Msp1
      sensitive to an Msp1-resistant state. Lastly, we show that Pex15 interacts with
      the peroxisomal membrane protein Pex3, which shields Pex15 from Msp1-dependent
      turnover. In sum, our work argues that Msp1 selects its substrates on the basis
      of their solitary membrane existence.

PMID- 28906249
TI  - Kinetochore inactivation by expression of a repressive mRNA.
AB  - Differentiation programs such as meiosis depend on extensive gene regulation to
      mediate cellular morphogenesis. Meiosis requires transient removal of the outer
      kinetochore, the complex that connects microtubules to chromosomes. How the
      meiotic gene expression program temporally restricts kinetochore function is
      unknown. We discovered that in budding yeast, kinetochore inactivation occurs by
      reducing the abundance of a limiting subunit, Ndc80. Furthermore, we uncovered an
      integrated mechanism that acts at the transcriptional and translational level to
      repress NDC80 expression. Central to this mechanism is the developmentally
      controlled transcription of an alternate NDC80 mRNA isoform, which itself cannot
      produce protein due to regulatory upstream ORFs in its extended 5' leader.
      Instead, transcription of this isoform represses the canonical NDC80 mRNA
      expression in cis, thereby inhibiting Ndc80 protein synthesis. This model of gene
      regulation raises the intriguing notion that transcription of an mRNA, despite
      carrying a canonical coding sequence, can directly cause gene repression.

PMID- 28906251
TI  - Centriole triplet microtubules are required for stable centriole formation and
      inheritance in human cells.
AB  - Centrioles are composed of long-lived microtubules arranged in nine triplets.
      However, the contribution of triplet microtubules to mammalian centriole
      formation and stability is unknown. Little is known of the mechanism of triplet
      microtubule formation, but experiments in unicellular eukaryotes indicate that
      delta-tubulin and epsilon-tubulin, two less-studied tubulin family members, are
      required. Here, we report that centrioles in delta-tubulin and epsilon-tubulin
      null mutant human cells lack triplet microtubules and fail to undergo centriole
      maturation. These aberrant centrioles are formed de novo each cell cycle, but are
      unstable and do not persist to the next cell cycle, leading to a futile cycle of
      centriole formation and disintegration. Disintegration can be suppressed by
      paclitaxel treatment. Delta-tubulin and epsilon-tubulin physically interact,
      indicating that these tubulins act together to maintain triplet microtubules and
      that these are necessary for inheritance of centrioles from one cell cycle to the
      next.

PMID- 28906253
TI  - Latest Insights on Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome: An Emerging
      Medical Condition.
AB  - Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a type of non-IgE-mediated
      gastrointestinal food hypersensitivity characterized by profuse vomiting that is
      frequently associated with pallor or/and lethargy and appears within 1 to 3 hours
      after ingestion of the offending food. A less frequent chronic form of FPIES is
      characterized by protracted vomiting, diarrhea, or both accompanied by poor
      growth. Although FPIES is considered a rare allergic disorder, increasing reports
      in recent years point to a real increase in incidence, or at least an increased
      awareness of this condition by pediatricians. The foods most frequently
      implicated are cow's milk, soy formula, grains, and fish, depending on the
      geographic area. Diagnosis is based on clinical manifestations and requires a
      high index of suspicion, since we still lack a diagnostic laboratory tool. Early
      recognition of FPIES and removal of the offending food are mandatory.
      International consensus guidelines on diagnosis and management have been
      published. Prognosis is usually good, with most children tolerating foods before
      6 years of age.

PMID- 28906252
TI  - The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Allergic Specific (WPAI-AS)
      Questionnaire Using Mobile Technology: The MASK Study.

PMID- 28906254
TI  - A synoptic review of Caryophyllaeus Gmelin, 1790 (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea),
      parasites of cyprinid fishes.
AB  - Tapeworms of the genus Caryophyllaeus Gmelin, 1790 (Caryophyllidea:
      Caryophyllaeidae), common parasites of cyprinid fishes, are reviewed and
      taxonomic status of 42 nominal taxa that have been placed in the genus during its
      long history is clarified. The following seven species occurring in the
      Palaearctic Region are recognised as valid: C. laticeps (Pallas, 1781), C.
      auriculatus (Kulakovskaya, 1961), C. balticus (Szidat, 1941) comb. n. (syn.
      Khawia baltica Szidat, 1941), C. brachycollis Janiszewska, 1953, C. fimbriceps
      Annenkova-Chlopina, 1919, C. syrdarjensis Skrjabin, 1913, and newly described
      Caryophyllaeus chondrostomi sp. n. (= C. laticeps morphotype 4 of Bazsalovicsova
      et al., 2014) from common nase, Chondrostoma nasus (Linnaeus), found in Austria
      and Slovakia. The new species differs by the paramuscular or cortical position of
      preovarian vitelline follicles, a large, robust body (up to 64 mm long),
      conspicuously long vas deferens, flabellate scolex with small wrinkles on the
      anterior margin, and anteriormost testes located in a relatively short distance
      from the anterior extremity. Caryophyllaeus kashmirenses Mehra, 1930 and
      Caryophyllaeus prussicus (Szidat, 1937) comb. n. are considered to be species
      inquirendae, C. truncatus von Siebold in Baird, 1853 and C. tuba von Siebold in
      Baird, 1853 are nomina nuda. Data on the morphology, host spectra, distribution
      and known life-cycles of valid species are provided. Phylogenetic interrelations
      of four species of the genus including its type species and newly described C.
      chondrostomi were assessed based on an analysis of sequences of lsrDNA and cox1.
      A key to identification of all valid species of Caryophyllaeus is also provided.

PMID- 28906255
TI  - Echinococcus multilocularis vesicular fluid inhibits activation and proliferation
      of natural killer cells.
AB  - Alveolar echinococcosis is a severe chronic helminthic disease that mimics slow
      growing liver cancer. The immune evasion strategy of Echinococcus multilocularis
      Leuckart, 1863 remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to
      investigate in vitro the impact of E. multilocularis vesicular fluid (Em-VF) on
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and on natural killer (NK) cells. PBMC
      and NK cells were exposed to Em-VF (1 ug/ml) during six days. The effect of Em-VF
      was assessed on CD69, viability and proliferation, and on and transforming growth
      factor beta (TGF-beta), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin 17 (IL-17) and
      interleukin 10, using flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. Exposure to Em-VF
      had no bearing on PBMC's viability, proliferation and expression of CD69. In
      contrast, higher levels of IL-17 at day three and of TGF-beta at day six were
      observed in PBMC supernatant after exposure to Em-VF (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon signed
      rank test). Exposure to Em-VF induced a significant decrease of CD69 expression
      of NK cells at day three and a significant decrease of proliferation of NK cells
      at day six (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). In contrast, NK cells viability
      and levels of cytokines did not vary significantly over Em-VF stimulation.
      Exposure to Em-VF had a significant bearing on activation and proliferation of NK
      cells. NK cells may play an important role in the immune response of the host
      against E. multilocularis.

PMID- 28906256
TI  - Variability of species of Babesia Starcovici, 1893 in three sympatric ticks
      (Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis concinna) at the edge
      of Pannonia in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
AB  - The distribution, variability and host specificity of species of Babesia
      Starcovici, 1893 were studied in questing ticks collected on the northwestern
      edge of the Pannonian Basin in the south-easternmost part of the Czech Republic
      and in western Slovakia. The area is characterised by relatively natural
      floodplain habitats and the sympatric occurrence of three tick species possessing
      wide host spectra, namely Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus), Dermacentor reticulatus
      (Fabricius) and Haemaphysalis concinna Koch. Analysis was carried out on 1,408 I.
      ricinus, 2,999 D. reticulatus and 150 H. concinna altogether, collected from 59
      localities. We documented the presence of Babesia spp. not only in I. ricinus but
      also in H. concinna in the Czech Republic. Two isolates from I. ricinus were
      classified as B. venatorum Herwaldt, Caccio, Gherlinzoni, Aspock, Slemenda,
      Piccaluga, Martinelli, Edelhofer, Hollenstein, Poletti, Pampiglione,
      Loschenberger, Tura et Pieniazek, 2003 (formerly determined as Babesia sp. EU1),
      which is a zoonotic parasite and can cause human babesiosis. The rest of our
      amplicons were very similar to B. canis (Piana et Galli-Valerio, 1895), which is
      usually transmitted by D. reticulatus. Despite the huge amount of examined
      samples, all D. reticulatus ticks were Babesia-free. Due to this finding, we did
      not consider our obtained isolates to be B. canis, but other closely related
      species possessing a similar sequence of the studied portion of 18S rDNA.
      Although this genetic marker is most frequently used in PCR-based diagnostic
      methods of babesias, its low variability compromises its reliability in studies
      based only on this marker.

PMID- 28906258
TI  - Early tumor shrinkage indicates a favorable response to bevacizumab-based first
      line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer.
AB  - A close correlation between early tumor shrinkage (ETS) and overall survival (OS)
      has been shown in antiepidermal growth factor receptor antibody-based
      chemotherapies for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), but the clinical impact
      of ETS in bevacizumab-based chemotherapy has not been adequately clarified.
      Clinical data of mCRC patients who started initial chemotherapy without
      antiepidermal growth factor receptor antibody from 2005 to 2010 were
      retrospectively evaluated. The relative change in tumor size after 8 weeks of
      chemotherapy expected from the first image assessment [estimated ETS (EETS)] and
      the relative change in the tumor size at the nadir compared with the baseline
      [depth of response (DPR)] were examined. Seventy-three patients were enrolled and
      61 patients were evaluable for survival by simple regression analysis.
      Bevacizumab-based chemotherapies were administered to 40 (66%) patients. The
      median EETS, DPR, progression-free survival, and OS were 16.1%, 27.2%, 8.0
      months, and 19.5 months, respectively. Progression-free survival showed a
      positive correlation with OS (R=0.429), whereas EETS and DPR were less correlated
      with OS (R=0.0682, 0.186). EETS was well correlated with DPR (R=0.659). Patients
      with EETS greater than 16.12% were predicted to achieve tumor shrinkage of more
      than 30% at the maximum response. EETS in bevacizumab-treated mCRC showed a close
      correlation with DPR, which suggested that EETS might be useful, indicating a
      favorable response in treatment with bevacizumab-based chemotherapy.

PMID- 28906257
TI  - Double printing of hyaluronic acid/poly(glycidol) hybrid hydrogels with
      poly(epsilon-caprolactone) for MSC chondrogenesis.
AB  - This study investigates the use of allyl-functionalized poly(glycidol)s (P(AGE-co
      G)) as a cytocompatible cross-linker for thiol-functionalized hyaluronic acid (HA
      SH) and the optimization of this hybrid hydrogel as bioink for 3D bioprinting.
      The chemical cross-linking of gels with 10 wt.% overall polymer concentration was
      achieved by a UV-induced radical thiol-ene coupling between the thiol and allyl
      groups. The addition of unmodified high molecular weight HA (1.36 MDa) enabled
      the rheology to be tuned for extrusion-based bioprinting. The incorporation of
      additional HA resulted in hydrogels with a lower Young's modulus and a higher
      swelling ratio, especially in the first 24 h, but a comparable equilibrium
      swelling for all gels after 24 h. Embedding of human and equine mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs) in the gels and subsequent in vitro culture showed promising
      chondrogenic differentiation after 21 d for cells from both origins. Moreover,
      cells could be printed with these gels, and embedded hMSCs showed good cell
      survival for at least 21 d in culture. To achieve mechanically stable and robust
      constructs for the envisioned application in articular cartilage, the
      formulations were adjusted for double printing with thermoplastic poly(epsilon
      caprolactone) (PCL).

PMID- 28906259
TI  - Radiation and Immunotherapy in High-grade Gliomas: Where Do We Stand?
AB  - High-grade glioma is the most common primary brain tumor, with glioblastoma
      multiforme (GBM) accounting for 52% of all brain tumors. The current standard of
      care (SOC) of GBM involves surgery followed by adjuvant fractionated radiotherapy
      and chemotherapy. However, little progress has been made in extending overall
      survival, progression-free survival, and quality of life. Attempts to
      characterize and customize treatment of GBM have led to mitigating the
      deleterious effects of radiotherapy using hypofractionated radiotherapy, as well
      as various immunotherapies as a promising strategy for the incurable disease. A
      combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy may prove to be even more effective
      than either alone, and preclinical evidence suggests that hypofractionated
      radiotherapy can actually prime the immune system to make immunotherapy more
      effective. This review addresses the complications of the current radiotherapy
      regimen, various methods of immunotherapy, and preclinical and clinical data from
      combined radioimmunotherapy trials.

PMID- 28906260
TI  - Effectiveness of a post-emergency department discharge multidisciplinary bundle
      in reducing acute hospital admissions for the elderly.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effectiveness of the Subacute Ambulatory care for the
      Functionally challenged and Elderly (SAFE) programme, a post-emergency department
      (ED) discharge intervention for elderly and functionally challenged patients, in
      reducing acute hospital admissions. METHODS: This study was a 32-month
      retrospective quasi-experimental study comparing patients with at least one of
      six diagnostic classifications who underwent SAFE intervention with those who
      were eligible but declined and received usual ED care (control). The primary
      outcomes were rates of first acute hospital admission at 30 and 60 days post-ED
      discharge. Secondary outcomes were 20-day withdrawal rate and 60-day mortality.
      The difference in primary outcome between the two groups was compared using a Cox
      proportional hazards model. We reported adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with their
      95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for predefined factors of age, sex,
      triage risk assessment tool scores and baseline ED utilization and acute hospital
      admission rates in the past year. RESULTS: There were 438 and 209 patients in the
      intervention and control groups, respectively. The intervention group had reduced
      risk of first acute hospital admission at 30 days (10 vs. 27%, HR=0.34, 95% CI:
      0.22-0.52) and 60 days (18 vs. 33%, HR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.34-0.69) compared with the
      control. The 20-day withdrawal rate was 3.2%. Both groups did not differ in 60
      day mortality rates. CONCLUSION: The SAFE programme was effective in reducing
      first acute hospital admissions in selected elderly and functionally challenged
      patients after ED discharge at 30 and 60 days compared with usual ED discharge
      care.

PMID- 28906261
TI  - The Disability Impact and Associated Cost per Disability in Women Who Underwent
      Surgical Revision of Transvaginal Mesh Kits for Prolapse Repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate disability impact in
      patients and cost to the families of patients who have had complications of
      transvaginal prolapse mesh kits and underwent surgical revision. METHODS:
      Patients who developed complications of transvaginal mesh kits for prolapse and
      who had undergone vaginal prolapse mesh surgical revision/removal in 2009 to 2014
      at a single institution were identified by Current Procedural Terminology codes.
      The group was invited to complete a phone survey pertaining to the initial
      vaginal mesh used for prolapse surgery utilizing Sheehan Disability Scale (scale
      0-10) and Years of life Lived with Disability (YLDs) questionnaires. The data
      collected were used to estimate the disability and cost analysis. We used our
      data to estimate the economic and quality-of-life impact of vaginal mesh
      complications on patients in the United States RESULTS: Sixty-two patients
      (62/198 [31.2%]) were consented to participate and completed the questionnaires
      by phone. Extremely disabled patients were 18 (29%) of 62 of whole cases, and 5
      (8%) of 62 reported that they had no disability after vaginal mesh surgery. The
      median for overall disability score after vaginal mesh procedure was 8 (which
      reflects marked disability on a scale of 0-10). The majority of patients missed a
      median of 12 months of their school or work because of their mesh complications.
      Thirty-seven (59.6%) of 62 did not improve after mesh removal. Twenty-one (33.9%)
      of 62 stated that their family income dropped because of productivity loss
      related to mesh complications. The mean time between vaginal mesh surgery and
      mesh removal procedure was 4.7 years. Sheehan Disability Scale scores are
      significantly correlated with YLDs outcomes. Patients' overall disability score
      showed a significant correlation with YLDs scores (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Vaginal mesh for prolapse reduction complications had a sustained disability
      impact that continued despite mesh removal. Likewise, the complications were
      associated with increased economic burden on the families of the effected
      individuals and a drop in the family income in more than one third of the
      families.

PMID- 28906262
TI  - Characteristics of Interim Deans at U.S. Medical Schools: Implications for
      Institutions and Individuals.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide a baseline, descriptive understanding of individuals serving
      as interim deans at U.S. medical schools. Over the past quarter century, roughly
      9% to 16% of all medical school deans were serving as interim leaders. This
      research reviews demographic characteristics, how long they served, and the
      impact of having served on one's likelihood of serving as a permanent dean.
      METHOD: The Association of American Medical Colleges' Council of Deans national
      database was the data source for this study. The authors reviewed counts and
      information by year for academic years 1989-1990 through 2014-2015 to yield a
      snapshot of interim dean counts. The authors analyzed data by demographic
      characteristics-namely, sex, race/ethnicity, degree, specialty, and years of
      service-and compared data with those of permanent deans. Descriptive statistics
      are presented. RESULTS: Overall, between 14 and 27 individuals served as interim
      deans during each academic year in this study (9%-16% of all unique individuals
      with a dean or interim dean appointment). Of all individuals serving as interim
      deans in this time frame, 88% were men (228/259) and 86% were white (222/259).
      The average time in the interim dean role was roughly 13 months, and a high
      percentage went on to serve as permanent deans (ranging from 15% to 63%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study add detail to the collective understanding
      of these leaders in medical schools. The authors discuss how individuals and
      institutions can facilitate success and preparedness for an interim dean
      appointment.

PMID- 28906263
TI  - Governing Academic Medical Center Systems: Evaluating and Choosing Among
      Alternative Governance Approaches.
AB  - The ability of academic medical centers (AMCs) to fulfill their triple mission of
      patient care, medical education, and research is increasingly being threatened by
      rising financial pressures and resource constraints. Many AMCs are, therefore,
      looking to expand into academic medical systems, increasing their scale through
      consolidation or affiliation with other health care systems. As clinical
      operations grow, though, the need for effective governance becomes even more
      critical to ensure that the business of patient care does not compromise the rest
      of the triple mission. Multi-AMC systems, a model in which multiple AMCs are
      governed by a single body, pose a particular challenge in balancing unity with
      the needs of component AMCs, and therefore offer lessons for designing AMC
      governance approaches. This article describes the development and application of
      a set of criteria to evaluate governance options for one multi-AMC system-the
      University of California (UC) and its five AMCs. Based on a literature review and
      key informant interviews, the authors identified criteria for evaluating
      governance approaches (structures and processes), assessed current governance
      approaches using the criteria, identified alternative governance options, and
      assessed each option using the identified criteria. The assessment aided UC in
      streamlining governance operations to enhance their ability to respond
      efficiently to change and to act collectively. Although designed for UC and a
      multi-AMC model, the criteria may provide a systematic way for any AMC to assess
      the strengths and weaknesses of its governance approaches.

PMID- 28906264
TI  - Governance of Academic Medical Centers Is Indeed a Complex and Unique Operation.
AB  - As academic medical centers (AMCs) have extended their operations into their
      communities, partnered with new organizations, and developed new modes of
      operation to achieve their missions, new governance approaches are required.
      Chari and colleagues, in this issue of Academic Medicine, describe the
      development and application of criteria to evaluate governance options for the
      University of California (UC), which has a number of public AMCs, almost all of
      which are components of individual UC universities. Although many of these
      criteria may also be applicable to smaller AMCs, a more individual approach to
      governance is required-that is, one must step back and first ask about the
      organization, structure, and goals of the entities to be governed. The major
      nonfederal and nonspecialty teaching hospitals in the United States are about
      evenly split between those that are university owned or controlled and those
      having an independent relationship with their associated medical school. However,
      the challenges, obstacles, and desired end points are similar. The development of
      a successful governance structure will require identifying and appreciating many
      factors.

PMID- 28906265
TI  - A Retrospective Analysis of the Clinical Effectiveness of Supraclavicular,
      Ultrasound-guided Brachiocephalic Vein Cannulations in Preterm Infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the clinical
      effectiveness of the supraclavicular ultrasound-guided cannulation of the
      brachiocephalic vein in preterm infants. METHODS: The ultrasound probe was placed
      in the supraclavicular region so as to obtain the optimum sonographic long-axis
      view of the brachiocephalic vein. By using a strict in-plane approach the
      brachiocephalic vein was cannulated by advancing a 22- or 24-gauge iv cannula
      from lateral to medial under the long axis of the ultrasound probe under real
      time ultrasound guidance into the vein. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-two
      cannulations in infants weighing between 0.59 and 2.5 kg (median: 2.1; CI: 2.0 to
      2.2) were included. Ultimate success rate was 94% (134 of 142). One cannulation
      attempt was required in 100 (70%) patients, two attempts in 21 (15%), and three
      attempts in 13 (9%). The smaller the weight of the infant the more attempts were
      needed. More attempts also were needed for the right brachiocephalic vein, which
      was primarily targeted in 75 (53%) neonates. One (1%) inadvertent arterial
      puncture was noted. CONCLUSIONS: This supraclavicular, in-plane, real-time,
      ultrasound-guided cannulation of the brachiocephalic vein seems to be a
      convenient and effective method to insert central venous catheters in preterm
      infants.

PMID- 28906267
TI  - Evidence-Based Guidelines for Interface Design for Data Entry in Electronic
      Health Records.
AB  - Electronic health records use a variety of data entry methods that are often
      customized to clinician needs. Data entry interfaces must be appropriately
      designed to maximize benefits and minimize unintended consequences. There was
      relatively little evidence in the literature to guide the selection of specific
      data entry methods according to the type of data documented. This literature
      review summarizes existing data entry design recommendations to guide data entry
      interface design. Structured data entry uses predefined charting elements to
      limit acceptable data entry to standard coded data and improve completeness and
      data reuse at the expense of correctness. Unstructured data entry methods use
      natural language and improve correctness, at the expense of completeness and data
      reusability. Semistructured data entry uses a combination of these data entry
      methods to complement the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of each method.
      Documentation quality is influenced by the method of data entry. It is important
      to choose data entry methods based on the type of data to be documented. This
      literature review summarizes data entry design guidelines to inform clinical
      practice and future research.

PMID- 28906266
TI  - Impact of Public Reporting of 30-day Mortality on Timing of Death after Coronary
      Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent reports have raised concerns that public reporting of 30-day
      mortality after cardiac surgery may delay decisions to withdraw life-sustaining
      therapies for some patients. The authors sought to examine whether timing of
      mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery significantly increases
      after day 30 in Massachusetts, a state that reports 30-day mortality. The authors
      used New York as a comparator state, which reports combined 30-day and all in
      hospital mortality, irrespective of time since surgery. METHODS: The authors
      conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent coronary artery
      bypass graft surgery in hospitals in Massachusetts and New York between 2008 and
      2013. The authors calculated the empiric daily hazard of in-hospital death
      without censoring on hospital discharge, and they used joinpoint regression to
      identify significant changes in the daily hazard over time. RESULTS: In
      Massachusetts and New York, 24,864 and 63,323 patients underwent coronary artery
      bypass graft surgery, respectively. In-hospital mortality was low, with 524
      deaths (2.1%) in Massachusetts and 1,398 (2.2%) in New York. Joinpoint regression
      did not identify a change in the daily hazard of in-hospital death at day 30 or
      31 in either state; significant joinpoints were identified on day 10 (95% CI, 7
      to 15) for Massachusetts and days 2 (95% CI, 2 to 3) and 12 (95% CI, 8 to 15) for
      New York. CONCLUSIONS: In Massachusetts, a state with a long history of publicly
      reporting cardiac surgery outcomes at day 30, the authors found no evidence of
      increased mortality occurring immediately after day 30 for patients who underwent
      coronary artery bypass graft surgery. These findings suggest that delays in
      withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy do not routinely occur as an unintended
      consequence of this type of public reporting.

PMID- 28906268
TI  - New PET markers for the diagnosis of dementia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To present the new PET markers that could become in the coming
      years, relevant to advanced clinical approaches to dementia diagnosis, drug
      trials, and treatment strategies and discuss their advantages and limitations.
      RECENT FINDINGS: The most advanced new PET tracers are the markers of the amyloid
      plaques, the tau compounds and the tracers of the translocator protein as markers
      of neuroinflammation. The main advantages but also the weaknesses of each of
      these markers are discussed. The main pitfall remains the heterogeneity of the
      available results that cast doubt to a rapid introduction of these new ligands in
      clinical practice. SUMMARY: With the advent of biomarkers in clinical management
      and findings of molecular neuroimaging studies in the evaluation of patients with
      suspected dementia, the impact of functional neuroimaging has increased
      considerably these last years and has been integrated into many clinical
      guidelines in the field of dementia. In addition to conventional single PET brain
      perfusion and dopaminergic neurotransmission, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)
      PET is used in advanced diagnosis procedures. Furthermore, new tracers are being
      developed to quantify key neuropathological features in the brain tissue as
      highly specific diagnosis is crucial to comply with the global medical and public
      health objectives in this domain. A strategic road map for further developments,
      adapted from the approach to cancer biomarkers, should be proposed so as to
      optimize the rationale of the PET-based molecular diagnosis of Alzheimer's
      disease and related disorders.

PMID- 28906269
TI  - Improving diagnosis and management of primary brain tumors.

PMID- 28906270
TI  - Microbiota and neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the extensive research carried out in the past
      decades, the current pathophysiological notions of neurodegenerative disease as
      well as effective treatments to reduce their progression are largely unknown.
      Alterations of the human microbiota, the plethora of different microscopic
      organisms that our body hosts, have been linked to neurodegenerative disease
      risk, onset and progression. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the
      possible role of microbiota in neurodegenerative disorders and briefly discusses
      strategies to restore microbiota homeostasis. RECENT FINDINGS: Preclinical
      evidences and human cross-sectional studies posit the gut microbiota as a key
      actor in the Parkinson's disease onset and progression, reporting the presence of
      a specific gut microbiota profile in association with the modulation of disease
      and symptoms. Gut microbiota alterations have been correlated with brain disease
      and peripheral inflammation also in Alzheimer's patients. SUMMARY: The
      interaction between the microbiota and the host is promising to answer clinical
      questions that have so far escaped clarification with the current
      pathophysiological notions of health and disease. However, human longitudinal
      studies starting in the earlier disease phases are needed to understand the
      causative relation between microbiota and the hallmarks of these
      neurodegenerative disorders and to develop innovative treatments aimed at
      preventing or slowing brain damages.

PMID- 28906271
TI  - Neurosensory Disturbance of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve After 3025 Implant
      Placements.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the incidence of
      inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) lesion and duration of sensitivity disturbances
      after the insertion of dental implants. METHODS: One thousand sixty-five patients
      (mean age: 58.9 years) enrolled between February 2004 and July 2015 with partial
      or full mandibular edentulism were selected to receive dental implants for oral
      rehabilitation. A total of 3025 implants were placed. After surgical procedures,
      controls were scheduled at suture removal, that is, 10 days after surgery, and
      repeated at intervals of 1, 3, and 6 months, and comprised patient interview,
      clinical examination, and sensitivity tests. RESULTS: Only 23 (2.2%) of the 1065
      patients presented sensitivity disturbances 1 month after implant insertion, and
      only 2 (0.19%) after 6 months, though a complete recovery was observed in these
      patients within 13 months. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the debilitating effects
      resulting from IAN lesion and the complexity of the therapeutic diagnostic
      protocols, all patients undergoing oral rehabilitation through dental implants
      should be evaluated with CBCT imaging.

PMID- 28906272
TI  - Transforming the Role of the Nurse Manager: A Call to Action.

PMID- 28906273
TI  - Utilization and Outcomes of Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support for Graft
      Dysfunction After Heart Transplantation.
AB  - Graft dysfunction is the main cause of early mortality after heart
      transplantation. In cases of severe graft dysfunction, temporary mechanical
      circulatory support (TMCS) may be necessary. The aim of this systematic review
      was to examine the utilization and outcomes of TMCS in patients with graft
      dysfunction after heart transplantation. Electronic search was performed to
      identify all studies in the English literature assessing the use of TMCS for
      graft dysfunction. All identified articles were systematically assessed for
      inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of the 5,462 studies identified, 41 studies
      were included. Among the 11,555 patients undergoing heart transplantation, 695
      (6.0%) required TMCS with patients most often supported using venoarterial
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (79.4%) followed by right ventricular assist
      devices (11.1%), biventricular assist devices (BiVADs) (7.5%), and left
      ventricular assist devices (LVADs) (2.0%). Patients supported by LVADs were more
      likely to be supported longer (p = 0.003), have a higher death by cardiac event
      (p = 0.013) and retransplantation rate (p = 0.015). In contrast, patients
      supported with BiVAD and LVAD were more likely to be weaned off support (p =
      0.020). Overall, no significant difference was found in pooled 30 day survival (p
      = 0.31), survival to discharge (p = 0.19), and overall survival (p = 0.51)
      between the subgroups. Temporary mechanical circulatory support is an effective
      modality to support patients with graft dysfunction after heart transplantation.
      Further studies are needed to establish the optimal threshold and strategy for
      TMCS and to augment cardiac recovery and long-term survival.

PMID- 28906274
TI  - Flexible Bronchoscope Use by Pulmonologists in Collaboration With
      Gastroenterologists for Placement of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Via
      Transnasal Route in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: A 10-Year Experience in a
      Single Cancer Institution.
AB  - This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating a 10-year experience in the
      Pulmonology Department of a cancer center for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
      through transnasal route (TN-PEG) in patients with head and neck cancer whose
      oral access is precluded. This study was a retrospective analysis of 40
      consecutive head and neck cancer patients referred for PEG placement, between
      2005 and 2014, using a transnasal route because of the impossibility of
      intubation through the oral cavity. Demographics, outcome of TN-PEG procedure,
      indications for bronchoscopic approach (prophylactic/palliative), clinical need
      for bronchoscopy (trismus, oropharyngeal obstruction), location of cancer,
      complications, and overall survival were reviewed. In 40 TN-PEG procedures,
      executed by 1 of 3 pulmonologists, 39 were successfully placed and there were no
      immediate complications. All except 1 complication were minor, but no surgery or
      PEG removal was required. There was a rapid learning curve among all operators. A
      combined TN-PEG placement by a gastroenterologist and a pulmonologist is a safe
      and useful option for these patients; the learning curve for successfully
      performing the procedure was short.

PMID- 28906275
TI  - VV-ECMO-Assisted High-Risk Endobronchial Stenting as Rescue for Asphyxiating
      Mediastinal Mass.
AB  - The use of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) has
      traditionally been limited to a narrow set of clinical circumstances, such as
      acute hypoxic respiratory failure, submassive pulmonary embolism, and
      cardiopulmonary collapse. Within the pediatric population, there have been cases
      of VV-ECMO in the context of extrinsic airway compression by a mediastinal mass,
      typically in the setting of either a lymphoma or germ cell tumors. However, the
      use of VV-ECMO for adults with extrinsic airway compression is comparatively
      limited. More specifically, VV-ECMO has been used as a bridge for tracheal
      reconstruction in both children and adults. Although, it has not been used in
      adults in the context of palliative endobronchial stent placement. We present a
      case of a 49-year-old woman with refractory multiple myeloma and extramedullary
      plasmacytoma presenting with acute hypoxic respiratory failure from extrinsic
      airway compression by a mediastinal plasmacytoma. We were able to use VV-ECMO to
      assist with endobronchial stent placement, followed by radiation therapy, and
      ultimately hospital discharge. In this article, we also review the literature
      surrounding VV-ECMO for extrinsic airway compression.

PMID- 28906276
TI  - Towards standardized definitions for monitoring the continuum of HIV care in
      Europe.

PMID- 28906278
TI  - Hepatitis B reactivation in a long-term nonprogressor due to nivolumab therapy.
AB  - : Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation has been documented in association with
      multiple immunotherapy regimens . These reactivations can be life-threatening and
      result in fulminant hepatic failure. There are currently no reports of HBV
      reactivation on nivolumab treatment. This is a case of a patient with known HIV
      infection and previous HBV workup that revealed him to be anti-hepatitis B core
      antibody positive, hepatitis B surface antigen negative, and HBV DNA negative. He
      experienced a HBV reactivation while on therapy with nivolumab for stage IIIa
      poorly differentiated carcinoma of the lung, which was a recurrence from a prior
      surgically resected stage Ia well differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung. He
      is a long-term nonprogressor in regards to his HIV and had previously had a
      negative HBV DNA level and had declined antiretroviral therapy until just prior
      to starting nivolumab. This case is also of interest as antiprogrammed death-1
      receptors are involved in CD4-related HIV control , and the effects of nivolumab
      in a patient who was an HIV long-term nonprogressor are unknown. There was
      concern that he would develop increased HIV viremia and CD4-related immune
      dysfunction without antiretroviral therapy, and thus, he agreed to treatment
      prior to starting antineoplastic immunotherapy.

PMID- 28906277
TI  - Effect of cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus replication on intestinal
      mucosal gene expression and microbiome composition of HIV-infected and uninfected
      individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV-infection is associated with dramatic changes in the intestinal
      mucosa. The impact of other viral pathogens is unclear. METHODS: One hundred and
      eight (108) biopsies from left and right colon (n = 79) and terminal ileum (n =
      29) were collected from 19 HIV-infected and 22 HIV-uninfected participants.
      Levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA were measured by
      droplet digital PCR. Mucosal gene expression was measured via multiplex-assay.
      Microbiome analysis was performed using bacterial 16S-rDNA-pyrosequencing. The
      effect of CMV and EBV replication on the microbiome composition and mRNA
      expression of selected cytokines (IL-6, IFN-gamma, IL-1beta, CCL2, IL-8, and IFN
      beta1) was evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, CMV and EBV were detected in at least one
      intestinal site in 60.5 and 78.9% of participants, respectively. HIV-infected
      individuals demonstrated less detectable CMV (P = 0.04); CMV was more frequently
      detected in terminal ileum than colon (P = 0.04). Detectable EBV was more
      frequent among HIV-infected (P = 0.05) without differences by intestinal site.
      The number of operational taxonomic units did not differ by CMV or EBV detection
      status. Among HIV-infected participants, higher CMV was only associated with
      lower relative abundance of Actinobacteria in the ileum (P = 0.03). Presence of
      CMV was associated with upregulated expression of all selected cytokines in the
      ileum (all P = 0.02) and higher expression of IL-8 and IFN-beta1 in the colon
      (all P < 0.05) of HIV-uninfected participants, but not among HIV-infected. EBV
      had no effect on cytokine expression or microbiome composition whatsoever.
      CONCLUSION: These results illustrate a complex interplay among HIV-infection,
      intestinal CMV replication, and mucosal gut environment, and highlight a possible
      modulatory effect of CMV on the microbial and immune homeostasis.

PMID- 28906280
TI  - Both coinfections of Penicillium marneffei and Cryptococcus neoformans in AIDS
      patient: a report of rare case.

PMID- 28906279
TI  - The value of point-of-care CD4+ and laboratory viral load in tailoring
      antiretroviral therapy monitoring strategies to resource limitations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical and economic value of point-of-care CD4 (POC
      CD4) or viral load monitoring compared with current practices in Mozambique, a
      country representative of the diverse resource limitations encountered by HIV
      treatment programs in sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN/METHODS: We use the Cost
      Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications-International model to examine the
      clinical impact, cost (2014 US$), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
      [$/year of life saved (YLS)] of ART monitoring strategies in Mozambique. We
      compare: monitoring for clinical disease progression [clinical ART monitoring
      strategy (CLIN)] vs. annual POC-CD4 in rural settings without laboratory services
      and biannual laboratory CD4 (LAB-CD4), biannual POC-CD4, and annual viral load in
      urban settings with laboratory services. We examine the impact of a range of
      values in sensitivity analyses, using Mozambique's 2014 per capita gross domestic
      product ($620) as a benchmark cost-effectiveness threshold. RESULTS: In rural
      settings, annual POC-CD4 compared to CLIN improves life expectancy by 2.8 years,
      reduces time on failed ART by 0.6 years, and yields an incremental cost
      effectiveness ratio of $480/YLS. In urban settings, biannual POC-CD4 is more
      expensive and less effective than viral load. Compared to biannual LAB-CD4, viral
      load improves life expectancy by 0.6 years, reduces time on failed ART by 1.0
      year, and is cost-effective ($440/YLS). CONCLUSION: In rural settings, annual POC
      CD4 improves clinical outcomes and is cost-effective compared to CLIN. In urban
      settings, viral load has the greatest clinical benefit and is cost-effective
      compared to biannual POC-CD4 or LAB-CD4. Tailoring ART monitoring strategies to
      specific settings with different available resources can improve clinical
      outcomes while remaining economically efficient.

PMID- 28906282
TI  - Dolutegravir and metformin: a case of hyperlactatemia.

PMID- 28906281
TI  - Autoimmune hepatitis and HIV infection: two case reports and review of the
      literature.

PMID- 28906283
TI  - Preexposure prophylaxis: a cautionary tale.

PMID- 28906284
TI  - Effect of Transfusion on Mortality and Other Adverse Events Among Critically Ill
      Septic Patients: An Observational Study Using a Marginal Structural Cox Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: RBC transfusion is often required in patients with sepsis. However,
      adverse events have been associated with RBC transfusion, raising safety
      concerns. A randomized controlled trial validated the 7 g/dL threshold, but
      previously transfused patients were excluded. Cohort studies led to conflicting
      results and did not handle time-dependent covariates and history of treatment.
      Additional data are thus warranted to guide patient's management. DESIGN: To
      estimate the effect of one or more RBC within 1 day on three major outcomes
      (mortality, ICU-acquired infections, and severe hypoxemia) at day 30, we used
      marginal structural models. A trajectory modeling, based on hematocrit evolution
      pattern, allowed identification of subgroups. Secondary analyses were performed
      into each of them. SETTING: A prospective French multicenter database. PATIENTS:
      Patients with sepsis at admission. Patients with hemorrhagic shock at admission
      were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Overall, in
      our cohort of 6,016 patients, RBC transfusion was not associated with death
      (hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.88-1.30; p = 0.52). However, RBC transfusion was
      associated with increased occurrence of ICU-acquired infections (hazard ratio,
      2.77; 95% CI, 2.33-3.28; p < 0.01) and of severe hypoxemia (hazard ratio, 1.29;
      95% CI, 1.14-1.47; p < 0.01). A protective effect from death by the transfusion
      was found in the subgroup with the lowest hematocrit level (26 [interquartile
      range, 24-28]) (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.95; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS:
      RBC transfusion did not affect overall mortality in critically ill patients with
      sepsis. Increased occurrence rate of ICU-acquired infection and severe hypoxemia
      are expected outcomes from RBC transfusion that need to be weighted with its
      benefits in selected patients.

PMID- 28906285
TI  - Impact of Missing Physiologic Data on Performance of the Simplified Acute
      Physiology Score 3 Risk-Prediction Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Simplified Acute Physiology 3 outcome prediction model has a
      narrow time window for recording physiologic measurements. Our objective was to
      examine the prevalence and impact of missing physiologic data on the Simplified
      Acute Physiology 3 model's performance. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of
      prospectively collected data. SETTING: Sixty-three ICUs in the Swedish Intensive
      Care Registry. PATIENTS: Patients admitted during 2011-2014 (n = 107,310).
      INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Model performance was
      analyzed using the area under the receiver operating curve, scaled Brier's score,
      and standardized mortality rate. We used a recalibrated Simplified Acute
      Physiology 3 model and examined model performance in the original dataset and in
      a dataset of complete records where missing data were generated (simulated
      dataset). One or more data were missing in 40.9% of the admissions, more common
      in survivors and low-risk admissions than in nonsurvivors and high-risk
      admissions. Discrimination did not decrease with one to two missing variables,
      but accuracy was highest with no missing data. Calibration was best in the
      original dataset with a mix of full records and records with some missing values
      (area under the receiver operating curve was 0.85, scaled Brier 27%, and
      standardized mortality rate 0.99). With zero, one, and two data missing, the
      scaled Brier was 31%, 26%, and 21%; area under the receiver operating curve was
      0.84, 0.87, and 0.89; and standardized mortality rate was 0.92, 1.05 and 1.10,
      respectively. Datasets where the missing data were simulated for oxygenation or
      oxygenation and hydrogen ion concentration together performed worse than datasets
      with these data originally missing. CONCLUSIONS: There is a coupling between
      missing physiologic data, admission type, low risk, and survival. Increased loss
      of physiologic data reduced model performance and will deflate mortality risk,
      resulting in falsely high standardized mortality rates.

PMID- 28906286
TI  - Serial Daily Organ Failure Assessment Beyond ICU Day 5 Does Not Independently Add
      Precision to ICU Risk-of-Death Prediction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify circumstances in which repeated measures of organ failure
      would improve mortality prediction in ICU patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort
      study, with external validation in a deidentified ICU database. SETTING: Eleven
      ICUs in three university hospitals within an academic healthcare system in 2014.
      PATIENTS: Adults (18 yr old or older) who satisfied the following criteria: 1)
      two of four systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria plus an ordered
      blood culture, all within 24 hours of hospital admission; and 2) ICU admission
      for at least 2 calendar days, within 72 hours of emergency department
      presentation. INTERVENTION: NoneMEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: Data were
      collected until death, ICU discharge, or the seventh ICU day, whichever came
      first. The highest Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score from the ICU
      admission day (ICU day 1) was included in a multivariable model controlling for
      other covariates. The worst Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores from the
      first 7 days after ICU admission were incrementally added and retained if they
      obtained statistical significance (p < 0.05). The cohort was divided into seven
      subcohorts to facilitate statistical comparison using the integrated
      discriminatory index. Of the 1,290 derivation cohort patients, 83 patients (6.4%)
      died in the ICU, compared with 949 of the 8,441 patients (11.2%) in the
      validation cohort. Incremental addition of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment
      data up to ICU day 5 improved the integrated discriminatory index in the
      validation cohort. Adding ICU day 6 or 7 Sequential Organ Failure Assessment data
      did not further improve model performance. CONCLUSIONS: Serial organ failure data
      improve prediction of ICU mortality, but a point exists after which further data
      no longer improve ICU mortality prediction of early sepsis.

PMID- 28906287
TI  - Racial Disparities in Sepsis-Related In-Hospital Mortality: Using a Broad Case
      Capture Method and Multivariate Controls for Clinical and Hospital Variables,
      2004-2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: As sepsis hospitalizations have increased, in-hospital sepsis deaths
      have declined. However, reported rates may remain higher among racial/ethnic
      minorities. Most previous studies have adjusted primarily for age and sex. The
      effect of other patient and hospital characteristics on disparities in sepsis
      mortality is not yet well-known. Furthermore, coding practices in claims data may
      influence findings. The objective of this study was to use a broad method of
      capturing sepsis cases to estimate 2004-2013 trends in risk-adjusted in-hospital
      sepsis mortality rates by race/ethnicity to inform efforts to reduce disparities
      in sepsis deaths. DESIGN: Retrospective, repeated cross-sectional study. SETTING:
      Acute care hospitals in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State
      Inpatient Databases for 18 states with consistent race/ethnicity reporting.
      PATIENTS: Patients diagnosed with septicemia, sepsis, organ dysfunction plus
      infection, severe sepsis, or septic shock. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In
      hospital sepsis mortality rates adjusted for patient and hospital factors by
      race/ethnicity were calculated. From 2004 to 2013, sepsis hospitalizations for
      all racial/ethnic groups increased, and mortality rates decreased by 5-7%
      annually. Mortality rates adjusted for patient characteristics were higher for
      all minority groups than for white patients. After adjusting for hospital
      characteristics, sepsis mortality rates in 2013 were similar for white (92.0 per
      1,000 sepsis hospitalizations), black (94.0), and Hispanic (93.5) patients but
      remained elevated for Asian/Pacific Islander (106.4) and "other" (104.7; p <
      0.001) racial/ethnic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that hospital
      characteristics contribute to higher rates of sepsis mortality for blacks and
      Hispanics. These findings underscore the importance of ensuring that improved
      sepsis identification and management is implemented across all hospitals,
      especially those serving diverse populations.

PMID- 28906288
TI  - IBD LIVE Series-Case 8: Treatment Options for Refractory Esophageal Crohn's
      Disease and Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

PMID- 28906289
TI  - Update on the Therapeutic Efficacy of Tregs in IBD: Thumbs up or Thumbs down?
AB  - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the 2 major forms of inflammatory bowel
      disease (IBD) in humans, arise in genetically predisposed individuals because of
      an abnormal immune response direct against constituents of the gut flora. Defects
      in counter-regulatory mechanisms are supposed to amplify and maintain the IBD
      associated mucosal inflammation. Therefore, restoring the balance between
      inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways in the gut could contribute to halt
      the IBD-associated tissue-damaging immune response. Various suppressive T cell
      (Tregs) subsets have been characterized phenotypically and functionally and over
      the last decade, there has been enormous effort for optimizing the procedures for
      the in vitro expansion/generation of these cells for therapeutic purposes. Here
      we review the mechanisms of action and functional relevance of Tregs in the
      maintenance of gut inflammation and analyze the available data about the use of
      these cells in the treatment of IBD patients.

PMID- 28906290
TI  - Safety Considerations with the Use of Corticosteroids and Biologic Therapies in
      Mild-to-Moderate Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The risk of corticosteroid-associated adverse events can limit the
      use of systemic corticosteroids. Oral, topically acting, second-generation
      corticosteroids that deliver drug to the site of inflammation, and biologic
      therapies, are effective treatment alternatives. The aim of this review was to
      evaluate the safety and tolerability of topically acting corticosteroids and
      biologic therapies versus oral systemic corticosteroids for ulcerative colitis
      (UC). METHODS: The PubMed database was searched for clinical and observational
      trials, systematic reviews, and case reports/series published between January
      1950 and September 30, 2016. Search terms used included "corticosteroids,"
      "beclomethasone dipropionate," "budesonide," "infliximab," "adalimumab,"
      "golimumab," and "vedolizumab" in combination with "ulcerative colitis" or
      "inflammatory bowel disease." RESULTS: A total of 582 studies were identified
      from PubMed searches. Only 1 direct comparative trial for oral topically acting
      corticosteroids and systemic corticosteroids was available, and no comparative
      trials versus biologic therapies were identified. In patients with mild-to
      moderate UC, short-term (4-8 wk) oral beclomethasone dipropionate or oral
      budesonide multimatrix system demonstrated safety profiles comparable with
      placebo with few corticosteroid-related adverse events reported. Based on long
      term data in patients with moderate-to-severe UC, biologics have a generally
      tolerable adverse event profile, although infections, infusion reactions, and
      autoimmune disorders were frequently reported. CONCLUSIONS: Second-generation
      corticosteroids, beclomethasone dipropionate and budesonide multimatrix system,
      exhibited a favorable safety profile in patients with mild-to-moderate UC. For
      biologics, which are only indicated in moderate-to-severe UC, additional studies
      are needed to further ascertain the benefit to risk profile of these agents in
      patients with mild-to-moderate disease (see Video Abstract, Supplemental Digital
      Content, http://links.lww.com/IBD/B653).

PMID- 28906291
TI  - Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for
      Treatment of Active Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Changes in the colonic microbiota may play a role in the pathogenesis
      of ulcerative colitis (UC) and restoration of healthy gut microbiota may
      ameliorate disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess
      fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as a treatment for active UC. METHODS: A
      literature search was conducted to identify high-quality studies of FMT as a
      treatment for patients with UC. The primary outcome was combined clinical
      remission and endoscopic remission or response. Secondary outcomes included
      clinical remission, endoscopic remission, and serious adverse events. Odds ratios
      with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported. RESULTS: Overall, 4 studies
      with 277 participants were eligible for inclusion. Among 4 randomized controlled
      trials, FMT was associated with higher combined clinical and endoscopic remission
      compared with placebo (risk ratio UC not in remission was 0.80; 95% CI: 0.71
      0.89) with a number needed to treat of 5 (95% CI: 4-10). There was no
      statistically significant increase in serious adverse events with FMT compared
      with controls (risk ratio adverse event was 1.4; 95% CI: 0.55-3.58). CONCLUSIONS:
      Among randomized controlled trials, short-term use of FMT shows promise as a
      treatment to induce remission in active UC based on the efficacy and safety
      observed. However, there remain many unanswered questions that require further
      research before FMT can be considered for use in clinical practice.

PMID- 28906292
TI  - SHANK3 Regulates Intestinal Barrier Function Through Modulating ZO-1 Expression
      Through the PKCepsilon-dependent Pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The integrity of the gut barrier in patients with inflammatory bowel
      disease is known to be impaired but the exact mechanisms remain mostly unknown.
      SHANK3 mutations are associated with autism, and patients with autism are known
      to have higher proportions of inflammatory bowel disease. Here, we explore the
      role of SHANK3 in inflammatory bowel disease, both in vivo and in vitro. METHODS:
      Dextran sulfate sodium colitis was induced in SHANK3 knockout mice.
      Transepithelial electrical resistance, paracellular permeability, and Salmonella
      invasion assays were used to evaluate epithelial barrier function, in vitro and
      in vivo. Expression of tight junction proteins, protein kinases, and MAP kinase
      phosphorylation changes were analyzed by immunoblotting after overexpression or
      knockdown of SHANK3 expression. SHANK3 expression in intestinal tissue from
      patients with Crohn's disease was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: SHANK3 knockout mice were more
      susceptible to dextran sulfate sodium. SHANK3 knockout resulted in a leaky
      epithelial barrier phenotype, as demonstrated by decreased transepithelial
      electrical resistance, increased paracellular permeability, and increased
      Salmonella invasion. Overexpression of SHANK3 enhanced ZO-1 expression, and
      knockdown of SHANK3 resulted in decreased expression of ZO-1. Regulation of ZO-1
      expression by SHANK3 seems to be mediated through a PKCepsilon-dependent pathway.
      SHANK3 expression correlated with ZO-1 and PKCepsilon in colonic tissue of
      patients with Crohn's disease. CONCLUSIONS: The expression level of SHANK3
      affects ZO-1 expression and the barrier function in intestinal epithelial cells.
      This may provide novel insights in Crohn's disease pathogenesis and treatment.

PMID- 28906293
TI  - Frequency and Variables Associated with Fasting Orders in Inpatients with
      Ulcerative Colitis: The Audit of Diet Orders-Ulcerative Colitis (ADORE-UC) Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Current clinical practice guidelines suggest that patients with
      ulcerative colitis (UC) hospitalized because of a disease flare should be offered
      a normal diet, unless such a diet is not tolerated. Studies of hospitalized
      patients have demonstrated iatrogenic malnutrition from unjustified or
      inappropriate nil per os (NPO) or clear liquid diet (CLD) orders. In this study,
      we aim to characterize the burden of this problem in hospitalized patients with
      UC. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients with UC
      admitted to the gastroenterology service or the general internal medicine service
      at a tertiary, academic hospital between January 2009 and December 2014, with a
      length of stay between 2 and 30 days. The frequency and duration of bowel rest
      and CLD orders was recorded, and the number of meals missed because of these
      orders was assessed. NPO or CLD diet orders were considered justified if the
      patient had intractable nausea or vomiting, pancreatitis, bowel obstruction,
      toxic megacolon or were awaiting endoscopy, or if alternative enteral nutrition
      was provided. Clinical and demographic factors associated with unjustified
      underfeeding were identified. RESULTS: A total of 187 admissions among 158
      patients with UC were identified during the study period and included in the
      final analysis. Most admissions were to the gastroenterology service (148/187,
      79.1%). The mean age at admission was 35.0 years (SD = 15), and 83/158 (52.5%)
      were female. The median length of stay was 8 days (interquartile range = 4-12).
      Registered dietician consultation was obtained in only 32 admissions (17.1%), and
      admission weight was recorded in only 68 (36.4%) admissions. A total of 252 NPO
      or CLD dietary orders were encountered in 142 admissions (75.9%). Of those, 112
      orders were unjustified (44%). On average, patients with unjustified NPO or CLD
      orders spent 3 days on an NPO or CLD diet, which corresponded to a mean of 10
      missed meals. Characteristics associated with unnecessary fasting included female
      gender, less frequent endoscopic disease staging, less frequent escalation of
      therapy to prednisone and/or biologics, and admission to a non-gastroenterology
      service. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high burden of unjustified underfeeding among
      hospitalized patients with UC, particularly in patients admitted without evidence
      of objective disease flare. This may lead to nutritional compromise in an at-risk
      population, and further studies are needed to assess the nutritional impact of
      unjustified bowel rest on patients with UC. Our findings also suggest that
      targeted quality improvement interventions are needed to decrease the frequency
      of inappropriate bowel rest among hospitalized patients with UC.

PMID- 28906294
TI  - Fecal Calprotectin in Pregnancy.

PMID- 28906295
TI  - Caution When Assessing Immunity to Varicella Through Antibody Testing in Patients
      with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PMID- 28906296
TI  - Quality of Sex Life in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The
      Gastroenterologists' Perspective.

PMID- 28906297
TI  - Evidence-Based Medicine in Plastic Surgery: Are We There Yet?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The practice of evidence-based medicine in plastic surgery is no
      longer a trend but a reality, with a growing number of studies published in
      recent years using evidence-based medicine as an assessment tool. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to verify whether the number of citations to articles with
      a high level of evidence is greater than articles with low level of evidence.
      METHODS: A search was conducted in the 4 main international journals of plastic
      surgery. All original articles published in 2011 were analyzed, selected, and
      classified based on the study design. The articles were then divided into 2
      groups: group 1, high level of evidence; and group 2, low level of evidence.
      Next, Scopus was searched for the number of citations of each article in the 2
      subsequent years. The proportion of the number of citations received by articles
      in groups 1 and 2 was statistically compared. RESULTS: The articles with the
      highest level of evidence were the most cited among original articles, with 48.6%
      of them being cited more than 10 times over 2 years, whereas only 18.4% of
      articles in group 2 were cited with the same frequency. The mean number of
      citations was 12.6 citations per article in group 1 and 6.56 citations in group
      2, with a significant difference between groups (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      articles with a higher level of evidence are, on average, cited more often than
      those with low levels of evidence in the leading journals of plastic surgery.

PMID- 28906298
TI  - A Simple Flap Design for the Salvage of Immediate Implant-Based Breast
      Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction with implants is a real challenge in patients
      with large breast volume. Skin-reducing inverted-T mastectomy is the best
      solution for these patients. Delayed wound healing or necrosis at the T-junction
      area can be seen in this procedure, although it may also lead to severe
      conditions such as the exposure and loss of implant. In this article, the use of
      local pedicled flap for the management of these situations was discussed.
      METHODS: Between April 2010 and July 2015, 54 patients underwent breast
      reconstruction by inverted-T skin-reducing mastectomy and immediate implant-based
      breast reconstruction at our clinic. During the postoperative follow-up period,
      necrosis at the T-junction area was observed in 8 patients. All the patients
      received proper wound care, and the necrosis was surgically debrided. The defect
      was closed with Limberg-like rectangular flap. RESULTS: The mean age was 45.2
      (range, 33-54) years. The mean body mass index was 25.57 +/- 6.53 (range, 21.2
      35.2) kg/m. The mean follow-up was 10.9 (range, 4-19) months. Two patients had
      implant exposure at the defect site after the debridement. There was no implant
      loss in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The Limberg-like rectangular flap can
      be used as a salvage option in complicated skin-reducing mastectomies and can be
      considered as a safe and effective method because of its easy-to-use nature, low
      cost, and no need for microsurgery experience.

PMID- 28906299
TI  - Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Applicant Trends and Comparison With Other
      Surgical Specialties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been a relatively rapid increase in the number and size of
      "integrated" residency programs in plastic surgery (PS) over the past decade. The
      objective of this study is to evaluate trends of US senior applicants of PS
      compared with other surgical specialties from 2007 to 2016. METHODS: Data were
      obtained from "NRMP: Main Residency Match" and from "NRMP: Charting Outcomes in
      the Match." Frequencies, percentages, and proportions were calculated for
      categorical variables. Odds ratios with 95% confidence interval were calculated
      to evaluate the relationship of Alpha Omega Alpha membership and match success.
      RESULTS: The overall National Resident Matching Program match rate ranged from
      93.1% to 95.1%, but rates were lower for surgical specialties, ranging from 74.7%
      to 86.6% in 2016. From 2008 to 2016, PS had a relatively high growth rate in the
      number of positions (65.2%) from 2008 to 2016. Matched PS and Otolaryngology
      applicants routinely had the highest mean United States Medical Licensing
      Examination Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge scores. Alpha Omega Alpha
      membership has a significant impact on successfully matching into a surgical
      specialty (P < 0.1). Matched applicants of surgical subspecialties (PS,
      Otolaryngology, orthopedics, and neurosurgery) had similar mean number of
      research, work, and volunteer experiences. However, PS and neurosurgery matched
      applicants had notably higher mean research productivity. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid
      increase in the number of positions in PS residency training has not resulted in
      a decrease in caliber of matched applicants, even though match rates have
      dramatically increased. Currently, PS continues to attract and successfully match
      highly qualified applicants, but other surgical specialties have increasingly
      similar board scores and mean number of extracurricular experiences.

PMID- 28906300
TI  - Isolated Dorsoradial Capsular Tear of the Thumb Metacarpophalangeal Joint: Missed
      Diagnosis and the Management of Delayed Presentation.
AB  - Isolated dorsoradial capsule injuries of the thumb metacarpophalangeal joint are
      different from those associated with collateral ligament disruption. Early
      suspicion of this rare injury is important because, if overlooked, ulnarward
      subluxation of extensor pollicis longus tendon can develop. Functionally, active
      thumb extension becomes impaired, and over the long term, a thumb Boutonniere's
      deformity becomes established. Joint hypermobility/instability may predispose to
      this injury. The 2 cases presented illustrate this through anatomic differences.
      At the time of acute injury, 3 presenting clinical features should raise
      suspicion of dorsoradial capsular rupture: a history of isolated hyperflexion
      injury to the thumb, stable collateral ligaments on examination, and x-ray
      evidence of palmar subluxation of the proximal phalanx on the metacarpal.
      Ulnarward subluxation of the extensor pollicis longus is a delayed sign.
      Diagnostic imaging, beyond x-ray studies, may not be helpful in defining the
      injury. Early exploration and repair of this injury give the best long-term
      outcome. Postrepair, metacarpophalangeal joint range of motion may not be fully
      restored, but stability and a preinjury level of hand function can usually be
      reestablished.

PMID- 28906301
TI  - A Comparative Study of Lateral Extension Versus Conventional Deltopectoral Flap
      in Head and Neck Reconstruction After Surgical Extirpation of Tumor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated outcomes for nondelayed conventional deltopectoral
      (CDP) flaps and lateral extension deltopectoral (LEDP) flaps. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Fifteen CDP flaps and 17 LEDP flaps were raised in 32 patients. All
      flaps were nondelayed. The flaps were folded only in the LEDP flap group. Six of
      17 LEDP flaps were folded to become bilayered flaps to repair full thickness
      defects. Flap success rates and complication rates were compared between the CDP
      flap and LEDP flap groups. RESULTS: Success rates were 93.33% in the CDP flap
      group and 94.12% in the LEDP flap group. Overall complication rates of the
      transferred flaps were 6.67% and 11.76% for CDP and LEDP flaps, respectively.
      Flap failure rates were 6.67% and 5.88% with CDP flaps and LEDP flaps,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the CDP flap is the "aged workhorse" in
      contemporary head and neck reconstructions, it was shown to be a beneficial
      regional flap with a dependable pedicle and easy technique. The LEDP flap is of
      value particularly when used to treat full thickness defects of the head and neck
      or in cases when higher reach is required.

PMID- 28906302
TI  - Chemotherapy Extravasation Management: 21-Year Experience.
AB  - Chemotherapy extravasation may result in serious damage to patients, with
      irreversible local injures and disability. Evidence-based standardization on
      extravasation management is lacking and many institutions do not practice
      adequate procedures to prevent the severer damages. Our aim was to explore the
      prevention and treatment of extravasation injuries, proposing a standard
      therapeutic protocol together with a review of the literature. From January 1994
      to December 2015, 545 cases were reviewed (age range, 5-87 years; 282 men and 263
      women). Our therapeutic protocol consisted of local infiltration of saline
      solution and topical occlusive applications of corticosteroids. The infiltrations
      were administrated 3 to 6 times a week depending on damage severity. Our protocol
      allowed us to prevent ulceration in 373 cases. Only 27 patients required surgery
      (escarectomy, skin graft, regional, and free flap). Numerous treatments have been
      proposed in literature. The antidotes have been discussed controversially and are
      not considered standard methods for treatment, especially when polychemotherapy
      is administrated and the identification of the responsible drug is not possible.
      We proposed the use of saline solution injection to dilute rapidly the drug, thus
      reducing its local toxic effects. This method is easy to use and always
      reproducible even when the drug is not known or when it is administrated in
      combination with other drugs. It is possible to perform it in ambulatory regimen,
      and, overall, it represents a standard method.

PMID- 28906303
TI  - Relationship of low doses of alcohol voluntarily consumed during adolescence and
      early adulthood with subsequent behavioral flexibility.
AB  - Previous alcohol use is associated with impaired decision-making and impulsivity
      in humans, but the relationship between alcohol use and decision
      making/impulsivity is unclear. In two experiments, we determined whether chronic
      intermittent access to alcohol during adolescence and early adulthood would alter
      or be correlated with performance in a go/no-go reversal task, a devaluation
      task, or operant extinction. Rats received 6 weeks of chronic intermittent access
      to 20% alcohol or water from postnatal day 26 to 66 and then behavioral testing
      was initiated 1.5-2.5 weeks later. We found no evidence that voluntary alcohol
      consumption altered behavior in either task. However, we found that rats that
      consumed more alcohol made fewer commission errors in reversal learning compared
      with rats that drank less. There was no relationship between alcohol consumption
      and reversal learning omission errors. Alcohol consumption was not correlated
      with the magnitude of the devaluation effect, but rats that consumed more alcohol
      showed faster extinction during the devaluation test. Our results suggest that
      the relationships between behavioral flexibility and alcohol consumption may
      represent individual differences. Future work will determine the neurobiological
      and genetic bases of these behavioral differences.

PMID- 28906304
TI  - Comparison of Expert Opinion, Majority Rule, and a Clinical Prediction Rule to
      Estimate Distal Radius Malalignment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the ability of individual surgeons [expert opinion
      (EO)] to predict distal radius fracture (DRF) healing above a threshold
      malalignment compared with the majority prediction of the group of surgeons
      ["majority rule," (MR)] and a statistically derived clinical prediction formula
      [Edinburgh wrist calculator (EWC)]. DESIGN: Comparative diagnostic study from
      prospectively collected data of consecutive patients. SETTING: Two academic level
      1 and 1 academic level 2 trauma centers. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen surgeons
      assessed probability of healing above a threshold malalignment (often referred to
      as fracture "instability") for 71 fractures based on radiographs taken initially
      and after closed reduction and cast application. The probability of losing
      alignment according to the EWC was dichotomized (likely to lose alignment >=0.5
      vs. unlikely <0.5). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Accuracy parameters of prediction of
      EO, MR, and EWC. RESULTS: EWC and MR demonstrated higher accuracy (0.77 and 0.75,
      respectively) and sensitivity (0.95 and 0.79, respectively) compared with EO
      (accuracy, 0.66 and sensitivity, 0.58) for predicting healing above the threshold
      malalignment. Reliability was higher for MR (kappa 0.88) than for EWC (kappa
      0.63) or EO (kappa coefficient 0.44). The negative predictive value of the EWC
      for healing above a threshold of malalignment was excellent (0.97). CONCLUSIONS:
      Surgeon opinion is not reliable or accurate for predicting loss of alignment of a
      DRF above a threshold malalignment after closed reduction and immobilization.
      Dichotomized EWC may be a useful tool in predicting loss of alignment
      (instability) of a DRF. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Level II. See Instructions
      for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 28906305
TI  - Risk of Knee Sepsis After Treatment of Open Tibia Fractures: A Multicenter
      Comparison of Suprapatellar and Infrapatellar Approaches.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The suprapatellar approach for medullary nailing of the tibia is
      increasing. This requires intra-articular passage of instruments, which
      theoretically places the knee at risk of postoperative sepsis in the setting of
      open fracture. We hypothesized that the risk of knee sepsis is similar after
      suprapatellar or infrapatellar nailing of open tibia fractures. DESIGN:
      Retrospective, multicenter. SETTING: Three urban level 1 trauma centers.
      PATIENTS: All patients treated with medullary nailing for open diaphyseal tibia
      fractures (OTA 42) from 2009 to 2015. Patients younger than 18 years of age and
      with less than 12 weeks of follow-up were excluded. We identified 289 fractures
      in 282 patients. INTERVENTION: Suprapatellar (SP) or infrapatellar (IP) medullary
      nailing of open tibia fractures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Occurrence of
      ipsilateral knee sepsis, defined as presence of a positive culture from knee
      aspiration or arthrotomy. Deep infection requiring operative debridement,
      superficial infection requiring antibiotic therapy alone, and all-cause
      reoperation were also recorded. RESULTS: IP nailing was used for 142 fractures.
      There were 20 infections (14.1%), of which 14 (9.8%) were deep. Fourteen tibias
      (9.8%) required reoperation for noninfectious reasons for 28 total reoperations
      (19.7%). SP nailing was used in 147 fractures. There were 24 infections (16.2%),
      of which 16 (10.8%) were deep. Fourteen additional tibias (9.5%) required
      reoperation for noninfectious reasons for a total of 30 reoperations (20.4%).
      There were no differences in the rates of infection, deep infection, or
      reoperation between groups. There were 2 cases of knee sepsis after SP nailing
      (1.4%) but zero cases after IP nailing (P = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: There was no
      significant difference in the rate of knee sepsis with SP or IP approaches. The
      risk of knee sepsis after SP nailing of open fractures is low, but present. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete
      description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 28906306
TI  - Predicting Early Mortality After Hip Fracture Surgery: The Hip Fracture Estimator
      of Mortality Amsterdam.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Early mortality after hip fracture surgery is high and preoperative
      risk assessment for the individual patient is challenging. A risk model could
      identify patients in need of more intensive perioperative care, provide insight
      in the prognosis, and allow for risk adjustment in audits. This study aimed to
      develop and validate a risk prediction model for 30-day mortality after hip
      fracture surgery: the Hip fracture Estimator of Mortality Amsterdam (HEMA).
      METHODS: Data on 1050 consecutive patients undergoing hip fracture surgery
      between 2004 and 2010 were retrospectively collected and randomly split into a
      development cohort (746 patients) and validation cohort (304 patients). Logistic
      regression analysis was performed in the development cohort to determine risk
      factors for the HEMA. Discrimination and calibration were assessed in both
      cohorts using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC),
      the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, and by stratification into low-, medium
      and high-risk groups. RESULTS: Nine predictors for 30-day mortality were
      identified and used in the final model: age >=85 years, in-hospital fracture,
      signs of malnutrition, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, current
      pneumonia, renal failure, malignancy, and serum urea >9 mmol/L. The HEMA showed
      good discrimination in the development cohort (AUC = 0.81) and the validation
      cohort (AUC = 0.79). The Hosmer-Lemeshow test indicated no lack of fit in either
      cohort (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The HEMA is based on preoperative variables and
      can be used to predict the risk of 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery
      for the individual patient. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level II. See
      Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 28906307
TI  - Lateral Compression-I Pelvic Ring Injury: Not Benign to the Developing Fetus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether certain patterns of pelvic ring injury are
      associated with more frequent intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD). DESIGN:
      Retrospective review. SETTING: Level 1 trauma center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Of
      44 pregnant patients with pelvic and/or acetabular fractures, 40 had complete
      records that allowed determination of fetal viability. chi2 tests were used for
      categorical variables (Fisher exact tests when expected cell counts were fewer
      than 5), and t tests were used for continuous variables. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASUREMENTS: Fetal or maternal death. RESULTS: Sixteen patients had isolated
      acetabular fractures, 25 had isolated pelvic ring injuries, and 3 had acetabular
      fractures with concomitant pelvic ring injuries. Maternal and fetal mortality
      were 2% and 40%, respectively. No patients with isolated acetabular fractures
      experienced IUFD, compared with 68% (15/22) of those with isolated pelvic ring
      injuries (P < 0.0001). Eight (53%) of 15 IUFDs were associated with lateral
      compression (LC)-I pelvic ring injuries (Orthopaedic Trauma
      Association/Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Osteosynthesefragen 61-B2). Of the 13 LC-I
      pelvic ring injuries, 8 (62%) resulted in IUFD. Pelvic ring stability, Young
      Burgess classification, and operative treatment were not associated with IUFD.
      Maternal Glasgow Coma Scale (average 13.2) and Injury Severity Score (average
      18.2) at admission were predictive of IUFD. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent pelvic
      fractures in gravid trauma patients are LC-I. Although the rate of maternal
      mortality was low, the risk of IUFD was quite high (40%). LC-I pelvic ring
      injuries often had catastrophic outcomes, with IUFD in 62% of cases. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete
      description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 28906308
TI  - Is Contralateral Templating Reliable for Establishing Rotational Alignment During
      Intramedullary Stabilization of Femoral Shaft Fractures? A Study of Individual
      Bilateral Differences in Femoral Version.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine native individual bilateral differences (IBDs) in
      femoral version in a diverse population. METHODS: Computed tomography scans with
      complete imaging of uninjured bilateral femora were used to determine femoral
      version and IBDs in version. Age, sex, and ethnicity of each subject were also
      collected. Femoral version and IBDs in version were correlated with demographic
      variables using univariate and multivariate regression models. RESULTS: One
      hundred sixty-four subjects were included in the study. The average femoral
      version was 9.4 degrees (+/-9.4 degrees). The mean IBD in femoral version was 5.4
      degrees (+/-4.4 degrees, P < 0.001). A total of 17.7% of subjects had a
      difference in version >=10 degrees, and 4.3% had a difference in version >=15
      degrees. A femur with anteversion >=20 degrees or retroversion was associated
      with a greater mean difference in version from the contralateral side compared
      with those with midrange anteversion. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral differences in
      femoral version are common and can result in a difference from native anatomy
      that may be clinically significant if only the contralateral limb is used to
      establish rotational alignment during intramedullary stabilization of diaphyseal
      femur fractures. This is also an important consideration when considering
      malrotation of femur fractures because most studies define malrotation as a
      greater than 10-15-degree difference compared with the contralateral side. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete
      description of levels of evidence.

PMID- 28906309
TI  - Cancer Stem Cell-Related Marker NANOG Expression in Ovarian Serous Tumors: A
      Clinicopathological Study of 159 Cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to assess cancer stem cell-related
      marker NANOG expression in ovarian serous tumors and to evaluate its prognostic
      significance in relation to ovarian serous carcinoma. METHODS: NANOG protein
      expression was immunohistochemically evaluated in the ovarian tissue microarrays
      of 20 patients with benign ovarian serous tumors, 30 patients with borderline
      ovarian serous tumors, and 109 patients with ovarian serous carcinomas, from
      which 106 were of high-grade and 3 of low-grade morphology Immunohistochemical
      reaction was scored according to signal intensity and the percentage of positive
      cells in tumor samples. Pursuant to our summation of signal intensity and
      positive cell occurrence, we divided our samples into 4 groups: NANOG-negative,
      NANOG-slightly positive, NANOG-moderately positive, and NANOG-strongly positive
      group. Complete clinical data were obtained for the ovarian serous carcinoma
      group, and correlation between clinical data and NANOG expression was analyzed.
      RESULTS: A specific brown nuclear, or cytoplasmic reaction, was considered a
      positive NANOG staining. In terms of the ovarian serous carcinoma group, 69.7%
      were NANOG positive, 22.9% slightly positive, 22.9% moderately positive, and
      23.9% strongly positive. All NANOG-positive cases were of high-grade morphology.
      Benign and borderline tumors and low-grade serous carcinomas were NANOG negative.
      There was no significant correlation between NANOG expression and clinical
      parameters in terms of the ovarian serous carcinoma group. CONCLUSIONS: Positive
      NANOG expression is significantly associated with high-grade ovarian serous
      carcinoma and is absent in benign, borderline, and low-grade serous lesions. In
      our study, there was no correlation between NANOG expression and clinical
      parameters, including its use in the prognosis of ovarian serous carcinoma.

PMID- 28906310
TI  - Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma of the Uterus: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings
      Including Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Value and Its Correlation With Ki-67
      Expression.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the conventional magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) features of endometrial
      stromal sarcoma (ESS) including a preliminary investigation of the correlation
      between the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value and Ki-67 expression.
      METHODS: The clinical and MRI data of 15 patients with ESS confirmed by surgery
      and pathology were analyzed retrospectively. The conventional MR morphological
      features, signal intensity on DWI, ADC value (n = 14), and clinicopathological
      marker Ki-67 (n = 13) were evaluated. RESULTS: Of 15 patients with ESS, 13 tumors
      were low-grade ESS (LGESS), and the remaining 2 were high-grade ESS (HGESS); 9
      tumors were located in the myometrium, 5 were located in the endometrium and/or
      cervical canal, and 1 was located in extrauterine. Thirteen (87%) of 15 tumors
      showed a homo- or heterogeneous isointensity on T1-weighted imaging and a
      heterogeneous hyperintensity on T2-weighted imaging. The hypointense bands were
      observed in 11 tumors (73%) on T2-weighted imaging. The degenerations
      (cystic/necrosis/hemorrhage) were observed in 7 LGESS tumors and 2 HGESS tumors.
      The DWI hyperintensity was observed in 13 tumors (93%) and isointensity in
      remaining 1. The mean ADC value of the solid components in 14 ESSs was (1.05 +/-
      0.20) * 10mm/s. The contrast-enhanced MRI showed an obvious enhancement in 14
      tumors (93%) (heterogeneous in 7 LGESSs and 2 HGESSs; homogeneous in 5 LGESSs).
      The ADC value was inversely correlated with the Ki-67 expression (r = -0.613, P =
      0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ESS showed some characteristics on
      conventional MRI and DWI, and there was an inverse correlation between the ADC
      value and Ki-67 expression.

PMID- 28906311
TI  - Genetic Predisposition to Cervical Cancer and the Association With XRCC1 and
      TGFB1 Polymorphisms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cervical carcinoma (CC), a multifactorial cancer, is assumed to have a
      host genetic predisposition component that modulates its susceptibility in
      various populations. We investigated the association between CC risk in Saudi
      women and 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in hypothesis-driven candidate
      genes. METHODS: A total of 545 females were included, comprising 232 CC patients
      and 313 age-/sex-matched control subjects. Six SNPs (CDKN1A C31A, ATM G1853A,
      HDM2 T309G, TGFB1 T10C, XRCC1 G399A, and XRCC3 C241T) were genotyped by direct
      sequencing. RESULTS: Of the 6 SNPs studied, TGFB1 T10C (odds ratio, 0.74; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.57-0.94) and XRCC1 G399A (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.11-1.90) displayed different frequencies in cancer patients and
      control subjects and showed statistically significant association in univariate
      (P = 0.017, P = 0.005, respectively) analysis. The Cochran-Armitage trend test
      had confirmed the results (P = 0.027 and P = 0.006, respectively), indicating an
      ordering in the effect of the risk alleles in CC patients. The 2 SNPs, TGFB1 T10C
      and XRCC1 G399A, showed also degrees of deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
      in cancer patients (P = 0.001 and P = 0.083, respectively) but not in the control
      subjects. Furthermore, correction for multiple testing using multivariate
      logistic regression to assess the joint effect of all SNPs has sustained
      significant statistical association (P = 0.025 and P = 0.009, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: TGFB1 T10C and XRCC1 G399A SNPs were associated with CC risk in
      univariate and multivariate analysis and displayed allele-dosage effects and
      coselection in cancer patients. Patients harboring the majority allele TGFB1 T10
      (Leu) or the variant allele XRCC1 399A (Gln) have approximately 1.5-fold
      increased risk to develop CC. Host SNPs genotyping may provide relevant
      biomarkers for CC risk assessment in personalized preventive medicine.

PMID- 28906312
TI  - Redesigning Oncology Care Delivery: Early Wins, Lessons Learned, and a Roadmap.

PMID- 28906313
TI  - Two Innovative Cancer Care Programs Have Potential to Reduce Utilization and
      Spending.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer patients often present to the emergency department (ED) and
      hospital for symptom management, but many of these visits are avoidable and
      costly. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the impact of 2 Health Care Innovation Awards that
      used an oncology medical home model [Community Oncology Medical Home (COME HOME)]
      or patient navigation model [Patient Care Connect Program (PCCP)] on utilization
      and spending. METHODS: Participants in COME HOME and PCCP models were matched to
      similar comparators using propensity scores. We analyzed utilization and spending
      outcomes using Medicare fee-for-service claims with unadjusted and adjusted
      difference-in-differences models. RESULTS: In the adjusted models, both COME HOME
      and PCCP were associated with fewer ED visits than a comparison group (15 and 22
      per 1000 patients/quarter, respectively; P<0.01). In addition, COME HOME had
      lower spending ($675 per patient/quarter; P<0.01), and PCCP had fewer
      hospitalizations (11 per 1000 patients/quarter; P<0.05), relative to the
      comparison group. Among patients undergoing chemotherapy, fewer COME HOME and
      PCCP patients had ED visits (18 and 28 per 1000 patients/quarter, respectively;
      P<0.01) and fewer PCCP patients had hospitalizations (13 per 1000
      patients/quarter; P<0.05), than comparison patients. CONCLUSIONS: The oncology
      medical home and patient navigator programs both showed reductions in spending or
      utilization. Adoption of such programs holds promise for improving cancer care.

PMID- 28906314
TI  - Quality of Care in the United States Territories, 1999-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Millions of Americans live in the US territories, but health outcomes
      and payments among Medicare beneficiaries in these territories are not well
      characterized. METHODS: Among Fee-for-Service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65
      years and older hospitalized between 1999 and 2012 for acute myocardial
      infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF), and pneumonia, we compared hospitalization
      rates, patient outcomes, and inpatient payments in the territories and states.
      RESULTS: Over 14 years, there were 4,350,813 unique beneficiaries in the
      territories and 402,902,615 in the states. Hospitalization rates for AMI, HF, and
      pneumonia declined overall and did not differ significantly. However, 30-day
      mortality rates were higher in the territories for all 3 conditions: in the most
      recent time period (2008-2012), the adjusted odds of 30-day mortality were 1.34
      [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21-1.48], 1.24 (95% CI, 1.12-1.37), and 1.85
      (95% CI, 1.71-2.00) for AMI, HF, and pneumonia, respectively; adjusted odds of 1
      year mortality were also higher. In the most recent study period, inflation
      adjusted Medicare in-patient payments, in 2012 dollars, were lower in the
      territories than the states, at $9234 less (61% lower than states), $4479 less
      (50% lower), and $4403 less (39% lower) for AMI, HF, and pneumonia
      hospitalizations, respectively (P<0.001 for all). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:
      Among Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries, in 2008-2012 mortality rates were
      higher, or not significantly different, and hospital reimbursements were lower
      for patients hospitalized with AMI, HF, and pneumonia in the territories.
      Improvement of health care and policies in the territories is critical to ensure
      health equity for all Americans.

PMID- 28906315
TI  - Development of the Aim to Decrease Anxiety and Pain Treatment for Pediatric
      Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the Aim to Decrease
      Anxiety and Pain Treatment (ADAPT), a brief, on-line and in-person behavioral
      intervention targeting pain and anxiety in youth with functional abdominal pain
      disorders (FAPDs). METHODS: Patients were recruited from several outpatient
      pediatric gastroenterology clinics. Nine participants (ages 9-13) completed the
      full protocol. Thematic analysis of detailed qualitative feedback was obtained
      via semistructured patient and caregiver interviews after treatment was
      conducted. Feasibility and preliminary outcomes were examined using nonparametric
      tests. RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that the ADAPT treatment is
      feasible, acceptable, and potentially effective for youth with FAPD. Treatment
      completers reported that they enjoyed the program and used the skills to manage
      their pain and worry. Results also indicated that the majority of participants
      experienced a reduction in anxiety and several reported reductions in pain and
      functional disability levels. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study suggest that
      targeting both pain and anxiety may positively impact outcomes in youth with
      FAPD. The ADAPT intervention has the potential to provide a cost effective and
      practical application of cognitive behavioral therapy using an innovative
      combination of in-person and technology-based platforms. Overall, the ADAPT
      intervention is a promising and innovative intervention to improve the outcomes
      of youth with FAPD.

PMID- 28906316
TI  - Secondary Loss of Response to Infliximab in Pediatric Crohn Disease: Does It
      Matter How and When We Start?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A significant proportion of children with Crohn disease develop a
      secondary loss of response (LOR) to infliximab. Our aim was to study the impact
      of initial treatment strategies on secondary LOR. METHODS: We reviewed the
      medical records of children with Crohn disease who received scheduled maintenance
      infliximab therapy for at least 12 months. We compared children who developed LOR
      with those who did not; with regards to their clinical and laboratory parameters,
      disease phenotype, and treatment strategy before developing LOR. RESULTS: A total
      of 73 children (median age at diagnosis 11 (2-16) years, 41 boys) who had
      received a median duration of 33 (13-110) months of infliximab therapy were
      included in the final analysis. LOR was seen in 25(34.2%). Demographic variables,
      disease phenotype (age, disease location, and behavior), inflammatory parameters,
      and pediatric Crohn disease activity index at induction with infliximab were
      similar between both groups. Children with LOR had a significantly greater number
      of flares of the disease when compared to those who did not have LOR (4 [1-8] vs
      2 [1-5] P = 0.03). The choice of the concomitant immunomodulator-methotrexate
      (11/29 [37.9%]) versus azathioprine (11/36 [30.5%]) (P = 0.6) did not affect LOR
      rates. The median time-lag between diagnosis and induction with infliximab was
      significantly longer in children with LOR as compared to those who did not have
      an LOR (28 [4-90] months vs 12.5 [1-121] months, P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Early
      use of infliximab in pediatric Crohn disease is associated with a decrease in
      secondary LOR. The type of concomitant immunomodulator used does not make a
      difference to LOR rates.

PMID- 28906317
TI  - Polyethylene Glycol 3350 With Electrolytes Versus Polyethylene Glycol 4000 for
      Constipation: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The long-term efficacy and safety of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in
      constipated children are unknown, and a head-to-head comparison of the different
      PEG formulations is lacking. We aimed to investigate noninferiority of PEG3350
      with electrolytes (PEG3350 + E) compared to PEG4000 without electrolytes
      (PEG4000). METHODS: In this double-blind trial, children aged 0.5 to 16 years
      with constipation, defined as a defecation frequency of <3 times per week, were
      randomized to receive either PEG3350 + E or PEG4000. Primary outcomes were change
      in total sum score (TSS) at week 52 compared to baseline, and dose range
      determination. TSS was the sum of the severity of 5 constipation symptoms rated
      on a 4-point scale (0-3). Noninferiority margin was a difference in TSS of <=1.5
      based on a 95%-confidence interval [CI]. Treatment success was defined as a
      defecation frequency of >=3 per week with <1 episode of fecal incontinence.
      RESULTS: Ninety-seven subjects were included, of whom 82 completed the study.
      Mean reduction in TSS was -3.81 (95% CI: -4.96 to -2.65) and -3.74 (95%CI: -5.08
      to -2.40), for PEG3350 + E and PEG4000, respectively. Noninferiority criteria
      were not met (maximum difference between groups: -1.81 to 1.68). Daily sachet use
      was: 0 to 2 years: 0.4 to 2.3 and 0.9 to 2.1; 2 to 4 years: 0.1 to 3.5 and 1.2 to
      3.2; 4 to 8 years: 1.1 to 2.8 and 0.7 to 3.8; 8 to 16 years 0.6 to 3.7 and 1.0 to
      3.7, in PEG3350 + E and PEG4000, respectively. Treatment success after 52 weeks
      was achieved in 50% and 45% of children, respectively (P = 0.69). Rates of
      adverse events were similar between groups, and no drug-related serious adverse
      events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Noninferiority regarding long-term constipation
      related symptoms of PEG3350 + E compared to PEG4000 was not demonstrated.
      However, analysis of secondary outcomes suggests similar efficacy and safety of
      these agents.

PMID- 28906318
TI  - Nutritional State and Feeding Behaviors of Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis
      and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: As both gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and eosinophilic
      esophagitis (EoE) are associated with malnutrition and feeding dysfunction, this
      study compares growth, nutrition, and feeding behaviors in children with GERD and
      EoE. METHODS: Subjects ages 1 to 7 years with GERD or EoE were enrolled in a
      prospective study. Assessments included length/height, weight, 3-day food diary,
      serum biomarkers of nutrition, and the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment
      Scale. RESULTS: Mean weight-for-length z scores in GERD and EoE children were 
      0.93 and -1.14 (p = NS) and mean body mass index z scores were 0.29 and -0.13 (P
      = NS). Vitamin D intake was below the daily recommended intake in GERD subjects.
      EoE subjects' intake was below daily recommended intake of Vitamin D and calcium.
      GERD and EoE groups both had normal intake of calories, carbohydrates, proteins,
      fats, and iron, and normal serum ferritin (25 vs 34 ng/mL), prealbumin (21 vs 20
      mg/dL), parathyroid hormone (42 vs 37 pg/mL), and Vitamin D (both 30 ng/mL).
      Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale problem and frequency scores were
      similar in GERD and EoE subjects but were higher than those of a historical
      cohort of healthy controls (Hedges' g of 0.95 and 1.1, respectively). EoE
      subjects on food allergen restriction diets had significantly less feeding
      dysfunction than those on regular diets. CONCLUSIONS: As a selected group of
      children with uncomplicated GERD or EoE were without nutritional deficiencies but
      had maladaptive feeding, providing anticipatory guidance to minimize mealtime
      challenges, monitoring for improvement, or referring to a feeding therapist, may
      be beneficial. A trial of food allergen restriction may provide additional
      benefit for those with EoE.

PMID- 28906319
TI  - Enteroaggregative E. coli Subclinical Infection and co-Infections and Impaired
      Child Growth in the MAL-ED Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the impact of subclinical enteroaggregative Escherichia
      coli (EAEC) infection alone and in combination with other pathogens in the first
      six months of life on child growth. METHODS: Non-diarrheal samples from 1,684
      children across eight Multisite Birth Cohort Study, Malnutrition and Enteric
      Diseases (MAL-ED) sites in Asia, Africa, and Latin America were tested monthly;
      over 90% of children were followed-up twice weekly for the first six months of
      life. RESULTS: Children with subclinical EAEC infection did not show altered
      growth between enrollment and six months. Conversely, EAEC co-infection with any
      other pathogen was negatively associated with delta weight-for-length (WLZ) (p <
      0.05) and weight-for-age (WAZ) (p > 0.05) z-scores between 0 and 6 months. The
      presence of two or more pathogens without EAEC was not significantly associated
      with delta WLZ and WAZ. The most frequent EAEC co-infections included
      Campylobacter spp. heat-labile toxin-producing enterotoxigenic E. coli,
      Cryptosporidium spp., and atypical enteropathogenic E. coli. Myeloperoxidase
      levels were increased with EAEC co-infection (p < 0.05). EAEC pathogen co
      detection was associated with lower neopterin levels compared to those of no
      pathogen control children (p < 0.05). Mothers of children with EAEC co-infections
      had lower levels of education, poorer hygiene and sanitation, lower socioeconomic
      status, and lower breastfeeding rates compared to mothers of children in whom no
      pathogen was detected (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data emphasize the public
      health importance of subclinical EAEC infection in early infancy in association
      with other pathogens and the need for improved maternal and child care, hygiene,
      sanitation, and socioeconomic factors.

PMID- 28906320
TI  - Changes in Proteases, Antiproteases, and Bioactive Proteins From Mother's Breast
      Milk to the Premature Infant Stomach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our previous studies suggested that human milk proteases begin to
      hydrolyze proteins in the mammary gland and continue within the term infant'
      stomach. No research has measured milk protease and pepsin activity in the
      gastric aspirates of preterm infants after human milk feeding. This study
      investigated how the concentrations of human milk proteases and protease
      inhibitors changed in the premature infant stomach. METHODS: Human milk and
      infant gastric samples were collected from 18 preterm-delivering mother-infant
      pairs (24-32 week gestational age). Paired human milk and gastric samples were
      collected across postnatal age (2-47 days). Protease concentrations were
      determined by spectrophotometric or fluorometric assays, and the concentrations
      of protease inhibitors and bioactive proteins were determined by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Paired t tests were applied to compare enzymes,
      antiproteases, and bioactive proteins between human milk and gastric samples.
      RESULTS: Our study reveals that although human milk proteases, including
      carboxypeptidase B2, kallikrein, plasmin, cathepsin D, elastase, thrombin, and
      cytosol aminopeptidase, are present in the preterm infant stomach, only plasmin
      and cathepsin D can actively hydrolyze proteins at gastric pH. Enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay and peptidomic evidence suggest that all milk antiproteases
      as well as lactoferrin and immunoglobulin A are partially digested in the preterm
      stomach. CONCLUSIONS: Most human milk proteases are active in milk but not at
      preterm infant gastric pH. Only cathepsin D and plasmin have potential to
      continue degrading milk proteins within the preterm infant stomach.

PMID- 28906321
TI  - Variceal Hemorrhage and Adverse Liver Outcomes in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis
      Cirrhosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cirrhosis occurs in 5% to 10% of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, often
      accompanied by portal hypertension. We analyzed 3 adverse liver outcomes,
      variceal bleeding (VB), liver transplant (LT), and liver-related death (LD), and
      risk factors for these in CF Foundation Patient Registry subjects with reported
      cirrhosis. METHODS: We determined 10-year incidence rates for VB, LT, LD, and all
      cause mortality (ACM), and examined risk factors using competing risk models and
      Cox-proportional hazard regression. RESULTS: From 2003 to 2012, 943 participants
      (41% females, mean age 18.1 years) had newly reported cirrhosis; 24.7% required
      insulin, 85% had previous pseudomonas. Seventy-three subjects had reported VB: 38
      with first VB and new cirrhosis reported simultaneously and 35 with VB after
      cirrhosis report. Ten-year cumulative VB, LT, and LD rates were 6.6% (95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 4.0, 9.1%), 9.9% (95% CI: 6.6%, 13.2%), and 6.9% (95%
      CI: 4.0%, 9.8%), respectively, with an ACM of 39.2% (95% CI: 30.8, 36.6%). ACM
      was not increased in subjects with VB compared to those without (hazard ratio
      [HR] 1.10, 95% CI: 0.59, 2.08). CF-related diabetes (HR: 3.141, 95% CI:1.56,
      6.34) and VB (HR: 4.837, 95% CI: 2.33, 10.0) were associated with higher LT risk,
      whereas only worse lung function was associated with increased LD in multivariate
      analysis. Death rate among subjects with VB was 24% with LT and 20.4% with native
      liver. CONCLUSIONS: VB is an uncommon complication of CF cirrhosis and can herald
      the diagnosis, but does not affect ACM. Adverse liver outcomes and ACM are
      frequent by 10 years after cirrhosis report.

PMID- 28906322
TI  - The Effect of Ophthalmic Artery Chemosurgery on Immune Function in Retinoblastoma
      Patients: A Single Institution Retrospective Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ophthalmic artery chemosurgery (OAC) is associated with grade 3 and 4
      neutropenia, however the effect on T-cell number and function is unknown. The
      purpose of this retrospective review was to confirm that patients treated with
      OAC do not develop immunosuppression warranting Pneumocystis pneumonia
      prophylaxis. PROCEDURE: IRB approval was obtained for a single center
      retrospective review of immune function tests in retinoblastoma patients who
      received OAC. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients received >=3 cycles of OAC and had
      immune function testing (absolute CD4 count) performed at a median of 34 days
      postcompletion of therapy (range, 15 to 63 d). Only 1 patient had a low absolute
      CD4 count of 189 cells/MUL (normal, 359 to 1570 cells/MUL) 2 and a half months
      after IV carboplatin and 28 days after their third dose of OAC. This patient was
      found to have coexisting hypogammaglobulinemia. Repeat immune function testing
      normalized through continued OAC treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically significant
      immune suppression appears rare following OAC alone, but patients previously
      treated with IV chemotherapy may be immunosuppressed and may benefit from
      pneumocystis pneumonia prophylaxis until the CD4 count recovers.

PMID- 28906323
TI  - Novel Method Enabling the Use of Cryopreserved Primary Acute Myeloid Leukemia
      Cells in Functional Drug Screens.
AB  - The ability to assess antileukemic drug activity on primary patient samples is a
      powerful tool in determining potential drug targets and selection of therapeutic
      agents with biological and functional rationale. We previously established small
      molecule inhibitor screens for use on freshly isolated leukemia cells for this
      purpose. Here we describe a method that produces functional small molecule
      inhibitor screening results using cryopreserved primary acute myeloid leukemia
      cells. This method was established to take advantage of biorepositories
      containing archival material, such as those established by the Children's
      Oncology Group, and to enable validation of potential pathway dependencies
      uncovered by genomic analysis. Various conditions used to thaw and culture
      cryopreserved specimens were assessed for effect on viability, differentiation,
      and the ability to recapitulate sensitivity results obtained on fresh samples.
      The most reproducible results were obtained by quick-thawing and culturing
      samples in cytokine rich media before performing drug screens. Our data suggest
      that cytokine-enriched media aids in maintaining the viability and numbers
      required to perform functional analysis on cryopreserved leukemia cells. This
      method can aid in producing informative data on therapeutic targeting and
      precision medicine efforts in leukemia by making use of biorepositories and bio
      banks.

PMID- 28906324
TI  - Pediatric Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm: A Systematic Literature
      Review.
AB  - Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare aggressive
      hematologic malignancy characterized by frequent skin involvement that most
      commonly affects older patients. BPDCN is known to have a poor prognosis. Our
      objective was to assess if outcome and disease prognosis were independently
      influenced by age when evaluated with clinical presentation, sex, and treatment
      regimens. We conducted a systematic review to identify BPDCN cases, to compare
      pediatric BPDCN cases with adult cases. A total of 125 publications were
      identified detailing 356 cases. Including 1 pediatric case from our institution,
      74 were children, and 283 were adults aged 19 or over. Age was shown to be an
      independent prognostic factor predictive of more favorable outcomes across
      measures including initial response to therapy, likelihood of relapse, and
      overall survival at follow-up. The distribution of affected organs at diagnosis
      was similar across children and adults and type of clinical presentation did not
      disproportionately influence 1 age group's prognosis over the other. Acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia-type chemotherapy regimens were shown to be superior to
      other chemotherapy regimens (acute myeloid leukemia, lymphoma, acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, other, or none) in inducing complete remission.
      Allogeneic stem cell transplantation was shown to increase mean survival time.
      Future research may be directed toward elucidating the further morphologic,
      cytogenetic, and cytochemical differences between younger and older BPDCN
      patients.

PMID- 28906325
TI  - Antidepressant combination versus antidepressants plus second-generation
      antipsychotic augmentation in treatment-resistant unipolar depression.
AB  - Patients with treatment-resistant unipolar depression (TRD) are treated with
      antidepressant combinations (ADs) or with second-generation antipsychotics plus
      AD (SGA+AD) augmentation; however, the clinical characteristics, the factors
      associated independently with response to SGA+AD, and the outcome trajectories
      have not yet been characterized. We performed a naturalistic study on the latest
      stable trial (medication unchanged for about 3 months) in 86 TRD patients with
      resistance to at least two ADs trials, who received ADs (n=36) or SGA+AD (n=50)
      treatments. Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Hamilton
      Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D17), and other scales were administered before (T0)
      and after the latest 3-month stable trial (T3). Compared to ADs, the SGA+AD group
      showed increased percentage of depression with psychotic features, comorbidity
      for personality disorders and substance use disorders (SUD), higher number of
      failed ADs pharmacotherapies and depressive symptoms at T0 on all scales
      (P<0.001). Compared to T0, both treatments significantly decreased depressive
      symptoms on MADRS and HAM-D17 at T3 (P<0.001); however, the SGA+AD augmentation
      produced a greater decline in mean score. Logistic regression analysis indicated
      that psychotic features, personality disorders, and SUD were independently
      associated with SGA+AD treatment. Given the greater improvement in depression
      following SGA+AD augmentation, SGA augmentation should be indicated as a first
      line treatment in severe TRD with psychotic features, SUD, and personality
      disorders.

PMID- 28906326
TI  - Tissue Engineering Strategies for Auricular Reconstruction.
AB  - Simulating natural characteristics and aesthetics in reconstructed ears has
      provided a complex 3-dimensional puzzle for those treating patients with
      microtia. Costochondral grafts remain the gold standard for autologous
      reconstruction. However, other options such as Medpor and prosthetics are
      indicated depending on patient circumstances and personal choice. Research into
      tissue engineering offers an alternative method to a traditional surgical
      approach that may reduce donor-site morbidity. However, tissue engineering for
      microtia reconstruction brings new challenges such as cell sourcing, promotion of
      chondrogenesis, scaffold vascularization, and prevention of scaffold contraction.
      Advancements in 3D printing, nanofiber utilization, stem cell technologies, and
      decellularization techniques have played significant roles in overcoming these
      challenges. These recent advancements and reports of a successful clinical-scale
      study in an immunocompetent animal suggest a promising outlook for future
      clinical application of tissue engineering for auricular reconstruction.

PMID- 28906327
TI  - Role of Negative Orbit Vector in Orbital Blow-Out Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Negative orbit vector is defined as the most anterior globe portion
      protrudes past the malar eminence. The aim of the study was to evaluate the
      relationship between negative orbit vector and blow-out fracture location
      analyzing the distance between the anterior corneal surface and orbital bone with
      facial soft tissue in medial and orbital floor blow out fractures using orbital
      computed tomography (CT). METHODS: Seventy-seven patients diagnosed with blow-out
      fractures involving the medial or orbital floor were included. Distances from the
      anterior cornea to lower lid fat, inferior orbital wall, inferior orbital rim,
      and anterior cheek mass were measured using orbital CT scans. The proportion of
      negative orbit vector and measured distanced were compared between medial wall
      fracture and orbital floor fracture. Medical records including age, sex,
      concomitant ophthalmic diagnosis, and nature of injury were retrospectively
      reviewed. RESULTS: Forty-three eyes from 43 patients diagnosed with medial wall
      fracture and 34 eyes from 34 patients diagnosed with orbital floor fracture were
      included. There was no significant difference in the distance from the anterior
      cornea to lower lid fat (P = 0.574), inferior orbital wall (P = 0.494), or
      orbital rim (P = 0.685). The distance from anterior cornea to anterior cheek mass
      was significantly different in medial wall fracture (-0.19 +/- 3.49 mm) compared
      with orbital floor fracture (-1.69 +/- 3.70 mm), P = 0.05. Negative orbit vector
      was significantly higher in orbital floor fracture patients (24 among 34
      patients, 70.6%) compared with those with medial wall fractures (19 among 43
      patients, 44.2%) (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Patients presenting with a negative
      orbit vector relationship when the most anterior portion of globe protruded past
      the anterior cheek mass and malar eminence were more likely to develop orbital
      floor fracture than medial wall fracture.

PMID- 28906328
TI  - The Americleft Project: A Modification of Asher-McDade Method for Rating
      Nasolabial Esthetics in Patients With Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Using Q
      sort.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate ways to improve rater reliability
      and satisfaction in nasolabial esthetic evaluations of patients with complete
      unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), by modifying the Asher-McDade method with
      use of Q-sort methodology. Blinded ratings of cropped photographs of one hundred
      forty-nine 5- to 7-year-old consecutively treated patients with complete UCLP
      from 4 different centers were used in a rating of frontal and profile nasolabial
      esthetic outcomes by 6 judges involved in the Americleft Project's intercenter
      outcome comparisons. Four judges rated in previous studies using the original
      Asher-McDade approach. For the Q-sort modification, rather than projection of
      images, each judge had cards with frontal and profile photographs of each patient
      and rated them on a scale of 1 to 5 for vermillion border, nasolabial frontal,
      and profile, using the Q-sort method with placement of cards into categories 1 to
      5. Inter- and intrarater reliabilities were calculated using the Weighted Kappa
      (95% confidence interval). For 4 raters, the reliabilities were compared with
      those in previous studies. There was no significant improvement in inter-rater
      reliabilities using the new method. Intrarater reliability consistently improved.
      All raters preferred the Q-sort method with rating cards rather than a PowerPoint
      of photos, which improved internal consistency in rating compared to previous
      studies using the original Asher-McDade method. All raters preferred this method
      because of the ability to continuously compare photos and adjust relative ratings
      between patients.

PMID- 28906330
TI  - Does Fat Grafting Influence Postoperative Edema in Orthognathic Surgery?
AB  - PURPOSE: Autologous fat grafting is a useful adjunctive procedure to orthognathic
      surgery and may also confer anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this
      study is to answer the clinical question: among patients undergoing orthognathic
      operations, what are the effects of fat grafting on facial edema (magnitude,
      duration, and rate of decrease)? METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was
      performed. Three-dimensional photos (Canfield, Fairfield, NJ) from preoperative
      and a series of postprocedure time-points were analyzed. The data set was divided
      into a fat-grafted cohort and a non-fat-grafted cohort and later analyzed using
      paired and unpaired t tests and linear regressions to determine significant
      correlations. RESULTS: One hundred sixteen pre- and postoperative three
      dimensional photo data sets were included. The sample included 29 subjects. The
      facial volume was analyzed both overall and comparing each subgroup (orthognathic
      vs. orthognathic + fat grafting group). Postoperative facial volume increase
      averaged 23.7% for the entire cohort (FG and nFG). By week 12, the swelling
      decreased about 62% from baseline. In all patients, there was a statistically
      significant decrease in facial volume with time. In the fat-grafted group,
      despite adding volume, the facial volume was equal to the non-fat-grafted group
      at week 1, yet the rate of decrease was faster through week 12. CONCLUSION: The
      majority of postoperative facial edema decreases by 12 weeks following
      orthognathic surgery. In this cohort of patients, despite the addition of volume,
      concurrent fat grafting lessened postoperative edema, and led to a greater
      magnitude and speed of resolution.

PMID- 28906331
TI  - Mandibular Surgical Navigation: An Innovative Guiding Method.
AB  - Mandibular osteotomies are usually required to treat craniomaxillofacial
      disorders. Losses of mandibular continuity result in esthetic and functional
      deficiency. During the past 30 years, the spread of the computer-assisted surgery
      techniques, rapid prototyping, and surgical navigation technique has improved the
      reliability and the outcomes of mandibular resections and reconstructions, by
      providing realtime feedback to surgeon. Recent studies reported the feasibility
      and the precision of surgical navigation applied to mandibular surgical resection
      and reconstruction with fibula flap but none of them describes a method to
      navigate the jaw allowing its full motility during the operation. To our
      knowledge, this is the first-time description of such a kind of method to
      navigate the jaw positioning the dynamic reference frame directly on the
      mandibular branch to maintain the full mobility of the mandible. The method
      described in our series has allowed an accurate surgical navigation of the jaw
      without the need of intermaxillary fixation. This technique could greatly
      facilitate resection and reconstructive surgical procedures of the jaw while
      ensuring precision and accuracy. The encouraging results obtained in the present
      report suggest to further investigate the possibilities of this technique to
      better define the method and its indications.

PMID- 28906332
TI  - A Novel Dissector and Needle Holder Within One Tool.

PMID- 28906333
TI  - Partial Scalp and Auricula Avulsion in a Child.

PMID- 28906334
TI  - Tear Trough Deformity: Study of Filling Procedures for Its Correction.
AB  - The aim of this work is to discuss the anatomy of the tear trough region with
      relative danger areas, and to describe 2 different options to correct this
      deformity.The tear trough is a concave deformity of the orbital fat that is
      noticeable as a result of inherited anatomic differences and aging. However, the
      periorbital region is a complex area with its own septa and ligaments, fat
      compartments, muscles, vascularization, and lymphatic drainage and presents
      anatomic characteristics that must be taken into account in order to achieve good
      results and avoid complications.The use of hyaluronic acid gel or autologous fat
      for soft tissue correction is a good option.A total of 96 patients with
      periorbital hollowing were divided into 2 groups; each group received a different
      treatment, from December of 2013 to December of 2015, with hyaluronic- or lipo
      filling.

PMID- 28906335
TI  - Stagnant Water Is Bound to Corrupt.

PMID- 28906336
TI  - Interobserver Consistency of Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy in Diagnosing
      Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using a VOTE Classification System.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore the interobserver consistency of drug-induced sleep
      endoscopy (DISE) for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and
      review the current literature. METHODS: In total, 55 patients with an apnea
      hypopnea index >5, as determined by on overnight sleep study, were included in
      this study, 45 males and 10 females, with an average age of 46.87 +/- 10.06 years
      old (range, 19-71). For all OSAS patients, DISE was performed by the same
      surgeon, which was recorded digitally. The video recordings of DISE were
      evaluated independently by 3 experienced surgeons who were asked to note his or
      her decisions as the pattern, site, and degree of upper airway collapse using a
      VOTE (velum, oropharynx lateral wall, tongue base, and the epiglottis)
      classification system. RESULTS: Interobserver consistency in the diagnosis of
      velum-related obstruction in anteroposterior, lateral, and concentric
      configurations ranged from poor to good. Only significant interobserver
      consistency among observers A and B was obtained in the diagnosis of oropharynx
      related obstruction in the lateral configuration (concordance 60.0%, kappa:
      0.365, P < 0.05). Interobserver consistency in the diagnosis of the tongue
      related collapse in an anteroposterior configuration, the epiglottis-related
      collapse in an anteroposterior and lateral configuration ranged from fair to
      moderate (all kappa values >0.20, all P values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data
      suggested that the interobserver consistency of DISE ranged from poor to good.
      Therefore, further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to
      standardize DISE procedures, training, and interpretation.

PMID- 28906337
TI  - A Three-Dimensional Study of Midfacial Changes Following Le Fort II Distraction
      With Zygomatic Repositioning in Syndromic Patients.
AB  - Le Fort II distraction with zygomatic repositioning introduced the ability to
      restore central midfacial height and convexity independent of changes in orbital
      morphology. This study analyzes midfacial and orbital morphology before and after
      Le Fort II distraction with zygomatic repositioning.All patients who underwent Le
      Fort II Distraction with zygomatic repositioning between 2013 and 2015 were
      included. Two- and 3-dimensional measurements were made using 3dMD Vultus
      software to assess canthal tilt, nasolabial angle, ratio of midfacial to lower
      facial height, and absolute change in nasal length. Presence of an open bite and
      Angle classification were assessed before and after surgery.Four patients
      underwent segmental midface advancement using Le Fort II distraction with
      zygomatic repositioning. Associated diagnoses included Apert syndrome, Goldenhar
      syndrome, and achondroplasia. Changes in facial dimensions included: 3.19 degrees
      improvement in canthal tilt (range -4.7 degrees  to 8.4 degrees ), 9 degrees 
      change in nasolabial angle (range -1.0 degrees  to 19 degrees ), and 0.69 cm
      increase in absolute nasal length (range 0.2-0.94 cm). Mean ratio of midfacial to
      lower facial height was 0.79 preoperatively and 0.89 postoperatively.
      Preoperatively, all patients demonstrated Angle class III with 3 of 4 patients
      demonstrating anterior open bite. All achieved closure of open bite and
      demonstrated class I or II occlusion. No complications were observed.Le Fort II
      distraction with zygomatic repositioning resulted in normalization of midfacial
      soft tissue landmarks. This form of advancement demonstrates the ability to
      selectively improve midfacial height and canthal tilt while restoring normal
      occlusion.

PMID- 28906338
TI  - A Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy, and Safety Study of Gadoterate Meglumine in
      Pediatric Subjects Aged Younger Than 2 Years.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the
      pharmacokinetic profile of gadoterate meglumine in pediatric patients younger
      than 2 years; the secondary objectives were to document its efficacy and safety.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a Phase IV open-label, prospective study conducted
      in 9 centers (4 countries). Forty-five patients younger than 2 years with normal
      estimated glomerular filtration rate and scheduled to undergo routine gadolinium
      enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of any organ were included and received
      a single intravenous injection of gadoterate meglumine (0.1 mmol/kg). To perform
      the population pharmacokinetics analysis, 3 blood samples per subject were drawn
      during 3 time windows at time points allocated by randomization. RESULTS:
      Gadoterate meglumine concentrations were best fitted using a 2-compartmental
      model with linear elimination from central compartment. The median total
      clearance adjusted to body weight was estimated at 0.06 L/h per kg and increased
      with estimated glomerular filtration rate according to a power model. The median
      volume of distribution at steady state (Vss) adjusted to body weight was
      estimated at 0.047 L/kg. Estimated median terminal half-life (t1/2beta) was 1.35
      h, and the median systemic exposure (area under the curve) was 1591 MUmol h/L.
      Efficacy was assessed by comparing precontrast +postcontrast images to
      precontrast images in a subset of 28 subjects who underwent an MRI examination of
      brain, spine, and associated tissues. A total of 28 lesions were identified and
      analyzed in 15 subjects with precontrast images versus 30 lesions in 16 subjects
      with precontrast + postcontrast images. Lesion visualization was improved with a
      mean (SD) increase in scores at subject level of 0.7 (1.0) for lesion border
      delineation, 0.9 (1.6) for internal morphology, and 3.1 (3.2) for contrast
      enhancement. Twenty-six adverse events occurred postinjection in 13 subjects
      (28.9%), including 3 serious reported in 1 subject (2.2%). One subject (2.2%)
      experienced 1 rash of moderate intensity considered as related to gadoterate
      meglumine. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacokinetic profile of gadoterate meglumine after
      a single intravenous injection of 0.1 mmol/kg was appropriately described in
      newborns and infants younger than 2 years, for whom no dose adjustment is
      required. The improved efficacy of gadoterate meglumine for contrast-enhanced MRI
      examination of brain, spine, and associated tissues, as well as its good safety
      profile, was also demonstrated in this population.

PMID- 28906339
TI  - Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Prostate Cancer Bone Disease:
      Correlation With Bone Biopsy Histological and Molecular Features.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to correlate magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) bone metastases with
      histological and molecular features of bone metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Forty-three bone marrow biopsies from 33 metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) patients with
      multiparametric MRI and documented bone metastases were evaluated. A second
      cohort included 10 CRPC patients with no bone metastases. Associations of
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), normalized b900 diffusion-weighted imaging
      (nDWI) signal, and signal-weighted fat fraction (swFF) with bone marrow biopsy
      histological parameters were evaluated using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman
      correlations. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Median ADC and nDWI signal was significantly higher, and
      median swFF was significantly lower, in bone metastases than nonmetastatic bone
      (P < 0.001). In the metastatic cohort, 31 (72.1%) of 43 biopsies had detectable
      cancer cells. Median ADC and swFF were significantly lower and median nDWI signal
      was significantly higher in biopsies with tumor cells versus nondetectable tumor
      cells (898 * 10 mm/s vs 1617 * 10 mm/s; 11.5% vs 62%; 5.3 vs 2.3, respectively; P
      < 0.001). Tumor cellularity inversely correlated with ADC and swFF, and
      positively correlated with nDWI signal (P < 0.001). In serial biopsies, taken
      before and after treatment, changes in multiparametric MRI parameters paralleled
      histological changes. CONCLUSIONS: Multiparametric MRI provides valuable
      information about mCRPC bone metastases. These data further clinically qualify
      DWI as a response biomarker in mCRPC.

PMID- 28906340
TI  - Contemporary approach to joint hypermobility and related disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Joint hypermobility is a common, although largely ignored
      physical sign. Joint hypermobility is often asymptomatic but may be a feature of
      an underlying genetic disorder with systemic manifestations. The present article
      presents a comprehensive approach to considering joint hypermobility and
      clinically related issues in children and adults. RECENT FINDINGS: Ehlers-Danlos
      syndrome (EDS) is an umbrella term for various Mendelian connective tissue
      disorders sharing joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue
      fragility. Hypermobile EDS is the default diagnosis in many individuals and still
      lacks of any confirmatory test. There is also a continuous spectrum of phenotypes
      between asymptomatic, nonsyndromic joint hypermobility, and hypermobile EDS. In
      2017, a new international classification of EDSs, joint hypermobility, and
      related disorders was published. EDSs are now classified in 13 different variants
      because of mutations in 19 genes. The gap between joint hypermobility and
      hypermobile EDS is filled by the descriptive diagnosis of 'hypermobility spectrum
      disorders'. Alongside the new criteria recommendations for the assessment and
      management of selected issues related to joint hypermobility such as fatigue and
      physical therapy have also been published by expert panels. SUMMARY:
      Asymptomatic, nonsyndromic joint hypermobility, hypermobility spectrum disorders
      and EDS (particularly, the hypermobile type) are the most common phenotypes in
      children and adults with joint hypermobility. Their prompt recognition is crucial
      to the appropriate application of evidence-based management and the reduction in
      burden of ill health.

PMID- 28906341
TI  - The neurophysiology of paediatric movement disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To demonstrate how neurophysiological tools have advanced our
      understanding of the pathophysiology of paediatric movement disorders, and of
      neuroplasticity in the developing brain. RECENT FINDINGS: Delineation of
      corticospinal tract connectivity using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is
      being investigated as a potential biomarker for response to therapy. TMS measures
      of cortical excitability and neuroplasticity are also being used to investigate
      the effects of therapy, demonstrating neuroplastic changes that relate to
      functional improvements. Analyses of evoked potentials and event-related changes
      in the electroencephalogaphy spectral activity provide growing evidence for the
      important role of aberrant sensory processing in the pathophysiology of many
      different movement disorders. Neurophysiological findings demonstrate that
      children with clinically similar phenotypes may have differing underlying
      pathophysiology, which in turn may explain differential response to therapy.
      Neurophysiological parameters can act as biomarkers, providing a means to
      stratify individuals, and are well suited to provide biofeedback. They therefore
      have enormous potential to facilitate improvements to therapy. SUMMARY: Although
      currently a small field, the role of neurophysiology in paediatric movement
      disorders is poised to expand, both fuelled by and contributing to the rapidly
      growing fields of neuro-rehabilitation and neuromodulation and the move towards a
      more individualized therapeutic approach.

PMID- 28906342
TI  - Deep brain stimulation for monogenic dystonia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has recently emerged as an
      important management option in children with medically refractory dystonia. DBS
      is most commonly used, best studied, and thought to be most efficacious for a
      select group of childhood or adolescent onset monogenic dystonias (designated
      with a standard 'DYT' prefix). We review how to clinically recognize these types
      of dystonia and the relative efficacy of DBS for key monogenic dystonias. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Though used for dystonia in adults for several years, DBS has only
      lately been used in children. Recent evidence shows that patients with shorter
      duration of dystonia often experience greater benefit following DBS. This
      suggests that early recognition of the appropriate dystonic phenotypes and
      consideration of DBS in these patients may improve the management of dystonia.
      SUMMARY: DBS should be considered early in patients who have medically refractory
      dystonia, especially for the monogenic dystonias that have a high response rate
      to DBS. It is important to differentiate between these monogenic dystonias and
      dystonias of other causes to properly prognosticate for these patients and to
      determine whether DBS is an appropriate management option.

PMID- 28906343
TI  - Movement disorders: an update.

PMID- 28906344
TI  - Value of the visual and semiquantitative analysis of carbon-11-methionine PET/CT
      in brain tumors' recurrence versus post-therapeutic changes.
AB  - To compare the visual and semiquantitative analysis of carbon-11-methionine (C
      MET) PET/computed tomography (CT) images in patients with primary brain tumors
      and suspected recurrence, persistence, or necrotic post-therapeutic changes. A
      total of 41 consecutive C-MET-PET/CT scans on 35 (21 men, mean age 44.1+/-16.6
      years) patients were requested for MRI suspicion of recurrent or persistent
      primary tumor after therapy. The C-MET PET/CT were obtained 20 min after an
      intravenous injection of 555-740 MBq (15-20 mCi) of C-MET. Both visual and
      semiquantitative evaluations were performed comparing C-MET uptake between
      suspicious areas and different lesion/normal-to-background ratios. The final
      diagnosis was established by histological examination in 12 cases and clinical
      and MRI follow-up in 29 cases. Visual analyses were positive in 27 (63.4%) and
      negative in 14 (36.6%) of the C-MET PET/CT. The sensitivity was 83.9%,
      specificity was 90.0%, positive predictive value was 96.3%, negative predictive
      value was 64.3% and accuracy was 71.4%. For the semiquantitative analysis, all
      the lesion/normal-to-background ratios could differentiate between tumor and
      nontumor (P<0.001), the lesion/contralateral parenchyma (L/CP) maximum
      standardized uptake value (SUVmax) being the index with the highest area under de
      curve (0.938). Applying an L/CP SUVmax index of 1.21, the sensitivity was 89.3%,
      specificity was 90.0%, positive predictive value was 96.1%, negative predictive
      value was 75%, and accuracy was 82.9%. C-MET-PET/CT was a useful technique to
      differentiate post-therapeutic changes from tumor presence in treated patients
      with brain neoplasm in whom cerebral MRI is nonconclusive, showing a high
      diagnostic performance. Our results showed only slight differences between visual
      analysis methods and the L/CP SUVmax ratio, the best of the semiquantitative
      methods.

PMID- 28906345
TI  - Folic acid exerts antidepressant effects by upregulating brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor and glutamate receptor 1 expression in brain.
AB  - Folic acid is a vitamin with a variety of pharmacological effects. The present
      study aims to explore the beneficial effects of folic acid on chronic
      unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression-like behaviors and its
      possible mechanisms. The behavioral tests including open-field test, tail
      suspension test, and forced swimming test were used to evaluate the
      antidepressant effects of folic acid. Then the changes of brain 5
      hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concentration, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),
      glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) expression levels, and synaptic organization were
      assessed to explore the antidepressant mechanisms of folic acid. Our results
      showed that CUMS caused significant depression-like behaviors, neuropathological
      changes, and decreased brain 5-HT concentration, BDNF, and GluR1 expression in
      the hippocampus and association cortex. In conclusion, the results showed that
      folic acid significantly improved depression-like behaviors in CUMS-induced rats,
      and its antidepressant effects might be related to the increase of brain 5-HT
      concentration, BDNF and GluR1 expression, and repair of synaptic organization in
      the brain.

PMID- 28906346
TI  - Time course of changes in corticospinal excitability after short-term
      forearm/hand immobilization.
AB  - The short-term joint immobilization induces a decrease of corticospinal
      excitability; however, detailed time course of the immobilization-induced central
      nervous system changes and their extent have not yet been clarified. To evaluate
      the time course of changes in corticospinal excitability during forearm/hand
      immobilization for 24 h and investigate the effect on muscle strength, adhesive
      casting tape was used to immobilize the nondominant forearm/hand. The amplitude
      of the motor-evoked potential of the flexor pollicis brevis muscle induced by
      transcranial magnetic stimulation was measured during immobilization and after
      cast removal. The muscle strength was evaluated after the termination of
      immobilization. The resting motor-evoked potential recorded from flexor pollicis
      brevis muscle showed a significant decrease 3 h after initiation of
      immobilization and gradually declined further until the end of immobilization. It
      then increased over 2 h after cast removal, but was still significantly below
      baseline. However, no significant difference from baseline was observed at 3 h.
      Both pinch power and integrated electromyogram were significantly reduced by
      immobilization, and then gradually returned to baseline after the cast was
      removed. These results indicate that short-term forearm/hand immobilization
      rapidly reduces corticospinal excitability, and this change is rapidly reversed
      after resumption of movement.

PMID- 28906347
TI  - Exercise-induced Bronchoconstriction with Firefighting Contained Breathing
      Apparatus.
AB  - PURPOSE: Protective self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) used for
      firefighting delivers decompressed (cold) dehumidified air that may enhance the
      severity of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in those susceptible. We
      investigated the effect of SCBA during exercise on airway caliber in people with
      asthma and healthy controls. METHODS: Two exercise challenges (EC) designed to
      elicit EIB were performed on separate days within 1 wk. The initial challenge was
      breathing room air (ECRA) with workload titrated to elicit >60% estimated maximum
      voluntary ventilation. The exercise intensity was repeated for the second
      challenge using SCBA (ECSCBA). Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was
      measured before and up to 20 min after exercise. Bronchial hyperresponsivenss
      (BHR) to the hyperosmolar mannitol test was measured in the subjects with asthma.
      RESULTS: Twenty subjects with current asthma (mean [SD]: age 27 [6] yr) and 10
      healthy controls (31 [5] yr, P = 0.1) were studied. The percent fall in FEV1
      after ECSCBA was greater in the mannitol-positive asthma subjects (14.4% [15.1%])
      compared with mannitol-negative asthmatic subjects (1.6% [1.7%]; P = 0.02) and
      controls (2.3% [2.3%]; P = 0.04). The FEV1 response was not different between
      ECRA and ECSCBA (0.49% [5.57%]; P = 0.6). No BHR to mannitol (n = 7) was highly
      sensitive for identifying a negative response to ECSCBA (negative predictive
      value 100%). CONCLUSIONS: The SCBA does not increase the propensity or severity
      for EIB in subjects with BHR. Those subjects with asthma but no BHR to inhaled
      mannitol did not exhibit EIB. The BHR to a hyperosmolar stimulus maybe considered
      a useful screening tool for potential recruits with a history of asthma.

PMID- 28906348
TI  - Effect of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Motor Cortex on
      Elbow Flexor Muscle Strength in the Very Old.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Muscle weakness predisposes older adults to a fourfold
      increase in functional limitations and has previously been associated with
      reduced motor cortex excitability in aging adults. The purpose of this study was
      to determine whether a single session of anodal transcranial direct current
      stimulation (tDCS) of the motor cortex would increase elbow flexion muscle
      strength and electromyographic (EMG) amplitude in very old individuals. METHODS:
      Eleven very old individuals-85.8 (4.3) years-performed 3 maximal isometric elbow
      flexion contractions before and after 20 minutes of sham or anodal tDCS on
      different days. Order of stimulation was randomized, and the study participants
      and investigators were blinded to condition. In addition, voluntary activation
      capacity of the elbow flexors was determined by comparing voluntary and
      electrically evoked forces. RESULTS: Anodal tDCS did not alter muscle strength or
      EMG activity in comparison to sham stimulation. Elbow flexion voluntary
      activation capacity was very high among the study participants: 99.3% (1.8%).
      CONCLUSION: Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed no effect of anodal tDCS and
      no impairment in elbow flexor voluntary activation capacity in the very old.
      Whether anodal tDCS would exert a positive effect and support our initial
      hypothesis in another muscle group that does exhibit impairments in voluntary
      activation in older adults is a question that is still to be addressed.

PMID- 28906349
TI  - Intestinal obstruction due to kaposiform hemangioendothelioma in a 1-month-old
      infant: A case report.
AB  - RATIONALE: Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is an aggressive vascular tumor,
      mainly occurring in infants and young children and previously reported cases were
      mainly cutaneous or visceral form. Intestinal kaposiform hemangioma was first
      reported in 2012. Intestinal type KHE showed better prognosis if the lesion was
      limited in the gastrointestinal tract and coagulopathy was not accompanied. Since
      the number of reported cases is small, further study for treatment options and
      prognosis need to be done. PATIENT CONCERNS: We described the case of a 1-month
      old female who had abdominal distention and bilious vomiting. DIAGNOSES: She was
      suspected as intestinal obstruction after diagnostic work up. INTERVENTIONS:
      Surgical exploration was performed and jejunal obstruction with a mass was
      identified. Small bowel segmental resection and anastomosis was performed.
      OUTCOMES: The patient discharged with symptom free. Through the pathological
      examination, the mass was identified as intestinal type KHE. LESSONS: Intestinal
      KHE can cause bowel obstruction and be managed successfully with complete
      surgical resection. More cases should be reported and further evaluation for
      treatment options and prognosis evaluation is necessary.

PMID- 28906350
TI  - The hundred most-cited publications in microbiota of diabetes research: A
      bibliometric analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bibliometric analysis is an approach to evaluate the circumstances
      and trends in specific research field over time and to provide inspiration in
      future research and policy. Researches have a tremendous increase focus on the
      role of the microbiota in the development of diabetes in recent years; however,
      there is no published literature conducting a bibliometric analysis to explore
      the tendency. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed evaluation of the
      hundred most cited articles in microbiota of diabetes research. METHODS: The
      database of the Web of Science was utilized for identification of articles. The
      top 100 were selected for further analysis of authorship, number of citations,
      article type, source journal, geographic origin, and interactions. RESULTS: The
      articles selected were published from 2007 to 2015. The total citations ranged
      from 1289 to 35, citation density ranged from 163.75 to 6.5. The article type
      included basic science (n = 32), review (n = 29), expert opinion (n = 19), cross
      sectional study (n = 12), RCT (n = 3), and others (n = 5). The study content
      included pathogenesis (n = 58), risk factor (n = 11), modifying of intestinal
      microbiota (n = 10), prebiotic treatment (n = 8), antibiotic treatment (n = 4),
      diet control (n = 4), and others (n = 5). The 100 most cited articles were
      published in 59 journals. Among them, Diabetes (n = 7), Diabetologia (n = 7), and
      Plos one (n = 7) published the most T100 articles. In total, 24 countries and 174
      scientific research institutions participated in those researches. USA (n = 32)
      and Belgium (n = 22) were the leading countries in this field, followed by France
      (n = 18) and Finland (n = 16). Patrice D. Cani contributed the most top cited
      articles (n = 15). CONCLUSION: This bibliometric study is likely to include a
      list of intellectual milestones focused on microbiota of diabetes research in the
      past decade, which provides insights into the circumstances and trends in
      preventing and treating diabetes from a new perspective.

PMID- 28906351
TI  - Prevalence, evolution, and related risk factors of kidney disease among Spanish
      HIV-infected individuals.
AB  - Prevalence of kidney disease (KD) is increasing among human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV)-infected population. Different factors have been related, varying on
      different published series.The objectives were to study prevalence of KD in those
      patients, its evolution, and associated risk factors.An observational cohort
      study of 1596 HIV-positive patients with cross-sectional data collection in 2008
      and 2010 was conducted. We obtained clinical and laboratory markers, and
      registered previous or current treatment with tenofovir (TDF) and indinavir
      (IDV). The sample was divided according to estimated glomerular filtration rate
      (eGFR) by modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) equation. Group 1: eGFR
      <=60 mL/min/1.73 m; group 2: eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m.Among the patients, 76.4%
      were men, mean age (SD) 45 +/- 9 years, time since diagnose of HIV 14 +/- 7
      years, and 47.2% of the patients received previous treatment with TDF and 39.1%
      with IDV. In 2008, eGFR <=60: 4.9% (91.4% of them in chronic kidney disease [CKD]
      stage 3, eGFR 59-30 mL/min); this group was older, presented higher fibrinogen
      levels, and more patients were treated previously with TDF and IDV. In 2010, eGFR
      <=60: 3.9% (87.1% stage 3 CKD). The 2.4% of cohort showed renal improvement and
      1.3% decline of renal function over time. The absence of hypertension and
      treatment with TDF were associated with improvement in eGFR. Increased age,
      elevated fibrinogen, decreased albumin, diabetes mellitus, hyperTG, and worse
      virological control were risk factors for renal impairment.The HIV-positive
      patients in our area have a CKD prevalence of 4% to 5% (90% stage 3 CKD)
      associated with ageing, inflammation, worse immune control of HIV, TDF treatment,
      and metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 28906352
TI  - Clinical and angiographic outcomes following endovascular treatment of very small
      (3 mm or smaller) intracranial aneurysm: A single-center experience.
AB  - Treatments for very small (3 mm or smaller) intracranial aneurysms (VSAs) remain
      controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of endovascular
      treatment for VSAs and to evaluate clinical risk factors associated with
      complications.This retrospective study enrolled 82 VSA patients who underwent
      coil embolization in our institution. Angiographic outcomes were assessed
      according to the Meyers classification. The clinical results were evaluated using
      the modified Rankin scale (mRS) immediately after coiling, at discharge, and
      during follow-up. A Mann-Whitney U test was performed for non-normally
      distributed continuous variables. A Pearson chi test or Fisher's exact test was
      performed for categorical variables.Among 82 aneurysms, 54 were treated with
      stent-assisted coiling (SAC) embolization. Thromboembolic complications were seen
      in 2 patients (2.4%). Intraoperative rupture occurred in 4 patients (4.9%). Other
      adverse events occurred in 2 patients (2.4%). Two patients (2.4%) had permanent
      disabling neurologic deficit (mRS 3-6) because of complications. The overall
      mortality rate was 1.2%. Adverse events were correlated with the location of
      aneurysms (P = .02), Fisher grade (P = .01), and treatment experience (P = .03).
      Patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation and anterior communicating
      artery (ACoA) aneurysms were more likely to experience a higher incidence of
      complication. Thirty-five patients underwent angiographic follow-up. The complete
      occlusion rate improved from an immediate 37.8% to 80.0% at follow-up.In the
      short term, coiling is a safe and effective approach for the treatment of VSAs.
      SAC may be associated with a high rate of further occlusion during short-term
      follow-up. Endovascular treatment of VSAs at middle cerebral artery bifurcation
      or anterior communicating artery is associated with a higher incidence of
      complications.

PMID- 28906353
TI  - Immunomodulatory treatments for persistent and chronic immune thrombocytopenic
      purpura: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Corticosteroid sparing is required in 15% to 40% of adults with
      persistent or chronic primary immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Herein, the
      efficacy of immunomodulatory drugs (dapsone, interferon alpha, danazol, and
      hydroxychloroquine as second-third-line therapies in ITP is investigated.
      METHODS: MEDLINE was searched for studies that included patients with persistent
      or chronic primary ITP and published before the end of December 2014. Two
      investigators independently extracted data regarding study design, patient
      characteristics, dosage schedule, time to response, and occurrence of adverse
      events. The pooled overall response rate (ORR; platelet count >30 * 10 L) and the
      complete response rate (CRR; platelet count >100 * 10 L) were evaluated to
      determine drug efficacy by calculating weighted mean proportion using a fixed or
      random-effects model according to heterogeneity (I > 50%). The study was
      performed following the MOOSE and PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 28
      studies (415 patients) were included (dapsone: k = 7 studies, n = 80; danazol: k
      = 12, n = 224; interferon alpha: k = 8, n = 83; hydroxychloroquine: k = 1, n =
      28). The mean patient age was 50 years (female sex 70%, splenectomy 47%). The ORR
      and CRR were 55% (95% CI: 44%-66%, I = 0%) and 21% (95% CI: 13%-31%, I = 0%),
      respectively, for dapsone; 42% (95% CI: 22%-65%, I = 63%) and 18% (95% CI: 10%
      29%, I = 9%), respectively, for interferon alpha; and 58% (95% CI: 42%-72%, I =
      67%) and 29% (95% CI: 19%-42%, I = 63%), respectively, for danazol. The ORR was
      50% (95% CI: 32%-67%) for hydroxychloroquine (data not available for CRR). Meta
      regression analysis found a correlation between the ORR for interferon alpha and
      the splenectomized status of the patient (P = .02) and between the CRR for
      danazol and disease duration (P < .001). In total, 73%, 51%, 30%, and 0% of
      patients who received danazol, dapsone, interferon alpha, and hydroxychloroquine
      experienced side effects, respectively. CONCLUSION: The ORR was equivalent for
      hydroxychloroquine, danazol, and dapsone in ITP. Regarding their low CRR,
      patients at high risk of infection or at low risk of bleeding should benefit from
      these treatments. Thanks to their best efficacy and safety profiles, dapsone and
      hydroxychloroquine in patients with antinuclear antibodies should be preferred
      over danazol and interferon alpha.

PMID- 28906354
TI  - The influence of renal dialysis and hip fracture sites on the 10-year mortality
      of elderly hip fracture patients: A nationwide population-based observational
      study.
AB  - Hip fractures in older people requiring dialysis are associated with high
      mortality. Our study primarily aimed to evaluate the specific burden of dialysis
      on the mortality rate following hip fracture. The secondary aim was to clarify
      the effect of the fracture site on mortality. A retrospective cohort study was
      conducted using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to analyze
      nationwide health data regarding dialysis and non-dialysis patients >=65 years
      who sustained a first fragility-related hip fracture during the period from 2001
      to 2005. Each dialysis hip fracture patient was age- and sex-matched to 5 non
      dialysis hip fracture patients to construct the matched cohort. Survival status
      of patients was followed-up until death or the end of 2011. Survival analyses
      using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and the Kaplan-Meier estimator
      were performed to compare between-group survival and impact of hip fracture sites
      on mortality. A total of 61,346 hip fracture patients were included nationwide.
      Among them, 997 dialysis hip fracture patients were identified and matched to
      4985 non-dialysis hip fracture patients. Mortality events were 155, 188, 464, and
      103 in the dialysis group, and 314, 382, 1505, and 284 in the non-dialysis group,
      with adjusted hazard ratios (associated 95% confidence intervals) of 2.58 (2.13
      3.13), 2.95 (2.48-3.51), 2.84 (2.55-3.15), and 2.39 (1.94-2.93) at 0 to 3 months,
      3 months to 1 year, 1 to 6 years, and 6 to 10 years after the fracture,
      respectively. In the non-dialysis group, survival was consistently better for
      patients who sustained femoral neck fractures compared to trochanteric fractures
      (0-10 years' log-rank test, P < .001). In the dialysis group, survival of
      patients with femoral neck fractures was better than that of patients with
      trochanteric fractures only within the first 6 years post-fracture (0-6 years'
      log-rank, P < .001). Dialysis was a significant risk factor of mortality in
      geriatric hip fracture patients. Survival outcome was better for non-dialysis
      patients with femoral neck fractures compared to those with trochanteric
      fractures throughout 10 years. However, the survival advantage of femoral neck
      fractures was limited to the first 6 years postinjury among dialysis patients.

PMID- 28906355
TI  - Combination of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and interrupted dosing
      sorafenib improves patient survival in early-intermediate stage hepatocellular
      carcinoma: A post hoc analysis of the START trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The survival benefit of treatment for unresectable
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization
      (TACE) combined with sorafenib remains uncertain. We compared the survival of
      patients treated with TACE and sorafenib with that of patients treated with TACE
      alone. METHODS: This was a post hoc analysis of the Study in Asia of the
      Combination of TACE with Sorafenib in Patients with HCC (START) trial. All
      patients who received TACE and interrupted dosing of sorafenib for early or
      intermediate-stage HCC in Taiwan from 2009 to 2010 were recruited into the TACE
      and sorafenib group. They were randomly matched 1:1 by age, sex, Child-Pugh
      score, tumor size, tumor number, and tumor stage with patients from Taichung
      Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan who received TACE alone and who fulfilled the
      selection criteria of the START trial during the same time period (control
      group). Patient survival [cumulative incidence and hazard ratio (HR)] of the 2
      groups were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the
      36 patients in each group were similar. Tumor response rates were significantly
      better in the TACE and sorafenib group (P < .04). Overall survival of the TACE
      and sorafenib group was also significantly better than that of the control (TACE
      alone) group over the 2 years [78%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 64-91 vs 49,
      95% CI 32-66; P = .012]. In the multivariate regression analysis, TACE and
      sorafenib was found to be independently associated with a decreased risk of
      mortality (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12-0.89; P = .015). Multivariate stratified analyses
      verified this association in each patient subgroup (all HR < 1.0). CONCLUSION:
      With a high patient tolerance to an interrupted sorafenib dosing schedule, the
      combination of TACE with sorafenib was associated with improved overall survival
      in early-intermediate stage HCC when compared with treatment with TACE alone.

PMID- 28906356
TI  - Shared polymorphisms and modifiable behavior factors for myocardial infarction
      and high cholesterol in a retrospective population study.
AB  - Genetic and environmental (behavior, clinical, and demographic) factors are
      associated with increased risks of both myocardial infarction (MI) and high
      cholesterol (HC). It is known that HC is major risk factor that may cause MI.
      However, whether there are common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs)
      associated with both MI and HC is not firmly established, and whether there are
      modulate and modified effects (interactions of genetic and known environmental
      factors) on either HC or MI, and whether these joint effects improve the
      predictions of MI, is understudied.The purpose of this study is to identify novel
      shared SNPs and modifiable environmental factors on MI and HC. We assess whether
      SNPs from a metabolic pathway related to MI may relate to HC; whether there are
      moderate effects among SNPs, lifestyle (smoke and drinking), HC, and MI after
      controlling other factors [gender, body mass index (BMI), and hypertension
      (HTN)]; and evaluate prediction power of the joint and modulate genetic and
      environmental factors influencing the MI and HC.This is a retrospective study
      with residents of Erie and Niagara counties in New York with a history of MI or
      with no history of MI. The data set includes environmental variables
      (demographic, clinical, lifestyle). Thirty-one tagSNPs from a metabolic pathway
      related to MI are genotyped. Generalized linear models (GLMs) with imputation
      based analysis are conducted for examining the common effects of tagSNPs and
      environmental exposures and their interactions on having a history of HC or
      MI.MI, BMI, and HTN are significant risk factors for HC. HC shows the strongest
      effect on risk of MI in addition to HTN; gender and smoking status while drinking
      status shows protective effect on MI. rs16944 (gene IL-1beta) and rs17222772
      (gene ALOX) increase the risks of HC, while rs17231896 (gene CETP) has protective
      effects on HC either with or without the clinical, behavioral, demographic
      factors with different effect sizes that may indicate the existence of moderate
      or modifiable effects. Further analysis with the inclusions of gene-gene and gene
      environmental interactions shows interactions between rs17231896 (CETP) and
      rs17222772 (ALOX); rs17231896 (CETP) and gender. rs17237890 (CETP) and rs2070744
      (NOS3) are found to be significantly associated with risks of MI adjusted by both
      SNPs and environmental factors. After multiple testing adjustments, these effects
      diminished as expected. In addition, an interaction between drinking and smoking
      status is significant. Overall, the prediction power in successfully classifying
      MI status is increased to 80% with inclusions of all significant tagSNPs and
      environmental factors and their interactions compared with environmental factors
      only (72%).Having a history of either HC or MI has significant effects on each
      other in both directions, in addition to HTN and gender. Genes/SNPs identified
      from this analysis that are associated with HC may be potentially linked to MI,
      which could be further examined and validated through haplotype-pairs analysis
      with appropriate population stratification corrections, and function/pathway
      regulation analysis to eliminate the limitations of the current analysis.

PMID- 28906357
TI  - ERCP-related complication is not the only cause of GI bleeding in post-liver
      transplantation patients: A case report.
AB  - RATIONALE: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the treatment
      of choice for biliary complications in liver transplantation (LT) recipients as
      it is both diagnostic and therapeutic. The specific risks following ERCP among LT
      recipients have not been well studied. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 56-year-old man with a
      history of orthotopic LT underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
      (ERCP) as a treatment of biliary strictures, whereby a plastic stent was
      implanted. Thirteen days after ERCP the patient developed multiple episodes of
      hematemesis. DIAGNOSIS: Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of the hepatic
      artery and superior mesenteric artery showed a hepatic pseudoaneurysm (PA) in the
      left hepatic artery. The final diagnosis was bleeding from the PA. INTERVENTION:
      Interventional embolization of the branch with PA was performed to stop the
      bleeding. OUTCOME: The patient remained free of GI bleeding for 25 days after
      interventional embolization, but he developed another bout of bleeding and
      unfortunately passed away. LESSONS: ERCP-related complication is not the only
      cause of post-ERCP bleeding, and that other primary causes should also be ruled
      out.

PMID- 28906358
TI  - Efficacy evaluation of low-dose aspirin in IVF/ICSI patients evidence from 13
      RCTs: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing
      literature to evaluate the different outcomes of low-dose aspirin on patients
      undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI),
      including clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, live birth rate,
      miscarriage rate, fertilization rate, number of oocytes retrieved, and so forth.
      METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase were searched
      between 1997 and March 2016 to identity eligible studies. The following
      comparisons between treatment groups were included: aspirin versus placebo;
      aspirin versus control group; aspirin versus aspirin + prednisolone + control.
      RESULTS: Thirteen randomized controlled trials which included 3104 participants
      were selected. There were no significant differences in implantation rate (RR =
      1.15; 95% CI = 0.78-1.70), live birth rate (RR = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.93-1.21),
      miscarriage rate (RR = 1.28; 95% CI = 0.93-1.77), fertilization rate (RR = 0.91;
      95% CI = 0.75-1.11), and endometrial thickness (WMD = 0.15; 95% CI = -0.38-0.67).
      But the research showed that aspirin treatment may improve the clinical pregnancy
      rate (RR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.04-1.28) compared to placebo or no treatment, and
      reduce the number of oocytes retrieved (WMD = -0.68; 95% CI = -0.91-0.46).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that low-dose aspirin may improve the pregnancy
      rate in IVF/ICSI, with the recommended clinical use dose of 100 mg/day.
      Considering the limitation of included studies, further well-designed large
      scaled RCTs are necessary to clarify whether aspirin may improve assisted
      reproduction outcomes in IVF/ICSI patients.

PMID- 28906359
TI  - Relationship between sleep duration and Framingham cardiovascular risk score and
      prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Koreans.
AB  - Studies have shown sleep duration to be related to the prevalence of metabolic
      syndrome and hypertension. However, whether sleep duration is associated with
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and the prevalence of CVD irrespective of
      conventional CV-risk factor, such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, and metabolic
      syndrome, has not been well established for the Korean population.A total of
      23,878 individuals aged 18 years or older from the 2007-2010 Korean National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. We evaluated the
      relationship between sleep duration and CV-event risk using the Framingham
      Cardiovascular Risk Score (FRS; >=10% or >=20%) and the prevalence of CVD.After
      adjusting for traditional risk factors of CVD, a short sleep duration (<=5 hours)
      yielded odds ratios (OR) of 1.344 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.200-1.505) for
      intermediate to high risk and 1.357 (95% CI, 1.140-1.614) for high risk. A long
      sleep duration (>=9 hours) was also associated with both intermediate to high (OR
      1.142, 95% CI 1.011-1.322) and high cardiovascular FRS (OR 1.276, 95% CI 1.118
      1.457).Both short and long sleep durations were related with high CVD risk,
      irrespective of established CVD risk, and a short sleep duration was associated
      with a higher prevalence of CVD than an optimal or long sleep duration.

PMID- 28906360
TI  - Plastic wound protectors decreased surgical site infections following
      laparoscopic-assisted colectomy for colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort
      study.
AB  - Laparoscopic surgery is widespread and safe for the management of patients with
      colorectal cancer (CRC). Although the use of standard surgical techniques can
      prevent perioperative wound infections, surgical site infections (SSIs) remain an
      unresolved complication in laparoscopic-assisted colectomy. The present study
      investigated the ability of plastic wound protectors applied to the extraction
      incision during the externalized portion of the procedure to reduce the rate of
      infection in laparoscopic-assisted colectomy. We completed a retrospective review
      of the medical records of patients who underwent nonemergent laparoscopic
      assisted between January 2015 and June 2016. Outcomes for patients with and
      without the use of a wound protector were compared. A total of 109 patients were
      included in this study. There was 1 patient in the wound protector group (n = 57)
      and 7 in the nonwound protector group (n = 52) who developed a wound infection at
      the colon extraction site (P = .02). Furthermore, the average postoperative
      hospital stay in the wound protector group was shorter compared to the nonwound
      protector group (7.47 +/- 0.24 vs 8.73 +/- 0.54 days, P = .03). In conclusion,
      this study indicates that the use of a plastic wound protector during laparoscope
      assisted colectomy does reduce postoperative wound infection rates, and the wound
      protectors are beneficial for specimen extraction and digestive tract
      reconstruction.

PMID- 28906361
TI  - Is there an extraclinical value of automated breast volume scanner compared with
      hand-held ultrasound?: A pilot study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the extraclinical value of automated
      breast volume scanning (ABVS) in the diagnosis of breast tumor compare to hand
      handle ultrasound (HHUS).One hundred twenty-four patients with breast tumor were
      performed HHUS and ABVS before operation. The research focused on whether there
      were newly found tumors or new findings on the coronal planes by using ABVS
      compared with HHUS. Then, the classification adjustments of breast imaging
      reporting and data system (BI-RADS) were made according to new findings on the
      coronal planes by using ABVS.There are totally 166 breast tumors found in 124
      patients by HHUS, while 8 more were observed by ABVS, 4 of which were malignant
      and the rest were benign. The sensitivity and specificity of ABVS coronal plane
      findings were 37.0% and 92.5%, respectively. The area under receiver operating
      characteristic curve was 0.89 before the corrected classification versus 0.93
      after the corrected classification, there were no significant differences (P >
      .05).There was no significant extraclinical value in differentiating diagnosis of
      malignant tumors and benign breast tumors by ABVS comparing to HHUS. However,
      those minimal lesions missed diagnosis could be found by ABVS with continuously
      automatic scanning.

PMID- 28906362
TI  - Are we ever too old?: Characteristics and outcome of octogenarians admitted to a
      medical intensive care unit.
AB  - The aging population increases the demand of intensive care unit (ICU)
      treatments. However, the availability of ICU beds is limited. Thus, ICU admission
      of octogenarians is considered controversial. The population above 80 years is a
      very heterogeneous group though, and age alone might not be the best predictor.
      Aim of this study was to analyze resource consumption and outcome of
      octogenarians admitted to a medical ICU to identify reliable survival predictors
      in a senescent society.This retrospective observational study analyzes 930
      octogenarians and 5732 younger patients admitted to a medical ICU. Admission
      diagnosis, APACHE II and SAPS II scores, use of ICU resources, and mortality were
      recorded. Long-term mortality was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and
      multivariate cox regression analysis.Patients >=80 years old had higher SAPS II
      (43 vs 38, P < .001) and APACHE II (23 vs 21, P = .001) scores. Consumption of
      ICU resources by octogenarians was lower in terms of length of stay, mechanical
      ventilation, and renal replacement therapy. Among octogenarians, ICU survivors
      got less mechanical ventilation or renal replacement therapy than nonsurvivors.
      Intra-ICU mortality in the very old was higher (19% vs 12%, P < .001) and long
      term survival was lower (HR 1.76, P < .001). Multivariate cox regression analysis
      of octogenarians revealed that admission diagnosis of myocardial infarction (HR
      1.713, P = .023), age (1.08, P = .002), and SAPS II score (HR 1.02, 95%, P = .01)
      were independent risk factors, whereas admission diagnoses monitoring post
      coronary intervention (HR .253, P = .002) and cardiac arrhythmia (HR .534, P =
      .032) had a substantially reduced mortality risk.Octogenarians show a higher
      intra-ICU and long-term mortality than younger patients. Still, they show a
      considerable life expectancy after ICU admission even though they get less
      invasive care than younger patients. Furthermore, some admission diagnoses like
      myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmia and monitoring post cardiac
      intervention are much stronger predictors for long-term survival than age or SAPS
      II score in the very old.

PMID- 28906363
TI  - Predictors of noninstitutionalized survival 1 year after hip fracture: A
      prospective observational study to develop the Marburg Rehabilitation Tool for
      Hip fractures (MaRTHi).
AB  - Hip fractures are frequent fractures in geriatric patients. These fractures have
      great socioeconomic implications because of the significantly higher risk of
      mortality and institutionalization. The aim of this study was to develop a
      prognostic tool to predict survival without institutionalization within 1 year
      after hip fracture.A total of 402 hip fracture patients aged >60 years (84%
      community-dwelling) were included in a prospective observational cohort study.
      Multiple regression analyses determined independent predictors for
      noninstitutionalized 1-year survival. Finally, the Marburg Rehabilitation Tool
      for Hip fractures (MaRTHi) was developed based on these independent predictors.Of
      the 312 patients who were followed up for 1 year, 168 (54%) survived
      noninstitutionalized, 104 (33%) died, and 40 (13%) lived in nursing homes.
      Independent predictors for patients' noninstitutionalized survival included the
      American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score [ASA 1 or 2: odds ratio (OR) =
      7.828; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.496-24.555 and ASA 3: OR = 8.098; 95% CI
      = 2.982-21.993 compared with ASA 4 or 5], the Mini Mental State Examination upon
      admission to the hospital (OR = 7.365; 95% CI = 2.967-18.282 for 27-30 compared
      with 0-10), patients' age (OR = 2.814; 95% CI = 1.386-5.712 for 75-89 y and OR =
      2.520; 95% CI = 0.984-6.453 for 90-99 y compared with 60-74 ys), and prefracture
      EQ-5D (OR = 2.163; 95% CI = 1.119-4.179 for EQ-5D >0.80 compared with <0.60). The
      area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.756 (95% CI = 0.703
      0.809), and the sensitivity analysis yielded a MaRTHi score that ranged from 0 to
      12 points.The MaRTHi score is the first instrument to predict
      noninstitutionalized survival with only 4 variables. In addition to 3 well-known
      factors influencing outcome (age, comorbidities, and cognitive ability),
      prefracture health-related quality of life was identified as an independent
      predictor of noninstitutionalized survival. Further studies must be conducted to
      validate the MaRTHi score and define cutoff scores. Health-related quality of
      life seems to be an important patient-reported outcome measurement and may play a
      role in determining patient prognosis.

PMID- 28906364
TI  - Altered default mode network configuration in posttraumatic stress disorder after
      earthquake: A resting-stage functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
AB  - The neural substrates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are still not fully
      elucidated. Hence, this study is to explore topological alterations of the
      default mode network (DMN) in victims with PTSD after a magnitude of 8.0
      earthquake using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs
      fMRI).This study was approved by the local ethical review board, and all
      participants signed written informed consent. Sixty-two PTSD victims from the
      2008 Sichuan earthquake and 62 matched exposed controls underwent rs-fMRI. PTSD
      was diagnosed by Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, and underwent PTSD Checklist
      Civilian Version for symptom scoring. The DMN was analyzed by using graph
      theoretical approaches. Further, Pearson correlation analysis was performed to
      correlate neuroimaging metrics to neuropsychological scores in victims with
      PTSD.Victims with PTSD showed decreased DMN functional connectivity strength
      between the right superior frontal gyrus and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL),
      and showed increased functional connectivity between the right IPL and precuneus
      or left posterior cingulate cortex. It was also found that victims with PTSD
      exhibited decreased nodal efficiency in right superior frontal gyrus and
      precuneus, and increased nodal efficiency in right hippocampus/parahippocampus.
      Apart from that, PTSD showed higher nodal degree in bilateral
      hippocampus/parahippocampus. In addition, the functional connectivity strength
      between the right IPL and precuneus correlated negatively to the avoid scores (r
      = -0.26, P = .04).This study implicates alteration of topological features on the
      DMN in PTSD victims after major earthquake, and provides new insights into DMN
      malfunction in PTSD based on graph theory.

PMID- 28906365
TI  - The antibiotic susceptibility patterns of uropathogens among children with
      urinary tract infection in Shiraz.
AB  - Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections in
      pediatrics. Delay in diagnosis and treatment can cause significant morbidity. The
      physicians knowledge regarding the symptoms, microorganisms that caused UTI, and
      effective antibiotics in a geographical area can help them to select the
      appropriate antibiotics. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of
      bacteria that cause UTI and their susceptibility to common antibiotics as well as
      the common symptoms and associated factors in children of Shiraz, Southern
      Iran.This cross sectional study was performed among 202 children with UTI, aged 2
      months to 18 years old, between August and November 2014 in pediatric medical
      centers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Urine samples were collected
      using urinary catheter or suprapubic in children < 2 years and mid-stream in
      children over 2 years, respectively. The type of micro-organisms causing UTI was
      determined and evaluation of antibiotic susceptibility for each organism was
      assayed by the Kirby Bauer method using antibiogram test. Patient's information
      was collected through checking the medical documents and interview with
      parents.Our results showed that the frequency of UTI was significantly higher in
      girls (70.3%) than in boys. The most commonly discovered pathogens were
      Escherichia coli (E coli) (51.5%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (16.8%), and
      Enterococcus spp. (9.9%). Overall susceptibility test showed the highest
      resistance to ampicillin (81.2%) and cotrimoxazole (79.2%), and the highest
      sensitivity to imipenem (90.1%) and Gentamicin (65.3%). Gram negative and
      positive bacteria showed the highest antibiotic resistance to amoxicillin (83.8%)
      and clindamycin (100%), respectively. In addition, production of extended
      spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) was 69.2% and 30.8% in E coli and Kelebsiella
      respectively.The efficacy of third generation of the cephalosporins was reduced
      because of the high rate of production of ESBL and drug resistance. These results
      inform the physician as to which antibiotics are appropriate to prescribe for the
      patient, as well as urine culture reports and following the patient's clinical
      response so that high antimicrobial resistance is not developed at the community
      level.

PMID- 28906366
TI  - Risk factors for lymph node metastasis of early gastric cancers in patients
      younger than 40.
AB  - This research aims to explore the potential risk factors of lymph node metastasis
      (LNM) for early gastric cancers in young patients.We retrospectively collected
      data from 4287 patients who underwent gastrectomy from January 2005 to December
      2015 at Linyi People's Hospital. Of these, we enrolled 397 eligible consecutive
      patients who had early gastric cancer, then divided them into 2 groups according
      to age (<=40 years and >40 years). The association between the
      clinicopathological factors and LNM was analyzed by univariate and multivariate
      analysis.Compared to older patients (>40 years), younger patients (<=40 years)
      with early gastric cancer had more diffuse and mixed types (51.1% and 37.8% vs
      40% and 8.3%, respectively), less proximal gastric cancer (0% vs 33.8%, P < .01)
      and higher LNM (33.3% vs 13%, P < .01). Univariate analysis showed tumor invasion
      depth (P < .01), lymphovascular invasion (P < .01), and E-cadherin expression (P
      = .024) were associated with LNM in the younger cohort. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that lymphovascular invasion (OR = 17.740, 95% CI: 1.458-215.843) was an
      independent risk factor for LNM (P = .024). Further analysis showed 3 patients
      who were within expanded endoscopic resection indications were positive for
      LNM.Given the high risk of lymph node involvement in young patients with early
      gastric cancer, both endoscopic and surgical resection procedures should be
      performed with caution, and active postoperative surveillance is warranted.

PMID- 28906367
TI  - Predicting the mortality in geriatric patients with dengue fever.
AB  - Geriatric patients have high mortality for dengue fever (DF); however, there is
      no adequate method to predict mortality in geriatric patients. Therefore, we
      conducted this study to develop a tool in an attempt to address this issue.We
      conducted a retrospective case-control study in a tertiary medical center during
      the DF outbreak in Taiwan in 2015. All the geriatric patients (aged >=65 years)
      who visited the study hospital between September 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015,
      were recruited into this study. Variables included demographic data, vital signs,
      symptoms and signs, comorbidities, living status, laboratory data, and 30-day
      mortality. We investigated independent mortality predictors by univariate
      analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis and then combined these
      predictors to predict the mortality.A total of 627 geriatric DF patients were
      recruited, with a mortality rate of 4.3% (27 deaths and 600 survivals). The
      following 4 independent mortality predictors were identified: severe coma
      [Glasgow Coma Scale: <=8; adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 11.36; 95% confidence
      interval (CI): 1.89-68.19], bedridden (AOR: 10.46; 95% CI: 1.58-69.16), severe
      hepatitis (aspartate aminotransferase >1000 U/L; AOR: 96.08; 95% CI: 14.11
      654.40), and renal failure (serum creatinine >2 mg/dL; AOR: 6.03; 95% CI: 1.50
      24.24). When we combined the predictors, we found that the sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for
      patients with 1 or more predictors were 70.37%, 88.17%, 21.11%, and 98.51%,
      respectively. For patients with 2 or more predictors, the respective values were
      33.33%, 99.44%, 57.14%, and 98.51%.We developed a new method to help decision
      making. Among geriatric patients with none of the predictors, the survival rate
      was 98.51%, and among those with 2 or more predictors, the mortality rate was
      57.14%. This method is simple and useful, especially in an outbreak.

PMID- 28906368
TI  - Traumatic fractures as a result of falls in children and adolescents: A
      retrospective observational study.
AB  - The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence and pattern of traumatic
      fractures (TFs) as a result of falls in a population of children and adolescents
      (<=18 years old) in China.This was a cross-sectional study. We retrospectively
      reviewed 1412 patients who were children and adolescents with TFs as a result of
      falls admitted to our university-affiliated hospitals in China from 2001 to 2010.
      Etiologies included high fall (height >=2) and low fall (height <2 m). The
      incidence and pattern were summarized with respect to different age groups, year
      of admission, etiologies, genders, and the neurological function.This study
      enrolled 1054 males (74.6%) and 358 females (25.4%) aged 10.8 +/- 4.7 years. The
      etiologies were low fall (1059, 75.0%) and high fall (353, 25.0%). There were
      2073 fractures in total and 92 patients (6.5%) presented with multiple fractures.
      The most common fracture sites were upper extremity fractures in 814 patients
      (57.6%) and lower extremity fractures in 383 patients (27.1%), followed by
      craniofacial fractures in 233 patients (16.5%). A total of 231 (16.4%) patients
      suffered a nerve injury. The frequencies of early and late
      complications/associated injuries were 19.5% (n = 275) and 9.2% (n = 130). The
      frequencies of emergency admission, nerve injury, spinal fracture, lower
      extremity fractures, craniofacial fracture, sternum and rib fracture, and early
      complications/ASOIs were significantly larger in high fall than low fall (all P
      <.001, respectively). The frequencies of medical insurance rate (P = .042) and
      upper extremity fractures (P <.001) were significantly larger in low fall than
      high fall. The frequencies of spinal fracture (P = .039), lower extremity
      fractures (P = .048), and craniofacial fracture (P = .041) were significantly
      larger in female than the male patients. The frequency of upper extremity
      fractures (P <.001) and the mean age (P <.001) was significantly larger in male
      than female patients. The frequencies of emergency admission, high fall, spinal
      fracture, and craniofacial fracture were significantly larger in patients with
      nerve injury than other patients without nerve injury (all P <.001,
      respectively).Low falls and upper extremity fractures were the most common
      etiologies and sites, respectively. High fall, spinal fracture and craniofacial
      fracture were risk factors for nerve injury. Therefore, we should focus on
      patients who were caused by high fall and presented with spinal and craniofacial
      fracture to determine the presence of a nerve injury so that we can provide
      early, timely diagnosis and targeted treatment to children.

PMID- 28906369
TI  - The efficacy of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss in total shoulder
      arthroplasty: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the efficacy of
      tranexamic acid (TXA) versus placebo after a total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA).
      METHODS: In April 2017, a systematic computer-based search was conducted in the
      databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google.
      Studies comparing TXA versus placebo in reducing blood loss after TSA were
      included. The endpoints were the need for transfusion, blood loss in drainage,
      hemoglobin drop, and total blood loss. Stata 12.0 software was used for the meta
      analysis. RESULTS: Six studies involving a total of 637 patients met the
      inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed that, compared with control
      groups, treatment with TXA could decrease the need for transfusion (P < .00001),
      blood loss in drainage (P = .000), hemoglobin drop (P = .001), and total blood
      loss (P = .000). CONCLUSION: TXA can decrease the need for transfusion as well as
      total blood loss in TSA patients. There was a negative correlation between the
      TXA dose and the need for transfusion and blood loss in drainage. Because the
      administration route and the dose of TXA were different, more studies are needed
      in order to identify the optimal dose and route.

PMID- 28906370
TI  - The association of hypernatremia and hypertonic saline irrigation in hepatic
      hydatid cysts: A case report and retrospective study.
AB  - RATIONALE: Hypernatremia is a rare but fatal complication of hypertonic saline
      (HS) irrigation in hepatic hydatid disease. It needs careful monitoring and
      treatment. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 28-year-old woman with hepatic hydatid cysts who
      received operation treatment developed electrolyte disturbances. We also
      conducted a retrospective study about influence of HS application on electrolytes
      in patients with hepatic hydatid disease receiving surgery. DIAGNOSES:
      Hypernatremia, developed after HS irrigation. INTERVENTIONS: Normal saline, 5%
      dextrose and other supportive treatment were administered. In the retrospective
      study, a comparison of electrolyte and glucose fluctuation was made among
      different HS application groups. OUTCOMES: The patient developed hypernatremia
      after irrigation with HS and died from severe complications. Although some cases
      of complications are found, no significant relationship between HS irrigation and
      hypernatremia was reported according to the retrospective study. LESSONS:
      Hypernatremia after HS irrigation remains rare but might cause severe
      complications. Monitoring and appropriate treatment are needed to improve
      prognosis.

PMID- 28906371
TI  - Survival prediction model for postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma patients.
AB  - This study is to establish a predictive index (PI) model of 5-year survival rate
      for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical resection and to
      evaluate its prediction sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.Patients underwent
      HCC surgical resection were enrolled and randomly divided into prediction model
      group (101 patients) and model evaluation group (100 patients). Cox regression
      model was used for univariate and multivariate survival analysis. A PI model was
      established based on multivariate analysis and receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve was drawn accordingly. The area under ROC (AUROC) and PI cutoff value
      was identified.Multiple Cox regression analysis of prediction model group showed
      that neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, histological grade, microvascular invasion,
      positive resection margin, number of tumor, and postoperative transcatheter
      arterial chemoembolization treatment were the independent predictors for the 5
      year survival rate for HCC patients. The model was PI = 0.377 * NLR + 0.554 * HG
      + 0.927 * PRM + 0.778 * MVI + 0.740 * NT - 0.831 * transcatheter arterial
      chemoembolization (TACE). In the prediction model group, AUROC was 0.832 and the
      PI cutoff value was 3.38. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 78.0%,
      80%, and 79.2%, respectively. In model evaluation group, AUROC was 0.822, and the
      PI cutoff value was well corresponded to the prediction model group with
      sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 85.0%, 83.3%, and 84.0%,
      respectively.The PI model can quantify the mortality risk of hepatitis B related
      HCC with high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.

PMID- 28906372
TI  - Efficacy and safety of laparoscopic bile duct exploration versus endoscopic
      sphincterotomy for concomitant gallstones and common bile duct stones: A meta
      analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) plus laparoscopic common bile duct (CBD) stones
      exploration (LCBDE) with LC plus endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) in the treatment
      of patients with gallstones and CBD stones. METHODS: The authors searched PubMed,
      Web of Science, and Embase to identify relevant studies. Risk ratios (RRs) were
      pooled to compare stone clear, retained stone, conversion to other procedures,
      and complications. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) were pooled to compare
      operative time, and length of hospital stay. A fixed-effects model or random
      effects model was used to pool the estimates, according to the heterogeneity
      among the included studies. RESULTS: A total of 11 randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) involving 1663 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled
      estimate suggested that LC-LCBDE had comparable effects with LC-EST in terms of
      CBD stone clear rate (RR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.09; P = .583), retained stones
      rate (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.51, 3.19; P = .607), and length of hospital stay (WMD
      = -0.96 days, 95% CI: -2.20, 0.28). In addition, LC-LCBDE was associated with
      significantly higher conversion rate (RR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.35; P = .019)
      and less operative time (WMD = -11.55 minutes, 95% CI: -16.68, -6.42; P < .001)
      than LC-EST. The incidence of complications was not significant difference
      between the 2 surgical approaches (RR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.86, 1.34; P = .550).
      CONCLUSION: Based on the current evidence, both LC-LCBDE and LC-EST were highly
      effective in detecting and removing CBD stones and were equivalent in
      complications. However, our results might be biased by the limitations. Large
      scale well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm our findings.

PMID- 28906373
TI  - Predictive value of insufficient contrast medium filling in pulmonary veins in
      patients with acute pulmonary embolism.
AB  - This study is to investigate the predictive value of insufficient contrast medium
      filling (ICMF) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE).A total of 108 PE
      patients were enrolled and divided into group A and group B according to the
      presence of ICMF. PE index and ventricul araxial lengths were measured. Heart
      cavity volumes were examined and right ventricle (RV) to left ventricle (LV)
      diameter ratio (RV/LV(d)) and volume ratio (RV/LV(V)) and right atrium (RA) to
      left atrium (LA) volume ratio (RA/LA(V)) were calculated and compared. Group A
      was further divided into A1 and A2 based upon the pulmonary vein filling degree
      and each index was compared.There were no significant differences between group A
      and B in general condition. PE index of group A was higher than that of group B.
      LA and LV in group A were smaller than that of group B, whereas RA in group A was
      larger than that of group B. RV/LV(d), RV/LV(V), and RA/LA(V) in group A were
      significantly larger than that of group B. Embolism index of group A2 was higher
      than that of groupA1, but without statistical significant difference. LA in group
      A2 was smaller than that of group A1, whereas RA, RV/LV(d), and RV/LV(V) were
      larger than that of group A1, all with significant differences.PE increased with
      serious ICMF in pulmonary veins could be used as an indicator for risk
      stratification in patients with acute PE.

PMID- 28906374
TI  - A single nucleotide polymorphism in codon F31I and V57I of the AURKA gene in
      invasive ductal breast carcinoma in Middle East.
AB  - Although few studies have suggested a carcinogenic role for polymorphism of F31I
      and V57I codons of AURKA gene in invasive ductal carcinoma, contradictory results
      from different populations mandates regional investigations. We aimed to
      determine polymorphisms of F31I and V57I codons of AURKA gene and their
      association with cancer prognosis in patients compared with controls in an
      eastern population of Iran.A case-control study was conducted on specimens from
      100 patients and 100 age- and gender-matched controls. DNA was extracted and the
      codons F31I and V57I were amplified. The different genotypes were analyzed by PCR
      RFLP and electrophoresis.In codon F31I, the frequency of Phe/Ile was 70% and 82%
      in patients and healthy controls respectively, whereas (Ile/Ile) was 30% in
      patients and 18% in healthy (P = .047). Analyzing V57I genotypes showed a higher
      homozygote Val/Val genotype in patients compared with controls (76% vs 68%),
      whereas the frequency of heterozygous Val/Ile genotype was lower in patients
      (17%) than controls (30%), yielding a marginal association between breast cancer
      and Val/Val genotype (P = .048). No association was observed between SNPs of
      either F31I or V57I genotypes and histological grades. However, there was a
      significant association between tumor stages and F31I genotype (P for trend =
      .003).This is the first report of F31I and V57I polymorphisms in AURKA gene in
      breast cancer in Iran. Determination of allelic polymorphism of those codons will
      help to understand background genetic predisposition and could have prognostic
      value in management of breast cancer in the target population.

PMID- 28906375
TI  - Correlations between clinical characteristics and neuroimaging in Chinese
      patients with subtypes of frontotemporal lobe degeneration.
AB  - The aim of the study was to obtain an overview of the clinical and neuroimaging
      features of Chinese patients with subtypes of frontotemporal lobe degeneration
      (FTLD).We evaluated the demographic features, clinical presentation, and lobe
      atrophy depicted by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 133 patients with FTLD.
      Two positron emission tomography (PET) scans were performed at baseline:
      [C]Pittsburgh compound B PET to assess amyloid-beta plaque load and
      [F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET to assess glucose metabolism.The behavioral
      variant of FTD (bvFTD) was the most common subtype (67.7%) of FTLD. The
      percentages of progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) and semantic dementia (SD)
      were similar. Cerebral lobe atrophy was seen in 87.7% of the cases. The
      Activities of Daily Living scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Montreal
      Cognitive Assessment scores were significantly correlated with the degree of
      overall atrophy. The severity of abnormal behavior was correlated with right
      anterior and right posterior temporal atrophy scores. The overall atrophy scores
      and atrophy score in the left temporal region were related to cognitive outcomes
      and Activities of Daily Living scores. Most of the bvFTD patients presented
      symmetric/asymmetric hypometabolism in the bilateral temporal cortex, frontal
      cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and caudate nucleus. All the PNFA
      patients presented left dominant hypometabolism in the frontal cortex. All the SD
      patients presented left dominant hypometabolism in the anterior temporal
      cortex.FTLD is not rare in cognitive clinics, and the ratios of subtypes in
      Chinese patients are similar to other ethnic groups. Overall atrophy scores,
      determined by MRI, were related to the severity of cognitive dysfunction and
      deficits in Activities of Daily Living. Patterns of hypometabolism, determined by
      [F]FDG PET, were more specific to subtypes of FTLD and may help provide
      differential diagnoses of variants of FTLD.

PMID- 28906376
TI  - Nucleotide variants of the NAT2 and EGF61 genes in patients in Northern China
      with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a
      common orofacial congenital anomaly. The objective of the present study was to
      analyze the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NAT2 and
      EGF61genes with NSCL/P in a Chinese population. METHODS: The frequencies of NAT2
      (rs1799929)and EGF61 (rs4444903) gene variations were examined in a group of 285
      NSCL/P patients and in 315 controls. Peripheral venous blood samples were
      collected for DNA extraction. Genotyping of the 2 SNPs was carried out using a
      mini sequencing (SNaPshot) method. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test.
      RESULTS: We found a significant association between the EGF61 (rs4444903) and
      NSCL/P (P = .01) genes.Conversely, NAT2 (rs1799929) was not significantly
      different between the cases and the control group.The genotype frequencies of
      rs4444903GA showed a significant difference compared with GG genotype as a
      reference (odds ratio = 0.59; 95% confidence interval: 0.42-0.84, P = .01).
      CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the EGF61 rs4444903GA genotype had a decreased
      risk of NSCL/P. Our data provides further evidence regarding the role of EGF61
      variations in the development of NSCL/P in families of the studied populations.

PMID- 28906377
TI  - Reflux episodes and esophageal impedance levels in patients with typical and
      atypical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
AB  - To determine the relationship between baseline impedance levels and
      gastroesophageal reflux, we retrospectively enrolled 110 patients (54 men and 56
      female; mean age, 51 +/- 14 years) with suspected gastroesophageal reflux disease
      (GERD) who underwent 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring.
      Patients were stratified according to symptom (typical or atypical) and reflux
      types (acid reflux, nonacid reflux [NAR], or no abnormal reflux). Mean nocturnal
      baseline impedance (MNBI) were measured 3 cm (distal esophagus) and 17 cm
      (proximal esophagus) above the lower esophageal sphincter. Median distal
      esophageal MNBI was lower in the acid reflux group (1244 Omega; 647-1969 Omega)
      than in the NAR (2586 Omega; 1368-3666 Omega) or no abnormal reflux groups (3082
      Omega; 2495-4472 Omega; all P < .05). Distal MNBI were negatively correlated with
      DeMeester score and acid exposure time. Atypical symptoms were more frequently
      associated with NAR than typical symptoms (P < .01). Among patients with positive
      symptom-association probability (SAP) for NAR, median proximal MNBI tended to be
      lower in patients with typical symptoms (median, 3013 Omega; IQR, 2535-3410
      Omega) than in those with atypical symptoms (median, 3386 Omega; IQR, 3044-3730
      Omega, P = .05). Thus, atypical GERD symptoms were more likely to be associated
      with NAR. The mucosal integrity of the proximal esophagus might be relatively
      impaired in GERD patients with typical symptoms for NAR.

PMID- 28906378
TI  - The need for psycho-oncological support for melanoma patients: Central role of
      patients' self-evaluation.
AB  - Despite an increasing number of promising treatment options, only a limited
      number of studies concerning melanoma patients' psycho-oncological distress have
      been carried out. However, multiple screening tools are in use to assess the need
      for psycho-oncological support. This study aimed first to identify parameters in
      melanoma patients that are associated with a higher risk for being psycho
      oncologically distressed and second to compare patients' self-evaluation
      concerning the need for psycho-oncological support with the results of
      established screening tools.We performed a cross-sectional study including 254
      melanoma patients from the Center for Dermatooncology at the University of
      Tuebingen. The study was performed between June 2010 and February 2013. Several
      screening instruments were included: the Distress Thermometer (DT), Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale and the patients' subjective evaluation concerning
      psycho-oncological support. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify
      factors that indicate the need for psycho-oncological support.Patients'
      subjective evaluation concerning the need for psycho-oncological support, female
      gender, and psychotherapeutic or psychiatric treatment at present or in the past
      had the highest impact on values above threshold in the DT. The odds ratio of
      patients' self-evaluation (9.89) was even higher than somatic factors like female
      gender (1.85), duration of illness (0.99), or increasing age (0.97). Patients'
      self-evaluation concerning the need for psycho-oncological support indicated a
      moderate correlation with the results of the screening tools included.In addition
      to the results obtained by screening tools like the DT, we could demonstrate that
      patients' self-evaluation is an important instrument to identify patients who
      need psycho-oncological support.

PMID- 28906379
TI  - Accessory ovarian steroid cell tumor producing testosterone and cortisol: A case
      report.
AB  - RATIONALE: An accessory ovary is a rare structure containing normal ovarian
      tissue, which has a direct or ligamentous connection with a normal and eutopic
      ovary. PATIENT CONCERNS: In the study, we reported a 46-year-old woman presented
      with secondary amenorrhea and virilization symptoms for 1 year. DIAGNOSES:
      Endocrine evaluation revealed slightly elevated serum cortisol, extremely
      elevated 24-hour urinary-free cortisol and serum testosterone. Clinical
      assessment exhibited a large solid mass with heterogeneous enhancement in the
      left adnexauteri compounded with hypercortisolism and hyperandrogenemia. An
      accessory ovarian tumor attached to the infundibulum of the left fallopian tube
      was found, and a separate normal ovary was present on the same side.
      INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent a left adnexectomy. OUTCOMES: During
      surgery, a 12 cm * 8 cm, gray-red, and well-circumscribed solid mass was be
      identified. The tumor had ligamentous attachment with the infundibulum of left
      fallopian tube. The sectioned surface was gray-brown, lobulated and did not
      exhibit either significant necrosis or hemorrhage. Pathological findings
      demonstrated that tumor cells had small round nuclei, mild atypia, no mitosis
      were arranged in a diffuse pattern of columns or nests separated by a rich
      vascular network and no crystals of Reinke were found. It was diagnosis ovarian
      steroid cell tumor (NOS) without malignant behavior by immunohistochemical
      staining. The patient was finally diagnosed as accessory ovarian steroid. The
      patient was discharged from the hospital on the seventeenth day after surgery.
      During postoperative follow-up, the first postoperative menstrual flow recovered
      and blood pressure regained 1 month after surgery. Furthermore, her Cushing
      syndrome regressed and hirsutism disappeared completely 4 months after surgery
      cell tumor. LESSONS: It is vitally important to establish a final diagnosis
      according to the clinical manifestations and laboratory values in addition to
      imaging studies and laparoscopic examination of a rare coexistence of
      hyperandrogenemia and Cushing syndrome based on the accessory ovarian pathology.

PMID- 28906380
TI  - SYNTAX score based on coronary computed tomography angiography may have a
      prognostic value in patients with complex coronary artery disease: An
      observational study from a retrospective cohort.
AB  - The SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with TAXus and cardiac
      surgery (SYNTAX) score is an invasive coronary angiography (ICA)-based score for
      quantifying the complexity of coronary artery disease (CAD). Although the SYNTAX
      score was originally developed based on ICA, recent publications have reported
      that coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a feasible modality for
      the estimation of the SYNTAX score.The aim of our study was to investigate the
      prognostic value of the SYNTAX score, based on CCTA for the prediction of major
      adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in patients with complex
      CAD.The current study was approved by the institutional review board of our
      institution, and informed consent was waived for this retrospective cohort study.
      We included 251 patients (173 men, mean age 66.0 +/- 9.29 years) who had complex
      CAD [3-vessel disease or left main (LM) disease] on CCTA. SYNTAX score was
      obtained on the basis of CCTA. Follow-up clinical outcome data regarding
      composite MACCEs were also obtained. Cox proportional hazards models were
      developed to predict the risk of MACCEs based on clinical variables, treatment,
      and computed tomography (CT)-SYNTAX scores.During the median follow-up period of
      1517 days, there were 48 MACCEs. Univariate Cox hazards models demonstrated that
      MACCEs were associated with advanced age, low body mass index (BMI), and
      dyslipidemia (P < .2). In patients with LM disease, MACCEs were associated with a
      higher SYNTAX score. In patients with CT-SYNTAX score >=23, patients who
      underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary
      intervention had significantly lower hazard ratios than patients who were treated
      with medication alone. In multivariate Cox hazards model, advanced age, low BMI,
      and higher SYNTAX score showed an increased hazard ratio for MACCE, while
      treatment with CABG showed a lower hazard ratio (P < .2).On the basis of our
      results, CT-SYNTAX score can be a useful method for noninvasively predicting
      MACCEs in patients with complex CAD, especially in patients with LM disease.

PMID- 28906381
TI  - Comparison of secondary cytoreductive surgery plus chemotherapy with chemotherapy
      alone for recurrent epithelial ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal carcinoma: A
      propensity score-matched analysis of 112 consecutive patients.
AB  - To compare secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS) plus chemotherapy with
      chemotherapy alone in Japanese patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, tubal,
      or peritoneal cancer (ROC).From our institutional database, we identified 112
      patients who underwent therapy for ROC between 2005 and 2013. Of the 112
      patients, 77 received salvage chemotherapy alone (CT group) and 35 received SCS
      plus chemotherapy (SCS group). To reduce the impact of treatment selection bias
      on treatment outcomes, propensity score-matching analysis was used.In the entire
      cohort, prognostic features were poorer in the CT group than in the SCS group.
      The platinum-free interval was significantly lower (15.35 months vs 30.77
      months), cancer antigen 125 (CA125) level was significantly higher (247.38 IU/mL
      vs 83.17 IU/mL), and number of solitary recurrence sites was significantly lower
      in the CT group than in the SCS group. The matched cohort consisted of 29 CT and
      29 SCS patients with a median follow-up period of 24 and 58 months, respectively.
      In the matched cohort, progression-free survival (PFS) was longer in the SCS
      group than in the CT group (P = .02); however, overall survival did not differ (P
      = .23).SCS might be associated with improved PFS in ROC patients. SCS is
      beneficial in appropriately selected ROC patients.

PMID- 28906382
TI  - The efficacy of gabapentin in reducing pain intensity and postoperative nausea
      and vomiting following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether gabapentin is effective in reducing acute pain
      following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The purpose of the current meta-analysis
      was to evaluate the efficacy of gabapentin in reducing pain intensity and
      postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
      METHODS: All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of
      gabapentin in reducing pain intensity and PONV after laparoscopic cholecystectomy
      were searched on the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Google database, the Chinese Wanfang
      database, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The most recent
      literature search was conducted on March 21, 2017. Outcomes including visual
      analog scale (VAS) at 12 and 24 hours, total morphine consumption, and the
      occurrence of PONV. Continuous outcomes were expressed as the weighted mean
      difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI), and the one discontinuous
      outcome was expressed as risk ratio (RR) and 95% CI. Stata 12.0 software was used
      for meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 9 studies involving 966 patients were
      identified. In total, there were 484 gabapentin subjects and 482 controls.
      Compared with the control group, gabapentin was associated with lower VAS at 12
      hours (WMD = -10.18, 95% CI: -17.36 to -2.80, P = .007) and 24 hours (WMD = 
      6.33, 95% CI: -8.41 to -4.25, P = .000), which was equivalent on a 110-point VAS
      scale to 10.18 points at 12 hours and 6.33 points at 24 hours. Compared with the
      control group, gabapentin was associated with less total morphine consumption by
      approximately 110.83 mg (WMD = -110.83, 95% CI: -183.25 to -38.42, P = .003). In
      addition, the occurrence of nausea and vomiting in gabapentin was decreased
      (25.2% vs 47.6, RR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.44-0.63, P = .000). CONCLUSION: Gabapentin
      was efficacious in reducing postoperative pain, total morphine consumption, and
      morphine-related complications following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In
      addition, there was a negative correlation between the gabapentin dosage and the
      occurrence of nausea and vomiting. The number of included studies is limited, and
      more studies are needed to verify the effects of gabapentin in laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy patients.

PMID- 28906383
TI  - Comparing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion and posterior
      lumbar interbody fusion for spondylolisthesis: A STROBE-compliant observational
      study.
AB  - Although spondylolisthesis was traditionally treated with posterior lumbar
      interbody fusion (PLIF), minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody
      fusion (MIS-TLIF) was recently proposed as an alternative treatment for
      spondylolisthesis. However, no studies have focused on the comparison of these 2
      techniques' outcome on spondylolisthesis.The operative reports and perioperative
      data of patients who underwent single-level primary open PLIF (n = 29) and MIS
      TLIF (n = 26) for I/II spondylolisthesis were retrospectively evaluated.
      Patients' demographics, operative blood loss, hospital length of stay, creatine
      kinase (CK) level, radiographic fusion, complications, and patient-reported
      outcomes were evaluated. Radiographic fusion was assessed using the Bridwell
      grading criteria. Preoperative and postoperative patient-reported outcomes
      included the visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index
      (ODI).Average follow-up was 28 +/- 3.6 months (range 24-32 months). Bed rest
      time, hospital stay, estimated blood loss, and operative time in the MIS-TLIF
      group were significantly lower than those in the PLIF group (P < .05). The 3
      month postoperative ODI and VAS in the MIS-TLIF group were significantly better
      than the PLIF group (P < .05). However, at the time of the last follow-up, both
      groups had similar ODI scores and complication, slip reduction, and spinal fusion
      rates (P > .05).Compared with PLIF, MIS-TLIF for grade I/II spondylolisthesis can
      achieve similar reduction and fusion results with better short-term quality of
      life, shorter hospital stays, less estimated blood loss, and shorter operative
      times.

PMID- 28906384
TI  - The safety and efficacy of oral anticoagulants with dual versus single
      antiplatelet therapy in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention: A meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A growing number of patients require oral anticoagulant (OAC) after
      undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation due
      to the development of atrial fibrillation, but the optimal antithrombotic regimen
      remains controversial in these patients. METHODS: We systematically searched
      PUBMED, EMBASE, and CENTRAL from inception until September 2016 for randomized
      controlled trials or cohort studies that evaluated the comparative effects of TT
      versus DT. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were
      pooled by a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model. RESULTS: Twelve
      studies with a total of 30,823 patients were included in this analysis, including
      6134 in the TT group and 24,689 in the DT group. No significant differences were
      found between the TT group and the DT group regarding major adverse
      cardiovascular events (MACE) (RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.58-1.17; I = 87.3%), stroke
      (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.56-2.07; I = 65.5%), all-cause mortality (RR = 0.90, 95%
      CI: 0.54-1.51; I = 79.1%), or stent thrombosis (RR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.41-1.24; I =
      12.7%), and lower rates were observed for myocardial infarction (RR = 0.59, 95%
      CI: 0.50-0.70; I = 31.1%) and major bleeding with TT (RR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.74
      0.99; I = 24.3%). Meanwhile, we also found that compared with TT, OAC with
      clopidogrel treatment shows equal efficacy and safety outcomes. CONCLUSION: In
      patients on OAC undergoing PCI with stent implantation, compared with DT, TT
      shows equal effectiveness in terms of MACE, stroke, all-cause mortality, and
      stent thrombosis and lower risks of myocardial infarction and major bleeding.
      However, similar efficacy and safety outcomes were observed between the TT group
      and the OAC along with clopidogrel group.

PMID- 28906386
TI  - Development and validation of a prediction score system in lupus nephritis.
AB  - The risk assessment for developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) remains unclear
      in patients with lupus nephritis (LN). The purpose of this study was to develop
      and validate a prediction rule for estimating the individual risk of ESRD in
      patients with LN using clinical and pathological data.A total of 599 patients
      with LN diagnosed by renal biopsy between June 2009 and June 2014 in West China
      Hospital of Sichuan University were retrospectively followed. Patients were
      randomly divided into derivation cohort (n = 379) and validation cohort (n =
      220). The SLEDAI score was used to evaluate the clinical disease activity.
      Pathological lesions according to the International Society of Nephrology and the
      Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) systems were meticulously evaluated. The risk
      factors for developing ESRD were evaluated using a Cox proportional hazard model
      with a stepwise backward elimination method.In the derivation cohort, 100
      patients (26.5%) developed ESRD during the average 46.0 +/- 21.1 months' follow
      up. The final prediction model included cellular crescents, active index >20,
      glomerular sclerosis, fibrous crescents, interstitial fibrosis, chronic index >5,
      nephrotic syndrome, and eGFR <45 mL/min as independent risk factors for
      developing ESRD. To create a prediction rule, the score for each variable was
      weighted by the regression coefficients calculated using the relevant Cox model.
      The prediction rule was validated in the validation cohort. During the follow-up
      period, 45 patients (21.5%) in validation cohort progressed to ESRD.This study
      developed and validated a new prediction rule using clinical measures and
      pathological changes for developing ESRD in patients with LN.

PMID- 28906385
TI  - Percutaneous intratumoral injection of gemcitabine plus cisplatin mixed with
      fibrin glue for advanced pancreatic carcinoma: Case Report.
AB  - RATIONALE: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of
      intratumoral injection of chemotherapeutics in improving the quality of life and
      survival of patients with pancreatic carcinoma. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a
      case series of 5 patients with unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. DIAGNOSES:
      Patients diagnosed with unresectable poorly differentiated pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma by intraoperative frozen biopsyor percutaneous biopsy.
      INTERVENTIONS: Five patients with unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma received
      a computed tomography-guided percutaneous intratumoral injection of gemcitabine
      plus cisplatin mixed with fibrin glue. OUTCOMES: Mean overall survival was 16.2
      +/- 3.7 months. Local control rates were 100% and 80% at postoperative 3 and 6
      months, respectively. Mean Visual Analogue Scale pain score decreased from 7.2 +/
      .84 preoperatively to 2 +/- 1.22 at postoperative 4 weeks. There were no
      complications associated with the procedure. LESSONS: Percutaneous intratumoral
      injection of gemcitabine plus cisplatin mixed with fibrin glue for advanced
      pancreatic may be safe and effective.

PMID- 28906387
TI  - A nearly full-recovery from AVM hemorrhagic stroke 17 years after insult using a
      new integrated neurodevelopmental approach: A case report.
AB  - RATIONAL: With the prevalence of stroke increasing in the USA and the world along
      with increased survival and longevity due to medical advancements, it has become
      increasingly necessary to look at the chronic phase of stroke recovery. Previous
      paradigms of stroke treatment have proven ineffective when looking at 10, 15, or
      20 years of survival post insult. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patient, being a young
      man just out of high school, was concerned with his overall morbidity. He was
      highly concerned with the quality of life he could expect as a stroke survivor
      with a life expectancy of 60 years or more. DIAGNOSES: C was diagnosed with a
      hemorrhagic AVM stroke that impacted several regions of the brain, particularly
      the right occipital and temporal lobes as well as bilateral motor control. C
      experienced severe hpertonicity of the musculature and significant vertigo.
      INTERVENTIONS: This study investigated a novel approach to chronic-phase stroke
      rehabilitation using traditional child motor-learning techniques, play, and
      proprioceptive-building activities in addition to current stroke rehabilitation
      techniques. During an initial six-month period, followed by a three-year period,
      the participant used motor-developmental learning activities as well as
      traditional strength, gait, and balance training. During the initial phase of
      treatment, clinically-significant improvements were recorded along with self
      reported lifestyle enhancements. These gains continued throughout the three-and-a
      half year process. OUTCOMES: C regained the ability to free-walk in small bouts
      and went from the use of a walker to canes. He regained use of his hands and
      removed a large partion of his vertigo. Of specific interest was the
      participant's ability to progress from using a walker to driving, returning to
      school, and starting a family. LESSONS: This study lays the groundwork for future
      studies into this type of therapeutic approach as well as highlighting the
      ability of chronic-phase stroke patients to recover well into the second decade
      post stroke. After the initial six month period, as gains were being observed, a
      more formal measurement process was begun for a second six-month period. Initial
      measurements of progress were taken every six weeks using the Fugl-Meyer test,
      the Berg Balance Test, the Barthel Index, and the Stroke Specific Quality Of Life
      scale. Results showed clinically significant improvements in all areas of
      recovery.

PMID- 28906389
TI  - Risk factor analysis for nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia following cardiac
      surgery: A case-control study.
AB  - Although rare, postcardiac surgery nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) is a
      life-threatening condition. Identifying the risk factors for NOMI during
      immediate postoperative period may help early detection and intervention, which
      leads to improved clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify
      the clinical features and risk factors of NOMI for prognosis identification after
      cardiac surgery, focusing on immediate postoperative parameters.Among 9445
      patients who underwent cardiac surgery over a span of 9 years, 40 NOMI cases
      (0.4%) requiring surgical interventions were reviewed. Suspected NOMI was
      diagnosed by sigmoidoscopy or computed tomography. To identify the risk factors,
      a control group (case: control = 1:3 ratio) was randomly selected and compared
      using logistic regression models.NOMI was diagnosed after a mean of 8.1 +/- 9.6
      days following cardiac surgery. Age (odds ratio: 1.16, 95% confidence interval:
      1.08-1.25, P < .001), total vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS), and the maximal
      lactate level at postoperative day 0 (1.003, [1.001-1.005], P = .012), (1.23,
      [1.04-1.44], P = .011) were shown as risk factors. NOMI cases showed persistent
      hyperlactatemia without washout during the first 48 hours (P = .04). Thirty-four
      cases underwent exploratory laparotomy within a median of 10 (2-356) hours after
      the diagnosis, but only 17 patients (42.5%) survived. Compared with survivors,
      nonsurvivors showed higher total VIS at diagnosis, higher lactate levels during
      the first 24 hours postoperatively, and more frequently required extensive bowel
      resection (P < .05).Old age, postoperative high-dose vasoactive-inotropic use,
      and persistent high lactate level during the first 24 hours postsurgery were
      identified as risk factors for NOMI. Lactic acidosis and necrotic-bowel extent at
      surgical exploration were associated with poor survival.

PMID- 28906388
TI  - Retrospective cause analysis of troponin I elevation in non-CAD patients: Special
      emphasis on sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Troponin I is one of the most commonly tested biochemical markers in
      the emergency room (ER) and in the hospital setting. Besides coronary artery
      disease (CAD), demand ischemia with underlying tachycardia, anemia, hypertensive
      emergency, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, sepsis, and pulmonary
      embolism have also been reported to cause troponin I elevations. Few reports have
      excluded patients with CAD, and no study has summarized the proportion of these
      factors relative to an increased troponin I level. METHODS: The aim of this
      retrospective study was to investigate the level of contribution of causative
      factors in troponin I elevation. Charts of patients tested for troponin I during
      an ER visit or during hospitalization were collected. Patients with known CAD,
      abnormal stress tests, cardiac catheterizations, or discharge without an adequate
      cardiac evaluation were excluded. Logistic regression was used to identify
      predictors of elevated troponin I levels. RESULTS: A total of 586 patients were
      investigated in this study. Age, hemoglobin (Hb), heart rate (HR),
      glomerularfiltration rate, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure (CHF),
      and sepsis were significant predictors of elevated troponin I by analysis in
      univariate logistic regression (all P < .001). In multivariate logistic
      regression, sepsis, CHF, age, Hb, and HR were independent predictors of troponin
      I (all P < .01). A simple clinical scoring system was generated with 1 score on
      patients with age >= 60, Hb < 10 g/dL, and HR >= 100 beats per minute (bpm). The
      prevalence of elevated troponin I was 4%, 16%, 38%, and 50% for patients with
      scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In patients without sepsis and CHF, the
      chances of elevated troponin I were 2%, 11%, 28%, and 43%. CONCLUSIONS: Sepsis
      was found to be the strongest independent cause of elevated troponin I levels in
      non-CAD patients. The scoring system composed of age, hemoglobin (Hb), and heart
      rate (HR) can assist clinical evaluation of elevated troponin I test in non-CAD
      patients.

PMID- 28906390
TI  - Empathy and burnout of emergency professionals of a health region: A cross
      sectional study.
AB  - The objective of this study is to assess the association between levels of
      empathy and burnout of emergency professionals in all the assistance levels.A
      cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the health region of Lleida
      and the Pyrenees with 100 professionals from the field of Urgency. Participation
      reached 40.8%. Empathy and burnout were measured using the Spanish versions of
      the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) and Maslach Burnout Inventory
      (MBI) respectively. The total MBI score and its 3 dimensions (emotional
      exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) were analyzed. The
      JSPE and MBI scores were categorized into tertiles that were identified as "low,"
      "moderate," and "high" levels.The median (interquartile range) was 112 (102-123)
      and 37 (27-53.5) for the JSPE and MBI scores respectively. Professionals with
      high burnout (MBI>=47) showed the lowest levels of empathy, that is, JSPE score
      of 105 (98-114); those with moderate burnout (31<=MBI < 47) had a JSPE score of
      114 (104.5-120.5); and those with low burnout (MBI < 31) had a JSPE score of
      120.5 (105.8-127.2). In addition, the highest levels of empathy were associated
      with the lowest levels of burnout, especially in depersonalization, and to a
      lesser extent in personal accomplishment. There were no differences in empathy
      and burnout for any of the other study variables.Our findings suggest that the
      empathy of emergency professionals is associated with burnout. Hence, reducing
      professional burnout could help keep emergency professionals' empathy levels
      high, which in turn would ensure a better quality of care. Nevertheless, it would
      be necessary to carry out prospective studies to describe the profiles of burnout
      and empathy as well as their association and evolution.

PMID- 28906391
TI  - A meta-analysis of the preoperative use of gabapentinoids for the treatment of
      acute postoperative pain following spinal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gabapentinoid drugs, which include gabapentin and pregabalin, play an
      established role in the management of neuropathic pain. However, whether
      preoperative administration of gabapentinoids has a beneficial role in
      controlling acute pain after spinal surgery is unknown. We performed a systematic
      review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the
      efficacy and safety of the preoperative use of gabapentinoids (gabapentin and
      pregabalin) for the treatment of acute postoperative pain following spinal
      surgery. METHODS: In March 2017, a systematic computer-based search was conducted
      in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google databases. RCTs
      comparing gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin) with placebo in patients
      undergoing spine surgery were retrieved. The primary endpoint was the visual
      analogue scale (VAS) score with rest or mobilization at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours
      and cumulative morphine consumption at 24 and 48 hours. The secondary outcomes
      were complications of nausea, vomiting, sedation, dizziness, headache, urine
      retention, pruritus, and visual disturbances. After tests for publication bias
      and heterogeneity among studies were performed, data were aggregated for random
      effects models when necessary. RESULTS: Sixteen clinical studies (gabapentin
      group n = 8 and pregabalin group n = 8) were ultimately included in the meta
      analysis. Gabapentinoids were associated with reduced pain scores at 6, 12, 24,
      and 48 hours. Similarly, gabapentinoids were associated with a reduction in
      cumulative morphine consumption at 24 and 48 hours. Furthermore, gabapentinoids
      can significantly reduce the occurrence of nausea, vomiting, and pruritus. There
      were no significant differences in the occurrence of sedation, dizziness,
      headache, visual disturbances, somnolence, or urine retention. CONCLUSIONS:
      Preoperative use of gabapentinoids was able to reduce postoperative pain, total
      morphine consumption, and morphine-related complications following spine surgery.
      Further studies should determine the optimal dose and whether pregabalin is
      superior to gabapentin in controlling acute pain after spine surgery.

PMID- 28906392
TI  - Comparison of fertility-sparing treatments in patients with early endometrial
      cancer and atypical complex hyperplasia: A meta-analysis and systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are some fertility-sparing treatments in patients with early
      endometrial cancer (EEC) or atypical complex hyperplasia (ACH), and the objective
      is to compare them by evaluating the oncologic and reproductive outcomes.
      METHODS: We searched the published literature using Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE,
      and Google Scholar databases up to January 3, 2017, with various combinations of
      keywords fertility-sparing treatments, progesterone, progestin, intrauterine
      devices, early endometrial cancer, and atypical complex hyperplasia. The primary
      endpoint is the complete response (CR) rate, and the secondary endpoints are the
      partial response (PR) rate, relapse rate (RR), pregnancy rate, and live birth
      rate. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies containing 1038 women with EEC or ACH were
      included for review and meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that women with
      EEC or ACH managed with progestin had a pooled CR rate of 71% (95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 63-77%). The pooled pregnancy outcomes showed that 34% of women
      taking progestin treatment for EEC or ACH became pregnant (95% CI: 30-38%);
      however, only 20% of them delivered live newborns. The pooled CR rate for women
      using intrauterine device (IUD) was 76% (95% CI: 67-83%), and pooled RR was 9%
      (95% CI: 5-17%). The pregnancy rate for women whom underwent IUD was 18% (95% CI:
      7-37%), and 14% of them delivered live newborns. In patients using progestin plus
      IUD, the pooled CR rate was 87% (95% CI: 75-93%); among those patients, 40%
      became pregnant (95% CI: 20-63%), and 35% delivered live newborns. There is no
      publication bias for the CR rate. CONCLUSION: For patients with EEC and ACH,
      treatments with progestin, with or without IUD, or IUD alone can reach good CR
      rate; however, the pregnancy outcomes might be worse in patients treated with IUD
      alone. Further randomized-controlled studies are warranted to find out a better
      solution.

PMID- 28906393
TI  - Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for postoperative pain control after
      total knee arthroplasty: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficiency and safety of
      transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain control after total
      knee arthroplasty. METHODS: A systematic search was performed in Medline (1966 to
      June 2017), PubMed (1966 to June 2017), Embase (1980 to June 2017), ScienceDirect
      (1985 to June 2017), and the Cochrane Library. Only randomized controlled trial
      (RCT) was included. The fixed/random effect model was used according to the
      heterogeneity tested by I statistic. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 11.0
      software. RESULTS: Five RCTs including 472 patients met the inclusion criteria.
      The present meta-analysis indicated that there were significant differences
      between groups in terms of visual analogue scale score at 12 hours (average: 3.58
      vs 4.34, SMD = -0.260, 95% CI: -0.442 to -0.078, P = .005), 24 hours (average:
      3.18 vs 3.52, SMD = -0.244, 95% CI: -0.426 to -0.063, P = .008), and 48 hours
      (average: 2.70 vs 2.96, SMD = -0.214, 95% CI: -0.395 to -0.033, P = .021) after
      total knee arthroplasty. Significant differences were found regarding opioid
      consumption at 12 hours (average: 14.44 vs 18.54, SMD = -0.503, 95% CI: -0.687 to
      -0.319, P = .000), 24 hours (average: 16.10 vs 18.40, SMD = -0.262, 95% CI: 
      0.443 to -0.080, P = .005), and 48 hours (average: 12.92 vs 15.12, SMD = -0.183,
      95% CI: -0.364 to -0.002, P = .048). CONCLUSION: TENS could significantly reduce
      pain and opioid consumption after total knee arthroplasty. In addition, there
      were fewer adverse effects in the TENS groups. Higher quality RCTs are required
      for further research.

PMID- 28906394
TI  - Growth discordance of monoamniotic twin because of difference of cords diameter
      in forked umbilical cord: Case report.
AB  - A case of monochorionic-monoamniotic (MCMA) twin pregnancy with growth
      discordance because of difference of cord diameter in forked umbilical cord is
      reported.MCMA twins were diagnosed at 12 weeks of gestation and twin growth
      discordance was considered during the follow-up twice-weekly visits to the
      ultrasound and prenatal care units. The pregnancy was terminated at 34 weeks. Two
      live female babies weighing 2510 g and 1940 g were delivered. Examination of
      placenta and umbilical cords after birth showed that the 2 cords merged into a
      conjoint cord 1 cm from insertion to the placenta (forked umbilical cord).
      Placental color injection showed that the 2 fetuses shared the same placenta
      area. The diameters of the 2 cords were significantly different (1.5 vs 0.8 cm).
      This caused an unequal distribution of blood and nutrients, which is the real
      reason of twin growth discordance in this case.This case reveals that the
      diameter discordance of cords can be an important factor for twin growth
      discordance. Few relevant cases have previously been reported. Cords diameter
      measurement is suggested for ultrasound surveillance of twin growth discordance.

PMID- 28906395
TI  - Prognostic impact of surgical margin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A
      meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical margin is an important prognostic factor in hepatectomy for
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). But the extent of surgical margins
      is still controversial. Our study was designed to systematically evaluate the
      prognosis of different width of resection margin. METHODS: We conducted
      comprehensive searches of electronic databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      Cochrane, and the ISI Web of Science for relevant studies. A meta-analysis was
      performed by RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies comprising 1932
      patients were included. The patients with wider surgical margin were
      significantly higher than those with narrow surgical margin on 3-year overall
      survival (odds ratio [OR]: 1.58, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.21-2.06, P =
      .0008), 5-year overall survival (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.20-2.59, P = .004), 1-year
      disease-free survival (DFS)/recurrence-free survival (RFS) (OR: 1.43, 95% CI:
      1.12-1.82, P = .005), 3-year DFS/RFS (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.35-2.03, P < .00001),
      and 5-year DFS/RFS (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.37-2.08, P < .00001). There was no
      significant difference in the 1-year overall survival rate for the 2 groups (OR:
      1.24, 95% CI: 0.89-1.72, P = .20). CONCLUSION: In comparison with the narrow
      surgical margin group (<1 cm), the wide surgical margin (>=1 cm) can
      significantly improve the prognosis in patients with HCC.

PMID- 28906396
TI  - Chondrosarcoma of the patella: A case report.
AB  - RATIONALE: Chondrosarcoma, characterized by the production of cartilage matrix,
      is a common bone tumor, accounting for 20% to 27% of all malignant bone tumors.
      It often occurs in the cartilage of the pelvis, femur, tibia, and humerus.
      However, chondrosarcoma of the patella is extremely rare. PATIENT CONCERNS: The
      present study describes a case of chondrosarcoma affecting the right patella in a
      68-year-old woman. The chief complaints were painful swelling and limitation of
      motion of the right knee for about half a year. The pain was a kind of dull ache.
      The skin around the right knee was red and hot. Moreover, she had a claudication
      gait due to the symptoms. DIAGNOSES: Irregular lytic lesions with ill-defined
      margins in the patella were determined through computed tomography and magnetic
      resonance imaging. The diagnosis of primary grade II chondrosarcoma was finally
      confirmed on the basis of postoperative pathological examination. INTERVENTIONS:
      The patient underwent an open surgery named extensive resection of patellar tumor
      to remove the tumor tissue completely. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged
      without any complications 1 week after the surgery. At the 3-month follow-up, the
      patient was completely free from pain during daily activities, and normal range
      of motion of the right knee was achieved. Her gait was normal. There was no
      evidence of recurrence. LESSONS: We believe that an extensive resection is
      suitable for treating chondrosarcoma to avoid as far as possible local
      recurrence. An awareness of the potential for chondrosarcoma to present in the
      patella is crucial for both orthopedic surgeons and radiologists when confronted
      with similar cases. Besides, as reports of chondrosarcoma of the patella are
      rare, this study adds a better understanding of this rare condition to the
      medical literature.

PMID- 28906397
TI  - Clinical and microbiological characteristics of pyogenic liver abscess in a
      tertiary hospital in East China.
AB  - Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a potentially life-threatening disease affecting
      many parts of the world, especially Asia. In this study, we explored the clinical
      and microbiological characteristics of PLA in Chinese patients.A 5-year (2010
      2014) retrospective review of medical records on all PLA patients who were
      admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital was performed.Among 217 PLA cases who
      were confirmed cultural positive, Klebsiella pneumonia (K pneumonia) was the most
      common pathogen (n = 165, 76.0%), followed by Escherichia coli (n = 21, 9.7%).
      Notably, there is a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus in patients with K
      pneumoniae-induced PLA (KP-PLA) than that with non-K pneumoniae-induced PLA (non
      KP-PLA)(43.0% vs 21.2%, P = .005). However, it was less prevalent for concomitant
      hepatobiliary disease (20.0% vs 34.6%, P = .039) and history of intraabdominal
      trauma or surgery (13.3% vs 38.5%, P < .001) in patients with KP-PLA. Although K
      pneumoniae are sensitive to most common antibiotics (antibiotic resistance rates
      below 10%), some strains (1.2%) developed resistant to carbapenem. These results
      confirmed K pneumoniae as the predominant pathogen of PLA in the area in which
      the study was conducted. More attention should be directed toward monitoring the
      emergence of carbapenem-resistant K pneumoniae.KP-PLA is frequently diagnosed in
      patients with metabolic diseases accompanied by serious consequences, and it is
      therefore prudent to see that they receive sensitivity-directed antibiotic
      therapy.

PMID- 28906398
TI  - Abdominal fat distribution measured using computed tomography is associated with
      an increased risk of colorectal adenoma in men.
AB  - A few studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the association between
      the visceral fat proportion and colorectal adenomas. We aimed to investigate the
      association between abdominal fat distribution measured by computed tomography
      (CT) and colon adenoma.A total of 336 participants underwent physical
      examination, blood tests, colonoscopy, and abdominal computed tomography at Chung
      Ang University Hospital. The associations between the obesity indicies (body mass
      index, visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), VFA-to-SFA ratio
      (VFA/SFA), and colorectal adenomas were evaluated.Of 309 subjects, 119 patients
      (38.5%) had colorectal adenoma. Mean age and fasting plasma glucose were higher
      in the patients with colorectal adenoma (P < .05, respectively). The mean VFA
      (153.3 cm vs 131.4 cm, P < .01) and VFA/SFA (1.07 vs 0.92, P < .05) were higher
      in the adenoma group than in the nonadenoma group. Males had higher mean VFA and
      VFA/SFA (P < .001). The mean VFA, SFA, and VFA/SFA were not associated with the
      location, size, number, and advancement of colorectal adenoma. In multivariate
      analysis, colorectal adenoma was significantly associated with VFA rather than
      VFA/SFA. In addition, colorectal adenoma was significantly associated with VFA
      rather than VFA/SFA in the men. The VFA, SFA, and VFA/SFA were not associated
      with colorectal adenoma in the women.The VFA measured by using a CT scan was
      positively associated with the presence of colorectal adenoma, especially in men.
      Furthermore, average risk men with large visceral fat volume should be examined
      carefully in screening colonoscopy.

PMID- 28906399
TI  - Characteristics of infection and its impact on short-term outcome in patients
      with acute-on-chronic liver failure.
AB  - Bacterial infections are an important cause of mortality in liver failure.
      However, the type of infection, predictors of infection, and their impact on
      outcomes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) are limited.A
      total of 389 patients with ACLF were admitted in this retrospective, corhort
      study. Once admitted, clinical data including first infection site, type
      (community-acquired, healthcare-associated, or nosocomial), and second infection
      occurrence during hospitalization were collected. The outcome was mortality
      within 90 days. Multivariable logistic regression models were preformed to
      predict second infection development and 90-day mortality. Survival probability
      curves were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method.Among 389 patients, 316 (81.2%)
      patients had infection. The 90-day mortality of patients with and without
      infection was 52.2% and 16.4%, respectively (P <.001). The most common first
      infection was healthcare associated (51.3%), followed by nosocomial (30.1%) and
      community-acquired infections (18.7%). Respiratory tract infection, spontaneous
      bacterial peritonitis, and urinary tract infection were most prevalent. Gram
      positive organism was more frequently seen than gram-negative organisms. Of note,
      fungi accounted for 15.9% of the total infection cases. During hospitalization,
      26.6% patients developed second infections. The 90-day mortality of patients
      developed or did not develop a second infection were 67.9% and 46.6%,
      respectively (P <.001). Independent predictors of 90-day mortality in infected
      patients with ACLF were age, white blood cell (WBC) count, model for end-stage
      liver disease (MELD) score, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and second
      infection.Infections (regardless of first or second infection) can increase the
      90-day mortality significantly in patients with ACLF. And age, WBC count, MELD
      score, HE, and the presence of second infection are independent risk factors
      affecting 90-day mortality in patients with ACLF showing infection.

PMID- 28906400
TI  - The atherogenic index of plasma is a strong and independent predictor for
      coronary artery disease in the Chinese Han population.
AB  - Dyslipidemia is one of the most important factors for coronary artery disease
      (CAD). The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), a new comprehensive lipid index,
      might be a strong marker for predicting the risk of CAD.A hospital-based case
      control study including 2936 CAD patients and 2451 controls was conducted in a
      Chinese population. Traditional lipid parameters were detected, and
      nontraditional lipid comprehensive indexes were calculated.Compared with
      controls, CAD patients had higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride
      (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). By contrast, the level of
      high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was lower in CAD patients. The
      values of nontraditional lipid profiles, including non-HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL
      C, non-HDL-C/HDL-C (atherogenic index, AI), TC*TG*LDL/HDL-C (lipoprotein combine
      index, LCI), and lg (TG/HDL-C) (AIP), were all significantly higher in the cases
      than in the controls. The results of Pearson correlation analyses indicated that
      AIP was positively and significantly correlated with TC (r = 0.125, P < .001), TG
      (r = 0.810, P < .001), LDL-C (r = 0.035, P < .001), non-HDL-C (r = 0.322, P <
      .001), TC/HDL-C (r = 0.669, P < .001), LDL-C/HDL-C (r = 0.447, P < .001), AI (r =
      0.669, P < .001), and LCI (r = 0.688, P < .001) and was negatively correlated
      with age (r = -0.122, P < .001) and HDL-C (r = -0.632, P < .001). In the
      univariate logistic regression analysis, AIP was the lipid parameter that was
      most strongly associated with CAD, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.782 (95%
      confidence interval: 1.490-2.131, P < .001), for an increase of 1-SD.
      Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that AIP was an independent
      risk factor for CAD.AIP might be a strong and independent predictor for CAD in
      the Chinese Han population.

PMID- 28906402
TI  - Barriers and facilitators to participation in clinical trial among lymphoma
      patients from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center in China: An observation
      study.
AB  - Recruitment rate of clinical trials in cancer patients is pretty low in China.
      Little is known about factors influencing trial recruitment in Chinese cancer
      patients. The aim of present study is to evaluate the barriers and facilitators
      to participation in clinical trials among lymphoma patients in China.From
      December 2014 to August 2015, the survey was carried out in the Department of
      Medical Oncology in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. A self-made
      questionnaire was used among lymphoma patients (N = 331) to evaluate their
      attitude toward clinical trials. The questionnaire included 2 parts: patients'
      basic information and whether they were willing to participate in future clinical
      trials and their reasons.There were 53.5% patients willing to participate in
      clinical trials. The most common reasons were thirst for new treatments, trust on
      hospital and doctors, the idea that clinical trials may be more effective than
      conventional therapy, and to get more management and monitoring. The following
      patients are more likely to participate in clinical trials: patients who have
      children (P = .019) or spouse (P = .037), cannot afford treatment cost (P =
      .019), have tumor relapse (P = .045), and cared about the medical development (P
      = .032). Patients who have little knowledge of clinical trials are less likely to
      participate in clinical trials (P = .047).Popularization of knowledge about
      clinical trial is helpful to improve clinical trial participation in Chinese
      lymphoma patients.

PMID- 28906401
TI  - Transabdominal ultrasonography of the pancreas is superior to that of the liver
      for detection of ectopic fat deposits resulting from metabolic syndrome.
AB  - The aim of our study was to investigate the rate of nonalcoholic fatty pancreas
      disease (NAFPD) in the south China province of Fujian and its relationship to
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic parameters.NAFPD is
      frequently identified on transabdominal ultrasound examination. The incidence of
      NAFPD varies from 16% to 69.7% depending on the country.A total of 256 subjects
      were recruited. Each was assessed by abdominal sonography to diagnose NAFLD and
      NAFPD. The ages, sexes, heights, weights, blood pressure, and detection of
      peripheral blood biochemical indices (cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL], and
      glucose) were recorded. The relationships among metabolic parameters and NAFPD or
      NAFLD were evaluated, and the positive rates of NAFLD and NAFPD in the general
      population were compared.The age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood
      pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, and
      glucose were significantly associated with NAFPD and NAFLD but the positive rate
      of NAFPD was significantly higher than that of NAFLD. The BMI, age, and NAFLD
      were the independent risk factors of NAFPD. The sex distribution, weight, SBP,
      DBP, BMI, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, glucose, cholesterol, NAFPD, and NAFLD were
      different significantly between metabolic syndrome and normal subjects.NAFPD and
      NAFLD can reflect the body metabolism, but NAFPD has a higher detection rate.

PMID- 28906403
TI  - The role of serum angiopoietin-2 levels in progression and prognosis of lung
      cancer: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis is an essential process in the development and
      progression of malignant tumors including lung cancer, in which angiopoietin-2
      (Ang-2) plays an important role. The objective of this study was to assess the
      prognostic value of serum Ang-2 levels in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: A
      comprehensive systematic electronic search was performed in the Pubmed, Embase,
      Web of Science, china national knowledge infrastructure, and VIP databases update
      to October, 2016 (qikan.cqvip.com). Literatures examining the relevance of serum
      Ang-2 levels to progression and prognosis of lung cancer were eligible for our
      study. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI)
      and a P value were applied to compare continuous variables, and hazard ratio (HR)
      with 95% CI as well as P value were applied for prognostic role. RESULTS: Twenty
      studies with 1911 patients met the eligibility criteria. Among them, 7 studies
      with 575 patients with lung cancer assessed the association between expression of
      serum Ang-2 and prognosis. According to our results, higher levels of serum Ang-2
      were associated with the later stage of tumor. Serum Ang-2 levels were
      significantly lower in stage I than in stage II (SMD: -0.51; 95% CI: -0.75 to 
      0.27; P < .001), in stage II than in stage III (SMD: -0.52; 95% CI: -0.80 to 
      0.24; P < .001), in stage III than in stage IV (SMD: -0.58; 95% CI: -0.93 to 
      0.23; P = .001). In addition, serum Ang-2 levels were higher in patients with
      lymph node metastasis (SMD: 1.06; 95% CI, 0.57-1.56; P < .001). Meanwhile,
      patients with lung cancer with higher levels of serum Ang-2 were associated with
      a significant poorer prognosis when compared to those with lower serum Ang-2
      levels (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.20-2.25; P = .002), and this role was further
      detected when stratified by ethnicity and histological type. CONCLUSIONS: This
      systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that serum Ang-2 levels might be a
      potential predictor for staging, and were associated with prognosis of lung
      cancer.

PMID- 28906404
TI  - Ticagrelor-induced life-threatening bleeding via the cyclosporine-mediated drug
      interaction: A case report.
AB  - RATIONALE: Ticagrelor has become one of the first-line antiplatelet agents in
      acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients recommend by the guideline due to its more
      potent and predictable antiplatelet effect. However, bleeding is still a severe
      drug adverse reaction of ticagrelor therapy. We report a first case on ticagrelor
      induced life-threatening bleeding via the cyclosporine-mediated drug interaction.
      PATIENT CONCERNS: A 58-year-old Chinese male who received cyclosporine 200 mg
      daily 5 years after renal transplantation. Ticagrelor was added for treating ACS.
      Unfortunately, gum bleeding and life-threatening bloody stool appeared 8 days
      later, accompanied with the sudden drop of blood pressure. INTERVENTIONS:
      Ticagrelor was replaced with clopidogrel. Intravenous injection of proton pump
      inhibitor and agkistrodon snake venom hemocoagulase were used to stop the
      bleeding. Meanwhile, packed red blood cells and plasma were continuously
      transfused to maintain adequate blood volume. OUTCOMES: The patient's bloody
      stool was well controlled after treatment. LESSONS: The present case demonstrates
      that a potential drug-drug interaction (DDI) may lead to a life-threatening drug
      adverse reaction especially in special subjects. Therefore, regarding DDI,
      optimizing antiplatelet treatment should be considered for the efficacy and
      safety of P2Y12 receptor antagonist in this fragile population.

PMID- 28906405
TI  - Repetitive optimizing left ventricular pacing configurations with quadripolar
      leads improves response to cardiac resynchronization therapy: A single-center
      randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate whether repetitive optimizing left
      ventricular pacing configurations (LVPCs) with quadripolar leads (QUAD) can
      improve response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). METHODS: Fifty-two
      eligible patients were enrolled and 1:1 randomized to either the quadripolar LV
      leads (QUAD) group or the conventional bipolar leads (CONV) group. In the QUAD
      group, optimization of LVPC was performed for all patients before discharge and
      for nonresponders at 3 months follow-up. Clinical evaluations and transthoracic
      echocardiograms were performed before, 3, and 6 months after CRT implantation.
      RESULTS: At 3 months follow-up, 16 of 25 (64%) patients in the CONV group (1
      patient was lost to follow-up) and 18 of 26 (69%) patients in the QUAD group were
      classified as responders. After optimizing the LVPCs in 3-month nonresponders in
      the QUAD group, 21 of 26 (80.8%) patients in the QUAD group were classified as
      responders at 6 months as compared with 17 of 25 (68%) patients in the CONV
      group. Left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) reduction, left ventricular
      ejection fraction (LVEF) increase, and New York Heart Association (NYHA)
      functional class reduction at 6 months were significantly greater in the QUAD
      group than in the CONV group (LVESV: -26.9 +/- 13.8 vs -17.2 +/- 13.3%; P = .013;
      LVEF: +12.7 +/- 8.0 vs +7.8 +/- 6.3 percentage points; P = .017; NYHA: -1.27 +/-
      0.67 vs -0.72 +/- 0.54 functional classes; P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with
      conventional bipolar leads, CRT using quadripolar leads with repetitive optimized
      LVPCs resulted in an additional increase in LVEF and reduction in LVESV and NYHA
      functional class at 6-month follow-up.

PMID- 28906406
TI  - Parathyroid hormone in relation to various vitamin D metabolites in adult
      females.
AB  - Vitamin D binding protein (DBP) and albumin are the important determinants of
      circulatory 25(OH)D in adults. Physiological function of vitamin D is
      particularly regulated by DBPs. Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) is considered as
      the biological activity reader of circulating 25(OH)D. We therefore examined the
      relationships between serum total, free, and bioavailable 25(OH)D versus PTH in
      apparently healthy Saudi female adults.A total of 350 apparently healthy Saudi
      female adults ([Mean +/- standard deviation] age [years] 52.9 +/- 9.2; body mass
      index [kg/m] 32.9 +/- 5.4) were included in this observational study.
      Anthropometrics was measured as well as fasting glucose, lipid profile, calcium
      and phosphorous using routine methods. Serum 25(OH)D was measured using an
      electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Serum DBP was determined by ELISA. Free and
      bioavailable 25(OH)D were calculated by comparing concentrations of total
      25(OH)D, DBP, and albumin.Data revealed that circulating total 25(OH)D had weak
      but significant inverse association with DBP (R = -0.24; P < .01), and strong
      inverse associations with free 25(OH)D (R = -0.87; P < .001), albumin-bound
      25(OH)D (R = -0.88; P < .001), and bioavailable 25(OH)D (R = -0.89; p < 0.001).
      None of the vitamin D metabolites, including 25(OH)D, correlated with serum
      PTH.Various metabolites of 25(OH)D are not correlated with serum PTH in Saudi
      adult females. Bioavailable, albumin-bound and free 25(OH)D cannot be surrogate
      measures for vitamin D status, at least in this population.

PMID- 28906407
TI  - Gelatinases and physical exercise: A systematic review of evidence from human
      studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly gelatinase A (MMP-2)
      and gelatinase B (MMP-9), as well as their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2),
      are involved in the development of skeletal muscle tissue, in the repair process
      after muscle injury and in the adaptive modifications induced by physical
      exercise in skeletal muscle. This paper aims at reviewing results from human
      studies that investigated the role of gelatinases and their inhibitors in
      skeletal muscle response to acute physical exercise or training. METHODS:
      Electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for
      papers published between January 2000 and February 2017. The papers were eligible
      when reporting human studies in which MMP-2 and/or MMP-9 and/or the inhibitors
      TIMP-1/TIMP-2 were evaluated, in blood or muscular tissue, before and after acute
      physical exercise or before and after a period of structured physical training.
      We included studies on healthy subjects and patients with chronic metabolic
      diseases (obesity, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome-MS) or asymptomatic
      coronary artery disease. We excluded studies on patients with neurological,
      rheumatologic or neoplastic diseases. RESULTS: Studies conducted on muscle
      biopsies showed an early stimulation of MMP-9 gene transcription as a result of
      acute exercise, whereas MMP-2 and TIMP transcription resulted from regular
      repetition of exercise over time. Studies on serum or plasma level of gelatinases
      and their inhibitors showed an early release of MMP-9 after acute exercise of
      sufficient intensity, while data on MMP-2 and TIMP were more contrasting. Most of
      the studies dealing with the effect of training indicated a trend toward
      reduction in blood gelatinase levels, once again more clear for MMP-9. This
      result was related to an anti-inflammatory effect of regular exercise and was
      more evident when training consisted of aerobic activities. This study has
      limitations: as the initial selection was done through titles and abstracts,
      incomplete retrieval cannot be excluded, as well as we cannot exclude bias due to
      selective reporting within studies. CONCLUSION: A better knowledge of the
      molecular events activated by different types of acute exercise and regular
      training could be of great relevance in order to maximize the benefits of
      physical activity in healthy subjects and patients.

PMID- 28906408
TI  - Eosinophilic gastroenteritis presenting as upper gastrointestinal hematoma and
      ulcers after endoscopic biopsy: A case report and literature review.
AB  - RATIONALE: Eosinphilic gastroenteritis (EG) is a gastrointestinal disorder
      characterized by eosinophilic infiltration with various manifestations. The
      diagnosis is usually confirmed by an endoscopic biopsy, which is considered a
      safe and routine procedure for the majority. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report a 54
      year-old male who was presented with intermittent periumbilical pain and melena,
      and only revealed verrucous gastritis by endoscopy. DIAGNOSES: The patient's
      condition worsened two days after the endoscopic biopsy, and another endoscopy
      found hematoma and ulcers in upper gastrointestinal tract. He was diagnosed with
      EG by the pathological analysis of biopsy specimen. INTERVENTIONS: Oral
      methylprednisolone and Montelukast were prescribed. OUTCOMES: The patient got
      remission after initiation of the treatment. LESSONS: This case highlights an
      extremely rare but potentially severe complication of endoscopic biopsies in
      patients with EG. Physicians should be cautious with hematoma or ulceration, and
      consider it in such patients who undergo this procedure.

PMID- 28906409
TI  - The study on the core personality trait words of Chinese medical university
      students based on social network analysis.
AB  - The medical university students in China whose school work is relatively heavy
      and educational system is long are a special professional group. Many students
      have psychological problems more or less. So, to understand their personality
      characteristics will provide a scientific basis for the intervention of
      psychological health.We selected top 30 personality trait words according to the
      order of frequency. Additionally, some methods such as social network analysis
      (SNA) and visualization technology of mapping knowledge domain were used in this
      study.Among these core personality trait words Family conscious had the 3 highest
      centralities and possessed the largest core status and influence. From the
      analysis of core-peripheral structure, we can see polarized core-perpheral
      structure was quite obvious. From the analysis of K-plex, there were in total 588
      "K-2"K-plexs. From the analysis of Principal Components, we selected the 11
      principal components.This study of personality not only can prevent disease, but
      also provide a scientific basis for students' psychological healthy education. In
      addition, we have adopted SNA to pay more attention to the relationship between
      personality trait words and the connection among personality dimensions. This
      study may provide the new ideas and methods for the research of personality
      structure.

PMID- 28906410
TI  - Augmented reality navigation in open surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma
      resection with hemihepatectomy using video-based in situ three-dimensional
      anatomical modeling: A case report.
AB  - RATIONALE: Patients who undergo hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCAC) resection with
      concomitant hepatectomy have a high risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality
      due to surgical trauma to the hepatic and biliary vasculature. PATIENT CONCERNS:
      A 58-year-old Chinese man with yellowing skin and sclera, abdominal distension,
      pruritus, and anorexia for approximately 3 weeks. DIAGNOSES: Magnetic resonance
      cholangiopancreatography and enhanced computed tomography (CT) scanning revealed
      a mass over the biliary tree at the porta hepatis, which diagnosed to be s a
      hilar cholangiocarcinoma. INTERVENTION: Three-dimensional (3D) images of the
      patient's hepatic and biliary structures were reconstructed preoperatively from
      CT data, and the 3D images were used for preoperative planning and augmented
      reality (AR)-assisted intraoperative navigation during open HCAC resection with
      hemihepatectomy. A 3D-printed model of the patient's biliary structures was also
      used intraoperatively as a visual reference. OUTCOMES: No serious postoperative
      complications occurred, and the patient was tumor-free at the 9-month follow-up
      examination based on CT results. LESSONS: AR-assisted preoperative planning and
      intraoperative navigation might be beneficial in other patients with HCAC
      patients to reduce postoperative complications and ensure disease-free survival.
      In our postoperative analysis, we also found that, when the3D images were
      superimposed 3D-printed model using a see-through integral video graphy display
      device, our senses of depth perception and motion parallax were improved,
      compared with that which we had experienced intraoperatively using the videobased
      AR display system.

PMID- 28906411
TI  - Prognostic value of maximum standard uptake value, metabolic tumor volume, and
      total lesion glycolysis of positron emission tomography/computed tomography in
      patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The maximal standard uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume
      (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of positron emission tomography/computed
      tomography (PET/CT) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) perform as
      new prognostic factors, but the outcomes of the published articles were
      inconclusive. In this meta-analysis, we evaluated the prognostic value of SUVmax,
      MTV, and TLG of PET/CT in patients with NPC. METHODS: Relevant English articles
      were searched in PubMed and EMBASE. The data of patients and the survival
      outcomes were extracted. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) were accounted to assess the
      prognostic value of the SUVmax, MTV, and TLG. RESULTS: This meta-analysis
      combined 10 primary studies including 941 patients with NPC. The combined HRs
      (95% confidence interval [CI] of higher SUVmax, higher MTV, and higher TLG for
      event-free survival were 2.33 (95% CI, 1.39-3.91, P = .001), 2.51 (95% CI, 1.61
      3.91, P < .0001), and 2.74 (95% CI, 1.91-3.93, P < .00001), respectively.
      Regarding overall survival, the combined HRs were 2.50 (95%CI, 1.65-3.78, P <
      .0001) with higher SUVmax, 3.30 (95% CI, 1.92-5.69, P < .0001) with higher MTV
      and 3.18 (95% CI, 1.70-5.96, P = .0003) with higher TLG. CONCLUSION: SUVmax, MTV,
      and TLG were significant prognostic predictors in patients with NPC. And the
      results suggested that higher SUVmax, MTV, and TLG were associated with worse
      prognosis.

PMID- 28906412
TI  - Laparoscopic Nissen (total) versus anterior 180 degrees  fundoplication for
      gastro-esophageal reflux disease: A meta-analysis and systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) has been the gold standard
      for the surgical management of Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
      Laparoscopic anterior 180 degrees  fundoplication (180 degrees  LAF) is reported
      to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications while obtaining similar
      control of reflux. The present meta-analysis was conducted to confirm the value
      of the 2 techniques. METHODS: PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library,
      Springerlink, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure Platform databases were
      searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LNF and 180 degrees 
      LAF. Data regarding the benefits and adverse results of 2 techniques were
      extracted and compared using a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Six eligible RCTs
      comparing LNF (n = 266) and 180 degrees  LAF (n = 265) were identified. There
      were no significant differences between LNF and 180 degrees  LAF with regard to
      operating time, perioperative complications, length of hospital stay, patient
      satisfaction, willingness to undergo surgery again, quality of life,
      postoperative heartburn, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, postoperative DeMeester
      scores, postoperative lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure, postoperative
      gas-bloating, unable to belch, diarrhea, or overall reoperation. LNF was
      associated with a higher prevalence of postoperative dysphagia compared with 180
      degrees  LAF, while 180 degrees  LAF was followed by more reoperation for
      recurrent reflux symptoms. CONCLUSION: LNF and 180 degrees  LAF are equally
      effective in controlling reflux symptoms and obtain a comparable prevalence of
      patient satisfaction. 180 degrees  LAF can reduce the incidence of postoperative
      dysphagia while this is offset by a higher risk of reoperation for recurrent
      symptoms. The risk of recurrent symptoms should need to be balanced against the
      risk of dysphagia when surgeons choose surgical procedures for each individual
      with GERD.

PMID- 28906413
TI  - Differences in clinical features observed between childhood-onset versus adult
      onset systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects people in childhood
      (childhood onset) or in adulthood (adult onset). Observational studies that have
      previously compared childhood-onset versus adult-onset SLE were often restricted
      to 1 ethnic group, or to a particular area, with a small sample size of patients.
      We aimed to systematically compare childhood-onset versus adult-onset SLE through
      a meta-analysis. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for relevant
      publications comparing childhood-onset with adult-onset SLE. Adverse clinical
      features were considered as the endpoints. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) was
      used to assess the methodological quality of the studies and RevMan software
      (version 5.3) was used to carry out this analysis whereby risk ratios (RRs) and
      95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used as the statistical parameters.
      RESULTS: A total number of 10,261 participants (1560 participants with childhood
      onset SLE and 8701 participants with adult-onset SLE) were enrolled. Results of
      this analysis showed that compared with childhood-onset SLE, pulmonary
      involvement was significantly higher with adult-onset SLE (RR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.18
      1.93; P = .001), whereas renal involvement was significantly higher with
      childhood-onset SLE (RR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.55-0.77; P = .00001). Raynaud phenomenon
      and photosensitivity were significantly higher in adult-onset SLE (RR: 1.29, 95%
      CI: 1.04-1.60; P = .02) and (RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01-1.17; P = .03), respectively.
      Malar rash significantly favored adult-onset SLE (RR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75-0.94; P
      = .002). Childhood-onset SLE was associated with significantly higher hemolytic
      anemia, thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia, and lymphopenia. Seizure and ocular
      manifestations were significantly higher with childhood-onset SLE (RR: 0.57, 95%
      CI: 0.47-0.70; P = .00001) and (RR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.21-0.55; P = .00001),
      respectively, whereas pleuritis was significantly higher with adult-onset SLE
      (RR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.17-1.79; P = .0008). Vasculitis and fever were significantly
      higher with childhood-onset SLE (RR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.36-0.74; P = .0004) and (RR:
      0.78, 95% CI: 0.68-0.89; P = .0002) respectively. CONCLUSION: Significant
      differences were observed between childhood-onset versus adult-onset SLE, showing
      the former to be more aggressive.

PMID- 28906414
TI  - The effect of lidocaine jelly on a taper-shaped cuff of an endotracheal tube on
      the postoperative sore throat: a prospective randomized study: A CONSORT
      compliant article.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative sore throat (POST) following general anesthesia with
      endotracheal intubation is a common complication. We hypothesized that lidocaine
      jelly applied to the tapered cuff of the endotracheal tube (ETT) might decrease
      the incidence of POST most commonly arising from endotracheal intubation.
      METHODS: A total of 208 patients under general anesthesia were randomly assigned
      into 1 of 2 groups. In the lidocaine group (n = 104), the distal part of ETTs
      with tapered-shaped cuff was lubricated with lidocaine jelly. In the control
      group (n = 104), the distal part of ETTs with tapered-shaped cuff was lubricated
      with normal saline. The incidence of POST, hoarseness, and cough in the
      postanesthesia patients was compared. RESULTS: The overall incidence of POST was
      higher in the lidocaine group than in the normal saline group [60 (58%) vs 40
      (39%), P = .006]. The incidence of POST at 1 hour postoperatively was higher in
      the lidocaine group than in the normal saline group [53 (51%) vs 32 (31%), P =
      .003]. The overall incidence of hoarseness for 24 hours postoperatively was
      comparable (P = .487). The overall incidence of cough for 24 hours
      postoperatively is higher in the lidocaine group (P = .045). CONCLUSION: The
      lidocaine jelly applied at the distal part of ETT with tapered-shaped cuff
      increased the overall incidence of POST in patients undergoing general
      anesthesia.

PMID- 28906416
TI  - In favor of followership.

PMID- 28906415
TI  - Teaching Culturally Competent Veteran Nursing Care in Prelicensure Programs.
AB  - With the publication of Healthy People 2020, health disparities have been
      redefined to expand concepts beyond traditional racial and ethnic minorities and
      include a broader range of populations. Veterans, with their unique experiences
      and values, comprise a distinct culture with health risks and potential
      disparities. Although accrediting agencies require programs of nursing to teach
      culturally competent care, it is unknown whether nurse faculty recognize veterans
      as having a culture distinct from the rest of the population. Recognizing
      veterans as possessing a distinct culture is a first step in the provision of
      culturally competent care.

PMID- 28906417
TI  - Ripple effect: Shared governance and nurse engagement.

PMID- 28906418
TI  - Detection Rate, Anatomic Sites, and Pathologic Types of Colorectal Cancer During
      Colonoscopy Procedures.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to help physicians obtain the detection rate and
      colonoscopic information of colorectal cancer (CRC) among patients in a city in
      China. METHODS: A total of 15,189 participants who underwent total colonoscopy
      between January 2000 and December 2015 were studied. A total of 1022 CRCs were
      diagnosed. We analyzed the detection rate, anatomic sites, and pathologic types
      among different sex, age, and decade groups. Moreover, we investigated the
      corresponding relationships between the anatomic sites and the pathologic types.
      RESULTS: Colonoscopic examinations revealed that the risk for CRC between men and
      women showed no significant difference (6.97% vs. 6.42%). The detection rate of
      CRC significantly increased with age (2.08% vs. 5.95% vs. 15.09%). The proportion
      of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma among the youth group was significantly
      higher than that in the other age groups (25.0% vs. 11.54% vs. 8.33%). However,
      the numbers of cases with well-differentiated and moderately differentiated
      adenocarcinoma observed in the old-aged group were higher than other age groups.
      This finding demonstrated that the differentiation degree of adenocarcinoma
      increased with the age. Neuroendocrine tumor was mainly located in the rectum
      (95.0%), and appeared more frequently among the youth group (7.5% vs. 1.48% vs.
      1.06%). CONCLUSIONS: We found the detection rate of CRC varied in terms of sex
      and decade. The CRC cases in the youth group exhibited a high malignant degree.
      The most common anatomic site was rectum, so we should focus more on digital
      rectal examination.

PMID- 28906420
TI  - Outcomes of Consistent Conservative Management for Acute Cholecystitis Followed
      by Delayed Cholecystectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study's objective was to assess outcomes of a totally
      conservative strategy for acute cholecystitis (AC) followed by delayed elective
      cholecystectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent
      cholecystectomy for AC were divided into the Emergent and Elective
      cholecystectomy groups. Patients in the elective cholecystectomy group were
      divided into early, medium, and late groups according to time from symptoms
      onset. RESULTS: The success rate for conservative management reached 97.2%.
      Increased blood loss and a higher conversion rate were significantly associated
      with the emergent group. Patients in the late group had significantly lower
      operative time and tended to have lower blood loss and less frequent conversion
      to open surgery than those in the early and medium groups. CONCLUSIONS: Most AC
      cases could be managed conservatively, and elective cholecystectomy was performed
      safely regardless of the time. Elective cholecystectomy carried out in late phase
      was likely to be associated with decreased surgical difficulty.

PMID- 28906419
TI  - Outcome Analyses of 15,189 Screenings Via Colonoscopy.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the detection rates of common colorectal
      diseases during colonoscopy procedures to provide reference for clinical
      diagnoses in China. METHODS: A total of 15,189 participants, who underwent total
      colonoscopy, were studied. We analyzed the detection rates of common colorectal
      diseases in different sex, age, and decade groups. RESULTS: The most common
      indication for colonoscopy is abdominal pain followed by change in bowel habits.
      Among the 15,189 participants, 5658 cases (37.25%) were normal. The most common
      positive finding was colorectal polyp (27.32%) followed by nonspecific colitis
      (12.06%), colorectal cancer (CRC) (7.71%), and ulcerative colitis (4.64%). The
      frequencies of polyp (31.56% vs. 21.99%; P=0.000) and CRC (8.28% vs. 7.00%;
      P=0.004) were higher in males than in females. By contrast, ischemic colitis
      (0.08% vs. 0.31%; P=0.001) and melanosis coli (1.15% vs. 1.87%; P=0.000) were
      more seen in females than in males. In addition, the detection rates for CRC
      (2.42% vs. 7.18% vs. 16.67%; P=0.000), colorectal polyp (17.65% vs. 32.27% vs.
      34.73%; P=0.000), ischemic colitis (0.09% vs. 0.19% vs. 0.32%; P=0.033), and
      melanosis coli (0.71% vs. 1.09% vs. 3.21%; P=0.000) increased with age.
      CONCLUSIONS: The frequent positive findings were colorectal polyp, nonspecific
      colitis, and CRC. Patients showing alarming symptoms definitely require
      colonoscopy. The detection rates for colorectal polyp and melanosis coli were
      significantly higher in the later decade, so we should focus on these deseases.

PMID- 28906421
TI  - The Relationship Between Remoteness and Outcomes in Critically Ill Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A significant number of children live in remote geographic areas
      without direct access to tertiary care PICU. Our objective was to explore the
      relationship between remoteness and outcomes of critically ill children in
      Canada. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the PICU from
      February 1, 2015, to January 31, 2016. SETTING: Pediatric tertiary care PICU in
      Canada. PATIENTS: All children admitted to PICU during the study period.
      INTERVENTIONS: None MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: Four hundred fifty-five
      unique PICU admissions were included. One hundred sixty-nine patients were
      transported from another center of whom 28 lived in remote areas. For transported
      patients, remoteness (hazard ratio, 2.76, p < 0.001; hazard ratio, 2.22, p =
      0.006), admission Pediatric Risk of Mortality (hazard ratio, 1.11; p = 0.001;
      hazard ratio, 1.05, p = 0.016), and transport by a noncritical care trained team
      (hazard ratio, 0.61, p = 0.021; hazard ratio, 0.66, p = 0.045) were associated
      with increased PICU and hospital lengths of stay, respectively. PICU mortality
      increased with duration of transport (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.09-1.97; p =
      0.012). The odds of a remote-area patient being refused admission during the
      winter were significantly higher (odds ratio, 8.2; 95% CI, 3.0-22.3; p < 0.001)
      than a patient not requiring transport. Admission Pediatric Risk of Mortality
      score (4, interquartile range, 1-8 vs 2, interquartile range, 0-5; p = 0.001) and
      mortality rate (7.1%, 12/169 vs 0%, 0/286; p < 0.001) were significantly higher
      for transported than for nontransported patients. CONCLUSIONS: Remoteness was
      associated with increased PICU and hospital length of stay, and duration of
      transport was associated with higher admission Pediatric Risk of Mortality
      (PRISM) scores and mortality rates. Patients requiring transport had a
      significantly higher PICU mortality rate than those presenting directly to a
      tertiary care center. Further studies are needed to explore potential policy and
      healthcare resource implications of these findings.

PMID- 28906422
TI  - Increased Risk of Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Children Treated With
      Vancomycin and Piperacillin/Tazobactam.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Compare the rates of acute kidney injury in critically ill children
      treated with vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam versus vancomycin and
      ceftriaxone. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A large tertiary care
      children's hospital in an urban setting. PATIENTS: Children greater than or equal
      to 2 months old admitted to the PICU who received greater than or equal to 48
      consecutive hours of vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam or vancomycin and
      ceftriaxone. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Acute kidney
      injury was defined as a minimum 50% increase in serum creatinine, adjusted for
      total fluid balance, from baseline over a 48-hour period. Bivariate analysis
      compared treatment groups and acute kidney injury groups. A multivariable
      logistic regression model was fit for acute kidney injury including covariable
      analysis. The study included 93 children. There were no differences between
      treatment groups in terms of age, severity of illness, baseline renal function,
      vancomycin dosing, or vancomycin trough concentrations. Children who received
      vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam had a higher cumulative frequency of acute
      kidney injury than those who received vancomycin and ceftriaxone 915/58 [25.9%]
      vs 3/35 [8.6%]; p = 0.041). After controlling for vancomycin trough
      concentration, age, concurrent nephrotoxin exposure, and use of vasopressors,
      exposure to piperacillin-tazobactam significantly increased the risk of acute
      kidney injury (adjusted odds ratio, 4.55; 95% CI [1.11-18.7]; p = 0.035) compared
      with ceftriaxone. Use of vasopressors (adjusted odds ratio, 3.73 [95% CI, 1.14
      12.3]) and a vancomycin trough greater than or equal to 15 mg/dL (adjusted odds
      ratio, 4.12 [95% CI, 1.12-15.2)] was also associated with acute kidney injury.
      Length of stay was longer in children with acute kidney injury (median, 18.0
      days; interquartile range, 7.76-29.7) compared with those without acute kidney
      injury (median, 6.21 days; interquartile range, 2.92-15.6; p = 0.017).
      CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill children, acute kidney injury occurred more in
      patients treated with vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam versus vancomycin
      plus ceftriaxone. After controlling for covariates, exposure to piperacillin
      tazobactam was associated with an increased odds of acute kidney injury
      development.

PMID- 28906423
TI  - Empowering Parents of Australian Infants and Children in Hospital: Translation,
      Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the EMpowerment of PArents in The
      Intensive Care-30-AUS Questionnaire.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically test the
      EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30 questionnaire in Australian
      pediatric critical care, neonatal, and pediatric ward settings. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional, descriptive, multicenter study conducted in two phases; 1) translation
      and cultural adaptation and 2) validation of the EMpowerment of PArents in The
      Intensive Care-30 questionnaire. SETTINGS: Two Western Australian sites, the PICU
      and two pediatric wards of a children's hospital and the neonatal unit of a
      women's and newborn hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Parents whose baby or child was
      admitted to the participating wards or units with a length of hospital stay
      greater than 24 hours. INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Phase
      1: A structured 10-step translation process adhered to international principles
      of good practice for translation and cultural adaptation of patient-reported
      outcomes. Thirty parents participated in cognitive debriefing. Phase 2: A total
      of 328 parents responded to the EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30
      AUS questionnaire. Reliability was sufficient (Cronbach alpha at domain level
      0.70 -0.82, for each clinical area 0.56-0.86). Congruent validity was adequate
      between the domains and three general satisfaction items (rs 0.38-0.69).
      Nondifferential validity showed no significant effect size between three patient
      or parent demographic characteristics and the domains (Cohen's d < 0.36). Between
      the different clinical areas, significant differences in responses were found in
      all domains. CONCLUSIONS: The translated and culturally adapted EMpowerment of
      PArents in The Intensive Care-30-AUS is a reliable and valid questionnaire to
      measure parent-reported outcomes in pediatric critical care, pediatric ward, and
      neonatal hospital settings. Using this questionnaire can provide a framework for
      a standardized quality improvement approach and identification of best practices
      across specialties, hospital services and for benchmarking similar health
      services worldwide.

PMID- 28906424
TI  - Accurate Identification of Colonoscopy Quality and Polyp Findings Using Natural
      Language Processing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to test the ability of a commercially
      available natural language processing (NLP) tool to accurately extract
      examination quality-related and large polyp information from colonoscopy reports
      with varying report formats. BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy quality reporting often
      requires manual data abstraction. NLP is another option for extracting
      information; however, limited data exist on its ability to accurately extract
      examination quality and polyp findings from unstructured text in colonoscopy
      reports with different reporting formats. STUDY DESIGN: NLP strategies were
      developed using 500 colonoscopy reports from Kaiser Permanente Northern
      California and then tested using 300 separate colonoscopy reports that underwent
      manual chart review. Using findings from manual review as the reference standard,
      we evaluated the NLP tool's sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value
      (PPV), and accuracy for identifying colonoscopy examination indication, cecal
      intubation, bowel preparation adequacy, and polyps >=10 mm. RESULTS: The NLP tool
      was highly accurate in identifying examination quality-related variables from
      colonoscopy reports. Compared with manual review, sensitivity for screening
      indication was 100% (95% confidence interval: 95.3%-100%), PPV was 90.6% (82.3%
      95.8%), and accuracy was 98.2% (97.0%-99.4%). For cecal intubation, sensitivity
      was 99.6% (98.0%-100%), PPV was 100% (98.5%-100%), and accuracy was 99.8% (99.5%
      100%). For bowel preparation adequacy, sensitivity was 100% (98.5%-100%), PPV was
      100% (98.5%-100%), and accuracy was 100% (100%-100%). For polyp(s) >=10 mm,
      sensitivity was 90.5% (69.6%-98.8%), PPV was 100% (82.4%-100%), and accuracy was
      95.2% (88.8%-100%). CONCLUSION: NLP yielded a high degree of accuracy for
      identifying examination quality-related and large polyp information from diverse
      types of colonoscopy reports.

PMID- 28906425
TI  - Impact of Changeover to Newer Endoscopic Systems on Quality and Efficiency of
      Screening and Surveillance Colonoscopy: Equipment or Endoscopist.
AB  - GOALS: The goal of this study is to assess whether changeover to newer endoscopic
      systems impacts quality or efficiency, and quantify the relation between
      increased withdrawal time and detection rates of sessile serrated polyps (SSPDR)
      and adenomas (ADR) in real-world practice. STUDY: Beginning 2 months after new
      endoscopic systems were implemented at 2 endoscopy units, we included all
      outpatients undergoing screening/surveillance colonoscopy for 4 months.
      Outpatients during the same 4-month period 1 year earlier comprised the control
      group. Quality endpoints included ADR, advanced ADR, SSPDR, polyp detection rate
      (PDR), and withdrawal time. The efficiency endpoint was procedure time.
      Statistical adjustment for potential confounding factors was performed with
      multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Significant increases occurred in postchangeover
      (N=1122) versus prechangeover (N=1131) procedure time (difference=2.6 minutes;
      1.6 to 3.6) and withdrawal time (difference=1.6 minutes; 0.8 to 2.5). Significant
      increases also occurred in ADR [435 (39%) vs. 380 (34%)], advanced ADR [82 (7%)
      vs. 50 (4%)], and PDR [664 (59%) vs. 611 (54%)], but these differences lost
      significance when withdrawal time was added to the multivariable model. For every
      minute increase in withdrawal time a significant increase was seen in ADR
      (OR=1.09; 1.08 to 1.11), advanced ADR (OR=1.10; 1.08 to 1.13), SSPDR (OR=1.07;
      1.06 to 1.09), and PDR (OR=1.16; 1.14 to 1.18). CONCLUSIONS: After changeover to
      newer endoscopy systems withdrawal times lengthened, resulting in increased
      procedure time, ADR, and advanced ADR. Regardless of endoscopic system,
      lengthening withdrawal time increased SSPDR, ADR, and advanced ADR: odds of
      detection increased 7% to 10% with every additional minute of withdrawal time.
      Greater attention to withdrawal time and endoscopist examination may be more
      productive than upgrading endoscopic systems.

PMID- 28906426
TI  - MELD Stratified Outcomes Among Recipients With Diabetes or Hypertension:
      Simultaneous Liver Kidney Versus Liver Alone.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Data are scanty on allocating simultaneous liver kidney (SLK)
      based on model for end-stage disease (MELD) score. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and
      hypertension (HTN) are frequent in cirrhosis patients. We analyzed transplant
      recipients with DM and/or HTN to compare MELD-based outcomes of SLK to liver
      transplantation alone (LTA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 13,584 first deceased
      donor liver transplantation among patients with DM and/or HTN (1530 or 11.2%
      SLK), MELD score predicted SLK [1.02 (1.01-1.03)]. SLK was beneficial for 5-year
      patient survival at MELD score >=43 (78.6% vs. 62.6%, P=0.017), but not at MELD
      score <29 (74.8% vs. 76.2%, P=0.63). Among 11,405 recipients (976 SLK) at MELD
      score <29, SLK (n=816) was beneficial compared with 706 LTA [75% vs. 64%,
      P<0.001; 0.71 (0.55-0.91)] at serum creatinine (SC) >=2 but not at SC<2 [73% vs.
      76%, P=0.32; 0.85 (0.60-1.2)]. Among patients with MELD score 29 to 42, SLK
      (n=484) and LTA (n=1403) had similar survival [69% vs. 69%, P=0.58; 0.9 (0.7
      1.5)]. Among patients with MELD score >=43, SLK (n=70) was associated with 35%
      improved patient survival at 5 years compared with 222 LTA [0.65 (0.46-0.93)].
      CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with DM and/or HTN, SLK is useful at: (a) MELD score
      <29 and SC>=2 and (b) MELD score >=43. Prospective studies are needed to confirm
      these findings as basis to optimize use of SLK.

PMID- 28906428
TI  - Spatial Scale Gap Filling Using an Unmanned Aerial System: A Statistical
      Downscaling Method for Applications in Precision Agriculture.
AB  - Applications of satellite-borne observations in precision agriculture (PA) are
      often limited due to the coarse spatial resolution of satellite imagery. This
      paper uses high-resolution airborne observations to increase the spatial
      resolution of satellite data for related applications in PA. A new variational
      downscaling scheme is presented that uses coincident aerial imagery products from
      "AggieAir", an unmanned aerial system, to increase the spatial resolution of
      Landsat satellite data. This approach is primarily tested for downscaling
      individual band Landsat images that can be used to derive normalized difference
      vegetation index (NDVI) and surface soil moisture (SSM). Quantitative and
      qualitative results demonstrate promising capabilities of the downscaling
      approach enabling effective increase of the spatial resolution of Landsat
      imageries by orders of 2 to 4. Specifically, the downscaling scheme retrieved the
      missing high-resolution feature of the imageries and reduced the root mean
      squared error by 15, 11, and 10 percent in visual, near infrared, and thermal
      infrared bands, respectively. This metric is reduced by 9% in the derived NDVI
      and remains negligibly for the soil moisture products.

PMID- 28906427
TI  - Biological Pathways Involved in Tumor Angiogenesis and Bevacizumab Based Anti
      Angiogenic Therapy with Special References to Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - The creation of new blood vessels from existing ones, which is a mechanism called
      "angiogenesis", is essential in cancer to supply cancerous growth. Moreover, the
      development and the progression of the tumor and its metastases are the result of
      an efficient vascular response. Cancer cells release and activate different
      angiogenic growth factors and their receptors in the tumor microenvironment to
      promote the angiogenic process. The most important pro-angiogenic factor is the
      "Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor" (VEGF) because of its mitogen activity on
      vascular endothelium. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that obstructs the
      binding of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor to its receptors and
      has been approved for the treatment of primary and recurrent ovarian cancer but
      also for many other solid tumors.

PMID- 28906429
TI  - Comment on: Maternal Exposure to Domestic Hair Cosmetics and Occupational
      Endocrine Disruptors Is Associated with a Higher Risk of Hypospadias in the
      Offspring. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 27.
AB  - There are considerable inconsistencies in the results of Haraux et al. [1].[...].

PMID- 28906431
TI  - An Optical-Fiber-Based Airborne Particle Sensor.
AB  - A new optical-fiber-based airborne particle counter is reported. Unlike
      traditional light-scatter-based techniques, the particle is detected through the
      drop in optical fiber coupling efficiency as the particle disrupts the
      electromagnetic mode of the optical beam. The system is simple, substantially
      smaller than traditional systems, and does not require high power laser input.
      This makes it attractive for wearable air quality monitors where size is a
      premium. There is close agreement between theoretical model and experimental
      results for solid and liquid particles in the 1 to 10 um range.

PMID- 28906430
TI  - Identification of a Novel Inhibitor against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
      Coronavirus.
AB  - The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first isolated in
      2012, and circulated worldwide with high mortality. The continual outbreaks of
      MERS-CoV highlight the importance of developing antiviral therapeutics. Here, we
      rationally designed a novel fusion inhibitor named MERS-five-helix bundle (MERS
      5HB) derived from the six-helix bundle (MERS-6HB) which was formed by the process
      of membrane fusion. MERS-5HB consists of three copies of heptad repeat 1 (HR1)
      and two copies of heptad repeat 2 (HR2) while MERS-6HB includes three copies each
      of HR1 and HR2. As it lacks one HR2, MERS-5HB was expected to interact with viral
      HR2 to interrupt the fusion step. What we found was that MERS-5HB could bind to
      HR2P, a peptide derived from HR2, with a strong affinity value (KD) of up to 0.24
      nM. Subsequent assays indicated that MERS-5HB could inhibit pseudotyped MERS-CoV
      entry effectively with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of about 1 MUM. In
      addition, MERS-5HB significantly inhibited spike (S) glycoprotein-mediated
      syncytial formation in a dose-dependent manner. Further biophysical
      characterization showed that MERS-5HB was a thermo-stable alpha-helical secondary
      structure. The inhibitory potency of MERS-5HB may provide an attractive basis for
      identification of a novel inhibitor against MERS-CoV, as a potential antiviral
      agent.

PMID- 28906432
TI  - Total Power Radiometer for Medical Sensor Applications Using Matched and
      Mismatched Noise Sources.
AB  - This paper presents a simple total power radiometer to noninvasively measure the
      temperature of the human body. The proposed 3-GHz radiometer consists of an
      antenna collecting the noise power generated by a target, a low-noise and high
      gain receiver amplifying the noise power, and a detector converting the noise
      power to voltage. A single-pole-triple-throw (SP3T) switch is placed between the
      antenna and the receiver, while a personal computer is used to control the SP3T
      switch, collect and process the data such as detector output voltages and
      physical temperatures of the reference noise sources and the target. The
      fabricated radiometer shows a good performance agreement with a thermometer in
      the temperature measurement of water from 25.0 to 43.1  degrees C. For the
      accurate prediction of the target temperature, the radiometer is calibrated
      adaptively to the environment and radiometer variations. For this purpose, two
      reference noise sources (hot and cold) are proposed using matched and mismatched
      resistors at room temperature. These resistor-based noise sources offer a
      reliable performance without complex temperature control systems. Furthermore,
      they can be easily calibrated in real time by periodically measuring the physical
      temperatures of the resistors. In addition, the logarithmic detector with wide
      dynamic range is adopted and logarithmically-fitted based on the measurement
      results instead of linear approximation, which reduces the error caused by the
      limited dynamic range of resistor-based noise sources. In order to further
      increase the accuracy, the performance imbalances between ports in the SP3T
      switch are also taken into account by employing offsets in the radiometer output
      voltages.

PMID- 28906433
TI  - Effect of Environmental Factors on Intra-Specific Inhibitory Activity of
      Carnobacterium maltaromaticum.
AB  - Carnobacterium maltaromaticum is frequently associated with foods having extended
      shelf-life due to its inhibitory activity to other bacteria. The quantification
      of such inhibition interactions affected by various environmental factors is
      limited. This study investigated the effect of environmental factors relevant to
      vacuum-packaged beef on inhibition between two model isolates of C.
      maltaromaticum, D0h and D8c, specifically D8c sensitivity to D0h inhibition and
      D0h inhibitor production. The effects of temperature (-1, 7, 15, 25  degrees C),
      atmosphere (aerobic and anaerobic), pH (5.5, 6, 6.5), lactic acid (0, 25, 50 mM)
      and glucose (0, 0.56, 5.55 mM) on D8c sensitivity (diameter of an inhibition
      zone) were measured. The effects of pH, glucose, lactic acid and atmosphere on
      D0h inhibitor production were measured at 25  degrees C. Sensitivity of D8c was
      the highest at 15  degrees C, under aerobic atmosphere, at higher concentrations
      of undissociated lactic acid and glucose, and at pH 5.5 (p < 0.001). pH
      significantly affected D0h inhibitor production (p < 0.001), which was the
      highest at pH 6.5. The effect of lactic acid depended upon pH level; at
      relatively low pH (5.5), lactic acid decreased the production rate (arbitrary
      inhibition unit (AU)/mL/h). This study provides a quantitative description of
      intra-species interactions, studied in in vitro environments that are relevant to
      vacuum-packaged beef.

PMID- 28906434
TI  - Surface Profiling and Core Evaluation of Aluminum Honeycomb Sandwich Aircraft
      Panels Using Multi-Frequency Eddy Current Testing.
AB  - Surface damage on honeycomb aircraft panels is often measured manually, and is
      therefore subject to variation based on inspection personnel. Eddy current
      testing (ECT) is sensitive to variations in probe-to-specimen spacing, or lift
      off, and is thus promising for high-resolution profiling of surface damage on
      aluminum panels. Lower frequency testing also allows inspection through the face
      sheet, an advantage over optical 3D scanning methods. This paper presents results
      from the ECT inspection of surface damage on an approximately flat aluminum
      honeycomb aircraft panel, and compares the measurements to those taken using
      optical 3D scanning technology. An ECT C-Scan of the dented panel surface was
      obtained by attaching the probe to a robotic scanning apparatus. Data was taken
      simultaneously at four frequencies of 25, 100, 400 and 1600 kHz. A reference
      surface was then defined that approximated the original, undamaged panel surface,
      which also compensated for the effects of specimen tilt and thermal drift within
      the ECT instrument. Data was converted to lift-off using height calibration
      curves developed for each probe frequency. A damage region of 22,550 mm2 area
      with dents ranging in depth from 0.13-1.01 mm was analyzed. The method was
      accurate at 1600 kHz to within 0.05 mm (2sigma) when compared with 231
      measurements taken via optical 3D scanning. Testing at 25 kHz revealed a 3.2 mm
      cell size within the honeycomb core, which was confirmed via destructive
      evaluation. As a result, ECT demonstrates potential for implementation as a
      method for rapid in-field aircraft panel surface damage assessment.

PMID- 28906435
TI  - Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Response to Chromium (VI) Toxicity in Human Liver
      Cells.
AB  - Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, which poses
      a threat to human public health. Recent studies have shown that mitochondrial
      biogenesis can be activated by inflammatory and oxidative stress. However,
      whether mitochondrial biogenesis is involved in Cr(VI)-induced hepatotoxicity is
      unclear. Here, we demonstrated the induction of inflammatory response and
      oxidative stress, as indicated by upregulation of inflammatory factors and
      reactive oxygen species (ROS). Subsequently, we demonstrated that mitochondrial
      biogenesis, comprising the mitochondrial DNA copy number and mitochondrial mass,
      was significantly increased in HepG2 cells exposed to low concentrations of
      Cr(VI). Expression of genes related to mitochondrial function complex I and
      complex V was upregulated at low concentrations of Cr(VI). mRNA levels of
      antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase 1 and 2 (SOD1 and SOD2,
      respectively), kech like ECH associate protein 1 (KEAP1) and nuclear respiratory
      factor 2 (NRF-2), were also upregulated. Consistent with the above results, mRNA
      and protein levels of key transcriptional regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis
      such as the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha
      (PGC-1alpha), NRF-1 and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) were
      increased by low concentrations of Cr(VI) in HepG2 cells. Moreover, we found that
      PGC-1alpha and NRF-1 tended to translocate into the nucleus. The expression of
      genes potentially involved in mitochondrial biogenesis pathways, including mRNA
      level of silent information regulator-1 (SIRT1), forkhead box class-O (FOXO1),
      threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB1), was
      also upregulated. In contrast, mitochondrial biogenesis was inhibited and the
      expression of its regulatory factors and antioxidants was downregulated at high
      and cytotoxic concentrations of Cr(VI) in HepG2 cells. It is believed that
      pretreatment with alpha-tocopherol could be acting against the mitochondrial
      biogenesis imbalance induced by Cr(VI). In conclusion, our study suggests that
      the homeostasis of mitochondrial biogenesis may be an important cellular
      compensatory mechanism against Cr(VI)-induced toxicity and a promising
      detoxification target.

PMID- 28906436
TI  - Development and Evaluation of a Manganese and Iron Food Frequency Questionnaire
      for Pediatrics.
AB  - Manganese (Mn) is an essential nutrient, but overexposure can lead to
      neurotoxicity. Given the essentiality of Mn in the diet, particularly during
      children's growth and development, it is imperative to quantify dietary Mn intake
      in populations that may be exposed to industrial sources of Mn. Dietary
      absorption of Mn is inversely associated with iron (Fe) stores, yet there is
      currently no food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess dietary Mn and Fe
      intake. The study objective was to develop and evaluate the validity of a FFQ to
      measure dietary Mn and Fe intake in pediatrics by comparing the estimated intakes
      of Mn and Fe with biomarkers: Mn in blood and hair and Fe in serum. This study
      utilized a subset of the Communities Actively Researching Exposure Study (CARES)
      population residing in Guernsey County, Ohio. Dietary Mn was not correlated with
      either blood or hair Mn; however, dietary Mn and serum ferritin were
      significantly correlated, with a correlation coefficient of 0.51, p < 0.01.
      Moreover, dietary Fe and serum ferritin were also significantly correlated, with
      a correlation coefficient of 0.51, p < 0.01. This FFQ is a valid measurement tool
      for Fe intake as measured by serum ferritin; however, Mn intake did not correlate
      with either blood or hair Mn.

PMID- 28906437
TI  - Developing Fine-Grained Actigraphies for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients from a
      Single Accelerometer Using Machine Learning.
AB  - In addition to routine clinical examination, unobtrusive and physical monitoring
      of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients provides an important source of information
      to enable understanding the impact of the disease on quality of life. Besides an
      increase in sedentary behaviour, pain in RA can negatively impact simple physical
      activities such as getting out of bed and standing up from a chair. The objective
      of this work is to develop a method that can generate fine-grained actigraphies
      to capture the impact of the disease on the daily activities of patients. A
      processing methodology is presented to automatically tag activity accelerometer
      data from a cohort of moderate-to-severe RA patients. A study of procesing
      methods based on machine learning and deep learning is provided. Thirty subjects,
      10 RA patients and 20 healthy control subjects, were recruited in the study. A
      single tri-axial accelerometer was attached to the position of the fifth lumbar
      vertebra (L5) of each subject with a tag prediction granularity of 3 s. The
      proposed method is capable of handling unbalanced datasets from tagged data while
      accounting for long-duration activities such as sitting and lying, as well as
      short transitions such as sit-to-stand or lying-to-sit. The methodology also
      includes a novel mechanism for automatically applying a threshold to predictions
      by their confidence levels, in addition to a logical filter to correct for
      infeasible sequences of activities. Performance tests showed that the method was
      able to achieve around 95% accuracy and 81% F-score. The produced actigraphies
      can be helpful to generate objective RA disease-specific markers of patient
      mobility in-between clinical site visits.

PMID- 28906439
TI  - PSDAAP: Provably Secure Data Authenticated Aggregation Protocols Using Identity
      Based Multi-Signature in Marine WSNs.
AB  - Data authenticated aggregation is always a significant issue for wireless sensor
      networks (WSNs). The marine sensors are deployed far away from the security
      monitoring. Secure data aggregation for marine WSNs has emerged and attracted the
      interest of researchers and engineers. A multi-signature enables the data
      aggregation through one signature to authenticate various signers on the
      acknowledgement of a message, which is quite fit for data authenticated
      aggregation marine WSNs. However, most of the previous multi-signature schemes
      rely on the technique of bilinear pairing involving heavy computational overhead
      or the management of certificates, which cannot be afforded by the marine
      wireless sensors. Combined with the concept of identity-based cryptography, a few
      pairing-free identity-based multi-signature (IBMS) schemes have been designed on
      the basis of the integer factorization problem. In this paper, we propose two
      efficient IBMS schemes that can be used to construct provably secure data
      authenticated aggregation protocols under the cubic residue assumption, which is
      equal to integer factorization. We also employ two different methods to calculate
      a cubic root for the cubic residue number during the signer's private key
      extraction. The algorithms are quite efficient compared to the previous work,
      especially for the algorithms of the multi-signature generation and its
      verification.

PMID- 28906438
TI  - Acetylcholinesterase and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Schistosomes and
      Other Parasitic Helminths.
AB  - Schistosomiasis, which is caused by helminth trematode blood flukes of the genus
      Schistosoma, is a serious health and economic problem in tropical areas, and the
      second most prevalent parasitic disease after malaria. Currently, there is no
      effective vaccine available and treatment is entirely dependent on a single drug,
      praziquantel (PZQ), raising a significant potential public health threat due to
      the emergence of PZQ drug resistance. It is thus urgent and necessary to explore
      novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Previous studies
      demonstrated that acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and nicotinic acetylcholine
      receptors (nAChRs) play important roles in the schistosome nervous system and ion
      channels, both of which are targeted by a number of currently approved and
      marketed anthelminthic drugs. To improve understanding of the functions of the
      cholinergic system in schistosomes, this article reviews previous studies on AChE
      and nAChRs in schistosomes and other helminths and discusses their potential as
      suitable targets for vaccine development and drug design against schistosomiasis.

PMID- 28906440
TI  - Native and Heated Hydrolysates of Milk Proteins and Their Capacity to Inhibit
      Lipid Peroxidation in the Zebrafish Larvae Model.
AB  - Casein and whey proteins with and without heat treatment were obtained of whole
      milk and four commercial milks in Ecuador, and were hydrolyzed. Then, their
      capacity to inhibit the lipid peroxidation using the TBARS method was evaluated
      at concentrations of 0.02, 0.04, 0.2, and, 0.4 mg/mL. Native and heated
      hydrolysates of milk proteins present high inhibitions of lipid peroxidation with
      a dose dependent effect both in vivo and in vitro tests. Casein and whey proteins
      obtained from whole milk were the ones with the highest anti-oxidant activity in
      vitro and in vivo test. Native casein hydrolysate at 0.4 mg/mL present a value of
      55.55% of inhibition of lipid peroxidation and heated casein hydrolysate at 0.4
      mg/mL presents a value of 58.00% of inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Native whey
      protein at 0.4 mg/mL present a value of 34.84% of inhibition of lipid
      peroxidation, and heated whey protein at 0.4 mg/mL presents a value of 40.86% of
      inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Native and heated casein hydrolysates were more
      active than native and heated whey protein hydrolysates. Heat treatments have an
      effect of increasing the in vitro inhibition of lipid peroxidation of
      hydrolysates of milk protein. Casein and whey hydrolysates were able to
      inhibiting lipid peroxidation in the zebrafish larvae model. Native casein
      hydrolysate obtained of whole milk presents 48.35% of inhibition TBARS in vivo,
      this activity was higher in heated casein hydrolysate obtained of whole milk with
      a value of 56.28% of inhibition TBARS in vivo. Native whey protein hydrolysate
      obtained of whole milk presents 35.30% of inhibition TBARS, and heated whey
      protein hydrolysate obtained of whole milk was higher, with a value of 43.60% of
      inhibition TBARS in vivo.

PMID- 28906441
TI  - Bonding Behavior of Deformed Steel Rebars in Sustainable Concrete Containing both
      Fine and Coarse Recycled Aggregates.
AB  - In order to assess the bond behavior of deformed steel rebars in recycled
      aggregate concrete (RAC) incorporating both fine and coarse recycled aggregate,
      pull-out tests were carried out in this study on 16-mm diameter deformed steel
      rebars embedded concentrically in RAC. The concrete was designed using
      equivalently mixed proportions of both recycled coarse aggregate and recycled
      fine aggregate. The tests employed five types of recycled aggregate replacement
      combinations and three types of rebar placement orientation (i.e., vertical bars
      and two-tiered and three-tiered horizontal bars). Based on the pull-out test
      results, the maximum bond strength tended to decrease and the slip at the maximum
      bond strength increased as the average water absorption of the aggregate
      increased, irrespective of the rebar orientation or placement location within the
      concrete member. The pull-out test results for the horizontal steel rebars
      embedded in RAC indicate that the casting position effect could be determined
      from the mid-depth of the concrete member, irrespective of the member's height.
      The normalized bond versus slip relationship between the deformed rebar and the
      RAC could be predicted using an empirical model based on regression analysis of
      the experimental data.

PMID- 28906442
TI  - The Role of Ion Exchange Membranes in Membrane Capacitive Deionisation.
AB  - Ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) are unique in combining the electrochemical
      properties of ion exchange resins and the permeability of a membrane. They are
      being used widely to treat industrial effluents, and in seawater and brackish
      water desalination. Membrane Capacitive Deionisation (MCDI) is an emerging,
      energy efficient technology for brackish water desalination in which these ion
      exchange membranes act as selective gates allowing the transport of counter-ions
      toward carbon electrodes. This article provides a summary of recent developments
      in the preparation, characterization, and performance of ion exchange membranes
      in the MCDI field. In some parts of this review, the most relevant literature in
      the area of electrodialysis (ED) is also discussed to better elucidate the role
      of the ion exchange membranes. We conclude that more work is required to better
      define the desalination performance of the proposed novel materials and cell
      designs for MCDI in treating a wide range of feed waters. The extent of fouling,
      the development of cleaning strategies, and further techno-economic studies, will
      add value to this emerging technique.

PMID- 28906443
TI  - Cytotoxic Polyketides with an Oxygen-Bridged Cyclooctadiene Core Skeleton from
      the Mangrove Endophytic Fungus Phomosis sp. A818.
AB  - Plant endophytic microorganisms represent a largely untapped resource for new
      bioactive natural products. Eight polyketide natural products were isolated from
      a mangrove endophytic fungus Phomosis sp. A818. The structural elucidation of
      these compounds revealed that they share a distinct feature in their chemical
      structures, an oxygen-bridged cyclooctadiene core skeleton. The study on their
      structure-activity relationship showed that the alpha,beta-unsaturated delta
      lactone moiety, as exemplified in compounds 1 and 2, was critical to the
      cytotoxic activity of these compounds. In addition, compound 4 might be a
      potential agonist of AMPK (5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase).

PMID- 28906445
TI  - Shape Memory Polyurethane Materials Containing Ferromagnetic Iron Oxide and
      Graphene Nanoplatelets.
AB  - Intelligent materials, such as memory shape polymers, have attracted considerable
      attention due to wide range of possible applications. Currently, intensive
      research is underway, in matters of obtaining memory shape materials that can be
      actuated via inductive methods, for example with help of magnetic field. In this
      work, an attempt was made to develop a new polymer composite-polyurethane
      modified with graphene nanoplates and ferromagnetic iron oxides-with improved
      mechanical properties and introduced magnetic and memory shape properties. Based
      on the conducted literature review, gathered data were compared to the results of
      similar materials. Obtained materials were tested for their thermal, rheological,
      mechanical and shape memory properties. Structure of both fillers and composites
      were also analyzed using various spectroscopic methods. The addition of fillers
      to the polyurethane matrix improved the mechanical and shape memory properties,
      without having a noticeable impact on thermal properties. As it was expected, the
      high content of fillers caused a significant change in viscosity of filled
      prepolymers (during the synthesis stage). Each of the studied composites showed
      better mechanical properties than the unmodified polyurethanes. The addition of
      magnetic particles introduced additional properties to the composite, which could
      significantly expand the functionality of the materials developed in this work.

PMID- 28906444
TI  - Short-Term Intake of a Fructose-, Fat- and Cholesterol-Rich Diet Causes Hepatic
      Steatosis in Mice: Effect of Antibiotic Treatment.
AB  - Intestinal microbiota and barrier functions seem to play an important role in the
      development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, whether these
      changes are an early event in the development of NAFLD or are primarily
      associated with later stages of the disease, has not yet been clarified. Using a
      pair-feeding model, we determined the effects of a short-term intake of a fat-,
      fructose- and cholesterol-rich diet (FFC) on the development of early hepatic
      steatosis and markers of intestinal barrier function in mice treated with and
      without non-resorbable antibiotics (AB). For four days, C57BL/6J mice were either
      pair-fed a control diet or a FFC diet +/- AB (92 mg/kg body weight (BW) polymyxin
      B and 216 mg/kg BW neomycin). Hepatic steatosis and markers of inflammation,
      lipidperoxidation and intestinal barrier function were assessed. Lipid
      accumulation and early signs of inflammation found in the livers of FFC-fed mice
      were markedly attenuated in FFC + AB-fed animals. In FFC-fed mice the development
      of NAFLD was associated with a significant loss of tight junction proteins and an
      induction of matrix metalloproteinase-13 in the upper parts of the small
      intestine as well as significantly higher portal endotoxin levels and an
      induction of dependent signaling cascades in the liver. As expected, portal
      endotoxin levels and the expression of dependent signaling cascades in liver
      tissue were almost at the level of controls in FFC + AB-fed mice. However, FFC +
      AB-fed mice were also protected from the loss of zonula occludens-1 and partially
      of occludin protein in small intestine. Our data suggest that the development of
      early diet-induced hepatic steatosis in mice at least in part results from
      alterations of intestinal barrier function.

PMID- 28906446
TI  - A Novel Low-Power-Consumption All-Fiber-Optic Anemometer with Simple System
      Design.
AB  - A compact and low-power consuming fiber-optic anemometer based on single-walled
      carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) coated tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) is presented.
      TFBG as a near infrared in-fiber sensing element is able to excite a number of
      cladding modes and radiation modes in the fiber and effectively couple light in
      the core to interact with the fiber surrounding mediums. It is an ideal in-fiber
      device used in a fiber hot-wire anemometer (HWA) as both coupling and sensing
      elements to simplify the sensing head structure. The fabricated TFBG was
      immobilized with an SWCNT film on the fiber surface. SWCNTs, a kind of innovative
      nanomaterial, were utilized as light-heat conversion medium instead of
      traditional metallic materials, due to its excellent infrared light absorption
      ability and competitive thermal conductivity. When the SWCNT film strongly
      absorbs the light in the fiber, the sensor head can be heated and form a "hot
      wire". As the sensor is put into wind field, the wind will take away the heat on
      the sensor resulting in a temperature variation that is then accurately measured
      by the TFBG. Benefited from the high coupling and absorption efficiency, the
      heating and sensing light source was shared with only one broadband light source
      (BBS) without any extra pumping laser complicating the system. This not only
      significantly reduces power consumption, but also simplifies the whole sensing
      system with lower cost. In experiments, the key parameters of the sensor, such as
      the film thickness and the inherent angle of the TFBG, were fully investigated.
      It was demonstrated that, under a very low BBS input power of 9.87 mW, a 0.100 nm
      wavelength response can still be detected as the wind speed changed from 0 to 2
      m/s. In addition, the sensitivity was found to be -0.0346 nm/(m/s) under the wind
      speed of 1 m/s. The proposed simple and low-power-consumption wind speed sensing
      system exhibits promising potential for future long-term remote monitoring and on
      chip sensing in practical applications.

PMID- 28906447
TI  - Material Viscoelasticity-Induced Drift of Micro-Accelerometers.
AB  - Polymer-based materials are commonly used as an adhesion layer for bonding die
      chip and substrate in micro-system packaging. Their properties exhibit
      significant impact on the stability and reliability of micro-devices. The
      viscoelasticity, one of most important attributes of adhesive materials, is
      investigated for the first time in this paper to evaluate the long-term drift of
      micro-accelerometers. The accelerometer was modeled by a finite element (FE)
      method to emulate the structure deformation and stress development induced by
      change of adhesive property. Furthermore, the viscoelastic property of the
      adhesive was obtained by a series of stress-relaxation experiments using dynamic
      mechanical analysis (DMA). The DMA curve was imported into the FE model to
      predict the drift of micro-accelerometers over time and temperature. The
      prediction results verified by experiments showed that the accelerometer
      experienced output drift due to the development of packaging stress induced by
      both the thermal mismatch and viscoelastic behaviors of the adhesive. The
      accelerometers stored at room temperature displayed a continuous drift of zero
      offset and sensitivity because of the material viscoelasticity. Moreover, the
      drift level of accelerometers experiencing high temperature load was relatively
      higher than those of lower temperature in the same period.

PMID- 28906448
TI  - Valorization of By-Products from Commercial Fish Species: Extraction and Chemical
      Properties of Skin Gelatins.
AB  - Fish skins constitute an important fraction of the enormous amount of wastes
      produced by the fish processing industry, part of which may be valorized through
      the extraction of gelatins. This research exploited the extraction and
      characterization of gelatins from the skin of three seawater fish species, namely
      yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), blue shark (Prionace glauca), and greenland
      halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). Characterization included chemical
      composition, rheology, structure, texture, and molecular weight, whereas
      extraction studies intended to reduce costly steps during extraction process
      (reagents concentration, water consumption, and time of processing), while
      maintaining extraction efficiency. Chemical and physical characterization of the
      obtained gelatins revealed that the species from which the gelatin was extracted,
      as well as the heat treatment used, were key parameters in order to obtain a
      final product with specific properties. Therefore, the extraction conditions
      selected during gelatin production will drive its utilization into markets with
      well-defined specifications, where the necessity of unique products is being
      claimed. Such achievements are of utmost importance to the food industry, by
      paving the way to the introduction in the market of gelatins with distinct
      rheological and textural properties, which enables them to enlarge their range of
      applications.

PMID- 28906449
TI  - Facile Preparation of a Robust and Durable Superhydrophobic Coating Using
      Biodegradable Lignin-Coated Cellulose Nanocrystal Particles.
AB  - It is a challenge for a superhydrophobic coating to overcome the poor robustness
      and the rough surface structure that is usually built using inorganic particles
      that are difficult to degrade. In this study, a robust superhydrophobic coating
      is facilely prepared by using commercial biodegradable lignin-coated cellulose
      nanocrystal (L-CNC) particles after hydrophobic modification to build rough
      surface structures, and by choosing two different adhesives (double-sided tape
      and quick-setting epoxy) to support adhesion between the L-CNC particles and the
      substrates. In addition to excellent self-cleaning and water repellence
      properties, the resulting coatings show outstanding mechanical strength and
      durability against sandpaper abrasion, finger-wipe, knife-scratch, water jet, UV
      radiation, high temperature, and acidic and alkali solutions, possessing a wide
      application prospect.

PMID- 28906450
TI  - Obstacle Recognition Based on Machine Learning for On-Chip LiDAR Sensors in a
      Cyber-Physical System.
AB  - Collision avoidance is an important feature in advanced driver-assistance
      systems, aimed at providing correct, timely and reliable warnings before an
      imminent collision (with objects, vehicles, pedestrians, etc.). The obstacle
      recognition library is designed and implemented to address the design and
      evaluation of obstacle detection in a transportation cyber-physical system. The
      library is integrated into a co-simulation framework that is supported on the
      interaction between SCANeR software and Matlab/Simulink. From the best of the
      authors' knowledge, two main contributions are reported in this paper. Firstly,
      the modelling and simulation of virtual on-chip light detection and ranging
      sensors in a cyber-physical system, for traffic scenarios, is presented. The
      cyber-physical system is designed and implemented in SCANeR. Secondly, three
      specific artificial intelligence-based methods for obstacle recognition libraries
      are also designed and applied using a sensory information database provided by
      SCANeR. The computational library has three methods for obstacle detection: a
      multi-layer perceptron neural network, a self-organization map and a support
      vector machine. Finally, a comparison among these methods under different weather
      conditions is presented, with very promising results in terms of accuracy. The
      best results are achieved using the multi-layer perceptron in sunny and foggy
      conditions, the support vector machine in rainy conditions and the self-organized
      map in snowy conditions.

PMID- 28906451
TI  - Radish (Raphanus sativus) and Diabetes.
AB  - For more than three decades, various in vitro and in vivo studies have linked
      radishes with diabetes, though this link has not been discussed. This review
      systematically addresses and summarizes the effect of radishes on diabetes. We
      searched the Web of Science, PubMed, and EMBASE databases for English language
      articles from June 1987 through May 2017 using the key words "radish" and
      "diabetes," and the references from particular reports were also considered if
      relevant. In summary, radish has been identified as having antidiabetic effects,
      making it favorable for those with diabetic conditions. This may be due to its
      ability to enhance the antioxidant defense mechanism and reduce the accumulation
      of free radicals, affect hormonal-induced glucose hemostasis, promote glucose
      uptake and energy metabolism, and reduce glucose absorption in the intestine.
      However, this summary requires further confirmation in research in vivo studies
      and clinical trials.

PMID- 28906452
TI  - An Embedded Multi-Agent Systems Based Industrial Wireless Sensor Network.
AB  - With the emergence of cyber-physical systems, there has been a growing interest
      in network-connected devices. One of the key requirements of a cyber-physical
      device is the ability to sense its environment. Wireless sensor networks are a
      widely-accepted solution for this requirement. In this study, an embedded multi
      agent systems-managed wireless sensor network is presented. A novel architecture
      is proposed, along with a novel wireless sensor network architecture. Active and
      passive wireless sensor node types are defined, along with their communication
      protocols, and two application-specific examples are presented. A series of three
      experiments is conducted to evaluate the performance of the agent-embedded
      wireless sensor network.

PMID- 28906454
TI  - Multiple Fatigue Failure Behaviors and Long-Life Prediction Approach of
      Carburized Cr-Ni Steel with Variable Stress Ratio.
AB  - Axial loading tests with stress ratios R of -1, 0 and 0.3 were performed to
      examine the fatigue failure behavior of a carburized Cr-Ni steel in the long-life
      regime from 104 to 108 cycles. Results show that this steel represents
      continuously descending S-N characteristics with interior inclusion-induced
      failure under R = -1, whereas it shows duplex S-N characteristics with surface
      defect-induced failure and interior inclusion-induced failure under R = 0 and
      0.3. The increasing tension eliminates the effect of compressive residual stress
      and promotes crack initiation from the surface or interior defects in the
      carburized layer. The FGA (fine granular area) formation greatly depends on the
      number of loading cycles, but can be inhibited by decreasing the compressive
      stress. Based on the evaluation of the stress intensity factor at the crack tip,
      the surface and interior failures in the short life regime can be characterized
      by the crack growth process, while the interior failure with the FGA in the long
      life regime can be characterized by the crack initiation process. In view of the
      good agreement between predicted and experimental results, the proposed approach
      can be well utilized to predict fatigue lives associated with interior inclusion
      FGA-fisheye induced failure, interior inclusion-fisheye induced failure, and
      surface defect induced failure.

PMID- 28906453
TI  - Vitamin D Supplementation and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Present and
      Future.
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic hepatic
      disease throughout the Western world and is recognized as the main cause of
      cryptogenic cirrhosis; however, the identification of an effective therapy for
      NAFLD is still a major challenge. Vitamin D deficiency is a wide-spread condition
      which reaches epidemic proportions in industrialized countries, mainly in
      relation to current lifestyle and limited dietary sources. Epidemiological
      studies point towards an association between hypovitaminosis D and the presence
      of NAFLD and steatohepatitis (NASH), independently of confounders such as obesity
      and insulin resistance. Furthermore, several pieces of experimental data have
      shown the anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties
      exerted by vitamin D on hepatic cells. However, results from trials evaluating
      the effects of oral vitamin D supplementation on liver damage in NAFLD and NASH
      are controversial. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the evidence
      currently available from clinical trials and to discuss possible shortcomings and
      new strategies to be considered in future investigations.

PMID- 28906455
TI  - Deep Circular RNA Sequencing Provides Insights into the Mechanism Underlying
      Grass Carp Reovirus Infection.
AB  - Grass carp hemorrhagic disease, caused by the grass carp reovirus (GCRV), is a
      major disease that hampers the development of grass carp aquaculture in China.
      The mechanism underlying GCRV infection is still largely unknown. Circular RNAs
      (circRNAs) are important regulators involved in various biological processes. In
      the present study, grass carp were infected with GCRV, and spleen samples were
      collected at 0 (control), 1, 3, 5, and 7 days post-infection (dpi). Samples were
      used to construct and sequence circRNA libraries, and a total of 5052 circRNAs
      were identified before and after GCRV infection, of which 41 exhibited
      differential expression compared with controls. Many parental genes of the
      differentially expressed circRNAs are involved in metal ion binding, protein
      ubiquitination, enzyme activity, and nucleotide binding. Moreover, 72 binding
      miRNAs were predicted from the differentially expressed circRNAs, of which eight
      targeted genes were predicted to be involved in immune responses, blood
      coagulation, hemostasis, and complement and coagulation cascades. Upregulation of
      these genes may lead to endothelial and blood cell damage and hemorrhagic
      symptoms. Our results indicate that an mRNA-miRNA-circRNA network may be present
      in grass carp infected with GCRV, providing new insight into the mechanism
      underlying grass carp reovirus infection.

PMID- 28906456
TI  - Effects of beta-Glucans Ingestion on Alveolar Bone Loss, Intestinal Morphology,
      Systemic Inflammatory Profile, and Pancreatic beta-Cell Function in Rats with
      Periodontitis and Diabetes.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the effects of beta-glucan ingestion (Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae) on the plasmatic levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
      and interleukin-10 (IL-10), alveolar bone loss, and pancreatic beta-cell function
      (HOMA-BF) in diabetic rats with periodontal disease (PD). Besides, intestinal
      morphology was determined by the villus/crypt ratio. A total of 48 Wistar rats
      weighing 203 +/- 18 g were used. Diabetes was induced by the intraperitoneal
      injection of streptozotocin (80 mg/kg) and periodontal inflammation, by ligature.
      The design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme 2 * 2 * 2 (diabetic or
      not, with or without periodontitis, and ingesting beta-glucan or not). The
      animals received beta-glucan by gavage for 28 days. Alveolar bone loss was
      determined by scanning electron microscopy (distance between the cementoenamel
      junction and alveolar bone crest) and histometric analysis (bone area between
      tooth roots). beta-glucan reduced plasmatic levels of TNF-alpha in diabetic
      animals with PD and of IL-10 in animals with PD (p < 0.05). beta-glucan reduced
      bone loss in animals with PD (p < 0.05). In diabetic animals, beta-glucan
      improved beta-cell function (p < 0.05). Diabetic animals had a higher
      villus/crypt ratio (p < 0.05). In conclusion, beta-glucan ingestion reduced the
      systemic inflammatory profile, prevented alveolar bone loss, and improved beta
      cell function in diabetic animals with PD.

PMID- 28906457
TI  - Antibacterial Properties of Flavonoids from Kino of the Eucalypt Tree, Corymbia
      torelliana.
AB  - Traditional medicine and ecological cues can both help to reveal bioactive
      natural compounds. Indigenous Australians have long used kino from trunks of the
      eucalypt tree, Corymbia citriodora, in traditional medicine. A closely related
      eucalypt, C. torelliana, produces a fruit resin with antimicrobial properties
      that is highly attractive to stingless bees. We tested the antimicrobial activity
      of extracts from kino of C. citriodora, C. torelliana * C. citriodora, and C.
      torelliana against three Gram-negative and two Gram-positive bacteria and the
      unicellular fungus, Candida albicans. All extracts were active against all
      microbes, with the highest activity observed against P. aeruginosa. We tested the
      activity of seven flavonoids from the kino of C. torelliana against P. aeruginosa
      and S. aureus. All flavonoids were active against P. aeruginosa, and one
      compound, (+)-(2S)-4',5,7-trihydroxy-6-methylflavanone, was active against S.
      aureus. Another compound, 4',5,7-trihydroxy-6,8-dimethylflavanone, greatly
      increased biofilm formation by both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The presence or
      absence of methyl groups at positions 6 and 8 in the flavonoid A ring determined
      their anti-Staphylococcus and biofilm-stimulating activity. One of the most
      abundant and active compounds, 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone, was tested further
      against P. aeruginosa and was found to be bacteriostatic at its minimum
      inhibitory concentration of 200 ug/mL. This flavanonol reduced adhesion of P.
      aeruginosa cells while inducing no cytotoxic effects in Vero cells. This study
      demonstrated the antimicrobial properties of flavonoids in eucalypt kino and
      highlighted that traditional medicinal knowledge and ecological cues can reveal
      valuable natural compounds.

PMID- 28906458
TI  - Combination of Hypertension Along with a High Fat and Cholesterol Diet Induces
      Severe Hepatic Inflammation in Rats via a Signaling Network Comprising NF-kappaB,
      MAPK, and Nrf2 Pathways.
AB  - Populations with essential hypertension have a high risk of nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis (NASH). In this study, we investigated the mechanism that
      underlies the progression of hypertension-associated NASH by comparing
      differences in the development of high fat and cholesterol (HFC) diet-induced
      NASH among three strains of rats, i.e., two hypertensive strains comprising
      spontaneously hypertensive rats and the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive
      5/Dmcr, and the original Wistar Kyoto rats as the normotensive control. We
      investigated histopathological changes and molecular signals related to
      inflammation in the liver after feeding with the HFC diet for 8 weeks. The diet
      induced severe lobular inflammation and fibrosis in the livers of the
      hypertensive rats, whereas it only caused mild steatohepatitis in the
      normotensive rats. An increased activation of proinflammatory signaling
      (transforming growth factor-beta1/mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway) was
      observed in the hypertensive strains fed with the HFC diet. In addition, the HFC
      diet suppressed the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway in the
      hypertensive rats and led to lower increases in the hepatic expression of heme
      oxygenase-1, which has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. In
      conclusion, these signaling pathways might play crucial roles in the development
      of hypertension-associated NASH.

PMID- 28906459
TI  - Hospital Costs of Foreign Non-Resident Patients: A Comparative Analysis in
      Catalonia, Spain.
AB  - Although patient mobility has increased over the world, in Europe there is a lack
      of empirical studies. The aim of the study was to compare foreign non-resident
      patients versus domestic patients for the particular Catalan case, focusing on
      patient characteristics, hospitalisation costs and differences in costs depending
      on the typology of the hospital they are treated. We used data from the 2012
      Minimum Basic Data Set-Acute Care hospitals (CMBD-HA) in Catalonia. We matched
      two case-control groups: first, foreign non-resident patients versus domestic
      patients and, second, foreign non-resident patients treated by Regional Public
      Hospitals versus other type of hospitals. Hospitalisation costs were modelled
      using a GLM Gamma with a log-link. Our results show that foreign non-resident
      patients were significantly less costly than domestic patients (12% cheaper). Our
      findings also suggested differences in the characteristics of foreign non
      resident patients using Regional Public Hospitals or other kinds of hospitals
      although we did not observe significant differences in the healthcare costs.
      Nevertheless, women, 15-24 and 35-44 years old patients and the days of stay were
      less costly in Regional Public Hospitals. In general, acute hospitalizations of
      foreign non-resident patients while they are on holiday cost substantially less
      than domestic patients. The typology of hospital is not found to be a relevant
      factor influencing costs.

PMID- 28906460
TI  - A Critical Assessment of the Therapeutic Potential of Resveratrol Supplements for
      Treating Mitochondrial Disorders.
AB  - In human cells, mitochondria provide the largest part of cellular energy in the
      form of adenosine triphosphate generated by the process of oxidative
      phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Impaired OXPHOS activity leads to a heterogeneous group
      of inherited diseases for which therapeutic options today remain very limited.
      Potential innovative strategies aim to ameliorate mitochondrial function by
      increasing the total mitochondrial load of tissues and/or to scavenge the excess
      of reactive oxygen species generated by OXPHOS malfunctioning. In this respect,
      resveratrol, a compound that conveniently combines mitogenetic with antioxidant
      activities and, as a bonus, possesses anti-apoptotic properties, has come forward
      as a promising nutraceutical. We review the scientific evidence gathered so far
      through experiments in both in vitro and in vivo systems, evaluating the
      therapeutic effect that resveratrol is expected to generate in mitochondrial
      patients. The obtained results are encouraging, but clearly show that achieving
      normalization of OXPHOS function with this strategy alone could prove to be an
      unattainable goal.

PMID- 28906461
TI  - alpha-Conotoxin Decontamination Protocol Evaluation: What Works and What Doesn't.
AB  - Nine publically available biosafety protocols for safely handling conotoxin
      peptides were tested to evaluate their decontamination efficacy. Circular
      dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) were used to assess the
      effect of each chemical treatment on the secondary and primary structure of alpha
      CTx MII (L10V, E11A). Of the nine decontamination methods tested, treatment with
      1% (m/v) solution of the enzymatic detergent ContrexTM EZ resulted in a 76.8%
      decrease in alpha-helical content as assessed by the mean residue ellipticity at
      222 nm, and partial peptide digestion was demonstrated using high performance
      liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Additionally, treatment with
      6% sodium hypochlorite (m/v) resulted in 80.5% decrease in alpha-helical content
      and complete digestion of the peptide. The ContrexTM EZ treatment was repeated
      with three additional alpha-conotoxins (alpha-CTxs), alpha-CTxs LvIA, ImI and
      PeIA, which verified the decontamination method was reasonably robust. These
      results support the use of either 1% ContrexTM EZ solution or 6% sodium
      hypochlorite in biosafety protocols for the decontamination of alpha-CTxs in
      research laboratories.

PMID- 28906462
TI  - Time-Resolved Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging Using Solid-State
      Detectors: Characteristics, Present Status, and Research Challenges.
AB  - Diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) and diffuse optical imaging (DOI) are emerging
      non-invasive imaging modalities that have wide spread potential applications in
      many fields, particularly for structural and functional imaging in medicine. In
      this article, we review time-resolved diffuse optical imaging (TR-DOI) systems
      using solid-state detectors with a special focus on Single-Photon Avalanche
      Diodes (SPADs) and Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). These TR-DOI systems can be
      categorized into two types based on the operation mode of the detector (free
      running or time-gated). For the TR-DOI prototypes, the physical concepts, main
      components, figures-of-merit of detectors, and evaluation parameters are
      described. The performance of TR-DOI prototypes is evaluated according to the
      parameters used in common protocols to test DOI systems particularly basic
      instrumental performance (BIP). In addition, the potential features of SPADs and
      SiPMs to improve TR-DOI systems and expand their applications in the foreseeable
      future are discussed. Lastly, research challenges and future developments for TR
      DOI are discussed for each component in the prototype separately and also for the
      entire system.

PMID- 28906463
TI  - Inhibition of Adherence of Mycobacterium avium to Plumbing Surface Biofilms of
      Methylobacterium spp.
AB  - Both Mycobacterium spp. and Methylobacterium spp. are opportunistic premise
      plumbing pathogens that are found on pipe surfaces in households. However,
      examination of data published in prior microbiological surveys indicates that
      Methylobacterium spp. and Mycobacterium spp. tend not to coexist in the same
      household plumbing biofilms. That evidence led us to test the hypothesis that
      Methylobacterium spp. in biofilms could inhibit the adherence of Mycobacterium
      avium. Measurements of adherence of M. avium cells to stainless steel coupons
      using both culture and PCR-based methods showed that the presence of
      Methylobacterium spp. biofilms substantially reduced M. avium adherence and vice
      versa. That inhibition of M. avium adherence was not reduced by UV-irradiation,
      cyanide/azide exposure, or autoclaving of the Methylobacterium spp. biofilms.
      Further, there was no evidence of the production of anti-mycobacterial compounds
      by biofilm-grown Methylobacterium spp. cells. The results add to understanding of
      the role of microbial interactions in biofilms as a driving force in the
      proliferation or inhibition of opportunistic pathogens in premise plumbing, and
      provide a potential new avenue by which M. avium exposures may be reduced for at
      risk individuals.

PMID- 28906464
TI  - Enhanced Plasmonic Wavelength Selective Infrared Emission Combined with
      Microheater.
AB  - The indirect wavelength selective thermal emitter that we have proposed is
      constructed using a new microheater, demonstrating the enhancement of the
      emission peak generated by the surface plasmon polariton. The thermal isolation
      is improved using a 2 MUm-thick Si membrane having 3.6 and 5.4 mm outer diameter.
      The emission at around the wavelength of the absorption band of CO2 gas is
      enhanced. The absorption signal increases, confirming the suitability for gas
      sensing. Against input power, the intensity at the peak wavelength shows a
      steeper increasing ratio than the background intensity. The microheater with
      higher thermal isolation gives larger peak intensity and its increasing ratio
      against the input power.

PMID- 28906465
TI  - Low-Temperature Self-Healing of a Microcapsule-Type Protective Coating.
AB  - Low-temperature self-healing capabilities are essential for self-healing
      materials exposed to cold environments. Although low-temperature self-healing
      concepts have been proposed, there has been no report of a microcapsule-type low
      temperature self-healing system wherein the healing ability was demonstrated at
      low temperature. In this work, low-temperature self-healing of a microcapsule
      type protective coating was demonstrated. This system employed silanol-terminated
      polydimethylsiloxane (STP) as a healing agent and dibutyltin dilaurate (DD) as a
      catalyst. STP underwent a condensation reaction at -20  degrees C in the presence
      of DD to give a viscoelastic product. The reaction behavior of STP and the
      viscoelasticity of the reaction product were investigated. STP and DD were
      separately microencapsulated by in situ polymerization and interfacial
      polymerization methods, respectively. The STP- and DD-loaded microcapsules were
      mixed into a commercial enamel paint, and the resulting formulation was applied
      to glass slides, steel panels, and mortars to prepare self-healing coatings. When
      the self-healing coatings were damaged at a low temperature (-20  degrees C), STP
      and DD were released from broken microcapsules and filled the damaged area. This
      process was effectively visualized using a fluorescent dye. The self-healing
      coatings were scratched and subjected to corrosion tests, electrochemical tests,
      and saline solution permeability tests. The temperature of the self-healing
      coatings was maintained at -20  degrees C before and after scratching and during
      the tests. We successfully demonstrated that the STP/DD-based coating system has
      good low-temperature self-healing capability.

PMID- 28906467
TI  - Underlying Physics of Conductive Polymer Composites and Force Sensing Resistors
      (FSRs) under Static Loading Conditions.
AB  - Conductive polymer composites are manufactured by randomly dispersing conductive
      particles along an insulating polymer matrix. Several authors have attempted to
      model the piezoresistive response of conductive polymer composites. However, all
      the proposed models rely upon experimental measurements of the electrical
      resistance at rest state. Similarly, the models available in literature assume a
      voltage-independent resistance and a stress-independent area for tunneling
      conduction. With the aim of developing and validating a more comprehensive model,
      a test bench capable of exerting controlled forces has been developed.
      Commercially available sensors-which are manufactured from conductive polymer
      composites-have been tested at different voltages and stresses, and a model has
      been derived on the basis of equations for the quantum tunneling conduction
      through thin insulating film layers. The resistance contribution from the contact
      resistance has been included in the model together with the resistance
      contribution from the conductive particles. The proposed model embraces a voltage
      dependent behavior for the composite resistance, and a stress-dependent behavior
      for the tunneling conduction area. The proposed model is capable of predicting
      sensor current based upon information from the sourcing voltage and the applied
      stress. This study uses a physical (non-phenomenological) approach for all the
      phenomena discussed here.

PMID- 28906466
TI  - Therapeutic Effect of Exogenous Truncated IK Protein in Inflammatory Arthritis.
AB  - Inhibitor K562 (IK) protein was first isolated from the culture medium of K562, a
      leukemia cell line. It is known to be an inhibitory regulator of interferon-gamma
      induced major histocompatibility complex class (MHC) II expression. Previously,
      we found that transgenic (Tg) mice constitutively expressing truncated IK (tIK)
      showed reduced numbers of pathogenic Th1 and Th17 cells, which are known to be
      involved in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we investigated
      whether exogenous tIK protein has a therapeutic effect in arthritis in disease
      models and analyzed its mechanism. Exogenous tIK protein was produced in an
      insect expression system and applied to the collagen antibody-induced arthritis
      (CAIA) mouse disease model. Injection of tIK protein alleviated the symptoms of
      arthritis in the CAIA model and reduced Th1 and Th17 cell populations. In
      addition, treatment of cultured T cells with tIK protein induced expression of
      A20, a negative regulator of nuclear factor-kappaB (NFkappaB)-induced
      inflammation, and reduced expression of several transcription factors related to
      T cell activation. We conclude that exogenous tIK protein has the potential to
      act as a new therapeutic agent for RA patients, because it has a different mode
      of action to biopharmaceutical agents, such as tumor necrosis factor antagonists,
      that are currently used to treat RA.

PMID- 28906468
TI  - Understanding of MYB Transcription Factors Involved in Glucosinolate Biosynthesis
      in Brassicaceae.
AB  - Glucosinolates (GSLs) are widely known secondary metabolites that have
      anticarcinogenic and antioxidative activities in humans and defense roles in
      plants of the Brassicaceae family. Some R2R3-type MYB (myeloblastosis)
      transcription factors (TFs) control GSL biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. However,
      studies on the MYB TFs involved in GSL biosynthesis in Brassica species are
      limited because of the complexity of the genome, which includes an increased
      number of paralog genes as a result of genome duplication. The recent completion
      of the genome sequencing of the Brassica species permits the identification of
      MYB TFs involved in GSL biosynthesis by comparative genome analysis with A.
      thaliana. In this review, we describe various findings on the regulation of GSL
      biosynthesis in Brassicaceae. Furthermore, we identify 63 orthologous copies
      corresponding to five MYB TFs from Arabidopsis, except MYB76 in Brassica species.
      Fifty-five MYB TFs from the Brassica species possess a conserved amino acid
      sequence in their R2R3 MYB DNA-binding domain, and share close evolutionary
      relationships. Our analysis will provide useful information on the 55 MYB TFs
      involved in the regulation of GSL biosynthesis in Brassica species, which have a
      polyploid genome.

PMID- 28906469
TI  - Silicon Integrated Dual-Mode Interferometer with Differential Outputs.
AB  - The dual-mode interferometer (DMI) is an attractive alternative to Mach-Zehnder
      interferometers for sensor purposes, achieving sensitivities to refractive index
      changes close to state-of-the-art. Modern designs on silicon-on-insulator (SOI)
      platforms offer thermally stable and compact devices with insertion losses of
      less than 1 dB and high extinction ratios. Compact arrays of multiple DMIs in
      parallel are easy to fabricate due to the simple structure of the DMI. In this
      work, the principle of operation of an integrated DMI with differential outputs
      is presented which allows the unambiguous phase shift detection with a single
      wavelength measurement, rather than using a wavelength sweep and evaluating the
      optical output power spectrum. Fluctuating optical input power or varying
      attenuation due to different analyte concentrations can be compensated by
      observing the sum of the optical powers at the differential outputs. DMIs with
      two differential single-mode outputs are fabricated in a 250 nm SOI platform, and
      corresponding measurements are shown to explain the principle of operation in
      detail. A comparison of DMIs with the conventional Mach-Zehnder interferometer
      using the same technology concludes this work.

PMID- 28906470
TI  - The Role of Controlled Surface Topography and Chemistry on Mouse Embryonic Stem
      Cell Attachment, Growth and Self-Renewal.
AB  - The success of stem cell therapies relies heavily on our ability to control their
      fate in vitro during expansion to ensure an appropriate supply. The biophysical
      properties of the cell culture environment have been recognised as a potent
      stimuli influencing cellular behaviour. In this work we used advanced plasma
      based techniques to generate model culture substrates with controlled
      nanotopographical features of 16 nm, 38 nm and 68 nm in magnitude, and three
      differently tailored surface chemical functionalities. The effect of these two
      surface properties on the adhesion, spreading, and self-renewal of mouse
      embryonic stem cells (mESCs) were assessed. The results demonstrated that
      physical and chemical cues influenced the behaviour of these stem cells in in
      vitro culture in different ways. The size of the nanotopographical features
      impacted on the cell adhesion, spreading and proliferation, while the chemistry
      influenced the cell self-renewal and differentiation.

PMID- 28906471
TI  - Largest Magnetic Moments in the Half-Heusler Alloys XCrZ (X = Li, K, Rb, Cs; Z =
      S, Se, Te): A First-Principles Study.
AB  - A recent theoretical work indicates that intermetallic materials LiMnZ (Z = N, P)
      with a half-Heusler structure exhibit half-metallic (HM) behaviors at their
      strained lattice constants, and the magnetic moments of these alloys are expected
      to reach as high as 5 MUB per formula unit. (Damewood et al. Phys. Rev. B2015,
      91, 064409). This work inspired us to find new Heusler-based half-metals with the
      largest magnetic moment. With the help of the first-principles calculation, we
      reveal that XCrZ (X = K, Rb, Cs; Z = S, Se, Te) alloys show a robust, half
      metallic nature with a large magnetic moment of 5 MUB at their equilibrium and
      strained lattice constants in their most stable phases, while the excellent HM
      nature of LiCrZ (Z = S, Se, Te) alloys can be observed in one of their metastable
      phases. Moreover, the effects of uniform strain in LiCrZ (Z = S, Se, Te) alloys
      in type II arrangement have also been discussed.

PMID- 28906472
TI  - Therapeutic Effect of Cilostazol Ophthalmic Nanodispersions on Retinal
      Dysfunction in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.
AB  - We previously prepared ophthalmic formulations containing cilostazol (CLZ)
      nanoparticles by bead mill methods (CLZnano), and found that instillation of
      CLZnano into rat eyes supplies CLZ into the retina. In this study, we
      investigated changes in the electroretinograms (ERG) of streptozotocin-induced
      diabetic rats (STZ rats), a model of diabetes mellitus. In addition, we
      demonstrated that dispersions containing CLZ nanoparticles attenuate changes in
      the ERG of STZ rats. The instillation of CLZnano had no effect on body weight or
      plasma glucose and insulin levels. Furthermore, no corneal toxicity was observed
      in the in vivo study using STZ rats. The a-wave and b-wave levels in addition to
      oscillatory potentials (OP) amplitude decreased in STZ rats two weeks after the
      injection of streptozotocin, with the instillation of CLZnano attenuating these
      decreases. In addition, the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in
      the retinas of STZ rats was 9.26-fold higher than in in normal rats, with this
      increase also prevented by the instillation of CLZnano Thus, we have found that a
      wave and b-wave levels in addition to OP amplitude are decreased in rats
      following the injection of excessive streptozotocin. Furthermore, the retinal
      disorders associated with diabetes mellitus are attenuated by the instillation of
      CLZnano. These findings provide significant information that can be used to
      design further studies aimed at developing anti-diabetic retinopathy drugs.

PMID- 28906473
TI  - Engineered Disease Resistance in Cotton Using RNA-Interference to Knock down
      Cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus-Burewala and Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite
      Expression.
AB  - Cotton leaf curl virus disease (CLCuD) is caused by a suite of whitefly
      transmitted begomovirus species and strains, resulting in extensive losses
      annually in India and Pakistan. RNA-interference (RNAi) is a proven technology
      used for knockdown of gene expression in higher organisms and viruses. In this
      study, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) construct was designed to target the AC1
      gene of Cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus-Burewala (CLCuKoV-Bu) and the betaC1 gene
      and satellite conserved region of the Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite
      (CLCuMB). The AC1 gene and CLCuMB coding and non-coding regions function in
      replication initiation and suppression of the plant host defense pathway,
      respectively. The construct, Vbeta, was transformed into cotton plants using the
      Agrobacterium-mediated embryo shoot apex cut method. Results from fluorescence in
      situ hybridization and karyotyping assays indicated that six of the 11 T1 plants
      harbored a single copy of the Vbeta transgene. Transgenic cotton plants and non
      transgenic (susceptible) test plants included as the positive control were
      challenge-inoculated using the viruliferous whitefly vector to transmit the
      CLCuKoV-Bu/CLCuMB complex. Among the test plants, plant Vbeta-6 was asymptomatic,
      had the lowest amount of detectable virus, and harbored a single copy of the
      transgene on chromosome six. Absence of characteristic leaf curl symptom
      development in transgenic Vbeta-6 cotton plants, and significantly reduced
      begomoviral-betasatellite accumulation based on real-time polymerase chain
      reaction, indicated the successful knockdown of CLCuKoV-Bu and CLCuMB expression,
      resulting in leaf curl resistant plants.

PMID- 28906474
TI  - Non-Clinical Studies for Evaluation of 8-C-Rhamnosyl Apigenin Purified from
      Peperomia obtusifolia against Acute Edema.
AB  - Compound 8-C-rhamnosyl apigenin (8CR) induced a moderate reduction in the
      enzymatic activity of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) from Crotalus durissus
      terrificus and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), but the compound also
      significantly inhibited the enzymatic activity of the enzyme cyclooxygenase. In
      vitro assays showed that the compound induced a slight change in the secondary
      structure of sPLA2 from Crotalus durissus terrificus snake venom. In vivo assays
      were divided into two steps. In the first step, the 8CR compound was administered
      by intraperitoneal injections 30 min prior to administration of sPLA2. In this
      condition, 8CR inhibited edema and myonecrosis induced by the sPLA2 activity of
      Crotalus durissus terrificus in a dose-dependent manner by decreasing interleukin
      1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), prostaglandin E2
      (PGE2), and lipid peroxidation. This has been demonstrated by monitoring the
      levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rat paws after the course of edema induced by
      sPLA2. These results, for the first time, show that sPLA2 of Crotalus durissus
      terrificus venom induces massive muscle damage, as well as significant edema by
      mobilization of cyclooxygenase enzymes. Additionally, its pharmacological
      activity involves increased lipid peroxidation as well as TNF-alpha and IL-1beta
      production. Previous administration by the peritoneal route has shown that dose
      dependent 8CR significantly decreases the enzymatic activity of cyclooxygenase
      enzymes. This resulted in a decrease of the amount of bioactive lipids involved
      in inflammation; it also promoted a significant cellular protection against lipid
      peroxidation. In vivo experiments performed with 8CR at a concentration adjusted
      to 200 MUg (8 mg/kg) of intraperitoneal injection 15 min after sPLA2 injection
      significantly reduced sPLA2 edema and the myotoxic effect induced by sPLA2
      through the decrease in the enzymatic activity of cPLA2, cyclooxygenase, and a
      massive reduction of lipid peroxidation. These results clearly show that 8CR is a
      potent anti-inflammatory that inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and it may
      modulate the enzymatic activity of sPLA2 and cPLA2. In addition, it was shown
      that Crotalus durissus terrificus sPLA2 increases cell oxidative stress during
      edema and myonecrosis, and the antioxidant properties of the polyphenolic
      compound may be significant in mitigating the pharmacological effect induced by
      sPLA2 and other snake venom toxins.

PMID- 28906475
TI  - Can We Predict the Efficacy of Anti-TNF-alpha Agents?
AB  - The use of biologic agents, particularly anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha,
      has revolutionized the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), modifying
      their natural history. Several data on the efficacy of these agents in inducing
      and maintaining clinical remission have been accumulated over the past two
      decades: their use avoid the need for steroids therapy, promote mucosal healing,
      reduce hospitalizations and surgeries and therefore dramatically improve the
      quality of life of IBD patients. However, primary non-response to these agents or
      loss of response over time mainly due to immunogenicity or treatment-related side
      effects are a frequent concern in IBD patients. Thus, the identification of
      predicting factors of efficacy is crucial to allow clinicians to efficiently use
      these therapies, avoiding them when they are ineffective and eventually shifting
      towards alternative biological therapies with the end goal of optimizing the cost
      effectiveness ratio. In this review, we aim to identify the predictive factors of
      short- and long-term benefits of anti-TNF-alpha therapy in IBD patients. In
      particular, multiple patient-, disease- and treatment-related factors have been
      evaluated.

PMID- 28906476
TI  - Ultra-Sensitive NT-proBNP Quantification for Early Detection of Risk Factors
      Leading to Heart Failure.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases such as acute myocardial infarction and heart failure
      accounted for the death of 17.5 million people (31% of all global deaths) in
      2015. Monitoring the level of circulating N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) is
      crucial for the detection of people at risk of heart failure. In this article, we
      describe a novel ultra-sensitive NT-proBNP test (us-NT-proBNP) that allows the
      quantification of circulating NT-proBNP in 30 min at 25  degrees C in the linear
      detection range of 7.0-600 pg/mL. It is a first report on the application of a
      fluorescence bead labeled detection antibody, DNA-guided detection method, and
      glass fiber membrane platform for the quantification of NT-proBNP in clinical
      samples. Limit of blank, limit of detection, and limit of quantification were 2.0
      pg/mL, 3.7 pg/mL, and 7 pg/mL, respectively. The coefficient of variation was
      found to be less than 10% in the entire detection range of 7-600 pg/mL. The test
      demonstrated specificity for NT-proBNP without interferences from bilirubin,
      intra-lipid, biotin, and hemoglobin. The serial dilution test for plasma samples
      containing various NT-proBNP levels showed the linear decrement in concentration
      with the regression coefficient of 0.980-0.998. These results indicate that us-NT
      proBNP test does not suffer from the interference of the plasma components for
      the measurement of NT-proBNP in clinical samples.

PMID- 28906477
TI  - MicroRNA Signaling in Embryo Development.
AB  - Expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is essential for embryonic development and
      serves important roles in gametogenesis. miRNAs are secreted into the
      extracellular environment by the embryo during the preimplantation stage of
      development. Several cell types secrete miRNAs into biological fluids in the
      extracellular environment. These fluid-derived miRNAs have been shown to
      circulate the body. Stable transport is dependent on proper packaging of the
      miRNAs into extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes. These vesicles,
      which also contain RNA, DNA and proteins, are on the forefront of research on
      cell-to-cell communication. Interestingly, EVs have been identified in many
      reproductive fluids, such as uterine fluid, where their miRNA content is proposed
      to serve as a mechanism of crosstalk between the mother and conceptus. Here, we
      review the role of miRNAs in molecular signaling and discuss their transport
      during early embryo development and implantation.

PMID- 28906478
TI  - Complementary RNA-Sequencing Based Transcriptomics and iTRAQ Proteomics Reveal
      the Mechanism of the Alleviation of Quinclorac Stress by Salicylic Acid in Oryza
      sativa ssp. japonica.
AB  - To uncover the alleviation mechanism of quinclorac stress by salicylic acid (SA),
      leaf samples of Oryza sativa ssp. Japonica under quinclorac stress with and
      without SA pre-treatment were analyzed for transcriptional and proteomic
      profiling to determine the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and proteins
      (DEPs), respectively. Results showed that quinclorac stress altered the
      expression of 2207 DEGs (1427 up-regulated, 780 down-regulated) and 147 DEPs (98
      down-regulated, 49 up-regulated). These genes and proteins were enriched in
      glutathione (GSH) metabolism, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, the
      biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism,
      and so on. It also influenced apetala2- ethylene-responsive element binding
      protein (AP2-EREBP) family, myeloblastosis (MYB) family and WRKY family
      transcription factors. After SA pre-treatment, 697 genes and 124 proteins were
      differentially expressed. Pathway analysis showed similar enrichments in GSH,
      glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism. Transcription factors were distributed
      in basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH), MYB, Tify and WRKY families. Quantitative real
      time PCR results revealed that quinclorac stress induced the expression of
      glutathion reductase (GR) genes (OsGR2, OsGR3), which was further pronounced by
      SA pre-treatment. Quinclorac stress further mediated the accumulation of
      acetaldehyde in rice, while SA enhanced the expression of OsALDH2B5 and OsALDH7
      to accelerate the metabolism of herbicide quinclorac for the protection of rice.
      Correlation analysis between transcriptome and proteomics demonstrated that,
      under quinclorac stress, correlated proteins/genes were mainly involved in the
      inhibition of intermediate steps in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll. Other
      interesting proteins/genes and pathways regulated by herbicide quinclorac and
      modulated by SA pre-treatment were also discussed, based on the transcriptome and
      proteomics results.

PMID- 28906480
TI  - Disaster Governance for Community Resilience in Coastal Towns: Chilean Case
      Studies.
AB  - This study aimed to further our understanding of a characteristic of Community
      Resilience known as Disaster Governance. Three attributes of Disaster Governance
      redundancy, diversity, and overlap-were studied in four coastal towns in southern
      Chile that are at risk of tsunamis. Overall, we explored how different spatial
      structures of human settlements influence Disaster Governance. Using the
      Projective Mapping Technique, the distribution of emergency institutions (N = 32)
      and uses given to specific sites (e.g., for refuge, sanitary purposes and medical
      attention) were mapped. Content and GIS analyses (Directional Distribution and
      Kernel Density Index) were used to explore the dispersion and concentration of
      institutions and uses in each town. Disaster Governance was found to be highly
      influenced by decisions taken during regional, urban, and emergency planning.
      Governance is better in towns of higher order in the communal hierarchical
      structure. Most of the emergency institutions were found to be located in central
      and urban areas, which, in turn, assures more redundancy, overlap, and diversity
      in governance in the event of a tsunami. Lack of flexibility of emergency plans
      also limits governance in rural and indigenous areas. While the spatial
      relationships found in this study indicate that urban sectors have better
      Disaster Governance than rural and indigenous sectors, the influence of resource
      availability after tsunamis, the role and responsibility of different levels of
      governments, and the politics of disaster also play an important role in Disaster
      Governance for determining Community Resilience. These findings shed light on
      emergency planning and aspects of the Disaster Management cycle.

PMID- 28906479
TI  - Characterization of vB_SauM-fRuSau02, a Twort-Like Bacteriophage Isolated from a
      Therapeutic Phage Cocktail.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and pathogenic bacterium that causes
      infections in humans and animals. It is a major cause of nosocomial infections
      worldwide. Due to increasing prevalence of multidrug resistance, alternative
      methods to eradicate the pathogen are necessary. In this respect, polyvalent
      staphylococcal myoviruses have been demonstrated to be excellent candidates for
      phage therapy. Here we present the characterization of the bacteriophage vB_SauM
      fRuSau02 (fRuSau02) that was isolated from a commercial Staphylococcus
      bacteriophage cocktail produced by Microgen (Moscow, Russia). The genomic
      analysis revealed that fRuSau02 is very closely related to the phage MSA6, and
      possesses a large genome (148,464 bp), with typical modular organization and a
      low G+C (30.22%) content. It can therefore be classified as a new virus among the
      genus Twortlikevirus. The genome contains 236 predicted genes, 4 of which were
      interrupted by insertion sequences. Altogether, 78 different structural and
      virion-associated proteins were identified from purified phage particles by
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The host range of
      fRuSau02 was tested with 135 strains, including 51 and 54 Staphylococcus aureus
      isolates from humans and pigs, respectively, and 30 coagulase-negative
      Staphylococcus strains of human origin. All clinical S. aureus strains were at
      least moderately sensitive to the phage, while only 39% of the pig strains were
      infected. Also, some strains of Staphylococcus intermedius, Staphylococcus
      lugdunensis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus,
      Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus pseudointer were sensitive. We
      conclude that fRuSau02, a phage therapy agent in Russia, can serve as an
      alternative to antibiotic therapy against S. aureus.

PMID- 28906482
TI  - Real-life experience with bortezomib-based regimens in elderly patients with
      newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and comorbidities: a Polish retrospective
      multicenter study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION    Bortezomib was the first proteasome inhibitor approved for the
      therapy of multiple myeloma (MM). Currently, VMP (bortezomib, melphalan,
      prednisone) is one of the standard regimens recommended as the first-line therapy
      for patients with MM ineligible for high-dose chemotherapy (HDT) with autologous
      stem-cell transplantation (auto-SCT). OBJECTIVES    Participants of clinical
      trials are highly selected populations; therefore, the aim of this study was to
      present observations from real practice that might provide important information
      for practitioners. PATIENTS AND METHODS    We retrospectively analyzed the data
      on the efficacy and safety of bortezomib-based regimens in 154 patients with
      newly diagnosed MM ineligible for HDT with auto-SCT (median age, 73 years; range,
      39-89 years) with particular attention to the effect of age, performance status,
      and concomitant diseases. RESULTS    Patients aged 75 years or older constituted
      53.2% of the study cohort. Performance status was impaired in 34.4% of the
      patients, according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale.
      Comorbidities were reported in 83.8% of the patients (mainly arterial
      hypertension and atherosclerotic vascular disease). A total of 798 courses of
      bortezomib-based regimens (mainly VMP, 86%) were administered. The overall
      response rate was 81.7%, including 12.7% for complete response and 29.6% for very
      good partial response. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and event-free
      survival were 17.3 and 7.1 months, respectively. The impaired performance status
      and age of 75 or older were negative predictors of PFS. The most common severe
      adverse events were neuropathy (19.4%), infections (19.2%), and neutropenia
      (14.9%). CONCLUSIONS    Bortezomib-based regimens are effective and well
      tolerated in the first-line therapy of elderly patients with MM and
      comorbidities, with advanced disease, and light chain MM. A more detailed
      assessment of patients' frailty is needed to increase the efficacy of treatment.

PMID- 28906483
TI  - Possible undertreatment of women with Crohn disease in Poland. A subgroup
      analysis from a prospective multicenter study of patients on anti-tumor necrosis
      factor therapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION    In Poland, anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy for Crohn
      disease (CD) is reimbursed in inflammatory disease (CD activity index [CDAI] >300
      points) or perianal disease, in cases where conventional treatment has failed. 
      OBJECTIVES    We assessed patients receiving TNF inhibitors to establish how
      limited access to the therapy influences the selection of the population for
      treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS    Consecutive adult patients with CD starting
      infliximab or adalimumab in the years 2014 to 2015 were included in the study.
      Age at symptom onset and diagnosis of CD, disease location and behavior, previous
      treatment, CDAI, and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated. Subsequently, the age
      and sex of all patients with CD on anti-TNF therapy reimbursed by the Polish
      National Health Fund were analyzed. RESULTS    Among 256 patients, there were 113
      women (44.1%) and 143 men (55.9%). The median time from diagnosis to enrollment
      was longer in women than in men (9 years vs 5.5 years; P = 0.02), and the
      proportion of women receiving TNF inhibitors for 5 years or less since diagnosis
      was lower than that of men (42.5% vs 57.7%; P = 0.017). Disease locations,
      behavior, and CDAI were similar between the groups, while the median BMI was
      lower in women than in men (20.6 kg/m2 vs 22.6 kg/m2; P = 0.01). In Poland in
      general, in the years 2010 to 2015, TNF inhibitors for CD were taken by fewer
      women than men (2208 vs 4789; 46%; 95% confidence interval, 45-48). The median
      age of treated women was 29 years and that of men-27 years (P <0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS    Compared with their male counterparts, women with CD receive TNF
      inhibitors less frequently, at an older age, and following a longer disease
      duration. It is unknown whether this is a regional or more widespread phenomenon.

PMID- 28906481
TI  - Insights into the Diagnostic Potential of Extracellular Vesicles and Their miRNA
      Signature from Liquid Biopsy as Early Biomarkers of Diabetic Micro/Macrovascular
      Complications.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a heterogeneous population of small
      vesicles, consisting of a phospholipidic bilayer surrounding a soluble interior
      cargo. Almost all cell types release EVs, thus they are naturally present in all
      body fluids. Among the several potential applications, EVs could be used as drug
      delivery vehicles in disease treatment, in immune therapy because of their
      immunomodulatory properties and in regenerative medicine. In addition to general
      markers, EVs are characterized by the presence of specific biomarkers (proteins
      and miRNAs) that allow the identification of their cell or tissue origin. For
      these features, they represent a potential powerful diagnostic tool to monitor
      state and progression of specific diseases. A large body of studies supports the
      idea that endothelial derived (EMPs) together with platelet-derived
      microparticles (PMPs) are deeply involved in the pathogenesis of diseases
      characterized by micro- and macrovascular damages, including diabetes. Existing
      literature suggests that the detection of circulating EMPs and PMPs and their
      specific miRNA profile may represent a very useful non-invasive signature to
      achieve information on the onset of peculiar disease manifestations. In this
      review, we discuss the possible utility of EVs in the early diagnosis of diabetes
      associated microvascular complications, specifically related to kidney.

PMID- 28906484
TI  - Whole- person care: a hope for modern medicine?

PMID- 28906485
TI  - Weight status, cardiorespiratory fitness and high blood pressure relationship
      among 5-12-year-old Chinese primary school children.
AB  - Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and adiposity contribute to high blood pressure
      (HBP) in adults and children. However, their relative importance as risk factors
      is unknown. We examined the relationships between weight status, CRF and HBP
      among Chinese primary school children. A cross-sectional study was conducted with
      4926 school children aged 5-12 years. CRF was estimated from a modified Cooper
      test, body mass index z-scores and weight categories were calculated from
      objective height and weight measurements and BP was measured using an electronic
      sphygmomanometer. HBP was defined as >95th percentile based on reference cutoffs
      for Chinese boys and girls. Generalised Linear Mixed models, adjusting for age,
      pubertal status and height, were developed for boys and girls to explore the
      independent and combined associations between fitness, weight status and HBP.
      Seven hundred and fifty-two (15.3%) children had HBP, with a higher prevalence in
      obese (40.5% and 45.9% in boys and girls, respectively) and overweight (27.6% and
      30.2% in boys and girls, respectively) compared with non-overweight (9.0% and
      13.8% in boys and girls, respectively) children. HBP prevalence was lower in boys
      with higher CRF (odds ratio (OR) for the highest vs lowest CRF quartile in boys
      0.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46-0.89). This association was not seen in
      girls. With weight status and CRF in the same model, weight status, but not CRF,
      remained significantly associated with HBP (obesity in boys: OR 4.19; 95% CI 2.63
      6.67; in girls: OR 2.49; 95% CI 1.19-5.19). The interaction effect for CRF and
      weight status was non-significant. Overweight/obesity was significantly
      associated with HBP among children. There was no evidence of modification of this
      relationship by CRF.

PMID- 28906487
TI  - Identification of 11(13)-dehydroivaxillin as a potent therapeutic agent against
      non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
AB  - Despite great advancements in the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL),
      sensitivity of different subtypes to therapy varies. Targeting the aberrant
      activation NF-kappaB signaling pathways in lymphoid malignancies is a promising
      strategy. Here, we report that 11(13)-dehydroivaxillin (DHI), a natural compound
      isolated from the Carpesium genus, induces growth inhibition and apoptosis of NHL
      cells. Multiple signaling cascades are influenced by DHI in NHL cells. PI3K/AKT
      and ERK are activated or inhibited in a cell type dependent manner, whereas NF
      kappaB signaling pathway was inhibited in all the NHL cells tested. Applying the
      cellular thermal shift assay, we further demonstrated that DHI directly interacts
      with IKKalpha/IKKbeta in NHL cells. Interestingly, DHI treatment also reduced the
      IKKalpha/IKKbeta protein level in NHL cells. Consistent with this finding,
      knockdown of IKKalpha/IKKbeta inhibits cell proliferation and enhances DHI
      induced proliferation inhibition. Overexpression of p65, p52 or RelB partially
      reverses DHI-induced cell growth inhibition. Furthermore, DHI treatment
      significantly inhibits the growth of NHL cell xenografts. In conclusion, we
      demonstrate that DHI exerts anti-NHL effect in vitro and in vivo, through a
      cumulative effect on NF-kappaB and other pathways. DHI may serve as a promising
      lead compound for the therapy of NHL.

PMID- 28906486
TI  - Small-molecule RL71-triggered excessive autophagic cell death as a potential
      therapeutic strategy in triple-negative breast cancer.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has an aggressive phenotype and a poor
      prognosis owing to the high propensity for metastatic progression and the absence
      of specific targeted treatment. Here, we revealed that small-molecule RL71
      targeting sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase 2 (SERCA2) exhibited potent
      anti-cancer activity on all TNBC cells tested. Apart from apoptosis induction,
      RL71 triggered excessive autophagic cell death, the main contributor to RL71
      induced TNBC cell death. RL71 augmented the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) into the cytosol by inhibiting SERCA2 activity. The disruption of
      calcium homeostasis induced ER stress, leading to apoptosis. More importantly,
      the elevated intracellular calcium signals induced autophagy through the
      activation of the CaMKK-AMPK-mTOR pathway and mitochondrial damage. In two TNBC
      xenograft mouse models, RL71 also displayed strong efficacy including the
      inhibition of tumor growth, the reduction of metastasis, as well as the
      prolongation of survival time. These findings suggest SERCA2 as a previous
      unknown target candidate for TNBC treatment and support the idea that autophagy
      inducers could be useful as new therapeutics in TNBC treatment.

PMID- 28906488
TI  - Novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 promotes metastasis in nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma.
AB  - Recently, chimeric transcripts have been found to be associated with the
      pathogenesis and poor prognosis of malignant tumors. Through our preliminary
      experiment, a novel chimeric transcript called chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48
      was detected in C666-1, a classical cell line of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma
      (NPC). Therefore, the objective of this study was to demonstrate the existence
      and expression of novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 and to explore the main
      functions and mechanisms of RRM2-c2orf48 in NPC. In this study, the expression of
      RRM2-c2orf48 was evaluated in NPC cells and specimens. Effects of RRM2-c2orf48 on
      migration and invasive capacities were detected in vivo and vitro. Moreover, ways
      in which RRM2-c2orf48 increases the invasive capacities of NPC were explored. As
      a result, the presence of novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 was confirmed in
      C666-1 by RT-PCR and sequencing, and it was a read-through between RRM2 and
      c2orf48 through the transcription of interchromosome. Higher expressions of novel
      RRM2-c2orf48 were detected in NPC cell lines and NPC tissue specimens relative to
      the controls and its expression was be statistically relevant to TNM staging.
      High level of RRM2-c2orf48 could increase the migration and invasive capacities
      of NPC cells, potentially as a result of NPC cell epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition. RRM2-c2orf48 could also enhance resistance of chemotherapy. In vivo,
      RRM2-c2orf48 could enhance lung and lymph node metastasis in nude mice. These
      results demonstrate that high levels of RRM2-c2orf48 expression may be a useful
      predictor of NPC patients of metastatic potency, presenting potential
      implications for NPC diagnosis and therapy.

PMID- 28906489
TI  - Disrupting CCT-beta : beta-tubulin selectively kills CCT-beta overexpressed
      cancer cells through MAPKs activation.
AB  - We have previously demonstrated the ability of I-Trp to disrupt the protein
      protein interaction of beta-tubulin with chaperonin-containing TCP-1beta (CCT
      beta). This caused more severe apoptosis in multidrug-resistant MES-SA/Dx5,
      compared to MES-SA, due to its higher CCT-beta overexpression. In this study, we
      screened a panel of cancer cell lines, finding CCT-beta overexpression in the
      triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, colorectal cancer cell lines
      Colo205 and HCT116, and a gastric cancer cell line MKN-45. Thus, I-Trp killed
      these cancers with sub- to low-MUM EC50, whereas it was non-toxic to MCF-10A. We
      then synthesized analogs of I-Trp and evaluated their cytotoxicity. Furthermore,
      apoptotic mechanism investigations revealed the activation of both protein
      ubiquitination/degradation and ER-associated protein degradation pathways. These
      pathways proceeded through activation of MAPKs at the onset of CCT-beta : beta
      tubulin complex disruption. We thus establish an effective strategy to treat CCT
      beta overexpressed cancers by disrupting the CCT-beta : beta-tubulin complex.

PMID- 28906491
TI  - Cystatin SN inhibits auranofin-induced cell death by autophagic induction and ROS
      regulation via glutathione reductase activity in colorectal cancer.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2017.100.

PMID- 28906490
TI  - POPX2 phosphatase regulates apoptosis through the TAK1-IKK-NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - Chemoresistance is one of the leading causes that contributes to tumor relapse
      and poor patient outcome after several rounds of drug therapy. The causes of
      chemoresistance are multi-factorial. Ultimately, it is the balance of pro- and
      anti-apoptotic activities in the cells. We have previously reported links between
      POPX2 serine/threonine phosphatase with cell motility and invasiveness of breast
      cancer cells. Here, we show that POPX2 plays a role in the regulation of
      apoptosis. The effect of POPX2 on apoptosis centers on the inactivation of TGF
      beta activated kinase (TAK1). TAK1 is essential for several important biological
      functions including innate immunity, development and cell survival. We find that
      POPX2 interacts directly with TAK1 and is able to dephosphorylate TAK1. Cells
      with lower levels of POPX2 exhibit higher TAK1 activity in response to etoposide
      (VP-16) treatment. This subsequently leads to increased translocation of NF
      kappaB from the cytosol to the nucleus. Consequently, NF-kappaB-mediated
      transcription of anti-apoptotic proteins is upregulated to promote cell survival.
      On the other hand, cells with higher levels of POPX2 are more vulnerable to
      apoptosis induced by etoposide. Our data demonstrate that POPX2 is a negative
      regulator of TAK1 signaling pathway and modulates apoptosis through the
      regulation of TAK1 activity. As inhibition of TAK1 has been proposed to reduce
      chemoresistance and increase sensitivity to chemotherapy in certain types of
      cancer, modulation of POPX2 levels may provide an additional avenue and
      consideration in fine-tuning therapeutic response.

PMID- 28906492
TI  - NDRG1 inhibition sensitizes osteosarcoma cells to combretastatin A-4 through
      targeting autophagy.
AB  - Combretastatin A-4 (CA-4), a tubulin-depolymerizing agent, shows promising
      antitumor efficacy and has been under several clinical trials in solid tumors for
      10 years. Autophagy has an important pro-survival role in cancer therapy, thus
      targeting autophagy may improve the efficacy of antitumor agents. N-myc
      downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is a significant stress regulatory gene,
      which mediates cell survival and chemoresistance. Here we reported that CA-4
      could induce cell-protective autophagy, and combination treatment of CA-4 and
      autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) exerted synergistic cytotoxic effect on
      human osteosarcoma (OS) cells. Meanwhile, CA-4 or CQ could increase the
      expression of NDRG1 independently. We further performed mechanistic study to
      explore how CA-4 and CQ regulate the expression of NDRG1. Using luciferase
      reporter assay, we found that CA-4 transcriptionally upregulated NDRG1
      expression, whereas CQ triggered colocalization of NDRG1 and lysosome, which
      subsequently prevented lysosome-dependent degradation of NDRG1. Further, we
      showed that knockdown of NDRG1 caused the defect of lysosomal function, which
      accumulated LC3-positive autophagosomes by decreasing their fusion with
      lysosomes. Moreover, NDRG1 inhibition increased apoptosis in response to
      combination treatment with CA-4 and CQ. Taken together, our study revealed
      abrogation of NDRG1 expression sensitizes OS cells to CA-4 by suppression of
      autophagosome-lysosome fusion. These results provide clues for developing more
      effective cancer therapeutic strategies by the concomitant treatment with CA-4
      and clinical available autophagy inhibitors.

PMID- 28906493
TI  - Rapid curation of gene disruption collections using Knockout Sudoku.
AB  - Knockout Sudoku is a method for the construction of whole-genome knockout
      collections for a wide range of microorganisms with as little as 3 weeks of
      dedicated labor and at a cost of ~$10,000 for a collection for a single organism.
      The method uses manual 4D combinatorial pooling, next-generation sequencing, and
      a Bayesian inference algorithm to rapidly process and then accurately annotate
      the extremely large progenitor transposon insertion mutant collections needed to
      achieve saturating coverage of complex microbial genomes. This method is ~100*
      faster and 30* lower in cost than the next comparable method (In-seq) for
      annotating transposon mutant collections by combinatorial pooling and next
      generation sequencing. This method facilitates the rapid, algorithmically guided
      condensation and curation of the progenitor collection into a high-quality,
      nonredundant collection that is suitable for rapid genetic screening and gene
      discovery.

PMID- 28906494
TI  - Lab-scale production of anhydrous diazomethane using membrane separation
      technology.
AB  - Diazomethane is among the most versatile and useful reagents for introducing
      methyl or methylene groups in organic synthesis. However, because of its
      explosive nature, its generation and purification by distillation are accompanied
      by a certain safety risk. This protocol describes how to construct a
      configurationally simple tube-in-flask reactor for the in situ on-demand
      generation of anhydrous diazomethane using membrane separation technology and
      thus avoiding distillation methods. The described reactor can be prepared from
      commercially available parts within ~1 h. In this system, solutions of Diazald
      and aqueous potassium hydroxide are continuously pumped into a spiral of membrane
      tubing, and diazomethane is generated upon mixing of the two streams. Pure
      diazomethane gas diffuses out of the reaction mixture through the membrane tubing
      (made of gas-permeable Teflon AF-2400). As the membrane tubing is immersed in a
      flask filled with the substrate solution, diazomethane is instantly consumed,
      which minimizes the risk of diazomethane accumulation. For this protocol, the
      reaction of diazomethane with benzoic acid on a 5-mmol scale has been selected as
      a model reaction and is described in detail. Methyl benzoate was isolated in an
      88-90% yield (597-611 mg) within ~3 h.

PMID- 28906495
TI  - Effects of a transition home program on preterm infant emergency room visits
      within 90 days of discharge.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effects of a transition home program (THP) and risk
      factors on emergency room (ER) use within 90 days of discharge for preterm (PT)
      infants <37 weeks gestation. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective 3-year cohort
      study of 804 mothers and 954 PT infants. Mothers received enhanced neonatal
      intensive care unit transition support services until 90 days postdischarge.
      Regression models were run to identify the effects of THP implementation year and
      risk factors on ER visits. RESULTS: Of the 954 infants, 181 (19%) had ER visits
      and 83/181 (46%) had an admission. In regression analysis, THP year 3 vs year 1
      and human milk at discharge were associated with decreased risk of ER visits,
      whereas increased odds was associated with non-English speaking, maternal mental
      health disorders and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. CONCLUSION: Enhanced THP
      services were associated with a 33% decreased risk of all ER visits by year 3.
      Social and environmental risk factors contribute to preventable ER visits.

PMID- 28906496
TI  - Urinary NT-proBNP levels and echocardiographic parameters for patent ductus
      arteriosus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is common in preterm infants and is
      associated with significant morbidities. B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is
      synthesized in the ventricles secondary to volume overload and excreted as
      urinary N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). STUDY DESIGN: We
      report an observational prospective study of 64 preterm infants with birth weight
      ?1000 g. Echocardiographic parameters were obtained from clinical echocardiograms
      performed in the first week of life. Urinary NT-proBNP/creatinine ratios (pg mg
      1) were measured on the same day of the echocardiograms. RESULTS: Infants with
      medium to large PDA (n=39) had significantly higher NT-proBNP/creatinine levels
      compared with infants with small PDA (n=10) (median (IQ range): 2333 (792-6166)
      vs 714 (271-1632) pg mg-1, P=0.01) and compared with infants with no PDA (n=15)
      (2333 (792-6166) vs 390 (134-1085) pg mg-1, P=0.0003). Urinary NT
      proBNP/creatinine ratios were significantly lower post treatment if PDA closed
      (n=17), P=0.001 or if PDA became smaller after treatment (n=9), P=0.004. Urinary
      NT-proBNP/creatinine levels correlated with ductal diameter (P?0.0001), but not
      with LA/Ao ratio (P=0.69) or blood flow velocity through the ductus (P=0.06).
      CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between
      ductal diameter and urinary NT-proBNP in preterm infants.

PMID- 28906499
TI  - [Incomplete POEMS syndrome with multicentric Castleman's disease].
AB  - Castleman's disease (CD) is an atypical lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown
      cause, characterized by non-clonal nodal hyperplastic growth. Two forms of
      clinical presentation are currently recognized, one localized and the other
      multicentric, and four histopathologic variants. It is characterized by
      generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, fever and night sweats. CD may
      present severe pancytopenia, multi-organ failure, lymphoma evolution and it can
      sometimes be associated with paraneoplastic syndromes such as POEMS syndrome.
      Associations of these two entities have been widely described in the current
      literature, although its less common association with amyloidosis is described as
      isolated clinical cases. We report a case with this triple association: EC, POEMS
      and amyloidosis.

PMID- 28906497
TI  - Different formulas, different thresholds and different performance-the prediction
      of macrosomia by ultrasound.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The sonographic prediction of fetal macrosomia affects obstetrical
      decision regarding the timing and mode of delivery. We aimed to compare the
      accuracy of various formulas for prediction of macrosomia at different
      thresholds. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of singleton
      gestations at term, with fetal biometrical measurements taken up to 7 days prior
      to delivery (2007 to 2014). Sonographic estimated fetal weight was calculated
      using 20 previously published formulas. Macrosomia prediction was evaluated for
      every formula utilizing: (1) measures of accuracy (sensitivity, specificity and
      so on); (2) comparison of the systematic and random errors (SE and RE), and the
      proportion of estimates within 10% of actual birth weight for macrosomic and non
      macrosomic neonates. Performance measurements were evaluated for different
      macrosomia thresholds: 4000, 4250 and 4500 g. Best performing formula for every
      threshold was defined as the one with the lowest Euclidean distance
      (=SQRT(SE2+RE2)). RESULTS: Out of 7977 women who met the inclusion criteria, 754
      (9.4%) delivered a neonate weighing ?4000 g, 266 (3.3%) delivered a neonate
      weighing?4250 g and 75 (0.9%) delivered a neonate weighing?4500 g. Considerable
      variability was noted between the accuracy parameters of the different formulas,
      with Woo's formula integrating Abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL)
      as the most sensitive formula with the highest negative predictive value for all
      thresholds and Woo's formula using AC, FL and biparietal diameter (BPD) as the
      most specific for all thresholds. The same formula also demonstrated the best
      overall accuracy. Regardless of threshold chosen, 80% or more of formulas
      demonstrated negative systematic error, meaning lower EFW than actual
      birthweight. As for the Euclidean distance, Hadlock's formula (AC, FL and BPD)
      ranked the highest for the 4000 and 4250 g thresholds, whereas Shepard's formula
      (AC and BPD) ranked the highest for the 4500 g threshold. CONCLUSION:
      Considerable variability exist between formulas for prediction of neonatal
      macrosomia. Formulas by Hadlock's and Shepard's utilizing AC, BPD+/-FL were most
      accurate for macrosomia prediction at 4000, 4250 and 4500 g thresholds,
      respectively.

PMID- 28906501
TI  - Impact of Cleaning Procedures on Adhesion of Living Cells to Three Abutment
      Materials.
AB  - PURPOSE: To test the adhesion properties of live gingival fibroblasts to three
      different implant abutment materials after five different cleaning procedures.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Highly polished discs of lithium disilicate (LS),
      zirconium dioxide (Zr), and titanium alloy (Ti) were fabricated. The specimens
      were cleaned by one of five different methods: steam (S), argon plasma (AP),
      ultrasound and disinfection (UD), ultrasound and sterilization in an autoclave
      (UA), or photofunctionalization with high-intensity ultraviolet light (PF). Cell
      detachment force (adhesion) was measured by single-cell force spectroscopy, which
      is a method to quantify cell adhesion at the single cell level. Data were
      statistically analyzed using parametric tests (analysis of variance [ANOVA], t
      tests). RESULTS: Cell detachment forces in the low nN regime were recorded in all
      experiments. Significant differences in cell adhesion on the different materials
      were found as a function of the cleaning method (P <= .0001). For LS abutments,
      no significant differences between the cleaning methods could be found (P > .05).
      For Zr specimens, the AP method showed the highest cell detachment forces,
      followed by UD, PF, S, and UA (S/UD, S/UA, S/PF, AP/UD, and UD/PF were not
      significantly different from each other). For Ti abutments, UD showed the highest
      cell detachment forces, followed by S, AP, and UA/PF (S/UD, S/UA, S/PF, AP/U, and
      UA/PF were not significantly different from each other). CONCLUSION: All cleaning
      methods provided comparable cell detachment forces for LS abutments. AP/PF or
      ultrasonic cleaning were the most suitable methods for strong cell adhesion on
      Zr. UD provided the best cell adhesion for Ti.

PMID- 28906500
TI  - Fracture of Reduced-Diameter Zirconia Dental Implants Following Repeated
      Insertion.
AB  - PURPOSE: Achievement of high insertion torque values indicating good primary
      stability is a goal during dental implant placement. The objective of this study
      was to evaluate whether or not two-piece implants made from zirconia ceramic may
      be damaged as a result of torque application. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      10 two-piece zirconia implants were repeatedly inserted into polyurethane foam
      material with increasing density and decreasing osteotomy size. The insertion
      torque applied was measured, and implants were checked for fractures by applying
      the fluorescent penetrant method. Weibull probability of failure was calculated
      based on the recorded insertion torque values. RESULTS: Catastrophic failures
      could be seen in five of the implants from two different batches at insertion
      torques ranging from 46.0 to 70.5 Ncm, while the remaining implants (all
      belonging to one batch) survived. Weibull probability of failure seems to be low
      at the manufacturer-recommended maximum insertion torque of 35 Ncm. Chipping
      fractures at the thread tips as well as tool marks were the only otherwise
      observed irregularities. CONCLUSION: While high insertion torques may be
      desirable for immediate loading protocols, zirconia implants may fracture when
      manufacturer-recommended insertion torques are exceeded. Evaluating bone quality
      prior to implant insertion may be useful.

PMID- 28906502
TI  - Opinions Regarding Reuse or Replacement of Implant Prosthesis Retaining Screws: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify whether reuse or replacement is better for managing loose
      screws. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search was performed utilizing
      PubMed, and a further manual search of the reference lists of relevant reviews
      and articles was conducted. Selected inclusion and exclusion criteria were used
      to limit the search. RESULTS: The electronic and manual search provided 243
      titles and abstracts. Full-text analysis was performed for 98 articles, resulting
      in a total of 15 articles that qualified for inclusion in this study. All the
      included articles reported that loose screws were reused and retightened or were
      replaced by new screws. The time of screw loosening ranged from 1 month to 3
      years after delivery. Available details of numbers and frequency of screw
      loosening permitted only limited analysis from very few articles. A total of 44
      loose screws reported in two articles did not loosen again after retightening
      once. CONCLUSION: From the very limited available literature, it appears that
      retightening an occlusal screw or abutment screw is an acceptable procedure, as
      the evidence shows that retightened screws seem to remain tight. Replacement of
      screws as a routine procedure cannot be recommended. Routine assessment of screw
      tightness is recommended to minimize additional and more severe complications.

PMID- 28906503
TI  - Release of Irretrievable Abutment Healing Caps Using Cooling: Proof of Concept
      and Clinical Recommendations.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the relation between irretrievable abutment healing caps
      (AHCs), temperature, and the torque required to remove the AHCs from implants.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty implants, 13 mm long and 4.2 mm in diameter, were
      inserted into four acrylic boxes and covered with acrylic resin. An AHC was
      screwed into each implant, using a 30 N/cm torque. The acrylic blocks were placed
      in a 37 degrees C water bath, and subsequently, a block was removed from the
      bath, the AHCs were cooled, and the torque needed to release each AHC from the
      implant was measured using a torque wrench. The cooling methods applied were
      contact with an ice cube for 10 or 25 seconds or spraying of endodontic
      refrigerant spray for 3 seconds. The control abutments were similarly tested, but
      without prior cooling. RESULTS: The application of ice cubes for 10 seconds
      reduced the mean releasing torque from 29.60 +/- 1.22 N/cm to 28.55 +/- 1.96 N/cm
      (P = .01). Cooling the AHCs with ice cubes for 25 seconds reduced the mean
      required releasing torque from 29.6 N/cm to 27.85 +/- 1.22 N/cm (P < .001).
      Cooling the same abutments using endodontic refrigerant spray for 3 seconds
      reduced the mean releasing torque to 27.74 +/- 2.13 N/cm (P < .001). CONCLUSION:
      Within the limitations of this study, it is possible to conclude that cooling the
      AHC reduces the torque required for its release from the implant. This finding
      may also be relevant to the removal of prosthetic abutments with irretrievable
      screws.

PMID- 28906504
TI  - Association Between Clinical and Microbiologic Cluster Profiles and Peri
      implantitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The correlation between associated local factors and peri-implantitis
      remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between
      the clinical and microbiologic profiles and peri-implantitis to eventually
      categorize different groups of this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects with
      at least one implant presenting signs of peri-implantitis were selected. The
      clinical, radiographic, occlusal, and microbiologic profiles of these infected
      implants were collected. Cases were classified into five peri-implantitis groups
      according to potential disease-triggering factors: surgically, prosthetically,
      biomechanically, purely plaque-associated, and a combination of them. Generalized
      estimating equations models were used to study differences among the potential
      risk factors. Cluster analyses were applied to investigate the correlation
      between clinical and microbiologic profiles and diseased implant samples.
      RESULTS: Overall, 110 diseased and 121 healthy implants were included. The
      biomechanically associated group showed higher levels of microbiologic
      contamination inside the connection; however, the plaque-associated group had a
      higher level of microbial variety in the peri-implant sulcus. Cluster analyses
      demonstrated a significant ability to predict the associated factor of peri
      implantitis. Moreover, radiographic marginal bone loss and implant width
      demonstrated the largest influence on the model. CONCLUSION: While peri
      implantitis represents a plaque-induced inflammatory condition, certain local
      factors might be associated with this biologic complication, as they imply plaque
      retention. Therefore, disease classification could be further implemented with
      the associated surgical, prosthetic, and biomechanical factors to better target
      the etiology.

PMID- 28906505
TI  - Outcomes Assessment of Treating Completely Edentulous Patients with a Fixed
      Implant-Supported Profile Prosthesis Utilizing a Graftless Approach. Part 2:
      Patient-Related Outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess outcomes of treating completely edentulous patients with a
      fixed implant-supported profile prosthesis, utilizing a graftless approach, for
      the maxilla and for the mandible, with an emphasis on patient-related outcomes,
      specifically maximum occlusal force, patient satisfaction, and impact on quality
      of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with the
      following inclusion criteria: completely edentulous patients rehabilitated with a
      fixed implant-supported profile denture, utilizing a graftless approach. Patients
      fulfilling the inclusion criteria were asked to participate in the study during
      their follow-up visits; hence, a consecutive sampling strategy was used. To
      measure maximum occlusal force, a digital occlusal force gauge was used. Subjects
      were asked to answer a paper survey distributed in the clinic. The survey
      contained general demographic questions, visual analog scale (VAS) categories,
      and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). RESULTS: The mean VAS score was 8.9
      out of a possible 10. The mean OHIP-14 score was 7.5 out of a possible 56. The
      mean maximum occlusal force recorded in the anterior region was 108 Ncm. The mean
      maximum occlusal force recorded in the posterior region was 205 Ncm. CONCLUSION:
      Results indicated that patients treated with a graftless approach reported high
      satisfaction and impact on quality of life. Regarding maximum occlusal force
      values, significant differences between men and women were reported. The impact
      on quality of life seemed to improve when patients presented completely
      edentulous at the time of treatment as opposed to terminal dentition. Finally,
      significant positive correlations were detected between satisfaction and impact
      on quality of life, impact on quality of life and posterior maximum occlusal
      force, anterior and posterior maximum occlusal force, and complications and
      anterior maximum occlusal force.

PMID- 28906506
TI  - Stability of Grafted Implant Placement Sites After Sinus Floor Elevation Using a
      Layering Technique: 10-Year Clinical and Radiographic Results.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term survival rates and radiographic stability of sinus
      floor elevations carried out using a two-layer grafting technique. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Records were analyzed for patients treated with sinus floor elevations
      using a modified technique. Phycogenic hydroxyapatite (Algipore, Dentsply Sirona
      Implants) and autogenous bone particles harvested from intraoral sites were
      grafted in two distinct layers after elevation of the sinus mucosae. In this
      approach, the basal part of the sinus floor is grafted with autogenous bone,
      while the cranial part is grafted with the phycogenic hydroxyapatite. In some
      cases, implants were placed simultaneously, such that the entire surface of each
      implant was covered by autogenous bone particles. A titanium membrane was used to
      close the sinus window, and the implants were loaded 3 months later. In two-stage
      approaches, the implants were inserted 3 to 4 months after the grafting and
      loaded after 3 additional months. Panoramic radiographs were taken after the
      grafting procedure, after implant insertion, after the prosthetic restoration,
      and then annually for 10 years. These radiographs were used to measure the height
      between the implant shoulders and the top of the graft. RESULTS: Of the 214 sinus
      floor elevations performed on 129 patients using the bilayering technique, 198
      procedures in 118 patients were included in the study (136 one-stage and 62 two
      stage). Membrane perforations during surgery occurred in 17.9% of the procedures
      and were sutured and sealed with fibrin glue. A total of 487 implants were placed
      in the grafted areas. No severe postoperative complications occurred, but three
      implants were lost throughout the 10-year follow-up period. A small decrease of
      vertical height was observed between the grafting surgery and the stage-two
      surgery (mean: 1.8 mm). After that, no bone height was lost over the 10 years.
      CONCLUSION: The layer grafting technique in combination with sinus floor
      elevation resulted in radiographically stable vertical bone height for 10 years.
      This technique enabled early placement and loading of implants in the grafted
      areas. The survival rate obtained with this procedure is similar to that expected
      for implants placed in nongrafted areas.

PMID- 28906507
TI  - Influence of the Diameter of Dental Implants Replacing Single Molars: 3- to 6
      Year Follow-Up.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the implant
      diameter on marginal bone remodeling around dental implants replacing single
      molars after a follow-up period of 3 to 6 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients
      who received dental implants with an external hexagon platform in healed sites to
      support a single metal-ceramic crown in the molar region were recalled to the
      office. The implantation sites and implant length information were recorded, and
      the implants were divided according to the implant diameter: regular (RP) or wide
      (WP). Each implant was assessed by digital periapical radiography, using a sensor
      holder for the paralleling technique. The marginal bone remodeling was determined
      as the distance from the implant platform to the first bone-to-implant contact,
      and the known implant length was used to calibrate the images in the computer
      software. The follow-up measurements were compared with those obtained from the
      radiograph taken at the time of prosthetic loading to determine the late bone
      remodeling. The independent t test was used to compare data. RESULTS: A total of
      67 implants from 46 patients were evaluated with a mean follow-up period of 4.5
      +/- 1.0 years. The RP group comprised 36 implants from 29 patients (mean age:
      58.3 +/- 10.6 years), while 31 implants from 17 patients (mean age: 56.9 +/- 11.5
      years) were included in the WP group. The RP group presented lower survival rates
      (86.1%) than the WP group (100.0%). Similar marginal bone loss (P < .05) was
      identified for the RP and WP groups (1.35 +/- 0.96 mm and 1.06 +/- 0.70 mm,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: Although wide-diameter implants exhibited lower
      incidence failures, the bone levels were similar after the prosthetic loading
      around regular- and wide-diameter implants supporting single molar crowns.

PMID- 28906508
TI  - A Prospective Case-Control Clinical Study of Titanium-Zirconium Alloy Implants
      with a Hydrophilic Surface in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively the behavior of narrow-diameter (3.3-mm)
      titanium-zirconium alloy implants with a hydrophilic surface (Straumann Roxolid
      SLActive) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in single-unit restorations,
      compared with a healthy control group (assessed using the glycosylated hemoglobin
      HbA1c test). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients evaluated in this study required
      single-unit implant treatment; 15 patients had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 14
      patients were healthy (control group [CG]). Marginal bone level (MBL) change
      around the implants was evaluated using conventional, sequential periapical
      digital radiographs. Patient HbA1c was assessed in each check-up. Normality test
      (Kolmogorov-Smirnov), univariate and multivariate logistic regression, analysis
      of variance (ANOVA), and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis.
      RESULTS: No differences in MBL change and implant survival and success rates were
      found between the diabetes mellitus group (DMG) versus the control group, either
      during the initial recording (DMG, 0.99 +/- 0.56 vs CG, 0.68 +/- 0.54; P > .05)
      or 6 months after restoration (DMG, 1.28 +/- 0.38 vs CG, 1.11 +/- 0.59; P > .05).
      No significant correlation between HbA1c levels and MBL change was detected in
      these patients (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Patients with glycemic control exhibit
      similar outcomes to healthy individuals with regard to the investigated
      parameters. In light of these findings, the titanium-zirconium alloy small
      diameter implants can be used in the anterior region of the mouth in type 2
      diabetic patients.

PMID- 28906509
TI  - Association of Systemic Conditions with Dental Implant Failures in 6,384 Patients
      During a 31-Year Follow-up Period.
AB  - PURPOSE: Outcome research has become an increasingly important form of clinical
      evidence for making health care decisions, including oral health considerations
      in the field of dentistry. In oral reconstruction involving dental implants, the
      risk of implant failure may be influenced by a patient's underlying medical
      condition. To identify associations, implant failure and systemic conditions or
      diseases were studied in a consecutive series of patients who received dental
      implants from October 1, 1983, to December 31, 2014, in the Department of Dental
      Specialties at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data
      were abstracted from a prospective clinical database and electronic health
      records for patients' demographic, implant-specific, and medical profiles to
      determine time to first implant failure. Survival free of implant failure at the
      patient level was estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier method. Associations of
      demographic and systemic characteristics with implant failure were evaluated by
      using Cox proportional hazards regression models and summarized with hazard
      ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The patient cohort consisted of
      6,358 patients with a median age of 53 years at placement of the first implant. A
      total of 713 patients experienced implant failure at a median of 0.6 years. Among
      the 5,645 patients who did not experience implant failure, the median duration of
      follow-up was 5.8 years. More than 20 systemic diseases or conditions were
      identified for assessment, of which 15 comprised more than 50 patients and five
      comprised more than 500 patients. All associations were adjusted for age, sex,
      and era of implant, given the strong influence of these features on implant
      failure. After adjustment, no systemic disease or condition was shown to increase
      the risk for implant failure in the population and setting studied. CONCLUSION:
      Patients considering oral reconstruction involving implants in the medical
      setting studied do not appear to risk implant loss because of systemic conditions
      or diseases.

PMID- 28906510
TI  - Retrospective Analysis on Survival Rate, Template-Related Complications, and
      Prevalence of Peri-implantitis of 694 Anodized Implants Placed Using Computer
      Guided Surgery: Results Between 1 and 10 Years of Follow-Up.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report survival rate, early surgical template-related complications,
      and prevalence of peri-implantitis of dental implants placed in private practices
      using computer-guided, template-assisted surgery and followed between 1 and 10
      years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present retrospective multicenter study
      evaluated data collected from fully or partially edentulous patients, with
      anodized-surface implants placed using computer-guided, template-assisted surgery
      between January 2006 and December 2015. The outcome measures were implant
      cumulative survival rate (CSR), early surgical complications involving the
      surgical template, and prevalence of peri-implantitis. RESULTS: A total of 694
      implants were placed in 141 patients. Ten patients (7.1%) with 48 implants (6.9%)
      dropped out during the study period. One hundred seventeen patients, who received
      121 surgical and prosthetic procedures, were treated according to a double-scan
      protocol, while the remaining 24 patients were treated by using the integrated
      treatment workflow. Most of the implants were immediately loaded (528 implants,
      76.1%; 112 patients, 79.4%). Overall, 107 complete full-arch restorations
      (supported by four to eight implants each) were delivered in 103 patients (73%)
      with 595 implants (85.7%), while 13 single and 30 partial restorations (two to
      five implants each) were delivered in 38 patients (27%) with 99 implants (14.3%).
      Patients were followed for up to 10 years (mean: 58.2 months, range: 12 to 120
      months). Implant- and patient-level CSR (Kaplan-Meier estimation) at the 10-year
      follow-up was 97.4% (95% CI: 1.0309 to 0.9161) and 92.1% (95% CI: 1.1575 to
      0.6836), respectively. All failed implants were lost before definitive prosthesis
      delivery (early failure). Ten (7.1%) minor template-related complications were
      experienced and resolved chairside. Over the entire follow-up period, four
      patients (2.8%) with 12 implants (1.7%) showed signs of peri-implantitis at the 1
      (four implants), 2- (four implants), and 4-year (four implants) visits.
      CONCLUSION: High long-term survival rates and low complications and prevalence of
      peri-implantitis were observed for a large cohort of anodized-surface implants
      placed in private practices. Further studies are needed to confirm these
      preliminary results.

PMID- 28906511
TI  - Association of Cytokine Gene Polymorphism with Peri-implantitis Risk.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether polymorphisms of cluster of differentiation 14
      (CD14), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin (IL)6, IL10, and
      IL1ra genes are associated with the risk of peri-implantitis susceptibility in
      patients with dental implants in the Serbian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Isolated DNA from the blood was used for IL10-1082, TNFalpha-308, IL6-174, CD14
      159, and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1ra) genotyping using polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR)-based methodology. Clinical parameters included: peri
      implant pocket depth (PPD), Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), bleeding on
      probing (BOP), and radiologic bone loss. RESULTS: The study included 98 patients
      with dental implants in function for at least 1 year, divided into peri
      implantitis (34) and healthy peri-implant tissue (64) groups. The percentage
      distribution of smokers was significantly different between patients who
      developed peri-implantitis and patients with healthy peri-implant tissue (71% vs
      42%, respectively) and associated with increased peri-implantitis risk (OR:
      3.289, 95% CI: 1.352 to 8.001; P = .007). A positive history of periodontitis was
      more frequent in the peri-implantitis group (62%) than in the healthy peri
      implant tissue (20%) group and associated with increased peri-implantitis risk
      (OR: 6.337, 95% CI: 2.522 to 15.927; P = .0001). Frequencies of CD14-159,
      TNFalpha-308, IL10-1082, and IL6-174 genotypes were significantly different
      between patients with and without peri-implantitis. However, logistic regression
      revealed only TNFalpha-308 polymorphic GA/AA genotypes (OR: 8.890, 95% CI: 2.15
      to 36.7; P = .003) and smoking (OR: 6.2, 95% CI: 1.44 to 26.7; P = .014) as
      independent factors associated with increased peri-implantitis risk, while CD14
      159 polymorphic CT/TT genotypes were associated with decreased risk for peri
      implantitis (OR: 0.059, 95% CI: 0.009 to 0.355; P = .002). CONCLUSION: The
      findings suggest that smoking and the presence of TNFalpha-308 GA/AA genotypes
      may increase the risk for peri-implantitis, while CD14-159 polymorphic CT/TT
      genotypes decrease the risk. The results also indicate significant association of
      CD14-159, TNFalpha-308, and IL6-174 genotypes and clinical parameters in the
      Serbian population. However, future studies in larger patient groups are
      necessary to confirm these observations.

PMID- 28906512
TI  - Three series of heterometallic NiII-LnIII Schiff base complexes: synthesis,
      crystal structures and magnetic characterization.
AB  - Three series of NiII-LnIII complexes were synthesized with the general formulae
      [(MU3-CO3)2{Ni(HL)(CH3-CH2OH)Ln(CH3COO)}2].2CH3CH2OH (1-6) (Ln = Tb (1), Dy (2),
      Ho (3), Er (4), Tm (5), Yb (6); H3L = N,N'-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)-1,3-diamino
      2-prop-anol), [Ni(HL)Ln(dbm)3].CH3OH2.2CH2Cl2 (7-10) (Ln = Tb (7), Eu (8), Gd
      (9), Ho (10); Hdbm = 1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedione) and
      [Ni(HL)(H2O)(tfa)Ln(hfac)2] (11-15) (Ln = Tb (11), Dy (12), Eu (13), Gd (14), Ho
      (15); Hhfac = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dione, tfa- = trifluoroacetate)
      using compartmental Schiff base ligands in conjunction with auxiliary ligands.
      For the NiLn series, the tetranuclear structure could be considered as two NiII
      LnIII dinuclear subunits bridged by two carbonates derived from atmospheric
      carbon dioxide. The LnIII ions of complexes 1-6 were octa-coordinated with
      distorted triangular dodecahedral geometry, while the LnIII ions of the dinuclear
      complexes 7-15 were nona-coordinated with distorted muffin geometry. The magnetic
      properties of the three series complexes were studied using dc and ac magnetic
      measurements. For the NiII-GdIII complexes, the dc magnetic susceptibility
      measurements suggested the existence of the anticipated ferromagnetic interaction
      between NiII and GdIII ions. The fitting of the chiMT vs. T data processed by PHI
      software provided the parameters g = 2.08 (J = +0.87 cm-1) for 9 and g = 2.02 (J
      = +1.83 cm-1) for 14. The interaction exchange was magneto-structurally
      correlated to the Ni-O-Gd angle (alpha) and Ni(MU-O)Gd dihedral angle (beta).
      With an applied dc field, complexes 1 (Tb), 2 (Dy), 7 (Tb) and 12 (Dy) exhibited
      single magnetic relaxation with SMM parameters of Ueff/k = 13.60 K, 11.52 K, 7.69
      K and 5.14 K, respectively. Analysis of the Cole-Cole plots for complexes 2 and 7
      suggested that a single relaxation process was mainly involved in the relaxation
      process, with alpha values in the range of 0.37-0.17 and 0.14-0.11, respectively.

PMID- 28906513
TI  - Valence directed binding mode of [2 * 2] iron grids of an unsymmetrical picolinic
      hydrazone based ligand.
AB  - A new unsymmetrical ditopic ligand H2L was used to synthesize two [2 * 2] grid
      type tetranuclear trivalent and mixed-valent Fe, FeFe complexes, respectively.
      Both complexes [Fe(L')4] (1) and [FeFe(L)4](BF4)2.2CH3CN (2) have been X-ray
      structurally characterized. The magnetic properties of complexes 1 and 2 show
      dominant antiferromagnetic coupling. Mossbauer studies were carried out to
      confirm the electronic states of the iron centres. The structural properties of
      the two complexes are diverse though they have been synthesized from the same
      ligand but under different conditions. In 1, all the Fe(iii) metal centres are
      coordinated by two pairs of parallel but oppositely aligned ligand strands
      arranged in a 'head-to-tail' fashion, whereas in 2, Fe(ii) and Fe(iii) metal
      centres are coordinated by two pairs of parallel aligned ligand strands arranged
      in a 'head-to-head' fashion.

PMID- 28906514
TI  - Anionic cyclometallated Pt(ii) square-planar complexes: new sets of highly
      luminescent compounds.
AB  - Two series of novel NBu4+ salts of anionic cyclometallated Pt(ii) complexes were
      synthesized and fully characterized. These highly luminescent compounds
      (NBu4[(C^N)Pt(O^N)] and NBu4[(C^N)Pt(O^O)]) are incorporated as testing examples
      of cyclometallating ligands 2-phenylpyridine (PhPy), 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)
      pyridine (F2PhPy) and 2-thienylpyridine (ThPy), and a benzo[h]quinoline (Bzq)
      fragment. All complexes display a square-planar coordination sphere, wherein the
      "(C^N)Pt" fragment is completed either by an O^N orotate (Ort) or an O^O
      tetrabromocatecholate (Cat) ligand. The HOMO and LUMO levels of all complexes
      were estimated by cyclic voltammetry and a comprehensive electrochemical and
      photophysical study was performed. The new complexes are emissive in solution at
      298 K and the NBu4[(ThPy)Pt(Ort)] complex displays good photosensitizing
      properties (Phi = 28% in deaerated solution vs. Phi = 1.4% in the presence of
      O2). Both series of NBu4[(C^N)Pt(Ort)] and NBu4[(C^N)Pt(Cat)] complexes are
      highly luminescent in the solid state (emission quantum yields from 10 to 85%).
      Remarkably, the square-planar Pt(ii) anionic complexes showed an important
      increase in luminescence quantum yields on changing from the dilute solution to
      the solid state (the most significant from 0.13% to 85% for the
      NBu4[(PhPy)Pt(Ort)] complex, an ideal candidate as an active species for LEECs).

PMID- 28906515
TI  - Study of the presence of spherical deformations on the Al top electrode due to
      electroforming in rewritable organic resistive memories.
AB  - Physical deformations are observed at the top electrodes during the
      electroforming process in Al/PEDOT:PSS + nitrogen doped multiwalled carbon
      nanotube (N-MWCNTs)/Al rewritable resistive memory devices. These physical
      deformations arise from electrochemical reactions, i.e., a reduction reaction in
      the native Al oxide layer, which are similar to those reported in TiO2-based
      resistive memory devices. These memory devices are electroformed at the ON state
      using an ~-2 V pulse or at the OFF state using an ~3 V pulse. These processes are
      current-controlled; a minimum compliance current is necessary to obtain the
      electroforming of the device, generally between 5 to 10 mA. SEM and AFM
      micrographs show the presence of spherical deformations at the top electrode due
      to O2 gas formation generated by the reduction in the native AlOx layer during
      the electroformation, with a diameter of ~7 micrometres for positive voltage or a
      smaller diameter of ~3 micrometres for negative voltage. After top-electrode
      delamination, circular craters are found in the active layer in the vicinity of
      the N-MWCNTs, which only occurs when a negative voltage is used in the
      electroformation, indicating that film damage is induced by oxygen bubbles
      created at the bottom electrode/polymeric film interface.

PMID- 28906516
TI  - A highly fluorinated lithium iron phosphate with interpenetrating lattices:
      electrochemistry and ionic conductivity.
AB  - Li5Fe2PO4F8, a new member of the family of alkali transition metal
      fluorophosphates, has been synthesized and characterized using single-crystal X
      ray diffraction, 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility
      measurements. The existence of an infinite {-[PO4(FeF4)2]-}infinity tetrahedral
      network in an inter-penetrated diamond lattice, along with the presence of seven
      unique Li sites, presents interesting structural features of this structure-type
      for energy storage applications. The initial results of (de)lithiation reveal
      that a relatively low fraction of theoretical capacity may be utilized reversibly
      (0.2 Li+ ion per formula unit), possibly due to the lack of available free volume
      for Li+ insertion. The high Li content and the existence of large channels in all
      3-dimensions of space also offer opportunities to study this material as a
      candidate for solid-state electrolytes. The results from electro-impedance
      measurements reveal the reasonable activation energy of Li diffusion (0.70 eV),
      which is also supported by theoretical calculations.

PMID- 28906520
TI  - Strontium-coordination polymers based on tetrafluorophthalic and phthalic acids:
      mechanochemical synthesis, ab initio structures determination, and spectroscopic
      characterization.
AB  - Two strontium-based dicarboxylate systems [Sr(oBDC-F4)(H2O)2] (1) and
      [{Sr(oBDC)(H2O)2}.H2O] (2) were synthesized mechanochemically via milling of
      Sr(OH)2.8H2O with tetrafluorophthalic acid (H2oBDC-F4) or phthalic acid (H2oBDC),
      respectively. The new structures were determined ab initio from the powder X-ray
      diffraction (PXRD) data. Both compounds 1 and 2 crystallize in the monoclinic
      space group P21/c as two-dimensional coordination polymers (2D-CPs). The
      determined structures were validated by extended X-ray absorption (EXAFS) data.
      Compounds 1 and 2 show different thermal stabilities. The fluorinated CP 1 is
      decomposed at 300  degrees C while the nonfluorinated CP 2 transforms into a new
      phase after thermal treatment at 400  degrees C. The two hydrated CPs exhibit
      small surface areas which increase after the thermal post-treatment for 1 but
      remains unchanged for the dehydrated sample of 2. Dynamic vapor sorption (DVS)
      experiments indicate that both the dehydrated and hydrated samples of 2 depict no
      significant differences in their adsorption isotherms. The DVS of water indicates
      that the phase transition after thermal post-treatment of 2 is irreversible.

PMID- 28906521
TI  - Inter-cluster distance dependence of electrical properties in single crystals of
      a mixed-valence polyoxometalate.
AB  - The electrical conductivity of mixed-valence [MoMoO54(SO3)2]6- tetraalkylammonium
      salts was investigated through dependence on the inter-cluster distance that is
      controlled by tetraethylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, and tetrabutylammonium
      cations. The crystallographic analysis of single crystals revealed that the inter
      cluster distances are dependent on the chain length of the alkyl groups on the
      counter cations. In addition, the electrical conductivities of the single
      crystals were found to be dependent on both temperature and chain length. Mixed
      valence polyoxometalate (POM) clusters are considered to be a molecular particle
      of Mo bronze by which highly ordered networks will be developed using single
      crystals, where POMs are rather small and have a well-organized structure
      compared to colloidal nanostructures.

PMID- 28906522
TI  - Correlation between electronic structure, transport and electrochemical
      properties of a LiNi1-y-zCoyMnzO2 cathode material.
AB  - Herein, the correlation between electronic structure, transport and
      electrochemical properties of layered LixNi1-y-zCoyMnzO2 cathode material is
      revealed. Comprehensive experimental studies of physicochemical properties of
      LixNi1-y-zCoyMnzO2 cathode material (XRD, electrical conductivity, thermoelectric
      power) are supported by electronic structure calculations performed using the
      Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method with the coherent potential approximation (KKR-CPA)
      to account for the chemical disorder. It is found that even small O defects (~1%)
      could significantly modify electronic density of states DOS characteristics via
      the formation of extra broad peaks inside the former band gap leading to its
      substantial narrowing. The calculated DOS values and their changes near EF tend
      to support experimental findings with irregular changes in the sign of
      thermoelectric power as well as the behavior of electrical conductivity curves as
      a function of Li content. Furthermore, the variations of the electromotive force
      of the Li/Li+/LixNi1-y-zCoyMnzO2 cell (for 0 < x < 1) remains in a quite good
      agreement with the relative variation of EF on DOS calculated from the KKR-CPA
      method.

PMID- 28906523
TI  - Low-temperature-flux syntheses of ultraviolet-transparent borophosphates
      Na4MB2P3O13 (M = Rb, Cs) exhibiting a second-harmonic generation response.
AB  - The first non-centrosymmetric mixed-alkali-metal borophosphates, Na4MB2P3O13 (M =
      Rb 1, Cs 2), were obtained using a low-temperature flux method. Single-crystal X
      ray diffraction studies of 1 and 2 reveal that the two compounds are
      isostructural, both crystallizing in the orthorhombic space group Pna21; their
      structures consist of novel 1D borophosphate chains constructed from B2P3O14
      fundamental building units, assembled into a 3D framework by alkali metal
      cations. Second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements show that 1 and 2 are type
      I phase-matchable, with SHG responses ca. 0.35 and 0.42 times that of KH2PO4,
      respectively. The cut-off edges of 1 and 2 are ca. 276 and 267 nm, respectively,
      which suggests that they are potential ultraviolet nonlinear optical materials.
      Density functional theory calculations were employed to shed light on the band
      structure and density of states as well as the electron density distribution.

PMID- 28906524
TI  - Spiers Memorial Lecture. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: from single
      particle/molecule spectroscopy to angstrom-scale spatial resolution and
      femtosecond time resolution.
AB  - Four decades on, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) continues to be a
      vibrant field of research that is growing (approximately) exponentially in scope
      and applicability while pushing at the ultimate limits of sensitivity, spatial
      resolution, and time resolution. This introductory paper discusses some aspects
      related to all four of the themes for this Faraday Discussion. First, the
      wavelength-scanned SERS excitation spectroscopy (WS-SERES) of single nanosphere
      oligomers (viz., dimers, trimers, etc.), the distance dependence of SERS, the
      magnitude of the chemical enhancement mechanism, and the progress toward
      developing surface-enhanced femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SE-FSRS)
      are discussed. Second, our efforts to develop a continuous, minimally invasive,
      in vivo glucose sensor based on SERS are highlighted. Third, some aspects of our
      recent work in single molecule SERS and the translation of that effort to
      angstrom-scale spatial resolution in ultrahigh vacuum tip-enhanced Raman
      spectroscopy (UHV-TERS) and single molecule electrochemistry using
      electrochemical (EC)-TERS will be presented. Finally, we provide an overview of
      analytical SERS with our viewpoints on SERS substrates, approaches to address the
      analyte generality problem (i.e. target molecules that do not spontaneously
      adsorb and/or have Raman cross sections <10-29 cm2 sr-1), SERS for catalysis, and
      deep UV-SERS.

PMID- 28906526
TI  - A series of Mg-Zn heterometallic coordination polymers: synthesis,
      characterization, and fluorescence sensing for Fe3+, CS2, and nitroaromatic
      compounds.
AB  - Herein, the solvothermal preparations, crystal structures, and fluorescence
      properties of three Mg-Zn heterometallic coordination polymers (CPs), i.e.
      [Mg2Zn2(OH)2(1,4-NDC)3(H2O)2].6H2O (1), [Mg1.13Zn1.87(1,4-NDC)3(dppe)(CH3OH)]
      (2), and [Mg1.17Zn1.83(1,4-NDC)3(py)2].1.5py (3), based on the mixed ligands of
      1,4-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid (1,4-H2NDC) and N-containing ligands of 1,3
      di(4-pyridyl)propane (dppe) or pyridine (py) are presented. In the title
      compounds, Zn and Mg are statistically distributed, as confirmed by single
      crystal analysis, and the ratios of Zn and Mg have been identified by inductively
      coupled plasma (ICP) measurements. In compound 1, the metal ions are tetra- or
      hexa-coordinated by the oxygen atoms of the carboxylate and MU3-OH group to form
      a one-dimensional (1D) ribbon, and these 1D ribbons are further bridged by 1,4
      NDC linkers to grow into a 3D framework with 1D channels along the b axis. In
      compounds 2 and 3, the metal ions also adopt tetra- or hexa-coordination modes
      and are inter-bridged by carboxylate oxygen atoms to form a tri-nuclear secondary
      building unit (SBU). Due to the introduction of N-containing ligands acting as
      terminal molecules, these SBUs are linked by 1,4-NDC ligands to form a 2D
      network. Photoluminescence (PL) studies indicated that the title compounds showed
      strong blue emissions. Significantly, compound 1 demonstrated sensitive
      fluorescence sensing for Fe3+, carbon disulfide (CS2), and nitroaromatic
      compounds at low concentrations. The fluorescence sensing properties of compound
      2 were also comparatively investigated in detail.

PMID- 28906525
TI  - Stereolithographic printing of ionically-crosslinked alginate hydrogels for
      degradable biomaterials and microfluidics.
AB  - 3D printed biomaterials with spatial and temporal functionality could enable
      interfacial manipulation of fluid flows and motile cells. However, such dynamic
      biomaterials are challenging to implement since they must be responsive to
      multiple, biocompatible stimuli. Here, we show stereolithographic printing of
      hydrogels using noncovalent (ionic) crosslinking, which enables reversible
      patterning with controlled degradation. We demonstrate this approach using sodium
      alginate, photoacid generators and various combinations of divalent cation salts,
      which can be used to tune the hydrogel degradation kinetics, pattern fidelity,
      and mechanical properties. This approach is first utilized to template perfusable
      microfluidic channels within a second encapsulating hydrogel for T-junction and
      gradient devices. The presence and degradation of printed alginate
      microstructures were further verified to have minimal toxicity on epithelial
      cells. Degradable alginate barriers were used to direct collective cell migration
      from different initial geometries, revealing differences in front speed and
      leader cell formation. Overall, this demonstration of light-based 3D printing
      using non-covalent crosslinking may enable adaptive and stimuli-responsive
      biomaterials, which could be utilized for bio-inspired sensing, actuation, drug
      delivery, and tissue engineering.

PMID- 28906527
TI  - Mango-bagasse functional-confectionery: vehicle for enhancing bioaccessibility
      and permeability of phenolic compounds.
AB  - Functional confectionery can be exploited as a vehicle for the protection of
      phenolic compounds (PCs) and for enhancing absorption during the gastrointestinal
      (GI) process. In this study, a confection containing 20% of mango bagasse (MB),
      gelatin and pectin was formulated. The PC profile, antioxidant capacity, in vitro
      bioaccessibility and apparent permeability (Papp) during mouth-stomach-intestine
      digestion (15, 30, 60, 120 min) and in vitro colonic fermentation (6, 12, 24 h)
      were evaluated for MB and the mango bagasse confection (MBC). HPLC-DAD analysis
      showed that mangiferin (830.69 MUg g-1) was the most abundant compound in MBC.
      Total PCs (4.14 mg g-1), quercetin (244.83 MUg g-1), and gallic acid (GA) (285.43
      MUg g-1) were highly bioaccessible mainly at the intestine at 60-120 min of
      digestion. GA was the most bioaccessible compound. Total flavonoids (TFs) and
      condensed tannins (CTs) had the maximum bioaccessibility in the mouth and
      stomach, respectively. For the permeability studies, PCs showed efflux rather
      than uptake in the intestine. Those compounds that exhibited intestinal
      absorption were mangiferin > GA > total PCs > TFs, whereas quercetin and CT
      absorption was negligible. The antioxidant capacity remained unchanged along the
      GI, mangiferin and quercetin being the most likely compounds to exert this
      activity. Overall results indicate that MBC has higher bioaccessibility,
      absorption and antioxidant capacity than MB, suggesting an effective protective
      role of gelatin and pectin, giving insight into the potential of MBC as a
      functional food.

PMID- 28906528
TI  - Real-time activity assays of beta-lactamases in living bacterial cells:
      application to the inhibition of antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains.
AB  - The emergence of antibiotic resistance caused by beta-lactamases, including
      serine beta-lactamases (SbetaLs) and metallo-beta-lactamases (MbetaLs), is a
      global public health threat. L1, a B3 subclass MbetaL, hydrolyzes almost all of
      known beta-lactam antibiotics. We report a simple and straightforward UV-Vis
      approach for real-time activity assays of beta-lactamases inside living bacterial
      cells, and this method has been exemplified by choosing antibiotics, L1 enzyme,
      Escherichia coli expressing L1 (L1 E. coli), Escherichia coli expressing extended
      spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL-E. coli), clinical bacterial strains, and reported
      MbetaL and SbetaL inhibitors. The cell-based studies demonstrated that cefazolin
      was hydrolyzed by L1 E. coli and clinical strains, and confirmed the hydrolysis
      to be inhibited by two known L1 inhibitors EDTA and azolylthioacetamide (ATAA),
      with an IC50 value of 1.6 and 18.9 MUM, respectively. Also, it has been confirmed
      that the breakdown of cefazolin caused by ESBL-E. coli was inhibited by
      clavulanic acid, the first SbetaL inhibitor approved by FDA. The data gained
      through this approach are closely related to the biological function of the
      target enzyme in its physiological environment. The UV-Vis method proposed here
      can be applied to target-based whole-cell screening to search for potent beta
      lactamase inhibitors, and to assays of reactions in complex biological systems,
      for instance in medical assays.

PMID- 28906529
TI  - The effect of iloprost and sildenafil, alone and in combination, on myocardial
      ischaemia and nitric oxide and irisin levels.
AB  - AIM: Insufficient oxygen supply to organs and tissues due to reduced arterial or
      venous blood flow results in ischaemia, during which, although ATP production
      stops, AMP and adenosine continue to be produced from ATP. The fate of irisin,
      which causes the production of heat instead of ATP during ischaemia, is unknown.
      Iloprost and sildenafil are two pharmaceutical agents that mediate the resumption
      of reperfusion (blood supply) via vasodilatation during ischaemic conditions. Our
      study aimed to explore the effects of iloprost and sildenafil on irisin levels in
      the heart, liver and kidney tissues and whether these pharmaceutical agents had
      any impact on serum irisin and nitric oxide levels in rats with induced
      experimental myocardial ischaemia. METHODS: The study included adult male Sprague
      Dawley rats aged 10 months and weighing between 250 and 280 g. The animals were
      randomly allocated to eight groups, with five rats in each group. The groups
      were: sham (control), iloprost (ILO), sildenafil (SIL), ILO + SIL, myocardial
      ischaemia (MI), MI + ILO, MI + SIL and MI + ILO + SIL. The treatment protocols
      were implemented before inducing ischaemia, which was done by occluding the left
      coronary artery with a plastic ligature for 30 minutes. Following the reperfusion
      procedure, all rats were sacrificed after 24 hours, and their heart, liver and
      kidney tissues and blood samples were collected for analyses. An
      immunohistochemical method was used to measure the change in irisin levels, the
      ELISA method to quantify blood irisin levels, and Griess' assay to determine
      nitric oxide (NO) levels in the serum and tissue. Myocardial ischaemia was
      confirmed based on the results of Masson's trichrome staining, as well as levels
      of troponin and creatine kinase MB. RESULTS: Irisin levels in biological tissue
      and serum dropped statistically significantly in the ischaemic group (MI), but
      were restored with ILO and SIL administration. Individual SIL administration was
      more potently restorative than individual ILO administration or the combined
      administration of the two agents. NO level, on the other hand, showed the
      opposite tendency, reaching the highest level in the MI group, and falling with
      the use of pharmaceutical agents. CONCLUSIONS: Individual or combined
      administration of ILO and SIL reduced myocardial ischaemia and NO levels, and
      increased irisin levels. Elevated levels of irisin obtained by drug
      administration could possibly contribute to accelerated wound recovery by local
      heat production. Sildenafil was more effective than iloprost in eliminating
      ischaemia and may be the first choice in offsetting the effects of ischaemia in
      the future.

PMID- 28906530
TI  - The effect of lifestyle interventions on maternal body composition during
      pregnancy in developing countries: a systematic review.
AB  - Optimal maternal body composition during pregnancy is a public health priority
      due to its implications on maternal health and infant development. We therefore
      aimed to conduct a systematic review of randomised, controlled trials, and case
      control and cohort studies using lifestyle interventions to improve body
      composition in developing countries. Of the 1 708 articles that were searched,
      seven studies, representing three countries (Brazil, Iran and Argentina), were
      included in the review. Two articles suggested that intervention with physical
      activity during pregnancy may significantly reduce maternal weight gain, and five
      studies were scored as being of poor quality. This systematic review highlights
      the lack of research within developing countries on lifestyle interventions for
      the management of excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Similar reviews from
      developed countries demonstrate the efficacy of such interventions, which should
      be confirmed using well-designed studies with appropriate intervention methods in
      resource-limited environments.

PMID- 28906531
TI  - Red cell distribution width is correlated with extensive coronary artery disease
      in patients with diabetes mellitus.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have predicted an independent relationship between
      red cell distribution width (RDW) and the risk of death and cardiovascular events
      in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to
      investigate the relationship between RDW and extensiveness of CAD in patients
      with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-three diabetic
      patients who underwent coronary angiographies at our centre in 2010 were included
      in the study. All of the angiograms were re-evaluated and Gensini scores were
      calculated. Triple-vessel disease was diagnosed in the presence of stenosis > 50%
      in all three coronary artery systems. RESULT: RDW was significantly higher in
      diabetic CAD patients (p < 0.001). Patients with CAD who had a RDW value above
      the cut-off point also had higher Gensini scores, higher percentages of
      obstructive CAD and triple-vessel disease (p <= 0.001 for all). According to the
      cut-off values calculated using ROC analysis, RDW > 13.25% had a high diagnostic
      accuracy for predicting CAD. RDW was also positively correlated with Gensini
      score, obstructive CAD and triple-vessel disease (r < 0.468 and p < 0.001 for
      all). CONCLUSION: RDW values were found to be increased in the diabetic CAD
      population. Higher RDW values were related to more extensive and complex coronary
      lesions in patients with DM.

PMID- 28906533
TI  - Cardiac diastolic function after recovery from pre-eclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia is associated with significant changes to the
      cardiovascular system during pregnancy. Eccentric and concentric remodelling of
      the left ventricle occurs, resulting in impaired contractility and diastolic
      dysfunction. It is unclear whether these structural and functional changes
      resolve completely after delivery. AIMS: The objective of the study was to
      determine cardiac diastolic function at delivery and one year post-partum in
      women with severe pre-eclampsia, and to determine possible future cardiovascular
      risk. METHODS: This was a descriptive study performed at Steve Biko Academic
      Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. Ninety-six
      women with severe preeclampsia and 45 normotensive women with uncomplicated
      pregnancies were recruited during the delivery admission. Seventy-four (77.1%)
      women in the pre-eclamptic group were classified as a maternal near miss.
      Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography was performed at delivery and one year
      post-partum. RESULTS: At one year post-partum, women with pre-eclampsia had a
      higher diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.001) and body mass index (p = 0.02) than
      women in the normotensive control group. Women with early onset pre-eclampsia
      requiring delivery prior to 34 weeks' gestation had an increased risk of
      diastolic dysfunction at one year post-partum (RR 3.41, 95% CI: 1.11-10.5, p =
      0.04) and this was irrespective of whether the patient had chronic hypertension
      or not. CONCLUSION: Women who develop early-onset pre-eclampsia requiring
      delivery before 34 weeks are at a significant risk of developing cardiac
      diastolic dysfunction one year after delivery compared to normotensive women with
      a history of a low-risk pregnancy.

PMID- 28906534
TI  - Management of a complicated redo giant dissecting aortic aneurysm.
AB  - Giant aortic aneurysm is defined as an aneurysm of the aorta of greater than 10
      cm in diameter. This rare condition is associated with a high risk of morbidity
      and mortality and it may lead to fatal complications such as rupture and/or
      dissection if not managed with proper surgical planning and expertise. Other than
      atherosclerosis, the main causes of giant ascending aortic aneurysms include
      Marfan and Ehlers-Danhlos syndromes. Herein we report on a young male patient who
      had had an aortic valve replacement five years earlier due to a bicuspid aortic
      valve leading to aortic failure, accompanied by aortic coarctation. He had an
      aneurysmal expansion rate of 1.81 cm/year to reach a final aneurysmal diameter of
      13.25 cm, which, to our knowledge, represents the largest size ever reported in
      the literature for such lesions, and in which the redo and aneurysmal wall were
      adjacent to the sternal margins.

PMID- 28906532
TI  - The aetiology of cardiovascular disease: a role for mitochondrial DNA?
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a world-wide cause of mortality in humans and its
      incidence is on the rise in Africa. In this review, we discuss the putative role
      of mitochondrial dysfunction in the aetiology of CVD and consequently identify
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation as a viable genetic risk factor to be
      considered. We then describe the contribution and pitfalls of several current
      approaches used when investigating mtDNA in relation to complex disease. We also
      propose an alternative approach, the adjusted mutational load hypothesis, which
      would have greater statistical power with cohorts of moderate size, and is less
      likely to be affected by population stratification. We therefore address some of
      the shortcomings of the current haplogroup association approach. Finally, we
      discuss the unique challenges faced by studies done on African populations, and
      recommend the most viable methods to use when investigating mtDNA variation in
      CVD and other common complex disease.

PMID- 28906535
TI  - From the Editor's Desk.

PMID- 28906536
TI  - Endomyocardial fibrosis in Sudan: clinical and echocardiographic features.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a rare disease and is often an
      underdiagnosed and forgotten cardiomyopathy. The objective of this study was to
      document the current frequency of EMF in Sudan by defining and selecting cases
      from patients attending the echocardiography laboratory. Additionally we aimed to
      create an EMF registry for Sudan. METHODS: The study started in January 2007 and
      is on-going. All the patients attending our echocardiography clinics in four
      different hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan, were included. Transthoracic
      echocardiography was used as the main diagnostic and selection tool. The
      diagnosis of EMF was based on predefined criteria and definitions, and was
      further supported by additional clinical, ECG, laboratory and chest X-ray
      findings. RESULTS: Out of 4 332 cases studied, 23 (0.5%) were found to have
      features of EMF. Females constituted 52% and the age range was 24 to 67 years.
      All patients presented with dyspnoea grades III-IV. Advanced heart failure with
      gross fluid overload was seen in 54% of cases and ascites was seen in 30%. EMF
      was biventricular in 53%, left ventricular in 29% and right ventricular in 18% of
      cases. Apical and ventricular wall fibrosis was found in all cases, followed by
      atrial enlargement, atrioventricular valve incompetence, ventricular cavity
      obliteration, restrictive flow pattern and pericardial effusion. Additional
      echocardiographic features are defined and discussed. CONCLUSION: Although a rare
      disease, cases of EMF can be identified in Sudan if a high index of suspicion is
      observed. New echocardiographic features of ventricular wall layering,
      endocardial fibrous shelf and endomyocardiopericarial fibrosis were identified
      and are discussed.

PMID- 28906537
TI  - The changing spectrum of rheumatic mitral regurgitation in Soweto, South Africa.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of
      contemporary patients with rheumatic mitral regurgitation (MR) at Chris Hani
      Baragwanath Academic Hospital. METHODS: This prospective, cross-sectional study
      included 84 patients with isolated moderate or severe rheumatic MR who underwent
      clinical and echocardiographic assessment. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was
      44 +/- 15.3 years (84% females). Acute rheumatic fever was rare. Hypertension and
      HIV were present in 52 and 26%, respectively. Echocardiography showed leaflet
      thickening and calcification, restricted motion and subvalvular disease in 41, 25
      and 34%, respectively. Carpentier IIIa leaflet dysfunction occurred in 80% of
      patients and leaflet prolapse was seen in only 20%. These findings contrast with
      the previous literature, where patients were younger, they had rheumatic carditis
      and there were no co-morbidities. Leaflets were pliable, isolated leaflet
      prolapse was common and commissural fusion was absent. CONCLUSION: Contemporary
      patients with rheumatic MR were older, fewer had rheumatic fever and there were
      more co-morbidities. Echocardiographic features had evolved to greater leaflet
      thickening, calcification and reduced motion with minimal prolapse. These
      findings may have important implications for surgical management of this disease.

PMID- 28906538
TI  - Nuclear cardiology practices and radiation exposure in Africa: results from the
      IAEA Nuclear Cardiology Protocols Study (INCAPS).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) offers many benefits
      to patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease, concerns exist
      regarding radiation-associated health effects. Little is known regarding MPI
      practice in Africa. We sought to characterise radiation doses and the use of MPI
      best practices that could minimise radiation in African nuclear cardiology
      laboratories, and compare these to practice worldwide. METHODS: Demographics and
      clinical characteristics were collected for a consecutive sample of 348 patients
      from 12 laboratories in six African countries over a one-week period from March
      to April 2013. Radiation effective dose (ED) was estimated for each patient. A
      quality index (QI) enumerating adherence to eight best practices, identified a
      priori by an IAEA expert panel, was calculated for each laboratory. We compared
      these metrics with those from 7 563 patients from 296 laboratories outside
      Africa. RESULTS: Median (interquartile range) patient ED in Africa was similar to
      that of the rest of the world [9.1 (5.1-15.6) vs 10.3 mSv (6.8-12.6), p = 0.14],
      although a larger proportion of African patients received a low ED, <= 9 mSv
      targeted in societal recommendations (49.7 vs 38.2%, p < 0.001). Bestpractice
      adherence was higher among African laboratories (QI score: 6.3 +/- 1.2 vs 5.4 +/-
      1.3, p = 0.013). However, median ED varied significantly among African
      laboratories (range: 2.0-16.3 mSv; p < 0.0001) and QI range was 4-8. CONCLUSION:
      Patient radiation dose from MPI in Africa was similar to that in the rest of the
      world, and adherence to best practices was relatively high in African
      laboratories. Nevertheless there remain opportunities to further reduce radiation
      exposure to African patients from MPI.

PMID- 28906539
TI  - A programme to increase appropriate usage of benzathine penicillin for management
      of streptococcal pharyngitis and rheumatic heart disease in Zambia.
AB  - Rheumatic heart disease is highly prevalent and associated with substantial
      morbidity and mortality in many resource-poor areas of the world, including sub
      Saharan Africa. Primary and secondary prophylaxis with penicillin has been shown
      to significantly improve outcomes and is recognised to be the standard of care,
      with intra-muscular benzathine penicillin G recommended as the preferred agent by
      many technical experts. However, ensuring compliance with therapy has proven to
      be challenging. As part of a public-private partnership initiative in Zambia, we
      conducted an educational and access-to-medicine programme aimed at increasing
      appropriate use of benzathine penicillin for the prevention and management of
      rheumatic heart disease, according to national guidelines. The programme was
      informed early on by identification of potential barriers to the administration
      of injectable penicillin, which included concern by health workers about allergic
      events. We describe this programme and report initial signs of success, as
      indicated by increased use of benzathine penicillin. We propose that a similar
      approach may have benefits in rheumatic heart disease programmes in other endemic
      regions.

PMID- 28906540
TI  - Reviewing the causes of electrocardiographic pauses.
AB  - The electrocardiographic term 'pause' refers to the prolonged R-R interval that
      represents the interruption in ventricular depolarisation. This article presents
      a case of sinus node dysfunction and provides a diagnostic approach to pauses on
      the ECG.

PMID- 28906541
TI  - Roadmap to achieve 25% hypertension control in Africa by 2025.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) has identified
      hypertension as the highest area of priority for action to reduce heart disease
      and stroke on the continent. The aim of this PASCAR roadmap on hypertension was
      to develop practical guidance on how to implement strategies that translate
      existing knowledge into effective action and improve detection, treatment and
      control of hypertension and cardiovascular health in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by
      the year 2025. METHODS: Development of this roadmap started with the creation of
      a consortium of experts with leadership skills in hypertension. In 2014, experts
      in different fields, including physicians and non-physicians, were invited to
      join. Via faceto-face meetings and teleconferences, the consortium made a
      situation analysis, set a goal, identified roadblocks and solutions to the
      management of hypertension and customised the World Heart Federation roadmap to
      Africa. RESULTS: Hypertension is a major crisis on the continent but very few
      randomised, controlled trials have been conducted on its management. Also, only
      25.8% of the countries have developed or adopted guidelines for the management of
      hypertension. Other major roadblocks are either government and health-system
      related or healthcare professional or patient related. The PASCAR hypertension
      task force identified a 10-point action plan to be implemented by African
      ministries of health to achieve 25% control of hypertension in Africa by 2025.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension affects millions of people in SSA and if left
      untreated, is a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Very few SSA countries
      have a clear hypertension policy. This PASCAR roadmap identifies practical and
      effective solutions that would improve detection, treatment and control of
      hypertension on the continent and could be implemented as is or adapted to
      specific national settings.

PMID- 28906542
TI  - Illuminating the pathway for the next generation of cardiovascular medicine
      practitioners and researchers: Highlights of the Joint PASCAR-SCC clinical
      symposium on hypertension and heart failure, Cameroon.
AB  - The Pan-African Society of Cardiology roadmap aims to achieve a 25% control of
      hypertension by the year 2025. Whether this is attainable or not depends largely
      on the capacity of healthcare providers and policy makers to address the rising
      prevalence of hypertension and its complications, including heart failure. Task
      sharing is fundamental in optimising hypertension control. The Clinical Research
      Education, Networking and Consultancy (CRENC) engaged with the Pan-African
      Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) and the Cameroon Cardiac Society (SCC) in a joint
      hypertension and heart failure symposium at the Douala General Hospital in 2016.
      The primary aims were to foster clinical research in cardiovascular medicine by
      raising awareness on cardiovascular diseases, to provide evidence-based training
      of an international standard, to encourage the conduction and dissemination of
      high-quality research, and to build programmes for continuing medical education.
      The secondary aim was to potentiate the 2nd Douala Research and Scientific Days.
      The symposium, which featured didactic lectures interspaced with oral/poster
      abstract presentations and a clinical visit, culminated in the launching of the
      book Heart of Africa, and the Young Investigator award. It is hoped that these
      served to capacitate existing cardiovascular structures, breed the next
      generation of cardiovascular physicians and researchers, and imprint a trail of
      clinical research excellence to be emulated in Cameroon and beyond.

PMID- 28906543
TI  - The role of atrial fibrillation in patients with an embolic stroke of unknown
      source (ESUS).

PMID- 28906544
TI  - Hypoglycemic Effect of Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposita rhizoma) Polysaccharide in
      Different Structure and Molecular Weight.
AB  - : Three new Chinese yam polysaccharides (namely HSY, huaishanyao in Chinese) were
      isolated using the methods of boiled water extraction and stepwise ethanolic
      precipitation, combined with the tangential flow ultrafiltration membrane system.
      Their molecular weights were determined by high performance gel permeation
      chromatography. Three type yam polysaccharides in different molecular weight were
      isolated: HSY-I (>50 kDa), HSY-II (10 to 50 kDa), HSY-III (<10 kDa). The
      monosaccharide and glycosidic bond links composition were analyzed with GC and
      Smith degradation. The structure characteristics were further discussed combined
      with infrared spectrophotometry. Dexamethasone-induced insulin resistance
      glucose/lipid metabolism diabetic mice model was established to evaluate the
      hypoglycemic effect of different concentration of HSY and different molecular
      weights polysaccharide HSY-I, HSY-II, and HSY-III. The results indicated that the
      HSY polysaccharide mixture, HSY-I and HSY-II had hypoglycemic effect. PRACTICAL
      APPLICATION: Three polysaccharides from Chinese yam tuber were isolated in this
      study. Their structures were characterized and hypoglycemic effects were
      evaluated. The result clearly identified the benefits of this plant as a healthy
      functional food.

PMID- 28906545
TI  - Adipose tissue content of saturated fatty acids and atrial fibrillation: A case
      cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between
      adipose tissue content of total saturated fatty acids including myristic (C14:0),
      palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0) acid, as a measure of exposure to saturated
      fatty acids and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A total of 57 053 Danish men and women aged 50-64 years participating in the
      Diet, Cancer and Health cohort had an adipose tissue biopsy taken at baseline,
      and this was analysed for saturated fatty acids content by gas chromatography.
      Follow-up was registry based and in this case-cohort study we used all cases and
      a randomly drawn subcohort of 3500 participants representative for the entire
      cohort. RESULTS: Data were analysed using weighted Cox proportional hazards
      regression. During a median follow-up of 14.6 years, a total of 4722 cases of
      incident atrial fibrillation were diagnosed. For both men and women, no
      association between adipose tissue content of total saturated fatty acids and the
      risk of atrial fibrillation could be demonstrated. CONCLUSION: We did not find an
      association between adipose tissue content of total saturated fatty acids and the
      risk of incident atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 28906546
TI  - Chronic urticaria and irritable bowel syndrome: a cross-sectional study of 11 271
      patients.

PMID- 28906547
TI  - Reflexive convention: civil partnership, marriage and family.
AB  - Drawing on an analysis of qualitative interview data from a study of formalized
      same-sex relationships (civil partnerships) this paper examines the enduring
      significance of marriage and family as social institutions. In doing so, it
      intervenes in current debates in the sociology of family and personal life about
      how such institutions are undermined by reflexivity or bolstered by convention.
      Against the backdrop of dominating sociological frames for understanding the
      links between the changing nature of marriage and family and same-sex
      relationship recognition, the paper analyses the diverse and overlapping ways
      (including the simple, relational, strategic, ambivalent and critical ways) in
      which same-sex partners reflexively constructed and engaged with marriage and
      family conventions. My analysis suggests that instead of viewing reflexivity and
      convention as mutually undermining, as some sociologists of family and personal
      life do, it is insightful to explore how diverse forms of reflexivity and
      convention interact in everyday life to reconfigure the social institutions of
      marriage and family, but do not undermine them as such. I argue the case for
      recognizing the ways in which 'reflexive convention', or reflexive investment in
      convention, contributes to the continuing significance of marriage and family as
      social institutions.

PMID- 28906549
TI  - Developing a protocol to identify and prioritize research questions for
      psoriasis: a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis affects over two million people in the U.K. It has a
      significant psychological and social impact on individuals and an associated high
      economic cost to the U.K. National Health Service. There are many unanswered
      questions about psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: To develop a protocol in order to work
      with patients, families, carers and healthcare professionals to identify
      psoriasis uncertainties; to agree by consensus a top-10 list of psoriasis
      uncertainties; and to disseminate prioritized unanswered questions to researchers
      and funders so as to promote work that will focus on answering the uncertainties
      considered most important by stakeholders. METHODS: A Psoriasis Priority Setting
      Partnership has been established to gather psoriasis uncertainties following the
      transparent methodology advocated by the James Lind Alliance. A steering group
      composed of stakeholders has disseminated an initial survey to patients,
      families, carers and healthcare professionals to collect information on important
      psoriasis questions. After removing duplications, uncertainties will be collated
      and checked against existing evidence to determine whether any have already been
      resolved. 'True uncertainties' will be circulated to stakeholders in a second
      survey where they will be ranked by importance. At a final workshop, information
      will be distilled to generate a top-10 list of uncertainties. RESULTS: By
      following the protocol outlined in this paper a prioritized list of uncertainties
      will be identified that will be used to inform the psoriasis research agenda.
      CONCLUSIONS: Research targeted to address priorities identified by a range of
      stakeholders is imperative. This project will inform policy makers and research
      funding bodies about what really matters to these groups.

PMID- 28906550
TI  - Efficacy and safety of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in
      systemic sclerosis: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - We aimed to assess the efficacy of autologous haematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT) for skin sclerosis (SSc) and lung function in SSc. We
      performed a systematic literature review in the PubMed and Scopus databases from
      the earliest records to March 2016. We assessed study quality using the Cochrane
      tool for randomized studies, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for controlled cohort
      studies and an 18-item quality-appraisal checklist for case series. The primary
      outcome was the improvement of skin thickening using the modified Rodnan Skin
      Score (mRSS). The secondary outcome was efficacy on lung function, using
      diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide and forced vital capacity
      (FVC). The safety of the procedure was evaluated. The literature search
      identified 431 citations. There were 38 studies involving a total of 344 patients
      who fulfilled our inclusion criteria. No meta-analysis was performed due to a
      high heterogeneity. There was a significant improvement in mRSS in the majority
      of the reports (P < 0.05), and the results were sustained for up to 8 years after
      autologous HSCT. The randomized studies and the four cohort studies each showed a
      slight but statistically significant improvement in FVC at 1 or 2 years. The
      treatment-related mortality calculated by pooling patients of 35 studies (336
      patients with a follow-up up to 146 months) was 8.3% after autologous HSCT and 1%
      in cyclophosphamide-treated groups. Despite heterogeneity among the studies, we
      determined that autologous HSCT significantly improved cutaneous fibrosis and
      slightly improved FVC. Safety of autologous HSCT is acceptable given the severity
      of the disease. This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO, number
      CRD42016027951.

PMID- 28906548
TI  - Activation of G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor 1 at the onset of reperfusion
      protects the myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury by reducing
      mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent evidence indicates that GPER (G protein-coupled
      oestrogen receptor 1) mediates acute pre-ischaemic oestrogen-induced protection
      of the myocardium from ischaemia/reperfusion injury via a signalling cascade that
      includes PKC translocation, ERK1/2/ GSK-3beta phosphorylation and inhibition of
      the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening. Here, we
      investigated the impact and mechanism involved in post-ischaemic GPER activation
      in ischaemia/reperfusion injury. We determined whether GPER activation at the
      onset of reperfusion confers cardioprotective effects by protecting against
      mitochondrial impairment and mitophagy. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: In vivo rat hearts
      were subjected to ischaemia followed by reperfusion with oestrogen (17beta
      oestradiol, E2), E2 + G15, a GPER antagonist, or vehicle. Myocardial infarct
      size, the threshold for the opening of mPTP, mitophagy, mitochondrial membrane
      potential, ROS production, proteins ubiquitinated including cyclophilin D, and
      phosphorylation levels of ERK and GSK-3beta were measured. RESULTS: We found that
      post-ischaemic E2 administration to both male and female ovariectomized-rats
      reduced myocardial infarct size. Post-ischaemic E2 administration preserved
      mitochondrial structural integrity and this was associated with a decrease in ROS
      production and increased mitochondrial membrane potential, as well as an increase
      in the mitochondrial Ca2+ load required to induce mPTP opening via activation of
      the MEK/ERK/GSK-3beta axis. Moreover, E2 reduced mitophagy via the PINK1/Parkin
      pathway involving LC3I, LC3II and p62 proteins. All these post-ischaemic effects
      of E2 were abolished by G15 suggesting a GPER-dependent mechanism. CONCLUSION:
      These results indicate that post-ischaemic GPER activation induces
      cardioprotective effects against ischaemia/reperfusion injury in males and
      females by protecting mitochondrial structural integrity and function and
      reducing mitophagy.

PMID- 28906551
TI  - Identification of mutations in SDR9C7 in six families with autosomal recessive
      congenital ichthyosis.

PMID- 28906552
TI  - Disappearance of epidermal transglutaminase and IgA deposits from the papillary
      dermis of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis after a long-term gluten-free
      diet.

PMID- 28906553
TI  - Novel CLDN1 mutation in ichthyosis-hypotrichosis-sclerosing cholangitis syndrome
      without signs of liver disease.

PMID- 28906554
TI  - Changes in phytochemical composition, bioactivity and in vitro digestibility of
      guayusa leaves (Ilex guayusa Loes.) in different ripening stages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guayusa (Ilex guayusa Loes.) leaves, native of the Ecuadorian Amazon,
      are popularly used for preparing teas. This study aimed to assess the influence
      of leaf age on the phenolic compounds and carotenoids and the bioactivity and
      digestibility (in vitro) of aqueous and hydroalcoholic leaf extracts. RESULTS: In
      total, 14 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified. Chlorogenic acid and
      quercetin-3-O-hexose were the main representatives of the hydroxycinnamic acids
      and flavonols respectively. Seven carotenoids were quantified, lutein being the
      main compound. Ripening affected phenolic content significantly, but there was no
      significant difference in carotenoid content. Antioxidant capacity, measured by
      the DPPH* method, was also significantly affected by leaf age. The measurement of
      in vitro digestibility showed a decrease in phenolic content (59%) as well as
      antioxidant capacity, measured by the ABTS*+ method, in comparison with initial
      conditions of the guayusa infusion. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
      activities were assayed with young leaves owing to their higher phenolic
      contents. Guayusa did not show any antibacterial activity against Escherichia
      coli ATCC 25922 or Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Finally, the hydroalcoholic
      and aqueous extracts exhibited high in vitro anti-inflammatory activity (>65%).
      CONCLUSION: Young guayusa leaves have potential applications as a functional
      ingredient in food and pharmaceutical industries. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical
      Industry.

PMID- 28906555
TI  - Application of power ultrasound on the convective drying of fruits and
      vegetables: effects on quality.
AB  - Drying gives rise to products with a long shelf life by reducing the water
      activity to a level that is sufficiently low to inhibit the growth of
      microorganisms, enzymatic reactions and other deteriorative reactions. Despite
      the benefits of this operation, the quality of heat sensitive products is
      diminished when high temperatures are used. The use of low drying temperatures
      reduces the heat damage but, because of a longer drying time, oxidation reactions
      occur and a reduction of the quality is also observed. Thus, drying is a method
      that lends itself to being intensified. For this reason, alternative techniques
      are being studied. Power ultrasound is considered as an emerging and promising
      technology in the food industry. The potential of this technology relies on its
      ability to accelerate the mass transfer processes in solid-liquid and solid-gas
      systems. Intensification of the drying process with power ultrasound can be
      achieved by modifying the product behavior during drying, using pre-treatments
      such as soaking in a liquid medium assisted acoustically or, during the drying
      process itself, by applying power ultrasound in the gaseous medium. This review
      summarises the effects of the application of the power ultrasound on the quality
      of different dried products, such as fruits and vegetables, when the acoustic
      energy is intended to intensify the drying process, either when the application
      is performed before pretreatment or during the drying process. (c) 2017 Society
      of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28906556
TI  - Physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of young dairy bull beef derived
      from two breed types across five production systems employing two first season
      feeding regimes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to assess the physico-chemical and sensory
      characteristics of Longissimus thoracis muscle from young dairy bulls: Holstein
      Friesian (HF) and Jersey * Holstein-Friesian (JEX). Bulls slaughtered at 15
      months of age differed with respect to the finishing system, whereas 19-month-old
      bulls differed in energy consumption during a second grazing season and finishing
      period. All bulls were offered different diets during the first grazing season.
      RESULTS: Insoluble and total collagen contents increased with slaughter age,
      whereas collagen solubility and hue angle reduced with age. Bulls fed a higher
      concentrate finishing diet held a longer beef flavour. Intramuscular fat (IMF)
      content and beef flavour score were enhanced by higher concentrate intake during
      the second season and finishing period. Beef from a higher forage diet displayed
      a more intense red colour and higher thawing loss. There was limited effect of
      silage finishing or first and second grazing season on quality traits. Beef from
      JEX breed had a higher IMF content, higher flavour, juiciness and texture-related
      scores while lower moisture content compared to HF beef. CONCLUSION: The eating
      quality of beef from young dairy bulls was generally good. Slaughter age and the
      energy level of diet had obvious effects on quality characteristics. Cross
      breeding Jersey with the HF breed can improve the beef quality of young dairy
      bulls. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28906557
TI  - The unusual S locus of Leavenworthia is composed of two sets of paralogous loci.
AB  - The Leavenworthia self-incompatibility locus (S locus) consists of paralogs
      (Lal2, SCRL) of the canonical Brassicaceae S locus genes (SRK, SCR), and is
      situated in a genomic position that differs from the ancestral one in the
      Brassicaceae. Unexpectedly, in a small number of Leavenworthia alabamica plants
      examined, sequences closely resembling exon 1 of SRK have been found, but the
      function of these has remained unclear. BAC cloning and expression analyses were
      employed to characterize these SRK-like sequences. An SRK-positive Bacterial
      Artificial Chromosome clone was found to contain complete SRK and SCR sequences
      located close by one another in the derived genomic position of the Leavenworthia
      S locus, and in place of the more typical Lal2 and SCRL sequences. These
      sequences are expressed in stigmas and anthers, respectively, and crossing data
      show that the SRK/SCR haplotype is functional in self-incompatibility. Population
      surveys indicate that < 5% of Leavenworthia S loci possess such alleles. An
      ancestral translocation or recombination event involving SRK/SCR and Lal2/SCRL
      likely occurred, together with neofunctionalization of Lal2/SCRL, and both
      haplotype groups now function as Leavenworthia S locus alleles. These findings
      suggest that S locus alleles can have distinctly different evolutionary origins.

PMID- 28906558
TI  - Effects of Rolapitant Administered Intravenously or Orally on the
      Pharmacokinetics of Digoxin (P-glycoprotein Substrate) and Sulfasalazine (Breast
      Cancer Resistance Protein Substrate) in Healthy Volunteers.
AB  - Rolapitant is a selective and long-acting neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist
      approved in an oral formulation in combination with other antiemetic agents for
      the prevention of delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in adults.
      Four open-label phase 1 studies evaluated the safety and drug-drug interactions
      of a single dose of rolapitant given intravenously (166.5 mg) or orally (180 mg)
      with oral digoxin (0.5 mg) or sulfasalazine (500 mg), probe substrates for the P
      glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), respectively.
      Administration of intravenous rolapitant with the substrates did not result in
      clinically significant effects on digoxin and sulfasalazine pharmacokinetics. In
      contrast, peak concentration and area under the curve for last quantifiable
      plasma concentrations increased by 71% (geometric mean ratio [GMR], 1.71; 90%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.49-1.95) and 30% (GMR, 1.30; 90%CI, 1.19-1.42),
      respectively, when rolapitant was coadministered orally with digoxin compared
      with digoxin alone; they increased by 140% (GMR, 2.40; 90%CI, 2.02-2.86) and 127%
      (GMR, 2.27; 90%CI, 1.94-2.65), respectively, when rolapitant was given orally
      with sulfasalazine compared with sulfasalazine alone. Adverse events were mild to
      moderate in severity in the absence or presence of rolapitant. There were no
      abnormal clinical laboratory or electrocardiogram findings. Thus, whether
      administered orally or intravenously, rolapitant was safe and well tolerated.
      Patients taking oral rolapitant with P-gp and BCRP substrates with a narrow
      therapeutic index should be monitored for potential adverse events; although
      increased plasma concentrations of these substrates may raise the risk of
      toxicity, they are not contraindicated.

PMID- 28906559
TI  - Characterization of microRNAs from Arabidopsis galls highlights a role for miR159
      in the plant response to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita.
AB  - Root knot nematodes (RKN) are root parasites that induce the genetic
      reprogramming of vascular cells into giant feeding cells and the development of
      root galls. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression during development and
      plant responses to various stresses. Disruption of post-transcriptional gene
      silencing in Arabidopsis ago1 or ago2 mutants decrease the infection rate of RKN
      suggesting a role for this mechanism in the plant-nematode interaction. By
      sequencing small RNAs from uninfected Arabidopsis roots and from galls 7 and 14 d
      post infection with Meloidogyne incognita, we identified 24 miRNAs differentially
      expressed in gall as putative regulators of gall development. Moreover, strong
      activity within galls was detected for five miRNA promoters. Analyses of nematode
      development in an Arabidopsis miR159abc mutant had a lower susceptibility to RKN,
      suggesting a role for the miR159 family in the plant response to M. incognita.
      Localization of mature miR159 within the giant and surrounding cells suggested a
      role in giant cell and gall. Finally, overexpression of miR159 in galls at 14 d
      post inoculation was associated with the repression of the miR159 target MYB33
      which expression is restricted to the early stages of infection. Overall, these
      results implicate the miR159 in plant responses to RKN.

PMID- 28906560
TI  - Left atrial appendage ablation using cryoballoon.

PMID- 28906561
TI  - Bioequivalence of Intravenous and Oral Rolapitant: Results From a Randomized,
      Open-Label Pivotal Study.
AB  - Rolapitant, a selective and long-acting neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, is
      approved in an oral formulation for the prevention of delayed chemotherapy
      induced nausea and vomiting in adults. The objective of this pivotal study was to
      assess the bioequivalence of a single intravenous infusion of rolapitant versus a
      single oral dose of rolapitant. In this randomized, open-label phase 1 study,
      healthy volunteers were administered rolapitant as a 180-mg oral dose or a 30
      minute 166.5-mg intravenous infusion. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic analysis
      were collected predose and at points up to 912 hours postdose. Criteria for
      bioequivalence of the intravenous dose versus the oral dose were met if the 90%
      confidence intervals (CIs) for the ratios of the geometric least-squares means
      (GLSMs) for the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from time 0
      to the time of the last quantifiable concentration (AUC0-t ) and AUC from time 0
      extrapolated to infinity (AUC0-infinity ) for rolapitant were within 0.80-1.25.
      Mean rolapitant systemic exposure and half-lives were similar in the oral (n =
      62) and intravenous (n = 61) rolapitant groups. The 90%CIs of the ratio of GLSMs
      were within the 0.80-1.25 range for AUC0-t (0.94-1.09) and AUC0-infinity (0.93
      1.10). The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events, all mild or moderate
      in severity, was similar in the intravenous and oral groups. A 166.5-mg
      intravenous infusion of rolapitant met the bioequivalence criteria based on AUC
      to a 180-mg oral dose and was well tolerated.

PMID- 28906562
TI  - Dose-dependent interactions between two loci trigger altered shoot growth in BG-5
      * Krotzenburg-0 (Kro-0) hybrids of Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Hybrids occasionally exhibit genetic interactions resulting in reduced fitness in
      comparison to their parents. Studies of Arabidopsis thaliana have highlighted the
      role of immune conflicts, but less is known about the role of other factors in
      hybrid incompatibility in plants. Here, we present a new hybrid incompatibility
      phenomenon in this species. We have characterized a new case of F1 hybrid
      incompatibility from a cross between the A. thaliana accessions Krotzenburg-0
      (Kro-0) and BG-5, by conducting transcript, metabolite and hormone analyses, and
      identified the causal loci through genetic mapping. The F1 hybrids showed
      arrested growth of the main stem, altered shoot architecture, and altered
      concentrations of hormones in comparison to parents. The F1 phenotype could be
      rescued in a developmental-stage-dependent manner by shifting to a higher growth
      temperature. These F1 phenotypes were linked to two loci, one on chromosome 2 and
      one on chromosome 3. The F2 generation segregated plants with more severe
      phenotypes which were linked to the same loci as those in the F1 . This study
      provides novel insights into how previously unknown mechanisms controlling shoot
      branching and stem growth can result in hybrid incompatibility.

PMID- 28906563
TI  - Cryoballoon-based isolation of left atrial appendage: Is it reasonable?

PMID- 28906564
TI  - Use of monolithic supports for high-throughput protein and peptide separation in
      proteomics.
AB  - The exclusive properties of monolithic supports enable fast mass transfer, high
      porosity, low back pressure, easy preparation process and miniaturisation, and
      the availability of different chemistries make them particularly suitable
      materials for high-throughput (HTP) protein and peptide separation. In this
      review recent advances in monolith-based chromatographic supports for HTP
      screening of protein and peptide samples are presented and their application in
      HTP sample preparation (separation, enrichment, depletion, proteolytic digestion)
      for HTP proteomics is discussed. Development and applications of different
      monolithic capillary columns in HTP MS-based bottom-up and top-down proteomics
      are overviewed. By discussing the chromatographic conditions and the mass
      spectrometric data acquisition conditions an attempt is made to present currently
      demonstrated capacities of monolithic capillary columns for HTP identification
      and quantification of proteins and peptides from complex biological samples by MS
      based proteomics. Some recent advances in basic monolith technology of importance
      for proteomics are also discussed.

PMID- 28906565
TI  - Correction of antebrachial angulation-rotation deformities in dogs with oblique
      plane inclined osteotomies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe oblique plane inclined osteotomies and report preliminary
      data on outcomes in dogs treated for antebrachial angulation-rotation
      deformities. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study. ANIMALS: Six antebrachii
      from 5 dogs. METHODS: Records of dogs with antebrachial angulation-rotation
      deformities treated with oblique plane inclined osteotomies were reviewed.
      Postoperative frontal, sagittal, and transverse plane alignments were assessed
      subjectively, and alignment in the frontal and sagittal planes was quantified on
      radiographs. Outcomes were classified based on owner's and veterinarian's
      evaluation as full, acceptable, and unacceptable function. Complications were
      classified as minor, major, or catastrophic. RESULTS: Limb alignment was
      subjectively considered excellent in 1 case, good in 3 cases, and fair in 2
      cases. Osseous union was achieved in all cases (mean 10.5 weeks; range, 6-13
      weeks). Outcomes were assessed by the veterinarian as return to full function in
      5 cases and acceptable function in 1 case at the final in-hospital follow-up
      (mean 44 weeks; range, 6-124 weeks). All owners classified their dogs as
      returning to full function at the final phone/email interview (mean 107 weeks;
      range, 72-153 weeks). Implants were removed due to infection or irritation in 3/6
      limbs, while the other 3 limbs had minor dermatitis secondary to postoperative
      external coaptation. No catastrophic complications occurred. CONCLUSION: Oblique
      plane inclined osteotomies led to a successful outcome in all 6 limbs, but the
      technique can be challenging and does not always lead to optimal alignment.
      Future refinement of this technique could focus on the development of patient
      specific osteotomy guides to improve accuracy and precision.

PMID- 28906566
TI  - Minimally invasive small intestinal exploration and targeted abdominal organ
      biopsy with a wound retraction device in 42 cats (2005-2015).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the surgical technique and evaluate short-term outcome
      after minimally invasive small intestinal exploration and targeted organ biopsy
      with a wound retractor device (WRD) in cats. STUDY DESIGN: Multi-institutional
      retrospective study. ANIMALS: Forty-two cats. METHODS: A wound retractor was
      inserted into the abdomen on the ventral midline through a 2-4 cm incision at the
      level of the umbilicus. Short segments (6-10 cm long) of intestinal tract were
      sequentially exteriorized and explored through the WRD. Full thickness, small
      intestinal biopsies were obtained extracorporeally via the WRD. A commercially
      available single-port device was inserted through the WRD for laparoscopic
      exploration of the abdomen. RESULTS: The majority of the small intestine could be
      exteriorized and explored through the WRD. In all cases, full thickness biopsies
      of the small intestine of diagnostic quality were obtained. The most common
      histological findings were inflammatory bowel disease (n = 16), intestinal
      lymphoma (n = 14), and eosinophilic enteritis (n = 7). Two cases required
      conversion to a traditional open laparotomy due to abdominal pathology diagnosed
      after placement of the WRD (abdominal adhesions and need for a splenectomy).
      Postoperative complications occurred in 4 of 39 cats (10.3%), leading to 2 deaths
      after discharge from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: MISIETB
      with a WRD alone or combined with laparoscopy is a safe technique for small
      intestinal exploration and targeted abdominal organ biopsy in cats. Single-port
      laparoscopy can effectively be performed through the WRD for complete abdominal
      exploration and biopsy of abdominal organs.

PMID- 28906567
TI  - Self-Calibrating Wave-Encoded Variable-Density Single-Shot Fast Spin Echo
      Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is highly desirable in clinical abdominal MR scans to accelerate
      single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) imaging and reduce blurring due to T2 decay
      and partial-Fourier acquisition. PURPOSE: To develop and investigate the clinical
      feasibility of wave-encoded variable-density SSFSE imaging for improved image
      quality and scan time reduction. STUDY TYPE: Prospective controlled clinical
      trial. SUBJECTS: With Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent,
      the proposed method was assessed on 20 consecutive adult patients (10 male, 10
      female, range, 24-84 years). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: A wave-encoded variable
      density SSFSE sequence was developed for clinical 3.0T abdominal scans to enable
      high acceleration (3.5*) with full-Fourier acquisitions by: 1) introducing wave
      encoding with self-refocusing gradient waveforms to improve acquisition
      efficiency; 2) developing self-calibrated estimation of wave-encoding point
      spread function and coil sensitivity to improve motion robustness; and 3)
      incorporating a parallel imaging and compressed sensing reconstruction to
      reconstruct highly accelerated datasets. ASSESSMENT: Image quality was compared
      pairwise with standard Cartesian acquisition independently and blindly by two
      radiologists on a scale from -2 to 2 for noise, contrast, confidence, sharpness,
      and artifacts. The average ratio of scan time between these two approaches was
      also compared. STATISTICAL TESTS: A Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with a P value
      under 0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Wave-encoded variable
      density SSFSE significantly reduced the perceived noise level and improved the
      sharpness of the abdominal wall and the kidneys compared with standard
      acquisition (mean scores 0.8, 1.2, and 0.8, respectively, P < 0.003). No
      significant difference was observed in relation to other features (P = 0.11). An
      average of 21% decrease in scan time was achieved using the proposed method. DATA
      CONCLUSION: Wave-encoded variable-density sampling SSFSE achieves improved image
      quality with clinically relevant echo time and reduced scan time, thus providing
      a fast and robust approach for clinical SSFSE imaging. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1
      Technical Efficacy: Stage 6 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:954-966.

PMID- 28906568
TI  - Diode laser to treat small oral vascular malformations: A prospective case series
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current work examined a consecutive series of patients presenting
      vascular malformations (VMs) and venous lakes (VLs) of the lip and oral mucosa
      who were treated with transmucosal diode laser applications and assessed over a 1
      year period. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Fifty-nine patients (31 males and 28
      females) presenting low-flow VMs or VLs of the oral cavity were treated
      transmucosally using a diode laser (with an 830 nm operating wavelength and 1.6 W
      output power) with a 320 um diameter flexible fiber. All the lesions were
      assessed 7 days, 30 days, and 1 year after the laser treatment, and the lesion
      reduction percentage was scored on a one to five scale. The patients were also
      asked to assess their pain perception daily during the 7 days following the
      treatment using a visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: There were no procedure
      related intra- or post-operative complications; only modest pain intensity was
      reported. Thirty days after the treatment, lesion reduction was described as
      excellent or good in 52 cases; it was fair or poor in 7. Six patients (F:M ratio
      2:4) required a second diode laser application. At the 1 year follow-up, volume
      reduction was complete in 48 out of 59 patients; there were five recurrences (F:M
      ratio 3:2). No relevant gender-related differences were noted. CONCLUSION: The
      use of diode laser application to treat small oral VMs and VLs was associated to
      shorter operating times and fewer postoperative complications with respect to the
      scapel surgery approach. More than one session may nevertheless be required if
      the anomaly is larger than 10 mm. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:111-116, 2018. (c) 2017
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28906569
TI  - Prevalence and socio-demographic predictors of food insecurity among regional and
      remote Western Australian children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inequities can negatively impact the health outcomes of children. The
      aims of this study were to: i) ascertain the prevalence of food insecurity (FI)
      among regional and remote Western Australian (WA) children; and ii) determine
      which socio-demographic factors predicted child FI. METHODS: Caregiver-child
      dyads (n=219) completed cross-sectional surveys. Descriptive statistics and
      logistic regression analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS version 23. RESULTS:
      Overall, 20.1% of children were classified as FI. Children whose family received
      government financial assistance were more likely to be FI (OR 2.60; CI 1.15,
      5.91; p=0.022), as were children living in a Medium disadvantage area (OR 2.60;
      CI 1.18, 5.72; p=0.017), compared to High or Low SEIFA ratings. CONCLUSIONS:
      Study findings are suggestive of the impact low income has on capacity to be food
      secure. The higher FI prevalence among children from families receiving financial
      assistance and living in medium disadvantage areas indicates more support for
      these families is required. Recommendations include: ensuring government plans
      and policies adequately support disadvantaged families; increasing employment
      opportunities; establishing evidence on the causes and the potential impact of FI
      on children's health. Implications for public health: One in five children were
      FI, demonstrating that FI is an issue in Western Australia.

PMID- 28906570
TI  - Probing Novel Microstructural Evolution Mechanisms in Aluminum Alloys Using 4D
      Nanoscale Characterization.
AB  - Dispersions of nanoscale precipitates in metallic alloys have been known to play
      a key role in strengthening, by increasing their strain hardenability and
      providing resistance to deformation. Although these phenomena have been
      extensively investigated in the last century, the traditional approaches employed
      in the past have not rendered an authoritative microstructural understanding in
      such materials. The effect of the precipitates' inherent complex morphology and
      their 3D spatial distribution on evolution and deformation behavior have often
      been precluded. This study reports, for the first time, implementation of
      synchrotron-based hard X-ray nanotomography in Al-Cu alloys to measure kinetics
      of different nanoscale phases in 3D, and reveals insights behind some of the
      observed novel phase transformation reactions. The experimental results of the
      present study reconcile with coarsening models from the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner
      theory to an unprecedented extent, thereby establishing a new paradigm for
      thermodynamic analysis of precipitate assemblies. Finally, this study sheds light
      on the possibilities for establishing new theories for dislocation-particle
      interactions, based on the limitations of using the Orowan equation in estimating
      precipitation strengthening.

PMID- 28906571
TI  - Photodynamic therapy for glioblastoma: A preliminary approach for practical
      application of light propagation models.
AB  - PURPOSE: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment modality to be added
      in the management of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Light distribution modeling
      is required for planning and optimizing PDT. Several models have been developed
      to predict the light propagation inside biological tissues. In the present study,
      two analytical methods of light propagation emitted from a cylindrical fiber
      source were evaluated: a discrete and a continuous method. METHODS: The two
      analytical approaches were compared according to their fluence rate results.
      Several cylindrical diffuse lengths were evaluated, and the relative deviation in
      the fluence rates was estimated. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was conducted
      to compute the variance of each analytical model. RESULTS: The discrete method
      provided fluence rate estimations closer to the Monte-Carlo simulations than the
      continuous method. The sensitivity study results did not reveal significant
      differences between the variance of the two analytical models. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although the discrete model provides relevant light distribution, the
      heterogeneity of GBM tissues was not considered. With the improvement in parallel
      computing that drastically decreased the computing time, replacing the analytical
      model by a Monte-Carlo GPU-accelerated code appeared relevant to the GBM case.
      Nonetheless, the analytical modeling may still function in the optimization
      algorithms, which might be used in the Photodynamic treatment planning system.
      Lasers Surg. Med. 50:523-534, 2018. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28906572
TI  - Culex torrentium mosquitoes from Germany are negative for Wolbachia.
AB  - Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) infects a wide range of arthropods,
      including several mosquito species. The bacterium is known to induce a plethora
      of phenotypes in its host, examples being the reproductive phenotype cytoplasmic
      incompatibility or resistance against infection with arboviruses. The latter is
      especially relevant when assessing the vector competence of mosquito species for
      emerging arboviruses. Thus, knowledge of Wolbachia infection status is important
      for the assessment of vector competence. To facilitate Wolbachia screening in
      mosquito populations, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was
      developed to enable high-throughput analysis of mosquito samples. Using this
      assay, the Wolbachia infection status of the two most common Culex mosquito
      species in Germany, Culex pipiens biotype pipiens Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae)
      and Culex torrentium Martini (Diptera: Culicidae), was assessed. About 93% of all
      tested C. pipiens biotype pipiens individuals were positive for Wolbachia,
      whereas none of the C. torrentium samples was found to be infected. Furthermore,
      other applications of the qPCR assay were explored by assessing a potential link
      between the levels of Wolbachia and West Nile virus (WNV) infections in German C.
      pipiens biotype pipiens mosquitoes. No relationship was found between the two
      variables, indicating that a Wolbachia-induced antiviral phenotype in this
      mosquito population is not exclusively attributable to the general level of
      bacterial infection.

PMID- 28906573
TI  - Bis-Copper(II)/pi-Radical Multi-Heterospin System with Non-innocent Doubly N
      Confused Dioxohexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.0) Ligand.
AB  - A contracted doubly N-confused dioxohexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.0) complex consisting of
      two paramagnetic copper metals and open-shell pi-radical ligand was synthesized
      as a new multi-heterospin motif. X-ray spectroscopy supported the divalent
      character of the inner copper centers, and electron paramagnetic resonance and
      magnetometric studies suggested the presence of unpaired d electrons strongly
      antiferromagnetically coupled with pi-radicals delocalized on the macrocycle. The
      25 pi non-innocent dioxohexaphyrin ligand allowed the facile interconversion
      between antiaromatic 24 pi and aromatic 26 pi species, respectively, upon redox
      reactions.

PMID- 28906574
TI  - Efficacy and safety of a novel picosecond laser using combination of 1 064 and
      595 nm on patients with melasma: A prospective, randomized, multicenter, split
      face, 2% hydroquinone cream-controlled clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Melasma is a common acquired, chronic hypermelanosis
      and still remains a therapeutic challenge. The low-fluence 1 064 nm Q-switched
      Nd:YAG laser is the most widely used for the treatment of moderate to severe
      melasma in Asia. Recently, the picosecond laser has been introduced for various
      pigmentary disorders such as melasma. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a
      picosecond laser with dual-wavelengths (1 064 and 595 nm) and topical 2%
      hydroquinone (HQ) combination therapy on patients with melasma, and compared
      results with those obtained with 2% HQ alone. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This was a prospective, randomized, split-face, controlled trial comparing two
      treatments with combined 7 week 2% HQ (daily) and 5 week picosecond laser
      (weekly) versus 7 week 2% HQ. The primary efficacy variable was the change rate
      of the relative lightness values (RL*I) at week 7 from baseline. RL*I at a follow
      up visit, modified melasma severity score (mMASI), and satisfaction were
      assessed. RESULTS: Picosecond laser and 2% HQ had superior efficacy to 2% HQ
      alone: 30/39 (76.92%) subjects on combination treatment achieved >=51%
      improvement of RL*I versus 1/39 (2.56%) subjects on 2% HQ. The mMASI, RL*I, and
      satisfaction on the laser-treated side at week 7 supported these results. Aside
      from RL*I, no difference between the laser-treated versus control side was found
      after follow-up. No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: A 750
      picosecond laser using 1 064 and 595 nm was effective and safe for the treatment
      of Korean melasma patients. The picosecond laser with dual-wavelength used in
      this study can reduce the photothermal effect generated during the removal of
      pigment and total duration of the procedure, and can be expected to reduce the
      occurrence of adverse events. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:899-907, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28906575
TI  - Prevalence, correlates and impact of pain and cramps in anti-MAG neuropathy: a
      multicentre European study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The frequency of pain and cramps is uncertain in anti
      myelin associated glycoprotein antibody (anti-MAG) neuropathy. Whether these
      symptoms may affect function/quality of life is unknown. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and impact of pain, pain subtypes
      and cramps, their severity, frequency and anatomical distribution was performed
      for 55 clinically stable patients with anti-MAG neuropathy. RESULTS: Pain of any
      type was reported by 80% of subjects. The most common subtype was paraesthesiae
      and dysaesthesiae (70%). Cramps were reported by >60% of patients, with lower
      limb cramps in all and upper limb cramps in about 20%. Cramps affected daily
      activities in >30% of these subjects, sleep in 60%, ability to exercise in >30%.
      Total pain score correlated with several Short Form 36 health-related quality of
      life (SF-36 HR-QoL) measures (P < 0.05), with Inflammatory Rasch-built Overall
      Disability Scale (I-RODS) (P = 0.006) and 10-m timed walk (P = 0.019). An
      independent association was ascertained with I-RODS (P = 0.002). Different pain
      subtypes showed multiple associations with SF-36 HR-QoL measures and/or
      functional scales. Upper limb cramps had multiple SF-36 HR-QoL functional
      correlates, with an independent association with the Overall Neuropathy
      Limitation Score (ONLS) (P = 0.004). Cramp severity correlated with ONLS (P =
      0.04) and I-RODS (P = 0.028) and inversely with level of physiotherapy input (P =
      0.009). Cramp frequency was associated with tremor score (P = 0.004) and multiple
      SF-36 HR-QoL subsections. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropathic pain and cramps may affect
      function and quality of life in anti-MAG neuropathy. Optimizing treatments of
      these symptoms, including by adequate levels of physiotherapy, may be beneficial
      in affected patients and requires further research.

PMID- 28906576
TI  - Families living with parental mental illness and their experiences of family
      interventions.
AB  - : WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Coping with parental mental illness in families
      can be challenging for both children and parents. Providing evidence-based family
      interventions to families where a parent has a mental illness can enhance the
      relationships in the family. Although psychiatric research has shown that
      evidence-based family interventions may improve the communication and
      understanding of parental mental illness, there is a lack in this area of
      research from an everyday clinical context. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING
      KNOWLEDGE?: Our study reinforces the fact that parents with mental illnesses are
      searching for support from psychiatric services in order to talk to their
      children about their illness. The finding that under-age children comply when
      they are told by their parents to join an intervention in psychiatric services
      supporting the family is something not observed earlier in research. This study
      once more illuminates the fact that partners of a person with parental mental
      illness are seldom, in an obvious way, included in family support interventions.
      WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Psychiatric services, and especially
      mental health nurses, have an important task in providing families with parental
      mental illness with support concerning communication with their children and in
      including the "healthy" partner in family support interventions. ABSTRACT:
      Introduction Although research has shown that evidence-based family interventions
      in research settings improve the communication and understanding of parental
      mental illness, there is a lack of knowledge about interventions in an everyday
      clinical context. Aim This study explores how families with parental mental
      illness experience family interventions in a natural clinical context in
      psychiatric services. Method Five families with children aged 10-12 were
      recruited from psychiatric services in southern Sweden and interviewed in a
      manner inspired by naturalistic inquiry and content analysis. Both family and
      individual interviews were performed. Results In striving to lead an ordinary
      life while coping with the parental mental illness, these families sought the
      support of the psychiatric services, especially in order to inform their children
      about the mental illness. Despite different family interventions, the family
      members felt supported and reported that the number of conflicts in the family
      had decreased. The parents were appreciative of help with child-rearing
      questions, and the children experienced a calmer family atmosphere. However, the
      partner of the person with mental illness experienced being left without support.
      Implications for practice Our study shows that psychiatric services, and
      especially mental health nurses, are in a position to more regularly offer family
      interventions in supporting the children and the healthy partners.

PMID- 28906577
TI  - Laparoscopic ileocolic iterative resection with fluorescence-guided lymphatic
      mapping - a video vignette.

PMID- 28906579
TI  - Promoting openness and transparency in mental health nursing science.

PMID- 28906578
TI  - Ultra-early hematoma growth in antithrombotic pretreated patients with
      intracerebral hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)
      pretreated with antithrombotic drugs may have increased early hematoma growth,
      which would increase mortality risk. The effect of antiplatelet (AP) and vitamin
      K antagonist (VKA) pretreatment on ultra-early hematoma growth (uHG) and its
      relationship with mortality in patients with acute supratentorial ICH was
      analyzed. METHODS: This is an observational retrospective study of a prospective
      register of 197 ICH patients with first computed tomography (CT) scan taken <6 h
      from ICH symptom onset. ICH volume was calculated by the ABC/2 formula and uHG by
      the baseline ICH volume/onset-to-CT time (ml/h) formula. The uHG analysis took
      into account the patient's pretreatment (none, AP or VKA) and the relationship
      between uHG and very-early (first 24 h) and 3-month mortality. RESULTS: In the
      pretreatment group, 50 (25.4%) patients were treated with AP and 37 (18.8%) with
      VKA. The median (interquartile range 25-75) uHG was 19.7 ml/h (2.9-44.8) for AP
      pretreated patients, 16.2 ml/h (5.1-42.5) for VKA pretreated patients and 8.4
      ml/h (2.4-21.8) for non-pretreated patients, P = 0.019. The uHG was higher in
      patients with very-early [42.1 ml/h (20.1-79.6)] and total 3-month mortality
      [28.0 ml/h (15.8-52.5)] compared with survivors [3.9 ml/h (1.5-10.4)], P <
      0.0001. Adjusted by ICH severity and previous functional status, uHG was an
      independent factor related to very-early (P = 0.028) and total 3-month mortality
      (P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Patients pretreated with antithrombotics have much
      higher uHG, which would explain the increased mortality in these patients
      compared to untreated patients.

PMID- 28906580
TI  - Comparison of one commercial and two in-house TaqMan multiplex real-time PCR
      assays for detection of enteropathogenic, enterotoxigenic and enteroaggregative
      Escherichia coli.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Enteropathogenic, enterotoxigenic and enteroaggregative Escherichia
      coli (EPEC, ETEC, EAEC) are among the most frequent causes of diarrhoea during
      travel or on military deployments. Cost-efficient and reliable real-time
      multiplex PCR (mPCR) assays are desirable for surveillance or point prevalence
      studies in remote and resource-limited tropical settings. We compared one
      commercial PCR kit and two in-house assays without using a gold standard to
      estimate sensitivity and specificity of each assay. METHODS: Residual materials
      from nucleic acid extractions of stool samples from two groups with presumably
      different prevalences and increased likelihood of being infected or colonised by
      diarrhoeagenic E. coli were included in the assessment. One group comprised
      samples from returnees from tropical deployments, the second group was of
      migrants and study participants from high-endemicity settings. Each sample was
      assessed with all of the PCR assays. Cycle threshold (Ct) values were
      descriptively compared. RESULTS: The calculated sensitivities for the commercial
      test vs. the in-house tests were for EPEC 0.84 vs. 0.89 and 0.96, for ETEC 0.83
      vs. 0.76 and 0.61, and for EAEC 0.69 vs. 0.54 and 0.69. False positive results
      were rare - specificity was 0.94 and 0.97 for two EPEC tests and 1.0 for all
      other tests. Most positive samples had late Ct values corresponding to low
      quantities of pathogens. Discordant test results were associated with late Ct
      values. CONCLUSIONS: As commercial and in-house assays showed comparable results,
      in-house tests can be assumed to be safe while affording considerable savings,
      making them a valuable alternative for surveillance testing in resource-limited
      tropical areas.

PMID- 28906581
TI  - Is there a benefit of mechanical thrombectomy in patients with large stroke (DWI
      ASPECTS <= 5)?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Whether to withhold mechanical thrombectomy when the
      diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesion exceeds a given volume is undetermined.
      Our aim was to identify markers that will help to select patients with large DWI
      lesions [DWI-Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (DWI-ASPECTS)
      <= 5] that may benefit from thrombectomy. METHODS: From May 2010 to November
      2016, 82 acute ischaemic stroke patients with DWI-ASPECTS <=5 (43 men, 64.6 +/-
      14.4 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 18.4 +/- 5.4) treated with
      state-of-the-art mechanical thrombectomy were studied. Thrombectomy alone was
      performed in 28 (34%) and bridging therapy in 54 (66%) patients. Recanalization
      was defined as a thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score 2B-3 and significant
      hemorrhagic transformation as parenchymal haematoma type 2 (European Cooperative
      Acute Stroke Study 3 classification). Pretreatment variables were compared
      between patients with a good (modified Rankin Scale 0-2) and a poor (modified
      Rankin Scale 3-6) neurological outcome at 3 months. RESULTS: Overall, 28 patients
      (34%) achieved good neurological outcome at 3 months. Recanalizers were
      significantly more likely to achieve good outcome (61% vs. 7.3%, P < 0.0001), had
      lower mortality (24% vs. 49%, P = 0.03) and similar rates of parenchymal
      haematoma type 2 (9.8% vs. 7.3%, P = 1) compared to non-recanalizers. Regression
      modelling identified DWI-ASPECTS >2 [odds ratio (OR) 6.93; 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.05-45.76, P = 0.04), glycaemia <=6.8 mmol/l (OR 4.05; 95% CI 1.09
      15.0, P = 0.03) and thrombolysis (OR 3.67; 95% CI 1.04-12.9, P = 0.04) as
      independent predictors of good neurological outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In patients
      with DWI-ASPECTS <=5, two-thirds of patients experienced good neurological
      outcome when recanalized by state-of-the-art thrombectomy, whilst only one in 14
      non-recanalizers achieved similar outcomes. Pretreatment markers of good
      neurological outcomes were DWI-ASPECTS >2, intravenous thrombolysis and glycaemia
      <=6.8 mmol/l.

PMID- 28906582
TI  - Mammalian MSC from selected species: Features and applications.
AB  - Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) are promising candidates for cellular
      therapy of different diseases in humans and in animals. Following the guidelines
      of the International Society for Cell Therapy, human MSC may be identified by
      expression of a specific panel of cell surface markers (CD105+, CD73+, CD90+,
      CD34-, CD14-, or CD11b-, CD79- or CD19-, HLA-DR-). In addition, multiple
      differentiation potential into at least the osteogenic, adipogenic, and
      chondrogenic lineage is a main criterion for MSC definition. Human MSC and MSC of
      a variety of mammals isolated from different tissues meet these criteria. In
      addition to the abovementioned, they express many more cell surface markers. Yet,
      these are not uniquely expressed by MSC. The gross phenotypic appearance like
      marker expression and differentiation potential is similar albeit not identical
      for MSC from different tissues and species. Similarly, MSC may feature different
      biological characteristics depending on the tissue source and the isolation and
      culture procedures. Their versatile biological qualities comprising
      immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and proregenerative capacities rely largely
      on the migratory and secretory capabilities of MSC. They are attracted to sites
      of tissue lesion and secrete factors to promote self-repair of the injured
      tissue. This is a big perspective for clinical MSC applications in both
      veterinary and human medicine. Phase I/II clinical trials have been initiated to
      assess safety and feasibility of MSC therapies in acute and chronic disease
      settings. Yet, since the mode of MSC action in a specific disease environment is
      still unknown at large, it is mandatory to unravel the response of MSC from a
      given source onto a specific disease environment in suitable animal models prior
      to clinical applications. (c) 2017 International Society for Advancement of
      Cytometry.

PMID- 28906583
TI  - Reduced-port robotic total mesorectal resection for rectal cancer using the
      robotic single-site platform - a video vignette.

PMID- 28906584
TI  - Erythematous livid, discolorated plaques on both lower legs.

PMID- 28906585
TI  - Improved Thermal Stability of Lithium-Rich Layered Oxide by Fluorine Doping.
AB  - The thermal stability of lithium-rich layered oxide with the composition Li(Li1/6
      Ni1/6 Co1/6 Mn1/2 )O2-x Fx (x=0.00 and 0.05) is evaluated for use as a cathode
      material in lithium-ion batteries. Thermogravimetric analysis, evolved gas
      analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry show that, upon fluorine doping,
      degradation of the lithium-rich layered oxides commences at higher temperatures
      and the exothermic reaction is suppressed. Hot box tests also reveal that the
      prismatic cell with the fluorine-doped powder does not explode, whereas that with
      the undoped one explodes at about 135  degrees C with a sudden temperature
      increase. XRD analysis indicates that fluorine doping imparts the lithium-rich
      layered oxide with better thermal stability by mitigating oxygen release at
      elevated temperatures that cause an exothermic reaction with the electrolyte. The
      origin of the reduced oxygen release from the fluorinated lithium-rich layered
      oxide is also discussed.

PMID- 28906587
TI  - Vascularized thumb metacarpal periosteal pedicled flap for scaphoid nonunion: An
      anatomical study and pediatric case report.
AB  - PURPOSE: Through an anatomical review, the primary aim of this study was to
      delineate the dorsal thumb metacarpal (TM) periosteal branches of the radial
      artery (RA). In addition, we report here the clinical utility of a vascularized
      TM periosteal pedicled flap (VTMPF), supplied by the first dorsal metacarpal
      artery (FDMA), in a complex case of scaphoid nonunion. METHODS: Ten latex-colored
      upper limbs from fresh human cadavers were used. Branches of the RA were
      dissected under 3x loupe magnification, noting the periosteal branches arising
      from the FDMA. The VTMPF was measured for both length (cm) and width (cm).
      RESULTS: The FDMA provided a mean 12 periosteal branches (range 9 to 15), with a
      mean distance between branches of 0.5 cm (range 0.2-1.1), allowing for the design
      of a VTMPF which measured a mean 4 cm in length and 1.2 cm in width. We used a
      VTMPF to treat recalcitrant scaphoid nonunion, with a volar defect of 0.7 cm, in
      a 16-year-old boy. No bone graft was used. The patient experienced no
      postoperative complications. Successful consolidation was achieved three months
      after surgery, confirming the flap's survival. At 14-months of postoperative
      follow-up, the patient's VAS pain rating was 0 out of 100, and his DASH
      questionnaire score was 5. The patient had painless range that was 95% that of
      the contralateral limb. The patient's pinch and grip strengths were 6.5 kg and 28
      kg, respectively (95% of unaffected side). CONCLUSIONS: VTMPF may be considered a
      valuable and reliable surgical option for scaphoid nonunion in complex clinical
      scenarios.

PMID- 28906586
TI  - Equivalent linear change in cognition between individuals with bipolar disorder
      and healthy controls over 5 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cognitive dysfunction is a key feature of bipolar disorder (BD).
      However, not much is known about its temporal stability, as some studies have
      demonstrated a neurodegenerative model in BD while others have shown no change in
      cognitive functioning over time. Building upon our prior work, which examined the
      natural course of executive functioning, the current study aimed to investigate
      the natural course of memory, emotion processing, and fine motor dexterity over a
      5-year period in BD and healthy control (HC) samples. METHODS: Using a 5-year
      longitudinal cohort, 90 individuals with BD and 17 HCs were administered a
      battery of neuropsychological tests at study baseline and at 1 and 5 years after
      study entry that captured four areas of cognitive performance: visual memory,
      auditory memory, emotion processing, and fine motor dexterity. RESULTS: Latent
      growth curve modeling showed no group differences in the slopes of any of the
      cognitive factors between the BD and HC groups. Age at baseline was negatively
      associated with visual memory, emotion processing, and fine motor dexterity.
      Education level was positively associated with auditory and visual memory and
      fine motor. Female gender was negatively associated with emotion processing.
      CONCLUSIONS: Extending our prior work on longitudinal evaluation of executive
      functioning, individuals with BD show similar linear change in other areas of
      cognitive functioning including memory, emotion processing, and fine motor
      dexterity as compared to unaffected HCs. Age, education, and gender may have some
      differential effects on cognitive changes.

PMID- 28906588
TI  - Surface glycan pattern of canine, equine, and ovine bone marrow-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - The use of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for clinical and
      experimental studies is increasing, but full characterization of MSCs in
      veterinary species is hindered by the variability in species-specific cell
      surface marker expression and antibody cross reactivity. Recent studies
      demonstrated that the glycans in the glycocalyx of MSCs are promising candidates
      as cell biomarkers. In the present study, we analyzed the glycocalyx of canine
      MSCs (cMSCs), ovine MSCs (oMSCs), and equine MSCs (eMSCs) using a cell microarray
      procedure in which MSCs were spotted on microarray slides and incubated with a
      panel of 14 biotinylated lectins and Cy3-conjugated streptavidin. The signal
      intensity was then detected using a microarray scanner. The lectin-binding
      signals indicated that the MSC surface of the investigated species contained both
      N- and O-linked glycan types, with N-glycosylation predominating over O
      glycosylation and fucosylation being more abundant than sialylation. Relative
      quantification revealed an interspecific difference between these glycans. In
      addition, cMSCs expressed more alpha2,3-linked sialic acid (MAL II), terminal
      lactosamine (RCA120 ), and alpha1,6 and alpha1,3 fucosylated oligosaccharides
      (PSA, LTA); oMSCs exhibited more T antigen (Jacalin),
      GalNAcalpha1,3(LFucalpha1,2)Galbeta1,3/4GlcNAcbeta1 (DBA), chitotriose
      (succinylated WGA), and alpha1,2-linked fucose (UEA I); and eMSCs showed a higher
      density of alpha2,6 sialic acids (SNA) and high mannose N-glycans (Con A). Using
      cell microarray methodology, we have for the first time demonstrated differences
      in the glycosylation profiles of cMSC, oMSC, and eMSC surfaces. These results
      could be valuable as resources and references for MSC differentiation and
      molecular remodeling in clinical cell-based therapy and tissue engineering
      studies. (c) 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

PMID- 28906589
TI  - Neoadjuvant therapy of bevacizumab in combination with oxaliplatin and
      capecitabine (XELOX) for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with
      unresectable liver metastases: a phase II, open-label, single-arm, noncomparative
      trial.
AB  - AIM: This phase II, open-label study evaluated the efficacy and safety of
      neoadjuvant therapy with bevacizumab plus XELOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin)
      for untreated metastatic colorectal cancer with unresectable liver metastases and
      assessed conversion of unresectable to resectable metastases after neoadjuvant
      treatment. METHODS: Patients received bevacizumab 5 mg/kg and oxaliplatin 85
      mg/m2 on day 1, and capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1-5 followed by 2
      days of rest in a 14-day cycle for 12 cycles; bevacizumab was excluded in cycles
      6 and 7. Patients were later divided into resected and unresected groups,
      depending upon whether they underwent curative resection after chemotherapy.
      Efficacy and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: Of 45 patients enrolled, 17.8%
      completed the study. The resection rate of liver metastases after neoadjuvant
      therapy was 42.2%. The median time to disease progression was 10.1 and 8.7 months
      in the resected and unresected groups, respectively (P = 0.1341). Response rate
      was significantly higher in the resected (47.4%) versus the unresected group
      (34.6%; P = 0.0010), and seven patients achieved complete response (resected
      group). Overall, 94.3% of adverse events were of mild or moderate severity, and
      grade >=3 adverse events occurred in 4.3% and 7.3% of patients in the resected
      and unresected groups, respectively. The most common adverse events in both
      groups were palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome, decreased appetite,
      thrombocytopenia, peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, proteinuria
      and nausea. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant therapy with bevacizumab plus XELOX was well
      tolerated and effective in previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer
      patients with initially unresectable liver metastases.

PMID- 28906591
TI  - Scalp necrosis of the forehead and temple region.

PMID- 28906590
TI  - FGF19 genetic amplification as a potential therapeutic target in lung squamous
      cell carcinomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although FGF19 gene aberrations are associated with carcinogenesis
      and progression in human cancers, the roles of FGF19 genetic amplification and
      expression in Chinese patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and FGF19
      amplification as a potential therapeutic target for LSCC are not well understood.
      METHODS: Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis and quantitative real-time
      PCR was used to detect FGF19 genetic amplification and FGF19 messenger RNA
      expression in LSCC tumor and paired adjacent samples. Small interfering RNA and
      short hairpin RNA were used to knockdown FGF19 in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS:
      FGF19 amplification was identified in a subset of LSCC patients (37.5%, 15/40),
      and upregulation of FGF19 expression was found in 60% (24/40) of tumor tissues
      compared to adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Correlation analysis with
      clinicopathologic parameters showed that FGF19 upregulation was significantly
      associated with heavy smoking. Small interfering RNA knockdown of FGF19 led to
      the significant inhibition of cell growth and induced apoptosis in LSCC cells
      carrying the amplified FGF19 gene, but these effects was not observed in non
      amplified LSCC cells. Interfering FGF19 expression with short hairpin RNA also
      resulted in tumor growth inhibition and induced apoptosis in LSCC xenografts with
      amplified FGF19 in tumor cells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that FGF19
      signaling activation is required for cell growth and survival of FGF19 amplified
      LSCC cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Intervention of FGF19 activation could be
      a potential therapeutic strategy for LSCC patients with FGF19 amplification.

PMID- 28906592
TI  - Influence of bronchial diameter change on the airflow dynamics based on a
      pressure-controlled ventilation system.
AB  - Bronchial diameter is a key parameter that affects the respiratory treatment of
      mechanically ventilated patients. In this paper, to reveal the influence of
      bronchial diameter on the airflow dynamics of pressure-controlled mechanically
      ventilated patients, a new respiratory system model is presented that combines
      multigeneration airways with lungs. Furthermore, experiments and simulation
      studies to verify the model are performed. Finally, through the simulation study,
      it can be determined that in airway generations 2 to 7, when the diameter is
      reduced to half of the original value, the maximum air pressure (maximum air
      pressure in lungs) decreases by nearly 16%, the maximum flow decreases by nearly
      30%, and the total airway pressure loss (sum of each generation pressure drop) is
      more than 5 times the original value. Moreover, in airway generations 8 to 16,
      with increasing diameter, the maximum air pressure, maximum flow, and total
      airway pressure loss remain almost constant. When the diameter is reduced to half
      of the original value, the maximum air pressure decreases by 3%, the maximum flow
      decreases by nearly 5%, and the total airway pressure loss increases by 200%. The
      study creates a foundation for improvement in respiratory disease diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 28906593
TI  - Analysis of NFU-1 metallocofactor binding-site substitutions-impacts on iron
      sulfur cluster coordination and protein structure and function.
AB  - Iron-sulfur (Fe/S) clusters are ancient prosthetic groups found in numerous
      metalloproteins and are conserved across all kingdoms of life due to their
      diverse, yet essential functional roles. Genetic mutations to a specific subset
      of mitochondrial Fe/S cluster delivery proteins are broadly categorized as
      disease-related under multiple mitochondrial dysfunction syndrome (MMDS), with
      symptoms indicative of a general failure of the metabolic system. Multiple
      mitochondrial dysfunction syndrome 1 (MMDS1) arises as a result of the missense
      mutation in NFU1, an Fe/S cluster scaffold protein, which substitutes a glycine
      near the Fe/S cluster-binding pocket to a cysteine (p.Gly208Cys). This
      substitution has been shown to promote protein dimerization such that cluster
      delivery to NFU1 is blocked, preventing downstream cluster trafficking. However,
      the possibility of this additional cysteine, located adjacent to the cluster
      binding site, serving as an Fe/S cluster ligand has not yet been explored. To
      fully understand the consequences of this Gly208Cys replacement, complementary
      substitutions at the Fe/S cluster-binding pocket for native and Gly208Cys NFU1
      were made, along with six other variants. Herein, we report the results of an
      investigation on the effect of these substitutions on both cluster coordination
      and NFU1 structure and function. The data suggest that the G208C substitution
      does not contribute to cluster binding. Rather, replacement of the glycine at
      position 208 changes the oligomerization state as a result of global structural
      alterations that result in the downstream effects manifest as MMDS1, but does not
      perturb the coordination chemistry of the Fe-S cluster.

PMID- 28906596
TI  - Web alert: Microbial enhancement of plant growth: An annotated selection of World
      Wide Web sites relevant to the topics in environmental microbiology.

PMID- 28906595
TI  - Superiority of occipital donor sites for split-thickness skin grafting in
      dermatosurgery: Results of a prospective randomized controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Split-thickness skin grafts are commonly used in dermatosurgery. For
      occipital donor sites, retrospective studies have shown good results with respect
      to graft take and healing rates. Nevertheless, the majority of grafts in
      dermatosurgery are harvested from the thigh. To date, there has been no
      prospective randomized controlled study comparing occipital versus femoral donor
      sites. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Following micrographically controlled R0 tumor
      resection, 108 patients were randomized prior to undergoing split-thickness skin
      grafting (donor site: occiput vs. thigh). Follow-up examinations were carried out
      on day 3, 5, 7, and 14, as well as one month and three months after surgery.
      Documented data included graft take rates, re-epithelialization rates at the
      donor site, pain, cosmetic outcome, Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), and
      complications. RESULTS: Occipital donor sites showed significantly faster
      reepithelization, less pain, fewer complications, a better cosmetic outcome, and
      better results on the VSS. With regard to graft take rates, grafts harvested from
      the occiput were significantly superior on days 3 and 5. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first randomized controlled trial showing a significant superiority of occipital
      compared to femoral donor sites regarding re-epithelialization, pain, cosmetic
      outcome and the Vancouver Scar Scale.

PMID- 28906594
TI  - Understanding the molecular basis for multiple mitochondrial dysfunctions
      syndrome 1 (MMDS1): impact of a disease-causing Gly189Arg substitution on NFU1.
AB  - Iron-sulfur (Fe/S) cluster-containing proteins constitute one of the largest
      protein classes, with highly varied function. Consequently, the biosynthesis of
      Fe/S clusters is evolutionarily conserved and mutations in intermediate Fe/S
      cluster scaffold proteins can cause disease, including multiple mitochondrial
      dysfunctions syndrome (MMDS). Herein, we have characterized the impact of defects
      occurring in the MMDS1 disease state that result from a point mutation
      (p.Gly189Arg) near the active site of NFU1, an Fe/S scaffold protein. In vitro
      investigation into the structure-function relationship of the Gly189Arg
      derivative, along with two other variants, reveals that substitution at position
      189 triggers structural changes that increase flexibility, decrease stability,
      and alter the monomer-dimer equilibrium toward monomer, thereby impairing the
      ability of the Gly189X derivatives to receive an Fe/S cluster from
      physiologically relevant sources.

PMID- 28906597
TI  - More than Graphene.

PMID- 28906598
TI  - Is the supply of continuing education in the anatomical sciences keeping up with
      the demand? Results of a national survey.
AB  - Continuing education (CE) is an essential element in the life-long learning of
      health care providers and educators. Despite the importance of the anatomical
      sciences in the training and practice of clinicians, no studies have examined the
      need/state of anatomy-related CE nationally. This study assessed the current
      landscape of CE in the anatomical sciences to contextualize preferences for CE,
      identify factors that influence the perceived need for CE, and examine the
      association between supply and demand. Surveys were distributed to educators in
      the anatomical sciences, practicing physical therapists (PTs), and anatomy
      training programs across the United States. Twenty-five percent (9 of 36) of
      training programs surveyed offered CE, certificates, or summer series programs
      related to anatomy. The majority of PTs (92%) and anatomy educators (81%) felt
      they had a potential or actual need for anatomy related CE with the most popular
      formats being online videos/learning modules and intensive, hands-on workshops.
      The most commonly perceived barriers to participating in CE for both groups were
      program location, cost, and duration, while educators also perceived time of year
      as a significant factor. Logistic regression analyses revealed that no
      investigated factor influenced the need or desire for PTs to engage in anatomy
      related CE (P <= 0.124), while teaching experience and the highest level of
      learner taught significantly influenced the perceived need among anatomy
      educators (P < 0.001). Overall, quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed a
      robust need for CE that strategically integrates anatomy with areas of clinical
      practice and education. Anat Sci Educ 11: 225-235. (c) 2017 American Association
      of Anatomists.

PMID- 28906599
TI  - Dual-extrusion 3D printing of anatomical models for education.
AB  - Two material 3D printing is becoming increasingly popular, inexpensive and
      accessible. In this paper, freely available printable files and dual extrusion
      fused deposition modelling were combined to create a number of functional
      anatomical models. To represent muscle and bone FilaFlex3D flexible filament and
      polylactic acid (PLA) filament were extruded respectively via a single 0.4 mm
      nozzle using a Big Builder printer. For each filament, cubes (5 mm3 ) were
      printed and analyzed for X, Y, and Z accuracy. The PLA printed cubes resulted in
      errors averaging just 1.2% across all directions but for FilaFlex3D printed cubes
      the errors were statistically significantly greater (average of 3.2%). As an
      exemplar, a focus was placed on the muscles, bones and cartilage of upper airway
      and neck. The resulting single prints combined flexible and hard structures. A
      single print model of the vocal cords was constructed which permitted movement of
      the arytenoids on the cricoid cartilage and served to illustrate the action of
      intrinsic laryngeal muscles. As University libraries become increasingly engaged
      in offering inexpensive 3D printing services it may soon become common place for
      both student and educator to access websites, download free models or 3D body
      parts and only pay the costs of print consumables. Novel models can be
      manufactured as dissectible, functional multi-layered units and offer rich
      possibilities for sectional and/or reduced anatomy. This approach can liberate
      the anatomist from constraints of inflexible hard models or plastinated specimens
      and engage in the design of class specific models of the future. Anat Sci Educ
      11: 65-72. (c) 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

PMID- 28906600
TI  - Bright Light Therapy for Negative Symptoms.

PMID- 28906601
TI  - Graves' Disease and Psychosis in a Young Woman: Pathophysiologic Considerations.

PMID- 28906602
TI  - Addressing Diagnosis and Treatment Gaps in Adults With Attention
      Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was originally defined in
      children but is now recognized to persist into adulthood for some patients.
      Despite this recognition, adult ADHD remains underdiagnosed. This narrative
      review describes the negative impact of ADHD across multiple functional domains,
      diagnostic guidelines for adult ADHD and its clinical features, the importance of
      screening tools and clinical interviews to help evaluate adults for ADHD, and
      adult ADHD treatment options. Diagnostic guidelines for ADHD now incorporate
      adult-specific symptoms and behavioral manifestations, which may aid in
      diagnosing adult ADHD. However, diagnosis of ADHD is complicated by symptom
      overlap between ADHD and psychiatric disorders that might be comorbid with ADHD.
      Screening tools, such as the Adult ADHD Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5,
      can identify adults requiring evaluation for ADHD. However, clinical interviews
      and longitudinal family histories provide critical information that diagnoses
      ADHD and differentiates ADHD from psychiatric comorbidities. Various
      pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments are available for adults diagnosed
      with ADHD. First-line pharmacologic treatment of ADHD usually consists of
      treatment with a psychostimulant, and a variety of short-acting and long-acting
      formulations are available for use in adults. When developing a treatment plan
      for adults with ADHD, it is important to recognize that the demands of adult
      life, both at work and at home, necessitate symptom control throughout the entire
      day and into the evening and indicate that a long-acting medication formulation
      is often preferable. Furthermore, there are important safety concerns, including
      the potential for drug dependence and serious cardiovascular events, which must
      be considered before prescribing stimulants..

PMID- 28906603
TI  - Auditory Hallucinations or Tinnitus? A Case of Framing Effects and a High Jugular
      Bulb.

PMID- 28906604
TI  - A Multisymptomatic Child With Bipolar Disorder: How to Track and Sequence
      Treatment.
AB  - Treatment sequences for the multisymptomatic child with bipolar disorder are not
      adequately described or based on a systematic clinical trial database, and
      systems for longitudinal tracking of symptoms are rarely utilized. We present a
      patient whose symptoms of depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder, oppositional behavior, and mania are rated by a parent and plotted on a
      weekly basis in the Child Network under a Johns Hopkins Institutional Review
      Board-approved protocol. This 9-year-old girl remained inadequately responsive to
      lithium or risperidone. We describe a range of other treatment options and a
      possible sequence for their introduction. We encourage the use of systematic
      longitudinal ratings to help better visualize course of symptom fluctuations and
      response of the child to treatment. Given the highly fluctuating course of many
      symptoms in very young children as illustrated here, prospective monitoring
      appears essential. The current case also highlights the great unmet need for
      comparative effectiveness data in children less than 10 years of age to better
      guide clinical therapeutics.

PMID- 28906605
TI  - The State of Sleep Medicine Education in North American Psychiatry Residency
      Training Programs in 2013: Chief Resident's Perspective.
AB  - Objective: To assess the current state of sleep medicine educational resources
      and training offered by North American psychiatry residency programs. Methods: In
      June 2013, a 9-item peer-reviewed Sleep Medicine Training Survey was administered
      to 39 chief residents of psychiatry residency training programs during a meeting
      in New York. Results: Thirty-four percent of the participating programs offered
      an elective rotation in sleep medicine. A variety of innovative approaches for
      teaching sleep medicine were noted. The majority of the chief residents felt
      comfortable screening patients for obstructive sleep apnea (72%), half felt
      comfortable screening for restless legs syndrome (53%), and fewer than half were
      comfortable screening for other sleep disorders (47%). Conclusions: This is the
      first report in the last decade to provide any analysis of current sleep medicine
      training in North American psychiatry residency training programs. These data
      indicate that sleep medicine education in psychiatry residency programs is
      possibly in decline.

PMID- 28906607
TI  - Two Causes for Macrocytic Anaemia in One Patient: Clinico-Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28906606
TI  - Direct Measurement of Noise Levels in a Large Hospital.

PMID- 28906609
TI  - Cancer in Africa.

PMID- 28906608
TI  - Unorthodoxy in Medicine and Religion.

PMID- 28906610
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906611
TI  - Congenital Ano-Rectal Anomalies.

PMID- 28906612
TI  - Juvenile Delinquency: A Family Practitioner's Problem?

PMID- 28906613
TI  - Experience with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysims.

PMID- 28906615
TI  - Child Health Group.

PMID- 28906614
TI  - Subacute Hepatitis in a Patient Treated with Parstelin: Clinical-Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28906616
TI  - Cataract.

PMID- 28906617
TI  - The Doctor in the Law Courts.

PMID- 28906618
TI  - Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria: Clinical-Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28906619
TI  - How to Win a "House Job".

PMID- 28906620
TI  - South West Surgeons.

PMID- 28906621
TI  - Last Conscious Thoughts.

PMID- 28906622
TI  - Medicine in North America.

PMID- 28906623
TI  - Classification of Juvenile Delinquents.

PMID- 28906624
TI  - Haematuria and Office Urology.

PMID- 28906625
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28906626
TI  - A Foetus with Down's Syndrome.

PMID- 28906627
TI  - Wessex Rahere Club.

PMID- 28906628
TI  - NSPCC: An Urgent Appeal.

PMID- 28906629
TI  - Translocation Mongolism Arising de Novo?

PMID- 28906630
TI  - Conference Report: Sixth International Congress of Gerontology.

PMID- 28906631
TI  - Editorial: Caving Hazards.

PMID- 28906633
TI  - Brook's Family Herbal.

PMID- 28906632
TI  - Corrigenda.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 39 in vol. 81.].

PMID- 28906634
TI  - Viruses and Cancer.

PMID- 28906635
TI  - The Evolution of Liver Surgery.

PMID- 28906636
TI  - Advances in the Management of Rh Haemolytic Disease.

PMID- 28906638
TI  - William Budd.

PMID- 28906637
TI  - The Nature and the Mode of Propagation of Phthisis.

PMID- 28906639
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28906640
TI  - Newly Appointed Consultants.

PMID- 28906641
TI  - Recently Appointed Consultants.

PMID- 28906642
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28906643
TI  - Problems of Anticoagulant Control-II, Which Test?

PMID- 28906644
TI  - Compression Plating for Non-Union of the Tibia.

PMID- 28906645
TI  - Erratum: Vipers and Viper Bites in the West Country.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 3 in vol. 85.].

PMID- 28906646
TI  - This Week in Parliament: From Our Parliamentary Correspondent, Thursday, 27th
      June 2070.

PMID- 28906647
TI  - Editorial: Changes in the Journal.

PMID- 28906648
TI  - Southmead Orchestral Society.

PMID- 28906649
TI  - Ave Atque Vale: Some Reflections by the Retiring Hon. Treasurer, Bristol Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28906650
TI  - Newly-Appointed Consultants.

PMID- 28906652
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906653
TI  - The Centenary Dinner.

PMID- 28906654
TI  - Rectal Cancer-Report of Symposium: Report on a Symposium at the Edward Jenner
      Centre, November 1984.

PMID- 28906655
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906656
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906657
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906658
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondent.

PMID- 28906659
TI  - Bristol Final FRCS Course.

PMID- 28906660
TI  - Pseudo-Malignancy: A Defensible Neologism?

PMID- 28906662
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906661
TI  - The Fleece Medical Society.

PMID- 28906663
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906664
TI  - Surgery of the Circulation: Long Fox Memorial Lecture, 11th November 1981, at the
      University of Bristol.

PMID- 28906665
TI  - Some Famous Bristol Doctors.

PMID- 28906666
TI  - The Treatment of Pancreatitis.

PMID- 28906668
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906669
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906667
TI  - Familial Mental Handicap.

PMID- 28906670
TI  - Liver and Pancreas Transplantation: Report on the Marjorie Budd Lecture by
      Professor R. Y. Calne.

PMID- 28906671
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondent.

PMID- 28906672
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906674
TI  - From Our 'Foreign' Correspondent.

PMID- 28906673
TI  - Emerods.

PMID- 28906675
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906676
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondent.

PMID- 28906677
TI  - Programmes of Societies.

PMID- 28906678
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906679
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906680
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906681
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondents.

PMID- 28906682
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28906683
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906684
TI  - Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society Summer Meeting: Held at the Jenner Museum, the
      Chantry, Berkeley, Gloucestershire Wednesday, 8th May 1985.

PMID- 28906685
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondent.

PMID- 28906686
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28906687
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906688
TI  - Exhibition of Art and Craft Work by Bristol Doctors.

PMID- 28906689
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906690
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906692
TI  - Cossham Medical Society 1982-83.

PMID- 28906691
TI  - Centenary Dinner for the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Journal.

PMID- 28906693
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906694
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906696
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906695
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28906697
TI  - Opening of the Monica Britton Exhibition Hall.

PMID- 28906698
TI  - Editorial: February 1986.

PMID- 28906699
TI  - Starting to Sail.

PMID- 28906701
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondent.

PMID- 28906700
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28906702
TI  - A Memorable Membership Moment.

PMID- 28906703
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906704
TI  - Should Every Cow Carry a Government Health Warning?

PMID- 28906705
TI  - Woodcarving.

PMID- 28906707
TI  - Redevelopment of Frenchay Hospital.

PMID- 28906706
TI  - Bogus Allergy Treatment.

PMID- 28906708
TI  - Changing Face of Ham Green Hospital.

PMID- 28906709
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondents.

PMID- 28906710
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906711
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906712
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28906713
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28906714
TI  - Splendid but Hopeless.

PMID- 28906715
TI  - Children of the Future Age.

PMID- 28906717
TI  - Heart and Lung Transplantation: Present and Future.

PMID- 28906718
TI  - Expanding Horizons of Diagnostic Imaging.

PMID- 28906716
TI  - The Vaccine Control of Virus-Induced Cancers.

PMID- 28906720
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906719
TI  - Eating Tomorrow.

PMID- 28906721
TI  - Molecular Medicine.

PMID- 28906722
TI  - Bone Marrow Transplantation.

PMID- 28906723
TI  - Primary Care in the Future.

PMID- 28906725
TI  - An Evening with Iris Murdoch: Meeting of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society
      on March 12th, 1986.

PMID- 28906724
TI  - The Green Paper. An Hypothesis to Explain the Delay in Its Appearance.

PMID- 28906727
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906726
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28906728
TI  - On a Bicycle Made for Two.

PMID- 28906729
TI  - A Case of Dysphagia.

PMID- 28906730
TI  - Marjorie Budd Lecture, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Trials and Tribulations, Sir
      Geoffrey Slaney.

PMID- 28906731
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28906732
TI  - General Practice and Hospital Medicine-A New Relationship.

PMID- 28906734
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906733
TI  - A National Doctor Morbidity Survey.

PMID- 28906736
TI  - Wishful Thinking.

PMID- 28906735
TI  - Toboggan or Not Toboggan.

PMID- 28906737
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28906738
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28906739
TI  - A Predictive Index for Postoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis in Thoracic Surgery
      Patients.
AB  - In a single-centre prospective trial 200 consecutive patients undergoing thoracic
      surgery were randomised to receive one of two prophylactic regimes against deep
      vein thrombosis (DVT). These were 5000 units of subcutaneous heparin twice a day,
      alone or combined with the wearing of graded compression stockings. The diagnosis
      of DVT was made clinically and with 131I labelled fibrinogen. Six DVTs developed
      in the stocking group and 11 in the non-stocking group. The results suggest that
      the use of stockings reduces the incidence of DVT when added to herparin but the
      difference is not statistically significant. To obtain a predictive index for the
      development of DVT, discriminant analysis was applied to the control and stocking
      groups separately and combined. Five simple clinical variables gave a true
      positive prediction rate, for the combined group, of 94% and a false positive
      prediction rate of 26%.

PMID- 28906741
TI  - Technical Data from Philips.

PMID- 28906740
TI  - Technical Data from Agfa.

PMID- 28906742
TI  - Towards a West of England Medical Journal.

PMID- 28906743
TI  - The Journal.

PMID- 28906744
TI  - The White Paper and the New NHS.

PMID- 28906745
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906746
TI  - Academic Practice or Primitive Physic.

PMID- 28906747
TI  - On Gardening.

PMID- 28906748
TI  - Abdominal Symptoms in General Practice, a Case Control Study.
AB  - A survey was carried out of three hundred general practice patients who were
      questioned about recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort and other related
      symptoms. Patients who responded positively to the questionnaire fell into three
      main groups. Twenty two patients (7%) were found to have previously diagnosed
      irritable bowel syndrome. A further twenty patients (7%) had similar symptoms but
      had not sought medical help for them. Finally there were twenty eight (9%)
      patients with abdominal pain due to miscellaneous organic diseases. Age-sex
      matched controls were selected from the two hundred and thirty patients who
      responded negatively to assess the rate of consultation and the rate of
      prescribing benzodiazepines and antidepressants.

PMID- 28906749
TI  - The Dangers of Cassava (Tapioca) Consumption.
AB  - Cassava (Tapioca) is a worldwide staple food consumed by over 800 million people.
      It contains cyanide which may lead to acute toxicity or chronically may be an
      aetiological factor in tropical nutritional amblyopia, tropical neuropathy,
      endemic goitre, cretinism and tropical diabetes. It may also have carcinogenic
      potential. However, despite nutritional limitations it has many advantages as a
      crop to the subsistence farmer and would be difficult to replace.

PMID- 28906750
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906751
TI  - Oesophageal Pain and Catecholamine Mediated Ecg Changes Mimicking Myocardial
      Ischaemia.
AB  - It is known that oesophageal pain can imitate angina and also that non specific
      ECG changes, probably catecholamine mediated, can be similar to those due to true
      myocardial ischaemia. Both of these can therefore pose a problem for the
      diagnosis of angina pain due to cardiac ischaemia. We report a patient who had
      both of these conditions simultaneously, pain on exertion appearing as angina but
      due to oesophagitis, and "ischaemic" ECG changes due to catecholamines-a double
      mimic of myocardial ischaemia.

PMID- 28906752
TI  - Gastric Carcinoid Presenting with Haematemesis.

PMID- 28906753
TI  - Putting the Boot in.

PMID- 28906755
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondent.

PMID- 28906754
TI  - Phenytoin (Epanutin) Associated Hodgkin's Disease.
AB  - We report a case of phenytoin-associated Hodgkin's disease of lymphocyte
      predominance subtype, which developed after two years of phenytoin (Epanutin)
      treatment. Four other English cases of phenytoin-associated lmphoid malignancy
      are also reviewed.

PMID- 28906756
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondent: Bus 237 to Pokhara.

PMID- 28906757
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28906758
TI  - Distraction, Displacement and Alarm.

PMID- 28906759
TI  - Poet's Corner.

PMID- 28906760
TI  - Glass Paperweights.

PMID- 28906761
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906763
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906762
TI  - Axillary Aneurysm Presenting as a Brachial Plexus Palsy.

PMID- 28906764
TI  - The AIDS Epidemic and Its Control.

PMID- 28906765
TI  - The Origin of AIDS.

PMID- 28906766
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28906767
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28906769
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906768
TI  - Adverse Reactions to Sulphasalazine.

PMID- 28906770
TI  - Ten Years on.

PMID- 28906771
TI  - Erratum: Oesophageal Pain Mimicking Cardiac Ischaemia.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 41 in vol. 102.].

PMID- 28906772
TI  - From Our Foreign Correspondents.

PMID- 28906774
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906773
TI  - Pediculus Humanus Capitis in an Immuno Compromised Patient.

PMID- 28906775
TI  - To Be or Not to Be?

PMID- 28906776
TI  - Letter from Dr. John Seale in Reply to Brown et al.

PMID- 28906777
TI  - Screening for Allergy.

PMID- 28906778
TI  - The Volvo 740 Turbo Estate.

PMID- 28906779
TI  - G.P. and Hospital Medicine.

PMID- 28906781
TI  - Editor's Note.

PMID- 28906780
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906783
TI  - An Evening with Beau Nash and Juliana Popjoy.

PMID- 28906782
TI  - Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Journal "The Medical Journal of the South West".

PMID- 28906784
TI  - MRI in Oncology.

PMID- 28906786
TI  - Stress and Coping in Paediatric Oncology.

PMID- 28906785
TI  - Staff Hazards in Handling Chemotherapy.

PMID- 28906787
TI  - Prediction of Psychosocial Sequelae in Families of Leukaemic Children.

PMID- 28906788
TI  - The Importance of Commmunication with the Primary Care Team.

PMID- 28906789
TI  - Growth and Growth Hormone Secretion Following Cranial and Craniospinal
      Irradiation in Children with Malignant Disease.

PMID- 28906790
TI  - Current Prognosis for Childhood Cancer in the South West Region.

PMID- 28906791
TI  - Medulloblastoma in the South West.

PMID- 28906792
TI  - Management of Pulmonary Metastases in Osteogenic Sarcoma.
AB  - Twenty-three patients presented with isolated pulmonary metastases from
      osteogenic sarcoma following primary treatment by amputation or limb salvage,
      combined with chemotherapy. The metastases were treated by conservative surgical
      excision, combined with chemotherapy; surgicl excision was repeated for recurrent
      pulmonary metastases provided there were none elsewhere. Six patients are alive
      and disease free following their initial surgery. Of the remaining 17, 10 had
      recurrence confined to the lungs, and seven developed extra pulmonary metastases.
      The ten with isolated pulmonary metastases all had further thoracotomies but
      eventually seven died, as did all those with extra pulmonary metastases. There
      were in all 45 operations, with one hospital death and one serious complication.
      Actuarial survival at 1,3,5 and 7 years was 87, 45, 39 and 31% respectively. In
      the ten patients who had recurrence of isolated pulmonary metastases, survival at
      1 and 3 years was 70 and 34%.

PMID- 28906793
TI  - Caring for the Dying Child and Family.

PMID- 28906794
TI  - Carboplatinum.

PMID- 28906795
TI  - Foreword: Paediatric Oncology in Bristol.

PMID- 28906796
TI  - Cellular Biology of Teratoma.

PMID- 28906797
TI  - Children's Understanding of Their Illness.

PMID- 28906798
TI  - Some Educational Implications of Childhood Cancer.

PMID- 28906799
TI  - Epirubicin.

PMID- 28906800
TI  - Molecular Biology of Wilm's Tumour.

PMID- 28906801
TI  - Ifosfamide +/-VP16 in Childhood' Malignancy: A Phase II (toxicity) Study.

PMID- 28906802
TI  - Control of Bacteraemia from Indwelling Central Venous Catheters.

PMID- 28906803
TI  - Causes of Death in a Paediatric Oncology Unit.

PMID- 28906804
TI  - Primary Hodgkin's Disease of the Rectum: Seven-Year Cure after Surgical Excision.

PMID- 28906805
TI  - An Atypical Case of Spontaneous Rupture of the Oesophagus.
AB  - A case of spontaneous rupture of the oesophagus is described in which the
      presentation is unusual. The rarity of the condition is emphasized. The diagnosis
      and treatment are briefly considered and the difficulties in diagnosis stressed.
      The similarities and differences between this condition and the Mallory-Weiss
      syndrome are discussed.

PMID- 28906806
TI  - New Voices for Old: Restoration of Effective Speech after Laryngectomy by the
      Pulmonary Air Shunt-Vocal Fistula Principle.

PMID- 28906807
TI  - Tumour-To-Tumour Metastasis.

PMID- 28906809
TI  - The Malcolm Campbell Memorial Meeting.

PMID- 28906808
TI  - Paralysis of Down-Gaze.

PMID- 28906810
TI  - The Burden Heritage.

PMID- 28906811
TI  - Imitation.

PMID- 28906812
TI  - Dermatological Do-It-Yourself: How to Nail Your Neighbour's Wife to the Bedroom
      Floor.

PMID- 28906813
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906814
TI  - Editorial: Sponsorship for Survival.

PMID- 28906816
TI  - Cossham Medical Society.

PMID- 28906815
TI  - Editorial: Progress Report.

PMID- 28906817
TI  - British Medical Association, Bristol Division.

PMID- 28906818
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906819
TI  - From Our Correspondents.

PMID- 28906821
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906820
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28906823
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906822
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28906825
TI  - Mechanical Restraint in the Management or Treatment of the Insane.

PMID- 28906824
TI  - Intemperance and Dipsomania as Related to Insanity.

PMID- 28906826
TI  - Natural History of Crime: Address of Professor Moriz Benedikt, Delivered at the
      Meeting of the Juridical Society of Vienna, December 28, 1875.

PMID- 28906827
TI  - Diseases of the Nervous System. No. II.

PMID- 28906828
TI  - Second-Sight, or Deuteroscopia.

PMID- 28906829
TI  - Pathology and Treatment of Cerebral Disease. No. II.

PMID- 28906831
TI  - Case of Homicidal Insanity.

PMID- 28906830
TI  - Clinical and Physiological Researches on the Nervous System.

PMID- 28906832
TI  - Physical Culture, and Its Influence on the Body.

PMID- 28906833
TI  - Professor Tyndall and His Opponents.

PMID- 28906834
TI  - Contributions to the Physical Psychology of Criminals: An Address Delivered in
      the Vienna Section of the Medical Association in Lower Austria, November 10,
      1875.

PMID- 28906836
TI  - Psychological Retrospect and Medico-Legal Cases.

PMID- 28906835
TI  - Remarks on the Lunacy Acts (Scotland).

PMID- 28906837
TI  - Quis Custodiet Custodes?

PMID- 28906838
TI  - General Paralysis in Combination with Other Diseases of the Brain.

PMID- 28906839
TI  - Skae's Classification of Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28906840
TI  - Psychological Retrospect and Medico-Legal Cases.

PMID- 28906841
TI  - The Psychological Aspect of the Bravo Case.

PMID- 28906842
TI  - Nightmare and Dreaming.

PMID- 28906843
TI  - The Physical Signs of Reasoning Madness: ("Folie Raisonnante").

PMID- 28906844
TI  - Condition of Lunacy in England and Wales.

PMID- 28906845
TI  - Idiots, Imbeciles, and Harmless Lunatics.

PMID- 28906846
TI  - Problems for Pathologists.

PMID- 28906847
TI  - The Localisation of the Functions of the Brain.

PMID- 28906848
TI  - Pathology and Treatment of Cerebral Disease. No. III.

PMID- 28906849
TI  - The Psychology of General Paralysis of the Insane.

PMID- 28906850
TI  - A Note on Spectral Illusions, &c.

PMID- 28906851
TI  - Mind.

PMID- 28906853
TI  - Psychological Retrospect and Medico-Legal Trials.

PMID- 28906852
TI  - On the Artificial Feeding of the Insane.

PMID- 28906854
TI  - Treatment of Melancholia.

PMID- 28906855
TI  - Opiophagism, or Psychology of Opium-Eating.

PMID- 28906856
TI  - Visit to St. Clement's Asylum, Venice.

PMID- 28906858
TI  - Religious Insanity Metaphysically Considered: Being an Address Delivered by the
      Editor before the Medical Society of London, January 25, 1875.

PMID- 28906857
TI  - Materialism.

PMID- 28906860
TI  - Will and Volition.

PMID- 28906859
TI  - The Delusions of the Insane.

PMID- 28906861
TI  - Dipsomania.

PMID- 28906862
TI  - Hallucination of Satanic Possession Induced by a Vesical Calculus.

PMID- 28906863
TI  - Reminiscences of Lunacy Practice.

PMID- 28906865
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28906864
TI  - Notes on Asylum Surgery.

PMID- 28906866
TI  - State Medicine and Its Relations to Insanity and Public Charity.

PMID- 28906868
TI  - Condition of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28906867
TI  - Pathology and Treatment of Cerebral Diseases.

PMID- 28906869
TI  - Lunacy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

PMID- 28906870
TI  - Lunacy in Ireland.

PMID- 28906871
TI  - Psychological Retrospect and Medico-Legal Trials.

PMID- 28906872
TI  - Morbid Appetites of the Insane.

PMID- 28906873
TI  - Diseases of the Nervous System.

PMID- 28906875
TI  - Hereditary Disease.

PMID- 28906874
TI  - Arachnoid Cysts.

PMID- 28906876
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland: Twenty-Fourth Annual Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy
      for Scotland.

PMID- 28906877
TI  - Comments on Contemporary Journals.

PMID- 28906878
TI  - Lunacy in England: Thirty-Sixth Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy.

PMID- 28906879
TI  - Suicide. No. 2.

PMID- 28906880
TI  - Another Failure of the Lunacy Law Reformers.

PMID- 28906881
TI  - The Genesis of Ideas in the Blind Deaf Mute.

PMID- 28906882
TI  - General Paralysis.

PMID- 28906883
TI  - Note on the Essential Psychic Signs of General Functional Neuratrophia or
      Neurasthenia.

PMID- 28906884
TI  - Mimosis Inquieta.

PMID- 28906885
TI  - Darwin.

PMID- 28906886
TI  - The Origin and Growth of Dreaming.

PMID- 28906888
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28906887
TI  - Legal Medicine in France.

PMID- 28906889
TI  - On Albuminuria during Paralytic Insanity.

PMID- 28906891
TI  - Thomas Carlyle Viewed Psychologically.

PMID- 28906890
TI  - Visual Disturbances Experienced.

PMID- 28906893
TI  - Codification of the Common Law as to Insanity.

PMID- 28906892
TI  - A Psychological Study of Shakespeare.

PMID- 28906895
TI  - Lord Beaconsfield Viewed Psychologically.

PMID- 28906894
TI  - Materialism at the International Medical Congress.

PMID- 28906896
TI  - Lunacy in England. (England's Irren-Wesen.): The Address Read at the Opening of
      Section VIII. Mental Diseases of the International Medical Congress.

PMID- 28906898
TI  - The Psychological Aspect of the Guiteau Case.

PMID- 28906897
TI  - Mania Errabunda.

PMID- 28906899
TI  - Comments on Contemporary Journals.

PMID- 28906900
TI  - Lunacy in England and Wales.

PMID- 28906901
TI  - Was Guiteau Insane?

PMID- 28906903
TI  - Suicide. No. 1.

PMID- 28906902
TI  - Moral (Affective) Insanity : A Plea for Its Retention in Medical Nomenclature.

PMID- 28906904
TI  - Mad Actors. No. 1.

PMID- 28906905
TI  - Early Education and Spiritualism.

PMID- 28906906
TI  - The Plea of Insanity in the Case of Lefroy.

PMID- 28906907
TI  - The Causes of Insanity.

PMID- 28906908
TI  - Opium-Eating Teetotallers.

PMID- 28906910
TI  - Lunacy Law Reform.

PMID- 28906909
TI  - Prophylaxis of Insanity.

PMID- 28906911
TI  - Transference of Special Sense.

PMID- 28906912
TI  - Epitomised Translations.

PMID- 28906913
TI  - Psychology in Our Poets.

PMID- 28906914
TI  - On the Treatment of Blindness and Deafness Resulting from Cerebro-Spinal
      Meningitis, by the Constant Current of Electricity.

PMID- 28906915
TI  - Psychological Retrospect.

PMID- 28906916
TI  - The Mental Development of the Infant of To-Day.

PMID- 28906917
TI  - The Asylums of Europe.

PMID- 28906918
TI  - Medical Proprietors of Private Asylums.

PMID- 28906919
TI  - Private Asylums.

PMID- 28906921
TI  - Psychological Peculiarity.

PMID- 28906920
TI  - Psychological Retrospect.

PMID- 28906922
TI  - Notes on the Psychological Pathology of the Brain.

PMID- 28906923
TI  - Charles Lever.

PMID- 28906924
TI  - Microcephalism.

PMID- 28906925
TI  - The Lunacy Laws.

PMID- 28906926
TI  - Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28906927
TI  - The British Association for the Advancement of Science.

PMID- 28906928
TI  - Education of Girls, Connected with Growth and Physical Development.

PMID- 28906929
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28906930
TI  - Lunacy in America.

PMID- 28906931
TI  - Mental Responsibility and the Diagnosis of Insanity in Criminal Cases.

PMID- 28906932
TI  - Pathology and Treatment of Cerebral Disease: No. V.

PMID- 28906933
TI  - Mind and Living Particles.

PMID- 28906934
TI  - Mad Poets. No. 2.

PMID- 28906935
TI  - What Can Be Done with Criminal Lunatics?

PMID- 28906936
TI  - Idiocy.

PMID- 28906937
TI  - Psychology of Hamlet.

PMID- 28906938
TI  - The Physiology of Nightmare.

PMID- 28906939
TI  - Constance Kent and the Road Murder.

PMID- 28906940
TI  - Notes on the Localisation of Diseases of the Brain.

PMID- 28906941
TI  - Psychological Annotations.

PMID- 28906942
TI  - Sensori-Motor Affections.

PMID- 28906944
TI  - Psychological Retrospect.

PMID- 28906943
TI  - State Medicine in Its Relations to Intemperance.

PMID- 28906945
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28906946
TI  - Materialistic Physiology.

PMID- 28906947
TI  - Epidemic Paralysis: Translated from the Annales Medico-Psychologiques, September
      1876.

PMID- 28906948
TI  - A Visit to Cairo Asylum.

PMID- 28906949
TI  - The Physiologist as a Preacher.

PMID- 28906950
TI  - Classification of Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28906951
TI  - Coloured Light in the Treatment of the Insane.

PMID- 28906952
TI  - Religio Psycho-Medici.

PMID- 28906954
TI  - Military Lunatics.

PMID- 28906953
TI  - Diseases of the Nervous System: No III. - Insanity.

PMID- 28906955
TI  - Lunacy in Ireland.

PMID- 28906956
TI  - Cases of Heart Disease with Melancholia.

PMID- 28906957
TI  - General Paralysis.

PMID- 28906958
TI  - Laws of Hereditary Descent.

PMID- 28906959
TI  - Notes on a Visit to the Asylum of St. Anne, at Paris.

PMID- 28906961
TI  - Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28906960
TI  - Insanity in the Middle States of America.

PMID- 28906962
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28906963
TI  - States of Unconsciousness: Irresistible Impulses-Epilepsy-Treadaway.

PMID- 28906964
TI  - Religio Psycho-Medici. Part II.

PMID- 28906965
TI  - On "Agoraphobia."

PMID- 28906966
TI  - On Statistical Tables of the Causes of Insanity.

PMID- 28906968
TI  - A Death Blow to Spiritualism.

PMID- 28906967
TI  - Sensational Science.

PMID- 28906970
TI  - The Dillwyn Committee.

PMID- 28906969
TI  - Effects of Alcohol on the Offspring.

PMID- 28906971
TI  - Pathology and Treatment of Cerebral Disease: No. IV.

PMID- 28906972
TI  - Diseases of the Nervous System: No. IV.-Mania.

PMID- 28906974
TI  - Commission of Lunacy on the Rev. W. Basset.

PMID- 28906973
TI  - The Curability of Insanity: Psychological Shadows.

PMID- 28906975
TI  - On General Paresis.

PMID- 28906976
TI  - Psychology in Its Relation to Medicine.

PMID- 28906977
TI  - Translations from French Journals.

PMID- 28906978
TI  - Mad Artists.

PMID- 28906979
TI  - Discussion on Private Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28906980
TI  - The Collapse of Scientific Atheism.

PMID- 28906981
TI  - Is "Palaeolithic Man" a Reality of the past or a Myth of the Present? No. 2.

PMID- 28906982
TI  - Suicide in Its Social Relations.

PMID- 28906983
TI  - Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28906984
TI  - The Case of the Rev. Mr. Dodwell.

PMID- 28906985
TI  - A Case of Moral Insanity.

PMID- 28906986
TI  - Mad Poets. No. 1.

PMID- 28906987
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28906988
TI  - Felo-de-se.

PMID- 28906989
TI  - Prevention of Disease, Insanity, Crime and Pauperism.

PMID- 28906990
TI  - A Last Word for Constance Kent.

PMID- 28906991
TI  - Lunacy in Scotland: The Twenty-Second Annual Report of the Commissioners in
      Lunacy for Scotland.

PMID- 28906992
TI  - Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28906993
TI  - Electrisation of the Membranes of the Brain.

PMID- 28906994
TI  - The British Association Picnic at Swansea.

PMID- 28906995
TI  - Epidemical Contagion in Spiritualism.

PMID- 28906996
TI  - The Study of Medical Psychology-Circles of Mental Disorders-Modern Nervous
      Diseases-Education in Relation to Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28906997
TI  - Asylum Supervision.

PMID- 28906998
TI  - Dr. Bucknill and Private Asylums.

PMID- 28906999
TI  - The Centralisation of Energy.

PMID- 28907000
TI  - Psychological Aspect of the Laros Case, on the Trial of Allen C. Laros, at
      Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., for the Murder of His Father, Martin Laros, by
      Poison, the Defence Being Based upon the Allegation of Epileptic Insanity.

PMID- 28907001
TI  - Lunacy in New South Wales.

PMID- 28907002
TI  - Fasting and Feeding: A Detailed Account of Recorded Instances of Unusual
      Abstinence from Food, and of Cases Illustrating Inordinate Appetite.

PMID- 28907004
TI  - Nuggets, Gold and Other Dust from Various Diggings.

PMID- 28907003
TI  - The Brain in Health and Disease.

PMID- 28907005
TI  - Report of the Lunacy Committee.

PMID- 28907006
TI  - Case of Opium Habit and Chloral Habit Combined.

PMID- 28907007
TI  - Modern Pseudo-Philosophy.

PMID- 28907008
TI  - Athetosis.

PMID- 28907009
TI  - Is "Palaeolithic Man" a Reality of the past or a Myth of the Present?

PMID- 28907010
TI  - Diseases of the Nervous System. No. V: Partial Insanity.

PMID- 28907011
TI  - Catalepsy Consequent upon an Attack of Acute Mania-Recovery.

PMID- 28907012
TI  - The St. Clement's Asylum at Venice.

PMID- 28907014
TI  - Psychological Retrospect.

PMID- 28907013
TI  - Analysis of the Evidence of the Dillwyn Committee.

PMID- 28907016
TI  - Insanity in Massachusetts.

PMID- 28907015
TI  - Mental Disorders.

PMID- 28907017
TI  - French Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907018
TI  - The Asylum Journal.

PMID- 28907019
TI  - British Asylums for the Insane.

PMID- 28907021
TI  - Cerebral Pathology.

PMID- 28907020
TI  - The Histology of the Blood in the Insane.

PMID- 28907022
TI  - American Institutions for the Insane.

PMID- 28907023
TI  - On Seclusion in the Treatment of the Insane.

PMID- 28907024
TI  - On Epilepsy.

PMID- 28907025
TI  - On the Causes and Morbid Anatomy of Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28907026
TI  - Hospitals for the Intemperate.

PMID- 28907027
TI  - Suggestions for a New Psychological Terminology.

PMID- 28907029
TI  - On Medico-Legal Evidence in Cases of Insanity: Conclusion.

PMID- 28907028
TI  - On the Connexion Between Morbid Physical and Religious Phenomena: No. II. of a
      Series.

PMID- 28907030
TI  - On Pledges Exacted from the Insane.

PMID- 28907031
TI  - To the Editor of the Journal of Psychological Medicine.

PMID- 28907032
TI  - Heigham Hall Lunatic Asylum, Norwich.

PMID- 28907033
TI  - Psychology of Descartes.

PMID- 28907034
TI  - On the Treatment of Puerperal Mania.

PMID- 28907035
TI  - Critical Remarks on the "Plea of Insanity," &c.

PMID- 28907037
TI  - Oinomania; or, the Mental Pathology of Intemperance.

PMID- 28907036
TI  - The Materialism of Insanity.

PMID- 28907038
TI  - On Epilepsy.

PMID- 28907040
TI  - A Visit to the American State School for Idiots: From the New York Tribune.

PMID- 28907041
TI  - Medico-Legal Jurisprudence.-Important Trial: High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh.

PMID- 28907039
TI  - On the Causes and Morbid Anatomy of Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28907042
TI  - The Responsibility of the Insane.

PMID- 28907043
TI  - Origin of Insanity.

PMID- 28907044
TI  - On the Condition of Lunatics and Idiots in Ireland.

PMID- 28907045
TI  - An Analysis of Guislain's Work on Insanity.

PMID- 28907046
TI  - Critical Remarks on the "Plea of Insanity".

PMID- 28907047
TI  - On the Connexion Between Morbid Physical and Religious Phenomena: No. 3 of a
      Series.

PMID- 28907048
TI  - On the Uses and Influence of Mental Philosophy.

PMID- 28907049
TI  - Autobiography of the Insane.

PMID- 28907050
TI  - The Brain in Relation to the Mind.

PMID- 28907051
TI  - American Institutions for the Insane.

PMID- 28907052
TI  - Psychology of Berkeley.

PMID- 28907053
TI  - Does Any Analogy Exist Between Insanity and Demoniacal Possession?

PMID- 28907054
TI  - Great Will Case: Dyce Sombre v. Troup.

PMID- 28907055
TI  - American Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907056
TI  - Suggestions in Reference to the Study of the Philosophy of the Human Mind.

PMID- 28907057
TI  - Remarks on the Religious Persuasion, Degree of Education, and Employments of
      Persons Affected with Insanity.

PMID- 28907058
TI  - On the Connexion Between Morbid Physical and Religious Phenomena: No. 4 of a
      Series.

PMID- 28907059
TI  - Case of a Gentleman Who Was Born Deaf and Dumb, and Subsequently Became Insane.

PMID- 28907060
TI  - Retrospect of the Autopsies Performed in the Vienna Lunatic Asylum of the
      Patients Who Died in 1853.

PMID- 28907061
TI  - William Tuke, the Founder of the York Retreat.

PMID- 28907062
TI  - Insanity and Demoniacal Possession.

PMID- 28907063
TI  - Cerebral Pathology Based upon the Examination of 411 Cases. Specific Gravity of
      the Brain in Cases of Insanity.

PMID- 28907064
TI  - Private Lunatic Asylums in Ireland.

PMID- 28907065
TI  - Researches into the Functions of the Brain.

PMID- 28907066
TI  - Opening of an Institution for the Treatment of Idiocy in Edinburgh.

PMID- 28907068
TI  - Influence of Ether and Chloroform on the Mind.

PMID- 28907067
TI  - On the Policy of Maintaining the Limits at Present Imposed by Law on the Criminal
      Responsibility of Madmen.

PMID- 28907069
TI  - State of Lunatic Asylums and the Insane in Ireland.

PMID- 28907070
TI  - American Institutions for the Insane.

PMID- 28907071
TI  - On the Causes and Treatment of Insanity.

PMID- 28907072
TI  - Religious Consolation to the Insane.

PMID- 28907073
TI  - Claim of Priority in the Reformation of the Treatment of the Insane.

PMID- 28907075
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907074
TI  - On the Mind.

PMID- 28907077
TI  - Literary Fools.-Guillaume Postel, Christopher Smart, and Others.

PMID- 28907076
TI  - On the Moral Therapeutics of London.

PMID- 28907078
TI  - Judicial Psychology in France.

PMID- 28907079
TI  - On General Paralysis.

PMID- 28907081
TI  - The Method and Statistics of Suicide.

PMID- 28907080
TI  - Proposed Amendment of the Law of Lunacy.

PMID- 28907082
TI  - Murderous Assault on the Visiting Physician in the Maryboro' Lunatic Asylum.

PMID- 28907083
TI  - On the Artificial Production of Stupidity in Schools.

PMID- 28907084
TI  - Statistics of Insanity.

PMID- 28907085
TI  - Dante: A Psychological Study.

PMID- 28907086
TI  - Pauper Lunacy.

PMID- 28907087
TI  - Medico-Legal Trial: Disputed Will.-Plea of Unsound Mind. Court of Probate,
      Westminster, May 5th. (Before Sir C. Cresswell, the Judge Ordinary, and a Special
      Jury.) Terrington v. Terrington and Johnson.

PMID- 28907088
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907089
TI  - The Case of Mr. Ruck.

PMID- 28907090
TI  - Sir William Hamilton's Lectures on Metaphysics.

PMID- 28907091
TI  - Proposed Legislation in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907092
TI  - Principles of Early Mental Education.

PMID- 28907093
TI  - Sussex Lunatic Asylum: How the Inmates Will Be Lodged, Fed, Clothed, Employed,
      and Amused.

PMID- 28907095
TI  - The Law of Lunacy and the Condition of the Insane in Scotland.

PMID- 28907094
TI  - Errata.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 277 in vol. 12.][This corrects the article on p.
      299 in vol. 12.].

PMID- 28907096
TI  - On Puerperal Insanity.

PMID- 28907097
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907098
TI  - On Convulsion.

PMID- 28907099
TI  - Literary Fools.-Bluet D'Arberes.

PMID- 28907100
TI  - On the State and Condition of Lunacy in Ireland.

PMID- 28907101
TI  - Psychology of Kant.

PMID- 28907102
TI  - The Statistics of Justice.

PMID- 28907103
TI  - Don Quixote: A Psychological Study.

PMID- 28907104
TI  - Plea of Insanity-Trial for Murder.

PMID- 28907105
TI  - On the Insanity of Children.

PMID- 28907106
TI  - On the Obscure Mental Disorders of Criminals.

PMID- 28907107
TI  - The Select Committee on Lunatics.

PMID- 28907108
TI  - The AEsthetics of Suicide.

PMID- 28907109
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907110
TI  - Law and Lunacy: Notes of Recent Cases.

PMID- 28907111
TI  - Medico-Legal Trial.-Unlawful Detention in a Lunatic Asylum: Court of Queen's
      Bench, Westminster, June 21st. (Sitting at Nisi Prius, before Mr. Justice Hill
      and Special Juries.) Ruck v. Stilwell and Another.

PMID- 28907112
TI  - On Inflammatory Affections of the Brain.

PMID- 28907113
TI  - Transitory Homicidal Mania: Where Does Reason End or Mania Begin?

PMID- 28907114
TI  - The Psychology of Kant.

PMID- 28907115
TI  - State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907116
TI  - The Asylums of Italy, France, and Germany.

PMID- 28907117
TI  - Hysteria in Connexion with the Belfast Revival.

PMID- 28907118
TI  - On the Distribution of Suicides in England and Wales: With a Map.

PMID- 28907120
TI  - On Suicide.

PMID- 28907119
TI  - Tendency of Misdirected Education and the Unbalanced Mind to Produce Insanity.

PMID- 28907121
TI  - A Singular Case of Insanity.

PMID- 28907122
TI  - On the Paralysis of the Insane.

PMID- 28907123
TI  - On the Causes of Idiocy.

PMID- 28907125
TI  - An Autobiographical Sketch of a Drunkard.

PMID- 28907124
TI  - Psychology of Kant.

PMID- 28907126
TI  - On a Particular Class of Dreams Induced by Food.

PMID- 28907127
TI  - The Present State of Lunacy in England and Wales.

PMID- 28907128
TI  - On the Psychological Basis of the Language of Orators, Poets, and Philosophers.

PMID- 28907129
TI  - Medico-Legal Trial-Plea, "Lunacy".

PMID- 28907130
TI  - Lunacy Legislation.

PMID- 28907131
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907132
TI  - On the Moral Pathology of London.

PMID- 28907134
TI  - On Insanity and Lunatic Asylums in Norway.

PMID- 28907133
TI  - The Asylums of Italy, Germany, and France, &c.

PMID- 28907135
TI  - On Dipsomania.

PMID- 28907137
TI  - Physiological Psychology: No. V.

PMID- 28907136
TI  - Mind and Body.

PMID- 28907139
TI  - Charlotte Bronte-A Psychological Study.

PMID- 28907138
TI  - The Legal Doctrine of Responsibility in Cases of Insanity, Connected with Alleged
      Criminal Acts.

PMID- 28907140
TI  - On Civilization.

PMID- 28907141
TI  - Congratulatory Address to Samuel Gaskell, Esq.: And One of Her Majesty's
      Commissioners in Lunacy, Etc. Etc.

PMID- 28907142
TI  - Correspondence from Paris.

PMID- 28907143
TI  - Address to Our Readers.

PMID- 28907144
TI  - Bentley's Miscellany and Mad Doctors.

PMID- 28907145
TI  - Analysis of Crime: Being an Attempt to Distinguish Its Chief Causes, in Answer to
      the Statistical Deductions of M. Guerry, and the Rev. Whitworth Russell; the
      Former Finding That Popular Education Did Not Prevent Crime-The Latter That It
      Was a Cause of Crime.

PMID- 28907146
TI  - Insanity from Chloroform.

PMID- 28907148
TI  - Somerset County Lunatic Asylum.

PMID- 28907147
TI  - Insanity of Advanced Life.

PMID- 28907149
TI  - Moral State of Society.

PMID- 28907150
TI  - The Editor's Portfolio.

PMID- 28907152
TI  - Annals of Medico-Psychology.

PMID- 28907151
TI  - The Treatment of Insanity, Ancient and Modern.

PMID- 28907153
TI  - Lectures on the Pathological Appearances in the Bodies of the Insane. No. I:
      Delivered at the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum.

PMID- 28907154
TI  - The Human Mind, Considered in Some of Its Medical Aspects.

PMID- 28907155
TI  - Supposed Demoniacal Possession: To the Editor of the "Journal of Psychological
      Medicine".

PMID- 28907156
TI  - The Passions.

PMID- 28907157
TI  - The Anatomy of the Human Brain.

PMID- 28907159
TI  - Religious Insanity.

PMID- 28907158
TI  - Mr. Dyce Sombre on the English Law of Lunacy.

PMID- 28907160
TI  - Case of Pyromania.

PMID- 28907161
TI  - The French Law of Lunacy.

PMID- 28907162
TI  - Dr. Davey's Mental Pathology.

PMID- 28907163
TI  - Causes, Cure, and Prevention of Idiocy.

PMID- 28907165
TI  - Confessions of a Patient after Recovering from an Attack of Lunacy.

PMID- 28907164
TI  - Lectures on the Pathological Appearances Observed in the Bodies of the Insane.
      No. II.

PMID- 28907166
TI  - Colney Hatch Asylum.

PMID- 28907167
TI  - The Physiology of the Human Brain.

PMID- 28907168
TI  - The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane.

PMID- 28907169
TI  - The Morbid Anatomy of the Coverings of the Brain.

PMID- 28907170
TI  - Dr. Ogilvie's Course of Lectures on Medical Psychology.

PMID- 28907171
TI  - On Taedium Vitae.

PMID- 28907172
TI  - Notes of a Recent Visit to Several Provincial Asylums for the Insane in France.

PMID- 28907173
TI  - Earl's-Court House, Old Brompton, near London. Mrs. Bradbury's Establishment for
      the Care and Recovery of Ladies Labouring under Nervous Affection.

PMID- 28907174
TI  - Periodicals in Exchange.

PMID- 28907175
TI  - Testimonial to Dr. Conolly.

PMID- 28907176
TI  - English County Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907177
TI  - The Ohio Lunatic Asylum.

PMID- 28907178
TI  - The State Lunatic Asylum, New York. (With an Engraving.).

PMID- 28907179
TI  - Mixed Insanity-Reason and Madness.

PMID- 28907180
TI  - The Trial of Robert Pate, or the Plea of Lunacy.

PMID- 28907181
TI  - Trial of Robert Pate for the Outrage upon Her Majesty.

PMID- 28907183
TI  - The History and Present State of Lunatic Asylums-Public and Private.

PMID- 28907182
TI  - The Pathology of Insanity: A Lecture, Delivered May 25th, 1850, in the Middlesex
      County Asylum, Hanwell.

PMID- 28907185
TI  - The Sedative Treatment of Insanity.

PMID- 28907184
TI  - Lord Brougham on Partial Insanity.

PMID- 28907186
TI  - The Plea of Insanity.

PMID- 28907187
TI  - Selections.

PMID- 28907189
TI  - The Connexion between Physiology, Psychology, Natural Theology, and Other
      Sciences.

PMID- 28907188
TI  - Letters from Paris.

PMID- 28907191
TI  - Supposed Demoniacal Possession.

PMID- 28907190
TI  - Transient Insanity.

PMID- 28907192
TI  - Case of Double Consciousness Connected with Hysteria.

PMID- 28907194
TI  - Commissions in Lunacy: Court of Chancery, Westminster, April 25. In Re Anstie
      (Lunacy).

PMID- 28907193
TI  - Juvenile Delinquency and Degeneration in the Upper Classes of Society.

PMID- 28907195
TI  - Miscellaneous.

PMID- 28907196
TI  - Letters from Paris.

PMID- 28907198
TI  - Impulsive Insanity.-The French Vampire.

PMID- 28907197
TI  - Miscellaneous.

PMID- 28907199
TI  - Judicial Insanity-Trial of Nottidge v. Ripley.

PMID- 28907200
TI  - Monograph II. On Softening of the Brain, Arising from Anxiety and Undue Mental
      Exercise, and Resulting in Impairment of Mind.

PMID- 28907201
TI  - Madness, as Treated by Shakspere: A Psychological Essay.

PMID- 28907202
TI  - Psychological Fragments.

PMID- 28907203
TI  - Works and Memoirs on General Psychology.

PMID- 28907204
TI  - To Our Readers.

PMID- 28907205
TI  - Selections.

PMID- 28907206
TI  - Chemical Investigations on the Blood in the Neuroses: A Memoir Presented to the
      Academy of Sciences at Paris, on the 29th of November, 1847.

PMID- 28907207
TI  - Dr. Winslow on the Effect of Solitary Confinement on the Mind.

PMID- 28907208
TI  - Medical Intelligence and News.

PMID- 28907209
TI  - The Manchester Royal Lunatic Hospital.

PMID- 28907210
TI  - On the Religious Instruction of the Insane.

PMID- 28907211
TI  - Statistics of Insanity.

PMID- 28907213
TI  - Professor Valentin's Physiology.

PMID- 28907212
TI  - No.I. The Psychological Vocation of the Physician.

PMID- 28907214
TI  - The Pilgrimage of Thought.

PMID- 28907215
TI  - On the Hygeine of Crime.

PMID- 28907216
TI  - Logic and Psychology.

PMID- 28907217
TI  - General Paralysis of the Insane.

PMID- 28907218
TI  - Elements of Psychological Medicine.

PMID- 28907219
TI  - Modern Demonology and Divination.

PMID- 28907220
TI  - Upon the Morbid Desire to Kill.

PMID- 28907221
TI  - Dr. Charlesworth and Mr. Gardiner Hill; or the Non-Restraint System of Treatment
      in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907222
TI  - Psychological Inquiries.

PMID- 28907223
TI  - On Non-Mechanical Restraint in the Treatment of the Insane.

PMID- 28907224
TI  - Recent Trials in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907225
TI  - Symptomatology of Insanity.

PMID- 28907226
TI  - On the Classification of Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28907227
TI  - The Correlation of Psychology and Physiology.

PMID- 28907228
TI  - On the Connexion between Morbid Physical and Religious Phenomena.

PMID- 28907229
TI  - Artistic Anatomy.

PMID- 28907230
TI  - On the Causes and Morbid Anatomy of Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28907231
TI  - Institutions for the Insane in Prussia, Austria, and Germany.

PMID- 28907232
TI  - Spiritual Pathology; or, the Autobiography of the Insane.

PMID- 28907233
TI  - The Psychology of Monomaniacal Societies and Literature.

PMID- 28907234
TI  - No. III. On Medico-Legal Evidence in Cases of Insanity: Delivered before the
      Medical Society of London.

PMID- 28907235
TI  - On Paralysis and Diseases of the Brain.

PMID- 28907236
TI  - On Criminal Lunacy.

PMID- 28907237
TI  - An Analysis of Guislain's Work on Insanity.

PMID- 28907238
TI  - Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity.

PMID- 28907241
TI  - On the Construction of Hospitals for the Insane.

PMID- 28907240
TI  - Psychology of Locke.

PMID- 28907239
TI  - The Asylums of Holland: Their past and Present Condition.

PMID- 28907243
TI  - State of Lunacy in Paris.

PMID- 28907242
TI  - Pathology of Insanity: To the Editor of the Psychological Journal.

PMID- 28907244
TI  - A Subject for Psychological Adjudication.

PMID- 28907245
TI  - On the Organization of Hospitals for the Insane.

PMID- 28907247
TI  - The Plea of Insanity in Criminal Cases.

PMID- 28907246
TI  - American Asylums for the Insane.

PMID- 28907248
TI  - St. Luke's Hospital.

PMID- 28907249
TI  - On a Substance Presenting the Chemical Reaction of Cellulose, Found in the Brain
      and Spinal Cord of Man.

PMID- 28907250
TI  - On the Weight and Specific Gravity of the Brain in Insanity.

PMID- 28907252
TI  - On Some of the Latent Causes of Insanity.

PMID- 28907251
TI  - The Psychology of Opium Eating.

PMID- 28907253
TI  - Mental Dynamics in Relation to the Science of Medicine.

PMID- 28907254
TI  - An Analysis of Guislain's Work on Insanity.

PMID- 28907255
TI  - No. II. On the Medical Treatment of Insanity: Delivered before the Medical
      Society of London, April 7, 1852.

PMID- 28907256
TI  - Liability of a Lunatic's Estate for Necessaries Supplied to the Lunatic: Seaton
      v. Adcock.

PMID- 28907257
TI  - A Psychological Problem. (?).

PMID- 28907258
TI  - German Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907259
TI  - Remarks upon the Morbid Anatomy of the Brain in Insanity.

PMID- 28907260
TI  - Philosophy of Spirits.

PMID- 28907261
TI  - Extraordinary Will Case, Involving the Question of Mental Capacity: Dryden v.
      Fryer.-The Will of the Late Sir Gregory Page Turner. Court of Queen's Bench.
      Sittings at Nisi Prius at Westminster. Before Lord Campbell and a Special Jury.

PMID- 28907262
TI  - The Last Sentiments of Suicides.

PMID- 28907263
TI  - The Closing Scene.

PMID- 28907264
TI  - The Mental Aspect of Epidemics.

PMID- 28907265
TI  - Bethlem Hospital.

PMID- 28907266
TI  - Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity.

PMID- 28907267
TI  - An Appeal from Bethlehem.

PMID- 28907268
TI  - The Chancellor of the Exchequer and County and Private Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907269
TI  - Insanity from Solitary and Separate Confinement. Also, Mortality in Lunatic
      Asylums.

PMID- 28907270
TI  - On the Premonitory Symptoms of Cerebral Disease.

PMID- 28907271
TI  - On Nervous Diseases.

PMID- 28907272
TI  - Evidence of a Lunatic Taken in a Case of Manslaughter in a Lunatic Asylum.

PMID- 28907274
TI  - Syphiliphobia.

PMID- 28907273
TI  - Modern Scepticism.

PMID- 28907275
TI  - Statistics of Suicide in France: From 1835 to 1846, Inclusive.

PMID- 28907276
TI  - The Last Sentiments of Suicides: II. Bad Sentiments.

PMID- 28907277
TI  - On the Mental Manifestations and Impulses of the Insane.

PMID- 28907278
TI  - Selections.

PMID- 28907279
TI  - On the Inadmissibility of the Evidence of a Lunatic in a Court of Justice.

PMID- 28907280
TI  - Notes of a Recent Visit to Some of the American Asylums.

PMID- 28907281
TI  - Modern Metaphysics.

PMID- 28907282
TI  - Influence of Mental Emotion in the Production of Disease of the Heart.

PMID- 28907283
TI  - The Nature and Treatment of Insanity.

PMID- 28907285
TI  - On Idiotic Crania, Idiocy, and Cretinism.

PMID- 28907284
TI  - Remarks upon the Morbid Anatomy of the Brain in Insanity.

PMID- 28907286
TI  - The Process of Thought; or, Electro-Biology.

PMID- 28907287
TI  - Instinct and Reason; or, the Intellectual Difference between Man and Animals.

PMID- 28907289
TI  - The Association of Medical Officers of Hospitals for the Insane.

PMID- 28907288
TI  - On Improving the Condition of the Insane: Public Asylums for the Middle Classes.

PMID- 28907290
TI  - The Last Sentiments of Suicides: III. Mixed Sentiments.

PMID- 28907291
TI  - Lunatic Asylums in Ireland.

PMID- 28907292
TI  - Criminal Lunatics.

PMID- 28907293
TI  - British Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907294
TI  - The Theory of Reasoning.

PMID- 28907295
TI  - The Maniac's Wail.

PMID- 28907296
TI  - Chancery Lunatics.

PMID- 28907297
TI  - Medical Evidence in Cases of Insanity.

PMID- 28907298
TI  - The Murderer's Confession.

PMID- 28907299
TI  - Sleep, Dreaming, and Insanity.

PMID- 28907300
TI  - Theory of Insanity.

PMID- 28907301
TI  - On the Education of Idiots.

PMID- 28907302
TI  - Lunatic Asylums in Ireland.

PMID- 28907303
TI  - State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907304
TI  - Woman in Her Psychological Relations.

PMID- 28907305
TI  - The Great Exhibition of 1851.

PMID- 28907306
TI  - Commissions in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907307
TI  - Mental Dietetics:-The Effects of Stimulants, Solid and Fluid, on the Mind.

PMID- 28907308
TI  - Case of Mr. Dyce Sombre. (Morning Chronicle.).

PMID- 28907310
TI  - Description of a New Window for the Use of Asylums.

PMID- 28907309
TI  - The Census of 1851, in Relation to Public and Private Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907311
TI  - On the Psychical Progress of Nations.

PMID- 28907313
TI  - Report of the Board of Visitors of the Boston Lunatic Asylum, in the Matter of
      the Superintendent of That Institution: Boston, 1849.

PMID- 28907312
TI  - Notes of a Recent Visit to Several Provincial Asylums for the Insane in France.

PMID- 28907314
TI  - On Somnambulism.

PMID- 28907315
TI  - The War.

PMID- 28907316
TI  - Autobiography of the Insane.

PMID- 28907317
TI  - On Some Unrecognised Forms of Mental Disorder.

PMID- 28907318
TI  - Notes of a Visit to the Public Lunatic Asylums of Scotland.

PMID- 28907319
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907320
TI  - On the Connexion between Morbid Physical and Religious Phenomena.

PMID- 28907321
TI  - Judicial Department.

PMID- 28907322
TI  - A Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907323
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907324
TI  - New Scotch Lunacy Law.

PMID- 28907325
TI  - Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Officers of Asylums and Hospitals
      for the Insane.

PMID- 28907326
TI  - Sardinian Law of Lunacy.

PMID- 28907327
TI  - The Present State of Lunacy in England and Wales.

PMID- 28907328
TI  - Proposed Scheme to Establish a Society for the Protection and Cure of Invalids in
      Belgium.

PMID- 28907329
TI  - Philosophical Progress.

PMID- 28907330
TI  - Psychology of Wolf.

PMID- 28907331
TI  - State of Lunacy in Ireland.

PMID- 28907332
TI  - On the Compensatory Relations between the Faculties of Order and Memory.

PMID- 28907333
TI  - On Moral Liberty.

PMID- 28907334
TI  - Inspectors of Lunacy for Scotland.

PMID- 28907335
TI  - The Mission of the Psychologist.

PMID- 28907337
TI  - The Asylums of Italy, Germany, and France: Notes of a Visit Made in the Year
      1855.

PMID- 28907336
TI  - On the Insanity of Early Life.

PMID- 28907338
TI  - Judicial Department.

PMID- 28907339
TI  - William Dove.

PMID- 28907340
TI  - On the Physiological and Psychological Phenomena of Dreams and Apparitions.

PMID- 28907341
TI  - Woman in Her Social Relations, past and Present.

PMID- 28907342
TI  - The Statistics of Insanity, and Idiocy and Cretinism.-Reports of the
      International Statistical Congress: To the Editor of the Journal of Psychological
      Medicine.

PMID- 28907344
TI  - Leaves from the Diary of a Patient Confined in Hanwell Asylum.

PMID- 28907343
TI  - On the Connexion between Morbid Physical and Moral Phenomena.

PMID- 28907345
TI  - The District Hospitals for the Insane in Ireland.-Superannuations.

PMID- 28907346
TI  - Triune Man.-The Inaugural Discourse Delivered at the Opening of the Last Session
      of the London Hospital Medical College.

PMID- 28907348
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907347
TI  - Psychology of Malebranche.

PMID- 28907350
TI  - Mental Labour; Its Effects on the Blood.

PMID- 28907349
TI  - On Monomania.

PMID- 28907351
TI  - On the Use of Chloroform in the Treatment of Puerperal Insanity.

PMID- 28907352
TI  - Professor Ferrier's New Scottish Philosophy.

PMID- 28907353
TI  - The Case of Mr. Millar: From the "Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News" of Oct.
      18, 1856.

PMID- 28907354
TI  - Autobiography of the Insane.

PMID- 28907355
TI  - Notes on Belgian Lunatic Asylums, Including the Insane Colony of Gheel.

PMID- 28907356
TI  - Philosophical Medicine.

PMID- 28907357
TI  - Physiological Psychology: No. III.

PMID- 28907358
TI  - Prolonged Shower-Baths in the Treatment of the Insane.

PMID- 28907359
TI  - The Insanity of King George III.

PMID- 28907360
TI  - Contributions to the Chemistry and Histology of the Urine in the Insane.

PMID- 28907362
TI  - On the Physiological and Psychological Phenomena of Dreams and Apparitions.

PMID- 28907361
TI  - Physiological Psychology: No. II.

PMID- 28907363
TI  - Psychology of Leibnitz.

PMID- 28907364
TI  - Lunatic Asylums in Ireland.

PMID- 28907366
TI  - The Peace.

PMID- 28907365
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907367
TI  - Notes of a Visit to the Public Lunatic Asylums of Scotland.

PMID- 28907368
TI  - William Palmer.

PMID- 28907369
TI  - The "Private Lunacy Committee" and the Commissioners in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907370
TI  - On the Connexion between Morbid Physical and Religious Phenomena.

PMID- 28907371
TI  - On Marriages of Consanguinity.

PMID- 28907372
TI  - Psychology of Spinoza.

PMID- 28907374
TI  - Psychological Intelligence.

PMID- 28907373
TI  - Pathology of Insanity: Based on the Post-Mortem Examinations in Bethlehem
      Hospital.

PMID- 28907376
TI  - On the Degeneracy of the Human Race.

PMID- 28907375
TI  - Reports of American Institutions for the Insane : From the American Journal of
      Medical Science.

PMID- 28907377
TI  - Insanity among the Convicts at Pentonville, Milbank, and Dartmoor Prisons.

PMID- 28907378
TI  - Notes on Belgian Lunatic Asylums, Including the Insane Colony of Gheel.

PMID- 28907379
TI  - Hereditary Influence, Animal and Human : From the "Westminster Review".

PMID- 28907380
TI  - Capital Punishment for Murder Scripturally Considered.

PMID- 28907381
TI  - On Civilization and Insanity.

PMID- 28907382
TI  - On the Physiological and Psychological Phenomena of Dreams and Apparitions.

PMID- 28907383
TI  - Physiological Psychology: No. IV.

PMID- 28907384
TI  - Education of Idiots.

PMID- 28907385
TI  - On Some Unrecognised Forms of Mental Disorder.

PMID- 28907386
TI  - Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity: Part I.-On Lucid Intervals.

PMID- 28907388
TI  - On Moral and Criminal Epidemics.

PMID- 28907387
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907390
TI  - The Parish of St. Pancras and Its Lunatic Poor.

PMID- 28907389
TI  - Notes of a Visit to the Public Lunatic Asylums of Scotland.

PMID- 28907392
TI  - Physiological Psychology.

PMID- 28907391
TI  - Autobiography of the Insane.

PMID- 28907393
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907394
TI  - Ethnological Psychology.

PMID- 28907396
TI  - Spencer's Psychology.

PMID- 28907395
TI  - On Criminal Responsibility.

PMID- 28907397
TI  - State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907398
TI  - Statistics of Insanity.

PMID- 28907399
TI  - State of Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28907400
TI  - Popular Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907401
TI  - The Demon of Socrates.

PMID- 28907402
TI  - Neglected Brain Disease-Suicide.

PMID- 28907403
TI  - On the Increase of Insanity.

PMID- 28907405
TI  - Phantasmata.

PMID- 28907404
TI  - The Asylums of Italy, Germany, and France: Notes of a Visit Made in the Year
      1855.

PMID- 28907406
TI  - On the Treatment of Insanity in Julius Hospital, Wurzburg: Under the Management
      of Der Herr Hofrath Dr. von Marcus, Senior Physician of Julius Hospital, Ritter
      des verdienst Orders der Bayrischen Krone, &c. &c.

PMID- 28907407
TI  - The Condition of the Insane.

PMID- 28907408
TI  - Dr. E. Brown-Sequard on the Physiology and Pathology of the Nervous System.

PMID- 28907409
TI  - The Indian Rebellion in Its Moral and Psychological Aspects.

PMID- 28907410
TI  - Intemperance Considered as a Form of Mental Disorder.

PMID- 28907411
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907412
TI  - The Asylums of Italy, Germany, and France: Notes of a Visit Made in the Year
      1855.

PMID- 28907413
TI  - Homicide in Insanity.

PMID- 28907414
TI  - Body v. Mind.

PMID- 28907415
TI  - The Juridical Society, and the Criminal Responsibility of the Insane.

PMID- 28907417
TI  - The State of Lunacy in Ireland.

PMID- 28907416
TI  - Pathology of Insanity: Based on the Post-Mortem Examinations in Bethlehem
      Hospital.

PMID- 28907418
TI  - The Commissioners in Lunacy and the Poor-Law Board.

PMID- 28907419
TI  - William Cullen: A Psychological Study.

PMID- 28907420
TI  - On Lesions of the Cutaneous Sensibility among the Insane.

PMID- 28907421
TI  - Instrumental Music in the Asylum of Quatre-Mares.

PMID- 28907422
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907423
TI  - Paradoxical Psychology.

PMID- 28907424
TI  - Medico-Legal Trial: Disputed Will-Plea of Mental Incapacity Skipper and Skipper
      v. Bodkin and Others.

PMID- 28907426
TI  - Hysteria in Connexion with Religious Revivals.

PMID- 28907425
TI  - Statistics.

PMID- 28907427
TI  - The Parliamentary Inquiry and Popular Notions Concerning the Treatment of
      Lunatics.

PMID- 28907428
TI  - On Epilepsy.

PMID- 28907429
TI  - Dr. B. A. Morel on Mental Disorders.

PMID- 28907430
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907431
TI  - Bain's Psychology.

PMID- 28907432
TI  - Modern Magicians and Mediomaniacs.

PMID- 28907434
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907433
TI  - The Platonic Dialogues.

PMID- 28907435
TI  - The Asylums of Spain.

PMID- 28907436
TI  - The Mental Philosophy of Fichte the Younger.

PMID- 28907437
TI  - On Habits of Intoxication as Causing a Type of Disease.

PMID- 28907438
TI  - Nervousness.

PMID- 28907440
TI  - Medico-Legal Trial: Disputed Will.-Plea of Unsound Mind. Court of Probate, May
      18. Before Sir C. Cresswell and a Special Jury. Williams v. Evans.

PMID- 28907439
TI  - Pinel: A Biographical Study.

PMID- 28907441
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907442
TI  - Notes on the Asylums of Italy, France, and Germany.

PMID- 28907443
TI  - The Independence of the Soul: Proved by a Contemplation of Man in His Various
      Periods of Development.

PMID- 28907445
TI  - The State of Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28907444
TI  - On the Reform of Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907446
TI  - Popular Physiology.-The Nervous System.

PMID- 28907447
TI  - Dr. Laycock on Mind and Brain.

PMID- 28907448
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907449
TI  - The Census of 1861 and Lunacy.

PMID- 28907451
TI  - The State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907450
TI  - A Medical Psychologist of the Seventeenth Century.

PMID- 28907452
TI  - Foreign Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907453
TI  - The Parliamentary Inquiry Concerning Lunatics.

PMID- 28907454
TI  - Prize Essay on Cretinism.

PMID- 28907455
TI  - Psychological Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907456
TI  - Gheel.-Letter from Dr. Willers Jessen: To the Editor of the Journal of
      Psychological Medicine.

PMID- 28907458
TI  - Braidism.

PMID- 28907457
TI  - Statistics of Insanity in the United States.

PMID- 28907459
TI  - The Status of Crime in 1859.

PMID- 28907460
TI  - Recent Legislation on Criminal Lunatics.

PMID- 28907461
TI  - The Modern Drama: A Contribution to Mental Dietetics.

PMID- 28907463
TI  - Modern Developments of the Marvellous.

PMID- 28907462
TI  - On the Unity of the Human Species: Considered with Relation to the Amelioration
      of Races by Education and Intermarriage.

PMID- 28907464
TI  - Extracts and Varieties.

PMID- 28907465
TI  - Malformation of the Brain.

PMID- 28907466
TI  - On the Psychological Effects of Certain Medicinal Agents.

PMID- 28907467
TI  - Reports and Statistics of the German Hospitals for the Insane.

PMID- 28907468
TI  - Homicidal Insanity.

PMID- 28907469
TI  - Commission of Lunacy on Two Sisters: Miss Maria Collings and Miss Amelia Maria
      Hortensia Collings, on 20th December, 1847, at the Roebuck Tavern, Chiswick,
      before Francis Barlow, Esq. Master in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907471
TI  - Notes on Feigned Insanity.

PMID- 28907470
TI  - Puerperal Insanity.

PMID- 28907472
TI  - Suicide-Life Assurance: To the Editor of the Journal of Psychological Medicine.

PMID- 28907474
TI  - On Hereditary Insanity.

PMID- 28907473
TI  - Case of Mania in a Child Six Years Old.

PMID- 28907475
TI  - Sir G. Stephen on the Plea of Monomania.

PMID- 28907477
TI  - Chelmsford-Charge of Murder-Acquittal on the Ground of Puerperal Insanity.

PMID- 28907476
TI  - Dr. Baillarger on the Pellagra.

PMID- 28907479
TI  - The Influence of the Penitentiary System.

PMID- 28907478
TI  - Demande en Interdiction.

PMID- 28907480
TI  - A Will Contested on the Plea of the Insanity of the Testator.

PMID- 28907481
TI  - Dr. Cattell on Insanity.

PMID- 28907483
TI  - Correspondence from Paris.

PMID- 28907482
TI  - M. A. Brierre de Boismont on the Employment of Baths in Mania.

PMID- 28907485
TI  - Arson-Mental Alienation.

PMID- 28907484
TI  - Dr. Michea on the Blood in the Neuroses: A Memoir Presented to the Academy of
      Sciences, at Paris, 29th Novermber, 1847.

PMID- 28907487
TI  - Commission of Lunacy on Miss Amelia Maria Hortensia Collings: On Friday, the 4th
      of February, 1848, at the Roebuck Tavern, Chiswick, before Francis Barlow, Esq.,
      Master in Lunacy, and a Special Jury.

PMID- 28907486
TI  - Maidstone-Acquittal of the Charge of Murder on the Ground of Insanity.

PMID- 28907488
TI  - Dr. C. L. Robertson on the Treatment of Insanity Resulting from Injury to the
      Head.

PMID- 28907489
TI  - On the Psychological Education of Medical Men.

PMID- 28907490
TI  - On the State of Lunatic Asylums in Ireland.

PMID- 28907491
TI  - Dr. Sigmond on the Treatment of Idiots.

PMID- 28907492
TI  - Mr. Charles Pearson on the Treatment of Criminal Lunatics.

PMID- 28907493
TI  - Translations.

PMID- 28907495
TI  - Medical Intelligence.

PMID- 28907494
TI  - Mr. Dendy on the Treatment of the Dying.

PMID- 28907497
TI  - Trial of Ovenston; with Remarks.

PMID- 28907496
TI  - Commission in Lunacy: Henry Keith Stewart, Esq.

PMID- 28907498
TI  - Advertisement.

PMID- 28907499
TI  - Dr. Stubb's Visit to the Parisian Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907500
TI  - Dr. Reid on Puerperal Insanity.

PMID- 28907502
TI  - Correspondence from Paris.

PMID- 28907501
TI  - Monograph I. On the Cerebral Diseases of Children, with Regard to Their Early
      Manifestations and Treatment.

PMID- 28907503
TI  - Treatment of Idiots.

PMID- 28907504
TI  - Translations.

PMID- 28907506
TI  - On Impulsive Insanity.

PMID- 28907505
TI  - Dr. Sigmond on Hallucinations.

PMID- 28907507
TI  - Cour D'Appel at Paris: President, M. le Premier President Seguier. July 31.

PMID- 28907508
TI  - A Case of Monomania: With Remarks.

PMID- 28907510
TI  - Derby County Asylum, Mickleover.

PMID- 28907509
TI  - Dr. Waller on Compression of the Carotids.

PMID- 28907511
TI  - Mind and the Emotions.

PMID- 28907512
TI  - Treatment of Criminal Lunatics;-The Case of Captain Johnston.

PMID- 28907513
TI  - Bethlem Hospital in 1852.

PMID- 28907515
TI  - Lunatic Asylums of Ireland.

PMID- 28907514
TI  - The Commissioners in Lunacy's Report on Bethlem Hospital: To the Right Hon. Sir
      George Grey, Bart., &c.

PMID- 28907517
TI  - British Institutions for the Insane.

PMID- 28907516
TI  - On the Epidemic Mental Diseases of Children.

PMID- 28907518
TI  - An Analysis of Guislain's Work on Insanity: Third Lecture. Of the Elements Which
      Must Enter into the Definition of Mental Diseases.

PMID- 28907519
TI  - Importance of Early Detecting the Existence of Insanity.

PMID- 28907520
TI  - Hanwell Asylum.

PMID- 28907522
TI  - The Statistics of Mental Diseases in Denmark.

PMID- 28907521
TI  - Habit-Physiologically Considered: A Lecture Delivered May 9th, 1853, at the
      Bristol Literary and Philosophical Institution, by John Addington Symonds, M.D.,
      Consulting Physician to the Bristol General Hospital, etc., etc.

PMID- 28907523
TI  - Chancery Lunatics.

PMID- 28907524
TI  - The Association of Medical Officers of Asylums and Hospitals for the Insane.

PMID- 28907525
TI  - Derby County Asylum.

PMID- 28907526
TI  - Our Pauper Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907527
TI  - The New Lunacy Act for the "Regulation of the Care and Treatment of Lunatics": 16
      and 17 Vict., Cap. 96.

PMID- 28907528
TI  - On the Reading, Recreation, and Amusements of the Insane.

PMID- 28907529
TI  - Mental Dynamics, in Relation to the Science of Medicine.

PMID- 28907530
TI  - Lunacy and Lunatic Asylums of Ireland.

PMID- 28907531
TI  - Moral Sanitary Economy.

PMID- 28907533
TI  - American Hospitals for the Insane.

PMID- 28907532
TI  - On the Proposed Abolition of Private Asylums.

PMID- 28907534
TI  - Haydon;-A Psychological Study.

PMID- 28907535
TI  - State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907536
TI  - The Decline of Life in Health and Disease.

PMID- 28907537
TI  - The Report of Bethlehem Hospital.

PMID- 28907539
TI  - Table-Turning and Spirit-Rapping.

PMID- 28907538
TI  - On the Pathology of Insanity: To the Editor of the Journal of Psychological
      Medicine.

PMID- 28907540
TI  - The Proximate Cause of Insanity.

PMID- 28907541
TI  - British Asylums for the Insane.

PMID- 28907542
TI  - Legal Cases in Lunacy: And in Chancery, Involving Questions of Insanity, Argued
      before the Lord Chancellor, the Lords Justices of the Court of Appeal, and the
      Full Court of Appeal in Chancery.

PMID- 28907543
TI  - On a Method of Administering, by Means of a New Contrivance, Nourishment to
      Insane Persons Who Refuse Food.

PMID- 28907544
TI  - Brief Notice of a Case of Moral Insanity, Unaccompanied by Any Obvious Symptoms
      of Intellectual Aberration.

PMID- 28907545
TI  - Psychotherapeia, or the Remedial Influence of Mind.

PMID- 28907546
TI  - Belfast Lunatic Asylum and the Chaplaincy Question.

PMID- 28907547
TI  - The Influence of Civilization upon the Development of Insanity: A Fragment.

PMID- 28907548
TI  - An Analysis of Guislain's Work on Insanity : No. I.

PMID- 28907549
TI  - Crime and Punishment.

PMID- 28907550
TI  - Contemplated Alterations in the Law of Lunacy.

PMID- 28907551
TI  - Suggestions with Reference to Cases of Incurable Lunacy: From Appendix to Report
      of Commissioners on the Law of Divorce.

PMID- 28907552
TI  - Mental Dynamics, in Relation to the Science of Medicine.

PMID- 28907553
TI  - On the Extent of the Surface of the Brain, and Its Relations to the Development
      of the Intellect.

PMID- 28907554
TI  - Legal Cases in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907555
TI  - American Institutions for the Insane.

PMID- 28907557
TI  - German Psychology.

PMID- 28907556
TI  - Mental Dynamics, in Relation to the Science of Medicine.

PMID- 28907558
TI  - Descartes.

PMID- 28907559
TI  - Mortality and Insanity in Separate Plan Prisons in England and America.

PMID- 28907560
TI  - The Law of Lunacy in France.

PMID- 28907561
TI  - Bethlem Hospital.

PMID- 28907563
TI  - Crime and Its Punishment in the United States.

PMID- 28907562
TI  - On the Organization of Asylums for the Insane.

PMID- 28907564
TI  - Education of Criminal Children.

PMID- 28907565
TI  - Statistics of Crime, and the Moral and Mental Condition of Prisoners.

PMID- 28907566
TI  - Homicidal Monomania.

PMID- 28907567
TI  - Additional Notes on Provincial Asylums for the Insane in France; with a Brief
      Report of the Institution at Illnau, in the Grand Duchy of Baden.

PMID- 28907568
TI  - Bethlem Hospital.

PMID- 28907569
TI  - Colney-Hatch Lunatic Asylum.

PMID- 28907571
TI  - A Singular Case of Monomania.

PMID- 28907570
TI  - State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907572
TI  - The Overworked Mind.

PMID- 28907573
TI  - Magic, Witchcraft, and Animal Magnetism.

PMID- 28907574
TI  - Mortality and Insanity in Separate Plan Prisons in England and America.

PMID- 28907575
TI  - Dr. Williams on Insanity.

PMID- 28907576
TI  - Description of a New Bed and Bedstead for the Use of Insane and Other Patients.

PMID- 28907577
TI  - Private and Public Asylums.

PMID- 28907578
TI  - The Election of Medical Superintendent of Bethlem Hospital.

PMID- 28907579
TI  - Mrs. C. Cumming.

PMID- 28907580
TI  - On Mental Physiology.

PMID- 28907581
TI  - Baron Alderson's "Charge" against Private Lunatic Asylums.

PMID- 28907582
TI  - Mental Dynamics, in Relation to the Science of Medicine.

PMID- 28907583
TI  - Private Asylums.

PMID- 28907585
TI  - History of Mental Philosophy.

PMID- 28907584
TI  - On the Physiology and Pathology of the Brain.

PMID- 28907586
TI  - The Wear and Tear of Literary Life; or, the Last Days of Robert Southey.

PMID- 28907587
TI  - Additional Notes on Provincial Asylums for the Insane in France; with a Brief
      Notice of the Institution at Illnau, in the Grand Duchy of Baden.

PMID- 28907588
TI  - The Pathology of Sleep.

PMID- 28907590
TI  - On the Structure and Functions of Nervous Tissue.

PMID- 28907589
TI  - On the Prevention of Crime.

PMID- 28907591
TI  - German Psychological Literature.

PMID- 28907592
TI  - The Plea of Insanity in Criminal Cases.

PMID- 28907594
TI  - Medical Evidence for Mrs. Cumming.

PMID- 28907593
TI  - The Report of Dr. Monro and Sir Alexander Morison to the Lord Chancellor.

PMID- 28907596
TI  - Opening Speech of Mr. James.

PMID- 28907595
TI  - The Report of Dr. Forbes Winslow to the Right Hon. The Lords Justices of the
      Court of Appeal.

PMID- 28907598
TI  - Nervous Influence.

PMID- 28907597
TI  - Opening Speech of Sir F. Thesiger.

PMID- 28907599
TI  - General Evidence in Support of the Commission.

PMID- 28907600
TI  - The Psychology of Epochs.

PMID- 28907602
TI  - Crime, Education, and Insanity.

PMID- 28907601
TI  - Additional Notes on Provincial Asylums for the Insane in France; with a Brief
      Report of the Institution at Illnau, in the Grand Duchy of Baden.

PMID- 28907603
TI  - List of Counsel and Witnesses.

PMID- 28907604
TI  - Medical Evidence in Support of the Commission.

PMID- 28907605
TI  - Third Examination of Mrs. Cumming by the Commissioner. January 23rd.

PMID- 28907606
TI  - First Examination of Mrs. Cumming by the Commissioner. January 13th, 1852.

PMID- 28907607
TI  - Second Examination of Mrs. Cumming. On the 9th Day-January 16th.

PMID- 28907608
TI  - General Evidence on Behalf of Mrs. Cumming.

PMID- 28907609
TI  - The Commissioner's Summing-Up, and the Verdict.

PMID- 28907610
TI  - The Case of Mrs. Catherine Cumming.

PMID- 28907611
TI  - Subsequent Proceedings before the Lord Chancellor and the Lords Justices of
      Appeal.

PMID- 28907612
TI  - The Charge of Mr. Commissioner Barlow.

PMID- 28907613
TI  - On the Unconscious Life of the Soul.

PMID- 28907614
TI  - On the Nature of Volition: Part II.

PMID- 28907615
TI  - On Cooling of the Body after Death.

PMID- 28907616
TI  - Dangerous Classes.

PMID- 28907617
TI  - Literary Retrospect.

PMID- 28907618
TI  - Morell's Inductive Mental Philosophy.

PMID- 28907619
TI  - On Morbid Impulse.

PMID- 28907620
TI  - Gossip.

PMID- 28907621
TI  - On a New Theory of Vision.

PMID- 28907622
TI  - The Sickness and Mortality of the Federal Volunteers.

PMID- 28907623
TI  - Free Trade in Medicine.

PMID- 28907625
TI  - Gratuitous Medical Services.

PMID- 28907624
TI  - Medical Certificates in Lunacy.

PMID- 28907627
TI  - The State of Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28907626
TI  - Mania Ephemera.

PMID- 28907628
TI  - On Mental and Physical Life in Relation to Time: Part II.

PMID- 28907629
TI  - Observations on Some of the Operations of the Human Understanding.

PMID- 28907630
TI  - On "Spiritualism" as a Cause of Insanity.

PMID- 28907632
TI  - The Discovery and Discoverer of Etherization.

PMID- 28907631
TI  - Ghosts, Patent and Prescriptive.

PMID- 28907633
TI  - Sensation Novels.

PMID- 28907634
TI  - Gossip.

PMID- 28907635
TI  - Comparative Medicine.

PMID- 28907636
TI  - Literary Retrospect.

PMID- 28907637
TI  - Physiognomy of the Insane.

PMID- 28907638
TI  - On the Law of Certainty.

PMID- 28907639
TI  - On a Peculiar Form of Mental Alienation, Caused by the Political and Social
      Disturbances in France, during 1848.

PMID- 28907640
TI  - Scutari-March, 1863.

PMID- 28907641
TI  - On Partial Responsibility in Lunacy and Nervous Disorders.

PMID- 28907642
TI  - The Dublin School of Surgery.

PMID- 28907643
TI  - The Times on the Insanity of George III.

PMID- 28907645
TI  - Literary Retrospect.

PMID- 28907644
TI  - The British Medical Association.

PMID- 28907646
TI  - The State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907647
TI  - The State of Lunacy in Ireland.

PMID- 28907648
TI  - Libertinage.

PMID- 28907649
TI  - Gossip.

PMID- 28907650
TI  - Murchison on Fever.

PMID- 28907651
TI  - On the Legal Responsibility of Pregnant Women.

PMID- 28907652
TI  - Baits for Suicide.-"Lady Audley's Secret" and "Aurora Floyd".

PMID- 28907653
TI  - The Sanitary State of the Army in India.

PMID- 28907655
TI  - Medico-Legal Trials in Lunacy: The Bridport Murder.

PMID- 28907654
TI  - On the Diagnosis and Treatment of Morbid Impulse.

PMID- 28907657
TI  - Erratum: Addendum to the New Theory of Vision.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 92 in vol. 3.].

PMID- 28907656
TI  - The Influence of Material Objects upon the Mind.

PMID- 28907658
TI  - Lunacy on the Stock Exchange.

PMID- 28907659
TI  - Hypochondriasis.

PMID- 28907660
TI  - A Rare Case of Mania.

PMID- 28907661
TI  - The Cotton Famine.

PMID- 28907662
TI  - American Asylums for the Insane.

PMID- 28907663
TI  - Sanitary Instruction for the Masses.

PMID- 28907664
TI  - Autobiography of the Insane.

PMID- 28907666
TI  - St. Thomas's and Bethlem Hospitals.

PMID- 28907665
TI  - On Mental and Physical Life in Relation to Time.

PMID- 28907667
TI  - The Insane in France.

PMID- 28907668
TI  - Phrenology and Character.

PMID- 28907670
TI  - The Medical Evidence of Crime.

PMID- 28907669
TI  - The Diet of the Insane.

PMID- 28907672
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907671
TI  - On the Nature of Volition: Part III.

PMID- 28907673
TI  - On Hallucinations in Insanity.

PMID- 28907674
TI  - The Health of the Royal Navy.

PMID- 28907675
TI  - The International Exhibition.

PMID- 28907676
TI  - Pathological Description of Continued, Remittent, and Intermittent Drunkenness.

PMID- 28907677
TI  - Romantic Psychology: A Strange Story and Elsie Venner.

PMID- 28907678
TI  - Counter Practice.

PMID- 28907679
TI  - Colonisation of Lunatics by the Legislature.

PMID- 28907680
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907682
TI  - The Debateable Land in Psychology.

PMID- 28907681
TI  - Literary Gossip and Record: The Antiquity of Plague.

PMID- 28907684
TI  - The State of Lunacy in Ireland.

PMID- 28907683
TI  - The Windham Case.

PMID- 28907685
TI  - Micropsychology.

PMID- 28907686
TI  - On Hallucinations in Their Relation to Medical Jurisprudence.

PMID- 28907687
TI  - The Medical Council.

PMID- 28907688
TI  - The Street Folk.

PMID- 28907689
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907691
TI  - The Report of the Social Science Association Committee on Quarantine.

PMID- 28907690
TI  - A Recent Visit to Gheel.

PMID- 28907693
TI  - Literary Gossip and Record.

PMID- 28907692
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907694
TI  - The New Educational Minute.

PMID- 28907695
TI  - Periodicity.

PMID- 28907697
TI  - Dream-Thought and Dream-Life.

PMID- 28907696
TI  - On Instinct and Reason; or, the Intellectual Difference between Man and Animals.

PMID- 28907698
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907699
TI  - The Province of Psychology.

PMID- 28907701
TI  - Literary Gossip and Record.

PMID- 28907700
TI  - The Unity of the Human Species.

PMID- 28907702
TI  - Earl Stanhope's Account of the Mental Malady of George III.

PMID- 28907703
TI  - The Legal Doctrine of "Fact" in Lunacy, and the Case of George Clark.

PMID- 28907705
TI  - Slow and Secret Poisoning.

PMID- 28907704
TI  - Erratum: Note on Quarantine.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 86 in vol. 2.].

PMID- 28907706
TI  - The Health of the Army, Prospective and Retrospective.

PMID- 28907707
TI  - On Hallucinations in Insanity.

PMID- 28907709
TI  - Parochial Lunacy Reform in Scotland.

PMID- 28907708
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907710
TI  - The "AEsthetics of Suicide."

PMID- 28907711
TI  - On Mental Suggestion, Association, and Reproduction.

PMID- 28907712
TI  - The Sanitary Condition of the United States Volunteers.

PMID- 28907714
TI  - Noxious Vapours.

PMID- 28907713
TI  - On the Nature of Volition, Psychologically and Physiologically Considered: Part
      I.

PMID- 28907715
TI  - Literary Gossip and Record.

PMID- 28907716
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907717
TI  - The Outbreak of Smallpox among Sheep in Wiltshire.

PMID- 28907718
TI  - English Suicide-Fields, and the Restraint of Suicide.

PMID- 28907720
TI  - The State of Lunacy in Great Britain.

PMID- 28907719
TI  - Proposed Reforms in the French Metropolitan Asylums.

PMID- 28907722
TI  - Anthropophagy.

PMID- 28907721
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907723
TI  - On the Moral Phenomena of Insanity and Eccentricity.

PMID- 28907724
TI  - Cellular Pathology.

PMID- 28907725
TI  - Professional Tricksters.

PMID- 28907726
TI  - Cottage Asylums.

PMID- 28907727
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907728
TI  - Quarantine and the Spread of Epidemic Diseases.

PMID- 28907729
TI  - Special Hospitals.

PMID- 28907730
TI  - Literary Gossip and Record.

PMID- 28907731
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907732
TI  - Physiology and Legislation.

PMID- 28907733
TI  - Modern Surgery.

PMID- 28907734
TI  - Honoraria.

PMID- 28907735
TI  - Metanoia:-A Plea for the Insane.

PMID- 28907736
TI  - The Deformed and Their Mental Characteristics.

PMID- 28907737
TI  - The "Art of Rising" in Physic.

PMID- 28907738
TI  - The Classic Land of Suicide.

PMID- 28907739
TI  - On the Structure of the Inductive Syllogism and Its Correlation to the Deductive.

PMID- 28907741
TI  - Reason, Genius, and Madness.

PMID- 28907740
TI  - Miscellanea Medica.

PMID- 28907743
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907742
TI  - Medico-Legal Studies on the Perversion of the Moral and Affective Faculties in
      the Precursory Period of General Paralysis.

PMID- 28907744
TI  - Maternal Love in Nature.

PMID- 28907746
TI  - The Wear and Tear of Medical Life.

PMID- 28907745
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907747
TI  - Criminal Lunatics.

PMID- 28907748
TI  - On the Exposition of the Principles and Details of the Syllogism.

PMID- 28907749
TI  - Specialists and Specialities.

PMID- 28907750
TI  - Medical Evidence:-The Colney Hatch Case.

PMID- 28907751
TI  - Medical Observation.-Diphtheria.

PMID- 28907752
TI  - The Marvellous.

PMID- 28907753
TI  - On "Non-Restraint," in the Treatment of the Insane, and the Increase of Lunatics.

PMID- 28907754
TI  - Female Physicians.

PMID- 28907755
TI  - The Case of the Egyptian Frigate at Liverpool, with Remarks on the Causation of
      Fevers, &c.

PMID- 28907756
TI  - On Hallucinations in Their Relation to Medical Jurisprudence.

PMID- 28907757
TI  - The Study of Medicine.

PMID- 28907758
TI  - Unrecognised Insanity.

PMID- 28907759
TI  - Literary Gossip and Record.

PMID- 28907760
TI  - Medical Students:-A New Generation.

PMID- 28907762
TI  - Swedenborg's Dreams.

PMID- 28907761
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907763
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907764
TI  - On the Educational Treatment of Cretinism.

PMID- 28907765
TI  - The State of Lunacy in England.

PMID- 28907766
TI  - Orientalism.

PMID- 28907767
TI  - The AEsthetics of Suicide.

PMID- 28907768
TI  - The Medical Profession of Scotland, and the Lunacy Act of That Kingdom.

PMID- 28907769
TI  - Who Is a Doctor?

PMID- 28907770
TI  - The Amenities of Statistics.

PMID- 28907771
TI  - The Great Arcanum:-The Turkish Bath.

PMID- 28907772
TI  - Miscellanea Medica.

PMID- 28907774
TI  - The Vacation.

PMID- 28907773
TI  - The State of Lunacy in Scotland.

PMID- 28907775
TI  - On the Distinction between Analytical and Synthetical Judgments.

PMID- 28907776
TI  - Cottage Asylums:-A Sequel.

PMID- 28907777
TI  - The Gheel Question.

PMID- 28907778
TI  - Literary Gossip and Record.

PMID- 28907779
TI  - Three Thousand a Year:-A Soliloquy.

PMID- 28907781
TI  - The Road Murder Psychologically Considered.

PMID- 28907780
TI  - Quarterly Retrospect.

PMID- 28907782
TI  - Medical Gossip.

PMID- 28907783
TI  - Eunuchs Do Not Take the Gout.

PMID- 28907784
TI  - Visiting Professors.

PMID- 28907785
TI  - Modern Trends in Public Health.

PMID- 28907786
TI  - Student Apprenticeship to General Practitioners.

PMID- 28907787
TI  - Domenique Jean Larrey, 1766-1842.

PMID- 28907788
TI  - Visit to Iraq and Turkey.

PMID- 28907789
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907790
TI  - Islet Cell Tumour of the Pancreas: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907791
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907792
TI  - Medicine at Home and Abroad.

PMID- 28907793
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 28907794
TI  - Marasmus.

PMID- 28907795
TI  - Underwater Breathing.

PMID- 28907796
TI  - The Elderly Chronic Sick.

PMID- 28907797
TI  - Colonial Medical Research.

PMID- 28907798
TI  - Mongolism, Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis Treated with "Skopyl" and Death from
      Miliary Tuberculosis and Meningitis.

PMID- 28907799
TI  - Changes in the Editorial Committee.

PMID- 28907800
TI  - Damned Drugs (Part I): The Presidential Address, Given at the Royal Fort,
      Bristol, on 8th October, 1952 at the Opening of the Seventy-Fourth Session of the
      Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28907802
TI  - Respirator Research at Ham Green Hospital.

PMID- 28907801
TI  - A Radiologist Visits Africa.

PMID- 28907803
TI  - The Tropics on Our Doorstep.

PMID- 28907804
TI  - Practical Points in the Home Treatment of Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28907805
TI  - A Morbid View of the over-65's.

PMID- 28907807
TI  - Maternal Death Due to Rheumatic Heart Disease: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907806
TI  - Vital Statistics of the South-West in 1954.

PMID- 28907808
TI  - Perspective in Paediatrics.

PMID- 28907810
TI  - Statutory or Voluntary.

PMID- 28907809
TI  - The Position of Nursing in Hospitals in Bristol.

PMID- 28907811
TI  - The New Outlook in Oto-Laryngology.

PMID- 28907812
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907813
TI  - Paediatric Comment.

PMID- 28907814
TI  - Annotations.

PMID- 28907815
TI  - Colloid Cyst of 3rd Ventricle : Clinico-Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907816
TI  - General Practice.

PMID- 28907817
TI  - Some New Methods of Radiotherapy.

PMID- 28907818
TI  - Cat-Scratch Disease.

PMID- 28907819
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907820
TI  - Memorial to the Late Dr. Norman Lloyd Price.

PMID- 28907821
TI  - Damned Drugs (Part II): Inaugural Presidential Address: Given at the Royal Fort,
      Bristol, on 8th October, 1952.

PMID- 28907822
TI  - Domestic Deaths from Electrocution.

PMID- 28907823
TI  - Medical Worthies of the West Country.

PMID- 28907824
TI  - The Growth of Human Tumours in Laboratory Animals: A New Approach to the Assay of
      Anti-Carcinogens.

PMID- 28907825
TI  - Space Medicine.

PMID- 28907826
TI  - Generalized Osteitis Fibrosa with Parathyroid Adenoma: Clinical Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28907828
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907827
TI  - Hypercalcaemia with Hypocalcuria, an Unusual Case of Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

PMID- 28907829
TI  - College of General Practitioners: South Western Regional Faculty.

PMID- 28907830
TI  - Phaeochromocytoma of Adrenal Gland with Paroxysmal Hypertension.

PMID- 28907831
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28907832
TI  - Miss Nott of St. Brenda's.

PMID- 28907833
TI  - Herpes Zoster Generalisatus.

PMID- 28907834
TI  - Observations on Blindness: The Presidential Address, Delivered on Wednesday, 14th
      October, 1953, at the Opening of the Seventy-Fifth Session of the British Medico
      Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28907835
TI  - Neurosurgical Unit, Frenchay.

PMID- 28907836
TI  - Diffuse Angiomatosis of the Small Intestine Causing Melaena.

PMID- 28907837
TI  - Casualty Officers.

PMID- 28907838
TI  - Herpes Zoster Encephalitis: In Association with the Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

PMID- 28907839
TI  - Mortimer House, Clifton.

PMID- 28907840
TI  - Home Care of the Diabetic.

PMID- 28907841
TI  - That Backbone: The Presidential Address, Delivered on Wednesday, 13th October,
      1954, at the Seventy-Sixth Session of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28907843
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907842
TI  - The Changing Pattern of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PMID- 28907844
TI  - Haemorrhage from a Cavernous Haemangioma of the Cord Clinically Resembling an
      Ascending Myelitis: A Clinical Pathological Conference of the University of
      Bristol Medical School.

PMID- 28907846
TI  - Annotations.

PMID- 28907845
TI  - Child Life in past Times.

PMID- 28907848
TI  - Dr. Robert Hughes Parry.

PMID- 28907847
TI  - The General and the Special in Medical Practice.

PMID- 28907849
TI  - Telling the Public about Medicine.

PMID- 28907851
TI  - Caleb Parry of Bath: The Bi-Centenary of a Great West Country Physician.

PMID- 28907850
TI  - Congenital Bladder-Neck Obstruction.

PMID- 28907852
TI  - Primary Myelosclerosis with Leuco-Erythroblastic Anaemia: Clinical Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28907854
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907853
TI  - Cancer of the Uterus.

PMID- 28907855
TI  - Casualty Departments.

PMID- 28907856
TI  - What the G.P. Wants from a Casualty Department.

PMID- 28907857
TI  - Cousin Marriage: Forty-Second Long Fox Memorial Lecture Delivered on 20th
      October, 1953.

PMID- 28907858
TI  - Meningitis.

PMID- 28907859
TI  - Case Report-Jaundice with Hepatic Failure: A Case Illustrating Diagnostic
      Problems: A Clinico-Pathological Conference of the University of Bristol Medical
      School.

PMID- 28907860
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28907861
TI  - Meningitis in Childhood: Purulent and Tuberculous Infections.

PMID- 28907862
TI  - Disgraceful "Ladies".

PMID- 28907864
TI  - Diabetes Mellitus with Renal Papillary Necrosis: Clinical Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28907863
TI  - The Use and Misuse of Sedatives and Hypnotic Drugs.

PMID- 28907865
TI  - The Public Analyst and the New Food and Drugs Act (1955).

PMID- 28907866
TI  - A Doctor's Visit to U.S.S.R.

PMID- 28907867
TI  - Perinatal Mortality.

PMID- 28907868
TI  - Modern Developments in Peripheral Vascular Surgery.

PMID- 28907869
TI  - The Investigation of Persistent Diarrhoea.

PMID- 28907870
TI  - An Exhibition of Important Anatomical Books.

PMID- 28907872
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907871
TI  - Hereditary Telangiectasia: Hodgkin's Disease: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907873
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28907874
TI  - Hospital Cross-Infection.

PMID- 28907875
TI  - Memingococcal Septicaemia with Bilateral Adrenal Haemorrhage (Waterhouse
      Friderichsen Syndrome): Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907876
TI  - On Growing Old.

PMID- 28907878
TI  - Some Notes of a Medical Visitor to the British West Indies.

PMID- 28907877
TI  - The Port Health Service.

PMID- 28907879
TI  - From Blue to Pink.

PMID- 28907880
TI  - The Symptoms and Treatment of Acute Follicular Tonsillitis.

PMID- 28907881
TI  - Astrocytoma Treated by Radiotherapy: Death from Acute Leukaemia: Clinical
      Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907882
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28907883
TI  - Some Thoughts of Medical Education: Presidential Address Delivered to the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society 9th October, 1957.

PMID- 28907884
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 28907886
TI  - The Medical Library of the University of Bristol.

PMID- 28907885
TI  - Kyphoscoliosis with Pulmonary Hypertension: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907888
TI  - Medical Education.

PMID- 28907887
TI  - Carcinoma of the Thyroid: A Review of 100 Cases.

PMID- 28907889
TI  - Erratum: Apology.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 22 in vol. 73.].

PMID- 28907890
TI  - Accidental Poisoning with the Antihistamine Drug "Histantin": Clinical
      Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907891
TI  - Pain Related to the Teeth and Jaws.

PMID- 28907892
TI  - Diseases in Search of Viruses.

PMID- 28907894
TI  - The Prevention of Acute Rheumatism.

PMID- 28907893
TI  - Supportive Treatment of Acute Cor Pulmonale Due to Massive Pulmonary Embolism.

PMID- 28907895
TI  - A Tour of the South-Western Pacific.

PMID- 28907897
TI  - Sarcoidosis Treated with Cortisone: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907896
TI  - Bristol and Bordeaux.

PMID- 28907898
TI  - Head Injuries.

PMID- 28907899
TI  - Child Art.

PMID- 28907900
TI  - Acute Necrosis of the Liver in Pregnancy: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907902
TI  - Clinical Pathology and General Practice.

PMID- 28907901
TI  - Towards Better Health at Work.

PMID- 28907903
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907904
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907905
TI  - Cardiac Ischaemia.

PMID- 28907906
TI  - Post-Partum Necrosis of the Pituitary: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907907
TI  - A Pathologist's Survey of Superficial Tumors Removed in a Casualty Department.

PMID- 28907908
TI  - Baby Farming in England.

PMID- 28907910
TI  - Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis and His Times.

PMID- 28907909
TI  - The Use of an Animal Lung as Oxygenator in a Heart-Lung Machine.

PMID- 28907911
TI  - Renal Complications of Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinical Pathological Conference of
      the University of Bristol Medical School (P.M. 6169).

PMID- 28907913
TI  - Aplastic Anaemia with Post-Transfusional Haemosiderosis: Clinical Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28907912
TI  - Domestic Hazards with Neurological Significance.

PMID- 28907914
TI  - Transporting Severely Paralysed Patients.

PMID- 28907915
TI  - Squint.

PMID- 28907916
TI  - A Review of Acute Intestinal Obstruction.

PMID- 28907917
TI  - Unusual Type of Bacterial Endocarditis in a Case of Myocardial Infarction:
      Clinico-Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907918
TI  - News from the Societies.

PMID- 28907919
TI  - A Case of Unilateral Involuntary Movements Treated with Procaine Amide.

PMID- 28907920
TI  - Some Lesser-Known Activities of the General Medical Council.

PMID- 28907921
TI  - Reflections on the Indications for Prostatectomy.

PMID- 28907922
TI  - A Coagulation Defect in Amyloidosis.

PMID- 28907924
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907923
TI  - Lung Cancer-A Symposium.

PMID- 28907925
TI  - Alveolar Cell Carcinoma of Lung: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907926
TI  - Decay of the Teeth.

PMID- 28907927
TI  - The Evolution of Paediatrics.

PMID- 28907928
TI  - A Case of Meningeal Carcinomatis: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907929
TI  - Clinical Genetics and the Practitioner.

PMID- 28907930
TI  - Pain.

PMID- 28907931
TI  - News from Societies.

PMID- 28907932
TI  - Diseases Due to Medical Treatment.

PMID- 28907933
TI  - Chronic Osteomyelitis with Maturation Arrest of Granulocytes: Clinical
      Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907934
TI  - Restorative Resection of the Rectum-Its History and Present Status.

PMID- 28907935
TI  - Research on Rheumatic Diseases.

PMID- 28907936
TI  - The Geriatric Service.

PMID- 28907937
TI  - Fungus Infections of the Skin in Bristol and the West Country.

PMID- 28907938
TI  - News from the Societies.

PMID- 28907939
TI  - Ankylosing Spondylitis with Mitral Stenosis: Clinico-Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907940
TI  - The University and the Medical School.

PMID- 28907942
TI  - Management of Sepsis.

PMID- 28907941
TI  - X-Rays in Everyday Life: Long Fox Memorial Lecture-13th October 1959.

PMID- 28907943
TI  - Nephrotic Syndrome with Steatorrhoea: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907944
TI  - Mountains.

PMID- 28907945
TI  - Clonorchiasis: Clinical Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907946
TI  - The Unstable Cervical Disc.

PMID- 28907947
TI  - The Skeleton in the Pit.

PMID- 28907948
TI  - Cave Rescue: Edward Long Fox Memorial Lecture 1960.

PMID- 28907949
TI  - Subarachnoid Haemorrhage: Early Assessment in a General Hospital.

PMID- 28907950
TI  - Acute Encephalitis: Clinico-Pathological Conference.

PMID- 28907952
TI  - The Elimination of Piltdown Man.

PMID- 28907951
TI  - Programmes of Medical Societies.

PMID- 28907953
TI  - Recent Work on the Demyelinating Diseases.

PMID- 28907954
TI  - Prolonged Coma in Barbiturate Poisoning.

PMID- 28907955
TI  - Recent Developments in Cardiac Surgery.

PMID- 28907956
TI  - Herpes Zoster with Chicken-Pox and Lymphosarcoma: Clinical Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28907957
TI  - Open Cardiac Surgery during Profound Hypothermia: A Report of an Early Operation
      in Bristol.

PMID- 28907958
TI  - Malignant Ependymoma Masquerading as Tuberculous Meningitis: Clinico-Pathological
      Conference.

PMID- 28907959
TI  - The Fascial Flap Operation for Inguinal Hernia.

PMID- 28907960
TI  - Tranquillizers.

PMID- 28907961
TI  - Disease of Major Cerebral Vessels.

PMID- 28907962
TI  - News from the Societies.

PMID- 28907963
TI  - What 'Little Hans' Started.

PMID- 28907964
TI  - Soothing Sounds for Crying Babies.

PMID- 28907965
TI  - Schooling the Disturbed Child.

PMID- 28907966
TI  - Through the Office Door.

PMID- 28907967
TI  - Do We Need Psychiatric Hospitals?

PMID- 28907969
TI  - Foster Care.

PMID- 28907968
TI  - Scene 2-Take 2: Abandoned & Forgotten.

PMID- 28907971
TI  - Child Guidance: Ideology and Institution or Ideal?

PMID- 28907972
TI  - School in the Round.

PMID- 28907970
TI  - Work and the ESN School-Leaver.

PMID- 28907975
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28907974
TI  - Scene 1-News.

PMID- 28907973
TI  - The Visit.

PMID- 28907976
TI  - The Quality of Communication.

PMID- 28907977
TI  - The Clinics: Recommendations and Reality.

PMID- 28907978
TI  - Living with the Normal.

PMID- 28907979
TI  - All I Remember.

PMID- 28907980
TI  - Family of the Handicapped.

PMID- 28907981
TI  - Scene 2.

PMID- 28907983
TI  - Don't Shoot the Relative.

PMID- 28907982
TI  - The Lower Depths.

PMID- 28907984
TI  - Say 'Hello' to Christine.

PMID- 28907985
TI  - Coloured Family + White World = Stress.

PMID- 28907986
TI  - Scene 1.

PMID- 28907987
TI  - Parents on a Limb.

PMID- 28907988
TI  - Marriage at Risk.

PMID- 28907989
TI  - What's Best for Grandma?

PMID- 28907990
TI  - Phenylketonuria.

PMID- 28907991
TI  - Give Us a Chance, Matron.

PMID- 28907992
TI  - What Is a Psychopath?

PMID- 28907993
TI  - Money for Good Behaviour.

PMID- 28907994
TI  - Design for Play.

PMID- 28907995
TI  - Scene 2-Take 1: South Ockendon.

PMID- 28907996
TI  - The Twisted Nerve.

PMID- 28907997
TI  - New Cogs for Old.

PMID- 28907998
TI  - Scene 1-News.

PMID- 28907999
TI  - The Usurped Personality.

PMID- 28908000
TI  - A Position of Choice.

PMID- 28908001
TI  - Editorial: Ely-Shuffling the Money Around.

PMID- 28908002
TI  - Impressions of Hospitals.

PMID- 28908003
TI  - Unwillingly to the Scrap Heap.

PMID- 28908004
TI  - Back on the Market.

PMID- 28908005
TI  - Put Away.

PMID- 28908006
TI  - Clergy and Community Care.

PMID- 28908007
TI  - A Better Frame of Mind.

PMID- 28908008
TI  - Platform-Open Door Dilemma.

PMID- 28908009
TI  - Learning Not to Bet.

PMID- 28908010
TI  - New Scope for Industrial Therapy.

PMID- 28908011
TI  - A Place in the Family.

PMID- 28908012
TI  - Secret Ceremony.

PMID- 28908013
TI  - A Very Vulnerable Child.

PMID- 28908014
TI  - Student Casualties.

PMID- 28908015
TI  - Taking the Final Risk.

PMID- 28908016
TI  - The Scene.

PMID- 28908017
TI  - The Gamblers.

PMID- 28908018
TI  - Not so Idyllic.

PMID- 28908020
TI  - The Mental Health Service in 1954.

PMID- 28908019
TI  - Brotherhood of Self-Criticism.

PMID- 28908021
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28908022
TI  - The Psychological Aspects of Backwardness.

PMID- 28908024
TI  - Inside Mental Hospitals.

PMID- 28908023
TI  - Starting School.

PMID- 28908025
TI  - Treatment by Self Expression.

PMID- 28908027
TI  - Treatment by Self-Expression.

PMID- 28908026
TI  - An Investigation into the Cinematograph and Deterioration in Behaviour.

PMID- 28908029
TI  - Sterilisation of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908028
TI  - Bibliotherapy.

PMID- 28908031
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28908030
TI  - Group Therapy with Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908032
TI  - Development of a Geriatric Club Attached to a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908033
TI  - The Maladjusted Child and Child Guidance Clinics.

PMID- 28908034
TI  - Psycho-Therapy in a Child Guidance Clinic.

PMID- 28908035
TI  - Istanbul, August 1955: Eighth Annual Meeting of the World Federation for Mental
      Health.

PMID- 28908036
TI  - Friends of Mental Deficiency Hospitals.

PMID- 28908037
TI  - Harmful Certification?

PMID- 28908038
TI  - An Investigation into the Cinematograph and Deterioration in Behaviour.

PMID- 28908039
TI  - Propaganda: Its Psychological Aspect.

PMID- 28908040
TI  - Sterilisation of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908042
TI  - Eviction and the Children.

PMID- 28908041
TI  - A Rehabilitation Programme for Certified Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908043
TI  - The Toronto Conference.

PMID- 28908044
TI  - The Mental Hospital and the Alcoholic.

PMID- 28908045
TI  - Erratum.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 98 in vol. 13.].

PMID- 28908046
TI  - Menopause: Normal or Abnormal.

PMID- 28908047
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28908048
TI  - An Experiment in Psychiatric Follow-Up: Three Year Report from the York Clinic,
      Guy's Hospital, London.

PMID- 28908049
TI  - The Roots of Crime.

PMID- 28908050
TI  - Treatment of Alcoholics.

PMID- 28908051
TI  - An Investigation into the Cinematograph and Deterioration in Behaviour.

PMID- 28908052
TI  - Mind and Body.

PMID- 28908053
TI  - Mental Health in 1953.

PMID- 28908054
TI  - The Patron Saint of the Insane.

PMID- 28908056
TI  - A New Era.

PMID- 28908055
TI  - A New Advance in Mental Deficiency Nursing.

PMID- 28908058
TI  - The Mental Health Service in 1957: Some Facts and Figures.

PMID- 28908057
TI  - Approaching a Marriage Bureau.

PMID- 28908059
TI  - Effect of Children's Television on Behaviour.

PMID- 28908060
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908061
TI  - Adler and His Psychology: Seen through His Early Memories.

PMID- 28908062
TI  - Religion and Medicine.

PMID- 28908063
TI  - The Hospitals as Part of the Mental Health Service.

PMID- 28908064
TI  - The Role of the Clinical Psychologist in a Mental Deficiency Hospital.

PMID- 28908065
TI  - The Mental Health Service in 1955.

PMID- 28908066
TI  - Enuresis-A Major Social Problem.

PMID- 28908067
TI  - Training of Mental Welfare Officers.

PMID- 28908068
TI  - An Inquiry into Health Visiting.

PMID- 28908069
TI  - The Mental Deficiency Services Today and Tomorrow.

PMID- 28908070
TI  - Psychological Aspects of Self-Government in the Residential Treatment of the
      Delinquent Child and Adolescent.

PMID- 28908071
TI  - The Day to Day Management of the Mentally Handicapped Child in Its Own Home.

PMID- 28908072
TI  - Marriage and Divorce.

PMID- 28908073
TI  - Erratum: The Moon Is Full.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 36 in vol. 17.].

PMID- 28908074
TI  - The Mental Health Services in 1956.

PMID- 28908075
TI  - Voluntary Patients in Mental Deficiency Hospitals.

PMID- 28908076
TI  - Psychological Methods in Psychiatric Diagnosis: The Clinical Study of Cognitive
      Functioning.

PMID- 28908077
TI  - The Effect of Children's Television on Behaviour.

PMID- 28908078
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908079
TI  - Suicide: Threatened and Attempted.

PMID- 28908080
TI  - Neglected Fathers.

PMID- 28908081
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908083
TI  - The Worthing Experiment.

PMID- 28908082
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908084
TI  - Psychological Methods in Psychiatric Diagnosis: The Clinical Use of Projective
      Techniques.

PMID- 28908085
TI  - Religion and Healing.

PMID- 28908086
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28908088
TI  - Debate in the House of Lords.

PMID- 28908087
TI  - Mental Disorder in the Defective under Community Care.

PMID- 28908089
TI  - The Wolfenden Report.

PMID- 28908091
TI  - A Musical Experiment with Maladjusted Children.

PMID- 28908090
TI  - Music in the Treatment of Mental Illness.

PMID- 28908092
TI  - In Copenhagen: Some Points from Addresses Given during Meetings of the World
      Federation and the European League for Mental Hygiene, August 1957.

PMID- 28908093
TI  - Letter to Editor.

PMID- 28908094
TI  - On Having a Baby.

PMID- 28908095
TI  - Montessori in Britain: Fiftieth Anniversary of Dr. Montessori's First School.

PMID- 28908096
TI  - Music in the Training of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908097
TI  - The Royal Commission on Law Relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency.
      Some Points from Its Report.

PMID- 28908098
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28908099
TI  - The Ideas of the Television Public about Mental Illness.

PMID- 28908100
TI  - The Draw a Person Test in Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908101
TI  - The Hospitals as Part of the Mental Health Service.

PMID- 28908102
TI  - Courage and Vision.

PMID- 28908103
TI  - Adoption: A Study of the Problems Involved in Child Guidance Cases, from the View
      Point of a Psychiatric Social Worker.

PMID- 28908104
TI  - Criminal Responsibility.

PMID- 28908106
TI  - Some Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis.

PMID- 28908105
TI  - Children in Hospitals.

PMID- 28908107
TI  - Half-Way Houses.

PMID- 28908108
TI  - Case History of a Mental Defective.

PMID- 28908109
TI  - Memorandum on Young M.D. Children.

PMID- 28908110
TI  - Race and Prejudice.

PMID- 28908111
TI  - "Rationalization" and Mental Hygiene.

PMID- 28908113
TI  - Scandinavians in Britain.

PMID- 28908112
TI  - Community Participation in the Mental Hospital : An Account of the Work of a
      Voluntary Auxiliary Committee in a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908114
TI  - Mental Deficiency in 1949.

PMID- 28908115
TI  - Diversional Educational Activities in a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908116
TI  - National Association of Authorised Officers.

PMID- 28908118
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908117
TI  - Maternal Care and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908119
TI  - Factory Doctors and Mental Hygiene.

PMID- 28908121
TI  - Methods of Dealing with Young M.D. Children.

PMID- 28908120
TI  - The Problem Epileptic.

PMID- 28908122
TI  - Diversional Educational Activities in a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908123
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28908124
TI  - Preventive Psychiatry in Industry.

PMID- 28908125
TI  - The Nursing of the Deteriorated Patient.

PMID- 28908126
TI  - European Committee for Mental Hygiene. Seventh Conference.

PMID- 28908128
TI  - The Mentally Defective Child at Home.

PMID- 28908127
TI  - Building a University Psychological Service: The First Three Years.

PMID- 28908129
TI  - Emotional Dangers to Children in Hospitals.

PMID- 28908131
TI  - The Communication of Ideas.

PMID- 28908130
TI  - Practical Aspects of Alcoholism.

PMID- 28908132
TI  - Film Review.

PMID- 28908133
TI  - The Work of a Family Casework Agency.

PMID- 28908134
TI  - Children without Genealogy-A Problem of Adoption.

PMID- 28908135
TI  - World Federation for Mental Health, Brussels, 1952.

PMID- 28908136
TI  - The Education and Training of Mental Defectives at Darenth.

PMID- 28908138
TI  - The Mental Health Services in 1951: Recent Statistics.

PMID- 28908137
TI  - Intelligence and Modern Social Trends.

PMID- 28908140
TI  - Social Workers in Contact.

PMID- 28908139
TI  - Psychiatry and the Community, II: An Experiment in Mental Health Education.

PMID- 28908141
TI  - Popular Psychology.

PMID- 28908143
TI  - Mental Deficiency as a Basic Discipline in the Training of a Psychiatrist.

PMID- 28908142
TI  - Psychiatry and the Community. Part I: An Experiment in Mental Health Education.

PMID- 28908144
TI  - Problems of Families with Epileptic Children.

PMID- 28908145
TI  - Vacation Students in a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908146
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908147
TI  - Reform of the Law.

PMID- 28908148
TI  - Psychiatric Social Work in a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908149
TI  - Movement and Rhythm in Remedial Education.

PMID- 28908151
TI  - The Art of Being a Father.

PMID- 28908150
TI  - A System of Daily Licence in a Colony for Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908153
TI  - The Church and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908152
TI  - Fathercraft.

PMID- 28908154
TI  - The Work of a Mental Deficiency Colony.

PMID- 28908155
TI  - Mental Health and Ill-Health: Relief of Strain and Stress Conditions.

PMID- 28908157
TI  - Questionnaire on "Mental Health": Note by the Editor.

PMID- 28908156
TI  - Music and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908158
TI  - Mental Health Services, 1952.

PMID- 28908159
TI  - Friendship and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908160
TI  - "Mental Deficiency": A Misnomer?

PMID- 28908162
TI  - The Probation Officer.

PMID- 28908161
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908163
TI  - Individual Movement Therapy.

PMID- 28908164
TI  - The Speed of Living.

PMID- 28908165
TI  - Psychiatric Social Workers.

PMID- 28908166
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908167
TI  - Their Own Orchestra.

PMID- 28908168
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28908170
TI  - Mental Deficiency in 1947.

PMID- 28908169
TI  - Psychology and "Outworn Theology": To the Editor of Mental Health.

PMID- 28908171
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28908172
TI  - Maintenance of Mental Health.: 2. The First Five Years.

PMID- 28908173
TI  - The Personal Touch.

PMID- 28908174
TI  - The Effect of Rhythm and Functional Music on Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908175
TI  - Training and Scope of Psychiatric Social Workers in Relation to Adults.

PMID- 28908176
TI  - Not like Other Children.

PMID- 28908178
TI  - Went the Day Well?

PMID- 28908177
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28908179
TI  - The International Congress on Mental Health: London, August 11th to 21st, 1948.

PMID- 28908180
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28908181
TI  - The Place of the Family.

PMID- 28908182
TI  - Erratum: The Mental Health Aspect of Public Health.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 24 in vol. 9.].

PMID- 28908183
TI  - The Second World Mental Health Assembly.

PMID- 28908184
TI  - Maintenance of Mental Health.: 3. Going to School-The Second Five Years.

PMID- 28908185
TI  - The Re-Adjustment of the Hospital In-Patient. How the Nurse Can Help.

PMID- 28908186
TI  - Occupational and Physio-Therapy as Adjuncts to Child Guidance: A Suggestion for
      Designers of Child Guidance Clinics.

PMID- 28908188
TI  - The Prison Service in 1948.

PMID- 28908187
TI  - The Effect of Imprisonment on Mental Health.

PMID- 28908189
TI  - S.E.P.E.G.

PMID- 28908191
TI  - After-Care or Treatment?

PMID- 28908190
TI  - Regional Community Care. I.

PMID- 28908193
TI  - Film Review.

PMID- 28908192
TI  - The Handicap of High Intelligence.

PMID- 28908194
TI  - Training and Scope of the Psychiatric Social Worker in Relation to Adults. II.

PMID- 28908196
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28908195
TI  - Convalescence for the Elderly Patient.

PMID- 28908197
TI  - Mentally Defective Children with Additional Handicaps.

PMID- 28908198
TI  - The Place of the Mentally Handicapped Child in Society.

PMID- 28908199
TI  - The Child's Need for Identification.

PMID- 28908200
TI  - Backwardness in Speech Development.

PMID- 28908201
TI  - The Fourth Member of the Child Guidance Team.

PMID- 28908203
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28908202
TI  - The Progress of Mental Hospitals. II.

PMID- 28908204
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28908205
TI  - Northern Ireland's Mental Health Act.

PMID- 28908206
TI  - Inside the Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908207
TI  - Film Review.

PMID- 28908208
TI  - Diversional and Educational Activities in a Mental Hospital: An Experiment. 1948
      1950.

PMID- 28908209
TI  - The Re-Socialization of the Psychiatric Case.

PMID- 28908210
TI  - Erratum: An Apology.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 66 in vol. 10.][This corrects the article on p.
      67 in vol. 10.].

PMID- 28908211
TI  - Mental Hygiene Clinics in the United States.

PMID- 28908212
TI  - Maintenance of Mental Health.: 5. Adolescence.

PMID- 28908213
TI  - Lord Memorial Prize Essay: What Satisfaction Would Mental Nurses Gain from
      Exercising to the Full Their Personal Talents and Professional Skills?

PMID- 28908215
TI  - The National Assistance Board in Action.

PMID- 28908214
TI  - Occupational Therapy.

PMID- 28908217
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28908216
TI  - The Progress of Mental Hospitals. I.

PMID- 28908218
TI  - Juvenile Delinquency: Memorandum Issued by the Royal Medico Psychological
      Association.

PMID- 28908220
TI  - World Federation for Mental Health: Impressions of the Third Annual Meeting.

PMID- 28908219
TI  - A Colony for Maladjusted Children.

PMID- 28908221
TI  - Return from Holiday.

PMID- 28908222
TI  - Home Conditions and Employment of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908224
TI  - Social Workers in Paris, July 1950.

PMID- 28908223
TI  - The Psychiatrist's Dilemma.

PMID- 28908225
TI  - An Association of Patients.

PMID- 28908227
TI  - Portrait of Jane.

PMID- 28908226
TI  - Supplement: Report of Eighth Inter-Clinic Child Guidance Conference, December,
      1949.

PMID- 28908228
TI  - Institutions for Defectives.

PMID- 28908229
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28908230
TI  - The Social Adaptation of Institution Children.

PMID- 28908231
TI  - Mental Hygiene as an Academic Discipline at the University of Basle.

PMID- 28908232
TI  - Morale and Mental Health in Modern Society.

PMID- 28908233
TI  - W.H.O. And Mental Health.

PMID- 28908234
TI  - An Educational Centre for Mentally Handicapped Children.

PMID- 28908235
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28908236
TI  - The Church and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908237
TI  - Mental Health and Education.

PMID- 28908238
TI  - The Mental Health Services in 1948.

PMID- 28908239
TI  - Maintenance of Mental Health.: 4. The School Years.

PMID- 28908240
TI  - The Colony and the Young High-Grade Mental Defective.

PMID- 28908242
TI  - Bread and Circuses.

PMID- 28908241
TI  - British National Conference on Social Work: Harrogate, April 1950.

PMID- 28908243
TI  - Erratum: Maternity in Great Britain.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 83 in vol. 8.].

PMID- 28908244
TI  - The End of an Experiment in Community Care.

PMID- 28908246
TI  - Prevention and Early Treatment.

PMID- 28908245
TI  - "The Snake Pit": Featuring Olivia de Havilland and Leo Genn.

PMID- 28908247
TI  - Regional Community Care. II.

PMID- 28908248
TI  - The Mental Health Programme of the United States.

PMID- 28908249
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908250
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and Television.

PMID- 28908251
TI  - On Bringing up Other People's Children.

PMID- 28908252
TI  - The Elderly: "Living and Partly Living".

PMID- 28908253
TI  - Homes for Old People.

PMID- 28908254
TI  - Special Difficulties of Mental Welfare Officers with the Aged.

PMID- 28908255
TI  - Living with Leisure.

PMID- 28908256
TI  - Introducing N.A.M.H. Homes, Hostels & Schools 2: "Parnham".

PMID- 28908258
TI  - Discussion Points.

PMID- 28908257
TI  - Meet the Local Associations: 4. Somerset Association.

PMID- 28908259
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and Television.

PMID- 28908260
TI  - Local Associations at Work.

PMID- 28908261
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908262
TI  - Psychiatric Halfway Hostels.

PMID- 28908263
TI  - No Uniform.

PMID- 28908264
TI  - Our Responsibility?

PMID- 28908265
TI  - Causes for Depression.

PMID- 28908266
TI  - The Bournemouth Samaritans.

PMID- 28908267
TI  - Depression, Suicide and Loneliness.

PMID- 28908268
TI  - Training the Subnormal.

PMID- 28908269
TI  - Patient Help.

PMID- 28908270
TI  - The Camberwell Samaritans.

PMID- 28908271
TI  - How "The Samaritans" Combat Suicide.

PMID- 28908273
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908272
TI  - Dangerous Drugs.

PMID- 28908274
TI  - The New Look.

PMID- 28908275
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908277
TI  - Psychiatric Halfway Hostels in England: I.

PMID- 28908276
TI  - You-And the New Look.

PMID- 28908278
TI  - President Kennedy Calls for a Frontal Attack on Mental Retardation.

PMID- 28908279
TI  - Subnormality Services in the Hospital Plan.

PMID- 28908280
TI  - The 18th Inter-Clinic Conference.

PMID- 28908281
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908282
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908283
TI  - Explanation of Criminality.

PMID- 28908285
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908284
TI  - Tape Recording in Social Rehabilitation.

PMID- 28908286
TI  - The Rees-Thomas Donation.

PMID- 28908288
TI  - Meet the Local Associations: 1: Cambridgeshire.

PMID- 28908287
TI  - An Author's Comment.

PMID- 28908290
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908289
TI  - Women in Prison.

PMID- 28908291
TI  - Press, Radio and Television.

PMID- 28908292
TI  - Loneliness.

PMID- 28908293
TI  - Filling the Gaps.

PMID- 28908295
TI  - Meet the Local Associations: 3. Halifax and Its Social Club.

PMID- 28908294
TI  - Introducing N.A.M.H. Homes and Hostels 1: 'Fairhaven' and 'Fairlop'.

PMID- 28908296
TI  - Porritt Committee Report Published.

PMID- 28908297
TI  - A Psychiatric Community Centre.

PMID- 28908299
TI  - Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 134 in vol. 21.].

PMID- 28908298
TI  - Noise and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908301
TI  - The Association's A.G.M. Discusses the Scott Report.

PMID- 28908300
TI  - An N.A.M.H. Conference Debates the E.S.N. School-Leaver and His Problems.

PMID- 28908302
TI  - The Contribution of the D.R.O.

PMID- 28908303
TI  - The N.A.M.H. Writes to the Ministry on Mental Health Review Tribunals.

PMID- 28908304
TI  - Symptom and Handicap.

PMID- 28908306
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908305
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908307
TI  - Violence and the Mental Health Services-Conference Report.

PMID- 28908308
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908309
TI  - Aggression-Good or Bad?

PMID- 28908311
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908310
TI  - Dance as a Therapy for the Mentally Ill.

PMID- 28908312
TI  - What Is "Community Care"?

PMID- 28908313
TI  - Psychiatric Services in the Hospital Plan.

PMID- 28908315
TI  - The Gaps.

PMID- 28908314
TI  - National Assistance for Mentally Handicapped Persons.

PMID- 28908316
TI  - Child Guidance in the Community.

PMID- 28908317
TI  - Rees-Thomas Donation.

PMID- 28908318
TI  - The Reactions of Parents of Handicapped Babies.

PMID- 28908319
TI  - "New Look" and Loneliness.

PMID- 28908320
TI  - The Future of the Child Guidance Services.

PMID- 28908322
TI  - Meet the Local Associations: Friern Barnet.

PMID- 28908321
TI  - The Consequences of Separation.

PMID- 28908323
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908324
TI  - Some Needs of the Paediatrician.

PMID- 28908325
TI  - Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 73 in vol. 21.].

PMID- 28908326
TI  - Child Psychiatrist and Paediatrician.

PMID- 28908327
TI  - Psychiatric Halfway Hostels in England: II.

PMID- 28908328
TI  - Psychotic Children.

PMID- 28908329
TI  - The Child Guidance Clinic and Other Agencies.

PMID- 28908330
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908331
TI  - Diary.

PMID- 28908332
TI  - Old People-Must We Shut Them Away?

PMID- 28908333
TI  - Schizophrenia from the inside.

PMID- 28908335
TI  - Where Private Enterprise Can Help.

PMID- 28908334
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908336
TI  - My Baby Led Me to a Psychiatrist.

PMID- 28908337
TI  - The Heart of the Matter.

PMID- 28908338
TI  - When Thinking Replaces Fear.

PMID- 28908339
TI  - There Is No Dividing Line.

PMID- 28908340
TI  - Cruelty in the Old People's Ward.

PMID- 28908342
TI  - Parents Want to Know.

PMID- 28908341
TI  - Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 12 in vol. 25.].

PMID- 28908343
TI  - A Better Deal for Subnormals.

PMID- 28908344
TI  - The Problem of Schizophrenia and Social Class.

PMID- 28908345
TI  - Cruel Practice.

PMID- 28908346
TI  - No Joke.

PMID- 28908347
TI  - The Nature of Aggression.

PMID- 28908349
TI  - Message from the Minister.

PMID- 28908348
TI  - Councillor's Case Book.

PMID- 28908350
TI  - Goodies and Baddies.

PMID- 28908351
TI  - Destiny of Insignificance.

PMID- 28908352
TI  - Crime and Mental Subnormality.

PMID- 28908354
TI  - How to Diminish Intolerance.

PMID- 28908353
TI  - One Day in the Life of Group No. 3.

PMID- 28908355
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908356
TI  - How Trivial Is Trivial.

PMID- 28908357
TI  - Subnormality Hostel.

PMID- 28908358
TI  - A Factory in the Hospital.

PMID- 28908360
TI  - Childless Marriage as a Basis for Adoption.

PMID- 28908359
TI  - Moors' Murders Publicity.

PMID- 28908361
TI  - A Place for the Volunteer: Northern Local Associations Annual Conference.

PMID- 28908362
TI  - Are Approved Schools the Answer?

PMID- 28908363
TI  - Hazards of Separation.

PMID- 28908364
TI  - Changes in Visiting.

PMID- 28908365
TI  - Children of a Broken Marriage.

PMID- 28908366
TI  - A Question of Feeding.

PMID- 28908367
TI  - Adoption Procedures Dissected.

PMID- 28908368
TI  - Film: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

PMID- 28908369
TI  - Face to Face with Stress.

PMID- 28908370
TI  - Patients' Opinion Poll.

PMID- 28908371
TI  - A Home of Their Own.

PMID- 28908372
TI  - I Said Goodbye to My Baby.

PMID- 28908373
TI  - Mental Hospital Overcrowding: Formula for Change.

PMID- 28908374
TI  - Adjusting to Separation.

PMID- 28908375
TI  - The Bereaved Child.

PMID- 28908376
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908377
TI  - Prison or Psychiatric Hospital?

PMID- 28908378
TI  - Drugs and the Young Law Breaker.

PMID- 28908379
TI  - How Is Addiction Spreading?

PMID- 28908380
TI  - Congratulations.

PMID- 28908381
TI  - They Said He Would Never Read.

PMID- 28908383
TI  - First Step to Independence.

PMID- 28908382
TI  - Who Is Vulnerable?

PMID- 28908384
TI  - Diary.

PMID- 28908385
TI  - Mission to the Misfit.

PMID- 28908387
TI  - People in Search of Dreams.

PMID- 28908386
TI  - Film: A Case Not Suitable for Treatment.

PMID- 28908389
TI  - Dangers of the 'Hard' Line.

PMID- 28908388
TI  - Disabled and the Employment Tax.

PMID- 28908390
TI  - Problems and Pseudo-Problems.

PMID- 28908391
TI  - The Course of Depression.

PMID- 28908392
TI  - Keeping Youth off the 'Failure' List.

PMID- 28908393
TI  - Blueprint for the Self-Help Group.

PMID- 28908394
TI  - Slimming Hazard.

PMID- 28908396
TI  - Destructive Report.

PMID- 28908395
TI  - Determination Needed.

PMID- 28908397
TI  - A Loser All the Way.

PMID- 28908398
TI  - Rebels without a Cause.

PMID- 28908399
TI  - America's New Psychiatric Frontier.

PMID- 28908400
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908401
TI  - The Fountain Hospital.

PMID- 28908402
TI  - Community Care and the Question of Training.

PMID- 28908403
TI  - The Mental Health Act, 1959.

PMID- 28908404
TI  - The Mental Health Service in 1958: Some Facts and Figures.

PMID- 28908405
TI  - The Next Steps.

PMID- 28908406
TI  - Mental Health Work in Nottingham: An Exercise in Co-Operation.

PMID- 28908407
TI  - A New Look at Mental Health.

PMID- 28908409
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908408
TI  - A Social Club for Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908410
TI  - Some Aspects of Placing Detectives in Work.

PMID- 28908412
TI  - Full Employment.

PMID- 28908411
TI  - The Psychological Significance of Work.

PMID- 28908413
TI  - Psycho-Pathology in Industrial Life.

PMID- 28908414
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908416
TI  - The Social Workers' Viewpoint.

PMID- 28908415
TI  - The Place of the Mental Deficiency Hospital in a Community Care Programme.

PMID- 28908417
TI  - The Mental Health Bill and the Psychopath.

PMID- 28908418
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908419
TI  - The Public and the Mental Health Bill.

PMID- 28908420
TI  - Thinking Internationally.

PMID- 28908421
TI  - Mental Health-Or Mental Illness?

PMID- 28908423
TI  - Changes in the Journal.

PMID- 28908422
TI  - Effect of Children's Television on Behaviour.

PMID- 28908425
TI  - Lessons of the War for Psychiatry.

PMID- 28908424
TI  - The New Bill and the Mental Deficiency Services.

PMID- 28908426
TI  - The "New Look" in the Care of the Mentally Ill.

PMID- 28908427
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908428
TI  - The Local Authorities' Part.

PMID- 28908429
TI  - Fairhaven: A Hostel for Educationally Sub-Normal School Leavers.

PMID- 28908430
TI  - Implementing the Mental Health Act: Local Authority Schemes.

PMID- 28908431
TI  - Preventive Medicine for Older People.

PMID- 28908432
TI  - Local Authorities and the Mental Health Act.

PMID- 28908434
TI  - Everybody's Business.

PMID- 28908433
TI  - Training for Social Workers.

PMID- 28908436
TI  - Mental Health Guides for the General Practitioner.

PMID- 28908435
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908437
TI  - The Future of Psychiatry in General Practice.

PMID- 28908438
TI  - Postgraduate Education in Psychiatry for the General Practitioner.

PMID- 28908439
TI  - Psychiatric Skills in General Practice.

PMID- 28908441
TI  - Psychiatry and the General Practitioner.

PMID- 28908440
TI  - A First Visit to Nigeria.

PMID- 28908443
TI  - A Visit to the U.S.S.R. and Poland (Part II).

PMID- 28908442
TI  - Keeping in Touch with New Developments.

PMID- 28908445
TI  - Social Clubs for the Mentally Disordered.

PMID- 28908444
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908446
TI  - Psychiatric Illness in General Practice: The Urgency of the Problem.

PMID- 28908447
TI  - Child Victims of Sexual Assault.

PMID- 28908448
TI  - Reflections after 30 Years of Psychiatric Nursing.

PMID- 28908449
TI  - Mental Subnormality-Whose Baby?

PMID- 28908450
TI  - A Psychiatric Out-Patient Nursing Service.

PMID- 28908451
TI  - Mental Nurses: What Is Their Future?

PMID- 28908452
TI  - The Future of Psychiatric Hospitals.

PMID- 28908453
TI  - A Sequel to the Lords' Debate.

PMID- 28908454
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908455
TI  - Alcoholism.

PMID- 28908456
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908458
TI  - What Is A.A.?: Alcoholics Anonymous.

PMID- 28908457
TI  - The Alcoholic and Society.

PMID- 28908459
TI  - Principles of Clinical Policy in the Setting up of In-Patient Units for Treatment
      of Alcoholism.

PMID- 28908461
TI  - Corporal Punishment.

PMID- 28908460
TI  - Recent Progress in Yugoslavia in the Treatment and Prevention of Alcoholism.

PMID- 28908462
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908463
TI  - An Introduction to Psychiatry for Probation Officers.

PMID- 28908465
TI  - The Mental Health Service in 1959.

PMID- 28908464
TI  - Training in Child Guidance.

PMID- 28908466
TI  - A Challenge to Social Work Education.

PMID- 28908467
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28908468
TI  - The Probation Officer's Needs.

PMID- 28908469
TI  - The Training of General Practitioners in Psychiatry.

PMID- 28908471
TI  - Still the Cinderella.

PMID- 28908470
TI  - The General Nurse's Training and Psychiatry.

PMID- 28908472
TI  - The Parental Role in the Care and Training of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908473
TI  - Truancy-Or School Phobia?

PMID- 28908474
TI  - Terrible God.

PMID- 28908475
TI  - Liverpool Police Liaison Scheme.

PMID- 28908476
TI  - Erratum: An Apology.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 122 in vol. 18.].

PMID- 28908477
TI  - Mind and Spirit.

PMID- 28908478
TI  - Co-Operation between the Churches and Medicine.

PMID- 28908479
TI  - Messages from Church Leaders.

PMID- 28908480
TI  - Religion and the Mentally Sick: Some Fundamental Issues.

PMID- 28908482
TI  - Some Moral Issues of Mental Health Training in Professional Education.

PMID- 28908481
TI  - Religion and Psychiatry.

PMID- 28908484
TI  - Mental Health in 1958.

PMID- 28908483
TI  - Mental Illness in Cross-Cultural Perspective.

PMID- 28908485
TI  - Industrial Mental Health in Britain.

PMID- 28908486
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908487
TI  - Mental Health and the Child.

PMID- 28908488
TI  - World Mental Health Year.

PMID- 28908489
TI  - Parliament, Press and Broadcasting.

PMID- 28908490
TI  - A Visit to U.S.S.R. and Poland, Part I.

PMID- 28908491
TI  - The Case against Termination on Psychiatric Grounds.

PMID- 28908492
TI  - Legal Aspects of Abortion.

PMID- 28908494
TI  - Abortion Law in Other Countries.

PMID- 28908493
TI  - The Case for Reform.

PMID- 28908495
TI  - Legal Abortion?

PMID- 28908496
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908497
TI  - Teenagers in Their First Jobs.

PMID- 28908498
TI  - The Adolescent at School.

PMID- 28908499
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908500
TI  - Teenagers Who Leave Home.

PMID- 28908501
TI  - Bradford and District Local Association.

PMID- 28908502
TI  - The Space between.

PMID- 28908503
TI  - Duncroft Approved School.

PMID- 28908504
TI  - Learning to Be a Student.

PMID- 28908505
TI  - Gangs and Groups.

PMID- 28908506
TI  - Music in Psychiatry.

PMID- 28908507
TI  - New Social Workers Group.

PMID- 28908508
TI  - Children's Bill.

PMID- 28908509
TI  - Creative Therapy.

PMID- 28908511
TI  - Some Films on Art and Metal Illness.

PMID- 28908510
TI  - Art and Therapy.

PMID- 28908513
TI  - The Ten-Year Plan.

PMID- 28908512
TI  - The History of Dance Therapy in England.

PMID- 28908514
TI  - Art and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908515
TI  - Living with Leisure.

PMID- 28908516
TI  - Meet Portsmouth and District Association for Mental Health.

PMID- 28908518
TI  - Deputy General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908517
TI  - Creative Therapy and Creative Drama.

PMID- 28908519
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908520
TI  - Clinical Problems in Children of Primary School Age.

PMID- 28908521
TI  - Music in Psychiatric and Social Rehabilitation.

PMID- 28908523
TI  - NAMH Annual Conference, 1963, Debates: Community Care-The Distant Goal.

PMID- 28908522
TI  - Depression.

PMID- 28908524
TI  - The Responsibility of the Psychiatrist.

PMID- 28908525
TI  - In-Patient Treatment: Should It Become a Last Resort?

PMID- 28908526
TI  - 1959 Act and Admissions to a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28908527
TI  - Mental Health in Northern Ireland-Laws Ancient and Modern.

PMID- 28908528
TI  - Meet the Local Associations: 5, Wirral.

PMID- 28908529
TI  - Care or Interference?

PMID- 28908530
TI  - Birmingham Confers on Psychotic Children.

PMID- 28908531
TI  - Preventive Care.

PMID- 28908533
TI  - Psychopathic Disorder.

PMID- 28908532
TI  - The Citizen's Responsibility.

PMID- 28908535
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908534
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and Television.

PMID- 28908537
TI  - Backward Children in Sweden.

PMID- 28908536
TI  - Community Centres.

PMID- 28908538
TI  - Communities and Social Change.

PMID- 28908540
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28908539
TI  - Some Social Problems of New Towns.

PMID- 28908541
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908542
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908543
TI  - Psychiatric Problems in New Communities.

PMID- 28908544
TI  - Meet Harlow Local Association.

PMID- 28908546
TI  - NAMH Annual Conference 1964 Investigates the Whole Truth about Care of the
      Mentally Disordered.

PMID- 28908545
TI  - Occupational Therapy, Taxi-Drivers and Columbine.

PMID- 28908547
TI  - A Place to Play.

PMID- 28908548
TI  - Making a Home for the Mentally Disordered.

PMID- 28908549
TI  - Nature of Art Therapy.

PMID- 28908550
TI  - Mental Health in Industry.

PMID- 28908551
TI  - Towards Community Care in the Mental Health Services?

PMID- 28908552
TI  - Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 26 in vol. 22.].

PMID- 28908553
TI  - Hospital or Home?

PMID- 28908554
TI  - Need for Community Care.

PMID- 28908555
TI  - Meet Devon and Exeter Association.

PMID- 28908556
TI  - Some Films on Rehabilitation.

PMID- 28908557
TI  - Return to Work.

PMID- 28908558
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908559
TI  - Swalcliffe Park School.

PMID- 28908560
TI  - Rehabilitation of a Problem Family.

PMID- 28908562
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908561
TI  - Principles of the Rehabilitation of Those Suffering from Neurosis.

PMID- 28908563
TI  - Executive Stress.

PMID- 28908564
TI  - Local Associations and Rehabilitation.

PMID- 28908565
TI  - The Fear of Leisure.

PMID- 28908566
TI  - Adaptive Automation and Mental Processes.

PMID- 28908567
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908568
TI  - Prevention or Treatment?

PMID- 28908569
TI  - Meet Blackpool and Fylde.

PMID- 28908571
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28908570
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908572
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908573
TI  - An Employer's View of Automation.

PMID- 28908575
TI  - Mental Health in Industry.

PMID- 28908574
TI  - Salary Success Story.

PMID- 28908576
TI  - Guilt and Insanity.

PMID- 28908577
TI  - The Uses of Leisure.

PMID- 28908578
TI  - Automation, Leisure and the Unions.

PMID- 28908579
TI  - Gambling and Mental Health.

PMID- 28908581
TI  - Lords' Debate Problem of Leisure.

PMID- 28908580
TI  - Automation's Effects upon Those of below Average Intelligence.

PMID- 28908582
TI  - Pastures New.

PMID- 28908583
TI  - Copenhagen Congress on the Scientific Study of Mental Retardation.

PMID- 28908584
TI  - Introducing the Slough Play-Group for Mentally Handicapped Children.

PMID- 28908586
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908585
TI  - Preparation for Work.

PMID- 28908588
TI  - A Working Community for Mentally Handicapped Adults.

PMID- 28908587
TI  - P. E. P. Report.

PMID- 28908589
TI  - Two Diagnostic Clinics for Retarded Children.

PMID- 28908590
TI  - A Danish Training Programme for Personnel of Hospitals for Mentally Subnormal.

PMID- 28908591
TI  - Meet Staffordshire Association for Mental Welfare.

PMID- 28908593
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908592
TI  - Progress and Planning.

PMID- 28908594
TI  - Specialists in Human Relations.

PMID- 28908595
TI  - Research into Research.

PMID- 28908597
TI  - Teaching and Learning Mental Health.

PMID- 28908596
TI  - How to Be Psychoanalysed.

PMID- 28908598
TI  - Social Attitudes and Mental Disorder.

PMID- 28908599
TI  - Caring in the Community.

PMID- 28908600
TI  - Introducing the Minister of Health.

PMID- 28908602
TI  - N.A.M.H. A.G.M.-1965: From a Correspondent.

PMID- 28908601
TI  - The Anatomy of the Sick Joke.

PMID- 28908603
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908604
TI  - Dementia in the Elderly-A Community Problem.

PMID- 28908605
TI  - Some Books of 1964.

PMID- 28908606
TI  - An Acid-Reaction or Society in the Test-Tube.

PMID- 28908607
TI  - Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908608
TI  - Hospitals and People.

PMID- 28908609
TI  - Givers and Not Getters.

PMID- 28908610
TI  - Some Characteristics of Mental Illness in North-East Scotland.

PMID- 28908611
TI  - Anglesey Mental Health Survey.

PMID- 28908613
TI  - 2nd NAMH Conference on Preventive Aspects of the Education Service in the Mental
      Health Field.

PMID- 28908612
TI  - Meet Manchester, Salford and District Association.

PMID- 28908614
TI  - Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 43 in vol. 23.].

PMID- 28908615
TI  - When I Was a Patient.

PMID- 28908616
TI  - Plans for the Journal.

PMID- 28908617
TI  - Psychiatric Teaching Films.

PMID- 28908618
TI  - Art as Communication.

PMID- 28908619
TI  - Erratum: Printing Error.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 78 in vol. 23.].

PMID- 28908620
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908621
TI  - Epidemiology of Mental Subnormality.

PMID- 28908623
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908622
TI  - Adolescence: 20th Child Guidance Inter-Clinic Conference.

PMID- 28908624
TI  - Home-Making Group.

PMID- 28908626
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908625
TI  - Planned Programme.

PMID- 28908628
TI  - Meet Ealing District Local Association.

PMID- 28908627
TI  - What Is Therapy?

PMID- 28908629
TI  - Problems of Middle Age in Industry.

PMID- 28908631
TI  - Report of N.A.M.H. 1963 A.G.M.: Mental Health Services in the Local Authority Ten
      Year Plan.

PMID- 28908630
TI  - Middle Age and Family-Focussed Women.

PMID- 28908632
TI  - Occupational Therapy for the Middle-Aged Patient.

PMID- 28908633
TI  - Using Mental Health Films in Educational Programmes.

PMID- 28908634
TI  - Over-Simplification.

PMID- 28908635
TI  - Postal Publicity for Mental Health.

PMID- 28908636
TI  - The Contribution of the Untrained Social Worker.

PMID- 28908637
TI  - Psychiatric Problems in Children.

PMID- 28908639
TI  - Stepping Happily Aside.

PMID- 28908638
TI  - Poetry Readings.

PMID- 28908640
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908641
TI  - The Middle Period of Life.

PMID- 28908642
TI  - In the Swim.

PMID- 28908643
TI  - A Cry from Kenya.

PMID- 28908644
TI  - Human Problems of Student Nurses.

PMID- 28908646
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908645
TI  - Community Care in the Mental Health Services.

PMID- 28908648
TI  - Research and Enquiry.

PMID- 28908647
TI  - A New Crusade for Widows.

PMID- 28908650
TI  - The Price of Mental Health.

PMID- 28908649
TI  - N.A.M.H. Annual Conference Weighs the Price of Mental Health.

PMID- 28908651
TI  - A Relatives' Meeting.

PMID- 28908653
TI  - Living Longer! Living Happier?

PMID- 28908652
TI  - Mental Subnormality and Industrial Work.

PMID- 28908655
TI  - Film-Making Conference.

PMID- 28908654
TI  - If I Could Alter One Thing...

PMID- 28908656
TI  - Play in Hospital.

PMID- 28908657
TI  - School in a Children's Psychiatric Unit.

PMID- 28908658
TI  - The Avondale Project: Youth Counselling in an Educational Setting.

PMID- 28908660
TI  - Two Special Surveys.

PMID- 28908659
TI  - Student Mental Health.

PMID- 28908661
TI  - Young People's Consultation Centre.

PMID- 28908663
TI  - Infanticide.

PMID- 28908662
TI  - Tutorial Responsibility.

PMID- 28908665
TI  - Research and Enquiry: Research Supported by the Mental Health Research Fund: 1954
      1964.

PMID- 28908664
TI  - Subnormality Hostels: Two Different Functions.

PMID- 28908666
TI  - Personal Viewpoint: A Patient's View of Psychotherapy.

PMID- 28908667
TI  - Postscript on Coralie.

PMID- 28908668
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908669
TI  - 21st Child Guidance Inter-Clinic Conference.

PMID- 28908670
TI  - Mental Health in Education.

PMID- 28908671
TI  - Teaching for the National Childbirth Trust.

PMID- 28908672
TI  - Boarding-Out Elderly Psychiatric Patients.

PMID- 28908673
TI  - A Fatherless Family.

PMID- 28908674
TI  - Their Lot.

PMID- 28908675
TI  - Beneath the Skin.

PMID- 28908676
TI  - Reynolds House: A Hostel for Maladjusted School-Leavers.

PMID- 28908677
TI  - Research and Enquiry.

PMID- 28908678
TI  - A Year's Recreation at South Ockendon Hospital.

PMID- 28908679
TI  - Artificial Insemination-The Social Implications.

PMID- 28908680
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and T.V.

PMID- 28908681
TI  - Local Associations and International Cooperation Year.

PMID- 28908682
TI  - London Looks at Mental Health.

PMID- 28908683
TI  - The Doctor and the Mother Instinct.

PMID- 28908684
TI  - Beyond the Fringe.

PMID- 28908686
TI  - 25 and Under-Opportunities for Service.

PMID- 28908687
TI  - Film-Making Conference at Keele.

PMID- 28908688
TI  - Radio, TV and Press.

PMID- 28908689
TI  - Research on Children in Substitute Care.

PMID- 28908690
TI  - Personal Viewpoint: The Forgotten Ones.

PMID- 28908691
TI  - The Immorality of Marriage.

PMID- 28908692
TI  - Psychosomatic Medicine.

PMID- 28908694
TI  - 40 Years Ago.

PMID- 28908693
TI  - Research and Enquiry: More Light on Our Psychiatric Hospitals.

PMID- 28908695
TI  - Continuity of Treatment: Hospital and Home.

PMID- 28908697
TI  - Our Future Mental Health.

PMID- 28908696
TI  - A Doctor Comments on the Mother.

PMID- 28908698
TI  - A New Town in the North.

PMID- 28908699
TI  - U.S.S.R. and Mental Disease.

PMID- 28908700
TI  - Hospital Sector.

PMID- 28908701
TI  - Research and Enquiry: Development of the African Child.

PMID- 28908702
TI  - Social and Mental Health Contrasts in California and Wales.

PMID- 28908703
TI  - Mental Disease on the Wane.

PMID- 28908704
TI  - Mental Nursing in British Columbia.

PMID- 28908705
TI  - Culture and Madness.

PMID- 28908707
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908706
TI  - A Psychiatric Social Worker Abroad.

PMID- 28908708
TI  - Glimpses of Child Care and Psychiatric Services in Hungary.

PMID- 28908710
TI  - Personal Viewpoint: A Mother Writes about Enuresis the Following Feature Is
      Reprinted from the March 1965 Edition of Nova.

PMID- 28908709
TI  - A Ward Adoption Scheme.

PMID- 28908711
TI  - Facilitating International Communication in Mental Health.

PMID- 28908712
TI  - The Law and the Mentally Abnormal Offender.

PMID- 28908713
TI  - Subnormality Hostels.

PMID- 28908714
TI  - Delinquents and Their Parents.

PMID- 28908716
TI  - Why Not?

PMID- 28908717
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908715
TI  - Detention Centres-The First Phase.

PMID- 28908718
TI  - Ex-Prisoners Find a Home.

PMID- 28908719
TI  - Psychiatry and Criminology.

PMID- 28908721
TI  - Age and Crime.

PMID- 28908722
TI  - 40 Years Ago.

PMID- 28908723
TI  - Research and Enquiry: Physical Disability and Crime.

PMID- 28908724
TI  - Government Plans for Young Offenders.

PMID- 28908725
TI  - Personal Viewpoint: The Experience of Electro-Convulsive Therapy.

PMID- 28908726
TI  - Criminal Responsibility.

PMID- 28908727
TI  - When Health Is a Handicap.
AB  - A study of the difficulties that can arise in a family with a mentally
      handicapped child and brothers or sisters who are normal.

PMID- 28908728
TI  - A Guide to Good Practice.
AB  - The full text of the report of a working party set up in an attempt to formulate
      standards of practice in the care of difficult patients.

PMID- 28908729
TI  - The Mind Manifesto.
AB  - The Mind Campaign, launched on February 16th 1971, is based on the Mind Manifesto
      printed here to express the philosophy behind the campaign.

PMID- 28908730
TI  - Parliament.

PMID- 28908731
TI  - Only Connect.
AB  - A very individual and personal manifesto by one of London's leading directors of
      experimental theatre.

PMID- 28908732
TI  - Living in the Twilight.
AB  - The crippling effects on children of growing up and going to school in
      educational priority areas.

PMID- 28908733
TI  - Reflections.
AB  - Poems written while suffering from mental illness.

PMID- 28908734
TI  - Right of Appeal.
AB  - A new book on Mental Health Review Tribunals puts the present system and
      procedure on trial.

PMID- 28908735
TI  - On Incontinence.
AB  - Practical advice on incontinence both for the patient and those who care for him.

PMID- 28908736
TI  - Scan.

PMID- 28908737
TI  - At Risk in the East End.
AB  - An examination of a report published by the Psychiatric Rehabilitation
      Association.

PMID- 28908738
TI  - News Review.

PMID- 28908739
TI  - The Classroom at Large.
AB  - An educationalist argues for the need for a place to be found for voluntary
      service within the school curriculum.

PMID- 28908740
TI  - Ennals Errant.

PMID- 28908741
TI  - Scan.

PMID- 28908743
TI  - Ideals and Charm at Omi-Gakuen.
AB  - Impressions of a visit to a home for mentally handicapped children in Japan.

PMID- 28908742
TI  - God Psychiatry Versus Good Psychiatry.
AB  - Since psychiatry often requires an intimate, informal dialogue between patient
      and doctor, can psychiatrists afford to retain the remote, omnipotent image which
      they have inherited?

PMID- 28908744
TI  - From Where I Sit: Editorial Comment.

PMID- 28908745
TI  - Images of Insanity.
AB  - An examination of the way the cinema has dealt with mental illness and the
      introspective fascination with which it has mirrored the spirit of
      experimentation and fragmentation of the last decade.

PMID- 28908746
TI  - Management with Two-Way Stretch.
AB  - A formula for new-style management in hospitals for the mentally handicapped
      which is needed to liberate the staff before they can get on with the job of
      liberating the patients.

PMID- 28908747
TI  - Plea to West on Soviet 'Mad-House' Jails.

PMID- 28908748
TI  - One at Night.
AB  - Review of a play centring on the proceedings of a mental health review tribunal.

PMID- 28908749
TI  - Bursting Point and beyond.
AB  - The world's population crisis has become a very fashionable topic yet everyone
      remains in the dark about the way overcrowding will modify and radically change
      our way of life. Preparatory research is needed now.

PMID- 28908750
TI  - The O'Hagan Column.

PMID- 28908751
TI  - The Act-4 Years after.
AB  - The MP who did most to put the Abortion Act on to the statute book assesses the
      way it has been used and abused and whether it needs to be amended.

PMID- 28908753
TI  - News Review.

PMID- 28908752
TI  - The Generation War-Game.
AB  - With no wide agreement about beliefs and standards of behaviour being set, and
      with the mass media in constant pursuit, young people are often thought to be
      more vulnerable today than in the past. A book with this theme is assessed by an
      eminent teacher.

PMID- 28908754
TI  - Your Life on Their Tapes.
AB  - Can 'they'-government agencies and big business-discover too much about the
      individual too easily? One implication of the growth of data banks could be
      discrimination and monitoring on an Orwellian scale.

PMID- 28908755
TI  - After the Break-Up.
AB  - How much help do people need after a divorce? Plenty of advice is available on
      how to save a marriage but what about the problems of restructuring life if it
      cannot be saved - a Divorce Counselling Service may be needed.

PMID- 28908756
TI  - The House That Wills' Built.
AB  - A discussion of the contribution made by David Wills to the residential care of
      young people prompted by his book on the Reynolds House experiment.

PMID- 28908757
TI  - Caring for Deprived Children.

PMID- 28908759
TI  - New Medical Group on Adoption.

PMID- 28908758
TI  - Meet Bournemouth Association for Mental Health.

PMID- 28908760
TI  - Parliament, Press, Radio and TV.

PMID- 28908761
TI  - The Family in the Welfare State: Extracts from Presidential Address to N.A.P.O.

PMID- 28908762
TI  - Two Editors.

PMID- 28908763
TI  - General Secretary's Letter.

PMID- 28908764
TI  - The Family of Today.

PMID- 28908766
TI  - Taking Care.

PMID- 28908765
TI  - The Parent-Child Relationship in the Treatment of Elderly Psychiatric Patients.

PMID- 28908767
TI  - Club in the Crypt.

PMID- 28908768
TI  - The Case for Voluntary Help.

PMID- 28908769
TI  - Boarders, Not Patients.

PMID- 28908770
TI  - Young Minds at Risk.

PMID- 28908771
TI  - Bright but Maladjusted.

PMID- 28908772
TI  - Psychiatry on a Sunday.

PMID- 28908774
TI  - Scientology in the House.

PMID- 28908773
TI  - A 'Long Vac' in Community Service.

PMID- 28908776
TI  - The Adolescent Treatment Gap.

PMID- 28908775
TI  - SET and the Handicapped.

PMID- 28908777
TI  - What Price Vocation?

PMID- 28908778
TI  - In Two Worlds: Immigrant School-Leavers.

PMID- 28908779
TI  - On the outside Looking in.

PMID- 28908780
TI  - From Prurience to Maturity.

PMID- 28908781
TI  - Sixpence to Gawp.

PMID- 28908782
TI  - Class, Language and Learning.

PMID- 28908783
TI  - Diary.

PMID- 28908784
TI  - In Two Minds.

PMID- 28908785
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908786
TI  - Breaking down the Barrier.

PMID- 28908787
TI  - Mental Deficiency and Divorce.

PMID- 28908788
TI  - The Monks and the Psychiatrist.

PMID- 28908789
TI  - The Sellout to Swinging Youth.

PMID- 28908790
TI  - Diary.

PMID- 28908791
TI  - Treatment by Revulsion.

PMID- 28908792
TI  - Are We Ignoring the Real Needs of the Young?

PMID- 28908793
TI  - Looking at Psychoanalysis.

PMID- 28908794
TI  - No Place for the Teenager.

PMID- 28908795
TI  - Personal Guidance for Schoolchildren.

PMID- 28908796
TI  - When the Mentally Handicapped Paint.

PMID- 28908797
TI  - Five Months with the Process.

PMID- 28908798
TI  - Bellow: A New Dimension in Literature.

PMID- 28908799
TI  - Successful Hostel Scheme.

PMID- 28908800
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908801
TI  - Approved School Helped Me.

PMID- 28908803
TI  - The Uses and Abuses of Corporal Punishment.

PMID- 28908802
TI  - The Process.

PMID- 28908804
TI  - Birth of 'A Child Possessed'.

PMID- 28908805
TI  - School for the Disappointed.

PMID- 28908806
TI  - Neurotics Not Anonymous.

PMID- 28908807
TI  - Disorders of Attention.

PMID- 28908808
TI  - Student Wastage.

PMID- 28908810
TI  - Seventh International Congress: Keys to Progress.

PMID- 28908809
TI  - Chaplains in Hospitals.

PMID- 28908811
TI  - Scale of Subnormality.

PMID- 28908813
TI  - Scene 1.

PMID- 28908812
TI  - Stress and Higher Education Breakdown.

PMID- 28908814
TI  - The Shabby Brown Suede.

PMID- 28908815
TI  - Belmont Adolescent Unit.

PMID- 28908816
TI  - I Gave Up-Why Carla Markham Got off the Couch.

PMID- 28908817
TI  - Apathy or Activity?

PMID- 28908818
TI  - Scene 2.

PMID- 28908819
TI  - Warneford 'College'.

PMID- 28908820
TI  - Children in Need.

PMID- 28908821
TI  - Scene 2.

PMID- 28908822
TI  - Phobias.

PMID- 28908823
TI  - Parliament.

PMID- 28908824
TI  - Fear and Personality.

PMID- 28908826
TI  - Scene 1.

PMID- 28908825
TI  - An Open-Eyed Look at Sleep.

PMID- 28908827
TI  - Croydon Pioneers.

PMID- 28908829
TI  - Design for Play.

PMID- 28908828
TI  - Swimming up a Sewer: A Hard Look at 'Last Exit'.

PMID- 28908830
TI  - Childhood Fears.

PMID- 28908831
TI  - The Gold Watch Syndrome.

PMID- 28908832
TI  - The Fear of Humiliation.

PMID- 28908834
TI  - How to Use the Hospitals.

PMID- 28908833
TI  - Mental Health USA.

PMID- 28908836
TI  - Who's in the Waiting Room?

PMID- 28908835
TI  - How Many Psychiatrists?

PMID- 28908837
TI  - The Whole Child.

PMID- 28908839
TI  - Psychiatric Bridges.

PMID- 28908838
TI  - The State of the Nation.

PMID- 28908840
TI  - In Cold Blood.

PMID- 28908841
TI  - An American Eye View.

PMID- 28908842
TI  - On the Receiving End 1 2.

PMID- 28908843
TI  - Through the Net.

PMID- 28908844
TI  - Parliament.

PMID- 28908845
TI  - Scene 2.

PMID- 28908846
TI  - Conspiracy of Ignorance.

PMID- 28908847
TI  - Scene 1.

PMID- 28908848
TI  - Public Parts.
AB  - Review of 'Oh! Calcutta!'

PMID- 28908849
TI  - Origins of Apathy.
AB  - A new book, reporting on a research programme, sheds more light on the vexed
      question of the adverse effects on schizophrenics of a prolonged stay in
      hospital.

PMID- 28908850
TI  - Homes Fit for the Handicapped.
AB  - Detailed criticism of a book on the design of buildings for handicapped children
      which, if it becomes a reference book, could perpetuate some unfortunate
      misconceptions.

PMID- 28908851
TI  - A Chance to Adjust.
AB  - When a mother learns her baby is mentally handicapped the news comes as a knock
      out blow. She, and her family, need time to digest the shock; they also need
      sympathy and practical help which is not as readily available as it should be.

PMID- 28908852
TI  - Keeping Watch over the Old.
AB  - Caring for old people within the community is largely a question of meeting
      trouble half-way-dealing with problems and ailments while they are minor so as to
      avoid the major crisis of hospitalisation and the end of treasured independence.

PMID- 28908853
TI  - Imprisoned in Suspicion.
AB  - Paranoia is a self-inflicted mental torture of which the sufferer himself is
      unaware. A paranoiac is perpetually guarded and suspicious, convinced that he is
      being persecuted by all who inhabit his deluded world.

PMID- 28908854
TI  - Bronco Bullfrog.
AB  - Review of a film which shows all too clearly how the already under-priveleged can
      be heavily penalised by an environment from which only the prosperous can escape.

PMID- 28908855
TI  - In Society's Gutter.
AB  - Who are the vagrants that we try our best to avoid in the city streets? How have
      they reached such a state of hopelessness and destitution? Do we care anyway?

PMID- 28908856
TI  - Scan.

PMID- 28908857
TI  - A Code of Practice.
AB  - Psychiatric nurses have been 'put through the mill' of bad publicity in the last
      couple of years. Some guidelines for the profession are being worked out at the
      moment but how helpful can they be and in what spirit will they be received?

PMID- 28908858
TI  - Parliament.

PMID- 28908859
TI  - News Review.

PMID- 28908860
TI  - News Review.

PMID- 28908861
TI  - Slimming Sickness.
AB  - Anorexia nervosa, a rare illness which occurs predominantly among adolescent
      girls, usually begins with dieting which gradually gets out of hand.

PMID- 28908862
TI  - It Will Happen to You.
AB  - Everyone experiences bereavement but few give prior thought to it. Knowing
      something about the possible reactions and repercussions of bereavement is the
      best preparation for it.

PMID- 28908863
TI  - Outposts of Old-Style Management.
AB  - Despite their size and complexity, mental hospitals have been scarcely touched by
      the management methods revolution of the last decade. The factors which
      complicate the use of new techniques in hospital management are not
      insurmountable.

PMID- 28908864
TI  - Voices for the Silent Minority.
AB  - How do you comply with a patient's wishes when he can't express them? The
      protection of the rights of people in hospital who are inarticulate is in the
      hands of the nurses.

PMID- 28908865
TI  - The Classless Turmoil.
AB  - The mother of a schizophrenic son demolishes the assumption, apparently made by
      medical and social workers, that the intelligent, middle-class family is able to
      cope better than most with a disturbed family member.

PMID- 28908866
TI  - Stumbling-Blocks of Reform.
AB  - An assessment of the Children and Young Persons Act and the difficulties which
      stand in the way of its full implementation.

PMID- 28908867
TI  - Early Warning System at Work.
AB  - Since we spend so much of our time at work it is there that the first warning
      signs of impending mental illness are likely to appear. So, ideally, the factory
      floor and the office should become the 'front line' of positive mental health.

PMID- 28908868
TI  - Tall in the Saddle.
AB  - Pony riding can give a new dimension to the life of a handicapped child.

PMID- 28908869
TI  - Two Cheers for Psychiatry.
AB  - Critics within psychiatry suggest that too many people are being classified as
      'ill' and in need of treatment. Are psychiatrists casting their nets too wide and
      is society too psychiatry conscious?

PMID- 28908870
TI  - The Feelings inside.
AB  - A personal impression of anorexia nervosa.

PMID- 28908871
TI  - Control and Trust.

PMID- 28908872
TI  - Diary.

PMID- 28908873
TI  - Scene 2.

PMID- 28908874
TI  - Scene 1.

PMID- 28908875
TI  - Life and the Handicapped Child.

PMID- 28908876
TI  - Please Don't Bring Your Lips so Close.

PMID- 28908877
TI  - Freudian Nostalgia.

PMID- 28908878
TI  - Almost a Home.

PMID- 28908879
TI  - Long, Hot Years to Come.

PMID- 28908880
TI  - The Young and Their Marriages.

PMID- 28908881
TI  - Poor Cow.

PMID- 28908883
TI  - Help with Dignity.

PMID- 28908882
TI  - When Motherhood Doesn't Come Naturally.

PMID- 28908885
TI  - Psychosomatics.

PMID- 28908884
TI  - Psychiatrist in the Old People's Ward.

PMID- 28908886
TI  - The Subnormal: Train or Teach?

PMID- 28908887
TI  - Coping with Incontinence.

PMID- 28908888
TI  - Warrendale.

PMID- 28908889
TI  - Parnham-A Pioneer Venture.

PMID- 28908890
TI  - "We Rob Banks".

PMID- 28908891
TI  - The Betrayed Generation.

PMID- 28908892
TI  - Vicious Circles of Care.

PMID- 28908893
TI  - Blueprint for Voluntary Action.

PMID- 28908895
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908894
TI  - The Work of a Residential Child Psychiatry Unit.

PMID- 28908896
TI  - The Electronic Whipping Boy.

PMID- 28908897
TI  - Diary.

PMID- 28908898
TI  - What's Funny about Handicap?

PMID- 28908899
TI  - Open Door Controversy.

PMID- 28908900
TI  - The Mind of a Child Murderer.

PMID- 28908901
TI  - The Undergrowth of Literature.

PMID- 28908902
TI  - A Hospital Reality.

PMID- 28908903
TI  - The Volunteers' Advocate.

PMID- 28908904
TI  - Laying the Blame.

PMID- 28908905
TI  - In a Strange Land.

PMID- 28908906
TI  - When You're Drunk: ...It Don't Count.

PMID- 28908907
TI  - Tolerating Stress.

PMID- 28908908
TI  - Forgotten Teenagers.

PMID- 28908909
TI  - Limitations of Restraint.

PMID- 28908910
TI  - An Unfortunate Blow.

PMID- 28908911
TI  - Electrical Treatment: ... A Balanced View.

PMID- 28908912
TI  - Sympathy or Brass Tacks.

PMID- 28908913
TI  - A Management Ideal.

PMID- 28908914
TI  - A Way of Caring.

PMID- 28908916
TI  - The Scene.

PMID- 28908915
TI  - Diagnosis for a King.

PMID- 28908917
TI  - The Shattered Image.

PMID- 28908918
TI  - Origins of Psychology.

PMID- 28908919
TI  - An End to Hanging.

PMID- 28908920
TI  - The German Psychological Machine and the Need to Combat It.

PMID- 28908921
TI  - Agricultural Hostels for Defectives.

PMID- 28908922
TI  - Social Work in Medicine.

PMID- 28908923
TI  - Discipline and Obedience.

PMID- 28908924
TI  - Paying Lip Service to Change.

PMID- 28908925
TI  - Death-The Doctor's Dilemma.

PMID- 28908926
TI  - A High and Hostile Utopia.

PMID- 28908927
TI  - Neurotics Anonymous.

PMID- 28908928
TI  - The Vatican Versus Freud.

PMID- 28908930
TI  - Mental Health Scene.

PMID- 28908929
TI  - Alice in the Space Age.

PMID- 28908931
TI  - Disturbing Conscience into Action.

PMID- 28908932
TI  - Mental Illness and the Public: Old Fears, Old Ideas.

PMID- 28908933
TI  - Old Habits Dying Easy.

PMID- 28908934
TI  - Scenes in Search of a Film.

PMID- 28908935
TI  - Changing Opinion-Optimism for the Future.

PMID- 28908936
TI  - Vietnam! Vietnam!

PMID- 28908937
TI  - Adapting to Survive.

PMID- 28908938
TI  - Thinking in the Deep End.

PMID- 28908939
TI  - Adapting to Teach Adaptability.

PMID- 28908940
TI  - One Old Lady.

PMID- 28908941
TI  - 'O' Levels by Post.

PMID- 28908943
TI  - In Place of Boredom: Photo Feature.

PMID- 28908942
TI  - Family Crisis.

PMID- 28908944
TI  - Extending the Umbrella.

PMID- 28908946
TI  - Gandhi's Truth.

PMID- 28908945
TI  - Expecting the Worst.

PMID- 28908947
TI  - Room to Relax.

PMID- 28908948
TI  - Words under Sentence.

PMID- 28908949
TI  - The Right to Earn a Living.

PMID- 28908951
TI  - The Scene.

PMID- 28908950
TI  - Vacant Seat on the 7.57.

PMID- 28908952
TI  - When Love Is Lacking.

PMID- 28908953
TI  - Refugee Children in England.

PMID- 28908954
TI  - Group Teaching in Wartime: An Educational Opportunity.

PMID- 28908956
TI  - Behaviour in Relation to War Conditions: A Preliminary Enquiry.

PMID- 28908955
TI  - Mental Nursing as a Career.

PMID- 28908957
TI  - Electroencephalography in Relation to Behaviour Problems.

PMID- 28908958
TI  - The Trend of Scientific Thought.

PMID- 28908959
TI  - A Special School Evacuation Unit: Some Observations on Its Value.

PMID- 28908961
TI  - Emergency Hostels for Difficult Children.

PMID- 28908960
TI  - A Mental Deficiency Institution in Wartime.

PMID- 28908962
TI  - Strategic Planning for Mental Health.

PMID- 28908963
TI  - Arithmetic without Fear.

PMID- 28908964
TI  - The Modern Mental Hospital: How the Mental Nurse Can Play a Part in Educating
      Public Opinion.

PMID- 28908965
TI  - The Children's Magistrate and the Child Guidance Clinic.

PMID- 28908966
TI  - The Provisional National Council for Mental Health.

PMID- 28908967
TI  - Observations on the Relationship between Child and Adult Neurosis.

PMID- 28908968
TI  - Post-War Reform in Mental Nursing.

PMID- 28908969
TI  - Child Guidance, the Clinic and the School.

PMID- 28908970
TI  - Matrix Tests.

PMID- 28908971
TI  - Some Psychological Difficulties of Evacuation.

PMID- 28908972
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 28908974
TI  - Special Evacuation Difficulties of the Residential School Child.

PMID- 28908973
TI  - The Bedwetting Problem.

PMID- 28908975
TI  - Emergency Gardening.

PMID- 28908976
TI  - Military Service for Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28908977
TI  - Backwardness in Rural Areas.

PMID- 28908979
TI  - The Problem of Illiteracy.

PMID- 28908978
TI  - A New Form of Group Psychotherapy.

PMID- 28908980
TI  - The Problem Child in the Hostel.

PMID- 28908981
TI  - Hostels for Children in Need of Psychiatric Attention.

PMID- 28908982
TI  - Special Schools and the Education Act.

PMID- 28908983
TI  - The Mental Hygiene Movement.

PMID- 28908984
TI  - Special Schools and the Education Bill.

PMID- 28908985
TI  - The Training of Teachers and Youth Leaders.

PMID- 28908986
TI  - The Therapy of Play.

PMID- 28908987
TI  - A Psychologist Looks at Educational Reconstruction.

PMID- 28908988
TI  - Some Observations on the Effect of Evacuation upon Mentally Defective Children.

PMID- 28908989
TI  - Juvenile Delinquency and the War: A Critical Survey of Current Comments.

PMID- 28908990
TI  - Mental Health in Post-War Reconstruction.

PMID- 28908991
TI  - Observed Effects of Wartime Conditions on Children.

PMID- 28908992
TI  - The Need for a Positive Philosophy of Life.

PMID- 28908993
TI  - Play Therapy.

PMID- 28908994
TI  - Mobile Child Guidance Teams in the Liberated Countries of Europe.

PMID- 28908995
TI  - Children in Need of Homes: Some Suggestions by Two Psychiatric Social Workers.

PMID- 28908996
TI  - Psychiatry in the National Health Service of the Future.

PMID- 28908997
TI  - Lord Memorial Prize Essay: The Nurse's Part in Helping the Newly Admitted Patient
      to Settle down.

PMID- 28908999
TI  - A Study of the General Development of the Preschool Child by Means of Record
      Forms.

PMID- 28908998
TI  - Mental Health Work for Air Raid Victims.

PMID- 28909000
TI  - How Can the Nurse Help the Refractory Patient?

PMID- 28909001
TI  - Child Guidance Service in Wartime.

PMID- 28909003
TI  - Intelligence and Fertility.

PMID- 28909002
TI  - Fortitude in War.

PMID- 28909005
TI  - A Psychologist's Contribution to Air Raid Problems.

PMID- 28909004
TI  - Some Wartime Problems of Mental Health.

PMID- 28909007
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28909006
TI  - Occupational Therapy in Wartime.

PMID- 28909008
TI  - National Association for Mental Health, Current Educational Activities.

PMID- 28909009
TI  - The Contribution of Alfred Adler to Mental Health.

PMID- 28909010
TI  - Residential Schools for Epileptic Children in England.

PMID- 28909011
TI  - ... And Nobody Cares for Me!

PMID- 28909012
TI  - Certified.

PMID- 28909013
TI  - The International Congress on Mental Health: London, 11th to 21st August, 1948.

PMID- 28909014
TI  - Juvenile Delinquency.

PMID- 28909015
TI  - Child Guidance.

PMID- 28909016
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28909018
TI  - Mine Own Executioner.

PMID- 28909017
TI  - How Can the Mental Nurse Contribute to the Recovery of the Depressed Patient?

PMID- 28909019
TI  - National Health Service Act, 1946: Local Authorities' Schemes for a Mental Health
      Service.

PMID- 28909020
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28909022
TI  - Forthcoming Activities of the Provisional National Council for Mental Health.

PMID- 28909021
TI  - Forty Years in an Institution.

PMID- 28909024
TI  - Mental Deficiency in Northern Ireland.

PMID- 28909023
TI  - Social Work in a Military Hospital.

PMID- 28909025
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28909026
TI  - What Are the Essential Personal Qualities Required for Success in Mental Nursing?

PMID- 28909027
TI  - The Mental Health Service in England and Wales : 1939 to 1945.

PMID- 28909028
TI  - Scottish Lunacy and Mental Deficiency Laws.

PMID- 28909029
TI  - National Association for Mental Health. Forthcoming Activities.

PMID- 28909030
TI  - Forthcoming Activities.

PMID- 28909031
TI  - The Value of Conferences.

PMID- 28909032
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28909033
TI  - International Congress on Mental Health.

PMID- 28909034
TI  - Notes on Recent Legislation.

PMID- 28909035
TI  - A Mental Health Exhibition.

PMID- 28909036
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28909037
TI  - Film Reviews.

PMID- 28909038
TI  - International Congress on Mental Health: London, August 11th to 21st, 1948.

PMID- 28909039
TI  - Corrective Teaching for Defects of Speech in Backward and Mentally Defective
      Children.

PMID- 28909040
TI  - Mental Inefficiency and Crime: Report of the Prison Commissioners.

PMID- 28909041
TI  - The Value of Social Service in the Out-Patient Treatment of Mental Disorder.

PMID- 28909042
TI  - The Essential Unity of the Mental Problem.

PMID- 28909043
TI  - The Child Guidance Council and the Commonwealth Fund.

PMID- 28909044
TI  - The Question of Sterilization in Denmark.

PMID- 28909045
TI  - The International Society for "Logopaedia".

PMID- 28909046
TI  - The Sterilization of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909047
TI  - Performance Tests with Defectives.

PMID- 28909048
TI  - The Diagnosis of Adolescent Mental Conditions, with Special Reference to
      Delinquents.

PMID- 28909049
TI  - A Letter from America.

PMID- 28909050
TI  - Work among the Mentally Defective in Switzerland.

PMID- 28909051
TI  - Some Thoughts on Juvenile Delinquency.

PMID- 28909052
TI  - The Lost Rhythm: A Few Notes on the Marjorie Gullan Method of Rhythmic Movement
      to Spoken Poetry.

PMID- 28909053
TI  - Notes on the Investigation and Treatment of "Difficult" Children in the United
      States of America.

PMID- 28909054
TI  - Architecture and the Care of the Mentally Deficient.

PMID- 28909055
TI  - Mental Welfare and the Endocrine Organs.

PMID- 28909056
TI  - Some Reflections on the Report of the Royal Commission on Lunacy and Mental
      Disorder.

PMID- 28909057
TI  - Combined Defect.

PMID- 28909058
TI  - Intelligence Tests at the Royal Eastern Counties' Institution.

PMID- 28909059
TI  - Christmas Days.

PMID- 28909060
TI  - At What Age Does Intelligence Cease to Develop? and Intelligence in Relation to
      Different Social Classes.

PMID- 28909061
TI  - Review of the Year 1925-26.

PMID- 28909062
TI  - The Evidence of the C.A.M.W. before the Royal Commission on Lunacy and Mental
      Disorders.

PMID- 28909063
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909064
TI  - The British Medical Association and the Prevention of Mental Deficiency.

PMID- 28909065
TI  - Some Observations on the Mental Changes Occurring in Encephalitis Lethargica.

PMID- 28909066
TI  - State Institutions for Violent and Dangerous Defectives.

PMID- 28909068
TI  - Education of Children of Combined Defect.

PMID- 28909067
TI  - The Montessori Method and the Education of the High Grade Moron.

PMID- 28909069
TI  - The Munich Psychiatric Clinic and the Present Movement for the Foundation of
      Similar Institutions in England.

PMID- 28909071
TI  - Erratum: A Correction.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 93 in vol. 7.].

PMID- 28909070
TI  - The Education and Care of the Mentally Defective Child in Renfrewshire.

PMID- 28909072
TI  - Combined Defect.

PMID- 28909073
TI  - A Modified Dalton Plan in a Special School.

PMID- 28909074
TI  - Fifteen Years' Experience with Defectives on Livo.

PMID- 28909075
TI  - Diphtheria in an Institution: An Account of the Application of the Schick Test at
      the Royal Eastern Counties Institution.

PMID- 28909076
TI  - Dulness in Rural Children.

PMID- 28909077
TI  - The Border Line Feeble-Minded Child: How Can He Be Catered for in the School
      System?

PMID- 28909079
TI  - Some Lesser Known Views of Mental Deficiency.

PMID- 28909078
TI  - Some Aspects of Stammering.

PMID- 28909080
TI  - An Experiment in Boarding out.

PMID- 28909082
TI  - Report of the Departmental Committee on Sterilisation.

PMID- 28909081
TI  - Report of Departmental Committee on Sterilisation.

PMID- 28909083
TI  - Impressions of Mental Deficiency Work in England.

PMID- 28909084
TI  - The Sex Incidence of Mental Deficiency (Amentia), with a Consideration of Mental
      Variation in the Sexes.

PMID- 28909085
TI  - Emotional Factors in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Defect.

PMID- 28909086
TI  - Some Observations on the Treatment of Delinquents.

PMID- 28909087
TI  - Gardening and the Feeble-Minded.

PMID- 28909088
TI  - Birmingham Child Guidance Clinic. A Review of Two Years' Work.

PMID- 28909089
TI  - Voluntary Sterilisation: An Account of a Discussion Held by the Public Health
      Congress Council in Conjunction with the Joint Committee on Sterilisation.

PMID- 28909090
TI  - Departmental Report on Sterilisation.

PMID- 28909091
TI  - The Work of an Approved School.

PMID- 28909092
TI  - Social Work in Mental Hospitals and Out-Patient Clinics.

PMID- 28909093
TI  - Occupation Therapy.

PMID- 28909094
TI  - Another Year's Work: Report of the Board of Control, 1934.

PMID- 28909095
TI  - Some Aspects of Character Defect.

PMID- 28909096
TI  - Guardianship: A Lighter Aspect.

PMID- 28909097
TI  - Co-Operation in Mental Health Administration.

PMID- 28909098
TI  - Q Camps.

PMID- 28909099
TI  - Recent Educational Experiments. I.

PMID- 28909100
TI  - Special Schools: An International Pronouncement.

PMID- 28909101
TI  - A Friend of Defective Children.

PMID- 28909102
TI  - National Special Schools Union: Edinburgh Conference, June, 1935.

PMID- 28909104
TI  - Beyond Hospital Gates.

PMID- 28909103
TI  - Joint Committee on Voluntary Sterilisation.

PMID- 28909105
TI  - An Experiment in Listening.

PMID- 28909106
TI  - The Home Teaching of Defectives.

PMID- 28909107
TI  - Play Therapy.

PMID- 28909108
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909110
TI  - Mental Welfare Activities in New Zealand.

PMID- 28909109
TI  - "Nerves" as a Handicap to Efficiency.

PMID- 28909112
TI  - News of the Voluntary Associations.

PMID- 28909111
TI  - Testing the Development of Young Children.

PMID- 28909113
TI  - Prisons and the Mentally Defective.

PMID- 28909114
TI  - The Personnel of a Psychiatric Clinic.

PMID- 28909115
TI  - The Treatment of Insanity.

PMID- 28909116
TI  - Mental Nursing: Some Present Day Difficulties.

PMID- 28909117
TI  - Occupational Therapy.

PMID- 28909118
TI  - Special Education for Retarded Children.

PMID- 28909120
TI  - New Zealand News: Communicated.

PMID- 28909119
TI  - Miss Evelyn Fox, C.B.E.: A Tribute.

PMID- 28909121
TI  - Modern Educational Experiments III: Experimental Schools.

PMID- 28909122
TI  - Denmark's Care of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909123
TI  - Religion and Psychotherapy.

PMID- 28909124
TI  - The Therapeutic Value in Mental Illness of Physical Fitness through Exercise.

PMID- 28909125
TI  - Modern Educational Experiments, II: Visiting Teachers for Retarded Children.

PMID- 28909126
TI  - The Need for Community Care of Epileptics.

PMID- 28909127
TI  - Backward Children in the Junior School.

PMID- 28909128
TI  - Joint Register of Foster-Homes and Schools for Nervous, Difficult and Retarded
      Children.

PMID- 28909129
TI  - Dulcimer Playing for Defectives.

PMID- 28909130
TI  - Observations on the Training of Idiots and Low-Grade Imbeciles.

PMID- 28909131
TI  - Modern Educational Experiments, VI: The Use of Films in the Education of Backward
      Boys.

PMID- 28909132
TI  - Modern Mental Treatment in an "Asylum".

PMID- 28909133
TI  - The Children's Branch of the Home Office.

PMID- 28909134
TI  - Towards a Unified Mental Health Service.

PMID- 28909135
TI  - Evacuation and Mental Health Problems.

PMID- 28909136
TI  - The Voluntary Mental Health Services: Report of the Feversham Committee.

PMID- 28909137
TI  - Mental Health Emergency Committee.

PMID- 28909138
TI  - Eurhythmics in the Special School.

PMID- 28909139
TI  - Creative Music in the Progressive Education Programme for the Exceptional Child.

PMID- 28909140
TI  - Holiday Homes for Mental Patients.

PMID- 28909141
TI  - Mental Observation Wards in London.

PMID- 28909142
TI  - The Physical Education of Mentally Deficient Children.

PMID- 28909144
TI  - The Board of Education & Backward Children.

PMID- 28909143
TI  - Educational Provision for Retarded Children.

PMID- 28909145
TI  - The Treatment of Speech Defects in Elementary Schools.

PMID- 28909147
TI  - Mental Deficiency Administration, 1937.

PMID- 28909146
TI  - "Well Done, Considering..."

PMID- 28909148
TI  - Some Experiences of an Educational Psychologist.

PMID- 28909149
TI  - The Relative Functions of the Occupation Centre and the Mental Deficiency Colony
      in the Training of Defectives.

PMID- 28909150
TI  - Mental Health Work in Germany: Contributed.

PMID- 28909152
TI  - A Social Problem Group?

PMID- 28909151
TI  - Denmark's Care of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909154
TI  - Modern Educational Experiments, IV: Classes for Retarded Children in Elementary
      Schools.

PMID- 28909153
TI  - Care Committees in M.D. Schools.

PMID- 28909156
TI  - The Physical Education of Backward Children.

PMID- 28909155
TI  - Modern Educational Experiments, V: "Opportunity" Pupils in a Senior Boys' School.

PMID- 28909157
TI  - A Talk on Epilepsy.

PMID- 28909158
TI  - Some Psychological Problems in "Institutionalising" Defectives.

PMID- 28909160
TI  - A Judgment Test for Measuring Intelligence.

PMID- 28909159
TI  - Psychiatric Work in a Mental Hospital.

PMID- 28909162
TI  - Report on the Psychological Treatment of Crime.

PMID- 28909161
TI  - Recent Penal Legislation in Relation to Mental Health Problems.

PMID- 28909163
TI  - About Institutions and Epilepsy.

PMID- 28909165
TI  - The Primary School and Wood Reports.

PMID- 28909164
TI  - Some Impressions of Mental Deficiency Work in the United States.

PMID- 28909167
TI  - Some Physical Aspects of Mental Deficiency: Article 3.

PMID- 28909166
TI  - Speech Training for Backward and Defective Children: Article III Nasal Speech.

PMID- 28909168
TI  - The Making of Stories.

PMID- 28909169
TI  - Vocational Testing in Relation to Professor Spearman's Theories.

PMID- 28909170
TI  - The Use and Abuse of Mental Tests.

PMID- 28909171
TI  - Maladjustment and Readjustment.

PMID- 28909172
TI  - Mental Defect. The Point of View of an Individualist.

PMID- 28909173
TI  - Primary and Secondary Amentia.

PMID- 28909174
TI  - A New Experiment.

PMID- 28909175
TI  - Research Work at Birmingham into the Use of Psychological Tests in Vocational
      Guidance.

PMID- 28909176
TI  - The Reading Difficulties Shown by Types of Retarded Children.

PMID- 28909178
TI  - Mental Defectiveness: As Defined in the Mental Deficiency Act, 1927.

PMID- 28909177
TI  - Following-Up the Special School Child.

PMID- 28909179
TI  - Combined Open Air Schools for Mentally Defective and Other Handicapped Children.

PMID- 28909180
TI  - The Investigation and Diagnosis of Behaviour Disorders in Children.

PMID- 28909181
TI  - Libraries in Mental Hospitals.

PMID- 28909183
TI  - A Typical Holiday Fortnight for Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909182
TI  - Defects of Speech among School Children.

PMID- 28909184
TI  - The Royal Medico-Psychological Association: Contributed.

PMID- 28909185
TI  - Mental Deficiency and Venereal Disease.

PMID- 28909186
TI  - Mental Health Workers-An Appreciation.

PMID- 28909187
TI  - Moral Deficiency and the Persistent Offender.

PMID- 28909188
TI  - The Difficult Child in Industry.

PMID- 28909189
TI  - Speech Training for Defective Children: Article Two.

PMID- 28909191
TI  - Mental Deficiency in Vienna and Berlin.

PMID- 28909190
TI  - Vocational Guidance.

PMID- 28909192
TI  - Child Guidance and Juvenile Delinquency.

PMID- 28909194
TI  - Special Class Handwork in a London School.

PMID- 28909193
TI  - The Rome State School and Its Colony System.

PMID- 28909195
TI  - The Sterilization of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909196
TI  - Visiting in Mental Hospitals.

PMID- 28909197
TI  - The Sterilization of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909198
TI  - Impressions.

PMID- 28909199
TI  - Social Work in Out-Patient Clinics.

PMID- 28909200
TI  - Training for Occupational Therapy.

PMID- 28909201
TI  - Mental after Care.

PMID- 28909202
TI  - Occupational Therapy as a Profession.

PMID- 28909203
TI  - The C.A.M.W. Guardianship Scheme.

PMID- 28909204
TI  - Cheaper Institutional Care.

PMID- 28909205
TI  - A Visit to Gheel Colony, Belgium.

PMID- 28909206
TI  - Living Institution Life.

PMID- 28909207
TI  - Habit Formation.

PMID- 28909208
TI  - The Education of Children Suffering from Defects of Speech.

PMID- 28909209
TI  - The Eugenics Society's Draft Sterilization Bill.

PMID- 28909211
TI  - The Report of the Joint Committee on Mental Deficiency.

PMID- 28909210
TI  - Mental Deficiency under the Local Government Bill, 1928.

PMID- 28909212
TI  - Child Guidance.

PMID- 28909214
TI  - The Development of Social Work in Edinburgh.

PMID- 28909213
TI  - Resolution Passed by the Executive Council and Letter to the "Times":
      Incorporated.

PMID- 28909215
TI  - Merely Dull or Backward.

PMID- 28909216
TI  - The British Medical Association Report on Mental Deficiency.

PMID- 28909217
TI  - Occupational Therapy in Mental Hospitals.

PMID- 28909218
TI  - The Teaching of Art to Children of Limited Intelligence: A Few Hints to Teachers.

PMID- 28909219
TI  - Guiding in a Welsh Workhouse.

PMID- 28909220
TI  - Sterilization of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909221
TI  - Speech Training for Backward and for Defective Children.

PMID- 28909222
TI  - Syphilis and Birth Difficulties in "Combined Defect."

PMID- 28909223
TI  - A Note on the Sterilisation of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909224
TI  - Aphasia in Children.

PMID- 28909225
TI  - The Mental Treatment Bill.

PMID- 28909227
TI  - A Psychiatrist's Week in Paris.

PMID- 28909226
TI  - Speech Training and the Teacher.

PMID- 28909228
TI  - Mental Deficiency as a Community Problem.

PMID- 28909229
TI  - Community Schemes for the Social Control of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909230
TI  - The Hostel Method for Feeble-Minded Young Men and Women.

PMID- 28909231
TI  - Hostel for Girls at Bath.

PMID- 28909232
TI  - Mental Deficiency and the Local Government Bill.

PMID- 28909233
TI  - Report of the Joint Committee on Mental Deficiency: Questions and Answers in the
      House.

PMID- 28909234
TI  - The Organisation of Classes for Retarded Children.

PMID- 28909235
TI  - Experiments in the Education and Training of Retarded Children: With Special
      Reference to Some of the Recommendations of the Joint Committee.

PMID- 28909236
TI  - An Experiment in the Education of Retarded Children in a Rural County.

PMID- 28909237
TI  - The Report of the Special Investigation Carried out on Behalf of the Joint
      Committee.

PMID- 28909238
TI  - A Case of Pathological Day Dreaming.

PMID- 28909240
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909239
TI  - The Witmer Formboard and Cylinders as Tests for Children Two to Six Years of Age.

PMID- 28909241
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909242
TI  - Obadiah, a Child with a Numerical Obsession.

PMID- 28909243
TI  - Effects of Smoking on Mental and Motor Efficiency.

PMID- 28909244
TI  - A Study of 100 Retarded Fourth Grade Pupils Tested by the Binet Scale.

PMID- 28909246
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909245
TI  - Preliminary Impressions of the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale.

PMID- 28909247
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909248
TI  - A Report on the Standardization of the Witmer Cylinder Test.

PMID- 28909249
TI  - Errors in Scoring Binet Tests.

PMID- 28909251
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909250
TI  - The Peg Formboards.

PMID- 28909253
TI  - A Clinical Survey of a First Grade.

PMID- 28909252
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909254
TI  - Diagnostic Problems in Educational Guidance at the Observation School, University
      of Pennsylvania.

PMID- 28909256
TI  - Clinical Psychology and Diagnostic Education.

PMID- 28909255
TI  - A Case of Special Difficulty with Reading.

PMID- 28909257
TI  - Four Cases of Diagnostic Teaching.

PMID- 28909258
TI  - Failures Due to Language Deficiency.

PMID- 28909259
TI  - Five Cases in Vocational Guidance.

PMID- 28909260
TI  - A Day in Court-Problems in Correctional Guidance.

PMID- 28909262
TI  - An Analysis of the Proficiency and Competency of a Fourth Grade Class.

PMID- 28909261
TI  - Some Problems at the Work Age Level.

PMID- 28909263
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: A Case of Deficient Energy.

PMID- 28909264
TI  - A Demonstration Clinic.

PMID- 28909265
TI  - The Classification of Criminals.

PMID- 28909266
TI  - The Present Status of the Subnormal Class.

PMID- 28909267
TI  - Shell-Shock.

PMID- 28909268
TI  - The Training of Very Bright Children.

PMID- 28909269
TI  - The Meaning of a Binet Score.

PMID- 28909270
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: A Question of Imagery.

PMID- 28909271
TI  - Intelligence and Efficiency Tests Distinguished.

PMID- 28909272
TI  - Debit or Credit.

PMID- 28909273
TI  - The Analytical Diagnosis.

PMID- 28909274
TI  - Effects of Smoking on Mental and Motor Efficiency (Conclusion).

PMID- 28909276
TI  - Dick-A Case of Atavism: A Clinical Lecture Reported by the Recorder of the
      Psychological Clinic.

PMID- 28909275
TI  - The Educability Level: The Determination of Competency to Do the Work of the
      First School Year.

PMID- 28909277
TI  - Canton Kallikaks.

PMID- 28909278
TI  - The Children of a Jewish Orphanage: A Preliminary Report of a Psychological
      Survey.

PMID- 28909279
TI  - Memory Span Tests.

PMID- 28909280
TI  - Sometime Later: A Follow-Up of Two Clinic Cases.

PMID- 28909281
TI  - A Comparison of Test Ratings and College Grades.

PMID- 28909282
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: A Case of Infantile Stammer Resulting in Apparent
      Imbecility.

PMID- 28909283
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: The Grading and Analytic Diagnosis of a Feebleminded Boy.

PMID- 28909285
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909284
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: A Case of Mental Deficiency and Doubtful Social Competency.

PMID- 28909286
TI  - The Henderson Family: The Social Level of a Group Determined by the Clinical
      Field Service.

PMID- 28909288
TI  - A Student's Report of a Clinical Examination.

PMID- 28909287
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: A Case of Deficient Retentiveness.

PMID- 28909289
TI  - Performance and Success: An Outline of Psychology for Diagnostic Testing and
      Teaching.

PMID- 28909290
TI  - Efficiency and Other Factors of Success.

PMID- 28909291
TI  - The Problem of Educability.

PMID- 28909292
TI  - Irregularity on a Binet Examination as a Measure of Its Reliability.

PMID- 28909294
TI  - Mental and Moral Deficiency in a High-School Girl.

PMID- 28909293
TI  - A Case of Loss of Psycho-Motor Control, Suspected of Malingering.

PMID- 28909295
TI  - Intelligence Tests Versus Teacher's Estimate.

PMID- 28909296
TI  - The Feminine Absolute.

PMID- 28909297
TI  - The Educability Level of Five-Year-Old Children.

PMID- 28909298
TI  - The Attempt to Teach: A Diagnostic Method Illustrated by the Clinic Teaching of
      Typical Cases.

PMID- 28909299
TI  - Don: A Curable Case of Arrested Development Due to a Fear Psychosis the Result of
      Shock in a Three-Year-Old Infant.

PMID- 28909300
TI  - Grace.

PMID- 28909301
TI  - A Comparison of Two Cases.

PMID- 28909302
TI  - Spoken Language an Essential Tool.

PMID- 28909303
TI  - The Continuation Girl.

PMID- 28909304
TI  - Speed and Accuracy of the Feebleminded on Performance Tests.

PMID- 28909305
TI  - Psychomotor Activity and Feeblemindedness.

PMID- 28909306
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909307
TI  - A Case Study of Dextral Training of a Left-Handed Boy.

PMID- 28909308
TI  - A Clinical Study of a Severe Case of Reading Disability in a Left-Handed Child.

PMID- 28909309
TI  - The Significance of Vocabulary in the Interview.

PMID- 28909310
TI  - Measuring General Intelligence by Interview.

PMID- 28909311
TI  - Teaching Student Assistants to Use Objective Aids in Their Interviews with
      Younger Students.

PMID- 28909312
TI  - Objective Methods in the Personal Interview in Vocational Guidance.

PMID- 28909314
TI  - Three Behavior Problems.

PMID- 28909313
TI  - Normal but Undomesticated.

PMID- 28909316
TI  - A Case of Inefficiency Due to Physical Handicaps.

PMID- 28909315
TI  - Psychonomic Personeering.

PMID- 28909317
TI  - Sibship: Intelligence and Behavior.

PMID- 28909318
TI  - A Case of Reading Disability Due to Deficient Visual Imagery.

PMID- 28909320
TI  - The Status of Tests for the Measurement of Clerical Aptitude.

PMID- 28909319
TI  - A Study of Causes of Left-Hand Writing Preferences of Some Right-Handed Children.

PMID- 28909321
TI  - The Significance of Test Results in Predicting Efficiency in Garment Machine
      Operating.

PMID- 28909323
TI  - The Use of Tests in the Selection of Pupils for Rapid Advancement.

PMID- 28909322
TI  - The Differentiation of Vocational Aptitudes.

PMID- 28909324
TI  - Intelligence of Unmarried Mothers, II.

PMID- 28909326
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909325
TI  - The Psychological Manifestations of Post-Choreic Conditions as Shown in Five Case
      Studies.

PMID- 28909327
TI  - Case Studies: Two Cases of Probable Post-Encephalitis.

PMID- 28909328
TI  - The Training of Mental Hygienists.

PMID- 28909329
TI  - The Correlation of the Reverse Audito-Vocal Digit Memory Span with the General
      Intelligence and Other Mental Abilities of 308 Prisoners.

PMID- 28909330
TI  - Eugene, a Brilliant Boy Who Failed in School.

PMID- 28909331
TI  - Procedure for Scoring an Interest Test.

PMID- 28909332
TI  - Investigation of Vocational Interests among Workers.

PMID- 28909333
TI  - The Psychological Examination of Interests for Guidance.

PMID- 28909334
TI  - An Information Test of Interests.

PMID- 28909335
TI  - The Interest Inventory in College Vocational Guidance.

PMID- 28909336
TI  - The Respiratory Significance of Blood Counts.

PMID- 28909338
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909337
TI  - Foreign Born Parentage and Social Maladjustment.

PMID- 28909339
TI  - A Case of Intellectual Superiority with Personality Handicaps and General
      Maladjustment.

PMID- 28909340
TI  - What Do Children Come to the Psychological Clinic for?

PMID- 28909341
TI  - Variability of I.Q.s for Psychopaths Compared with Normal Children.

PMID- 28909342
TI  - Three Case Studies in the Diagnostic Education of Children with Speech Defects.

PMID- 28909344
TI  - A Study of the Reading Attainment of Children in Ungraded Classes.

PMID- 28909343
TI  - Small Head Size Associated with Mental Defect.

PMID- 28909345
TI  - The Clinical Examination and Diagnostic Teaching of Cases at the Psychological
      Clinic of the University of Pennsylvania.

PMID- 28909346
TI  - The Personnel of a Children's Home, a Cumulative Psychological Study (Part II).

PMID- 28909347
TI  - Social Psychiatric Treatment of a Post-Encephalitic Boy of Twelve Years.

PMID- 28909348
TI  - The Performance Level of Children in the Sixth Grade in Two Philadelphia Public
      Schools.

PMID- 28909349
TI  - Clinical Problems in the Vocational Guidance of the Mentally Deficient.

PMID- 28909350
TI  - The Vocational Adjustment of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909351
TI  - An Investigation of the Adjustment of the Feebleminded in the Community.

PMID- 28909352
TI  - Jean Marc Gaspard Itard.

PMID- 28909353
TI  - The Personnel of a Children's Home, a Cumulative Psychological Study (Part I).

PMID- 28909354
TI  - A Study of Test Results at the Third and Fifth Grade Levels.

PMID- 28909355
TI  - The Psychological Study of Blind Children.

PMID- 28909356
TI  - Case Studies in Diagnostic Education.

PMID- 28909357
TI  - The Remedial Treatment of a Case of Defective Speech Due to Deafness.

PMID- 28909358
TI  - Restlessness in a Delinquent Group.

PMID- 28909359
TI  - Three Case Studies in Diagnostic Education.

PMID- 28909360
TI  - A Psychological Analysis of Three Delusional States: The Belief in the Control of
      Thought from Without, in the Unreality of the External World, and in the
      Unreality of the Self.

PMID- 28909361
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909362
TI  - A Clinical Examination Blank for Backward Children in the Public Schools.

PMID- 28909363
TI  - The Retardation of the Pupils of Five City School Systems.

PMID- 28909364
TI  - A Clinical Examination Blank for Backward Children in the Public Schools: III.

PMID- 28909365
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909366
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909367
TI  - The Fifteen Months' Training of a Feeble-Minded Child.

PMID- 28909369
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909368
TI  - Public Day Schools for Backward Children.

PMID- 28909370
TI  - Clinical Studies of Retarded Children.

PMID- 28909371
TI  - The Influence of Physiological Age upon Scholarship.

PMID- 28909372
TI  - The Need for Special Classes in the Public Schools.

PMID- 28909374
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909373
TI  - A Case of Chronic Bad Spelling-Amnesia Visualis Verbalis, Due to Arrest of Post
      Natal Development.

PMID- 28909376
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909375
TI  - A Method for Determining the Extent and Causes of Retardation in a City School
      System.

PMID- 28909377
TI  - An Infantile Stammer (Baby Talk) in a Boy of Twelve Years.

PMID- 28909378
TI  - University Courses in Psychology.

PMID- 28909379
TI  - A Juvenile Delinquent.

PMID- 28909380
TI  - Clinical Psychology.

PMID- 28909381
TI  - The Relation of Physical to Mental Defect in School Children.

PMID- 28909382
TI  - A Clinical Examination Blank for Backward Children in the Public Schools: II.

PMID- 28909383
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909385
TI  - Retardation through Neglect in Children of the Rich.

PMID- 28909384
TI  - The Vision of the Pupils of an Elementary School Tested by the Alphabet and
      Illiterate Cards.

PMID- 28909386
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909387
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909388
TI  - The Hospital School.

PMID- 28909389
TI  - The Mental Condition of Juvenile Delinquents.

PMID- 28909390
TI  - Summer Camps.

PMID- 28909392
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909391
TI  - Sixty-Two Days' Training of a Backward Boy: II.

PMID- 28909394
TI  - What Do Histories of Cases of Insanity Teach Us Concerning Preventive Mental
      Hygiene during the Years of School Life?

PMID- 28909393
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909395
TI  - Provision for Exceptional Children in the Public Schools.

PMID- 28909396
TI  - The Need of Improved Records of the Physical Condition of School Children.

PMID- 28909398
TI  - Retardation and Elimination in the Schools of Mauch Chunk Township.

PMID- 28909397
TI  - The Prevalence of Visual and Aural Defects among the Public School Children of
      St. Louis County, MO.

PMID- 28909399
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909400
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909401
TI  - Retrospect and Prospect: An Editorial.

PMID- 28909402
TI  - Sixty-Two Days' Training of a Backward Boy.

PMID- 28909403
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909405
TI  - Some Factors Affecting Grade Distribution.

PMID- 28909404
TI  - The Training of a Backward Boy.

PMID- 28909406
TI  - Penny Luncheons.

PMID- 28909408
TI  - Intelligent Imitation and Curiosity in a Monkey.

PMID- 28909407
TI  - The Dental Disabilities of School Children.

PMID- 28909409
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909410
TI  - Promotion, Retardation, and Elimination.

PMID- 28909411
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909412
TI  - The Effect of School Room Temperature on the Work of Pupils.

PMID- 28909413
TI  - Our Schoolhouses.

PMID- 28909414
TI  - A Simple and Practical Test of Hearing.

PMID- 28909415
TI  - Irregular Attendance in the Primary Grades.

PMID- 28909416
TI  - The Reading Free Dental Dispensary.

PMID- 28909417
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909418
TI  - The Restoration of Children of the Slums.

PMID- 28909420
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909419
TI  - Promotion, Retardation, and Elimination, II.

PMID- 28909421
TI  - Some Further Considerations upon the Retardation of the Pupils of Five City
      School Systems.

PMID- 28909423
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909422
TI  - Mentally Defective Children in the Public Schools.

PMID- 28909425
TI  - Mental Healing and the Emmanuel Movement.

PMID- 28909424
TI  - Some Uses of Statistics in the Supervision of Schools.

PMID- 28909426
TI  - An Examination of the Eyes, Ears, and Throats of Children in the Public Schools
      of Jefferson City, MO.

PMID- 28909427
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909428
TI  - A Concrete Example of the Value of Individual Teaching.

PMID- 28909429
TI  - Mental Healing and the Emmanuel Movement.

PMID- 28909430
TI  - Gymnastics as a Factor in the Treatment of Mental Retardation.

PMID- 28909431
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909432
TI  - The Playground as a Factor in School Hygiene.

PMID- 28909433
TI  - Irregular Attendance-A Cause of Retardation.

PMID- 28909434
TI  - A Lesson from Medical Inspection of Schools.

PMID- 28909435
TI  - Report of a Year's Work on Defectives in a Public School.

PMID- 28909436
TI  - The Money Cost of the Repeater.

PMID- 28909437
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909439
TI  - Orthogenics in the Public Schools: An Editorial.

PMID- 28909438
TI  - A Cincinnati Special Class.

PMID- 28909440
TI  - Medical Inspection in the Saint Paul Schools.

PMID- 28909441
TI  - The Effect of Physical Defects on School Progress.

PMID- 28909442
TI  - A Plea for the Systematic Annual and Universal Examination of School Children's
      Eyes and Ears.

PMID- 28909443
TI  - Starvation and Mental Development.

PMID- 28909444
TI  - The Physical Condition of the School Children of the School of Observation,
      University of Pennsylvania.

PMID- 28909445
TI  - Conservation of Health in the School Room.

PMID- 28909446
TI  - Progress and Retardation of a Baltimore Class.

PMID- 28909448
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909447
TI  - A Class of Backward and Defective Children.

PMID- 28909449
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909450
TI  - The Treatment and Cure of a Case of Mental and Moral Deficiency.

PMID- 28909452
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909451
TI  - Classification and Education of Afflicted Children.

PMID- 28909453
TI  - Size of Classes and School Progress.

PMID- 28909454
TI  - A Monkey with a Mind.

PMID- 28909455
TI  - Association Tests in Practical Work for the Insane.

PMID- 28909456
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909457
TI  - Elimination of Pupils from School: A Review of Recent Investigations.

PMID- 28909458
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909459
TI  - Retardation in Salt Lake City.

PMID- 28909460
TI  - Difficulties in the Interpretation of Mental Tests-Types and Examples.

PMID- 28909461
TI  - Bringing Children up to Grade.

PMID- 28909462
TI  - The Social Aspect of an Experiment with Retarded Children.

PMID- 28909463
TI  - An Organized Mental Survey in Philadelphia Special Classes.

PMID- 28909464
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909466
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909465
TI  - A Study of the Fernald Form-Board.

PMID- 28909468
TI  - On the Relation of Intelligence to Efficiency.

PMID- 28909467
TI  - A Study of the Comparative Retardation of Negro and White Pupils in a
      Philadelphia Public School.

PMID- 28909469
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909470
TI  - Vocational Guidance in the High School.

PMID- 28909471
TI  - Difficulties in the Interpretation of Mental Tests-Types and Examples.

PMID- 28909472
TI  - The Practical Application of Psychology in Social Service Work.

PMID- 28909473
TI  - Classification of Fifty Backward and Feebleminded Children.

PMID- 28909474
TI  - How Can Parents Understand Their Children?

PMID- 28909475
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909477
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909476
TI  - The Speech of a Left-Handed Child.

PMID- 28909478
TI  - The Public Schools and the Abnormal Child.

PMID- 28909479
TI  - The Form Board Ability of Young Deaf and Hearing Children.

PMID- 28909480
TI  - A Possible Restoration Case.

PMID- 28909481
TI  - The Social Treatment of Unmarried Mothers.

PMID- 28909482
TI  - Reproduction of Short Prose Passages: A Study of Two Binet Tests.

PMID- 28909483
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909484
TI  - Effect of Adolescent Instability on Conduct.

PMID- 28909485
TI  - Clinical Psychology and the Rural Schools.

PMID- 28909486
TI  - The Binet-Simon Tests in Relation to the Factors of Experience and Maturity.

PMID- 28909488
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909487
TI  - Obstructed Breathing and Memory.

PMID- 28909489
TI  - Improvement of Dental Hygiene in the High School, with Relation to Efficiency.

PMID- 28909490
TI  - Six Weeks with a Supposedly Hopeless Case.

PMID- 28909491
TI  - A Study of Delinquent Girls.

PMID- 28909493
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909492
TI  - Speech Defects in Young Children.

PMID- 28909494
TI  - The Hygiene of Eugenic Generation.

PMID- 28909495
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909496
TI  - The Artistic Value of the Montessori Geometrical Insets.

PMID- 28909497
TI  - Incorrigibility Due to Mismanagement and Misunderstanding.

PMID- 28909498
TI  - The Montessori Method.

PMID- 28909499
TI  - The Factor of Experience in Intelligence Testing.

PMID- 28909500
TI  - A Group of Children as Clinical Problems.

PMID- 28909502
TI  - Moral Imbecility from a Respectable Family.

PMID- 28909501
TI  - Open Window Classes.

PMID- 28909504
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909503
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909505
TI  - Need for Correlation of Binet-Simon Tests with Other Tests of Doing.

PMID- 28909507
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909506
TI  - Clinical Records.

PMID- 28909508
TI  - Retardation as Indicated by One Hundred City School Reports.

PMID- 28909509
TI  - Class Size and School Progress.

PMID- 28909510
TI  - A Study of the School Inquiry Report on Ungraded Classes.

PMID- 28909511
TI  - The Psychology of It.

PMID- 28909512
TI  - A Study of the School Inquiry Report on Ungraded Classes.

PMID- 28909513
TI  - The Problem of Life from a Girl's Point of View.

PMID- 28909514
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909515
TI  - The Further History of Some Troublesome Boys.

PMID- 28909516
TI  - The Hygiene of Eugenic Generation.

PMID- 28909517
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909518
TI  - A Study of Defective Pupils in the Public Schools of Tacoma, Wash.

PMID- 28909519
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909520
TI  - The Binet Tests Applied to Colored Children.

PMID- 28909521
TI  - Experience and the Binet-Simon Tests.

PMID- 28909522
TI  - The Significance of the Binet Mental Ages.

PMID- 28909524
TI  - A Study of the School Inquiry Report on Ungraded Classes.

PMID- 28909523
TI  - A Study in the Borderland of Morality.

PMID- 28909526
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909525
TI  - The Exceptional Child in School.

PMID- 28909527
TI  - The Significance, Limitations and Possibilities of Psycho-Biochemistry Findings.

PMID- 28909528
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909529
TI  - A Study of Probable Causal Factors of Masturbation in a Girl of Six Years.

PMID- 28909530
TI  - Shall We Continue to Train Clinical Psychologists for Second-String Jobs?

PMID- 28909531
TI  - Talented Imbeciles.

PMID- 28909532
TI  - Problems in Child Placing.

PMID- 28909534
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909533
TI  - Clinical Field Work in Social Service as Presented in the Psychological Clinic at
      the University of Pennsylvania by E. B. Twitmyer, Ph.D.

PMID- 28909535
TI  - A Case of Lack of Speech Due to Negativism.

PMID- 28909536
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909537
TI  - Cultivating a Wild Rose.

PMID- 28909538
TI  - Two Cases of Retardation Due to Educational Deprivation.

PMID- 28909539
TI  - Triplets.

PMID- 28909540
TI  - A Comparison of the P.C. and I.Q.

PMID- 28909541
TI  - The Nature of G as Seen by the Clinical Psychologist.

PMID- 28909543
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Education: James: Mentally Deficient and Socially Retarded.

PMID- 28909542
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Education: A Case of Intermittent Imbecility.

PMID- 28909544
TI  - Psychological Classification Versus Clinical Diagnosis.

PMID- 28909545
TI  - The Variability of I.Q.'S for Psychopaths Retested within Fifteen Days.

PMID- 28909547
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909546
TI  - A Case Study from the Vocational Guidance Clinic.

PMID- 28909548
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Education: The Educational Treatment of an Intellectually
      Superior Boy.

PMID- 28909549
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Education: A Case of Non-Conformability.

PMID- 28909550
TI  - The Function of the Psycho-Biochemistry Laboratory.

PMID- 28909551
TI  - Intelligence of Unmarried Mothers.

PMID- 28909553
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Ruth.

PMID- 28909552
TI  - Stanford-Binet "Indicators" of Mechanical Ability.

PMID- 28909554
TI  - Validating the Clinical Method in Vocational Guidance: A Preliminary Report.

PMID- 28909555
TI  - The Constancy of the Intelligence Quotient of Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909556
TI  - Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief?: An Experiment in Social Adjustment.

PMID- 28909557
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Louis.

PMID- 28909558
TI  - Jack Q.-A Clinic Study.

PMID- 28909559
TI  - Educational Guidance Leading to a Better Social Adjustment.

PMID- 28909560
TI  - The Play Hour.

PMID- 28909561
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Bobby.

PMID- 28909562
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Albert.

PMID- 28909563
TI  - Psychological Clinics in Connecticut.

PMID- 28909564
TI  - The Correspondence of School Achievement and Industrial Efficiency with Mental
      Age as Obtained by the Stanford-Binet.

PMID- 28909566
TI  - Account of a Fainting Epidemic in a High School.

PMID- 28909565
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Mary.

PMID- 28909567
TI  - Follow-Up Investigation of Five Hundred Children Who Previously Attended Classes
      for the Physically Handicapped.

PMID- 28909568
TI  - The Accuracy of the Abbreviated Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.

PMID- 28909569
TI  - An Analysis of the Binet Test of Naming Words.

PMID- 28909570
TI  - Some Performance Test Norms for Children.

PMID- 28909571
TI  - Testing the Ocular Dominance of Infants.

PMID- 28909572
TI  - The Relation of Continuous Association Scores to Mental Age of Adults.

PMID- 28909573
TI  - The Incidence of Feeblemindedness among Cases Examined in the Psychological
      Clinic of the University of Pennsylvania.

PMID- 28909574
TI  - An Analytical and Comparative Study of the Binet-Simon Test Responses of 1,306
      Philadelphia School Children with an Attempt to Evaluate and Grade the Separate
      Tests.

PMID- 28909576
TI  - The Relation between Intelligence and Age of Walking in Normal and Feebleminded
      Children.

PMID- 28909575
TI  - Some Immigration Methods and Results in Deviates.

PMID- 28909577
TI  - The Field of Psychodietetics.

PMID- 28909579
TI  - The Determination of Laterality.

PMID- 28909578
TI  - A Comparison of Orthogenic Backward Children and Regular Grade Children at the
      Six Year Performance Level.

PMID- 28909580
TI  - Informational Content of Children in the First Four Grades.

PMID- 28909582
TI  - Notes and Comment.

PMID- 28909581
TI  - A Clinical Demonstration of Superior Children.

PMID- 28909583
TI  - Almost Feebleminded.

PMID- 28909584
TI  - A Study of Behavior Problems.

PMID- 28909585
TI  - Certain Phases in the Psychology of Psychologists.

PMID- 28909586
TI  - The Selection of Candidates for Trade School from a Group of Subnormal Italian
      Girls.

PMID- 28909587
TI  - Associative Tendencies in Psychoneurotics.

PMID- 28909588
TI  - Another Attempt at Measures of Extraversion-Introversion.

PMID- 28909589
TI  - Statistical Results of an Eight Year Testing Program of a Psychological Clinic in
      a Charity Hospital.

PMID- 28909590
TI  - The Reaction of Native White Convicts to the Bernreuter Personality Inventory.

PMID- 28909591
TI  - The Only Child of Age Five.

PMID- 28909592
TI  - Further Data on the Stanford-Binet VIII- and IX-Year Tests.

PMID- 28909594
TI  - A Comparative Study of Three Vocational Interest Tests.

PMID- 28909593
TI  - Mental Ability and Its Relation to Physical Health and Social Economic Status.

PMID- 28909595
TI  - Concerning the Dynamics of Crime.

PMID- 28909596
TI  - A Statistical Study of the Responses of a Group of Normal Children to the
      Individual Tests in the Stanford-Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale.

PMID- 28909597
TI  - A Review of the Description and Measurement of Qualifications for Dentistry and
      Dental Training.

PMID- 28909598
TI  - School Maladjustments of Some Mentally Superior Patients in a Psychiatric Clinic.

PMID- 28909600
TI  - Part I: A Psychonomic Contribution to Analytical Technique.

PMID- 28909599
TI  - The Relationship of Psychological Tests in the First Grade to School Progress: A
      Follow-Up Study.

PMID- 28909601
TI  - The Public School and the Problem Child.

PMID- 28909603
TI  - Concerning School Psychologists.

PMID- 28909602
TI  - Delinquency and Primogeniture.

PMID- 28909604
TI  - The Superiority Measures of the Performance of Fourth Grade Children: An Analysis
      of the Witmer Clinical Standards.

PMID- 28909605
TI  - Part II: Certain Analytical Discriminations.

PMID- 28909606
TI  - A Study of Criminal Conversations.

PMID- 28909607
TI  - Chapter I. Classification of Clinics and Tabulation of Data.

PMID- 28909608
TI  - Chapter II. Summarized Facts Concerning Each Clinic.

PMID- 28909609
TI  - Part I: The Definition of Clinical Psychology and Standards of Training for
      Clinical Psychologists.

PMID- 28909610
TI  - Report of Committee of Clinical Section of American Psychological Association.

PMID- 28909611
TI  - Index of Clinics.

PMID- 28909612
TI  - Chapter II. Summarized Facts Concerning Each Clinic: New York State-West
      Virginia.

PMID- 28909613
TI  - Enrolment by Grades in Fourteen School Systems of Central Illinois.

PMID- 28909614
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909615
TI  - How Detroit Cares for Her Backward Children.

PMID- 28909616
TI  - A Survey of Mentally Defective Children in the Schools of San Luis Obispo,
      California.

PMID- 28909617
TI  - A Case from the Indiana University Clinic.

PMID- 28909618
TI  - Retardation in the Elementary Schools of Philadelphia.

PMID- 28909619
TI  - Treatment of Stuttering, Stammering, and Lisping in a New York City School.

PMID- 28909620
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909621
TI  - Seven Years with Unusually Gifted Pupils.

PMID- 28909622
TI  - Some Results of Standard Tests.

PMID- 28909624
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909623
TI  - Some Studies on So-Called "Abnormally Intelligent" Pupils.

PMID- 28909625
TI  - Aspects of Infant and Child Orthogenesis.

PMID- 28909626
TI  - Are the Elementary Schools Getting a Square Deal?

PMID- 28909627
TI  - An Experiment in Concentration.

PMID- 28909628
TI  - The Borderland between Feeblemindedness and Insanity.

PMID- 28909630
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909629
TI  - Retardation in Nebraska.

PMID- 28909632
TI  - How a Psychological Clinic Can Help a Special Class.

PMID- 28909631
TI  - The Binet Tests Applied to Delinquent Girls.

PMID- 28909633
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909635
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909634
TI  - Accuracy of Pupil Reporting.

PMID- 28909636
TI  - A Second Study of Mental Fatigue in Relation to the Daily School Program.

PMID- 28909637
TI  - Vocational Training as a Preventive of Crime.

PMID- 28909638
TI  - Politics, Efficiency, and Retardation.

PMID- 28909639
TI  - Mental and Physical Examination of School Children in Rural Districts.

PMID- 28909640
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909641
TI  - Bibliography of Social Service.

PMID- 28909642
TI  - Individual Differences in School Children.

PMID- 28909643
TI  - Causes of Non-Promotion.

PMID- 28909644
TI  - Constructive Morals and School Life.

PMID- 28909646
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909645
TI  - Curriculum Making.

PMID- 28909647
TI  - Progress of Repeaters of the Class of 1912 of the Public Schools of Washington,
      D. C.

PMID- 28909649
TI  - The School Feeding Movement.

PMID- 28909648
TI  - Effects of Coffee-Drinking upon Children.

PMID- 28909650
TI  - Administration of School Luncheons.

PMID- 28909652
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909651
TI  - The Training of the School Dietitian.

PMID- 28909653
TI  - Retardation in the Elementary Schools of Philadelphia.

PMID- 28909654
TI  - Dr. Dawson's Inductive Study of School Children.

PMID- 28909655
TI  - Elimination and Vocational Training.

PMID- 28909657
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909656
TI  - Athletics and the Boy.

PMID- 28909658
TI  - Retardation in Nebraska.

PMID- 28909659
TI  - Age and Progress in a New York City School.

PMID- 28909660
TI  - Language Development in 285 Idiots and Imbeciles.

PMID- 28909661
TI  - Shall Elective Courses Be Established in the Seventh and Eighth Grades of the
      Elementary School?

PMID- 28909662
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909663
TI  - Physiological Age and School Standing.

PMID- 28909664
TI  - Binet-Simon Tests of a Thirty-Nine Months Old Child.

PMID- 28909665
TI  - The Scope of Education as a University Department.

PMID- 28909666
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909668
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909667
TI  - A Third Study of Mental Fatigue in Relation to the Daily School Program.

PMID- 28909669
TI  - Some Reconstructive Movements within the Kindergarten.

PMID- 28909671
TI  - Syllabus Making.

PMID- 28909670
TI  - Re-Averments Respecting Psycho-Clinical Norms and Scales of Development.

PMID- 28909672
TI  - Retarded Sixth Grade Pupils.

PMID- 28909673
TI  - What Is Sanity?

PMID- 28909674
TI  - Measuring Efficiency of Instruction.

PMID- 28909675
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909677
TI  - The Physical Status of the Special Class for Bright Children at the University of
      Pennsylvania, Summer Session of 1912.

PMID- 28909676
TI  - A Little More "Truth about Tobacco".

PMID- 28909678
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909679
TI  - Whistling at Work-A Crime?

PMID- 28909680
TI  - Elimination from a Different Angle.

PMID- 28909682
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909681
TI  - The Vitality of Teaching.

PMID- 28909683
TI  - Clinical Psychology Adversely Criticized.

PMID- 28909684
TI  - Children with Mental Defects Distinguished from Mentally Defective Children.

PMID- 28909685
TI  - Some Thinking Processes of Grade Children.

PMID- 28909686
TI  - The Effect of Self-Interest on Scores Made on the Allport Test for Measuring
      Ascendance-Submission.

PMID- 28909687
TI  - Notes: An Apparent Epidemic of Left-Handedness.

PMID- 28909688
TI  - Intelligence Test Ratings and Trainability of Nurses.

PMID- 28909689
TI  - A Clinical Study of Twenty-Six Pairs of Twins.

PMID- 28909691
TI  - Psychological Tests in the First Grade.

PMID- 28909690
TI  - The Relation of General Intelligence, Motor Adaptability, and Motor Learning to
      Success in Dental Technical Courses.

PMID- 28909692
TI  - Vocational Guidance toward the Higher Professions with Special Reference to Its
      Psychological Bases.

PMID- 28909693
TI  - A Reorientation in Psychotherapy.

PMID- 28909694
TI  - Predicting Musical Progress-A Technique for Guidance.

PMID- 28909695
TI  - The Mental Hygiene Problems of School Attendants.

PMID- 28909697
TI  - Auditory Perceptibility: Acuity and Dominance.

PMID- 28909696
TI  - Education of Parents and Intelligence of Children.

PMID- 28909698
TI  - Is There a Relation between Kleptomania and Female Periodicity in Neurotic
      Individuals?

PMID- 28909699
TI  - The Influence of Distraction upon Mental Test Performance.

PMID- 28909700
TI  - The Effect of Verbal Suggestion on Output and Variability of Muscular Work.

PMID- 28909701
TI  - Some Behavior Changes in a Juvenile Paretic.

PMID- 28909703
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909702
TI  - The Practical in Educational Research.

PMID- 28909704
TI  - The Outlook for James: A Clinic Teacher's Report.

PMID- 28909705
TI  - Reproduction of Prose Passages.

PMID- 28909707
TI  - The Significance of the Binet-Simon Tests.

PMID- 28909706
TI  - A Survey of Medical Inspection in the City Schools of California.

PMID- 28909708
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909709
TI  - Physical and Mental Factors Involved in the Formboard Test.

PMID- 28909710
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909711
TI  - Point Scale Ratings of Ninety-Three Dependent Children.

PMID- 28909712
TI  - Clinic Reports: Three Cases.

PMID- 28909713
TI  - Tom the Enigma-A Clinic Teacher's Report.

PMID- 28909715
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909714
TI  - Two Feebleminded Maidens-A Clinical Lecture.

PMID- 28909716
TI  - Correlation of the Witmer Formboard and Cylinder Test.

PMID- 28909717
TI  - The Witmer Formboard.

PMID- 28909718
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909720
TI  - Billy.

PMID- 28909719
TI  - Results of Examination of 91 Girls at a State Institution.

PMID- 28909721
TI  - A Vocabulary Study of Children in a Foreign Industrial Community.

PMID- 28909722
TI  - Psychological Concomitants of High Alveolar Carbon Dioxide: A Psychobiochemical
      Study of the Etiology of Stammering.

PMID- 28909723
TI  - A Formboard Demonstration.

PMID- 28909724
TI  - A Discussion of the Index of Formboard Ability.

PMID- 28909725
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909726
TI  - Transient Delusions Due to Syphilis.

PMID- 28909728
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909727
TI  - Congenital Aphasia and Feeblemindedness-A Clinical Diagnosis.

PMID- 28909729
TI  - "Construction Test A" of the Healy-Fernald Series.

PMID- 28909731
TI  - Retarded Children Not Defectives.

PMID- 28909730
TI  - Standard Tests and Scales of Measurements.

PMID- 28909732
TI  - Weights and School Progress.

PMID- 28909734
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909733
TI  - Experimenting with Children under the Gary Plan in New York City.

PMID- 28909735
TI  - An Experimental Study of the Suggestibility of Twelve and Fifteen-Year-Old Boys.

PMID- 28909736
TI  - The Use of Methods and Devices.

PMID- 28909737
TI  - Retarded School Children in Madison, Wisconsin.

PMID- 28909739
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909738
TI  - A Fettered Mind.

PMID- 28909740
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909741
TI  - A Report on the Examination of One Hundred 6B Children in Philadelphia Schools.

PMID- 28909742
TI  - An Analytic Study of One Class in High School.

PMID- 28909743
TI  - The Relation of Enuresis to Intelligence, to Conduct and Personality Problems,
      and to Other Factors.

PMID- 28909744
TI  - A Problem in Social Adjustment: A Statistical Study of the Mentality and
      Personality Types of More Than Thirteen Thousand Consecutive Cases, Examined at
      the Neuro-Psychiatric Clinic of the Municipal Court of Philadelphia.

PMID- 28909745
TI  - A Case of Congenital Word-Blindness.

PMID- 28909746
TI  - The Ten Year Level of Competency.

PMID- 28909748
TI  - Tommy: Preliminary Report on a Superior Child.

PMID- 28909747
TI  - A Pre-School Character Rating Chart.

PMID- 28909749
TI  - Lester: A Study in Diagnostic Teaching.

PMID- 28909751
TI  - A Comparative Study of Audito-Vocal Digit Spans.

PMID- 28909750
TI  - The Study of a Special Class Center.

PMID- 28909752
TI  - Buster.

PMID- 28909753
TI  - Orthogenic Cases XVI-George: Mentally Restored to Normal but Intellectually
      Deficient.

PMID- 28909754
TI  - Tests of the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale Most Frequently Failed by
      Children in Orthogenic Backward Classes.

PMID- 28909755
TI  - The Effect of Verbal Suggestion upon Perseverance.

PMID- 28909756
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Martin.

PMID- 28909757
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: William.

PMID- 28909758
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: John.

PMID- 28909759
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Lillian.

PMID- 28909760
TI  - Studies in Diagnostic Teaching: Parker.

PMID- 28909761
TI  - Orthogenic Cases-XVII-Jack: Feeble-Minded or Normal.

PMID- 28909762
TI  - A Study of Five Problem Cases.

PMID- 28909764
TI  - Methods and Results of Teaching a Case of Congenital Word-Blindness.

PMID- 28909763
TI  - Gordon-A Clinic Picture.

PMID- 28909765
TI  - Recording Emotional Qualities.

PMID- 28909767
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909766
TI  - Diagnostic Education-An Education for the Fortunate Few.

PMID- 28909768
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909769
TI  - The Individual Tests in the Binet-Simon Scale.

PMID- 28909770
TI  - The Educability of a Two Year Old.

PMID- 28909772
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909771
TI  - Tests and Norms for Vocational Guidance at the Fifteen Year Old Level: A
      Comparative Study of the Proficiency of Six Hundred Children.

PMID- 28909773
TI  - The Feebleminded in the State of Missouri.

PMID- 28909774
TI  - A Picture Arrangement Test: Contributed from the Bureau of Juvenile Research,
      Columbus, Ohio.

PMID- 28909775
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909776
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909777
TI  - A Study of the Interplay of Personality.

PMID- 28909778
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909779
TI  - Children Tested by the Point Scale and the Performance Scale.

PMID- 28909780
TI  - The Progress of Pupils in an Ungraded Class.

PMID- 28909781
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909782
TI  - A Retarded Pupil Restored to Grade.

PMID- 28909784
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909783
TI  - The Senile Mind.

PMID- 28909785
TI  - The Mentality of Some Freaks of Nature.

PMID- 28909786
TI  - A Study of the Interplay of Personality.

PMID- 28909787
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909788
TI  - Wasted Effort.

PMID- 28909790
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909789
TI  - A Brief Binet-Simon Scale.

PMID- 28909792
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909791
TI  - A Case of Educational Retardation.

PMID- 28909793
TI  - A Study of the Interplay of Personality.

PMID- 28909794
TI  - The Phenomenon of Scattering in the Binet-Simon Scale.

PMID- 28909795
TI  - The Superficial Idiot-A Type.

PMID- 28909796
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909797
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909798
TI  - A Pseudo-Talent for Words: The Teacher's Report to Dr. Witmer.

PMID- 28909799
TI  - Mother's Son.

PMID- 28909800
TI  - Clinic Reports.

PMID- 28909802
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909801
TI  - Clinical Studies of Failures with the Witmer Formboard.

PMID- 28909803
TI  - A Brief Binet-Simon Scale.

PMID- 28909804
TI  - Miss Inconsistency: A Study of an Atypical Child Who Is in No Sense Feebleminded.

PMID- 28909806
TI  - The Analytical Diagnosis.

PMID- 28909805
TI  - The Increase of the Intelligence Quotient through Training.

PMID- 28909807
TI  - Clinical Reports.

PMID- 28909808
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: Albert-A Lazy Boy.

PMID- 28909809
TI  - Children Applying for Working Certificates: An Aspect of Vocational Guidance.

PMID- 28909810
TI  - Eighteen Children from an Orthogenic Backward Class.

PMID- 28909811
TI  - An Analytical Study of the Intelligence of a Group of Adolescent Delinquent
      Girls.

PMID- 28909812
TI  - The Americanization of Tony.

PMID- 28909813
TI  - Sergeant X-A Study in Vocational Guidance.

PMID- 28909814
TI  - Jimmie, the Italian Boy.

PMID- 28909815
TI  - Joseph.

PMID- 28909816
TI  - George.

PMID- 28909817
TI  - An Ancient Score Card.

PMID- 28909818
TI  - The Competency of Fifty College Students: A Diagnostic Study.

PMID- 28909819
TI  - Freddie-A Problem in Diagnostic Education.

PMID- 28909820
TI  - The Importance of a Complete Social History in Clinical Examination.

PMID- 28909821
TI  - Was He Bad?: The Record of a Small Boy.

PMID- 28909822
TI  - The Coaching Class-Its Aims and Accomplishments.

PMID- 28909823
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: Earl.

PMID- 28909824
TI  - Sebastian: The Effect of Increased Physical Fitness on Mental Test Results.

PMID- 28909825
TI  - The Problem of the Special Class.

PMID- 28909826
TI  - A "Slow Normal" Developing a "Failure Morale".

PMID- 28909827
TI  - A Social and Psychological Study of a Mountain Community.

PMID- 28909829
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: William.

PMID- 28909828
TI  - Bright Children: Mental and Physical Correlations.

PMID- 28909830
TI  - Statistical and Non-Statistical Interpretation of Test Results.

PMID- 28909831
TI  - Intelligence-A Definition.

PMID- 28909832
TI  - Trainability and Emotional Reaction in the Human Infant.

PMID- 28909833
TI  - Clinical Reports.

PMID- 28909834
TI  - Job Specifications and Diagnostic Tests of Job Competency Designed for the
      Auditing Division of a Street Railway Company: A Psychological Study in
      Industrial Guidance.

PMID- 28909835
TI  - Slot Maze A.

PMID- 28909837
TI  - Educational Aspects of Christian Science.

PMID- 28909836
TI  - Birth Rate and Native Intelligence.

PMID- 28909839
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909838
TI  - Classification of Clinic Cases.

PMID- 28909840
TI  - A Practical Guide for the Administration of the Binet-Simon Scale for Measuring
      Intelligence.

PMID- 28909841
TI  - A Study of the Binet Definition Tests.

PMID- 28909843
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909842
TI  - The Binet-Simon Scale for Measuring Intelligence : Impressions Gained by Its
      Application upon Four Hundred Non-Selected Children.

PMID- 28909844
TI  - Courses in Psychology at the Summer School of the University of Pennsylvania.

PMID- 28909845
TI  - Boys' Backs.

PMID- 28909846
TI  - A New Method for Determining Rate of Progress in a Small School System.

PMID- 28909848
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909847
TI  - School Clinics for Free Medical and Dental Treatment.

PMID- 28909849
TI  - A New Method for Determining Rate of Progress in a Small School System.

PMID- 28909850
TI  - A Year's Work in a "Superior" Class.

PMID- 28909851
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909852
TI  - The Binet-Simon Scale and the Psychologist.

PMID- 28909853
TI  - Elimination and Retention of Pupils.

PMID- 28909854
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909855
TI  - Retardation Statistics from the Smaller Minnesota Towns.

PMID- 28909856
TI  - Problems of the Social Worker.

PMID- 28909857
TI  - A Moral Imbecile or a Bad Boy: Which?

PMID- 28909859
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909858
TI  - Medical and Dental Inspection in the Cleveland Schools.

PMID- 28909860
TI  - Health and Development Supervision of the Public Schools of California.

PMID- 28909861
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909862
TI  - Our Responsibility for Retardation.

PMID- 28909863
TI  - The Boy and the Cigarette.

PMID- 28909864
TI  - Retardation and Elimination in Graded and Rural Schools.

PMID- 28909865
TI  - The Nervous Disorders of School Children.

PMID- 28909866
TI  - Physiological Age as a Basis for the Classification of Pupils Entering High
      Schools-Relation of Pubescence to Height.

PMID- 28909867
TI  - A Further Study of Retardation in Illinois.

PMID- 28909868
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909870
TI  - The Irrepressible Ego.

PMID- 28909869
TI  - A Simple System for Discovering Some Factors Influencing Non-Promotion.

PMID- 28909872
TI  - The Nurse as a Municipal Officer.

PMID- 28909871
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909873
TI  - Moral Aberration Due to Physical Irritants.

PMID- 28909875
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909874
TI  - An Educational Experiment with Troublesome Adolescent Boys.

PMID- 28909876
TI  - Retardation in the Schools of Stockton, California. A Study of 300 Pedagogical
      Life Histories.

PMID- 28909877
TI  - Retardation in the Schools of Palo Alto, California. A Study of Pedagogical Life
      Histories.

PMID- 28909878
TI  - The Renaissance of Bob.

PMID- 28909879
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909880
TI  - Criminals in the Making.

PMID- 28909882
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909881
TI  - The Fundamental Expression of Retardation.

PMID- 28909883
TI  - Age per Grade of Truant and Difficult School Boys.

PMID- 28909884
TI  - The Boy in the Private School.

PMID- 28909885
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909886
TI  - The Training of a Case of Infantile Stammer.

PMID- 28909887
TI  - What Is Meant by Retardation?

PMID- 28909888
TI  - The Bright Child.

PMID- 28909889
TI  - A First Lesson in Thrift.

PMID- 28909890
TI  - Can Impacted Teeth Cause Moral Delinquency?

PMID- 28909891
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909892
TI  - What Can and Do School Reports Show?

PMID- 28909893
TI  - An Experimental-Critical Study of the Problem of Grading and Promotion.

PMID- 28909895
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909894
TI  - Medical Inspection of Schools in California.

PMID- 28909896
TI  - News and Comment.

PMID- 28909897
TI  - An Experimental-Critical Study of the Problem of Grading and Promotion.

PMID- 28909898
TI  - A Score of Difficult Boys.

PMID- 28909899
TI  - The Binet-Simon Measuring Scale for Intelligence: Some Criticisms and
      Suggestions.

PMID- 28909900
TI  - A Speech Defect Case Treated at Columbia University.

PMID- 28909901
TI  - Congenital Aphasia.

PMID- 28909902
TI  - Some Memory Span Test Problems, an Analytical Study at the College-Adult Level.

PMID- 28909903
TI  - Correlation of the Auditory Digit Memory Span with General Intelligence.

PMID- 28909904
TI  - Tests and Norms at the Six Year Old Performance Level.

PMID- 28909905
TI  - Reginald.

PMID- 28909906
TI  - James: A Study of a Post-Encephalitic Child.

PMID- 28909907
TI  - The Superior Child: A Series of Case Studies.

PMID- 28909908
TI  - The Relation of Mental to Physical Growth.

PMID- 28909909
TI  - What Are Little Boys Made of?

PMID- 28909910
TI  - The Spotless Child.

PMID- 28909911
TI  - A Comparative Study of 100 Italian Children at the Six Year Level.

PMID- 28909912
TI  - The Application of the Hutt Color Cube Test to a Group of Subnormal Mentality.

PMID- 28909913
TI  - The Reliability and Validity of the Wallin Peg Boards.

PMID- 28909914
TI  - The Printing Trade in Philadelphia.

PMID- 28909915
TI  - Vocational Guidance and Job Analysis, the Psychological Viewpoint.

PMID- 28909916
TI  - The Textile Industry in Philadelphia.

PMID- 28909918
TI  - The Interrogation Mark.

PMID- 28909917
TI  - Twenty-Four Cases of Acute Epidemic Encephalitis.

PMID- 28909919
TI  - Another Mary.

PMID- 28909920
TI  - One Hundred Non-Conformed Boys.

PMID- 28909921
TI  - The Relation of Psychology to Social Service.

PMID- 28909922
TI  - A Comparison of the Detroit First Grade Tests Given in Italian and English.

PMID- 28909923
TI  - The Diagnostic Value of the Audito-Vocal Digit Memory Span.

PMID- 28909924
TI  - Mental Changes after Removing Tonsils and Adenoids.

PMID- 28909925
TI  - The Witmer Formboard-First Trial Records.

PMID- 28909927
TI  - A Note on the Digit Test.

PMID- 28909926
TI  - The Superior Child: A Series of Case Studies.

PMID- 28909928
TI  - Grouping by Abilities.

PMID- 28909929
TI  - Standardization of a Color Cube Test.

PMID- 28909930
TI  - The Etiology of Mongolism.

PMID- 28909931
TI  - Design Blocks-A Description of a Simple Clinical Test.

PMID- 28909932
TI  - Theory of Constancy of Intelligence.

PMID- 28909933
TI  - Relationship between Suggestibility and Intelligence in Delinquents.

PMID- 28909934
TI  - Notwithstanding a High I.Q.

PMID- 28909935
TI  - Mental Tests for Pre-School Children.

PMID- 28909936
TI  - Study of Relative Values of Audito-Vocal Forward and Reverse Spans.

PMID- 28909937
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: Albert.

PMID- 28909938
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: Maurice.

PMID- 28909939
TI  - Patsy.

PMID- 28909940
TI  - Diagnostic Teaching: Gladys.

PMID- 28909941
TI  - Allison-And His Parents.

PMID- 28909942
TI  - A Small Group of Irish-American Children.

PMID- 28909943
TI  - A Thousand Children Who Do Not Conform to School Routine.

PMID- 28909945
TI  - The School Psychologist.

PMID- 28909944
TI  - The Superior Child: Beginning a Series of Case Studies.

PMID- 28909946
TI  - An Analytical Study of One Hundred Twenty Superior Children.

PMID- 28909948
TI  - Some Rambling Experiences in the Training of Low-Grade Defectives.

PMID- 28909947
TI  - Psychological Diagnosis and the Psychonomic Orientation of Analytic Science: An
      Epitome.

PMID- 28909949
TI  - The Definition and Diagnosis of Mental Deficiency. Part I.

PMID- 28909950
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909951
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909952
TI  - Errata.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 49 in vol. 1.].

PMID- 28909953
TI  - The Lilian Greg Occupation Centre for Defective Children.

PMID- 28909954
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909956
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28909955
TI  - The Definition and Diagnosis of Mental Deficiency. Part II.

PMID- 28909957
TI  - Extra-Institutional Care of Mental Defectives in New York State, U.S.A.

PMID- 28909958
TI  - Eurhythmics in the Special School.

PMID- 28909959
TI  - Scheme for the Interchange of British and American Teachers.

PMID- 28909960
TI  - The Certification of Children of School Age.

PMID- 28909961
TI  - Post Graduate Course on Mental Deficiency.

PMID- 28909962
TI  - Notes about Institutions for Defectives.

PMID- 28909963
TI  - The Physical Education of the Mentally Defective Child.

PMID- 28909964
TI  - The Special School in Norway and Work Connected with It.

PMID- 28909965
TI  - A Method of Personality Diagnosis and Evaluation with Provision for Social
      Service Propaganda.

PMID- 28909967
TI  - Treasury Restrictions on Local Authorities: Campaign of Protest.

PMID- 28909966
TI  - The Need for the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Potential Delinquency in Cases
      of Mental Disorder and Defect.

PMID- 28909968
TI  - The Mentally Unstable Child and Its Needs.

PMID- 28909969
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28909970
TI  - The Fountain Mental Hospital as a Pioneer in Its Relation to the Working of the
      Mental Deficiency Act, 1913.

PMID- 28909971
TI  - Natural Inheritance and Social Policy.

PMID- 28909972
TI  - A New Graded Scheme of Needlecraft for M.D. Institutions.

PMID- 28909973
TI  - Classes for Dull and Backward Children.

PMID- 28909974
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28909975
TI  - The Neurotic School Child.

PMID- 28909976
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28909977
TI  - Lunacy Law and Institutional and Home Treatment of the Insane: Being the Final of
      a Course of Lectures on Psychiatry for Local Secretaries of Mental Welfare
      Associations Delivered at Horton Mental Hospital, Epsom.

PMID- 28909978
TI  - Mental Defectives under the Poor Law: How the Problem Is Dealt with at Ipswich by
      Co-Operation with Other Bodies.

PMID- 28909980
TI  - Moral Defectives.

PMID- 28909979
TI  - The Memory of the Feeble-Minded.

PMID- 28909981
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 28909983
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909982
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909985
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28909984
TI  - Individual Studies, Their Educational Significance.

PMID- 28909986
TI  - The Work of Local Voluntary Associations and Possible Future Developments.

PMID- 28909987
TI  - Vocational Tests for Mental Defectives.

PMID- 28909988
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909989
TI  - Law Report.

PMID- 28909990
TI  - The "Jean Jacques Rousseau" Institute and the Training of Teachers of Sub-Normal
      Children.

PMID- 28909991
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28909992
TI  - Reports of Local Voluntary Associations.

PMID- 28909993
TI  - Legal Notes.

PMID- 28909994
TI  - The Biological Factor in Criminal Conduct.

PMID- 28909995
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 28909997
TI  - Legal Notes.

PMID- 28909996
TI  - Notes and News.

PMID- 28909999
TI  - Glimpses of Canada and the United States.

PMID- 28909998
TI  - The Younger Generation and the "Almosts".

PMID- 28910000
TI  - On the Rate of Progress of the Mentally Defective.

PMID- 28910001
TI  - Occupation Centres-The Present Position.

PMID- 28910002
TI  - A Note on the Size-Weight Illusion.

PMID- 28910003
TI  - Some Aspects of the Epileptic Problem.

PMID- 28910005
TI  - How the Mental Deficiency Act Is Working: The Ninth Annual Report of the Board of
      Control Has Just Been Issued.

PMID- 28910004
TI  - The Mentally Defective and the Community.

PMID- 28910006
TI  - Report on the Committee on Insanity and Crime.

PMID- 28910007
TI  - The Training and Qualifications of Nurses and Attendants in Certified
      Institutions.

PMID- 28910008
TI  - The Educational Significance of Certain Specific Mental Defects.

PMID- 28910009
TI  - The Manor Institution. Epsom, Some Comments on Its First Two Years.

PMID- 28910010
TI  - The Training of Attendants in Certified Institutions.

PMID- 28910011
TI  - Mental Deficiency and Venereal Disease.

PMID- 28910013
TI  - Country Holidays for Mentally Deficient Children. Some Recent Developments.

PMID- 28910012
TI  - Recent Trends in the Control of Mental Deficiency in the United States.

PMID- 28910014
TI  - The Mentally Defective and the Poor Law: Report of the C.A.M.W. Conference at
      Wembley.

PMID- 28910015
TI  - The Board of Education's Circular on Mentally Defective Children.

PMID- 28910016
TI  - Some Modifications in the Teaching of the Three R's to M.D. Children.

PMID- 28910018
TI  - The Changing Face of Bristol Medicine: A Symposium Organised by the Bristol
      Medico-Chirurgical Society.

PMID- 28910017
TI  - Screening for Disease: Possibilities and Problems Southmead Foundation Lecture
      Delivered at Southmead Hospital Bristol November 1990.

PMID- 28910019
TI  - Four Hunterian Lectures and Bristol-1990.

PMID- 28910020
TI  - Junior Doctors' Hours.

PMID- 28910022
TI  - After the Operation.

PMID- 28910021
TI  - What's New from the British Journal of Surgery.

PMID- 28910023
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28910024
TI  - What Is This Life If Full of Care.

PMID- 28910025
TI  - The Place for Paediatricians: Based on the "Victor Neale Memorial Lecture" Given
      at the Meeting of the S.W. Paediatric Club, April 1991.
AB  - Professor Victor Neale was a leading paediatrician and respected teacher at a
      time when the specialty was growing rapidly and employing new professional
      skills, knowledge and attitudes. The benefits of these developments might be more
      fully realized by the establishment of a college of Paediatricians. But the
      consequential loss of affinity with the general medicine of adults and the Royal
      Colleges of Physicians could weaken the power of the medical profession to
      maintain the highest standards of medical practice.

PMID- 28910026
TI  - An Old Concept Achieved.

PMID- 28910028
TI  - How to Deal with the Telephone Sales Menace.

PMID- 28910027
TI  - Report on the VIII World Congress of Physchiatry, Athens: October 1989.

PMID- 28910029
TI  - The New Journal, Hopes and Aims for the Future.

PMID- 28910030
TI  - Traveller's Tale from You Nice States.

PMID- 28910031
TI  - First Bristol Radiology Course, November 1989.

PMID- 28910033
TI  - Editorial: Urology Mini Symposium.

PMID- 28910032
TI  - Give Us Back Our 11 Days.

PMID- 28910035
TI  - Launch of the 'New Journal'.

PMID- 28910034
TI  - Editorial-The Last Post.

PMID- 28910036
TI  - Aversion Therapy for the Football Hooligan.

PMID- 28910037
TI  - Dartmoor: A Place to Explore.

PMID- 28910038
TI  - A West Country Composer.

PMID- 28910040
TI  - A New Approach to Medical Records.

PMID- 28910039
TI  - Get-Up-And-Go Hospitals and Hotels.

PMID- 28910041
TI  - A Pathological Rose by Any Other Name.

PMID- 28910042
TI  - Albanian Treatment for Ribbentrop's Chauffeur.

PMID- 28910043
TI  - Oman, What a Challenge!

PMID- 28910044
TI  - All Quiet on the Far Western Front.

PMID- 28910045
TI  - Exhibition to Celebrate 5 Years of the Bristol University Chair of Orthopoedics.

PMID- 28910046
TI  - Franglais a la mode moderne.

PMID- 28910047
TI  - Joint Meeting of the South West Radiologists Association and the Societe
      d'Electro-Radiologie Medicale de l'Quest, St Malo, June 1990.

PMID- 28910048
TI  - How Basic Can You Get?

PMID- 28910049
TI  - New Senior Lecturer in Transplantation at Southmead.

PMID- 28910050
TI  - Erratum: Arthroscopic Management for Tibial Plateau Fractures.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 128 in vol. 105.].

PMID- 28910051
TI  - The Bristol Medico-Historical Society.

PMID- 28910052
TI  - Vale Atque Salve.

PMID- 28910053
TI  - The Nuffield Sponsorship Ends.

PMID- 28910054
TI  - Notes from Cornwall.

PMID- 28910055
TI  - A Lousy Story.

PMID- 28910056
TI  - References for Medical Posts-How Best to Utilise Them.

PMID- 28910057
TI  - Bedding out.

PMID- 28910058
TI  - Royal College of Surgeons Council Visit to Bristol.

PMID- 28910059
TI  - Unauthorized Version.

PMID- 28910061
TI  - Physicians for Human Rights (UK).

PMID- 28910060
TI  - Professional Society.

PMID- 28910062
TI  - Which Journal?

PMID- 28910064
TI  - Cooking the Books.

PMID- 28910063
TI  - Why I like Chest Physicians.

PMID- 28910068
TI  - Iodine-Mediated Etching of Triangular Gold Nanoplates for Colorimetric Sensing of
      Copper Ion and Aptasensing of Chloramphenicol.
AB  - A colorimetric method for fast, simple, and selective detection of Cu2+ was
      developed using I--mediated etching of triangular gold nanoplates (AuNPLs). The
      method was based on our finding that Cu2+ efficiently promoted this etching in
      the presence of SCN-. The etching process was accompanied by a dramatic color
      change from blue to red, allowing for visual and spectroscopic detection of Cu2+
      with detection limits of 10 and 1 MUM, respectively. When molecular recognition
      by a DNA aptamer was incorporated into this method, visual detection of
      chloramphenicol was also achieved with a detection limit of 5 MUM.

PMID- 28910069
TI  - 2D Hybrid Nanomaterials for Selective Detection of NO2 and SO2 Using "Light On
      and Off" Strategy.
AB  - In order to distinguish NO2 and SO2 gas with one sensor, we designed a paper chip
      assembled with a 2D g-C3N4/rGO stacking hybrid fabricated via a layer-by-layer
      self-assembly approach. The g-C3N4/rGO hybrid exhibited a remarkable
      photoelectric property due to the construction of a van der Waals
      heterostructure. For the first time, we have been able to selectively detect NO2
      and SO2 gas using a "light on and off" strategy. Under the "light off" condition,
      the g-C3N4/rGO sensor exhibited a p-type semiconducting behavior with a low
      detection limit of 100 ppb of NO2, but with no response toward SO2. In contrast,
      the sensor showed n-type semiconducting behavior which could detect SO2 at
      concentration as low as 2 ppm under UV light irradiation. The effective electron
      transfer among the 2D structure of g-C3N4 and rGO nanosheets as well as highly
      porous structures could play an important role in gas sensing. The different
      sensing mechanisms at "light on and off" circumstances were also investigated in
      detail.

PMID- 28910070
TI  - Ultrafast and Efficient Extraction of Uranium from Seawater Using an Amidoxime
      Appended Metal-Organic Framework.
AB  - Enrichment of uranyl from seawater is crucial for the sustainable development of
      nuclear energy, but current uranium extraction technology suffers from multiple
      drawbacks of low sorption efficiency, slow uptake kinetics, or poor extraction
      selectivity. Herein, we prepared the first example of amidoxime appended metal
      organic framework UiO-66-AO by a postsynthetic modification method for rapid and
      efficient extraction of uranium from seawater. UiO-66-AO can remove 94.8% of
      uranyl ion from Bohai seawater within 120 min and 99% of uranyl ion from Bohai
      seawater containing extra 500 ppb uranium within 10 min. The uranyl sorption
      capacity in a real seawater sample was determined to be 2.68 mg/g. In addition,
      the recyclability of the UiO-66-AO framework was demonstrated for at least three
      adsorption/desorption cycles. The origin for the superior sorption capability was
      further probed by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis on
      the uranium-sorbed sample, suggesting multiple amidoxime ligands are able to
      chelate uranyl(VI) ions, forming a hexagonal bipyramid coordination geometry.

PMID- 28910071
TI  - Simple InCl3 Doped PEDOT:PSS and UV-Ozone Treatment Strategy: External Quantum
      Efficiency up to 21% for Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Devices with a
      Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter.
AB  - A low-cost and easy-process scheme for solution-processed organic light-emitting
      devices (OLEDs) was provided to overcome the flaws of poly(styrene sulfonic acid)
      doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiphene) (PEDOT:PSS) together with the indium tin
      oxide anode. The modified PEDOT:PSS with higher work function (5.66 eV) and more
      efficient hole injecting ability was obtained by simply mixing the aqueous
      PEDOT:PSS with InCl3 and then consecutive ultraviolet-ozone treatment. The simply
      structured and solution-processed OLEDs with our modified PEDOT:PSS achieved a
      very high external quantum efficiency of 21.0% using a classic thermally
      activated delayed fluorescence emitter, 2,4,5,6-tetrakis(carbazol-9-yl)-1,3
      dicyanobenzene. The origin of this great promotion was explored through
      photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy,
      and atomic force microscopy, from which we inferred that InCl3 itself, the losing
      of insulting PSS outer shell, and transformation to quinoid structure of PEDOT
      chains accounted for this improvement. Our modification method of PEDOT:PSS is
      beneficial for promoting solution-processed organic semiconducting devices.

PMID- 28910072
TI  - Mapping the Binding Site for Escitalopram and Paroxetine in the Human Serotonin
      Transporter Using Genetically Encoded Photo-Cross-Linkers.
AB  - In spite of the important role of the human serotonin transporter (hSERT) in
      depression treatment, the molecular details of how antidepressant drugs bind are
      still not completely understood, in particular those related to potential high-
      and low-affinity binding sites in hSERT. Here, we utilize amber codon suppression
      in hSERT to encode the photo-cross-linking unnatural amino acid p-azido-l
      phenylalanine into the suggested high- and low-affinity binding sites. We then
      employ UV-induced cross-linking with azF to map the binding site of escitalopram
      and paroxetine, two prototypical selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
      We find that the two antidepressant drugs exclusively cross-link to azF
      incorporated at the high-affinity binding site of hSERT, while cross-linking is
      not observed at the low-affinity binding site. Combined with previous homology
      models and recent structural data on hSERT, our results provide important
      information to understand the molecular details of these clinical relevant
      binding sites.

PMID- 28910073
TI  - Solution-Processed Lithium-Doped ZnO Electron Transport Layer for Efficient
      Triple Cation (Rb, MA, FA) Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - The current work reports the lithium (Li) doping of a low-temperature processed
      zinc oxide (ZnO) electron transport layer (ETL) for highly efficient, triple
      cation-based MA0.57FA0.38Rb0.05PbI3 (MA: methylammonium, FA: formamidinium, Rb:
      rubidium) perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Lithium intercalation in the host ZnO
      lattice structure is dominated by interstitial doping phenomena, which passivates
      the intrinsic defects in ZnO film. In addition, interstitial Li doping also
      downshifts the Fermi energy position of Li-doped ETL by 30 meV, which contributes
      to the reduction of the electron injection barrier from the photoactive
      perovskite layer. Compared to the pristine ZnO, the power conversion efficiency
      (PCE) of the PSCs incorporating lithium-doped ZnO (Li-doped) is raised from 14.07
      to 16.14%. The superior performance is attributed to the reduced current leakage,
      enhanced charge extraction characteristics, and mitigated trap-assisted
      recombination phenomena in Li-doped devices, thoroughly investigated by means of
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis. Li-doped PSCs also exhibit
      lower photocurrent hysteresis than ZnO devices, which is investigated with regard
      to the electrode polarization phenomena of the fabricated devices.

PMID- 28910074
TI  - Highly Luminescent Phase-Stable CsPbI3 Perovskite Quantum Dots Achieving Near
      100% Absolute Photoluminescence Quantum Yield.
AB  - Perovskite quantum dots (QDs) as a new type of colloidal nanocrystals have gained
      significant attention for both fundamental research and commercial applications
      owing to their appealing optoelectronic properties and excellent chemical
      processability. For their wide range of potential applications, synthesizing
      colloidal QDs with high crystal quality is of crucial importance. However, like
      most common QD systems such as CdSe and PbS, those reported perovskite QDs still
      suffer from a certain density of trapping defects, giving rise to detrimental
      nonradiative recombination centers and thus quenching luminescence. In this
      paper, we show that a high room-temperature photoluminescence quantum yield of up
      to 100% can be obtained in CsPbI3 perovskite QDs, signifying the achievement of
      almost complete elimination of the trapping defects. This is realized with our
      improved synthetic protocol that involves introducing organolead compound
      trioctylphosphine-PbI2 (TOP-PbI2) as the reactive precursor, which also leads to
      a significantly improved stability for the resulting CsPbI3 QD solutions.
      Ultrafast kinetic analysis with time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy
      evidence the negligible electron or hole-trapping pathways in our QDs, which
      explains such a high quantum efficiency. We expect the successful synthesis of
      the "ideal" perovskite QDs will exert profound influence on their applications to
      both QD-based light-harvesting and -emitting devices.

PMID- 28910075
TI  - Mechanochemical Synthesis of PEDOT:PSS Hydrogels for Aqueous Formulation of Li
      Ion Battery Electrodes.
AB  - Water-soluble binders can enable greener and cost-effective Li-ion battery
      manufacturing by eliminating the standard fluorine-based formulations and
      associated organic solvents. The issue with water-based dispersions, however,
      remains the difficulty in stabilizing them, requiring additional processing
      complexity. Herein, we show that mechanochemical conversion of a regular poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) water-based dispersion
      produces a hydrogel that meets all the requirements as binder for lithium-ion
      battery electrode manufacture. We particularly highlight the suitable slurry
      rheology, improved adhesion, intrinsic electrical conductivity, large potential
      stability window and limited corrosion of metal current collectors and active
      electrode materials, compared to standard binder or regular PEDOT:PSS solution
      based processing. When incorporating the active materials, conductive carbon and
      additives with PEDOT:PSS, the mechanochemical processing induces simultaneous
      binder gelation and fine mixing of the components. The formed slurries are
      stable, show no phase segregation when stored for months, and produce highly
      uniform thin (25 MUm) to very thick (500 MUm) films in a single coating step,
      with no material segregation even upon slow drying. In conjunction with PEDOT:PSS
      hydrogels, technologically relevant materials including silicon, tin, and
      graphite negative electrodes as well as LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, LiFePO4, and carbon
      sulfur positive electrodes show superior cycling stability and power-rate
      performances compared to standard binder formulation, while significantly
      simplifying the aqueous-based electrode assembly.

PMID- 28910076
TI  - Gold-Decorated Porous Silicon Nanopillars for Targeted Hyperthermal Treatment of
      Bacterial Infections.
AB  - In order to address the issue of pathogenic bacterial colonization of diabetic
      wounds, a more direct and robust approach is required, which relies on a physical
      form of bacterial destruction in addition to the conventional biochemical
      approach (i.e., antibiotics). Targeted bacterial destruction through the use of
      photothermally active nanomaterials has recently come into the spotlight as a
      viable approach to solving the rising problem of antibiotic resistant
      microorganisms. Materials with high absorption coefficients in the near-infrared
      (NIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum show promise as alternative
      antibacterial therapeutic agents, since they preclude the development of
      bacterial resistance and can be activated on demand. Here were report on a novel
      approach for the fabrication of gold nanoparticle decorated porous silicon
      nanopillars with tunable geometry that demonstrate excellent photothermal
      conversion properties when irradiated with a 808 nm laser. These photothermal
      antibacterial properties are demonstrated in vitro against the Gram-positive
      bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E.
      coli). Results show a reduction in bacterial viability of up to 99% after 10 min
      of laser irradiation. We also show an increase in antibacterial performance after
      modifying the nanopillars with S. aureus targeting antibodies causing up to a 10
      fold increase in bactericidal efficiency compared to E. coli. In contrast, the
      nanomaterial resulted in minimal disruption of metabolic processes in human
      foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) after an equivalent period of irradiation.

PMID- 28910077
TI  - And There Was Light: Prospects for the Creation of Micro- and Nanostructures
      through Maskless Photolithography.
AB  - In photolithographic processes, the light inducing the photochemical reactions is
      confined to a small volume, which enables direct writing of micro- and nanoscale
      features onto solid surfaces without the need of a predefined photomask. The
      direct writing process can be used to generate topographic patterns through
      photopolymerization or photo-cross-linking or can be employed to use light to
      generate chemical patterns on the surface with high spatial control, which would
      make such processes attractive for bioapplications. The prospects of maskless
      photolithography technologies with a focus on two-photon lithography and scanning
      probe-based photochemical processes based on scanning near-field optical
      microscopy or beam pen lithography are discussed.

PMID- 28910078
TI  - BiFACIAL ( Biomimetic Freestanding Anisotropic Catechol- Interfaces with
      Asymmetrically Layered) Films as Versatile Extracellular Matrix Substitutes.
AB  - Biological naive extracellular matrices (ECMs) exhibit anisotropic functions in
      their physical, chemical, and morphological properties. Representative examples
      include anisotropic skin layers or blood vessels simultaneously facing
      multiphasic environments. Here, anisotropically multifunctional structures called
      BiFACIAL ( biomimetic freestanding anisotropic catechol- interfaces with
      asymmetrically layered) films were developed simply by contacting two
      polysaccharide solutions of heparin-catechol (Hep-C) and chitosan-catechol (Chi
      C). Such anisotropic characters were due to controlling catechol cross-linking by
      alkaline pH, resulting in a trimodular structure: a rigid yet porous Hep-C
      exterior, nonporous interfacial zone, and soft/highly porous Chi-C interior. The
      anisotropic features of each layer, including the porosity, rigidity, rheology,
      composition, and ionic strength, caused the BiFACIAL films to show spontaneously
      biased stimuli responses and differential behaviors against biological substances
      (e.g., blood plasma). The films could be created in situ in live animals and
      imitated the structural/functional aspects of the representative anisotropic
      tissues (e.g., skin and blood vessels), providing valuable ECM-like platforms for
      the creation of favorable environments or for tissue regeneration or disease
      treatment by effectively manipulating cellular behaviors.

PMID- 28910079
TI  - Silver-Loaded Aluminosilicate Aerogels As Iodine Sorbents.
AB  - In this paper, aluminosilicate aerogels were used as scaffolds for silver
      nanoparticles to capture I2(g). The starting materials for these scaffolds
      included Na-Al-Si-O and Al-Si-O aerogels, both synthesized from metal alkoxides.
      The Ag0 particles were added by soaking the aerogels in aqueous AgNO3 solutions
      followed by drying and Ag+ reduction under H2/Ar to form Ag0 crystallites within
      the aerogel matrix. In some cases, aerogels were thiolated with 3
      (mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane as an alternative method for binding Ag+. During
      the Ag+-impregnation steps, for the Na-Al-Si-O aerogels, Na was replaced with Ag,
      and for the Al-Si-O aerogels, Si was replaced with Ag. The Ag-loading of
      thiolated versus nonthiolated Na-Al-Si-O aerogels was comparable at ~35 atomic %,
      whereas the Ag-loading in unthiolated Al-Si-O aerogels was significantly lower at
      ~7 atomic % after identical treatment. Iodine loadings in both thiolated and
      unthiolated Ag0-functionalized Na-Al-Si-O aerogels were >0.5 mI ms-1 (denoting
      the mass of iodine captured per starting mass of the sorbent) showing almost
      complete utilization of the Ag through chemisorption to form AgI. Iodine loading
      in the thiolated and Ag0-functionalized Al-Si-O aerogel was 0.31 mI ms-1. The
      control of Ag uptake over solution residence time and [Ag] demonstrates the
      ability to customize the Ag-loading in the base sorbent to regulate the loading
      capacity of iodine.

PMID- 28910080
TI  - Cell-Surface Interactions on Arginine-Rich Cell-Penetrating Peptides Allow for
      Multiplex Modes of Internalization.
AB  - One of the recent hot topics in peptide-related chemical biology research is the
      potential of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). Owing to their ability to deliver
      exogenous molecules into cells easily and effectively, their flexible design that
      allows transporters to comprise various chemical structures and functions, and
      their potential in chemical and cell biology studies and clinical applications,
      CPPs have been attracting enormous interest among researchers in related fields.
      Consequently, publications on CPPs have increased significantly. Although there
      are many types of CPPs with different physicochemical properties and
      applications, arginine-rich CPPs, which include the human immunodeficiency virus
      type 1 (HIV-1) TAT peptide and oligoarginines, are among the most extensively
      employed and studied. Previous studies demonstrated the importance of the
      guanidino group in arginine, which confers flexibility in transporter design.
      Therefore, in addition to peptides, various transporters rich in guanidino
      groups, which do not necessarily share specific chemical and three-dimensional
      structures, have been developed. Typically, cell-penetrating transporters have 6
      12 guanidino groups. Since the pKa of the guanidino group in arginine is
      approximately 12.5, these molecules are highly basic and hydrophilic. Our group
      is interested in why these cationic molecules can penetrate cells. Understanding
      their mechanism of action should lead to the rational design of intracellular
      delivery systems that have high efficacy. Additionally, novel cellular uptake
      mechanisms may be elucidated during the course of these studies. Therefore, our
      group is trying to understand the basic aspects underlying the ability of these
      peptides to penetrate cells. Regarding the delivery of biopharmaceuticals
      including proteins and nucleic acids, achieving efficient and effective delivery
      to target organs and cells is one of the biggest challenges. Furthermore, when
      the target sites of these drug molecules are within cells, effective cell
      penetration becomes another obstacle. Cells are surrounded by a membrane that
      separates the inside of the cell from its outside. This barrier function is
      critical for keeping cellular contents inside cells, and without this, cells
      cannot function. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of action of CPPs is
      necessary to overcome these obstacles and will allow us not only to improve CPP
      mediated delivery but also to create other types of intracellular delivery
      systems. In this Account, we summarize the current knowledge on the mechanisms of
      internalization of arginine-rich CPPs, from the viewpoints of both direct cell
      membrane penetration (i.e., physicochemical aspects) and endocytic uptake (i.e.,
      physiological aspects), and discuss the implications of this knowledge. We also
      discussed loosening of lipid packing as a factor to promote direct cell-membrane
      penetration.

PMID- 28910081
TI  - Vanadium As a Potential Membrane Material for Carbon Capture: Effects of Minor
      Flue Gas Species.
AB  - Vanadium and its surface oxides were studied as a potential nitrogen-selective
      membrane material for indirect carbon capture from coal or natural gas power
      plants. The effects of minor flue gas components (SO2, NO, NO2, H2O, and O2) on
      vanadium at 500-600  degrees C were investigated by thermochemical exposure in
      combination with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), and in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that
      SO2, NO, and NO2 are unlikely to have adsorbed on the surface vanadium oxides at
      600  degrees C after exposure for up to 10 h, although NO and NO2 may have
      exhibited oxidizing effects (e.g., exposure to 250 ppmv NO/N2 resulted in an 2.4
      times increase in surface V2O5 compared to exposure to just N2). We hypothesize
      that decomposition of surface vanadium oxides and diffusion of surface oxygen
      into the metal bulk are both important mechanisms affecting the composition and
      morphology of the vanadium membrane. The results and hypothesis suggest that the
      carbon capture performance of the vanadium membrane can potentially be
      strengthened by material and process improvements such as alloying, operating
      temperature reduction, and flue gas treatment.

PMID- 28910082
TI  - Macromolecular Profiling of Organelles in Normal Diploid and Cancer Cells.
AB  - To advance an understanding of cellular regulation and function it is crucial to
      identify molecular contents in cellular organelles, which accommodate specific
      biochemical processes. Toward achievement of this goal, we applied micro-Raman
      Biomolecular Component Analysis assay for molecular profiling of major organelles
      in live cells. We used this assay for comparative analysis of proteins 3D
      conformation and quantification of proteins, RNA, and lipids concentrations in
      nucleoli, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria of WI 38 diploid lung
      fibroblasts and HeLa cancer cells. Obtained data show substantial differences in
      the concentrations and conformations of proteins in the studied organelles.
      Moreover, differences in the intraorganellar concentrations of RNA and lipids
      between these cell lines were found. We report the biological significance of
      obtained macromolecular profiles and advocate for micro-Raman BCA assay as a
      valuable proteomics tool.

PMID- 28910084
TI  - Changes in Flame Retardant and Legacy Contaminant Concentrations in Indoor Air
      during Building Construction, Furnishing, and Use.
AB  - A newly constructed university building was selected for targeted assessment of
      changes in the levels of flame retardants and legacy contaminants during the
      installation of building equipment, furniture, electronics, and first year of
      building use. Indoor air samples were collected during several periods of
      intensive equipment installation to determine a relationship between newly
      introduced equipment and changes in the concentrations and profiles of
      contaminants in indoor air. Samples were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl
      ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs), and new types of flame
      retardants: brominated (BFRs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs). Additionally,
      typical outdoor contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and
      organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were also analyzed for comparison. From the set
      of 90 compounds analyzed here, hexabromobenzene (HBB) and tris(2
      chloroisopropyl)phosphate (TCIPP) showed a significant concentration increase in
      indoor air concentrations during computer installation and operation, suggesting
      emission by operating computers, while an order of magnitude concentration
      increase in tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCIPP) and tri-m-cresyl
      phosphate (TMTP) was observed after the furniture and carpet was introduced to
      the computer room, suggesting furniture or carpet as a source. However, the
      majority of compounds had no systematic change in concentrations during equipment
      installation, indicating that no sources of target compounds were introduced or,
      that source introduction was not reflected in indoor air concentrations.
      Generally, low levels of legacy flame retardants compared to their novel
      alternatives were observed.

PMID- 28910083
TI  - Inhibiting Mercury Re-emission and Enhancing Magnesia Recovery by Cobalt-Loaded
      Carbon Nanotubes in a Novel Magnesia Desulfurization Process.
AB  - Mercury re-emission, because of the reduction of Hg2+ to form Hg0 by sulfite, has
      become a great concern in the desulfurization process. Lowering the
      concentrations of Hg2+ and sulfite in the desulfurization slurry can retard the
      Hg0 formation and, thus, mitigate mercury re-emission. To that end, cobalt-based
      carbon nanotubes (Co-CNTs) were developed for the simultaneous Hg2+ removal and
      sulfite oxidation in this work. Furthermore, the thermodynamics and kinetics of
      the Hg2+ adsorption and effect of Hg2+ adsorption on catalytic activity of Co
      CNTs were investigated. Experimental results revealed that the Co-CNTs not only
      accelerated sulfite oxidation to enable the recovery of desulfurization by
      products but also acted as an effective adsorbent of Hg2+ removal. The Hg2+
      adsorption rate mainly depended on the structure of the adsorption material
      regardless of the cobalt loading and morphological distribution. The catalytic
      activity of the Co-CNTs for sulfite oxidation was not significantly affected due
      to the Hg2+ adsorption. Additionally, the isothermal adsorption behavior was well
      fitted to the Langmuir model with an adsorption capacity of 166.7 mg/g. The
      mercury mass balance analysis revealed that the Hg0 re-emission was decreased by
      156% by adding 2.0 g/L of Co-CNTs. These results can be used as a reference for
      the simultaneous removal of multiple pollutants in the wet-desulfurization
      process.

PMID- 28910085
TI  - Cholesterol Changes the Mechanisms of Abeta Peptide Binding to the DMPC Bilayer.
AB  - Using isobaric-isothermal all-atom replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD)
      simulations, we investigated the equilibrium binding of Abeta10-40 monomers to
      the zwitterionic dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayer containing
      cholesterol. Our previous REMD simulations, which studied binding of the same
      peptide to the cholesterol-free DMPC bilayer, served as a control, against which
      we measured the impact of cholesterol. Our findings are as follows. First,
      addition of cholesterol to the DMPC bilayer partially expels the Abeta peptide
      from the hydrophobic core and promotes its binding to bilayer polar headgroups.
      Using thermodynamic and energetics analyses, we argued that Abeta partial
      expulsion is not related to cholesterol-induced changes in lateral pressure
      within the bilayer but is caused by binding energetics, which favors Abeta
      binding to the surface of the densely packed cholesterol-rich bilayer. Second,
      cholesterol has a protective effect on the DMPC bilayer structure against
      perturbations caused by Abeta binding. More specifically, cholesterol reduces
      bilayer thinning and overall depletion of bilayer density beneath the Abeta
      binding footprint. Third, we found that the Abeta peptide contains a single
      cholesterol binding site, which involves hydrophobic C-terminal amino acids
      (Ile31-Val36), Phe19, and Phe20 from the central hydrophobic cluster, and
      cationic Lys28 from the turn region. This binding site accounts for about 76% of
      all Abeta-cholesterol interactions. Because cholesterol binding site in the
      Abeta10-40 peptide does not contain the GXXXG motif featured in cholesterol
      interactions with the transmembrane domain C99 of the beta-amyloid precursor
      protein, we argued that the binding mechanisms for Abeta and C99 are distinct
      reflecting their different conformations and positions in the lipid bilayer.
      Fourth, cholesterol sharply reduces the helical propensity in the bound Abeta
      peptide. As a result, cholesterol largely eliminates the emergence of helical
      structure observed upon Abeta transition from a water environment to the
      cholesterol-free DMPC bilayer. We explain this effect by the formation of
      hydrogen bonds between cholesterol and the Abeta backbone, which prevent helix
      formation. Taken together, we expect that our simulations will advance
      understanding of a molecular-level mechanism behind the role of cholesterol in
      Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 28910086
TI  - Intercluster Redox Coupling Influences Protonation at the H-cluster in [FeFe]
      Hydrogenases.
AB  - [FeFe] hydrogenases catalyze proton reduction and hydrogen oxidation displaying
      high rates at low overpotential. Their active site is a complex cofactor
      consisting of a unique [2Fe] subcluster ([2Fe]H) covalently bound to a canonical
      [4Fe-4S] cluster ([4Fe-4S]H). The [FeFe] hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio
      desulfuricans is exceptionally active and bidirectional. This enzyme features two
      accessory [4Fe-4S]F clusters for exchanging electrons with the protein surface. A
      thorough understanding of the mechanism of this efficient enzyme will facilitate
      the development of synthetic molecular catalysts for hydrogen conversion. Here,
      it is demonstrated that the accessory clusters influence the catalytic properties
      of the enzyme through a strong redox interaction between the proximal [4Fe-4S]F
      cluster and the [4Fe-4S]H subcluster of the H-cluster. This interaction enhances
      proton-coupled electronic rearrangement within the H-cluster increasing the
      apparent pKa of its one electron reduced state. This may help to sustain H2
      production at high pH values. These results may apply to all [FeFe] hydrogenases
      containing accessory clusters.

PMID- 28910087
TI  - Analysis of Costs and Time Frame for Reducing CO2 Emissions by 70% in the U.S.
      Auto and Energy Sectors by 2050.
AB  - Using a least-cost optimization framework, it is shown that unless emissions
      reductions beyond those already in place begin at the latest by 2025 (+/-2 years)
      for the U.S. automotive sector, and by 2026 (-3 years) for the U.S. electric
      sector, 2050 targets to achieve necessary within-sector preventative CO2
      emissions reductions of 70% or more relative to 2010 will be infeasible. The
      analysis finds no evidence to justify delaying climate action in the name of
      reducing technological costs. Even without considering social and environmental
      damage costs, delaying aggressive climate action does not reduce CO2 abatement
      costs even under the most optimistic trajectories for improvements in fuel
      efficiencies, demand, and technology costs in the U.S. auto and electric sectors.
      In fact, the abatement cost for both sectors is found to increase sharply with
      every year of delay beyond 2020. When further considering reasonable limits to
      technology turnover, retirements, and new capacity additions, these costs would
      be higher, and the feasible time frame for initiating successful climate action
      on the 70% by 2050 target would be shorter, perhaps having passed already. The
      analysis also reveals that optimistic business-as-usual scenarios in the U.S.
      will, conservatively, release 79-108 billion metric tons of CO2. This could
      represent up to 13% of humanity's remaining carbon budget through 2050.

PMID- 28910088
TI  - Balancing Excellent Performance and High Thermal Stability in a Dinitropyrazole
      Fused 1,2,3,4-Tetrazine.
AB  - The key to successfully designing high-performance and insensitive energetic
      compounds for practical applications is through adjusting the molecular
      organization including both fuel and oxidizer. Now a superior hydrogen-free 5/6/5
      fused ring energetic material, 1,2,9,10-tetranitrodipyrazolo[1,5-d:5',1'
      f][1,2,3,4]tetrazine (6) obtained from 4,4',5,5'-tetranitro-2H,2'H-3,3'
      bipyrazole (4) by N-amination and N-azo coupling reactions is described. The
      structures of 5 and 6 were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction
      measurements. Compound 6 has a remarkable room temperature experimental density
      of 1.955 g cm-3 and shows excellent detonation performance. In addition, it has a
      high decomposition temperature of 233  degrees C. These fascinating properties,
      which are comparable to those of CL-20, make it very attractive in high
      performance applications.

PMID- 28910089
TI  - Reduction of Human Norovirus GI, GII, and Surrogates by Peracetic Acid and
      Monochloramine in Municipal Secondary Wastewater Effluent.
AB  - The objective of this study was to characterize human norovirus (hNoV) GI and GII
      reductions during disinfection by peracetic acid (PAA) and monochloramine in
      secondary wastewater (WW) and phosphate buffer (PB) as assessed by reverse
      transcription-qPCR (RT-qPCR). Infectivity and RT-qPCR reductions are also
      presented for surrogate viruses murine norovirus (MNV) and bacteriophage MS2
      under identical experimental conditions to aid in interpretation of hNoV
      molecular data. In WW, RT-qPCR reductions were less than 0.5 log10 for all
      viruses at concentration-time (CT) values up to 450 mg-min/L except for hNoV GI,
      where 1 log10 reduction was observed at CT values of less than 50 mg-min/L for
      monochloramine and 200 mg-min/L for PAA. In PB, hNoV GI and MNV exhibited
      comparable resistance to PAA and monochloramine with CT values for 2 log10 RT
      qPCR reduction between 300 and 360 mg-min/L. Less than 1 log10 reduction was
      observed for MS2 and hNoV GII in PB at CT values for both disinfectants up to 450
      mg-min/L. Our results indicate that hNoVs exhibit genogroup dependent resistance
      and that disinfection practices targeting hNoV GII will result in equivalent or
      greater reductions for hNoV GI. These data provide valuable comparisons between
      hNoV and surrogate molecular signals that can begin the process of informing
      regulators and engineers on WW treatment plant design and operational practices
      necessary to inactivate hNoVs.

PMID- 28910090
TI  - Improved Accuracy for Constant pH-REMD Simulations through Modification of
      Carboxylate Effective Radii.
AB  - The accuracy of computational models for simulating biomolecules under specific
      solution pH conditions is critical for properly representing the effect of pH in
      biological processes. Constant pH (CpH) simulations involving implicit solvent
      using the AMBER software often incorrectly estimate pKa values of aspartate and
      glutamate residues due to large effective radii stemming from the presence of
      dummy protons. These inaccuracies stem from problems in the sampled ensembles of
      titratable residues that can influence other observable pH-dependent behavior,
      such as conformational change. We investigate new radii assignments for atoms in
      titratable residues with carboxylate groups to mitigate the systematic
      overestimation in the current method. We find that decreased carboxylate radii
      correspond with increased agreement with experimentally derived pKa values for
      residues in hen egg-white lysozyme and Delta+PHS variants of staphylococcal
      nuclease (SNase) and improved conformation state sampling compared to
      experimentally described expectations of native-like structure. Our CpH
      simulations suggest that decreasing the effective radii of these carboxylate
      groups is essential for eliminating a significant source of systematic error that
      hurts the accuracy of both conformational and protonation state sampling with
      implicit solvent.

PMID- 28910091
TI  - Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Constituents from a
      Maqui Berry (Aristotelia chilensis) Dietary Supplement Ingredient As Markers for
      Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis.
AB  - Bioassay-guided phytochemical investigation of a commercially available maqui
      berry (Aristotelia chilensis) extract used in botanical dietary supplement
      products led to the isolation of 16 compounds, including one phenolic molecule,
      1, discovered for the first time from a natural source, along with several known
      compounds, 2-16, including three substances not reported previously in A.
      chilensis, 2, 14, and 15. Each isolate was characterized by detailed analysis of
      NMR spectroscopic and HRESIMS data and tested for their in vitro hydroxyl radical
      scavenging and quinone-reductase inducing biological activities. A sensitive and
      accurate LC-DAD-MS method for the quantitative determination of the occurrence of
      six bioactive compounds, 6, 7, 10-12, and 14, was developed and validated using
      maqui berry isolates purified in the course of this study as authentic standards.
      The method presented can be utilized for dereplication efforts in future natural
      product research projects or to evaluate chemical markers for quality assurance
      and batch-to-batch standardization of this botanical dietary supplement
      component.

PMID- 28910093
TI  - Uptake of Gaseous Alkylamides by Suspended Sulfuric Acid Particles: Formation of
      Ammonium/Aminium Salts.
AB  - Amides represent an important class of nitrogen-containing compounds in the
      atmosphere that can in theory interact with atmospheric acidic particles and
      contribute to secondary aerosol formation. In this study, uptake coefficients
      (gamma) of six alkylamides (C1 to C3) by suspended sulfuric acid particles were
      measured using an aerosol flow tube coupled to a high resolution time-of-flight
      chemical ionization mass spectrometer (HRToF-CIMS). At 293 K and < 3% relative
      humidity (RH), the measured uptake coefficients for six alkylamides were in the
      range of (4.8-23) * 10-2. A negative dependence upon RH was observed for both N
      methylformamide and N,N-dimethylformamide, likely due to decreased mass
      accommodation coefficients (alpha) at lower acidities. A negative temperature
      dependence was observed for N,N-dimethylformamide under < 3% RH, also consistent
      with the mass accommodation-controlled uptake processes. Chemical analysis of
      reacted sulfuric acid particles indicates that alkylamides hydrolyzed in the
      presence of water molecules to form ammonium or aminium. Our results suggest that
      multiphase uptake of amides will contribute to growth of atmospheric acidic
      particles and alter their chemical composition.

PMID- 28910094
TI  - Hemicellulosic Polysaccharides Mimics: Synthesis of Tailored Bottlebrush-Like
      Xyloglucan Oligosaccharide Glycopolymers as Binders of Nanocrystalline Cellulose.
AB  - We report in this contribution that while low molecular weight hemicellulosic
      building blocks are known not to interact with cellulosic materials, their
      multivalent presentation on a polymeric scaffold significantly enhanced the
      binding interactions that are remarkably in the same range as those usually
      observed for lectin-carbohydrate interactions. We developed a poly(propargyl
      methacrylate) scaffold on which we conjugated, by "post-click" reaction, a
      variety of azide reducing-end functionalized xyloglucan oligosaccharides with
      controlled enzymatic-mediated rate of degalactosylation. Bottlebrush-like
      xyloglucan oligosaccharide glycopolymers (poly(XGOn)) were obtained and their
      self-assemblies in aqueous solution were investigated using dynamic light
      scattering (DLS). We demonstrated that increasing the extent of degalactosylation
      promoted self-association of poly(XGOn), which we attribute to the appearance of
      hydrophobic domains. A sharp thermoresponsiveness, which corresponds to a
      decrease in aggregate size with increasing temperature, was observed when the
      extent of degalactosylation was 30% or greater. Importantly, isothermal titration
      calorimetry (ITC) and polarized/depolarized DLS revealed that poly(XGOn) exhibit
      a significant capacity to interact with nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) surfaces
      particularly for the nondegalactosylated form, emphasizing the important role of
      galactosyl residues in the binding mechanism and in the 3-dimensional structures
      of glycopolymers.

PMID- 28910092
TI  - Acyclic Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters via Enantioselective Transition Metal
      Catalysis.
AB  - Whereas numerous asymmetric methods for formation of quaternary carbon
      stereocenters in cyclic systems have been documented, the construction of acyclic
      quaternary carbon stereocenters with control of absolute stereochemistry remains
      a formidable challenge. This Review summarizes enantioselective methods for the
      construction of acyclic quaternary carbon stereocenters from achiral or chiral
      racemic reactants via transition metal catalysis.

PMID- 28910095
TI  - Signature of Metallic Behavior in the Metal-Organic Frameworks
      M3(hexaiminobenzene)2 (M = Ni, Cu).
AB  - The two-dimensionally connected metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) Ni3(HIB)2 and
      Cu3(HIB)2 (HIB = hexaiminobenzene) are bulk electrical conductors and exhibit
      ultraviolet-photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) signatures expected of metallic
      solids. Electronic band structure calculations confirm that in both materials the
      Fermi energy lies in a partially filled delocalized band. Together with
      additional structural characterization and microscopy data, these results
      represent the first report of metallic behavior and permanent porosity coexisting
      within a metal-organic framework.

PMID- 28910096
TI  - Finite Size Effects in Submonolayer Catalysts Investigated by CO Electrosorption
      on PtsML/Pd(100).
AB  - A combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, subtractively normalized
      interfacial Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (SNIFTIRS), and density
      functional theory (DFT) is used to quantify the local strain in 2D Pt clusters on
      the 100 facet of Pd and its effect on CO chemisorption. Good agreement between
      SNIFTIRS experiments and DFT simulations provide strong evidence that, in the
      absence of coherent strain between Pt and Pd, finite size effects introduce local
      compressive strain, which alters the chemisorption properties of the surface.
      Though this effect has been widely neglected in prior studies, our results
      suggest that accurate control over cluster sizes in submonolayer catalyst systems
      can be an effective approach to fine-tune their catalytic properties.

PMID- 28910097
TI  - Visible-Light-Promoted C-S Cross-Coupling via Intermolecular Charge Transfer.
AB  - Disclosed is a mild, scalable, visible-light-promoted cross-coupling reaction
      between thiols and aryl halides for the construction of C-S bonds in the absence
      of both transition metal and photoredox catalysts. The scope of aryl halides and
      thiol partners includes over 60 examples and therefore provides an entry point
      into various aryl thioether building blocks of pharmaceutical interest.
      Furthermore, to demonstrate its utility, this C-S coupling protocol was applied
      in drug synthesis and late-stage modifications of active pharmaceutical
      ingredients. UV-vis spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory
      calculations suggest that visible-light-promoted intermolecular charge transfer
      within the thiolate-aryl halide electron donor-acceptor complex permits the
      reactivity in the absence of catalyst.

PMID- 28910098
TI  - Fast and Simple Protocols for Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics of Small Fresh
      Frozen Uterine Tissue Sections.
AB  - Human tissues are an important link between organ-specific spatial molecular
      information, patient pathology, and patient treatment options. However, patient
      tissues are uniquely obtained by time and location, and limited in their
      availability and size. Currently, little knowledge exists about appropriate and
      simplified protocols for routine MS-based analysis of the various types and sizes
      of tissues. Following standard procedures used in pathology, we selected small
      fresh frozen uterine tissue samples to investigate how the tissue preparation
      protocol affected the subsequent proteomics analysis. First, we observed that
      protein extraction with 0.1% SDS followed by extraction with a 30% ACN/urea
      resulted in a decrease in the number of identified proteins, when compared to
      extraction with 30% ACN/urea only. The decrease in the number of proteins was
      approximately 55% and 20%, for 10 and 16 MUm thick tissue, respectively.
      Interestingly, the relative abundance of the proteins shared between the two
      methods was higher when SDS/ACN/urea was used, compared to the 30% ACN/urea
      extraction, indicating the role of SDS to be beneficial for protein solubility.
      Second, the influence of tissue thickness was investigated by comparing the
      results obtained for 10, 16, and 20 MUm thick (1 mm2) tissue using urea/30% ACN.
      We observed an increase in the number of identified proteins and corresponding
      quantity with an increase in the tissue thickness. Finally, by analyzing very
      small amounts of tissues (~0.2 mm2) of 10, 16, and 20 MUm thickness, we observed
      that the increase in tissue thickness resulted in a higher number of protein
      identifications and corresponding quantitative values.

PMID- 28910099
TI  - Classical Force Fields Tailored for QM Applications: Is It Really a Feasible
      Strategy?
AB  - Classical molecular dynamics is more and more often coupled to quantum mechanical
      based techniques as a statistical tool to sample configurations of molecular
      systems embedded in complex environments. Nonetheless, the classical potentials
      describing the molecular systems are seldom parametrized to reproduce electronic
      processes, such as electronic excitations, which are instead very sensitive to
      the underlining description of the molecular structure. Here, we analyze the
      challenging case of the peridinin molecule, a natural apocarotenoid responsible
      for the light-harvesting process in the PCP antenna protein of dinoflagellates.
      Ground-state structural and vibrational properties, as well as electronic
      transitions of the pigment are studied by means of quantum-mechanical static and
      dynamic calculations. Thereafter, classical molecular dynamics simulations are
      performed with a number of different force-fields, ranging from a popular,
      general purpose one to refined potentials of increasing level of complexity. From
      the comparison of classical results with their quantum mechanical counterparts,
      it appears that, while very poor results are obtained from standard transferrable
      force-fields, specifically tuned potentials are able to correctly characterize
      most of the structural and vibrational features of the pigment. Nonetheless, only
      an advanced parametrization technique is able to give a semiquantitative
      description of the coupling between vibrations and electronic excitations, thus
      suggesting that the use of classical MD in combination of QM calculations for the
      study of photoinduced processes, albeit possible, should be considered with care.

PMID- 28910100
TI  - Direct NMR Probing of Hydration Shells of Protein Ligand Interfaces and Its
      Application to Drug Design.
AB  - Fragment-based drug design exploits initial screening of low molecular weight
      compounds and their concomitant affinity improvement. The multitude of possible
      chemical modifications highlights the necessity to obtain structural information
      about the binding mode of a fragment. Herein we describe a novel NMR methodology
      (LOGSY titration) that allows the determination of binding modes of low affinity
      binders in the protein-ligand interface and reveals suitable ligand positions for
      the addition of functional groups that either address or substitute protein-bound
      water, information of utmost importance for drug design. The particular benefit
      of the methodology and in contrast to conventional ligand-based methods is the
      independence of the molecular weight of the protein under study. The validity of
      the novel approach is demonstrated on two ligands interacting with bromodomain 1
      of bromodomain containing protein 4, a prominent cancer target in pharmaceutical
      industry.

PMID- 28910101
TI  - Anisotropic Fluctuations in the Ribosome Determine tRNA Kinetics.
AB  - The ribosome is a large ribonucleoprotein complex that is responsible for the
      production of proteins in all organisms. Accommodation is the process by which an
      incoming aminoacyl-tRNA (aa-tRNA) molecule binds the ribosomal A site, and its
      kinetics has been implicated in the accuracy of tRNA selection. In addition to
      rearrangements in the aa-tRNA molecule, the L11 stalk can undergo large-scale
      anisotropic motions during translation. To explore the potential impact of this
      protruding region on the rate of aa-tRNA accommodation, we used molecular
      dynamics simulations with a simplified model to evaluate the free energy as a
      function of aa-tRNA position. Specifically, these calculations describe the
      transition between A/T and elbow-accommodated (EA) configurations (~20 A
      displacement). We find that the free-energy barrier associated with elbow
      accommodation is proportional to the degree of mobility exhibited by the L11
      stalk. That is, when L11 is more rigid, the free-energy barrier height is
      decreased. This effect arises from the ability of L11 to confine, and thereby
      destabilize, the A/T ensemble. In addition, when elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) is
      present, the A/T ensemble is further destabilized in an L11-dependent manner.
      These results provide a framework that suggests how next-generation experiments
      may precisely control the dynamics of the ribosome.

PMID- 28910102
TI  - Effects of Charge State, Charge Distribution, and Structure on the Ion Mobility
      of Protein Ions in Helium Gas: Results from Trajectory Method Calculations.
AB  - Collision cross section (Omega) values of gas-phase ions of proteins and protein
      complexes are used to probe the structures of the corresponding species in
      solution. Ions of many proteins exhibit increasing Omega-values with increasing
      charge state but most Omega-values calculated for protein ions have used simple
      collision models that do not explicitly account for charge. Here we use a
      combination of ion mobility mass spectrometry experiments with helium gas and
      trajectory method calculations to characterize the extents to which increases in
      experimental Omega-values with increasing charge state may be attributed to
      increased momentum transfer concomitant with enhanced long-range interactions
      between the protein ion and helium atoms. Ubiquitin and C-to-N terminally linked
      diubiquitin ions generated from different solution conditions exhibit more than a
      2-fold increase in Omega with increasing charge state. For native and energy
      relaxed models of the proteins and most methods for distributing charge, Omega
      values calculated using the trajectory method increase by less than 1% over the
      range of charge states observed from typical solution conditions used for native
      mass spectrometry. However, the calculated Omega-values increase by 10% to 15%
      over the full range of charge states observed from all solution conditions.
      Therefore, contributions from enhanced ion-induced dipole interactions with
      increasing charge state are significant but without additional structural changes
      can account for only a fraction of the increase in Omega observed experimentally.
      On the basis of these results, we suggest guidelines for calculating Omega-values
      in the context of applications in biophysics and structural biology.

PMID- 28910103
TI  - Difluorocarbene for Dehydroxytrifluoromethylthiolation of Alcohols.
AB  - Dehydroxytrifluoromethylthiolation of alcohols with a Ph3P+CF2CO2-/S8/F- system
      is described. Difluorocarbene generated from Ph3P+CF2CO2- would readily combine
      with elemental sulfur to furnish S?CF2. S?CF2 can be considered as a bifunctional
      intermediate, activating alcohol and providing scaffold for CF3S- formation, thus
      allowing for the convenient dehydroxytrifluoromethylthiolation of alcohols.

PMID- 28910104
TI  - Reaction of Silyllithium, alpha-Keto N-tert-Butanesulfinyl Imidates and Aldehydes
      for Asymmetric Synthesis of alpha-Substituted beta-(Silyloxy)-alpha-hydroxy Acid
      Derivatives.
AB  - A single-flask reaction of silyllithium, alpha-keto N-tert-butanesulfinyl
      imidates and aldehydes has been developed for the diastereoselective synthesis of
      alpha,beta-dihydroxy acid derivatives. In this reaction, the nucleophilic
      addition of silyllithium to chiral alpha-keto imidates followed by silyl
      migration forms chiral aza-enolates, which react diastereoselectively with
      aldehydes. Subsequent [1,4]-O -> O silyl migration affords alpha-substituted beta
      (silyoxy)-alpha-hydroxy imidates.

PMID- 28910105
TI  - Modeling Oil Shale Pyrolysis: High-Temperature Unimolecular Decomposition
      Pathways for Thiophene.
AB  - The thermal decomposition mechanism of thiophene has been investigated both
      experimentally and theoretically. Thermal decomposition experiments were done
      using a 1 mm * 3 cm pulsed silicon carbide microtubular reactor, C4H4S + Delta ->
      Products. Unlike previous studies these experiments were able to identify the
      initial thiophene decomposition products. Thiophene was entrained in either Ar,
      Ne, or He carrier gas, passed through a heated (300-1700 K) SiC microtubular
      reactor (roughly <=100 MUs residence time), and exited into a vacuum chamber. The
      resultant molecular beam was probed by photoionization mass spectroscopy and IR
      spectroscopy. The pyrolysis mechanisms of thiophene were also investigated with
      the CBS-QB3 method using UB3LYP/6-311++G(2d,p) optimized geometries. In
      particular, these electronic structure methods were used to explore pathways for
      the formation of elemental sulfur as well as for the formation of H2S and 1,3
      butadiyne. Thiophene was found to undergo unimolecular decomposition by five
      pathways: C4H4S -> (1) S?C?CH2 + HCCH, (2) CS + HCCCH3, (3) HCS + HCCCH2, (4) H2S
      + HCC-CCH, and (5) S + HCC-CH?CH2. The experimental and theoretical findings are
      in excellent agreement.

PMID- 28910108
TI  - Hydration Friction in Nanoconfinement: From Bulk via Interfacial to Dry Friction.
AB  - The viscous properties of nanoscopically confined water are important when
      hydrated surfaces in close contact are sheared against each other. Numerous
      experiments have probed the friction between atomically flat hydrated surfaces in
      the subnanometer separation regime and suggested an increased water viscosity,
      but the value of the effective viscosity of ultraconfined water, the mechanism of
      hydration layer friction, and the crossover to the dry friction limit are
      unclear. We study the shear friction between polar surfaces by extensive
      nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations in the linear-response regime at
      low shearing velocity, which is the relevant regime for typical biological
      applications. With decreasing water film thickness we find three consecutive
      friction regimes: For thick films friction is governed by bulk water viscosity.
      At separations of about a nanometer the highly viscous interfacial water layers
      dominate and increase the surface friction, while at the transition to the dry
      friction limit interfacial slip sets in. Based on our simulation results, we
      construct a confinement-dependent friction model which accounts for the additive
      friction contributions from bulklike water, interfacial water layers, and
      interfacial slip and which is valid for arbitrary water film thickness.

PMID- 28910106
TI  - Stereoselective and Regioselective Synthesis of Heterocycles via Copper-Catalyzed
      Additions of Amine Derivatives and Alcohols to Alkenes.
AB  - This Perspective describes the development of a family of copper(II)-catalyzed
      alkene difunctionalization reactions that enable stereoselective addition of
      amine derivatives and alcohols onto pendant unactivated alkenes to provide a
      range of valuable saturated nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles. 2-Vinylanilines and
      related substrates undergo alternative oxidative amination or allylic amination
      pathways, and these reactions will also be discussed. The involvement of both
      polar and radical steps in the reaction mechanisms have been implicated. Major
      product formation is a function of the lowest energy pathway, which in turn is a
      function of structural aspects of the various reaction components.

PMID- 28910107
TI  - Perturbation of the F19-L34 Contact in Amyloid beta (1-40) Fibrils Induces Only
      Local Structural Changes but Abolishes Cytotoxicity.
AB  - We explored structural details of fibrils formed by a mutated amyloid beta
      (Abeta(1-40)) peptide carrying a Phe19 to Lys19 mutation, which was shown to
      completely abolish the toxicity of the molecule. Computer models suggest that the
      positively charged Lys19 side chain is expelled from the hydrophobic fibril
      interior upon fibrillation. This can be accommodated by either a 180 degrees 
      flip of the entire lower beta-strand (model M1) or local perturbations of the
      secondary structure in the direct vicinity of the mutated site (model M2). This
      is accompanied by the formation of a new salt bridge between Glu22 and Lys28 in
      model M1. Experimentally, a novel contact between Phe20 and Leu34 as well as the
      significant structural perturbation of residues 20-23 could be confirmed.
      However, the mutated fibrils do not show the formation of any salt bridges. This
      demonstrates that although morphologically very robust, local perturbations of
      the Abeta(1-40) sequence lead to moderate structural alterations with tremendous
      impact on the physiological importance of these aggregates, which may suggest
      alternative strategies for the development of a remedy against Alzheimer's
      disease.

PMID- 28910109
TI  - Membrane Tubulation in Lipid Vesicles Triggered by the Local Application of
      Calcium Ions.
AB  - Experimental and theoretical studies on ion-lipid interactions predict that
      binding of calcium ions to cell membranes leads to macroscopic mechanical effects
      and membrane remodeling. Herein, we provide experimental evidence that a point
      source of Ca2+ acting upon a negatively charged membrane generates spontaneous
      curvature and triggers the formation of tubular protrusions that point away from
      the ion source. This behavior is rationalized by strong binding of the divalent
      cations to the surface of the charged bilayer, which effectively neutralizes the
      surface charge density of outer leaflet of the bilayer. The mismatch in the
      surface charge density of the two leaflets leads to nonzero spontaneous
      curvature. We probe this mismatch through the use of molecular dynamics
      simulations and validate that calcium ion binding to a lipid membrane is
      sufficient to generate inward spontaneous curvature, bending the membrane.
      Additionally, we demonstrate that the formed tubular protrusions can be
      translated along the vesicle surface in a controlled manner by repositioning the
      site of localized Ca2+ exposure. The findings demonstrate lipid membrane
      remodeling in response to local chemical gradients and offer potential insights
      into the cell membrane behavior under conditions of varying calcium ion
      concentrations.

PMID- 28910110
TI  - Enhancing Organic Semiconductor-Surface Plasmon Polariton Coupling with Molecular
      Orientation.
AB  - Due to strong electric field enhancements, surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are
      capable of drastically increasing light-molecule coupling in organic
      optoelectronic devices. The electric field enhancement, however, is anisotropic,
      offering maximal functional benefits if molecules are oriented perpendicular to
      the interface. To provide a clear demonstration of this orientation dependence,
      we study SPP dispersion and SPP-mediated photoluminescence at a model Au/small
      molecule interface where identical molecules can be deposited with two very
      different molecular backbone orientations depending on processing conditions.
      First, we demonstrate that thin films of p-SIDT(FBTTh2)2 can be deposited with
      either all "in-plane" (parallel to substrate) or a 50/50 mix of in-plane/"out-of
      plane" (perpendicular to substrate) optical transition dipoles by the absence or
      presence, respectively, of diiodooctane during spin-coating. In contrast to
      typical orientation control observed in organic thin films, for this particular
      molecule, this corresponds to films with conjugated backbones purely in-plane, or
      with a 50/50 mix of in-plane/out-of-plane backbones. Then, using momentum
      resolved reflectometry and momentum-resolved photoluminescence, we study and
      quantify changes in SPP dispersion and photoluminescence intensity arising solely
      from changes in molecular orientation. We demonstrate increased SPP momentum and
      a 2-fold enhancement in photoluminescence for systems with out-of-plane oriented
      transition dipoles. These results agree well with theory and have direct
      implications for the design and analysis of organic optoelectronic devices.

PMID- 28910111
TI  - Chemical versus Electrochemical Electrolyte Oxidation on NMC111, NMC622, NMC811,
      LNMO, and Conductive Carbon.
AB  - We compare the stability of alkyl carbonate electrolyte on NMC111, -622, and 
      811, LNMO, and conductive carbon electrodes. We prove that CO2 and CO evolution
      onset potentials depend on the electrode material and increase in the order
      NMC811 < NMC111 ~ NMC622 < conductive carbon ~ LNMO, which we rationalize by two
      fundamentally different oxidation mechanisms, the chemical and the
      electrochemical electrolyte oxidation. Additionally, in contrast to the
      widespread understanding that transition metals in cathode active materials
      catalyze the electrolyte oxidation, we will prove that such a catalytic effect on
      the electrochemical electrolyte oxidation does not exist.

PMID- 28910113
TI  - Tandem Synthesis of Pyrrolo[2,3-b]quinolones via Cadogen-Type Reaction.
AB  - A tandem [3 + 2] cycloaddition/reductive cyclization of nitrochalcones with
      activated methylene isocyanides for the efficient synthesis of pyrrolo[2,3
      b]quinolones is reported. In this reaction, the in situ generated
      dihydropyrroline acts as the internal reductant to convert the nitro into an
      electrophilic nitroso group, which undergoes subsequent C-N bond formation.
      Transition-metal-free, simple experimental procedure and ready accessibility of
      starting materials characterize the present transformation.

PMID- 28910112
TI  - Modular Approach to pseudo-Neoclerodanes as Designer kappa-Opioid Ligands.
AB  - Informed by previous semisynthetic work on salvinorin A, a modular total
      synthesis has been developed capable of producing novel compounds targeting the
      kappa-opioid receptor. The strategy has permitted the deliberate simplification
      and introduction of functionality about the target molecule to provide access to
      molecular features on salvinorin A otherwise unattainable by semisynthesis. Using
      this approach, a potent pseudo-neoclerodane kappa-opioid receptor ligand (2) has
      been realized.

PMID- 28910114
TI  - Double-Diels-Alder Approach to Maoecrystal V. Unexpected C-C Bond-Forming
      Fragmentations of the [2.2.2]-Bicyclic Core.
AB  - Synthetic studies toward maoecrystal V are reported. An oxidative
      dearomatization/Diels-Alder cascade to assemble the natural product carbocyclic
      core in one step is proposed. A facile electrocyclization is shown to suppress
      the intramolecular allene Diels-Alder pathway. This obstacle is alleviated via a
      stepwise approach with an allene equivalent to access the key cyclopentadiene
      fused [2.2.2]-bicyclic core. Upon treatment with Lewis acid, the proposed
      intramolecular hetero-Diels-Alder reaction is cleanly and unexpectedly diverted
      either via C-C bond-forming fragmentation to the spiro-indene product (when R =
      OMe) or via elimination (when R = H).

PMID- 28910115
TI  - Bulky Dehydroamino Acids Enhance Proteolytic Stability and Folding in beta
      Hairpin Peptides.
AB  - The bulky dehydroamino acids dehydrovaline (DeltaVal) and dehydroethylnorvaline
      (DeltaEnv) can be inserted into the turn regions of beta-hairpin peptides without
      altering their secondary structures. These residues increase proteolytic
      stability, with DeltaVal at the (i + 1) position having the most substantial
      impact. Additionally, a bulky dehydroamino acid can be paired with a d-amino acid
      (i.e., d-Pro) to synergistically enhance resistance to proteolysis. A link
      between proteolytic stability and peptide structure is established by the finding
      that a stabilized DeltaVal-containing beta-hairpin is more highly folded than its
      Asn-containing congener.

PMID- 28910116
TI  - Hard X-ray-Induced Valence Tautomeric Interconversion in Cobalt-o-Dioxolene
      Complexes.
AB  - Valence tautomeric interconversion (VTI) is a reversible process occurring in
      metal complexes in which an intramolecular metal-ligand electron transfer is
      accompanied by a change of metal ion spin state, creating two switchable
      electronic states (redox isomers). Herein, we describe the low-temperature, 30
      100 K, single-crystal study of the [Co(diox)2(4-CN-py)2].benzene complex (1)
      (diox = 3,5-di-t-butylsemiquinonate (SQ*-) and/or 3,5-di-t-butylcatecholate (Cat2
      ) radical; 4-CN-py = 4-cyano-pyridine) using hard synchrotron X-ray radiation
      with different intensities. We demonstrate for the first time that hard X-rays
      can induce VTI, and that the interconversion molar fraction is dependent on both
      intensity and exposure time. This in turn shows that X-rays, as a probe, might be
      altering the very nature of many structures under investigation at low
      temperatures, and consequently their properties. Our findings add new
      perspectives to VTI studies and might be of significant interest to the entire
      community investigating photoresponsive complexes.

PMID- 28910117
TI  - Light-Directed Patchy Particle Fabrication and Assembly from Isotropic Silver
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - We demonstrate the creation of anisotropic patchy silver nanospheroids (AgNSs)
      using linearly polarized UV light and a photo-uncaging o-nitrobenzyl-based
      ligand, which anchors to the AgNSs by two gold-sulfur bonds. Exposure to a 1
      J/cm2 dose of UV light induces a photo-uncaging reaction in the ligand that
      reveals a primary amine on the surface. By using linearly polarized UV light, we
      meter the exposure dose such that only the poles of the nanoparticle receive a
      full dose, limiting the photo-uncaging reaction primarily to the particle's
      plasmonic hot spots. We reveal this anisotropy by preferentially adhering
      negatively charged gold nanospheres (AuNSs) to the AgNSs' poles by using the
      electrostatic attraction between them and the positively charged primary amines
      generated by photo-uncaging. When the assembly is performed onto silver particles
      that are immobilized on a substrate, it results in nanoscale structures with a
      strong tendency to align with the polarization of the exposing light. This
      manifests in polarimetric spectroscopy as a linear dichroism aligned with the
      polarization direction.

PMID- 28910118
TI  - Cascade Radical Reaction of N-Sulfonyl-2-allylanilines with [60]Fullerene:
      Synthesis and Functionalization of (2-Indolinyl)methylated Hydrofullerenes.
AB  - The copper-promoted cascade radical reaction of N-sulfonyl-2-allylanilines with
      [60]fullerene has been developed to efficiently provide novel and scarce (2
      indolinyl)methylated hydrofullerenes, featuring a broad substrate scope and
      excellent functional group tolerance. A plausible reaction mechanism for the
      formation of (2-indolinyl)methylated hydrofullerenes is proposed on the basis of
      the experimental results. In addition, further transformation into other
      carbocyclic derivatives of [60]fullerene as well as their applications in organic
      photovoltaic devices of the obtained products has also been explored.

PMID- 28910119
TI  - NbCl5/Zn/PCy3-System-Catalyzed Intramolecular [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloadditions of
      Diynes and Alkenes To Form Bicyclic Cyclohexadienes.
AB  - A NbCl5, Zn, and PCy3 catalytic system that generated low-valent Nb species is
      used for the synthesis of bicyclic cyclohexadienes from diynes and simple
      alkenes. A phosphine ligand is important for stabilizing low-valent Nb in the
      cycloaddition. The bicyclic cyclohexadiene skeleton is important in transition
      metal-catalyzed intramolecular cycloadditions.

PMID- 28910120
TI  - A Universal Pattern in the Percolation and Dissipation of Protein Structural
      Perturbations.
AB  - Understanding the extent to which information is transmitted through the
      intramolecular interaction network of proteins upon a perturbation, that is, an
      allosteric effect, has long remained an unsolved problem. Through an analysis of
      high-resolution NMR data from the literature on 28 different proteins and 49
      structural perturbations, we show that the extent of induced structural changes
      through mutations and molecular events including protein-protein, protein
      peptide, protein-ligand binding, and post-translational modifications exhibit a
      near-universal exponential functional form. The extent of percolation into the
      protein structures can be up to 20-25 A despite no apparent change in the 3D
      structures. These observations are also consistent with theoretical expectations,
      elementary graph theoretic analysis of protein structures, detailed molecular
      dynamics simulations, and experimental double-mutant cycles. Our analysis
      highlights that most molecular events would contribute to allosteric effects
      independent of protein structure, topology, or identity and provides a simple
      avenue to test and potentially model their effects.

PMID- 28910121
TI  - The impact of uncertain threat on affective bias: Individual differences in
      response to ambiguity.
AB  - Individuals who operate under highly stressful conditions (e.g., military
      personnel and first responders) are often faced with the challenge of quickly
      interpreting ambiguous information in uncertain and threatening environments.
      When faced with ambiguity, it is likely adaptive to view potentially dangerous
      stimuli as threatening until contextual information proves otherwise. One
      laboratory-based paradigm that can be used to simulate uncertain threat is known
      as threat of shock (TOS), in which participants are told that they might receive
      mild but unpredictable electric shocks while performing an unrelated task. The
      uncertainty associated with this potential threat induces a state of emotional
      arousal that is not overwhelmingly stressful, but has widespread-both adaptive
      and maladaptive-effects on cognitive and affective function. For example, TOS is
      thought to enhance aversive processing and abolish positivity bias. Importantly,
      in certain situations (e.g., when walking home alone at night), this anxiety can
      promote an adaptive state of heightened vigilance and defense mobilization. In
      the present study, we used TOS to examine the effects of uncertain threat on
      valence bias, or the tendency to interpret ambiguous social cues as positive or
      negative. As predicted, we found that heightened emotional arousal elicited by
      TOS was associated with an increased tendency to interpret ambiguous cues
      negatively. Such negative interpretations are likely adaptive in situations in
      which threat detection is critical for survival and should override an
      individual's tendency to interpret ambiguity positively in safe contexts.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910122
TI  - Race and recession: Effects of economic scarcity on racial discrimination.
AB  - When the economy declines, existing racial disparities typically expand,
      suggesting that economic scarcity may promote racial discrimination. To
      understand this pattern, we examined the effect of perceived scarcity on resource
      allocations to Black and White American recipients, and tested whether this
      effect depends on a decision maker's motivation to respond without prejudice. We
      proposed that scarcity would lead to increased discrimination among those with
      relatively low internal motivation but not those high in internal motivation.
      Indeed, we found that when resources were framed as scarce (vs. abundant or a
      control condition), low-motivation participants allocated less to Black than
      White recipients, whereas high-motivation participants allocated more to Black
      than White recipients (Studies 1 and 2). This pattern was strongest when
      decisions could be made deliberatively (Study 3), and anti-Black allocation bias
      emerged even in a non-zero-sum context (Studies 4 and 5), suggesting a strategic
      bias directed against Black recipients rather than in favor of White recipients.
      These findings indicate that the psychological perception of scarcity can produce
      racial bias in the distribution of economic resources, depending on the
      motivations of the decision maker-an effect that may contribute to the increase
      in racial disparities observed during economic stress. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910123
TI  - Consumer factors predicting level of treatment response to illness management and
      recovery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify consumer-level predictors of level of
      treatment response to illness management and recovery (IMR) to target the
      appropriate consumers and aid psychiatric rehabilitation settings in developing
      intervention adaptations. METHOD: Secondary analyses from a multisite study of
      IMR were conducted. Self-report data from consumer participants of the parent
      study (n = 236) were analyzed for the current study. Consumers completed prepost
      surveys assessing illness management, coping, goal-related hope, social support,
      medication adherence, and working alliance. Correlations and multiple regression
      analyses were run to identify self-report variables that predicted level of
      treatment response to IMR. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that goal-related hope
      significantly predicted level of improved illness self-management, F(1, 164) =
      10.93, p < .001, R2 = .248, R2 change = .05. Additionally, we found that higher
      levels of maladaptive coping at baseline were predictive of higher levels of
      adaptive coping at follow-up, F(2, 180) = 5.29, p < .02, R2 = .38, R2 change =
      .02. Evidence did not support additional predictors. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
      FOR PRACTICE: Previously, consumer-level predictors of level of treatment
      response have not been explored for IMR. Although 2 significant predictors were
      identified, study findings suggest more work is needed. Future research is needed
      to identify additional consumer-level factors predictive of IMR treatment
      response in order to identify who would benefit most from this treatment program.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910124
TI  - Paid sick leave and psychological distress: An analysis of U.S. workers.
AB  - Paid sick leave is increasingly identified as a social justice issue having
      important implications for health and wellness; however, little is known about
      its relationship to mental health. Data from the 2015 cross section of the
      National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; 2015) were used to examine the
      relationship between paid sick leave and psychological distress during the last
      30 days among N = 17,897 working United States adults. The 6-item Kessler
      Psychological Distress Scale (K6), a valid and reliable instrument for assessing
      psychological distress in population based samples, was used to measure the
      outcome variable of interest. The K6 score was computed from 6 questions and was
      regressed on paid sick leave status, after controlling for variables known to be
      related to psychological distress. Results indicated that workers who lack paid
      sick leave benefits report a statistically significant higher level of
      psychological distress, and are 1.45 times more likely to report their distress
      symptoms interfere a lot with their life or activities compared with workers with
      paid sick leave. This research adds to a body of work analyzing institutional
      structures and social determinants of health. Findings support the potential
      value of paid sick leave as an intervention to promote behavioral health.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910125
TI  - Threat of shock and aversive inhibition: Induced anxiety modulates Pavlovian
      instrumental interactions.
AB  - Anxiety can be an adaptive response to potentially threatening situations.
      However, if experienced in inappropriate contexts, it can also lead to
      pathological and maladaptive anxiety disorders. Experimentally, anxiety can be
      induced in healthy individuals using the threat of shock (ToS) paradigm.
      Accumulating work with this paradigm suggests that anxiety promotes harm-avoidant
      mechanisms through enhanced inhibitory control. However, the specific cognitive
      mechanisms underlying anxiety-linked inhibitory control are unclear. Critically,
      behavioral inhibition can arise from at least 2 interacting valuation systems:
      instrumental (a goal-directed system) and Pavlovian (a "hardwired" reflexive
      system). The present study (N = 62) replicated a study showing improved response
      inhibition under ToS in healthy participants, and additionally examined the
      impact of ToS on aversive and appetitive Pavlovian-instrumental interactions in a
      reinforced go/no-go task. When Pavlovian and instrumental systems were in
      conflict, ToS increased inhibition to aversive events, while leaving appetitive
      interactions unperturbed. We argue that anxiety promotes avoidant behavior in
      potentially harmful situations by potentiating aversive Pavlovian reactions
      (i.e., promoting avoidance in the face of threats). Critically, such a mechanism
      would drive adaptive harm-avoidant behavior in threatening situations where
      Pavlovian and instrumental processes are aligned, but at the same time, result in
      maladaptive behaviors when misaligned and where instrumental control would be
      advantageous. This has important implications for our understanding of the
      mechanisms that underlie pathological anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910127
TI  - Visual shape perception as Bayesian inference of 3D object-centered shape
      representations.
AB  - Despite decades of research, little is known about how people visually perceive
      object shape. We hypothesize that a promising approach to shape perception is
      provided by a "visual perception as Bayesian inference" framework which augments
      an emphasis on visual representation with an emphasis on the idea that shape
      perception is a form of statistical inference. Our hypothesis claims that shape
      perception of unfamiliar objects can be characterized as statistical inference of
      3D shape in an object-centered coordinate system. We describe a computational
      model based on our theoretical framework, and provide evidence for the model
      along two lines. First, we show that, counterintuitively, the model accounts for
      viewpoint-dependency of object recognition, traditionally regarded as evidence
      against people's use of 3D object-centered shape representations. Second, we
      report the results of an experiment using a shape similarity task, and present an
      extensive evaluation of existing models' abilities to account for the
      experimental data. We find that our shape inference model captures subjects'
      behaviors better than competing models. Taken as a whole, our experimental and
      computational results illustrate the promise of our approach and suggest that
      people's shape representations of unfamiliar objects are probabilistic, 3D, and
      object-centered. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910126
TI  - Negative emotional content disrupts the coherence of episodic memories.
AB  - Events are thought to be stored in episodic memory as coherent representations,
      in which the constituent elements are bound together so that a cue can trigger
      reexperience of all elements via pattern completion. Negative emotional content
      can strongly influence memory, but opposing theories predict strengthening or
      weakening of memory coherence. Across a series of experiments, participants
      imagined a number of person-location-object events with half of the events
      including a negative element (e.g., an injured person), and memory was tested
      across all within event associations. We show that the presence of a negative
      element reduces memory for associations between event elements, including between
      neutral elements encoded after a negative element. The presence of a negative
      element reduces the coherence with which a multimodal event is remembered. Our
      results, supported by a computational model, suggest that coherent retrieval from
      neutral events is supported by pattern completion, but that negative content
      weakens associative encoding which impairs this process. Our findings have
      important implications for understanding the way traumatic events are encoded and
      support therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring associations between negative
      content and its surrounding context. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910129
TI  - How is the serial order of a visual sequence represented? Insights from
      transposition latencies.
AB  - A central goal of research on short-term memory (STM) over the past 2 decades has
      been to identify the mechanisms that underpin the representation of serial order,
      and to establish whether these mechanisms are the same across different
      modalities and domains (e.g., verbal, visual, spatial). A fruitful approach to
      addressing this question has involved comparing the transposition error latency
      predictions of models built from different candidate mechanisms for representing
      serial order. Experiments involving the output-timed serial recall of sequences
      of verbal (Farrell & Lewandowsky, 2004) and spatial (Hurlstone & Hitch, 2015)
      items have revealed an error latency profile consistent with the prediction of a
      competitive queuing mechanism within which serial order is represented via a
      primacy gradient of activations over items, associations between items and
      position markers, with suppression of items following recall. In this paper, we
      extend this chronometric analysis of recall errors to the serial recall of
      sequences of visual, nonspatial, items and find across 3 experiments an error
      latency profile broadly consistent with the prediction of the same
      representational mechanism. The findings suggest that common mechanisms and
      principles contribute to the representation of serial order across the verbal,
      visual, and spatial STM domains. The implications of these findings for theories
      of short-term and working memory are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910128
TI  - Future so bright? Delay discounting and consideration of future consequences
      predict academic performance among college drinkers.
AB  - College student drinking is a major public health concern and can result in a
      range of negative consequences, from acute health risks to decreased academic
      performance and drop out. Harm reduction interventions have been developed to
      reduce problems associated with drinking but there is a need to identify specific
      risk/protective factors related to academic performance among college drinkers.
      Behavioral economics suggests that chronic alcohol misuse reflects a dysregulated
      behavioral process or reinforcer pathology-alcohol is overvalued and the value of
      prosocial rewards are sharply discounted due, in part, to their delay. This study
      examined delay discounting, consideration of future consequences (CFC) and
      protective behavioral strategies (PBS) as predictors of academic success (grade
      point average; GPA) and engagement (time devoted to academic activities) among
      393 college drinkers (61% female). In multivariate models, PBS were associated
      with greater academic engagement, but were not with academic success. Lower
      discounting of delayed rewards and greater CFC were associated with both academic
      success and engagement among drinkers. Previous research suggests that future
      time orientation is malleable, and the current results provide support for
      efforts to enhance future time orientation as part of alcohol harm-reduction
      approaches. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910130
TI  - And still WE rise: Parent-child relationships, resilience, and school readiness
      in low-income urban Black families.
AB  - The Family Stress Model acknowledges forms of resilience in the face of hardship;
      however, few studies have emerged on the potentially positive role of familial
      relationships in the academic, psychological, and prosocial success of
      impoverished Black children. The current study evaluates how parent-child
      relationship conflict and financial stress are associated with children's school
      readiness (i.e., academic, psychosocial, and socioemotional indicators). Latent
      profile analyses, incorporating financial stress, general stress, and parent
      child relationship variables were used to test whether varying family stress
      profiles differentially predicted children's school readiness in Black families
      with children entering kindergarten (N = 292). Findings revealed 4 latent
      classifications with profiles of low, moderate, moderate/high, and high/moderate
      stress and conflict variables, respectively. Whereas the low-profile was
      associated with the most desirable school readiness indicators overall, children
      in the high/moderate-profile were rated as significantly more psychosocially and
      socioemotionally prepared for school than their moderate/high-profile
      counterparts. Families with less conflictual parent-child relationships had more
      optimal school readiness relative to families with higher conflict and less
      financial strain. The findings of the current study have the potential to
      contribute to theories of poverty and parent-child relationships, as well as
      guide therapeutic services focused on family relationships through school- and
      community-related programs for impoverished urban Black youth and their families.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28910131
TI  - Lung Tissue Injury as an Atypical Response to Nivolumab in Non-Small Cell Lung
      Cancer.

PMID- 28910132
TI  - Modified African Ngoma Healing Ceremony for Stress Reduction: A Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Indigenous people's ceremonies using rhythm and dance have been used
      for countless generations throughout the world for healing, conflict resolution,
      social bonding, and spiritual experience. A previous study reported that a
      ceremony based on the Central African ngoma tradition was favorably received by a
      group of Americans. The present trial compared the effects of the modified ngoma
      ceremony (Ngoma) with those of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in a
      randomized pilot study. METHODS: Twenty-one women were randomized to either Ngoma
      or MBSR. Both groups had sessions on a weekly basis for 8 weeks and completed
      questionnaires at baseline, week 8, and 1 month after the intervention.
      Participants completed questionnaires, which included self-report of depressive
      and anxiety symptoms, health status (e.g., quality of life and functioning),
      social bonding, and perception of the credibility of the two interventions.
      RESULTS: Both groups showed improvements in depression, anxiety, emotional well
      being, and social functioning as measured by respective scales. Social bonding
      also increased in both groups during the study and may be a mechanism for both
      interventions. Participants found both interventions credible. CONCLUSIONS: In
      this pilot study, Ngoma showed significant and durable beneficial effects
      comparable to MBSR. The effects of Ngoma and other indigenous rhythm-dance
      ceremonies on distress and health status in western culture should be
      investigated in larger clinical studies.

PMID- 28910133
TI  - A Comparison of 2-Year Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Tibiofemoral or
      Patellofemoral Matrix-Induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) has
      demonstrated encouraging clinical results in the treatment of knee chondral
      defects. However, earlier studies suggested that chondrocyte implantation in the
      patellofemoral (PF) joint was less effective than in the tibiofemoral (TF) joint.
      PURPOSE: To compare the radiological and clinical outcomes of those undergoing
      MACI to either the femoral condyles or PF joint. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study;
      Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A total of 194 patients were included in this
      analysis, including 127 undergoing MACI to the medial (n = 94) and lateral (n =
      33) femoral condyle, as well as 67 to the patella (n = 35) or trochlea (n = 32).
      All patients were evaluated clinically (Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome
      Score [KOOS], visual analog scale, Short Form-36) before surgery and at 3, 12,
      and 24 months after surgery, while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was
      undertaken at 3, 12, and 24 months, with the MOCART (magnetic resonance
      observation of cartilage repair tissue) scoring system employed to evaluate the
      quality and quantity of repair tissue, as well as an MRI composite score. Patient
      satisfaction was evaluated. RESULTS: No significant group differences ( P > .05)
      were seen in demographics, defect size, prior injury, or surgical history, while
      the majority of clinical scores were similar preoperatively. All clinical scores
      significantly improved over time ( P < .05), with a significant group effect
      observed for KOOS activities of daily living ( P = .008), quality of life ( P =
      .008), and sport ( P = .017), reflecting better postoperative scores in the TF
      group. While the PF group had significantly lower values at baseline for the KOOS
      activities of daily living and quality of life subscales, it actually displayed a
      similar net improvement over time compared with the TF group. At 24 months, 93.7%
      (n = 119) and 91.0% (n = 61) of patients were satisfied with the ability of MACI
      to relieve their knee pain, 74.0% (n = 94) and 65.7% (n = 44) with their ability
      to participate in sport, and 90.5% (n = 115) and 83.6% (n = 56) satisfied
      overall, in the TF and PF groups, respectively. MRI evaluation via the MOCART
      score revealed a significant time effect ( P < .05) for the MRI composite score
      and graft infill over the 24-month period. While subchondral lamina scored
      significantly better ( P = .002) in the TF group, subchondral bone scored
      significantly worse ( P < .001). At 24 months, the overall MRI composite score
      was classified as good/excellent in 98 TF patients (77%) and 54 PF patients
      (81%). CONCLUSION: MACI in the PF joint with concurrent correction of PF
      maltracking if required leads to similar clinical and radiological outcomes
      compared with MACI on the femoral condyles.

PMID- 28910135
TI  - Imaging of Vanadium in Microfossils: A New Potential Biosignature.
AB  - The inability to unambiguously distinguish the biogenicity of microfossil-like
      structures in the ancient rock record is a fundamental predicament facing Archean
      paleobiologists and astrobiologists. Therefore, novel methods for discriminating
      biological from nonbiological chemistries of microfossil-like structures are of
      the utmost importance in the search for evidence of early life on Earth. This,
      too, is important for the search for life on Mars by in situ analyses via rovers
      or sample return missions for future analysis here on Earth. Here, we report the
      application of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging of vanadium, within
      thermally altered organic-walled microfossils of bona fide biological origin.
      From our data, we demonstrate that vanadium is present within microfossils of
      undisputable biological origin. It is well known in the organic geochemistry
      literature that elements such as vanadium are enriched and contained within crude
      oils, asphalts, and black shales that have been formed by diagenesis of
      biological organic material. It has been demonstrated that the origin of vanadium
      is due to the diagenetic alteration of precursor chlorophyll and heme porphyrin
      pigment compounds from living organisms. We propose that, taken together,
      microfossil-like morphology, carbonaceous composition, and the presence of
      vanadium could be used in tandem as a biosignature to ascertain the biogenicity
      of putative microfossil-like structures. Key Words: Microfossils-Synchrotron
      micro-X-ray fluorescence-Vanadium-Tetrapyrrole-Biosignature. Astrobiology 17,
      1069-1076.

PMID- 28910137
TI  - The Role of S1PR3 in Protection from Bacterial Sepsis.

PMID- 28910134
TI  - Eosinophilic and Noneosinophilic Asthma.

PMID- 28910136
TI  - NRP1 Accelerates Odontoblast Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells Through
      Classical Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling.
AB  - Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) is one of the members of neuropilin family. It can combine
      with disparate ligands involved in regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and
      differentiation. The binding of NRP1 to Sema3A stimulates osteoblast
      differentiation through the classical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. However, the
      functions of NRP1 in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are not clear. The aim of our
      study was to investigate how NRP1 controlled odontoblast differentiation in DPSCs
      and clarified the underlying mechanisms. NRP1 expression was increased in time
      dependent manner along with cell odontoblast differentiation. Overexpression of
      NRP1 upregulated dentin matrix protein-1, dentin sialophosphoprotein, alkaline
      phosphatase protein level, and mineralization in DPSCs, while knockdown of NRP1
      induced the opposite effects. SiNRP1 similar to DKK1 availably blocked classical
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and odontoblast differentiation. In summary, NRP1, as
      a promoter of odontoblast differentiation, regulates DPSCs via the classical
      Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.

PMID- 28910138
TI  - HSP90 Inhibition and Cellular Stress Elicits Phenotypic Plasticity in
      Hematopoietic Differentiation.
AB  - Cancer cells exist in a state of Darwinian selection using mechanisms that
      produce changes in gene expression through genetic and epigenetic alteration to
      facilitate their survival. Cellular plasticity, or the ability to alter cellular
      phenotype, can assist in survival of premalignant cells as they progress to full
      malignancy by providing another mechanism of adaptation. The connection between
      cellular stress and the progression of cancer has been established, although the
      details of the mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. The molecular
      chaperone HSP90 is often upregulated in cancers as they progress, presumably to
      allow cancer cells to deal with misfolded proteins and cellular stress associated
      with transformation. The objective of this work is to test the hypothesis that
      inhibition of HSP90 results in increased cell plasticity in mammalian systems
      that can confer a greater adaptability to selective pressures. The approach used
      is a murine in vitro model system of hematopoietic differentiation that utilizes
      a murine hematopoietic stem cell line, erythroid myeloid lymphoid (EML) clone 1,
      during their maturation from stem cells to granulocytic progenitors. During the
      differentiation protocol, 80%-90% of the cells die when placed in medium where
      the major growth factor is granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor.
      Using this selection point model, EML cells exhibit increases in cellular
      plasticity when they are better able to adapt to this medium and survive.
      Increases in cellular plasticity were found to occur upon exposure to
      geldanamycin to inhibit HSP90, when subjected to various forms of cellular
      stress, or inhibition of histone acetylation. Furthermore, we provide evidence
      that the cellular plasticity associated with inhibition of HSP90 in this model
      involves epigenetic mechanisms and is dependent upon high levels of stem cell
      factor signaling. This work provides evidence for a role of HSP90 and cellular
      stress in inducing phenotypic plasticity in mammalian systems that has new
      implications for cellular stress in progression and evolution of cancer.

PMID- 28910139
TI  - Quality of Life in Children and Youth with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study examined clinical correlates of quality of life (QoL),
      impact of treatment on QoL, and predictors of QoL change among children with
      obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). METHODS: One hundred forty-two children with
      primary OCD who were enrolled as part of a larger clinical trial participated.
      Children were administered a structured diagnostic interview, as well as
      clinician-administered measures of OCD and depression symptom severity. Children
      and parents completed reports of QoL, as well as measures of impairment and
      internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Youth received 10 sessions of family
      based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). RESULTS: At baseline, QoL was inversely
      related to obsessive-compulsive symptom severity, impairment, externalizing and
      internalizing symptoms, and severity of depression symptoms according to children
      and parents. After CBT, QoL improved according to parent ratings, but not child
      ratings. None of the predictors examined were associated with changes in QoL
      scores over time. Impairment, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms
      predicted QoL after accounting for OCD symptom severity. After accounting for OCD
      symptoms, externalizing symptoms inversely predicted changes in QoL. CONCLUSION:
      These data suggest that QoL is related to more severe clinical presentation and
      improves with evidence-based treatment, but QoL improvements may be inversely
      related to externalizing symptomology.

PMID- 28910140
TI  - Impact of Clinical Salmonellosis in Veal Calves on the Recovery of Salmonella in
      Lymph Nodes at Harvest.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, serotypes,
      antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
      patterns of Salmonella recovered in feces and mesenteric and prefemoral lymph
      nodes (LNs) from cohorts of calves with and without a confirmed outbreak of
      salmonellosis. In a prospective cohort study, 160 calves from four farms without
      a reported outbreak (nonoutbreak farms) were sampled at farm and harvest. In
      addition, harvest samples from 80 calves of two farms with a confirmed outbreak
      (outbreak farms) were collected. A culture protocol for Salmonella isolation was
      applied for all samples and recovered isolates were further characterized by
      serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and PFGE. Among nonoutbreak
      farms, Salmonella was recovered from 0% (0/160) farm fecal samples, 3.7% (6/160)
      harvest fecal swabs, 21.9% (35/160) mesenteric LNs, and 0.6% (1/160) prefemoral
      LNs. Serotypes identified in nonoutbreak herds included Salmonella Typhimurium,
      Cerro, Hartford, and Newport. Most isolates (64.3%, 27/42) exhibited a unique
      multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotype, including resistance to extended-spectrum
      cephalosporins. Salmonella prevalence in harvest fecal samples and prefemoral LNs
      among calves from outbreak farms was numerically higher, but not significantly
      different than those without an outbreak. Serotypes recovered from outbreak farms
      included Salmonella Heidelberg and Typhimurium, and the monophasic Salmonella
      Typhimurium strains 4,5,12:i:- and 4,12:i:-, which have been also reported as
      highly pathogenic in humans. All isolates (33/33) exhibited an MDR phenotype.
      Salmonella strains recovered from ill calves in two outbreaks had
      indistinguishable PFGE patterns, suggesting between-farm transmission. In
      addition, the genotype of Salmonella Heidelberg causing an outbreak among calves
      was recovered from three prefemoral LNs of surviving members of the cohort at
      harvest. Implementation of preharvest biosecurity measures (limited personnel and
      visitor traffic, vehicle, footwear, and utensils disinfection) should be highly
      recommended to decrease the prevalence of Salmonella on farms and safeguard the
      food safety.

PMID- 28910141
TI  - Rapid Screening of Natural Plant Extracts with Calcium Diacetate for Differential
      Effects Against Foodborne Pathogens and a Probiotic Bacterium.
AB  - This study focused on advancing a rapid turbidimetric bioassay to screen
      antimicrobials using specific cocktails of targeted foodborne bacterial
      pathogens. Specifically, to show the relevance of this rapid screening tool, the
      antimicrobial potential of generally recognized as safe calcium diacetate (DAX)
      and blends with cranberry (NC) and oregano (OX) natural extracts was evaluated.
      Furthermore, the same extracts were evaluated against beneficial lactic acid
      bacteria. The targeted foodborne pathogens evaluated were Escherichia coli
      O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus using
      optimized initial cocktails (~108 colony-forming unit/mL) containing strains
      isolated from human food outbreaks. Of all extracts evaluated, 0.51% (w/v) DAX in
      ethanol was the most effective against all four pathogens. However, DAX when
      reduced to 0.26% and with added blends from ethanol extractions consisting of
      DAX:OX (3:1), slightly outperformed or was equal to same levels of DAX alone.
      Subculture of wells in which no growth occurred after 1 week indicated that all
      water and ethanol extracts were bacteriostatic against the pathogens tested. All
      the targeted antimicrobials had no effect on the probiotic organism Lactobacillus
      plantarum. The use of such rapid screening methods combined with the use of
      multistrain cocktails of targeted foodborne pathogens from outbreaks will allow
      rapid large-scale screening of antimicrobials and enable further detailed studies
      in targeted model food systems.

PMID- 28910142
TI  - Distinct Phenotypes of Smokers with Fixed Airflow Limitation Identified by
      Cluster Analysis of Severe Asthma.
AB  - RATIONALE: Smoking may have multifactorial effects on asthma phenotypes,
      particularly in severe asthma. Cluster analysis has been applied to explore novel
      phenotypes, which are not based on any a priori hypotheses. OBJECTIVES: To
      explore novel severe asthma phenotypes by cluster analysis when including smoking
      patients with asthma. METHODS: We recruited a total of 127 subjects with severe
      asthma, including 59 current or ex-smokers, from our university hospital and its
      29 affiliated hospitals/pulmonary clinics. Clinical variables obtained during a 2
      day hospital stay were used for cluster analysis. After clustering using clinical
      variables, the sputum levels of 14 molecules were measured to biologically
      characterize the clinical clusters. RESULTS: Five clinical clusters, including
      two characterized by low forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital
      capacity, were identified. When characteristics of smoking subjects in these two
      clusters were compared, there were marked differences between the two groups: one
      had high levels of circulating eosinophils, high immunoglobulin E levels, and a
      high sinus score, and the other was characterized by low levels of the same
      parameters. Sputum analysis revealed intriguing differences of cytokine/chemokine
      pattern in these two groups. The other three clusters were similar to those
      previously reported: young onset/atopic, nonsmoker/less eosinophilic, and
      female/obese. Key clinical variables were confirmed to be stable and consistent 3
      years later. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals two distinct phenotypes with
      potentially different biological pathways contributing to fixed airflow
      limitation in cigarette smokers with severe asthma.

PMID- 28910143
TI  - The Lost City Hydrothermal Field: A Spectroscopic and Astrobiological Analogue
      for Nili Fossae, Mars.
AB  - Low-temperature serpentinization is a critical process with respect to Earth's
      habitability and the Solar System. Exothermic serpentinization reactions commonly
      produce hydrogen as a direct by-product and typically produce short-chained
      organic compounds indirectly. Here, we present the spectral and mineralogical
      variability in rocks from the serpentine-driven Lost City Hydrothermal Field on
      Earth and the olivine-rich region of Nili Fossae on Mars. Near- and thermal
      infrared spectral measurements were made from a suite of Lost City rocks at
      wavelengths similar to those for instruments collecting measurements of the
      martian surface. Results from Lost City show a spectrally distinguishable suite
      of Mg-rich serpentine, Ca carbonates, talc, and amphibole minerals. Aggregated
      detections of low-grade metamorphic minerals in rocks from Nili Fossae were
      mapped and yielded a previously undetected serpentine exposure in the region.
      Direct comparison of the two spectral suites indicates similar mineralogy at both
      Lost City and in the Noachian (4-3.7 Ga) bedrock of Nili Fossae, Mars. Based on
      mapping of these spectral phases, the implied mineralogical suite appears to be
      extensive across the region. These results suggest that serpentinization was once
      an active process, indicating that water and energy sources were available, as
      well as a means for prebiotic chemistry during a time period when life was first
      emerging on Earth. Although the mineralogical assemblages identified on Mars are
      unlikely to be directly analogous to rocks that underlie the Lost City
      Hydrothermal Field, related geochemical processes (and associated sources of
      biologically accessible energy) were once present in the subsurface, making Nili
      Fossae a compelling candidate for a once-habitable environment on Mars. Key
      Words: Mars-Habitability-Serpentinization-Analogue. Astrobiology 17, 1138-1160.

PMID- 28910144
TI  - ASK1 Inhibition Halts Disease Progression in Preclinical Models of Pulmonary
      Arterial Hypertension.
AB  - RATIONALE: Progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is associated
      with pathological remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature and the right ventricle
      (RV). Oxidative stress drives the remodeling process through activation of MAPKs
      (mitogen-activated protein kinases), which stimulate apoptosis, inflammation, and
      fibrosis. OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether pharmacological inhibition of the
      redox-sensitive apical MAPK, ASK1 (apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1), can
      halt the progression of pulmonary vascular and RV remodeling. METHODS: A
      selective, orally available ASK1 inhibitor, GS-444217, was administered to two
      preclinical rat models of PAH (monocrotaline and Sugen/hypoxia), a murine model
      of RV pressure overload induced by pulmonary artery banding, and cellular models.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Oral administration of GS-444217 dose dependently
      reduced pulmonary arterial pressure and reduced RV hypertrophy in PAH models. The
      therapeutic efficacy of GS-444217 was associated with reduced ASK1
      phosphorylation, reduced muscularization of the pulmonary arteries, and reduced
      fibrotic gene expression in the RV. Importantly, efficacy was observed when GS
      444217 was administered to animals with established disease and also directly
      reduced cardiac fibrosis and improved cardiac function in a model of isolated RV
      pressure overload. In cellular models, GS-444217 reduced phosphorylation of p38
      and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) induced by adenoviral overexpression of ASK1 in
      rat cardiomyocytes and reduced activation/migration of primary mouse cardiac
      fibroblasts and human pulmonary adventitial fibroblasts derived from patients
      with PAH. CONCLUSIONS: ASK1 inhibition reduced pathological remodeling of the
      pulmonary vasculature and the right ventricle and halted progression of pulmonary
      hypertension in rodent models. These preclinical data inform the first
      description of a causal role of ASK1 in PAH disease pathogenesis.

PMID- 28910145
TI  - The Clinical Pharmacokinetics of Amphetamines Utilized in the Treatment of
      Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - Amphetamine (AMP), an indirectly acting psychostimulant approved for the
      treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children,
      adolescents, and adults, is among the most long-standing therapeutic agents in
      all of clinical psychopharmacology. This review focuses on AMP absorption,
      metabolism, and elimination brought to bear on comparative pharmacokinetics in
      its various formulations. A comprehensive search of the published literature was
      conducted using MEDLINE (PubMed) and Google Scholar databases through April 2017
      to retrieve all pertinent in vitro and human studies for review and synthesis.
      Additionally, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) databases were accessed for
      otherwise unavailable data when possible. Initially available as racemic (dl)
      AMP, this drug was later supplanted by enantiopure (d)-AMPH or enantioenriched
      (75:25 dl)-AMP formulations; although racemic AMP returned as an approved drug to
      treat ADHD in 2014. Presently, there are several immediate-release (IR)
      formulations available, including d-AMP, dl-AMP, and mixed amphetamine salts,
      which are neither racemic nor the pure d-enantiomer (i.e., a 3:1 mixture of d-AMP
      and l-AMP). Furthermore, new modified-release AMP formulations, including an oral
      suspension and an orally disintegrating tablet, are now available. A lysine
      bonded prodrug form of d-AMP also serves as a treatment option. Oral AMP is
      rapidly absorbed, with high absolute bioavailability, followed by extensive
      metabolism involving multiple enzymes. Some metabolic pathways exhibit
      stereoselective biotransformations favoring the l-isomer substrate. Drug exposure
      exhibits dose-proportional pharmacokinetics. Body weight is a fundamental
      determinant of differences in observed AMP plasma concentrations. IR formulations
      typically provide a Tmax from 2 to 3 hours. In replicated studies, children
      exhibit a shorter plasma T1/2 (~7 hours) relative to adults (~10 to 12 hours).
      There are few documented pharmacokinetic drug interactions of clinical
      significance beyond influences of drug-induced alteration of urinary pH. The
      array of AMP formulations addressed in this review offer flexibility in dosing,
      drug onset, and offset to assist in individualized pharmacotherapy of ADHD.

PMID- 28910146
TI  - Management of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Refractory Hypoxemia. A
      Multicenter Observational Study.
AB  - RATIONALE: Clinicians' current practice patterns in the management of acute
      respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and refractory hypoxemia are not well
      described. OBJECTIVES: To describe mechanical ventilation strategies and
      treatment adjuncts for adults with ARDS, including refractory hypoxemia. METHODS:
      This was a prospective cohort study (March 2014-February 2015) of mechanically
      ventilated adults with moderate-to-severe ARDS requiring an FiO2 of 0.50 or
      greater in 24 intensive care units. RESULTS: We enrolled 664 patients: 222 (33%)
      with moderate and 442 (67%) with severe ARDS. On Study Day 1, mean Vt was 7.5 (SD
      = 2.1) ml/kg predicted body weight (n = 625); 80% (n = 501) received Vt greater
      than 6 ml/kg. Mean positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was 10.5 (3.7) cm H2O
      (n = 653); 568 patients (87%) received PEEP less than 15 cm H2O. Treatment
      adjuncts were common (n = 440, 66%): neuromuscular blockers (n = 276, 42%),
      pulmonary vasodilators (n = 118, 18%), prone positioning (n = 67, 10%),
      extracorporeal life support (n = 29, 4%), and high-frequency oscillatory
      ventilation (n = 29, 4%). Refractory hypoxemia, defined as PaO2 less than 60 mm
      Hg on FiO2 of 1.0, occurred in 138 (21%) patients. At onset of refractory
      hypoxemia, mean Vt was 7.1 (SD = 2.0) ml/kg (n = 124); 95 patients (77%) received
      Vt greater than 6 ml/kg. Mean PEEP was 12.1 (SD = 4.4) cm H2O (n = 133); 99
      patients (74%) received PEEP less than 15 cm H2O. Among patients with refractory
      hypoxemia, 91% received treatment adjuncts (126/138), with increased use of
      neuromuscular blockers (n = 87, 63%), pulmonary vasodilators (n = 57, 41%), and
      prone positioning (n = 32, 23%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with moderate-to-severe
      ARDS receive treatment adjuncts frequently, especially with refractory hypoxemia.
      Paradoxically, therapies with less evidence supporting their use (e.g., pulmonary
      vasodilators) were over-used, whereas those with more evidence (e.g., prone
      positioning, neuromuscular blockade) were under-used. Patients received higher
      Vts and lower PEEP than would be suggested by the evidence.

PMID- 28910147
TI  - Effects of Cold Ischemia on RNA Stability and Quality of Lung Tissues Based on
      Standard PREanalytical Code Categorization.

PMID- 28910148
TI  - Bulk Scale Formulation of Therapeutic Doses of Clinical Grade Ready-to-Use 177Lu
      DOTA-TATE: The Intricate Radiochemistry Aspects.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: 177Lu-DOTA-TATE is a clinically useful and promising therapeutic
      radiopharmaceutical for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy of neuroendocrine
      tumors (NETs) overexpressing somatostatin receptors. Currently, the
      radiopharmaceutical is prepared in-house at nuclear medicine centers, thereby
      restricting its use to limited centers only. In this article, the authors
      describe systematic studies toward bulk scale formulation of "ready-to-use" 177Lu
      DOTA-TATE using medium specific activity 177Lu (740-1110 GBq/mg) at a centralized
      radiopharmacy facility. METHODS: In an optimized protocol, 177Lu-DOTA-TATE
      synthesis was carried out by direct heating of 177LuCl3 (Sp. act. 740-1110
      GBq/mg) with DOTA-TATE peptide (1.5-3.0 equivalents) in ammonium acetate buffer
      (0.2 M) containing 2,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid (gentisic acid). Thereafter, the
      crude labeled product was purified using a Sep-Pak(r) C18 column and diluted with
      acetate buffer-gentisic acid (1.5% w/v) solution to final radioactive
      concentration of 740 MBq/mL. This was further sterilized and dispensed as 7.4 GBq
      patient dose/vial with 2 days postformulation calibration. RESULTS: A
      peptide/metal ratio of 1.5-3.0 is essential for complexation wherein
      radiolabeling yields >90% are obtained minimizing free 177Lu waste. For
      formulation of 7.4 GBq patient dose (2 days postproduction), even specific
      activity of about 555 GBq/mg was found to be adequate for the radiometal. The
      ready-to-use 740 MBq/mL 177Lu-DOTA-TATE formulation with gentisic acid (1.5% w/v)
      is observed to be safe for human use for more than 1 week (radiochemical purity
      >98%) from the day of production when stored at -70 degrees C. However, the
      target specificity may get affected beyond 2 days as the total peptide content
      for 7.4 GBq dose may exceed the critical peptide limit of 300 MUg. Patient
      treatment carried with several batches of present formulation in diseased NET
      patients exhibited desired distribution at the tumor and its metastatic site.
      CONCLUSIONS: A ready-to-use formulation of 177Lu-DOTA-TATE was successfully
      prepared and optimized for regular bulk scale production and supply to distant
      nuclear medicine centers.

PMID- 28910149
TI  - Dual Targeting of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and HER3 by MEHD7945A as
      Monotherapy or in Combination with Cisplatin Partially Overcomes Cetuximab
      Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines.
AB  - Aberrant signaling of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a crucial
      role in the tumorigenesis of many cancer types, including head and neck squamous
      cell carcinoma (HNSCC), making it a compelling drug target. After initial
      promising results of EGFR-targeted therapies such as cetuximab, the problem of
      therapeutic resistance is emerging and new treatment options are necessary. In
      contrast to first-generation EGFR inhibitors, MEHD7945A (duligotuzumab) is a
      monoclonal antibody with dual EGFR/HER3 specificity. Consequently, treatment with
      MEHD7945A may result in a more pronounced therapeutic benefit. In this study,
      sensitivity to MEHD7945A as a single agent and in combination with cisplatin was
      investigated in cetuximab-sensitive and -resistant HNSCC cell lines under normal
      and reduced oxygen conditions. The results demonstrated that sensitivity to
      MEHD7945A was cell line dependent and influenced by oxygen concentration. An
      additive, but not synergistic, interaction between MEHD7945A and cisplatin was
      observed. In conclusion, MEHD7945A has the potential to partially overcome
      cetuximab resistance. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to determine
      additional resistance mechanisms to cetuximab treatment besides HER3 signaling.
      Unraveling these mechanisms will ultimately lead to the development of new
      therapeutic strategies to improve the response to EGFR blockage.

PMID- 28910152
TI  - Why Should We Care About Health Equity?

PMID- 28910150
TI  - Phase I/II Trial of Anticarcinoembryonic Antigen Radioimmunotherapy, Gemcitabine,
      and Hepatic Arterial Infusion of Fluorodeoxyuridine Postresection of Liver
      Metastasis for Colorectal Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Report the feasibility, toxicities, and long-term results of a Phase
      I/II trial of 90Y-labeled anticarcinoembryonic antigen (anti-CEA) (cT84.66)
      radioimmunotherapy (RIT), gemcitabine, and hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) of
      fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR) after maximal hepatic resection of metastatic
      colorectal cancer to the liver. METHODS: Patients with metastatic colorectal
      cancer to the liver postresection or ablation to minimum disease were eligible.
      Each cohort received HAI of FUdR for 14 days on a dose escalation schedule. The
      maximum HAI FUdR dose level planned was 0.2 mg/kg/day, which is the standard dose
      for HAI FUdR alone. On day 9, 90Y-cT84.66 anti-CEA at 16.6 mCi/m2 as an i.v.
      bolus infusion and on days 9-11 i.v. gemcitabine at 105 mg/m2 were given.
      Patients could receive up to three cycles every 6 weeks of protocol therapy. Four
      additional cycles of HAI FUdR were allowed after RIT. RESULTS: Sixteen patients
      were treated on this study. A maximum tolerated dose of 0.20 mg/kg/day of HAI
      FUdR combined with RIT at 16.6 mCi/m2 and gemcitabine at 105 mg/m2 was achieved
      with only 1 patient experiencing grade 3 reversible toxicity (mucositis). After
      surgery, 10 patients had no evidence of visible disease and remained without
      evidence of disease after completion of protocol therapy. The remaining 6
      patients demonstrated radiological visible disease after surgery and after
      protocol therapy 2 patients had a CR, 1 patient had PR, 2 had stable disease, and
      1 had progression. With a median follow-up of 41.8 months (18.7-114.6), median
      progression free survival was 9.6 months. Two patients demonstrated long-term
      disease control out to 45+ and 113+ months. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates
      the safety, feasibility, and potential utility of HAI FUdR, RIT, and systemic
      gemcitabine. The trimodality approach does not have higher hematologic toxicities
      than seen in prior RIT-alone studies. Future efforts evaluating RIT in colorectal
      cancer should integrate RIT with systemic and regional therapies in the minimal
      tumor burden setting.

PMID- 28910151
TI  - Synthesis, Positron Emission Tomography Imaging, and Therapy of Diabody Targeted
      Drug Lipid Nanoparticles in a Prostate Cancer Murine Model.
AB  - The blood clearance of chemotherapeutic drugs such as doxorubicin (Dox) can be
      extended by incorporation into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and further improved by
      tumor targeting with antibody fragments. We used positron emission tomography
      (PET) imaging in a murine prostate cancer model to evaluate tumor targeting of
      LNPs incorporating Dox and antiprostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)
      diabodies. Dox-LNPs were generated by mixing or covalent attachment to water
      soluble distearoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine-polyethylene glycol (DSPE-PEG)2000.
      Cu-64 PET imaging was performed with DOTA-conjugated Dox, PEG-LNP, or an anti
      PSMA site-specific cysteine-diabody. Since the mixture Dox+PEG-LNP was unstable
      in serum, further studies utilized Dox covalently bound to LNP +/- covalently
      bound DOTA-cys-diabody (cys-DB)-LNP. Blood clearance of covalent Dox-PEG-LNP was
      slower than Dox alone or Dox+PEG-LNP. PET imaging of 64Cu-DOTA-Dox-PEG-LNP
      reached a maximum of 10% ID/g in tumors compared with 3% ID/g of 64Cu-DOTA-Dox,
      due to the prolonged blood clearance. Mixing 64Cu-DOTA-cys-DB-PEG-LNP with
      covalent Dox-PEG-LNP gave LNPs containing both drug and tumor targeting cys-DB.
      The mixed LNPs exhibited increased tumor uptake (15% ID/g) versus untargeted 64Cu
      DOTA-Dox-PEG-LNPs (10% ID/g) demonstrating feasibility of the approach. Based on
      these results, a therapy study with mixed LNPs containing cys-DB-LNP and either
      Dox-LNP or the antitubulin drug auristatin-LNP showed significant reduction of
      tumor growth with the auristatin-diabody-LNP mixture, but not the Dox-diabody-LNP
      mixture.

PMID- 28910153
TI  - The longitudinal effects of grandchild care on depressive symptoms and physical
      health of grandmothers in South Korea: a latent growth approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examined longitudinal effects of grandmothers' patterns in
      caring for their grandchildren, and observed the influence of these patterns on
      grandmothers' depressive symptoms and self-rated health status, using latent
      growth curve models. METHOD: Four waves of the large-scale Korean Longitudinal
      Study of Aging data were used for this study. The total sample consisted of 1,948
      female participants, who have at least one grandchild, and who were age 50-74 in
      2006. The study employed the multiple-group latent growth curve using Mplus to
      analyze if patterns of grandchild care predicted developmental trajectories of
      depressive symptoms and self-rated health over time. RESULTS: Grandmothers who
      stopped raising grandchildren reported more depressive symptoms over time than
      did grandmothers who never raised grandchildren. However, this pattern was not
      found in the group with income more than 60 percent of the median income in
      Korea, but this pattern was found in the group with income below 60 percent of
      the median. CONCLUSION: Findings from the latent growth curve modeling indicate
      how caring for grandchildren affected grandmothers' depressive symptoms and self
      rated health status from a longitudinal perspective. Implications for future
      research and policies on grandchild care are discussed.

PMID- 28910154
TI  - Activation of Veratridine Sensitive Sodium Channels, But not Electrical Field
      Stimulation, Dilates Porcine Retinal Arterioles with Preserved Perivascular
      Tissue.
AB  - PURPOSE: Disturbances in retinal blood flow are a prominent feature of vision
      threatening retinal diseases. The regulation of tone in retinal resistance
      vessels involves the perivascular retinal tissue, but it is unknown to what
      extent neurons or glial cells contribute to the effect. Therefore, the purpose of
      the present study was to study the contribution of neurons in the perivascular
      retina to vascular tone during activation of voltage-gated sodium channels with
      veratridine and electrical field stimulation (EFS). METHODS: Porcine retinal
      arterioles with and without perivascular tissue were mounted in an isometric
      myograph system for studying the effects of the voltage-gated sodium channel
      opener veratridine and EFS on retinal vascular tone. RESULTS: Veratridine induced
      concentration-dependent relaxation of retinal arterioles which was more
      pronounced in arterioles with preserved perivascular retinal tissue than in
      isolated vessels. In the presence of this tissue, veratridine-induced relaxation
      was inhibited by the voltage-gated sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin and the
      nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, Nomega-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME),
      but was unaffected by the inhibition of the cyclo-oxygenase inbitior ibuprofen
      and by blocking of adenosine receptors with 8-(p-Sulfophenyl)theophylline hydrate
      (8-PSPT). Electrical field stimulation induced no changes in retinal vascular
      tone. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium channels of neuronal origin are likely to be involved
      in the regulation of retinal vascular tone. The lack of effect of EFS on retinal
      vascular tone may be due to the lack of autonomic nerves in the retina.

PMID- 28910155
TI  - Identification of the Molecular Mechanism of Trimethoprim Resistance in Listeria
      monocytogenes.
AB  - Trimethoprim with sulfamethoxazole is a therapeutic agent combination used to
      treat infections caused by the facultative intracellular foodborne pathogen
      Listeria monocytogenes. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of
      resistance of L. monocytogenes arising due to exposure to trimethoprim and
      subsequently investigate the molecular mechanisms of resistance. After exposure
      of a culture of L. monocytogenes ATCC 13932 to trimethoprim at 10-fold the
      minimal inhibitory concentration spontaneous resistant mutants were recovered,
      giving a frequency of resistance development of 6.85 +/- 0.92 * 10-8. The
      isolates exhibited a 32-64-fold decrease in susceptibility compared with the
      parental strain. These results indicate the capacity of L. monocytogenes to
      develop low-level resistance toward trimethoprim after exposure to the drug. The
      trimethoprim resistance genes (dhfr) and their promoter regions from all
      trimethoprim-resistant isolates were amplified and sequenced, leading to the
      identification of four single amino acid substitutions (Met20-Val, Pro21-Leu,
      Thr46-Asn, Val95-Leu) and two double substitutions (Met20-Ile+Thr46-Asn and Thr46
      Asn+Leu85-Phe) in DHFR. Of the identified mutations, the Thr46-Asn substitution
      has not been previously reported as the mechanism of resistance to trimethoprim
      in other bacteria; thus this substitution seems to be unique to L. monocytogenes.
      The expression of the mutated L. monocytogenes dhfr genes in Escherichia coli led
      to decreased susceptibility of the heterological host, therefore proving that the
      identified point mutations in dhfr serve as the molecular mechanism of acquired
      resistance of L. monocytogenes to trimethoprim.

PMID- 28910156
TI  - Antiproliferative Effects of Bacillus coagulans Unique IS2 in Colon Cancer Cells.
AB  - In the present study, the in vitro anticancer (antiproliferative) effects of
      Bacillus coagulans Unique IS2 were evaluated on human colon cancer (COLO 205),
      cervical cancer (HeLa), and chronic myeloid leukemia (K562) cell lines with a
      human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK 293T) as noncancerous control cells. The
      Cytotoxicity assay (MTT) clearly demonstrated a 22%, 31.7%, and 19.5% decrease in
      cell proliferation of COLO 205, HeLa, and K562 cells, respectively, when compared
      to the noncancerous HEK 293T cells. Normal phase-contrast microscopic images
      clearly suggested that the mechanism of cell death is by apoptosis. To further
      confirm the induction of apoptosis by Unique IS2, the sub-G0-G1 peak of the cell
      cycle was quantified using a flow cytometer and the data indicated 40% of the
      apoptotic cells in Unique IS2-treated COLO cells when compared with their
      untreated control cells. The Western blot analysis showed an increase in pro
      apoptotic protein BAX, decrease in antiapoptotic protein, Bcl2, decrease in
      mitochondrial membrane potential, increase in cytochrome c release, increase in
      Caspase 3 activity, and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The present
      study suggests that the heat-killed culture supernatant of B. coagulans can be
      more effective in inducing apoptosis of colon cancer cells and that can be
      considered for adjuvant therapy in the treatment of colon carcinoma.

PMID- 28910157
TI  - Photochemical Cross-Linking for Penetrating Corneal Wound Closure in Enucleated
      Porcine Eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of photochemical-induced tissue cross-linking
      (PCL), utilizing Rose Bengal (RB) and 532 nm green light irradiation (RB-PCL),
      with standard sutures for closure of penetrating corneal incision in porcine
      cadaver eyes. METHODS: A full-thickness penetrating incision, 3 mm in length
      parallel to the limbus and perpendicular to the corneal surface, was made in the
      enucleated porcine cornea. Photochemical cross-linking was performed with
      tropical RB application and irradiation of 532 nm green light (0.6 W/cm2) for
      200, 250, and 300 seconds at laser fluences of 120, 150, and 180 J/cm2,
      respectively, which was compared with the standard 10-0 nylon suture group.
      Following treatment, intraocular pressure to the point where wound leakage
      occurred (IOPL) was measured. Corneal central thickness and surface temperature
      before and after PCL treatment were recorded. Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
      and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to evaluate wound closure.
      RESULTS: The mean corneal central thickness was increased from 812.0 +/- 47.0 to
      838.0 +/- 45.6 um after the incision as a result of cornea aqueous humor
      infiltration. RB penetrated approximately 140 MUm into the porcine corneal
      stroma. The mean IOPL for untreated blank group after incision was 4.27 +/- 0.36
      mmHg. Increased laser fluences produced increased IOPL of 27.02 +/- 3.01
      (PCL120), 31.60 +/- 3.67 (PCL150) and 36.73 +/- 3.25 mmHg (PCL180), which were
      statistically different from the control intact group. The mean IOPL in the
      sutured cornea was 57.30 +/- 4.59 mmHg. The average surface temperature
      difference before and after PCL treatment was 2.03 +/- 0.45-2.47 +/- 0.79 degrees
      C. OCT demonstrated not only complete but also improved closure in comparison
      with disorganized collagen fibers after conventional suturing, which is further
      confirmed by SEM. CONCLUSIONS: Complete and clinically relevant seal of full
      thickness porcine corneal incision was achieved using PCL method ex vivo, which
      provides potential application of this technique in ocular wound closure.

PMID- 28910158
TI  - Interaction Between Rare Variants in NOTCH1 and Betel Quid Chewing in Oral
      Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated rare variants of the NOTCH1 gene
      located near somatic mutations as surrogate markers, as well as the relationship
      of these rare variants with betel quid (BQ) chewing and the occurrence of oral
      squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 410 patients
      diagnosed with OSCC and 282 unrelated, healthy subjects without cancer were
      recruited from two medical centers in Taiwan. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) were assessed by logistic regression. The Cox proportional hazard
      model was used to assess the interaction between rare NOTCH1 variants and BQ
      chewing in OSCC. RESULTS: The genetic variant rs139994842 in exon15 of NOTCH1 was
      significantly associated with an increased risk of OSCC (OR = 2.88 95% CI: 1.07
      7.79), and the association between rs202133782 in exon13 of NOTCH1 with OSCC was
      borderline significant (p = 0.0627). Moreover, a combination of four rare
      variants was significantly associated with OSCC (p = 0.012). Patients who carried
      these NOTCH1 variants were at a higher risk of recurrence (OR = 18.95; 95% CI,
      1.01-326.74; p = 0.0428). Furthermore, of the mean 24-year BQ exposure period,
      the OSCC incidence rate was significantly higher in OSCC patients who chewed BQ
      and had a NOTCH1 variant (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This information is applicable
      to prevention; the surveillance of patients at risk; and for early detection to
      reduce morbidity and mortality from OSCC.

PMID- 28910159
TI  - Glaucoma Diagnostic Ability of the Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
      Vessel Density Parameters.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the glaucoma diagnostic abilities of vessel density
      parameters as determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography in
      different stages of glaucoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 113 healthy eyes
      and 140 glaucomatous eyes were enrolled. Diagnostic abilities of the OCT vessel
      density parameters in the optic nerve head (ONH), peripapillary, and macular
      regions were evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver operation
      characteristic curves (AUCs). AUCs of the peripapillary vessel density parameters
      and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were compared.
      RESULTS: OCT angiography vessel densities in the ONH, peripapillary, and macular
      regions in the glaucomatous eyes were significantly lower than those in the
      healthy eyes (P < 0.05). Among the vessel density parameters, the average
      peripapillary vessel density showed higher AUC than the ONH and macular region
      (AUCs: 0.807, 0.566, and 0.651, respectively) for glaucoma detection. The
      peripapillary vessel density parameters showed similar AUCs with the
      corresponding sectoral RNFL thickness (P > 0.05). However, in the early stage of
      glaucoma, the AUCs of the inferotemporal and temporal peripapillary vessel
      densities were significantly lower than that of the RNFL thickness (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: The glaucomatous eyes showed decreased vessel density as determined
      by OCT angiography. Although the peripapillary vessel density parameters showed
      similar glaucoma diagnostic ability with circumpapillary RNFL thickness, in the
      early stage, the vessel density parameters showed limited clinical value.

PMID- 28910160
TI  - A Novel Approach to the Differentiation of Intrabulbar Tumors in Color Doppler
      Imaging.
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: The similarity of many benign intrabulbar lesions to a
      malignant tumor requires detailed differential diagnostics. However, none of the
      known methods can be used as the only one to determine the type of lesions. The
      aim of this study was to determine color Doppler imaging (CDI) markers
      characteristic of choroidal melanoma and metastatic intrabulbar tumors,
      increasing the diagnostic value and giving a new insight into the use of this
      method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CDI was performed in 44 patients with malignant
      tumors and in 49 patients with benign tumors. Patients with malignant tumors were
      divided into melanomas (n = 28) and metastatic tumors (n = 16). Univariate
      analysis with the logistic regression method and multivariate stepwise logistic
      regression analysis to create models testing tumor malignancy and differentiating
      melanoma from metastatic lesions were used. Model sensitivity and specificity
      were evaluated by the receiver-operating characteristic curve. A K-fold
      validation was performed. RESULTS: Arterial blood flow, regular tumor surface,
      and tumor location in peripheral choroid were found significant for tumor
      malignancy. Mixed blood flow increased the accuracy of the test (p > 0.05). Model
      sensitivity and specificity were 83.7% and 75.7%. A regular tumor surface and
      hypoechoic or isoechoic tumor mass differentiated melanoma and metastatic masses
      in the regression model, with a sensitivity of 85.2% and a specificity of 75.0%.
      The area under curve (AUC) for both the models was 0.851 SE (standard error)
      0.041 and 0.853 SE 0.063, respectively. AUC in five-fold cross-validation was
      0.80 SE 0.0477 and 0.743 SE 0.094, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial or mixed
      blood flow, regular tumor surface, and tumor location in peripheral choroid may
      be characteristic of malignant tumors. Regular tumor surface and echogenicity of
      tumor mass could differentiate melanoma from metastatic tumor.

PMID- 28910161
TI  - Long-Term Surgical Outcomes of Early Surgery for Intermittent Exotropia in
      Children Less than 4 Years of Age.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the long-term outcomes of intermittent exotropia surgery
      for children less than 4 years of age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive
      patients who underwent surgery for intermittent exotropia and had follow-up
      durations longer than 2 years were recruited. The patients were classified
      according to age at surgery-the patients of group 1 had undergone surgery before
      4 years of age and those of group 2 at or after 4 years of age. Motor success was
      defined by exodeviation < 10 prism diopters (PD) and esodeviation < 5 PD at
      distance at 2 years postoperatively. Stereoacuity was considered as success at a
      value <= 60 arc seconds. The motor and sensory success rates as well as the
      surgical complications were compared. RESULTS: Of the 73 patients, 36 were
      allocated to group 1 and 37 to group 2. At 2 years after surgery, 13 of the 36
      (36.1%) patients in group 1 and 12 of the 37 (32.4%) in group 2 had achieved
      successful alignment; 32 (88.9%) patients in group 1 and 35 (94.6%) in group 2
      achieved normal stereoacuity. No significant differences in the motor or sensory
      success rates were observed between the two groups (p = 0.46 and 0.32,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The surgical success rates for intermittent exotropia
      were comparable between the patients operated upon before 4 years of age and
      those operated upon after 4 years of age. The incidence of postsurgical
      complications was low and not significantly different between the two study
      groups.

PMID- 28910163
TI  - Anterior Lens Capsule and Iris Thicknesses in Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate anatomic properties of the lens
      capsule and iris by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in
      patients with pseudoexfoliation (PEX). METHODS: This prospective study included
      62 eyes of 62 patients with PEX syndrome and 43 eyes of 43 age- and gender
      matched controls. All subjects underwent full ophthalmologic examinations
      including AS-OCT. Pupillary diameter, midperipheral stromal iris thickness,
      central and temporal lens capsule thicknesses, and peripheral pseudoexfoliation
      material thickness on the anterior lens capsule surface were measured and
      recorded. RESULTS: Mean age was 66.8 +/- 9.3 years in the PEX group and 65.5 +/-
      8.9 years in the control group (p = 0.44). The PEX group consisted of 62
      patients: 38 men (61.3%) and 24 women (38.7%); the control group included 43
      subjects: 25 men (58.1%) and 18 women (41.9%). Pupillary diameter after
      pharmacologic mydriasis was 21% smaller in the PEX group than controls. Mean
      midperipheral iris thickness was 36 +/- 7.2 MUm (7.8%) thinner in the PEX group
      than that of control group (p = 0.047). The central anterior capsule was a mean
      of 3.40 +/- 0.51 MUm (18%) thicker in the PEX group compared to the control group
      (p = 0.0001). The temporal anterior lens capsule was a mean of 0.17 +/- 0.15 MUm
      thicker in the PEX group compared to the control group (p = 0.81). CONCLUSIONS:
      With high-resolution OCT imaging, it has become possible to evaluate the anterior
      lens capsule without histologic examination and demonstrate that it is thicker
      than normal in PEX patients.

PMID- 28910162
TI  - Patient Engagement Is Related to Impairment Reduction During Digital Game-Based
      Therapy in Stroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Upper limb impairment in the chronic phase of stroke recovery is
      persistent, disabling, and difficult to treat. The objectives of this study were
      to determine whether therapeutic enjoyment is related to clinical improvement
      after upper limb rehabilitation and to assess the feasibility of a therapy gaming
      system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten chronic stroke survivors with persistent upper
      limb impairment were enrolled in the study. Upper limb impairment was evaluated
      by using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity Function (FMA-UE). The
      Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) assessed the level of therapy
      enjoyment, and the System Usability Scale (SUS) measured the ease of operation of
      the game. Upper limb therapy involved 30 minutes of novel digital gaming therapy,
      three times per week, for 6 weeks. RESULTS: The average improvement in the FMA-UE
      after the digital gaming therapy was 2.8 (+/-2.1) points. Participants scored the
      digital gaming system as having good usability (SUS: 72 +/- 7.9), and the
      physical activity as enjoyable (PACES: 65.8 +/- 10.6). There was a strong
      positive correlation between improvement in the FMA-UE score and the PACES
      (Spearman's Rho = 0.84; P < 0.002). CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrates the
      feasibility and potential for improvements in upper limb motor function by using
      digital gaming in the chronic stroke patient population. The positive correlation
      found between therapy enjoyment and clinical gains highlights the importance of
      engagement in therapy to optimize outcomes in chronic stroke survivors.

PMID- 28910164
TI  - Botryoid odontogenic cyst. Exploration of proliferative activity, apoptosis and
      expression of TP53 and BCL2 compared to the histologically identical lateral
      periodontal and gingival cysts.
AB  - The botryoid odontogenic cyst (BOC) is a rare, locally more aggressive variant of
      the usually indolent lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) and gingival cyst (GC). A
      recent case of BOC provided an opportunity for an exploratory study on the causes
      of its more aggressive behavior. The limited objective was to see if the BOC was
      sufficiently different from the other cysts to warrant an investment in a large
      study. Sections of neutral buffered formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues
      from the BOC and archival specimens of four GCs, four LPCs and three odontogenic
      keratocysts (OKCs) were stained using immunohistochemistry for Ki-67, a marker of
      proliferating cells, caspase-3, a marker of cells undergoing apoptosis, tumor
      suppressor p53, and the apoptosis inhibitor BCL2. The mean labeling index (LI) of
      immunoreactive cyst epithelial cells was computed for each antibody and type of
      cyst. Compared to the LPCs and GCs, the BOC exhibited a moderately larger Ki
      67/caspase-3 LI difference, which indicates that the BOC had a net higher rate of
      growth. We found a much higher level of LI, therefore likely dysregulation of
      p53. We also found a much higher LI of BCL2. The LIs of p53 and BCL2 in the BOC
      were similar to and more than twice that of the OKCs, respectively. Although
      meaningful statistical analysis was precluded by our use of only one case of BOC
      and a small number of the other cysts, the high p53 and very high BCL2 labeling
      indices of the BOC offer a potential explanation for its reportedly more
      aggressive behavior that clearly is worthy of further investigation.

PMID- 28910165
TI  - Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Untreated
      Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate peripapillary choroidal thickness (PPCT), central macular
      choroidal thickness (CMCT), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in
      untreated patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).
      METHODS: This prospective, randomized, and comparative study was conducted in a
      university ophthalmology clinic. 106 eyes of 106 patients with OSAHS and 44 eyes
      of 44 healthy individuals were evaluated in this study. Only right eyes were
      evaluated. The patients with OSAHS were divided into three groups as mild (group
      1), moderate (group 2), and severe (group 3) according to apnea-hypopnea index.
      The PPCT, CMCT, and RNFL measurements were performed by using spectral domain
      optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging technique. The main
      parameters assessed were PPCT-Temporal, PPCT-Superior, PPCT-Nasal, PPCT-Inferior
      quadrants, CMCT, and RNFL thicknesses. RESULTS: The PPCT of all quadrants was
      significantly thicker in the control group compared with the moderate and severe
      subgroups of OSAHS (p < 0.05). The PPCT-Superior and PPCT-Temporal were
      significantly thinner in the mild subgroup compared with the control group (p =
      0.003 and p = 0.028, respectively). There was no difference between the control
      and mild groups regarding the RNFL thicknesses except nasal RNFL and
      inferotemporal RNFL which are thinner in the mild group. The RNFL thicknesses of
      all quadrants were significantly thicker in the control group compared with
      moderate and severe subgroups (p < 0.05). The CMCT was significantly thicker in
      the control group compared with all subgroups of OSAHS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      In OSAHS patients, PPCT, CMCT, and RNFL were significantly thinner compared with
      the control group. These results may explain why OSAHS patients are prone to
      normotensive glaucoma.

PMID- 28910166
TI  - Prevalence, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Relatedness of Salmonella Isolated from
      Chickens and Pigs on Farms, Abattoirs, and Markets in Sichuan Province, China.
AB  - This study aims at investigating the distribution, antimicrobial resistance, and
      genetic relationship of Salmonella isolated from 18 farms, their downstream
      abattoirs, and markets of chickens and pigs in Sichuan province, China. A total
      of 193 Salmonella isolates were identified from 693 samples with an isolation
      rate of 26.27% (88/335) in chickens and 29.33% (105/358) in pigs. Salmonella was
      isolated more frequently in abattoirs and markets than from farms. Serotypes were
      determined according to the White-Kauffmann-Le Minor scheme and 16 different
      serotypes were identified, with Derby being the most common, followed by
      Typhimurium and Meleagridis. Antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes
      were studied by using the disk diffusion method and polymerase chain reaction
      (PCR) amplification, respectively. Overall, 44.04% (n = 85) of all isolates were
      multidrug resistant (MDR) and resistance to nalidixic acid (51.30%) was the most
      frequently observed. blaCTX-M-55 was the most prevalent extended-spectrum beta
      lactamases gene, and polymyxin resistance gene mcr-1 was present in strains with
      various serotypes. Multilocus sequence typing indicated that sequence type (ST)
      had a close relationship with serotype, and 34.20% of all strains were ST40,
      which was the most prevalent. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic
      means (UPGMA) dendrogram of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that
      Salmonella isolates belonging to the same serovar from different parts of the
      production chain were highly genetic related, indicating that Salmonella as well
      as resistance genes could potentially be transmitted from farms to markets. Our
      study highlights the fact that Salmonella isolates from chicken and pig
      production chain were frequently exhibiting MDR profiles, and the dissemination
      of MDR Salmonella from farm to market could pose significant threats to food
      safety and public health.

PMID- 28910167
TI  - Expression of Antimicrobial Peptides by Uveal and Cutaneous Melanoma Cells and
      Investigation of Their Role in Tumor Cell Migration and Vasculogenic Mimicry.
AB  - AIMS: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of
      several cancers, although there is also evidence suggesting potential for novel,
      AMP-based antitumor therapies. Discerning potential roles of AMPs in tumor
      pathogenesis may provide valuable insight into the mechanisms of novel AMP-based
      antitumor therapy. METHODS: mRNA expression of the AMPs alpha defensin (HNP-1);
      cathelicidin (LL-37); and beta defensins (hBD-1, hBD-2, hBD-3, hBD-4) in human
      uveal and cutaneous melanoma cell lines, primary human uveal melanocytes, and
      primary human uveal melanoma cells was determined by reverse transcriptase
      polymerase chain reaction. An in vitro scratch assay and custom Matlab analysis
      were used to determine the AMP effects on melanoma cell migration. Last, the
      effect of specific AMPs on vasculogenic mimicry was determined by three
      dimensional (3D) culture and light and fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Low-to
      moderate AMP transcript levels were detected, and these varied across the cells
      tested. Overall, LL-37 expression was increased while hBD-4 was decreased in most
      melanoma cell lines, compared to primary cultured uveal melanocytes. There was no
      observable influence of HNP-1 and LL-37 on tumor cell migration. Additionally,
      aggressive cutaneous melanoma cells grown in 3D cultures exhibited vasculogenic
      mimicry, although AMP exposure did not alter this process. CONCLUSIONS:
      Collectively, our data show that although AMP mRNA expression is variable between
      uveal and cutaneous melanoma cells, these peptides have little influence on major
      characteristics that contribute to tumor aggressiveness and progression.

PMID- 28910168
TI  - Reduced Central Retinal Artery Blood Flow Is Related to Impaired Central Visual
      Function in Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the test-retest repeatability of blood flow velocities in
      the retrobulbar central retinal artery (CRA) and explored whether reduced blood
      flow is related to the degree of visual function loss in retinitis pigmentosa
      (RP) patients with wide range of disease severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      measured CRA peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV) to
      calculate mean flow velocity (MFV) in 18 RP patients using color Doppler imaging
      with spectral flow Doppler (GE Logiq7 ultrasound) twice in each eye at each of
      two visits within a month. At each of these two visits, we measured ETDRS visual
      acuity (VA), quick Contrast Sensitivity Function (qCSF), Goldmann visual fields
      (GVF), 10-2 Humphrey visual fields (HVF), and dark-adaptation at 5 degrees  from
      fixation with the AdaptDx; multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) was obtained at
      a single visit. RESULTS: Mean coefficients of variation for PSV, EDV and MFV were
      16.1-19.2% for within-visit measurements and 20.1-22.4% for between-visit
      measures. Across patients, greater visual function loss assessed with VA (p =
      0.04), extinguished versus measurable amplitude in ring 1 for mfERG (p = 0.001),
      and cone-only versus rod function with the AdaptDx (p = 0.002) were statistically
      significantly correlated with reduced MFV in the CRA when included a multilevel
      multivariate regression model along with the qCSF and HVF results, which all
      together accounted for 47% of the total variance in MFV. GVF log retinal areas
      (V4e and III4e; p = 0.30 and p = 0.95, respectively) and measurable far
      peripheral vision during GVF testing (p = 0.66) were not significantly related to
      MFV. CONCLUSIONS: MFV in the CRA decreased with impaired central vision due to
      loss of both rod and cone function, had good test-retest repeatability, and may
      serve as a biomarker outcome to determine the potential physiological basis for
      improvements in RP clinical trials of therapies with indirect effects on blood
      flow to the retina.

PMID- 28910170
TI  - The protective effect of vitamin D against carbon tetrachloride damage to the rat
      liver.
AB  - We investigated the protective effect of vitamin D against liver damage caused by
      carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Twenty-four male rats were divided into four equal
      groups: G1, untreated controls; G2, administered CCl4; G3, administered both CCl4
      and vitamin D for 10 weeks; G4, administered CCl4 for 10 weeks and vitamin D for
      12 weeks. At the end of experiment, intracardiac blood samples were taken and
      liver samples were removed. Hepatic damage due to CCl4 was assessed using
      biochemistry and histopathology. Glutathione (GSH) levels decreased, while
      malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased in liver tissues of G2. Alanine
      transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl-transaminase
      (GGT) levels increased, while albumin (ALB) levels decreased. Hepatocyte
      degeneration, lobular disorder, sinusoid dilation, focal necrotic areas,
      hyperemia, and glycogen loss were observed. Hepatic fibrosis was observed around
      portal areas and central veins. Bridging fibrous septa were formed between portal
      veins. By immunohistochemistry, both matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and
      desmin reactivity were increased. All aspects of liver damage were at least
      partially prevented in rats treated with vitamin D. Vitamin D appears to act as
      an antioxidant and anti-fibrotic to protect the rat liver against damage.

PMID- 28910169
TI  - Perceptions of Equid Well Being Well-Being in South Dakota.
AB  - In South Dakota, the status of equid well being is relatively unknown. This study
      sought to (a) gain understanding about the current perceptions of nonhuman animal
      well being in South Dakota, with an emphasis on horses and other equids; (b)
      determine the level of care equids are reportedly receiving and the perceived
      challenges to equine well being in South Dakota, and (c) determine if people from
      diverse geographical locations (east or west of the Missouri River) have similar
      views on the well being of equids in South Dakota. Respondents indicated the
      current level of equid well being in South Dakota is sufficient, but there is
      room for improvement. Current challenges for the equid population of South Dakota
      were the high annual cost of horse care, poor horsemanship, dental problems, and
      whether caregivers understand basic equine care. Several significant associations
      arose between where a respondent lives (Western or Eastern South Dakota) and
      their level of agreement with various statements. The results provide a benchmark
      to gauge well being and help give direction for future educational needs that can
      continue to improve equid care.

PMID- 28910171
TI  - Immunohistochemical localization of TLR2 and CD14 in gingival tissue of healthy
      individuals and patients with chronic periodontitis.
AB  - We used immunohistochemistry to quantify and compare the expression of Toll-like
      receptor 2 (TLR2) and cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) in gingival tissues of
      both healthy individuals and patients with chronic periodontitis. We also
      correlated the expression of TLR2 and CD14 with the histological grades of
      chronic periodontitis. We examined 30 gingival specimens from chronic
      periodontitis patients and 10 from healthy individuals. Tissues from both groups
      were immunostained with antibodies against TLR2 and CD14. TLR2 and CD14 were
      expressed by endothelial cells, fibroblasts, lymphocytes and plasma cells. The
      immunohistochemical expression of TLR2 and CD14 was significantly greater in
      inflammatory cells of the chronic periodontitis group than in healthy
      individuals. Expression of these molecules was greater in the inflammatory cells
      of connective tissue adjacent to pocket epithelium in both groups. The expression
      of TLR2 and CD14 was greatest in the periodontitis group that was classified as
      severe grade, followed by moderate and mild grades, which suggests a role of TLR2
      and CD14 in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis. The positive correlation
      of TLR2 and CD14 expression levels with the severity grades of chronic
      periodontitis suggests that they are correlated also with disease severity;
      therefore, they may be useful for predicting disease progression. Our findings
      are consistent with the possibility that CD14 acts as a co-receptor for TLR2.

PMID- 28910172
TI  - Quirks of dye nomenclature. 9. Fluorescein.
AB  - Adolf Baeyer announced the discovery of fluorescein in 1871 and named it after
      its most striking property, i.e., fluorescence. I describe here the synthesis of
      fluorescein. There are seven molecular species in both the solid state or in
      solution. I also summarize some of the diverse applications of the dye, both
      medical and nonmedical, which depend mostly on the facile detection of
      fluorescein at low concentration. Both animal and human toxicity are examined.

PMID- 28910174
TI  - Family and Peer-Group Substance Abuse as a Risk-Factor for Opioid Misuse
      Behaviors for a Young Adult with Cancer-Related Pain-A Case Study.
AB  - The purpose of this report is to illustrate the importance of assessing for
      family, peer, and personal substance abuse risk factors in the case of a young
      adult with cancer-related pain and behaviors potentially indicative of opioid
      misuse (OM). A thorough clinical interview and an OM screening measure revealed
      important information about the patient's family and social environment. Based on
      this information, the treatment team acted quickly to prevent additional aberrant
      opioid-associated behaviors (AOBs). Despite these efforts, additional AOBs
      occurred; however, the case highlights the importance of family and social
      environments for adolescents and young adults with cancer-related pain.

PMID- 28910173
TI  - Alcohol Use Severity Among Adult Hispanic Immigrants: Examining the Roles of
      Family Cohesion, Social Support, and Gender.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examined (a) the direct association of family cohesion on
      alcohol use severity among adult Hispanic immigrants; (b) the indirect
      association of family cohesion on alcohol use severity via social support; and
      (c) if gender moderates the direct and indirect associations between family
      cohesion and alcohol use severity. METHOD: Mediation and moderation analyses were
      conducted on a cross-sectional sample of 411 (men = 222, women = 189)
      participants from Miami-Dade, Florida. RESULTS: Findings indicate that higher
      family cohesion was directly associated with higher social support and lower
      alcohol use severity. Higher social support was also directly associated with
      lower alcohol use severity. Additionally, family cohesion had an indirect
      association with alcohol use severity via social support. Moderation analyses
      indicated that gender moderated the direct association between family cohesion
      and alcohol use severity, but did not moderate the indirect association.
      CONCLUSIONS: Some potential clinical implications may be that strengthening
      family cohesion may enhance levels of social support, and in turn, lower alcohol
      use severity among adult Hispanic immigrants. Furthermore, strengthening family
      cohesion may be especially beneficial to men in efforts to lower levels of
      alcohol use severity.

PMID- 28910175
TI  - Neurotrophic Keratopathy: Therapeutic Approach Using a Novel Matrix Regenerating
      Agent.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of a new matrix-regenerating
      agent (RGTA), Cacicol(r), a polymer that mimics heparan sulfates bound to
      extracellular matrix proteins, avoiding its proteolysis, to treat neurotrophic
      keratopathy (NK). METHODS: Uncontrolled prospective clinical study performed
      between January 2014 and May 2016. Twenty-five patients (25 eyes) with corneal
      neurotrophic ulcers, nonresponsive to at least 2 weeks of conservative therapy,
      were treated with Cacicol, instilled once/twice a week. During follow-up, slit
      lamp examination, anterior segment photography, fluorescein-dye testing, and best
      corrected visual acuity were analyzed. Ulcer evolution was evaluated using image
      analysis software (ImageJ(r)) and healing defined as decrease of the corneal
      ulcer area. An independent observer measured ulcer area. RESULTS: All patients
      had complete corneal healing within an average of 4.13 +/- 2.32 weeks. Mean ulcer
      area decreased significantly (P = 0.001) from 16.51% +/- 18.56% (1st day) to
      8.68% +/- 11.25% at the 7th day and to 4.73% +/- 10.75% at the 14th day. Compared
      with day 1, mean ulcer area decreased 60.24% after 7 days (P = 0.001), 54.92%
      after 14 days (P = 0.059), and 83.00% after 21 days (P = 0.003). Two cases of
      recurrence (8.0%) were registered. No systemic or local side effects were
      noticed. CONCLUSIONS: The new regenerating agent, Cacicol, represents an
      effective and safe therapy to treat NK.

PMID- 28910176
TI  - Alcohol Use and Psychosocial Stressors in the Norwegian Workforce.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although alcohol use can have detrimental effects for employees,
      little is known about the prevalence, distribution, and correlates in the
      Norwegian workforce. AIMS: To determine the overall and the work-related
      prevalence of weekly alcohol use, and to establish associations between
      psychosocial work stressors and alcohol use among Norwegian employees. METHODS:
      Data were from a 2015 national probability sample of 1,608 Norwegian employees
      (response rate 32%). Job demands, lack of job control, role expectations,
      workplace bullying, and leadership were examined as correlates of several
      dimensions of alcohol use. RESULTS: Average weekly alcohol consumption was 4.28
      units (SD = 7.91). Male workers reported significantly higher consumption than
      female workers. Also, 2.6% of male and 2.0% of female workers reported
      problematic alcohol use. Only 0.1% of workers reported weekly alcohol use before
      the workday, 0.4% reported weekly use during the workday, 20.1% reported weekly
      use after ending the work day, and 80% reported use during weekends/days off.
      Alcohol intake increased with age, but was not related to marital status,
      educational level, work schedule, or leadership position. Problematic alcohol use
      was related to job demands and workplace bullying. Alcohol use after work was
      positively related to lack of job control and role ambiguity and negatively
      related to bullying. Conclusions/importance: Weekly alcohol use before and during
      the workday is not prevalent among Norwegian workers. Interventions to reduce job
      demands and workplace bullying may reduce problematic alcohol intake, whereas
      increasing job control and reducing role ambiguity may reduce after work use.

PMID- 28910177
TI  - Development and Validation of a Brief Measure of Eating Compulsivity (MEC).
AB  - Food addiction is increasingly being recognised as a contributory factor in
      overweight and obesity. Management of eating compulsivity, a key component of
      food addiction, may assist greatly in the successful treatment of obesity.
      Measurement of food addiction and its core characteristic of eating compulsivity
      is fundamental to increasing understandings of the concept of food addiction, its
      prevalence among people with and without obesity and its utility within a
      treatment context. The current study describes the development and initial
      validation of a brief measure of eating compulsivity that can be used within
      clinical and research settings to establish a person's level of eating
      compulsivity. Sixty five participants with a BMI >=30 (mean BMI 38.1) were
      recruited from a general population sample within Christchurch, New Zealand.
      Participants completed the test version of the Measure of Eating Compulsivity
      (MEC) and the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) as well as providing self-reported
      measures of height and weight. The 10-item MEC was developed. This measure was
      shown to have excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =.946), based on a
      single factor accounting for 67.4% of the variance and excellent test-retest
      reliability (r =.923). MEC10 score was strongly predictive of being categorised
      as having food addiction based on the YFAS, although not associated with BMI.
      This brief tool is likely to have high utility in clinical and research settings
      and requires further validation with a range of populations including those with
      and without obesity, binge eating disorder and other eating disorders.

PMID- 28910178
TI  - Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Differences among Adolescent Nonsmokers, Ex
      Smokers, and Smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large body of research has traced tobacco dependence among
      adolescents to a series of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors. However,
      there are remaining questions regarding the differences on these factors related
      to tobacco use. OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate intrapersonal and
      interpersonal differences among adolescent nonsmokers, ex-smokers, and smokers.
      METHODS: We used data from a 3-year project designed to investigate and address
      tobacco dependence among 1071 students (Mage = 15.76, SD = 1.52; girls = 51.54%)
      who were recruited from 11 high schools. Participants, filling out a survey,
      provided information on tobacco use (nonsmoker, ex-smoker, and smoker), tobacco
      related experiences (smoking-related risk perception, parental smoking, number of
      friends who smoke, resisting peer pressure to smoke), cognitive variables
      (metacognitive skills), and personality traits (disinhibition and impulsivity).
      RESULTS: Results from a discriminant function analysis showed that smokers and ex
      smokers reported more disinhibition, impulsivity, number of friends who smoke and
      less self-control under peer pressure to smoke compared to nonsmokers. Ex-smokers
      reported less metacognitive processes, more smoking-related risk perception and
      were less likely to have parents who smoke. Conclusions/Importance: Interventions
      and campaigns aimed to persuade adolescents to stop smoking should work to
      develop adaptive metacognitive skills and an accurate risk perception of tobacco
      use.

PMID- 28910179
TI  - Phenotypic differences between familial versus non-familial Juvenile onset open
      angle glaucoma patients.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate phenotypic differences among familial and non-familial JOAG
      patients. METHODS: First degree relatives of unrelated JOAG patients were
      screened for glaucoma and ocular hypertension. JOAG probands were grouped as
      familial or non-familial and phenotypic differences in terms of age of onset,
      gender, baseline untreated IOP, presence angle dysgenesis, and refractive error
      was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Out of 368 unrelated JOAG patients,
      134 in whom all first degree relatives had been examined were included in the
      study. The non-familial JOAG (n = 96) had similar age of onset as familial JOAG
      (n = 38); (p = 0.076) but had greater male preponderance (p = 0.046), and had the
      higher baseline IOP (p = 0.044) compared to familial JOAG. However, on adjustment
      using the Bonferroni correction, the observed differences were not found to be
      significant. Both groups had similar proportion of patients with angle dysgenesis
      (p = 0.46) and high myopia (p = 0.72). CONCLUSIONS: Non-familial JOAG were not
      found to be phenotypically different from the familial JOAG patients in this
      cohort.

PMID- 28910181
TI  - Mother's Milk: In Sickness and In Health?

PMID- 28910180
TI  - Nrf2-Mediated HO-1 Induction and Antineuroinflammatory Activities of Halleridone.
AB  - Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is the master regulator of antioxidant
      enzymes and is known to act on the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of
      activated B cell (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway. Few studies have examined the
      bioactivity of halleridone. Herein, we investigated whether halleridone, which
      was isolated from the stems of the plant Cornus walteri, could regulate Nrf2
      mediated heme oxygenase (HO)-1 expression and prevent intramicroglial
      inflammation induced by amyloid beta (Abeta)1-42 overexpression. Biochemical and
      molecular experiments, such as real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot
      analysis, immunocytochemistry, immunofluorescence, and luciferase reporter gene
      assays, were performed. The results demonstrated that halleridone promoted the
      upregulation of Nrf2 expression and its translocation to the nucleus, thereby
      activating antioxidant response element gene transcription and HO-1 expression in
      murine hippocampal HT22 cells. Additionally, halleridone removed intramicroglial
      Abeta1-42 and suppressed the production of inflammatory mediators such as
      interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, prostaglandin E2, and nitric oxide (NO) induced by
      artificially overexpressed Abeta1-42 and decreased pNF-kappaB accumulation in the
      nucleus and the expression of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase II in BV-2
      cells. In conclusion, halleridone activated Nrf2-mediated HO-1 expression and
      inhibited Abeta1-42-overexpressed microglial BV-2 cell activation. These
      observations suggest that halleridone may have therapeutic potential for
      targeting neurodegeneration through neuroinflammation.

PMID- 28910182
TI  - Consumers' Perceptions of Edible Marijuana Products for Recreational Use: Likes,
      Dislikes, and Reasons for Use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Edible marijuana products have become extremely popular in states
      that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this
      research was to provide a better understanding of consumer perceptions of edible
      marijuana products, including why they prefer edibles relative to other forms of
      marijuana (e.g., smoking) and their concerns regarding the consumption of
      edibles. METHODS: We conducted eight focus groups (four groups in Denver,
      Colorado, and four groups in Seattle, Washington) in February 2016 with 62 adult
      consumers of edibles. Focus group transcripts were coded in QSR NVivo 10.0
      qualitative analysis software, and coding reports identified trends across
      participants. RESULTS: Most participants preferred edibles to smoking marijuana
      because there is no smell from smoke and no secondhand smoke. Other reasons
      participants like edibles included convenience, discreetness, longer-lasting
      highs, less intense highs, and edibles' ability to aid in relaxation and reduce
      anxiety more so than smoking marijuana. Concerns and dislikes about edibles
      included delayed effects, unexpected highs, the unpredictability of the high, and
      inconsistency of distribution of marijuana in the product. No participants in
      either location mentioned harmful health effects from consuming edibles as a
      concern. Conclusions/Importance: The present study was qualitative in nature and
      provides a good starting point for further research to quantify through surveys
      how consumers understand and use edibles. Such information will help guide policy
      makers and regulators as they establish regulations for edibles. Also, such
      research can help inform educational campaigns on proper use of edibles for
      recreational purposes.

PMID- 28910183
TI  - The Effects of Barrier Agents in Postoperative Pelvic Adhesion Formation: A
      Comparative Study of a Temperature-Sensitive Poloxamer-Based Solution/Gel and a
      Hyaluronic Acid-Based Solution in a Rat Uterine Horn Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate the efficacy of poloxamer/alginate/CaCl2
      mixture (PACM) solution/gel and hyaluronic acid/carboxymethylcellulose (HA-CMC)
      solution for reducing pelvic adhesion in a rat uterine horn model. STUDY DESIGN:
      A total of 48 females, Sprague Dawley rats, were divided into three groups
      according to the applied materials. A uterine horn adhesion model was created.
      The control group (group CO; n = 16) received no special materials except saline
      infusion. The experimental groups were treated with 1.0 mL HA-CMC solution (group
      HA-CMC; n = 16) or 1.0 mL PACM solution/gel (group PACM; n = 16). Adhesion scores
      were evaluated with macroscopic, microscopic, and immunohistochemistry grading 14
      days postoperatively. RESULTS: Macroscopic adhesion scores, including extent,
      severity, and total scores in group HA-CMC and group PACM, were significantly
      lower than those in group CO (P < .001). Among these three categories of scoring,
      group PACM had a significantly lower score than did group HA-CMC in adhesion
      severity (P = .025). In the microscopic adhesion score analysis, the fibrosis
      scores in group HA-CMC and group PACM were also significantly lower than that of
      group CO. In group PACM, the fibrosis score was significantly lower than that of
      group HA-CMC. There were no statistical differences across all three groups in
      the microscopic inflammation and immunohistochemistry staining. CONCLUSION: Both
      HA-CMC solution and PACM solution/gel effectively reduced adhesion formation.
      PACM solution/gel was superior to HA-CMC solution in preventing pelvic adhesion,
      especially in adhesion severity and microscopic fibrosis.

PMID- 28910184
TI  - The Impact of Alexithymia on Desire for Alcohol during a Social Stress Test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alexithymia is a personality construct comprising difficulty in
      identifying and describing emotions and externally oriented thinking. Its role in
      heavy and problematic alcohol consumption is well documented, together with its
      relationship with social stress. However, little research has examined whether
      social stress has any effect on desire for alcohol among alexithymic individuals.
      OBJECTIVES: In this experimental study, we explored the relationship between
      alexithymia and desire for alcohol in response to an experimental social
      stressor. METHODS: One hundred and thirty eight social drinkers completed the
      Toronto Alexithymia Scale, self-report measures of alcohol consumption and a
      stress-inducing task. Desire for alcohol was measured at three time points:
      baseline, stressor and recovery. RESULTS: Correlation analysis demonstrated that
      alexithymia was associated with significantly higher rates of alcohol consumption
      and higher levels of desire for alcohol. Mixed measures ANOVA demonstrated a
      significant main effect of alexithymia and a significant group by time effect of
      alexithymia on desire for alcohol. Conclusions/Importance: The findings
      demonstrate increased desire for alcohol before, during and after a social
      stressor among alexithymic participants. These findings offer an insight into the
      relationship between alexithymia, social stress and alcohol consumption.

PMID- 28910185
TI  - Examining the Effects of Art Therapy on Reoccurring Tobacco Use in a Taiwanese
      Youth Population: A Mixed-Method Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is a primary risk factor affecting mental and
      physical health worldwide. Many chronic diseases are closely related to smoking.
      Adolescents in Taiwan are increasingly using tobacco, especially in rural areas.
      OBJECTIVES: This research project used a mixed-method study to examine the
      effects of art therapy on smoking cessation in rural Taiwanese youth smokers.
      METHODS: Participants from years 10-11, were drawn from three senior high schools
      in Taiwan. The experimental group participated in a six-week smoking cessation
      intervention using art therapy. The comparison group participated in typical
      courses on smoking cessation. Quantitative measures included need for smoking,
      nicotine dependence, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and smoking cessation status.
      Qualitative analysis was based on phenomenology. RESULTS: A total of 66 students
      (n = 40 experimental group; n = 26 comparison group) were the subjects of
      quantitative analysis. No differences were noted in baseline characteristics of
      groups. Generalized estimating equation analyses suggested significant between
      group differences in change from pre- to follow-up test scores in the "social
      domain" (B = -5.12, p < 0.05). Qualitative data (n = 17 experimental group; n =
      10 control group) suggested three domains: effects of art therapy on smoking
      prevention, benefits of art therapy on other outcome measures, and comparison
      between art therapy and traditional smoking cessation programs.
      Conclusions/importance: The findings of this study can potentially contribute
      significantly to existing knowledge regarding the perceptions of art therapy on
      reoccurring tobacco use in Taiwanese youth.

PMID- 28910186
TI  - Applying the Problem Behavior Theory to Adolescent Drug Use Among a Cross
      Sectional Sample of Boys Participating in a Community-Based Youth Organization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug use remains an important public health concern in the United
      States, and understanding drug use among young adolescents is vital towards
      improving the health of the population. OBJECTIVE: This study applied the Problem
      Behavior Theory (PBT) to lifetime drug use among a cross-sectional sample of Boy
      Scouts (N = 770). The PBT provides a conceptual framework for identifying risk
      and protective factors for adolescent problem behaviors, including drug use.
      METHODS: Scouts reported their drug use and socio-demographics, and were assessed
      on several risk and protective factors. For analyses, sociodemographic and risk
      and protective factors were selected according to the framework provided by PBT,
      and use of each drug was regressed logistically on these selected factors. Final
      logistic models were assessed for goodness of fit and discriminatory power.
      RESULTS: The PBT demonstrated discriminatory power for all drugs (Tjur's R2
      values >=.29), but fell sharply for illicit drug use (Tjur's R2 =.20). There were
      no consistent correlates of drug use. Conclusions/Importance: The PBT had less
      explanatory power for illicit drug use compared to tobacco, alcohol, and
      marijuana, which suggests different risk and protective factors were associated
      with illicit drug use.

PMID- 28910187
TI  - Sternal Route More Effective than Tibial Route for Intraosseous Amiodarone
      Administration in a Swine Model of Ventricular Fibrillation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The pharmacokinetics of IO administered lipid soluble amiodarone
      during ventricular fibrillation (VF) with ongoing CPR are unknown. This study
      measured mean plasma concentration over 5 minutes, maximum plasma concentration
      (Cmax), and time to maximum concentration (Tmax) of amiodarone administered by
      the sternal IO (SIO), tibial IO (TIO), and IV routes in a swine model of VF with
      ongoing CPR. METHODS: Twenty-one Yorkshire-cross swine were randomly assigned to
      three groups: SIO, TIO, and IV. Ventricular fibrillation was induced under
      general anesthesia. After 4 minutes in VF, 300 mg amiodarone was administered as
      indicated by group assignment. Serial blood specimens collected at 30, 60, 90,
      120, 150, 180, 240, and 300 seconds were analyzed using high performance liquid
      chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The mean plasma
      concentration of IV amiodarone over 5 minutes was significantly higher than the
      TIO group at 60 seconds (P = 0.02) and 90 seconds (P = 0.017) post-injection. No
      significant differences in Cmax between the groups were found (P <0.05). The Tmax
      of amiodarone was significantly shorter in the SIO (99 secs) and IV (86 secs)
      groups compared to the TIO group (215 secs); P = 0.002 and P = 0.002,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The SIO and IV routes of amiodarone administration
      were comparable. The TIO group took nearly three times longer to reach Tmax than
      the SIO and IV groups, likely indicating depot of lipid-soluble amiodarone in
      adipose-rich tibial yellow bone marrow. The SIO route was more effective than the
      TIO route for amiodarone delivery in a swine model of VF with ongoing CPR.
      Further investigations are necessary to determine if the kinetic differences
      found between the SIO and TIO routes in this study affect survival of VF in
      humans.

PMID- 28910188
TI  - Sedative and Analgesic Drugs Online: A Content Analysis of the Supply and Demand
      Information Available in Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence from other countries has suggested that many controlled
      drugs are also offered online, even though it is illegal to sell these drugs
      without a license. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the current contents related to the
      supply and demand of sedatives and analgesic drugs available online in Thailand,
      with a particular focus on Facebook. METHODS: A team of reviewers manually
      searched for data by entering keywords related to analgesic drugs and sedatives.
      The contents of the website were screened for supply and demand-related
      information. FINDINGS: A total of 5,352 websites were found publicly available.
      The number of websites and Facebook pages containing the information potentially
      related to the supply and demand of analgesic drugs and sedatives was limited.
      Nine websites sold sedatives, and six websites sold analgesics directly. Fourteen
      Facebook pages were found, including 7 sedative pages and 7 analgesic pages.
      Within one year, the three remaining active pages multiplied in the number of
      followers by three- to nine-fold. The most popular Facebook page had over 2,900
      followers. CONCLUSIONS: Both the internet and social media contain sites and
      pages where sedatives and analgesics are illegally advertised. These websites are
      searchable through common search engines. Although the number of websites is
      limited, the number of followers on these Facebook pages does suggest a growing
      number of people who are interested in such pages. Our study emphasized the
      importance of monitoring and developing potential plans relative to the online
      marketing of prescription drugs in Thailand.

PMID- 28910189
TI  - Associations among Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status, Anxiety, and Mental Toughness in
      Female Collegiate Athletes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Poor omega-3 fatty acid status has been linked to anxiety in the
      general population, but scarce data are available describing omega-3 fatty acid
      levels in athletes and their associations with anxiety and mental toughness.
      METHODS: Whole blood samples were obtained from 54 female collegiate athletes and
      analyzed for fatty acids as a part of this cross-sectional observational study.
      Participants also completed a food frequency questionnaire on the intake of omega
      3 fatty acids, as well as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Sport Anxiety Scale
      (SAS)-2, and Mental Toughness Scale (MTS). Measures were collected during the
      athletes' off-season. Spearman's rho coefficients were used to examine the
      associations between fatty acid levels and psychological scores. RESULTS: Blood
      levels of the HS-Omega-3 Index(r) (rho = -0.32, p = 0.02), eicosapentaenoic acid
      (rho = -0.40, p = 0.003), and docosapentaenoic acid (rho = -0.33, p = 0.02) were
      negatively correlated with BAI scores. Likewise, dietary intakes of
      eicosapentaenoic acid (rho = -0.38, p = 0.007) and docosahexaenoic acid (rho = 
      0.35, p = 0.02) were negatively correlated with BAI scores. Blood
      docosapentaenoic acid was positively correlated with MTS (rho = 0.27, p = 0.049).
      None of the dietary or blood fatty acids were significantly correlated with SAS-2
      scores. CONCLUSIONS: Both blood and dietary omega-3 fatty acid levels are
      associated with general but not sport-specific anxiety in female collegiate
      athletes during an off-season period. Randomized trials should be conducted to
      evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on anxiety and mental
      toughness in athletes.

PMID- 28910190
TI  - Waist-to-Height Ratio as a Predictor of C-Reactive Protein Levels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein is an acute-phase protein that has been found in
      association with adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk. In this paper, the
      objective was to assess the relationship of C-reactive protein to four
      anthropometric measurements: body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, C index, and
      waist circumference. METHODS: A cross-sectional random sample of the Study of
      Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (Portuguese acronym "ERICA") was included in
      the study. The analysis was adjusted for the complex sampling design. Poisson
      regression models with robust variance were used to estimate a multivariate
      adjusted prevalence rate ratio expressing the relationship of each anthropometric
      measure to C-reactive protein. We evaluated adolescents aged 12 to 17 years
      participating in the capital of Porto Alegre, Brazil. RESULTS: In all, 778
      adolescents were included (60% female, 58% aged 15-17 years). Waist-to-height
      ratio was found to be the strongest adiposity marker associated with C-reactive
      protein even after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, physical activity, and
      insulin resistance (prevalence rate ratio = 7.09; 95% confidence interval, 5.01
      9.18; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Waist-to-height ratio is a strong predictor of C
      reactive protein in adolescents in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

PMID- 28910192
TI  - Subjective Life Expectancy Among College Students.
AB  - Establishing healthy habits in college is important for long-term health. Despite
      existing health promotion efforts, many college students fail to meet
      recommendations for behaviors such as healthy eating and exercise, which may be
      due to low perceived risk for health problems. The goals of this study were to
      examine: (1) the accuracy of life expectancy predictions, (2) potential
      individual differences in accuracy (i.e., gender and conscientiousness), and (3)
      potential change in accuracy after inducing awareness of current health
      behaviors. College students from a small northeastern university completed an
      electronic survey, including demographics, initial predictions of their life
      expectancy, and their recent health behaviors. At the end of the survey,
      participants were asked to predict their life expectancy a second time. Their
      health data were then submitted to a validated online algorithm to generate
      calculated life expectancy. Participants significantly overestimated their
      initial life expectancy, and neither gender nor conscientiousness was related to
      the accuracy of these predictions. Further, subjective life expectancy decreased
      from initial to final predictions. These findings suggest that life expectancy
      perceptions present a unique-and potentially modifiable-psychological process
      that could influence college students' self-care.

PMID- 28910191
TI  - Lysophosphatidic Acid is a Biomarker for Peritoneal Carcinomatosis of Gastric
      Cancer and Correlates with Poor Prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is an important cause of morbidity and
      mortality among patients with gastric cancer. Thus, it is important to identify
      an ideal biomarker for PC. METHODS: Plasma and ascites samples were collected
      from gastric cancer patients with PC and a control group. Lysophosphatidic acid
      (LPA) levels were tested and analyzed. RESULTS: The plasma LPA levels of gastric
      cancer patients with PC were significantly higher than those in gastric cancer
      patients after radical resection (p = 0.046) and healthy volunteers (p < 0.001).
      Besides, plasma LPA levels were statistically lower after chemotherapy in gastric
      cancer patients with PC (p = 0.028). Furthermore, the ascites LPA levels were
      significantly higher in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis
      than those in liver cirrhosis patients (p < 0.001). Moreover, ascites LPA levels
      were statistically lower after intraperitoneal chemotherapy injection than before
      (p < 0.001). In addition, the plasma LPA levels were significantly associated
      with serum CA125 levels (p = 0.032) and TNM stage in gastric cancer patients (p =
      0.009). Individuals with plasma LPA levels >20,000 ng/mL had significantly worse
      overall survival (OS) than those with plasma LPA levels <20,000 ng/mL group (p =
      0.006). In addition the group with ascites LPA levels >24,000 ng/mL showed
      significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) and OS (p < 0.001 in PFS and
      OS). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that LPA levels in plasma and ascites
      may be useful diagnostic biomarkers for PC of gastric cancer and that higher
      levels are associated with poor prognosis.

PMID- 28910193
TI  - Lifestyle Markers Predict Cognitive Function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Rates of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease are
      increasing rapidly. None of the current treatment regimens for Alzheimer's
      disease are effective in arresting progression. Lifestyle choices may prevent
      cognitive decline. This study aims to clarify which factors best predict
      cognitive function. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional analysis of
      799 men and women undergoing health and cognitive testing every 1 to 3 years at
      an outpatient center. This study utilizes data collected from the first patient
      visit. Participant ages were 18 to 88 (mean = 50.7) years and the sample was
      26.6% female and 73.4% male. OUTCOME MEASURES: Measurements were made of body
      composition, fasting laboratory and anthropometric measures, strength and aerobic
      fitness, nutrient and dietary intake, and carotid intimal media thickness (IMT).
      Each participant was tested with a computerized neurocognitive test battery.
      Cognitive outcomes were assessed in bivariate analyses using t-tests and
      correlation coefficients and in multivariable analysis (controlling for age)
      using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: The initial bivariate analyses showed
      better Neurocognitive Index (NCI) scores with lower age, greater fitness scores
      (push-up strength, VO2max, and exercise duration during treadmill testing), and
      lower fasting glucose levels. Better cognitive flexibility scores were also noted
      with younger age, lower systolic blood pressure, lower body fat, lower carotid
      IMT scores, greater fitness, and higher alcohol intake. After controlling for
      age, factors that remained associated with better NCI scores include no tobacco
      use, lower fasting glucose levels, and better fitness (aerobic and strength).
      Higher cognitive flexibility scores remained associated with greater aerobic and
      strength fitness, lower body fat, and higher intake of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS:
      Modifiable biomarkers that impact cognitive performance favorably include greater
      aerobic fitness and strength, lower blood sugar levels, greater alcohol intake,
      lower body fat, and avoidance of tobacco. Further studies are warranted to study
      whether modifying these lifestyle factors improves cognitive function and slows
      cognitive decline.

PMID- 28910194
TI  - Chikungunya Virus-Induced Arthritis: Role of Host and Viral Factors in the
      Pathogenesis.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a member of Alphavirus genus, is responsible for
      chikungunya fever (CHIKF), which is characterized by the presence of fever, rash,
      myalgia, and arthralgia. Reemergence of CHIKV has become a significant public
      health concern in Asian and African countries and is newly emerging in the Middle
      East, Pacific, American, and European countries. Cytokines, innate (monocytes,
      natural killer cells) and adaptive immune response (role of B cells and T cells
      i.e. CD4+ and CD8+), and/or viral factors contribute to CHIKV-induced arthritis.
      Vector factors such as vector competence (that includes extrinsic and intrinsic
      factors) and effect of genome mutations on viral replication and fitness in
      mosquitoes are responsible for the spread of virus, although they are not
      directly responsible for CHIKV-induced arthritis. CHIKV-induced arthritis mimics
      arthritis by involving joints and a common pattern of leukocyte infiltrate,
      cytokine production, and complement activation. Successful establishment of CHIKV
      infection and induction of arthritis depends on its ability to manipulate host
      cellular processes or host factors. CHIKV-induced joint damage is due to host
      inflammatory response mediated by macrophages, T cells, and antibodies, as well
      as the possible persistence of the virus in hidden sites. This review provides
      insight into mechanisms of CHIKV-induced arthritis. Understanding the
      pathogenesis of CHIKV-induced arthritis will help in developing novel strategies
      to predict and prevent the disease in virus-infected subjects and combat the
      disease, thereby decreasing the worldwide burden of the disease.

PMID- 28910195
TI  - Elevated Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Metabolic Syndrome Is Associated with
      Increased Risk of Colorectal Adenoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an important cardiovascular risk factor
      for insulin resistance and has been linked to colorectal adenoma via
      inflammation. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been suggested as an
      important inflammatory marker. We initiated this investigation to determine the
      relationship between colorectal adenoma and NLR in patients with MetS. METHODS:
      We examined participants who visited the Health Promotion Center at Kosin
      University Gospel Hospital, Busan, Korea. Subjects who underwent both colonoscopy
      and liver ultrasonography were included. Colorectal adenoma was defined as the
      presence of a colon polyp with a histologically adenomatous component. MetS was
      defined according to the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult
      Treatment Panel III definition for South Asians. Anthropometric measurements and
      biochemical tests of liver and metabolic function were assessed. RESULTS: A total
      of 1007 subjects were included in the study sample. Their mean age was 48.3 +/-
      9.7 years and 262 (26.0%) subjects had MetS, while 439 (43.6%) subjects had
      pathologically proven colorectal adenoma. Subjects with MetS were older, more
      likely to be male, and had significantly higher prevalences of colorectal adenoma
      (49.2% vs. 41.6%, P = 0.032), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (62.8% vs. 19.5%,
      P < 0.001), and higher NLR (2.0 +/- 0.9 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001) compared to
      those without MetS. High NLR (>=2.0) was an independent factor affecting the
      prevalence of colorectal adenoma [odds ratio (OR) 1.38, confidence interval (95%
      CI) 1.02-1.88, P = 0.040], especially in subjects with MetS (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.12
      3.28, P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: High NLR was associated with increased colorectal
      adenomatous polyps, particularly in subjects with MetS. Screening colonoscopies
      for the prevention of colorectal adenoma may be warranted for patients with high
      NLR and MetS.

PMID- 28910196
TI  - Effect of Alpinia galanga on Mental Alertness and Sustained Attention With or
      Without Caffeine: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although Alpinia galanga has been reported to improve cognitive
      performance in animals, it has not been thoroughly studied for its potential
      psychostimulant effect in humans. A randomized, double-dummy, double-blind,
      placebo-controlled cross-over study was conducted to determine the effect of A
      galanga on mental alertness and sustained attention in comparison with caffeine
      and placebo in participants with a habitual caffeine intake. METHODS: Fifty-nine
      participants (18-40 years and body mass index of >=18.5 and <25.00 kg/m2) with
      moderate caffeine consumption were enrolled. The participants had a Generalized
      Anxiety Disorder-7 score <=7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score <=14 and a Jin
      Fan's Attention Network Test alertness score of 50 +/- 20 ms. The interventional
      product (placebo, A galanga proprietary extract [E-AG-01], caffeine, and a
      combination of E-AG-01 with caffeine) was administered to the participants,
      followed by sequential administration of the remaining interventions on the
      consecutive study visits; the effects on mental alertness, sustained attention,
      and sleep architecture, along with safety and tolerability, were analyzed by
      validated methods. RESULTS: In the E-AG-01 group, the alertness score was
      increased by 11.65 +/- 23.94, 12.50 +/- 19.73, and 12.62 +/- 0.68 ms from
      baseline at 1, 3 (p = 0.042), and 5 hours, respectively, indicating its efficacy
      to enhance mental alertness and the increase in alertness score as compared to
      placebo. In the composite group (E-AG-01 with caffeine), mean response time was
      significantly reduced, by 15.55 ms (p = 0.026) at 3 hours. CONCLUSIONS: A galanga
      (E-AG-01) induces a beneficial effect in mental alertness and the combination of
      A galanga with caffeine impedes the caffeine crash and improves sustained
      attention at 3 hours. Thus, these stimulant effects might yield a new usage for A
      galanga as a key ingredient in energy drinks or similar products.

PMID- 28910197
TI  - Optimal reference genes for RT-qPCR normalization in the newborn.
AB  - It is difficult to identify reliable reference genes for transcriptomic analyses
      in biofluids such as saliva. This situation is particularly relevant for the
      newborn population, where rapid development is associated with dynamic changes in
      gene expression. Real-time gene expression monitoring holds great promise for
      elucidating disrupted pathways that result in morbidities unique to this
      population, such as retinopathy of prematurity, but its impact depends on
      identifying stable and consistently expressed genes across a wide range of
      gestational ages. We extracted total RNA from 400 neonatal saliva samples
      (postconceptional ages: 32 5/7 to 48 2/7 weeks), converted it to cDNA, and pre
      amplified and analyzed it by qPCR for three commonly used reference genes, ACTB,
      GAPDH, and YWHAZ. Relative quantification was determined using the Delta Ct
      method. Data were analyzed as a whole and also stratified by age and sex.
      Descriptive statistics and homogeneity of variance were performed to identify
      optimal reference genes. Data analyzed from all ages and both sexes showed
      significant expression variation for ACTB, while GAPDH and YWHAZ showed greater
      stability. Male infants exhibited increased expression variation compared to
      females for ACTB, but neither GAPDH nor YWHAZ showed significant variance for
      either sex. We suggest that ACTB is an unreliable reference gene for the newborn
      population. Males showed significantly more variation in ACTB expression compared
      to females, which suggests a sex-specific developmental role for this biomarker.
      By contrast, GAPDH and YWHAZ were less variable and therefore preferable for use
      in neonates. Our findings may improve the use of reference genes for the RT-qPCR
      platform in the newborn over a wide range of gestational ages, thereby minimizing
      the likelihood of erroneous interpretation of gene expression during rapid
      growth, development, and differentiation.

PMID- 28910198
TI  - Re: "Genetic Polymorphisms of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and Susceptiblity to
      Dengue Virus Infection in a Mexican Population" by Sanchez-Leyva et al. (Viral
      Immunol 2017;30:615-621).

PMID- 28910199
TI  - Fixed or Random? A Resolution Through Model Averaging: Reply to Carlsson,
      Schimmack, Williams, and Burkner (2017).

PMID- 28910201
TI  - Reentry High Altitude Pulmonary Edema in the Himalayas.
AB  - Baniya, Santosh, Christopher Holden, and Buddha Basnyat. Reentry high altitude
      pulmonary edema in the Himalayas. High Alt Med Biol. 18:425-427, 2017.-Reentry
      high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a subset of HAPE, is a well recognized,
      life-threatening illness documented almost exclusively in the North and South
      Americans, who live at high altitude (>2500 m) and return to their homes after a
      brief sojourn of days to months at lower altitude. This phenomenon has not been
      reported in Sherpas or other people of Tibetan origin in Nepal or India. And it
      has rarely been reported from Tibet. In this study we document a case of reentry
      HAPE in Manang region (3500 m) of Nepal in a 7-year-old Nepali boy of Tibetan
      ancestry who fell ill when he ascended to his village (Manang, 3500 m) from
      Besisahar (760 m) in 1 day in a motor vehicle after spending the winter (December
      to March) at Besisahar with his family. With more motorable road access to high
      altitude settlements in the Himalayas, reentry HAPE may need to be strongly
      considered by healthcare professionals in local residents of high altitude;
      otherwise life-threatening complications may ensue as in our case report.

PMID- 28910200
TI  - Comparison of Two beta-Alanine Dosing Protocols on Muscle Carnosine Elevations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: beta-alanine (BA) is a nonproteogenic amino acid that combines with
      histidine to form carnosine. The amount taken orally in individual doses,
      however, is limited due to symptoms of paresthesia that are associated with
      higher doses. The use of a sustained-release formulation has been reported to
      reduce the symptoms of paresthesia, suggesting that a greater daily dose may be
      possible. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether increasing
      the daily dose of BA can result in a similar increase in muscle carnosine in a
      reduced time. METHODS: Eighteen men and twelve women were randomized into either
      a placebo (PLC), 6-g BA (6G), or 12-g BA (12G) groups. PLC and 6G were
      supplemented for 4 weeks, while 12G was supplemented for 2 weeks. A resting blood
      draw and muscle biopsy were obtained prior to (PRE) and following (POST)
      supplementation. Plasma and muscle metabolites were measured by high-performance
      liquid chromatography. The loss in peak torque (DeltaPT) was calculated from
      maximal isometric contractions before and after 250 isokinetic kicks at 180
      degrees .sec-1 PRE and POST. RESULTS: Both 12G (p = 0.026) and 6G (p = 0.004)
      increased muscle carnosine compared to PLC. Plasma histidine was decreased from
      PRE to POST in 12G compared to PLC (p = 0.002) and 6G (p = 0.001), but no group x
      time interaction (p = 0.662) was observed for muscle histidine. No differences
      were observed for any hematological measure (e.g., complete blood counts) or in
      symptoms of paresthesia among the groups. Although no interaction was noted in
      DeltaPT, a trend (p = 0.073) was observed. CONCLUSION: Results of this
      investigation indicate that a BA supplementation protocol of 12 g/d-1, using a
      sustained-release formulation, can accelerate the increase in carnosine content
      in skeletal muscle while attenuating paresthesia.

PMID- 28910202
TI  - Bayes Factors From Pooled Data Are No Substitute for Bayesian Meta-Analysis:
      Commentary on Scheibehenne, Jamil, and Wagenmakers (2016).

PMID- 28910203
TI  - The T-Box Transcription Factor TBX2 Regulates Cell Proliferation in the Retinal
      Pigment Epithelium.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vertebrate eye development and function critically depend on the
      regulation of proliferation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Hence, a
      thorough analysis of the molecular parameters controlling RPE cell proliferation
      is crucial for our understanding of the physiology of this cell type both in
      health and in disease. The T-box transcription factor TBX2 is an important cell
      cycle regulator in development and oncogenesis, but its specific role in RPE cell
      proliferation is far from clear. The purpose of the present study is to
      investigate whether TBX2 plays any role in regulating RPE cell proliferation.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of TBX2 in RPE cells was analyzed in
      wildtype mice and ARPE-19 cells by co-staining for RPE-specific markers and cell
      proliferation. In vitro, the role of TBX2 was studied by manipulating its levels
      using RNAi and analyzing the effects on DNA synthesis and cell growth and on gene
      expression at the RNA and protein levels. RESULTS: Here, we find that TBX2 is
      expressed in RPE cells both in vivo and in vitro. Specific knockdown of TBX2 in
      the human RPE cell line ARPE-19 leads to an accumulation of cells at G1. This
      cell cycle arrest is accompanied by changes in the levels of known cell cycle
      regulators and, in particular, by an increase in the levels of the tumor
      suppressor gene CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein delta (CEBPD). In fact,
      simultaneous knockdown of both TBX2 and CEBPD interferes with the reduction in
      cell proliferation brought about by TBX2 reduction alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results provide novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms of cell
      proliferation in the RPE and may contribute to our understanding of normal RPE
      maintenance and its pathology in degenerative and proliferative disorders of the
      eye.

PMID- 28910204
TI  - Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and the prognosis of colorectal cancer: a meta
      analysis of cohort studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recently, there has been a controversial discussion about the
      prognostic value of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) in colorectal cancer
      patients. Thus, a meta-analysis was conducted to determine the relationship
      between CIN and the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: We searched
      the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases to identify studies evaluating
      the association between CIN and colorectal cancer prognosis. Pooled random/fixed
      effect models were used to calculate pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the association. RESULTS: Eight studies were
      selected for the meta-analysis, for a total of 2,745 patients. There was
      significant improved survival among colorectal cancer patients with CIN (HR =
      0.62, 95% CI = 0.47-0.76). However, significant heterogeneity was found (p =
      0.000, Iota2 = 75.0%). Through subgroup analysis, we could greatly eliminate the
      heterogeneity and found that neutropenia was associated with better survival in
      stage IV colorectal cancer patients, no matter the HR calculated by overall
      survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS). Meanwhile, the prognostic value
      of neutropenia in stage II/III colorectal cancer can be found when the HR is
      calculated by disease-free survival (DFS). Additionally, we observed significant
      differences after stratification according to various tumor stages, endpoints,
      and the use of G-CSF. CONCLUSIONS: Our results which, based on a cohort study,
      indicate that CIN is associated with improved survival in patients with
      colorectal cancer. However, further randomized controlled trials are warranted.

PMID- 28910205
TI  - Gender Differences in the Relationship between Sex Hormone Deficiency and Soft
      Drusen.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association between sex hormone deficiency and soft
      drusen in women and men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the
      medical records and fundus photographs of subjects who underwent a health
      screening for additional examination of climacterium and age-related changes
      including sex hormone status. In women, sex hormone deficiency was defined as
      cessation of menstruation that had lasted for at least 12 months and follicular
      stimulating hormone (FSH) levels >= 25 mIU/mL; in men, it was defined as
      testosterone levels <= 3.5 ng/mL. The subjects were divided into two groups-the
      soft drusen and control groups-based on the presence of soft drusen in the fundus
      photographs. The total drusen area was measured using ImageJTM software. RESULTS:
      Of total 2036 subjects, 638 (271 women; 367 men) were included. Two hundred
      thirteen subjects (33.4%) had soft drusen (97/271 women, 116/367 men). In women,
      sex hormone deficiency was more common in the soft drusen group than in the
      control group (P < 0.001); this was not the case in men. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis revealed that sex hormone deficiency was an independent risk
      factor for soft drusen in women (P < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 3.494), as was age
      (P < 0.001; OR = 1.092). A long post-menopausal period was a risk factor for
      large soft drusen (>= 125 MUm). (P < 0.001; OR = 1.220). Age was significantly
      associated with total drusen area in both women (P = 0.022; beta = 0.406) and men
      (P = 0.015; beta = 0.246). CONCLUSIONS: Sex hormone deficiency and its duration
      were significantly associated with the development and progression of soft drusen
      in women but not in men. It may be necessary to assess and manage the sex hormone
      deficiency in women with age-related macular degeneration.

PMID- 28910206
TI  - A framework for polyvictimization in later life.
AB  - This article provides a context and overview for what is known about
      polyvictimization in later life. Drawing from previous literature, the article
      includes a definition of the phenomenon, as well as theoretical constructs by
      which it may be understood. We place other forms of polyvictimization within the
      context of elder abuse, recognize frameworks for conceptualizing
      polyvictimization in later life, and distinguish between polyvictimization at
      younger ages and polyvictimization in later life. The paper concludes with
      implications of the framework for research, practice, and policy.

PMID- 28910207
TI  - Challenges of Using Probabilistic Linkage Methodology to Characterize Post
      Cardiac Arrest Care in Michigan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To improve survival of patients resuscitated from out of hospital
      cardiac arrest (OCHA), data is needed to assess and improve inpatient post
      resuscitation care. Our objective was to apply probabilistic linkage methodology
      to link EMS and inpatient databases and evaluate whether it may be used to
      describe post-arrest care in Michigan. METHODS: We performed a retrospective
      study to describe post-cardiac arrest care in adult OHCA patients who were
      transported to Michigan hospitals from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2013. Using
      probabilistic linkage methodology we linked two databases, the Michigan EMS
      Information System (MI_EMSIS) and the Michigan Inpatient Database (MIDB), which
      describes inpatient care and outcome of all admissions. Rates of case incidence
      and survival were compared to published literature. We compared the linked
      dataset to existing cardiac arrest databases from three counties to evaluate the
      quality of this linkage. RESULTS: Multiple iterations of match strategies were
      used to create a linked EMS-inpatient dataset. There were 12,838 MI_EMSIS cardiac
      arrest records of which 1,977 were matched with MIDB records, identifying them as
      surviving to hospital admission. Of these 590 (30.0%) survived to hospital
      discharge. The annual survival incidence/100,000 population to admission was
      6.93/100,000 and survival incidence to discharge was 2.1/100,000. The matched
      dataset was compared to county databases identified a limited sensitivity [48.2%,
      95% CI 42.1%-55.3%)] and positive predictive value [64.4%, 95% CI 56.8%-71.3%)].
      CONCLUSION: Use of the MI_EMSISEMS database and the Michigan Inpatient database
      was feasible and produced rates of cardiac arrest admission and survival rates
      similar to published literature. This process yielded a limited match compared to
      existing county cardiac arrest databases. We conclude that such a linked dataset
      is useful for descriptive purposes but not as a population based dataset to
      evaluate statewide post-cardiac arrest care.

PMID- 28910208
TI  - Immunohistochemical and immunocytochemical findings associated with Marek's
      disease virus in naturally infected laying hens.
AB  - We compared immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of tissue sections of liver,
      kidney, spleen, lung, proventriculus, sciatic nerve, bursa of Fabricius, brain,
      heart, intestine and skin; immunocytochemical (ICC) staining of peripheral blood
      samples and touch preparations of liver, spleen and kidney of laying hens
      naturally infected with Marek's disease (MD) virus. We used one hundred and fifty
      5-17-week-old commercial hens. IHC and ICC staining were performed using polymer
      based techniques. IHC staining exhibited mostly free immunopositive reactions in
      tumor cells and in the cytoplasm of the parenchymal cells of liver, kidney,
      spleen and bursa of Fabricius. In the sciatic nerve, severe reactions were
      observed in the cytoplasm of plasma and MD cells in the lymphoproliferative
      areas. Pronounced staining was found in the lymphoid cells in the medulla of
      intrafollicular regions in the bursa of Fabricius. Although immunostaining was
      observed in the liver and spleen touch preparations, there was no staining in the
      kidneys and peripheral blood cell samples. The presence of virus in the tissue
      and peripheral blood samples and in touch preparations was compared
      immunohistochemically and immunocytochemically. IHC and ICC techniques were
      helpful for diagnosis of MD. Peripheral blood samples are inappropriate for field
      conditions and natural infections.

PMID- 28910210
TI  - Gender Differences in Nonprescribed Psychostimulant Use in Young Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In order to better understand the recent rise in nonprescribed use of
      psychostimulants on college campuses, motives, outcomes, and acceptability of
      nonprescribed psychostimulants have been evaluated. Despite knowledge that
      students use nonprescribed medical stimulants for improved academic performance
      and recreational use, gender differences in these motives have not been examined,
      despite the fact that the social construction of gender may well affect motives
      for use. OBJECTIVES: The goal of the present study was to examine gender
      differences in motives, outcomes, and acceptability of nonprescribed
      psychostimulant use. METHODS: 2716 undergraduates (1448 male) between the ages of
      17 and 57 years (M = 19.43 years, SD = 1.7 years) completed an online survey
      examining subjective motives of nonprescribed psychostimulant use, as well as
      behaviors after use and moral views of nonprescribed use. RESULTS: Consistent
      with hypotheses and known gender differences in social motivation, results
      suggested that while females are more likely to use nonprescribed
      psychostimulants for reasons related to schoolwork, males are typically more
      likely to use psychostimulants for reasons related to partying and socializing.
      Additional gender differences were that males are more likely to take part in
      other risky behaviors after use of psychostimulants, as well as view
      nonprescribed use as more moral and less physically dangerous than females.
      Conclusions/Importance: This work suggests that there are striking gender
      differences in motivation and outcomes of use of nonprescribed psychostimulants,
      which may have implications for personalized approaches for prevention of
      nonprescribed psychostimulant use on campuses based on gender.

PMID- 28910209
TI  - Effects of Treatment Type on Alcohol Consumption Partially Mediated by Alcoholics
      Anonymous Attendance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As insurance coverage, funding sources and venues for drug and
      alcohol treatment evolve in the United States, it is important to assess how the
      type of treatment received may impact long-term outcomes. The current study aims
      were to examine effects of treatment type on alcohol consumption in the year
      after treatment intake and to test mediators of effects of treatment type on
      later alcohol use. METHODS: Longitudinal data from clients in inpatient and
      outpatient alcohol treatment programs in California (n = 560) were used in
      ordinary least squares path analysis adjusting for respondent characteristics
      typically associated with both treatment completion and alcohol use. The primary
      outcome was amount of alcohol consumed in the 12 months after treatment entry;
      hypothesized mediators were treatment duration and participation in Alcoholics
      Anonymous (AA). RESULTS: Despite higher baseline problem severity and a shorter
      treatment duration, inpatient clients consumed less alcohol after treatment than
      outpatient clients (B [95% CI] = -0.95 [-1.67, -0.23]). AA involvement was a
      significant mediator of the relationship between treatment type and alcohol
      consumption, with inpatient clients being more involved in AA and also drinking
      less after treatment than outpatient clients; the bias-corrected bootstrap 95%
      confidence interval for the indirect effect (B = -0.20) was entirely below zero (
      0.43 to -0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient clients may benefit from customized
      posttreatment recommendations to identify additional resources to assist in the
      recovery process during the first year after treatment.

PMID- 28910212
TI  - Feasibility of Paramedic Performed Prehospital Lung Ultrasound in Medical
      Patients with Respiratory Distress.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prehospital ultrasound is not yet widely implemented. Most studies
      report on convenience samples and trauma patients, often by prehospital
      physicians or critical care clinicians. We assessed the feasibility of paramedic
      performed prehospital lung ultrasound in medical patients with respiratory
      distress. METHODS: Paramedics at 2 ambulance stations in the city of Pittsburgh,
      Pennsylvania, USA underwent a 2-hour training session in prehospital lung
      ultrasound using the SonoSite iViz, a handheld ultrasound device. Emergency
      medical services (EMS) command center (EMS-CC) physicians were instructed in the
      interpretation of lung ultrasound images. Paramedics enrolled patients presenting
      with signs and symptoms of respiratory distress over a 3-month period. The
      ultrasound exam included anterior and lateral views from both sides of the chest.
      Images were transmitted wirelessly using a mobile hotspot device and uploaded
      into an online image archiving system. Images were interpreted remotely by the
      EMS-CC physicians, and 2 expert sonographers provided an overread. We assessed
      agreement between EMS-CC physicians and experts, as well as between chart-review
      derived ED diagnosis and both EMS-CC physician and expert interpretation. We
      defined four a priori hypotheses that would need to be met for the intervention
      to be considered "feasible." RESULTS: A total of 34 of 78 (43.6%) eligible
      patients had an ultrasound exam completed. Image transmission was successful in
      25 (73.5%) of cases where ultrasound was performed. The primary reason for not
      enrolling an otherwise eligible patient was equipment failure (25.0%), followed
      by patient acuity and patient refusal (18.2% each). A total of 20 (58.8%)
      completed scans were deemed uninterpretable upon expert review. Agreement between
      EMS physicians and experts was poor. Agreement between EMS-CC physicians and ED
      diagnosis, as well as between experts and ED diagnosis, was fair. The
      predetermined thresholds for feasibility were not met. CONCLUSIONS: Paramedic
      performed prehospital lung ultrasound for patients with respiratory distress and
      remote interpretation by EMS physicians did not meet the predetermined thresholds
      to be considered "feasible" in a real-world environment with currently available
      technologies. This study identified important barriers to the implementation of
      prehospital lung ultrasound, which should be addressed in future studies.

PMID- 28910211
TI  - Establishment of CMab-43, a Sensitive and Specific Anti-CD133 Monoclonal
      Antibody, for Immunohistochemistry.
AB  - CD133, also known as prominin-1, was first described as a cell surface marker on
      early progenitor and hematopoietic stem cells. It is a five-domain transmembrane
      protein composed of an N-terminal extracellular tail, two small cytoplasmic
      loops, two large extracellular loops containing seven potential glycosylation
      sites, and a short C-terminal intracellular tail. CD133 has been used as a marker
      to identify cancer stem cells derived from primary solid tumors and as a
      prognostic marker of gliomas. Herein, we developed novel anti-CD133 monoclonal
      antibodies (mAbs) and characterized their efficacy in flow cytometry, Western
      blot, and immunohistochemical analyses. We expressed the full length of CD133 in
      LN229 glioblastoma cells, immunized mice with LN229/CD133 cells, and performed
      the first screening using flow cytometry. After limiting dilution, we established
      100 anti-CD133 mAbs, reacting with LN229/CD133 cells but not with LN229 cells.
      Subsequently, we performed the second and third screening with Western blot and
      immunohistochemical analyses, respectively. Among 100 mAbs, 11 strongly reacted
      with CD133 in Western blot analysis. One of 11 clones, CMab-43 (IgG2a, kappa),
      showed a sensitive and specific reaction against colon cancer cells, warranting
      the use of CMab-43 in detecting CD133 in pathological analyses of CD133
      expressing cancers.

PMID- 28910214
TI  - Outcome Trajectories and Prognostic Factors for Suicide and Self-Harm Behaviors
      in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder Following One Year of Outpatient
      Psychotherapy.
AB  - This study examined suicide and self-harm trajectories in 180 individuals with
      BPD receiving dialectical behavior therapy or general psychiatric management in a
      randomized controlled trial. Suicide and self-harm behaviors were assessed at
      baseline, every four months throughout treatment, and every 6 months over 2 years
      of follow-up. Latent class growth mixture modeling identified suicide and self
      harm trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined baseline
      patient characteristics. Three latent subgroups were identified. The largest
      responded rapidly to treatment and sustained a favorable response post-discharge.
      The second progressed slowly during treatment but achieved and maintained a
      favorable response. A third subgroup showed a rapid favorable response during
      treatment, however symptoms returned to near baseline levels post-discharge. This
      third subgroup had higher baseline depression, emergency department visits, and
      unemployment. BPD patients with high baseline health care utilization,
      depression, and unemployment may benefit from modifications to treatment
      specifically targeting these issues.

PMID- 28910215
TI  - Substance Misuse Is Associated With Increased Psychiatric Severity Among
      Treatment-Seeking Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder.
AB  - Despite high prevalence rates of concurrent borderline personality disorder (BPD)
      and substance use disorders (SUDs), little is known about the impact of substance
      misuse on the presentation of BPD. Sixty-five individuals with BPD were assessed
      at intake and at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Assessment included validated
      instruments such as the Addiction Severity Index and the Revised Symptom
      Checklist (SCL-90-R). Over half (58.5%) of individuals entering treatment were
      currently misusing substances. Substance misuse was associated with more legal
      and employment problems, greater mood disturbance, impulsivity, and psychiatric
      severity, including almost all SCL-90-R subscales. For the majority of patients
      (58%), there was little change in substance misuse post-treatment. The high
      prevalence of substance misuse and its association with psychiatric severity
      among individuals with BPD suggest that substance misuse should be a targeted
      behavior during treatment, and further specialized interventions are needed for
      individuals with comorbid BPD and SUD.

PMID- 28910216
TI  - Psychopathy in the Medical Emergency Department.
AB  - Psychopathy is a personality disorder representing an admixture of a fearless and
      dominant temperament with an impulsive and antisocial orientation. A sample of
      1,026 participants in the waiting room of the medical emergency department of a
      city hospital exhibited levels of fearless dominance similar to university
      undergraduates and federal inmates; their levels of impulsive antisociality fell
      between those of federal and state inmates. Both psychopathy factors were
      correlated with male gender, younger age, and more frequent average alcohol
      consumption. Fearless dominance was associated with agentic success (e.g., being
      employed, higher household income), fewer psychological problems, and less use of
      psychotropic medications, including anxiolytics. Impulsive antisociality was
      negatively related to both agentic and communal (e.g., ever being married)
      success and positively correlated with substance use and self-reported bipolar,
      ADHD, and psychotic psychiatric conditions. Further, only impulsive antisociality
      was associated with presenting to the emergency department for physical injury or
      psychological disturbance.

PMID- 28910217
TI  - Substance and Evaluation in Personality Disorder Diagnoses.
AB  - Like person judgments in everyday life, diagnoses of personality disorders (PDs)
      reflect at least two influences: first, the actual characteristics of the target
      person (substance), and second, the more positive or negative view that the
      perceiver has of the target person (evaluation). In this article, we present a
      systematic account of substance and evaluation in PD diagnoses, using a modified
      version of Brunswik's (1956) lens model. An empirical study shows that the items
      of the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders (AMPD) are in fact
      saturated with evaluation, that this evaluation is largely the same as "social
      desirability," and that the two mandatory components of the AMPD (criterion A and
      B) are not easily distinguishable from one another in that regard. We provide
      concrete recommendations as to how the conceptual clarity of PD diagnostics may
      be improved, by distinguishing people's personality dispositions from their
      (likely) long-term consequences.

PMID- 28910213
TI  - The Challenge of Transforming the Diagnostic System of Personality Disorders.
AB  - While the DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorder (PD) diagnosis allows
      the field to systematically compare categorical and dimensional classifications,
      the ICD-11 proposal suggests a radical change by restricting the classification
      of PDs to one category, deleting all specific types, basing clinical service
      provision exclusively upon a severity dimension, and restricting trait domains to
      secondary qualifiers without defining cutoff points. This article reflects broad
      international agreement about the state of PD diagnosis. It is argued that
      diagnosis according to the ICD-11 proposal is based on broad, potentially
      stigmatizing descriptions of impaired functioning and ignores much of the
      impressive body of research and treatment guidelines that have advanced the care
      of adults and adolescents with borderline and other PDs. Before radically
      changing classification, which highly impacts the provision of health care, head
      to-head field trials coupled with the views of patients as well as thorough
      debate among scientists are urgently needed.

PMID- 28910218
TI  - The Weight Game: Fighting Childhood Obesity with Childhood Video Technology.

PMID- 28910219
TI  - With a Worthless Services Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail: Litigating
      Quality of Care Under the False Claims Act.

PMID- 28910220
TI  - Founders Series Interview with Dr. Cyril Wecht.

PMID- 28910221
TI  - Net Neutrality and a Fast Lane for Health.

PMID- 28910223
TI  - Pigments and Vaccines: Evaluating the Constitutionality of Targeting Melanin
      Groups for Mandatory Vaccination.

PMID- 28910222
TI  - Restricted Access: State Medicaid Coverage of Sofosbuvir Hepatitis C Treatment.
AB  - Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection can persist for decades without symptoms.
      Many Americans are unaware of their infection status and are not receiving
      necessary care and treatment. This places them at greater risk for severe, even
      fatal, complications from the disease and increases the likelihood that they will
      transmit the virus to others. In late 2013, the Food and Drug Administration
      approved a direct acting antiviral drug called sofosbuvir to treat chronic HCV
      infection. Sofosbuvir is a highly effective, but very expensive, curative
      treatment for HCV. Unfortunately, the high price of sofosbuvir has led payers,
      including Medicaid, to restrict patient access. Looking at the sheer cost of the
      HCV crisis facing the United States, particularly among minority communities, it
      is a critical time to invest in prevention, screening, and treatment. These
      pharmaceutical treatments have the potential to cure HCV, eliminate the virus,
      and mitigate future health care expenses. This article argues that restricting
      access to this pharmaceutical treatment may be a discriminatory practice under
      both Medicaid law and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In addition to potential
      legal challenges, there are strong economic and public health imperatives to
      removing barriers to HCV treatment.

PMID- 28910224
TI  - An Ethical Analysis of Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Rejecting
      Euthanasia and Accepting Physician Assisted Suicide with Palliative Care.

PMID- 28910225
TI  - Direct Primary Care Business of Insurance and State Law Considerations.

PMID- 28910226
TI  - The Bacterial Renaissance: A Supply-Side Answer to the Icarus Paradox of
      Antibiotic Usage Undermining Its Own Usefulness.

PMID- 28910227
TI  - Swipe Right for Health Care: How the State May Decide the Future of the mHealth
      App Industry in the Wake of FDA Uncertainty.

PMID- 28910228
TI  - Addressing Inadequate Federal Legislation Concerning Viral Disasters: A Hard Look
      at the Emergency Treatment and Active Labor Act.

PMID- 28910229
TI  - Special Delivery: Pushing for Pregnant Workers Fairness Rights.

PMID- 28910230
TI  - Educational Attainment and Personality Are Genetically Intertwined.
AB  - Heritable variance in psychological traits may reflect genetic and biological
      processes that are not necessarily specific to these particular traits but
      pertain to a broader range of phenotypes. We tested the possibility that the
      personality domains of the five-factor model and their 30 facets, as rated by
      people themselves and their knowledgeable informants, reflect polygenic
      influences that have been previously associated with educational attainment. In a
      sample of more than 3,000 adult Estonians, education polygenic scores (EPSs),
      which are interpretable as estimates of molecular-genetic propensity for
      education, were correlated with various personality traits, particularly from the
      neuroticism and openness domains. The correlations of personality traits with
      phenotypic educational attainment closely mirrored their correlations with EPS.
      Moreover, EPS predicted an aggregate personality trait tailored to capture the
      maximum amount of variance in educational attainment almost as strongly as it
      predicted the attainment itself. We discuss possible interpretations and
      implications of these findings.

PMID- 28910231
TI  - Professionals' Attitude Toward Reporting Child Sexual Abuse in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - Child sexual abuse (CSA) requires specialized knowledge and training that
      includes forensic interview skills. The aim of this study was to determine
      variations in professionals' attitudes toward CSA by measuring three aspects of
      forensic attitudes (sensitivity, specificity, and skepticism) and evaluating
      disagreements concerning the assessment of CSA cases in Saudi Arabia. A cross
      sectional, web-based study, in which the Child Forensic Attitude Scale was used
      to measure professionals' attitudes, was conducted. Professionals who dealt with
      suspected cases of CSA as part of their jobs or were in professions that
      necessitated involvement with such cases, were selected as participants. Of 327
      participants, 53% were aged <=40 years, and 54% were men. In addition, 24% were
      doctors/nurses, 20% were therapists/psychiatrists, 24% were social workers, 17%
      were educators, 9% were law enforcement professionals, and 5% were medical
      examiners. Attitude subscale scores differed significantly according to
      participants' sex, specialty, and training. Women, healthcare professionals, and
      those who had participated in more than five training courses were more concerned
      about the underreporting of abuse (high sensitivity) relative to other
      professionals. In comparison, men, medical examiners, law enforcement officers,
      and undertrained professionals tended to underreport suspected sexual abuse cases
      (high specificity). High specificity in attitudes toward suspected cases of CSA
      could affect professionals' judgment and contribute to low reporting rates.
      Certain strategies, including increasing self-awareness of personal bias,
      specific CSA recognition courses, and team approaches to case assessment and
      management, should be implemented to control the influence of subjective factors.

PMID- 28910232
TI  - Characterizing Blunt Use Among Twitter Users: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Use
      Patterns and Characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Young adult Twitter users are exposed to and often participate in
      tweets that promote risky behaviors, such as blunt use. Blunts are hollowed out
      cigars or cigarillos that are filled with marijuana. OBJECTIVES: The current
      study was designed to determine the use patterns and characteristics of African
      American, Hispanic and White young adult Twitter users who reported past month
      blunt use. METHODS: Young adults (N = 753, 74% male) who reported past month
      blunt use were recruited via Twitter to participate in a brief anonymous online
      survey about their blunt use. RESULTS: Findings revealed that African American
      young adults initiated blunt smoking at an earlier age (14.8 years), reported
      more days of blunt smoking in the past month (23.2 days) and smoked more blunts
      in the past month (27.2 blunts) than their Hispanic (16.5 years, 19.7 days, and
      15.4 blunts) and White (18.1 years, 15.8 days, and 22.2 blunts) counterparts, p
      <.01. African American young adults were more likely than their White
      counterparts to report physical craving as an obstacle to quitting blunt smoking.
      Several racial/ethnic differences were also found on attitudes about blunt use
      and reasons for initiating and continuing to smoke blunts. CONCLUSIONS: Findings
      suggest that blunt use patterns and attitudes about blunt use vary by
      race/ethnicity. Understanding racial/ethnic differences in blunt use patterns and
      characteristics offers opportunities to tailor future interventions and enhance
      outcomes among African American, Hispanic and White young adults.

PMID- 28910233
TI  - Effects of Supplementation with Beef or Whey Protein Versus Carbohydrate in
      Master Triathletes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study compares the effect of ingesting hydrolyzed beef
      protein, whey protein, and carbohydrate on performance, body composition (via
      plethysmography), muscular thickness, and blood indices of health, including
      ferritin concentrations, following a 10-week intervention program. METHODS: After
      being randomly assigned to one of the following groups-beef, whey, or
      carbohydrate-24 master-age (35-60 years old) male triathletes (n = 8 per
      treatment) ingested 20 g of supplement mixed with plain water once a day
      (immediately after training or before breakfast). All measurements were performed
      pre- and postinterventions. RESULTS: Only beef significantly reduced body mass (p
      = 0.021) along with a trend to preserve or increase thigh muscle mass (34.1 +/-
      6.1 vs 35.5 +/- 7.4 mm). Both whey (38.4 +/- 3.8 vs 36.9 +/- 2.8 mm) and
      carbohydrate (36.0 +/- 4.8 vs 34.1 +/- 4.4 mm) interventions demonstrated a
      significantly (p < 0.05) decreased vastus medialis thickness Additionally, the
      beef condition produced a significant (p < 0.05) increase in ferritin
      concentrations (117 +/- 78.3 vs 150.5 +/- 82.8 ng/mL). No such changes were
      observed for the whey (149.1 +/- 92.1 vs 138.5 +/- 77.7 ng/mL) and carbohydrate
      (149.0 +/- 41.3 vs 150.0 +/- 48.1 ng/mL) groups. Furthermore, ferritin changes in
      the beef group were higher than the modification observed in whey (p < 0.001) and
      carbohydrate (p = 0.025) groups. No differences were found between whey and
      carbohydrate conditions (p = 0.223). No further changes were observed.
      CONCLUSION: Ingesting a hydrolyzed beef protein beverage after workout or before
      breakfast (nontraining days) can be effective in preserving thigh muscle mass and
      in improving iron status in male master-age triathletes.

PMID- 28910234
TI  - Relative Effects of Forward and Backward Planning on Goal Pursuit.
AB  - Considerable research has shown that planning plays an important role in goal
      pursuit. But how does the way people plan affect goal pursuit? Research on this
      question is scarce. In the current research, we examined how planning the steps
      required for goal attainment in chronological order (i.e., forward planning) and
      reverse chronological order (i.e., backward planning) influences individuals'
      motivation for and perceptions of goal pursuit. Compared with forward planning,
      backward planning not only led to greater motivation, higher goal expectancy, and
      less time pressure but also resulted in better goal-relevant performance. We
      further demonstrated that this motivational effect occurred because backward
      planning allowed people to think of tasks required to reach their goals more
      clearly, especially when goals were complex to plan. These findings suggest that
      the way people plan matters just as much as whether or not they plan.

PMID- 28910236
TI  - Quantitative Responses of Adult Zebrafish to Changes in Ambient Illumination.
AB  - The use of zebrafish models to study central nervous system aging and late-onset
      neurological diseases will be facilitated by assays allowing rapid evaluation of
      neurological phenotypes in adult zebrafish. We analyzed groups of 12 adult
      zebrafish swimming simultaneously in single-animal arenas, and quantified their
      responses to changes in ambient illumination. Under these conditions,
      stereotypical locomotor patterns were observed and readily quantified using open
      source software. Continuous, low-velocity movements were observed during 10-min
      periods of darkness, whereas intermittent high-velocity movements occurred in
      bright light. At 80%-90% of abrupt light-to-dark or dark-to-light transitions,
      adult zebrafish produced a synchronous short-latency (20-22 ms) turn, followed by
      a propulsive movement with a high transient maximum velocity (400-500 mm/s).
      Between 5 and 35 months of age, latency increased by ~10%, and peak velocity
      decreased by ~30%, suggesting that the response declines in aged adults. Light
      transition responses can be measured rapidly and automatically in multiple adult
      zebrafish simultaneously, providing a convenient quantitative method for
      evaluating sensorimotor function in adult zebrafish models of neurological
      disease.

PMID- 28910238
TI  - Telemanagement of Heart Failure Patients Across the Post-Acute Care Continuum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition causing nearly 1 million
      hospital admissions annually in the United States with 25% of patients
      rehospitalized within 30 days. INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to
      investigate whether telemanagement of HF patients throughout the post-acute
      continuum of care would reduce rehospitalization rates and improve patient self
      care knowledge and satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HF patients discharged to
      a skilled nursing facility (SNF) received telemanagement by HF clinicians with
      opportunity for continuation at home with assistance of home healthcare (HHC)
      nurses. Wireless sensors worn at SNF and home captured continuous health
      information visible to HF clinicians on secure cloud database. Point-of-care
      devices were available at SNF. Patients had scheduled and as-needed video visits
      with audio and auscultation capacity with HF clinician. HF education was provided
      by SNF and HHC nursing. Patients were compared with historical control group
      receiving standard care at same SNF. RESULTS: Patients receiving telemanagement
      had 29% lower rehospitalization rates (17% vs. 24%), despite higher predicted
      rehospitalization risk. Median age was 81. Seven of eight patients who were
      rehospitalized in the telemanagement group had advanced HF symptoms (New York
      Heart Association Class IV). Five patients in telemanagement group were receiving
      continuous inotrope infusions. Patients reported good satisfaction and self-care
      knowledge. DISCUSSION: Reduction of rehospitalization rates was clinically
      significant in population of advanced age and HF symptoms. Technology enhanced
      communication content and timeliness across the post-acute care continuum.
      CONCLUSION: Post-acute telemanagement may reduce rehospitalization rates even in
      high-risk, older HF populations.

PMID- 28910239
TI  - Social Epidemiology in HIV/AIDS: What Else Should We Consider to Prevent the
      HIV/AIDS Progression?
AB  - More than 35 years after the description of the first cases of a new
      immunodeficiency syndrome that was named AIDS, health care providers hardly have
      a global perspective of those factors that coexist with this syndrome and also
      contribute to immunosupression and progression of disease. This report presents
      some of these factors (drug use, nutrition, psychological conditions,
      socioeconomic factors) to propose some areas of research and intervention
      strategies that could prevent the progression of HIV/AIDS.

PMID- 28910240
TI  - Special section on dental public health: A collaboration between the Canadian
      Journal of Public Health and the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry.

PMID- 28910241
TI  - Indigenous oral health inequity: An Indigenous provider perspective.

PMID- 28910242
TI  - How does the social "get under the gums"? The role of socio-economic position in
      the oral-systemic health link.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the extent of association between systemic inflammation
      and periodontal disease in American adults, and to assess whether socio-economic
      position mediated this relationship. METHODS: We used data from the National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES IV) (2001-2010). Systemic
      inflammation was defined by individual and aggregate (cumulative inflammatory
      load) biomarkers (C-reactive protein, white blood cell counts, neutrophil counts,
      and neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio). Loss of attachment and bleeding on probing were
      used to define periodontal disease. Poverty:income ratio and education were
      indicators of socio-economic position. Covariates included age, sex, ethnicity,
      smoking, alcohol, and attendance for dental treatment. Univariate and
      multivariable logistic regressions were constructed to assess the relationships
      of interest. RESULTS: In a total of 2296 respondents, biomarkers of systemic
      inflammation and cumulative inflammatory load were significantly associated with
      periodontal disease after adjusting for age, sex, and behavioural factors. Socio
      economic position attenuated the association between markers of systemic
      inflammation and periodontal disease in the fully adjusted model. CONCLUSION:
      Socio-economic position partly explains how systemic inflammation and periodontal
      disease are coupled, and may thus have a significant role in the mechanisms
      linking oral and non-oral health conditions. It is of critical importance that
      the social and living conditions are taken into account when considering
      prevention and treatment strategies for inflammatory diseases, given what appears
      to be their impactful effect on disease processes.

PMID- 28910243
TI  - Fluoride exposure and reported learning disability diagnosis among Canadian
      children: Implications for community water fluoridation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have connected increased fluoride exposure with
      increased risk of neurodevelopmental-related outcomes, such as ADHD (attention
      deficit hyperactivity disorder) and lower IQ in children. Our primary objective
      was to examine the association between fluoride exposure and reported diagnosis
      of a learning disability among a population-based sample of Canadian children
      aged 3-12 years. METHODS: We analyzed data from Cycles 2 and 3 of the Canadian
      Health Measures Survey. Four measures of fluoride exposure were available: 1)
      urinary fluoride (MUmol/L), 2) creatinine-adjusted urinary fluoride (MUmol/mmol),
      3) specific gravity-adjusted urinary fluoride (MUmol/L), and 4) fluoride
      concentration of tap water (mg/L) (Cycle 3 only). Diagnosis of a learning
      disability (yes/no) was based on parental- or self-report. Associations were
      examined using logistic regression (where possible), unadjusted and adjusted for
      covariates. RESULTS: When Cycles 2 and 3 were examined separately, reported
      learning disability diagnosis was not significantly associated with any measure
      of fluoride exposure in unadjusted or adjusted models. When Cycles 2 and 3 were
      combined, a small but statistically significant effect was observed such that
      children with higher urinary fluoride had higher odds of having a reported
      learning disability in the adjusted model (p = 0.03). However, the association
      was not observed in models that used creatinine-adjusted urinary fluoride and
      specific gravity-adjusted urinary fluoride, which are believed to be more
      accurate measures due to their correction for urinary dilution. CONCLUSION:
      Overall, there did not appear to be a robust association between fluoride
      exposure and parental- or self-reported diagnosis of a learning disability among
      Canadian children.

PMID- 28910244
TI  - Inequalities in oral health: Understanding the contributions of education and
      income.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantify the extent to which income and education explain gradients
      in oral health outcomes. METHODS: Using data from the Canadian Community Health
      Survey (CCHS 2003), binary logistic regression models were constructed to examine
      the relationship between income and education on self-reported oral health (SROH)
      and chewing difficulties (CD) while controlling for age, sex, ethnicity,
      employment status and dental insurance coverage. The relative index of inequality
      (RII) was utilized to quantify the extent to which income and education explain
      gradients in poor SROH and CD. RESULTS: Income and education gradients were
      present for SROH and CD. From fully adjusted models, income inequalities were
      greater for CD (RIIinc = 2.85) than for SROH (RIIinc = 2.75), with no substantial
      difference in education inequalities between the two. Income explained 37.4% and
      42.4% of the education gradient in SROH and CD respectively, whereas education
      explained 45.2% and 6.1% of income gradients in SROH and CD respectively.
      Education appears to play a larger role than income when explaining inequalities
      in SROH; however, it is the opposite for CD. CONCLUSION: In this sample of the
      Canadian adult population, income explained over one third of the education
      gradient in SROH and CDs, whereas the contribution of education to income
      gradients varied by choice of self-reported outcome. Results call for
      stakeholders to improve affordability of dental care in order to reduce
      inequalities in the Canadian population.

PMID- 28910245
TI  - Trends in emergency department visits for non-traumatic dental conditions in
      Ontario from 2006 to 2014.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In Canada, non-traumatic dental conditions (NTDCs) presenting in
      emergency departments (EDs) are dealt with by non-dental professionals who are
      generally not equipped to deal with such emergencies, resulting in an inefficient
      usage of heath care resources. This study aimed to assess the burden of ED visits
      for NTDCs in Ontario by observing trends from 2006 to 2014. METHODS: Aggregate
      data for Ontario were obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health
      Information's National Ambulatory Care Reporting System. Data were examined for
      the whole of Ontario and stratified by 14 Local Health Integration Networks.
      Descriptive analysis was conducted for both number of people and number of
      visits, stratified by sex and age groups (0-5, 6-18, 19-64, and 65+ years).
      Numbers were also examined by neighbourhood stratifications, including
      urban/rural, income quintile and immigrant tercile. RESULTS: Over the study
      period, an upward trend of visiting EDs for NTDCs was observed. Approximately 403
      628 people in Ontario made 482 565 visits over the period of nine years. On
      average, 341 per 100 000 people, per year, visited. Young children, people living
      in neighbourhoods with lower income and higher immigrant concentration, and
      people living in the rural regions, visited EDs more for NTDCs during 2006-2014.
      CONCLUSION: The upward and inequitable trends of utilization of EDs for NTDCs
      reinforce recognition of the important need for both universal and targeted
      approaches for primary prevention of dental conditions. To enhance equitable
      access to dental care, policy advocacy is required for publicly funding essential
      and emergency dental services for all.

PMID- 28910246
TI  - Waiting room time: An opportunity for parental oral health education.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The UBC Children's Dental Program (CDP) has provided free dental
      treatments to underserved low-income children, but its preventive component needs
      to be enhanced. The study aims were: 1) to develop a "waiting-room based" dental
      education program engaging caregivers of these children, and 2) to assess the
      program's feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness. METHODS: In preparation,
      a situational analysis (SA) included structured interviews with caregivers, and
      with various stakeholders (e.g., dental students, instructors, health authority)
      involved in the CDP program. Based on the SA, caregiver-centered education was
      designed using an interactive power point presentation; after the presentation,
      each caregiver set personalized goals for modifying his/her child's dental
      behaviours. Evaluation of the program was done with follow-up telephone calls;
      the program's effectiveness was assessed by comparing before/after proportions of
      caregivers brushing their child's teeth, children brushing teeth in the morning
      and evening, children eating sugar-containing snacks, and children drinking sugar
      containing drinks. RESULTS: The program proved to be easy to implement (feasible)
      and the recruitment rate was 99% (acceptable). The follow-up rate was 81%. The SA
      identified that the caregivers' knowledge about caries etiology and prevention
      was limited. All recruited caregivers completed the educational session and set
      goals for their family. The evaluation demonstrated an increase in caregiver
      reported short-term diet and oral self-care behaviours of their children.
      CONCLUSION: A dental education program engaging caregivers in the waiting room
      was a feasible, acceptable and promising strategy for improving short-term dental
      behaviours of children.

PMID- 28910247
TI  - Pediatric ambulatory care sensitive conditions: Birth cohorts and the socio
      economic gradient.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examines the socio-economic gradient in utilization and
      the risk factors associated with hospitalization for four pediatric ambulatory
      care sensitive conditions (dental conditions, asthma, gastroenteritis, and
      bacterial pneumonia). Dental conditions, where much care is provided by dentists
      and insurance coverage varies among different population segments, present
      special issues. METHODS: A population registry, provider registry, physician
      ambulatory claims, and hospital discharge abstracts from 28 398 children born in
      2003-2006 in urban centres in Manitoba, Canada were the main data sources.
      Physician visits and hospitalizations were compared across neighbourhood income
      groupings using rank correlations and logistic regressions. RESULTS: Very strong
      relationships between neighbourhood income and utilization were highlighted.
      Additional variables - family on income assistance, mother's age at first birth,
      breastfeeding - helped predict the probability of hospitalization. Despite the
      complete insurance coverage (including visits to dentists and physicians and for
      hospitalizations) provided, receiving income assistance was associated with
      higher probabilities of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: We found a socio-economic
      gradient in utilization for pediatric ambulatory care sensitive conditions, with
      higher rates of ambulatory visits and hospitalizations in the poorest
      neighbourhoods. Insurance coverage which varies between different segments of the
      population complicates matters. Providing funding for dental care for Manitobans
      on income assistance has not prevented physician visits or intensive treatment in
      high-cost facilities, specifically treatment under general anesthesia. When
      services from one type of provider (dentist) are not universally insured but
      those from another type (physician) are, using rates of hospitalization to
      indicate problems in the organization of care seems particularly difficult.

PMID- 28910248
TI  - Parents' online discussions about children's dental caries: A critical content
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Through an analysis of postings to an online parenting forum, we
      aimed to explore the many ways in which parents orient to (i.e., take up,
      challenge, re-articulate) information about child dental health in the context of
      their online interactions. Our analysis is anchored in Nettleton's theoretical
      work on dental authority and power, which we apply in a digital context. METHODS:
      We examined discussion threads from the public online forums on BabyCenter
      Canada. We identified relevant threads using the site search function and
      keywords related to dental health, with a focus on dental caries (tooth decay),
      related care behaviours (e.g., toothbrushing), and the controversial issue of
      fluoride. Following descriptive content coding, we applied a critical lens to
      unpack themes related to expert knowledge, gender and parenting online cultures.
      RESULTS: We analyzed 479 relevant threads. Our findings focus on two central
      themes: the tension between parents' views and those of dental health
      professionals; and, the gendered, cultural roles and expectations that position
      mothers as primarily responsible for the care of children's dental health. Though
      these themes are not new, our findings show that they persist in the digital
      context where social divisions (e.g., expert/non-expert) may be blurred.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of online discussions provides an opportunity to think
      critically about ways in which parents engage with public health, in digital
      contexts. Although some mothers express disconnect when communicating with dental
      professionals, they are very engaged and concerned with dental health issues for
      their children. A challenge for dental public health is to find ways to shift
      perspective towards recognizing that the target population is empowered and
      already engaged in discussions of research evidence and clinical encounters on
      their own terms, facilitated by an online context.

PMID- 28910249
TI  - Redirecting public oral health fluoride varnish intervention to low socio
      economic status children in Alberta.
AB  - SETTING: Dental decay is most prevalent among low socio-economic status (SES)
      groups where cost limits access to dental care. To address inequities in oral
      health outcomes, Alberta Health Services (AHS) Oral Health Action Plan
      encompasses a population health approach that redirects fluoride varnish (FV)
      applications to low SES children. Using low SES measures to establish the
      eligibility criteria is fundamental to the delivery of FV applications to the
      target population. INTERVENTION: A series of four FV applications over two years
      is directed to children age 12-35 months and two applications per year to
      children in Kindergarten and grades 1 and 2, using low SES measures for
      eligibility criteria. The provincial objective for children receiving the first
      FV application is 10%-20% of the population age. Additional objectives are set
      for rates of subsequent FV applications for each population group. OUTCOMES: From
      2015 to 2016, the rate of first FV applications for eligible target populations
      is below the provincial objective for children age 12-35 months (5%) and within
      the objective for children in Kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 (16%). Rates of
      subsequent FV applications in the school setting are being met. IMPLICATIONS:
      Encompassing a population health approach to deliver standardized fluoride
      varnish applications to low SES children better targets inequities in oral health
      outcomes in Alberta. Challenges of redirecting the FV intervention include
      creating the eligibility criteria and engaging the target population,
      particularly for the preschool population. Achieving population objectives are
      challenged by unequal distribution of resources across the province.

PMID- 28910250
TI  - The 1% of emergency room visits for non-traumatic dental conditions in British
      Columbia: Misconceptions about the numbers.
AB  - In Canada, about 1% of all emergency room (ER) visits in a given year are made by
      patients with a primary diagnosis of a non-traumatic, non-urgent and yet
      preventable condition, such as tooth decay. This percentage is typically
      dismissed as irrelevant. Using 2013-2014 British Columbia data on ER use from the
      Canadian Institute for Health Information, however, we argue that the 1% figure
      (and its associated cost) has to be considered beyond its percentage value. In
      2013-2014 alone, 12 357 non-traumatic dental visits were made to ERs in BC
      representing 1% of the total number of ER visits at a cost of $154.8 million to
      the taxpayers (across Canada, all visits to ER cost $1.8 billion/year). But the
      vast majority of these dental visits are discharged while the oral problem likely
      persists, hence taxpayer dollars are wasted. The belief that these dental-related
      ER visits are insignificant within the total cost for the health care system is
      misleading: treatment is not given, the problem is not resolved, and yet there is
      a high cost to taxpayers and to the society at large. Public health resources
      should be reallocated.

PMID- 28910251
TI  - Therapeutic use of cannabis: Prevalence and characteristics among adults in
      Ontario, Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of therapeutic cannabis use within a
      general population sample of adults and to describe various characteristics
      associated with use. METHODS: Data were derived from the 2013 and 2014 CAMH
      Monitor Survey of adults in Ontario, Canada. This repeated cross-sectional survey
      employed a regionally stratified design and utilized computer-assisted telephone
      interviewing. Analyses were based on 401 respondents who reported using cannabis.
      RESULTS: The data indicated that 28.8% of those who used cannabis in the past
      year self-reported using cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Of therapeutic users,
      15.2% reported having medical approval to use cannabis for therapeutic purposes.
      Cannabis use for therapeutic purposes was associated with more frequent use of
      cannabis, a moderate to high risk of problematic cannabis use, and a greater
      likelihood of using prescription opioids for medical purposes. There was little
      difference in cannabis use for therapeutic purposes according to sex, age, and
      marital status after adjusting for opioid use and problematic cannabis use.
      CONCLUSION: Findings suggest some potential negative consequences of cannabis use
      for therapeutic purposes; however, further research is needed to better
      understand the range and patterns of use and their corresponding vulnerabilities.

PMID- 28910252
TI  - Lifetime excess cancer risk due to carcinogens in food and beverages: Urban
      versus rural differences in Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore differences in urban versus rural lifetime excess risk of
      cancer from five specific contaminants found in food and beverages. METHODS:
      Probable contaminant intake is estimated using Monte Carlo simulations of
      contaminant concentrations in combination with dietary patterns. Contaminant
      concentrations for arsenic, benzene, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and
      tetrachloroethylene (PERC) were derived from government dietary studies. The
      dietary patterns of 34 944 Canadians from 10 provinces were available from Health
      Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004).
      Associated lifetime excess cancer risk (LECR) was subsequently calculated from
      the results of the simulations. RESULTS: In the calculation of LECR from food and
      beverages for the five selected substances, two (lead and PERC) were shown to
      have excess risk below 10 per million; whereas for the remaining three (arsenic,
      benzene and PCBs), it was shown that at least 50% of the population were above 10
      per million excess cancers. Arsenic residues, ingested via rice and rice cereal,
      registered the greatest disparity between urban and rural intake, with LECR per
      million levels well above 1000 per million at the upper bound. The majority of
      PCBs ingestion comes from meat, with values slightly higher for urban populations
      and LECR per million estimates between 50 and 400. Drinking water is the primary
      contributor of benzene intake in both urban and rural populations, with LECR per
      million estimates of 35 extra cancers in the top 1% of sampled population.
      CONCLUSION: Overall, there are few disparities between urban and rural lifetime
      excess cancer risk from contaminants found in food and beverages. Estimates could
      be improved with more complete Canadian dietary intake and concentration data in
      support of detailed exposure assessments in estimating LECR.

PMID- 28910253
TI  - Characterizing non-monosexual women at risk for poor mental health outcomes: A
      mixed methods study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Non-monosexual women - those who report attraction to or sexual
      relationships with individuals of more than one gender - have elevated risk for
      poor mental health outcomes. We aimed to examine which elements of non-monosexual
      experience are associated with this elevated risk. METHODS: We conducted a
      sequential exploratory mixed methods analysis of qualitative interview and survey
      data from 39 non-monosexual women recruited consecutively through prenatal care
      providers. Qualitative analyses identified distinguishing features, and
      quantitative analyses tested associations between these features and mental
      health symptoms. RESULTS: Nine qualitative themes were identified to describe
      distinguishing features of non-monosexual women. Of these, current and past five
      years partner gender, lack of LGBTQ community connection, and low centrality of
      sexual minority identity were associated with anxiety symptoms. Latent class
      analysis revealed significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms among non
      monosexual women partnered with men relative to those partnered with women.
      CONCLUSION: Sexual minority women who partner with men may be particularly at
      risk for poor mental health. Considering this group's invisibility in public
      health research and practice, interventions are needed to address this disparity.

PMID- 28910254
TI  - Organizational level indicators to address health equity work in local public
      health agencies: A scoping review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine what organizational level indicators exist that could be
      used by local Ontario public health agencies to monitor and guide their progress
      in addressing health equity. METHOD: This scoping review employed Arksey and
      O'Malley's (2005) six-stage framework. Multiple online databases and grey
      literature sources were searched using a comprehensive strategy. Studies were
      included if they described or used indicators to assess an organization's health
      equity activity. Abstracted indicator descriptions were classified using the
      roles for public health action identified by the Canadian National Collaborating
      Centre for Determinants of Health (NCCDH). Health equity experts participated in
      a consultation phase to examine items extracted from the literature. SYNTHESIS:
      Eighteen peer-reviewed studies and 30 grey literature reports were included.
      Abstracted indicators were considered for 1) relevance for organizational
      assessment, 2) ability to highlight equity-seeking populations, and 3) potential
      feasibility for application. Twenty-eight items formed the basis for consultation
      with 13 selected health equity experts. Items considered for retention were all
      noted to require significant clarification, definition and development. Those
      eliminated were often redundant or not an organizational level indicator.
      CONCLUSION: Few evidence-based, validated indicators to monitor and guide
      progress to address health inequities at the level of the local public health
      organization were identified. There is a need for continued development of
      identified indicator items, including careful operationalization of concepts and
      establishing clear definitions for key terms.

PMID- 28910255
TI  - Better Strength, Better Balance! Partnering to deliver a fall prevention program
      for older adults.
AB  - SETTING: Falls incur significant health and economic costs, particularly among
      older adults. Physical activity has been found to be the single most important
      fall prevention behaviour an older adult can do. This manuscript describes Ottawa
      Public Health's (OPH) experience implementing the Better Strength, Better
      Balance! (BSBB) program, a fall prevention exercise program for older adults,
      through an innovative partnership with the local Recreation, Cultural & Facility
      Services (RCFS) Department. BSBB aims to reach 1300 community-dwelling adults
      (aged 65 years and older) per year through approximately 86-130 exercise
      programs. Designed as a universal program, BSBB addresses participation barriers
      such as transportation, cost and location. BSBB was enabled with funding from the
      Champlain Local Health Integration Network, and coincided with the implementation
      of an Older Adult Plan for the City of Ottawa. INTERVENTION: BSBB is a beginner
      level, fall prevention exercise and education program that takes place twice a
      week, over 12 weeks. Certified RCFS instructors delivered the exercise components
      of the program and OPH staff incorporated fall prevention messaging and conducted
      the evaluation. OUTCOMES: The formative evaluation indicated that participants
      experienced improved strength and balance, decreased fear of falling and the
      intent to adopt new fall prevention behaviours following the program. The
      partnership between OPH and RCFS allowed both partners to leverage their unique
      and mutual strengths to continually improve the program. IMPLICATIONS: Improving
      access to strength and balance programming is an important public health strategy
      to reduce falls. The recreation sector is an ideal partner to help public health
      in this pursuit.

PMID- 28910256
TI  - An introduction to the healthy corner store intervention model in Canada.
AB  - SETTING: The majority of Canadians' food acquisition occurs in retail stores.
      Retail science has become increasingly sophisticated in demonstrating how
      consumer environments influence population-level diet quality and health status.
      The retail food environment literature is new but growing rapidly in Canada, and
      there is a relative paucity of evidence from intervention research implemented in
      Canada. INTERVENTION: The healthy corner store model is a comprehensive complex
      population health intervention in small retail stores, intended to transform an
      existing business model to a health-promoting one through intersectoral
      collaboration. Healthy corner store interventions typically involve conversions
      of existing stores with the participation of health, community, and business
      sector partners, addressing business fundamentals, merchandising, and consumer
      demand. OUTCOMES: This article introduces pioneering experiences with the healthy
      corner store intervention in Canada. First, we offer a brief overview of the
      state of evidence within and outside Canada. Second, we discuss three urban and
      one rural healthy corner store initiatives, led through partnerships among
      community food security organizations, public health units, academics, and
      business partners, in Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Third, we
      synthesize the promising practices from these local examples, including aspects
      of both intervention science (e.g., refinements in measuring the food
      environment) and community-based practice (e.g., dealing with unhealthy food
      items and economic impact for the retailer). IMPLICATIONS: This article will
      synthesize practical experiences with healthy corner stores in Canada. It offers
      a baseline assessment of promising aspects of this intervention for health and
      health equity, and identifies opportunities to strengthen both science and
      practice in this area of retail food environment work.

PMID- 28910257
TI  - Between a rock and a hard place: Prescription opioid restrictions in the time of
      fentanyl and other street drug adulterants.
AB  - Non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) has increased alarmingly across
      Canada and resulted in strict prescribing restrictions on opioids. Despite a
      clear need to reduce opioid prescriptions in response to this crisis, few other
      policies have been implemented and this singular focus is incongruent with the
      known characteristics of substance use disorders, negative effects of supply
      reduction policies, and realities of pain management. Given the recent rise of
      fentanyl and other dangerous adulterants in street drugs, this commentary argues
      that a comprehensive response to NMPOU that includes improvements to addiction
      management and harm-reduction services is urgently needed.

PMID- 28910258
TI  - Recommendations: Will the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act go far enough?
AB  - E-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults in Canada is increasing.
      Potvin's (2016) editorial outlined the need for more evidence on e-cigarettes as
      a gateway to combustible cigarettes and their toxicity. Since then, new evidence
      has emerged supporting the gateway effect and establishing toxicity. Health
      Canada has reviewed the evidence and recently opted to regulate e-cigarettes,
      including prohibiting brick-and-mortar retail access for youth under 18 years of
      age. However, many online e-cigarette retailers exist, which increases
      adolescents' access to e-cigarettes and currently unregulated nicotine-containing
      refills. Recent evidence on the toxicity of particular compounds in e-cigarette
      refills has demonstrated how these compounds may be amplified by certain types of
      e-cigarette devices. The toxicity of e-cigarettes is not only of concern to the
      user but potentially a concern to the public as well. The message that e
      cigarettes have a benign effect on users and the public needs to change and
      should be reflected in Health Canada's future regulations concerning the Tobacco
      and Vaping Products Act.

PMID- 28910259
TI  - Estimation of smoking prevalence in Canada: Implications of survey
      characteristics in the CCHS and CTUMS/CTADS.
AB  - One of the main enterprises associated with tobacco control is surveillance, that
      is, to measure and follow over time the extent of smoking among the Canadian
      population. While surveillance systems have been in place for more than 50 years,
      knowing the exact prevalence of smoking in Canada continues to be a complex
      matter and understanding its estimation requires a critical appreciation of our
      national surveys' idiosyncrasies. This commentary describes the two Statistics
      Canada surveys that are most commonly used to examine smoking prevalence in this
      country: the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and the Canadian Tobacco,
      Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS). It compares estimates of smoking prevalence
      obtained from each source and examines potential reasons for their noticeable
      discrepancies. Canadian researchers interested in smoking prevalence should be
      aware of current and future limitations, and should discuss and analyze these
      accordingly.

PMID- 28910260
TI  - Shining new light on newborn screening of cystic fibrosis in the province of
      Quebec.
AB  - Newborn screening of cystic fibrosis, a severe genetic disease with high
      treatment burden, is offered in all of North America with the exception of the
      province of Quebec. This condition, when diagnosed on symptomatic presentation,
      is marked by chronic infections and progressive lung function decline leading to
      eventual respiratory failure. Patients continue to have a median age of survival
      notably below the Canadian average. Despite prevalence rates of cystic fibrosis
      almost three times the national average in certain regions of Quebec, the
      province still does not offer screening to its newborns. However, the results of
      newly published research comparing patients from Quebec with those of other
      provinces has shown that screening is associated with better nutritional status
      and overall growth, lower hospitalization rates as well as fewer episodes of
      infection, hence contributing to the prevention of lung damage in the long term.
      This research appears to confirm the benefits and pertinence of implementing a
      neonatal screening program for patients with cystic fibrosis in the province.

PMID- 28910261
TI  - Where is the outrage? The abandonment of long-established public health travel
      clinics in Saskatchewan.

PMID- 28910263
TI  - Enzymatic insights into an inherited genetic disorder.
AB  - Mutations in an enzyme involved in protein degradation affect a signaling pathway
      that stimulates the development of the digestive tract.

PMID- 28910262
TI  - Work minimization accounts for footfall phasing in slow quadrupedal gaits.
AB  - Quadrupeds, like most bipeds, tend to walk with an even left/right footfall
      timing. However, the phasing between hind and forelimbs shows considerable
      variation. Here, we account for this variation by modeling and explaining the
      influence of hind-fore limb phasing on mechanical work requirements. These
      mechanics account for the different strategies used by: (1) slow animals (a group
      including crocodile, tortoise, hippopotamus and some babies); (2) normal medium
      to large mammals; and (3) (with an appropriate minus sign) sloths undertaking
      suspended locomotion across a range of speeds. While the unusual hind-fore
      phasing of primates does not match global work minimizing predictions, it does
      approach an only slightly more costly local minimum. Phases predicted to be
      particularly costly have not been reported in nature.

PMID- 28910264
TI  - Estimation and comparison of the radiation effective dose during coronary
      computed tomography angiography examinations on single-source 64-MDCT and dual
      source 128-MDCT.
AB  - GOAL: To estimate and compare the radiation dose associated with coronary
      computed tomography angiography (CCTA) examinations on two multi-detector CT
      scanners (MDCT), 64-MDCT and 128-MDCT, in daily practice. METHODS: Scan
      parameters of 90 patients undergoing retrospective electrocardiographic gating
      spiral CCTA exam were recorded during a period on a single-source 64-MDCT and a
      dual-source 128-MDCT, and average scan parameters were derived that were used for
      dosimetry. The computed tomography dose index (CTDI) with a pencil ionisation
      chamber and polymethyl methacrylate body phantom with diameter of 32 cm was
      measured on both scanners. The dose-length product (DLP) was calculated and the
      DLP to effective dose conversion factor (for chest scan at 120 kV of 0.014 mSv
      mGy-1 cm-1) was used to estimate effective dose (ED). RESULTS: Patients' heart
      rate, scan length, pitch factor, CTDIv, DLP and ED for 128-MDCT were 64 (5)
      (beats min-1), 161 (10) (mm), 0.26, 47 (12) (mGy), 769 (212) (mGy cm) and 10.3
      (3.1) (mSv), respectively [mean (one standard deviation)]. Patients' heart rate,
      scan length, pitch factor, CTDIv, DLP and ED for 64-MDCT were 60 (7) (beats min
      1), 172 (14) (mm), 0.2, 60 (6) (mGy), 1068 (98) (mGy cm) and 14.9 (1.4) (mSv),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the CTDIv, DLP and the
      effective dose with 128-MDCT is significantly lower than with 64-MDCT (p < 0.05).
      As differences between the exposure parameter mAs on two CT scanners was not
      significant (p > 0.05) and the kV was constant for both scanners (120 kV), the
      differences resulted from a shorter scan length on the 128-MDCT and use of a
      higher pitch factor (0.26 and 0.2 in the 128-MDCT and 64-MDCT, respectively).
      Comparison with other published studies confirms the findings and indicates
      methods for reducing patient dose.

PMID- 28910237
TI  - Effects of Once-Weekly Exenatide on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular effects of adding once-weekly treatment with
      exenatide to usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes are unknown. METHODS: We
      randomly assigned patients with type 2 diabetes, with or without previous
      cardiovascular disease, to receive subcutaneous injections of extended-release
      exenatide at a dose of 2 mg or matching placebo once weekly. The primary
      composite outcome was the first occurrence of death from cardiovascular causes,
      nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. The coprimary hypotheses were
      that exenatide, administered once weekly, would be noninferior to placebo with
      respect to safety and superior to placebo with respect to efficacy. RESULTS: In
      all, 14,752 patients (of whom 10,782 [73.1%] had previous cardiovascular disease)
      were followed for a median of 3.2 years (interquartile range, 2.2 to 4.4). A
      primary composite outcome event occurred in 839 of 7356 patients (11.4%; 3.7
      events per 100 person-years) in the exenatide group and in 905 of 7396 patients
      (12.2%; 4.0 events per 100 person-years) in the placebo group (hazard ratio,
      0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 1.00), with the intention-to-treat
      analysis indicating that exenatide, administered once weekly, was noninferior to
      placebo with respect to safety (P<0.001 for noninferiority) but was not superior
      to placebo with respect to efficacy (P=0.06 for superiority). The rates of death
      from cardiovascular causes, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal or
      nonfatal stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, and hospitalization for acute
      coronary syndrome, and the incidence of acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer,
      medullary thyroid carcinoma, and serious adverse events did not differ
      significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 2
      diabetes with or without previous cardiovascular disease, the incidence of major
      adverse cardiovascular events did not differ significantly between patients who
      received exenatide and those who received placebo. (Funded by Amylin
      Pharmaceuticals; EXSCEL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01144338 .).

PMID- 28910265
TI  - Kiss and Tell: Limited Empirical Data on Oropharyngeal Neisseria gonorrhoeae
      Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Implications for Modeling.

PMID- 28910268
TI  - Assessment of Hospital Emergency Department Response to Potentially Infectious
      Diseases Using Unannounced Mystery Patient Drills - New York City, 2016.
AB  - Recent outbreaks of infectious diseases have revealed significant health care
      system vulnerabilities and highlighted the importance of rapid recognition and
      isolation of patients with potentially severe infectious diseases. During
      December 2015-May 2016, a series of unannounced "mystery patient drills" was
      carried out to assess New York City Emergency Departments' (EDs) abilities to
      identify and respond to patients with communicable diseases of public health
      concern. Drill scenarios presented a patient reporting signs or symptoms and
      travel history consistent with possible measles or Middle East Respiratory
      Syndrome (MERS). Evaluators captured key infection control performance measures,
      including time to patient masking and isolation. Ninety-five drills (53 measles
      and 42 MERS) were conducted in 49 EDs with patients masked and isolated in 78% of
      drills. Median time from entry to masking was 1.5 minutes (range = 0-47 minutes)
      and from entry to isolation was 8.5 minutes (range = 1-57). Hospitals varied in
      their ability to identify potentially infectious patients and implement
      recommended infection control measures in a timely manner. Drill findings were
      used to inform hospital improvement planning to more rapidly and consistently
      identify and isolate patients with a potentially highly infectious disease.

PMID- 28910266
TI  - Therapeutic Effect and Mechanism of Action of Abnormal Savda Munziq in
      Development of Degenerative Atherosclerotic Aortic Valve Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of
      abnormal Savda Munziq (ASMq) on the development of degenerative atherosclerotic
      aortic valve disease and its underlying mechanisms. MATERIAL AND METHODS We
      randomly divided 80 rabbits into 4 groups: a normal control group (group N,
      n=20); a high-fat diet group (group HC, n=20); a high-fat diet and Atorvastatin
      calcium intervention group (group AI, n=20); and a high-fat diet and ASMq
      intervention group (group MI, n=20). For evaluation of blood lipid profiles,
      blood samples were collected at week 0 and at the end of week 8. Aortic valve
      samples were taken at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 for atomic force microscopy (AFM)
      examination of endothelial cell nanostructures, and at week 8 for pathological
      examinations. RESULTS Triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC), low-density
      lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein HDL levels of rabbits in group HC
      were significantly different from those in group N (P<0.01). TG, TC, LDL, and HDL
      values of rabbits in group MI were significantly different from rabbits in group
      HC (P<0.05). Pathological examination revealed that the aortic valves from
      rabbits in group MI were visibly clear, with strong endothelial cell continuity.
      No infiltration of macrophages or other inflammatory cells nor subendothelial
      calcium deposition was found when compared with rabbits in group HC. CONCLUSIONS
      ASMq therapy can delay the onset of degenerative calcific aortic valve disease,
      and its effects are similar to those of Atorvastatin.

PMID- 28910270
TI  - Updated Dosing Instructions for Immune Globulin (Human) GamaSTAN S/D for
      Hepatitis A Virus Prophylaxis.
AB  - GamaSTAN S/D (Grifols Therapeutics, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina)
      is a sterile, preservative-free solution of immune globulin (IG) for
      intramuscular administration and is used for prophylaxis against disease caused
      by infection with hepatitis A, measles, varicella, and rubella viruses (1).
      GamaSTAN S/D is the only IG product approved by the Food and Drug Administration
      for hepatitis A virus (HAV) prophylaxis. In July 2017, GamaSTAN S/D prescribing
      information was updated with changes to the dosing instructions for hepatitis A
      preexposure and postexposure prophylaxis indications. These changes were made
      because of concerns about decreased HAV immunoglobulin G antibody (anti-HAV IgG)
      potency, likely resulting from decreasing prevalence of previous HAV infection
      among plasma donors, leading to declining anti-HAV antibody levels in donor
      plasma (2). No changes in dosing instructions were made for measles, varicella,
      or rubella preexposure or postexposure prophylaxis.

PMID- 28910267
TI  - Surveillance for Certain Health Behaviors and Conditions Among States and
      Selected Local Areas - Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States,
      2013 and 2014.
AB  - PROBLEM: Chronic diseases and conditions (e.g., heart diseases, stroke,
      arthritis, and diabetes) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the
      United States. These conditions are costly to the U.S. economy, yet they are
      often preventable or controllable. Behavioral risk factors (e.g., excessive
      alcohol consumption, tobacco use, poor diet, frequent mental distress, and
      insufficient sleep) are linked to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
      Adopting positive health behaviors (e.g., staying physically active, quitting
      tobacco use, obtaining routine physical checkups, and checking blood pressure and
      cholesterol levels) can reduce morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases and
      conditions. Monitoring the health risk behaviors, chronic diseases and
      conditions, access to health care, and use of preventive health services at
      multilevel public health points (states, territories, and metropolitan and
      micropolitan statistical areas [MMSA]) can provide important information for
      development and evaluation of health intervention programs. REPORTING PERIOD:
      2013 and 2014. DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
      System (BRFSS) is an ongoing, state-based, random-digit-dialed telephone survey
      of noninstitutionalized adults aged >=18 years residing in the United States.
      BRFSS collects data on health risk behaviors, chronic diseases and conditions,
      access to health care, and use of preventive health services and practices
      related to the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and
      participating territories. This is the first BRFSS report to include age-adjusted
      prevalence estimates. For 2013 and 2014, these age-adjusted prevalence estimates
      are presented for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
      Puerto Rico, Guam, and selected MMSA. RESULTS: Age-adjusted prevalence estimates
      of health status indicators, health care access and preventive practices, health
      risk behaviors, chronic diseases and conditions, and cardiovascular conditions
      vary by state, territory, and MMSA. Each set of proportions presented refers to
      the range of age-adjusted prevalence estimates of selected BRFSS measures as
      reported by survey respondents. The following are estimates for 2013. Adults
      reporting frequent mental distress: 7.7%-15.2% in states and territories and 6.3%
      19.4% in MMSA. Adults with inadequate sleep: 27.6%-49.2% in states and
      territories and 26.5%-44.4% in MMSA. Adults aged 18-64 years having health care
      coverage: 66.9%-92.4% in states and territories and 60.5%-97.6% in MMSA. Adults
      identifying as current cigarette smokers: 10.1%-28.8% in states and territories
      and 6.1%-33.6% in MMSA. Adults reporting binge drinking during the past month:
      10.5%-25.2% in states and territories and 7.2%-25.3% in MMSA. Adults with
      obesity: 21.0%-35.2% in states and territories and 12.1%-37.1% in MMSA. Adults
      aged >=45 years with some form of arthritis: 30.6%-51.0% in states and
      territories and 27.6%-52.4% in MMSA. Adults aged >=45 years who have had coronary
      heart disease: 7.4%-17.5% in states and territories and 6.2%-20.9% in MMSA.
      Adults aged >=45 years who have had a stroke: 3.1%-7.5% in states and territories
      and 2.3%-9.4% in MMSA. Adults with high blood pressure: 25.2%-40.1% in states and
      territories and 22.2%-42.2% in MMSA. Adults with high blood cholesterol: 28.8%
      38.4% in states and territories and 26.3%-39.6% in MMSA. The following are
      estimates for 2014. Adults reporting frequent physical distress: 7.8%-16.0% in
      states and territories and 6.2%-18.5% in MMSA. Women aged 21-65 years who had a
      Papanicolaou test during the past 3 years: 67.7%-87.8% in states and territories
      and 68.0%-94.3% in MMSA. Adults aged 50-75 years who received colorectal cancer
      screening on the basis of the 2008 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
      recommendation: 42.8%-76.7% in states and territories and 49.1%-79.6% in MMSA.
      Adults with inadequate sleep: 28.4%-48.6% in states and territories and 25.4%
      45.3% in MMSA. Adults reporting binge drinking during the past month: 10.7%-25.1%
      in states and territories and 6.7%-26.3% in MMSA. Adults aged >=45 years who have
      had coronary heart disease: 8.0%-17.1% in states and territories and 7.6%-19.2%
      in MMSA. Adults aged >=45 years with some form of arthritis: 31.2%-54.7% in
      states and territories and 28.4%-54.7% in MMSA. Adults with obesity: 21.0%-35.9%
      in states and territories and 19.7%-42.5% in MMSA. INTERPRETATION: Prevalence of
      certain chronic diseases and conditions, health risk behaviors, and use of
      preventive health services varies among states, territories, and MMSA. The
      findings of this report highlight the need for continued monitoring of health
      status, health care access, health behaviors, and chronic diseases and conditions
      at state and local levels. PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION: State and local health
      departments and agencies can continue to use BRFSS data to identify populations
      at risk for certain unhealthy behaviors and chronic diseases and conditions. Data
      also can be used to design, monitor, and evaluate public health programs at state
      and local levels.

PMID- 28910269
TI  - Rates and Trends of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - United States, 2001
      2014.
AB  - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most prevalent cancer among children
      and adolescents in the United States, representing 20% of all cancers diagnosed
      in persons aged <20 years, or >3,000 new cases each year (1). Past studies
      reported increasing trends of ALL overall and among Hispanics, but these
      represented <=28% of the U.S. population and did not provide state-based
      estimates (1-3). To describe U.S. ALL incidence rates and trends among persons
      aged <20 years during 2001-2014, CDC analyzed rigorous data (based on established
      publication criteria) from the United States Cancer Statistics data set, which
      includes incidence data on approximately 15,000 new cases per year of all types
      of invasive cancer among children and adolescents aged <20 years (4). The data
      set represented 98% of the U.S. population during the study period. Overall
      incidence of pediatric ALL during 2001-2014 was 34.0 cases per 1 million persons
      and among all racial/ethnic groups was highest among Hispanics (42.9 per 1
      million). Both overall and among Hispanics, pediatric ALL incidence increased
      during 2001-2008 and remained stable during 2008-2014. ALL incidence was higher
      in the West than in any other U.S. Census region. State-specific data indicated
      that the highest rates of pediatric ALL incidence were in California, New Mexico,
      and Vermont. These demographic and geographic ALL incidence data might better
      inform public health interventions targeting the following areas: exposures to
      recognized risk factors for leukemia; ALL treatment, including clinical trial
      enrollment; survivorship care planning; and studies designed to understand the
      factors affecting changes in pediatric cancer incidence.

PMID- 28910272
TI  - Announcement: Community Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation for
      Interventions Engaging Community Health Workers for Diabetes Management.

PMID- 28910271
TI  - Announcement: National Child Passenger Safety Week - September 17-23, 2017.

PMID- 28910273
TI  - QuickStats: Percentage of Women Who Missed Taking Oral Contraceptive Pills* Among
      Women Aged 15-44 Years Who Used Oral Contraceptive Pills and Had Sexual
      Intercourse, Overall and by Age and Number of Pills Missed - National Survey Of
      Family Growth, United States, 2013-2015?.

PMID- 28910274
TI  - Notes from the Field: Vibrio cholerae Serogroup O1, Serotype Inaba - Minnesota,
      August 2016.

PMID- 28910275
TI  - Occupational Animal Exposure Among Persons with Campylobacteriosis and
      Cryptosporidiosis - Nebraska, 2005-2015.
AB  - Campylobacter and Cryptosporidium are two common causes of gastroenteritis in the
      United States. National incidence rates measured for these pathogens in 2015 were
      17.7 and 3.0 per 100,000 population, respectively; Nebraska was among the states
      with the highest incidence for both campylobacteriosis (26.6) and
      cryptosporidiosis (>=6.01) (1). Although campylobacteriosis and cryptosporidiosis
      are primarily transmitted via consumption of contaminated food or water, they can
      also be acquired through contact with live animals or animal products, including
      through occupational exposure (2). This exposure route is of particular interest
      in Nebraska, where animal agriculture and associated industries are an important
      part of the state's economy. To estimate the percentage of disease that might be
      related to occupational animal exposure in Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of
      Health and Human Services (NDHHS) and CDC reviewed deidentified investigation
      reports from 2005 to 2015 of cases of campylobacteriosis and cryptosporidiosis
      among Nebraska residents aged >=14 years. Case investigation notes were searched
      for evidence of occupational animal exposures, which were classified into
      discrete categories based on industry, animal/meat, and specific work
      activity/exposure. Occupational animal exposure was identified in 16.6% of 3,352
      campylobacteriosis and 8.7% of 1,070 cryptosporidiosis cases, among which animal
      production (e.g., farming or ranching) was the most commonly mentioned industry
      type (68.2% and 78.5%, respectively), followed by employment in animal slaughter
      and processing facilities (16.3% and 5.4%, respectively). Among animal/meat
      occupational exposures, cattle/beef was most commonly mentioned, with exposure to
      feedlots (concentrated animal feeding operations in which animals are fed on
      stored feeds) reported in 29.9% of campylobacteriosis and 7.9% of
      cryptosporidiosis cases. Close contact with animals and manure in feedlots and
      other farm settings might place workers in these areas at increased risk for
      infection. It is important to educate workers with occupational animal exposure
      about the symptoms of enteric diseases and prevention measures. Targeting
      prevention strategies to high-risk workplaces and activities could help reduce
      disease.

PMID- 28910276
TI  - IGF2 stimulates fetal growth in a sex- and organ-dependent manner.
AB  - BackgroundInsulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is a key determinant of fetal
      growth, and the altered expression of IGF2 is implicated in fetal growth
      disorders and maternal metabolic derangements including gestational diabetes.
      Here we studied how increased levels of IGF2 in late pregnancy affect fetal
      growth.MethodsWe employed a rat model of repeated intrafetal IGF2 administration
      in late pregnancy, i.e., during GD19-GD21, and measured the consequences on fetal
      organ weight and expression of insulin/IGF-axis components.ResultsIGF2 treatment
      tended to increase fetal weight, but only weight increase of the fetal stomach
      reached significance (+33+/-9%; P<0.01). Sex-dependent data analysis revealed a
      sexual dimorphism of IGF2 action. In male fetuses, IGF2 administration
      significantly increased fetal weight (+13+/-3%; P<0.05) and weight of fetal
      stomach (+42+/-10%; P<0.01), intestine (+26+/-5%; P<0.05), liver (+13+/-4%;
      P<0.05), and pancreas (+25+/-8%; P<0.05). Weights of heart, lungs, and kidneys
      were unchanged. In female fetuses, IGF2 increased only stomach weight (+26+/-9%;
      P<0.05). Furthermore, gene expression of insulin/IGF axis in the heart, lungs,
      liver, and stomach was more sensitive toward IGF2 treatment in male than in
      female fetuses.ConclusionData suggest that elevated circulating IGF2 in late
      pregnancy predominantly stimulates organ growth of the digestive system, and male
      fetuses are more susceptible toward the IGF2 effects than female fetuses.

PMID- 28910277
TI  - Interplay between microtubule bundling and sorting factors ensures acentriolar
      spindle stability during C. elegans oocyte meiosis.
AB  - In many species, oocyte meiosis is carried out in the absence of centrioles. As a
      result, microtubule organization, spindle assembly, and chromosome segregation
      proceed by unique mechanisms. Here, we report insights into the principles
      underlying this specialized form of cell division, through studies of C. elegans
      KLP-15 and KLP-16, two highly homologous members of the kinesin-14 family of
      minus-end-directed kinesins. These proteins localize to the acentriolar oocyte
      spindle and promote microtubule bundling during spindle assembly; following KLP
      15/16 depletion, microtubule bundles form but then collapse into a disorganized
      array. Surprisingly, despite this defect we found that during anaphase,
      microtubules are able to reorganize into a bundled array that facilitates
      chromosome segregation. This phenotype therefore enabled us to identify factors
      promoting microtubule organization during anaphase, whose contributions are
      normally undetectable in wild-type worms; we found that SPD-1 (PRC1) bundles
      microtubules and KLP-18 (kinesin-12) likely sorts those bundles into a functional
      orientation capable of mediating chromosome segregation. Therefore, our studies
      have revealed an interplay between distinct mechanisms that together promote
      spindle formation and chromosome segregation in the absence of structural cues
      such as centrioles.

PMID- 28910278
TI  - Defective erythropoiesis caused by mutations of the thyroid hormone receptor
      alpha gene.
AB  - Patients with mutations of the THRA gene exhibit classical features of
      hypothyroidism, including erythroid disorders. We previously created a mutant
      mouse expressing a mutated TRalpha1 (denoted as PV; Thra1PV/+ mouse) that
      faithfully reproduces the classical hypothyroidism seen in patients. Using
      Thra1PV/+ mice, we explored how the TRalpha1PV mutant acted to cause
      abnormalities in erythropoiesis. Thra1PV/+ mice exhibited abnormal red blood cell
      indices similarly as reported for patients. The total bone marrow cells and
      erythrocytic progenitors were markedly reduced in the bone marrow of Thra1PV/+
      mice. In vitro terminal differentiation assays showed a significant reduction of
      mature erythrocytes in Thra1PV/+ mice. In wild-type mice, the clonogenic
      potential of progenitors in the erythrocytic lineage was stimulated by thyroid
      hormone (T3), suggesting that T3 could directly accelerate the differentiation of
      progenitors to mature erythrocytes. Analysis of gene expression profiles showed
      that the key regulator of erythropoiesis, the Gata-1 gene, and its regulated
      genes, such as the Klf1, beta-globin, dematin genes, CAII, band3 and eALAS genes,
      involved in the maturation of erythrocytes, was decreased in the bone marrow
      cells of Thra1PV/+ mice. We further elucidated that the Gata-1 gene was a T3
      directly regulated gene and that TRalpha1PV could impair erythropoiesis via
      repression of the Gata-1 gene and its regulated genes. These results provide new
      insights into how TRalpha1 mutants acted to cause erythroid abnormalities in
      patients with mutations of the THRA gene. Importantly, the Thra1PV/+ mouse could
      serve as a preclinical mouse model to identify novel molecular targets for
      treatment of erythroid disorders.

PMID- 28910279
TI  - Longitudinal multiparameter single-cell analysis of macaques immunized with
      pneumococcal protein-conjugated or unconjugated polysaccharide vaccines reveals
      distinct antigen specific memory B cell repertoires.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of protein-conjugated pneumococcal polysaccharide
      vaccines has been well characterized for children. The level of protection
      conferred by unconjugated polysaccharide vaccines remains less clear,
      particularly for elderly individuals who have had prior antigenic experience
      through immunization with unconjugated polysaccharide vaccines or natural
      exposure to Streptococcus pneumoniae. METHODS: We compared the magnitude,
      diversity and genetic biases of antigen-specific memory B cells in two groups of
      adult cynomolgus macaques that were immunized with a 7-valent conjugated vaccine
      and boosted after five years with either a 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide
      conjugate vaccine (13vPnC) or a 23-valent unconjugated pneumococcal
      polysaccharide vaccine (23vPS) using microengraving (a single-cell analysis
      method) and single-cell RT-PCR. RESULTS: Seven days after boosting, the mean
      frequency of antigen-specific memory B cells was significantly increased in
      macaques vaccinated with 13vPnC compared to those receiving 23vPS. The 13vPnC
      vaccinated macaques also exhibited a more even distribution of antibody
      specificities to four polysaccharides in the vaccine (PS4, 6B, 14, 23F) that were
      examined. However, single-cell analysis of the antibody variable region sequences
      from antigen-specific B cells elicited by unconjugated and conjugated vaccines
      indicated that both the germline gene segments forming the heavy chains and the
      average lengths of the Complementary Determining Region 3 (CDR3) were similar.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that distinctive differences can manifest
      between antigen-specific memory B cell repertoires in nonhuman primates immunized
      with conjugated and unconjugated pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines. The study
      also supports the notion that the conjugated vaccines have a favorable profile in
      terms of both the frequency and breadth of the anamnestic response among antigen
      specific memory B cells.

PMID- 28910280
TI  - The eBioKit, a stand-alone educational platform for bioinformatics.
AB  - Bioinformatics skills have become essential for many research areas; however, the
      availability of qualified researchers is usually lower than the demand and
      training to increase the number of able bioinformaticians is an important task
      for the bioinformatics community. When conducting training or hands-on tutorials,
      the lack of control over the analysis tools and repositories often results in
      undesirable situations during training, as unavailable online tools or version
      conflicts may delay, complicate, or even prevent the successful completion of a
      training event. The eBioKit is a stand-alone educational platform that hosts
      numerous tools and databases for bioinformatics research and allows training to
      take place in a controlled environment. A key advantage of the eBioKit over other
      existing teaching solutions is that all the required software and databases are
      locally installed on the system, significantly reducing the dependence on the
      internet. Furthermore, the architecture of the eBioKit has demonstrated itself to
      be an excellent balance between portability and performance, not only making the
      eBioKit an exceptional educational tool but also providing small research groups
      with a platform to incorporate bioinformatics analysis in their research. As a
      result, the eBioKit has formed an integral part of training and research
      performed by a wide variety of universities and organizations such as the Pan
      African Bioinformatics Network (H3ABioNet) as part of the initiative Human
      Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa), the Southern Africa Network for
      Biosciences (SAnBio) initiative, the Biosciences eastern and central Africa
      (BecA) hub, and the International Glossina Genome Initiative.

PMID- 28910281
TI  - Global health policy and neglected tropical diseases: Then, now, and in the years
      to come.

PMID- 28910282
TI  - Characterization of intravascular cellular activation in relationship to
      subclinical atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mechanisms and interactions among intravascular cells contributing to
      development of subclinical atherosclerosis are poorly understood. In women, both
      menopausal status and pregnancy history influence progression of atherosclerosis.
      This study examined activation and interactions among blood elements with
      subclinical atherosclerosis in menopausal women with known pregnancy histories.
      METHODS: Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), as a marker of subclinical
      atherosclerosis, was measured using B-mode ultrasound in age- and parity-matched
      women [40 with and 40 without a history of preeclampsia] 35 years after the index
      pregnancy. Interactions among intravascular cells (38 parameters) were measured
      by flow cytometry in venous blood. Data analysis was by principal component which
      retained 7 independent dimensions accounting for 63% of the variability among 38
      parameters. RESULTS: CIMT was significantly greater in women with a history of
      preeclampsia (P = 0.004). Platelet aggregation and platelet interactions with
      granulocytes and monocytes positively associated with CIMT in postmenopausal
      women independent of their pregnancy history (rho = 0.258, P< 0.05). However, the
      association of the number of platelets, platelet activation and monocyte-platelet
      interactions with CIMT differed significantly depending upon pregnancy history
      (test for interaction, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Interactions among actived
      intravascular cells and their association with subclinical atherosclerosis differ
      in women depending upon their pregnancy histories.

PMID- 28910283
TI  - Stochastic principles governing alternative splicing of RNA.
AB  - The dominance of the major transcript isoform relative to other isoforms from the
      same gene generated by alternative splicing (AS) is essential to the maintenance
      of normal cellular physiology. However, the underlying principles that determine
      such dominance remain unknown. Here, we analyzed the physical AS process and
      found that it can be modeled by a stochastic minimization process, which causes
      the scaled expression levels of all transcript isoforms to follow the same
      Weibull extreme value distribution. Surprisingly, we also found a simple equation
      to describe the median frequency of transcript isoforms of different dominance.
      This two-parameter Weibull model provides the statistical distribution of all
      isoforms of all transcribed genes, and reveals that previously unexplained
      observations concerning relative isoform expression derive from these principles.

PMID- 28910285
TI  - Correction: Effect of Insulin Resistance on Monounsaturated Fatty Acid Levels: A
      Multi-cohort Non-targeted Metabolomics and Mendelian Randomization Study.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006379.].

PMID- 28910284
TI  - Caretakers' perspectives of paediatric TB and implications for care-seeking
      behaviours in Southern Mozambique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important public health concern,
      especially in poorly resourced settings. TB diagnosis is challenging,
      particularly for children, who are the most vulnerable to its' impacts. Lack of
      knowledge and awareness of the disease compromises prompt diagnosis and treatment
      compliance. OBJECTIVE: To gain insights regarding caretakers' knowledge of the
      aetiology and prevention of paediatric TB in southern Mozambique, to describe
      their care-seeking behaviours and to assess the acceptability of diagnostic
      procedures. METHODS: A total of 35 caretakers were interviewed, all of which had
      children with TB compatible symptoms. Eleven were caretakers of children
      diagnosed with TB at the health facility, 11 of children for whom TB was excluded
      as a diagnosis at the health facility and 13 of children with TB compatible
      symptoms identified in the community. The first two groups took part in a TB
      incidence study, while the third group did not. All underwent the same semi
      structured interviews, the results of which were analysed and compared using
      content analysis. RESULTS: Even when confronted with signs suggestive of TB, most
      caretakers never suspected it or misinterpreted the signs, even among caretakers
      with TB and TB contacts. There was limited knowledge of TB, except among those
      undergoing treatment. The transgression of social norms was often presented as an
      explanation for TB in parallel to medically sound causes. The use of traditional
      care for prevention is widespread, but it varied for treatment purposes. TB
      diagnostic procedures were considered painful but were unanimously tolerated.
      CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Misconceptions of paediatric TB, associated complex
      care-seeking itineraries and negative feelings of the diagnostic procedures may
      result in delays, low adherence and lost to follow-up, which needs to be
      addressed by adequately framed health promotion approaches.

PMID- 28910286
TI  - Potential DNA barcodes for Melilotus species based on five single loci and their
      combinations.
AB  - Melilotus, an annual or biennial herb, belongs to the tribe Trifolieae
      (Leguminosae) and consists of 19 species. As an important green manure crop,
      diverse Melilotus species have different values as feed and medicine. To identify
      different Melilotus species, we examined the efficiency of five candidate regions
      as barcodes, including the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and two chloroplast
      loci, rbcL and matK, and two non-coding loci, trnH-psbA and trnL-F. In total, 198
      individuals from 98 accessions representing 18 Melilotus species were sequenced
      for these five potential barcodes. Based on inter-specific divergence, we
      analysed sequences and confirmed that each candidate barcode was able to identify
      some of the 18 species. The resolution of a single barcode and its combinations
      ranged from 33.33% to 88.89%. Analysis of pairwise distances showed that
      matK+rbcL+trnL-F+trnH-psbA+ITS (MRTPI) had the greatest value and rbcL the least.
      Barcode gap values and similarity value analyses confirmed these trends. The
      results indicated that an ITS region, successfully identifying 13 of 18 species,
      was the most appropriate single barcode and that the combination of all five
      potential barcodes identified 16 of the 18 species. We conclude that MRTPI is the
      most effective tool for Melilotus species identification. Taking full advantage
      of the barcode system, a clear taxonomic relationship can be applied to identify
      Melilotus species and enhance their practical production.

PMID- 28910287
TI  - Generation of a serum free CHO DG44 cell line stably producing a broadly
      protective anti-influenza virus monoclonal antibody.
AB  - Because of the broad neutralization and in vivo protection across influenza A and
      influenza B virus strains, monoclonal antibody CR9114 is widely used in influenza
      virus research as a positive control in many experiments. To produce amounts
      sufficient for the demand requires regular transient transfections, resulting in
      varying yield as well as differing batch to batch quality. Here, we report the
      development of a serum-free CHO DG44 cell line, stably producing a CR9114-like
      antibody with a potential to become a useful influenza virus research tool.

PMID- 28910288
TI  - Genomics-enabled analysis of the emergent disease cotton bacterial blight.
AB  - Cotton bacterial blight (CBB), an important disease of (Gossypium hirsutum) in
      the early 20th century, had been controlled by resistant germplasm for over half
      a century. Recently, CBB re-emerged as an agronomic problem in the United States.
      Here, we report analysis of cotton variety planting statistics that indicate a
      steady increase in the percentage of susceptible cotton varieties grown each year
      since 2009. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strains from the current outbreak
      cluster with race 18 Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum (Xcm) strains. Illumina
      based draft genomes were generated for thirteen Xcm isolates and analyzed along
      with 4 previously published Xcm genomes. These genomes encode 24 conserved and
      nine variable type three effectors. Strains in the race 18 clade contain 3 to 5
      more effectors than other Xcm strains. SMRT sequencing of two geographically and
      temporally diverse strains of Xcm yielded circular chromosomes and accompanying
      plasmids. These genomes encode eight and thirteen distinct transcription
      activator-like effector genes. RNA-sequencing revealed 52 genes induced within
      two cotton cultivars by both tested Xcm strains. This gene list includes a
      homeologous pair of genes, with homology to the known susceptibility gene, MLO.
      In contrast, the two strains of Xcm induce different clade III SWEET sugar
      transporters. Subsequent genome wide analysis revealed patterns in the overall
      expression of homeologous gene pairs in cotton after inoculation by Xcm. These
      data reveal important insights into the Xcm-G. hirsutum disease complex and
      strategies for future development of resistant cultivars.

PMID- 28910289
TI  - How TAVI registries report clinical outcomes-A systematic review of endpoints
      based on VARC-2 definitions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been
      demonstrated to be an alternative treatment for severe aortic stenosis in
      patients considered as high surgical risk. Since its first human implantation by
      Cribier et al., TAVI has been shown to increase survival rate and quality of life
      for high surgical risks patients. The objective of this study is to provide an
      overview of TAVI registries and the reporting clinical outcomes based on the VARC
      2 definitions. In addition, the comparability and adherence of VARC-2 reporting
      within the identified TAVI registries was reviewed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      systematic review of TAVI registries reporting VARC-2 definitions has been
      performed in line with PRISMA guidelines in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus
      databases and EMBASE. Based on VARC-2, patients' characteristics and procedure
      characteristics, 30-day clinical outcomes, 1-year mortality and composited
      endpoints were extracted from each registry's publications. RESULTS: This review
      identified 466 studies that were potentially relevant, and 20 TAVI registries
      reported VARC-2 definitions involved in our present review. Of all 20 registries,
      an overall sample size of 12,583 patients was involved. The 30-day all-cause
      mortality ranged from 0 to 12.7%. From 20 registries, 14 registries reported the
      cardiovascular mortality at 30 days. 9 registries reported myocardial infarction
      (MI) rate based on VARC-2 definitions, and 7 registries reported peri-procedural
      MI rate (<72h). In our review, most of registries presented MI rates ranging from
      0.5% to 2%. The majority of registries have reported complications such as
      bleeding, vascular complications and new pacemaker implantation. CONCLUSION:
      Since the introduction of VARC definitions from 2011, VARC and VARC-2 definitions
      are still not systematically used by all TAVI studies. These endpoint definitions
      warrant a concise and systemic analysis of outcome measures. Reporting TAVI
      outcome uniformly makes study result comparison feasible. This definitely will
      increase patient safety, additionally to provide sufficient evidence to support
      decision makers like regulatory bodies, HTA agencies, payers.

PMID- 28910290
TI  - Bird use of organic apple orchards: Frugivory, pest control and implications for
      production.
AB  - As the largest terrestrial biomes, crop and pasturelands can have very large
      positive or negative impacts on biodiversity and human well-being. Understanding
      how animals use and impact agroecosystems is important for making informed
      decisions that achieve conservation and production outcomes. Yet, few studies
      examine the tradeoffs associated with wildlife in agricultural systems. We
      examined bird use of organic apple orchards as well as how birds influence fruit
      production positively through control of an economically important insect pest
      (codling moth (Cydia pomonella)) and negatively through fruit damage. We
      conducted transect surveys, observed bird frugivory and assessed bird and insect
      damage with an exclosure experiment in small organic farms in western Colorado.
      We found that organic apple orchards in this region provide habitat for a large
      number of both human-adapted and human-sensitive species and that the species in
      orchards were relatively similar to adjacent hedgerow habitats. Habitat use did
      not vary as a function of orchard characteristics, and apple damage by both birds
      and C. pomonella was consistent within and across apple blocks that varied in
      size. A small subset of bird species was observed foraging on apples yet the
      effect of birds as agents of fruit damage appeared rather minor and birds did not
      reduce C. pomonella damage. Our results demonstrate that organic apple orchards
      have the potential to provide habitat for diverse bird communities, including
      species typically sensitive to human activities, with little apparent effect on
      production.

PMID- 28910291
TI  - Minimizing nocebo effects by conditioning with verbal suggestion: A randomized
      clinical trial in healthy humans.
AB  - Nocebo effects, i.e., adverse treatment effects which are induced by patients'
      expectations, are known to contribute to the experience of physical symptoms such
      as pain and itch. A better understanding of how to minimize nocebo responses
      might eventually contribute to enhanced treatment effects. However, little is
      known about how to reduce nocebo effects. In the current randomized controlled
      study, we tested whether nocebo effects can be minimized by positive expectation
      induction with respect to electrical and histaminic itch stimuli. First, negative
      expectations about electrical itch stimuli were induced by verbal suggestion and
      conditioning (part 1: induction of nocebo effect). Second, participants were
      randomized to either the experimental group or one of the control groups (part 2:
      reversing nocebo effect). In the experimental group, positive expectations were
      induced by conditioning with verbal suggestion. In the control groups either the
      negative expectation induction was continued or an extinction procedure was
      applied. Afterwards, a histamine application test was conducted. Positive
      expectation induction resulted in a significantly smaller nocebo effect in
      comparison with both control groups. Mean change itch NRS scores showed that the
      nocebo effect was even reversed, indicating a placebo effect. Comparable effects
      were also found for histamine application. This study is the first to demonstrate
      that nocebo effects can be minimized and even reversed by conditioning with
      verbal suggestion. The results of the current study indicate that learning via
      counterconditioning and verbal suggestion represents a promising strategy for
      diminishing nocebo responses.

PMID- 28910292
TI  - Host outdoor exposure variability affects the transmission and spread of Zika
      virus: Insights for epidemic control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zika virus transmission dynamics in urban environments follow a
      complex spatiotemporal pattern that appears unpredictable and barely related to
      high mosquito density areas. In this context, human activity patterns likely have
      a major role in Zika transmission dynamics. This paper examines the effect of
      host variability in the amount of time spent outdoors on Zika epidemiology in an
      urban environment. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: First, we performed a survey
      on time spent outdoors by residents of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Second, we
      analyzed both the survey and previously published national data on outdoors time
      in the U.S. to provide estimates of the distribution of the time spent outdoors.
      Third, we performed a computational modeling evaluation of Zika transmission
      dynamics, based on the time spent outdoors by each person. Our analysis reveals a
      strong heterogeneity of the host population in terms of time spent outdoors-data
      are well captured by skewed gamma distributions. Our model-based evaluation shows
      that in a heterogeneous population, Zika would cause a lower number of infections
      than in a more homogenous host population (up to 4-fold differences), but, at the
      same time, the epidemic would spread much faster. We estimated that in highly
      heterogeneous host populations the timing of the implementation of vector control
      measures is the major factor for limiting the number of Zika infections.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings highlight the need of considering host
      variability in exposure time for managing mosquito-borne infections and call for
      the revision of the triggers for vector control strategies, which should
      integrate mosquito density data and human outdoor activity patterns in specific
      areas.

PMID- 28910293
TI  - Attribution of global foodborne disease to specific foods: Findings from a World
      Health Organization structured expert elicitation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently the World Health Organization, Foodborne Disease Burden
      Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) estimated that 31 foodborne diseases (FBDs)
      resulted in over 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths worldwide in 2010.
      Knowing the relative role importance of different foods as exposure routes for
      key hazards is critical to preventing illness. This study reports the findings of
      a structured expert elicitation providing globally comparable food source
      attribution estimates for 11 major FBDs in each of 14 world subregions. METHODS
      AND FINDINGS: We used Cooke's Classical Model to elicit and aggregate judgments
      of 73 international experts. Judgments were elicited from each expert
      individually and aggregated using both equal and performance weights. Performance
      weighted results are reported as they increased the informativeness of estimates,
      while retaining accuracy. We report measures of central tendency and uncertainty
      bounds on food source attribution estimate. For some pathogens we see relatively
      consistent food source attribution estimates across subregions of the world; for
      others there is substantial regional variation. For example, for non-typhoidal
      salmonellosis, pork was of minor importance compared to eggs and poultry meat in
      the American and African subregions, whereas in the European and Western Pacific
      subregions the importance of these three food sources were quite similar. Our
      regional results broadly agree with estimates from earlier European and North
      American food source attribution research. As in prior food source attribution
      research, we find relatively wide uncertainty bounds around our median estimates.
      CONCLUSIONS: We present the first worldwide estimates of the proportion of
      specific foodborne diseases attributable to specific food exposure routes. While
      we find substantial uncertainty around central tendency estimates, we believe
      these estimates provide the best currently available basis on which to link FBDs
      and specific foods in many parts of the world, providing guidance for policy
      actions to control FBDs.

PMID- 28910294
TI  - Auto-correlation in the motor/imaginary human EEG signals: A vision about the
      FDFA fluctuations.
AB  - In this paper we analyzed, by the FDFA root mean square fluctuation (rms)
      function, the motor/imaginary human activity produced by a 64-channel
      electroencephalography (EEG). We utilized the Physionet on-line databank, a
      publicly available database of human EEG signals, as a standardized reference
      database for this study. Herein, we report the use of detrended fluctuation
      analysis (DFA) method for EEG analysis. We show that the complex time series of
      the EEG exhibits characteristic fluctuations depending on the analyzed channel in
      the scalp-recorded EEG. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed
      technique, we analyzed four distinct channels represented here by F332, F637
      (frontal region of the head) and P349, P654 (parietal region of the head). We
      verified that the amplitude of the FDFA rms function is greater for the frontal
      channels than for the parietal. To tabulate this information in a better way, we
      define and calculate the difference between FDFA (in log scale) for the channels,
      thus defining a new path for analysis of EEG signals. Finally, related to the
      studied EEG signals, we obtain the auto-correlation exponent, alphaDFA by DFA
      method, that reveals self-affinity at specific time scale. Our results shows that
      this strategy can be applied to study the human brain activity in EEG processing.

PMID- 28910295
TI  - Identification of a mouse Lactobacillus johnsonii strain with deconjugase
      activity against the FXR antagonist T-beta-MCA.
AB  - Bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity against the bile acid tauro-beta-muricholic
      acid (T-beta-MCA) was recently reported to mediate host bile acid, glucose, and
      lipid homeostasis via the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signaling pathway. An
      earlier study correlated decreased Lactobacillus abundance in the cecum with
      increased concentrations of intestinal T-beta-MCA, an FXR antagonist. While
      several studies have characterized BSHs in lactobacilli, deconjugation of T-beta
      MCA remains poorly characterized among members of this genus, and therefore it
      was unclear what strain(s) were responsible for this activity. Here, a strain of
      L. johnsonii with robust BSH activity against T-beta-MCA in vitro was isolated
      from the cecum of a C57BL/6J mouse. A screening assay performed on a collection
      of 14 Lactobacillus strains from nine different species identified BSH substrate
      specificity for T-beta-MCA only in two of three L. johnsonii strains. Genomic
      analysis of the two strains with this BSH activity revealed the presence of three
      bsh genes that are homologous to bsh genes in the previously sequenced human
      associated strain L. johnsonii NCC533. Heterologous expression of several bsh
      genes in E. coli followed by enzymatic assays revealed broad differences in
      substrate specificity even among closely related bsh homologs, and suggests that
      the phylogeny of these enzymes does not closely correlate with substrate
      specificity. Predictive modeling allowed us to propose a potential mechanism
      driving differences in BSH activity for T-beta-MCA in these homologs. Our data
      suggests that L. johnsonii regulates T-beta-MCA levels in the mouse intestinal
      environment, and that this species may play a central role in FXR signaling in
      the mouse.

PMID- 28910296
TI  - The impact of the protein interactome on the syntenic structure of mammalian
      genomes.
AB  - Conserved synteny denotes evolutionary preserved gene order across species. It is
      not well understood to which degree functional relationships between genes are
      preserved in syntenic blocks. Here we investigate whether protein-coding genes
      conserved in mammalian syntenic blocks encode gene products that serve the common
      functional purpose of interacting at protein level, i.e. connectivity. High
      connectivity among protein-protein interactions (PPIs) was only moderately
      associated with conserved synteny on a genome-wide scale. However, we observed a
      smaller subset of 3.6% of all syntenic blocks with high-confidence PPIs that had
      significantly higher connectivity than expected by random. Additionally, syntenic
      blocks with high-confidence PPIs contained significantly more chromatin loops
      than the remaining blocks, indicating functional preservation among these
      syntenic blocks. Conserved synteny is typically defined by sequence similarity.
      In this study, we also examined whether a functional relationship, here PPI
      connectivity, can identify syntenic blocks independently of orthology. While
      orthology-based syntenic blocks with high-confident PPIs and the connectivity
      based syntenic blocks largely overlapped, the connectivity-based approach
      identified additional syntenic blocks that were not found by conventional
      sequence-based methods alone. Additionally, the connectivity-based approach
      enabled identification of potential orthologous genes between species. Our
      analyses demonstrate that subsets of syntenic blocks are associated with highly
      connected proteins, and that PPI connectivity can be used to detect conserved
      synteny even if sequence conservation drifts beyond what orthology algorithms
      normally can identify.

PMID- 28910297
TI  - Evaluation of auditory perception development in neonates by quantitative
      electroencephalography and auditory event-related potentials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study was performed to investigate neonatal auditory
      perception function by quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and auditory
      event-related potentials (aERPs) and identify the characteristics of auditory
      perception development in newborns. METHODS: Fifty-three normal full-term
      neonates were divided into three groups according their age in days. An auditory
      oddball paradigm was used. QEEG (resting state and task state) and aERPs were
      performed. EEG delta power in the resting and task states and at different ages
      was respectively analyzed. The N2 area and latency of aERPs at different ages
      were also compared. RESULTS: The four main findings of this study are as follows.
      First, the increase in the EEG delta power was significantly greater in the task
      than resting state in Group 3 at the Fz lead (t = -3.371, P = 0.004) and in
      Groups 2 and 3 at the Cz lead (Group 2: t = -3.149, P = 0.005; Group 3: t = 
      3.609, P = 0.002). Second, the delta power gradually increased from 1 to 10 days
      of age (Group 1), peaked at 11 to 20 days (Group 2), and gradually decreased from
      21 to 28 days (Group 3). The data in the Fz lead during the task state and in the
      Cz lead during the resting and task states were statistically significant (F =
      5.875, P = 0.005; F = 5.523, P = 0.007; and F = 5.402, P = 0.008, respectively).
      Third, the N2 area significantly increased with age by presentation of target
      stimuli (F = 5.26, P = 0.01). The N2 area increased most significantly from 21 to
      28 days (Group 3). Finally, the N2 latency significantly decreased with age (Fz
      lead: F = 4.66, P = 0.023; Cz lead: F = 7.18, P = 0.005). The N2 latency
      decreased most significantly from 11 to 20 days of age (Group 2). CONCLUSION:
      Rapid cognitive development occurs during the neonatal period. In the first
      several days after birth, the EEG delta power and N2 area manifested the
      characteristic performance of identifying task information. QEEG and aERP
      measurement can be used as objective indices with which to evaluate auditory
      perception development in neonates.

PMID- 28910298
TI  - Adult hippocampal neurogenesis poststroke: More new granule cells but aberrant
      morphology and impaired spatial memory.
AB  - Stroke significantly stimulates neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus, though
      the functional role of this postlesional response is mostly unclear. Recent
      findings suggest that newborn neurons generated in the context of stroke may fail
      to correctly integrate into pre-existing networks. We hypothesized that increased
      neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus following stroke is associated with aberrant
      neurogenesis and impairment of hippocampus-dependent memory. To address these
      questions we used the middle cerebral artery occlusion model (MCAO) in mice.
      Animals were housed either under standard conditions or with free access to
      running wheels. Newborn granule cells were labelled with the thymidine analoque
      EdU and retroviral vectors. To assess memory performance, we employed a modified
      version of the Morris water maze (MWM) allowing differentiation between
      hippocampus dependent and independent learning strategies. Newborn neurons were
      morphologically analyzed using confocal microscopy and Neurolucida system at 7
      weeks. We found that neurogenesis was significantly increased following MCAO.
      Animals with MCAO needed more time to localize the platform and employed less
      hippocampus-dependent search strategies in MWM versus controls. Confocal studies
      revealed an aberrant cell morphology with basal dendrites and an ectopic location
      (e.g. hilus) of new granule cells born in the ischemic brain. Running increased
      the number of new neurons but also enhanced aberrant neurogenesis. Running, did
      not improve the general performance in the MWM but slightly promoted the
      application of precise spatial search strategies. In conclusion, ischemic insults
      cause hippocampal-dependent memory deficits which are associated with aberrant
      neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus indicating ischemia-induced maladaptive
      plasticity in the hippocampus.

PMID- 28910299
TI  - Access to benznidazole for Chagas disease in the United States-Cautious optimism?
AB  - Drugs for neglected tropical diseases (NTD) are being excessively priced in the
      United States. Benznidazole, the first-line drug for Chagas disease, may become
      approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and manufactured by a private
      company in the US, thus placing it at risk of similar pricing. Chagas disease is
      an NTD caused by Trypanosoma cruzi; it is endemic to Latin America, infecting 8
      million individuals. Human migration has changed the epidemiology causing
      nonendemic countries to face increased challenges in diagnosing and managing
      patients with Chagas disease. Only 2 drugs exist with proven efficacy:
      benznidazole and nifurtimox. Benznidazole has historically faced supply problems
      and drug shortages, limiting accessibility. In the US, it is currently only
      available under an investigational new drug (IND) protocol from the CDC and is
      provided free of charge to patients. However, 2 companies have stated that they
      intend to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for FDA approval. Based on recent
      history of companies acquiring licensing rights for NTD drugs in the US with
      limited availability, it is likely that benznidazole will become excessively
      priced by the manufacturer-paradoxically making it less accessible. However, if
      the companies can be taken at their word, there may be reason for optimism.

PMID- 28910300
TI  - Acute and chronic effects of treatment with mesenchymal stromal cells on LPS
      induced pulmonary inflammation, emphysema and atherosclerosis development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: COPD is a pulmonary disorder often accompanied by cardiovascular
      disease (CVD), and current treatment of this comorbidity is suboptimal. Systemic
      inflammation in COPD triggered by smoke and microbial exposure is suggested to
      link COPD and CVD. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) possess anti-inflammatory
      capacities and MSC treatment is considered an attractive treatment option for
      various chronic inflammatory diseases. Therefore, we investigated the
      immunomodulatory properties of MSC in an acute and chronic model of
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation, emphysema and atherosclerosis
      development in APOE*3-Leiden (E3L) mice. METHODS: Hyperlipidemic E3L mice were
      intranasally instilled with 10 MUg LPS or vehicle twice in an acute 4-day study,
      or twice weekly during 20 weeks Western-type diet feeding in a chronic study.
      Mice received 0.5x106 MSC or vehicle intravenously twice after the first LPS
      instillation (acute study) or in week 14, 16, 18 and 20 (chronic study).
      Inflammatory parameters were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung
      tissue. Emphysema, pulmonary inflammation and atherosclerosis were assessed in
      the chronic study. RESULTS: In the acute study, intranasal LPS administration
      induced a marked systemic IL-6 response on day 3, which was inhibited after MSC
      treatment. Furthermore, MSC treatment reduced LPS-induced total cell count in BAL
      due to reduced neutrophil numbers. In the chronic study, LPS increased emphysema
      but did not aggravate atherosclerosis. Emphysema and atherosclerosis development
      were unaffected after MSC treatment. CONCLUSION: These data show that MSC inhibit
      LPS-induced pulmonary and systemic inflammation in the acute study, whereas MSC
      treatment had no effect on inflammation, emphysema and atherosclerosis
      development in the chronic study.

PMID- 28910301
TI  - Prevalence of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk
      factors in southern China.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of
      overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in
      southern China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 15,364 participants aged 15
      years and older was conducted from November 2013 to August 2014 in Jiangxi
      Province, China, using questionnaire forms and physical measurements. The
      physical measurements included body height, weight, waist circumference (WC),
      body fat percentage (BFP) and visceral adipose index (VAI). Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for
      overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight
      was 25.8% (25.9% in males and 25.7% in females), while that of obesity was 7.9%
      (8.4% in males and 7.6% in females). The prevalence of abdominal obesity was
      10.2% (8.6% in males and 11.3% in females). The prevalence of overweight/obesity
      was 37.1% in urban residents and 30.2% in rural residents, and this difference
      was significant (P < 0.001). Urban residents had a significantly higher
      prevalence of abdominal obesity than rural residents (11.6% vs 8.7%, P < 0.001).
      Among the participants with an underweight/normal body mass index (BMI), 1.3%
      still had abdominal obesity, 16.1% had a high BFP and 1.0% had a high VAI.
      Moreover, among obese participants, 9.7% had a low /normal WC, 0.8% had a normal
      BFP and 15.9% had a normal VAI. Meanwhile, the partial correlation analysis
      indicated that the correlation coefficients between VAI and BMI, VAI and WC, and
      BMI and WC were 0.700, 0.666, and 0.721, respectively. A multivariate logistic
      regression analysis indicated that being female and having a high BFP and a high
      VAI were significantly associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity
      and abdominal obesity. In addition, living in an urban area and older age
      correlated with overweight/obesity. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that obesity
      and abdominal obesity, which differed by gender and age, are epidemic in southern
      China. Moreover, there was a very high, significant, positive correlation between
      WC, BMI and VAI. However, further studies are needed to explore which indicator
      of body fat could be used as the best marker to indirectly reflect
      cardiometabolic risk.

PMID- 28910302
TI  - A look back on how far to walk: Systematic review and meta-analysis of physical
      access to skilled care for childbirth in Sub-Saharan Africa.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To (i) summarize the methods undertaken to measure physical
      accessibility as the spatial separation between women and health services, and
      (ii) establish the extent to which distance to skilled care for childbirth
      affects utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa. METHOD: We defined spatial separation
      as the distance/travel time between women and skilled care services. The use of
      skilled care at birth referred to either the location or attendant of childbirth.
      The main criterion for inclusion was any quantification of the relationship
      between spatial separation and use of skilled care at birth. The approaches
      undertaken to measure distance/travel time were summarized in a narrative format.
      We obtained pooled adjusted odds ratios (aOR) from studies that controlled for
      financial means, education and (perceived) need of care in a meta-analysis.
      RESULTS: 57 articles were included (40 studied distance and 25 travel time), in
      which distance/travel time were found predominately self-reported or estimated in
      a geographic information system based on geographic coordinates. Approaches of
      distance/travel time measurement were generally poorly detailed, especially for
      self-reported data. Crucial features such as start point of origin and the mode
      of transportation for travel time were most often unspecified. Meta-analysis
      showed that increased distance to maternity care had an inverse association with
      utilization (n = 10, pooled aOR = 0.90/1km, 95%CI = 0.85-0.94). Distance from a
      hospital for rural women showed an even more pronounced effect on utilization (n
      = 2, pooled aOR = 0.58/1km increase, 95%CI = 0.31,1.09). The effect of spatial
      separation appears to level off beyond critical point when utilization was
      generally low. CONCLUSION: Although the reporting and measurements of spatial
      separation in low-resource settings needs further development, we found evidence
      that a lack of geographic access impedes use. Utilization is conditioned on
      access, researchers and policy makers should therefore prioritize quality data
      for the evidence-base to ensure that women everywhere have the potential to
      access obstetric care.

PMID- 28910303
TI  - The influence of analgesic-based sedation protocols on delirium and outcomes in
      critically ill patients: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of analgesic-based midazolam sedation on
      delirium and outcomes in critically ill patients and to analyze the risk factors
      of delirium. DESIGN: Single center, prospective randomized controlled trial.
      SETTING: A surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary care hospital in
      China. PATIENTS: Mechanically ventilated patients requiring sedation.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients admitted to the surgical intensive care
      unit who required sedation and were undergoing mechanical ventilation for longer
      than 24 hours were randomly divided into three groups: 1) the remifentanil group
      received remifentanil and midazolam, 2) the fentanyl group received fentanyl and
      midazolam, and 3) the control group received only midazolam. The analgesic
      effect, sedation depth, and presence of delirium were evaluated. To compare the
      effect of different therapies on the occurrence of delirium, days of mechanical
      ventilation, length of the ICU stay, and 28-day mortality were measured along
      with the risk factors for delirium. A total of 105 patients were enrolled, and 35
      patients were included in each group. Compared to the control group, patients who
      received remifentanil and fentanyl required less midazolam each day (P = 0.038
      and <0.001, respectively). Remifentanil has a significant effect on reducing the
      occurrence of delirium (P = 0.007). The logistic regression analysis of delirium
      demonstrated that remifentanil (OR 0.230, 95%Cl 0.074-0.711, P = 0.011) is
      independent protective factors for delirium, and high APACHE II score (OR 1.103,
      95%Cl 1.007-1.208, P = 0.036) is the independent risk factor for delirium.
      CONCLUSION: Remifentanil and fentanyl can reduce the amount of midazolam
      required, and remifentanil could further reduce the occurrence of delirium.

PMID- 28910304
TI  - Comparative proteomic investigation of metastatic and non-metastatic osteosarcoma
      cells of human and canine origin.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer in dogs and people. In order to
      improve clinical outcomes, it is necessary to identify proteins that are
      differentially expressed by metastatic cells. Membrane bound proteins are
      responsible for multiple pro-metastatic functions. Therefore characterizing the
      differential expression of membranous proteins between metastatic and non
      metastatic clonal variants will allow the discovery of druggable targets and
      consequently improve treatment methodology. The objective of this investigation
      was to systemically identify the membrane-associated proteomics of metastatic and
      non-metastatic variants of human and canine origin. Two clonal variants of
      divergent in vivo metastatic potential from human and canine origins were used.
      The plasma membranes were isolated and peptide fingerprinting was used to
      identify differentially expressed proteins. Selected proteins were further
      validated using western blotting, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and
      immunohistochemistry. Over 500 proteins were identified for each cell line with
      nearly 40% of the proteins differentially regulated. Conserved between both
      species, metastatic variants demonstrated significant differences in expression
      of membrane proteins that are responsible for pro-metastatic functions.
      Additionally, CD147, CD44 and vimentin were validated using various biochemical
      techniques. Taken together, through a comparative proteomic approach we have
      identified several differentially expressed cell membrane proteins that will help
      in the development of future therapeutics.

PMID- 28910305
TI  - Aspirin increases metabolism through germline signalling to extend the lifespan
      of Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Aspirin is a prototypic cyclooxygenase inhibitor with a variety of beneficial
      effects on human health. It prevents age-related diseases and delays the aging
      process. Previous research has shown that aspirin might act through a dietary
      restriction-like mechanism to extend lifespan. To explore the mechanism of action
      of aspirin on aging, we determined the whole-genome expression profile of
      Caenorhabditis elegans treated with aspirin. Transcriptome analysis revealed the
      RNA levels of genes involved in metabolism were primarily increased. Reproduction
      has been reported to be associated with metabolism. We found that aspirin did not
      extend the lifespan or improve the heat stress resistance of germline mutants of
      glp-1. Furthermore, Oil Red O staining showed that aspirin treatment decreased
      lipid deposition and increased expression of lipid hydrolysis and fatty acid beta
      oxidation-related genes. The effect of germline ablation on lifespan was mainly
      mediated by DAF-12 and DAF-16. Next, we performed genetic analysis with a series
      of worm mutants and found that aspirin did not further extend the lifespans of
      daf-12 and daf-16 single mutants, glp-1;daf-12 and glp-1;daf-16 double mutants,
      or glp-1;daf-12;daf-16 triple mutants. The results suggest that aspirin increase
      metabolism and regulate germline signalling to activate downstream DAF-12 and DAF
      16 to extend lifespan.

PMID- 28910306
TI  - A quantitative systems pharmacology approach, incorporating a novel liver model,
      for predicting pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions.
AB  - All pharmaceutical companies are required to assess pharmacokinetic drug-drug
      interactions (DDIs) of new chemical entities (NCEs) and mathematical prediction
      helps to select the best NCE candidate with regard to adverse effects resulting
      from a DDI before any costly clinical studies. Most current models assume that
      the liver is a homogeneous organ where the majority of the metabolism occurs.
      However, the circulatory system of the liver has a complex hierarchical geometry
      which distributes xenobiotics throughout the organ. Nevertheless, the lobule
      (liver unit), located at the end of each branch, is composed of many sinusoids
      where the blood flow can vary and therefore creates heterogeneity (e.g. drug
      concentration, enzyme level). A liver model was constructed by describing the
      geometry of a lobule, where the blood velocity increases toward the central vein,
      and by modeling the exchange mechanisms between the blood and hepatocytes.
      Moreover, the three major DDI mechanisms of metabolic enzymes; competitive
      inhibition, mechanism based inhibition and induction, were accounted for with an
      undefined number of drugs and/or enzymes. The liver model was incorporated into a
      physiological-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model and simulations produced, that
      in turn were compared to ten clinical results. The liver model generated a
      hierarchy of 5 sinusoidal levels and estimated a blood volume of 283 mL and a
      cell density of 193 * 106 cells/g in the liver. The overall PBPK model predicted
      the pharmacokinetics of midazolam and the magnitude of the clinical DDI with
      perpetrator drug(s) including spatial and temporal enzyme levels changes. The
      model presented herein may reduce costs and the use of laboratory animals and
      give the opportunity to explore different clinical scenarios, which reduce the
      risk of adverse events, prior to costly human clinical studies.

PMID- 28910307
TI  - Dealing with AFLP genotyping errors to reveal genetic structure in Plukenetia
      volubilis (Euphorbiaceae) in the Peruvian Amazon.
AB  - An analysis of the population structure and genetic diversity for any organism
      often depends on one or more molecular marker techniques. Nonetheless, these
      techniques are not absolutely reliable because of various sources of errors
      arising during the genotyping process. Thus, a complex analysis of genotyping
      error was carried out with the AFLP method in 169 samples of the oil seed plant
      Plukenetia volubilis L. from small isolated subpopulations in the Peruvian
      Amazon. Samples were collected in nine localities from the region of San Martin.
      Analysis was done in eight datasets with a genotyping error from 0 to 5%. Using
      eleven primer combinations, 102 to 275 markers were obtained according to the
      dataset. It was found that it is only possible to obtain the most reliable and
      robust results through a multiple-level filtering process. Genotyping error and
      software set up influence both the estimation of population structure and genetic
      diversity, where in our case population number (K) varied between 2-9 depending
      on the dataset and statistical method used. Surprisingly, discrepancies in K
      number were caused more by statistical approaches than by genotyping errors
      themselves. However, for estimation of genetic diversity, the degree of
      genotyping error was critical because descriptive parameters (He, FST, PLP 5%)
      varied substantially (by at least 25%). Due to low gene flow, P. volubilis mostly
      consists of small isolated subpopulations (PhiPT = 0.252-0.323) with some degree
      of admixture given by socio-economic connectivity among the sites; a direct link
      between the genetic and geographic distances was not confirmed. The study
      illustrates the successful application of AFLP to infer genetic structure in non
      model plants.

PMID- 28910308
TI  - Pulmonary hypertension among 5 to 18 year old children with sickle cell anaemia
      in Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is a significant cause of mortality in
      patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Few studies on PHT in SCD have been
      carried out in children. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PHT in
      children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and determine its clinical and laboratory
      correlates. METHODS: In this cross sectional study, evaluation involved obtaining
      bio-data, history and physical examination findings in 175 SCA subjects with
      haemoglobin genotype SS aged 5 to 18 years and 175 age and sex matched controls
      with haemoglobin genotype AA. PHT was determined using peak Tricuspid Regurgitant
      Velocity (TRV) obtained from echocardiography as a marker. Complete blood count
      (CBC), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, reticulocyte count, foetal haemoglobin
      (HbF) estimation as well as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) I and II,
      Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) screening were done for
      patients with SCA. RESULTS: The mean peak TRV of subjects with SCA and controls
      was 2.2 +/- 0.4 m/s and 1.9 +/- 0.3 m/s respectively and prevalence of PHT among
      children with SCA and controls was 22.9% and 2.3% respectively. PHT in SCA
      correlated negatively with body mass index, haematocrit and haemoglobin.
      CONCLUSION: This study affirms that PHT prevalence is high in children with SCA
      in Nigeria. Cardiovascular examination for signs of PHT is recommended for
      children with SCA and if required, further echocardiographic assessment from as
      early as five years.

PMID- 28910309
TI  - Pattern and severity of multimorbidity among patients attending primary care
      settings in Odisha, India.
AB  - Multimorbidity is increasingly the primary concern of healthcare systems globally
      with substantial implications for patient outcomes and resource cost. A critical
      knowledge gap exists as to the magnitude of multimorbidity in primary care
      practice in low and middle income countries with available information limited to
      prevalence. In India, primary care forms the bulk of the health care delivery
      being provided through both public (community health center) and private general
      practice setting. We undertook a study to identify multimorbidity patterns and
      relate these patterns to severity among primary care attendees in Odisha state of
      India. A total of 1649 patients attending 40 primary care facilities were
      interviewed using a structured multimorbidity assessment questionnaire.
      Multimorbidity patterns (dyad and triad) were identified for 21 chronic
      conditions, functional limitation was assessed as a proxy measure of severity and
      the mean severity score for each pattern, was determined after adjusting for age.
      The leading dyads in younger age group i.e. 18-29 years were acid peptic disease
      with arthritis/ chronic back ache/tuberculosis /chronic lung disease, while older
      age groups had more frequent combinations of hypertension + arthritis/ chronic
      lung disease/vision difficulty, and arthritis + chronic back ache. The triad of
      acid peptic disease + arthritis + chronic backache was common in men in all age
      groups. Tuberculosis and lung diseases were associated with significantly higher
      age-adjusted mean severity score (poorer functional ability). Among men,
      arthritis, chronic backache, chronic lung disease and vision impairment were
      observed to have highest severity) whereas women reported higher severity for
      combinations of hypertension, chronic back ache and arthritis. Given the paucity
      of studies on multimorbidity patterns in low and middle income countries, future
      studies should seek to assess the reproducibility of our findings in other
      populations and settings. Another task is the potential implications of different
      multimorbidity clusters for designing care protocols, as currently the protocols
      are disease specific, hardly taking comorbidity into account.

PMID- 28910311
TI  - Hearing impairment in premature newborns-Analysis based on the national hearing
      screening database in Poland.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The incidence of sensorineural hearing loss is between 1 and 3 per
      1000 in healthy neonates and 2-4 per 100 in high-risk infants. The national
      universal neonatal hearing screening carried out in Poland since 2002 enables
      selection of infants with suspicion and/or risk factors of hearing loss. In this
      study, we assessed the incidence and risk factors of hearing impairment in
      infants <=33 weeks' gestational age (wga). METHODS: We analyzed the database of
      the Polish Universal Newborns Hearing Screening Program from 2010 to 2013. The
      study group involved 11438 infants born before 33 wga, the control group-1487730
      infants. Screening was performed by means of transient evoked otoacoustic
      emissions. The risk factors of hearing loss were recorded. Infants who failed the
      screening test and/or had risk factors were referred for further audiological
      evaluation. RESULTS: Hearing deficit was diagnosed in 11% of infants <=25 wga, 5%
      at 26-27 wga, 3.46% at 28 wga and 2-3% at 29-32 wga. In the control group the
      incidence of hearing deficit was 0.2% (2.87% with risk factors). The most
      important risk factors were craniofacial malformations, very low birth weight,
      low Apgar score and mechanical ventilation. Hearing screening was positive in
      22.42% newborns <=28 wga and 10% at 29-32 wga and in the control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hearing impairment is a severe consequence of prematurity. Its
      prevalence is inversely related to the maturity of the baby. Premature infants
      have many concomitant risk factors which influence the occurrence of hearing
      deficit.

PMID- 28910310
TI  - Gugulipid causes hypercholesterolemia leading to endothelial dysfunction,
      increased atherosclerosis, and premature death by ischemic heart disease in male
      mice.
AB  - For proper cholesterol metabolism, normal expression and function of scavenger
      receptor class B type I (SR-BI), a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor, is
      required. Among the factors that regulate overall cholesterol homeostasis and HDL
      metabolism, the nuclear farnesoid X receptor plays an important role.
      Guggulsterone, a bioactive compound present in the natural product gugulipid, is
      an antagonist of this receptor. This natural product is widely used globally as a
      natural lipid-lowering agent, although its anti-atherogenic cardiovascular
      benefit in animal models or humans is unknown. The aim of this study was to
      determine the effects of gugulipid on cholesterol homeostasis and development of
      mild and severe atherosclerosis in male mice. For this purpose, we evaluated the
      impact of gugulipid treatment on liver histology, plasma lipoprotein cholesterol,
      endothelial function, and development of atherosclerosis and/or ischemic heart
      disease in wild-type mice; apolipoprotein E knockout mice, a model of
      atherosclerosis without ischemic complications; and SR-B1 knockout and
      atherogenic-diet-fed apolipoprotein E hypomorphic (SR-BI KO/ApoER61h/h) mice, a
      model of lethal ischemic heart disease due to severe atherosclerosis. Gugulipid
      administration was associated with histological abnormalities in liver, increased
      alanine aminotransferase levels, lower hepatic SR-BI content,
      hypercholesterolemia due to increased HDL cholesterol levels, endothelial
      dysfunction, enhanced atherosclerosis, and accelerated death in animals with
      severe ischemic heart disease. In conclusion, our data show important adverse
      effects of gugulipid intake on HDL metabolism and atherosclerosis in male mice,
      suggesting potential and unknown deleterious effects on cardiovascular health in
      humans. In addition, these findings reemphasize the need for rigorous preclinical
      and clinical studies to provide guidance on the consumption of natural products
      and regulation of their use in the general population.

PMID- 28910312
TI  - IkappaK-16 decreases miRNA-155 expression and attenuates the human monocyte
      inflammatory response.
AB  - Excessive inflammatory responses in the surgical patient may result in cellular
      hypo-responsiveness, which is associated with an increased risk of secondary
      infection and death. microRNAs (miRNAs), such as miR-155, are powerful regulators
      of inflammatory signalling pathways including nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB).
      Our objective was to determine the effect of IkappaK-16, a selective blocker of
      inhibitor of kappa-B kinase (IkappaK), on miRNA expression and the monocyte
      inflammatory response. In a model of endotoxin tolerance using primary human
      monocytes, impaired monocytes had decreased p65 expression with suppressed TNF
      alpha and IL-10 production (P < 0.05). miR-155 and miR-138 levels were
      significantly upregulated at 17 h in the impaired monocyte (P < 0.05). Notably,
      IkappaK-16 decreased miR-155 expression with a corresponding dose-dependent
      decrease in TNF-alpha and IL-10 production (P < 0.05), and impaired monocyte
      function was associated with increased miR-155 and miR-138 expression. In the
      context of IkappaK-16 inhibition, miR-155 mimics increased TNF-alpha production,
      while miR-155 antagomirs decreased both TNF-alpha and IL-10 production. These
      data demonstrate that IkappaK-16 treatment attenuates the monocyte inflammatory
      response, which may occur through a miR-155-mediated mechanism, and that IkappaK
      16 is a promising approach to limit the magnitude of an excessive innate
      inflammatory response to LPS.

PMID- 28910313
TI  - A detailed comparison of analysis processes for MCC-IMS data in disease
      classification-Automated methods can replace manual peak annotations.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Disease classification from molecular measurements typically requires
      an analysis pipeline from raw noisy measurements to final classification results.
      Multi capillary column-ion mobility spectrometry (MCC-IMS) is a promising
      technology for the detection of volatile organic compounds in the air of exhaled
      breath. From raw measurements, the peak regions representing the compounds have
      to be identified, quantified, and clustered across different experiments.
      Currently, several steps of this analysis process require manual intervention of
      human experts. Our goal is to identify a fully automatic pipeline that yields
      competitive disease classification results compared to an established but
      subjective and tedious semi-manual process. METHOD: We combine a large number of
      modern methods for peak detection, peak clustering, and multivariate
      classification into analysis pipelines for raw MCC-IMS data. We evaluate all
      combinations on three different real datasets in an unbiased cross-validation
      setting. We determine which specific algorithmic combinations lead to high AUC
      values in disease classifications across the different medical application
      scenarios. RESULTS: The best fully automated analysis process achieves even
      better classification results than the established manual process. The best
      algorithms for the three analysis steps are (i) SGLTR (Savitzky-Golay Laplace
      operator filter thresholding regions) and LM (Local Maxima) for automated peak
      identification, (ii) EM clustering (Expectation Maximization) and DBSCAN (Density
      Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise) for the clustering step and
      (iii) RF (Random Forest) for multivariate classification. Thus, automated methods
      can replace the manual steps in the analysis process to enable an unbiased high
      throughput use of the technology.

PMID- 28910314
TI  - The variability of the steps preceding obstacle avoidance (approach phase) is
      dependent on the height of the obstacle in people with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Gait variability may serve as a sensitive and clinically relevant parameter to
      quantify adjustments in walking and the changes with aging and neurological
      disease. Variability of steps preceding obstacle avoidance (approach phase) are
      important for efficiency in the task, especially in people with Parkinson's
      disease (PD). However, variability of gait during the approach phase to obstacle
      avoidance in people with PD has been rarely reported, particularly when
      ambulating obstacles of different heights. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate the effects of obstacle height on step-to-step variability (step-to
      step variability provides information on the variation between the "equivalent
      steps" for all trials, and walking variability (indicates the within-step
      variability of each, providing information about the modulations between the
      steps performed. of spatial-temporal parameters during the approach phase to
      obstacle avoidance in people with PD and neurologically healthy older people.
      Twenty-eight older people; 15 with PD and 13 neurologically healthy individuals
      (control group), participated in the study. Participants were instructed to walk
      at their preferred speed until the end of the pathway and to avoid the obstacle
      when it was present. Each subject performed 10 trials of the following tasks:
      unobstructed walking, low obstacle avoidance (3cm length, height equal ankle's
      height, 60 cm wide), intermediate obstacle (3cm length, low plus high obstacle
      height divided by 2, 60 cm wide) avoidance and high obstacle avoidance (3cm
      length, knee's height, 60 cm wide). The obstacle was positioned 4m from to the
      start position. The step-to-step and walking variability of the spatial-temporal
      parameters (acquiring with GAITRite(r)) of the four steps before obstacle
      avoidance were analyzed. MANOVAs were used to compare the data. PD group showed
      the characteristic gait deficits associated with PD. The obstacle increased the
      spatial-temporal variability (step-to-step and walking variability) during the
      approach phase to the obstacle. Specifically, both groups increased i) the step
      to- step variability of the step length during low obstacle avoidance when
      compared to the other conditions; ii) the variability during low obstacle
      avoidance in the last step before obstacle (n-1) compared to higher obstacle
      avoidance; iii) variability during higher obstacle avoidance in further steps (n
      3 and n-4). In conclusion, the presence of the obstacle during walking increased
      the variability of spatial-temporal parameters in older people with PD and the
      control group during the steps preceding obstacle avoidance. In addition motor
      planning (and motor adaptations) was initiated much earlier in the approach phase
      for the higher obstacle conditions compared to the low obstacle condition.

PMID- 28910315
TI  - For how many days and what types of group activities should older Japanese adults
      be involved in to maintain health? A 4-year longitudinal study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Studies have suggested that frequent participation in social groups
      contributes to the well-being of older people. The primary aim of this study was
      to identify the number of days older adults should participate in the activities
      of social groups to maintain their health for 4 years. This study also aimed to
      examine whether the effective frequency differs by the type of social group
      activity. METHOD: We examined a prospective cohort of 1,320 community-dwelling
      older adults over 65 years of age, who responded to both a baseline and a follow
      up mail survey, in a suburban city of Tokyo, Japan. The dependent variable was
      the change in functional competence during 4 years. Logistic regression analyses
      were conducted to examine the effects of participation in the activities of the 5
      most common social groups among older Japanese on maintaining functional
      competence. RESULTS: Nine hundred and ninety-four participants (76.5%) maintained
      their functional competence for 4 years. The results of the logistic regression
      analyses showed that participating in alumni groups less than once a month and
      being an inactive member were associated with higher odds of maintaining
      functional competence, after controlling for socioeconomic, demographic and
      baseline health status. Additionally, the odds of maintaining functional
      competence for 4 years increased upon participating in volunteer groups once a
      month or more. These results were also confirmed using logistic regression
      analysis, even after adjustment for the effects of participation in other social
      groups. DISCUSSION: The results indicated the effectiveness of volunteer
      activities that fulfill a social role in maintaining health. Therefore, older
      adults should be encouraged to participate in activities of volunteer groups at
      least once a month. Additionally, older adults can obtain positive health
      outcomes through less frequent participation in alumni groups, compared with the
      activities of volunteer groups.

PMID- 28910316
TI  - Sources of pain in laparoendoscopic gynecological surgeons: An analysis of
      ergonomic factors and proposal of an aid to improve comfort.
AB  - Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) offers cosmetic benefits to patients; however,
      surgeons often experience pain during MIS. We administered an ergonomic
      questionnaire to 176 Korean laparoscopic gynecological surgeons to determine
      potential sources of pain during surgery. Logistic regression analysis was used
      to identify factors that had a significant impact on gynecological surgeons'
      pain. Operating table height at the beginning of surgery and during the operation
      were significantly associated with neck and shoulder discomfort (P <0.001). The
      ability to control the operating table height was the single factor most
      significantly associated with neck (P <0.001) and shoulder discomfort (P <0.001).
      Discomfort of the hand/digits was significantly associated with the trocar site
      (P = 0.035). The type of electrocautery activation switch and foot pedal were
      significantly related to surgeons' foot and leg discomfort (P <0.001). In
      evaluating the co-occurrence of pain in 4 different sites (neck, shoulder, back,
      hand/digits), the neck and shoulder were determined to have the highest co
      occurrence of pain (Spearman's rho = 0.64, P <0.001). These results provide
      guidance for identifying ergonomic solutions to reduce gynecological laparoscopic
      surgeons' pain. Based on our results, we propose the use of an ergonomic surgical
      step stool to reduce physical pain related to performing laparoscopic operations.

PMID- 28910317
TI  - The influence of threatening visual warnings on tobacco packaging: Measuring the
      impact of threat level, image size, and type of pack through psychophysiological
      and self-report methods.
AB  - The first aim of this research was to assess the effectiveness, in terms of
      emotional and behavioral reactions, of moderately vs. highly TVWs (Threatening
      Visual Warnings) displayed on tobacco packs. Given the key role that emotional
      reactions play in explaining the effect of TVWs on behaviors, psychophysiological
      and self-report methods were used-for the first time in this context-to measure
      the emotions provoked by TVWs. The second aim of this research was to determine
      whether increasing the size of warnings, and their display on plain packaging
      (compared with branded packaging) would improve their effectiveness. A within
      subjects experiment was conducted. Three variables were manipulated: health
      warning threat level (high vs. moderate), image size (40% vs. 75%) and pack type
      (plain vs. branded). A convenience sample of 48 French daily smokers
      participated. They were exposed to eight different packs of cigarettes in a
      research lab at the University of Rennes. Smokers' emotions and behavioral
      intentions were recorded through self-reports. Emotions were also evaluated using
      psychophysiological measurements: electrodermal activity and facial
      electromyography. The results revealed that TVWs with a high threat level are the
      most effective in increasing negative emotions (fear, disgust, valence, arousal)
      and behavioral intentions conducive to public health (desire to quit, etc.). They
      also highlight the appeal of increasing the size of the warnings and displaying
      them on plain packs, because this influences emotions, which is the first step
      toward behavioral change. Increasing the threat level of TVWs from moderate to
      high seems beneficial for public health. Our results also confirm the relevance
      of recent governmental decisions to adopt plain packaging and larger TVWs (in the
      UK, France, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Hungary, etc.).

PMID- 28910318
TI  - Characterization of a novel panel of plasma microRNAs that discriminates between
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and healthy individuals.
AB  - Cavities are important in clinical diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB)
      infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital
      role in the regulation of inflammation, the relation between plasma miRNA and
      pulmonary tuberculosis with cavity remains unknown. In this study, plasma samples
      were derived from 89 cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis (CP-TB) patients, 89 non
      cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis (NCP-TB) patients and 95 healthy controls. Groups
      were matched for age and gender. In the screening phase, Illumina high-throughput
      sequencing technology was employed to analyze miRNA profiles in plasma samples
      pooled from CP-TB patients, NCP-TB patients and healthy controls. During the
      training and verification phases, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was conducted to
      verify the differential expression of selected miRNAs among groups. Illumina high
      throughput sequencing identified 29 differentially expressed plasma miRNAs in TB
      patients when compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis
      validated miR-769-5p, miR-320a and miR-22-3p as miRNAs that were differently
      present between TB patients and healthy controls. ROC curve analysis revealed
      that the potential of these 3 miRNAs to distinguish TB patients from healthy
      controls was high, with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) ranged from 0.692 to
      0.970. Moreover, miR-320a levels were decreased in drug-resistant TB patients
      than pan-susceptible TB patients (AUC = 0.882). In conclusion, we identified miR
      769-5p, miR-320a and miR-22-3p as potential blood-based biomarkers for TB. In
      addition, miR-320a may represent a biomarker for drug-resistant TB.

PMID- 28910319
TI  - Chronic social defeat induces long-term behavioral depression of aggressive
      motivation in an invertebrate model system.
AB  - Losing a fight against a conspecific male (social defeat) induces a period of
      suppressed aggressiveness and general behaviour, often with symptoms common to
      human psychiatric disorders. Agonistic experience is also discussed as a
      potential cause of consistent, behavioral differences between individuals (animal
      "personality"). In non-mammals, however, the impact of single agonistic
      encounters typically last only hours, but then again studies of repeated
      intermittent defeat (chronic social defeat) are seldom. We report the effect of
      chronic social defeat in adult male crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus), for which all
      known behavioral effects of defeat last only 3 h. Firstly, after 48 h social
      isolation, crickets that experienced 5 defeats at 24 h intervals against the
      same, weight-matched opponent exhibited suppressed aggressiveness lasting >24 h,
      which was still evident when the animals were matched against an unfamiliar
      opponent at the last trial. Secondly, this longer-term depression of aggression
      also occurred in 48 h isolated crickets that lost 6 fights at 1 h intervals
      against unfamiliar opponents at each trial. Thirdly, crickets isolated as larvae
      until adult maturity (>16 days) were significantly more aggressive, and less
      variable in their aggressiveness at their very first fight than 48 h isolates,
      and also significantly more resilient to the effects of chronic social defeat. We
      conclude that losing an aggressive encounter in crickets has a residual effect,
      lasting at least 24 h, that accumulates when repeated defeats are experienced,
      and leads to a prolonged depression of aggressive motivation in subordinates.
      Furthermore, our data indicate that social interactions between young adults and
      possibly larvae can have even longer, possibly lifelong influences on subsequent
      behavior. Social subjugation is thus likely to be a prime determinant of inter
      individual behavioral differences in crickets. Our work also opens new avenues
      for investigating proximate mechanisms underlying depression-like phenomena.

PMID- 28910320
TI  - Differential gene expression following TLR stimulation in rag1-/- mutant
      zebrafish tissues and morphological descriptions of lymphocyte-like cell
      populations.
AB  - In the absence of lymphocytes, rag1-/- mutant zebrafish develop protective
      immunity to bacteria. In mammals, induction of protection by innate immunity can
      be mediated by macrophages or natural killer (NK) cells. To elucidate potential
      responsive cell populations, we morphologically characterized lymphocyte-like
      cells (LLCs) from liver, spleen and kidney hematopoietic tissues. In fish, these
      cells include NK cells and Non-specific cytotoxic cells (NCCs). We also evaluated
      the transcriptional expression response of select genes that are important
      indicators of NK and macrophage activation after exposure to specific TLR
      ligands. The LLC cell populations could be discriminated by size and further
      discriminated by the presence of cytoplasmic granules. Expression levels of mx,
      tnfalpha, ifngamma, t-bet and nitr9 demonstrated dynamic changes in response to
      intra-coelomically administered beta glucan (a TLR2/6 ligand), Poly I:C (a TLR3
      ligand) and resiquimod (R848) (a TLR7/8 ligand). Following TLR 2/6 stimulation,
      there was a greater than 100 fold increase in ifngamma in liver, kidney and
      spleen and moderate increases in tnfalpha in liver and kidney. TLR3 stimulation
      caused broad up regulation of mx, down-regulation of tnfalpha in kidney and
      spleen tissues and up regulation of nitr9 in the kidney. Following TLR 7/8
      stimulation, there was a greater than 100 fold increase in ifngamma in liver and
      kidney and t-bet in liver. Our gene expression findings suggest that LLCs and
      macrophages are stimulated following beta glucan exposure. Poly I:C causes type I
      interferon response and mild induction of LLC in the kidney and R-848 exposure
      causes the strongest LLC stimulation. Overall, the strongest NK like gene
      expression occurred in the liver. These differential effects of TLR ligands in
      rag1-/- mutant zebrafish shows strong NK cell-like gene expression responses,
      especially in the liver, and provides tools to evaluate the basis for protective
      immunity mediated by the innate immune cells of fish.

PMID- 28910322
TI  - Social interactions promote adaptive resource defense in ants.
AB  - Social insects vigorously defend their nests against con- and heterospecific
      competitors. Collective defense is also seen at highly profitable food sources.
      Aggressive responses are elicited or promoted by several means of communication,
      e.g. alarm pheromones and other chemical markings. In this study, we demonstrate
      that the social environment and interactions among colony members (nestmates)
      modulates the propensity to engage in aggressive behavior and therefore plays an
      important role in allocating workers to a defense task. We kept Formica rufa
      workers in groups or isolated for different time spans and then tested their
      aggressiveness in one-on-one encounters with other ants. In groups of more than
      20 workers that are freely interacting, individuals are aggressive in one-on-one
      encounters with non-nestmates, whereas aggressiveness of isolated workers
      decreases with increasing isolation time. We conclude that ants foraging
      collectively and interacting frequently, e.g. along foraging trails and at
      profitable food sources, remain in a social context and thereby maintain high
      aggressiveness against potential competitors. Our results suggest that the
      nestmate recognition system can be utilized at remote sites for an adaptive and
      flexible tuning of the response against competitors.

PMID- 28910321
TI  - Identification of transforming growth factor-beta-regulated microRNAs and the
      microRNA-targetomes in primary lung fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung fibroblasts are involved in extracellular matrix homeostasis,
      which is mainly regulated by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and are
      therefore crucial in lung tissue repair and remodeling. Abnormal repair and
      remodeling has been observed in lung diseases like COPD. As miRNA levels can be
      influenced by TGF-beta, we hypothesized that TGF-beta influences miRNA expression
      in lung fibroblasts, thereby affecting their function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      investigated TGF-beta1-induced miRNA expression changes in 9 control primary
      parenchymal lung fibroblasts using miRNA arrays. TGF-beta1-induced miRNA
      expression changes were validated and replicated in an independent set of lung
      fibroblasts composted of 10 controls and 15 COPD patients using qRT-PCR. Ago2
      immunoprecipitation followed by mRNA expression profiling was used to identify
      the miRNA-targetomes of unstimulated and TGF-beta1-stimulated primary lung
      fibroblasts (n = 2). The genes affected by TGF-beta1-modulated miRNAs were
      identified by comparing the miRNA targetomes of unstimulated and TGF-beta1
      stimulated fibroblasts. RESULTS: Twenty-nine miRNAs were significantly
      differentially expressed after TGF-beta1 stimulation (FDR<0.05). The TGF-beta1
      induced miR-455-3p and miR-21-3p expression changes were validated and
      replicated, with in addition, lower miR-455-3p levels in COPD (p<0.05). We
      identified 964 and 945 genes in the miRNA-targetomes of unstimulated and TGF
      beta1-stimulated lung fibroblasts, respectively. The TGF-beta and Wnt pathways
      were significantly enriched among the Ago2-IP enriched and predicted targets of
      miR-455-3p and miR-21-3p. The miR-455-3p target genes HN1, NGF, STRADB, DLD and
      ANO3 and the miR-21-3p target genes HHEX, CHORDC1 and ZBTB49 were consistently
      more enriched after TGF-beta1 stimulation. CONCLUSION: Two miRNAs, miR-455-3p and
      miR-21-3p, were induced by TGF-beta1 in lung fibroblasts. The significant Ago2-IP
      enrichment of targets of these miRNAs related to the TGF-beta and/or Wnt pathways
      (NGF, DLD, HHEX) in TGF-beta1-stimulated fibroblasts suggest a role for these
      miRNAs in lung diseases by affecting lung fibroblast function.

PMID- 28910323
TI  - Comparative proteomic analyses reveal the proteome response to short-term drought
      in Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum).
AB  - Drought is a major abiotic stress that impairs growth and productivity of Italian
      ryegrass. Comparative analysis of drought responsive proteins will provide
      insight into molecular mechanism in Lolium multiflorum drought tolerance. Using
      the iTRAQ-based approach, proteomic changes in tolerant and susceptible lines
      were examined in response to drought condition. A total of 950 differentially
      accumulated proteins was found to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism, amino
      acid metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and signal transduction
      pathway, such as beta-D-xylosidase, beta-D-glucan glucohydrolase, glycerate
      dehydrogenase, Cobalamin-independent methionine synthase, glutamine synthetase
      1a, Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, diacylglycerol, and inositol 1, 4, 5
      trisphosphate, which might contributed to enhance drought tolerance or adaption
      in Lolium multiflorum. Interestingly, the two specific metabolic pathways,
      arachidonic acid and inositol phosphate metabolism including differentially
      accumulated proteins, were observed only in the tolerant lines. Cysteine protease
      cathepsin B, Cysteine proteinase, lipid transfer protein and Aquaporin were
      observed as drought-regulated proteins participating in hydrolysis and
      transmembrane transport. The activities of phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione
      peroxidase, peroxiredoxin, dehydroascorbate reductase, peroxisomal ascorbate
      peroxidase and monodehydroascorbate reductase associated with alleviating the
      accumulation of reactive oxygen species in stress inducing environments. Our
      results showed that drought-responsive proteins were closely related to metabolic
      processes including signal transduction, antioxidant defenses, hydrolysis, and
      transmembrane transport.

PMID- 28910324
TI  - Effect of dialyzer membrane materials on survival in chronic hemodialysis
      patients: Results from the annual survey of the Japanese Nationwide Dialysis
      Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little information is available regarding which type of dialyzer
      membrane results in good prognosis in patients on chronic hemodialysis.
      Therefore, we conducted a cohort study from a nationwide registry of hemodialysis
      patients in Japan to establish the association between different dialyzer
      membranes and mortality rates. METHODS: We followed 142,412 patients on
      maintenance hemodialysis (female, 39.1%; mean age, 64.8 +/- 12.3 years; median
      dialysis duration, 7 [4-12] years) for a year from 2008 to 2009. We included
      patients treated with seven types of high-flux dialyzer membranes at baseline,
      including cellulose triacetate (CTA), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVAL),
      polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyester polymer alloy (PEPA), polyethersulfone (PES),
      polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and polysulfone (PS). Cox regression was used to
      estimate the association between baseline dialyzers and all-cause mortality as
      hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals for 1-year mortality adjusting
      for potential confounders, and propensity score matching analysis was performed.
      RESULTS: The distribution of patients treated with each membrane was as follows:
      PS (56.0%), CTA (17.3%), PES (12.0%), PEPA (7.5%), PMMA (4.9%), PAN (1.2%), and
      EVAL (1.1%). When data were adjusted using basic factors, with PS as a reference
      group, the mortality rate was significantly higher in all groups except for the
      PES group. When data were further adjusted for dialysis-related factors, HRs were
      significantly higher for the CTA, EVAL, and PEPA groups. When the data were
      further adjusted for nutrition-and inflammation-related factors, HRs were
      significantly lower for the PMMA and PES groups compared with the PS group. After
      propensity score matching, HRs were significantly lower for the PMMA group than
      for the PS group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the use of different
      membrane types may affect mortality in hemodialysis patients. However, further
      long-term prospective studies are needed to clarify these findings, including
      whether the use of the PMMA membrane can improve prognosis.

PMID- 28910325
TI  - Src- and Fyn-dependent apical membrane trafficking events control endothelial
      lumen formation during vascular tube morphogenesis.
AB  - Here we examine the question of how endothelial cells (ECs) develop their apical
      membrane surface domain during lumen and tube formation. We demonstrate marked
      apical membrane targeting of activated Src kinases to this apical domain during
      early and late stages of this process. Immunostaining for phosphotyrosine or
      phospho-Src reveals apical membrane staining in intracellular vacuoles initially.
      This is then followed by vacuole to vacuole fusion events to generate an apical
      luminal membrane, which is similarly decorated with activated phospho-Src
      kinases. Functional blockade of Src kinases completely blocks EC lumen and tube
      formation, whether this occurs during vasculogenic tube assembly or angiogenic
      sprouting events. Multiple Src kinases participate in this apical membrane
      formation process and siRNA suppression of Src, Fyn and Yes, but not Lyn, blocks
      EC lumen formation. We also demonstrate strong apical targeting of Src-GFP and
      Fyn-GFP fusion proteins and increasing their expression enhances lumen formation.
      Finally, we show that Src- and Fyn-associated vacuoles track and fuse along a
      subapically polarized microtubule cytoskeleton, which is highly acetylated. These
      vacuoles generate the apical luminal membrane in a stereotypically polarized,
      perinuclear position. Overall, our study identifies a critical role for Src
      kinases in creating and decorating the EC apical membrane surface during early
      and late stages of lumen and tube formation, a central event in the molecular
      control of vascular morphogenesis.

PMID- 28910326
TI  - Sex differences in the herding styles of working sheepdogs and their handlers.
AB  - Working sheepdog trials test the attributes of dogs as well as the dogmanship and
      stockmanship skills of handlers. They generally include standard elements such as
      outrun, lift, fetch, drive, shed, pen and single to test all facets of the work
      that dogs perform on a farm. While both male and female handlers participate,
      these trials are traditionally dominated by male handlers. Both male and female
      dogs compete on equal terms within the same events. Drawing data from files (n =
      60) downloaded from YouTube, the current study explores whether behaviours of
      dogs and their handlers during sheepdog trials differ between handler gender and
      dog sex at different levels of competition. It compared the stalking, crouching,
      chasing and stationary behaviours of dogs in open (n = 28 dogs: 10 females, 18
      males) and not-open trials (n = 32 dogs: 20 females, 12 males). The dogs in this
      study had male (n = 38) and female (n = 22) handlers, whose movement and use of
      vocal cues and arm elevations were also compared. However, the small sample size
      and limitations of these videos as a data source should be noted before the
      results are generalised to the broader field of working-dog behaviour. The
      results of an REstricted Maximum Likelihood test showed that male handlers spent,
      on average, significantly more time in the fetch and drive elements than female
      handlers, but this difference between sexes was present only in not-open events
      (mean time to Fetch, female handler = 44.07s, male handler = 124.00s, P<0.001,
      mean time to Drive, female handler = 95.8s, male handler = 152.4, P = 0.010).
      This may suggest that female handlers of less experienced dogs are better at the
      early training of these elements. The results showed that male dogs spent more
      time stationary than female dogs, but only in open competition (male dog
      predicted mean 6.17s, P = 0.014). Revealing differences between men/women, and
      between dogs/bitches in this context may identify pairings that complement each
      other and improve selection, training and handling of working dogs. It is also
      hoped that ultimately, it will lead to improved welfare for dogs and the
      livestock with which they interact.

PMID- 28910327
TI  - In-silico analysis of cis-acting regulatory elements of pathogenesis-related
      proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa.
AB  - Pathogenesis related (PR) proteins are low molecular weight family of proteins
      induced in plants under various biotic and abiotic stresses. They play an
      important role in plant-defense mechanism. PRs have wide range of functions,
      acting as hydrolases, peroxidases, chitinases, anti-fungal, protease inhibitors
      etc. In the present study, an attempt has been made to analyze promoter regions
      of PR1, PR2, PR5, PR9, PR10 and PR12 of Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa.
      Analysis of cis-element distribution revealed the functional multiplicity of PRs
      and provides insight into the gene regulation. CpG islands are observed only in
      rice PRs, which indicates that monocot genome contains more GC rich motifs than
      dicots. Tandem repeats were also observed in 5' UTR of PR genes. Thus, the
      present study provides an understanding of regulation of PR genes and their
      versatile roles in plants.

PMID- 28910328
TI  - Non-governmental organization facilitation of a community-based nutrition and
      health program: Effect on program exposure and associated infant feeding
      practices in rural India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Integrated nutrition and health programs seek to reduce
      undernutrition by educating child caregivers about infant feeding and care. Data
      on the quality of program implementation and consequent effects on infant feeding
      practices are limited. This study evaluated the effectiveness of enhancing a
      nutrition and health program on breastfeeding and complementary-feeding practices
      in rural India. METHODS: Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, one of the
      implementing districts of a Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere
      (CARE) nutrition and health program was randomly selected for enhanced services
      and compared with a district receiving the Government of India's standard
      nutrition and health package alone. A cohort of 942 mother-child dyads was
      longitudinally followed from birth to 18 months. In both districts, the
      evaluation focused on responses to services delivered by community-based
      nutrition and health care providers [anganwadi workers (AWWs) and auxiliary nurse
      midwives (ANMs)]. FINDINGS: The CARE enhanced program district showed an
      improvement in program coverage indicators (e.g., contacts, advice) through
      outreach visits by both AWWs (28.8-59.8% vs. 0.7-12.4%; all p<0.05) and ANMs (8.6
      46.2% vs. 6.1-44.2%; <0.05 for ages >=6 months). A significantly higher
      percentage of child caregivers reported being contacted by the AWWs in the CARE
      program district (20.5-45.6% vs. 0.3-21.6%; p<0.05 for all ages except at
      6months). No differences in ANM household contacts were reported. Overall,
      coverage remained low in both areas. Less than a quarter of women received any
      infant feeding advice in the intervention district. Earlier and exclusive
      breastfeeding improved with increasing number or quality of visits by either
      level of health care provider (OR: 2.04-3.08, p = <0.001), after adjusting for
      potentially confounding factors. Socio-demographic indicators were the major
      determinants of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 month and age-appropriate
      complementary-feeding practices thereafter in the program-enhanced but not
      comparison district. INTERPRETATION: An enhanced nutrition and health
      intervention package improved program exposure and associated breastfeeding but
      not complementary-feeding practices, compared to standard government package.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00198835.

PMID- 28910329
TI  - Classification and conservation priority of five Deccani sheep ecotypes of
      Maharashtra, India.
AB  - Characterization of Indian livestock breeds has mostly been limited to single
      breed/population focused on either physical description of traditionally
      recognized breeds/populations or to their genetic description. Usually,
      morphological and genetic characterization has taken place in isolation. A
      parallel morphological characterization of genetically identified breeds or
      genetic characterization of morphologically described breeds is mostly missing,
      and their conservation priorities have largely been based on solely considering
      degree of endangerment. This study uses parallel approach based on morphometric
      and genetic differentiation for classification of five sheep ecotypes of
      Maharashtra state, and sets their conservation priority using threat parameters,
      current utilities/merits and contribution to genetic diversity. A total of 1101
      animals were described for 7 body measurements for morphometric characterization.
      From this sample set, 456 animals were genotyped for 25 microsatellite markers
      for genetic characterization. Conservation priorities were assessed combining
      genetic and non-genetic factors. All studied traits varied significantly among
      ecotypes (p<0.05). All morphometric traits exhibited substantial sexual
      dimorphism except ear length. Males were 42% heavier than females. Madgyal sheep
      were the largest amongst the five ecotypes. In the stepwise discriminant
      analysis, all measured traits were significant and were found to have potential
      discriminatory power. Tail length was the most discriminatory trait. The
      Mahalanobis distance of the morphological traits between Kolhapuri and Madgyal
      was maximum (12.07) while the least differentiation was observed between Madgyal
      and Solapuri (1.50). Discriminant analysis showed that 68.12% sheep were
      classified into their source population. The Sangamneri sheep showed least
      assignment error (22%) whilst Solapuri exhibited maximum error level (41%). A
      total of 407 alleles were observed, with an average of 16.28 alleles per locus.
      Sufficient levels of genetic diversity were observed in all the ecotypes with
      observed heterozygosity values exceeding 0.47 and gene diversity values exceeding
      0.76. About 6% of the total genetic variation was explained by population
      differences (FST = 0.059). Pairwise FST values indicated least differentiation
      between Solapuri and Madgyal (0.025). In terms of genetic distances, Kolhapuri
      and Lonand were most closely related (Ds = 0.177). The most probable structure
      clustering of the five studied populations was at K = 5. The study showed a fair
      congruence between the dendrogram constructed on the basis of Mahalanobis
      distances and Nei's as well as Reynolds genetic distances. The findings gave
      highest conservation priority to Lonand and least to Solapuri ecotype.

PMID- 28910330
TI  - Quality of life measures predict cardiovascular health and physical performance
      in chronic renal failure patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience
      complex functional and structural changes of the cardiopulmonary and
      musculoskeletal system. This results in reduced exercise tolerance, quality of
      life and ultimately premature death. We investigated the relationship between
      subjective measures of health related quality of life and objective, standardised
      functional measures for cardiovascular and pulmonary health. METHODS: Between
      April 2010 and January 2013, 143 CKD stage-5 or CKD5d patients (age 46.0+/-1.1y,
      62.2% male), were recruited prospectively. A control group of 83 healthy
      individuals treated for essential hypertension (HTN; age 53.2+/-0.9y, 48.22%
      male) were recruited at random. All patients completed the SF-36 health survey
      questionnaire, echocardiography, vascular tonometry and cardiopulmonary exercise
      testing. RESULTS: Patients with CKD had significantly lower SF-36 scores than the
      HTN group; for physical component score (PCS; 45.0 vs 53.9, p<0.001) and mental
      component score (MCS; 46.9 vs. 54.9, p<0.001). CKD subjects had significantly
      poorer exercise tolerance and cardiorespiratory performance compared with HTN
      (maximal oxygen uptake; VO2peak 19.9 vs 25.0ml/kg/min, p<0.001). VO2peak was a
      significant independent predictor of PCS in both groups (CKD: b = 0.35, p = 0.02
      vs HTN: b = 0.27, p = 0.001). No associations were noted between PCS scores and
      echocardiographic characteristics, vascular elasticity and cardiac biomarkers in
      either group. No associations were noted between MCS and any variable. The
      interaction effect of study group with VO2peak on PCS was not significant (DeltaB
      = 0.08; 95%CI -0.28-0.45, p = 0.7). However, overall for a given VO2peak, the
      measured PCS was much lower for patients with CKD than for HTN cohort, a likely
      consequence of systemic uremia effects. CONCLUSION: In CKD and HTN, objective
      physical performance has a significant effect on quality of life; particularly
      self-reported physical health and functioning. Therefore, these quality of life
      measures are indeed a good reflection of physical health correlating highly with
      objective physical performance measures.

PMID- 28910331
TI  - Reproducibility of frequency-dependent low frequency fluctuations in reaction
      time over time and across tasks.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Increased levels of reaction time variability (RTV) are
      characteristics of sustained attention deficits. The clinical significance of RTV
      has been widely recognized. However, the reliability of RTV measurements has not
      been widely studied. The present study aimed to assess the test-retest
      reliability of RTV conventional measurements, e.g., the standard deviation (SD),
      the coefficient of variation (CV), and a new measurement called the amplitude of
      low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of RT. In addition, we aimed to assess
      differences and similarities of these measurements between different tasks.
      METHOD: Thirty-seven healthy college students participated in 2 tasks, i.e., an
      Eriksen flanker task (EFT) and a simple reaction task (SRT), twice over a mean
      interval of 56 days. Conventional measurements of RTV including RT-SD and RT-CV
      were assessed first. Then the RT time series were converted into frequency
      domains, and RT-ALFF was further calculated for the whole frequency band (0.0023
      0.167 Hz) and for a few sub-frequency bands including Slow-6 (<0.01 Hz), Slow-5
      (0.01-0.027 Hz), Slow-4 (0.027-0.073 Hz), and Slow-3 (0.073-0.167 Hz). The test
      retest reliability of these measurements was evaluated through intra-class
      correlation (ICC) tests. Differences and correlations between each EFT and SRT
      measurement were further examined during both visits. RESULTS: 1) The RT-ALFF of
      the Slow-5/4/3 and conventional measurements of RT-SD and RT-CV showed moderate
      to high levels of test-retest reliability. EFT RT-ALFF patterns generated
      slightly higher ICC values than SRT values in higher frequency bands (Slow-3),
      but SRT RT-ALFF values showed slightly higher ICC values than EFT values in lower
      frequency bands (Slow-5 and Slow-4). 2) RT-ALFF magnitudes in each sub-frequency
      band were greater for the SRT than those for the EFT. 3) The RT-ALFF in the Slow
      4 of the EFT was found to be correlated with the RT-ALFF in the Slow-5 of the SRT
      for both two visits, but no consistently significant correlation was found
      between the same frequency bands. CONCLUSIONS: These findings reveal good test
      retest reliability for conventional measurements and for the RT-ALFF of RTV. The
      RT-ALFF presented frequency-dependent similarities across tasks. All of our
      results reveal the presence of different frequency structures between the two
      tasks, and thus the frequency-dependent characteristics of different tasks
      deserve more attention in future studies.

PMID- 28910332
TI  - Concurrent treatment with simvastatin and NF-kappaB inhibitor in human castration
      resistant prostate cancer cells exerts synergistic anti-cancer effects via
      control of the NF-kappaB/LIN28/let-7 miRNA signaling pathway.
AB  - We examined the anti-cancer effects and molecular mechanism of simvastatin in
      human castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells, particularly focused on
      LIN28B and its target molecule, let-7 microRNA (miRNA) among the various target
      genes of NF-kappaB. A human CRPC cell line (PC3) was used in the current study.
      Gene expression patterns were evaluated using real time-PCR and western blot
      analysis. CCK-8 assay was used for assessing cell viability and proliferation,
      and a clonogenic assay was adopted to evaluate clonal proliferative capabilities.
      Induction of apoptotic cell death was analyzed via flow cytometry. Small
      interfering RNA (siRNA) and short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) were used for manipulating
      the expression of genes of interest. PC3 showed relatively higher expression
      levels of LIN28B and lower expression levels of let-7 miRNAs. Simvastatin
      treatment significantly inhibited cell viability and clonal proliferation in a
      dose-dependent manner. Importantly, the downregulated let-7 miRNA family was
      restored after simvastatin treatment. We further observed that human CRPC cells
      transfected with LIN28B-siRNA or shRNA also showed upregulated let-7 miRNAs.
      Finally, dual treatment with simvastatin and an NF-kappaB inhibitor (CAPE)
      synergistically induced apoptotic cell death, along with reduction of LIN28B
      expression, and restoration of let-7 miRNAs levels. Our data illustrate that
      simvastatin remarkably inhibits the growth of human CRPC cells by suppressing NF
      kappaB and LIN28B and subsequently upregulating let-7 miRNAs. Moreover,
      concurrent treatment with simvastatin and an NF-kappaB inhibitor synergistically
      suppressed the growth of human CRPC cells, suggesting a novel therapeutic
      approach for human CRPC treatment.

PMID- 28910333
TI  - Reduced proliferation of endothelial colony-forming cells in unprovoked venous
      thromboembolic disease as a consequence of endothelial dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolic disease (VTD) is a public health problem. We
      recently reported that endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) derived from
      endothelial cells (EC) (ECFC-ECs) from patients with VTD have a dysfunctional
      state. For this study, we proposed that a dysfunctional status of these cells
      generates a reduction of its proliferative ability, which is also associated with
      senescence and reactive oxygen species (ROS). METHODS AND RESULTS: Human
      mononuclear cells (MNCs) were obtained from peripheral blood from 40 healthy
      human volunteers (controls) and 50 patients with VTD matched by age (20-50 years)
      and sex to obtain ECFCs. We assayed their proliferative ability with plasma of
      patients and controls and supernatants of cultures from ECFC-ECs, senescence
      associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal), ROS, and expression of ephrin-B2/Eph
      B4 receptor. Compared with cells from controls, cells from VTD patients showed an
      8-fold increase of ECFCs that emerged 1 week earlier, reduced proliferation at
      long term (39%) and, in passages 4 and 10, a highly senescent rate (30+/-1.05%
      vs. 91.3+/-15.07%, respectively) with an increase of ROS and impaired expression
      of ephrin-B2/Eph-4 genes. Proliferation potential of cells from VTD patients was
      reduced in endothelial medium [1.4+/-0.22 doubling population (DP)], control
      plasma (1.18+/-0.31 DP), or plasma from VTD patients (1.65+/-0.27 DP).
      CONCLUSIONS: As compared with controls, ECFC-ECs from individuals with VTD have
      higher oxidative stress, proliferation stress, cellular senescence, and low
      proliferative potential. These findings suggest that patients with a history of
      VTD are ECFC-ECs dysfunctional that could be associated to permanent risk for new
      thrombotic events.

PMID- 28910334
TI  - Academic career intentions in the life sciences: Can research self-efficacy
      beliefs explain low numbers of aspiring physician and female scientists?
AB  - A lack of physician scientists as well as a high female dropout rate from
      academic medicine and basic life sciences is a concern in many countries. The
      current study analyzes academic career intentions within a sample of recent
      doctoral graduates from medicine and basic life sciences (N = 1109), focusing on
      research self-efficacy beliefs as explanatory variable of gender and disciplinary
      differences. To ensure that differences in research self-efficacy could not be
      attributed solely to objective scientific performance, we controlled for number
      of publications and dissertation grade. The results of multivariate analyses
      pointed to a strong and significant association between research self-efficacy
      and academic career intentions (beta = 0.49, p<0.001). The lower academic career
      intentions of medical doctoral graduates were no longer significant when
      controlling for research self-efficacy. Within the field of medicine, female
      doctoral graduates expressed lower research self-efficacy beliefs and academic
      career intentions. When controlling for research self-efficacy, the correlation
      between gender and academic career intention was no longer significant. In
      contrast, no gender differences were found within the basic life sciences with
      respect to neither academic career intentions nor research self-efficacy.

PMID- 28910335
TI  - Medical leaders or masters?-A systematic review of medical leadership in hospital
      settings.
AB  - Medical leadership is increasingly considered as crucial for improving the
      quality of care and the sustainability of healthcare. However, conceptual clarity
      is lacking in the literature and in practice. Therefore, a systematic review of
      the scientific literature was conducted to reveal the different
      conceptualizations of medical leadership in terms of definitions, roles and
      activities, and personal-and context-specific features. Eight databases were
      systematically searched for eligible studies, including empirical studies
      published in peer-reviewed journals that included physicians carrying out a
      manager or leadership role in a hospital setting. Finally, 34 articles were
      included and their findings were synthesized and analyzed narratively. Medical
      leadership is conceptualized in literature either as physicians with formal
      managerial roles or physicians who act as informal 'leaders' in daily practices.
      In both forms, medical leaders must carry out general management and leadership
      activities and acts to balance between management and medicine, because these
      physicians must accomplish both organizational and medical staff objectives. To
      perform effectively, credibility among medical peers appeared to be the most
      important factor, followed by a scattered list of fields of knowledge, skills and
      attitudes. Competing logics, role ambiguity and a lack of time and support were
      perceived as barriers. However, the extent to which physicians must master all
      elicited features, remains ambiguous. Furthermore, the extent to which medical
      leadership entails a shift or a reallocation of tasks that are at the core of
      medical professional work remains unclear. Future studies should implement
      stronger research designs in which more theory is used to study the effect of
      medical leadership on professional work, medical staff governance, and
      subsequently, the quality and efficiency of care.

PMID- 28910336
TI  - Application of unsupervised analysis techniques to lung cancer patient data.
AB  - This study applies unsupervised machine learning techniques for classification
      and clustering to a collection of descriptive variables from 10,442 lung cancer
      patient records in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program
      database. The goal is to automatically classify lung cancer patients into groups
      based on clinically measurable disease-specific variables in order to estimate
      survival. Variables selected as inputs for machine learning include Number of
      Primaries, Age, Grade, Tumor Size, Stage, and TNM, which are numeric or can
      readily be converted to numeric type. Minimal up-front processing of the data
      enables exploring the out-of-the-box capabilities of established unsupervised
      learning techniques, with little human intervention through the entire process.
      The output of the techniques is used to predict survival time, with the efficacy
      of the prediction representing a proxy for the usefulness of the classification.
      A basic single variable linear regression against each unsupervised output is
      applied, and the associated Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) value is calculated as
      a metric to compare between the outputs. The results show that self-ordering maps
      exhibit the best performance, while k-Means performs the best of the simpler
      classification techniques. Predicting against the full data set, it is found that
      their respective RMSE values (15.591 for self-ordering maps and 16.193 for k
      Means) are comparable to supervised regression techniques, such as Gradient
      Boosting Machine (RMSE of 15.048). We conclude that unsupervised data analysis
      techniques may be of use to classify patients by defining the classes as
      effective proxies for survival prediction.

PMID- 28910338
TI  - Rapid plasticity of visually evoked responses in rat monocular visual cortex.
AB  - Sensory cortical circuits are shaped by experience during sensitive periods in
      development. In the primary visual cortex (V1) altered visual experience results
      in changes in visual responsiveness of cortical neurons. The experience-dependent
      refinement of the circuit in V1 is thought to rely on competitive interactions
      between feedforward circuits driven by the two eyes. However, recent data have
      provided evidence for an additional role of cortico-cortical circuits in this
      process. Indeed, experience-dependent changes in intracortical circuits can be
      induced rapidly and may result in rapid-onset functional changes. Unilateral
      occlusion of vision rapidly alters visual responsiveness, synaptic strength and
      connectivity of local circuits in the binocular region of V1 (V1b), where the
      inputs from the two eyes converge. In the monocular region of rodent V1 (V1m),
      where feedforward inputs from the ipsilateral eye are virtually absent, visual
      deprivation induces rapid plasticity in local circuits; however, functional
      changes seem to occur only after long periods of deprivation. In V1m there is
      currently no evidence for functional changes occurring within a time window
      compatible with that of local circuit plasticity. Here, we probed the visual
      responsiveness of neurons in rat V1m and assessed the effect of one day
      unilateral eye lid suture on single neuron visual responses. We report a novel
      form of plasticity within V1m that occurs on a timescale consistent with the
      earliest known changes in synaptic strength. Our data provide new insights into
      how sensory experience can rapidly modulate neuronal responses, even in the
      absence of direct competition between feedforward thalamocortical inputs.

PMID- 28910337
TI  - Mouse repeated electroconvulsive seizure (ECS) does not reverse social stress
      effects but does induce behavioral and hippocampal changes relevant to
      electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) side-effects in the treatment of depression.
AB  - Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for depression, but can
      have negative side effects including amnesia. The mechanisms of action underlying
      both the antidepressant and side effects of ECT are not well understood. An
      equivalent manipulation that is conducted in experimental animals is
      electroconvulsive seizure (ECS). Rodent studies have provided valuable insights
      into potential mechanisms underlying the antidepressant and side effects of ECT.
      However, relatively few studies have investigated the effects of ECS in animal
      models with a depression-relevant manipulation such as chronic stress. In the
      present study, mice were first exposed to chronic social stress (CSS) or a
      control procedure for 15 days followed by ECS or a sham procedure for 10 days.
      Behavioral effects were investigated using an auditory fear conditioning
      (learning) and expression (memory) test and a treadmill-running fatigue test.
      Thereafter, immunohistochemistry was conducted on brain material using the
      microglial marker Iba-1 and the cholinergic fibre marker ChAT. CSS did not
      increase fear learning and memory in the present experimental design; in both the
      control and CSS mice ECS reduced fear learning and fear memory expression. CSS
      induced the expected fatigue-like effect in the treadmill-running test; ECS
      induced increased fatigue in CSS and control mice. In CSS and control mice ECS
      induced inflammation in hippocampus in terms of increased expression of Iba-1 in
      radiatum of CA1 and CA3. CSS and ECS both reduced acetylcholine function in
      hippocampus as indicated by decreased expression of ChAT in several hippocampal
      sub-regions. Therefore, CSS increased fatigue and reduced hippocampal ChAT
      activity and, rather than reversing these effects, a repeated ECS regimen
      resulted in impaired fear learning-memory, increased fatigue, increased
      hippocampal Iba-1 expression, and decreased hippocampal ChAT expression. As such,
      the current model does not provide insights into the mechanism of ECT
      antidepressant function but does provide evidence for pathophysiological
      mechanisms that might contribute to important ECT side-effects.

PMID- 28910339
TI  - Genome-wide association mapping of resistance to Phytophthora sojae in a soybean
      [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] germplasm panel from maturity groups IV and V.
AB  - Phytophthora sojae, an oomycete pathogen of soybean, causes stem and root rot,
      resulting in annual economic loss up to $2 billion worldwide. Varieties with P.
      sojae resistance are environmental friendly to effectively reduce disease
      damages. In order to improve the resistance of P. sojae and broaden the genetic
      diversity in Southern soybean cultivars and germplasm in the U.S., we established
      a P. sojae resistance gene pool that has high genetic diversity, and explored
      genomic regions underlying the host resistance to P. sojae races 1, 3, 7, 17 and
      25. A soybean germplasm panel from maturity groups (MGs) IV and V including 189
      accessions originated from 10 countries were used in this study. The panel had a
      high genetic diversity compared to the 6,749 accessions from MGs IV and V in USDA
      Soybean Germplasm Collection. Based on disease evaluation dataset of these
      accessions inoculated with P. sojae races 1, 3, 7, 17 and 25, which are
      publically available, five accessions in this panel were resistant to all races.
      Genome-wide association analysis identified a total of 32 significant SNPs, which
      were clustered in resistance-associated genomic regions, among those, ss715619920
      was only 3kb away from the gene Glyma.14g087500, a subtilisin protease. Gene
      expression analysis showed that the gene was down-regulated more than 4 fold
      (log2 fold > 2.2) in response to P. sojae infection. The identified molecular
      markers and genomic regions that are associated with the disease resistance in
      this gene pool will greatly assist the U.S. Southern soybean breeders in
      developing elite varieties with broad genetic background and P. sojae resistance.

PMID- 28910340
TI  - Successful 1:1 proportion ventilation with a unique device for independent lung
      ventilation using a double-lumen tube without complications in the supine and
      lateral decubitus positions. A pilot study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adequate blood oxygenation and ventilation/perfusion matching
      should be main goal of anaesthetic and intensive care management. At present, one
      of the methods of improving gas exchange restricted by ventilation/perfusion
      mismatching is independent ventilation with two ventilators. Recently, however, a
      unique device has been developed, enabling ventilation of independent lungs in
      1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 5:1 proportions. The main goal of the study was to evaluate
      the device's utility, precision and impact on pulmonary mechanics. Secondly- to
      measure the gas distribution in supine and lateral decubitus position. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: 69 patients who underwent elective thoracic surgery were eligible
      for the study. During general anaesthesia, after double lumen tube intubation,
      the aforementioned control system was placed between the anaesthetic machine and
      the patient. In the supine and lateral decubitus (left/right) positions,
      measurements of conventional and independent (1:1 proportion) ventilation were
      performed separately for each lung, including the following: tidal volume, peak
      pressure and dynamic compliance. RESULTS: Our results show that conventional
      ventilation using Robertshaw tube in the supine position directs 47% of the tidal
      volume to the left lung and 53% to the right lung. Furthermore, in the left
      lateral position, 44% is directed to the dependent lung and 56% to the non
      dependent lung. In the right lateral position, 49% is directed to the dependent
      lung and 51% to the non-dependent lung. The control system positively affected
      non-dependent and dependent lung ventilation by delivering equal tidal volumes
      into both lungs with no adverse effects, regardless of patient's position.
      CONCLUSIONS: We report that gas distribution is uneven during conventional
      ventilation using Robertshaw tube in the supine and lateral decubitus positions.
      However, this recently released control system enables precise and safe
      independent ventilation in the supine and the left and right lateral decubitus
      positions.

PMID- 28910341
TI  - Individual, household and contextual factors associated with skilled delivery
      care in Ethiopia: Evidence from Ethiopian demographic and health surveys.
AB  - Despite evidence that social contexts are key determinants of health, research
      into factors associated with maternal health service utilization in Ethiopia has
      often focused on individual and household factors. The downside is that this
      underestimates the importance of taking contextual factors into account when
      planning appropriate interventions in promoting safe motherhood in the country.
      The purpose of this study is to fill this knowledge gap drawing attention to the
      largely unexplored contextual factors affecting the uptake of skilled attendance
      at delivery in a nationally representative sample. Data for the study comes from
      two rounds of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) conducted in
      the year 2005 and 2011. Analysis was done using a two-level multivariable
      multilevel logistic regression model with data from 14, 242 women who had a live
      birth in the five years preceding the surveys clustered within 540 (in the year
      2005) and 624 (in the year 2011) communities. The results of the study point to
      multiple levels of measured and unmeasured factors affecting the uptake of
      skilled delivery care in the country. At community level, place of residence,
      community level of female education and fertility significantly predict the
      uptake of skilled delivery care. At individual and household level, maternal age,
      birth order, maternal education, household wealth and access to media predict the
      uptake of such service. Thus, there is a need to consider community contexts in
      the design of maternal health programs and employ multi-sectorial approach to
      addressing barriers at different levels. For example, improving access and
      availability of skilled delivery care should eventually enhance the uptake of
      such services at community level in Ethiopia. At individual level, efforts to
      promote the uptake of such services should constitute targeted interventions
      paying special attention to the needs of the youth, the multiparous, the less
      educated and women in the poorest households.

PMID- 28910342
TI  - Home modification to reduce falls at a health district level: Modeling health
      gain, health inequalities and health costs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that home safety assessment and modification
      (HSAM) is effective in reducing falls in older people. But there are various
      knowledge gaps, including around cost-effectiveness and also the impacts at a
      health district-level. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A previously established Markov
      macro-simulation model built for the whole New Zealand (NZ) population (Pega et
      al 2016, Injury Prevention) was enhanced and adapted to a health district level.
      This district was Counties Manukau District Health Board, which hosts 42,000
      people aged 65+ years. A health system perspective was taken and a discount rate
      of 3% was used for both health gain and costs. Intervention effectiveness
      estimates came from a systematic review, and NZ-specific intervention costs were
      extracted from a randomized controlled trial. In the 65+ age-group in this health
      district, the HSAM program was estimated to achieve health gains of 2800 quality
      adjusted life-years (QALYs; 95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 547 to 5280). The net
      health system cost was estimated at NZ$8.44 million (95% UI: $663 to $14.3
      million). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was estimated at
      NZ$5480 suggesting HSAM is cost-effective (95%UI: cost saving to NZ$15,300
      [equivalent to US$10,300]). Targeting HSAM only to people age 65+ or 75+ with
      previous injurious falls was estimated to be particularly cost-effective (ICERs:
      $700 and $832, respectively) with the latter intervention being cost-saving.
      There was no evidence for differential cost-effectiveness by sex or by ethnicity:
      Maori (Indigenous population) vs non-Maori. CONCLUSIONS: This modeling study
      suggests that a HSAM program could produce considerable health gain and be cost
      effective for older people at a health district level. Nevertheless, comparisons
      may be desirable with other falls prevention interventions such as group exercise
      programs, which also provide social contact and may prevent various chronic
      diseases.

PMID- 28910344
TI  - The rise of the middle author: Investigating collaboration and division of labor
      in biomedical research using partial alphabetical authorship.
AB  - Contemporary biomedical research is performed by increasingly large teams.
      Consequently, an increasingly large number of individuals are being listed as
      authors in the bylines, which complicates the proper attribution of credit and
      responsibility to individual authors. Typically, more importance is given to the
      first and last authors, while it is assumed that the others (the middle authors)
      have made smaller contributions. However, this may not properly reflect the
      actual division of labor because some authors other than the first and last may
      have made major contributions. In practice, research teams may differentiate the
      main contributors from the rest by using partial alphabetical authorship (i.e.,
      by listing middle authors alphabetically, while maintaining a contribution-based
      order for more substantial contributions). In this paper, we use partial
      alphabetical authorship to divide the authors of all biomedical articles in the
      Web of Science published over the 1980-2015 period in three groups: primary
      authors, middle authors, and supervisory authors. We operationalize the concept
      of middle author as those who are listed in alphabetical order in the middle of
      an authors' list. Primary and supervisory authors are those listed before and
      after the alphabetical sequence, respectively. We show that alphabetical ordering
      of middle authors is frequent in biomedical research, and that the prevalence of
      this practice is positively correlated with the number of authors in the bylines.
      We also find that, for articles with 7 or more authors, the average proportion of
      primary, middle and supervisory authors is independent of the team size, more
      than half of the authors being middle authors. This suggests that growth in
      authors lists are not due to an increase in secondary contributions (or middle
      authors) but, rather, in equivalent increases of all types of roles and
      contributions (including many primary authors and many supervisory authors).
      Nevertheless, we show that the relative contribution of alphabetically ordered
      middle authors to the overall production of knowledge in the biomedical field has
      greatly increased over the last 35 years.

PMID- 28910343
TI  - Escherichia coli attachment to model particulates: The effects of bacterial cell
      characteristics and particulate properties.
AB  - E. coli bacteria move in streams freely in a planktonic state or attached to
      suspended particulates. Attachment is a dynamic process, and the fraction of
      attached microorganisms is thought to be affected by both bacterial
      characteristics and particulate properties. In this study, we investigated how
      the properties of cell surfaces and stream particulates influence attachment.
      Attachment assays were conducted for 77 E. coli strains and three model
      particulates (ferrihydrite, Ca-montmorillonite, or corn stover) under
      environmentally relevant conditions. Surface area, particle size distribution,
      and total carbon content were determined for each type of particulate. Among the
      three particulates, attachment fractions to corn stover were significantly larger
      than the attachments to 2-line ferrihydrite (p-value = 0.0036) and Ca
      montmorillonite (p-value = 0.022). Furthermore, attachment to Ca-montmorillonite
      and corn stover was successfully modeled by a Generalized Additive Model (GAM)
      using cell characteristics as predictor variables. The natural logarithm of the
      net charge on the bacterial surface had a significant, positive, and linear
      impact on the attachment of E. coli bacteria to Ca-montmorillonite (p-value =
      0.013), but it did not significantly impact the attachment to corn stover (p
      value = 0.36). The large diversities in cell characteristics among 77 E. coli
      strains, particulate properties, and attachment fractions clearly demonstrated
      the inadequacy of using a static parameter or linear coefficient to predict the
      attachment behavior of E. coli in stream water quality models.

PMID- 28910345
TI  - Circulating mRNAs and miRNAs as candidate markers for the diagnosis and prognosis
      of prostate cancer.
AB  - Circulating nucleic acids are found in free form in body fluids and may serve as
      minimally invasive tools for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Only a few studies
      have investigated the potential application of circulating mRNAs and microRNAs
      (miRNAs) in prostate cancer (PCa). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was
      used for an in silico analysis to identify circulating mRNA and miRNA as
      potential markers of PCa. A total of 2,267 genes and 49 miRNAs were
      differentially expressed between normal and tumor samples. The prediction
      analyses of target genes and integrative analysis of mRNA and miRNA expression
      revealed eleven genes and eight miRNAs which were validated by RT-qPCR in plasma
      samples from 102 untreated PCa patients and 50 cancer-free individuals. Two
      genes, OR51E2 and SIM2, and two miRNAs, miR-200c and miR-200b, showed significant
      association with PCa. Expression levels of these transcripts distinguished PCa
      patients from controls (67% sensitivity and 75% specificity). PCa patients and
      controls with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <= 4.0 ng/mL were discriminated
      based on OR51E2 and SIM2 expression levels. The miR-200c expression showed
      association with Gleason score and miR-200b, with bone metastasis, bilateral
      tumor, and PSA > 10.0 ng/mL. The combination of circulating mRNA and miRNA was
      useful for the diagnosis and prognosis of PCa.

PMID- 28910346
TI  - The evolution of Lachancea thermotolerans is driven by geographical
      determination, anthropisation and flux between different ecosystems.
AB  - The yeast Lachancea thermotolerans (formerly Kluyveromyces thermotolerans) is a
      species with remarkable, yet underexplored, biotechnological potential. This
      ubiquist occupies a range of natural and anthropic habitats covering a wide
      geographic span. To gain an insight into L. thermotolerans population diversity
      and structure, 172 isolates sourced from diverse habitats worldwide were analysed
      using a set of 14 microsatellite markers. The resultant clustering revealed that
      the evolution of L. thermotolerans has been driven by the geography and
      ecological niche of the isolation sources. Isolates originating from anthropic
      environments, in particular grapes and wine, were genetically close, thus
      suggesting domestication events within the species. The observed clustering was
      further validated by several means including, population structure analysis, F
      statistics, Mantel's test and the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA).
      Phenotypic performance of isolates was tested using several growth substrates and
      physicochemical conditions, providing added support for the clustering.
      Altogether, this study sheds light on the genotypic and phenotypic diversity of
      L. thermotolerans, contributing to a better understanding of the population
      structure, ecology and evolution of this non-Saccharomyces yeast.

PMID- 28910347
TI  - High HPgV replication is associated with improved surrogate markers of HIV
      progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human Pegivirus (HPgV) may have a beneficial effect on HIV disease
      progression in co-infected patients; however, the virologic characteristics of
      this infection are not well defined. In this study, we determined HPgV viremia
      prevalence in Mexico and provide new insights to understand HPgV infection and
      HPgV/HIV co-infection. METHODS: We analyzed and quantified 7,890 serum samples
      for HPgV viremia by One-Step RT-Real-Time PCR, 6,484 from healthy blood donors
      and 1,406 from HIV-infected patients. Data on HIV progression were obtained from
      patients' records. HPgV genotyping was performed in 445 samples by nested PCR of
      the 5'URT region. Finite Mixture Models were used to identify clustering patterns
      of HPgV viremia in blood donors and co-infected antiretroviral (ART)-naive
      patients. RESULTS: HPgV was detected in 2.98% of blood donors and 33% of HIV
      patients, with a wide range of viral loads. The most prevalent genotypes were 3
      (58.6%)and 2 (33.7%). HPgV viral loads from healthy blood donors and HPgV/HIV+
      ART-naive co-infected patients were clustered into two component distributions,
      low and high, with a cut-off point of 5.07log10 and 5.06log10, respectively. High
      HPgV viremia was associated with improved surrogate markers of HIV infection,
      independent of the estimated duration of HIV infection or HIV treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: HPgV prevalence in Mexico was similar to that reported for other
      countries. The prevalent genotypes could be related to Mexico's geographic
      location and ethnicity, since genotype 2 is frequent in the United States and
      Europe and genotype 3 in Asia and Amerindian populations. HPgV viral load
      demonstrated two patterns of replication, low and high. The more pronounced
      beneficial response observed in co-infected patients with high HPgV viremia may
      explain discrepancies found between other studies. Mechanisms explaining high and
      low HPgV replication should be explored to determine whether the persistently
      elevated replication depends on host or viral factors.

PMID- 28910348
TI  - The effect of corn trypsin inhibitor, anti-tissue factor pathway inhibitor
      antibodies and phospholipids on microvesicle-associated thrombin generation in
      patients with pancreatic cancer and healthy controls.
AB  - Circulating microvesicles (MVs) are suggested to be important contributors to
      cancer-associated thrombosis due to the presence of surface-bound procoagulant
      molecules like tissue factor (TF) and phosphatidylserine (PS). Pancreatic cancer
      is considered to be one of the most prothrombotic malignancies. The aim of this
      study was to describe the impact of analytical variables on MV-associated
      thrombin generation in patients with pancreatic cancer and in healthy controls.
      MVs were isolated from citrated plasma and added to pooled normal plasma (PNP).
      Thrombin generation was measured by the calibrated automated thrombogram. The
      impact of corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI), anti-tissue factor pathway inhibitor
      (TFPI) antibodies and phospholipids was described. Antibodies against TF were
      used to assess TF-dependency, and MV-bound PS activity was measured with the
      Zymuphen MP-activity kit. MVs from the pancreatic cancer patients displayed
      higher thrombin generation and higher PS-activity than MVs from the healthy
      control group, while TF-dependency was observed in only 1 out of 13 patient
      samples. Adequate thrombin generation-curves were only achieved when CTI was
      omitted and anti-TFPI antibodies were added to PNP prepared in low contact
      activating tubes. Addition of phospholipids reduced the significant differences
      between the two groups, and should be omitted. This modified thrombin generation
      assay could be useful for measurement of procoagulant circulating MVs, allowing
      the contribution from MVs affecting both the intrinsic and the extrinsic pathway
      to be measured.

PMID- 28910349
TI  - A semi-symmetric image encryption scheme based on the function projective
      synchronization of two hyperchaotic systems.
AB  - Both symmetric and asymmetric color image encryption have advantages and
      disadvantages. In order to combine their advantages and try to overcome their
      disadvantages, chaos synchronization is used to avoid the key transmission for
      the proposed semi-symmetric image encryption scheme. Our scheme is a hybrid
      chaotic encryption algorithm, and it consists of a scrambling stage and a
      diffusion stage. The control law and the update rule of function projective
      synchronization between the 3-cell quantum cellular neural networks (QCNN)
      response system and the 6th-order cellular neural network (CNN) drive system are
      formulated. Since the function projective synchronization is used to synchronize
      the response system and drive system, Alice and Bob got the key by two different
      chaotic systems independently and avoid the key transmission by some extra
      security links, which prevents security key leakage during the transmission. Both
      numerical simulations and security analyses such as information entropy analysis,
      differential attack are conducted to verify the feasibility, security, and
      efficiency of the proposed scheme.

PMID- 28910352
TI  - Deep learning approach to bacterial colony classification.
AB  - In microbiology it is diagnostically useful to recognize various genera and
      species of bacteria. It can be achieved using computer-aided methods, which make
      the recognition processes more automatic and thus significantly reduce the time
      necessary for the classification. Moreover, in case of diagnostic uncertainty
      (the misleading similarity in shape or structure of bacterial cells), such
      methods can minimize the risk of incorrect recognition. In this article, we apply
      the state of the art method for texture analysis to classify genera and species
      of bacteria. This method uses deep Convolutional Neural Networks to obtain image
      descriptors, which are then encoded and classified with Support Vector Machine or
      Random Forest. To evaluate this approach and to make it comparable with other
      approaches, we provide a new dataset of images. DIBaS dataset (Digital Image of
      Bacterial Species) contains 660 images with 33 different genera and species of
      bacteria.

PMID- 28910350
TI  - Phylogeographic, genomic, and meropenem susceptibility analysis of Burkholderia
      ubonensis.
AB  - The bacterium Burkholderia ubonensis is commonly co-isolated from environmental
      specimens harbouring the melioidosis pathogen, Burkholderia pseudomallei. B.
      ubonensis has been reported in northern Australia and Thailand but not North
      America, suggesting similar geographic distribution to B. pseudomallei. Unlike
      most other Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) species, B. ubonensis is considered
      non-pathogenic, although its virulence potential has not been tested. Antibiotic
      resistance in B. ubonensis, particularly towards drugs used to treat the most
      severe B. pseudomallei infections, has also been poorly characterised. This study
      examined the population biology of B. ubonensis, and includes the first reported
      isolates from the Caribbean. Phylogenomic analysis of 264 B. ubonensis genomes
      identified distinct clades that corresponded with geographic origin, similar to
      B. pseudomallei. A small proportion (4%) of strains lacked the 920kb chromosome
      III replicon, with discordance of presence/absence amongst genetically highly
      related strains, demonstrating that the third chromosome of B. ubonensis, like
      other Bcc species, probably encodes for a nonessential pC3 megaplasmid.
      Multilocus sequence typing using the B. pseudomallei scheme revealed that one
      third of strains lack the "housekeeping" narK locus. In comparison, all strains
      could be genotyped using the Bcc scheme. Several strains possessed high-level
      meropenem resistance (>=32 MUg/mL), a concern due to potential transmission of
      this phenotype to B. pseudomallei. In silico analysis uncovered a high degree of
      heterogeneity among the lipopolysaccharide O-antigen cluster loci, with at least
      35 different variants identified. Finally, we show that Asian B. ubonensis
      isolate RF23-BP41 is avirulent in the BALB/c mouse model via a subcutaneous route
      of infection. Our results provide several new insights into the biology of this
      understudied species.

PMID- 28910351
TI  - Lab meets real life: A laboratory assessment of spontaneous thought and its
      ecological validity.
AB  - People's minds frequently wander towards self-generated thoughts, which are
      unrelated to external stimuli or demands. These phenomena, referred to as
      "spontaneous thought" (ST) and "mind wandering" (MW), have previously been linked
      with both costs and benefits. Current assessments of ST and MW have predominantly
      been conducted in the laboratory, whereas studies on the ecological validity of
      such lab-related constructs and their interrelations are rare. The current study
      examined the stability of ST dimensions assessed in the lab and their predictive
      value with respect to MW, repetitive negative thought (uncontrollable rumination,
      RUM), and affect in daily life. Forty-three university students were assessed
      with the Amsterdam Resting State Questionnaire (2nd version) to assess ten ST
      dimensions during the resting state in two laboratory sessions, which were
      separated by five days of electronic ambulatory assessment (AA). During AA,
      individuals indicated the intensity of MW and RUM, as well as of positive and
      negative affect in daily life ten times a day. ST dimensions measured in the lab
      were moderately stable across one week. Five out of ten ST lab dimensions were
      predicted by mental health-related symptoms or by dispositional cognitive traits.
      Hierarchical linear models revealed that a number of ST lab dimensions predicted
      cognitive and affective states in daily life. Mediation analyses showed that RUM,
      but not MW per se, accounted for the relationship between specific ST lab
      dimensions and mood in daily life. By using a simple resting state task, we could
      demonstrate that a number of lab dimensions of spontaneous thought are moderately
      stable, are predicted by mental health symptoms and cognitive traits, and show
      plausible associations with categories of self-generated thought and mood in
      daily life.

PMID- 28910353
TI  - Reference equations for the six-minute walk distance in the healthy Chinese
      population aged 18-59 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a safe, simple, inexpensive tool
      for evaluating the functional exercise capacity of patients with chronic
      respiratory disease. However, there is a lack of standard reference equations for
      the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) in the healthy Chinese population aged 18-59
      years. AIMS: The purposes of the present study were as follows: 1) to measure the
      anthropometric data and walking distance of a sample of healthy Chinese Han
      people aged 18-59 years; 2) to construct reference equations for the 6MWD; 3) to
      compare the measured 6MWD with previously published equations. METHOD: The
      anthropometric data, demographic information, lung function, and walking distance
      of Chinese adults aged 18-59 years were prospectively measured using a
      standardized protocol. We obtained verbal consent from all the subjects before
      the test, and the study design was approved by the ethics committee of Wenzhou
      People's Hospital. The 6MWT was performed twice, and the longer distance was used
      for further analysis. RESULTS: A total of 643 subjects (319 females and 324
      males) completed the 6MWT, and average walking distance was 601.6+/-55.51 m. The
      walking distance was compared between females and males (578+/-49.85 m vs. 623+/
      52.53 m; p < 0.0001) and between physically active subjects and sedentary
      subjects (609.3+/-56.17 m vs. 592+/-53.23 m; p < 0.0001). Pearson's correlation
      indicated that the 6MWD was significantly correlated with various demographic and
      the 6MWT variables, such as age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), heart
      rate after the test and the difference in the heart rate before and after the
      test. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that age and height were
      independent predictors associated with the 6MWD. The reference equations from
      white, Canadian and Chilean populations tended to overestimate the walking
      distance in our subjects, while Brazilian and Arabian equations tended to
      underestimate the walking distance. There was no significant difference in the
      walking distance between Korean reference equations and the results of the
      current study. CONCLUSION: In summary, age and height were the most significant
      predictors of the 6MWD, and regression equations could explain approximately 34%
      and 28% of the distance variance in the female and male groups, respectively.

PMID- 28910354
TI  - Differential impact of the dual CCR2/CCR5 inhibitor cenicriviroc on migration of
      monocyte and lymphocyte subsets in acute liver injury.
AB  - A hallmark of acute hepatic injury is the recruitment of neutrophils, monocytes
      and lymphocytes, including natural killer (NK) or T cells, towards areas of
      inflammation. The recruitment of leukocytes from their reservoirs bone marrow or
      spleen into the liver is directed by chemokines such as CCL2 (for monocytes) and
      CCL5 (for lymphocytes). We herein elucidated the impact of chemokine receptor
      inhibition by the dual CCR2 and CCR5 inhibitor cenicriviroc (CVC) on the
      composition of myeloid and lymphoid immune cell populations in acute liver
      injury. CVC treatment effectively inhibited the migration of bone marrow
      monocytes and splenic lymphocytes (NK, CD4 T-cells) towards CCL2 or CCL5 in
      vitro. When liver injury was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of carbon
      tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice, followed by repetitive oral application of CVC,
      flow cytometric and unbiased t-SNE analysis of intrahepatic leukocytes
      demonstrated that dual CCR2/CCR5 inhibition in vivo significantly decreased
      numbers of monocyte derived macrophages in acutely injured livers. CVC also
      reduced numbers of Kupffer cells (KC) or monocyte derived macrophages with a KC
      like phenotype, respectively, after injury. In contrast to the inhibitory effects
      in vitro, CVC had no impact on the composition of hepatic lymphoid cell
      populations in vivo. Effective inhibition of monocyte recruitment was associated
      with reduced inflammatory macrophage markers and moderately ameliorated hepatic
      necroses at 36h after CCl4. In conclusion, dual CCR2/CCR5 inhibition primarily
      translates into reduced monocyte recruitment in acute liver injury in vivo,
      suggesting that this strategy will be effective in reducing inflammatory
      macrophages in conditions of liver disease.

PMID- 28910355
TI  - Effects of reduced nitrogen inputs on crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency in a
      long-term maize-soybean relay strip intercropping system.
AB  - The blind pursuit of high yields via increased fertilizer inputs increases the
      environmental costs. Relay intercropping has advantages for yield, but a strategy
      for N management is urgently required to decrease N inputs without yield loss in
      maize-soybean relay intercropping systems (IMS). Experiments were conducted with
      three levels of N and three planting patterns, and dry matter accumulation,
      nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), competition ratio (CR), system
      productivity index (SPI), land equivalent ratio (LER), and crop root distribution
      were investigated. Our results showed that the CR of soybean was greater than 1,
      and that the change in root distribution in space and time resulted in an
      interspecific facilitation in IMS. The maximum yield of maize under monoculture
      maize (MM) occurred with conventional nitrogen (CN), whereas under IMS, the
      maximum yield occurred with reduced nitrogen (RN). The yield of monoculture
      soybean (MS) and of soybean in IMS both reached a maximum under RN. The LER of
      IMS varied from 1.85 to 2.36, and the SPI peaked under RN. Additionally, the NUE
      of IMS increased by 103.7% under RN compared with that under CN. In conclusion,
      the separation of the root ecological niche contributed to a positive
      interspecific facilitation, which increased the land productivity. Thus, maize
      soybean relay intercropping with reduced N input provides a very useful approach
      to increase land productivity and avert environmental pollution.

PMID- 28910356
TI  - Recent trends in 30-day mortality in patients with blunt splenic injury: A
      nationwide trauma database study in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Splenic injury frequently occurs after blunt abdominal trauma;
      however, limited epidemiological data regarding mortality are available. We aimed
      to investigate mortality rate trends after blunt splenic injury in Japan.
      METHODS: We retrospectively identified 1,721 adults with blunt splenic injury
      (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma splenic injury scale grades III
      V) from the 2004-2014 Japan Trauma Data Bank. We grouped the records of these
      patients into 3 time phases: phase I (2004-2008), phase II (2009-2012), and phase
      III (2013-2014). Over the 3 phases, we analysed 30-day mortality rates and
      investigated their association with the prevalence of certain initial
      interventions (Mantel-Haenszel trend test). We further performed multiple
      imputation and multivariable analyses for comparing the characteristics and
      outcomes of patients who underwent TAE or splenectomy/splenorrhaphy, adjusting
      for known potential confounders and for within-hospital clustering using
      generalised estimating equation. RESULTS: Over time, there was a significant
      decrease in 30-day mortality after splenic injury (p < 0.01). Logistic regression
      analysis revealed that mortality significantly decreased over time (from phase I
      to phase II, odds ratio: 0.39, 95% confidence interval: 0.22-0.67; from phase I
      to phase III, odds ratio: 0.34, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-0.62) for the
      overall cohort. While the 30-day mortality for splenectomy/splenorrhaphy
      diminished significantly over time (p = 0.01), there were no significant
      differences regarding mortality for non-operative management, with or without
      transcatheter arterial embolisation (p = 0.43, p = 0.29, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: In Japan, in-hospital 30-day mortality rates decreased significantly
      after splenic injury between 2004 and 2014, even after adjustment for within
      hospital clustering and other factors independently associated with mortality.
      Over time, mortality rates decreased significantly after
      splenectomy/splenorrhaphy, but not after non-operative management. This
      information is useful for clinicians when making decisions about treatments for
      patients with blunt splenic injury.

PMID- 28910357
TI  - The quality of invasive breast cancer care for low reimbursement rate patients: A
      retrospective study.
AB  - Though evidence-based treatments have been recommended for breast cancer,
      underuse of the treatments was still observed. To certain extent, patients'
      access to care, which can be enhanced by increasing the coverage of health
      insurance, could account for the current underuse in recommended care. This study
      aimed to examine the association between different proportions of reimbursement
      and quality of recommended breast cancer care, as well as length of hospital
      stay. In this retrospective study, 3669 patients diagnosed with invasive breast
      cancer between 1 June, 2011 and 30 June, 2013 were recruited. Seven quality
      indicators from preoperative diagnosis procedures to adjuvant therapy and one
      composite indicator were selected as dependent variables. Logistic regression and
      generalized linear models were used to explore the association between quality of
      care and length of hospital stay with different reimbursement rates. Compared
      with UEBMI (urban employment basic medical insurance), which represented high
      level reimbursement rate, patients with lower rates of reimbursement were less
      likely to receive core biopsy, HER-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2)
      testing, BCS (breast conserving surgery), SLNB (sentinel lymph nodes biopsy),
      adjuvant therapy and hormonal treatment. No significant difference in
      preoperative length of hospital stay was observed among the three insurance
      schemes, however URBMI (urban resident basic medical insurance) insured patients
      stayed longer for total length of hospital stay. Significant disparities in
      utilization of evidence-based breast cancer care among patients with different
      proportions of reimbursement were observed. Patients with lower rate of
      reimbursement were less likely to receive recommended care. Our findings could
      provide important support for further healthcare reform and quality improvement
      in breast cancer care.

PMID- 28910358
TI  - E-inclusion: Beyond individual socio-demographic characteristics.
AB  - The changing demographic structure of the population, resulting in unparalleled
      growth of the elderly population, means that e-inclusion of this population group
      is considered to be a social and political priority in the context of the
      Information Society. Most research studies have only considered individual
      variables -such as age, gender, education, income and health- in the explanatory
      models of e-inclusion of senior citizens, while ignoring macro variables, such as
      the welfare systems and public policies in each country. Simultaneously, most
      studies focus on small-scale samples, lack international comparisons and do not
      consider the combined effect of several variables that influence Internet use.
      This study aims to analyse possible differences between two countries that have
      different welfare systems and public policies, after controlling for the effects
      of the individual variables that have been identified in the literature as
      relevant for Internet use. The study focuses on a sample of 8639 individuals,
      aged 50 years and over, residing in Portugal and Estonia, who participated in the
      SHARE project (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe). The results of
      the logistic regression analysis demonstrate that welfare systems and public
      policies have an impact on the likelihood of Internet use, thus reinforcing the
      importance of developing public policies to foster e-inclusion of senior
      citizens.

PMID- 28910359
TI  - Prevalence and determinants of oral infection by Human Papillomavirus in HIV
      infected and uninfected men who have sex with men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is rare in the general
      population but common in high-risk individuals. Recent data indicate that oral
      HPV is associated with the development of head and neck carcinomas. HPV16
      infection, in particular, increases the risk of oropharyngeal cancer. METHODS: We
      evaluated oral HPV prevalence and determinants of infection in cancer-free HIV
      infected and uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM) recruited among attendees
      of an STI/HIV centre. Oral rinse and gargles were collected using a mouthwash and
      analyzed with the Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test. Socio-demographic and
      behavioral data were collected through face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: Overall,
      170 MSM participated: 98 HIV-uninfected and 72 HIV-infected (91.7% under cART).
      Oral HPV was detected in 17.3% and 27.8% of the subjects, respectively (p =
      0.13). Non-carcinogenic HPVs were significantly more common among HIV-infected
      MSM (18.1% vs. 5.1%, p = 0.01). Prevalence of the HPV types included in the
      quadrivalent HPV vaccine was similar (6.1% vs. 8.3% for the HIV-negative and
      positive MSM, respectively, p = 0.76). HPV16 was the most frequent type in HIV
      negative (5.1%), and HIV-positive individuals, in the latter group together with
      HPV18, 72 and 84 (4.2% each). Older age at first sex (AOR: 4.02, 95% CI: 1.17
      13.86 for those older than 18 years of age at first intercourse, p = 0.027) and a
      higher lifetime number of receptive oral sex partners (AOR: 9.14, 95% CI: 2.49
      33.62 for those with >50 compared to <=50 partners, p<0.001) were determinants of
      oral HPV among HIV-infected MSM. CONCLUSION: Oral HPV infection among MSM
      attending an urban STI center is very frequent compared to the general
      population. Sexual behavior appears to be the major determinant of infection
      among the HIV-infected individuals.

PMID- 28910360
TI  - Transgelin-2 is upregulated on activated B-cells and expressed in hyperplastic
      follicles in lupus erythematosus patients.
AB  - Transgelin-2 (TAGLN2) is an actin-binding protein that controls actin stability
      and promotes T cell activation. TAGLN2 is also expressed on B-cells but its
      function in B-cells is unknown. We found that TAGLN2-expressing B-cells were
      localized in the germinal center (GC) of secondary lymphoid tissues and TAGLN2
      mRNA was significantly upregulated after IgM+IgG stimulation in primary human B
      cells, suggesting that TAGLN2 was upregulated upon B-cell activation. In support
      of this, lymph nodes (LNs) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),
      in which the intense GC activity have been recognized, showed increased TAGLN2
      expression in B-cells compared to control LNs. Moreover, TAGLN2+B-cells were
      distributed widely not only in the GC but also in the perifollicular areas in SLE
      LNs. In contrast, CD19+ B-cells and CD19+CD27+ memory-B cells in peripheral blood
      of SLE patients showed no increase in TAGLN2 mRNA. Two-photon excitation
      microscopy of Raji cells demonstrated that TAGLN2 colocalized with F-actin and
      moved together to the periphery upon stimulation. TAGLN2-knockdown in Raji cells
      resulted in impaired phosphorylation of PLCgamma2 leading to inhibition of cell
      migration. Microarray analysis of TAGLN2-knockdown Raji cells showed decreased
      expression of the genes associated with immune function including CCR6 and as
      well as of those associated with regulation of the actin cytoskeleton including
      ABI2, compared to controls. These results suggest that TAGLN2 might regulate
      activation and migration of B-cells, in particular, the entry of activated B
      cells into the follicle. We also suggest that TAGLN2 could be used as a marker
      for activated B-cells.

PMID- 28910361
TI  - Fever as an initial manifestation of spondyloarthritis: A retrospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate a wide spectrum of clinical features of adult
      patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) whose initial manifestation was fever,
      using the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS)
      classification criteria. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the electronic
      medical records of hospitalized SpA patients who initially presented to the
      Severance Hospital (Seoul, Korea) with fever from January 2010 to May 2016. As a
      control group, we also recruited one-hundred consecutive patients who were
      diagnosed with SpA in our outpatient clinic. Clinical features and laboratory
      findings were compared in two patient groups. RESULTS: There were 26 patients who
      had fever as initial presentation of SpA (reactive arthritis 50%,
      undifferentiated SpA 26.9%, ankylosing spondylitis 15.4%, enteropathic arthritis
      3.8%, psoriatic arthritis 3.8%). Peripheral SpA was more common in febrile SpA
      patients than in control SpA patients (65.4% vs 24.0%, p<0.001). Febrile SpA
      patients were less frequently HLA-B27 positive than control SpA patients (52.2%
      vs 77.0%, p<0.05). At baseline, systemic inflammatory markers were significantly
      higher in the febrile SpA patients (white blood cell count, 11.57 vs 7.81
      cells/MUL, p<0.001; erythrocyte sedimentation rate, 69.2 vs 41.0 mm/h, p<0.001; C
      reactive protein, 109.6 vs 15.3 mg/L, p<0.001). The proportion of patients
      treated with systemic steroids was significantly higher in febrile SpA patients
      (57.7% vs. 11.0%, p<0.001). The proportion of patients who visited rheumatology
      specialty was significantly lower in febrile SpA patients than in control SpA
      patients (7.7% vs 59.0%, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Various subgroups of SpA can be
      presented with fever as an initial manifestation. Febrile SpA patients
      demonstrated higher systemic inflammation and a lower chance to visit
      rheumatology in early stage. When evaluating febrile patients with any clinical
      features of SpA, clinicians are advised to consider performing SpA-focused
      evaluation including HLA-B27 or a simple sacroiliac joint radiograph.

PMID- 28910362
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based obesity interventions in
      mainland China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous school-based interventions for childhood obesity have been
      emerging in mainland China in recent decades, but little is known about the
      effectiveness of such interventions. This study aims to assess the effectiveness
      of school-based interventions for childhood obesity conducted in mainland China.
      METHODS: A systematic search was undertaken in eight databases to identify both
      randomized and non-randomized controlled trials from January 1990 to December
      2015 examining the effectiveness of school-based obesity interventions. A random
      effects meta-analysis was conducted assessing the impact of included
      interventions on (body mass index) BMI. The quality of each included studies were
      assessed using Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool.
      A P value <0.05 (two-sided) was considered statistically significant. RESULT: Of
      the seventy-six included studies, we found physical activity and health education
      were the two most common components of interventions. More treatment studies were
      effective compared with prevention studies (85.0% vs. 58.3%). Comprehensive
      interventions involving physical activity and health education appeared more
      effective than the physical activity only interventions in both obesity treatment
      and prevention studies. The meta-analyses showed comprehensive interventions
      involving physical activity and health education had larger effect on the change
      of BMI than physical activity only interventions (treatment studies: -1.80 kg/m2
      (95% CI: -2.15,-1.44) vs. -0.91 kg/m2 (95% CI: -1.15,-0.67); prevention studies: 
      0.19 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.27, -0.11) vs. +0.05 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.04, +0.15)).
      CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive school-based interventions may assist in tackling the
      rising prevalence of childhood obesity in mainland China.

PMID- 28910363
TI  - Impaired bone formation in ovariectomized mice reduces implant integration as
      indicated by longitudinal in vivo micro-computed tomography.
AB  - Although osteoporotic bone, with low bone mass and deteriorated bone
      architecture, provides a less favorable mechanical environment than healthy bone
      for implant fixation, there is no general agreement on the impact of osteoporosis
      on peri-implant bone (re)modeling, which is ultimately responsible for the long
      term stability of the bone-implant system. Here, we inserted an implant in a
      mouse model mimicking estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss and we monitored with
      longitudinal in vivo micro-computed tomography the spatio-temporal changes in
      bone (re)modeling and architecture, considering the separate contributions of
      trabecular, endocortical and periosteal surfaces. Specifically, 12 week-old
      C57BL/6J mice underwent OVX/SHM surgery; 9 weeks after we inserted special metal
      ceramics implants into the 6th caudal vertebra and we measured bone response with
      in vivo micro-CT weekly for the following 6 weeks. Our results indicated that
      ovariectomized mice showed a reduced ability to increase the thickness of the
      cortical shell close to the implant because of impaired peri-implant bone
      formation, especially at the periosteal surface. Moreover, we observed that
      healthy mice had a significantly higher loss of trabecular bone far from the
      implant than estrogen depleted animals. Such behavior suggests that, in healthy
      mice, the substantial increase in peri-implant bone formation which rapidly
      thickened the cortex to secure the implant may raise bone resorption elsewhere
      and, specifically, in the trabecular network of the same bone but far from the
      implant. Considering the already deteriorated bone structure of estrogen depleted
      mice, further bone loss seemed to be hindered. The obtained knowledge on the
      dynamic response of diseased bone following implant insertion should provide
      useful guidelines to develop advanced treatments for osteoporotic fracture
      fixation based on local and selective manipulation of bone turnover in the peri
      implant region.

PMID- 28910364
TI  - Surge of immune cell formation at birth differs by mode of delivery and infant
      characteristics-A population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Birth by cesarean section is associated with increased risks of
      immune disorders. We tested whether establishment of immune function at birth
      relates to mode of delivery, taking other maternal and infant characteristics
      into account. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using a prospectively collected database, we
      retrieved information on maternal and infant characteristics of 6,014 singleton
      infants delivered from February to April 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden, with
      gestational age >=35 weeks, Apgar scores >=7, and without congenital
      malformations or any neonatal morbidity. We linked our data to blood levels of T
      cell receptor excision circles (TREC) and kappa-deleting recombination excision
      circles (KREC), determined as part of a neonatal screening program for immune
      deficiencies, and representing quantities of newly formed T- and B-lymphocytes.
      Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) for participants having TREC and KREC levels in the
      lowest quintile. Multivariate models were adjusted for postnatal age at blood
      sampling, and included perinatal (mode of delivery, infant sex, gestational age,
      and birth weight for gestational age), and maternal characteristics (age, parity,
      BMI, smoking, diabetes, and hypertensive disease). Low TREC was associated with
      cesarean section before labor (adjusted OR:1.32 [95% CI 1.08-1.62]), male infant
      sex (aOR:1.60 [1.41-1.83]), preterm birth at 35-36 weeks of gestation (aOR:1.89
      [1.21-2.96]) and small for gestational age (aOR:1.67 [1.00-2.79]). Low KREC was
      associated with male sex (aOR:1.32 [1.15-1.50]), postterm birth at >=42 weeks
      (aOR:1.43 [1.13-1.82]) and small for gestational age (aOR:2.89 [1.78-4.69]).
      Maternal characteristics showed no consistent associations with neonatal levels
      of either TREC or KREC. CONCLUSION: Cesarean section before labor was associated
      with lower T-lymphocyte formation, irrespective of maternal characteristics,
      pregnancy, and neonatal risk factors. The significance of a reduced birth-related
      surge in lymphocyte formation for future immune function and health remains to be
      investigated.

PMID- 28910365
TI  - Acute effects of strength exercises and effects of regular strength training on
      cell free DNA concentrations in blood plasma.
AB  - Creatine kinase (CK) is a marker for muscle cell damage with limited potential as
      marker for training load in strength training. Recent exercise studies identified
      cell free DNA (cfDNA) as a marker for aseptic inflammation and cell damage. Here
      we overserved in a pilot study the acute effects during strength exercise and
      chronic effects of regular strength training on cfDNA concentrations over a
      period of four weeks in three training groups applying conservation training (CT)
      at 60% of the 1 repetition maximum, high intensity-low repetition training (HT)
      at 90% of the 1 repetition maximum and differential training (DT) at 60% of the 1
      repetition maximum. EDTA-plasma samples were collected before every training
      session, and on the first and last training day repeatedly after every set of
      exercises. CfDNA increased significantly by 1.62-fold (mean (+/-SD) before first
      exercise: 8.31 (2.84) ng/ml, after last exercise 13.48 (4.12) ng/ml) across all
      groups within a single training session (p<0.001). The increase was 1.77-fold
      higher (mean (+/-SD) before first exercise: 12.23 (6.29) ng/ml, after last
      exercise 17.73 (11.24) ng/ml) in HT compared to CT (mean (+/-SD) before first
      exercise: 6.79 (1.28) ng/ml, after last exercise 10.05 (2.89) ng/ml) (p = 0.01).
      DNA size analysis suggested predominant release of short, mononucleosomal DNA
      fragments in the acute exercise setting, while we detected an increase of mostly
      longer, polynucleosomal cfDNA-fragments at rest before the training session only
      at day two with a subsequent return to baseline (p<0.001). In contrast, training
      procedures did not cause any alterations in CK. Our results suggest that during
      strength exercise short-fragmented cfDNA is released, reflecting a fast, aseptic
      inflammatory response, while elevation of longer fragments at baseline on day two
      seemed to reflect mild cellular damage due to a novel training regime. We
      critically discuss the implications of our findings for future evaluations of
      cfDNA as a marker for training load in strength training.

PMID- 28910366
TI  - Role of mitochondrial DNA damage and dysfunction in veterans with Gulf War
      Illness.
AB  - Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-symptom illness not currently diagnosed
      by standard medical or laboratory test that affects 30% of veterans who served
      during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. The clinical presentation of GWI is comparable to
      that of patients with certain mitochondrial disorders-i.e., clinically
      heterogeneous multisystem symptoms. Therefore, we hypothesized that mitochondrial
      dysfunction may contribute to both the symptoms of GWI as well as its persistence
      over time. We recruited 21 cases of GWI (CDC and Kansas criteria) and 7 controls
      to participate in this study. Peripheral blood samples were obtained in all
      participants and a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) based assay was
      performed to quantify mitochondrial and nuclear DNA lesion frequency and
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number (mtDNAcn) from peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells. Samples were also used to analyze nuclear DNA lesion frequency and enzyme
      activity for mitochondrial complexes I and IV. Both mtDNA lesion frequency (p =
      0.015, d = 1.13) and mtDNAcn (p = 0.001; d = 1.69) were elevated in veterans with
      GWI relative to controls. Nuclear DNA lesion frequency was also elevated in
      veterans with GWI (p = 0.344; d = 1.41), but did not reach statistical
      significance. Complex I and IV activity (p > 0.05) were similar between groups
      and greater mtDNA lesion frequency was associated with reduced complex I (r2 = 
      0.35, p = 0.007) and IV (r2 = -0.28, p < 0.01) enzyme activity. In conclusion,
      veterans with GWI exhibit greater mtDNA damage which is consistent with
      mitochondrial dysfunction.

PMID- 28910367
TI  - A novel panel of alpha-synuclein antibodies reveal distinctive staining profiles
      in synucleinopathies.
AB  - Synucleinopathies are a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by
      the intracellular deposition of the protein alpha-synuclein leading to multiple
      outcomes, including dementia and Parkinsonism. Recent findings support the notion
      that across the spectrum of synucleinopathies there exist diverse but specific
      biochemical modifications and/or structural conformations of alpha-synuclein,
      which would give rise to protein strain specific prion-like intercellular
      transmission, a proposed model that could explain synucleinopathies disease
      progression. Herein, we characterized a panel of antibodies with epitopes within
      both the C- and N- termini of alpha-synuclein. A comprehensive analysis of human
      pathological tissue and mouse models of synucleinopathy with these antibodies
      support the notion that alpha-synuclein exists in distinct modified forms and/or
      structural variants. Furthermore, these well-characterized and specific tools
      allow the investigation of biochemical changes associated with alpha-synuclein
      inclusion formation. We have identified several antibodies of interest with
      diverse staining and epitope properties that will prove useful in future
      investigations of strain specific disease progression and the development of
      targeted immunotherapeutic approaches to synucleinopathies.

PMID- 28910368
TI  - Mercerized mesoporous date pit activated carbon-A novel adsorbent to sequester
      potentially toxic divalent heavy metals from water.
AB  - A substantive approach converting waste date pits to mercerized mesoporous date
      pit activated carbon (DPAC) and utilizing it in the removal of Cd(II), Cu(II),
      Pb(II), and Zn(II) was reported. In general, rapid heavy metals adsorption
      kinetics for Co range: 25-100 mg/L was observed, accomplishing 77-97% adsorption
      within 15 min, finally, attaining equilibrium in 360 min. Linear and non-linear
      isotherm studies revealed Langmuir model applicability for Cd(II) and Pb(II)
      adsorption, while Freundlich model was fitted to Zn(II) and Cu(II) adsorption.
      Maximum monolayer adsorption capacities (qm) for Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), and
      Zn(II) obtained by non-linear isotherm model at 298 K were 212.1, 133.5, 194.4,
      and 111 mg/g, respectively. Kinetics modeling parameters showed the applicability
      of pseudo-second-order model. The activation energy (Ea) magnitude revealed
      physical nature of adsorption. Maximum elution of Cu(II) (81.6%), Zn(II) (70.1%),
      Pb(II) (96%), and Cd(II) (78.2%) were observed with 0.1 M HCl. Thermogravimetric
      analysis of DPAC showed a total weight loss (in two-stages) of 28.3%. Infra-red
      spectral analysis showed the presence of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups over DPAC
      surface. The peaks at 820, 825, 845 and 885 cm-1 attributed to Zn-O, Pb-O, Cd-O,
      and Cu-O appeared on heavy metals saturated DPAC, confirmed their binding on DPAC
      during the adsorption.

PMID- 28910369
TI  - Heightened circulating levels of antimicrobial peptides in tuberculosis-Diabetes
      co-morbidity and reversal upon treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with tuberculosis
      diabetes comorbidity (PTB-DM) is not well understood. METHODS: To study the
      association of AMPs with PTB-DM, we examined the systemic levels of cathelicidin
      (LL37), human beta defensin- 2 (HBD2), human neutrophil peptides 1-3, (HNP1-3)
      and granulysin in individuals with either PTB-DM, PTB, latent TB (LTB) or no TB
      infection (NTB). RESULTS: Circulating levels of cathelicidin and HBD2 were
      significantly higher and granulysin levels were significantly lower in PTB-DM
      compared to PTB, LTB or NTB, while the levels of HNP1-3 were significantly higher
      in PTB-DM compared to LTB or NTB individuals. Moreover, the levels of
      cathelicidin and/or HBD2 were significantly higher in PTB-DM or PTB individuals
      with bilateral and cavitary disease and also exhibited a significant positive
      relationship with bacterial burden. Cathelidin, HBD2 and HNP1-3 levels exhibited
      a positive relationship with HbA1c and/or fasting blood glucose levels. Finally,
      anti-tuberculosis therapy resulted in significantly diminished levels of
      cathelicidin, HBD2, granulysin and significantly enhanced levels of HNP1-3 and
      granulysin in PTB-DM and/or PTB individuals. CONCLUSION: Therefore, our data
      demonstrate that PTB-DM is associated with markedly enhanced levels of AMPs and
      diminished levels of granulysin.

PMID- 28910370
TI  - Intra and inter-session reliability of rapid Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
      stimulus-response curves of tibialis anterior muscle in healthy older adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The clinical use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a
      technique to assess corticospinal excitability is limited by the time for data
      acquisition and the measurement variability. This study aimed at evaluating the
      reliability of Stimulus-Response (SR) curves acquired with a recently proposed
      rapid protocol on tibialis anterior muscle of healthy older adults. METHODS:
      Twenty-four neurologically-intact adults (age:55-75 years) were recruited for
      this test-retest study. During each session, six SR curves, 3 at rest and 3
      during isometric muscle contractions at 5% of maximum voluntary contraction
      (MVC), were acquired. Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) were normalized to the
      maximum peripherally evoked response; the coil position and orientation were
      monitored with an optical tracking system. Intra- and inter-session reliability
      of motor threshold (MT), area under the curve (AURC), MEPmax, stimulation
      intensity at which the MEP is mid-way between MEPmax and MEPmin (I50), slope in
      I50, MEP latency, and silent period (SP) were assessed in terms of Standard Error
      of Measurement (SEM), relative SEM, Minimum Detectable Change (MDC), and
      Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The relative SEM was <=10% for
      MT, I50, latency and SP both at rest and 5%MVC, while it ranged between 11% and
      37% for AURC, MEPmax, and slope. MDC values were overall quite large; e.g., MT
      required a change of 12%MSO at rest and 10%MSO at 5%MVC to be considered a real
      change. Inter-sessions ICC were >0.6 for all measures but slope at rest and
      MEPmax and latency at 5%MVC. CONCLUSIONS: Measures derived from SR curves
      acquired in <4 minutes are affected by similar measurement errors to those found
      with long-lasting protocols, suggesting that the rapid method is at least as
      reliable as the traditional methods. As specifically designed to include older
      adults, this study provides normative data for future studies involving older
      neurological patients (e.g. stroke survivors).

PMID- 28910371
TI  - Surveillance of norovirus among children with diarrhea in four major hospitals in
      Bhutan: Replacement of GII.21 by GII.3 as a dominant genotype.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diarrhea is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among Bhutanese
      children. The etiology of diarrhea is not well known due to the challenges of
      conducting routine surveillance with Bhutan's modest research facilities.
      Establishing an etiology is crucial toward generating evidence that will
      contribute to policy discussions on a diarrheal disease control program. Our
      previous study, during 2010-2012, revealed that norovirus (NoV) is an important
      cause of diarrhea among Bhutanese children, and that GII.21 was the major
      genotype circulating at that time. In other countries, GII.4 is the major
      genotype responsible for NoV infections. In this update report, we provide new
      prevalence data to describe the progression of the transformation and
      distribution of the NoV genotype among Bhutanese children. METHODS: From June
      2013 through May 2014, diarrheal stool samples were collected at one national
      referral hospital in Thimphu, two regional referral hospitals in the eastern and
      central regions, and one general hospital in the western region of Bhutan. NoV
      was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), by
      amplifying the capsid gene. The RT-PCR results were confirmed by nucleotide
      sequencing of the amplicons. RESULTS: The proportion of NoV-positive stool
      samples was 23.6% (147/623), of which 76.9% were NoV GII and the remainders were
      NoV GI. The median age of infected children was 15.5 months, with a fairly
      balanced female: male ratio. NoV GII was most prevalent in the colder months
      (late November-mid April) and NoV GI had the highest prevalence in the summer
      (mid April-late September). Nucleotide sequencing was successful in 99 samples of
      GII strains. The most common genotypes were GII.3 (42.6%), GII.4 Sydney 2012
      (15.8%), and GII.4 unassigned (11.9%). No GII.21 was found in any child in the
      present study. Phylogenetic analysis showed that GII.3 strains in the present
      study belonged to an independent cluster in lineage B. These strains shared an
      ancestor with those from different countries and Bhutanese strains circulating
      during 2010. CONCLUSION: NoV remains an important cause of diarrhea among
      Bhutanese children. Genotype GII.3 from a single ancestor strain has spread,
      replacing the previously circulating GII.21. Current NoV genotypes are similar to
      the strains circulating worldwide but are primarily related to those in
      neighboring countries. NoV GII is prevalent during the cold season, while GI is
      prevalent during the summer. To develop a NoV infection control policy, further
      studies are needed.

PMID- 28910372
TI  - Correlation of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and interleukin
      16 (IL-16) levels with disease severity in primary knee osteoarthritis: A pilot
      study in a Malaysian population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlations between
      serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), interleukin-16 (IL-16) and
      different grades of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in Malaysian subjects. METHODS:
      Ninety subjects were recruited comprising 30 with Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade 2
      KOA, 27 with K-L grade 3 KOA, 7 with grade 4 KOA, and 30 healthy controls. All
      subjects completed the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index
      (WOMAC) questionnaire. Serum COMP and IL-16 levels were measured using ELISA and
      their values log transformed to ensure a normal distribution. RESULTS: There was
      no significant differences in levels of log serum COMP and IL-16 between healthy
      controls and KOA patients. There were no significant differences in the log serum
      COMP and IL-16 levels within the different K-L grades in the KOA patients. In KOA
      patients, log serum IL-16 levels significantly correlated with the WOMAC score (p
      = 0.001) and its subscales, pain (p = 0.005), stiffness (p = 0.019) and physical
      function (p<0.0001). Serum IL-16 levels were significantly higher in Malaysian
      Indians compared to Malays and Chinese (p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: In this multi
      ethnic Malaysian population, there was no difference in serum COMP and IL-16
      levels between healthy controls and patients with KOA, nor was there any
      difference in serum COMP or IL-16 levels across the various K-L grades of KOA.
      However, there were significant inter-racial differences in serum IL-16 levels.

PMID- 28910373
TI  - Lack of association of MRI determined subclinical cardiovascular disease with
      dizziness and vertigo in a cross-sectional population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between subclinical cardiovascular
      diseases assessed by MRI examination and symptoms of dizziness and vertigo in
      participants of a population-based sample. METHODS: Data from 400 participants
      (169 women) aged from 39 to 73 of a cross-sectional MRI sub-study of the
      "Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg" (KORA) FF4 study from
      the south of Germany was used. MRI determined subclinical cardiovascular diseases
      include left and right ventricular structure and function as well as the presence
      of carotid plaque and carotid wall thickness. Cerebrum diseases include white
      matter lesions (WML) and cerebral microbleeds (CMB). The main outcomes of
      dizziness and vertigo were assessed by standardized interview. Logistic
      regression models were applied and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) were provided. RESULTS: Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of
      dizziness and vertigo were 30% (95%CI 26% to 35%) and 21% (95%CI 17% to 26%)
      respectively in this sample. On multivariable analysis, cardiac and carotid
      measurements were not associated with dizziness and vertigo excluding orthostatic
      vertigo (20%, 95CI 16% to 24%). Only in male participants, there was a
      significant association between WML and the presence of dizziness and vertigo (OR
      = 2.95, 95%CI 1.08 to 8.07). There was no significant association of CMB with
      dizziness and vertigo. However, CMB and WML were tending to associate with a
      higher risk of dizziness and vertigo in the whole sample (CMB: OR = 1.48, 95%CI
      0.70; 3.15; WML: OR = 1.71, 95%CI 0.80 to 3.67;), in persons with prediabetes and
      diabetes (WML: OR = 2.71, 95%CI 0.89 to 8.23) and in men with normal glucose
      metabolism (CMB: OR = 2.60, 95%CI 0.56 to 12.0; WML: OR = 3.08, 95%CI 0.58 to
      16.5). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of participants without manifest
      cardiovascular diseases, subclinical left and right ventricular function and
      carotid structure were consistently not associated with dizziness and vertigo.
      Subclinical cerebrum measurements, however, tend to increase the risk for
      dizziness and vertigo, especially in men and in persons with prediabetes or
      diabetes.

PMID- 28910374
TI  - Expression of surfactant protein B is dependent on cell density in H441 lung
      epithelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Expression of surfactant protein (SP)-B, which assures the structural
      stability of the pulmonary surfactant film, is influenced by various stimuli,
      including glucocorticoids; however, the role that cell-cell contact plays in SP-B
      transcription remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate
      the impact of cell-cell contact on SP-B mRNA and mature SP-B expression in the
      lung epithelial cell line H441. METHODS: Different quantities of H441 cells per
      growth area were either left untreated or incubated with dexamethasone. The
      expression of SP-B, SP-B transcription factors, and tight junction proteins were
      determined by qPCR and immunoblotting. The influence of cell density on SP-B mRNA
      stability was investigated using the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D.
      RESULTS: SP-B mRNA and mature SP-B expression levels were significantly elevated
      in untreated and dexamethasone-treated H441 cells with increasing cell density.
      High cell density as a sole stimulus was found to barely have an impact on SP-B
      transcription factor and tight junction mRNA levels, while its stimulatory
      ability on SP-B mRNA expression could be mimicked using SP-B-negative cells. SP-B
      mRNA stability was significantly increased in high-density cells, but not by
      dexamethasone alone. CONCLUSION: SP-B expression in H441 cells is dependent on
      cell-cell contact, which increases mRNA stability and thereby potentiates the
      glucocorticoid-mediated induction of transcription. Loss of cell integrity might
      contribute to reduced SP-B secretion in damaged lung cells via downregulation of
      SP-B transcription. Cell density-mediated effects should thus receive greater
      attention in future cell culture-based research.

PMID- 28910375
TI  - Application of droplet digital PCR for quantitative detection of Spiroplasma
      citri in comparison with real time PCR.
AB  - Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is a method for performing
      digital PCR that is based on water-oil emulsion droplet technology. It is a
      unique approach to measure the absolute copy number of nucleic acid targets
      without the need of external standards. This study evaluated the applicability of
      ddPCR as a quantitative detection tool for the Spiroplasma citri, causal agent of
      citrus stubborn disease (CSD) in citrus. Two sets of primers, SP1, based on the
      spiral in housekeeping gene, and a multicopy prophage gene, SpV1 ORF1, were used
      to evaluate ddPCR in comparison with real time (quantitative) PCR (qPCR) for S.
      citri detection in citrus tissues. Standard curve analyses on tenfold dilution
      series showed that both ddPCR and qPCR exhibited good linearity and efficiency.
      However, ddPCR had a tenfold greater sensitivity than qPCR and accurately
      quantified up to one copy of spiralin gene. Receiver operating characteristic
      analysis indicated that the ddPCR methodology was more robust for diagnosis of
      CSD and the area under the curve was significantly broader compared to qPCR.
      Field samples were used to validate ddPCR efficacy and demonstrated that it was
      equal or better than qPCR to detect S. citri infection in fruit columella due to
      a higher pathogen titer. The ddPCR assay detected both the S. citri spiralin and
      the SpV1 ORF1 targets quantitatively with high precision and accuracy compared to
      qPCR assay. The ddPCR was highly reproducible and repeatable for both the targets
      and showed higher resilience to PCR inhibitors in citrus tissue extract for the
      quantification of S. citri compare to qPCR.

PMID- 28910377
TI  - Parametric analysis of occupant ankle and tibia injuries in frontal impact.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Non-fatal tibia and ankle injuries without proper protection from the
      restraint system has gotten wide attention from researchers. This study aimed to
      investigate occupant tibia and ankle injuries under realistic frontal impact
      environment that is rarely considered in previous experimental and simulant
      studies. METHODS: An integrated occupant-vehicle model was established by
      coupling an isolated car cab model and a hybrid occupant model with a biofidelic
      pelvis-lower limb model, while its loading conditions were extracted from the
      realistic full-frontal impact test. A parametric study was implemented concerning
      instrument panel (IP) design and pedal intrusion/rotation parameters. RESULTS:
      The significant influences of the IP angle, pedal intrusion and pedal rotation on
      tibia axial force, tibia bending moment and ankle dorsiflexion angle are noted.
      By coupling their effects, a new evaluation index named CAIEI (Combined Ankle
      Injury Evaluation Index) is established to evaluate ankle injury (including tibia
      fractures in ankle region) risk and severity in robustness. CONCLUSIONS: Overall
      results and analysis indicate that ankle dorsiflexion angle should be considered
      when judging the injury in lower limb under frontal impact. Meanwhile, the
      current index with coupling effects of tibia axial force, bending moment and
      ankle dorsiflexion angle is in a good correlation with the simulation injury
      outcomes.

PMID- 28910376
TI  - Long non-coding RNA SeT and miR-155 regulate the Tnfalpha gene allelic expression
      profile.
AB  - It is becoming increasingly appreciated that the non-coding genome may have a
      great impact on the regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression. The
      innate immune response can be mediated upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation of
      macrophages which leads to immediate transcriptional activation of early
      responsive genes including tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnfalpha). The functional
      role of non-coding RNAs, such as lncRNAs and microRNAs, on the transcriptional
      activation of proinflammatory genes and the subsequent regulation of the innate
      immune response is still lacking mechanistic insights. In this study we wanted to
      unravel the functional role of the lncRNA SeT, which is encoded from the murine
      Tnfalpha gene locus, and miR-155 on the transcriptional regulation of the
      Tnfalpha gene. We utilized genetically modified mice harboring either a deletion
      of the SeT promoter elements or the mature miR-155 and studied the response of
      macrophages to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. We found that decreased
      expression of the lncRNA SeT in murine primary macrophages resulted in increased
      mortality of mice challenged with LPS, which was corroborated by increased
      Tnfalpha steady state mRNA levels and a higher frequency of biallelically
      expressing macrophages. On the contrary, miR-155 deletion resulted in reduced
      Tnfalpha mRNA levels supported by a lower frequency of biallelically expressing
      macrophages upon stimulation with LPS. In both cases, in the absence of either
      lncRNA SeT or miR-155 we observed a deregulation of the Tnfalpha allele
      homologous pairing, previously shown to regulate the switch from mono- to bi
      allelic gene expression. Although lncRNA SeT was not found to be a direct target
      of miR-155 its stability was increased upon miR-155 deletion. This study suggests
      a role of the non-coding genome in mediating Tnfalpha mRNA dosage control based
      on the regulation of homologous pairing of gene alleles and their subsequent
      biallelic expression.

PMID- 28910378
TI  - Neuroinflammation, myelin and behavior: Temporal patterns following mild
      traumatic brain injury in mice.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in white matter injury (WMI) that is
      associated with neurological deficits. Neuroinflammation originating from
      microglial activation may participate in WMI and associated disorders. To date,
      there is little information on the time courses of these events after mild TBI.
      Therefore we investigated (i) neuroinflammation, (ii) WMI and (iii) behavioral
      disorders between 6 hours and 3 months after mild TBI. For that purpose, we used
      experimental mild TBI in mice induced by a controlled cortical impact. (i) For
      neuroinflammation, IL-1b protein as well as microglial phenotypes, by gene
      expression for 12 microglial activation markers on isolated CD11b+ cells from
      brains, were studied after TBI. IL-1b protein was increased at 6 hours and 1 day.
      TBI induced a mixed population of microglial phenotypes with both pro
      inflammatory, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory markers from 6 hours to 3
      days post-injury. At 7 days, microglial activation was completely resolved. (ii)
      Three myelin proteins were assessed after TBI on ipsi- and contralateral corpus
      callosum, as this structure is enriched in white matter. TBI led to an increase
      in 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase, a marker of immature and mature
      oligodendrocyte, at 2 days post-injury; a bilateral demyelination, evaluated by
      myelin basic protein, from 7 days to 3 months post-injury; and an increase in
      myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein at 6 hours and 3 days post-injury.
      Transmission electron microscopy study revealed various myelin sheath
      abnormalities within the corpus callosum at 3 months post-TBI. (iii) TBI led to
      sensorimotor deficits at 3 days post-TBI, and late cognitive flexibility disorder
      evidenced by the reversal learning task of the Barnes maze 3 months after injury.
      These data give an overall invaluable overview of time course of
      neuroinflammation that could be involved in demyelination and late cognitive
      disorder over a time-scale of 3 months in a model of mild TBI. This model could
      help to validate a pharmacological strategy to prevent post-traumatic WMI and
      behavioral disorders following mild TBI.

PMID- 28910379
TI  - A one-year prospective study of colonization with antimicrobial-resistant
      organisms on admission to a Vietnamese intensive care unit.
AB  - There is a paucity of data regarding initial bacterial colonization on admission
      to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
      Patients admitted to ICUs in LMICs are at high-risk of subsequent infection with
      antimicrobial-resistant organisms (AROs). We conducted a prospective,
      observational study at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City,
      Vietnam from November 2014 to January 2016 to assess the colonization and
      antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,
      Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp. among adult patients
      within 48 hours of ICU admission. We found the admission colonization prevalence
      (with at least one of the identified organisms) was 93.7% (785/838) and that of
      AROs was 63.1% (529/838). The colonization frequency with AROs among patients
      admitted from the community was comparable to those transferred from other
      hospitals (62.2% vs 63.8%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated
      bacteria from nasal swabs (13.1%, 110/838) and the methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization prevalence was 8.6% (72/838). We
      isolated Escherichia coli from rectal swabs from almost all enrolled patients
      (88.3%, 740/838) and 52.1% (437/838) of patients were colonized by extended
      spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli. Notably, Klebsiella
      pneumoniae was the most frequently isolated bacteria from the tracheal swabs
      (11.8%, 18/153). Vietnamese ICU patients have a high rate of colonization with
      AROs and are thus at risk of subsequent infections with these organisms if good
      infection control practices are not in place.

PMID- 28910380
TI  - Validation of the diabetes screening tools proposed by the American Diabetes
      Association in an aging Chinese population.
AB  - AIM: Diabetes is a serious global health problem. A simple and effective
      screening tool should have substantial public health benefit. We investigated the
      performance of the latest American Diabetes Association diabetes screening
      methods in our aging Chinese population. METHODS: Subjects without diabetes who
      returned for the 4th Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factors Prevalence Study in
      2010-2012 were evaluated for the probability of having diabetes with reference to
      the age- and body mass index-based screening criteria (screening criteria) and
      the diabetes risk test (risk test), and the conclusion drawn was compared to
      their measured glycaemic status. Diabetes was defined by fasting glucose >= 7
      mmol/L or 2-hour post oral glucose tolerance test glucose >= 11.1 mmol/L.
      RESULTS: 1415 subjects, aged 58.1+/-10.2, were evaluated. 95 (6.7%) had diabetes.
      The risk test showed good accuracy (area under the receiver operating curve
      0.725) in screening for diabetes with an optimal cut-off score of five. Compared
      to the screening criteria, the risk test had significantly better specificity
      (0.57 vs. 0.41, p<0.001), positive predictive value (0.12 vs. 0.09, p<0.001) and
      positive diagnostic likelihood ratio (1.85 vs. 1.37, p<0.001). To diagnose one
      case of diabetes, fewer subjects (11 vs. 18) needed to be tested for blood
      glucose if the risk test was adopted. CONCLUSION: The risk test appears to be a
      more effective screening tool in our population. It is simple to use and can be
      adopted as a public health strategy for identifying people with undiagnosed
      diabetes for early intervention.

PMID- 28910381
TI  - Genetic characterization of blaNDM-harboring plasmids in carbapenem-resistant
      Escherichia coli from Myanmar.
AB  - The bacterial enzyme New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase hydrolyzes almost all beta
      lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems, which are drugs of last resort for
      severe bacterial infections. The spread of carbapenem-resistant
      Enterobacteriaceae that carry the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase gene, blaNDM,
      poses a serious threat to public health. In this study, we genetically
      characterized eight carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from a
      tertiary care hospital in Yangon, Myanmar. The eight isolates belonged to five
      multilocus-sequence types and harbored multiple antimicrobial-resistance genes,
      resulting in resistance against nearly all of the antimicrobial agents tested,
      except colistin and fosfomycin. Nine plasmids harboring blaNDM genes were
      identified from these isolates. Multiple blaNDM genes were found in the distinct
      Inc-replicon types of the following plasmids: an IncA/C2 plasmid harboring blaNDM
      1 (n = 1), IncX3 plasmids harboring blaNDM-4 (n = 2) or blaNDM-7 (n = 1), IncFII
      plasmids harboring blaNDM-4 (n = 1) or blaNDM-5 (n = 3), and a multireplicon F
      plasmid harboring blaNDM-5 (n = 1). Comparative analysis highlighted the
      diversity of the blaNDM-harboring plasmids and their distinct characteristics,
      which depended on plasmid replicon types. The results indicate circulation of
      phylogenetically distinct strains of carbapenem-resistant E. coli with various
      plasmids harboring blaNDM genes in the hospital.

PMID- 28910382
TI  - Refining experimental dental implant testing in the Gottingen Minipig using 3D
      computed tomography-A morphometric study of the mandibular canal.
AB  - This study reports morphometric and age-related data of the mandibular canal and
      the alveolar ridge of the Gottingen Minipig to avoid complications during in vivo
      testing of endosseus dental implants and to compare these data with the human
      anatomy. Using 3D computed tomography, six parameters of the mandibular canal as
      well as the alveolar bone height and the alveolar ridge width were measured in
      Gottingen Minipigs aged 12, 17 and 21 months. Our null hypothesis assumes that
      the age and the body mass have an influence on the parameters measured. The study
      found that the volume, length and depth of the mandibular canal all increase with
      age. The width of the canal does not change significantly with age. The body mass
      does not have an influence on any of the measured parameters. The increase in
      canal volume appears to be due to loss of deep spongy bone in the posterior
      premolar and molar regions. This reduces the available space for dental
      implantations, negatively affecting implant stability and potentially the
      integrity of the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle. Dynamic anatomical
      changes occur until 21 months. On ethical grounds, using minipigs younger than 21
      months in experimental implant dentistry is inadvisable. Paradoxically the
      measurements of the 12 months old pigs indicate a closer alignment of their
      mandibular anatomy to that of humans suggesting that they may be better models
      for implant studies. Given the variability in mandibular canal dimensions in
      similar age cohorts, the use of imaging techniques is essential for the selection
      of individual minipigs for dental prosthetic interventions and thus higher
      success rates.

PMID- 28910383
TI  - Structural signatures of thermal adaptation of bacterial ribosomal RNA, transfer
      RNA, and messenger RNA.
AB  - Temperature adaptation of bacterial RNAs is a subject of both fundamental and
      practical interest because it will allow a better understanding of molecular
      mechanism of RNA folding with potential industrial application of functional
      thermophilic or psychrophilic RNAs. Here, we performed a comprehensive study of
      rRNA, tRNA, and mRNA of more than 200 bacterial species with optimal growth
      temperatures (OGT) ranging from 4 degrees C to 95 degrees C. We investigated
      temperature adaptation at primary, secondary and tertiary structure levels. We
      showed that unlike mRNA, tRNA and rRNA were optimized for their structures at
      compositional levels with significant tertiary structural features even for their
      corresponding randomly permutated sequences. tRNA and rRNA are more exposed to
      solvent but remain structured for hyperthermophiles with nearly OGT-independent
      fluctuation of solvent accessible surface area within a single RNA chain. mRNA in
      hyperthermophiles is essentially the same as random sequences without tertiary
      structures although many mRNA in mesophiles and psychrophiles have well-defined
      tertiary structures based on their low overall solvent exposure with clear
      separation of deeply buried from partly exposed bases as in tRNA and rRNA. These
      results provide new insight into temperature adaptation of different RNAs.

PMID- 28910384
TI  - Correction: Rare HIV-1 transmitted/founder lineages identified by deep viral
      sequencing contribute to rapid shifts in dominant quasispecies during acute and
      early infection.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006510.].

PMID- 28910385
TI  - Improving the characterization of endothelial progenitor cell subsets by an
      optimized FACS protocol.
AB  - The characterization of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is
      fundamental to any study related to angiogenesis. Unfortunately, current
      literature lacks consistency in the definition of EPC subsets due to variations
      in isolation strategies and inconsistencies in the use of lineage markers. Here
      we address critical points in the identification of hematopoietic progenitor
      cells (HPCs), circulating endothelial cells (CECs), and culture-generated
      outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) from blood samples of healthy adults (AB) and
      umbilical cord (UCB). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were enriched
      using a Ficoll-based gradient followed by an optimized staining and gating
      strategy to enrich for the target cells. Sorted EPC populations were subjected to
      RT-PCR for tracing the expression of markers beyond the limits of cell surface
      based immunophenotyping. Using CD34, CD133 and c-kit staining, combined with FSC
      and SSC, we succeeded in the accurate and reproducible identification of four HPC
      subgroups and found significant differences in the respective populations in AB
      vs. UCB. Co-expression analysis of endothelial markers on HPCs revealed a complex
      pattern characterized by various subpopulations. CECs were identified by using
      CD34, KDR, CD45, and additional endothelial markers, and were subdivided
      according to their apoptotic state and expression of c-kit. Comparison of UCB
      CECs vs. AB-CECs revealed significant differences in CD34 and KDR levels. OECs
      were grown from PBMC-fractions We found that viable c-kit+ CECs are a candidate
      circulating precursor for CECs. RT-PCR to angiogenic factors and receptors
      revealed that all EPC subsets expressed angiogenesis-related molecules. Taken
      together, the improvements in immunophenotyping and gating strategies resulted in
      accurate identification and comparison of better defined cell populations in a
      single procedure.

PMID- 28910386
TI  - DUSP5 and DUSP6, two ERK specific phosphatases, are markers of a higher MAPK
      signaling activation in BRAF mutated thyroid cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molecular alterations of the MAPK pathway are frequently observed in
      papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). It leads to a constitutive activation of the
      signalling pathway through an increase in MEK and ERK phosphorylation. ERK is
      negatively feedback-regulated by Dual Specificity Phosphatases (DUSPs),
      especially two ERK-specific DUSPs, DUSP5 (nuclear) and DUSP6 (cytosolic). These
      negative MAPK regulators may play a role in thyroid carcinogenesis. METHODS: MAPK
      pathway activation was analyzed in 11 human thyroid cancer cell lines. Both
      phosphatases were studied in three PCCL3 rat thyroid cell lines that express
      doxycycline inducible PTC oncogenes (RET/PTC3, H-RASV12 or BRAFV600E). Expression
      levels of DUSP5 and DUSP6 were quantified in 39 human PTCs. The functional role
      of DUSP5 and DUSP6 was investigated through their silencing in two human
      BRAFV600E carcinoma cell lines. RESULTS: BRAFV600E human thyroid cancer cell
      lines expressed higher phospho-MEK levels but not higher phospho-ERK levels.
      DUSP5 and DUSP6 are specifically induced by the MEK-ERK pathway in the three PTC
      oncogenes inducible thyroid cell lines. This negative feedback loop explains the
      tight regulation of p-ERK levels. DUSP5 and DUSP6 mRNA are overexpressed in human
      PTCs, especially in BRAFV600E mutated PTCs. DUSP5 and/or DUSP6 siRNA inactivation
      did not affect proliferation in two BRAFV600E mutated cell lines, which may be
      explained by a compensatory increase in other phosphatases. In the light of this,
      we observed a marked DUSP6 upregulation upon DUSP5 inactivation. Despite this,
      DUSP5 and DUSP6 positively control cell migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results are in favor of a stronger activation of the MAPK pathway in BRAFV600E
      PTCs. DUSP5 and DUSP6 have pro-tumorigenic properties in two BRAFV600E PTC cell
      line models.

PMID- 28910387
TI  - Epstein Barr virus Latent Membrane Protein-1 enhances dendritic cell therapy
      lymph node migration, activation, and IL-12 secretion.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DC) are a promising cell type for cancer vaccines due to their
      high immunostimulatory capacity. However, improper maturation of DC prior to
      treatment may account for the limited efficacy of DC vaccine clinical trials.
      Latent Membrane Protein-1 (LMP1) of Epstein-Barr virus was examined for its
      ability to mature and activate DC as a gene-based molecular adjuvant for DC
      vaccines. DC were transduced with an adenovirus 5 vector (Ad5) expressing LMP1
      under the control of a Tet-inducible promoter. Ad5-LMP1 was found to mature and
      activate both human and mouse DC. LMP1 enhanced in vitro migration of DC toward
      CCL19, as well as in vivo migration of DC to the inguinal lymph nodes of mice
      following intradermal injection. LMP1-transduced DC increased T cell
      proliferation in a Pmel-1 adoptive transfer model and enhanced survival in B16
      F10 melanoma models. LMP1-DC also enhanced protection in a vaccinia-Gag viral
      challenge assay. LMP1 induced high levels of IL-12p70 secretion in mouse DC when
      compared to standard maturation protocols. Importantly, LMP1-transduced human DC
      retained the capacity to secrete IL-12p70 and TNF in response to DC
      restimulation. In contrast, DC matured with Monocyte Conditioned Media-Mimic
      cocktail (Mimic) were impaired in IL-12p70 secretion following restimulation.
      Overall, LMP1 matured and activated DC, induced migration to the lymph node, and
      generated high levels of IL-12p70 in a murine model. We propose LMP1 as a
      promising molecular adjuvant for DC vaccines.

PMID- 28910388
TI  - Structure of the human transcobalamin beta domain in four distinct states.
AB  - Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin, CNCbl) is an essential cofactor-precursor for two
      biochemical reactions in humans. When ingested, cobalamins (Cbl) are transported
      via a multistep transport system into the bloodstream, where the soluble protein
      transcobalamin (TC) binds Cbl and the complex is taken up into the cells via
      receptor mediated endocytosis. Crystal structures of TC in complex with CNCbl
      have been solved previously. However, the initial steps of holo-TC assembly have
      remained elusive. Here, we present four crystal structures of the beta domain of
      human TC (TC-beta) in different substrate-bound states. These include the apo and
      CNCbl-bound states, providing insight into the early steps of holo-TC assembly.
      We found that in vitro assembly of TC-alpha and TC-beta to a complex was Cbl
      dependent. We also determined the structure of TC-beta in complex with cobinamide
      (Cbi), an alternative substrate, shedding light on the specificity of TC. We
      finally determined the structure of TC-beta in complex with an inhibitory
      antivitamin B12 (anti-B12). We used this structure to model the binding of anti
      B12 into full-length holo-TC and could rule out that the inhibitory function of
      anti-B12 was based on an inability to form a functional complex with TC.

PMID- 28910389
TI  - Cross-species conservation of episome maintenance provides a basis for in vivo
      investigation of Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus LANA.
AB  - Many pathogens, including Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), lack tractable
      small animal models. KSHV persists as a multi-copy, nuclear episome in latently
      infected cells. KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen (kLANA) binds viral
      terminal repeat (kTR) DNA to mediate episome persistence. Model pathogen murine
      gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) mLANA acts analogously on mTR DNA. kLANA and mLANA
      differ substantially in size and kTR and mTR show little sequence conservation.
      Here, we find kLANA and mLANA act reciprocally to mediate episome persistence of
      TR DNA. Further, kLANA rescued mLANA deficient MHV68, enabling a chimeric virus
      to establish latent infection in vivo in germinal center B cells. The level of
      chimeric virus in vivo latency was moderately reduced compared to WT infection,
      but WT or chimeric MHV68 infected cells had similar viral genome copy numbers as
      assessed by immunofluorescence of LANA intranuclear dots or qPCR. Thus, despite
      more than 60 Ma of evolutionary divergence, mLANA and kLANA act reciprocally on
      TR DNA, and kLANA functionally substitutes for mLANA, allowing kLANA
      investigation in vivo. Analogous chimeras may allow in vivo investigation of
      genes of other human pathogens.

PMID- 28910391
TI  - Different rates of spontaneous mutation of chloroplastic and nuclear viroids as
      determined by high-fidelity ultra-deep sequencing.
AB  - Mutation rates vary by orders of magnitude across biological systems, being
      higher for simpler genomes. The simplest known genomes correspond to viroids,
      subviral plant replicons constituted by circular non-coding RNAs of few hundred
      bases. Previous work has revealed an extremely high mutation rate for
      chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid, a chloroplast-replicating viroid. However,
      whether this is a general feature of viroids remains unclear. Here, we have used
      high-fidelity ultra-deep sequencing to determine the mutation rate in a common
      host (eggplant) of two viroids, each representative of one family: the
      chloroplastic eggplant latent viroid (ELVd, Avsunviroidae) and the nuclear potato
      spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd, Pospiviroidae). This revealed higher mutation
      frequencies in ELVd than in PSTVd, as well as marked differences in the types of
      mutations produced. Rates of spontaneous mutation, quantified in vivo using the
      lethal mutation method, ranged from 1/1000 to 1/800 for ELVd and from 1/7000 to
      1/3800 for PSTVd depending on sequencing run. These results suggest that
      extremely high mutability is a common feature of chloroplastic viroids, whereas
      the mutation rates of PSTVd and potentially other nuclear viroids appear
      significantly lower and closer to those of some RNA viruses.

PMID- 28910390
TI  - Identify changes of brain regional homogeneity in early and later adult onset
      patients with first-episode depression using resting-state fMRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous work exhibited different brain grey matter volume (GMV)
      changes between patients with early adult onset depression (EOD, age 18-29) and
      later adult onset depression (LOD, age 30-44) by using 30-year-old as the cut-off
      age. To identify whether regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes are also different
      between EOD and LOD by using same cut-off age, we used resting-state functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to detect the abnormal ReHo between patients
      with EOD and LOD in the present study. METHODS: Resting-state fMRI scans of 58
      patients with EOD, 62 patients with LOD, 60 young healthy controls (HC), and 52
      old HC were obtained. The ReHo approach was used to analyze the images. RESULTS:
      The ANOVA analysis revealed that the ReHo values in the frontoparietal,
      occipital, and cerebellar regions were significantly different among the four
      groups. Relative to patients with LOD, patients with EOD displayed significantly
      increased ReHo in the left precuneus, and decreased ReHo in the right fusiform.
      The ReHo values in the left precuneus and the right fusiform had no significant
      correlation with the score of the depression rating scale or illness duration in
      both patient subgroups. Compared to young HC, patients with EOD showed
      significantly increased ReHo in the right frontoparietal regions and the right
      calcarine. Furthermore, the increased ReHo in the right frontoparietal regions,
      right insula and left hippocampus, and decreased ReHo in the left inferior
      occipital gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, left calcarine, and left
      supplementary motor area were observed in patients with LOD when compared to old
      HC. CONCLUSIONS: The ReHo of brain areas that were related to mood regulation was
      changed in the first-episode, drug-naive adult patients with MDD. Adult patients
      with EOD and LOD exhibited different ReHo abnormalities relative to each age
      matched comparison group, suggesting that depressed adult patients with different
      age-onset might have different pathological mechanism.

PMID- 28910392
TI  - Karyotype analysis and sex determination in Australian Brush-turkeys (Alectura
      lathami).
AB  - Sexual differentiation across taxa may be due to genetic sex determination (GSD)
      and/or temperature sex determination (TSD). In many mammals, males are
      heterogametic (XY); whereas females are homogametic (XX). In most birds, the
      opposite is the case with females being heterogametic (ZW) and males the
      homogametic sex (ZZ). Many reptile species lack sex chromosomes, and instead,
      sexual differentiation is influenced by temperature with specific temperatures
      promoting males or females varying across species possessing this form of sexual
      differentiation, although TSD has recently been shown to override GSD in
      Australian central beaded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). There has been speculation
      that Australian Brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami) exhibit TSD alone and/or in
      combination with GSD. Thus, we sought to determine if this species possesses sex
      chromosomes. Blood was collected from one sexually mature female and two sexually
      mature males residing at Sylvan Heights Bird Park (SHBP) and shipped for
      karyotype analysis. Karyotype analysis revealed that contrary to speculation,
      Australian Brush-turkeys possess the classic avian ZW/ZZ sex chromosomes. It
      remains a possibility that a biased primary sex ratio of Australian Brush-turkeys
      might be influenced by maternal condition prior to ovulation that result in her
      laying predominantly Z- or W-bearing eggs and/or sex-biased mortality due to
      higher sensitivity of one sex in environmental conditions. A better understanding
      of how maternal and extrinsic factors might differentially modulate ovulation of
      Z- or W-bearing eggs and hatching of developing chicks possessing ZW or ZZ sex
      chromosomes could be essential in conservation strategies used to save endangered
      members of Megapodiidae.

PMID- 28910393
TI  - Genetic and epigenetic engines of diversity in pathogenic microbes.

PMID- 28910394
TI  - Up-regulation of gap junction in peripheral blood T lymphocytes contributes to
      the inflammatory response in essential hypertension.
AB  - Inflammation has been shown to play an important role in the mechanisms involved
      in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Connexins (Cxs)-based gap junction channels
      (GJCs) or hemichannels (HCs) are involved in the maintenance of homeostasis in
      the immune system. However, the role of Cx43-based channels in T-lymphocytes in
      mediating the immune response in essential hypertension is not fully understand.
      The present study was designed to investigate the role of Cxs-based channels in T
      lymphocytes in the regulation of hypertension-mediated inflammation. The surface
      expressions of T lymphocyte subtypes, Cx40/Cx43, and inflammatory cytokines (IFN
      gamma (interferon-gamma) and TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor alpha)) in T cells,
      as well as gap junction communication of peripheral blood lymphocytes from
      essential hypertensive patients (EHs) and normotensive healthy subjects (NTs)
      were detected by flow cytometry. Expression levels and phosphorylation of Cx43
      protein in peripheral blood lymphocytes of EHs and NTs were analyzed by Western
      blot. The proliferation rate of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after
      treatment with a Cxs inhibitor was examined by a CCK-8 assay. The levels of
      inflammatory cytokines were detected using ELISA. Within the CD3+ T cell subsets,
      we found a significant trend toward an increase in the percentage of CD4+ T cells
      and CD4+/CD8+ ratio as well as in serum levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in the
      peripheral blood of EHs compared with those in NTs. Moreover, the peripheral
      blood lymphocytes of EH patients exhibited enhanced GJCs formation, increased
      Cx43 protein level and Cx43 phosphorylation at Ser368, and a significant increase
      in Cx40/Cx43 surface expressions levels in CD4+ or CD8+ T lymphocytes. Cx43-based
      channel inhibition by a mimetic peptide greatly reduced the exchange of dye
      between lymphocytes, proliferation of stimulated lymphocytes and the pro
      inflammatory cytokine levels of EHs and NTs. Our data suggest that Cx40/Cx43
      based channels in lymphocytes may be involved in the regulation of T lymphocyte
      proliferation and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which contribute
      to the hypertensive inflammatory response.

PMID- 28910395
TI  - Multilocus genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in captive non-human primates in
      Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, Southwestern China.
AB  - Giardia duodenalis is a common human and animal pathogen. It has been
      increasingly reported in wild and captive non-human primates (NHPs) in recent
      years. However, multilocus genotyping information for G. duodenalis infecting
      NHPs in southwestern China is limited. In the present study, the prevalence and
      multilocus genotypes (MLGs) of G. duodenalis in captive NHPs in southwestern
      China were determined. We examined 207 fecal samples from NHPs in Sichuan and
      Guizhou provinces, and 16 specimens were positive for G. duodenalis. The overall
      infection rate was 7.7%, and only assemblage B was identified. G. duodenalis was
      detect positive in northern white-cheeked gibbon (14/36, 38.9%), crab-eating
      macaque (1/60, 1.7%) and rhesus macaques (1/101, 0.9%). Multilocus sequence
      typing based on beta-giardin (bg), triose phosphate isomerase (tpi) and glutamate
      dehydrogenase (gdh) revealed nine different assemblage B MLGs (five known
      genotypes and four novel genotypes). Based on a phylogenetic analysis, one
      potentially zoonotic genotype of MLG SW7 was identified in a northern white
      cheeked gibbon. A high degree of genetic diversity within assemblage B was
      observed in captive northern white-cheeked gibbons in Southwestern China,
      including a potentially zoonotic genotype, MLG SW7. To the best of our knowledge,
      this is the first report using a MLGs approach to identify G. duodenalis in
      captive NHPs in Southwestern China.

PMID- 28910397
TI  - A three-dimensional strain measurement method in elastic transparent materials
      using tomographic particle image velocimetry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mechanical interaction between blood vessels and medical devices
      can induce strains in these vessels. Measuring and understanding these strains is
      necessary to identify the causes of vascular complications. This study develops a
      method to measure the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of strain using
      tomographic particle image velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) and compares the measurement
      accuracy with the gauge strain in tensile tests. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The test
      system for measuring 3D strain distribution consists of two cameras, a laser, a
      universal testing machine, an acrylic chamber with a glycerol water solution for
      adjusting the refractive index with the silicone, and dumbbell-shaped specimens
      mixed with fluorescent tracer particles. 3D images of the particles were
      reconstructed from 2D images using a multiplicative algebraic reconstruction
      technique (MART) and motion tracking enhancement. Distributions of the 3D
      displacements were calculated using a digital volume correlation. To evaluate the
      accuracy of the measurement method in terms of particle density and interrogation
      voxel size, the gauge strain and one of the two cameras for Tomo-PIV were used as
      a video-extensometer in the tensile test. The results show that the optimal
      particle density and interrogation voxel size are 0.014 particles per pixel and
      40 * 40 * 40 voxels with a 75% overlap. The maximum measurement error was
      maintained at less than 2.5% in the 4-mm-wide region of the specimen.
      CONCLUSIONS: We successfully developed a method to experimentally measure 3D
      strain distribution in an elastic silicone material using Tomo-PIV and
      fluorescent particles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report
      that applies Tomo-PIV to investigate 3D strain measurements in elastic materials
      with large deformation and validates the measurement accuracy.

PMID- 28910398
TI  - Body composition and prediction equations using skinfold thickness for body fat
      percentage in Southern Brazilian adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to: a) determine the nutritional status
      of Brazilian adolescents, and; b) present a skinfold thickness model (ST) to
      estimate body fat developed with Brazilian samples, using dual energy x-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA) as reference method. METHODS: The main study group was
      composed of 374 adolescents, and further 42 adolescents for the validation group.
      Weight, height, waist circumference measurements, and body mass index (BMI) were
      collected, as well as nine ST-biceps (BI), triceps (TR), chest (CH), axillary
      (AX) subscapularis (SB), abdominal (AB), suprailiac (SI), medial thigh (TH), calf
      (CF), and fat percentage (%BF) obtained by DXA. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      overweight in adolescents was 20.9%, and obesity 5.8%. Regression analysis
      through ordinary least square method (OLS) allowed obtainment of three equations
      with values of R2 = 0.935, 0.912 and 0.850, standard error estimated = 1.79, 1.78
      and 1.87, and bias = 0.06, 0.20 and 0.05, respectively. CONCLUSION: the
      innovation of this study lies in presenting new regression equations for
      predicting body fat in Southern Brazilian adolescents based on a representative
      and heterogeneous sample from DXA.

PMID- 28910396
TI  - PI3K-C2alpha knockdown decreases autophagy and maturation of endocytic vesicles.
AB  - Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) family members are involved in diverse cellular
      fates including cell growth, proliferation, and survival. While many molecular
      details are known about the Class I and III PI3Ks, less is known about the Class
      II PI3Ks. To explore the function of all eight PI3K isoforms in autophagy, we
      knock down each gene individually and measure autophagy. We find a significant
      decrease in autophagy following siRNA-mediated PIK3C2A (encoding the Class 2
      PI3K, PI3K-C2alpha) knockdown. This defective autophagy is rescued by exogenous
      PI3K-C2alpha, but not kinase-dead PI3K-C2alpha. Using confocal microscopy, we
      probe for markers of endocytosis and autophagy, revealing that PI3K-C2alpha
      colocalizes with markers of endocytosis. Though endocytic uptake is intact, as
      demonstrated by transferrin labeling, PIK3C2A knockdown results in vesicle
      accumulation at the recycling endosome. We isolate distinct membrane sources and
      observe that PI3K-C2alpha interacts with markers of endocytosis and autophagy,
      notably ATG9. Knockdown of either PIK3C2A or ATG9A/B, but not PI3KC3, results in
      an accumulation of transferrin-positive clathrin coated vesicles and RAB11
      positive vesicles at the recycling endosome. Taken together, these results
      support a role for PI3K-C2alpha in the proper maturation of endosomes, and
      suggest that PI3K-C2alpha may be a critical node connecting the endocytic and
      autophagic pathways.

PMID- 28910399
TI  - Cholesterol added prior to vitrification on the cryotolerance of immature and in
      vitro matured bovine oocytes.
AB  - This study examines whether incorporating cholesterol-loaded methyl-beta
      cyclodextrin (CLC) in the bovine oocyte plasma membrane improves oocyte tolerance
      to vitrification. In vitro matured oocytes were incubated with 2 mg/ml BODIPY
      labeled CLC for different time intervals in FCS or PVA supplemented medium or
      exposed to different CLC concentrations to examine the subcellular localization
      of cholesterol by confocal microscopy live-cell imaging. Subsequently, the
      effects of optimized CLC concentrations and incubation times prior to
      vitrification on early embryo development were assessed. Then, we evaluated the
      effects of pretreatment with 2 mg/ml CLC for 30 min before the vitrification of
      immature (GV) and in vitro matured (MII) oocytes on developmental competence and
      gene expression. Our results indicate a high plasma membrane labeling intensity
      after 30 min of incubation with 2 mg/ml CLC for 30 min, regardless of the holding
      medium used. When oocytes were incubated with 1 mg/ml, 2 mg/ml and 3 mg/ml of
      CLC, intense labeling was observed at the plasma membrane after 40, 30 and 20
      min, respectively. CLC pre-treatment before the vitrification of bovine oocytes
      did not affect subsequent cleavage and embryo development rates irrespective of
      CLC concentrations, incubation times or meiotic stage. However, pretreatment
      seems to improve the quality of embryos derived from vitrified oocytes, mainly
      when oocytes were vitrified at the GV stage.

PMID- 28910400
TI  - Exosome-mediated miR-146a transfer suppresses type I interferon response and
      facilitates EV71 infection.
AB  - Exosomes can transfer genetic materials between cells. Their roles in viral
      infections are beginning to be appreciated. Researches have shown that exosomes
      released from virus-infected cells contain a variety of viral and host cellular
      factors that are able to modulate recipient's cellular response and result in
      productive infection of the recipient host. Here, we showed that EV71 infection
      resulted in upregulated exosome secretion and differential packaging of the viral
      genomic RNA and miR-146a into exosomes. We provided evidence showing that miR
      146a was preferentially enriched in exosomes while the viral RNA was not in
      infected cells. Moreover, the exosomes contained replication-competent EV71 RNA
      in complex with miR-146a, Ago2, and GW182 and could mediate EV71 transmission
      independent of virus-specific receptor. The exosomal viral RNA could be
      transferred to and replicate in a new target cell while the exosomal miR-146a
      suppressed type I interferon response in the target cell, thus facilitating the
      viral replication. Additionally, we found that the IFN-stimulated gene factors
      (ISGs), BST-2/tetherin, were involved in regulating EV71-induced upregulation of
      exosome secretion. Importantly, in vivo study showed that exosomal viral RNA
      exhibited differential tissue accumulation as compared to the free virus
      particles. Together, our findings provide evidence that exosomes secreted by EV71
      infected cells selectively packaged high level miR-146a that can be functionally
      transferred to and facilitate exosomal EV71 RNA to replicate in the recipient
      cells by suppressing type I interferon response.

PMID- 28910401
TI  - Strontium-doped hydroxyapatite polysaccharide materials effect on ectopic bone
      formation.
AB  - Previous studies performed using polysaccharide-based matrices supplemented with
      hydroxyapatite (HA) particles showed their ability to form in subcutaneous and
      intramuscular sites a mineralized and osteoid tissue. Our objectives are to
      optimize the HA content in the matrix and to test the combination of HA with
      strontium (Sr-HA) to increase the matrix bioactivity. First, non-doped Sr-HA
      powders were combined to the matrix at three different ratios and were implanted
      subcutaneously for 2 and 4 weeks. Interestingly, matrices showed radiolucent
      properties before implantation. Quantitative analysis of micro-CT data evidenced
      a significant increase of mineralized tissue formed ectopically with time of
      implantation and allowed us to select the best ratio of HA to polysaccharides of
      30% (w/w). Then, two Sr-substitution of 8% and 50% were incorporated in the HA
      powders (8Sr-HA and 50Sr-HA). Both Sr-HA were chemically characterized and
      dispersed in matrices. In vitro studies performed with human mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs) demonstrated the absence of cytotoxicity of the Sr-doped matrices
      whatever the amount of incorporated Sr. They also supported osteoblastic
      differentiation and activated the expression of one late osteoblastic marker
      involved in the mineralization process i.e. osteopontin. In vivo, subcutaneous
      implantation of these Sr-doped matrices induced osteoid tissue and blood vessels
      formation.

PMID- 28910402
TI  - Nasopharyngeal bacterial load as a marker for rapid and easy diagnosis of
      invasive pneumococcal disease in children from Mozambique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current diagnostic methods for detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae
      in children with suspected invasive pneumococcal disease have limitations of
      accuracy, timeliness, and patient convenience. This study aimed to determine the
      performance of pneumococcal load quantified with a real-time polymerase-chain
      reaction in nasopharyngeal samples to diagnose invasive pneumococcal disease in
      children. METHODS: Matched case-control study of patients <5 years of age with
      invasive pneumococcal disease admitted to the Manhica District Hospital
      (Mozambique) and asymptomatic controls recruited in different periods between
      2006 and 2014. Cases were confirmed by a positive bacterial culture for S.
      pneumoniae in blood or cerebrospinal fluid. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were
      collected from cases and controls and pneumococcal density was quantified by lytA
      real-time polymerase-chain reaction. RESULTS: Thirty cases (median age 12.8
      months) and sixty controls (median age 11.7 months) were enrolled and 70% of them
      were male. Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage was high in both groups: 28/30
      (93.3%) for cases vs. 53/60 (88.3%) for controls (p = 0.71). Mean nasopharyngeal
      pneumococcal load was identified as a marker for invasive pneumococcal disease
      (7.0 log10 copies/mL in cases vs. 5.8 log10 copies/mL in controls, p<0.001) and
      showed good discriminatory power (AUC-ROC: 82.1%, 95% CI 72.5%-91.8%). A
      colonization density of 6.5 log10 copies/mL was determined as the optimal cut-off
      value to distinguish cases from controls (sensitivity 75.0%, specificity 73.6%).
      CONCLUSION: Use of non-invasive nasopharyngeal aspirates coupled with rapid and
      accurate quantification of pneumococcal load by real-time polymerase chain
      reaction has the potential to become a useful surrogate marker for early
      diagnosis of invasive pneumococcal disease in children.

PMID- 28910404
TI  - Accuracy of cited "facts" in medical research articles: A review of study
      methodology and recalculation of quotation error rate.
AB  - Previous reviews estimated that approximately 20 to 25% of assertions cited from
      original research articles, or "facts," are inaccurately quoted in the medical
      literature. These reviews noted that the original studies were dissimilar and
      only began to compare the methods of the original studies. The aim of this review
      is to examine the methods of the original studies and provide a more specific
      rate of incorrectly cited assertions, or quotation errors, in original research
      articles published in medical journals. Additionally, the estimate of quotation
      errors calculated here is based on the ratio of quotation errors to quotations
      examined (a percent) rather than the more prevalent and weighted metric of
      quotation errors to the references selected. Overall, this resulted in a lower
      estimate of the quotation error rate in original medical research articles. A
      total of 15 studies met the criteria for inclusion in the primary quantitative
      analysis. Quotation errors were divided into two categories: content ("factual")
      or source (improper indirect citation) errors. Content errors were further
      subdivided into major and minor errors depending on the degree that the assertion
      differed from the original source. The rate of quotation errors recalculated here
      is 14.5% (10.5% to 18.6% at a 95% confidence interval). These content errors are
      predominantly, 64.8% (56.1% to 73.5% at a 95% confidence interval), major errors
      or cited assertions in which the referenced source either fails to substantiate,
      is unrelated to, or contradicts the assertion. Minor errors, which are an
      oversimplification, overgeneralization, or trivial inaccuracies, are 35.2% (26.5%
      to 43.9% at a 95% confidence interval). Additionally, improper secondary (or
      indirect) citations, which are distinguished from calculations of quotation
      accuracy, occur at a rate of 10.4% (3.4% to 17.5% at a 95% confidence interval).

PMID- 28910403
TI  - Polymicrobial sepsis impairs bystander recruitment of effector cells to infected
      skin despite optimal sensing and alarming function of skin resident memory CD8 T
      cells.
AB  - Sepsis is a systemic infection that enhances host vulnerability to secondary
      infections normally controlled by T cells. Using CLP sepsis model, we observed
      that sepsis induces apoptosis of circulating memory CD8 T-cells (TCIRCM) and
      diminishes their effector functions, leading to impaired CD8 T-cell mediated
      protection to systemic pathogen re-infection. In the context of localized re
      infections, tissue resident memory CD8 T-cells (TRM) provide robust protection in
      a variety of infectious models. TRM rapidly 'sense' infection in non-lymphoid
      tissues and 'alarm' the host by enhancing immune cell recruitment to the site of
      the infection to accelerate pathogen clearance. Here, we show that compared to
      pathogen-specific TCIRCM, sepsis does not invoke significant numerical decline of
      Vaccinia virus induced skin-TRM keeping their effector functions (e.g., Ag
      dependent IFN-gamma production) intact. IFN-gamma-mediated recruitment of immune
      cells to the site of localized infection was, however, reduced in CLP hosts
      despite TRM maintaining their 'sensing and alarming' functions. The capacity of
      memory CD8 T-cells in the septic environment to respond to inflammatory cues and
      arrive to the site of secondary infection/antigen exposure remained normal
      suggesting T-cell-extrinsic factors contributed to the observed lesion.
      Mechanistically, we showed that IFN-gamma produced rapidly during sepsis-induced
      cytokine storm leads to reduced IFN-gammaR1 expression on vascular endothelium.
      As a consequence, decreased expression of adhesion molecules and/or chemokines
      (VCAM1 and CXCL9) on skin endothelial cells in response to TRM-derived IFN-gamma
      was observed, leading to sub-optimal bystander-recruitment of effector cells and
      increased susceptibility to pathogen re-encounter. Importantly, as visualized by
      intravital 2-photon microscopy, exogenous administration of CXCL9/10 was
      sufficient to correct sepsis-induced impairments in recruitment of effector cells
      at the localized site of TRM antigen recognition. Thus, sepsis has the capacity
      to alter skin TRM anamnestic responses without directly impacting TRM number
      and/or function, an observation that helps to further define the immunoparalysis
      phase in sepsis survivors.

PMID- 28910405
TI  - Linking extreme interannual changes in prey availability to foraging behaviour
      and breeding investment in a marine predator, the macaroni penguin.
AB  - Understanding the mechanisms that link prey availability to predator behaviour
      and population change is central to projecting how a species may respond to
      future environmental pressures. We documented the behavioural responses and
      breeding investment of macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus across five
      breeding seasons where local prey density changed by five-fold; from very low to
      highly abundant. When prey availability was low, foraging trips were
      significantly longer and extended overnight. Birds also foraged farther from the
      colony, potentially in order to reach more distant foraging grounds and allow for
      increased search times. These extended foraging trips were also linked to a
      marked decrease in fledgling weights, most likely associated with reduced rates
      of provisioning. Furthermore, by comparing our results with previous work on this
      population, it appears that lowered first-year survival rates associated, at
      least partially, with fledging masses were also evident for this cohort. This
      study integrates a unique set of prey density, predator behaviour and predator
      breeding investment data to highlight a possible behavioural mechanism linking
      perturbations in prey availability to population demography.

PMID- 28910406
TI  - Cancer therapy in a microbial bottle: Uncorking the novel biology of the
      protozoan Toxoplasma gondii.

PMID- 28910407
TI  - The spectral features of EEG responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation of
      the primary motor cortex depend on the amplitude of the motor evoked potentials.
AB  - Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex (M1) can
      excite both cortico-cortical and cortico-spinal axons resulting in TMS-evoked
      potentials (TEPs) and motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), respectively. Despite this
      remarkable difference with other cortical areas, the influence of motor output
      and its amplitude on TEPs is largely unknown. Here we studied TEPs resulting from
      M1 stimulation and assessed whether their waveform and spectral features depend
      on the MEP amplitude. To this aim, we performed two separate experiments. In
      experiment 1, single-pulse TMS was applied at the same supra-threshold intensity
      on primary motor, prefrontal, premotor and parietal cortices and the
      corresponding TEPs were compared by means of local mean field power and time
      frequency spectral analysis. In experiment 2 we stimulated M1 at resting motor
      threshold in order to elicit MEPs characterized by a wide range of amplitudes.
      TEPs computed from high-MEP and low-MEP trials were then compared using the same
      methods applied in experiment 1. In line with previous studies, TMS of M1
      produced larger TEPs compared to other cortical stimulations. Notably, we found
      that only TEPs produced by M1 stimulation were accompanied by a late event
      related desynchronization (ERD-peaking at ~300 ms after TMS), whose magnitude was
      strongly dependent on the amplitude of MEPs. Overall, these results suggest that
      M1 produces peculiar responses to TMS possibly reflecting specific anatomo
      functional properties, such as the re-entry of proprioceptive feedback associated
      with target muscle activation.

PMID- 28910408
TI  - Effects of tumour necrosis factor alpha upon the metabolism of the
      endocannabinoid anandamide in prostate cancer cells.
AB  - Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) is involved in the pathogenesis of
      prostate cancer, a disease where disturbances in the endocannabinoid system are
      seen. In the present study we have investigated whether treatment of DU145 human
      prostate cancer cells affects anandamide (AEA) catabolic pathways. Additionally,
      we have investigated whether cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) can regulate the uptake of
      AEA into cells. Levels of AEA synthetic and catabolic enzymes were determined by
      qPCR. AEA uptake and hydrolysis in DU145 and RAW264.7 macrophage cells were
      assayed using AEA labeled in the arachidonic and ethanolamine portions of the
      molecule, respectively. Levels of AEA, related N-acylethanolamines (NAEs),
      prostaglandins (PG) and PG-ethanolamines (PG-EA) in DU145 cells and medium were
      quantitated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
      (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis. TNFalpha treatment of DU145 cells increased mRNA levels of
      PTSG2 (gene of COX-2) and decreased the mRNA of the AEA synthetic enzyme N-acyl
      phosphatidylethanolamine selective phospholipase D. mRNA levels of the AEA
      hydrolytic enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and N-acylethanolamine
      hydrolyzing acid amidase were not changed. AEA uptake in both DU145 and RAW264.7
      cells was inhibited by FAAH inhibition, but not by COX-2 inhibition, even in
      RAW264.7 cells where the expression of this enzyme had greatly been induced by
      lipopolysaccharide + interferon gamma treatment. AEA and related NAEs were
      detected in DU145 cells, but PGs and PGE2-EA were only detected when the cells
      had been preincubated with 100 nM AEA. The data demonstrate that in DU145 cells,
      TNFalpha treatment changes the relative expression of the enzymes involved in the
      hydrolytic and oxygenation catabolic pathways for AEA. In RAW264.7 cells, COX-2,
      in contrast to FAAH, does not regulate the cellular accumulation of AEA. Further
      studies are necessary to determine the extent to which inflammatory mediators are
      involved in the abnormal endocannabinoid signalling system in prostate cancer.

PMID- 28910409
TI  - Risk of acute gastroenteritis associated with human bocavirus infection in
      children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Human bocaviruses (HBoVs), which were first identified in 2005 and are composed
      of genotypes 1-4, have been increasingly detected worldwide in pediatric patients
      with acute gastroenteritis. To investigate if HBoV infection is a risk factor of
      acute gastroenteritis in children younger than 5 years old, we searched PubMed,
      Embase (via Ovid), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and the
      Cochrane Library for studies assessing the prevalence of HBoVs in individuals
      from Oct 25, 2005 to Oct 31, 2016. We included studies using PCR-based
      diagnostics for HBoVs from stool specimens of patients with or without acute
      gastroenteritis that carried out research for over 1 year on pediatric patients
      aged younger than 5 years old. The primary outcome was the HBoV prevalence among
      all cases with acute gastroenteritis. Pooled estimates of the HBoV prevalence
      were then generated by fitting linear mixed effect meta-regression models. Of the
      36 studies included, the pooled HBoV prevalence in 20,591 patients with acute
      gastroenteritis was 6.90% (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 5.80-8.10%). In the
      ten studies with a control group, HBoVs were detected in 12.40% of the 3,620
      cases with acute gastroenteritis and in 12.22% of the 2,030 control children
      (odds ratio (OR): 1.44; 95% CI: 0.95-2.19, p = 0.09 between case and control
      groups). HBoV1 and HBoV2 were detected in 3.49% and 8.59% of acute
      gastroenteritis cases, respectively, and in 2.22% and 5.09% of control children,
      respectively (OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 0.61-3.25; p = 0.43 and OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.21
      2.32; p = 0.002, respectively). Current evidence suggests that the overall HBoV
      prevalence in children younger than 5 years old is not significantly different
      between groups with or without acute gastroenteritis. However, when HBoV1 was
      excluded, the HBoV2 prevalence was significantly different between these two
      groups, which may imply that HBoV2 is a risk factor of acute gastroenteritis in
      children younger than 5 years old.

PMID- 28910410
TI  - The function of Drosophila larval class IV dendritic arborization sensory neurons
      in the larval-pupal transition is separable from their function in mechanical
      nociception responses.
AB  - The sensory and physiological inputs which govern the larval-pupal transition in
      Drosophila, and the neuronal circuity that integrates them, are complex. Previous
      work from our laboratory identified a dosage-sensitive genetic interaction
      between the genes encoding the Rho-GEF Trio and the zinc-finger transcription
      factor Sequoia that interfered with the larval-pupal transition. Specifically, we
      reported heterozygous mutations in sequoia (seq) dominantly exacerbated the trio
      mutant phenotype, and this seq-enhanced trio mutant genotype blocked the
      transition of third instar larvae from foragers to wanderers, a requisite
      behavioral transition prior to pupation. In this work, we use the GAL4-UAS system
      to rescue this phenotype by tissue-specific trio expression. We find that
      expressing trio in the class IV dendritic arborization (da) sensory neurons
      rescues the larval-pupal transition, demonstrating the reliance of the larval
      pupal transition on the integrity of these sensory neurons. As nociceptive
      responses also rely on the functionality of the class IV da neurons, we test
      mechanical nociceptive responses in our mutant and rescued larvae and find that
      mechanical nociception is separable from the ability to undergo the larval-pupal
      transition. This demonstrates for the first time that the roles of the class IV
      da neurons in governing two critical larval behaviors, the larval-pupal
      transition and mechanical nociception, are functionally separable from each
      other.

PMID- 28910411
TI  - Molecular population genetics of the Polycomb genes in Drosophila subobscura.
AB  - Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are important regulatory factors that modulate the
      chromatin state. They form protein complexes that repress gene expression by the
      introduction of posttranslational histone modifications. The study of PcG
      proteins divergence in Drosophila revealed signals of coevolution among them and
      an acceleration of the nonsynonymous evolutionary rate in the lineage ancestral
      to the obscura group species, mainly in subunits of the Pcl-PRC2 complex. Herein,
      we have studied the nucleotide polymorphism of PcG genes in a natural population
      of D. subobscura to detect whether natural selection has also modulated the
      evolution of these important regulatory genes in a more recent time scale.
      Results show that most genes are under the action of purifying selection and
      present a level and pattern of polymorphism consistent with predictions of the
      neutral model, the exceptions being Su(z)12 and Pho. MK tests indicate an
      accumulation of adaptive changes in the SU(Z)12 protein during the divergence of
      D. subobscura and D. guanche. In contrast, the HKA test shows a deficit of
      polymorphism at Pho. The most likely explanation for this reduced variation is
      the location of this gene in the dot-like chromosome and would indicate that this
      chromosome also has null or very low recombination in D. subobscura, as reported
      in D. melanogaster.

PMID- 28910412
TI  - Transcriptional responses in the hepatopancreas of Eriocheir sinensis exposed to
      deltamethrin.
AB  - Deltamethrin is an important pesticide widely used against ectoparasites.
      Deltamethrin contamination has resulted in a threat to the healthy breeding of
      the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis. In this study, we investigated
      transcriptional responses in the hepatopancreas of E. sinensis exposed to
      deltamethrin. We obtained 99,087,448, 89,086,478, and 100,117,958 raw sequence
      reads from control 1, control 2, and control 3 groups, and 92,094,972,
      92,883,894, and 92,500,828 raw sequence reads from test 1, test 2, and test 3
      groups, respectively. After filtering and quality checking of the raw sequence
      reads, our analysis yielded 79,228,354, 72,336,470, 81,859,826, 77,649,400,
      77,194,276, and 75,697,016 clean reads with a mean length of 150 bp from the
      control and test groups. After deltamethrin treatment, a total of 160 and 167
      genes were significantly upregulated and downregulated, respectively. Gene
      ontology terms "biological process," "cellular component," and "molecular
      function" were enriched with respect to cell killing, cellular process, other
      organism part, cell part, binding, and catalytic. Pathway analysis using the
      Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes showed that the metabolic pathways were
      significantly enriched. We found that the CYP450 enzyme system, carboxylesterase,
      glutathione-S-transferase, and material (including carbohydrate, lipid, protein,
      and other substances) metabolism played important roles in the metabolism of
      deltamethrin in the hepatopancreas of E. sinensis. This study revealed
      differentially expressed genes related to insecticide metabolism and
      detoxification in E. sinensis for the first time and will help in understanding
      the toxicity and molecular metabolic mechanisms of deltamethrin in E. sinensis.

PMID- 28910413
TI  - The influence of the Japanese waving cat on the joint spatial compatibility
      effect: A replication and extension of Dolk, Hommel, Prinz, and Liepelt (2013).
AB  - In a joint go/no-go Simon task, each of two participants is to respond to one of
      two non-spatial stimulus features by means of a spatially lateralized response.
      Stimulus position varies horizontally and responses are faster and more accurate
      when response side and stimulus position match (compatible trial) than when they
      mismatch (incompatible trial), defining the social Simon effect or joint spatial
      compatibility effect. This effect was originally explained in terms of
      action/task co-representation, assuming that the co-actor's action is
      automatically co-represented. Recent research by Dolk, Hommel, Prinz, and Liepelt
      (2013) challenged this account by demonstrating joint spatial compatibility
      effects in a task-setting in which non-social objects like a Japanese waving cat
      were present, but no real co-actor. They postulated that every sufficiently
      salient object induces joint spatial compatibility effects. However, what makes
      an object sufficiently salient is so far not well defined. To scrutinize this
      open question, the current study manipulated auditory and/or visual attention
      attracting cues of a Japanese waving cat within an auditory (Experiment 1) and a
      visual joint go/no-go Simon task (Experiment 2). Results revealed that joint
      spatial compatibility effects only occurred in an auditory Simon task when the
      cat provided auditory cues while no joint spatial compatibility effects were
      found in a visual Simon task. This demonstrates that it is not the sufficiently
      salient object alone that leads to joint spatial compatibility effects but
      instead, a complex interaction between features of the object and the stimulus
      material of the joint go/no-go Simon task.

PMID- 28910414
TI  - Genome sequences and SNP analyses of Corynespora cassiicola from cotton and
      soybean in the southeastern United States reveal limited diversity.
AB  - Corynespora cassiicola attackes diverse agriculturally important plants,
      including soybean and cotton, in the US. It is a reemerge pathogen on cotton in
      southeastern US. Whole genome sequences of four cotton and one soybean isolate
      from Tennessee were used to develop single nucleotide polymorphism markers for
      cotton isolates. Cotton isolates had little diversity at the genome level and
      very little differentiation from the soybean isolate. Analysis of 75 isolates
      from cotton and soybean, using targeted-sequencing of 22 polymorphic SNP sites,
      revealed eight multi-locus genotypes and it appears a single clonal lineage
      predominates across the southeastern region. The cotton and soybean genome
      sequences were significantly different from the public reference genome derived
      from a rubber isolate and the utility of these novel resources will be discussed.

PMID- 28910415
TI  - Cystatin C, a potential marker for cerebral microvascular compliance, is
      associated with white-matter hyperintensities progression.
AB  - Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are central MRI markers of the
      brain aging process, but the mechanisms for its progression remain unclear. In
      this study, we aimed to determine whether the baseline serum cystatin C level
      represented one mechanism underlying WMH progression, and whether it was
      associated with the long-term progression of cerebral WMH volume in MRI. 166
      consecutive individuals who were >=50 years of age and who underwent
      initial/follow-up MRI evaluations within an interval of 34-45 months were
      included. Serum cystatin C level, glomerular-filtration rate (GFR), and other
      laboratory parameters were measured at their initial evaluation and at the end of
      follow-up. Cerebrovascular risk factors, medications, and blood-pressure
      parameters were also reviewed. WMH progression rate was measured by subtracting
      WMH volume at baseline from that at the follow-up using volumetric analysis,
      divided by the MRI intervals. At baseline, WMH volume was 9.61+/-13.17 mL, mean
      GFR was 77.3+/-22.8 mL/min, and mean cystatin C level was 0.92+/-0.52 mg/L. After
      37.9+/-3.4 months, the change in WMH volume was 3.64+/-6.85 mL, the progression
      rate of WMH volume was 1.18+/-2.28 mL/year, the mean DeltaGFR was 2.4+/-7.9
      mL/min, and the mean Deltacystatin C was 0.03+/-0.34 mg/L. The progression rate
      of WMH volume was linearly associated with cystatin C level (B coefficient =
      0.856; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.174-1.538; P = 0.014), along with the
      baseline WMH volume (B = 0.039; 95% CI 0.019-0.059; P<0.001), after adjusting for
      the conventional vascular risk factors, laboratory parameters, medication
      profiles, and GFR. Especially, patients with a baseline level of cystatin C
      >=1.00 mg/L exhibited a much higher progression rate of WMH as compared with
      those with a baseline level of cystatin C <1.00 mg/L (1.60+/-1.91 mL/year vs.
      0.82+/-1.63 mL/year, P = 0.010). We concluded that serum cystatin C level is
      independently associated with the long-term progression rate of the cerebral WMH
      volume. Therefore, serum cystatin C level might predict the progression of
      cerebral WMH.

PMID- 28910416
TI  - Lateralized behaviour as indicator of affective state in dairy cows.
AB  - In humans, there is evidence that sensory processing of novel or threatening
      stimuli is right hemisphere dominated, especially in people experiencing negative
      affective states. There is also evidence for similar lateralization in a number
      of non-human animal species. Here we investigate whether this is also the case in
      domestic cattle that may experience long-term negative states due to commonly
      occurring conditions such as lameness. Health and welfare implications associated
      with pain in lame cows are a major concern in dairy farming. Behavioural tests
      combining animal behaviour and cognition could make a meaningful contribution to
      our understanding of disease-related changes in sensory processing in animals,
      and consequently enhance their welfare. We presented 216 lactating Holstein
      Friesian cows with three different unfamiliar objects which were placed either
      bilaterally (e.g. two yellow party balloons, two black/white checkerboards) or
      hung centrally (a KongTM) within a familiar area. Cows were individually exposed
      to the objects on three consecutive days, and their viewing preference/eye use,
      exploration behaviour/nostril use, and stop position during approach was
      assessed. Mobility (lameness) was repeatedly scored during the testing period.
      Overall, a bias to view the right rather than the left object was found at
      initial presentation of the bilateral objects. More cows also explored the right
      object rather than the left object with their nose. There was a trend for cows
      appearing hesitant in approaching the objects by stopping at a distance to them,
      to then explore the left object rather than the right. In contrast, cows that
      approached the objects directly had a greater tendency to contact the right
      object. No significant preference in right or left eye/nostril use was found when
      cows explored the centrally-located object. We found no relationship between
      lameness and lateralized behaviour. Nevertheless, observed trends suggesting that
      lateralized behaviour in response to bilaterally located unfamiliar objects may
      reflect an immediate affective response are discussed. Further study is needed to
      understand the impact of long-term affective states on hemispheric dominance and
      lateralized behaviour.

PMID- 28910417
TI  - Differential cellular responses associated with oxidative stress and cell fate
      decision under nitrate and phosphate limitations in Thalassiosira pseudonana:
      Comparative proteomics.
AB  - Diatoms are important components of marine ecosystems and contribute greatly to
      the world's primary production. Despite their important roles in ecosystems, the
      molecular basis of how diatoms cope with oxidative stress caused by nutrient
      fluctuations remains largely unknown. Here, an isobaric tags for relative and
      absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomic method was coupled with a series of
      physiological and biochemical techniques to explore oxidative stress- and cell
      fate decision-related cellular and metabolic responses of the diatom
      Thalassiosira pseudonana to nitrate (N) and inorganic phosphate (P) stresses. A
      total of 1151 proteins were detected; 122 and 56 were significantly
      differentially expressed from control under N- and P-limited conditions,
      respectively. In N-limited cells, responsive proteins were related to reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, oxidative stress responses and cell death,
      corresponding to a significant decrease in photosynthetic efficiency, marked
      intracellular ROS accumulation, and caspase-mediated programmed cell death
      activation. None of these responses were identified in P-limited cells; however,
      a significant up-regulation of alkaline phosphatase proteins was observed, which
      could be the major contributor for P-limited cells to cope with ambient P
      deficiency. These findings demonstrate that fundamentally different metabolic
      responses and cellular regulations are employed by the diatom in response to
      different nutrient stresses and to keep the cells viable.

PMID- 28910418
TI  - The effect of S-substitution at the O6-guanine site on the structure and dynamics
      of a DNA oligomer containing a G:T mismatch.
AB  - The effect of S-substitution on the O6 guanine site of a 13-mer DNA duplex
      containing a G:T mismatch is studied using molecular dynamics. The structure,
      dynamic evolution and hydration of the S-substituted duplex are compared with
      those of a normal duplex, a duplex with S-substitution on guanine, but no
      mismatch and a duplex with just a G:T mismatch. The S-substituted mismatch leads
      to cell death rather than repair. One suggestion is that the G:T mismatch
      recognition protein recognises the S-substituted mismatch (GS:T) as G:T. This
      leads to a cycle of futile repair ending in DNA breakage and cell death. We find
      that some structural features of the helix are similar for the duplex with the
      G:T mismatch and that with the S-substituted mismatch, but differ from the normal
      duplex, notably the helical twist. These differences arise from the change in the
      hydrogen-bonding pattern of the base pair. However a marked feature of the S
      substituted G:T mismatch duplex is a very large opening. This showed considerable
      variability. It is suggested that this enlarged opening would lend support to an
      alternative model of cell death in which the mismatch protein attaches to
      thioguanine and activates downstream damage-response pathways. Attack on the
      sulphur by reactive oxygen species, also leading to cell death, would also be
      aided by the large, variable opening.

PMID- 28910421
TI  - Correction: Adiponectin Signaling Regulates Lipid Production in Human Sebocytes.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169824.].

PMID- 28910420
TI  - Role of the central lysine cluster and scrapie templating in the transmissibility
      of synthetic prion protein aggregates.
AB  - Mammalian prion structures and replication mechanisms are poorly understood. Most
      synthetic recombinant prion protein (rPrP) amyloids prepared without cofactors
      are non-infectious or much less infectious than bona fide tissue-derived PrPSc.
      This effect has been associated with differences in folding of the aggregates,
      manifested in part by reduced solvent exclusion and protease-resistance in rPrP
      amyloids, especially within residues ~90-160. Substitution of 4 lysines within
      residues 101-110 of rPrP (central lysine cluster) with alanines (K4A) or
      asparagines (K4N) allows formation of aggregates with extended proteinase K (PK)
      resistant cores reminiscent of PrPSc, particularly when seeded with PrPSc. Here
      we have compared the infectivity of rPrP aggregates made with K4N, K4A or wild
      type (WT) rPrP, after seeding with scrapie brain homogenate (ScBH) or normal
      brain homogenate (NBH). None of these preparations caused clinical disease on
      first passage into rodents. However, the ScBH-seeded fibrils (only) led to a
      subclinical pathogenesis as indicated by increases in prion seeding activity,
      neuropathology, and abnormal PrP in the brain. Seeding activities usually
      accumulated to much higher levels in animals inoculated with ScBH-seeded fibrils
      made with the K4N, rather than WT, rPrP molecules. Brain homogenates from
      subclinical animals induced clinical disease on second passage into "hamsterized"
      Tg7 mice, with shorter incubation times in animals inoculated with ScBH-seeded
      K4N rPrP fibrils. On second passage from animals inoculated with ScBH-seeded WT
      fibrils, we detected an additional PK resistant PrP fragment that was similar to
      that of bona fide PrPSc. Together these data indicate that both the central
      lysine cluster and scrapie seeding of rPrP aggregates influence the induction of
      PrP misfolding, neuropathology and clinical manifestations upon passage in vivo.
      We confirm that some rPrP aggregates can initiate further aggregation without
      typical pathogenesis in vivo. We also provide evidence that there is little, if
      any, biohazard associated with routine RT-QuIC assays.

PMID- 28910419
TI  - IL-10-mediated signals act as a switch for lymphoproliferation in Human T-cell
      leukemia virus type-1 infection by activating the STAT3 and IRF4 pathways.
AB  - Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) causes two distinct diseases, adult T
      cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic
      paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Since there are no disease-specific differences among HTLV
      1 strains, the etiological mechanisms separating these respective
      lymphoproliferative and inflammatory diseases are not well understood. In this
      study, by using IL-2-dependent HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines (ILTs) established
      from patients with ATL and HAM/TSP, we demonstrate that the anti-inflammatory
      cytokine IL-10 and its downstream signals potentially act as a switch for
      proliferation in HTLV-1-infected cells. Among six ILTs used, ILTs derived from
      all three ATL patients grew much faster than those from three HAM/TSP patients.
      Although most of the ILTs tested produced IFN-gamma and IL-6, the production of
      IL-10 was preferentially observed in the rapid-growing ILTs. Interestingly,
      treatment with exogenous IL-10 markedly enhanced proliferation of the slow
      growing HAM/TSP-derived ILTs. The IL-10-mediated proliferation of these ILTs was
      associated with phosphorylation of STAT3 and induction of survivin and IRF4, all
      of which are characteristics of ATL cells. Knockdown of STAT3 reduced expression
      of IL-10, implying a positive-feedback regulation between STAT3 and IL-10. STAT3
      knockdown also reduced survivin and IRF4 in the IL-10- producing or IL-10-
      treated ILTs. IRF4 knockdown further suppressed survivin expression and the cell
      growth in these ILTs. These findings indicate that the IL-10-mediated signals
      promote cell proliferation in HTLV-1-infected cells through the STAT3 and IRF4
      pathways. Our results imply that, although HTLV-1 infection alone may not be
      sufficient for cell proliferation, IL-10 and its signaling pathways within the
      infected cell itself and/or its surrounding microenvironment may play a critical
      role in pushing HTLV-1-infected cells towards proliferation at the early stages
      of HTLV-1 leukemogenesis. This study provides useful information for
      understanding of disease mechanisms and disease-prophylactic strategies in HTLV-1
      infection.

PMID- 28910422
TI  - A prolonged chronological lifespan is an unexpected benefit of the [PSI+] prion
      in yeast.
AB  - Self-replicating 'proteinaceous infectious particles' or prions are responsible
      for complex heritable traits in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our current
      understanding of the biology of yeast prions stems from studies mostly done in
      the context of actively dividing cells in optimal laboratory growth conditions.
      Evidence suggest that fungal prions exist in the wild where most cells are in a
      non-dividing quiescent state, because of imperfect growth conditions, scarcity of
      nutrients and competition. We know little about the faithful transmission of
      yeast prions in such conditions and their physiological consequences throughout
      the lifespan of yeast cells. We addressed this issue for the [PSI+] prion that
      results from the self-assembly of the translation release factor Sup35p into
      insoluble fibrillar aggregates. [PSI+] leads to increased nonsense suppression
      and confers phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental fluctuations.
      Here, we report that while [PSI+] had little to no effect on growth per se, it
      dramatically improved the survival of yeast cells in stationary phase.
      Remarkably, prolonged chronological lifespan persisted even after [PSI+] was
      cured from the cells, suggesting that prions may facilitate the acquisition of
      complex new traits. Such an important selective advantage may contribute to the
      evolutionary conservation of the prion-forming ability of Sup35p orthologues in
      distantly related yeast species.

PMID- 28910424
TI  - The Arc of Change in Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography Technology:
      Progression Toward Greater Reliability.

PMID- 28910425
TI  - Reporting of Effect Size and Confidence Intervals in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head &
      Neck Surgery.
AB  - Importance: Effect sizes and confidence intervals (CIs) are critical for the
      interpretation of the results for any outcome of interest. Objective: To evaluate
      the frequency of reporting effect sizes and CIs in the results of analytical
      studies. Design, Setting, and Participants: Descriptive review of analytical
      studies published from January 2012 to December 2015 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head
      & Neck Surgery. Methods: A random sample of 121 articles was reviewed in this
      study. Descriptive studies were excluded from the analysis. Seven independent
      reviewers participated in the evaluation of the articles, with 2 reviewers
      assigned per article. The review process was standardized for each article; the
      Methods and Results sections were reviewed for the outcomes of interest.
      Descriptive statistics for each outcome were calculated and reported accordingly.
      Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes of interest included the presence of
      effect size and associated CIs. Secondary outcomes of interest included a priori
      descriptions of statistical methodology, power analysis, and expectation of
      effect size. Results: There were 107 articles included for analysis. The majority
      of the articles were retrospective cohort studies (n = 36 [36%]) followed by
      cross-sectional studies (n = 18 [17%]). A total of 58 articles (55%) reported an
      effect size for an outcome of interest. The most common effect size used was
      difference of mean, followed by odds ratio and correlation coefficient, which
      were reported 17 (16%), 15 (13%), and 12 times (11%), respectively. Confidence
      intervals were associated with 29 of these effect sizes (27%), and 9 of these
      articles (8%) included interpretation of the CI. A description of the statistical
      methodology was provided in 97 articles (91%), while 5 (5%) provided an a priori
      power analysis and 8 (7%) provided a description of expected effect size finding.
      Conclusions and Relevance: Improving results reporting is necessary to enhance
      the reader's ability to interpret the results of any given study. This can only
      be achieved through increasing the reporting of effect sizes and CIs rather than
      relying on P values for both statistical significance and clinically meaningful
      results.

PMID- 28910426
TI  - Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Features of Iris Racemose Hemangioma in
      4 Cases.
AB  - Importance: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows visualization
      of iris racemose hemangioma course and its relation to the normal iris
      microvasculature. Objective: To describe OCTA features of iris racemose
      hemangioma. Design, Setting, and Participants: Descriptive, noncomparative case
      series at a tertiary referral center (Ocular Oncology Service of Wills Eye
      Hospital). Patients diagnosed with unilateral iris racemose hemangioma were
      included in the study. Main Outcomes and Measures: Features of iris racemose
      hemangioma on OCTA. Results: Four eyes of 4 patients with unilateral iris
      racemose hemangioma were included in the study. Mean patient age was 50 years,
      all patients were white, and Snellen visual acuity was 20/20 in each case. All
      eyes had sectoral iris racemose hemangioma without associated iris or ciliary
      body solid tumor on clinical examination and ultrasound biomicroscopy. By
      anterior segment OCT, the racemose hemangioma was partially visualized in all
      cases. By OCTA, the hemangioma was clearly visualized as a uniform large-caliber
      vascular tortuous loop with intense flow characteristics superimposed over small
      caliber radial iris vessels against a background of low-signal iris stroma. The
      vascular course on OCTA resembled a light bulb filament (filament sign), arising
      from the peripheral iris (base of light bulb) and forming a tortuous loop on
      reaching its peak (midfilament) near the pupil (n = 3) or midzonal iris (n = 1),
      before returning to the peripheral iris (base of light bulb). Intravenous
      fluorescein angiography performed in 1 eye depicted the iris hemangioma; however,
      small-caliber radial iris vessels were more distinct on OCTA than intravenous
      fluorescein angiography. Conclusions and Relevance: Optical coherence tomography
      angiography is a noninvasive vascular imaging modality that clearly depicts the
      looping course of iris racemose hemangioma. Optical coherence tomography
      angiography depicted fine details of radial iris vessels, not distinct on
      intravenous fluorescein angiography.

PMID- 28910427
TI  - Epidemiology of Conjunctivitis in US Emergency Departments.

PMID- 28910428
TI  - Retinal Indentation by a Dexamethasone Implant in a Gas-Filled Eye: Report of an
      Unusual Complication.

PMID- 28910423
TI  - Anesthetic effects and body weight changes associated with ketamine-xylazine
      lidocaine administered to CD-1 mice.
AB  - Anesthesia for mice is commonly performed through the injection of parenteral
      agents via the intraperitoneal (IP) route. Variability in anesthetic
      sensitivities has been noted in mice resulting in inconsistencies in anesthetic
      depth and/or mortality. Anesthetic protocols that improve consistency and safety
      are needed. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of
      intraperitoneal (IP) ketamine (95 mg/kg) and xylazine (7 mg/kg) alone or combined
      with lidocaine at 4, 8, or 16 mg/kg on time to loss (LRR) and return (RRR) of
      righting reflex, duration of immobilization and loss of pedal withdrawal response
      (PWR), body weight and histopathology in CD-1 mice. In a prospective, randomized
      trial, 36 male CD-1 mice, 4-6 weeks of age were randomly assigned to 5 groups:
      saline (SA, n = 4); ketamine-xylazine (KX, n = 8); ketamine-xylazine-lidocaine 4
      mg/kg (KXL4, n = 8); ketamine-xylazine-lidocaine 8 mg/kg (KXL8, n = 8); ketamine
      xylazine-lidocaine 16 mg/kg (KXL16, n = 8). Two mice in each group were
      euthanized at day 2 post-injection and the remaining mice were euthanized at day
      11 post-injection. After IP injection, LRR and RRR, duration of immobilization
      and loss of PWR, body weight and histopathology were evaluated. LRR occurred
      sooner in mice receiving KXL16 compared with KX, with median (range) times of 78
      (62-104) and 107 (91-298) seconds, respectively. Loss of PWR occurred in 1, 5, 4,
      6 mice for groups KX, KXL4, KXL8, and KXL16 respectively. Median (range) duration
      of absent PWR was longer in mice receiving KXL16 at 13 (0-30) minutes, compared
      to KX at 0 (0-9) minutes. Duration of immobilization and RRR were not different
      between groups. Weight loss occurred 2 days following anesthesia but was not
      different between groups. Weight gain was significantly greater in all lidocaine
      groups 11 days post-injection compared to KX. No mortality or histopathologic
      abnormalities were observed in any group. Lidocaine administered with ketamine
      and xylazine shortens the onset of anesthesia in mice and improves anesthetic
      depth without prolonging recovery time.

PMID- 28910429
TI  - Evaluation and Management of Unilateral Congenital Ptosis in a Healthy Child.

PMID- 28910430
TI  - Work Progresses on Male Contraceptives, but Hurdles Remain.

PMID- 28910433
TI  - Error in Figure and Methods Section.

PMID- 28910432
TI  - Is There Merit for MET-Targeted Therapies in Gastroesophageal Cancer?

PMID- 28910431
TI  - HLA-Mismatched Microtransplant in Older Patients Newly Diagnosed With Acute
      Myeloid Leukemia: Results From the Microtransplantation Interest Group.
AB  - Importance: The outcome of older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
      remains unsatisfactory. Recent studies have shown that HLA-mismatched
      microtransplant could improve outcomes in such patients. Objective: To evaluate
      outcomes in different age groups among older patients with newly diagnosed AML
      who receive HLA-mismatched microtransplant. Design, Setting, and Participants:
      This multicenter clinical study included 185 patients with de novo AML at 12
      centers in China, the United States, and Spain in the Microtransplantation
      Interest Group. Patients were divided into the following 4 age groups: 60 to 64
      years, 65 to 69 years, 70 to 74 years, and 75 to 85 years. The study period was
      May 1, 2006, to July 31, 2015. Exposures: Induction chemotherapy and
      postremission therapy with cytarabine hydrochloride with or without
      anthracycline, followed by highly HLA-mismatched related or fully mismatched
      unrelated donor cell infusion. No graft-vs-host disease prophylaxis was used.
      Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point of the study was to evaluate
      the complete remission rates, leukemia-free survival, and overall survival in
      different age groups. Additional end points of the study included hematopoietic
      recovery, graft-vs-host disease, relapse rate, nonrelapse mortality, and other
      treatment-related toxicities. Results: Among 185 patients, the median age was 67
      years (range, 60-85 years), and 75 (40.5%) were female. The denominators in
      adjusted percentages in overall survival, leukemia-free survival, relapse, and
      nonrelapse mortality are not the sample proportions of observations. The overall
      complete remission rate was not significantly different among the 4 age groups
      (75.4% [52 of 69], 70.2% [33 of 47], 79.1% [34 of 43], and 73.1% [19 of 26). The
      1-year overall survival rates were 87.7%, 85.8%, and 77.8% in the first 3 age
      groups, which were much higher than the rate in the fourth age group (51.7%) (P =
      .004, P = .008, and P = .04, respectively). The 2-year overall survival rates
      were 63.7% and 66.8% in the first 2 age groups, which were higher than the rates
      in the last 2 age groups (34.2% and 14.8%) (P = .02, P = .03, P < .001, and P <
      .001, respectively). The 1-year cumulative incidences of nonrelapse mortality
      were 10.2%, 0%, 3.4%, and 26.0% in the 4 age groups and 8.1% in all patients. The
      median times to neutrophil and platelet recovery were 12 days and 14 days after
      induction chemotherapy, respectively. Five patients had full or mixed donor
      engraftment, and 30.8% (8 of 26) of patients demonstrated donor microchimerism.
      Two patients (1.1%) developed severe acute graft-vs-host disease. Conclusions and
      Relevance: Microtransplant achieved a high complete remission rate in AML
      patients aged 60 to 85 years and higher 1-year overall survival in those aged 60
      to 74 years.

PMID- 28910434
TI  - Anesthesia Exposure and Neurotoxicity in Children-Understanding the FDA Warning
      and Implications for the Otolaryngologist.

PMID- 28910436
TI  - Integrating Data Collection Into Office Work Flow and Electronic Health Records
      for Clinical Outcomes Research.
AB  - Meticulous collection of clinical outcomes metrics in patients undergoing
      elective surgery is important to ensure quality care; it is also increasing in
      importance as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services moves to tie
      reimbursement to outcomes and insurance approval. This study assesses a
      systematic method for gathering preoperative and postoperative data on patients
      with nasal obstruction who undergo functional septorhinoplasty that was developed
      at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston,
      Massachusetts. The electronic database was initiated in July 2013, patients
      continue to be actively enrolled, and follow-up data continue to be collected.
      This procedure represents a systematic method for the initial visit evaluation,
      collection of patient-reported outcome measures, documentation of surgical
      management, and follow-up of patients. For consistency and ease of data
      collection, as well as data interpretation, this method is integrated into a
      RedCap survey database and the institution's electronic health record system.
      During the 4 years that this process has been in place, outcomes data have been
      collected on more than 1000 patients at 7 time points to create an institutional
      database. This system allows the tracking of patients' outcomes data and the
      mining of the institutional database for future research. As Centers for Medicare
      & Medicaid Services moves from a volume-driven health care model to a value
      driven health care model, demonstration of measurable outcomes in patients
      undergoing elective surgery will be of paramount importance.

PMID- 28910435
TI  - Repeatability and Reproducibility of Superficial Macular Retinal Vessel Density
      Measurements Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography En Face Images.
AB  - Importance: The repeatability and reproducibility of quantitative metrics from
      optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) must be assessed before these
      data can be confidently interpreted in clinical research and practice. Objective:
      To evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of OCTA-derived retinal
      vascular quantitative metrics. Design, Setting and Participants: In this cross
      sectional study, 21 healthy volunteers (42 eyes) and 22 patients with retinal
      disease (22 eyes), including 14 with age-related macular degeneration, 3 with
      epiretinal membrane, 2 with diabetic retinopathy, 2 with myopic macular
      degeneration, and 1 with retinal vein occlusion, were enrolled. Participants were
      recruited from September 1 through November 31, 2016. Each eye underwent 3
      repeated scans with 3 instruments for a total of 9 acquisitions. Eyes were
      randomly assigned to scanning with a 3 * 3-mm or 6 * 6-mm pattern. Eyes were
      excluded from subsequent analysis if any acquisition had a signal strength of
      less than 7. Repeatability (defined as the agreement in measurements within a
      device) and reproducibility (defined as the agreement between devices of the same
      type) were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient
      of variation. Exposures: All eyes underwent scanning using 3 separate devices.
      Main Outcomes and Measures: Vessel length density (VLD) and perfusion density
      (PD) of the superficial retinal vasculature. Results: A total of 21 healthy
      volunteers (8 men and 13 women; mean [SD] age, 36 [6] years) and 22 patients with
      retinal disease (15 men and 7 women; mean [SD] age, 79 [9] years) underwent
      evaluation. Of these, 40 of 42 normal eyes and 15 of 22 eyes with retinal disease
      met signal strength criteria and were included in this analysis. The ICC among
      the 3 consecutive scans ranged from 0.82 to 0.98 for VLD and from 0.83 to 0.95
      for PD. The coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 2.2% to 5.9% for VLD and
      from 2.4% to 5.9% for PD. For reproducibility, the ICC ranged from 0.62 to 0.95
      and the CV was less than 6% in all groups. The agreement was highest for the 3 *
      3-mm pattern in the inner ring (ICC range, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.85-0.96] to 0.96 [95%
      CI, 0.93-0.98]) and 6 * 6-mm pattern in the outer ring (ICC range, 0.93 [95% CI,
      0.86-0.97] to 0.96 [95% CI, 0.92-0.98]). Conclusions and Relevance: Vessel length
      density and PD of the superficial retinal vasculature can be obtained from OCTA
      images with high levels of repeatability and reproducibility but can vary with
      scan pattern and location.

PMID- 28910437
TI  - The Difficult Transition.

PMID- 28910438
TI  - Long-term Outcomes of Subtotal Septal Reconstruction in Rhinoplasty.
AB  - Importance: Significant nasal septal deviation may require complex reconstruction
      to achieve complete correction. Subtotal septal reconstruction is a method for
      addressing deviations in the L-strut. Objectives: To review the long-term
      outcomes of subtotal septal reconstruction and provide objective evidence of
      functional and aesthetic improvement. Design, Setting, and Participants: This
      medical record review obtained data on 144 patients who underwent subtotal septal
      reconstruction from September 1, 2008, to September 1, 2013. Data analysis was
      performed from September 1, 2013, to September 1, 2014. Main Outcomes and
      Measures: Functional outcomes were measured using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom
      Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire, and objective aesthetic outcomes were measured
      using 3-dimensional (3-D) stereophotogrammetry. Follow-up times were classified
      as time point 1 (TP1; preoperative), time point 2 (TP2; early postoperative), and
      time point 3 (TP3; final postoperative). Results: Of the 144 patients who
      underwent subtotal septal reconstruction, 104 (72.2%) were female; the mean (SD)
      age was 37.3 (13.7) years; 57 underwent primary septorhinoplasty; and 87 (60.5%)
      underwent revision septorhinoplasty. The NOSE scores improved in all 5 categories
      of nasal obstruction, with mean (SD) survey completion at 270 (260.1) days.
      Aesthetic results were measured with 3-D imaging after a mean (SD) follow-up of
      613.5 (434.4) days postoperatively. No statistically significant loss was found
      in mean (SD) nasal length over time (TP2 to TP 3, -0.16 [1.36] mm; 95% CI, -0.54
      to 0.22 mm; P = .41) or between mean (SD) postoperative loss of projection (TP2
      and TP3, -0.19 [0.92] mm, 95% CI, -0.45 to 0.07 mm; P = .17). An increase in mean
      (SD) rotation (nasolabial angle) generated with septorhinoplasty (4.24 degrees 
      [11.08 degrees ]; 95% CI, 1.14 degrees -7.34 degrees ; P = .01) and a mean (SD)
      decrease in rotation detected during postoperative healing (-2.63 degrees  [6.96
      degrees ]; 95% CI, -4.63 degrees  to -0.63 degrees ; P = .01) were found.
      Although measurement of symmetry was improved in the early postoperative period
      (TP1 to TP2, -0.16 [1.26] mm; 95% CI, -0.52 to 0.20 mm; P = .40), this finding
      did not become statistically significant until the final measurement (TP1 to TP3,
      -0.43 [1.07] mm; 95% CI, -0.73 to -0.13 mm; P = .007; TP2 to TP3, -0.28 [0.87]
      mm; 95% CI, -0.53 to -0.03 mm; P = .03). A mean (SD) decrease in columellar show
      was achieved with surgery (-0.66 [1.37] mm; 95% CI, -1.05 to -0.27 mm; P = .001).
      No statistically significant change was found in the alar-columellar association
      from TP2 to TP3 in this patient population, confirming no unwanted alar or
      columellar retraction over time (0.10 [0.61] mm; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.27 mm; P =
      .25). A total of 114 patients (79.2%) required costal cartilage harvest for
      adequate reconstruction. Conclusions and Relevance: Subtotal septal
      reconstruction yields improved functional and aesthetic outcomes and has the
      potential to be a useful tool for the rhinoplasty surgeon in the treatment of
      severe septal deviation. Level of Evidence: 4.

PMID- 28910440
TI  - Harnessing the Power of Data in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-From
      Refuse to Riches.

PMID- 28910439
TI  - Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography in Children With
      Amblyopia.
AB  - Importance: Amblyopia is the most common cause of visual impairment in childhood,
      with a prevalence of 1% to 4% in children in the United States. To date, no
      studies using noninvasive optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) have
      measured blood flow in the retinal capillary layers in children with amblyopia.
      Objective: To evaluate the retinal and microvascular features using OCTA in
      children (<18 years) with amblyopia. Design, Setting, and Participants: This
      observational case-control study enrolled patients from September 1, 2016,
      through May 31, 2017, and was conducted from September 1, 2016, through June 30,
      2017, at the Stein Eye Institute at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles).
      Participants included 59 children (<18 years) with amblyopia and without
      amblyopia examined at a pediatric ophthalmology clinic or referred to the clinic
      by coinvestigators. All patients underwent comprehensive ophthalmological
      examination, including visual acuity, refraction, and ocular motility tests;
      anterior and posterior segment examination; and OCTA. Main Outcomes and Measures:
      Reduced superficial and deep retinal capillary vessel density on OCTA. Results:
      Of the 63 eyes evaluated, 13 (21%) were amblyopic and 50 (79%) were control eyes.
      Of the 59 patients, the mean (SD) age of patients with amblyopia was 8.0 (4.0)
      years and 10.3 (3.3) years for the controls; 33 patients (56%) were female; and 5
      of 13 (39%) and 27 of 46 (54%) patients in the amblyopic and control groups,
      respectively, were identified as white. The macular vessel density of the
      superficial capillary plexus was lower in the amblyopic group than in the control
      group in both 3 * 3-mm and 6 * 6-mm scans. After adjusting for age and refractive
      error, the mean (SD) difference in the superficial capillary plexus in the 6 * 6
      mm scan was statistically significant (49.3% [4.1] vs 51.2% [2.9]; P = .02).
      Macular vessel density of the deep capillary plexus in the 6 * 6-mm scans was
      also considerably different between groups: mean (SD) vessel density of the deep
      retinal capillary plexus was 54.4% (4.7%) in the amblyopia group and 60.1% (3.3%)
      in the control group, with a difference of 5.7% (95% CI, 3.4%-8.1%; P = .002).
      Conclusions and Relevance: The study found that OCTA reveals subnormal
      superficial and deep retinal capillary density in the macula of patients with
      amblyopia. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of this
      finding.

PMID- 28910441
TI  - Faith Healer.

PMID- 28910442
TI  - Unilateral Laryngoscopic Findings Associated With Response to Gabapentin in
      Patients With Chronic Cough.
AB  - Importance: Chronic cough is a debilitating, often multifactorial problem. Vagal
      neuropathy has been proposed as a cause for a fraction of these cases. There are
      certain features that support the clinical diagnosis of vagal neuropathy. It is
      hypothesized that patients with neurogenic cough who have vocal fold motion
      asymmetry (VFMA) on laryngoscopy will be more likely to respond to gabapentin.
      Objective: To evaluate the association between the history, physical and
      videostroboscopic examinations, and clinical response to gabapentin. Design,
      Setting, and Participants: In a retrospective cohort study, patients with chronic
      cough visiting an academic tertiary laryngology clinic from January 1, 2013, to
      September 1, 2015, were identified through International Classification of
      Diseases, Ninth Revision. Of those who had a chronic cough (>8 weeks), 27
      patients who received a prescription for gabapentin were included. Patients
      without videostroboscopy, who did not complete voice therapy, or those without a
      follow-up examination more than 1 month from the initial evaluation were
      excluded. Initial history, physical and videostroboscopic examinations, and
      follow-up evaluations, were performed in a multidisciplinary laryngology clinic
      including a speech-language pathologist. Documented VFMA by a multidisciplinary
      team was decided by consensus after review of videostroboscopy recording at the
      time of the visit. Main Outcomes and Measures: Response to gabapentin was defined
      by physician-documented subjective patient report of improvement in cough
      symptoms. Results: Follow-up data were available on 25 of the 27 patients (15
      [60%] women; mean [SD] age, 57 [11.8] years). Therapy was initiated in patients
      with chronic cough with gabapentin, 100 mg twice daily, which was titrated to
      response or adverse effects. The maximum daily dose was 1800 mg. Partial or
      complete response to gabapentin was noted in 16 (64%) patients. Vocal fold motion
      asymmetry was noted in 20 (80%) patients. Fifteen of 16 (94%) responders had VFMA
      compared with 5 of 9 (56%) nonresponders. The difference in the frequency of VFMA
      between responders and nonresponders was 38% (95% CI, 18%-58%). Adverse effects
      limited the gabapentin dose in 4 of 9 (44%) nonresponders and 4 of 16 (25%)
      responders (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 0.42-13.6). Conclusions and Relevance: In
      patients with chronic cough suspected to be related to vagal neuropathy, the odds
      of response to gabapentin are higher with the presence of VFMA noted on
      videostroboscopy.

PMID- 28910444
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28910443
TI  - Spatiotemporally Controlled Ablation of Klf5 Results in Dysregulated Epithelial
      Homeostasis in Adult Mouse Corneas.
AB  - Purpose: Corneal epithelial (CE) homeostasis requires coordination between
      proliferation and differentiation. Here we examine the role of cell proliferation
      regulator Kruppel-like factor 5 (Klf5) in adult mouse CE homeostasis. Methods:
      Klf5 was ablated in a spatiotemporally restricted manner by inducing Cre
      expression in 8-week-old ternary transgenic Klf5LoxP/LoxP/Krt12rtTA/rtTA/Tet-O
      Cre (Klf5Delta/DeltaCE) mouse CE by administering doxycycline via chow. Normal
      chow-fed ternary transgenic siblings served as controls. The control and
      Klf5Delta/DeltaCE corneal (1) histology, (2) cell proliferation, and (3) Klf5
      target gene expression were examined using (1) periodic acid Schiff reagent
      stained sections, (2) Ki67 expression, and (3) quantitative PCR and
      immunostaining, respectively. The effect of KLF4, KLF5, and OCT1 on gastrokine-1
      (GKN1) promoter activity was determined by transient transfection in human skin
      keratinocyte NCTC-2544 cells. Results: Klf5 expression was decreased to 23% of
      the controls in Klf5Delta/DeltaCE corneas, which displayed increased fluorescein
      uptake, downregulation of tight junction proteins Tjp1 and Gkn1, desmosomal
      Dsg1a, and basement membrane Lama3 and Lamb1, suggesting defective permeability
      barrier. In transient transfection assays, KLF5 and OCT1 synergistically
      stimulated GKN1 promoter activity. Klf5Delta/DeltaCE CE displayed significantly
      fewer cell layers and Ki67+ proliferative cells coupled with significantly
      decreased cyclin-D1, and elevated phospho(Ser-10) p27/Kip1 expression. Expression
      of Krt12, E-cadherin, and beta-catenin remained unaltered in Klf5Delta/DeltaCE
      corneas. Conclusions: Klf5 contributes to adult mouse CE homeostasis by promoting
      (1) permeability barrier function through upregulation of Tjp1, Gkn1, Dsg1a,
      Lama3, and Lamb1, and (2) basal cell proliferation through upregulation of cyclin
      D1 and suppression of phospho(Ser-10) p27/Kip1, without significantly affecting
      the expression of epithelial markers Krt12, E-cadherin, and beta-catenin.

PMID- 28910445
TI  - Corneal Epithelium-Derived Neurotrophic Factors Promote Nerve Regeneration.
AB  - Purpose: To explore the neurotrophic factor expression in corneal epithelium and
      evaluate their effects on the trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurite outgrowth and
      corneal nerve regeneration in mice. Methods: The expression of neurotrophic
      factors was compared among the intact, regenerating, and regenerated mouse
      corneal epithelium. Mouse primary TG neurons were treated with the conditioned
      medium of mouse corneal epithelial cells. Nerve growth factor (NGF) neutralizing
      antibody and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) neutralizing antibody
      were used to evaluate their roles in mouse corneal nerve regeneration and TG
      neurite outgrowth. The promoting effects of NGF and GDNF for the corneal nerve
      regeneration were further evaluated in the diabetic mice. Results: The expression
      of NGF and GDNF showed significant up-regulation in regenerating corneal
      epithelium and return to the preinjury levels in the regenerated epithelium,
      which was consistent with the progress of corneal subbasal nerve regeneration.
      The conditioned medium of corneal epithelial cells promoted the TG neurite
      outgrowth with extended branching and elongation. Furthermore, the blockage of
      either NGF or GDNF significantly impaired the promotion of the neurite outgrowth
      by the conditioned medium or the corneal nerve regeneration in normal mice.
      Moreover, the expression of NGF and GDNF was attenuated in the diabetic
      regenerating corneal epithelium as compared to that in normal mice, while
      exogenous NGF or GDNF supplement promoted the corneal epithelial and nerve
      regeneration in diabetic mice. Conclusions: Corneal epithelium expresses multiple
      neurotrophic factors, among which NGF and GDNF may play an important role in the
      corneal nerve regeneration.

PMID- 28910446
TI  - Retinal Astrocytes and GABAergic Wide-Field Amacrine Cells Express PDGFRalpha:
      Connection to Retinal Ganglion Cell Neuroprotection by PDGF-AA.
AB  - Purpose: Our previous experiments demonstrated that intravitreal injection of
      platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF-AA) provides retinal ganglion cell (RGC)
      neuroprotection in a rodent model of glaucoma. Here we used PDGFRalpha-enhanced
      green fluorescent protein (EGFP) mice to identify retinal cells that may be
      essential for RGC protection by PDGF-AA. Methods: PDGFRalpha-EGFP mice expressing
      nuclear-targeted EGFP under the control of the PDGFRalpha promoter were used.
      Localization of PDGFRalpha in the neural retina was investigated by confocal
      imaging of EGFP fluorescence and immunofluorescent labeling with a panel of
      antibodies recognizing different retinal cell types. Primary cultures of mouse
      RGCs were produced by immunopanning. Neurobiotin injection of amacrine cells in a
      flat-mounted retina was used for the identification of EGFP-positive amacrine
      cells in the inner nuclear layer. Results: In the mouse neural retina, PDGFRalpha
      was preferentially localized in the ganglion cell and inner nuclear layers.
      Immunostaining of the retina demonstrated that astrocytes in the ganglion cell
      layer and a subpopulation of amacrine cells in the inner nuclear layer express
      PDGFRalpha, whereas RGCs (in vivo or in vitro) did not. PDGFRalpha-positive
      amacrine cells are likely to be Type 45 gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic)
      wide-field amacrine cells. Conclusions: These data indicate that the
      neuroprotective effect of PDGF-AA in a rodent model of glaucoma could be mediated
      by astrocytes and/or a subpopulation of amacrine cells. We suggest that after
      intravitreal injection of PDGF-AA, these cells secrete factors protecting RGCs.

PMID- 28910448
TI  - Iridoschisis in Angle-Closure Glaucoma Associated With Alkali Burn.

PMID- 28910449
TI  - Carotid Artery Stenosis Causing Choroidal Infarction.

PMID- 28910447
TI  - Orexin-A Suppresses Signal Transmission to Dopaminergic Amacrine Cells From Outer
      and Inner Retinal Photoreceptors.
AB  - Purpose: The neuropeptides orexin-A and orexin-B are widely expressed in the
      vertebrate retina; however, their role in visual function is unclear. This study
      investigates whether and how orexins modulate signal transmission to dopaminergic
      amacrine cells (DACs) from both outer retinal photoreceptors (rods and cones) and
      inner retinal photoreceptors (melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive
      retinal ganglion cells [ipRGCs]). Methods: A whole-cell voltage-clamp technique
      was used to record light-induced responses from genetically labeled DACs in flat
      mount mouse retinas. Rod and cone signaling to DACs was confirmed
      pharmacologically (in wild-type retinas), whereas retrograde melanopsin signaling
      to DACs was isolated either pharmacologically (in wild-type retinas) or by
      genetic deletion of rod and cone function (in transgenic mice). Results: Orexin-A
      attenuated rod/cone-mediated light responses in the majority of DACs and
      inhibited all DACs that exhibited melanopsin-based light responses, suggesting
      that exogenous orexin suppresses signal transmission from rods, cones, and ipRGCs
      to DACs. In addition, orexin receptor 1 antagonist SB334867 and orexin receptor 2
      antagonist TCS OX229 enhanced melanopsin-based DAC responses, indicating that
      endogenous orexins inhibit signal transmission from ipRGCs to DACs. We further
      found that orexin-A inhibits melanopsin-based DAC responses via orexin receptors
      on DACs, whereas orexin-A may modulate signal transmission from rods and cones to
      DACs through activation of orexin receptors on DACs and their upstream neurons.
      Conclusions: Our results suggest that orexins could influence visual function via
      the dopaminergic system in the mammalian retina.

PMID- 28910450
TI  - Neglected Intraocular Cysticercosis.

PMID- 28910451
TI  - Ptosis Masquerading as Progression of Severe Glaucoma.

PMID- 28910454
TI  - FDA Approval of Nonadjunctive Use of Continuous Glucose Monitors for Insulin
      Dosing: A Potentially Risky Decision.

PMID- 28910455
TI  - Development and Evaluation of Semiautomated Quantification of Lissamine Green
      Staining of the Bulbar Conjunctiva From Digital Images.
AB  - Importance: Lissamine green (LG) staining of the conjunctiva is a key biomarker
      in evaluating ocular surface disease. The disease currently is assessed using
      relatively coarse subjective scales. Objective assessment would standardize
      comparisons over time and between clinicians. Objective: To develop a
      semiautomated, quantitative system to assess lissamine green staining of the
      bulbar conjunctiva on digital images. Design, Setting, and Participants: Using a
      standard photography protocol, 35 digital images of the conjunctiva of 11
      patients with a diagnosis of dry eye disease based on characteristic signs and
      symptoms were obtained after topical administration of preservative-free LG, 1%,
      solution. Images were scored independently by 2 masked ophthalmologists in an
      academic medical center using the van Bijsterveld and National Eye Institute
      (NEI) scales. The region of interest was identified by manually marking 7
      anatomic landmarks on the images. An objective measure was developed by
      segmenting the images, forming a vector of key attributes, and then performing a
      random forest regression. Subjective scores were correlated with the output from
      a computer algorithm using a cross-validation technique. The ranking of images
      from least to most staining was compared between the algorithm and the
      ophthalmologists. The study was conducted from April 26, 2012, through June 2,
      2016. Main Outcomes and Measures: Correlation and level of agreement among
      computerized algorithm scores, van Bijsterveld scale clinical scores, and NEI
      scale clinical scores. Results: The scores from the automated algorithm
      correlated well with the mean scores obtained from the gradings of 2
      ophthalmologists for the 35 images using the van Bijsterveld scale (Spearman
      correlation coefficient, rs = 0.79), and moderately with the NEI scale (rs =
      0.61) scores. For qualitative ranking of staining, the correlation between the
      automated algorithm and the 2 ophthalmologists was rs = 0.78 and rs = 0.83.
      Conclusions and Relevance: The algorithm performed well when evaluating LG
      staining of the conjunctiva, as evidenced by good correlation with subjective
      gradings using 2 different grading scales. Future longitudinal studies are needed
      to assess the responsiveness of the algorithm to change of conjunctival staining
      over time.

PMID- 28910457
TI  - Error in Figure.

PMID- 28910460
TI  - Sudden Flank Pain in a Patient Receiving Ibrutinib for Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

PMID- 28910456
TI  - Identification of ALK Rearrangements in Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma.
AB  - Importance: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive tumor arising
      from the peritoneal lining, induced by asbestos, therapeutic radiation, or
      germline mutations. Nevertheless, the molecular features remain largely unknown.
      Objective: To investigate anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements in a
      large series of peritoneal mesothelioma and characterize the mutational landscape
      of these tumors. Design, Setting, and Participants: We studied 88 consecutive
      patients (39 men, 49 women; median age 61, range 17-84 years) with peritoneal
      mesotheliomas diagnosed at a single institution between 2005 and 2015. We
      identified ALK-positive mesotheliomas by immunohistochemistry and confirmed ALK
      rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In ALK-rearranged
      cases, we characterized the fusion partners using targeted next-generation
      sequencing of both tumor DNA and RNA. In select cases, we quantified asbestos
      fibers by combined scanning electron microscopy and x-ray spectroscopy. We also
      explored ALK rearrangement in a separate series of 205 patients with pleural
      mesothelioma. Main Outcomes and Measures: Identification and characterization of
      novel ALK rearrangements and correlations with clinicopathologic characteristics.
      Results: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase was positive by immunohistochemistry in 11
      (13%) peritoneal mesotheliomas (focal weak in 8, diffuse strong in 3). In focal
      weak ALK-positive cases, no ALK rearrangement was detected by FISH or next
      generation sequencing. In strong diffuse ALK-positive cases, FISH confirmed ALK
      rearrangements, and next-generation sequencing identified novel fusion partners
      ATG16L1, STRN, and TPM1. Patients with ALK-rearranged peritoneal mesotheliomas
      were women and younger than patients without ALK rearrangement (median age 36 vs
      62; Mann-Whitney test, P = .02), but all other clinicopathologic characteristics
      (size of tumor nodules, histology, treatment, and survival) were not different.
      No asbestos fibers were detected in ALK-rearranged cases. Furthermore, loss of
      chromosomal region 9p or 22q or genetic alterations in BAP1, SETD2, or NF2
      typically present in peritoneal mesothelioma were absent in the ALK-rearranged
      cases. All pleural mesotheliomas were ALK-negative by immunohistochemistry.
      Conclusions and Relevance: We identified unique ALK rearrangements in a subset of
      patients with peritoneal mesothelioma, each lacking asbestos fibers, therapeutic
      radiation, and cytogenetic and molecular alterations typically found in these
      tumors. Identification of clinically actionable ALK rearrangements may represent
      a novel pathogenetic mechanism of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma with promise
      for targeted therapy.

PMID- 28910461
TI  - Exertional Heat Illness Resulting in Acute Liver Failure and Liver
      Transplantation.
AB  - Heat illness remains a large medical burden for militaries around the world.
      Mitigating the incidence as well as the complications of heat illness must remain
      on the forefront of operational planning when operating in hot environments. We
      report the case of a 27-year-old male U.S. Marine who sustained a heat-related
      illness resulting in fulminant liver failure and permanent disability. The
      patient was transferred from the field to a civilian hospital. On hospital day 5,
      liver failure was identified. The patient was transferred to a transplant center,
      where he successfully received a liver transplant.

PMID- 28910462
TI  - Prehospital Cricothyrotomy Kits Used in Combat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical cricothyrotomy remains the only definitive airway management
      modality for the tactical setting recommended by Tactical Combat Casualty Care
      guidelines. Some units have fielded commercial cricothyrotomy kits to assist
      Combat Medics with surgical cricothyrotomy. To our knowledge, no previous
      publications report data on the use of these kits in combat settings. This series
      reports the the use of two kits in four patients in the prehospital combat
      setting. METHODS: Using the Department of Defense Trauma Registry and the
      Prehospital Trauma Registry, we identified four cases of patients who underwent
      prehospital cricothyrotomy with the use of commercial kits. In the first two
      cases, a Medic successfully used a North American Rescue CricKit (NARCK) to
      obtain a surgical airway in a Servicemember with multiple amputations from an
      improvised explosive device explosion. In case 3, the Medic unsuccessfully used
      an H&H Medical kit to attempt placement of a surgical airway in a Servicemember
      shot in the head by small arms fire. A second attempt to place a surgical airway
      using a NARCK was successful. In case 4, a Soldier sustained a gunshot wound to
      the chest. A Medic described fluid in the airway precluding bag-valve-mask
      ventilation; the Medic attempted to place a surgical airway with the H&H kit
      without success. CONCLUSION: Four cases of prehospital surgical airway
      cannulation on the battlefield demonstrated three successful uses of prehospital
      cricothyrotomy kits. Further research should focus on determining which kits may
      be most useful in the combat setting.

PMID- 28910463
TI  - Use of Acetylsalicylic Acid in the Prehospital Setting for Suspected Acute
      Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treatment guidelines include various recommendations
      for treatment once the patient arrives at the hospital. Prehospital care
      recommendations, however, are limited to expeditious transport to a qualified
      hospital and supportive care. The literature has insufficiently considered
      prehospital antiplatelet therapy. An otherwise healthy 30-year-old black man
      presented with headache for about 3 hours, left-sided facial and upper extremity
      numbness, slurred speech, miosis, lacrimation, and general fatigue and malaise.
      The presentation occurred at a time and location where appropriate resources to
      manage potential AIS were limited. The patient received a thorough physical
      examination and electrocardiogram. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) 325mg was
      administered within 15 minutes of history and examination. A local host-nation
      ambulance arrived approximately 30 minutes after presentation. The patient's
      neurologic symptoms had abated by the time the ambulance arrived. The patient did
      not undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) until 72 hours after being admitted,
      owing to lack of neurology staff over the weekend. The MRI showed evidence of a
      left-sided, posteriorinferior cerebellar artery stroke. The patient was then
      taken to a different hospital, where he received care for his acute stroke. The
      patient eventually was prescribed a statin, ASA, and an angiotensin-converting
      enzyme inhibitor. The patient has no lingering symptoms or neurologic deficits.

PMID- 28910464
TI  - Unwrapping a First Aid Tourniquet From Its Plastic Wrapper With and Without
      Gloves Worn: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to gather data about unwrapping a
      packaged limb tourniquet from its plastic wrapper while wearing different types
      of gloves. Because already unwrapped tourniquets require no time to unwrap,
      unwrapping data may provide insights into the issue of having tourniquets
      unwrapped when stowed in a first aid kit of a Serviceperson at war. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In a laboratory setting, 36 tests of nine glove groups were performed in
      which four people, gloved and ungloved, unwrapped tourniquets. Other tourniquets
      were environmentally exposed for 3 months. RESULTS: All the users successfully
      unwrapped each tourniquet. Mean times to unwrap by glove group were not
      significantly different (p = .0961). When mean values of eight experimental
      groups were compared with that of one control group (i.e., bare hands), results
      showed no significant difference (p > .07). Mean time was least for bare hands
      (12 seconds) and most for cold gloves layered under mittens (22 seconds). Among
      the 36 pairwise comparisons of difference between glove group means, after
      adjustment for multiple comparisons, no comparison was noted to be statistically
      significant (p > .052, all 36 pairs). Glove thickness ranged from 0 mm for bare
      hands to 2.5 mm for cold gloves layered under mittens. By glove group, the
      thickness-time association was moderate, as tested by linear regression (R2 =
      0.6096). The tourniquets exposed to the environment had evidence of rapid
      photodegradation due to direct exposure to sunlight. Such exposure also destroyed
      the wrappers. CONCLUSION: In a preliminary study, different gloves performed
      similarly when wearers unwrapped a tourniquet from its wrapper. The tourniquet
      wrappers gave no visible protection from sunlight, and environmental exposure
      destroyed the wrappers.

PMID- 28910465
TI  - Combat Trousers as Effective Improvised Pelvic Binders A Comparative Cadaveric
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improvised explosive devices and landmines can cause pelvic
      fractures, which, in turn, can produce catastrophic hemorrhage. This cadaveric
      study compared the intrapelvic pressure changes that occurred with the
      application of an improvised pelvic binder adapted from the combat trousers worn
      by British military personnel with the commercially available trauma pelvic
      orthotic device (TPOD). METHODS: Six unembalmed cadavers (three male, three
      female) were used to simulate an unstable pelvic fracture with complete
      disruption of the posterior arch (AO/OTA 61-C1) by dividing the pelvic ring
      anteriorly and posteriorly. A 3-4cm manometric balloon filled with water was
      placed in the retropubic space and connected to a 50mL syringe and water
      manometer via a three-way tap. A baseline pressure of 8cm H2O (average central
      venous pressure) was set. The combat trouser binder (CTB) and TPOD were applied
      to each cadaver in a random sequence and the steady intrapelvic pressure changes
      were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum
      test and a paired t test depending on the normality of the data to determine
      impact on the intrapelvic pressure of each intervention compared with baseline.
      RESULTS: The median steady intrapelvic pressure achieved after application of the
      CTB was 16cm H2O and after application of the TPOD binder was 18cm H2O, both of
      which were significantly greater than the baseline pressure (rho < .01 and .036,
      respectively) but not significantly different from each other (rho > .05).
      CONCLUSION: Pelvic injuries are increasingly common in modern theaters of war.
      The CTB is a novel, rapidly deployable, yet effective, method of pelvic binding
      adapted from the clothes the casualty is already wearing. This technique may be
      used in austere environments to tamponade and control intrapelvic hemorrhage.

PMID- 28910466
TI  - Surgical Instrument Sets for Special Operations Expeditionary Surgical Teams.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The deployment of surgical assets has been driven by mission demands
      throughout years of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The transition
      to the highly expeditious Golden Hour Offset Surgical Transport Team (GHOST- T)
      now offers highly mobile surgical assets in nontraditional operating rooms; the
      content of the surgical instrument sets has also transformed to accommodate this
      change. METHODS: The 102nd Forward Surgical Team (FST) was attached to Special
      Operations assigned to southern Afghanistan from June 2015 to March 2016. The
      focus was to decrease overall size and weight of FST instrument sets without
      decreasing surgical capability of the GHOST-T. Each instrument set was evaluated
      and modified to include essential instruments to perform damage control surgery.
      RESULTS: The overall number of main instrument sets was decreased from eight to
      four; simplified augmentation sets have been added, which expand the capabilities
      of any main set. The overall size was decreased by 40% and overall weight
      decreased by 58%. The cardiothoracic, thoracotomy, and emergency thoracotomy
      trays were condensed to thoracic set. The orthopedic and amputation sets were
      replaced with an augmentation set of a prepackaged orthopedic external fixator
      set). An augmentation set to the major or minor basic sets, specifically for
      vascular injuries, was created. CONCLUSION: Through the reorganization of
      conventional FST surgical instrument sets to maintain damage control capabilities
      and mobility, the 102nd GHOST-T reduced surgical equipment volume and weight,
      providing a lesson learned for future surgical teams operating in austere
      environments.

PMID- 28910467
TI  - The Golden Hour Offset Surgical Treatment Team Operational Concept: Experience of
      the 102nd Forward Surgical Team in Operation Freedom's Sentinel 2015-2016.
AB  - Theater Special Operations Force (SOF) medical planners have begun using Army
      Forward Surgical Teams (FSTs) to maintain a golden hour for U.S. SOF during
      Operation Freedom's Sentinel required adaptation in FST training, configuration,
      personnel, equipment, and employment to form Golden Hour Offset Surgical
      Treatment Teams (GHOST-Ts). This article describes one such FST's experience in
      Operation Freedom's Sentinel while deployed for 9 months in support of SOF in
      southern Afghanistan.

PMID- 28910468
TI  - Estimation of Dog-Bite Risk and Related Morbidity Among Personnel Working With
      Military Dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Force Military Working Dogs
      (MWD) Unit spend many hours taming dogs' special skills, taking them on combat
      missions, and performing various dogkeeping activities. During this intensive
      work with the aggressive military dogs, bites are common, and some of them result
      in permanent disability. However, this phenomenon has not been quantified or
      reported as an occupational hazard. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort
      study based on self-administered questionnaires. Information was collected about
      soldiers' baseline demographics, duration of the experience of working with dogs,
      total number of bites they had, circumstances of bite events, and complications
      and medical treatment of each bite. Bite risk was quantified by incidence, mean
      time to first bite, and a Cox proportional hazards model. Rates of complications
      and the medical burden of bites were compared between combat soldiers and
      noncombat dogkeepers. Bite locations were presented graphically. RESULTS: Seventy
      eight soldiers participated and reported on 139 bites. Mean time of working with
      dogs was 16 months (standard deviation, +/-9.4 months). Overall bite incidence
      was 11 bites per 100 person-months; the mean time to first bite event was 6.3
      months. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that none of baseline
      characteristics significantly increased bite hazard. About 90% of bites occurred
      during routine activities, and 3.3% occurred on combat missions. Only in 9% of
      bite events did soldiers observed the safety precautions code. Bite complications
      included fractures, need for intravenous antibiotic treatment and surgical
      repair, prominent scarring, diminished sensation, and stiffness of proximal
      joints. Bite complications were similar between combat soldiers and dogkeepers.
      Most bites (57%) were located on hands and arms. CONCLUSION: MWD bites are an
      occupational hazard resulting in significant medical burden. Hands and arms were
      most common bite locations. Observance of safety precautions may be the most
      appropriate first-line preventive intervention. Barrier protection of upper
      extremities may reduce bite severity and complication rates.

PMID- 28910470
TI  - A Comparison of Ventilation Rates Between a Standard Bag-Valve-Mask and a New
      Design in a Prehospital Setting During Training Simulations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excessive ventilation of sick and injured patients is associated with
      increased morbidity and mortality. Combat Medical Systems(r) (CMS) is developing
      a new bag-valve-mask (BVM) designed to limit ventilation rates. The purpose of
      this study was to compare ventilation rates between a standard BVM device and the
      CMS device. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational, semirandomized,
      crossover study using Army Medics. Data were collected during Brigade Combat Team
      Trauma Training classes at Camp Bullis, Texas. Subjects were observed during
      manikin simulation training in classroom and field environments, with total
      duration of manual ventilation and number of breaths given recorded for each
      device. Analysis was performed on overall ventilation rate in breaths per minute
      (BPM) and also by grouping the subjects by ventilation rates in low, correct, and
      high groups based on an ideal rate of 10-12 BPM. RESULTS: A total of 89 Medics
      were enrolled and completed the classroom portion of the study, with a subset of
      36 evaluated in the field. A small but statistically significant difference in
      overall BPM between devices was seen in the classroom (rho < .001) but not in the
      field (rho > .05). The study device significantly decreased the incidence of high
      ventilation rates when compared by groups in both the classroom (rho < .001) and
      the field (rho = .044), but it also increased the rate of low ventilation rates.
      CONCLUSION: The study device effectively reduced rates of excessive ventilation
      in the classroom and the field.

PMID- 28910469
TI  - Prehospital Administration of Tranexamic Acid by Ground Forces in Afghanistan:
      The Prehospital Trauma Registry Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) was shown to reduce overall mortality and death
      secondary to hemorrhage in a large prospective study. This intervention is time
      sensitive. As such, the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) guidelines recommend
      use of this low-cost, safe intervention among patients with possible hemorrhagic
      shock, penetrating trauma to the thorax or trunk, or extremity amputation.
      OBJECTIVE: Prehospital administration of TXA by ground forces in the Afghanistan
      combat theater is described. METHODS: We obtained data from the Prehospital
      Trauma Registry. We searched for all patients with documented hypotension,
      amputation, or penetrating trauma to the torso. RESULTS: From January 2013 to
      September 2014, there were 272 patients who met inclusion criteria. Most injuries
      (97.8%; n = 266) were battle injuries. Of the 272 patients who met criteria to
      receive prehospital TXA, 51 (18.8%) received TXA, whereas the remaining 221
      (81.2%) did not. Higher proportions of patients receiving TXA versus patients not
      receiving TXA received hemostatic dressings, pressure dressings, and tourniquet
      placement. Conversely, the proportion of patients receiving intravenous fluids
      was higher in the no-TXA group. CONCLUSION: Overall, proportions of eligible
      patients receiving TXA were low despite emphasis in the guidelines. The reasons
      for this low adherence to TCCC guidelines are likely multifactorial. Future
      research should seek to identify reasons TXA is not given when indicated and to
      develop training and technology to increase prehospital TXA administration.

PMID- 28910471
TI  - Evaluation of XSTAT(r) and QuickClot(r) Combat Gauze(r) in a Swine Model of
      Lethal Junctional Hemorrhage in Coagulopathic Swine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage is associated with most potentially survivable deaths on
      the battlefield. Effective and field-tested products are lacking to treat
      junctional and noncompressible injuries. XSTAT(r) is a newly developed, U.S. Food
      and Drug Administration-approved product designed to treat junctional hemorrhage.
      The Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care has recently approved the product
      for use as part of its treatment guidelines, but data are lacking to assess its
      efficacy in different wounding patterns and physiologic states. METHODS:
      Dilutional coagulopathy was induced in 19 large (70-90kg), healthy, male swine by
      replacing 60% of each animal's estimated blood volume with room temperature
      Hextend (r). After dissection, isolation, and lidocaine incubation, uncontrolled
      hemorrhage was initiated by transection of both axillary artery and vein. Free
      bleeding was allowed to proceed for 30 seconds until intervention with either
      XSTAT or QuickClot(r) Combat Gauze(r) (CG) followed by standard backing. Primary
      outcomes were survival, hemostasis, and blood loss. RESULTS: XSTAT-treated
      animals achieved hemostasis in less time and remained hemostatic longer than
      those treated with CG. Less blood was lost during the first 10 minutes after
      injury in the XSTAT group than the CG group. However, no differences in survival
      were observed between XSTAT-treated and CG-treated groups. All animals died
      before the end of the observation period except one in the XSTAT-treated group.
      CONCLUSION: XSTAT performed better than CG in this model of junctional hemorrhage
      in coagulopathic animals. Continued testing and evaluation of XSTAT should be
      performed to optimize application and determine appropriate indications for use.

PMID- 28910472
TI  - A Descriptive Analysis of Occupational Fatalities Due to Felonious Assault Among
      U.S. Law Enforcement Officers During Tactical Incidents, 1996-2014.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Little is known about occupational fatalities among tactical
      officers. A greater understanding of such injuries is needed to improve officer
      safety. The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive analysis of line
      of-duty deaths secondary to felonious assault during tactical incidents. METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis was performed of open-source de-identified Federal Bureau
      of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting Law Enforcement Officers Killed and
      Assaulted (LEOKA) data inclusive of the years 1996-2014. Officers were included
      if the fatal injury occurred during operations by a Special Weapons and Tactics
      (SWAT) team, fugitive task force, narcotics task force, or if the LEOKA narrative
      described the event as a tactical situation. RESULTS: Of 1,012 officer deaths
      during the study period, 57 (5.6%) involved tactical officers. On average (+/-
      standard deviation), victim officers were 37.3 +/- 7.8 years of age at the time
      of death, with 11.7 +/- 6.6 years of law enforcement experience. High-risk
      warrant service accounted for 63.2% of fatalities. A single officer was killed in
      91.2% of incidents; 49.1% of cases involved injuries to other officers. The
      majority of officers (59.6%) killed were the first officer(s) to enter the scene.
      The most commonly identified cause of death was head trauma (n = 28). Chest
      trauma accounted for 14 deaths; 10 (71.4%) sustained an entry wound via the
      ballistic vest armhole. Where recorded, 52.0% of officers died within the first
      hour of injury. The provision or nature of buddy care, tactical emergency medical
      services (EMS) care, or conventional EMS care was rarely noted. CONCLUSION:
      Tactical officer deaths most commonly occur during high-risk warrant service, and
      most often involve the first officer(s) to enter a scene, suggesting an
      opportunity for improved operational tactics. The frequency of fatal axillary
      penetration suggests the opportunity for ballistic protection redesign.
      Information is lacking regarding on-scene care, limiting the ability to determine
      optimal medical procedures for downed officers during tactical operations. Nearly
      50% of victim officers survived more than 1 hour from time of injury, suggesting
      opportunities to intervene and potentially affect outcomes.

PMID- 28910473
TI  - Optimization of Simulation and Moulage in Military-Related Medical Training.
AB  - Preparation of Special Operations Forces (SOF) Medics as first responders for the
      battle space and austere environments is critical to optimize survival and
      quality of life for our Operators who may sustain serious and complex wounding
      patterns and illnesses. In the absence of constant clinical exposure for these
      medics, it is necessary to maximize all available training opportunities. The
      incorporation of scenario-based training helps weave together teamwork and the
      ability to practice treatment protocols in a tactical, controlled training
      environment to reproduce, to some degree, the environment in and stressors under
      which care will need to be delivered. We reviewed the evolution of training
      scenarios within one Pararescue (PJ) team since 2008 and codified various tools
      used to simulate physical findings and drive medical exercises as part of
      scenario-based training. We also surveyed other SOF Medic training resources.

PMID- 28910474
TI  - Atropine Eye Drops: A Proposed Field Expedient Substitute in the Absence of
      Atropine Autoinjectors.
AB  - Nerve agents are a threat to military and civilian health. The antidote, atropine
      sulfate, is delivered by autoinjector, which is a limited resource. We propose
      the use of 1% atropine ophthalmic solution (supplied commercially in 5mL or 15 mL
      bottles) via oral, ocular, and intranasal administration as an expedient
      substitute in austere environments.

PMID- 28910475
TI  - Chest Seal Placement for Penetrating Chest Wounds by Prehospital Ground Forces in
      Afghanistan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thoracic trauma represents 5% of all battlefield injuries.
      Communicating pneumothoraces resulting in tension physiology remain an important
      etiology of prehospital mortality. In addressing penetrating chest trauma,
      current Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) guidelines advocate the immediate
      placement of a vented chest seal device. Although the Committee on TCCC (CoTCCC)
      has approved numerous chest seal devices for battlefield use, few data exist
      regarding their use in a combat zone setting. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate adherence to
      TCCC guidelines for chest seal placement among personnel deployed to Afghanistan.
      METHODS: We obtained data from the Prehospital Trauma Registry (PHTR). Joint
      Trauma System personnel linked patients to the Department of Defense Trauma
      Registry, when available, for outcome data upon reaching a fixed facility.
      RESULTS: In the PHTR, we identified 62 patients with documented gunshot wound
      (GSW) or puncture wound trauma to the chest. The majority (74.2%; n = 46) of
      these were due to GSW, with the remainder either explosive-based puncture wounds
      (22.6%; n = 14) or a combination of GSW and explosive (3.2%; n = 2). Of the 62
      casualties with documented GSW or puncture wounds, 46 (74.2%) underwent chest
      seal placement. Higher proportions of patients with medical officers in their
      chain of care underwent chest seal placement than those that did not (63.0%
      versus 37.0%). The majority of chest seals placed were not vented. CONCLUSION: Of
      patients with a GSW or puncture wound to the chest, 74.2% underwent chest seal
      placement. Most of the chest seals placed were not vented in accordance with
      guidelines, despite the guideline update midway through the study period. These
      data suggest the need to improve predeployment training on TCCC guidelines and
      matching of the Army logistical supply chain to the devices recommended by the
      CoTCCC.

PMID- 28910476
TI  - No Ordinary Sleeper Cell: Managing the Varied Problems of Plasmodium vivax
      Malaria.
AB  - Plasmodium vivax malaria is an essential yet elusive target of tropical disease
      eradication efforts, and is the focus of this literature review. This review will
      reacquaint Special Operations Forces (SOF) Medics with the basic principles of
      malaria as context for understanding the several confounding issues particular to
      P. vivax infections. The review concludes with current malaria guidelines and
      malaria mitigation strategies.

PMID- 28910477
TI  - Humanitarian Struggle in Burma's Conflict Zones.
AB  - The Back Pack Health Worker Team (BPHWT), a community- based health organization,
      provides primary health care to ethnic people in conflict, remote, and internally
      displaced areas, in Burma (aka Myanmar), controlled by ethnic armed organizations
      fighting against the Burma government. Its services include both curative and
      preventative health care through a network of 1,425 health personnel including
      community health workers and village-embedded traditional birth attendants and
      village health workers. The BPHWT organizational and program model may prove
      useful to Special Operations medical actions in support of insurgent movements
      and conversely with a host nation's counterinsurgency strategies, which include
      the extension of its health services into areas that may be remote and/or
      inhabited by indigenous people and have insurgency potential. In the former
      respect, special attention is directed toward "humanitarian struggle" that uses
      health care as a weapon against the counterinsurgency strategies of a country's
      oppressive military.

PMID- 28910478
TI  - A Shift From Resilience to Human Performance Optimization in Special Operations
      Training: Advancements in Theory and Practice.
AB  - Within the Department of Defense over the past decade, a focus on enhancing
      Warfighter resilience and readiness has increased. For Special Operation Forces
      (SOF), who bear unique burdens for training and deployment, programs like the
      Preservation of the Force and Family have been created to help support SOF and
      their family members in sustaining capabilities and enhancing resilience in the
      face of prolonged warfare. In this review, we describe the shift in focus from
      resilience to human performance optimization (HPO) and the benefits of human
      performance initiatives that include holistic fitness. We then describe
      strategies for advancing the application of HPO for future initiatives through
      tailoring and cultural adaptation, as well as advancing methods for measurement.
      By striving toward specificity and precision performance, SOF human performance
      programs can impact individual and team capabilities to a greater extent than in
      the past, as well as maintaining the well-being of SOF and their families across
      their careers and beyond.

PMID- 28910479
TI  - Hepatitis E.

PMID- 28910480
TI  - Tools to Assess and Reduce Injury Risk (Part 1).
AB  - Many injuries are preventable. Useful tools are available that can aid in
      assessing injury risks and developing methods to reduce these risks. This is part
      1 of a two-part article that will discuss these tools, which include the Haddon
      Matrix, the 10 Countermeasure Strategies, the Injury Control Process, and the
      Army Risk-Management Process. The Haddon Matrix is 3 (r) 3 table that, across the
      top (columns), provides an approach to conceptualizing injury prevention and
      control through modifications of the human, equipment, and environment; and,
      across rows, thinking about injury prevention and control before, during, and
      after the injury-producing event. The basic premise of the 10 Countermeasure
      Strategies is that injuries are largely due to energy exchanges between a person
      and the external environment in such a way that body cannot properly avoid or
      absorb the energy and anatomic structures are damaged. The Countermeasure
      Strategies are (1) eliminating the hazard altogether, (2) reducing the amount of
      the hazard, (3) preventing release of the hazard, (4) modifying the rate or
      spatial distribution of the hazard, (5) separating in space or time the hazard
      and the individual, (6) separating the individual from the hazard using a
      barrier, (7) modifying the basic qualities of the hazard, (8) strengthening the
      individual to make them more resistant to damage, (9) countering the damage done,
      and (10) stabilizing, healing, and rehabilitating the individual. Part 2 of this
      series will discuss the injury control process and the Army risk management
      process.

PMID- 28910481
TI  - Carfentanil: A New and Often Unrecognized Threat.
AB  - Law enforcement officers, whether working the streets or on narcotic detail, and
      even those who operate in strike teams, face a new danger from an old drug:
      carfentanil. Drug dealers seeking to increase profits cut this cheap synthetic
      drug into expensive heroin, providing an extreme high. As a potent synthetic
      opioid narcotic, it is finding its way to the streets of the United States and
      can pose a threat to life for law enforcement, first responders, and medical
      examiners.

PMID- 28910482
TI  - An Outbreak Investigation Report and Lessons Learned by Multinational Coalition
      Forces: October 2016, Baghdad, Iraq.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Public health personnel from the 28th Combat Support Hospital in
      Baghdad, Iraq, conducted an outbreak investigation in response to many local
      cases of gastrointestinal (GI) illness presenting to U.S. medical facilities. The
      investigation was conducted to identify the source of the illness, assess the
      extent of cases, and make recommendations to prevent similar outbreaks. METHODS
      AND MATERIALS: For this retrospective cohort study, medical records and patient
      outbreak questionnaires were reviewed. A patient case, relative to the outbreak,
      was defined as any person who had developed a GI illness and presented for
      medical evaluation to either sick call or an emergency service at a diplomatic or
      military medical facility in Baghdad from 30 September to 12 October 2016.
      RESULTS: A total of 123 people met the case definition. The most common
      presenting symptom was diarrhea (91% to 96% of cases). Other symptoms included
      abdominal cramps, fatigue, and headache. Most cases were military personnel (n
      =100). Salad was significantly associated with GI illness (70% of respondents).
      Five salad ingredients had significantly elevated levels of Escherichia coli.
      CONCLUSION: Mitigation strategies to reduce the probability of similar outbreaks
      include purchasing food solely from approved vendors or thoroughly cooking all
      foods, including fruits and vegetables.

PMID- 28910483
TI  - Traumatic Brain Injury Management in Prolonged Field Care.

PMID- 28910485
TI  - To Cut or Not to Cut: That Is an Ultrasound Question!

PMID- 28910484
TI  - Teleconsultation in Prolonged Field Care Position Paper.

PMID- 28910486
TI  - We Cannot Afford to Lose the Lessons We Have Learned: COL (Ret) Rob Lutz's
      Reflections on a 20-Year SOF Medical Career.

PMID- 28910487
TI  - Remote Dental Surgery as a Medical Civilian Assistance Program (MEDCAP): Helping
      Iraqi, Kurdish, and U.S. Forces Win Hearts and Minds in the Fight Against Daesh.
AB  - Dr Ferreira discusses the work of the Humanitarian Aid and Security Forces (HASF)
      in providing volunteer dental services to a local Christian militia in Mosul,
      Iraq.

PMID- 28910488
TI  - Tactical Combat Casualty Care Updates.

PMID- 28910489
TI  - Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors attenuate angiogenesis and
      lymphangiogenesis by impairing receptor tyrosine kinases signalling in
      endothelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cardiovascular disease associated with antiretroviral
      therapy (ART) has become a major clinical challenge for HIV-positive patients.
      However, the role of ART in blood vessel growth is largely unknown. Here, we
      examined an integral component of ART, nucleoside/nucleotide reverse
      transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and investigated their effects on key
      microvascular functions, including angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis.
      EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis capability of
      endothelial cells (ECs) was evaluated using migration, proliferation and tube
      formation assays in vitro, and mouse ear and Matrigel plug assays in vivo.
      Expressions of signalling molecules and mitochondrial antioxidant catalases were
      determined using Western blotting. Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) internalization
      and endocytosis were examined using flow cytometry and confocal
      immunofluorescence microscopy respectively. Mitochondrial DNA copy number and ROS
      were determined using quantitative real-time PCR and MitoSOX staining
      respectively. KEY RESULTS: Pharmaceutical doses of NRTIs [azidothymidine (AZT),
      tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and lamivudine (3TC)] inhibited angiogenesis
      and lymphangiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro by affecting the proliferation
      and migration of ECs. Correspondingly, NRTIs selectively attenuated the
      activation and transduction of endothelial RTK signals, VEGFR2 and FGFR1
      pathways, in vascular ECs and the VEGFR3 pathway in lymphatic ECs. Both TDF and
      3TC restrained RTKs' endocytosis into early endosomes but not internalization,
      while AZT blocked the protein maturation of RTKs. Excessive ROS levels were
      detected in NRTI-treated ECs, and the MnSOD mimic MnTMPyP alleviated the
      angiogenic/lymphangiogenic defects induced by NRTIs. CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS: NRTIs negatively regulate angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis by
      inducing mitochondrial oxidative stress and subsequently impairing RTK signalling
      in ECs. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Spotlight on
      Small Molecules in Cardiovascular Diseases. To view the other articles in this
      section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.8/issuetoc.

PMID- 28910491
TI  - A double EPSPS gene mutation endowing glyphosate resistance shows a remarkably
      high resistance cost.
AB  - A novel glyphosate resistance double point mutation (T102I/P106S, TIPS) in the 5
      enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene has been recently
      identified for the first time only in the weed species Eleusine indica.
      Quantification of plant resistance cost associated with the TIPS and the often
      reported glyphosate resistance single P106S mutation was performed. A significant
      resistance cost (50% in seed number currency) associated with the homozygous TIPS
      but not the homozygous P106S EPSPS variant was identified in E. indica plants.
      The resistance cost associated with the TIPS mutation escalated to 85% in plants
      under resource competition with rice crops. The resistance cost was not detected
      in nonhomozygous TIPS plants denoting the recessive nature of the cost associated
      with the TIPS allele. An excess of 11-fold more shikimate and sixfold more
      quinate in the shikimate pathway was detected in TIPS plants in the absence of
      glyphosate treatment compared to wild type, whereas no changes in these compounds
      were observed in P106S plants when compared to wild type. TIPS plants show
      altered metabolite levels in several other metabolic pathways that may account
      for the expression of the observed resistance cost.

PMID- 28910493
TI  - Using interpersonal process recall to compare patients' accounts of resistance in
      two psychotherapies for generalized anxiety disorder.
AB  - In a trial examining whether cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could be improved
      by integrating motivational interviewing (MI) to target resistance, MI-CBT
      outperformed CBT over 12-month follow-up (Westra, Constantino, & Antony, 2016).
      Given that effectively addressing resistance is both a theoretically and an
      empirically supported mechanism of MI's additive effect, we explored
      qualitatively patients' experience of resistance, possibly as a function of
      treatment. For 5 patients from each treatment who exhibited early in-session
      change ambivalence, and thus were at risk for later resistance, we conducted
      interpersonal process recall interviews after a session. Transcripts were
      analyzed with grounded theory and consensual qualitative research. A salient
      contrast in patient narratives was a sense of compliance engendered in standard
      CBT versus connection in MI-CBT. Yet both narratives supported the superordinate
      category of resistance as an interpersonal process triggered by patient
      perceptions of therapist beliefs and behaviors. Findings contribute to the
      conceptualization of resistance from patients' first-hand accounts.

PMID- 28910490
TI  - Regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling by tankyrase-dependent poly(ADP
      ribosyl)ation and scaffolding.
AB  - : The Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway is pivotal for stem cell function and
      the control of cellular differentiation, both during embryonic development and
      tissue homeostasis in adults. Its activity is carefully controlled through the
      concerted interactions of concentration-limited pathway components and a wide
      range of post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation,
      ubiquitylation, sumoylation, poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) and acetylation.
      Regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling by PARylation was discovered relatively
      recently. The PARP tankyrase PARylates AXIN1/2, an essential central scaffolding
      protein in the beta-catenin destruction complex, and targets it for degradation,
      thereby fine-tuning the responsiveness of cells to the Wnt signal. The past few
      years have not only seen much progress in our understanding of the molecular
      mechanisms by which PARylation controls the pathway but also witnessed the
      successful development of tankyrase inhibitors as tool compounds and promising
      agents for the therapy of Wnt-dependent dysfunctions, including colorectal
      cancer. Recent work has hinted at more complex roles of tankyrase in Wnt/beta
      catenin signalling as well as challenges and opportunities in the development of
      tankyrase inhibitors. Here we review some of the latest advances in our
      understanding of tankyrase function in the pathway and efforts to modulate
      tankyrase activity to re-tune Wnt/beta-catenin signalling in colorectal cancer
      cells. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on WNT
      Signalling: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities. To view the other articles
      in this section visit
      http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.24/issuetoc.

PMID- 28910492
TI  - p53-mediated regulation of bile acid disposition attenuates cholic acid-induced
      cholestasis in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The tumour suppressor p53 is traditionally recognized as
      a surveillance molecule to preserve genome integrity. Recent studies have
      demonstrated that it contributes to metabolic diseases. Here, we investigated the
      role of p53 in the regulation of bile acid disposition and cholestasis.
      EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The bile acid disposition-related gene expression profile
      affected by p53 activation was assessed in mouse primary hepatocytes with p53
      depletion and in Trp53-null mice. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to
      detect the transcriptional activities of target genes. Anticholestatic effects of
      p53 activator doxorubicin were investigated in a 0.5% cholic acid-fed mouse model
      of cholestasis. Changes in bile acids were evaluated using metabolomics analysis.
      KEY RESULTS: Doxorubicin-mediated p53 activation induced Cyp2b10, Sult2a1 and
      Abcc2/3/4 expression in mice in vitro and in vivo. ABCC3 and CYP2B6 (human
      orthologue of Cyp2b10) were identified as direct p53 target genes. Doxorubicin
      attenuated cholic acid-induced cholestasis in mice, as demonstrated by shrunken
      gall bladder, decreased serum total bile acid and total bilirubin levels and
      alkaline phosphatase activity. Targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that
      doxorubicin enhanced the excretion of bile acid metabolites from serum and liver
      to intestine and faeces. Up-regulation of Cyp2b10, Sult2a1 and Abcc2/3/4
      expression was further confirmed in cholestatic mice. Cholic acid-induced
      cholestatic injury was aggravated in p53-deficient mice and levels of bile acid
      in intestine and faeces were decreased. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our
      findings suggest a novel role of p53 in promoting bile acid disposition and
      alleviating cholestatic syndrome, which provides a potential therapeutic target
      for cholestasis.

PMID- 28910494
TI  - The relationship between emotional intelligence, previous caring experience and
      successful completion of a pre-registration nursing/midwifery degree.
AB  - AIM: To examine the relationship between baseline emotional intelligence and
      prior caring experience with completion of pre-registration nurse and midwifery
      education. BACKGROUND: Selection and retention of nursing students is a global
      challenge. Emotional intelligence is well-conceptualized, measurable and an
      intuitive prerequisite to nursing values and so might be a useful selection
      criterion. Previous caring experience may also be associated with successful
      completion of nurse training. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study. METHOD:
      Self-report trait and ability emotional intelligence scores were obtained from
      876 student nurses from two Scottish Universities before they began training in
      2013. Data on previous caring experience were recorded. Relationships between
      these metrics and successful completion of the course were calculated in SPSS
      version 23. RESULTS: Nurses completing their programme scored significantly
      higher on trait emotional intelligence than those that did not complete their
      programme. Nurses completing their programme also scored significantly higher on
      social connection scores than those that did not. There was no relationship
      between "ability" emotional intelligence and completion. Previous caring
      experience was not statistically significantly related to completion. CONCLUSION:
      Students with higher baseline trait emotional intelligence scores were
      statistically more likely to complete training than those with lower scores. This
      relationship also held using "Social connection" scores. At best, previous caring
      experience made no difference to students' chances of completing training.
      Caution is urged when interpreting these results because the headline findings
      mask considerable heterogeneity. Neither previous caring experience or global
      emotional intelligence measures should be used in isolation to recruit nurses.

PMID- 28910495
TI  - Nursing service innovation: A case study examining emergency nurse practitioner
      service sustainability.
AB  - AIM: This research aimed to explore factors that influence sustainability of
      health service innovation, specifically emergency nurse practitioner service.
      BACKGROUND: Planning for cost effective provision of healthcare services is a
      concern globally. Reform initiatives are implemented often incorporating
      expanding scope of practice for health professionals and innovative service
      delivery models. Introducing new models is costly in both human and financial
      resources and therefore understanding factors influencing sustainability is
      imperative to viable service provision. DESIGN: This research used case study
      methodology (Yin, ). METHODS: Data were collected during 2014 from emergency
      nurse practitioners, emergency department multidisciplinary team members and
      documents related to nurse practitioner services. Collection methods included
      telephone and semi-structured interviews, survey and document analysis. Pattern
      matching techniques were used to compare findings with study propositions.
      FINDINGS: In this study, emergency nurse practitioner services did not meet
      factors that support health service sustainability. Multidisciplinary team
      members were confident that emergency nurse practitioner services were safe and
      helped to meet population health needs. Organizational support for integration of
      nurse practitioner services was marginal and led to poor understanding of service
      capability and underuse. CONCLUSION: This research provides evidence informing
      sustainability of nursing service models but more importantly raises questions
      about this little explored field. The findings highlight poor organizational
      support, excessive restrictions and underuse of the service. This is in direct
      contrast to contemporary expanding practice reform initiatives. Organizational
      support for integration is imperative to future service sustainability.

PMID- 28910496
TI  - Using blogs to explore the lived-experience of life after stroke: "A journey of
      discovery I never wanted to take".
AB  - AIMS: To explore the lived-experiences of stroke survivors as expressed in blogs
      and to discover the role the blogs play in the writers' lives. BACKGROUND: Stroke
      can be a devastating, life changing event. Previous qualitative studies tend to
      examine one aspect of life after stroke. As stroke often has multiple effects, it
      is necessary to look widely at its lived-experience. New resources which can
      enable researchers to explore the lived-experience of stroke are blogs. DESIGN:
      Phenomenological exploration using an interpretive thematic analysis. METHODS:
      The Internet was searched for stroke survivors' blogs (January-March 2016) using
      pre-set criteria, seeking blogs with entries over an extended time (>1 year).
      Suitable blogs were identified and codes of meaning were identified and developed
      into categories, subthemes and themes. FINDINGS: Eight blogs were identified for
      analysis. Of the 40 categories, eight subthemes were assimilated; internal
      dialogue, emotions, transition, stroke effects, health care, "in the world",
      relationships, rehabilitation. Two main themes were identified related to
      perspectives of lived-experience; Internal relationship with "self" and External
      relationship with "the world". Participants expressed loss and initially strove
      to regain their "old" lives, their focus being recovery and independence.
      CONCLUSION: Stroke survivors must transition from their previous life to a new
      and initially unwelcome way of being. Rehabilitation should respect this process
      and support stroke survivors as they undertake this individual journey.

PMID- 28910497
TI  - Tuning Surface Structure of 3D Nanoporous Gold by Surfactant-Free Electrochemical
      Potential Cycling.
AB  - 3D dealloyed nanoporous metals have emerged as a new class of catalysts for
      various chemical and electrochemical reactions. Similar to other heterogeneous
      catalysts, the surface atomic structure of the nanoporous metal catalysts plays a
      crucial role in catalytic activity and selectivity. Through surfactant-assisted
      bottom-up synthesis, the surface-structure modification has been successfully
      realized in low-dimensional particulate catalysts. However, the surface
      modification by top-down dealloying has not been well explored for nanoporous
      metal catalysts. Here, a surfactant-free approach to tailor the surface structure
      of nanoporous gold by surface relaxation via electrochemical redox cycling is
      reported. By controlling the scan rates, nanoporous gold with abundant {111}
      facets or {100} facets can be designed and fabricated with dramatically improved
      electrocatalysis toward the ethanol oxidation reaction.

PMID- 28910499
TI  - Joint model selection of marginal mean regression and correlation structure for
      longitudinal data with missing outcome and covariates.
AB  - This work develops a joint model selection criterion for simultaneously selecting
      the marginal mean regression and the correlation/covariance structure in
      longitudinal data analysis where both the outcome and the covariate variables may
      be subject to general intermittent patterns of missingness under the missing at
      random mechanism. The new proposal, termed "joint longitudinal information
      criterion" (JLIC), is based on the expected quadratic error for assessing model
      adequacy, and the second-order weighted generalized estimating equation (WGEE)
      estimation for mean and covariance models. Simulation results reveal that JLIC
      outperforms existing methods performing model selection for the mean regression
      and the correlation structure in a two stage and hence separate manner. We apply
      the proposal to a longitudinal study to identify factors associated with life
      satisfaction in the elderly of Taiwan.

PMID- 28910498
TI  - PDE1A inhibition elicits cGMP-dependent relaxation of rat mesenteric arteries.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: PDE1, a subfamily of cyclic nucleotide PDEs consisting of
      three isoforms, PDE1A, PDE1B and PDE1C, has been implicated in the regulation of
      vascular tone. The PDE1 isoform(s) responsible for tone regulation is unknown.
      This study used isoform-preferring PDE1 inhibitors, Lu AF58027, Lu AF64196, Lu
      AF66896 and Lu AF67897, to investigate the relative contribution of PDE1 isoforms
      to regulation of vascular tone. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: In rat mesenteric
      arteries, expression and localization of Pde1 isoforms were determined by
      quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization, and physiological impact of PDE1
      inhibition was evaluated by isometric tension recordings. KEY RESULTS: In rat
      mesenteric arteries, Pde1a mRNA expression was higher than Pde1b and Pde1c. In
      situ hybridization revealed localization of Pde1a to vascular smooth muscle cells
      (VSMCs) and only minor appearance of Pde1b and Pde1c. The potency of the PDE1
      inhibitors at eliciting relaxation showed excellent correlation with their
      potency at inhibiting PDE1A. Thus, Lu AF58027 was the most potent at inhibiting
      PDE1A and was also the most potent at eliciting relaxation in mesenteric
      arteries. Inhibition of NOS with l-NAME, soluble GC with ODQ or PKG with Rp-8-Br
      PET-cGMP all attenuated the inhibitory effect of PDE1 on relaxation, whereas PKA
      inhibition with H89 had no effect. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Pde1a is the
      dominant PDE1 isoform present in VSMCs, and relaxation mediated by PDE1A
      inhibition is predominantly driven by enhanced cGMP signalling. These results
      imply that isoform-selective PDE1 inhibitors are powerful investigative tools
      allowing examination of physiological and pathological roles of PDE1 isoforms.

PMID- 28910500
TI  - Is systems pharmacology ready to impact upon therapy development? A study on the
      cholesterol biosynthesis pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: An ever-growing wealth of information on current drugs
      and their pharmacological effects is available from online databases. As our
      understanding of systems biology increases, we have the opportunity to predict,
      model and quantify how drug combinations can be introduced that outperform
      conventional single-drug therapies. Here, we explore the feasibility of such
      systems pharmacology approaches with an analysis of the mevalonate branch of the
      cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Using open online
      resources, we assembled a computational model of the mevalonate pathway and
      compiled a set of inhibitors directed against targets in this pathway. We used
      computational optimization to identify combination and dose options that show not
      only maximal efficacy of inhibition on the cholesterol producing branch but also
      minimal impact on the geranylation branch, known to mediate the side effects of
      pharmaceutical treatment. KEY RESULTS: We describe serious impediments to systems
      pharmacology studies arising from limitations in the data, incomplete coverage
      and inconsistent reporting. By curating a more complete dataset, we demonstrate
      the utility of computational optimization for identifying multi-drug treatments
      with high efficacy and minimal off-target effects. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS:
      We suggest solutions that facilitate systems pharmacology studies, based on the
      introduction of standards for data capture that increase the power of
      experimental data. We propose a systems pharmacology workflow for the refinement
      of data and the generation of future therapeutic hypotheses.

PMID- 28910502
TI  - Using narrative inquiry to listen to the voices of adolescent mothers in relation
      to their use of social networking sites (SNS).
AB  - AIM: This article presents a discussion highlighting the relevance and strengths
      of using narrative inquiry to explore experiences of social networking site (SNS)
      use by adolescent mothers. BACKGROUND: Narrative inquiry as a method reveals
      truths about holistic human experience. Knowledge gleaned from personal
      narratives informs nursing knowledge and clinical practice. This approach gives
      voice to adolescent mothers in relation to their experiences with SNS as a means
      of providing social support. DESIGN: Discussion paper. DATA SOURCES: This paper
      draws and reflects on the author's experiences using narrative inquiry and is
      supported by literature and theory. The following databases were searched:
      CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Medline, Scopus, ERIC, ProQuest, PsychINFO, Web of
      Science and Health Collection (Informit). Key terms and Boolean search operators
      were used to broaden the search criteria. Search terms included: adolescent
      mother, teenage mother, "social networking sites", online, social media,
      Facebook, social support, social capital and information. Dates for the search
      were limited to January 1995-June 2017. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE/RESEARCH:
      Narrative research inherently values the individual "story" of experience. This
      approach facilitates rapport building and methodological flexibility with an
      often difficult to engage sample group, adolescents. CONCLUSION: Narrative
      inquiry reveals a deep level of insight into social networking site use by
      adolescent mothers. The flexibility afforded by use of a narrative approach
      allows for fluidity and reflexivity in the research process.

PMID- 28910501
TI  - Serum cystatin C level: An excellent predictor of mortality in patients with
      cirrhotic ascites.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Although serum cystatin C level is considered a more accurate
      marker of renal function in patients with liver cirrhosis, its prognostic
      efficacy remains uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic efficacy
      of serum cystatin C level in patients with cirrhotic ascites. METHODS: Patients
      with cirrhotic ascites from 15 hospitals were prospectively enrolled between
      September 2009 and March 2013. Cox regression analyses were performed to identify
      independent predictive factors of mortality and development of type 1 hepatorenal
      syndrome (HRS-1). RESULTS: In total, 350 patients were enrolled in this study.
      The mean age was 55.4 +/- 10.8 years, and 267 patients (76.3%) were men. The
      leading cause of liver cirrhosis was alcoholic liver disease (64.3%), followed by
      chronic viral hepatitis (29.7%). Serum creatinine and cystatin C levels were 0.9
      +/- 0.4 mg/dL and 1.1 +/- 0.5 mg/L, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed
      that international normalized ratio and serum bilirubin, sodium, and cystatin C
      levels were independent predictors of mortality and international normalized
      ratio and serum sodium and cystatin C levels were independent predictors of the
      development of HRS-1. Serum creatinine level was not significantly associated
      with mortality and development of HRS-1 on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION:
      Serum cystatin C level was an independent predictor of mortality and development
      of HRS-1 in patients with cirrhotic ascites, while serum creatinine level was
      not. Predictive models based on serum cystatin C level instead of serum
      creatinine level would be more helpful in the assessment of the condition and
      prognosis of patients with cirrhotic ascites.

PMID- 28910503
TI  - Triplet Harvesting from Intramolecular Singlet Fission in Polytetracene.
AB  - Singlet fission (SF), a promising mechanism of multiple exciton generation, has
      only recently been engineered as a fast, efficient, intramolecular process (iSF).
      The challenge now lies in designing and optimizing iSF materials that can be
      practically applied in high-performance optoelectronic devices. However, most of
      the reported iSF systems, such as those based on donor-acceptor polymers or
      pentacene, have low triplet energies, which limits their applications. Tetracene
      based materials can overcome significant challenges, as the tetracene triplet
      state is practically useful, ~1.2 eV. Here, the synthesis and excited state
      dynamics of a conjugated tetracene homopolymer are studied. This polymer
      undergoes ultrafast iSF in solution, generating high-energy triplets on a sub
      picosecond time scale. Magnetic-field-dependent photocurrent measurements of
      polytetracene-based devices demonstrate the first example of iSF-generated
      triplet extraction in devices, exhibiting the potential of iSF materials for use
      in next-generation devices.

PMID- 28910504
TI  - Ca2+ Induced Crosslinking of AIE-Active Polyarylene Ether Nitrile into
      Fluorescent Polymeric Nanoparticles for Cellular Bioimaging.
AB  - Biocompatible fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles (FPNs) are promising
      luminescent probes in cellular bioimaging, while the fabrication of high-quantum
      yield FPN using nonconjugated heterochain polymers derived from step-growth
      polymerization is still in its infancy. Herein, the nonconjugated polyarylene
      ether nitrile (PEN) is endowed with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature by
      incorporation of an AIEgen named of 1,2-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2-diphenylethene
      into macromolecular backbone. Furthermore, the AIE-active PEN is crosslinked into
      water soluble fluorescent nanospheres showing good biocompatibility and strong
      emission ~480 nm with a quantum yield of 21% in the presence of Ca2+ , which
      allows the successful bioimaging of cancer cells. Due to the facile fabrication
      of FPNs and their effective bioimaging performance, the current work will open
      the way for the biomedical applications of various high performance polyarylene
      ethers.

PMID- 28910505
TI  - A Review on Organic-Inorganic Halide Perovskite Photodetectors: Device
      Engineering and Fundamental Physics.
AB  - The last eight years (2009-2017) have seen an explosive growth of interest in
      organic-inorganic halide perovskites in the research communities of photovoltaics
      and light-emitting diodes. In addition, recent advancements have demonstrated
      that this type of perovskite has a great potential in the technology of light
      signal detection with a comparable performance to commercially available
      crystalline Si and III-V photodetectors. The contemporary growth of state-of-the
      art multifunctional perovskites in the field of light-signal detection has
      benefited from its outstanding intrinsic optoelectronic properties, including
      photoinduced polarization, high drift mobilities, and effective charge
      collection, which are excellent for this application. Photoactive perovskite
      semiconductors combine effective light absorption, allowing detection of a wide
      range of electromagnetic waves from ultraviolet and visible, to the near-infrared
      region, with low-cost solution processability and good photon yield. This class
      of semiconductor might empower breakthrough photodetector technology in the field
      of imaging, optical communications, and biomedical sensing. Therefore, here, the
      focus is specifically on the critical understanding of materials synthesis,
      design, and engineering for the next-stage development of perovskite
      photodetectors and highlighting the current challenges in the field, which need
      to be further studied in the future.

PMID- 28910506
TI  - Tainted love: Gothic imaging of nurses in popular culture.
AB  - AIMS: To discuss representations of nursing in popular culture using the
      Contemporary Gothic theory. BACKGROUND: Nursing is stereotypically known as a
      caring profession. Caring in both the natural and professional perspectives is
      inextricably attached to love and love, we are told, is universal. In popular
      culture, however, there are numerous examples of nurses being portrayed in ways
      where love-its expression and its practice-has been transgressed or tainted.
      Exploring this dark side of nursing, even if fictitious, is significant because
      it illuminates social and cultural tensions. DESIGN: Discussion paper. DATA
      SOURCES: CINAHL, Scopus and Humanities International Databases were searched for
      terms related to nursing, love, abject and the gothic, published between 1990
      2016. Four popular culture texts which ranged in genre and gothic elements were
      selected for analysis. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: The types of transgressive love
      these nurses express to patients ranges from the obsessive and the pornographic,
      to the monstrous. We suggest this positioning illuminates a hidden reality that
      nursing work is at once intimate and personal but also hidden, profane,
      repellent, horrifying and feared. Nursing's allure for storytellers may rest in
      its association with the abject. How nurses find redemption, satisfaction and
      meaning in these locations is relevant for how we can imbue our lives and work
      with greater humanity. CONCLUSION: The Contemporary Gothic is a useful tool in
      exposing and exploring ambiguous, challenging and taboo aspects of nursing in
      society. Such and analysis helps to explain phenomena-including nursing itself
      which exists in the shadow of dominant and often stereotyped discourses.

PMID- 28910507
TI  - Intermolecular C-C Coupling between 1-Methyl-1,2,3-Triazole and 2,2'-Bipyridine
      or 1,10-Phenanthroline in MoII Complexes.
AB  - Unsupported 1-methyl-1,2,3-triazole has been coordinated to {Mo(eta3 
      methallyl)(CO)2 (N-N)} (N-N=2,2'-bipyridine, bipy; or 1,10-phenanthroline, phen)
      fragments, yielding cationic complexes that can be regarded as metalated
      triazolium salts. Their reactivity towards a strong base led to the deprotonation
      of the C5-H group of the triazole moiety, followed by an intermolecular
      nucleophilic attack to the ortho CH group of a bipy or phen ligand affording
      cyclic, bimetallic dearomatized C-C coupling products. The reaction of the
      neutral bipy derivative with an acid led to the formation of dihydropyridyl units
      by protonation of a CH group of the dearomatized rings, the dimeric nature of
      complexes being mantained upon protonation.

PMID- 28910508
TI  - Immobilizing Organic-Based Molecular Switches into Metal-Organic Frameworks: A
      Promising Strategy for Switching in Solid State.
AB  - Organic-based molecular switches (OMS) are essential components for the ultimate
      miniaturization of nanoscale electronics and devices. For practical applications,
      it is often necessary for OMS to be incorporated into functional solid-state
      materials. However, the switching characteristics of OMS in solution are usually
      not transferrable to the solid state, presumably because of spatial confinement
      or inefficient conversion in densely packed solid phase. A promising way to
      circumvent this issue is harboring the functional OMS within the robust and
      porous environment of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as their organic
      components. In this feature article, recent research progress of OMS-based MOFs
      is briefly summarized. The switching behaviors of OMS under different stimuli
      (e.g., light, redox, pH, etc.) in the MOF state are first introduced. After that,
      the technological applications of these OMS-based MOFs in different areas,
      including CO2 adsorption, gas separation, drug delivery, photodynamic therapy,
      and sensing, are outlined. Finally, perspectives and future challenges are
      discussed in the conclusion.

PMID- 28910509
TI  - The experience of palliative care service provision for people with non-malignant
      respiratory disease and their family carers: An all-Ireland qualitative study.
AB  - AIM: To explore specialist and generalist palliative care provision for people
      with non-malignant respiratory disease, in rural and urban areas in the North and
      Republic of Ireland. BACKGROUND: Globally, palliative care is recommended as an
      appropriate healthcare option for people with advanced non-malignant lung
      disease. Yet, there is limited evidence regarding the integration of palliative
      care for this client group. DESIGN: Qualitative study. METHODS: Convenience
      sample of 17 bereaved carers and 18 healthcare professionals recruited from two
      rural and two urban sites on the Island of Ireland. Data were collected
      throughout 2012 and 2013 through semi-structured interviews with carers of
      patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (N = 12), interstitial lung
      disease (N = 4) or bronchiectasis (N = 1) who had died 3-18 months previously;
      and four focus groups with healthcare professionals. Data were analysed using a
      thematic analysis framework. RESULTS: Carers' interviews yielded three
      overarching themes: (1) lack of preparedness for death, due to ambiguity
      regarding disease trajectory; (2) lack of consistency in palliative care
      delivery, in relation with the receipt of generalist and specialist palliative
      care; and (3) role ambiguity, related to their caregiving role. Focus groups
      identified two overarching themes: (1) barriers to appropriate palliative care;
      and (2) the future direction of palliative care for patient with non-malignant
      respiratory disease. CONCLUSION: The uncertain disease trajectory was not only
      experienced by carers but also healthcare professionals. Although referral to
      specialist palliative care services was perceived as increasing, the availability
      and coordination of generalist and specialist palliative care services were
      fragmented and varied dependent on geographical location.

PMID- 28910510
TI  - Tuning of CO2 Reduction Selectivity on Metal Electrocatalysts.
AB  - Climate change, caused by heavy CO2 emissions, is driving new demands to
      alleviate the rising concentration of atmospheric CO2 levels. Enlightened by the
      photosynthesis of green plants, photo(electro)chemical catalysis of CO2
      reduction, also known as artificial photosynthesis, is emerged as a promising
      candidate to address these demands and is widely investigated during the past
      decade. Among various artificial photosynthetic systems, solar-driven
      electrochemical CO2 reduction is widely recognized to possess high efficiencies
      and potentials for practical application. The efficient and selective
      electroreduction of CO2 is the key to the overall solar-to-chemical efficiency of
      artificial photosynthesis. Recent studies show that various metallic materials
      possess the capability to play as electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction. In order to
      achieve high selectivity for CO2 reduction products, various efforts are made
      including studies on electrolytes, crystal facets, oxide-derived catalysts,
      electronic and geometric structures, nanostructures, and mesoscale phenomena. In
      this Review, these methods for tuning the selectivity of CO2 electrochemical
      reduction of metallic catalysts are summarized. The challenges and perspectives
      in this field are also discussed.

PMID- 28910511
TI  - Kinetic-Controlled Formation of Bimetallic Metal-Organic Framework Hybrid
      Structures.
AB  - Heterometallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are constructed from two or more
      kinds of metal ions, while still remaining their original topologies. Due to
      distinct reaction kinetics during MOF formation, partial distribution of
      different metals within a single MOF crystal can lead to sophisticated
      heterogeneous nanostructures. Here, this study reports an investigation of
      reaction kinetics for different metal ions in a bimetallic MOF system, the ZIF
      8/67 (M(2-mIM)2 , M = Zn for ZIF-8, and Co for ZIF-67, 2-mIM = 2
      methylimidazole), by in situ optical method. Distinct kinetics of the two metals
      forming single-component MOFs are revealed, and when both Co and Zn ions are
      present in the starting solution, homogeneous distributions of the two metals are
      only achieved at high Co/Zn ratio, while at low Co/Zn ratio concentration
      gradient from Co-rich cores to Zn-rich shells is observed. Further, by adding the
      two metals in sequence, more sophisticated structures are achieved. Specifically,
      when Co2+ is added first, ZIF-67@ZIF-8/67 core-shell nanocrystals are achieved
      with tunable core/shell thickness ratio depending on the time intervals; while
      when Zn2+ is added first, only agglomerates of irregular shape form due to the
      weak nucleation ability of Zn2+ .

PMID- 28910513
TI  - Quality of life outcomes following pediatric lung transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Compared to other solid organs, survival after lung transplantation
      (LTx) is still poor. Discussions on survival benefits following LTx in children,
      however, have largely concentrated on medical outcome data. Little research
      describes quality of life (QoL) of pediatric LTx recipients, which is partly due
      to the small number of pediatric LTxs performed. Only two centers worldwide
      performed >10 pediatric LTxs in 2013, making data on QoL in this population
      difficult to obtain. The primary objective was to examine the impact of LTx on
      QoL of pediatric recipients. METHODS: LTx recipients aged 8-17 years and their
      parents were recruited from a Canadian pediatric transplant centre. Participants
      completed the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales, a validated health-related QoL
      patient-reported outcome measure for children and adolescents, pre-transplant and
      two times post-transplant. Pre-LTx QoL scores were compared with initial
      assessment scores post-LTx and changes in QoL over time were described.
      Correlations between self- and proxy-reports were also discussed. RESULTS: Ten
      pediatric LTx recipients (six male, mean age = 13.3 years) and their parents were
      enrolled. Assessments were completed pre-LTx (mean months = 4.8) and two times
      post-LTx (mean months 8.7 and 24.6, respectively). Pre- and post-transplant total
      scores differed significantly for both self- and proxy-report, which remained
      consistent at a second assessment post-transplant (P = 0.018 and 0.028,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of QoL outcomes
      when exploring LTx as a treatment option. Future research should explore long
      term QoL outcomes post-LTx and examine standardized integration of patient
      reported outcomes into clinical practice.

PMID- 28910514
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of single-dose ceftaroline fosamil in children with cystic
      fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-dose pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of ceftaroline fosamil
      with population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling for
      staphylococcal pneumonia was performed in children with CF. METHODS: Subjects
      between 6 and 18 years old were evaluated in this phase 1, open-label, single
      dose, prospective study using 10 mg/kg (up to 600 mg). Non-compartmental analysis
      and population-based PK analyses with Monte Carlo simulation (for doses 8-20
      mg/kg every 8 h, infused over 1-4 h) were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 20
      subjects were enrolled. The median age and weight were 12 yr (range 6.3-17.4) and
      38.7 kg (range 17.8-94.3), respectively. A 3-compartment linear model
      incorporating age and weight provided the best fit for the data. Comparing
      children 6 to <12 years to those 12 to <18 years, the mean posthoc Bayesian
      parameter estimates for total volume of distribution (VT ) were 0.32 +/- 0.05
      L/kg versus 0.32 +/- 0.04 L/kg, P = 0.7; and total Clearance (CLT ), 0.50 +/-
      0.10 L/h/kg versus 0.30 +/- 0.07 L/h/kg, P = 0.001. Using susceptibility data
      from pediatric MRSA lower respiratory tract isolates, 8 mg/kg (maximum of 1000 mg
      per dose) infused over 1 h every 8 h achieved free-drug plasma concentrations
      above the minimum inhibitory concentration for >=60% of the dosing interval in at
      least 95% of virtual subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Since children with CF have increased
      ceftaroline CL compared with published data from non-CF children; greater dosages
      may be required in children with CF to achieve adequate exposure in the treatment
      of MRSA pneumonia. Pharmacodynamic-based dosing predicts that dosing should also
      be based on the patient's MRSA MIC.

PMID- 28910512
TI  - Differences in staining intensities affect reported occurrences and
      concentrations of Giardia spp. in surface drinking water sources.
AB  - AIM: USEPA Method 1623, or its equivalent, is currently used to monitor for
      protozoan contamination of surface drinking water sources worldwide. At least
      three approved staining kits used for detecting Cryptosporidium and Giardia are
      commercially available. This study focuses on understanding the differences among
      staining kits used for Method 1623. METHODS AND RESULTS: Merifluor and EasyStain
      labelling kits were used to monitor Cryptosporidium oocyst and Giardia cyst
      densities in New York City's raw surface water sources. In the year following a
      change to the approved staining kits for use with Method 1623, an anomaly was
      noted in the occurrence of Giardia cysts in New York City's raw surface water.
      Specifically, Merifluor-stained samples had higher Giardia cyst densities as
      compared with those stained with EasyStain. Side by side comparison revealed
      significantly lower fluorescence intensities of Giardia muris as compared with
      Giardia duodenalis cysts when labelled with EasyStain. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      showed very poor fluorescence intensity signals by EasyStain on G. muris cysts
      resulting in lower cyst counts, while Merifluor, with its broader Giardia cyst
      staining specificity, resulted in higher cyst counts, when using Methods 1623.
      SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These results suggest that detected Giardia
      cyst concentrations are dependent on the staining kits used, which can result in
      a more or less conservative estimation of occurrences and densities of zoonotic
      Giardia cysts by detecting a broader range of Giardia species/Assemblages.

PMID- 28910515
TI  - Chiral Kagome Lattices from On-Surface Synthesized Molecules.
AB  - Kagome lattices have attracted much attention owing to their potential
      applications in spin-frustrated magnetism and host-guest chemistry. Examples
      toward the fabrication of 2D Kagome lattices reported previously have in common
      that the precursor molecules were typically deposited on the surface structurally
      intact with no chemical reactions accompanied. Herein, by using a combination of
      synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SRPES) and scanning tunneling
      microscopy (STM), we demonstrated the fabrication of two types of chiral Kagome
      lattices from on-surface synthesized organometallic compounds, which are known as
      intermediates of Glaser coupling on silver single crystal surfaces. These Kagome
      lattices are stabilized by the interplay of various intermolecular interactions,
      including Br???Br bonds, C-Br???pi bonds and pi-pi stacking. The chiral
      transference and host-guest supramolecular structure in the novel Kagome lattices
      were also studied. Our studies may pave a new way to engineer complex
      supramolecular networks through on-surface reactions.

PMID- 28910516
TI  - Controlling Differentiation of Stem Cells for Developing Personalized Organ-on
      Chip Platforms.
AB  - Organ-on-chip (OOC) platforms have attracted attentions of pharmaceutical
      companies as powerful tools for screening of existing drugs and development of
      new drug candidates. OOCs have primarily used human cell lines or primary cells
      to develop biomimetic tissue models. However, the ability of human stem cells in
      unlimited self-renewal and differentiation into multiple lineages has made them
      attractive for OOCs. The microfluidic technology has enabled precise control of
      stem cell differentiation using soluble factors, biophysical cues, and
      electromagnetic signals. This study discusses different tissue- and organ-on-chip
      platforms (i.e., skin, brain, blood-brain barrier, bone marrow, heart, liver,
      lung, tumor, and vascular), with an emphasis on the critical role of stem cells
      in the synthesis of complex tissues. This study further recaps the design,
      fabrication, high-throughput performance, and improved functionality of stem-cell
      based OOCs, technical challenges, obstacles against implementing their potential
      applications, and future perspectives related to different experimental
      platforms.

PMID- 28910517
TI  - Pediatric flexible and rigid bronchoscopy in European centers-Availability and
      current practice.
AB  - AIM: Eighteen years have passed since the last European survey concerning
      practices in pediatric bronchoscopy was conducted. Therefore, members of the
      European Respiratory Society (ERS) Pediatric Bronchology Group 7.7, initiated the
      "European Pediatric Bronchoscopy Survey 2015," which aimed to assess the current
      state of this evolving diagnostic and therapeutic procedure in the field of
      pediatric respiratory medicine. METHOD: A questionnaire was sent to national
      representatives of 44 European countries with the request to distribute it to all
      centers performing pediatric bronchoscopies. Questions concerned the following
      areas of interest: number of procedures, personnel and technical equipment,
      indications, complications, anesthesia, and diagnostic possibilities. RESULTS: In
      total, 198 European centers from 33 European countries participated in the
      survey. From 2012 to 2014 a total of 57 145 bronchoscopies were reported. Both
      flexible and rigid techniques were available at most of the centers. The most
      frequently mentioned indications were suspected aspiration, infection,
      radiographic abnormalities, airway obstruction, and cough. Hypoxemia, airway
      obstruction, and cough were the most common complications mentioned, followed by
      airway hemorrhage. Most centers were able to perform bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)
      and endobronchial biopsies and some performed more special procedures, such as
      transbronchial biopsies. Interventions like balloon dilation, laser procedures,
      or stent placement were less common and rarely available. CONCLUSION: Compared to
      the 1997 survey, our results suggest that pediatric bronchoscopy has become more
      widely available and established in Europe. Different practices in individual
      countries suggest that more effort should be put on standardizing bronchoscopic
      procedures across Europe.

PMID- 28910518
TI  - Maybe this is just asthma.

PMID- 28910519
TI  - Trans-nasal flexible bronchoscopy in wheezing children: Diagnostic yield, impact
      on therapy, and prevalence of laryngeal cleft.
AB  - AIM: Persistent or recurrent wheezing is a common indication for flexible
      bronchoscopy, as anatomic and infectious or inflammatory changes are highly
      prevalent. We sought to evaluate the prevalence of anatomic, infectious, and
      inflammatory disease in a cohort of children undergoing flexible bronchoscopy for
      wheezing or poorly controlled asthma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all
      children <18 years old who underwent flexible bronchoscopy at our center from
      October 29, 2012-December 31, 2016 for the primary or secondary indication of
      wheezing (persistent, frequently recurring, or atypical) or poorly controlled
      asthma. RESULTS: A total of 101 procedures were identified in 94 patients, aged 3
      months to 18 years. Potential anatomic causes for wheezing identified in 45.7% of
      patients and inflammatory changes in 49.5% of procedures. This included the
      identification of a laryngeal cleft in 17% for which half required medical or
      surgical management. Tracheobronchomalacia was the most commonly identified
      anatomic lesion. Thirty children from this cohort had poorly controlled asthma.
      Among this subgroup, 54% had increased neutrophils on BAL and 30% had an anatomic
      contributor to wheezing, including one with a laryngeal cleft. Based on findings
      from flexible bronchoscopy, management changes made in 63.8% of patients. This
      included medication changes in 54 and surgical intervention in 9. DISCUSSION: We
      conclude that transnasal flexible bronchoscopy has high yield in children with
      recurrent, persistent, or atypical wheezing and those with poorly controlled
      asthma. Laryngeal cleft has a reasonably high prevalence that warrants specific
      evaluation in this population.

PMID- 28910520
TI  - Data that empower: The success and promise of CF patient registries.
AB  - In this article, we describe existing CF registries with a focus on US registry
      data collected through the CF Foundation Patient Registry (CFFPR) and the
      Epidemiologic Study of CF (ESCF); highlight what registries have taught us
      regarding epidemiology of CF; showcase the impact of registries on research and
      clinical care; and discuss future directions. This manuscript complements the
      plenary address given by Dr Wayne Morgan at the 2016 North American CF Conference
      by summarizing the key points from the presentation and providing additional
      detail and information.

PMID- 28910521
TI  - Response to the Editor: "Carbon dioxide washout time, HFNC vs. NCPAP: A bench
      study".

PMID- 28910522
TI  - Giant Pressure-Induced Enhancement of Seebeck Coefficient and Thermoelectric
      Efficiency in SnTe.
AB  - The thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline SnTe have been measured up to
      4.5 GPa at 330 K. SnTe shows an enormous enhancement in Seebeck coefficient,
      greater than 200 % after 3 GPa, which correlates to a known pressure-induced
      structural phase transition that is observed through simultaneous in situ X-ray
      diffraction measurement. Electrical resistance and relative changes to the
      thermal conductivity were also measured, enabling the determination of relative
      changes in the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT), which increases dramatically
      after 3 GPa, reaching 350 % of the lowest pressure ZT value. The results
      demonstrate a fundamental relationship between structure and thermoelectric
      behaviours and suggest that pressure is an effective tool to control them.

PMID- 28910524
TI  - Cover Image, Volume 175C, Number 3, September 2017.
AB  - The cover image, by Gene S. Fisch, is based on the Introduction Introduction to
      Behavioral Phenotypes In Medical Genetics, DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31573.

PMID- 28910527
TI  - Comparative Structural Characterization of Spiral Dextrin Inclusion Complexes
      with Vitamin E or Soy Isoflavone.
AB  - In this study, the preparation and structural properties of spiral dextrin
      (SD)/vitamin E and SD/soy isoflavone inclusion complexes were studied. SD was
      obtained from debranched normal maize starch using isoamylases. After
      fractionation using a novel method of gradient ethanol precipitation, SD was
      separated into different fractions, among which SD-40 was found to be the optimal
      host molecule to prepare SD inclusion complexes with vitamin E or soy isoflavone.
      X-ray diffraction (XRD) and 13C cross-polarization magic angle spinning nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR) suggested that the crystalline structures of SD
      40/vitamin E and SD-40/soy isoflavone were V6II and V6III types, respectively.
      Small-angle X-ray scattering revealed that the SD-40/vitamin E inclusion complex
      formed a tighter and more compact crystallite than the SD-40/soy isoflavone
      inclusion complex. Furthermore, the connection structures of inclusion complexes
      were investigated by two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy NMR,
      indicating that part of vitamin E with an alkyl chain was encapsulated in the
      helix cavity of SD-40, whereas the aromatic ring B of the soy isoflavone molecule
      was complexed by the helix cavity and screw of SD.

PMID- 28910528
TI  - Statistical Mechanical Model for Adsorption Coupled with SAFT-VR Mie Equation of
      State.
AB  - We extend the SAFT-VR Mie equation of state to calculate adsorption isotherms by
      considering explicitly the residual energy due to the confinement effect.
      Assuming a square-well potential for the fluid-solid interactions, the structure
      imposed by the fluid-solid interface is calculated using two different
      approaches: an empirical expression proposed by Travalloni et al. ( Chem. Eng.
      Sci. 65 , 3088 - 3099 , 2010 ), and a new theoretical expression derived by
      applying the mean value theorem. Adopting the SAFT-VR Mie ( Lafitte et al. J.
      Chem. Phys. , 139 , 154504 , 2013 ) equation of state to describe the fluid-fluid
      interactions, and solving the phase equilibrium criteria, we calculate adsorption
      isotherms for light hydrocarbons adsorbed in a carbon molecular sieve and for
      carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water adsorbed in a zeolite. Good results are
      obtained from the model using either approach. Nonetheless, the theoretical
      expression seems to correlate better the experimental data than the empirical
      one, possibly implying that a more reliable way to describe the structure ensures
      a better description of the thermodynamic behavior.

PMID- 28910526
TI  - Genetic rodent models of brain disorders: Perspectives on experimental approaches
      and therapeutic strategies.
AB  - Neurobehavioral disorders comprised of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and
      psychiatric disorders together represent leading causes of morbidity and
      mortality. Despite significant academic research and industry efforts to
      elucidate the disease mechanisms operative in these disorders and to develop
      mechanism-based therapies, our understanding remains incomplete and our access to
      tractable therapeutic interventions severely limited. The magnitude of these
      short-comings can be measured by the growing list of disappointing clinical
      trials based on initially promising compounds identified in genetic animal
      models. This review and commentary will explore why this may be so, focusing on
      the central role that genetic models of neurobehavioral disorders have come to
      occupy in current efforts to identify disease mechanisms and therapies. In
      particular, we will highlight the unique pitfalls and challenges that have
      hampered success in these models as compared to genetic models of non
      neurological diseases as well as to symptom-based models of the early 20th
      century that led to the discovery of all major classes of psychoactive
      pharmaceutical compounds still used today. Using examples from specific genetic
      rodent models of human neurobehavioral disorders, we will highlight issues of
      reproducibility, construct validity, and translational relevance in the hopes
      that these examples will be instructive toward greater success in future
      endeavors. Lastly, we will champion a two-pronged approach toward identifying
      novel therapies for neurobehavioral disorders that makes greater use of the
      historically more successful symptom-based approaches in addition to more
      mechanism-based approaches.

PMID- 28910529
TI  - Metal-Ion Distribution and Oxygen Vacancies That Determine the Activity of
      Magnetically Recoverable Catalysts in Methanol Synthesis.
AB  - Here, we report on the development of novel Zn-, Zn-Cr-, and Zn-Cu-containing
      catalysts using magnetic silica (Fe3O4-SiO2) as the support. Transmission
      electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the iron oxide nanoparticles are located in
      mesoporous silica pores and the magnetite (spinel) structure remains virtually
      unchanged despite the incorporation of Zn and Cr. According to XPS data, the Zn
      and Cr species are intermixed within the magnetite structure. In the case of the
      Zn-Cu-containing catalysts, a separate Cu2O phase was also observed along with
      the spinel structure. The catalytic activity of these catalysts was tested in
      methanol synthesis from syngas (CO + H2). The catalytic experiments showed an
      improved catalytic performance of Zn- and Zn-Cr-containing magnetic silicas
      compared to that of the ZnO-SiO2 catalyst. The best catalytic activity was
      obtained for the Zn-Cr-containing magnetic catalyst prepared with 1 wt % Zn and
      Cr each. X-ray absorption spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of oxygen
      vacancies near Fe and Zn in Zn-containing, and even more in Zn-Cr-containing,
      magnetic silica (including oxygen vacancies near Cr ions), revealing a
      correlation between the catalytic properties and oxygen vacancies. The easy
      magnetic recovery, robust synthetic procedure, and high catalytic activity make
      these catalysts promising for practical applications.

PMID- 28910530
TI  - Efficient Implicit Solvation Method for Full Potential DFT.
AB  - With the advent of efficient electronic structure methods, effective continuum
      solvation methods have emerged as a way to, at least partially, include solvent
      effects into simulations without the need for expensive sampling over solvent
      degrees of freedom. The multipole moment expansion (MPE) model, while based on
      ideas initially put forward almost 100 years ago, has recently been updated for
      the needs of modern electronic structure calculations. Indeed, for an all
      electron code relying on localized basis sets and-more importantly-a multipole
      moment expansion of the electrostatic potential, the MPE method presents a
      particularly cheap way of solving the macroscopic Poisson equation to determine
      the electrostatic response of a medium surrounding a solute. In addition to our
      implementation of the MPE model in the FHI-aims electronic structure theory code
      [ Blum , V. ; Comput. Phys. Commun. 2009 , 180 , 2175 - 2196 , DOI:
      10.1016/j.cpc.2009.06.022 ], we describe novel algorithms for determining
      equidistributed points on the solvation cavity-defined as a charge density
      isosurface-and the determination of cavity surface and volume from just this
      collection of points and their local density gradients. We demonstrate the
      efficacy of our model on an analytically solvable test case, against high
      accuracy finite-element calculations for a set of ~140000 2D test cases, and
      finally against experimental solvation free energies of a number of neutral and
      singly charged molecular test sets [ Andreussi , O. ; J. Chem. Phys. 2012 , 136 ,
      064102 , DOI: 10.1063/1.3676407 ; Marenich , A. V. ; Minnesota Solvation Database
      , Version 2012; University of Minnesota : Minneapolis, MN, USA , 2012 . ]. In all
      test cases we find that our MPE approach compares very well with given references
      at computational overheads < 20% and sometimes much smaller compared to a plain
      self-consistency cycle.

PMID- 28910531
TI  - Propane-Water Mixtures Confined within Cylindrical Silica Nanopores: Structural
      and Dynamical Properties Probed by Molecular Dynamics.
AB  - Despite the multiple length and time scales over which fluid-mineral interactions
      occur, interfacial phenomena control the exchange of matter and impact the nature
      of multiphase flow, as well as the reactivity of C-O-H fluids in geologic
      systems. In general, the properties of confined fluids, and their influence on
      porous geologic phenomena are much less well understood compared to those of bulk
      fluids. We used equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study fluid systems
      composed of propane and water, at different compositions, confined within
      cylindrical pores of diameter ~16 A carved out of amorphous silica. The
      simulations are conducted within a single cylindrical pore. In the simulated
      system all the dangling silicon and oxygen atoms were saturated with hydroxyl
      groups and hydrogen atoms, respectively, yielding a total surface density of 3.8 
      OH/nm2. Simulations were performed at 300 K, at different bulk propane pressures,
      and varying the composition of the system. The structure of the confined fluids
      was quantified in terms of the molecular distribution of the various molecules
      within the pore as well as their orientation. This allowed us to quantify the
      hydrogen bond network and to observe the segregation of propane near the pore
      center. Transport properties were quantified in terms of the mean square
      displacement in the direction parallel to the pore axis, which allows us to
      extract self-diffusion coefficients. The diffusivity of propane in the
      cylindrical pore was found to depend on pressure, as well as on the amount of
      water present. It was found that the propane self-diffusion coefficient decreases
      with increasing water loading because of the formation of water bridges across
      the silica pores, at sufficiently high water content, which hinder propane
      transport. The rotational diffusion, the lifespan of hydrogen bonds, and the
      residence time of water molecules at contact with the silica substrate were
      quantified from the simulated trajectories using the appropriate autocorrelation
      functions. The simulations contribute to a better understanding of the molecular
      phenomena relevant to the behavior of fluids in the subsurface.

PMID- 28910532
TI  - Roles of Wettability and Supercooling in the Spreading of Cyclopentane Hydrate
      over a Substrate.
AB  - We use transmission optical microscopy to observe cyclopentane hydrate growth in
      sub-mm, open glass capillaries, mimicking cylindrical pores. The capillary is
      initially loaded with water and the guest fluid (cyclopentane) and thus possesses
      three menisci, that between water and cyclopentane (CP) in the middle and two
      menisci with the vapors at the ends. At temperatures T below the equilibrium
      temperature Teq ~ 7  degrees C, the hydrate nucleates on the water-CP meniscus,
      rapidly coating it with an immobile, polycrystalline crust. Continued movement of
      the other two menisci provides insights into hydrate growth mechanisms, via the
      consumption and displacement of the fluids. On water-wet glass, the subsequent
      growth consists of a hydrate "halo" creeping with an underlying water layer on
      the glass on the CP side of the meniscus. Symmetrically, on CP-wet glass (silane
      treated), a halo and a CP layer grow on the water side of the interface. No halo
      is observed on intermediate wet glass. The halo consists of an array of large
      monocrystals, over a thick water layer at low supercooling (DeltaT = Teq - T
      below 5 K), and a finer, polycrystalline texture over a thinner water layer at
      higher DeltaT. Furthermore, the velocity varies as DeltaTalpha, with alpha ~ 2.7,
      making the early stages of growth very similar to gas hydrate crusts growing over
      water-guest interfaces. Beyond a length in the millimeter range, the halo and its
      water layer abruptly decelerate and thin down to submicron thickness. The halo
      passes through the meniscus with the vapor without slowing down or change of
      texture. A model of the mass balance of the fluids helps rationalize all of these
      observations.

PMID- 28910533
TI  - One-Pot MCR-Oxidation Approach toward Indole-Fused Heteroacenes.
AB  - A straightforward synthetic route toward indole-fused heteroacenes was developed.
      The strategy is composed of a one-pot process starting with a multicomponent
      reaction of cyclohexanone, primary amine and N-tosyl-3-nitroindole followed by an
      oxidation step. The one-pot approach was found to be general, affording both
      symmetric and nonsymmetric indolo[3,2-b]indoles in good yields. The strategy was
      also utilized for accessing 5-ring fused benzo[g]indolo[3,2-b]indole. We could
      extend the methodology for the synthesis of benzothieno[3,2-b]indoles starting
      from 3-nitrobenzothiophene. The importance of the developed method was
      exemplified by performing the reaction sequence on gram scale and also by the
      synthetic transformations of indolo[3,2-b]indoles. In addition, the change in
      photophysical properties with extension of conjugation of the synthesized
      heteroacenes was studied.

PMID- 28910534
TI  - Pressure Enhancement in Confined Fluids: Effect of Molecular Shape and Fluid-Wall
      Interactions.
AB  - Recently, several experimental and simulation studies have found that phenomena
      that normally occur at extremely high pressures in a bulk phase can occur in
      nanophases confined within porous materials at much lower bulk phase pressures,
      thus providing an alternative route to study high-pressure phenomena. In this
      work, we examine the effect on the tangential pressure of varying the molecular
      shape, strength of the fluid-wall interactions, and pore width, for carbon slit
      shaped pores. We find that, for multisite molecules, the presence of additional
      rotational degrees of freedom leads to unique changes in the shape of the
      tangential pressure profile, especially in larger pores. We show that, due to the
      direct relationship between the molecular density and the fluid-wall
      interactions, the latter have a large impact on the pressure tensor. The
      molecular shape and pore size have a notable impact on the layering of molecules
      in the pore, greatly influencing both the shape and scale of the tangential
      pressure profile.

PMID- 28910535
TI  - Emergence of a New Self-Replicator from a Dynamic Combinatorial Library Requires
      a Specific Pre-Existing Replicator.
AB  - Our knowledge regarding the early steps in the formation of evolvable life and
      what constitutes the minimal molecular basis of life remains far from complete.
      The recent emergence of systems chemistry reinvigorated the investigation of
      systems of self-replicating molecules to address these questions. Most of these
      studies focus on single replicators and the effects of replicators on the
      emergence of other replicators remains under-investigated. Here we show the cross
      catalyzed emergence of a novel self-replicator from a dynamic combinatorial
      library made from a threonine containing peptide building block, which, by
      itself, only forms trimers and tetramers that do not replicate. Upon seeding of
      this library with different replicators of different macrocycle size (hexamers
      and octamers), we observed the emergence of hexamer replicator consisting of six
      units of the threonine peptide only when it is seeded with an octamer replicator
      containing eight units of a serine building block. These results reveal for the
      first time how a new replicator can emerge in a process that relies critically on
      the assistance by another replicator through cross-catalysis and that replicator
      composition is history dependent.

PMID- 28910536
TI  - State-to-State Differential Cross Sections for Inelastic Collisions of NO
      Radicals with para-H2 and ortho-D2.
AB  - We present state-to-state differential cross sections for collisions of NO
      molecules (X2Pi1/2, j = 1/2f) with para-H2 and ortho-D2 molecules, at a collision
      energy of 510 and 450 cm-1, respectively. The angular scattering distributions
      for various final states of the NO radical are measured with high resolution
      using a crossed molecular beam apparatus that employs the combination of Stark
      deceleration and velocity map imaging. Rotational rainbows as well as diffraction
      oscillations are fully resolved in the scattering images. The observed angular
      scattering distributions are in excellent agreement with the cross sections
      obtained from quantum close-coupling scattering calculations based on recently
      computed NO-H2 potential energy surfaces, except for excitation of NO into the j
      = 7/2f channel. For this particular inelastic channel, a significant discrepancy
      with theory is observed, despite various additional measurements and
      calculations, at present, not understood.

PMID- 28910537
TI  - Analysis of mechanics of side impact test defined in UN/ECE Regulation 129.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article discusses differences between a side impact procedure
      described in United Nations/Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) Regulation
      129 and scenarios observed in real-world cases. METHODS: Numerical simulations of
      side impact tests utilizing different boundary conditions are used to compare the
      severity of the Regulation 129 test and the other tests with different kinematics
      of child restraint systems (CRSs). In the simulations, the authors use a
      validated finite element (FE) model of real-world CRSs together with a fully
      deformable numerical model of the Q3 anthropomorphic test device (ATD) by
      Humanetics Innovative Solution, Inc. RESULTS: The comparison of 5 selected cases
      is based on the head injury criterion (HIC) index. Numerical investigations
      reveal that the presence of oblique velocity components or the way in which the
      CRS is mounted to the test bench seat fixture is among the significant factors
      influencing ATD kinematics. The results of analyses show that the side impact
      test procedure is very sensitive to these parameters. A side impact setup defined
      in Regulation 129 may minimize the effects of the impact. CONCLUSIONS: It is
      demonstrated that an artificial anchorage in the Regulation 129 test does not
      account for a rotation of the CRS, which should appear in the case of a realistic
      anchorage. Therefore, the adopted procedure generates the smallest HIC value,
      which is at the level of the far-side impact scenario where there are no
      obstacles. It is also shown that the presence of nonlateral acceleration
      components challenges the quality of a CRS and its headrest much more than a pure
      lateral setup.

PMID- 28910538
TI  - Muscular contraction frequency does not affect plasma homocysteine concentration
      in response to energy expenditure- and intensity-matched acute exercise in
      sedentary males.
AB  - Acute exercise seems to increase total plasma homocysteine (tHcy); since this
      variable associated with cardiovascular risk, it is important to understand the
      determinants of its response to all types of exercise. The aim of this study was
      to examine the impact of cycling at 2 different rates of muscle contraction on
      the complete tHcy kinetics. Eight young sedentary males were required to complete
      2 isocaloric (400 kcal) acute exercise trials at 50% peak oxygen uptake on
      separate occasions at 50 or 80 rpm. Blood samples were drawn at different points
      before (4 h before exercise and immediately before exercise), during (10, 20, 30,
      45, and 60 min during exercise), and after exercise (immediately and 19 h after
      exercise). Dietary and lifestyle factors were controlled during the research.
      Maximum tHcy occurred during exercise for both conditions (50 rpm: 11.4 +/- 2.7
      MUmol.L-1; 80 rpm: 10.8 +/- 3.2 MUmol.L-1). From this point onwards tHcy declined
      until the cessation of exercise and continued descending below pre-exercise
      values at 19 h postexercise (p < 0.05). No hyperhomocysteinemia were observed at
      any sampling point in both trials. In conclusion, the different muscular
      contraction frequency during exercise has no impact on tHcy during an acute bout
      of exercise in sedentary individuals, when at least 400 kcal are spent during
      exercise and the nutritional status for folate, B12, and B6 is adequate. This
      information is relevant to further inform healthy exercise prescription, not only
      in terms of duration and intensity of exercise, but also taking into account
      frequency of contraction.

PMID- 28910539
TI  - Actual versus preferred sleep times as a proxy of biological time for social jet
      lag.

PMID- 28910541
TI  - Seasonal variability of NT-proBNP in Swedish primary care patients.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine if there is a seasonal variation in the
      widely used heart failure marker NT-proBNP. The study included all primary care
      requests for NT-proBNP in the county of Uppsala, Sweden, between January 2007 and
      December 2015. For seasonal variation, the NT-proBNP results for individual
      months were compared. The NT-proBNP values were highest in July to September, but
      there was also a minor peak in December-January. In conclusion, a seasonal
      periodicity for NT-proBNP was demonstrated in primary care patients. The data
      could be useful for practitioners for evaluation of NT-proBNP results and
      monitoring of patients with heart failure.

PMID- 28910540
TI  - Sleep quality, chronotype and metabolic syndrome components in bipolar disorders
      during the remission period: Results from the FACE-BD cohort.
AB  - Data on sleep or circadian abnormalities and metabolic disturbances in euthymic
      bipolar disorders are scarce and based on small sample sizes. The aim of this
      study was to explore the associations between sleep disturbances, chronotype and
      metabolic components in a large sample of euthymic patients with bipolar
      disorders (BD). From 2009 to 2015, 752 individuals with bipolar disorders from
      the FACE-BD cohort were included and assessed for sleep quality, chronotype and
      metabolic components. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I
      Disorders (SCID) was used to confirm the diagnosis of BD. Subjective sleep
      quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and chronotype with
      the Composite Scale of Morningness. Sociodemographic and clinical
      characteristics, psychotropic treatment, psychiatric comorbidities and blood
      samples were collected. In our sample, 22.4% of individuals with BD presented
      with a metabolic syndrome, 53.7% had sleep disturbances, 25.4% were considered as
      having an evening chronotype and 12.6% as having a morning chronotype.
      Independently of potential confounders, euthymic patients with sleep disturbances
      had a higher abdominal circumference, and patients with evening chronotype had a
      significantly higher level of triglycerides. There was an association between
      evening chronotype and an increased atherogenic index of plasma (OR = 4.8, 95%CI
      = 1.6-14.7). Our findings contribute the scant literature on the relationship
      between sleep quality, chronotype and cardiometabolic components in euthymic
      individuals with BD and highlight the need to improve quality of sleep and
      patient education about healthier sleep-hygiene practices.

PMID- 28910542
TI  - Effect of monochromatic light on circadian rhythmic expression of clock genes and
      arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase in chick retina.
AB  - Birds have more developed visual function. They not only have the ability to
      detect light and darkness but also have the color vision. Previous study showed
      that monochromatic light influenced avian physiological processes, which were
      controlled by clock genes. Therefore, bird's eye is a good model to studying the
      impact of color of light on circadian rhythms. Avian retina is one of the most
      important central oscillations. The study was designed to investigate the effect
      of color of light on the expression of clock genes and arylalkylamine N
      acetyltransferase (Aanat) mRNA expression in chick retina. A total of 240 post
      hatching day (P) 0 broiler chickens were exposed to blue (BL), green (GL), red
      (RL) and white light (WL) from a LED system under a light-dark cycle 12L:12D for
      14 d. The results show that the significant daily variations existed in the gene
      expression of cBmal1, cBmal2, cCry1, cCry2, cPer2 and cPer3, but not for cClock
      under four light treatments. The genes cBmal1, cCry1, cPer2 and cPer3 presented
      circadian rhythmic expression under the various monochromatic lights. When
      compared with WL, GL elevated the expression of positive regulators of cellular
      clock (cBmal1, cBmal2 and cClock) and cAanat mRNA level, whereas RL increased the
      mRNA levels of negative regulators of cellular clock (cCry1, cCry2, cPer2 and
      cPer3) and decreased the cAanat mRNA expression in the retina. These results
      demonstrated that monochromatic light affect the periodic expression levels of
      the biological clock mRNA by positive and negative feedback loop interactions, GL
      activated the transcription of cAanat; while RL suppressed the transcription of
      cAanat. Thereby, color of light regulates ocular cAanat expression by affecting
      on expression of cellular clock regulators.

PMID- 28910543
TI  - Intra-individual variability in the sleep of senior and junior rugby league
      athletes during the competitive season.
AB  - This study examined the sleep intra-individual variability (IIV) of rugby league
      athletes across senior and junior levels during one week of the competitive
      season. Forty-five rugby league athletes across elite senior, sub-elite senior
      and elite junior levels each wore actigraphy monitors for seven days during the
      competitive season, and completed a subjective sleep diary each morning upon
      waking. Linear mixed models were used to assess differences in sleep measures
      between playing levels. Intra-individual standard deviations for each sleep
      measure were calculated for each athlete to determine their respective IIV,
      allowing differences in IIV between groups to be assessed. Elite junior athletes
      went to bed later (ES = 0.94 +/- 0.50, p < 0.05) and woke later than elite senior
      athletes (ES = 0.94 +/- 0.40, p < 0.05), while also displaying greater IIV when
      considering time in bed (ES = 1.14 +/- 0.60, p < 0.05) and sleep duration (ES =
      1.53 +/- 0.64, p < 0.05) compared with elite senior athletes. Similarly, IIV was
      more pronounced in elite junior players for time in bed (ES = 0.88 +/- 0.60, p <
      0.05) and sleep duration (ES = 1.03 +/- 0.64, p < 0.05) compared with sub-elite
      senior athletes. Despite this, elite junior athletes still obtained sufficient
      sleep duration, efficiency and quality. The outcomes of this investigation show a
      distinct difference in the habitual sleep-wake patterns of senior and junior
      rugby league athletes, and show how sleep IIV differs between playing levels in
      rugby league.

PMID- 28910544
TI  - Human microbiota in aging and infection: A review.
AB  - In most developed countries, ageing of the population started more than a century
      ago and it seems to be emerged in a wide range of developing countries as well.
      Moreover, research into ageing has moved forward in extremely rapidly rhythms
      nowadays, and the scientific area is of great interest, as implications for
      nearly all sectors of society, including work, social, economic features, in
      addition to nutrition and health issues which are involved. The fragile elder
      population is affected and experienced more frequently infections than the
      younger population. Infections in elderly patients are of major medical
      importance because of hormonal changes, increased production of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines and chemokines, abnormalities of the telomeres which could cause a
      dysfunction of the immune system called immunosenescence and malnutrition.

PMID- 28910545
TI  - Complementing the Social Jet Lag by considering pristine internal time.

PMID- 28910546
TI  - Could hop-derived bitter compounds improve glucose homeostasis by stimulating the
      secretion of GLP-1?
AB  - Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) is by far the greatest contributors to the bitter
      property of beer. Over the past years, a large body of evidence demonstrated the
      presence of taste receptors in different locations of the oral cavity. In
      addition to the taste buds of the tongue, cells expressing these receptors have
      been identified in olfactory bulbs, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. In
      the gut, the attention was mainly directed to sweet Taste Receptor (T1R) and
      bitter Taste Receptor (T2R) receptors. In particular, T2R has shown to modulate
      secretion of different gut hormones, mainly Glucagon-like Peptide 1 (GLP-1),
      which are involved in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and the control of
      gut motility, thereby increasing the sense of satiety. Scientific interest in the
      activity of bitter taste receptors emerges because of their wide distribution in
      the human species and the large range of natural substances that interact with
      them. Beer, whose alcohol content is lower than in other common alcoholic
      beverages, contains a considerable amount of bitter compounds and current
      scientific evidence shows a direct effect of beer compounds on glucose
      homeostasis. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature data
      in order to substantiate the novel hypothesis of a possible direct effect of hop
      derived bitter compounds on secretion of GLP-1, through the activation of T2R,
      with consequent improvement of glucose homeostasis.

PMID- 28910547
TI  - Diurnal opposite variation between angiotensinase activities in photo-neuro
      endocrine tissues of rats.
AB  - Central and peripheral renin-angiotensin systems (RASs) act in a coordinated
      manner for the physiologic functions regulated by neuroendocrine events. However,
      whereas the diurnal rhythm of peripheral circulatory and tissue RASs is well
      known, the circadian behaviour of their components in central photo-neuro
      endocrine structures, key elements for the control of circadian rhythms, has been
      barely studied. In the present study, we analysed the aspartyl- (AspAP) and
      glutamyl-aminopeptidase (GluAP) (aminopeptidase A) activities, the
      angiotensinases responsible for the metabolism of Ang I to Ang 2-10 and Ang II to
      Ang III, respectively, in the retina, anterior hypothalamus and pituitary at
      different light and dark time-points of a 12:12 h light:dark cycle (7-19 h
      light), using arylamide derivatives as substrates. The results demonstrated that
      while retina and pituitary exhibited their highest levels of AspAP activity in
      the light period and the lowest in the dark one, the contrary occurred in the
      hypothalamus - the lowest levels were observed in light conditions and the
      highest in darkness. The outcome for GluAP showed the highest levels in the light
      period and the lowest in the dark one in the three tissues analysed. In
      conclusion, changes in angiotensinase activities throughout the daytime may cause
      changes of their respective substrates and derived peptides and, consequently, in
      their functions. This observation may have implications for the treatment of
      hypertension.

PMID- 28910548
TI  - Time-of-day effects of exposure to solar radiation on thermoregulation during
      outdoor exercise in the heat.
AB  - High solar radiation has been recognised as a contributing factor to exertional
      heat-related illness in individuals exercising outdoors in the heat. Although
      solar radiation intensity has been known to have similar time-of-day variation as
      body temperature, the relationship between fluctuations in solar radiation
      associated with diurnal change in the angle of sunlight and thermoregulatory
      responses in individuals exercising outdoors in a hot environment remains largely
      unknown. The present study therefore investigated the time-of-day effects of
      variations in solar radiation associated with changing solar elevation angle on
      thermoregulatory responses during moderate-intensity outdoor exercise in the heat
      of summer. Eight healthy, high school baseball players, heat-acclimatised male
      volunteers completed a 3-h outdoor baseball trainings under the clear sky in the
      heat. The trainings were commenced at 0900 h in AM trial and at 1600 h in PM
      trial each on a separate day. Solar radiation and solar elevation angle during
      exercise continued to increase in AM (672-1107 W/m2 and 44-69 degrees ) and
      decrease in PM (717-0 W/m2 and 34-0 degrees ) and were higher on AM than on PM
      (both P < 0.001). Although ambient temperature (AM 32-36 degrees C, PM 36-30
      degrees C) and wet-bulb globe temperature (AM 31-33 degrees C, PM 34-27 degrees
      C) also continued to increase in AM and decrease in PM, there were no differences
      between trials in these (both P > 0.05). Tympanic temperature measured by an
      infrared tympanic thermometer and mean skin temperature were higher in AM than PM
      at 120 and 180 min (P < 0.05). Skin temperature was higher in AM than PM at the
      upper arm and thigh at 120 min (P < 0.05) and at the calf at 120 and 180 min
      (both P < 0.05). Body heat gain from the sun was greater during exercise in AM
      than PM (P < 0.0001), at 0-60 min in PM than AM (P < 0.0001) and at 120-180 min
      in AM than PM (P < 0.0001). Dry heat loss during exercise was greater at 0-60 min
      (P < 0.0001), and lower at 60-120 min (P < 0.05) and 120-180 min (P < 0.0001) in
      AM than PM. Evaporative heat loss during exercise was greater in PM than AM at
      120-180 min (P < 0.0001). Total (dry + evaporation) heat loss at the skin was
      greater during exercise in PM than AM (P < 0.0001), at 0-60 min in AM than PM (P
      < 0.0001) and at 60-120 and 120-180 min in PM than AM (P < 0.05 and 0.0001).
      Heart rate at 120-150 min was also higher in AM than PM (P < 0.05). Neither
      perceived thermal sensation nor rating of perceived exertion was different
      between trials (both P > 0.05). The current study demonstrates a greater
      thermoregulatory strain in the morning than in the afternoon resulting from a
      higher body temperature and heart rate in relation to an increase in
      environmental heat stress with rising solar radiation and solar elevation angle
      during moderate-intensity outdoor exercise in the heat. This response is
      associated with a lesser net heat loss at the skin and a greater body heat gain
      from the sun in the morning compared with the afternoon.

PMID- 28910550
TI  - Overview of craft brewing specificities and potentially associated microbiota.
AB  - The brewing process differs slightly in craft breweries as compared to industrial
      breweries, as there are fewer control points. This affects the microbiota of the
      final product. Beer contains several antimicrobial properties that protect it
      from pathogens, such as low pH, low oxygen and high carbon dioxide content, and
      the addition of hops. However, these hurdles have limited power controlling
      spoilage organisms. Contamination by these organisms can originate in the raw
      materials, persist in the environment, and be introduced by using flavoring
      ingredients later in the process. Spoilage is a prominent issue in brewing, and
      can cause quality degradation resulting in consumer rejection and product waste.
      For example, lactic acid bacteria are predominately associated with producing a
      ropy texture and haze, along with producing diacetyl which gives the beer butter
      flavor notes. Other microorganisms may not affect flavor or aroma, but can retard
      fermentation by consuming nutrients needed by fermentation yeast. Quality control
      in craft breweries today relies on culturing methods to detect specific spoilage
      organisms. Using media can be beneficial for detecting the most common beer
      spoilers, such as Lactobacillus and Pediococci. However, these methods are time
      consuming with long incubation periods. Molecular methods such as community
      profiling or high throughput sequencing are better used for identifying entire
      populations of beer. These methods allow for detection, differentiation, and
      identification of taxa.

PMID- 28910549
TI  - Upregulation of alpha-enolase protects cardiomyocytes from phenylephrine-induced
      hypertrophy.
AB  - Cardiac hypertrophy often refers to the abnormal growth of heart muscle through a
      variety of factors. The mechanisms of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy have been
      extensively investigated using neonatal rat cardiomyocytes treated with
      phenylephrine. alpha-Enolase is a glycolytic enzyme with "multifunctional jobs"
      beyond its catalytic activity. Its possible contribution to cardiac dysfunction
      remains to be determined. The present study aimed to investigate the change of
      alpha-enolase during cardiac hypertrophy and explore its role in this
      pathological process. We revealed that mRNA and protein levels of alpha-enolase
      were significantly upregulated in hypertrophic rat heart induced by abdominal
      aortic constriction and in phenylephrine-treated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.
      Furthermore, knockdown of alpha-enolase by RNA interference in cardiomyocytes
      mimicked the hypertrophic responses and aggravated phenylephrine-induced
      hypertrophy without reducing the total glycolytic activity of enolase. In
      addition, knockdown of alpha-enolase led to an increase of GATA4 expression in
      the normal and phenylephrine-treated cardiomyocytes. Our results suggest that the
      elevation of alpha-enolase during cardiac hypertrophy is compensatory. It exerts
      a catalytic independent role in protecting cardiomyocytes against pathological
      hypertrophy.

PMID- 28910551
TI  - Effects of differences in the availability of light upon the circadian rhythms of
      institutionalized elderly.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the availability of diurnal and nocturnal
      light in two residences for aged persons (R1 and R2, Palma de Mallorca, Illes
      Balears, Spain). We found that the R1 inmates were exposed to lower amounts of
      light during waking time and higher amounts during sleeping time. The main traits
      of the circadian rhythms and the quality of sleep in the inmates of the two
      residences were found to be positively related to the availability of light
      during waking time and negatively to the increased light exposure during bed
      time. In addition, the sleep of R1 inmates suffered higher disturbances as a
      consequence of the different policy for nocturnal diapers check and change.
      Altogether, these two factors may explain the differences observed in the two
      residences regarding the circadian rhythms, health status and quality of life.
      Two conclusions stem from these results: (1) the circadian rhythms of aged people
      are particularly sensitive to the contrast between diurnal and nocturnal light
      and (2) the nursing staff of institutions for aged people must receive specific
      formation on the best practices for maintaining the circadian health of aged
      people.

PMID- 28910552
TI  - The Use of Topical Corticosteroids for Treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome.
AB  - Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease that results in symptoms of
      discomfort, visual disturbance, and damage to the ocular surface. Because chronic
      inflammation plays an important role in DED, treatment with topical
      corticosteroids has been demonstrated to ameliorate the signs and symptoms of the
      disease. Although these agents have proven short-term efficacy, their long-term
      use may cause intraocular pressure elevation and cataract progression. A
      carefully review of the different studies shows that differences between
      corticosteroids may exist regarding the incidence of side effects and evidence of
      efficacy in DED patients.

PMID- 28910553
TI  - Sympathetic Ophthalmia Following Accidental Burn with Hot Water Involving the
      Other Eye.

PMID- 28910554
TI  - Ocular Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System of Prednisolone Improves
      Therapeutic Effectiveness in the Treatment of Experimental Uveitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the self-microemulsifying
      drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) for ophthalmic delivery of Prednisolone (PDN) to
      treat uveitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were
      developed, and various SMEDDS were prepared using Linoleic acid as oil,
      Cremophore RH 40 as a surfactant, and propylene glycol as a co-surfactant.
      Physicochemical parameters (globule size, zeta potential, viscosity, and pH) and
      in vitro release of SMEDDS were studied. The in vivo efficacy of prepared
      formulations and the marketed drug solution was studied by administering them
      topically to an endotoxin-induced uveitis rabbit model. RESULTS: All formulations
      displayed an average globule size less than 100 nm. The developed SMEDDS
      exhibited acceptable physicochemical behavior and displayed sustained drug
      release. In vivo studies in a rabbit eye showed a marked improvement in the anti
      inflammatory activity of developed formulation compared with a marketed
      formulation in a uveitis-induced rabbit eye model. CONCLUSIONS: The developed
      SMEDDS are a feasible option to conventional eye drops for its capability to
      improve bioavailability via its longer precorneal residence time and its capacity
      to sustain the release of the drug.

PMID- 28910555
TI  - Conjunctival Necrosis Masquerading as Necrotizing Scleritis.

PMID- 28910557
TI  - Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome in a Group of Patients in Two Ophthalmology
      Referral Centers in Bogota, Colombia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the clinical presentation of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH)
      syndrome in a group of patients in Colombia. METHODS: Retrospective review of
      2638 medical records of patients with uveitis in two centers during 17 years.
      RESULTS: A total of 25 patients with uveitis were diagnosed with VKH syndrome
      (0.95%), 23 patients were included in the data analysis (0.87%), 78.3% females,
      and mean age of diagnosis was 37 years (SD +/- 29). Main complaints: blurred
      vision (87%), headaches (47.8%), tinnitus (26.1%), and hearing impairments
      (21.7%). Ophthalmic findings: bilateral serous retinal detachment (73.9%) and non
      granulomatous uveitis (52.3%). Most of the patients were diagnosed with probable
      disease (56.5%). Mean duration of follow-up was 14 months; disease relapse was
      encountered in 26% of patients despite treatment. CONCLUSION: Patients in
      Colombia with VKH had clinical features similar to those reported in other
      Hispanic populations, except for the non-granulomatous uveitis. This disease may
      be considered as having variation of clinical manifestations across population
      groups.

PMID- 28910556
TI  - Probing the influence of SIBLING proteins on collagen-I fibrillogenesis and
      denaturation.
AB  - Bone tissue is comprised of collagen, non-collagenous proteins, and
      hydroxyapatite and the SIBLING (small integrin binding, N-linked glycoprotein)
      family of proteins is the primary group of non-collagenous proteins. By
      replicating the native interactions between collagen and the SIBLING proteins at
      the interface of an implant, it is believed that a bone scaffold will more easily
      integrate with the surrounding tissue. In this work, bone sialoprotein,
      osteopontin (OPN), dentin sialoprotein (DSP), dentin phosphoprotein (DPP), C
      terminal fragment of dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1-C), and proteoglycan versions
      of DSP (DSP-PG) and DMP1 (DMP1-PG) were tested individually to determine their
      roles in collagen fibrillogenesis and the prevention of denaturation. It was
      shown that DSP and DPP slowed down fibrillogenesis, while other SIBLINGs had
      limited impact. In addition, the denaturation time was faster in the presence of
      DSP and OPN, indicating a negative impact. The role of calcium ions in these
      processes was also investigated. The presence of calcium ions sped up
      fibrillogenesis in all scenarios tested, but it had a negative impact by reducing
      the extent. Calcium also sped up the denaturation in most cases, with the
      exception of DMP1-C and DSP where the opposite was seen. Calcium had a similar
      effect on the proteoglycan variants in the fibrillogenesis process, but had no
      impact on the denaturation process in the presence of these two. It is believed
      that incorporating DMP1-C or DSP on the surface of a bone implant may improve the
      collagen interactions with the implant, thereby facilitating improved
      osteointegration.

PMID- 28910558
TI  - Horizontal Transfer of Tamoxifen Resistance in MCF-7 Cell Derivates: Proteome
      Study.
AB  - Using estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells and tamoxifen-resistant MCF
      7/T subline we have shown that their co-cultivation lead to increase in tamoxifen
      resistance in the parent MCF-7 cells. The proteome analysis of MCF-7/T cells and
      new-generated resistant cells revealed 21 common proteins differently expressed
      in both the resistant cell lines, among them - 6 proteins were associated with
      the drug or hormonal resistance. Both resistant lines were characterized with
      suppression of estrogen receptor and activation of SNAIL1-signaling - mesenchymal
      pathway playing an important role in the down-regulation of estrogen receptor and
      maintaining of the estrogen-independent phenotype.

PMID- 28910559
TI  - The impact of FDA regulatory activities on incident dispensing of LABA-containing
      medication: 2005-2011.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evidence of safety issues associated with long-acting beta2-agonist
      (LABA) treatment has led to multiple regulatory activities by the U.S. Food and
      Drug Administration (FDA) on this class of medications. This study describes the
      impact of the regulatory activities on incident LABA-containing medication
      dispensing. METHODS: A monthly rolling cohort of asthma patients who were
      eligible to initiate a LABA-containing product was created in the Mini-Sentinel
      Distributed Database between January 2005 and June 2011. Cohorts of individuals
      who initiated LABA were examined for the changes in the proportions of single
      ingredient to fixed-dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-LABA initiators,
      appropriate initiation of LABA-containing products, and use of controller
      medications. The impact of the 2005 and 2010 FDA regulatory activities associated
      with LABA-containing products was measured using interrupted time series with
      segmented regression. RESULTS: LABA-containing product initiation was declining
      prior to the 2005 regulatory activities and continued to decline over the study
      period, accompanied by increased initiation of fixed dose ICS-LABA among LABA
      initiators. While the 2010 regulatory activities had no immediate impact on the
      proportion of LABA initiation in patients with prior controller medication
      dispensing and/or poor asthma control, there was an increasing positive trend
      toward LABA initiation in the appropriate patient population after the regulatory
      activities. CONCLUSION: The 2005 and 2010 FDA regulatory activities likely had an
      impact on communicating the safety concerns of LABA products. However, the impact
      cannot be viewed independent of scientific publications, guidelines for asthma
      treatment and other regulatory activities.

PMID- 28910560
TI  - Intravitreal Adalimumab for the Control of Breakthrough Intraocular Inflammation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Investigate the efficacy of intravitreal adalimumab in breakthrough
      panuveitis in patients on systemic adalimumab for more than 3 months. METHODS:
      Retrospective study of patients on systemic adalimumab with breakthrough
      panuveitis requiring intravitreal adalimumab therapy. RESULTS: Seven eyes of four
      patients with Adamantiades-Behcet disease panuveitis were included and all were
      maintained on systemic adalimumab for 7.3 months (range 3-11) with inflammation
      controlled for 4.1 months (range 2-10) before breakthrough uveitis. The total
      number of attacks was 13 over 24.5 months (range 12-30). Resolution of attack was
      defined as return to baseline visual acuity with resolution of inflammatory
      markers. Three attacks resolved after only one injection and 10 attacks required
      an average of 2.4 injections (range 2-3). No systemic or ocular complications
      were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal adalimumab warrants further investigation
      as a potentially effective, practical and safe adjunctive therapy for the control
      of breakthrough inflammation in select patients maintained on systemic
      adalimumab.

PMID- 28910561
TI  - Assessment of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in
      Patients with Dry Eye Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to
      lymphocyte ratio (PLR) levels in patients with dry eye disease (DED). METHODS:
      The white blood cell, neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte counts were performed
      in 78 dry eye patients and 60 controls. The NLR was calculated by dividing
      neutrophil count by lymphocyte count and the PLR was calculated by dividing
      platelet count by lymphocyte count. RESULTS: The mean age was 53.4 +/- 3.8 years
      in the DED group and 52.7 +/- 3.4 years in the control group. The mean NLR was
      2.6 +/- 1.2 and the mean PLR was 138.4 +/- 62.6 in the DED group and the mean NLR
      was 1.84 +/- 0.5 and the mean PLR was 118.5 +/- 64.7 in the control group. A
      significant difference was found in the NLR and PLR between the DED and the
      controls (p = 0.032 and p = 0.026, respectively). CONCLUSION: The NLR and PLR
      values were found higher in patients with dry eye than in healthy subjects.

PMID- 28910562
TI  - The Epidemiology of Trachoma in Mozambique: Results of 96 Population-Based
      Prevalence Surveys.
AB  - PURPOSE: Surveys are needed to guide trachoma control efforts in Mozambique, with
      WHO guidelines for intervention based on the prevalence of trachomatous
      inflammation-follicular (TF) in children aged 1-9 years and the prevalence of
      trichiasis in adults aged 15 years and above. We conducted surveys to complete
      the map of trachoma prevalence in Mozambique. METHODS: Between July 2012 and May
      2015, we carried out cross-sectional surveys in 96 evaluation units (EUs)
      covering 137 districts. RESULTS: A total of 269,217 individuals were enumerated
      and 249,318 people were examined using the WHO simplified trachoma grading
      system. Overall, 102,641 children aged 1-9 years, and 122,689 individuals aged 15
      years and above were examined. The prevalence of TF in children aged 1-9 years
      was >=10% in 12 EUs, composed of 20 districts, covering an estimated total
      population of 2,455,852. These districts require mass distribution of
      azithromycin for at least 3 years before re-survey. The TF prevalence in children
      was 5.0-9.9% in 17 EUs (28 districts, total population 3,753,039). 22 EUs (34
      districts) had trichiasis prevalences >=0.2% in adults 15 years and above, and
      will require public health action to provide surgical services addressing the
      backlog of trichiasis. Younger age, more children resident in the household, and
      living in a household that had an unimproved latrine or no latrine facility, were
      independently associated with an increased odds of TF in children aged 1-9 years.
      CONCLUSIONS: Trachoma represents a significant public health problem in many
      areas of Mozambique.

PMID- 28910563
TI  - Safety and immunogenicity of the killed bivalent (O1 and O139) whole-cell cholera
      vaccine in the Philippines.
AB  - The killed bivalent (O1 and O139) whole cell oral cholera vaccine (OCV)
      (ShancholTM) was first licensed in India in 2009 and World Health Organization
      pre-qualified in 2011. We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of this OCV in
      the Philippines. This was a phase IV, single-arm, descriptive, open-label study.
      We recruited 336 participants from 2 centers: 112 participants in each age group
      (1-4, 5-14 and >= 15 years). Participants received 2 OCV doses 14 d apart. Safety
      was monitored throughout the trial. Blood samples were collected at baseline (pre
      vaccination) and 14 d after each dose. Serum vibriocidal antibody titers to V.
      cholerae O1 (El Tor Inaba and El Tor Ogawa) and O139 strains were assessed, with
      seroconversion defined as >= 4-fold increase from baseline in titers. No
      immediate unsolicited systemic adverse events/reactions were observed.
      Unsolicited systemic adverse events were mostly grade 1 intensity. One serious
      adverse event occurred after the first dose, but was unrelated to vaccination.
      High seroconversion rates (range 69-92%) were achieved against the O1 serotypes
      with a trend toward higher rates in the 1-4 y (86-92%) and 5-14 y (86-88%) age
      groups than the >= 15 y age group (69-83%). Lower seroconversion rates were
      achieved against the O139 serotype (35-70%), particularly in those aged >= 15 y
      (35-42%). The 2-dose regimen of the killed bivalent whole cell OCV was well
      tolerated in this study conducted in the Philippines, a cholera-endemic country.
      Robust immune responses were observed even after a single-dose.

PMID- 28910564
TI  - Nonspecificity in a nonimmune human scFv repertoire.
AB  - Efforts to develop effective antibody therapeutics are frequently hampered by
      issues such as aggregation and nonspecificity, often only detected in late stages
      of the development process. In this study, we used a high throughput cross
      reactivity assay to select nonspecific clones from a naive human repertoire scFv
      library displayed on the surface of yeast. Most antibody families were de
      enriched; however, the rarely expressed VH6 family was highly enriched among
      nonspecific clones, representing almost 90% of isolated clones. Mutational
      analysis of this family reveals a dominant role of CDRH2 in driving nonspecific
      binding. Homology modeling of a panel of VH6 antibodies shows a constrained beta
      sheet structure in CDRH2 that is not present in other families, potentially
      contributing to nonspecificity of the family. These findings confirm the common
      decision to exclude VH6 from synthetic antibody libraries, and support VH6
      polyreactivity as a possible important role for the family in early ontogeny and
      cause for its overabundance in cases of some forms of autoimmunity.

PMID- 28910565
TI  - An In vivo study: Adjuvant activity of poly-n-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-acrylic acid
      on immune responses against Melanoma synthetic peptide.
AB  - Peptides have been studied as an important class of components in medicine to
      control many major diseases with vaccination. Polymers as adjuvants are capable
      of enhancing the vaccine potential against various diseases by improving the
      delivery of antigens, and they reduce the booster doses of vaccines. In brief,
      polymers are promising candidates for peptide-based vaccine delivery platforms.
      The purpose of the present study was to create a possible alternative approach in
      the treatment of malignant melanoma and/or to prevent metastasis of melanoma. The
      study was designed as both an experimental and an in vivo study. We prepared a
      complex and covalent conjugate of MAGE-3 121-134 (L-L-K-Y-R-A-R-E-P-V-T-K-A-E) T
      cell epitope as a vaccine candidate for melanoma. These conjugates were able to
      generate an immune response in mice after a single immunization, without the help
      of any external adjuvant. The peptide-polymer complexes activated the immune
      system in the best way and formed the highest antigen specific immune response.
      These results indicate the adjuvant activity of Poly(N-vinyl-2- pyrrolidone-co
      acrylic acid) [P(VP-co-AA)] and the potential use of P(VP-coAA)-peptide based
      vaccine prototypes for future melanoma cancer vaccine formulations.

PMID- 28910566
TI  - Environmental biodegradation of halophenols by activated sludge from two
      different sewage treatment plants.
AB  - Halophenols make a group of aromatic compounds that are resistible to
      biodegradation by environmental microorganisms. In this study, the biodegradation
      of 4-bromo-, 4-chloro- and 4-fluorophenols was studied with two types of
      activated sludges (from a small rural plant and from a bigger municipal plant) as
      an inoculum. Because of their wide use, surfactants are present in the wastewater
      and inhibitors enhance the biodegradation of different pollutants; the influence
      of natural surfactants on halophenols' biodegradation was also tested. Both types
      of activated sludge contained bacterial strains which were active in the
      halophenols' biodegradation process. The coexistence of surfactants and
      halophenols in the wastewater does not prevent microorganisms from effective
      halophenols' biodegradation. Moreover, surfactants can enhance the effectiveness
      of halophenols' removal from the environment. Different cell surface
      modifications of two isolated bacterial strains were observed in the same system
      of halophenols with or without surfactants. Halophenols and surfactants may also
      induce changes in bacteria cell surface properties.

PMID- 28910567
TI  - G0S2 represses PI3K/mTOR signaling and increases sensitivity to PI3K/mTOR pathway
      inhibitors in breast cancer.
AB  - G0/G1 switch gene 2 (G0S2) is a direct retinoic acid target implicated in cancer
      biology and therapy based on frequent methylation-mediated silencing in diverse
      solid tumors. We recently reported that low G0S2 expression in breast cancer,
      particularly estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, correlates with
      increased rates of recurrence, indicating that G0S2 plays a role in breast cancer
      progression. However, the function(s) and mechanism(s) of G0S2 tumor suppression
      remain unclear. In order to determine potential mechanisms of G0S2 anti-oncogenic
      activity, we performed genome-wide expression analysis that revealed an
      enrichment of gene signatures related to PI3K/mTOR pathway activation in G0S2
      null cells as compared to G0S2 wild-type cells. G0S2 null cells also exhibited a
      dramatic decreased sensitivity to PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors. Conversely,
      restoring G0S2 expression in human ER+ breast cancer cells decreased basal mTOR
      signaling and sensitized the cells to pharmacologic mTOR pathway inhibitors.
      Notably, we provide evidence here that the increase in recurrence seen with low
      G0S2 expression is especially prominent in patients who have undergone
      antiestrogen therapy. Further, ER+ breast cancer cells with restored G0S2
      expression had a relative increased sensitivity to tamoxifen. These findings
      reveal that in breast cancer G0S2 functions as a tumor suppressor in part by
      repressing PI3K/mTOR activity, and that G0S2 enhances therapeutic responses to
      PI3K/mTOR inhibitors. Recent studies implicate hyperactivation of PI3K/mTOR
      signaling as promoting resistance to antiestrogen therapies in ER+ breast cancer.
      Our data establishes G0S2 as opposing this form of antiestrogen resistance. This
      promotes further investigation of the role of G0S2 as an antineoplastic breast
      cancer target and a biomarker for recurrence and therapy response.

PMID- 28910568
TI  - Network of phosphatases and HDAC complexes at repressed chromatin.
AB  - Tight regulation of gene expression is achieved by a variety of protein complexes
      that selectively bind chromatin, modify it and change its transcription
      competency. Histone acetylases (HATs) and deacetylases (HDACs) play an important
      role in this process. They can generate transcriptionally active or inactive
      chromatin through the addition (HATs) or removal (HDACs) of acetyl groups on
      histones, respectively. Repo-Man is a Protein Phosphatase 1 targeting subunit
      that accumulates on chromosomes during mitotic exit and mediates the removal of
      mitotic histone H3 phosphorylations. It was shown recently that Repo-Man also
      regulates heterochromatin formation in interphase and that its depletion favours
      the switch between transcriptionally inactive and active chromatin, demonstrating
      that its role goes well beyond mitosis. Here, we provide the first link between a
      phosphatase and HDAC complexes. We show that genome-wide Repo-Man binding sites
      overlap with chromatin regions bound by members of the three HDAC complexes
      (Sin3a, NuRD and CoREST). We establish that members of the NuRD and Sin3a HDAC
      complexes interact with Repo-Man by mass spectrometry and that Repo-Man is in
      close proximity to SAP18 (Sin3a) in interphase as observed by the Proximity
      Ligation Assay. Altogether, these data suggest a mechanism by which Repo-Man/PP1
      complex, via interactions with HDACs, could stabilise gene repression.

PMID- 28910569
TI  - Hierarchical recruitment of Polycomb complexes revisited.
AB  - Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins epigenetically repress key developmental genes and
      thereby control alternative cell fates. PcG proteins act as complexes that can
      modify histones and these histone modifications play a role in transmitting the
      "memory" of the repressed state as cells divide. Here we consider mainstream
      models that link histone modifications to hierarchical recruitment of PcG
      complexes and compare them to results of a direct test of interdependence between
      PcG complexes for recruitment to Drosophila genes. The direct test indicates that
      PcG complexes do not rely on histone modifications to recognize their target
      genes but use them to stabilize the interactions within large chromatin domains.
      It also shows that multiple strategies are used to coordinate the targeting of
      PcG complexes to different genes, which may make the repression of these genes
      more or less robust.

PMID- 28910571
TI  - Factors that influence tear meniscus area and conjunctivochalasis: The Singapore
      Indian eye study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Assessment of tear film and conjunctiva is critical to define presence
      and severity of ocular surface disease. We aimed to characterize tear meniscus
      area (TMA) and conjunctivochalasis by anterior segment optical coherence
      tomography (ASOCT) in population-based patients and identify potential factors
      associated with low TMA and severe conjunctivochalasis. METHODS: Study subjects
      were enrolled from The Singapore Indian Eye Study, a population-based study of
      Asian Indian in Singapore. Imaging with ASOCT was performed on three ocular
      regions (nasal, central and temporal). TMA was obtained by measuring the cross
      sectional area of the inferior tear meniscus. Severity of conjunctivochalasis was
      quantified by measuring the conjunctivochalasis ratio (CCR), the ratio of area of
      redundant conjunctiva to the TMA. Ocular symptoms and demographic factors were
      assessed by standardized questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 403 participants
      (52.9% women) 40 years of age and older were included. TMA centrally was 2818 +/-
      5308 pixel2. Female sex and the presence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD),
      but not older age, were associated with a lower TMA (p = 0.031, p = 0.031 and p =
      0.956 respectively). In this population, 9.2% had severe conjunctivochalasis
      (CCR>0.7) whereas 39.0% had mild to no conjunctivochalasis (CCR<=0.3).
      Conjunctivochalasis was more severe in temporal, followed by nasal and central
      sections. Older age was associated with severe conjunctivochalasis (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: MGD and female gender were associated with lower TMA, while older age
      was associated with increased severity of conjunctivochalasis. Objective
      measurement of TMA and CCR using ASOCT imaging may be useful in the assessment of
      tear volume and ocular surface tear function.

PMID- 28910570
TI  - Nine Novel PAX9 Mutations and a Distinct Tooth Agenesis Genotype-Phenotype.
AB  - Tooth agenesis is one of the most common developmental anomalies affecting
      function and esthetics. The paired-domain transcription factor, Pax9, is critical
      for patterning and morphogenesis of tooth and taste buds. Mutations of PAX9 have
      been identified in patients with tooth agenesis. Despite significant progress in
      the genetics of tooth agenesis, many gaps in knowledge exist in refining the
      genotype-phenotype correlation between PAX9 and tooth agenesis. In the present
      study, we complete genetic and phenotypic characterization of multiplex Chinese
      families with nonsyndromic (NS) tooth agenesis. Direct sequencing of polymerase
      chain reaction products revealed 9 novel (c.140G>C, c.167T>A, c.332G>C, c.194C>A,
      c.271A>T, c.146delC, c.185_189dup, c.256_262dup, and c.592delG) and 2 known
      heterozygous mutations in the PAX9 gene among 120 probands. Subsequently,
      pedigrees were extended, and we confirmed that the mutations co-segregated with
      the tooth agenesis phenotype (with exception of families in which DNA analysis
      was not available). In 1 family ( n = 6), 2 individuals harbored both the PAX9
      c.592delG mutation and a heterozygous missense mutation (c.739C>T) in the MSX1
      gene. Clinical characterization of families segregating a PAX9 mutation reveal
      that all affected individuals were missing the mandibular second molar and their
      maxillary central incisors are most susceptible to microdontia. A significant
      reduction of bitter taste perception was documented in individuals harboring PAX9
      mutations ( n = 3). Functional studies revealed that PAX9 haploinsufficiency or a
      loss of function of the PAX9 protein underlies tooth agenesis.

PMID- 28910572
TI  - Silver nanoparticles toxicity against airborne strains of Staphylococcus spp.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore the toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)
      synthesized by chemical reduction method assessment with regard to airborne
      strains of Staphylococcus spp. The first step of the experiment was the
      preparation of silver nanoparticle suspension. The suspension was obtained by a
      fast and simple chemical method involving the reduction of silver ions through a
      reducing factor in the presence of the suitable stabilizer required to prevent
      the aggregation. In the second stage, varied instrumental techniques were used
      for the analysis and characterization of the obtained nanostructures. Third, the
      bacteria of the Staphylococcus genus were isolated from the air under stable
      conditions with 47 sports and recreational horses, relatively. Next, isolated
      strains were identified using biochemical and spectrophotometric methods. The
      final step was the evaluation of the Staphylococcus genus sensitivity to
      nanosilver using the disk diffusion test. It has been proven that prepared silver
      nanoparticles exhibit strong antibacterial properties. The minimum inhibitory
      concentration for tested isolates was 30 MUg/mL. It has been found that the
      sensitivity of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from six identified species differs
      considerably. The size distribution of bacterial growth inhibition zones
      indicates that resistance to various nanosilver concentrations is an individual
      strain feature, and has no connection with belonging to a specific species.

PMID- 28910574
TI  - O-GlcNAcylation of boundary element associated factor (BEAF 32) in Drosophila
      melanogaster correlates with active histone marks at the promoters of its target
      genes.
AB  - Boundary Element-Associated Factor 32 (BEAF 32) is a sequence specific DNA
      binding protein involved in functioning of chromatin domain boundaries in
      Drosophila. Several studies also show it to be involved in transcriptional
      regulation of a large number of genes, many of which are annotated to have cell
      cycle, development and differentiation related function. Since post-translational
      modifications (PTMs) of proteins add to their functional capacity, we
      investigated the PTMs on BEAF 32. The protein is known to be phosphorylated and O
      GlcNAcylated. We mapped O-GlcNAc site at T91 of BEAF 32 and showed that it is
      linked to the deposition of active histone (H3K4me3) marks at transcription start
      site (TSS) of associated genes. Its role as a boundary associated factor,
      however, does not depend on this modification. Our study shows that by virtue of
      O-GlcNAcylation, BEAF 32 is linked to epigenetic mechanisms that activate a
      subset of associated genes.

PMID- 28910573
TI  - An alternative conformation of human TrpRS suggests a role of zinc in activating
      non-enzymatic function.
AB  - Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) in vertebrates contains a N-terminal
      extension in front of the catalytic core. Proteolytic removal of the N-terminal
      93 amino acids gives rise to T2-TrpRS, which has potent anti-angiogenic activity
      mediated through its extracellular interaction with VE-cadherin. Zinc has been
      shown to have anti-angiogenic effects and can bind to human TrpRS. However, the
      connection between zinc and the anti-angiogenic function of TrpRS has not been
      explored. Here we report that zinc binding can induce structural relaxation in
      human TrpRS to facilitate the proteolytic generation of a T2-TrpRS-like fragment.
      The zinc-binding site is likely to be contained within T2-TrpRS, and the zinc
      bound conformation of T2-TrpRS is mimicked by mutation H130R. We determined the
      crystal structure of H130R T2-TrpRS at 2.8 A resolution, which reveals
      drastically different conformation from that of wild-type (WT) T2-TrpRS. The
      conformational change creates larger binding surfaces for VE-cadherin as
      suggested by molecular dynamic simulations. Surface plasmon resonance analysis
      indicates more than 50-fold increase in binding affinity of H130R T2-TrpRS for VE
      cadherin, compared to WT T2-TrpRS. The enhanced interaction is also confirmed by
      a cell-based binding analysis. These results suggest that zinc plays an important
      role in activating TrpRS for angiogenesis regulation.

PMID- 28910575
TI  - Behaviour of biopolymeric substances in the activated sludge of an MBR system
      working with high hydraulic retention time.
AB  - This study was undertaken to analyse the activated sludge of a membrane
      bioreactor (MBR), the behaviour of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and
      soluble microbial products (SMP) as well as their biopolymers composition, in the
      activated sludge of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and their influence on membrane
      fouling were analysed. For the experiment an experimental fullscale MBR working
      with real urban wastewater at high hydraulic retention time with a variable
      sludge-retention time (SRT) was used. The MBR system worked in
      denitrification/nitrification conformation at a constant flow rate (Q = 0.45
      m3/h) with a recirculation flow rate of 4Q. The concentrations of SMP in the
      activated sludge were lower than the concentrations of EPS over the entire study,
      with humic substances being the main components of the two biopolymers. SMP and,
      more specifically, SMP carbohydrates, were the most influential biopolymers in
      membrane fouling, while for EPS and their components, no relation was found with
      fouling. The SRT and temperature were the operational variables that most
      influenced the SMP and EPS concentration, causing the increase of SRT and
      temperature a lower concentration in both biopolymers, although the effect was
      not the same for all the components, particularly for the EPS carbohydrates,
      which increased with longer SRTs. Both operational variables were also the ones
      most influential on the concentration of organic matter of the effluent, due to
      their effect on the SMP. The volatile suspended solid/total suspended solid
      (VSS/TSS) ratio in the activated sludge can be applied as a good indicator of the
      risk of membrane fouling by biopolymers in MBR systems.

PMID- 28910576
TI  - Impact of Staphylococcus aureus regulatory mutations that modulate biofilm
      formation in the USA300 strain LAC on virulence in a murine bacteremia model.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus causes acute and chronic forms of infection, the latter
      often associated with formation of a biofilm. It has previously been demonstrated
      that mutation of atl, codY, rot, sarA, and sigB limits biofilm formation in the
      USA300 strain LAC while mutation of agr, fur, and mgrA has the opposite effect.
      Here we used a murine sepsis model to assess the impact of these same loci in
      acute infection. Mutation of agr, atl, and fur had no impact on virulence, while
      mutation of mgrA and rot increased virulence. In contrast, mutation of codY,
      sarA, and sigB significantly attenuated virulence. Mutation of sigB resulted in
      reduced accumulation of AgrA and SarA, while mutation of sarA resulted in reduced
      accumulation of AgrA, but this cannot account for the reduced virulence of sarA
      or sigB mutants because the isogenic agr mutant was not attenuated. Indeed, as
      assessed by accumulation of alpha toxin and protein A, all of the mutants we
      examined exhibited unique phenotypes by comparison to an agr mutant and to each
      other. Attenuation of the sarA, sigB and codY mutants was correlated with
      increased production of extracellular proteases and global changes in
      extracellular protein profiles. These results suggest that the inability to
      repress the production of extracellular proteases plays a key role in attenuating
      the virulence of S. aureus in acute as well as chronic, biofilm-associated
      infections, thus opening up the possibility that strategies aimed at the de
      repression of protease production could be used to broad therapeutic advantage.
      They also suggest that the impact of codY, sarA, and sigB on protease production
      occurs via an agr-independent mechanism.

PMID- 28910578
TI  - Subjective Well-Being in Older Chinese and Korean Immigrants in the United
      States: Effects of Self-Rated Health and Employment Status.
AB  - This study examined the effects of association between self-rated health and
      employment status on subjective well-being among older Chinese and Korean
      immigrants in the United States. Data were collected from 171 Chinese and 205
      Korean older adult immigrants living in Los Angeles County. The primary variables
      included demographic data, subjective index of well-being, self-rated health, and
      employment status. Data support the association between self-rated health and
      subjective well-being for both groups. Employment, education, and age were
      associated with the level of subjective well-being only for older Korean
      immigrants. Similarities and differences were noted in these two Asian American
      subgroups. Findings suggest the need to develop health promotion services for
      both populations and employment opportunities targeted more so for Korean older
      immigrants to further support their subjective well-being. Results may have
      implications for other for older immigrants.

PMID- 28910577
TI  - Subnuclear distribution of proteins: Links with genome architecture.
AB  - Metazoan genomes have a hierarchal 3-dimensional (3D) organization scaling from
      nucleosomes, loops, topologically associating domains (TADs), compartments, to
      chromosome territories. The 3D organization of genome has been linked with
      development, differentiation and disease. However, the principles governing the
      3D chromatin architecture are just beginning to get unraveled. The nucleus has
      very high concentration of proteins and these proteins are either diffusely
      distributed throughout the nucleus, or aggregated in the form of
      foci/bodies/clusters/speckles or in combination of both. Several evidences
      suggest that the distribution of proteins within the nuclear space is linked to
      the organization and function of genome. Here, we describe advances made in
      understanding the relationship between subnuclear distribution of proteins and
      genome architecture.

PMID- 28910579
TI  - Phosphorylation is required for the pathogen defense function of the Arabidopsis
      PEN3 ABC transporter.
AB  - The Arabidopsis PEN3 ABC transporter accumulates at sites of pathogen detection,
      where it is involved in defense against a number of pathogens. Perception of
      PAMPs by pattern recognition receptors initiates recruitment of PEN3 and also
      leads to PEN3 phosphorylation at multiple amino acid residues. Whether PAMP
      induced phosphorylation of PEN3 is important for its defense function or focal
      recruitment has not been addressed. In this study, we evaluated the role of PEN3
      phosphorylation in modulating the localization and defense function of the
      transporter. We report that PEN3 phosphorylation is critical for its function in
      defense, but dispensable for recruitment to powdery mildew penetration sites.
      These results indicate that PAMP-induced phosphorylation is likely to regulate
      the transport activity of PEN3.

PMID- 28910580
TI  - Differential responses of cell wall bound phenolic compounds in sensitive and
      tolerant varieties of rice in response to salinity.
AB  - In plants, cell wall bound phenolics change in response to stress. The aim of the
      study was to investigate the effect of NaCl induced stress on wall bound
      phenolics in four rice varieties, of which two (Bhutnath, Nonabokra) were salt
      tolerant and two (MTU 7029, Sujala) were salt sensitive. After germination,
      seedlings were grown in hydroponic solution and subjected to salinity stress (25
      mM, 50 mM, 100 mM and 150 mM NaCl) on day 12. Wall bound phenolic compounds were
      determined by GC-MS based metabolite analysis. Total seven wall bound phenols
      were identified from the leaf tissues and eight from the root tissues. Ferulic
      acid and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid were found in all the four varieties. After NaCl
      treatment, these two wall bound phenols increased in the leaves of tolerant
      varieties only. Significant inverse correlation between leaf length and leaf
      fresh weight with wall bound ferulic acid and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid in Nonabokra
      suggests the positive role of these wall bound phenolics in salt tolerance.

PMID- 28910581
TI  - Aminoacyl-tRNA quality control is required for efficient activation of the TOR
      pathway regulator Gln3p.
AB  - The aminoacylation status of the cellular tRNA pool regulates both general amino
      acid control (GAAC) and target of rapamycin (TOR) stress response pathways in
      yeast. Consequently, fidelity of translation at the level of aminoacyl-tRNA
      synthesis plays a central role in determining accuracy and sensitivity of stress
      responses. To investigate effects of translational quality control (QC) on cell
      physiology under stress conditions, phenotypic microarray analyses were used to
      identify changes in QC deficient cells. Nitrogen source growth assays showed QC
      deficient yeast grew differently compared to WT. The QC deficient strain was more
      tolerant to caffeine treatment than wild type through altered interactions with
      the TOR and GAAC pathways. Increased caffeine tolerance of the QC deficient
      strain was consistent with the observation that the activity of Gln3p, a
      transcription factor controlled by the TOR pathway, is decreased in the QC
      deficient strain compared to WT. GCN4 translation, which is typically repressed
      in the absence of nutritional stress, was enhanced in the QC deficient strain
      through TOR inhibition. QC did not impact cell cycle regulation; however, the
      chronological lifespan of QC deficient yeast strains decreased compared to wild
      type, likely due to translational errors and alteration of the TOR-associated
      regulon. These findings support the idea that changes in translational fidelity
      provide a mechanism of cellular adaptation by modulating TOR activity. This, in
      turn, supports a central role for aminoacyl-tRNA synthesis QC in the integrated
      stress response by maintaining the proper aa-tRNA pools necessary to coordinate
      the GAAC and TOR.

PMID- 28910583
TI  - Performance evaluation of startup for a yeast membrane bioreactor (MBRy) treating
      landfill leachate.
AB  - The startup process of a membrane bioreactor inoculated with yeast biomass
      (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and used in the treatment of landfill leachate was
      evaluated. The yeast membrane bioreactor (MBRy) was inoculated with an exogenous
      inoculum, a granulated active dry commercial bakers' yeast. The MBRy was
      successfully started up with a progressive increase in the landfill leachate
      percentage in the MBRy feed and the use of Sabouraud Dextrose Broth. The membrane
      plays an important role in the startup phase because of its full biomass
      retention and removal of organic matter. MBRy is a suitable and promising process
      to treat recalcitrant landfill leachate. After the acclimation period, the COD
      and NH3 removal efficiency reached values of 72 +/- 3% and 39 +/- 2%
      respectively. MBRy shows a low membrane-fouling potential. The membrane fouling
      was influenced by soluble microbial products, extracellular polymeric substances,
      sludge particle size, and colloidal dissolved organic carbon.

PMID- 28910582
TI  - Model-based performance and energy analyses of reverse osmosis to reuse
      wastewater in a PVC production site.
AB  - A pilot-scale reverse osmosis (RO) followed behind a membrane bioreactor (MBR)
      was developed for the desalination to reuse wastewater in a PVC production site.
      The solution-diffusion-film model (SDFM) based on the solution-diffusion model
      (SDM) and the film theory was proposed to describe rejections of electrolyte
      mixtures in the MBR effluent which consists of dominant ions (Na+ and Cl-) and
      several trace ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ and SO42-). The universal global optimisation
      method was used to estimate the ion permeability coefficients (B) and mass
      transfer coefficients (K) in SDFM. Then, the membrane performance was evaluated
      based on the estimated parameters which demonstrated that the theoretical
      simulations were in line with the experimental results for the dominant ions.
      Moreover, an energy analysis model with the consideration of limitation imposed
      by the thermodynamic restriction was proposed to analyse the specific energy
      consumption of the pilot-scale RO system in various scenarios.

PMID- 28910584
TI  - Problematic Gaming Behavior Among Finnish Junior High School Students: Relation
      to Socio-Demographics and Gaming Behavior Characteristics.
AB  - Multiplatform digital media use and gaming have been increased in recent years.
      The aim of this study was to examine associations between sociodemographics and
      digital gaming behavior characteristics (i.e., gaming time, medium, and genres)
      with problematic gaming behavior in adolescents. A convenience sample of Finnish
      junior high school students (n = 560; mean age 14 years, ranging from 12 to 16
      years) participated in the cross-sectional survey, of which, 83% (n = 465)
      reported having played digital games regularly. Sociodemographic data, different
      forms of digital media use, gaming behavior characteristics and problematic
      gaming behavior was assessed. Study participants spent on average one hour per
      day playing digital games; casual games (23.9%), shooting games (19.8%), and
      sport games (12.9%), were the most popular games among participants. By using
      regression analysis, a blended family structure and gaming time related
      positively to problematic gaming behavior. Preferences for game genres such as
      solo, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing and strategy-management games
      were also positively associated with problematic use of digital games. These
      findings provide knowledge that can be utilized in the prevention of the possible
      negative consequences of digital gaming.

PMID- 28910585
TI  - Analysis of glycols, glycol ethers, and other volatile organic compounds present
      in household water-based hand pump sprays.
AB  - The aim of this investigation is to clarify the types and concentrations of VOCs
      present in various commercial household water-based hand pump spray products used
      in Japan, and to estimate their average concentrations in indoor air when the
      spray product is used. We selected glycol and glycol ethers as the main target
      compounds, as these chemicals were detected at high frequencies and
      concentrations in a national survey of Japanese indoor air pollution. The
      extraction of these chemicals using graphite carbon cartridges was examined, with
      good recoveries and reproducibilities being obtained. Eighteen chemicals were
      analyzed in 54 commercial products and 8 chemicals were detected. More
      specifically, dipropylene glycol (DPG) was present in 44 samples (1.1 * 101-1.8 *
      104 MUg/mL); propylene glycol (PG) was present in 22 samples (1.5 * 101-2.9 * 104
      MUg/mL); diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DGMEE) was found in 15 samples (trace
      amount-1.9 * 103 MUg/mL); diethylene glycol (DEG) was present in 9 samples (1.0 *
      101-2.4 * 103 MUg/mL); 1,3-butandiol (13BG) was found in 5 samples (trace amount
      7.4 * 103 MUg/mL); 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (2E1H) was detected in 5 samples (3.2 * 10-1
      4.4 * 101 MUg/mL); diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DGMBE) was present in 4
      samples (2.1 * 101-7.1 * 101 MUg/mL); and 3-methoxy-3-methylbutanol (MMB) was
      found in 2 samples (2.4 * 101-4.7 * 102 MUg/mL). In addition, the average
      concentrations of these chemicals in indoor air were estimated using their
      maximum concentrations observed in the spray product. The estimated average
      concentrations of the chemicals in indoor air were determined to range between
      1.0 * 10-2 and 1.0 mg/m3, with the exception of 2E1H and DGMBE. Furthermore, the
      estimated average concentrations of PG, 13BG, and DGMEE in indoor air were
      comparable to or higher than those reported in a national survey of Japanese
      indoor air pollution. It therefore appeared that household water-based hand pump
      sprays may contribute to the presence of these chemicals in indoor air. In
      contrast, estimated average concentrations of 2E1H in indoor air were low, its
      concentrations observed in a national survey of Japanese indoor air pollution are
      likely due to the use of plasticizers and paints.

PMID- 28910586
TI  - Global and regional cardiac function in lifelong endurance athletes with and
      without myocardial fibrosis.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to compare cardiac structure as well as global
      and regional cardiac function in athletes with and without myocardial fibrosis
      (MF). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with late gadolinium enhancement was
      used to detect MF and global cardiac structure in nine lifelong veteran endurance
      athletes (58 +/- 5 years, 43 +/- 5 years of training). Transthoracic
      echocardiography using tissue-Doppler and myocardial strain imaging assessed
      global and regional (18 segments) longitudinal left ventricular function. MF was
      present in four athletes (range 1-8 g) and not present in five athletes. MF was
      located near the insertion points of the right ventricular free wall on the left
      ventricle in three athletes and in the epicardial lateral wall in one athlete.
      Athletes with MF demonstrated a larger end diastolic volume (205 +/- 24 vs 173 +/
      18 ml) and posterior wall thickness (11 +/- 1 vs 9 +/- 1 mm) compared to those
      without MF. The presence of MF did not mediate global tissue velocities or global
      longitudinal strain and strain rate; however, regional analysis of longitudinal
      strain demonstrated reduced function in some fibrotic regions. Furthermore, base
      to apex gradient was affected in three out of four athletes with MF. Lifelong
      veteran endurance athletes with MF demonstrate larger cardiac dimensions and
      normal global cardiac function. Fibrotic areas may demonstrate some co-localised
      regional cardiac dysfunction, evidenced by an affected cardiac strain and base to
      apex gradient. These data emphasize the heterogeneous phenotype of MF in
      athletes.

PMID- 28910587
TI  - Trichosanthin attenuates vascular injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia following
      balloon catheter injury in rats.
AB  - Trichosanthin (TCS), isolated from the root tuber of Trichosantheskirilowii, a
      well-known traditional Chinese medicinal plant, belonging to the Cucurbitaceae
      family, was found to exhibit numerous biological and pharmacological activities
      including anti-inflammatory. However, the effects of TCS on arterial injury
      induced neointimal hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration remains poorly
      understood. The aim of study was to examine the effectiveness of TCS on arterial
      injury-mediated inflammatory processes and underlying mechanisms. A balloon
      injured carotid artery induced injury in vivo in rats was established as a model
      of vascular injury. After 1 day TCS at 20, 40, or 80 mg/kg/day was administered
      intraperitoneally, daily for 14 days. Subsequently, the carotid artery was
      excised and taken for immunohistochemical staining. Data showed that TCS
      significantly dose-dependently reduced balloon injury-induced neointima formation
      in the carotid artery model rat, accompanied by markedly decreased positive
      expression percentage proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). In the in vitro
      study vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) were cultured, proliferation stimulated
      with platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) (20 ng/ml) and TCS at 1, 2, or 4
      MUM added. Data demonstrated that TCS inhibited proliferation and cell cycle
      progression of VSMC induced by PDGF-BB. Further, TCS significantly lowered mRNA
      expression of cyclinD1, cyclinE1, and c-fos, and protein expression levels of
      Akt1, Akt2, and mitogen-activated protein kinase MAPK (ERK1) signaling pathway
      mediated by PDGF-BB. These findings indicate that TCS inhibits vascular
      neointimal hyperplasia induced by vascular injury in rats by suppression of VSMC
      proliferation and migration, which may involve inhibition of Akt/MAPK/ERK signal
      pathway.

PMID- 28910588
TI  - Control Strategy in Movements with Transmission Delay.
AB  - The strategy used by participants was studied when making movements in a Fitts
      movement paradigm with transmission delay between control input and display
      output. Fitts' law in the modified form developed by E. R. Hoffmann (1992) gave
      an excellent description of the data. Movement time could also be expressed as a
      function of the total delay time (number of submovements * transmission delay)
      and Fitts' index of difficulty (ID). Two types of submovement were identified,
      being step and drag forms. The number of step submovements was the most important
      in determining movement time. These were related to a move-and-wait strategy used
      by participants. Number of submovements increased with the level of ID and
      transmission delay and was linearly related to the ID and product of ID by
      transmission delay.

PMID- 28910589
TI  - Persistent organic pollutants and related biological responses measured in
      coastal fish using chemical and biological screening methods.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution, levels of
      dioxin-like compounds (DLC), and biological responses in two fish species. The
      viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) was collected from various locations in
      the Baltic Sea and in fjords of Kattegat and Skagerrak, while shorthorn sculpin
      (Myoxocephalus scorpius) was obtained at the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)
      polluted site in North West Greenland. Significant differences were detected both
      in contaminant levels and relative contributions from either polychlorinated
      dibenzodioxins (PCDD) or polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF or furans) and mono
      ortho- and non-ortho (coplanar) polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCB). Fish from the
      eastern Baltic Sea generally displayed higher contributions from PCDD/F compared
      to dl-PCB, whereas dl-PCB were generally predominated in fish from Danish,
      Swedish, and German sites. Levels of dl-PCB in muscle tissues were above OSPAR
      environmental assessment criteria (EAC) for PCB118, indicating a potential risk
      of adverse biological effects in the ecosystem, whereas levels of the total WHO
      TEQs were below threshold for sea food suggesting limited risks for humans. No
      significant relationships between levels of DLC (expressed as WHO-TEQ), and
      biological responses such as the induction of CYP1A enzymatic activity and fry
      reproductive disorders were observed in eelpout. No marked relationship between
      WHO-TEQ and combined biological aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated transactivity
      (expressed as AhR-TEQ) was noted. However, there was a positive correlation
      between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites and induction of CYP1A
      activity, suggesting that PAH exhibited greater potential than DLC to produce
      biological effects in eelpout from the Baltic Sea.

PMID- 28910590
TI  - Redox-mediator-free degradation of sulfathiazole and tetracycline using
      Phanerochaete chrysosporium.
AB  - The removal of two of the most commonly used antibiotics, tetracycline (TC) and
      sulfathiazole (STZ), using laccase-producing Phanerochaete chrysosporium was
      studied in liquid-phase batch experiments in the absence of any synthetic redox
      mediator. The removal of STZ and TC from single antibiotic spikes varied from
      97.8% to 15.4% and 98.8% to 31%, respectively, with increasing initial doses of
      10-250 mg L-1 within 14 days of incubation. The enzyme activity of P.
      chrysosporium was only minimally influenced by the concentrations of these
      antibiotics. The degradation of antibiotics initiated before an appreciable
      extracellular enzyme activity was noted in the fungal culture. The appearance of
      low-molecular weight molecular fragments from parent antibiotics in liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry confirmed the biodegradation process.

PMID- 28910591
TI  - The denial of the association between youth cannabis and opiate use: A "Split
      Brain Syndrome"?

PMID- 28910592
TI  - Optimization of process condition for the preparation of amine-impregnated
      activated carbon developed for CO2 capture and applied to methylene blue
      adsorption by response surface methodology.
AB  - The present research describes the optimal adsorption condition for methylene
      blue (MB). The adsorbent used here was monoethanol amine-impregnated activated
      carbon (MEA-AC) prepared from green coconut shell. Response surface methodology
      (RSM) is the multivariate statistical technique used for the optimization of the
      process variables. The central composite design is used to determine the effect
      of activation temperature, activation time and impregnation ratio on the MB
      removal. The percentage (%) MB adsorption by MEA-AC is evaluated as a response of
      the system. A quadratic model was developed for response. From the analysis of
      variance, the factor which was the most influential on the experimental design
      response has been identified. The optimum condition for the preparation of MEA-AC
      from green coconut shells is the temperature of activation 545.6 degrees C,
      activation time of 41.64 min and impregnation ratio of 0.33 to achieve the
      maximum removal efficiency of 98.21%. At the same optimum parameter, the % MB
      removal from the textile-effluent industry was examined and found to be 96.44%.

PMID- 28910593
TI  - Construction of a North American Cancer Survival Index to Measure Progress of
      Cancer Control Efforts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Population-based cancer survival data provide insight into the
      effectiveness of health care delivery. Comparing survival for all cancer sites
      combined is challenging, because the primary cancer site and age distribution of
      patients may differ among areas or change over time. Cancer survival indices
      (CSIs) are summary measures of survival for cancers of all sites combined and are
      used in England and Europe to monitor temporal trends and examine geographic
      differences in survival. We describe the construction of the North American
      Cancer Survival Index and demonstrate how it can be used to compare survival by
      geographic area and by race. METHODS: We used data from 36 US cancer registries
      to estimate relative survival ratios for people diagnosed with cancer from 2006
      through 2012 to create the CSI: the weighted sum of age-standardized, site
      specific, relative survival ratios, with weights derived from the distribution of
      incident cases by sex and primary site from 2006 through 2008. The CSI was
      calculated for 32 registries for all races, 31 registries for whites, and 12
      registries for blacks. RESULTS: The survival estimates standardized by age only
      versus age-, sex-, and site-standardized (CSI) were 64.1% (95% confidence
      interval [CI], 64.1%-64.2%) and 63.9% (95% CI, 63.8%-63.9%), respectively, for
      the United States for all races combined. The inter-registry ranges in
      unstandardized and CSI estimates decreased from 12.3% to 5.0% for whites, and
      from 5.4% to 3.9% for blacks. We found less inter-registry variation in CSI
      estimates than in unstandardized all-sites survival estimates, but disparities by
      race persisted. CONCLUSIONS: CSIs calculated for different jurisdictions or
      periods are directly comparable, because they are standardized by age, sex, and
      primary site. A national CSI could be used to measure temporal progress in
      meeting public health objectives, such as Healthy People 2030.

PMID- 28910594
TI  - Concordance Between Common Hypertension Control Algorithms in Electronic Medical
      Record Data.
AB  - Because quality improvement metrics and treatment guidelines are used to conduct
      research, evaluate care quality, and assess population health, they should,
      ideally, align. We used electronic medical record data to analyze variation
      between blood pressure control estimates calculated by using thresholds derived
      from National Quality Forum 0018 (NQF 0018) and Joint National Committee (JNC)
      treatment guidelines in a cohort of patients with hypertension. Percentage of
      patients with controlled blood pressure derived from each quality improvement or
      treatment guideline cutoff varied up to 16.1 percentage points. This variance
      demonstrates that discrepancies in blood pressure thresholds produce considerable
      variation in estimates; thus, treatment guidance and metrics should be selected
      carefully.

PMID- 28910595
TI  - A Method for Evaluating Physical Activity Programs in Schools.
AB  - Providing opportunities for students to be physically active during the school
      day leads to increased academic performance, better focus, and fewer behavioral
      problems. As schools begin to incorporate more physical activity programming into
      the school day, evaluators need methods to measure how much physical activity
      students are being offered through this programming. Because classroom-based
      physical activity is often offered in 3-minute to 5-minute bouts at various times
      of the day, depending on the teachers' time to incorporate it, it is a challenge
      to evaluate this activity. This article describes a method to estimate the number
      of physical activity minutes provided before, during, and after school. The web
      based tool can be used to gather data cost-effectively from a large number of
      schools. Strategies to increase teacher response rates and assess intensity of
      activity should be explored.

PMID- 28910596
TI  - Recombinant Viral Vaccines Expressing Merozoite Surface Protein-1 Induce Antibody
      and T Cell-Mediated Multistage Protection against Malaria.

PMID- 28910597
TI  - Predictors of change in social networks, support and satisfaction following a
      first episode psychosis: A cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diminished social networks are common in psychosis but few studies
      have measured these comprehensively and prospectively to determine how networks
      and support evolve during the early phase. There is little information regarding
      perceived support in the early phase of illness. The aim of this study was to
      describe social support, networks and perceived satisfaction, explore the
      clinical correlates of these outcomes and examine whether phases of untreated
      psychosis are linked with social network variables to determine potential
      opportunities for intervention. METHODS: During the study period, we assessed 222
      people with first-episode psychosis at entry into treatment using valid and
      reliable measures of diagnosis, positive and negative symptoms, periods of
      untreated psychosis and prodrome and premorbid adjustment. For follow-up we
      contacted participants to conduct a second assessment (n=158). There were 97
      people who participated which represented 61% of those eligible. Social network
      and support information obtained at both time points included the number of
      friends, self-reported satisfaction with support and social network size and
      clinician's evaluation of the degree of support received through networks. Mixed
      effects modelling determined the contribution of potential explanatory variables
      to social support measured. RESULTS: A number of clinical variables were linked
      with social networks, support and perceived support and satisfaction. The size of
      networks did not change over time but those with no friends and duration of
      untreated psychosis was significantly longer for those with no friends at entry
      into treatment (n=129, Median=24.5mths, IQR=7.25-69.25; Mann-Whitney U=11.78,
      p=0.008). Social support at baseline and at one year was predicted by
      homelessness (t=-2.98, p=0.001, CI -4.74 to -1.21), duration of untreated
      psychosis (t=-0.86, p=0.031, CI -1.65 to -0.08) and premorbid adjustment (t=
      2.26, p=0.017, CI -4.11 to -0.42). Social support improved over time but the
      duration of untreated psychosis was not linked with the rate of improvement in
      this outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Improved social support could indicate greater
      reliance on social support or becoming more adept at mobilising resources to meet
      social needs. Particularly vulnerable groups with very long duration of untreated
      psychosis confirm the need for earlier intervention or targeted social network
      interventions to preserve social connectedness.

PMID- 28910598
TI  - Why does happiness matter? Understanding the relation between positive emotion
      and health outcomes.

PMID- 28910599
TI  - A meta-analytic review on social relationships and suicidal ideation among older
      adults.
AB  - Social relationships play an important role in mental health as well as suicidal
      ideation in later life. In contrast with the other well-established risk factors,
      despite an increasing number of related studies, no meta-analyses focusing on
      social relationships and late-life suicidal ideation have been published.
      Synthesis of data across the studies using different measurements of social
      relationships would allow for comparison of the effects on late-life suicidal
      ideation that have not been studied before. Therefore, we conducted a meta
      analysis on the studies published between January 1, 2000 and November 31, 2016
      extracted from 7 medical and social science databases. 31 studies with 83
      estimates of Odds Ratios ("ORs") on the associations between social relationships
      and late-life suicidal ideation were identified to compute effect sizes using a
      random-effect model. Sensitivity analyses were also performed to evaluate their
      heterogeneity and bias. Moderator analyses were further conducted to determine
      moderating factors of the associations. Eventually, across the 31 studies
      (203,152 participants), the overall random effect size was OR = 1.57(95% CI
      [1.40, 1.76]), indicating a 57% likelihood increase of suicidal ideation for
      elderly participants with discordant social relationships. The functional
      measures (OR = 1.77; 95%CI [1.48, 2.10]) of social relationships, however, were
      more predictive than structural measures (OR = 1.37; 95%CI [1.25, 1.51]). Among
      all the measures of social relationships, elderly mistreatment (OR = 2.31; 95%CI
      [1.81, 2.94]) had the strongest effect size, followed by perceived loneliness (OR
      = 2.24; 95%CI [1.73, 2.90]) and poorly perceived social support (OR = 1.59; 95%
      CI [1.37, 1.83]). The associations between social relationships and late-life
      suicidal ideation were moderated by country income levels, social-cultural
      context, study types, and various measurements of social relationships. More
      importantly, our study is the first meta-analysis to provide significant evidence
      for improving social relationships, especially in perceived bonds, is a promising
      strategy in reducing late-life suicide risks.

PMID- 28910600
TI  - An acceptor analogue of beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase: Substrate, inhibitor, or
      both?
AB  - Many glycosyltransferase inhibitors in the literature are structurally derived
      from the donor or acceptor substrate of the respective enzyme. A representative
      example is 2-naphthyl beta-d-GlcNAc, a synthetic GlcNAc glycoside that has been
      reported as a galactosyltransferase inhibitor. This GlcNAc derivative is
      attractive as a chemical tool compound for biological and biochemical studies
      because of its reported potency as an inhibitor, and its short and
      straightforward synthesis from readily available starting materials. We report
      that in our hands, 2-naphthyl beta-d-GlcNAc behaved, unexpectedly, as an acceptor
      substrate of the inverting beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase (beta-1,4-GalT) from
      bovine milk. This substrate activity has not previously been described. We found
      that 2-naphthyl beta-d-GlcNAc can be an acceptor substrate both for recombinantly
      expressed beta-1,4-GalT, and for a commercial batch of the same enzyme, and both
      in the presence and absence of bovine serum albumin (BSA). As expected for a full
      acceptor substrate, this substrate activity was time- and concentration
      dependent. Additional experiments show that the observed inhibitor/substrate
      switch is facilitated by a phosphatase that is an essential component of our
      enzyme-coupled glycosyltransferase assay. These findings suggest that the
      behaviour of 2-naphthyl beta-d-GlcNAc and related acceptor-based
      glycosyltransferase inhibitors is strongly dependent on the individual assay
      conditions. Our results therefore have important implications for the use of 2
      naphthyl beta-d-GlcNAc and related glycosides as tool compounds in glycobiology
      and glycobiochemistry.

PMID- 28910601
TI  - Identification of plasma biomarkers for distinguishing bipolar depression from
      major depressive disorder by iTRAQ-coupled LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis.
AB  - It is important to differentiate between bipolar disorder (BD) and major
      depressive disorder (MDD) in the first depressive episode because of the
      potential treatment implications. Previous studies have mainly focused on the
      different clinical features or pathological biomarkers to distinguish these two
      diseases; however, a better understanding of the proteomics profiling of BD may
      help aid future therapeutic strategies. Here, we applied isobaric tags for
      relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technology combined with liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify differentially
      expressed proteins between MDD and bipolar depression (BP). In total, 30 MDD, 30
      BP and 30 healthy subjects were included. Proteins from depleted plasma samples
      were digested into peptides, individually labeled with iTRAQ reagents, combined
      and subjected to LC-MS/MS and further bioinformatics analyses. Our results showed
      that 9 proteins were significantly altered between MDD and BP. Briefly, B2RAN2,
      B4E1B2, APOA1, ENG, SBSN and QSOX2 were up-regulated, whereas ORM1, MRC2 and SLPI
      were down-regulated. Most identified proteins were related to the immune system.
      The bioinformatics analysis showed that B2RAN2 (highly similar to vanin-1) was
      involved in the significantly enriched KEGG pathways "pantothenate and CoA
      biosynthesis" (P=0.009). B2RAN2 and ENG may play important roles in depression.
      They may serve as candidate biomarkers for distinguishing MDD and BP. Further
      validation and investigation are required to illuminate the roles of B2RAN2 and
      ENG in MDD and BP. The current study provided a potential and novel biomarker
      panel that may, in turn, aid the diagnosis of BD.

PMID- 28910602
TI  - Hair cortisol concentration in preschoolers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      symptoms-Roles of gender and family adversity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies on the association between hypothalamic-pituitary
      adrenal axis (HPAA) activity and ADHD yielded inconsistent findings, particularly
      in younger children. This might be due to the heterogeneity of the disorder,
      making moderator effects of variables probable, which circumscribe more
      homogenous subgroups. There have been indications of moderator effects on this
      association by gender of child and exposure to family adversity. Moreover,
      difficulties in capturing long-term basal HPAA activity in younger children might
      have contributed to the inconsistencies. We therefore analyzed moderator effects
      of gender and family adversity while using the hair cortisol concentration (HCC)
      to assess integrated long-term HPAA. METHODS: The community-based sample
      consisted of 122 4-5-year-old preschoolers (71 screened positive for elevated
      ADHD symptoms). ADHD symptoms were measured by a clinical parent interview and
      parent and teacher questionnaires. HCC in the most proximal 3-cm scalp hair
      segment was analyzed using luminescence immunoassay. An extended family adversity
      index was used. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear regression analyses yielded an
      interaction effect (p<.05) between ADHD symptom groups and gender on HCC,
      indicating a low HCC in boys with elevated ADHD symptoms. Further exploratory
      analyses revealed that this interaction effect was most pronounced under the
      condition of family adversity. The results held after controlling for
      oppositional, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Low HCC might
      indicate a specific pathogenic mechanism in boys with elevated ADHD symptoms.
      This mechanism might further involve an exposure to family adversity. However,
      the results need to be cross-validated before definitive conclusions can be
      drawn.

PMID- 28910604
TI  - Ovarioleukodystrophy in Chinese Han: A case report.

PMID- 28910603
TI  - Apolipoprotein A-IV constrains HPA and behavioral stress responsivity in a strain
      dependent manner.
AB  - There is a critical gap in our knowledge of the mechanisms that govern
      interactions between daily life experiences (e.g., stress) and metabolic
      diseases, despite evidence that stress can have profound effects on
      cardiometabolic health. Apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) is a protein found in
      chylomicrons (lipoprotein particles that transport lipids throughout the body)
      where it participates in lipid handling and the regulation of peripheral
      metabolism. Moreover, apoA-IV is expressed in brain regions that regulate energy
      balance including the arcuate nucleus. Given that both peripheral and central
      metabolic processes are important modulators of hypothalamic-pituitary
      adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity, the present work tests the hypothesis that
      apoA-IV activity affects stress responses. As emerging data suggests that apoA-IV
      actions can vary with background strain, we also explore the strain-dependence of
      apoA-IV stress regulation. These studies assess HPA axis, metabolic
      (hyperglycemia), and anxiety-related behavioral responses to psychogenic stress
      in control (wildtype) and apoA-IV-deficient (KO) mice on either the C57Bl/6J
      (C57) or 129*1/SvJ (129) background strain. The results indicate that apoA-IV KO
      increases post-stress corticosterone and anxiety-related behavior specifically in
      the 129 strain, and increases stress-induced hyperglycemia exclusively in the C57
      strain. These data support the hypothesis that apoA-IV is a novel factor that
      limits stress reactivity in a manner that depends on genetic background. An
      improved understanding of the complex relationship among lipid homeostasis,
      stress sensitivity, and genetics is needed to optimize the development of
      personalized treatments for stress- and metabolism-related diseases.

PMID- 28910605
TI  - Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia after microsurgery for vestibular
      schwannoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Postoperative complications occurred in about 30% patients after
      vestibular schwannoma (VS) microsurgical excision. Although many specific
      complications have been extensively studied, postoperative pneumonia (POP) has
      received little attention. This study was designed to identify the risk factors
      for POP after microsurgery for VS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing VS
      microsurgical resection (n=244) between December 2014 and November 2016 at West
      China Hospital of Sichuan University were retrospectively assessed for POP.
      Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors
      for POP. RESULTS: POP (Clavien-Dindo grade II or higher) was diagnosed in 29
      (11.9%) patients. Univariate analysis revealed that age (>=60years; p=0.013),
      diabetes mellitus (DM; p=0.040) and Koos grade IV (p=0.017) were significantly
      associated with POP. Multivariate analysis revealed that these factors were all
      independent risk factors for POP. Association between POP and prolonged
      postoperative hospitalization was also revealed. However, no risk factor
      associated with severity of POP was found in this study. CONCLUSION: Older age,
      DM and Koos grade IV were identified as independent risk factors for POP after
      microsurgery for VS Moreover, POP caused a prolonged hospital stay.

PMID- 28910606
TI  - Multivariate analysis as a key tool in chemotaxonomy of brinjal eggplant, African
      eggplants and wild related species.
AB  - The brinjal eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important vegetable species
      worldwide, while African eggplants (S. aethiopicum L., S. macrocarpon L.) are
      indigenous vegetable species of local significance. Taxonomy of eggplants and
      their wild relatives is complicated and still unclear. Hence, the objective of
      the study was to clarify taxonomic position of cultivars and landraces of
      brinjal, its wild relatives and African eggplant species and their wild ancestors
      using chemotaxonomic markers and multivariate analysis techniques for data
      processing, with special attention paid to the recognition of markers
      characteristic for each group of the plants. The total of 34 accessions belonging
      to 9 species from genus Solanum L. were used in the study. Chemotaxonomic
      analysis was based on the profiles of cuticular n-alkanes and methylalkanes,
      obtained using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography with
      flame ionization detector. Standard hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and
      principal component analysis (PCA) were used for the classification, while the
      latter and two-way HCA allowed to identify markers responsible for the clustering
      of the species. Cultivars, landraces and wild forms of S. melongena were
      practically identical in terms of their taxonomic position. The results confirmed
      high and statistically significant distinctiveness of all African eggplant
      species from the brinjal eggplant. The latter was characterized mostly by
      abundant long chain hydrocarbons in the range of 34-37 carbon atoms. The
      differences between both African eggplant species were, however, also
      statistically significant; S. aethiopicum displayed the highest contribution of 2
      methylalkanes to the total cuticular hydrocarbons, while S. macrocarpon was
      characterized by elevated n-alkanes in the range of 25-32 carbon atoms. Wild
      ancestors of both African eggplant species were identical with their cultivated
      relatives. Concluding, high usefulness of the chemotaxonomic approach in
      classification of this important group of plants was confirmed.

PMID- 28910607
TI  - Molecular cloning and functional expression of Lewis type alpha1,3/alpha1,4
      fucosyltransferase cDNAs from Mangifera indica L.
AB  - In higher plants, complex type N-glycans contain characteristic carbohydrate
      moieties that are not found in mammals. In particular, the attachment of the
      Lewis a (Lea) epitope is currently the only known outer chain elongation that is
      present in plant N-glycans. Such a modification is of great interest in terms of
      the biological function of complex type N-glycans in plant species. However,
      little is known regarding the exact molecular basis underlying their Lea
      expression. In the present study, we cloned two novel Lewis type
      fucosyltransferases (MiFUT13) from mango fruit, Mangifera indica L.,
      heterologously expressed the proteins and structurally and functionally
      characterized them. Using an HPLC-based assay, we demonstrated that the
      recombinant MiFUT13 proteins mediate the alpha1,4-fucosylation of acceptor
      tetrasaccharides with a strict preference for type I-based structure to type II.
      The results and other findings suggest that MiFUT13s are involved in the
      biosynthesis of Lea containing glycoconjugates in mango fruits.

PMID- 28910608
TI  - Strengthening advocacy efforts with empirical evidence: A case example of the
      conduct, uptake and utilisation of research in drug policy decision-making in
      Vietnam.
AB  - During the last decade, international aid agencies and advocates have been
      working with Southeast Asian governments to move away from punitive responses
      towards people who use drugs to more public health, humane approaches. The lack
      of local scientific evidence about the effectiveness of different treatment
      approaches has made this advocacy work more challenging. This paper reflects on a
      generation of treatment research evidence and how it can assist advocacy efforts.
      The case example is the cost-effectiveness research, comparing centre-based
      compulsory treatment with community-based voluntary methadone maintenance
      treatment in Vietnam (2012-2015). Using our long-term and on-going connections
      with key Vietnamese decision-makers and government agencies, our collective
      experiences in drug policy advocacy and our unique insight into the working of
      government in Vietnam, we have used strategies to maximise opportunities for
      research to inform policy discussions. We have made an assessment here about the
      extent to which study findings have contributed to policy change in Vietnam and
      the challenges that impede progressive policy implementation. In doing this, we
      hope to make a contribution to the research evidence use literature.

PMID- 28910609
TI  - Categorical perception of facial expressions in individuals with non-clinical
      social anxiety.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: According to the well-established categorical
      perception (CP) of facial expressions, we decode complicated expression signals
      into simplified categories to facilitate expression processing. Expression
      processing deficits have been widely described in social anxiety (SA), but it
      remains to be investigated whether CP of expressions are affected by SA. The
      present study examined whether individuals with SA had an interpretation bias
      when processing ambiguous expressions and whether the sensitivity of their CP was
      affected by their SA. METHODS: Sixty-four participants (high SA, 30; low SA, 34)
      were selected from 658 undergraduates using the Interaction Anxiousness Scale
      (IAS). With the CP paradigm, specifically with the analysis method of the
      logistic function model, we derived the categorical boundaries (reflecting
      interpretation bias) and slopes (reflecting sensitivity of CP) of both high- and
      low-SA groups while recognizing angry-fearful, happy-angry, and happy-fearful
      expression continua. RESULTS: Based on a comparison of the categorical boundaries
      and slopes between the high- and low-SA groups, the results showed that the
      categorical boundaries between the two groups were not different for any of the
      three continua, which means that the SA does not affect the interpretation bias
      for any of the three continua. The slopes for the high-SA group were flatter than
      those for the low-SA group for both the angry-fearful and happy-angry continua,
      indicating that the high-SA group is insensitive to the subtle changes that occur
      from angry to fearful faces and from happy to angry faces. LIMITATIONS: Since
      participants were selected from a sample of undergraduates based on their IAS
      scores, the results cannot be directly generalized to individuals with clinical
      SA disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that SA does not affect
      interpretation biases in the processing of anger, fear, and happiness, but does
      modulate the sensitivity of individuals' CP when anger appears. High-SA
      individuals perceive angry expressions in a less categorical manner than the low
      SA group, but no such difference was found in the perception of happy or fearful
      expressions.

PMID- 28910610
TI  - Platelet transfusion refractoriness in patients with acute myeloid leukemia
      treated by intensive chemotherapy.
AB  - Platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR) is a major adverse event in the
      management of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In a series of 897 adult patients
      with AML receiving intensive chemotherapy, we identified 41 patients (4.8%) with
      PTR. PTR was more frequently observed in parous women, patients with extra
      medullary disease, a low white blood cell count, an infection, or hemophagocytic
      syndrome. Among the 31 patients with anti-human leucocyte antigen (HLA)
      antibodies, an HLA-matched donor was identified for 18 patients (58.1%). Median
      time between diagnosis of PTR and the first HLA-matched transfusion was 12.5days.
      HLA-matched transfusions induced a significant increment in platelet counts in
      37% of cases. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists were given to 10 patients but did
      not shorten the duration of thrombocytopenia, reduce severe bleeding, or early
      death. Grade 3-4 bleeding events during induction, early death caused by
      bleeding, and death caused by bleeding at any time were significantly greater in
      patients that had platelet transfusion refractoriness (22% vs. 4.1%, P<0.0001;
      12.2% vs. 1.4%, P=0.0006; and 24.4% vs. 5.3%, P<0.0001; respectively). PTR during
      chemotherapy for AML significantly increased the risk of early and late deaths
      caused by a severe bleeding event. Improved understanding of platelet destruction
      is needed to design mechanism-based therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28910611
TI  - Revealing a Role for NMDA Receptors in Regulating STN Inputs following the Loss
      of Dopamine.
AB  - In this issue of Neuron, Chu et al. (2017) show that dopamine depletion using a 6
      OHDA model causes a decrease in hyperdirect inputs from the motor cortex directly
      to the STN and that rescuing this loss alleviates Parkinsonian symptoms.

PMID- 28910612
TI  - Smells Familiar: Pheromone-Induced Neurotransmitter Switching Mediates Social
      Discrimination.
AB  - Social discrimination is regulated by a variety of sensory inputs. In this issue
      of Neuron, Dulcis et al. (2017) show that chemosensory-mediated kin preference in
      Xenopus is determined by changes in neurotransmitter composition, which are
      regulated by specific microRNAs.

PMID- 28910613
TI  - Resolving CNS mRNA Heterogeneity: Examining mRNA Alternative Polyadenylation at a
      Cell-Type-Specific Level.
AB  - Alternative polyadenylation often regulates mRNA isoform usage. In this issue of
      Neuron, Hwang et al. (2017) describe a powerful new cell-type-specific
      methodology, cTag-PAPERCLIP, which can be used to study alternative
      polyadenylation in the CNS.

PMID- 28910614
TI  - Movement Coding at the Mesoscale in Posterior Parietal Cortex.
AB  - Neural correlates of movement planning have been studied most commonly using
      signals isolated from single cells. However, in this issue of Neuron, Wilber et
      al. (2017) show that movement trajectories are encoded and replayed in the
      collective activity of thousands of cells at a time in the posterior parietal
      cortex.

PMID- 28910615
TI  - "Beginning with the Smallest Intake": Children's Brain Development and the Role
      of Neuroscience in Global Environmental Health.
AB  - Early exposure to environmental toxins like lead, air pollution, and arsenic can
      have long-lasting and irreversible consequences for children's neurodevelopment,
      especially in the developing world. Though the number of pollutants increases
      each year, some neuroscientists are forging partnerships to improve measurement,
      raise awareness, and promote global health.

PMID- 28910617
TI  - Whole-Cell Recording of Neuronal Membrane Potential during Behavior.
AB  - Neuronal membrane potential is of fundamental importance for the mechanistic
      understanding of brain function. This review discusses progress in whole-cell
      patch-clamp recordings for low-noise measurement of neuronal membrane potential
      in awake behaving animals. Whole-cell recordings can be combined with two-photon
      microscopy to target fluorescently labeled neurons, revealing cell-type-specific
      membrane potential dynamics of retrogradely or genetically labeled neurons. Dual
      whole-cell recordings reveal behavioral modulation of membrane potential
      synchrony and properties of synaptic transmission in vivo. Optogenetic
      manipulations are also readily integrated with whole-cell recordings, providing
      detailed information about the effect of specific perturbations on the membrane
      potential of diverse types of neurons. Exciting developments for future
      behavioral experiments include dendritic whole-cell recordings and imaging, and
      use of the whole-cell recording pipette for single-cell delivery of drugs and
      DNA, as well as RNA expression profiling. Whole-cell recordings therefore offer
      unique opportunities for investigating the neuronal circuits and synaptic
      mechanisms driving membrane potential dynamics during behavior.

PMID- 28910618
TI  - RAN Translation Regulated by Muscleblind Proteins in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2.
AB  - Several microsatellite-expansion diseases are characterized by the accumulation
      of RNA foci and RAN proteins, raising the possibility of a mechanistic
      connection. We explored this question using myotonic dystrophy type 2, a
      multisystemic disease thought to be primarily caused by RNA gain-of-function
      effects. We demonstrate that the DM2 CCTG?CAGG expansion expresses sense and
      antisense tetrapeptide poly-(LPAC) and poly-(QAGR) RAN proteins, respectively. In
      DM2 autopsy brains, LPAC is found in neurons, astrocytes, and glia in gray
      matter, and antisense QAGR proteins accumulate within white matter. LPAC and QAGR
      proteins are toxic to cells independent of RNA gain of function. RNA foci and
      nuclear sequestration of CCUG transcripts by MBNL1 is inversely correlated with
      LPAC expression. These data suggest a model that involves nuclear retention of
      expansion RNAs by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and an acute phase in which
      expansion RNAs exceed RBP sequestration capacity, are exported to the cytoplasm,
      and undergo RAN translation. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

PMID- 28910616
TI  - Neuroimmunology of Traumatic Brain Injury: Time for a Paradigm Shift.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and disability, with
      a considerable socioeconomic burden. Heterogeneity of pathoanatomical subtypes
      and diversity in the pathogenesis and extent of injury contribute to differences
      in the course and outcome of TBI. Following the primary injury, extensive and
      lasting damage is sustained through a complex cascade of events referred to as
      "secondary injury." Neuroinflammation is proposed as an important manipulable
      aspect of secondary injury in animal and human studies. Because neuroinflammation
      can be detrimental or beneficial, before developing immunomodulatory therapies,
      it is necessary to better understand the timing and complexity of the immune
      responses that follow TBI. With a rapidly increasing body of literature, there is
      a need for a clear summary of TBI neuroimmunology. This review presents our
      current understanding of the immune response to TBI in a chronological and
      compartment-based manner, highlighting early changes in gene expression and
      initial signaling pathways that lead to activation of innate and adaptive
      immunity. Based on recent advances in our understanding of innate immune cell
      activation, we propose a new paradigm to study innate immune cells following TBI
      that moves away from the existing M1/M2 classification of activation states
      toward a stimulus- and disease-specific understanding of polarization state based
      on transcriptomic and proteomic profiling.

PMID- 28910619
TI  - Loss of Hyperdirect Pathway Cortico-Subthalamic Inputs Following Degeneration of
      Midbrain Dopamine Neurons.
AB  - The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) are linked to abnormally
      correlated and coherent activity in the cortex and subthalamic nucleus (STN).
      However, in parkinsonian mice we found that cortico-STN transmission strength had
      diminished by 50%-75% through loss of axo-dendritic and axo-spinous synapses, was
      incapable of long-term potentiation, and less effectively patterned STN activity.
      Optogenetic, chemogenetic, genetic, and pharmacological interrogation suggested
      that downregulation of cortico-STN transmission in PD mice was triggered by
      increased striato-pallidal transmission, leading to disinhibition of the STN and
      increased activation of STN NMDA receptors. Knockdown of STN NMDA receptors,
      which also suppresses proliferation of GABAergic pallido-STN inputs in PD mice,
      reduced loss of cortico-STN transmission and patterning and improved motor
      function. Together, the data suggest that loss of dopamine triggers a maladaptive
      shift in the balance of synaptic excitation and inhibition in the STN, which
      contributes to parkinsonian activity and motor dysfunction.

PMID- 28910621
TI  - A Fully Automated Approach to Spike Sorting.
AB  - Understanding the detailed dynamics of neuronal networks will require the
      simultaneous measurement of spike trains from hundreds of neurons (or more).
      Currently, approaches to extracting spike times and labels from raw data are time
      consuming, lack standardization, and involve manual intervention, making it
      difficult to maintain data provenance and assess the quality of scientific
      results. Here, we describe an automated clustering approach and associated
      software package that addresses these problems and provides novel cluster quality
      metrics. We show that our approach has accuracy comparable to or exceeding that
      achieved using manual or semi-manual techniques with desktop central processing
      unit (CPU) runtimes faster than acquisition time for up to hundreds of
      electrodes. Moreover, a single choice of parameters in the algorithm is effective
      for a variety of electrode geometries and across multiple brain regions. This
      algorithm has the potential to enable reproducible and automated spike sorting of
      larger scale recordings than is currently possible.

PMID- 28910622
TI  - Dopamine Neurons Respond to Errors in the Prediction of Sensory Features of
      Expected Rewards.
AB  - Midbrain dopamine neurons have been proposed to signal prediction errors as
      defined in model-free reinforcement learning algorithms. While these algorithms
      have been extremely powerful in interpreting dopamine activity, these models do
      not register any error unless there is a difference between the value of what is
      predicted and what is received. Yet learning often occurs in response to changes
      in the unique features that characterize what is received, sometimes with no
      change in its value at all. Here, we show that classic error-signaling dopamine
      neurons also respond to changes in value-neutral sensory features of an expected
      reward. This suggests that dopamine neurons have access to a wider variety of
      information than contemplated by the models currently used to interpret their
      activity and that, while their firing may conform to predictions of these models
      in some cases, they are not restricted to signaling errors in the prediction of
      value.

PMID- 28910620
TI  - cTag-PAPERCLIP Reveals Alternative Polyadenylation Promotes Cell-Type Specific
      Protein Diversity and Shifts Araf Isoforms with Microglia Activation.
AB  - Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is increasingly recognized to regulate gene
      expression across different cell types, but obtaining APA maps from individual
      cell types typically requires prior purification, a stressful procedure that can
      itself alter cellular states. Here, we describe a new platform, cTag-PAPERCLIP,
      that generates APA profiles from single cell populations in intact tissues; cTag
      PAPERCLIP requires no tissue dissociation and preserves transcripts in native
      states. Applying cTag-PAPERCLIP to profile four major cell types in the mouse
      brain revealed common APA preferences between excitatory and inhibitory neurons
      distinct from astrocytes and microglia, regulated in part by neuron-specific RNA
      binding proteins NOVA2 and PTBP2. We further identified a role of APA in
      switching Araf protein isoforms during microglia activation, impacting production
      of downstream inflammatory cytokines. Our results demonstrate the broad
      applicability of cTag-PAPERCLIP and a previously undiscovered role of APA in
      contributing to protein diversity between different cell types and cellular
      states within the brain.

PMID- 28910624
TI  - A Sensorimotor Circuit in Mouse Cortex for Visual Flow Predictions.
AB  - The cortex is organized as a hierarchical processing structure. Feedback from
      higher levels of the hierarchy, known as top-down signals, have been shown to be
      involved in attentional and contextual modulation of sensory responses. Here we
      argue that top-down input to the primary visual cortex (V1) from A24b and the
      adjacent secondary motor cortex (M2) signals a prediction of visual flow based on
      motor output. A24b/M2 sends a dense and topographically organized projection to
      V1 that targets most neurons in layer 2/3. By imaging the activity of A24b/M2
      axons in V1 of mice learning to navigate a 2D virtual environment, we found that
      their activity was strongly correlated with locomotion and resulting visual flow
      feedback in an experience-dependent manner. When mice were trained to navigate a
      left-right inverted virtual environment, correlations of neural activity with
      behavior reversed to match visual flow. These findings are consistent with a
      predictive coding interpretation of visual processing.

PMID- 28910623
TI  - Laminar Organization of Encoding and Memory Reactivation in the Parietal Cortex.
AB  - Egocentric neural coding has been observed in parietal cortex (PC), but its
      topographical and laminar organization is not well characterized. We used multi
      site recording to look for evidence of local clustering and laminar consistency
      of linear and angular velocity encoding in multi-neuronal spiking activity (MUA)
      and in the high-frequency (300-900 Hz) component of the local field potential (HF
      LFP), believed to reflect local spiking activity. Rats were trained to run many
      trials on a large circular platform, either to LED-cued goal locations or as a
      spatial sequence from memory. Tuning to specific self-motion states was observed
      and exhibited distinct cortical depth-invariant coding properties. These patterns
      of collective local and laminar activation during behavior were reactivated in
      compressed form during post-experience sleep and temporally coupled to cortical
      delta waves and hippocampal sharp-wave ripples. Thus, PC neuron motion encoding
      is consistent across cortical laminae, and this consistency is maintained during
      memory reactivation.

PMID- 28910625
TI  - Role of soil-to-leaf tritium transfer in controlling leaf tritium dynamics:
      Comparison of experimental garden and tritium-transfer model results.
AB  - Environmental transfer models assume that organically-bound tritium (OBT) is
      formed directly from tissue-free water tritium (TFWT) in environmental
      compartments. Nevertheless, studies in the literature have shown that measured
      OBT/HTO ratios in environmental samples are variable and generally higher than
      expected. The importance of soil-to-leaf HTO transfer pathway in controlling the
      leaf tritium dynamics is not well understood. A model inter-comparison of two
      tritium transfer models (CTEM-CLASS-TT and SOLVEG-II) was carried out with
      measured environmental samples from an experimental garden plot set up next to a
      tritium-processing facility. The garden plot received one of three different
      irrigation treatments - no external irrigation, irrigation with low tritium water
      and irrigation with high tritium water. The contrast between the results obtained
      with the different irrigation treatments provided insights into the impact of
      soil-to-leaf HTO transfer on the leaf tritium dynamics. Concentrations of TFWT
      and OBT in the garden plots that were not irrigated or irrigated with low tritium
      water were variable, responding to the arrival of the HTO-plume from the tritium
      processing facility. In contrast, for the plants irrigated with high tritium
      water, the TFWT concentration remained elevated during the entire experimental
      period due to a continuous source of high HTO in the soil. Calculated
      concentrations of OBT in the leaves showed an initial increase followed by quasi
      equilibration with the TFWT concentration. In this quasi-equilibrium state,
      concentrations of OBT remained elevated and unchanged despite the arrivals of the
      plume. These results from the model inter-comparison demonstrate that soil-to
      leaf HTO transfer significantly affects tritium dynamics in leaves and thereby
      OBT/HTO ratio in the leaf regardless of the atmospheric HTO concentration, only
      if there is elevated HTO concentrations in the soil. The results of this work
      indicate that assessment models should be refined to consider the importance of
      soil-to-leaf HTO transfer to ensure that dose estimates are accurate and
      conservative.

PMID- 28910626
TI  - Long-term modelling of fly ash and radionuclide emissions as well as deposition
      fluxes due to the operation of large oil shale-fired power plants.
AB  - Two of the world's largest oil shale-fired power plants (PPs) in Estonia have
      been operational over 40 years, emitting various pollutants, such as fly ash,
      SOx, NOx, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds as well as radionuclides to
      the environment. The emissions from these PPs have varied significantly during
      this period, with the maximum during the 1970s and 1980s. The oil shale burned in
      the PPs contains naturally occurring radionuclides from the 238U and 232Th decay
      series as well as 40K. These radionuclides become enriched in fly ash fractions
      (up to 10 times), especially in the fine fly ash escaping the purification
      system. Using a validated Gaussian-plume model, atmospheric dispersion modelling
      was carried out to determine the quantity and a real magnitude of fly ash and
      radionuclide deposition fluxes during different decades. The maximum deposition
      fluxes of volatile radionuclides (210Pb and 210Po) were around 70 mBq m-2 d-1
      nearby the PPs during 1970s and 1980s. Due to the reduction of burned oil shale
      and significant renovations done on the PPs, the deposition fluxes were reduced
      to 10 mBq m-2 d-1 in the 2000s and down to 1.5 mBq m-2 d-1 in 2015. The maximum
      deposition occurs within couple of kilometers of the PPs, but the impacted area
      extends to over 50 km from the sources. For many radionuclides, including 210Po,
      the PPs have been larger contributors of radionuclides to the environment via
      atmospheric pathway than natural sources. This is the first time that the
      emissions and deposition fluxes of radionuclides from the PPs have been
      quantified, providing the information about their radionuclide deposition load on
      the surrounding environment during various time periods.

PMID- 28910627
TI  - Dancing with the Stars: Phenolic Glycolipids Partners with Macrophages.
AB  - How Mycobacterium leprae infection causes demyelination to mediate leprosy
      pathogenesis has been a long-standing question. In a recent Cell paper, Madigan
      et al. (2017) use a zebrafish model of M. leprae infection to show that infected
      macrophages patrol axons to trigger mitochondrial damage and induce demyelination
      of nerve cells.

PMID- 28910628
TI  - Tooth Be Told, Genetics Influences Oral Microbiome.
AB  - The mix of bacteria that coat our teeth impact oral health, but it remains
      unclear what factors govern their composition. In this issue of Cell Host &
      Microbe, Gomez et al. (2017) examine the relationship between host genetics and
      the oral microbiome in the context of health and disease.

PMID- 28910629
TI  - Choline Theft-An Inside Job.
AB  - Choline is a crucial methyl donor necessary for epigenetic regulation. In this
      issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Romano et al. (2017) demonstrate that choline
      utilizing gut bacteria compete with their host for this essential resource,
      calling for a systematic consideration of gut microbial composition for
      personalized diet recommendations.

PMID- 28910630
TI  - Fragment and Conquer.
AB  - The replication vacuole of Legionella pneumophila makes contact with host
      mitochondria. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Escoll et al. (2017) dissect
      the mechanisms of this interaction, the effect of the T4SS effector MitF on
      mitochondrial function, and the resultant metabolic reprogramming of infected
      cells to benefit the bacteria.

PMID- 28910631
TI  - Specialized Weaponry: How a Type III-A CRISPR-Cas System Excels at Combating
      Phages.
AB  - CRISPR-Cas-mediated defense against phage invaders usually requires recognition
      of short sequences, termed protospacer-adjacent motifs (PAMs), in phage DNA. In
      this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Pyenson et al. (2017) show that the lack of a
      PAM requirement in some CRISPR-Cas systems prevents interference evasion and
      facilitates phage extinction.

PMID- 28910632
TI  - Drivers of Dengue Intrahost Evolution.
AB  - RNA viruses circulate as rapidly evolving swarms of related variants, and their
      evolutionary dynamics within hosts may be key to understanding virus emergence.
      In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Parameswaran et al. (2017) combine next
      generation sequencing and functional studies to characterize viral populations in
      acute dengue infections.

PMID- 28910633
TI  - Host Genetic Control of the Oral Microbiome in Health and Disease.
AB  - Host-associated microbial communities are influenced by both host genetics and
      environmental factors. However, factors controlling the human oral microbiome and
      their impact on disease remain to be investigated. To determine the combined and
      relative effects of host genotype and environment on oral microbiome composition
      and caries phenotypes, we profiled the supragingival plaque microbiome of 485
      dizygotic and monozygotic twins aged 5-11. Oral microbiome similarity always
      increased with shared host genotype, regardless of caries state. Additionally,
      although most of the variation in the oral microbiome was determined by
      environmental factors, highly heritable oral taxa were identified. The most
      heritable oral bacteria were not associated with caries state, did not tend to co
      occur with other taxa, and decreased in abundance with age and sugar consumption
      frequency. Thus, while the human oral microbiome composition is influenced by
      host genetic background, potentially cariogenic taxa are likely not controlled by
      genetic factors.

PMID- 28910634
TI  - Collaboration between Distinct Rab Small GTPase Trafficking Circuits Mediates
      Bacterial Clearance from the Bladder Epithelium.
AB  - Rab small GTPases control membrane trafficking through effectors that recruit
      downstream mediators such as motor proteins. Subcellular trafficking typically
      involves multiple Rabs, with each specific step mediated by a distinct Rab
      protein. We describe a collaboration between two distinct Rab-protein
      orchestrated trafficking circuits in bladder epithelial cells (BECs) that expels
      intracellular uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) from their intracellular
      niche. RAB11a and RAB27b and their trafficking circuitry are simultaneously
      involved in UPEC expulsion. While RAB11a recruits its effector RAB11FIP3 and
      cytoskeletal motor Dynein, RAB27b mobilizes the effector MyRIP and motor Myosin
      VIIa to mediate bacterial expulsion. This collaboration is coordinated by
      deposition of the exocyst complex on bacteria-containing vesicles, an event
      triggered by the innate receptor Toll-like receptor 4. Both RAB11a and RAB27b are
      recruited and activated by the exocyst complex components SEC6/SEC15. Thus, the
      cell autonomous defense system can mobilize and coalesce multiple subcellular
      trafficking circuitries to combat infections.

PMID- 28910635
TI  - Gestational Stage and IFN-lambda Signaling Regulate ZIKV Infection In Utero.
AB  - Although Zika virus (ZIKV)-induced congenital disease occurs more frequently
      during early stages of pregnancy, its basis remains undefined. Using established
      type I interferon (IFN)-deficient mouse models of ZIKV transmission in utero, we
      found that the placenta and fetus were more susceptible to ZIKV infection at
      earlier gestational stages. Whereas ZIKV infection at embryonic day 6 (E6)
      resulted in placental insufficiency and fetal demise, infections at midstage (E9)
      resulted in reduced cranial dimensions, and infection later in pregnancy (E12)
      caused no apparent fetal disease. In addition, we found that fetuses lacking type
      III IFN-lambda signaling had increased ZIKV replication in the placenta and fetus
      when infected at E12, and reciprocally, treatment of pregnant mice with IFN
      lambda2 reduced ZIKV infection. IFN-lambda treatment analogously diminished ZIKV
      infection in human midgestation fetal- and maternal-derived tissue explants. Our
      data establish a model of gestational stage dependence of ZIKV pathogenesis and
      IFN-lambda-mediated immunity at the maternal-fetal interface.

PMID- 28910636
TI  - Epitranscriptomic Enhancement of Influenza A Virus Gene Expression and
      Replication.
AB  - Many viral RNAs are modified by methylation of the N6 position of adenosine
      (m6A). m6A is thought to regulate RNA splicing, stability, translation, and
      secondary structure. Influenza A virus (IAV) expresses m6A-modified RNAs, but the
      effects of m6A on this segmented RNA virus remain unclear. We demonstrate that
      global inhibition of m6A addition inhibits IAV gene expression and replication.
      In contrast, overexpression of the cellular m6A "reader" protein YTHDF2 increases
      IAV gene expression and replication. To address whether m6A residues modulate IAV
      RNA function in cis, we mapped m6A residues on the IAV plus (mRNA) and minus
      (vRNA) strands and used synonymous mutations to ablate m6A on both strands of the
      hemagglutinin (HA) segment. These mutations inhibited HA mRNA and protein
      expression while leaving other IAV mRNAs and proteins unaffected, and they also
      resulted in reduced IAV pathogenicity in mice. Thus, m6A residues in IAV
      transcripts enhance viral gene expression.

PMID- 28910637
TI  - Intrahost Selection Pressures Drive Rapid Dengue Virus Microevolution in Acute
      Human Infections.
AB  - Dengue, caused by four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4), is a highly
      prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease in humans. Yet, selection pressures
      driving DENV microevolution within human hosts (intrahost) remain unknown. We
      employed a whole-genome segmented amplification approach coupled with deep
      sequencing to profile DENV-3 intrahost diversity in peripheral blood mononuclear
      cell (PBMC) and plasma samples from 77 dengue patients. DENV-3 intrahost
      diversity appears to be driven by immune pressures as well as replicative success
      in PBMCs and potentially other replication sites. Hotspots for intrahost
      variation were detected in 59%-78% of patients in the viral Envelope and pre
      Membrane/Membrane proteins, which together form the virion surface. Dominant
      variants at the hotspots arose via convergent microevolution, appear to be immune
      escape variants, and were evolutionarily constrained at the macro level due to
      viral replication defects. Dengue is thus an example of an acute infection in
      which selection pressures within infected individuals drive rapid intrahost virus
      microevolution.

PMID- 28910639
TI  - RNA Recombination Enhances Adaptability and Is Required for Virus Spread and
      Virulence.

PMID- 28910638
TI  - The Landscape of Type VI Secretion across Human Gut Microbiomes Reveals Its Role
      in Community Composition.
AB  - Although gut microbiome composition is well defined, the mechanisms underlying
      community assembly remain poorly understood. Bacteroidales possess three genetic
      architectures (GA1-3) of the type VI secretion system (T6SS), an effector
      delivery pathway that mediates interbacterial competition. Here we define the
      distribution and role of GA1-3 in the human gut using metagenomic analysis. We
      find that adult microbiomes harbor limited effector and cognate immunity genes,
      suggesting selection for compatibility at the species (GA1 and GA2) and strain
      (GA3) levels. Bacteroides fragilis GA3 is known to mediate potent inter-strain
      competition, and we observe GA3 enrichment among strains colonizing infant
      microbiomes, suggesting competition early in life. Additionally, GA3 is
      associated with increased Bacteroides abundance, indicating that this system
      confers an advantage in Bacteroides-rich ecosystems. Collectively, these analyses
      uncover the prevalence of T6SS-dependent competition and reveal its potential
      role in shaping human gut microbial composition.

PMID- 28910640
TI  - The Ubiquitin Ligase Smurf1 Functions in Selective Autophagy of Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis and Anti-tuberculous Host Defense.

PMID- 28910641
TI  - Thoughts and sensations, twin galaxies of the inner space: The propensity to mind
      wander relates to spontaneous sensations arising on the hands.
AB  - Sensations and thoughts have been described as potentially related to self
      awareness. We therefore asked whether sensations that arise in the absence of
      external triggers, i.e., spontaneous sensations (SPS), which were shown to relate
      to interoception and perception of the self, vary as a function of the individual
      propensity to generate spontaneous thoughts, i.e., mind-wandering. The Mind
      Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ) was used as a specific tool to assess the frequency
      and propensity to mind-wander several weeks before completing an SPS task.
      Correlational analyses between the MWQ score and SPS showed that greater
      propensity to mind-wander coincided with widespread perception of SPS, while
      lesser propensity to mind-wander coincided with more spatially restricted
      perception of SPS. The results are interpreted in light of the role of
      spontaneous thoughts and sensations in self-awareness. The potential
      psychological processes and the way they might regulate the relation between mind
      wandering and the perception of SPS are discussed.

PMID- 28910642
TI  - Cytotoxic Cells Kill Intracellular Bacteria through Granulysin-Mediated Delivery
      of Granzymes.

PMID- 28910643
TI  - Induction of Pluripotency in Mouse Somatic Cells with Lineage Specifiers.

PMID- 28910644
TI  - Long term effects of cerium dioxide nanoparticles on the nitrogen removal, micro
      environment and community dynamics of a sequencing batch biofilm reactor.
AB  - The influences of cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) on nitrogen removal in
      biofilm were investigated. Prolonged exposure (75d) to 0.1mg/L CeO2 NPs caused no
      inhibitory effects on nitrogen removal, while continuous addition of 10mg/L CeO2
      NPs decreased the treatment efficiency to 53%. With the progressive concentration
      of CeO2 NPs addition, the removal efficiency could nearly stabilize at 67% even
      with the continues spike of 10mg/L. The micro-profiles of dissolved oxygen, pH,
      and oxidation reduction potential suggested the developed protection mechanisms
      of microbes to progressive CeO2 NPs exposure led to the less influence of
      microenvironment, denitrification bacteria and enzyme activity than those with
      continuous ones. Furthermore, high throughput sequencing illustrated the drastic
      shifted communities with gradual CeO2 NPs spiking was responsible for the
      adaption and protective mechanisms. The present study demonstrated the acclimated
      microbial community was able to survive CeO2 NPs addition more readily than those
      non-acclimated.

PMID- 28910645
TI  - Performance and stability of sewage sludge digestion under CO2 enrichment: A
      pilot study.
AB  - Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection in anaerobic digestion has recently been proposed
      as an interesting possibility to boost methane (CH4) recovery from sludge and
      organic waste by converting a greenhouse gas into a renewable resource. This
      research assessed the effects of exogenous CO2 injection on performance and
      process stability of single-phase continuous anaerobic digesters. Two pilot scale
      reactors treating sewage sludge were operated for 130days. One reactor was
      periodically injected with CO2 while the other acted as control. Two injection
      frequencies and injection devices were tested. The results indicated that CO2
      enrichment allowed an increase in CH4 production of ca. 12%, with a CH4
      production rate of 371+/-100L/(kgVSfed.d) and a CH4 concentration of ca. 60% when
      dissolved CO2 levels inside the test reactor were increased up to 1.9-fold.
      Results also indicated an improvement in process resilience to temporary
      overloads and no impacts on stability parameters.

PMID- 28910646
TI  - Minimizing mixing intensity to improve the performance of rice straw anaerobic
      digestion via enhanced development of microbe-substrate aggregates.
AB  - The aim of this work was to study the effect of the differential development of
      microbe-substrate aggregates at different mixing intensities on the performance
      of anaerobic digestion of rice straw. Batch and semi-continuous reactors were
      operated for up to 50 and 300days, respectively, under different mixing
      intensities. In both batch and semi-continuous reactors, minimal mixing
      conditions exhibited maximum methane production and lignocellulose
      biodegradability, which both had strong correlations with the development of
      microbe-substrate aggregates. The results implied that the aggregated
      microorganisms on the particulate substrate played a key role in rice straw
      hydrolysis, determining the performance of anaerobic digestion. Increasing the
      mixing speed from 50 to 150rpm significantly reduced the methane production rate
      by disintegrating the microbe-substrate aggregates in the semi-continuous
      reactor. A temporary stress of high-speed mixing fundamentally affected the
      microbial communities, increasing the possibility of chronic reactor failure.

PMID- 28910647
TI  - Impact of a high ammonia-ammonium-pH system on methane-producing archaea and
      sulfate-reducing bacteria in mesophilic anaerobic digestion.
AB  - A novel strategy for acclimation to ammonia stress was implemented by stimulating
      a high ammonia-ammonium-pH environment in a high-solid anaerobic digestion (AD)
      system in this study. Three semi-continuously stirred anaerobic reactors
      performed well over the whole study period under mesophilic conditions,
      especially in experimental group (R-2) when accommodated from acclimation period
      which the maximum total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and free ammonia nitrogen (FAN)
      increased to 4921 and 2996mg/L, respectively. Moreover, when it accommodated the
      high ammonia-ammonium-pH system, the daily biogas production and methane content
      were similar to those in R-1 (the blank control to R-2), but the hydrogen sulfide
      (H2S) content lower than the blank control. Moreover, mechanistic studies showed
      that high ammonia stress enhanced the activity of coenzyme F420. The results of
      real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed that
      ammonia stress decreased the abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria and increased
      the abundance of methane-producing archaea.

PMID- 28910648
TI  - Biochar for volatile organic compound (VOC) removal: Sorption performance and
      governing mechanisms.
AB  - Sorption is one of the most efficient and low cost strategies for volatile
      organic compound (VOC) removal, but VOC sorption by biochar has seen limited
      research. In this work, gas phase sorption experiments were conducted to
      determine the sorption potential and mechanisms of VOCs onto biochar. A total of
      15 biochars produced from 5 common feedstocks at 300, 450, and 600 degrees C were
      evaluated as sorbents. Three common VOCs (acetone, cyclohexane, and toluene) were
      chosen as sorbates. The results showed that all the tested biochars had VOC
      sorption capacity in the range of 5.58-91.2mgg-1. The sorption capacities were
      mainly influenced by both the surface area of biochar and its noncarbonized
      organic matter content. The vapor sorption process was exothermic, and the
      removal of VOCs by the biochars decreased with increasing feedstock temperature.
      Both the physical adsorption and partition mechanisms played important roles in
      controlling the VOC removal by the biochars. Biochar maintained its VOC removal
      ability after five consecutive sorption-desorption cycles, which indicated good
      reusability. Findings of this work suggest that biochar is a promising
      alternative sorbent for gaseous VOC removal.

PMID- 28910649
TI  - Recovery of phosphorus and volatile fatty acids from wastewater and food waste
      with an iron-flocculation sequencing batch reactor and acidogenic co
      fermentation.
AB  - A sequencing batch reactor-based system was developed for enhanced phosphorus (P)
      removal and recovery from municipal wastewater. The system consists of an iron
      dosing SBR for P precipitation and a side-stream anaerobic reactor for sludge co
      fermentation with food waste. During co-fermentation, sludge and food waste
      undergo acidogenesis, releasing phosphates under acidic conditions and producing
      volatile fatty acids (VFAs) into the supernatant. A few types of typical food
      waste were investigated for their effectiveness in acidogenesis and related
      enzymatic activities. The results show that approximately 96.4% of total P in
      wastewater was retained in activated sludge. Food waste with a high starch
      content favoured acidogenic fermentation. Around 55.7% of P from wastewater was
      recovered as vivianite, and around 66% of food waste loading was converted into
      VFAs. The new integration formed an effective system for wastewater treatment,
      food waste processing and simultaneous recovery of P and VFAs.

PMID- 28910650
TI  - Cholinium amino acids-glycerol mixtures: New class of solvents for pretreating
      wheat straw to facilitate enzymatic hydrolysis.
AB  - New solvents for pretreating wheat straw, mixtures of cholinium amino acids ionic
      liquids ([Ch][AA] ILs) and glycerol, were developed. As a typical result, 50%
      cholinium alanine-glycerol is capable of removing 67.6% lignin while reserving
      95.1% cellulose (90 degrees C, L/S mass ratio of 20:1, 6h) and the conversions of
      cellulose and xylan are 89.7% and 70.9%, respectively, which is comparable to the
      pretreatment capability of other solvents, while [Ch][AA]-glycerol mixtures have
      desirable advantages, e.g., biocompatibility, lower cost with adding glycerol
      than pure IL, much lower pretreatment temperature (typically <100 degrees C) than
      that by glycerol (typically >200 degrees C). Lignin removal and polysaccharide
      conversion are dependent on [Ch][AA] content and pH of pretreatment solvents.
      [Ch][AA] not only remove lignin in wheat straw effectively but also swell
      cellulose while not remarkably dissolve cellulose with high cellulose
      reservation, favoring the enzymatic hydrolysis. Such mixtures of ILs and co
      solvents are potential solvents for pretreating biomass.

PMID- 28910651
TI  - Inhibitory effects of acidic pH and confounding effects of moisture content on
      methane biofiltration.
AB  - This study focussed on evaluating the effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on
      biological oxidation of waste methane (CH4) gas in compost biofilters, Batch
      experiments were conducted to determine the dependency of maximum methane
      oxidation rate (Vmax) on two main factors; pH and moisture content, as well as
      their interaction effects. The maximum Vmax was observed at a pH of 7.2 with
      decreasing Vmax values observed with decreasing pH, irrespective of moisture
      content. Flow-through columns operated at a pH of 4.5 oxidized CH4 at a flux rate
      of 53g/m2/d compared to 146g/m2/d in columns operated at neutral pH. No oxidation
      activity was observed for columns operated at pH 2.5, and DNA sequencing analysis
      of samples led to the conclusion that highly acidic conditions were responsible
      for inhibiting the ability of methanotrophs to oxidize CH4. Biofilter columns
      operated at pH 2.5 contained only 2% methanotrophs (type I) out of the total
      microbial population, compared to 55% in columns operated at pH 7.5. Overall,
      changes in the population of methanotrophs with acidification within the
      biofilters compromised its capacity to oxidize CH4 which demonstrated that a
      compost biofilter could not operate efficiently in the presence of high levels of
      H2S.

PMID- 28910652
TI  - Disintegration of Nannochloropsis sp. cells in an improved turbine bead mill.
AB  - The Nannochloropsis sp. cells in aqueous solution were disintegrated in an
      improved bead mill with turbine agitator. The disintegration rates of cell
      samples disrupted under various operating parameters (i.e., circumferential
      speed, bead size, disintegration time, and cell concentration) were analyzed. An
      experimental strategy to optimize the parameters affecting the cell
      disintegration process was proposed. The results show that Nannochloropsis sp.
      cells can be effectively disintegrated in the turbine stirred bead mill under the
      optimum condition (i.e., circumferential speed of 2.3m/s, concentration of
      15vol.%, disintegration time of 40min and bead size of 0.3-0.4mm). The
      disintegration mechanism was discussed via the selection and breakage functions
      from population balance modelling. It is revealed that the impact and compression
      effects of stirring beads are more effective for the disruption of coarser
      fraction of cells, and the shear effect dominates the production of finer
      fractions of disintegrated cells.

PMID- 28910653
TI  - Biobased polyelectrolyte multilayer-coated hollow mesoporous silica as a green
      flame retardant for epoxy resin.
AB  - Here, we describe a multifunctional biobased polyelectrolyte multilayer-coated
      hollow mesoporous silica (HM-SiO2@CS@PCL) as a green flame retardant through
      layer-by-layer assembly using hollow mesoporous silica (HM-SiO2), chitosan (CS)
      and phosphorylated cellulose (PCL). The electrostatic interactions deposited the
      CS/PCL coating on the surface of HM-SiO2. Subsequently, this multifunctional
      flame retardant was used to enhance thermal properties and flame retardancy of
      epoxy resin. The addition of HM-SiO2@CS@PCL to the epoxy resin thermally
      destabilized the epoxy resin composite, but generated a higher char yield.
      Furthermore, HM-SiO2 played a critical role and generated synergies with CS and
      PCL to improve fire safety of the epoxy resin due to the multiple flame
      retardancy elements (P, N and Si). This multi-element, synergistic, flame
      retardant system resulted in a remarkable reduction (51%) of peak heat release
      rate and a considerable removal of flammable decomposed products. Additionally,
      the incorporation of HM-SiO2@CS@PCL can sustainably recycle the epoxy resin into
      high value-added hollow carbon spheres during combustion. Therefore, the HM
      SiO2@CS@PCL system provides a practical possibility for preparing recyclable
      polymer materials with multi-functions and high performances.

PMID- 28910654
TI  - Kinect-based assessment of lower limb kinematics and dynamic postural control
      during the star excursion balance test.
AB  - Assessments using dynamic postural control tests, like the Star Excursion Balance
      Test (SEBT), in combination with three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis can yield
      critical information regarding a subject's lower limb movement patterns. 3D
      analysis can provide a clear understanding of the mechanisms that lead to
      specific outcome measures on the SEBT. Currently, the only technology for 3D
      motion analysis during such tests is expensive marker-based motion analysis
      systems, which are impractical for use in clinical settings. In this study we
      validated the use of the Microsoft Kinect as a cost-effective and marker-less
      alternative to more complex and expensive gold-standard motion analysis systems.
      Ten healthy subjects performed the SEBT while their lower limb kinematics were
      measured concurrently using a traditional motion capture system and a single
      Kinect v2 sensor. Analyses revealed errors in lower limb kinematics of less than
      5 degrees , except for the knee frontal-plane angle (5.7 degrees ) in the
      posterior-lateral direction. Ensemble curve analyses supported these findings,
      showing minimal between-system differences in all directions. Additionally, we
      found that the Kinect displayed excellent agreement (ICC3,k=0.99) and consistency
      (ICC2,k=0.99) when assessing reach distances in all directions. These results
      indicate that this low-cost and easy to implement technology may provide to
      clinicians a simple tool to simultaneously assess reach distances while
      developing a clearer understanding of the lower extremity movement patterns
      associated with SEBT performance in healthy and injured populations.

PMID- 28910655
TI  - Self-esteem recognition based on gait pattern using Kinect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-esteem is an important aspect of individual's mental health.
      When subjects are not able to complete self-report questionnaire, behavioral
      assessment will be a good supplement. In this paper, we propose to use gait data
      collected by Kinect as an indicator to recognize self-esteem. METHODS: 178
      graduate students without disabilities participate in our study. Firstly, all
      participants complete the 10-item Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSS) to acquire
      self-esteem score. After completing the RRS, each participant walks for two
      minutes naturally on a rectangular red carpet, and the gait data are recorded
      using Kinect sensor. After data preprocessing, we extract a few behavioral
      features to train predicting model by machine learning. Based on these features,
      we build predicting models to recognize self-esteem. RESULTS: For self-esteem
      prediction, the best correlation coefficient between predicted score and self
      report score is 0.45 (p<0.001). We divide the participants according to gender,
      and for males, the correlation coefficient is 0.43 (p<0.001), for females, it is
      0.59 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Using gait data captured by Kinect sensor, we find
      that the gait pattern could be used to recognize self-esteem with a fairly good
      criterion validity. The gait predicting model can be taken as a good
      supplementary method to measure self-esteem.

PMID- 28910656
TI  - Test-retest reliability of a balance testing protocol with external perturbations
      in young healthy adults.
AB  - External perturbations are utilized to challenge balance and mimic realistic
      balance threats in patient populations. The reliability of such protocols has not
      been established. The purpose was to examine test-retest reliability of balance
      testing with external perturbations. Healthy adults (n=34; mean age 23 years)
      underwent balance testing over two visits. Participants completed ten balance
      conditions in which the following parameters were combined: perturbation or non
      perturbation, single or double leg, and eyes open or closed. Three trials were
      collected for each condition. Data were collected on a force plate and external
      perturbations were applied by translating the plate. Force plate center of
      pressure (CoP) data were summarized using 13 different CoP measures. Test-retest
      reliability was examined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and
      Bland-Altman plots. CoP measures of total speed and excursion in both anterior
      posterior and medial-lateral directions generally had acceptable ICC values for
      perturbation conditions (ICC=0.46 to 0.87); however, many other CoP measures
      (e.g. range, area of ellipse) had unacceptable test-retest reliability
      (ICC<0.70). Improved CoP measures were present on the second visit indicating a
      potential learning effect. Non-perturbation conditions generally produced more
      reliable CoP measures than perturbation conditions during double leg standing,
      but not single leg standing. Therefore, changes to balance testing protocols that
      include external perturbations should be made to improve test-retest reliability
      and diminish learning including more extensive participant training and
      increasing the number of trials. CoP measures that consider all data points (e.g.
      total speed) are more reliable than those that only consider a few data points.

PMID- 28910657
TI  - The use of real-time feedback to improve kinematic marker placement consistency
      among novice examiners.
AB  - Marker placement deviation has been shown to be the largest source of error in
      gait kinematic data, limiting the ability of clinicians and researchers to
      conduct between-day or between-center investigations. Prior marker-placement
      standardization methods are either impractical for a clinical setting or rely on
      expert marker placement. However, a recently developed, real-time feedback tool
      has been developed and shown to improve marker placement and downstream kinematic
      calculations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this real-time
      marker-placement tool could improve the consistency of gait kinematic data
      collected by a group of novice examiners. Twelve novice examiners identified
      anatomical landmarks and placed retroreflective markers on a single subject. For
      each examiner, a running trial was analyzed separately using two static trials:
      (1) PRE and (2) POST implementation of the feedback tool. The protocol was
      repeated a second time, one week later. Between-examiner consistency was
      represented by the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the mean joint angles for the
      entire stride, and compared between the PRE and POST conditions. The POST
      feedback trials showed an average 27.45% reduction of the 95%CI range for eight
      out of nine joint angles on day one, and an average 24.73% for five out of nine
      joint angles on day two, compared to POST. The results indicate a real-time
      feedback tool improves the consistency in marker placement for novice users.

PMID- 28910658
TI  - Postural regulatory strategies during quiet sitting are affected in individuals
      with thoracic spinal cord injury.
AB  - Thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) can have significant negative consequences,
      which can affect the ability to maintain unsupported sitting. The objectives of
      this study were to compare postural control of individuals with high- and low
      thoracic SCI to able-bodied people and evaluate the effects of upper-limb support
      on postural control during quiet sitting. Twenty-five individuals were recruited
      into: (a) high-thoracic SCI; (b) low-thoracic SCI; and (c) able-body subgroups.
      Participants were seated and asked to maintain a steady balance in the following
      postures: (1) both hands resting on thighs; (2) both arms crossed over the chest;
      and (3) both arms extended. Center of pressure (COP) fluctuations were evaluated
      to compare postural performance between groups and different postures. Results
      showed that individuals with high- and low-thoracic SCI swayed more compared to
      the able-bodied group regardless of upper-limb support. No differences between
      the two SCI groups were observed, but the neurological level of injury was
      correlated to postural performance implying that those with higher injuries
      swayed more and faster. Unsupported sitting was more unstable in comparison to
      supported sitting posture, especially in the anterior-posterior direction. The
      velocity of postural sway was not different between groups, but the results
      suggest that postural regulation had unique effect during different postures in
      different groups. These results imply reduced postural stability after thoracic
      SCI. Overall, the way individuals with high-thoracic SCI achieved stability was
      different from that of individuals with low-thoracic SCI, suggesting different
      postural regulation strategies.

PMID- 28910659
TI  - Effects of triphenyltin on reproduction in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)
      across two generations.
AB  - Triphenyltin (TPT) is an organotin compound used in marine anti-fouling coatings
      to prevent the attachment and growth of marine organisms, and it has negative
      effects on aquatic organisms. TPT is still detected at low concentrations,
      although its use has been prohibited at least in the European Community and is
      restricted in Japan as well. Studies using Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)
      indicate that TPT has the potential to inhibit reproduction. Although TPT is
      detected in many aquatic ecosystems, the multi-generational impact of TPT remains
      unknown. We investigated the two-generational effects of TPT on Japanese medaka
      and examined the relationships of several such effects between the F0 and F1
      generations. Suppression of fecundity was observed in both generations, and
      fertility and growth were inhibited in the F1 generation. Moreover, delayed
      hatching and lower hatchability were observed in F1 embryos. Importantly, the
      value of the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) for these influences in
      F1 was lower than that in F0: that is, the LOEC values of fecundity and mortality
      were 3.2MUg/L in the F0 generation and 1.0MUg/L in the F1 generation. Fertility
      was not affected by TPT in F0, whereas it was significantly suppressed in the
      1.0MUg/L-exposure group of the F1 generation. Our results provide the first
      evidence of the effects of TPT on reproduction in a teleost fish across two
      generations, highlighting the concern that TPT could affect reproduction and
      mortality at decreasing concentrations in temporally overlapping generations.

PMID- 28910660
TI  - Toxic effects of Pb2+ entering sperm through Ca2+ channels in the freshwater crab
      Sinopotamon henanense.
AB  - Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal that can damage animal sperm. To study the effects of
      Pb on calcium homeostasis and calcium channel in the sperm of freshwater crab
      Sinopotamon henanense, the induction of acrosome reaction (AR) and acrosin
      activity were investigated when crabs were exposed to different Pb concentrations
      (0, 3.675, 7.35, 14.7, 29.4 and 58.8mg/L) for 3, 5 and 7 d separately.
      Fluorescent probe Fluo-3/AM was loaded into the sperm, and [Ca2+] in the sperm
      was measured by fluorescence microscopy and using microplate reader. The
      calmodulin (CaM) concentration was measured by ELISA method. Verapamil (VRP), a
      calcium channel blocker, was used to evaluate whether Pb can enter the sperm
      through calcium channels leading to sperm damage. After sperm were exposed at
      50MUg/L VRP, 100MUg/L Pb, 50MUg/L VRP+100MUg/L Pb, 1000MUg/L Pb and 50MUg/L
      VRP+1000MUg/L Pb for 1h in vitro,sperm quality parameters (sperm survival and
      sperm DNA integrity) and levels of parameters indicating oxidative stress
      (protein carbonylation [PCO] and malondialdehyde [MDA]) were measured. Our data
      showed that Pb reduced the induction of acrosome reaction (AR), down-regulated
      the acrosin activity, decreased the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ and
      elevated CaM concentration. Compared to controls, Pb alone induced significant
      stress, as reflected by decreasing sperm survival and sperm DNA integrity, and
      increasing PCO and MDA contents. In the presence of VRP, 100MUg/L Pb-induced
      stresses were reduced, all the measured parameters in the sperm exposed at
      100MUg/L Pb returned to control levels. Our results indicate that Pb enters the
      sperm of the crab S. henanense through calcium channels, the inhibition of which
      blocks Pb-induced stresses such as sperm quality decline and oxidative damage.

PMID- 28910661
TI  - Describing the holistic toxicokinetics of hepatotoxic Chinese herbal medicines by
      a novel integrated strategy: Dioscorea bulbifera rhizome as a case study.
AB  - It is vital to monitor the holistic toxicokinetics of toxic Chinese herbal
      medicines (CHMs) for safety. Although an integrated strategy based on the area
      under the curve (AUC) has been proposed to characterize the
      pharmacokinetic/toxicokinetic properties of CHMs, improvement is still needed.
      This study attempted to use 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) as weighting
      coefficient to investigate holistic toxicokinetics of the major diosbulbins i.e.
      diosbulbin A (DA), diosbulbin B (DB), and diosbulbin C (DC) after oral
      administration of Dioscorea bulbifera rhizome (DBR) extract. Firstly, the
      cytotoxicities of the three diosbulbins on human hepatic L02 cells were evaluated
      and the IC50 values were calculated. Then, integrated toxicokinetics of multiple
      diosbulbins based on AUC and IC50 were determined. Finally, correlations between
      integrated plasma concentrations and hepatic injury biomarkers including alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP), and total bile acid (TBA) were analyzed. As a result, integrated plasma
      concentrations were correlated well with TBA and the correlation between TBA and
      IC50-weighting integrated plasma concentrations was better than that of AUC
      weighting integrated plasma concentrations. In conclusion, the newly developed
      IC50-weighting method is expected to generate more reasonable integrated
      toxicokinetic parameters, which will help to guide the safe usage of DBR in
      clinical settings.

PMID- 28910662
TI  - Effect of a clinical skills refresher course on the clinical performance, anxiety
      and self-efficacy of the final year undergraduate nursing students.
AB  - Although the final year of nursing undergraduate programs that focus on clinical
      education are planned to prepare nursing students to better transition to the
      real world of health care service; evidence has shown that this program is not
      sufficient to reach this end goal. This controlled trial study was to investigate
      the effectiveness of a basic clinical skills refresher course for nursing
      students before entering the internship program. The sample consisted of 160
      undergraduate nursing students assigned into two groups. The intervention was a
      three-day refresher course directed by nurse instructors for intervention group
      focused on 10 basic nursing procedures in the clinical skill lab. The control
      group did not receive any intervention. The students' anxiety, clinical self-
      efficacy and clinical skills practice were measured before and after intervention
      in both groups. The results indicated that the students who took part in the
      refresher course experienced lower anxiety levels, higher levels of clinical self
      efficacy, and have better clinical skills during their internships. The
      undergraduate nursing curriculum can be strengthened by the basic clinical skills
      refresher course. This refresher course can bridge the theory - practice gap and
      provide a better transition from the student to nurse role.

PMID- 28910663
TI  - Strategies for overcoming tropical disease by ruthenium complexes with purine
      analog: Application against Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi.
AB  - Tropical diseases currently constitute a major health problem and thus a
      challenge in the field of drug discovery. The current treatments show serious
      disadvantages due to cost, toxicity, long therapy duration and resistance, and
      the use of metal complexes as chemotherapeutic agents against these ailments
      appears to be a very attractive alternative. Herein, we describe three newly
      synthesized ruthenium complexes with a bioactive molecule, the purine analogue
      5,6,7-trimethyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine (tmtp): cis,fac
      [RuCl2(dmso)3(tmtp)] (1), mer-[RuCl3(dmso)(H2O)(tmtp)].2H2O (2) and fac,cis
      [RuCl3(H2O)(tmtp)2] (3). Their structures were characterized using X-ray and
      spectroscopic methods (IR, NMR or EPR). The stability of the synthesized
      complexes 1-3 in various buffered solutions (pH=3-7.4) was monitored using
      conventional and stopped-flow techniques. The in vitro antiproliferative activity
      of all ruthenium complexes against promastigote forms of Leishmania spp. (L.
      infantum, L. braziliensis, and L. donovani) and epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma
      cruzi was investigated. Notably, the results showed that the activity of 1
      against L. brasiliensis was more than three-fold higher than that of glucantime,
      and 1 showed no appreciable toxicity towards J774.2 macrophages. Additionally, 2
      displayed even 141-fold lower toxicity against host cells than glucantime,
      demonstrating significantly higher selectivity than the reference drug.
      Therefore, 1 and 2 appear to be excellent candidates for further development as
      potential drugs for the effective treatment of leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.
      All novel complexes were also shown to be potent inhibitors of Fe-SOD in the
      studied species, while their effects on human CuZn-SOD were very low.

PMID- 28910664
TI  - The analysis of 132 novel psychoactive substances in human hair using a single
      step extraction by tandem LC/MS.
AB  - A rapid LC-MS/MS method for the targeted screening of 132 NPS in hair is
      described. Drugs include cathinones and synthetic cannabinoids, as well as
      amphetamine-type stimulants, piperazines and other hallucinogenic compounds. This
      method utilizes hair pulverization in acidified methanol followed by analysis
      using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem MS. The limit of detection varied
      from 0.001 to 0.1ng/mg hair among the various analytes. The method was validated
      in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, repeatability and stability. The limit of
      reporting was set at 0.1ng/mg of hair. The method was successfully applied to 23
      medico-legal cases where NPS were detected in blood or where NPS use was
      suspected. The identified NPS included acetyl fentanyl, 25C-NBOMe, MDPV, PB-22
      and AB-FUBINACA, allowing hair to be used where historical or retrospective
      information on use of NPS is sought. This technique has proven to be efficient
      for the one step extraction from hair of different classes of NPS in routine
      toxicological investigations; from unstable and volatile compounds, such as most
      of the cathinones, to hydrophobic compounds such as synthetic cannabinoids.

PMID- 28910665
TI  - Influence of the axial rotation angle on tool mark striations.
AB  - A tool's axial rotation influences the geometric properties of a tool mark. The
      larger the axial rotation angle, the larger the compression of structural details
      like striations. This complicates comparing tool marks at different axial
      rotations. Using chisels, tool marks were made from 0 degrees  to 75 degrees 
      axial rotation and compared using an automated approach Baiker et al. [10]. In
      addition, a 3D topographic surface of a chisel was obtained to generate virtual
      tool marks and to test whether the axial rotation angle of a mark could be
      predicted. After examination of the tool mark and chisel data-sets it was
      observed that marks lose information with increasing rotation due to the change
      in relative distance between geometrical details on the tool and the
      disappearance of smaller details. The similarity and repeatability were high for
      comparisons between marks with no difference in axial rotation, but decreasing
      with increased rotation angle from 0 degrees  to 75 degrees . With an increasing
      difference in the rotation angles, the tool marks had to be corrected to account
      for the different compression factors between them. For compression up to 7.5%,
      this was obtained automatically by the tool mark alignment method. For larger
      compression, manually re-sizing the marks to the uncompressed widths at 0 degrees
      rotation before the alignment was found suitable for successfully comparing even
      large differences in axial rotation. The similarity and repeatability were
      decreasing however, with increasing degree of re-sizing. The quality was assessed
      by determining the similarity at different detail levels within a tool mark. With
      an axial rotation up to 75 degrees , tool marks were found to reliably represent
      structural details down to 100MUm. The similarity of structural details below
      100MUm was dependent on the angle, with the highest similarity at small rotation
      angles and the lowest similarity at large rotation angles. Filtering to remove
      the details below 100MUm lead to consistently higher similarity between tool
      marks at all angles and allowed for a comparison of marks up to 75 degrees  axial
      rotation. Finally, generated virtual tool mark profiles with an axial rotation
      were compared to experimental tool marks. The similarity between virtual and
      experimental tool marks remained high up to 60 degrees  rotation after which it
      decreased due to the loss in quality in both marks. Predicting the rotation angle
      is possible under certain conditions up to 45 degrees  rotation with an accuracy
      of 2.667+/-0.577 degrees  rotation.

PMID- 28910666
TI  - Nonlinear elastic multi-path reciprocal method for damage localisation in
      composite materials.
AB  - Nonlinear ultrasonic techniques rely on the measurement of nonlinear elastic
      effects caused by the interaction of ultrasonic waves with the material damage,
      and have shown high sensitivity to detect micro-cracks and defects in the early
      stages. This paper presents a nonlinear ultrasonic technique, here named
      nonlinear elastic multi-path reciprocal method, for the identification and
      localisation of micro-damage in composite laminates. In the proposed methodology,
      a sparse array of surface bonded ultrasonic transducers is used to measure the
      second harmonic elastic response associated with the material flaw. A reciprocal
      relationship of nonlinear elastic parameters evaluated from multiple transmitter
      receiver pairs is then applied to locate the micro-damage. Experimental results
      on a damaged composite panel revealed that an accurate damage localisation was
      obtained using the normalised second order nonlinear parameter with a high signal
      to-noise-ratio (~11.2dB), whilst the use of bicoherence coefficient provided high
      localisation accuracy with a lower signal-to-noise-ratio (~1.8dB). The maximum
      error between the calculated and the real damage location was nearly 13mm. Unlike
      traditional linear ultrasonic techniques, the proposed nonlinear elastic multi
      path reciprocal method allows detecting material damage on composite materials
      without a priori knowledge of the ultrasonic wave velocity nor a baseline with
      the undamaged component.

PMID- 28910667
TI  - Properties of afterdischarges from electrical stimulation in patients with
      epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the properties of afterdischarges (ADs) from
      intracerebral electrical stimulation (ES) in patients with epilepsy who underwent
      stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) and determine the relationship between
      epileptogenic zone (EZ) or irritative zone (IZ) and ADs. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed 10 patients with intractable epilepsy who underwent
      SEEG. ESs were delivered following the given parameters: bipolar, biphasic, 50Hz,
      0.2ms pulse duration, 0.5-10mA. The properties of ADs were documented, including
      their incidence, location, threshold, morphology and evolution. RESULTS: A total
      of 213 ADs (5%) were elicited by 4701 trains of ES. Stimulation through contacts
      implanted in the hippocampus (59%) generally evoked more ADs than contacts
      elsewhere (19%). AD thresholds for hippocampal stimulation were significantly
      lower than those for stimulation in grey matter. Polyspikes (58%) were the most
      common AD morphology. Evolution occurred more commonly with sequential spikes
      (47%) than with other AD morphologies (14%). There was no significant correlation
      between the location of ADs and EZ. However, ADs were significantly more
      frequently localized to IZ than areas outside IZ (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There
      seemed to be a lack of correlation between the location of ADs and EZ. However,
      ADs were more likely to be elicited in IZ.

PMID- 28910668
TI  - Specific contributions of basal ganglia and cerebellum to the neural tracking of
      rhythm.
AB  - How specific brain networks track rhythmic sensory input over time remains a
      challenge in neuroimaging work. Here we show that subcortical areas, namely the
      basal ganglia and the cerebellum, specifically contribute to the neural tracking
      of rhythm. We tested patients with focal lesions in either of these areas and
      healthy controls by means of electroencephalography (EEG) while they listened to
      rhythmic sequences known to induce selective neural tracking at a frequency
      corresponding to the most-often perceived pulse-like beat. Both patients and
      controls displayed neural responses to the rhythmic sequences. However, these
      response patterns were different across groups, with patients showing reduced
      tracking at beat frequency, especially for the more challenging rhythms. In the
      cerebellar patients, this effect was specific to the rhythm played at a fast
      tempo, which places high demands on the temporally precise encoding of events. In
      contrast, basal ganglia patients showed more heterogeneous responses at beat
      frequency specifically for the most complex rhythm, which requires more internal
      generation of the beat. These findings provide electrophysiological evidence that
      these subcortical structures selectively shape the neural representation of
      rhythm. Moreover, they suggest that the processing of rhythmic auditory input
      relies on an extended cortico-subcortico-cortical functional network providing
      specific timing and entrainment sensitivities.

PMID- 28910669
TI  - Peri-hand space representation in the absence of a hand - Evidence from
      congenital one-handers.

PMID- 28910670
TI  - Mental imagery of gravitational motion.
AB  - There is considerable evidence that gravitational acceleration is taken into
      account in the interaction with falling targets through an internal model of
      Earth gravity. Here we asked whether this internal model is accessed also when
      target motion is imagined rather than real. In the main experiments, naive
      participants grasped an imaginary ball, threw it against the ceiling, and caught
      it on rebound. In different blocks of trials, they had to imagine that the ball
      moved under terrestrial gravity (1g condition) or under microgravity (0g) as
      during a space flight. We measured the speed and timing of the throwing and
      catching actions, and plotted ball flight duration versus throwing speed. Best
      fitting duration-speed curves estimate the laws of ball motion implicit in the
      participant's performance. Surprisingly, we found duration-speed curves
      compatible with 0g for both the imaginary 0g condition and the imaginary 1g
      condition, despite the familiarity with Earth gravity effects and the added
      realism of performing the throwing and catching actions. In a control experiment,
      naive participants were asked to throw the imaginary ball vertically upwards at
      different heights, without hitting the ceiling, and to catch it on its way down.
      All participants overestimated ball flight durations relative to the durations
      predicted by the effects of Earth gravity. Overall, the results indicate that
      mental imagery of motion does not have access to the internal model of Earth
      gravity, but resorts to a simulation of visual motion. Because visual processing
      of accelerating/decelerating motion is poor, visual imagery of motion at constant
      speed or slowly varying speed appears to be the preferred mode to perform the
      tasks.

PMID- 28910671
TI  - Delayed effects of accelerated heavy ions on the induction of HPRT mutations in
      V79 hamster cells.
AB  - Fundamental research on the harmful effects of ionizing radiation on living cells
      continues to be of great interest. Recently, priority has been given to the study
      of high-charge and high-energy (HZE) ions that comprise a substantial part of the
      galactic cosmic ray (GCR) spectra that would be encountered during long-term
      space flights. Moreover, predictions of the delayed genetic effects of high
      linear energy transfer (LET) exposure is becoming more important as heavy ion
      therapy use is increasing. This work focuses mainly on the basic research on the
      delayed effects of HZE ions on V79 Chinese hamster cells, with emphasis on the
      induction of HPRT mutations after prolonged expression times (ET). The research
      was conducted under various irradiation conditions with accelerated ions 18O
      (E=35.2MeV/n), 20Ne (E=47.7MeV/n and 51.8MeV/n), and 11B (E=32.4MeV/n), with LET
      in the range from 49 to 149 keV/MUm and with 60Co gamma-rays. The HPRT mutant
      fractions (MF) were detected in irradiated cells in regular intervals during
      every cell culture recultivation (every 3days) up to approximately 40days (70-80
      generations) after irradiation. The MF maximum was reached at different ET
      depending on ionizing radiation characteristics. The position of the maximum was
      shifting towards longer ET with increasing LET. We speculate that the delayed
      mutations are created de novo and that they are the manifestation of genomic
      instability. Although the exact mechanisms involved in genomic instability
      initiation are yet to be identified, we hypothesize that differences in induction
      of delayed mutations by radiations with various LET values are related to
      variations in energy deposition along the particle track. A dose dependence of
      mutation yield is discussed as well.

PMID- 28910672
TI  - Brief report: A network analysis of self-cutting risk among late adolescent girls
      exposed to dating violence.
AB  - Adolescent self-directed violence (SDV) is a major public health concern.
      Adolescent girls exposed to dating violence (DV) are a particularly vulnerable
      group. Numerous studies have examined the number and type of SDV risk factors,
      but few examined global patterns of relationships among them. Exploring global
      patterns of risk is crucial to developing targeted prevention efforts. In this
      study we applied a network model to identify risk patterns for a common form of
      SDV, self-cutting, among American adolescent girls (N = 109) with history of DV.
      Risk factor networks were compared among girls who did/did not endorse lifetime
      self-cutting. Girls with a history of self-cutting (19%) had a risk factor
      network characterized by a higher number of associations than girls who did not
      (test statistic = 0.142; 95% CI = 02-.03). For these girls, the experience of one
      risk factor is more likely to co-occur with multiple others, thereby potentially
      compounding effects and unwanted consequences.

PMID- 28910673
TI  - A randomized controlled evaluation of a secondary school mindfulness program for
      early adolescents: Do we have the recipe right yet?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness is being promoted in schools as a prevention program
      despite a current small evidence base. The aim of this research was to conduct a
      rigorous evaluation of the .b ("Dot be") mindfulness curriculum, with or without
      parental involvement, compared to a control condition. METHOD: In a randomized
      controlled design, students (Mage 13.44, SD 0.33; 45.4% female) across a broad
      range of socioeconomic indicators received the nine lesson curriculum delivered
      by an external facilitator with (N = 191) or without (N = 186) parental
      involvement, or were allocated to a usual curriculum control group (N = 178).
      Self-report outcome measures were anxiety, depression, weight/shape concerns,
      wellbeing and mindfulness. RESULTS: There were no differences in outcomes between
      any of the three groups at post-intervention, six or twelve month follow-up.
      Between-group effect sizes (Cohen's d) across the variables ranged from 0.002 to
      0.37. A wide range of moderators were examined but none impacted outcome.
      CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required to identify the optimal age, content
      and length of mindfulness programs for adolescents in universal prevention
      settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12615001052527.

PMID- 28910674
TI  - The inhibitory activity of HL-7 and HL-10 peptide from scorpion venom
      (Hemiscorpius lepturus) on angiotensin converting enzyme: Kinetic and docking
      study.
AB  - The hypertension is one of the highest risk factors for stroke, myocardial
      infarction, vascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Angiotensin converting
      enzyme (ACE) has an important role in the physiological regulation of
      cardiovascular system. ACE inhibition is a key purpose for hypertension
      treatment. In this study, two peptides named HL-7 with the sequence of YLYELAR
      (MW: 927.07Da) and HL-10 with the sequence of AFPYYGHHLG (MW: 1161.28Da) were
      identified from scorpion venom of H. lepturus. The inhibitory activity of HL-7
      and HL-10 was examined on rabbit ACE. The inhibition mechanisms were assayed by
      kinetic and docking studies. The IC50 values for ACE inhibition of HL-7 and HL-10
      were 9.37uM and 17.22uM, respectively. Lineweaver-Burk plots showed that two
      peptides inhibited rabbit ACE with competitive manner. The molecular docking
      conformed experimental results and showed that the two peptides interacted with N
      domain and C-domain active sites. Also, docking study revealed that the two
      peptides can form hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds at their binding sites. Both
      peptides had higher affinity to N-domain. Our results showed that HL-7 exhibited
      more strong interactions with amino acids at active site. It seems that HL-10
      peptide could occupy more space, thereby inhibiting the substrate entrance to
      active site.

PMID- 28910675
TI  - Equine chorionic gonadotropin administration after insemination affects luteal
      function and pregnancy establishment in postpartum anestrous beef cows.
AB  - Two experiments were conducted with the aim of determining the effect of equine
      chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) administration on day 14 after insemination on
      ovarian response and pregnancy establishment in postpartum anestrous beef cows.
      In both experiments, cows were subjected to a progesterone- and estradiol-based
      treatment for fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) and were randomly
      allocated into 4 groups to receive or not receive eCG (400 IU) at the time of
      device removal and/or at 14 d after FTAI. In experiment 1, from day 14 to 22,
      daily ultrasonographic determinations were performed to monitor ovarian dynamics,
      and blood was collected to determine hormone concentrations in 60 cows. In
      experiment 2, confirmation of pregnancy was performed at 30 and 60 d after FTAI
      in 1,060 anestrous cows assigned to the same experimental design. Cows that
      received eCG on day 14 after FTAI showed increases in corpus luteum area (P <
      0.01), follicle diameter (P < 0.05), serum progesterone concentrations (P <
      0.01), and estradiol-17beta concentrations (P < 0.01), compared with cows that
      did not receive eCG on day 14. Pregnancy rate on day 30 was greater in those cows
      that received both eCG treatments (ie, at device removal and 14 d after
      insemination) than in those that did not receive eCG treatment (P < 0.05). In
      conclusion, eCG administered on day 14 after FTAI increases serum progesterone
      concentrations during the critical period of pregnancy in anestrous cows, and
      this second eCG treatment seems to have a positive effect on achieving pregnancy.

PMID- 28910677
TI  - The deepest personal truth - Why the ability to detect it is useful for nurses.

PMID- 28910676
TI  - Porous NH2-MIL-125 as an efficient nano-platform for drug delivery, imaging, and
      ROS therapy utilized Low-Intensity Visible light exposure system.
AB  - Metal-organic frameworks are a novel class of organic-inorganic hybrid polymer
      with potential applications in bioimaging, drug delivery, and ROS therapy. NH2
      MIL-125, which is a titanium-based metal organic framework with a large surface
      area of 1540m2/g, was synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The material was
      characterized by powder X-ray diffreaction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis
      (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N2 isotherm analyses. The
      size of the polymer was reduced to the nanoscale using a high-frequency
      sonication process. PEGylation was carried out to improve the stability and
      bioavailability of the NMOF. The as-synthesized nano-NH2-MIL-125/PEG (NMOF/PEG)
      exhibited good biocompatibility over the (Cancer) MCF-7 and (Normal) COS-7 cell
      line. The interaction of NMOF/PEG with the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was
      examined by BIO-TEM analysis and laser confocal imaging. 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin
      diacetate (DCFDA) analysis confirmed that NMOF/PEG produced free radicals inside
      the cancer cell line (MCF-7) upon visible light irradiation. NMOF/PEG absorbed a
      large amount of DOX (20wt.% of DOX) and showed pH, and photosensitive release.
      This controlled drug delivery was attributed to the presence of NH2, Ti group in
      MOF and a hydroxyl group in PEG. This combination of chemo- and ROS-therapy
      showed excellent efficiency in killing cancer MCF-7 cells.

PMID- 28910678
TI  - Colorimetric aptasensor for the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar
      typhimurium using ZnFe2O4-reduced graphene oxide nanostructures as an effective
      peroxidase mimetics.
AB  - A new colorimetric aptasensor platform was fabricated to detect Salmonella
      enterica serovar typhimurium based on the peroxidase-like activity of ZnFe2O4
      reduced graphene oxide (ZnFe2O4/rGO) nanostructures. The synthesized ZnFe2O4/rGO
      can catalytically oxidize 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 and
      generate a typical blue product, which was detected by micro-reader at 652nm.
      Therefore, ZnFe2O4/rGO was conjugated with aptamer to act as the signal probe.
      Biotin modified aptamer was immobilized onto the micro-plate to act as the
      capture probe. In the presence of target, a "sandwich-type" complex of aptamer
      (on micro-plate)-target-aptamer-ZnFe2O4/rGO complexes was formed through specific
      recognition of aptamers and corresponding target. The limit of detection was
      11cfu/mL and the detection range was 11 to 1.10*105cfu/mL of S. typhimurium in
      buffer solution. Actual samples analysis indicated that this colorimetric
      aptasensor produced results consistent with plate-counting analysis. The
      developed method was simple and sensitive, which may pave the way for the
      detection of other pathogenic bacteria with suitable aptamers.

PMID- 28910679
TI  - The role of the B lymphocytes in endometriosis: A systematic review.
AB  - The physiopathology of endometriosis is not completely understood and its
      progression is associated with a local and systemic inflammatory reaction. It is
      important to clarify the potential role of the immune system to better understand
      its implication in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, which includes the study of
      the role of B cells and antibodies. The aim of this study was to review the
      literature about the role of B lymphocytes in endometriosis. A search for
      "endometriosis", "B cells" and "B lymphocytes" in databases resulted in 140
      citations; after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 22 studies
      were assessed. The analyzed samples in the studies varied and different markers
      and techniques were used by the authors to evaluate the direct or indirect role
      of B lymphocytes in endometriosis. Most studies demonstrated increased number
      and/or activation of B cells while seven studies found no difference and two
      studies showed decreased number of B cells. Increased B lymphocytes and excessive
      production of autoantibodies in endometriosis have been described in the
      literature, but their role in the development of the disease is not well
      understood. Moreover, the association of these factors with clinical symptoms,
      location and severity of the disease has not been investigated. Further studies
      are necessary to clarify the role of B cells in the development of endometriosis
      and propose new therapeutic strategies such as the use of drugs that target these
      cells.

PMID- 28910680
TI  - CT and MRI features of pseudoaneurysms of the mitral-aortic intervalvular
      fibrosa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the CT and MR features of pseudoaneurysms of the mitral
      aortic intervalvular fibrosa (PMAIVF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective
      study included 9 patients with a diagnosis of PMAIVF who had CT or MRI within
      3months of echocardiography. Echocardiography images were reviewed by a
      cardiologist and CT and MRI images were reviewed by two experienced
      cardiothoracic radiologists. RESULTS: Recognizable imaging features of PMAIVFs
      were communication with the Left ventricular outflow tract, location between the
      anterior leaflet of the mitral valve and the aortic valve, systolic expansion and
      diastolic collapse. CONCLUSION: CT and MRI show characteristic appearances of
      PMAIVFs and are complementary to echocardiography.

PMID- 28910681
TI  - The imaging spectrum of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome: A pictorial
      review.
AB  - Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is characterized by the acute
      onset of neurologic symptoms (headache, altered mental status, visual changes,
      seizures) with accompanying vasogenic edema on brain imaging. Risk factors for
      PRES include infection, uremia, malignancy, autoimmune disorders, the peripartum
      state and hypertension. PRES is classically described as being posterior (i.e.
      parieto-occipital) but radiologic variants are increasingly recognized. This
      pictorial review demonstrates the heterogeneity of the different radiologic
      presentations of PRES in reference to lesion distribution, hemorrhage, diffusion
      restriction, contrast enhancement, and other associated findings.

PMID- 28910682
TI  - Overcoming the drawbacks of plastic strain estimation based on KAM.
AB  - Plastic strain estimation using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) based on
      kernel average misorientation (KAM) is affected by random orientation measurement
      error, EBSD step length, choice of kernel and average grain size. These
      sensitivities complicate reproducibility of results between labs, but it is shown
      in this work how these drawbacks can be overcome. The modifications to KAM were
      verified against a similar misorientation metric based on grain orientation
      spread (GOS), which does not show sensitivity to these factors. Both metrics were
      used in parallel to estimate the plastic strain distribution in Alloy 690 heat
      affected zones from component mockups, and showed the same results where the
      grain size was correctly compensated for.

PMID- 28910683
TI  - The coordination of shoulder girdle muscles during repetitive arm movements at
      either slow or fast pace among women with or without neck-shoulder pain.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the coordination of the shoulder
      girdle muscles among subjects with or without neck-shoulder pain performing
      repetitive arm movement at either a slow or fast pace. METHODS: Thirty female
      adults were allocated to one of two groups-healthy controls or cases with neck
      shoulder pain. Surface electromyography (sEMG) signals from the clavicular,
      acromial, middle and lower trapezius portions and the serratus anterior muscles
      were recorded during a task performed for 20min at a slow pace and 20min at a
      fast pace. The root mean square (RMS), relative rest time (RRT) and normalised
      mutual information (NMI, an index of functional connectivity between two muscles
      in a pair) were computed. RESULTS: No significant differences on RMS, RRT and NMI
      were found between groups. For both groups, the fast movement pace resulted in
      increased levels of RMS, lower degrees of RRT and higher NMI compared to the slow
      pace. No interaction between group and movement pace was found. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study highlights the change in sEMG activity of muscles to meet the demands of
      performing a task at fast movement pace. The fast pace imposed a higher muscle
      demand evidenced by increased sEMG amplitude, low degree of muscle rest and
      increased functional connectivity for subjects in both the case and control
      groups. No indication of impaired sEMG activity was found in individuals with
      neck-shoulder pain.

PMID- 28910684
TI  - The effect of ambient light condition on road traffic collisions involving
      pedestrians on pedestrian crossings.
AB  - Previous research suggests darkness increases the risk of a collision involving a
      pedestrian and the severity of any injury suffered. Pedestrian crossings are
      intended to make it safer to cross the road, but it is not clear whether they are
      effective at doing this after-dark, compared with during daylight. Biannual clock
      changes resulting from transitions to and from daylight saving time were used to
      compare RTCs in the UK during daylight and darkness but at the same time of day,
      thus controlling for potential influences on RTC numbers not related to the
      ambient light condition. Odds ratios and regression discontinuity analysis
      suggested there was a significantly greater risk of a pedestrian RTC at a
      crossing after-dark than during daylight. Results also suggested the risk of an
      RTC after-dark was greater at a pedestrian crossing than at a location at least
      50m away from a crossing. Whilst these results show the increased danger to
      pedestrians using a designated crossing after-dark, this increased risk is not
      due to a lack of lighting at these locations as 98% of RTCs at pedestrian
      crossings after-dark were lit by road lighting. This raises questions about the
      adequacy and effectiveness of the lighting used at pedestrian crossings.

PMID- 28910685
TI  - The deposition of colloidal particles from a sessile drop of a volatile
      suspension subject to particle adsorption and coagulation.
AB  - Electrical double layer and van der Waals (DLVO) forces are known to determine
      the morphology of the deposit of colloidal particles following the evaporation of
      the carrier liquid. It is assumed that the adsorption of particles to the solid
      substrate and their coagulation in the liquid are the mechanisms connecting DLVO
      forces to the morphology of the deposit. We use theory to test this assertion. We
      model the deposition of particles from a volatile drop while accounting for the
      contribution of adhesion and coagulation. The rate of both mechanisms is
      connected to DLVO forces via the interaction-force boundary layer and the
      Smoluchowski theorems, respectively. We present analytical solutions for the
      morphology of the deposit, accounting for particle adsorption and pair-limited
      coagulation, and a corresponding numerical analysis for the case where particle
      adhesion and coagulation are concurrent. We conclude that larger aggregates of
      particles are found near the edge of the drop at the expense of the smaller ones
      in the absence of adhesion. The adhesion of particles to the substrate smears the
      deposit, rendering large aggregates to appear near the center of the drop. The
      analysis is in agreement with a previous experiment when accounting for the
      corresponding DLVO forces.

PMID- 28910686
TI  - A simple and environment-friendly approach for synthesizing macroporous polymers
      from aqueous foams.
AB  - We propose a facile and environment-friendly approach for the preparation of
      macroporous polyacrylamide (PAM) via thermal-initiated polymerization of aqueous
      foams that are stabilized by surface-modified silica nanoparticles.
      Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is used to delicately adjust the surface
      amphiphilicity of silica to stabilize aqueous foams. The air bubble size and size
      distribution is affected by the wettability of silica particles, solid content
      and air volume fraction in the foams. The morphology of macroporous polymers is
      observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The pore and pore throat size
      can be tailored effectively by varying the silica content and air volume
      fraction. A high porosity of 83% is achieved when the air volume fraction of the
      aqueous foam is 65%. PAM hydrogels obtained via polymerizing aqueous foams show
      pronounced advantage over the ones prepared from oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions in
      wastewater treatment because of their unique pore structure. This strategy would
      also be extended to prepare other macroporous polymers with well-defined pore
      structures.

PMID- 28910687
TI  - Somatic mosaicism in a severe haemophilia B family detected by allele specific
      PCR: An alert to the genetic diagnostic laboratories.

PMID- 28910688
TI  - Aortic fibromuscular dysplasia complicated by dissection: a case report and
      review of literature.
AB  - Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is an idiopathic, segmental, nonatherosclerotic,
      non-inflammatory vascular disease, which is often complicated by the occurrence
      of dissection. Although it is known to occur in all arteries, aortic involvement
      is relatively rare. To date, 33 cases of aortic FMD have been reported in
      available English literature, among which only three cases have been complicated
      by the occurrence of dissection. We describe the case of a 40-year-old woman
      diagnosed with aortic FMD complicated by the occurrence of a type A aortic
      dissection. Non-invasive imaging revealed an ascending to descending thoracic
      aneurysm measuring 8 cm in diameter associated with dissection.
      Histopathologically, a segment of the wall of the aneurysm showed architectural
      disorganization of the aortic wall with loss of elastic fibers, collagen
      deposition, and irregular proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the intima and
      media-features suggesting FMD. No atheromatous plaque or medial cystic
      degeneration was observed in the aorta. Although aortic FMD is sometimes fatal,
      it is often very difficult to diagnose using imaging techniques. Therefore,
      performing a histopathological diagnosis is very important and should be
      emphasized.

PMID- 28910689
TI  - Numerical simulation of endoscopic magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic
      induction.
AB  - Endoscopic magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (EMAT-MI) provides
      an interventional tool to detect the electrical conductivity distribution of a
      tubular structure with high spatial resolution. In this work, a preliminary study
      on the numerical simulation of EMAT-MI images was conducted. The magnetic
      excitation, generation and propagation of magnetoacoustic (MA) waves in the multi
      layered wall tissues were modeled and numerically simulated. The cross-sectional
      distribution of the acoustic source and electrical conductivity was recovered
      from the acoustic pressure series based on time-reversal. The validity has been
      demonstrated on two computer-generated phantoms. Results suggested that the
      conductivity boundaries can be clearly distinguished in the images of acoustic
      source or conductivity distribution which are highly consistent with the
      numerical simulation. The resolution of the MA signals excited by the Lorentz
      force divergence is closely related to the pulse width of the excitation current.
      Sparse measuring locations and limited-view scanning may reduce the image quality
      although higher SNR of the MA signals leads to better image reconstruction.

PMID- 28910690
TI  - Smoking cessation for substance misusers: A systematic review of qualitative
      studies on participant and provider beliefs and perceptions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Smoking prevalence among those in substance misuse treatment
      remains much higher than the general population, despite evidence for effective
      cessation interventions that do not negatively impact substance misuse outcomes.
      This systematic review summarises qualitative data on barriers and facilitators
      to smoking cessation for people in substance misuse treatment, participants' and
      providers' perceptions about effects of smoking cessation on substance misuse
      treatment, timing of intervention delivery and aspects of interventions perceived
      to be effective. METHODS: Systematic review of qualitative studies and thematic
      synthesis of published qualitative data. RESULTS: 10939 records and 132 full
      texts were screened. 22 papers reporting on 21 studies were included. Key themes
      identified were: strong relationships between smoking and other substance misuse;
      environmental influences; motivation; mental health; aspects of interventions
      perceived to be effective/ineffective; barriers and facilitators to intervention
      implementation; smoking bans/restrictions; and relationships with professionals.
      Many service users were motivated toward smoking cessation but were not offered
      support. Some felt interventions should be delivered after substance misuse
      treatment, whilst others felt concurrent/dual interventions would be beneficial,
      due to strong associations between smoking and other substances. Treatment
      providers felt they lacked training and resources for supporting smoking
      cessation, and were concerned about impact on substance misuse outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Many substance misusers who also smoke are motivated to quit but
      perceive a lack of support from professionals. Additional training and resources
      are required to enable professionals to provide the support needed. More research
      is required to develop enhanced packages of care for this deprived group of
      smokers.

PMID- 28910691
TI  - Phylogeny and taxonomy of new and re-examined strains of Tubulinea (Amoebozoa).
AB  - Morphological and molecular characterizations of three newly isolated tubulinean
      strains and re-examination of five strains formerly considered representatives of
      Saccamoeba and one strain formerly considered as Trichamoeba resulted in (a) the
      determination of strain BA02, isolated from a dripping rock ledge in Skansbukta
      (Billefjorden, Svalbard), as a new representative of Ptolemeba bulliensis Brown
      et al., 2014; (b) identification of strain ATCC(r) 50249TM, deposited in the
      American Type Culture Collection as Trichamoeba, as the same species (P.
      bulliensis); (c) characterization of the new strain POHL into the Saccamoeba
      clade as a member closely related to S. lacustris; and (d) changing the generic
      residence of three strains formerly considered as representatives of Saccamoeba
      (strain PV67 to the P. bulliensis clade, and W187G and DP7 into the sister group
      of Ptolemeba noxubium Brown et al., 2014) whereas two other strains (MSED6,
      NTSHR) retain their original Saccamoeba clade position. Within the individual
      clades, the ultrastructure (especially the inner architecture of mitochondria) is
      congruent and thus of superior taxonomic value to that of light microscopic
      (morphometric) features.

PMID- 28910692
TI  - Conceptual achievement of 1GBq activity in a Plasma Focus driven system.
AB  - This is an approach to evaluate the radioisotope production by means of typical
      dense plasma focus devices. The production rate of the appropriate positron
      emitters, F-18, N-13 and O-15 has been studied. The beam-target mechanism was
      simulated by GEANT4 Monte Carlo tool using QGSP_BIC and QGSP_INCLXX physic models
      as comparison. The results for positron emitters have been evaluated by reported
      experimental data and found conformity between simulations and experimental
      reports that leads to using this code as a reliable tool in optimizing the DPF
      driven systems for achieving to 1GBq activity of produced radioisotope.

PMID- 28910693
TI  - Combining child social skills training with a parent early intervention program
      for inhibited preschool children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of early intervention
      for anxiety in preschoolers through parent-education. The current study evaluated
      a six-session early intervention program for preschoolers at high risk of anxiety
      disorders in which a standard educational program for parents was supplemented by
      direct training of social skills to the children. METHODS: Seventy-two children
      aged 3-5 years were selected based on high behavioural inhibition levels and
      concurrently having a parent with high emotional distress. Families were randomly
      assigned to either the intervention group, which consisted of six parent
      education group sessions and six child social skills training sessions, or
      waitlist. After six months, families on waitlist were offered treatment
      consisting of parent-education only. RESULTS: Relative to waitlist, children in
      the combined condition showed significantly fewer clinician-rated anxiety
      disorders and diagnostic severity and maternal (but not paternal) reported
      anxiety symptoms and life interference at six months. Mothers also reported less
      overprotection. These gains were maintained at 12-month follow-up. Parent only
      education following waitlist produced similar improvements among children. Quasi
      experimental comparison between combined and parent-only interventions indicated
      greater reductions from combined intervention according to clinician reports, but
      no significant differences on maternal reports. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that
      this brief early intervention program for preschoolers with both parent and child
      components significantly reduces risk and disorder in vulnerable children. The
      inclusion of a child component might have the potential to increase effects over
      parent-only intervention. However, future support for this conclusion through
      long-term, randomised controlled trials is needed.

PMID- 28910694
TI  - An epidemiologic perspective on the stem cell hypothesis in human carcinogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tomasetti and Vogelstein have hypothesized that the patterns of
      cancer incidence in various cells and tissues are highly correlated with the
      estimated lifetime number of stem cell divisions. The authors reviewed the risks
      in tissues of 17 types of cancer from the United States and 69 additional
      countries. Positive correlations were observed consistently between the tissue -
      specific cancer incidence and the estimated lifetime number of stem cell
      divisions. The authors concluded that approximately two-thirds of global cancer
      incidence may be attributed to random DNA replication errors. METHODS: An
      epidemiologic perspective is presented that may serve as a counterpoint in
      interpreting organ-specific cancer risks. The unifying nature of the
      Tomasetti/Vogelstein hypothesis must be viewed in the context of diverse and
      contrasting global trends and patterns of types and "causes" of cancers that are
      closely linked with economic development and cultural lifestyle practices. The
      presentation is organized by reviewing the global burden of cancer; concepts of
      causal inferences and counterfactual assumptions; multifactorial causes of
      hepatocellular carcinoma and a hierarchy of causes that varies internationally;
      tobacco carcinogenesis and the multiplex associations with 19 cancer sites and
      tissues; profile in contrasts in transit through the small and large intestine.
      OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: It is readily recognized that DNA replication
      errors and number of stem cell divisions may vary in individuals and populations
      due to external environmental genotoxic chemicals and biologic agents, and
      internal hormonal and metabolic factors. There is a striking contrast in the risk
      of adenocarcinoma in the small intestine with that in the large intestine.
      Tomasetti and Vogelstein indicated that the cumulative number of divisions of
      stem cells over a lifetime in normal epithelial mucosal cells from colorectal
      cancer patients was 4 time greater than in the epithelial tissue from patients
      with adenocarcinoma of the small intestine. Their conclusion would suggest a
      "seed" and "soil" interaction rather than exclusively the independence of either
      component. Namely, that the contrasting physiological, biochemical, microbial and
      immunological features in the lumen and on the mucosal surface of the large
      intestine, in contrast to that in the small intestine, would foster molecular
      genetic and epigenetic events that are advantageous to neoplasia in the large
      intestine.

PMID- 28910695
TI  - MDS classification is improving in an era of the WHO 2016 criteria of MDS: A
      population-based analysis among 9159 MDS patients diagnosed in the Netherlands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Morphologic and cytogenetic assessments are required to characterize
      diagnostic and prognostic features of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We
      assessed whether these assessments were performed among newly diagnosed MDS
      patients in the Netherlands. METHODS: MDS cases were retrieved from the
      nationwide Netherlands Cancer Registry (N=9159; period 2001-2014) and the
      regional PHAROS MDS registry (N=676; period 2008-2011). RESULTS: The proportion
      of unclassified MDS decreased from 58% in 2001 to 13% in 2014. Data from the more
      detailed PHAROS registry revealed that the degree of bone marrow dysplasia was
      only reported in ~30% of all evaluable bone marrow aspirates. Further, the
      International Prognostic Scoring System was undetermined in 55% of patients,
      primarily owing to unperformed cytogenetics in 46% of patients. CONCLUSION: The
      classification of MDS is improving in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, particular
      diagnostic and prognostic procedures that are essential for the diagnosis and
      subsequent treatment decision-making of MDS were not fully utilized in particular
      patient subsets.

PMID- 28910696
TI  - Tissue microstructure estimation using a deep network inspired by a dictionary
      based framework.
AB  - Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) captures the anisotropic pattern of
      water displacement in the neuronal tissue and allows noninvasive investigation of
      the complex tissue microstructure. A number of biophysical models have been
      proposed to relate the tissue organization with the observed diffusion signals,
      so that the tissue microstructure can be inferred. The Neurite Orientation
      Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) model has been a popular choice and has
      been widely used for many neuroscientific studies. It models the diffusion signal
      with three compartments that are characterized by distinct diffusion properties,
      and the parameters in the model describe tissue microstructure. In NODDI, these
      parameters are estimated in a maximum likelihood framework, where the nonlinear
      model fitting is computationally intensive. Therefore, efforts have been made to
      develop efficient and accurate algorithms for NODDI microstructure estimation,
      which is still an open problem. In this work, we propose a deep network based
      approach that performs end-to-end estimation of NODDI microstructure, which is
      named Microstructure Estimation using a Deep Network (MEDN). MEDN comprises two
      cascaded stages and is motivated by the AMICO algorithm, where the NODDI
      microstructure estimation is formulated in a dictionary-based framework. The
      first stage computes the coefficients of the dictionary. It resembles the
      solution to a sparse reconstruction problem, where the iterative process in
      conventional estimation approaches is unfolded and truncated, and the weights are
      learned instead of predetermined by the dictionary. In the second stage,
      microstructure properties are computed from the output of the first stage, which
      resembles the weighted sum of normalized dictionary coefficients in AMICO, and
      the weights are also learned. Because spatial consistency of diffusion signals
      can be used to reduce the effect of noise, we also propose MEDN+, which is an
      extended version of MEDN. MEDN+ allows incorporation of neighborhood information
      by inserting a stage with learned weights before the MEDN structure, where the
      diffusion signals in the neighborhood of a voxel are processed. The weights in
      MEDN or MEDN+ are jointly learned from training samples that are acquired with
      diffusion gradients densely sampling the q-space. We performed MEDN and MEDN+ on
      brain dMRI scans, where two shells each with 30 gradient directions were used,
      and measured their accuracy with respect to the gold standard. Results
      demonstrate that the proposed networks outperform the competing methods.

PMID- 28910697
TI  - In vitro assessment of neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation of homemade MWCNTs.
AB  - Multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) activate pathways involved in
      cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and inflammation. Inhaled MWCNTs are translocated to
      extra pulmonary organs and their hydrophobicity allows them to cross the blood
      brain barrier (BBB). Further exposure of central nervous system (CNS) occurs via
      olfactory neurons. Using differentiated SH-SY5Y, we studied the neurotoxicity and
      neuroinflammation of pristine and functionalised MWCNTs. ROS overproduction was
      dose- and time-dependent (P<0.01) and was related to mitochondrial impairment,
      DNA damage and decreased viability (P<0.05). Transcript levels of TNFalpha, IL
      1beta and IL-6 increased, as confirmed by an ELISA test. Raman spectra were
      acquired to assess MWCNT-cells interactions. The almost superimposable pro
      oxidant activity of both CNTs could be imputable to excessive lengths with regard
      to the pristine MWCNTs and to the eroded surface, causing increased reactivity,
      with regard to functionalised MWCNTs. Considering the ease with which lightweight
      MWCNTs aerosolize and the increased production, the results underlined the
      potential onset of neurodegenerative diseases, due to unintentional MWCNT
      exposure.

PMID- 28910698
TI  - Temperature, inocula and substrate: Contrasting electroactive consortia,
      diversity and performance in microbial fuel cells.
AB  - The factors that affect microbial community assembly and its effects on the
      performance of bioelectrochemical systems are poorly understood. Sixteen
      microbial fuel cell (MFC) reactors were set up to test the importance of
      inoculum, temperature and substrate: Arctic soil versus wastewater as inoculum;
      warm (26.5 degrees C) versus cold (7.5 degrees C) temperature; and acetate versus
      wastewater as substrate. Substrate was the dominant factor in determining
      performance and diversity: unexpectedly the simple electrogenic substrate
      delivered a higher diversity than a complex wastewater. Furthermore, in acetate
      fed reactors, diversity did not correlate with performance, yet in wastewater fed
      ones it did, with greater diversity sustaining higher power densities and
      coulombic efficiencies. Temperature had only a minor effect on power density,
      (Q10: 2 and 1.2 for acetate and wastewater respectively): this is surprising
      given the well-known temperature sensitivity of anaerobic bioreactors. Reactors
      were able to operate at low temperature with real wastewater without the need for
      specialised inocula; it is speculated that MFC biofilms may have a self-heating
      effect. Importantly, the warm acetate fed reactors in this study did not act as
      direct model for cold wastewater fed systems. Application of this technology will
      encompass use of real wastewater at ambient temperatures.

PMID- 28910699
TI  - Intraspecific variation and influence of diet on the venom chemical profile of
      the Ectatomma brunneum Smith (Formicidae) ant evaluated by photoacoustic
      spectroscopy.
AB  - Studies of venomous animals have shown that environmental and genetic factors
      contribute to determining the chemical composition of venom. It is well known
      that external effects cause differences in the toxicity, concentration, and prey
      specificity of venom. However, the influence of different factors on the chemical
      profile of Hymenoptera venom remains little explored. In view of this, the aim of
      this study was to evaluate intraspecific differences and the influence of diet on
      the chemical profile of Ectatomma brunneum venom using Fourier transform infrared
      photoacoustic spectroscopy. For the study of intraspecific variation of the
      venom, foragers were collected at locations with different environmental
      conditions, such as urban, intermediate, woodland and monoculture sites. To
      investigate the influence of diet on the venom, two colonies were sampled in the
      same area and were maintained in the laboratory under controlled diet conditions
      and at room temperature. The mid-infrared absorption spectra obtained were
      interpreted using discriminant function analysis. The results showed significant
      differences among the chemical profiles of the venoms of individuals from
      different environments and individuals exposed to a controlled diet in the
      laboratory, suggesting that venom composition was determined not only by genetic
      traits inherent to the species, but also by exogenous factors.

PMID- 28910700
TI  - Characterization of light-dependent hydrogen production by new green microalga
      Parachlorella kessleri in various conditions.
AB  - Nowadays, hydrogen (H2) production by green microalgae seems to be a very
      perspective, as stocks of water and solar energy are practically inexhaustible
      and renewable. The aim of this study was the optimization of conditions (organic
      carbon sources and lighting regime), which can provide light-dependent H2
      production by green microalga Parachlorella kessleri RA-002 newly isolated in
      Armenia. The results indicated that carbon sources and lighting regimes affected
      H2 production. In the presence of used carbon sources H2 production was observed,
      but the highest yield of H2 was obtained in the presence of acetate. It was 2
      fold higher than the H2 yield determined in the presence of glucose. The increase
      of H2 production might be connected with the stimulation of H2-producing enzyme -
      [Fe]-hydrogenase synthesis. The data obtained show that acetate can be used as an
      effective carbon source in H2 production. H2 production by microalga (in the
      presence of acetate and glucose) was enhanced by 1.5-2.5-fold in comparison with
      continuously illuminated algal cells, when P. kessleri was illuminated during
      24h, and then was moved in the darkness. H2 yield increase is possible due to
      hydrogenase activation and the creation of anaerobic conditions. This study was
      significant to find out available effective substrates and optimal lighting
      regime to provide with light-dependent H2 production by microalgae.

PMID- 28910701
TI  - Biomechanical analysis of lumbar decompression surgery in relation to
      degenerative changes in the lumbar spine - Validated finite element analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no studies about the biomechanical analysis of lumbar
      decompression surgery in relation to degenerative changes of the lumbar spine.
      Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare, by using finite element (FE)
      analysis, the biomechanical changes of the lumbar spine in terms of annulus
      stress and nucleus pressure after two different kinds of lumbar decompression
      surgery in relation to disc degenerative changes. METHODS: The validated intact
      and degenerated FE models (L2-5) were used in this study. In these two models,
      two different decompression surgical scenarios at L3-4, including conventional
      laminectomy (ConLa) and the spinous process osteotomy (SpinO), were simulated.
      Therefore, a total of six models were simulated. Under preloading, 7.5 Nm moments
      of flexion, extension, lateral bending, and torsion were imposed. In each model,
      the maximal von Mises stress on the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pressure at the
      index segment (L3-4) and adjacent segments (L2-3 and L4-5) were analyzed.
      RESULTS: The ConLa model and disc degeneration model demonstrated a larger
      annulus stress at the decompression level (L3-4) under all four moments than were
      seen in the SpinO model and healthy disc model, respectively. Therefore, the
      ConLa model with moderate disc degeneration showed the highest annulus stress at
      the decompression level (L3-4). However, the percent change of annulus stress at
      L3-4 from the intact model to the matched decompression model was less in the
      moderate disc degeneration model than in the healthy disc model. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although the ConLa model with moderate disc degeneration showed the highest
      annulus stress, the degenerative models would be less influenced by the
      decompression technique.

PMID- 28910702
TI  - Respiratory ATP cost and benefit of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis with
      Nicotiana tabacum at different growth stages and under salinity.
AB  - Growth and maintenance partly depend on both respiration and ATP production
      during oxidative phosphorylation in leaves. Under stress, ATP is needed to
      maintain the accumulated biomass. ATP production mostly proceeds from the
      cytochrome oxidase pathway (COP), while respiration via the alternative oxidase
      pathway (AOP) may decrease the production of ATP per oxygen consumed, especially
      under phosphorus (P) limitation and salinity conditions. Symbiosis with
      arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is reputed by their positive effect on plant
      growth under stress at mature stages of colonization; however, fungal
      colonization may decrease plant growth at early stages. Thus, the present
      research is based on the hypothesis that AM fungus colonization will increase
      both foliar respiration and ATP production at mature stages of plant growth while
      decreasing them both at early stages. We used the oxygen-isotope-fractionation
      technique to study the in vivo respiratory activities and ATP production of the
      COP and AOP in AM and non-AM (NM) tobacco plants grown under P-limiting and
      saline conditions in sand at different growth stages (14, 28 and 49days). Our
      results suggest that AM symbiosis represents an ATP cost detrimental for shoot
      growth at early stages, whilst it represents a benefit on ATP allowing for faster
      rates of growth at mature stages, even under salinity conditions.

PMID- 28910703
TI  - Long-term manganese-toxicity-induced alterations of physiology and leaf protein
      profiles in two Citrus species differing in manganese-tolerance.
AB  - Manganese (Mn)-intolerant 'Sour pummelo' (Citrus grandis) and Mn-tolerant
      'Xuegan' (Citrus sinensis) seedlings were irrigated for 17 weeks with 2 (control)
      or 600MUM (Mn-toxicity or -excess) MnSO4. C. sinensis had higher Mn-tolerance
      than C. grandis, as indicated by the higher photosynthesis rates in Mn-excess C.
      sinensis leaves. Under Mn-toxicity, Mn levels were similar between C. sinensis
      and C. grandis roots, but lower in C. sinensis leaves than in C. grandis leaves.
      This might be responsible for C. sinensis Mn-tolerance. Using two-dimensional
      electrophoresis, we identified more differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) in Mn
      excess C. grandis than in Mn-excess C. sinensis leaves, which agrees with the
      higher Mn levels in Mn-excess C. grandis leaves. DAPs were mainly related to
      carbohydrate and energy metabolism, stress response, and protein and amino acid
      metabolism. DAPs involved in the cytoskeleton and signal transduction were found
      only in Mn-excess C. grandis leaves. We isolated more photosynthesis-related
      proteins with decreased abundances in Mn-excess C. grandis leaves than in Mn
      excess C. sinensis leaves, which might account for the larger decrease in
      photosynthesis rates in C. grandis leaves. The abundances of proteins involved in
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and photorespiration were increased in
      Mn-excess C. grandis leaves, while only proteins involved in ROS detoxification
      were increased in Mn-excess C. sinensis leaves. This agrees with the increased
      requirement for dissipating the excess absorbed light energy, which was higher in
      Mn-excess C. grandis leaves than Mn-excess C. sinensis leaves because Mn-toxicity
      inhibited photosynthesis to a greater degree in C. grandis leaves.

PMID- 28910704
TI  - Class advantages and disadvantages are not so Black and White: intersectionality
      impacts rank and selves.
AB  - At the intersection of race and class the consequences of being working-class or
      middle-class are not so Black and White. Rather, established and emerging
      research suggests that race/ethnicity and social class intersect to
      differentially afford benefits and burdens. For instance, racial/ethnic
      minorities often do not reap the social, psychological or economic benefits of
      higher social class; yet, in some key life domains (e.g. health and mortality)
      racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. seem to be buffered from some burdens of
      lower social class. We integrate empirical evidence to suggest that such
      differential advantages and disadvantages along racial lines reflect that social
      class exists alongside, rather than separate from, race/ethnicity as two distinct
      yet intersecting sources of rank and in turn selves.

PMID- 28910705
TI  - Pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening and molecular docking of ATPase
      inhibitors of HSP70.
AB  - Heat shock protein 70 is an effective anticancer target as it influences many
      signaling pathways. Hence the study investigated the important pharmacophore
      feature required for ATPase inhibitors of HSP70 by generating a ligand based
      pharmacophore model followed by virtual based screening and subsequent validation
      by molecular docking in Discovery studio V4.0. The most extrapolative
      pharmacophore model (hypotheses 8) consisted of four hydrogen bond acceptors.
      Further validation by external test set prediction identified 200 hits from Mini
      Maybridge, Drug Diverse, SCPDB compounds and Phytochemicals. Consequently, the
      screened compounds were refined by rule of five, ADMET and molecular docking to
      retain the best competitive hits. Finally Phytochemical compounds Muricatetrocin
      B, Diacetylphiladelphicalactone C, Eleutheroside B and 5-(3-{[1
      (benzylsulfonyl)piperidin-4-yl]amino}phenyl)- 4-bromo-3-(carboxymethoxy)thiophene
      2-carboxylic acid were obtained as leads to inhibit the ATPase activity of HSP70
      in our findings and thus can be proposed for further in vitro and in vivo
      evaluation.

PMID- 28910706
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of five major triterpenoids after oral
      administration of Rhizoma Alismatis extract to rats using ultra high-performance
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Rhizoma Alismatis (RA) was wildly used for treatment of dysuria, pyelonephritis,
      hyperlipidemia, enteritis diarrhea, diabetes, inflammation, and cancer.
      Triterpenoids are the major active components of RA, and its extract is mainly
      composed of alisol A (ALA), alisol B (ALB), alisol C 23-acetate (ALC-23A), alisol
      A 24-acetate (ALA-24A), and alisol B 23-acetate (ALB-23A). In this study, a
      simple, reliable, and sensitive ultra high-performance liquid chromatography with
      triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was created and
      validated for the quantification of the five major triterpenoids in rat plasma
      and various tissues biosamples (including intestine, stomach, liver, kidney, fat,
      muscle, brain, heart, lung, spleen, and testes). The plasma and tissues
      biosamples were pretreated by direct precipitation deproteinization method with
      acetonitrile. 17alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone was used as internal standard (IS). The
      chromatography was performed on a Phenomenex C8 column (30*2.00mm, 1.8MUm) at
      room temperature with gradient elution. Compounds were quantified by selected
      multi-reactions monitoring (SRM) scanning with positive electric spray ionization
      mode. The linearity of detection for each triterpene was respectively from 1 to
      1000ng/mL for ALC-23A and ALA, from 4 to 4000ng/mL for ALA-24A, from 10 to
      10,000ng/mL for ALB, and from 2 to 2000ng/mL for ALB-23B (r>0.99) with low
      quantification limits of 1-10ng/mL for all analytes. All of the other validation
      parameters were also in an acceptable range. The validated UHPLC-MS/MS method
      subsequently applied for the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies of
      RA extract. After orally given 100mg/kg of RA extract, ALA was the most exposed
      component, followed by ALB and ALA-24A. Whereas significant gender difference was
      observed for ALB, ALA, and ALA-24A between female and male rats. The AUC(0
      infinity) of ALA, ALB, and ALA-24A in female rats were approximately 2-5 fold
      larger than that in male rats. These triterpenoids also displayed approximately
      1.5-2 times longer half-life (t1/2) in female rats. Appearant Km, Vmax and Clint
      of ALA, ALB, and ALA-24A were calculated by substrate depletion approach, rat
      P450 CYP3A2 plays an important role in the metabolism of ALA, ALB, and ALA-24A,
      which is an important factor leading to the different exprosures of ALA, ALB, and
      ALA-24A between the male rats and the female rats. Furthermore, results from
      tissue distribution in male rats showed that the main tissue depots of five
      triterpenoids were the stomach/intestine, followed by the liver, brain, and fat.
      However, ALA was still measured in the kidney after a long elimination time. ALB
      and ALB-23B exhibited lower elimination rate in the testis. These results provide
      a fundamental support for further pharmacological development and clinical safety
      application of RA.

PMID- 28910707
TI  - Spectral phasor analysis reveals altered membrane order and function of root hair
      cells in Arabidopsis dry2/sqe1-5 drought hypersensitive mutant.
AB  - Biological membranes allow the regulation of numerous cellular processes, which
      are affected when unfavorable environmental factors are perceived. Lipids and
      proteins are the principal components of biological membranes. Each lipid has
      unique biophysical properties, and, therefore the lipid composition of the
      membrane is critical to maintaining the bilayer structure and functionality.
      Membrane composition and integrity are becoming the focus of studies aiming to
      understand how plants adapt to its environment. In this study, using a
      combination of di-4-ANEPPDHQ fluorescence and spectral phasor analysis, we report
      that the drought hypersensitive/squalene epoxidase (dry2/sqe1-5) mutant with
      reduced major sterols such as sitosterol and stigmasterol in roots presented
      higher membrane fluidity than the wild type. Moreover, analysis of endomembrane
      dynamics showed that vesicle formation was affected in dry2/sqe1-5. Further
      analysis of proteins associated with sterol rich micro domains showed that
      dry2/sqe1-5 presented micro domains function altered.

PMID- 28910708
TI  - Telomere quantification in frontal and temporal brain tissue of patients with
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Recent imaging studies have suggested that accelerated aging occurs in
      schizophrenia. However, the exact cause of these findings is still unclear. In
      this study we measured telomere length, a marker for cell senescence, in gray and
      white matter brain tissue from the medial frontal gyrus (MFG) and superior
      temporal gyrus (STG) of 9 patients with schizophrenia and 11 controls. No
      alterations in telomere length were found in MFG gray and white matter and in STG
      gray matter. A significant reduction in telomere length was observed in STG white
      matter of patients with schizophrenia as compared to controls (fold change of 
      0.42, U = 5, P = 0.008). Our results support previous findings that telomere
      length in gray matter is not affected, whereas they suggest that increased cell
      senescence may affect white matter temporal brain tissue.

PMID- 28910709
TI  - Psychological reactions to the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing: A population based
      study.

PMID- 28910710
TI  - Outer nuclear membrane fusion of adjacent nuclei in varicella-zoster virus
      induced syncytia.
AB  - Syncytia formation has been considered important for cell-to-cell spread and
      pathogenesis of many viruses. As a syncytium forms, individual nuclei often
      congregate together, allowing close contact of nuclear membranes and possibly
      fusion to occur. However, there is currently no reported evidence of nuclear
      membrane fusion between adjacent nuclei in wild-type virus-induced syncytia.
      Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is one typical syncytia-inducing virus that causes
      chickenpox and shingles in humans. Here, we report, for the first time, an
      interesting observation of apparent fusion of the outer nuclear membranes from
      juxtaposed nuclei that comprise VZV syncytia both in ARPE-19 human epithelial
      cells in vitro and in human skin xenografts in the SCID-hu mouse model in vivo.
      This work reveals a novel aspect of VZV-related cytopathic effect in the context
      of multinucleated syncytia. Additionally, the information provided by this study
      could be helpful for future studies on interactions of viruses with host cell
      nuclei.

PMID- 28910712
TI  - Raman analysis of cobalt blue pigment in blue and white porcelain: A
      reassessment.
AB  - Cobalt blue is a famous pigment in human history. In the past decade it is widely
      reported that the cobalt aluminate has been detected in ancient ceramics as blue
      colorant in glaze, yet the acquired Raman spectra are incredibly different from
      that of synthesised references, necessitating a reassessment of such
      contradictory scenario with more accurate analytic strategies. In this study,
      micro-Raman spectroscopy (MRS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in
      association with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) were performed on under
      glaze cobalt pigments from one submerged blue and white porcelain shard dated
      from Wanli reign (1573-1620CE) of Ming dynasty (1365-1644CE) excavated at Nan'ao
      I shipwreck off the southern coast of China. The micro-structural inspection
      reveals that the pigment particles have characteristics of small account, tiny
      size, heterogeneously distribution, and more importantly, been completely
      enwrapped by well-developed anorthite crystals in the glaze, indicating that the
      signals recorded in previous publications are probably not from cobalt pigments
      themselves but from outside thickset anorthite shell. The further
      spectromicroscopic analyses confirm this presumption when the accurate spectra of
      cobalt aluminate pigment and surrounding anorthite were obtained separately with
      precise optical positioning. Accordingly, we reassess and clarify the previous
      Raman studies dedicated to cobalt blue pigment in ancient ceramics, e.g. cobalt
      blue in celadon glaze, and in turn demonstrate the superiority and necessity of
      coupling spectroscopic analysis with corresponding structure observation,
      especially in the characterization of pigments from complicated physico-chemical
      environment like antiquities. Thus, this study promotes a better understanding of
      Raman spectroscopy study of cobalt blue pigments in art and archaeology field.

PMID- 28910711
TI  - A novel micro-to-macro structural approach for mechanical characterization of
      adipose tissue extracellular matrix.
AB  - Mechanical characterization of adipose tissue micro-components is important for
      various biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and predicting adipose
      tissue response to forces involved in relevant medical intervention procedures
      (e.g. breast needle biopsy). For this characterization, we introduce a novel
      structural method for micromechanical modeling of the adipose tissue. The
      micromechanical model was developed using fluid-structure interaction (FSI)
      formulation. We utilized this model within an inverse problem framework to
      estimate the hyperelastic parameters of adipose tissue extracellular matrix
      (ECM). Using this framework, the ECM hyperelastic parameters were changed in the
      FSI model systematically using an optimization algorithm such that the mechanical
      response obtained from the FSI model matches the corresponding experimental
      response reported in previous studies. To account for adipocyte size variation,
      the hyperelastic parameters were determined for different adipocyte sizes in the
      FSI model. Results obtained in this investigation indicate that at various
      strains under quasi-static conditions, the stiffness of adipose tissue ECM is ~
      (2-3) times higher than that of the adipose tissue. The results also indicate a
      very good fit between the FSI model responses and their experimental
      counterparts. This indicates the reliability of the proposed FSI model in
      capturing major elements of the adipose tissue micromechanics. As such, it is
      potentially useful in applications such as tissue engineering, estimating tissue
      deformation pertaining to medical intervention and cataloging the mechanical
      properties of adipose tissue under health and pathological conditions. It can
      also be utilized as a forward model for developing inversion algorithms designed
      to determine pathological adipose microstructural alterations.

PMID- 28910713
TI  - Beneficial effect of compost utilization on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in
      a rice cultivation system through the overall management chain.
AB  - Livestock manure application can stimulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,
      especially methane (CH4) in rice paddy. The stabilized organic matter (OM) is
      recommended to suppress CH4 emission without counting the additional GHG emission
      during the composting process. To evaluate the effect of compost utilization on
      the net global warming potential (GWP) of a rice cropping system, the fluxes of
      GHGs from composting to land application were calculated by a life cycle
      assessment (LCA) method. The model framework was composed of GHG fluxes from
      industrial activities and biogenic GHG fluxes from the composting and rice
      cultivation processes. Fresh manure emitted 30MgCO2-eq.ha-1, 90% and 10% of which
      were contributed by CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes, respectively, during rice
      cultivation. Compost utilization decreased net GWP by 25% over that of the fresh
      manure during the whole process. The composting process increased the GWP of the
      industrial processes by 35%, but the 60% reduction in CH4 emissions from the rice
      paddy mainly influenced the reduction of GWP during the overall process.
      Therefore, compost application could be a good management strategy to reduce GHG
      emissions from rice paddy systems.

PMID- 28910714
TI  - Nitrogen discharge pathways in vegetable production as non-point sources of
      pollution and measures to control it.
AB  - Discharge of nitrogen (N) from fertilizers applied to vegetables is becoming a
      serious environmental problem. In a field experiment involving a celery-tomato
      fallow-lettuce rotation, leaching was the primary pathway of N loss (56.1+/-0.4%
      of the total), followed, in descending order, by runoff (11.7+/-0.3%), N2O
      emissions (1.6+/-0.1%), and volatilization of ammonia (0.5+/-0.1%). Decreasing
      the traditional dose of N by 40% in each growth season decreased N leaching by
      22.3+/-4.5, 39.8+/-6.7, 40.3+/-2.9 and 27.4+/-3.6% in celery, tomato, fallow and
      lettuce seasons, respectively, without any yield loss, and modifying the rotation
      to include a leguminous crop reduced the N leaching by 72+/-2, 40+/-3, 24+/-2 and
      13+/-1% in each season, respectively, without any economic impact. These measures
      decreased annual N leaching by 36+/-4%. A combination of the eco-ditches and
      wetland paddy fields adjacent to the vegetable plot led to annual N removal
      efficiency of 73+/-6% in runoff.

PMID- 28910715
TI  - Intercomparison of in situ CRDS and CEAS for measurements of atmospheric N2O5 in
      Beijing, China.
AB  - Dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) is one of the basic trace gases which plays a key
      role in nighttime atmosphere. An intercomparison and validation of different N2O5
      measurement methods is important for determining the true accuracy of these
      methods. Cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) and cavity enhanced absorption
      spectrometer (CEAS) were used to measure N2O5 at the campus of the University of
      Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) from February 21, 2016 to March 4, 2016. The
      detection limits were 1.6ppt (1sigma) at 30s intervals for the CEAS instrument
      and 3.9ppt (1sigma) at 10s time resolution for the CRDS instrument respectively.
      In this study, a comparison of the 1min observations from the two instruments was
      presented. The two data sets showed a good agreement within their uncertainties,
      with an absolute shift of 15.6ppt, slope of 0.94 and a correlation coefficient
      R2=0.97. In general, the difference between the CRDS and CEAS instruments for
      N2O5 measurement can be explained by their combined measurement uncertainties.
      However, high relative humidity (>60%) and high PM2.5 concentration (>200MUg/m3)
      may contribute to the discrepancies. The excellent agreement between the
      measurement by the CRDS and CEAS instruments demonstrates the capability of the
      two instruments for accurately measuring N2O5 with high sensitivity.

PMID- 28910716
TI  - Understanding sustained use of ecological sanitation in rural Burkina Faso.
AB  - Access to safe sanitation services is fundamental for healthy and productive
      lives, but in rural Burkina Faso only around 7% of the population uses improved
      sanitation. Ecological sanitation (ecosan) systems that allow safe agricultural
      reuse of nutrients in human waste have been promoted in these areas, as a way to
      meet sanitation needs while contributing to food security. However, little is
      known about the success of these interventions in terms of both sustained use of
      the toilet and safe excreta reuse practices. We assessed the use of ecosan
      systems in 44 rural communities where such interventions had taken place.
      Structured interviews and observations conducted at 520 randomly selected
      concessions (residential properties), suggested a large-scale shift from open
      defecation to ecosan toilet use. However, only 58% of surveyed concessions
      reported ever emptying the ecosan toilet vault, which is required for optimal
      long-term functioning. Concessions that received ecosan training programmes with
      a greater emphasis on agricultural reuse were more strongly associated with
      toilet use and emptying than those that whose training focused more on sanitation
      access and health benefits. The findings suggest that the safe agricultural reuse
      of nutrients can provide a strong motivation for long-term adoption of improved
      sanitation among rural smallholders.

PMID- 28910717
TI  - Time- and age-related effects of experimentally simulated nitrogen deposition on
      the functioning of montane heathland ecosystems.
AB  - Ecosystems adapted to low nitrogen (N) conditions such as Calluna-heathlands are
      especially sensitive to enhanced atmospheric N deposition that affects many
      aspects of ecosystem functioning like nutrient cycling, soil properties and plant
      microbial-enzyme relationships. We investigated the effects of five levels of
      experimentally-simulated N deposition rates (i.e., N fertilization treatments: 0,
      10, 20 and 50kgNha-1yr-1 for 3years, and 56kgNha-1yr-1 for 10years) on: plant,
      litter, microbial biomass and soil nutrient contents, soil extracellular
      enzymatic activities, and plant root ericoid mycorrhizal colonization. The study
      was conducted in marginal montane Calluna-heathlands at different developmental
      stages resulting from management (young/building-phase and mature-phase). Our
      findings revealed that many soil properties did not show a statistically
      significant response to the experimental addition of N, including: total N,
      organic carbon (C), C:N ratio, extractable N-NO3-, available phosphorus (P),
      urease and beta-glucosidase enzyme activities, and microbial biomass C and N. Our
      results also evidenced a considerable positive impact of chronic (10-year) high-N
      loading on soil extractable N-NH4+, acid phosphatase enzyme activity, Calluna
      root mycorrhizal colonization by ericoid fungi, Calluna shoot N and P contents,
      and litter N content and N:P ratio. The age of heathland vegetation influenced
      the effects of N addition on ericoid mycorrhizal colonization, resulting in
      higher colonized roots in young heathlands at the control, low and medium N-input
      rates; and in mature ones at the high and chronically high N rates. Also, young
      heathlands exhibited greater soil extractable N-NO3-, available P, microbial
      biomass N, Calluna shoot N and P contents, and litter N content, compared to
      mature ones. Our results highlighted that accounting for the N-input load and
      duration, as well as the developmental stage of the vegetation, is important for
      assessing the effects of added N, particularly at the heathlands' southern
      distribution limit.

PMID- 28910718
TI  - Water quality of surface runoff and lint yield in cotton under furrow irrigation
      in Northeast Arkansas.
AB  - Use of furrow irrigation in row crop production is a common practice through much
      of the Midsouth US and yet, nutrients can be transported off-site through surface
      runoff. A field study with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, L.) was conducted to
      understand the impact of furrow tillage practices and nitrogen (N) fertilizer
      placement on characteristics of runoff water quality during the growing season.
      The experiment was designed as a randomized complete block design with
      conventional (CT) and conservation furrow tillage (FT) in combination with either
      urea (URN) broadcast or 32% urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) injected, each applied at
      101kgNha-1. Concentrations of ammonium (NH4-N), nitrate (NO3-N), nitrite (NO2-N),
      and dissolved phosphorus (P) in irrigation runoff water and lint yields were
      measured in all treatments. The intensity and chemical form of nutrient losses
      were primarily controlled by water runoff volume and agronomic practice. Across
      tillage and fertilizer N treatments, median N concentrations in the runoff were
      <0.3mgNL-1, with NO3-N being relatively the highest among N forms. Concentrations
      of runoff dissolved P were <0.05mgPL-1 and were affected by volume of runoff
      water. Water pH, specific electrical conductivity, alkalinity and hardness were
      within levels that common to local irrigation water and less likely to impair
      pollution in waterways. Lint yields averaged 1111kgha-1 and were higher (P
      value=0.03) in FT compared to CT treatments. Runoff volumes across irrigation
      events were greater (P-value=0.02) in CT than FT treatments, which increased NO3
      N mass loads in CT treatments (394gNO3-Nha-1season-1). Nitrate-N concentrations
      in CT treatments were still low and pose little threat to N contaminations in
      waterways. The findings support the adoption of conservation practices for furrow
      tillage and N fertilizer placement that can reduce nutrient runoff losses in
      furrow irrigation systems.

PMID- 28910719
TI  - Latitudinal variation in summer monsoon rainfall over Western Ghat of India and
      its association with global sea surface temperatures.
AB  - The Western Ghats (WG) of India are basically north-south oriented mountains
      having narrow zonal width with a steep rising western face. The summer monsoon
      winds during June to September passing over the Arabian Sea are obstructed by the
      WG and thus orographically uplift to produce moderate-to-heavy precipitation over
      the region. However, it is seen that characteristic features of rainfall
      distribution during the season vary from north to south. Also its correlation
      with all-India summer monsoon rainfall increases from south to north. In the
      present study, an attempt is also made to examine long-term as well as short-term
      trends and variability in summer monsoon rainfall over different subdivisions of
      WG using monthly rainfall data for the period 1871-2014. Konkan & Goa and Coastal
      Karnataka show increase in rainfall from 1871 to 2014 in all individual summer
      monsoon months. Short-term trend analysis based on 31-year sliding window
      indicates that the trends are not monotonous, but has epochal behavior. In recent
      epoch, magnitudes of negative trends are consistently decreasing and have changed
      its sign to positive during 1985-2014. It has been observed that Indian Ocean
      Dipole (IOD) plays a dominant positive role in rainfall over entire WG in all
      summer monsoon months, whereas role of Nino regions are asymmetric over WG
      rainfall. Indian summer monsoon is known for its negative relationship with Nino
      SST. Negative correlations are also seen for WG rainfall with Nino regions but
      only during onset and withdrawal phase. During peak monsoon months July and
      August subdivisions of WG mostly show positive correlation with Nino SST.

PMID- 28910720
TI  - Study of the influence of physical, chemical and biological conditions that
      influence the deterioration and protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.
AB  - Two wrecks related to the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) were studied. Following the
      guidelines of the UNESCO-2001 Convention for the Protection of the Underwater
      Cultural Heritage, a holistic and interdisciplinary approach based on the
      development of four of the thirty-six Rules of this international agreement was
      applied. A non-destructive survey technique was developed to obtain information
      from the scattered cannons and anchors without altering their condition (Rule 4).
      The work performed provided information about the origin of both wrecks, the
      Fougueux and the Bucentaure, two ships of the line of the French Navy, and
      allowed to characterize the state of conservation at each site without
      jeopardizing their future conservation in the marine environment. In addition,
      measurements of the main physical, chemical and biological variables allowed
      correlating the conservation status at each site with the marine environmental
      conditions (Rule 15). Thus, in Fougueux shipwreck large iron objects are
      corroding at a higher rate (between 0.180 and 0.246mmpy) due to high sediment
      remobilization and transport induced by waves at this site, causing damage by
      direct mechanical effect on metallic material and by removing the layer of
      corrosion products developed on the artefacts. Meanwhile artillery on Bucentaure
      site, covered with thick layers of biological concretion, is well preserved, with
      lower corrosion rates (0.073 to 0.126mmpy), and archaeological information is
      guaranteed. Finally, the effectiveness of the cathodic protection as a temporary
      measure for in situ conservation (Rule 1) was evaluated on a cannon. The use of a
      sacrificial anode after 9months reduced the average corrosion rate (from 0.103 to
      0.064mmpy) and the percent of corrosion rate in 37.9%. These results are very
      useful for developing a decision making system of the Site Management Program,
      based on predictive models of artefacts permanence and risk factors in the marine
      environment (Rule 25).

PMID- 28910721
TI  - An amino acid domino effect orchestrates ClpP's conformational states.
AB  - Maintaining the cellular protein homeostasis means managing life on the brink of
      death. This balance is largely based on precise fine-tuning of enzyme activities.
      For instance, the ClpP protease possesses several conformational switches which
      are fundamental to regulating its activity. Efforts have focused on revealing the
      structural basis of ClpP's conformational control. In the last decade, several
      amino acid clusters have been identified and functionally linked to specific
      activation states. Researchers have now begun to couple these hotspots to one
      another, uncovering a global network of residues that switch in response to
      internal and external stimuli. For these studies, they used small molecules to
      mimic intermolecular interactions and point-mutational studies to shortcut
      regulating amino acid circuits.

PMID- 28910722
TI  - Analysis of in-vivo articular cartilage contact surface of the knee during a step
      up motion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have reported on the tibiofemoral articular
      cartilage contact kinematics, however, no data has been reported on the articular
      cartilage geometry at the contact area. This study investigated the in-vivo
      tibiofemoral articular cartilage contact biomechanics during a dynamic step-up
      motion. METHODS: Ten healthy subjects were imaged using a validated magnetic
      resonance and dual fluoroscopic imaging technique during a step-up motion. Three
      dimensional bone and cartilage models were constructed from the magnetic
      resonance images. The cartilage contact along the motion path was analyzed,
      including cartilage contact location and the cartilage surface geometry at the
      contact area. FINDINGS: The cartilage contact excursions were similar in
      anteroposterior and mediolateral directions in the medial and lateral
      compartments of the tibia plateau (P>0.05). Both medial and lateral compartments
      were under convex (femur) to convex (tibia) contact in the sagittal plane, and
      under convex (femur) to concave (tibia) contact in the coronal plane. The medial
      tibial articular contact radius was larger than the lateral side in the sagittal
      plane along the motion path (P<0.001). INTERPRETATIONS: These data revealed that
      both the medial and lateral compartments of the knee experienced convex (femur)
      to convex (tibia) contact in sagittal plane (or anteroposterior direction) during
      the dynamic step-up motion. These data could provide new insight into the in-vivo
      cartilage contact biomechanics research, and may provide guidelines for
      development of anatomical total knee arthroplasties that are aimed to reproduce
      normal knee joint kinematics.

PMID- 28910723
TI  - Sorption-desorption equilibrium and diffusion of tetracycline in poultry litter
      and municipal biosolids soil amendments.
AB  - Tetracycline (TET) is commonly used to treat bacterial diseases in humans and
      chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), is largely excreted, and is found at
      elevated concentrations in treated sewage sludge (biosolids) and poultry litter
      (excrement plus bedding materials). Routine application of these nutrient-and
      carbon-enriched materials to soils improves fertility and other characteristics,
      but the presence of antibiotics (and other pharmaceuticals) in amendments raises
      questions about potential adverse effects on biota and development of antibiotic
      resistance in the environment. Hazard risks are largely dictated by sorption
      desorption and diffusion behavior in amendments, so these processes were
      evaluated from sorption-desorption equilibrium isotherm and diffusion cell
      experiments with four types amendments (biosolids, poultry manure, wood chip
      litter, and rice hull litter) at three temperatures (8  degrees C, 20  degrees C
      and 32  degrees C). Linear sorption-desorption equilibrium distribution constants
      (Kd) in native amendments ranged between 124-2418 L kg-1. TET sorption was
      significantly increased after treatment with alum, and there was a strong
      exponential relationship between Kd and the concentration of bound Al3+ in
      amendments (R2 = 0.94), which indicated that amendments contained functional
      groups capable of chelating Al3+ and forming metal bridges with TET. Effective
      diffusion coefficients of TET in amendments ranged between 0.1 and 5.2 * 10-6 cm2
      s-1, which were positively related to temperature and inversely related to Kd by
      a multiple regression model (R2 = 0.86). Treatment of organic amendments with
      alum greatly increased Kd, would decrease Ds, and so would greatly reduce hazard
      risks of applying these organic amendments with this antibiotic to soils.

PMID- 28910724
TI  - Optical property of dissolved organic matters (DOMs) and its link to the presence
      of metal ions in surface freshwaters in China.
AB  - It is believed that dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays an important role in
      carrying metal ions through global cycle and distribution, while this point has
      not yet been elucidated clearly as DOM is extremely heterogeneous and site
      specific. In this study, optical properties of DOM in 53 surface freshwater sites
      all over China were recorded by UV-Vis absorbance spectroscopy in pH range 3-11.
      The subtle processes of protonation-deprotonation of DOM were quantified by
      tracking the changes of DOM spectra. The binding capacities of DOMs-binding sites
      and affinity constants-were interpreted by introducing a spectral parameter,
      differential log-transformed differential absorbance at 400 nm (DlnA400) in
      combination with Non-Ideal Competitive Adsorption (NICA) Model. It is found that
      the presence of dissolved Zn, Hg and Ni in the examined waters show strong
      correlation with total binding sites in DOMs. However, the presence of some other
      metals with high affinities to DOM, e.g. Cu, Fe and so on, have not demonstrated
      strong correlation with the total binding sites in DOMs. This indicates the
      presence of these metals may be seriously influenced by other factors besides
      DOM. This study demonstrates that the spectroscopic titration approach could
      potentially provide more structure-specific in situ information about DOM and
      help to understand the role of DOM in the speciation and bioavailability of toxic
      metal ions.

PMID- 28910725
TI  - Acute and subchronic toxicity of pyraclostrobin in zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - The aim of the present study was to assess the toxic effects of pyraclostrobin on
      DNA damage and antioxidant enzymatic activities in the zebrafish (Danio rerio)
      liver. Based on the 96-h median lethal concentration (96 h LC50, 0.056 mg/L) of
      this chemical, fish were exposed to three doses (0.001, 0.01, and 0.02 mg/L) and
      sampled on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after the initiation of a subchronic toxicity
      test. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde
      (MDA), glutathione S-transferase (GST), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and DNA
      damage were determined. The amount of pyraclostrobin residue in the water was
      also measured. The concentrations in the three treatment groups varied no more
      than 5% during the exposure periods, indicating that pyraclostrobin is relatively
      stable during this time in an aquatic environment. ROS and MDA levels
      significantly changed in a dose dependent manner during the experiment. Enzymatic
      activities were inhibited to a certain extent. DNA damage was significantly
      enhanced. These results collectively indicate that pyraclostrobin induces
      oxidative stress and DNA damage in zebrafish.

PMID- 28910726
TI  - Knockdown of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase increases the susceptibility to
      carbaryl in the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) plays important roles in
      cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds, and
      participates in cytochrome P450-related detoxification of insecticides. However,
      the CPR from Locusta migratoria has not been well characterized and its function
      is still undescribed. RESULTS: The full-length of CPR gene from Locusta
      migratoria (LmCPR) was cloned by RT-PCR based on transcriptome information. The
      membrane anchor region, and 3 conserved domains (FMN binding domain, connecting
      domain, FAD/NADPH binding domain) were analyzed by bioinformatics analysis.
      Phylogenetic analysis showed that LmCPR was grouped in the Orthoptera branch and
      was more closely related to the CPRs from hemimetabolous insects. The LmCPR gene
      was ubiquitously expressed at all developmental stages and was the most abundant
      in the fourth-instar nymphs and the lowest in the egg stage. Tissue-specific
      expression analysis showed that LmCPR was higher expressed in ovary, hindgut, and
      integument. The CPR activity was relatively higher in Malpighian tubules and
      integument. Silencing of LmCPR obviously reduced the enzymatic activity of LmCPR,
      and enhanced the susceptibility of Locusta migratoria to carbaryl. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that LmCPR contributes to the susceptibility of L.
      migratoria to carbaryl and could be considered as a novel target for pest
      control.

PMID- 28910728
TI  - Hygroscopicity of internally mixed particles composed of (NH4)2SO4 and citric
      acid under pulsed RH change.
AB  - In this research, we applied a pulsed RH controlling system and a rapid scan
      vacuum FTIR spectrometer (PRHCS-RSVFTIR) to investigate hygroscopicity of
      internally mixed (NH4)2SO4(AS)/citric acid (CA) particles. The water content and
      efflorescence ratio of AS in the particles and ambient relative humidity (RH) as
      a function of time were obtained with a subsecond time resolution. The
      hygroscopic behavior of AS aerosols in two different RH control processes
      (equilibrium and RH pulsed processes) showed that AS droplets crystallize with RH
      ranging from 42% to 26.5%. It was found that the half-life time ratio between the
      water content in the CA particles and the gas phase under RH pulsed change was
      greater than one under low RH conditions (<40% RH), indicating the significant
      water transfer limitation due to the high viscosity of CA aerosols at low RH,
      especially at RH<20%. In addition, water diffusion constants between 10-12 m2 s-1
      and 10-13 m2 s-1 in micron size CA aerosols were obtained in a sub-second and
      second timescale. The addition of AS enhanced the water transfer limitation in
      the mixed aerosols. The efflorescence relative humidity (ERH) of the mixed
      particles with AS/CA by molar ratio 3:1 was found between 22.7% and 5.9%, which
      was much lower than AS particles. No efflorescence process was observed for the
      1:1 mixed particles, indicating that CA greatly suppressed nucleation of AS. Our
      results have shown that the PRHCS-RSVFTIR is effective to simulate hygroscopicity
      and water transport of aerosols under fast variations in RH in atmosphere.

PMID- 28910727
TI  - Gene-environment interaction: Does fluoride influence the reproductive hormones
      in male farmers modified by ERalpha gene polymorphisms?
AB  - The occurrence of endemic fluorosis is derived from high fluoride levels in
      drinking water and industrial fumes or dust. Reproductive disruption is also a
      major harm caused by fluoride exposure besides dental and skeletal lesions.
      However, few studies focus on the mechanism of fluoride exposure on male
      reproductive function, especially the possible interaction of fluoride exposure
      and gene polymorphism on male reproductive hormones. Therefore, we conducted a
      cross-sectional study in rural areas of Henan province in China to explore the
      interaction between the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) gene and fluoride
      exposure on reproductive hormone levels in male farmers living in the endemic
      fluorosis villages. The results showed that fluoride exposure significantly
      increased the serum level of estradiol in the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular
      (HPT) axis in male farmers. Moreover, the observations indicated that fluoride
      exposure and genetic markers had an interaction on serum concentration of
      follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol, and the interaction among different
      loci of the ERalpha gene could impact the serum testosterone level. Findings in
      the present work suggest that chronic fluoride exposure in drinking water could
      modulate the levels of reproductive hormones in males living in endemic fluorosis
      areas, and the interaction between fluoride exposure and ERalpha polymorphisms
      might affect the serum levels of hormones in the HPT axis in male farmers.

PMID- 28910729
TI  - TiO2 particles in seafood and surimi products: Attention should be paid to their
      exposure and uptake through foods.
AB  - The sustainable development of nanotechnology requires a thorough understanding
      of the life cycle of synthesized nanomaterials, including environmental release,
      deposition, exposure, and potential health risks. Titanium dioxide (TiO2)
      materials containing nanosized TiO2 (nTiO2) are commonly used as food additives.
      Thus, dietary intake through foods is the most important route for the exposure
      of TiO2 materials. Given the toxic effects of nTiO2 on the gastrointestinal tract
      and other tissues, it is imperative to investigate their sources and
      concentrations in popular foods. Therefore, we conducted a survey on TiO2
      particles in white-colored seafood and surimi products in Beijing. Our data
      indicated that the total Ti levels reached 6-12 MUg/g (dry weight) in some white
      colored seafood products, such as squid and cuttlefish, whereas relatively low
      concentrations were observed in jellyfish at approximately 1-3 MUg/g (dry
      weight). For the locally favorite surimi-based food products in the market, the
      Ti concentrations ranged from 2 to 81 MUg/g (dry weight). The exposure assessment
      showed that the average daily intake of TiO2 particles through foods varied from
      0.02 to 3.09 MUg TiO2/kgbw/day, reflected by the Ti concentrations in this study,
      and that young people of age 20-30 showed the highest exposure level. Together,
      these results show relatively high concentrations of TiO2 particles in some
      seafood and surimi products available in the market, and our findings therefore
      call for attention on TiO2 particle exposure and uptake through daily foods.

PMID- 28910730
TI  - Pathogenic and likely pathogenic genetic alterations and polymorphisms in growth
      hormone gene (GH1) and growth hormone releasing hormone receptor gene (GHRHR) in
      a cohort of isolated growth hormone deficient (IGHD) children in Sri Lanka.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Genetic alterations in GH1 and GHRHR genes are known to cause isolated
      growth hormone deficiency (IGHD). Of these, GHRHR codon 72 mutation has been
      reported to be highly prevalent in the Indian subcontinent, but among Sri Lankans
      its prevalence was low compared to reports from neighboring countries. The
      present study was therefore carried out to identify genetic alterations in the
      GH1 gene and rest of the GHRHR gene in a cohort of Sri Lankan IGHD patients who
      tested negative for GHRHR codon 72 mutation. METHODS: Fifty five IGHD children
      negative for codon 72 (GHRHR) mutation were screened for gross GH1 gene deletion
      by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism
      technique. The coding, intronic and promoter regions of the GH1 gene were
      sequenced in children who were negative for GH1 deletion (N=53). In a subset
      (N=40), coding, flanking intronic and promoter regions of the GHRHR gene were
      screened by single strand conformation polymorphism/sequencing. Identified coding
      region and intronic variants were subjected to in silico analysis to ascertain
      pathogenicity. Family members available were screened for the significant
      variants observed in the index child. RESULTS: Gross GH1 gene deletions, 6.7kb
      and 7.0kb were observed in one child each. One novel and 24 reported single
      nucleotide variants (SNVs) were observed in the GH1 gene and its promoter. These
      included one reported pathogenic splice site mutation (c.172-2A>T) and one
      reported likely pathogenic missense mutation (c.406G>T). One large novel deletion
      of 5875 base pairs that included exon 1, one likely pathogenic novel SNV
      (c.211G>T) and 18 reported SNVs were observed in the GHRHR gene. Fourteen
      variants observed were of uncertain significance (8 in GH1 and 6 in GHRHR),
      twenty three variants were likely benign (11 in GH1 and 12 in GHRHR) and four
      variants were benign (4 in GH1 and none in GHRHR). CONCLUSION: In a cohort of
      IGHD children, six pathogenic or likely pathogenic genetic alterations of either
      GH1 gene or GHRHR gene were found. These affected a total of six children.
      Pathogenic status of four of these had been reported in the literature. Novel SNV
      in the GHRHR gene was predicted to be pathogenic through in silico analysis. The
      large novel deletion is likely to be pathogenic as it included exon 1 of GHRHR
      gene. Analysis of other genes will be needed to ascertain the genetic cause of
      IGHD in the remaining children.

PMID- 28910731
TI  - Triclosan removal from surface water by ozonation - Kinetics and by-products
      formation.
AB  - Removal of triclosan from surface water by ozonation was investigated. The
      results showed that complete elimination of triclosan from a surface water
      bearing 1-5 mg/L triclosan via continuous ozonation at 5 mg/L, require an
      ozonation time of 20-30 min depending on pH. Triclosan oxidation followed pseudo
      first order kinetics with an apparent reaction rate constant varying from 0.214
      min-1 to 0.964 min-1 depending on pH, initial triclosan concentration and water
      composition. Although the effect of pH was complex due to possible existence of
      different moieties, higher TCS removal efficiencies were obvious at weak-base
      conditions. Experiments performed to identify degradation by-products showed the
      formation of four by-products, namely, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 4-chlorocatechol and
      two unidentified compounds. Additionally, 2,4-dichloroanisole was detected when a
      methyl moieties exist in water. By-products were found to be eliminated upon
      further ozonation. The required exposure time varied from 20 to 30 min depending
      on pH of water. The ozone demand exerted for the complete oxidation of triclosan
      and its by-products was calculated as 13.04 mg ozone per mg of triclosan. A
      triclosan degradation pathway, which was found to be highly pH dependent, was
      proposed.

PMID- 28910732
TI  - Degradation of toxic PAHs in water and soil using potassium zinc hexacyanoferrate
      nanocubes.
AB  - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) the ubiquitous, persistent and
      carcinogenic environmental contaminants have raised concern worldwide. Recently,
      their removal methodologies are advanced after exploring nanomaterials.
      Therefore, degradation of selected toxic PAHs (3-5 rings) using potassium zinc
      hexacyanoferrate (KZnHCF) nanocubes was studied. Highly crystalline and sharp
      KZnHCF nanocubes (~100 nm) were obtained by green route using sapindus mukorossi.
      In both water and soil, anthracene and phenanthrene were degraded to maximum
      extent (80-93%), whereas, the degradation of fluorene, chrysene and benzo (a)
      pyrene were ~70-80%.Because of small size (lower molecular weight), large number
      of anthracene and phenanthrene molecules were adsorbed on catalyst as compared to
      other PAHs. Higher degradation of PAHs in water than in the soil is attributed to
      the easy absorption of PAHs on catalyst in water and slow diffusion of PAHs on
      organic content of soil. PAHs were degraded at the concentration of 50 mg/L, 25
      mg catalyst dose, neutral pH and solar irradiation. Higher proficiency of the
      catalyst was revealed by degradation of PAHs into small and non-toxic by-products
      such as malealdehyde, 4-oxobut-2-enoic acid and o-xylene. Overall, the potential
      KZnHCF nanostructures open future scope for eradication of other pollutants from
      the environment.

PMID- 28910733
TI  - Survey of the effect of odour impact on communities.
AB  - In the context of environmental malodour, surveys are valuable as they allow for
      the relatively detailed analysis of multiple factors pertaining to odour
      perception and subsequent reaction. However, the causes for an individual to
      experience odour impact while a neighbour will not are still not understood. The
      goal of this current survey design was to consolidate varying research paths for
      surveys within the environmental odour research space. This survey investigated
      the area of effect for wastewater treatment plants by using stratified random
      sampling techniques that radiated from the industrial areas. Additionally, this
      survey provided a "non-alerted" response to environmental malodour that
      represents a step forward for ecological validity. We found a small number of
      items relating to odour annoyance and home ownership that can be used in order to
      predict odour impact for individual community members. However, we also did not
      find any relationship with odour impact and perceived control. This survey design
      and analysis reconciles the varied approaches towards community surveys
      administered in prior literature, as well as providing information to improve
      future community engagement policies.

PMID- 28910734
TI  - Single, simultaneous and consecutive biosorption of Cr(VI) and Orange II onto
      chemically modified masau stones.
AB  - Novel and low cost chemically modified masau stone (CMMS) was investigated for
      its biosorption of an anionic azo dye, Orange II (OII), and toxic hexavalent
      chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous systems: individually, simultaneously and
      consecutively. XPS and FTIR analyses indicated the introduction of quaternary
      Nitrogen to the CMMS surface after activation with epichlorohydrin (etherifying
      agent) and diethylenetriamine (crosslinking agent). The effects of pH, contact
      time and initial concentration (Co), and loading order on mechanisms of
      biosorption/reduction of OII and Cr(VI) onto CMMS were examined in detail.
      Several analytical techniques were employed to characterise the physio-chemical
      properties of the CMMS and determine the biosorption mechanisms. The pseudo
      second order and redox models were able to adequately predict the kinetics of
      biosorption. The Langmuir maximum OII biosorption capacity (qmax) was calculated
      as 136.8 mg/g for the dye onto the Cr(VI)-loaded CMMS consecutive system at Co =
      100 mg/dm3. The qmax for the Cr(VI) system was found to be 87.32 mg/g at the same
      Co max. This reveals that the biosorption of OII and Cr(VI) mainly takes place
      via two different mechanisms i.e. hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction
      for the dye, and biosorption-coupled reduction for Cr(VI).

PMID- 28910735
TI  - Abatement of tetrafluoromethane by chemical absorption with molten aluminum.
AB  - Chemical absorption with molten aluminum to abate tetrafluoromethane (CF4) was
      investigated in this paper. The experiments were conducted at a series of
      different temperatures of 973 K, 1003 K, 1103 K, and 1188 K and the abatement
      rate of CF4 was calculated. It was found that CF4 can be adsorbed firstly and
      then react with molten aluminum automatically. The initial abatement rate of CF4
      in molten aluminum was 3.10 * 10-2 mol.m-3.s-1 at 973 K, while it reached its
      maximum value of 1.08 * 10-1 mol.m-3.s-1 at the temperature of 1103 K. The
      highest abatement efficiency was 48.4%, reached at 1003 K. Higher temperatures up
      to 1188 K did not affect the abatement efficiency, however, they accelerated
      slightly the initial reaction rate. The products of the chemical absorption are
      white solid AlF3 and black graphite powder identified by XRD and SEM-EDS
      analysis. Due to density differences, solid AlF3 and graphite powder in the
      product tend to accumulate on the top of molten aluminum where they form two
      separate layers. This makes them recover more easily. The gas-liquid reaction
      process between CF4 and molten aluminum is accorded with the two-film theory
      model, diffusion process is considered to be the control step of the whole
      process.

PMID- 28910736
TI  - Soil microbial community responses to acid exposure and neutralization treatment.
AB  - Changes in microbial community induced by acid shock were studied in the context
      of potential release of acids to the environment due to chemical accidents. The
      responses of microbial communities in three different soils to the exposure to
      sulfuric or hydrofluoric acid and to the subsequent neutralization treatment were
      investigated as functions of acid concentration and exposure time by using 16S
      rRNA gene based pyrosequencing and DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel
      Electrophoresis). Measurements of soil pH and dissolved ion concentrations
      revealed that the added acids were neutralized to different degrees, depending on
      the mineral composition and soil texture. Hydrofluoric acid was more effectively
      neutralized by the soils, compared with sulfuric acid at the same normality. Gram
      negative beta-Proteobacteria were shown to be the most acid-sensitive bacterial
      strains, while spore-forming Gram-positive Bacilli were the most acid-tolerant.
      The results of this study suggest that the Gram-positive to Gram-negative
      bacterial ratio may serve as an effective bio-indicator in assessing the impact
      of the acid shock on the microbial community. Neutralization treatments helped
      recover the ratio closer to their original values. The findings of this study
      show that microbial community changes as well as geochemical changes such as pH
      and dissolved ion concentrations need to be considered in estimating the impact
      of an acid spill, in selecting an optimal remediation strategy, and in deciding
      when to end remedial actions at the acid spill impacted site.

PMID- 28910737
TI  - CHD2 mutations: Only epilepsy? Description of cognitive and behavioral profile in
      a case with a new mutation.

PMID- 28910738
TI  - Burst suppression on EEG: Not always an ominous sign.

PMID- 28910739
TI  - Novel ruthenium azo-quinoline complexes with enhanced photonuclease activity in
      human cancer cells.
AB  - Coordinatively saturated ruthenium complexes with a variable net charge are
      currently under intense investigation for their anticancer potential. These
      complexes, possessing long wavelength metal-to-ligand charge transfer with DNA
      photonuclease activity, have shown promising cytotoxic profiles. Although most of
      the ruthenium complexes exhibit significant photochemotherapeutic activity, their
      poor entry into cells hinder their development as potential drug molecules. Here,
      we report the synthesis and characterization of four new ruthenium (II) azo-8
      hydroxyquinoline complexes, their mode of in vitro DNA binding and
      antiproliferative properties against cultured human cancer cell lines. The
      activity of these compounds prior to photoirradiation is minimal. However, they
      could induce DNA photonuclease activity through the generation of reactive oxygen
      species upon exposure to light. The activities exhibited by these complexes were
      found to be more efficient (>5-fold) than cisplatin, emphasizing their
      therapeutic potential. Collectively, these results support the idea that
      ruthenium (II) azo-8-hydroxyquinoline complexes can serve as potential agents in
      photodynamic anticancer therapy.

PMID- 28910740
TI  - Generation of low-gamma oscillations in a GABAergic network model of the
      striatum.
AB  - Striatal oscillations in the low-gamma frequency range have been consistently
      recorded in a number of experimental studies. However, whether these rhythms are
      locally generated in the striatum circuit, which is mainly composed of GABAergic
      neurons, remains an open question. GABAergic medium spiny projection neurons
      represent the great majority of striatal neurons, but they fire at very low
      rates. GABAergic fast-spiking interneurons typically show firing rates that are
      approximately 10 times higher than those of principal neurons, but they are a
      very small minority of the total neuronal population. In this study, based on
      physiological constraints we developed a computational network model of these
      neurons and dissected the oscillations. Simulations showed that the population of
      medium spiny projection neurons, and not the GABAergic fast-spiking interneurons,
      determines the frequency range of the oscillations. D2-type dopamine receptor
      expressing neurons dominate the generation of low-gamma rhythms. Feedforward
      inputs from GABAergic fast-spiking interneurons promote the oscillations by
      strengthening the inhibitory interactions between medium spiny projection
      neurons. The promotion effect is independent of the degree of synchronization in
      the fast-spiking interneuron population but affected by the strength of their
      feedforward inputs to medium spiny projection neurons. Our results provide a
      theoretical explanation for how firing properties and connections of the three
      types of GABAergic neurons, which are susceptible to on-going behaviors,
      experience, and dopamine disruptions, sculpt striatal oscillations.

PMID- 28910741
TI  - Drug susceptibility testing in microaerophilic parasites: Cysteine strongly
      affects the effectivities of metronidazole and auranofin, a novel and promising
      antimicrobial.
AB  - The microaerophilic parasites Entamoeba histolytica, Trichomonas vaginalis, and
      Giardia lamblia annually cause hundreds of millions of human infections which are
      treated with antiparasitic drugs. Metronidazole is the most often prescribed drug
      but also other drugs are in use, and novel drugs with improved characteristics
      are constantly being developed. One of these novel drugs is auranofin, originally
      an antirheumatic which has been relabelled for the treatment of parasitic
      infections. Drug effectivity is arguably the most important criterion for its
      applicability and is commonly assessed in susceptibility assays using in vitro
      cultures of a given pathogen. However, drug susceptibility assays can be strongly
      affected by certain compounds in the growth media. In the case of microaerophilic
      parasites, cysteine which is added in large amounts as an antioxidant is an
      obvious candidate because it is highly reactive and known to modulate the
      toxicity of metronidazole in several microaerophilic parasites. In this study, it
      was attempted to reduce cysteine concentrations as far as possible without
      affecting parasite viability by performing drug susceptibility assays under
      strictly anaerobic conditions in an anaerobic cabinet. Indeed, T. vaginalis and
      E. histolytica could be grown without any cysteine added and the cysteine
      concentration necessary to maintain G. lamblia could be reduced to 20%.
      Susceptibilities to metronidazole were found to be clearly reduced in the
      presence of cysteine. With auranofin the protective effect of cysteine was
      extreme, providing protection to concentrations up to 100-fold higher as observed
      in the absence of cysteine. With three other drugs tested, albendazole,
      furazolidone and nitazoxanide, all in use against G. lamblia, the effect of
      cysteine was less pronounced. Oxygen was found to have a less marked impact on
      metronidazole and auranofin than cysteine but bovine bile which is standardly
      used in growth media for G. lamblia, displayed a marked synergistic effect with
      metronidazole.

PMID- 28910742
TI  - Nonsteroidal mycotoxin alternariol is a full androgen agonist in the yeast
      reporter androgen bioassay.
AB  - Alternariol (AOH) is a toxic metabolite of phytopathogenic fungi of the
      Alternaria spp. and important contaminant of agricultural commodities. According
      to the recent studies, AOH has a potential to modulate the endocrine system of
      humans and animals. In the view of these reports, our study addressed the effects
      of AOH on human estrogen receptor (hERalpha) and androgen receptor (hAR)
      signaling with the use of the yeast estrogen and androgen reporter bioassays. Our
      results show that, apart from a weak estrogenic response, AOH induces full
      androgenic response of the bioassay with the EC50 of 269.4MUM. The androgenic
      potency of AOH relative to testosterone (T) is 0.046%. Moreover, in the presence
      of T, AOH at 5MUM acts as a weak antiandrogen, whereas at higher concentrations
      AOH sum up with the androgenic activity of T in a dose-dependent manner,
      suggesting additive effect. To our knowledge it is the first report of the
      androgenic potency of natural, nonsteroidal substance and may have the impact on
      the direction of the further studies. Further research is warranted to clarify
      the role of AOH in disruption of AR signaling in humans and animals.

PMID- 28910743
TI  - Is SCENA a good approach for side-stream integrated treatment from an
      environmental and economic point of view?
AB  - The environmental and economic benefits and burdens of including the first Short
      Cut Enhanced Nutrient Abatement (SCENA) into a real municipal wastewater
      treatment plant were evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle
      cost (LCC). The implications of accomplishing nitrogen (N) removal and phosphorus
      (P) recovery via nitrite in the side stream were assessed taking into account the
      actual effluent quality improvement, the changes in the electricity and chemical
      consumption, N2O, CO2 and CH4 emissions and the effects of land application of
      biosolids, among others. In addition, a case-specific estimation of the P
      availability when sludge is applied to land, therefore replacing conventional
      fertilizer, was performed. Furthermore, to account for the variability in input
      parameters, and to address the related uncertainties, Monte Carlo simulation was
      applied. The analysis revealed that SCENA in the side stream is an economic and
      environmentally friendly solution compared to the traditional plant layout with
      no side-stream treatment, thanks to the reduction of energy and chemical use for
      the removal of N and P, respectively. The uncertainty analysis proved the
      validity of the LCA results for global warming potential and impact categories
      related to the consumption of fossil-based electricity and chemicals, while
      robust conclusions could not be drawn on freshwater eutrophication and toxicity
      related impact categories. Furthermore, three optimization scenarios were also
      evaluated proving that the performance of the WWTP can be further improved by,
      for instance, substituting gravitational for mechanical thickening of the sludge
      or changing the operational strategy to the chemically enhanced primary
      treatment, although this second alternative will increase the operational cost by
      5%. Finally, the outcomes show that shifting P removal from chemical
      precipitation in the main line to biologically enhanced uptake in the side stream
      is key to reducing chemicals use, thus the operational cost, and increasing the
      environmental benefit of synthetic fertilizers replacement.

PMID- 28910745
TI  - miR-200bc/429 cluster alleviates inflammation in IgA nephropathy by targeting
      TWEAK/Fn14.
AB  - Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is one of the most common glomerular diseases
      worldwide. Various studies have identified a host of microRNAs (miRNAs)
      abnormally expressed in IgAN and might affect the pathogenesis and progression of
      IgAN. However, miR-200bc/429 cluster in the pathopoiesis of IgAN remains poorly
      understood. For this study, we found that miR-200bc/429 cluster is downregulated
      in IgAN tissues and IgAN podocytes and HK2 cells compared with their matched
      controls respectively. In addition, overexpression of miR-200bc/429 cluster in
      IgAN podocytes and HK2 cells could attenuate the release of inflammatory
      cytokines MCP-1, IL-6 and RANTES. Moreover, the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of
      TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) was identified to be a direct target
      of miR-200bc/429 cluster. Furthermore, our results showed that miR-200bc/429
      cluster can inhibit TWEAK mediated NF-kappaB pathway activation in IgAN. Overall,
      our findings revealed that miR-200bc/429 cluster alleviates inflammation in IgAN
      through TWEAK/Fn14 system and might serve as a biomarker as well as a promising
      therapeutic target for IgAN.

PMID- 28910744
TI  - Advanced glycation end products induced IL-6 and VEGF-A production and apoptosis
      in osteocyte-like MLO-Y4 cells by activating RAGE and ERK1/2, P38 and STAT3
      signalling pathways.
AB  - Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are involved in osteopenia in people with
      diabetes and the elderly. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth
      factor-A (VEGF-A) are potent regulators of bone metabolism, and in bone tissue,
      osteocytes are an important source of these regulators. However, whether AGEs can
      directly regulate IL-6 and VEGF-A secretion by osteocytes is unknown. In this
      study, we evaluated the effect of AGEs on IL-6 and VEGF- A production as well as
      apoptosis in osteocyte-like MLO-Y4 cells. We also studied the involvement of
      receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and the role of extracellular
      signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), P38 and signal transducer and
      activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signalling pathways. We found that 100MUg/ml
      AGEs significantly induced apoptosis and up-regulated the expression of IL-6 and
      VEGF-A in MLO-Y4 cells. Additionally, AGEs significantly activated the ERK1/2,
      P38 and STAT3 signalling pathways. The ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126, the P38 inhibitor
      SB239063 and the STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 all attenuated the effects of AGEs on
      MLO-Y4 cell apoptosis and IL-6 and VEGF-A secretion. Moreover, activation of the
      three signalling pathways was abolished by their respective inhibitors.
      Additionally, the AGEs-induced effects, including increased apoptosis, up
      regulated expression of IL-6 and VEGF-A and activation of the three signalling
      pathways, were all abolished by pre-treating the osteocytes with the RAGE
      antagonist FPS-ZM1. Together, these data convince us that AGEs can activate the
      ERK1/2, P38 and STAT3 signalling pathways via RAGE and that their activation
      involves the AGEs-induced up-regulation of IL-6 and VEGF-A production as well as
      apoptosis in osteocytes. These results highlight the role of osteocytes in the
      regulation of bone metabolism by AGEs.

PMID- 28910746
TI  - Transport of imidazolium-based ionic liquids with different anion/cation species
      in sand/soil columns.
AB  - Ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely used as environmentally friendly solvents to
      replace volatile organic solvents in the chemistry industries. They have a high
      water solubility and potential risk to organisms in the soil-water environment.
      At present, most studies focused on the batch sorption of ILs in soil and
      neglected the investigation of IL transports in soil, which results in a lack of
      understanding of the structure-dependent mobility of ILs in the environment.
      Laboratory-scale sand/soil column experiments were performed to study the
      transport of imidazolium-based ILs, such as [C4mim][OTF], [C4mim][TOS],
      [C4mim][MeSO3], [C4mim][BF4], [C2mim][BF4], and [C6mim][BF4] including different
      counteranions and alkyl chain lengths of IL cations. Batch experiments were also
      carried out to compare the difference of sorption distribution coefficient (Kd)
      between the batch and column experiments. A one-dimensional convective-dispersive
      model using CXTFIT code was created based on the measured breakthrough curves
      (BTCs) to estimate the column transport parameters. For the anion, [BF4-], the Kd
      of ILs in both batch and column experiments increased with increasing alkyl chain
      lengths of the IL cation. In batch tests, counteranions showed no influence on
      the Kd of [C4mim][OTF], [C4mim][TOS], [C4mim][MeSO3], [C4mim][BF4], [C2mim][BF4],
      and [C6mim][BF4]. However, in column tests, the BTCs of 1-butyl-3
      methylimidazolium-based ILs were anion dependent as evidenced by the change of
      retardation factor (R) for different counteranions. Furthermore, the effects of
      transport distance (11cm, 15cm, 19cm, and 24cm) on the mobility of ILs were
      estimated. The longer distances signified an increase in the contact time and
      more binding sites for ILs and therefore, the smoother shapes of BTCs in column
      experiments.

PMID- 28910747
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of Rana chensinensis liver under trichlorfon stress.
AB  - Trichlorfon is a selective organophosphate insecticide that is widely applied in
      aquaculture and agriculture for control of various parasites. However, repeated
      and excess applications of trichlorfon often lead to water pollution and threaten
      non-targeted species. Our previous studies showed that trichlorfon could cause
      oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and hepatic lesions in the liver of Rana
      chensinensis, but the related molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To explore the
      interference of trichlorfon in gene transcription, the differentially expressed
      genes in the liver of R. chensinensis exposed to trichlorfon were characterized
      using the RNA-seq platform. A search of all unigenes against non-redundant
      protein sequence (Nr), non-redundant nucleotide (Nt), Swiss-Prot, Kyoto
      Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG)
      and Gene Ontology (GO) databases resulted in 22,888, 21,719, 20,934, 16,923, 7375
      and 15,631 annotations, respectively, and provided a total of 27,781 annotated
      unigenes. Among the annotated unigenes, 16,923 were mapped to 257 signalling
      pathways. A set of 3329 differentially expressed unigenes was identified by
      comparison of the two groups in liver. Notably, relative expression of metabolism
      related genes, including both up- and down-regulated genes, were also validated
      by qPCR. The present study depicts the high degree of transcriptional complexity
      in R. chensinensis under trichlorfon stress and provides new insights into the
      molecular mechanisms of organophosphate insecticide toxicology. Some of these
      metabolism-responsive genes could be useful for understanding the toxicological
      mechanism of trichlorfon on non-target aquatic organisms and will contribute to
      the conservation of aquatic life.

PMID- 28910748
TI  - Local functional connectivity density is closely associated with the response of
      electroconvulsive therapy in major depressive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been demonstrated to be an
      effective treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the
      neuroanatomical basis of response to ECT is still largely unknown. METHODS: In
      present study, we used functional connectivity density (FCD) and resting-state
      functional connectivity (RSFC) to identify the relationship between the changes
      of resting-state activities and ECT responses in 23 MDD patients before and after
      ECT. In addition, the identified neural indices as classification characteristics
      were entered into multivariate pattern analysis using linear support vector
      machine (SVM) to classify 23 MDD patients before ECT from 25 gender, age and
      years of education matched healthy controls. RESULTS: We found that the changes
      of local FCD (lFCD), not long-range FCD, of the left pre-/postcentral gyrus (Pre
      /postCG), left superior temporal gyrus (STG), and right STG were significantly
      correlated with the changes of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) scores
      in MDD patients before and after ECT. The subsequent functional connectivity
      analysis revealed significantly decreased functional connectivity between right
      STG and right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in MDD after ECT in spite of no
      correlation with HRSD scores. Finally, SVM-based classification achieved an
      accuracy of 72.92% with a sensitivity of 73.91% and a specificity of 72% by leave
      one-out cross-validation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that Pre-/postCG
      and bilateral STG play an important role in response of ECT in MDD patients, and
      the lFCD in these areas may serve as a biomarker for predicting ECT response.

PMID- 28910749
TI  - Optimizing assessment of sexual arousal in postmenopausal women using erotic film
      clips.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess sexual arousal in a subgroup of women by
      identifying erotic film clips that would be most mentally appealing and
      physically arousing to postmenopausal women. STUDY DESIGN: By measuring levels of
      mental appeal and self-reported physical arousal using a bidirectional scale, we
      aimed to elucidate the clips that would best be utilized for sexual health
      research in the postmenopausal or over 50-year-old subpopulation. RESULTS: Our
      results showed that postmenopausal women did not rate clips with older versus
      younger actors differently (p>0.05). The mean mental and mean physical scores
      were significantly correlated for both premenopausal subject ratings (r=0.69,
      p<0.001) and postmenopausal subject ratings (r=0.94, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Thus
      postmenopausal women do not show a preference for the age of actors used in
      erotic film clips; this knowledge is relevant for design of future sexual
      function research.

PMID- 28910750
TI  - Analysis of methylation profiling data of hyperplasia and primary and metastatic
      endometrial cancers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Endometrial cancer is a prevalent cancer, and its metastasis causes
      low survival rate. This study aims to utilize DNA methylation data to investigate
      the mechanism of the development and metastasis of endometrial cancer. STUDY
      DESIGN: Methylation profiling data were down-loaded from Gene Expression Omnibus,
      including 8 hyperplasias, 33 primary and 53 metastatic endometrial cancers.
      COHCAP package and annotation files were utilized to identify differentially
      methylated genes (DMGs) and CpG islands between the three different endometrial
      diseases. STRING database and Cytoscape were used to analyze and visualize
      protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between DMGs. CytoNCA plugin was utilized to
      identify key nodes in PPI network. RESULTS: A total of 610, 1076, and 501 DMGs
      were identified between primary endometrial cancer and hyperplasia, metastatic
      endometrial cancer and hyperplasia, as well as metastatic and primary endometrial
      cancers, respectively. For the three DMG sets, 53 common hypermethylated DMGs
      (e.g. PAX6 and INSR) and 6 common hypomethylated DMGs (e.g. PRDM8, KLHL14, and
      DUSP6) were found. For primary-hyperplasia DMG set and metastasis-hyperplasia DMG
      set, 527 common DMGs were found. For these common DMGs, a PPI network involving
      692 PPIs was constructed. For DMGs between metastatic and primary endometrial
      cancers, a PPI network involving 673 PPIs was established, with PAX6 and INSR in
      the top 20 DMGs in both networks. PRDM8, KLHL14, and DUSP6 had hypomethylated CpG
      islands. CONCLUSION: DMGs comparison, PPI network analysis, and analysis of
      differentially methylated CpG islands indicated that PAX6, INSR, PRDM8, KLHL14,
      and DUSP6 might participate in the development and metastasis of endometrial
      cancer.

PMID- 28910751
TI  - Chromatin reorganisation in Epstein-Barr virus-infected cells and its role in
      cancer development.
AB  - The oncogenic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) growth transforms B cells and drives
      lymphoma and carcinoma development. The virus encodes four key transcription
      factors (EBNA2, EBNA3A, EBNA3B and EBNA3C) that hijack host cell factors to bind
      gene control elements and reprogramme infected B cells. These viral factors
      predominantly target long-range enhancers to alter the expression of host cell
      genes that control B cell growth and survival and facilitate virus persistence.
      Enhancer and super-enhancer binding by these EBNAs results in large-scale
      reorganisation of three-dimensional enhancer-promoter architecture to drive the
      overexpression of oncogenes, the silencing of tumour suppressors and the
      modulation of transcription, cell-cycle progression, migration and adhesion.

PMID- 28910752
TI  - Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among elderly Mexicans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the most prevalent chronic diseases among elderly population
      is the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). The aim of this study was to assess the
      prevalence of MetS and associated factors among Mexican elderly people. SUBJECTS:
      Cross-sectional survey carried out in Mexico (2007). A random sample (n=516) of
      the elderly population (>=65years; 277 female, 239 male) was interviewed.
      Anthropometric and analytical measurements, and a general questionnaire
      incorporating questions related to socio-demographic and life-style factors were
      used. MetS definition AHA/NHLBI/IDF was applied. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS
      in the elderly (>=65years) was of 72.9% (75.7% men; 70.4% women). Participants
      with values above MetS cut-off points were 92.4% (hypertension), 77.8%
      (hypertriglyceridemia), 77.1% (low HDL-cholesterol), 71.1% (hyperglycaemia), and
      65.4% (central obesity). People with MetS showed higher values of anthropometric
      and biochemical variables than those without MetS, except for the height,
      cholesterol and creatinine. Mid-high education level (9-12 years), no smokers and
      former smokers, and Central-Western inhabitants of Mexico were associated with
      MetS components. BMI status was the main determinant of MetS prevalence and MetS
      components. CONCLUSION: The reported prevalence of MetS among the elderly Mexican
      population was higher than those previously obtained in the geographical area,
      showing a major public health problem in Mexican elders.

PMID- 28910753
TI  - Fall prevalence, time trend and its related risk factors among elderly people in
      China.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the fall prevalence, time trends and related risk factors
      among elderly people in the Chinese mainland from 2011 to 2013. METHODS: Our data
      were from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 and 2013. The
      population sample included people aged 60 years and over. Whether the person had
      experienced fall accident in the last two years was used to measure fall
      incidence. The time trend and age groups were investigated through the chi-square
      test. The related risk factors were examined based on the binary logistic
      regression model. RESULTS: In 2011, 19.64% (95% CI, 18.66%, 20.67%) of elderly
      people experienced fall incidents and in 2013, 19.28% (95% CI, 18.46%, 20.13%) of
      elderly people experienced fall incidents. However, no significant difference was
      seen in the fall prevalence between 2011 and 2013. The fall prevalence among
      elderly people aged 66-70 declined significantly while that among people aged
      over 80 showed an increasing time trend. The fall prevalence was affected
      significantly by factors including age (66-70), gender, marital status, self
      rated health, quantity of chronic diseases, quantity of disability items,
      activities of daily living and physical functioning. CONCLUSIONS: It is revealed
      the fall prevalence showed no increment from 2011 to 2013 but at a high level.
      More efforts should be made to reduce the fall prevalence, and special attention
      should be paid to the elderly people aged over 80 and older.

PMID- 28910754
TI  - A Phase Variable Approach for IMU-Based Locomotion Activity Recognition.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper describes a gait classification method that utilizes
      measured motion of the thigh segment provided by an inertial measurement unit.
      METHODS: The classification method employs a phase-variable description of gait,
      and identifies a given activity based on the expected curvature characteristics
      of that activity over a gait cycle. The classification method was tested in
      experiments conducted with seven healthy subjects performing three different
      locomotor activities: level ground walking, stair descent, and stair ascent.
      Classification accuracy of the phase variable classification method was assessed
      for classifying each activity, and transitions between activities, and compared
      to a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier as a benchmark. RESULTS: For
      the subjects tested, the phase variable classification method outperformed LDA
      when using nonsubject-specific training data, while the LDA outperformed the
      phase variable approach when using subject-specific training. CONCLUSIONS: The
      proposed method may provide improved classification accuracy for gait
      classification applications trained with nonsubject-specific data. SIGNIFICANCE:
      This paper offers a new method of gait classification based on a phase variable
      description. The method is shown to provide improved classification accuracy
      relative to an LDA pattern recognition framework when trained with nonsubject
      specific data.

PMID- 28910755
TI  - SimiNet: A Novel Method for Quantifying Brain Network Similarity.
AB  - Quantifying the similarity between two networks is critical in many applications.
      A number of algorithms have been proposed to compute graph similarity, mainly
      based on the properties of nodes and edges. Interestingly, most of these
      algorithms ignore the physical location of the nodes, which is a key factor in
      the context of brain networks involving spatially defined functional areas. In
      this paper, we present a novel algorithm called "SimiNet" for measuring
      similarity between two graphs whose nodes are defined a priori within a 3D
      coordinate system. SimiNet provides a quantified index (ranging from 0 to 1) that
      accounts for node, edge and spatiality features. Complex graphs were simulated to
      evaluate the performance of SimiNet that is compared with eight state-of-art
      methods. Results show that SimiNet is able to detect weak spatial variations in
      compared graphs in addition to computing similarity using both nodes and edges.
      SimiNet was also applied to real brain networks obtained during a visual
      recognition task. The algorithm shows high performance to detect spatial
      variation of brain networks obtained during a naming task of two categories of
      visual stimuli: animals and tools. A perspective to this work is a better
      understanding of object categorization in the human brain.

PMID- 28910756
TI  - Coresets for Triangulation.
AB  - Multiple-view triangulation by $?ell _?infty$ minimisation has become established
      in computer vision. State-of-the-art $?ell _?infty$ triangulation algorithms
      exploit the quasiconvexity of the cost function to derive iterative update rules
      that deliver the global minimum. Such algorithms, however, can be computationally
      costly for large problem instances that contain many image measurements, e.g.,
      from web-based photo sharing sites or long-term video recordings. In this paper,
      we prove that $?ell _?infty$ triangulation admits a coreset approximation scheme,
      which seeks small representative subsets of the input data called coresets. A
      coreset possesses the special property that the error of the $?ell _?infty$
      solution on the coreset is within known bounds from the global minimum. We
      establish the necessary mathematical underpinnings of the coreset algorithm,
      specifically, by enacting the stopping criterion of the algorithm and proving
      that the resulting coreset gives the desired approximation accuracy. On large
      scale triangulation problems, our method provides theoretically sound approximate
      solutions. Iterated until convergence, our coreset algorithm is also guaranteed
      to reach the true optimum. On practical datasets, we show that our technique can
      in fact attain the global minimiser much faster than current methods.

PMID- 28910757
TI  - Learning Building Extraction in Aerial Scenes with Convolutional Networks.
AB  - Extracting buildings from aerial scene images is an important task with many
      applications. However, this task is highly difficult to automate due to extremely
      large variations of building appearances, and still heavily relies on manual
      work. To attack this problem, we design a deep convolutional network with a
      simple structure that integrates activation from multiple layers for pixel-wise
      prediction, and introduce the signed distance function of building boundaries to
      represent output, which has an enhanced representation power. To train the
      network, we leverage abundant building footprint data from geographic information
      systems (GIS) to generate large amounts of labeled data. The trained model
      achieves a superior performance on datasets that are significantly larger and
      more complex than those used in prior work, demonstrating that the proposed
      method provides a promising and scalable solution for automating this labor
      intensive task.

PMID- 28910758
TI  - Viewpoint-Consistent 3D Face Alignment.
AB  - Most approaches to face alignment treat the face as a 2D object, which fails to
      represent depth variation and is vulnerable to loss of shape consistency when the
      face rotates along a 3D axis. Because faces commonly rotate three dimensionally,
      2D approaches are vulnerable to significant error. 3D morphable models, employed
      as a second step in 2D+3D approaches are robust to face rotation but are
      computationally too expensive for many applications, yet their ability to
      maintain viewpoint consistency is unknown. We present an alternative approach
      that estimates 3D face landmarks in a single face image. The method uses a
      regression forest-based algorithm that adds a third dimension to the common
      cascade pipeline. 3D face landmarks are estimated directly, which avoids fitting
      a 3D morphable model. The proposed method achieves viewpoint consistency in a
      computationally efficient manner that is robust to 3D face rotation. To train and
      test our approach, we introduce the Multi-PIE Viewpoint Consistent database. In
      empirical tests, the proposed method achieved simple yet effective head pose
      estimation and viewpoint consistency on multiple measures relative to alternative
      approaches.

PMID- 28910759
TI  - Multi-Rate Acquisition for Dead Time Reduction in Magnetic Resonance Receivers:
      Application to Imaging With Zero Echo Time.
AB  - For magnetic resonance imaging of tissues with very short transverse relaxation
      times, radio-frequency excitation must be immediately followed by data
      acquisition with fast spatial encoding. In zero-echo-time (ZTE) imaging,
      excitation is performed while the readout gradient is already on, causing data
      loss due to an initial dead time. One major dead time contribution is the
      settling time of the filters involved in signal down-conversion. In this paper, a
      multi-rate acquisition scheme is proposed to minimize dead time due to filtering.
      Short filters and high output bandwidth are used initially to minimize settling
      time. With increasing time since the signal onset, longer filters with better
      frequency selectivity enable stronger signal decimation. In this way, significant
      dead time reduction is accomplished at only a slight increase in the overall
      amount of output data. Multi-rate acquisition was implemented with a two-stage
      filter cascade in a digital receiver based on a field-programmable gate array. In
      ZTE imaging in a phantom and in vivo, dead time reduction by multi-rate
      acquisition is shown to improve image quality and expand the feasible bandwidth
      while increasing the amount of data collected by only a few percent.

PMID- 28910760
TI  - Structure Prediction for Gland Segmentation With Hand-Crafted and Deep
      Convolutional Features.
AB  - We present a novel method to segment instances of glandular structures from colon
      histopathology images. We use a structure learning approach which represents
      local spatial configurations of class labels, capturing structural information
      normally ignored by sliding-window methods. This allows us to reveal different
      spatial structures of pixel labels (e.g., locations between adjacent glands, or
      far from glands), and to identify correctly neighboring glandular structures as
      separate instances. Exemplars of label structures are obtained via clustering and
      used to train support vector machine classifiers. The label structures predicted
      are then combined and post-processed to obtain segmentation maps. We combine hand
      crafted, multi-scale image features with features computed by a deep
      convolutional network trained to map images to segmentation maps. We evaluate the
      proposed method on the public domain GlaS data set, which allows extensive
      comparisons with recent, alternative methods. Using the GlaS contest protocol,
      our method achieves the overall best performance.

PMID- 28910761
TI  - Phantomless Auto-Calibration and Online Calibration Assessment for a Tracked
      Freehand 2-D Ultrasound Probe.
AB  - This paper presents a method for automatically calibrating and assessing the
      calibration quality of an externally tracked 2-D ultrasound (US) probe by
      scanning arbitrary, natural tissues, as opposed a specialized calibration phantom
      as is the typical practice. A generative topic model quantifies the posterior
      probability of calibration parameters conditioned on local 2-D image features
      arising from a generic underlying substrate. Auto-calibration is achieved by
      identifying the maximum a-posteriori image-to-probe transform, and calibration
      quality is assessed online in terms of the posterior probability of the current
      image-to-probe transform. Both are closely linked to the 3-D point reconstruction
      error (PRE) in aligning feature observations arising from the same underlying
      physical structure in different US images. The method is of practical importance
      in that it operates simply by scanning arbitrary textured echogenic structures,
      e.g., in-vivo tissues in the context of the US-guided procedures, without
      requiring specialized calibration procedures or equipment. Observed data take the
      form of local scale-invariant features that can be extracted and fit to the model
      in near real-time. Experiments demonstrate the method on a public data set of in
      vivo human brain scans of 14 unique subjects acquired in the context of
      neurosurgery. Online calibration assessment can be performed at approximately 3
      Hz for the US images of pixels. Auto-calibration achieves an internal mean PRE of
      1.2 mm and a discrepancy of [2 mm, 6 mm] in comparison to the calibration via a
      standard phantom-based method.

PMID- 28910762
TI  - Deep Edge Guided Recurrent Residual Learning for Image Super-Resolution.
AB  - In this paper, we consider the image super-resolution (SR) problem. The main
      challenge of image SR is to recover high-frequency details of a low-resolution
      (LR) image that are important for human perception. To address this essentially
      ill-posed problem, we introduce a Deep Edge Guided REcurrent rEsidual (DEGREE)
      network to progressively recover the high-frequency details. Different from most
      of the existing methods that aim at predicting high-resolution (HR) images
      directly, the DEGREE investigates an alternative route to recover the difference
      between a pair of LR and HR images by recurrent residual learning. DEGREE further
      augments the SR process with edge-preserving capability, namely the LR image and
      its edge map can jointly infer the sharp edge details of the HR image during the
      recurrent recovery process. To speed up its training convergence rate, by-pass
      connections across the multiple layers of DEGREE are constructed. In addition, we
      offer an understanding on DEGREE from the view-point of sub-band frequency
      decomposition on image signal and experimentally demonstrate how the DEGREE can
      recover different frequency bands separately. Extensive experiments on three
      benchmark data sets clearly demonstrate the superiority of DEGREE over the well
      established baselines and DEGREE also provides new state-of-the-arts on these
      data sets. We also present addition experiments for JPEG artifacts reduction to
      demonstrate the good generality and flexibility of our proposed DEGREE network to
      handle other image processing tasks.

PMID- 28910763
TI  - Feature Augmentation for Learning Confidence Measure in Stereo Matching.
AB  - Confidence estimation is essential for refining stereo matching results through a
      post-processing step. This problem has recently been studied using a learning
      based approach, which demonstrates a substantial improvement on conventional
      simple non-learning based methods. However, the formulation of learning-based
      methods that individually estimates the confidence of each pixel disregards
      spatial coherency that might exist in the confidence map, thus providing a
      limited performance under challenging conditions. Our key observation is that the
      confidence features and resulting confidence maps are smoothly varying in the
      spatial domain, and highly correlated within the local regions of an image. We
      present a new approach that imposes spatial consistency on the confidence
      estimation. Specifically, a set of robust confidence features is extracted from
      each superpixel decomposed using the Gaussian mixture model, and then these
      features are concatenated with pixel-level confidence features. The features are
      then enhanced through adaptive filtering in the feature domain. In addition, the
      resulting confidence map, estimated using the confidence features with a random
      regression forest, is further improved through K-nearest neighbor based
      aggregation scheme on both pixel- and superpixel-level. To validate the proposed
      confidence estimation scheme, we employ cost modulation or ground control points
      based optimization in stereo matching. Experimental results demonstrate that the
      proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches on various benchmarks
      including challenging outdoor scenes.

PMID- 28910764
TI  - Efficient Message Passing Methods With Fully Connected Models for Early Vision.
AB  - Fully connected Markov random fields and conditional random fields have recently
      been shown to be advantageous in many early vision tasks being formulated as
      multi-labeling problems, such as stereo matching and image segmentation. The
      maximum posterior marginal (MPM) inference method in solving fully connected
      models uses a hybrid framework of mean-field (MF) method and a filtering like
      approach, and yields excellent results. In this paper, we extend this framework
      in several aspects. First, we provide an alternative inference method employing
      fractional belief propagation based method instead of MF. Second, we reformulate
      the MPM problem into a maximum a posterior (MAP) problem and provide efficient
      algorithms for solving this. Third, we extend the fully connected model into a
      multi-resolution approach. Finally, we propose an integral image based approach
      which makes it possible for efficiently integrating the local linear regression
      technique into this framework. Comparisons are carried out among different
      algorithms and different formulations to find the best combination. We
      demonstrate that the use of our multi-resolution approach with MAP formulation
      substantially outperforms the ordinary MF-based inference scheme.

PMID- 28910765
TI  - Multiple Semantic Matching on Augmented $N$ -Partite Graph for Object Co
      Segmentation.
AB  - Recent methods for object co-segmentation focus on discovering single co
      occurring relation of candidate regions representing the foreground of multiple
      images. However, region extraction based only on low and middle level information
      often occupies a large area of background without the help of semantic context.
      In addition, seeking single matching solution very likely leads to discover local
      parts of common objects. To cope with these deficiencies, we present a new object
      co-segmentation framework, which takes advantages of semantic information and
      globally explores multiple co-occurring matching cliques based on an N-partite
      graph structure. To this end, we first propose to incorporate candidate
      generation with semantic context. Based on the regions extracted from semantic
      segmentation of each image, we design a merging mechanism to hierarchically
      generate candidates with high semantic responses. Second, all candidates are
      taken into consideration to globally formulate multiple maximum weighted matching
      cliques, which complement the discovery of part of the common objects induced by
      a single clique. To facilitate the discovery of multiple matching cliques, an N
      partite graph, which inherently excludes intralinks between candidates from the
      same image, is constructed to separate multiple cliques without additional
      constraints. Further, we augment the graph with an additional virtual node in
      each part to handle irrelevant matches when the similarity between the two
      candidates is too small. Finally, with the explored multiple cliques, we
      statistically compute pixel-wise co-occurrence map for each image. Experimental
      results on two benchmark data sets, i.e., iCoseg and MSRC data sets achieve
      desirable performance and demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed
      framework.

PMID- 28910766
TI  - Light Field Compression With Disparity-Guided Sparse Coding Based on Structural
      Key Views.
AB  - Recent imaging technologies are rapidly evolving for sampling richer and more
      immersive representations of the 3D world. One of the emerging technologies is
      light field (LF) cameras based on micro-lens arrays. To record the directional
      information of the light rays, a much larger storage space and transmission
      bandwidth are required by an LF image as compared with a conventional 2D image of
      similar spatial dimension. Hence, the compression of LF data becomes a vital part
      of its application. In this paper, we propose an LF codec with disparity guided
      Sparse Coding over a learned perspective-shifted LF dictionary based on selected
      Structural Key Views (SC-SKV). The sparse coding is based on a limited number of
      optimally selected SKVs; yet the entire LF can be recovered from the coding
      coefficients. By keeping the approximation identical between encoder and decoder,
      only the residuals of the non-key views, disparity map, and the SKVs need to be
      compressed into the bit stream. An optimized SKV selection method is proposed
      such that most LF spatial information can be preserved. To achieve optimum
      dictionary efficiency, the LF is divided into several coding regions, over which
      the reconstruction works individually. Experiments and comparisons have been
      carried out over benchmark LF data set, which show that the proposed SC-SKV codec
      produces convincing compression results in terms of both rate-distortion
      performance and visual quality compared with Joint Exploration Model: with 37.9%
      BD-rate reduction and 1.17-dB BD-PSNR improvement achieved on average, especially
      with up to 6-dB improvement for low bit rate scenarios.

PMID- 28910767
TI  - Single Image De-Hazing Using Globally Guided Image Filtering.
AB  - Local edge-preserving smoothing techniques such as guided image filtering (GIF)
      and weighted guided image filtering (WGIF) could not preserve fine structure. In
      this paper, a new globally guided image filtering (G-GIF) is introduced to
      overcome the problem. The G-GIF is composed of a global structure transfer filter
      and a global edge-preserving smoothing filter. The proposed filter is applied to
      study single image haze removal. Experimental results show that fine structure of
      the dehazed image is indeed preserved better by the proposed G-GIF and the
      dehazed images by the proposed G-GIF are sharper than those dehazed images by the
      existing GIF.

PMID- 28910768
TI  - Example-Based Image Synthesis via Randomized Patch-Matching.
AB  - Image and texture synthesis is a challenging task that has long been drawing
      attention in the fields of image processing, graphics, and machine learning. This
      problem consists of modeling the desired type of images, either through training
      examples or via a parametric modeling, and then generating images that belong to
      the same statistical origin. This paper addresses the image synthesis task,
      focusing on two specific families of images-handwritten digits and face images.
      This paper offers two main contributions. First, we suggest a simple and
      intuitive algorithm capable of generating such images in a unified way. The
      proposed approach taken is pyramidal, consisting of upscaling and refining the
      estimated image several times. For each upscaling stage, the algorithm randomly
      draws small patches from a patch database and merges these to form a coherent and
      novel image with high visual quality. The second contribution is a general
      framework for the evaluation of the generation performance, which combines three
      aspects: the likelihood, the originality, and the spread of the synthesized
      images. We assess the proposed synthesis scheme and show that the results are
      similar in nature, and yet different from the ones found in the training set,
      suggesting that true synthesis effect has been obtained.

PMID- 28910769
TI  - Single-Image Shadow Removal Using 3D Intensity Surface Modeling.
AB  - Shadow removal from a single image is a challenging problem, whose solution is
      proposed in this paper using 3D intensity surface modeling. Due to the high-order
      textural content in the original images, a direct modeling of the intensity
      surface of shadow image is difficult. In this paper, image decomposition
      technology is used as an edge-preserving filter to remove the textural detail
      while keeping the local-smoothness pattern of image intensity surface. Using 3D
      modeling, a proper intensity surface of illumination in shadow region can be
      obtained based on that corresponding to the same texture in the non-shadow one.
      Thus, the intensity surface of shadow region can be compensated with a respective
      shadow-removal. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the
      proposed approach in the aspect of single-image shadow removal. In contrast to
      the alternative methods, it is not limited by additional assumptions or
      conditions; moreover, it can deal with the non-uniform and curved surface
      shadows, and is applicable to the shadow regions consisting of different types of
      textures.

PMID- 28910770
TI  - Global-Local Temporal Saliency Action Prediction.
AB  - Action prediction on a partially observed action sequence is a very challenging
      task. To address this challenge, we first design a global-local distance model,
      where a global-temporal distance compares subsequences as a whole and local
      temporal distance focuses on individual segment. Our distance model introduces
      temporal saliency for each segment to adapt its contribution. Finally, a global
      local temporal action prediction model is formulated in order to jointly learn
      and fuse these two types of distances. Such a prediction model is capable of
      recognizing action of: 1) an on-going sequence and 2) a sequence with arbitrarily
      frames missing between the beginning and end (known as gap-filling). Our proposed
      model is tested and compared with related action prediction models on BIT, UCF11,
      and HMDB data sets. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposal.
      In particular, we showed the benefit of our proposed model on predicting unseen
      action types and the advantage on addressing the gapfilling problem as compared
      with recently developed action prediction models.

PMID- 28910771
TI  - A General Framework for Linear Distance Preserving Hashing.
AB  - Binary hashing approaches the approximate nearest neighbor search problem by
      transferring the data to Hamming space with explicit or implicit distance
      preserving constraint. With compact data representation, binary hashing
      identifies the approximate nearest neighbors via very efficient Hamming distance
      computation. In this paper, we propose a generic hashing framework with a new
      linear pairwise distance preserving objective and pointwise constraint. In our
      framework, the direct distance preserving objective aims to keep the linear
      relationship between the Euclidean distance and the Hamming distance of data
      points. On the other hand, to impose the pointwise constraint, we instantiate the
      framework from three different perspectives with pseudo-supervised, unsupervised,
      and supervised clues and obtain three different hashing methods. The first one is
      a pseudo-supervised hashing method, which adopts a certain existing unsupervised
      hashing method to generate binary codes as pseudo-supervised information. For the
      second one, we get an unsupervised hashing method by considering the quantization
      loss. The third one, as a supervised hashing method, learns the hash functions in
      a two-step paradigm. Furthermore, we improve the above-mentioned framework by
      constraining the global scope of the proposed linear distance preserving
      objective to a local range. We validate our framework on four large-scale
      benchmark data sets. The experiments demonstrate that our pseudo-supervised
      method achieves consistent improvement over the state-of-the-art unsupervised
      hashing methods, while our unsupervised and supervised methods achieve promising
      performance compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms.

PMID- 28910772
TI  - Semantic-Driven Generation of Hyperlapse from 360 Degree Video.
AB  - We present a system for converting a fully panoramic (360 degree) video into a
      normal field-of-view (NFOV) hyperlapse for an optimal viewing experience. Our
      system exploits visual saliency and semantics to non-uniformly sample in space
      and time for generating hyperlapses. In addition, users can optionally choose
      objects of interest for customizing the hyperlapses. We first stabilize an input
      360 degree video by smoothing the rotation between adjacent frames and then
      compute regions of interest and saliency scores. An initial hyperlapse is
      generated by optimizing the saliency and motion smoothness followed by the
      saliency-aware frame selection. We further smooth the result using an efficient
      2D video stabilization approach that adaptively selects the motion model to
      generate the final hyperlapse. We validate the design of our system by showing
      results for a variety of scenes and comparing against the state-of-the-art method
      through a large-scale user study.

PMID- 28910773
TI  - A Vector Field Design Approach to Animated Transitions.
AB  - Animated transitions can be effective in explaining and exploring a small number
      of visualizations where there are drastic changes in the scene over a short
      interval of time. This is especially true if data elements cannot be visually
      distinguished by other means. Current research in animated transitions has mainly
      focused on linear transitions (all elements follow straight line paths) or
      enhancing coordinated motion through bundling of linear trajectories. In this
      paper, we introduce animated transition design, a technique to build smooth, non
      linear transitions for clustered data with either minimal or no user involvement.
      The technique is flexible and simple to implement, and has the additional
      advantage that it explicitly enhances coordinated motion and can avoid crowding,
      which are both important factors to support object tracking in a scene. We
      investigate its usability, provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of
      this technique through metric evaluations and user study and discuss limitations
      and future directions.

PMID- 28910774
TI  - Influence of Hip Prosthesis Size and Its Coating Area on Bone Remodeling.
AB  - We developed a numerical model to describe the bone remodeling process in
      periprosthetic bone tissues and validated it by means of dual energy X-ray
      absorptiometry methods with different types of hip implants. In this paper, we
      applied the numerical model to investigate the influence of implant size and of
      the size of the porous coated area on bone remodeling in a periprosthetic human
      femur in an effort to define properties of implants, which would reduce bone
      remodeling after total hip arthroplasty. Two different sizes of a newly designed
      implant and three different coating area sizes were investigated in this paper.
      The results show that the smaller the implant, the less bone remodeling occurs.
      Reducing prosthesis size by 2mm from all sides has decreased bone remodeling by
      14.4%. Extending the coating area on both, lateral and medial parts of the
      implant, has decreased bone remodeling in the lateral part of the femur and
      increased it in the medial part. In conclusion, depending on these results, the
      oversized hip replacement would cause more bone resorption in the femur.
      Concerning the coating area, the manufacturer must find a compromise between the
      small coating area with less bone remodeling in the medial part of the femur as
      well as less primary stability and the bigger coating area with less bone
      remodeling in the lateral part of the femur, but with higher bone remodeling in
      its medial part and more primary stability.

PMID- 28910775
TI  - Classification of Schizophrenia Based on Individual Hierarchical Brain Networks
      Constructed From Structural MRI Images.
AB  - With structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images, conventional methods for
      the classification of schizophrenia (SCZ) and healthy control (HC) extract
      cortical thickness independently at different regions of interest (ROIs) without
      considering the correlation between these regions. In this paper, we proposed an
      improved method for the classification of SCZ and HC based on individual
      hierarchical brain networks constructed from structural MRI images. Our method
      involves constructing individual hierarchical networks where each node and each
      edge in these networks represents a ROI and the correlation between a pair of
      ROIs, respectively. We demonstrate that edge features make significant
      improvement in performance of SCZ/HC classification, when compared with only node
      features. Classification performance is further investigated by combining edge
      features with node features via a multiple kernel learning framework. The
      experimental results show that our proposed method achieves an accuracy of 88.72%
      and an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of
      0.9521 for SCZ/HC classification, which demonstrate that our proposed method is
      efficient and promising for clinical applications for the diagnosis of SCZ via
      structural MRI images. Therefore, this paper provides an alternative method for
      extracting high-order cortical thickness features from structural MRI images for
      classification of neurodegenerative diseases such as SCZ.

PMID- 28910776
TI  - FastEtch: A Fast Sketch-based Assembler for Genomes.
AB  - De novo genome assembly describes the process of reconstructing an unknown genome
      from a large collection of short (or long) reads sequenced from the genome. A
      single run of a Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology can produce billions
      of short reads, making genome assembly computationally demanding (both in terms
      of memory and time). One of the major computational steps in modern day short
      read assemblers involves the construction and use of a string data structure
      called the de Bruijn graph. In fact, a majority of short read assemblers build
      the complete de Bruijn graph for the set of input reads, and subsequently
      traverse and prune low-quality edges, in order to generate genomic "contigs"-the
      output of assembly. These steps of graph construction and traversal, contribute
      to well over 90% of the runtime and memory. In this paper, we present a fast
      algorithm, FastEtch, that uses sketching to build an approximate version of the
      de Bruijn graph for the purpose of generating an assembly. The algorithm uses
      Count-Min sketch, which is a probabilistic data structure for streaming data
      sets. The result is an approximate de Bruijn graph that stores information
      pertaining only to a selected subset of nodes that are most likely to contribute
      to the contig generation step. In addition, edges are not stored; instead that
      fraction which contribute to our contig generation are detected on-the-fly. This
      approximate approach is intended to significantly improve performance (both
      execution time and memory footprint) whilst possibly compromising on the output
      assembly quality. We present two main versions of the assembler-one that
      generates an assembly, where each contig represents a contiguous genomic region
      from one strand of the DNA, and another that generates an assembly, where the
      contigs can straddle either of the two strands of the DNA. For further
      scalability, we have implemented a multi-threaded parallel code. Experimental
      results using our algorithm conducted on E. coli, Yeast, C. elegans and Human
      (Chr2 and Chr2+3) genomes show that our method yields one of the best time-memory
      quality tradeoffs, when compared against many state-of-the-art genome assemblers.

PMID- 28910777
TI  - Haptic Collision Detection on Disjoint Objects with Overlapping and Inclusive
      Bounding Volumes.
AB  - This paper presents a method to alleviate performance degradation issues of
      Haptic Collision Detection when the Bounding Volumes or Bounding Volume
      Hierarchies of multiple disjoint objects are overlapping or inclusive and force
      the Haptic Collision Detection methods into narrow phase collision detection with
      all involved objects. The proposed method aims to generate tighter, mutually
      exclusive Bounding Volumes at the pre-processing stage, and to quickly cull
      irrelevant nearby objects at the broad phase to ensure that the Haptic Collision
      Detection methods will not be overloaded with unnecessary narrow phase collision
      detection. The proposed method is based on a hybrid representation of Bounding
      Volume and Space Partitioning and is implemented as an algorithm that
      automatically generates these new Bounding Volumes for disjoint objects, with
      details and corner cases discussed. A series of experiments based on real-life
      Haptic Collision Detection applications has been conducted. The results are
      analyzed and compared with those from an existing Haptic Collision Detection
      algorithm. The outcome demonstrates the capability of the proposed method in
      maintaining a stable Haptic Collision Detection performance under various
      challenging situations.

PMID- 28910778
TI  - Self-Weighted Supervised Discriminative Feature Selection.
AB  - In this brief, a novel self-weighted orthogonal linear discriminant analysis
      (SOLDA) problem is proposed, and a self-weighted supervised discriminative
      feature selection (SSD-FS) method is derived by introducing sparsity-inducing
      regularization to the proposed SOLDA problem. By using the row-sparse projection,
      the proposed SSD-FS method is superior to multiple sparse feature selection
      approaches, which can overly suppress the nonzero rows such that the associated
      features are insufficient for selection. More specifically, the orthogonal
      constraint ensures the minimal number of selectable features for the proposed SSD
      FS method. In addition, the proposed feature selection method is able to harness
      the discriminant power such that the discriminative features are selected.
      Consequently, the effectiveness of the proposed SSD-FS method is validated
      theoretically and experimentally.

PMID- 28910779
TI  - Partial-Nodes-Based State Estimation for Complex Networks With Unbounded
      Distributed Delays.
AB  - In this brief, the new problem of partial-nodes-based (PNB) state estimation
      problem is investigated for a class of complex network with unbounded distributed
      delays and energy-bounded measurement noises. The main novelty lies in that the
      states of the complex network are estimated through measurement outputs of a
      fraction of the network nodes. Such fraction of the nodes is determined by either
      the practical availability or the computational necessity. The PNB state
      estimator is designed such that the error dynamics of the network state
      estimation is exponentially ultimately bounded in the presence of measurement
      errors. Sufficient conditions are established to ensure the existence of the PNB
      state estimators and then the explicit expression of the gain matrices of such
      estimators is characterized. When the network measurements are free of noises,
      the main results specialize to the case of exponential stability for error
      dynamics. Numerical examples are presented to verify the theoretical results.

PMID- 28910780
TI  - Finite-Time Synchronization of Discontinuous Neural Networks With Delays and
      Mismatched Parameters.
AB  - This paper investigates the problem of finite-time drive-response synchronization
      for a class of neural networks with discontinuous activations, time-varying
      discrete and infinite-time distributed delays, and mismatched parameters. In
      order to cope with the difficulties induced by discontinuous activations, time
      delays, as well as mismatched parameters simultaneously, new 1-norm-based
      analytical techniques are developed. Both state feedback and adaptive controllers
      with and without the sign function are designed. Based on differential inclusion
      theory and Lyapunov functional method, several sufficient conditions on the
      finite-time synchronization are obtained. Our results show that the controllers
      with a sign function can reduce the conservativeness of control gains and the
      controllers without a sign function can overcome the chattering phenomenon.
      Numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the theoretical
      analysis.

PMID- 28910781
TI  - Weighted Performance Metrics for Automatic Neonatal Seizure Detection Using
      Multiscored EEG Data.
AB  - In neonatal intensive care units, there is a need for around the clock monitoring
      of electroencephalogram (EEG), especially for recognizing seizures. An automated
      seizure detector with an acceptable performance can partly fill this need. In
      order to develop a detector, an extensive dataset labeled by experts is needed.
      However, accurately defining neonatal seizures on EEG is a challenge, especially
      when seizure discharges do not meet exact definitions of repetitiveness or
      evolution in amplitude and frequency. When several readers score seizures
      independently, disagreement can be high. Commonly used metrics such as good
      detection rate (GDR) and false alarm rate (FAR) derived from data scored by
      multiple raters have their limitations. Therefore, new metrics are needed to
      measure the performance with respect to the different labels. In this paper,
      instead of defining the labels by consensus or majority voting, popular metrics
      including GDR, FAR, positive predictive value, sensitivity, specificity, and
      selectivity are modified such that they can take different scores into account.
      To this end, 353 hours of EEG data containing seizures from 81 neonates were
      visually scored by a clinical neurophysiologist, and then processed by an
      automated seizure detector. The scored seizures were mixed with false detections
      of an automated seizure detector and were relabeled by three independent EEG
      readers. Then, all labels were used in the proposed performance metrics and the
      result was compared with the majority voting technique and showed higher accuracy
      and robustness for the proposed metrics. Results were confirmed using a
      bootstrapping test.

PMID- 28910782
TI  - Spectral Analysis of Epidemic Thresholds of Temporal Networks.
AB  - Many complex systems can be modeled as temporal networks with time-evolving
      connections. The influence of their characteristics on epidemic spreading is
      analyzed in a susceptible-infected-susceptible epidemic model illustrated by the
      discrete-time Markov chain approach. We develop the analytical epidemic
      thresholds in terms of the spectral radius of weighted adjacency matrix by
      averaging temporal networks, e.g., periodic, nonperiodic Markovian networks, and
      a special nonperiodic non-Markovian network (the link activation network) in
      time. We discuss the impacts of statistical characteristics, e.g., bursts and
      duration heterogeneity, as well as time-reversed characteristic on epidemic
      thresholds. We confirm the tightness of the proposed epidemic thresholds with
      numerical simulations on seven artificial and empirical temporal networks and
      show that the epidemic threshold of our theory is more precise than those of
      previous studies.

PMID- 28910783
TI  - Diverse Non-Negative Matrix Factorization for Multiview Data Representation.
AB  - Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), a method for finding parts-based
      representation of non-negative data, has shown remarkable competitiveness in data
      analysis. Given that real-world datasets are often comprised of multiple features
      or views which describe data from various perspectives, it is important to
      exploit diversity from multiple views for comprehensive and accurate data
      representations. Moreover, real-world datasets often come with high-dimensional
      features, which demands the efficiency of low-dimensional representation learning
      approaches. To address these needs, we propose a diverse NMF (DiNMF) approach. It
      enhances the diversity, reduces the redundancy among multiview representations
      with a novel defined diversity term and enables the learning process in linear
      execution time. We further propose a locality preserved DiNMF (LP-DiNMF) for more
      accurate learning, which ensures diversity from multiple views while preserving
      the local geometry structure of data in each view. Efficient iterative updating
      algorithms are derived for both DiNMF and LP-DiNMF, along with proofs of
      convergence. Experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets have demonstrated
      the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed methods against the state-of-the-art
      approaches, proving the advantages of incorporating the proposed diversity term
      into NMF.

PMID- 28910784
TI  - Fetal Surgery for Myelomeningocele: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of
      Outcomes in Fetoscopic versus Open Repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The Management of Myelomeningocele (MMC) Study (MOMS)
      showed that prenatal repair of MMC resulted in improved neurological outcomes but
      was associated with high rates of obstetrical complications. This study compares
      outcomes of open and fetoscopic MMC repair. DATA SOURCES: PubMed and Embase
      studies reporting outcomes of fetal MMC repair published since the completion of
      the MOMS. RESULTS: We analyzed 11 studies and found no difference in mortality or
      the rate of shunt placement for hydrocephalus. Percutaneous fetoscopic repair was
      associated with higher rates of premature rupture of membranes (91 vs. 36%, p <
      0.01) and preterm birth (96 vs. 81%, p = 0.04) compared to open repair, whereas
      fetoscopic repair via maternal laparotomy reduced preterm birth. The rate of
      dehiscence and leakage from the MMC repair site was higher after both types of
      fetoscopic surgery (30 vs. 7%, p < 0.01), while the rate of uterine dehiscence
      was higher after open repair (11 vs. 0%, p < 0.01). DISCUSSION: Fetoscopic repair
      is a promising alternative to open fetal MMC repair with a lower risk of uterine
      dehiscence; however, fetoscopic techniques should be optimized to overcome the
      high rate of dehiscence and leakage at the MMC repair site. A fetoscopic approach
      via maternal laparotomy reduces the risk of preterm birth.

PMID- 28910785
TI  - Oral Tolerization with Mycobacterial Heat Shock Protein 65 Reduces Chronic
      Experimental Atherosclerosis in Aged Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the artery wall
      where both innate and adaptive immunity play important roles. Modulation of the
      immune response against the stress protein antigen, heat shock protein (HSP) 60,
      by administration of mycobacterial HSP65 (mbHSP65) orally and/or nasally shows
      promising therapeutic results in young animals in the sense of less severe
      experimental atherosclerosis; however, the case of aged animals with already
      established atherosclerosis has so far never been investigated. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate if mbHSP65 immunization would further accelerate atherosclerotic
      progression in aged ApoE-/- mice (18 months old) with already long-established
      atherosclerosis and if these mice could be orally tolerized against mbHSP65.
      METHODS: Aged wild-type (WT) and ApoE-/- mice (65 weeks) were immunized and/or
      orally treated with mbHSP65 and then either kept on normal chow or changed to
      high-cholesterol diet (HCD). Atherosclerosis was assessed by en face analysis and
      the number of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) was assessed by flow
      cytometry in lymph node and spleen cells. Total cholesterol and triglyceride
      levels were determined. Soluble mammalian HSP60 and anti-mouse HSP60 (mHSP60) and
      anti-mbHSP65 antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      RESULTS: As expected, aged WT mice had only minor lesions in the aorta, which did
      not change under HCD for 14 weeks. Aged ApoE-/- mice already had large
      complicated plaques, which increased in size under HCD. mbHSP65 immunization led
      to a significant aggravation of atherosclerosis in both WT and ApoE-/- mice
      irrespective of the nature of their diet. This increase was accompanied by
      increased titers of both anti-mHSP60 and anti-mbHSP65 antibodies in the
      circulation. The increased plaque formation could be significantly diminished
      with oral mbHSP65 tolerization. An increased number of Tregs and lower or
      unchanged levels of cholesterol and triglycerides were associated with the
      reduced size of aortal lesions. CONCLUSION: Oral tolerization against mbHSP65
      could be used both to prevent and to treat chronic atherosclerosis in aged
      individuals.

PMID- 28910786
TI  - The Evolving Patterns of Uremia: Unmet Clinical Needs in Dialysis.
AB  - End-stage renal disease (ESRD) has become a challenging health problem worldwide.
      Currently, ESRD patients treated with hemodialysis mainly undergo low-flux
      hemodialysis, high-flux hemodialysis (HF-HD), or hemodiafiltration (HDF). The
      clearance of middle and large molecules is, however, quite insufficient as
      regards HF-HD, HDF, and on-line HDF. An unsatisfactory prognosis has led to
      improved dialysis technology and materials; both protein-leaking membranes and
      high cut-off membranes increase the clearance of uremic toxin, but in clinical
      application they may induce albumin loss. Novel membranes with similar clearance
      efficiency but little impact on albumin leakage are yet to be developed. To
      enhance the removal of uremic toxins and increase membrane permeability, a high
      retention onset (HRO) membrane with larger pore size and HRO, once defined as
      medium cut-off, has been developed in the past few years. Such a membrane enables
      leakage of larger size molecules including albumin. The dialysis using HRO
      membranes has recently been proposed as expanded hemodialysis (HDx).
      Theoretically, HDx could promote the removal of more toxin solutes retained in
      the blood of ESRD patients, and improve the outcomes of dialysis. However,
      randomized controlled trials are required to evaluate the long-term efficacy,
      safety, and side effects of HDx in the future.

PMID- 28910787
TI  - Middle-Molecule Uremic Toxins and Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease.
AB  - In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), uremic toxins constitute a
      specific nontraditional risk factor. Research in this field started in the early
      1990s, and a growing body of preclinical and epidemiological evidence suggests
      that elevated levels of uremic toxins are associated with poor outcomes in a CKD
      setting. The present review focuses on a specific class of uremic toxins (the
      "middle molecules"), which includes well-known candidates like beta-2
      microglobulin and fibroblast growth factor 23. Here, we summarize the
      epidemiological evidence linking the middle-molecule uremic toxin (and especially
      the larger ones) with hard clinical end points. Our findings highlight the urgent
      need for clinical trials of interventions designed to decrease levels of these
      middle molecules in CKD patients.

PMID- 28910788
TI  - Uremia Retention Molecules and Clinical Outcomes.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease is characterized by the accumulation of organic compounds
      in the bloodstream that may exert a variety of toxic effects in the body. These
      compounds, collectively known as uremic toxins, may be classified according to
      their physicochemical properties as free water-soluble low molecular weight
      molecules, middle molecules or protein-bound uremic toxins. Most of these
      retention molecules, due to either their size and/or binding to protein,
      constitute a complex therapeutic challenge to the nephrologist, particularly in
      end-stage renal disease, because of their limited removal by conventional
      dialysis therapies. Therefore, we review in this article the current clinical
      evidences that have supported the important role of uremic toxins in uremia by
      contributing to the adverse outcomes related to chronic kidney disease, such as
      increased mortality and cardiovascular events, as well as renal impairment
      progression that cannot be solely explained by traditional risk factors. These
      observations have ultimately contributed to testing new therapeutic targets, such
      as the gut, and the development of modern dialysis strategies to manage chronic
      kidney disease patients.

PMID- 28910789
TI  - End-Stage Renal Disease, Inflammation and Cardiovascular Outcomes.
AB  - Despite marked improvements in renal replacement therapy during the last 30
      years, the age-adjusted mortality rate in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients
      is still unacceptably high and comparable to that of many malignancies.
      Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality
      in ESRD patients. However, traditional risk factors can only partially explain
      the high premature cardiovascular burden in this population. Nontraditional risk
      factors, including persistent low-grade inflammation, are critical in the
      pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, vascular calcification, and other causes of CVD
      and may also contribute to protein-energy wasting and other complications in
      chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Inflammatory biomarkers, such as high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, independently predict mortality
      in these patients. The causes of inflammation in CKD are multifactorial and
      include imbalance between increased production (due to multiple sources of
      inflammatory stimuli such as oxidative stress, acidosis, volume overload, co
      morbidities, especially infections, genetic and epigenetic influences, and the
      dialysis procedure) and inadequate removal (due to decreased glomerular
      filtration rate or in ESRD patients, inadequate dialytic clearance) of pro
      inflammatory cytokines. Though there are currently no established guidelines for
      the treatment of low-grade inflammation in ESRD patients, several strategies have
      been proposed, such as lifestyle modifications, pharmacological treatment, and
      optimization of dialysis. Further studies on pathways involved in pathogenic
      processes of inflammation in ESRD, and long-term effects of anti-inflammatory
      interventions targeting production or removal of cytokines or both on premature
      CVD and clinical outcomes in this patient group are warranted.

PMID- 28910790
TI  - The Cardiovascular Burden in End-Stage Renal Disease.
AB  - It is well documented that chronic kidney disease patients have an extremely high
      risk of developing cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) compared to the general
      population. Declining renal function itself represents a continuum of CV risk,
      and in those individuals who survive to reach end-stage renal disease, the risk
      of suffering a cardiac event is uncomfortably and unacceptably high. Several
      pathophysiological pathways have been suggested to account for this, including
      endothelial dysfunction, dyslipidemia, inflammation, left ventricular
      hypertrophy, troponins, phosphate, vitamin D, fibroblast growth factor-23, and NT
      proBNP. All these conditions and biomarkers may have clear associations with
      current and subsequent CVD.

PMID- 28910791
TI  - Inflammation and Protein-Energy Wasting in the Uremic Milieu.
AB  - Inflammation is normally a protective and physiological response to harmful
      stimuli, but typically becomes an uncontrolled, maladaptive, and persistent
      process in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Through a deleterious
      cascade of poorly controlled reactions mediated by biologically active molecules
      (also called middle molecular weight uremia retention solutes), inflammation
      associates with a range of complications including cardiovascular disease and
      protein-energy wasting (PEW). Persistent inflammation, which is central to the
      conceptual etiological models of PEW and the malnutrition, inflammation, and
      atherosclerosis syndrome, induces and reignites processes leading to PEW in a
      number of ways including stimulation of both direct and indirect mechanisms of
      muscle proteolysis. Similar to other chronic diseases, inflammation in the uremic
      milieu is the consequence of multiple factors including comorbidities, such as
      infections. In addition, inflammation is further aggravated in ESRD by uremic
      immune dysfunction, inadequate renal removal of cytokines, and inflammatory
      responses to dialysis. It is plausible that only by disrupting this vicious
      circle(s) by acting on several levels of the inflammatory cascade rather than
      targeting single causes of inflammation will it be possible to improve the
      prognosis in ESRD patients. Accordingly, treatment of uremic inflammation and PEW
      require an integrated approach. In addition to lifestyle modifications,
      nutritional supplements, and drugs with anti-inflammatory potential, improved
      dialysis therapy using high retention onset membranes has emerged recently. This
      novel dialysis technique, also called expanded hemodialysis (HDx), may provide a
      more efficient removal of middle molecules involved in the cascade of
      inflammatory mediators with selectivity against albumin losses. Plausibly, the
      implementation of HDx, integrated with strategies blocking an excessive secretion
      of inflammatory mediators, may offer a new therapeutic approach to chronic
      inflammation and PEW in ESRD.

PMID- 28910792
TI  - Inflammation: A Key Contributor to the Genesis and Progression of Chronic Kidney
      Disease.
AB  - It has become apparent that inflammation and inflammatory reactions can evoke
      renal injury and promote chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Under
      physiological condition, intrarenal vascular distribution is heterogeneous, and
      medulla is hypoxic. To avoid energy deprivation in the low pO2 regions of the
      kidney, an array of hormones, autocoids, and vasoactive substances, including
      medullipin, prostaglandins, endothelins, nitric oxide, angiotensin II, kinins,
      and adenosine, tonically regulates the microvasculature to ensure a perfect match
      of the microcirculation (O2 supply) and renal tubules (O2 demand). Inflammation,
      systemic or intrarenal, not only can abolish the microvascular response to its
      regulators, but also induces an array of tubular toxins, including reactive
      oxygen species, leading to tubular injury, nephron dropout, and onset of CKD.
      Positive acid balance, electrolyte alterations, and intestinal dysbiosis can
      perpetuate CKD progression. Understanding the role of inflammation in the genesis
      and progression of CKD will foster the development of strategies to prevent and
      treat the underlying inflammation and improve CKD outcomes.

PMID- 28910793
TI  - Solute Transport in Hemodialysis: Advances and Limitations of Current Membrane
      Technology.
AB  - Extracorporeal therapy for end-stage renal disease is now provided to more than
      three million patients globally. Nearly all treatments are performed with filters
      containing hollow fiber membranes, removing solutes and water by diffusion,
      convection, and ultrafiltration. In this review, we will provide a detailed
      quantitative analysis of the transport processes involved in different
      hemodialysis (HD) therapies. We will also report some technical aspects of hollow
      fiber membranes and filters composed of them along with the mechanisms of solute
      and water removal for such devices. Diffusive mass transfer will be assessed
      according to the three major aspects of a hollow fiber filter (blood compartment,
      membrane, and dialysate compartment). With regard to convective transport, the
      importance of internal filtration as a solute removal mechanism in high-flux HD
      will be highlighted, along with the critical role that blood/membrane
      interactions assume in filtration-based therapies.

PMID- 28910794
TI  - Membrane Innovation in Dialysis.
AB  - Despite advances in renal replacement therapy, the adequate removal of uremic
      toxins over a broad molecular weight range remains one of the unmet needs in
      hemodialysis. Therefore, membrane innovation is currently directed towards
      enhanced removal of uremic toxins and increased membrane permeability. This
      chapter presents a variety of opportunities where innovation is brought into
      dialysis membranes. It covers the membrane formation from solution, describing
      different approaches to control the phase inversion process through additives
      that either swell in the polymer solution or influence the pore shrinkage during
      the membrane drying process. Additionally, large-scale manufacturing is
      described, and the influence of raw materials, spinning, and drying processes on
      membrane selectivity are presented. Finally, new characterization methods
      developed for the latest innovations around the application of membranes in
      dialysis are discussed, which allow the membrane performance for removal of a
      broad range of uremic toxins and the expected albumin loss in clinical use.

PMID- 28910795
TI  - Multidimensional Classification of Dialysis Membranes.
AB  - Hemodialysis is a process of mass separation by a semipermeable membrane,
      utilized to cleanse blood from waste products retained in case of kidney failure.
      Traditionally, dialysis membranes have been classified based on composition and
      hydraulic conductance, creating the net differentiation between cellulosic versus
      non-cellulosic on one hand and low-flux versus high-flux on the other. With the
      evolution of biomaterials and improved spinning technology, new membranes have
      been introduced in the market with specific characteristics and refined
      individual properties. Therefore, we should consider new parameters to classify
      dialysis membranes including polymer blending, surface functionalization,
      molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties, thickness
      and architecture, adsorption capacity, and electric potential. All these
      parameters may be utilized to characterize a membrane alone or in combination.
      Recently, a new parameter has been identified as an important element to
      characterize a new class of membranes. Beyond the classic MWCO describing the
      molecular weight at which the sieving value in pure convection = 0.1, the
      molecular weight retention onset (MWRO) is a new parameter that defines membrane
      sieving properties. The retention onset value is the molecular weight at which
      the sieving value = 0.9. The relationship between MWCO and MWRO describes the
      steepness of the sieving curve and the membrane pore size distribution with
      important consequences on the final mass separation process and solute removal.

PMID- 28910796
TI  - Modeling of Internal Filtration in Theranova Hemodialyzers.
AB  - High retention onset (HRO) is the designation for a new class of hemodialysis
      membranes. A unique characteristic of this class is the highly selective and
      controlled porosity resulting in sieving properties that provide a clinically
      desirable balance between middle/large molecular weight solute removal and
      albumin loss. Another defining feature of this membrane class is the relatively
      small fiber diameter, which produces high convective volumes in the form of
      internal filtration. The aim of the present study was to estimate, by semi
      empirical methods, convective volumes for 2 new HRO dialyzers: Theranova 400 and
      Theranova 500 (Baxter International Inc., Deerfield, IL, USA). Axial blood and
      dialysate compartment pressure drop along with transmembrane pressure, measured
      in vitro with blood (Qb = 300 or 400 mL/min; Qd = 500 mL/min; net ultrafiltration
      rate = 0), served as input parameters for 3 different models: linear, geometric,
      and (non-linear) mathematical. Based on the most rigorous mathematical model, the
      estimated convective volumes were 1,661 mL/h (Qb = 300 mL/min) and 1,911 mL/h (Qb
      = 400 mL/min) for Theranova 400 and 1,864 mL/h (Qb = 300 mL/min) and 1,978 mL/h
      (Qb = 400 mL/min) for Theranova 500. These results suggest that the unique fiber
      characteristics of this new class of membranes provide substantial convective
      volumes without the need for exogenous substitution fluid. As such, HRO membranes
      are a major end-stage renal disease treatment advance in the quest to enhance the
      removal of larger-sized uremic toxins.

PMID- 28910797
TI  - The Rationale for Expanded Hemodialysis Therapy (HDx).
AB  - As dialysis membrane technologies have advanced, the ability to clear increasing
      numbers of uremic toxins has occurred. To date, however, the class of uremic
      toxins known as large middle-molecules has been classified as "difficult to
      remove." Expanded hemodialysis utilizes a new generation of high-retention-onset
      hemodialysis membranes; these membranes provide the ability to remove large
      middle-molecules effectively for the first time, without significant albumin
      loss. In this review, we evaluate the removal of large middle-molecules by the
      new high-retention-onset membranes, the clinical relevance of these molecules,
      and how expanded hemodialysis can be prescribed.

PMID- 28910798
TI  - Expanded Hemodialysis Therapy: Prescription and Delivery.
AB  - Expanded hemodialysis (HDx) therapy is a novel treatment concept in hemodialysis
      patients, using innovative membrane technology with a high retention onset for
      improved solute clearance in the upper middle molecular range. HDx therapy
      thereby resolves a key limitation of current hemodialysis techniques and targets
      an important pathophysiologic link to many of the sequelae of end-stage renal
      disease. The present chapter reviews the current evidence and discusses
      considerations for prescription and delivery of HDx therapy upon implementation
      in clinical practice.

PMID- 28910799
TI  - Effects of Hemodialysis Therapy Using Dialyzers with Medium Cut-Off Membranes on
      Middle Molecules.
AB  - The removal of larger middle molecules, such as free immunoglobulin light chains
      (FLC), is poor with most currently used dialysis technologies. While
      hemodiafiltration (HDF) provides enhanced clearance of middle molecules compared
      to high-flux hemodialysis (HD), this technique is currently not approved in some
      regions and, hence, not accessible for all patients. The retention of middle
      molecules is thought to be one factor, which contributes to excessive morbidity
      and mortality in HD patients. The development of medium cut-off (MCO) dialysis
      membranes is aimed at a more efficient clearance of larger uremic toxins while
      retaining albumin and may extend the benefit of enhanced solute removal to more
      patients. In 2 pilot studies, the removal of middle molecules using HD with an
      MCO dialyzer prototype was compared to (1) high-flux HD and (2) high-flux HD and
      HDF. The primary outcome was the overall clearance of lambda FLC, and the
      secondary outcome was the clearance of other middle molecules and safety. Pre-to
      post reduction ratios and instantaneous clearances during HD were also assessed.
      In both trials, the overall lambda FLC clearance with MCO HD was significantly
      larger than with high-flux HD and HDF. Accordingly, instantaneous clearances at
      30 and 120 min showed significantly higher removal of lambda FLC compared to high
      flux HD and HDF. MCO HD provides a more efficient removal of larger middle
      molecules compared to high-flux HD and HDF. A potential drawback is slightly
      increased albumin loss, yet preliminary data suggest that this does not lead to
      permanently decreased albumin levels. Thus, MCO HD may present a promising
      approach to further improve middle molecule removal in maintenance dialysis
      patients and to extend its benefit to more patients.

PMID- 28910800
TI  - The Place of Large Pore Membranes in the Treatment Portfolio of Patients on
      Hemodialysis.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease is a major concern in patients with end-stage kidney
      disease (ESKD). Inflammation induced by retention of uremic toxins, of which a
      substantial fraction has a molecular weight in the middle molecular range, has
      been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. In an attempt to reduce
      inflammation and thus cardiovascular toxicity in patients with ESKD,
      hemodiafiltration (HDF) has been promoted to enhance the clearance of middle
      molecular weight substances during dialysis. However, HDF increases the technical
      complexity and costs, and requires ultrapure dialysis fluid. Also, HDF becomes
      less beneficial when it is not possible to achieve sufficient convective volume
      in all patients. Over the last years, membranes with larger pore sizes, such as
      medium cut-off and high cut-off, have been introduced. These membranes, applied
      in hemodialysis mode, appear to have removal rates of middle molecular weight
      molecules that are comparable to those achieved with HDF, and could thus obviate
      the need for HDF. However, ultrapure dialysis fluid might still be required if
      there is a risk of transmigration of contaminants from the dialysate side into
      the blood because of the increased pore size. This transmigration of pyrogens
      might upregulate the expression of cytokines and other pro-inflammatory factors,
      and thus completely neutralize the beneficial effects of higher clearance of
      middle molecules. This chapter will explore the existing evidence on permeability
      of membranes with large pores for bacterial degradation products, and based on
      this information we will try to define the position of these novel membranes
      among the spectrum of existing membranes.

PMID- 28910801
TI  - Large Middle Molecule and Albumin Removal: Why Should We Not Rest on Our Laurels?
AB  - Large middle molecules (LMM) are an important subclass of uremic toxins. Many of
      them have been linked with poor outcomes in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The onset
      of high-flux membranes and convective techniques allowed to dramatically improve
      their clearance but without a clear and undebatable reduction of mortality in HD
      patients. Despite the real effect on the removal of selected toxins, little is
      known about the influence of modern HD techniques on the global removal of uremic
      toxins. Mostly explained by a lack of knowledge and selective assays, LMM removal
      is not evaluated appropriately. The development of highly sensitive and
      widespread detection techniques such as mass spectrometry could increase our
      knowledge about the real state of their removal in HD. Nevertheless, these
      techniques remain cost effective and are difficult to handle. On the contrary,
      the improvement of LMM removal raises the question of a tolerable albumin
      removal. Indeed, increasing membrane permeability can significantly increase LMM
      removal accompanied by a higher albumin loss. However, in chronic kidney disease
      and particularly in HD patients, albumin can be modified, and it subsequently
      exerts detrimental effects. This could be avoided by the clearance of the
      modified forms in HD, but future efforts should be done to investigate the real
      impact of their removal.

PMID- 28910802
TI  - Effects of Expanded Hemodialysis Therapy on Clinical Outcomes.
AB  - The invention of dialysis has been a phenomenal advance in the treatment of
      kidney failure. The introduction of artificial kidneys in clinical care remains
      one of the most successful lifesaving interventions in modern medicine. Its
      glory, however, has been tempered by poor long-term outcomes and a negative
      qualitative impact on the lives of patients who suffer from an extremely complex,
      burdensome, and restricted life on dialysis. There remains a huge gap in patient
      well-being and outcomes between artificial kidney treatments and kidney
      transplantation. The inadequacy of dialysis, at least in part, is due to the
      chronic accumulation of organic retention solutes of middle and large molecules
      in chronic kidney disease, which are poorly removed by current dialytic treatment
      modalities. Incremental benefits observed through alternative strategies such as
      high volume hemodiafiltration, high frequency, and expanded hemodialysis (HD)
      schedules have had limited success, due to a host of organizational, complex
      technology need and human factor barriers. Expanded HD (HDx) therapy offers a
      novel blood purification technology, with the use of high retention onset (HRO)
      membranes designed to achieve a superior spectrum of solute waste removal in
      uremia. Limited studies have demonstrated the potential benefit of HRO membranes
      in reducing cardiovascular risk, vascular calcification, and inflammation
      commonly associated with the "residual uremic syndrome" and patient symptom
      burden. Robust and efficient clinical trials are now required to establish the
      rationale and impact of HDx therapy in driving improvements in both physician-
      and patient-directed clinical goals and outcomes in dialysis.

PMID- 28910803
TI  - Consanguinity Rates Predict Long Runs of Homozygosity in Jewish Populations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have highlighted the potential of analyses of genomic
      sharing to produce insight into the demographic processes affecting human
      populations. We study runs of homozygosity (ROH) in 18 Jewish populations,
      examining these groups in relation to 123 non-Jewish populations sampled
      worldwide. METHODS: By sorting ROH into 3 length classes (short, intermediate,
      and long), we evaluate the impact of demographic processes on genomic patterns in
      Jewish populations. RESULTS: We find that the portion of the genome appearing in
      long ROH - the length class most directly related to recent consanguinity -
      closely accords with data gathered from interviews during the 1950s on
      frequencies of consanguineous unions in various Jewish groups. CONCLUSION: The
      high correlation between 1950s consanguinity levels and coverage by long ROH
      explains differences across populations in ROH patterns. The dissection of ROH
      into length classes and the comparison to consanguinity data assist in
      understanding a number of additional phenomena, including similarities of Jewish
      populations to Middle Eastern, European, and Central and South Asian non-Jewish
      populations in short ROH patterns, relative lengths of identity-by-descent tracts
      in different Jewish groups, and the "population isolate" status of the Ashkenazi
      Jews.

PMID- 28910804
TI  - EBUS-TBNA Can Distinguish Sarcoid-Like Side Effect of Nivolumab Treatment from
      Tumor Progression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - With the expansion of immunotherapy in the treatment of lung cancer, clinicians
      have to face new clinical pictures and adapt their practice. We report the case
      of a 69-year-old man diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer using
      endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and
      treated with nivolumab as second-line therapy. After 8 injections of nivolumab, a
      new CT and PET scan revealed massive growth and increase in metabolism of hilar
      and mediastinal lymph nodes, whereas the size and metabolism of the left upper
      lobe lesion were reduced. A new EBUS-TBNA was thus performed and showed an
      epithelioid cell reaction compatible with sarcoidosis in the 3 punctured lymph
      nodes (stations 4R, 11L, 7). In the absence of cancer evolution, nivolumab was
      continued, and the CT after the twelfth injection showed stability.

PMID- 28910805
TI  - Infection and Erosion Rates in Trials of a Cranially Implanted Neurostimulator Do
      Not Increase with Subsequent Neurostimulator Placements.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The RNS(r) System utilizes a cranially implanted neurostimulator
      attached to leads placed at the seizure focus to provide brain responsive
      stimulation for the treatment of medically intractable partial onset epilepsy.
      Infection and erosion rates related to the cranial implant site were assessed
      overall and by neurostimulator procedure to determine whether rates increased
      with additional procedures. METHODS: Infection and erosion rates were calculated
      as (1) chance per neurostimulator procedure, (2) incidence per patient implant
      year, and (3) rates for initial and each subsequent neurostimulator implant
      (generalized estimating equation). RESULTS: In 256 patients followed for an
      average of 7 years, the infection rate was 3.7% per neurostimulator procedure (n
      = 31/840), and the rate of erosions was 0.8% per neurostimulator procedure (n =
      7/840). Rates did not increase with subsequent neurostimulator procedures (p =
      0.66, infection; p = 0.70, erosion). A prior infection or erosion at the implant
      site did not significantly increase the risk at a later procedure (p >= 0.05 for
      all combinations). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that the risk for infection
      compares favorably to other neurostimulation devices and suggest that rates of
      infection and erosion do not increase with subsequent neurostimulator
      replacements.

PMID- 28910807
TI  - Cerebral Infarct Topography and Early Outcome after Surgery for Symptomatic
      Carotid Stenosis: A Multicentre Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although carotid stenosis can cause both territorial and border
      zone (BZ) cerebral infarcts (CI), the influence of CI topography on postoperative
      complications after surgery remains unclear. We compared early outcomes after
      endarterectomy on the basis of CI location: territorial (T group) or BZ group.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the period between 2009 and 2013, ischaemic stroke
      patients who had undergone surgery for symptomatic carotid stenosis were
      identified from prospective databases from 3 French centres. The outcome was the
      identification of a combined stroke/death rate 30 days after endarterectomy.
      RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-nine patients were included, 216 (74.7%) in the T
      group and 73 (25.3%) in the BZ group. The mean degree of stenosis was comparable
      in the 2 groups (78 +/- 12% in the T group vs. 80 +/- 12% in the BZ group, p =
      0.105), with, however, more sub-occlusions (stenosis >90%) in the BZ group (38.4
      vs. 23.1%, p = 0.012). The mean time between the time CI developed and the time
      surgery was performed was 19.6 +/- 24.8 days, with a majority of patients being
      operated upon within 2 weeks following the formation of CI (66.7% in the T group
      vs. 60.3% in the BZ group, p = 0.322). The combined endpoint was significantly
      more frequent in the BZ group (9.6 vs. 1.9%, p = 0.003), with 4 ischaemic strokes
      and 3 deaths. In multivariate analysis, BZ CI was an independent predictor of
      postoperative stroke or death at 30 days (HR 4.91-95% CI [1.3-18.9], p = 0.020).
      CONCLUSION: BZ infarcts carry a greater risk of postoperative complications after
      carotid surgery, thus suggesting that topography of the CI should be considered
      in the decision-making process regarding surgery.

PMID- 28910806
TI  - Warfarin Use and Increased Mortality in End-Stage Renal Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversy exists regarding the benefits and risks of warfarin
      therapy in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD)
      patients. In this study, we assessed mortality and cardiovascular outcomes
      associated with warfarin treatment in patients with stages 3-5 CKD and ESRD
      admitted to the University of California-Irvine Medical Center. METHODS: In a
      retrospective matched cohort study, we identified 59 adult patients with stages 3
      6 CKD initiated on warfarin during the period 2011-2013, and 144 patients with
      stages 3-6 CKD who had indications for anticoagulation therapy but were not
      initiated on warfarin. All-cause mortality risk associated with warfarin
      treatment was estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, and
      the risk of significant bleeding and major adverse cardiovascular events were
      analyzed with Poisson regression analysis. Adjustment models were used to account
      for age, gender, diabetes mellitus, use of antiplatelet agents, and preexisting
      cardiovascular disease, and stratified by pre-dialysis CKD stages 3-5 vs. ESRD.
      FINDINGS: During 5.8 years of follow-up, unadjusted mortality risk was higher in
      CKD patients on warfarin therapy (hazard ratio [HR] 2.34 with 95% CI 1.25-4.39; p
      < 0.01). After multivariate adjustment and stratification by CKD stage, the
      mortality risk remained significant in ESRD patients receiving warfarin (HR 6.62
      with 95% CI 2.56-17.16; p < 0.001). Furthermore, adjusted rates of significant
      bleeding (incident rate ratio, IRR 3.57 with 95% CI 1.51-8.45; p < 0.01) and
      myocardial infarction (IRR 4.20 with 95% CI 1.78-9.91; p < 0.01) were higher
      among warfarin users. No differences in rates of ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes
      were found between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Warfarin use was associated with
      several-fold higher risk of death, bleeding, and myocardial infarction in
      dialysis patients. If additional studies suggest similar associations, the use of
      warfarin in dialysis patients warrants immediate reconsideration.

PMID- 28910809
TI  - Ingeborg Syllm-Rapoport (1912-2017): An Exemplary Life for Children and
      Paediatrics.
AB  - Ingeborg Syllm-Rapoport, the first Chair in neonatology in Europe, passed away on
      March 23. Her biography illustrates how medical and scientific work has been
      influenced by social, ideological, and economic frames and boundaries in the 20th
      century. Regarded as a "Half-Jew" by the Nazi racist laws, she was denied her
      medical doctorate. She went to the USA, where she trained in paediatrics and met
      her husband, the biochemist Samuel Mitja Rapoport. During the "McCarthy Era" both
      were persecuted as communists. They returned to Europe and became two of the most
      influential figures at the Charite Hospital in East Berlin. She had to wait until
      2015 to finally undergo the doctoral examination at the age of 102 years, making
      her the oldest person in history to receive a doctorate. We describe Syllm
      Rapoport's life and the challenges she had to face living in several countries
      under different political systems in the 20th century.

PMID- 28910808
TI  - Detecting Congenital Central Hypothyroidism by Newborn Screening: Difficulty in
      Distinguishing from Congenital Thyroxine-Binding Globulin Deficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Congenital central hypothyroidism (CH-C) can be detected on
      newborn screening (NBS) by programs using thyroxine (T4)-reflex thyroid
      stimulating hormone (TSH) test approach. CH-C must be distinguished from T4
      binding globulin (TBG) deficiency. We sought to determine whether thyroid
      function tests reliably separate CH-C from TBG deficiency. METHODS: We analyzed
      NBS and serum free and total T4, T3 resin uptake (T3RU) or TBG, and TSH for
      infants in the Northwest Regional NBS Program (NWRSP) between the years 2008 and
      2015 with either CH-C or TBG deficiency. RESULTS: We discovered a significant
      overlap in T3RU and TBG levels amongst 21 cases of CH-C and 250 cases of TBG
      deficiency. Mean serum TBG levels were lower in CH-C cases (20.3 ug/mL, range
      14.2-33.3) than what is reported in healthy infants (28.6 ug/mL, range 19.1
      44.6). Serum free T4 was lower in CH-C cases than TBG deficiency but did not
      always differentiate between the two conditions. CONCLUSION: CH-C benefits from
      detection on NBS but must be distinguished from TBG deficiency. The diagnosis of
      CH-C rests solely on subnormal serum free T4, but is supported by the
      demonstration of other pituitary hormone deficiencies. As an overlap exists,
      serum TBG (or T3RU) levels do not play a role in the diagnosis of CH-C.

PMID- 28910810
TI  - Concurrent Infection with Plasmodium vivax and the Dengue and Chikungunya Viruses
      in a Paediatric Patient from New Delhi, India in 2016.
AB  - Dengue and chikungunya fevers are transmitted by the common mosquito vector Aedes
      and malaria by Anopheles. Concurrent infections are reported due to co
      circulation of these pathogens, especially in endemic regions. We report a rare
      case of triple infection with 3 arthropod-borne pathogens (Plasmodium vivax and
      the dengue and chikungunya viruses) in a 3-year-old child from New Delhi, India,
      in August 2016. The viruses were identified by RT-PCR and the parasite by
      microscopy and antigen detection. The dengue virus serotype 3 sequence was
      clustered in the genotype III by the phylogenetic analysis. Mixed infection with
      multiple pathogens is a challenge for accurate diagnosis due to the overlapping
      clinical symptoms. The accurate and timely diagnosis of multiple pathogens in
      such cases is important for rapid and effective patient management.

PMID- 28910811
TI  - Impact of Age and Aerobic Exercise Training on Conduit Artery Wall Thickness:
      Role of the Shear Pattern.
AB  - Hemodynamic shear stress is the frictional force of blood on the arterial wall.
      The shear pattern in the conduit artery affects the endothelium and may
      participate in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. We
      investigated the role of the shear pattern in age- and aerobic exercise-induced
      changes in conduit artery wall thickness via cross-sectional and interventional
      studies. In a cross-sectional study, we found that brachial shear rate patterns
      and brachial artery intima-media thickness (IMT) correlated with age.
      Additionally, brachial artery shear rate patterns were associated with brachial
      artery IMT in 102 middle-aged and older individuals. In an interventional study,
      39 middle-aged and older subjects were divided into 2 groups: control and
      exercise. The exercise group completed 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training.
      Aerobic exercise training significantly increased the antegrade shear rate and
      decreased the retrograde shear rate and brachial artery IMT. Moreover, changes in
      the brachial artery antegrade shear rate and the retrograde shear rate correlated
      with the change in brachial artery IMT. The results of the present study indicate
      that changes in brachial artery shear rate patterns may contribute to age- and
      aerobic exercise training-induced changes in brachial artery wall thickness.

PMID- 28910812
TI  - What Can Be Expected from Prostate Cancer Biomarkers A Clinical Perspective.
AB  - Along with significant advances in prostate cancer biology research, we also
      observe the rapid development of modern diagnostic tests. New biomarkers are
      derived to detect disease while it is organ-confined to stratify the risk and to
      aid clinical decision-making. Majority of these tools have already been validated
      clinically, but only a few have received premarket clearance and administration
      approval. Superiority of novel tests is visible not only in improved detection
      accuracy but predominantly in the assessment of tumour aggressiveness and
      selection of patients eligible for conservative management. Two factors limiting
      the clinical implementation of validated biomarker candidates are costs and local
      availability. For these reasons, currently, their true clinical role starts after
      routine screening with prostate-specific antigen test. With this review of
      prostate cancer biomarkers, we attempted to draw general conclusions on clinical
      perspectives of these novel tools.

PMID- 28910813
TI  - The Neighborhood Built Environment and Cognitive Function of Older Persons:
      Results from the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the association of subjective (perceived) and
      objective (geographical information system [GIS]-based) measures of the
      neighborhood built environment (BE) attributes with cognitive function among
      older persons, and the mediating effect of transportation physical activity (TPA)
      and leisure time (physical, social and productive) activities (LTA). METHOD: A
      cross-sectional study of 402 residents aged 55 years and above in the Singapore
      Longitudinal Ageing Study. Perceived neighborhood BE attributes (residential
      density, street connectivity, land use mix - diversity, land use mix - access,
      infrastructure for walking or cycling, aesthetics, traffic safety, and crime
      safety) and objective GIS measures of walkability and accessibility were related
      to participants' cognitive global and domain-specific performance measured by
      Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neurocognitive Status (RBANS). RESULTS:
      Controlling for age, sex, education, race, chronic medical illnesses, self-rated
      health, Geriatric Depression Scale depression score, POMA measures of balance and
      gait, and other BE attributes, the subjective measure of land use mix-diversity
      (standardized coefficient beta = 0.161, p = 0.008) and GIS measure of walkability
      (beta = 0.163, p = 0.002) were positively and significantly associated with RBANS
      global z-score, and immediate and delayed memory recall, visuospatial/
      constructional ability and language, except attention. In hierarchical modeling,
      TPA and LTA attenuated the effect estimates, but the associations remained
      significant. CONCLUSION: BE features which increase opportunities and easy access
      to a diversity of destinations for services and facilities that promote physical,
      social and cognitively stimulating activities is associated with better cognitive
      functioning in older people.

PMID- 28910814
TI  - Feasibility and Effectiveness of Intervention Programmes Integrating Functional
      Exercise into Daily Life of Older Adults: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditionally, exercise programmes for improving functional
      performance and reducing falls are organised as structured sessions. An
      alternative approach of integrating functional exercises into everyday tasks has
      emerged in recent years. OBJECTIVES: Summarising the current evidence for the
      feasibility and effectiveness of interventions integrating functional exercise
      into daily life. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted including
      articles based on the following criteria: (1) individuals >=60 years; (2)
      intervention studies of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised
      studies (NRS); (3) using a lifestyle-integrated approach; (4) using functional
      exercises to improve strength, balance, or physical functioning; and (5)
      reporting outcomes on feasibility and/or effectiveness. Methodological quality of
      RCTs was evaluated using the PEDro scale. RESULTS: Of 4,415 articles identified
      from 6 databases, 14 (6 RCTs) met the inclusion criteria. RCT quality was
      moderate to good. Intervention concepts included (1) the Lifestyle-integrated
      Functional Exercise (LiFE) programme integrating exercises into everyday
      activities and (2) combined programmes using integrated and structured training.
      Three RCTs evaluated LiFE in community dwellers and reported significantly
      improved balance, strength, and functional performance compared with controls
      receiving either no intervention, or low-intensity exercise, or structured
      exercise. Two of these RCTs reported a significant reduction in fall rate
      compared with controls receiving either no intervention or low-intensity
      exercise. Three RCTs compared combined programmes with usual care in
      institutionalised settings and reported improvements for some (balance,
      functional performance), but not all (strength, falls) outcomes. NRS showed
      behavioural change related to LiFE and feasibility in more impaired populations.
      One NRS comparing a combined home-based programme to a gym-based programme
      reported greater sustainability of effects in the combined programme.
      CONCLUSIONS: This review provides evidence for the effectiveness of integrated
      training for improving motor performances in older adults. Single studies suggest
      advantages of integrated compared with structured training. Combined programmes
      are positively evaluated in institutionalised settings, while little evidence
      exists in other populations. In summary, the approach of integrating functional
      exercise into daily life represents a promising alternative or complement to
      structured exercise programmes. However, more RCTs are needed to evaluate this
      concept in different target populations and the potential for inducing
      behavioural change.

PMID- 28910815
TI  - The Outcome and Patterns of Traumatic Brain Injury in the Paediatric Population
      of a Developing Country Secondary to TV Trolley Tip-Over.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Television (TV) trolley tip-over incidences are common and can cause
      significant morbidity and mortality in children. This study was aimed at
      analyzing the pattern and outcomes of head injuries resulting from TV trolley tip
      over. METHOD: We conducted a medical chart review of children with TV trolley tip
      over head injuries from January 2009 to April 2016. We collected data on
      demographics, the mechanism of injury, clinical and radiological features of the
      injury, and outcomes. Outcomes were measured by means of the Glasgow Outcome
      Scale (GOS) at 6 months (except in 1 case). A descriptive analysis was carried
      out using SPSS v19. RESULT: Twenty-two children were included in the study
      (median age 23.5 months). Sixteen children were male. Most of the children (n =
      16) were aged 12-35 months. The median Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission was
      15. The median Rotterdam Score for the patients was 2.0. Common symptoms upon
      admission were vomiting, irritability, scalp laceration, and bruises. Median
      length of hospital stay was 3 days. Skull bone fractures were present in 12
      children. Other CT findings included contusions, extradural and subdural
      haematomas, intraventricular haemorrhage, and pneumocranium. Surgical
      intervention was required in 4 cases. Although most of the patients made a good
      recovery (GOS = 5), 1 patient developed a mild disability and another died in
      hospital. CONCLUSION: TV trolley tip-over is most common in toddlers and can lead
      to significant head injury and mortality. This can be avoided by parental
      supervision and adjustments in the household.

PMID- 28910816
TI  - Mediastinal and Subcutaneous Chest Fat Are Differentially Associated with
      Emphysema Progression and Clinical Outcomes in Smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated both positive and negative effects of
      obesity on clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In
      other chronic diseases, fat location is differentially associated with disease
      outcomes; however, this relationship has not been well studied in COPD.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine if fat location explains the differential association of
      body mass index (BMI) with clinical outcome measures in smokers. METHODS:
      Baseline and 6-year chest computed tomography scans from 68 current and former
      smokers were used to quantify mediastinal and subcutaneous fat. The relationships
      of BMI, mediastinal fat, and subcutaneous fat with cross-sectional and 6-year
      changes in pulmonary function, incremental shuttle walk distance (ISWD),
      quantitative emphysema, and circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive
      protein (CRP) levels were assessed using generalized linear models adjusted for
      clinically relevant covariates. RESULTS: Baseline subcutaneous fat was negatively
      associated with emphysema progression over 6 years (p < 0.01). BMI and
      mediastinal fat volume were inversely associated with baseline ISWD (p < 0.01 and
      p = 0.043, respectively) as well as 6-year change in ISWD (p = 0.020 and p =
      0.028, respectively). IL-6 was directly associated with BMI and mediastinal fat
      (p < 0.01) and CRP was directly associated with BMI only (p = 0.033).
      CONCLUSIONS: Increased subcutaneous chest fat is associated with less emphysema
      progression over time in smokers, while increased mediastinal fat volume is
      associated with decreased walk distance and increased IL-6 levels. These findings
      suggest a complex interaction between fat, inflammation, and emphysema that
      should be considered when phenotyping patients with COPD and provide new evidence
      of an inverse association between emphysema progression and chest subcutaneous
      fat.

PMID- 28910817
TI  - The Lung in Dysregulated States of Humoral Immunity.
AB  - In common variable immunodeficiency, lung manifestations are related to different
      mechanisms: recurrent pneumonias due to encapsulated bacteria responsible for
      diffuse bronchiectasis, diffuse infiltrative pneumonia with various patterns, and
      lymphomas, mostly B cell extranodal non-Hodgkin type. The diagnosis relies on
      significant serum Ig deficiency and the exclusion of any primary or secondary
      cause. Histopathology may be needed. Immunoglobulin (IgG) replacement is crucial
      to prevent infections and bronchiectasis. IgG4-related respiratory disease, often
      associated with extrapulmonary localizations, presents with solitary nodules or
      masses, diffuse interstitial lung diseases, bronchiolitis, lymphadenopathy, and
      pleural or pericardial involvement. Diagnosis relies on international criteria
      including serum IgG4 dosage and significantly increased IgG4/IgG plasma cells
      ratio in pathologically suggestive biopsy. Respiratory amyloidosis presents with
      tracheobronchial, nodular, and cystic or diffuse interstitial lung infiltration.
      Usually of AL (amyloid light chain) subtype, it may be localized or systemic,
      primary or secondary to a lymphoproliferative process. Very rare other diseases
      due to nonamyloid IgG deposits are described. Among the various lung
      manifestations of dysregulated states of humoral immunity, this article covers
      only those associated with the common variable immunodeficiency, IgG4-related
      disease, amyloidosis, and pulmonary light-chain deposition disease. Autoimmune
      connective-vascular tissue diseases or lymphoproliferative disorders are
      addressed in other chapters of this issue.

PMID- 28910818
TI  - Protein Expression of Programmed Death 1 Ligand 1 and HER2 in Gastric Carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is an immunoinhibitory receptor and has
      been identified as a new target for immunotherapy in cancer. Here we report the
      expression of PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) in surgically resected gastric cancer.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined formalin-fixed tumor samples from 144 gastric
      cancer patients with a primary diagnosis of gastric carcinoma.
      Immunohistochemistry was used to detect PD-L1. Human epidermal growth factor
      receptor 2 (HER2) expression and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) loss of
      heterozygosity were investigated in these patients. RNA interference was used to
      downregulate HER2 expression, and PD-L1 protein expression was assessed by flow
      cytometry using the gastric cancer cell line MKN45. RESULTS: Overexpression of PD
      L1 was significantly correlated with tumor invasion (p = 0.011) and associated
      with poor survival. The number of PD-L1-positive cases increased according to the
      HER2 score in clinical samples. siRNA-mediated downregulation of HER2
      significantly decreased PD-L1 protein expression in MKN45 cells. CONCLUSIONS: PD
      L1 expression was associated with poor survival of gastric cancer, and HER2
      signaling affects the expression of PD-L1 in gastric cancer. In gastric cancer,
      PTEN and HER2 are potential candidate biomarkers for developing human antibodies
      that block PD-L1.

PMID- 28910819
TI  - Mechanisms of Targeting the MDM2-p53-FOXM1 Axis in Well-Differentiated Intestinal
      Neuroendocrine Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The tumor suppressor p53 is rarely mutated in
      gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NEN) but they frequently
      show a strong expression of negative regulators of p53, rendering these tumors
      excellent targets for a p53 recovery therapy. Therefore, we analyzed the
      mechanisms of a p53 recovery therapy on intestinal neuroendocrine tumors in vitro
      and in vivo. METHODS: By Western blot and immunohistochemistry, we found that in
      GEP-NEN biopsy material overexpression of MDM2 was present in intestinal NEN.
      Therefore, we analyzed the effect of a small-molecule inhibitor, nutlin-3a, in
      p53 wild-type and mutant GEP-NEN cell lines by proliferation assay, flow
      cytometry, immunofluorescence, Western blot, and by multiplex gene expression
      analysis. Finally, we analyzed the antitumor effect of nutlin-3a in a xenograft
      mouse model in vivo. During the study, the tumor volume was determined. RESULTS:
      The midgut wild-type cell line KRJ-I responded to the treatment with cell cycle
      arrest and apoptosis. By gene expression analysis, we could demonstrate that
      nutlins reactivated an antiproliferative p53 response. KRJ-I-derived xenograft
      tumors showed a significantly decreased tumor growth upon treatment with nutlin
      3a in vivo. Furthermore, our data suggest that MDM2 also influences the
      expression of the oncogene FOXM1 in a p53-independent manner. Subsequently, a
      combined treatment of nutlin-3a and cisplatin (as chemoresistance model) resulted
      in synergistically enhanced antiproliferative effects. CONCLUSION: In summary,
      MDM2 overexpression is a frequent event in p53 wild-type intestinal
      neuroendocrine neoplasms and therefore recovery of a p53 response might be a
      novel personalized treatment approach in these tumors.

PMID- 28910820
TI  - Prospective investigation of risk factors for prostate cancer in the UK Biobank
      cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men but its
      aetiology is not well understood. We aimed to identify risk factors for prostate
      cancer in British males. METHODS: We studied 219 335 men from the UK Biobank
      study who were free from cancer at baseline. Exposure data were collected at
      recruitment. Prostate cancer risk by the different exposures was estimated using
      multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: In all, 4575
      incident cases of prostate cancer occurred during 5.6 years of follow-up.
      Prostate cancer risk was positively associated with the following: black
      ethnicity (hazard ratio black vs white=2.61, 95% confidence interval=2.10-3.24);
      having ever had a prostate-specific antigen test (1.31, 1.23-1.40); being
      diagnosed with an enlarged prostate (1.54, 1.38-1.71); and having a family
      history of prostate cancer (1.94, 1.77-2.13). Conversely, Asian ethnicity (Asian
      vs white hazard ratio=0.62, 0.47-0.83), excess adiposity (body mass index (?35 vs
      <25 kg m-2=0.75, 0.64-0.88) and body fat (?30.1 vs <20.5%=0.81, 0.73-0.89)),
      cigarette smoking (current vs never smokers=0.85, 0.77-0.95), having diabetes
      (0.70, 0.62-0.80), and never having had children (0.89, 0.81-0.97) or sexual
      intercourse (0.53, 0.33-0.84) were related to a lower risk. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      new large British prospective study, we identified associations with already
      established, putative and possible novel risk factors for being diagnosed with
      prostate cancer. Future research will examine associations by tumour
      characteristics.

PMID- 28910821
TI  - Vascular disrupting agent in pancreatic and hepatic tumour allografts:
      observations of location-dependent efficacy by MRI, microangiography and
      histomorphology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumours growing in organs of different vascular environment could
      exhibit diverse responses to vascular disrupting agent (VDA). This study was
      aimed to identify in vivo imaging biomarkers for evaluation of pancreatic and
      hepatic tumours and comparison of their responses to a VDA Combretastatin A4
      Phosphate (CA4P) using multiparametric MRI. METHODS: Male WAG/Rij rats were used
      for orthotopic pancreatic head tumour and hepatic tumour implantation; tumour
      growth was monitored by 3D isotropic MRI using a 3.0-T clinic scanner.
      Therapeutic intervention using CA4P was investigated by in vivo quantitative MRI
      measurements including T2/T1 relaxation mapping, diffusion kurtosis imaging and
      dynamic contrast-enhancement (DCE) imaging. Animals were scarified 10 h after
      CA4P treatment for ex vivo validation using microangiography and histomorphology.
      RESULTS: State-of-the-art clinical MRI protocols were successfully adapted for
      imaging small animal tumour with high reliability. One hour after CA4P injection,
      marked vascular shutdown was detected with DCE MRI in both pancreatic and hepatic
      tumours. However, 10 h later, therapeutic necrosis was limited in pancreatic
      tumours compared with that in hepatic tumours (P<0.01). Heterogeneous therapeutic
      changes were depicted in tumour lesions using pixel-wise Tofts model, which was
      generated from dynamic T1 mapping. In addition, tumour responses including
      haemorrhage, oedema and necrosis were detected using quantitative T2/T1
      relaxation maps and diffusion kurtosis images, and were validated using
      histomorphology. CONCLUSIONS: Using multiparametric imaging biomarkers, hepatic
      tumours were found to be significantly more responsive to CA4P than pancreatic
      tumours, which could be of reference for designing future clinical trials on this
      agent.

PMID- 28910822
TI  - A new molecular-based lymph node staging classification determines the prognosis
      of breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay is a novel
      molecular method that can detect metastasis in a whole lymph node based on
      cytokeratin 19 mRNA copy number. This cohort study aimed to establish an OSNA
      based nodal staging (pN(mol)) classification for breast cancer. METHODS: The
      cohort consisted of 1039 breast cancer patients who underwent sentinel node (SN)
      biopsy using the OSNA assay. Cutoff value of the SN tumour burden stratifying
      distant disease-free survival (DDFS) was determined, and predictive factors for
      DDFS and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) were investigated. pN(mol)
      classification of the SN status was defined as: pN0(mol)(sn), SN negative;
      pN1mi(mol)(sn), SN positive and tumour burden <cutoff-value; and pN1(mol)(sn),
      tumour burden ?cutoff-value. Median follow-up time; 68.3 months. RESULTS: Cutoff
      value of the SN tumour burden was 2810 copies per MUl. Of the 1039 patients, 798,
      95, and 146 had pN0(mol)(sn), pN1mi(mol)(sn), and pN1(mol)(sn) status,
      respectively. Five-year DDFS and BCSS rates were lower for pN1(mol)(sn) patients
      than for pN1mi(mol)(sn) patients (87.7% vs 98.8%, P=0.001 and 93.1% vs 98.8%,
      P=0.044, respectively). Multivariate analyses revealed the pN(mol) classification
      was most significant predictor for DDFS and BCSS. CONCLUSIONS: The molecular
      based pN classification determines the prognosis of breast cancer patients and
      could guide therapeutic decision making.

PMID- 28910823
TI  - Camptothecin suppresses NRF2-ARE activity and sensitises hepatocellular carcinoma
      cells to anticancer drugs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resistance to chemotherapy is a major obstacle in the treatment of
      human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite playing an important role in
      chemoprevention, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) also
      contributes to chemo- and radio-resistance. The current study focusses on
      camptothecin as a novel NRF2 inhibitor to sensitise HCC to chemotherapy. METHODS:
      The expression and transcriptional activity of NRF2 in human HCC biopsies and
      camptothecin-treated culture cells were determined using immunostaining, western
      blot, reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and luciferase
      reporter assay. The effect of camptothecin on chemosensitivity of cancer cells
      was assessed in vitro and in xenografts. RESULTS: The expression and
      transcriptional activity of NRF2 were substantially elevated in HCC biopsies
      compared with corresponding adjacent tissues, and positively correlated with
      serum alpha-fetoprotein, a clinical indicator of pathological progression. In
      searching chemicals targeting NRF2 for chemotherapy, we discovered that
      camptothecin is a potent NRF2 inhibitor. Camptothecin markedly suppressed NRF2
      expression and transcriptional activity in different types of cancer cells
      including HepG2, SMMC-7721 and A549. As a result, camptothecin sensitised these
      cells to chemotherapeutic drugs in vitro and in xenografts. CONCLUSIONS:
      Camptothecin is a novel NRF2 inhibitor that may be repurposed in combination with
      other chemotherapeutics to enhance their efficacy in treating high NRF2
      expressing cancers.

PMID- 28910825
TI  - Comparison of Continuous-Wave and Micropulse Modulation in Retinal Laser Therapy.
AB  - Purpose: Recent progress in retinal laser therapy has centered upon using thermal
      stress below damage threshold or selective destruction of targeted tissue layers
      as a stimulus for retinal repair. Temporal modulation, including micropulse, is
      thought to increase the selectivity of laser treatment, but has not been
      carefully analyzed. We measure and model the tissue response to continuous-wave
      (CW) and micropulse laser to evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of temporal
      modulation. Methods: Thresholds of ophthalmoscopic visibility, which indicates
      damage to photoreceptors, and fluorescein angiography (FA), indicating damage to
      retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), were measured with 577-nm laser in rabbits for
      duty cycles ranging from 3% to 100% (CW) and pulse envelopes of 20 and 200 ms.
      Heat shock protein (HSP) expression was measured in rats. Thresholds were
      compared to a computational model of tissue response based on the Arrhenius
      integral. Results: Damage to photoreceptors was defined by average power,
      regardless of the duty cycle, as predicted by the model. The average power for FA
      threshold was lower with 5% duty cycle than with CW laser by 22 +/- 15% for 200
      ms and 35 +/- 21.5% for 20-ms envelopes, demonstrating some heat localization to
      RPE. The ratio of RPE damage threshold to HSP expression threshold was 1.30 +/-
      0.15 and 1.39 +/- 0.11 for 20 ms at 5% duty cycle and CW, respectively.
      Conclusions: Micropulse modulation with sufficiently short envelope and duty
      cycle can help reduce the spread of heat from the light-absorbing RPE and
      choroid. However, this localization does not benefit nondamaging retinal laser
      therapy, which is intended to avoid any cell death.

PMID- 28910824
TI  - Occupational solvent exposure and risk of glioma in the INTEROCC study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aetiology of glioma remains largely unknown. Occupational solvent
      exposure has been suggested as a putative cause of glioma, but past studies have
      been inconsistent. We examined the association between a range of solvents and
      glioma risk within the INTEROCC project, a study of brain tumours and
      occupational exposures based on data from seven national case-control studies
      conducted in the framework of the INTERPHONE study. We also investigated
      associations according to tumour grade. METHODS: Data from the seven countries
      were standardised and then combined into one aggregate data set. Pooled odds
      ratios (ORs) were estimated for adjusted models that included sex, age, country
      region of residence and level of educational attainment. Exposures to any solvent
      or 11 specific solvents or subgroups were assessed using a modified version of
      the FINJEM job exposure matrix (JEM) specifically developed for the study, called
      INTEROCC-JEM. RESULTS: Analysis included 2000 glioma cases and 5565 controls. For
      glioma and ever/never exposure to any solvent, the OR was 0.91 (95% confidence
      interval: 0.74-1.11). All ORs were <1.0 for specific solvents/subgroups. There
      were no increases in risk according to high or low grade of tumour. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results of this study show no consistent associations for any solvent
      exposures overall or by grade of tumour.

PMID- 28910826
TI  - Comment on "Identification of Novel G Protein-Coupled Receptor 143 Ligands as
      Pharmacologic Tools for Investigating X-Linked Ocular Albinism".

PMID- 28910827
TI  - Author Response: Comment on "Identification of Novel G Protein-Coupled Receptor
      143 Ligands as Pharmacologic Tools for Investigating X-Linked Ocular Albinism".

PMID- 28910828
TI  - Comparative Analysis between Cone and Sleeve in Managing Severe Bone Defect
      during Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - This review aims to compare the outcomes of revision total knee arthroplasty
      (TKA) performed using a tantalum cone and a titanium sleeve. A rigorous and
      systematic search was performed. Each of the selected studies was evaluated for
      methodological quality. Data were extracted according to the following: study
      design, level of evidence, cases enrolled, age, sex ratio, follow-up, involved
      part, bone defect, degree of constraint, augments (cone and/or sleeve), pre
      clinical score, post-clinical score, radiological results, major complications,
      and endpoint analysis. Nineteen articles were included in the final analysis. The
      knee scores of the cone and sleeve groups were increased in all studies with or
      without statistical significance. For the radiological outcome, radiolucent line
      was seen in six cases in the cone group and in 15 cases in the sleeve group. Only
      a few specific augment-related complications were noted. Our results support the
      use of the newly devised augments in bone defect during revision TKA in terms of
      clinical and radiological outcome.

PMID- 28910829
TI  - Postoperative Computed Tomography Evaluation of Posterior Tibial Plateau
      Fractures: Mean 7-Year Clinical Follow-Up.
AB  - The aim is to assess the association between computed tomography (CT) findings
      and clinical outcomes in posterior tibial plateau fractures (TPF). This is a
      retrospective analysis of the records of 23 patients with posterior TPF treated
      at our institution between 2004 and 2011. Two indices of residual articular
      displacement of posterior TPF (gap and step-off) were measured from CT images,
      and clinical outcomes were assessed using the Short Musculoskeletal Function
      Assessment (SMFA) questionnaire. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis
      was used to evaluate the correlations between the postoperative posterior TPF
      radiological findings and the clinical outcomes. Both the intraobserver and the
      interobserver correlation coefficients were high (0.90 and 0.92, respectively),
      indicating excellent agreement between the reviewers for the assessment of
      residual displacement via CT scans. Additionally, residual articular step
      displacement showed a strongly negative correlation with clinical outcomes (R =
      0.700, p = 0.036), whereas the residual gap displacement did not (R = 0.400, p =
      0.505). More importantly, the medial posterior step displacement was
      significantly correlated with the clinical outcomes (p = 0.040), whereas the
      lateral posterior step displacement was not (p = 0.618). Based on the data of
      this study, the higher the step-off deformity of the medial posterior tibial
      plateau, the worse the SMFA. More attention should be paid to this factor when
      treating medial posterior TPF.

PMID- 28910831
TI  - Multicomponent Synthesis of Some Molecular Hybrid Containing Thiazole Pyrazole as
      Apoptosis Inducer.
AB  - The present study describes a multicomponent synthesis of molecular hybrid
      containing pyrazole, thiazole moiety using hydrazone as a linker, which have been
      synthesized by condensation of 1-phenyl-3-(aryl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carbaldehydes 1A
      B: , thiosemicarbazide and alpha-bromoketones 2A-C: .The target hybrid compounds,
      1-((1-phenyl-3-aryl-1H-pyrazole-4-yl)methylene)-2-(4-arylthiazole-2-yl)hydrazine
      3A-F: are characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR and mass. Apoptosis inducing
      ability and cytotoxic nature of all the hybrid compounds having thiazole,
      pyrazole and hydrazone were assessed by using biological assays viz
      morphological, fluorescence and tunel assays on granulosa cells of ovarian antral
      follicles of goat (Capra hircus) in vitro. Apoptosis was recognized and
      quantified using differential staining of ethidium bromide and acridine orange
      where apoptotic cells exhibited red fluorescence and live normal cells with
      intact cell membrane and normal nucleus displayed bright green fluorescence.
      Among the tested compounds, compound 3E: and 3B: showed the maximum potency to
      induce apoptosis with percentage of apoptosis 25.61+/-2.95and 23.45+/-1.46
      respectively followed by 3F: (20.95+/-0.40) and 3D: (20.44+/-1.60) in comparison
      with control (5.14+/-0.44).

PMID- 28910832
TI  - Centralization of Pediatric Surgery in Hungary.

PMID- 28910830
TI  - Consensus Guidelines for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Neuropsychopharmacology:
      Update 2017.
AB  - Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is the quantification and interpretation of
      drug concentrations in blood to optimize pharmacotherapy. It considers the
      interindividual variability of pharmacokinetics and thus enables personalized
      pharmacotherapy. In psychiatry and neurology, patient populations that may
      particularly benefit from TDM are children and adolescents, pregnant women,
      elderly patients, individuals with intellectual disabilities, patients with
      substance abuse disorders, forensic psychiatric patients or patients with known
      or suspected pharmacokinetic abnormalities. Non-response at therapeutic doses,
      uncertain drug adherence, suboptimal tolerability, or pharmacokinetic drug-drug
      interactions are typical indications for TDM. However, the potential benefits of
      TDM to optimize pharmacotherapy can only be obtained if the method is adequately
      integrated in the clinical treatment process. To supply treating physicians and
      laboratories with valid information on TDM, the TDM task force of the
      Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (AGNP)
      issued their first guidelines for TDM in psychiatry in 2004. After an update in
      2011, it was time for the next update. Following the new guidelines holds the
      potential to improve neuropsychopharmacotherapy, accelerate the recovery of many
      patients, and reduce health care costs.

PMID- 28910833
TI  - [Differentials of Benign, Multilocular, Non-Infectious Liver Lesions: An Imaging
      Approach].

PMID- 28910834
TI  - [Imaging in Clinic and Research: Contribution to Individualized Medicine?]

PMID- 28910836
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910835
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910838
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910837
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910839
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910840
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910841
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910842
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910844
TI  - ?

PMID- 28910845
TI  - The Association between Fetal Fibronectin, Cervical Length, and Amniotic Fluid
      Sludge with Histological Indicators of Placental Inflammation in Twin Gestations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of
      screening tests for preterm birth (short cervical length [CL], positive fetal
      fibronectin (FFN), and amniotic fluid [AF] sludge) in twin gestations with
      histologic evidence of placental inflammation. STUDY DESIGN:  Historical cohort
      study of 596 twin gestations delivered in a single maternal-fetal medicine
      practice with CL and FFN testing from 22 to 256/7 weeks. A short CL was defined
      as <=25 mm. Placental lesions evaluated were chronic and acute membrane
      inflammation and funisitis. Fischer's exact test and logistic regression were
      used. RESULTS:  None of the screening tests was associated with chronic
      inflammation. All were associated with acute inflammation. On regression
      analysis, a short CL and positive FFN remained independently associated with
      acute inflammation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.66 and 2.51, respectively) and
      funisitis (aOR: 5.66 and 7.17, respectively). AF sludge was not independently
      associated with acute inflammation nor funisitis. CONCLUSION:  In twin
      gestations, a short CL and a positive FFN at 22 to 26 weeks are associated with
      acute but not chronic inflammation on placental histology. These findings imply
      that mechanisms underlying preterm birth in twins that result in positive
      screening tests weeks prior to delivery are not reflected as chronic placental
      inflammation. Therefore, pathologic interpretation of etiologic mechanisms for
      preterm birth may be limited using solely histologic reports.

PMID- 28910846
TI  - Immediate Postpartum Glucose Tolerance Testing in Women with Gestational
      Diabetes: A Pilot Study.

PMID- 28910847
TI  - Association between Umbilical Catheters and Neonatal Outcomes in Extremely
      Preterm Infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  The objective of this study was to examine the association between
      umbilical catheters and a composite outcome of mortality or major neonatal
      morbidity in extremely preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN:  Data were abstracted from
      the Canadian Neonatal Network database for infants born at <29 weeks' gestational
      age and admitted to 29 neonatal intensive care units between January 2010 and
      December 2012. Four groups were identified: those with no umbilical catheters,
      umbilical venous catheters (UVCs), umbilical artery catheters (UACs), and those
      with both UVCs and UACs. The outcomes were compared among the groups using
      univariate and multivariable analyses. RESULTS:  Of 4,623 eligible infants, 820
      (17.7%) had no catheters, 1,032 (22.3%) a UVC only, 120 (2.6%) a UAC only, and
      2,651 (57.3%) had both catheters. After adjustment for acuity and other potential
      confounders, umbilical catheters were associated with higher odds of mortality or
      any major morbidity (UVC vs. no catheter: adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.47; 95%
      CI: 1.18-1.85; UAC vs. no catheter: aOR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.05-2.63; and both UVC +
      UAC vs. no catheter: aOR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.79-2.70). CONCLUSION:  Most of the
      infants born at <29 weeks' gestation had UVC and/or UAC placement. The presence
      of either catheter was associated with mortality or major morbidity, and the
      association was stronger when both catheters were present.

PMID- 28910848
TI  - Misoprostol in Addition to a Double-Balloon Catheter for Induction: A Double
      Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  This article aims to evaluate whether the use of a double-balloon
      catheter with oral misoprostol results in a lower rate of cesarean and shorter
      times to delivery than the use of the double-balloon catheter with oral placebo.
      STUDY DESIGN:  In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, a double-balloon
      catheter was used for induction of labor with two doses of either 50 ug of
      misoprostol or placebo. Outcomes included cesarean rate, time to vaginal
      delivery, change in Bishop's score, and oxytocin usage. RESULTS:  A total of 343
      women were screened and 199 randomized: 99 to the misoprostol arm and 100 to the
      placebo arm. Cesarean delivery rate was not different between the groups
      (misoprostol: 13.1% vs. placebo: 17.0%, p = 0.45). Time to vaginal delivery was
      significantly shorter (mean: 14.6 +/- 6.9 vs. 20.8 +/- 13.8 hours, p < 0.0001),
      change in Bishop's score was significantly greater (median: 5 vs. 4 points, p =
      0.005), and use of oxytocin was significantly less frequent (86.9 vs. 98.0%
      patients, p = 0.01) in the misoprostol group. CONCLUSION:  The use of a double
      balloon catheter with oral misoprostol for induction did not reduce the cesarean
      delivery rate, but did result in shorter labors, a greater increase in Bishop's
      score, and a lower need for oxytocin use.

PMID- 28910849
TI  - Is Midtrimester Cervical Length Associated with Preterm Birth in Women Evaluated
      for Preterm Labor?
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  This article aims to evaluate whether midtrimester cervical length
      (CL) is associated with improved prediction of preterm delivery in women
      presenting with preterm labor. STUDY DESIGN:  This is a retrospective cohort
      study of women with a singleton gestation who underwent routine CL screening
      between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation between 2010 and 2014 who were later
      evaluated for preterm labor. Women were stratified by midtrimester CL quartile.
      Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors
      independently associated with preterm birth <37 weeks, <34 weeks, and delivery
      within 7 days of evaluation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were
      created for multivariable equations with and without CL quartile to determine
      whether addition of CL improved the predictive capacity of the model for
      predicting preterm birth. RESULTS:  A total of 460 women were evaluated for
      preterm labor and had midtrimester CL measurements available. When CL quartile
      was incorporated into a regression model including demographic and clinical
      characteristics associated with preterm birth, the area under the ROC curve was
      not improved (0.775 vs. 0.786, p = 0.20). CONCLUSION:  While a shorter
      midtrimester CL quartile is associated with an increased incidence of preterm
      delivery in women evaluated for preterm labor, the addition of this variable to
      an existing model does not improve prediction of preterm birth.

PMID- 28910850
TI  - Prevention of RhD Alloimmunization: A Comparison of Four National Guidelines.
AB  - OBJECTIVE:  The objective of this study was to compare national guidelines on the
      prevention of RhD alloimmunization. STUDY DESIGN:  We performed a review of four
      national guidelines on prevention of alloimmunization from the American Congress
      of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Royal College of Obstetricians and
      Gynaecologists, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, and The
      Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. We
      compared the indications/contraindications, timing, dosing, formulation and route
      of anti-D immune globulin, and management of unique circumstances. The references
      were compared with regard to the number of randomized control trials, Cochrane
      Reviews, and systematic reviews/meta-analyses cited. RESULTS:  Variation exists
      in recommendations on the timing and need for consent prior to routine antenatal
      anti-D immune globulin administration, prophylaxis for unique circumstances
      (e.g., threatened abortion < 12 weeks, complete molar pregnancy), and the use of
      cell-free fetal DNA testing for fetal RhD genotype. CONCLUSION:  These variations
      in recommendations reflect the heterogeneity of the literature on the prevention
      of alloimmunization and highlight the need for synthesis of evidence to create an
      international guideline on prevention of alloimmunization. This may improve
      safety, quality, optimize outcomes, and stimulate future trials.

PMID- 28910851
TI  - Efficacy of hemostatic powder in preventing bleeding after gastric endoscopic
      submucosal dissection in high-risk patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The prevention of post-endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD)
      bleeding in high-risk patients is an important problem. This study evaluated the
      efficacy of polysaccharide hemostatic powder in preventing post-ESD bleeding in
      high-risk patients. METHODS: Patients at high risk for post-ESD bleeding were
      prospectively enrolled between December 2015 and July 2016. A high risk of post
      ESD bleeding was considered if the patients were taking antithrombotic agents or
      had undergone a large resection (specimen size >= 40 mm). The endpoints were
      Forrest classification of the post-ESD ulcer on second-look endoscopy 2 days
      after the procedure and bleeding rates within 48 h and at 4 weeks. RESULTS: Forty
      four patients underwent gastric ESD and treatment with hemostatic powder. Among
      them, 33 patients (70.5%) underwent large resection (>= 40 mm) without
      antithrombotic therapy, and 13 patients (29.5%) received antithrombotic therapy.
      The mean resected specimen size was 55.3 +/- 13.9 mm. The proportion of high-risk
      delayed bleeding lesions (Forrest IIa) at second-look endoscopy was 4.5% (2/44).
      The overall bleeding rate was 9.1% (4/44). There was no early bleeding event. The
      median (interquartile range) timing of bleeding after the procedure was 12.5
      (interquartile range 10.3-15.5) days. The bleeding rate in the large resection
      (>= 40 mm) group without antithrombotic therapy and the antithrombotic therapy
      group was 3.2% (1/33) and 23.1% (3/13), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hemostatic
      powder may be a promising new simple and effective method to prevent early post
      ESD bleeding in high-risk patients, especially for those with larger resection.
      (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02625792).

PMID- 28910852
TI  - Origin and Evolution of Aquitard Porewater in the Western Coastal Plain of Bohai
      Bay, China.
AB  - High-salinity paleowater from low-permeability aquitards in coastal areas can be
      a major threat to groundwater resources; however, such water has rarely been
      studied. The chemical and isotopic compositions of porewater extracted from a 200
      m-thick Quaternary sedimentary sequence in the western coastal plain of Bohai
      Bay, China, were analyzed to investigate the salinity origin and chemical
      evolution of porewater in aquitards. Porewater samples derived at depths
      shallower than 32 m are characterized by Cl-Na type saline water (total dissolved
      solids [TDS], 10.9-84.3 g/L), whereas those at depths greater than 32 m comprise
      Cl.SO4 -Na type brackish water (TDS, 2.2-6.3 g/L). Saline porewater is
      interpreted as evaporated seawater prior to halite saturation, as evidenced by Cl
      Br relationships. Although substantial dilution of saline porewater with meteoric
      water is supported by a wider Cl- range and delta2 H-delta18 O covariance, the
      original marine waters were not completely flushed out. The deeper brackish
      porewater is determined to be a mixture of fresher porewater and brine
      groundwater and had a component of old brine of less than 10%, as indicated by a
      mixing model defined using delta2 H and Cl- tracers. Porewater delta2 H-delta18 O
      relationships and negative deuterium excess ranging from -25.90/00 to -2.90/00
      indicate the existence of an arid climate since Late Pleistocene in Tianjin
      Plain. The aquitard porewaters were chemically modified through water-rock
      interactions due to the long residence time.

PMID- 28910853
TI  - Impacts of Streambed Heterogeneity and Anisotropy on Residence Time of Hyporheic
      Zone.
AB  - The hyporheic zone (HZ), which is the region beneath or alongside a streambed,
      plays an important role in the stream's ecology. The duration that a water
      molecule or a solute remains within the HZ, or residence time (RT), is one of the
      most common metrics used to evaluate the function of the HZ. The RT is greatly
      influenced by the streambed's hydraulic conductivity (K), which is intrinsically
      difficult to characterize due to its heterogeneity and anisotropy. Many
      laboratory and numerical studies of the HZ have simplified the streambed K to a
      constant, thus producing RT values that may differ from those gathered from the
      field. Some studies have considered the heterogeneity of the HZ, but very few
      have accounted for anisotropy or the natural K distributions typically found in
      real streambeds. This study developed numerical models in MODFLOW to examine the
      influence of heterogeneity and anisotropy, and that of the natural K distribution
      in a streambed, on the RT of the HZ. Heterogeneity and anisotropy were both found
      to shorten the mean and median RTs while increasing the range of the RTs.
      Moreover, heterogeneous K fields arranged in a more orderly pattern had longer
      RTs than those with random K distributions. These results could facilitate the
      design of streambed K values and distributions to achieve the desired RT during
      river restoration. They could also assist the translation of results from the
      more commonly considered homogeneous and/or isotropic conditions into
      heterogeneous and anisotropic field situations.

PMID- 28910854
TI  - Characterizing the Nano-Bio Interface Using Microscopic Techniques: Imaging the
      Cell System is Just as Important as Imaging the Nanoparticle System.
AB  - The rapid growth of nanotechnology and its industries has elevated the need to
      understand the risks associated with handling, using, and disposing of
      nanomaterials. These risks can be assessed through exposure measurement and
      hazard identification. One of the common challenges associated with quantifying
      nanomaterials in products, waste, humans, or the environment is the lack of tools
      available to measure concentration. The ability of refined tools and techniques
      to qualitatively detect nanoparticles in complex matrices has been demonstrated.
      For biological and ecological tests systems, dose can be represented as initial
      concentration in the applied matrix, concentration administered during the route
      of exposure, concentration at the target organ, and intake concentration at the
      cellular level. Each of these concentration measurements requires different sets
      of tools to perform accurate analyses. Advances in microscopy techniques provide
      new opportunities for reporting observations occurring at the interaction of a
      nanoparticle with a biomolecular entity of similar size within a biological
      test(s) system. This protocol outlines the steps to image nanomaterials within
      cell-based systems. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28910855
TI  - Optimized PEI-based Transfection Method for Transient Transfection and Lentiviral
      Production.
AB  - Polyethyleneimine (PEI), a cationic polymer vehicle, forms a complex with DNA
      which then can carry anionic nucleic acids into eukaryotic cells. PEI-based
      transfection is widely used for transient transfection of plasmid DNA. The
      efficiency of PEI-based transfection is affected by numerous factors, including
      the way the PEI/DNA complex is prepared, the ratio of PEI to DNA, the
      concentration of DNA, the storage conditions of PEI solutions, and more.
      Considering the major influencing factors, PEI-based transfection has been
      optimized to improve its efficiency, reproducibility, and consistency. This
      protocol outlines the steps for ordinary transient transfection and lentiviral
      production using PEI. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28910856
TI  - High-Throughput Screening of HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases Using UbFluor.
AB  - HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases are responsible for many human disease phenotypes and
      are promising drug targets; however, screening assays for HECT E3 inhibitors are
      inherently complex, requiring upstream E1 and E2 enzymes as well as ubiquitin,
      ATP, and detection reagents. Intermediate ubiquitin thioesters and a complex
      mixture of polyubiquitin products provide further opportunities for off-target
      inhibition and increase the complexity of the assay. UbFluor is a novel ubiquitin
      thioester that bypasses the E1 and E2 enzymes and undergoes direct
      transthiolation with HECT E3 ligases. The release of fluorophore upon
      transthiolation allows fluorescence polarization detection of HECT E3 activity.
      In the presence of inhibitors, HECT E3 activity is ablated, and thus no reaction
      and no change in FP are observed. This assay has been adapted for high-throughput
      screening of small molecules against HECT E3 ligases, and its utility has been
      proven in the discovery of HECT E3 ligase inhibitors. (c) 2017 by John Wiley &
      Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28910857
TI  - A Guide to Quantitative Biomarker Assay Development using Whispering Gallery Mode
      Biosensors.
AB  - Whispering gallery mode (WGM) sensors are a class of powerful analytical
      techniques defined by the measurement of changes in the local refractive index at
      or near the sensor surface. When functionalized with target-specific capture
      agents, analyte binding can be measured with very low limits of detection. There
      are many geometric manifestations of WGM sensors, with chip-integrated silicon
      photonic devices first commercialized because of the robust, wafer-scale device
      fabrication, facile optical interrogation, and amenability to the creation of
      multiplexed sensor arrays. Using these arrays, a number of biomolecular targets
      have been detected in both label-free and label-enhanced assay formats. For
      example, sub-picomolar detection limits for multiple cytokines were achieved
      using an enzymatically enhanced sandwich immunoassay that showed high analyte
      specificity suitable for detection in complex, clinical matrices. This protocol
      describes a generalizable approach for the development of quantitative,
      multiplexed immunoassays using silicon photonic microrings as an example WGM
      platform. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28910858
TI  - Overview of Methods and Strategies for Conducting Virtual Small Molecule
      Screening.
AB  - Virtual screening (VS) in the context of drug discovery is the use of
      computational methods to discover novel ligands with a desired biological
      activity from within a larger collection of molecules. These techniques have been
      in use for many years, there is a wide range of methodologies available, and many
      successful applications have been reported in the literature. VS is often used as
      an alternative or a complement to High-throughput screening (HTS) or other
      methods to identify ligands for target validation or medicinal chemistry
      projects. This unit does not present an exhaustive review of available methods,
      or document specific instructions on use of individual software packages. Rather,
      a general overview of the methods available are presented and general strategies
      are described for VS based on accepted practices and the authors' experience as
      computational chemists in an industrial research laboratory. First, the most
      common methods available for VS are reviewed, categorized as either receptor- or
      ligand-based. Subsequently, strategic considerations are presented for choosing a
      VS method, or a combination of methods, as well as the necessary steps to
      prepare, run, and analyze a VS campaign. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28910859
TI  - Investigation of the effects of storage and freezing on mixes of heavy-labeled
      metabolite and amino acid standards.
AB  - RATIONALE: High-throughput metabolomics has now made it possible for small/medium
      sized laboratories to analyze thousands of samples/year from the most diverse
      biological matrices including biofluids, cell and tissue extracts. In large-scale
      metabolomics studies, stable-isotope-labeled standards are increasingly used to
      normalize for matrix effects and control for technical reproducibility (e.g.
      extraction efficiency, chromatographic retention times and mass spectrometry
      signal stability). However, it is currently unknown how stable mixes of
      commercially available standards are following repeated freeze/thaw cycles or
      prolonged storage of aliquots. METHODS: Standard mixes for 13 C, 15 N or
      deuterated isotopologues of amino acids and key metabolites from the central
      carbon and nitrogen pathways (e.g. glycolysis, Krebs cycle, redox homeostasis,
      purines) were either repeatedly frozen/thawed for up to 10 cycles or diluted into
      aliquots prior to frozen storage for up to 42 days. Samples were characterized by
      ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine the
      stability of the aliquoted standards upon freezing/thawing or prolonged storage.
      RESULTS: Metabolite standards were stable over up to 10 freeze/thaw cycles, with
      the exception of adenosine and glutathione, showing technical variability across
      aliquots in a freeze/thaw-cycle-independent fashion. Storage for up to 42 days of
      mixes of commercially available standards did not significantly affect the
      stability of amino acid or metabolite standards for the first 2 weeks, while
      progressive degradation (statistically significant for fumarate) was observed
      after 3 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Refrigerated or frozen preservation for at least 2
      weeks of aliquoted heavy-labeled standard mixes for metabolomics analysis is a
      feasible and time-/resource-saving strategy for standard metabolomics
      laboratories.

PMID- 28910860
TI  - Isolation of Probiotic Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strains from Human Fecal
      Microbiota Using SpaA Antiserum-Based Colony Immunoblotting.
AB  - Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus (pLR) strains possess higher adherent capacity
      than non-piliated strains. The objective of this study was to isolate and
      characterize probiotic pLR strains in human fecal samples. To this end, mouse
      polyclonal antiserum (anti-SpaA) against the recombinant pilus protein (SpaA) of
      L. rhamnosus strain GG (LGG) was prepared and tested for its reactivity and
      specificity. With the anti-SpaA, a method combining the de Man, Rogosa, and
      Sharpe (MRS) agar plating separation and colony immunoblotting (CIB) was
      developed to isolate pLR from 124 human fecal samples. The genetic and phenotypic
      characteristics of the resultant pLR isolates were compared by randomly amplified
      polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting, and examination of adhesion to Caco-2
      cells, hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, and in vitro gastrointestinal tolerance.
      Anti-SpaA specifically reacted with three pLR strains of 25 test strains, as
      assessed by western blotting, immunofluorescence flow cytometry, and
      immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) assays. The optimized MRS agar separation plus
      anti-SpaA-based CIB procedure could quantitatively detect 2.5 * 103 CFU/ml of pLR
      colonies spiked in 106 CFU/ml of background bacteria. Eight pLR strains were
      identified in 124 human fecal samples, and were confirmed by 16S RNA gene
      sequencing and IEM identification. RAPD fingerprinting of the pLR strains
      revealed seven different patterns, of which only two isolates from infants showed
      the same RAPD profiles with LGG. Strain PLR06 was obtained with high adhesion and
      autoaggregation activities, hydrophobicity, and gastrointestinal tolerance. Anti
      SpaA-based CIB is a rapid and inexpensive method for the preliminary screening of
      novel adherent L. rhamnosus strains for commercial purposes.

PMID- 28910861
TI  - Antioxidative and Antiaging Activities and Component Analysis of Lespedeza
      cuneata G. Don Extracts Fermented with Lactobacillus pentosus.
AB  - Lespedeza cuneata G. Don is a traditional herb that has been associated with
      multiple biological activities. In this study, we investigated the
      antioxidative/antiaging activities and performed an active component analysis of
      the non-fermented and fermented (using Lactobacillus pentosus) extracts of
      Lespedeza cuneata G. Don. The antioxidative activities of the fermented extract
      were higher than those of non-fermented extracts. The elastase inhibitory
      activity, inhibitory effects on UV-induced MMP-1 expression, and ability to
      promote type I procollagen synthesis were investigated in Hs68 human fibroblasts
      cells. These tests also revealed that the fermented extract had increased
      antiaging activities compared with the non-fermented extract. A component
      analysis of the ethyl acetate fractions of non-fermented and fermented extracts
      was performed using TLC, HPLC, and LC/ESI-MS/MS to observe changes in the
      components before and after fermentation. Six components that were different
      before and after fermentation were investigated. It was thought that kaempferol
      and quercetin were converted from kaempferol glucosides and quercetin glucosides,
      respectively, via bioconversion with the fermentation strain. These results
      indicate that the fermented extract of L. cuneata G. Don has potential for use as
      a natural cosmetic material with antioxidative and antiaging effects.

PMID- 28910863
TI  - Acceleration of Aglycone Isoflavone and gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Production from
      Doenjang Using Whole-Cell Biocatalysis Accompanied by Protease Treatment.
AB  - Recently, soybean isoflavone aglycones (i.e., daidzein and genistein) and gamma
      aminobutyric acid (GABA) have begun to receive considerable consumer attention
      owing to their potential as nutraceuticals. To produce these ingredients,
      multiple microorganisms and their enzymes are commonly used for catalysis in the
      nutraceutical industry. In this work, we introduce a novel fermentation process
      that uses whole-cell biocatalysis to accelerate GABA and isoflavone aglycone
      production in doenjang (a traditional Korean soybean paste). Microbial enzymes
      transform soybean isoflavone glycosides (i.e., daidzin and genistin) and
      monosodium glutamate into soybean isoflavone aglycones and GABA. Lactobacillus
      brevis GABA 100 and Aspergillus oryzae KACC 40250 significantly reduced the
      production time with the aid of a protease. The resulting levels of GABA and
      daidzein were higher, and genistein production resembled the levels in
      traditional doenjang fermented for over a year. Concentrations of GABA, daidzein,
      and genistein were measured as 7,162, 60, and 59 MUg/g, respectively on the
      seventh day of fermentation. Our results demonstrate that the administration of
      whole-cell L. brevis GABA 100 and A. oryzae KACC 40250 paired with a protease
      treatment is an effective method to accelerate GABA, daidzein, and genistein
      production in doenjang.

PMID- 28910862
TI  - Effects of Newly Synthesized Recombinant Human Amyloid-beta Complexes and Poly
      Amyloid-beta Fibers on Cell Apoptosis and Cognitive Decline.
AB  - The main pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of
      amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides in the brain. Abeta has been widely used to mimic
      several aspects of Alzheimer's disease. However, several characteristics of
      amyloid-induced Alzheimer's disease pathology are not well established,
      especially in mice. The present study aimed to develop a new Alzheimer's disease
      model by investigating how Abeta can be effectively aggregated using prokaryotes
      and eukaryotes. To express the Abeta42 complex in HEK293 cells, we cloned the
      Abeta42 region in a tandem repeat and incorporated the resulting construct into a
      eukaryotic expression vector. Following transfection into HEK293 cells via
      lipofection, cell viability assay and western blotting analysis revealed that
      exogenous Abeta42 can induce cell death and apoptosis. In addition, recombinant
      His-tagged Abeta42 was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and
      not only readily formed Abeta complexes, but also inhibited the proliferation of
      SH-SY5Y cells and E. coli. For in vivo testing, recombinant His-tagged Abeta42
      solution (3 MUg/MUl in 1* PBS containing 1 mM Ni2+) was injected stereotaxically
      into the left and right lateral ventricles of the brains of C57BL/6J mice (n =
      8). Control mice were injected with 1* PBS containing 1 mM Ni2+ following the
      same procedure. Ten days after the sample injection, the Morris water maze test
      confirmed that exogenous Abeta caused an increase in memory loss. These findings
      demonstrated that Ni2+ is capable of complexing the 50-kDa amyloid and that
      intracerebroventricular injection of Abeta42 can lead to cognitive impairment,
      thereby providing improved Alzheimer's disease models.

PMID- 28910864
TI  - Madurahydroxylactone, an Inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus FtsZ from Nonomuraea
      sp. AN100570.
AB  - FtsZ, a bacterial cell-division protein, is an attractive antibacterial target.
      In the screening for an inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus FtsZ,
      madurahydroxylactone (1) and its related derivatives 2-5 were isolated from
      Nonomuraea sp. AN100570. Compound 1 inhibited S. aureus FtsZ with an IC50 of 53.4
      MUM and showed potent antibacterial activity against S. aureus and MRSA with an
      MIC of 1 MUg/ml, whereas 2-5 were weak or inactive. Importantly, 1 induced cell
      elongation in the cell division phenotype assay, whereas 2-5 did not. It
      indicates that 1 exhibits its potent antibacterial activity via inhibition of
      FtsZ, and the hydroxyl group and hydroxylactone ring of 1 are critical for the
      activity. Thus, madurahydroxylactone is a new type of inhibitor of FtsZ.

PMID- 28910865
TI  - A Novel Chemical Compound for Inhibition of SARS Coronavirus Helicase.
AB  - We have discovered a novel chemical compound, (E)-3-(furan-2-yl)-N-(4
      sulfamoylphenyl) acrylamide, that suppresses the enzymatic activities of SARS
      coronavirus helicase. To determine the inhibitory effect, ATP hydrolysis and
      double-stranded DNA unwinding assays were performed in the presence of various
      concentrations of the compound. Through these assays, we obtained IC50 values of
      2.09 +/- 0.30 uM (ATP hydrolysis) and 13.2 +/- 0.9 uM (DNA unwinding),
      respectively. Moreover, we found that the compound did not have any significant
      cytotoxicity when 40 uM of it was used. Our results showed that the compound
      might be useful to be developed as an inhibitor against SARS coronavirus.

PMID- 28910866
TI  - An Aptamer-Based Electrochemical Sensor That Can Distinguish Influenza Virus
      Subtype H1 from H5.
AB  - The surface protein hemagglutinin (HA) mediates the attachment of influenza virus
      to host cells containing sialic acid and thus facilitates viral infection.
      Therefore, HA is considered as a good target for the development of diagnostic
      tools for influenza virus. Previously, we reported the isolation of single
      stranded aptamers that can distinguish influenza subtype H1 from H5. In this
      study, we describe a method for the selective electrical detection of H1 using
      the isolated aptamer as a molecular probe. After immobilization of the aptamer on
      Si wafer, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and field emission scanning
      electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed that the immobilized aptamer bound
      specifically to the H1 subtype but not to the H5 subtype. Assessment by cyclic
      voltammetry (CV) also demonstrated that the immobilized aptamer on the indium
      thin oxide-coated surface was specifically bound to the H1 subtype only, which
      was consistent with the ELISA and FE-SEM results. Further measurement of CV using
      various amounts of H1 subtype provided the detection limit of the immobilized
      aptamer, which showed that a nanomolar scale of target protein was sufficient to
      produce the signal. These results indicated that the selected aptamer can be an
      effective probe for distinguishing the subtypes of influenza viruses by
      monitoring current changes.

PMID- 28910868
TI  - [Comments on the TNM classification for the Vater ampullary cancer in the Cancer
      Staging Manual (eighth edition) of American Joint Committee on Cancer].

PMID- 28910867
TI  - [Current status and prospect of artificial intelligence in pathology].

PMID- 28910869
TI  - [Lymphomatoid papulosis: a clinicopathologic analysis and whole exome
      sequencing].
AB  - Objective: To study the clinicopathologic characteristics and immunophenotype of
      lymphomatoid papulosis(LyP), followed by exon mutation analysis with focus on
      gene mutations involved in apoptosis pathway and other possible pathogenic genes.
      Methods: Clinical data analysis and immunohistochemical staining were carried out
      in 20 cases of LyP. Whole exome sequencing technology was employed in 2 cases of
      type C of LyP. Results: Of the 20 cases, there were 9 males and 11 females with a
      median age of 28.6 years. Nineteen patients presented with multiple papules and
      nodules, and one case presented with only one tumor nodule. Of the fifteen cases
      with available followed-up data, all were alive (20-155 months). Histologically,
      the tumors primarily involved the dermis and subcutaneous layer, in which 6 were
      type A, 3 were type B, 10 were type C and 1 was type D. Main infiltration
      patterns included wedge-shaped, band-like, sheets and large nodular.
      Immunohistochemistry showed that most cases expressed CD30 in the large tumor
      cells. Sixteen cases expressed CD3, 17 cases expressed CD4 and 8 cases expressed
      CD8. Sixteen cases expressed TIA1. Ten cases expressed GrB and 1 case expressed
      CD15. All but one case did not expressed CD20. All cases did not express ALK1.A
      total of 101 common non-synonymous mutations were detected in 2 cases of LyP type
      C by whole exome sequencing, including 87 missense mutations, 6 missense
      mutation/frame-shift deletions, 2 missense mutation/nonframe-shift deletions, 5
      frame-shift deletions, 1 missense mutations/synonymous mutation. Syndecan
      1(SDC1), COL4A1, Laminin-5 were involved in the extracellular matrix receptor
      pathway. Conclusions: Clinical presentations are crucial for the diagnosis of
      LyP. LyP has a favorable prognosis. SDC1, COL4A1 and Laminin-5 gene mutations may
      be associated with tumor recurrence or progression into a higher gradelymphoma.

PMID- 28910870
TI  - [Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma: a clinicopathologic study of 27
      cases].
AB  - Objective: To study the clinicopathologic characteristics and diagnostic criteria
      of primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL), and to distinguish PMBL from
      classic Hodgkin lymphoma(CHL) and systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL).
      Methods: The clinical features, histologic findings, results of
      immunohistochemical study and prgnosis in 27 PMBL cases were analyzed, with
      review of literature. Results: The age of patients ranged from 19 to 82 years
      (median age 34 years). All cases were located in the mediastinum and frequently
      accompanied by superior vein cava syndrome. Histologically, the tumor cells were
      pleomorphic and diffusely distributed. Clear cytoplasm and spindle tumor cells
      were seen in some cases. Varying amount of sclerosing stroma with collagen
      deposition was seen.Immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells were
      positive for CD20(100%, 27/27), CD30 (64.0%, 16/25), CD23 (77.3%, 17/22) and p63
      (16/19). Clonal B cell gene rearrangement was seen. Conclusions: PMBL is a
      subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with various histomorphology.
      Immunohistochemistry can help to confirm the diagnosis, and the prognosis is
      better than diffuse large B cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified.

PMID- 28910871
TI  - [Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma in children and adolescents: a
      clinicopathologic study of 5 cases].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the pathological features and clinical manifestations
      of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in children and adolescents.
      Methods: Five cases of MALT lymphoma in children were investigated by morphology
      and immunophenotyping along with clinical follow-up. Results: Five cases of MALT
      lymphoma occurred in the antrum, orbit, parotid gland and nasopharynx. All
      patients had no B symptoms and only one patient showed a local mass with ulcer.
      One case presented with cervical lymph node enlargement, and 4 cases showed no
      evidence of lymphadenopathy.All cases had pathological features similar to those
      of adult MALT lymphoma, with proliferation of monocytoid B cells orcentralcyte
      like tumor cells, with plasma cell differentiation and lymphoid epithelial
      lesions.No specific immunophenotypic marker was found. Clonal Ig gene
      rearrangement was detected in two cases.One patient was treated with rituximab
      treatment, 1 patient was given anti-Helicobacter pylori therapy, and 2 patients
      had no additional treatment.The follow-up data showed that 4 patients survived
      without tumor recurrence. Conclusions: Similar to adult patients, MALT lymphoma
      in children and adolescents has similar pathological features with indolent
      clinical course and good prognosis. It is important to note that misdiagnosis and
      incorrect diagnosis mightoccur because of the young age of the patients.

PMID- 28910872
TI  - [Pathologic subtyping of primary lymphoma of breast and prognostic analysis].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the pathological types and prognostic factors of
      primary lymphoma of breast (PLB). Methods: The clinical pathological data of 115
      cases of PLB during October 2006 to October 2016 were retrospectively analyzed,
      and the basic clinical and pathological data, pathology types and the
      immunohistochemical slides by EliVision two-step method for staining were
      summarized. Results: Almost all the patients were women (113/115), and the median
      age was 52 years old (range: 27 to 81 years old). The main symptom was painless
      progressive mass in breast. Ten cases (8.7%) showed B symptoms. The masses were
      mainly confined to the unilateral breast (80.9%, 93/115), of which 22 cases
      showed axillary lymph nodes enlargement in the same side. The average diameter of
      masses was 3.0 cm (range from 0.5 to 9.0 cm). There is no differences between the
      sides (left or right). Pathologically, 106 cases (92.2%) were mature non
      Hodgkin's B-cell lymphomas, of which there were mainly diffuse large B cell
      lymphoma (DLBCL, 64.3%) and mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) extranodal
      marginal lymphoma (17.4%). Five cases (4.4%) were mature T/NK cell lymphomas,
      including extranodal nasal NK/T cell lymphoma (1.7%), peripheral T-cell lymphoma
      non-specific type (0.9%), subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cells lymphoma (0.9%)
      and undivided (0.9%). Four cases were lymphoblastic lymphoma. According to Ann
      Arbor staging criteria, 93 cases were stage IE (6 cases were stage IEB), 22 cases
      were stage IIE (4 cases were stage IIEB). Ninety-two cases were followed 1 to 122
      months (median: 36 months). The five-year overall survival rate was 85.3%, and 13
      patients dead. B symptom was one of the factors that affect the prognosis
      (P<0.05), but the pathological type has no relationship with the prognosis
      (P>0.05). Conclusions: PLB is relatively rare, the main clinical manifestation is
      painless mass, which is difficult to distinguish with breast carcinoma. The most
      common type is DLBCL, followed by MALT lymphoma, while T cell lymphoma is rarely
      seen. PLB is early stage tumor with good prognosis, while patients with B symptom
      turn out to suffer worse prognosis.

PMID- 28910873
TI  - [Differential expression and clinical significance of calretinin in total colonic
      aganglionosis].
AB  - Objective: To evaluate the differential calretinin immunostaining in different
      segments of total colonic aganglionosis and its utility in the diagnosis.
      Methods: Nine specimens including ileum and colon segments were obtained from 9
      patients with total colonic aganglionosis (TCA), from 2010 to 2016 year, in Wuhan
      Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and
      Technology. Another 9 ganglionic specimens including the same segments from
      patients with non-Hirschsprung disease (non-HD) patients were collected as
      control. All cases were immunostained with calretinin. The patterns of calretinin
      immunostaining were observed, and morphometric analysis of each sample was
      performed by image analysis program (Image-Pro-Plus). The mean absorbance was
      evaluated by calculating the areas of the lamina propria occupied by the
      positively stained area of the calretinin at high power field. Results: The same
      pattern of calretinin immunostaining was seen in ganglionic ileum and ganglionic
      colon segments, with staining seen in intrinsic nerves fibers (INF), and in
      granular aggregates in the lamina propria and muscularis mucosae. There was no
      significant difference in the numbers of calretinin-positive INF from the
      ganglionic segments. In contrast, the number of calretinin-positive INF and
      granular aggregates in aganglionic segments were significantly lower than those
      in the ganglionic group (P<0.01). In the ileum transitional zone, scattered
      calretinin staining was observed, and the amount of calretinin-positive INF was
      significantly lower than those in the proximal segment of ganlionic ileum
      (P<0.01). Conclusions: Since there is significant different expression of
      calretinin among the different segments from TCA, calretinin immunostaining has
      potential value in detecting TCA. It could be an important adjunctive method in
      detecting TCA in the future.

PMID- 28910874
TI  - [Expression of C3d in normal human liver tissues with non-immunologic osmostic
      mechanism].
AB  - Objective: To observe the deposition of complement C3d at different development
      stages in human normal organs and tissues, and investigate the significance of
      its deposition. Methods: Using immunohistochemical methods, the deposition of C3d
      was detected at different development stages of 60 normal human organs and tissue
      specimens and double staining was performed in some specimens. Ninty-five cases
      of other organs or tissues were collected as control group. Results: In 50 of 60
      livers, it was observed the deposition of C3d in Glisson's capsule and periportal
      sheath, with irregular linear network-like disposition surrounding the portal
      sheath. In different age groups, the expression of C3d was more beyond the 20
      year-old group than 3 to 20 year-old group. There wasn't any expression of C3d
      under 3-year-old group. Under the immuning electron micrograph, C3d depositing at
      the Glisson's capsule was observed, without immuning compounding. Thirty in 40
      spleens, deposition of C3d in capsules, arteries of lymphatic sheath, follicles
      in the spleen was observed. Conclusions: The deposition of C3d in Glisson's
      capsule, splenic trabeculae, fibrous sheath, endarterium of liver and spleen
      arterioles, within normal human tissues from patients elder than 3 years, are
      osmosis/immunogenic deposition. The deposition of C3d is a normal physiological
      phenomenon, and treatment of the deposition of C3d should be avoided, as it is an
      immune complex or immuning reaction phenomenon.

PMID- 28910876
TI  - [Clinicopathologic study of follicular lymphoma with features of Castleman's
      disease].

PMID- 28910875
TI  - [Clinicopathologic and prognosis features of Claudin-low breast cancers].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the clinicopathologic and prognostic features of
      Claudin-low breast cancers (CLBC). Methods: Tissue microarray sections were
      scored semiquantitatively for the immunohistochemical expression of claudin-1, 
      3, -4, -7 and -8 in 233 cases of invasive breast cancers collected from Qingdao
      Central Hospital from January 2010 to December 2011. Results: The expression rate
      of Claudin-3 (72/212, 33.9%) and -4 (56/212, 45.2%) was most similar, and Claudin
      4 showed the highest expression. Twenty one cases (21/212, 9.0%) were diagnosed
      as CLBC, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounted for the highest
      proportion (11/21, 52.4%). Among the CLBC cases, the invasive carcinoma no
      special type (66.7%, 14/21) and metaplastic carcinoma (14.3%, 3/21) were mostly
      seen, while metaplastic squamous carcinoma did not show Claudin-low pattern.
      Compared to the non CLBC in this cohort, CLBC had higher proportion of histologic
      grade 3 and tumors larger than 2 cm, and the proportions were slightly lower than
      TNBC. Patients with CLBC had lower 5 year disease-free(P>0.05) and overall
      survival rates(P=0.018). Conclusion: CLBC shows distinct clinicopathologic and
      prognostic features comparing to other subtypes, and is associated with poor
      prognosis.

PMID- 28910877
TI  - [Multiple cutaneous erythematous lesions].

PMID- 28910878
TI  - [Thyroid-like follicular renal cell carcinoma with extramedullary hematopoiesis:
      report of a case].

PMID- 28910879
TI  - [Composite CD20-positive T-cell lymphoma and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, NOS:
      report of a case].

PMID- 28910880
TI  - [Pituicytoma: report of a case].

PMID- 28910881
TI  - [Primary pulmonary alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma: report of a case].

PMID- 28910882
TI  - [New applications of "old" antibodies in diagnostic pathology].

PMID- 28910883
TI  - [Hereditary cancer syndromes in female reproductive system: an overview].

PMID- 28910884
TI  - [Progress in molecular mechanism of Epstein-Barr virus driving cell cycle and
      promoting oncogenesis].

PMID- 28910885
TI  - [New progression and challenges in transnasal endoscopic rhino-orbital related
      surgery].

PMID- 28910886
TI  - [The interactive role of rhinology and ophthalmology in the development of
      transnasal endoscopic rhino-orbital related surgery].

PMID- 28910887
TI  - [Clinical practice of transnasal endoscopic operation for retrobulbar lesions].
AB  - Objective: To summarize the skill and experience of transnasal endoscopic
      operation for retrobulbar lesions. Methods: Seven patients aged from 25 to 67
      years old diagnosed as retrobulbar lesions who underwent transnasal endoscopic
      operation in Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya
      Hospital between January 2013 and October 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Two
      males and five females were included in this study. Five patients underwent
      transnasal endoscopic operation via media rectus-inferior rectus space, with the
      other 2 cases via media rectus-superior rectus space. Results: Total lesion
      removal was achieved in 6 of 7 patients, while 1 patient underwent subtotal
      removal of the lesion. The visual acuity and visual field improved in 3 cases.
      The pathological examination showed hemangioma(5 cases), bone cyst(1 case) and
      fibroma(1 case). All patients were followed up for 9 months to 4 years without
      complications such as eye movement disorder or blindness, except for 1 case with
      preoperatively proptosis occurred postoperatively transient diplopia. There was
      no recurrence in 6 patients with total lesion removal, and the patient underwent
      subtotal removal of fibroma did not undertake operation again. Conclusion:
      Transnasal endoscopic operation for retrobulbar lesions is a minimally invasive,
      safe and effective operatiiv method, which could be taken via different surgical
      approaches according to the size and location of the lesion.

PMID- 28910888
TI  - [Endoscopic salvage treatment for optic neuropathy caused by sinonasal fibro
      osseous lesions].
AB  - Objective: To summarize the surgical techniques, benefits and limitations of
      transnasal endoscopic resection and optic nerve decompression for patients with
      optic neuropathy caused by fibro-osseous lesions. Methods: Eight patients with
      optic neuropathy caused by fibro-osseous lesions who accepted endoscopic surgery
      of either resection of the lesion or decompression of optic nerve in
      Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
      from 2007 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed and followed until April, 2017.
      Analyses were performed on the pathology type, disease extent and disease
      duration, especially on the visual acuity and visual field changes before and
      after surgery. Results: Eight patients (5 male and 3 female) were included in
      this study, with a median age of 12 years old (8-19 years old). The median
      disease duration was 12 months (1-72 months). The visual acuity (VA) of five
      patients (40 cm/FC, 0.2, 0.1, 0.2, 10 cm/FC, respectively) improved after surgery
      (0.1, 0.3, 1.2, 0.1, 0.6, respectively), and one patient had no change of VA
      after the surgery. Two patients (0.02, hand movement, before surgery) became
      deprived of light perception (VA=0) immediately after surgery. One patient
      complicated with intra orbital hemorrhage because of anterior artery injury. No
      complications of cerebral spinal fluid leak, intra-ocular muscle injury, intra
      cranial hemorrhage or brain tissue injury occurred. Conclusion: For the treatment
      of optic neuropathy caused by fibro-osseous lesions, transnasal endoscopic
      surgery might have a good outcome.

PMID- 28910889
TI  - [Clinical features of traumatic optic neuropathy in 265 cases].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the clinical features and the pathogenetic law of traumatic
      optic neuropathy through epidemiologic study. Methods: 265 cases (275 eyes) with
      TON treated in Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the
      Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from April 1999 to August 2015 were
      retrospectively analyzed. Multiple Logistic regression analyses were used to
      evaluate potential prognostic factors on visual acuity. Results: TON occured
      mostly in young (194/265, 73.21%) man (235/265, 88.68%), the majority of patients
      came from villages and towns (209/265, 78.87%). Traffic accident (197/265,
      74.34%) remained the main etiology, with strike (36/265, 13.58%) and fall
      (17/265, 6.42%) as the common etiology. Most patients had head injuries. The
      effective rate of vision improvement was 53.45%(147/275). Multiple logistic
      regression analyses identified that initial visual acuity with light perception
      or better vision, optic canal fracture and orbital wall fracture were visual
      acuity key factors of TON (chi(2) value was 24.674, 19.755, 9.175, respectively,
      all P<0.01), initial visual acuity with light perception or better vision was the
      protective factor on visual acuity recovery (OR=5.008, P<0.001), the presence of
      optic canal fracture and orbital wall fracture were the risk factors on visual
      acuity recovery (OR value was 0.110, 0.329, respectively, all P<0.01).
      Conclusions: Ton occurs mostly in young man because of traffic accident. Visual
      impairment of TON is severe. The suitable preventive measures should be carried
      out according to its epidemiological features.

PMID- 28910890
TI  - [Clinical analysis of orbital complications due to rhinosinusitis in 28 cases].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of orbital complications
      due to rhinosinusitis and to provide the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of
      this disease. Methods: Retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 28 patients
      with orbital complications due to rhinosinusitis who were admitted into the
      Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Department of Otorhinolaryngology from
      August 2009 to April 2017. In all 28 cases, there were 1 case with preseptal
      cellulites, 9 cases with orbital cellulites, 13 cases with subperiosteal orbital
      abscess and 5 cases with orbital abscess. Among all the patients, 9 were younger
      than 14. Two patients were in ages from 14 to 17 and 7 patients were at or above
      18 years. Absolute medicine therapy was performed on 8 patients and combined
      therapy of operation and pharmacotherapy on 20 patients. Results: The patients
      were followed up for 2 to 19 months. Both the general symptoms and ocular
      symptoms disappeared and nasal ventilation function recovered well. Conclusions:
      The treatment for orbital complications of rhinosinusitis includes absolute
      medicine therapy and combined therapy of operation and pharmacotherapy. And the
      selection of treatment depends on disease stage. Timely diagnosis and reasonable
      treatment would be beneficial in the recovery of patients.

PMID- 28910891
TI  - [Clinical study of aged patients with secondary benign paroxysmal positional
      vertigo].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the clinical features and evaluate the efficacy of
      manual reduction in treatment of age patients with secondary benign paroxysmal
      positional vertigo (s-BPPV). Methods: Thirty-two cases of aged patients ( the s
      BPPV group: including 19 cases of female and 13 males, age from 60 to 86 years
      old)with secondary benign paroxysmal positional vertigo from Jul. 2013 to Sep.
      2015 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The results were compared
      with 121 patients( the primary group: including 82 cases of female and 39males,
      aged from 60 to 86 years old)with aged primary benign paroxysmal positional
      vertigo(p -BPPV). All the patients were followed up for 12 months. Statistical
      data analysis was carried out with SPSS 19.0. Results: 20.92%(32/153)of all the
      observed elderly patients with BPPV was the aged s-BPPV. The sex ratio and onset
      age had no significant difference between the two groups(chi(2)=0.79, P>0.05;
      t=0.37, P>0.05). The rate of two or more semicircular canal involvement in the
      secondary group(21.88%) was higher than that in primary group(6.61%)(chi(2)=6.67,
      P<0.05). Bilateral semicircular canals were involved in 5 of the 32 cases in
      secondary group(15.63%) and 4 of the 121 cases in aged primary group(3.31%), The
      difference was significant(chi(2)=6.94, P<0.05). The effective rate after first
      manual reduction was 57.50%(23/40)in secondary group and 82.31%(107/130)in
      primary group, the difference was significant(chi(2)=10.46, P<0.05). The total
      effective rate were 87.50%(35/40) after more than once manual reduction in
      secondary group and 91.54%(119/130) in primary group, the difference was not
      significant(chi(2)= 0.59, P>0.05). The numbers of circulation of the first
      successful manual reduction management were (3.9+/-1.3)times in secondary group
      and (2.1+/-1.1)times in primary group, the difference was significant(t=3.15,
      P<0.05). The recurrence rate was 37.50%(15/40) in the secondary group and
      16.15%(21/130)in primary group after during follow-up for 12 months, the
      difference was statistically significant(chi(2)=8.35, P<0.05). Conclusions: It's
      shown that the aged patients with secondary BPPV is not rare in clinical
      practice, sudden deafness and head trauma are frequent more than other reasons.
      The aged patients with secondary BPPV are prone to injury in multi-semicircular
      and bilateral canal compared with the primary BPPV. The effective rate after
      first manual reduction of secondary BPPV is lower than primary BPPV, it's needed
      more circulation of first success in manual reduction management. The total
      effective rates are not significant in two groups and recurrence rate is
      relatively high in secondary group.

PMID- 28910892
TI  - [Study on pharyngeal wall floppiness of patients with obstructive sleep apnea
      hypopnea syndrome attributable to non-structural factors].
AB  - Objective: Acoustic pharyngealmetry technology is utilized to evaluate the change
      and clinical significance of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS)
      patients caused by non-upper airway structural factor and normal individuals'
      PWF(pharyngeal wall floppiness). Methods: Acoustic pharyngealmetry instrument of
      Ecconvision was utilized to examine 102 OSAHS patients and 50 normal individuals,
      separately recorded their volume of pharyngeal cavity in sit or supine position,
      calculated PWF in sit or supine position, and SPSS 12.0 of tware was used to
      analyze data. Results: PWF was 0.14+/-0.09 in sit position and PWF was 0.21+/
      0.10, (t=5.96, t=9.63, P<0.001)in supine position of OSAHS group, which were all
      significantly higher than those of control group. PWFs in supine position of
      OSAHS group and control group were evidently higher than PWF(t=-11.91, P<0.001;
      t=-2.32, P=0.025) in sit position. DeltaPWF(PWF_supine-PWF_sit)was 0.063+/-0.054
      in OSAHS group which was significantly greater than in control(F=41.173, P<0.01).
      PWF in sit position and supine position were all positively related with
      age(r=0.714, r=0.735, P<0.001)while irrelevant with BMI(P>0.05). Conclusions: PWF
      can be utilized to be an index to reflect the physiological feature of upper
      airway. PWF can more precisely reflect upper airway collapsibility of OSAHS
      patients on the condition of PWF in supine position. Pharyngeal wall floppiness
      quantified as a high PWF index is a non-structure vital factor of OSAHS patients
      and plays a role of guiding us to make personal treatment plans for OSAHS
      patients.

PMID- 28910893
TI  - [Pediatric laryngeal clefts: an experience in the diagnosis and management of 13
      cases].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the diagnosis and management of laryngeal cleft.
      Method: The clinical data of 13 cases of laryngeal cleft treated between 2007 and
      2015 was analyzed retrospectively. Results: The children with laryngeal cleft
      were classified according to the classification of Benjamin-Inglis, as type I(11
      cases), typeII(1 case) and type III(1 case). All patients were confirmed by
      microlaryngobronchoscopy under general anaesthetic. Eleven typeI and 1 type II
      clefts were managed conservatively, with which all type I patients were
      successfully managed, while the type II patient was resolved by surgical
      endoscopy. The type III patient was treated by open repair but the results was
      poor. Conclusions: Patients who suffered with choking on feeding or recurrent
      aspiration pneumonia, especially coexisted with other congenital malformation,
      needed detailed evaluation for laryngeal cleft, although which was a rare
      congenital abnormality. Electronic laryngoscope could be the first step to screen
      the cleft, while microlaryngobronchoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis of
      laryngeal cleft. The majority of children with lower type clefts can be managed
      conservatively. Surgical endoscopy has high success rate when strictly following
      the indication. Type III and IV clefts have high mortality for usually combining
      with severe complications and abnormalities.

PMID- 28910894
TI  - [Diagnostic values of BRAF(V600E) mutation analysis and Bethesda system for
      reporting thyroid cytopathology in thyroid nodules with TIRADS 4 and 5].
AB  - Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacies of BRAF(V600E) testing and
      Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology (BSRTC) in thyroid nodules
      with thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS) category 4 and 5.
      Methods: A total of 187 thyroid nodules in 187 patients underwent the
      examinations of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and
      BRAF(V600E) mutation were analyzed retrospectively. Receive operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the diagnostic values of both
      methods and the clinical application of BRAF(V600E) combined with BSRTC was
      evaluated. SPSS17.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: Among 187
      thyroid nodules, 123 were malignant nodules confirmed with histopathological
      examination and 64 benign nodules determined by FNAC, histopathological
      examination, or long-term follow-up. The sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of BRAF(V600E) test
      were better than those of BSRTC [69.1%, 98.4%, 98.8%, 62.4%(chi(2)=77.3, P=0.000)
      vs 62.6%, 93.8%, 95.1%, 56.6%(chi(2)=54.4, P=0.000)]. While the sensitivity,
      specificity, PPV and NPV of the combined test of BRAF(V600E) and BSRTC for
      diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules were 87.8%, 92.2%, 95.6%,
      79.7%(chi(2)=112.6, P=0.000), respectively. The area under the ROC curve for the
      combined test was higher than that for each of tests (0.900 vs 0.858 or 0.838).
      Conclusions: The combined test of BRAF(V600E) mutation and BSRTC has a higher
      diagnostic efficacy for malignant thyroid nodules compared with BRAF(V600E)
      mutation or BSRTC alone.

PMID- 28910895
TI  - [Correlation analysis of the Epstein-Barr virus recruited regulatory T cells in
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma of immune escape].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the relation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced immune
      escape to regulatory T cells(Treg) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC). Methods: We
      recruited 83 patients who were pathologically diagnozed as nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma and treated in Nanfang Hospital from January to September 2016. CD4(+)
      CD25(+) FOXP3(+) Treg in peripheral blood was examined by flow cytometry and the
      level of EBV DNA in the blood was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase
      chain reaction(qRT-PCR)in 83 patients and 51 healthy adults as control. The
      expression of FOXP3(+) Treg and EBER in NPC in 32 of 83 patients and in
      nasopharyngitis in 16 control patients were tested by immunohistochemistry(IHC)
      and in-situ hybridization(ISH). Results: The ratio of Treg in blood in patients
      with NPC(5.29+/-1.45)% was higher than that in control group (4.78+/-1.19) %,
      with a statistically significant difference(P=0.035). The ratio of Treg in blood
      in patients with positive EBV was higher than that in patients with negative
      EBV(P=0.013), and there was a positive correlation between EBV DNA copies and
      Treg ratio(r=0.335, P=0.002). The density of FOXP3(+) Treg in NPC was higher than
      that in nasopharyngitis(P=0.001). Positive correlation was found between the
      density of FOXP3(+) Treg and the stain intensity of EBER(r=0.496, P=0.004).
      Conclusion: The ratios of Treg in blood and tissue in NPC patients with positive
      EBV are significantly increased, indicating a role of Treg in EBV-induced immune
      escape in NPC.

PMID- 28910896
TI  - [Measurement of morphological parameters of internal acousticmeatus using thin
      section CT].
AB  - Objective: This study aimed to measure the morphological parameters of the
      internal acoustic meatus(IAM) and its adjacent structures using temporal-bone
      thin-section CT(computed tomography). Methods: CT images were obtained from 50
      Chinese adult patients (25 males and 25 females, 100 sides) which had no visible
      lesion in the petrous part of the temporal bone and inner ear, the morphological
      parameters of all inner ear parts were sectionally measured on the specified
      plane using SPSS 22.0 software for statistical analysis. Results: The integral
      morphological characteristics of the IAM were observed. These results revealed
      that anterior-posterior diameter of the internal acoustic poer(IAP)(CD) was
      (6.93+/-1.85)mm, the superior-inferior diameter of the IAP(EF) was (4.40+/
      0.86)mm, the length of the IAM(AB) was (9.30+/-1.60)mm, the superior-inferior
      diameter of the IAM(the intersection of inner 1/3 section and middle 1/3 section)
      was (4.13+/-0.83)mm, the superior-inferior diameter of the IAM(the intersection
      of middle 1/3 section and outer 1/3 section) was (4.61+/-1.02)mm, the anterior
      posterior diameter of the IAM(the intersection of inner 1/3 section and middle
      1/3 section) was (6.62+/-1.92)mm, the anterior-posterior diameter of the IAM(the
      intersection of middle 1/3 section and outer 1/3 section) was (6.28+/-1.65)mm,
      the depth of transverse crest (superior wall) was (3.10+/-0.75)mm, the depth of
      transverse crest (interior wall)the was (1.46+/-0.59)mm, the distance from
      transverse crest vertex A to the superior wall of the IAM was (2.05+/-0.42)mm,
      the distance from transverse crest vertex A to the interior wall of the IAM was
      (2.93+/-0.41)mm, the thickness of the superior bone wall of the IAM (the
      intersection of inner 1/3 section and middle 1/3 section) was (4.45+/-1.34)mm,
      the thickness of the superior bone wall of the IAM (the intersection of middle
      1/3 section and outer 1/3 section) was (4.32+/-1.12)mm, the thickness of the
      superior bone wall of the IAM (the intersection of outer 1/3 section and
      transverse crest vertex) was (4.37+/-1.28)mm, and the appearance ratio of the
      cells in the whole IAM superior wall was 32%.The whole IAM assumed the shape of
      short cylinder, inclining about 1 cm outward, with the upper-lower diameter and
      anterior-posterior diameter about 5 mm. Conclusion: It is necessary for carrying
      out preoperative the temporal-bone thin-section CT to obtain the morphological
      parameters of the IAM, determine its basic morphology, and provide references to
      avoid damaging the other important structures during IAM surgeries.

PMID- 28910897
TI  - [The application of microvascular anastomotic coupler in vascular anastomosis of
      free tissue flap for reconstruction of defect after head and neck cancer
      resection].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the application and operation skills in vein
      anastomosis by microvascular anastomotic coupler (MAC) in reconstruction of
      defects after head and neck cancer resection. Methods: From August 2015 to July
      2016, in Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hosipital, 17 cases
      underwent the reconstruction of defects after head and neck cancer resection with
      free tissue flaps, including forearm flaps in 11 casess, anterolateral flaps in 4
      casess and fibula flaps in 2 casess. Totally 17 MAC were used, including 14 MAC
      for end-to-end anastomosis and 3 MAC for end-to-side anastomosis. SPSS 22.0
      software was used to analyze the data. Results: Venous anastomoses in 17 free
      tissue flaps were successfully completed, with no anastomotic errhysis. All flaps
      survived well. The time required for vascular anastomoses with MAC varied 2-9
      min, with average time of (4.2+/-2.3) min, which was significantly shorter than
      that with manually anastomosis (17.4 +/- 2.7) min (t=15.1, P<0.01). The followed
      up time ranged from 6 to 18 months. The flaps in recipient area healed well. The
      shape and function of recipient area were satisfying. Conclusions: Microvascular
      anastomotic coupler can be used for vessel anastomosis in free tissue flap for
      reconstruction of defect after head and neck cancer resection, which requires for
      less operation time and shows good results.

PMID- 28910898
TI  - [Eosinophilic otitis media: a case report].

PMID- 28910899
TI  - [One case of foreign body in right bronchus taken out of left bronchus].

PMID- 28910900
TI  - [The function of Kolliker's organ in mammalian cochlear].
AB  - Kolliker's organ, which is a transient structure of cochlea during development,
      in late embryonic and early postnatal period, is one of the signs of cochlear
      immaturity.Kolliker's organ degradates after the sensory structures become
      sensitive to external sound. The putative role of Kolliker's organ is important
      for generating the intrinsic spontaneous activity whichpromotes the development
      and maturation of a fully functional auditory system.

PMID- 28910902
TI  - [To strengthen the standardization of noninvasive ventilation in obstructive
      sleep apnea].

PMID- 28910901
TI  - [Clinical research on immune checkpoint and head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma].
AB  - T cell immune checkpoint pathways contribute to tumor immune escape. Many studies
      have shown that immune checkpoint is demonstrably correlated with tumor grade or
      prognosis in several types of malignancies and immune checkpoint has become a new
      biological index for tumor detection and prognosis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors
      have shown promising tumor outcomes in clinical trials for some advanced solid
      tumors and it will become a new target for cancer immunotherapy. In this review
      we will explore the correlation between expressions of immune checkpoint
      associated genes and proteins in immune microenviroment and prognosis of head and
      neck squamous cell carcinoma, and specifically will discuss how this pathway can
      be manipulated with immune therapeutic drugs.

PMID- 28910903
TI  - [Patient-ventilator synchrony in noninvasive positive pressure ventilation].

PMID- 28910904
TI  - [Noninvasive ventilation in pediatric respiratory failure: use at the right
      time].

PMID- 28910905
TI  - [Application of noninvasive ventilation in postoperative patients: indications
      and clinical strategies].

PMID- 28910906
TI  - [Noninvasive ventilation in neuromuscular diseases: respiratory support and
      airway management].

PMID- 28910907
TI  - [Clinical practices of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in stable
      obesity-hypoventilation syndrome].

PMID- 28910909
TI  - [The overseas guidelines and consensus for domiciliary noninvasive positive
      pressure ventilation for patients with sleep disordered breathing: a summary].

PMID- 28910908
TI  - [To standardize the noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in obstructive
      sleep apnea].

PMID- 28910910
TI  - [Respiratory function measurement and noninvasive ventilation therapy for
      neuromuscular diseases].

PMID- 28910911
TI  - [Experience in exploring clinical indications of some special noninvasive
      ventilation modes].

PMID- 28910912
TI  - [Percutaneous catheterization for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a
      retrospective case series].
AB  - Objective: To review the experience of percutaneous catheterization for
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) by respiratory intensivists at a
      single institution. Methods: A retrospective review of 87 patients undergoing
      percutaneous catheterization for ECMO in Department of Respiratory and Critical
      Care Medicine of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from November 2009 to January 2017.
      Subject demographics, type of support, cannulation configuration, types of
      cannulas, use of imaging modalities, and complications were recorded and
      summarized. Results: The 87 patients consisted of 61 males and 26 females. The
      average age was (47+/-16)years (range 15-82 years ). Fifty-six patients were
      given ECMO therapy because of acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS), and 16
      were treated as a bridge for lung transplantation and 15 for other causes. Eighty
      one cases were given VV-ECMO support, and 6 cases were given VA-ECMO support. The
      most commonly used cannulas were 15-17 F arterial cannulas and 21-23 F venous
      cannulas. Preinsertion ultrasound was performed in 62 patients (71%) . Bedside
      chest radiography was used to help adjust the position of the end of the cannula
      in 11 patients (13%). Percutaneous catheterization was successful in 85 cases
      (97%) , while it failed in 2 female patients due to thick subcutaneous fat layer,
      and open surgical approach was used. Percutaneous femoral artery collateral
      circulation was established by ourselves in 5 cases. One patient with femoral
      artery catheterization without collateral circulation had gangrene of limbs. The
      complications included 9 cases of catheter site hemorrhage, 4 catheter-related
      bloodstream infection and 1 pulmonary embolism during ECMO weaning. Conclusion:
      Percutaneous catheterization for ECMO can be performed with a high rate of
      success and a low rate of complications.

PMID- 28910913
TI  - [Effect of transcutaneous oximetry on prognosis of patients with severe acute
      respiratory failure receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the prognostic value of transcutaneous oximetry in
      patients with severe acute respiratory failure receiving extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation(ECMO). Methods: Forty-nine patients diagnosed as severe acute
      respiratory failure receiving Venous-Venous(V-V)ECMO were enrolled from January
      2013 to December 2015 in intensive care unit(ICU) of Wuxi People's Hospital
      Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University.The 10-min oxygen challenge test was
      performed using transcutaneous oximetry 6 h after the initiation of ECMO, and the
      10-min oxygen challenge test value(OCT(10)) and oxygen challenge index(OCI) were
      calculated.The following data were collected: patients' baseline characteristics,
      results of arterial blood gas analysis, ventilator settings, APACHEII, SOFA and
      Murray lung injury score. Patients were stratified into the survival group and
      the death group based on their mortality status at 60 d after initiation of
      ECMO.Patients' characteristics and clinical data were analyzed with SPSS 22.0
      software. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis for predicting 60 d
      mortality was carried out to find area under curve (AUC) and threshold levels of
      OCT(10) and OCI. Analysis of survival probability was carried out by Kaplan-Meier
      method and log-rank test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify
      factors associated with outcomes. Results: There were 25 patients in the survival
      group and 24 patients in the death group. The characteristics(i.e., age, sex,
      primary disease) and clinical data(i.e., results of arterial blood gas,
      ventilator settings) of the 2 groups were similar (P>0.05). The survival group
      had a significant higher OCT(10) and OCI [(77+/-11) mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa),
      0.77+/-0.17] than the death group [(57+/-12) mmHg, 0.55+/-0.13, all P<0.05]. The
      AUC value of OCT(10) and OCI for predicting 60 d mortality were 0.87+/
      0.07(95%CI: 0.69-0.96, P<0.05) and 0.83+/-0.18(95%CI: 0.64-0.94, P<0.05)
      respectively, and the cutoff points for OCT(10) and OCI were 72.00 mmHg and 0.80.
      Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that a OCT(10)>=72 mmHg (81.3% vs 15.4%,
      chi(2)=7.04, P<0.01) and a OCI>=0.8(77.8% vs 21.7%, chi(2)=13.15, P<0.01) were
      related to better outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that
      OCT(10)(OR=0.88, 95%CI: 0.80-0.96, P<0.01) and OCI (OR=0.01, 95%CI: 0.001-0.086,
      P<0.01) were both risk factors associated with 60 d mortality. Conclusion: The
      OCT(10) and OCI are predictive of mortality for patients with severe acute
      respiratory failure receiving ECMO support.

PMID- 28910914
TI  - [Changes to sleep patterns in young migrants at high altitude].
AB  - Objective: To explore the relationship between the level of acclimatization and
      the changes to sleep architecture in migrants at high altitude. Methods:
      Nocturnal sleep recordings of 50 subjects aged between 18 and 25 years [mean age
      (20.9+/-2.0) years] were analyzed. Those young volunteers were divided into 3 700
      m-3 m group(n=10, migrated to an altitude of 3 700 metres for 3 months), 3 700 m
      1 y group(n=10, for 1 year) , 5 380 m-3 m group(n=8), 5 380 m-1 y group(n=9), and
      compared with a control group(n=13, at 1 400 m altitude). Results: When the
      migrants stayed at 5 380 m for 3 months or 1 year, the wake time increased
      significantly during sleep[(81.81+/-59.80)min vs(47.19+/-24.98) min, P=0.026;
      (77.94+/-25.64)min vs(47.19+/-24.98)min, P=0.040]. Concerning the percentage of
      total sleep time(TST) in each stage, participants in the 5 380 m-3 m group had a
      shift in sleep stage distribution with near absence of slow wave sleep(SWS) and a
      significant increase of N1 , but N2 and rapid eye movement(REM) did not differ.
      Interestingly, there were entirely concordant changes among the other 3 groups of
      results, decreased N2 and increased REM. Conclusions: The migrants' abilities to
      acclimatize themselves to plateau were varied according to the arrived altitude
      and the length of stay. The sleep of short- time migrants was characterized by
      increased N1 and decreased SWS, whereas that of well acclimatized migrants was
      characterized by less N2 and more REM. The efficient recovery in SWS may be an
      objective reference in high altitude acclimatization.

PMID- 28910915
TI  - [Assessment of sleep-disordered breathing using hypoxia index].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the clinical significance of hypoxia index (HI) in
      assessing the severity of hypoxemia in obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnea
      syndrome(OSAHS). Methods: A total of 127 patients with a complaint of snoring
      visiting our hospital were recruited from February 2014 to January 2016. All
      patients received polysomnography (PSG) test. The PSG results were analyzed by a
      technician and the SpO(2) data were analyzed by a pre-designed computer software.
      The patients were grouped according to apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and lowest
      oxygen saturation (LSpO(2)) respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      curve was used to evaluate the best HI diagnostic value. Results: The HI (median)
      of the simple snoring, mild, moderate and severe OSAHS groups (according to AHI)
      were 0.027(0.004, 0.554), 0.281(0.045, 0.353), 0.429(0.099, 1.677), 21.714(2.737,
      95.473), respectively. There were statistically significant correlation between
      HI and AHI, LSpO(2), >=3% oxygen desaturation index(ODI(3)), the correlation
      coefficient being 0.78, -0.92, 0.87(U value were 8.76, -10.34, 9.72, all P<0.01).
      Grouped according to LSpO(2), the HI was significantly different between groups
      (H value were 7.62-14.39, all P<0.05). Conclusion: If the HI diagnostic value was
      set reasonably, it might be used as an effective index for evaluating the
      severity of OSAHS.

PMID- 28910916
TI  - [Primary tracheal malignant glomus tumor with lung metastasis diagnosed by
      pathological analysis: a case report and literature review].
AB  - Objective: To study the clinical manifestations, pathological features,
      diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of primary
      tracheobronchial or pulmonary malignant glomus tumor (MGT). Methods: A case of
      primary tracheal MGT with lung metastasis diagnosed by pathological analysis
      admitted to Affiliated Shantou Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in May. 2015
      was analyzed, and the related literatures were reviewed. We searched databases
      including PubMed, Embase, Ovid, Cochrane, Wanfang and Chinese National Knowledge
      infrastructure (CNKI), using the keyword "tracheal or bronchial or pulmonary
      malignant glomus tumor" from Jan. 1975 to Dec. 2016. Results: A 47 year-old male
      patient was admitted to the hospital because of cough, chest tightness and
      shortness of breath for 3 days. The chest CT showed a soft tissue mass with a
      diameter of 2.5 cm in the lower tracheal segment, and the lumen was narrowed.
      Meanwhile, multiple nodular opacities were shown in both lungs. The admission
      diagnosis was thyroid cancer with multiple metastases of lung. Electronic
      bronchoscopic airway tumor ablation and cryotherapy were performed, and then the
      biopsy of the tumor was conducted and the pathological study confirmed the
      diagnosis of primary tracheal MGT. After 1 month, the tracheal tumor recurred.
      Then, electronic bronchoscopic airway tumor ablation and cryotherapy were
      performed again. The patient declined further therapy such as radiotherapy or
      chemotherapy and died one month later. A total of 14 literatures including 15
      cases were retrieved from databases. In addition of this case, a total of 16
      cases were analyzed, including 9 males, 7 females. Age of onset ranged from 9 to
      74 years, and the average age was 49 years. These patients' chest CT showed
      airway mass or lung space occupying lesions, and the clinical manifestations were
      nonspecific. Conclusions: Primary MGT in trachea, bronchus or lung is a rare
      disease, which is easy to be misdiagnosed or to miss diagnosis. The final
      diagnosis depends on pathological morphology, and the main treatment is lobectomy
      or tracheal segment resection surgery. Due to its high invasiveness, local
      recurrence and metastasis may occur easily. The primary MGT in trachea, bronchus
      or lung is of poor prognosis.

PMID- 28910917
TI  - [The Advances in vetilator induced diaphragm dysfunction].

PMID- 28910918
TI  - [Advances in the role of interleukin-18 in acute respiratory distress syndrome].

PMID- 28910919
TI  - [The value of serum VEGF-D concentration and TSC gene in diagnosis and treatment
      of lymphangioleiomyomatosis].

PMID- 28910920
TI  - [High flow nasal cannula in obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome].

PMID- 28910921
TI  - [Effectiveness of rapid hepatitis B vaccination with different vaccine dosages
      and types in adults].
AB  - Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of rapid hepatitis B vaccination with
      different vaccine dosages and types in adults. Methods: Adults who were aged >=20
      years, negative in the detections of 5 HBV serum markers or only anti-HBc
      positive were selected from Chaoyang district of Beijing. They were divided into
      4 community-based specific groups and given three doses of 10 MUg HepB-SCY
      vaccine, 20 MUg HepB-SCY vaccine, 20 MUg HepB-CHO vaccine and 10 MUg HepB-HPY
      vaccine respectively at month 0, 1, and 2. Their blood samples were collected
      within 1-2 months after completing the three dose vaccination to test anti-HBs
      level by using chemiluminesent microparticle immunoassay. A face to face
      questionnaire survey was conducted, and chi(2) test, Mantel- Haensel chi(2) test,
      Kruskal-Wallis rank test and multiple logistic regression analysis were
      performed. Results: A total of 1 772 participants completed vaccination and
      observation. Their average age was 48.5 years, and 62.75% of them were females.
      The anti-HBs positive rates in the groups of 10 MUg HepB-SCY, 20 MUg HepB-SCY, 20
      MUg HepB-CHO and 10 MUg HepB-HPY vaccines were 79.49%, 84.34%, 82.50% and 74.15%,
      respectively (P=0.005), and the geometric mean titers (GMT) were39.53 mIU/ml,
      62.37 mIU/ml, 48.18 mIU/ml and 33.64 mIU/ml respectively (P=0.025). The overall
      anti-HBs positive rate and GMT were 79.01% and 41.18 mIU/ml. The anti-HBs GMT of
      4 groups declined with age. The differences in anti-HBs GMT among 4 groups
      minimized with age. The result of logistic modeling indicated that vaccine type
      and dosage, age and smoking were associated with anti-HBs statistically after
      controlling the variables of"only anti-HBc positive or not"and"history of
      hepatitis B vaccination". Conclusion: Hepatitis B vaccination at dosage of 20 MUg
      based on 0-1-2 month rapid schedule could achieved anti-HBs positive rates>80% in
      middle aged and old people, which can be used as supplement of 0-1-6 month
      routine schedule.

PMID- 28910922
TI  - [Comparison of antibody persistence after primary immunization with 5 MUg and 10
      MUg recombinant hepatitis B vaccine among newborns with normal and high response:
      a five-year following-up].
AB  - Objective: To compare the antibody persistence 5 years after primary immunization
      with 5 MUg and 10 MUg recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) among newborns with
      normal and high response. Methods: Newborns who completed three doses of 5 MUg
      HepB made by recombinant dexyribonucleic acid technique in Saccharomyces (HepB
      SC) or 10 MUg HepB made by recombinant dexyribonucleic acid technique in
      Hansenula polymorpha (HepB-HP) were recruited. Standardized questionnaire was
      used and blood samples were collected 1-6 months (T(0)) and five years (T(1))
      after the third dose respectively. The titer of anti-HBs was detected by
      chemiluminescence microparticle imunoassay (CMIA). Those who achieved normal or
      high antibody response (anti-HBs titer >=100 mIU/ml) were included in the study
      and the positive rate (>=10 mIU/ml) and titer of anti-HBs at T(1) were compared
      between 5 MUg HepB group and 10 MUg HepB group. Multivariable analysis was
      conducted to identify the independent factors associated with the antibody
      persistence. Results: The positive rate of anti-HBs at T(1) was 49.92% (943/1
      883) and 75.92% (1 135/1 495) respectively in 5 MUg HepB group and 10MUg HepB
      group, the difference was significant (chi(2)=237.75, P<0.001). The anti-HBs
      geometric mean concentrations at T(1) were 10.23 mIU/ml (95%CI: 9.38-11.16) and
      28.91 mIU/ml (95%CI: 26.65-31.35) in the two groups respectively, the difference
      was also significant (F=280.36, P<0.001). Among those whose anti-HBs titer was<10
      mIU/ml at T(1), the distributions of anti-HBs titer were significantly different
      between 5 MUg HepB group and 10 MUg HepB group (chi(2)=39.75, P<0.001). The
      multivariable analysis showed that dosage of HepB was independently associated
      with both positive rate and titer of anti-HBs at T(1) after excluding the other
      factors[P<0.001, OR=1.44 (95%CI: 1.20-1.73); P<0.001, beta=0.27 (95%CI: 0.14
      0.40)]. Conclusion: Five year anti-HBs persistence after primary immunization
      with 10 MUg HepB might be better than that after primary immunization with 5 MUg
      HepB among infants who achieved normal or high anti-HBs response after primary
      HepB immunization.

PMID- 28910923
TI  - [A qualitative study on high risk behaviors and related factors of reported
      HIV/AIDS cases aged 60 years and above in some areas of Henan province].
AB  - Objective: To understand the major high risk behaviors and related factors among
      reported HIV/AIDS cases aged >=60 years in some areas of Henan province. Methods:
      In Dengzhou, Xunxian county of Hebi and Xiangcheng county of Xuchang, where the
      reported number and proportion of HIV/AIDS cases aged >=60 years were high, a
      face to face interview was conducted among the cases aged >=60 years during July
      August in 2016. The information about the high risk behaviors before HIV
      infection confirmation were collected by using a semi-structured questionnaire.
      Results: A total of 33 HIV/AIDS cases aged >=60 years were interviewed, including
      28 males and 5 females. Their average age was 67.4 years. The infection route was
      sexual contact. The main findings revealed that the main factor for HIV infection
      in elder males was commercial heterosexual behavior with local female sex
      workers. The condom use rate was low. The poor awareness of the knowledge about
      AIDS prevention could explain why the elderly could not recognize the risk of HIV
      infection. There were also homosexual and bisexual behaviors in elder male
      HIV/AIDS patients. Late detection of HIV transmission among couples was the main
      cause of HIV infection in elder women. Conclusions: The major epidemiological
      related factors for HIV infection in the elderly in some areas of Henan were
      unsafe sex behavior and the poor awareness of knowledge about AIDS prevention. A
      targeted strategy should be taken to control the spread of HIV in the elderly.

PMID- 28910924
TI  - [A survey of HIV, HBV and HCV infections in children aged 1-13 years in Yi ethnic
      area, Sichuan province].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the prevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV infections in
      children aged 1-13 years in Yi ethnic area in Sichuan province. Methods: A cross
      sectional study was conducted in the form of field survey in four townships
      selected from Yi ethnic area of Sichuan during 2014-2015. Participants were
      children aged 1-13 years by sample size of 900 and were screened for HIV
      antibody, HBV surface antigen and HCV antibody, and laboratory comfirmation was
      conducted. The area, age, gender and ethnic group specific infection rates were
      compared by using Fisher's exact test, and multiple comparisons were corrected by
      using Bonferroni correction. Results: A total of 677 children aged 1-13 years
      were surveyed. The infection rates of HIV, HBV and HCV were 1.03% (7/677, 95%CI:
      0.42%-1.12%), 6.65% (45/677, 95%CI: 4.89%-8.79%) and 0.15% (1/677, 95%CI: 0%
      0.82%), respectively. The infection rates of HIV differed among townships
      (P=0.000), the infection rate was higher in township D than in township B, the
      difference was significant (P<0.001). The differences in HIV infection rate among
      different age, gender and ethnic groups were not significant. The differences in
      HBV and HCV infections were not significant among different townships, age,
      gender and ethnic groups. The difference in HBV viral load between age group 5-9
      years and age groups 10-13 years was not significant (U=115.000, P=0.967).
      Conclusions: The burden of HIV and HBV infections in children aged 1-13 years was
      heavy in rural area of Yi ethnic area in Sichuan. Therefore, it is necessary to
      take effective measures to block the vertical transmission of HIV and HBV as well
      as to increase the coverage of HBV vaccination.

PMID- 28910925
TI  - [Effect of data missing on population based viral load survey in HIV infected men
      who have sex with men sampled in 16 large cities, China].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the effect of missing data in population based viral load
      (PVL) survey in HIV infected men who have sex with men (MSM) sampled in 16 cities
      in China. Methods: The database of 3 virus load sampling survey conducted
      consecutively in HIV infected MSM population in 16 large cities (Beijing,
      Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, Kunming, Xi'an, Guangzhou,
      Shenzhen, Nanning, Urumuqi, Harbin, Changchun, Chengdu and Tianjin) during 2013
      2015 was used. SPSS 17.0 software was used to describe distribution of the
      missing data and analyze associated factors. Results: A total of 12 150 HIV
      infected MSM were randomly selected for the surveys, in whom, 9 141 (75.2%)
      received virus load tests, while 3 009 (24.8%) received no virus load tests,
      whose virus load data missed. The virus load data missing rates in MSM with or
      without access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) were 11.5% (765/6 675) and 39.4%
      (2 060/5 223) respectively, and the virus load data missing rates were 21.9% (1
      866/8 523) and 28.4% (959/3 374), respectively, in local residents and non-local
      residents (migrants). Conclusions: The analysis indicated that the data missing
      occurred in the virus load survey in HIV infected MSM population. ART status and
      census registering status were the main influencing factors. Data missing could
      influence the accurate evaluation of community viral load (CVL) and population
      viral load(PVL) levels in HIV infected MSM in China.

PMID- 28910926
TI  - [Survey on a public health emergency event caused by norovirus].
AB  - Objective: To study the epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak caused by
      norovirus infection in a school in Haidian district, Beijing. Methods: Basic
      information of the school and data related to patients in the fields survey were
      collected and analyzed descriptively. Laboratory tests were performed to test the
      stool and anal swab specimens of both patients and cooks as well as the
      environmental specimens. Risk factors related to the incidence were analyzed
      through a case-control study. Results: A total number of 119 patients were
      identified in the school. Clinical symptoms were mild, mainly involving vomiting
      (94.1%, 112/119), abdominal pain (46.2%, 55/119), but no need of hospitalization.
      The average age of the student patients was 6.38, with minimum and maximum
      between 5 and 11. Patients were found in 22 classes, but mainly in grade 1 and
      class 7 where 35 patients were found (30.17%). A total of 134 specimens of rectal
      swabs and stool were collected, with 7 positive for norovirus and 6 for
      sappovirus. Salmonella, Shigella, lapactic Escherichia coli and Vibrio
      parahaemolyticus were not found in on dinner sets, residual foods, bottled water
      or in drinking fountains. Index on water hygiene was unsatisfactory in classrooms
      or dormitories where more cases were found. Accommodation, north-facing
      classrooms, abnormal water hygiene indexes were found related to the occurance of
      the disease (P<0.05). Conclusions: The outbreak was identified a gastroenteritis
      infection, caused by norovirus with symptoms as vomiting and abdominal pain. This
      event reached the reporting standards of public health emergencies-level IV.
      Discovery and isolation of the first case was not timely while transmission of
      the disease might be water-borne. Surveillance programs on symptoms, disinfection
      of vomit and stool in places like nurseries and schools should be strengthened to
      prevent the norovirus outbreak.

PMID- 28910927
TI  - [Pregnancy intention and pregnancy-related anxiety in the second and third
      trimester: a birth cohort study].
AB  - Objective: To understand the association between pregnancy intention and
      pregnancy-related anxiety in the second and third trimester and its strength.
      Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in Ma'anshan, Anhui province. A
      total of 3 474 eligible pregnant women within 14 weeks of gestation were
      recruited. The information about their demographic characteristics were collected
      in early pregnancy. The completed questionnaire of pregnancy-related anxiety were
      asked to return in the second and third trimester. Logistic regression analysis
      was conducted to evaluate the association between pregnancy intention and
      pregnancy-related anxiety in the second and third trimester. Results: A total of
      3 083 pregnant women were included in final analysis, The rate of unintentional
      pregnancy was 15.00% (n=461). The detection rates of pregnancy-related anxiety in
      the second and third trimester were 29.13% (n=898) and 30.36% (n=936). After
      controlling potential confounding factors, unintentional pregnancy increased the
      risk of pregnancy-related anxiety in the second trimester compared with
      intentional pregnancy (OR=1.85, 95%CI: 1.44-2.38); The risk of pregnancy-related
      anxiety also increased in the third trimester (OR=1.84, 95%CI: 1.44-2.35).
      Intentional pregnancy did not increase the risk of pregnancy-related anxiety in
      the second and third trimester. Conclusion: The study results suggests that
      unintentional pregnancy could increase the risk of pregnancy-related anxiety in
      the second and third trimester.

PMID- 28910928
TI  - [A twin study of genetic and environmental influences on relationship between
      attention deficit and anxiety/depression in children and adolescents].
AB  - Objective: To understand the genetic and environmental influences on the
      relationship between attention deficit and anxiety/depression in children and
      adolescents. Methods: A total of 1 062 same-sex twins aged 6-18 years were
      included in this study. A parent-rated child behavior checklist (CBCL) was used
      in the assessment. Software Mx was used to fit the univariate model of structural
      equation. The relationship between attention deficit and anxiety/depression was
      analyzed through bivariate genetic modeling. Results: The genetic factor had
      influence on the relationship between attention deficit and anxiety/depression
      (r(g)=0.48). Shared and non-shared environmental correlation scores of attention
      deficit and anxiety/depression were 0.86 and 0.14 respectively. Conclusion:
      Common genetic and shared environmental influences can explain the relationship
      between attention deficit and anxiety/depression in children and adolescents.

PMID- 28910929
TI  - [Cross-sectional survey of autism spectrum disorders in children aged 0-6 years
      in Hainan province].
AB  - Objective: To understand the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in
      children aged 0-6 years old and influencing factors in Hainan province. Methods:
      A total of 37 862 children aged 0-6 years were selected from 18 counties in
      Hainan province for a screening by using questionnaire of"warning signs in child
      development", then field diagnosis was made, and general descriptive statistic
      analysis was conducted. The prevalence of ASD and related factors were analyzed
      with chi(2) test and unconditional logistic regression model. Results: Among 37
      862 children aged 0-6 years, 235 were diagnosed with ASD, the prevalence of ASD
      was 0.62% (0.99% in boys, 0.17% in girls), the differences was significant
      (chi(2)=101.91, P=0.000). The prevalence of ASD increased with age
      (chi(2)=288.62, P=0.000). The prevalence of ASD was significantly higher in urban
      area than in other areas (chi(2)=114.77, P=0.000). Factors such as full term
      pregnancy or not, neonatal asphyxia, father's characteristics, father's habit of
      chewing areca or smoking, mother's general mood, and mother's induced abortion
      history were the influencing factors for ASD. Conclusion: The prevalence of ASD
      in children aged 0-6 years was high in Hainan and was influenced by genetic
      factors, pregnancy and delivery process, parents unhealthy habit before and
      during pregnancy and other factors.

PMID- 28910930
TI  - [Emotional and behavioral problems associated with sleep problems in preschool
      aged children].
AB  - Objective: To examine whether sleep problems are related to both emotional and
      behavioral problems in children aged 3-6 years. Methods: A large cross-sectional
      study was conducted in Anqing, Wuhu, Tongling and Yangzhou from March to June
      2015. A total of 8 900 preschool aged children were included. Sleep problems were
      obtained by using adapted BISQ completed by the parents or the people who took
      care of children. Emotional and behavioral problems of the children were accessed
      by using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and multivariate
      logistic regression model was used for statistical analyses. Results: The
      detected rates of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity problems,
      peer problems, total difficulties and prosocial behavior in preschool aged
      children were 9.0%, 13.9%, 18.9%, 25.5%, 13.6% and 16.2% respectively. All the
      detected rates were higher in boys than in girls except the higher rate of
      emotional symptoms. The proportions of children with high sleep quality, moderate
      sleep quality and poor or worse sleep quality were 3.9%, 52.9% and 43.2%
      respectively. After controlling the confounding factors of demographic variables,
      including gender, age, delivery mode, birth weight, birth height and patent's
      educational level, multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the risk
      of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity problems, peer problems,
      total difficulties and prosocial behavior in children with longer sleep duration
      was lower than that in children with shorter sleep duration, the ORs were 0.86
      (95%CI: 0.77-0.95), 0.85 (95%CI: 0.78-0.93), 0.85 (95%CI: 0.79-0.92), 0.87(95%CI:
      0.81-0.93), 0.83 (95%CI: 0.76-0.91) and 0.82 (95%CI: 0.76-0.89) respectively.
      Compared with the children with good sleep quality, the risk of emotional
      symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity problems, peer problems, total
      difficulties and prosocial behavior were higher in children with poor or worse
      sleep quality, the ORs were 3.26 (95%CI: 2.40-4.42), 2.86 (95%CI: 2.16-3.78),
      2.60 (95%CI: 2.00-3.38), 1.96 (95%CI: 1.52-2.54), 4.02 (95%CI: 3.06-5.27) and
      2.56 (95%CI: 1.96-3.35) respectively. Conclusion: There was a negative impact of
      shorter sleep and poor or worse sleep on emotional and behavioral problems of
      preschool aged children.

PMID- 28910931
TI  - [Quality of network direct reporting of information about intervention service in
      population at high risk for HIV infection in China, 2013-2014].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the problems in the network direct reporting of information
      about intervention service conducted in population at high risk for HIV infection
      in China during 2013-2014, and provide evidence for the improvement of the
      network direct reporting of the intervention information. Methods: The wrong
      records of the intervention service in population at high-risk were collected
      from national AIDS prevention and treatment information system. The wrong
      records, including those found at county (district) level and those found at
      state level, were analyzed with descriptive statistical method. Results: A total
      of 1 066 wrong records were found during 2013-2014, and average annual wrong
      record rate was <0.1%. Up to 71.3% (760/1 066) of wrong records occurred in the
      first half year. The wrong records in eastern, central and western areas
      accounted for 14.9% (159/1 066), 22.6% (241/1 066) and 62.5% (666/1 066) of the
      total respectively. More wrong records were found in the intervention information
      for men who have sex with men and injecting drug users than in those for female
      sex workers. Among the total wrong records, 86.4% (921/1 066) were found at
      county level and 13.6% (145/1 066) were found at state level. The wrong records
      were mainly"annual number of persons receiving the first HIV test"and"annual
      number of persons covered by intervention". Common causes of wrong records were
      underreporting and delay, staff fault, miscalculation and misunderstanding.
      Conclusion: In general, the wrong record rate in intervention information for
      population at high risk for HIV infection reported directly through network was
      low in China. It is necessary to strengthen the recording of the intervention
      service, the quality control of statistics and network direct reporting and staff
      training to improve the quality of reported data of intervention service.

PMID- 28910932
TI  - [Downscaling research of spatial distribution of incidence of hand foot and mouth
      disease based on area-to-area Poisson Kriging method].
AB  - Objective: To understand the spatial distribution of incidence of hand foot and
      mouth disease (HFMD) at scale of township and provide evidence for the better
      prevention and control of HFMD and allocation of medical resources. Methods: The
      incidence data of HFMD in 108 counties (district) in Shandong province in 2010
      were collected. Downscaling interpolation was conducted by using area-to-area
      Poisson Kriging method. The interpolation results were visualized by using
      geographic information system (GIS). The county (district) incidence was
      interpolated into township incidence to get the distribution of spatial
      distribution of incidence of township. Results: In the downscaling interpolation,
      the range of the fitting semi-variance equation was 20.38 km. Within the range,
      the incidence had correlation with each other. The fitting function of scatter
      diagram of estimated and actual incidence of HFMD at country level was y=1.053
      1x, R(2)=0.99. The incidences at different scale were consistent. Conclusions:
      The incidence of HFMD had spatial autocorrelation within 20.38 km. When HFMD
      occurs in one place, it is necessary to strengthen the surveillance and
      allocation of medical resource in the surrounding area within 20.38 km. Area to
      area Poisson Kriging method based downscaling research can be used in spatial
      visualization of HFMD incidence.

PMID- 28910933
TI  - [Visual-spatial and temporal characteristics related to infectious Tuberculosis
      epidemics in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 2012-2015].
AB  - Objective: To study the spatial and temporal mode of infectious TB transmission
      in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guangxi). Methods: Data related to
      infectious TB case (Include smear and/or culture positive patients) in Guangxi
      were collected from the National Notifiable Disease Reported System (NNDRS) from
      2010 to 2015. Spatial-temporal analysis and prediction were performed by SaTScan
      7.0.2, GeoDa 1.8.12, R program v 3.3.1 and SPSS 19.0 software, using the time
      series model, Moran's I global and local spatial autocorrelation (Empirical Bayes
      adjustment). Kulldorff 's space-time scan statistics displayed by R software was
      used to identify the temporal and spatial trend of TB. Results: The total number
      of infectious TB cases, collected from NNDRS was 76 151, and showing a decreasing
      trend on annual incidence (value of Chi-square for Linear trend=3 464.53, P
      value=0.000). The forecast value of TB cases in 2016 was 7 764 (4 971-10 557),
      with peak in March, analyzed through the Winters'multiplicative model. The
      Moran's I global Statistics was greater than 0 (0.257-0.390). TB cluster seemed
      to have been existed for several years. The most significant hot spots seemed to
      be mainly located in the central and western parts of Guangxi, shown by local
      spatial autocorrelation statistics and the result from space-time
      scanning.Counties or districts that located in the east parts of Guangxi
      presented the low-low relation (significant cold spots). The situation of
      infectious TB seemed migratory. Conclusions: Our data showed an annual decreasing
      trend of incidence on infectious TB with temporal concentration in spring and
      summer. Main clusters (hot spots) were found to be located in the central and
      western parts of Guangxi. Hopefully, our findings can provide clues to uncover
      the real mode of TB transmission at the molecular-biological level.

PMID- 28910934
TI  - [Analysis on epidemiology and spatial-temporal clustering of human brucellosis in
      Fujian province, 2011-2016].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatial
      distribution of human brucellosis in Fujian province during 2011-2016, and
      provide evidence for the prevention and control of the disease. Methods: The
      surveillance data of human brucellosis in Fujian during 2011-2016 was analyzed
      with software R 3.3.1, ArcGIS 10.3.1, GeoDa 1.8.8 and SaTScan 9.4.3. Results:
      During 2011-2016, a total of 319 human brucellosis cases were reported, the
      incidence increased year by year (F=11.838, P=0.026) with the annual incidence of
      0.14/100 000. The male to female rate ratio of the incidence was 2.50 ? 1.
      Farmers and herdsmen accounted for 57.37%. The incidence was 0.40/100 000 in
      Zhangzhou and 0.32/100 000 in Nanping, which were higher than other areas. The
      number of affected counties (district) increased from 12 in 2011 to 28 in 2016,
      showing a significant increase (F=13.447, P=0.021). The Moran's I of brucellosis
      in Fujian between January 2011 and December 2016 was 0.045, indicating the
      presence of a high value or low value clustering areas. Local spatial
      autocorrelation analysis showed that, high-high clustering area (hot spots) were
      distributed in Zhangpu, Longhai, Longwen, etc, while high-low clustering areas
      were distributed in Nan'an and Jiaocheng, etc. Temporal scanning showed that
      there were three clustering areas in areas with high incidence, the most possible
      clustering, occurring during January 1, 2013- December 31,2015, covered 6
      counties, including Yunxiao, Pinghe, Longhai, etc, and Zhangpu was the center,
      (RR=7.96, LLR=92.62, P<0.001). Conclusions: The epidemic of human brucellosis in
      Fujian is becoming serious, and has spread to general population and non-epidemic
      areas. It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of human
      brucellosis in areas at high risk.

PMID- 28910935
TI  - [Application of State Space model in the evaluation of the prevention and control
      for mumps].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of mumps in 2012 and
      2014, and to explore the preventive effect of the second dose of mumps-containing
      vaccine (MuCV) in mumps in Shandong province. Methods: On the basis of certain
      model assumptions, a Space State model was formulated. Iterated Filter was
      applied to the epidemic model to estimate the parameters. Results: The basic
      reproduction number (R(0)) for children in schools was 4.49 (95%CI: 4.30-4.67)
      and 2.50 (95%CI: 2.38-2.61) respectively for the year of 2012 and 2014.
      Conclusions: Space State model seems suitable for mumps prevalence description.
      The policy of 2-dose MuCV can effectively reduce the number of total patients.
      Children in schools are the key to reduce the mumps.

PMID- 28910936
TI  - [Current status and change trend of violence against children in China from 2006
      to 2015, an analysis on data from National Injury Surveillance System].
AB  - Objective: To understand the current status and change trend of violence against
      children in China and provide evidence for the risk factor and intervention
      priority identifications and intervention strategy development. Methods: The data
      of National Injury Surveillance System (NISS) from 2006 to 2015 were used to
      analyze the change in outpatient visit due to violence against children, injury
      cases'demographic characteristics, incidence of injury and clinical outcomes of
      injury cases. Results: A total of 44 319 injury cases caused by violence against
      children were reported through NISS during this period. The proportion of
      violence related child injury cases in total child injury cases decreased year by
      year. In child violence cases reported in 2015, boys accounted for 81.31%, the
      boy to girl ratio was 2.22?1. Violence related injuries caused by blunt strike
      accounted for 65.69%. The incidences of child violence were low in February and
      during July-August and 48.87% of violence related injuries occurred in schools
      and public places, bruise accounted for 63.52%. The main injured body part caused
      by child violence was head (51.18%), and most violence caused injuries (82.66%)
      were mild, while 83.21% of the injury cases went home after treatment.
      Conclusions: Violence against children should not be ignored. Male students of
      middle/high schools are at high risk. Schools are the places where violence
      against children is prone to occur. Health and safety education should be
      strengthened to prevent the occurrence of campus violence and improve the child's
      awareness of self-protection and reduce the incidence of serious violence.

PMID- 28910937
TI  - [Co-prevalence of chronic disease risk factors and influencing factors in
      floating population in China].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the prevalence and co-prevalence of tobacco use,
      excessive alcohol use, insufficient intake of vegetable and fruit, physical
      inactivity, and overweight or obesity in floating population and influencing
      factors in China, 2012. Methods: Data from the 2012 China Chronic Disease Risk
      Factor Survey in Floating Population in China were used. In this survey, 48 704
      people aged 18-59 years in floating population were selected through stratified
      multistage clustering sampling in 170 counties and districts from 31 province
      (autonomous regions and municipalities) and Xinjiang Production and Construction
      Corps. The gender specific prevalence and co-prevalence of five risk factors were
      estimated, and the rank sum test was used for result comparison. Results: Among
      the people surveyed, 27.4% had one risk factor, 37.1% had two risk factors, 28.5%
      had >=3 risk factors. The prevalence or co-prevalence of risk factors were
      positively correlated with age (P<0.05), income level (P<0.05) and migration time
      (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with educational level (P<0.05). People who
      were males, in Han ethnic group, engaged in construction and from other provinces
      were more likely to have more risk factors (P<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence
      and co-prevalence of tobacco use, excessive alcohol use, insufficient intake of
      vegetable and fruit, physical inactivity and overweight or obesity were high in
      floating population in China, suggesting that it is necessary to strengthen the
      comprehensive behavior intervention in floating population.

PMID- 28910938
TI  - [Comparison of commercial HIV-1 viral load tests by using proficiency test
      results in China, 2013- 2015].
AB  - Objective: To compare the bio-equivalence among commercial HIV-1 viral load
      tests, including EasyQ HIV-1 v2.0 (EasyQ) from bioMerieux NucliSens of France;
      VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 3.0 assay (bDNA) from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics of USA;
      COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test (Taqman) from Roche Molecular Diagnosis
      of USA; Abbott Real Time HIV-1 Kit (M2000) from Abbott Molecular of USA and two
      domestic HIV-1 viral load test kits (domestic kit) from DaAn Gene Company of Sun
      Yat-Sen University and Liaoning Bio-Pharmaceutical company of Northeast
      pharmaceutical group, by using proficiency test results in China from 2013 to
      2015. Methods: A total of 2 954 proficiency test results, obtained from 22
      positive samples of 6 proficiency tests in 155 laboratories conducted by China
      CDC were analyzed during 2013-2015. The results from each sample were first
      logarithmic transformed and then grouped according to the method used, the mean
      value of logarithmic results was calculated. Subsequently, 22 clusters of mean
      values were analyzed by Bland-Altman analysis for the consistency, and linear
      regression analysis for the interdependency. Results: The results indicated that,
      by taking Taqman as the reference, EasyQ, M2000, bDNA and domestic kit had good
      consistency (90%-100%) and interdependency. Conclusion: All the viral load tests
      were bio-equivalent. Moreover, according to the conversion formula derived from
      domestic proficiency test results, all the viral load results could be converted,
      which is critical for epidemiological analysis.

PMID- 28910939
TI  - [Genotyping and drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated in
      Changping district in Beijing, 2011-2015].
AB  - Objective: To understand the genotype distribution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      and the drug susceptibility of M. tuberculosis with different genotypes in
      Changping district of Beijing and evaluate the application of genotyping of M.
      tuberculosis in local tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control. Methods: A total
      of 1 099 M. tuberculosis strains isolated in Changping from 2011 to 2015 were
      used. Spoligotyping and 12-locus VNTR recommended by Gao were used for the
      genotyping of these isolates. In addition, the susceptibility of the M.
      tuberculosis isolates to rifampin (RFP), isoniazid (INH), ethambutol (EMB),
      streptomycin (SM), amikacin (AMK) and ofloxcin (OFX) were detected by using
      conventional drug susceptibility test. Results: From 2011 to 2015, the detection
      rate of OFX-resistance increased from 2.9% to 8.9% (P=0.01). Of all the M.
      tuberculosis isolates, 976 belonged to Beijing genotype (88.8%), and the other
      123 belonged to non-Beijing genotype (11.2%). In addition, there were 189 ancient
      Beijing genotype isolates and 787 modern Beijing genotype isolates, respectively.
      The proportion of Beijing genotype strains showed no significant increase in the
      past five years (81.1% in 2011 vs. 82.0% in 2015). On the basis of VTNR
      genotyping, only 2 isolates belonged to one cluster (0.1%). In addition, the AMK
      resistant rate of Beijing genotype strains (1.7%) was significantly lower than
      that of non-Beijing genotype strains (4.9%, P=0.02). Compared with modern Beijing
      genotype strains, the SM resistant rate of ancient Beijing genotype strains was
      significantly higher (28.0% vs. 15.7%, P=0.01). Conclusions: In the past five
      years, the OFX- resistant rate of M.tuberculosis in Changping was in increase.
      There was no significant difference in the detection of Beijing genotype strains
      during this period. In addition, the low clustering rate indicated that the TB
      transmission rate was low in Changping.

PMID- 28910940
TI  - [Diagnostic value of p16/mcm2 dual staining in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
      and its association with high-risk HPV infection].
AB  - Objective: To study the expression of p16/mcm2 immunocytochemical dual staining
      in cervical lesions and its association with high-risk HPV infection, and discuss
      its clinical value in cervical cancer screening. Methods: From May to December
      2015, a total of 1 127 women receiving cervical cancer screening, high-risk HPV
      (HR-HPV) test and liquid-based cytology test were included in the study. p16/mcm2
      immunocytochemical dual staining was performed on residual cytology specimens and
      the results were compared with histopathology results. Results: p16/mcm2 had a
      higher expression risk in HPV16/18 group and other HR-HPV group compared with HPV
      negative group, with OR of 15.95 (95%CI: 9.59-26.51) and 10.53 (95%CI: 7.41
      14.98), respectively. The positive rate of p16/mcm2 increased with cervical
      intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) severity, and was higher in both CIN2 group and
      CIN3 group than in benign lesion group (P<0.05). The overall sensitivity of
      p16/mcm2 to detect CIN2+and CIN3+lesions were 86.1% and 92.0%, respectively, and
      the overall specificity were 46.1% and 44.4%, respectively. In group with
      cytologic diagnoses of atypical squamous cells (ASC) and low-grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), the sensitivity to detect CIN2+and CIN3+lesions
      were 85.7% and 87.5%, respectively, and the specificity were 45.5% and 44.1%,
      respectively. Conclusions: p16/mcm2 dual staining has higher sensitivity than
      cytology test and better specificity than HPV test. It can identify high-grade
      cervical lesions and guide the classification of CIN. p16/mcm2 might be used as
      an innovative biomarker for cervical cancer screening.

PMID- 28910941
TI  - [Effects of Src on cervical cancer cells proliferation and apoptosis through ERK
      signal transduction pathway].
AB  - Objective: To explore the effect of Src on cervical cancer cells through ERK
      signal transduction pathway. Methods: Experimental study was carried out in
      vitro. Cervical cancer cell lines Hela (HPV-positive) and C33A (HPV-negative)
      were treated with Src kinase inhibitor PP2. Then, the cell cycle and apoptosis of
      each group were evaluated by using flow cytometry (FCM). Western blotting and
      Real-time PCR were used to detect the levels of the expression of ERK 1/2, c-Fos
      and c-Jun mRNA and protein respectively. The database was established and
      analyzed with SPSS statistical software (version 20.0). Results: After down
      regulating Src, the cell proliferation was inhibited and cell apoptosis was
      induced. The proportions of G0/G1 stage of Hela and C33A cell in cell cycle
      increased while G2/M and S stages decreased. Meanwhile, the mRNA levels of ERK 1,
      ERK 2, c-Fos and c-Jun increased. And the expression levels of ERK 1/2,
      phosphorylated ERK 1/2 (p-ERK 1/2) and phosphorylated c-Fos (p-c-Fos) protein
      decreased, while c-Jun and phosphorylated c-Jun (p-c-Jun) protein expression
      increased. In addtion, the change level of Hela cell, p-ERK 1/2 and c-Fos protein
      were lower than that of C33A cell before and after the Src inhibition.
      Conclusions: Src, involved in regulating the expression of key factors of the ERK
      signal transduction pathway including p-ERK 1/2 and p-c-Fos, might be capable of
      promoting the proliferation of cervical cancer cells and inhibiting their
      apoptosis. The infection with HPV might have adjustable effect on this process.

PMID- 28910942
TI  - [Association between expression of plasma miRNA and the risk of childhood acute
      lymphocytic leukemia].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the characteristics of distribution and expression
      profiles of plasma miRNA in childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (cALL) patients;
      the association between cALL incidence risk and plasma miRNA levels; the
      feasibility of plasma miRNA serving as cALL diagnostic biomarker. Methods: A
      total of 111 pairs of newly diagnosed cALL patients and patients with fractures
      were collected from Shenzhen Children's Hospital, China, between January 2015 and
      November 2016. Age and sex of the cases and controls were 1? 1 matched and
      LNA(TM) miRNA microarray was performed using 4 pairs of cALL and controls
      selected from the sample population. The expression level of miRNA was validated
      by real time quantitative PCR. Conditional logistic regression analysis was
      applied to evaluate the association between miRNA expression levels and the
      incidence risk of cALL. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and
      reclassification analysis were conducted to assess the feasibility of miRNAs
      serving as biomarkers for cALL. Results: A total of 204 differentially expressed
      miRNA were screened out and let-7f-5p, miR-5100, miR-25-3p and miR-3654 were
      selected for validation identified according to the inclusion criteria. The
      expression levels of let-7f-5p, miR-5100 and miR-25-3p in the cALL patients were
      significantly lower than those of the controls (P<0.01). After adjusting for
      confounding factors, 3 miRNAs remained significantly associated with the risk of
      cALL (OR and 95%CI were 0.84 (0.76-0.92), 0.81 (0.73-0.90) and 0.81 (0.74-0.89),
      respectively. Results from both the ROC analysis and reclassification analysis
      showed that introduction of one or more miRNA to traditional risk factors
      improved the area under the curve (P<0.05) and provided additional values to
      diagnosis (P<0.01). Conclusion: The expression levels of let-7f-5p, miR-5100 and
      miR-25-3p were significantly associated with the incidence rate of cALL, and
      these miRNAs might serve as promising biomarkers for cALL.

PMID- 28910943
TI  - [Study on antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus colonized in
      intestine of neonates from neonatal intensive care unit].
AB  - Objective: To understand the antibiotic resistance of bacteria colonized in
      intestine of the neonates from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and provide
      evidence to guide clinical antibiotic treatment. Methods: From May, 2014 to May,
      2015, a total of 572 stool samples were collected from the neonates of NICU in
      our hospital. Escherichia coli and Enterococcus were detected with VITEK-2
      system. Results: A total of 328 strains of E. coli and 243 strains of
      Enterococcus were isolated respectively in this study. The 199 strains of E. coli
      selected for drug susceptibility test showed lower resistant rate to imipenem,
      ertapenem, amikacin, nitrofurantoin, ranging from 0.50% to 3.52% and showed
      higher resistant rate to ampicillin, tetracycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole
      and cefazolin, ranging from 54.27% to 84.92%. No meropenem resistant strainsere
      were found. The percentage of ESBLs production strains was 45%. The multi drug
      resistance test showed that 34.6% of the strains were resistant to four
      antibiotics. Three strains were resistant to seven antibiotics. The 243 strains
      of Enterococcus showed lower resistant rate to quinupristin/dalfopristin,
      nitrofurantoin, streptomycin, ranging from 0.41% to 4.53% and showed higher
      resistant rate to ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline,
      gentamicin and erythromycin, ranging from 70.78% to 91.77%. No strains which were
      resistant to tigecycline, vancomycin, rina thiazole amine/ketone were found. The
      multi drug-resistance test showed that 86.5% of the strains were resistant to
      five antibiotics. Conclusions: According to the analysis of the 199 strains of E.
      coli and 243 strains of Enterococcus isolated from the neonates, we found that
      the resistance of intestinal bacteria in the neonates was very serious, showing
      multi drug resistance. It is necessary to use antibiotics according to the drug
      susceptibility test results in clinical treatment.

PMID- 28910944
TI  - [Association between periconceptional folic acid supplementation and small for
      gestational age birth based on pre-pregnancy body mass index].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the association between periconceptional folic acid
      supplementation and small for gestational age (SGA) birth based on maternal pre
      pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and provide evidence for the development of
      comprehensive prevention programs on SGA birth. Methods: Between March, 2012 and
      September, 2016, a total of 8 523 pregnant women delivering in the First
      Affiliated Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were surveyed to collect the
      information about their demographic characteristics, folic acid supplementation
      before and during pregnancy and about their infants. Among their infants, 1 066
      were small for gestational age (case group), 7 457 were appropriate for
      gestational age (AGA) (control group). Unconditional logistic regression model
      was used to evaluate the association between periconceptional folic acid
      supplementation and SGA birth in the context of different pre-pregnancy BMI.
      Results: The overall incidence of SGA birth was 12.51% (1 066/8 523). After
      adjusting the confounding factors, pre-pregnancy BMI<18.5 kg/m(2) was a risk
      factor for SGA birth (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.01-1.47), pre-pregnancy BMI>=24.0 kg/m(2)
      was associated with a reduced risk of SGA birth (OR=0.81, 95%CI:0.68-0.97). After
      adjusting confounding factors, periconceptional folic acid supplementation was a
      protective factor for SGA birth (OR=0.82, 95%CI: 0.68-0.98). After stratified by
      pre-pregnancy BMI, periconceptional folic acid supplementation was associated
      with the reduced risk of SGA birth in overweight group (24.0 kg/m(2)<=BMI<28.0
      kg/m(2)) with OR of 0.55 (95%CI: 0.36-0.85). No significant association was
      observed in other groups. When examined by folic acid supplement type,
      periconceptional single folic acid supplementation (400 MUg per tablet) was a
      protective factor for SGA birth (OR=0.82, 95%CI: 0.69-0.99). After stratified by
      pre-pregnancy BMI, periconceptional single folic acid supplementation (400 MUg
      per tablet) was associated with the reduced risk of SGA birth in overweight
      groups (OR=0.56, 95%CI: 0.36-0.86). No association was observed between
      periconceptional folic acid containing multivitamin supplementation and SGA
      birth. Conclusions: Periconceptional folic acid supplementation (400 MUg) was
      associated with reduced risk of SGA birth in women with pre-pregnancy BMI>=24.0
      kg/m(2) and<28.0 kg/m(2). No association between folic acid supplementation and
      SGA was observed in other groups. This study suggests that pre-pregnancy BMI
      might modify the influence of folic acid supplementation on the risk of SGA
      birth.

PMID- 28910945
TI  - [Nested case-control study on associated factors for anemia during pregnancy].
AB  - Objective: To explore the related factors of anemia during pregnancy and provide
      scientific evidence for the primary prevention of anemia during pregnancy.
      Methods: The pregnant women (<=12 pregnant weeks) who received the first
      pregnancy care in a local medical institution in Hunan province from June 2013 to
      November 2014 were included in this cohort study, and for them anemia had been
      excluded by physical examination. Baseline survey and follow up till childbirth
      were conducted for them. A queue-based nested case-control study (1 ? 2) was
      conducted (380 pregnant women with anemia detected in this study as case group,
      760 pregnant women without anemia randomly selected and matched by age, habitual
      residence during pregnancy as control group. And t test, chi(2) test and logistic
      regression analysis were conducted to identify related factors of anemia during
      pregnancy. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that low
      family annual income level (net income) (OR=2.08, 95%CI: 1.22-3.59), low
      educational level (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.22-3.59), pre-pregnancy perm/hair dye
      (OR=2.23, 95%CI: 1.63-3.05), early pregnancy vomiting (OR=2.51, 95%CI: 1.56-4.03)
      were the risk factors for anemia during pregnancy. Intake of vitamin and trace
      element supplements (OR=0.69, 95%CI: 0.50-0.94), frequent meat, fish, shrimp, egg
      intakes (OR=0.68, 95%CI: 0.49-0.92), frequent soy milk, milk intakes (OR=0.51,
      95%CI: 0.27-0.95) were the protective factors for anemia during pregnancy.
      Conclusion: A number of factors, such as family annual income level, education
      level, poisonous and harmful material contact, pregnancy reaction, nutrition, are
      related to the incidence of anemia during pregnancy, it is necessary to take
      preventive measures to reduce the incidence of anemia during pregnancy.

PMID- 28910946
TI  - [Joint effect of smoking and diabetes on stroke].
AB  - Objective: To explore the interaction of smoking and diabetes on stroke. Methods:
      In this case-control study, a face to face questionnaire survey was conducted.
      Logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between smoking
      or diabetes and stroke. The indicators of interaction were calculated according
      to the Bootstrap method in this study. Results: A total of 918 cases and 918
      healthy controls, who participated in the chronic disease risk factor survey in
      Xuzhou in 2013, were included in this study. Logistic regression analysis found
      that cigarette smoking was associated with stroke (OR=1.63, 95%CI: 1.33-2.00),
      and diabetes was also associated with stroke (OR=2.75, 95%CI: 2.03-3.73) after
      adjusting confounders. Compared with those without diabetes and smoking habit,
      the odds ratio of stroke in those with diabetes and smoking habits was 8.94
      (95%CI:3.77-21.19). Diabetes and smoking combined interaction index was 3.65
      (95%CI: 1.68-7.94), the relative excess risk was 5.77 (95%CI: 0.49-11.04), the
      attributable proportion was 0.65 (95%CI: 0.42-0.87). Conclusion: The results
      suggest that there are additive interactions between smoking and diabetes on
      stroke.

PMID- 28910947
TI  - [Meta analysis on HBsAg-positive rate among general populations aged 1-59 years,
      2007-2016, China].
AB  - Objective: To perform a Meta-analysis on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
      positive rates among general Chinese population aged 1-59 years. Methods: We
      systemically reviewed the related data (January 2007 to August 2016) published
      from Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, and PubMed. We also
      assessed the HBsAg-positive rates among general Chinese populations aged 1-59
      years, using a random effects regression model with the comprehensive Meta
      analysis software 2.2. Results: A total of 46 papers were finally included, with
      a total sample size of 625 053 individuals. Results from the Meta-analysis showed
      that the overall combined HBsAg-positive rate was 5.7% (95%CI: 4.8%-6.6%) among
      general Chinese populations aged 1-59 years. When comparing the HBsAg-positive
      rates in different regions, data showed that the HBsAg-positive rate of was
      higher in the mid-western areas (6.3%, 95%CI: 4.9%-8.0%) than in the eastern
      areas (5.5%, 95%CI: 4.4%-6.8%). Results showed that HBsAg-positive rates was
      higher in males (6.1%, 95%CI: 5.3%-7.0%) than in females (4.8%, 95%CI: 4.2%
      5.5%). As for the HBsAg-positive rates in different time periods, data showed
      positive rate of 6.3% (95%CI: 5.5%-7.2%) in 2007-2009, 5.9% (95%CI: 4.4%-8.0%) in
      2010-2012 and 3.5% (95%CI: 2.0%-6.1%) in 2013- 2016, respectively. Conclusion:
      The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection was decreasing between 2007 and
      2016 in China, making the country an intermediate endemic area on HBV.

PMID- 28910948
TI  - [Risk on bias assessment: (2) Revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for individually
      randomized, parallel group trials (RoB2.0)].
AB  - This paper introduces the revised cochrane risk of bias tool for individually
      randomized, parallel group trials (RoB2.0), compates RoB2.0 and the previous
      version (RoB1.0). And illustrates the application of RoB2.0 for a published
      clinical trial. As a comprehensive tool, RoB2.0 provides more information on the
      risk of bias for evidence synthesis. RoB2.0 is still under development and it is
      suggested that the users should follow the updates of the developers in the
      future.

PMID- 28910950
TI  - [Liquid biopsy, coming to clinical practice].

PMID- 28910951
TI  - [The detection of circulating tumor cell in patients with liver cancer].

PMID- 28910949
TI  - [China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study: study design and preliminary results].
AB  - Objective: To investigate the health status, functional ability, mental
      psychology, health care and other longevity-related characteristics of
      individuals aged >=100 years as well as risk factors in Hainan province, China.
      Methods: China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study (CHCCS) is a community-based,
      prospective cohort study to establish multi-dimensional database consisting of
      questionnaire findings, anthropometric parameters and biological specimens as
      well as imaging features. With the household registration information provided by
      the Department of Civil Affairs of Hainan province, a baseline survey was
      conducted in centenarians in 18 counties in Hainan with the oldest old in 5
      counties as controls between 2014 and 2017. The survey included face to face
      interview, physical examination and biological specimen collection. After the
      baseline survey, the participants of CHCCS were followed up at an interval of 2
      years to collect the information about their living status, disease status or
      major death causes. Results: According to the information provided by the
      Department of Civil Affairs of Hainan province in 2014, the survey found that 1
      473 centenarians were still living. By December 2016, 1 002 of them had agreed to
      be surveyed. The average age of 722 centenarians with complete information in the
      baseline survey was (102.7+/-2.7) years, the majority of them were females
      (83.0%), widows (88.8%), in Han ethnic group (84.5%), lived with family members
      (87.8%), illiterates (89.7%) and farmers (81.0%). Conclusion: CHCCS has provided
      longevity-related information of the large longevity population and collected the
      valuable and rare biological specimens with great urgency to establish an
      interdisciplinary platform and base for longevity, senility and healthy aging
      research.

PMID- 28910952
TI  - [Establishment of cut-off value of serum pro-gastrin-releasing peptide for
      diagnosis of small cell lung cancer and evaluation on the clinical diagnosis
      efficiency].
AB  - Objective: To determine critical reference value (cut-off value) of serum pro
      gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) and neuron specific enolase(NSE) in the
      diagnosis of small cell lung cancer(SCLC). To evaluate the clinical significance
      of serum levels of ProGRP and NSE in diagnosis and differential diagnosis in
      SCLC. Methods: Three hundred and fifty-two SCLC patients, 163 non small cell lung
      cancer(NSCLC)patients , 193 benign pulmonary disease patients and 140 healthy
      people visiting in National Cancer Hospital were analyzed retrospectively from
      January 2014 to July 2017.The levels of serum ProGRP and NSE of people were
      determined using electrochemiluminescent immunoassay respectively . Reference
      value ranges of the makers were determined by using the method of ROC curves.
      Results: In NSCLC group, benign lung disease group, healthy control group and
      mixed group (NSCLC+ lung benign diseases+ healthy control group) as a reference,
      the cut-off values were 58.3, 62.3, 57.8, 61.3 ng/L. In the diagnosis and
      differential diagnosis of SCLC and NSCLC, benign lung diseases, healthy controls
      and mixed group, AUC of ProGRP was 0.940 (0.919-0.961), 0.941 (0.921-0.960),
      0.959 (0.944-0.975), 0.946 (0.928-0.963) respectively. The sensitivities of
      ProGRP were 86.4%, 84.9%, 86.4% and 84.7% respectively. The specificities of
      ProGRP were 95.7%, 96.9%, 99.3%, 98% respectively. In all groups the Youden's
      index of ProGRP and NSE were 0.821 vs 0.612, 0.818 vs 0.674, 0.857 vs 0.810,
      0.827 vs 0.674. In healthy controls, no statistically significant difference was
      found between ProGRP and NSE (P>0.05) in the diagnosis of AUC. However, in the
      remaining 3 groups, the ProGRP diagnosis of AUC was significantly greater than
      that of NSE (P<0.01). Compared with single marker detection, the sensitivity of
      combined detection of ProGRP and NSE in diagnosis of SCLC increased to 95.5%,
      94%, 96.6% and 94% in each group. There was no significant difference between
      ProGRP and ProGRP+ NSE in the diagnosis of AUC when compared with the NSCLC group
      and the mixed group (P>0.05). However, when combined with a healthy control group
      and a benign lung disease group, the ProGRP+ NSE combination was the highest for
      AUC diagnosis, compared with ProGRP and NSE (P<0.01). In the SCLC ED group serum
      ProGRP and NSE levels[776.33(3 103.4)ng/L, 52.14(60.59)MUg/L]were higher than
      those in the SCLC LD group[295.59(799.65)ng/L, 23.36(22.97)MUg/L], respectively
      (all P<0.001). The serum ProGRP levels of N0, N1, N2 and N3 in TNM staging were
      113.0(343.65), 167.04(724.56), 427.42(1 388.62), 735.99(1 709.95)ng/L
      respectively (all P<0.001). Serum ProGRP and NSE levels were not statistically
      different between the sex groups and the age groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: To
      establish the cut-off value of serum ProGRP is helpful for the diagnosis and
      differential diagnosis of SCLC.

PMID- 28910953
TI  - [The expression and association of CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/-) myeloid-derived
      suppressor cell-like cells and interleukin-1beta in ovarian cancer].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the percentage of CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/-) myeloid-derived
      suppressor cell-like cell subtypes(MDSCs) and interleukin-1beta(IL-1beta)
      concentration in peripheral blood and ascites of ovarian cancer patients, and to
      explore their association with clinicopathological characteristics. Methods:
      Blood samples of 31 patients and ascites of 5 patients in Qilu Hospital of
      Shandong University from January 2016 to December 2016 were collected. Blood
      samples of 20 healthy volunteers with matched age were collected as control. The
      percentages of CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/-) cell subtypes in CD14(+) monocytes were
      collected by flow cytometry and their phenotypes were analyzed. qRT-PCR was used
      to analyze the expression of immunosuppression factors in this subtype. ELISA was
      used to analyze IL-1beta concentration in peripheral blood and ascites of ovarian
      cancer patients and healthy controls. The correlation between CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/
      ) cell percentage and IL-1beta concentration was explored. The association
      between CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/-) cell percentage, IL-1beta concentration and
      clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Results: The percentage of
      CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/-) cells in CD14(+) monocytes of peripheral blood of healthy
      controls was (2.30+/-0.49)%, and the percentage in ovarian cancer patients was
      (3.74+/-0.95)%, with statistical significance (t=6.96, P<0.01). This cell subset
      showed similar phenotypes and factor expression with monocytic MDSCs. The
      percentage of CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/-) cells in peripheral blood ascites of ovarian
      cancer patients was (16.60+/-7.35)%, significantly higher than those in
      peripheral bloods (4.03+/-0.94)%(t=3.87, P<0.05). The concentration of IL-1beta
      in peripheral blood of healthy controls was[3.88(0.41, 7.07)]ng/L, and the
      concentration in ovarian cancer patients was (12.77+/-3.52) ng/L, with
      statistical significance (Z=-4.93, P<0.01). IL-1beta concentration in ascites of
      ovarian cancer patients was (62.17+/-23.05) ng/L, significantly higher than that
      in peripheral bloods (12.65+/-3.93) ng/L(t=5.20, P<0.01). IL-1beta concentration
      was correlated with CD14(+) HLA-DR(Low/-) cell percentage in ovarian cancer
      patients (R(2)=0.36 in peripheral blood, P<0.01; R(2)=0.68 in ascites, P<0.05),
      but not in healthy controls (R(2)=0.02, P>0.05). The percentage of CD14(+) HLA
      DR(Low/-) cells and IL-1beta concentration were associated with metastasis and
      FIGO stage of ovarian cancer. Conclusion: The elevated percentage of CD14(+) HLA
      DR(Low/-) cells and IL-1beta concentration might involve in the development of
      ovarian cancer.

PMID- 28910954
TI  - [The value of serum human tumor protein P53 in colorectal cancer combined
      diagnosis and postoperative monitoring].
AB  - Objective: The aim of this paper is to investigate the application value of serum
      human tumor protein P53 (TP53) in the diagnosis and postoperative monitoring of
      colorectal cancer. Methods: One hundred and fifteen patients with colorectal
      cancer diagnosed without colorectal cancer and without surgery, radiotherapy and
      chemotherapy and total of 158 patients with colorectal benign disease and 182
      healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. The levels of serum
      carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) were detected
      by electrochemiluminescence assay. The expression of TP53 was analyzed by ELISA.
      Fourth-one patients with colorectal cancer were detected with one day before
      operation and the first seven days after operation. The expression of CEA, CA199
      and TP53 was analyzed by ROC curve. The results were compared with those of CEA
      and CA199 diagnostic value. Results: The medians of the levels of TP53 in
      patients with colorectal cancer patients, colorectal benign, and healthy subjects
      are 316.0(24.6, 940.8 ) , 9.8(3.7, 30.1 ) and 1.9(1.4, 2.5 ) MUg/L (H=260.161,
      P<0.01), respectively. The level of TP53 in patients with colorectal cancer was
      significantly higher than that in colorectal benign and healthy subjects. The
      levels of serum TP53 in patients with colorectal cancer show great discrepancies
      in different TNM stages, different tumor location, depth of invasion and lymph
      node metastasis (P<0.05) , but no difference in sex, age, and tumor growth type.
      The levels of TP53 in the same patient is 711.5(354.9, 1 068.0) MUg/L in the
      first seven days after operation, significantly decreased when compared to it in
      the one day before the operation with the value of 952.6 (419.7, 1485.4) MUg/L
      (Z=-1.989, P<0.05). The difference was statistically significant, and CEA, CA199
      were not statistically significant. And the sensitivity (79.1%) and specificity
      (81.8%) of TP 53 were significantly higher than those of CEA (39.1%, 70.3%) and
      CA199 (47.8%, 69.1%). If TP53 was combined with CEA and CA199, sensitivity
      (86.1%) and specificity (87.9%) can be significantly improved, in which the area
      of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.924. Conclusions: Serum
      TP53 has a certain positive significance for the diagnosis, postoperative
      monitoring of colorectal cancer. Combined detection with CEA and CA199 can
      improve the sensitivity and specificity, implicating good clinical application
      value.

PMID- 28910955
TI  - [The localization diagnosis of patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone
      dependent Cushing's syndrome in adolescence].
AB  - Objective: To elucidate the clinical characteristics and localization diagnosis
      of patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing's syndrome
      (CS) in adolescence. Methods: The clinical data, laboratory examination and
      localization diagnosis from 35 patients aged less than 18 years old with
      adolescent CS who were treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between
      January 1990 and March 2012 were analyzed. Results: There were 29 cases of
      Cushing's disease (CD) and 6 cases of ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS). Compared to
      patients with EAS, those with CD were older at diagnosis[(15.2+/-2.7) vs (12.8+/
      4.4) years], and had longer disease course[(1.9+/-1.5) vs (0.7+/-0.3) years]and
      higher serum potassium[(3.8+/-0.6) vs (2.5+/-0.7) mmol/L], however the plasma
      ACTH level[(15.4+/-14.9) vs (42.5+/-22.7) pmol/L]was lower (all P<0.05). If the
      cut-off of the ratio of 24-hour urine free cortisol (24 h UFC) after low-dose
      dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST) to before LDDST was 0.65, the sensibility
      to diagnose CD was 70.8%, and the specificity was 100%. If the cut-off of the 24
      h UFC ratio after high-dose dexamethasone suppression test (HDDST) to before
      HDDST was 0.54, the sensibility to diagnose CD was 91.7%, and the specificity was
      100%. If the cut-off of the plasma ACTH ratio of inferior petrosal vein[bilateral
      inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS)]to peripheral vein was 2, only 6 CD
      patients (6/8) met it. Conclusion: The study suggested that HDDST was more
      meaningful in the localization diagnosis of patients with ACTH-dependent CS in
      adolescence.

PMID- 28910956
TI  - [Modulation of umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells on Treg cells in the
      patients with aplastic anemia].
AB  - Objective: To research the modulation of Umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem
      cells on the number and function of Treg cells in the patients with aplastic
      anemia, as well as the expression of LFA-1 on Treg cells. Methods: A total of 20
      newly diagnosed NSAA patients were collected from May 2015 to Jun 2016 in
      Department of Hematopathy, General Hospital of Jinan Military, and 10 healthy
      volunteers were recruited as controls. Separation of the patients and controls
      with peripheral blood mononuclear cells were divided into two groups, including
      PBMCs culture alone, PBMCs co-culture with UC-MSCs, application of flow cytometry
      detect respectively the proportion of the Treg cells and the expression of LFA-1
      on Treg cells under different culture conditions. The Treg cells and CD4(+) CD25(
      )T lymphocyte were separated by magnetic cell sorting (MACS) system, CFSE label
      CD4(+) CD25(-)T lymphocyte, comparing the inhibitive function of Treg cells on
      CD4(+) CD25(-)T lymphocyte with or without co-culture with UC-MSCs. Results: The
      intensity of fluorescence expression of LFA-1 on T lymphocyte in aplastic anemia
      increased obviously((71.4+/-10.1)vs(52.5+/-8.7) , P=0.002), but the LFA-1
      expressed on Treg cells had no significant difference(P=0.199). After co-cultured
      with UC-MSCs, the proportion of LFA-1 on Treg cells in aplastic anemia reduced
      greatly ((20.96+/-1.76)% vs(44.26+/-1.19)%, P=0.012), at the same time, UC-MSCs
      increased the proportion of Treg cells obviously ((5.33+/-1.14)%vs(1.94+/-0.65)%,
      P=0.003), but the effect of Treg cells on the mean frquency of dividing CD4(+)
      CD25(-)T lymphocyte had no significant difference with or without co-culture with
      UC-MSCs(P=0.290). Conclusions: The intensity of fluorescence expression of LFA-1
      on lymphocyte in aplastic anemia increases obviously, indicating the possible
      pathogenesis of AA. UC-MSCs inhibit the expression of LFA-1 on Treg cells and
      enhance the proportion of Treg cells, but UC-MSCs doesn't directly improve the
      immunosuppression of single Treg cells.

PMID- 28910957
TI  - [Effects of cell cycle regulatory genes on breast cancer neo-adjuvant
      chemotherapy by M-FISH].
AB  - Objective: The dysregulation of cell cycle could influence cell proliferation,
      differentiation and response to medicine. The purpose of this study is to explore
      the correlation between cell cycle regulatory genes and breast cancer neo
      adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with local advanced breast cancer, and
      thus to find some predictors of NAC to provide guidance for clinical treatment.
      Methods: Ninety five cases of local advanced breast cancer were collected, which
      were treated with NAC of TAC (Taxanes/Anthracycline/Cyclophosphamide) regimen.
      Multi-gene fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) was used to study the
      correlation between copy number variations of cell cycle regulatory genes (c-myc,
      Mdm2, CCND1, CHEK2, Rb1, p53, p16, p21) and clinical effect of NAC. Results: In
      the effective group, there were 18 cases of c-Myc amplification and 52 cases of
      no amplification. There were 11 cases of CCND1 amplification and 59 cases of no
      amplification; 12 cases of p53 deletion and 58 cases without deletion; 11 cases
      of p16 deletion and 59 cases without deletion. In the ineffective group, there
      were 12 cases of c-Myc amplification and 13 cases of no amplification; CCND1
      amplification in 9 cases, no amplification in 16 cases; p53 deletion in 10 cases,
      no deletion in 15 cases; p16 deletion in 10 cases and no deletion in 15 cases.
      The copy number of the above four genes was statistically different between the
      two groups. C-Myc gene amplification (P=0.040), CCND1 gene amplification
      (P=0.033), p53 gene deletion (P=0.020) and p16 gene deletion (P=0.012) were
      significant correlation with poor effect of NAC. Among them, the effect of NAC in
      patients with two or more genes copy number variations of c-Myc, CCND1, p53, p16
      were poorer than that in patients with one or not gene copy number variations
      (P=0.000). In addition, the copy number variations of CCND1 (P=0.049), c-Myc
      (P=0.049), and p16 (P=0.008) were correlated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapeutic
      effect respectively in Luminal breast cancer, Her-2 positive breast cancer, and
      triple-negative breast cancer. Conclusion: These results indicated that the copy
      number variations of c-Myc, CCND1, p53, and p16 in patients were significant
      correlation with poor effect of NAC.

PMID- 28910958
TI  - [Therapeutic effect of AngioJet mechanical thrombus aspiration system combined
      with catheter directed thrombolysis on acute deep vein thrombosis].
AB  - Objective: To analyze the curative effect of AngioJet mechanical thrombus
      aspiration combined with catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) on acute lower
      extremity deep vein thrombosis (LEDVT). Methods: The clinical data of 20 cases of
      acute LEDVT treated by AngioJet combined with CDT were analyzed. The inferior
      vena cava filter was implanted preoperatively, and then the thrombolysis was
      performed by using AngioJet. The thrombolytic catheter was placed for CDT
      treatment, and the thrombolysis was evaluated by review angiography. Results: All
      cases were successfully punctured and catheterized. The suction time was (235+/
      75) seconds. The usage of urokinase was (180+/-90)*10(4) U. The differences
      before and after thrombolysis of ipsilateral and contralateral thigh
      circumference were (8.3+/-1.5) cm and (2.5+/-1.0) cm, respectively. The
      differences before and after thrombolysis of the ipsilateral and contralateral
      calf circumference were (2.4+/-1.0)cm and (1.5+/-0.7) cm, respectively. All of
      which had statistical significant (P<0.01). Conclusion: AngioJet mechanical
      thrombus aspiration system is a novel and safe method for the treatment of acute
      LEDVT. When used in conjunction with CDT, its advantages was more significant.

PMID- 28910959
TI  - [Ischemia/reperfusion injury study in isolated mouse hearts using a pressure
      volume curve].
AB  - Objective: To establish and assess the feasibility and sensitivity of left
      ventricular elasticity, compliance and stiffness for study of
      ischemia/reperfusion injury in an isolated mouse heart model utilizing the
      pressure-volume curve framework. Methods: An isolated, balloon-in-ventricle,
      isovolumically contracting, crystalloid-perfused Langendorff heart preparation
      was set up from 15 male C57/6BL mice aged 12-14 weeks. End-systolic pressure
      volume relationship (ESPVR) and end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship
      (EDPVR) were obtained by measuring left ventricular (LV) systolic pressure (LVSP)
      and diastolic pressure under different balloon volumes. End-systolic elasticity
      (E(es)), end-diastolic stiffness (S(ed)) and compliance (C(ed)) were calculated
      from the slope of ESPVR and EDPVR. Measurements of LVSP, developed pressure
      (LVDP), end of diastolic pressure (EDP), the rate of pressure development
      dp/dt(max) and dp/dt(min) were monitored during 30 min stabilization, 20 min
      global ischemia and 40 min reperfusion. The reliability and coefficient of
      variation (CV) of these parameters were compared with E(es) and C(ed). Results:
      During stabilization, the heart rate was (395+/-40) bpm, LVDP was (126+/-25)
      mmHg, + dp/dt(max) was (5 590+/-625) mmHg/s, -dp/dt(min) was (-4 128+/-625)
      mmHg/s, E(es) was 5.7+/-0.3, C(ed) was 0.7+/-0.2, S(ed) was 1.4+/-0.1.
      Ischemia/reperfusion injury resulted in significant decrease in contractile
      function parameters. The recovery level of LVSP, LVDP, dp/dt(max) and dp/dt(min)
      were (57+/-19)%, (23+/-6)%, (23+/-7)% and (21+/-5)% (all P<0.001), respectively.
      The EDP increased to (5.4+/-2.0) times than the baseline after
      ischemia/reperfusion injury. The E(es) and C(ed) was deceased to (42+/-2)% and
      (33+/-2)%, compared with baseline. The stiffness was increased up to (3.1+/-0.2)
      times higher than the baseline. The CV of E(es,)S(ed) and C(ed) were lower than
      LVSP, LVDP, EDP, dp/dt(max,)dp/dt(min,)while the reliability of E(es), S(ed) and
      C(ed) were higher than the classic contractile function parameters. Conclusion:
      Pressure-volume curves are feasible during ischemia/reperfusion injury in the
      isolated mouse heart model with acceptable reliability and sensitivity.

PMID- 28910960
TI  - [Effects of human mesenchymal stem cells on airway inflammation in allergic
      asthma mice and the underlying mechanism].
AB  - Objectives: To investigate the effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem
      cells (hUC-MSCs) on airway inflammation in an ovalbumin (OVA) induced asthma
      mouse model and the underlying mechanism. Methods: Twenty-four BALB/c mice were
      randomly divided into four equal groups: normal control group, OVA-induced
      asthmatic model group, hUC-MSCs treated group (50 MUl of hUC-MSCs was
      transplanted into the trachea of asthmatic mice ) and hUC-MSCs control group (50
      MUl of hUC-MSCs was transplanted into the trachea of control mice). Human
      umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord of healthy new born
      babies were used as the source of hUC-MSCs for this study. The asthmatic
      conditions of the airways and the lungs were assessed by examining: (1)
      histopathological changes of the airways and the lungs; (2) expression of
      cytokines IL-6 and TGF-beta mRNA by real-time PCR; (3) total leukocytes and mast
      cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and number of IL-17-expressing
      CD4(+) cells (Th17 cells) in the lung tissue using flow cytometry. Results:
      Typical histopathological changes of asthma were confirmed in the asthmatic model
      group. These changes included intensive inflammatory cell infiltration around the
      airways and patchy airway occlusion by hyperviscous mucus. The number of total
      leukocytes and mast cells in BALF were significantly increased in the asthmatic
      mice when compared with the control group (P<0.05). Mice in the asthmatic model
      group had significantly higher percentage of Th17 cells in lung tissues when
      compared with the control group (2.90% vs 0.76%, P<0.05). In contrast, in the
      asthmatic mice treated with hUC-MSCs, the inflammatory cell infiltration was
      significantly reduced compared with asthmatic mice, as observed by significantly
      lower leukocytes and mast cells in BALF (P<0.05) and significant reduction in the
      percentage of Th17 cells in the lung of OVA-challenged mice following hUC-MSCs
      treatment (percentage of Th17 cells: 0.24% vs 2.90%, P<0.05). The expression of
      mRNA for IL-6 and TGF-beta was significantly suppressed in the hUC-MSCs treatment
      group (0.23 vs 2.30 and 0.56 vs 6.60, both P<0.01). No asthmatic pathological
      changes in both normal and hUC-MSCs control groups were observed. Conclusions:
      hUC-MSCs significantly inhibit the airway inflammation in OVA-induced asthmatic
      mice. This inhibition is associated with the suppression of Th17 cells and the
      down-regulation of inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and TGF-beta in the lungs.

PMID- 28910961
TI  - Paeonol alleviates interleukin-1beta-induced inflammatory responses in
      chondrocytes during osteoarthritis.
AB  - Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-induced inflammatory responses in chondrocytes play
      an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Searching medicines
      that affect IL-1beta-mediated chondrocytes function is critical in developing
      therapies for OA. Paeonol, as an important component in traditional Chinese
      medicine, has anti-inflammatory activity and can offer therapy for a multitude of
      inflammatory-related diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate
      whether paeonol could alleviate the progression of OA through inhibition of IL
      1beta-induced inflammatory responses in chondrocytes. The cell counting kit-8
      assay, 5-ethynil-2'-deoxyuridine staining, hoechst 33258 staining and flow
      cytometric staining were used to observe the chondrocytes proliferation and
      apoptosis. Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR were applied to examine
      the expression of extracellular matrix and cartilage degrading enzymes. Reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production was monitored by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluoresce
      in diacetate staining. Furthermore, paeonol was intra-articularly injected into
      joint capsule in destabilized medial meniscus (DMM)-induced OA rat model for 8
      and 12 weeks. The results showed that paeonol could negatively affect IL-1beta
      mediate chondrocyte apoptosis and proliferation. Application of paeonol
      attenuated the secretion of cartilage extracellular matrix and cartilage
      degrading enzymes induced by IL-1beta in chondrocytes. Increasing of ROS
      production by IL-1beta was obviously alleviated by paeonol. Besides, paeonol
      alleviated DMM-induced articular cartilage degeneration in vivo. Taken together,
      we concluded that paeonol might be used as therapeutic agent for treating OA.

PMID- 28910962
TI  - Pharmaceuticals and other anthropogenic chemicals in atmospheric particulates and
      precipitation.
AB  - Air and precipitation samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for
      pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and other commercial chemicals within
      the St. Paul/Minneapolis metropolitan area of Minnesota, U.S. Of the 126
      chemicals analyzed, 17 were detected at least once. Bisphenol A, N,N-diethyl-meta
      toluamide (DEET), and cocaine were the most frequently detected; their maximum
      concentrations in snow were 3.80, 9.49, and 0.171ng/L and in air were 0.137,
      0.370, and 0.033ng/m3, respectively. DEET and cocaine were present in samples of
      rain up to 14.5 and 0.806ng/L, respectively. Four antibiotics - ofloxacin,
      ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole - were detected at
      concentrations up to 10.3ng/L in precipitation, while ofloxacin was the sole
      antibiotic detected in air at 0.013ng/m3. The X-ray contrast agent iopamidol and
      the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen were detected in snow up to
      228ng/L and 3.74ng/L, respectively, while caffeine was detected only in air at
      0.069 and 0.111ng/m3. Benzothiazole was present in rain up to 70ng/L, while
      derivatives of benzotriazole - 4-methylbenzotriazole, 5-methylbenzotriazole, and
      5-chlorobenzotriazole - were detected at concentrations up to 1.5ng/L in rain and
      3.4ng/L in snow. Nonylphenol and nonylphenol monoethoxylate were detected once in
      air at 0.165 and 0.032ng/m3, respectively. Although the sources of these
      chemicals to atmosphere are not known, fugacity analysis suggests that wastewater
      may be a source of nonylphenol, nonylphenol monoethoxylate, DEET, and caffeine to
      atmosphere. The land-spreading of biosolids is known to generate PM10 that could
      also account for the presence of these contaminants in air. Micro-pollutant
      detections in air and precipitation are similar to the profile of contaminants
      reported previously for surface water. This proof of concept study suggests that
      atmospheric transport of these chemicals may partially explain the ubiquity of
      these contaminants in the aquatic environment.

PMID- 28910963
TI  - Placental transfer of persistent organic pollutants and feasibility using the
      placenta as a non-invasive biomonitoring matrix.
AB  - The placenta is a crucial organ for the supply of oxygen and nutritional elements
      from mother to fetus. Several studies have reported evidence of the placental
      transfer of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Despite the importance of
      prenatal exposure to POPs, the transport process of POPs via the human placenta
      is not well understood. To investigate the transport processes of these
      contaminants and to assess the feasibility of the placenta as a non-invasive
      biological matrix, we measured 19 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 18
      organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and 24 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
      in placenta tissues. The total concentrations of PCBs, OCPs, and PBDEs in
      placental tissues ranged from 0.36 to 75.2 (median: 5.85) ng/g lipid wt, 1.37 to
      250 (63.5) ng/g lipid wt, and 1.21 to 427 (11.7) ng/g lipid wt, respectively. The
      BDE 209 concentrations were higher than those reported in previous studies
      presumably because of the high consumption of deca-BDE technical mixtures in
      Korea. The concentrations of all of the POPs in placental tissues correlated
      significantly with each other, but BDE 209 concentration did not correlate with
      that of any other contaminants possibly because of different exposure sources and
      kinetics. Maternal age, body mass index, and parity were contributors to the
      accumulation of several POPs in the placenta. Partitioning ratios between
      maternal blood-placenta-cord blood showed that lower molecular-weight and
      hydrophobic POPs were preferentially transported from maternal blood to the
      placenta and that higher molecular-weight and hydrophobic contaminants tended to
      remain in placental tissues. Regression analysis showed significant relationships
      between the POP concentrations in multiple biological matrices such as maternal
      blood, placenta, cord blood, and meconium. These relationships suggest that the
      placenta can be used as a non-invasive matrix for biomonitoring prenatal exposure
      to several POPs.

PMID- 28910964
TI  - Improving the Quality of Clinical Neuropsychological Research: Mandatory Use of
      Reporting Guidelines.

PMID- 28910965
TI  - Actinobacteria phylogenomics, selective isolation from an iron oligotrophic
      environment and siderophore functional characterization, unveil new
      desferrioxamine traits.
AB  - Desferrioxamines are hydroxamate siderophores widely conserved in both aquatic
      and soil-dwelling Actinobacteria. While the genetic and enzymatic bases of
      siderophore biosynthesis and their transport in model families of this phylum are
      well understood, evolutionary studies are lacking. Here, we perform a
      comprehensive desferrioxamine-centric (des genes) phylogenomic analysis, which
      includes the genomes of six novel strains isolated from an iron and phosphorous
      depleted oasis in the Chihuahuan desert of Mexico. Our analyses reveal previously
      unnoticed desferrioxamine evolutionary patterns, involving both biosynthetic and
      transport genes, likely to be related to desferrioxamines chemical diversity. The
      identified patterns were used to postulate experimentally testable hypotheses
      after phenotypic characterization, including profiling of siderophores production
      and growth stimulation of co-cultures under iron deficiency. Based in our
      results, we propose a novel des gene, which we term desG, as responsible for
      incorporation of phenylacetyl moieties during biosynthesis of previously reported
      arylated desferrioxamines. Moreover, a genomic-based classification of the
      siderophore-binding proteins responsible for specific and generalist siderophore
      assimilation is postulated. This report provides a much-needed evolutionary
      framework, with specific insights supported by experimental data, to direct the
      future ecological and functional analysis of desferrioxamines in the environment.

PMID- 28910966
TI  - Pneumococcal 23B Molecular Subtype Identified Using Whole Genome Sequencing.
AB  - The polysaccharide capsule is a major virulence factor of Streptococcus
      pneumoniae and the target of all currently licensed pneumococcal vaccines. At
      present, there are 92 serologically distinct pneumococcal serotypes. Structural
      and antigenic variation of capsular types is the result of genetic variation
      within the capsular polysaccharide synthesis (CPS) locus; however, genetic
      variation may not always result in phenotypic differences which produce novel
      serotypes. With the introduction of high throughput whole genome sequencing,
      discovery of novel genotypic variants is not unexpected and this study describes
      a novel variant of the serotype 23B CPS operon. This novel variant was
      characterized as a novel genotypic subtype (23B1) with ~70% homology to the
      published 23B CPS sequence. High sequence variability was determined in eight cps
      genes involved in sugar biosynthesis. However, there was no distinction between
      the classic 23B serotype and 23B1 serologically or in terms of polysaccharide
      structure. Phylogenetic and eBURST analysis revealed a distinct lineage for 23B1
      with multiple clones (UK, Thailand, and USA) that arose at different points
      during pneumococcal evolution. Analysis of the UK S. pneumoniae isolates (n =
      121) revealed an upsurge of 23B1 ST2372 in 2011, after which this previously
      unseen ST increased to reach 50% proportion of the 23B sequenced isolates from
      2013 and remained prevalent within our sequenced isolates from later years.
      Therefore, although the 23B1 variant appears to have no phenotypic impact and
      cannot be considered as novel serotype, it appears to have led to a genetic
      restructuring of the UK serotype 23B population.

PMID- 28910968
TI  - Efficiency of antibody therapy in demyelinating diseases.
AB  - Monoclonal antibody therapy is a new treatment strategy for many types of
      diseases including cancers and autoimmune diseases, realizing a high efficacy and
      tolerability. In multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) spectrum
      disorders, several monoclonal antibodies have been suggested to decrease the
      incidence of clinical relapse and the disease activity. In MS, anti-alpha4
      integrin (natalizumab), anti-CD52 (alemtuzumab), anti-CD25 (daclizumab) and anti
      CD20 (ocrelizumab) have been shown to effectively reduce the relapses in
      randomized controlled trials and have been approved by the Food and Drug
      Administration. Specifically, ocrelizumab is the first drug that has shown
      significant suppression of brain volume loss and suppression of chronic
      disability progression. In NMO, though there have yet to be any approved
      monoclonal antibodies, rituximab, anti-complement C5 (eculizumab), anti-IL-6
      receptor (tocilizumab), anti-CD19 (inebilizumab) and non-pathogenic anti
      aquaporin 4 (aquaporumab) have been suggested to be effective, and some of these
      are now under clinical trials. Aquaporumab is a non-pathogenic recombinant human
      monoclonal antibody that competitively inhibits the binding of the pathogenic
      auto-antibody against aquaporin 4 in NMO patients; thus, it is expected to be
      highly disease specific with less non-specific adverse events. Some of these
      monoclonal antibodies in MS and NMO are known to cause several notable adverse
      events. Natalizumab and rituximab increase the risk of progressive multifocal
      leukoencephalopathy. Eculizumab increases the risk of meningococcal infection.
      Tocilizumab is known to cause intestinal diverticulitis that can cause intestinal
      perforation. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of, evidence for
      and notable adverse events of each monoclonal antibody in MS and NMO.

PMID- 28910967
TI  - Identification and Characterization of Domesticated Bacterial Transposases.
AB  - Selfish genetic elements, such as insertion sequences and transposons are found
      in most genomes. Transposons are usually identifiable by their high copy number
      within genomes. In contrast, REP-associated tyrosine transposases (RAYTs), a
      recently described class of bacterial transposase, are typically present at just
      one copy per genome. This suggests that RAYTs no longer copy themselves and thus
      they no longer function as a typical transposase. Motivated by this possibility
      we interrogated thousands of fully sequenced bacterial genomes in order to
      determine patterns of RAYT diversity, their distribution across chromosomes and
      accessory elements, and rate of duplication. RAYTs encompass exceptional
      diversity and are divisible into at least five distinct groups. They possess
      features more similar to housekeeping genes than insertion sequences, are
      predominantly vertically transmitted and have persisted through evolutionary time
      to the point where they are now found in 24% of all species for which at least
      one fully sequenced genome is available. Overall, the genomic distribution of
      RAYTs suggests that they have been coopted by host genomes to perform a function
      that benefits the host cell.

PMID- 28910969
TI  - Polymorphisms of immunoglobulin receptors and the effects on clinical outcome in
      cancer immunotherapy and other immune diseases: a general review.
AB  - Receptors for the Fc domain of immunoglobulins [Fc receptors (FcRs)] are
      essential for the maintenance of antibody-mediated immune responses. FcRs consist
      of activating- and inhibitory-type receptors that regulate adequate thresholds
      for various immune cells. In particular, polymorphisms and/or gene copy-number
      variations of FcRs for IgG (FcgammaRs) are closely associated with the
      development of inflammatory disorders, including autoimmune diseases. Recent
      evidence has implicated polymorphisms of FcRs in the efficacy of monoclonal
      antibody (mAb)-mediated therapy. This review provides an overview of genetic
      variations in human FcgammaRs and the clinical contribution of FcgammaR
      polymorphisms in mAb treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases and allergies.

PMID- 28910971
TI  - Alteration of SSAO interactome reveals weakened cell adhesion and motor function
      of adipocytes in T2D.

PMID- 28910972
TI  - Sas/PTP10D signaling drives tumor-suppressive cell competition.

PMID- 28910970
TI  - Antibody therapy for the management of severe asthma with eosinophilic
      inflammation.
AB  - One of the characteristic features of asthma is chronic airway inflammation
      typically with eosinophil infiltration. Most asthmatics can be treated
      successfully with conventional treatment appropriate for their severity, but in
      some severe cases, asthma cannot be well controlled even with thorough treatment
      and this condition is known as 'refractory asthma'. To overcome severe refractory
      asthma, a new therapeutic strategy with biologics has been developed based on the
      knowledge of molecular mechanisms of airway inflammation in asthma, induced by
      the condition of high Th2-type responses and activation of eosinophils as well as
      allergic reactions. Humanized anti-human IgE antibody (anti-IgE; omalizumab) was
      the first biological preparation approved for treating asthma. Based on clinical
      evidence, treatment with anti-IgE (anti-IgE therapy) has been accepted as a new
      therapeutic approach for severe allergic asthma in adults since 2009 and in
      children since 2012 and has been shown to have ~60% efficacy. More recently, a
      humanized anti-IL-5 antibody (anti-IL-5; mepolizumab) was launched in June 2016
      and has attracted great interest due to its potential effects. Several clinical
      studies are also ongoing to evaluate the biological preparations targeting IL-5
      receptor alpha (IL-5Ralpha), IL-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Ralpha), which is shared by
      IL-4 and IL-13, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and IL-33. The new strategy
      with biologics targeting eosinophilic airway inflammation might open a new array
      for us to overcome severe refractory asthma in the future.

PMID- 28910973
TI  - Lycorine inhibits the growth and metastasis of breast cancer through the blockage
      of STAT3 signaling pathway.
AB  - Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is involved in the
      growth and metastasis of breast cancer, and represents a potential target for
      developing new anti-tumor drugs. The purpose of this study is to investigate
      whether Lycorine, a pyrrolo[de]phenanthridine ring-type alkaloid extracted from
      Amaryllidaceae genera, could inhibit breast cancer by targeting STAT3 signaling
      pathway. The human breast cancer cell lines were incubated with various
      concentrations of Lycorine, and cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle
      distribution, apoptosis, migration and invasion were assayed by several in vitro
      approaches. Results showed that Lycorine significantly suppressed cell
      proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, as well as induced cell
      apoptosis, but showed no apparent impact on cell cycle. In addition, the effect
      of Lycorine on tumor growth and metastasis in nude mouse models was investigated,
      and results showed that Lycorine significantly inhibited tumor growth and
      metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, Lycorine significantly inhibited STAT3
      phosphorylation and transcriptional activity through upregulating SHP-1
      expression. Lycorine also downregulated the expressions of STAT3 target genes,
      including Mcl-1, Bcl-xL, MMP-2, MMP-9, which are involved in apoptosis and
      invasion of breast cancer. Taken together, these findings suggest that Lycorine
      may be a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of human breast
      cancer.

PMID- 28910974
TI  - Resveratrol suppresses P-selectin, PSGL-1, and VWF through SIRT1 signaling
      pathway.

PMID- 28910975
TI  - Emerging role of HuR in inflammatory response in kidney diseases.
AB  - Human antigen R (HuR) is a member of the embryonic lethal abnormal vision (ELAV)
      family which can bind to the A/U rich elements in 3' un-translated region of mRNA
      and regulate mRNA splicing, transportation, and stability. Unlike other members
      of the ELAV family, HuR is ubiquitously expressed. Early studies mainly focused
      on HuR function in malignant diseases. As researches proceed, more and more
      proofs demonstrate its relationship with inflammation. Since most kidney diseases
      involve pathological changes of inflammation, HuR is now suggested to play a
      pivotal role in glomerular nephropathy, tubular ischemia-reperfusion damage,
      renal fibrosis and even renal tumors. By regulating the mRNAs of target genes,
      HuR is causally linked to the onset and progression of kidney diseases. Reports
      on this topic are steadily increasing, however, the detailed function and
      mechanism of action of HuR are still not well understood. The aim of this review
      article is to summarize the present understanding of the role of HuR in
      inflammation in kidney diseases, and we anticipate that future research will
      ultimately elucidate the therapeutic value of this novel target.

PMID- 28910976
TI  - Isochlorogenic acid A promotes melanin synthesis in B16 cell through the beta
      catenin signal pathway.
AB  - Isochlorogenic acid A, also called 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-diCQA), is a
      widespread phenolic compound in the plant. Recent studies have shown that it has
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, oxidative stress and
      inflammation induced by solar ultraviolet radiation is a very significant reason
      for skin depigmentation. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the effect of 3,5
      diCQA on B16 cells and explored its molecular mechanism. Results showed that 3,5
      diCQA upregulated intracellular melanin production in a time- and dose-dependent
      manner. Tyrosinase (TYR) activity was also increased after treatment with 3,5
      diCQA in a dose-dependent manner. Expressions of TYR, TYR-related protein1, TYR
      related protein2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor were
      upregulated in a dose-dependent manner after 48 h of treatment with 3,5-diCQA.
      Results also showed that 3,5-diCQA promoted the phosphorylation of Akt at Thr308
      and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta at Ser 9. Moreover, 3,5-diCQA increased the
      content of beta-catenin in cell cytoplasm and nucleus by reducing the content of
      phosphorylated beta-catenin (p-beta-catenin). All these results suggest that 3,5
      diCQA may mediate the acceleration of melanin synthesis by the beta-catenin
      signal pathway.

PMID- 28910977
TI  - Bisphenol A induced apoptosis and transcriptome differences of spermatogonial
      stem cells in vitro.
AB  - Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely used as an industrial plasticizer, which is also an
      endocrine disruptor and considered to have adverse effects on reproduction. In
      male mammals, the long-term production of billions of spermatozoa relies on the
      regulated proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs).
      However, little is known about the effects of BPA on the viability of SSCs. To
      investigate the influence of BPA exposure on SSCs in vitro, we isolated SSCs from
      mouse and successfully established in vitro propagation of SSCs. After BPA
      treatment, we found that BPA reduced the viability of SSCs and induced SSC
      apoptosis. For revealing the transcriptome differences of the BPA-treated SSCs,
      we performed high-throughput RNA sequencing and found that 860 genes were
      differentially expressed among 18,272 observed genes. The gene ontology (GO)
      terms, regulation of programmed cell death and apoptotic process, were enriched
      in the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Among the cluster of DEGs
      associated with the kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) apoptosis
      pathway, activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4) and DNA damage inducible
      transcript 3 (Ddit3) genes were significantly up-regulated in BPA-treated SSCs,
      which were proved by qPCR. Taken together, these findings suggest that BPA can
      increase the mRNA expression of pro-apoptosis genes and reduce the viability of
      SSCs by inducing apoptosis.

PMID- 28910978
TI  - DNA-binding properties of FOXP3 transcription factor.
AB  - FOXP3, a lineage-specific forkhead (FKH) transcription factor, plays essential
      roles in the development and function of regulatory T cells. However, the DNA
      binding properties of FOXP3 are not well understood. In this study, FOXP3
      fragments containing different domains were purified, and their DNA-binding
      properties were investigated using electrophoretic mobility shift assay and
      isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Both the FKH and leucine-zipper domains
      were required for optimal DNA binding for FOXP3. FOXP3 protein not only binds
      with DNA sequences containing one FKH consensus sequence, but also binds with DNA
      sequences with two direct repeats of consensus sequences separated by three
      nucleotides (DRE3). Our results shed lights on the mechanisms by which FOXP3
      recognizes cognate DNA elements, and would facilitate further structural and
      functional studies of FOXP3.

PMID- 28910979
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9-based efficient genome editing in Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogenic bacterium prevalent in
      nosocomial infections and associated with high morbidity and mortality rates,
      which arise from the significant pathogenicity and multi-drug resistance.
      However, the typical genetic manipulation tools used to explore the relevant
      molecular mechanisms of S. aureus have multiple limitations: leaving a scar in
      the genome, comparatively low gene-editing efficiency, and prolonged experimental
      period. Here, we present a single-plasmid based on the clustered regularly
      interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system
      which allows rapid and efficient chromosomal manipulation in S. aureus. The
      plasmid carries the cas9 gene under the control of the constitutive promoter
      Pxyl/tet, a single guide RNA-encoding sequence transcribed via a strong promoter
      Pspac, and donor DNA used to repair the double strand breaks. The function of the
      CRISPR/Cas9 vector was demonstrated by deleting the tgt gene and the rocA gene,
      and by inserting the erm R cassette in S. aureus. This research establishes a
      CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool in S. aureus, which enables marker-free, scarless
      and rapid genetic manipulation, thus accelerating the study of gene function in
      S. aureus.

PMID- 28910980
TI  - Neuroprotective effect of deferoxamine on N-methyl-d-aspartate-induced
      excitotoxicity in RGC-5 cells.
AB  - Many N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists have been used to treat
      neurodegenerative diseases induced by glutamate excitotoxicity in clinics.
      However, the universality of the glutamic acid neurotransmitter system makes the
      glutamic acid receptor blockers inefficient and unsafe. Thus, regulating the
      downstream signaling pathway in the excitotoxicity of glutamic acid may be a more
      effective and safer way to antagonize the glutamic acid receptor. In this study,
      we investigated the effect of deferoxamine (DFO), an iron chelator, on the NMDA
      induced excitotoxicity. RGC-5 cells were cultured and identified in vitro, and
      the NMDA-induced injury was assessed. Then the MTT assay was used to estimate the
      cell survival and JC-1 staining was performed to detect changes in mitochondrial
      membrane potential. Immunofluorescent staining and western blot analysis were
      used to analyze the expressions of respiratory chain proteins. It was found that
      DFO increased the survival rate of RGC-5 cells and that this effect was
      positively correlated with the concentration of DFO and the treatment time. The
      mitochondrial membrane potential and the expression levels of succinate
      dehydrogenase subunit A and cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV were also increased
      after DFO treatment, while NMDA reduced their expression levels. These data
      demonstrate that DFO has significant neuroprotective activity against NMDA
      induced excitotoxicity in RGC-5 cells.

PMID- 28910981
TI  - Distinct transcription profile of genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis among
      six different color carrot (Daucus carota L.) cultivars.
AB  - Carotenoid, a group of lipophilic molecules, is widely distributed in nature, and
      is important for plant photosynthesis and photoprotection. In carrot taproot,
      different types of dominant carotenoid accumulation lead to yellow, orange, and
      red colors. In this study, six different carrot cultivars were used to
      simultaneously analyze carotenoid contents by high performance liquid
      chromatography. The expression levels of genes involved in carotenoid
      biosynthesis of carrot were also detected by real-time quantitative PCR. It was
      found that genes involved in xanthophyll formation were expressed at high levels
      in yellow carrot cultivars. However, these genes were expressed at low levels in
      orange carrot cultivars. The contents of alpha- and beta-carotene accounted for a
      large proportion in total carotenoid contents in orange carrot cultivars. These
      results indicate that alpha-carotene accumulation and xanthophyll formation may
      be related to the expression levels of carotene hydroxylase genes in carrot.

PMID- 28910982
TI  - Exosomes containing miR-21 transfer the characteristic of cisplatin resistance by
      targeting PTEN and PDCD4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Resistance to chemotherapy remains a major obstacle for the effective treatment
      of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Evidence for the involvement of exosomes
      as important regulators of cisplatin chemoresistance in OSCC is still poorly
      understood. Our objective of this study was to explore the roles for exosomes in
      modulating key cellular pathways mediating response to chemotherapy. We first
      developed the cisplatin-resistant cell lines (HSC-3-R and SCC-9-R) and found that
      the conditioned media from cisplatin-resistant OSCC cells enhanced the
      chemoresistance of parental OSCC cell. The release of exosomes was blocked by
      inhibitor (GW4869) and exosomes were found to be involved in the chemoresistance
      of parental OSCC cell transferred from resistant cells. The exosomes derived from
      resistant cells and parental cells were isolated. Then, the isolated exosomes
      were characterized and quantified by electron microscopy, qNano analysis, and
      western blot analysis. Exosomes derived from cisplatin-resistant OSCC cells were
      found to enhance the chemoresistance of OSCC cell and decrease the DNA damage
      signaling in response to cisplatin. It was also found that exosomes derived from
      cisplatin-resistant OSCC cells transferred miR-21 to OSCC parental cells and
      induced cisplatin resistance by targeting phosphatase and tensin homolog and
      programmed cell death 4. Furthermore, the roles of cisplatin-resistant OSCC cells
      derived exosomes in vivo were confirmed by subcutaneous xenograft mouse model.
      Collectively, the results suggest that exosomes released from cisplatin-resistant
      OSCC cells transmit miR-21 to induce cisplatin resistance of OSCC cells.

PMID- 28910983
TI  - Quantitative proteomic analysis of host responses triggered by Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis infection in human macrophage cells.
AB  - Macrophages are primary host of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) and the central
      effector of in vivo innate immune responses against bacteria. Though the
      interaction between macrophages and mycobacteria has been widely investigated,
      the molecular mechanisms of M.tb pathogenesis in macrophages are still not clear.
      In this work, we investigated the altered protein expression profiles of
      macrophages after virulent H37Rv strain and avirulent H37Ra strain infection by
      tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomics. Among 6762 identified proteins of
      macrophages, the expression levels of 235 proteins were significantly altered,
      which is supposed to be related to the infection of different strains. By
      bioinformatics analysis at systems level, we found that these proteins are mainly
      involved in the biological process of apoptosis, blood coagulation, oxidative
      phosphorylation, and others. The enormous variation in protein profiles between
      macrophages infected with H37Ra and H37Rv suggests the existence of four
      different immunity mechanisms that decide the fates of macrophages and M.tb.
      These data may provide a better understanding of M.tb pathogenesis within the
      host, which contributes to the prevention and clinical treatment of tuberculosis.

PMID- 28910984
TI  - Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates with
      focus in succinic acid production.
AB  - Succinic acid is a platform chemical that plays an important role as precursor
      for the synthesis of many valuable bio-based chemicals. Its microbial production
      from renewable resources has seen great developments, specially exploring the use
      of yeasts to overcome the limitations of using bacteria. The objective of the
      present work was to screen for succinate-producing isolates, using a yeast
      collection with different origins and characteristics. Four strains were chosen,
      two as promising succinic acid producers, in comparison with two low producers.
      Genome of these isolates was analysed, and differences were found mainly in genes
      SDH1, SDH3, MDH1 and the transcription factor HAP4, regarding the number of
      single nucleotide polymorphisms and the gene copy-number profile. Real-time PCR
      was used to study gene expression of 10 selected genes involved in the metabolic
      pathway of succinic acid production. Results show that for the non-producing
      strain, higher expression of genes SDH1, SDH2, ADH1, ADH3, IDH1 and HAP4 was
      detected, together with lower expression of ADR1 transcription factor, in
      comparison with the best producer strain. This is the first study showing the
      capacity of natural yeast isolates to produce high amounts of succinic acid,
      together with the understanding of the key factors associated, giving clues for
      strain improvement.

PMID- 28910985
TI  - Yeast-bacteria competition induced new metabolic traits through large-scale
      genomic rearrangements in Lachancea kluyveri.
AB  - Large-scale chromosomal rearrangements are an important source of evolutionary
      novelty that may have reshaped the genomes of existing yeast species. They
      dramatically alter genome organization and gene expression fueling a phenotypic
      leap in response to environmental constraints. Although the emergence of such
      signatures of genetic diversity is thought to be associated with human
      exploitation of yeasts, less is known about the driving forces operating in
      natural habitats. Here we hypothesize that an ecological battlefield
      characteristic of every autumn when fruits ripen accounts for the genomic
      innovations in natural populations. We described a long-term cross-kingdom
      competition experiment between Lachancea kluyveri and five species of bacteria.
      Now, we report how we further subjected the same yeast to a sixth species of
      bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens, resulting in the appearance of a fixed and
      stably inherited large-scale genomic rearrangement in two out of three parallel
      evolution lines. The 'extra-banded' karyotype, characterized by a higher fitness
      and an elevated fermentative capacity, conferred the emergence of new metabolic
      traits in most carbon sources and osmolytes. We tracked down the event to a
      duplication and translocation event involving a 261-kb segment. Such an
      experimental setup described here is an attractive method for developing
      industrial strains without genetic engineering strategies.

PMID- 28910986
TI  - Elimination of the last reactions in ergosterol biosynthesis alters the
      resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to multiple stresses.
AB  - The sterol composition of membranes is known to influence many phenotypes of
      yeast. However, a systematic study of the relationship between sterol composition
      and stress resistances has not been conducted. Here, we therefore constructed
      single or double gene deletion mutants of the last four enzymes in ergosterol
      biosynthesis in a prototrophic genetic background of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
      Identification of the sterol composition of these mutants revealed a high
      flexibility of the sterol-processing steps instead of the previously proposed
      sequential conversion. Compared with the wild type, the mutants showed altered
      resistances to different exogenous stresses regarding the specific growth rate
      and duration of lag phase. The erg5 deletion mutant whose sterol has a saturated
      side chain exhibited overall robust growth under the tested stress conditions.
      The thermotolerant phenotype of erg5 deletion mutant was reproduced in
      filamentous fungus Penicillium oxalicum. These results highlight the important
      role of sterols in the response of yeast cells to environmental stresses, and
      suggest the possibility of improving the robustness of industrial yeast strains
      by engineering their sterol composition.

PMID- 28910987
TI  - Management of combined injuries of the posterior cruciate ligament and
      posterolateral corner of the knee: a systematic review.
AB  - Background: Approximately 60% of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury are
      associated with a posterolateral corner (PLC) tear. Sources of data: We performed
      a systematic review of the literature according to the PRISMA guidelines. The
      following key words were searched on Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, Google Scholar,
      and Ovid: 'posterior cruciate ligament' or 'PCL' with 'posterolateral corner' or
      'PLC' and 'chronic'; 'injury'; 'management'; 'reconstruction'; 'outcomes';
      'complications'. Areas of agreement: There was a statistically significant
      improvement of all clinical scores after surgery regardless of the procedure
      performed to reconstruct both PCL and PLC. Areas of controversy: No randomized
      control trials were identified on the topic. Standardized methods of functional
      outcomes assessment are necessary to improve communication on the functional
      results of the management of PC-PLC. Growing points: Single stage surgical
      reconstruction of PCL and PLC is recommended in patients with posterolateral
      rotatory instability of the knee. Areas timely for developing research:
      Adequately powered randomized trials with appropriate subjective and objective
      outcome measures are necessary to reach definitive conclusions.

PMID- 28910988
TI  - Anticoagulation after coronary stenting: a systemic review.
AB  - Introduction or background: Anticoagulant therapy is mainly used to prevent
      patients from suffering coronary and systemic thromboembolism after stenting.
      Many studies have been done to formulate an optimized regimen of a post-PCI or
      long-time anticoagulant therapy. Recent advances in the selection and duration of
      anticoagulant agents will be conducive to the management of patients who are
      considered to need anticoagulant therapy after stenting. Sources of data: Key
      recent published literature, including international guidelines and relevant
      reviews. Areas of agreement: Anticoagulant therapy has been acknowledged to
      improve the prognosis of patients after stenting by reducing the risk of coronary
      and systemic thromboembolism. Areas of controversy: Firstly, the benefit-risk
      ratio of post-PCI parenteral anticoagulation to prevent stent thrombosis locally
      in the coronary artery is still unclear. Secondly, the efficacy and safety of
      bivalirudin deserve to be discussed. Furthermore, the recommendation to use long
      time oral anticoagulant therapy to prevent systemic thromboembolism after
      stenting should also be emphasized. Growing points: Studies of anticoagulant
      therapy in patients after stenting add to the understanding of an optimized
      anticoagulant regimen and contribute to improving clinical outcomes. Areas for
      developing research: The safety and efficacy of bivalirudin, a direct thrombin
      inhibitor, need to be further investigated by more large-scale randomized
      clinical trials.Based on the widespread use of ticagrelor and prasugrel for
      patients who need long-time oral anticoagulant therapy, further study is needed
      to find an optimal strategy that balances the risk of bleeding and ischemic
      events after coronary stenting.

PMID- 28910989
TI  - Dystonia.
AB  - Introduction: Dystonia is a clinically heterogeneous group of hyperkinetic
      movement disorders. Recent advances have provided a better understanding of these
      conditions with significant clinical impact. Sources of data: Peer reviewed
      journals and reviews. PubMed.gov. Areas of agreement: A recent consensus
      classification, including the assessment of phenomenology and identification of
      the dystonia syndromes, has provided a helpful tool for the clinical assessment.
      New forms of monogenic dystonia have been recently identified. Areas of
      controversy: Despite recent advances in the understanding of dystonia, treatment
      remains symptomatic in most patients. Growing points: Recent advances in genetics
      have provided a better understanding of the potential pathogenic mechanisms
      involved in dystonia. Deep brain stimulation has shown to improve focal and
      combined forms of dystonia and its indications are constantly expanding. Areas
      timely for developing research: Growing understanding of the disease mechanisms
      involved will allow the development of targeted and disease-modifying therapies
      in the future.

PMID- 28910990
TI  - The contribution of genetics and environment to obesity.
AB  - Background: Obesity is a global health problem mainly attributed to lifestyle
      changes such as diet, low physical activity or socioeconomics factors. However,
      several evidences consistently showed that genetics contributes significantly to
      the weight-gain susceptibility. Sources of data: A systematic literature search
      of most relevant original, review and meta-analysis, restricted to English was
      conducted in PubMed, Web of Science and Google scholar up to May 2017 concerning
      the contribution of genetics and environmental factors to obesity. Areas of
      agreement: Several evidences suggest that obesogenic environments contribute to
      the development of an obese phenotype. However, not every individual from the
      same population, despite sharing the same obesogenic environment, develop
      obesity. Areas of controversy: After more than 10 years of investigation on the
      genetics of obesity, the variants found associated with obesity represent only 3%
      of the estimated BMI-heritability, which is around 47-80%. Moreover, genetic
      factors per se were unable to explain the rapid spread of obesity prevalence.
      Growing points: The integration of multi-omics data enables scientists having a
      better picture and to elucidate unknown pathways contributing to obesity. Areas
      timely for developing research: New studies based on case-control or gene
      candidate approach will be important to identify new variants associated with
      obesity susceptibility and consequently unveiling its genetic architecture. This
      will lead to an improvement of our understanding about underlying mechanisms
      involved in development and origin of the actual obesity epidemic. The
      integration of several omics will also provide insights about the interplay
      between genes and environments contributing to the obese phenotype.

PMID- 28910991
TI  - Pricing as a means of controlling alcohol consumption.
AB  - Background: Reducing the affordability of alcohol, by increasing its price, is
      the most effective strategy for controlling alcohol consumption and reducing
      harm. Sources of data: We review meta-analyses and systematic reviews of alcohol
      tax/price effects from the past decade, and recent evaluations of tax/price
      policies in the UK, Canada and Australia. Areas of agreement: While the
      magnitudes of price effects vary by sub-group and alcoholic beverage type, it has
      been consistently shown that price increases lead to reductions in alcohol
      consumption. Areas of controversy: There remains, however, a lack of consensus on
      the most appropriate taxation and pricing policy in many countries because of
      concerns about effects by different consumption level and income level and
      disagreement on policy design between parts of the alcoholic beverage industries.
      Growing points: Recent developments in the research highlight the importance of
      obtaining accurate alcohol price data, reducing bias in estimating price
      responsiveness, and examining the impact on the heaviest drinkers. Areas timely
      for developing research: There is a need for further research focusing on the
      substitution effects of taxation and pricing policies, estimation of the true tax
      pass-through rates, and empirical analysis of the supply-side response (from
      alcohol producers and retailers) to various alcohol pricing strategies.

PMID- 28910992
TI  - Physician-assisted suicide-a clean bill of health?
AB  - Background: Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) laws have been enacted in five US
      States and, along with physician-administered euthanasia, in Canada and the
      Netherlands. Sources of data: Annual reports of the Oregon Health Authority and
      published research papers. Areas of agreement: Not all recipients of lethal drugs
      use them to end their lives. Improvements in palliative care provision. Areas of
      controversy: Rising numbers of deaths from PAS. Emergence of 'doctor shopping'
      and multiple-prescribing. Absence of qualitative scrutiny of assessment process.
      No re-assessment or oversight when prescribed drugs are ingested. Recent
      pressures to extend Oregon's PAS law. Growing points: Reasons given for seeking
      PAS indicate this is a societal rather than a clinical issue and raise the
      question whether adjudicating on requests for legalized PAS is an appropriate
      role for doctors. Areas for timely research: Research into quality of decision
      making in requests for PAS and into potential role of doctors as expert witnesses
      rather than judges in requests for PAS.

PMID- 28910993
TI  - Transtendon repair in partial articular supraspinatus tendon tear.
AB  - Introduction: Partial thickness rotator cuff tears (PTRCTs) are common, with an
      incidence between 17% and 37%, and a high prevalence in throwing athletes.
      Different surgical procedures are suggested when partial tears involve the
      articular portion of the rotator cuff, including arthroscopic debridement of the
      tear, debridement with acromioplasty, tear completion and repair, and lately
      transtendon repair. This systematic review describes the transtendon repair and
      examines indications, contraindications, complications and clinical outcome.
      Source of data: We identified clinical studies listed in the Pubmed Google
      Scholar, CINAHL, Cochrane Central and Embase Biomedical databases in English and
      Italian concerning the clinical outcomes following treatment of partial articular
      supraspinatus tendon tear using transtendon surgical repair. Areas of agreement:
      Eighteen studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. All were published between
      2005 and 2016, three were retrospective, and 15 prospective. The total number of
      patients was 507 with a mean age of 50.8 years. Areas of controversy: Tear
      completion and repair and transtendon repair alone produce similar results.
      Growing points: Transtendon surgical repair allows to obtain good-excellent
      results in the treatment of partial articular supraspinatus tendon tears. Areas
      timely for developing research: Further studies are needed to produce clear
      guidelines in the treatment of partial articular supraspinatus tendon tears.
      Level of evidence: IV.

PMID- 28910994
TI  - Paediatric and maternal schistosomiasis: shifting the paradigms.
AB  - Background: In endemic areas, schistosomiasis causes both overt and subclinical
      disease in young children and their mothers, as well as in returned travellers.
      Sources of data: Key recently published literature. Areas of agreement: An action
      plan for paediatric schistosomiasis and female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is
      needed with expanded access to praziquantel (PZQ) treatment required. Areas of
      controversy: Schistosomiasis-related morbidity is underappreciated. Present and
      future demand for PZQ treatment is bottlenecked, imbalanced and inequitable.
      Current dosing, treatment algorithms and access plans are suboptimal with
      treatment stalled during pregnancy. Growing points: Raised dosing of PZQ (>40
      mg/kg) is being explored in young children. Surveillance of female genital
      schistosomiasis FGS is increasing. Use of PZQ in pregnancy is safe and preventive
      chemotherapy guidelines are being revised in morbidity- and transmission-control
      settings. Areas timely for developing research: Shifting focus of population
      level control to individual-case management. Detection and prevention of FGS
      within general health services and integration of PZQ treatment for women and
      children in antenatal clinics. Feasibility studies assessing alternative and
      expanded access to PZQ treatment to at-risk children and mothers and pregnant
      women.

PMID- 28910995
TI  - Genomic medicine and data sharing.
AB  - Introduction: Effective data sharing does not occur in the UK despite being
      essential for the delivery of high-quality genomic services to patients across
      clinical specialities and to optimize advances in genomic medicine. Sources of
      data: Original papers, reviews, guidelines, policy papers and web-resources.
      Areas of agreement: Data sharing for genomic medicine requires appropriate
      infrastructure and policies, together with acceptance by health professionals and
      the public of the necessity of data sharing for clinical care. Areas of
      controversy: There is ongoing debate around the different technical approaches
      and safeguards that could be used to facilitate data sharing while minimizing the
      risks to individuals of identification. Lack of consensus undermines trust and
      confidence. Growing points: Ongoing policy developments around genomics and
      health data create opportunities to ensure systems and policies are in place to
      support proportionate, effective and safeguarded data sharing. Areas timely for
      developing research: Mechanisms to improve public trust.

PMID- 28910996
TI  - Think adult-think child! Why should staff caring for dying adults ask what the
      death means for children in the family?
AB  - Introduction: Bereaved children and young people in the UK are 'hidden mourners'.
      Sources of data: Review of primary and secondary evidence on childhood
      bereavement. Area of agreement: Children experience grief that varies according
      to the circumstance of death and their cognitive ability. Voluntary organizations
      can be supportive, but provision is patchy and vulnerable to austerity. Areas of
      concern: Adult-centric denial of the importance and long-term consequences of
      childhood grief; uncertainty in how best to relate to bereaved children in faiths
      and in schools. Growing points: Increased awareness of the immediate and long
      term consequences of childhood bereavement; even young children can experience
      loss through death. Areas timely for research: Better knowledge of the numbers of
      affected children; longitudinal data to track experiences and outcomes; measuring
      effectiveness of different approaches; identifying risk factors for early
      intervention in complicated or prolonged grief; the importance of faith and
      rituals around death; mapping the provision of services to monitor the impact of
      austerity. Recommendations: 'Think adult-think child' means that all staff caring
      for dying adults should take responsibility for asking what the death means for
      the children in the family, with schools, primary care and faith organizations
      having protocols and expertise available to support grieving children; recent
      catastrophes expose need for agencies to have management plans that focus on
      vulnerable children and young people.

PMID- 28910997
TI  - Paediatric nuclear medicine imaging.
AB  - Background: Nuclear medicine imaging explores tissue viability and function by
      using radiotracers that are taken up at cellular level with different mechanism.
      This imaging technique can also be used to assess blood flow and transit through
      tubular organs. Nuclear medicine imaging has been used in paediatrics for decades
      and this field is continuously evolving. Sources of data: The data presented
      comes from clinical experience and some milestone papers on the subject. Areas of
      agreement: Nuclear medicine imaging is well-established in paediatric nephro
      urology in the context of urinary tract infection, ante-natally diagnosed
      hydronephrosis and other congenital renal anomalies. Also, in paediatric
      oncology, I-123-meta-iodobenzyl-guanidine has a key role in the management of
      children with neuroblastic tumours. Bone scintigraphy is still highly valuable to
      localize the source of symptoms in children and adolescents with bone pain when
      other imaging techniques have failed. Thyroid scintigraphy in neonates with
      congenital hypothyroidism is the most accurate imaging technique to confirm the
      presence of ectopic functioning thyroid tissue. Areas of controversy:
      Radionuclide transit studies of the gastro-intestinal tract are potentially
      useful in suspected gastroparesis or small bowel or colonic dysmotility. However,
      until now a standardized protocol and a validated normal range have not been
      agreed, and more work is necessary. Research is ongoing on whether magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI), with its great advantage of great anatomical detail and
      no ionizing radiations, can replace nuclear medicine imaging in some clinical
      context. On the other hand, access to MRI is often difficult in many district
      general hospitals and general anaesthesia is frequently required, thus adding to
      the complexity of the examination. Growing points: Patients with bone pain and no
      cause for it demonstrated on MRI can benefit from bone scintigraphy with single
      photon emission tomography and low-dose computed tomography. This technique can
      identify areas of mechanical stress at cortical bone level, difficult to
      demonstrate on MRI, which can act as pain generators. Positron emission
      tomography (PET) is being tested in the staging, response assessment and at the
      end of treatment of several paediatric malignancies. PET is becoming more widely
      utilized in neurology in the pre-surgical assessment of some children with drug
      resistant epilepsy. Areas timely for developing research: The use of PET/MRI
      scanners is very attractive as it combines benefits of MR imaging with the
      assessment of cellular viability and metabolism with PET in one examination. This
      imaging technique will allow important research on tumour in-vivo metabolism
      (possible applications include lymphomas, neuroblastomas, malignant germ cell
      tumours andbrain tumours), with the aim of offering a personalized biological
      profile of the tumour in a particular patient. Ground-breaking research is also
      envisaged in neurosciences, especially in epilepsy, using PET tracers that would
      enable a better identification of the epileptogenic focus, and in psychiatry,
      with the use of radiolabeled neurotransmitters. In paediatric nephro-urology, the
      identification of the asymptomatic child with ante-natally diagnosed
      hydronephrosis at risk of losing renal parenchymal function if left untreated is
      another area of active research involving radionuclide renography.

PMID- 28910998
TI  - Abnormal uterine bleeding.
AB  - Introduction: It is not uncommon for a woman to suffer from abnormal uterine
      bleeding (AUB) or heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) at some point during her
      lifetime. Once pathology is excluded, in practice, management needs to be
      individualised, taking into account the improvement of the woman's symptoms and
      quality of life. Sources of data: Peer-reviewed journals, governmental and
      professional society publications. Areas of agreement: There is now agreement on
      a structured, universal approach to the diagnosis of AUB, with the aide memoirs
      PALM (polyps, adenomyosis, leiomyoma, malignancy) and COEIN (coagulopathies,
      ovulatory dysfunction, endometrial, iatrogenic, not otherwise classified). Once
      malignancy and significant pelvic pathology have been ruled out, medical
      treatment is an effective first-line therapeutic option, with surgery, including
      endometrial ablation and hysterectomy, offered when medical management has failed
      to resolve symptoms and fertility is no longer desired. Areas of controversy:
      There remains controversy around the management of the types and subtypes of
      adenomyosis and leiomyoma, and understanding their impact on clinical
      reproductive outcomes. Areas currently under development: Standardised assessment
      tools for measuring outcomes of AUB are being developed. Areas timely for
      developing research: Novel diagnostic and monitoring tools should be developed to
      help stratify treatment for women with AUB, particularly relating to
      'unclassified' and 'endometrial' causes.

PMID- 28910999
TI  - Infection with Opisthorchis felineus induces intraepithelial neoplasia of the
      biliary tract in a rodent model.
AB  - The liver fluke Opisthorchis felineus is a member of the triad of
      epidemiologically relevant species of the trematode family Opisthorchiidae, and
      the causative agent of opisthorchiasis felinea over an extensive range that spans
      regions of Eurasia. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies
      the infection with the liver flukes Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis
      sinensis as group 1 agents and a major risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma.
      However, the carcinogenic potential of the infection with O. felineus is less
      clear. Here, we present findings that support the inclusion of O. felineus in the
      Group 1 list of biological carcinogens. Two discrete lines of evidence support
      the notion that infection with this liver fluke is carcinogenic. First, novel
      oxysterol-like metabolites detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy in
      the egg and adult developmental stages of O. felineus, and in bile, sera, and
      urine of liver fluke-infected hamsters exhibited marked similarity to oxysterol
      like molecules known from O. viverrini. Numerous oxysterols and related DNA
      adducts detected in the liver fluke eggs and in bile from infected hamsters
      suggested that infection-associated oxysterols induced chromosomal lesions in
      host cells. Second, histological analysis of liver sections from hamsters
      infected with O. felineus confirmed portal area enlargement, inflammation with
      severe periductal fibrosis and changes in the epithelium of the biliary tract
      characterized as biliary intraepithelial neoplasia, BilIN. The consonance of
      these biochemical and histopathological changes revealed that O. felineus
      infection in this rodent model induced precancerous lesions conducive to
      malignancy.

PMID- 28911000
TI  - Dicer regulates non-homologous end joining and is associated with
      chemosensitivity in colon cancer patients.
AB  - DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is an important mechanism underlying
      chemotherapy resistance in human cancers. Dicer participates in DSB repair by
      facilitating homologous recombination. However, whether Dicer is involved in non
      homologous end joining (NHEJ) remains unknown. Here, we addressed whether Dicer
      regulates NHEJ and chemosensitivity in colon cancer cells. Using our recently
      developed NHEJ assay, we found that DSB introduction by I-SceI cleavage leads to
      Dicer upregulation. Dicer knockdown increased SIRT7 binding and decreased the
      level of H3K18Ac (acetylated lysine 18 of histone H3) at DSB sites, thereby
      repressing the recruitment of NHEJ factors to DSB sites and inhibiting NHEJ.
      Dicer overexpression reduced SIRT7 binding and increased the level of H3K18Ac at
      DSB sites, promoting the recruitment of NHEJ factors to DSBs and moderately
      enhancing NHEJ. Dicer knockdown and overexpression increased and decreased,
      respectively, the chemosensitivity of colon cancer cells. Dicer protein
      expression in colon cancer tissues of patients was directly correlated with
      chemoresistance. Our findings revealed a function of Dicer in NHEJ-mediated DSB
      repair and the association of Dicer expression with chemoresistance in colon
      cancer patients.

PMID- 28911001
TI  - Whole-exome analysis of a Li-Fraumeni family trio with a novel TP53 PRD mutation
      and anticipation profile.
AB  - Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a clinically heterogeneous familial cancer predisposition
      syndrome with autosomal-dominant inheritance caused by heterozygous germline
      mutations in the TP53 gene. We here analyze the genetic background of a family
      with a 4-year-proband presented with a Li-Fraumeni tumor. The mother developed
      breast cancer at age 37 and the proband died at age 8. We performed Sanger
      sequencing and whole-exome sequencing on peripheral blood DNA from proband and
      relatives. Data analysis selected only high-quality score and depth reads, rare
      variants and protein impact involving missense, non-sense, frameshift and splice
      disrupt mutations. Disease implicated variants and predicted deleterious
      alterations were also chosen. TP53 genetic testing revealed a never reported TP53
      deletion arose as de novo mutation in the mother and inherited by the proband. We
      then performed whole-exome analysis of the trio to uncover inherited variants
      from the father that potentially worsen the already altered genetic background in
      the proband. No pathogenic variants were inherited in autosomal recessive, de
      novo dominant or X-linked recessive manner. Comparing proband and father exome we
      detected 25 predicted deleterious variants including a nonsense mutation in
      ERCC3. Those inherited mutations are possible candidate modifiers linked to TP53,
      explaining the proband accelerated tumor onset compared to the mother and
      providing a possible explanation of the genetic anticipation event in this Li
      Fraumeni family.

PMID- 28911002
TI  - Intratumor heterogeneity predicts metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer.
AB  - Even with the identical clinicopathological features, the ability for metastasis
      is vastly different among triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients.
      Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH), which is common in breast cancer, may be a key
      mechanism leading to the tumor progression. In this study, we studied whether a
      quantitative genetic definition of ITH can predict clinical outcomes in patients
      with TNBC. We quantified ITH by calculating Shannon index, a measure of diversity
      in a population, based on Myc, epidermal growth factor receptor/centromeric probe
      7 (EGFR/CEP7) and cyclin D1/centromeric probe 11 (CCND1/CEP11) copy number
      variations (CNVs) in 300 cells at three different locations of a tumor. Among 75
      TNBC patients, those who developed metastasis had significantly higher ITH, that
      is Shannon indices of EGFR/CEP7 and CCND1/CEP11 CNVs. Higher Shannon indices of
      EGFR/CEP7 and CCND1/CEP11 CNVs were significantly associated with the development
      of metastasis and were predictive of significantly worse metastasis-free survival
      (MFS). Regional heterogeneity, defined as the difference in copy numbers of Myc,
      EGFR or CCND1 at different locations, was found in 52 patients. However, the
      presence of regional heterogeneity did not correlate with metastasis or MFS. Our
      findings demonstrate that higher ITH of EGFR/CEP7 and CCND1/CEP11 CNVs is
      predictive of metastasis and is associated with significantly worse MFS in TNBC
      patients, suggesting that ITH is a very promising novel prognostic factor in
      TNBC.

PMID- 28911003
TI  - Personal exposure to fine particulate matter and benzo[a]pyrene from indoor air
      pollution and leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number in rural China.
AB  - Households in Xuanwei and Fuyuan, China, possess hazardous levels of fine
      particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 microns (PM2.5) and
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from coal combustion. Previous studies
      found that increased exposure to PM2.5 and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP; a PAH) were
      associated with decreased mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn), a marker of
      oxidative stress. We further evaluated these associations in a cross-sectional
      study of 148 healthy non-smoking women from Xuanwei and Fuyuan. Personal exposure
      to PM2.5 and BaP was measured using portable devices. MtDNAcn was measured using
      qPCR amplification of leukocyte DNA that was collected after air measurements.
      Linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between personal
      exposure to PM2.5 and BaP, and mtDNAcn adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI)
      and fuel type. We found inverse associations between exposure to PM2.5 and BaP,
      and mtDNAcn. Each incremental log-MUg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with a
      significant decrease in mtDNAcn of -10.3 copies per cell [95% confidence interval
      (95% CI): -18.6, -2.0; P = 0.02]. Additionally, each log-ng/m3 increase in BaP
      was associated with a significant decrease in mtDNAcn of -5.4 copies per cell
      (95% CI: -9.9, -0.8, P = 0.02). Age, BMI, fuel type and coal mine type were not
      significantly associated with mtDNAcn. Exposure to PM2.5 and BaP may alter
      mitochondrial dynamics in non-smoking Chinese women. MtDNAcn may be a potential
      mediator of indoor air pollution on chronic disease development.

PMID- 28911004
TI  - Inherent aerobic capacity-dependent differences in breast carcinogenesis.
AB  - Although regular physical activity is associated with improvement in aerobic
      capacity and lower breast cancer risk, there are heritable sets of traits that
      affect improvement in aerobic capacity in response to physical activity. Although
      aerobic capacity segregates risk for a number of chronic diseases, the effect of
      the heritable component on cancer risk has not been evaluated. Therefore, we
      investigated breast carcinogenesis in rodent models of heritable fitness in the
      absence of induced physical activity. Female offspring of N:NIH rats selectively
      bred for low (LIAC) or high (HIAC) inherent aerobic capacity were injected
      intraperitoneally with 1-methyl-1-nitrosurea (70 mg/kg body wt). At study
      termination 33 weeks post-carcinogen, cancer incidence (14.0 versus 47.3%; P <
      0.001) and multiplicity (0.18 versus 0.85 cancers per rat; P < 0.0001) were
      significantly decreased in HIAC versus LIAC rats, respectively. HIAC had smaller
      visceral and subcutaneous body fat depots than LIAC and activity of two proteins
      that regulated the mammalian target of rapamycin, protein kinase B (Akt), and
      adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase were suppressed and activated,
      respectively, in HIAC. Although many factors distinguish between HIAC and LIAC,
      it appears that the protective effect of HIAC against breast carcinogenesis is
      mediated, at least in part, via alterations in core metabolic signaling pathways
      deregulated in the majority of human breast cancers.

PMID- 28911005
TI  - OCIAD2 suppressed tumor growth and invasion via AKT pathway in Hepatocelluar
      carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive tumor and the third leading cause
      of cancer-related death worldwide. Ovarian carcinoma immunoreactive antigen-like
      protein 2 (OCIAD2) has been found frequently methylated in various cancers,
      including HCC. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of OCIAD2
      in HCC progression. We analyzed liver hepatocellular carcinoma patients' data
      from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), including data extracted from 371 HCC
      tissues and 50 adjacent normal liver tissues. The RNA sequencing and DNA
      methylation data revealed that OCIAD2 were significantly hypermethylated and its
      expression level in the tumor tissues was much lower than that in the
      corresponding adjacent normal tissues. The methylation level in the promoter was
      negatively correlated with the expression level of OCAID2. Treatment of HCC cell
      lines with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycitydine (5-Aza) induced a
      significant increase in the OCIAD2 mRNA and protein. Knocking-down OCIAD2 led to
      an increased colony formation, migration and invasion dramatically, accompanying
      with an enhanced expression of MMP9 and activation of AKT and FAK. Inhibition of
      AKT signaling restored OCIAD2-mediated changes in HCC cell clonogenic growth,
      migration and invasion. Survival analysis of HCC patient's data indicated
      patients with a higher expression ratio of OCIAD2/MMP9 had a shorter overall
      survival than those with a lower expression ratio of OCIAD2/MMP9. Overall, our
      data indicate that reduced expression of OCIAD2 by DNA hypermethylation plays an
      important role in HCC tumor growth and invasion. Hypermethylation of OCIAD2 may
      contribute to HCC treatment development.

PMID- 28911006
TI  - Ghrelin Serum Concentrations Are Associated with Treatment Response During
      Lithium Augmentation of Antidepressants.
AB  - Background: Lithium augmentation of antidepressants is an effective strategy in
      treatment-resistant depression. The proteohormone ghrelin is thought to be
      involved in the pathophysiology of depression. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the association of treatment response with the course of ghrelin
      levels during lithium augmentation. Method: Ghrelin serum concentrations and
      severity of depression were measured in 85 acute depressive patients before and
      after 4 weeks of lithium augmentation. Results: In a linear mixed model analysis,
      we found a significant effect of response*time interaction (F1.81=9.48; P=.0028):
      under treatment, ghrelin levels increased in nonresponders and slightly decreased
      in responders to lithium augmentation. The covariate female gender had a
      significant positive effect (F1.83=4.69; P=.033), whereas time, response,
      appetite, and body mass index (kg/m2) did not show any significant effect on
      ghrelin levels (P>.05). Conclusion: This is the first study showing that the
      course of ghrelin levels separates responders and nonresponders to lithium
      augmentation. Present results support the hypothesis that ghrelin serum
      concentrations might be involved in response to pharmacological treatment of
      depression.

PMID- 28911007
TI  - Fenfluramine Reduces [11C]Cimbi-36 Binding to the 5-HT2A Receptor in the Nonhuman
      Primate Brain.
AB  - Background: [11C]Cimbi-36 is a serotonin 2A receptor agonist positron emission
      tomography radioligand that has recently been examined in humans. The binding of
      agonist radioligand is expected to be more sensitive to endogenous
      neurotransmitter concentrations than antagonist radioligands. In the current
      study, we compared the effect of serotonin releaser fenfluramine on the binding
      of [11C]Cimbi-36, [11C]MDL 100907 (a serotonin 2A receptor antagonist
      radioligand), and [11C]AZ10419369 (a serotonin 1B receptor partial agonist
      radioligand with established serotonin sensitivity) in the monkey brain. Methods:
      Eighteen positron emission tomography measurements, 6 for each radioligand, were
      performed in 3 rhesus monkeys before or after administration of 5.0 mg/kg
      fenfluramine. Binding potential values were determined with the simplified
      reference tissue model using cerebellum as the reference region. Results:
      Fenfluramine significantly decreased [11C]Cimbi-36 (26-62%) and [11C]AZ10419369
      (35-58%) binding potential values in most regions (P < 0.05). Fenfluramine
      induced decreases in [11C]MDL 100907 binding potential were 8% to 30% and
      statistically significant in 3 regions. Decreases in [11C]Cimbi-36 binding
      potential were larger than for [11C]AZ10419369 in neocortical and limbic regions
      (~35%) but smaller in striatum and thalamus (~40%). Decreases in [11C]Cimbi-36
      binding potential were 0.9 to 2.8 times larger than for [11C]MDL 100907, and the
      fraction of serotonin 2A receptor in the high-affinity state was estimated as 54%
      in the neocortex. Conclusions: The serotonin sensitivity of serotonin 2A receptor
      agonist radioligand [11C]Cimbi-36 was higher than for antagonist radioligand
      [11C]MDL 100907. The serotonin sensitivity of [11C]Cimbi-36 was similar to
      [11C]AZ10419369, which is one of the most sensitive radioligands. [11C]Cimbi-36
      is a promising radioligand to examine serotonin release in the primate brain.

PMID- 28911008
TI  - Maternal Dietary L-Arginine and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Dar es Salaam,
      Tanzania.
AB  - The amino acid arginine is a physiological precursor to nitric oxide, which is a
      key mediator of embryonic survival, fetal growth, and pregnancy maintenance. We
      evaluated the association between consumption of the amino acid arginine and the
      rate of adverse birth outcomes using data from a double-blind, randomized,
      placebo-controlled micronutrient supplementation trial among pregnant women in
      Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2001-2004). Dietary intakes of arginine were assessed
      using repeated 24-hour recalls that were administered throughout pregnancy.
      Participants (n = 7,591) were monitored by research midwives throughout follow-up
      to assess pregnancy outcomes. Cubic-restricted splines and multivariable log
      Poisson regression with empirical standard errors were used to estimate the
      continuous and categorical associations between arginine intake and adverse birth
      outcomes. Compared with women within the lowest quintile of arginine intake,
      those within the highest quintile had 0.79 times the risk of preterm birth before
      37 weeks (95% confidence interval: 0.63, 1.00; P = 0.03). The continuous
      associations of arginine intake with preterm birth before 37 weeks and with
      preterm birth before 34 weeks were characterized by an initial rapid decrease in
      risk with increasing intake (P for nonlinearity < 0.01). Arginine intake was not
      associated with fetal loss or giving birth to infants who were born small for
      their gestational ages. This data suggest that the association between dietary
      arginine intake and preterm birth warrants further investigation.

PMID- 28911009
TI  - Contemporaneous Social Environment and the Architecture of Late-Life Gene
      Expression Profiles.
AB  - Environmental or social challenges can stimulate a cascade of coordinated
      physiological changes in stress response systems. Unfortunately, chronic
      activation of these adaptations under conditions such as low socioeconomic status
      (SES) can have negative consequences for long-term health. While there is
      substantial evidence tying low SES to increased disease risk and reduced life
      expectancy, the underlying biology remains poorly understood. Using pilot data on
      120 older adults from the Health and Retirement Study (United States, 2002-2010),
      we examined the associations between SES and gene expression levels in adulthood,
      with particular focus on a gene expression program known as the conserved
      transcriptional response to adversity. We also used a bioinformatics-based
      approach to assess the activity of specific gene regulation pathways involved in
      inflammation, antiviral responses, and stress-related neuroendocrine signaling.
      We found that low SES was related to increased expression of conserved
      transcriptional response to adversity genes and distinct patterns of
      proinflammatory, antiviral, and stress signaling (e.g., sympathetic nervous
      system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) transcription factor activation.

PMID- 28911010
TI  - Evaluating the Effectiveness of New York City Health Policy Initiatives in
      Reducing Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, 1990-2011.
AB  - Beginning in 2002, New York City (NYC) implemented numerous policies and programs
      targeting cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Using death certificates, we
      analyzed trends in NYC-specific and US mortality rates from 1990 to 2011 for all
      causes, any CVD, atherosclerotic CVD (ACVD), coronary artery disease (CAD), and
      stroke. Joinpoint analyses quantified annual percent change (APC) and evaluated
      whether decreases in CVD mortality accelerated after 2002 in either NYC or the
      total US population. Our analyses included 1,149,217 NYC decedents. The rates of
      decline in mortality from all causes, any CVD, and stroke in NYC did not change
      after 2002. Among men, the decline in ACVD mortality accelerated during 2002-2011
      (APC = -4.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI): -6.1, -3.4) relative to 1990-2001
      (APC = -2.3%, 95% CI: -3.1, -1.5). Among women, ACVD rates began declining more
      rapidly in 1993 (APC = -3.2%, 95% CI: -3.8, -2.7) and again in 2006 (APC = -6.6%,
      95% CI: -8.9, -4.3) as compared with 1990-1992 (APC = 1.6%, 95% CI: -2.7, 6.0).
      In the US population, no acceleration of mortality decline was observed in either
      ACVD or CAD mortality rates after 2002. Relative to 1990-2001, atherosclerotic
      CVD and CAD rates began to decline more rapidly during the 2002-2011 period in
      both men and women-a pattern not observed in the total US population, suggesting
      that NYC initiatives might have had a measurable influence on delaying or
      reducing ACVD mortality.

PMID- 28911011
TI  - Evaluating the Relationship Between Birth Weight for Gestational Age and Adult
      Blood Pressure Using Participants From a Cohort of Same-Sex Siblings, Discordant
      on Birth Weight Percentile.
AB  - Many studies have described an inverse relationship between birth weight and
      blood pressure (BP). Debate continues, however, over the magnitude and validity
      of the association. This analysis draws on the Early Determinants of Adult Health
      study (2005-2008), a cohort of 393 US adults (mean age 43 years; 47% male),
      including 114 same-sex sibling pairs deliberately sampled to be discordant on sex
      specific birth weight for gestational age (BW/GA) in order to minimize
      confounding in studies of fetal growth and midlife health outcomes. Every
      quintile increment in BW/GA percentile was associated with a 1.04-mm Hg decrement
      in adult systolic BP (95% confidence interval (CI): -2.14, 0.06) and a 0.63-mm Hg
      decrement in diastolic BP (95% CI: -1.35, 0.09), controlling for sex, age, site,
      smoking, and race/ethnicity. The relationship was strongest among those in the
      lowest decile of BW/GA. Adding adult body mass index to the models attenuated the
      estimates (e.g., to -0.90 mm Hg (95% CI: -1.94, 0.14) for systolic BP). In the
      sibling-pair subgroup, associations were slightly stronger but with wider
      confidence intervals (e.g., -1.22 mm Hg (95% CI: -5.20, 2.75) for systolic BP).
      In conclusion, we found a small inverse relationship between BW/GA and BP in
      cohort and sibling-pair analyses, but the clinical or public health significance
      is likely limited.

PMID- 28911012
TI  - Particulate Matter and Risk of Hospital Admission in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal:
      A Case-Crossover Study.
AB  - Air pollution is known to lead to a substantial health burden, but the majority
      of evidence is based on data from North America and Europe. Despite rising
      pollution levels, very limited information is available for South Asia. We
      investigated the impact of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less
      than or equal to 10 MUm (PM10) on hospitalization, by cause and subpopulation, in
      the Kathmandu Valley, an understudied and rapidly urbanizing region in Nepal.
      Individual-level daily inpatient hospitalization data (2004-2007) were collected
      from each of 6 major hospitals, as Nepal has no central data collection system.
      Time-stratified case-crossover analysis was used with interaction terms for
      potential effect modifiers (e.g., age, sex, and socioeconomic status), with
      adjustment for day of the week and weather. Daily PM10 concentrations averaged
      120 MUg/m3, with the daily maximum reaching 403 MUg/m3. A 10-MUg/m3 increase in
      PM10 level was associated with increased risks of hospitalization of 1.00% (95%
      confidence interval (CI): 0.62, 1.38), 1.70% (95% CI: 0.18, 3.25), and 2.29% (95%
      CI: 0.18, 4.43) for total, respiratory, and cardiovascular admissions,
      respectively. We did not find strong evidence of effect modification by age, sex,
      or socioeconomic status. These results, in combination with the high levels of
      exposure, indicate a potentially serious human health burden from air pollution
      in the Kathmandu Valley.

PMID- 28911014
TI  - RE: "SMOKELESS TOBACCO USE AND THE RISK OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER: POOLED ANALYSIS
      OF US STUDIES IN THE INHANCE CONSORTIUM".

PMID- 28911013
TI  - Invited Commentary: Integrating Genomics and Social Epidemiology-Analysis of Late
      Life Low Socioeconomic Status and the Conserved Transcriptional Response to
      Adversity.
AB  - Socially disadvantaged children face increased morbidity and mortality as they
      age. Understanding mechanisms through which social disadvantage becomes
      biologically embedded and devising measurements that can track this embedding are
      critical priorities for research to address social gradients in health. The
      analysis by Levine et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2017;186(5):503-509) of genome-wide
      gene expression in a subsample of US Health and Retirement Study participants
      suggests important new directions for the field. Specifically, findings suggest
      promise in integrating gene expression data into population studies and provide
      further evidence for the conserved transcriptional response to adversity as a
      marker of biological embedding of social disadvantage. The study also highlights
      methodological issues related to the analysis of gene expression data and social
      gradients in health and a need to examine the conserved transcriptional response
      to adversity alongside other proposed measurements of biological embedding.
      Looking to the future, advances in genome science are opening new opportunities
      for sociogenomic epidemiology.

PMID- 28911015
TI  - THE AUTHORS REPLY.

PMID- 28911016
TI  - Quantifying rooting at depth in a wheat doubled haploid population with
      introgression from wild emmer.
AB  - Background and Aims: The genetic basis of increased rooting below the plough
      layer, post-anthesis in the field, of an elite wheat line (Triticum aestivum
      'Shamrock') with recent introgression from wild emmer (T. dicoccoides), is
      investigated. Shamrock has a non-glaucous canopy phenotype mapped to the short
      arm of chromosome 2B (2BS), derived from the wild emmer. A secondary aim was to
      determine whether genetic effects found in the field could have been predicted by
      other assessment methods. Methods: Roots of doubled haploid (DH) lines from a
      winter wheat ('Shamrock' * 'Shango') population were assessed using a seedling
      screen in moist paper rolls, in rhizotrons to the end of tillering, and in the
      field post-anthesis. A linkage map was produced using single nucleotide
      polymorphism markers to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for rooting
      traits. Key Results: Shamrock had greater root length density (RLD) at depth than
      Shango, in the field and within the rhizotrons. The DH population exhibited
      diversity for rooting traits within the three environments studied. QTLs were
      identified on chromosomes 5D, 6B and 7B, explaining variation in RLD post
      anthesis in the field. Effects associated with the non-glaucous trait on RLD
      interacted significantly with depth in the field, and some of this interaction
      mapped to 2BS. The effect of genotype was strongly influenced by the method of
      root assessment, e.g. glaucousness expressed in the field was negatively
      associated with root length in the rhizotrons, but positively associated with
      length in the seedling screen. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first
      study to identify QTLs for rooting at depth in field-grown wheat at mature growth
      stages. Within the population studied here, our results are consistent with the
      hypothesis that some of the variation in rooting is associated with recent
      introgression from wild emmer. The expression of genetic effects differed between
      the methods of root assessment.

PMID- 28911017
TI  - Uncertain pollination environment promotes the evolution of a stable mixed
      reproductive system in the self-incompatible Hypochaeris salzmanniana
      (Asteraceae).
AB  - Background and aims: The transition from outcrossing to selfing is a repeated
      pattern in angiosperm diversification and according to general theory this
      transition should occur quickly and mixed reproductive systems should be
      infrequent. However, a large proportion of flowering plants have mixed
      reproductive systems, even showing inbreeding depression. Recently, several
      theoretical studies have shown that mixed mating systems can be stable, but
      empirical studies supporting these assumptions are still scarce. Methods:
      Hypochaeris salzmanniana, an annual species with populations differing in their
      self-incompatibility expression, was used as a study case to assess the stability
      of its mixed reproductive system. Here a descriptive study of the pollination
      environment was combined with measurements of the stability of the self
      incompatibility system, outcrossing rate, reproductive assurance and inbreeding
      depression in four populations for two consecutive years. Key Results: The
      reproductive system of populations exhibited a geographical pattern: the
      proportion of plants decreased from west to east. Pollinator environment also
      varied geographically, being less favourable from west to east. The self
      incompatibility expression of some populations changed markedly in only one year.
      After selfing, progeny was mainly self-compatible, while after outcrossing both
      self-incompatible and self-compatible plants were produced. In general, both
      reproductive assurance and high inbreeding depression were found in all
      populations and years. The lowest values of inbreeding depression were found in
      2014 in the easternmost populations, which experienced a marked increase in self
      compatibility in 2015. Conclusions: The mixed reproductive system of H.
      salzmanniana seems to be an evolutionarily stable strategy, with selfing
      conferring reproductive assurance when pollinator attendance is low, but strongly
      limited by inbreeding depression. The fact that the highest frequencies of self
      compatible plants appeared in the environments most unfavourable to pollination
      suggests that these plants are selected in these sites, although high rates of
      inbreeding depression should impede the complete loss of self-incompatibility. In
      H. salzmanniana, year-to-year changes in the frequency of self-incompatible
      individuals are directly derived from the balance between reproductive assurance
      and inbreeding depression.

PMID- 28911018
TI  - Wilted cucumber plants infected by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum do not
      suffer from water shortage.
AB  - Background and Aims: Fusarium wilt is primarily a soil-borne disease and results
      in yield loss and quality decline in cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The main symptom
      of fusarium wilt is the wilting of entire plant, which could be caused by a
      fungal toxin(s) or blockage of water transport. To investigate whether this wilt
      arises from water shortage, the physiological responses of hydroponically grown
      cucumber plants subjected to water stress using polyethylene glycol (PEG, 6000)
      were compared with those of plants infected with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
      cucumerinum (FOC). Methods: Parameters reflecting plant water status were
      measured 8d after the start of treatment. Leaf gas exchange parameters and
      temperature were measured with a LI-COR portable open photosynthesis system and
      by thermal imaging. Chlorophyll fluorescence and chloroplast structures were
      assessed by imaging pulse amplitude-modulated fluorometry and transmission
      electron microscopy, respectively. Key Results: Cucumber water balance was
      altered after FOC infection, with decreased water absorption and hydraulic
      conductivity. However, the responses of cucumber leaves to FOC and PEG differed
      in leaf regions. Under water stress, measures of lipid peroxidation
      (malondialdehyde) and chlorophyll fluorescence indicated that the leaf edge was
      more seriously injured, with a higher leaf temperature and disrupted leaf water
      status compared with the centre. Here, abscisic acid (ABA) and proline were
      negatively correlated with water potential. In contrast, under FOC infection,
      membrane damage and a higher temperature were observed in the leaf centre while
      ABA and proline did not vary with water potential. Cytologically, FOC-infected
      cucumber leaves exhibited circular chloroplasts and swelled starch grains in the
      leaf centre, in which they again differed from PEG-stressed cucumber leaves.
      Conclusions: This study illustrates the non-causal relationship between fusarium
      wilt and water transport blockage. Although leaf wilt occurred in both water
      stress and FOC infection, the physiological responses were different, especially
      in leaf spatial distribution.

PMID- 28911020
TI  - Plant Cuttings: news in Botany.

PMID- 28911019
TI  - Early Arabidopsis root hair growth stimulation by pathogenic strains of
      Pseudomonas syringae.
AB  - Background and Aims: Selected beneficial Pseudomonas spp. strains have the
      ability to influence root architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana by inhibiting
      primary root elongation and promoting lateral root and root hair formation. A
      crucial role for auxin in this long-term (1week), long-distance plant-microbe
      interaction has been demonstrated. Methods: Arabidopsis seedlings were cultivated
      in vitro on vertical plates and inoculated with pathogenic strains Pseudomonas
      syringae pv. maculicola (Psm) and P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst), as well as
      Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Atu) and Escherichia coli (Eco). Root hair lengths
      were measured after 24 and 48h of direct exposure to each bacterial strain.
      Several Arabidopsis mutants with impaired responses to pathogens, impaired
      ethylene perception and defects in the exocyst vesicle tethering complex that is
      involved in secretion were also analysed. Key Results: Arabidopsis seedling roots
      infected with Psm or Pst responded similarly to when infected with plant growth
      promoting rhizobacteria; root hair growth was stimulated and primary root growth
      was inhibited. Other plant- and soil-adapted bacteria induced similar root hair
      responses. The most compromised root hair growth stimulation response was found
      for the knockout mutants exo70A1 and ein2. The single immune pathways dependent
      on salicylic acid, jasmonic acid and PAD4 are not directly involved in root hair
      growth stimulation; however, in the mutual cross-talk with ethylene, they
      indirectly modify the extent of the stimulation of root hair growth. The Flg22
      peptide does not initiate root hair stimulation as intact bacteria do, but
      pretreatment with Flg22 prior to Psm inoculation abolished root hair growth
      stimulation in an FLS2 receptor kinase-dependent manner. These early response
      phenomena are not associated with changes in auxin levels, as monitored with the
      pDR5::GUS auxin reporter. Conclusions: Early stimulation of root hair growth is
      an effect of an unidentified component of living plant pathogenic bacteria. The
      root hair growth response is triggered in the range of hours after bacterial
      contact with roots and can be modulated by FLS2 signalling. Bacterial stimulation
      of root hair growth requires functional ethylene signalling and an efficient
      exocyst-dependent secretory machinery.

PMID- 28911021
TI  - Effects of Lifestyle Modification on an Exaggerated Blood Pressure Response to
      Exercise in Normotensive Females.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was designed to examine the effects of a lifestyle
      modification on the improvement in an exaggerated systolic blood pressure (SBP)
      response to exercise in normotensive females. METHODS: The subjects were 78
      normotensive females with (n = 25) and without (n = 53) an exaggerated SBP
      response to exercise who were not taking any medications. An exaggerated SBP
      response to exercise was defined according to the criteria of the Framingham
      Study (peak SBP: >=190 mm Hg). A lifestyle modification program consisting of
      aerobic exercise and diet counseling was conducted for 12 weeks. The brachial
      ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), plasma nitrate/nitrite (NOx), plasma
      thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), high-sensitivity C-reactive
      protein, fibrinogen levels, and the white blood cell (WBC) counts were measured
      before and after 12-week intervention. RESULTS: After 12-week intervention, the
      exercise-induced SBP elevation decreased in an exaggerated SBP response group (P
      < 0.05). In addition, the plasma NOx significantly increased, and the WBC counts
      and plasma TBARS decreased in an exaggerated SBP response group (P < 0.05). In an
      exaggerated SBP response group, a stepwise multiple regression analysis showed
      that the percent change in exercise-induced SBP elevation was independently
      associated with the percent changes in the plasma NOx level and baPWV (r2 =
      0.647, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a lifestyle
      modification is considered to be important for reducing an exaggerated SBP
      response to exercise by improving the arterial stiffness and nitric oxide
      bioavailability.

PMID- 28911022
TI  - Hypertensive Cardiovascular Risk: Pulsatile Hemodynamics, Gender, and Therapeutic
      Implications.
AB  - PURPOSE: In recent years, the predictive value of 2 pulsatile parameters has been
      extensively studied in hypertension: aortic stiffness and pulse pressure (PP)
      amplification. Aortic stiffness is an index of aortic rigidity and PP
      amplification is the ratio between central and brachial PP, an indirect
      evaluation of wave reflections. Both are safe, independent, noninvasive
      predictors of overall and cardiovascular risk. Our purpose is to determine the
      validity of these parameters in 2 different circumstances: gender and therapeutic
      implications. AGE EFFECT: Studies have shown that whereas steady mean arterial
      pressure is significantly higher in men than in women, pulsatile pressure largely
      predominates in women, mostly in older age and as a consequence of short stature.
      Gender differences require more extensive investigation due to the disparities of
      dose-response ranging among populations and the contribution of ethnic factors,
      frequently based on individual origin. REGARDING THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS: Many
      questions have yet to be resolved. First, the prognosis of antihypertensive
      therapy is largely based on blood pressure reduction but also requires evaluation
      of arterial rigidity and wave reflections to achieve adequate therapeutic "de
      stiffening." The most effective approach appears to be the combination of
      angiotensin- and calcium-channel blockade, in certain cases associated with
      diuretic compounds. Second, antialdosterone drugs can be useful, but it is their
      antifibrotic more than their antihypertensive effect that appears effective.
      Third, prevention of comorbidities, such as those associating hypertension,
      diabetes, and/or kidney damage, should become primary targets for drug treatment.

PMID- 28911023
TI  - Using Carbon Monoxide Releasing Molecules in Models of Preeclampsia: When Should
      We Be Monitoring Vascular Effects?

PMID- 28911024
TI  - Ambulatory Pulse Pressure Predicts the Development of Left Ventricular Diastolic
      Dysfunction in Over 20 Years of Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) has been shown to have an association
      with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in cross-sectional
      assessments. We evaluated the association between ABP measurement (ABPM) and the
      development of LVDD during over 20 years of follow up in 414 middle-aged subjects
      from OPERA cohort. METHODS: ABPM, clinical, and anthropometric measurements were
      performed in baseline. Echocardiographic measurements were performed at baseline
      and during follow-up and E/E' >=15 was considered indicating significant LVDD.
      RESULTS: Several baseline clinical characteristics (age, female gender, short
      stature, body mass index, prevalence of diabetes, in-office systolic BP (SBP), in
      office pulse pressure (PP), N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide, and the
      use of antihypertensive therapy) were associated with the development of LVDD.
      Baseline 24-hour mean, daytime mean or nighttime mean SBP or diastolic BP were
      not associated with the development of LVDD, neither were different circadian BP
      profiles. Instead 24-hour mean, daytime mean and nighttime mean PP showed
      significant association with the development of LVDD (P from <0.001 to 0.001)
      even after adjustment with significant baseline clinical characteristics (P from
      0.001 to 0.016). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that ambulatory PP has an
      independent predictive value in the development of LVDD during over 20 years of
      follow-up.

PMID- 28911025
TI  - Home Blood Pressure Variability From the Stored Memory Is Correlated With
      Albuminuria, but From the Logbook Is not.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the mean and the
      variability of home blood pressure (HBP) from the logbook correlate with
      albuminuria as well as HBP from the stored memory in patients with type 2
      diabetes. METHODS: This study is a post hoc analysis of a cross-sectional
      multicenter study. HBP measurements were performed for 14 consecutive days in 276
      patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients were requested to write down their HBP
      values in logbooks and were not informed about the memory function of their BP
      monitoring devices. RESULTS: HBP values from the logbook were significantly lower
      and less variable than those from the stored memory. The mean of morning systolic
      BP (SBP) from the logbook (adjusted beta = 0.326, P < 0.001) as well as that from
      the stored memory (adjusted beta = 0.336, P < 0.0001) was significantly
      associated with logarithm of urinary albumin excretion (UAE). The SD of morning
      SBP (adjusted beta = 0.134, P = 0.017) from the stored memory was significantly
      associated with logarithm of UAE, in contrast, the SD of morning SBP (adjusted
      beta = 0.104, P = 0.057) from the logbook was not associated with logarithm of
      UAE. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with type 2 diabetes might report inaccurate HBP
      measurements and, as a result, the variability of HBP from the logbook is
      underestimated and poorly correlates with albuminuria. The use of stored BP
      measurements is recommended to accurately evaluate the relationship with diabetic
      nephropathy.

PMID- 28911026
TI  - Response to: Using Carbon Monoxide Releasing Molecules in Models of Pre
      Eclampsia: When Should We Be Monitoring Vascular Effects?

PMID- 28911027
TI  - Green nail syndrome.

PMID- 28911028
TI  - Laundry Blues: a case of methemoglobinemia with laundry detergent and Tylenol
      ingestion.

PMID- 28911029
TI  - Necrotizing fasciitis caused by genogroup * Neisseria meningitidis.

PMID- 28911030
TI  - Whole-genome sequencing identifies nosocomial transmission of extra-pulmonary M.
      tuberculosis-response.

PMID- 28911032
TI  - After the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011-is Japan better prepared-perhaps
      not.

PMID- 28911031
TI  - Flecainide overdose-induced Brugada electrocardiogram pattern.

PMID- 28911033
TI  - Formulation of chitosan with the polyepitope HIV-1 protein candidate vaccine
      efficiently boosts cellular immune responses in mice.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) continues to be a major global public
      health issue and priority. Despite the variety of antiretroviral therapies, it
      seems that an effective vaccine against HIV-1 is still very necessary. An ideal
      HIV-1 vaccine should be able to elicit both humoral and cellular immunities. In
      this respect, polyepitope vaccines, incorporated from several conserved regions
      of HIV-1 proteins, have received much attention recently. Herein, the
      immunogenicity of the HIV-1 polyepitope protein-based candidate vaccines was
      evaluated in BALB/c mice. Following the plasmid (pET23a-HIV-1-tat/pol/gag/env)
      preparation and transformation, the recombinant protein expression was optimized
      in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) host cells. After the HIV-1-top4 protein
      purification, chitosan and alum adjuvants were added to the vaccines formulations
      to reinforce the immunogenicity of the candidate vaccines. Mice were
      subcutaneously immunized three times at 2-week intervals with the candidate
      vaccines and the elicitation of both humoral and cellular immune responses were
      investigated. Taken together, the results showed that chitosan adjuvanted
      candidate vaccine conferred a stronger immunogenicity and elicited higher
      cellular responses than other candidate vaccines (P < 0.05). Thereby, it seems
      that co-utilizing of potent adjuvants with the HIV-1 polyepitope protein vaccines
      can help to open new avenues for strategies for HIV/AIDS vaccine design.

PMID- 28911034
TI  - Planktonic free-living amoebae susceptibility to dental unit waterlines
      disinfectants.
AB  - A high diversity of microorganisms is encountered inside dental unit waterlines
      (DUWL). Among those the presence of free-living amoebae (FLA) appears currently
      underestimated, although human infections may occur due to contact with FLA
      contaminated water during dental cares. In order to limit microbial DUWL
      contamination, disinfectants are provided by dental unit manufacturer, however,
      with limited documentation on their activities against FLA. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate the efficiency of three commercial DUWL disinfectants: the
      Calbenium(c) (Airel, Champigny-sur-Marne, France), the Oxygenal 6(c) (Kavo,
      Biberach, Germany) and the Sterispray(c) (Gammasonic, Billom, France), against
      two FLA species, i.e. Acanthamoeba castellanii and Vermamoeba vermiformis alone
      or co-cultured with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans at concentrations
      ranging from 0% to 5% (v/v). Results showed varied efficacies of disinfectants:
      the Oxygenal 6(c) did not exhibit FLA killing activity, while the Sterispray(c)
      and the Calbenium(c) displayed concentration- and species-dependent activities
      with a maximum eradication rates of 100% and 86%, and 79% and 97% for A.
      castellani and V. vermiformis, respectively. None of the disinfectants were able
      to totally eradicate FLA at concentrations recommended by manufacturers. Present
      results highlight unsatisfactory anti-FLA activities of 3 DUWL disinfectant
      preparations advocating deeper investigation of antimicrobial spectra of
      commercial disinfectants in use for DUWL maintenance.

PMID- 28911035
TI  - Evaluation of PE_PGRS33 as a potential surface target for humoral responses
      against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) PE_PGRS33 is a surface-exposed protein that was
      shown to interact with Toll-like receptor 2 on host macrophages to induce
      inflammatory signals and promote entry in macrophages. In this study, we
      investigated PE_PGRS33 as a potential target of a humoral response aimed at
      hampering key processes in tuberculosis pathogenesis. PE_PGRS33 protein was
      successfully expressed and purified under native condition in Escherichia coli.
      The purified protein retained its native functional and biological properties,
      showing the ability to elicit proinflammatory signals in murine and human
      macrophages. Interestingly, a polyclonal antiserum raised against native
      PE_PGRS33 showed no cross-reactions with other mycobacterial proteins. The anti
      PE_PGRS33 serum was also able to inhibit Mtb entry into macrophages, but it did
      not reduce entry of the MtbDeltape_pgrs33 strain. Addition of native recombinant
      PE_PGRS33 to the MtbDeltape_pgrs33 strain during infection restored the Mtb wild
      type entry phenotype in macrophage. Moreover, the anti-PE_PGRS33 serum was able
      to neutralize the proinflammatory activity of PE_PGRS33 in vitro. Furthermore,
      mice immunized with native recombinant PE_PGRS33, but not with a DNA vaccine
      expressing PE_PGRS33, were able to restrict M. smegmatis in vivo. These results
      highlight the potential use of PE_PGRS33 as a target of a neutralizing humoral
      response against tuberculosis.

PMID- 28911036
TI  - High-fat-diet-induced obesity upregulates the expression of lymphoid chemokines
      and promotes the formation of gastric lymphoid follicles after Helicobacter suis
      infection.
AB  - Helicobacter suis colonizes the stomachs of a variety of animals, including
      humans, and is more likely than other Helicobacter species to induce gastric
      mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Obesity is a low-grade chronic
      inflammatory state in which the induction of a chemokine network contributes to a
      variety of diseases. However, the effect of obesity on the development of gastric
      MALT in the presence of H. suis infection remains unclear. Here, we reveal that
      high-fat-diet-induced obesity upregulates the expression of lymphoid chemokines
      in the stomach and accelerates the H. suis infection-induced formation of gastric
      lymphoid follicles, potentially via a mechanism that involves the activation of
      the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway. These findings provide
      novel insight into the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases, especially those
      induced by Helicobacter infection.

PMID- 28911037
TI  - A biologically conjugated polysaccharide vaccine delivered by attenuated
      Salmonella Typhimurium provides protection against challenge of avian pathogenic
      Escherichia coli O1 infection.
AB  - Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes avian airsacculitis and
      colibacillosis, resulting in significant economic loss to the poultry industry.
      O1, O2 and O78 are the three predominant serotypes. O-antigen of
      lipopolysaccharide is serotype determinant and highly immunogenic, and O-antigen
      polysaccharide-based vaccines have great potential for preventing bacterial
      infections. In this study, we utilized a novel yeast/bacterial shuttle vector
      pSS26 to clone the 10.8 kb operon synthesizing APEC O1 O-antigen polysaccharide.
      The resulting plasmid was introduced into attenuated Salmonella vaccines to
      deliver this O-antigen polysaccharide. O1 O-antigen was stably synthesized in
      attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium, demonstrated by slide agglutination, silver
      staining and western blot. Our results also showed that APEC O1 O-antigen
      produced in the Salmonella vaccines was attached to bacterial cell surfaces, and
      the presence of heterologous O-antigen did not alter the resistance to surface
      acting agents. Furthermore, birds immunized orally or intramuscularly provided
      protection against the virulent O1 APEC challenge. Salmonella vaccines carrying
      APEC O1 O-antigen gene cluster also induced high IgG and IgA immune responses
      against lipopolysaccharide from the APEC O1 strain. The use of our novel shuttle
      vector facilitates cloning of large DNA fragments, and this strategy could pave
      the way for production of Salmonella-vectored vaccines against prevalent APEC
      serotypes.

PMID- 28911038
TI  - Spliceman2: a computational web server that predicts defects in pre-mRNA
      splicing.
AB  - Summary: Most pre-mRNA transcripts in eukaryotic cells must undergo splicing to
      remove introns and join exons, and splicing elements present a large mutational
      target for disease-causing mutations. Splicing elements are strongly position
      dependent with respect to the transcript annotations. In 2012, we presented
      Spliceman, an online tool that used positional dependence to predict how likely
      distant mutations around annotated splice sites were to disrupt splicing. Here,
      we present an improved version of the previous tool that will be more useful for
      predicting the likelihood of splicing mutations. We have added industry-standard
      input options (i.e. Spliceman now accepts variant call format files), which allow
      much larger inputs than previously available. The tool also can visualize the
      locations-within exons and introns-of sequence variants to be analyzed and the
      predicted effects on splicing of the pre-mRNA transcript. In addition, Spliceman2
      integrates with RNAcompete motif libraries to provide a prediction of which trans
      -acting factors binding sites are disrupted/created and links out to the UCSC
      genome browser. In summary, the new features in Spliceman2 will allow scientists
      and physicians to better understand the effects of single nucleotide variations
      on splicing. Availability and implementation: Freely available on the web at
      http://fairbrother.biomed.brown.edu/spliceman2 . Website implemented in PHP
      framework-Laravel 5, PostgreSQL, Apache, and Perl, with all major browsers
      supported. Contact: william_fairbrother@brown.edu. Supplementary information:
      Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 28911039
TI  - Methodological Approaches to Assessing Tobacco Health Warnings.

PMID- 28911040
TI  - Future Research Priorities in Fungal Resistance.
AB  - Improved understanding of basic mycological, pharmacological, and immunological
      processes has led to important advances in the diagnosis and treatment of
      invasive fungal infections. However, the rise of fungi that are resistant to
      existing antifungal agents poses a substantial threat to human health. Addressing
      this expanding problem is an urgent priority for the international research
      community. In this article, we highlight important diagnostic and therapeutic
      advances that address the rise of resistant fungi as well as new public health
      initiatives that warrant further investigation to help curb the spread of these
      potentially lethal organisms.

PMID- 28911041
TI  - Culture-Independent Molecular Methods for Detection of Antifungal Resistance
      Mechanisms and Fungal Identification.
AB  - Resistance to azoles and echinocandins has emerged as a significant factor
      affecting the clinical management of patients with invasive fungal infections.
      Immunosuppressed patients at high risk for invasive fungal infections often have
      prolonged or repeated exposure to antifungals resulting in either the well
      documented selection of naturally occurring, less susceptible fungal species, or
      the in situ development of specific resistance mechanisms. Nucleic acid-based
      molecular diagnostics are particularly well suited for the rapid detection of low
      abundance fungal pathogens and identification of the infecting pathogen to the
      genus and species levels, as well as assessment of resistance mechanisms. A wide
      range of molecular probing technologies involving real-time polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) assays that facilitate direct analysis of a single infecting
      genome in a sterile blood specimen are available and have recently been
      commercialized (eg, Roche LightCycler SeptiFast and T2 Biosystems T2Candida). One
      of the exciting applications of molecular technology is the direct detection of
      specific resistance mechanisms that evolve during therapy. In principle, the
      detection of resistance mechanisms that have been independently validated to
      cause resistance provides a culture-independent biomarker for potential
      therapeutic failure. The emergence of real-time PCR assays utilizing allele
      specific molecular detection technology that is highly sensitive, robust, and
      high-throughput has the potential to improve patient care by providing faster
      detection of drug-resistant infecting strains and to help inform therapeutic
      management.

PMID- 28911042
TI  - Novel Agents and Drug Targets to Meet the Challenges of Resistant Fungi.
AB  - The emergence of drug-resistant fungi poses a major threat to human health.
      Despite advances in preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions,
      resistant fungal infections continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality
      in patients with compromised immunity, underscoring the urgent need for new
      antifungal agents. In this article, we review the challenges associated with
      identifying broad-spectrum antifungal drugs and highlight novel targets that
      could enhance the armamentarium of agents available to treat drug-resistant
      invasive fungal infections.

PMID- 28911043
TI  - Multidrug-Resistant Candida: Epidemiology, Molecular Mechanisms, and Treatment.
AB  - Invasive Candida infections remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality,
      especially in hospitalized and immunocompromised or critically ill patients. A
      limited number of antifungal agents from only a few drug classes are available to
      treat patients with these serious infections. Resistance can be either intrinsic
      or acquired. Resistance mechanisms are not exchanged between Candida; thus,
      acquired resistance either emerges in response to an antifungal selection
      pressure in the individual patient or, more rarely, occur due to horizontal
      transmission of resistant strains between patients. Although multidrug resistance
      is uncommon, increasing reports of multidrug resistance to the azoles,
      echinocandins, and polyenes have occurred in several Candida species, most
      notably Candida glabrata and more recently Candida auris. Drivers are overall
      antifungal use, subtherapeutic drug levels at sites of infection/colonization,
      drug sequestration in the biofilm matrix, and, in the setting of outbreaks,
      suboptimal infection control. Moreover, recent research suggests that DNA
      mismatch repair gene mutations may facilitate acquisition of resistance mutations
      in C. glabrata specifically. Diagnosis of antifungal-resistant Candida infections
      is critical to the successful management of patients with these infections.
      Reduction of unnecessary use of antifungals via antifungal stewardship is
      critical to limit multidrug resistance emergence.

PMID- 28911044
TI  - Antifungal Resistance: An Emerging Reality and A Global Challenge.

PMID- 28911045
TI  - Azole-Resistant Aspergillosis: Epidemiology, Molecular Mechanisms, and Treatment.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus remains the most common species in all pulmonary syndromes,
      followed by Aspergillus flavus which is a common cause of allergic
      rhinosinusitis, postoperative aspergillosis and fungal keratitis. The
      manifestations of Aspergillus infections include invasive aspergillosis, chronic
      pulmonary aspergillosis and bronchitis. Allergic manifestations of inhaled
      Aspergillus include allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and severe asthma
      with fungal sensitization. Triazoles are the mainstay of therapy against
      Aspergillus infections for treatment and prophylaxis. Lately, increased azole
      resistance in A. fumigatus has become a significant challenge in effective
      management of aspergillosis. Earlier studies have brought to light the
      contribution of non-cyp51 mutations along with alterations in cyp51A gene
      resulting in azole-resistant phenotypes of A. fumigatus. This review highlights
      the magnitude of azole-resistant aspergillosis and resistance mechanisms
      implicated in the development of azole-resistant A. fumigatus and address the
      therapeutic options available.

PMID- 28911046
TI  - Animal Models for Studying Triazole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus.
AB  - Infections caused by triazole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus are associated with
      a higher probability of treatment failure and mortality. Because clinical
      experience in managing these infections is still limited, mouse models of
      invasive aspergillosis fulfill a critical void for studying treatment regimens
      designed to overcome resistance. The type of immunosuppression, the route of
      infection, the timing of antifungal administration, and the end points used to
      assess antifungal activity affect the interpretation of data from these models.
      Nevertheless, these models provide important insights that help guide treatment
      decisions in patients with triazole-resistant invasive aspergillosis. Animal
      models confirmed that a high triazole minimal inhibitory concentration
      corresponded with triazole treatment failure and that the efficacy of other
      classes of drugs, such as the polyenes and echinocandins, was not affected by the
      presence of triazole resistance mutations. Furthermore, the feasibility of
      triazole dose escalation, combination therapy, and prophylaxis were explored as
      strategies to overcome resistance.

PMID- 28911047
TI  - The Role of In Vitro Susceptibility Testing in the Management of Candida and
      Aspergillus.
AB  - Antifungal susceptibility testing has evolved from a research technique to a
      standardized and well-validated tool for the clinical management of fungal
      infections and for epidemiological studies. Genetic mutations and phenotypic
      resistance in vitro have been shown to correlate with clinical outcomes and
      treatment failures, and this in turn has led to the creation of clinical
      breakpoints and, more recently, epidemiological cutoff values for clinically
      relevant fungal pathogens. Resistance mechanisms for Candida and Aspergillus
      species have been extensively described and their corresponding genetic mutations
      can now be readily detected. Epidemiological studies have been able to detect the
      emergence of regional clonal and nonclonal resistance in several countries. The
      clinical microbiology laboratory is expected to transition from culture and
      traditional susceptibility testing to molecular methods for detection,
      identification, and resistance profiling over the next 5-10 years.

PMID- 28911048
TI  - What Can Different Motor Circuits Tell Us About Psychosis? An RDoC Perspective.
AB  - Signs of motor dysfunction are evidenced across a range of psychiatric disorders
      including schizophrenia. Historically, these features have been neglected but
      emerging theoretical and methodological advancements have shed new light on the
      utility of considering movement abnormalities. Indeed, the National Institute of
      Mental Health Research Domain Criteria initiative has recently met to develop a
      Motor Systems Domain. This reflects a growing appreciation for the enhanced
      reliability and validity that can come along with evaluating disturbances
      relevant to psychiatric illnesses from multiple levels of analysis, and
      conceptualizing these domains with respect to the complexity of their role in a
      broader integrated system (ie, weighing contributions and interactions between
      the cognitive, affective, and motor domains). This article discusses motor
      behaviors and seeks to explain how research into basal ganglia, cerebellar, and
      cortico-motor circuit function/dysfunction, grounded in brain circuit-motor
      behavior relationships, can elucidate our understanding of pathophysiology,
      provide vital links to other key systems of interest, significantly improve
      identification and classification, and drive development of targeted
      individualized treatments.

PMID- 28911049
TI  - Aberrant Hyperconnectivity in the Motor System at Rest Is Linked to Motor
      Abnormalities in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.
AB  - Motor abnormalities are frequently observed in schizophrenia and structural
      alterations of the motor system have been reported. The association of aberrant
      motor network function, however, has not been tested. We hypothesized that
      abnormal functional connectivity would be related to the degree of motor
      abnormalities in schizophrenia. In 90 subjects (46 patients) we obtained resting
      stated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for 8 minutes 40 seconds at
      3T. Participants further completed a motor battery on the scanning day. Regions
      of interest (ROI) were cortical motor areas, basal ganglia, thalamus and motor
      cerebellum. We computed ROI-to-ROI functional connectivity. Principal component
      analyses of motor behavioral data produced 4 factors (primary motor, catatonia
      and dyskinesia, coordination, and spontaneous motor activity). Motor factors were
      correlated with connectivity values. Schizophrenia was characterized by
      hyperconnectivity in 3 main areas: motor cortices to thalamus, motor cortices to
      cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex to the subthalamic nucleus. In patients,
      thalamocortical hyperconnectivity was linked to catatonia and dyskinesia, whereas
      aberrant connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate and caudate was linked
      to the primary motor factor. Likewise, connectivity between motor cortex and
      cerebellum correlated with spontaneous motor activity. Therefore, altered
      functional connectivity suggests a specific intrinsic and tonic neural
      abnormality in the motor system in schizophrenia. Furthermore, altered neural
      activity at rest was linked to motor abnormalities on the behavioral level. Thus,
      aberrant resting state connectivity may indicate a system out of balance, which
      produces characteristic behavioral alterations.

PMID- 28911051
TI  - Developing a Motor Systems Domain for the NIMH RDoC Program.

PMID- 28911052
TI  - Alternative Perspectives on Police Encounters and Psychotic Experiences [Invited
      Commentary on DeVylder et al, "Psychotic Experiences in the Context of Police
      Victimization"].

PMID- 28911053
TI  - Co-ordination of NDH and Cup proteins in CO2 uptake in cyanobacterium
      Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.
AB  - High and low affinity CO2-uptake systems containing CupA (NDH-1MS) and CupB (NDH
      1MS'), respectively, have been identified in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, but it
      is yet unknown how the complexes function in CO2 uptake. In this work, we found
      that deletion of cupB significantly lowered the growth of cells, and deletion of
      both cupA and cupB seriously suppressed the growth below pH 7.0 even under 3%
      CO2. The rate of photosynthetic oxygen evolution was decreased slightly by
      deletion of cupA but significantly by deletion of cupB and more severely by
      deletion of both cupA and cupB, especially in response to changed pH conditions
      under 3% CO2. Furthermore, we found that assembly of CupB into NDH-1MS' was
      dependent on NdhD4 and NdhF4. NDH-1MS' was not affected in the NDH-1MS
      degradation mutant and NDH-1MS was not affected in the NDH-1MS'-degradation
      mutants, indicating the existence of independent CO2-uptake systems under high
      CO2 conditions. The light-induced proton gradient across thylakoid membranes was
      significantly inhibited in ndhD-deletion mutants, suggesting that NdhDs functions
      in proton pumping. The carbonic anhydrase activity was suppressed partly in the
      cupA- or cupB-deletion mutant but severely in the mutant with both cupA and cupB
      deletion, indicating that CupA and CupB function in conversion of CO2 to HCO3-.
      In turn, deletion of cup genes lowered the transthylakoid membrane proton
      gradient and deletion of ndhDs decreased the CO2 hydration. Our results suggest
      that NDH-1M provides an alkaline region to activate Cup proteins involved in CO2
      uptake.

PMID- 28911054
TI  - The algal pyrenoid: key unanswered questions.
AB  - The confinement of Rubisco in a chloroplast microcompartment, or pyrenoid, is a
      distinctive feature of most microalgae, and contributes to perhaps ~30 Pg of
      carbon fixed each year, yet our understanding of pyrenoid composition,
      regulation, and function remains fragmentary. Recently, significant progress in
      understanding the pyrenoid has arisen from studies using mutant lines, mass
      spectrometric analysis of isolated pyrenoids, and advanced ultrastructural
      imaging of the microcompartment in the model alga Chlamydomonas. The emergence of
      molecular details in other lineages provides a comparative framework for this
      review, and evidence that most pyrenoids function similarly, even in the absence
      of a common ancestry. The objective of this review is to explore pyrenoid
      diversity throughout key algal lineages and discuss whether common
      ultrastructural and cellular features are indicative of common functional
      processes. By characterizing pyrenoid origins in terms of mechanistic and
      structural parallels, we hope to provide key unanswered questions which will
      inform future research directions.

PMID- 28911050
TI  - Motor Abnormalities: From Neurodevelopmental to Neurodegenerative Through
      "Functional" (Neuro)Psychiatric Disorders.
AB  - Background: Motor abnormalities (MAs) of severe mental disorders have been
      traditionally neglected both in clinical practice and research, although they are
      an increasing focus of attention because of their clinical and neurobiological
      relevance. For historical reasons, most of the literature on MAs has been focused
      to a great extent on schizophrenia, and as a consequence their prevalence and
      featural properties in other psychiatric or neuropsychiatric disorders are poorly
      known. In this article, we evaluated the extent to which catatonic,
      extrapyramidal and neurological soft signs, and their associated clinical
      features, are present transdiagnostically. Methods: We examined motor-related
      features in neurodevelopmental (schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder,
      autism spectrum disorders), "functional" (nonschizophrenic nonaffective
      psychoses, mood disorders) and neurodegenerative (Alzheimer's disease) disorders.
      Examination of the literature revealed that there have been very few comparisons
      of motor-related features across diagnoses and we had to rely mainly in disorder
      specific studies to compare it transdiagnostically. Results: One or more motor
      domains had a substantial prevalence in all the diagnoses examined. In
      "functional" disorders, MAs, and particularly catatonic signs, appear to be
      markers of episode severity; in chronic disorders, although with different degree
      of strength or evidence, all motor domains are indicators of both disorder
      severity and poor outcome; lastly, in Alzheimer's disease they are also
      indicators of disorder progression. Conclusions: MAs appear to represent a true
      transdiagnostic domain putatively sharing neurobiological mechanisms of
      neurodevelopmental, functional or neurodegenerative origin.

PMID- 28911055
TI  - Pyrenoid loss in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii causes limitations in CO2 supply, but
      not thylakoid operating efficiency.
AB  - The pyrenoid of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a
      microcompartment situated in the centre of the cup-shaped chloroplast, containing
      up to 90% of cellular Rubisco. Traversed by a network of dense, knotted thylakoid
      tubules, the pyrenoid has been proposed to influence thylakoid biogenesis and
      ultrastructure. Mutants that are unable to assemble a pyrenoid matrix, due to
      expressing a vascular plant version of the Rubisco small subunit, exhibit severe
      growth and photosynthetic defects and have an ineffective carbon-concentrating
      mechanism (CCM). The present study set out to determine the cause of
      photosynthetic limitation in these pyrenoid-less lines. We tested whether
      electron transport and light use were compromised as a direct structural
      consequence of pyrenoid loss or as a metabolic effect downstream of lower CCM
      activity and resulting CO2 limitation. Thylakoid organization was unchanged in
      the mutants, including the retention of intrapyrenoid-type thylakoid tubules, and
      photosynthetic limitations associated with the absence of the pyrenoid were
      rescued by exposing cells to elevated CO2 levels. These results demonstrate that
      Rubisco aggregation in the pyrenoid functions as an essential element for CO2
      delivery as part of the CCM, and does not play other roles in maintenance of
      photosynthetic membrane energetics.

PMID- 28911056
TI  - Carbon-concentrating mechanisms in seagrasses.
AB  - Seagrasses are unique angiosperms that carry out growth and reproduction
      submerged in seawater. They occur in at least three families of the Alismatales.
      All have chloroplasts mainly in the cells of the epidermis. Living in seawater,
      the supply of inorganic carbon (Ci) to the chloroplasts is diffusion limited,
      especially under unstirred conditions. Therefore, the supply of CO2 and
      bicarbonate across the diffusive boundary layer on the outer side of the
      epidermis is often a limiting factor. Here we discuss the evidence for mechanisms
      that enhance the uptake of Ci into the epidermal cells. Since bicarbonate is
      plentiful in seawater, a bicarbonate pump might be expected; however, the
      evidence for such a pump is not strongly supported. There is evidence for a
      carbonic anhydrase outside the outer plasmalemma. This, together with evidence
      for an outward proton pump, suggests the possibility that local acidification
      leads to enhanced concentrations of CO2 adjacent to the outer tangential
      epidermal walls, which enhances the uptake of CO2, and this could be followed by
      a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) in the cytoplasm and/or chloroplasts. The
      lines of evidence for such an epidermal CCM are discussed, including evidence for
      special 'transfer cells' in some but not all seagrass leaves in the tangential
      inner walls of the epidermal cells. It is concluded that seagrasses have a CCM
      but that the case for concentration of CO2 at the site of Rubisco carboxylation
      is not proven.

PMID- 28911057
TI  - Cyanobacteria vs green algae: which group has the edge?

PMID- 28911058
TI  - Overcoming adversity through diversity: aquatic carbon concentrating mechanisms.

PMID- 28911059
TI  - Forcing the vicious circle: sarcopenia increases toxicity, decreases response to
      chemotherapy and worsens with chemotherapy.
AB  - Sarcopenia has recently emerged as a new condition that, independently from
      malnutrition, may adversely affect the prognosis of cancer patients. Purpose of
      this narrative review is to define the prevalence of sarcopenia in different
      primaries, its role in leading to chemotherapy toxicity and decreased compliance
      with the oncological therapy and the effect of some drugs on the onset of
      sarcopenia. Finally, the review aims to describe the current approaches to
      restore the muscle mass through nutrition, exercise and anti-inflammatory agents
      or multimodal programmes with a special emphasis on the results of randomized
      controlled trials. The examination of the computed tomography scan at the level
      of the third lumbar vertebra-a common procedure for staging many tumours-has
      allowed the oncologist to evaluate the muscle mass and to collect many
      retrospective data on the prevalence of sarcopenia and its clinical consequences.
      Sarcopenia is a condition affecting a high percentage of patients with a range
      depending on type of primary tumour and stage of disease. It is noteworthy that
      patients may be sarcopenic even if their nutritional status is apparently
      maintained or they are obese. Sarcopenic patients exhibited higher chemotherapy
      toxicity and poorer compliance with oncological treatments. Furthermore, several
      antineoplastic drugs appeared to worsen the sarcopenic status. Therapeutic
      approaches are several and this review will focus on those validated by
      randomized controlled trials. They include the use of omega-3-enriched oral
      nutritional supplements and orexigenic agents, the administration of adequate
      high-protein regimens delivered enterally or parenterally, and programmes of
      physical exercise. Better results are expected combining different procedures in
      a multimodal approach. In conclusion, there are several premises to prevent/treat
      sarcopenia. The oncologist should coordinate this multimodal approach by
      selecting priorities and sequences of treatments and then involving a nutrition
      health care professional or a physical therapist depending on the condition of
      the single patient.

PMID- 28911060
TI  - Reduced-intensity versus reduced-toxicity myeloablative fludarabine/busulfan
      based conditioning regimens for allografted non-Hodgkin lymphoma adult patients:
      a retrospective study on behalf of the Societe Francophone de Greffe de Moelle et
      de Therapie Cellulaire.
AB  - Background: Fludarabine/busulfan-based conditioning regimens are widely used to
      perform allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (allo-SCT) in high-risk non-Hodgkin
      lymphoma (NHL) patients. The impact of the dose intensity of busulfan on outcomes
      has not been reported yet. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective with
      the aim to compare the outcomes of NHL patients who received before allo-SCT a
      fludarabine/busulfan conditioning regimen, either of reduced intensity (FB2, 2
      days of busulfan at 4 mg/kg/day oral or 3.2 mg/kg/day i.v.) (n = 277) or at a
      myeloablative reduced-toxicity dose (FB3/FB4, 3 or 4 days of busulfan at 4
      mg/kg/day oral or 3.2 mg/kg/day i.v.) (n = 101). Results: In univariate analysis,
      the 2-year overall survival (FB2 66.5% versus 60.3%, P = 0.33), lymphoma-free
      survival (FB2 57.9% versus 49.8%, P = 0.26), and non-relapse mortality (FB2 19%
      versus 21.1%, P = 0.91) were similar between both groups. Cumulative incidence of
      grade III-IV acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) (FB2 11.2% versus 18%, P =
      0.08), extensive chronic GVHD (FB2: 17.3% versus 10.7%, P = 0.18) and 2-year GVHD
      free-relapse free survival (FB2: 44.4% versus 42.8%, P = 0.38) were also
      comparable. In multivariate analysis there was a trend for a worse outcome using
      FB3/FB4 regimens (overall survival: HR 1.47, 95% CI: 0.96-2.24, P = 0.08;
      lymphoma-free survival: HR: 1.43, 95% CI: 0.99-2.06, P = 0.05; relapse incidence:
      HR 1.54; 95% CI: 0.96-2.48, P = 0.07). These results were confirmed using a
      propensity score-matching strategy. Conclusion: We conclude that reduced toxicity
      myeloablative conditioning with fludarabine/busulfan does not improve the
      outcomes compared with reduced-intensity conditioning in adults receiving allo
      SCT for NHL.

PMID- 28911062
TI  - TPF plus cetuximab induction chemotherapy followed by biochemoradiation with
      weekly cetuximab plus weekly cisplatin or carboplatin: a randomized phase II
      EORTC trial.
AB  - Background: Our aim was to test the safety of cetuximab added to chemoradiation
      with either cisplatin or carboplatin after prior induction chemotherapy. Methods:
      Patients with stage III/IV unresectable, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and
      neck received up to four cycles of TPF-E (cisplatin and docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day
      1 followed by 5-FU 750 mg/m2/day as a continuous infusion on days 1-5 plus
      cetuximab at a loading dose of 400 mg/m2 followed by a weekly dose of 250 mg/m2),
      with prophylactic antibiotics but no growth factors. Patients not progressing
      after four cycles of TPF-E were randomly assigned to radiotherapy (70 Gy over 7
      weeks in 2 Gy fractions) and weekly cetuximab with either weekly cisplatin 40
      mg/m2 or carboplatin, AUC of 1.5 mg/ml/min. Primary endpoint was feasibility.
      Results: Forty-seven patients were recruited. One patient did not start TPF
      (hypersensitivity reaction during the cetuximab loading dose). Induction TPF-E
      was discontinued in 12 patients due to toxicity (6 patients), medical decision
      (2), death (1), patient refusal (1), protocol violation (1), co-morbidity (1).
      Three further patients were not randomized [progressive disease (1), protocol
      violation (1), toxicity and co-morbidity (1)]. Of particular interest are three
      patients who suffered from bowel perforation, one patient who died as results of
      pneumonia and septic shock, and a second patient who was found dead at home 12
      days after starting TPF-E (cause of death unknown). Weekly cisplatin and
      carboplatin was stopped early in seven and four patients, respectively.
      Radiotherapy was stopped in two patients with cisplatin and interrupted in one
      patient with cisplatin and four patients with carboplatin. Conclusions: The
      addition of cetuximab to full dose TPF induction chemotherapy led to unacceptable
      complications and premature closing of the study. Only 34 out of 46 patients
      completed four cycles of TPF-E and only 30 started biochemoradiation.

PMID- 28911063
TI  - Stromal lymphocyte infiltration after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with
      aggressive residual disease and lower disease-free survival in HER2-positive
      breast cancer.
AB  - Background: The role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer
      has been extensively studied over the last decade. High TILs levels have been
      associated with pathological response rate in the neoadjuvant setting and with
      better outcomes in the adjuvant setting. However, little attention has been paid
      to changes in TILs and residual TIL levels after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).
      We investigated TIL levels before, after chemotherapy, and their dynamics during
      treatment; and we assessed the correlation of these levels with response to NAC
      and prognosis. Materials and methods: We identified 175 patients with primary
      HER2-positive breast cancers receiving NAC+/- trastuzumab between 2002 and 2011.
      Microbiopsy specimens and paired surgical samples were evaluated for stromal
      lymphocyte infiltration. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to
      assess the association of clinical and pathological factors with pathological
      complete response (pCR) and disease-free survival. Results: Baseline TIL levels
      were not significantly associated with pCR. TIL levels decreased during treatment
      in 78% of the patients. The magnitude of the decrease was strongly associated
      with pCR. After chemotherapy, TIL levels were high in tumors displaying
      aggressive patterns (high residual cancer burden score, mitotic index >22, tumor
      cellularity >5%). In the population with residual disease, TIL levels >25% at the
      end of NAC were significantly associated with an adverse outcome (TILs >25%, HR =
      7.98, P = 0.009) after multivariate analyses including BMI, post-NAC mitotic
      index and tumor grade. Conclusion: A decrease in TIL levels during chemotherapy
      was positively associated with response to treatment. In tumor failing to achieve
      pCR, post-NAC lymphocytic infiltration was associated with higher residual tumor
      burden and adverse clinical outcome. Further studies are required to characterize
      immune infiltration in residual disease to identify candidates who could benefit
      from second-line therapy trials including immune checkpoint inhibitors.

PMID- 28911061
TI  - International cancer seminars: a focus on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US National Cancer
      Institute (NCI) have initiated a series of cancer-focused seminars [Scelo G,
      Hofmann JN, Banks RE et al. International cancer seminars: a focus on kidney
      cancer. Ann Oncol 2016; 27(8): 1382-1385]. In this, the second seminar, IARC and
      NCI convened a workshop in order to examine the state of the current science on
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma etiology, genetics, early detection,
      treatment, and palliation, was reviewed to identify the most critical open
      research questions. The results of these discussions were summarized by
      formulating a series of 'difficult questions', which should inform and prioritize
      future research efforts.

PMID- 28911064
TI  - Cancer mortality predictions for 2017 in Latin America.
AB  - Background: From most recent available data, we predicted cancer mortality
      statistics in selected Latin American countries for the year 2017, with focus on
      lung cancer. Materials and methods: We obtained death certification data from the
      World Health Organization and population data from the Pan American Health
      Organization database for all neoplasms and selected cancer sites. We derived
      figures for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela. Using
      a logarithmic Poisson count data joinpoint model, we estimated number of deaths
      and age-standardized (world population) mortality rates in 2017. Results: Total
      cancer mortality rates are predicted to decline in all countries. The highest
      mortality rates for 2017 are in Cuba, i.e. 132.3/100 000 men and 93.3/100 000
      women. Mexico had the lowest predicted rates, 64.7/100 000 men and 60.6/100 000
      women. In contrast, the total number of cancer deaths is expected to rise due to
      population ageing and growth. Men showed declines in lung cancer trends in all
      countries and age groups considered, while only Colombian and Mexican women had
      downward trends. Stomach and (cervix) uteri rates are predicted to continue their
      declines, though mortality from these neoplasms remains comparatively high.
      Colorectal, breast and prostate cancer rates were predicted to decline
      moderately, as well as leukaemias. There was no clear pattern for pancreatic
      cancer. Between 1990 and 2017 about 420 000 cancer deaths were avoided in 5 of
      the 7 countries, no progress was observed in Brazil and Cuba. Conclusion: Cancer
      mortality rates for 2017 in seven selected Latin American countries are predicted
      to decline, though there was appreciable variability across countries. Mortality
      from major cancers-including lung and prostate-and all cancers remains
      comparatively high in Cuba, indicating the need for improved prevention and
      management.

PMID- 28911065
TI  - Development of an integrated electronic platform for patient self-report and
      management of adverse events during cancer treatment.
AB  - Background: Significant adverse events (AE) during cancer therapy disrupt
      treatment and escalate to emergency admissions. Approaches to improve the
      timeliness and accuracy of AE reporting may improve safety and reduce health
      service costs. Reporting AE via patient reported outcomes (PROs), can improve
      clinician-patient communication and making data available to clinicians in 'real
      time' using electronic PROs (ePROs) could potentially transform clinical practice
      by providing easily accessible records to guide treatment decisions. This
      manuscript describes the development of eRAPID (electronic patient self-Reporting
      of Adverse-events: Patient Information and aDvice) is a National Institute for
      Health Research-funded programme, a system for patients to self-report and manage
      AE online during and after cancer treatment. Materials and methods: A
      multidisciplinary team of IT experts, staff and patients developed using agile
      principles a secure web application interface (QStore) between an existing online
      questionnaire builder (QTool) displaying real-time ePRO data to clinicians in the
      electronic patient record at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Hierarchical
      algorithms were developed corresponding to Common Terminology Criteria for
      Adverse Events grading using the QTool question dependency function. Patient
      advocates (N = 9), patients (N = 13), and staff (N = 19) usability tested the
      system reporting combinations of AE. Results: The eRAPID system allows patients
      to report AE from home on PC, tablet or any web enabled device securely during
      treatment. The system generates immediate self-management advice for low or
      moderate AE and for severe AE advice to contact the hospital immediately.
      Clinicians can view patient AE data in the electronic patient record and receive
      email notifications when patients report severe AE. Conclusions: Evaluation of
      the system in a randomised controlled trial in breast, gynaecological and
      colorectal cancer patients undergoing systemic therapy is currently underway. To
      adapt eRAPID for different treatment groups, pilot studies are being undertaken
      with patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy and upper gastrointestinal surgery.
      ISRCTN88520246.

PMID- 28911066
TI  - Prevention of chemotherapy toxicity by agents that neutralize or degrade cell
      free chromatin.
AB  - Background: Toxicity associated with chemotherapy is a major therapeutic
      challenge and is caused by chemotherapy-induced DNA damage and inflammation. We
      have recently reported that cell-free chromatin (cfCh) fragments released from
      dying cells can readily enter into healthy cells of the body to integrate into
      their genomes and induce DNA double-strand breaks, apoptosis and inflammation in
      them. We hypothesized that much of the toxicity of chemotherapy might be due to
      release of large quantities of cfCh from dying cells that could trigger an
      exaggerated DNA damage, apoptotic and inflammatory response in healthy cells over
      and above that caused by the drugs themselves. Methods: We tested this hypothesis
      by administering cfCh neutralizing/degrading agents namely, anti-histone antibody
      complexed nanoparticles, DNase I and a novel DNA degrading agent-Resveratrol-Cu
      concurrently with five different chemotherapeutic agents to examine if
      chemotherapy-induced toxicity could be minimized. Results: We observed (i)
      significant reduction in chemotherapy-induced surge of cfCh in blood; (ii)
      significant reduction in chemotherapy-induced surge of inflammatory cytokines
      CRP, IL-6, IFNgamma and TNFalpha in blood; (iii) abolition of chemotherapy
      induced tissue DNA damage (gammaH2AX), apoptosis (active caspase-3) and
      inflammation (NFkappaB and IL-6) in multiple organs and peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells; (iv) prevention of prolonged neutropenia following a single
      injection of adriamycin and (v) significant reduction in death following a lethal
      dose of adriamycin. Conclusion: Our results suggest that toxicity of chemotherapy
      is caused to a large extent by cfCh released from dying cells and can be
      prevented by concurrent treatment with cfCh neutralizing/degrading agents.

PMID- 28911067
TI  - Maintenance treatment with capecitabine and bevacizumab versus observation in
      metastatic colorectal cancer: updated results and molecular subgroup analyses of
      the phase 3 CAIRO3 study.
AB  - Background: The phase 3 CAIRO3 study showed that capecitabine plus bevacizumab
      (CAP-B) maintenance treatment after six cycles capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and
      bevacizumab (CAPOX-B) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients is
      effective, without compromising quality of life. In this post hoc analysis with
      updated follow-up and data regarding sidedness, we defined subgroups according to
      RAS/BRAF mutation status and mismatch repair (MMR) status, and investigated their
      influence on treatment efficacy. Patients and methods: A total of 558 patients
      with previously untreated mCRC and stable disease or better after six cycles
      CAPOX-B induction treatment were randomised to either CAP-B maintenance treatment
      (n = 279) or observation (n = 279). Upon first progression, patients were to
      receive CAPOX-B reintroduction until second progression (PFS2, primary end
      point). We centrally assessed RAS/BRAF mutation status and MMR status, or used
      local results if central assessment was not possible. Intention-to-treat
      stratified Cox models adjusted for baseline covariables were used to examine
      whether treatment efficacy was modified by RAS/BRAF mutation status. Results:
      RAS, BRAF mutations, and MMR deficiency were detected in 240/420 (58%), 36/381
      (9%), and 4/279 (1%) patients, respectively. At a median follow-up of 87 months
      (IQR 69-97), all mutational subgroups showed significant improvement from
      maintenance treatment for the primary end point PFS2 [RAS/BRAF wild-type: hazard
      ratio (HR) 0.57 (95% CI 0.39-0.84); RAS-mutant: HR 0.74 (0.55-0.98); V600EBRAF
      mutant: HR 0.28 (0.12-0.64)] and secondary end points, except for the RAS-mutant
      subgroup regarding overall survival. Adjustment for sidedness instead of primary
      tumour location yielded comparable results. Although right-sided tumours were
      associated with inferior prognosis, both patients with right- and left-sided
      tumours showed significant benefit from maintenance treatment. Conclusions: CAP-B
      maintenance treatment after six cycles CAPOX-B is effective in first-line
      treatment of mCRC across all mutational subgroups. The benefit of maintenance
      treatment was most pronounced in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type and V600EBRAF
      mutant tumours. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00442637.

PMID- 28911068
TI  - Early-stage mantle cell lymphoma: a retrospective analysis from the International
      Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group (ILROG).
AB  - Background: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) rarely presents as early-stage disease,
      but clinical observations suggest that patients who present with early-stage
      disease may have better outcomes than those with advanced-stage disease. Patients
      and methods: In this 13-institution study, we examined outcomes among 179
      patients with early-stage (stage I or II) MCL in an attempt to identify
      prognostic factors that influence treatment selection and outcome. Variables
      examined included clinical characteristics, treatment modality, response to
      therapy, sites of failure, and survival. Results: Patients were predominantly
      male (78%) with head and neck being the most common presenting sites (75%). Most
      failures occurred outside the original disease site (79%). Although the
      administration of radiation therapy, either alone or with chemotherapy, reduced
      the risk of local failure, it did not translate into an improved freedom from
      progression or overall survival (OS). The treatment outcomes were independent of
      treatment modality. The 10-year OS for patients treated with chemotherapy alone,
      chemo-radiation therapy and radiation therapy alone were 69%, 62%, and 74% (P =
      0.79), and the 10-year freedom from progression were 46%, 43%, and 31% (P =
      0.64), respectively. Conclusion: Given the excellent OS rates regardless of
      initial therapy in patients with early-stage MCL, de-intensified therapy to limit
      treatment-related toxicity is a reasonable approach.

PMID- 28911069
TI  - Clinical utility of circulating DNA analysis for rapid detection of actionable
      mutations to select metastatic colorectal patients for anti-EGFR treatment.
AB  - Background: While tumor-tissue remains the 'gold standard' for genetic analysis
      in cancer patients, it is challenged with the advent of circulating cell-free
      tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis from blood samples. Here, we broaden our previous
      study on the clinical validation of plasma DNA in metastatic colorectal cancer
      patients, by evaluating its clinical utility under standard management care.
      Patients and methods: Concordance and data turnaround-time of ctDNA when compared
      with tumor-tissue analysis were studied in a real-time blinded prospective
      multicenter clinical study (n = 140 metastatic colorectal patients). Results are
      presented according to STARD criteria and were discussed in regard with clinical
      outcomes of patients. Results: Much more mutations were found by ctDNA analysis:
      59%, 11.8% and 14.4% of the patients were found KRAS, NRAS and BRAF mutant by
      ctDNA analysis instead of 44%, 8.8% and 7.2% by tumor-tissue analysis. Median
      tumor-tissue data turnaround-time was 16 days while 2 days for ctDNA analysis.
      Discordant samples analysis revealed that use of biopsy, long delay between tumor
      tissue and blood collection and resection of the tumor at time of blood draw,
      tumor site, or type of tissue analyzed seem to affect concordance. Altogether,
      the clinical data with respect to the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor
      response (RAS status) and the prognosis (BRAF status) of those discordant
      patients do not appear contradictory to the mutational status as determined by
      plasma analysis. Lastly, we present the first distribution profile of the RAS and
      BRAF hotspot mutations as determined by ctDNA analysis (n = 119), revealing a
      high proportion of patients with multiple mutations (45% of the population and up
      to 5 mutations) and only 24% of WT scored patients for both genes. Mutation
      profile as determined from ctDNA analysis with using various detection thresholds
      highlights the importance of the test sensitivity. Conclusion: Our study showed
      that ctDNA could replace tumor-tissue analysis, and also clinical utility of
      ctDNA analysis by considerably reducing data turnaround time.

PMID- 28911071
TI  - Prediction of pathological response to neoadjuvant treatment in rectal cancer
      with a two-protein immunohistochemical score derived from stromal gene-profiling.
AB  - Background: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical mesorectal
      resection is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal carcinomas. Yet,
      predicting that patients will respond to treatment remains an unmet clinical
      challenge. Experimental design: Using laser-capture microdissection we isolated
      RNA from stroma and tumour glands from prospective pre-treatment samples (n =
      15). Transcriptomic profiles were obtained hybridising PrimeView Affymetrix
      arrays. We modelled a carcinoma-associated fibroblast-specific genes filtering
      data using GSE39396. Results: The analysis of differentially expressed genes of
      stroma/tumour glands from responder and non-responder patients shows that most
      changes were associated with the stromal compartment; codifying mainly for
      extracellular matrix and ribosomal components. We built a carcinoma-associated
      fibroblast (CAF) specific classifier with genes showing changes in expression
      according to the tumour regression grade (FN1, COL3A1, COL1A1, MMP2 and IGFBP5).
      We assessed these five genes at the protein level by means of immunohistochemical
      staining in a patient's cohort (n = 38). For predictive purposes we used a leave
      one-out cross-validated model with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 83.3%.
      Random Forest identified FN1 and COL3A1 as the best predictors. Rebuilding the
      leave-one-out cross-validated regression model improved the classification
      performance with a PPV of 93.3%. An independent cohort was used for classifier
      validation (n = 36), achieving a PPV of 88.2%. In a multivariate analysis, the
      two-protein classifier proved to be the only independent predictor of response.
      Conclusion: We developed a two-protein immunohistochemical classifier that
      performs well at predicting the non-response to neoadjuvant treatment in rectal
      cancer.

PMID- 28911070
TI  - Induction TPF followed by concomitant treatment versus concomitant treatment
      alone in locally advanced head and neck cancer. A phase II-III trial.
AB  - Background: Platinum-based chemoradiation (CCRT) is the standard treatment for
      Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous-Cell Carcinoma (LAHNSCC). Cetuximab/RT
      (CET/RT) is an alternative treatment option to CCRT. The efficacy of induction
      chemotherapy (IC) followed by chemoradiation compared to chemoradiation alone has
      not been demonstrated in randomized clinical trials. The goals of this phase II
      III trial were to assess: (i) the overall survival (OS) of IC versus no-induction
      (no-IC) and (ii) the Grade 3-4 in-field mucosal toxicity of CCRT versus CET/RT.
      The present paper focuses on the analysis of efficacy. Materials and methods:
      Patients with LAHNSCC were randomized to receive concomitant treatment alone
      [CCRT (Arm A1) or CET/RT (Arm A2)], or three cycles of induction
      docetaxel/cisplatin/5 fluorouracil (TPF) followed by CCRT (Arm B1) or followed by
      CET/RT (Arm B2). The superiority hypothesis of OS comparison of IC versus no-IC
      (Arms B1 + B2 versus A1 + A2) required 204 deaths to detect an absolute 3-year OS
      difference of 12% (HR 0.675, with 80% power at two-sided 5% significance level).
      Results: 414 out of 421 patients were finally analyzed: 206 in the IC and 208 in
      the no-IC arm. Six patients were excluded because of major violation and one
      because of metastatic disease at diagnosis. With a median follow-up of 44.8
      months, OS was significantly higher in the IC arm (HR 0.74; 95% CI 0.56-0.97; P =
      0.031). Complete Responses (P = 0.0028), Progression Free Survival (P = 0.013)
      and the Loco-regional Control (P = 0.036) were also significantly higher in the
      IC arm. Compliance to concomitant treatments was not affected by induction TPF.
      Conclusions: IC followed by concomitant treatment improved the outcome of
      patients with LAHNSCC without compromising compliance to the concomitant
      treatments. The degree of the benefit of IC could be different according to the
      type of the subsequent concomitant strategy. Clinical Trial Number: NCT01086826,
      www.clinicaltrials.gov.

PMID- 28911073
TI  - Treating cancer cachexia: an evolving landscape.

PMID- 28911072
TI  - Oncologist use and perception of large panel next-generation tumor sequencing.
AB  - Background: Genomic profiling is increasingly incorporated into oncology research
      and the clinical care of cancer patients. We sought to determine physician
      perception and use of enterprise-scale clinical sequencing at our center,
      including whether testing changed management and the reasoning behind this
      decision-making. Patients and methods: All physicians who consented patients to
      MSK-IMPACT, a next-generation hybridization capture assay, in tumor types where
      molecular profiling is not routinely performed were asked to complete a
      questionnaire for each patient. Physician determination of genomic
      'actionability' was compared to an expertly curated knowledgebase of somatic
      variants. Reported management decisions were compared to chart review. Results:
      Responses were received from 146 physicians pertaining to 1932 patients diagnosed
      with 1 of 49 cancer types. Physicians indicated that sequencing altered
      management in 21% (331/1593) of patients in need of a treatment change. Among
      those in whom treatment was not altered, physicians indicated the presence of an
      actionable alteration in 55% (805/1474), however, only 45% (362/805) of these
      cases had a genomic variant annotated as actionable by expert curators. Further
      evaluation of these patients revealed that 66% (291/443) had a variant in a gene
      associated with biologic but not clinical evidence of actionability or a variant
      of unknown significance in a gene with at least one known actionable alteration.
      Of the cases annotated as actionable by experts, physicians identified an
      actionable alteration in 81% (362/445). In total, 13% (245/1932) of patients were
      enrolled to a genomically matched trial. Conclusion: Although physician and
      expert assessment differed, clinicians demonstrate substantial awareness of the
      genes associated with potential actionability and report using this knowledge to
      inform management in one in five patients. Clinical Trial number: NCT01775072.

PMID- 28911074
TI  - Beyond first-line non-anthracycline-based chemotherapy for extranodal NK/T-cell
      lymphoma: clinical outcome and current perspectives on salvage therapy for
      patients after first relapse and progression of disease.
AB  - Background: Current standard treatment, including non-anthracycline-based
      chemotherapy and optimal combining of radiotherapy, has dramatically improved
      outcomes of patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL)
      during the last decade. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical
      outcome of ENKTL patients with relapsed or progressive disease after initial
      current standard therapy. Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed
      patients diagnosed with ENKTL at six centers in four countries (China, France,
      Singapore, and South Korea) from 1997 to 2015 and analyzed 179 patients who had
      relapsed or progressed after initial current standard therapy. Results: After a
      median follow-up of 58.6 months (range 27.9-89.2), the median second progression
      free survival (PFS) was 4.1 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.04-5.16] and
      overall survival (OS) was 6.4 months (95% CI 4.36-8.51). Multivariate Cox
      regression analysis revealed that elevated lactate dehydrogenase, multiple
      extranodal sites (>=2), and presence of B symptoms were associated with inferior
      OS (P < 0.05). OS and PFS were significantly different according to both
      prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma (PINK) and PINK-E (Epstein-Barr
      virus) models. Salvage chemotherapy with l-asparaginase (l-Asp)-based regimens
      showed a significantly better clinical benefit to response rate and PFS, although
      it did not lead to OS improvement. First use of l-Asp in the salvage setting and
      l-Asp rechallenge at least 6 months after initial treatment were the best
      candidates for salvage l-Asp containing chemotherapy. Conclusions: Most patients
      with relapsed or refractory ENKTL had poor prognosis with short survival. Further
      studies are warranted to determine the optimal treatment of patients with
      relapsed or refractory ENKTL.

PMID- 28911075
TI  - Metastasis of cancer: when and how?

PMID- 28911076
TI  - Stromal inflammation, necrosis and HER2 overexpression in ductal carcinoma in
      situ of the breast: another causality dilemma?

PMID- 28911077
TI  - Proton therapy in mediastinal Hodgkin lymphoma: moving from dosimetric prediction
      to clinical evidence.

PMID- 28911078
TI  - Revival of PI3K inhibitors in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PMID- 28911079
TI  - Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater: SELECT a personalized, de-escalated
      lenvatinib schedule allows response in locally advanced DTC while controlling
      major drug-related bleeding.

PMID- 28911080
TI  - Rituximab for nivolumab plus ipilimumab-induced encephalitis in a small-cell lung
      cancer patient.

PMID- 28911081
TI  - Survival advantage for etoposide/cisplatin over paclitaxel/carboplatin concurrent
      chemoradiation in patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC: a subgroup analysis
      for ECOG 2 patients would be of great interest.

PMID- 28911082
TI  - Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: an evolving concept.

PMID- 28911083
TI  - Multiregion whole-exome sequencing of matched primary and metastatic tumors
      revealed genomic heterogeneity and suggested polyclonal seeding in colorectal
      cancer metastasis.
AB  - Background: Distant metastasis accounts for 90% of deaths from colorectal cancer
      (CRC). Genomic heterogeneity has been reported in various solid malignancies, but
      remains largely under-explored in metastatic CRC tumors, especially in primary to
      metastatic tumor evolution. Patients and methods: We conducted high-depth whole
      exome sequencing in multiple regions of matched primary and metastatic CRC
      tumors. Using a total of 28 tumor, normal, and lymph node tissues, we analyzed
      inter- and intra-individual heterogeneity, inferred the tumor subclonal
      architectures, and depicted the subclonal evolutionary routes from primary to
      metastatic tumors. Results: CRC has significant inter-individual but relatively
      limited intra-individual heterogeneity. Genomic landscapes were more similar
      within primary, metastatic, or lymph node tumors than across these types.
      Metastatic tumors exhibited less intratumor heterogeneity than primary tumors,
      indicating that single-region sequencing may be adequate to identify important
      metastasis mutations to guide treatment. Remarkably, all metastatic tumors
      inherited multiple genetically distinct subclones from primary tumors, supporting
      a possible polyclonal seeding mechanism for metastasis. Analysis of one patient
      with the trio samples of primary, metastatic, and lymph node tumors supported a
      mechanism of synchronous parallel dissemination from the primary to metastatic
      tumors that was not mediated through lymph nodes. Conclusions: In CRC, metastatic
      tumors have different but less heterogeneous genomic landscapes than primary
      tumors. It is possible that CRC metastasis is, at least partly, mediated through
      a polyclonal seeding mechanism. These findings demonstrated the rationale and
      feasibility for identifying and targeting primary tumor-derived metastasis-potent
      subclones for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of CRC metastasis.

PMID- 28911084
TI  - The 'critical mass' survey of palliative care programme at ESMO designated
      centres of integrated oncology and palliative care.
AB  - Background: The ESMO Designated Centres (ESMO-DCs) of Integrated Oncology and
      Palliative Care (PC) Incentive Programme has grown steadily. We aimed to
      characterise the level of PC clinical services, education and research at ESMO
      DCs. Methods: We sent all 184 ESMO-DCs an electronic survey consisting of 78
      questions examining the DC characteristics, palliative care clinical programme
      (structure, processes, and outcomes), primary PC delivery by oncologists,
      education, research and attitudes and beliefs towards the ESMO-DC programme.
      Results: The response rate was 83% (152/184). 115 (76%) ESMO-DCs were from
      Europe, 87 (57%) were tertiary care centres. 136 (90%) had inpatient consultation
      teams, 135 (89%) had outpatient PC clinics, 107 (71%) had dedicated acute care
      beds, and 75 (50%) offered community-based PC. An estimated 70% (interquartile
      range [IQR] 28-80%) of patients with advanced cancer had a PC consultation before
      death, occurring 90 days before death (median, IQR 40-150 days) for outpatients
      and 21 days (IQR 14-45 days) for inpatients. 59 (39%) offered PC fellowship
      programme; 47 (32%) had mandatory PC rotations for oncology fellows. Ninety-nine
      (65%) had double-boarded palliative oncologists. 118 (78%) of the ESMO-DCs
      reported that routine symptom screening was offered in the oncology clinic and
      30% of patients had documented end-of-life discussions by their oncologists. Most
      centres (>80%) perceived the ESMO-DC programme to increase their status.
      Conclusions: The ESMO-DCs had a high level of PC infrastructure and provided
      access to a large proportion of patients with advanced cancer. The survey
      supports that the 13 criteria required for ESMO designation set a robust
      framework for integration, stimulated investment of resources into some
      palliative care programmes prior to accreditation, and raised the interest about
      palliative care among clinicians, trainees and patients.

PMID- 28911085
TI  - A randomized, open-label, multicenter, phase 3 study to compare the efficacy and
      safety of eribulin to treatment of physician's choice in patients with advanced
      non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Background: Eribulin is a microtubule dynamics inhibitor with a novel mechanism
      of action. This phase 3 study aimed to compare overall survival (OS) in patients
      with heavily pretreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving eribulin to
      treatment of physician's choice (TPC). Patients and methods: Patients with
      advanced NSCLC who had received >=2 prior therapies, including platinum-based
      doublet and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, were
      randomly assigned to receive eribulin or TPC (gemcitabine, pemetrexed,
      vinorelbine, docetaxel). The primary endpoint was OS. Secondary endpoints were
      progression-free survival and objective response rate. Results: Five hundred and
      forty patients were randomized to either eribulin (n = 270) or TPC (n = 270).
      Median OS for eribulin and TPC was the same: 9.5 months [hazard ratio (HR): 1.16;
      95% confidence interval: 0.95-1.41; P = 0.13]. Progression-free survival for
      eribulin and TPC was 3.0 and 2.8 months, respectively (HR: 1.09; 95% confidence
      interval: 0.90-1.32; P = 0.39). The objective response rate was 12% for eribulin
      and 15% for TPC. Clinical benefit rate (eribulin, 57%; TPC, 55%) and disease
      control rate (eribulin, 63%; TPC, 58%) were similar between treatment arms. The
      most common adverse event was neutropenia, which occurred in 57% of eribulin
      patients and 49% of TPC patients at all grades. Other non-hematologic side
      effects were manageable and similar in both groups except for peripheral sensory
      neuropathy (all grades; eribulin, 16%; TPC, 9%). Conclusion: This phase 3 study
      did not demonstrate superiority of eribulin over TPC with regard to overall
      survival. However, eribulin does show activity in the third-line setting for
      NSCLC. Trial registration ID: www.ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT01454934.

PMID- 28911086
TI  - Large scale, prospective screening of EGFR mutations in the blood of advanced
      NSCLC patients to guide treatment decisions.
AB  - Background: In a significant percentage of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) patients, tumor tissue is unavailable or insufficient for genetic
      analyses. We prospectively analyzed if circulating-free DNA (cfDNA) purified from
      blood can be used as a surrogate in this setting to select patients for treatment
      with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs).
      Patients and methods: Blood samples were collected in 119 hospitals from 1138
      advanced NSCLC patients at presentation (n = 1033) or at progression to EGFR-TKIs
      (n = 105) with no biopsy or insufficient tumor tissue. Serum and plasma were sent
      to a central laboratory, cfDNA purified and EGFR mutations analyzed and
      quantified using a real-time PCR assay. Response data from a subset of patients
      (n = 18) were retrospectively collected. Results: Of 1033 NSCLC patients at
      presentation, 1026 were assessable; with a prevalence of males and former or
      current smokers. Sensitizing mutations were found in the cfDNA of 113 patients
      (11%); with a majority of females, never smokers and exon 19 deletions. Thirty
      one patients were positive only in plasma and 11 in serum alone and mutation load
      was higher in plasma and in cases with exon 19 deletions. More than 50% of
      samples had <10 pg mutated genomes/ul with allelic fractions below 0.25%.
      Patients treated first line with TKIs based exclusively on EGFR positivity in
      blood had an ORR of 72% and a median PFS of 11 months. Of 105 patients screened
      after progression to EGFR-TKIs, sensitizing mutations were found in 56.2% and the
      p.T790M resistance mutation in 35.2%. Conclusions: Large-scale EGFR testing in
      the blood of unselected advanced NSCLC patients is feasible and can be used to
      select patients for targeted therapy when testing cannot be done in tissue. The
      characteristics and clinical outcomes to TKI treatment of the EGFR-mutated
      patients identified are undistinguishable from those positive in tumor.

PMID- 28911087
TI  - An antisense oligonucleotide targeting TGF-beta2 inhibits lung metastasis and
      induces CD86 expression in tumor-associated macrophages.
AB  - Background: The transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta pathway is a well-described
      inducer of immunosuppression and can act as an oncogenic factor in advanced
      tumors. Several preclinical and clinical studies show that the TGF-beta pathway
      can be considered a promising molecular target for cancer therapy. The human
      genome has three TGF-beta isoforms and not much is known about the oncogenic
      response to each of the isoforms. Here, we studied the antitumor response to
      ISTH0047, a recently developed locked nucleic acid-modified antisense
      oligonucleotide targeting TGF-beta2. Materials and methods: We have studied the
      anticancer response to ISTH0047 using gymnotic delivery in tumor cell cultures
      and in in vivo preclinical orthotopic mouse models for primary tumors (breast and
      kidney tumors) and lung metastasis. Results: We observed that ISTH0047 is able to
      significantly reduce TGF-beta2 mRNA and protein levels without altering the
      levels of TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta3. ISTH0047 prevented lung metastasis in
      syngeneic orthotopic renal cell carcinoma (RENCA) and breast cancer (4T1) tumor
      models. In addition, using an orthotopic xenograft model of a lung cancer cell
      line (CRL5807) that mainly expresses TGF-beta2, we observed that ISTH0047 had an
      important effect on the lung microenvironment inhibiting the growth of lung
      lesions. ISTH0047 treatment re-educated macrophages in the lung parenchyma to
      express the tumor-suppressive factor, CD86. Conclusion: Overall, our data point
      to TGF-beta2 as a therapeutic target and ISTH0047 as a novel anticancer drug to
      prevent lung metastasis by impacting on the tumor niche, in part, through the
      induction of CD86 in tumor-associated macrophages.

PMID- 28911088
TI  - Chemotherapy-induced toxicity-a secondary effect caused by released DNA?

PMID- 28911089
TI  - The Italian Collaborative Group sets a standard for the treatment of locally
      advanced head and neck cancer.

PMID- 28911090
TI  - Maintenance therapy in advanced colorectal cancer, yes or no? Ask the laboratory.

PMID- 28911091
TI  - A phase III trial comparing oral S-1/cisplatin and intravenous 5
      fluorouracil/cisplatin in patients with untreated diffuse gastric cancer.
AB  - Background: The effect of histology-based treatment regimen on diffuse gastric
      adenocarcinoma has not been evaluated in clinical trials. This international
      phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of S-1 (a contemporary oral
      fluoropyrimidine)/cisplatin versus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/cisplatin in
      chemotherapy-naive patients with diffuse-type adenocarcinoma involving the
      gastroesophageal junction or stomach. Patients and methods: Eligibility criteria
      included untreated, measurable, advanced diffuse adenocarcinoma confirmed by
      central pathology and performance status of 0-1. Patients were randomized (2 : 1)
      to receive S-1/cisplatin or 5-FU/cisplatin. Primary end point was overall
      survival (OS), and secondary end points were progression-free survival, time to
      treatment failure, overall response rate, and safety. A multivariable analysis
      was also carried out. Results: Overall, 361 patients were randomized (S
      1/cisplatin, n = 239; 5-FU/cisplatin, n = 122); half (51%) were men, and median
      age was 56.0 years. In each group, median number of treatment cycles per patient
      was 4 (range, S-1/cisplatin: 1-20; 5-FU/cisplatin: 1-30), and dose intensity was
      >95%. OS was not different in the two groups {median OS with S-1/cisplatin, 7.5
      [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.7, 9.3]; 5-FU/cisplatin, 6.6 [95% CI: 5.7, 8.1]
      months; hazard ratio, 0.99 [95% CI: 0.76, 1.28]; P = 0.9312}. Overall response
      rate was significantly higher in the S-1/cisplatin than 5-FU/cisplatin group
      (34.7% versus 19.8%; P = 0.01), but progression-free survival and time to
      treatment failure were not different. Safety was similar between the 2 groups;
      however, fewer patients treated with S-1/cisplatin than 5-FU/cisplatin had >=1
      grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse event or >=1 adverse event resulting in
      treatment discontinuation. One treatment-related death occurred in each group.
      Slow accrual led to early termination. Conclusions: These data suggest that S
      1/cisplatin and 5-FU/cisplatin are similar in efficacy and safety in untreated
      patients with advanced diffuse adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction or
      stomach. The primary end point was not met. ClinicalTrial.gov registration
      number: NCT01285557.

PMID- 28911093
TI  - Consolidative proton therapy after chemotherapy for patients with Hodgkin
      lymphoma.
AB  - Background: We investigated early outcomes for patients receiving chemotherapy
      followed by consolidative proton therapy (PT) for the treatment of Hodgkin
      lymphoma (HL). Patients and methods: From June 2008 through August 2015, 138
      patients with HL enrolled on either IRB-approved outcomes tracking protocols or
      registry studies received consolidative PT. Patients were excluded due to
      relapsed or refractory disease. Involved-site radiotherapy field designs were
      used for all patients. Pediatric patients received a median dose of 21 Gy(RBE)
      [range 15-36 Gy(RBE)]; adult patients received a median dose of 30.6 Gy(RBE)
      [range, 20-45 Gy(RBE)]. Patients receiving PT were young (median age, 20 years;
      range 6-57). Overall, 42% were pediatric (<=18 years) and 93% were under the age
      of 40 years. Thirty-eight percent of patients were male and 62% female. Stage
      distribution included 73% with I/II and 27% with III/IV disease. Patients
      predominantly had mediastinal involvement (96%) and bulky disease (57%), whereas
      37% had B symptoms. The median follow-up was 32 months (range, 5-92 months).
      Results: The 3-year relapse-free survival rate was 92% for all patients; it was
      96% for adults and 87% for pediatric patients (P = 0.18). When evaluated by
      positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan response at the end of
      chemotherapy, patients with a partial response had worse 3-year progression-free
      survival compared with other patients (78% versus 94%; P = 0.0034). No grade 3
      radiation-related toxicities have occurred to date. Conclusion: Consolidative PT
      following standard chemotherapy in HL is primarily used in young patients with
      mediastinal and bulky disease. Early relapse-free survival rates are similar to
      those reported with photon radiation treatment, and no early grade 3 toxicities
      have been observed. Continued follow-up to assess late effects is critical.

PMID- 28911092
TI  - Concurrent and sequential initiation of ovarian function suppression with
      chemotherapy in premenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast
      cancer: an exploratory analysis of TEXT and SOFT.
AB  - Background: Recent breast cancer treatment guidelines recommend that higher-risk
      premenopausal patients should receive ovarian function suppression (OFS) as part
      of adjuvant endocrine therapy. If chemotherapy is also given, it is uncertain
      whether to select concurrent or sequential OFS initiation. Design and methods: We
      analyzed 1872 patients enrolled in the randomized phase III TEXT and SOFT trials
      who received adjuvant chemotherapy for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative
      breast cancer and upon randomization to an OFS-containing adjuvant endocrine
      therapy, initiated gonadotropin-releasing-hormone-agonist triptorelin. Breast
      cancer-free interval (BCFI) was compared between patients who received OFS
      concurrently with chemotherapy in TEXT (n = 1242) versus sequentially post
      chemotherapy in SOFT (n = 630). Because timing of trial enrollment relative to
      adjuvant chemotherapy differed, we implemented landmark analysis re-defining BCFI
      beginning 1 year after final dose of chemotherapy (median, 15.5 and 8.1 months
      from enrollment to landmark in TEXT and SOFT, respectively). As a non-randomized
      treatment comparison, we implemented comparative-effectiveness propensity score
      methodology with weighted Cox modeling. Results: Distributions of several clinico
      pathologic characteristics differed between groups. Patients who were
      premenopausal post-chemotherapy in SOFT were younger on average. The median
      duration of adjuvant chemotherapy was 18 weeks in both groups. There were 231
      (12%) BC events after post-landmark median follow-up of about 5 years. Concurrent
      use of triptorelin with chemotherapy was not associated with a significant
      difference in post-landmark BCFI compared with sequential triptorelin post
      chemotherapy, either in the overall population (HR = 1.11, 95% CI 0.72-1.72; P =
      0.72; 4-year BCFI 89% in both groups), or in the subgroup of 692 women <40 years
      at diagnosis (HR = 1.13, 95% CI 0.69-1.84) who are less likely to develop
      chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea. Conclusion: Based on comparative-effectiveness
      modeling of TEXT and SOFT after about 5 years median follow-up, with limited
      statistical power especially for the subgroup <40 years, neither detrimental nor
      beneficial effect of concurrent administration of OFS with chemotherapy on the
      efficacy of adjuvant therapy that includes chemotherapy was detected.
      Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00066690 and NCT00066703.

PMID- 28911094
TI  - Structure/cleavage-based insights into helical perturbations at bulge sites
      within T. thermophilus Argonaute silencing complexes.
AB  - We have undertaken a systematic structural study of Thermus thermophilus
      Argonaute (TtAgo) ternary complexes containing single-base bulges positioned
      either within the seed segment of the guide or target strands and at the cleavage
      site. Our studies establish that single-base bulges 7T8, 5A6 and 4A5 on the guide
      strand are stacked-into the duplex, with conformational changes localized to the
      bulge site, thereby having minimal impact on the cleavage site. By contrast,
      single-base bulges 6'U7' and 6'A7' on the target strand are looped-out of the
      duplex, with the resulting conformational transitions shifting the cleavable
      phosphate by one step. We observe a stable alignment for the looped-out 6'N7'
      bulge base, which stacks on the unpaired first base of the guide strand, with the
      looped-out alignment facilitated by weakened Watson-Crick and reversed non
      canonical flanking pairs. These structural studies are complemented by cleavage
      assays that independently monitor the impact of bulges on TtAgo-mediated cleavage
      reaction.

PMID- 28911095
TI  - Understanding mutational effects in digenic diseases.
AB  - To further our understanding of the complexity and genetic heterogeneity of rare
      diseases, it has become essential to shed light on how combinations of variants
      in different genes are responsible for a disease phenotype. With the appearance
      of a resource on digenic diseases, it has become possible to evaluate how digenic
      combinations differ in terms of the phenotypes they produce. All instances in
      this resource were assigned to two classes of digenic effects, annotated as true
      digenic and composite classes. Whereas in the true digenic class variants in both
      genes are required for developing the disease, in the composite class, a variant
      in one gene is sufficient to produce the phenotype, but an additional variant in
      a second gene impacts the disease phenotype or alters the age of onset. We show
      that a combination of variant, gene and higher-level features can differentiate
      between these two classes with high accuracy. Moreover, we show via the analysis
      of three digenic disorders that a digenic effect decision profile, extracted from
      the predictive model, motivates why an instance was assigned to either of the two
      classes. Together, our results show that digenic disease data generates novel
      insights, providing a glimpse into the oligogenic realm.

PMID- 28911096
TI  - Distinct regulation of alternative polyadenylation and gene expression by nuclear
      poly(A) polymerases.
AB  - Polyadenylation of nascent RNA by poly(A) polymerase (PAP) is important for 3'
      end maturation of almost all eukaryotic mRNAs. Most mammalian genes harbor
      multiple polyadenylation sites (PASs), leading to expression of alternative
      polyadenylation (APA) isoforms with distinct functions. How poly(A) polymerases
      may regulate PAS usage and hence gene expression is poorly understood. Here, we
      show that the nuclear canonical (PAPalpha and PAPgamma) and non-canonical (Star
      PAP) PAPs play diverse roles in PAS selection and gene expression. Deficiencies
      in the PAPs resulted in perturbations of gene expression, with Star-PAP impacting
      lowly expressed mRNAs and long-noncoding RNAs to the greatest extent.
      Importantly, different PASs of a gene are distinctly regulated by different PAPs,
      leading to widespread relative expression changes of APA isoforms. The location
      and surrounding sequence motifs of a PAS appear to differentiate its regulation
      by the PAPs. We show Star-PAP-specific PAS usage regulates the expression of the
      eukaryotic translation initiation factor EIF4A1, the tumor suppressor gene PTEN
      and the long non-coding RNA NEAT1. The Star-PAP-mediated APA of PTEN is essential
      for DNA damage-induced increase of PTEN protein levels. Together, our results
      reveal a PAS-guided and PAP-mediated paradigm for gene expression in response to
      cellular signaling cues.

PMID- 28911097
TI  - Structural accommodation of ribonucleotide incorporation by the DNA repair enzyme
      polymerase Mu.
AB  - While most DNA polymerases discriminate against ribonucleotide triphosphate
      (rNTP) incorporation very effectively, the Family X member DNA polymerase MU (Pol
      MU) incorporates rNTPs almost as efficiently as deoxyribonucleotides. To gain
      insight into how this occurs, here we have used X-ray crystallography to describe
      the structures of pre- and post-catalytic complexes of Pol MU with a
      ribonucleotide bound at the active site. These structures reveal that Pol MU
      binds and incorporates a rNTP with normal active site geometry and no distortion
      of the DNA substrate or nucleotide. Moreover, a comparison of rNTP incorporation
      kinetics by wildtype and mutant Pol MU indicates that rNTP accommodation involves
      synergistic interactions with multiple active site residues not found in
      polymerases with greater discrimination. Together, the results are consistent
      with the hypothesis that rNTP incorporation by Pol MU is advantageous in gap
      filling synthesis during DNA double strand break repair by nonhomologous end
      joining, particularly in nonreplicating cells containing very low
      deoxyribonucleotide concentrations.

PMID- 28911098
TI  - The SmAP2 RNA binding motif in the 3'UTR affects mRNA stability in the
      crenarchaeum Sulfolobus solfataricus.
AB  - Sm and Sm-like proteins represent an evolutionarily conserved family with key
      roles in RNA metabolism in Pro- and Eukaryotes. In this study, a collection of 53
      mRNAs that co-purified with Sulfolobus solfataricus (Sso) SmAP2 were surveyed for
      a specific RNA binding motif (RBM). SmAP2 was shown to bind with high affinity to
      the deduced consensus RNA binding motif (SmAP2-cRBM) in vitro. Residues in SmAP2
      interacting with the SmAP2-cRBM were mapped by UV-induced crosslinking in
      combination with mass-spectrometry, and verified by mutational analyses. The RNA
      binding site on SmAP2 includes a modified uracil binding pocket containing a
      unique threonine (T40) located on the L3 face and a second residue, K25, located
      in the pore. To study the function of the SmAP2-RBM in vivo, three authentic RBMs
      were inserted in the 3'UTR of a lacS reporter gene. The presence of the SmAP2-RBM
      in the reporter-constructs resulted in decreased LacS activity and reduced steady
      state levels of lacS mRNA. Moreover, the presence of the SmAP2-cRBM in and the
      replacement of the lacS 3'UTR with that of Sso2194 encompassing a SmAP2-RBM
      apparently impacted on the stability of the chimeric transcripts. These results
      are discussed in light of the function(s) of eukaryotic Lsm proteins in RNA
      turnover.

PMID- 28911100
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of influenza viral RNA and nucleoprotein association.
AB  - Influenza A virus (IAV) genomes are composed of eight single-stranded RNA
      segments that are coated by viral nucleoprotein (NP) molecules. Classically, the
      interaction between NP and viral RNA (vRNA) is depicted as a uniform pattern of
      'beads on a string'. Using high-throughput sequencing of RNA isolated by
      crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP), we identified the vRNA binding
      profiles of NP for two H1N1 IAV strains in virions. Contrary to the prevailing
      model for vRNA packaging, NP does not bind vRNA uniformly in the A/WSN/1933 and
      A/California/07/2009 strains, but instead each vRNA segment exhibits a unique
      binding profile, containing sites that are enriched or poor in NP association.
      Intriguingly, both H1N1 strains have similar yet distinct NP binding profiles
      despite extensive sequence conservation. Peaks identified by HITS-CLIP were
      verified as true NP binding sites based on insensitivity to DNA antisense
      oligonucleotide-mediated RNase H digestion. Moreover, nucleotide content analysis
      of NP peaks revealed that these sites are relatively G-rich and U-poor compared
      to the genome-wide nucleotide content, indicating an as-yet unidentified sequence
      bias for NP association in vivo. Taken together, our genome-wide study of NP-vRNA
      interaction has implications for the understanding of influenza vRNA architecture
      and genome packaging.

PMID- 28911099
TI  - Bacillus subtilis RecA with DprA-SsbA antagonizes RecX function during natural
      transformation.
AB  - Bacillus subtilis DprA and RecX proteins, which interact with RecA, are crucial
      for efficient chromosomal and plasmid transformation. We showed that RecA, in the
      rATP.Mg2+ bound form (RecA.ATP), could not compete with RecX, SsbA or SsbB for
      assembly onto single-stranded (ss)DNA, but RecA.dATP partially displaced these
      proteins from ssDNA. RecX promoted reversible depolymerization of preformed
      RecA.ATP filaments. The two-component DprA-SsbA mediator reversed the RecX
      negative effect on RecA filament extension, but not DprA or DprA and SsbB. In the
      presence of DprA-SsbA, RecX added prior to RecA.ATP inhibited DNA strand
      exchange, but this inhibition was reversed when RecX was added after RecA. We
      propose that RecA nucleation is more sensitive to RecX action than is RecA
      filament growth. DprA-SsbA facilitates formation of an active RecA filament that
      directly antagonizes the inhibitory effects of RecX. RecX and DprA enable
      chromosomal transformation by altering RecA filament dynamics. DprA-SsbA and RecX
      proteins constitute a new regulatory network of RecA function. DprA-SsbA
      contributes to the formation of an active RecA filament and directly antagonizes
      the inhibitory effects of RecX during natural transformation.

PMID- 28911101
TI  - Information transduction capacity reduces the uncertainties in annotation-free
      isoform discovery and quantification.
AB  - The automated transcript discovery and quantification of high-throughput RNA
      sequencing (RNA-seq) data are important tasks of next-generation sequencing (NGS)
      research. However, these tasks are challenging due to the uncertainties that
      arise in the inference of complete splicing isoform variants from partially
      observed short reads. Here, we address this problem by explicitly reducing the
      inherent uncertainties in a biological system caused by missing information. In
      our approach, the RNA-seq procedure for transforming transcripts into short reads
      is considered an information transmission process. Consequently, the data
      uncertainties are substantially reduced by exploiting the information
      transduction capacity of information theory. The experimental results obtained
      from the analyses of simulated datasets and RNA-seq datasets from cell lines and
      tissues demonstrate the advantages of our method over state-of-the-art
      competitors. Our algorithm is an open-source implementation of MaxInfo.

PMID- 28911102
TI  - FANCJ helicase controls the balance between short- and long-tract gene
      conversions between sister chromatids.
AB  - The FANCJ DNA helicase is linked to hereditary breast and ovarian cancers as well
      as bone marrow failure disorder Fanconi anemia (FA). Although FANCJ has been
      implicated in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous
      recombination (HR), the molecular mechanism underlying the tumor suppressor
      functions of FANCJ remains obscure. Here, we demonstrate that FANCJ deficient
      human and hamster cells exhibit reduction in the overall gene conversions in
      response to a site-specific chromosomal DSB induced by I-SceI endonuclease.
      Strikingly, the gene conversion events were biased in favour of long-tract gene
      conversions in FANCJ depleted cells. The fine regulation of short- (STGC) and
      long-tract gene conversions (LTGC) by FANCJ was dependent on its interaction with
      BRCA1 tumor suppressor. Notably, helicase activity of FANCJ was essential for
      controlling the overall HR and in terminating the extended repair synthesis
      during sister chromatid recombination (SCR). Moreover, cells expressing FANCJ
      pathological mutants exhibited defective SCR with an increased frequency of LTGC.
      These data unravel the novel function of FANCJ helicase in regulating SCR and SCR
      associated gene amplification/duplications and imply that these functions of
      FANCJ are crucial for the genome maintenance and tumor suppression.

PMID- 28911103
TI  - Prediction of genome-wide DNA methylation in repetitive elements.
AB  - DNA methylation in repetitive elements (RE) suppresses their mobility and
      maintains genomic stability, and decreases in it are frequently observed in tumor
      and/or surrogate tissues. Averaging methylation across RE in genome is widely
      used to quantify global methylation. However, methylation may vary in specific RE
      and play diverse roles in disease development, thus averaging methylation across
      RE may lose significant biological information. The ambiguous mapping of short
      reads by and high cost of current bisulfite sequencing platforms make them
      impractical for quantifying locus-specific RE methylation. Although microarray
      based approaches (particularly Illumina's Infinium methylation arrays) provide
      cost-effective and robust genome-wide methylation quantification, the number of
      interrogated CpGs in RE remains limited. We report a random forest-based
      algorithm (and corresponding R package, REMP) that can accurately predict genome
      wide locus-specific RE methylation based on Infinium array profiling data. We
      validated its prediction performance using alternative sequencing and microarray
      data. Testing its clinical utility with The Cancer Genome Atlas data demonstrated
      that our algorithm offers more comprehensively extended locus-specific RE
      methylation information that can be readily applied to large human studies in a
      cost-effective manner. Our work has the potential to improve our understanding of
      the role of global methylation in human diseases, especially cancer.

PMID- 28911104
TI  - Synthesis and incorporation of 13C-labeled DNA building blocks to probe
      structural dynamics of DNA by NMR.
AB  - We report the synthesis of atom-specifically 13C-modified building blocks that
      can be incorporated into DNA via solid phase synthesis to facilitate
      investigations on structural and dynamic features via NMR spectroscopy. In
      detail, 6-13C-modified pyrimidine and 8-13C purine DNA phosphoramidites were
      synthesized and incorporated into a polypurine tract DNA/RNA hybrid duplex to
      showcase the facile resonance assignment using site-specific labeling. We also
      addressed micro- to millisecond dynamics in the mini-cTAR DNA. This DNA is
      involved in the HIV replication cycle and our data points toward an exchange
      process in the lower stem of the hairpin that is up-regulated in the presence of
      the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein 7. As another example, we picked a G-quadruplex
      that was earlier shown to exist in two folds. Using site-specific 8-13C
      2'deoxyguanosine labeling we were able to verify the slow exchange between the
      two forms on the chemical shift time scale. In a real-time NMR experiment the re
      equilibration of the fold distribution after a T-jump could be monitored yielding
      a rate of 0.012 min-1. Finally, we used 13C-ZZ-exchange spectroscopy to
      characterize the kinetics between two stacked X-conformers of a Holliday junction
      mimic. At 25 degrees C, the refolding process was found to occur at a forward
      rate constant of 3.1 s-1 and with a backward rate constant of 10.6 s-1.

PMID- 28911105
TI  - A novel nucleoid-associated protein coordinates chromosome replication and
      chromosome partition.
AB  - We searched for regulators of chromosome replication in the cell cycle model
      Caulobacter crescentus and found a novel DNA-binding protein (GapR) that
      selectively aids the initiation of chromosome replication and the initial steps
      of chromosome partitioning. The protein binds the chromosome origin of
      replication (Cori) and has higher-affinity binding to mutated Cori-DNA that
      increases Cori-plasmid replication in vivo. gapR gene expression is essential for
      normal rapid growth and sufficient GapR levels are required for the correct
      timing of chromosome replication. Whole genome ChIP-seq identified dynamic DNA
      binding distributions for GapR, with the strongest associations at the
      partitioning (parABS) locus near Cori. Using molecular-genetic and fluorescence
      microscopy experiments, we showed that GapR also promotes the first steps of
      chromosome partitioning, the initial separation of the duplicated parS loci
      following replication from Cori. This separation occurs before the parABS
      dependent partitioning phase. Therefore, this early separation, whose mechanisms
      is not known, coincides with the poorly defined mechanism(s) that establishes
      chromosome asymmetry: C. crescentus chromosomes are partitioned to distinct cell
      poles which develop into replicating and non-replicating cell-types. We propose
      that GapR coordinates chromosome replication with asymmetry-establishing
      chromosome separation, noting that both roles are consistent with the
      phylogenetic restriction of GapR to asymmetrically dividing bacteria.

PMID- 28911106
TI  - Unencumbered Pol beta lyase activity in nucleosome core particles.
AB  - Packaging of DNA into the nucleosome core particle (NCP) is considered to exert
      constraints to all DNA-templated processes, including base excision repair where
      Pol beta catalyzes two key enzymatic steps: 5'-dRP lyase gap trimming and
      template-directed DNA synthesis. Despite its biological significance, knowledge
      of Pol beta activities on NCPs is still limited. Here, we show that removal of
      the 5'-dRP block by Pol beta is unaffected by NCP constraints at all sites tested
      and is even enhanced near the DNA ends. In contrast, strong inhibition of DNA
      synthesis is observed. These results indicate 5'-dRP gap trimming proceeds
      unperturbed within the NCP; whereas, gap filling is strongly limited. In the
      absence of additional factors, base excision repair in NCPs will stall at the gap
      filling step.

PMID- 28911107
TI  - Web-based NGS data analysis using miRMaster: a large-scale meta-analysis of human
      miRNAs.
AB  - The analysis of small RNA NGS data together with the discovery of new small RNAs
      is among the foremost challenges in life science. For the analysis of raw high
      throughput sequencing data we implemented the fast, accurate and comprehensive
      web-based tool miRMaster. Our toolbox provides a wide range of modules for
      quantification of miRNAs and other non-coding RNAs, discovering new miRNAs,
      isomiRs, mutations, exogenous RNAs and motifs. Use-cases comprising hundreds of
      samples are processed in less than 5 h with an accuracy of 99.4%. An integrative
      analysis of small RNAs from 1836 data sets (20 billion reads) indicated that
      context-specific miRNAs (e.g. miRNAs present only in one or few different tissues
      / cell types) still remain to be discovered while broadly expressed miRNAs appear
      to be largely known. In total, our analysis of known and novel miRNAs indicated
      nearly 22 000 candidates of precursors with one or two mature forms. Based on
      these, we designed a custom microarray comprising 11 872 potential mature miRNAs
      to assess the quality of our prediction. MiRMaster is a convenient-to-use tool
      for the comprehensive and fast analysis of miRNA NGS data. In addition, our
      predicted miRNA candidates provided as custom array will allow researchers to
      perform in depth validation of candidates interesting to them.

PMID- 28911108
TI  - The third restriction-modification system from Thermus aquaticus YT-1: solving
      the riddle of two TaqII specificities.
AB  - Two restriction-modification systems have been previously discovered in Thermus
      aquaticus YT-1. TaqI is a 263-amino acid (aa) Type IIP restriction enzyme that
      recognizes and cleaves within the symmetric sequence 5'-TCGA-3'. TaqII, in
      contrast, is a 1105-aa Type IIC restriction-and-modification enzyme, one of a
      family of Thermus homologs. TaqII was originally reported to recognize two
      different asymmetric sequences: 5'-GACCGA-3' and 5'-CACCCA-3'. We previously
      cloned the taqIIRM gene, purified the recombinant protein from Escherichia coli,
      and showed that TaqII recognizes the 5'-GACCGA-3' sequence only. Here, we report
      the discovery, isolation, and characterization of TaqIII, the third R-M system
      from T. aquaticus YT-1. TaqIII is a 1101-aa Type IIC/IIL enzyme and recognizes
      the 5'-CACCCA-3' sequence previously attributed to TaqII. The cleavage site is
      11/9 nucleotides downstream of the A residue. The enzyme exhibits striking
      biochemical similarity to TaqII. The 93% identity between their aa sequences
      suggests that they have a common evolutionary origin. The genes are located on
      two separate plasmids, and are probably paralogs or pseudoparalogs. Putative
      positions and aa that specify DNA recognition were identified and recognition
      motifs for 6 uncharacterized Thermus-family enzymes were predicted.

PMID- 28911109
TI  - Selective tumor cell death induced by irradiated riboflavin through recognizing
      DNA G-T mismatch.
AB  - Riboflavin (vitamin B2) has been thought to be a promising antitumoral agent in
      photodynamic therapy, though the further application of the method was limited by
      the unclear molecular mechanism. Our work reveals that riboflavin was able to
      recognize G-T mismatch specifically and induce single-strand breaks in duplex DNA
      targets efficiently under irradiation. In the presence of riboflavin, the photo
      irradiation could induce the death of tumor cells that are defective in mismatch
      repair system selectively, highlighting the G-T mismatch as potential drug target
      for tumor cells. Moreover, riboflavin is a promising leading compound for further
      drug design due to its inherent specific recognition of the G-T mismatch.

PMID- 28911110
TI  - Two-tailed RT-qPCR: a novel method for highly accurate miRNA quantification.
AB  - MicroRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that serve as important regulators
      of gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. They are stable in body
      fluids and pose great potential to serve as biomarkers. Here, we present a highly
      specific, sensitive and cost-effective system to quantify miRNA expression based
      on two-step RT-qPCR with SYBR-green detection chemistry called Two-tailed RT
      qPCR. It takes advantage of novel, target-specific primers for reverse
      transcription composed of two hemiprobes complementary to two different parts of
      the targeted miRNA, connected by a hairpin structure. The introduction of a
      second probe ensures high sensitivity and enables discrimination of highly
      homologous miRNAs irrespectively of the position of the mismatched nucleotide.
      Two-tailed RT-qPCR has a dynamic range of seven logs and a sensitivity sufficient
      to detect down to ten target miRNA molecules. It is capable to capture the full
      isomiR repertoire, leading to accurate representation of the complete miRNA
      content in a sample. The reverse transcription step can be multiplexed and the
      miRNA profiles measured with Two-tailed RT-qPCR show excellent correlation with
      the industry standard TaqMan miRNA assays (r2 = 0.985). Moreover, Two-tailed RT
      qPCR allows for rapid testing with a total analysis time of less than 2.5 hours.

PMID- 28911111
TI  - Combinatorial ensemble miRNA target prediction of co-regulation networks with non
      prediction data.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of cell-fate decisions in development and
      disease with a vast array of target interactions that can be investigated using
      computational approaches. For this study, we developed metaMIR, a combinatorial
      approach to identify miRNAs that co-regulate identified subsets of genes from a
      user-supplied list. We based metaMIR predictions on an improved dataset of human
      miRNA-target interactions, compiled using a machine-learning-based meta-analysis
      of established algorithms. Simultaneously, the inverse dataset of negative
      interactions not likely to occur was extracted to increase classifier
      performance, as measured using an expansive set of experimentally validated
      interactions from a variety of sources. In a second differential mode, candidate
      miRNAs are predicted by indicating genes to be targeted and others to be avoided
      to potentially increase specificity of results. As an example, we investigate the
      neural crest, a transient structure in vertebrate development where miRNAs play a
      pivotal role. Patterns of metaMIR-predicted miRNA regulation alone partially
      recapitulated functional relationships among genes, and separate differential
      analysis revealed miRNA candidates that would downregulate components implicated
      in cancer progression while not targeting tumour suppressors. Such an approach
      could aid in therapeutic application of miRNAs to reduce unintended effects. The
      utility is available at http://rna.informatik.uni-freiburg.de/metaMIR/.

PMID- 28911112
TI  - Integrative and conjugative elements and their hosts: composition, distribution
      and organization.
AB  - Conjugation of single-stranded DNA drives horizontal gene transfer between
      bacteria and was widely studied in conjugative plasmids. The organization and
      function of integrative and conjugative elements (ICE), even if they are more
      abundant, was only studied in a few model systems. Comparative genomics of ICE
      has been precluded by the difficulty in finding and delimiting these elements.
      Here, we present the results of a method that circumvents these problems by
      requiring only the identification of the conjugation genes and the species' pan
      genome. We delimited 200 ICEs and this allowed the first large-scale
      characterization of these elements. We quantified the presence in ICEs of a wide
      set of functions associated with the biology of mobile genetic elements,
      including some that are typically associated with plasmids, such as partition and
      replication. Protein sequence similarity networks and phylogenetic analyses
      revealed that ICEs are structured in functional modules. Integrases and
      conjugation systems have different evolutionary histories, even if the gene
      repertoires of ICEs can be grouped in function of conjugation types. Our
      characterization of the composition and organization of ICEs paves the way for
      future functional and evolutionary analyses of their cargo genes, composed of a
      majority of unknown function genes.

PMID- 28911113
TI  - MCbiclust: a novel algorithm to discover large-scale functionally related gene
      sets from massive transcriptomics data collections.
AB  - The potential to understand fundamental biological processes from gene expression
      data has grown in parallel with the recent explosion of the size of data
      collections. However, to exploit this potential, novel analytical methods are
      required, capable of discovering large co-regulated gene networks. We found
      current methods limited in the size of correlated gene sets they could discover
      within biologically heterogeneous data collections, hampering the identification
      of multi-gene controlled fundamental cellular processes such as energy
      metabolism, organelle biogenesis and stress responses. Here we describe a novel
      biclustering algorithm called Massively Correlated Biclustering (MCbiclust) that
      selects samples and genes from large datasets with maximal correlated gene
      expression, allowing regulation of complex networks to be examined. The method
      has been evaluated using synthetic data and applied to large bacterial and cancer
      cell datasets. We show that the large biclusters discovered, so far elusive to
      identification by existing techniques, are biologically relevant and thus
      MCbiclust has great potential in the analysis of transcriptomics data to identify
      large-scale unknown effects hidden within the data. The identified massive
      biclusters can be used to develop improved transcriptomics based diagnosis tools
      for diseases caused by altered gene expression, or used for further network
      analysis to understand genotype-phenotype correlations.

PMID- 28911114
TI  - Coupling transcriptional activation of CRISPR-Cas system and DNA repair genes by
      Csa3a in Sulfolobus islandicus.
AB  - CRISPR-Cas system provides the adaptive immunity against invading genetic
      elements in prokaryotes. Recently, we demonstrated that Csa3a regulator mediates
      spacer acquisition in Sulfolobus islandicus by activating the expression of Type
      I-A adaptation cas genes. However, links between the activation of spacer
      adaptation and CRISPR transcription/processing, and the requirement for DNA
      repair genes during spacer acquisition remained poorly understood. Here, we
      demonstrated that de novo spacer acquisition required Csa1, Cas1, Cas2 and Cas4
      proteins of the Sulfolobus Type I-A system. Disruption of genes implicated in
      crRNA maturation or DNA interference led to a significant accumulation of
      acquired spacers, mainly derived from host genomic DNA. Transcriptome and
      proteome analyses showed that Csa3a activated expression of adaptation cas genes,
      CRISPR RNAs, and DNA repair genes, including herA helicase, nurA nuclease and DNA
      polymerase II genes. Importantly, Csa3a specifically bound the promoters of the
      above DNA repair genes, suggesting that they were directly activated by Csa3a for
      adaptation. The Csa3a regulator also specifically bound to the leader sequence to
      activate CRISPR transcription in vivo. Our data indicated that the Csa3a
      regulator couples transcriptional activation of the CRISPR-Cas system and DNA
      repair genes for spacer adaptation and efficient interference of invading genetic
      elements.

PMID- 28911115
TI  - The IRES5'UTR of the dicistrovirus cricket paralysis virus is a type III IRES
      containing an essential pseudoknot structure.
AB  - Cricket paralysis virus (CrPV) is a dicistrovirus. Its positive-sense single
      stranded RNA genome contains two internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs). The 5'
      untranslated region (5'UTR) IRES5'UTR mediates translation of non-structural
      proteins encoded by ORF1 whereas the well-known intergenic region (IGR) IRESIGR
      is required for translation of structural proteins from open reading frame 2 in
      the late phase of infection. Concerted action of both IRES is essential for host
      translation shut-off and viral translation. IRESIGR has been extensively studied,
      in contrast the IRES5'UTR remains largely unexplored. Here, we define the minimal
      IRES element required for efficient translation initiation in drosophila S2 cell
      free extracts. We show that IRES5'UTR promotes direct recruitment of the ribosome
      on the cognate viral AUG start codon without any scanning step, using a Hepatitis
      C virus-related translation initiation mechanism. Mass spectrometry analysis
      revealed that IRES5'UTR recruits eukaryotic initiation factor 3, confirming that
      it belongs to type III class of IRES elements. Using Selective 2'-hydroxyl
      acylation analyzed by primer extension and DMS probing, we established a
      secondary structure model of 5'UTR and of the minimal IRES5'UTR. The IRES5'UTR
      contains a pseudoknot structure that is essential for proper folding and ribosome
      recruitment. Overall, our results pave the way for studies addressing the synergy
      and interplay between the two IRES from CrPV.

PMID- 28911116
TI  - Mechanistic features of the atypical tRNA m1G9 SPOUT methyltransferase, Trm10.
AB  - The tRNA m1G9 methyltransferase (Trm10) is a member of the SpoU-TrmD (SPOUT)
      superfamily of methyltransferases, and Trm10 homologs are widely conserved
      throughout Eukarya and Archaea. Despite possessing the trefoil knot
      characteristic of SPOUT enzymes, Trm10 does not share the same quaternary
      structure or key sequences with other members of the SPOUT family, suggesting a
      novel mechanism of catalysis. To investigate the mechanism of m1G9 methylation by
      Trm10, we performed a biochemical and kinetic analysis of Trm10 and variants with
      alterations in highly conserved residues, using crystal structures solved in the
      absence of tRNA as a guide. Here we demonstrate that a previously proposed
      general base residue (D210 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Trm10) is not likely to
      play this suggested role in the chemistry of methylation. Instead, pH-rate
      analysis suggests that D210 and other conserved carboxylate-containing residues
      at the active site collaborate to establish an active site environment that
      promotes a single ionization that is required for catalysis. Moreover, Trm10 does
      not depend on a catalytic metal ion, further distinguishing it from the other
      known SPOUT m1G methyltransferase, TrmD. These results provide evidence for a non
      canonical tRNA methyltransferase mechanism that characterizes the Trm10 enzyme
      family.

PMID- 28911117
TI  - Structure-based domain assignment in Leishmania infantum EndoG: characterization
      of a pH-dependent regulatory switch and a C-terminal extension that largely
      dictates DNA substrate preferences.
AB  - Mitochondrial endonuclease G from Leishmania infantum (LiEndoG) participates in
      the degradation of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) during parasite cell death and is
      catalytically inactive at a pH of 8.0 or above. The presence, in the primary
      sequence, of an acidic amino acid-rich insertion exclusive to trypanosomatids and
      its spatial position in a homology-built model of LiEndoG led us to postulate
      that this peptide stretch might act as a pH sensor for self-inhibition. We found
      that a LiEndoG variant lacking residues 145-180 is indeed far more active than
      its wild-type counterpart at pH values >7.0. In addition, we discovered that (i)
      LiEndoG exists as a homodimer, (ii) replacement of Ser211 in the active-site SRGH
      motif with the canonical aspartate from the DRGH motif of other nucleases leads
      to a catalytically deficient enzyme, (iii) the activity of the S211D variant can
      be restored upon the concomitant replacement of Ala247 with Arg and (iv) a C
      terminal extension is responsible for the observed preferential cleavage of
      single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and ssDNA-dsDNA junctions. Taken together, our
      results support the view that LiEndoG is a multidomain molecular machine whose
      nuclease activity can be subtly modulated or even abrogated through architectural
      changes brought about by environmental conditions and interaction with other
      binding partners.

PMID- 28911118
TI  - Multimerization rules for G-quadruplexes.
AB  - G-quadruplexes can multimerize under certain conditions, but the sequence
      requirements of such structures are not well understood. In this study, we
      investigated the ability of all possible variants of the central tetrad in a
      monomeric, parallel-strand G-quadruplex to form higher-order structures. Although
      most of these 256 variants existed primarily as monomers under the conditions of
      our screen, ~10% formed dimers or tetramers. These structures could form in a
      wide range of monovalent and divalent metal ions, and folding was highly
      cooperative in both KCl and MgCl2. As was previously shown for G-quadruplexes
      that bind GTP and promote peroxidase reactions, G-quadruplexes that form dimers
      and tetramers have distinct sequence requirements. Some mutants could also form
      heteromultimers, and a second screen was performed to characterize the sequence
      requirements of these structures. Taken together, these experiments provide new
      insights into the sequence requirements and structures of both homomultimeric and
      heteromultimeric G-quadruplexes.

PMID- 28911119
TI  - A snoRNA modulates mRNA 3' end processing and regulates the expression of a
      subset of mRNAs.
AB  - mRNA 3' end processing is an essential step in gene expression. It is well
      established that canonical eukaryotic pre-mRNA 3' processing is carried out
      within a macromolecular machinery consisting of dozens of trans-acting proteins.
      However, it is unknown whether RNAs play any role in this process. Unexpectedly,
      we found that a subset of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are associated with the
      mammalian mRNA 3' processing complex. These snoRNAs primarily interact with Fip1,
      a component of cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF). We have
      functionally characterized one of these snoRNAs and our results demonstrated that
      the U/A-rich SNORD50A inhibits mRNA 3' processing by blocking the Fip1-poly(A)
      site (PAS) interaction. Consistently, SNORD50A depletion altered the Fip1-RNA
      interaction landscape and changed the alternative polyadenylation (APA) profiles
      and/or transcript levels of a subset of genes. Taken together, our data revealed
      a novel function for snoRNAs and provided the first evidence that non-coding RNAs
      may play an important role in regulating mRNA 3' processing.

PMID- 28911120
TI  - PhiReX: a programmable and red light-regulated protein expression switch for
      yeast.
AB  - Highly regulated induction systems enabling dose-dependent and reversible fine
      tuning of protein expression output are beneficial for engineering complex
      biosynthetic pathways. To address this, we developed PhiReX, a novel red/far-red
      light-regulated protein expression system for use in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
      PhiReX is based on the combination of a customizable synTALE DNA-binding domain,
      the VP64 activation domain and the light-sensitive dimerization of the
      photoreceptor PhyB and its interacting partner PIF3 from Arabidopsis thaliana.
      Robust gene expression and high protein levels are achieved by combining genome
      integrated red light-sensing components with an episomal high-copy reporter
      construct. The gene of interest as well as the synTALE DNA-binding domain can be
      easily exchanged, allowing the flexible regulation of any desired gene by
      targeting endogenous or heterologous promoter regions. To allow low-cost
      induction of gene expression for industrial fermentation processes, we engineered
      yeast to endogenously produce the chromophore required for the effective
      dimerization of PhyB and PIF3. Time course experiments demonstrate high-level
      induction over a period of at least 48 h.

PMID- 28911121
TI  - Engineering human PrimPol into an efficient RNA-dependent-DNA primase/polymerase.
AB  - We have developed a straightforward fluorometric assay to measure primase
      polymerase activity of human PrimPol (HsPrimPol). The sensitivity of this
      procedure uncovered a novel RNA-dependent DNA priming-polymerization activity
      (RdDP) of this enzyme. In an attempt to enhance HsPrimPol RdDP activity, we
      constructed a smart mutant library guided by prior sequence-function analysis,
      and tested this library in an adapted screening platform of our fluorometric
      assay. After screening less than 500 variants, we found a specific HsPrimPol
      mutant, Y89R, which displays 10-fold higher RdDP activity than the wild-type
      enzyme. The improvement of RdDP activity in the Y89R variant was due mainly to an
      increased in the stabilization of the preternary complex
      (protein:template:incoming nucleotide), a specific step preceding dimer
      formation. Finally, in support of the biotechnological potential of PrimPol as a
      DNA primer maker during reverse transcription, mutant Y89R HsPrimPol rendered up
      to 17-fold more DNA than with random hexamer primers.

PMID- 28911122
TI  - Data exploration, quality control and statistical analysis of ChIP-exo/nexus
      experiments.
AB  - ChIP-exo/nexus experiments rely on innovative modifications of the commonly used
      ChIP-seq protocol for high resolution mapping of transcription factor binding
      sites. Although many aspects of the ChIP-exo data analysis are similar to those
      of ChIP-seq, these high throughput experiments pose a number of unique quality
      control and analysis challenges. We develop a novel statistical quality control
      pipeline and accompanying R/Bioconductor package, ChIPexoQual, to enable
      exploration and analysis of ChIP-exo and related experiments. ChIPexoQual
      evaluates a number of key issues including strand imbalance, library complexity,
      and signal enrichment of data. Assessment of these features are facilitated
      through diagnostic plots and summary statistics computed over regions of the
      genome with varying levels of coverage. We evaluated our QC pipeline with both
      large collections of public ChIP-exo/nexus data and multiple, new ChIP-exo
      datasets from Escherichia coli. ChIPexoQual analysis of these datasets resulted
      in guidelines for using these QC metrics across a wide range of sequencing depths
      and provided further insights for modelling ChIP-exo data.

PMID- 28911123
TI  - A systematic comparison of error correction enzymes by next-generation
      sequencing.
AB  - Gene synthesis, the process of assembling gene-length fragments from shorter
      groups of oligonucleotides (oligos), is becoming an increasingly important tool
      in molecular and synthetic biology. The length, quality and cost of gene
      synthesis are limited by errors produced during oligo synthesis and subsequent
      assembly. Enzymatic error correction methods are cost-effective means to
      ameliorate errors in gene synthesis. Previous analyses of these methods relied on
      cloning and Sanger sequencing to evaluate their efficiencies, limiting
      quantitative assessment. Here, we develop a method to quantify errors in
      synthetic DNA by next-generation sequencing. We analyzed errors in model gene
      assemblies and systematically compared six different error correction enzymes
      across 11 conditions. We find that ErrASE and T7 Endonuclease I are the most
      effective at decreasing average error rates (up to 5.8-fold relative to the
      input), whereas MutS is the best for increasing the number of perfect assemblies
      (up to 25.2-fold). We are able to quantify differential specificities such as
      ErrASE preferentially corrects C/G transversions whereas T7 Endonuclease I
      preferentially corrects A/T transversions. More generally, this experimental and
      computational pipeline is a fast, scalable and extensible way to analyze errors
      in gene assemblies, to profile error correction methods, and to benchmark DNA
      synthesis methods.

PMID- 28911125
TI  - Differences in survival among adults with HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma during
      routine HIV treatment initiation in Zomba district, Malawi: a retrospective
      cohort analysis.
AB  - Background: The HIV epidemic is a major public health concern throughout Africa.
      Malawi is one of the worst affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a 2014
      national HIV prevalence currently estimated at 10% (9.3-10.8%) by UNAIDS. Study
      reports, largely in the African setting comparing outcomes in HIV patients with
      and without Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) indicate poor prognosis and poor health
      outcomes amongst HIV+KS patients. Understanding the mortality risk in this
      patient group could help improve patient management and care. Methods: Using data
      for the 559 adult HIV+KS patients who started ART between 2004 and September 2011
      at Zomba clinic in Malawi, we estimated relative hazard ratios for all-cause
      mortality by controlling for age, sex, TB status, occupation, date of starting
      treatment and distance to the HIV+KS clinic. Results: Patients with tuberculosis
      (95% CI: 1.05-4.65) and patients who started ART before 2008 (95% CI: 0.34-0.81)
      were at significantly greater risk of dying. A random-effects Cox model with Log
      Gaussian frailties adequately described the variation in the hazard for
      mortality. Conclusion: The year of starting ART and TB status significantly
      affected survival among HIV+KS patients. A sub-population analysis of this kind
      can inform an efficient triage system for managing vulnerable patients.

PMID- 28911124
TI  - Assessment of quality of antiretroviral therapy services in India, 2014-2015.
AB  - Background: Following a decade of provision of free antiretroviral therapy (ART)
      in India, a nationwide assessment of ART services was conducted to review quality
      of care at ART centers. This paper presents the methods and defines replicable
      model of undertaking large scale assessments. Methods: During the period January
      2014-March 2015, 357 ART centers were reviewed under four domains, namely,
      operations, technical, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and logistics. Mixed
      methods, comprising of desk review and on-site facility assessment; random sample
      of records, interviews with both health-care staff and people living with HIV
      (PLHIV) were used. Grading for each of the domain was done on a scale of 5, with
      1 (Very poor) being the lowest and 5 (Excellent) as highest. Results: 1720 health
      care staff and 1762 beneficiaries were interviewed; 34 600 patient cards were
      reviewed. Of the 357 centers assessed 60, 169 and 128 scored Excellent, Average
      and Poor, respectively, in operations domain; 147, 176, 34 in Technical domain;
      215, 115, 27 in M&E domain; 263, 71, 23 centers in logistics domain scored
      Excellent, Average and Poor, respectively. About 95% (1698/1785) of PLHIV were
      satisfied with the care provided at ART centers. Conclusion: The methodology used
      for the assessment of ART centers in India yielded insights on the different
      domains that impact implementation and quality of service delivery. The design of
      this exercise may inform other researchers and managers planning similar large
      scale assessments.

PMID- 28911126
TI  - Diabetes in the Cape Coast metropolis of Ghana: an assessment of risk factors,
      nutritional practices and lifestyle changes.
AB  - Background: Despite the significant increase in the incidence of diabetes in
      Ghana, research in this area has been lagging. The purpose of the study was to
      assess the risk factors associated with diabetes in the Cape Coast metropolis of
      Ghana, and to describe nutritional practices and efforts toward lifestyle change.
      Methods: A convenient sample of 482 adults from the Cape Coast metropolis was
      surveyed using a self-reported questionnaire. The survey collected information on
      the demographic, socioeconomic characteristics, health status and routine
      nutritional practices of respondents. The aims of the study were addressed using
      multivariable regression analyses. Results: A total of 8% of respondents reported
      that they had been diagnosed with diabetes. Older age and body weight were found
      to be independently associated with diabetes. Individuals living with diabetes
      were no more likely than those without diabetes to have taken active steps at
      reducing their weight. Conclusion: The percentage of self-reported diabetes in
      this population was consistent with what has been reported in previous studies in
      Ghana. The findings from this study highlight the need for more patient education
      on physical activity and weight management.

PMID- 28911127
TI  - Nutritional status of children from low-income countries arriving in Spain.
AB  - Background: Nutritional problems, anaemia and infectious diseases are the main
      causes of morbidity and mortality in children and adolescents in tropical and
      subtropical areas. The main objective of this study was to determine the
      nutritional status in children from low-income countries who migrated to Spain
      and the value of the usual biochemistry markers of nutrition in these children,
      as well as to evaluate the nutritional status associated with imported infectious
      diseases. Moreover, we evaluated the association between anaemia and nutrition
      problems. Methods: We prospectively evaluated immigrants younger than 18 years of
      age, from tropical or subtropical areas, who were referred on suspicion of or
      screening for imported diseases. Detailed medical records and physical and oral
      examinations were obtained. Blood count and biochemical measures of
      micronutrients and nutritional biomarkers were performed. We included
      microbiological methods for diagnosing imported infectious diseases according to
      the region of origin and clinical setting. Results: 373 minors were evaluated,
      including 250 (67.0%) from sub-Saharan Africa, 67 (18.0%) from North Africa and
      56 (15.0%) from Latin America. The mean BMI of the subjects was 19.8+/-0.2. BMI
      increased by 0.02 for each month of stay in Spain. Nineteen patients (6.8%) had a
      nutritional risk of growth problems, and 50 (17.8%) were overweight. The time
      since arrival was longer in patients who were overweight (p<0.05). Twenty-one
      minors (5.7%) had a haemoglobin count less than 11.5 g/dL. Children infected with
      intestinal helminthiasis had anaemia more frequently than uninfected patients,
      and children infected with intestinal protozoa had anaemia more frequently than
      uninfected patients (OR=2.7 I.C 1.1-7.0, p<0.05). Conclusions: Immigrant children
      in Spain have a low prevalence of growth problem, and being overweight is a
      frequent nutritional issue. A low level of ferritin is the most frequently
      detected nutritional problem and the main cause of anaemia.

PMID- 28911128
TI  - Charting a path forward: policy analysis of China's evolved DRG-based hospital
      payment system.
AB  - Background: At present, the diagnosis-related groups-based prospective payment
      system (DRG-PPS) that has been implemented in China is merely a prototype called
      the simplified DRG-PPS, which is known as the 'ceiling price for a single
      disease'. Given that studies on the effects of a simplified DRG-PPS in China have
      usually been controversial, we aim to synthesize evidence examining whether DRGs
      can reduce medical costs and length of stay (LOS) in China. Methods: Data were
      searched from both Chinese [Wan Fang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure
      Database (CNKI)] and international databases (Web of Science and PubMed), as well
      as the official websites of Chinese health departments in the 2004-2016 period.
      Only studies with a design that included both experimental (with DRG-PPS
      implementation) and control groups (without DRG-PPS implementation) were included
      in the review. Results: The studies were based on inpatient samples from public
      hospitals distributed in 12 provinces of mainland China. Among them, 80.95%
      (17/21) revealed that hospitalization costs could be reduced significantly, and
      50.00% (8/16) indicated that length of stay could be decreased significantly. In
      addition, the government reports showed the enormous differences in pricing
      standards and LOS in various provinces, even for the same disease. Conclusions:
      We conclude that the simplified DRGs are useful in controlling hospitalization
      costs, but they fail to reduce LOS. Much work remains to be done in China to
      improve the simplified DRG-PPS.

PMID- 28911129
TI  - A comparative study on the efficacy of praziquantel and albendazole in the
      treatment of urinary schistosomiasis in Adim, Cross River State, Nigeria.
AB  - Background: Praziquantel (PZQ) is the current drug of choice for the treatment of
      urinary schistosomiasis in endemic areas. It is very efficacious, although the
      potential for the development of resistance has been reported in some endemic
      areas among human subjects and in animal studies. Its' limitation include high
      cost and administration of multiple numbers of tablets. Albendazole (ALB) is used
      in the treatment of intestinal helminths infection. It is a broad-spectrum single
      dose antihelminthic with an excellent cure rate and safety criteria. Currently,
      it is not routinely used for the treatment of urinary schistosomiasis. Methods:
      Urine samples collected from 596 pupils aged between 2 and 16 years were
      processed and examined for the presence of ova of Schistosoma haematobium using a
      standard filtration technique. A total of 100 infected subjects were treated with
      a standard dose of PZQ (40 mg/kg body weight), while another group of 96 infected
      subjects were treated with ALB (400 mg for individuals above 3 years). A post
      treatment study was conducted 1 month after treatment to assess their cure rate.
      Results: The prevalence of S. haematobium infection in the study area was 32.8%
      (196/596). More males were infected (44.2%) (122/276) than females (23.1%)
      (74/320). The difference in the prevalence rate of infection by gender was
      statistically significant (X2=15.7>3.841, p<0.05). The highest prevalence of
      infection was observed among subjects aged 14-16 years (42.1%) (32/76), while
      those aged 5-7 years had the least prevalence (23.7%) (38/160). There was no
      statistically significant difference in the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis
      by age of the subjects (X2=5.99<9.5, p>0.05). PZQ gave a higher cure rate of
      78.0% (78/100) compared with ALB (68.7%) (66/96). There was no statistically
      significant difference in the cure rate obtained with both drugs (X2=0.355>0.282,
      p>0.05). The intensity of egg excretion was greatly reduced in subjects who were
      not cured by the two drugs. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest the
      use of ALB for the treatment of urinary schistosomiasis. We recommend further
      assessment of the efficacy of the drug in an area with higher morbidity of
      urinary schistosomiasis than the present study area.

PMID- 28911130
TI  - On the ferries: the unmet health care needs of transiting refugees in Greece.
AB  - Background: In 2015, over 850 000 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants arrived
      in Greece. In response to an overwhelming need for access to healthcare for them,
      Doctors of the World established the Refugee Ferry Project, which comprised of a
      clinic providing primary health care, and integrated mental health and
      psychosocial support on board a commercial ferry. Methods: Of the 1405 service
      users, 87.5% (1229/1405) originated from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The
      majority were women 801/1405 (57%) and children 511/1405 (36%), including 50
      pregnant women and 19 unaccompanied minors. Results: The most common diagnoses
      were respiratory tract infections, dehydration, nausea and vomiting, and
      musculoskeletal pain with 39.4% of the disease burden being classified as non
      communicable. Exposure to violence was associated with an increased risk of
      developing mental health issues. Conclusions: Humanitarian actors face huge
      challenges trying to respond to the needs of transiting populations. It is only
      by continuous reassessment and having the capacity to mobilize and adapt to an
      ever-evolving situation that we can try to meet these needs. Having an
      integrated, flexible and multidisciplinary approach remains crucial, despite the
      shift from a transit to static population. With over 62 000 refugees stranded in
      Greece, the need to develop innovative ways to respond to their needs is greater
      than ever.

PMID- 28911131
TI  - Addressing challenges to human health in the Anthropocene epoch-an overview of
      the findings of the Rockefeller/Lancet Commission on Planetary Health.

PMID- 28911132
TI  - The Neglected Diseases: Will a 'New World Order' Reverse Global Gains?

PMID- 28911134
TI  - Thyroid Function and Premature Delivery in TPO Antibody-Negative Women: The Added
      Value of hCG.
AB  - Context: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) stimulates thyroid function during
      pregnancy. We recently showed that thyroid autoimmunity severely attenuated the
      thyroidal response to hCG stimulation and that this may underlie the higher risk
      of premature delivery in thyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb)-positive women. We
      hypothesized that a lower thyroidal response to hCG stimulation in TPOAb-negative
      women is also associated with a higher risk of premature delivery and preterm
      premature rupture of membranes (pPROM). Design, Setting, and Participants:
      Thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and hCG concentrations were available in
      5644 TPOAb-negative women from a prospective cohort. We tested for interaction
      between TSH or FT4 and hCG in linear regression models for duration of pregnancy
      and logistic regression models for premature delivery/pPROM. Accordingly,
      analyses were stratified per TSH percentile (TSH >= 85th percentile) and hCG per
      10,000 IU/L. Results: Women with high TSH and low hCG concentrations did not have
      a higher risk of premature delivery or pPROM, with protective effect estimates.
      In contrast, women with a high TSH concentration despite a high hCG concentration
      had twofold to 10-fold higher risk of premature delivery (Pdifference = 0.022)
      and an up to fourfold higher risk of pPROM (Pdifference = 0.079). hCG
      concentrations were not associated with premature delivery or pPROM. Conclusion:
      In TPOAb-negative women with high-normal TSH concentrations, only women with high
      hCG concentrations had a higher risk of premature delivery or pPROM. These
      results suggest a lower thyroidal response to hCG stimulation is also associated
      with premature delivery in TPOAb-negative women and that an additional
      measurement of hCG may improve thyroid-related risk assessments during pregnancy.

PMID- 28911133
TI  - Kisspeptin Is a Novel Regulator of Human Fetal Adrenocortical Development and
      Function: A Finding With Important Implications for the Human Fetoplacental Unit.
AB  - Context: The human fetal adrenal (HFA) is an integral component of the
      fetoplacental unit and important for the maintenance of pregnancy. Low kisspeptin
      levels during pregnancy are associated with miscarriage, and kisspeptin and its
      receptor are expressed in the HFA. However, the role of kisspeptin in fetal
      adrenal function remains unknown. Objective: To determine the role of kisspeptin
      in the developing HFA. Design: Experiments using H295R and primary HFA cells as
      in vitro models of the fetal adrenal. Association of plasma kisspeptin levels
      with HFA size in a longitudinal clinical study. Setting: Academic research center
      and tertiary fetal medicine unit. Participants: Thirty-three healthy pregnant
      women were recruited at their 12-week routine antenatal ultrasound scan. Main
      Outcome Measures: The spatiotemporal expression of Kiss1R in the HFA. The
      production of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) from HFA cells after
      kisspeptin treatment, alone or in combination with adrenocorticotropic hormone or
      corticotropin-releasing hormone. Fetal adrenal volume (FAV) and kisspeptin levels
      at four antenatal visits (~20, 28, 34, and 38 weeks' gestation). Results:
      Expression of Kiss1R was present in the HFA from 8 weeks after conception to term
      and was shown in the inner fetal zone. Kisspeptin significantly increased DHEAS
      production in H295R and second-trimester HFA cells. Serial measurements of
      kisspeptin confirmed a correlation with FAV growth in the second trimester,
      independent of sex or estimated fetal weight. Conclusions: Kisspeptin plays a key
      role in the regulation of the HFA and thus the fetoplacental unit, particularly
      in the second trimester of pregnancy.

PMID- 28911135
TI  - Is It Me or My Hormones? Neuroendocrine Activation Profiles to Visual Food
      Stimuli Across the Menstrual Cycle.
AB  - Context: Homeostatic energy balance is controlled via the hypothalamus, whereas
      regions controlling reward and cognitive decision-making are critical for hedonic
      eating. Eating varies across the menstrual cycle peaking at the midluteal phase.
      Objective: To test responses of females with regular cycles during midfollicular
      and midluteal phase and of users of monophasic oral contraception pills (OCPs) to
      visual food cues. Design: Participants performed a functional magnetic resonance
      imaging while exposed to visual food cues in four time points: fasting and fed
      conditions in midfollicular and midluteal phases. Patients: Twenty females with
      regular cycles and 12 on monophasic OCP, aged 18 to 35 years. Main Outcome
      Measures: Activity in homeostatic (hypothalamus), reward (amygdala, putamen and
      insula), frontal (anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and
      visual regions (calcarine and lateral occipital cortex). Setting: Tertiary
      hospital. Results: In females with regular cycles, brain regions associated with
      homeostasis but also the reward system, executive frontal areas, and afferent
      visual areas were activated to a greater degree during the luteal compared with
      the follicular phase. Within the visual areas, a dual effect of hormonal and
      prandial state was seen. In females on monophasic OCPs, characterized by a
      permanently elevated progesterone concentration, activity reminiscent of the
      luteal phase was found. Androgen, cortisol, testosterone, and insulin levels were
      significantly correlated with reward and visual region activation. Conclusions:
      Hormonal mechanisms affect the responses of women's homeostatic, emotional, and
      attentional brain regions to food cues. The relation of these findings to eating
      behavior throughout the cycle needs further investigation.

PMID- 28911136
TI  - Protein-Rich Food Ingestion Stimulates Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis in
      Sedentary Young Adults of Different BMIs.
AB  - Context: Excess fat mass may diminish the anabolic potency of protein-rich food
      ingestion to stimulate muscle protein subfractional synthetic responses. However,
      the impact of adiposity on mitochondrial protein synthesis (MPS) rates after
      protein-rich food ingestion has not been thoroughly examined in vivo in humans.
      Objective: We compared basal and postprandial MPS and markers of muscle
      inflammation [toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation primary
      response protein 88 (MyD88) protein content] in young adults with different body
      mass indices (BMIs). Methods: Ten normal-weight (NW; BMI = 22.7 +/- 0.4 kg/m2),
      10 overweight (OW; BMI = 27.1 +/- 0.5 kg/m2), and 10 obese (OB; BMI = 35.9 +/-
      1.3 kg/m2) adults received primed continuous L-[ring-13C6]phenylalanine
      infusions, blood sampling, and skeletal muscle biopsies before and after the
      ingestion of 170 g of pork. Results: Pork ingestion increased muscle TLR4 and
      MyD88 protein content in the OB group (P < 0.05), but not in the NW or OW groups.
      Basal MPS was similar between groups (P > 0.05). Pork ingestion stimulated MPS (P
      < 0.001; 0 to 300 minutes) in the NW (2.5- +/- 0.6-fold above baseline values),
      OW (1.7- +/- 0.3-fold), and OB groups (2.4- +/- 0.5-fold) with no group
      differences (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Protein-dense food ingestion promotes muscle
      inflammatory signaling only in OB adults. However, the consumption of a dinner
      sized amount of protein strongly stimulated a postprandial MPS response
      irrespective of BMI. Our data suggest that alterations in postprandial MPS are
      unlikely to contribute to compromised muscle macronutrient metabolism witnessed
      with obesity.

PMID- 28911137
TI  - Cardiovascular Diseases and Life Expectancy in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A
      Korean National Sample Cohort Study.
AB  - Objective: Although type 2 diabetes is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular
      disease and mortality, information on its association with mortality and life
      expectancy according to cardiovascular comorbidities is limited, especially in
      Asia. Thus, this study assessed mortality and reductions in life expectancy
      associated with cardiometabolic multimorbidity. Design and Methods: A total of
      569,831 participants older than 30 years from Korean National Health Insurance
      Service-National Sample Cohort were enrolled between 2002 and 2006 and followed
      for a median of 12.0 years. They were categorized into five mutually exclusive
      groups according to baseline disease status, as follows: none (reference group);
      diabetes only; diabetes and stroke; diabetes and myocardial infarction (MI); and
      diabetes, stroke, and MI. Mortality rates and hazard ratios (HRs), reductions of
      life expectancy, and age-specific contributions to life expectancy were
      calculated by constructing life tables. Results: The mortality rates per 1000
      person-years were 6.85, 19.86, 67.17, 66.34, and 115.52 in the reference,
      diabetes only; diabetes and stroke; diabetes and MI; and diabetes, stroke, and MI
      groups, respectively. The corresponding HRs for all-cause mortality were 1.70
      [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.66 to 1.75], 3.66 (95% CI, 3.32 to 4.03), 3.56
      (95% CI, 3.06 to 4.14), and 4.79 (95% CI, 3.05 to 7.50) compared with the
      reference group. The estimated reductions in life expectancy were greater at
      younger ages and markedly increased with more cardiometabolic comorbidities.
      Conclusion: Young Asians with type 2 diabetes, especially those with
      cardiovascular comorbidity, did not live as long than their nondiabetic
      equivalents. Thus, these individuals require special attention to prevent further
      reductions in life expectancy.

PMID- 28911138
TI  - Resetting the Abnormal Circadian Cortisol Rhythm in Adrenal Incidentaloma
      Patients With Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion.
AB  - Context: Adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) are found commonly on axial imaging. Around
      30% exhibit autonomous cortisol secretion (ACS) associated with increased
      cardiovascular events and death. Objective: We hypothesized that AI/ACS patients
      have an abnormal cortisol rhythm that could be reversed by use of carefully timed
      short-acting cortisol synthesis blockade, with improvement in cardiovascular
      disease markers. Design, Setting, and Participants: In a phase 1/2a, prospective
      study (Eudract no. 2012-002586-35), we recruited six patients with AI/ACS and two
      control groups of six sex-, age-, and body mass index-matched individuals: (1)
      patients with AI and no ACS (AI/NoACS) and (2) healthy volunteers with no AI
      [healthy controls (HC)]. Twenty-four-hour circadian cortisol analysis was
      performed to determine any differences between groups and timing of intervention
      for cortisol lowering using the 11beta-hydroxylase inhibitor metyrapone.
      Circadian profiles of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) were assessed. Results: Serum
      cortisol levels in group AI/ACS were significantly higher than both group
      AI/NoACS and group HC from 6 pm to 10 pm [area under the curve (AUC) difference:
      0.81 nmol/L/h; P = 0.01] and from 10 pm to 2 am (AUC difference: 0.86 nmol/L/h; P
      < 0.001). In light of these findings, patients with ACS received metyrapone 500
      mg at 6 pm and 250 mg at 10 pm, and cortisol rhythms were reassessed.
      Postintervention evening serum cortisol was lowered, similar to controls [6 pm to
      10 pm (AUC difference: -0.06 nmol/L/h; P = 0.85); 10 pm to 2 am (AUC difference:
      0.10 nmol/L/h; P = 0.76)]. Salivary cortisone showed analogous changes. IL-6
      levels were elevated before treatment [10 pm to 2 pm (AUC difference: 0.42
      pg/mL/h; P = 0.01)] and normalized post treatment. Conclusions: In AI/ACS, the
      evening and nocturnal cortisol exposure is increased. Use of timed evening doses
      of metyrapone resets the cortisol rhythm to normal. This unique treatment
      paradigm is associated with a reduction in the cardiovascular risk marker IL-6.

PMID- 28911140
TI  - Parity and Risk of Thyroid Autoimmunity Based on the NHANES (2001-2002, 2007
      2008, 2009-2010, and 2011-2012).
AB  - Context: Autoimmune thyroid disease is more common in women than in men. Fetal
      microchimerism has been implicated as a potential explanation for this disparity.
      Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between
      parity and thyroid autoimmunity in the US population. Design, Setting, Patients:
      The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to identify females
      with antithyroperoxidase (TPOAb) and antithyroglobulin antibody (TgAb)
      measurements and parity data. Subjects (n = 4864) were categorized as never
      pregnant (n = 909) or previously pregnant (n = 3955). The association of parity
      with thyroid autoantibodies was examined both qualitatively and quantitatively.
      Thyroid autoimmunity was defined as TPOAb and/or TgAb titers above the reference
      limits. Results: Previous pregnancy carried an odds ratio (OR) of 1.55 [95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.26 to 1.91] for thyroid autoimmunity compared with
      never pregnant. Number of pregnancies was associated with thyroid autoimmunity:
      OR = 1.37 (95% CI: 1.02 to 1.84); 1.4 (95% CI: 1.08 to 1.81); 1.52 (95% CI: 1.18
      to 1.96); and 1.73 (95% CI: 1.38 to 2.18) for 1, 2, 3, and >=4 pregnancies,
      respectively. Because ever-pregnant women differed in several variables-age,
      race, smoking status, history of thyroid disease, and urinary iodine level-from
      never-pregnant women (P < 0.001), a multivariate regression analysis was
      performed, which showed no association of pregnancy with thyroid autoimmunity.
      The association was further examined utilizing an age-matched analysis, which
      confirmed the absence of an association between thyroid autoimmunity and parity.
      Conclusion: Although we initially observed a strong association between parity
      and thyroid autoimmunity, after controlling for age and other variables, we were
      unable to identify an association.

PMID- 28911139
TI  - Preeclampsia Downregulates MicroRNAs in Fetal Endothelial Cells: Roles of miR
      29a/c-3p in Endothelial Function.
AB  - Context: Preeclampsia is a leading cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and
      mortality during pregnancy. Although the etiology of preeclampsia is unknown,
      preeclampsia offspring have increased risks of developing cardiovascular
      disorders in adulthood, implicating that preeclampsia programs fetal vasculature
      in utero. Objective: We hypothesize that preeclampsia alters expression profiles
      of endothelial microRNAs (miRNAs) in fetal endothelial cells and disturbs the
      vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)- and fibroblast growth factor 2
      (FGF2)-induced endothelial function. Design and Setting: Unpassaged (P0) human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were isolated immediately after
      cesarean-section delivery from normotensive (NT) and preeclamptic (PE)
      pregnancies. Differentially expressed miRNAs between P0-HUVECs from NT and PE
      pregnancies were identified using a miRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array
      and confirmed using reverse transcription quantitative PCR. To determine the
      function of these differentially expressed miRNAs, miRNAs of interest were
      knocked down in NT-HUVECs following by cell functional assays. Results: Sixteen
      miRNAs, including miR-29a/c-3p, were downregulated in P0-HUVECs from the PE group
      compared with the NT group. Bioinformatics analysis predicted the PI3K-v-akt
      murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT) signaling pathway was dysregulated
      in P0-HUVECs from the PE group, which was associated with the miR-29a/c-3p
      downregulation. We further demonstrated that miR-29a/c-3p knockdown inhibited the
      VEGFA- and FGF2-induced endothelial migration as well as FGF2-induced AKT1
      phosphorylation in HUVECs. However, miR-29a/c-3p knockdown did not alter the
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation, cell proliferation,
      and endothelial monolayer integrity in response to VEGFA and FGF2 in HUVECs.
      Conclusions: Preeclampsia-downregulated miR-29a/c-3p may impair fetal endothelial
      function by disturbing the FGF2-activated PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, hence
      inhibiting endothelial cell migration.

PMID- 28911141
TI  - Glucagon Decreases IGF-1 Bioactivity in Humans, Independently of Insulin, by
      Modulating Its Binding Proteins.
AB  - Context: Depending on its lipolytic activity, glucagon plays a promising role in
      obesity treatment. Glucagon-induced growth hormone (GH) release can promote its
      effect on lipid metabolism, although the underlying mechanisms have not been well
      defined. Objective: The present study highlights the glucagon effect on the
      GH/insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF-1)/IGF-binding protein (IGFBP) axis in vivo
      and in vitro, taking into consideration insulin as a confounding factor.
      Materials and Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we
      investigated changes in GH, IGFBP, and IGF-1 bioactivity after intramuscular
      glucagon administration in 13 lean controls, 11 obese participants, and 13
      patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The effect of glucagon on the
      transcription factor forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) translocation, the
      transcription of GH/IGF-1 system members, and phosphorylation of protein kinase B
      (Akt) was further investigated in vitro. Results: Despite unchanged total IGF-1
      and IGFBP-3 levels, glucagon decreased IGF-1 bioactivity in all study groups by
      increasing IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2. The reduction in IGF-1 bioactivity occurred
      before the glucagon-induced surge in GH. In contrast to the transient increase in
      circulating insulin in obese and lean participants, no change was observed in
      those with T1DM. In vitro, glucagon dose dependently induced a substantial
      nuclear translocation of FOXO1 in human osteosarcoma cells and tended to increase
      IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 gene expression in mouse primary hepatocytes, despite absent
      Akt phosphorylation. Conclusions: Our data point to the glucagon-induced decrease
      in bioactive IGF-1 levels as a mechanism through which glucagon induces GH
      secretion. This insulin-independent reduction is related to increased IGFBP-1 and
      IGFBP-2 levels, which are most likely mediated via activation of the FOXO/mTOR
      (mechanistic target of rapamycin) pathway.

PMID- 28911142
TI  - Deficient Endogenous Glucose Production During Exercise After Total
      Pancreatectomy/Islet Autotransplantation.
AB  - Context: Total pancreatectomy followed by intrahepatic islet autotransplantation
      (TP/IAT) is performed to alleviate severe, unrelenting abdominal pain caused by
      chronic pancreatitis, to improve quality of life, and to prevent diabetes.
      Objective: To determine the cause of exercise-induced hypoglycemia that is a
      common complaint in TP/IAT recipients. Design: Participants completed 1 hour of
      steady-state exercise. Setting: Hospital research unit. Patients and Other
      Participants: We studied 14 TP/IAT recipients and 10 age- and body mass index
      matched control subjects. Interventions: Peak oxygen uptake (VO2) was determined
      via a symptom-limited maximal cycle ergometer test. Fasted subjects then returned
      for a primed [6,6-2H2]-glucose infusion to measure endogenous glucose production
      while completing 1 hour of bicycle exercise at either 40% or 70% peak VO2. Main
      Outcome Measures: Blood samples were obtained to measure glucose metabolism and
      counterregulatory hormones before, during, and after exercise. Results: Although
      the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion did not differ between recipients and
      control subjects, aerobic capacity was significantly higher in controls than in
      recipients (40.4 +/- 2.0 vs 27.2 +/- 1.4 mL/kg per minute; P < 0.001). This
      difference resulted in workload differences between control subjects and
      recipients to reach steady-state exercise at 40% peak VO2 (P = 0.003). Control
      subjects significantly increased their endogenous glucose production from 12.0 +/
      1.0 to 15.2 +/- 1.0 umol/kg per minute during moderate exercise (P = 0.01).
      Recipients did not increase endogenous glucose production during moderate
      exercise (40% peak VO2) but succeeded during heavy exercise, from 10.1 +/- 0.4 to
      14.8 +/- 2.0 umol/kg per minute (70% peak VO2; P = 0.001). Conclusions: Failure
      to increase endogenous glucose production during moderate exercise may be a key
      contributor to the hypoglycemia TP/IAT recipients experience.

PMID- 28911144
TI  - Randomized Trial Comparing Two Algorithms for Levothyroxine Dose Adjustment in
      Pregnant Women With Primary Hypothyroidism.
AB  - Context: Regulation of maternal thyroid hormones during pregnancy is crucial for
      optimal maternal and fetal outcomes. There are no specific guidelines addressing
      maternal levothyroxine (LT4) dose adjustments throughout pregnancy. Objective: To
      compare two LT4 dose-adjustment algorithms in hypothyroid pregnant women. Design:
      Thirty-three women on stable LT4 doses were recruited at <10 weeks gestation
      during 38 pregnancies and randomized to one of two dose-adjustment groups. Group
      1 (G1) used an empiric two-pill/week dose increase followed by subsequent pill
      per-week dose adjustments. In group 2 (G2), LT4 dose was adjusted in an ongoing
      approach in micrograms per day based on current thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
      level and LT4 dose. TSH was monitored every 2 weeks in trimesters 1 and 2 and
      every 4 weeks in trimester 3. Setting: Academic endocrinology clinics in
      Washington, DC. Main Outcome Measure: Proportion of TSH values within trimester
      specific goal ranges. Results: Mean gestational age at study entry was 6.4 +/-
      2.1 weeks. Seventy-five percent of TSH values were within trimester-specific goal
      ranges in G1 compared with 81% in G2 (P = 0.09). Similar numbers of LT4 dose
      adjustments per pregnancy were required in both groups (G1, 3.1 +/- 2.0 vs G2,
      4.1 +/- 3.2; P = 0.27). Women in G1 were more likely to have suppressed TSH <0.1
      mIU/L in trimester 1 (P = 0.01). Etiology of hypothyroidism, but not thyroid
      antibody status, was associated with proportion of goal TSH values. Conclusions:
      We compared two options for LT4 dose adjustment and showed that an ongoing
      adjustment approach is as effective as empiric dose increase for maintaining goal
      TSH in hypothyroid women during pregnancy.

PMID- 28911143
TI  - Assessment of VAV2 Expression Refines Prognostic Prediction in Adrenocortical
      Carcinoma.
AB  - Context: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy with
      overall poor prognosis. The Ki67 labeling index (LI) has a major prognostic role
      in localized ACC after complete resection, but its estimates may suffer from
      considerable intra- and interobserver variability. VAV2 overexpression induced by
      increased Steroidogenic Factor-1 dosage is an essential factor driving ACC tumor
      cell invasion. Objective: To assess the prognostic role of VAV2 expression in ACC
      by investigation of a large cohort of patients. Design, Setting, and
      Participants: A total of 171 ACC cases (157 primary tumors, six local
      recurrences, eight metastases) from seven European Network for the Study of
      Adrenal Tumors centers were studied. Outcome Measurements: H-scores were
      generated to quantify VAV2 expression. VAV2 expression was divided into two
      categories: low (H-score, <2) and high (H-score, >=2). The Ki67 LI retrieved from
      patients' pathology records was also categorized into low (<20%) and high
      (>=20%). Clinical and immunohistochemical markers were correlated with
      progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: VAV2
      expression and Ki67 LI were significantly correlated with each other and with PFS
      and OS. Heterogeneity of VAV2 expression inside the same tumor was very low.
      Combined assessment of VAV2 expression and Ki67 LI improved patient
      stratification to low-risk and high-risk groups. Conclusion: Combined assessment
      of Ki67 LI and VAV2 expression improves prognostic prediction in ACC.

PMID- 28911145
TI  - Bone Mineral Density After Cessation of GH Treatment in Young Adults Born SGA: A
      5-Year Longitudinal Study.
AB  - Context: Short children born small for gestational age (SGA) have below-average
      bone mineral density (BMD). Growth hormone (GH) treatment improves height and BMD
      in short SGA children. Longitudinal data on BMD in adults born SGA, after GH
      cessation (GH-stop), are lacking. Objective: To determine BMD in young adults
      born SGA during 5 years after GH-stop. Methods: In 173 GH-treated adults born SGA
      (SGA-GH), BMD of total body (BMDTB) and bone mineral apparent density of lumbar
      spine (BMADLS) were measured longitudinally at adult height (AH) and 6 months, 2
      years, and 5 years thereafter. At 5 years after GH-stop (age 21 years), data were
      compared with 45 untreated short SGA adults (SGA-S), 59 SGA adults with
      spontaneous catch-up (SGA-CU), and 81 adults born appropriate for gestational age
      (AGA). Results: At GH-stop (mean age 16.4 years), estimated mean (standard error)
      BMDTB standard deviation score (SDS) was -0.40 (0.1) in males and -0.51 (0.1) in
      females, followed by a trend toward a decrease of BMDTB in males to -0.59 (0.1)
      at 5 years after GH-stop (P = 0.06), whereas it remained stable in females [-0.57
      (0.1); P = 0.33]. At GH-stop, BMADLS SDS was -0.01 (0.1) in males and -0.29 (0.1)
      in females, followed by a decrease in males and females to -0.38 and -0.55,
      respectively, at 5 years after GH-stop (P < 0.001). At 5 years after GH-stop,
      BMDTB and BMADLS in SGA-GH were similar compared with SGA-S, SGA-CU, and AGA.
      Conclusion: After GH-stop, there is a gradual decline of BMADLS, but at the age
      of 21 years, BMDTB and BMADLS are similar as in untreated short SGA adults.

PMID- 28911146
TI  - Anemia in Patients With Resistance to Thyroid Hormone alpha: A Role for Thyroid
      Hormone Receptor alpha in Human Erythropoiesis.
AB  - Context: Patients with resistance to thyroid hormone (TH) alpha (RTHalpha) are
      characterized by growth retardation, macrocephaly, constipation, and abnormal
      thyroid function tests. In addition, almost all RTHalpha patients have mild
      anemia, the pathogenesis of which is unknown. Animal studies suggest an important
      role for TH and TH receptor (TR)alpha in erythropoiesis. Objective: To
      investigate whether a defect in TRalpha affects the maturation of red blood cells
      in RTHalpha patients. Design, Setting, and Patients: Cultures of primary human
      erythroid progenitor cells (HEPs), from peripheral blood of RTHalpha patients (n
      = 11) harboring different inactivating mutations in TRalpha (P398R, F397fs406X,
      C392X, R384H, A382fs388X, A263V, A263S), were compared with healthy controls (n =
      11). During differentiation, erythroid cells become smaller, accumulate
      hemoglobin, and express different cell surface markers. We assessed cell number
      and cell size, and used cell staining and fluorescence-activated cell sorter
      analysis to monitor maturation at different time points. Results: After ~14 days
      of ex vivo expansion, both control and patient-derived progenitors differentiated
      spontaneously. However, RTHalpha-derived cells differentiated more slowly. During
      spontaneous differentiation, RTHalpha-derived HEPs were larger, more positive for
      c-Kit (a proliferation marker), and less positive for glycophorin A (a
      differentiation marker). The degree of abnormal spontaneous maturation of
      RTHalpha-derived progenitors did not correlate with severity of underlying
      TRalpha defect. Both control and RTHalpha-derived progenitors responded similarly
      when differentiation was induced. T3 exposure accelerated differentiation of both
      control- and RTHalpha patient-derived HEPs. Conclusions: Inactivating mutations
      in human TRalpha affect the balance between proliferation and differentiation of
      progenitor cells during erythropoiesis, which may contribute to the mild anemia
      seen in most RTHalpha patients.

PMID- 28911147
TI  - KIF5B/RET Rearrangement in a Carcinoma of the Thyroid Gland: A Case Report of a
      Fatal Disease.
AB  - Background: The diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid cancer (DSV-PTC)
      is a rare variant of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with different
      clinicopathological features compared with conventional PTC. Case: An advanced
      DSV-PTC was diagnosed in a 39-year-old man. The radioiodine posttherapeutic whole
      body-scan showed only an uptake in the central neck, whereas the computerized
      tomography showed multiple latero-cervical and mediastinum lymph node metastases,
      a single and spiculated lung lesion and multiple bilateral cerebellum metastases.
      The patient died after 6 months from the initial diagnosis. The histological
      revision of the thyroid tumor confirmed the diagnosis of DSV-PTC, and its
      molecular analysis revealed a KIF5B/RET rearrangement that, until now, was
      described only in a minority of lung adenocarcinoma. Other 18 cases of DSV-PTC
      were then studied for the presence of KIF5B/RET rearrangement, but all of them
      were negative. Conclusions: This was a case of DSV-PTC positive for KIF5B/RET
      rearrangement, but considering that this alteration has been described only in
      lung adenocarcinoma and that the clinical course was more typical of lung
      carcinoma, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that this was a
      metastatic lesion from a lung tumor mimicking a DSV-PTC. As an alternative, we
      can also hypothesize that this was a case of fusion of two tumoral tissues
      deriving from a DSV-PTC and a metastasis of a KIF5B/RET positive lung
      adenocarcinoma. The question of whether the molecular findings, particularly when
      specifically reported only in some subtypes of human tumors, can overcome the
      morphological diagnosis is a matter of discussion.

PMID- 28911148
TI  - Age-Related Anabolic Resistance of Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Is Exacerbated
      in Obese Inactive Individuals.
AB  - Context: A diminished muscle anabolic response to protein nutrition may underpin
      age-associated muscle loss. Objective: To determine how chronological and
      biological aging influence myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS). Design: Cross
      sectional comparison. Setting: Clinical research facility. Participants: Ten
      older lean [OL: 71.7 +/- 6 years; body mass index (BMI) <=25 kg ? m-2], 7 older
      obese (OO: 69.1 +/- 2 years; BMI >=30 kg ? m-2), and 18 young lean (YL)
      individuals (25.5 +/- 4 years; BMI <=25 kg ? m-2). Intervention: Skeletal muscle
      biopsies obtained during a primed-continuous infusion of l-[ring-13C6]
      phenylalanine. Main Outcome Measures: Anthropometrics, insulin resistance,
      inflammatory markers, habitual diet, physical activity, MyoPS rates, and fiber
      type characteristics. Results: Fat mass, insulin resistance, inflammation, and
      type II fiber intramyocellular lipid were greater, and daily step count lower, in
      OO compared with YL and OL. Postprandial MyoPS rates rose above postabsorptive
      values by ~81% in YL (P < 0.001), ~38% in OL (P = 0.002, not different from YL),
      and ~9% in OO (P = 0.11). Delta change in postprandial MyoPS from postabsorptive
      values was greater in YL compared with OL (P = 0.032) and OO (P < 0.001).
      Absolute postprandial MyoPS rates and delta postprandial MyoPS change were
      associated with step count (r2 = 0.33; P = 0.015) and leg fat mass (r2 = 0.4; P =
      0.006), respectively, in older individuals. Paradoxically, lean mass was similar
      between groups, and muscle fiber area was greater in OO vs OL (P = 0.002).
      Conclusion: Age-related muscle anabolic resistance is exacerbated in obese
      inactive individuals, with no apparent detriment to muscle mass.

PMID- 28911149
TI  - Insulin-Like Growth Factor Bioactivity, Stanniocalcin-2, Pregnancy-Associated
      Plasma Protein-A, and IGF-Binding Protein-4 in Pleural Fluid and Serum From
      Patients With Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - Context: Members of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system are primarily
      produced in the liver and secreted into the circulation, but they are also
      produced, recruited, and activated locally in tissues. Objective: To compare
      activity and concentrations of IGF system components in pleural fluid and blood.
      Design: Pathological pleural fluid, secondary to lung cancer or nonmalignant
      disease, and matching blood samples were collected from 24 patients ages 66.7 to
      81.9 years. Methods: IGF-related proteins and cytokine levels were measured by
      immunoassays or immunoblotting. Bioactive IGF was measured by an IGF-1 receptor
      phosphorylation assay. Results: Total IGF-1 concentration did not differ between
      the compartments, but concentrations of free IGF-1 and bioactive IGF were more
      than threefold higher in pleural fluid than in corresponding serum samples (P =
      0.0004), regardless of etiology. Median pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A
      (PAPP-A) and interleukin (IL)-6 levels were increased 47-fold and 143-fold,
      respectively, in pleural fluid compared with plasma (P < 0.0001). PAPP-A and IL-6
      concentrations correlated positively (r = 0.46; P = 0.02). In pleural fluid,
      levels of PAPP-A-generated IGF binding protein-4 fragments correlated inversely
      with that of stanniocalcin-2 (r <= -0.42; P <= 0.05), a PAPP-A inhibitor; such
      correlations were absent in plasma. Conclusion: Pathological pleural fluid is
      characterized by increased in vitro IGF bioactivity and elevated concentrations
      of PAPP-A, an IGF-activating proteinase. Thus, the tissue activity of the IGF
      system may differ substantially from that of the circulating IGF system. The
      correlation between IL-6 and PAPP-A indicates that inflammation plays a role in
      promoting local tissue IGF activity.

PMID- 28911150
TI  - Provider and Site-Level Determinants of Testosterone Prescribing in the Veterans
      Healthcare System.
AB  - Context: Testosterone prescribing rates have increased substantially in the past
      decade. However, little is known about the context within which such
      prescriptions occur. Objective: We evaluated provider- and site-level
      determinants of receipt of testosterone and of guideline-concordant testosterone
      prescribing. Design: This study was cross-sectional in design. Setting: This
      study was conducted at the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Participants:
      Study participants were a national cohort of male patients who had received at
      least one outpatient prescription within the VA during fiscal year (FY) 2008 to
      FY 2012. A total of 38,648 providers and 130 stations were associated with these
      patients. Main Outcome Measure: This study measured receipt of testosterone and
      guideline-concordant testosterone prescribing. Results: Providers ranging in age
      from 31 to 60 years, with less experience in the VA [all adjusted odds ratio
      (AOR), <2; P < 0.01] and credentialed as medical doctors in endocrinology (AOR,
      3.88; P < 0.01) and urology (AOR, 1.48; P < 0.01) were more likely to prescribe
      testosterone compared with older providers, providers of longer VA tenure, and
      primary care providers, respectively. Sites located in the West compared with the
      Northeast [AOR, 1.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.45-2.11] and care received
      at a community-based outpatient clinic compared with a medical center (AOR, 1.22;
      95% CI, 1.20-1.24) also predicted testosterone use. Although they were more
      likely to prescribe testosterone, endocrinologists were also more likely to
      obtain an appropriate workup before prescribing compared with primary care
      providers (AOR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.54-2.97). Conclusions: Our results highlight the
      opportunity to intervene at both the provider and the site levels to improve
      testosterone prescribing. This study also provides a useful example of how to
      examine contributions to prescribing variation at different levels of the health
      care system.

PMID- 28911151
TI  - Expanding the Phenotypic and Genotypic Landscape of Autoimmune Polyendocrine
      Syndrome Type 1.
AB  - Context: Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a rare monogenic
      autoimmune disease caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene
      and characterized by chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, hypoparathyroidism, and
      primary adrenal insufficiency. Comprehensive characterizations of large patient
      cohorts are rare. Objective: To perform an extensive clinical, immunological, and
      genetic characterization of a large nationwide Russian APS-1 cohort. Subjects and
      Methods: Clinical components were mapped by systematic investigations, sera were
      screened for autoantibodies associated with APS-1, and AIRE mutations were
      characterized by Sanger sequencing. Results: We identified 112 patients with APS
      1, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest cohort described to date.
      Careful phenotyping revealed several additional and uncommon phenotypes such as
      cerebellar ataxia with pseudotumor, ptosis, and retinitis pigmentosa.
      Neutralizing autoantibodies to interferon-omega were found in all patients except
      for one. The major Finnish mutation c.769C>T (p.R257*) was the most frequent and
      was present in 72% of the alleles. Altogether, 19 different mutations were found,
      of which 9 were unknown: c.38T>C (p.L13P), c.173C>T (p.A58V), c.280C>T (p.Q94*),
      c.554C>G (p.S185*), c.661A>T (p.K221*), c.821del (p.Gly274Afs*104), c.1195G>C
      (p.A399P), c.1302C>A (p.C434*), and c.1497del (p.A500Pfs*21). Conclusions: The
      spectrum of phenotypes and AIRE mutation in APS-1 has been expanded. The Finnish
      major mutation is the most common mutation in Russia and is almost as common as
      in Finland. Assay of interferon antibodies is a robust screening tool for APS-1.

PMID- 28911153
TI  - Estrogen Receptor alpha, a Sex-Dependent Predictor of Aggressiveness in
      Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas: SSTR and Sex Hormone Receptor Distribution in
      NFPA.
AB  - Context: Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are fairly common and require
      a multidisciplinary approach. Reliable markers of a clinically aggressive course
      are lacking. Medical treatment is not available, and transsphenoidal surgery is
      the preferred primary treatment. Objective: We aimed to characterize the
      somatostatin, estrogen, and progesterone receptor distribution for NFPAs and
      compare it with factors of tumor aggressiveness. Design: Tumor samples for
      immunohistochemistry (n = 145) and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase
      chain reaction (n = 106) analyses of somatostatin receptor (SSTR) 1, SSTR2,
      SSTR3, SSTR5, estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), and progesterone receptor (PR)
      were measured by immunoreactive score (IRS) and messenger RNA relative quantity
      and retrospectively compared with variables of aggressiveness. Setting: All
      patients were operated at the same tertiary referral center. Participants: A
      total of 164 patients with NFPA and tumor tissue from the primary operation were
      included. Results: SSTR3 was expressed abundantly by immunohistochemistry in all
      NFPAs. The IRS of ERalpha correlated with that of SSTR2 in male patients only
      (males, P < 0.001; females, P = 0.8). Low ERalpha level was linked to a higher
      reintervention rate (P = 0.001) and earlier reintervention (P = 0.004) in male
      patients only (females, P = 0.95 and P = 0.65, respectively). Absence of ERalpha
      together with age provided a good prediction model for reintervention in male
      patients with gonadotroph adenomas. Conclusions: SSTR3 is expressed abundantly in
      NFPAs and is therefore a possible target for medical treatment. Absence of
      ERalpha together with young age may predict tumor recurrence in groups of NFPAs.
      Further validation in systematic prospective studies is needed.

PMID- 28911152
TI  - Hypothalamic Glucose Transport in Humans During Experimentally Induced
      Hypoglycemia-Associated Autonomic Failure.
AB  - Context: Upregulated brain glucose transport in response to recurrent
      hypoglycemia may contribute to the development of hypoglycemia-associated
      autonomic failure (HAAF) and impaired awareness of hypoglycemia. Whether
      recurrent hypoglycemia alters glucose transport in the hypothalamus is unknown.
      Objective: To test the hypothesis that hypothalamic glucose transport will
      increase in healthy volunteers preconditioned with recurrent hypoglycemia to
      induce HAAF. Setting: University medical center. Design and Participants:
      Thirteen healthy subjects underwent paired euglycemic and hypoglycemic
      preconditioning studies separated by at least 1 month. Following preconditioning,
      hypothalamic glucose transport was measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy
      (MRS) in the afternoon on day 2 of each preconditioning protocol. Outcome
      Measure: The ratio of maximal transport rate to cerebral metabolic rate of
      glucose (Tmax/CMRglc), obtained from MRS-measured glucose in the hypothalamus as
      a function of plasma glucose. Results: HAAF was successfully induced based on
      lower epinephrine, glucagon, and cortisol during the third vs first hypoglycemic
      preconditioning clamp (P <= 0.01). Hypothalamic glucose transport was not
      different following recurrent euglycemia vs hypoglycemia (Tmax/CMRglc 1.62 +/-
      0.09 after euglycemia preconditioning and 1.75 +/- 0.14 after hypoglycemia
      preconditioning; P was not significant). Hypothalamic glucose concentrations
      measured by MRS were not different following the two preconditioning protocols.
      Conclusions: Glucose transport kinetics in the hypothalamus of healthy humans
      with experimentally induced HAAF were not different from those measured without
      HAAF. Future studies of patients with diabetes and impaired awareness of
      hypoglycemia will be necessary to determine if the existence of the diabetes
      state is required for this adaptation to hypoglycemia to occur.

PMID- 28911154
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Circulating RET M918T Mutated Tumor DNA in Patients
      With Advanced Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
AB  - Context: Interpretation of calcitonin measurement to predict the prognosis of
      medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) requires multiple measurements over an extended
      time period, making it an imperfect biomarker for evaluating prognosis or disease
      behavior. Single circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) values have been shown to be a
      valuable prognostic marker for several solid tumors. Objective: We tested the
      hypothesis that cfDNA containing the RET M918T mutation could be detected in the
      blood of patients with advanced MTC whose tumor harbored an M918T mutation and
      would be able to predict overall survival more reliably than calcitonin. Design:
      The level of cfDNA containing RET M918T mutation was measured in the plasma of
      patients with MTC via droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Patients:
      Patients had a confirmed sporadic MTC diagnosis, a serum calcitonin measurement
      >100 pg/mL, and tumor tissue biopsy results providing RET M918T mutation status.
      There were 75 patients included in this study, 50 of whom harbored an RET M918T
      mutation by tissue biopsy. Results: RET M918T cfDNA was detected in 16 of 50
      patients (32%) with a positive tissue biopsy. The detection of RET M918T cfDNA
      strongly correlated with worse overall survival and more accurately predicted a
      worse outcome than calcitonin doubling time. Conclusions: Liquid biopsy is able
      to detect RET M918T mutations in patient plasma with high specificity but low
      sensitivity. In patients with established somatic RET M918T mutations, the
      allelic fraction of circulating tumor DNA is prognostic for overall survival and
      may play a role in monitoring response to treatment.

PMID- 28911156
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Including the Zona Reticularis in the Definition of
      Hypoadrenalism and Hyperadrenalism.

PMID- 28911155
TI  - Differential Associations of Inflammatory Markers With Insulin Sensitivity and
      Secretion: The Prospective METSIM Study.
AB  - Context: Low-grade inflammation is involved in the development of type 2 diabetes
      and cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, prospective studies evaluating
      inflammatory markers as predictors of changes in insulin secretion and insulin
      sensitivity are lacking. Objective: We investigated the associations of
      glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), and
      high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with insulin secretion, insulin
      sensitivity, incident type 2 diabetes, hypertension, CVD events, and total
      mortality in the prospective Metabolic Syndrome in Men (METSIM) study. Design: A
      prospective study. Participants: The cross-sectional METSIM study included 8749
      nondiabetic Finnish men aged 45 to 73 years, who had been randomly selected from
      the population register of Kuopio, Finland. A total of 5401 men participated in
      the 6.8-year follow-up study. Main Outcome Measures: Changes in insulin
      secretion, insulin sensitivity, and cardiometabolic traits during the follow-up
      period and the incidence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, CVD events, and total
      mortality. Results: During the follow-up period, GlycA was associated with
      impaired insulin secretion, hyperglycemia, incident type 2 diabetes (hazard
      ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.29 to 1.46) and CVD (hazard ratio, 1.21;
      95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.32). IL-1RA and hs-CRP were associated with
      adverse changes in insulin sensitivity and obesity-related traits and with total
      mortality (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.07 to 1.20; and hazard
      ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.11, respectively). Conclusions:
      Inflammatory markers differentially predicted changes in insulin secretion and
      insulin sensitivity. GlycA predicted impaired insulin secretion, and IL-1RA and
      hs-CRP predicted changes in insulin sensitivity. Combining the three markers
      improved the prediction of disease outcomes, suggesting that they capture
      different aspects of low-grade inflammation.

PMID- 28911157
TI  - Letter to the Editor: "Hypoparathyroidism: Less Severe Hypocalcemia With
      Treatment With Vitamin D2 Compared With Calcitriol".

PMID- 28911158
TI  - Letter to the Editor: "Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma in MEN2A: ATA Moderate- or
      High-Risk RET Mutations Do Not Predict Disease Aggressiveness".

PMID- 28911159
TI  - Letter to the Editor: "Calcium and Bone Turnover Markers in Acromegaly: A
      Prospective, Controlled Study".

PMID- 28911160
TI  - Response to Letter: "Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma in MEN2A: ATA Moderate- or High
      Risk RET Mutations Do Not Predict Disease Aggressiveness".

PMID- 28911161
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Genetics and Vitamin D Supplementation in Pregnancy.

PMID- 28911162
TI  - Response to Letter: "Hypoparathyroidism: Less Severe Hypocalcemia With Treatment
      With Vitamin D2 Compared With Calcitriol".

PMID- 28911163
TI  - Response to Letter: "Calcium and Bone Turnover Markers in Acromegaly: A
      Prospective, Controlled Study".

PMID- 28911164
TI  - Response to Letter: Genetics and Vitamin D Supplementation in Pregnancy.

PMID- 28911165
TI  - Cellular Retinoic Acid-Binding Protein 1 Modulates Stem Cell Proliferation to
      Affect Learning and Memory in Male Mice.
AB  - Retinoic acid (RA) is the active ingredient of vitamin A. It exerts its canonical
      activity by binding to nuclear RA receptors (RARs) to regulate gene expression.
      Increasingly, RA is also known to elicit nongenomic RAR-independent activities,
      most widely detected in activating extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)1/2. This
      study validated the functional role of cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 1
      (Crabp1) in mediating nongenomic activity in RA, specifically activating ERK1/2
      to rapidly augment the cell cycle by expanding the growth 1 phase and slowing
      down embryonic stem cell and neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation. The study
      further uncovered the physiological activity of Crabp1 in modulating NSC
      proliferation and animal behavior. In the Crabp1 knockout mouse hippocampus,
      where Crabp1 is otherwise detected in the subgranular zone, neurogenesis and NSC
      proliferation increased and hippocampus-dependent brain functions such as
      learning and memory correspondingly improved. This study established the
      physiological role of Crabp1 in modulating stem cell proliferation and
      hippocampus-dependent brain activities such as learning and memory.

PMID- 28911166
TI  - Hormonal and Growth Regulation of Epithelial and Stromal Cells From the Normal
      and Malignant Endometrium by Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor.
AB  - We discovered that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF)-null mice have
      endometrial hyperplasia, the precursor to human type I endometrial cancer (ECA),
      which is etiologically linked to unopposed estrogen (E2), suggesting that this
      potent antiangiogenic factor might contribute to dysregulated growth and the
      development of type I ECA. Treatment of both ECA cell lines and primary ECA cells
      with recombinant PEDF dose dependently decreased cellular proliferation via an
      autocrine mechanism by blocking cells in G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle.
      Consistent with the known opposing effects of E2 and progesterone (Pg) on
      endometrial proliferation, Pg increases PEDF protein synthesis and release,
      whereas E2 has the converse effect. Using PEDF luciferase promoter constructs
      containing two Pg and one E2 response elements, E2 reduced and Pg increased
      promoter activity due to distal response elements. Furthermore, E2 decreases and
      Pg increases PEDF secretion into conditioned media (CM) by both normal
      endometrial stromal fibroblasts (ESFs) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs),
      but only CM from ESFs mediated growth-inhibitory activity of primary endometrial
      epithelial cells (EECs). In addition, in cocultures with primary EECs, Pg-induced
      growth inhibition is mediated by ESFs, but not CAFs. This is consistent with
      reduced levels of Pg receptors on CAFs surrounding human malignant glands in
      vivo. Taken together, the data suggest that PEDF is a hormone-regulated negative
      autocrine mediator of endometrial proliferation, and that paracrine growth
      inhibition by soluble factors, possibly PEDF, released by ESFs in response to Pg,
      but not CAFs, exemplifies a tumor microenvironment that contributes to the
      pathogenesis of ECA.

PMID- 28911167
TI  - In Utero Exposure to a High-Fat Diet Programs Hepatic Hypermethylation and Gene
      Dysregulation and Development of Metabolic Syndrome in Male Mice.
AB  - Exposure to a high-fat (HF) diet in utero is associated with increased incidence
      of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome later in life.
      However, the molecular basis of this enhanced susceptibility for metabolic
      disease is poorly understood. Gene expression microarray and genome-wide DNA
      methylation analyses of mouse liver revealed that exposure to a maternal HF
      milieu activated genes of immune response, inflammation, and hepatic dysfunction.
      DNA methylation analysis revealed 3360 differentially methylated loci, most of
      which (76%) were hypermethylated and distributed preferentially to hotspots on
      chromosomes 4 [atherosclerosis susceptibility quantitative trait loci (QTLs) 1]
      and 18 (insulin-dependent susceptibility QTLs 21). Interestingly, we found six
      differentially methylated genes within these hotspot QTLs associated with
      metabolic disease that maintain altered gene expression into adulthood (Arhgef19,
      Epha2, Zbtb17/Miz-1, Camta1 downregulated; and Ccdc11 and Txnl4a upregulated).
      Most of the hypermethylated genes in these hotspots are associated with
      cardiovascular system development and function. There were 140 differentially
      methylated genes that showed a 1.5-fold increase or decrease in messenger RNA
      levels. Many of these genes play a role in cell signaling pathways associated
      with metabolic disease. Of these, metalloproteinase 9, whose dysregulation plays
      a key role in diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, was upregulated 1.75
      fold and hypermethylated in the gene body. In summary, exposure to a maternal HF
      diet causes DNA hypermethylation, which is associated with long-term gene
      expression changes in the liver of exposed offspring, potentially contributing to
      programmed development of metabolic disease later in life.

PMID- 28911168
TI  - Developmental Programming: Impact of Gestational Steroid and Metabolic Milieus on
      Mediators of Insulin Sensitivity in Prenatal Testosterone-Treated Female Sheep.
AB  - Prenatal testosterone (T) excess in sheep leads to peripheral insulin resistance
      (IR), reduced adipocyte size, and tissue-specific changes, with liver and muscle
      but not adipose tissue being insulin resistant. To determine the basis for the
      tissue-specific differences in insulin sensitivity, we assessed changes in
      negative (inflammation, oxidative stress, and lipotoxicity) and positive
      mediators (adiponectin and antioxidants) of insulin sensitivity in the liver,
      muscle, and adipose tissues of control and prenatal T-treated sheep. Because T
      excess leads to maternal hyperinsulinemia, fetal hyperandrogenism, and functional
      hyperandrogenism and IR in their female offspring, prenatal and postnatal
      interventions with antiandrogen, flutamide, and the insulin sensitizer
      rosiglitazone were used to parse out the contribution of androgenic and metabolic
      pathways in programming and maintaining these defects. Results showed that (1)
      peripheral IR in prenatal T-treated female sheep is related to increases in
      triglycerides and 3-nitrotyrosine, which appear to override the increase in high
      molecular-weight adiponectin; (2) liver IR is a function of the increase in
      oxidative stress (3-nitrotyrosine) and lipotoxicity; (3) muscle IR is related to
      lipotoxicity; and (4) the insulin-sensitive status of visceral adipose tissue
      appears to be a function of the increase in antioxidants that likely overrides
      the increase in proinflammatory cytokines, macrophages, and oxidative stress.
      Prenatal and postnatal intervention with either antiandrogen or insulin
      sensitizer had partial effects in preventing or ameliorating the prenatal T
      induced changes in mediators of insulin sensitivity, suggesting that both
      pathways are critical for the programming and maintenance of the prenatal T
      induced changes and point to potential involvement of estrogenic pathways.

PMID- 28911169
TI  - Obesity-Induced Infertility in Male Mice Is Associated With Disruption of Crisp4
      Expression and Sperm Fertilization Capacity.
AB  - Approximately 15% of human couples of reproductive age have impaired fertility,
      and the male component accounts for about half of these cases. The etiology is
      usually unknown, but high correlation with the increase in obesity rates is
      documented. In this study, we show that diet-induced and genetically obese mice
      display copulatory behavior comparable to controls, but the number of females
      impregnated by obese males is remarkably low. Screening for changes in gene
      expression in the male reproductive tract showed decreased Crisp4 expression in
      testis and epididymis of obese mice. Lack of CRISP4 in the luminal membrane of
      epididymal cells indicated inadequate secretion. Consistent with CRISP4 action in
      acrosome reaction, sperm from mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) had decreased
      fertilization capacity. CRISP4 treatment of sperm from HFD mice prior to in vitro
      fertilization improved fertilization rate. In leptin-deficient obese and
      infertile mice, leptin's effect to restore CRISP4 expression and function
      required gonadal hormones. Our findings indicate that the obesity-induced decline
      in sperm motility and fertilization capacity results in part from the disruption
      of epididymal CRISP4 expression and secretion.

PMID- 28911170
TI  - Sertoli Cell Number Defines and Predicts Germ and Leydig Cell Population Sizes in
      the Adult Mouse Testis.
AB  - Sertoli cells regulate differentiation and development of the testis and are
      essential for maintaining adult testis function. To model the effects of
      dysregulating Sertoli cell number during development or aging, we have used acute
      diphtheria toxin-mediated cell ablation to reduce Sertoli cell population size.
      Results show that the size of the Sertoli cell population that forms during
      development determines the number of germ cells and Leydig cells that will be
      present in the adult testis. Similarly, the number of germ cells and Leydig cells
      that can be maintained in the adult depends directly on the size of the adult
      Sertoli cell population. Finally, we have used linear modeling to generate
      predictive models of testis cell composition during development and in the adult
      based on the size of the Sertoli cell population. This study shows that at all
      ages the size of the Sertoli cell population is predictive of resulting
      testicular cell composition. A reduction in Sertoli cell number/proliferation at
      any age will therefore lead to a proportional decrease in germ cell and Leydig
      cell numbers, with likely consequential effects on fertility and health.

PMID- 28911171
TI  - Sirtuin-3 Promotes Adipogenesis, Osteoclastogenesis, and Bone Loss in Aging Male
      Mice.
AB  - Sirtuin-3 (Sirt3) is an essential metabolic regulatory enzyme that plays an
      important role in mitochondrial metabolism, but its role in bone marrow and
      skeletal homeostasis remains largely unknown. In this study, we hypothesize that
      increased expression of Sirt3 plays a role in skeletal aging. Using mice that
      overexpress Sirt3 [i.e., Sirt3 transgenic (Sirt3Tg)], we show that Sirt3 is a
      positive regulator of adipogenesis and osteoclastogenesis and a negative
      regulator of skeletal homeostasis. Sirt3Tg mice exhibited more adipocytes in the
      tibia compared with control mice. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from Sirt3Tg
      mice displayed an enhanced ability to differentiate into adipocytes compared with
      control BMSCs. We found a 2.5-fold increase in the number of osteoclasts on the
      bone surface in Sirt3Tg mice compared with control mice (P < 0.03), and increased
      osteoclastogenesis in vitro. Importantly, Sirt3 activates the mechanistic target
      of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway to regulate osteoclastogenesis. Sirt3Tg male mice
      exhibited a significant reduction in cortical thickness at the tibiofibular
      junction (P < 0.05). In summary, Sirt3 activity in bone marrow cells is
      associated with increased adipogenesis, increased osteoclastogenesis through
      activation of mTOR signaling, and reduced bone mass. Interestingly, Sirt3
      expression in bone marrow cells increases during aging, suggesting that Sirt3
      promotes age-related adipogenesis and osteoclastogenesis associated with bone
      loss. These findings identify Sirt3 as an important regulator of adipogenesis and
      skeletal homeostasis in vivo and identify Sirt3 as a potential target for the
      treatment of osteoporosis.

PMID- 28911172
TI  - Androgens Mediate Sex-Dependent Gonadotropin Expression During Late Prenatal
      Development in the Mouse.
AB  - Central organization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is initiated
      during fetal life. At this critical time, gonadal hormones mediate sex-specific
      development of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, which then dictates reproductive
      physiology and behavior in adulthood. Although studies have investigated the
      effects of prenatal androgens on central factors influencing gonadotropin
      releasing hormone (GnRH) release, the impact of fetal androgens on gonadotrope
      function has been overlooked. In the current study, we demonstrated that
      gonadotropin gene expression and protein production were robustly elevated in
      female mice compared with males during late fetal development and that this sex
      difference was dependent on fetal androgens. Treatment of dams from embryonic day
      (E)15.5 to E17.5 with testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), or the androgen
      antagonist flutamide eliminated the sex difference at E18.5. Specifically,
      flutamide relieved the suppression in male gene expression, elevating the level
      to that of females, whereas testosterone or DHT attenuated female gene expression
      to male levels. The gonadotrope population is equivalent in males and females,
      and gonadotropic cells in both sexes express androgen receptors, suggesting that
      androgen-dependent transcriptional regulation can occur in these cells in either
      sex. Studies using mouse models lacking GnRH signaling show that GnRH is
      necessary for enhanced gonadotropin expression in females and is therefore
      required to observe the sex difference. Collectively, these data suggest that
      circuits controlling GnRH input to the fetal pituitary are unrestrained in
      females yet robustly inhibited in males via circulating androgens and demonstrate
      plasticity in gonadotropin synthesis and secretion in both sexes depending on the
      androgen milieu during late prenatal development.

PMID- 28911173
TI  - Lithium Chloride Increases COX-2 Expression and PGE2 Production in a Human
      Granulosa-Lutein SVOG Cell Line Via a GSK-3beta/beta-Catenin Signaling Pathway.
AB  - Lithium chloride (LiCl) is widely prescribed for the treatment of bipolar
      disorders and is associated with a higher incidence of reproductive adverse
      effects. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and its derivative, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), play
      regulatory roles in the human ovulatory process. Whether LiCl affects ovulation
      by regulating COX2 expression and PGE2 production in the human ovary is still
      largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LiCl on
      the expression of COX-2 and production of PGE2 in human granulosa-lutein (hGL)
      cells, as well as the mechanisms underlying this effect. Both immortalized and
      primary hGL cells were used as research models. Using dual inhibition approaches,
      our results show that LiCl initiates the hGL cellular action by inhibiting the
      activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta [GSK-3beta (phosphorylation of GSK
      3beta)] and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), but
      not by affecting protein kinase B or cAMP response element binding protein
      signaling. Additionally, the phosphorylation of GSK-3beta, but not ERK1/2,
      resulted in the stabilization and nuclear localization of beta-catenin.
      Furthermore, knockdown of either beta-catenin or GSK-3beta reversed the LiCl
      induced upregulation of COX-2 expression. These results indicate that LiCl
      upregulates the expression of COX-2 and the subsequent production of PGE2 through
      the canonical GSK-3beta/beta-catenin signaling pathway in hGL cells.

PMID- 28911174
TI  - Sex Reversal and Comparative Data Undermine the W Chromosome and Support Z-linked
      DMRT1 as the Regulator of Gonadal Sex Differentiation in Birds.
AB  - The exact genetic mechanism regulating avian gonadal sex differentiation has not
      been completely resolved. The most likely scenario involves a dosage mechanism,
      whereby the Z-linked DMRT1 gene triggers testis development. However, the
      possibility still exists that the female-specific W chromosome may harbor an
      ovarian determining factor. In this study, we provide evidence that the universal
      gene regulating gonadal sex differentiation in birds is Z-linked DMRT1 and not a
      W-linked (ovarian) factor. Three candidate W-linked ovarian determinants are
      HINTW, female-expressed transcript 1 (FET1), and female-associated factor (FAF).
      To test the association of these genes with ovarian differentiation in the
      chicken, we examined their expression following experimentally induced female-to
      male sex reversal using the aromatase inhibitor fadrozole (FAD). Administration
      of FAD on day 3 of embryogenesis induced a significant loss of aromatase enzyme
      activity in female gonads and masculinization. However, expression levels of
      HINTW, FAF, and FET1 were unaltered after experimental masculinization.
      Furthermore, comparative analysis showed that FAF and FET1 expression could not
      be detected in zebra finch gonads. Additionally, an antibody raised against the
      predicted HINTW protein failed to detect it endogenously. These data do not
      support a universal role for these genes or for the W sex chromosome in ovarian
      development in birds. We found that DMRT1 (but not the recently identified Z
      linked HEMGN gene) is male upregulated in embryonic zebra finch and emu gonads,
      as in the chicken. As chicken, zebra finch, and emu exemplify the major
      evolutionary clades of birds, we propose that Z-linked DMRT1, and not the W sex
      chromosome, regulates gonadal sex differentiation in birds.

PMID- 28911175
TI  - Hyperandrogenemia Induced by Letrozole Treatment of Pubertal Female Mice Results
      in Hyperinsulinemia Prior to Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance.
AB  - Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) diagnosed with hyperandrogenism and
      ovulatory dysfunction have an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders,
      including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We previously developed a
      model that uses letrozole to elevate endogenous testosterone levels in female
      mice. This model has hallmarks of PCOS, including hyperandrogenism, anovulation,
      and polycystic ovaries, as well as increased abdominal adiposity and glucose
      intolerance. In the current study, we further characterized the metabolic
      dysfunction that occurs after letrozole treatment to determine whether this model
      represents a PCOS-like metabolic phenotype. We focused on whether letrozole
      treatment results in altered pancreatic or liver function as well as insulin
      resistance. We also investigated whether hyperinsulinemia occurs secondary to
      weight gain and insulin resistance in this model or if it can occur
      independently. Our study demonstrated that letrozole-treated mice developed
      hyperinsulinemia after 1 week of treatment and without evidence of insulin
      resistance. After 2 weeks of letrozole treatment, mice became significantly
      heavier than placebo mice, demonstrating that weight gain was not required to
      develop hyperinsulinemia. After 5 weeks of letrozole treatment, mice exhibited
      blunted glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, insulin resistance, and impaired
      insulin-induced phosphorylation of AKT in skeletal muscle. Moreover, letrozole
      treated mice exhibited dyslipidemia after 5 weeks of treatment but no evidence of
      hepatic disease. Our study demonstrated that the letrozole-induced PCOS mouse
      model exhibits multiple features of the metabolic dysregulation observed in
      obese, hyperandrogenic women with PCOS. This model will be useful for mechanistic
      studies investigating how hyperandrogenemia affects metabolism in females.

PMID- 28911177
TI  - Deoxycorticosterone/Salt-Mediated Cardiac Inflammation and Fibrosis Are Dependent
      on Functional CLOCK Signaling in Male Mice.
AB  - Activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) promotes inflammation,
      fibrosis, and hypertension. Clinical and experimental studies show that MR
      antagonists have significant therapeutic benefit for all-cause heart failure;
      however, blockade of renal MRs limits their widespread use. Identification of key
      downstream signaling mechanisms for the MR in the cardiovascular system may
      enable development of targeted MR antagonists with selectivity for pathological
      MR signaling and lower impact on physiological renal electrolyte handling. One
      candidate pathway is the circadian clock, the dysregulation of which is
      associated with cardiovascular diseases. We have previously shown that the
      circadian gene Per2 is dysregulated in hearts with selective deletion of
      cardiomyocyte MR. We therefore investigated MR-mediated cardiac inflammation and
      fibrosis in mice that lack normal regulation and oscillation of the circadian
      clock in peripheral tissues, that is, CLOCKDelta19 mutant mice. The
      characteristic cardiac inflammatory/fibrotic response to a deoxycorticosterone
      (DOC)/salt for 8 weeks was significantly blunted in CLOCKDelta19 mice when
      compared with wild-type mice, despite a modest increase at "baseline" for
      fibrosis and macrophage number in CLOCKDelta19 mice. In contrast, cardiac
      hypertrophy in response to DOC/salt was significantly greater in CLOCKDelta19 vs
      wild-type mice. Markers for renal inflammation and fibrosis were similarly
      attenuated in the CLOCKDelta19 mice given DOC/salt. Moreover, increased CLOCK
      expression in H9c2 cardiac cells enhanced MR-mediated transactivation of Per1,
      suggesting cooperative signaling between these transcription factors. This study
      demonstrates that the full development of MR-mediated cardiac inflammation and
      fibrosis is dependent on intact signaling by the circadian protein CLOCK.

PMID- 28911176
TI  - New Insights Into the Role of Estrogens in Male Fertility Based on Findings in
      Aromatase-Deficient Zebrafish.
AB  - It has been demonstrated that estrogens are indispensable for male fertility in
      mammals. Aromatase (encoded by CYP19) catalyzes the final step of estradiol
      biosynthesis. However, less is known about the role of aromatase in male
      fertility in nonmammalian species. Fish aromatase is encoded by two separate
      genes: the gonad-specific cyp19a1a and the brain-specific cyp19a1b. In a recent
      study, we used transcription activatorlike effector nucleases to systematically
      generate cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b mutant lines and a cyp19a1a;cyp19a1b double-mutant
      line in zebrafish and demonstrated that cyp19a1a was indispensable for sex
      differentiation. In this study, we focused on male fertility in these aromatase
      deficient zebrafish. Our results showed that all aromatase-deficient male fish
      had normal fertility even at 1 year after fertilization. Interestingly, we
      observed more spermatozoa in the cyp19a1a and double-mutant males than in the
      wild-type and cyp19a1b mutant males. The whole-body androgen levels, follicle
      stimulating hormone beta and luteinizing hormone beta protein levels in the
      pituitary, and transcript levels of genes known to be involved in spermatogenesis
      and steroidogenesis in the testes were significantly higher in the cyp19a1a
      mutant and aromatase double-mutant males than in the wild-type and cyp19a1b
      mutant males. These results might explain why more spermatozoa were observed in
      these fish. Collectively, our findings indicate that estrogens are not needed to
      achieve and maintain normal fertility in male zebrafish. This finding challenges
      the traditional view that estrogens are indispensable for male fertility.

PMID- 28911178
TI  - Naturally Occurring Amino Acids in Helix 10 of the Thyroid Hormone Receptor
      Mediate Isoform-Specific TH Gene Regulation.
AB  - Thyroid hormone (TH) action is mediated by the products of two genes, TH receptor
      (THR)alpha (THRA) and THRbeta (THRB) that encode several closely related receptor
      isoforms with differing tissue distributions. The vast majority of THR isoform
      specific effects are thought to be due to tissue-specific differences in THR
      isoform expression levels. We investigated the alternative hypothesis that
      intrinsic functional differences among THR isoforms mediate these tissue-specific
      effects. To achieve the same level of expression of each isoform, we created
      tagged THR isoforms and tested their DNA and functional properties in vitro. We
      found significant homodimerization and functional differences among the THR
      isoforms. THRA1 was unable to form homodimers on direct repeat separated by 4 bp
      DNA elements and was also defective in TH-dependent repression of Tshb and Rxrg
      in a thyrotroph cell line, TalphaT1.1. In contrast, THRB2 was both homodimer
      sufficient and fully functional on these negatively regulated genes. Using domain
      exchanges and individual amino acid switches between THRA1 and THRB2, we
      identified three amino acids in helix 10 of the THRB2 ligand-binding domain that
      are required for negative regulation and are absent in THRA1.

PMID- 28911179
TI  - Deciphering the Function of the Blunt Circadian Rhythm of Melatonin in the
      Newborn Lamb: Impact on Adrenal and Heart.
AB  - Neonatal lambs, as with human and other neonates, have low arrhythmic endogenous
      levels of melatonin for several weeks until they start their own pineal rhythm of
      melatonin production at approximately 2 weeks of life. During pregnancy, daily
      rhythmic transfer of maternal melatonin to the fetus has important physiological
      roles in sheep, nonhuman primates, and rats. This melatonin rhythm provides a
      circadian signal and also participates in adjusting the physiology of several
      organs in preparation for extrauterine life. We propose that the ensuing absence
      of a melatonin rhythm plays a role in neonatal adaptation. To test this
      hypothesis, we studied the effects of imposing a high-amplitude melatonin rhythm
      in the newborn lamb on (1) clock time-related changes in cortisol and plasma
      variables and (2) clock time-related changes of gene expression of clock genes
      and selected functional genes in the adrenal gland and heart. We treated newborn
      lambs with a daily oral dose of melatonin (0.25 mg/kg) from birth to 5 days of
      age, recreating a high-amplitude melatonin rhythm. This treatment suppressed
      clock time-related changes of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, clock
      gene expression, and functional genes in the newborn adrenal gland. In the heart,
      it decreased heart/body weight ratio, increased expression of Anp and Bnp, and
      resulted in different heart gene expression from control newborns. The
      interference of this postnatal melatonin treatment with the normal postnatal
      pattern of adrenocortical function and heart development support a physiological
      role for the window of flat postnatal melatonin levels during the neonatal
      transition.

PMID- 28911180
TI  - Central Oxytocin and Energy Balance: More Than Feelings.

PMID- 28911181
TI  - High-Fat Diet and Pregnancy: Are You Ready To Take Risks for Your Offspring?

PMID- 28911182
TI  - Retinoid Actions: A New Horizon.

PMID- 28911183
TI  - CORRIGENDUM FOR "A Mathematical Model of the Pathogenesis, Prevention, and
      Reversal of Type 2 Diabetes".

PMID- 28911184
TI  - Subcellular localization and function study of a secreted phospholipase C from
      Nocardia seriolae.
AB  - Fish nocardiosis is a chronic systemic granulomatous disease, and Nocardia
      seriolae is the main pathogen that causes it. The pathogenesis and virulence
      factors of N. seriolae are not fully understood. A phospholipase C (PLC), which
      is likely to be a secreted protein targeting host cell mitochondria, was found by
      a bioinformatics analysis of the whole genome sequence of N. seriolae. In order
      to determine the subcellular localization and study the preliminary function of
      PLC from N. seriolae (NsPLC), in this study gene cloning, secreted protein
      identification, subcellular localization in host cells and apoptosis detection of
      NsPLC were carried out. Mass spectrometry analysis of extracellular products from
      N. seriolae showed that NsPLC was a secreted protein. Subcellular localization of
      NsPLC-GFP fusion protein in fathead minnow (FHM) cells revealed that the green
      fluorescence exhibited a punctate distribution near the nucleus and did not co
      localize with mitochondria. In addition, an apoptosis assay suggested that
      apoptosis was induced in FHM cells by the overexpression of NsPLC. This study may
      lay the foundations for further studies on the function of NsPLC and promote the
      understanding of the virulence factors and pathogenic mechanism of N. seriolae.

PMID- 28911185
TI  - Identification of a new gene yecC involved in threonine export in Escherichia
      coli.
AB  - Threonine (Thr), an essential amino acid for mammals, has expanded its
      application to industries with fast-growing market demand. One factor that limits
      the production of L-threonine by microbial fermentation is the lack of an
      effective export system. This study proposes a method based on isobaric tags for
      relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) to determine potential Thr excretion
      proteins. Proteomics analysis revealed that an ABC family transport protein named
      YecC was upregulated in response to Thr addition. When the yecC gene or yecC-yecS
      fliY is overexpressed in Escherichia coli DH5alpha, a phenotype resistant to
      inhibitory concentrations of Thr was observed in the strains. In addition, Thr
      production was increased when the yecC gene and yecC-yecS-fliY were overexpressed
      in the Thr producers in which rthA or rthBC was deleted separately or in
      combination. Therefore, YecC protein could facilitate Thr efflux in E. coli and
      be suitable for application in engineering microbial cells to produce Thr.

PMID- 28911186
TI  - Isolation of proteolytic bacteria from mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) exoskeletons
      to produce chitinous material.
AB  - The use of insects as a source of protein is becoming an important factor for
      feeding an increasing population. After protein extraction for food use, the
      insect exoskeleton may offer the possibility for the production of added value
      products. Here, the aim was to isolate bacteria from the surface of farmed
      mealworms (Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758) for the production of chitinous
      material from insect exoskeletons using microbial fermentation. Isolates were
      screened for proteases and acid production that may aid deproteination and
      demineralisation of insects through fermentation to produce chitin. Selected
      isolates were used single-step (isolated bacteria only) or two-step fermentations
      with Lactobacillus plantarum (DSM 20174). Two-step fermentations with isolates
      from mealworm exoskeletons resulted in a demineralisation of 97.9 and 98.5% from
      deproteinated mealworm fractions. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier- transform
      infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that crude chitin was produced. However,
      further optimisation is needed before the process can be upscaled. This is, to
      our knowledge, the first report using microbial fermentation for the extraction
      of chitin from insects.

PMID- 28911187
TI  - Genome analysis of food-processing stressful-resistant probiotic Bifidobacterium
      animalis subsp. lactis BF052, and its potential application in fermented soymilk.
AB  - In this study, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BF052 was demonstrated the
      growth capability in soymilk and could be thus supplemented as a probiotic
      starter that employed soymilk as one of its food vehicles. The complete genome
      sequence of BF052 was therefore determined to understand the genetic basis of
      BF052 as a technological and functional probiotic starter. The whole genome
      sequence of BF052 consists of a circular genome of 1938 624 bp with a G+C content
      of 60.50%. This research highlights relevant genes involving in its adaptive
      responses to industrial and/or environmental stresses and utilization of alpha
      galacto-oligosaccharides in BF052 strain compared with other representative
      bifidobacterial genomes.

PMID- 28911188
TI  - Diversity of Ochrobactrum species in food animals, antibiotic resistance
      phenotypes and polymorphisms in the blaOCH gene.
AB  - Twenty-six lactose non-fermenting, oxidase, urease and citrate-positive Gram
      negative rods, isolated from broiler chickens, pigs and cattle at slaughter, were
      subjected to the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry and 16S rDNA sequencing for identification. Susceptibility to 14
      antimicrobials was determined by the disc diffusion method. Ochrobactrum isolates
      resistant to third-generation cephalosporins were PCR-screened for the presence
      of the Ochrobactrum anthropi ampC gene (blaOCH). A 547-bp internal segment of
      blaOCH in the Ochrobactrum spp isolates was amplified with a newly designed
      primer set, and a phylogenetic reconstruction based on the complete amino acid
      sequence of blaOCH obtained from nine Ochrobactrum strains in our collection and
      20 O. anthropi available in the GenBank was undertaken. All the Ochrobactrum
      isolates were resistant to the expanded-spectrum beta-lactams and streptomycin.
      None of the isolates was resistant to imipenem while 41.7% to 50.0% of them were
      resistant to fluoroquinolones. The blaOCH gene was detected in 16 (66.7%) and 20
      (83.3%) of the 24 Ochrobactrum isolates (O. intermedium/O. tritici species),
      using primers designed for O. anthropi and the newly designed primer set,
      respectively. Six blaOCH variants grouped into two divergent clusters were
      identified. This is the first report of the complete nucleotide sequence of the
      blaOCH gene in non-antropi Ochrobactrum species.

PMID- 28911190
TI  - Do long working hours predispose to atrial fibrillation?

PMID- 28911191
TI  - My atrial fibrillation is not your atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 28911192
TI  - European Heart Journal: Case Reports.

PMID- 28911193
TI  - The search for a new assay of myocardial necrosis.

PMID- 28911189
TI  - Long working hours as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation: a multi-cohort
      study.
AB  - Aims: Studies suggest that people who work long hours are at increased risk of
      stroke, but the association of long working hours with atrial fibrillation, the
      most common cardiac arrhythmia and a risk factor for stroke, is unknown. We
      examined the risk of atrial fibrillation in individuals working long hours (>=55
      per week) and those working standard 35-40 h/week. Methods and results: In this
      prospective multi-cohort study from the Individual-Participant-Data Meta-analysis
      in Working Populations (IPD-Work) Consortium, the study population was 85 494
      working men and women (mean age 43.4 years) with no recorded atrial fibrillation.
      Working hours were assessed at study baseline (1991-2004). Mean follow-up for
      incident atrial fibrillation was 10 years and cases were defined using data on
      electrocardiograms, hospital records, drug reimbursement registers, and death
      certificates. We identified 1061 new cases of atrial fibrillation (10-year
      cumulative incidence 12.4 per 1000). After adjustment for age, sex and
      socioeconomic status, individuals working long hours had a 1.4-fold increased
      risk of atrial fibrillation compared with those working standard hours (hazard
      ratio = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.13-1.80, P = 0.003). There was no significant
      heterogeneity between the cohort-specific effect estimates (I2 = 0%, P = 0.66)
      and the finding remained after excluding participants with coronary heart disease
      or stroke at baseline or during the follow-up (N = 2006, hazard ratio = 1.36, 95%
      CI = 1.05-1.76, P = 0.0180). Adjustment for potential confounding factors, such
      as obesity, risky alcohol use and high blood pressure, had little impact on this
      association. Conclusion: Individuals who worked long hours were more likely to
      develop atrial fibrillation than those working standard hours.

PMID- 28911194
TI  - British Cardiovascular Society Conference 2017.

PMID- 28911195
TI  - Peter Juni from Switzerland to Canada.

PMID- 28911196
TI  - Risk factors and consequences of atrial fibrillation: genetics, blood pressure,
      working hours, and cognitive decline.

PMID- 28911197
TI  - Contribution of TLR2 pathway in the pathogenesis of vulvovaginal candidiasis.
AB  - Candida albicans is the prevalent etiological agent in acute vulvovaginal
      infection and the most severe chronic condition known as recurrent vulvovaginal
      candidiasis (VVC). A critical role of local innate immunity in defense and
      pathogenesis of vaginal infection by Candida is proposed. The fungal recognition
      by the innate immune receptor is an essential step for the induction of local
      responses including cytokines and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) production for
      host protection. Using TLR2-deficient mice, we characterized the early innate
      immune response during VVC. Intravaginal challenge of TLR2-/- mice with C.
      albicans demonstrated that in response to the initial massive penetration, a
      strong local inflammatory reaction with recruitment of polymorphonuclear
      neutrophils was developed. Both interleukin 1beta (IL1beta)-regarded as the
      hallmark of VVC immunopathogenesis-and IL6 were increased in vaginal lavage.
      Murine beta defensin 1 (mBD1), a constitutive AMP with fungicidal and chemotactic
      activity, was significantly upregulated in wild type (WT) animals in response to
      infection. Interestingly, in the absence of TLR2 recognition, levels of mBD1 RNA
      more than twice higher than those in WT infected animals were observed.
      Interestingly, our results demonstrate that TLR2 signaling is important to
      control the fungal burden in the vaginal tract. These finding provide new
      evidence about the role of this innate receptor during VVC.

PMID- 28911198
TI  - Loss of native alpha-synuclein multimerization by strategically mutating its
      amphipathic helix causes abnormal vesicle interactions in neuronal cells.
AB  - alpha-Synuclein (alphaS) forms round cytoplasmic inclusions in Parkinson's
      disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Evidence suggests a
      physiological function of alphaS in vesicle trafficking and release. In contrast
      to earlier tenets, recent work indicates that alphaS normally exists in cells in
      a dynamic equilibrium between monomers and tetramers/multimers. We engineered
      alphaS mutants incapable of multimerization, leading to excess monomers at
      vesicle membranes. By EM, such mutants induced prominent vesicle clustering,
      leading to round cytoplasmic inclusions. Immunogold labeling revealed abundant
      alphaS intimately associated with vesicles of varied size. Fluorescence
      microscopy with marker proteins showed that the alphaS-associated vesicles were
      of diverse endocytic and secretory origin. An alphaS '3K' mutant (E35K + E46K +
      E61K) that amplifies the PD/DLB-causing E46K mutation induced alphaS-rich vesicle
      clusters resembling the vesicle-rich areas of Lewy bodies, supporting pathogenic
      relevance. Mechanistically, E46K can increase alphaS vesicle binding via membrane
      induced amphipathic helix formation, and '3K' further enhances this effect.
      Another engineered alphaS variant added hydrophobicity to the hydrophobic half of
      alphaS helices, thereby stabilizing alphaS-membrane interactions. Importantly,
      substituting charged for uncharged residues within the hydrophobic half of the
      stabilized helix not only reversed the strong membrane interaction of the
      multimer-abolishing alphaS variant but also restored multimerization and
      prevented the aberrant vesicle interactions. Thus, reversible alphaS amphipathic
      helix formation and dynamic multimerization regulate a normal function of alphaS
      at vesicles, and abrogating multimers has pathogenic consequences.

PMID- 28911199
TI  - Age-dependent effects of Armc5 haploinsufficiency on adrenocortical function.
AB  - Inactivating mutations in the Armadillo repeat-containing 5 (ARMC5) gene have
      recently been discovered in primary macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PMAH), a
      cause of Cushing syndrome. Biallelic ARMC5 inactivation in PMAH suggested that
      ARMC5 may have tumor suppressor functions in the adrenal cortex. We generated and
      characterized a new mouse model of Armc5 deficiency. Almost all Armc5 knockout
      mice died during early embryonic development, around 6.5 and 8.5 days. Knockout
      embryos did not undergo gastrulation, as demonstrated by the absence of mesoderm
      development at E7.5. Armc5 heterozygote mice (Armc5+/-) developed normally but at
      the age of 1 year, their corticosterone levels decreased; this was associated
      with a decrease of protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit alpha (Calpha)
      expression both at the RNA and protein levels that were also seen in human
      patients with PMAH and ARMC5 defects. However, this was transient, as
      corticosterone levels normalized later, followed by the development of
      hypercorticosteronemia in one-third of the mice at 18 months of age, which was
      associated with increases in PKA and Calpha expression. Adrenocortical tissue
      analysis from Armc5+/- mice at 18 months showed an abnormal activation of the
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in a subset of zona fasciculata cells. These
      data confirm that Armc5 plays an important role in early mouse embryonic
      development. Our new mouse line can be used to study tissue-specific effects of
      Armc5. Finally, Armc5 haploinsufficiency leads to Cushing syndrome in mice, but
      only later in life, and this involves PKA, its catalytic subunit Calpha, and the
      Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.

PMID- 28911200
TI  - Homozygous EEF1A2 mutation causes dilated cardiomyopathy, failure to thrive,
      global developmental delay, epilepsy and early death.
AB  - Eukaryotic elongation factor 1A (EEF1A), is encoded by two distinct isoforms,
      EEF1A1 and EEF1A2; whereas EEF1A1 is expressed almost ubiquitously, EEF1A2
      expression is limited such that it is only detectable in skeletal muscle, heart,
      brain and spinal cord. Currently, the role of EEF1A2 in normal cardiac
      development and function is unclear. There have been several reports linking de
      novo dominant EEF1A2 mutations to neurological issues in humans. We report a pair
      of siblings carrying a homozygous missense mutation p.P333L in EEF1A2 who
      exhibited global developmental delay, failure to thrive, dilated cardiomyopathy
      and epilepsy, ultimately leading to death in early childhood. A third sibling
      also died of a similar presentation, but DNA was unavailable to confirm the
      mutation. Functional genomic analysis was performed in S. cerevisiae and
      zebrafish. In S. cerevisiae, there was no evidence for a dominant-negative
      effect. Previously identified putative de novo mutations failed to complement
      yeast strains lacking the EEF1A ortholog showing a major growth defect. In
      contrast, the introduction of the mutation seen in our family led to a milder
      growth defect. To evaluate its function in zebrafish, we knocked down eef1a2
      expression using translation blocking and splice-site interfering morpholinos.
      EEF1A2-deficient zebrafish had skeletal muscle weakness, cardiac failure and
      small heads. Human EEF1A2 wild-type mRNA successfully rescued the morphant
      phenotype, but mutant RNA did not. Overall, EEF1A2 appears to be critical for
      normal heart function in humans, and its deficiency results in clinical
      abnormalities in neurologic function as well as in skeletal and cardiac muscle
      defects.

PMID- 28911201
TI  - Gene expression profiling of puberty-associated genes reveals abundant tissue and
      sex-specific changes across postnatal development.
AB  - The timing of human puberty is highly variable, sexually dimorphic, and
      associated with adverse health outcomes. Over 20 genes carrying rare mutations
      have been identified in known pubertal disorders, many of which encode critical
      components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Recent genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 100 candidate genes at loci
      associated with age at menarche or voice breaking in males. We know little about
      the spatial, temporal or postnatal expression patterns of the majority of these
      puberty-associated genes. Using a high-throughput and sensitive microfluidic
      quantitative PCR strategy, we profiled the gene expression patterns of the mouse
      orthologs of 178 puberty-associated genes in male and female mouse HPG axis
      tissues, the pineal gland, and the liver at five postnatal ages spanning the
      pubertal transition. The most dynamic gene expression changes were observed prior
      to puberty in all tissues. We detected known and novel tissue-enhanced gene
      expression patterns, with the hypothalamus expressing the largest number of the
      puberty-associated genes. Notably, over 40 puberty-associated genes in the
      pituitary gland showed sex-biased gene expression, most of which occurred peri
      puberty. These sex-biased genes included the orthologs of candidate genes at GWAS
      loci that show sex-discordant effects on pubertal timing. Our findings provide
      new insight into the expression of puberty-associated genes and support the
      possibility that the pituitary plays a role in determining sex differences in the
      timing of puberty.

PMID- 28911202
TI  - Pathogenicity of a novel missense variant associated with choroideremia and its
      impact on gene replacement therapy.
AB  - Choroideremia (CHM) is an inherited retinal dystrophy characterised by
      progressive degeneration of photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and
      underlying choroid. It is caused by loss-of-function mutations in CHM, which has
      an X-linked inheritance, and is thus an ideal candidate for gene replacement
      strategies. CHM encodes REP1, which plays a key role in the prenylation of Rab
      GTPases. We recently showed that an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSc)-derived
      RPE model for CHM is fully functional and reproduces the underlying prenylation
      defect. This criterion can thus be used for testing the pathogenic nature of
      novel variants. Until recently, missense variants were not associated with CHM.
      Currently, at least nine such variants have been reported but only two have been
      shown to be pathogenic. We report here the characterisation of the third
      pathogenic missense CHM variant, p.Leu457Pro. Clinically, the associated
      phenotype is indistinguishable from that of loss-of-function mutations. By
      contrast, this missense variant results in wild type CHM expression levels and
      detectable levels of mutant protein. The prenylation status of patient-specific
      fibroblasts and iPSc-derived RPE is within the range observed for loss-of
      function mutations, consistent with the clinical phenotype. Lastly, considering
      the current climate of CHM gene therapy, we assayed whether the presence of
      mutant REP1 could interfere with a gene replacement strategy by testing the
      prenylation status of patient-specific iPSc-derived RPE following AAV-mediated
      gene transfer. Our results show that correction of the functional defect is
      possible and highlight the predictive value of these models for therapy screening
      prior to inclusion in clinical trials.

PMID- 28911203
TI  - Mutations of conserved non-coding elements of PITX2 in patients with ocular
      dysgenesis and developmental glaucoma.
AB  - Mutations in FOXC1 and PITX2 constitute the most common causes of ocular anterior
      segment dysgenesis (ASD), and confer a high risk for secondary glaucoma. The
      genetic causes underlying ASD in approximately half of patients remain unknown,
      despite many of them being screened by whole exome sequencing. Here, we performed
      whole genome sequencing on DNA from two affected individuals from a family with
      dominantly inherited ASD and glaucoma to identify a 748-kb deletion in a gene
      desert that contains conserved putative PITX2 regulatory elements. We used
      CRISPR/Cas9 to delete the orthologous region in zebrafish in order to test the
      pathogenicity of this structural variant. Deletion in zebrafish reduced pitx2
      expression during development and resulted in shallow anterior chambers. We
      screened additional patients for copy number variation of the putative regulatory
      elements and found an overlapping deletion in a second family and in a
      potentially-ancestrally-related index patient with ASD and glaucoma. These data
      suggest that mutations affecting conserved non-coding elements of PITX2 may
      constitute an important class of mutations in patients with ASD for whom the
      molecular cause of their disease have not yet been identified. Improved
      functional annotation of the human genome and transition to sequencing of patient
      genomes instead of exomes will be required before the magnitude of this class of
      mutations is fully understood.

PMID- 28911204
TI  - Enhanced vulnerability of human proteins towards disease-associated inactivation
      through divergent evolution.
AB  - Human proteins are vulnerable towards disease-associated single amino acid
      replacements affecting protein stability and function. Interestingly, a few
      studies have shown that consensus amino acids from mammals or vertebrates can
      enhance protein stability when incorporated into human proteins. Here, we
      investigate yet unexplored relationships between the high vulnerability of human
      proteins towards disease-associated inactivation and recent evolutionary site
      specific divergence of stabilizing amino acids. Using phylogenetic, structural
      and experimental analyses, we show that divergence from the consensus amino acids
      at several sites during mammalian evolution has caused local protein
      destabilization in two human proteins linked to disease: cancer-associated NQO1
      and alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase, mutated in primary hyperoxaluria type I.
      We demonstrate that a single consensus mutation (H80R) acts as a disease
      suppressor on the most common cancer-associated polymorphism in NQO1 (P187S). The
      H80R mutation reactivates P187S by enhancing FAD binding affinity through local
      and dynamic stabilization of its binding site. Furthermore, we show how a second
      suppressor mutation (E247Q) cooperates with H80R in protecting the P187S
      polymorphism towards inactivation through long-range allosteric communication
      within the structural ensemble of the protein. Our results support that recent
      divergence of consensus amino acids may have occurred with neutral effects on
      many functional and regulatory traits of wild-type human proteins. However,
      divergence at certain sites may have increased the propensity of some human
      proteins towards inactivation due to disease-associated mutations and
      polymorphisms. Consensus mutations also emerge as a potential strategy to
      identify structural hot-spots in proteins as targets for pharmacological rescue
      in loss-of-function genetic diseases.

PMID- 28911205
TI  - A zebrafish model of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy recapitulates key disease
      features and demonstrates a developmental requirement for abcd1 in
      oligodendrocyte patterning and myelination.
AB  - X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a devastating inherited neurodegenerative
      disease caused by defects in the ABCD1 gene and affecting peripheral and central
      nervous system myelin. ABCD1 encodes a peroxisomal transmembrane protein required
      for very long chain fatty acid (VLCFA) metabolism. We show that zebrafish (Danio
      rerio) Abcd1 is highly conserved at the amino acid level with human ABCD1, and
      during development is expressed in homologous regions including the central
      nervous system and adrenal glands. We used TALENs to generate five zebrafish
      abcd1 mutant allele lines introducing premature stop codons in exon 1, as well as
      obtained an abcd1 allele from the Zebrafish Mutation Project carrying a point
      mutation in a splice donor site. Similar to patients with ALD, zebrafish abcd1
      mutants have elevated VLCFA levels. Interestingly, we found that CNS development
      of the abcd1 mutants is disrupted, with hypomyelination in the spinal cord,
      abnormal patterning and decreased numbers of oligodendrocytes, and increased cell
      death. By day of life five abcd1 mutants demonstrate impaired motor function, and
      overall survival to adulthood of heterozygous and homozygous mutants is
      decreased. Expression of human ABCD1 in oligodendrocytes rescued apoptosis in the
      abcd1 mutant. In summary, we have established a zebrafish model of ALD that
      recapitulates key features of human disease pathology and which reveals novel
      features of underlying disease pathogenesis.

PMID- 28911206
TI  - Identification of the molecular dysfunction caused by glutamate dehydrogenase
      S445L mutation responsible for hyperinsulinism/hyperammonemia.
AB  - Congenital hyperinsulinism/hyperammonemia (HI/HA) syndrome gives rise to
      unregulated protein-induced insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells, fasting
      hypoglycemia and elevated plasma ammonia levels. Mutations associated with HI/HA
      were identified in the Glud1 gene, encoding for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). We
      aimed at identifying the molecular causes of dysregulation in insulin secretion
      and ammonia production conferred by the most frequent HI/HA mutation Ser445Leu.
      Following transduction with adenoviruses carrying the human GDH-wild type or GDH
      S445L-mutant gene, immunoblotting showed efficient expression of the transgenes
      in all the investigated cell types. Enzymatic activity tested in INS-1E beta
      cells revealed that the mutant was much more sensitive to the allosteric
      activator ADP, rendering it highly responsive to substrates. INS-1E cells
      expressing either the wild type or mutant GDH responded similarly to glucose
      stimulation regarding mitochondrial activation and insulin secretion. However, at
      basal glucose glutamine stimulation increased mitochondrial activity and insulin
      release only in the mutant cells. In mouse and human islets, expression of mutant
      GDH resulted in robust elevation of insulin secretion upon glutamine stimulation,
      not observed in control islets. Hepatocytes expressing either the wild type or
      mutant GDH produced similar levels of ammonia when exposed to glutamine, although
      alanine response was strongly elevated with the mutant form. In conclusion, the
      GDH-S445L mutation confers hyperactivity to this enzyme due to higher sensitivity
      to ADP allosteric activation. This renders beta-cells responsive to amino acid
      stimulation, explaining protein-induced hypoglycemia secondary to non
      physiological insulin release. Hepatocytes carrying mutant GDH produced more
      ammonia upon alanine exposure, which underscores hyperammonemia developed by the
      patients.

PMID- 28911208
TI  - HDAC6 deficiency or inhibition blocks FGFR3 accumulation and improves bone growth
      in a model of achondroplasia.

PMID- 28911207
TI  - Trans-ethnic meta-regression of genome-wide association studies accounting for
      ancestry increases power for discovery and improves fine-mapping resolution.
AB  - Trans-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) across
      diverse populations can increase power to detect complex trait loci when the
      underlying causal variants are shared between ancestry groups. However,
      heterogeneity in allelic effects between GWAS at these loci can occur that is
      correlated with ancestry. Here, a novel approach is presented to detect SNP
      association and quantify the extent of heterogeneity in allelic effects that is
      correlated with ancestry. We employ trans-ethnic meta-regression to model allelic
      effects as a function of axes of genetic variation, derived from a matrix of mean
      pairwise allele frequency differences between GWAS, and implemented in the MR
      MEGA software. Through detailed simulations, we demonstrate increased power to
      detect association for MR-MEGA over fixed- and random-effects meta-analysis
      across a range of scenarios of heterogeneity in allelic effects between ethnic
      groups. We also demonstrate improved fine-mapping resolution, in loci containing
      a single causal variant, compared to these meta-analysis approaches and PAINTOR,
      and equivalent performance to MANTRA at reduced computational cost. Application
      of MR-MEGA to trans-ethnic GWAS of kidney function in 71,461 individuals
      indicates stronger signals of association than fixed-effects meta-analysis when
      heterogeneity in allelic effects is correlated with ancestry. Application of MR
      MEGA to fine-mapping four type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci in 22,086 cases and
      42,539 controls highlights: (i) strong evidence for heterogeneity in allelic
      effects that is correlated with ancestry only at the index SNP for the
      association signal at the CDKAL1 locus; and (ii) 99% credible sets with six or
      fewer variants for five distinct association signals.

PMID- 28911210
TI  - A20, an essential component of the ubiquitin-editing protein complex, is a
      negative regulator of inflammation in human myometrium and foetal membranes.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Does A20 regulate mediators involved in the terminal processes of
      human labour in primary myometrial and amnion cells? SUMMARY ANSWER: A20 is a
      nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) responsive gene that acts as a negative
      regulator of NF-kappaB-induced expression of pro-labour mediators. WHAT IS KNOWN
      ALREADY: Inflammation is commonly implicated in spontaneous preterm birth and the
      processes involved in rupture of foetal membranes and uterine contractions. In
      myometrium and foetal membranes, the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF
      kappaB regulates the transcription of pro-labour mediators in response to
      inflammatory stimuli. In non-gestational tissues, A20 is widely recognised as an
      anti-inflammatory protein that inhibits inflammation-induced NF-kappaB
      signalling. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Primary human amnion and myometrial
      cells were used to determine the effect of pro-inflammatory mediators on A20
      expression and the effect of A20 siRNA on the expression and secretion of pro
      labour mediators. The expression of A20 was assessed in myometrium and foetal
      membranes from non-labouring and labouring women at preterm and or term (n = 8 or
      nine samples per group). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The effects of
      pro-inflammatory mediators and of A20 siRNA in cell cultures were determined by
      quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), western blots, immunoassays, gelatin zymography
      and luciferase assays. A20 expression in tissue samples was assessed by qRT-PCR.
      Statistical significance was ascribed to a P value < 0.05. MAIN RESULTS AND THE
      ROLE OF CHANCE: In primary cells isolated from myometrium and or amnion, the pro
      inflammatory cytokines IL1B and TNF, the bacterial products flagellin and fsl-1,
      and the viral double stranded RNA analogue poly(I:C) significantly increased A20
      mRNA expression via NF-kappaB. A20 siRNA studies in primary myometrial and amnion
      cells demonstrated an augmentation of inflammation-induced expression and or
      secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL1A, IL6), chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL8,
      CCL2), adhesion molecules (ICAM1, VCAM1), contraction-associated proteins (PTGS2,
      PTGFR, PGF2alpha) and the extracellular matrix degrading enzyme MMP9, as well as
      NF-kappaB activation. Inhibition of NF-kappaB activity significant attenuated
      inflammation-induced expression of pro-labour mediators in A20 siRNA transfected
      cells. Finally, A20 mRNA expression was decreased in myometrium and foetal
      membranes with labour, and in foetal membranes with chorioamnionitis. LARGE SCALE
      DATA: Not applicable. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The conclusions of this
      study are solely reliant on the data from in vitro experiments using cells
      isolated from myometrium and amnion. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The
      results of this study raise the possibility that targeting A20 may be a
      therapeutic approach to reduce inflammation associated with spontaneous preterm
      birth. STUDY FUNDING AND COMPETING INTEREST(S): Associate Professor Martha Lappas
      is supported by a Career Development Fellowship from the National Health and
      Medical Research Council (NHMRC; grant no. 1047025). Funding for this study was
      provided by the NHMRC (grant no. 1058786), Norman Beischer Medical Research
      Foundation and the Mercy Research Foundation. There are no competing interests.

PMID- 28911211
TI  - Are there intracellular Ca2+ oscillations correlated with flagellar beating in
      human sperm? A three vs. two-dimensional analysis.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Are there intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) oscillations correlated
      with flagellar beating in human sperm? SUMMARY ANSWER: The results reveal
      statistically significant [Ca2+]i oscillations that are correlated with the human
      sperm flagellar beating frequency, when measured in three-dimensions (3D). WHAT
      IS KNOWN ALREADY: Fast [Ca2+]i oscillations that are correlated to the beating
      flagellar frequency of cells swimming in a restricted volume have been detected
      in hamster sperm. To date, such findings have not been confirmed in any other
      mammalian sperm species. An important question that has remained regarding these
      observations is whether the fast [Ca2+]i oscillations are real or might they be
      due to remaining defocusing effects of the Z component arising from the 3D
      beating of the flagella. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Healthy donors whose semen
      samples fulfill the WHO criteria between the age of 18-28 were selected. Cells
      from at least six different donors were utilized for analysis. Approximately the
      same number of experimental and control cells were analyzed.
      PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Motile cells were obtained by the swim
      up technique and were loaded with Fluo-4 (Ca2+ sensitive dye) or with Calcein
      (Ca2+ insensitive dye). Ni2+ was used as a non-specific plasma membrane Ca2+
      channel blocker. Fluorescence data and flagella position were acquired in 3D.
      Each cell was recorded for up to 5.6 s within a depth of 16 microns with a high
      speed camera (coupled to an image intensifier) acquiring at a rate of 3000 frames
      per second, while an oscillating objective vibrated at 90 Hz via a piezoelectric
      device. From these samples, eight experimental and nine control sperm cells were
      analyzed in both 2D and 3D. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: We have
      implemented a new system that allows [Ca2+]i measurements of the human sperm
      flagellum beating in 3D. These measurements reveal statistically significant
      [Ca2+]i oscillations that correlate with the flagellar beating frequency. These
      oscillations may arise from intracellular sources and/or Ca2+ transporters, as
      they were insensitive to external Ni2+, a non-specific plasma membrane Ca2+
      channel blocker. LARGE SCALE DATA: N/A. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: Analysis
      in 3D needs a very fast image acquisition rate to correctly sample a volume
      containing swimming sperm. This condition requires a very short exposure time per
      image making it necessary to use an image intensifier which also increases noise.
      The lengthy analysis time required to obtain reliable results limited the number
      of cells that could be analyzed. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The
      possibility of recording flagellar [Ca2+]i oscillations described here may open a
      new avenue to better understand ciliary and flagellar beating that are
      fundamental for mucociliary clearance, oocyte transport, fertilization,
      cerebrospinal fluid pressure regulation and developmental left-right symmetry
      breaking in the embryonic node. STUDY FUNDING AND COMPETING INTEREST(S): This
      work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) (grants
      253952 to G.C.; 156667 to F.M.M. and Fronteras 71 39908-Q to A.D. and Post
      doctoral scholarships 366844 to P.H.-H. and 291028 to F.M.) and the Direccion
      General de Asuntos del Personal Academico of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de
      Mexico (DGAPA-UNAM) (grants CJIC/CTIC/4898/2016 to F.M. and IN205516 to A.D.).
      There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

PMID- 28911209
TI  - Intracellular activation of ovastacin mediates pre-fertilization hardening of the
      zona pellucida.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: How and where is pro-ovastacin activated and how does active
      ovastacin regulate zona pellucida hardening (ZPH) and successful fertilization?
      STUDY FINDING: Ovastacin is partially active before exocytosis and pre-hardens
      the zona pellucida (ZP) before fertilization. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The
      metalloproteinase ovastacin is stored in cortical granules, it cleaves zona
      pellucida protein 2 (ZP2) upon fertilization and thereby destroys the ZP sperm
      ligand and triggers ZPH. Female mice deficient in the extracellular circulating
      ovastacin-inhibitor fetuin-B are infertile due to pre-mature ZPH. STUDY DESIGN,
      SAMPLES/MATERIALS, METHODS: We isolated oocytes from wild-type and ovastacin
      deficient (Astlnull) FVB mice before and after fertilization (in vitro and in
      vivo) and quantified ovastacin activity and cleavage of ZP2 by immunoblot. We
      assessed ZPH by measuring ZP digestion time using alpha-chymotrypsin and by
      determining ZP2 cleavage. We determined cellular distribution of ovastacin by
      immunofluorescence using domain-specific ovastacin antibodies. Experiments were
      performed at least in triplicate with a minimum of 20 oocytes. Data were pre
      analyzed using Shapiro-Wilk test. In case of normal distribution, significance
      was determined via two-sided Student's t-test, whereas in case of non-normal
      distribution via Mann-Whitney U-test. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE:
      Metaphase II (MII) oocytes contained both inactive pro-ovastacin and activated
      ovastacin. Immunoblot and ZP digestion assays revealed a partial cleavage of ZP2
      even before fertilization in wild-type mice. Partial cleavage coincided with
      germinal-vesicle breakdown and MII, despite the presence of fetuin-B protein, an
      endogenous ovastacin inhibitor, in the follicular and oviductal fluid. Upon
      exocytosis, part of the C-terminal domain of ovastacin remained attached to the
      plasmalemma, while the N-terminal active ovastacin domain was secreted. This
      finding may resolve previously conflicting data showing that ovastacin acts both
      as an oolemmal receptor termed SAS1B (sperm acrosomal SLLP1 binding protein;
      SLLP, sperm lysozyme like protein) and a secreted protease mediating ZP2
      cleavage. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: For this study, only oocytes isolated
      from wild-type and ovastacin-deficient FVB mice were investigated. Some
      experiments involved oocyte activation by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 to trigger
      ZPH. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This study provides a detailed spatial
      and temporal view of pre-mature cleavage of ZP2 by ovastacin, which is known to
      adversely affect IVF rate in mice and humans. LARGE SCALE DATA: None. STUDY
      FUNDING AND COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by the Center of
      Natural Sciences and Medicine and by a start-up grant of the Johannes Gutenberg
      University Mainz to W.S., and by a grant from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and
      by the START program of the Medical Faculty of RWTH Aachen University to J.F. and
      W.J.D. There are no competing interests to declare.

PMID- 28911212
TI  - Apposition to endometrial epithelial cells activates mouse blastocysts for
      implantation.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: How do interactions between blastocyst-stage embryos and
      endometrial epithelial cells regulate the early stages of implantation in an in
      vitro model? SUMMARY ANSWER: Mouse blastocyst apposition with human endometrial
      epithelial cells initiates trophectoderm differentiation to trophoblast, which
      goes on to breach the endometrial epithelium. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: In vitro
      models using mouse blastocysts and human endometrial cell lines have proven
      invaluable in the molecular characterisation of embryo attachment to endometrial
      epithelium at the onset of implantation. Genes involved in embryonic breaching of
      the endometrial epithelium have not been investigated in such in vitro models.
      STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This study used an established in vitro model of
      implantation to examine cellular and molecular interactions during blastocyst
      attachment to endometrial epithelial cells. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING,
      METHODS: Mouse blastocysts developed from embryonic day (E) 1.5 in vitro were
      hatched and co-cultured with confluent human endometrial adenocarcinoma-derived
      Ishikawa cells in serum-free medium. A scale of attachment stability based on
      blastocyst oscillation upon agitation was devised. Blastocysts were monitored for
      48 h to establish the kinetics of implantation, and optical sectioning using
      fluorescence microscopy revealed attachment and invasion interfaces. Quantitative
      PCR was used to determine blastocyst gene expression. Data from a total of 680
      mouse blastocysts are reported, with 3-6 experimental replicates. T-test and
      ANOVA analyses established statistical significance at P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P <
      0.001. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Hatched E4.5 mouse blastocysts
      exhibited weak attachment to confluent Ishikawa cells over the first 24 h of co
      culture, with intermediate and stable attachment occurring from 28 h (E5.5 + 4 h)
      in a hormone-independent manner. Attached embryos fixed after 48 h (E6.5)
      frequently exhibited outgrowths, characterised morphologically and with antibody
      markers as trophoblast giant cells (TGCs), which had breached the Ishikawa cell
      layer. Beginning co-culture at E5.5 also resulted in intermediate and stable
      attachment from E5.5 + 4 h; however, these embryos did not go on to breach the
      Ishikawa cell layer, even when co-culture was extended to E7.5 (P < 0.01).
      Blastocysts cultured from E4.5 in permeable transwell inserts above Ishikawa
      cells before transfer to direct co-culture at E5.5 went on to attach but failed
      to breach the Ishikawa cell layer by E6.5 (P < 0.01). Gene expression analysis at
      E5.5 demonstrated that direct co-culture with Ishikawa cells from E4.5 resulted
      in downregulation of trophectoderm transcription factors Cdx2 (P < 0.05) and
      Gata3 (P < 0.05) and upregulation of the TGC transcription factor Hand1 (P <
      0.05). Co-culture with non-endometrial human fibroblasts did not alter the
      expression of these genes. LARGE SCALE DATA: None. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR
      CAUTION: The in vitro model used here combines human carcinoma-derived
      endometrial cells with mouse embryos, in which the cellular interactions observed
      may not fully recapitulate those in vivo. The data gleaned from such models can
      be regarded as hypothesis-generating, and research is now needed to develop more
      sophisticated models of human implantation combining multiple primary endometrial
      cell types with surrogate and real human embryos. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE
      FINDINGS: This study implicates blastocyst apposition to endometrial epithelial
      cells as a critical step in trophoblast differentiation required for
      implantation. Understanding this maternal regulation of the embryonic
      developmental programme may lead to novel treatments for infertility. STUDY
      FUNDING AND COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by funds from the
      charities Wellbeing of Women (RG1442) and Diabetes UK (15/0005207), and
      studentship support for SCB from the Anatomical Society. No conflict of interest
      is declared.

PMID- 28911213
TI  - Effects of oncotherapy on testicular stem cells and niche.

PMID- 28911216
TI  - Environment, health and infrastructure: troubling questions.

PMID- 28911215
TI  - NICE public health guidance update.

PMID- 28911217
TI  - Promoting the ethics of promoting the public's health: a call for papers; a call
      for debate.

PMID- 28911218
TI  - A new public health, tiered approach to improving musculoskeletal health through
      physical activity provision.

PMID- 28911214
TI  - Growth regulation by estrogen in breast cancer 1 (GREB1) is a novel progesterone
      responsive gene required for human endometrial stromal decidualization.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Is Growth Regulation by Estrogen in Breast Cancer 1 (GREB1)
      required for progesterone-driven endometrial stromal cell decidualization?
      SUMMARY ANSWER: GREB1 is a novel progesterone-responsive gene required for
      progesterone-driven human endometrial stromal cell (HESC) decidualization. WHAT
      IS KNOWN ALREADY: Successful establishment of pregnancy requires HESCs to
      transform from fibroblastic to epithelioid cells in a process called
      decidualization. This process depends on the hormone progesterone, but the
      molecular mechanisms by which it occurs have not been determined. STUDY DESIGN,
      SIZE, DURATION: Primary and transformed HESCs in which GREB1 expression was
      knocked down were decidualized in culture for up to 6 days. Wild-type and
      progesterone receptor (PR) knockout mice were treated with progesterone, and
      their uteri were assessed for levels of GREB1 expression. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS,
      SETTING, METHODS: Analysis of previous data included data mining of expression
      profile data sets and in silico transcription factor-binding analysis.
      Endometrial biopsies obtained from healthy women of reproductive age during the
      proliferative phase (Days 8-12) of their menstrual cycle were used for isolating
      HESCs. Experiments were carried out with early passage (no more than four
      passages) HESCs isolated from at least three subjects. Transcript levels of
      decidualization markers prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-binding
      protein-1 (IGFBP-1) were detected by quantitative RT-PCR as readouts for HESC
      decidualization. Cells were also imaged by phase-contrast microscopy. To assess
      the requirement for GREB1, PR and SRC-2, cells were transfected with specifically
      targeted small interfering RNAs. Results are shown as mean and SE from three
      replicates of one representative patient-derived primary endometrial cell line.
      Experiments were also conducted with transformed HESCs. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE
      OF CHANCE: Progesterone treatment of mice and transformed HESCs led to an ~5-fold
      (5.6 +/- 0.81, P < 0.05, and 5.2 +/- 0.26, P < 0.01, respectively) increase in
      GREB1 transcript levels. This increase was significantly reduced in the uteri of
      PR knock-out mice (P < 0.01), in HESCs treated with the PR antagonist RU486 (P <
      0.01), or in HESCs in which PR expression was knocked down (P < 0.05). When GREB1
      expression was knocked down, progesterone-driven decidualization markers in both
      immortalized and primary HESCs was significantly reduced (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01).
      Finally, GREB1 knock down signficantly reduced expression of the PR target genes
      WNT4 and FOXOA1 (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). LARGE SCALE DATA: This
      study used the Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR
      CAUTION: Although in vitro cell culture studies indicate that GREB1 is required
      for endoemtrial decidualization, the in vivo role of GREB1 in endometrial
      function and dysfunction should be assessed by using knock-out mouse models.
      WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Identification and functional analysis of
      GREB1 as a key molecular mediator of decidualization may lead to improved
      diagnosis and clinical management of women with peri-implantation loss due to
      inadequate endometrial decidualization. STUDY FUNDING AND COMPETING INTEREST(S):
      This research was funded in part by: a National Institutes of Health (NIH)/
      National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) grant (R00
      HD080742) and Washington University School of Medicine start-up funds to R.K., an
      NIH/NICHD grant (RO1 HD-07857) to B.W.O.M., and a NIH/NICHD grant (R01 HD-042311)
      to J.P.L. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

PMID- 28911219
TI  - Abrasion of eroded and sound enamel by a dentifrice containing diamond abrasive
      particles
AB  - Eroded enamel is more susceptible to abrasive wear than sound enamel. New
      toothpastes utilizing diamond particles as abrasives have been developed. The
      present study investigated the abrasive wear of eroded enamel by three
      commercially available toothpastes (one containing diamond particles) and
      compared it to the respective wear of sound enamel caused by these toothpastes.
      Seventy-two bovine enamel samples were randomly allocated to six groups (S1-S3
      and E1-E3; n=12). Samples were submitted to an abrasive (S1-S3) or erosion plus
      abrasion (E1-E3) cycling. Per cycle, all samples were brushed (abrasion; 20
      brushing stokes) with the following toothpastes: S1/E1: Signal WHITE SYSTEM,
      S2/E2: elmex KARIESSCHUTZ and S3-E3: Candida WHITE DIAMOND (diamond particles).
      Groups E1-E3 were additionally eroded with HCl (pH 3.0) for 2 min before each
      brushing procedure. After 30, 60 and 90 cycles enamel wear was measured by
      surface profilometry. Within the same toothpaste and same number of cycles,
      enamel wear due to erosion plus abrasion was significantly higher than due to
      mere abrasion. After 30, 60 and 90 cycles, no significant difference in the wear
      in groups S1 and S2 was observed while the wear in group E1 was significantly
      (p<0.05, ANOVA, Scheffecyc) lower than that in group E2. After 90 cycles, wear in
      group S3 was about 5 times higher than that in group S2, while wear in group E3
      was about 1.3 times higher than that in group E2. As compared to the other two
      investigated toothpastes, the dentifrice containing diamond particles caused
      slightly higher abrasive wear of eroded enamel and distinctly higher wear of
      sound enamel compared to the conventional toothpastes under investigation.

PMID- 28911220
TI  - Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) liver imaging reporting and data system (LI
      RADS) 2017 - a review of important differences compared to the CT/MRI system.
AB  - Medical imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI
      RADS) was initially created to standardize the reporting and data collection of
      CT and MR imaging for patients at risk for HCC. As contrast-enhanced ultrasound
      (CEUS) has been widely used in clinical practice, it has recently been added to
      the LI-RADS. While CEUS LI-RADS shares fundamental concepts with CT/MRI LI-RADS,
      there are key differences between the modalities reflecting dissimilarities in
      the underlying methods of image acquisition and types of contrast material. This
      review introduces a recent update of CEUS LI-RADS and explains the key
      differences from CT/MRI LI-RADS.

PMID- 28911222
TI  - Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Imaging of Pantetheinase in Living Cells.
AB  - Pantetheinase, which catalyzes the cleavage of pantetheine to pantothenic acid
      (vitamin B5) and cysteamine, is involved in the regulation of oxidative stress,
      pantothenate recycling and cell migration. However, further elucidating the
      cellular function of this enzyme is largely limited by the lack of a suitable
      fluorescence imaging probe. By conjugating pantothenic acid with cresyl violet,
      herein we develop a new fluorescence probe CV-PA for the assay of pantetheinase.
      The probe not only possesses long analytical wavelengths but also displays linear
      ratiometric (I628/582 nm) fluorescence response to pantetheinase in the range of
      5-400 ng/mL with a detection limit of 4.7 ng/mL. This probe has been used to
      evaluate the efficiency of different inhibitors and quantitatively detect
      pantetheinase in serum samples, revealing that pantetheinase in fetal bovine
      serum and new born calf serum is much higher than that in normal human serum.
      Notably, with the probe the ratiometric imaging and in situ quantitative
      comparison of pantetheinase in different living cells (LO2 and HK-2) have been
      achieved for the first time. It is found that the level of pantetheinase in LO2
      cells is much larger than that in HK-2 cells, as further validated by Western
      blot analysis. The proposed probe may be useful to better understand the specific
      function of pantetheinase in the pantetheinase-related pathophysiological
      processes.

PMID- 28911221
TI  - Chemical Basis for Deuterium Labeling of Fat and NADPH.
AB  - Much understanding of metabolism is based on monitoring chemical reactions in
      cells with isotope tracers. For this purpose, 13C is well suited due to its
      stable incorporation into biomolecules and minimal kinetic isotope effect. For
      redox reactions, deuterium tracing can provide additional information. To date,
      studies examining NADPH production with deuterated carbon sources have failed to
      account for roughly half of NADPH's redox active hydrogen. We show the missing
      hydrogen is the result of enzyme-catalyzed H-D exchange between water and NADPH.
      Though isolated NADPH does not undergo H-D exchange with water, such exchange is
      catalyzed by Flavin enzymes and occurs rapidly in cells. Correction for H-D
      exchange is required for accurate assessment of biological sources of NADPH's
      high energy electrons. Deuterated water (D2O) is frequently used to monitor fat
      synthesis in vivo, but the chemical pathway of the deuterons into fat remains
      unclear. We show D2O labels fatty acids primarily via NADPH. Knowledge of this
      route enables calculation, without any fitting parameters, of the mass isotopomer
      distributions of fatty acids from cells grown in D2O. Thus, knowledge of enzyme
      catalyzed H-D exchange between water and NADPH enables accurate interpretation of
      deuterium tracing studies of redox cofactor and fatty acid metabolism.

PMID- 28911223
TI  - Direct Sampling and Analysis of Atmospheric Particulate Organic Matter by Proton
      Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - We report on a new method for analyzing atmospheric submicrometer particulate
      organic matter which combines direct particle sampling and volatilization with
      online chemical ionization mass spectrometric analysis. Technically, the method
      relies on the combined use of a CHARON ("Chemical Analysis of Aerosol Online")
      particle inlet and a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer
      (PTR-ToF-MS). Laboratory studies on target analytes showed that the ionization
      conditions in the PTR-ToF-MS lead to extensive fragmentation of levoglucosan and
      cis-pinonic acid, while protonated oleic acid and 5alpha-cholestane molecules
      remain intact. Potential problems and biases in quantitative and qualitative
      analyses are discussed. Side-by-side atmospheric comparison measurements of total
      particulate organic mass and levoglucosan with an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS)
      were in good agreement. Complex and clearly distinct organic mass spectra were
      obtained from atmospheric measurements in three European cities (Lyon, Valencia,
      Innsbruck). Data visualization in reduced-parameter frameworks (e.g., oxidation
      state of carbon vs carbon number) revealed that the CHARON-PTR-ToF-MS technique
      adds significant analytical capabilities for characterizing particulate organic
      carbon in the Earth's atmosphere. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used
      for apportioning sources of atmospheric particles in late fall in Innsbruck. The
      m/z signatures of known source marker compounds (levoglucosan and resin acids,
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine) in the mass spectra were used to
      assign PMF factors to biomass burning, traffic, and smoking emission sources.

PMID- 28911224
TI  - Total Synthesis of Unsymmetrically Oxidized Nuphar Thioalkaloids via Copper
      Catalyzed Thiolane Assembly.
AB  - An asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-6-hydroxythiobinupharidine (1b) and (-)-6
      hydroxythionuphlutine (2b), a set of hemiaminal containing dimeric sesquiterpenes
      isolated from yellow water lilies of the Nuphar genus, is described. The central
      bis-spirocyclic tetrahydrothiophene ring was forged through the Stevens
      rearrangement of a sulfonium ylide, generated in situ from the coupling of a
      copper-carbene with a spirocyclic thietane. This strategy diverges both from the
      proposed biosynthesis1 and previous syntheses of this family of alkaloids,2,3 all
      of which employ dimerization of symmetric monomers to form the aforementioned
      thiaspirane. The coupling of unsymmetrical monomers allowed access to the
      unsymmetrically oxidized product 2b for the first time.

PMID- 28911226
TI  - Identification of the Ubiquitous Antioxidant Tripeptide Glutathione as a Fruit
      Fly Semiochemical.
AB  - Many insects mark their oviposition sites with a host marking pheromone (HMP) to
      deter other females from overexploiting these sites. Previous studies have
      identified and used HMPs to manage certain fruit fly species; however, few are
      known for African indigenous fruit flies. The HMP of the African fruit fly,
      Ceratitis cosyra, was identified as the ubiquitous plant and animal antioxidant
      tripeptide, glutathione (GSH). GSH was isolated from the aqueous extract of adult
      female fecal matter and characterized by LC-QTOF-MS. GSH level increased with
      increasing age of female fecal matter, with highest concentration detected from 2
      week-old adult females. Additionally, GSH levels were 5-10-times higher in fecal
      matter than in the ovipositor or hemolymph extracts of females. In bioassays,
      synthetic GSH reduced oviposition responses in conspecifics of C. cosyra and the
      heterospecific species C. rosa, C. fasciventris, C. capitata, and Zeugodacus
      cucurbitae. These results represent the first report of a ubiquitous antioxidant
      as a semiochemical in insects and its potential use in fruit fly management.

PMID- 28911225
TI  - Validating the Water Flooding Approach by Comparing It to Grand Canonical Monte
      Carlo Simulations.
AB  - The study of the function of proteins on a quantitative level requires
      consideration of the water molecules in and around the protein. This requirement
      presents a major computational challenge due to the fact that the insertion of
      water molecules can have a very high activation barrier and would require a long
      simulation time. Recently, we developed a water flooding (WF) approach which is
      based on a postprocessing Monte Carlo ranking of possible water configurations.
      This approach appears to provide a very effective way for assessing the insertion
      free energies and determining the most likely configurations of the internal
      water molecules. Although the WF approach was used effectively in modeling
      challenging systems that have not been addressed reliably by other microscopic
      approaches, it was not validated by a comparison to the more rigorous grand
      canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) method. Here we validate the WF approach by
      comparing its performance to that of the GCMC method. It is found that the WF
      approach reproduces the GCMC results in well-defined test cases but does so much
      faster. This established the WF approach as a useful strategy for finding correct
      water configurations in proteins and thus to provide a powerful way for studies
      of the functions of proteins.

PMID- 28911227
TI  - Fluorescence Assay for Ribonuclease H Based on Nonlabeled Substrate and DNAzyme
      Assisted Cascade Amplification.
AB  - As a highly conserved damage repair protein, RNase H can specifically hydrolyze
      RNA in DNA-RNA chimeric strands. DNAzyme, a synthetic single-stranded DNA
      consisting of binding and catalytic sites, can cleave RNA in the presence of
      cofactors. In this study, we establish a highly sensitive RNase H assay assisted
      with DNAzyme's cleavage property. A DNA-RNA chimeric strand, which contains
      DNAzyme sequences, is used as the hydrolysis substrate of RNase H. The RNase H
      hydrolysis of the chimeric substrate results in the release of DNAzyme.
      Subsegment DNAzyme digest, a molecular beacon, causes a "turn-on" fluorescence
      signal by disrupting its hairpin structure. Furthermore, the fluorescence signal
      is amplified by cyclic digestion of DNAzyme to the substrate of molecular beacon.
      Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of RNase H is 0.01 U/mL, which
      is superior to those of several alternative approaches. Additionally, the method
      was further used for RNase H detection in heterogeneous biological samples as
      well as to investigate the effects of natural compounds on this enzyme. In
      summary, these results show that the method not only provides a universal
      platform for monitoring RNase H activity but also shows great potential in
      biomedical studies and drug screening.

PMID- 28911233
TI  - Targeting Specificity of the CRISPR/Cas9 System.
AB  - CRISPR/Cas9 system has accelerated research across many fields since its
      demonstration for genome editing. CRISPR also offers vast therapeutic potential,
      but an important hurdle of this technology is the off-target mutations it can
      induce. In this viewpoint, we will discuss recent strategies for improving CRISPR
      specificity, emphasizing how a complete mechanistic understanding of CRISPR/Cas9
      can benefit such efforts. We also propose that agreeing upon a consensus protocol
      with the highest specificity could benefit researchers working on CRISPR-based
      therapies. In addition to improving CRISPR/Cas9 specificity, accurate detection
      of off-target events is also crucial, and we will discuss various unbiased off
      target detection methods in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. We
      suggest that using a combination of cell-based and cell-free methods can prove
      more useful. In addition, we point out that improving predictive algorithms for
      off-target sites would require pooling of the available off-target analysis data
      and standardization of the protocols used for obtaining the data. Moreover, we
      highlight the risk of insertional mutagenesis for gene correction applications
      requiring the use of donor DNA. We conclude by discussing future prospects for
      the field, as well as steps that can be taken to overcome the aforementioned
      challenges.

PMID- 28911234
TI  - Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (Sanfilippo syndrome B) in a commercial emu (Dromaius
      novaehollandiae) flock.
AB  - Clinicopathological diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS IIIB;
      Sanfilippo syndrome B), an inherited autosomal recessive lysosomal storage
      disease, as a cause of losses in a commercial emu flock and screening breeders
      using a mutation-specific DNA test are described. Between 2012 and 2015, ~5-10
      juvenile emus from a few weeks to several months of age developed progressive
      neurological signs and died while others in the flock remained healthy. Necropsy
      of two affected siblings revealed multiple sites of haemorrhage, cytoplasmic
      periodic acid-Schiff and Luxol fast blue-positive inclusions in neurons, and
      aggregates of foamy macrophages in visceral organs. Affected emus were homozygous
      for the two-base deletion in the alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene that causes
      MPS IIIB in emus. Mutation-specific DNA tests for MPS IIIB in emus were
      developed. Screening blood samples from 78 breeding emus revealed 14 (18%; 9
      males, 4 females, and 1 unknown gender) carriers; an overall 0.09 mutant alpha-N
      acetylglucosaminidase allele frequency. A "test and cull male carriers"
      programme, in which carrier males are culled but carrier females are retained,
      was proposed to avoid breeding affected emus together, ultimately eliminating the
      disease from future broods, and preserving the gene pool with as much breeding
      stock as possible. Molecular genetic diagnostic tests are simple, precise, and
      permit screening of all breeders for the mutant allele in any flock and can be
      used to eliminate MPS IIIB-related emu losses through informed breeding.

PMID- 28911235
TI  - Health and politics: war by other means on the Palestinian minority in Israel.

PMID- 28911236
TI  - Comments on: Effects of yoga versus hydrotherapy training on health-related
      quality of life and exercise capacity in patients with heart failure: A
      randomized controlled study.

PMID- 28911237
TI  - Moving on.

PMID- 28911238
TI  - Talking about sunbed tanning in online discussion forums: Assertions and
      arguments.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is increasing evidence of both health and appearance risks
      associated with sunbed use. At the same time, the sunbed industry promotes the
      benefits of using sunbeds, and the image of a tanned skin as attractive and
      healthy arguably remains embedded within contemporary western culture. These
      tensions are played out in everyday conversations, and this paper reports a study
      which explored how sunbed users manage them within online discussion forums.
      DESIGN: A total of 556 posts from 13 sunbed-related threads, taken from six
      different UK-based online forums, were analysed thematically followed by
      techniques from discourse analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Informed by social
      representations theory and discursive-rhetorical psychology, the way social
      representations of sunbed use are constructed, debated and disputed in online
      discussion forums were explored. RESULTS: Sunbed users drew upon numerous
      representations to distance and protect themselves from negativity they were
      confronted with in the forums, utilising a range of rhetorical, discursive
      strategies to help them. CONCLUSION: Theoretical contributions and potential
      practical implications of the findings are discussed. Findings indicate, for
      example, that those working on campaigns and interventions in this area need to
      consider the wider negativity and argumentative orientation of sunbed users'
      responses.

PMID- 28911239
TI  - Controlled release of liposome-encapsulated temozolomide for brain tumour
      treatment by convection-enhanced delivery.
AB  - Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a promising technique for the delivery of
      drugs directly into the central nervous system (CNS) and, more specifically, the
      brain. CED can increase drug concentration within a brain tumour, thereby
      improving the therapeutic efficacy and limiting the systemic toxicity of
      tumoricidal agents. In this study, we evaluated a drug-liposome construct in
      vitro and in vivo using U87 tumour-bearing nude mice.
      Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)-based liposomes were designed to deliver a
      lipophilic temozolomide (TMZ) formulation (LipoTMZ). The LipoTMZ displayed good
      release of TMZ in vitro over a suitable range of time and temperatures.
      Encapsulating the TMZ into liposomes enhanced its tumoricidal activity against
      U87MG human glioma cells. The LipoTMZ also displayed good release and
      distribution of TMZ when delivered intracerebrally to U87MG tumour-bearing mice
      by CED infusion. Histological examination revealed that CED did not damage normal
      brain tissue. Our data indicate that CED was an effective method to deliver
      LipoTMZ to U87MG tumour-bearing mice, significantly inhibiting tumour growth
      without evidence of systemic toxicity.

PMID- 28911240
TI  - Understanding the prevalence and correlates of implicit theories of weight in the
      United States: Insights from a nationally representative sample.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this research is to understand how mindsets about
      weight controllability in the United States relate to population health. We
      examined the distribution of people's implicit theories of weight, from an
      incremental (controllable) to an entity (not controllable) mindset, in a
      nationally representative sample, as well as their relation to: sociodemographic
      factors, beliefs about behaviour and genetics as causes of obesity and engagement
      in weight management-relevant behaviours. METHODS: We report data from the
      National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey 4. RESULTS:
      A majority of respondents endorsed an incremental mindset of body weight, but
      endorsement of this mindset was stronger among younger, white respondents, and
      those with a higher income and more educational attainment. A stronger
      incremental mindset was related to stronger behaviour and weaker genetic causal
      beliefs about obesity, as well as a tendency to report increased engagement in
      weight management-relevant behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Our research provides
      evidence that although incremental mindsets are more common overall and
      associated with engagement in health behaviours that can contribute to or detract
      from population health, incremental mindsets are less common among individuals
      from more marginalised groups.

PMID- 28911241
TI  - Correction to: Boztas et al., Effects of different doses of remifentanil on
      hemodynamic response to anesthesia induction in healthy elderly patients.

PMID- 28911242
TI  - European validation of The Comprehensive International Classification of
      Functioning, Disability and Health Core Set for Osteoarthritis from the
      perspective of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.
AB  - PURPOSE: To validate the International Classification of Functioning, Disability
      and Health Comprehensive Core Set for Osteoarthritis from the patient perspective
      in Europe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study involved
      375 patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis. Trained health professionals
      completed the Comprehensive Core Set, and patients completed the Short-Form 36
      questionnaire. Content validity was evaluated by calculating prevalences of
      impairments in body function and structures, limitations in activities and
      participation and environmental factors, which were either barriers or
      facilitators. Convergent construct validity was evaluated by correlating the
      International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health categories
      with the Short-Form 36 Physical Component Score and the SF-36 Mental Component
      Score in a subgroup of 259 patients. RESULTS: The prevalences of all body
      function, body structure and activities and participation categories were >40%,
      >32% and >20%, respectively, and all environmental factors were relevant for >16%
      of patients. Few categories showed relevant differences between knee and hip
      osteoarthritis. All body function categories and all but two activities and
      participation categories showed significant correlations with the Physical
      Component Score. Body functions from the ICF chapter Mental Functions showed
      higher correlations with the Mental Component Score than with the Physical
      Component Score. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the validity of the
      International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Comprehensive
      Core Set for Osteoarthritis. Implications for Rehabilitation Comprehensive
      International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets were
      developed as practical tools for application in multidisciplinary assessments.
      The validity of the Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning,
      Disability and Health Core Set for Osteoarthritis in this study supports its
      application in European patients with osteoarthritis. The differences in results
      between this Europe validation study and a previous Singaporean validation study
      underscore the need to validate the International Classification of Functioning,
      Disability and Health Core Sets in different regions of the world.

PMID- 28911243
TI  - An Investigation of a Video-Based Preference Assessment of Social Interactions.
AB  - We examined the use of a paired-stimulus, video-based preference assessment (VPA)
      to identify high- and low-preference social interactions for three children with
      autism spectrum disorder. We conducted two VPAs with each participant: one with
      access to the interaction contingent on each selection and one without access. We
      also conducted a concurrent-operant reinforcer assessment to evaluate the
      accuracy of the VPAs in identifying reinforcers. For two participants, the VPAs
      corresponded strongly and the results of the reinforcer assessment suggest that
      the high-preference interaction produced more of the target response than the low
      preference interaction. For the other participant, the VPAs identified different
      high- and low-preference interactions, and the results of the reinforcer
      assessment suggest that the VPA without access may have been more accurate in
      identifying a reinforcer.

PMID- 28911244
TI  - Exploring strategies used to deliver physical activity experiences to Veterans
      with a physical disability.
AB  - PURPOSE: Physical activity is an important method of rehabilitation used to
      promote positive physical and psychosocial outcomes among military personnel,
      including Veterans, with a physical disability. However, minimal research has
      explored physical activity program implementation strategies, particularly how
      these strategies may foster positive rehabilitation outcomes, and quality
      participation experiences among Veterans post-injury. The purpose of the current
      study is to document strategies used to deliver physical activity programs to
      Veterans with a physical disability. RESEARCH METHODS: Semi-structured interviews
      were conducted with program staff from three Veteran physical activity programs,
      and program documentation was collected. Data were analyzed using a thematic
      analysis. RESULTS: Four themes were identified representing strategies used for
      delivering physical activity programming: (1) foster social connections; (2)
      challenge participants; (3) tailor programs and outcomes to match participant
      needs; and (4) include knowledgeable coaches/instructors. CONCLUSIONS: The study
      provides researchers and practitioners (e.g., rehabilitation professionals,
      program facilitators, coaches) with evidence of strategies for delivering
      physical activity programming for Veterans post-injury, thus assisting with
      future program development and evaluation. The findings also provide preliminary
      insight regarding the potential relationships between physical activity
      programming and elements of quality participation. Implications for
      Rehabilitation Physical activity is a popular method of rehabilitation for
      military personnel post-injury. Findings highlight four strategies used to
      deliver physical activity experiences to Veterans with a physical disability.
      Strategies highlighted provide insight as to how rehabilitation specialists can
      promote quality experiences for Veterans with a physical disability during
      physical activity programming.

PMID- 28911245
TI  - Recent advances on conversion and co-production of acetone-butanol-ethanol into
      high value-added bioproducts.
AB  - Butanol is an important bulk chemical and has been regarded as an advanced
      biofuel. Large-scale production of butanol has been applied for more than 100
      years, but its production through acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation
      process by solventogenic Clostridium species is still not economically viable due
      to the low butanol titer and yield caused by the toxicity of butanol and a by
      product, such as acetone. Renewed interest in biobutanol as a biofuel has spurred
      technological advances to strain modification and fermentation process design.
      Especially, with the development of interdisciplinary processes, the sole product
      or even the mixture of ABE produced through ABE fermentation process can be
      further used as platform chemicals for high value added product production
      through enzymatic or chemical catalysis. This review aims to comprehensively
      summarize the most recent advances on the conversion of acetone, butanol and ABE
      mixture into various products, such as isopropanol, butyl-butyrate and higher
      molecular mass alkanes. Additionally, co-production of other value added products
      with ABE was also discussed.

PMID- 28911246
TI  - Dual targeting of l-carnitine-conjugated nanoparticles to OCTN2 and ATB0,+ to
      deliver chemotherapeutic agents for colon cancer therapy.
AB  - l-Carnitine, obligatory for oxidation of fatty acids, is transported into cells
      by the Na+-coupled transporter OCTN2 and the Na+/Cl--coupled transporter ATB0,+.
      Here we investigated the potential of L-carnitine-conjugated poly(lactic-co
      glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (LC-PLGA NPs) to deliver chemotherapeutic
      drugs into cancer cells by targeting the nanoparticles to both OCTN2 and ATB0,+.
      The cellular uptake of LC-PLGA NPs in the breast cancer cell line MCF7 and the
      colon cancer cell line Caco-2 was increased compared to unmodified nanoparticles,
      but decreased in the absence of co-transporting ions (Na+ and/or Cl-) or in the
      presence of competitive substrates for the two transporters. Studies with
      fluorescently labeled nanoparticles showed their colocalization with both OCTN2
      and ATB0,+, confirming the involvement of both transporters in the cellular
      uptake of LC-PLGA NPs. As the expression levels of OCTN2 and ATB0,+ are higher in
      colon cancer cells than in normal colon cells, LC-PLGA NPs can be used to deliver
      chemotherapeutic drugs selectively into cancer cells for colon cancer therapy.
      With 5-fluorouracil-loaded LC-PLGA NPs, we were able to demonstrate significant
      increases in the uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity in colon cancer cells that
      were positive for OCTN2 and ATB0,+. In a 3D spheroid model of tumor growth, LC
      PLGA NPs showed increased uptake and enhanced antitumor efficacy. These findings
      indicate that dual-targeting LC-PLGA NPs to OCTN2 and ATB0,+ has great potential
      to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs for colon cancer therapy. Dual targeting LC
      PLGA NPs to OCTN2 and ATB0,+ can selectively deliver chemotherapeutics to colon
      cancer cells where both transporters are overexpressed, preventing targeting to
      normal cells and thus avoiding off-target side effects.

PMID- 28911247
TI  - Metabolic pathways and pharmacokinetics of natural medicines with low
      permeability.
AB  - Drug metabolism plays an important role in the drug disposal process. Differences
      in pharmacokinetics among individuals are the basis for personalized medicine.
      Natural medicines, formed by long-term evolution of nature, prioritize the action
      of a target protein with a drug. Natural medicines are valued for structural
      diversity, low toxicity, low cost, and definite biological activities. Metabolic
      pathway and pharmacokinetic research of natural medicines is highly beneficial
      for clinical dose adjustment and the development of personalized medicine. This
      review was performed using a systematic search of all available literature. It
      provides an overview and discussion of metabolic pathways and the
      pharmacokinetics of natural medicines with low permeability. The related enzymes
      and factors affecting them are analyzed. The series of metabolic reactions,
      including phase I reactions(oxidation hydrolysis, and reduction reactions) and
      phase II reactions (binding reactions), catalyzed by intracellular metabolic
      enzymes (such as CYP450, esterase, SULT, and UGT enzymes) in tissues (such as
      liver and gastro-intestinal tract) or in the body fluid environment were
      examined. The administration route, drug dose, and delivery system had a large
      influence on absorption, metabolism, and pharmacokinetics. Natural medicines with
      low permeability had distinctive metabolisms and pharmacokinetics. The metabolic
      and in vivo kinetic properties were favorably modified by choosing suitable drug
      delivery systems, administration routes and drug doses, among other variables.
      This study provides valuable information for clinicians and pharmacists to guide
      patients safe, effective, and rational drug use. The research of metabolism and
      pharmacokinetics is significant in guiding personalized clinical medicine.

PMID- 28911248
TI  - Single synchronous delivery of FK506-loaded polymeric microspheres with
      pancreatic islets for the successful treatment of streptozocin-induced diabetes
      in mice.
AB  - Immune rejection after transplantation is common, which leads to prompt failure
      of the graft. Therefore, to prolong the survival time of the graft,
      immunosuppressive therapy is the norm. Here, we report a robust immune protection
      protocol using FK506-loaded microspheres (FK506M) in injectable hydrogel.
      Pancreatic islets were codelivered with the FK506M into the subcutaneous space of
      streptozocin-induced diabetic mice. The islets codelivered with 10 mg/kg FK506M
      maintained normal blood glucose levels during the study period (survival rate:
      60%). However, transplantation of islets and FK506M at different sites hardly
      controlled the blood glucose level (survival rate: 20%). Immunohistochemical
      analysis revealed an intact morphology of the islets transplanted with FK506M. In
      addition, minimal number of immune cells invaded inside the gel of the islet
      FK506M group. The single injection of FK506M into the local microenvironment
      effectively inhibited immune rejection and prolonged the survival time of
      transplanted islets in a xenograft model.

PMID- 28911249
TI  - Transcriptome analysis reveals the molecular mechanism of hepatic fat metabolism
      disorder caused by Muscovy duck reovirus infection.
AB  - : The aim of this work was to clarify the molecular mechanism underlying the
      fatty degeneration of livers infected with Muscovy duck reovirus (MDRV), which
      produces obvious white necrotic foci in the liver. Transcriptome data for MDRV
      infected Muscovy duck livers and control livers were sequenced, assembled, and
      annotated with Illumina(r) HiSeq 2000. The differentially expressed genes were
      screened and their functions were analysed. We also determined and confirmed the
      molecular mechanism of the hepatic fat metabolism disorder caused by MDRV
      infection. The expression of 4190 genes was higher in the infected livers than in
      the control livers, and the expression of 1113 genes was reduced. A Gene Ontology
      analysis showed that these genes were involved in 48 biological functions, and
      were significantly enriched in 237 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)
      pathways. The free fatty acid content was significantly higher in the livers of
      infected Muscovy ducks than in the control livers (P < 0.01). The KEGG analysis
      showed that MDRV infection inhibited the cholesterol efflux from hepatic cells
      and reduced the expression of key enzymes involved in fatty acid degradation
      (scavenger receptor class b type 1, ABCG8, and APOA4), leading to the
      accumulation of fatty acids and cholesterol in the liver cells. In this study, we
      have identified the genes differentially expressed in livers infected by MDRV,
      from which we inferred the genes associated with lipodystrophia, and elucidated
      the molecular mechanism of the hepatic steatosis induced by MDRV. ABBREVIATIONS:
      ABC: ATP binding cassette transport; ACADVL: acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, very long
      chain; ACAT: mitochondrial-like acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase A; ACAT2: acetyl-CoA
      acyltransferase 2; ACNAT2: acyl-coenzyme A amino acid N-acyltransferase 2-like;
      ACOT1: acyl-CoA thioesterase 1; ACOT7: acyl-CoA thioesterase 7; ACOX1: acyl-CoA
      oxidase 1, palmitoyl; ACSBG2: acyl-CoA synthetase bubblegum family member 2;
      ACSL1: acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 1; ADH1: alcohol
      dehydrogenase 1; APOA4: apolipoprotein A-IV; ARV: avian reovirus; cDNA:
      complementary deoxyribonucleic acid; COG: Clusters of Orthologous Groups; DEG:
      differentially expressed gene; DGAT: diacylgycerol acyltransferase; DNA:
      deoxyribonucleic acid; ECI2: enoyl-CoA delta isomerase 2; EHHADH: enoyl-CoA
      hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase; FDR: false discovery rate; GCDH:
      Pseudopodoces humilis glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase; GO: Gene Ontology; HADHA:
      hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase/3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase/enoyl-CoA hydratase
      (trifunctional protein), alpha subunit; I-FABP: intestinal fatty acid binding
      protein; KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes; L-FABP: liver fatty acid
      binding protein; MDRV: Muscovy duck reovirus; MOI: multiplicity of infection;
      NPC1L1: Niemann-Pick C1-like 1; qPCR: real-time quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction; RNA: ribonucleic acid; RNase: ribonuclease; RNA-seq: RNA sequencing
      technology; RPKM: reads per kilobase per million mapped reads; SR-B1: scavenger
      receptor class b type 1.

PMID- 28911251
TI  - Patient Enablement After a Single Appointment With a GP: Analysis of Finnish
      QUALICOPC Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient enablement is described as patient's ability to understand
      and cope with illness after a consultation. The purpose of this study was to
      analyze factors associated with enablement in Finnish primary health care. An
      additional aim was to evaluate whether a single question could be used to measure
      enablement. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was addressed to Finnish general
      practitioners (GPs) within the Quality and Costs of Primary Care in Europe
      (QUALICOPC) study framework. A trained fieldworker contacted nine patients for
      every participating GP. Two to 9 patients per GP (median 9 patients) completed
      the questionnaire. Patient enablement was measured by a single question based on
      the Patient Enablement Instrument questionnaire. Multivariate and multilevel
      analyses were performed to find variables that have an independent association
      with patient enablement. RESULTS: A total of 1196 patients completed the
      QUALICOPC questionnaire. A total of 898 patients (75.1%) agreed that they felt
      better able to cope with their health problem or illness after an appointment
      with a GP, reflecting patient enablement. In the theme group analyses, 11 factors
      were found to have a statistically significant ( P < .05) association with
      enablement. In the final multivariable model, positive perceptions of doctor
      patient communication and patient satisfaction were positively associated with
      enablement. CONCLUSIONS: The results, using a single question to measure
      enablement, are comparable to previous findings on factors associated with
      enablement. Further research is needed and these results should be regarded as
      preliminary.

PMID- 28911252
TI  - Investigation of binding properties of two ethidium derivatives with serum
      albumins: spectral and computational approach.
AB  - The interaction mechanisms of two ethidium derivatives, 3,8-dibenzoylamino-5
      ethyl-6-phenylphenantridinium chloride (E2) and 3,8-diphenylacetylamino-5-ethyl-6
      phenylphenantridinium chloride (E3) with serum albumins (BSA and HSA) have been
      investigated by a combined experimental and computational approach. Fluorescence
      quenching and UV-vis results revealed that the interaction of derivatives with
      albumins resulted in formation of ground-state complexes and the obtained Stern
      Volmer quenching constants designate the presence of a static component in the
      quenching mechanisms. Thermodynamic parameters (DeltaH and DeltaS values) point
      out the ionic interactions play the major role in E2-BSA, E2-HSA and E3-HSA
      complexes. The van der Waals interactions are dominant forces in E3-BSA complex.
      Moreover, the obtained results in this study were supported with computational
      analyzes which have same tendency.

PMID- 28911253
TI  - Comment on: Maternal pre-eclampsia as a risk factor for necrotizing
      enterocolitis.

PMID- 28911254
TI  - Acceptance of home blood glucose monitoring by owners of recently diagnosed
      diabetic cats and impact on quality of life changes in cat and owner.
AB  - Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the acceptance of home blood glucose
      monitoring (HBGM) by owners of recently diagnosed diabetic cats, and the impact
      of choosing HBGM on the quality of life (QoL) changes of cat and owner, in
      addition to glycaemic changes during 6 months of follow-up. Methods Owners of
      cats diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) and treated with insulin for 6-20
      weeks were divided into an HBGM group and a non-HBGM group, based on their
      ability and willingness to perform HBGM after a standardised instruction session.
      The HBGM acceptance level and reasons for acceptance failure were documented; a
      questionnaire evaluated owners' experiences. For the following 6 months, changes
      in QoL, measured using the validated DIAQoL-pet quantification tool, and changes
      in glycaemic control parameters (clinical signs, serum fructosamine, blood
      glucose curve average/minimal/maximal/pre-insulin blood glucose) were compared
      between HBGM and non-HBGM groups at months 1, 3 and 6, as well as within the
      groups between baseline and months 1, 3 and 6. Results Thirty-eight cats were
      enrolled; 28 (74%) entered the HBGM group. There was no significant difference
      between groups in overall DIAQoL-pet score or glycaemic control parameters at any
      time point apart from the maximal blood glucose at month 6 (lower in the HBGM
      group). However, the DIAQoL-pet score, including indicators of owner worry about
      DM, worry about hypoglycaemia and costs, as well as glycaemic parameters,
      improved at all time points within the HBGM group but not within the non-HBGM
      group. Remission occurred in 9/28 (32%) HBGM group cats and 1/10 (10%) non-HBGM
      group cats ( P = 0.236). Conclusions and relevance HBGM was adopted successfully
      by most diabetic cat owners. Despite the extra task, positive changes in QoL
      parameters occurred in the HBGM group and not in the non-HBGM group. Although no
      difference was found in glycaemic control between the HBGM and non-HBGM groups
      during the 6 months of follow-up, significant glycaemic improvements were
      documented in the HBGM group.

PMID- 28911255
TI  - Downward finger displacement distinguishes Parkinson disease dementia from
      Alzheimer disease.
AB  - : Purpose/Aim of the study: To study finger displacement in patients with
      Parkinson disease dementia (PDD) and in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD).
      METHODS: We examined 56 patients with PDD and 35 with AD. Patients were examined
      during their regular outpatient clinic visit. Finger displacement was measured by
      observers not actively involved in the study using a creative grid ruler for all
      PDD and AD patients. Finger displacement was examined by asking patients to point
      their index fingers toward the grid ruler with the nails facing upward. Patients
      were asked to maintain the pointing position for 15 s. After 15 s, patients were
      asked to close their eyes for another 15 s while maintaining the same position. A
      positive result was downward index finger displacement of >=5 cm within the 15
      second time window with eyes closed. RESULTS: Of the 56 PDD patients, 53 had
      bilateral finger displacement of >5 cm. In comparison, of the 35 AD patients,
      only 1 patient had minimal displacement. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the non-invasive
      finger displacement test may provide insight, on an outpatient basis, of the
      integrity of subcortical-cortical circuits. Downward finger displacement,
      especially bilateral downward displacement, may signal the extensive disruption
      of subcortical-cortical circuits that occurs in PDD patients. ABBREVIATIONS:
      AChE: acetylcholinesterase; AD: Alzheimer disease; DLB: dementia with Lewy
      bodies; ET: essential tremor; MDS-UPDRS: Movement Disorder Society-sponsored
      Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale; MMSE: Mini-Mental State Examination;
      PD: Parkinson disease; PDD: Parkinson disease dementia.

PMID- 28911257
TI  - Fatigue in multiple sclerosis: The contribution of resting-state functional
      connectivity reorganization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES:: To investigate resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) of the
      default-mode network (DMN) and of sensorimotor network (SMN) network in relapsing
      remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue (F) and without
      fatigue(NF). METHODS:: In all, 59 RRMS patients and 29 healthy controls (HC)
      underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol including resting-state fMRI
      (RS-fMRI). Functional connectivity of the DMN and SMN was evaluated by
      independent component analysis (ICA). A linear regression analysis was performed
      to explore whether fatigue was mainly driven by changes observed in the DMN or in
      the SMN. Regional gray matter atrophy was assessed by voxel-based morphometry
      (VBM). RESULTS:: Compared to HC, F-MS patients showed a stronger RS-FC in the
      posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and a reduced RS-FC in the anterior cingulated
      cortex (ACC) of the DMN. F-MS patients, compared to NF-MS patients, revealed (1)
      an increased RS-FC in the PCC and a reduced RS-FC in the ACC of the DMN and (2)
      an increased RS-FC in the primary motor cortex and in the supplementary motor
      cortex of the SMN. The regression analysis suggested that fatigue is mainly
      driven by RS-FC changes of the DMN. CONCLUSIONS:: Fatigue in RRMS is mainly
      associated to a functional rearrangement of non-motor RS networks.

PMID- 28911256
TI  - Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in Patients with AIDS and
      Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis: A Case Series and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Coccidioidomycosis causes substantial morbidity and mortality in endemic areas,
      and dissemination is frequent in patients with impaired cellular immunity such as
      AIDS. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is paradoxical clinical
      worsening after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a patient with HIV
      and a simultaneous opportunistic infection (OI). Immune reconstitution
      inflammatory syndrome has been well described for a host of mycobacterial, viral,
      and fungal OIs and malignancies such as Kaposi sarcoma. To date, only 3 cases of
      IRIS due to coccidioidomycosis have been reported in the literature. At our
      institution, we report 4 cases of IRIS in HIV-infected patients with disseminated
      coccidioidomycosis. Unfortunately, all 4 patients died of worsening coccidioidal
      infection after initiating ART. The optimal timing of ART in patients with AIDS
      and coccidioidomycosis remains to be elucidated.

PMID- 28911258
TI  - Effect of Cryopreservation on Cell-Laden Hydrogels: Comparison of Different
      Cryoprotectants.
AB  - Cell encapsulation in hydrogels is a technique that offers a variety of
      applications, ranging from drug delivery to biofabrication of three-dimensional
      scaffolds. The assembly of cell-laden hydrogel building blocks aims to generate
      complex biological constructs by manipulating microscale units. An important
      issue for the clinical implementation of this technique is the long-term storage
      of a large stock of cell/hydrogel building blocks. In this work, the impact of
      cryopreservation on the viability and functionality of cells encapsulated in
      alginate matrices is presented comparing different cryoprotective agents (CPAs).
      Human osteosarcoma MG63 cells were encapsulated in sodium alginate fiber
      constructs with wetspinning method and exposed to different formulations of
      cryopreservation media, containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), glycerol, and
      trehalose. The cell-laden fibers were subsequently slow-cooled down to -80
      degrees C and stored in liquid nitrogen. After thawing, viability and death
      pathway of encapsulated cells were investigated, and metabolic activity and
      proliferative capacity of cells released from the alginate matrix were evaluated.
      The viability of MG63 cells encapsulated in alginate matrix ranged from 71% +/-
      4% to 85% +/- 2%, depending on the cryoprotective media formulation with no
      protracted harmful effects from the CPAs. On the other side, cells cryopreserved
      in encapsulated conditions and released from the hydrogel showed larger metabolic
      activity and proliferative capacity in tissue culture plate compared to cells
      cryopreserved in suspension, in particular when DMSO and glycerol were used as
      CPAs. Results have been correlated with the viscoelastic properties and water
      content changes of the alginate constructs loaded with the different CPAs.

PMID- 28911259
TI  - A rare case of ovarian cancer in a pregnant woman with metastatic non-small cell
      lung cancer.

PMID- 28911260
TI  - Two-year results from a phase 2 extension study of oral amiselimod in relapsing
      multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amiselimod, an oral selective sphingosine-1-phosphate 1 receptor
      modulator, suppressed disease activity dose-dependently without clinically
      relevant bradyarrhythmia in a 24-week phase 2, placebo-controlled study in
      relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVE: To assess safety and efficacy
      of amiselimod over 96 weeks. METHODS: After completing the core study, patients
      on amiselimod continued at the same dose, whereas those on placebo were
      randomised 1:1:1 to amiselimod 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mg for another 72 weeks. Most
      patients receiving 0.1 mg were re-randomised to 0.2 or 0.4 mg upon availability
      of the core study results. RESULTS: Of 415 patients randomised in the core study,
      367 (88.4%) entered and 322 (77.6%) completed the extension. One or more adverse
      events were reported in 303 (82.6%) of 367 patients: 'headache', 'lymphocyte
      count decreased', 'nasopharyngitis' and 'MS relapse' were most common (14.7%
      16.9%). No serious opportunistic infection, macular oedema or malignancy was
      reported and no bradyarrhythmia of clinical concern was observed by Holter or 12
      lead electrocardiogram. The dose-dependent effect of amiselimod on clinical and
      magnetic resonance imaging-related outcomes from the core study was sustained in
      those continuing on amiselimod and similarly observed after switching to active
      drug. CONCLUSION: For up to 2 years of treatment, amiselimod was well tolerated
      and dose-dependently effective in controlling disease activity.

PMID- 28911262
TI  - Alleviation by gamma amino butyric acid supplementation of chronic heat stress
      induced degenerative changes in jejunum in commercial broiler chickens.
AB  - High ambient temperature adversely influences poultry production. In the present
      study, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) supplementation was used to alleviate the
      adverse changes due to heat stress (HS) in a broiler chicken strain (Ross 308).
      At 21 days of age, the birds were divided into four groups of 13. Two groups were
      housed under normal room temperature, one group was given orally 0.2 ml 0.9%
      physiological saline (CN) daily, the other group received 0.2 ml of 0.5% GABA
      solution orally (GN). A third group was exposed to environmental HS (33 +/- 1 
      degrees C lasting for 2 weeks) + physiological saline (CH) and a fourth group was
      exposed to HS + GABA supplementation (GH). GABA supplementation during HS
      significantly reduced the birds' increased body temperature (p <.0001) and
      increased their body weight gain (p <.0001). This effect was associated with
      increases in the heat stress-induced reductions in jejunal villus length, crypt
      depth and mucous membrane thickness, and decreases in the vascular changes
      occurred due to HS. Additionally, GABA supplementation significantly modulated HS
      induced changes in glucose facilitated transporter 2 (GLUT2), peptide transporter
      1 (PEPT1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA expression in the jejunal mucosa
      (p < .0001). GABA supplementation also significantly elevated the
      triiodothyronine (T3) hormone level and hemoglobin levels and decreased the
      heterophil-lymphocyte ratio (H/L ratio) (p <.0001). Furthermore, it induced
      higher hepatic glutathione peroxidase enzyme (GSH-Px) activities and decreased
      the malondialdehyde dehydrogenase (MDA) content. These results indicate that GABA
      supplementation during HS may be used to alleviate HS-related changes in broiler
      chickens.

PMID- 28911264
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28911263
TI  - Potential Role of OCT4 in Leukemogenesis.
AB  - Embryonic stem cells typically show properties of long-term self-renewal and lack
      of differentiation. When appropriately stimulated, they are able to differentiate
      into all cell lineages, and lose their self-renewal characteristics. These
      properties are controlled by a series of genes encoding several transcription
      factors, including OCT4, the product of POU5F1 gene. OCT4 is expressed in germ
      cell tumors but also aberrantly in cancers developing in differentiated tissues.
      In a previous study, we observed a high expression of OCT4 in acute myeloid cell
      lines and primary cells, regardless of the acute myeloid leukemia (AML) subtype.
      In this study, we investigated the putative oncogenic role of OCT4 in
      proliferation and differentiation arrest. OCT4 expression was assessed in a panel
      of myeloid cell lines, together with clonogenic and proliferation properties,
      before and after differentiation in the presence of retinoic acid (RA). Same
      experiments were performed under short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated OCT4
      inhibition. In the presence of RA, we observed a decrease of OCT4 expression,
      associated with a loss of clonogenic and proliferation capacities, cell cycle
      arrest, and upregulation of p21, in HL60, NB4, KASUMI, and Me-1 cell lines. This
      effect was absent in the KG1a cell line, which did not differentiate.
      Downregulation of OCT4 by shRNA resulted in the same pattern of differentiation
      and loss of proliferation. Although KG1a did not differentiate, a decrease in
      proliferation was observed. Our findings suggest that OCT4 is implicated in the
      differentiation arrest at least in some types of AML, and that it also plays a
      role in cell proliferation through different oncogenic mechanisms. OCT4 might be
      a potential new target for antileukemic treatments.

PMID- 28911261
TI  - Out of the frying pan and into the fire: damage-associated molecular patterns and
      cardiovascular toxicity following cancer therapy.
AB  - Cardio-oncology is a new and rapidly expanding field that merges cancer and
      cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is an omnipresent side effect of
      cancer therapy; in fact, it is the second leading cause of death in cancer
      survivors after recurrent cancer. It has been well documented that many cancer
      chemotherapeutic agents cause cardiovascular toxicity. Nonetheless, the
      underlying cause of cancer therapy-induced cardiovascular toxicity is largely
      unknown. In this review, we discuss the potential role of damage-associated
      molecular patterns (DAMPs) as an underlying contributor to cancer therapy-induced
      cardiovascular toxicity. With an increasing number of cancer patients, as well as
      extended life expectancy, understanding the mechanisms underlying cancer therapy
      induced cardiovascular disease is of the utmost importance to ensure that cancer
      is the only disease burden that cancer survivors have to endure.

PMID- 28911265
TI  - Mental health and chronic diseases: a challenge to be faced from a new
      perspective.

PMID- 28911266
TI  - Behavioral and brain oscillatory correlates of affective processing in
      subclinical depression.
AB  - Named among the most dangerous diseases of the modern era, depression is
      characterized primarily by distortions in the affective sphere. Despite extensive
      investigations of underlying the neural background, mechanisms of the distortion
      still remain unknown. The current study analyzed brain oscillatory dynamics in
      different frequencies during resting state and presentation of affective stimuli
      in nonclinical individuals with high Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores
      (HB) versus controls. Both behavioral and electrocortical "markers" of clinical
      depression were apparent at subclinical level. A resting-state
      electroencephalogram (EEG) of HB revealed increased power in low frequencies,
      predominantly in the frontal cortical areas, that is in accordance with a "spatio
      temporal dysfunction" model of depression. Related to that, transition from an
      eyes-closed to eyes-open condition was associated with diminished alpha blockade
      in HB, suggesting difficulties with the relocation of attention focus from inner
      processes toward environmental stimuli. Subsequently, independently of a sign of
      emotion, five out of six discrete emotions were evaluated as less valenced and
      four out of six as less intense by HB than by controls, corroborating the view of
      emotion context insensitivity (ECI) associated with depression. Underlying brain
      oscillatory dynamics revealed that depression was associated with deficits in the
      early, implicit, processing stages of emotional stimuli. Later processing stages
      were characterized by prominent power surges in low and alpha frequencies,
      presumably indicating emotion upregulation processes and increased engagement of
      cognitive mechanisms in affective tasks. The study provides brain oscillatory
      based mechanisms of emotion processing distortions associated with depression.

PMID- 28911267
TI  - The behavioral and molecular evaluation of effects of social instability stress
      as a model of stress-related disorders in adult female rats.
AB  - The study aimed to test the hypotheses that chronic social instability stress
      (CSIS) alters behavioral and physiological parameters and expression of selected
      genes important for stress response and social behaviors. Adult female Sprague
      Dawley rats were subjected to the 4-week CSIS procedure, which involves
      unpredictable rotation between phases of isolation and overcrowding. Behavioral
      analyses (Experiment 1) were performed on the same rats before and after CSIS (n
      = 16) and physiological and biochemical measurements (Experiment 2) were made on
      further control (CON; n = 7) and stressed groups (CSIS; n = 8). Behaviors in the
      open field test (locomotor and exploratory activities) and elevated-plus maze
      (anxiety-related behaviors) indicated anxiety after CSIS. CSIS did not alter the
      physiological parameters measured, i.e. body weight gain, regularity of estrous
      cycles, and circulating concentrations of stress hormones and sex steroids. QRT
      PCR analysis of mRNA expression levels was performed on amygdala, hippocampus,
      prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hypothalamus. The main finding is that CSIS alters
      the mRNA levels for the studied genes in a region-specific manner. Hence,
      expression of POMC (pro-opiomelanocortin), AVPR1a (arginine vasopressin
      receptor), and OXTR (oxytocin receptor) significantly increased in the amygdala
      following CSIS, while in PFC and/or hypothalamus, POMC, AVPR1a, AVPR1b, OXTR, and
      ERbeta (estrogen receptor beta) expression decreased. CSIS significantly reduced
      expression of CRH-R1 (corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1) in the
      hippocampus. The directions of change in gene expression and the genes and
      regions affected indicate a molecular basis for the behavior changes. In
      conclusion, CSIS may be valuable for further analyzing the neurobiology of stress
      related disorders in females.

PMID- 28911268
TI  - Apathy, not depressive symptoms, as a predictor of semantic and phonemic fluency
      task performance in stroke and transient ischemic attack.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between apathy and cognition in
      patients with cerebrovascular disease. Apathy may result from damage to frontal
      subcortical circuits causing dysexecutive syndromes, but apathy is also related
      to depression. We assessed the ability of apathy to predict phonemic fluency and
      semantic fluency performance after controlling for depressive symptoms in 282
      individuals with stroke and/or transient ischemic attack. METHOD: Participants (N
      = 282) completed the Phonemic Fluency Test, Semantic Fluency Test, Center for
      Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and Apathy Evaluation Scale. A cross
      sectional correlational design was utilized. RESULTS: Using hierarchical linear
      regressions, apathy scores significantly predicted semantic fluency performance
      (beta = -.159, p = .020), but not phonemic fluency performance (beta = -.112, p =
      .129) after scaling scores by age and years of education and controlling for
      depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms entered into the first step of both
      hierarchical linear regressions did not predict semantic fluency (beta = -.035, p
      = .554) or phonemic fluency (beta = -.081, p = .173). Apathy and depressive
      symptoms were moderately correlated, r(280) = .58, p < .001. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of this study are consistent with research supporting a differentiation
      between phonemic and semantic fluency tasks, whereby phonemic fluency tasks
      primarily involve frontal regions, and semantic fluency tasks involve recruitment
      of more extended networks. The results also highlight a distinction between
      apathy and depressive symptoms and suggest that apathy may be a more reliable
      predictor of cognitive deficits than measures of mood in individuals with
      cerebrovascular disease. Apathy may also be more related to cognition due to
      overlapping motivational and cognitive frontal subcortical circuitry. Future
      research should explore whether treatments for apathy could be a novel target for
      improving cognitive outcomes after stroke.

PMID- 28911269
TI  - Applicability of two-dimensional surface model in bacterial biosorption system:
      an advanced approach in bioremediation of metal ions.
AB  - The surface of Bacillus VMSDCM (accession no. HQ108109) has been characterized at
      various pH values of the experimental solution. The boundary values of
      conditional parameter were used to develop a mathematical six lumped stochastic
      model for studying the surface chemistry of the bacterium cells. The results of
      the model were statistically analyzed to understand the strength of the proposed
      model. The simulation of the model was performed in Turbo C++ interface. The
      convergence values of the model were recorded and all the asymptotic points were
      neglected. The optimum values of model were reiterated to identify the
      intermittent values of maximum number of active sites, concentration of hydrides
      and hydroxides of calcium and magnesium and difference between the theoretical
      and experimental count of active sites. The values of zeta potential indicated
      towards the ionization of negatively charged surface functional groups at higher
      values of pH. The results of the present investigation revealed the fact that
      changes in the values of conditional parameter (pH) may create a drift in design
      parameters of a batch or continuous column reactor, fabricated for biosorption
      cum-bioaccumulation of metal ions (Ca2+ and Mg2+) across liquid phase.

PMID- 28911270
TI  - Effective partial nitrification of ammonia in a fluidized bed bioreactor.
AB  - A lab-scale fluidized bed bioreactor with high-density polyethylene as biofilm
      carrier media was operated to study partial nitrification (PN) performance with
      high ammonia concentrations. The system was run at nitrogen loading rates (NLRs)
      from 1.2 to 4.8 kg N/(m3 d) with empty bed contact time of 2.0 and 2.7 h and four
      different influent ammonia concentrations of 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg/L.
      Dissolved oxygen concentration and temperature were maintained around 1.3 mg/L
      and 35 degrees C, respectively. Stable PN was successfully achieved during the
      whole period with low effluent NO3-N concentration at less than 15 mg/L, due to
      effective suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria activity at high
      concentrations of free ammonia (5.3-27.3 mg N/L) and low alkalinity-to-ammonia
      ratio. At the NLR of 3.6 kg N/(m3 d), NH4-N conversion and NO2-N accumulation
      ratios were 57.8% and 53.9%, respectively, which could be further used in the
      anaerobic ammonium oxidation process (ANAMMOX) as the effluent NO2-N/NH4-N ratio
      was 1.27.

PMID- 28911271
TI  - Chitosan modification persimmon tannin bioadsorbent for highly efficient removal
      of Pb(II) from aqueous environment: the adsorption equilibrium, kinetics and
      thermodynamics.
AB  - Lead (Pb) pollution has triggered a great threat to ecological system as well as
      public health due to its highly toxic and mutagenic properties. In this study,
      chitosan surface modified persimmon tannin (PT-CS) biomass composite as an
      environmental-friendly bioadsorbent for highly efficient removal of Pb(II) from
      aqueous solutions was investigated. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X
      ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy and Zeta potential were used to elucidate the
      adsorption mechanism. Combining oxidation reaction, electrostatic interaction and
      chelation reaction, PT-CS exhibited fine adsorption to Pb(II). The maximum
      adsorption capacity was 179.3 mg/g. Equilibrium isotherm for the adsorption of
      Pb(II) was analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models, and the
      Langmuir isotherm (R2 > 0.99) was the best. The pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second
      order and intraparticle diffusion equations were used to analyze the kinetic data
      of the adsorption process and the pseudo-second-order kinetic (Rs2 > 0.98) model
      was fitted well. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters including DeltaG0 < 0,
      DeltaH0 (150.57 KJ/mol) > 0 and DeltaS0 (456.13 J/mol K) > 0 showed that the
      process of Pb(II) adsorption by PT-CS was spontaneous and endothermic. All these
      results illustrated that PT-CS would be a promising and low-cost alternative
      bioadsorbent of Pb(II) in wastewater treatment.

PMID- 28911272
TI  - Exploring health navigating design: momentary contentment in a cancer context.
AB  - PURPOSE: The technocratic and medicalized model of healthcare is rarely optimal
      for patients. By connecting two different studies we explore the possibilities of
      increasing quality of life in cancer care. METHODS: The first study captures
      survival strategies in a historically isolated Arctic village in Norway resulting
      in Momentary contentment theory, which emerged from analysing four years of
      participant observation and interview data. The second study conceptualizes
      everyday life of cancer patients based on in-depth interviews with 19 cancer
      patients; this was conceptualized as Navigating a new life situation. Both
      studies used classic grounded theory methodology. The connection between the
      studies is based on a health design approach. RESULTS: We found a fit between
      cancer patients challenging life conditions and harsh everyday life in an Arctic
      village. Death, treatments and dependence have become natural parts of life where
      the importance of creating spaces-of-moments and a Sense of Safety is imminent to
      well-being. While the cancer patients are in a new life situation, the Arctic
      people show a natural ability to handle uncertainties. CONCLUSION: By innovation
      theories connected to design thinking, Momentary contentment theory modified to
      fit cancer care would eventually be a way to improve cancer patients' quality of
      life.

PMID- 28911273
TI  - Memory enhancement of fresh ginseng on deficits induced by chronic restraint
      stress in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Chronic stress exposure can disrupt the balance of organisms, result
      in learning and memory impairments and induce oxidative stress. However, there is
      a lack of safe and effective long-term therapeutic agents for stress-related
      injuries. Fresh ginseng (FG), an unprocessed raw root of ginseng, has antioxidant
      and neuroprotective activities and has been used as functional health food in
      Asian countries for many years. The aim of this study was to verify the
      protective effects of FG on chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced learning and
      memory impairments as well as oxidative stress damage in mice. METHODS: Animals
      were subjected to object location recognition test (OLRT) and novel object
      recognition test (NORT) to evaluate discriminative ability and spatial learning
      and memory, and Morris water maze test (MWMT) was used to evaluate the
      acquisition and retention of spatial memory. In addition, oxidative stress
      parameters were assessed by measuring the malondialdehyde (MDA) and total
      antioxidant reactivity levels in serum. RESULTS: Experimental results
      demonstrated that CRS-induced mice exhibited significantly decreased
      discrimination index (DI) in OLRT and NORT, longer escape latency and swimming
      distance, and decreased crossing numbers in MWMT. FG (2 and 6 g/kg) treatment
      markedly enhanced the discriminative ability by elevating DI in OLRT and NORT,
      improved the acquisition and retention of spatial memory by decreasing escape
      latency and swimming distance in the acquisition phase, and increased the
      crossing numbers in the probe phase of MWMT. Administration of FG (2 and 6 g/kg)
      significantly reduced the elevated MDA level caused by CRS. DISCUSSION: Our
      results suggest that FG treatment could improve CRS-induced learning and memory
      impairments and oxidative stress damage. FG is an intriguing therapeutic agent
      and functional health food in stress-related dementia.

PMID- 28911274
TI  - Participation and support - associations with Swedish pupils' positive health.
AB  - From the perspective of salutogenesis, schools have opportunities to create
      supportive environments for health and well-being, but there is a need for more
      knowledge about positive health determinants in the school setting. The aim of
      this study was to analyse adolescents' self-reported positive health and its
      association with supportive factors in the school environment. Data was derived
      from a cross-sectional study in which pupils were aged 12-16 (n=1527). A positive
      health scale was used to examine the association of positive health with the
      following determinants: classroom participation; teacher support; peer support;
      parental support; and personal relative affluence. Data was analysed with
      multiple logistic regression. The results showed that positive health was
      associated with classroom participation and support from teachers and parents
      more commonly among boys than girls. All determinants were significantly
      associated with pupils' positive health. The conclusion is that students'
      positive health is strongly associated with support from the school. Classroom
      participation and support are major concerns for the health of pupils, and it is
      essential to develop these aspects of the school environment.

PMID- 28911275
TI  - Associations between retirement reasons, chronic pain, athletic identity, and
      depressive symptoms among former professional footballers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retirement from professional sport has been recognised as a major
      psychological stressor, and there is a need to identify factors that increase the
      risk of mental health problems after career termination. The current study
      examined associations between career-ending injury, chronic pain, athletic
      identity, and depressive symptomology in retired professional footballers.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed with 307 retired male footballers
      who had played within a professional United Kingdom league. Participants
      completed measures of depressive symptoms (Short Depression-Happiness Scale),
      chronic pain (Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale), and athletic identity
      (Athletic Identity Measurement Scale), and reported their reasons for retirement.
      RESULTS: A total of 48 participants (16%) met the cut-off score for possible
      cases of clinically relevant depression. These participants were more recently
      retired, and had higher athletic identity than those without depressive symptoms.
      Former players with depressive symptoms were more likely to cite injury as a
      retirement reason, and report higher levels of ongoing injury-related pain.
      Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the presence of depressive
      symptoms was independently associated with retirement through injury (OR = 3.44;
      95% CI = 1.39, 8.51), higher pain levels (OR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.86), and
      increased athletic identity (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.14, 1.44). CONCLUSIONS: Career
      ending injury is strongly associated with higher odds of depressive symptomology
      during retirement, while experiencing chronic pain, and maintaining a high sense
      of athletic identity, are additional potential contributors.

PMID- 28911276
TI  - High G flight: physiological effects and countermeasures.

PMID- 28911277
TI  - Analysis of Different Melatonin Secretion Patterns in Children With Sleep
      Disorders: Melatonin Secretion Patterns in Children.
AB  - The objective of this study was to analyze circadian patterns of urinary 6
      sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) excretion in children with primary sleep disorders in
      comparison with healthy controls. A total of 124 control children and 124
      patients (aged 4-14 years) diagnosed with diverse primary sleep disorders were
      recruited. aMT6s concentrations were measured in diurnal and nocturnal urine, as
      well as in 24-hour urine. aMT6s levels were significantly higher and showed
      significantly more evident circadian variations in the control group ( P < .001).
      Four different melatonin (aMT) production and excretion patterns were
      distinguished in the group with sleep disorders: (1) standard aMT production
      pattern, (2) low aMT production pattern, (3) aMT production pattern with absence
      of circadian variation, and (4) aMT hyperproduction pattern. This study
      highlights the importance of analyzing specific alterations of aMT secretion in
      each sleep disorder and provides evidences to explain why not all children with
      sleep disturbances do respond to aMT treatment.

PMID- 28911278
TI  - Measurement of Sedentary Behaviors or "Downtime" in Rett Syndrome.
AB  - This study aimed to validate measures of sedentary time in individuals with Rett
      syndrome. Twenty-six individuals (median [IQR] age 16.0 (9.4-20.6) years) wore an
      activPAL accelerometer during video-taped activities and agreement was determined
      between sedentary time determined by the activPAL and observation. For 11
      individuals (median [IQR] age 14.5 (11.5-25.6) years), linear regression was used
      to determine the relationship between sedentary time recorded on the modified
      Bouchard activity record diary card and measured using the activPAL. In
      comparison to observation, the activPAL accurately measured duration of sedentary
      time with a mean difference (limit of agreement) of -1.0 (6.3) minutes. The
      duration of Bouchard activity record downtime accounted for 73% of the variance
      of sedentary time measured by the activPAL (coefficient 0.762, 95% CI 0.413 to
      1.111). These data provide clinicians and caregivers with capacity to investigate
      strategies that would aim to increase activity in the nonexercise component of
      the activity continuum.

PMID- 28911280
TI  - Adrenaline-a therapeutic history.

PMID- 28911281
TI  - Can the timing of perioperative fluids affect hospital length of stay?

PMID- 28911282
TI  - What are we injecting with our drugs?
AB  - In preparation for a case, an anaesthetist opened a 20 ml glass vial of propofol
      and aspirated the propofol into a syringe via a blunt drawing-up needle.
      Increased resistance was felt with aspiration. On inspection, a shard of glass
      was found at the tip of the drawing-up needle. The shard was presumed to be from
      the propofol ampoule, and to have fallen into the solution upon snapping open its
      glass tip. This illustrative case raises the issue of contamination of drugs by
      particles introduced during the drawing-up process. It also highlights the
      possibility that during the drawing-up process, intravenous drugs may become
      contaminated not just with particles, but with microorganisms on the surface of
      the particles. In this article, we discuss relevant recent research of the
      implications of this type of drug contamination. We draw attention to the need
      for meticulous care in drawing up and administering intravenous drugs during
      anaesthesia, particularly propofol.

PMID- 28911283
TI  - Australian and New Zealand Anaesthetic Allergy Group Perioperative Anaphylaxis
      Investigation Guidelines.
AB  - These guidelines are a consensus document developed by a working party of the
      Australian and New Zealand Anaesthetic Allergy Group (ANZAAG) to provide an
      approach to the investigation of perioperative anaphylaxis. They focus primarily
      on the use of skin testing as it is the investigation with the greatest clinical
      utility for the identification of the likely causative agent and potentially
      safer alternatives. The practicalities and process of skin testing, its
      limitations, and the place of other tests are discussed. These guidelines also
      address the roles of graded challenge and in vitro testing. The implications of
      anaphylaxis associated with neuromuscular blocking agents, beta-lactam
      antibiotics, local anaesthetic agents and chlorhexidine are discussed. Evidence
      for the recommendations is derived from literature searches using the words skin
      test, allergy, anaphylaxis, anaesthesia, and each of the individual agents listed
      in these guidelines. The individual articles were then reviewed for suitability
      for inclusion in these guidelines. Where evidence was not strong, as is the
      situation for many perioperative agents, expert consensus from the ANZAAG working
      party was used. These guidelines are intended for use by specialists involved in
      the investigation of perioperative allergy. They have been approved following
      peer review by members of ANZAAG and are available on the ANZAAG website:
      http://www.anzaag.com/anaphylaxis-management/testing-guidelines.pdf.

PMID- 28911284
TI  - Effect of nicotine replacement therapy on mortality, delirium, and duration of
      therapy in critically ill smokers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Nicotine replacement therapy is widely used in critically ill smokers and its
      effect on delirium, mortality and duration of intensive care unit (ICU) admission
      is unknown. The aims of this review were to determine whether the management of
      nicotine withdrawal with nicotine replacement therapy reduces delirium, mortality
      or length of stay in critically ill smokers in ICU. The primary outcome was
      incidence of author-defined ICU delirium. Secondary outcomes were ICU or hospital
      mortality, ICU-free days at day 28, and ICU or hospital length of stay. We
      conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the data sources MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for randomised
      controlled trials and observational studies. Clinical trials, observational
      studies and systematic reviews comparing nicotine replacement therapy with
      placebo or no treatment were included. Case reports, case series, non-systematic
      reviews and studies that involved children were excluded. Eight studies were
      eligible (n=2,636) for inclusion in the data synthesis. In a meta-analysis of
      observational studies, nicotine replacement therapy was associated with increased
      delirium (three studies; n=908; I2=0%; finite element method: odds ratio 4.03
      [95% confidence interval 2.64, 6.15]; P <0.001). There was no difference in ICU
      mortality (three studies; n=1,309; P=0.10, I2=44%; finite element method: odds
      ratio 0.58; 95% confidence intervals 0.31-1.10) and hospital mortality or 28-day
      ICU-free days. In the absence of high-quality data, nicotine replacement therapy
      cannot currently be recommended for routine use to prevent delirium or to reduce
      hospital or ICU mortality in critically ill smokers.

PMID- 28911285
TI  - In vitro evaluation of the effect of haemodilution with dextran 40 on coagulation
      profile as measured by thromboelastometry and multiple electrode aggregometry.
AB  - We evaluated the effects of haemodilution with either dextran 40 or 0.9% normal
      saline on coagulation in vitro using rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM(r),
      Pentapharm Co., Munich, Germany) and multiple electrode aggregometry
      (Multiplate(r) Platelet Function Analyser, Dynabyte, Munich, Germany). Venous
      blood samples obtained from 20 healthy volunteers were diluted in vitro with
      dextran 40 or normal saline by 5%, 10% and 15%. Fibrinogen concentration, ROTEM
      EXTEM(r) (screening test for the extrinsic coagulation pathway), FIBTEM(r) (an
      EXTEM-based assay of the fibrin component of clot) parameters including
      coagulation time, clot formation time, alpha angle, maximum clot firmness and
      lysis index were measured in the undiluted sample and at each level of
      haemodilution. Dextran 40 at 15% haemodilution significantly prolonged
      coagulation time, clot formation time and significantly decreased the alpha angle
      and maximal clot firmness (EXTEM amplitude at five minutes [A5] and ten minutes
      [A10]) compared with normal saline. The FIBTEM assay (maximal clot firmness and
      FIBTEM A5 and A10) showed a marked decrease in maximal clot firmness at all
      dilutions suggesting impaired fibrinogen activity and a risk of bleeding.
      Multiple electrode aggregometry did not demonstrate any platelet dysfunction.
      Haemodilution with dextran 40 causes significant impairment in clot formation and
      strength compared to saline haemodilution and undiluted blood. At the levels of
      in vitro haemodilution designed to reflect the clinical use of dextran infusions,
      no significant fibrinolysis or platelet inhibition was observed.

PMID- 28911286
TI  - The effect of a surgery-specific cardiac output-guided haemodynamic algorithm on
      outcomes in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy in a high-volume centre:
      a retrospective comparative study.
AB  - In this retrospective observational study performed in a high-volume
      hepatobiliary-pancreatic unit, we evaluated the effect of a surgery-specific goal
      directed therapy (GDT) physiologic algorithm on complications and length of
      hospital stay. We compared patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with
      either a standardised Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program (usual care group),
      or a standardised Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program in combination with a
      surgery-specific cardiac output-guided algorithm (GDT group). We included 145
      consecutive patients: 47 in the GDT group and 98 in the usual care group.
      Multivariable associations between GDT and lengths of stay and complications were
      investigated using negative binomial regression. Postoperative complications were
      common and occurred at similar frequencies amongst the GDT and usual care groups:
      64% versus 68% respectively, P=0.71; odds ratio 0.82; (95% confidence interval
      0.39-1.70). There were fewer cardiorespiratory complications in the GDT group.
      Median (interquartile range) length of hospital stay was ten days (8.0-14.0) in
      the GDT group compared to 13 days (8.8-21.3) in the usual care group, P=0.01.
      Median (interquartile range) total intraoperative fluid was 3,000 ml (2,050
      4,175) in the GDT group compared to 4,500 ml (3,275-5,325) in the usual care
      group, P <0.0001; but by day one, the median (interquartile range) fluid balance
      was similar (1,198 ml [700-1,729] in the GDT group versus 977 ml [419-2,044] in
      the usual care group, P=0.96). Use of vasoactive medications was higher in the
      GDT group. In our patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy, GDT was associated
      with restrictive intraoperative fluid intervention, fewer cardiorespiratory
      complications and a shorter hospital length of stay compared to usual care.
      However, we could not exclude an influence of surgical caseload, which we have
      previously found to be an important variable. We also could not relate the
      increased hospital length of stay to cardiorespiratory complications in
      individual patients. Therefore, these observational retrospective findings would
      require confirmation in a prospective randomised study.

PMID- 28911287
TI  - Effect of sugammadex versus neostigmine/atropine combination on postoperative
      cognitive dysfunction after elective surgery.
AB  - This study aimed to assess the effects of sugammadex and neostigmine/atropine on
      postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in adult patients after elective
      surgery. A randomised, double-blind controlled trial was carried out on 160
      American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I to III patients who were
      >40 years. The Mini-Mental State Evaluation, clock-drawing test and the Isaacs
      Set test were used to assess cognitive function at three timepoints: 1)
      preoperatively, 2) one hour postoperatively, and 3) at discharge. The anaesthetic
      protocol was the same for all patients, except for the neuromuscular block
      reversal, which was administered by random allocation using either sugammadex or
      neostigmine/atropine after the reappearance of T2 in the train-of-four sequence.
      POCD was defined as a decline >=1 standard deviation in >=2 cognitive tests. The
      incidence of POCD was similar in both groups at one hour postoperatively and at
      discharge (28% and 10%, in the neostigmine group, 23% and 5.4% in the sugammadex
      group, P=0.55 and 0.27 respectively). In relation to individual tests, a
      significant decline of clock-drawing test in the neostigmine group was observed
      at one hour postoperatively and at discharge. For the Isaacs Set test, a greater
      decline was found in the sugammadex group. These findings suggest that there are
      no clinically important differences in the incidence of POCD after neostigmine or
      sugammadex administration.

PMID- 28911288
TI  - Impact of thrombelastography in paediatric intensive care.
AB  - We assessed the clinical impact of thrombelastography (TEG(r)) results (TEG(r)
      5000, Haemonetics Corporation, Braintree, MA, USA) by measuring their ability to
      cause changes in a theoretical treatment plan and contribute to the understanding
      of haemostasis. We prospectively included paediatric intensive care unit (PICU)
      patients who had standard tests of haemostasis and TEG ordered and had an
      arterial catheter or extracorporeal access port in situ. Blood for standard tests
      and TEG was taken simultaneously. Independent of patient care, general patient
      information and results of standard laboratory tests were presented to five
      clinicians who were asked to document their theoretical treatment plan.
      Clinicians were then shown TEG results and asked if they caused a change in their
      plan, if they confirmed initial standard laboratory test results, if they enabled
      a better understanding of haemostasis and if they provided additional
      information. Inter-rater agreement between the clinicians was determined. Forty
      two TEG results were obtained from 34 patients. Overall, the inclusion of TEG
      results led to a change in treatment plan in 97 of 207 occasions (47%), confirmed
      standard laboratory test results in 177 of 204 occasions (87%), enabled a better
      understanding of haemostasis in 140 of 204 occasions (69%) and provided
      additional information in 131 of 204 occasions (64%). Variation existed between
      clinicians, seemingly due to individual differences, with poor inter-rater
      agreement. We conclude that TEG results led to changes in treatment plans almost
      half the time, confirmed findings of standard tests and provided a better
      understanding of haemostasis, but randomised controlled trials are required to
      determine the role and influence of TEG results on patient outcome.

PMID- 28911289
TI  - Incidence of elevated procalcitonin and presepsin levels after severe trauma: a
      pilot cohort study.
AB  - Procalcitonin (PCT) and presepsin (PSEP) are useful biomarkers for diagnosing
      sepsis; however, elevated PCT and PSEP levels may be observed in conditions other
      than sepsis. We hypothesised that PCT and PSEP levels could increase after severe
      traumatic injuries. Trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score of >=16 from
      October 2013 to September 2015 were enrolled in our study. We examined PCT and
      PSEP levels and their positive rates on days 0 and 1. PCT and PSEP levels on days
      0 and 1 were compared. Risk factors for increasing sepsis biomarker levels were
      identified by multivariate logistic regression analyses. In this study, 75
      patients were included. PCT levels on days 0 and 1 were 0.1+/-0.4 and 1.8+/-6.3
      ng/ml, respectively (P=0.02). PSEP levels on days 0 and 1 were 221+/-261 and
      222+/-207 pg/ml, respectively (P=0.98). As per multivariate logistic regression
      analyses, packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion was the only independent risk
      factor for higher PCT levels on day 1 (P=0.04). Using PCT to diagnose sepsis in
      trauma patients on day 1 requires caution. PRBC transfusion was found to be a
      risk factor for increasing PCT levels. On the other hand, PSEP levels were not
      affected by trauma during the early phases.

PMID- 28911290
TI  - Outcomes of telemedicine intervention in a regional intensive care unit: a before
      and after study.
AB  - Telemedicine consultations in remote intensive care units (ICUs) overseas were
      found to be effective in reducing mortality and hospital length of stay (LOS). In
      Australia, there were anecdotal reports of these clinical outcomes. This
      retrospective before and after study assessed the improvement in patient outcomes
      with the implementation of a telemedicine program in a regional high dependency
      unit. Daily virtual consultations were conducted between the rural facility and
      the intensivists at the regional centre. A total of 525 patients received
      intensive care support between 2010 and 2015. Hospital and High Dependency Unit
      mortality showed no evidence of significant differences between the telemedicine
      group and the baseline (relative risk 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99
      1.06, P=0.25 and relative risk 1.00, 95% CI 0.98-1.03, P=0.67 respectively). The
      hospital LOS was lower in the baseline group by 1.5 days. There was no
      significant difference in High Dependency Unit LOS. To adjust for the covariates
      in LOS, log linear regression analysis was performed. The telemedicine
      intervention, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores and inter
      hospital transfers were found to contribute significantly to hospital LOS. The
      most important result of the study was that the proportion of inter-hospital
      transfers was lower in the telemedicine group (relative risk 0.88, 95% CI 0.80
      0.98, P=0.03) compared to baseline. This means that critically ill patients in
      our regional centre can continue to receive specialist care remotely through tele
      ICU consultations thus avoiding the need for patient transport. However, further
      study is needed to establish the benefits and risks of telemedicine intervention
      in ICUs in Australia.

PMID- 28911291
TI  - Administration of anaesthetic triggering agents to patients tested malignant
      hyperthermia normal and their relatives in New Zealand: an update.
AB  - Testing for malignant hyperthermia in New Zealand involves two tests-in vitro
      contracture testing of excised lateral quadriceps muscle and DNA analysis. In
      vitro contracture testing is regarded as the gold standard in malignant
      hyperthermia diagnosis but several publications have questioned the reliability
      of a normal result. Analysis of 479 anaesthetic records in 280 patients or their
      descendants throughout New Zealand who had tested negative for malignant
      hyperthermia, demonstrated there was no evidence of malignant hyperthermia
      episodes in this group who had been administered anaesthetic triggering agents. A
      wide range of anaesthetics were used over the study period. Analysis of each
      anaesthetic record was undertaken using the malignant hyperthermia grading scale
      which determines the likelihood that an anaesthetic event represents a malignant
      hyperthermia episode. Confirmation of the negative results was further supported
      by normal DNA analysis of patients in 48% of anaesthetics. There are advantages
      to using inhalational agents in certain situations and although demonstrating a
      zero risk of a malignant hyperthermia episode is not statistically possible,
      evidence in this large series suggests that the risk of an episode in these
      patients is extremely low and may be negligible. We suggest that anaesthetic
      triggering agents can be used safely in patients with normal in vitro contracture
      tests, and in their descendants.

PMID- 28911292
TI  - A retrospective observational study of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy
      undergoing non-cardiac surgery.
AB  - The perioperative risks and factors associated with adverse cardiac outcomes in
      patients with dilated cardiomyopathy undergoing non-cardiac surgery are unknown.
      Interrogation of the Nelson Hospital transthoracic echocardiogram database
      identified 127 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who satisfied the study
      criteria and underwent non-cardiac surgery between June 1999 and July 2013.
      Demographic and clinical data along with postoperative death within 30 days or a
      major adverse cardiac event were retrieved and analysed. The mean age was 75.9
      years. Seventy-one percent of the patients had severe impairment of left
      ventricular function and 35% had a severely dilated left ventricle. A major
      adverse cardiac event occurred in 18.1% of patients and 5.5% of patients died
      within 30 days of surgery. Increased surgical risk and absence of cerebrovascular
      disease were associated with adverse outcome (P <0.001, P <0.05, respectively).
      Forty-three and a half percent (43.5%) of patients undergoing high-risk surgery
      had an adverse outcome compared to 36.1% and 5.9% for moderate and low-risk
      surgery, respectively. A major adverse cardiac event was observed in 26.7% of
      patients with cardiovascular disease compared to 9.8% of patients without
      cardiovascular disease. We were unable to exclude an influence of other potential
      risk factors due to the retrospective observational nature of the study. These
      findings highlight a potential increase in complications with moderate or high
      surgical risk, whilst are reassuring in demonstrating the relative safety of low
      risk surgery in this group of high-risk patients.

PMID- 28911293
TI  - A survey of the sequelae of memorable anaesthetic drug errors from the
      anaesthetist's perspective.
AB  - Drug errors amongst anaesthetists are common. Although there has been previous
      work on the system factors involved with drug error, there has been little
      research on the sequelae of a drug error from the anaesthetist's perspective. To
      clarify this issue, we surveyed anaesthetists regarding their most memorable drug
      error to identify associated factors and personal sequelae regarding their
      professional practice after the event. An online survey was sent anonymously to
      989 Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Fellows in March
      2016 and the results were collected over the following two months. There were 295
      completed surveys (29.8% response). The majority of respondents were male
      consultants, aged over 45 years. Reported drug errors occurred most frequently
      during normal working hours, and the most common drugs involved were non
      depolarising muscle relaxants. In 34% of the errors, another anaesthetist was
      present, and their presence was felt to have contributed in 40.7% of these cases.
      About 20% of respondents reported that they did not receive adequate support
      after the event. Sleep patterns were affected in 14.4% of respondents, although
      very few found that the error had affected their capacity to function at work.
      These findings suggest that memorable drug errors can be significant enough to
      have adverse sequelae to anaesthetists, even if no patient harm occurs.

PMID- 28911294
TI  - Potential for inadvertent airway delivery of carbon dioxide with humidified high
      flow oxygen circuit.

PMID- 28911295
TI  - Echocardiography Time Audit study.

PMID- 28911296
TI  - A brief safety assessment of active self-warming blankets; too hot to handle?

PMID- 28911297
TI  - Fungal coronary embolus while on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

PMID- 28911298
TI  - Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe cardiogenic shock
      secondary to phaeochromocytoma crisis.

PMID- 28911299
TI  - In Silico Models for Nanomedicine: Recent Developments.
AB  - Nanomedicine is a recent promising setting for the advancement of current medical
      therapies, in particular for cancer. Nanoparticle-mediated therapies are aimed to
      tackle extremely complex phenomena, involving different biochemical, mechanical
      and biophysical factors. Computational models can contribute to medical research
      by helping the understanding of biological mechanisms and by providing
      quantitative analyses. In this work, we report on computational models that
      address four main issues related to the use of nanoparticles in anti-cancer
      therapies, namely the delivery of nanoparticles, their uptake by cells, the
      release of drugs from nano-platforms and nanoparticle-based therapeutics. In
      silico approaches constitute a valuable tool to aid clinical studies, guiding the
      rational design of new nanoparticle formulations and identifying the optimal
      strategies for existing treatments.

PMID- 28911300
TI  - Editorial: Non-Communicable Diseases: Gender Differences in Therapy.

PMID- 28911301
TI  - Editorial: Targeting Drug-resistant and Metastatic Tumors by Interference with
      Tumor and Microenvironment-related Alterations.

PMID- 28911302
TI  - What is the Real Efficacy of Beta-Blockers for the Treatment of Essential
      Hypertension?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This review covers the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic of beta
      blockers, the rationale for their use, some recent controversies in its use for
      managing hypertension, as well as, the beneficial properties of the third
      generation beta-blockers beyond hypertension. BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety
      of beta-blockers in the treatment of hypertension and other cardiovascular
      diseases have been established during more than 50 years of clinical experience.
      Recent updates of clinical guidelines have downgraded the use of beta-blockers
      for the treatment of uncomplicated hypertension to second and third line therapy.
      It is a well-known fact that beta-blockers exhibit heterogeneous pharmacokinetic
      and pharmacodynamic properties that clearly influence their clinical efficacy and
      tolerability in the management of essential hypertension. Conventional
      nonvasodilating beta-blockers (atenolol and metoprolol) are inferior to first
      line antihypertensive agents in terms of cardioprotection due to lower ability to
      reduce central blood pressure and its variability and the adverse effects on
      glycemic and lipid metabolism. CONCLUSION: New vasodilating beta-blockers, mainly
      carvedilol and nebivolol, show enhanced hemodynamic and metabolic properties,
      which probably result in a higher prevention of major cardiovascular events in
      hypertensive patients. Despite head-to-head clinical trials comparing the effects
      of vasodilating vs nonvasodilating beta-blockers on hard clinical endpoints are
      lacking, the current evidence suggests that third-generation beta-blockers are
      superior to conventional beta-blockers for the prevention of cardiovascular
      events in patients with essential hypertension. Moreover, beyond their
      antihypertensive properties, third-generation beta-blockers also have
      pleiotropic, antioxidant and antiinflammatory effects that warrant a "promissory
      new era" of this newly group.

PMID- 28911303
TI  - Role of Protein Kinases and Their Inhibitors in Radiation Response of Tumor
      Cells.
AB  - Phosphorylation, the addition of a phosphate group to a molecule, is an effective
      way of regulating the biological properties of that molecule. Protein
      phosphorylation is a post-translational modification of proteins and affects
      cellular signaling transduction. Protein kinases induce phosphorylation by
      catalyzing the transfer of phosphate groups to serine, threonine, and tyrosine
      residues on protein substrates. Consistent with their roles in cancer, protein
      kinases have emerged as one of the most clinically useful target molecules in
      pharmacological cancer therapy. Intrinsic or acquired resistance of cancers
      against anti-cancer therapeutics, such as ionizing radiation, is a major obstacle
      for the effective treatment of many cancers. In this review, we describe key
      aspects of various kinases acting on proteins. We also discuss the roles of
      protein kinases in the pathophysiology and treatment of cancer. Because protein
      kinases correlate with radiation resistance in various types of cancer, we focus
      on several kinases responsible for radiation resistance and/or sensitivity and
      their therapeutic implications. Finally, we suggest some ongoing radiation
      sensitization strategies using genetic loss and/or kinase inhibitors that can
      counteract radiation resistance-related protein kinases.

PMID- 28911304
TI  - Sialidases: Therapeutic and Antiatherogenic Potential.
AB  - This review focuses on the biological role and clinical relevance of relatively
      poor studied enzymes known as sialidases. We describe structure and function of
      sialic acid, in particular as a component of gangliosides and plasma
      lipoproteins. Several types of sialidases are known in mammals, of which trans
      sialidase is of special interest, since it is capable of removing sialic acid
      from low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles and transferring it to different
      acceptors in blood plasma. Desialylation of LDL, in turn, endows it a capacity to
      accumulate in the smooth muscle cells of human aortic intima, and therefore is
      important for atherogenesis. Moreover, sialidases appear to be involved in a
      variety of pathological processes, including viral infections and cancer, which
      makes these enzymes an attractive therapeutic target.

PMID- 28911305
TI  - Alginate-Based Cell Microencapsulation for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative
      Medicine.
AB  - Increasing numbers of requests for transplantable organs and their scarcity has
      led to a pressing need to find alternative solutions to standard transplantation.
      An appealing but challenging proposal came from the fields of tissue engineering
      and regenerative medicine, the purpose of which is to build tissues/organs from
      scratch in the laboratory and use them as either permanent substitutes for direct
      implantation into the patient's body, or as temporary substitutes to bridge
      patients until organ regeneration or transplantation. Using bioartificial
      constructs requires administration of immunosuppressant therapies to prevent
      rejection by the recipient. Microencapsulation has been identified as promising
      technology for immunoisolating biological materials from immune system attacks by
      the patient. It is based on entrapping cellular material within a spherical
      semipermeable polymeric scaffold. This latter defines the boundary between the
      internal native-like environment and the external "aggressive" one. The scaffold
      thus acts like a selective filter that makes possible an appropriate supply of
      nutrients and oxygen to the cellular constructs, while blocking the passage for
      adverse molecules. Alginate, which is a natural polymer, is the main biomaterial
      used in this context. Its excellent properties and mild gelation ability provide
      suitable conditions for supporting viability and preserving the functionalities
      of the cellular- engineered constructs over long periods. Although much remains
      to be done before bringing microencapsulated constructs into clinical practice,
      an increasing number of applications for alginate-based microencapsulation in
      numerous medical areas confirm the considerable potential for this technology in
      providing a cure for transplant in patients that excludes immunosuppressive
      therapies.

PMID- 28911306
TI  - Management of Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) there is a clear association
      between blood pressure (BP) levels and macrovascular and microvascular
      complications. However, the BP targets that need to be achieved for optimal
      outcomes remain controversial. METHODS: The purpose of this narrative review is
      to discuss BP targets and management in patients with DM. The subject of elevated
      heart rate, which has been associated with mortality in many populations, and
      which is observed in some patients with DM will also be addressed. RESULTS: Most
      guidelines recommend a target BP in patients with DM of <140/90 mmHg. Most
      consistently recommended first-line pharmacotherapy for the treatment of
      hypertension in non-black patients with DM is an angiotensin converting enzyme
      (ACE) inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) while for black patients
      a calcium channel blocker or a thiazide diuretic. Newer antidiabetic drugs, such
      as the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and the sodium glucose
      co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors lower not only blood glucose but also BP
      levels. The SGLT2 inhibitor-associated decrease in BP is not accompanied by an
      increase in heart rate, which is observed however with GLP-1 receptor agonists.
      CONCLUSION: The most widely accepted BP target for patients with DM among
      guidelines is <140/90 mmHg and the most widely accepted pharmacotherapy to
      achieve these goals are ACE inhibitors and ARBs. Newer antidiabetic medications
      have been shown to also lower BP and decrease cardiovascular events, thus
      representing a promising new therapeutic option for patients with DM and
      hypertension.

PMID- 28911307
TI  - Tumor Targeting of Polymeric Nanoparticles Conjugated with Peptides, Saccharides,
      and Small Molecules for Anticancer Drugs.
AB  - Targeting drugs or pharmaceutical compounds to tumor site increases cancer
      treatment efficiency and therapeutic outcome. Nanoparticles are unique delivery
      systems for site-targeting within an organism. Many novel technologies have been
      established in drug research and development area. Nanotechnology now offers
      nanometer size polymeric nanoparticles and these particles direct drugs to their
      targets, protect drugs against degradation, and release the drug in a controlled
      manner. Modification of nanoparticle surface by molecules leads to prolonged
      retention and accumulation in the target area of the organism. Current efforts of
      designing polymeric nanoparticles include drug activation in the target area,
      controlled drug release at the site upon stimulation, and increased drug loading
      capacity of drug polymer conjugates. Recent progress in molecular mechanism
      elucidation of cancer cell and rising research in nanoparticle designs may
      provide efficient cancer treatment modality and innovative nanoparticle designs
      in the near future. Recent years have seen many developments in the field of
      innovative peptide based drug nanoparticles. Although none of them approved to be
      used in clinics yet, peptides are promising structures due to their simple and
      nonantigenic nature. Biodegradable materials are also preferred materials in drug
      delivery. Polysaccharide-based micelle systems improve hydrophobic drug and
      protein delivery. Ease of saccharide structure modification improves
      pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drug molecules as well as their
      delivery to a specific site in a controlled manner and sustained rate. Small
      molecules, especially drugs, conjugated to nanoparticles and several
      nanoparticles of this type are in the clinical trials and at the market. This
      review provides recent developments of polymeric nanoparticles conjugated with
      peptides, saccharides, and small molecules in cancer theraphy.

PMID- 28911308
TI  - Why Not All Hypertensive Patients Are Tachycardic at Rest?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The importance of increased resting heart rate in hypertensive
      patients was highlighted in the European Society of Hypertension statement on the
      identification and management of hypertensive patient with elevated heart rate.
      METHODS: Review of the available literature. RESULTS: Increased heart rate is an
      independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality even after
      adjustment for other conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Resting heart rate
      is correlated with blood pressure and prospectively related to the development of
      hypertension, as shown in numerous general population and hypertensive cohorts.
      Patients with hypertension may be characterized by increased sympathetic
      activation, and increased heart rate is considered a simple marker of increased
      sympathetic nervous activity. The definition of tachycardia is debatable as in
      clinical practice, tachycardia is generally defined as resting heart rate over
      100 beats per minute (bpm) but this definition does not take into account
      epidemiological data and risk related to increased heart rate. Available evidence
      suggests that a lower threshold defining an increased resting heart rate should
      be adopted. In large hypertensive cohorts, approximately one third of the studied
      subjects had resting heart rate above 80-85 bpm and many of these patients had
      features of the metabolic/insulin resistance syndrome. Furthermore, the
      prevalence of hypertension increases with age and the hemodynamic pattern of
      hypertension in older subjects is not characterized by increased heart rate.
      CONCLUSIONS: These reasons, in addition to the fact that heart rate is variable
      and depends on multiple factors, may explain why not all patients with
      hypertension are tachycardic at rest.

PMID- 28911309
TI  - Formulation, Quality Control and Safety Issues of Nanocarriers Used for Cancer
      Treatment.
AB  - Cancer is becoming a leading cause of death in the last years. Although we have
      seen great advances, most human cancers remain incurable because many patients
      either do not respond or relapse to treatment. Several lines of research are
      disclosing new therapeutic targets which lead to new active drugs. However, there
      are still unsolved problems related to stabilization of the pharmaceutical
      ingredient in aqueous and biological media, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
      profiles and cellular uptake to name just a few. In this context, nanotechnology
      with the emerging tools of nanoengineering offers many possibilities to guide the
      design of new products with improved safety and efficacy. The presence of several
      reacting groups and the sensitivity of their properties to small changes in
      composition make nanocarriers tunable not only to modify their stability in a
      particular environment but also to respond to changes in biological situations in
      the right place and time frame. This review summarizes the main preparation
      methods and formulation strategies of nano and microcarriers designed for drug
      delivery applications for cancer treatment and will attempt to give a glimpse on
      how their structure, shape, physico-chemical properties and chemical composition
      may affect their overall stability and interactions with biological systems. We
      will also cover aspects of nanoengineering that are opening new opportunities for
      the development of more effective nanomedicines, emphasizing on the challenges
      that have to be kept in mind when dealing with biological activities of
      nanocarriers that depend not only on their chemical composition but also on those
      of the structures formed by them and by their interactions with biological
      systems. From this, a very important issue that emerges is that nanocarriers
      frequently display an intrinsic bioactivity (i.e.: immunomodulatory). Therefore,
      it should be stressed that nanocarriers cannot be considered as inert,
      biocompatible excipients. Furthermore, their biological activity will mostly
      depend on the physical and chemical properties of the structures of the
      nanoparticles that are presented to living systems. As an approach to the
      rational design of new pharmaceutical products, nanoengineering is providing new
      tools for the precise control of the properties of nanocarriers for cancer
      treatment.

PMID- 28911310
TI  - How to Treat Patients with Essential Hypertension and Peripheral Arterial
      Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension (AH) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
      frequently coincide. While significant attention is paid to AH, PAD is often
      underestimated. It is known that both AH and PAD present high cardiovascular
      risks for ischemic events. To date, the use of the most common anti-hypertensive
      drugs in PAD patients is still under debate. METHODS: Data from studies of large
      populations and minor cohorts of patients show AH and PAD together or PAD alone.
      RESULTS: cardiovascular and renal outcomes for PAD patients show lowered arterial
      pressure. We cannot rank the class of anti-hypertensive drugs recommended for PAD
      patients with AH. However, optimum targeted anti-hypertensive therapy is strongly
      recommended by cardiology guidelines. CONCLUSION: comprehensive cardiovascular
      protection is the most important goal in using anti-AH drugs in PAD together with
      other drugs such as anti-platelets and statins.

PMID- 28911311
TI  - PLANTS IN THE CRISPR.
AB  - Sarah Webb explores how researchers are using CRISPR/Cas9 to solve agricultural
      problems.

PMID- 28911312
TI  - PERSISTENT EPIGENETIC MEMORY.
AB  - Nematodes transmit environmental information, such as temperature or food
      availability, across generations. Amber Dance looks at how this is possible.

PMID- 28911313
TI  - [Letter to the Editor] Incorrect assignment of affected nucleotides in
      footprinting/probing experiments.
AB  - Address correspondence to Sergey Belikov or Lars Wieslander, Department of
      Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, SE-106 91
      Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: sergey.belikov@su.se or lars.wieslander@su.se.

PMID- 28911314
TI  - Construction of a combinatorial library of chimeric tumor-specific promoters.
AB  - Gene therapy is a fast-developing field of molecular medicine. New, effective,
      and cancer-specific promoters are in high demand by researchers seeking to treat
      cancer through expression of therapeutic genes. Here, we created a combinatorial
      library of tumor-specific chimeric promoter modules for identifying new promoters
      with desired functions. The library was constructed by randomly combining
      promoter fragments from eight human genes involved in cell proliferation control.
      The pool of chimeric promoters was inserted into a lentiviral expression vector
      upstream of the CopGFP reporter gene, transduced into A431 cells, and enriched
      for active promoters by cell sorting. The enriched library contained a remarkably
      high proportion of active and tumor-specific promoters. This approach to
      generating combinatorial libraries of chimeric promoters may serve as a useful
      tool for selecting highly specific and effective promoters for cancer research
      and gene therapy.

PMID- 28911315
TI  - Direct quantification of protein glycan phosphorylation.
AB  - Phosphorylation is an important post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins
      and a critical quality attribute for protein therapeutics, especially if it is
      required for protein function or sub-cellular targeting. Most current methods to
      quantify phosphorylation are time-consuming, indirect, or require specific
      instrumentation and technical skills. Here, we report the adaptation of a
      phosphate-specific binding dye and common laboratory instruments for
      quantification of relative amounts of phosphorylated glycans as well as
      phosphorylation of amino acid residues on the backbones of proteins. Our results
      show that quantification of phosphorylation using the new method agrees with
      published data on the number of phosphorylated glycosylation sites for two
      lysosomal enzymes: beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and cathepsin D.

PMID- 28911316
TI  - Optimizing T4 DNA polymerase conditions enhances the efficiency of one-step
      sequence- and ligation-independent cloning.
AB  - Previously, we developed a one-step sequence- and ligation-independent cloning
      (SLIC) method that is simple, fast, and cost-effective. However, although one
      step SLIC generally works well, its cloning efficiency is occasionally poor,
      potentially due to formation of stable secondary structures within the single
      stranded DNA (ssDNA) region generated by T4 DNA polymerase during the 2.5 min
      treatment at room temperature. To overcome this problem, we developed a modified
      thermo-regulated one-step SLIC approach by testing shorter T4 DNA polymerase
      treatment durations (5 s-2.5 min) over a wide range of temperatures (25-75
      degrees C). The highest cloning efficiency resulted when inserts with homology
      lengths <20 bases were treated with T4 DNA polymerase for 30 s at 50 degrees C.
      This briefer T4 polymerase treatment at a higher temperature helps increase
      cloning efficiency for inserts with strong secondary structures at their ends,
      increasing the utility of one-step SLIC for the cloning of short fragments.

PMID- 28911317
TI  - Generation of iPS-derived model cells for analyses of hair shaft differentiation.
AB  - Biological evaluation of hair growth/differentiation activity in vitro has been a
      formidable challenge, primarily due to the lack of relevant model cell systems.
      To solve this problem, we generated a stable model cell line in which successive
      differentiation via epidermal progenitors to hair components is easily inducible
      and traceable. Mouse induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cells were
      selected to stably express a tetracycline (Tet)-inducible bone morphogenic
      protein-4 (BMP4) expression cassette and a luciferase reporter driven by a hair
      specific keratin 31 gene (krt31) promoter (Tet-BMP4-KRT31-Luc iPS). While Tet-
      BMP4-KRT31-Luc iPS cells could be maintained as stable iPS cells, the cells
      differentiated to produce luciferase luminescence in the presence of all-trans
      retinoic acid (RA) and doxycycline (Dox), and addition of a hair differentiation
      factor significantly increased luciferase fluorescence. Thus, this cell line may
      provide a reliable cell-based screening system to evaluate drug candidates for
      hair differentiation activity.

PMID- 28911318
TI  - Development and Optimization of a High Titer Recombinant Lentivirus System.
AB  - To enable simple and effective high titer recombinant lentivirus production, we
      examined key parameters for the generation of lentivirus including: transfection
      optimization, media change, incubation time and DNA vector selection. These
      results illustrate the importance of optimizing transfection processes for high
      titer recombinant lentivirus production.

PMID- 28911320
TI  - Practicing governance towards equity in health systems: LMIC perspectives and
      experience.
AB  - The unifying theme of the papers in this series is a concern for understanding
      the everyday practice of governance in low- and middle-income country (LMIC)
      health systems. Rather than seeing governance as a normative health system goal
      addressed through the architecture and design of accountability and regulatory
      frameworks, these papers provide insights into the real-world decision-making of
      health policy and system actors. Their multiple, routine decisions translate
      policy intentions into practice - and are filtered through relationships,
      underpinned by values and norms, influenced by organizational structures and
      resources, and embedded in historical and socio-political contexts. These
      decisions are also political acts - in that they influence who accesses benefits
      and whose voices are heard in decision-making, reinforcing or challenging
      existing institutional exclusion and power inequalities. In other words, the
      everyday practice of governance has direct impacts on health system equity.The
      papers in the series address governance through diverse health policy and system
      issues, consider actors located at multiple levels of the system and draw on
      multi-disciplinary perspectives. They present detailed examination of experiences
      in a range of African and Indian settings, led by authors who live and work in
      these settings. The overall purpose of the papers in this series is thus to
      provide an empirical and embedded research perspective on governance and equity
      in health systems.

PMID- 28911321
TI  - Q&A: The brain under a mesoscope: the forest and the trees.
AB  - Neurons relevant to a particular behavior are often widely dispersed across the
      brain. To record activity in groups of individual neurons that might be
      distributed across large distances, neuroscientists and optical engineers have
      been developing a new type of microscope called a mesoscope. Mesoscopes have high
      spatial resolution and a large field of view. This Q&A will discuss this exciting
      new technology, highlighting a particular instrument, the two-photon random
      access mesoscope (2pRAM).

PMID- 28911322
TI  - Sharing fishers' ethnoecological knowledge of the European pilchard (Sardina
      pilchardus) in the westernmost fishing community in Europe.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the present difficulties in the conservation of sardines in the
      North Atlantic, it is important to investigate the local ecological knowledge
      (LEK) of fishermen about the biology and ecology of these fish. The
      ethnoecological data of European pilchard provided by local fishermen can be of
      importance for the management and conservation of this fishery resource. Thus,
      the present study recorded the ethnoecological knowledge of S. pilchardus in the
      traditional fishing community of Peniche, Portugal. METHODS: This study was based
      on 87 semi-structured interviews conducted randomly from June to September 2016
      in Peniche. The interview script contained two main points: Profile of fishermen
      and LEK on European pilchard. The ethnoecological data of sardines were compared
      with the scientific literature following an emic-etic approach. Data collected
      also were also analysed following the union model of the different individual
      competences and carefully explored to guarantee the objectivity of the study.
      RESULTS: The profile of the fishermen was investigated and measured. Respondents
      provided detailed informal data on the taxonomy, habitat, behaviour, migration,
      development, spawning and fat accumulation season of sardines that showed
      agreements with the biological data already published on the species. The main
      uses of sardines by fishermen, as well as beliefs and food taboos have also been
      mentioned by the local community. CONCLUSIONS: The generated ethnoecological data
      can be used to improve the management of this fishery resource through an
      adaptive framework among the actors involved, in addition to providing data that
      can be tested in further ecological studies. Therefore, this local knowledge may
      have the capacity to contribute to more effective conservation actions for
      sardines in Portugal.

PMID- 28911323
TI  - Exploring how different modes of governance act across health system levels to
      influence primary healthcare facility managers' use of information in decision
      making: experience from Cape Town, South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Governance, which includes decision-making at all levels of the
      health system, and information have been identified as key, interacting levers of
      health system strengthening. However there is an extensive literature detailing
      the challenges of supporting health managers to use formal information from
      health information systems (HISs) in their decision-making. While health
      information needs differ across levels of the health system there has been
      surprisingly little empirical work considering what information is actually used
      by primary healthcare facility managers in managing, and making decisions about,
      service delivery. This paper, therefore, specifically examines experience from
      Cape Town, South Africa, asking the question: How is primary healthcare facility
      managers' use of information for decision-making influenced by governance across
      levels of the health system? The research is novel in that it both explores what
      information these facility managers actually use in decision-making, and
      considers how wider governance processes influence this information use. METHODS:
      An academic researcher and four facility managers worked as co-researchers in a
      multi-case study in which three areas of management were served as the cases.
      There were iterative cycles of data collection and collaborative analysis with
      individual and peer reflective learning over a period of three years. RESULTS:
      Central governance shaped what information and knowledge was valued - and,
      therefore, generated and used at lower system levels. The central level valued
      formal health information generated in the district-based HIS which therefore
      attracted management attention across the levels of the health system in terms of
      design, funding and implementation. This information was useful in the top-down
      practices of planning and management of the public health system. However, in
      facilities at the frontline of service delivery, there was a strong requirement
      for local, disaggregated information and experiential knowledge to make locally
      appropriate and responsive decisions, and to perform the people management tasks
      required. Despite central level influences, modes of governance operating at the
      subdistrict level had influence over what information was valued, generated and
      used locally. CONCLUSIONS: Strengthening local level managers' ability to create
      enabling environments is an important leverage point in supporting informed local
      decision-making, and, in turn, translating national policies and priorities,
      including equity goals, into appropriate service delivery practices.

PMID- 28911324
TI  - Leadership and governance of community health worker programmes at scale: a cross
      case analysis of provincial implementation in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: National community health worker (CHW) programmes are returning to
      favour as an integral part of primary health care systems, often on the back of
      pre-existing community based initiatives. There are significant challenges to the
      integration and support of such programmes, and they require coordination and
      stewardship at all levels of the health system. This paper explores the
      leadership and governance tasks of large-scale CHW programmes at sub-national
      level, through the case of national reforms to South Africa's community based
      sector, referred to as the Ward Based Outreach Team (WBOT) strategy. METHODS: A
      cross case analysis of leadership and governance roles, drawing on three case
      studies of adoption and implementation of the WBOTs strategy at provincial level
      (Western Cape, North West and Gauteng) was conducted. The primary case studies
      mapped system components and assessed implementation processes and contexts. They
      involved teams of researchers and over 200 interviews with stakeholders from
      senior to frontline, document reviews and analyses of routine data. The
      secondary, cross case analysis specifically focused on the issues and challenges
      facing, and strategies adopted by provincial and district policy makers and
      managers, as they engaged with the new national mandate. From this key sub
      national leadership and governance roles were formulated. RESULTS: Four key roles
      are identified and discussed: 1. Negotiating a fit between national mandates and
      provincial and district histories and strategies of community based services 2.
      Defining new organisational and accountability relationships between CHWs, local
      health services, communities and NGOs 3. Revising and developing new aligned and
      integrated planning, human resource, financing and information systems 4. Leading
      change by building new collective visions, mobilising political, including
      budgetary, support and designing implementation strategies. CONCLUSIONS: This
      analysis, from real-life systems, adds to understanding of the processes involved
      in developing CHW programmes at scale, and specifically the negotiated and
      multilevel nature of leadership and governance in such programmes, spanning
      analytic, managerial, technical and political roles.

PMID- 28911325
TI  - How does decentralisation affect health sector planning and financial management?
      a case study of early effects of devolution in Kilifi County, Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A common challenge for health sector planning and budgeting has been
      the misalignment between policies, technical planning and budgetary allocation;
      and inadequate community involvement in priority setting. Health system
      decentralisation has often been promoted to address health sector planning and
      budgeting challenges through promoting community participation, accountability,
      and technical efficiency in resource management. In 2010, Kenya passed a new
      constitution that introduced 47 semi-autonomous devolved county governments, and
      a substantial transfer of responsibility for healthcare from the central
      government to these counties. METHODS: This study analysed the effects of this
      major political decentralization on health sector planning, budgeting and overall
      financial management at county level. We used a qualitative, case study design
      focusing on Kilifi County, and were guided by a conceptual framework which drew
      on decentralisation and policy analysis theories. Qualitative data were collected
      through document reviews, key informant interviews, and participant and non
      participant observations conducted over an eighteen months' period. RESULTS: We
      found that the implementation of devolution created an opportunity for local
      level prioritisation and community involvement in health sector planning and
      budgeting hence increasing opportunities for equity in local level resource
      allocation. However, this opportunity was not harnessed due to accelerated
      transfer of functions to counties before county level capacity had been
      established to undertake the decentralised functions. We also observed some
      indication of re-centralisation of financial management from health facility to
      county level. CONCLUSION: We conclude by arguing that, to enhance the benefits of
      decentralised health systems, resource allocation, priority setting and financial
      management functions between central and decentralised units are guided by
      considerations around decision space, organisational structure and capacity, and
      accountability. In acknowledging the political nature of decentralisation
      polices, we recommend that health sector policy actors develop a broad
      understanding of the countries' political context when designing and implementing
      technical strategies for health sector decentralisation.

PMID- 28911326
TI  - Borrelia infection and risk of celiac disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental factors, including infectious agents, are speculated to
      play a role in the rising prevalence and the geographic distribution of celiac
      disease, an autoimmune disorder. In the USA and Sweden where the regional
      variation in the frequency of celiac disease has been studied, a similarity with
      the geographic distribution of Lyme disease, an emerging multisystemic infection
      caused by Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes, has been found, thus raising the
      possibility of a link. We aimed to determine if infection with Borrelia
      contributes to an increased risk of celiac disease. METHODS: Biopsy reports from
      all of Sweden's pathology departments were used to identify 15,769 individuals
      with celiac disease. Through linkage to the nationwide Patient Register, we
      compared the rate of earlier occurrence of Lyme disease in the patients with
      celiac disease to that in 78,331 matched controls. To further assess the temporal
      relationship between Borrelia infection and celiac disease, we also examined the
      risk of subsequent Lyme disease in patients with a diagnosis of celiac disease.
      RESULTS: Twenty-five individuals (0.16%) with celiac disease had a prior
      diagnosis of Lyme disease, whereas 79 (0.5%) had a subsequent diagnosis of Lyme
      disease. A modest association between Lyme disease and celiac disease was seen
      both before (odds ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-2.47) and after
      the diagnosis of celiac disease (hazard ratio, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.40-2.35), with the
      risk of disease being highest in the first year of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Only a
      minor fraction of the celiac disease patient population had a prior diagnosis of
      Lyme disease. The similar association between Lyme disease and celiac disease
      both before and after the diagnosis of celiac disease is strongly suggestive of
      surveillance bias as a likely contributor. Taken together, the data indicate that
      Borrelia infection is not a substantive risk factor in the development of celiac
      disease.

PMID- 28911327
TI  - Negotiating power relations, gender equality, and collective agency: are village
      health committees transformative social spaces in northern India?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Participatory health initiatives ideally support progressive social
      change and stronger collective agency for marginalized groups. However, this
      empowering potential is often limited by inequalities within communities and
      between communities and outside actors (i.e. government officials, policymakers).
      We examined how the participatory initiative of Village Health, Sanitation, and
      Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) can enable and hinder the renegotiation of power in
      rural north India. METHODS: Over 18 months, we conducted 74 interviews and 18
      focus groups with VHSNC members (including female community health workers and
      local government officials), non-VHSNC community members, NGO staff, and higher
      level functionaries. We observed 54 VHSNC-related events (such as trainings and
      meetings). Initial thematic network analysis supported further examination of
      power relations, gendered "social spaces," and the "discourses of responsibility"
      that affected collective agency. RESULTS: VHSNCs supported some re-negotiation of
      intra-community inequalities, for example by enabling some women to speak in
      front of men and perform assertive public roles. However, the extent to which
      these new gender dynamics transformed relations beyond the VHSNC was limited.
      Furthermore, inequalities between the community and outside stakeholders were re
      entrenched through a "discourse of responsibility": The comparatively powerful
      outside stakeholders emphasized community responsibility for improving health
      without acknowledging or correcting barriers to effective VHSNC action. In
      response, some community members blamed peers for not taking up this
      responsibility, reinforcing a negative collective identity where participation
      was futile because no one would work for the greater good. Others resisted this
      discourse, arguing that the VHSNC alone was not responsible for taking action:
      Government must also intervene. This counter-narrative also positioned VHSNC
      participation as futile. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to strengthen participation
      in health systems can engender social transformation. However they must consider
      how changing power relations can be sustained outside participatory spaces, and
      how discourse frames the rationale for community participation.

PMID- 28911328
TI  - Devolution and its effects on health workforce and commodities management - early
      implementation experiences in Kilifi County, Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Decentralisation is argued to promote community participation,
      accountability, technical efficiency, and equity in the management of resources,
      and has been a recurring theme in health system reforms for several decades. In
      2010, Kenya passed a new constitution that introduced 47 semi-autonomous county
      governments, with substantial transfer of responsibility for health service
      delivery from the central government to these counties. Focusing on two key
      elements of the health system, Human Resources for Health (HRH) and Essential
      Medicines and Medical Supplies (EMMS) management, we analysed the early
      implementation experiences of this major governance reform at county level.
      METHODS: We employed a qualitative case study design, focusing on Kilifi County,
      and adapted the decision space framework developed by Bossert et al., to guide
      our inquiry and analysis. Data were collected through document reviews, key
      informant interviews, and participant and non-participant observations between
      December 2012 and December 2014. RESULTS: As with other county level functions,
      HRH and EMMS management functions were rapidly transferred to counties before
      appropriate county-level structures and adequate capacity to undertake these
      functions were in place. For HRH, this led to major disruptions in staff salary
      payments, political interference with HRH management functions and confusion over
      HRH management roles. There was also lack of clarity over specific roles and
      responsibilities at county and national government, and of key players at each
      level. Subsequently health worker strikes and mass resignations were witnessed.
      With EMMS, significant delays in procurement led to long stock-outs of essential
      drugs in health facilities. However, when the county finally managed to procure
      drugs, health facilities reported a better order fill-rate compared to the period
      prior to devolution. CONCLUSION: The devolved government system in Kenya has
      significantly increased county level decision-space for HRH and EMMS management
      functions. However, harnessing the full potential benefits of this increased
      autonomy requires targeted interventions to clarify the roles and
      responsibilities of different actors at all levels of the new system, and to
      build capacity of the counties to undertake certain specific HRH and EMMS
      management tasks. Capacity considerations should always be central when designing
      health sector decentralisation policies.

PMID- 28911329
TI  - Psoriasis-associated vascular disease: the role of HDL.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease with a prevalence of 2-3%.
      Overwhelming evidence show an epidemiological association between psoriasis,
      cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular disease is the most
      frequent cause of death in patients with severe psoriasis. Several cardiovascular
      disease classical risk factors are also increased in psoriasis but the psoriasis
      associated risk persists after adjusting for other risk factors.Investigation has
      focused on finding explanations for these epidemiological data. Several studies
      have demonstrated significant lipid metabolism and HDL composition and function
      alterations in psoriatic patients. Altered HDL function is clearly one of the
      mechanisms involved, as these particles are of the utmost importance in
      atherosclerosis defense. Recent data indicate that biologic therapy can reverse
      both structural and functional HDL alterations in psoriasis, reinforcing their
      therapeutic potential.

PMID- 28911330
TI  - Extensive transcriptomic and epigenomic remodelling occurs during Arabidopsis
      thaliana germination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Seed germination involves progression from complete metabolic
      dormancy to a highly active, growing seedling. Many factors regulate germination
      and these interact extensively, forming a complex network of inputs that control
      the seed-to-seedling transition. Our understanding of the direct regulation of
      gene expression and the dynamic changes in the epigenome and small RNAs during
      germination is limited. The interactions between genome, transcriptome and
      epigenome must be revealed in order to identify the regulatory mechanisms that
      control seed germination. RESULTS: We present an integrated analysis of high
      resolution RNA sequencing, small RNA sequencing and MethylC sequencing over ten
      developmental time points in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, finding extensive
      transcriptomic and epigenomic transformations associated with seed germination.
      We identify previously unannotated loci from which messenger RNAs are expressed
      transiently during germination and find widespread alternative splicing and
      divergent isoform abundance of genes involved in RNA processing and splicing. We
      generate the first dynamic transcription factor network model of germination,
      identifying known and novel regulatory factors. Expression of both microRNA and
      short interfering RNA loci changes significantly during germination, particularly
      between the seed and the post-germinative seedling. These are associated with
      changes in gene expression and large-scale demethylation observed towards the end
      of germination, as the epigenome transitions from an embryo-like to a vegetative
      seedling state. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals the complex dynamics and
      interactions of the transcriptome and epigenome during seed germination,
      including the extensive remodelling of the seed DNA methylome from an embryo-like
      to vegetative-like state during the seed-to-seedling transition. Data are
      available for exploration in a user-friendly browser at
      https://jbrowse.latrobe.edu.au/germination_epigenome .

PMID- 28911332
TI  - "We are toothless and hanging, but optimistic": sub county managers' experiences
      of rapid devolution in coastal Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In March 2013, Kenya transitioned from a centralized to a devolved
      system of governance. Within the health sector, this entailed the transfer of
      service provision functions to 47 newly formed semi-autonomous counties, while
      policy and regulatory functions were retained at the national level. The
      devolution process was rapid rather than progressive. METHODS: We conducted
      qualitative research within one county to examine the early experiences of
      devolution in the health sector. We specifically focused on the experience of
      change from the perspective of sub-county managers, who form the link between
      county level managers and health facility managers. We collected data by
      observing a diverse range of management meetings, support supervision visits and
      outreach activities involving sub-county managers between May 2013 and June 2015,
      conducting informal interviews wherever we could. Informal observations and
      interviews were supplemented by fifteen tape recorded in depth interviews with
      purposively selected sub-county managers from three sub-counties. RESULTS: We
      found that sub county managers as with many other health system actors were
      anxious about and ill-prepared for the unexpectedly rapid devolution of health
      functions to the newly created county government. They experienced loss of
      autonomy and resources in addition to confused lines of accountability within the
      health system. However, they harnessed individual, team and stakeholder resources
      to maintain their jobs, and continued to play a central role in supporting
      peripheral facility managers to cope with change. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      illustrates the importance in accelerated devolution contexts for: 1) mid-level
      managers to adopt new ways of working and engagement with higher and lower levels
      in the system; 2) clear lines of communication during reforms to these actors and
      3) anticipating and managing the effect of change on intangible software issues
      such as trust and motivation. More broadly, we show the value of examining
      organisational change from the perspective of key actors within the system, and
      highlight the importance in times of rapid change of drawing upon and working
      with those already in the system. These actors have valuable tacit knowledge, but
      tapping into and building on this knowledge to enable positive response in times
      of health system shocks requires greater attention to sustained software capacity
      building within the health system.

PMID- 28911331
TI  - Dynamic DNA methylation reconfiguration during seed development and germination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unlike animals, plants can pause their life cycle as dormant seeds.
      In both plants and animals, DNA methylation is involved in the regulation of gene
      expression and genome integrity. In animals, reprogramming erases and re
      establishes DNA methylation during development. However, knowledge of
      reprogramming or reconfiguration in plants has been limited to pollen and the
      central cell. To better understand epigenetic reconfiguration in the embryo,
      which forms the plant body, we compared time-series methylomes of dry and
      germinating seeds to publicly available seed development methylomes. RESULTS:
      Time-series whole genome bisulfite sequencing reveals extensive gain of CHH
      methylation during seed development and drastic loss of CHH methylation during
      germination. These dynamic changes in methylation mainly occur within
      transposable elements. Active DNA methylation during seed development depends on
      both RNA-directed DNA methylation and heterochromatin formation pathways, whereas
      global demethylation during germination occurs in a passive manner. However, an
      active DNA demethylation pathway is initiated during late seed development.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new insights into dynamic DNA methylation
      reprogramming events during seed development and germination and suggests
      possible mechanisms of regulation. The observed sequential
      methylation/demethylation cycle suggests an important role of DNA methylation in
      seed dormancy.

PMID- 28911333
TI  - Profiling bacterial communities by MinION sequencing of ribosomal operons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An approach utilizing the long-read capability of the Oxford Nanopore
      MinION to rapidly sequence bacterial ribosomal operons of complex natural
      communities was developed. Microbial fingerprinting employs domain-specific
      forward primers (16S rRNA subunit), reverse primers (23S rRNA subunit), and a
      high-fidelity Taq polymerase with proofreading capabilities. Amplicons contained
      both ribosomal subunits for broad-based phylogenetic assignment (~ 3900 bp of
      sequence), plus the intergenic spacer (ITS) region (~ 300 bp) for potential
      strain-specific identification. RESULTS: To test the approach, bacterial rRNA
      operons (~ 4200 bp) were amplified from six DNA samples employing a mixture of
      farm soil and bioreactor DNA in known concentrations. Each DNA sample mixture was
      barcoded, sequenced in quadruplicate (n = 24), on two separate 6-h runs using the
      MinION system (R7.3 flow cell; MAP005 and 006 chemistry). From nearly 90,000
      MinION reads, roughly 33,000 forward and reverse sequences were obtained. This
      yielded over 10,000 2D sequences which were analyzed using a simplified data
      analysis pipeline based on NCBI Blast and assembly with Geneious software. The
      method could detect over 1000 operational taxonomic units in the sample sets in a
      quantitative manner. Global sequence coverage for the various rRNA operons ranged
      from 1 to 1951x. An iterative assembly scheme was developed to reconstruct those
      rRNA operons with > 35x coverage from a set of 30 operational taxonomic units
      (OTUs) among the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, and
      Gemmatimonadetes. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA genes from
      each operon demonstrated similar tree topologies with species/strain-level
      resolution. CONCLUSIONS: This sequencing method represents a cost-effective way
      to profile microbial communities. Because the MinION is small, portable, and runs
      on a laptop, the possibility of microbiota characterization in the field or on
      robotic platforms becomes realistic.

PMID- 28911334
TI  - Slow-release praziquantel for dogs: presentation of a new formulation for
      echinococcosis control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Echinococcosis is a serious, zoonotic, parasitic disease with
      worldwide distribution. According to a epidemiological survey in 2012 in China,
      there are 20,000 infected patients and more than 50 million people at the risk.
      As the dog is the main, definitive host, the Government of China encourages
      monthly praziquantel treatment of every dog. However, this is difficult to
      achieve in geographically challenging areas, such as the Tibetan plateau, where
      there are also many dogs without owners. To overcome these problems, we
      investigated the transmission blocking capacity of a slow-release formulation of
      praziquantel administered by subcutaneous injection. METHODS: The impact of a
      slow-release preparation of two pharmacokinetically stereoselective praziquantel
      enantiomers, i.e., R-(-)-praziquantel (R-PZQ) and S-(+)-praziquantel (S-PZQ)
      absorbed into a biodegradable polymer was studied in beagle dogs (N = 6). The
      preparation was given by subcutaneous injection using a single dose of 100 mg/kg.
      Chiral-selective, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high
      resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) were applied to measure the praziquantel
      enantiomers in the plasma of the dogs. The lower limit for estimating plasma
      concentrations accurately for R-PZQ was 4 ng/ml and for S-PZQ 20 ng/ml. The
      pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by a noncompartmental analysis model
      using Drug Analyze System (DAS) software 2.0. The SPSS 19.0 software was used for
      statistical analysis, and the statistical comparison between enantiomers was
      assessed using the two-tailed t-test. RESULTS: Two hours after administration,
      peak concentrations of R-PZQ and S-PZQ: 321 +/- 26 and 719 +/- 263 ng/ml,
      respectively, were achieved. After 180 days, the average plasma concentration of
      R-PZQ in the six dogs had decreased to 13 ng/ml. The average concentration value
      of S-PZQ was higher than that of R-PZQ in the first 90-day period but fell
      afterwards and could not be accurately estimated when dropping below 20 ng/ml
      (the lower methodological limit for this enantiomer). Taking all the dogs into
      account, the average maximum concentration (Cmax) of S-PZQ in plasma over the
      first 3 months was higher than that of R-PZQ by 114.0% (P < 0.05), while the
      average mean retention time (MRT) of R-PZQ in plasma was higher than that of S
      PZQ by 96.3% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Praziquantel given as an in situ slow
      release formulation by subcutaneous injection resulted in concentrations of the
      active principle in beagle dogs, which should be capable of resisting new
      Echinococcus infections for at least 6 months. The new formulation of
      praziquantel represents a potential, alternative way of presenting medication
      against tapeworm infections in dogs.

PMID- 28911335
TI  - Mammary phyllodes tumor with six episodes of a relapse: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phyllodes tumor is a rare breast mass. Most phyllodes tumors are
      benign, but occasionally some show malignancy. Even if the tumors are benign,
      they can easily show recurrence. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 48-year
      old Asian woman, who had previously undergone a tumorectomy of her left breast 12
      years before, with a pathological diagnosis of fibroadenoma. Five years after the
      initial tumorectomy, the patient presented with an abnormally enlarged left
      breast. A biopsy determined the growth to be a phyllodes tumor; subsequently, a
      partial mastectomy was conducted. However, the patient's left breast showed rapid
      enlargement in the next 5 months. The treating physicians suspected a relapse and
      subsequently consulted with our hospital. The breast mass was resected at our
      institution. After this surgery, the patient had repeated episodes of relapse and
      underwent four additional operations. Since then, the patient has not had any
      additional relapse so far. CONCLUSIONS: We present a case of a phyllodes tumor
      with multiple episodes of relapse. Although phyllodes tumors commonly show
      relapse, this case was unique because of the number of episodes of relapse. This
      case highlights the need to carry out tumorectomy with adequate margins with
      subsequent careful observation to check for relapse.

PMID- 28911336
TI  - Genome build information is an essential part of genomic track files.
AB  - Genomic locations are represented as coordinates on a specific genome build
      version, but the build information is frequently missing when coordinates are
      provided. We show that this information is essential to correctly interpret and
      analyse the genomic intervals contained in genomic track files. Although not a
      substitute for best practices, we also provide a tool to predict the genome build
      version of genomic track files.

PMID- 28911337
TI  - Postings and transfers in the Ghanaian health system: a study of health workforce
      governance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Decision-making on postings and transfers - that is, the geographic
      deployment of the health workforce - is a key element of health workforce
      governance. When poorly managed, postings and transfers result in
      maldistribution, absenteeism, and low morale. At stake is managing the balance
      between organisational (i.e., health system) and individual (i.e., staff
      preference) needs. The negotiation of this potential convergence or divergence of
      interests provides a window on practices of postings and transfers, and on the
      micro-practices of governance in health systems more generally. This article
      explores the policies and processes, and the interplay between formal and
      informal rules and norms which underpin postings and transfers practice in two
      rural districts in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. METHODS: Semi-structured
      interviews were conducted with eight district managers and 87 frontline staff
      from the district health administration, district hospital, polyclinic, health
      centres and community outreach compounds across two districts. Interviews sought
      to understand how the postings and transfers process works in practice, factors
      in frontline staff and district manager decision-making, personal experiences in
      being posted, and study leave as a common strategy for obtaining transfers.
      RESULTS: Differential negotiation-spaces at regional and district level exist and
      inform postings and transfers in practice. This is in contrast to the formal
      cascaded rules set to govern decision-making authority for postings and
      transfers. Many frontline staff lack policy clarity of postings and transfers
      processes and thus 'test' the system through informal staff lobbying, compounding
      staff perception of the postings and transfers process as being unfair. District
      managers are also challenged with limited decision-space embedded in broader
      policy contexts of systemic hierarchy and resource dependence. This underscores
      the negotiation process as ongoing, rather than static. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings point to tensions between individual and organisational goals. This
      article contributes to a burgeoning literature on postings and transfers as a
      distinct dynamic which bridges the interactions between health systems governance
      and health workforce development. Importantly, this article helps to expand the
      notion of health systems governance beyond 'good' governance towards
      understanding governance as a process of negotiation.

PMID- 28911339
TI  - Emerging treatments for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.
AB  - Dementia is referred to a loss of memory and decline in other mental abilities at
      levels critical enough to hinder performance of daily activities. It can be of
      several types, depending on the underlying pathophysiology. The behavioral and
      psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are various, but the most clinically
      significant are depression, apathy, and anxiety. Other BPSD include agitation,
      aberrant motor behavior, elation, hallucinations, and alterations in sleep and
      appetite. About 90% of sufferers of dementia are affected by BPSD during the
      course of the illness. These symptoms occur in demented patients irrespective of
      the dementia subtype. However, there has not been significant development in the
      areas of disease-modifying pharmacotherapeutics for dementia. Therefore, tackling
      BPSD has emerged as a research avenue in the recent past. Existing
      antidepressants, antipsychotics, and cholinergic agents have been extensively
      used in the treatment of BPSD, independently and in different combinations.
      However, these agents have not successful in completely alleviating such
      symptoms. Research in this field is going on globally, but it is still limited by
      various factors. There is a strong need to develop new entities and test them
      clinically. This review focuses on emerging treatments for the management of
      clinically significant BPSD.

PMID- 28911338
TI  - Organisational culture and trust as influences over the implementation of equity
      oriented policy in two South African case study hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper uses the concepts of organisational culture and
      organisational trust to explore the implementation of equity-oriented policies -
      the Uniform Patient Fee Schedule (UPFS) and Patients' Rights Charter (PRC) - in
      two South African district hospitals. It contributes to the small literatures on
      organisational culture and trust in low- and middle-income country health
      systems, and broader work on health systems' people-centeredness and "software".
      METHODS: The research entailed semi-structured interviews (Hospital A n = 115,
      Hospital B n = 80) with provincial, regional, district and hospital managers, as
      well as clinical and non-clinical hospital staff, hospital board members, and
      patients; observations of policy implementation, organisational functioning,
      staff interactions and patient-provider interactions; and structured surveys
      operationalising the Competing Values Framework for measuring organisational
      culture (Hospital A n = 155, Hospital B n = 77) and Organisational Trust
      Inventory (Hospital A n = 185, Hospital B n = 92) for assessing staff-manager
      trust. RESULTS: Regarding the UPFS, the hospitals' implementation approaches were
      similar in that both primarily understood it to be about revenue generation,
      granting fee exemptions was not a major focus, and considerable activity,
      facility management support, and provincial support was mobilised behind the
      UPFS. The hospitals' PRC paths diverged quite significantly, as Hospital A was
      more explicit in communicating and implementing the PRC, while the policy also
      enjoyed stronger managerial support in Hospital A than Hospital B. Beneath these
      experiences lie differences in how people's values, decisions and relationships
      influence health system functioning and in how the nature of policies, culture,
      trust and power dynamics can combine to create enabling or disabling micro-level
      implementation environments. CONCLUSIONS: Achieving equity in practice requires
      managers to take account of "unseen" but important factors such as organisational
      culture and trust, which are key aspects of the organisational context that can
      profoundly influence policies. In addition to implementation "hardware" such as
      putting in place necessary staff and resources, it emphasises "software"
      implementation tasks such as relationship management and the negotiation of
      values, where equity-oriented policies might be interpreted as challenging health
      workers' status and values, and paying careful attention to how policies are
      practically framed and translated into practice, to ensure key equity aspects are
      not neglected.

PMID- 28911340
TI  - Ursolic Acid Attenuates TGF-beta1 Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in
      NSCLC by Targeting Integrin alphaVbeta5/MMPs Signaling.
AB  - Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1)-induced epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT) of non-small-cell carcinoma (NSCLC) may contribute to tumor
      metastasis. TGF-beta1-induced EMT in H1975 cells (a human NSCLC cell line)
      resulted in the adoption of mesenchymal responses that were predominantly
      mediated via the TGF-beta1-integrin signaling pathway. Ursolic acid has been
      previously reported to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in several cancers.
      However, whether ursolic acid can attenuate TGF-beta1-induced EMT in H1975 cells
      and its underlying mechanisms remains unknown. In this study, ursolic acid
      significantly attenuated the TGF-beta1-induced decrease in E-cadherin level and
      elevated the level of N-cadherin. Furthermore, ursolic acid inhibited the
      mesenchymal-like responses in H1975 cells, including cell migration, invasion and
      activity of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-2 and -9. Finally, our new findings
      provided evidence that, ursolic acid could inhibit EMT in NSCLC through TGF-beta1
      signaling pathway mediated integrinalphaVbeta5 expression, and this might the
      potential mechanism of resveratrol on the inhibition of invasion and metastases
      in NSCLC. We conclude that ursolic acid attenuated TGF-beta1-induced EMT in H1975
      cells and might be a promising therapeutic agent for treating NSCLC.

PMID- 28911341
TI  - Rapid Detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Related Species Isolated from Food,
      Environment, Cosmetics, a Medical Device, and Clinical Samples Using the VITEK MS
      Microbial Identification System.
AB  - Staphylococcus spp. is considered as one of the most common human-pathogenic
      bacteria, causing illnesses ranging from nonthreatening skin infections to lethal
      diseases, including sepsis, pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and food
      poisoning. The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains
      has increased morbidity and mortality and resulted in a major healthcare burden
      worldwide. Single and multilocus sequence typing have been extensively used in
      the identification of Staphylococcus species. Nevertheless, these assays are
      relatively time-consuming and require high-quality DNA. Matrix-assisted laser
      desorption ionization-time-of-flight has been used recently for the rapid
      identification of several bacterial species. In this study, we have examined 47
      Staphylococcus isolates recovered from food, environment, clinical samples,
      cosmetic products, and a medical device and 3 American Type Culture Collection
      Staphylococcus reference isolates using bioMerieux VITEK MS and VITEK 2 systems
      to determine isolate identity. Sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was
      performed to confirm and compare the species identification data generated by
      VITEK 2 and VITEK MS systems. Although the VITEK 2 system could not identify one
      of the isolates, VITEK MS identified all 50 Staphylococcus spp. isolates tested.
      Results of this study clearly suggest that VITEK MS can be used in the rapid
      identification of Staphylococcus isolates of public health importance.

PMID- 28911343
TI  - Validation Study of MaxSignal(r) Histamine Enzymatic Assay for the Detection of
      Histamine in Fish/Seafood.
AB  - Bioo Scientific Corp. has developed a rapid enzymatic quantitative assay for the
      determination of histamine in seafood. Fresh/frozen tuna, canned tuna, pouched
      tuna, and frozen mahi mahi samples were used for the validation study under the
      specific guidelines of the AOAC Research Institute Performance Tested MethodsSM
      program. Recoveries ranged from 82 to 107% at concentrations ranging from 6 to 72
      ppm, with RSDr values between 0.8 and 6.5% (6-72 ppm). The linearity of the assay
      ranged from 0 to 108 ppm, with R2 values exceeding 0.99. The LOD was 0.9 ppm and
      the LOQ was 2.6 ppm for frozen tuna, which gave the lowest background level of
      contaminant. Cross-reactivity of the assay was tested against 14 other biogenic
      amines and was found to be minimal for all (<0.5%), except for agmatine (4.1%)
      and putrescine (0.9%). There was no observable interference from any tested
      biogenic amines. Product consistency was verified by validating lot-to-lot
      variations and variations within the same lot. Overall recoveries for all tested
      matrixes were within the acceptable range (80-120%). A 1-year claimed shelf life
      of the kit at 4 degrees C was verified by accelerated stability study data
      collected on days 1, 15, and 32 at 25 degrees C and by real-time stability
      testing at 1-month, 6-month, and 1-year at 4 degrees C. No difference in
      histamine detection was observed in ruggedness testing, in which minor changes
      were introduced to the assay protocol. Good agreement was observed between AOAC
      Official MethodSM 977.13 and the MaxSignal(r) Histamine Enzymatic Assay method.
      Independent laboratory testing demonstrated that the MaxSignal method works with
      the same precision in the hands of minimally trained technicians as with the
      expert method developers. This study validates the performance of Bioo
      Scientific's rapid enzymatic method.

PMID- 28911342
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization and Transcatheter
      Arterial Chemotherapy Infusion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review
      and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide health threat with increasing
      incidence and a high mortality rate. Most HCC patients are diagnosed at an
      advanced stage and are unable to undergo potential curative surgery.
      Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and transcatheter arterial
      chemotherapy infusion (TACI) are two of the main palliative treatments for
      advanced HCC patients. The clinical efficacy and safety of TACE and TACI are
      controversial. For this reason, we conducted a systematic review and meta
      analysis to summarize the current evidence. We searched for randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that compared the clinical outcomes and adverse
      effects in HCC patients who received TACE or TACI treatments. The database search
      was performed and last updated on November 1, 2016. Overall survival and clinical
      response were compared using a hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval
      (CI). A total of 11 clinical studies that included 13,090 patients were included
      based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria, of which 9 were cohort studies and 2
      were RCTs. TACE was associated with a 23% lower hazard of death compared to TACI
      (pooled HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.67-0.88, p = 0.0002). Patients receiving TACE had a
      28% higher disease control rate (DCR) and 162% higher objective response rate
      (ORR). Only the increase in ORR associated with TACE was statistically
      significant [DCR: odds ratio (OR) = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.35-4.64, p = 0.71; ORR: OR =
      2.62, 95% CI = 1.33-5.15, p = 0.002]. TACE is associated with more favorable
      survival and response rate than TACI in patients with intermediate or advanced
      HCC.

PMID- 28911344
TI  - Comparison of Spectrophotometric Methods for the Determination of Copper in Sugar
      Cane Spirit.
AB  - Three spectrophotometric methods were developed for the determination of copper
      (Cu) in sugar cane spirit using the chromogenic reagents neocuproine, cuprizone,
      and bathocuproine. Experimental conditions, such as reagent concentration,
      reducer concentration, pH, buffer concentration, the order of addition of
      reagents, and the stability of the complexes, were optimized. The work range was
      established from 1.0 to 10.0 ug/mL, with correlation coefficients of >0.999 for
      all three optimized methods. The methods were evaluated regarding accuracy by
      addition and recovery tests at five concentration levels, and the obtained
      recoveries ranged from 91 to 105% (n = 3). Precision was expressed as RSD
      (relative standard deviation), with values ranging from 0.01 to 0.17% (n = 10).
      The method using the chromogenic reagent cuprizone presented the greatest molar
      absorptivity, followed by bathocuproine and neocuproine. The methods were applied
      for the determination of Cu in sugar cane spirit, and the results were compared
      with a reference method by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS).
      Calibration curve solutions for FAAS analysis were prepared in a 40% (v/v)
      alcohol medium in a range of concentrations from 0.5 up to 5 ug/mL. Measurements
      for Cu determination were carried out at a wavelength of 324.7 nm. The
      concentrations obtained for Cu in sugar cane spirit samples from Brazil were
      between 1.99 and 12.63 ug/mL, and about 75% of the samples presented Cu
      concentrations above the limit established by Brazilian legislation (5.0 ug/mL or
      5.0 mg/L).

PMID- 28911345
TI  - Tuberculosis, human rights and ethics.

PMID- 28911346
TI  - Strategic partnerships towards tuberculosis elimination.

PMID- 28911347
TI  - Post-implementation blues: the unfulfilled potential of Xpert.

PMID- 28911348
TI  - Asthma: the increasing, unchecked epidemic.

PMID- 28911349
TI  - Tuberculosis, human rights and ethics considerations along the route of a highly
      vulnerable migrant from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe.
AB  - Migrant health is a critical public health issue, and in many countries attention
      to this topic has focused on the link between migration and communicable
      diseases, including tuberculosis (TB). When creating public health policies to
      address the complex challenges posed by TB and migration, countries should focus
      these policies on evidence, ethics, and human rights. This paper traces a
      commonly used migration route from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe, identifying
      situations at each stage in which human rights and ethical values might be
      affected in relation to TB care. This illustration provides the basis for
      discussing TB and migration from the perspective of human rights, with a focus on
      the right to health. We then highlight three strands of discussion in the ethics
      and justice literature in an effort to develop more comprehensive ethics of
      migrant health. These strands include theories of global justice and global
      health ethics, the creation of 'firewalls' to separate enforcement of immigration
      law from protection of human rights, and the importance of non-stigmatization to
      health justice. The paper closes by reflecting briefly on how TB programs can
      better incorporate human rights and ethical principles and values into public
      health practice.

PMID- 28911350
TI  - Applying the Care Group model to tuberculosis control: findings from a community
      based project in Mozambique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We describe the effectiveness of an innovative community-based social
      mobilization approach called Care Groups to improve the effectiveness of the
      national tuberculosis (TB) program by increasing TB testing and improving
      treatment outcomes in six districts of rural Mozambique. METHODS: The Care Group
      approach, which was implemented in a population of 218 191, enabled a facilitator
      to meet every 6 months with 10-12 community health volunteers (forming a Care
      Group) to share key TB messages and then for them to convey these messages over
      the subsequent 6 months to 10-12 households. Three household surveys were
      performed over 5 years to measure population-level changes in knowledge and
      behaviors. Data from village TB, laboratory, and district registers were also
      used to monitor activities and outcomes. RESULTS: There were substantial
      improvements in TB-related knowledge and behaviors in the number of patients
      initiating treatment, in the percentage of patients receiving directly observed
      treatment, in treatment success, and in TB-related mortality. CONCLUSION: Care
      Groups are uniquely suited to address some of the challenges of TB control. This
      project sheds light on a new strategy for engaging communities to address not
      only TB, but other health priorities as well.

PMID- 28911351
TI  - Comprehensive understanding of health-seeking behaviour among pulmonary
      tuberculosis patients in China.
AB  - SETTING: In China, there were 918 000 tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2015 alone. The
      primary challenge facing TB control is the allocation of limited health care
      resources. OBJECTIVE: To gain a comprehensive understanding of the first choice
      of health care facility among Chinese patients with suspected pulmonary TB (PTB)
      and the number of visits required to make the diagnosis. DESIGN: Relevant full
      text articles in three Chinese and one English literature databases up to
      November 2016 were reviewed. Meta-analyses were performed using Stata v12.0.
      RESULTS: Among 1257 potentially relevant selected articles, 27 cross-sectional
      studies involving 9891 patients were included in the final analyses. Most PTB
      patients chose county-level hospitals (40%, 95%CI 33-46) and village clinics
      (34%, 95%CI 27-42); only 13% (95%CI 10-16) of patients chose to visit PTB
      dispensaries first. Before obtaining the correct diagnosis, 28% (95%CI 11-44) of
      patients had to visit health facilities more than three times. CONCLUSION:
      Patients with suspicion of PTB were more likely to visit low-level facilities
      than dispensaries. Repeated visits resulted in both overall delay and high risk
      of PTB transmission. These findings suggest that a shift in government policy for
      PTB is required.

PMID- 28911352
TI  - Missed opportunities for earlier diagnosis of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis
      despite access to Xpert(r) MTB/RIF.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the proportion of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB)
      patients with potential earlier RR-TB diagnoses in Khayelitsha, South Africa.
      DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective analysis among RR-TB patients diagnosed from
      2012 to 2014. Patients were considered to have missed opportunities for earlier
      diagnosis if 1) they were incorrectly screened according to the Western Cape
      diagnostic algorithm; 2) the first specimen was not tested using Xpert(r)
      MTB/RIF; 3) no specimen was ever tested; or 4) the initial Xpert test showed a
      negative result, but no subsequent specimen was sent for follow-up testing in
      human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients. RESULTS: Among 543 patients, 386
      (71%) were diagnosed with Xpert and 112 (21%) had had at least one presentation
      at a health care facility within the 6 months before the presentation at which RR
      TB was diagnosed. Overall, 95/543 (18%) patients were screened incorrectly at
      some point: 48 at diagnostic presentation only, 38 at previous presentation only,
      and 9 at both previous and diagnostic presentations. CONCLUSIONS: These data show
      that a significant proportion of RR-TB patients might have been diagnosed
      earlier, and suggest that case detection could be improved if diagnostic
      algorithms were followed more closely. Further training and monitoring is
      required to ensure the greatest benefit from universal Xpert implementation.

PMID- 28911353
TI  - Persistently high early mortality despite rapid diagnostics for drug-resistant
      tuberculosis cases in South Africa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the timing and predictors of mortality among multidrug-
      and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) patients reported in the South
      African electronic drug-resistant TB register (EDRweb), 2012-2014. DESIGN: We
      present time-to-event survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression.
      Identity numbers were matched to the National Vital Statistics Register. RESULTS:
      Of the 20 653 patients included in the analysis (median age 35 years,
      interquartile range 28-43), over half were male (n = 10 944, 53.0%). Most were
      human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive (n = 14 174, 68.9%), most of whom
      were on antiretroviral therapy (ART; n = 12 471, 88.0%). At 24 months, 4689
      patients had died (22.7%); 2072 deaths (44.2%) were reported within 12 weeks of
      initiating treatment for MDR/RR-TB. From week 12 to week 24, there were 717
      deaths/18 048 persons; 59.5% of mortality occurred within the first 24 weeks.
      During the first 12 weeks, the adjusted hazard rate (aHR) for mortality was
      highest among patients with a missing baseline culture result (aHR 3.78, 95%CI
      2.94-4.86) and among HIV-positive, ART-naive patients (aHR 3.40, 95%CI 2.90
      3.99). Patients initiating MDR/RR-TB treatment within 4 weeks of diagnosis had
      higher mortality than those with delayed initiation (aHR 1.57, 95%CI 1.41-1.75).
      CONCLUSION: In EDRweb, mortality is highest in the first few weeks after MDR/RR
      TB treatment initiation.

PMID- 28911354
TI  - Drug resistance patterns among extra-pulmonary tuberculosis cases in a tertiary
      care centre in North India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: xtra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is a growing public health
      concern, and data on drug resistance are limited. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Specimens
      from 2468 clinically diagnosed EPTB patients received at the Intermediate
      Reference Laboratory (IRL) of a tertiary centre in India were subjected to Ziehl
      Neelsen staining, Xpert(r) MTB/RIF testing, liquid culture and drug
      susceptibility testing (DST) using automated BACTEC MGITTM 960TM. Line-probe
      assay (LPA) was performed on all culture-positive isolates. Gene sequencing was
      performed on rifampicin-resistant/multidrug-resistant TB (RR/MDR-TB) and
      phenotypic/genotypic discrepant isolates. RESULTS: The culture positivity rate
      was 18.9% (483/2553). The sensitivity and specificity of Xpert in diagnosing EPTB
      were respectively 70.8% (95%CI 66.5-74.8) and 97.7% (95%CI 96.9-98.3), with
      liquid culture as the reference standard. Prevalence of RR/MDR-TB was 10.1%
      (49/483). Prevalence of pre-extensively drug-resistant TB (pre-XDR-TB) was 18.4%
      (09/49), whereas the prevalence of XDR-TB among MDR-TB patients was 2% (01/49).
      The sensitivity of genotypic DST for the detection of rifampicin resistance was
      92.7% (95%CI 81.1-98.5) and specificity was 99.3% (95%CI 97.5-99.9), with 100%
      concordance between Xpert and LPA. CONCLUSION: The burden of drug resistance,
      including M/XDR-TB, among EPTB patients is high. Novel molecular tests can help
      in early diagnosis and treatment to prevent disease progression and amplification
      of resistance.

PMID- 28911355
TI  - Latent tuberculous infection testing among HIV-infected persons in clinical care,
      United States, 2010-2012.
AB  - SETTING: Current guidelines recommend latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) testing
      at the time of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis and annually
      thereafter for persons at high risk of LTBI. OBJECTIVES: To estimate LTBI testing
      prevalence and describe the characteristics of HIV-infected persons who would
      benefit from annual LTBI testing. DESIGN: We estimated the proportions of LTBI
      testing among a nationally representative sample of HIV-infected adults in care
      between 2010 and 2012, and compared the patient characteristics of those with a
      positive LTBI test result to those with a negative result using chi2 tests.
      RESULTS: Among 2772 patients, 68.8% had been tested for LTBI at least once since
      HIV diagnosis, and 39.4% had been tested during the previous 12 months. Among
      patients tested at least once, 6.9% tested positive, 80.7% tested negative, and
      12.4% had an indeterminate or undocumented result. Patients with a positive test
      were significantly more likely to be foreign-born, have lower educational
      attainment, and a household income at or below the federal poverty level.
      CONCLUSIONS: More than 30% of HIV-infected patients had never been tested for
      LTBI. Providers should test all patients for LTBI at the time of HIV diagnosis.
      The patient characteristics associated with a positive LTBI test result may guide
      provider decisions about annual testing.

PMID- 28911356
TI  - High completion rates of isoniazid preventive therapy among persons living with
      HIV in Swaziland.
AB  - SETTING: Five human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care facilities in Swaziland.
      OBJECTIVE: To assess adherence and treatment completion of a 6-month course of
      isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) provided to HIV-infected patients through a
      self-selected model of facility-based, community-based or peer-supported IPT
      delivery coordinated with antiretroviral refills. DESIGN: Prospective cohort
      study. RESULTS: Between February and August 2015, we enrolled 908 patients, with
      follow-up until February 2016. Most were female (66.2%), with a median age of 38
      years (interquartile range 31-45). Most (n = 797, 87.8%) chose facility-based
      delivery, 111 (12.2%) selected community-based delivery, and none selected peer
      supported delivery. Adherence was high in both cohorts; among those with
      available data, 794 (94.8%) reported taking at least 80% of their IPT (P > 0.05).
      Twenty-two patients screened positive for tuberculosis (TB) at any visit; all had
      TB excluded and most continued IPT. In total, 812 (89.4%) patients completed
      treatment: 711 (89.2%) were on facility-based and 111 (91.0%) on community-based
      IPT (P > 0.05). No confirmed treatment failures occurred. Few patients
      discontinued IPT (6.3%) or were lost to follow-up (4.1%). CONCLUSION: Self
      selected IPT delivery aligned with HIV care achieved high rates of adherence and
      treatment completion. This model may improve outcomes by simplifying clinic
      visits and conferring agency to the patient, and may be readily implemented in
      similar high TB-HIV burden settings.

PMID- 28911357
TI  - Pulmonary tuberculosis diagnostic practices among people living with the human
      immunodeficiency virus in Lesotho.
AB  - SETTING: Twelve health facilities in Berea District, Lesotho, that participated
      in the Start TB Patients on ART and Retain on Treatment (START) Study, a mixed
      methods cluster-randomized trial evaluating a combination intervention package to
      improve early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and anti-tuberculosis
      treatment success among patients with tuberculosis (TB) and human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV). OBJECTIVE: To assess TB and HIV diagnostic
      practices among TB-HIV patients. DESIGN: A standardized survey assessed services
      at each facility at baseline. Routine clinical data were abstracted for all newly
      registered adult TB-HIV patients during the study period. Descriptive statistics
      were used to assess TB diagnostic practices, timing of the HIV diagnosis, and ART
      status at TB treatment initiation. RESULTS: Between April 2013 and March 2015,
      1233 TB-HIV patients were enrolled. Among 1215 patients with available data,
      87.2% had pulmonary TB, of which 34.8% were bacteriologically confirmed, 40.9%
      tested negative and 24.3% were not tested. Among 1138 patients with available
      data, 53.3% had an existing HIV diagnosis, of whom 39.3% were ART-naive.
      CONCLUSIONS: The majority of pulmonary TB patients were clinically diagnosed, and
      many were unaware of their HIV status or were ART-naive despite known status. The
      Test and Treat Strategy holds promise to prevent TB and reduce TB-related
      mortality among people living with HIV; however, enhanced TB diagnostic capacity
      and improved HIV case detection are urgently needed.

PMID- 28911358
TI  - Performance of nested RT-PCR on CSF for tuberculous meningitis diagnosis in HIV
      infected patients.
AB  - SETTING: Timely diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in patients with human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a challenge. Despite the current
      scale-up of the Xpert(r) MTB/RIF assay, other molecular diagnostic tools are
      necessary, particularly in referral centres in low- and middle-income countries
      without Xpert testing. OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic performance of
      nested real-time polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) in HIV-infected TBM patients
      categorised according to standardised clinical case definitions. DESIGN: Based on
      clinical, laboratory and imaging data, HIV-infected patients with suspected TBM
      were prospectively categorised as 'definite TBM', 'probable TBM', 'possible TBM'
      or 'not TBM'. We evaluated nRT-PCR sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing TBM
      among definite TBM cases, and among definite + probable TBM cases. RESULTS:
      Ninety-two participants were enrolled in the study. nRT-PCR sensitivity for
      definite TBM (n = 8) was 100% (95%CI 67-100) and 86% (95%CI 60-96) for both
      definite and probable TBM (n = 6). Assuming that 'not TBM' patients (n = 74) were
      true-negatives, nRT-PCR specificity was 100% (95%CI 95-100). The possible TBM
      group (n = 4) had no nRT-PCR positives. CONCLUSIONS: The nRT-PCR is a useful rule
      in test for HIV-infected patients with TBM according to international consensus
      case definitions. As nRT-PCR cannot exclude TBM, studies comparing and combining
      nRT-PCR with other assays are necessary for a rule-out test.

PMID- 28911359
TI  - Interferon-gamma response to the treatment of active pulmonary and extra
      pulmonary tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) release assays (IGRAs) are used to
      diagnose tuberculosis (TB) but not to measure treatment response. OBJECTIVE: To
      measure IFN-gamma response to active anti-tuberculosis treatment. DESIGN:
      Patients from the Henan Provincial Chest Hospital, Henan, China, with TB symptoms
      and/or signs were enrolled into this prospective, observational cohort study and
      followed for 6 months of treatment, with blood and sputum samples collected at 0,
      2, 4, 6, 8, 16 and 24 weeks. The QuantiFERON(r) TB-Gold assay was run on
      collected blood samples. Participants received a follow-up telephone call at 24
      months to determine relapse status. RESULTS: Of the 152 TB patients enrolled, 135
      were eligible for this analysis: 118 pulmonary (PTB) and 17 extra-pulmonary TB
      (EPTB) patients. IFN-gamma levels declined significantly over time among all
      patients (P = 0.002), with this decline driven by PTB patients (P = 0.001),
      largely during the initial 8 weeks of treatment (P = 0.019). IFN-gamma levels did
      not change among EPTB patients over time or against baseline culture or drug
      resistance status. CONCLUSION: After 6 months of effective anti-tuberculosis
      treatment, IFN-gamma levels decreased significantly in PTB patients, largely over
      the initial 8 weeks of treatment. IFN-gamma concentrations may offer some value
      for monitoring anti-tuberculosis treatment response among PTB patients.

PMID- 28911360
TI  - Evaluation of the TB-LAMP assay for the rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis
      in Northern India.
AB  - SETTING: A tertiary care hospital in North India. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a
      commercial kit-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification (TB-LAMP) assay for
      the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). DESIGN: A total of 530 patients
      presenting with PTB symptoms were enrolled and one sputum sample was collected
      from each patient. The TB-LAMP assay (LoopampTM MTBC Detection kit) was performed
      on the raw sputum sample. The remaining sample was used for smear microscopy and
      mycobacterial culture. A cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT,
      Xpert(r) MTB/RIF assay) was also performed on the processed pellet. RESULTS: The
      sensitivity and specificity of the TB-LAMP assay in culture-positive samples
      obtained from 453 patients presenting with PTB symptoms (77 specimens were
      excluded) were respectively 100% (95%CI 94.7-100) and 99.2% (95%CI 97.8-99.8).
      The sensitivity and specificity of Xpert in culture-positive samples were
      respectively 82.6% (95%CI 71.5-90.6) and 94.9% (95%CI 92.2-96.8). A concordance
      of 0.75 was obtained between the two NAATs (TB-LAMP assay and Xpert) using the
      kappa statistic. CONCLUSION: The TB-LAMP assay showed high sensitivity and
      specificity with limited requirement of testing infrastructure, and is thus a
      promising diagnostic tool for TB diagnosis in resource-poor settings.

PMID- 28911361
TI  - Detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis using the loop-mediated isothermal
      amplification test in South Africa.
AB  - SETTING: In South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal is the epicentre of the human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, where approximately 70% of people with
      tuberculosis (TB) are co-infected with HIV. Undiagnosed TB contributes to high
      mortality in HIV-infected patients. Delays in diagnosing TB and treatment
      initiation result in prolonged transmission and increased infectiousness.
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the LoopampTM MTBC Detection kit (TB-LAMP; based on the
      loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay), smear microscopy and Xpert test
      with the gold standard of mycobacterial culture. METHODS: Sputum samples were
      collected from 705 patients with symptoms of pulmonary TB attending a primary
      health care clinic. RESULTS: The TB-LAMP assay had significantly higher
      sensitivity than smear microscopy (72.6% vs. 45.4%, P < 0.001), whereas
      specificity was slightly lower (99% vs. 96.8%, P = 0.05), but significantly
      higher than Xpert (92.9%, P = 0.004). There was no significant difference in
      sensitivity of smear-positive, culture-positive and smear-negative, culture
      positive sputum samples using TB-LAMP vs. Xpert (respectively 95.9%/55.9% vs.
      97.6%/66.1%; P =0.65, P = 0.27). The positive predictive value of TB-LAMP was
      significantly higher than that of Xpert (87.5% vs. 77.0%; P = 0.02), but similar
      to that of smear microscopy (94.2%; P = 0.18). The negative predictive value was
      respectively 91.9%, 92.5% (P = 0.73) and 83.1% (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Given
      its ease of operability, the TB-LAMP assay could be implemented as a point-of
      care test in primary health care settings, and contribute to reducing treatment
      waiting times and TB prevalence.

PMID- 28911362
TI  - Assessment of the quality of anti-tuberculosis medicines in Almaty, Kazakhstan,
      2014.
AB  - SETTING: In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a survey of the
      quality of four anti-tuberculosis drugs in the former Soviet Union countries.
      Kazakhstan had the highest proportion of substandard drugs. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      the quality of anti-tuberculosis drugs used in Kazakhstan in 2014. DESIGN:
      Fourteen anti-tuberculosis drugs from the Almaty Interdistrict TB Dispensary were
      randomly selected and screened for quality using Global Pharma Health Fund
      MinilabTM testing. First, the product and packaging were physically inspected to
      determine whether tablets/capsules were intact (i.e., whether they contained the
      full amount of the drug, and whether the packaging was genuine). Second, the
      tablets/capsules were dissolved in water to test whether they could be adequately
      absorbed by the body. Finally, semi-quantitive analyses were undertaken using
      thin-layer chromatography to verify the presence and concentration of the active
      pharmaceutical ingredient and to detect impurities. RESULTS: We discovered no
      counterfeit medicines. However, 163 (19%) of the 854 anti-tuberculosis drugs
      sampled failed at least one of the three tests. These samples were found among
      24/50 (48%) batches of 14 anti-tuberculosis drugs. CONCLUSION: Our study
      identified a high proportion of poor-quality first- and second-line anti
      tuberculosis drugs. Use of these medicines may lead to treatment failure and the
      development of drug resistance. Confirmatory testing should be performed to
      determine if they should be removed from the market.

PMID- 28911363
TI  - Bronchial angles are associated with nodular bronchiectatic non-tuberculous
      mycobacteria lung disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nodular bronchiectatic (NB) form of non-tuberculous mycobacteria
      (NTM) lung disease usually involves the right middle lobe (RML) and the left
      upper lobe lingular segment. However, the reason underlying this preference is
      not known. METHODS: Fifty patients with NB NTM lung disease who had both positive
      NTM culture(s) and NB lesions in the RML or lingular segment on computed
      tomography (CT) of the chest, and 100 healthy subjects matched for sex, age,
      height and body weight with normal chest CT, were randomly selected. Using
      reconstructed curved multiplanar reformation (MPR) images, the lengths, diameters
      and angles of the RML and lingular bronchi were measured. RESULTS: Of the 150
      individuals, 64% were female; the mean age was 55 years. The angles of the
      bronchi were significantly more acute in patients than in healthy subjects, both
      in the RML (patients, mean 46.75 degrees  +/- standard deviation 8.87 degrees 
      vs. healthy subjects, mean 51.73 degrees  +/- 7.76 degrees ; P = 0.001) and in
      the lingular segments (patients, mean 26.94 degrees  +/- 8.16 degrees  vs.
      healthy subjects, mean 34.65 degrees  +/- 9.75 degrees ; P < 0.001). In addition,
      the angles of the bronchi in the involved segments were more acute than those in
      the non-involved segments, both in the RML and the lingular segments. There were
      no differences in the lengths and bronchi diameters between groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      An acute angle (obtuse slope) of RML/lingular bronchi could be an anatomical risk
      factor for NB NTM lung disease.

PMID- 28911364
TI  - TB-IRIS presenting with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a non-HIV-infected
      male.

PMID- 28911365
TI  - Osteomyelitis and arthritis caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare: an
      underestimated diagnosis.

PMID- 28911366
TI  - Lophomonas blattarum co-infection in a patient with multidrug-resistant
      tuberculosis.

PMID- 28911369
TI  - 9th BIC International Conference: Rome (Italy), 15-17 September 2017.

PMID- 28911368
TI  - Systemic adiponectin treatment reverses polycystic ovary syndrome-like features
      in an animal model.
AB  - The present study examined the efficacy of adiponectin for regulating the
      reproductive, metabolic and fertility status of mice with polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS). PCOS was induced in prepubertal (21- to 22-day-old) mice using
      dehydroepiandrosterone (6mg 100g-1day-1 for 25days), after which mice were
      administered either a low or high dose of adiponectin (5 or 15ugmL-1, s.c.,
      respectively). PCOS mice exhibited typical features, including the presence of
      numerous cystic follicles, increased circulating androgens, increased body mass,
      altered steroidogenesis, decreased insulin receptor expression and increased
      serum triglycerides, serum glucose, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 (a marker of
      inflammation) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; a marker of
      angiogenesis). These parameters were significantly correlated with a reduction in
      adiponectin in PCOS mice compared with vehicle-treated control mice. Exogenous
      adiponectin treatment of PCOS mice restored body mass and circulating androgen,
      triglyceride and glucose levels. Adiponectin also restored ovarian expression of
      steroidogenic markers (LH receptors, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and
      3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase), insulin receptor, TLR-4 and VEGF levels in
      control mice. Adiponectin restored ovulation in PCOS mice, as indicated by the
      presence of a corpus luteum and attainment of pregnancy. These findings suggest
      that adiponectin effectively facilitates fertility in anovulatory PCOS. We
      hypothesise that systemic adiponectin treatment may be a promising therapeutic
      strategy for the management of PCOS.

PMID- 28911370
TI  - Introduction to Dr. Jerzy Leszczynski.

PMID- 28911371
TI  - Amino substituted nitrogen heterocycle ureas as kinase insert domain containing
      receptor (KDR) inhibitors: Performance of structure-activity relationship
      approaches.
AB  - A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study was performed on a
      set of amino-substituted nitrogen heterocyclic urea derivatives. Two novel
      approaches were applied: (1) the simplified molecular input-line entry systems
      (SMILES) based optimal descriptors approach; and (2) the fragment-based simplex
      representation of molecular structure (SiRMS) approach. Comparison with the
      classic scheme of building up the model and balance of correlation (BC) for
      optimal descriptors approach shows that the BC scheme provides more robust
      predictions than the classic scheme for the considered pIC50 of the heterocyclic
      urea derivatives. Comparison of the SMILES-based optimal descriptors and SiRMS
      approaches has confirmed good performance of both techniques in prediction of
      kinase insert domain containing receptor (KDR) inhibitory activity, expressed as
      a logarithm of inhibitory concentration (pIC50) of studied compounds.

PMID- 28911372
TI  - Reactivity and stability of selected flavor compounds.
AB  - Flavor is the most important aspect of food. Based on the complex matrix of the
      food system and the flavor structure themselves, one important factor that plays
      a key role in the quality attribute of food is flavor stability. Not
      surprisingly, there is a large volume of published research investigating the
      stability of different food flavor compounds, since understanding flavor
      stability is crucial to creating greater awareness of dietary flavor application.
      This review presents a variety of factors that are thought to be involved in the
      stability of several selected important flavor compounds and the approach to
      improve the stability of different flavors. Some mechanisms of chemical
      degradation of flavor compounds were also provided.

PMID- 28911373
TI  - Recent developments in blood glucose sensors.
AB  - Diabetes has recently become a leading cause of death worldwide. To date,
      although there is no means to cure or prevent diabetes, appropriate medication
      and blood sugar monitoring can enhance treatment efficiency, alleviate the
      symptoms, and diminish the complications of the condition. This review article
      deals with current growth areas in the market for blood glucose sensors and
      possible future alternatives, which are generally considered to be the point
      sample test and the continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Most glucose sensors are
      enzyme-based, whereas others are enzyme-free. The former class is sensitive and
      some products are extensively employed for daily self-sensing and in hospital
      environments as reliable diagnostic tools. The latter class, particularly the
      boronic acid fluorescent sensor, is facile and extremely promising. Practicality
      demands that all types of sensors offer accuracy, specificity, and real-time
      detection.

PMID- 28911374
TI  - Physicochemical properties of Terminalia catappa seed oil as a novel dietary
      lipid source.
AB  - Terminalia catappa Linn (TC) is an ornamental tree planted extensively in many
      countries. It has been known for a long time that the seeds are edible but no
      research has focused on the realm of its use as food. Our previous data showed
      that the seed contains high levels of oil content (600 g/kg) and possesses the
      optimum fatty acid balance indicated in fat dietary guidelines. This study aims
      to investigate the physical and chemical properties and the possibility of using
      TC seed oil as a new dietary lipid. The effects of extraction conditions, partial
      refining process, and storage stability on TC oil properties were conducted
      compared with soybean oil. The results showed that physicochemical properties
      including the density, refractive index, melting point, acidity, free fatty acid,
      saponification value, unsaponifiable, peroxide, and fatty acid composition of the
      extracted oil were comparable with soybean oil and their values followed the
      dietary standard of edible oil.

PMID- 28911375
TI  - Effects of enzymatic extraction on anthocyanins yield of saffron tepals (Crocos
      sativus) along with its color properties and structural stability.
AB  - An aqueous solution of Pectinex (containing cellulase, hemicellulase, and
      pectinase) at 1%, 2.5%, 5%, 7%, and 10% concentrations and 40 degrees C was used
      to extract anthocyanins (Acys) of saffron tepals at 20, 40, 60, 120 and 180 min
      reaction times and compared with ethanol solvent under similar conditions. The
      Acys of the Pectinex solution reached 6.7 mg/g of tepal powder (~40% more than
      the ethanol method) when the enzyme concentrations and extraction times were,
      respectively, 5% and 60 min. The Acys of aqueous enzymes had three times slower
      degradation rates and 50% more attractive chroma color than the ones recovered by
      ethanol solution after 3 h of extraction time. Additionally, the Acys of the
      ethanol solution lost its content sharply (>45%) and its chroma changed quickly
      (due to the browning and polymerization). High performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) analysis showed that Acys extracted with mixed enzymes had about 80% more
      cyanidin 3-glucosides and 20% less pelargonidin 3,5-glucosides than with the
      ethanol method. Most probably, the high content of cyanidin 3-glycosides in
      enzyme-extracted Acys of saffron tepals was the key factor for its high
      stability.

PMID- 28911376
TI  - Development and validation of a high-performance thin layer chromatography method
      for the determination of cholesterol concentration.
AB  - An accurate, sensitive, precise, reliable, and quick method for the determination
      of cholesterol content by high-performance thin layer chromatography is
      developed. In this method, aluminum-backed precoated silica gel 60 F254 plates
      were used as the stationary phase and the samples were sprayed with the help of
      CAMAG sample applicator Linomat 5. The chromatogram was developed with the mobile
      phase consisting of chloroform:methanol (9.5:0.5, v/v). The samples were detected
      using CAMAG Scanner 4 and evaluated using the method developed on winCATS
      software. Densitometric analysis of cholesterol was performed in absorbance mode
      at 200 nm. In this solvent system, cholesterol gave a compact spot with an Rf
      value of 0.63 +/- 0.03. The linear regression analysis of data for the
      calibration curve showed good linearity over a concentration range of 2-7
      MUg/spot with a regression value of 0.99933 and standard deviation of 1.44%. The
      limit of detection and limit of quantification were found to be 100 ng/spot and
      500 ng/spot, respectively. Using the developed method, the concentration of
      cholesterol in the saponified and unsaponified egg yolk sample was determined.
      This method was found to be reproducible and can even be used for samples
      containing complex matrices.

PMID- 28911377
TI  - By-product of Lavandula latifolia essential oil distillation as source of
      antioxidants.
AB  - The objective of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant properties of
      Lavandula latifolia waste obtained after essential oil distillation. Samples of
      12 wild populations of the Lavandula genus collected between 2009 and 2010 were
      hydrodistilled and their by-products were analyzed using the Folin-Ciocalteu,
      free radical scavenging activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and the ferric
      reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. Rosmarinic acid, apigenin, and
      luteolin contents were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode
      array detection. The mean of total phenolic content ranged from 1.89 +/- 0.09 mg
      gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight to 3.54 +/- 0.22 mg gallic acid
      equivalents/g dry weight. The average value of the half maximal effective
      concentration (EC50) for scavenging activity ranged from 5.09 +/- 0.17 mg/mL to
      14.30 +/- 1.90 mg/mL and the variability of the EC50 in FRAP ranged from 3.72 +/-
      0.12 mg/mL to 18.55 +/- 0.77 mg/mL. Annual variation was found among this samples
      and the environmental conditions of 2009 were found to be more favorable. The
      plants collected from Sedano showed the highest antioxidant power. Our results
      show that rosmarinic acid and apigenin in L. latifolia contributed to the
      antioxidant properties of the waste. In conclusion, the by-product of the
      distillation industry could be valorizing as a source of natural antioxidants.

PMID- 28911378
TI  - Interaction of gallic acid with trypsin analyzed by spectroscopy.
AB  - The interactions between trypsin and gallic acid (GA) were investigated by means
      of fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, resonance light
      scattering (RLS) spectroscopy, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, and
      enzymatic inhibition assay. It was found that GA can cause the fluorescence
      quenching of trypsin during the process of formation of GA-trypsin complex,
      resulting in inhibition of trypsin activity (IC50 = 3.9 * 10-6 mol/L). The
      fluorescence spectroscopic data showed that the quenching efficiency can reach
      about 80%. The binding constants were 1.9371 * 104 L/mol, 1.8192 * 104 L/mol, and
      1.7465 * 104 L/mol at three temperatures, respectively. The thermodynamic
      parameters revealed that hydrogen bonds, van der Waals, hydrophobic, and
      electrostatic interactions were involved in the binding process of GA to trypsin.
      Molecular modeling studies illustrated a specific display of binding information
      and explained most of the experiment phenomena. The microenvironments of
      tryptophan and tyrosine residue in trypsin were changed by the GA. Results
      indicated that GA was a strong quencher and inhibitor of trypsin.

PMID- 28911379
TI  - Temperature-dependent studies on the total phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidant
      activities, and sugar content in six onion varieties.
AB  - Heating effect on total phenol, flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and sugar
      content of six onion varieties has been quantitatively investigated to explore
      the effect of different temperatures. The onion varieties comprised one red
      skinned variety, two white-skinned varieties, and three yellow-skinned varieties.
      The heating temperature was scanned at 80 degrees C, 100 degrees C, 120 degrees
      C, and 150 degrees C for 30 minutes each, and quantitative analysis was performed
      relative to the powdered onion at ambient temperature. Quercetin, glucosides and
      sugar content were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The
      total phenolic and antioxidant content increased in all six varieties. The total
      flavonoid levels showed a considerable change. On heating the onion samples at
      120 degrees C for 30 minutes, the red-skinned variety showed the highest level of
      total phenolic content [13712.67 +/- 1034.85 MUg of gallic acid equivalent/g dry
      weight (MUg GAE/g DW)] and total flavonoids [3456.00 +/- 185.82 MUg of quercetin
      equivalents/g dry weight (MUg Q/g DW)], whereas the content of total phenolics
      and total flavonoids were 13611.83 +/- 341.61 MUg GAE/g DW and 3482.87 +/- 117.17
      MUg Q/g DW, respectively, for the yellow-skinned (Sunpower) variety. Quercetin
      and its glucoside contents increased up to 120 degrees C and then decreased at
      150 degrees C, whereas the sugar content continuously decreased with heating. All
      cultivars showed the same pattern in the heating effect, and the predominant
      flavonoids were destroyed at higher temperatures. Therefore, it is improper to
      expose onion powder to a temperature higher than 120 degrees C.

PMID- 28911380
TI  - Chemical compositions of the volatile extracts from seeds of Dendranthema
      nankingense and Borago officinalis.
AB  - Volatile extracts from the seeds of Dendranthema nankingense Hand.-Mazz. and
      Borago officinalis L. were prepared using simultaneous distillation and
      extraction, and analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry on two
      capillary gas chromatography columns of different polarity. Ninety-five volatile
      compounds were identified in D. nankingense seeds, with hexanal,
      benzeneacetaldehyde, borneol, (-)-camphor, and 3-methyl-1-butanol being the
      predominant species. Sixty-five volatile compounds were identified in B.
      officinalis seeds, with 2-pentanone, 2,3-dihydro-benzofuran, 3-methyl butanal,
      and hexanal being the most abundant species. Thirty-three compounds, including
      short-chain aliphatic aldehydes, alcohols, and ketones, were common to both
      seeds. The volatile composition of both seeds varied significantly depending on
      their respective origins. The volatile terpenoids borneol and (-)-camphor could
      be key bioactive contributors to the characteristic flavor and cooling effects of
      D. nankingense. For the first time, coumaran was identified as an abundant
      species in plant seeds.

PMID- 28911381
TI  - The effects of methadone maintenance treatment on heroin addicts with response
      inhibition function impairments: Evidence from event-related potentials.
AB  - Response inhibition has been a core issue in addictive behavior. Many previous
      studies have found that response inhibition abilities are damaged in those with
      drug dependence. However, whether heroin addicts who are treated with methadone
      maintenance have an abnormal response inhibition ability is not clear. In order
      to investigate the response inhibition functions in heroin addicts who were
      treated with methadone maintenance, electroencephalography (EEG) was used to
      examine 14 heroin addicts treated with methadone maintenance (HDM), 17 heroin
      addicts (HD), and 18 healthy controls (HC) in an equiprobability Go?NoGo task.
      The reaction times (RTs) for the Go stimuli in the HD group were slower than
      those in the HDM and HC groups. Event-related potential (ERP) measurements showed
      that NoGo stimuli elicited larger N2 amplitudes than Go stimuli in the HDM and HC
      groups. However, for the HD group, the N2 amplitudes were similar for the two
      conditions. In addition, the HDM and HD groups were associated with longer P3
      latencies. Our results demonstrated that methadone maintenance treatment might
      ease the deficits in response inhibition that result from long-term drug abuse.
      However, compared to normal people, HDM patients have serious problems evaluating
      and inhibiting inappropriate behaviors.

PMID- 28911382
TI  - Simultaneous determination of 2 aconitum alkaloids and 12 ginsenosides in Shenfu
      injection by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode
      array detector with few markers to determine multicomponents.
AB  - A method with few markers to determine multicomponents was established and
      validated to evaluate the quality of Shenfu injection by ultraperformance liquid
      chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector. The separations were
      performed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 (2.1 * 50 mm2, 1.7 MUm) column. Methanol and
      0.1% formic acid aqueous solution were used as the mobile phase. The flow rate
      was 0.3 mL/min. 2 aconitum alkaloids and 12 ginsenosides could be perfectly
      separated within 15 minutes. Ginsenoside Rg1 and benzoylmesaconine, the easily
      available active components, were employed as the maker components to calculate
      the relative correction factors of other components in Shenfu injection, Panax
      ginseng and Aconitum carmichaeli. The external standard method was also
      established to validate the feasibility of the method with few markers to
      determine multicomponents. Parameter p and the principal component analysis
      method were employed to investigate the disparities among batches for the
      effective quality control of Shenfu injection. The results demonstrated that the
      ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector
      method with few markers to determine multicomponents could be used as a powerful
      tool for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines and their
      preparations.

PMID- 28911383
TI  - Gold nanoparticles grafted modified silica gel as a new stationary phase for
      separation and determination of steroid hormones by thin layer chromatography.
AB  - A new thin layer chromatographic layer using gold nanoparticles grafted 3
      triethoxysilyl propylamine modified silica gel (Au NPs-APTS modified silica gel)
      was developed as a stationary phase for separation and determination of two
      steroid hormones, namely progesterone and testosterone. Acetone-n-hexane 25:75
      (v/v) was used as the mobile phase, and the results were compared with those
      obtained using plain (i.e., unmodified) silica gel plates. Some chromatographic
      parameters used for separation of the two steroids on an Au NPs-APTS modified
      silica gel plate as well as on a plain silica gel plate, including DeltaRF,
      separation factor (alpha), and resolution (RS), were evaluated and compared. The
      reproducibility of RF values was also determined by analysis of the two steroids
      in 7 consecutive days on both plates. Validity of the method was investigated,
      and a wide linear range of 1-200 ng per spot, and low detection limits of 0.16 ng
      and 0.13 ng per spot, low quantification limits of 0.51 ng and 0.40 ng per spot,
      and good precision (expressed as percent relative standard deviation) lower than
      3.1% and 2.7% were obtained for progesterone and testosterone, respectively. As
      the results revealed, the proposed method is rapid and sensitive, and it is
      applicable to separation and determination of progesterone and testosterone in
      biological matrices such as urine samples.

PMID- 28911384
TI  - Ca2+ and aminoguanidine on gamma-aminobutyric acid accumulation in germinating
      soybean under hypoxia-NaCl stress.
AB  - Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a nonproteinous amino acid with some benefits on
      human health, is synthesized by GABA-shunt and the polyamine degradation pathway
      in plants. The regulation of Ca2+ and aminoguanidine on GABA accumulation in
      germinating soybean (Glycine max L.) under hypoxia-NaCl stress was investigated
      in this study. Exogenous Ca2+ increased GABA content significantly by enhancing
      glutamate decarboxylase gene expression and its activity. Addition of ethylene
      glycol tetra-acetic acid into the culture solution reduced GABA content greatly
      due to the inhibition of glutamate decarboxylase activity. Aminoguanidine reduced
      over 85% of diamine oxidase activity, and 33.28% and 36.35% of GABA content in
      cotyledon and embryo, respectively. Under hypoxia-NaCl stress, the polyamine
      degradation pathway contributed 31.61-39.43% of the GABA formation in germinating
      soybean.

PMID- 28911385
TI  - Antioxidant activities and contents of flavonoids and phenolic acids of Talinum
      triangulare extracts and their immunomodulatory effects.
AB  - In this study, leaves and stems of Talinum triangulare were sequentially
      extracted with phosphate buffer solution to obtain PTL and PTS (phosphate
      buffered extracts of T. triangulare leaves and stems), with 75% ethanol to
      obtained ETL and ETS (ethanol extracts of T. triangulare leaves and stems), or
      with 90 degrees C boiling water to obtain WTL and WTS (water extracts of T.
      triangulare leaves and stems). We investigated the antioxidant activities of
      various T. triangulare extracts, analyzed the extracts' stimulations on human
      mononuclear cell (MNC) growth and secretion of cytokines (interleukin-1 beta,
      interferon-gamma, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) and nitric oxide, and then
      assayed their subsequent inhibitions on human leukemic U937 cell growth. Results
      indicated that extracts of T. triangulare showed significant antioxidant
      activities. Among these extracts, WTS showed the highest stimulatory effect on
      human MNC growth. The secretion levels of interleukin-1 beta, interferon-gamma,
      and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the conditioned medium, wherein human MNC was
      treated with 500 MUg/mL WTS for 72 hours, were 1275, 859, and 2222 pg/mL,
      respectively. All conditioned media obtained from human MNCs cultured with
      various T. triangulare extracts showed significant inhibition against U937 cell
      growth of over 40%. These results suggest that T. triangulare extracts may be
      used in health foods for their immunomodulatory potential.

PMID- 28911386
TI  - Analysis of major antioxidants from extracts of Myrmecodia pendans by UV/visible
      spectrophotometer, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, and high
      performance liquid chromatography/UV techniques.
AB  - In the present work, heat reflux extraction with ethanol/water (80:20; v/v) as
      the solvent was used to extract antioxidants from Myrmecodia pendans. The crude
      extract (CE) was fractionated using hexane and ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate
      fraction (EAF) and aqueous fraction were collected. Antioxidant activity against
      1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-radical radical and ferric reducing power of the
      CE, EAF, and aqueous fraction were evaluated. EAF showed comparable antioxidant
      activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-radical radical and ferric
      reducing power to those of the CE. UV/visible, liquid chromatography/electrospray
      ionization/tandem mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography
      were employed for identifying the major antioxidant compounds in the EAF. Three
      major phenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid, procyanidin B1, and polymer of
      procyanidin B1) were identified. The first two compounds were confirmed and
      quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography using authentic standards,
      but confirmation of the third compound was hampered by a lack of commercial
      standard. Concentrations of rosmarinic acid and procyanidin B1 in the EAF were
      found to be 20.688 +/- 1.573 mg/g dry sample and 3.236 +/- 0.280 mg/g dry sample,
      respectively. All these three compounds are reported for the first time in sarang
      semut.

PMID- 28911387
TI  - Hepatoprotective effects of kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside and kaempferol 3-O
      glucoside from Carthamus tinctorius L. on CCl4-induced oxidative liver injury in
      mice.
AB  - Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a traditional medicinal and edible herb
      with a long history of use in China. In this study, a model of hepatotoxicity
      induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice was used to investigate the
      hepatoprotective effects of kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside (K-3-R) and kaempferol 3-O
      glucoside (K-3-G), two kaempferol glycosides isolated from C. tinctorius L. K-3-R
      and K-3-G, at doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg, were given orally to male mice
      once/d for 7 days before they received CCl4 intraperitoneally. Our results showed
      that K-3-R and K-3-G treatment increased the level of total protein (TP) and
      prevented the CCl4-induced increases in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST),
      serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) levels.
      Additionally, mice treated with K-3-R and K-3-G had significantly restored
      glutathione (GSH) levels and showed normal catalase (CAT) and superoxide
      dismutase (SOD) activities, compared to CCl4-treated mice. K-3-R and K-3-G also
      mitigated the CCl4-induced liver histological alteration, as indicated by
      histopathological evaluation. These findings demonstrate that K-3-R and K-3-G
      have protective effects against acute CCl4-induced oxidative liver damage.

PMID- 28911388
TI  - Absolute configuration, stability, and interconversion of 6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1
      hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine valine adducts and their phenylthiohydantoin
      derivatives.
AB  - Pyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plants are widespread in the world and probably
      the most common poisonous plants affecting livestock, wildlife, and humans.
      Pyrrolizidine alkaloids require metabolic activation to form dehydropyrrolizidine
      alkaloids that bind to cellular proteins and DNA leading to hepatotoxicity,
      genotoxicity, and tumorigenicity. At present, it is not clear how
      dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids bind to cellular amino acids and proteins to
      induced toxicity. We previously reported that reaction of dehydromonocrotaline
      with valine generated four highly unstable 6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl
      5H-pyrrolizine (DHP)-derived valine (DHP-valine) adducts that upon reaction with
      phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC) formed four DHP-valine-PITC adduct isomers. In this
      study, we report the absolute configuration and stability of DHP-valine and DHP
      valine-PITC adducts, and the mechanism of interconversion between DHP-valine-PITC
      adducts.

PMID- 28911389
TI  - Beverage-induced enhanced bioavailability of carbamazepine and its consequent
      effect on antiepileptic activity and toxicity.
AB  - The present study was undertaken to investigate the food-drug interaction of
      carbamazepine (CBZ). Common fruit juices [grapefruit juice (GFJ), lime juice
      (LJ)], known to inhibit the enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), and some widely
      consumed beverages [milk (M), black tea (BT)] were involved in this study in the
      presence of CBZ, as might happen during clinical therapy. The effects of the
      beverages on the pharmacokinetics and drug-induced toxicity of CBZ was observed
      after concomitant administration for a period of 28 days. Accordingly, the
      influence of altered bioavailability of CBZ on its antiepileptic activity was
      investigated. A significant shift in the Cmax as well as Tmax of CBZ was observed
      in the presence of LJ and GFJ. This increase in bioavailability significantly
      enhanced hepatotoxicity and delayed the onset of tremor and piloerection against
      pentylene tetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure in experimental animals. However,
      increased toxicity of CBZ was found to be absent with BT. Thus, from our
      observation, LJ or GFJ in the presence of CBZ significantly increased the
      bioavailability of CBZ, which might lead to increased toxicity and antiepileptic
      activity of the drug.

PMID- 28911390
TI  - The histamine content of dried flying fish products in Taiwan and the isolation
      of halotolerant histamine-forming bacteria.
AB  - Thirty dried flying fish products were purchased from fishing village stores in
      Taiwan and tested to detect the presence of histamine and histamine-forming
      bacteria. Except for histamine and cadaverine, the average content of various
      biogenic amines in the tested samples was less than 3.5 mg/100 g. Eight (26.6%)
      dried flying fish samples had histamine levels greater than the United States
      Food and Drug Administration guideline of 5 mg/100 g for scombroid fish and/or
      scombroid products, whereas four (13.3%) samples contained more than the hazard
      action level of 50 mg/100 g. One histamine-producing bacterial isolate was
      identified as Staphylococcus xylosus by 16S rDNA sequencing with polymerase chain
      reaction amplification. This isolate was capable of producing 507.8 ppm of
      histamine in trypticase soy broth supplemented with 1.0% l-histidine (TSBH). The
      S. xylosus isolate was a halotolerant bacterium that had a consistent ability to
      produce more than 300 ppm of histamine at 3% sodium chloride concentration in
      TSBH medium after 72 hours.

PMID- 28911391
TI  - Perspectives on genetically modified crops and food detection.
AB  - Genetically modified (GM) crops are a major product of the global food industry.
      From 1996 to 2014, 357 GM crops were approved and the global value of the GM crop
      market reached 35% of the global commercial seed market in 2014. However, the
      rapid growth of the GM crop-based industry has also created controversies in many
      regions, including the European Union, Egypt, and Taiwan. The effective detection
      and regulation of GM crops/foods are necessary to reduce the impact of these
      controversies. In this review, the status of GM crops and the technology for
      their detection are discussed. As the primary gap in GM crop regulation exists in
      the application of detection technology to field regulation, efforts should be
      made to develop an integrated, standardized, and high-throughput GM crop
      detection system. We propose the development of an integrated GM crop detection
      system, to be used in combination with a standardized international database, a
      decision support system, high-throughput DNA analysis, and automated sample
      processing. By integrating these technologies, we hope that the proposed GM crop
      detection system will provide a method to facilitate comprehensive GM crop
      regulation.

PMID- 28911392
TI  - Isolation of eugenyl beta-primeveroside from Camellia sasanqua and its anticancer
      activity in PC3 prostate cancer cells.
AB  - Most studies of tea trees have focused on their ornamental properties, there are
      fewer published studies on their medical values. The purpose of this study was to
      compare the chemical constituents and the biological potential of the water
      extract of leaves in eight species of Camellia including Camellia sinensis. Among
      eight Camellia species, Camellia sasanqua showed potent anticancer activities in
      prostate cancer PC3 cells. In addition to catechins, the major component, eugenyl
      beta-primeveroside was detected in C. sasanqua. Eugenyl beta-primeveroside
      blocked the progression of cell cycle at G1 phase by inducing p53 expression and
      further upregulating p21 expression. Moreover, eugenyl beta-primeveroside induced
      apoptosis in PC3 prostate cancer cells. Our results suggest that C. sasanqua may
      have anticancer potential.

PMID- 28911393
TI  - Exploring in vitro neurobiological effects and high-pressure liquid
      chromatography-assisted quantitation of chlorogenic acid in 18 Turkish coffee
      brands.
AB  - The hydroalcoholic extracts of the Turkish traditional coffee samples from 18
      commercial brands were tested for their neurobiological effects through enzyme
      inhibition based on enzyme-linked immunosorbance microtiter assays against
      acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and tyrosinase, linked to
      Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The extracts were also subjected to several
      antioxidant test systems to define their antiradical, metal-chelation capacity,
      and reducing power. Total phenol and flavonoid contents in the extracts were
      delineated by spectrophotometric methods, while chlorogenic acid in the coffee
      samples was quantified by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The extracts
      displayed low to moderate inhibition (from 2.13 +/- 0.01% to 36.12 +/- 1.07% at
      200 MUg/mL) against the tested enzymes, whereas they had notable 2,2'-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity up to 56.15 +/- 2.03% at 200 MUg/mL.
      The extracts exerted a remarkable ferric-reducing antioxidant power values, while
      chlorogenic acid was found to range between 0.288 +/- 0.005% and 2.335 +/-
      0.010%.

PMID- 28911394
TI  - Pacific oyster-derived polysaccharides attenuate allergen-induced intestinal
      inflammation in a murine model of food allergy.
AB  - Oyster-derived polysaccharides (OPS) have been shown to modulate the T helper
      (Th)1/Th2 immunobalance toward the Th1-dominant direction in antigen-primed
      splenocytes. In the present study, we hypothesized that OPS might attenuate
      intestinal inflammation associated with food allergy, a Th2-dominant immune
      disorder. BALB/c mice were sensitized twice with ovalbumin (OVA) absorbed to alum
      and then repeatedly challenged with intragastric OVA to induce intestinal
      allergic responses. The mice were administered by gavage with OPS and/or vehicle
      (distilled water) once/d during the two sensitization phases, and once every
      other day during the challenge phase. Administration with OPS attenuated OVA
      challenge-elicited diarrhea, and the infiltration of mast cells in the intestine.
      OPS demonstrated a protective effect on the reduced ratio of villus length over
      crypt depth of the intestine in allergic mice. Furthermore, OPS administration
      markedly attenuated the intestinal expression of the Th2 signature cytokine
      interleukin-4 (IL-4). Collectively, these results demonstrated the in vivo
      antiallergic activity of OPS, which is associated with the suppression of
      allergen-induced intestinal Th2 responses and mast cell activation.

PMID- 28911395
TI  - Microspheres as carriers for lipase inhibitory substances to reduce dietary
      triglyceride absorption in mice.
AB  - The present study intends to use microspheres as a delivery system of chlorogenic
      acid (CGA) to investigate the influences of CGA microspheres on dietary fat
      absorption and fecal triglyceride excretion in a mice model. Microspheres have an
      average particle size of about 53.3 MUm. Results indicated that the microspheres
      were capable of gradually releasing the preloaded CGA into the surrounding
      medium. Their bioadhesive property might help prolong the gastrointestinal
      transit time in mice, and render a better mixing and contact between CGA and
      triglyceride. Consumption of CGA microspheres resulted in a significantly higher
      level of fecal triglyceride (119-144%) as compared with the corresponding control
      groups. A microsphere would be a desirable vehicle for CGA to improve its
      efficacy along the intestine.

PMID- 28911396
TI  - Myrciaria cauliflora extracts attenuate diabetic nephropathy involving the Ras
      signaling pathway in streptozotocin/nicotinamide mice on a high fat diet.
AB  - Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of end-stage renal disease and its
      mortality is continuously increasing worldwide. Previous studies indicate that
      reactive oxygen species play an important role in high glucose-induced renal
      injury. Myrciaria cauliflora has been reported as a functional food rich in
      anthocyanins possessing anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. This
      study examined whether M. cauliflora extracts (MCE) can attenuate diabetic
      nephropathy progression in type 2 diabetes mellitus mice. First, the composition
      of the anthocyanins and polyphenols of MCE were determined by high-performance
      liquid chromatography and spectrophotometry. One hundred mg/kg of streptozotocin
      and 240 mg/kg nicotinamide were administered to C57BL/6J mice fed a high fat diet
      and varied concentrations of MCE. The plasma glucose concentration, body weight,
      oral glucose tolerance, blood pressure, renal ultrasound ultrasonic wave were
      monitored every 2 weeks. Following euthanasia, the kidneys of the mice were
      analyzed using hematoxylin-eosin, periodic acid Schiff, Masson's trichrome, and
      immunohistochemistry staining. The results showed that MCE stabilized the plasma
      glucose and indirectly improved insulin sensitivity in diabetic mice. In
      addition, diabetes-caused glomerular atrophy, accumulation of saccharide, and
      formation of collagen IV were recovered or reduced under treatment with MCE in
      diabetic mice. Our results indicate that MCE has beneficial effects in DN and the
      mechanism has been confirmed to inhibit Ras/PI3K/Akt and kidney fibrosis related
      proteins. This work illustrates the potential of MCE rich in anthocyanins and
      polyphenols as a natural food to inhibit DN.

PMID- 28911397
TI  - Mycotoxin monitoring for commercial foodstuffs in Taiwan.
AB  - Mycotoxins are toxic food contaminants that are naturally produced by certain
      fungi. They induce negative effects on human health by making food unsafe for
      consumption. In this study, analyses were performed to determine the levels and
      incidence of aflatoxins (AFs) in peanut products, tree nuts, spices, and Coix
      seeds; ochratoxin A (OTA) in wheat and roasted coffee, as well as OTA and AFs in
      rice; and citrinin (CIT) in red yeast rice (RYR) products. A total of 712 samples
      from nine different food categories were collected between 2012 and 2013. The
      samples were analyzed over 2 years for AFs, OTA, and CIT by methods recommended
      by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. These official analytical methods were
      extensively validated in-house and through interlaboratory trials. The analytical
      values of suspected contaminated specimens were confirmed by liquid
      chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry analysis to identify the specific
      mycotoxin present in the sample. We show that 689 samples (96.8%) complied with
      the regulations set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. AFs were found in four
      peanut-candy products, one peanut-flour product, one pistachio product, one
      Sichuan-pepper product, and one Coix seed product. All had exceeded the maximum
      levels of 15 parts per billion for peanut and 10 parts per billion for other food
      products. Furthermore, 14 RYR samples contained CIT above 5 parts per million,
      and one RYR tablet exceeded the maximum amount allowed. Instances of AFs in
      substandard Sichuan pepper and Coix seeds were first detected in Taiwan. Measures
      were taken by the relevant authorities to remove substandard products from the
      market in order to decrease consumer exposure to mycotoxin. Border control
      measures were applied to importing food commodities with a higher risk of
      mycotoxin contamination, such as peanut, Sichuan pepper, and RYR products.
      Declining trends were observed in the noncompliance rate of AFs in peanut
      products, as well as that of CIT in RYR raw materials monitored from 2010 to
      2013.

PMID- 28911398
TI  - Nanomaterial-based sensors for detection of foodborne bacterial pathogens and
      toxins as well as pork adulteration in meat products.
AB  - Food safety draws considerable attention in the modern pace of the world owing to
      rapid-changing food recipes and food habits. Foodborne illnesses associated with
      pathogens, toxins, and other contaminants pose serious threat to human health.
      Besides, a large amount of money is spent on both analyses and control measures,
      which causes significant loss to the food industry. Conventional detection
      methods for bacterial pathogens and toxins are time consuming and laborious,
      requiring certain sophisticated instruments and trained personnel. In recent
      years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising field for solving food safety
      issues in terms of detecting contaminants, enabling controlled release of
      preservatives to extend the shelf life of foods, and improving food-packaging
      strategies. Nanomaterials including metal oxide and metal nanoparticles, carbon
      nanotubes, and quantum dots are gaining a prominent role in the design of sensors
      and biosensors for food analysis. In this review, various nanomaterial-based
      sensors reported in the literature for detection of several foodborne bacterial
      pathogens and toxins are summarized highlighting their principles, advantages,
      and limitations in terms of simplicity, sensitivity, and multiplexing capability.
      In addition, the application through a noncross-linking method without the need
      for any surface modification is also presented for detection of pork adulteration
      in meat products.

PMID- 28911399
TI  - Reduction of histamine and biogenic amines during salted fish fermentation by
      Bacillus polymyxa as a starter culture.
AB  - Bacillus polymyxa D05-1, isolated from salted fish product and possessing amine
      degrading activity, was used as a starter culture in salted fish fermentation in
      this study. Fermentation was held at 35 degrees C for 120 days. The water
      activity in control samples (without starter culture) and inoculated samples
      (inoculated with B. polymyxa D05-1) remained constant throughout fermentation,
      whereas the pH value rose slightly during fermentation. Salt contents in both
      samples were constant in the range of 17.5-17.8% during the first 60 days of
      fermentation and thereafter increased slowly. The inoculated samples had
      considerably lower levels of total volatile basic nitrogen (p < 0.05) than
      control samples at each sampling time during 120 days of fermentation. Aerobic
      bacterial counts in inoculated samples were retarded during the first 60 days of
      fermentation and thereafter increased slowly, whereas those of control samples
      increased rapidly with increased fermentation time. However, the aerobic
      bacterial counts of control samples were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than
      those of inoculated samples after 40 days of fermentation. In general, overall
      biogenic amine contents (including histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, and
      tyramine) in the control samples were markedly higher (p < 0.05) than those of
      the inoculated samples throughout fermentation. After 120 days of fermentation,
      the histamine and overall biogenic amine contents in the inoculated samples were
      reduced by 34.0% and 30.0%, respectively, compared to control samples. These
      results emphasize that the application of starter culture with amines degrading
      activity in salted fish products was effective in reducing biogenic amine
      accumulation.

PMID- 28911400
TI  - Effects of calcium supplements on the quality and acrylamide content of puffed
      shrimp chips.
AB  - The quality and acrylamide content of deep-fried and microwave-puffed shrimp
      chips fortified with 0.1%, 0.5%, or 1.0% calcium salts (calcium lactate, calcium
      carbonate, calcium citrate, or calcium acetate) were investigated. Microwave
      puffed shrimp chips contained higher amounts of acrylamide (130.43 ppb) than did
      deep-fried shrimp chips. The greatest mitigation of acrylamide formation in
      overfried chips was obtained with 0.1% calcium lactate. All browning indexes of
      fortified shrimp chips, whether deep-fried or microwave-puffed, were reduced. L*
      values of microwave-puffed shrimp chips were higher than those of deep-fried
      shrimp chips, whereas a* and b* values and browning indexes were lower. Color
      differences (DeltaE) between deep-fried puffed shrimp chips fortified with
      calcium salts and a control sample were higher than 5, and the sensory scores of
      shrimp chips were significantly decreased by the addition of calcium lactate.

PMID- 28911401
TI  - Chemical quality evaluation of Antrodia cinnamomea fruiting bodies using
      phytomics similarity index analysis.
AB  - The fruiting body of Antrodia cinnamomea is used as a medicinal mushroom in
      Taiwan and is found on the inner cavity of the endemic species Cinnamomum
      kanehirai. In this study, phytomics similarity index (PSI) analysis was employed
      for the chemical quality evaluation of the A. cinnamomea fruiting bodies from
      different strains, and grown on various substrates. The results indicated that
      the different types of A. cinnamomea fruiting bodies contain eight index
      compounds, and that it was difficult to discriminate between them solely on the
      basis of those index compounds. In our research, we used PSI scores to assess the
      metabolite similarity of the fruiting bodies of A. cinnamomea. It was revealed
      that fruiting bodies from various A. cinnamomea strains grown on different
      culture substrates produce distinct PSI scores. We concluded that PSI analysis
      had good selectivity on the different types of A. cinnamomea fruiting bodies.

PMID- 28911402
TI  - Antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of 11 herbal plants from Hyrcania region,
      Iran.
AB  - In the present study, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, alpha
      amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibition activities, and total phenolic contents
      of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of various parts of Allium
      paradoxum, Buxus hyrcana, Convolvulus persicus, Eryngium caucasicum, Heracleum
      persicum, Pimpinella affinis, Parrotia persica, Primula heterochroma, Pyrus
      boissieriana, Ruscus hyrcanus, and Smilax excelsa were investigated. These
      plants, which mostly serve as food flavoring, were collected from Hyrcania
      region, Sari, Iran. Some extracts of H. persicum, S. excels, P. boissieriana, P.
      persica, and P. heterochroma exhibited significant antidiabetic activities in
      alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase assays, more effective than acarbose
      (concentrations that cause 50% inhibition = 75.7 MUg/mL and 6.1 MUg/mL against
      alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase, respectively). Also, C. persicus, P.
      boissieriana, and P. heterochroma showed strong antioxidant activities, compared
      with butylated hydroxytoluene (concentration that causes 50% inhibition = 16.7
      MUg/mL). In conclusion, this study can recommend these plants as good candidates
      for further investigations to find potent antidiabetic natural products or
      probable lead compounds. Statistical analysis showed significant correlation
      between the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity and total phenolic
      contents (r = 0.711, p < 0.001).

PMID- 28911403
TI  - Determination of the levels of two types of neurotransmitter and the anti
      migraine effects of different dose-ratios of Ligusticum chuanxiong and Gastrodia
      elata.
AB  - Ligusticum chuanxiong (LC)-Gastrodia elata (GE) compatibility is widely used in
      the clinic for the treatment of migraine. It has been shown that the changes of
      neurotransmitters in the central nervous system are closely related to the
      pathogenesis of migraine; whether LC-GE compatibility might affect the
      neurotransmitters in migraine rats has not yet been studied. In this study, high
      performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector methods for
      quantification of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and excitatory amino
      acids (EAAs) in rat brain were developed. The 5-HT was measured directly, while
      EAAs were determined by using dansyl chloride as precolumn derivative reagent.
      The validation of the methods, including selectivity, linearity, sensitivity,
      precision, accuracy, recoveries, and stability were carried out and demonstrated
      to meet the requirements of quantitative analysis. Compared with the model group,
      the expression of 5-HT in migraine rat brain was enhanced from 30 minutes to 120
      minutes and glutamate (L-Glu) was suppressed from 30 minutes to 60 minutes in an
      LC-GE (4:3) group compared with the model group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01,
      respectively). These findings showed that the analytical methods were simple,
      sensitive, selective, and low cost, and LC-GE 4:3 compatibility could have better
      efficacy for treating migraine through upregulating 5-HT levels and
      downregulating L-Glu levels.

PMID- 28911404
TI  - The analytical determination and electrochemiluminescence behavior of
      amoxicillin.
AB  - A novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) luminophor of amoxicillin was studied and
      found to generate ECL following the oxidation or reduction of amoxicillin. The
      amoxicillin oxidation state was also found to eliminate the reduction state,
      generating ECL. When solutions of amoxicillin were scanned between +1.5 V and 
      1.0 V with a graphite electrode in the presence of cetyltrimethyl ammonium
      bromide using KC1 as the supporting electrolyte, ECL emissions were observed at
      potentials of -0.7 V and +0.5 V. The ECL intensity at -0.7 V was enhanced by
      H2O2. Based on these findings, an ECL method for the determination of the
      amoxicillin concentration is proposed. The ECL intensities were linear with
      amoxicillin concentrations in the range of 1.8 * 10-8 g/mL to 2.5 * 10-7 g/mL,
      and the limit of detection (signal/noise = 3) was 5 * 10-9 g/mL. The florescence
      of amoxicillin had the greatest emission intensity in a neutral medium, with the
      emission wavelength dependent on the excitation wavelength. The experiments on
      the ECL mechanism for amoxicillin found that the electrochemical oxidation
      products of dissolved oxygen and active oxygen species contributed to the ECL
      process. The data also suggest that the hydroxyl group of amoxicillin contributed
      to its ECL emission.

PMID- 28911405
TI  - Chemopreventive effect of myrtenal on bacterial enzyme activity and the
      development of 1,2-dimethyl hydrazine-induced aberrant crypt foci in Wistar Rats.
AB  - Colon cancer remains as a serious health problem around the world despite
      advances in diagnosis and treatment. Dietary fibers are considered to reduce the
      risk of colon cancer as they are converted to short chain fatty acids by the
      presence of anaerobic bacteria in the intestine, but imbalanced diet and high fat
      consumption may promote tumor formation at different sites, including the large
      bowel via increased bacterial enzymes activity. The present study was conducted
      to characterize the inhibitory action of myrtenal on bacterial enzymes and
      aberrant crypt foci (ACF). Experimental colon carcinogenesis induced by 1,2
      dimethylhydrazine is histologically, morphologically, and anatomically similar to
      human colonic epithelial neoplasm. Discrete microscopic mucosal lesions such as
      ACF and malignant tumors function as important biomarkers in the diagnosis of
      colon cancer. Methylene blue staining was carried out to visualize the impact of
      1,2-dimethylhydrazine and myrtenal. Myrtenal-treated animals showed decreased
      levels of bacterial enzymes such as beta-glucuronidase, beta-glucosidase, and
      mucinase. Characteristic changes in the colon were noticed by inhibiting ACF
      formation in the colon. In conclusion, treatment with myrtenal provided altered
      pathophysiological condition in colon cancer-bearing animals with evidence of
      decreased crypt multiplicity and tumor progression.

PMID- 28911406
TI  - Quantitative analysis of insulin in total parenteral nutrition bag in Taiwan.
AB  - Regular insulin can reduce hyperglycemia when directly added to total parenteral
      nutrition (TPN) solutions. Insulin is not routinely added to all TPN solutions.
      For patients who require insulin prior to the initiation of TPN supplement, one
      third to one-half of the usual total daily dose can be added to the TPN bag as
      regular human insulin. However, an incorrect dose or an interaction between
      insulin and the TPN bag material may affect blood sugar control in clinical
      practice. Therefore, it is important to quantitatively determine the final dose
      of insulin in the TPN bag. High performance liquid chromatography is a very
      powerful technique for determining the purity of proteins. The goal of this study
      was to use high-performance liquid chromatography to perform quantitative
      analysis of insulin in a TPN bag. The analysis was performed under different
      light conditions (UV, fluorescent, and darkness) and different temperatures (25
      degrees C and 2-8 degrees C). The results show that adsorption of insulin on an
      ethylene vinyl acetate TPN bag is significantly higher than that on glass. Based
      on the results, it is evident that regular insulin should be administered
      separately from TPN to reduce cost and eliminate wasteful disposal of TPN
      solutions.

PMID- 28911407
TI  - Use, history, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry chemical analysis of
      Aconitum.
AB  - Aconitum and its products have been used in Asia for centuries to treat various
      ailments, including arthritis, gout, cancer, and inflammation. In general, their
      preparations and dispensing have been restricted to qualified folk medicine
      healers due to their low safety index and reported toxicity. In the past few
      decades, official guidelines have been introduced in Asian pharmacopeias to
      control Aconitum herbal products. However, these guidelines were based on
      primitive analytical techniques for the determination of the whole Aconitum
      alkaloids and were unable to distinguish between toxic and nontoxic components.
      Recent advances in analytical techniques, especially high performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) and electrophoresis coupled with highly sensitive
      detectors, allowed rapid and accurate determination of Aconitum secondary
      metabolites. Reports focusing on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis
      of Aconitum and its herbal products are discussed in the current review. This
      review can be used by the health regulatory authorities for updating
      pharmacopeial guidelines of Aconitum and its herbal products.

PMID- 28911408
TI  - Determination of Pb (Lead), Cd (Cadmium), Cr (Chromium), Cu (Copper), and Ni
      (Nickel) in Chinese tea with high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace
      atomic absorption spectrometry.
AB  - The contents of lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, and nickel were determined in 25
      tea samples from China, including green, yellow, white, oolong, black, Pu'er, and
      jasmine tea products, using high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace
      atomic absorption spectrometry. The methods used for sample preparation,
      digestion, and quantificational analysis were established, generating
      satisfactory analytical precisions (represented by relative standard deviations
      ranging from 0.6% to 2.5%) and recoveries (98.91-101.32%). The lead contents in
      tea leaves were 0.48-10.57 mg/kg, and 80% of these values were below the maximum
      values stated by the guidelines in China. The contents of cadmium and chromium
      ranged from 0.01 mg/kg to 0.39 mg/kg and from 0.27 mg/kg to 2.45 mg/kg,
      respectively, remaining in compliance with the limits stipulated by China's
      Ministry of Agriculture. The copper contents were 7.73-63.71 mg/kg; only 64% of
      these values complied with the standards stipulated by the Ministry of
      Agriculture. The nickel contents ranged from 2.70 mg/kg to 13.41 mg/kg.
      Consequently, more attention must be paid to the risks of heavy metal
      contamination in tea. The quantitative method established in this work lays a
      foundation for preventing heavy metal toxicity in human from drinking tea and
      will help establish regulations to control the contents of heavy metals in tea.

PMID- 28911409
TI  - Comparing determination methods of detection and quantification limits for
      aflatoxin analysis in hazelnut.
AB  - Hazelnut is a type of plant that grows in wet and humid climatic conditions.
      Adverse climatic conditions result in the formation of aflatoxin in hazelnuts
      during the harvesting, drying, and storing processes. Aflatoxin is considered an
      important food contaminant, which makes aflatoxin analysis important in the
      international produce trade. For this reason, validation is important for the
      analysis of aflatoxin in hazelnuts. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of
      quantification (LOQ) are two important parameters in validation. In this study,
      the LOD and LOQ values have been determined using the Association of Official
      Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) Method 991.31, which is one of the most viable high
      performance liquid chromatography analysis methods in the analysis of aflatoxin
      in hazelnuts. Several approaches can be used to calculate LOD and LOQ values. In
      this study, to calculate the LOD and LOQ values, the visual evaluation
      (empirical) method, the signal-to-noise method, and calibration curve approaches
      were applied. The most appropriate approaches were compared. Our conclusion is
      that the visual evaluation method provided much more realistic LOD and LOQ
      values.

PMID- 28911410
TI  - Determination of histamine in milkfish stick implicated in food-borne poisoning.
AB  - An incident of food-borne poisoning causing illness in 37 victims due to
      ingestion of fried fish sticks occurred in September 2014, in Tainan city,
      southern Taiwan. Leftovers of the victims' fried fish sticks and 16 other raw
      fish stick samples from retail stores were collected and tested to determine the
      occurrence of histamine and histamine-forming bacteria. Two suspected fried fish
      samples contained 86.6 mg/100 g and 235.0 mg/100 g histamine; levels that are
      greater than the potential hazard action level (50 mg/100 g) in most illness
      cases. Given the allergy-like symptoms of the victims and the high histamine
      content in the suspected fried fish samples, this food-borne poisoning was
      strongly suspected to be caused by histamine intoxication. Moreover, the fish
      species of suspected samples was identified as milkfish (Chanos chanos), using
      polymerase chain reaction direct sequence analysis. In addition, four of the 16
      commercial raw milkfish stick samples (25%) had histamine levels greater than the
      US Food & Drug Administration guideline of 5.0 mg/100 g for scombroid fish and/or
      products. Ten histamine-producing bacterial strains, capable of producing 373
      1261 ppm of histamine in trypticase soy broth supplemented with 1.0% L-histidine,
      were identified as Enterobacter aerogenes (4 strains), Enterobacter cloacae (1
      strain), Morganella morganii (2 strains), Serratia marcescens (1 strain), Hafnia
      alvei (1 strain), and Raoultella orithinolytica (1 strain), by 16S ribosomal DNA
      sequencing with polymerase chain reaction amplification.

PMID- 28911411
TI  - Fabrication of a novel electrochemical sensor for determination of hydrogen
      peroxide in different fruit juice samples.
AB  - A new hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor is fabricated based on a multiwalled carbon
      nanotube-modified glassy carbon electrode (MWCNT-GCE) and reactive blue 19 (RB).
      The charge transfer coefficient, alpha, and the charge transfer rate constant,
      ks, of RB adsorbed on MWCNT-GCE were calculated and found to be 0.44 +/- 0.01 Hz
      and 1.9 +/- 0.05 Hz, respectively. The catalysis of the electroreduction of H2O2
      by RB-MWCNT-GCE is described. The RB-MWCNT-GCE shows a dramatic increase in the
      peak current and a decrease in the overvoltage of H2O2 electroreduction in
      comparison with that seen at an RB modified GCE, MWCNT modified GCE, and
      activated GCE. The kinetic parameters such as alpha and the heterogeneous rate
      constant, k', for the reduction of H2O2 at RB-MWCNT-GCE surface were determined
      using cyclic voltammetry. The detection limit of 0.27MUM and three linear
      calibration ranges were obtained for H2O2 determination at the RB-MWCNT-GCE
      surface using an amperometry method. In addition, using the newly developed
      sensor, H2O2 was determined in real samples with satisfactory results.

PMID- 28911412
TI  - Analysis of aroma compounds and nutrient contents of mabolo (Diospyros blancoi A.
      DC.), an ethnobotanical fruit of Austronesian Taiwan.
AB  - Diospyros blancoi A. DC. is an evergreen tree species of high-quality wood.
      Mabolo, the fruit of this plant, is popular among the natives in Taiwan, but its
      potential in economic use has not been fully explored. Mabolo has a rich aroma.
      Of the 39 different volatile compounds isolated, its intact fruit and peel were
      found to both contain 24 compounds, whereas the pulp contained 28 compounds. The
      most important aroma compounds were esters and alpha-farnesene. Our data show
      that mabolo is rich in dietary fiber (3.2%), and the contents of other nutrients
      such as malic acid, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, folic acid, pantothenic acid, and
      choline chloride were 227.1 mg/100 g, 0.075 mg/100 g, 0.157 mg/100 g, 0.623
      mg/100 g, 0.19 mg/100 g, and 62.52 mg/100 g, respectively. Moreover, it is rich
      in calcium and zinc; the contents of which were found to be 42.8 mg/100 g and 3.6
      mg/100 g, respectively. Our results show that D. blancoi has the potential to be
      bred for a novel fruit.

PMID- 28911413
TI  - Development of standardized methodology for identifying toxins in clinical
      samples and fish species associated with tetrodotoxin-borne poisoning incidents.
AB  - Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a naturally occurring toxin in food, especially in puffer
      fish. TTX poisoning is observed frequently in South East Asian regions. In TTX
      derived food poisoning outbreaks, the amount of TTX recovered from suspicious
      fish samples or leftovers, and residual levels from biological fluids of victims
      are typically trace. However, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods have been demonstrated to
      qualitatively and quantitatively determine TTX in clinical samples from victims.
      Identification and validation of the TTX-originating seafood species responsible
      for a food poisoning incident is needed. A polymerase chain reaction-based method
      on mitochondrial DNA analysis is useful for identification of fish species. This
      review aims to collect pertinent information available on TTX-borne food
      poisoning incidents with a special emphasis on the analytical methods employed
      for TTX detection in clinical laboratories as well as for the identification of
      TTX-bearing species.

PMID- 28911414
TI  - Rapid confirmatory analysis of avermectin residues in milk by liquid
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Our study developed a quick method for confirmatory analysis of avermectins
      (abamectin B1a, doramectin, ivermectin B1a, eprinomectin B1a, and moxidectin) in
      bovine milk according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC
      requirements. Avermectins were liquid-liquid extracted with acetonitrile,
      followed by an evaporation step, and then analyzed by liquid
      chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the negative
      ion mode. An in-house method validation was performed and the data reported on
      specificity, linearity, recovery, limit of detection, limit of quantitation,
      decision limit, and detection capability. The advantage of this method is that
      low levels of avermectins are detectable and quantitatively confirmed at a rapid
      rate in milk.

PMID- 28911415
TI  - High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints and primary structure
      identification of corn peptides by HPLC-diode array detection and HPLC
      electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Corn peptides (CPs) are reported to have many biological functions, such as
      facilitating alcohol metabolism, antioxidation, antitumor, antihypertension, and
      hepatoprotection. To develop a method for quality control, the high-performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC) system was applied. Twenty-eight common peaks were
      found in all the CPs of corn samples from Enshi, China, based on which, a
      fingerprinting chromatogram was established for use in quality control in future
      research. Subsequently, the major chemical constituents of these common peaks
      were identified respectively using the HPLC-diode-array detection electrospray
      ionization tandem mass spectrometry (DAD-ESI-MS/MS) system, and 48 peptide
      fractions were determined ultimately. This was the first time for the majority of
      these peptides to be reported, and many of them contained amino acids of
      glutamine (Q), L and A, which might play an important role in the exhibition of
      the bioactivities of CPs. Many peptides had a similar primary structure to the
      peptides which had been proven to be bioactive such as facilitating alcohol
      metabolism, scavenging free radicals, and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. This
      systematical analysis of the primary structure of CPs facilitated subsequent
      studies on the relationship between the structures and functions, and could
      accelerate holistic research on CPs.

PMID- 28911416
TI  - Development and validation of a simple reversed-phase HPLC-UV method for
      determination of oleuropein in olive leaves.
AB  - A simple, precise, accurate, and selective method is developed and validated for
      the determination of oleuropein, which is the main phenolic compound in olive
      leaves. Separation was achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column (5 MUm, 150 * 4.6
      mm inner diameter) using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/phosphate
      buffer pH 3.0 (20:80, v/v), at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/minute and UV detection at
      280 nm. This method is validated according to the requirements for new methods,
      which include accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, limit of detection,
      limit of quantitation, linearity, and range. The current method demonstrates good
      linearity over the range of 3-1000 ppm of oleuropein, with r2 > 0.999. The
      recovery of oleuropein in olive leaves ranges from 97.7% to 101.1%. The method is
      selective, in that oleuropein is well separated from other compounds of olive
      leaves with good resolution. The method is also precise-the relative standard
      deviation of the peak areas of replicate injections of oleuropein standard
      solution is <1%. The degree of reproducibility of the results obtained as a
      result of small deliberate variations in the method parameters and by changing
      analytical operators has proven that the method is robust and rugged. The low
      limit of detection and limit of quantitation of oleuropein when using this method
      enable the detection and quantitation of oleuropein at low concentrations.

PMID- 28911417
TI  - Flavonoid compositions and antioxidant activity of calamondin extracts prepared
      using different solvents.
AB  - Calamondin has been demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant function and tyrosinase
      inhibitory activity, which might be attributed to its flavonoid compounds. To
      improve their application, the flavonoid compositions and antioxidant activity of
      calamondin extracts, prepared by different solvents, were investigated. The
      results showed that total phenolic and flavonoid contents of extracts from peel
      of calamondin were higher than that from pulp, except the flavonoid content in
      hot water extract. The flavonoids found in extracts of calamondin were 3',5'-di-C
      beta-glucopyranosylphloretin (DGPP), naringin, hesperidin, nobiletin, tangeretin,
      and diosmin. DGPP exhibited the highest quantity, while naringin and hesperidin
      were the other two major flavonoids. The content of DGPP in hot water extract of
      peel was higher than in extracts of organic solvents, however, the contents of
      nobiletin and tangeretin were found only in extracts of organic solvents. The
      highest levels of total flavonoids and DGPP were obtained in hot water extract
      from peel at 90 degrees C. The extracts of hot water and ethyl acetate showed
      higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging potency than that
      of ethanol and methanol. A positive relationship existed between total phenolic
      contents and DPPH scavenging potency (p < 0.01), while total flavonoid
      compositions also showed correlation (p < 0.05). Thus, DGPP, naringin, and
      hesperidin might contribute to antioxidant activity. Collectively, the hot water
      extract of calamondin peel might have potential for health food and cosmetic
      applications due to its good antioxidant activity and high level of DGPP.

PMID- 28911419
TI  - Catechin content and the degree of its galloylation in oolong tea are inversely
      correlated with cultivation altitude.
AB  - The taste quality of oolong tea generated from leaves of Camellia sinensis L.
      cultivated in the same mountain area is positively correlated to the cultivation
      altitude, partly due to the inverse correlation with the astringency of the tea
      infusion. The astringency of oolong tea mostly results from the presence of
      polyphenolic compounds, mainly catechins and their derivatives. Four catechins, (
      )-epicatechin (EC) and (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC) together with their gallate
      derivatives (with relatively high astringency), (-)-EC gallate (ECG) and (-)-EGC
      gallate (EGCG), were detected as major compounds in oolong tea. The degrees of
      catechin galloylation, designated as ECG/(EC + ECG) and EGCG/(EGC + EGCG), in
      both oolong tea infusions and their fresh tea leaves, were found to be inversely
      correlated to the cultivation altitude at 200 m, 800 m, and 1300 m. A similar
      inverse correlation was observed when seven more oolong tea infusions and seven
      more fresh leaves harvested at altitude ranging from 170 m to 1600 m were
      recruited for the analyses. Moreover, catechin contents in oolong tea infusions
      were also found to be inversely correlated to the cultivation altitude. It is
      proposed that catechin content and the degree of its galloylation account for, at
      least partly, the inverse correlation between the astringency of oolong tea and
      the cultivation altitude.

PMID- 28911418
TI  - Effect of extraction solvent on total phenol content, total flavonoid content,
      and antioxidant activity of Limnophila aromatica.
AB  - Limnophila aromatica is commonly used as a spice and a medicinal herb in
      Southeast Asia. In this study, water and various concentrations (50%, 75%, and
      100%) of methanol, ethanol, and acetone in water were used as solvent in the
      extraction of L. aromatica. The antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and
      total flavonoid content of the freeze-dried L. aromatica extracts were
      investigated using various in vitro assays. The extract obtained by 100% ethanol
      showed the highest total antioxidant activity, reducing power and DPPH (2,2
      diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. The same extract also
      exhibited the highest phenolic content (40.5 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of
      defatted L. aromatica) and the highest flavonoid content (31.11 mg quercetin
      equivalent/g of defatted L. aromatica). The highest extraction yield was obtained
      by using 50% aqueous acetone. These results indicate that L. aromatica can be
      used in dietary applications with a potential to reduce oxidative stress.

PMID- 28911420
TI  - Effect of roasting on the volatile constituents of Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds.
AB  - Roasted Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds have much more intense flavor than the raw
      seeds, and are commonly used as food and in the preparations of many medicinal
      formulations. Volatile constituents in the raw and roasted T. kirilowii seeds
      were separated by simultaneous distillation and extraction, and analyzed by gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry on two capillary gas chromatography columns of
      different polarities (DB-WAX and HP-1). A total of 40 volatile compounds were
      identified in the raw seeds, with pentanal, 2-pentanol, styrene, (Z)-2-heptenal,
      (+)-calarene, and alpha-muurolene being the predominant compounds; 40 volatile
      compounds were also identified in the roasted seeds, with 3-methylbutanal,
      ethanol, 2-butanol, 2,3-butanediol, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, and 2-isopropyl-5
      methyl-9-methylene-bicyclo[4.4.0]dec-1-ene being the most abundant compounds. A
      total of 15 compounds, mostly aldehydes, were common in both seeds. Roasting of
      T. kirilowii seeds resulted in a significant decrease in the levels of
      sesquiterpenes and short-chain aliphatic aldehydes. By contrast, high
      concentrations of 3-methylbutanal, ethanol, 2-butanol, and alkyl pyrazines were
      generated, which was responsible for the unique flavor of the roasted seeds. The
      study results may be useful for optimizing the roasting process and oil
      processing of T. kirilowii seeds.

PMID- 28911421
TI  - Detection of 10 sweeteners in various foods by liquid chromatography/tandem mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - The analytical method for sweeteners in various food matrixes is very important
      for food quality control and regulation enforcement. A simple and rapid method
      for the simultaneous determination of 10 sweeteners [acesulfame potassium (ACS
      K), aspartame (ASP), cyclamate (CYC), dulcin (DUL), glycyrrhizic acid (GA),
      neotame (NEO), neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), saccharin (SAC), sucralose
      (SCL), and stevioside (STV)] in various foods by liquid chromatography/tandem
      mass chromatography (LC-MS/MS) was developed. The chromatographic separation was
      performed on a Phenomenex Luna Phenyl-Hexyl (5 MUm, 4.6 mm * 150 mm) column with
      gradient elution of 10 mM ammonium acetate in water and 10 mM ammonium acetate in
      methanol. The recoveries of the 10 sweeteners were between 75% and 120%, and the
      coefficients of variation were less than 20%. The limits of quantification were
      0.5 MUg/kg for NHDC and SCL. For the other sweeteners, the limits of
      quantification were 0.1 MUg/kg. Compared to the traditional high-performance
      liquid chromatography method, the LC-MS/MS method could provide better
      sensitivity, higher throughput, enhanced specificity, and more sweeteners
      analyzed in a single run. The samples included 27 beverages (16 alcoholic and 11
      nonalcoholic beverages) and 15 pickled foods (1 pickled pepper, 3 candies, and 11
      candied fruits). Two remanufactured wines were found to contain 7.2, 8.5 MUg/g
      SAC and 126.5, 123 MUg/g CYC, respectively. ACS-K, ASP, SCL, and NEO were
      detected in five beverages and drinks. The pickled peppers and candied fruits
      were found to contain SAC, GA, CYC, ASP, STV, NEO, and ACS-K. The wine with
      sweeteners detected was remanufactured wine, not naturally fermented wine.
      Therefore, the ingredient label for the sweeteners of remanufactured wine should
      be regulated by the proper authority for inspection of sweeteners.

PMID- 28911422
TI  - Determination of the food dye carmine in milk and candy products by differential
      pulse polarography.
AB  - As a basis for the development of a sensitive analytical method for the
      determination of carmine food dye, a study of the differential pulse
      polarographic reduction of carminic acid (CA) on a dropping mercury electrode was
      performed. For the analytical differential pulse polarographic method running at
      pH 2.0 Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer solution (peak at -489 mV), the relationship
      between the peak current and CA concentration was linear in the range of 1 MUM to
      90 MUM with a detection limit of 0.16 MUM. The proposed electrochemical procedure
      was successfully applied to the determination of carmine food dye in spiked
      commercially available strawberry flavored milk. The method was extended to the
      determination of CA in candy and results were in agreement with that obtained by
      a spectrophotometric comparison method. A cyclic voltammogram of CA in 2.0 B-R
      buffer electrolyte was obtained on the dropping mercury electrode at pH 2.0
      during potential scans from 0.00 mV to 1000 mV versus Ag/AgCl. From repetitive
      cyclic voltammograms, one cathodic peak at -500 mV and three anodic peaks on the
      reverse scan between approximately -340 mV and -460 mV were recorded. The
      influences of some other commonly found inorganic and organic salts on the
      determination of CA were also examined. The sufficiently good recoveries and low
      standard deviations for the data reflect the high accuracy and precision of the
      proposed differential pulse polarographic method.

PMID- 28911423
TI  - Integration of independent component analysis with near-infrared spectroscopy for
      analysis of bioactive components in the medicinal plant Gentiana scabra Bunge.
AB  - Independent component (IC) analysis was applied to near-infrared spectroscopy for
      analysis of gentiopicroside and swertiamarin; the two bioactive components of
      Gentiana scabra Bunge. ICs that are highly correlated with the two bioactive
      components were selected for the analysis of tissue cultures, shoots and roots,
      which were found to distribute in three different positions within the domain
      [two-dimensional (2D) and 3D] constructed by the ICs. This setup could be used
      for quantitative determination of respective contents of gentiopicroside and
      swertiamarin within the plants. For gentiopicroside, the spectral calibration
      model based on the second derivative spectra produced the best effect in the
      wavelength ranges of 600-700 nm, 1600-1700 nm, and 2000-2300 nm (correlation
      coefficient of calibration = 0.847, standard error of calibration = 0.865%, and
      standard error of validation = 0.909%). For swertiamarin, a spectral calibration
      model based on the first derivative spectra produced the best effect in the
      wavelength ranges of 600-800 nm and 2200-2300 nm (correlation coefficient of
      calibration = 0.948, standard error of calibration = 0.168%, and standard error
      of validation = 0.216%). Both models showed a satisfactory predictability. This
      study successfully established qualitative and quantitative correlations for
      gentiopicroside and swertiamarin with near-infrared spectra, enabling rapid and
      accurate inspection on the bioactive components of G. scabra Bunge at different
      growth stages.

PMID- 28911424
TI  - Simultaneous determination of ranitidine and metronidazole in pharmaceutical
      formulations at poly(chromotrope 2B) modified activated glassy carbon electrodes.
AB  - A simple and sensitive electrochemical method for the simultaneous and
      quantitative detection of ranitidine (RT) and metronidazole (MT) was developed,
      based on a poly(chromotrope 2B) modified activated glassy carbon electrode
      (PCHAGCE). The PCHAGCE showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the
      reduction of both RT and MT in 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.0). The
      peak-to-peak separations for the simultaneous detection of RT and MT between the
      two reduction waves in cyclic voltammetry were increased significantly from ~0.1
      V at activated GCE, to ~0.55 V at PCHAGCE. By differential pulse voltammetry
      techniques, the reduction peak currents of RT and MT were both linear over the
      range of 1.0 * 10-5-4.0*10-4 mol/L. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were 5.4 * 10
      7 mol/L and 3.3 * 10-7 mol/L for RT and MT, respectively. The modified electrode
      was successfully applied to the determination of RT and MT in pharmaceutical
      preparations and human serum as real samples with stable and reliable recovery
      data.

PMID- 28911425
TI  - 5-Aminolevulinic acid induced photodynamic inactivation on Staphylococcus aureus
      and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to develop a simple and fast screening technique
      to directly evaluate the bactericidal effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)
      mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) and to determine the optimal
      antibacterial conditions of ALA concentrations and the total dosage of light in
      vitro. The effects of PDI on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in
      the presence of various concentrations of ALA (1.0 mM, 2.5 mM, 5.0 mM, 10.0 mM)
      were examined. All bacterial strains were exponentially grown in the culture
      medium at room temperature in the dark for 60 minutes and subsequently irradiated
      with 630 +/- 5 nm using a light-emitting diode (LED) red light device for
      accumulating the light doses up to 216 J/cm2. Both bacterial species were
      susceptible to the ALA-induced PDI. Photosensitization using 1.0 mM ALA with 162
      J/cm2 light dose was able to completely reduce the viable counts of S. aureus. A
      significant decrease in the bacterial viabilities was observed for P. aeruginosa,
      where 5.0 mM ALA was photosensitized by accumulating the light dose of 162 J/cm2.
      We demonstrated that the use of microplate-based assays-by measuring the apparent
      optical density of bacterial colonies at 595 nm-was able to provide a simple and
      reliable approach for quickly choosing the parameters of ALA-mediated PDI in the
      cell suspensions.

PMID- 28911426
TI  - Correlation of antituberculosis drug-related liver injury and liver function
      monitoring: A 12-year experience of the Taiwan Drug Relief Foundation.
AB  - Antituberculosis drug-related liver injury (ATLI) is the most prevalent
      hepatotoxicity in many countries. Whether monitoring liver tests is beneficial to
      prevent this potentially grave adverse drug reaction (ADR) is open to debate. The
      Taiwan Drug Relief Foundation (TDRF) was established by the Taiwan Food and Drug
      Administration to collect severe cases of ADR and carry out drug injury relief
      tasks. Our intention was to explore the role of monitoring liver tests in the
      susceptibility and severity of ATLI from the database of this foundation. All
      cases of suspected ATLI collected by the TDRF from 1999 to 2012 were reviewed.
      The basic demographic data, clinical course, and laboratory data of these
      patients were analyzed. A total of 57 cases with severe ATLI were verified and
      enrolled into this study. There was a high mortality (71.9%) in this cohort.
      Twenty-four cases (42.1%) were chronic viral hepatitis B carriers, who had higher
      baseline serum aminotransferase level than noncarriers. The patients without
      monitoring liver tests had higher peak serum alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin
      levels, and mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 8.87; 95% confidence interval = 1.32
      59.41; p = 0.024) than those with monitoring liver tests. In conclusion, patients
      with severe ATLI whose records were collected by the TDRF have a high mortality.
      Patients without follow-up monitoring liver tests had more severe liver injuries
      and higher mortality than those with monitoring live tests. To alleviate this
      potentially grave ADR, checking of liver biochemical tests prior to
      antituberculosis treatment and periodic monitoring of these tests thereafter are
      highly suggested.

PMID- 28911427
TI  - Electrochemical oxidation behavior of hydrochlorothiazide on a glassy carbon
      electrode and its voltammetric determination in pharmaceutical formulations and
      biological fluids.
AB  - The electrochemical oxidation behavior of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) on a glassy
      carbon as a working electrode was investigated in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer
      pH 3, by using anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV).
      This drug gave a well-defined voltammetric oxidation peak at + 1200 mV versus an
      Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The electrochemical oxidation process was shown to
      be irreversible and diffusion controlled, with adsorption characterized over the
      entire pH range. The optimized conditions, such as accumulation time and
      potential, scan rate, frequency, pulse amplitude, varying of working electrodes,
      and instrumental parameters were studied. The calibration graph for HCT was
      obtained from 4 * 10-6 to 4 * 10-5 M (correlation coefficient = 0.997) using the
      developed electroanalytical method (ASV). The detection limit of this drug was
      4.3 * 10-9 M. ASV and CV techniques with adequate precision and accuracy have
      been developed and applied for direct determination of HCT in commercial tablets
      without separation or extraction procedures and biological fluids such as urine
      and plasma.

PMID- 28911428
TI  - Quantitative determination of salvinorin A, a natural hallucinogen with abuse
      liability, in Internet-available Salvia divinorum and endemic species of Salvia
      in Taiwan.
AB  - In recent years, recreational use of Salvia divinorum (Lamiaceae), a herbal drug
      that contains a hallucinogenic ingredient, salvinorin A, has become a new
      phenomenon among young drug users. In Taiwan, as in many other countries, dry
      leaves of S. divinorum and its related concentrated extract products are
      available via the Internet. Besides S. divinorum, there are many endemic Salvia
      species whose salvinorin A content is yet unknown. To understand the abuse
      liability of these products, the aim of this study was to assess the
      concentration of salvinorin A in endemic Salvia species and Internet-available
      salvinorin A-related products. Samples of S. divinorum were purchased via the
      Internet and samples of eight endemic species of Salvia were collected in Taiwan,
      including S. arisanensis Hayata, S. coccinea Juss. ex Murr, S. hayatana Makino ex
      Hayata, S. japonica Thumb. ex Murr, S. nipponica Miq. Var. formosana (Hayata)
      Kudo, S. scapiformis Hance, S. tashiroi Hayata. Icon. PI. Formosan, and S.
      keitaoensis Hayata. The content of salvinorin A was determined by high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Salvinorin A was extracted from the dry
      leaves of S. divinorum and endemic species of Salvia with methanol and analyzed
      on a C-18 column by isocratic elution with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water.
      Salvinorin A was detected in S. divinorum, but not in the endemic Salvia species
      of Taiwan. Therefore, endemic species of Salvia in Taiwan may not possess
      hallucinogenic potential. However, the potential harm from S. divinorum available
      via the Internet should be thoroughly assessed in Taiwan, and control measures
      similar to those implemented in many other countries should be considered.

PMID- 28911429
TI  - Comparison of free radical formation induced by baicalein and pentamethyl
      hydroxychromane in human promyelocytic leukemia cells using electron spin
      resonance.
AB  - Baicalein and pentamethyl-hydroxychromane (PMC) have been investigated for use as
      antioxidants. However, antioxidants may stimulate free radical formation under
      certain conditions. The aim of our study was to determine whether PMC and
      baicalein exhibit both pro-oxidant and antioxidant activities in human
      promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells. In this study, electron spin resonance
      spectrometry was used to investigate the effects of baicalein and PMC on free
      radical formation. In HL-60 cells, baicalein and PMC produced hydroxyl and
      phenoxyl radicals, respectively, but each inhibited radical formation by the
      other. The PMC pro-oxidant activity required H2O2, whereas baicalein produced
      hydroxyl radicals during the cell resting state only. The antioxidant effect of
      baicalein on PMC-induced oxidative stress in HL-60 cells may involve
      myeloperoxidase inhibition, which produces the myeloperoxidase-protein radical.
      Our investigation of the antioxidant effects of baicalein on arachidonic acid
      (AA)-induced oxidative stress in HL-60 cells showed that the baicalein-phenoxyl
      radical was the primary product, and that either carbon-centered or acyl radicals
      were the secondary products. However, the antioxidant effects of PMC on AA
      induced oxidative stress produced only nonradical products. In conclusion, we
      showed that baicalein displayed both pro-oxidant and antioxidant activities in HL
      60 cells. PMC exhibited no pro-oxidant activity during the cells' resting state
      but produced the PMC-phenoxyl radical in the presence of H2O2.The reaction of
      baicalein with AA in HL-60 cells produced baicalein-derived phenoxyl radicals
      that may initiate various pro-oxidative reactions. However, PMC does not produce
      radicals when it acts as an antioxidant. Thus, PMC is more beneficial as an
      antioxidant than baicalein.

PMID- 28911430
TI  - The implementation of HACCP management system in a chocolate ice cream plant.
AB  - To guarantee the safety of chocolate ice cream production, the Hazard Analysis
      Critical Control Points (HACCP) system was applied to the production process. The
      biological, chemical, and physical hazards that may exist in every step of
      chocolate ice cream production were identified. In addition, the critical control
      points were selected and the critical limits, monitoring, corrective measures,
      records, and verifications were established. The critical control points, which
      include pasteurization and freezing, were identified. Implementing the HACCP
      system in food manufacturing can effectively ensure food safety and quality,
      expand the market, and improve the manufacturers' management level.

PMID- 28911431
TI  - Efficacy and safety of tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers for ulcerative
      colitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled
      trials.
AB  - To evaluate the efficacy and safety of TNF-alpha blockers for ulcerative colitis.
      A systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TNF-alpha blockers
      for treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) were performed in PubMed, Web of
      Science, Embase and cochrane clinical trial. We estimated Pooled estimates of the
      odds ratio (OR) and relevant 95% confidence interval (CI) using fixed effects
      model or random effects model as appropriate. Heterogeneity, publication bias,
      and subgroup analyses were conducted. Nine randomized controlled studies met the
      selection criteria with a total of 2518 patients. Five studies compared
      Infliximab with placebo. Two studies compared Infliximab to corticosteroids. Two
      studies compared Adalimumab to placebo. One study compared subcutaneous golimumab
      to placebo. Short-term response, short-term remission, long-term remission and
      mucosal healing were better in the TNF-alpha blocker group than in the control
      group (p < 0.05). TNF-alpha blockers decreased the colectomy rate and serious
      adverse reactions (p < 0.05). The TNF-alpha blockers were superior to controls in
      achieving short-term clinical response/remission, long-term remission and mucosal
      healing and decreased the colectomy rate and serious adverse reactions.

PMID- 28911432
TI  - Antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumor, and cytotoxic activities of an important
      medicinal plant (Euphorbia royleana) from Pakistan.
AB  - The aim of present study was to evaluate antioxidant, antimicrobial, and
      antitumor activities of methanol, hexane, and aqueous extracts of fresh Euphorbia
      royleana. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were estimated as gallic acid and
      querectin equivalents, respectively. Antioxidant activity was assessed by
      scavenging of free 2,2'- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals and reduction of
      ferric ions, and it was observed that inhibition values increase linearly with
      increase in concentration of extract. The results of ferric reducing antioxidant
      power assay showed that hexane extract has maximum ferric reducing power (12.70
      +/- 0.49 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of plant extract). Maximum phenolic (47.47
      +/- 0.71 MUg gallic acid equivalents/mg of plant extract) and flavonoid (63.68 +/
      0.43 MUg querectin equivalents/mg of plant extract) contents were also found in
      the hexane extract. Furthermore, we examined antimicrobial activity of the three
      extracts (methanol, hexane, aqueous) against a panel of microorganisms
      (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtillis, Pasteurella multocida, Aspergillus niger,
      and Fusarium solani) by disc-diffusion assay, and found the hexane extract to be
      the best antimicrobial agent. Hexane extract was also observed as to be most
      effective in a potato disc assay. As hexane extract showed potent activity in all
      the investigated assays, it was targeted for cytotoxic assessment. Maximum
      cytotoxicity (61.66%) by hexane extract was found at 800 MUg/mL. It is concluded
      that investigated extracts have potential for isolation of antioxidant and
      antimicrobial compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 28911433
TI  - Possible molecular targets for therapeutic applications of caffeic acid phenethyl
      ester in inflammation and cancer.
AB  - Of the various derivatives of caffeic acid, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE)
      is a hydrophobic, bioactive polyphenolic ester obtained from propolis extract.
      The objective in writing this review article was to summarize all published
      studies on therapeutics of CAPE in inflammation and cancer to extract direction
      for future research. The possible molecular targets for the action of CAPE,
      include various transcription factors such as nuclear factor-kappaB, tissue
      necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, cyclooxygenase-2, Nrf2, inducible nitric
      oxide synthase, nuclear factor of activated T cells, hypoxia-inducible factor
      1alpha, and signal transducers and activators of transcription. Based on the
      valuable data on its therapeutics in inflammation and cancer, clinical studies of
      CAPE should also be conducted to explore its toxicities, if any.

PMID- 28911434
TI  - Significant elevation of antiviral activity of strictinin from Pu'er tea after
      thermal degradation to ellagic acid and gallic acid.
AB  - Compared with abundant catechins, strictinin is a minor constituent in teas and
      has been demonstrated to possess inhibitory potency on influenza virus. In this
      study, strictinin was found as the major phenolic compound in Pu'er teas produced
      from leaves and buds of wild trees. Due to its thermal instability, strictinin,
      in tea infusion or in an isolated form, was completely decomposed to ellagic acid
      and gallic acid after being autoclaved for 7 minutes. A plaque reduction assay
      was employed to compare the relative inhibitory potency between strictinin and
      its thermally degraded products against human influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34.
      The results showed that the antiviral activity of ellagic acid regardless of the
      presence or absence of gallic acid was significantly higher than that of
      strictinin. Thermal degradation of strictinin to ellagic acid and gallic acid
      seems to be beneficial for the preparation of Pu'er teas in terms of enhancing
      antiviral activity.

PMID- 28911435
TI  - In vitro anti-diabetic effect and chemical component analysis of 29 essential
      oils products.
AB  - Twenty-nine commercial essential oil (EO) products that were purchased from the
      Taiwan market, including three different company-made Melissa officinalis
      essential oils, were assayed on their glucose consumption activity and lipid
      accumulation activity on 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The EOs of M. officinalis were
      significantly active in both model assays. By contrast, EOs of peppermint,
      lavender, bergamot, cypress, niaouli nerolidol, geranium-rose, and revensara did
      not increase glucose consumption activity from media, but displayed inhibited
      lipid accumulation activity (65-90% of lipid accumulation vs. the control 100%).
      Because of the promising activity of M. officinalis EOs, three different products
      were collected and compared for their gas chromatography chemical profiles and
      bioactivity. The Western blot data suggest that the key factors of the adenosine
      monophosphate-activated protein kinase/acetyl-CoA carboxylase pathway can be
      mediated by M. officinalis EOs. Together with biodata, gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry profiles suggested mixtures of citrals and minor compounds of M.
      officinalis EOs may play an important role on effect of antidiabetes.

PMID- 28911436
TI  - Quality assessment of Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus sold in Taiwan markets using
      a validated HPLC-UV method combined with hierarchical clustering analysis.
AB  - The present paper describes the development of a high performance liquid
      chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) detection method for quantitative
      determination of peimine and peiminine in Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus (FTB).
      Separation was achieved using a conventional XBridgeTM Shield RP 18 column (250
      mm * 4.6 mm, internal diameter 3.5 MUm) with photodiode array detection at 190
      400 nm for UV spectra and 220 nm for quantification. The mobile phase consisted
      of (A) 0.03% diethylamine aqueous solution and (B) acetonitrile eluted by an
      isocratic procedure at 45:55 (A:B) over 25 minutes. The method was validated for
      linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), inter- and intra
      day precisions, repeatability, stability, and recovery. All the validation
      results were satisfactory. The developed method was then applied to assay the
      contents of the two chemical markers in all the FTB samples collected. Based on
      the contents of the two analytes, hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) was
      performed to reveal the similarities and differences of the samples.

PMID- 28911437
TI  - Preparation of total flavonoids from loquat flower and its protective effect on
      acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice.
AB  - This study aimed to research the preparation techniques of total flavones from
      loquat flower (TFLF), its anti-oxidation capacity, and its protective effect on
      hepatic injury. The best extraction parameters by orthogonal experimentation were
      water at 100 degrees C, extraction time 2.5 hours, solid/liquid ratio 1:20, and
      three decoctions. The chromogenic reaction to the flavones showed that loquat
      flowers mainly contained flavone, flavonol, and flavanone compounds combining
      ortho-phenolic hydroxyl group structure in the 10-30% ethanol fraction. The anti
      oxidant capacity of O2-. was 26.09% and of OH-.was 83.01% by salicylic acid and
      pyrogallol auto-oxidation. Compared with the model group, TFLF lowered the levels
      of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride, and
      malondialdehyde and liver index significantly, and upregulated the expression of
      adipose triglyceride lipase and Heine oxygenase-1 mRNA. The present findings
      suggest that TFLF has protective effect on acute alcoholinduced liver injury in
      mice and may be related to its antioxidant and free-radical scavenging activity.

PMID- 28911438
TI  - Quality analysis of Polygala tenuifolia root by ultrahigh performance liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
AB  - Polygala tenuifolia root is used as a functional food due to its attractive
      health benefits. In this study, ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
      (GC-MS) were utilized to characterize the bioactive compounds in P. tenuifolia
      root. The UPLC-MS/MS information revealed 36 bioactive compounds, including
      oligosaccharide esters, polygalasaponins, and polygalaxanthones. GC-MS identified
      34 volatile compounds with fatty acids as the main chemicals. The leading
      compound judged by UPLC-MS/MS was tenuifoliside A, and oleic acid was the leading
      volatile from GC-MS profiles. All samples tested showed similar bioactive
      compound compositions, but the level of each compound varied. Principal component
      analysis revealed the principal bioactive compounds with significant level
      variations between samples. These principal chemicals could be used for quality
      judgment of P. tenuifolia root, instead of measuring the levels of all
      compositional compounds.

PMID- 28911439
TI  - Effects of indium chloride exposure on sperm morphology and DNA integrity in
      rats.
AB  - Indium, a Group IIIA element of the periodic chart and a rare earth metal
      characterized by high plasticity, corrosion resistance, and a low melting point,
      is widely used in the electronics industry where released streams can contaminate
      the environment. Consequently, indium can reach humans mainly by natural ways,
      which could result in a health hazard. Although reproductive toxicities have been
      surveyed in some studies in animal models, the infertility effects of sperm
      function induced by indium compounds have not been greatly investigated. We
      designed a study to investigate the toxicities of subacute exposure to indium
      compounds on male sperm function and the process of spermatogenesis in a rodent
      model. Fourteen Sprague-Dawley rats on postnatal Day (PND) 84 were randomly
      divided into exposure and control groups, and weekly received intraperitoneal
      injections of indium chloride (1.5 mg/kg body weight) and normal saline,
      respectively, for 8 weeks. Cauda epididymal sperm count, motility, morphology,
      chromatin DNA integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) generation, and testis DNA content were investigated. The indium
      chloride exposed group showed significant toxicity to sperm function, as well as
      an increased percentage of sperm morphological abnormality and chromatin DNA
      damage. Furthermore, positive correlations between abnormal sperm morphology,
      chromatin DNA damage, and superoxide anion generation were also noted. The
      results of this study demonstrated the toxic effect of subacute low dose indium
      exposure during sexual maturation on sperm function, resulting in sperm chromatin
      DNA damage through an increase in sperm ROS generation in a rodent model.

PMID- 28911440
TI  - Border inspections of imported food and related products in Taiwan from 2011 to
      2013.

PMID- 28911441
TI  - Current development in medical devices postmarket surveillance in Taiwan.

PMID- 28911442
TI  - The development of alcohol policy in contemporary China.
AB  - Over recent years, an increase in alcohol-related problems has been noted in
      China. Taking effective measures against the problem requires clear reviewing and
      understanding of the evolution of the Chinese alcohol policy. This study is aimed
      to evaluate the alcohol policy with special focus on reviewing the alcohol
      production and consumption situation in China and assessing the changes in
      Chinese alcohol policy along with other related fields. This article finishes
      with a set of recommended policy changes that could help solve the recent alcohol
      related problems and analyze the major impediments.

PMID- 28911443
TI  - Authenticity analysis of citrus essential oils by HPLC-UV-MS on oxygenated
      heterocyclic components.
AB  - Citrus essential oils are widely applied in food industry as the backbone of
      citrus flavors. Unfortunately, due to relatively simple chemical composition and
      tremendous price differences among citrus species, adulteration has been plaguing
      the industry since its inception. Skilled blenders are capable of making blends
      that are almost indistinguishable from authentic oils through conventional gas
      chromatography analysis. A reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) method was developed for compositional study of nonvolatile constituents
      in essential oils from major citrus species. The nonvolatile oxygenated
      heterocyclic components identified in citrus oils were proved to be more
      effective as markers in adulteration detection than the volatile components.
      Authors are hoping such an analysis procedure can be served as a routine quality
      control test for authenticity evaluation in citrus essential oils.

PMID- 28911444
TI  - Characterization and determination of antioxidant components in the leaves of
      Camellia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama based on composition-activity relationship
      approach.
AB  - Camellia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama (CCT), an ornamental plant possessing antioxidant
      activity, has been infused as tea and drank for its health benefits. The
      antioxidant components in CCT, however, had not been clearly characterized. To
      quickly identify the antioxidant constituents of CCT, a composition-activity
      relationship strategy based on ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled
      with linear ion trap hybrid orbitrap mass spectrometry and orthogonal partial
      least-squares method has been applied. As a result, 16 variables were found to
      make significant contributions to the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical
      scavenging activity. Six of them were identified as catechin (1), epicatechin
      (5), vitexin (8), isovitexin (10), quercetin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (12) and
      kaempferol (16). The strength of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging
      activity was found to be 12 > 1 > 5 > 16 > 8 > 10 by validation test. Meanwhile,
      a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry method was
      established for quantitative determination of six marker compounds in CCT samples
      from different preparations. The validation of the method, including linearity,
      sensitivity (limitation of detection and limitation of quantification),
      repeatability, precision, stability, and recoveries, was carried out and
      demonstrated to meet the requirements of quantitative analysis. This is the first
      report on the comprehensive characterization and determination of chemical
      constituents in CCT by ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with
      linear ion trap hybrid orbitrap mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the
      composition-activity relationship approach may be a useful method for the
      discovery of active constituents in natural plants and the quality control of
      medicinal herbs.

PMID- 28911445
TI  - Inhibitory activity of Sargassum hemiphyllum sulfated polysaccharide in
      arachidonic acid-induced animal models of inflammation.
AB  - Sargassum hemiphyllum is a common plant found on the coasts of Taiwan; it has
      been used as an anti-inflammatory agent in traditional herbal medicine. This
      study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of S. hemiphyllum sulfated
      polysaccharide (SHSP) using two different mouse models. In both arachidonic acid
      induced ear inflammatory gavage and paint models, SHSP decreased ear swelling and
      erythema. In addition, SHSP decreased the production of myeloperoxidase, nitric
      oxide, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in a
      dose-dependent manner. Histological examination results showed that SHSP reduced
      the area of neutrophilic infiltration in inflamed ears. The anti-inflammatory
      activity of SHSP has already been demonstrated in vitro. In this study, SHSP
      extracted from the same species of brown seaweed exhibited anti-inflammatory
      activity in both oral and topical applications in vivo. Therefore, SHSP may play
      a role in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 28911446
TI  - Antioxidant and antiacetylcholinesterase activities of Sorbus torminalis (L.)
      Crantz (wild service tree) fruits.
AB  - In this study, the antioxidant and antiacetylcholinesterase activities of Sorbus
      torminalis (L.) Crantz fruits were evaluated. Total phenolic and flavonoid
      compounds, 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothioazoline-6-sulfonic acid), 2,2'
      diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, and superoxide anion radicals scavenging activities
      and ferric-reducing antioxidant power of water, ethyl acetate, acetone, and
      methanol extracts were determined for the measurement of the antioxidant
      activity. Quercetin and alpha-tocopherol were used as standard antioxidants. The
      inhibitory effect of the water extract on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was
      evaluated using the Ellman method and galantamine was used as a standard. Water
      extract had the highest total phenolic concentration and the strongest
      antioxidant activity followed by ethyl acetate and acetone extracts whereas
      methanol extract has the lowest phenolics and weakest antioxidant activity.
      Moreover, water extract showed moderate ability to inhibit AChE. It was concluded
      that fruits of S. torminalis have antioxidant and anti-AChE activities and that
      the plant might be a natural source of antioxidants and AChE inhibitors.

PMID- 28911447
TI  - Finding of polysaccharide-peptide complexes in Cordyceps militaris and evaluation
      of its acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity.
AB  - Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition enhances learning and cognitive ability
      for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Polysaccharide-peptide complexes were
      identified in Cordyceps militaris (CPSPs) and characterized for their AChE
      inhibitory properties. Three polymers (CPSP-F1, -F2, and -F3) were extracted and
      separated by ultrasound-assisted extraction and diethylaminoethanol (DEAE)
      Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography. Polysaccharide-peptide complexes were
      identified by DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography and high-performance gel
      filtration chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectra, amino sugar
      composition analysis, and beta-elimination reaction to identify polysaccharide
      peptide bond categories. Separation of CPSP can increase AChE inhibitory activity
      from the crude polysaccharide of C. militaris. CPSP-F1 and CPSP-F2 exhibited half
      maximal inhibitory concentrations of 32.2 +/- 0.2 mg/mL and 5.3 +/- 0.0 mg/mL.
      Thus, we identified polysaccharide-peptide complexes from C. militaris and
      suggest CPSP has great potential in AChE inhibition bioassay.

PMID- 28911448
TI  - Analysis of lipophilic compounds of tea coated on the surface of clay teapots.
AB  - The surface of a clay teapot tends to be coated with a waterproof film after
      constant use for tea preparation. The waterproof films of two kinds of teapots
      (zisha and zhuni) used for preparing oolong tea and old oolong tea were extracted
      and subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The results
      showed that comparable constituents were detected in these films; they were
      primarily fatty acids and linear hydrocarbons that were particularly rich in
      palmitic acid and stearic acid. To explore the source of these two abundant fatty
      acids, the fatty acid compositions of fresh tea leaves, granules, infusion, and
      vapor of infusion were analyzed by gas chromatography. Fresh tea leaves were rich
      in palmitic acid (C-16:0), unsaturated linolenic acid (C-18:3), linoleic acid (C
      18:2), and oleic acid (C-18:1), which were presumably from the phospholipid
      membrane. During the process of manufacturing oolong tea, the three unsaturated
      fatty acids may be substantially degraded or oxidized to stearic acid (C-18:0),
      which was enriched with palmitic acid in the tea granules and in the infusion.
      The vapor of the tea infusion is primarily composed of palmitic acid and stearic
      acid. Thus, the coated films of teapots mostly originated from the lipophilic
      compounds of the tea infusions.

PMID- 28911449
TI  - Development of two reference materials for all trans-retinol, retinyl palmitate,
      alpha- and gamma-tocopherol in milk powder and infant formula.
AB  - Vitamins are important food constituents that can be present in almost every
      foodstuff. Food quality and safety depends on food surveillance by reliable
      quantitative analysis enabled by appropriate quality control. Certified matrix
      reference materials are versatile tools to support quality assurance and control.
      However, in the case of vitamins, which are important in various foods, there is
      a lack of matrix reference materials. Two certified reference materials for the
      determination of all-trans-retinol, retinyl palmitate, and alpha- and gamma
      tocopherol in milk powder and infant formula have been developed by the National
      Institute of Standards, Egypt. This article presents the preparation,
      characterization, homogeneity, and stability testing as well as statistical
      treatment of data and certified value assignment. The assignment of the certified
      values and associated uncertainties in the prepared natural-matrix reference
      materials were based on the widely used approach of combining data from
      independent and reliable analytical methods.

PMID- 28911450
TI  - Major flavonoid constituents and short-term effects of Chun Mee tea in rats.
AB  - Chun Mee tea is a kind of green tea produced in China mainly for export purposes.
      Foam quantity is usually used as an index for evaluating the quality of Chun Mee
      tea. In the current study, we compared the concentrations of total saponin and
      flavonoids between foamy and low-foam Chun Mee tea. Our research confirmed that
      the total saponin and O-glycosylated flavonoid concentrations were related to the
      foam quantity of Chun Mee teas. We also studied the short-term safety effects of
      extract supplementation with foamy and low-foam Chun Mee tea in rats by routine
      blood tests and analysis of liver and kidney function, and blood lipids. Our
      results showed that both types of tea extract supplementations did not cause any
      observable adverse effects or impair either liver or kidney function.
      Additionally, this study confirmed the beneficial effects of Chun Mee tea extract
      supplementation on the decrease of total plasma cholesterol.

PMID- 28911451
TI  - Safety assessment of menaquinone-7 for use in human nutrition.
AB  - Vitamin K occurs widely in foods and has been shown to have a beneficial effect
      on the cardiovascular system, as well as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and
      antiosteoporosis properties. A previous study indicates that long-chain
      menaquinone-7 may be more bioavailable than vitamin K and short-chain
      menaquinones. In the present study, acute, subacute toxicity and genotoxicity
      assays were carried out to evaluate the safety of oral menaquinone-7 in albino
      Wistar rats. Oral administration of menaquinone-7, at a concentration of 2000
      mg/kg, did not cause toxic symptoms in either male or female rats. A subacute
      toxicity study also proved the safety and tolerance of prolonged treatment (for
      90 days) with menaquinone-7 in rats, as evidenced by biochemical, hematological,
      and urine parameters as well as by histopathological analysis. Genotoxicity and
      mutagenicity studies were performed by comet, micronucleus, and Ames tests on
      Salmonella typhimurium strains, which showed cellular safety and nonmutagenicity
      of menaquinone-7. The results indicate the safety of menaquinone-7 for human
      consumption.

PMID- 28911452
TI  - A review of quality surveillance projects on cosmetics in Taiwan.
AB  - The Food and Drug Administration in Taiwan is responsible for the quality
      regulation and control of cosmetics. In order to have a clear understanding of
      the trends in the product quality monitoring outcomes and the regulatory control
      measures over the past years, this study has put together the reports of nine
      cosmetic surveillance projects conducted between 1982 and 2012. The findings can
      be used as a reference in developing a more solid quality monitoring plan and
      management system for cosmetic products. Results show that permanent wave
      products, hair dye products, and phthalate esters in cosmetic products have the
      highest average noncompliance rates at 39.2%, 14.2%, and 11.2%, respectively.
      These are followed by the average noncompliance rates of mercury in products,
      sunscreen products, and microorganisms in products, at 8.5%, 7.1%, and 5.5%,
      respectively, and the remaining three projects averaging below 4.1%. Since 1997,
      when new standards were announced and assistance to manufacturers was reinforced,
      the noncompliance rates of permanent wave products decreased annually, until
      2007, when it was fully qualified for the standards. Overall, the study showed
      that the noncompliance rates of permanent wave products and for levels of
      phthalate esters, mercury, and hydroquinone in cosmetic products have all
      decreased in the previous years. The results of surveillance projects conducted
      after 2005 revealed only one noncompliance sample with lead, arsenic, and
      cadmium, whereas the surveillance projects on permanent wave products and
      chloroform- and 1,4-dioxane-containing products revealed full compliance with
      regulation standards. However, the noncompliance rates for microorganisms in
      cosmetics and the ingredients in hair dye products and sunscreen products were
      still high. These high-risk products must be monitored. These surveillance
      projects are conducted to ensure the safety of cosmetics in the market.

PMID- 28911453
TI  - Linearity study on detection and quantification limits for the determination of
      avermectins using linear regression.
AB  - In this study, linear relationships between response and concentration were used
      to estimate the detection limit (DL) and quantification limit (QL) for five
      avermectins: emamectin, abamectin, doramectin, moxidectin, and ivermectin.
      Estimation of DL and QL was based on the standard deviation of residual and y
      intercept of the regression line at low concentrations of avermectins, using the
      dispersive solid-phase extraction procedure. Avermectin extracts were analyzed
      using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Based on the regression
      slope, DL and QL were higher at concentrations of 0.3-0.4 MUg/kg and 1 MUg/kg,
      respectively, for all avermectin compounds. Linearity assessment was performed by
      linear regression, which incorporated a regression model, outlier rejection, and
      evaluation of the assumption with a significant test. For all avermectins, there
      is a significant correlation between response and concentration in the range 1-15
      MUg/kg, and the y-intercept passes through origin (zero).

PMID- 28911454
TI  - Potentiometric monitoring of cobalt in beer sample by solid contact ion selective
      electrode.
AB  - A new solid contact cobalt selective electrode was constructed with 4-tert
      butylthiacalix[4]arene as ionophore. The best performance was observed with the
      membrane having an ionophore/polyvinyl chloride/sodium
      tetraphenylborate/nitrophenyl octyl ether ratio of 3.5:33:1.5:62 (w/w; mg). The
      electrode, under steady-state conditions, exhibited a working concentration range
      of 1 * 10-1 - 1 * 10-6 mol/L with a near-Nernstian slope of 25.3 mV/decade and a
      detection limit of 3.5 * 10-7 mol/L. The electrode had a very short response time
      (<10 seconds) and good reproducibility at a working pH range of 4.0-6.5. The
      electrode was used for 4 months without any significant change in its
      sensitivity. The potentiometric performance of the electrode in partially
      nonaqueous medium [up to 20 % (v/v) alcohol] was found satisfactory. The
      performance of the prepared electrode for the analysis of beer samples using
      direct potentiometric method is very encouraging.

PMID- 28911455
TI  - Ionic liquid-based hollow fiber-supported liquid-phase microextraction enhanced
      electrically for the determination of neutral red.
AB  - A method of ionic liquid-based hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction enhanced
      electrically was successfully developed and applied to the extraction and
      determination of neutral red (NR) dye, which was selected as the model analyte. A
      room temperature ionic liquid, 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate
      ([C8mim][PF6]), was placed in the pores of a polytetrafluoethylene hollow fiber,
      which acts as a liquid membrane and the acceptor solution. The extraction
      parameters affecting the enrichment factor of NR, such as pH, extraction time,
      elution time, stirring rate, and the voltage were optimized. In addition, UV
      Visible (UV-Vis) or electrochemiluminescence spectra were also determined. The
      extraction rate and capacity of NR could be improved significantly by cathodic
      polarization. Under the optimized extraction conditions (organic liquid
      microextraction phase [C8mim][PF6], pH 7, stirring rate 300 rpm, extraction time
      20 minutes, ultrasonic-assisted elution time 3 minutes, voltage -70 V), the
      detection limit of 0.38 MUg/L and linear correlation coefficient of r > 0.99 were
      obtained. The established method was successfully applied to the analysis of
      three soft drink samples, which were spiked with NR standards at the
      concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, and 5.0 mg/L, and satisfactory results were obtained.

PMID- 28911456
TI  - Sulfur compounds identification and quantification from Allium spp. fresh leaves.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyruvic acid concentration is a critical factor in determining Allium
      spp. pungency. This study was initiated to accurately measure the background
      pyruvic acid levels in Romanian Allium spp. From the pungency point of view, all
      analyzed plant varieties in this study are considered low pungent cultivars based
      on the enzymatically produced pyruvate level (between 42 MUmol/g and 222 MUmol/g
      fresh wt). Chromatographic analysis was carried out for the different varieties
      of the most popular fresh leaves (Allium cepa var. "Diamant", Allium cepa var.
      "Rubiniu", and Allium ursinum L.) in order to identify the sulfur compounds. The
      thin layer chromatography analysis led to the identification of allicin, with Rf
      = 0.377-0.47, as an important sulfur compound. The gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry analysis of the leaves' extracts detected disulfides as the major
      sulfur compounds. Principal component analysis was performed to establish the
      differences in plant composition. These studies suggest the potential good uses
      of the fresh leaves of Romanian Allium spp. as condiment, ingredient, or
      preservative in the food industry.

PMID- 28911457
TI  - Characterization of odor-active compounds in cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer
      (Takifugu obscurus) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry.
AB  - The volatile and odor-active compounds in cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer
      (Takifugu obscurus) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
      olfactometry (GC-MS-O). The volatile compounds were extracted by the simultaneous
      distillation-extraction (SDE) method, then separated and identified by GC-MS.
      Odor-active compounds in the SDE extract were characterized by GC-MS-O. A total
      of 68 volatile compounds were found, including 23 aldehydes, 10 alcohols, nine
      ketones, 17 N- or S-containing compounds and aromatics, three acids, three
      alkanes, and three esters. Of these, 31 odor-active compounds were detected and
      identified. Trimethylamine (fishy), octanal (grassy, leafy, green), (E)-2-octenal
      (roast, fatty), 1-octen-3-ol (fishy, fatty, mushroom, grassy), 2-ethyl-1
      hexanethiol (cooked fish), (E,E)-2,4-octadienal (cooked meat, sweet), 2
      acetylthiazole (meaty, roast, nutty, sulfur), 2-acetylpyrrole (nutty, walnut,
      bread) were identified as the key odorants in the cooked meat of farmed obscure
      puffer based on posterior intensity and time-intensity methods.

PMID- 28911458
TI  - Total nutritional capacity and inflammation inhibition effect of Acalypha
      alnifolia Klein ex wild-An unexplored wild leafy vegetable.
AB  - Investigation of the nutritional as well as trace elements of a wild leafy
      vegetable, Acalypha alnifolia, and evaluation of the analgesic, anti
      inflammatory, and antipyretic properties of acetone and methanol leaf extracts
      are the main objectives of the present study. The powdered A. alnifolia leaf
      sample was subjected to nutritional and mineral analysis. Plant leaves were
      extracted (using the Soxhlet apparatus) as successive solvent extractions. The
      extract doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg of acetone and methanol extracts were used for
      pharmacology study. The analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic experiments
      were carried out by using animal models. The obtained result proves that the
      plant possesses essential nutritive values and useful biological properties. The
      higher dose of acetone extract has significant potency when compared with
      methanol extract at p < 0.005. On the whole, the plant is rich in minerals and
      has good biological properties; hence, this plant is suggested for cultivation
      and regular use for nutritional supplement.

PMID- 28911459
TI  - Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) ingredients affect lymphocyte subtypes expansion and
      cytokine profile responses: An in vitro evaluation.
AB  - Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) has been used in folk medicine in many disorders. The
      present work aimed to investigate effects of clove essential oil as eugenol and
      water soluble ingredients on mouse splenocytes. Clove extracts were harvested and
      in different concentrations (0.001-1000 MUg/mL) were affected to splenocytes and
      also phytohemagglutinin (PHA = 5 MUg/mL) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS = 10 MUg/mL)
      activated splenocytes; then splenocytes proliferation assayed using the MTT ([3
      (4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl) -2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide]) method were
      done. On the culture supernatant interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-4, IL
      10, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta cytokines were measured. Clove
      ingredients (100 MUg/mL and 1000 MUg/mL) reduced PHA stimulated splenocytes
      proliferation and enhanced LPS stimulated cells expansion. Treated splenocytes
      showed suppression of IFN-gamma release and induction of IL-4, IL-10, and TGF
      beta secretion (in the range of 0.1-1000 MUg/mL). The results of this study
      suggest clove extracts could suppress the T cell cellular immunity and enhance
      humoral immune responses. In clove affection cytokine pattern shifted toward
      modulatory and Th2 responses and accelerator of humoral immunity cytokines.

PMID- 28911460
TI  - Dolichos biflorus exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in an
      acute inflammatory model.
AB  - Dolichos biflorus (Muthira) is a branched, suberect, and downing herb, native to
      most parts of India, and found at altitudes of up to 1000 m, whose seeds can be
      cooked and eaten. Nutrition plays a key role in building immunity and preventing
      noncommunicable diseases to a certain extent. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of 70% methanolic extract
      of seeds of D. biflorus (DME) in carrageenan-induced inflammation. DME exhibited
      maximum percentage of oedema inhibition at a dose of 50 mg/kg at the 3rd hour of
      carrageenan induction. The effect was higher than that of the standard drug
      Voveran. The activities of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, nitric oxide synthase,
      myeloperoxidase, and malondialdehyde showed significant (p < 0.05) reduction
      whereas the activities of antioxidant enzymes, vitamins C, and reduced
      glutathione level were increased significantly (p < 0.05) on treatment with DME.
      Also levels of the acute phase protein, ceruloplasmin, were brought to their
      normal range in DME-treated rats. Phytochemical analysis showed that the extract
      contains alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, proteins, and tannins, which may
      contribute to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Thus the results
      demonstrate the potential beneficiary effect of DME on carrageenan-induced
      inflammation in rats.

PMID- 28911461
TI  - Regulation of human cytokines by Cordyceps militaris.
AB  - Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) exhibits many biological activities including
      antioxidant, inhibition of inflammation, cancer prevention, hypoglycemic, and
      antiaging properties, etc. However, a majority of studies involving C. militaris
      have focused only on in vitro and animal models, and there is a lack of direct
      translation and application of study results to clinical practice (e.g., health
      benefits). In this study, we investigated the regulatory effects of C. militaris
      micron powder (3 doses) on the human immune system. The study results showed that
      administration of C. militaris at various dosages reduced the activity of
      cytokines such as eotaxin, fibroblast growth factor-2, GRO, and monocyte
      chemoattractant protein-1. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the
      activity of various cytokines, including GRO, sCD40L, and tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, and a significant downregulation of interleukin-12(p70), interferon-gamma
      inducible protein 10, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta activities,
      indicating that C. militaris at all three dosages downregulated the activity of
      cytokines, especially inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Different dosages of
      C. militaris produced different changes in cytokines.

PMID- 28911462
TI  - Optimization of fermentation process of Cordyceps militaris and antitumor
      activities of polysaccharides in vitro.
AB  - The influence of medium composition and cultural conditions on simultaneous yield
      of mycelia, intracellular polysaccharide, adenosine, and mannitol by Cordyceps
      militaris CGMCC 2909 was investigated with desirability functions in this study.
      An optimization strategy based on the desirability function approach, together
      with response surface methodology (RSM) has been used to optimize medium
      composition, and the optimal medium was obtained via the desirability as follows:
      yeast extract 10.33 g/L, sucrose 27.24 g/L, KH2PO4 5.60 g/L and the optimal
      culture conditions are initial pH 6, 25 degrees C, rotation speed 150 r/minute,
      inoculum size 4%(v/v), and medium capacity 40 mL/250 mL. Under these conditions,
      the yield of mycelia, intracellular polysaccharide, adenosine and mannitol
      reached 12.19 g/L, 0.6 g/L, 61.84 mg/L, and 1.38 g/L, respectively, and the D
      value was 0.77. Furthermore, the polysaccharides showed significant antitumor
      activities against HeLa and HepG2 in vitro in a dose-dependent manner in 72
      hours. At a concentration of 1000 mg/mL, the inhibition rate of polysaccharides
      was 92.38% and 98.79%. The IC50 for HeLa and HepG2 were 70.91 MUg/mL and 97.63
      MUg/mL, respectively.

PMID- 28911463
TI  - Hypocholesterolemic properties of grapefruit (Citrus paradisii) and shaddock
      (Citrus maxima) juices and inhibition of angiotensin-1-converting enzyme
      activity.
AB  - Grapefruit (Citrus paradisii) and shaddock (Citrus maxima) juices are used in
      folk medicine for the management of hypertension and other cardiovascular
      diseases, but the mechanism of action by which they exert their therapeutic
      action is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of
      grapefruit and shaddock juices on angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) activity
      in vitro and the hypocholesterolemic properties of the juices in rats fed a high
      cholesterol diet. Grapefruit juice had higher total phenol and flavonoid contents
      than shaddock juice, while both juices inhibited ACE activity in a dose-dependent
      manner. Furthermore, administration of the juices to rats fed a high-cholesterol
      diet caused a significant reduction in plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride,
      and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels and an increase in high-density
      lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. The inhibition of ACE activity in vitro and in
      vivo hypocholesterolemic effect of the juices could explain the use of the juices
      in the management of cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 28911464
TI  - Effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid and nattokinase-enriched fermented beans on the
      blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats.
AB  - In this study we have evaluated the changes in arterial blood pressure in
      spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) caused by the short-term intake of Bacillus
      subtilis B060-fermented beans with significant gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and
      nattokinase activity. After being weaned, 7-week-old male SHR and 7-week-old male
      Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were randomized into seven groups. Until the 8th week of
      life, the rats in each group were given one of the following: Group 1, high dose
      of GABA and nattokinase in the SHR (SHD); Group 2, medium dose of GABA and
      nattokinase in the SHR (SMD); Group 3, low dose of GABA and nattokinase in the
      SHR (SLD); Group 4, negative control in the SHR (SD); Group 5, positive control
      in the SHR (SM); Group 6, high dose of GABA and nattokinase in the WKY (WHD); and
      Group 7, negative control in the WKY (WD). Distilled water served as the negative
      control, and captopril (50 mg/kg), a known ACE inhibitor, served as the positive
      control. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure values were
      measured weekly from the 8th week to the 16th week of life using the tail-cuff
      method. A definite decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure values could
      be observed in the rats treated with captopril and in the rats that received GABA
      and nattokinase. The greatest antihypertensive effect was observed when the
      pharmacological treatment was administered. The effect of the daily intake of
      fermented beans containing GABA and nattokinase may be helpful in controlling
      blood pressure levels in hypertensive model animals. The fermentation of beans
      with B. subtilis B060 may therefore constitute a successful strategy for
      producing a functional food with antihypertensive activity.

PMID- 28911465
TI  - Extraction of water-soluble polysaccharide and the antioxidant activity from
      Semen cassiae.
AB  - Water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from Semen cassiae using water for
      extraction and ethanol for deposition. The optimized conditions for
      polysaccharide isolation by orthogonal experiments were a sample to liquid ratio
      of 1:30 at 80 degrees C for 3.5 hours; the yield of polysaccharide from Semen
      cassiae under these conditions was 5.46%. Different polysaccharides (SCPW-1, SCPW
      2, SCPW-3, SCPW-4, SCPW-5, SCPS-1, SCPS-2) were obtained from the extract (i.e.,
      crude polysaccharide) by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The
      polysaccharides obtained showed different structures by Fourier transform
      infrared therein the five elected from the seven kinds separated. The antioxidant
      activities of the extract were evaluated. The scavenging rates of the present
      extract on hydroxyl and superoxide were 43.32% and 64.97%, respectively, at a
      concentration of polysaccharide of 94.03 MUg/mL, which was better than vitamin C
      at the same concentration. The scavenging rate of the present extract on 1,1
      diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl was 13.33% at a polysaccharide concentration of 94.03
      MUg/mL, which was less than vitamin C at the same concentration.

PMID- 28911466
TI  - Application of ion mobility spectrometry for the determination of tramadol in
      biological samples.
AB  - In this study, a simple and rapid ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) method has been
      described for the determination of tramadol. The operating instrumental
      parameters that could influence IMS were investigated and optimized (temperature;
      injection: 220 and IMS cell: 190 degrees C, flow rate; carrier: 300 and drift:
      600 mL/minute, voltage; corona: 2300 and drift: 7000 V, pulse width: 100 MUs).
      Under optimum conditions, the calibration curves were linear within two orders of
      magnitude with R2 >= 0.998 for the determination of tramadol in human plasma,
      saliva, serum, and urine samples. The limits of detection and the limits of
      quantitation were between 0.1 and 0.3 and 0.3 and 1 ng/mL, respectively. The
      relative standard deviations were between 7.5 and 8.8%. The recovery results (90
      103.9%) indicate that the proposed method can be applied for tramadol analysis in
      different biological samples.

PMID- 28911467
TI  - Antioxidant effects of Camellia sinensis L. extract in patients with type 2
      diabetes.
AB  - The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) has dramatically increased in the past
      decade. Furthermore, increasing evidence from research shows that oxidative
      stress (OS) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and in its
      complications. A search for ways to reduce oxidative damage has become the focus
      of interest for the majority of scientists. In this study, we determined the
      radical scavenging activity of single green tea constituents by using an on-line
      high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl
      (DPPH) method and evaluated the antioxidant effects on type 2 diabetic patients
      by performing a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Epigallocatechin gallate
      was identified as the most potent antioxidant, contributing approximately 50% of
      the total antioxidant capacity of green tea extract. We also found a
      statistically significant decrement of lipid peroxidation markers in patients
      treated with green tea extract after 9 months or after 18 months of follow-up.
      Overall, these findings are attractive for diabetic patients, helping them to
      keep a high level of performance and well-being, which ultimately may delay the
      time of disability and reduce mortality.

PMID- 28911468
TI  - Voltammetric determination of chlorogenic acid in pharmaceutical products using
      poly(aminosulfonic acid) modified glassy carbon electrode.
AB  - In this work, a poly(aminosulfonic acid) modified glassy carbon electrode was
      fabricated and the electrochemical behavior of chlorogenic acid (CGA) was studied
      by cyclic voltammetry. Compared with a bare glassy carbon electrode, the modified
      electrode exhibits excellent catalytic effect on the electrochemical redox of
      CGA. Utilizing this catalytic effect, a sensitive and selective electrochemical
      method for the determination of CGA was developed. The analytical parameters were
      optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak current is linearly
      proportional to the concentration of CGA in the range from 4.00 * 10-7 to 1.20 *
      10-5 mol/L and the detection limit is 4.00 * 10-8 mol/L. Further, the performance
      of the proposed method has been validated in terms of linearity (r = 0.9995),
      recovery (96.3-102.8%), reproducibility (RSD < 4.0%, n = 6) and robustness. The
      developed method has been successfully applied for the determination of CGA in a
      variety of pharmaceutical products.

PMID- 28911469
TI  - Analytical method development and validation of simultaneous estimation of
      rabeprazole, pantoprazole, and itopride by reverse-phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography.
AB  - A simple, selective, rapid, and precise reverse-phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the simultaneous estimation of rabeprazole
      (RP), pantoprazole (PP), and itopride (IP) has been developed. The compounds were
      well separated on a Phenomenex C18 (Luna) column (250 mm * 4.6 mm, dp = 5 MUm)
      with C18 guard column (4 mm * 3 mm * 5 MUm) with a mobile phase consisting of
      buffer containing 10 mM potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (adjusted to pH 6.8):
      acetonitrile (70:30 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and ultraviolet detection
      at 288 nm. The retention time of RP, PP, and IP were 5.35, 7.92, and 11.16
      minutes, respectively. Validation of the proposed method was carried out
      according to International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines.
      Linearity range was obtained for RP, PP, and IP over the concentration range of
      2.5-25, 1-30, and 3-35 MUg/mL and the r2 values were 0.994, 0.978, and 0.991,
      respectively. The calculated limit of detection (LOD) values were 1, 0.3, and 1
      MUg/mL and limit of quantitation (LOQ) values were 2.5, 1, and 3 MUg/mL for RP,
      PP, and IP correspondingly. Thus, the current study showed that the developed
      reverse-phase liquid chromatography method is sensitive and selective for the
      estimation of RP, PP, and IP in combined dosage form.

PMID- 28911470
TI  - Electrochemistry and determination of cefdinir by voltammetric and computational
      approaches.
AB  - The oxidation and reduction behavior of cefdinir (CEF) was studied by
      experimental methods and computational calculations at B3LYP/6-31+G (d)//AM1.
      Voltammetric studies were carried out based on two irreversible reduction peaks
      at approximately -0.5 and -1.2 V on a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) and
      on one irreversible oxidation peak at approximately 1.0 V on a glassy carbon
      electrode (GCE) versus Ag/AgCl, KCl (3.0M) in Britton-Robinson (BR) buffer at pH
      4.2 and 5.0, respectively. Differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetric
      methods have been developed and validated for determination of CEF in different
      samples. The linear range was established as 0.25-40.0 MUM for HMDE and 0.40-10.0
      MUM for GCE. Limit of quantification was calculated to be 0.20 and 0.26 MUM for
      HMDE and GCE, respectively. These methods were successfully applied to assay the
      drug in tablets and human serum with good recoveries between 92.7% and 107.3%
      having relative standard deviation less than 10%.

PMID- 28911471
TI  - Determination of L-arginine content in Radix isatidis by a composite fluorescent
      probe of Pd (II).
AB  - In the presence of Britton-Robinson buffer solution (pH = 9.5) and surfactant of
      Tween-80, fluorescence intensity of calcein was quenched by Pd2+. However, the
      fluorescence intensity can be enhanced after adding a certain concentration of L
      arginine, and the rate of the enhancement showed a good liner relationship with
      the added amount of L-arginine. We then established a fluorescence spectrometry
      for the determination of L-arginine. In addition, the linear range, along with
      detection limit, was different when the slit width changed. Thus, we could use a
      different slit width to meet our requirements according to the samples we
      treated. By testing actual samples and the reliability of our method, we found
      that our method was reliable for determining the content of L-arginine in Radix
      isatidis.

PMID- 28911472
TI  - Formulation and evaluation of controlled-release of telmisartan microspheres: In
      vitro/in vivo study.
AB  - The aim of this work was to design a controlled-release drug-delivery system for
      the angiotensin-II receptor antagonist drug telmisartan. Telmisartan was
      encapsulated with different EUDRAGIT polymers by an emulsion solvent evaporation
      technique and the physicochemical properties of the formulations were
      characterized. Using a solvent evaporation method, white spherical microspheres
      with particle sizes of 629.9-792.1 MUm were produced. The in vitro drug release
      was studied in three different pH media (pH 1.2 for 2 hours, pH 6.8 for 4 hours,
      and pH 7.4 for 18 hours). The formulations were then evaluated for their
      pharmacokinetic parameters. The entrapment efficiency of these microspheres was
      between 58.6% and 90.56%. The obtained microspheres showed good flow properties,
      which were evaluated in terms of angle of repose (15.29-26.32), bulk and tapped
      densities (0.37-0.53 and 0.43-0.64, respectively), Carr indices and Hausner ratio
      (12.94-19.14% and 1.14-1.23, respectively). No drug release was observed in the
      simulated gastric medium up to 2 hours; however, a change in pH from 1.2 to 6.8
      increased the drug release. At pH 7.4, formulations with EUDRAGIT RS 100 showed a
      steady drug release. The microsphere formulation TMRS-3 (i.e., microspheres
      containing 2-mg telmisartan) gave the highest Cmax value (6.8641 MUg/mL) at 6
      hours, which was three times higher than Cmax for telmisartan oral suspension
      (TOS). Correspondingly, the area under the curve for TMRS-3 was 8.5 times higher
      than TOS. Particle size and drug release depended on the nature and content of
      polymer used. The drug release mechanism of the TMRS-3 formulation can be
      explained using the Higuchi model. The controlled release of drug from TMRS-3
      also provides for higher plasma drug content and improved bioavailability.

PMID- 28911473
TI  - Binding interactions of niclosamide with serum proteins.
AB  - A study of the binding of niclosamide (NC) to serum proteins such as human serum
      albumin, hemoglobin, and globulin was carried out using fluorescence and UV
      visible spectroscopy. Interactions between NC and these proteins were estimated
      by Stern-Volmer and van't Hoff equations. The binding constants and the
      thermodynamic parameters, DeltaH, DeltaS, and DeltaG at different temperatures
      were also determined by using these equations. Data showed that NC may exhibit a
      static quenching mechanism with all proteins. The thermodynamic parameters were
      calculated. Data showed that van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonds are
      the main forces for human serum albumin and hemoglobin. Globulin, however, bound
      to NC via hydrophobic interaction. The spectral changes of synchronous
      fluorescence suggested that both the microenvironment of NC and the conformation
      of the proteins changed in relation to their concentrations during NC's binding.

PMID- 28911474
TI  - Use of a failure probability constraint to suggest an initial dose in a phase I
      cancer clinical trial.
AB  - The primary objective of a Phase I cancer clinical trial is to determine the
      maximum tolerated dose of a drug. The "failure probability" was proposed and used
      as a constraint to help identify a suitable initial dose range. The maximum
      tolerated dose was then determined based on a 3 + 3 cohort-based escalation
      scheme. Multiple simulations were conducted, and the method was evaluated
      according to the required sample size and accuracy and precision of maximum
      tolerated dose estimate. The results indicated that the median of the initial
      dose range suggested using a failure probability is a suitable initial dose
      regardless of the dose escalation sequence used for a cancer Phase I study. This
      initial dose required a smaller sample size and resulted in less bias of the
      estimated maximum tolerated dose compared with a commonly used initial dose, that
      is, 10% of the lethal dose. We tested our approach using real dose and toxicity
      outcome data from two published Phase I studies. These results indicate that
      adding a failure probability constraint into the calculation of the initial dose
      range will improve the efficiency of Phase I cancer trials.

PMID- 28911475
TI  - Recent trends in specialty pharma business model.
AB  - The recent rise of specialty pharma is attributed to its flexible, versatile, and
      open business model while the traditional big pharma is facing a challenging time
      with patent cliff, generic threat, and low research and development (R&D)
      productivity. These multinational pharmaceutical companies, facing a difficult
      time, have been systematically externalizing R&D and some even establish their
      own corporate venture capital so as to diversify with more shots on goal, with
      the hope of achieving a higher success rate in their compound pipeline. Biologics
      and clinical Phase II proof-of-concept (POC) compounds are the preferred
      licensing and collaboration targets. Biologics enjoys a high success rate with a
      low generic biosimilar threat, while the need is high for clinical Phase II POC
      compounds, due to its high attrition/low success rate. Repurposing of big pharma
      leftover compounds is a popular strategy but with limitations. Most old compounds
      come with baggage either in lackluster clinical performance or short in patent
      life. Orphan drugs is another area which has gained popularity in recent years.
      The shorter and less costly regulatory pathway provides incentives, especially
      for smaller specialty pharma. However, clinical studies on orphan drugs require a
      large network of clinical operations in many countries in order to recruit enough
      patients. Big pharma is also working on orphan drugs starting with a small
      indication, with the hope of expanding the indication into a blockbuster status.
      Specialty medicine, including orphan drugs, has become the growth engine in the
      pharmaceutical industry worldwide. Big pharma is also keen on in-licensing
      technology or projects from specialty pharma to extend product life cycles, in
      order to protect their blockbuster drug franchises. Ample opportunities exist for
      smaller players, even in the emerging countries, to collaborate with
      multinational pharmaceutical companies provided that the technology platforms or
      specialty medicinal products are what the big pharma wants. The understanding of
      intellectual properties and international drug regulations are the key for
      specialty pharma to have a workable strategy for product registration worldwide.

PMID- 28911476
TI  - Camel milk as a potential therapy for controlling diabetes and its complications:
      A review of in vivo studies.
AB  - Diabetes is a condition in which there is an elevation of blood glucose. Insulin,
      which is produced by the pancreas, is an important hormone needed by the body
      because it enables glucose to be transported into cells. Under the diabetic
      condition, the cells may not respond properly to insulin or the body does not
      produce a sufficient amount of insulin, or both. This situation will cause
      glucose accumulation in the blood that leads to major complications. Oral insulin
      therapy has been used for many years; however, coagulation in an acidic
      environment decreases the efficacy of insulin by neutralizing its actions.
      Several researchers have found that camel milk can be an adjunct to insulin
      therapy. It appears to be safe and effective in improving long-term glycemic
      control. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review in vivo studies on the
      effect of camel milk as a potential therapy for controlling diabetes and its
      complications such as high cholesterol levels, liver and kidney disease,
      decreased oxidative stress, and delayed wound healing.

PMID- 28911477
TI  - Impact of chitosan composites and chitosan nanoparticle composites on various
      drug delivery systems: A review.
AB  - Chitosan is a promising biopolymer for drug delivery systems. Because of its
      beneficial properties, chitosan is widely used in biomedical and pharmaceutical
      fields. In this review, we summarize the physicochemical and drug delivery
      properties of chitosan, selected studies on utilization of chitosan and chitosan
      based nanoparticle composites in various drug delivery systems, and selected
      studies on the application of chitosan films in both drug delivery and wound
      healing. Chitosan is considered the most important polysaccharide for various
      drug delivery purposes because of its cationic character and primary amino
      groups, which are responsible for its many properties such as mucoadhesion,
      controlled drug release, transfection, in situ gelation, and efflux pump
      inhibitory properties and permeation enhancement. This review can enhance our
      understanding of drug delivery systems particularly in cases where chitosan drug
      loaded nanoparticles are applied.

PMID- 28911478
TI  - Separation and speciation analysis of zinc from Flammulina velutipes.
AB  - Orthogonal experiment was applied to optimize the water extraction parameters of
      zinc from Flammulina velutipes, and then the extracts were separated by membrane
      filter (0.45 MUm) and D101 macroporous resin. Six different species of Zn were
      obtained and the Zn content of various species were determined by flame atomic
      absorption spectrometry. The optimized conditions for the extraction of Zn were:
      ratio of dried material to water, 1:30; extraction temperature, 75 degrees C;
      extraction time, 120 minutes. About 34.43 MUg Zn was extracted from 1 g dried F.
      velutipes powder under the optimal conditions. The recovery value for Zn was
      96.5% with a low relative standard deviation. In addition, the content of the
      organic state of Zn was more than that of the inorganic state, and most of the
      organic state Zn was found in the polysaccharide and protein fractions.

PMID- 28911479
TI  - Determination of cholesterol and four phytosterols in foods without
      derivatization by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - In this study, a method for determination of cholesterol and four phytosterols by
      gas chromatography coupled with electron impact ionization mode-tandem mass
      spectrometry without derivatization in general food was developed. The sample was
      saponified with 7.5% KOH in methanol. After heating on hot plate and reflux for
      60 minutes, the saponified portion was extracted with n-hexane/petroleum ether
      (50:50, v/v). The extracts were evaporated with rotary evaporator and then
      redissolved with tetrahydrofuran. The tetrahydrofuran layer was transferred into
      an injection vial and analyzed by gas chromatography on a 30 m VF-5 column. Limit
      of quantification was 2 mg/kg. Recoveries of cholesterol and four phytosterols
      from general food were between 91% and 100%.

PMID- 28911480
TI  - Determination of oligosaccharides and monosaccharides in Hakka rice wine by
      precolumn derivation high-performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - This article presents a precolumn derivatization procedure with 1-phenyl-3-methyl
      5-pyrazolone (PMP) reagent to detect oligosaccharides and monosaccharides in
      Hakka rice wine. The subsequent separation of the derivatized glucose-PMP also
      was performed using a mobile phase consisting of the molar ratio of acetonitrile
      to ammonium acetate buffer (0.1M) of 22:78 at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with the
      column temperature of 35 degrees C, and the pH of ammonium acetate buffer at 5.5.
      The optimum derivation conditions were as follows: reaction temperature, 70
      degrees C; reaction time, 30 minutes; molar ratio of PMP to glucose, 10:1 (v/v);
      molar ratio of sodium hydroxide to glucose, 3:1 (v/v). The recovery rates were
      between 93.13% and 102.08% with relative standard deviation of 0.96-2.48%. The
      established method provides sufficient sensitivity with values of limit of
      detection of 0.09-0.26 mg/L and limit of quantification of 0.27-0.87 mg/L for
      determination of oligosaccharides and monosaccharides.

PMID- 28911481
TI  - A rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of benzoyl
      peroxide in wheat flour samples.
AB  - A simple, rapid, and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of
      benzoyl peroxide (BPO) in wheat flour samples was developed. The detection
      principle is based on BPO reacted with 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6
      sulfonic acid) (ABTS) to obtain a blue-green colored product that was detected at
      415 nm by spectrophotometry. The effect of factors influencing the color reaction
      was investigated. Under the selected conditions, the linear range for
      quantification of BPO was observed between 0.2-1.0 mg L-1 with r2 = 0.998. The
      limit of detection (LOD) was 0.025 mg L-1. The developed method obtained superior
      precision (relative standard deviation < 2%) using 11 repeatability at 0.2 mg L
      1, 0.6 mg L-1, and 0.8 mg L-1. The proposed methodology was successfully applied
      to determine BPO in wheat flour samples.

PMID- 28911482
TI  - Identification of biosynthetic intermediates of teaghrelins and teaghrelin-like
      compounds in oolong teas, and their molecular docking to the ghrelin receptor.
AB  - Teaghrelins are unique acylated flavonoid tetraglycosides found in Chin-shin
      oolong tea, and have been demonstrated to be promising oral ghrelin analogues.
      The biosynthetic pathway of teaghrelins from quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin) or
      kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (nicotiflorin) was proposed to comprise three enzymatic
      steps according to the identification of putative intermediates in Chin-shin
      oolong tea. In addition to the two known teaghrelins in Chin-shin oolong tea,
      four teaghrelin-like compounds with different attachments of glycosides were
      identified in various oolong teas. Molecular modeling and docking were used to
      evaluate theoretically whether the putative biosynthetic intermediates of
      teaghrelins and the four teaghrelin-like compounds could be potential candidates
      of ghrelin analogues. The results showed that the attachment of a coumaroyl group
      was crucial for these tea compounds to bind to the ghrelin receptor. However, the
      additional attachment of a rhamnosyl glycoside to the flavonoid backbone of
      teaghrelin-like compounds at C-7 significantly reduced their binding affinity
      with the ghrelin receptor.

PMID- 28911483
TI  - Evaluation of iron-binding activity of collagen peptides prepared from the scales
      of four cultivated fishes in Taiwan.
AB  - Iron deficiency is one of the most concerning deficiency problems in the world.
      It may generate several adverse effects such as iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and
      reduced physical and intellectual working capacity. The aim of this study is to
      evaluate the Fe(II)-binding activity of collagen peptides from fishery by
      products. Lates calcarifer, Mugil cephalus, Chanos chanos, and Oreochromis spp
      are four major cultivated fishes in Taiwan; thousands of scales of these fish are
      wasted without valuable utilization. In this study, scales of these fish were
      hydrolyzed by papain plus flavourzyme. Collagen peptides were obtained and
      compared for their Fe(II)-binding activity. Collagen peptides from Chanos chanos
      showed the highest Fe(II)-binding activity, followed by those from Lates
      calcarifer and Mugil cephalus; that from Oreochromis spp exhibited the lowest
      one. Fe(II)-binding activity of collagen peptides from fish scales was also
      confirmed with a dialysis method. Molecular weight (MW) distributions of the
      collagen peptides from scales of four fish are all < 10 kDa, and averaged 1.3
      kDa. Hydrolysates of fish scales were further partially purified with ion
      exchange chromatography. Fractions having Fe(II)-binding activity were obtained
      and their activity compared. Data obtained showed that collagen peptides from
      fish scales did have Fe(II)-binding activity. This is the first observation
      elucidating fish scale collagen possessing this functionality. The results from
      this study also indicated that collagen peptides from fish scales could be
      applied in industry as a bioresource.

PMID- 28911485
TI  - Quercetin uptake and metabolism by murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro.
AB  - Quercetin (Q), a bioflavonoid ubiquitously distributed in vegetables, fruits,
      leaves, and grains, can be absorbed, transported, and excreted after oral intake.
      However, little is known about Q uptake and metabolism by macrophages. To clarify
      the puzzle, Q at its noncytotoxic concentration (44MUM) was incubated without or
      with mouse peritoneal macrophages for different time periods. Medium alone,
      extracellular, and intracellular fluids of macrophages were collected to detect
      changes in Q and its possible metabolites using high-performance liquid
      chromatography. The results showed that Q was unstable and easily oxidized in
      either the absence or the presence of macrophages. The remaining Q and its
      metabolites, including isorhamnetin and an unknown Q metabolite [possibly Q- (O
      semiquinone)], might be absorbed by macrophages. The percentage of maximal Q
      uptake by macrophages was found to be 2.28% immediately after incubation;
      however, Q uptake might persist for about 24 hours. Q uptake by macrophages was
      greater than the uptake of its methylated derivative isorhamnetin. As Q or its
      metabolites entered macrophages, those compounds were metabolized primarily into
      isorhamnetin, kaempferol, or unknown endogenous Q metabolites. The present study,
      which aimed to clarify cellular uptake and metabolism of Q by macrophages, may
      have great potential for future practical applications for human health and
      immunopharmacology.

PMID- 28911484
TI  - Oxidant stress evoked damage in rat hepatocyte leading to triggered nitric oxide
      synthase (NOS) levels on long term consumption of aspartame.
AB  - This study investigates how long-term (40 mg/kg b.wt) consumption of aspartame
      can alter the antioxidant status, stress pathway genes, and apoptotic changes in
      the liver of Wistar albino rats. Numerous controversial reports are available on
      the use of aspartame as it releases methanol as one of its metabolites during
      metabolism. To mimic the human methanol metabolism the methotrexate treated rats
      were included to study the aspartame effects. The aspartame treated methotrexate
      (MTX animals showed a marked significant increase in the superoxide dismutase
      (SOD), catalase (CAT), lipid peroxidation (LPO), and Glutathione peroxidase (GPx)
      activity in the liver from control and MTX control animals, and showed a
      significant decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) and protein thiol in aspartame
      treated animals. The aspartame treated MTX animals showed a marked significant
      decrease in the body weight, brain, and liver weight. The aspartame treated MTX
      animals showed a marked increase in the inducible nitric oxide (iNOS), neuronal
      nitric oxide (nNOS), c-fos, Heat shock protein (Hsp) 70 Tumour necrosis Factor
      (TNF)alpha, caspase 8, c-jun N terminal kinases (JNK) 3 and Nuclear factor kappa
      B (NFkB) gene expression in the liver from control and MTX control animals. The
      aspartame treated MTX animals showed a marked increase in the c-fos, Hsp 70, iNOS
      Caspase 8, and JNK 3 protein expression in the liver from control and MTX control
      animals indicating the enhancement of stress and apoptosis. The aspartame treated
      MTX animals showed a streak of marked DNA fragmentation in the liver. On
      immunohistochemical analysis aspartame treated animals showed brown colored
      positive hepatocytes indicating the stress specific and apoptotic protein
      expression. Since aspartame consumption is on the rise among people, it is
      essential to create awareness regarding the usage of this artificial sweetener.

PMID- 28911486
TI  - Effects of drying on caffeoylquinic acid derivative content and antioxidant
      capacity of sweet potato leaves.
AB  - Caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) derivatives are known to possess antioxidative
      potential and have many beneficial effects on human health. The present study
      compared the CQA contents and antioxidant activities of aerial parts of sweet
      potato plants. The effects of drying methods (freeze drying, and drying at 30
      degrees C, 70 degrees C, and 100 degrees C) on these two parameters of the first
      fully expanded leaves were also assessed. The results indicated that the CQA
      derivatives were detectable in leaves, stem, and flowers of sweet potato plants
      (varied from 39.34 mg/g dry weight to 154.05 mg/g dry weight), with the leaves
      (particularly expanding and first fully expanded leaves) containing more CQA
      derivatives than other aerial plant parts. The expanding and first fully expanded
      leaves also exhibited greater antioxidant activities than other aerial plant
      parts, possibly due to their higher contents of CQA derivatives. Drying method
      significantly affected the content of CQA derivatives in dried sweet potato leaf
      tissues. Drying treatments at both 70 degrees C and 100 degrees C significantly
      reduced the CQA derivative content and antioxidant activity in the first fully
      expanded leaves. Among the tested drying methods, the freeze-drying method
      demonstrated the preservation of the highest amount of CQA derivatives (147.84
      mg/g) and antioxidant property. However, 30 degrees C cool air drying was also a
      desirable choice (total CQA derivative content was reduced to only 129.52 mg/g),
      compared to 70 degrees C and 100 degrees C hot air drying, for commercial-scale
      processing of sweet potato leaves, if the higher operation cost of freeze drying
      was a major concern.

PMID- 28911487
TI  - Effects of blending wheatgrass juice on enhancing phenolic compounds and
      antioxidant activities of traditional kombucha beverage.
AB  - Traditional kombucha is a fermented black tea extract and sugar. Sweetened black
      tea (10% w/v) and wheatgrass juice (WGJ) were mixed in various ratios and used as
      fermentation substrate for enhancing phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity.
      Starter, comprising of yeast (Dekkera bruxellensis) and acetic acid bacteria
      (Gluconacetobacter rhaeticus and Gluconobacter roseus), was inoculated at 20%
      (v/v), and fermented statically at 29 +/- 1 degrees C for 12 days. The results
      showed that the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of
      the modified kombucha were higher than those of traditional preparations. All WGJ
      blended kombucha preparations were characterized as having higher concentrations
      of various phenolic compounds such as gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid,
      ferulic acid, rutin, and chlorogenic acid as compared to traditional ones.
      Addition of WGJ resulted in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging
      ability of kombucha being > 90%, while the oxygen radical absorbance capacity
      increased from 5.0 MUmol trolox equivalents/mL to 12.8 MUmol trolox
      equivalents/mL as the ratio of WGJ increased from 0% to 67% (v/v). The highest
      antioxidant activity was obtained using a 1:1 (v/v) black tea decoction to WGJ
      ratio and 3 days of fermentation, producing various types of phenolic acids.
      These results suggest that intake of fermented black tea enhanced with wheatgrass
      juice is advantageous over traditional kombucha formulas in terms of providing
      various complementary phenolics and might have more potential to reduce oxidative
      stress.

PMID- 28911488
TI  - Effects of red mold dioscorea with pioglitazone, a potentially functional food,
      in the treatment of diabetes.
AB  - The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing rapidly, and its
      treatment with pioglitazone is likely to induce rhabdomyolysis. We aimed to
      determine the effect of cotreatment with pioglitazone and red mold dioscorea
      (RMD) produced by Monascus purpureus NTU 568 on pancreas function in
      streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In diabetic rats fed RMD, RMD with
      pioglitazone, and pioglitazone alone, insulin concentrations increased
      significantly by 18.6-40.4%, 64.0-100.0%, and 52.8%, respectively, compared with
      that in the diabetic group (p < 0.05). Oral glucose tolerance was impaired in the
      STZ-induced diabetic group within 4 weeks, however, oral glucose tolerance in
      rats treated with RMD or RMD with pioglitazone improved after 4 weeks, 6 weeks,
      and 8 weeks. Findings from this study might lend support to the use of RMD as a
      novel functional food for the prevention of diabetes.

PMID- 28911489
TI  - Effects of electrode settings on chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzing
      seawater.
AB  - Electrolyzed water has significant disinfection effects, can comply with food
      safety regulations, and is environmental friendly. We investigated the effects of
      immersion depth of electrodes, stirring, electrode size, and electrode gap on the
      properties and chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzing seawater and its
      storage stability. Results indicated that temperature and oxidation-reduction
      potential (ORP) of the seawater increased gradually, whereas electrical
      conductivity decreased steadily in electrolysis. During the electrolysis process,
      pH values and electric currents also decreased slightly within small ranges.
      Additional stirring or immersing the electrodes deep under the seawater
      significantly increased current density without affecting its electric efficiency
      and current efficiency. Decreasing electrode size or increasing electrode gap
      decreased chlorine production and electric current of the process without
      affecting its electric efficiency and current efficiency. Less than 35% of
      chlorine in the electrolyzed seawater was lost in a 3-week storage period. The
      decrement trend leveled off after the 1st week of storage. The electrolyzing
      system is a convenient and economical method for producing high-chlorine
      seawater, which will have high potential applications in agriculture,
      aquaculture, or food processing.

PMID- 28911490
TI  - Effects of process conditions on chlorine generation and storage stability of
      electrolyzed deep ocean water.
AB  - Electrolyzed water is a sustainable disinfectant, which can comply with food
      safety regulations and is environmentally friendly. We investigated the effects
      of platinum plating of electrode, electrode size, cell potential, and additional
      stirring on electrolysis properties of deep ocean water (DOW) and DOW
      concentration products. We also studied the relationships between quality
      properties of electrolyzed DOW and their storage stability. Results indicated
      that concentrating DOW to 1.7 times increased chlorine level in the electrolyzed
      DOW without affecting electric and current efficiencies of the electrolysis
      process. Increasing magnesium and potassium levels in DOW decreased chlorine
      level in the electrolyzed DOW as well as electric and current efficiencies of the
      electrolysis process. Additional stirring could not increase electrolysis
      efficiency of small electrolyzer. Large electrode, high electric potential and/or
      small electrolyzing cell increased chlorine production rate but decreased
      electric and current efficiencies. High electrolysis intensity decreased storage
      stability of the electrolyzed seawater and the effects of electrolysis on DOW
      gradually subsided in storage. DOW has similar electrolysis properties to surface
      seawater, but its purity and stability are better. Therefore, electrolyzed DOW
      should have better potential for applications on postharvest cleaning and
      disinfection of ready-to-eat fresh produce.

PMID- 28911491
TI  - Nutritional and nutraceutical characteristics of Sageretia theezans fruit.
AB  - The fruit of Sageretia theezans is one of many underutilized edible fruits that
      grow along the southern seashores of East Asia. In this study, to evaluate the
      nutritional and nutraceutical values of S. theezans fruit, the composition of
      minerals, organic acids, and proximate and fatty acids, the total phenolic, total
      flavonoid, and total anthocyanin content, and the antioxidant and antidiabetic
      activities of S. theezans fruit were analyzed. The results indicate that S.
      theezans fruit could be classified as a potential potassium-, malic acid-, and
      linoleic/oleic acid-rich fruit. In addition, The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction
      of the 70% ethanol (EtOH) crude extract exhibited strong antioxidant activities
      including free radical scavenging and reducing power activities compared with the
      same concentration of butylated hydroxytoluene. Furthermore, the EtOAc fraction
      showed significant inhibition of alpha-glucosidase activity. The analysis of the
      total phenolic and flavonoid content suggested that the remarkable antioxidant
      and antidiabetic activities of the EtOAc fraction are due to the presence of high
      levels of polyphenolic compounds.

PMID- 28911492
TI  - Antioxidation, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition activity, nattokinase,
      and antihypertension of Bacillus subtilis (natto)-fermented pigeon pea.
AB  - Because of the high incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Asian countries,
      traditional fermented foods from Asia have been increasingly investigated for
      antiatherosclerotic effects. This study investigated the production of
      nattokinase, a serine fibrinolytic enzyme, in pigeon pea by Bacillus subtilis
      fermentation. B. subtilis 14714, B. subtilis 14715, B. subtilis 14716, and B.
      subtilis 14718 were employed to produce nattokinase. The highest nattokinase
      activity in pigeon pea was obtained using B. subtilis 14715 fermentation for 32
      hours. In addition, the levels of antioxidants (phenolics and flavonoids) and
      angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory activity were increased in B. subtilis
      14715-fermented pigeon pea, compared with those in nonfermented pigeon pea. In an
      animal model, we found that both water extracts of pigeon pea (100 mg/kg body
      weight) and water extracts of B. subtilis-fermented pigeon pea (100 mg/kg body
      weight) significantly improved systolic blood pressure (21 mmHg) and diastolic
      blood pressure (30 mmHg) in spontaneously hypertensive rats. These results
      suggest that Bacillus-fermented pigeon pea has benefits for cardiovascular health
      and can be developed as a new dietary supplement or functional food that prevents
      hypertension.

PMID- 28911493
TI  - Red algae (Gelidium amansii) reduces adiposity via activation of lipolysis in
      rats with diabetes induced by streptozotocin-nicotinamide.
AB  - Gelidium amansii (GA) is an edible red algae that is distributed mainly in
      northeastern Taiwan. This study was designed to investigate the effects of GA on
      plasma glucose, lipids, and adipocytokines in rats with streptozotocin
      nicotinamide-induced diabetes. Rats were divided into four groups: (1) rats
      without diabetes fed a high-fat diet (control group); (2) rats with diabetes fed
      a high-fat diet; (3) rats with diabetes fed a high-fat diet with
      thiazolidinedione in the diet; and (4) rats with diabetes fed a high-fat diet and
      GA. The experimental diet and drinking water were available ad libitum for 11
      weeks. After the 11-week feeding study, plasma glucose, triglyceride, and
      cholesterol concentrations were lower in rats with diabetes fed the GA diet than
      in animals with diabetes fed the control diet. In addition, cholesterol and
      triglyceride excretion were significantly higher in rats with diabetes fed the GA
      diet. Moreover, GA feeding induced lipolysis in both paraepididymal and perirenal
      adipose tissues. Adipose tissue (paraepididymal and perirenal) weight and
      triglyceride contents were lower after GA treatment. Plasma adipocytokines
      including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and plasminogen activator
      inhibitor-1 were reduced by GA feeding in rats with diabetes. The results of the
      current study suggest that GA feeding may regulate plasma glucose and lipid
      levels and prevent adipose tissue accumulation in rats with diabetes.

PMID- 28911494
TI  - Antioxidant activity and growth inhibition of human colon cancer cells by crude
      and purified fucoidan preparations extracted from Sargassum cristaefolium.
AB  - Fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides, also termed "fucoidans", which are
      known to possess antioxidant, anticoagulant, anticancer, antiviral, and
      immunomodulating properties, are normally isolated from brown algae via various
      extraction techniques. In the present study, two methods (SC1 and SC2) for
      isolation of fucoidan from Sargassum cristaefolium were compared, with regard to
      the extraction yields, antioxidant activity, and inhibition of growth of human
      colon cancer cells exhibited by the respective extracts. SC1 and SC2 differ in
      the number of extraction steps and concentration of ethanol used, as well as the
      obtained sulfated polysaccharide extracts, namely, crude fucoidan preparation
      (CFP) and purified fucoidan preparation (PFP), respectively. Thin layer
      chromatography, Fourier transform infrared analysis, and measurements of fucose
      and sulfate contents revealed that the extracts were fucoidan. There was a higher
      extraction yield for CFP, which contained less fucose and sulfate but more uronic
      acid, and had weaker antioxidant activity and inhibition of growth in human colon
      cancer cells. In contrast, there was a lower extraction yield for PFP, which
      contained more fucose and sulfate but less uronic acid, and had stronger
      antioxidant activity and inhibition of growth in human colon cancer cells. Thus,
      since the difference in bioactive activities between CFP and PFP was not
      remarkable, the high extraction yield of SC1 might be favored as a method in
      industrial usage for extracting fucoidan.

PMID- 28911495
TI  - Food suppliers' perceptions and practical implementation of food safety
      regulations in Taiwan.
AB  - The relationships between the perceptions and practical implementation of food
      safety regulations by food suppliers in Taiwan were evaluated. A questionnaire
      survey was used to identify individuals who were full-time employees of the food
      supply industry with at least 3 months of experience. Dimensions of perceptions
      of food safety regulations were classified using the constructs of attitude of
      employees and corporate concern attitude for food safety regulation. The behavior
      dimension was classified into employee behavior and corporate practice. Food
      suppliers with training in food safety were significantly better than those
      without training with respect to the constructs of perception dimension of
      employee attitude, and the constructs of employee behavior and corporate practice
      associated with the behavior dimension. Older employees were superior in
      perception and practice. Employee attitude, employee behavior, and corporate
      practice were significantly correlated with each other. Satisfaction with
      governmental management was not significantly related to corporate practice. The
      corporate implementation of food safety regulations by suppliers was affected by
      employees' attitudes and behaviors. Furthermore, employees' attitudes and
      behaviors explain 35.3% of corporate practice. Employee behavior mediates
      employees' attitudes and corporate practices. The results of this study may serve
      as a reference for governmental supervision and provide training guidelines for
      workers in the food supply industry.

PMID- 28911496
TI  - Is it possible to rapidly and noninvasively identify different plants from
      Asteraceae using electronic nose with multiple mathematical algorithms?
AB  - Many plants originating from the Asteraceae family are applied as herbal
      medicines and also beverage ingredients in Asian areas, particularly in China.
      However, they may be confused due to their similar odor, especially when ground
      into powder, losing their typical macroscopic characteristics. In this paper, 11
      different multiple mathematical algorithms, which are commonly used in data
      processing, were utilized and compared to analyze the electronic nose (E-nose)
      response signals of different plants from Asteraceae family. Results demonstrate
      that three-dimensional plot scatter figure of principal component analysis with
      less extracted components could offer the identification results more visually;
      simultaneously, all nine kinds of artificial neural network could give
      classification accuracies at 100%. This paper presents a rapid, accurate, and
      effective method to distinguish Asteraceae plants based on their response signals
      in E-nose. It also gives insights to further studies, such as to find unique
      sensors that are more sensitive and exclusive to volatile components in Chinese
      herbal medicines and to improve the identification ability of E-nose. Screening
      sensors made by other novel materials would be also an interesting way to improve
      identification capability of E-nose.

PMID- 28911497
TI  - Antifungal and antioxidant activities of organic and aqueous extracts of Annona
      squamosa Linn. leaves.
AB  - An increasing demand for natural additives has shifted the attention from
      synthetic to natural antioxidants and antifungal agents. This study was carried
      out to evaluate the antifungal and antioxidant activities of methanol,
      chloroform, and aqueous extracts of Annona squamosa Linn. leaves. The antifungal
      activities of all extracts of A. squamosa leaves against five different strains
      of fungi (Alternaria alternata, Candida albicans, Fusarium solani, Microsporum
      canis, and Aspergillus niger) were evaluated by the agar well diffusion method
      and the minimum inhibitory concentration of each extract was assessed by
      antifungal susceptibility using the broth microdilution method. The antioxidant
      potential of each extract was determined by free radicals (1,1-diphenyl-2
      picrylhydrazyl, nitric oxide, and hydrogen peroxide) scavenging activity and
      reducing power property of A. squamosa leaves. Both organic and aqueous extracts
      were found to express dose-dependent inhibition against all tested fungi strains
      in both agar well diffusion and broth dilution methods. The free radical
      scavenging activity and reducing power property of all extracts were found to be
      concentration dependent, with the methanol extract exhibiting higher antioxidant
      activity than the chloroform extract, which was more effective than the aqueous
      extract of A. squamosa leaves. Results of phytochemical analysis of extracts
      showed the presence of glycosides, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, etc.
      The results obtained from in vitro studies of antifungal and antioxidant
      activities clearly suggest that the methanol, chloroform, and aqueous extracts of
      A. squamosa leaves possess antifungal and antioxidant activity.

PMID- 28911498
TI  - Method development and validation for the high-performance liquid chromatography
      assay of gastrodin in water extracts from different sources of Gastrodia elata
      Blume.
AB  - Gastrodia elata Blume is commonly used as a medical herb in China for
      ameliorating headaches, dizziness, and convulsions. In previous studies, water
      extracts of G. elata Bl. (WGE) have demonstrated potential to act as therapeutic
      agents to improve depression-like symptoms in rats. As gastrodin (GAS) is a major
      active compound in WGE, its quantitation in WGE is important for quality control.
      The objective of this study was to develop an optimized and validated reversed
      phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for the analysis of GAS in
      different sources of WGE. We evaluated the GAS content in varieties of G. elata
      Bl. including G. elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow and G. elata Bl. f. elata. We also
      evaluated the GAS content of the latter variety from two different origins, Yun
      nan and Hu-nan. The results indicate that the amount of GAS analyzed in WGE from
      G. elata Bl. f. glauca S. Chow is five times higher than that of G. elata Bl. f.
      elata from Yun-nan and Hu-nan. A significant difference in GAS content was
      observed between varieties of G. elata Bl., although not between locations of
      origin.

PMID- 28911499
TI  - Chemical material basis study of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction by ultra-performance
      liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
AB  - Xuefu Zhuyu decoction, a classic prescription in traditional Chinese medicine,
      has been widely used in the clinical treatment of cardiovascular and
      cerebrovascular diseases. In order to profile the chemical material basis of this
      formula, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with
      quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q/TOF MS) method has been
      established for rapid separation and structural characterization of compounds in
      the decoction. As a result, 103 compounds including phenolic acids, spermidines,
      C-glycosyl quinochalcones, terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, and others were
      detected; 35 of them were unambiguously identified, and 68 were tentatively
      characterized by comparing the retention time, MS data, characteristic MS
      fragmentation pattern and retrieving the literature. In conclusion, the UPLC
      coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method developed in this
      work is an efficient approach to perform chemical material basis studies of
      traditional Chinese medicine formulae.

PMID- 28911500
TI  - Flavone glycosides from commercially available Lophatheri Herba and their
      chromatographic fingerprinting and quantitation.
AB  - Lophatheri Herba (Danzhuye; LH), the dried leaves of Lophatherum gracile Brongn
      (Poaceae), is commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine as an antipyretic,
      antibacterial, and diuretic. Chemical analysis has been conducted to isolate and
      identify seven major flavonoid glycosides, including a new flavone C-glycoside,
      luteolin 6-C-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl-(1->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1),
      isoorientin (2), swertiajaponin (3), luteolin 6-C-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl-(1
      >2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (4), isovitexin (5), swertisin (6), luteolin 7-O
      beta-D-glucopyranoside (7), and luteolin 6-C-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (8), from
      commercially available LHs in Taiwan. The structure of the new compound (1), the
      maximum component, was determined by extensive one- (1D-) and two-dimensional (2D
      ) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and MS spectral analyses. The 1H and 13C-NMR
      of two rotameric pairs of 3 and 6 were also assigned. To establish the quality
      control platform of LH, we developed a simultaneous determination of multiple
      components in 10 commercially available LHs, collected from different areas of
      Taiwan, by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra performance
      liquid chromatography (UPLC), as well as quantitative measurement of the major
      components 1-4, and 8. All isolated major compounds showed good linear regression
      (R2 >= 0.9993) within the test ranges and high reproducibility. These methods are
      readily accessible for the quality control of LH.

PMID- 28911501
TI  - Effect of high-pressure homogenization preparation on mean globule size and large
      diameter tail of oil-in-water injectable emulsions.
AB  - The effect of different high pressure homogenization energy input parameters on
      mean diameter droplet size (MDS) and droplets with > 5 MUm of lipid injectable
      emulsions were evaluated. All emulsions were prepared at different water bath
      temperatures or at different rotation speeds and rotor-stator system times, and
      using different homogenization pressures and numbers of high-pressure system
      recirculations. The MDS and polydispersity index (PI) value of the emulsions were
      determined using the dynamic light scattering (DLS) method, and large-diameter
      tail assessments were performed using the light-obscuration/single particle
      optical sensing (LO/SPOS) method. Using 1000 bar homogenization pressure and
      seven recirculations, the energy input parameters related to the rotor-stator
      system will not have an effect on the final particle size results. When rotor
      stator system energy input parameters are fixed, homogenization pressure and
      recirculation will affect mean particle size and large diameter droplet. Particle
      size will decrease with increasing homogenization pressure from 400 bar to 1300
      bar when homogenization recirculation is fixed; when the homogenization pressure
      is fixed at 1000 bar, the particle size of both MDS and percent of fat droplets
      exceeding 5 MUm (PFAT5) will decrease with increasing homogenization
      recirculations, MDS dropped to 173 nm after five cycles and maintained this
      level, volume-weighted PFAT5 will drop to 0.038% after three cycles, so the
      "plateau" of MDS will come up later than that of PFAT5, and the optimal particle
      size is produced when both of them remained at plateau. Excess homogenization
      recirculation such as nine times under the 1000 bar may lead to PFAT5 increase to
      0.060% rather than a decrease; therefore, the high-pressure homogenization
      procedure is the key factor affecting the particle size distribution of
      emulsions. Varying storage conditions (4-25 degrees C) also influenced particle
      size, especially the PFAT5.

PMID- 28911502
TI  - Degradation of histamine by Bacillus polymyxa isolated from salted fish products.
AB  - Histamine is the causative agent of scombroid poisoning, a foodborne chemical
      hazard. Histamine is degraded by the oxidative deamination activity of certain
      microorganisms. In this study, eight histamine-degrading bacteria isolated from
      salted fish products were identified as Rummeliibacillus stabekisii (1 isolate),
      Agrobacterium tumefaciens (1 isolate), Bacillus cereus (2 isolates), Bacillus
      polymyxa (1 isolate), Bacillus licheniformis (1 isolate), Bacillus
      amyloliquefaciens (1 isolate), and Bacillus subtilis (1 isolate). Among them, B.
      polymyxa exhibited the highest activity in degrading histamine than the other
      isolates. The ranges of temperature, pH, and salt concentration for growth and
      histamine degradation of B. polymyxa were 25-37 degrees C, pH 5-9, and 0.5-5%
      NaCl, respectively. B. polymyxa exhibited optimal growth and histamine-degrading
      activity at 30 degrees C, pH 7, and 0.5% NaCl in histamine broth for 24 hours of
      incubation. The histamine-degrading isolate, B. polymyxa, might be used as a
      starter culture in inhibiting histamine accumulation during salted fish product
      fermentation.

PMID- 28911503
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911505
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911504
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911507
TI  - More Appropriate Cardiovascular Risk Screening Through Understanding Complex
      Phenotypes: Mind the Gap.

PMID- 28911506
TI  - Metabolically Healthy Obese and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events Among 3.5
      Million Men and Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have been unclear about the cardiovascular risks for
      metabolically healthy obese individuals. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the
      associations among metabolically healthy obese individuals and 4 different
      presentations of incident cardiovascular disease in a contemporary population.
      METHODS: We used linked electronic health records (1995 to 2015) in The Health
      Improvement Network (THIN) to assemble a cohort of 3.5 million individuals, 18
      years of age or older and initially free of cardiovascular disease. We created
      body size phenotypes defined by body mass index categories (underweight, normal
      weight, overweight, and obesity) and 3 metabolic abnormalities (diabetes,
      hypertension, and hyperlipidemia). The primary endpoints were the first record of
      1 of 4 cardiovascular presentations (coronary heart disease [CHD],
      cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, and peripheral vascular disease).
      RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 5.4 years, obese individuals with no
      metabolic abnormalities had a higher risk of CHD (multivariate-adjusted hazard
      ratio [HR]: 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45 to 1.54), cerebrovascular
      disease (HR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.11), and heart failure (HR: 1.96; 95% CI:
      1.86 to 2.06) compared with normal weight individuals with 0 metabolic
      abnormalities. Risk of CHD, cerebrovascular disease, and heart failure in normal
      weight, overweight, and obese individuals increased with increasing number of
      metabolic abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolically healthy obese individuals had
      a higher risk of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and heart
      failure than normal weight metabolically healthy individuals. Even individuals
      who are normal weight can have metabolic abnormalities and similar risks for
      cardiovascular disease events.

PMID- 28911509
TI  - Exploration of PCSK9 as a Cardiovascular Risk Factor: Is There a Link to the
      Platelet?

PMID- 28911508
TI  - Relationship of PCSK9 and Urinary Thromboxane Excretion to Cardiovascular Events
      in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soluble proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has
      been shown to be predictive of cardiovascular events (CVEs) in patients who are
      at high cardiovascular risk. No data on the effect of PCSK9 levels in patients
      with atrial fibrillation (AF) are available. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated
      the association between PCSK9 and CVEs in AF as well as the relationship between
      PCSK9 and urinary 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2 (11-dh-TxB2), a marker of platelet
      activation. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, single-center cohort study,
      including 907 patients with AF treated with vitamin K antagonists (3,865 patient
      years), to assess CVEs, including fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction,
      ischemic stroke, and cardiovascular death. At admission, plasma PCSK9 and urinary
      11-dh-TxB2 (n = 852) were measured. The population was divided into tertiles of
      PCSK9 for the analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 73.5 +/- 8.2 years,
      and 43.0% were women. At follow-up, 179 CVEs (4.6%/year) occurred: 43 (15.3%), 49
      (15.5%), and 87 (28.0%) in the first, second, and third tertiles of PCSK9,
      respectively (log-rank test p = 0.009). Patients with CVEs had higher median
      PCSK9 compared with those without (1,500 pg/ml [IQR: 1,000 to 2,300 pg/ml] vs.
      1,200 pg/ml [IQR: 827 to 1,807 pg/ml], respectively; p < 0.001). Multivariable
      Cox regression analysis showed that the third versus the first tertile of PCSK9
      (hazard ratio: 1.640; 95% confidence interval: 1.117 to 2.407; p = 0.012), female
      sex, age, diabetes, smoking, heart failure, previous cerebrovascular and cardiac
      events, digoxin use, and total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol ratio were associated with CVEs. In 682 patients not treated with
      antiplatelet therapy, circulating PCSK9 and 11-dh-TxB2 were significantly
      correlated (Spearman's rho: 0.665; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma PCSK9 levels
      are associated with an increased risk of CVEs in patients with AF. The direct
      correlation between PCSK9 and 11-dh-TxB2 suggests PCSK9 as a mechanism
      potentially implicated in platelet activation.

PMID- 28911511
TI  - A Natural Biomarker Deserving Attention: Gasping Following Primary Cardiac
      Arrest.

PMID- 28911510
TI  - Long-Term Prognostic Value of Gasping During Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gasping is a natural reflex that enhances oxygenation and circulation
      during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). OBJECTIVES: This study sought to
      assess the relationship between gasping during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and
      1-year survival with favorable neurological outcomes. METHODS: The authors
      prospectively collected incidence of gasping on all evaluable subjects in a
      multicenter, randomized, controlled, National Institutes of Health-funded out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest clinical trial from August 2007 to July 2009. The
      association between gasping and 1-year survival with favorable neurological
      function, defined as a Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) score <=2 was
      estimated using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: The rates of 1-year
      survival with a CPC score of <=2 were 5.4% (98 of 1,827) overall, and 20% (36 of
      177) and 3.7% (61 of 1,643) for individuals with and without spontaneous gasping
      or agonal respiration during CPR, respectively. In multivariable analysis, 1-year
      survival with CPC <=2 was independently associated with younger age (odds ratio
      [OR] for 1 SD increment 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43 to 0.76),
      gasping during CPR (OR: 3.94; 95% CI: 2.09 to 7.44), shockable initial recorded
      rhythm (OR: 16.50; 95% CI: 7.40 to 36.81), shorter CPR duration (OR: 0.31; 95%
      CI: 0.19 to 0.51), lower epinephrine dosage (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.87), and
      pulmonary edema (OR: 3.41; 95% CI: 1.53 to 7.60). Gasping combined with a
      shockable initial recorded rhythm had a 57-fold higher OR (95% CI: 23.49 to
      136.92) of 1-year survival with CPC <=2 versus no gasping and no shockable
      rhythm. CONCLUSIONS: Gasping during CPR was independently associated with
      increased 1-year survival with CPC <=2, regardless of the first recorded rhythm.
      These findings underscore the importance of not terminating resuscitation
      prematurely in gasping patients and the need to routinely recognize, monitor, and
      record data on gasping in all future cardiac arrest trials and registries.

PMID- 28911513
TI  - Delivering Instant Heat: Shocking the Heart.

PMID- 28911514
TI  - Defibrillation for Ventricular Fibrillation: A Shocking Update.
AB  - Cardiac arrest is defined as the termination of cardiac activity associated with
      loss of consciousness, of spontaneous breathing, and of circulation. Sudden
      cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death (SCD) are terms often used
      interchangeably. Most patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have shown
      coronary artery disease or symptoms during the hour before the event. Cardiac
      arrest is potentially reversible by cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
      defibrillation, cardioversion, cardiac pacing, or treatments targeted at the
      underlying disease (e.g., acute coronary occlusion). We restrict SCD hereafter to
      cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, including rhythms shockable by an
      automatic external defibrillator (AED), implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
      (ICD), or wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD). We summarize the state of
      the art related to defibrillation in treating SCD, including a brief history of
      the evolution of defibrillation, technical characteristics of modern AEDs,
      strategies to improve AED access and increase survival, ancillary treatments, and
      use of ICDs or WCDs.

PMID- 28911512
TI  - Cardioprotective Effects of HSP72 Administration on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although early reperfusion is the most desirable intervention after
      ischemic myocardial insult, it may add to damage through oxidative stress.
      OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the cardioprotective effects of a single
      intravenous dose of heat shock protein-72 (HSP72) coupled to a single-chain
      variable fragment (Fv) of monoclonal antibody 3E10 (3E10Fv) in a rabbit ischemia
      reperfusion model. The Fv facilitates rapid transport of HSP72 into cells, even
      with intact membranes. METHODS: A left coronary artery occlusion (40 min)
      reperfusion (3 h) model was used in 31 rabbits. Of these, 12 rabbits received the
      fusion protein (Fv-HSP72) intravenously. The remaining 19 control rabbits
      received a molar equivalent of 3E10Fv alone (n = 6), HSP72 alone (n = 6), or
      phosphate-buffered saline (n = 7). Serial echocardiographic examinations were
      performed to assess left ventricular function before and after reperfusion. Micro
      single-photon emission computed tomography imaging of 99mTc-labeled annexin-V was
      performed with micro-computed tomography scanning to characterize apoptotic
      damage in vivo, followed by gamma counting of the excised myocardial specimens to
      quantify cell death. Histopathological characterization of the myocardial tissue
      and sequential cardiac troponin I measurements were also undertaken. RESULTS:
      Myocardial annexin-V uptake was 43% lower in the area at risk (p = 0.0003) in Fv
      HSP72-treated rabbits compared with control animals receiving HSP72 or 3E10Fv
      alone. During reperfusion, troponin I release was 42% lower and the
      echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction 27% higher in the Fv-HSP72
      treated group compared with control animals. Histopathological analyses confirmed
      penetration of 3E10Fv-containing molecules into cardiomyocytes in vivo, and
      treatment with Fv-HSP72 showed fewer apoptotic nuclei compared with control
      rabbits. CONCLUSIONS: Single-dose administration of Fv-HSP72 fusion protein at
      the time of reperfusion reduced myocardial apoptosis by almost one-half and
      improved left ventricular functional recovery after myocardial ischemia
      reperfusion injury in rabbits. It might have potential to serve as an adjunct to
      early reperfusion in the management of myocardial infarction.

PMID- 28911515
TI  - Chronic Chagas Heart Disease Management: From Etiology to Cardiomyopathy
      Treatment.
AB  - Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection is endemic in Latin America and is
      becoming a worldwide health burden. It may lead to heterogeneous phenotypes.
      Early diagnosis of T. cruzi infection is crucial. Several biomarkers have been
      reported in Chagas heart disease (ChHD), but most are nonspecific for T. cruzi
      infection. Prognosis of ChHD patients is worse compared with other etiologies,
      with sudden cardiac death as an important mode of death. Most ChHD patients
      display diffuse myocarditis with fibrosis and hypertrophy. The remodeling process
      seems to be associated with etiopathogenic mechanisms and neurohormonal
      activation. Pharmacological treatment and antiarrhythmic therapy for ChHD is
      mostly based on results for other etiologies. Heart transplantation is an
      established, valuable therapeutic option in refractory ChHD. Implantable
      cardioverter-defibrillators are indicated for prevention of secondary sudden
      cardiac death. Specific etiological treatments should be revisited and reserved
      for select patients. Understanding and management of ChHD need improvement,
      including development of randomized trials.

PMID- 28911516
TI  - Diversity Matters.

PMID- 28911518
TI  - ABIM/ACC Competency-Based Education Pilot in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular
      Disease.

PMID- 28911517
TI  - Effect of the FDA Regulatory Approach on the 0/1-h Algorithm for Rapid Diagnosis
      of MI.

PMID- 28911519
TI  - Bioresorbable Scaffold Thrombosis: A Multifactorial Phenomenon Also Involving
      Hypersensitivity Inflammation?

PMID- 28911520
TI  - Reply: Bioresorbable Scaffold Thrombosis: A Multifactorial Phenomenon Also
      Involving Hypersensitivity Inflammation?

PMID- 28911521
TI  - Left Ventricle Assist Device Recovery Should Include Recovery of Ventilatory and
      Autonomic Nervous System Abnormalities.

PMID- 28911522
TI  - Reply: Left Ventricle Assist Device Recovery Should Include Recovery of
      Ventilatory and Autonomic Nervous System Abnormalities.

PMID- 28911524
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911523
TI  - Toward Multiple SNP Motif Analyses of Loci Associated With Phenotypic Traits.

PMID- 28911525
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911526
TI  - Introduction to the Special Issue: Dietary Natural Compounds.

PMID- 28911528
TI  - Macrophages in oxidative stress and models to evaluate the antioxidant function
      of dietary natural compounds.
AB  - Antioxidant testing of natural products has attracted increasing interest in
      recent years, mainly due to the fact that an antioxidant-rich diet might provide
      health benefits. Activated macrophages are a major source of reactive oxygen
      species, reactive nitrogen species, and peroxynitrite generated through the so
      called respiratory burst. Constitutively released proinflammatory cytokine,
      especially tumor necrosis factor-alpha, triggers nuclear factor-kappaB, and
      activator protein-1 translocation leading to the over production of reactive
      oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species in macrophages. Activation of
      transcription factors in the long-lived tissue-resident macrophages and/or
      monocyte-derived macrophages, trigger epigenetic modifications leading to the
      pathogenesis of chronic diseases. Nutraceuticals including lipid raft structure
      disruption agent, cholesterol depletion agent, farnesyltransferase inhibitor,
      nuclear factor-kappaB blocker (alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds),
      glucocorticoid receptor agonist, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      gamma agonist have long been used to inactive macrophage. The inhibition effects
      on the formation of nitric oxide, superoxide, and nitrite peroxide may be
      responsible for the anti-inflammatory functionalities. Activated macrophage
      models could be used to identify the active components for functional diets
      development through a multiple targets strategy.

PMID- 28911529
TI  - An apple a day to prevent cancer formation: Reducing cancer risk with flavonoids.
AB  - The purpose of this review is to update and discuss key findings from in vitro
      and in vivo studies on apple and its biocompounds, with a special focus on its
      anticancer role. Several studies have proposed that apple and its extracts
      exhibit a variety of biological functions that may contribute to health benefits
      including beneficial effects against chronic heart and vascular disorders,
      respiratory and pulmonary dysfunction, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. In this
      review, we summarize the molecular mechanism(s) of various components in apple,
      as established in previous studies that indicated their growth-inhibitory effects
      in various cancer cell types. Moreover, an attempt is made to delineate the
      direction of future studies that could lead to the development of apple
      components as a potent chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic agent against cancer.

PMID- 28911527
TI  - Cellular models for the evaluation of the antiobesity effect of selected
      phytochemicals from food and herbs.
AB  - Dietary phytochemicals from food and herbs have been studied for their health
      benefits for a long time. The incidence of obesity has seen an incredible
      increase worldwide. Although dieting, along with increased physical activity,
      seems an easy method in theory to manage obesity, it is hard to apply in real
      life. Obesity treatment drugs and surgery are not successful or targeted for
      everyone and can have significant side effects. This low rate of success is the
      major reason that the overweight as well as the pharmaceutical industry seek
      alternative methods, including phytochemicals. Therefore, more and more research
      has focused on the role of phytochemicals to alleviate lipid accumulation or
      enhance energy expenditure in adipocytes. This review discusses selected
      phytochemicals from food and herbs and their effects on adipogenesis,
      lipogenesis, lipolysis, oxidation of fatty acids, and browning in 3T3-L1
      preadipocytes.

PMID- 28911530
TI  - Autophagy-inducing effect of pterostilbene: A prospective therapeutic/preventive
      option for skin diseases.
AB  - Pterostilbene is a naturally occurring analog of resveratrol with many health
      benefits. These health benefits are associated with its antioxidant activity,
      anti-inflammatory effects, and chemopreventive effects attributed to its unique
      structure. The skin cancer chemopreventive potential of pterostilbene is
      supported by a variety of mechanistic studies confirming the anti-inflammatory
      effects in skin cancer models. Molecular biological studies have identified that
      pterostilbene targets pleotropic signaling pathways, including those involved in
      mitogenesis, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis. Recently, pterostilbene has
      been reported to induce autophagy in cancer and normal cells. Through autophagy
      induction, the inflammatory-related skin diseases can be attenuated. This finding
      suggests the potential use of pterostilbene in the treatment and prevention of
      skin disorders via alleviating inflammatory responses by autophagy induction.
      This review summarizes the protective and therapeutic benefits of pterostilbene
      in skin diseases from the viewpoint of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and
      autophagy-inducing effects. Novel underlying mechanisms regarding these effects
      are discussed. We proposed that pterostilbene, a promising natural product, can
      be used as a preventive and therapeutic agent for inflammation-related skin
      disorders through induction of autophagy.

PMID- 28911531
TI  - Biological actions and molecular effects of resveratrol, pterostilbene, and 3'
      hydroxypterostilbene.
AB  - Stilbenes are a class of polyphenolic compounds, naturally found in a wide
      variety of dietary sources such as grapes, berries, peanuts, red wine, and some
      medicinal plants. There are several well-known stilbenes including trans
      resveratrol, pterostilbene, and 3'-hydroxypterostilbene. The core chemical
      structure of stilbene compounds is 1,2-diphenylethylene. Recently, stilbenes have
      attracted extensive attention and interest due to their wide range of health
      beneficial effects such as anti-inflammation, -carcinogenic, -diabetes, and 
      dyslipidemia activities. Moreover, accumulating in vitro and in vivo studies have
      reported that stilbene compounds act as inducers of multiple cell-death pathways
      such as apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and autophagy for chemopreventive and
      chemotherapeutic agents in several types of cancer cells. The aim of this review
      is to highlight recent molecular findings and biological actions of trans
      resveratrol, pterostilbene, and 3'-hydroxypterostilbene.

PMID- 28911532
TI  - Bioactive phytochemicals in barley.
AB  - Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that regular consumption of whole
      grain barley reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases. The presence of
      barley fiber, especially beta-glucan in whole grain barley, has been largely
      credited for these health benefits. However, it is now widely believed that the
      actions of the fiber component alone do not explain the observed health benefits
      associated with the consumption of whole grain barley. Whole grain barley also
      contains phytochemicals including phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, tocols,
      phytosterols, and folate. These phytochemicals exhibit strong antioxidant,
      antiproliferative, and cholesterol lowering abilities, which are potentially
      useful in lowering the risk of certain diseases. Therefore, the high
      concentration of phytochemicals in barley may be largely responsible for its
      health benefits. This paper reviews available information regarding barley
      phytochemicals and their potential to combat common nutrition-related diseases
      including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.

PMID- 28911533
TI  - Techniques and methods to study functional characteristics of emulsion systems.
AB  - With the growing popularity of the functional food market, bioactive ingredients
      from natural sources are discovered one after another for their ability to
      promote better health and prevent chronic diseases. Emulsion, widely occurring in
      many food systems, has become a popular vehicle to facilitate the incorporation
      of bioactive components into the food system. Depending on the designated
      functionality, an emulsion can be developed with various physical and chemical
      properties. To ensure the successful development of a high-quality emulsion-based
      system to serve their purpose in food, knowledge of the analytical methods that
      could efficiently evaluate their quality parameters is important for
      investigators who work in this field. In this work, important emulsion properties
      are overviewed, and techniques that are commonly used to assess them are
      provided. Discussions and recommendations are also included to make suggestions
      on advantages and disadvantages when selecting suitable techniques and methods to
      characterize these quality parameters of emulsion systems.

PMID- 28911534
TI  - Phenolic compounds and biological activities of small-size citrus: Kumquat and
      calamondin.
AB  - Kumquat and calamondin are two small-size citrus fruits. Owing to their health
      benefits, they are traditionally used as folk medicine in Asian countries.
      However, the research on flavonoids and biological activities of kumquat and
      calamondin have received less attention. This review summarizes the reported
      quantitative and qualitative data of phenolic compositions in these two fruits.
      Effects of maturity, harvest time, various solvent extractions and heat treatment
      of phenolic compositions, and bioactivities were discussed; distributions of the
      forms of phenolic compounds existing in kumquat and calamondin were also
      summarized. Furthermore, biological activities, including antioxidant,
      antityrosinase, antimicrobial, antitumor, and antimetabolic disorder effects,
      have also been discussed. Effective phenolic components were proposed for a
      certain bioactivity. It was found that C-glycoside flavonoids are dominant
      phenolic compounds in kumquat and calamondin, unlike in other citrus fruits. Up
      to now, biological activities and chemical characteristics of C-glycoside
      flavonoids in kumquat and calamondin are largely unknown.

PMID- 28911535
TI  - Chemopreventive effect of natural dietary compounds on xenobiotic-induced
      toxicity.
AB  - Contaminants (or pollutants) that affect human health have become an important
      issue, spawning a myriad of studies on how to prevent harmful contaminant-induced
      effects. Recently, a variety of biological functions of natural dietary compounds
      derived from consumed foods and plants have been demonstrated in a number of
      studies. Natural dietary compounds exhibited several beneficial effects for the
      prevention of disease and the inhibition of chemically-induced carcinogenesis.
      Contaminant-induced toxicity and carcinogenesis are mostly attributed to the
      mutagenic activity of reactive metabolites and the disruption of normal
      biological functions. Therefore, the metabolic regulation of hazardous chemicals
      is key to reducing contaminant-induced adverse health effects. Moreover,
      promoting contaminant excretion from the body through Phase I and II metabolizing
      enzymes is also a useful strategy for reducing contaminant-induced toxicity. This
      review focuses on summarizing the natural dietary compounds derived from common
      dietary foods and plants and their possible mechanisms of action in the
      prevention/suppression of contaminant-induced toxicity.

PMID- 28911536
TI  - Biopharmaceutical potentials of Prosopis spp. (Mimosaceae, Leguminosa).
AB  - Prosopis is a commercially important plant genus, which has been used since
      ancient times, particularly for medicinal purposes. Traditionally, Paste, gum,
      and smoke from leaves and pods are applied for anticancer, antidiabetic, anti
      inflammatory, and antimicrobial purposes. Components of Prosopis such as
      flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, quinones, or phenolic compounds demonstrate
      potentials in various biofunctions, such as analgesic, anthelmintic, antibiotic,
      antiemetic, microbial antioxidant, antimalarial, antiprotozoal, antipustule, and
      antiulcer activities; enhancement of H+, K+, ATPases; oral disinfection; and
      probiotic and nutritional effects; as well as in other biopharmaceutical
      applications, such as binding abilities for tablet production. The compound
      juliflorine provides a cure in Alzheimer disease by inhibiting acetylcholine
      esterase at cholinergic brain synapses. Some indirect medicinal applications of
      Prosopis spp. are indicated, including antimosquito larvicidal activity, chemical
      synthesis by associated fungal or bacterial symbionts, cyanobacterial degradation
      products, "mesquite" honey and pollens with high antioxidant activity, etc. This
      review will reveal the origins, distribution, folk uses, chemical components,
      biological functions, and applications of different representatives of Prosopis.

PMID- 28911537
TI  - Functional study of Cordyceps sinensis and cordycepin in male reproduction: A
      review.
AB  - Cordyceps sinensis has various biological and pharmacological functions, and it
      has been claimed as a tonic supplement for sexual and reproductive dysfunctions
      for a long time in oriental society. In this article, the in vitro and in vivo
      effects of C. sinensis and cordycepin on mouse Leydig cell steroidogenesis are
      briefly described, the stimulatory mechanisms are summarized, and the recent
      findings related to the alternative substances regulating male reproductive
      functions are also discussed.

PMID- 28911538
TI  - Corrigendum to "Hydrolysis of isoflavone in black soy milk using cellulose bead
      as enzyme immobilizer" [J Food Drug Anal 24 (2016) 788-795].

PMID- 28911539
TI  - Corrigendum to "Assessment of the pharmacokinetics, removal rate of hemodialysis,
      and safety of lactulose in hemodialysis patients" [J Food Drug Anal 24 (2016) 876
      880].

PMID- 28911540
TI  - Extraction, bioavailability, and bioefficacy of capsaicinoids.
AB  - Capsaicinoids are active constituents responsible for the pungent and spicy
      flavor in chili peppers. During the past few decades, various extraction methods
      of capsaicinoids from peppers have been developed with high yields. Through
      biological studies, pharmacological benefits have been reported such as pain
      relief, antiinflammation, anticancer, cardio-protection, as well as weight loss.
      In this paper, the extraction methods and bioavailability of capsaicinoids are
      reviewed and discussed. In addition, the pharmacological effects and their
      underlying mechanisms are also studied.

PMID- 28911541
TI  - Food macromolecule based nanodelivery systems for enhancing the bioavailability
      of polyphenols.
AB  - Diet polyphenols-primarily categorized into flavonoids (e.g., flavonols,
      flavones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidins, flavanones, and isoflavones) and
      nonflavonoids (with major subclasses of stilbenes and phenolic acids)-are
      reported to have health-promoting effects, such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory,
      anticarcinoma, antimicrobial, antiviral, and cardioprotective properties.
      However, their applications in functional foods or medicine are limited because
      of their inefficient systemic delivery and poor oral bioavailability.
      Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, curcumin, and resveratrol are the well-known
      representatives of the bioactive diet polyphenols but with poor bioavailability.
      Food macromolecule based nanoparticles have been fabricated using reassembled
      proteins, crosslinked polysaccharides, protein-polysaccharide conjugates
      (complexes), as well as emulsified lipid via safe procedures that could be
      applied in food. The human gastrointestinal digestion tract is the first place
      where the food grade macromolecule nanoparticles exert their effects on improving
      the bioavailability of diet polyphenols, via enhancing their solubility,
      preventing their degradation in the intestinal environment, elevating the
      permeation in small intestine, and even increasing their contents in the
      bloodstream. We contend that the stability and structure behaviors of
      nanocarriers in the gastrointestinal tract environment and the effects of
      nanoencapsulation on the metabolism of polyphenols warrant more focused attention
      in further studies.

PMID- 28911542
TI  - Classification and regulatory perspectives of dietary fiber.
AB  - This review discusses the history and evolution of the state of dietary fiber
      (DF) with account of refinements in extraction methods and legal definitions
      subsequent to the launch of DF hypothesis. For a long time, defining and
      regulating DFs relied heavily on their chemical compositions and analytical
      methods. Although chemical compositions and analytical methods still play an
      important role in the definition of DF, physiological activity has also been
      taken into consideration. The precise definition of DF is still evolving,
      particularly whether oligosaccharides degrees of polymerization (DP) 3-9 should
      be considered as DF or not. Decades of scientific research have initiated the
      expansion of the term DF to include indigestible oligosaccharides with their DP
      between 3 and 9; hence responding to the positive health benefits of DF as well
      as fulfilling the needs in food labeling regulations.

PMID- 28911543
TI  - Chemistry and bioactivity of Gardenia jasminoides.
AB  - Gardenia jasminoides, grown in multiple regions in China, was commonly used as a
      natural yellow dye but has been one of the popular traditional Chinese medicines
      since the discovery of its biological property a few decades ago. It has been
      reported that G. jasminoides possess multiple biological activities, such as
      antioxidant properties, hypoglycemic effect, inhibition of inflammation,
      antidepression activity, and improved sleeping quality. In this review, our aim
      was to have a comprehensive summary of its phytochemistry including the
      extraction, isolation, and characterization of volatiles and bioactive molecules
      in G. jasminoides, focusing on the two major phytochemicals, genipin and crocin,
      which possess potent medicinal properties. Furthermore, this study attempted to
      establish a structure-activity relationship between the two major series of
      molecules with two pharmcophores and their biological activities, which would
      serve further exploration of the properties of phytocompounds in G. jasminoides
      as potential functional foods and medicines.

PMID- 28911544
TI  - Black garlic: A critical review of its production, bioactivity, and application.
AB  - Black garlic is obtained from fresh garlic (Allium sativum L.) that has been
      fermented for a period of time at a controlled high temperature (60-90 degrees C)
      under controlled high humidity (80-90%). When compared with fresh garlic, black
      garlic does not release a strong offensive flavor owing to the reduced content of
      allicin. Enhanced bioactivity of black garlic compared with that of fresh garlic
      is attributed to its changes in physicochemical properties. Studies concerning
      the fundamental findings of black garlic, such as its production, bioactivity,
      and applications, have thus been conducted. Several types of black garlic
      products are also available in the market with a fair selling volume. In this
      article, we summarize the current knowledge of changes in the components,
      bioactivity, production, and applications of black garlic, as well as the
      proposed future prospects on their possible applications as a functional food
      product.

PMID- 28911545
TI  - Chemistry and health effects of furanocoumarins in grapefruit.
AB  - Furanocoumarins are a specific group of secondary metabolites that commonly
      present in higher plants, such as citrus plants. The major furanocoumarins found
      in grapefruits (Citrus paradisi) include bergamottin, epoxybergamottin, and 6',7'
      dihydroxybergamottin. During biosynthesis of these furanocoumarins, coumarins
      undergo biochemical modifications corresponding to a prenylation reaction
      catalyzed by the cytochrome P450 enzymes with the subsequent formation of furan
      rings. Because of undesirable interactions with several medications, many studies
      have developed methods for grapefruit furanocoumarin quantification that include
      high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV detector or mass
      spectrometry. The distribution of furanocoumarins in grapefruits is affected by
      several environmental conditions, such as processing techniques, storage
      temperature, and packing materials. In the past few years, grapefruit
      furanocoumarins have been demonstrated to exhibit several biological activities
      including antioxidative, -inflammatory, and -cancer activities as well as bone
      health promotion both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, furanocoumarins potently
      exerted antiproliferative activities against cancer cell growth through
      modulation of several molecular pathways, such as regulation of the signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 3, nuclear factor-kappaB,
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/AKT, and mitogen-activated protein kinase
      expression. Therefore, based on this review, we suggest furanocoumarins may serve
      as bioactive components that contribute, at least in part, to the health benefits
      of grapefruit.

PMID- 28911546
TI  - Polyphenols with antiglycation activity and mechanisms of action: A review of
      recent findings.
AB  - Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are substances composed of amino groups of
      proteins and reducing sugars. The initial and propagation phases of the glycation
      process are accompanied by the production of a large amount of free radicals,
      carbonyl species, and reactive dicarbonyl species, of which, methylglyoxal (MG)
      is the most reactive and can cause dicarbonyl stress, influencing normal
      physiological functions. In the advanced phase, the production of AGEs and the
      interaction between AGEs and their receptor, RAGE, are also considered to be
      among the causes of chronic diseases, oxidative stress, and inflammatory
      reaction. Till date, multiple physiological activities of polyphenols have been
      confirmed. Recently, there have been many studies discussing the ability of
      polyphenols to suppress the MG and AGEs formation, which was also confirmed in
      some in vivo studies. This review article collects recent literatures concerning
      the effects of polyphenols on the generation of MG and AGEs through different
      pathways and discusses the feasibility of the inhibition of glycative stress and
      dicarbonyl stress by polyphenols.

PMID- 28911547
TI  - Multifunctions of dietary polyphenols in the regulation of intestinal
      inflammation.
AB  - Food for specified health use is a type of functional food approved by the
      Japanese government, with more than 1250 products in 10 health-claim categories
      being approved as of April 2016. Polyphenols are currently used as functional
      ingredients in seven of the 10 categories. Although they have not yet been used
      for the food-for-specified-health-use category of "gut health promotion,"
      polyphenols are expected to contribute to the future development of gut
      modulating food. Intestinal functions include digestion/absorption, acting as a
      barrier, recognition of external factors, and signal transduction. Owing to
      incessant exposure to external stress factors including food substances,
      bacteria, and environmental chemicals, intestines are always inflammatory to some
      extent, which may cause damage to and dysfunction of intestinal tissues depending
      on the situation. We identified food factors that could suppress immoderate
      inflammation in the intestines. In addition to certain amino acids and peptides,
      polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid and isoflavones were found to suppress
      inflammation in intestinal cells. Intestinal inflammation is caused by various
      factors in diverse mechanisms. Recent studies revealed that activation of pattern
      recognition receptors, such as Toll-like receptors and nucleotide-binding
      oligomerization domain proteins, in epithelial cells triggers intestinal
      inflammation. Intracellular receptors or signaling molecules controlling the
      intestinal detoxification system are also involved in the regulation of
      inflammation. Differentiation of regulatory T cells by activating a transcription
      factor Foxp-3 is known to suppress intestinal inflammation. A variety of
      phytochemicals including polyphenols modulate these receptors and signaling
      molecules, and are thus anti-inflammatory. Polyphenols affect epigenetic changes
      occurring in intestinal tissues by interacting with the enzymes responsible for
      DNA methylation and histone acetylation. New types of anti-inflammatory food
      factors may be discovered by examining dietary substances that interact with the
      abovementioned target molecules.

PMID- 28911548
TI  - Corrigendum to "Guava fruit extract and its triterpene constituents have
      osteoanabolic effect: stimulation of osteoblast differentiation by activation of
      mitochondrial respiration via the Wnt/beta-catenin signalling".

PMID- 28911549
TI  - Determination of naturally occurring estrogenic hormones in cow's and river
      buffalo's meat by HPLC-FLD method.
AB  - This study was performed to measure and compare the levels of steroid hormones
      [estrone (E1), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3)] and their conjugated
      metabolites in cow's and river buffalo's meat in two distinct follicular and
      luteal phases. Moreover, the possible effect of a heating process on steroid
      hormone concentration was also investigated. The collected meat (biceps femoris
      muscle) samples were subjected to liquid extraction, enzymatical deconjugation,
      and C18 solid-phase extraction. Estrogens were analyzed using high performance
      liquid chromatography equipped with a fluorescence detector. In the follicular
      phase the levels of steroid hormones (E1 and E2) in either tested species were
      higher than the luteal phase. Moreover, in the present study, E1 concentration
      (free and deconjugated value, 16.2 +/- 1.1 ng/L) was found to be the highest
      phenolic estrogen in beef, while the dominant estrogen in muscle of river buffalo
      was E2 (free and deconjucated value, 23.3 +/- 1.3 ng/L). The study revealed that
      animal species influenced the concentration of hormones (E1 and E2) in the
      samples. The heating process did not significantly change (p > 0.05) the levels
      of estrogens. The further findings of the present study showed that E3
      (deconjugated form) was only detected in the buffalo's meat (15.8 +/- 1.9 ng/L).
      These data suggest that although meat is one of the valuable nutrient sources for
      humans, there are, however, increasing concerns about the safety of meat due to
      the excessive presence of steroid hormones.

PMID- 28911550
TI  - Essential oils from Taiwan: Chemical composition and antibacterial activity
      against Escherichia coli.
AB  - The chemical compositions of seven essential oils from Taiwan were analyzed by
      gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The eluates were identified by matching the
      mass fragment patents to the National Institute of Standards and Technology
      (NIST) 08 database. The quantitative analysis showed that the major components of
      lemon verbena are geranial (26.9%) and neral (23.1%); those of sweet marjoram are
      gamma-terpinene (18.5%), thymol methyl ether (15.5%), and terpinen-4-ol (12.0%);
      those of clove basil are eugenol (73.6%), and beta-(Z)-ocimene (15.4%); those of
      patchouli are carvacrol (47.5%) and p-cymene (15.2%); those of rosemary are alpha
      pinene (54.8%) and 1,8-cineole (22.2%); those of tea tree are terpinen-4-ol
      (33.0%) and 1,8-cineole (27.7%); and those of rose geranium are citronellol
      (28.9%) and 6,9-guaiadiene (20.1%). These components are somewhat different from
      the same essential oils that were obtained from other origins. Lemon verbena has
      the same major components everywhere. Tea tree, rose geranium, and clove basil
      have at least one major component throughout different origins. The major
      components and their amounts in sweet marjoram, patchouli, and rosemary vary
      widely from one place to another. These results demonstrate that essential oils
      have a large diversity in their composition in line with their different origins.
      The antibacterial activity of essential oils against Escherichia coli was
      evaluated using the optical density method (turbidimetry). Patchouli is a very
      effective inhibitor, in that it completely inhibits the growth of E. coli at
      0.05%. Clove basil and sweet marjoram are good inhibitors, and the upper limit of
      their minimum inhibitory concentration is 0.1%.

PMID- 28911551
TI  - Assessment of the key aroma compounds in rose-based products.
AB  - In this study, headspace solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry and GC-olfactometry were used to analyze the key aroma compounds in
      three types of rose-based products, including low-temperature extracts (LTEs),
      high-temperature extracts (HTEs), and rose drinks (RDs). In combination with the
      Guadagni theory, it was confirmed that the key aroma components of LTE were beta
      phenyl ethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol, and eugenol. The main aroma
      compounds in HTE were beta-phenyl ethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol, eugenol,
      linalool, and rose oxide. The four key aroma compounds in RDs were beta-phenyl
      ethyl alcohol, eugenol, geraniol, and linalool.

PMID- 28911552
TI  - Evaluation of metal concentration and antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer
      potentials of two edible mushrooms Lactarius deliciosus and Macrolepiota procera.
AB  - This study is designed for the determination of metal concentrations,
      antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer potential of two edible mushrooms
      Lactarius deliciosus and Macrolepiota procera. Concentrations of nine metals are
      determined and all metals are present in the allowable concentrations in the
      tested mushrooms except Cd in M. procera. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by
      free radical scavenging and reducing power. M. procera extract had more potent
      free radical scavenging activity (IC50=311.40 MUg/mL) than L. deliciosus extract.
      Moreover, the tested extracts had effective reducing power. The total content of
      phenol in the extracts was examined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and obtained
      values expressed as pyrocatechol equivalents. Further, the antimicrobial
      potential was determined with a microdilution method on 15 microorganisms. Among
      the tested species, extract of L. deliciosus showed a better antimicrobial
      activity with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 2.5 mg/mL to
      20 mg/mL. Finally, the cytotoxic activity was tested using the 3-(4,5
      dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide method on human epithelial
      carcinoma HeLa cells, human lung carcinoma A549 cells, and human colon carcinoma
      LS174 cells. Extract of both mushrooms expressed similar cytotoxic activity with
      IC50 values ranging from 19.01 MUg/mL to 80.27 MUg/mL.

PMID- 28911553
TI  - Rapid determination of trace level copper in tea infusion samples by solid
      contact ion selective electrode.
AB  - A new solid contact copper selective electrode with a poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)
      membrane consisting of o-xylylenebis(N,N-diisobutyldithiocarbamate) as ionophore
      has been prepared. The main novelties of constructed ion selective electrode
      concept are the enhanced robustness, cheapness, and fastness due to the use of
      solid contacts. The electrode exhibits a rapid (< 10 seconds) and near-Nernstian
      response to Cu2+ activity from 10-1 to 10-6 mol/L at the pH range of 4.0-6.0. No
      serious interference from common ions was found. The electrode characterizes by
      high potential stability, reproducibility, and full repeatability. The electrode
      was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Cu(II) ions
      with EDTA and for the direct assay of tea infusion samples by means of the
      calibration graph technique. The results compared favorably with those obtained
      by the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).

PMID- 28911554
TI  - Quantitation of curcuminoid contents, dissolution profile, and volatile oil
      content of turmeric capsules produced at some secondary government hospitals.
AB  - The aim of this work was to validate the simple and rapid isocratic reversed
      phase-high performance liquid chromatography using a C-18 column for the
      determination of curcuminoid contents, dissolution profile, and volatile oil
      content of turmeric capsules produced at three secondary government hospitals.
      The validated reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography method for
      three curcuminoids (bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and curcumin) had a
      good linearity (R2 > 0.9990), accuracy (% recovery was 99.96-101.14%, 97.42
      102.23%, and 98.01-99.12% for bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and
      curcumin, respectively), precision (% relative standard deviation < 2% and < 5%
      for intraday and interday precision, respectively), including limit of detection,
      limit of quantitation, and system suitability. We found that turmeric capsules
      had a higher content of curcumin than bisdemethoxycurcumin and demethoxycurcumin.
      The total curcuminoid contents of all lots ranged from 12.02%w/w to 14.36%w/w.
      Dissolution profiles of curcuminoids were fitted with Higuchi model. Moreover,
      volatile oil content, determined using the hydrodistillation method, ranged from
      7.00%v/w to 8.00%v/w. In conclusion, all nine lots of turmeric capsules from
      three secondary government hospitals met the standard criteria of the Thai Herbal
      Pharmacopoeia in the topic of curcuminoid contents, dissolution, and volatile oil
      content.

PMID- 28911555
TI  - Effect of shaking process on correlations between catechins and volatiles in
      oolong tea.
AB  - Shaking the tea leaves is the key manipulation to making oolong tea. It
      contributes to the formation of flavor and fragrance in oolong tea. The dynamic
      variations of catechins and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the shaking
      process were investigated. The results showed that the contents of epicatechin,
      epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
      first decreased after the shaking and then increased to the initial value before
      the next shaking. Geraniol, linalool and its oxides, and phenylethyl alcohol
      showed similar variations. The contents of trans-beta-ocimene, 1H-indole, and 3
      hexenyl hexanoate increased after the second or third shaking (the late
      fermentation stage). However, the contents of aldehydes showed an opposite trend
      to other VOCs. The abundance of phenylethyl alcohol was positively related to the
      content of ECG and EGCG during fermentation, whereas the abundance of cis-3
      hexenal was negatively related to the content of ECG. The correlations between
      catechin and VOCs indicated that shaking affected the chemical transformation of
      the compounds in oolong tea.

PMID- 28911556
TI  - Studies on physicochemical and nutritional properties of aerial parts of Cassia
      occidentalis L.
AB  - In the present, work chemical composition and nutritional value of aerial parts
      of Cassia occidentalis L. was studied. The aerial parts of C. occidentalis
      possess favorable physicochemical properties with good nutritional value, such as
      high energy value, crude fibers, and vitamin levels. The X-ray fluorescence
      spectrophotometry data revealed that the sample is rich in minerals, especially
      in Fe, Ca, K, and Mn. Further, minerals such as Mg, Zn, Cu, Na, P, and S are
      present in good amount and depicted the nutritional value of the selected
      material. The plant sample is rich in phytochemicals such as flavonoids,
      alkaloids, lignin, tannins, and phenols. The presence of phytochemical
      constituents was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profile and
      high-performance thin layer chromatography fingerprinting techniques. The
      findings stimulate the on-farm cultivation of C. occidentalis on a large scale to
      relieve the iron deficiency in local community, and it can be used as a dietary
      supplement to treat anemia.

PMID- 28911557
TI  - Antihyperlipidemic activity of Allium chinense bulbs.
AB  - Allium chinense is a medicinal plant and nutritional food commonly used in
      Eastern Asia. In this study, we investigated the in vitro antioxidant activity
      (scavenging of alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl free radical, total
      phenol content, reducing power, and total antioxidant activity) and constituents
      of various extracts from A. chinense. Moreover, we also studied the in vivo
      hypolipidemic effects of extracts on high-fat-diet Wistar rats. Ethanol extracts
      from A. chinense showed notable antioxidant activity, and its high-dose essential
      oil extract both significantly reduced serum and hepatic total cholesterol,
      triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein levels and increased serum high-density
      lipoprotein levels in high-fat-diet Wistar rats compared with those observed
      following treatment with the control drug probucol. Additionally, visceral fat in
      high-fat-diet Wistar rats was reduced. Furthermore, groups with high doses of
      essential-oil and residue extracts showed protective effects associated with
      histopathological liver alteration. These results suggested that A. chinense is a
      valuable plant worthy of further investigation as a potential dietary supplement
      or botanical drug.

PMID- 28911558
TI  - Inhibitory effects of polyphenol-enriched extract from Ziyang tea against human
      breast cancer MCF-7 cells through reactive oxygen species-dependent mitochondria
      molecular mechanism.
AB  - A polyphenol-enriched extract from selenium-enriched Ziyang green tea (ZTP) was
      selected to evaluate its antitumor effects against human breast cancer MCF-7
      cells. In ZTP, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (28.2%) was identified as the major
      catechin, followed by (-)-epigallocatechin (5.7%) and (-)-epicatechin gallate
      (12.6%). ZTP was shown to inhibit MCF-7 cell proliferation (half maximal
      inhibitory concentration, IC50 = 172.2 MUg/mL) by blocking cell-cycle progression
      at the G0/G1 phase and inducing apoptotic death. Western blotting assay indicated
      that ZTP induced cell-cycle arrest by upregulation of p53 and reduced the
      expression of CDK2 in MCF-7 cells. ZTP-caused cell apoptosis was associated with
      an increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and activation of caspase-3 and -9. MCF-7 cells
      treated with ZTP also showed an overproduction of reactive oxygen species,
      suggesting that reactive oxygen species played an important role in the induction
      of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. This is the first report showing that ZTP is a
      potential novel dietary agent for cancer chemoprevention or chemotherapy.

PMID- 28911559
TI  - Extracts of Agrimonia eupatoria L. as sources of biologically active compounds
      and evaluation of their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antibiofilm activities.
AB  - In this study, we determined the concentration of total phenols, flavonoids,
      tannins, and proanthocyanidins in the water, diethyl ether, acetone, and ethanol
      extracts of Agrimonia eupatoria L. We also investigated the antioxidant activity
      of these extracts using two methods [2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and
      reducing power] and their in vitro antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal)
      activity on some selected species of bacteria and fungi. In addition, the effects
      of the acetone and water extracts on the inhibition of biofilm formation of
      Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated using the crystal
      violet method. The concentration of total phenols was measured according to the
      Folin-Ciocalteu method and the values obtained ranged from 19.61 mgGA/g to 220.31
      mgGA/g. The concentration of flavonoids was examined by the aluminum chloride
      method and the values obtained ranged from 20.58 mgRU/g to 97.06 mgRU/g. The
      total tannins concentration was measured by the polyvinylpolypyrrolidone method
      and the values obtained ranged from 3.06 mgGA/g to 207.27 mgGA/g. The
      concentration of proanthocyanidins was determined by the butanol-HCl method and
      the values obtained ranged from 4.15 CChE/g to 103.72 CChE/g. Among the various
      extracts studied, the acetone extract exhibited good antioxidant activity
      (97.13%, as determined by the DPPH method). The acetone extract was active in the
      absorbance value range from 2.2665 to 0.2495 (as determined by the reducing power
      method). The strongest antimicrobial activity was detected on G+ bacteria,
      especially on probiotic species, and the acetone extract demonstrated the highest
      activity. Biofilm inhibitory concentration required to reduce biofilm coverage by
      50% values for acetone extract was 4315 MUg/mL for P. mirabilis and 4469.5 MUg/mL
      for P. aeruginosa. The results provide a basis for further research of this plant
      species.

PMID- 28911560
TI  - Extraction temperature affects the activities of antioxidation, carbohydrate
      digestion enzymes, and angiotensin-converting enzyme of Pleurotus citrinopileatus
      extract.
AB  - Extraction temperature can potentially affect the chemical compositions and
      bioactivities of the extracts obtained. The objective of this study was to
      investigate the effect of extraction temperature on the distribution of bioactive
      compounds and the bioactivities of Pleurotus citrinopileatus. The antioxidant
      activities (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3
      ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)+ scavenging capabilities) and the
      inhibitory capabilities on pancreatic alpha-amylase, intestinal alpha
      glucosidase, and hypertension-linked angiotensin-converting enzyme of hot water
      P. citrinopileatus extract and cold water P. citrinopileatus extract were
      determined. The results showed that the antioxidant capabilities and inhibitory
      effects on alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, and angiotensin-converting enzyme of
      cold water P. citrinopileatus extract were significantly higher than those of hot
      water P. citrinopileatus extract. The cold water P. citrinopileatus extracted was
      further precipitated with 100% ammonium sulfate to obtain a polysaccharide
      fraction or with 75% ethanol to obtain a protein fraction. The inhibitory
      activities of the protein fraction of the cold water P. citrinopileatus extract
      on alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, and angiotensin-converting enzyme were
      significantly higher than those of the polysaccharide fraction. In conclusion,
      the protein fraction of the cold water P. citrinopileatus extract could be
      responsible for its bioactivities.

PMID- 28911561
TI  - Thymol reduces oxidative stress, aortic intimal thickening, and inflammation
      related gene expression in hyperlipidemic rabbits.
AB  - Atherosclerosis plays a key role in the development of cardiovascular diseases,
      and is often associated with oxidative stress and local inflammation. Thymol, a
      major polyphenolic compound in thyme, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
      properties. In this study, we measured the in vitro antioxidant activity of
      thymol, and investigated the effect of thymol on high-fat-diet-induced
      hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. New Zealand white rabbits were fed with
      regular chow, high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HC), T3, or T6 (HC with thymol
      supplementation at 3 mg/kg/d or 6 mg/kg/d, respectively) for 8 weeks. Aortic
      intimal thickening, serum lipid parameters, multiple inflammatory markers,
      proinflammatory cytokines, and atherosclerosis-associated indicators were
      significantly increased in the HC group but decreased upon thymol
      supplementation. In summary, thymol exhibits antioxidant activity, and may
      suppress the progression of high-fat-diet-induced hyperlipidemia and
      atherosclerosis by reducing aortic intimal lipid lesion, lowering serum lipids
      and oxidative stress, and alleviating inflammation-related responses.

PMID- 28911562
TI  - Bioactive compounds and antioxidative activity of colored rice bran.
AB  - The profiles of bioactive compounds (including phenolics and flavonoids in free
      and bound fractions, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, vitamin E, and gamma
      oryzanol) of outer and inner rice bran from six colored rice samples collected
      from local markets were investigated. Proanthocyanidins could only be detected in
      red rice bran but not in black rice bran. The free fraction of the extracts
      dominated the total phenolics (72-92%) and the total flavonoids (72-96%) of
      colored rice bran. Most of the phenolic acids (83-97%) in colored rice bran were
      present in the bound form. Protocatechualdehyde was identified for the first time
      in the bound fraction of red rice bran by high performance liquid chromatography
      photodiode array/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The
      antioxidative activities of the free fraction of the colored rice bran were
      attributed to the proanthocyanidins in red colored rice and anthocyanins in black
      rice, while that of the bound fraction was mainly due to the phenolic acids.

PMID- 28911563
TI  - Effects of electrode gap and electric potential on chlorine generation of
      electrolyzed deep ocean water.
AB  - Electrolyzed water is a sustainable disinfectant, which can comply with food
      safety regulations and is environmentally friendly. A two-factor central
      composite design was adopted for studying the effects of electrode gap and
      electric potential on chlorine generation efficiency of electrolyzed deep ocean
      water. Deep ocean water was electrolyzed in a glass electrolyzing cell equipped
      with platinum-plated titanium anode and cathode. Results showed high electric
      efficiency at a low cell potential, and a high current density and high chlorine
      concentration at a high cell potential and low electrode gap. Current efficiency
      of the system was not significantly affected by electrode gap and electric
      potential. A small electrode gap reduced the required cell potential and resulted
      in high energy efficiency. The optimal choice of electrode gap and cell potential
      depends on the chlorine level of the electrolyzed deep ocean water to be
      produced, and a small electrode gap is preferred.

PMID- 28911564
TI  - Trace residue analysis of dicyandiamide, cyromazine, and melamine in animal
      tissue foods by ultra-performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - An effective sample preparation procedure using an accelerated solvent extraction
      (ASE) procedure, followed by cleaning with melamine molecularly imprinted
      polymers solid-phase extraction (MISPE) was developed. A novel and highly
      sensitive ASE-MISPE-ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was
      developed for effective separation and simultaneous determination of
      dicyandiamide (DCD), cyromazine (CYR), and melamine (MEL) in complex animal
      tissue foods. Under optimized conditions, good linearity was achieved with a
      correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9999 in the range of at least two orders of
      magnitude. The limit of quantification of the method was 1.7 MUg/kg, 5.0 MUg/kg,
      and 3.2 MUg/kg for DCD, MEL, and CYR, which was three orders of magnitude smaller
      than the maximum residue limits (MRLs). The intra- and inter-day precisions (in
      terms of the relative standard deviation, RSD) of the three analytes were in the
      range of 1.7-3.1% and 3.1-6.3%, respectively. The average recoveries of analytes
      from blank chicken, beef, mutton, pork, and pig liver samples spiked with the
      three levels varied from 91.2% to 107% with RSD of 1.7-8.3% for DCD, 89.0-104%
      with RSD of 2.1-6.1% for CYR, and 94.8-105% with RSD of 1.1-6.6% for MEL. The
      proposed method has the characteristics of speed, sensitivity, and accuracy, and
      can be used for the routine determination of DCD, CYR, and MEL at the MUg/kg
      level in complex animal tissue foods.

PMID- 28911565
TI  - Renoprotective effect of Caralluma fimbriata against high-fat diet-induced
      oxidative stress in Wistar rats.
AB  - The current study was designed to evaluate the renoprotective effect of hydro
      alcoholic extract of Caralluma fimbriata (CFE) against high-fat diet-induced
      oxidative stress in Wistar rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five
      groups: control (C), control treated with CFE (C + CFE), high-fat diet fed (HFD),
      high-fat diet fed treated with CFE (HFD + CFE), and high-fat diet fed treated
      with metformin (HFD + metformin). CFE was orally administered (200 mg/kg body
      weight) to Groups C + CFE and HFD + CFE rats for 90 days. Renal functional
      markers such as, urea, uric acid, and creatinine levels in plasma were quantified
      during the experimental period. At the end of the experimental period, activities
      of transaminases and oxidative stress markers, i.e., reduced glutathione (GSH),
      lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and activities of antioxidant enzymes were
      assayed in renal tissue. Coadministration of CFE along with HF-diet in Group HFD
      + CFE prevented the rise in the levels of plasma urea, uric acid, and creatinine,
      and elevated activities of renal transaminases with decreased protein content of
      Group HFD (p < 0.05). Establishment of oxidative stress in Group HFD, as evident
      from elevated lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation levels with depleted levels
      of GSH, and decreased activities of GSH dependent and independent antioxidant
      enzymes, was prevented in Groups HFD + CFE and HFD + metformin rats. Further,
      there were no deviations in the studied parameters but there was improved
      antioxidant status of Group C + CFE from Group C which revealed the nontoxic
      nature of CFE even under chronic treatment. Thus, CFE treatment effectively
      alleviated the HF-diet induced renal damage. Hence, this plant could be used as
      an adjuvant therapy for the prevention and/or management of HF-diet induced renal
      damage.

PMID- 28911566
TI  - Effects of herbal mixture extracts on obesity in rats fed a high-fat diet.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of three herbal
      mixture extracts on obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD) in rats. The
      prescriptions-Pericarpium citri reticulatae and Fructus crataegi-were used as
      matrix components and mixed with Ampelopsis grossedentata, Salvia miltiorrhiza,
      and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to form T1, T2, and T3 complexes,
      respectively. Results revealed that HFD feeding significantly increased body
      weight gain, fat deposition, plasma lipid profiles, hepatic lipid accumulation,
      and hepatic vacuoles formation, but decreased plasma levels of adiponectin in
      rats. Only the T1 complex showed the tendency, although not significantly so, for
      decreased HFD-induced body weight gain. T1 and T3 complexes significantly reduced
      HFD-induced fat deposition, and plasma levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol,
      and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Only the T1 complex significantly
      increased HFD-reduced adiponectin levels in plasma, but decreased HFD-increased
      triglyceride content in liver tissues. All complexes effectively inhibited HFD
      induced vacuoles formation. The content of dihydromyricetin, salvianolic acid B,
      and EGCG in T1, T2, and T3 complexes was 18.25 +/- 0.07%, 22.20 +/- 0.10%, and
      18.86 +/- 0.04%, respectively. In summary, we demonstrated that herbal mixture
      extracts, especially T1 complex, exhibit antiobesity activity in HFD-fed rats.

PMID- 28911567
TI  - Chemical composition and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oil from
      Trachydium roylei.
AB  - Chemical composition, anti-inflammatory activity, and cytotoxicity of essential
      oils obtained from the aerial parts of Trachydium roylei were investigated in
      this study. The chemical composition of T. roylei essential oil was analyzed
      using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Fifty-nine components, representing
      98.87% of the oils, were characterized. The oils were predominated by aromatic
      compounds and monoterpene hydrocarbons, and the main components were myristicin
      (25.35%), beta-phellandrene (22.95%), elemicine (7.69%), isoelemicin (5.48%), and
      cedrol (5.26%). The anti-inflammatory activity of the oil in lipopolysaccharide
      stimulated murine RAW 264.7 cells was evaluated. The oils downregulated the
      production of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha,
      interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-6, and significantly increased the anti
      inflammatory cytokine IL-10 levels. Results indicated that the oils effectively
      inhibited the secretion of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 in
      lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages. Western blot analyses were performed
      to determine whether the inhibitory effects of the oils on proinflammatory
      mediators (nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2) were related to the modulation of
      inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression. These findings
      suggest that T. roylei essential oils exert an anti-inflammatory effect by
      regulating the expression of inflammatory cytokines.

PMID- 28911568
TI  - Validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method for
      simultaneous determination of nadifloxacin, mometasone furoate, and miconazole
      nitrate cream using fractional factorial design.
AB  - A high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for simultaneous
      determination of nadifloxacin, mometasone furoate, and miconazole nitrate was
      developed and validated as per International Conference on Harmonization
      guidelines. High-performance thin-layer chromatographic separation was performed
      on aluminum plates precoated with silica gel 60F254 and methanol:ethyl
      acetate:toluene: acetonitrile:3M ammonium formate in water (1:2.5:6.0:0.3:0.2, %
      v/v) as optimized mobile phase at detection wavelength of 224 nm. The retardation
      factor (Rf) values for nadifloxacin, mometasone furoate, and miconazole nitrate
      were 0.23, 0.70, and 0.59, respectively. Percent recoveries in terms of accuracy
      for the marketed formulation were found to be 98.35-99.76%, 99.36-99.65%, and
      99.16-100.25% for nadifloxacin, mometasone furoate, and miconazole nitrate,
      respectively. The pooled percent relative standard deviation for repeatability
      and intermediate precision studies was found to be < 2% for three target
      analytes. The effect of four independent variables, methanol content in total
      mobile phase, wavelength, chamber saturation time, and solvent front, was
      evaluated by fractional factorial design for robustness testing. Amongst all four
      factors, volume of methanol in mobile phase appeared to have a possibly
      significant effect on retention factor of miconazole nitrate compared with the
      other two drugs nadifloxacin and mometasone furoate, and therefore it was
      important to be carefully controlled. In summary, a novel, simple, accurate,
      reproducible, and robust high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method was
      developed, which would be of use in quality control of these cream formulations.

PMID- 28911569
TI  - Tumor cell culture on collagen-chitosan scaffolds as three-dimensional tumor
      model: A suitable model for tumor studies.
AB  - Tumor cells naturally live in three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments, while
      common laboratory tests and evaluations are done in two-dimensional (2D) plates.
      This study examined the impact of cultured 4T1 cancer cells in a 3D collagen
      chitosan scaffold compared with 2D plate cultures. Collagen-chitosan scaffolds
      were provided and passed confirmatory tests. 4T1 tumor cells were cultured on
      scaffolds and then tumor cells growth rate, resistance to X-ray radiation, and
      cyclophosphamide as a chemotherapy drug were analyzed. Furthermore, 4T1 cells
      were extracted from the scaffold model and were injected into the mice. Tumor
      growth rate, survival rate, and systemic immune responses were evaluated. Our
      results showed that 4T1 cells infiltrated the scaffolds pores and constructed a
      3D microenvironment. Furthermore, 3D cultured tumor cells showed a slower
      proliferation rate, increased levels of survival to the X-ray irradiation, and
      enhanced resistance to chemotherapy drugs in comparison with 2D plate cultures.
      Transfer of extracted cells to the mice caused enhanced tumor volume and
      decreased life span. This study indicated that collagen-chitosan nanoscaffolds
      provide a suitable model of tumor that would be appropriate for tumor studies.

PMID- 28911570
TI  - Influence of gallic acid on alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory
      properties of acarbose.
AB  - Acarbose is an antidiabetic drug which acts by inhibiting alpha-amylase and alpha
      glucosidase activities but with deleterious side effects. Gallic acid (GA) is a
      phenolic acid that is widespread in plant foods. We therefore investigated the
      influence of GA on alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory properties of
      acarbose (in vitro). Aqueous solutions of acarbose and GA were prepared to a
      final concentration of 25MUM each. Thereafter, mixtures of the samples (50%
      acarbose + 50% GA; 75% acarbose+25% GA; and 25% acarbose+75% GA) were prepared.
      The results revealed that the combination of 50% acarbose and 50% GA showed the
      highest alpha-glucosidase inhibitory effect, while 75% acarbose+25% GA showed the
      highest alpha-amylase inhibitory effect. Furthermore, all the samples caused the
      inhibition of Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation (in vitro) in rat pancreatic tissue
      homogenate, with the combination of 50% acarbose and 50% GA causing the highest
      inhibition. All the samples also showed antioxidant properties (reducing
      property, 2,2'-azino-bis (-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate [ABTS*] and 1,1
      diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] free radicals scavenging abilities, and Fe2+
      chelating ability). Therefore, combinations of GA with acarbose could be employed
      as antidiabetic therapy, with a possible reduction of side effects of acarbose;
      nevertheless, the combination of 50% acarbose and 50% GA seems the best.

PMID- 28911571
TI  - Fungal flora and aflatoxin contamination in Pakistani wheat kernels (Triticum
      aestivum L.) and their attribution in seed germination.
AB  - This study aimed to isolate fungal pathogens and to subsequently quantify
      aflatoxin (AF; B1 + B2 + G1 + G2) contamination in wheat crops grown in Pakistan.
      Accordingly, a total of 185 wheat samples were collected from different areas of
      Pakistan and numerous potent fungal pathogens were isolated. AF contamination
      attributed to the presence of intoxicating fungal pathogens and resulting
      metabolic activities were quantified using a high performance liquid
      chromatography-fluorescence detector coupled with postcolumn derivatization.
      Additionally, the effect of fungal pathogens on seed germination was also
      examined. The results obtained showed that 50% of tested wheat samples were found
      to be contaminated with a diverse range of fungal species. The rate of recurrence
      of fungal pathogens were Aspergillus 31%, Penicillium 9%, Fusarium 8%, Rhizopus
      3%, and Alternaria 2%. The presence of Tilletia indica and Claviceps purpurea
      species was found to be inevident in all tested wheat samples. AFB1 contamination
      was detected in 48 (26.0%) samples and AFB2 in 13 (7.0%) samples. AFG1 and AFG2
      were not found in any of the tested samples. The contamination range of AFB1 and
      AFB2 was 0.05-4.78 MUg/kg and 0.02-0.48 MUg/kg, respectively. The total amount of
      AFs (B1 + B2) found in 48 (26.0%) samples had a mean level of 0.53 +/- 0.40
      MUg/kg and a contamination range of 0.02-5.26 MUg/kg. The overall results showed
      that in 137 (74.0%) samples, AFs were not found within detectable limits.
      Furthermore, in 180 (97.2%) samples, AF levels were found to be below the maximum
      tolerated levels (MTL) recommended by the European Union (4 MUg/kg). In five
      (2.7%) samples, AF contamination was higher than the MTL of the European Union.
      However, these samples were fit for human consumption with reference to the MTL
      (20 MUg/kg) assigned by the USA (Food and Drug Administration and Food and
      Agriculture Organization) and Pakistan (Pakistan Standards and Quality Control
      Authority). Germination rates in healthy and contaminated wheat kernels were
      84.6% and 45.2%, respectively. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded
      that the levels of fungal pathogen and AF contamination in Pakistani-grown wheat
      are not a potential threat to consumer health. However, control procedures along
      with a strict monitoring policy are mandatory to further minimize the prevalence
      of fungal carriers and the potency of AFs in crops cultivated in Pakistan.

PMID- 28911572
TI  - Temporal trend of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/polychlorinated dibenzofuran
      and dioxin like-polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in food from Taiwan
      markets during 2004-2012.
AB  - The levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and polychlorinated
      dibenzofuran (PCDF) or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in foodstuffs have
      decreased over the past decade in many countries. However, the trend for the
      levels of these compounds in foodstuffs in Taiwan remains unknown. In this study,
      we compared the distribution of PCDD/F and PCB in nine foodstuff categories
      acquired from Taiwan markets from 2004 to 2012. The levels expressed as World
      Health Organization toxic equivalents (WHO-TEQs) in the different foodstuffs
      tested were as follows: fish, average 0.463 pg WHO98-TEQ/g sample > seafood,
      0.163 pg WHO98-TEQ/g > eggs, 0.150 pg WHO98-TEQ/g > oils, 0.126 pg WHO98-TEQ/g >
      meats, 0.095 pg WHO98-TEQ/g > dairy products, 0.054 pg WHO98-TEQ/g > cereals,
      0.017 pg WHO98-TEQ/g > vegetables, 0.013 pg WHO98-TEQ/g > fruits, 0.009 pg WHO98
      TEQ/g. Levels were particularly high in crab (average: 0.6 pg WHO98-TEQ/g sample
      (1.243 pg WHO98-TEQ/g sample) and large marine fish (0.6). In Taiwan, a
      decreasing trend of PCDD/Fs or dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) was observed in meat,
      dairy, eggs, and vegetables, whereas an elevated trend was observed in cereals or
      the levels were nearly equal in fruits and oils at alternative time shift. Dl
      PCBs contributed to 60-65% toxicity equivalence levels in fish and seafood, but
      only to 13-40% in meat and cereal samples. The decreasing trend was consistent
      with the results in other countries; however, the trends in cereals, fruits, and
      oils were in contrast to previous results reported in other countries. Cereals
      and fruits are important crops in southern Taiwan, and the local pollution
      generated by industries or incinerators may seriously affect the distribution of
      PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs. To ensure food safety, a risk assessment for residents
      living in different areas should be adopted for all food categories
      simultaneously in the future.

PMID- 28911574
TI  - Corrigendum to "Characterizing diversity based on nutritional and bioactive
      compositions of yam germplasm (Dioscorea spp.) commonly cultivated in China" [J
      Food Drug Anal 24 (2016) 367-375].

PMID- 28911573
TI  - Hepatoprotective and antidiabetic effects of Pistacia lentiscus leaf and fruit
      extracts.
AB  - Pistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae) is commonly used in folk medicine to treat
      various diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the
      hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of extracts of P. lentiscus leaves
      (PL) and fruits (PF) against experimentally induced liver damage. Furthermore,
      characterization of extracts was attempted by a spectroscopic methodology
      (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and high-performance liquid
      chromatography with diode array detection analysis. A hepatoprotective potential
      against paracetamol [165 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)] toxicity was noticed in mice
      pretreated with the same dose of PL or PF extract (125 mg/kg b.w.) or a
      combination of both (PL/PF 63/63 mg/kg b.w.), as revealed by an analysis of
      biochemical parameters (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and
      alkaline phosphatase activities and total bilirubin). These results were
      confirmed by histological examination of the liver, which revealed significant
      protection against paracetamol-induced hepatic necrosis. Furthermore, PF extract
      exhibited a promising antidiabetic activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic
      rats, similar to the reference drug glibenclamide (0.91 g/L), a result confirmed
      by in vitro inhibition of alpha-amylase. We demonstrated that the leaf crude
      extract showed the best effect in all tested methods, compared to its fruit
      counterpart, probably due to the presence of higher amounts of phenolic
      compounds, as determined by phytochemical and Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy analyses. Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography with
      diode array detection led to the identification of six compounds for each part of
      the plant. Gallic acid, a characteristic compound of Pistacia species, was most
      abundant in leaves and fruits, while luteolin was detected for the first time in
      fruits. Obtained activities of P. lentiscus extracts may well be due, at least in
      part, to the presence of the above compounds.

PMID- 28911575
TI  - Recent progress on the traditional Chinese medicines that regulate the blood.
AB  - In traditional Chinese medicine, the herbs that regulate blood play a vital role.
      Here, nine herbs including Typhae Pollen, Notoginseng Root, Common Bletilla
      Tuber, India Madder Root and Rhizome, Chinese Arborvitae Twig, Lignum Dalbergiae
      Oderiferae, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Corydalis Tuber, and Motherwort Herb were
      selected and reviewed for their recent studies on anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory
      and cardiovascular effects. Besides, the analytical methods developed to qualify
      or quantify the active compounds of the herbs are also summarized.

PMID- 28911576
TI  - Dietary antioxidants and their indispensable role in periodontal health.
AB  - Periodontitis is an increasing area of interest due to its global prevalence.
      This inflammatory condition results due to the loss of the critical balance
      between the virulence factors produced by microorganisms and the inflammatory
      host response. A number of efforts have been made in the past to address this
      condition and regain periodontal health. Targeting the root cause by nonsurgical
      debridement has been considered the gold standard. However, research has shown
      the possible effects of nutrient deficiency and an imbalanced diet on the
      periodontium. Therefore, an effort toward the maintenance of optimal conditions
      as well as improvement of the oral health necessities the introduction of
      adjunctive nutritional therapy, which can benefit the patients. Antioxidants in
      the diet have some remarkable benefits and valuable properties that play an
      irreplaceable role in the maintenance of periodontal health. These have emerged
      as excellent adjuncts that can enhance the outcomes of conventional periodontal
      therapy. The aim of this review article is to highlight some of these dietary
      antioxidants that can make a notable difference by striking a balance between
      health and disease.

PMID- 28911577
TI  - Chemical constituents and bioactivity of Formosan lauraceous plants.
AB  - Taiwan is rich in lauraceous plants. A review of 197 references based on the
      chemical analysis and bioactivity of indigenous lauraceous plants carried out by
      native scientists from 1963 to 2014 has been compiled. About 303 new compounds
      and thousands of known compounds comprising alkaloids and non-alkaloids with
      diverse structures have been isolated or identified from indigenous plants
      belonging to the 11 lauraceous genera. The volatile components, however, have
      been excluded from this review. This review provides an overview of the past
      efforts of Taiwan scientists working on secondary metabolites and their
      bioactivity in native lauraceous plants. The potential of lauraceous plants
      worthy of further study is also noted. The contents will be helpful for the
      chemotaxonomy of Lauraceae and be of value for the development of native Formosan
      lauraceous plants.

PMID- 28911578
TI  - Application of hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction and dispersive liquid
      liquid microextraction techniques in analytical toxicology.
AB  - The recent developments in hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction and
      dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction are reviewed. Applications of these
      newly emerging developments in extraction and preconcentration of a vast category
      of compounds including heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and abused drugs
      in complex matrices (environmental and biological matrices) are reviewed and
      discussed. The new developments in these techniques including the use of solvents
      lighter than water, ionic liquids and supramolecular solvents are also
      considered. Applications of these new solvents reduce the use of toxic solvents
      and eliminate the centrifugation step, which reduces the extraction time.

PMID- 28911579
TI  - Rapid screening of toxic salbutamol, ractopamine, and clenbuterol in pork sample
      by high-performance liquid chromatography-UV method.
AB  - A rapid and simple high-performance liquid chromatography-UV method was developed
      for the separation and quantification of salbutamol, ractopamine, and clenbuterol
      in pork. A mixture of acetonitrile-formic acid-ammonium acetate was used as the
      mobile phase to separate three beta-agonists on a C18 column with gradient. The
      effects of the addition of formic acid and ammonium acetate to mobile phases on
      the separation of beta-agonists were investigated. These additives can greatly
      improve the resolution and sensitivity. Under the optimized chromatographic
      condition, this separation does not need extra sample preparation. Complete
      baseline separation of three beta-agonists was achieved in < 20 minutes; the
      linear range is 0.2-50 MUg/L with a correlation coefficient R2 value of > 0.99.
      Excellent method reproducibility was found by intra- and interday precisions with
      a relative standard deviation of < 3%. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was found to
      be <0.05 MUg/L; this method can be used for routine screening of the beta-agonist
      residues in foods of animal origin before being identified by confirmatory
      methods.

PMID- 28911580
TI  - Evaluation of boldenone as a growth promoter in broilers: safety and meat quality
      aspects.
AB  - The object of this study was to evaluate the safety and meat quality criteria in
      broilers following intramuscular injection of boldenone. Twenty-four broiler
      chicks, divided into two groups, were used in the present study. Boldenone was
      injected intramuscularly at a single-dose level of 5 mg/kg body weight into 12
      broiler chicks at 2 weeks old; the other 12 chicks were injected with sesame oil
      and kept as controls. Blood samples were collected from the wing and metatarsal
      veins after 1, 2, and 3 weeks through the experimental course for hematological
      and clinic-chemical safety parameters. On the last day, chicks were humanely
      sacrificed and livers and kidneys were removed for histopathological examination.
      Breast muscles were also removed to assess meat-quality parameters. Boldenone
      significantly (p < 0.05) increased total erythrocytic count and hemoglobin and
      hematocrit values, while mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular
      hemoglobin concentration indices decreased. Leukogram showed leukopenia,
      lymphopenia, and granulocytosis (p < 0.05) as compared to control. Hepatorenal
      biomarkers, including alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine
      aminotransferase, urea, and creatinine were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than
      the corresponding control values. Additionally, boldenone significantly (p <
      0.05) increased metabolic markers, including total protein, globulins,
      cholesterol, triacylglycerols, and glucose, with parallel decreases in albumin
      and albumin/globulin ratio. Degenerative changes were recorded in liver and
      kidney tissues from chicks treated with boldenone. Muscle samples exhibited
      raised pH values and higher microbial counts as compared to the corresponding
      control. These data may discourage the use of boldenone as a growth promoter in
      broilers due to safety and meat quality reasons.

PMID- 28911581
TI  - Characterization of nine polyphenols in fruits of Malus pumila Mill by high
      performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - Polyphenols are important bioactive substances in apple. To explore the profiles
      of the nine representative polyphenols in this fruit, a high-performance liquid
      chromatography method has been established and validated. The validated method
      was successfully applied for the simultaneous characterization and quantification
      of these nine apple polyphenols in 11 apple extracts, which were obtained from
      six cultivars from Shaanxi Province, China. The results showed that only
      abscission of the Fuji apple sample was rich in the nine apple polyphenols, and
      the polyphenol contents of other samples varied. Although all the samples were
      collected in the same region, the contents of nine polyphenols were different.
      The proposed method could serve as a prerequisite for quality control of Malus
      products.

PMID- 28911582
TI  - Aroma transition from rosemary leaves during aromatization of olive oil.
AB  - The aroma profile of aromatized olive oil was determined in this study. The
      primary objective was to investigate the transition of major aroma compounds from
      rosemary and olive fruit during the kneading step of olive oil production by
      response surface methodology. For this purpose, temperature, time, and amount of
      rosemary leaves were determined as independent variables. The results indicated
      that temperature and time did not affect the transition of target compounds, but
      rosemary leaves addition had a strong influence on transition, especially for
      characteristic aroma compounds of this herb. Adequacies of developed models were
      found to be high enough to predict each aromatic component of interest.

PMID- 28911583
TI  - Histamine production by Raoultella ornithinolytica in mahi-mahi meat at various
      storage temperatures.
AB  - Mahi-mahi meat was inoculated with Raoultella ornithinolytica at 5.0 log CFU/g
      and stored at -20 degrees C, 4 degrees C, 15 degrees C, 25 degrees C, or 37
      degrees C to investigate bacterial growth and formation of total volatile base
      nitrogen and histamine in mahi-mahi meat. R. ornithinolytica grew rapidly in
      samples stored at temperature above 15 degrees C. The histamine contents quickly
      increased to higher than 50 mg/100 g in samples stored at 25 degrees C and 37
      degrees C within 12 hours as well as those stored at 15 degrees C within 48
      hours. The total volatile base nitrogen contents increased to higher than the
      index level (30 mg/100 g) for fish decomposition at 25 degrees C within 48 hours
      and 37 degrees C within 24 hours. However, bacterial growth and histamine
      formation were controlled by cold storage of the samples at 4 degrees C or below.
      Once the frozen mahi-mahi samples stored at -20 degrees C for 2 months were
      thawed and stored at 25 degrees C after 24 hours, histamine started to accumulate
      rapidly (>50 mg/100 g of fish).

PMID- 28911584
TI  - Analysis of N-nitrosodiethylamine by ion chromatography coupled with UV
      photolysis pretreatment.
AB  - Nitrosamines such as N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) are commonly detected by
      spectrophotometry after photolysis and Griess reaction (PG) in food industries
      for lower cost. Results of this research indicate that NDEA decays rapidly under
      UV irradiation, and concentrations of the generated NO2- and NO3- ions vary with
      photolysis conditions. Thus, the measurement of the PG method may be inconsistent
      because it is based on the amount of photoproduced NO2-. In addition, more errors
      may be present in the PG method since NO3- cannot be measured colorimetrically
      using Griess reagent. In this work, the sum of the concentrations of
      photoproduced NO2- and NO3- was found to be equivalent to the initial NDEA before
      photolysis, and a photolysis-ion chromatography method was validated, which may
      serve as a feasible and accurate method to determine nitrosamines.

PMID- 28911585
TI  - Characterization of myrtle seed (Myrtus communis var. baetica) as a source of
      lipids, phenolics, and antioxidant activities.
AB  - This study aimed to characterize the chemical composition and antioxidant
      activity of the oil and the methanolic extract of Myrtus communis var. baetica
      seed. The oil yield of myrtle seed was 8.90%, with the amount of neutral lipid,
      especially triacylglycerol, being the highest, followed by phospholipids and
      glycolipids. Total lipids and all lipid classes were rich in linoleic acid. The
      content of total phenols, flavonoids, tannins, and proanthocyanidins of the
      methanolic extract and the oil from myrtle seed was determined using
      spectrophotometric methods. Antioxidant activities of the oil and the methanolic
      extract from myrtle seed were evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
      radical scavenging, beta-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching, and reducing power and
      metal chelating activity assays. In all tests, the methanolic extract of myrtle
      seed showed better antioxidant activity than oil. This investigation could
      suggest the use of myrtle seed in food, industrial, and biomedical applications
      for its potential metabolites and antioxidant abilities.

PMID- 28911586
TI  - Phytochemical standardization, antioxidant, and antibacterial evaluations of Leea
      macrophylla: A wild edible plant.
AB  - In Ayurveda, Leea macrophylla Roxb. ex Hornem. (Leeaceae) is indicated in worm
      infestation, dermatopathies, wounds, inflammation, and in symptoms of diabetes.
      The present study aims to determine the antioxidant and antibacterial potential
      of ethanolic extract and its different fractions of Leea macrophylla root tubers
      using phytochemical profiling which is still unexplored. Quantitative estimations
      of different phytoconstituents along with characterization of ethanol extract
      using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were performed using
      chlorogenic acid as a marker compound for the first time. The extract and its
      successive fractions were also evaluated for in vitro antioxidant activity using
      different models. The extract was further tested against a few Gram-positive and
      Gram-negative bacteria for its antibacterial activity. Phytochemical screening
      and quantitative estimations revealed the extract to be rich in alkaloid,
      flavonoid, phenols, and tannins, whereas chlorogenic acid quantified by HPLC in
      ethanol extract was 9.01% w/w. The results also indicated potential antioxidant
      and antibacterial activity, which was more prominent in the extract followed by
      its butanol fraction.

PMID- 28911587
TI  - Biochemical characterization of a novel antioxidant and angiotensin I-converting
      enzyme inhibitory peptide from Struthio camelus egg white protein hydrolysis.
AB  - A peptide from ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg white protein hydrolysate (OEWPH)
      was purified, characterized, and its antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties
      were evaluated. The OEWPH was prepared using pepsin and pancreatin, and then
      fractionated using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The
      antioxidant activity of the WG-9 peptide was investigated based on its scavenging
      capacity for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, 2,20-azinobis (3
      ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), superoxide (O2*-),
      hydroxyl (OH*-), and lipid peroxidation inhibition. The angiotensin-converting
      enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and kinetic parameters of the peptide were
      determined using N-[3-(2-Furyl)acryloyl]-L-phenylalanyl-glycyl-glycine (FAPGG) as
      a substrate. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the purified peptide revealed a
      sequence of WESLSRLLG (MW: 1060 Da; WG-9). This peptide inhibited linoleic acid
      oxidation and acted as a DPPH (IC50 = 15 +/- 0.4 MUg/mL), ABTS (IC50 = 130 +/-
      4.5 MUg/mL), superoxide (IC50 = 160 +/- 6.4 MUg/mL), and hydroxyl (IC50 = 150 +/-
      6.7 MUg/mL) radical scavenger. The ACE-inhibitory activity and kinetic parameters
      of the WG-9 peptide were determined, showing an ACE inhibitory activity with IC50
      of 46.7 +/- 1.4 MUg/mL. The parameters of peptide/ACE interactions were
      investigated by molecule docking. Furthermore, viability assays showed that the
      identified peptide had no cytotoxicity against an HFLF-PI-5 cell line. In
      conclusion, the WG-9 peptide showed potent antioxidant and ACE-inhibitory
      activity.

PMID- 28911588
TI  - Comparing the functional components, SOD-like activities, antimutagenicity, and
      nutrient compositions of Phellinus igniarius and Phellinus linteus mushrooms.
AB  - Many species of the genus Phellinus possess beneficial properties, including
      antioxidant, immune-enhancing, and antimutagenic effects. Phenolic compounds and
      polysaccharides are two kinds of bioactive compounds; however, few studies have
      compared the differences between Phellinus igniarius and Phellinus linteus in
      their functional components, functional activities, and nutrient compositions.
      Herein, the proximate compositions and microelements of the fruiting body of P.
      igniarius and P. linteus were determined. The fruiting body of P. igniarius and
      P. linteus were extracted by boiling water [water extract of P. igniarius (WEPI)
      and P. linteus (WEPL)]. The contents of total phenolics and polysaccharides, as
      well as superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like and antimutagenic activities of WEPI and
      WEPL, were compared. We found that WEPI was rich in phenolics and polysaccharides
      and had higher SOD-like activity than WEPL. Nutrient compositions were mainly
      different in minerals, whereas anitmutagenicity was similar. All of these results
      suggested that P. igniarius has greater potential for the development of
      antioxidant and immunomodulating food products than P. linteus.

PMID- 28911589
TI  - Effect of an avocado oil-enhanced diet (Persea americana) on sucrose-induced
      insulin resistance in Wistar rats.
AB  - A number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of vegetable oils
      with varying percentages of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids on
      insulin resistance. However, there is no report on the effect of avocado oil on
      this pathologic condition. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of
      avocado oil on sucrose-induced insulin resistance in Wistar rats. An experimental
      study was carried out on Wistar rats that were randomly assigned into six groups.
      Each group received a different diet over an 8-week period (n = 11 in each
      group): the control group was given a standard diet, and the other five groups
      were given the standard feed plus sucrose with the addition of avocado oil at 0%,
      5%, 10%, 20%, and 30%, respectively. Variables were compared using Student t test
      and analysis of variance. Statistically significant difference was considered
      when p < 0.05. Rats that were given diets with 10% and 20% avocado oil showed
      lower insulin resistance (p = 0.022 and p = 0.024, respectively). Similar insulin
      resistance responses were observed in the control and 30% avocado oil addition
      groups (p = 0.85). Addition of 5-30% avocado oil lowered high sucrose diet
      induced body weight gain in Wistar rats. It was thus concluded that glucose
      tolerance and insulin resistance induced by high sucrose diet in Wistar rats can
      be reduced by the dietary addition of 5-20% avocado oil.

PMID- 28911590
TI  - Cholinesterase inhibitory activity and chemical constituents of Stenochlaena
      palustris fronds at two different stages of maturity.
AB  - Stenochlaena palustris fronds are popular as a vegetable in Southeast Asia. The
      objectives of this study were to evaluate the anticholinesterase properties and
      phytochemical profiles of the young and mature fronds of this plant. Both types
      of fronds were found to have selective inhibitory effect against
      butyrylcholinesterase compared with acetylcholinesterase. However, different sets
      of compounds were responsible for their activity. In young fronds, an
      antibutyrylcholinesterase effect was observed in the hexane extract, which was
      comprised of a variety of aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, and phytosterols.
      In the mature fronds, inhibitory activity was observed in the methanol extract,
      which contained a series of kaempferol glycosides. Our results provided novel
      information concerning the ability of S. palustris to inhibit cholinesterase and
      its phytochemical profile. Further research to investigate the potential use of
      this plant against Alzheimer's disease is warranted, however, young and mature
      fronds should be distinguished due to their phytochemical differences.

PMID- 28911591
TI  - Characterizing diversity based on nutritional and bioactive compositions of yam
      germplasm (Dioscorea spp.) commonly cultivated in China.
AB  - Yams (Dioscorea spp.) are widely cultivated as edible resources and medical
      materials in China. Characterizing chemical compositions in yam germplasm is
      crucial to determine their diversity and suitability for food and medicine
      applications. In this study, a core germplasm containing 25 yam landraces was
      used to create an effective classification of usage by characterizing their
      nutritive and medicinal compositions. All studied landraces exhibited high
      contents of starch from 60.7% to 80.6% dry weight (DW), protein (6.3-12.2% DW),
      minerals (especially Mg 326.8-544.7 mg/kg DW), and essential amino acids.
      Allantoin and dioscin varied considerably, with values of 0.62-1.49% DW and 0.032
      0.092% DW, respectively. The quality variability of 25 yam landraces was clearly
      separated in light of UPGMA clustering and principal component analysis (PCA).
      Using an eigenvalue >=1 as the cutoff, the first three principal components
      accounted for most of the total variability (62.33%). Classification was achieved
      based on the results of the measured parameters and principal component analysis
      scores. The results are of great help in determining appropriate application
      strategies for yam germplasm in China.

PMID- 28911592
TI  - Purification and identification of anti-inflammatory peptides derived from
      simulated gastrointestinal digests of velvet antler protein (Cervus elaphus
      Linnaeus).
AB  - The objective of this study was to identify anti-inflammatory peptides from
      simulated gastrointestinal digest (pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysate) of velvet
      antler protein. The hydrolysate was purified using ultrafiltration and
      consecutive chromatographic methods. The anti-inflammatory activity of the
      purified fraction was evaluated by the inhibition of NO production in
      lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. Four anti-inflammatory
      peptides, VH (Val-His), LAN (Leu-Ala-Asn), AL (Ala-Leu), and IA (Ile-Ala), were
      identified by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Each of these
      peptides demonstrated a U-shaped dose-effect relationship. VH, LAN, AL and IA
      showed the strongest anti-inflammatory activities at 200 MUg/mL, that is, 15.5%,
      13.0%, 16.0% and 11.2% inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production,
      respectively. Additionally, the enhanced NO inhibitory activity was observed for
      the peptides mixture, indicating the possible synergistic effects. These results
      suggested that the peptides derived from velvet antler protein could potentially
      be used as a promising ingredient in functional foods or nutraceuticals against
      inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 28911593
TI  - Anti-inflammatory effects, nuclear magnetic resonance identification, and high
      performance liquid chromatography isolation of the total flavonoids from
      Artemisia frigida.
AB  - The aerial parts of Artemisia frigida Willd. are used to treat joint swelling,
      renal heat, abnormal menstruation, and sore carbuncle. The anti-inflammatory
      effects of A. frigida have been well-known in folk medicine, suggesting that
      components extracted from A. frigida could potentially treat inflammatory
      disease. With the aim of discovering bioactive compounds, in this study, we
      extracted total flavonoids from the aerial parts of A. frigida and investigated
      their anti-inflammatory effects against inflammation induced by carrageenan and
      egg albumin in rats. At the doses studied, total flavonoids (100 mg/kg, 200
      mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg) and some isolated compounds (30 mg/kg) showed significant
      and dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effects. According to the high-performance
      liquid chromatography analysis of the total flavonoids from A. frigida, there are
      five major compounds, namely, 5-hydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxy-7-O-beta-d-glucuronide
      (F1), 5-hydroxy-3',4',5'-trimethoxy-7-O-beta-d-glucuronide (F2), 5,7,3'
      trihydroxy-6,4'-dimethoxyflavone (F3), 5,3'-dihydroxy-6,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone
      (F4), and 5,3'-dihydroxy-3,6,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone (F5), which may explain the
      anti-inflammatory activity.

PMID- 28911594
TI  - Determination of scutellarin in breviscapine preparations using quantitative
      proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to develop the selection criteria of
      proton signals for the determination of scutellarin using quantitative nuclear
      magnetic resonance (qNMR), which is the main bioactive compound in breviscapine
      preparations for the treatment of cerebrovascular disease. The methyl singlet
      signal of 3-(trimethylsilyl)propionic-2,2,3,3-d4 acid sodium salt was selected as
      the internal standard for quantification. The molar concentration of scutellarin
      was determined by employing different proton signals. To obtain optimum proton
      signals for the quantification, different combinations of proton signals were
      investigated according to two selection criteria: the recovery rate of qNMR
      method and quantitative results compared with those obtained with ultra
      performance liquid chromatography. As a result, the chemical shift of H-2' and H
      6' at delta 7.88 was demonstrated as the most suitable signal with excellent
      linearity range, precision, and recovery for determining scutellarin in
      breviscapine preparations from different manufacturers, batch numbers, and dosage
      forms. Hierarchical cluster analysis was employed to evaluate the determination
      results. The results demonstrated that the selection criteria of proton signals
      established in this work were reliable for the qNMR study of scutellarin in
      breviscapine preparations.

PMID- 28911595
TI  - Determination of urea content in urea cream by centrifugal partition
      chromatography.
AB  - The objective of this study is to establish a centrifugal partition
      chromatography (CPC) method for determination of the urea ingredient in urea
      cream. The mechanism of this method is that urea is determined by UV detector at
      430 nm after being extracted from the cream and derivatized on line via Ehrlich
      reaction in rotor of CPC, where the reaction products dissolve in the mobile
      phase and the cream matrix retains in the stationary phase. The mixed solvent
      consisting of n-hexane, methanol, hydrochloric acid and p
      dimethylaminobenzaldehyde with a ratio of 1000 mL:1000 mL:18 mL:2.0 g is used for
      solvent system of CPC. The CPC method proposed offers good precision and
      convenience without complex sample pretreatment processes.

PMID- 28911596
TI  - Delphinidin immobilized on silver nanoparticles for the simultaneous
      determination of ascorbic acid, noradrenalin, uric acid, and tryptophan.
AB  - In the present study, the fabrication of a new modified electrode for
      electrocatalytic oxidation of noradrenalin, based on the delphinidin immobilized
      on silver nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode. Cyclic voltammetry was
      used to investigate the redox properties of this modified electrode. The surface
      charge transfer rate constant (ks) and the charge transfer coefficient (alpha)
      for the electron transfer between the glassy carbon electrode and the immobilized
      delphinidin were calculated. The differential pulse voltammetry exhibited two
      linear dynamic ranges and a detection limit of 0.40MUM for noradrenalin
      determination. Moreover, the present electrode could separate the oxidation peak
      potentials of ascorbic acid, noradrenalin, uric acid, and tryptophan in a
      mixture. The usefulness of this nanosensor was also investigated for the
      determination of ascorbic acid, noradrenalin, and uric acid in pharmaceutical and
      biological fluid samples with satisfactory results.

PMID- 28911597
TI  - Antioxidant activity and protective effects of cocoa and kola nut mistletoe
      (Globimetula cupulata) against ischemia/reperfusion injury in Langendorff
      perfused rat hearts.
AB  - Protection against cardiomyocyte damage following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)
      injury is highly desirable in patients with ischemic heart disease. Hydromethanol
      extracts of Globimetula cupulata (mistletoe) growing on cocoa (CGCE) and kola nut
      (KGCE) trees were assessed for antioxidant content and cardioprotective potential
      against I/R. Graded concentrations (1-50 MUg/mL) of CGCE or KGCE were tested on
      Langendorff-perfused rat hearts to evaluate the effects on the flow rate, heart
      rate, and force of cardiac contraction, while another set of hearts were
      subjected to biochemical analyses. Both extracts showed good antioxidant content
      and activity, but KGCE (EC50: 24.8+/-1.8 MUg/mL) showed higher hydroxyl radical
      scavenging activity than CGCE (70.2+/-4.5 MUg/mL). Both extracts at 3 MUg/mL
      reversed (p < 0.001) membrane peroxidation and the significant decrease in
      nitrite level, coronary flow rate, and superoxide dismutase and catalase activity
      caused by the I/R cycle. It is concluded that G. cupulata protects against
      ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat hearts via augmenting endogenous antioxidants
      and significant restoration of altered hemodynamic parameters.

PMID- 28911598
TI  - Correlation between drug-drug interaction-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome and
      related deaths in Taiwan.
AB  - Concomitant use of some drugs can lead to interactions between them resulting in
      severe adverse effects. To date, there are few reports of incidences of Stevens
      Johnson syndrome (SJS) associated with combination drug administration.
      Therefore, we studied the relationship between drug combinations and SJS-related
      mortality, with the hope that a retrospective study of this nature would provide
      information crucial for the prevention of future drug-drug interaction related
      deaths attributable to SJS. This retrospective longitudinal study used mortality
      cases from 1999 to 2008 that were diagnosed as erythema multiforme (International
      Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification 695.1) from the
      National Health Insurance database in Taiwan. Statistical comparisons of the
      results were performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent sample t
      tests, and odds ratio (OR). In this way, the relationship between combinations of
      SJS-inducing drugs and mortality could be determined. A total of 111 patients who
      had died, including 63 males and 48 females (66.0 +/- 20 and 70.0 +/- 17.7 years,
      respectively), were suspected of having experienced drug-drug interaction-related
      adverse effects. The associated drug combinations included allopurinol and
      ampicillin (p = 0.049), carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (TMP) (p
      < 0.0001), carbamazepine and phenytoin (p < 0.0001), sulfamethoxazole/TMP and
      phenytoin (p = 0.015), sulfadoxine and piroxicam (p = 0.045), phenobarbital and
      cephalexin (p < 0.0001), ampicillin and erythromycin (p < 0.0001), erythromycin
      and minocycline (p < 0.0001), and vancomycin and ethambutol (p < 0.0001)
      administered 1 month before the patients' deaths. Caution should be exercised
      when administering any drugs that may possibly induce SJS. In addition, attention
      should be paid to ensure prompt identification of possible drug-drug
      interactions, and patients should be closely monitored. Furthermore, medications
      should be immediately discontinued at the first sign or symptom suggesting the
      occurrence of drug-related SJS, and then prompt, adequate supportive care should
      be provided.

PMID- 28911599
TI  - Statistical optimization of lovastatin and confirmation of nonexistence of
      citrinin under solid-state fermentation by Monascus sanguineus.
AB  - Lovastatin is a well-known natural statin, which is used for lowering plasma
      cholesterol levels by inhibiting 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A
      reductase. Different strains of Aspergillus and Monascus sp. have been exploited
      for statin production but Monascus sanguineus is still unexplored. In this study,
      lovastatin production from Monascus sanguineus under solid state fermentation was
      optimized using response surface methodology. The optimized value of the
      lovastatin yield was 20.04 mg/gds with soybean concentration of 20 g/L, CaCl2
      concentration of 2.5 g/L, acetic acid concentration of 25 MUL and inoculum size
      of 3.4 mL. This study also documented spectrometric characterization and fragment
      pattern of lovastatin with the help of Fourier transfer infrared spectrometry and
      mass spectrometry. Citrinin was not detected in any of the samples used for this
      study.

PMID- 28911600
TI  - Fast separation and quantification of three anti-glaucoma drugs by high
      performance liquid chromatography UV detection.
AB  - In this study, a simple and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography
      method was developed and validated for fast separation of three anti-glaucoma
      drugs: timolol maleate (TM), brimonidine tartrate (BM), and latanoprost (LP).
      Separation of the three drugs was achieved in < 6 minutes using a BDS Hypersil
      phenyl column and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: 25mM phosphate
      buffer, pH 4.0 (50: 50, v/v) at 1.2 mL/min with UV detection at 210 nm. The
      method was linear over the concentration ranges of 5.0-200.0 MUg/mL, 2.0-80.0
      MUg/mL and 1.0-25.0 MUg/mL with lower detection limits of 0.21 MUg/mL, 0.10
      MUg/mL and 0.11 MUg/mL for TM, BM and LP, respectively. The method was applied
      for the determination of two fixed-dose combination eye drops for the treatment
      of glaucoma, containing TM together with either BM or LP. Commercial samples of
      single-ingredient ophthalmic solutions containing the studied drugs were also
      successfully analyzed. The results obtained by the proposed method were favorably
      compared with those obtained by the comparison methods using Student's t test and
      the variance ratio F test.

PMID- 28911601
TI  - Acute pancreatitis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with
      dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors.
AB  - Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors are approved for use in monotherapy or in
      combination therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus for <1 decade.
      However, numerous reports of DPP-4 inhibitors induced acute pancreatitis were
      made through the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System,
      and this led to a revision in the prescribing information for these drugs.
      Therefore, this study is designed to evaluate DPP-4 inhibitors induced acute
      pancreatitis via the spontaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting system
      in a medical center. In four of 2305 ADR cases, it is suspected that DPP-4
      inhibitors induced moderate to serious acute pancreatitis. Beyond drugs, other
      factors also contribute to acute pancreatitis and affect the possibility of ADRs
      assessed using the Naranjo algorithm. Finally, our results indicate that the
      incidence of DPP-4 inhibitors induced acute pancreatitis is low.

PMID- 28911602
TI  - Corrigendum to "Evaluation of a health-promoting school program to enhance
      correct medication use in Taiwan" [J Food Drug Anal 22 (2014) 271-278].

PMID- 28911603
TI  - Corrigendum to "Flavone glycosides from commercially available Lophatheri Herba
      and their chromatographic fingerprinting and quantitation" [J Food Drug Anal 23
      (2015) 821-827].

PMID- 28911604
TI  - Nanotechnology in food science: Functionality, applicability, and safety
      assessment.
AB  - Rapid development of nanotechnology is expected to transform many areas of food
      science and food industry with increasing investment and market share. In this
      article, current applications of nanotechnology in food systems are briefly
      reviewed. Functionality and applicability of food-related nanotechnology are
      highlighted in order to provide a comprehensive view on the development and
      safety assessment of nanotechnology in the food industry. While food
      nanotechnology offers great potential benefits, there are emerging concerns
      arising from its novel physicochemical properties. Therefore, the safety concerns
      and regulatory policies on its manufacturing, processing, packaging, and
      consumption are briefly addressed. At the end of this article, the perspectives
      of nanotechnology in active and intelligent packaging applications are
      highlighted.

PMID- 28911605
TI  - 7-N-Acetylcysteine-pyrrole conjugate-A potent DNA reactive metabolite of
      pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
AB  - Plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are widespread throughout the
      world and are the most common poisonous plants affecting livestock, wildlife, and
      humans. PAs require metabolic activation to form reactive dehydropyrrolizidine
      alkaloids (dehydro-PAs) that are capable of alkylating cellular DNA and proteins,
      form (+/-)-6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (DHP)-DNA and DHP
      protein adducts, and lead to cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and tumorigenicity. In
      this study, we determined that the metabolism of riddelliine and monocrotaline by
      human and rat liver microsomes in the presence of N-acetylcysteine both produced
      7-N-acetylcysteine-DHP (7-NAC-DHP) and DHP. Reactions of 7-NAC-DHP with 2'
      deoxyguanosine (dG), 2'-deoxyadenosine (dA), and calf thymus DNA in aqueous
      solution followed by enzymatic hydrolysis yielded DHP-dG and/or DHP-dA adducts.
      These results indicate that 7-NAC-DHP is a reactive metabolite that can lead to
      DNA adduct formation.

PMID- 28911606
TI  - Inhibitory mechanism against oxidative stress of caffeic acid.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to summarize the reported antioxidant activities
      of a naturally abundant bioactive phenolic acid, caffeic acid (CA, 3,4
      dihydroxycinnamic acid), so that new avenues for future research involving CA can
      be explored. CA is abundantly found in coffee, fruits, vegetables, oils, and tea.
      CA is among the most potential and abundantly found in nature, hydroxycinnamic
      acids with the potential of antioxidant behavior. Reactive oxygen species
      produced as a result of endogenous processes can lead to pathophysiological
      disturbances in the human body. Foods containing phenolic substances are a
      potential source for free radical scavenging; these chemicals are known as
      antioxidants. This review is focused on CA's structure, availability, and
      potential as an antioxidant along with its mode of action. A brief overview of
      the literature published about the prooxidant potential of caffeic acid as well
      as the future perspectives of caffeic acid research is described. CA can be
      effectively employed as a natural antioxidant in various food products such as
      oils.

PMID- 28911607
TI  - Certification of caffeine reference material purity by ultraviolet/visible
      spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array
      detection as two independent analytical methods.
AB  - Caffeine reference material certified for purity is produced worldwide, but no
      research work on the details of the certification process has been published in
      the literature. In this paper, we report the scientific details of the
      preparation and certification of pure caffeine reference materials. Caffeine was
      prepared by extraction from roasted and ground coffee by dichloromethane after
      heating in deionized water mixed with magnesium oxide. The extract was purified,
      dried, and bottled in dark glass vials. Stratified random selection was applied
      to select a number of vials for homogeneity and stability studies, which revealed
      that the prepared reference material is homogeneous and sufficiently stable.
      Quantification of caffeine purity % was carried out using a calibrated UV/visible
      spectrophotometer and a calibrated high-performance liquid chromatography with
      diode-array detection method. The results obtained from both methods were
      combined to drive the certified value and its associated uncertainty. The
      certified value of the reference material purity was found to be 99.86% and its
      associated uncertainty was +/-0.65%, which makes the candidate reference material
      a very useful calibrant in food and drug chemical analysis.

PMID- 28911608
TI  - Effect of goat milk on hepatotoxicity induced by antitubercular drugs in rats.
AB  - Aim of the present study was to assess the hepatoprotective activity of goat milk
      on antitubercular drug-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced
      in rats using a combination of isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide given
      orally as a suspension for 30 days. Treatment groups received goat milk along
      with antitubercular drugs. Liver damage was assessed using biochemical and
      histological parameters. Administration of goat milk (20 mL/kg) along with
      antitubercular drugs (Group III) reversed the levels of serum alanine
      aminotransferase (82 +/- 25.1 vs. 128.8 +/- 8.9 units/L) and aspartate
      aminotransferase (174.7 +/- 31.5 vs. 296.4 +/- 56.4 units/L, p<0.01) compared
      with antitubercular drug treatment Group II. There was a significant decrease in
      serum alanine aminotransferase (41.8 +/- 4.1 vs. 128.8 +/- 8.9  units/L, p<0.01)
      and aspartate aminotransferase (128.8 +/- 8.54 vs. 296.4 +/- 56.4 units/L,
      p<0.001) levels in Group IV (goat milk 40 mL/kg) compared with antitubercular
      drug treatment Group II. Goat milk (20 mL/kg and 40 mL/kg) was effective in
      reversing the rise in malondialdehyde level compared with the antitubercular drug
      suspension groups (58.5 +/- 2 vs. 89.88 +/- 2.42 MUmol/mL of tissue homogenate,
      p<0.001 and 69.7 +/- 0.78 vs. 89.88 +/- 2.42 MUmol/mL of tissue homogenate,
      p<0.001, respectively). Similarly, both doses of milk significantly prevented a
      fall in superoxide dismutase level (6.23 +/- 0.29 vs. 3.1 +/- 0.288 units/mL,
      p<0.001 and 7.8 +/- 0.392 vs. 3.1 +/- 0.288 units/mL, p<0.001) compared with the
      group receiving antitubercular drugs alone. Histological examination indicated
      that goat milk reduced inflammation and necrotic changes in hepatocytes in the
      treatment groups. The results indicated that goat milk prevented the
      antitubercular drug-induced hepatotoxicity and is an effective hepatoprotective
      agent.

PMID- 28911609
TI  - Antibacterial and laxative activities of strictinin isolated from Pu'er tea
      (Camellia sinensis).
AB  - Strictinin, the major phenolic compound in Pu'er teas produced from young leaves
      and buds of wild trees, was isolated to evaluate its antibacterial and laxative
      activities. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of strictinin against
      Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis were determined as 250 MUM
      and 2000 MUM, respectively, apparently higher than those of several antibiotics
      commonly used for bacterial infections. The additive and synergistic effects on
      the inhibitory activities of strictinin combined with other commercial
      antibiotics were observed in two bacteria tested in this study via the analysis
      of fractional inhibitory concentrations. Laxative activity was observed on
      defecation of the rats fed with strictinin. Further analysis showed that the
      laxative effect of strictinin was presumably caused by accelerating small
      intestinal transit, instead of enhancing gastric emptying, increasing food
      intake, or inducing diarrhea in the rats. Taken together with the antiviral
      activities demonstrated previously, it is suggested that strictinin is one of the
      active ingredients responsible for the antiviral, antibacterial, and laxative
      effects of wild Pu'er tea, and has the potential to be developed as a mild
      natural substitute for antibiotics and laxatives.

PMID- 28911610
TI  - Myrciaria cauliflora extract improves diabetic nephropathy via suppression of
      oxidative stress and inflammation in streptozotocin-nicotinamide mice.
AB  - Myrciaria cauliflora is a functional food rich in anthocyanins, possessing
      antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Our previous results demonstrated
      M. cauliflora extract (MCE) had beneficial effects in diabetic nephropathy (DN)
      and via the inhibition of Ras/PI3K/Akt and kidney fibrosis-related proteins. The
      purpose of this study was to assess the benefit of MCE in diabetes associated
      with kidney inflammation and glycemic regulation in streptozotocin-nicotinamide
      (STZ/NA)-induced diabetic mice. Compared with the untreated diabetic group, MCE
      significantly improved blood glucose and serum biochemical characteristic levels.
      Exposure to MCE increased antioxidative enzyme activity and diminished reactive
      oxygen synthesis. Mice receiving MCE supplementation had reduced intercellular
      adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1),
      monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1),
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)
      levels compared to the untreated diabetic mice. Inflammatory and fibrotic related
      proteins such as collagen IV, fibronectin, Janus kinase (JAK), phosphorylated
      signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), protein kinase C beta
      (PKC-beta), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) were also inhibited by MCE
      treatment in STZ/NA mice. These results suggest that MCE may be used as a
      hypoglycemic agent and antioxidant in Type 2 diabetic mice.

PMID- 28911611
TI  - Antifatigue and increasing exercise performance of Actinidia arguta crude
      alkaloids in mice.
AB  - Actinidia arguta (Siebold et Zucc.) Planch. ex. Miq. is one of the most recently
      domesticated fruit species with increasing commercial production worldwide. It is
      a well-known traditional Chinese medicine and is used to reduce blood glucose and
      treat atopic dermatitis. In addition, it possesses antioxidant, anticancer, and
      antiallergic properties. In this study, we investigated the physical antifatigue
      and exercise performance effects of A. arguta crude alkaloids (AACA) extracted
      with 70% ethanol. Four groups of male Kunming mice (n = 16) were orally
      administered AACA at doses of 0 mg/kg/d (vehicle), 50 mg/kg/d (AACA-50), 100
      mg/kg/d (AACA-100), or 200 mg/kg/d (AACA-200) for 28 days. The effect of AACA
      treatment on exercise performance was studied using the forelimb grip strength
      experiment and by the measurement of the weight-loaded swimming time. The
      antifatigue effect is evaluated based on fatigue-associated biochemical
      parameters, hepatic and muscular glycogen levels, and changes in the morphology
      of transverse and longitudinal sections of skeletal muscle. The results showed
      that AACA could elevate the endurance and grip strength in mice. The exhaustive
      swimming time of the AACA-50, AACA-100, and AACA-200 groups was significantly (p
      < 0.05) increased compared with the vehicle. The swimming time of the AACA-100
      group was the longest among all groups studied. Mice in the AACA-treated groups
      had decreased levels of lactate, ammonia, and creatine kinase after a physical
      challenge compared with the vehicle group. The tissue glycogen, an important
      energy source during exercise, significantly increased with AACA. The morphology
      of transverse and longitudinal sections of skeletal muscle did not change in the
      vehicle group. Overall, these findings suggest that AACA possesses antifatigue
      effects and increases exercise performance in mice. Therefore, A. arguta may be
      developed as an antifatigue dietary supplement in the category of functional
      foods.

PMID- 28911612
TI  - Effects of carbonyl iron powder on iron deficiency anemia and its subchronic
      toxicity.
AB  - Carbonyl iron powder (CIP) has been used as a food additive or mineral
      supplement. However, the effects of CIP on iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and its
      subchronic toxicity have not been investigated. We found that oral administration
      of CIP at a dose of 2.96 mg/kg recovered the hemoglobin concentration of
      erythrocytes of IDA rats to the normal level after 8 days. The no observed
      adverse effect level of CIP in rats was considered to be > 200 mg/kg. The
      hematological and serum biochemical parameters of the rats did not differ
      significantly between the control and treated groups. There were no morphological
      changes observed in the organs including liver, kidneys, spleen, testes, stomach
      and intestine. Therefore, CIP might be a safe iron supplement.

PMID- 28911613
TI  - Proteomic changes associated with metabolic syndrome in a fructose-fed rat model.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by a constellation of disorders such as
      hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension, is becoming a major global
      public health problem. Fructose consumption has increased dramatically over the
      past several decades and with it the incidence of MetS. However, its molecular
      mechanisms remain to be explored. In this study, we used male Sprague-Dawley (SD)
      rats to study the pathological mechanism of fructose induced MetS. The SD rats
      were fed a 60% high-fructose diet for 16 weeks to induce MetS. The induction of
      MetS was confirmed by blood biochemistry examination. Proteomics were used to
      investigate the differential hepatic protein expression patterns between the
      normal group and the MetS group. Proteomic results revealed that fructose-induced
      MetS induced changes in glucose and fatty acid metabolic pathways. In addition,
      oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins were modulated
      by high-fructose feeding. In summary, our results identify many new targets for
      future investigation. Further characterization of these proteins and their
      involvement in the link between insulin resistance and metabolic dyslipidemia may
      bring new insights into MetS.

PMID- 28911614
TI  - Hygienic quality, adulteration of pork and histamine production by Raoultella
      ornithinolytica in milkfish dumpling.
AB  - Ten milkfish dumpling products purchased from retail stores in southern Taiwan
      were collected to determine the occurrence of biogenic amines, histamine-forming
      bacteria, and adulteration of pork. This study showed the high contents of
      aerobic plate count (APC), total coliforms (TC) and Escherichia coli in tested
      milkfish dumpling samples, whereas the average content of various biogenic amines
      in all tested samples was < 1.6 mg/100 g (< 0.05 to 1.54 mg/100 g). Three
      histamine-producing bacterial strains (2 isolates of Raoultella ornithinolytica
      and 1 isolate of Enterobacter aerogenes) isolated from tested samples produced
      276.6 ppm to 561.8 ppm of histamine in trypticase soy broth supplemented with
      1.0% L-histidine (TSBH). Assay of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      revealed that the adulteration rates were 50% (5/10) for pork in milkfish
      dumplings. In addition, milkfish dumpling stuffing was inoculated with R.
      ornithinolytica at 5.0 log colony forming units (CFU)/g and stored at various
      temperatures from 4 degrees C to 37 degrees C to investigate bacterial growth and
      formation of histamine. The histamine contents quickly increased to higher than
      50 mg/100 g in samples stored at 37 degrees C and 25 degrees C within 24 hours
      and 36 hours, respectively, as well as stored at 15 degrees C within 48 hours.
      Therefore, bacterial growth and histamine formation were controlled by cold
      storage of the samples at 4 degrees C.

PMID- 28911615
TI  - Investigation of aluminum content of imported candies and snack foods in Taiwan.
AB  - Candies, chewing gums, dried fruits, jellies, chocolate, and shredded squid
      pieces imported from 17 countries were surveyed for their aluminum content. The
      samples were bought from candy shops, supermarkets, and convenience stores, and
      through online shopping. Sample selection focused on imported candies and snacks.
      A total of 67 samples, including five chewing gums, seven dried fruits, 13
      chocolates, two jellies, two dried squid pieces, and 38 candies, were analyzed.
      The content of aluminum was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical
      emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The limit of quantitation for aluminum was 1.53
      mg/kg. The content of aluminum ranged from not detected (ND) to 828.9 mg/kg. The
      mean concentrations of aluminum in chewing gums, dried fruits, chocolate,
      jellies, dried squid pieces, and candies were 36.62 mg/kg, 300.06 mg/kg, 9.1
      mg/kg, 2.3 mg/kg, 7.8 mg/kg, and 24.26 mg/kg, respectively. Some samples had
      relatively high aluminum content. The highest aluminum content of 828.9 mg/kg was
      found in dried papaya threads imported from Thailand. Candies imported from
      Thailand and Vietnam had aluminum contents of 265.7 mg/kg and 333.1 mg/kg,
      respectively. Exposure risk assessment based on data from the Taiwan National
      Food Consumption Database was employed to calculate the percent provisional
      tolerable weekly intake (%PTWI). The percent provisional tolerable weekly intake
      of aluminum for adults (19-50 years) and children (3-6 years) based on the
      consumption rate of the total population showed that candies and snacks did not
      contribute greatly to aluminum exposure. By contrast, in the exposure assessment
      based on the consumers-only consumption rate, the estimated values of weekly
      exposure to aluminum from dried papaya threads in adults (19-50 years) and
      children (3-6 years) were 4.18 mg/kg body weight (bw)/wk and 7.93 mg/kg bw/wk,
      respectively, for 50th percentile consumers, and 6.26 mg/kg bw/wk and 12.88 mg/kg
      bw/wk, respectively, for 95th percentile consumers.

PMID- 28911616
TI  - Production of a monoclonal antibody against aflatoxin M1 and its application for
      detection of aflatoxin M1 in fortified milk.
AB  - Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a toxic metabolite of the fungal product aflatoxin found
      in milk. For food safety concern, maximum residual limits of AFM1 in milk and
      dairy products have been differently enforced in many countries. A suitable
      detection method is required to screen a large number of product samples for the
      AFM1 contamination. In this study, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against AFM1 were
      generated using a conventional somatic cell fusion technique. After screening,
      five MAbs (AFM1-1, AFM1-3, AFM1-9, AFM1-11, and AFM1-17) were obtained that
      showed cross-reactivity with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) but with
      no other tested compounds. An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay (ELISA) using a partially purified MAb and antigen-coated plates yielded
      the best sensitivity with the 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) and the limit
      of detection (LOD) values of 0.13 ng/mL and 0.04 ng/mL, respectively. This
      indirect competitive ELISA was used to quantify the amount of fortified AFM1 in
      raw milk. The precision and accuracy in terms of % coefficient of variation (CV)
      and % recovery of the detection was investigated for both intra- (n = 6) and
      inter- (n = 12) variation assays. The % CV was found in the range of 3.50-15.8%
      and 1.32-7.98%, respectively, while the % recovery was in the range of 92-104%
      and 100-103%, respectively. In addition, the indirect ELISA was also used to
      detect AFM1 fortified in processed milk samples. The % CV and % recovery values
      were in the ranges of 0.1-33.0% and 91-109%, respectively. Comparison analysis
      between the indirect ELISA and high performance liquid chromatography was also
      performed and showed a good correlation with the R2 of 0.992 for the
      concentration of 0.2-5.0 ng/mL. These results indicated that the developed MAb
      and ELISA could be used for detection of AFM1 in milk samples.

PMID- 28911617
TI  - Hydrolysis of isoflavone in black soy milk using cellulose bead as enzyme
      immobilizer.
AB  - The establishment of a catalytic system to enrich isoflavone aglycones in black
      soybean milk was investigated in this study. Beta-glucosidase, which was
      covalently immobilized onto cellulose beads, exhibited a significant efficiency
      for the conversion of 4-nitrophenyl beta-d-glucuronide to p-nitrophenol over the
      sol-gel method. The Michaelis constant (Km) of the cellulose bead enzymatic
      system was determined to be 1.50+/-0.10 mM. Operational reusability of the
      cellulose bead enzymatic system was justified for more than 10 batch reactions in
      black soy milk. Moreover, the storage stability verification indicated that the
      cellulose bead catalytic system was able to sustain its highest catalytic
      activity for 10 days. High-performance liquid chromatography results demonstrated
      that this enzymatic system required only 30 minutes to achieve complete
      isoflavone deglycosylation, and the aglycone content in the total isoflavones in
      black soy milk was enriched by 67% within 30 minutes by the cellulose bead
      enzymatic system.

PMID- 28911618
TI  - Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using onion extract and their application
      for the preparation of a modified electrode for determination of ascorbic acid.
AB  - A high-quality method for one-pot biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)
      using onion extracts as reductant and stabilizer is reported. The synthesized
      AgNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray
      powder diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV-Vis
      spectroscopy results showed that the AgNP absorption band was located at a peak
      of 397 nm in aqueous solution. Both XRD and TEM results confirmed that the AgNPs
      were mainly spherical with average diameters of 6.0 nm by TEM and about 5.3-10.2
      nm calculated using XRD data. The ability of AgNPs to reduce charge transfer
      resistance was also investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
      Finally, the effect of synthesized NPs on ascorbic acid signal was investigated
      by square wave voltammetry. The peak current of square wave voltammograms of
      ascorbic acid increased linearly with its concentration in the range of 0.4
      450.0MUM. The detection limit for ascorbic acid was 0.1MUM.

PMID- 28911619
TI  - Characterization of yogurts made with milk solids nonfat by rheological behavior
      and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
AB  - The effect of adding milk solids nonfat (MSNF) on the physical properties and
      microstructure of yogurts was investigated. The physical properties of fat free
      yogurt, fat free with MSNF yogurt, whole fat yogurt, and whole fat with MSNF
      yogurt were analyzed using shear viscosity, viscoelasticity, and texture
      analysis. The two yogurts with MSNF had higher consistency coefficient (K),
      storage modulus (G'), yield stress, and hardness. To gain insight into the
      multiphase system, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and brightfield microscope
      images were acquired. The addition of MSNF significantly modified NMR relaxation
      time; T1 values were reduced significantly. Brightfield microscope images showed
      that the size of the protein network of the two yogurts with MSNF added was
      greater than that of the two yogurts without MSNF added. The microstructural
      information supported the physical information. The results showed that the
      increase in MSNF contributed positively to strengthening the physical/mechanical
      properties of yogurt.

PMID- 28911620
TI  - Composition of Asarum heterotropoides var. mandshuricum radix oil from different
      extraction methods and activities against human body odor-producing bacteria.
AB  - In this study, oils from Asarum heterotropoides were extracted by traditional
      solvent extraction and supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) extraction methods and their
      antioxidant activities along with antimicrobial and inhibitory activities against
      five human body odor-producing bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis,
      Propionibacterium freudenreichii, Micrococcus luteus, Corynebacterium jeikeium,
      and Corynebacterium xerosis) were evaluated. The oil was found to contain 15
      components, among which the most abundant component was methyl eugenol (37.6%),
      which was identified at every condition studied in different extraction methods.
      The oil extracted with n-hexane and ethanol mixture exhibited a strong
      antioxidant activity (92% +/- 2%) and the highest ABTS and 2,2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl scavenging activities (89% +/- 0.2%). The highest amounts of total
      phenolic content and total flavonoid content were 23.1+/-0.4 mg/g and 4.9+/-0.1
      mg/g, respectively, in the traditional method. In the SC-CO2 method performed at
      200 bar/50 degrees C using ethanol as an entrainer, the highest inhibition zone
      was recorded against all the aforementioned bacteria. In particular, strong
      antibacterial activity (38+/-2 mm) was found against M. luteus. The minimum
      inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the oil against bacteria ranged from 10.1+/
      0.1 MUg/mL to 46+/-2 MUg/mL. The lowest MIC was found against M. luteus. Methyl
      eugenol was found to be one of the major compounds working against human body
      odor-producing bacteria.

PMID- 28911621
TI  - In vitro prebiotic effects and quantitative analysis of Bulnesia sarmienti
      extract.
AB  - Prebiotics are used to influence the growth, colonization, survival, and activity
      of probiotics, and enhance the innate immunity, thus improving the health status
      of the host. The survival, growth, and activity of probiotics are often
      interfered with by intrinsic factors and indigenous microbes in the
      gastrointestinal tract. In this study, Bulnesia sarmienti aqueous extract (BSAE)
      was evaluated for the growth-promoting activity of different strains of
      Lactobacillus acidophilus, and a simple, precise, cost-effective high-performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the
      determination of active prebiotic ingredients in the extract. Different strains
      of L. acidophilus (probiotic) were incubated in de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS)
      medium with the supplementation of BSAE in a final concentration of 0.0%, 1.0%,
      and 3.0% (w/v) as the sole carbon source. Growth of the probiotics was determined
      by measuring the pH changes and colony-forming units (CFU/mL) using the
      microdilution method for a period of 24 hours. The HPLC method was designed by
      optimizing mobile-phase composition, flow rate, column temperature, and detection
      wavelength. The method was validated according to the requirements of a new
      method, including accuracy, precision, linearity, limit of detection, limit of
      quantitation, and specificity. The major prebiotic active ingredients in BSAE
      were determined using the validated HPLC method. The rapid growth rate of
      different strains of L. acidophilus was observed in growth media with BSAE,
      whereas the decline of pH values of cultures varied in different strains of
      probiotics depending on the time of culture. (+)-Catechin and (-)-epicatechin
      were identified on the basis of their retention time, absorbance spectrum, and
      mass spectrometry fragmentation pattern. The developed method met the limit of
      all validation parameters. The prebiotic active components, (+)-catechin and (-)
      epicatechin, were quantified as 1.27% and 0.71% (w/w), respectively, in crude
      extract, and 6.36+/-0.06 MUg/mL and 4.47+/-0.41 MUg/mL (mean+/-standard
      deviation), respectively, in a prebiotic capsule of BSAE by HPLC analysis. BSAE
      contains the active components of prebiotics and enhances the growth of L.
      acidophilus.

PMID- 28911622
TI  - Sedative and hypnotic effects of supercritical carbon dioxide fluid extraction
      from Schisandra chinensis in mice.
AB  - Schisandra chinensis is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for
      treating insomnia and neurasthenia for centuries. Lignans, which are considered
      to be the bioactive components, are apt to be extracted by supercritical carbon
      dioxide. This study was conducted to investigate the sedative and hypnotic
      activities of the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid extraction of S. chinensis
      (SFES) in mice and the possible mechanisms. SFES exhibited an obvious sedative
      effect on shortening the locomotor activity in mice in a dose-dependent (10-200
      mg/kg) manner. SFES (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 200 mg/kg, intragstrically) showed
      a strong hypnotic effect in synergy with pentobarbital in mouse sleep, and
      reversal of insomnia induced by caffeine, p-chlorophenylalanine and flumazenil by
      decreasing sleep latency, sleep recovery, and increasing sleeping time. In
      addition, it produced a synergistic effect with 5-hydroxytryptophan (2.5 mg/kg,
      intraperitoneally). The behavioral pharmacological results suggest that SFES has
      significant sedative and hypnotic activities, and the mechanisms might be
      relevant to the serotonergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic system.

PMID- 28911623
TI  - A comparative study of three tissue-cultured Dendrobium species and their wild
      correspondences by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with
      chemometric methods.
AB  - : Plant tissue culture technique is widely used in the conservation and
      utilization of rare and endangered medicinal plants and it is crucial for tissue
      culture stocks to obtain the ability to produce similar bioactive components as
      their wild correspondences. In this paper, a headspace gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry method combined with chemometric methods was applied to analyze and
      evaluate the volatile compounds in tissue-cultured and wild Dendrobium
      huoshanense Cheng and Tang, Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo and Dendrobium
      moniliforme (Linn.) Sw. In total, 63 volatile compounds were separated, with 53
      being identified from the three Dendrobium spp. SAMPLES: Different provenances of
      Dendrobiums had characteristic chemicals and showed remarkable quantity
      discrepancy of common compositions. The similarity evaluation disclosed that the
      accumulation of volatile compounds in Dendrobium samples might be affected by
      their provenance. Principal component analysis showed that the first three
      components explained 85.9% of data variance, demonstrating a good discrimination
      between samples. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques, combined with
      chemometrics, might be an effective strategy for identifying the species and
      their provenance, especially in the assessment of tissue-cultured Dendrobium
      quality for use in raw herbal medicines.

PMID- 28911624
TI  - Bovine serum albumin adsorbed on eremomycin and grafted on silica as new mixed
      binary chiral sorbent for improved enantioseparation of drugs.
AB  - A new silica-based, mixed-binary chiral sorbent grafted with the macrocyclic
      antibiotic eremomycin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was obtained. The sorbent
      filled high-performance liquid chromatography column was capable of
      enantioseparation of racemic drugs, such as profens, in reversed-phase
      chromatography mode. The mixed-binary eremomycin-BSA-sorbent showed better
      capability for profens enantioseparation as compared with a sorbent containing
      eremomycin only. BSA grafted onto the sorbent surface significantly reduced
      retention times of other proteins from the analyte solution, and free proteins
      (including BSA) injected as analytes were not retained on the column, and
      subsequently eluted with a dead volume. The drastic difference observed in the
      binding of profens and other proteins using the sorbent was tested for
      determination and enantioseparation of profens in artificial-urine solutions.

PMID- 28911625
TI  - Suppression of ERK1/2 and hypoxia pathways by four Phyllanthus species inhibits
      metastasis of human breast cancer cells.
AB  - Chemotherapies remain far from ideal due to drug resistance; therefore, novel
      chemotherapeutic agents with higher effectiveness are crucial. The extracts of
      four Phyllanthus species, namely Phyllanthus niruri, Phyllanthus urinaria,
      Phyllanthus watsonii, and Phyllanthus amarus, were shown to induce apoptosis and
      inhibit metastasis of breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7). The main objective of this
      study was to determine the pathways utilized by these four Phyllanthus species to
      exert anti-metastatic activities. A cancer 10-pathway reporter was used to
      investigate the pathways affected by the four Phyllanthus species. Results
      indicated that these Phyllanthus species suppressed breast carcinoma metastasis
      and proliferation by suppressing matrix metalloprotein 2 and 9 expression via
      inhibition of the extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) pathway.
      Additionally, inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha in the hypoxia
      pathway caused reduced vascular endothelial growth factor and inducible nitric
      oxide synthase expression, resulting in anti-angiogenic effects and eventually
      anti-metastasis. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis identified numerous proteins
      suppressed by these Phyllanthus species, including invasion proteins, anti
      apoptotic protein, protein-synthesis proteins, angiogenic and mobility proteins,
      and various glycolytic enzymes. Our results indicated that ERK and hypoxia
      pathways are the most likely targets of the four Phyllanthus species for the
      inhibition of MCF-7 metastasis.

PMID- 28911626
TI  - High-throughput liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for
      simultaneous determination of fampridine, paroxetine, and quinidine in rat
      plasma: Application to in vivo perfusion study.
AB  - A selective and high-throughput liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method
      has been developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of
      paroxetine, fampridine, and quinidine in rat plasma using imipramine as an
      internal standard. Following protein precipitation extraction, the analytes and
      internal standard were run on XBridge C18 column (150 mm * 4.6 mm, 5 MUm) using a
      gradient mobile phase consisting of 5mM ammonium formate in water (pH 9.0) and
      acetonitrile in a flow gradience program. The precursor and product ions of the
      drugs were monitored on a triple quadrupole instrument operated in the positive
      ionization mode. The method was validated over a concentration range of 0.1-100
      ng/mL for all the three analytes, with relative recoveries ranging from 69% to
      82%. The intra- and interbatch precision (percent coefficient of variation)
      across four validation runs were less than 13.4%. The accuracy determined at four
      quality control (QC) levels (lower limit of quantitation, low QC, medium QC, and
      high QC) was within +/-6.5% of coefficient of variation values. The method proved
      highly reproducible and sensitive, and was successfully applied in a
      pharmacokinetic study after single-dose oral administration to rats and also in
      perfusion study sample analysis.

PMID- 28911627
TI  - Assessment of the pharmacokinetics, removal rate of hemodialysis, and safety of
      lactulose in hemodialysis patients.
AB  - Lactulose is often used to treat hepatic encephalopathy or constipation, and also
      exhibits benefits to chronic renal insufficiency due to reduce nitrogen-related
      products in serum. The present study investigated the pharmacokinetics of
      lactulose, its removal rate through dialysis, and safety by administering
      lactulose 6.5 g (Lagnos Jelly Divided Pack 16.05 g) orally to six hemodialysis
      patients who resided in Taiwan. As a result, the means of maximum plasma
      concentrations (Cmax) and Time to reach Cmax (Tmax) were 3090 +/- 970 ng/mL and
      6.5 +/- 2.3 hours, respectively. The mean plasma concentration was 2220 +/- 986
      ng/mL after administration for 24 hours. Sequentially, the mean plasma
      concentration reduced to 307 +/- 117 ng/mL after the application of 4-hour
      dialysis. Area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero to 24 h post
      dose (AUC0-24h) were 56,200 +/- 21,300 ng h/mL and the AUC0-28h was 61,200 +/-
      23,300 ng h/mL. The rate of lactulose removal by dialysis was 83.6+/-8.9%. In
      addition, the multiple doses of lactulose using a simulated model suggested that
      no plasma accumulation would be expected while coordinating with dialysis. Good
      tolerability was confirmed, while the mild adverse effect of diarrhea was
      observed in one case during the study period. No death or serious adverse effect
      was reported. Based on the present study, we demonstrated the pharmacokinetic
      transition with respect to plasma levels of lactulose in patients with impaired
      renal excretion treated with hemodialysis.

PMID- 28911628
TI  - Antifungal activity of Momordica charantia seed extracts toward the pathogenic
      fungus Fusarium solani L.
AB  - Momordica charantia L., a vegetable crop with high nutritional value, has been
      used as an antimutagenic, antihelminthic, anticancer, antifertility, and
      antidiabetic agent in traditional folk medicine. In this study, the antifungal
      activity of M. charantia seed extract toward Fusarium solani L. was evaluated.
      Results showed that M. charantia seed extract effectively inhibited the mycelial
      growth of F. solani, with a 50% inhibitory rate (IC50) value of 108.934 MUg/mL.
      Further analysis with optical microscopy and fluorescence microscopy revealed
      that the seed extract led to deformation of cells with irregular budding, loss of
      integrity of cell wall, as well as disruption of the fungal cell membrane. In
      addition, genomic DNA was also severely affected, as small DNA fragments shorter
      than 50 bp appeared on agarose gel. These findings implied that M. charantia seed
      extract containing alpha-momorcharin, a typical ribosome-inactivating protein,
      could be an effective agent in the control of fungal pathogens, and such natural
      products would represent a sustainable alternative to the use of synthetic
      fungicides.

PMID- 28911629
TI  - A survey of aflatoxin M1 in cow milk in Southern Iran.
AB  - The competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique was used to evaluate
      aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) levels in 168 samples of raw milk (135 samples and 33 samples
      from bulk tanks of farms and milk collection centers, respectively) and 12
      samples of pasteurized milk in Fars province, Southern Iran. AFM1 was found in
      55.56% of the samples with a mean concentration of 21.31 ng/L. The concentration
      of AFM1 in raw milk samples from farms was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that
      in samples from collection centers and pasteurized milk. The concentration of
      AFM1 was not influenced by season, location, or type of farm. The concentrations
      of AFM1 in all samples were lower than the Iranian national standard limit (100
      ng/L), but in 30% of raw cow milk samples they were higher than the maximum
      tolerance limit accepted by the European Union (50 ng/L); therefore, more effort
      is needed to control AFM1 levels in milk produced in Southern Iran.

PMID- 28911630
TI  - Nonenzymatic glucose sensor based on disposable pencil graphite electrode
      modified by copper nanoparticles.
AB  - A nonenzymatic glucose sensor based on a disposable pencil graphite electrode
      (PGE) modified by copper nanoparticles [Cu(NP)] was prepared for the first time.
      The prepared Cu(NP) exhibited an absorption peak centered at ~562 nm using UV
      visible spectrophotometry and an almost homogenous spherical shape by scanning
      electron microscopy. Cyclic voltammetry of Cu(NP)-PGE showed an adsorption
      controlled charge transfer process up to 90.0 mVs-1. The sensor was applied for
      the determination of glucose using an amperometry technique with a detection
      limit of [0.44 (+/-0.01) MUM] and concentration sensitivity of [1467.5 (+/-1.3)
      MUA/mMcm-2]. The preparation of the Cu(NP)-PGE sensor was reproducible (relative
      standard deviation = 2.10%, n = 10), very simple, fast, and inexpensive, and the
      Cu(NP)-PGE is suitable to be used as a disposable glucose sensor.

PMID- 28911631
TI  - New psychoactive substances of natural origin: A brief review.
AB  - Plant-based drugs of abuse are as old as recorded human history. Although
      traditional addictive substances, such as opium, cannabis and coca, have been
      controlled by the United Nations anti-drug conventions, many, if not most,
      natural plants with addictive or abuse liability remain elusive. Therefore, the
      United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned the emerging threat
      from new psychoactive substances (NPS), which are mostly derived or modified from
      the constituents of natural origin. For example, synthetic cannabinoids and
      synthetic cathinones are derived from the cannabis and khat plant, respectively.
      In this review, we briefly discussed the chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology
      of five common NPS of natural origin, i.e., khat, kratom, salvia, magic mushroom
      and mandrake. Through the review, we hope that professionals and general public
      alike can pay more attention to the potential problems caused by natural NPS, and
      suitable control measures will be taken.

PMID- 28911632
TI  - Determination of urea in milk based on N-bromosuccinimide-dichlorofluorescein
      postchemiluminescence method.
AB  - A new postchemiluminescence (PCL) reaction was observed when urea was injected
      into the reaction mixture after the CL reaction of N-bromosuccinimide and
      dichlorofluorescein. A possible reaction mechanism was proposed based on the
      studies of the CL kinetic characteristics, CL spectra, fluorescence spectra, and
      other experiments. A new flow injection CL method for the determination of urea
      was established based on the PCL reaction. The relative standard deviation for
      the determination of urea was 1.3% (n = 11, c = 5.0 * 10-8 g/mL). The CL
      intensity responded linearly to the concentration of urea in the range 2.0 * 10-9
      1.0 * 10-6 g/mL (r = 0.9992). The detection limit was 7 * 10-10 g/mL. The method
      had been applied to the determination of urea in milk with satisfactory results.

PMID- 28911633
TI  - An analysis method for flavan-3-ols using high performance liquid chromatography
      coupled with a fluorescence detector.
AB  - Procyanidins belong to a family of flavan-3-ols, which consist of monomers, (+)
      catechin and (-)-epicatechin, and their oligomers and polymers, and are
      distributed in many plant-derived foods. Procyanidins are reported to have many
      beneficial physiological activities, such as antihypertensive and anticancer
      effects. However, the bioavailability of procyanidins is not well understood
      owing to a lack of convenient and high-sensitive analysis methods. The aim of
      this study was to develop an improved method for determining procyanidin content
      in both food materials and biological samples. High performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a fluorescence detector was used in this
      study. The limits of detection (LODs) of (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin,
      procyanidin B2, procyanidin C1, and cinnamtannin A2 were 3.0*10-3 ng, 4.0*10-3
      ng, 14.0*10-3 ng, 18.5*10-3 ng, and 23.0*10-3 ng, respectively; the limits of
      quantification (LOQs) were 10.0*10-3 ng, 29.0*10-3 ng, 28.5*10-3 ng, 54.1*10-3
      ng, and 115.0*10-3 ng, respectively. The LOD and LOQ values indicated that the
      sensitivity of the fluorescence detector method was around 1000 times higher than
      that of conventional HPLC coupled with a UV-detector. We applied the developed
      method to measure procyanidins in black soybean seed coat extract (BE) prepared
      from soybeans grown under three different fertilization conditions, namely,
      conventional farming, basal manure application, and intertillage. The amount of
      flavan-3-ols in these BEs decreased in the order intertillage > basal manure
      application > conventional farming. Commercially available BE was orally
      administered to mice at a dose of 250 mg/kg body weight, and we measured the
      blood flavan-3-ol content. Data from plasma analysis indicated that up to the
      tetramer oligomerization, procyanidins were detectable and flavan-3-ols mainly
      existed in conjugated forms in the plasma. In conclusion, we developed a highly
      sensitive and convenient analytical method for the analysis of flavan-3-ols, and
      applied this technique to investigate the bioavailability of flavan-3-ols in
      biological samples and to measure flavan-3-ol content in food material and
      plants.

PMID- 28911634
TI  - Extraction and quantification of polyphenols from kinnow (Citrus reticulate L.)
      peel using ultrasound and maceration techniques.
AB  - An investigation was carried out to extract polyphenols from the peel of kinnow
      (Citrus reticulate L.) by maceration and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)
      techniques. The antioxidant potential of these polyphenols was evaluated using
      ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH),
      and superoxide radical scavenging assays; and their antimicrobial activity was
      assessed against bacterial strains Staphyloccoccus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and
      Salmonella typhimurium. The highest extraction yield was obtained through the
      solvent ethanol at 80% concentration level, whereas UAE was a more efficient
      technique and yielded comparatively higher polyphenol contents than maceration.
      Maximum polyphenols were extracted with 80% methanol [32.48 mg gallic acid
      equivalent (GAE)/g extract] using UAE, whereas minimum phenolics (8.64 mg GAE/g
      extract) were obtained with 80% ethyl acetate through the maceration technique.
      Elevated antioxidant activity of kinnow peel extracts was exhibited in three
      antioxidant assays, where 80% methanolic extracts showed the highest antioxidant
      activity (27.67+/-1.11mM/100 g for FRAP) and the highest scavenging activity,
      72.83+/-0.65% and 64.80+/-0.91% for DPPH and superoxide anion radical assays,
      respectively. Strong correlations between total polyphenols and antioxidant
      activity were recorded. Eleven phenolic compounds-including five phenolic acids
      and six flavonoids-were identified and quantified by high performance liquid
      chromatography. Ferulic acid and hesperidin were the most abundant compounds
      whereas caffeic acid was the least abundant phenolic compound in kinnow peel
      extracts. Maximum inhibition zone was recorded against S. aureus (16.00+/-0.58
      mm) whereas minimum inhibition zone was noted against S. typhimurium (9.00+/-1.16
      mm). It was concluded that kinnow mandarin peels, being a potential source of
      phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, may be used as
      an ingredient for the preparation of functional foods.

PMID- 28911635
TI  - Validation and assessment of matrix effect and uncertainty of a gas
      chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry method for pesticides in papaya and
      avocado samples.
AB  - In this paper a method of using the "quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and
      safe" (QuEChERS) extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry
      detection (GC-MS) was developed for the analysis of five frequently applied
      pesticides in papaya and avocado. The selected pesticides, ametryn, atrazine,
      carbaryl, carbofuran, and methyl parathion, represent the most commonly used
      classes (carbamates, organophosphorous, and triazines). Optimum separation
      achieved the analysis of all pesticides in < 6.5 minutes. Validation using papaya
      and avocado samples established the proposed method as linear, accurate, and
      precise. In this sense, the correlation coefficients were > 0.99. The limits of
      detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) in papaya ranged from 0.03 mg/kg to 0.35
      mg/kg and from 0.06 mg/kg to 0.75 mg/kg, respectively. Meanwhile for avocado, LOD
      values varied from 0.14 mg/kg to 0.28 mg/kg and LOQ values ranged from 0.22 mg/kg
      to 0.40 mg/kg. Recoveries obtained for each pesticide in both matrices ranged
      between 60.6% and 104.3%. The expanded uncertainty of the method was < 26% for
      all the pesticides in both fruits. Finally, the method was applied to other
      fruits.

PMID- 28911636
TI  - Novel electrochemical xanthine biosensor based on chitosan-polypyrrole-gold
      nanoparticles hybrid bio-nanocomposite platform.
AB  - The aim of this study was the electrochemical detection of the adenosine-3
      phosphate degradation product, xanthine, using a new xanthine biosensor based on
      a hybrid bio-nanocomposite platform which has been successfully employed in the
      evaluation of meat freshness. In the design of the amperometric xanthine
      biosensor, chitosan-polypyrrole-gold nanoparticles fabricated by an in situ
      chemical synthesis method on a glassy carbon electrode surface was used to
      enhance electron transfer and to provide good enzyme affinity. Electrochemical
      studies were carried out by the modified electrode with immobilized xanthine
      oxidase on it, after which the biosensor was tested to ascertain the optimization
      parameters. The Biosensor exhibited a very good linear range of 1-200 MUM, low
      detection limit of 0.25 MUM, average response time of 8 seconds, and was not
      prone to significant interference from uric acid, ascorbic acid, glucose, and
      sodium benzoate. The resulting bio-nanocomposite xanthine biosensor was tested
      with fish, beef, and chicken real-sample measurements.

PMID- 28911637
TI  - Safety of frozen liver for human consumption.
AB  - The objective of this study was to ensure and evaluate the safety of imported
      frozen beef liver traded in supermarkets of Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt,
      through detection of Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidies, Escherichia
      coli O157:H7, antibiotic residues, and aflatoxin B1 residue. Fifty samples of
      imported frozen liver were randomly collected from different shops at Kafr El
      Sheikh Governorate for isolation of S. typhimurium, S. enteritidies, and E. coli
      O157:H7. The results revealed that for both microorganisms 4% of the examined
      samples presumed to contain Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 organisms, according
      to the colonial character on Harlequin Salmonella ABC agar media and Harlequin
      SMAC-BCIG agar media. According to biochemical and serological identifications,
      both organisms could not be detected in the examined samples. A total of 29 (58%)
      samples were positive for antibiotic residues, using the Premi test (a broad
      spectrum screening test for the detection of antibiotic residues in meat) at or
      below the maximum residue limits. In addition, aflatoxin B1 was detected in one
      (2%) samples with a concentration of 1.1 MUg/kg. The results reflect that there
      was good hygiene practice for handling and preparation of frozen liver while
      selling to consumers. However, a high percentage of antibiotic residues reflect
      ignorance of withdrawal time before slaughtering of animals as well as misuse of
      antibiotics in veterinary fields. Furthermore, aflatoxin B1 residue was detected
      in examined frozen liver samples at a concentration below the maximum residual
      level, which is not enough to cause threat to humans, but it is enough to cause
      problem if it is eaten regularly reflect contamination of animal feed with
      aflatoxins.

PMID- 28911638
TI  - Assessment of antibacterial drug residues in milk for consumption in Kosovo.
AB  - The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of drug residues in the
      raw milk collected from individual farms and milk collection points during 2009
      2010 in six different major regions of Kosovo (Prishtine, Gjilan, Mitrovice,
      Peje, Gjakove, Prizren). In the present study, a total of 1734 raw milk samples
      were collected, and qualitatively screened with two different tests, the
      Delvotest SP assay and an enzyme-linked receptor-binding assay (SNAP). Overall,
      106 (6.11%) out of 1734 samples examined with Delvotest SP contained possible
      drug residues (5.12% and 7.51% of samples from 2009 and 2010, respectively). All
      suspect samples were further analyzed by three distinct enzyme-linked receptor
      binding assays specific for beta-lactams (new beta-lactam test), tetracyclines
      (SNAP tetracycline test), and sulfonamides (SNAP sulfamethazine test). Only the
      new SNAP beta-lactam test detected residues in 40 out of 52 samples in 2009 and
      54 out of 54 suspect samples in 2010. A confirmatory method based on liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to confirm the presence of beta
      lactam drug residues in samples detected by the enzyme-linked receptor-binding
      assay. Amoxicillin, penicillin G, and cloxacillin were the most frequently
      detected residues and were in a concentration range between 2.1 MUg/kg and 1973
      MUg/kg. Seventeen of the positive samples exceeded the maximum residue levels for
      one or more beta-lactam drug. The highest number of positive milk samples came
      from the Peje Region (58.8%) and Gjakove Region (23.5%), and the lowest number of
      positive samples originated from Gjilan (5.88%), with no positive samples
      detected in two regions, Mitrovice and Prizren.

PMID- 28911639
TI  - Designing primers and evaluation of the efficiency of propidium monoazide -
      Quantitative polymerase chain reaction for counting the viable cells of
      Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus salivarius.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of using propidium
      monoazide (PMA) real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to count
      the viable cells of Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus salivarius in
      probiotic products. Based on the internal transcription spacer and 23S rRNA
      genes, two primer sets specific for these two Lactobacillus species were
      designed. For a probiotic product, the total deMan Rogosa Sharpe plate count was
      8.65+/-0.69 log CFU/g, while for qPCR, the cell counts of L. gasseri and L.
      salivarius were 8.39+/-0.14 log CFU/g and 8.57+/-0.24 log CFU/g, respectively.
      Under the same conditions, for its heat-killed product, qPCR counts for L.
      gasseri and L. salivarius were 6.70+/-0.16 log cells/g and 7.67+/-0.20 log
      cells/g, while PMA-qPCR counts were 5.33+/-0.18 log cells/g and 5.05+/-0.23 log
      cells/g, respectively. For cell dilutions with a viable cell count of 8.5 log
      CFU/mL for L. gasseri and L. salivarius, after heat killing, the PMA-qPCR count
      for both Lactobacillus species was near 5.5 log cells/mL. When the PMA-qPCR
      counts of these cell dilutions were compared before and after heat killing,
      although some DNA might be lost during the heat killing, significant qPCR signals
      from dead cells, i.e., about 4-5 log cells/mL, could not be reduced by PMA
      treatment. Increasing PMA concentrations from 100 MUM to 200 MUM or light
      exposure time from 5 minutes to 15 minutes had no or, if any, only minor effect
      on the reduction of qPCR signals from their dead cells. Thus, to differentiate
      viable lactic acid bacterial cells from dead cells using the PMA-qPCR method, the
      efficiency of PMA to reduce the qPCR signals from dead cells should be notable.

PMID- 28911640
TI  - Long-term feeding of red algae (Gelidium amansii) ameliorates glucose and lipid
      metabolism in a high fructose diet-impaired glucose tolerance rat model.
AB  - This study was designed to investigate the effect of Gelidium amansii (GA) on
      carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in rats with high fructose (HF) diet (57.1%
      w/w). Five-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a HF diet to induce glucose
      intolerance and hyperlipidemia. The experiment was divided into three groups: (1)
      control diet group (Con); (2) HF diet group (HF); and (3) HF with GA diet group
      (HF + 5% GA). The rats were fed the experimental diets and drinking water ad
      libitum for 23 weeks. The results showed that GA significantly decreased
      retroperitoneal fat mass weight of HF diet-fed rats. Supplementation of GA caused
      a decrease in plasma glucose, insulin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and leptin.
      HF diet increased hepatic lipid content. However, intake of GA reduced the
      accumulation of hepatic lipids including total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride
      contents. GA elevated the excretion of fecal lipids and bile acid in HF diet-fed
      rats. Furthermore, GA significantly decreased plasma TC, triglyceride, low
      density lipoprotein plus very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and TC/high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in HF diet-fed rats. HF diet induced an in
      plasma glucose and an impaired glucose tolerance, but GA supplementation
      decreased homeostasis model assessment equation-insulin resistance and improved
      impairment of glucose tolerance. Taken together, these results indicate that
      supplementation of GA can improve the impairment of glucose and lipid metabolism
      in an HF diet-fed rat model.

PMID- 28911641
TI  - Evaluation of the prebiotic effects of citrus pectin hydrolysate.
AB  - Citrus pectin enzyme hydrolysate (PEH) of different hydrolysis time intervals (6
      hours, PEH-6; 12 hours, PEH-12; 24 hours, PEH-24; or 48 hours, PEH-48) or
      concentrations (1%, 2%, and 4%) was tested for its growth stimulation effect on
      two probiotics, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Higher
      monosaccharide concentrations and smaller molecular weights of PEHs were obtained
      by prolonging the hydrolysis time. In addition, higher PEH concentrations
      resulted in significantly higher (p < 0.05) probiotic populations, pH reduction,
      and increase in total titratable acidity than the glucose-free MRS negative
      control. Furthermore, significantly higher populations in the low pH environment
      and longer survival time in nonfat milk (p < 0.05) were observed when the two
      probiotics were incubated in media supplemented with 2% PEH-24, than in glucose
      and the negative control. In comparison with other prebiotics, addition of 2% PEH
      24 resulted in a more significant increase in the probiotic population (p < 0.05)
      than in the commercial prebiotics. This study demonstrated that PEH derived from
      citrus pectin could be an effective prebiotic to enhance the growth,
      fermentation, acid tolerance, and survival in nonfat milk for the tested
      probiotics.

PMID- 28911642
TI  - Lactobacillus pentosus GMNL-77 inhibits skin lesions in imiquimod-induced
      psoriasis-like mice.
AB  - Psoriasis, which is regarded as a T-cell-mediated chronic inflammatory skin
      disease, is characterized by hyperproliferation and poor differentiation of
      epidermal keratinocytes. In this study, we aimed to determine the in vivo effect
      of a potentially probiotic strain, Lactobacillus pentosus GMNL-77, in imiquimod
      induced epidermal hyperplasia and psoriasis-like skin inflammation in BALB/c
      mice. Oral administration of L. pentosus GMNL-77 significantly decreased
      erythematous scaling lesions. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that
      treatment with L. pentosus GMNL-77 significantly decreased the mRNA levels of
      proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin
      (IL)-6, and the IL-23/IL-17A axis-associated cytokines (IL-23, IL-17A/F, and IL
      22) in the skin of imiquimod-treated mice. In addition, we found that L. pentosus
      GMNL-77 decreased the spleen weights of the imiquimod-treated group and reduced
      the numbers of IL-17- and IL-22-producing CD4+ T cells in the spleen. In
      conclusion, the present study provides insight into the potential use of L.
      pentosus GMNL-77 in the future treatment of psoriasis.

PMID- 28911643
TI  - Cytotoxic and antioxidant capacity of camel milk peptides: Effects of isolated
      peptide on superoxide dismutase and catalase gene expression.
AB  - Peptides from natural sources such as milk are shown to have a wide spectrum of
      biological activities. In this study, three peptides with antioxidant capacity
      were identified from camel milk protein hydrolysate. Pepsin and pancreatin were
      used for hydrolysis of milk proteins. Ultrafiltration and reverse-phase high
      performance liquid chromatography were used for the concentration and
      purification of the hydrolysate, respectively. Sequences of the three peptides,
      which were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of
      flight spectrophotometry, were LEEQQQTEDEQQDQL [molecular weight (MW): 1860.85
      Da, LL-15], YLEELHRLNAGY (MW: 1477.63 Da, YY-11), and RGLHPVPQ (MW: 903.04 Da, RQ
      8). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthia-zol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was
      used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of these chemically synthesized peptides
      against HepG2 cells. In vitro analysis showed antioxidant properties and radical
      scavenging activities of these peptides on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'
      azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)+, O2-, and OH- free radicals.
      HepG2 cells were treated with YY-11 peptide for 48 hours, and the expression of
      superoxide dismutase and catalase genes was examined using real-time polymerase
      chain reaction. The results revealed a significant increase in the expression of
      superoxide dismutase and catalase genes in treated HepG2 cells.

PMID- 28911644
TI  - Nephroprotective effect of Paeonia emodi via inhibition of advanced glycation end
      products and oxidative stress in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic
      nephropathy.
AB  - The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of alcohol (PA) and hydroalcohol
      (PHA) extract of Paeonia emodi Royale roots in treatment of streptozotocin
      nicotinamide induced diabetic nephropathy. Diabetes mellitus was induced in male
      Wistar rats by streptozotocin (65 mg/kg intraperitoneally) 15 minutes after
      nicotinamide (230 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) administration and diabetic
      nephropathy was assessed by measuring serum glucose, renal parameters (urea, uric
      acid, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen level) and lipid profile. The rats were
      treated with different doses of extracts (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg)
      for 45 days. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring tissue antioxidant
      enzymes level along with the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs)
      in kidney. PA and PHA (400 mg/kg) produced significant attenuation in the serum
      glucose level (165.08 +/- 3.353 mg/dL and 154.27 +/- 2.209 mg/dL, respectively)
      as compared to control. Elevated renal parameters, lipid levels, tissue
      antioxidant enzymes and AGE formation were also restored in a dose-dependent
      manner. These findings suggest that by amelioration of oxidative stress and
      formation of AGEs, PA and PHA significantly inhibited the progression diabetic
      nephropathy in rats.

PMID- 28911645
TI  - Antibiofilm activity of cashew juice pulp against Staphylococcus aureus, high
      performance liquid chromatography/diode array detection and gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry analyses, and interference on antimicrobial drugs.
AB  - The epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus infections has evolved in recent years,
      as this species is a major Gram-positive pathogen associated with healthcare
      services. The antimicrobial resistance of this species raises an urgent need for
      new treatment strategies. Fruits play important nutritional and economic roles in
      society, but their biological and pharmacological features are poorly explored
      when compared to nonedible parts of plants such as barks and leaves. In this
      study, we show that the cashew apple juice [cashew juice pulp (CJP)] extract is
      active against the planktonic cells of S. aureus strains, and for the first time,
      we show that CJP is also active against S. aureus biofilms. High performance
      liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses were
      conducted to prospect for polyphenols and free carbohydrates, respectively.
      Cashew apple juice, which is rich in nutrients, is widely consumed in Brazil;
      therefore, the quality attributes of CJPs were investigated. Samples were
      evaluated for pH, total titratable acidity, vitamin C levels, and total soluble
      solids. We also detected an antagonistic interference of CJP when it was combined
      with different antimicrobial drugs.

PMID- 28911646
TI  - Evaluating the urate-lowering effects of different microbial fermented extracts
      in hyperuricemic models accompanied with a safety study.
AB  - Uric acid (UA) is an end product of purine metabolism by the enzyme xanthine
      oxidase (XOD). Hyperuricemia is characterized by the accumulation of serum UA and
      is an important risk factor for gout and many chronic disorders. XOD inhibitors
      or uricase (catalyzes UA to the more soluble end product) can prevent these
      chronic diseases. However, currently available hypouricemic agents induce severe
      side effects. Therefore, we developed new microbial fermented extracts (MFEs)
      with substantial XOD inhibition activity from Lactobacillus (MFE-21) and
      Acetobacter (MFE-25), and MFE-120 with high uricase activity from Aspergillus.
      The urate-lowering effects and safety of these MFEs were evaluated. Our results
      showed that MFE-25 exerts superior urate-lowering effects in the therapeutic
      model. In the preventive model, both MFE-120 and MFE-25 significantly reduced UA.
      The results of the safety study showed that no organ toxicity and no treatment
      related adverse effects were observed in mice treated with high doses of MFEs.
      Taken together, the results showed the effectiveness of MFEs in reducing
      hyperuricemia without systemic toxicity in mice at high doses, suggesting that
      they are safe for use in the treatment and prevention of hyperuricemia.

PMID- 28911647
TI  - Characterization and hepatoprotective activity of anthocyanins from purple sweet
      potato (Ipomoea batatas L. cultivar Eshu No. 8).
AB  - The hepatoprotective activity of anthocyanin-rich purple sweet potato extract
      (APSPE) was demonstrated. Sixty mice were randomly divided into six groups:
      control group [without carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or APSPE]; model group (with
      CCl4 only); positive control group (50 mg/kg body weight silymarin); low-dose
      group (100 mg/kg body weight APSPE); medium-dose group (200 mg/kg body weight
      APSPE); and high-dose group (400 mg/kg body weight APSPE). After 10 days
      intragastric administration of the respective supplements, the mice in all groups
      except control were injected intraperitoneally with CCl4 (0.15% in arachis oil,
      10 mL/kg body weight, intravenous). Twelve hours after CCl4 injection, the mice
      were measured in terms of liver index, levels of aspartate aminotransferase and
      alanine aminotransferase in serum, as well as glutathione, superoxide dismutase,
      and malondialdehyde in liver homogenate. Additionally, the livers of mice were
      stained with hematoxylin and eosin and sectioned for observation. Nineteen purple
      sweet potato anthocyanins were identified from the purple sweet potato cultivar
      Eshu No. 8 and analyzed by liquid chromatography- electrospray ionization-tandem
      mass spectrometry. Peonidin 3-coumaryl-p-hydroxybenzoyl sophoroside-5-glucoside
      was first identified in purple sweet potato. The results showed that anthocyanins
      in Eshu No. 8 had good hepatoprotective activity.

PMID- 28911648
TI  - Induction of G2/M arrest and apoptosis through mitochondria pathway by a dimer
      sesquiterpene lactone from Smallanthus sonchifolius in HeLa cells.
AB  - Dimer sesquiterpene lactones (SLs), uvedafolin and enhydrofolin, against four
      monomer SLs isolated from yacon, Smallanthus sonchifolius, leaf were the most
      cytotoxic substances on HeLa cells (IC50 values 2.96-3.17 MUM at 24 hours).
      However, the cytotoxic mechanism of dimer SL has not been elucidated yet.
      Therefore, in this study, we clarified the in vitro cytotoxic mechanism of
      uvedafolin on the HeLa cells, and evaluated the cytotoxicity against NIH/3T3
      cells which were used as normal cells. In consequence, the dimer SLs had low
      toxicity for the NIH/3T3 cells (IC50 4.81-4.98 MUM at 24 hours) and then the
      uvedafolin mediated cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis on
      the HeLa cells evidenced by appearance of a subG1 peak. Uvedafolin induced
      apoptosis was attributed to caspase-9 and caspase-3/7 activities. An effectively
      induced apoptosis pathway was demonstrated from mitochondria membrane potential
      change and cytochrome c release to cytosol. These results reveal that uvedafolin
      induced apoptosis via the mitochondria pathway. The present results indicate the
      potential of uvedafolin as a leading compound of new anticancer agents.

PMID- 28911649
TI  - Long-chain bases from sea cucumber mitigate endoplasmic reticulum stress and
      inflammation in obesity mice.
AB  - Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammation can induce hyperglycemia. Long
      chain bases (LCBs) from sea cucumber exhibit antihyperglycemic activities.
      However, their effects on ER stress and inflammation are unknown. We investigated
      the effects of LCBs on ER stress and inflammatory response in high-fat, fructose
      diet-induced obesity mice. Reactive oxygen species and free fatty acids were
      measured. Inflammatory cytokines in serum and their mRNA expressions in
      epididymal adipose tissues were investigated. Hepatic ER stress-related key genes
      were detected. c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and nuclear factor kappaB inflammatory
      pathways were also evaluated in the liver. Results showed that LCBs reduced serum
      and hepatic reactive oxygen species and free fatty acids concentrations. LCBs
      decreased serum proinflammatory cytokines levels, namely interleukin (IL)-1beta,
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-6, macrophage inflammatory protein 1, and c
      reactive protein, and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 concentration.
      The mRNA and protein expressions of these cytokines in epididymal adipose tissues
      were regulated by LCBs as similar to their circulatory contents. LCBs inhibited
      phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and inhibitor kappa kinase beta, and
      nuclear factor kappaB nuclear translocation. LCBs also inhibited mRNA expression
      of ER stress markers glucose regulated protein, activating transcription factor
      6, double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum
      kinase, and X-box binding protein 1, and phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation
      factor-alpha and inositol requiring enzyme 1alpha. These results indicate that
      LCBs can alleviate ER stress and inflammatory response. Nutritional
      supplementation with LCBs may offer an adjunctive therapy for RE stress
      associated inflammation.

PMID- 28911650
TI  - Time course effects of fermentation on fatty acid and volatile compound profiles
      of Cheonggukjang using new soybean cultivars.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the effects of the potential probiotic Bacillus
      subtilis CSY191 on the fatty acid profiles of Cheonggukjang, a fermented soybean
      paste, prepared using new Korean brown soybean cultivars, protein-rich cultivar
      (Saedanbaek), and oil-rich cultivar (Neulchan). Twelve fatty acids were
      identified in the sample set-myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic,
      vaccenic, linoleic, alpha-linolenic, arachidic, gondoic, behenic, and lignoceric
      acids-yet, no specific changes driven by fermentation were noted in the fatty
      acid profiles. To further explore the effects of fermentation of B. subtilis
      CSY191, complete profiles of volatiles were monitored. In total, 121, 136, and
      127 volatile compounds were detected in the Saedanbaek, Daewon (control
      cultivar), and Neulchan samples, respectively. Interestingly, the content of
      pyrazines-compounds responsible for pungent and unpleasant Cheonggukjang flavors
      was significantly higher in Neulchan compared to that in Saedanbaek. Although the
      fermentation period was not a strong factor affecting the observed changes in
      fatty acid profiles, we noted that profiles of volatiles in Cheonggukjang changed
      significantly over time, and different cultivars represented specific volatile
      profiles. Thus, further sensory evaluation might be needed to determine if such
      differences influence consumers' preferences. Furthermore, additional studies to
      elucidate the associations between B. subtilis CSY191 fermentation and other
      nutritional components (e.g., amino acids) and their health-promoting potential
      are warranted.

PMID- 28911651
TI  - Microencapsulation of fish oil using supercritical antisolvent process.
AB  - In order to improve the encapsulation process, a newly supercritical antisolvent
      process was developed to encapsulate fish oil using hydroxypropyl methyl
      cellulose as a polymer. Three factors, namely, temperature, pressure, and feed
      emulsion rate were optimized using response surface methodology. The suitability
      of the model for predicting the optimum response value was evaluated at the
      conditions of temperature at 60 degrees C, pressure at 150 bar, and feed rate at
      1.36 mL/min. At the optimum conditions, particle size of 58.35 MUm was obtained.
      The surface morphology of the micronized fish oil was also evaluated using field
      emission scanning electron microscopy where it showed that particles formed
      spherical structures with no internal voids. Moreover, in vitro release of oil
      showed that there are significant differences of release percentage of oil
      between the formulations and the results proved that there was a significant
      decrease in the in vitro release of oil from the powder when the polymer
      concentration was high.

PMID- 28911652
TI  - Microbiological, histological, and biochemical evidence for the adverse effects
      of food azo dyes on rats.
AB  - In this study, 120 lactic acid bacterial strains from different fermented dairy
      products as well as 10 bacterial intestinal isolates were evaluated for in vitro
      and in vivo degradation of various food azo dyes. Of these isolates, lactic acid
      bacteria (LAB) strains 13 and 100 and the intestinal isolates Ent2 and Eco5
      exhibited 96-98% degradation of the tested food azo dyes within 5-6 hours. High
      performance liquid chromatography mass spectra of sunset yellow (E110) and
      carmoisine (E122) anaerobic degradation products by the intestinal isolates
      showed that they were structurally related to toxic aromatic amines. For an in
      vivo study, eight groups of rats were treated for 90 days with either the food
      azo dyes or their degradation products. All groups were kept for a further 30
      days as recovery period and then dissected at 120 days. Hematological,
      histopathological, and protein markers were assessed. Rats treated with either
      E110/E122 or their degradation products exhibited highly significant changes in
      red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean
      corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and white
      blood cell count. In addition, alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, amylase,
      total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glucose, total protein, and
      globulins were significantly increased. Furthermore, marked histopathological
      alterations in the liver, kidney, spleen, and small intestine were observed.
      Significant decreases in inflammation and a noticeable improvement in the liver,
      kidney, spleen, and small intestine of rats treated with LAB and food azo dyes
      simultaneously were observed. Finally, these results provide a reliable basis for
      not only a better understanding of the histological and biochemical effects of
      food additives, but also for early diagnostics. In addition, LAB strains 13 and
      100 may play an important role as potential probiotics in food and dairy
      technology as a probiotic lactic acid starter.

PMID- 28911653
TI  - Assessment of rosehips based on the content of their biologically active
      compounds.
AB  - In this study, an in-depth analysis of the unique set of rosehip samples from 71
      Rosa genotypes was conducted with the aim to identify the most suitable ones for
      applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries based on the content of
      biologically active compounds. In the first part of our experiments, the
      antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay and
      the genotypes with the highest values were selected for the follow-up analysis.
      In the second part of experiments, the major classes of biologically active
      compounds in rosehips such as carotenoids, tocopherols, flavonoids, and
      triterpenoic acids were further quantified using liquid chromatography-based
      techniques. Large variation was observed among all the analyzed compounds with
      intraspecific variation often hiding interspecific or intersectional differences.
      The compounds studied herein thus do not provide a sharp tool for chemotaxonomic
      resolution of the genus Rosa. High intraspecific variation indicates the
      necessity to screen and utilize individual rose genotypes rather than
      representatives of the species when searching for sources of biologically active
      compounds. In the final stage of the study, 10 genotypes were selected for
      further cultivation and use, based on the highest concentrations of the analyzed
      biologically active compounds.

PMID- 28911654
TI  - Extraction optimization of gallic acid, (+)-catechin, procyanidin-B2, (-)
      epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, and (-)-epicatechin gallate: their
      simultaneous identification and quantification in Saraca asoca.
AB  - The objective of the present investigation was to optimize extraction conditions
      for maximum recovery of bioactive phenolics from different parts of Saraca asoca.
      Extraction recovery was optimized using a mixture of methanol and water in
      different proportions. For identification and quantification of six analytes, a
      rapid reversed phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) photo diode
      array detection method was developed. UPLC separation was achieved in a gradient
      elution mode on a C18 column with acetonitrile and aqueous phosphoric acid (0.1%,
      pH = 2.5). Extraction solvent for maximum recovery of analytes varied depending
      on the nature of matrices. The developed UPLC method was validated in accordance
      with International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. Wide linearity
      range, sensitivity, accuracy, short retention time, and simple mobile phase
      composition implied that the method could be suitable for routine analysis of all
      six analytes with high precision and accuracy. The uniqueness of this study is
      the determination of the distribution of these compounds in the various parts of
      S. asoca.

PMID- 28911655
TI  - Therapeutic effects of D-aspartate in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model of multiple
      sclerosis. EAE is mainly mediated by adaptive and innate immune responses that
      leads to an inflammatory demyelization and axonal damage. The aim of the present
      research was to examine the therapeutic efficacy of D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) on a
      mouse EAE model. EAE induction was performed in female C57BL/6 mice by myelin 40
      oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (35-55) in a complete Freund's adjuvant emulsion,
      and D-Asp was used to test its efficiency in the reduction of EAE. During the
      course of study, clinical evaluation was assessed, and on Day 21, post
      immunization blood samples were taken from the heart of mice for the evaluation
      of interleukin 6 and other chemical molecules. The mice were sacrificed, and
      their brain and cerebellum were removed for histological analysis. Our findings
      indicated that D-Asp had beneficial effects on EAE by attenuation in the severity
      and delay in the onset of the disease. Histological analysis showed that
      treatment with D-Asp can reduce inflammation. Moreover, in D-Asp-treated mice,
      the serum level of interleukin 6 was significantly lower than that in control
      animals, whereas the total antioxidant capacity was significantly higher. The
      data indicates that D-Asp possess neuroprotective property to prevent the onset
      of the multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28911656
TI  - Physicochemical analysis and nonisothermal kinetic study of sertraline-lactose
      binary mixtures.
AB  - In the present study the physicochemical stability of sertraline with lactose was
      evaluated in drug-excipient binary mixtures. Different physicochemical methods
      such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared
      spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry were applied to confirm the incompatibility.
      The final aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetic parameters using a fast
      and sensitive DSC method. Solid-state kinetic parameters were derived from
      nonisothermally stressed physical mixtures using different thermal models such as
      Friedman, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose. Overall, the
      instability of sertraline with lactose was successfully evaluated. Further
      confirmation was made by tracking the Maillard reaction product of sertraline and
      lactose by mass spectrometry. DSC scans provided important information about the
      stability of sertraline in solid-state condition and also revealed the related
      thermokinetic parameters in order to understand the nature of the chemical
      instability.

PMID- 28911657
TI  - Convenient UV-spectrophotometric determination of citrates in aqueous solutions
      with applications in the pharmaceutical analysis of oral electrolyte
      formulations.
AB  - Herein, we present a convenient method for quantitative spectrophotometric
      determination of citrate ions in aqueous solutions in the middle-UV range. It
      involves measuring the absorbance of citric acid at 209 nm under suppressed
      dissociation at pH < 1.0 in the presence of hydrochloric acid. Validation of the
      method was performed according to the guidelines of the International Conference
      on Harmonization. A very good linear dependence of the absorbance on
      concentration (r2 = 0.9999) was obtained in a citrate concentration range of 0.5
      5.0 mmol/L. This method is characterized by excellent precision and accuracy; the
      coefficient of variation in each case is below the maximal permissible value
      (%RSD < 2). The proposed analytical procedure has been successfully applied to
      the determination of citrates in oral electrolyte formulations.

PMID- 28911658
TI  - Identification of an exposure risk to heavy metals from pharmaceutical-grade
      rubber stoppers.
AB  - Exposure to low concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids represents a well
      documented risk to animal and human health. However, current standards (European
      Pharmacopeia [EP], United States Pharmacopoeia [USP], International Organization
      for Standardization [ISO], YBB concerned with rubber closures) only require
      testing for Zn in pharmaceutical-grade rubber stoppers and then using only pure
      water as a solvent. We extracted and quantified heavy metals and trace elements
      from pharmaceutical-grade rubber stoppers under conditions that might occur
      during the preparation of drugs. Pure water, saline, 10% glucose, 3% acetic acid
      (w/v), 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid, and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (4
      mg/mL, 0.4 mg/mL, and 0.04 mg/mL) were used as extraction agents. We quantified
      the extracted arsenic, lead, antimony, iron, magnesium, aluminum, and zinc using
      inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentration of extracted
      metals varied depending on the different extraction solutions used and between
      the different rubber stopper manufacturers. Rubber stoppers are ubiquitously used
      in the pharmaceutical industry for the storage and preparation of drugs.
      Extraction of heavy metals during the manufacturing and preparation of drugs
      represents a significant risk, suggesting a need for industry standards to focus
      on heavy metal migration from rubber stoppers.

PMID- 28911659
TI  - The detoxifying effects of structural elements of persimmon tannin on Chinese
      cobra phospholipase A2 correlated with their structural disturbing effects well.
AB  - The effects of persimmon tannin (PT) characteristic structural elements on Naja
      atra phospholipase A2 (PLA2)-induced lethality, myotoxicity, and hemolysis in
      mice models were determined. In addition, methods including surface plasmon
      resonance, dynamic light scattering, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      were explored to uncover the possible detoxifying mechanisms of PT on snake venom
      PLA2. Our results revealed that PT characteristic elements (EGCG, ECG, A-type
      EGCG dimer, and A-type ECG dimer) could neutralize the lethality, myotoxicity,
      and hemolysis of PLA2. Moreover, the detoxifying effects of the four structural
      elements correlated with their structural disturbing effects well. Our results
      proved that A-type EGCG dimer and A-type ECG dimer may be structural requirements
      for the detoxifying effects of PT. We propose that the high affinity of A-type
      EGCG dimer and A-type ECG dimer for PLA2 and the considerable spatial structural
      disturbance of PLA2 induced by the dimers may be responsible for their
      antilethality, antimyotoxicity, and antihemolysis on Chinese cobra PLA2in vivo.

PMID- 28911660
TI  - An ecofriendly green liquid chromatographic method for simultaneous determination
      of nicotinamide and clindamycin phosphate in pharmaceutical gel for acne
      treatment.
AB  - A new green micellar liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated
      for the quantitative estimation of nicotinamide (NICO) and clindamycin phosphate
      (CLD) in bulk and pharmaceutical gel formulation. The analytes are well resolved
      in less than 6.0 minutes using micellar mobile phase consisting of 0.10M sodium
      dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 0.3% triethylamine, and 10% 2-propanol in 0.02M
      orthophosphoric acid at pH 3.0, running through an Eclipse XDB-C8 column (150
      mm*4.6 mm, 5 MUm particle size) with flow rate 1.0 mL/min. The effluent was
      monitored with diode array detection at 210 nm. The retention times of NICO and
      CLD were 3.8 minutes and 5.6 minutes, respectively. The method was validated
      according to the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines in
      terms of linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, accuracy,
      precision, robustness, and specificity to prove its reliability. Linear
      correlation was achieved by plotting the peak area of each drug against its
      concentration. It was found to be rectilinear in the ranges of 1.0-40.0 MUg/mL
      and 0.5-15.0 MUg/mL with limits of detection of 0.06 MUg/mL and 0.03 MUg/mL and
      limits of quantification of 0.19 MUg/mL and 0.09 MUg/mL for NICO and CLD,
      respectively. The method was successfully implemented for the simultaneous
      determination of the analytes in their bulk powder and combined gel formulation
      with high % recoveries. The ease of sample treatment facilitates and greatly
      expedites the treatment with reduced cost and improved accuracy of the procedure.

PMID- 28911661
TI  - Corrigendum to "Biopharmaceutical potentials of Prosopis spp. (Mimosaceae,
      Leguminosa)" [J Food Drug Anal 25 (2017) 187-196].

PMID- 28911662
TI  - Pharmacokinetic interactions of herbal medicines for the treatment of chronic
      hepatitis.
AB  - Chronic liver disease is a serious global health problem, and an increasing
      number of patients are seeking alternative medicines or complementary treatment.
      Herbal medicines account for 16.8% of patients with chronic liver disease who use
      complementary and alternative therapies. A survey of the National Health
      Insurance Research Database in Taiwan reported that Long-Dan-Xie-Gan-Tang, Jia
      Wei-Xia-Yao-San, and Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang (Sho-saiko-to) were the most frequent
      formula prescriptions for chronic hepatitis used by traditional Chinese medicine
      physicians. Bioanalytical methods of herbal medicines for the treatment of
      chronic hepatitis were developed to investigate pharmacokinetics properties, but
      multicomponent herbal formulas have been seldom discussed. The pharmacokinetics
      of herbal formulas is closely related to efficacy, efficiency, and patient safety
      of traditional herbal medicines. Potential herbal formula-drug interactions are
      another essential issue during herbal formula administration in chronic hepatitis
      patients. In a survey with the PubMed database, this review article evaluates the
      existing evidence-based data associated with the documented pharmacokinetics
      profiles and potential herbal-drug interactions of herbal formulas for the
      treatment of chronic hepatitis. In addition, the existing pharmacokinetic
      profiles were further linked with clinical practice to provide insight for the
      safety and specific use of traditional herbal medicines.

PMID- 28911663
TI  - Recent advances in oral delivery of drugs and bioactive natural products using
      solid lipid nanoparticles as the carriers.
AB  - Chemical and enzymatic barriers in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract hamper the
      oral delivery of many labile drugs. The GI epithelium also contributes to poor
      permeability for numerous drugs. Drugs with poor aqueous solubility have
      difficulty dissolving in the GI tract, resulting in low bioavailability.
      Nanomedicine provides an opportunity to improve the delivery efficiency of orally
      administered drugs. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are categorized as a new
      generation of lipid nanoparticles consisting of a complete solid lipid matrix.
      SLNs used for oral administration offer several benefits over conventional
      formulations, including increased solubility, enhanced stability, improved
      epithelium permeability and bioavailability, prolonged half-life, tissue
      targeting, and minimal side effects. The nontoxic excipients and sophisticated
      material engineering of SLNs tailor the controllable physicochemical properties
      of the nanoparticles for GI penetration via mucosal or lymphatic transport. In
      this review, we highlight the recent progress in the development of SLNs for
      disease treatment. Recent application of oral SLNs includes therapies for
      cancers, central nervous system-related disorders, cardiovascular-related
      diseases, infection, diabetes, and osteoporosis. In addition to drugs that may be
      active cargos in SLNs, some natural compounds with pharmacological activity are
      also suitable for SLN encapsulation to enhance oral bioavailability. In this
      article, we systematically introduce the concepts and amelioration mechanisms of
      the nanomedical techniques for drug- and natural compound-loaded SLNs.

PMID- 28911664
TI  - Smog induces oxidative stress and microbiota disruption.
AB  - Smog is created through the interactions between pollutants in the air, fog, and
      sunlight. Air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, heavy metals, nitrogen oxides,
      ozone, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic vapors, and particulate matters, can
      induce oxidative stress in human directly or indirectly through the formation of
      reactive oxygen species. The outermost boundary of human skin and mucous layers
      are covered by a complex network of human-associated microbes. The relation
      between these microbial communities and their human host are mostly mutualistic.
      These microbes not only provide nutrients, vitamins, and protection against other
      pathogens, they also influence human's physical, immunological, nutritional, and
      mental developments. Elements in smog can induce oxidative stress to these
      microbes, leading to community collapse. Disruption of these mutualistic
      microbiota may introduce unexpected health risks, especially among the newborns
      and young children. Besides reducing the burning of fossil fuels as the ultimate
      solution of smog formation, advanced methods by using various physical, chemical,
      and biological means to reduce sulfur and nitrogen contains in fossil fuels could
      lower smog formation. Additionally, information on microbiota disruption, based
      on functional genomics, culturomics, and general ecological principles, should be
      included in the risk assessment of prolonged smog exposure to the health of human
      populations.

PMID- 28911665
TI  - Nanostructures: Current uses and future applications in food science.
AB  - Recent developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology intend novel and innovative
      applications in the food sector, which is rather recent compared with their use
      in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Nanostructured materials are
      having applications in various sectors of the food science comprising
      nanosensors, new packaging materials, and encapsulated food components.
      Nanostructured systems in food include polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes,
      nanoemulsions, and microemulsions. These materials enhance solubility, improve
      bioavailability, facilitate controlled release, and protect bioactive components
      during manufacture and storage. This review highlights the applications of
      nanostructured materials for their antimicrobial activity and possible mechanism
      of action against bacteria, including reactive oxygen species, membrane damage,
      and release of metal ions. In addition, an overview of nanostructured materials,
      and their current applications and future perspectives in food science are also
      presented.

PMID- 28911666
TI  - Fast and simple method for semiquantitative determination of calcium propionate
      in bread samples.
AB  - Calcium propionate has been widely used as a preservative in bakery and in bread.
      It is sometimes not carefully used, or a high concentration is added to preserve
      products. High consumption of calcium propionate can lead to several health
      problems. This study aims to develop a fast and simple semiquantitative method
      based on color complex formation for the determination of calcium propionate in a
      bread sample. A red-brown complex was obtained from the reaction of ferric
      ammonium sulfate and propionate anion. The product was rapidly formed and easily
      observed with the concentration of propionate anion >0.4 mg/mL. A high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was also developed and validated
      for comparison. Twenty-two bread samples from three markets near Bangkok were
      randomly selected and assayed for calcium propionate using the above two
      developed methods. The results showed that 19/22 samples contained calcium
      propionate >2000 mg/kg. The results of the complex formation method agreed with
      the HPLC method.

PMID- 28911667
TI  - DNA barcode and identification of the varieties and provenances of Taiwan's
      domestic and imported made teas using ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2
      sequences.
AB  - The major aim of made tea identification is to identify the variety and
      provenance of the tea plant. The present experiment used 113 tea plants [Camellia
      sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation,
      from which 113 internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) fragments, 104 trnL intron,
      and 98 trnL-trnF intergenic sequence region DNA sequences were successfully
      sequenced. The similarity of the ITS2 nucleotide sequences between tea plants
      housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation was 0.379-0.994. In this
      polymerase chain reaction-amplified noncoding region, no varieties possessed
      identical sequences. Compared with the trnL intron and trnL-trnF intergenic
      sequence fragments of chloroplast cpDNA, the proportion of ITS2 nucleotide
      sequence variation was large and is more suitable for establishing a DNA barcode
      database to identify tea plant varieties. After establishing the database, 30
      imported teas and 35 domestic made teas were used in this model system to explore
      the feasibility of using ITS2 sequences to identify the varieties and provenances
      of made teas. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using ITS2 sequences with the
      unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, which indicated that the same
      variety of tea plant is likely to be successfully categorized into one cluster,
      but contamination from other tea plants was also detected. This result provides
      molecular evidence that the similarity between important tea varieties in Taiwan
      remains high. We suggest a direct, wide collection of made tea and original
      samples of tea plants to establish an ITS2 sequence molecular barcode
      identification database to identify the varieties and provenances of tea plants.
      The DNA barcode comparison method can satisfy the need for a rapid, low-cost,
      frontline differentiation of the large amount of made teas from Taiwan and
      abroad, and can provide molecular evidence of their varieties and provenances.

PMID- 28911668
TI  - Determination of multiresidue analysis of beta-agonists in muscle and viscera
      using liquid chromatograph/tandem mass spectrometry with Quick, Easy, Cheap,
      Effective, Rugged, and Safe methodologies.
AB  - The official analytical method of the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration,
      Ministry of Health and Welfare for testing for veterinary drug residues in foods
      is the multiresidue analysis of beta-agonists. Samples are pretreated through
      liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction. This method is time
      consuming and requires the intensive use of solvents. To improve analytical
      efficiency and reduce costs, our study incorporated QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap,
      Effective, Rugged, and Safe) techniques to establish a new method of multiresidue
      analysis of beta-agonists in animal muscle and viscera. The pretreatment time was
      shortened and solvent usage was minimized. The modified analysis was conducted
      using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and
      quantification was performed using multiple reaction monitoring. The results
      demonstrated that the correlation coefficients of the tissue calibration curve
      were higher than 0.99 and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 1 ppb. The
      average recoveries in spiked samples varied from 70% to 120%, and the relative
      difference between duplicated analysis results was lower than 10%. On the basis
      of the results, the proposed method was concluded to be an appropriate procedure
      for determining the presence of beta-agonists, and demonstrated the advantages of
      high recovery rates in spiked samples, high precision, reduced analysis time and
      solvent usage, and lower costs.

PMID- 28911669
TI  - Simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and caffeine in commercial soft
      drinks using reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography.
AB  - A new reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography method with a
      photodiode array detector was developed for the quantification of ascorbic acid
      (AA) and caffeine (CAF) in 11 different commercial drinks consisting of one
      energy drink and 10 ice tea drinks. Separation of the analyzed AA and CAF with an
      internal standard, caffeic acid, was performed on a Waters BEH C18 column (100 mm
      * 2.1 mm, 1.7 MUm i.d.), using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.2M
      H3PO4 (11:89, v/v) with a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min and an injection volume of 1.0
      MUL. Calibration graphs for AA and CAF were computed from the peak area ratio of
      AA/internal standard and CAF/internal standard detected at 244.0 nm and 273.6 nm,
      respectively. The developed reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography
      method was validated by analyzing standard addition samples. The proposed
      reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography method gave us successful
      results for the quantitative analysis of commercial drinks containing AA and CAF
      substances.

PMID- 28911670
TI  - Voltammetric sensor for tartrazine determination in soft drinks using poly (p
      aminobenzenesulfonic acid)/zinc oxide nanoparticles in carbon paste electrode.
AB  - Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and p-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (p-ABSA) were
      used to fabricate a modified electrode, as a highly sensitive and selective
      voltammetric sensor, for the determination of tartrazine. A fast and easy method
      for the fabrication of poly p-ABSA (Pp-ABSA)/ZnO NPs-carbon paste electrode (Pp
      ABSA/ZnO NPs-CPE) by cyclic voltammetry was used. By combining the benefits of Pp
      ABSA, ZnO NPs, and CPE, the resulted modified electrode exhibited outstanding
      electrocatalytic activity in terms of tartrazine oxidation by giving much higher
      peak currents than those obtained for the unmodified CPE and also other
      constructed electrodes. The effects of various experimental parameters on the
      voltammetric response of tartrazine were investigated. At the optimum conditions,
      the sensor has a linear response in the concentration range of 0349-5.44 MUM, a
      good detection sensitivity (2.2034 MUA/MUM), and a detection limit of 80 nM of
      tartrazine. The proposed electrode was used for the determination of tartrazine
      in soft drinks with satisfactory results.

PMID- 28911671
TI  - Albendazole residues in goat's milk: Interferences in microbial inhibitor tests
      used to detect antibiotics in milk.
AB  - Albendazole (ABZ) residues in goat's milk and their effect on the response of
      microbial inhibitor tests used for screening antibiotics were evaluated. A total
      of 18 Murciano-Granadina goats were treated with ABZ and individually milked once
      a day over a 7-day period. ABZ quantification was performed by high performance
      liquid chromatography. The ABZ parent drug was not detected. The maximum
      concentration of its metabolites (ABZ sulfoxide, ABZ sulfone, and ABZ 2
      aminosulfone) was reached on the 1st day post treatment (260.0 +/- 70.1 MUg/kg,
      112.8 +/- 28.7 MUg/kg, 152.0 +/- 23.6 MUg/kg, respectively), decreasing to lower
      than the maximum residue limit (MRL, 100 MUg/kg) on the 3rd day post treatment.
      Milk samples were also analyzed by microbial tests [Brilliant Black Reduction
      Test (BRT) MRL, Delvotest SP-NT MCS and Eclipse 100], and only one positive
      result was found for Delvotest SP-NT MCS and Eclipse 100. However, a high
      occurrence of positive outcomes was obtained for BRT MRL during 6 days post
      treatment, whereas ABZ residues were not detected from the 4th day post
      administration, suggesting that factors other than the antiparasitic agent might
      affect the microbial test response.

PMID- 28911672
TI  - Rapid investigation of alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Phaleria
      macrocarpa extracts using FTIR-ATR based fingerprinting.
AB  - Phaleria macrocarpa, known as "Mahkota Dewa", is a widely used medicinal plant in
      Malaysia. This study focused on the characterization of alpha-glucosidase
      inhibitory activity of P. macrocarpa extracts using Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR)-based metabolomics. P. macrocarpa and its extracts contain
      thousands of compounds having synergistic effect. Generally, their variability
      exists, and there are many active components in meager amounts. Thus, the
      conventional measurement methods of a single component for the quality control
      are time consuming, laborious, expensive, and unreliable. It is of great interest
      to develop a rapid prediction method for herbal quality control to investigate
      the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of P. macrocarpa by multicomponent
      analyses. In this study, a rapid and simple analytical method was developed using
      FTIR spectroscopy-based fingerprinting. A total of 36 extracts of different
      ethanol concentrations were prepared and tested on inhibitory potential and
      fingerprinted using FTIR spectroscopy, coupled with chemometrics of orthogonal
      partial least square (OPLS) at the 4000-400 cm-1 frequency region and resolution
      of 4 cm-1. The OPLS model generated the highest regression coefficient with R2Y =
      0.98 and Q2Y = 0.70, lowest root mean square error estimation = 17.17, and root
      mean square error of cross validation = 57.29. A five-component (1+4+0)
      predictive model was build up to correlate FTIR spectra with activity, and the
      responsible functional groups, such as -CH, -NH, -COOH, and -OH, were identified
      for the bioactivity. A successful multivariate model was constructed using FTIR
      attenuated total reflection as a simple and rapid technique to predict the
      inhibitory activity.

PMID- 28911673
TI  - Impact of different partitioned solvents on chemical composition and
      bioavailability of Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai leaf extract.
AB  - The leaves of Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai were extracted with 80% ethanol and
      further partitioned with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and
      aqueous fractions to evaluate the biological activity through assessment via
      various in vitro assays, including total phenol content; 1,1-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazothiazoline-6-sulfornic
      acid (ABTS) radical scavenging; reducing power; alpha-glucosidase and tyrosinase
      inhibitory; and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)
      activity assays. The highest activity was found in the ethyl acetate fraction for
      all assays and showed stronger DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power, and
      tyrosinase inhibitory activity than the positive controls (butylated
      hydroxytoluene, alpha-tocopherol, and arbutin, respectively). When compared to
      the ethyl acetate fraction, the n-butanol fraction had lower rates, but it still
      demonstrated relatively high activity. The activity of the n-hexane fraction was
      high for DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity and contained significant
      amounts of phenol content, whereas the chloroform fraction possessed the highest
      reducing power, tyrosinase inhibitory, and ADH and ALDH activity, despite having
      the lowest phenol content when compared to the other fractions. These findings
      clearly indicate that S. quelpaertensis Nakai leaves can be a good natural source
      of antioxidants and tyrosinase inhibitors, as well as ADH and ALDH activity
      inducers, suggesting that may have potential for treating various diseases and
      improving human health.

PMID- 28911674
TI  - Phytochemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils from
      different parts of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.).
AB  - Essential oils from the seed, pulp, and leaf of sea buckthorn were obtained with
      hydrodistillation, and their phytochemical composition was analyzed through gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of the
      oils was tested on five food-borne bacteria by spectrometry and evaluated in
      terms of minimum inhibitory concentration. The results indicate that the
      composition of all essential oils is dominated by free fatty acids, esters, and
      alkanes. Minimum inhibitory concentration values on each bacterium were obtained
      for oils from different parts. The oils from different parts exhibited nearly
      equal inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus. The pulp oil was found to be
      the most effective for the rest of bacteria tested except Escherichia coli, on
      which seed oil shows twice the inhibitory effect to that of leaf or pulp oil.
      Three natural inhibitory examples were found comparable with or even better than
      the positive control: pulp oil on Bacillus subtilis, and pulp oil and leaf oil on
      Bacillus coagulans.

PMID- 28911675
TI  - Phenolic constituents of Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A. Mey. sub sp. undulata
      (Asteraceae): Antioxidant protective effects and chemosystematic significances.
AB  - One new naturally isoflavone compound, 5,7,2',3',4' penta hydroxyl isoflavone-4'
      O-beta-glucopyranoside (1) was isolated from the aqueous methanol extract (AME)
      of Pulicaria undulata subsp. undulata, together with seven known compounds:
      kaempferol (2), kaempferol 3-O-beta-glucoside (3), quercetin (4), quercetin 3-O
      beta-glucoside (5), quercetin 3-O-beta-galactoside (6), quercetin 3,7-di OCH3
      (7), and caffeic acid (8). Their structures were established through chemical
      (acid hydrolysis) and spectral analysis (UV, NMR, and ESIM). The AME and some
      isolated compounds were evaluated as protective agents. Free radical scavenging
      using a microscaled 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay was used to assess the
      direct antioxidant properties that were evaluated by the ability to protect
      murine Hepa1c1c7 liver cells against damage induced by the organic peroxide tert
      butyl hydroperoxide. The neutral red uptake assay (NRU) was used to record the
      activity. Results of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay recorded
      differential scavenging properties in ascending order: 5,7,2',3',4' penta
      hydroxyl isoflavone-4'-O-beta-glucopyranoside>quercetin>quercetin 3-O
      galactoside>caffeic acid>quercetin 3,7-di-OCH3>kaempferol with 50% inhibitory
      concentrations of 3.9 MUM, 7.5 MUM, 11.4 MUM, 12.2 MUM, 78.1 MUM, and 252.3 MUM,
      respectively. The antioxidative potential reveals the potency of AME, quercetin,
      and quercetin 3,7-di-OCH3. The latter compound showed full protection at 100 MUM
      (33 MUg/mL) against the induced toxicant effect where the 50% effective
      concentration was calculated as 33.6+/-1.7 MUM (11.1 MUg/mL). In addition to
      quercetin, which was extensively shown previously as a cytoprotective agent, AME
      was less potent; it was capable of protecting 75% at 100 MUg/mL with 50%
      effective concentration of 92.3+/-4 MUg/mL. Moreover, the isolated flavonoids
      were found to be significantly chemosystematic markers.

PMID- 28911676
TI  - Composition analysis and antioxidant properties of black garlic extract.
AB  - Black garlic produced from fresh garlic under controlled high temperature and
      humidity has strong antioxidant properties. To determine these compounds, five
      fractions (from F1 to F5) were separated and purified by elution with
      chloroform:methanol at different ratios (8:1, 6:1, 4:1, 2:1, and 0:1; v/v). The
      antioxidant activity of each fraction was analyzed. The results showed that F3
      and F4 had higher phenolic contents and stronger 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
      radical scavenging activity than the others. Seven purified individual components
      were further separated using semipreparation high-performance liquid
      chromatography from these two intensely antioxidant fractions (F3 and F4), their
      structures were elucidated by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to
      diode array detection, electrospray ionization, mass spectrometry, 1H nuclear
      magnetic resonance, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. Three
      compounds including adenosine, uridine, and 2-acetylpyrrole were first identified
      in black garlic, except for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, (1S, 3S)-1-methyl-1,2,3,4
      tetrahydro-beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid, and (1R, 3S)-1-methyl-1,2,3,4
      tetrahydro-beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid. The cellular antioxidant activities
      of uridine, adenosine, carboline alkaloids, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and ethyl
      acetate extracts were consistent with the results of in vitro experimental
      antioxidant properties. The results provide useful information for understanding
      the health benefits of black garlic products.

PMID- 28911677
TI  - Antioxidant and antimicrobial phenolic compounds from extracts of cultivated and
      wild-grown Tunisian Ruta chalepensis.
AB  - The antioxidant and antibacterial activities of phenolic compounds from
      cultivated and wild Tunisian Ruta chalepensis L. leaves, stems, and flowers were
      assessed. The leaves and the flowers exhibited high but similar total polyphenol,
      flavonoid, and tannin content. Moreover, two organs showed strong, although not
      significantly different, total antioxidant activity, 2,2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl scavenging ability, and reducing power. Investigation of the
      phenolic composition showed that vanillic acid and coumarin were the major
      compounds in the two organs, with higher percentages in the cultivated organs
      than in the spontaneous organs. Furthermore, R. chalepensis extracts showed
      marked antibacterial properties against human pathogen strains, and the activity
      was organ- and origin-dependent. Spontaneous stems had the strongest activity
      against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From these results, it was concluded that
      domestication of Ruta did not significantly affect its chemical composition and
      consequently the possibility of using R. chalpensis organs as a potential source
      of natural antioxidants and as an antimicrobial agent in the food industry.

PMID- 28911678
TI  - Averrhoa bilimbi fruits attenuate hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress in
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
AB  - Hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress plays a major role in the development of
      diabetic complications. Averrhoa bilimbi Linn. (Oxalidaceae) is a medicinal plant
      with fruits reported to possess antidiabetic activity. This study evaluated the
      beneficial effects of the ethyl acetate fraction of A. bilimbi fruit (ABAEE) on
      the antioxidant/oxidant status in diabetes mellitus. Diabetic rats were treated
      orally with the ethyl acetate fraction of A. bilimbi fruits at a dose of 25 mg/kg
      body weight for 60 days. Serum glucose, glycated hemoglobin, plasma insulin,
      hepatic toxicity markers, antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation products, and
      liver histopathology were assayed checked after 60 days of extract treatment.
      Diabetic rats administered ABAEE showed a significant decline in serum glucose,
      glycated hemoglobin, and also significantly increases the level of plasma
      insulin, as well as a notable attenuation in thiobarbituric acid-reactive
      substances, conjugated dienes, and hydroperoxides. ABAEE also modulated hepatic
      antioxidant potential by significantly increasing the activities of catalase,
      glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, and reducing
      glutathione content. The results associated with ABAEE were more significant than
      those observed following treatment with the standard drug metformin.
      Histopathological observations showed that ABAEE effectively rescued hepatocytes
      from oxidative damage without affecting cellular function and structural
      integrity. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of ABAEE indicated the
      presence of phenolic compound, quercetin, indicating that the antidiabetic effect
      of the extract might be related to quercetin. These results demonstrated the
      potential beneficial effect of ABAEE on streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats.

PMID- 28911679
TI  - Assessment of bacterial quality of honey produced in Tamale metropolis (Ghana).
AB  - The bacterial quality of honey from different production sites within Tamale
      metropolis, Ghana, was estimated using standard microbiological methods. Honey
      samples were bought from six different production sites within Tamale metropolis
      and labeled. Samples that were taken from location B recorded the least mean
      bacterial count of 6.0*104 colony forming units/mL with samples taken from
      location D showing the highest, 1.1*105 colony forming units/mL. However, samples
      from production sites E and F recorded no bacteria growth. Bacteria isolated
      included Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., Shigella spp., Streptococcus
      spp., and Bacillus spp. The pH values of honey samples from the various locations
      were found to be directly correlated to the average bacteria load. The variation
      in bacteria load and species at the various production sites and the absence of
      bacteria growth in two production sites is an indication of the differences in
      production practices, as well as hygienic conditions at these sites. The presence
      of these isolates is a cause for concern as pathogenic strains of these bacteria
      can cause serious health related problems.

PMID- 28911680
TI  - Effect of storage temperature and time on the nutritional quality of walnut male
      inflorescences.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of storage temperature
      and time on nutrients, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activities of walnut
      male inflorescences. The results showed that the moisture, saccharides, fat,
      protein, amino acids, ascorbic acid, phenolic and flavonoid compound contents,
      and antioxidant activities of walnut male inflorescences were markedly influenced
      by storage temperature, and different degrees of decrease in these parameters
      were observed during the entire storage period. Moreover, higher storage
      temperature had a more significant effect on the nutrients, bioactive compounds,
      and antioxidant activities of walnut male flowers, and the loss rate of these
      components at 25 degrees C was higher than that determined at 4 degrees C.
      However, the results also presented that the ash and mineral contents did not
      appear to be influenced significantly by the storage temperature, and slightly
      significant changes were observed in crude fiber throughout storage, which
      indicated that the influence of storage on the individual mineral and crude fiber
      content was minimal. Based on the findings in this study, in order to maximize
      nutrients concentration, walnut male inflorescences should be kept at 4 degrees C
      for <6 days and be consumed as fresh as possible.

PMID- 28911681
TI  - Study on the interaction of bioactive compound S-allyl cysteine from garlic with
      serum albumin.
AB  - Multispectroscopic techniques were used to investigate the interaction of S-allyl
      cysteine (SAC) from garlic with human serum albumin (HSA). UV-Vis absorption
      measurements prove the formation of the HSA-SAC complex. An analysis of
      fluorescence spectra revealed that in the presence of SAC, the quenching
      mechanism of HSA is considered static. The quenching rate constant Kq, KSV, and
      the binding constant KA were estimated. According to the Van't Hoff equation, the
      thermodynamic parameters enthalpy change (DeltaH) and entropy change (DeltaS)
      were calculated to be -1.00*105 J/mol and -255 J/mol/K, respectively. These
      indicate that hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces are the major forces
      between SAC and HSA. The changes in the secondary structure of HSA, which was
      induced by SAC, were determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Energy
      transfer was confirmed and the distance between donor and acceptor was calculated
      to be 2.83 nm.

PMID- 28911682
TI  - Relation between salt tolerance and biochemical changes in cumin (Cuminum cyminum
      L.) seeds.
AB  - In this study, the effects of salinity on growth, fatty acid, essential oil, and
      phenolic composition of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seeds as well as the
      antioxidant activities of their extracts were investigated. Plants were treated
      with different concentrations of NaCl treatment: 0, 50, 75, and 125 mmoL. Plant
      growth was significantly reduced with the severity of saline treatment. This also
      caused important reductions in the seed yield and yield components. Besides, NaCl
      treatments affected fatty acid composition. Petroselinic and linoleic acids
      proportions diminished consistently with the increase in NaCl concentration,
      whereas palmitic acid proportion increased. Furthermore, NaCl enhanced essential
      oil production in C. cyminum seeds and induced marked changes on the essential
      oil quality. Essential oil chemotype was modified from gamma-terpinene/1-phenyl
      1,2 ethanediol in control to gamma-terpinene/beta-pinene in salt stressed plants.
      Total polyphenol content was higher in treated seeds, and salinity improved the
      amount of individual phenolic compounds. Moreover, antioxidant activities of the
      extracts were determined by four different test systems, namely 2,2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl, beta-carotene/linoleic acid chelating, and reducing power assays.
      The highest antioxidant activities were reveled in severe stressed plants. In
      this case, cumin seeds produced under saline conditions may function as a
      potential source of essential oil and antioxidant compounds, which could support
      the utilization of this plant in a large field of applications such as food
      industry.

PMID- 28911683
TI  - Antibacterial activity and interactions of plant essential oil combinations
      against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the antibacterial effects of several
      essential oils (EOs) alone and in combination against different Gram-positive and
      Gram-negative bacteria associated with food products. Parsley, lovage, basil, and
      thyme EOs, as well as their mixtures (1:1, v/v), were tested against Bacillus
      cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and
      Salmonella typhimurium. The inhibitory effects ranged from strong (thyme EO
      against E. coli) to no inhibition (parsley EO against P. aeruginosa). Thyme EO
      exhibited strong (against E. coli), moderate (against S. typhimurium and B.
      cereus), or mild inhibitory effects (against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus), and
      basil EO showed mild (against E. coli and B. cereus) or no inhibitory effects
      (against S. typhimurium, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus). Parsley and lovage EOs
      revealed no inhibitory effects against all tested strains. Combinations of
      lovage/thyme and basil/thyme EOs displayed antagonistic effects against all
      bacteria, parsley/thyme EOs against B. cereus, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E.
      coli, and lovage/basil EOs against B. cereus and E. coli. Combinations of
      parsley/lovage and parsley/basil EOs exhibited indifferent effects against all
      bacteria. The combination of lovage/basil EO showed indifferent effect against S.
      aureus, P. aeruginosa, and S. typhimurium, and the combination parsley/thyme EO
      against S. typhimurium. Thyme EO has the highest percentage yield and
      antibacterial potential from all tested formulations; its combination with
      parsley, lovage, and basil EOs determines a reduction of its antibacterial
      activity. Hence, it is recommended to be used alone as the antibacterial agent.

PMID- 28911684
TI  - A randomized, double-blind clinical study to determine the effect of ANKASCIN 568
      plus on blood glucose regulation.
AB  - Diabetes is the fourth major cause of death in Taiwan. High blood glucose can
      lead to macrovascular diseases, small vessel diseases (retinopathy, kidney
      disease), and neuropathy. This study aimed to investigate whether Monascus
      fermented products (ANKASCIN 568 plus) can regulate blood glucose and blood
      lipids. This study enrolled 39 patients with a fasting blood glucose level
      between 100 mg/dL and 180 mg/dL, and a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of <9%.
      All patients were randomly divided into placebo (n=20) and experimental (n=19)
      groups. Each patient received two placebo capsules (maltodextrin) or ANKASCIN 568
      plus capsules daily for 12 weeks. The patients were screened during follow-up 4
      weeks after the administration of sample or placebo had been discontinued. Blood
      and urine samples were collected at the initial, 6th week, 12th week, and 16th
      week. The anthropometric indicators of blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose
      level, postprandial plasma glucose level, insulin level, insulin resistance,
      blood lipid changes, and liver, kidney, and thyroid function indices were
      measured. After 6 weeks, changes in fasting blood glucose, low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and total cholesterol (TC) levels showed that
      ANKASCIN 568 plus had a more favorable effect than the placebo. Compared to
      baseline, a statistically significant decrease of 8.5%, 10.3%, and 7.5% was
      observed in fasting blood glucose, LDL-C and, TC levels, respectively (p<0.05 for
      all pairs). Therefore, ANKASCIN 568 plus produced by Monascus purpureus NTU 568
      fermentation may be a potentially useful agent for the regulation of blood
      glucose and blood lipids and for treatment of coronary artery diseases.

PMID- 28911685
TI  - Simultaneous characterization and quantification of 17 main compounds in Rabdosia
      rubescens by high performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - Rabdosia rubescens is a healthy herbal tea and well-known Chinese medicinal herb.
      To evaluate the quality of R. rubescens from China, a high performance liquid
      chromatography method with dual-wavelength detection was developed and validated.
      The method was successfully applied for the simultaneous characterization and
      quantification of 17 main constituents from four different cultivation regions in
      China. Under optimal conditions, analysis was performed on a Luna C-18 column and
      gradient elution with a solvent system of acetonitrile and 0.5% (v/v) acetic acid
      water at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and wavelength of 220 nm and 280 nm. All
      standard calibration curves exhibited good linearity (r2 > 0.9992) within the
      test ranges. The precision was evaluated by intraday and interday tests, which
      revealed relative standard deviation values within the ranges of 0.57-2.35% and
      0.52-3.40%, respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 96.37-101.66%. The
      relative standard deviation values for stability and repeatability were < 5%. The
      contents of some compounds were low and varied with different cultivars. The
      proposed method could serve as a prerequisite for quality control of R. rubescens
      materials and products.

PMID- 28911686
TI  - Development of validated high-performance thin layer chromatography for
      quantification of aristolochic acid in different species of the Aristolochiaceae
      family.
AB  - This study was undertaken to isolate and quantify aristolochic acid in
      Aristolochia indica stem and Apama siliquosa root. Aristolochic acid is an
      important biomarker component present in the Aristolochiaceae family. The
      isolation method involved simple solvent extraction, precipitation and further
      purification, using recrystallization. The structure of the compound was
      confirmed using infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic
      resonance. A specific and rapid high-performance thin layer chromatography
      (HPTLC) method was developed for analysis of aristolochic acid. The method
      involved separation on the silica gel 60 F254 plates using the single solvent
      system of n-hexane: chloroform: methanol. The method showed good linear
      relationship in the range 0.4-2.0 MUg/spot with r2 = 0.998. The limit of
      detection and limit of quantification were 62.841 ng/spot and 209.47 ng/spot,
      respectively. The proposed validated HPTLC method was found to be an easy to use,
      accurate and convenient method that could be successfully used for
      standardization and quality assessment of herbal material as well as formulations
      containing different species of the Aristolochiaceae family.

PMID- 28911687
TI  - Simultaneous separation of antihyperlipidemic drugs by green ultrahigh
      performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector method: Improving the
      health of liquid chromatography.
AB  - Statins in combination with fibrates show beneficial effects on the lipoprotein
      profile of patients because they have positive complimentary effects on lipid
      profile. A new green ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-diode array
      detector method for simultaneous analysis of simvastatin (SMV) and fenofibrate
      (FNF) in standard form, marketed formulations, and self-emulsifying drug delivery
      system formulations was developed and validated in the present investigation. The
      method utilized C18 as stationary phase and a combination of methanol:water (8:2)
      as an eluent. It was found that selected eluent provided short run time (2.5
      minutes), better peak symmetry and satisfactory values of other chromatographic
      parameters such as resolution (Rs=2.325), capacity factor (k, 3.0 and 4.2 for SMV
      and FNF, respectively), selectivity (alpha =1.4), and number of theoretical
      plates (N, 4265 and 5285 for SMV and FNF, respectively). An excellent linear
      relationship (r2 0.998 and 0.997 for SMV and FNF, respectively) was observed for
      linear regression data for the calibration plots. The developed system was
      validated for accuracy, precision, robustness (? 2% for both drugs) and recovery
      (98-102% for both drugs). Results obtained from the statistical treatment of the
      values obtained for different parameters proved that the method is suitable,
      reproducible, and selective for the simultaneous analysis of SMV and FNF in bulk,
      marketed, and self-emulsifying drug delivery system formulations. The replacement
      of commonly applied toxic solvents with innocuous and environmentally benign
      solvents provides a better option than the more toxic processes in drug analysis.

PMID- 28911688
TI  - Curcumin inhibits adenosine deaminase and arginase activities in cadmium-induced
      renal toxicity in rat kidney.
AB  - In this study, the effect of enzymes involved in degradation of renal adenosine
      and l-arginine was investigated in rats exposed to cadmium (Cd) and treated with
      curcumin, the principal active phytochemical in turmeric rhizome. Animals were
      divided into six groups (n = 6): saline/vehicle, saline/curcumin 12.5 mg/kg,
      saline/curcumin 25 mg/kg, Cd/vehicle, Cd/curcumin 12.5 mg/kg, and Cd/curcumin 25
      mg/kg. The results of this study revealed that the activities of renal adenosine
      deaminase and arginase were significantly increased in Cd-treated rats when
      compared with the control (p < 0.05). However, co-treatment with curcumin
      inhibits the activities of these enzymes compared with Cd-treated rats.
      Furthermore, Cd intoxication increased the levels of some renal biomarkers (serum
      urea, creatinine, and electrolytes) and malondialdehyde level with a concomitant
      decrease in functional sulfhydryl group and nitric oxide (NO). However, co
      treatment with curcumin at 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, respectively, increases the
      nonenzymatic antioxidant status and NO in the kidney, with a concomitant decrease
      in the levels of malondialdehyde and renal biomarkers. Therefore, our results
      reinforce the importance of adenosine deaminase and arginase activities in Cd
      poisoning conditions and suggest some possible mechanisms of action by which
      curcumin prevent Cd-induced renal toxicity in rats.

PMID- 28911689
TI  - Effect of oleuropein against chemotherapy drug-induced histological changes,
      oxidative stress, and DNA damages in rat kidney injury.
AB  - Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is responsible for a large number of renal failures,
      and it is still associated with high rates of mortality today. Oleuropein (OLE)
      presents a plethora of pharmacological beneficial properties. In this study we
      investigated whether OLE could provide sufficient protection against cisplatin
      induced nephrotoxicity. With this aim, Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into
      eight groups: control; 7 mg/kg/d cisplatin, 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 200 mg/kg
      OLE; and treatment with OLE for 3 days starting at 24 hours following cisplatin
      injection. After exposure to the chemotherapy agent and OLE, oxidative DNA damage
      was quantitated in the renal tissue of experimental animals by measuring the
      amount of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) adducts. Malondialdehyde (MDA)
      level, total oxidative stress (TOS), and total antioxidant status (TAS) were
      assessed to determine the oxidative injury in kidney cells. The histology of the
      kidney was examined using four different staining methods: hematoxylin-eosin
      (H&E), periodic acid Schiff (PAS), Masson trichrome, and amyloid. In addition,
      the blood urea nitrogen (BUN), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (CRE) levels were
      established. Our experimental data showed that tissue 8-OHdG levels were
      significantly higher in the cisplatin group when compared to the control group.
      The glomerular cells were sensitive to cisplatin as tubular cells. In addition,
      treatment with cisplatin elevated the levels of BUN, UA, CRE, and TOS, but
      lowered the level of TAS compared to the control group. The OLE therapy modulated
      oxidative stress in order to restore normal kidney function and reduced the
      formation of 8-OHdG induced by cisplatin. Furthermore, the OLE treatment
      significantly reduced pathological findings in renal tissue. We demonstrate for
      the first time that OLE presents significant cytoprotective properties against
      cisplatin-induced genotoxicity by restoring the antioxidant system of the renal
      tissue. According to our findings, OLE is a promising novel natural source for
      the prevention of serious kidney damage in current chemotherapies.

PMID- 28911690
TI  - A review on the analysis of ingredients with health care effects in health food
      in Taiwan.
AB  - This review article discusses the analysis of ingredients with health care
      effects in health food in Taiwan. The top 10 items on the list of registered
      health food products up to 2014 in Taiwan are described, including monocolin K,
      omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid), beta
      glucans, inulin, catechins, oligosaccharides, resistant maltodextrin, amino
      acids, medium chain fatty acids, and polysaccharides. Some analytical methods for
      the analysis of ingredients with health care effects are announced to the public
      on the website of health food section of the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration
      for the application and the postmarket surveillance of health food. Each
      application of health food should include the appropriate analytical method for
      the analysis of the ingredient or specific compound that has the health care
      effect, for the sake of quality assurance. Self-management of each applicant is
      required for regulation, the reputation of its own, and social responsibility to
      the consumers.

PMID- 28911691
TI  - Application of polymeric nanoparticles and micelles in insulin oral delivery.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease in which the pancreas does not produce
      sufficient insulin or the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
      Insulin therapy has been the best choice for the clinical management of diabetes
      mellitus. The current insulin therapy is via subcutaneous injection, which often
      fails to mimic the glucose homeostasis that occurs in normal individuals. This
      provokes numerous attempts to develop a safe and effective noninvasive route for
      insulin delivery. Oral delivery is the most convenient administration route.
      However, insulin cannot be well absorbed orally because of its rapid enzymatic
      degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, nanoparticulate carriers
      such as polymeric nanoparticles and micelles are employed for the oral delivery
      of insulin. These nanocarriers protect insulin from degradation and facilitate
      insulin uptake via a transcellular and/or paracellular pathway. This review
      article focuses on the application of nanoparticles and micelles in insulin oral
      delivery. The recent advances in this topic are also reviewed.

PMID- 28911692
TI  - Rhodiola plants: Chemistry and biological activity.
AB  - Rhodiola is a genus of medicinal plants that originated in Asia and Europe and
      are used traditionally as adaptogens, antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory
      remedies. Rhodiola plants are rich in polyphenols, and salidroside and tyrosol
      are the primary bioactive marker compounds in the standardized extracts of
      Rhodiola rosea. This review article summarizes the bioactivities, including
      adaptogenic, antifatigue, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
      antinoception, and anticancer activities, and the modulation of immune function
      of Rhodiola plants and its two constituents, as well as their potential to
      prevent cardiovascular, neuronal, liver, and skin disorders.

PMID- 28911693
TI  - Rice bran oil prevents neuroleptic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms in rats:
      Possible antioxidant mechanisms.
AB  - Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is one of the serious side effects of long-term
      antipsychotic treatment. Chronic treatment with neuroleptic leads to the
      development of abnormal oral movements called vacuous chewing movements (VCMs).
      The oxidative stress hypothesis of TD is one of the possible pathophysiologic
      models for TD. Preclinical and clinical studies of this hypothesis indicate that
      neurotoxic free radical production is likely to be a consequence of antipsychotic
      medication and is related to occurrence of TD. Oxidative stress is implicated in
      the pathophysiology of TD. Rats chronically treated with haloperidol orally at a
      dose of 0.2 mg/kg/day for a period of 5 weeks developed VCMs, which increased in
      a time-dependent manner as the treatment continued for 5 weeks. Motor
      coordination impairment started after the 1st week and was maximally impaired
      after 3 weeks and gradually returned to the 1st week value. Motor activity in an
      open field or home cage (activity box) not altered. Administration of rice bran
      oil (antioxidant) by oral tubes at a dose of 0.4 mL/day prevented the induction
      of haloperidol-elicited VCMs as well impairment of motor coordination. The
      results are discussed in the context of a protective role of antioxidant of rice
      bran oil in the prevention of haloperidol-induced extrapyramidal symptoms.

PMID- 28911694
TI  - Evaluation of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiulcer properties of
      Vaccinium leschenaultii Wight: A therapeutic supplement.
AB  - In folklore systems of medicine, bilberry fruit and leaf extracts have been used
      for the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, diabetes, inflammation, and ulcer. The
      present study was to determine antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and
      antiulcerogenic activities of Vaccinium leschenaultii Wight leaf and fruit. The
      phenolic, tannin, and flavonoid contents of V. leschenaultii leaf and fruit were
      quantified and were subjected to assess their antioxidant potential using various
      in vitro systems such as 1, 1 diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis(3
      ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging, phosphomolybdenum, and
      ferric reducing antioxidant power reduction activities. Based on the antioxidant
      potential, acetone and methanol extracts of leaf and fruit were used to evaluate
      the anti-inflammatory activity and protective effect against ethanol-induced
      gastric damage in a rat model. The quantification of secondary metabolites shows
      that the phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents are higher in methanol extracts
      of fruit and leaf. The results of antioxidant assays exhibited that the methanol
      extracts of leaf possesses better 1, 1 diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical
      scavenging and ferric reducing power activity. Oral administration of the acetone
      fruit and leaf extracts of V. leschenaultii were capable of reducing the edema
      formation in rats against carrageenan and egg albumin induced inflammation.
      Moreover, leaf and fruit acetone extracts at the dose of 400 mg/kg highly
      inhibited ulcer formation. The study concluded that the plant substances such as
      total phenols, flavonoids along with appreciable antioxidant potential could be
      the supportive evidence to prove both the anti-inflammatory and antiulcer
      activities of V. leschenaultii. The traditional importance of this plant will
      help to reveal the potential of plant to provide alternative phytotherapeutics
      for human health.

PMID- 28911695
TI  - Antioxidant capacity and bioactive compounds of four Brazilian native fruits.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bioactive compounds and antioxidant
      activity of extracts from araca (Psidium cattleianum), butia (Butia eriospatha),
      and pitanga (Eugenia uniflora) fruits with different flesh colors (i.e., purple,
      red, and orange), and blackberries (Rubus sp.; cv. Xavante and Cherokee)
      collected in the southern region of Brazil. The content of ascorbic acid, total
      carotenoids, and phenolics were determined. The profile of the phenolic compounds
      was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with diode array
      detection (HPLC-DAD). The antioxidant activity was determined using the ferric
      reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate
      (DPPH) assay, total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP) assay, and total
      antioxidant reactivity (TAR) assay. The Xavante blackberry and purple-fleshed
      pitanga showed the highest total phenolic content [816.50 mg gallic acid
      equivalents (GAE)/100g and 799.80 mg GAE/100g, respectively]. The araca and red
      fleshed pitanga showed the highest carotenoid content (6.27 ug beta-carotene/g
      and 5.86 ug beta-carotene/g, respectively). The fruits contained several phenolic
      compounds such as quercetin derivatives, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, and cyanidin
      derivatives, which may contribute differentially to the antioxidant capacity. The
      highest scavenging activity in the DPPH assay was found for purple-fleshed
      pitanga (IC50 36.78 mg/L), blackberries [IC50 44.70 (Xavante) and IC50 78.25 mg/L
      (Cherokee)], and araca (IC50 48.05 mg/L), which also showed the highest FRAP,
      followed by orange- and red-fleshed pitanga. Our results revealed that some
      fruits grown in southern Brazil such as purple-fleshed pitanga, blackberries, and
      araca are rich sources of phenolic compounds and have great antioxidant activity.

PMID- 28911696
TI  - Sweet potato leaf extract inhibits the simulated in vitro gastrointestinal
      digestion of native starch.
AB  - Several studies have reported the therapeutic use of caffeoylquinic acid (CQA)
      derivatives in the management of hyperglycemia. This study used a simulated in
      vitro gastrointestinal digestion model to assess the inhibitory effects of CQA
      derivatives-rich sweet potato leaf extract (SPLE) and a commercially produced
      green coffee bean extract (GCBE), each with total polyphenols contents of 452 mg
      g-1 and 278 mg g-1, respectively, against starch digestion. The changes in the
      amounts of total polyphenols and total CQA derivatives during in vitro
      gastrointestinal digestion were also examined. The results indicated that both
      extracts contained substantial levels of CQA derivatives (136 mg g-1 and 83.5 mg
      g-1 of extract for SPLE and GCBE, respectively). The amounts of total polyphenols
      and total CQA derivatives in 20 mg of SPLE and GCBE samples decreased from 9.04
      mg to 0.58 mg and from 5.56 mg to 0.58 mg, and from 2.72 mg to 0.16 mg and from
      1.67 mg to 0.10 mg, respectively, following in vitro gastrointestinal digestion
      and subsequent dialysis. When SPLE and GCBE were accompanied with starch for in
      vitro digestion test, they both exhibited inhibitory effect against starch
      digestion during simulated intestinal digestion, with estimated half maximal
      inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 4.91 mg and 6.06 mg polyphenols,
      respectively. The amount of glucose permeated through dialysis membrane also
      decreased significantly in comparison with the extract-negative control. Thus,
      both SPLE and GCBE were capable of modulating the release of glucose from starch
      digestion in simulated intestinal tract. The observed inhibitory effects against
      glucose release were presumably due in part to the presence of CQA derivatives in
      the tested extracts. The SPLE had higher inhibitory effect against in vitro
      starch digestion than the commercially prepared reference GCBE. Therefore, the
      SPLE might be used to manage hyperglycemia over the long term.

PMID- 28911697
TI  - Anthocyanin-rich tea Sunrouge upregulates expressions of heat shock proteins in
      the gastrointestinal tract of ICR mice: A comparison with the conventional tea
      cultivar Yabukita.
AB  - Sunrouge is an anthocyanin-rich, new tea cultivar that contains similar levels of
      catechins as Yabukita, the most popular tea cultivar consumed in Japan.
      Interestingly, Sunrouge preparations have previously been shown to have more
      pronounced acetylcholinesterase inhibitory and anticolitis activities than those
      of Yabukita. In this study, we examined their effects on expressions of self
      defensive molecules, including heat shock proteins (HSPs), which are molecular
      chaperones involved in homeostasis and longevity. Hot water extract from freeze
      dried Sunrouge significantly upregulated messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of
      HSP40, HSP70, and HSP32 (heme oxygenase-1), with grades greater than those shown
      by Yabukita. Oral administration of freeze-dried preparation of Sunrouge to male
      ICR mice at a dose of 1% in the basal diet for 1 month resulted in marked
      upregulations of several HSP mRNA expressions in mucosa from the gastrointestinal
      tract, especially the upper small intestine. Again, its efficacy was remarkably
      higher than that of Yabukita. Moreover, exposure of Caenorhabditis elegans to
      Sunrouge conferred thermoresistant phenotype, and also resulted in a significant
      life-span elongation. Taken together, our results suggest that Sunrouge is a
      unique and promising tea cultivar for regulating self-defense systems.

PMID- 28911698
TI  - Melilotus albus and Dorycnium herbaceum extracts as source of phenolic compounds
      and their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antioxidant potentials.
AB  - Melilotus albus Medic. and Dorycnium herbaceum Vill. (Fabaceae) acetone, ethyl
      acetate, and ethanol extracts were investigated for their in vitro antimicrobial,
      antibiofilm, and antioxidant activity with quantification of phenolic compound
      contents. In general, D. herbaceum extracts showed better antibacterial and
      antioxidant activity than M. albus extracts. Bacteria Bacillus subtilis,
      Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis
      were the most susceptible with the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs),
      determined by microdilution method, between 1.25-10 mg/mL. Antifungal activity
      was lower with the detectable MICs at 10 mg/mL and 20 mg/mL. The plant extracts,
      using the crystal violet assay, inhibit P. aeruginosa biofilm formation in
      concentration range from 5 mg/mL to 20 mg/mL whereas the effect on mature
      bacterial biofilm was lower. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2, 2
      diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging and reducing power model
      systems. The intensity of DPPH radicals scavenging activity, expressed as half
      maximal effective concentration (EC50) values, was from 84.33 MUg/mL to >1000
      MUg/mL. The extracts demonstrated reduced power in a concentration-dependent
      manner, with ethanol extract as the most active. The total phenols, flavonoids,
      and proanthocyanidins were determined spectrophotometrically while total
      extractable tannins were obtained by precipitation method. The phenolic compounds
      showed differences in their total contents depending on solvents polarities and
      plant species. Although the plants M. albus and D. herbaceum have not yet been
      fully explored, these results contribute better understanding of their biotic
      properties and potential application as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents.

PMID- 28911699
TI  - Effects of extracts from Gynura bicolor (Roxb. & Willd.) DC. on iron
      bioavailability in rats.
AB  - Gynura bicolor (Roxb. & Willd.) DC. is widely distributed in certain areas of
      Asia and is very popular in vegetarian cuisine in Taiwan. This study investigates
      the effects of G. bicolor extracts with different polarities of 80 mg/kg body
      weight (BW) G. bicolor alcohol extract, 80 mg/kg BW G. bicolor water extract, and
      80 mg/kg BW G. bicolor ether extract on Fe bioavailability using the hemoglobin
      repletion efficiency assay. Wistar rats were assigned to five groups: a group
      receiving an iron-deficient (ID) diet; a group receiving an ID diet supplemented
      with ferrous sulfate (20 mg Fe/kg BW); and three groups receiving ID diets
      supplemented with ferrous sulfate and one of G. bicolor alcohol extract, G.
      bicolor water extract, or G. bicolor water extract. The results indicated that
      the levels of hemoglobin, serum iron, serum ferritin, liver ferritin, hemoglobin
      regeneration efficiency, relative biological value, and hepcidin all were
      significantly higher than those of the ID diet group. Besides, the iron
      transporter divalent metal transporter-1 was significantly reduced, but iron
      release protein expression of ferroportin was significantly increased. It was
      concluded that G. bicolor extracts may promote iron bioavailability and regulate
      the expressions of divalent metal transporter-1 and ferroportin.

PMID- 28911700
TI  - Effect of storage time on metabolite profile and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory
      activity of Cosmos caudatus leaves - GCMS based metabolomics approach.
AB  - Cosmos caudatus, which is a commonly consumed vegetable in Malaysia, is locally
      known as "Ulam Raja". It is a local Malaysian herb traditionally used as a food
      and medicinal herb to treat several maladies. Its bioactive or nutritional
      constituents consist of a wide range of metabolites, including glucosinolates,
      phenolics, amino acids, organic acids, and sugars. However, many of these
      metabolites are not stable and easily degraded or modified during storage. In
      order to investigate the metabolomics changes occurring during post-harvest
      storage, C. caudatus samples were subjected to seven different storage times (0
      hours, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours, and 12 hours) at room
      temperature. As the model experiment, the metabolites identified by gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were correlated with alpha-glucosidase
      inhibitory activity analyzed with multivariate data analysis (MVDA) to find out
      the variation among samples and metabolites contributing to the activity.
      Orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) analysis was applied to investigate the
      metabolomics changes. A profound chemical alteration, both in primary and
      secondary metabolites, was observed. The alpha-tocopherol, catechin, cyclohexen-1
      carboxylic acid, benzoic acid, myo-inositol, stigmasterol, and lycopene compounds
      were found to be the discriminating metabolites at early storage; however, sugars
      such as sucrose, alpha-d-galactopyranose, and turanose were detected, which was
      attributed to the discriminating metabolites for late storage. The result shows
      that the MVDA method is a promising technique to identify biomarker compounds
      relative to storage at different times.

PMID- 28911701
TI  - Effective extraction method through alkaline hydrolysis for the detection of
      starch maleate in foods.
AB  - A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the
      determination of maleic acid which was released from starch maleate (SM) through
      the alkaline hydrolysis reaction. The proper alkaline hydrolysis conditions and
      LC separation are reported in this study. The starch samples were treated with
      50% methanol for 30 minutes, and then hydrolyzed by 0.5N KOH for 2 hours to
      release maleic acid. A C18 column and gradient mobile phase consisting of 0.1%
      phosphoric acid and methanol at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/minute were used for
      separation. The method showed a good linearity in the range of 0.01-1.0 ig/mL,
      with a limit of quantification (LOQ) at 10 mg/kg in starch. The recoveries in
      corn starch, noodle, and fish balls were between 93.9% and 108.4%. The relative
      standard deviation (RSD) of precision was <4.9% (n = 3). This valid method was
      rapid, sensitive, precise, and suitable for routine monitoring of the illegal
      adulteration of SM in foods.

PMID- 28911702
TI  - Simultaneous determination of some common food dyes in commercial products by
      digital image analysis.
AB  - A simple and relatively fast image-analysis method using digital images, obtained
      with a flatbed scanner, has been described. The method was used for the
      simultaneous determination of four common food dyes, namely, carmoisine,
      brilliant blue, sunset yellow, and quinoline yellow, in binary mixtures in
      commercial products without a need for any prior separation steps. The results
      obtained were validated against a standard high-performance liquid chromatography
      method and a good agreement was obtained. The parameters affecting the
      experimental results were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the method
      provided acceptable linear ranges (20-250 mg/L) with correlation coefficients
      higher than 0.998, suitable precision (relative standard deviation <= 4.5%), and
      limits of detection between 4.82 and 8.05 mg/L.

PMID- 28911703
TI  - Determination of 20 synthetic dyes in chili powders and syrup-preserved fruits by
      liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method is developed
      to simultaneously determine 20 synthetic dyes (New Coccine, Indigo Carmine,
      Erythrosine, Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow FCF, Fast Green FCF, Brilliant Blue FCF,
      Allura Red AC, Amaranth, Dimethyl Yellow, Fast Garnet GBC, Para Red, Sudan I,
      Sudan II, Sudan III, Sudan IV, Sudan Orange G, Sudan Red 7B, Sudan Red B, and
      Sudan Red G) in food samples. This method offers high sensitivity and selectivity
      through the selection of two fragment ion transitions under multiple reaction
      monitoring mode to satisfy the requirements of both quantitation and qualitation.
      Using LC-MS/MS, the newly developed extraction protocol used in this study is
      rapid and simple and does not require the use of solid-phase extraction
      cartridges. The linearities and recoveries of the method are observed at the
      concentration range of 0.10-200 MUg/kg and more than 90% for all dyes,
      respectively. The method has been successfully applied to screen 18 commercial
      chili powders and six commercial syrup-preserved fruits purchased from retail
      establishments in Taipei City. The results show that three legal food dyes,
      Tartrazine, and/or Sunset Yellow FCF, and/or New Coccine, are present in some
      syrup-preserved fruits. Amaranth, an illegal food dye in certain countries but
      declared illegal in Taiwan, is found in an imported syrup-preserved fruit.

PMID- 28911704
TI  - Electrochemical determination of paraquat in citric fruit based on
      electrodeposition of silver particles onto carbon paste electrode.
AB  - Carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) modified with silver particles present an
      interesting tool in the determination of paraquat (PQ) using square wave
      voltammetry. Metallic silver particle deposits have been obtained via
      electrochemical deposition in acidic media using cyclic voltammetry. Scanning
      electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements show that the silver
      particles are deposited onto carbon surfaces in aggregate form. The response of
      PQ with modified electrode (Ag-CPE) related to Ag/CP loading, preconcentration
      time, and measuring solution pH was investigated. The result shows that the
      increase in the two cathodic peak currents (Peak 1 and Peak 2), under optimized
      conditions, was linear with the increase in PQ concentration in the range 1.0 *
      10-7 mol/L to 1.0 * 10-3 mol/L. The detection limit and quantification limit were
      2.01 * 10-8 mol/L and 6.073 * 10-8 mol/L, respectively for Peak 1. The precision
      expressed as relative standard deviation for the concentration level 1.0 * 10-5
      mol/L (n = 8) was found to be 1.45%. The methodology was satisfactorily applied
      for the determination of PQ in citric fruit cultures.

PMID- 28911705
TI  - Determination of the concentration of alum additive in deep-fried dough sticks
      using dielectric spectroscopy.
AB  - The concentration of alum additive in deep-fried dough sticks (DFDSs) was
      investigated using a coaxial probe method based on dielectric properties in the
      0.3-10-GHz frequency range. The dielectric spectra of aqueous solutions with
      different concentrations of alum, sodium bicarbonate, and mixtures thereof were
      used. The correspondence between dielectric loss and alum concentration was
      thereby revealed. A steady, uniform correspondence was successfully established
      by introducing omega.epsilon"(omega), the sum of dielectric loss and conductor
      loss (i.e., total loss), according to the electrical conductivity of the alum
      containing aqueous solutions. Specific, resonant-type dielectric dispersion
      arising from alum due to atomic polarization was identified around 1 GHz. This
      was used to discriminate the alum additive in the DFDS from other ingredients. A
      quantitative relationship between alum and sodium bicarbonate concentrations in
      the aqueous solutions and the differential dielectric loss Deltaepsilon"(omega)
      at 0.425 GHz was also established with a regression coefficient over 0.99. With
      the intention of eliminating the effects of the chemical reactions with sodium
      bicarbonate and the physical processes involved in leavening and frying during
      preparation, the developed technique was successfully applied to detect the alum
      dosage in a commercial DFDS (0.9942 g/L). The detected value agreed well with
      that determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (0.9722
      g/L). The relative error was 2.2%. The results show that the proposed dielectric
      differential dispersion and loss technique is a suitable and effective method for
      determining the alum content in DFDSs.

PMID- 28911706
TI  - Detection of viable Salmonella in ice cream by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain
      reaction assay combining propidium monoazide.
AB  - Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allows rapid detection of Salmonella in
      frozen dairy products, but it might cause a false positive detection result
      because it might amplify DNA from dead target cells as well. In this study,
      Salmonella-free frozen ice cream was initially inoculated with heat-killed
      Salmonella Typhimurium cells and stored at -18 degrees C. Bacterial DNA extracted
      from the sample was amplified using TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR targeting
      the invA gene. Our results indicated that DNA from the dead cells remained stable
      in frozen ice cream for at least 20 days, and could produce fluorescence signal
      for real-time PCR as well. To overcome this limitation, propidium monoazide (PMA)
      was combined with real-time PCR. PMA treatment can effectively prevent PCR
      amplification from heat-killed Salmonella cells in frozen ice cream. The PMA real
      time PCR assay can selectively detect viable Salmonella at as low as 103 CFU/mL.
      Combining 18 hours of pre-enrichment with the assay allows for the detection of
      viable Salmonella at 100 CFU/mL and avoiding the false-positive result of dead
      cells. The PMA real-time PCR assay provides an alternative specifically for
      detection of viable Salmonella in ice cream. However, when the PMA real-time PCR
      assay was evaluated in ice cream subjected to frozen storage, it obviously
      underestimated the contamination situation of viable Salmonella, which might lead
      to a false negative result. According to this result, the use of enrichment prior
      to PMA real-time PCR analysis remains as the more appropriate approach.

PMID- 28911707
TI  - Concentrations and solubility of selected trace metals in leaf and bagged black
      teas commercialized in Poland.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of heavy metals
      in bagged and leaf black teas of the same brand and evaluate the percentage
      transfer of metals to tea infusion to assess the consumer exposure. Ten leaf
      black teas and 10 bagged black teas of the same brand available in Poland were
      analyzed for Zn, Mn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, Al, and Fe concentrations both in dry
      material and their infusion. The bagged teas contained higher amounts of Pb, Mn,
      Fe, Ni, Al, and Cr compared with leaf teas of the same brand, whereas the
      infusions of bagged tea contained higher levels of Mn, Ni, Al, and Cr compared
      with leaf tea infusions. Generally, the most abundant trace metals in both types
      of tea were Al and Mn. There was a wide variation in percentage transfer of
      elements from the dry tea materials to the infusions. The solubility of Ni and Mn
      was the highest, whereas Fe was insoluble and only a small portion of this metal
      content may leach into infusion. With respect to the acceptable daily intake of
      metals, the infusions of both bagged and leaf teas analyzed were found to be safe
      for human consumption.

PMID- 28911708
TI  - The effect of pineapple core fiber on dough rheology and the quality of mantou.
AB  - The consumption of dietary fiber offers the health benefit of lowering the risk
      of many chronic diseases. Pineapple core fiber (PCF) in this study was extracted
      and incorporated into dough and mantou (i.e., steamed bread). The effects of PCF
      substitution and fiber size on textural and rheological properties of dough and
      mantou were evaluated by a texture analyzer. The substitution of wheat flour by
      PCF resulted in a stiffer and less extensible dough with or without fermentation.
      The hardness and gumminess of mantou significantly increased as the PCF
      substitution increased from 0% to 15%, but the cohesiveness, specific volume, and
      elasticity significantly decreased with the fiber substitution. Ten percent PCF
      enriched dough and mantou with various fiber sizes had similar rheological and
      textural properties, except for the k1 and k2 values. By sensory evaluation, 5%
      PCF-enriched mantou and the control bread had better acceptability in texture,
      color, odor, and overall acceptability, compared to mantous enriched with 10% or
      15% PCF. Significant correlations existed between the rheological properties of
      dough and textural parameters of mantou and between the sensory quality and
      textural parameters of mantou. Therefore, we suggest that fiber-enriched mantou
      can be prepared with 5% PCF substitution to increase the intake of dietary fiber
      and maintain the quality of mantou.

PMID- 28911709
TI  - Alleviative effects of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) flower on lipid
      peroxidation and protein degradation in emulsified pork meatballs.
AB  - To avoid or retard the lipid peroxidation of meat products, antioxidants are
      commonly added. Considering the safety and health of additives in meat products,
      consumers prefer natural antioxidants rather than synthetic ones. Gentisic acid
      and epicatechin were identified as the major phenolic acid and flavonoid,
      respectively, of litchi flowers (LFs). The physicochemical properties of pork
      meatballs with or without dried LF powders (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%, w/w) and tert
      butylhydroquinone (TBHQ; 0.01%, w/w) were analyzed during a 4-week frozen storage
      period. LF and TBHQ decreased (p < 0.05) thiobarbituric acid reactive substance
      (TBARS) values but increased (p < 0.05) thiol group contents in meatballs. LF
      added to meatballs improved (p < 0.05) texture and water-holding capacity
      (centrifugation/purge losses) more than in the control group upon the storage.
      Although LF powders made meatballs redder and darker (p < 0.05) than the control
      and TBHQ groups, they did not affect the preference of panelists. The addition of
      0.5% LF powders exhibited the best (p < 0.05) overall sensory panel acceptance.
      LFs may be an effective natural antioxidant to reduce lipid and protein oxidation
      for frozen cooked meat products.

PMID- 28911710
TI  - The implementation of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point management
      system in a peanut butter ice cream plant.
AB  - To ensure the safety of the peanut butter ice cream manufacture, a Hazard
      Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan has been designed and applied to
      the production process. Potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards in
      each manufacturing procedure were identified. Critical control points for the
      peanut butter ice cream were then determined as the pasteurization and freezing
      process. The establishment of a monitoring system, corrective actions,
      verification procedures, and documentation and record keeping were followed to
      complete the HACCP program. The results of this study indicate that implementing
      the HACCP system in food industries can effectively enhance food safety and
      quality while improving the production management.

PMID- 28911711
TI  - Effects of aqueous extract of Ruta graveolens and its ingredients on cytochrome
      P450, uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferase, and reduced nicotinamide
      adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H)-quinone oxidoreductase in mice.
AB  - Ruta graveolens (the common rue) has been used for various therapeutic purposes,
      including relief of rheumatism and treatment of circulatory disorder. To
      elucidate the effects of rue on main drug-metabolizing enzymes, effects of an
      aqueous extract of the aerial part of rue and its ingredients on cytochrome P450
      (P450/CYP), uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferase, and reduced
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H):quinone oxidoreductase
      were studied in C57BL/6JNarl mice. Oral administration of rue extract to males
      increased hepatic Cyp1a and Cyp2b activities in a dose-dependent manner. Under a
      7-day treatment regimen, rue extract (0.5 g/kg) induced hepatic Cyp1a and Cyp2b
      activities and protein levels in males and females. This treatment increased
      hepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity only in males. However,
      NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase activity remained unchanged. Based on the contents
      of rutin and furanocoumarins of mouse dose of rue extract, rutin increased
      hepatic Cyp1a activity and the mixture of furanocoumarins (Fmix) increased Cyp2b
      activities in males. The mixture of rutin and Fmix increased Cyp1a and Cyp2b
      activities. These results revealed that rutin and Fmix contributed at least in
      part to the P450 induction by rue.

PMID- 28911712
TI  - Optimization of ultrasonic extraction by response surface methodology combined
      with ultrafast liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method for determination of four
      iridoids in Gentiana rigescens.
AB  - Gentiana rigescens is a rich source of iridoids and is commonly used as a folk
      medicine for treatment of hepatitis and cholecystitis for over 1000 years. A
      rapid ultrafast liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method was developed for
      simultaneous determination of four major iridoid glycosides in G. rigescens.
      Response surface methodology based on the Box-Behnken design was applied to
      optimize the extraction conditions of iridoid glycosides. Using the Shim-Pack XR
      ODS III, four iridoid glycosides were efficiently separated with an
      acetonitrile:0.1% formic acid aqueous solution gradient at a flow rate of 0.25
      mL/min for 8 minutes. All the regression equations revealed a good linear
      relationship (R2 > 0.9995). The intraday and interday variations were <1.95%. The
      recoveries ranged from 99.7% to 103.2%. The optimal extraction conditions were as
      follows: methanol concentration, 82%; the ratio of liquid to solid material, 68:1
      (mL/g); and extraction time, 32 minutes. The yield of the four iridoid glycosides
      under the optimal process was found to be 63.08 mg/g, which was consistent with
      the predicted yield. In addition, the total content of 50 cultivated samples from
      Lincang, Yunnan, China, was within the range of 33.6-113.26 mg/g, which provides
      a more reasonable foundation for utilization of G. rigescens.

PMID- 28911713
TI  - Dynamics of phytoestrogen, isoflavonoids, and its isolation from stems of
      Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi growing in Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
AB  - Four isoflavonoids were isolated from stems of Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi
      growing in Democratic People's Republic of Korea and identified as daidzein (1),
      genistin (2), daidzin (3), and puerarin (4), structures, which were elucidated by
      means of spectroscopic analysis. Isoflavonoids were isolated using silica gel
      chromatography and purified with organic solvents. Isoflavonoid contents in P.
      lobata were determined using reliable high-performance liquid chromatography. The
      results indicated that the contents of puerarin and genistin in the roots are
      higher than those in the stems (6.19% and 0.04% vs. 1.15% and 0.02%), whereas the
      stems have higher contents of daidzin and daidzein than the roots (3.17% and
      0.06% vs. 1.72% and 0.05%). Accordingly, the root part of the plant is useful for
      the isolation of puerarin and the stem part for daidzin. This study suggests that
      the stem of P. lobata is useful as an alternative source of puerarin, daidzin,
      genistin, and daidzein. In addition, collection of the stem will not sacrifice
      the plant and thus is beneficial to the natural ecosystems.

PMID- 28911714
TI  - Investigation of impact of storage conditions on Hypericum perforatum L. dried
      total extract.
AB  - Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) has been widely prescribed for mild to
      moderate depression following the release of promising results in clinical
      trials. However, it is known that its constituents may be affected by milieu. The
      stability complexities of the constituents of H. perforatum have gained interest
      in recent years. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of
      storage conditions on H. perforatum total extract simultaneously under different
      storage conditions. Temperature, humidity, and light conditions were evaluated.
      Comparative analyses of methanol extracts were conducted using high performance
      liquid chromatography-diode array detection for chlorogenic acid, rutin,
      hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, quercetin, amentoflavone, pseudohypericin,
      hyperforin, and hypericin. Analysis and extraction were performed using a
      validated method. The fluctuation of the constituents of the plant extract has
      been demonstrated. Among these components, chlorogenic acid was the most stable.
      Hyperforin, hypericin, and pseudohypericin were more stable than the flavonoids
      at -20 degrees C, in the 6th month. As estimated, decay was lowest at -20 degrees
      C and highest at 40 degrees C-75% relative humidity for the analyzed
      constituents. Except for hyperforin, light protection decreased the breakdown of
      components within 4 months. However, at the 6th month, equivalent changes were
      seen for all constituents. Degradation of the constituents at -20 degrees C
      indicates the importance of stability tests in analysis studies covering time and
      storage conditions.

PMID- 28911715
TI  - Gas chromatographic method for the determination of lumefantrine in antimalarial
      finished pharmaceutical products.
AB  - A simple method has been developed and validated for quantitative determination
      of lumefantrine in antimalarial finished pharmaceutical products using gas
      chromatography coupled to flame ionization detector. Lumefantrine was silylated
      with N,O-bis(trimethyl-silyl)trifluoro-acetamide at 70 degrees C for 30 minutes,
      and chromatographic separation was conducted on a fused silica capillary (HP-5,
      30 m length * 0.32 mm i.d., 0.25 MUm film thickness) column. Evaluation of the
      method within analytical quality-by-design principles, including a central
      composite face-centered design for the sample derivatization process and Plackett
      Burman robustness verification of the chromatographic conditions, indicated that
      the method has acceptable specificity toward excipients and degradants, accuracy
      [mean recovery = 99.5%, relative standard deviation (RSD) = 1.0%], linearity
      (=0.9986), precision (intraday = 96.1% of the label claim, RSD = 0.9%; interday =
      96.3% label claim, RSD = 0.9%), and high sensitivity with detection limits of
      0.01 MUg/mL. The developed method was successfully applied to analyze the
      lumefantrine content of marketed fixed-dose combination antimalarial finished
      pharmaceutical products.

PMID- 28911716
TI  - Formulation of essential oil-loaded chitosan-alginate nanocapsules.
AB  - Naturally occurring polymers such as alginate (AL) and chitosan (CS) are widely
      used in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields in various forms such as
      nanoparticles, capsules, and emulsions. These polymers have attractive
      applications in drug delivery because of their biodegradability,
      biocompatibility, and nontoxic nature. The pharmaceutical applications of
      essential oils such as turmeric oil and lemongrass oil are well-known, and their
      active components, ar-turmerone and citral, respectively, are known for their
      antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic
      properties. However, these essential oils are unstable, volatile, and insoluble
      in water, which limits their use for new formulations. Therefore, this study
      focuses on developing a CS-AL nanocarrier for the encapsulation of essential
      oils. The effects of process parameters such as the effect of heat and the
      concentrations of AL and CS were investigated. Various physicochemical
      characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy were
      performed. Results of characterization studies showed that 0.3 mg/mL AL and 0.6
      mg/mL CS produced minimum-sized particles (<300 nm) with good stability. It was
      also confirmed that the oil-loaded nanocapsules were hemocompatible, suggesting
      their use for future biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Furthermore, the
      antiproliferative activity of turmeric oil- and lemongrass oil-loaded
      nanocapsules was estimated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay in A549 cell lines and it was found that both
      the nanoformulations had significant antiproliferative properties than the bare
      oil.

PMID- 28911717
TI  - New ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for
      the determination of irbesartan in human plasma.
AB  - With the objective of reducing analysis time and maintaining good efficiency,
      there has been substantial focus on high-speed chromatographic separations and
      ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) is
      a preeminent analytical tool for rapid biomedical analysis. In this study a
      simple, rapid, sensitive, and specific ultra-performance liquid chromatography
      MS/MS method was developed and validated for quantification of the angiotensin II
      receptor antagonist, irbesartan (IRB), in human plasma. After a simple protein
      precipitation using methanol and acetonitrile, IRB and internal standard (IS)
      telmisartan were separated on Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50 mm * 2.1 mm, i.d.
      1.7 MUm, Waters, Milford, MA, USA) using a mobile phase consisted of
      acetonitrile: methanol: 10 mM ammonium acetate (70: 15: 15 v/v/v) with a flow
      rate of 0.4 mL/min and detected MS/MS in negative ion mode. The ion transitions
      recorded in multiple reaction monitoring mode were m/z 427.2->193.08 for IRB and
      m/z 513.2->469.3 for IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 2-500
      ng/mL for IRB in human plasma with good correlation coefficient of (0.995) and
      with a lower limit of quantitation of 2 ng/mL. The intra- and interassay
      precisions were satisfactory; the relative standard deviations did not exceed
      9.91%. The proposed UPLC-MS/MS method is simple, rapid, and highly sensitive, and
      hence it could be reliable for pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic study in both
      animals and humans.

PMID- 28911718
TI  - Synthesis and phototoxicity of isomeric 7,9-diglutathione pyrrole adducts:
      Formation of reactive oxygen species and induction of lipid peroxidation.
AB  - Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are hepatotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic in
      experimental animals. Because of their widespread distribution in the world, PA
      containing plants are probably the most common poisonous plants affecting
      livestock, wildlife, and humans. Upon metabolism, PAs generate reactive dehydro
      PAs and other pyrrolic metabolites that lead to toxicity. Dehydro-PAs are known
      to react with glutathione (GSH) to form 7-GSH-(+/-)-6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1
      hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (7-GS-DHP) in vivo and in vitro and 7,9-diGS-DHP in
      vitro. To date, the phototoxicity of GS-DHP adducts has not been well studied. In
      this study, we synthesized 7-GS-DHP, a tentatively assigned 9-GS-DHP, and two
      enantiomeric 7,9-diGS-DHP adducts by reaction of dehydromonocrotaline with GSH.
      The two 7,9-diGS-DHPs were separated by high performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) and their structures were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance
      (NMR) and 1H-1H correlation spectroscopy (COSY) NMR spectral analysis.
      Photoirradiation of 7-GS-DHP, 9-GS-DHP, and the two 7,9-diGS-DHPs as well as
      dehydromonocrotaline, dehydroheliotrine, and the 7-R enantiomer of DHP (DHR), by
      UVA light at 0 J/cm2, 14 J/cm2, and 35 J/cm2 in the presence of a lipid, methyl
      linoleate, all resulted in lipid peroxidation in a light dose-responsive manner.
      The levels of lipid peroxidation induced by the two isomeric 7,9-diGS-DHPs were
      significantly higher than that by 7-GS-DHP and 9-GS-DHP. When 7,9-diGS-DHP was
      irradiated in the presence of sodium azide (NaN3), the level of lipid
      peroxidation decreased; lipid peroxidation was enhanced when methanol was
      replaced by deuterated methanol. These results suggest that singlet oxygen is a
      product induced by the irradiation of 7,9-diGS-DHP. When irradiated in the
      presence of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the level of lipid peroxidation
      decreased, indicating that lipid peroxidation is also mediated by superoxide.
      These results indicate that lipid peroxidation is mediated by reactive oxygen
      species (ROS). These results suggest that 7,9-diGS-DHPs are phototoxic,
      generating lipid peroxidation mediated by ROS.

PMID- 28911719
TI  - Analysis of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles in cosmetics.
AB  - There have been rapid increases in consumer products containing nanomaterials,
      raising concerns over the impact of nanoparticles (NPs) to humankind and the
      environment, but little information has been published about mineral filters in
      commercial sunscreens. It is urgent to develop methods to characterize the
      nanomaterials in products. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs in
      unmodified commercial sunscreens were characterized by laser scanning confocal
      microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that laser scanning confocal
      microscopy evaluated primary particle aggregates and dispersions but could not
      size NPs because of the diffraction limited resolution of optical microscopy (200
      nm). Atomic force microscopy measurements required a pretreatment of the
      sunscreens or further calibration in phase analysis, but could not provide their
      elemental composition of commercial sunscreens. While XRD gave particle size and
      crystal information without a pretreatment of sunscreen, TEM analysis required
      dilution and dispersion of the commercial sunscreens before imaging. When coupled
      with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, TEM afforded particle size information
      and compositional analysis. XRD characterization of six commercial sunscreens
      labeled as nanoparticles revealed that three samples contained TiO2 NPs, among
      which two listed ZnO and TiO2, and displayed average particle sizes of 15 nm, 21
      nm, and 78 nm. However, no nanosized ZnO particles were found in any of the
      samples by XRD. In general, TEM can resolve nanomaterials that exhibit one or
      more dimensions between 1 nm and 100 nm, allowing the identification of ZnO and
      TiO2 NPs in all six sunscreens and ZnO/TiO2 mixtures in two of the samples.
      Overall, the combination of XRD and TEM was suitable for analyzing ZnO and TiO2
      NPs in commercial sunscreens.

PMID- 28911720
TI  - Erratum to "Polymorphisms in BACE2 may affect the age of onset Alzheimer's
      dementia in Down syndrome" [Neurobiol. Aging 35 (2014) 1513.e1-1513.e5].

PMID- 28911721
TI  - Erratum to A.C. Crespo et al., "Genetic and biochemical markers in patients with
      Alzheimer's disease support a concerted systemic iron homeostasis dysregulation".

PMID- 28911722
TI  - Erratum to "Exploratory analysis of seven Alzheimer's disease genes: disease
      progression" [Neurobiol. Aging 34 (2013) 1310.e1-1310.e7].

PMID- 28911723
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 28911724
TI  - Radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy for metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer.
AB  - Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. It
      usually has a comparatively benign course. If properly executed, radioiodine
      therapy can provide an effective treatment of even advanced, metastatic DTC. A
      major problem in determining the right RAI for a patient with metastatic disease
      is a comparative lack of evidence. There are no reports on randomized controlled
      trials in this patient group which can aid us in determining which way to treat
      which patient. Few non-randomized prospective observational studies have been
      performed. Most available evidence is based on retrospective analyses which,
      although often informative, still are hampered by the selection bias inherent to
      retrospective studies on a small, preselected sample of the total DTC population.
      The aim of the present review is to provide an overview of the relevant
      literature on the issues pertinent to the execution of RAI. Radioiodine therapy
      of metastatic DTC in patients can be an effective treatment modality which will
      contribute significantly to a patients' life expectancy. However, much is unclear
      in the management of this malignancy, including which activity to use, how to
      determine this activity (empiric vs. dosimetric approach) as well as the
      potential long-term complications. In pediatric patients, special considerations
      apply with regard to weight-adaptation of activities as well the risk of
      pulmonary fibrosis in patients with diffuse miliary metastases.

PMID- 28911725
TI  - Which patient with thyroid cancer deserves systemic therapy and when?
AB  - Distant metastases from differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) are a rare event,
      occurring in less than 10% of patients with persistent or recurrent clinical
      disease. About 50% of these patients do respond to radioiodine (RAI) therapy,
      either with complete remission or stabilization of the disease on a long term
      period. Unfortunately, another 50% of these patients are refractory to the
      treatment with RAI, either from the first appearance of distant metastases or
      during follow-up. Overall, these patients represent 4-5 new cases/year/million.
      After the discovery of RAI-refractory disease, the 10-year survival rate is
      usually less than 10% and the mean life expectancy is 3-5 years (Durante et al.,
      2006). Tyrosine hinase inhibitors (TKI) have been introduced in the clinical
      practice based on the results of several phase III clinical trial, which brought
      to the approval from competent authorities in USA and Europe of two specific
      drugs: sorafenib and lenvatinib. Both of them, have shown objective response
      rates improving the progression-free survival rates, although no overall survival
      benefit has been demonstrated yet (Schlumberger et al., 2015; Brose et al., 2014)
      [2,3]. The most challenging issue in RAI-refractory thyroid cancer is when a
      patient should be considered RAI-refractory and when to initiate treatment with
      TKI.

PMID- 28911726
TI  - Novel concepts for initiating multitargeted kinase inhibitors in radioactive
      iodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.
AB  - Multitargeted kinase inhibitors have been shown to improve progression-free
      survival in patients with structurally progressive, radioactive iodine refractory
      differentiated thyroid cancer. While the inclusion criteria for phase 3 clinical
      trials and clinical practice guidelines provide guidance with regard to the
      minimal requirements that need to be met prior to initiation of a multitargeted
      kinase inhibitor, a better way to integrate the rate of structural disease
      progression with the size of the metastatic foci to more precisely define the
      optimal time to recommend initiation of therapy for individual patients is
      needed. In this manuscript we describe how to use assessments of tumor size and
      growth rates (structural disease doubling times) to define the critical point in
      time when the volume and rate of progression of metastatic structural disease
      merits consideration for initiation of systemic therapy (the inflection point).

PMID- 28911728
TI  - Protein kinase inhibitors for the treatment of advanced and progressive
      radiorefractory thyroid tumors: From the clinical trials to the real life.
AB  - The last ten years have been characterized by the introduction in the clinical
      practice of new drugs named tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of
      several human tumors. After the positive conclusion of two international
      multicentric, randomized phase III clinical trials, two of these drugs, sorafenib
      and lenvatinib, have been recently approved and they are now available for the
      treatment of advanced and progressive radioiodine refractory thyroid tumors. We
      have been involved in most clinical trials performed with different tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors in different histotypes of thyroid cancer thus acquiring a lot
      of experience in the management of both drugs and their adverse events. Aim of
      this review is to give an overview of both the rationale for the use of these
      inhibitors in thyroid cancer and the major results of the clinical trials. Some
      suggestions for the management of treated patients in the real life are also
      provided.

PMID- 28911729
TI  - Chemotherapy and tyrosine-kinase inhibitors for medullary thyroid cancer.
AB  - Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) represents 3% of all clinical thyroid cancers and
      arises from thyroid C cells that produce calcitonin. Locally advanced or
      metastatic MTC requires a careful work-up including measurement of serum
      calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen, determination of their doubling time and
      comprehensive imaging to determine the extent of the disease, its aggressiveness,
      and the need for treatment. Cytotoxic chemotherapy can control tumor burden in
      some patients with response rates of around 20% in old series. For the last 10
      years, systemic therapy for MTC patients with large tumor burden and documented
      progression of the disease has involved the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors
      targeting VEGFR and ret. Progression-free survival benefits have been
      demonstrated for both vandetanib and cabozantinib, as compared to placebo.
      Although these molecules are effective, they also have specific toxicity profiles
      which require a thorough clinical management in specialized centers. In the
      present review, we describe the work-up and treatment modalities of patients with
      advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer with a focus on chemotherapy and
      targeted therapy results.

PMID- 28911727
TI  - The molecular basis for RET tyrosine-kinase inhibitors in thyroid cancer.
AB  - RET receptor tyrosine kinase acts as a mutated oncogenic driver in several human
      malignancies and it is over-expressed in other cancers. Small molecule compounds
      with RET tyrosine kinase inhibitory activity are being investigated for the
      targeted treatment of these malignancies. Multi-targeted compounds with RET
      inhibitory concentration in the nanomolar range have entered clinical practice.
      This review summarizes mechanisms of RET oncogenic activity and properties of new
      compounds that, at the preclinical stage, have demonstrated promising anti-RET
      activity.

PMID- 28911730
TI  - Management of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) side effects in differentiated and
      medullary thyroid cancer patients.
AB  - Four tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been recently licensed in thyroid
      cancer (TC), sorafenib and lenvatinib for differentiated TC, vandetanib and
      cabozantinib for medullary TC. Others TKIs such as axitinib, pazopanib,
      sunitinib, have been tested within phase II trials. The toxicity burden
      associated to TKIs is not negligible. Drug reductions and interruptions are
      common, definitive drug withdrawals have also been reported as well as toxic
      deaths in more rare cases. In this context, the prevention of toxicities is
      mandatory to allow patients to stay on treatment as long as possible without dose
      and schedule modifications. Both physicians and patients should be educated to
      recognize drug-related toxicities in order to manage them in an early phase.
      Tools (e.g. toxicities summary booklet) for physicians and patients could be
      considered to improve the knowledge on side effects management. Guidelines,
      whenever available, should be followed.

PMID- 28911731
TI  - Science, pseudoscience, evidence-based practice and post truth.

PMID- 28911732
TI  - Imaging cell biology and physiology in vivo using intravital microscopy.

PMID- 28911733
TI  - Time-lapsed, large-volume, high-resolution intravital imaging for tissue-wide
      analysis of single cell dynamics.
AB  - Pathologists rely on microscopy to diagnose disease states in tissues and organs.
      They utilize both high-resolution, high-magnification images to interpret the
      staining and morphology of individual cells, as well as low-magnification
      overviews to give context and location to these cells. Intravital imaging is a
      powerful technique for studying cells and tissues in their native, live
      environment and can yield sub-cellular resolution images similar to those used by
      pathologists. However, technical limitations prevent the straightforward
      acquisition of low-magnification images during intravital imaging, and they are
      hence not typically captured. The serial acquisition, mosaicking, and stitching
      together of many high-resolution, high-magnification fields of view is a
      technique that overcomes these limitations in fixed and ex vivo tissues. The
      technique however, has not to date been widely applied to intravital imaging as
      movements caused by the living animal induce image distortions that are difficult
      to compensate for computationally. To address this, we have developed techniques
      for the stabilization of numerous tissues, including extremely compliant tissues,
      that have traditionally been extremely difficult to image. We present a novel
      combination of these stabilization techniques with mosaicked and stitched
      intravital imaging, resulting in a process we call Large-Volume High-Resolution
      Intravital Imaging (LVHR-IVI). The techniques we present are validated and make
      large volume intravital imaging accessible to any lab with a multiphoton
      microscope.

PMID- 28911734
TI  - Both point mutations and low expression levels of the nicotinic acetylcholine
      receptor beta1 subunit are associated with imidacloprid resistance in an Aphis
      gossypii (Glover) population from a Bt cotton field in China.
AB  - Aphis gossypii Glover is a destructive pest of numerous crops throughout the
      world. Although the expansion of Bt cotton cultivation has helped to control some
      insect pests, the damage from cotton aphids has not been mitigated. The evolution
      of aphid resistance to imidacloprid has made its chemical control more difficult
      since its introduction in 1991. Field populations of A. gossypii that were
      collected from different transgenic (Bt) cotton planting areas of China in 2014
      developed different levels of resistance to imidacloprid. The IMI_R strain has
      developed high resistance to imidacloprid with the resistance ratio >1200-fold.
      Compared with the susceptible IMI_S strain, the IMI_R strain also developed a
      high level cross resistance to sulfoxaflor and acetamiprid. The limited synergism
      with either PBO or DEF suggests that resistance may be due to the site mutation
      of molecular target rather than to enhanced detoxification. Three target-site
      mutations within the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) beta1 subunit were
      detected in the IMI_R strain. The R81T mutation has been reported to be
      responsible for imidacloprid resistance in A. gossypii and M. persicae. Both V62I
      and K264E were first detected in A. gossypii. These point mutations are also
      present in field populations, suggesting that they play a role in the resistance
      to imidacloprid. Furthermore, the expression level of transcripts encoding beta1
      subunit was decreased significantly in the IMI_R strain compared with the IMI_S
      strain, suggesting that both point mutations and the down-regulation of nAChR
      beta1 subunit expression may be involved in the resistance mechanism for
      imidacloprid in A. gossypii. These results should be useful for the management of
      imidacloprid-resistant cotton aphids in Bt cotton fields in China.

PMID- 28911735
TI  - Antifungal activity of sterols and dipsacus saponins isolated from Dipsacus asper
      roots against phytopathogenic fungi.
AB  - The in vivo antifungal activity of crude extracts of Dipsacus asper roots was
      evaluated against the phytopathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum
      coccodes, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei, Magnaporthe grisea, Phytophthora
      infestans, Puccinia recondita and Rhizoctonia solani using a whole-plant assay
      method. Ethyl acetate and acetone extracts, at 1000MUg/mL, suppressed the
      development of tomato gray mold (TGM) and tomato late blight (TLB) by 90%.
      Through bioassay-guided isolation, five antifungal substances were isolated from
      the D. asper roots and identified as beta-sitosterol (1), campesterol (2),
      stigmasterol (3), cauloside A (4) and a novel dipsacus saponin, named colchiside
      (3-O-beta-d-xylopyranosyl-23-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl-28-O-beta-d-(6-O-acetyl)
      glucopyranosyl hederagenin) (5). Of those, cauloside A (4) displayed the greatest
      antifungal efficacy against rice blast, TGM and TLB. Colchiside (5) moderately
      suppressed the development of TLB, but exhibited little effect against the other
      diseases. The synergistic effects of the isolated compounds against TLB were also
      assessed. Synergistic and additive interactions were observed between several of
      the sterol compounds. This study indicated that the crude extracts of, and
      bioactive substances from, the roots of D. asper suppress TGM and TLB. In
      addition, cauloside A (4) and colchiside (5) could be used as antifungal lead
      compounds.

PMID- 28911736
TI  - Exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid induces oxidative stress and apoptosis
      in mouse testis.
AB  - The herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is used worldwide. It has
      been associated with a variety of toxicities in rodents. In this study, male mice
      were orally administered 2,4-D at 50, 100 or 200mg/kg/day to investigate
      testicular toxicity and the possible mechanisms of action. Exposure to 2,4-D at
      high concentrations (100 and 200mg/kg/day) for 14 consecutive days caused
      spermatogenic disruption and seminiferous epithelial destruction. Furthermore,
      2,4-D administration (100 and 200mg/kg/day) increased the formation of the lipid
      peroxidation product malondialdehyde and decreased activities of the antioxidant
      enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase in the testis. Moreover, 2,4-D exposure
      up-regulated the expression of p53 and Bax protein and down-regulated the
      expression of Bcl-2 protein in the testis. These results demonstrate that
      oxidative stress and apoptosis may be involved in testicular toxicity induced by
      high concentrations of 2,4-D in mice.

PMID- 28911737
TI  - Glutathione transferase-mediated benzimidazole-resistance in Fusarium
      graminearum.
AB  - Fusarium graminearum laboratory mutants moderately (MR) and highly (HR)
      benzimidazole-resistant, carrying or not target-site mutations at the beta2
      tubulin gene were utilized in an attempt to elucidate the biochemical
      mechanism(s) underlying the unique BZM-resistance paradigm of this fungal plant
      pathogen. Relative expression analysis in the presence or absence of carbendazim
      (methyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate) using a quantitative Real Time qPCR (RT-qPCR)
      revealed differences between resistant and the wild-type parental strain although
      no differences in expression levels of either beta1- or beta2-tubulin homologue
      genes were able to fully account for two of the highly resistant phenotypes.
      Glutathione transferase (GST)-mediated detoxification was shown to be -at least
      partly- responsible for the elevated resistance levels of a HR isolate bearing
      the beta2-tubulin Phe200Tyr resistance mutation compared with another MR isolate
      carrying the same mutation. This benzimidazole-resistance mechanism is reported
      for the first time in F. graminearum. No indications of detoxification involved
      in benzimidazole resistance were found for the rest of the isolates as revealed
      by GST and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and bioassays using
      monoxygenase and hydrolase detoxification enzyme inhibiting synergists.
      Interestingly, besides the Phe200Tyr mutation-carrying HR isolate, the remaining
      highly-carbendazim resistant phenotypes could not be associated with any of the
      target site modification/overproduction, detoxification or reduced uptake
      increased efflux mechanisms.

PMID- 28911738
TI  - Effects of introducing theanine or glutamic acid core to tralopyril on
      systemicity and insecticidal activity.
AB  - Tralopyril was the active agent of a pro-insecticide chlorfenapyr. To
      simultaneously solve the problems of the phytotoxicity and non-systemic
      insecticidal activity of tralopyril, four new tralopyril conjugates containing
      theanine or glutamic acid moieties were designed and synthesized. Their
      phytotoxicity to tea shoot, phloem systemicity, and insecticidal activity were
      evaluated. Phytotoxic symptoms were not observed after the tea shoots were
      exposed to the four conjugates at concentrations of 2mM. The phloem mobility test
      on Ricinus communis L. seedlings confirmed that all four conjugates were mobile
      in the sieve tubes. Results of insecticidal activity against the third-instar
      larvae of Plutella xylostella showed that only conjugate 20 exhibited activity
      with an LC50 value of 0.5882+/-0.0504mM. After root application to tea seedlings,
      conjugate 20 showed obviously systemic insecticidal activity against Dendrothrips
      minowai Priesner, while chlorfenapyr showed no attribute of that. A new conjugate
      as potential phloem mobile pro-insecticide candidate was provided and so a novel
      strategy of pro-insecticide for improved phloem systemicity was proposed.

PMID- 28911739
TI  - Role of inward rectifier potassium channels in salivary gland function and sugar
      feeding of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - The arthropod salivary gland is of critical importance for horizontal
      transmission of pathogens, yet a detailed understanding of the ion conductance
      pathways responsible for saliva production and excretion is lacking. A
      superfamily of potassium ion channels, known as inward rectifying potassium (Kir)
      channels, is overexpressed in the Drosophila salivary gland by 32-fold when
      compared to the whole body mRNA transcripts. Therefore, we aimed to test the
      hypothesis that pharmacological and genetic depletion of salivary gland specific
      Kir channels alters the efficiency of the gland and reduced feeding capabilities
      using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism that could
      predict similar effects in arthropod disease vectors. Exposure to VU041, a
      selective Kir channel blocker, reduced the volume of sucrose consumption by up to
      3.2-fold and was found to be concentration-dependent with an EC50 of 68MUM.
      Importantly, the inactive analog, VU937, was shown to not influence feeding,
      suggesting the reduction in feeding observed with VU041 is due to Kir channel
      inhibition. Next, we performed a salivary gland specific knockdown of Kir1 to
      assess the role of these channels specifically in the salivary gland. The
      genetically depleted fruit flies had a reduction in total volume ingested and an
      increase in the time spent feeding, both suggestive of a reduction in salivary
      gland function. Furthermore, a compensatory mechanism appears to be present at
      day 1 of RNAi-treated fruit flies, and is likely to be the Na+-K+-2Cl-
      cotransporter and/or Na+-K+-ATPase pumps that serve to supplement the inward flow
      of K+ ions, which highlights the functional redundancy in control of ion flux in
      the salivary glands. These findings suggest that Kir channels likely provide, at
      least in part, a principal potassium conductance pathway in the Drosophila
      salivary gland that is required for sucrose feeding.

PMID- 28911740
TI  - Effect of drimenol and synthetic derivatives on growth and germination of
      Botrytis cinerea: Evaluation of possible mechanism of action.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the antifungal activity of Drimenol (1)
      and its synthetic derivatives, nordrimenone (2), drimenyl acetate (3), and
      drimenyl-epoxy-acetate (4), and to establish a possible mechanism of action for
      drimenol. For that, the effect of each compound on mycelial growth of Botrytis
      cinerea was assessed. Our results showed that compounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 are able to
      affect Botrytis cinerea growth with EC50 values of 80, 92, 80 and 314ppm,
      respectively. These values suggest that the activity of these compounds is mainly
      determined by presence of the double bond between carbons 7 and 8 of the drimane
      ring. In addition, germination of B. cinerea in presence of 40 and 80ppm of
      drimenol is reduced almost to a half of the control value. Finally, in order to
      elucidate a possible mechanism by which drimenol is affecting B. cinerea, the
      determination of membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species production and gene
      expression studies of specific genes were performed.

PMID- 28911741
TI  - Growth, hydrolases and ultrastructure of Fusarium oxysporum as affected by
      phenolic rich extracts from several xerophytic plants.
AB  - Fusarium oxysporum, the causal agent of rot and wilt diseases, is one of the most
      detrimental phytopathogens for the productivity of many economic crops. The
      present study was conducted to evaluate the potentiality of some xerophytic
      plants as eco-friendly approach for management of F. oxysporum. Phenolic rich
      extracts from five plants namely: Horwoodia dicksoniae, Citrullus colocynthis,
      Gypsophila capillaris, Pulicaria incisa and Rhanterium epapposum were examined in
      vitro. The different extracts showed high variability in their phenolic and
      flavonoid contents as well as total antioxidant capacity. A strong positive
      correlation existed between the antifungal activity of the tested extracts and
      their contents of both total phenolics and flavonoids (r values are 0.91 and
      0.82, respectively). Extract of P. incisa was the most effective in reducing the
      mycelial growth (IC50=0.92mg/ml) and inhibiting the activities of CMCase,
      pectinase, amylase and protease by 36, 42, 58 and 55%, respectively. The high
      performance liquid chromatography analysis of P. incisa extract revealed the
      presence of eight phenolic acids along with five polyphenolic compounds. The
      flavonol, quercetin and its glycosides rutin and quercetrin were the most
      abundant followed by the phenolic acids, t-cinnamic, caffeic, ferulic and
      vanillic. P. incisa extract not only affects the growth and hydrolases of F.
      oxysporum but also induces ultrastructure changes in the mycelium, as revealed by
      transmission electron microscopy. To our knowledge, this is the first study to
      investigate the mechanisms underlying the antifungal activity of P. incisa.

PMID- 28911742
TI  - Inheritance and stability of mevinphos-resistance in Plutella xylostella (L.),
      with special reference to mutations of acetylcholinesterase 1.
AB  - Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella L.) causes enormous damage on cruciferous
      vegetables and can rapidly develop resistance to all kinds of insecticides. To
      effectively manage the insecticide resistance of P. xylostella, an understanding
      of its inheritance and stability is essential. Here we investigated the
      phenotypic and genotypic basis of mevinphos resistance by crossing two
      genetically pure lines of P. xylostella, an SHggt wild-type strain and an SHMTCN
      resistant strain carrying 892T/T, 971C/C, and 1156T/G (TCN) mutations of the
      acetylcholinesterase 1 gene (Pxace1). Similar median lethal concentrations and
      degrees of dominance in the reciprocal cross progeny, and no plateau on the log
      concentration-probit line of F1 backcross and self-cross progeny, suggest that
      the mevinphos-resistance in P. xylostella is inherited as an autosomal and
      incomplete dominant trait governed by more than one gene. In the absence of
      mevinphos exposure, the resistance ratio and Pxace1 mutation frequency declined
      concomitantly in the SHMTCN strain. After 20-generation relaxation, the mevinphos
      resistance decreased from 52- to 6-fold and the Pxace1 mutation frequency of the
      TCN haplotype pair decreased from 100% to 0%. A good correlation was found
      between the resistance ratio and TCN frequency within the range of 12.5- to 25
      fold resistance. Since there was no TCN haplotype pair detected below a
      resistance level of 12.5-fold, we speculate that resistance mechanisms other than
      target site insensitivity may exist. These observations are important for the
      prediction and management of mevinphos and related organophosphate resistance in
      field populations of P. xylostella.

PMID- 28911743
TI  - Effects of a NTG-based chemical mutagenesis on the propamocarb-tolerance of the
      nematophagous fungus Lecanicillium attenuatum.
AB  - Lecanicillium attenuatum is an important nematophagous fungus with potential as a
      biopesticide for control of plant-pathogenic nematodes. However, relatively low
      fungicide-tolerance limits its application in the field. To improve the
      propamocarb-tolerance of L. attenuatum, a NTG-based mutagenesis system was
      established. Among different combinations of NTG concentration and treatment time
      in the first-round NTG treatment, the treatment of 1.0mg/ml NTG for 60min gave a
      proper conidial lethality rate of 84.6% and the highest positive mutation rate of
      7.7%, and then produced the highest propamocarb-tolerant mutant LA-C-R1-T4-M
      whose EC50 value reached to 1050.0MUg/ml. The positive mutation range was 105.1%
      in the first-round NTG treatment. Multiple-round NTG treatment was further
      employed to enhance the propamocarb tolerance of L. attenuatum. The positive
      mutation range was significantly accumulated to 179.3% on the third-round NTG
      treatment, and then appeared to level-off and remained constant. These results
      indicated that multiple-round NTG treatment had a significant accumulative effect
      on fungal tolerance to propamocarb. Among all chemical-mutants, the LA-C-R3-M was
      the highest tolerant to propamocarb, whose EC50 value was increased 2.79-fold
      compared to the wild-type strain, and it was mitotic stable after 20 passages on
      PDA medium. Colony growth, conidia yield and conidial germination on plates, and
      parasitism of nematode eggs of M. incognita and H. glycines were not
      significantly changed by the NTG-based mutagenesis compared to the wild-type
      strain in either single- or multiple-round NTG treatment. In conclusion, we
      succeeded in improving the propamocarb tolerance of L. attenuatum via the
      optimized NTG-based mutagenesis system. The improved strain LA-C-R3-M could be
      potentially applied with propamocarb in the field.

PMID- 28911744
TI  - Identification of two novel P450 genes and their responses to deltamethrin in the
      cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae Linnaeus.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, found in virtually all living organisms, play an
      important role in the metabolism of xenobiotics such as drugs, pesticides, and
      plant toxins. In this study, we identified two novel cytochrome P450 genes from
      the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae Linnaeus. They were named CYP4M51 and
      CYP6AB56 (GenBank Accession Nos.: KX008607 and JQ901385, respectively) by the
      P450 Nomenclature Committee. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription
      revealed that CYP4M51 and CYP6AB56 were highly expressed in the fat bodies and
      were differentially expressed at different larval developmental stages.
      Expression levels of these two cytochrome P450 genes were up-regulated by
      deltamethrin. Analyses of their detoxification roles using RNA interference
      followed by a deltamethrin bioassay showed that larvae mortalities increased by
      11.4% and 21.6%, respectively, after CYP4M51 and CYP6AB56 were partially
      silenced. These results suggest that inhibition of the novel cytochrome P450
      genes CYP4M51 and CYP6AB56 could be used to increase the efficacy of cabbage moth
      control by deltamethrin.

PMID- 28911745
TI  - Investigation of resistance levels and mechanisms to nicosulfuron conferred by
      non-target-site mechanisms in large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L.) from
      China.
AB  - Large crabgrass is a major grass weed widely distributed across China. This weed
      infests maize fields and has evolved resistance to the acetolactate synthase
      (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide nicosulfuron due to continuous and intensive use. In
      this study, a total of 25 out of 26 large crabgrass populations collected from
      maize field demonstrated resistance to nicosulfuron. Amino acid modifications in
      ALS known to confer resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in other weeds, were
      not found in the 9 tested resistant populations. The P450 inhibitor malathion
      significantly reversed resistance to nicosulfuron in 3 tested populations,
      indicating one or more P450s may be involved. Nicosulfuron was metabolized more
      rapidly in one resistant large crabgrass population than in a susceptible
      biotype. This demonstrates that the metabolic resistance mechanisms involving one
      or more P450s may be responsible for large crabgrass resistance to nicosulfuron
      in this biotype.

PMID- 28911746
TI  - Plant growth regulator-mediated anti-herbivore responses of cabbage (Brassica
      oleracea) against cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
AB  - Plant elicitors can be biological or chemical-derived stimulators of jasmonic
      acid (JA) or salicylic acid (SA) pathways shown to prime the defenses in many
      crops. Examples of chemical elicitors of the JA and SA pathways include methyl
      jasmonate and 1,2,3-benzothiadiazole-7-carbothioate (BTH or the commercial plant
      activator Actigard 50WG, respectively). The use of specific elicitors has been
      observed to affect the normal interaction between JA and SA pathways causing one
      to be upregulated and the other to be suppressed, often, but not always, at the
      expense of the plant's herbivore or pathogen defenses. The objective of this
      study was to determine whether insects feeding on Brassica crops might be
      negatively affected by SA inducible defenses combined with an inhibitor of
      detoxification and anti-oxidant enzymes that regulate the insect response to the
      plant's defenses. The relative growth rate of cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni
      Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) fed induced cabbage Brassica oleraceae leaves
      with the inhibitor, quercetin, was significantly less than those fed control
      cabbage with and without the inhibitor. The reduced growth was related to the
      reduction of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) by the combination of quercetin
      and increased levels of indole glucosinolates in the cabbage treated with BTH at
      2.6* the recommended application rate. These findings may offer a novel
      combination of elicitor and synergist that can provide protection from plant
      disease and herbivores in cabbage and other Brassica crops.

PMID- 28911747
TI  - Error-prone PCR mutation of Ls-EPSPS gene from Liriope spicata conferring to its
      enhanced glyphosate-resistance.
AB  - Liriope spicata (Thunb.) Lour has a unique LsEPSPS structure contributing to the
      highest-ever-recognized natural glyphosate tolerance. The transformed LsEPSPS
      confers increased glyphosate resistance to E. coli and A. thaliana. However, the
      increased glyphosate-resistance level is not high enough to be of commercial
      value. Therefore, LsEPSPS was subjected to error-prone PCR to screen mutant EPSPS
      genes capable of endowing higher resistance levels. A mutant designated as ELs
      EPSPS having five mutated amino acids (37Val, 67Asn, 277Ser, 351Gly and 422Gly)
      was selected for its ability to confer improved resistance to glyphosate.
      Expression of ELs-EPSPS in recombinant E. coli BL21 (DE3) strains enhanced
      resistance to glyphosate in comparison to both the LsEPSPS-transformed and 
      untransformed controls. Furthermore, transgenic ELs-EPSPS A. thaliana was about
      5.4 fold and 2-fold resistance to glyphosate compared with the wild-type and the
      Ls-EPSPS-transgenic plants, respectively. Therefore, the mutated ELs-EPSPS gene
      has potential value for has potential for the development of glyphosate-resistant
      crops.

PMID- 28911748
TI  - The pattern of shikimate pathway and phenylpropanoids after inhibition by
      glyphosate or quinate feeding in pea roots.
AB  - The shikimate pathway is a metabolic route for the biosynthesis of aromatic amino
      acids (AAAs) (i.e. phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan). A key enzyme of
      shikimate pathway (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, EPSPS) is the
      target of the widely used herbicide glyphosate. Quinate is a compound synthesized
      in plants through a side branch of the shikimate pathway. Glyphosate provokes
      quinate accumulation and exogenous quinate application to plants shows a
      potential role of quinate in the toxicity of the herbicide glyphosate. Based on
      this, we hypothesized that the role of quinate accumulation in the toxicity of
      the glyphosate would be mediated by a deregulation of the shikimate pathway. In
      this study the effect of the glyphosate and of the exogenous quinate was
      evaluated in roots of pea plants by analyzing the time course of a full metabolic
      map of several metabolites of shikimate and phenylpropanoid pathways. Glyphosate
      application induced an increase of the 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7
      phosphate synthase (DAHPS, first enzyme of the shikimate pathway) protein and
      accumulation of metabolites upstream of the enzyme EPSPS. No common effects on
      the metabolites and regulation of shikimate pathway were detected between quinate
      and glyphosate treatments, supporting that the importance of quinate in the mode
      of action of glyphosate is not mediated by a common alteration of the regulation
      of the shikimate pathway. Contrary to glyphosate, the exogenous quinate supplied
      was probably incorporated into the main trunk from the branch pathway and
      accumulated in the final products, such as lignin, concomitant with a decrease in
      the amount of DAHPS protein.

PMID- 28911749
TI  - Effect of participatory women's groups and counselling through home visits on
      children's linear growth in rural eastern India (CARING trial): a cluster
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Around 30% of the world's stunted children live in India. The
      Government of India has proposed a new cadre of community-based workers to
      improve nutrition in 200 districts. We aimed to find out the effect of such a
      worker carrying out home visits and participatory group meetings on children's
      linear growth. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised controlled trial in two
      adjoining districts of Jharkhand and Odisha, India. 120 clusters (around 1000
      people each) were randomly allocated to intervention or control using a lottery.
      Randomisation took place in July, 2013, and was stratified by district and number
      of hamlets per cluster (0, 1-2, or >=3), resulting in six strata. In each
      intervention cluster, a worker carried out one home visit in the third trimester
      of pregnancy, monthly visits to children younger than 2 years to support feeding,
      hygiene, care, and stimulation, as well as monthly women's group meetings to
      promote individual and community action for nutrition. Participants were pregnant
      women identified and recruited in the study clusters and their children. We
      excluded stillbirths and neonatal deaths, infants whose mothers died, those with
      congenital abnormalities, multiple births, and mother and infant pairs who
      migrated out of the study area permanently during the trial period. Data
      collectors visited each woman in pregnancy, within 72 h of her baby's birth, and
      at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months after birth. The primary outcome was children's
      length-for-age Z score at 18 months of age. Analyses were by intention to treat.
      Due to the nature of the intervention, participants and the intervention team
      were not masked to allocation. Data collectors and the data manager were masked
      to allocation. The trial is registered as ISCRTN (51505201) and with the Clinical
      Trials Registry of India (number 2014/06/004664). RESULTS: Between Oct 1, 2013,
      and Dec 31, 2015, we recruited 5781 pregnant women. 3001 infants were born to
      pregnant women recruited between Oct 1, 2013, and Feb 10, 2015, and were
      therefore eligible for follow-up (1460 assigned to intervention; 1541 assigned to
      control). Three groups of children could not be included in the final analysis:
      147 migrated out of the study area (67 in intervention clusters; 80 in control
      clusters), 77 died after the neonatal period and before 18 months (31 in
      intervention clusters; 46 in control clusters), and seven had implausible length
      for-age Z scores (<-5 SD; one in intervention cluster; six in control clusters).
      We measured 1253 (92%) of 1362 eligible children at 18 months in intervention
      clusters, and 1308 (92%) of 1415 eligible children in control clusters. Mean
      length-for-age Z score at 18 months was -2.31 (SD 1.12) in intervention clusters
      and -2.40 (SD 1.10) in control clusters (adjusted difference 0.107, 95% CI -0.011
      to 0.226, p=0.08). The intervention did not significantly affect exclusive
      breastfeeding, timely introduction of complementary foods, morbidity, appropriate
      home care or care-seeking during childhood illnesses. In intervention clusters,
      more pregnant women and children attained minimum dietary diversity (adjusted
      odds ratio [aOR] for women 1.39, 95% CI 1.03-1.90; for children 1.47, 1.07-2.02),
      more mothers washed their hands before feeding children (5.23, 2.61-10.5), fewer
      children were underweight at 18 months (0.81, 0.66-0.99), and fewer infants died
      (0.63, 0.39-1.00). INTERPRETATION: Introduction of a new worker in areas with a
      high burden of undernutrition in rural eastern India did not significantly
      increase children's length. However, certain secondary outcomes such as self
      reported dietary diversity and handwashing, as well as infant survival were
      improved. The interventions tested in this trial can be further optimised for use
      at scale, but substantial improvements in growth will require investment in
      nutrition-sensitive interventions, including clean water, sanitation, family
      planning, girls' education, and social safety nets. FUNDING: UK Medical Research
      Council, Wellcome Trust, UK Department for International Development (DFID).

PMID- 28911751
TI  - Facing forwards along the Health Silk Road.

PMID- 28911750
TI  - Effect of counselling on health-care-seeking behaviours and rabies vaccination
      adherence after dog bites in Haiti, 2014-15: a retrospective follow-up survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Haiti has an integrated bite case management (IBCM) programme to
      counsel animal-bite victims on the risk of rabies and appropriate treatment, as
      well as the Haiti Animal Rabies Surveillance Program (HARSP) to examine the
      animals. We assessed the usefulness of the IBCM programme to promote best
      practices for rabies prophylaxis after exposure in a low-income rabies-endemic
      setting. METHODS: We did a retrospective follow-up survey of randomly selected
      bite victims who were counselled by Haiti's IBCM programme between May 15, 2014,
      and Sept 15, 2015. We classified participants by HARSP decisions of confirmed,
      probable, suspected, or non-rabies exposures. We compared health-care outcomes in
      people who sought medical care before IBCM counselling with those in people who
      sought care after counselling. We used decision trees to estimate the probability
      of actions taken in the health-care system, and thereby human deaths. FINDINGS:
      During the study period, 1478 dog bites were reported to HARSP for assessment. 37
      (3%) were confirmed exposures, 76 (5%) probable exposures, 189 (13%) suspected
      exposures, and 1176 (80%) non-rabies exposures. 115 of these cases were followed
      up in the survey. IBCM counselling was associated with a 1.2 times increase in
      frequency of bite victims seeking medical care and of 2.4 times increase in
      vaccination uptake. We estimated that there would be four human rabies deaths
      among the 1478 people assessed by IBCM during the survey period, and 11 in the
      absence of this programme, which would equate to a 65% decrease in rabies deaths.
      Among three people dead at the time of the follow-up survey, one was deemed to be
      due to rabies after a probable rabies exposure. INTERPRETATION: Adherence to
      medical providers' recommendations might be improved through counselling provided
      by IBCM programmes. FUNDING: None.

PMID- 28911752
TI  - Gaps and challenges underpinning the first analysis of global coverage of early
      antenatal care.

PMID- 28911753
TI  - Respiratory syncytial virus mortality among young children.

PMID- 28911754
TI  - Hepatitis D virus in Africa: several unmet needs.

PMID- 28911755
TI  - Women's participatory groups and nurturing child care.

PMID- 28911756
TI  - Substantial reductions in rabies, but still a lot to be done.

PMID- 28911757
TI  - Task shifting in health care: the risks of integrated medicine in India.

PMID- 28911758
TI  - Medical Education Partnership Initiative gives birth to AFREhealth.

PMID- 28911759
TI  - Can reverse innovation catalyse better value health care?

PMID- 28911760
TI  - Updated estimates of typhoid fever burden in sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 28911761
TI  - Model citizen.

PMID- 28911762
TI  - Model citizen - Authors' reply.

PMID- 28911763
TI  - Early antenatal care visit: a systematic analysis of regional and global levels
      and trends of coverage from 1990 to 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The timing of the first antenatal care visit is paramount for
      ensuring optimal health outcomes for women and children, and it is recommended
      that all pregnant women initiate antenatal care in the first trimester of
      pregnancy (early antenatal care visit). Systematic global analysis of early
      antenatal care visits has not been done previously. This study reports on
      regional and global estimates of the coverage of early antenatal care visits from
      1990 to 2013. METHODS: Data were obtained from nationally representative surveys
      and national health information systems. Estimates of coverage of early antenatal
      care visits were generated with linear regression analysis and based on 516 logit
      transformed observations from 132 countries. The model accounted for differences
      by data sources in reporting the cutoff for the early antenatal care visit.
      FINDINGS: The estimated worldwide coverage of early antenatal care visits
      increased from 40.9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 34.6-46.7) in 1990 to 58.6%
      (52.1-64.3) in 2013, corresponding to a 43.3% increase. Overall coverage in the
      developing regions was 48.1% (95% UI 43.4-52.4) in 2013 compared with 84.8% (81.6
      87.7) in the developed regions. In 2013, the estimated coverage of early
      antenatal care visits was 24.0% (95% UI 21.7-26.5) in low-income countries
      compared with 81.9% (76.5-87.1) in high-income countries. INTERPRETATION:
      Progress in the coverage of early antenatal care visits has been achieved but
      coverage is still far from universal. Substantial inequity exists in coverage
      both within regions and between income groups. The absence of data in many
      countries is of concern and efforts should be made to collect and report coverage
      of early antenatal care visits to enable better monitoring and evaluation.
      FUNDING: Department of Reproductive Health and Research, WHO and
      UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and
      Research Training in Human Reproduction.

PMID- 28911766
TI  - Juvenile Dermatomyositis: Key Roles of Muscle Magnetic Resonance Imaging and
      Early Aggressive Treatment.
AB  - Juvenile dermatomyositis is a rare systemic connective tissue disease with onset
      during childhood. It presents clinically with proximal muscle weakness and
      characteristic skin involvement. Diagnosis is based on the Bohan and Peter
      criteria, though many authors are now substituting biopsy with muscle magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) for both diagnosis and follow-up. Without intensive early
      treatment, complications such as calcinosis cutis and lipodystrophy can develop
      in the chronic phases of the disease. Early recognition is therefore key to
      management. We present a series of 5 patients who were diagnosed with Juvenile
      dermatomyositis on muscle MRI without undergoing muscle biopsy and who received
      early treatment. We draw attention to the usefulness of muscle MRI for the
      diagnosis of muscle involvement and to the importance of early initiation of
      intensive treatment to prevent complications.

PMID- 28911764
TI  - Global respiratory syncytial virus-associated mortality in young children (RSV
      GOLD): a retrospective case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is an important cause of
      pneumonia mortality in young children. However, clinical data for fatal RSV
      infection are scarce. We aimed to identify clinical and socioeconomic
      characteristics of children aged younger than 5 years with RSV-related mortality
      using individual patient data. METHODS: In this retrospective case series, we
      developed an online questionnaire to obtain individual patient data for clinical
      and socioeconomic characteristics of children aged younger than 5 years who died
      with community-acquired RSV infection between Jan 1, 1995, and Oct 31, 2015,
      through leading research groups for child pneumonia identified through a
      comprehensive literature search and existing research networks. For the
      literature search, we searched PubMed for articles published up to Feb 3, 2015,
      using the key terms "RSV", "respiratory syncytial virus", or "respiratory
      syncytial viral" combined with "mortality", "fatality", "death", "died",
      "deaths", or "CFR" for articles published in English. We invited researchers and
      clinicians identified to participate between Nov 1, 2014, and Oct 31, 2015. We
      calculated descriptive statistics for all variables. FINDINGS: We studied 358
      children with RSV-related in-hospital death from 23 countries across the world,
      with data contributed from 31 research groups. 117 (33%) children were from low
      income or lower middle-income countries, 77 (22%) were from upper middle-income
      countries, and 164 (46%) were from high-income countries. 190 (53%) were male.
      Data for comorbidities were missing for some children in low-income and middle
      income countries. Available data showed that comorbidities were present in at
      least 33 (28%) children from low-income or lower middle-income countries, 36
      (47%) from upper middle-income countries, and 114 (70%) from high-income
      countries. Median age for RSV-related deaths was 5.0 months (IQR 2.3-11.0) in low
      income or lower middle-income countries, 4.0 years (2.0-10.0) in upper middle
      income countries, and 7.0 years (3.6-16.8) in high-income countries.
      INTERPRETATION: This study is the first large case series of children who died
      with community-acquired RSV infection. A substantial proportion of children with
      RSV-related death had comorbidities. Our results show that perinatal immunisation
      strategies for children aged younger than 6 months could have a substantial
      impact on RSV-related child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries.
      FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

PMID- 28911765
TI  - Prevalence of hepatitis D virus infection in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis D virus (also known as hepatitis delta virus) can establish
      a persistent infection in people with chronic hepatitis B, leading to accelerated
      progression of liver disease. In sub-Saharan Africa, where HBsAg prevalence is
      higher than 8%, hepatitis D virus might represent an important additive cause of
      chronic liver disease. We aimed to establish the prevalence of hepatitis D virus
      among HBsAg-positive populations in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: We
      systematically reviewed studies of hepatitis D virus prevalence among HBsAg
      positive populations in sub-Saharan Africa. We searched PubMed, Embase, and
      Scopus for papers published between Jan 1, 1995, and Aug 30, 2016, in which
      patient selection criteria and geographical setting were described. Search
      strings included sub-Saharan Africa, the countries therein, and permutations of
      hepatitis D virus. Cohort data were also added from HIV-positive populations in
      Malawi and Ghana. Populations undergoing assessment in liver disease clinics and
      those sampled from other populations (defined as general populations) were
      analysed. We did a meta-analysis with a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model to
      calculate a pooled estimate of hepatitis D virus seroprevalence. FINDINGS: Of 374
      studies identified by our search, 30 were included in our study, only eight of
      which included detection of hepatitis D virus RNA among anti-hepatitis D virus
      seropositive participants. In west Africa, the pooled seroprevalence of hepatitis
      D virus was 7.33% (95% CI 3.55-12.20) in general populations and 9.57% (2.31
      20.43) in liver-disease populations. In central Africa, seroprevalence was 25.64%
      (12.09-42.00) in general populations and 37.77% (12.13-67.54) in liver-disease
      populations. In east and southern Africa, seroprevalence was 0.05% (0.00-1.78) in
      general populations. The odds ratio for anti-hepatitis D virus detection among
      HBsAg-positive patients with liver fibrosis or hepatocellular carcinoma was 5.24
      (95% CI 2.74-10.01; p<0.0001) relative to asymptomatic controls. INTERPRETATION:
      Findings suggest localised clusters of hepatitis D virus endemicity across sub
      Saharan Africa. Epidemiological data are needed from southern and east Africa,
      and from patients with established liver disease. Further studies should aim to
      define the reliability of hepatitis D virus testing methods, identify risk
      factors for transmission, and characterise the natural history of the infection
      in the region. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, Royal Society.

PMID- 28911767
TI  - Binding Isotope Effects for Interrogating Enzyme-Substrate Interactions.
AB  - Equilibrium binding isotope effects (BIEs) report on the bond vibrational status
      of enzyme substrates in the Michaelis complex prior to the transition state and
      how they differ from the solution state. Accordingly, BIEs provide an
      experimental means of interrogating enzyme-substrate interactions and inform on
      the influence of enzyme-mediated atomic distortions in modulating substrate
      reactivity. In this chapter, we outline a rapid equilibrium dialysis method that
      our lab has used to measure BIEs for several enzyme systems. Implementation of
      the rapid equilibrium dialysis approach is described in the context of our recent
      studies on the substrate bonding environment for the human protein lysine N
      methyltransferase NSD2. A summary of BIE effects provides context for the range
      of experimental values.

PMID- 28911768
TI  - Natural Isotope Abundance in Metabolites: Techniques and Kinetic Isotope Effect
      Measurement in Plant, Animal, and Human Tissues.
AB  - The natural isotope abundance in bulk organic matter or tissues is not a
      sufficient base to investigate physiological properties, biosynthetic mechanisms,
      and nutrition sources of biological systems. In fact, isotope effects in
      metabolism lead to a heterogeneous distribution of 2H, 18O, 13C, and 15N isotopes
      in metabolites. Therefore, compound-specific isotopic analysis (CSIA) is crucial
      to biological and medical applications of stable isotopes. Here, we review
      methods to implement CSIA for 15N and 13C from plant, animal, and human samples
      and discuss technical solutions that have been used for the conversion to CO2 and
      N2 for IRMS analysis, derivatization and isotope effect measurements. It appears
      that despite the flexibility of instruments used for CSIA, there is no universal
      method simply because the chemical nature of metabolites of interest varies
      considerably. Also, CSIA methods are often limited by isotope effects in sample
      preparation or the addition of atoms from the derivatizing reagents, and this
      implies that corrections must be made to calculate a proper delta-value.
      Therefore, CSIA has an enormous potential for biomedical applications, but its
      utilization requires precautions for its successful application.

PMID- 28911769
TI  - Measurement of Kinetic Isotope Effects in an Enzyme-Catalyzed Reaction by
      Continuous-Flow Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) provide powerful probes of the mechanisms of
      enzyme-catalyzed reactions. In this chapter, we describe the use of continuous
      flow mass spectrometry to determine the deuterium KIE for the enzyme N
      acetylpolyamine oxidase based on the ratio of labeled and unlabeled products in
      mass spectra of whole reaction mixtures.

PMID- 28911770
TI  - Primary Deuterium Kinetic Isotope Effects From Product Yields: Rationale,
      Implementation, and Interpretation.
AB  - A simple and convenient method is described to determine primary deuterium
      kinetic isotope effects (1 degrees DKIEs) on reactions where the hydron
      incorporated into the reaction product is derived from solvent water. The 1
      degrees DKIE may be obtained by 1H NMR analyses as the ratio of the yields of H-
      and D-labeled products from a reaction in 50:50 (v/v) HOH/DOD. The procedures for
      these 1H NMR analyses are reviewed. This product deuterium isotope effect (PDIE)
      is defined as 1/phiEL for fractionation of hydrons between solvent and the
      transition state for the reaction examined. When the solvent is not the direct
      hydron donor, it is necessary to correct the PDIE for the fractionation factor
      phiEL for partitioning of the hydron between the solvent and the direct donor EL.
      This method was used to determine the 1 degrees DKIE on decarboxylation reactions
      catalyzed by wild-type orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) and by
      mutants of OMPDC, and then in the determination of the 1 degrees DKIE on the
      decarboxylation reaction catalyzed by 5-carboxyvanillate decarboxylase. The
      experimental procedures used in studies on OMPDC and the rationale for these
      procedures are described.

PMID- 28911771
TI  - Measurement and Prediction of Chlorine Kinetic Isotope Effects in Enzymatic
      Systems.
AB  - Approaches to determine chlorine kinetic isotope effects (Cl-KIEs) on enzymatic
      dehalogenations are discussed and illustrated by representative examples. Three
      aspects are considered. First methodology for experimental measurement of Cl
      KIEs, with stress being on FAB-IRMS technique developed in our laboratory, is
      described. Subsequently, we concentrate our discussion on the consequences of
      reaction complexity in the interpretation of experimental values, a problem
      especially important in cases of polychlorinated reactants. The most fruitful
      studies of enzymatic dehalogenations by Cl-KIEs require their theoretical
      evaluation, hence the computational focus of the second part of this chapter.

PMID- 28911773
TI  - Chemical Ligation and Isotope Labeling to Locate Dynamic Effects.
AB  - Heavy isotope labeling of enzymes slows protein motions without disturbing the
      electrostatics and can therefore be used to probe the role of dynamics in enzyme
      catalysis. To identify the structural elements responsible for dynamic effects,
      individual segments of an enzyme can be labeled and the resulting effect on the
      kinetics of the reaction can be measured. Such hybrid isotopomers can be
      constructed by expressed protein ligation, in which complementary labeled and
      unlabeled peptide segments are prepared by recombinant gene expression and linked
      by means of chemical ligation. The construction of such hybrid isotopomers is
      exemplified here with the paradigmatic enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from
      Escherichia coli.

PMID- 28911774
TI  - Use of Isotopes and Isotope Effects for Investigations of Diiron Oxygenase
      Mechanisms.
AB  - Isotope effects of four broad and overlapping categories have been applied to the
      study of the mechanisms of chemical reaction and regulation of nonheme diiron
      cluster-containing oxygenases. The categories are: (a) mass properties that allow
      substrate-to-product conversions to be tracked, (b) atomic properties that allow
      specialized spectroscopies, (c) mass properties that impact primarily vibrational
      spectroscopies, and (d) bond dissociation energy shifts that permit dynamic
      isotope effect studies of many types. The application of these categories of
      isotope effects is illustrated using the soluble methane monooxygenase system and
      CmlI, which catalyzes the multistep arylamine to arylnitro conversion in the
      biosynthetic pathway for chloramphenicol.

PMID- 28911772
TI  - Kinetic Deuterium Isotope Effects in Cytochrome P450 Reactions.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 (P450, CYP) research provides many opportunities for the
      application of kinetic isotope effect (KIE) strategies. P450s collectively
      catalyze oxidations of more substrates than any other group of enzymes, and CH
      bond cleavage is a major feature in a large fraction of these reactions. The
      presence of a significant primary deuterium KIE is evidence that hydrogen
      abstraction is at least partially rate-limiting in the reactions, and this
      appears to be the case in many P450 reactions. The first report of a KIE in (P450
      linked) drug metabolism appeared in 1961 (for morphine N-demethylation), and in a
      number of cases, it has been possible to modulate the in vivo metabolism or
      toxicity of chemicals by deuterium substitution. A number of efforts are in
      progress to utilize deuterium substitution to alter the metabolism of drugs in an
      advantageous manner.

PMID- 28911775
TI  - Characterization of Substrate, Cosubstrate, and Product Isotope Effects
      Associated With Enzymatic Oxygenations of Organic Compounds Based on Compound
      Specific Isotope Analysis.
AB  - Enzymatic oxygenations are among the most important biodegradation and
      detoxification reactions of organic pollutants. In the environment, however, such
      natural attenuation processes are extremely difficult to monitor. Changes of
      stable isotope ratios of aromatic pollutants at natural isotopic abundances serve
      as proxies for isotope effects associated with oxygenation reactions. Such
      isotope fractionations offer new avenues for revealing the pathway and extent of
      pollutant transformation and provide new insights into the mechanisms of
      catalysis by Rieske non-heme ferrous iron oxygenases. Based on compound-specific
      C, H, N, and O isotope analysis, we present a comprehensive methodology with
      which isotope effects can be derived from the isotope fractionation measured in
      substrates, the cosubstrate O2, and organic oxygenation products. We use
      dioxygenation of nitrobenzene and 2-nitrotoluene by nitrobenzene dioxygenase as
      illustrative examples to introduce different mathematical procedures for deriving
      apparent substrate and product isotope effects. We present two experimental
      approaches to control reactant and product turnover for isotope fractionation
      analysis in experimental systems containing purified enzymes, E. coli clones, and
      pure strains of environmental microorganisms. Finally, we present instrumental
      procedures and sample treatment instructions for analysis of C, H, and N isotope
      analysis in organic compounds and O isotope analysis in aqueous O2 by gas and
      liquid chromatography coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

PMID- 28911776
TI  - pH-Free Measurement of Relative Acidities, Including Isotope Effects.
AB  - A powerful pH-free multicomponent NMR titration method can measure relative
      acidities, even of closely related compounds, with excellent accuracy. The
      history of the method is presented, along with details of its implementation and
      a comparison with earlier NMR titrations using a pH electrode. Many of its areas
      of applicability are described, especially equilibrium isotope effects. The
      advantages of the method, some practical considerations, and potential pitfalls
      are considered.

PMID- 28911777
TI  - Isotope Ratio Monitoring 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometry for the
      Analysis of Position-Specific Isotope Ratios.
AB  - Studies of changes in isotope ratios in a given molecule caused by an enzyme
      reaction can give considerable insight into mechanism. Similarly, cascades of
      enzymes-pathways-can also introduce fractionation that can be used to
      characterize the type of metabolism being exploited. In both cases, classical
      studies have used enrichment techniques that have allowed the determination of
      isotope fractionation. More recent approaches, however, allow such studies to be
      carried out on substrates in which the isotope ratios are in the natural
      abundance range. This has the advantage of avoiding potentially demanding
      synthesis of specifically labeled compounds as well as allowing multipositional
      isotope ratio determinations. The downside can be that considerable quantities of
      analyte are required. In this chapter, we present the use of isotope ratio
      monitoring by NMR spectrometry as a means to access positional isotope ratios,
      potentially for all positions in the target molecule(s). It should be noted that,
      while the approach is generic, in that the general conditions for obtaining the
      required data follow the same protocol, no single protocol exists for all
      applications. The chapter is therefore split into two parts: general comments
      pertinent to the approach followed by a number of examples illustrating how
      different questions can be approached.

PMID- 28911779
TI  - Measurement of Enzyme Isotope Effects.
AB  - Enzyme isotope effects, or the kinetic effects of "heavy" enzymes, refer to the
      effect of isotopically labeled protein residues on the enzyme's activity or
      physical properties. These effects are increasingly employed in the examination
      of the possible contributions of protein dynamics to enzyme catalysis. One
      hypothesis assumed that isotopic substitution of all 12C, 14N, and
      nonexchangeable 1H by 13C, 15N, and 2H, would slow down protein picosecond to
      femtosecond dynamics without any effect on the system's electrostatics following
      the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. It was suggested that reduced reaction rates
      reported for several "heavy" enzymes accords with that hypothesis. However,
      numerous deviations from the predictions of that hypothesis were also reported.
      Current studies also attempt to test the role of individual residues by site
      specific labeling or by labeling a pattern of residues on activity. It appears
      that in several systems the protein's fast dynamics are indeed reduced in "heavy"
      enzymes in a way that reduces the probability of barrier crossing of its chemical
      step. Other observations, however, indicated that slower protein dynamics are
      electrostatically altered in isotopically labeled enzymes. Interestingly, these
      effects appear to be system dependent, thus it might be premature to suggest a
      general role of "heavy" enzymes' effect on catalysis.

PMID- 28911778
TI  - Applications of Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry in Sports Drug Testing Accounting
      for Isotope Fractionation in Analysis of Biological Samples.
AB  - The misuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) in sports aiming at enhancing
      athletic performance has been a challenging matter for doping control
      laboratories for decades. While the presence of a xenobiotic AAS or its
      metabolite(s) in human urine immediately represents an antidoping rule violation,
      the detection of the misuse of endogenous steroids such as testosterone
      necessitates comparably complex procedures. Concentration thresholds and
      diagnostic analyte ratios computed from urinary steroid concentrations of, e.g.,
      testosterone and epitestosterone have aided identifying suspicious doping control
      samples in the past. These ratios can however also be affected by confounding
      factors and are therefore not sufficient to prove illicit steroid
      administrations. Here, carbon and, in rare cases, hydrogen isotope ratio mass
      spectrometry (IRMS) has become an indispensable tool. Importantly, the isotopic
      signatures of pharmaceutical steroid preparations commonly differ slightly but
      significantly from those found with endogenously produced steroids. By comparing
      the isotope ratios of endogenous reference compounds like pregnanediol to that of
      testosterone and its metabolites, the unambiguous identification of the urinary
      steroids' origin is accomplished. Due to the complex urinary matrix, several
      steps in sample preparation are inevitable as pure analyte peaks are a
      prerequisite for valid IRMS determinations. The sample cleanup encompasses steps
      such as solid phase or liquid-liquid extraction that are presumably not
      accompanied by isotopic fractionation processes, as well as more critical steps
      like enzymatic hydrolysis, high-performance liquid chromatography fractionation,
      and derivatization of analytes. In order to exclude any bias of the analytical
      results, each step of the analytical procedure is optimized and validated to
      exclude, or at least result in constant, isotopic fractionation. These efforts
      are explained in detail.

PMID- 28911780
TI  - Kinetic Isotope Effect Analysis of RNA 2'-O-Transphosphorylation.
AB  - The breaking of RNA strands by 2'-O-transphosphorylation is a ubiquitous reaction
      in biology, and enzymes that catalyze this reaction play key roles in RNA
      metabolism. The mechanisms of 2'-O-transphosphorylation in solution are
      relatively well studied, but complex and can involve different transition states
      depending on how the reaction is catalyzed. Because of this complexity and the
      lack of experimental information on transition-state structure, pinning down the
      chemical details of enzyme-catalyzed RNA strand cleavage has been difficult.
      Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) provide information about changes in bonding as a
      reaction proceeds from ground state to transition state, and therefore they
      provide a powerful tool for revealing mechanistic detail. Application of kinetic
      isotope analyses to RNA 2'-O-transphosphorylation faces three fundamental
      challenges: synthesis of RNA substrate isotopomers with 18O substitutions at the
      2'-O, 5'-O and nonbridging phosphoryl oxygens; determination of the 18O/16O
      ratios in the residual unreacted substrate or product RNAs; and analyzing these
      data to allow calculation of the KIEs for use in evaluating different mechanistic
      scenarios. In this chapter, we outline methods for surmounting these challenges
      for solution RNA 2'-O-transphosphorylation reactions, and we describe their
      initial application to understand nonenzymatic solution reactions and reactions
      catalyzed by the enzyme ribonuclease A.

PMID- 28911781
TI  - Theory and Application of the Relationship Between Steady-State Isotope Effects
      on Enzyme Intermediate Concentrations and Net Rate Constants.
AB  - Steady-state kinetic isotope effects on enzyme-catalyzed reactions are often
      interpreted in terms of the microscopic rate constants associated with the
      elementary reactions of interest. Unfortunately, this approach can lead to
      confusion, especially when more than one elementary reaction is isotopically
      sensitive, because it forces one to consider the full catalytic cycle one step at
      a time rather than as a complete whole. Herein we argue that shifting focus from
      intrinsic effects to net rate constants and enzyme intermediate concentrations
      provides a more natural and holistic interpretation by which the effects of
      partial rate limitation are more easily understood. In doing so, we demonstrate
      how the experimental determination of isotope effects on enzyme intermediate
      concentrations allows a direct determination of isotope effects on net rate
      constants. The chapter is divided into three main sections. The first outlines
      the basic theory and its interpretation. The second discusses an application of
      the theory in the study of the radical SAM enzyme DesII. The final section then
      provides the complete mathematical treatment.

PMID- 28911782
TI  - Determining Carbon Kinetic Isotope Effects Using Headspace Analysis of Evolved
      CO2.
AB  - Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) provides accurate measurements of relative
      abundance of isotopes of heavy atoms for reactions that are subject to kinetic
      isotope effects (KIEs). The recent development of compound-specific isotope
      analysis (CSIA) allows the use of multiple time points that provide data for a
      rate plot as well as isotope ratios. Utilizing CSIA in enzymology presents
      opportunities for obtaining heavy atom KIEs in diverse areas.

PMID- 28911783
TI  - Kinetic Isotope Effect Studies to Elucidate the Reaction Mechanism of RNA
      Modifying Enzymes.
AB  - The synthesis of specifically deuterated uridine, its incorporation into an RNA
      oligonucleotide substrate, and the use of the labeled substrate to determine the
      deuterium kinetic isotope effect for the reaction catalyzed by the pseudouridine
      synthases (enzymes that isomerize uridine to pseudouridine in RNA) are described.
      Both enzymes-TruB and RluA-display a primary kinetic isotope effect, which
      indicates the formation of a glycal intermediate in the ribose ring during
      turnover. Although the details of the protocols are specific to these two
      enzymes, the general methodology is readily adaptable to the synthesis and
      incorporation of other labeled nucleosides into any RNA molecule by in vitro
      transcription.

PMID- 28911784
TI  - Measurement of Kinetic Isotope Effects by Continuously Monitoring Isotopologue
      Ratios Using NMR Spectroscopy.
AB  - Nuclear magnetic spectroscopic (NMR) methods are discussed for the measurement of
      heavy atom (13C, 18O, 15N) and secondary deuterium kinetic isotope effects. The
      discussion focuses primarily on the NMR methods that enable the measurement of
      quantitative spectra and not on methods to make labeled substrates. Two main
      techniques are considered: single-point determinations on natural abundance
      material and the continuous monitoring of isotopically enriched materials. The
      second method is described in more detail, and we include a discussion of the
      current state of instrumentation and computer programs for data acquisition and
      analysis.

PMID- 28911785
TI  - Extracting Kinetic Isotope Effects From a Global Analysis of Reaction Progress
      Curves.
AB  - Enzyme reaction progress curves, or time course datasets, are often rich in
      information, yet their analysis typically reduces their information content to a
      single parameter, the initial velocity. An alternative approach is described
      here, where the time course is described by a model constructed from rate
      equations. In combination with global nonlinear regression, intrinsic rate and/or
      equilibrium constants can be directly obtained by fitting these data. This method
      can be greatly enhanced when combined with the measurement of (usually deuterium)
      isotope effects, which selectively perturb individual step(s) within the
      reaction, allowing better separation of fitted parameters and more robust model
      testing. This chapter focuses on practical considerations when using analytical
      and/or numerically integrated rate equations to model enzyme reactions. The
      emphasis is on the underlying methodology, which is demonstrated with specific
      examples alongside recommendations of suitable software.

PMID- 28911786
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 28911787
TI  - Pulmonary embolism severity assessment and prognostication.
AB  - For patients who have acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE), risk of short
      term death and adverse outcomes should drive the initial treatment decisions.
      Practice guidelines recommend that patients who have a high-risk of PE-related
      death and adverse outcomes, determined by the presence of haemodynamic
      instability (i.e., shock or hypotension), should receive systemically
      administered thrombolytic therapy. Intermediate-high risk patients might benefit
      from close observation, and some should undergo escalation of therapy beyond
      standard anticoagulation, particularly if haemodynamic deterioration occurs. Low
      risk for adverse outcomes should lead to early hospital discharge or full
      treatment at home. Validated prognostic tools (i.e., clinical prognostic scoring
      systems, imaging studies, and cardiac laboratory biomarkers) assist with risk
      classification of patients who have acute symptomatic PE.

PMID- 28911788
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911789
TI  - A retrospective study of pregnancy-associated atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.
AB  - Pregnancy-associated atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) refers to the
      thrombotic microangiopathy resulting from uncontrolled complement activation
      during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Pregnancy-associated aHUS is a
      devastating disease for which there is a limited clinical understanding and
      treatment experience. Here we report a retrospective study to analyze the
      clinical and prognostic data of 22 cases of pregnancy-associated aHUS from the
      Spanish aHUS Registry under different treatments. Sixteen patients presented
      during the first pregnancy and as many as nine patients required hemodialysis at
      diagnosis. Identification of inherited complement abnormalities explained nine of
      the 22 cases, with CFH mutations and CFH to CFHR1 gene conversion events being
      the most prevalent genetic alterations associated with this disorder (66%). In
      thirteen of the cases, pregnancy complications were sufficient to trigger a
      thrombotic microangiopathy in the absence of genetic or acquired complement
      alterations. The postpartum period was the time with highest risk to develop the
      disease and the group shows an association of cesarean section with pregnancy
      associated aHUS. Seventeen patients underwent plasma treatments with a positive
      renal response in only three cases. In contrast, ten patients received eculizumab
      with an excellent renal response in all, independent of carrying or not inherited
      complement abnormalities. Although the cohort is relatively small, the data
      suggest that pregnancy-associated aHUS is not different from other types of aHUS
      and suggest the efficacy of eculizumab treatment over plasma therapies. This
      study may be useful to improve prognosis in this group of aHUS patients.

PMID- 28911791
TI  - Three-tier five-level preventive strategy for domestic violence and sexual
      violence prevention in Taiwan.

PMID- 28911790
TI  - Microchimerism: Defining and redefining the prepregnancy context - A review.
AB  - Bidirectional transplacental exchange characterizes human pregnancy. Cells
      exchanged between mother and fetus can durably persist as microchimerism and may
      have both short- and long-term consequences for the recipient. The amount, type,
      and persistence of microchimerism are influenced by obstetric characteristics,
      pregnancy complications, exposures to infection, and other factors. A
      reproductive-aged woman enters pregnancy harboring previously acquired
      microchimeric "grafts," which may influence her preconception health and her
      subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Many questions remain to be answered about
      microchimerism with broad-ranging implications. This review will summarize key
      aspects of this field of research and propose important questions to be addressed
      moving forward.

PMID- 28911792
TI  - Facial profile and frontal changes after bimaxillary surgery in patients with
      mandibular prognathism.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Patients are always concerned about their postoperative
      appearance before surgery for facial deformity correction. The present study
      investigated the facial profile and frontal changes following two-jaw surgery.
      METHODS: Forty patients who underwent two-jaw surgery were divided by the amount
      of mandibular setback (group I: <=8 mm and group II: >8 mm). Cephalometric
      radiograms (lateral and frontal) were collected and analyzed at three intervals:
      preoperatively (T1), immediately postoperatively (T2), and final follow-up (T3).
      The following points were identified: cheek points (C1-C5), pronasale (Prn, tip
      of the nose), anterior nasal spine (ANS), subnasal (Sn), point A, labrale
      superius (Ls), incision superius (Is), labrale inferius (Li), incision inferius
      (Ii), point B, labiomental sulcus (Si), pogonion (Pog), soft tissue pogonion
      (PogS), ramus point (RP), and gonion (Go). The immediate postoperative changes
      (T21), final postoperative changes (T32), and final stability (T31) were
      calculated and analyzed. RESULTS: In T31, the cheek line showed significant
      advancements of 2.3 mm (group I) and 1.6 mm (group II). The soft:hard tissue
      ratios were significantly correlated: Prn:ANS (0.37:1), Prn:A (0.39:1), Sn:A
      (0.85:1), C3:A (0.82:1), Ls:Is (0.92:1), Li:Ii (0.91:1), Si:B (0.88:1), and
      PogS:Pog (group I, 0.78:1 and group II, 0.93:1). The intercondylion and
      intergonial widths of group II (T31) significantly increased 1.8 and 4 mm,
      respectively. Regarding the postoperative skeletal stability (T32), group I
      showed significant correlations between amounts of mandibular setback, but group
      II did not. CONCLUSION: In the facial profile, the cheek line showed significant
      advancement postoperatively. The frontal mandibular transverse dimensions were
      significantly increased.

PMID- 28911793
TI  - Passive air sampling of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in New Delhi, Kolkata,
      Mumbai and Chennai: Levels, homologous profiling and source apportionment.
AB  - Several studies in the recent past reported new sources for industrial persistent
      organic pollutants (POPs) from metropolitan cities of India. To fill the data gap
      for atmospheric polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polyurethane foam disk
      passive air sampling (PUF-PAS) was conducted along urban-suburban-rural transects
      in four quadrilateral cities viz., New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai from
      northern, eastern, western and southern India respectively. Average concentration
      of Sigma8PBDEs in pg/m3 for New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai were 198, 135,
      264 and 144 respectively. We observed a distinct urban > suburban > rural trend
      for atmospheric PBDEs in Mumbai. Principal component analysis (PCA) attributed
      three different source types. BDE-47, -99, -100, -153 and -154 loaded in the
      first component were relatively high in the sites where industrial and informal
      electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities were prevalent. Penta congener,
      BDE-99 and tetra congener, BDE-47 contributed 50%-75% of total PBDEs. Ratio of
      BDE-47 and -99 in Indian cities reflected the usage of penta formulations like
      Bromkal -70DE and DE-71 in the commercial and electrical products. PC-2 was
      loaded with BDE-28 and -35. Percentage of BDE-28 and BDE-35 (>10%) were
      comparatively much higher than commercial penta products. Abundance of BDE-28 in
      majority sites can be primarily due to re-emission from surface soil. PC-3 was
      loaded with BDE-183 and elevated levels were observed mostly in the industrial
      corridor of Indian cities. BDE-183 was notably high in the urban industrial sites
      of New Delhi. We suspect this octa-BDE congener resulted from recycling process
      of plastic products containing octa-BDE formulation used as flame retardants.

PMID- 28911794
TI  - Response of extracellular polymeric substances to thermal treatment in sludge
      dewatering process.
AB  - Sludge dewatering is an important process in municipal wastewater treatment and
      critically influences the subsequent transportation and disposal. Thermal
      treatment coupled with other chemical processes has been widely used to improve
      sludge dewaterability. However, information about the response of sludge
      extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to thermal treatment and its role in
      sludge dewatering is still limited. In this work, the effects of thermal
      treatment on anaerobic and aerobic sludges were investigated with an emphasis on
      the colloid properties of released EPS in sludge dewatering process. The results
      indicate that sludge dewaterability became deteriorated with the increased
      temperature in the range of 30-170  degrees C, which was ascribed to the
      disintegration of sludge flocs and change of EPS characteristics. Disintegrated
      sludge induced the release of the negatively charged EPS, resulting in the
      weakened bridging interaction and lower compactness. After thermal treatment, the
      EPS with a higher average molecular weight and stretched coil configuration
      retained more water. In addition, difference in dewaterability between anaerobic
      and aerobic sludges was found to be attributed to their different contents and
      structures of EPS components. These results provide an insight into thermal
      dependent sludge dewatering process and are useful to facilitate water-sludge
      separation.

PMID- 28911795
TI  - Spatial variations in the occurrence of potentially genotoxic disinfection by
      products in drinking water distribution systems in China.
AB  - We investigated the occurrence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) with genotoxic
      potential in plant effluent and distribution water samples from four drinking
      water treatment plants in two Chinese cities using comprehensive two-dimensional
      gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry. We tested the samples for 37
      DBPs with genotoxic potential, which we had previously identified and prioritized
      in water under controlled laboratory conditions. Thirty of these DBPs were found
      in the water samples at detection frequencies of between 10% and 100%, and at
      concentrations between 3.90 and 1.77 * 103 ng/L. Of the DBPs detected, the
      concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloropropan-2-one were highest, and ranged from 299
      to 1.77 * 103 ng/L with an average of 796 ng/L. The concentrations of 6-chloro-2
      N-propan-2-yl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine and 2,6-ditert-butylcyclohexa-2,5-diene
      1,4-dione were also much higher, and ranged from 107 to 721 ng/L, and from 152 to
      504 ng/L, respectively. Concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloropropan-2-one, 2-chloro-1
      phenylethanone, 2,2-dichloro-1-phenylethanone and 6-chloro-2-N-propan-2-yl-1,3,5
      triazine-2,4-diamine were highest at or near the treatment plants and decreased
      with increasing distance from the plants. Patterns in the concentrations of
      benzaldehyde, 2-phenylpropan-2-ol, and 1-methylnaphthalene differed between
      plants. The levels of DBPs such as 4-ethylbenzaldehyde, (E)-non-2-enal, and 1
      phenylethanone were relatively constant within the distribution systems, even at
      the furthest sampling points (20 km < d < 30 km). A risk assessment showed that
      there was no risk to human health. It is, however, important to note that,
      because of limited availability of toxicity data, only five DBPs were evaluated
      in this study. The risks to health associated with exposure to the target
      potentially genotoxic DBPs should not be ignored because of their prolonged
      existence in drinking water.

PMID- 28911797
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911796
TI  - Spontaneous uterine rupture at 19 weeks of gestation.

PMID- 28911798
TI  - Development and evaluation of multiplex real-time PCR for diagnosis of HSV-1,
      VZV, CMV, and Toxoplasma gondii in patients with infectious uveitis.
AB  - Infectious uveitis is a vision threatening inflammatory ocular disease wherein
      early diagnosis may prevent the loss of vision. The purpose of this study was to
      develop a multiplex real-time PCR for the diagnosis of Herpes simplex virus-1,
      Varicella zoster virus, cytomegalovirus and Toxoplasma gondii in patients with
      suspected infectious uveitis. A total of 126 intraocular samples (aqueous and
      vitreous humor) were collected and subjected to multiplex real-time PCR. Overall
      26.2% (33/126) patients were found to be positive for one or more of the
      pathogens tested. The overall positivity for VZV, HSV, CMV and T. gondii was
      found to be 16 (12.7%), 7 (5.6%), 5 (3.9%), and 9 (7.1%); with mean pathogen load
      of 5.07*105, 9.5*104, 1.08*104 and 394 (copies/MUl) respectively. The development
      of highly sensitive and specific assay for early differentiation of pathogens is
      important for the early initiation of treatment thereby preventing irreversible
      damage to the ocular structures.

PMID- 28911799
TI  - Effects of glucocorticoids on stratum corneum lipids and function in human skin-A
      detailed lipidomic analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Topical glucocorticoids (GCs) are known to induce atrophy of human
      skin including thinning of epidermal and dermal compartments by influencing
      keratinocyte proliferation and synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins. GCs
      are also known to reduce skin barrier integrity but little is known about the
      changes in lipid composition in human skin following topical administration of
      GCs. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of GCs on stratum corneum
      (SC) function and lipid profile of human skin in vivo. METHOD: Over a period of 4
      weeks, 16 healthy volunteers were treated on the forearms once daily with topical
      clobetasol proprionate (CP), betamethasone diproprionate (BDP) or vehicle. One
      day after last application (Day 29) SC lipids were collected by tape stripping
      and analysed by a high sensitivity liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
      method. Gene expression was analysed in skin biopsies. The full skin, epidermal
      and SC thickness were assessed by ultrasound, optical coherence tomography and
      confocal microscopy, respectively, and barrier integrity was assessed by
      measuring transepidermal water loss (TEWL). RESULTS: Compared to vehicle
      controls, GCs induced significant alterations in SC lipid profiles. CP caused a
      reduction in 98 lipids of 226 analysed while BDP treatment only resulted in a
      significant change of 29 lipids. Most pronounced changes occurred among long
      chain, ester-linked, ceramide classes while other ceramide classes were much less
      affected. Almost the complete profile of triacylglycerols (TGs) was significantly
      decreased by CP while more modest changes were observed in free fatty acids.
      Topical GCs reduced the thickness of skin layers and increased TEWL. GC treatment
      also induced changes in expression of genes coding for extracellular markers and
      enzymes involved in lipid synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a reduction in
      specific SC lipid classes following topical GC treatment of human skin and
      contributes to the characterisation of the barrier disruption in human skin
      induced by topical steroids.

PMID- 28911800
TI  - Evolution of the sex ratio and effective number under gynodioecy and androdioecy.
AB  - We address the evolution of effective number of individuals under androdioecy and
      gynodioecy. We analyze dynamic models of autosomal modifiers of weak effect on
      sex expression. In our zygote control models, the sex expressed by a zygote
      depends on its own genotype, while in our maternal control models, it depends on
      the genotype of its maternal parent. Our analysis unifies full multi-dimensional
      local stability analysis with the Li-Price equation, which for all its heuristic
      appeal, describes evolutionary change over a single generation. We define a point
      in the neighborhood of a fixation state from which a single-generation step
      indicates the asymptotic behavior of the frequency of a modifier allele initiated
      at an arbitrary point near the fixation state. A concept of heritability
      appropriate for the evolutionary modification of sex emerges from the Li
      Priceframework. We incorporate our theoretical analysis into our previously
      developed Bayesian inference framework to develop a new method for inferring the
      viability of gonochores (males or females) relative to hermaphrodites. Applying
      this approach to microsatellite data derived from natural populations of the
      gynodioecious plant Schiedea salicaria and the androdioecious killifish
      Kryptolebias marmoratus, we find that while female and hermaphrodite S. salicaria
      appear to have similar viabilities, male K. marmoratus appear to survive to
      reproductive age at less than half the rate of hermaphrodites.

PMID- 28911801
TI  - Mental Health Screening, Treatment, and Referral During the Perinatal Period.

PMID- 28911802
TI  - Transient gestational exposure to drinking water containing excess hexavalent
      chromium modifies insulin signaling in liver and skeletal muscle of rat progeny.
AB  - Chromium (Cr), an essential micronutrient potentiates insulin action, whereas
      excess hexavalent Cr (CrVI) acts as an endocrine disruptor. Pregnant mothers
      living in areas abutting industries using the metal and chromite ore dumps are
      exposed to ground water contaminated with Cr. Nevertheless, the impact of
      prenatal exposure to excess CrVI on insulin signaling in the progeny remains
      obscure. We tested the hypothesis "transient gestational exposure to drinking
      water containing excess CrVI may modify insulin signaling during postnatal life".
      Pregnant Wistar rats were given drinking water containing 50, 100 and 200 ppm
      CrVI (K2Cr2O7) from gestational day 9-14 encompassing the period of
      organogenesis; the male progenies were tested at postnatal day 60. Neither
      fasting blood glucose nor oral glucose tolerance was altered in CrVI treated
      progeny. Nevertheless, western blot detection pointed out attenuated expression
      level of insulin receptor (IR), its downstream signaling molecules (IRS-1, pIRS
      1Tyr632, Akt and pAktSer473) and organ specific glucose transporters (GLUT2 in
      liver and GLUT4 in gastrocnemius muscle), along with a significant increase in
      serum insulin level in male progenies exposed to CrVI. While 14C-2-deoxy glucose
      uptake increased in the liver, the same decreased in the skeletal muscle whereas,
      14C-glucose oxidation recorded a consistent decrease in both tissues of CrVI
      exposed rats. These findings support our hypothesis and suggest that transient
      gestational exposure to excess CrVI may affect insulin signaling and glucose
      oxidation in the progeny, predictably rendering them vulnerable to insulin
      resistance.

PMID- 28911803
TI  - Sensory overload and imbalance: Resting-state vestibular connectivity in PTSD and
      its dissociative subtype.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The vestibular system integrates multisensory information to monitor
      one's bodily orientation in space, and is influenced by interoceptive awareness.
      Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves typically alterations in
      interoceptive and bodily self-awareness evidenced by symptoms of hyperarousal, as
      well as of emotional detachment, including emotional numbing, depersonalization,
      and derealization. These alterations may disrupt vestibular multisensory
      integration between the brainstem (vestibular nuclei) and key vestibular cortical
      regions (parieto-insular vestibular cortex, prefrontal cortex). Accordingly, this
      study examined functional connectivity of the vestibular system in PTSD and its
      dissociative subtype. METHODS: Using resting-state fMRI data in SPM12 and
      PickAtlas, a seed-based analysis was employed to examine vestibular nuclei
      functional connectivity differences among PTSD (n = 60), PTSD dissociative
      subtype (PTSD + DS, n = 41) and healthy controls (n = 40). RESULTS: Increased
      vestibular nuclei functional connectivity with the parieto-insular vestibular
      cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) was observed in PTSD and in
      controls as compared to PTSD + DS, and greater connectivity with the posterior
      insula was observed in controls as compared to PTSD. Interestingly, whereas PTSD
      symptom severity correlated negatively with dlPFC connectivity, clinical measures
      of depersonalization/derealization correlated negatively with right supramarginal
      gyrus connectivity. DISCUSSION: Taken together, decreased vestibular nuclei
      functional connectivity with key cortical vestibular regions in the PTSD + DS as
      compared to PTSD group, and its negative correlations with PTSD and dissociative
      symptoms, suggest that dysregulation of vestibular multisensory integration may
      contribute to the unique symptom profiles of each group. Further research
      examining disruption of vestibular system neural circuitry in PTSD and its
      dissociative subtype will be critical in capturing the neurophenomenology of PTSD
      symptoms and in identifying psychotherapeutic techniques that target dysfunction
      related to the vestibular system.

PMID- 28911804
TI  - Case report: Left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy and RASopathies.
AB  - The following is a case report of 6 patients with Noonan syndrome (NS) and/or a
      related RASsopathy that also have evidence of left ventricular noncompaction
      cardiomyopathy (LVNC). Noonan syndrome,a type of RASopathy, is an autosomal
      dominant disorder that is typically associated with congenital heart defects and
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. There have been minimal reports of Noonan syndrome
      or other RASopathy and the association of LVNC. This report promulgates 6
      nonrelated cases of Noonan syndrome or unspecified RASopathy and LVNC.

PMID- 28911806
TI  - Comparison of characteristics and fibril-forming ability of skin collagen from
      barramundi (Lates calcarifer) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).
AB  - The present study isolated and characterized the barramundi (Lates calcarifer)
      skin collagen (BC) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin collagen (TC). The
      yields of BC and TC by enzymatic extraction were 47.3+/-3.7% and 52.6+/-6.1%
      respectively, dry weight. The SDS-PAGE profile indicated both collagens were
      mainly type I with two different alpha chains. FTIR spectra and X-ray diffraction
      confirmed that the triple helical structure of both collagens was not affected by
      pepsin digestion. The denaturation (Td) and melting temperature (Tm) were 36.8
      and 109.6 degrees C for BC, 37.6 and 113.7 degrees C for TC, measured by
      rheometer and DSC. This high thermal stability could be attributed to the high
      imino acid content (205.9 and 210.9 residues/1000 residues) of BC and TC. Fibril
      forming studies indicated BC exhibited higher ability than (p<0.05) that of TC,
      especially under the effect of NaCl. One major characteristic of this result
      showed that NaCl had the markedly effects of promoting collagen forming fibrils,
      and electron microscopic observation corroborated this phenomenon. In general,
      barramundi and tilapia skin collagen with high thermal stability and good fibril
      forming ability may be suitable for use as an alternative to mammalian-derived
      collagen in biomaterials, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

PMID- 28911807
TI  - Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) from Ammophila arenaria, a natural and a fast
      growing grass plant.
AB  - The production of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) with a high yield from Ammophila
      arenariahas been explored and the ensuing CNFs were characterized in terms of
      morphology, crystallinity and rheological properties. Ammophila arenaria (marram
      grass) is a perennial grass plant with high tolerance to drought, which is
      growing naturally in nutritionally poor sand with low organic matter. Fibers were
      extracted from the plant by conventional alkaline pulping and bleaching with a
      yield around 50% based on the dry weight of the plant. A TEMPO-mediated oxidation
      and a cationization with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride were performed as a
      pretreament to facilitate the fibrillation process and produced stable CNF
      suspension with high yield and controlled surface charge. High pressure
      homogenization was used for the mechanical disintegration of the pretreated
      fibers and nanosized CNFs with width around 5-8nm were produced with a yield
      exceeding 80%.

PMID- 28911808
TI  - Renal Transplantation After Treatment for a Urological Cancer: Who and When? Does
      Evidence Help for a Challenge?

PMID- 28911805
TI  - Delivery strategies of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system for therapeutic
      applications.
AB  - The CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing system is a part of the adaptive immune system in
      archaea and bacteria to defend against invasive nucleic acids from phages and
      plasmids. The single guide RNA (sgRNA) of the system recognizes its target
      sequence in the genome, and the Cas9 nuclease of the system acts as a pair of
      scissors to cleave the double strands of DNA. Since its discovery, CRISPR-Cas9
      has become the most robust platform for genome engineering in eukaryotic cells.
      Recently, the CRISPR-Cas9 system has triggered enormous interest in therapeutic
      applications. CRISPR-Cas9 can be applied to correct disease-causing gene
      mutations or engineer T cells for cancer immunotherapy. The first clinical trial
      using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology was conducted in 2016. Despite the great promise
      of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, several challenges remain to be tackled before its
      successful applications for human patients. The greatest challenge is the safe
      and efficient delivery of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing system to target cells
      in human body. In this review, we will introduce the molecular mechanism and
      different strategies to edit genes using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. We will then
      highlight the current systems that have been developed to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 in
      vitro and in vivo for various therapeutic purposes.

PMID- 28911809
TI  - Taxonomy, ecology and biotechnological applications of thraustochytrids: A
      review.
AB  - Thraustochytrids were first discovered in 1934, and since the 1960's they have
      been increasingly studied for their beneficial and deleterious effects. This
      review aims to provide an enhanced understanding of these protists with a
      particular emphasis on their taxonomy, ecology and biotechnology applications.
      Over the years, thraustochytrid taxonomy has improved with the development of
      modern molecular techniques and new biochemical markers, resulting in the
      isolation and description of new strains. In the present work, the taxonomic
      history of thraustochytrids is reviewed, while providing an up-to-date
      classification of these organisms. It also describes the various biomarkers that
      may be taken into consideration to support taxonomic characterization of the
      thraustochytrids, together with a review of traditional and modern techniques for
      their isolation and molecular identification. The originality of this review lies
      in linking taxonomy and ecology of the thraustochytrids and their
      biotechnological applications as producers of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),
      carotenoids, exopolysaccharides and other compounds of interest. The paper
      provides a summary of these aspects while also highlighting some of the most
      important recent studies in this field, which include the diversity of
      polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in thraustochytrids, some novel strategies
      for biomass production and recovery of compounds of interest. Furthermore, a
      detailed overview is provided of the direct and current applications of
      thraustochytrid-derived compounds in the food, fuel, cosmetic, pharmaceutical,
      and aquaculture industries and of some of the commercial products available. This
      review is intended to be a source of information and references on the
      thraustochytrids for both experts and those who are new to this field.

PMID- 28911810
TI  - Exercise VE/VCO2 Slope: An Endurance Marker of Prognosis Also in Patients with
      HFpEF and Pulmonary Hypertension, at Least!

PMID- 28911812
TI  - Relationships between residue Voronoi volume and sequence conservation in
      proteins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional and biophysical constraints can cause different levels of
      sequence conservation in proteins. Previously, structural properties, e.g.,
      relative solvent accessibility (RSA) and packing density of the weighted contact
      number (WCN), have been found to be related to protein sequence conservation
      (CS). The Voronoi volume has recently been recognized as a new structural
      property of the local protein structural environment reflecting CS. However, for
      surface residues, it is sensitive to water molecules surrounding the protein
      structure. Herein, we present a simple structural determinant termed the relative
      space of Voronoi volume (RSV); it uses the Voronoi volume and the van der Waals
      volume of particular residues to quantify the local structural environment.
      METHODS: RSV (range, 0-1) is defined as (Voronoi volume-van der Waals
      volume)/Voronoi volume of the target residue. The concept of RSV describes the
      extent of available space for every protein residue. RESULTS: RSV and Voronoi
      profiles with and without water molecules (RSVw, RSV, VOw, and VO) were compared
      for 554 non-homologous proteins. RSV (without water) showed better Pearson's
      correlations with CS than did RSVw, VO, or VOw values. The mean correlation
      coefficient between RSV and CS was 0.51, which is comparable to the correlation
      between RSA and CS (0.49) and that between WCN and CS (0.56). CONCLUSIONS: RSV is
      a robust structural descriptor with and without water molecules and can
      quantitatively reflect evolutionary information in a single protein structure.
      Therefore, it may represent a practical structural determinant to study protein
      sequence, structure, and function relationships.

PMID- 28911811
TI  - An intergenerational effect of neuroendocrine metabolic programming alteration
      induced by prenatal ethanol exposure in rats.
AB  - Prenatal ethanol exposure (PEE) induces hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
      related neuroendocrine metabolic programming alteration in the first generation
      (F1) rats. In this study, the HPA hormones and glucose/lipid phenotypes under
      basal state and stressed condition induced by a fortnight ice-water swimming were
      examined in F2 to verify the intergenerational effect. Under the basal state,
      serum corticosterone (CORT) and glucose of some PEE groups were lowered while
      those of serum triglycerides (TG) were increased comparing with controls.
      Following chronic stress, the percentage increase in CORT from the basal state
      tended to be greater for some PEE groups compared with controls while the
      percentage reduction of glucose and percentage elevation of TG were smaller.
      These results revealed that the low basal activity and hyper-responsiveness of
      the HPA axis as well as glucocorticoid-associated glucose and lipid phenotypic
      alterations were partially retained in F2, which indicates PEE-induced
      neuroendocrine metabolic programming alteration may have an intergenerational
      effect.

PMID- 28911813
TI  - Functional dynamics in cyclic nucleotide signaling and amyloid inhibition.
AB  - It is now established that understanding the molecular basis of biological
      function requires atomic resolution maps of both structure and dynamics. Here, we
      review several illustrative examples of functional dynamics selected from our
      work on cyclic nucleotide signaling and amyloid inhibition. Although
      fundamentally diverse, a central aspect common to both fields is that function
      can only be rationalized by considering dynamic equilibria between distinct
      states of the accessible free energy landscape. The dynamic exchange between
      ground and excited states of signaling proteins is essential to explain auto
      inhibition and allosteric activation. The dynamic exchange between non-toxic
      monomeric species and toxic oligomers of amyloidogenic proteins provides a
      foundation to understand amyloid inhibition. NMR ideally probes both types of
      dynamic exchange at atomic resolution. Specifically, we will show how NMR was
      utilized to reveal the dynamical basis of cyclic nucleotide affinity,
      selectivity, agonism and antagonism in multiple eukaryotic cAMP and cGMP
      receptors. We will also illustrate how NMR revealed the mechanism of action of
      plasma proteins that act as extracellular chaperones and inhibit the self
      association of the prototypical amyloidogenic Abeta peptide. The examples
      outlined in this review illustrate the widespread implications of functional
      dynamics and the power of NMR as an indispensable tool in molecular pharmacology
      and pathology.

PMID- 28911814
TI  - The effect of patient gender on outcomes after reverse total shoulder
      arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gender differences may exist for patients undergoing shoulder
      arthroplasty. Limited data suggest that women may have worse preoperative
      disability and outcomes. Our objective was to determine whether gender influences
      preoperative disability and patient-reported outcomes after reverse total
      shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected for patients
      who underwent reverse total shoulder arthroplasty for rotator cuff arthropathy or
      osteoarthritis with a rotator cuff tear at a single institution between 2009 and
      2015. Range of motion, visual analog scale, 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF
      12), and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores were collected at the
      preoperative, 1-year, and 2-year postoperative time points. Data were analyzed
      using multivariate mixed-effect regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 117
      patients included. Men and women had similar demographics, preoperative range of
      motion, pain, and function. Length of stay was similar (men, 2.32 days; women,
      2.58 days; P = .18). Controlling for patient variables, men achieved higher ASES
      function (P = .009) and SF-12 Physical Component Summary (P = .008) scores
      compared with women. There was no difference between men and women in ASES pain
      and SF-12 Mental Component Summary scores, visual analog scale score, or range of
      motion. CONCLUSION: Improvements in pain and range of motion were similar in men
      and women; however, men achieved higher ASES function and SF-12 Physical
      Component Summary scores. Women may be more functionally impaired on the basis of
      differences in activities of daily living. These results may be used to guide
      discussion about expected benefits after reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

PMID- 28911815
TI  - Haemocytes from Crassostrea gigas and OsHV-1: A promising in vitro system to
      study host/virus interactions.
AB  - Since 2008, mass mortality outbreaks associated with the detection of particular
      variants of OsHV-1 have been reported in Crassostrea gigas spat and juveniles in
      several countries. Recent studies have reported information on viral replication
      during experimental infection. Viral DNA and RNA were also detected in the
      haemolymph and haemocytes suggesting that the virus could circulate through the
      circulatory system. However, it is unknown if the virus is free in the
      haemolymph, passively associated at the surface of haemocytes, or able to infect
      and replicate inside these cells inducing (or not) virion production. In the
      present study, we collected haemocytes from the haemolymphatic sinus of the
      adductor muscle of healthy C. gigas spat and exposed them in vitro to a viral
      suspension. Results showed that viral RNAs were detectable one hour after contact
      and the number of virus transcripts increased over time in association with an
      increase of viral DNA detection. These results suggested that the virus is able
      to initiate replication rapidly inside haemocytes maintained in vitro. These in
      vitro trials were also used to carry out a dual transcriptomic study. We analyzed
      concomitantly the expression of some host immune genes and 15 viral genes.
      Results showed an up regulation of oyster genes currently studied during OsHV-1
      infection. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy examination was carried
      out and did not allow the detection of viral particles. Moreover, All the results
      suggested that the in vitro model using haemocytes can be valuable for providing
      new perspective on virus-oyster interactions.

PMID- 28911816
TI  - Lead discovery and chemical biology approaches targeting the ubiquitin proteasome
      system.
AB  - Protein degradation is critical for proteostasis, and the addition of
      polyubiquitin chains to a substrate is necessary for its recognition by the 26S
      proteasome. Therapeutic intervention in the ubiquitin proteasome system has
      implications ranging from cancer to neurodegeneration. Novel screening methods
      and chemical biology tools for targeting E1-activating, E2-conjugating and
      deubiquitinating enzymes will be discussed in this review. Approaches for
      targeting E3 ligase-substrate interactions as well as the proteasome will also be
      covered, with a focus on recently described approaches.

PMID- 28911817
TI  - Natural neuro-inflammatory inhibitors from Caragana turfanensis.
AB  - Because of the critical role of over-activated microglia in the progress of
      neurodegenerative diseases, it has been selected as a potential therapeutic
      target for drug discovery. In order to find natural neuroinflammatory inhibitors,
      we carried out a bioactivity-oriented phytochemical research of Caragana
      turfanensis Kom. (Krassn.), which is a folk medicine widely distributed in
      Xinjiang. As a result, a new coumarin lactone caraganolide A (1) and 35 known
      components were characterized from the effective extract of C. turfanensis.
      Furthermore, their anti-neuroinflammatory effects were evaluated in LPS-induced
      BV2 microglial cells using Griess assay to determine the release of nitric oxide
      (NO). Compounds 1, 2, 4-6, 9, 13-15, 20, 29 and 30 exhibited significant
      inhibitory activities and no obvious cytotoxicities were observed at their
      effective concentrations. It is noteworthy, the new compound caraganolide A (1)
      (IC50 1.01+/-1.57uM) and 3',7,8-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavone (5) (IC506.87+/
      2.23uM) exhibited more excellent action than that of positive control minocycline
      (IC50 9.07+/-0.86MUM).

PMID- 28911818
TI  - Anti-fatigue activity of a Lachnum polysaccharide and its carboxymethylated
      derivative in mice.
AB  - The present study was designed to evaluate the anti-fatigue activity of an
      exopolysaccharide LEP-1b and its carboxymethylated derivative CLEP-1b from a
      Lachnum sp. Carboxymethylation was confirmed through FT-IR and 13C NMR
      spectroscopies, which showed that the (-CH2COOH) group was attached to an oxygen
      (O) atom of the hydroxyl group on (C-3) of LEP-1b. Each treatment group LEP-1b
      and CLEP-1b at doses (50, 100, 200mg/kg, respectively) ameliorated physical
      fatigue and extended exhaustive swimming time in mice. Results of the fatigue
      related biochemical markers showed that LEP-1b and CLEP-1b at doses (50, 100,
      200mg/kg, respectively) increased the content of hepatic glycogen and decreased
      the level of serum urea nitrogen and lactic acid. Additionally, LEP-1b and CLEP
      1b enhanced the antioxidant enzymes' activities and reduced the lipid
      peroxidation. Moreover, results revealed that CLEP-1b had higher anti-fatigue
      activity than LEP-1b at same doses but without statistical significance,
      especially CLEP-1b (200mg/kg) had strong anti-fatigue effects. Therefore, LEP-1b
      and CLEP-1b can potentially be exploited as a kind of healthcare compound to
      combat fatigue and to boost physical strength.

PMID- 28911820
TI  - Regulation of pannexin channels in the central nervous system by Src family
      kinases.
AB  - Pannexins form single membrane channels that regulate the passage of ions, small
      molecules and metabolites between the intra- and extracellular compartments. In
      the central nervous system, these channels are integrated into numerous signaling
      cascades that shape brain physiology and pathology. Post-translational
      modification of pannexins is complex, with phosphorylation emerging as a
      prominent form of functional regulation. While much is still not known regarding
      the specific kinases and modified amino acids, recent reports support a role for
      Src family tyrosine kinases (SFK) in regulating pannexin channel activity. This
      review outlines the current evidence supporting SFK-dependent pannexin
      phosphorylation in the CNS and examines the importance of these modifications in
      the healthy and diseased brain.

PMID- 28911819
TI  - Non-Neurogenic Language Disorders: A Preliminary Classification.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few publications deal with non-neurogenic language disorders (NNLDs),
      distinct from psychogenic speech disorders such as psychogenic dysphonia or
      stuttering. NNLDs are alterations in language owing to psychosomatic
      preoccupations, conversion disorder, psychiatric disorders, or other
      psychological reasons. OBJECTIVE: To identify and classify the range of NNLDs and
      their characteristics. METHODS: This review summarizes the literature on
      disturbances in language, broadly defined as the use of symbols for
      communication, which may have a psychogenic or psychiatric etiology. RESULTS: The
      literature suggests a classification for NNLDs that includes psychogenic aphasia
      with dysgrammatism; psychogenic "lalias" including oxylalia and agitolalia,
      palilalia and echolalia, xenolalia, glossolalia, and coprolalia; psychologically
      mediated word usage; psychotic language; and psychogenic forms of the foreign
      accent syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians and researchers have insufficiently
      emphasized the presence of NNLDs, their characteristics, and their
      identification. Yet, these disorders may be the first or predominant
      manifestation of a psychologically-mediated illness. There are 2 steps to
      recognition. The first is to know how to distinguish NNLDs from the
      manifestations of neurogenic language impairments after a neurological
      evaluation. The second step is awareness of specific associated and examination
      features that suggest the presence of a NNLD.

PMID- 28911822
TI  - Structural insights of cyclin dependent kinases: Implications in design of
      selective inhibitors.
AB  - There are around 20 Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) known till date, and various
      research groups have reported their role in different types of cancer. The X-ray
      structures of some CDKs especially CDK2 was exploited in the past few years, and
      several inhibitors have been found, e.g., flavopiridol, indirubicin, roscovitine,
      etc., but due to the specificity issues of these inhibitors (binding to all
      CDKs), these were called as pan inhibitors. The revolutionary outcome of
      palbociclib in 2015 as CDK4/6 inhibitor added a new charm to the specific
      inhibitor design for CDKs. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) tools added a
      benefit to the design and development of new CDK inhibitors by studying the
      binding pattern of the inhibitors to the ATP binding domain of CDKs. Herein, we
      have attempted a comparative analysis of structural differences between several
      CDKs ATP binding sites and their inhibitor specificity by depicting the important
      ligand-receptor interactions for a particular CDK to be targeted. This
      perspective provides futuristic implications in the design of inhibitors
      considering the spatial features and structural insights of the specific CDK.

PMID- 28911821
TI  - On the occurrence and enigmatic functions of mixed (chemical plus electrical)
      synapses in the mammalian CNS.
AB  - Electrical synapses with diverse configurations and functions occur at a variety
      of interneuronal appositions, thereby significantly expanding the physiological
      complexity of neuronal circuitry over that provided solely by chemical synapses.
      Gap junctions between apposed dendritic and somatic plasma membranes form "purely
      electrical" synapses that allow for electrical communication between coupled
      neurons. In addition, gap junctions at axon terminals synapsing on dendrites and
      somata allow for "mixed" (dual chemical+electrical) synaptic transmission. "Dual
      transmission" was first documented in the autonomic nervous system of birds,
      followed by its detection in the central nervous systems of fish, amphibia, and
      reptiles. Subsequently, mixed synapses have been detected in several locations in
      the mammalian CNS, where their properties and functional roles remain
      undetermined. Here, we review available evidence for the presence, complex
      structural composition, and emerging functional properties of mixed synapses in
      the mammalian CNS.

PMID- 28911823
TI  - Towards antibody-drug conjugates and prodrug strategies with extracellular
      stimuli-responsive drug delivery in the tumor microenvironment for cancer
      therapy.
AB  - The design of innovative anticancer chemotherapies with superior antitumor
      efficacy and reduced toxicity continues to be a challenging endeavor. Recently,
      the success of Adcetris(r) and Kadcyla(r) made antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
      serious contenders to reach the envied status of Paul Ehrlich's "magic bullet".
      However, ADCs classically target overexpressed and internalizing antigens at the
      surface of cancer cells, and in solid tumors are associated with poor tumor
      penetration, insufficient targeting in heterogeneous tumors, and appearance of
      several resistance mechanisms. In this context, alternative non-internalizing
      ADCs and prodrugs have been developed to circumvent these limitations, in which
      the drug can be selectively released by an extracellular stimulus in the tumor
      microenvironment. Each strategy and method of activation will be discussed as
      potential alternatives to internalizing ADCs for cancer therapy.

PMID- 28911824
TI  - [DRESS and viruses].

PMID- 28911825
TI  - Paving the Rho in cancer metastasis: Rho GTPases and beyond.
AB  - Malignant carcinomas are often characterized by metastasis, the movement of
      carcinoma cells from a primary site to colonize distant organs. For metastasis to
      occur, carcinoma cells first must adopt a pro-migratory phenotype and move
      through the surrounding stroma towards a blood or lymphatic vessel. Currently,
      there are very limited possibilities to target these processes therapeutically.
      The family of Rho GTPases is an ubiquitously expressed division of GTP-binding
      proteins involved in the regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics and intracellular
      signaling. The best characterized members of the Rho family GTPases are RhoA,
      Rac1 and Cdc42. Abnormalities in Rho GTPase function have major consequences for
      cancer progression. Rho GTPase activation is driven by cell surface receptors
      that activate GTP exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs).
      In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on Rho GTPase function in the
      regulation of metastasis. We will focus on key discoveries in the regulation of
      epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT), cell-cell junctions, formation of
      membrane protrusions, plasticity of cell migration and adaptation to a hypoxic
      environment. In addition, we will emphasize on crosstalk between Rho GTPase
      family members and other important oncogenic pathways, such as cyclic AMP
      mediated signaling, canonical Wnt/beta-catenin, Yes-associated protein (YAP) and
      hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (Hif1alpha) and provide an overview of the
      advancements and challenges in developing pharmacological tools to target Rho
      GTPase and the aforementioned crosstalk in the context of cancer therapeutics.

PMID- 28911826
TI  - Immunoproteasome-selective and non-selective inhibitors: A promising approach for
      the treatment of multiple myeloma.
AB  - The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is the major non-lysosomal proteolytic
      system for the degradation of abnormal or damaged proteins no longer required.
      The proteasome is involved in degradation of numerous proteins which regulate the
      cell cycle, indicating a role in controlling cell proliferation and maintaining
      cell survival. Defects in the UPS can lead to anarchic cell proliferation and to
      tumor development. For these reasons UPS inhibition has become a significant new
      strategy for drug development in cancer treatment. In addition to the
      constitutive proteasome, which is expressed in all cells and tissues, higher
      organisms such as vertebrates possess two immune-type proteasomes, the
      thymoproteasome and the immunoproteasome. The thymoproteasome is specifically
      expressed by thymic cortical epithelial cells and has a role in positive
      selection of CD8+ T cells, whereas the immunoproteasome is predominantly
      expressed in monocytes and lymphocytes and is responsible for the generation of
      antigenic peptides for cell-mediated immunity. Recent studies demonstrated that
      the immunoproteasome has a preservative role during oxidative stress and is up
      regulated in a number of pathological disorders including cancer, inflammatory
      and autoimmune diseases. As a consequence, immunoproteasome-selective inhibitors
      are currently the focus of anticancer drug design. At present, the commercially
      available proteasome inhibitors bortezomib and carfilzomib which have been
      validated in multiple myeloma and other model systems, appear to target both the
      constitutive and immunoproteasomes, indiscriminately. This lack of specificity
      may, in part, explain some of the side effects of these agents, such as
      peripheral neuropathy and gastrointestinal effects, which may be due to targeting
      of the constitutive proteasome in these tissues. In contrast, by selectively
      inhibiting the immunoproteasome, it may be possible to maintain the antimyeloma
      and antilymphoma efficacy while reducing these toxicities, thereby increasing the
      therapeutic index. This review article will be focused on the discussion of the
      most promising immunoproteasome specific inhibitors which have been developed in
      recent years. Particular attention will be devoted to the description of their
      mechanism of action, their structure-activity relationship, and their potential
      application in therapy.

PMID- 28911827
TI  - Single-Site Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Staging Surgery for Presumed Clinically
      Early-Stage Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To present the demonstration of robotic-assisted
      laparoendoscopic single-site (R-LESS) staging surgery in presumed clinically
      early-stage ovarian cancer. DESIGN: A step-by-step presentation of the procedure
      using video (Canadian Task Force classification III). SETTING: A university
      hospital. PATIENT: A 29-year-old woman was referred from a local clinic for an 8
      * 6 cm left ovarian tumor suggesting malignancy. Her serum cancer antigen 125
      level was 1636 U/mL. There was no evidence of a metastatic tumor or lymph node
      enlargement on magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission
      tomographic/computed tomographic imaging. INTERVENTION: Under general anesthesia,
      a 2-cm vertical intraumbilical incision was made, and a Lap Single trocar (Sejong
      Medical, Ltd, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) was applied. The entire abdominal cavity
      was clear without any seeding tumor or adhesion. We performed laparoendoscopic
      single-site left salpingo-oophorectomy. On frozen section, high-grade epithelial
      malignancy was diagnosed. We started R-LESS staging surgery with the Da Vinci Xi
      system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA). Fenestrated bipolar forceps and
      a permanent cautery hook were introduced. Both pelvic and inferior mesenteric
      para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed. The patient was tilted in a reverse
      Trendelenburg position while performing infracolic omentectomy. MAIN RESULTS: The
      total operation took 280 minutes, and the console time was 135 minutes. The
      estimated blood loss was 100 mL. The patient was discharged on the next day after
      surgery. Histopathologic evaluation revealed a poorly differentiated endometrioid
      carcinoma. A total of 15 pelvic lymph nodes and 7 para-aortic lymph nodes were
      retrived. Among them, 2 para-aortic lymph nodes showed malignancy. CONCLUSION: We
      could successfully perform R-LESS staging surgery for presumed clinically early
      stage ovarian cancer without any complications.

PMID- 28911828
TI  - Laparoscopic Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping with Indocyanine Green Using the iSpies
      Platform: Initial Experience Argentina.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the initial experience in Argentina using the
      iSpies indocyanine green (ICG) platform in sentinel lymph node mapping in
      patients with early-stage cervical cancer. DESIGN: Step-by-step demonstration of
      the technique using a video and pictures (educative video) (Canadian Task Force
      classification III). SETTING: Laparoscopic and robotic sentinel lymph node
      mapping using ICG has been shown to be safe and feasible; however, in developing
      countries, the opportunities to use fluorescent imaging through a minimally
      invasive approach are very limited, given the cost restrictions of acquiring the
      near-infrared technology and the fluorescent dyes. INTERVENTION: A 47-year-old
      woman presented with a stage IB1 squamous cervical cancer. Physical examination
      revealed a 1.5-cm tumor without evidence of parametrial involvement. Magnetic
      resonance imaging did not show any evidence of metastatic disease. The patient
      underwent laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with sentinel lymph node mapping. On
      laparoscopic exposure of the pelvic spaces, a cervical injection of ICG (1 mL
      superficial and deep) was administered using a spinal needle at the 3 o'clock and
      9 o'clock positions. Sentinel lymph node mapping was then performed using the ICG
      (Pulsion Medical Systems, Feldkirchen, Germany) and an iSpies near-infrared
      camera (Karl Storz Endoskope, Tuttlingen, Germany). Bilateral sentinel lymph
      nodes were detected on the left external iliac artery and in the right obturator
      space. Both were confirmed ex vivo. The total operative time was 170 minutes. No
      intraoperative or postoperative complications were reported, and the patient was
      discharged at 48 hours after surgery. Estimated blood loss was minimal. Sentinel
      lymph node mapping alone is not the standard of care in our institution, and thus
      bilateral lymphadenectomy was performed. Ultrastaging is routinely performed when
      a sentinel lymph node is evaluated. Final pathology revealed a tumor confined to
      the cervix, with tumor-free margins, and a total of 10 lymph nodes that were
      negative for any evidence of disease. Disadvantages of this technology compared
      with the Pinpoint ICG system (Novadaq Technologies; Bonita Springs, FL) is the
      lack of simultaneous white vision and fluorescence ICG detection, and the to
      manually change normal vision to infrared vision. An advantage of the Storz
      iSpies system is its availability in our country, considering that the technology
      developed by Novadaq is not yet approved in Argentina. CONCLUSION: Although ICG
      sentinel lymph node mapping is becoming a standard of care [1,2], a lack of ICG
      dye or laparoscopic near-infrared technologies could be a deterrent to its use in
      developing countries. A focus on expanding this technology in countries with
      limited resources would allow patients the opportunity to avoid the morbidity
      associated with full lymphadenectomy.

PMID- 28911829
TI  - Influenza in Older Adults.
AB  - Annually, influenza viruses cause significant disease in older adults, varying
      with the virulence of the circulating strain, prior exposure to circulating
      strain, and influenza vaccine effectiveness. Older adults often present
      atypically (eg, without fever) and with complications of influenza infection such
      as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure
      exacerbations. Prevention methods include antiviral medications and vaccines.
      Current influenza vaccines have moderate effectiveness for the prevention of
      hospitalization, but newer more immunogenic vaccines designed for adults 65 years
      of age and older have been licensed.

PMID- 28911830
TI  - Norovirus Infection in Older Adults: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and
      Opportunities for Prevention and Control.
AB  - Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis. In older adults, it is
      responsible for an estimated 3.7 million illnesses; 320,000 outpatient visits;
      69,000 emergency department visits; 39,000 hospitalizations; and 960 deaths
      annually in the United States. Older adults are particularly at risk for severe
      outcomes, including prolonged symptoms and death. Long-term care facilities and
      hospitals are the most common settings for norovirus outbreaks in developed
      countries. Diagnostic platforms are expanding. Several norovirus vaccines in
      clinical trials have the potential to reap benefits. This review summarizes
      current knowledge on norovirus infection in older adults.

PMID- 28911832
TI  - Association of silent infarcts in sickle cell anemia with decreased annexin A5
      resistance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is characterized by abnormally shaped,
      adhesive RBCs that interact with white blood cells and the endothelium, leading
      to chronic hemolysis, vasculopathy and a prothrombotic state. About 10% of
      subjects with a thrombotic event in the general population will have an
      associated antiphospholipid (aPL) antibody. One proposed mechanism for the
      thrombophilic nature of aPL antibodies is the disruption of the potent
      anticoagulant annexin A5 or Annexin A5 resistance (A5R). We designed a pilot
      study assessing the presence of aPL antibodies and disruption of A5R in pediatric
      sickle cell subjects. METHODS: 39 subjects with SCA participated in this study.
      A5R, DRVVT, anti-beta2GP1, anti-beta2GP1, anti-phosphatidylserine and anti
      cardiolipin antibody assays were performed. RESULTS: There was a high prevalence
      of abnormal A5R despite a low prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies.
      Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed an association with silent
      infarcts (p=0.015), lower hemoglobin (p=0.037), older age (p=0.047) and abnormal
      A5R. CONCLUSION: We report an association between annexin A5 resistance and
      presence of silent infarct, low hemoglobin, and older age in a subgroup of SCA
      subjects. A potential role for perturbed A5R in the pathophysiology of SCA needs
      to be evaluated further.

PMID- 28911831
TI  - Prenatal and postnatal polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure and measures
      of inattention and impulsivity in children.
AB  - Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) during fetal development may
      be associated with deficits in attention and impulse control. However, studies
      examining postnatal PBDE exposures and inattention and impulsivity have been
      inconsistent. Using data from 214 children in the Health Outcomes and Measures of
      the Environment (HOME) Study, a prospective pregnancy and birth cohort with
      enrollment from 2003 to 2006 in the Greater Cincinnati Area, we investigated the
      relationship of both prenatal and postnatal PBDE exposures with attention and
      impulse control. Serum PBDEs were measured at 16+/-3weeks of gestation and during
      childhood at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8years. We assessed children's attention and impulse
      control using the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-Second Edition (CPT-II) at
      8years. We used multiple informant models to estimate associations of repeated
      PBDE measures with inattention and impulsivity. There was a pattern of
      associations between PBDEs and poorer performance on CPT-II measures of
      attention. For BDE-153, adverse associations extended to exposures at preschool
      and kindergarten ages; ten-fold increases in exposure were associated with higher
      omission errors (BDE-153 at 3years: beta=4.0 [95% CI: -2.4, 10.5]; at 5years:
      beta=4.6 [95% CI: -2.8, 12.0]; at 8years: beta=4.1 [95% CI: -3.4, 11.5]). Longer
      hit reaction times, indicated by the exponential part of the hit reaction curve,
      were also observed with 10-fold increases in BDE-153 during the prenatal period
      and throughout childhood (Prenatal: beta=15.0 milliseconds (ms) [95% CI: -15.8,
      45.8]; 5years: beta=20.6ms [95% CI: -20.8, 61.9]; 8years: beta=28.6ms [95% CI: 
      12.1, 69.4]). Significant impairment in discriminability, as indicated by
      detectability (d'), between targets and non-targets was also noted with 5 and 8
      year PBDE concentrations. Associations between PBDEs and inattention
      significantly differed by child sex, with males performing more poorly than
      females with regard to omission errors and measures of reaction times.
      Collectively, these results do not strongly support that PBDEs are associated
      with poorer impulse and attention control among 8year old children. However,
      there may be a possible relationship between prenatal and concurrent PBDEs and
      inattention, which requires additional research.

PMID- 28911833
TI  - Development of the Nurses' Care Coordination Competency Scale for mechanically
      ventilated patients in critical care settings in Japan: Part 2 Validation of the
      scale.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To confirm the validity and reliability of the nurses' care
      coordination competency draft scale for mechanically ventilated patients in
      Japan. DESIGN/METHOD: In this cross sectional observational study, a draft scale
      measuring care coordination was distributed to 2189 nurses from 73 intensive care
      units in Japan from February-March 2016. Based on the valid 887 responses, we
      examined construct validity including structural validity (exploratory and
      confirmatory factor analysis), convergent and discriminant validity and internal
      consistency reliability. SETTINGS: 73 Intensive care units. RESULTS: Exploratory
      factor analyses yielded four factors with 22 items: 1) promoting team cohesion,
      2) understanding care coordination needs, 3) aggregating and disseminating
      information, 4) devising and clearly articulating the care vision. The four
      factor model was confirmed using a confirmatory factor analysis (confirmatory fit
      index=0.942, root mean square error of approximation=0.062). Scale scores
      positively correlated with team leadership and clearly identified and
      discriminated nurses' attributes. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for each subscale
      was between 0.812 and 0.890, and 0.947 for the total scale. CONCLUSIONS: The
      Nurses' Care Coordination Competency Scale with four factors and 22 items had
      sufficient validity and reliability. The scale could make care coordination
      visible in nursing practice. Future research on the relationship between this
      scale and patient outcomes is needed.

PMID- 28911834
TI  - How swimming affects plasma insulin and glucose concentration in Thoroughbreds: A
      pilot study.
AB  - Low intensity exercise increases insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal
      muscle and decreases its plasma concentration. In this study, plasma insulin and
      glucose concentrations were evaluated 5min before and 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 60min
      after an IV bolus of glucose in 12 Thoroughbreds before and after 1 month of
      submaximal aquatraining exercise, monitored using heart rate and blood lactate.
      Plasma glucose concentrations were evaluated using a colorimetric enzymatic
      method, and plasma insulin concentrations with a solid-phase radioimmunoassay
      method. Pre-training plasma glucose concentrations at 15, 25 and 35min, area
      under the glucose curve and peak glucose concentration were significantly higher
      than post-training values (P<0.05). Baseline pre-training plasma insulin
      concentrations were significantly lower than in the post-training period, and
      plasma insulin was significantly higher at 45 and 60min in the pre-training
      period than the post-training period. These results indicate that aquatraining
      could improve insulin-glucose metabolism in horses.

PMID- 28911835
TI  - Molecular characterisation of equine group A rotaviruses in Ireland (2011-2015).
AB  - The molecular epidemiology of equine group A rotaviruses (RVAs) in Ireland from
      2011 to 2015 was investigated. Of 438 diagnostic specimens submitted from foals
      with enteric disease, 102 (23.3%) were positive for RVA using an
      immunochromatographic assay. G genotypes were determined for 76 equine RVAs, of
      which 68 (89.5%) were G3 and eight (10.5%) were G14. Of 18 RVAs (12 G3 and six
      G14) characterised by P genotyping, all were P[12]. G3P[12] and G14P[12] were the
      most prevalent genotypes of RVA in foals in Ireland, similar to other countries
      and consistent with previous studies in Ireland from 1999 to 2005. Phylogenetic
      analysis showed that G3P[12] and G14P[12] RVAs were related to equine RVAs
      recently detected in Europe, Brazil and South Africa, and to the vaccine strain H
      2.

PMID- 28911836
TI  - Implementation of an algorithm for selection of antimicrobial therapy for
      diarrhoeic calves: Impact on antimicrobial treatment rates, health and faecal
      microbiota.
AB  - This study evaluated the impact of an algorithm targeting antimicrobial therapy
      of diarrhoeic calves on the incidence of diarrhoea, antimicrobial treatment
      rates, overall mortality, mortality of diarrhoeic calves and changes in the
      faecal microbiota. The algorithm was designed to target antimicrobial therapy in
      systemically ill calves from on two dairy farms. Retrospective (farm 1: 529
      calves; farm 2: 639 calves) and prospective (farm 1: 639 calves; farm 2: 842
      calves) cohorts were examined for 12 months before and after implementation of
      the algorithm. The Mantel-Haenszel test and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were
      used to assess the cumulative incidence risk (CIR) and time to development of
      each outcome before and after implementation of the algorithm. The CIR of
      antimicrobial treatment rates was 80% lower after implementation of the algorithm
      on both farms (CIR 0.19, 95% confidence interval 0.17-0.21). There was no
      difference in the CIR of overall mortality, but the CRI for mortality of
      diarrhoeic calves was lower in the period after implementation of the algorithm
      on one farm. The faecal microbiota of 15 healthy calves from both farms at each
      time period were characterised using a sequencing platform targeting the V4
      region of the 16S rRNA gene. On both farms, there were significant differences in
      community membership and structure (parsimony P<0.001). Use of the algorithm for
      treatment of diarrhoeic calves reduced antimicrobial treatment rates without a
      negative impact on the health of calves. However, the experimental design did not
      take into account the potential confounding effects of dietary changes between
      the study periods.

PMID- 28911837
TI  - Quantifying center of pressure variability in chondrodystrophoid dogs.
AB  - The center of pressure (COP) position reflects a combination of proprioceptive,
      motor and mechanical function. As such, it can be used to quantify and
      characterize neurologic dysfunction. The aim of this study was to describe and
      quantify the movement of COP and its variability in healthy chondrodystrophoid
      dogs while walking to provide a baseline for comparison to dogs with spinal cord
      injury due to acute intervertebral disc herniations. Fifteen healthy adult
      chondrodystrophoid dogs were walked on an instrumented treadmill that recorded
      the location of each dog's COP as it walked. Center of pressure (COP) was
      referenced from an anatomical marker on the dogs' back. The root mean squared
      (RMS) values of changes in COP location in the sagittal (y) and horizontal (x)
      directions were calculated to determine the range of COP variability. Three dogs
      would not walk on the treadmill. One dog was too small to collect interpretable
      data. From the remaining 11 dogs, 206 trials were analyzed. Mean RMS for change
      in COPx per trial was 0.0138 (standard deviation, SD 0.0047) and for COPy was
      0.0185 (SD 0.0071). Walking speed but not limb length had a significant effect on
      COP RMS. Repeat measurements in six dogs had high test retest consistency in the
      x and fair consistency in the y direction. In conclusion, COP variability can be
      measured consistently in dogs, and a range of COP variability for normal
      chondrodystrophoid dogs has been determined to provide a baseline for future
      studies on dogs with spinal cord injury.

PMID- 28911839
TI  - Keeping joints healthy: The Goldilocks effect of exercise.

PMID- 28911838
TI  - Efficacy of a single oral dose of a live bivalent E. coli vaccine against post
      weaning diarrhea due to F4 and F18-positive enterotoxigenic E. coli.
AB  - F4- and F18-positive enterotoxigenic E. coli strains (F4-ETEC and F18-ETEC) are
      important causes of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs. F4 (antigenic variant
      ac) and F18 (ab and ac) fimbriae are major antigens that play an important role
      in the early stages of infection. Herein, the efficacy of a live oral vaccine
      consisting of two non-pathogenic E. coli strains, one F4ac- and one F18ac
      positive, was evaluated using F4ac-ETEC and F18ab-ETEC challenge models. A
      randomized, masked, placebo-controlled, block design, parallel-group confirmatory
      study with two different vaccination-challenge intervals (7 and 21 days) was
      conducted for each challenge model. The vaccine was administered in one dose, to
      >=18-day-old piglets via drinking water. Efficacy was assessed by evaluating
      diarrhea, clinical observations, weight gain and fecal shedding of F4-ETEC or F18
      ETEC. Anti-F4 and anti-F18 immunoglobulins in blood were measured. The
      vaccination resulted in significant reductions in clinical PWD and fecal shedding
      of F4-ETEC and F18-ETEC after the 7- and 21-day-post-vaccination heterologous
      challenges, except for after the 21-day-post-vaccination F4-ETEC challenge, when
      the clinical PWD was too mild to demonstrate efficacy. A significant reduction of
      mortality and weight loss by vaccination were observed following the F18-ETEC
      challenge. The 7-day protection was associated with induction of anti-F4 and anti
      F18 IgM, whereas the 21-day protection was mainly associated with anti-F4 and
      anti-F18 IgA. The 7-day onset and 21-day duration of protection induced by this
      vaccine administered once in drinking water to pigs of at least 18days of age
      were confirmed by protection against F4-ETEC and F18-ETEC, and induction of F4
      and F18-specific immunity. Cross protection of the vaccine against F18ab-E. coli
      was demonstrated for both the 7- and 21-day F18-ETEC challenges.

PMID- 28911840
TI  - Compartmental resection of peripheral nerve tumours with limb preservation in 16
      dogs (1995-2011).
AB  - Peripheral nerve tumours (PNTs) affecting the limbs may lead to chronic pain,
      lameness and/or monoparesis that is refractory to medical treatment. The most
      common radical therapy for PNTs has been surgical excision with limb amputation.
      However, compartmental resection with preservation of the limb has been performed
      by the authors with favourable clinical results and therefore this bi
      institutional retrospective study was undertaken to assess limb function,
      survival and recurrence. Sixteen dogs that had been diagnosed with PNTs between
      1995 and 2011 met the inclusion criteria for this study. In the majority of the
      cases, good to excellent limb function was achieved. The overall median survival
      time (MST) was 1303days (42.8 months; range, 14 days-4639 days, [0.5-152.4
      months]), with two dogs still alive at time of evaluation. Non-infiltrated
      margins were the best prognostic indicator; dogs with non-infiltrated margins had
      a MST of 2227days (P<0.001) compared to dogs with infiltrated margins (MST of 487
      days). The 1-year calculated survival rate was 68.8% and the 2- and 3-year
      calculated survival rates were 62.5%. Surgical treatment with tumour removal and
      limb spare for proximal and distal PNTs can be successful. Compartmental excision
      can lead to good limb function, producing survival comparable to limb amputation,
      and should therefore be considered as an alternative to limb amputation in canine
      PNTs.

PMID- 28911841
TI  - The consistency and influence of environmental and animal factors on exhaled
      breath condensate hydrogen peroxide, pH and leukotriene B4 in horses.
AB  - This study was performed to determine the consistency of exhaled breath
      condensate (EBC) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), pH and leukotriene B4 (LTB4)
      measurements in asymptomatic horses and to define the influence of environmental
      and animal factors on these variables. Intra- and inter-day consistency for both
      H2O2 and pH measurements were adequate, with intraclass correlation coefficients
      >=0.8, whereas the consistency for LTB4 was poor. H2O2 was influenced by ambient
      temperature (TA), humidity, time of day and collection location (all P<0.01),
      while pH was influenced by respiratory rate during EBC collection and TA (both
      P<0.001). The consistency of EBC H2O2 and pH measurements may be sufficient for
      use as diagnostic biomarkers in horses. However, the influence of identified
      environmental and animal factors should be considered.

PMID- 28911842
TI  - Genetic correlations of hip dysplasia scores for Golden retrievers and Labrador
      retrievers in France, Sweden and the UK.
AB  - In order to reduce the prevalence of inherited diseases in pedigree dogs, the
      feasibility of implementation of an international breeding program was
      investigated. One prerequisite is a strong genetic correlation between countries
      and our objective was to estimate this correlation for canine hip dysplasia (HD)
      across three countries to evaluate the feasibility of an international genetic
      evaluation. Data were provided by the Societe Centrale Canine (SCC, France),
      Svenska Kennelklubben (SKK, Sweden) and The Kennel Club (KC, UK) on Golden
      retriever and Labrador retriever dogs. Trivariate analysis on the three different
      modes of scoring HD in France, Sweden and the UK was performed using a mixed
      linear animal model. Heritability, genetic correlation, number of common sires,
      genetic similarity, selection differentials and accuracy of selection were
      calculated. The estimated heritabilities of Golden retrievers (Labrador
      retrievers) for HD scores were 0.28 (0.15), 0.28 (0.29) and 0.41 (0.34) in
      France, Sweden and the UK, respectively. The feasibility of performing a genetic
      evaluation of HD across countries was indicated by the favourable genetic
      correlations estimated between score modes (ranged from 0.48 to 0.99). The
      accuracy of selection for the most recent birth year cohorts of male dogs was not
      improved by international evaluation compared to national evaluation. Improvement
      in genetic progress can however be achieved by selection across populations in
      different countries, particularly for small populations, which were indicated by
      the large difference between selection differentials based on the national and
      international evaluations.

PMID- 28911843
TI  - The effect of a cannula milk sampling technique on the microbiological diagnosis
      of bovine mastitis.
AB  - Two methods of collecting milk samples from mastitic bovine mammary quarters were
      compared. Samples were taken in a consistent order in which standard aseptic
      technique sampling was done first, followed by insertion of a sterile cannula
      through the teat canal and collection of a second sample. Microbiological results
      of those two sampling techniques were compared. Milk samples were analysed using
      multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The cannula technique
      produced a reduced number of microbial species or groups of species per sample
      compared with conventional sampling. Staphylococcus spp. were the most common
      species identified and were detected more often during conventional sampling than
      with cannula sampling. Staphylococcus spp. identified in milk samples could also
      have originated from the teat canal without being present in the milk. The number
      of samples positive for Trueperella pyogenes or yeasts in the conventional
      samples was twice as high as in the cannula samples, indicating that the presence
      of Trueperella pyogenes and yeast species should not necessarily be interpreted
      as being the causative agents of bovine intra-mammary infections (IMI).

PMID- 28911844
TI  - Serologic responses to peptides of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia
      burgdorferi in dogs infested with wild-caught Ixodes scapularis.
AB  - Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi are both transmitted by Ixodes
      spp. and are associated with clinical illness in some infected dogs. This study
      evaluated canine antibody responses to the A. phagocytophilum p44 peptides APH-1
      and APH-4 as well as the B. burgdorferi C6 peptide before and after doxycycline
      treatment. A total of eight dogs were infested with wild-caught I. scapularis for
      1 week. Blood was collected prior to tick attachment and from Days 3-77 to 218
      302 with doxycycline treatment beginning on Day 218. Blood was assayed for A.
      phagocytophilum DNA by PCR assay. Sera was assessed for antibodies by
      immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test and ELISA. Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA
      was amplified from blood of all dogs by Day 7. Antibodies to APH-4 were detected
      in serum as early as 14days after tick exposure and six dogs had APH-4 antibodies
      detected 3-7 days before antibodies against APH-1. All dogs were seropositive for
      A. phagocytophilum from Days 218 to 302. Antibodies to B. burgdorferi were
      detected in 6/8 dogs beginning 21days after I. scapularis infestation. Among the
      five dogs that remained seropositive at Day 218, C6 antibody levels declined on
      average 81% within 84days of initiating treatment. The results suggest that the
      APH-4 peptide may be more useful than APH-1 for detecting antibodies earlier in
      the course of an A. phagocytophilum infection. After doxycycline administration,
      C6 antibody levels but not APH-1 or APH-4 antibody levels decreased, suggesting a
      treatment effect on C6 antibody production.

PMID- 28911845
TI  - Age associated changes in peripheral airway smooth muscle mass of healthy horses.
AB  - Peripheral airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass is increased in severe equine asthma,
      but no information is available on age related changes in ASM. In this study,
      peripheral ASM dimensions were determined in healthy horses of different ages.
      The thickness of the peripheral ASM layer was constant in horses of different
      ages, but ASM occupied a greater proportion of the inner wall area in young
      horses compared to older horses. This finding suggests that equine airways
      experience a decrease in the relative abundance of ASM with age.

PMID- 28911846
TI  - Protein Folding Mediated by Trigger Factor and Hsp70: New Insights from Single
      Molecule Approaches.
AB  - Chaperones assist in protein folding, but what this common phrase means in
      concrete terms has remained surprisingly poorly understood. We can readily
      measure chaperone binding to unfolded proteins, but how they bind and affect
      proteins along folding trajectories has remained obscure. Here we review recent
      efforts by our labs and others that are beginning to pry into this issue, with a
      focus on the chaperones trigger factor and Hsp70. Single-molecule methods are
      central, as they allow the stepwise process of folding to be followed directly.
      First results have already revealed contrasts with long-standing paradigms:
      rather than acting only "early" by stabilizing unfolded chain segments, these
      chaperones can bind and stabilize partially folded structures as they grow to
      their native state. The findings suggest a fundamental redefinition of the
      protein folding problem and a more extensive functional repertoire of chaperones
      than previously assumed.

PMID- 28911847
TI  - Analysis of Structural Features Contributing to Weak Affinities of
      Ubiquitin/Protein Interactions.
AB  - Ubiquitin is a small protein that enables one of the most common post
      translational modifications, where the whole ubiquitin molecule is attached to
      various target proteins, forming mono- or polyubiquitin conjugations. As a
      prototypical multispecific protein, ubiquitin interacts non-covalently with a
      variety of proteins in the cell, including ubiquitin-modifying enzymes and
      ubiquitin receptors that recognize signals from ubiquitin-conjugated substrates.
      To enable recognition of multiple targets and to support fast dissociation from
      the ubiquitin modifying enzymes, ubiquitin/protein interactions are characterized
      with low affinities, frequently in the higher MUM and lower mM range. To
      determine how structure encodes low binding affinity of ubiquitin/protein
      complexes, we analyzed structures of more than a hundred such complexes compiled
      in the Ubiquitin Structural Relational Database. We calculated various structure
      based features of ubiquitin/protein binding interfaces and compared them to the
      same features of general protein-protein interactions (PPIs) with various
      functions and generally higher affinities. Our analysis shows that
      ubiquitin/protein binding interfaces on average do not differ in size and shape
      complementarity from interfaces of higher-affinity PPIs. However, they contain
      fewer favorable hydrogen bonds and more unfavorable hydrophobic/charge
      interactions. We further analyzed how binding interfaces change upon affinity
      maturation of ubiquitin toward its target proteins. We demonstrate that while
      different features are improved in different experiments, the majority of the
      evolved complexes exhibit better shape complementarity and hydrogen bond pattern
      compared to wild-type complexes. Our analysis helps to understand how low
      affinity PPIs have evolved and how they could be converted into high-affinity
      PPIs.

PMID- 28911848
TI  - Detecting weak position fluctuations from encoder signal using singular spectrum
      analysis.
AB  - Mechanical fault or defect will cause some weak fluctuations to the position
      signal. Detection of such fluctuations via encoders can help determine the health
      condition and performance of the machine, and offer a promising alternative to
      the vibration-based monitoring scheme. However, besides the interested
      fluctuations, encoder signal also contains a large trend and some measurement
      noise. In applications, the trend is normally several orders larger than the
      concerned fluctuations in magnitude, which makes it difficult to detect the weak
      fluctuations without signal distortion. In addition, the fluctuations can be
      complicated and amplitude modulated under non-stationary working condition. To
      overcome this issue, singular spectrum analysis (SSA) is proposed for detecting
      weak position fluctuations from encoder signal in this paper. It enables
      complicated encode signal to be reduced into several interpretable components
      including a trend, a set of periodic fluctuations and noise. A numerical
      simulation is given to demonstrate the performance of the method, it shows that
      SSA outperforms empirical mode decomposition (EMD) in terms of capability and
      accuracy. Moreover, linear encoder signals from a CNC machine tool are analyzed
      to determine the magnitudes and sources of fluctuations during feed motion. The
      proposed method is proven to be feasible and reliable for machinery condition
      monitoring.

PMID- 28911849
TI  - Eight new phenylethanoid glycoside derivatives possessing potential
      hepatoprotective activities from the fruits of Forsythia suspensa.
AB  - In our study to investigate components with hepatoprotective activities, eight
      new phenylethanoid glycoside derivatives (1-8) were isolated from the 75% EtOH
      H2O extract of the fruits of Forsythia suspensa along with six known compounds (9
      14). These new structures were elucidated through HRESIMS and extensive NMR
      spectroscopic techniques. The absolute configurations of their sugars were
      determined by GC analysis. The pharmacological assay showed that compounds 2, 3,
      and 9-11 displayed remarkable hepatoprotective activities against N-acetyl-p
      aminophenol (APAP)-induced HepG2 cell damage at the concentration of 10MUM
      (Bicyclol as positive contrast).

PMID- 28911850
TI  - Activation of indoleamine 2, 3- dioxygenase pathway by olanzapine augments
      antidepressant effects of venlafaxine in mice.
AB  - Recent clinical studies report antipsychotics as a better option to augment the
      action of antidepressants in treatment resistant cases. However, the proper
      mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effect of antipsychotics is still not
      clear. Indolamine 2, 3 dioxygenase (IDO) pathway is considered to be an important
      pathway in pro-inflammatory cytokine associated stress-induced depression. The
      present study investigated the antidepressant effect of venlafaxine, olanzapine
      and their combinations in chronic forced-swim stress-induced depression in mice.
      In addition, the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines and IDO-mediated pathway was
      investigated. Swiss albino mice were subjected to chronic forced-swim stress and
      evaluation for antidepressant-like activity was performed on 7th, 14th and 21st
      day following which serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta and IL-6
      levels) and the levels of hippocampal kynurenine (KYN), tryptophan (TRP) and
      serotonin (5HT) were estimated. The combination exhibited augmentation of
      antidepressant-like activity of venlafaxine by olanzapine in chronic forced-swim
      stress model. Further, it reversed the enhanced serum IL-1beta and IL-6 and
      reverted the increased activity of IDO as measured by ratio of hippocampal
      KYN/TRP and 5HT/TRP in stressed mice. Augmentation of antidepressant effect of
      venlafaxine by olanzapine is thus mediated by normalising the shift from KYN to
      TRP pathway in chronic forced swim induced stressed mice.

PMID- 28911851
TI  - Cortisol awakening response in patients with bipolar disorder during acute
      episodes and partial remission: A pilot study.
AB  - This exploratory study examined the cortisol awakening response (CAR) in patients
      with bipolar disorder (BPD) at acute phases and partial remission of manic or
      depressive episodes. Saliva samples of twenty-seven BPD inpatients and 25 healthy
      controls were collected to determine the CAR patterns, and 12 patients were
      sampled again at partial remission. BPD patients exhibited a non-enhanced CAR
      pattern. Lower cortisol expression and a blunted CAR distinguished bipolar
      depressive patients from the controls. The intra-individual follow-up for both
      patient groups revealed a non-significant improvement in CAR patterns, indicating
      a trend of a normalized CAR after partial remission for BPD patients.

PMID- 28911853
TI  - Rebuttal of Atkins et al. (2017) critique of the Ost (2014) meta-analysis of ACT.
AB  - Atkins et al. strongly criticize my (Ost, 2014) systematic review and meta
      analysis of ACT. The bulk of their re-examination of my article is divided into
      four parts: a) Selection of studies, b) Ratings of methodological quality, c)
      Meta-analysis, and d) Judgments of quality of evidence. It is evident from my
      paper that I have refuted their claims regarding each of these parts. Regarding
      a) Selection of studies I showed that only four studies had a cell size of less
      than 10 and their inclusion did not change the mean effect size or increased
      variability. Concerning b) Ratings of methodological quality I have showed that
      my ratings were reliable and had accuracy. As for c) Meta-analysis, I have
      demonstrated that I got very similar results to those of A-Tjak et al. (2015)
      that Atkins et al. describes as a much better meta-analysis. Regarding d)
      Judgments of quality of evidence, Atkins et al. brought up 23 studies for which
      they argued that I have done an incorrect evaluation but for every single study I
      have disproved their arguments and maintain my 2014 evaluation of the evidence
      base of ACT. Thus, there is no reason to follow Atkins et al. suggestion that my
      review "should now be set aside in making decisions regarding the treatment
      efficacy of ACT."

PMID- 28911852
TI  - Molecular epidemiology, resistance, and virulence properties of Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa cross-colonization clonal isolates in the non-outbreak setting.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the predominant opportunistic pathogen leading to
      nosocomial infection and outbreak in hospitals. Hospitalized patients may be
      infected with this bacterium through close contact with contaminated
      environmental media. However, the molecular epidemiology, resistance, and
      virulence properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cross-colonization isolates has
      received limited attention in the non-outbreak setting. This study aims to
      investigate the epidemiological relationship of clinical and environmental P.
      aeruginosa isolates and to characterize the resistance and virulence properties
      of clonal clusters and sporadic strains in a non-outbreak setting. A total of 436
      patients were screened for P. aeruginosa during hospitalization, and
      environmental samples were taken from their immediate ward media, including
      faucets, doorknobs, bedrails, pillows, quilts, and mattresses. As a result, 100
      P. aeruginosa isolates were obtained, including 74 clinical strains and 26
      environmental strains. By using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, the fingerprint
      displayed 20 distinct clusters and 44 sporadic strains. According to identical
      genotypes, there were clear P. aeruginosa cross-colonization processes from the
      ward media to inpatients, indicating faucets, bedrails, and pillows as the main
      propagation media that had been contaminated by clonal isolates previously
      detected in other patients. In addition, there were P. aeruginosa transmission
      processes between inpatients that were unexplained for lack of epidemiological
      evidence. As compared to sporadic strains of P. aeruginosa, clonal clusters are
      more capable of producing high-level biofilm, developing multi-drug resistance
      and inducing high-degree cytotoxicity. Among P. aeruginosa clonal clusters, there
      was a strong positive correlation between antibiotic resistance and biofilm
      production. We conclude that constant cross-colonization of P. aeruginosa clonal
      isolates will pose a long-term serious threat in terms of nosocomial outbreaks.
      Thus, strict disinfection and sterilization procedures should be implemented for
      ward media, and P. aeruginosa in environments and patients should be closely
      monitored, especially those strains with strong resistance and virulence.

PMID- 28911854
TI  - Resumption of ovarian function, the metabolic profile and body condition in
      Brahman cows (Bos indicus) is not affected by the combination of calf separation
      and progestogen treatment.
AB  - To evaluate the effect of different calf separation procedures after a
      progestogen treatment on the resumption of ovarian function, body condition and
      metabolic profile, 59 multiparous Brahman cows grazing on a mixed grass pasture
      were studied. No supplementation was given at any time. Body condition score
      (BCS), fat thickness (FAT) and blood metabolites were measured fortnightly from
      the beginning of the last trimester of gestation until 96days postpartum. At
      30days postpartum all animals received a progesterone (P4)-releasing device
      (CIDR) which was withdrawn 9days later when prostaglandin F2alpha was applied. At
      this time, treatments TW (n=28), where calves were separated from their dams for
      48h; RS (n=21), calves were allowed to suckle once a day for 1h; and continuous
      suckling (CS; n=10). Ovarian function was assessed by blood concentrations of
      progesterone on days -14, -9, 10, 13, 30 and 33 after CIDR removal. At the end of
      the experimental period, an average of 20% of the cows had not initiated estrous
      cycles. There were no changes of FAT or BCS during the last trimester of
      pregnancy in all cows (P>0.05). During the postpartum period cows of all groups
      lost (P<0.05) BCS and FAT with a nadir at 60-80days postpartum, regardless of
      treatment. At 10days after CIDR withdrawal the percentage of cows having
      ovulations was 75, 61 and 80 (P>0.05) for TW, RS and CS groups. Blood metabolites
      follow a similar pattern in the three groups. With the conditions of the present
      study, the method of calf separation after a progestogen treatment, does not
      affect the resumption of ovarian function or metabolic profile.

PMID- 28911856
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911857
TI  - New mouse model for inducing and evaluating unilateral vestibular deafferentation
      syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unilateral vestibular deafferentation syndrome (uVDS) holds a
      particular place in the vestibular pathology domain. Due to its suddenness, the
      violence of its symptoms that often result in emergency hospitalization, and its
      associated original neurophysiological properties, this syndrome is a major
      source of questioning for the otoneurology community. Also, its putative
      pathogenic causes remain to be determined. There is currently a strong medical
      need for the development of targeted and effective countermeasures to improve the
      therapeutic management of uVDS. NEW METHODS: The present study reports the
      development of a new mouse model for inducing and evaluating uVDS. Both the
      method for generating controlled excitotoxic-type peripheral vestibular damages,
      through transtympanic administration of the glutamate receptors agonist kainate
      (TTK), and the procedure for evaluating the ensuing clinical signs are detailed.
      COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Through extensive analysis of the clinical
      symptoms characteristics, this new animal model provides the opportunity to
      better follow the temporal evolution of various uVDS specific symptoms, while
      better appreciating the different phases that composed this syndrome. RESULTS:
      The uVDS evoked in the TTK mouse model displays two main phases distinguishable
      by their kinetics and amplitudes. Several parameters of the altered vestibular
      behaviour mimic those observed in the human syndrome. CONCLUSION: This new murine
      model brings concrete information about how uVDS develops and how it affects
      global behaviour. In addition, it opens new opportunity to decipher the
      etiopathological substrate of this pathology by authorizing the use of
      genetically modified mouse models.

PMID- 28911855
TI  - Conformationally constrained peptides target the allosteric kinase dimer
      interface and inhibit EGFR activation.
AB  - Although EGFR is a highly sought-after drug target, inhibitor resistance remains
      a challenge. As an alternative strategy for kinase inhibition, we sought to
      explore whether allosteric activation mechanisms could effectively be disrupted.
      The kinase domain of EGFR forms an atypical asymmetric dimer via head-to-tail
      interactions and serves as a requisite for kinase activation. The kinase dimer
      interface is primarily formed by the H-helix derived from one kinase monomer and
      the small lobe of the second monomer. We hypothesized that a peptide designed to
      resemble the binding surface of the H-helix may serve as an effective disruptor
      of EGFR dimerization and activation. A library of constrained peptides was
      designed to mimic the H-helix of the kinase domain and interface side chains were
      optimized using molecular modeling. Peptides were constrained using peptide
      "stapling" to structurally reinforce an alpha-helical conformation. Peptide
      stapling was demonstrated to notably enhance cell permeation of an H-helix
      derived peptide termed EHBI2. Using cell-based assays, EHBI2 was further shown to
      significantly reduce EGFR activity as measured by EGFR phosphorylation and
      phosphorylation of the downstream signaling substrate Akt. To our knowledge, this
      is the first H-helix-based compound targeting the asymmetric interface of the
      kinase domain that can successfully inhibit EGFR activation and signaling. This
      study presents a novel, alternative targeting site for allosteric inhibition of
      EGFR.

PMID- 28911858
TI  - Corrigendum to "What affects public acceptance of recycled and desalinated
      water?" [Water Res. 45 (2) (2011) pp. 933-943].

PMID- 28911859
TI  - Recent development of signaling pathways inhibitors of melanogenesis.
AB  - Human skin, eye and hair color rely on the production of melanin, depending on
      its quantity, quality, and distribution, Melanin plays a monumental role in
      protecting the skin against the harmful effect of ultraviolet radiation and
      oxidative stress from various environmental pollutants. However, an excessive
      production of melanin causes serious dermatological problems such as freckles,
      solar lentigo (age spots), melasma, as well as cancer. Hence, the regulation of
      melanin production is important for controlling the hyper-pigmentation.
      Melanogenesis, a biosynthetic pathway to produce melanin pigment in melanocyte,
      involves a series of intricate enzymatic and chemical catalyzed reactions.
      Several extrinsic factors include ultraviolet radiation and chemical drugs, and
      intrinsic factors include molecules secreted by surrounding keratinocytes or
      melanocytes, and fibroblasts, all of which regulate melanogenesis. This article
      reviews recent advances in the development of melanogenesis inhibitors that
      directly/indirectly target melanogenesis-related signaling pathways. Efforts have
      been made to provide a description of the mechanism of action of inhibitors on
      various melanogenesis signaling pathways.

PMID- 28911860
TI  - Glucose elicits serine/threonine kinase VRK1 to phosphorylate nuclear pregnane X
      receptor as a novel hepatic gluconeogenic signal.
AB  - Low glucose stimulated phosphorylation of pregnane X receptor (PXR) at Ser350 in
      correlation with an increased gluconeogenesis in human hepatoma-derived HepG2
      cells. Only glucose, but neither insulin nor glucagon, stimulated this
      phosphorylation. Here, serine/threonine kinase, vaccinia related kinase 1 (VRK1)
      mediated phosphorylation of PXR is now defined as this glucose-elicited novel
      signal. In low glucose conditions, VRK1 directly phosphorylates PXR at Ser350,
      enabling PO3-PXR to scaffold protein phosphatase PP2Calpha. This PP2Calpha
      dephosphorylates serine/threonine kinase 2 (SGK2) at Thr193. This
      dephosphorylation dissociates SGK2 from and actives the phosphoenolpyruvate
      carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) gene as phosphorylated SGK2 binds and represses the gene.
      Conversely, VRK1 self-represses its activity to phosphorylate PXR through cyclin
      dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) in high glucose conditions, resulting in the repression
      of the PCK1 gene. This PXR phosphorylation was also observed in fasting mouse
      livers. Thus, the VRK1-CDK2-PXR-PP2Calpha-SGK2 pathway can be a novel
      physiological cell signaling that regulates gluconeogenesis in response to
      glucose.

PMID- 28911861
TI  - The perspective of the person in healthcare: Listening to and engaging persons in
      healthcare.

PMID- 28911862
TI  - Fatty acid binding protein (Fabp) 5 interacts with the calnexin cytoplasmic
      domain at the endoplasmic reticulum.
AB  - Calnexin is a type 1 integral endoplasmic reticulum membrane molecular chaperone
      with an endoplasmic reticulum luminal chaperone domain and a highly conserved C
      terminal domain oriented to the cytoplasm. Fabp5 is a cytoplasmic protein that
      binds long-chain fatty acids and other lipophilic ligands. Using a yeast two
      hybrid screen, immunoprecipitation, microscale thermophoresis analysis and
      cellular fractionation, we discovered that Fabp5 interacts with the calnexin
      cytoplasmic C-tail domain at the endoplasmic reticulum. These observations
      identify Fabp5 as a previously unrecognized calnexin binding partner.

PMID- 28911863
TI  - The crystal structure of the Pyrococcus abyssi mono-functional methyltransferase
      PaTrm5b.
AB  - The wyosine hypermodification found exclusively at G37 of tRNAPhe in eukaryotes
      and archaea is a very complicated process involving multiple steps and enzymes,
      and the derivatives are essential for the maintenance of the reading frame during
      translation. In the archaea Pyrococcus abyssi, two key enzymes from the Trm5
      family, named PaTrm5a and PaTrm5b respectively, start the process by forming N1
      methylated guanosine (m1G37). In addition, PaTrm5a catalyzes the further
      methylation of C7 on 4-demethylwyosine (imG-14) to produce isowyosine (imG2) at
      the same position. The structural basis of the distinct methylation capacities
      and possible conformational changes during catalysis displayed by the Trm5
      enzymes are poorly studied. Here we report the 3.3 A crystal structure of the
      mono-functional PaTrm5b, which shares 32% sequence identity with PaTrm5a.
      Interestingly, structural superposition reveals that the PaTrm5b protein exhibits
      an extended conformation similar to that of tRNA-bound Trm5b from Methanococcus
      jannaschii (MjTrm5b), but quite different from the open conformation of apo
      PaTrm5a or well folded apo-MjTrm5b reported previously. Truncation of the N
      terminal D1 domain leads to reduced tRNA binding as well as the methyltransfer
      activity of PaTrm5b. The differential positioning of the D1 domains from three
      reported Trm5 structures were rationalized, which could be attributable to the
      dissimilar inter-domain interactions and crystal packing patterns. This study
      expands our understanding on the methylation mechanism of the Trm5 enzymes and
      wyosine hypermodification.

PMID- 28911864
TI  - Multiscale approach to the activation and phosphotransfer mechanism of CpxA
      histidine kinase reveals a tight coupling between conformational and chemical
      steps.
AB  - Sensor histidine kinases (SHKs) are an integral component of the molecular
      machinery that permits bacteria to adapt to widely changing environmental
      conditions. CpxA, an extensively studied SHK, is a multidomain homodimeric
      protein with each subunit consisting of a periplasmic sensor domain, a
      transmembrane domain, a signal-transducing HAMP domain, a dimerization and
      histidine phospho-acceptor sub-domain (DHp) and a catalytic and ATP-binding
      subdomain (CA). The key activation event involves the rearrangement of the HAMP
      DHp helical core and translation of the CA towards the acceptor histidine, which
      presumably results in an autokinase-competent complex. In the present work we
      integrate coarse-grained, all-atom, and hybrid QM-MM computer simulations to
      probe the large-scale conformational reorganization that takes place from the
      inactive to the autokinase-competent state (conformational step), and evaluate
      its relation to the autokinase reaction itself (chemical step). Our results
      highlight a tight coupling between conformational and chemical steps,
      underscoring the advantage of CA walking along the DHp core, to favor a reactive
      tautomeric state of the phospho-acceptor histidine. The results not only
      represent an example of multiscale modelling, but also show how protein dynamics
      can promote catalysis.

PMID- 28911865
TI  - 3-(2-amino-ethyl)-5-[3-(4-butoxyl-phenyl)-propylidene]-thiazolidine-2,4-dione
      (K145) ameliorated dexamethasone induced hepatic gluconeogenesis through
      activation of Akt/FoxO1 pathway.
AB  - 3-(2-amino-ethyl)-5-[3-(4-butoxyl-phenyl)-propylidene]-thiazolidine-2,4-dione
      (K145) is identified as a selective SphK2 inhibitor. It was previously reported
      as an anti-tumor agent, in this study we demonstrated that K145 was able to
      regulate hepatic gluconeogenesis and improve glucose intolerance in mice. C57BL/6
      mice treated with dexamethasone injection were used as experimental animals,
      which exhibited impaired glucose tolerance and increased gluconeogenetic enzymes.
      After K145 treatment, we found that the impairment of glucose tolerance and
      gluconeogenetic genes mRNA expression were improved. Besides, both in vivo and in
      votro studies suggested that K145 stimulated insulin dependent Akt
      phosphorylation and subsequently activates FoxO1 phosphorylation therefore
      inhibited gluconeogenetic genes expression including PEPCK and G6pase. Our study
      figures out a potential extent increase the value of developing K145 as
      therapeutic candidate for diabetes.

PMID- 28911866
TI  - Molecular dynamics simulations of stratum corneum lipid mixtures: A multiscale
      perspective.
AB  - The lipid matrix of the stratum corneum (SC) layer of skin is essential for human
      survival; it acts as a barrier to prevent rapid dehydration while keeping
      potentially hazardous material outside the body. While the composition of the SC
      lipid matrix is known, the molecular-level details of its organization are
      difficult to infer experimentally, hindering the discovery of structure-property
      relationships. To this end, molecular dynamics simulations, which give molecular
      level resolution, have begun to play an increasingly important role in
      understanding these relationships. However, most simulation studies of SC lipids
      have focused on preassembled bilayer configurations, which, owing to the slow
      dynamics of the lipids, may influence the final structure and hence the
      calculated properties. Self-assembled structures would avoid this dependence on
      the initial configuration, however, the size and length scales involved make self
      assembly impractical to study with atomistic models. Here, we report on the
      development of coarse-grained models of SC lipids designed to study self
      assembly. Building on previous work, we present the interactions between the
      headgroups of ceramide and free fatty acid developed using the multistate
      iterative Boltzmann inversion method. Validation of the new interactions is
      performed with simulations of preassembled bilayers and good agreement between
      the atomistic and coarse-grained models is found for structural properties. The
      self-assembly of mixtures of ceramide and free fatty acid is investigated and
      both bilayer and multilayer structures are found to form. This work therefore
      represents a necessary step in studying SC lipid systems on multiple time and
      length scales.

PMID- 28911867
TI  - Population dynamics of neural progenitor cells during aging in the cerebral
      cortex.
AB  - Recent studies indicate that adult neurogenesis occurs in the cerebral cortex of
      rodents. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) have been found in the adult cerebral
      cortex. These cells are expected to be regulated by various stimuli, including
      environmental enrichment, exercise, learning, and stress. However, it is unclear
      what stimuli can regulate cortical NPCs. In this study, we examined whether aging
      has an impact on population dynamics of NPCs in the murine cerebral cortex, using
      immunohistological staining for NPCs. The density of NPCs was kept from 5- to 12
      month-old, dramatically decreased at 17-month-old, and thereafter maintained the
      same level until 24-month-old. Comparing the densities of NPCs in the cortical
      areas, such as the cingulate, primary motor, primary somatosensory, and insular
      cortices, we found that the degrees of decreased densities of NPCs in the
      cingulate and insular cortices were significantly smaller than those in the
      primary motor and somatosensory cortices. NPCs in aged cortex produced new
      neurons by ischemia. These results indicate that in aged mice, NPCs exist and
      produce new neurons in the cerebral cortex. Additionally, the extent of reduction
      of the density of NPCs in the cortices with higher cognitive functions may be
      less than that in the primary motor and somatosensory cortices.

PMID- 28911868
TI  - Central and peripheral expression sites of phoenixin-14 immunoreactivity in rats.
AB  - Phoenixin is a pleiotropic peptide involved in reproduction, anxiety and recently
      also implicated in the control of food intake. Besides the 20-amino acid
      phoenixin, the 14-amino acid phoenixin-14 also shows bioactive properties.
      However, the expression sites of phoenixin-14 in the brain and peripheral tissues
      are not yet described in detail. Therefore, a mapping of the brain and peripheral
      tissues from male and female Sprague-Dawley rats with a specific phoenixin-14
      antibody was performed using western blot and immunohistochemistry. High density
      of phoenixin-14 immunoreactivity was detected in the medial division of the brain
      central amygdaloid nucleus, in the spinal trigeminal tract and in the
      spinocerebellar tract as well as in cells between the crypts of duodenum, jejunum
      and ileum. Medium density immunoreactivity was observed in the bed nucleus of the
      stria terminalis, in the area postrema, the nucleus of the solitary tract and the
      dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve as well as in the peripheral parts of the
      islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. A low density of phoenixin-14
      immunoreactivity was detected in the arcuate nucleus, the supraoptic nucleus and
      the raphe pallidus. After pre-absorption of the antibody with phoenixin-14
      peptide, no immunosignals were observed indicating specificity of the antibody.
      Taken together, the widespread distribution of phoenixin-14 immunoreactivity
      gives additional rise to the pleiotropic functions of the peptide such as
      possible effects in gastrointestinal motility, immune functions and glucose
      homeostasis.

PMID- 28911869
TI  - Degradation of nuclear Ubc9 induced by listeriolysin O is dependent on K+ efflux.
AB  - Listeriolysin O (LLO) is a pore-forming toxin produced by L. monocytogenes, and
      is belonged to a protein family of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs).
      Previous studies have demonstrated that LLO triggers Ubc9 degradation and
      disrupts host SUMOylation to facilitate bacterial infection. However, the
      underlying mechanism of Ubc9 degradation is unclear. Here we show that LLO
      induced down-regulation of Ubc9 is independent of Ubc9-SUMO interaction, however,
      it may involve phosphorylation signaling. Additionally, LLO exerts its effects
      primarily on nuclear Ubc9 and this process is mediated by K+ efflux.
      Interestingly, for intracellular CDCs such as pneumolysin and suilysin, blockage
      of K+ efflux enhances degradation of nuclear Ubc9, suggesting that extracellular
      and intracellular pathogens may exploit different mechanisms to modulate host
      SUMOylation system. Furthermore, up-regulation of SUMOylation by stable
      expression of SUMO-1 or SUMO-2 shows a delay in membrane perforation by LLO,
      indicating that SUMO modification of host proteins may act at the frontline for
      the defense response against LLO. Taken together, our study provides insights to
      the understanding of host-pathogen interactions.

PMID- 28911871
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911872
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911870
TI  - Microplastics releasing from personal care and cosmetic products in China.
AB  - Microplastics (MPs) have become a major global issue; their release from various
      products affects the aquatic environment, especially marine ecosystems. As a
      primary source of MPs, personal care and cosmetics products (PCCPs) containing
      MPs contribute to this environmental risk. We visited several supermarket chains
      in Beijing, China to identify PCCPs containing MPs. Overall, 7.1% of facial
      cleansers contained MPs, with an average weight of 25.04+/-10.69mgMP/g and
      average size of 313+/-130MUm; whereas, 2.2% of shower gel products contained an
      average weight of 17.80+/-7.50mgMPs/g with an average size of 422+/-185MUm. The
      majority of MPs were made of polyethylene, based on Raman and Fourier transform
      infrared spectra analyses, while only a few were made of walnut shells and carbon
      particles. Finally, estimated 39tons MPs were released into the environment based
      on PCCPs use in China based on available data.

PMID- 28911873
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28911875
TI  - Letter on the article "Supplementation with 80,000 UI vitamin D3/month between
      November and April corrects vitamin D insufficiency without overdosing: Effect on
      serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum concentrations".

PMID- 28911874
TI  - Childhood adversity predicts reduced physiological flexibility during the
      processing of negative affect among adolescents with major depression histories.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adversity during early development has been shown to have enduring
      negative physiological consequences. In turn, atypical physiological functioning
      has been associated with maladaptive processing of negative affect, including its
      regulation. The present study therefore explored whether exposure to adverse life
      events in childhood predicted maladaptive (less flexible) parasympathetic nervous
      system functioning during the processing of negative affect among adolescents
      with depression histories. METHODS: An initially clinic-referred, pediatric
      sample (N=189) was assessed at two time points. At Time 1, when subjects were
      10.17years old (SD=1.42), on average, and were depressed, parents reported on
      adverse life events the offspring experienced up to that point. At Time 2, when
      subjects were 17.18years old (SD=1.28), and were remitted from depression,
      parents again reported on adverse life events in their offspring's lives for the
      interim period. At time 2, subjects' parasympathetic nervous system functioning
      (quantified as respiratory sinus arrhythmia) also was assessed at rest, during
      sad mood induction, and during instructed mood repair. RESULTS: Extent of adverse
      life events experienced by T1 (but not events occurring between T1 and T2)
      predicted less flexible RSA functioning 7years later during the processing of
      negative affect. Adolescents with more extensive early life adversities exhibited
      less vagal withdrawal following negative mood induction and tended to show less
      physiological recovery following mood repair. CONCLUSIONS: Early adversities
      appear to be associated with less flexible physiological regulatory control
      during negative affect experience, when measured later in development. Stress
      related autonomic dysfunction in vulnerable youths may contribute to the
      unfavorable clinical prognosis associated with juvenile-onset depression.

PMID- 28911876
TI  - Immunoglobulin isotype switching of antibodies to vimentin is associated with
      development of transplant glomerulopathy following human renal transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immune responses to tissue-restricted self-antigens are thought to
      play a role in chronic rejection after solid organ transplantation. De novo
      development of antibodies (Abs) to vimentin have been reported to be associated
      with interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy after kidney transplant, and it has
      been suggested that immunoglobulin isotype switching of Abs to vimentin may occur
      during this process. We aimed to determine the correlation between immunoglobulin
      isotype switching of Abs to vimentin and development of transplant glomerulopathy
      (TG) after kidney transplant, and to determine whether citrullinated modification
      of vimentin is required for de novo anti-vimentin development. METHODS: Sera were
      collected from 24 patients with TG (diagnosed on biopsy), 24 matched stable
      kidney transplant recipients (KTxRs) and 22 normal healthy subjects who did not
      undergo transplant. Serum vimentin Abs concentrations were measured using enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunoglobulin isotypes of anti-vimentin were
      determined using isotype-specific Abs conjugated with horseradish peroxidase.
      Samples were considered positive to vimentin Abs if the values were above mean+2*
      standard deviations of the levels in the healthy control subjects. Specificities
      of anti-vimentin for mutated citrullinated vimentin and anti-mutated
      citrullinated vimentin were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: In this retrospective
      analysis of 24 KTxRs with TG, 16/24 (67%) patients with biopsy-proven TG
      developed Abs to vimentin (645+/-427ng/ml). In contrast, only 4/24 (17%) stable
      KTxRs had detectable Abs to vimentin (275+/-293ng/ml; p=0.001). Of the patients
      with TG, 15/24 (63%) developed Abs to vimentin of IgG isotype (572+/-276ng/ml),
      whereas only 6/24 (25%) stable KTxRs (310+/-288ng/ml) had anti-vimentin of IgG
      isotype (p=0.002). However, no significant difference was noted in the
      concentration of IgM isotype anti-vimentin between KTxRs with TG (9/24 [38%],
      407+/-401ng/ml) and stable KTxRs (5/24 [21%], 348+/-439ng/ml; p=0.631). The serum
      concentration of Abs specific for the mutated form of citrullinated vimentin was
      not significantly different between KTxRs with TG and stable KTxRs. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients with biopsy-proven TG demonstrated significantly increased levels of
      anti-vimentin Abs of the IgG isotype compared with stable KTxRs. Anti-vimentin in
      stable KTxRs was primarily of IgM isotype. Therefore, the observed isotype
      switching of anti-vimentin from IgM to IgG isotype strongly suggests ongoing
      immune responses to vimentin in KTxRs diagnosed with TG. Furthermore, as opposed
      to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (who develop immune responses primarily to
      citrullinated vimentin), KTxRs diagnosed with TG developed immune responses to
      non-citrullinated vimentin, suggesting that modification of vimentin protein via
      citrullination is not required for the de novo anti-vimentin response seen in
      patients with TG.

PMID- 28911877
TI  - Validity and reliability of naturalistic driving scene categorization Judgments
      from crowdsourcing.
AB  - A common challenge with processing naturalistic driving data is that humans may
      need to categorize great volumes of recorded visual information. By means of the
      online platform CrowdFlower, we investigated the potential of crowdsourcing to
      categorize driving scene features (i.e., presence of other road users, straight
      road segments, etc.) at greater scale than a single person or a small team of
      researchers would be capable of. In total, 200 workers from 46 different
      countries participated in 1.5days. Validity and reliability were examined, both
      with and without embedding researcher generated control questions via the
      CrowdFlower mechanism known as Gold Test Questions (GTQs). By employing GTQs, we
      found significantly more valid (accurate) and reliable (consistent)
      identification of driving scene items from external workers. Specifically, at a
      small scale CrowdFlower Job of 48 three-second video segments, an accuracy (i.e.,
      relative to the ratings of a confederate researcher) of 91% on items was found
      with GTQs compared to 78% without. A difference in bias was found, where without
      GTQs, external workers returned more false positives than with GTQs. At a larger
      scale CrowdFlower Job making exclusive use of GTQs, 12,862 three-second video
      segments were released for annotation. Infeasible (and self-defeating) to check
      the accuracy of each at this scale, a random subset of 1012 categorizations was
      validated and returned similar levels of accuracy (95%). In the small scale Job,
      where full video segments were repeated in triplicate, the percentage of
      unanimous agreement on the items was found significantly more consistent when
      using GTQs (90%) than without them (65%). Additionally, in the larger scale Job
      (where a single second of a video segment was overlapped by ratings of three
      sequentially neighboring segments), a mean unanimity of 94% was obtained with
      validated-as-correct ratings and 91% with non-validated ratings. Because the
      video segments overlapped in full for the small scale Job, and in part for the
      larger scale Job, it should be noted that such reliability reported here may not
      be directly comparable. Nonetheless, such results are both indicative of high
      levels of obtained rating reliability. Overall, our results provide compelling
      evidence for CrowdFlower, via use of GTQs, being able to yield more accurate and
      consistent crowdsourced categorizations of naturalistic driving scene contents
      than when used without such a control mechanism. Such annotations in such short
      periods of time present a potentially powerful resource in driving research and
      driving automation development.

PMID- 28911878
TI  - Comparison of proposed countermeasures for dilemma zone at signalized
      intersections based on cellular automata simulations.
AB  - The Type II dilemma zone describes the road segment to a signalized intersection
      where drivers have difficulties to decide either stop or go at the onset of
      yellow signal. Such phenomenon can result in an increased crash risk at
      signalized intersections. Different types of warning systems have been proposed
      to help drivers make decisions. Although the warning systems help to improve
      drivers' behavior, they also have several disadvantages such as increasing rear
      end crashes or red-light running (RLR) violations. In this study, a new warning
      system called pavement marking with auxiliary countermeasure (PMAIC) is proposed
      to reduce the dilemma zone and enhance the traffic safety at signalized
      intersections. The proposed warning system integrates the pavement marking and
      flashing yellow system which can provide drivers with better suggestions about
      stop/go decisions based on their arriving time and speed. In order to evaluate
      the performance of the proposed warning system, this paper presents a cellular
      automata (CA) simulation study. The CA simulations are conducted for four
      different scenarios in total, including the typical intersection without warning
      system, the intersection with flashing green countermeasure, the intersection
      with pavement marking, and the intersection with the PMAIC warning system. Before
      the specific CA simulation analysis, a logistic regression model is calibrated
      based on field video data to predict drivers' general stop/go decisions. Also,
      the rules of vehicle movements in the CA models under the influence by different
      warning systems are proposed. The proxy indicators of rear-end crash and
      potential RLR violations were estimated and used to evaluate safety levels for
      the different scenarios. The simulation results showed that the PMAIC
      countermeasure consistently offered best performance to reduce rear-end crash and
      RLR violation. Meanwhile, the results indicate that the flashing-green
      countermeasure could not effectively reduce either rear-end crash risk or RLR
      violations. Also, it is found that the pavement-marking countermeasure has
      positive effects on reducing the rear-end risk while it may increase the
      probability of RLR violation. Lastly, the implementation of the proposed warning
      system is discussed with the consideration of connected-vehicle technology. It is
      expected that the dilemma zone issues can be efficiently addressed if the
      proposed countermeasure can be employed within connected vehicle technology.

PMID- 28911879
TI  - Corrigendum to "Biosynthesis and chemical transformation of benzoxazinoids in rye
      during seed germination and the identification of a rye Bx6-like gene"
      [Phytochemistry 140 (2017) 95-107].

PMID- 28911880
TI  - Pelvic exenteration for gynecologic malignancies: Postoperative complications and
      oncologic outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate complications, morbidity and oncologic
      outcomes of pelvic exenteration as treatment for gynecologic malignancies.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2008 and 2015, a total of 35 patients underwent
      pelvic exenteration, due to recurrence of gynecological cancer. Surgical
      outcomes, early and late postoperative complications, and recurrence/survival
      outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 53.8 years. Anterior
      exenteration was done in 20 patients, while 15 were total exenterations. Ileal
      conduit was done in 24 patients, while 8 received a neobladder and 3 a cutaneous
      ureterostomy. Postoperative complications were divided in 2groups, early (<30
      days) and late complications (>30 days). A total of 25 patients (71.4%) had one
      or more early complications; 16 (45.7%) had fever due to a urinary tract
      infection, pyelonephritis or intra-abdominal collection; 2 (5.7%) developed a
      vesicovaginal fistula; 4 (11.4%) a rectovaginal fistula; 3 (8.5%) acute kidney
      failure and one (2.85%) uronephrosis. Regarding to late complications, 8patients
      (22.8%) had fever. Six (17%) presented with uronephrosis, and 5 (14.2%) with
      ureteral-pouch stricture. Five patients (14.2%) had acute renal insufficiency, 3
      (8,6%) rectovaginal fistula and one (2.85%) urinary fistula. Mean follow up time
      was 20.3 month (2-60). A total of 22patients (62.8%) were free of disease.
      Another 13 (37.1%) patients relapsed. Only 4 (11.4%) patients died after pelvic
      exenteration due to underlying disease. CONCLUSION: Pelvic exenteration has a
      high rate of complications and morbidity, but can be the last curative
      opportunity in patients with recurrent or persistent gynecologic malignancies.
      This procedure should be performed by multidisciplinary, experienced teams in a
      tertiary medical center.

PMID- 28911881
TI  - Tailoring the orthopaedic consultation: How perceived patient characteristics
      influence surgeons' communication.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether and how orthopaedic surgeons tailor
      communication during medical consultations based on perceived patient
      characteristics. METHODS: Seven orthopaedic surgeons were repeatedly interviewed
      following an approach based on ecological momentary assessment. Qualitative
      content analysis was used to analyse the eighty short interviews. The association
      between patient characteristics and tailoring approaches was explored in a
      correspondence analysis of the counted codes. RESULTS: Surgeons estimate
      patients' competence (illness management and communication abilities), autonomy,
      and interpersonal behaviour. They report tailoring communication in two-thirds of
      the consultations. The surgeons' perception was associated with the employment of
      specific approaches to communication: (1) high patient competence with extensive
      information provision or no changes in communication, (2) less autonomy and less
      competence with reassurance and direction, (3) high autonomy with discussions
      about pace and expectations, and (4) high sociability with communication about
      personal circumstances and wishes. CONCLUSION: The surgeon's perception of a
      patient influences communication during consultations. Future research should
      address whether these intuitively employed approaches are appropriate, effective,
      and generalizable to other medical specialists. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Tailoring
      physician-patient communication can improve its quality. The novel approaches
      identified in this study can be used to formulate and test formal guidelines for
      tailored communication.

PMID- 28911882
TI  - Aromatase inhibitors: A new approach for controlling ovarian function in cattle.
AB  - Numerous treatments and protocols have been used to control the reproductive
      cycle in cattle, with varying effectiveness and many involving the administration
      of steroid hormones. Steroid hormones, such as estradiol, are perceived as having
      a negative impact on consumer health. This internationally shared opinion has led
      to a ban on the use of steroid hormones in food producing animals in many
      countries (i.e., European Union, New Zealand, and Australia). Letrozole, a non
      steroidal aromatase inhibitor, inactivates the aromatase enzyme responsible for
      the synthesis of estrogens by reversibly binding to the "heme" group of the P450
      subunit. Letrozole is approved as an adjuvant or first-line treatment for hormone
      dependent breast cancer in post-menopausal women, but has been used increasingly
      for ovulation induction in the treatment of infertility in women. Using the
      bovine model to determine the effects on ovarian function, letrozole treatment
      was found to extend the lifespan of the dominant follicle and thereby delay
      emergence of the next follicle wave and/or ovulation. Letrozole treatment also
      had a luteotrophic effect; that is, larger CL and/or higher circulating
      concentrations of progesterone were detected in letrozole-treated heifers.
      Results of the initial studies in cattle provided the impetus for the development
      of aromatase inhibitor-based synchronization and fertility treatment in cattle.
      Biologically active concentrations of letrozole were achieved via intravenous,
      intramuscular or intravaginal administration, but the intravaginal route of
      administration is of particular interest because it permits extended and defined
      treatment periods, is minimally invasive, and reduces animal handling. Recent
      results revealed that irrespective of the stage of the cycle, a 4-day letrozole
      based protocol induced ovulation in a significantly greater proportion of animals
      and with significantly greater synchrony than the control treatment. Evidence and
      reasons for the increasing use of programmed breeding and fixed-time artificial
      insemination are discussed in this review as a background to current development
      of an innovative aromatase inhibitor-based protocol as a safe and effective
      method of controlling the estrous cycle and ovulation in cattle.

PMID- 28911885
TI  - Yours, Mine, Ours......data sharing in clinical research.

PMID- 28911883
TI  - TNF superfamily member APRIL enhances midbrain dopaminergic axon growth and
      contributes to the nigrostriatal projection in vivo.
AB  - We have studied the role of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily member APRIL in
      the development of embryonic mouse midbrain dopaminergic neurons in vitro and in
      vivo. In culture, soluble APRIL enhanced axon growth during a window of
      development between E12 and E14 when nigrostriatal axons are growing to their
      targets in the striatum in vivo. April transcripts were detected in both the
      striatum and midbrain during this period and at later stages. The axon growth
      enhancing effect of APRIL was similar to that of glial cell-derived neurotrophic
      factor (GDNF), but in contrast to GDNF, APRIL did not promote the survival of
      midbrain dopaminergic neurons. The effect of APRIL on axon growth was prevented
      by function-blocking antibodies to one of its receptors, BCMA (TNFRSF13A), but
      not by function-blocking antibodies to the other APRIL receptor, TACI
      (TNFRSF13B), suggesting that the effects of APRIL on axon growth are mediated by
      BCMA. In vivo, there was a significant reduction in the density of midbrain
      dopaminergic projections to the striatum in April-/- embryos compared with wild
      type littermates at E14. These findings demonstrate that APRIL is a
      physiologically relevant factor for the nigrostriatal projection. Given the
      importance of the degeneration of dopaminergic nigrostriatal connections in the
      pathogenesis and progression of Parkinson's disease, our findings contribute to
      our understanding of the factors that establish nigrostriatal integrity.

PMID- 28911884
TI  - Anti-VEGF treatment improves neurological function in tumors of the nervous
      system.
AB  - Research of various diseases of the nervous system has shown that VEGF has direct
      neuroprotective effects in the central and peripheral nervous systems, and
      indirect effects on improving neuronal vessel perfusion which leads to nerve
      protection. In the tumors of the nervous system, VEGF plays a critical role in
      tumor angiogenesis and tumor progression. The effect of anti-VEGF treatment on
      nerve protection and function has been recently reported - by normalizing the
      tumor vasculature, anti-VEGF treatment is able to relieve nerve edema and deliver
      oxygen more efficiently into the nerve, thus reducing nerve damage and improving
      nerve function. This review aims to summarize the divergent roles of VEGF in
      diseases of the nervous system and the recent findings of anti-VEGF therapy in
      nerve damage/regeneration and function in tumors, specifically, in
      Neurofibromatosis type 2 associated schwannomas.

PMID- 28911886
TI  - Implementation of the Practice Standards for Specialist Critical Care Nurses in
      Australia.

PMID- 28911887
TI  - Response to "Implementation of the Practice Standards for Specialist Critical
      Care Nurses in Australia".

PMID- 28911888
TI  - Postoperative imaging of orthopaedic hardware in the hand and wrist: is there an
      added value for tomosynthesis?
AB  - AIM: To prospectively investigate digital tomosynthesis (DTS) as an alternative
      to digital radiography (DR) for postoperative imaging of orthopaedic hardware
      after trauma or arthrodesis in the hand and wrist. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty
      six consecutive patients (12 female, median age 36 years, range 19-86 years) were
      included in this institutional review board approved clinical trial. Imaging was
      performed with DTS in dorso-palmar projection and DR was performed in dorso
      palmar, lateral, and oblique views. Images were evaluated by two independent
      radiologists for qualitative and diagnosis-related imaging parameters using a
      four-point Likert scale (1=excellent, 4not diagnostic) and nominal scale.
      Interobserver agreement between the two readers was assessed with Cohen's kappa
      (k). Differences between DTS and CR were tested with Wilcoxon's signed-rank test.
      A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Regarding
      image quality, interobserver agreement was higher for DTS compared to DR,
      especially for fracture-related parameters (delineation osteosynthesis material
      [OSM]: KDTS0.96 versus KDR0.45; delineation fracture margins: KDTS0.78 versus
      KDR0.35). Delineation of fracture margins and delineation of adjacent joint
      spaces scored significant better for DTS compared to DR (delineation fracture
      margins: DTS1.54, DR2.28, p0.001; delineation adjacent joint spaces: DTS1.31,
      DR2.24, p0.001). Regarding diagnosis-related findings, interobserver agreement
      was almost equal. DTS showed a significant higher sharpness of fracture margins
      (DTS1.94, DR2.33, p0.04). Mean dose area product (DAP) for DTS was significant
      higher compared to DR (mean DR0.219 Gy.cm2, mean DTS0.903 Gy.cm2, p0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Fracture healing is more visible and interobserver agreement is
      higher for DTS compared to DR in the postoperative assessment of orthopaedic
      hardware in the hand and wrist.

PMID- 28911890
TI  - Three-dimensional imaging, an important factor of decision in breast
      augmentation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since the beginning of the 21st century, three-dimensional imaging
      systems have been used more often in plastic surgery, especially during
      preoperative planning for breast surgery and to simulate the postoperative
      appearance of the implant in the patient's body. The main objective of this study
      is to assess the patients' attitudes regarding 3D simulation for breast
      augmentation. METHOD: A study was conducted, which included women who were
      operated on for primary breast augmentation. During the consultation, a three
      dimensional simulation with Crisalix was done and different sized implants were
      fitted in the bra. RESULTS: Thirty-eight women were included. The median age was
      29.4, and the median prosthesis volume was 310mL. The median rank given regarding
      the final result was 9 (IQR: 8-9). Ninety percent of patients agreed (66%
      absolutely agreed, and 24% partially agreed) that the final product after breast
      augmentations was similar to the Crisalix simulation. Ninety-three percent of the
      patients believed that the three-dimensional simulation helped them choose their
      prosthesis (61% a lot and 32% a little). After envisaging a breast enlargement,
      patients estimated that the Crisalix system was absolutely necessary (21%), very
      useful (32%), useful (45%), or unnecessary (3%). Regarding prosthesis choice, an
      equal number of women preferred the 3D simulation (19 patients) as preferred
      using different sizes of implants in the bra (19 patients). CONCLUSION: The
      present study demonstrated that 3D simulation is actually useful for patients in
      order to envisage a breast augmentation. But it should be used as a complement to
      the classic method of trying different sized breast implants in the bra.

PMID- 28911889
TI  - [Benefits of volumetric to facial rejuvenation. Part 2: Dermal fillers].
AB  - Injectable substances known as fillers are used to palliate age-related atrophy
      and ptosis, and for their so-called "pseudo-lifting" action. They do not replace
      face and neck lift, but allow it to be postponed or, when injected after surgical
      lifting, make the result durable. Hyaluronic acid has a predominant and
      unchallenged place among fillers, well ahead of poly-L-lactic acid or calcium
      hydroxyapatite. Approaches and injection methods are the same for all fillers,
      corresponding to those for autologous fat injection, the reference substance,
      with a few particularities. The substance used, the level of hyaluronic acid
      reticulation, and the depth of the injection depend on the injection site and
      intended effect. Effects range from smoothing superficial wrinkles to remodeling
      whole parts of the face. Complications related to such fillers are well known,
      especially in the case of hyaluronic acid, where overcorrection is the most
      frequent. To limit the risk of complications and also to offer each patient the
      most individually adapted corrections, before any procedure, the plastic surgeon
      needs to question the patient and perform precise medical examination.

PMID- 28911891
TI  - Erratum to "A novel mutation in the PSEN2 gene (N141Y) associated with early
      onset autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease in a Chinese Han family" [Neurobiol.
      Aging 35 (2014) 2420.e1-2420.e5].

PMID- 28911892
TI  - Erratum to "Polymorphisms in BACE2 may affect the age of onset Alzheimer's
      dementia in Down syndrome" [Neurobiol. Aging 35 (2014) 1513.e1-1513.e5].

PMID- 28911893
TI  - Treatment recommendations for non-infectious anterior uveitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To develop recommendations on the use of
      immunodepressors in patients with non-infectious, non-neoplastic anterior uveitis
      (AU) based on best evidence and experience. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      multidisciplinary panel of five experts was established, who, in the first
      nominal group meeting defined the scope, users, and chapters of the document. A
      systematic literature review was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of
      immunosuppressors in patients with non-infectious, non-neoplastic AU. All the
      above was discussed in a second nominal group meeting and 33 recommendations were
      generated. Through the Delphi methodology, the degree of agreement with the
      recommendations was tested also by 25 more experts. Recommendations were voted on
      from one (total disagreement) to 10 (total agreement). We defined agreement if at
      least 70% voted >=7. The level of evidence and degree of recommendation was
      assessed using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine's Levels of
      Evidence. RESULTS: The 33 recommendations were accepted. They include specific
      recommendations on patients with non-infectious, non-neoplastic AU, as well as
      different treatment lines. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with non-infectious, non
      neoplastic AU, these recommendations on the use of immunosuppressors might be a
      guide in order to help in the treatment decision making, due to the lack of
      robust evidence or other globally accepted algorithms.

PMID- 28911894
TI  - Response: The Evolution of Lung Transplant Anesthesia.

PMID- 28911895
TI  - Con: Dynamic Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction Should Be Considered an
      "Unexpected" Finding in Patients With End-Stage Liver Disease Undergoing
      Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography in Preparation for Liver Transplantation.

PMID- 28911896
TI  - Patient Selection and Outcomes of Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve
      Replacement Performed with Monitored Anesthesia Care Versus General Anesthesia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of monitored anesthesia
      care (MAC) versus general anesthesia (GA) for transfemoral transcatheter aortic
      valve replacement (TF-TAVR) and to describe a selection process for the
      administration of MAC. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of patients who underwent
      TF-TAVR under MAC or GA. SETTING: Department of Cardiac Anesthesia, Albany
      Medical Center, a tertiary university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients selected
      for TF-TAVR. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were divided into those who underwent MAC
      and those who underwent GA. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The study comprised
      104 consecutive patients (55% male, mean age 83 years) who underwent TF-TAVR
      under MAC (n = 60) or GA (n = 37) from 2014 to 2015. Seven patients were
      converted from MAC to GA and were omitted from analysis. There was no
      statistically significant difference between 30-day mortality and complications
      between the 2 groups. The MAC group had a significantly shorter median intensive
      care unit length of stay (48 h v 74 h, p = 0.0002). The MAC group also
      demonstrated reduced procedural time (45.5 min v 62 min, p = 0.003); operating
      room time (111 min v 153 min, p = <0.001); and fluoroscopy time (650 s v 690 s, p
      = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Patient selection for TF-TAVR with MAC can be formalized
      and implemented successfully. MAC allows for the minimizing of patient exposure
      to unnecessary interventions and improving resource utilization in suitable TAVR
      patients. Selection requires a multidisciplinary clinical decision-making
      process. MAC demonstrates good outcomes compared with GA, yet it is important to
      have a cardiac anesthesiologist present in the event of emergency conversion to
      GA.

PMID- 28911897
TI  - Perioperative Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Pediatric Anesthesiology: A Case Series
      Highlighting Intraoperative Diagnosis of Hemodynamic Instability and Alteration
      of Management.

PMID- 28911898
TI  - Challenge of Pregnancy in Patients With Pre-Capillary Pulmonary Hypertension:
      Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as an Innovative Support for
      Delivery.

PMID- 28911899
TI  - A Rare Iatrogenic Atrial-Esophageal Fistula and Anesthetic Considerations for
      Primary Surgical Repair.

PMID- 28911900
TI  - Authors' Response: Unplanned reintubation following cardiac surgery: Incidence,
      timing, risk factors, and outcomes.

PMID- 28911901
TI  - Structural Brain Abnormalities of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With
      Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with
      structural abnormalities in total gray matter, basal ganglia, and cerebellum.
      Findings of structural abnormalities in frontal and temporal lobes, amygdala, and
      insula are less consistent. Remarkably, the impact of comorbid oppositional
      defiant disorder (ODD) (comorbidity rates up to 60%) on these neuroanatomical
      differences is scarcely studied, while ODD (in combination with conduct disorder)
      has been associated with structural abnormalities of the frontal lobe, amygdala,
      and insula. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of comorbid ODD
      on cerebral volume and cortical thickness in ADHD. METHODS: Three groups, 16 +/-
      3.5 years of age (mean +/- SD; range 7-29 years), were studied on volumetric and
      cortical thickness characteristics using structural magnetic resonance imaging
      (surface-based morphometry): ADHD+ODD (n = 67), ADHD-only (n = 243), and control
      subjects (n = 233). Analyses included the moderators age, gender, IQ, and scan
      site. RESULTS: ADHD+ODD and ADHD-only showed volumetric reductions in total gray
      matter and (mainly) frontal brain areas. Stepwise volumetric reductions (ADHD+ODD
      < ADHD-only < control subjects) were found for mainly frontal regions, and
      ADHD+ODD was uniquely associated with reductions in several structures (e.g., the
      precuneus). In general, findings remained significant after accounting for ADHD
      symptom severity. There were no group differences in cortical thickness.
      Exploratory voxelwise analyses showed no group differences. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD+ODD
      and ADHD-only were associated with volumetric reductions in brain areas crucial
      for attention, (working) memory, and decision-making. Volumetric reductions of
      frontal lobes were largest in the ADHD+ODD group, possibly underlying observed
      larger impairments in neurocognitive functions. Previously reported striatal
      abnormalities in ADHD may be caused by comorbid conduct disorder rather than ODD.

PMID- 28911902
TI  - The impact of 10-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on
      hospitalization for pneumonia in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at summarizing
      available data on the impact of PCV10 and PCV13 in reducing the incidence of CAP
      hospitalizations in children aged <5years. METHODS: A systematic search of the
      literature was conducted. We included time-series analyses and before-after
      studies, reporting the incidence of hospitalization for pneumonia in the periods
      before and after the introduction of PCV10 or PCV13 into the immunization
      program. Pooled estimates of Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) were calculated by using
      a random-effects meta-analytic model. Results were stratified according to age
      groups (<24months and 24-59months) and case definitions of pneumonia (clinically
      and radiologically confirmed pneumonia). RESULTS: A total of 1533 potentially
      relevant articles were identified. Of these, 12 articles were included in the
      analysis. In children aged <24months, the meta-analysis showed a reduction of 17%
      (95%CI: 11-22%, p-value<0.001) an of 31% (95%CI: 26-35%, p-value<0.001) in the
      hospitalization rates respectively for clinically and radiologically confirmed
      pneumonia, respectively, after the introduction of the novel PCVs. In children
      aged 24-59months, the meta-analysis showed a reduction of 9% (95%CI: 5-14%, p
      value<0.001) and of 24% (95%CI: 12-33%, p-value<0.001) in the hospitalization
      rates for clinically and radiologically confirmed pneumonia, respectively, after
      the introduction of the novel PCVs. High heterogeneity was detected among studies
      evaluating the hospitalization rate for clinically and radiologically confirmed
      pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed a significant impact
      of PCV10 and PCV13 in reducing the hospitalizations for pneumonia, particularly
      in children aged <24months and for radiologically confirmed disease. Further
      appropriately designed studies, comparing the impact of PCV10 and PCV13, are
      needed in order to obtain solid data on which to establish future immunization
      strategies.

PMID- 28911903
TI  - The vaccines and antibodies associated with Als3p for treatment of Candida
      albicans infections.
AB  - Candida albicans is the most common fungal microorganism in healthy individuals,
      as well as the cause of high mortality infections in high-risk hosts such as
      immunocompromised patients. Antifungal vaccines and monoclonal antibodies useful
      for active or passive immunizations have recently generated considerable
      excitement for the treatment of fungal infections. The cell wall proteins of C.
      albicans, which are crucial for virulence and pathogenicity, are attractive
      target antigens. Als3p, a member of the C. albicans agglutinin-like sequence
      (ALS) family, is a hyphal-specific glycophosphatidylinositol cell wall protein
      that plays a key role in the interaction with host cells. The abundance of Als3p
      on the hyphal surface makes it an attractive target. For example, the NDV-3
      vaccine, targeted at the N-terminus of Als3p, has entered a preparation of Phase
      2 clinical trial. The Als3p-specific antibodies include monoclonal antibodies
      (MAbs) 3-A5, MAb 113, and scFv3. In addition, MAb C7, MAb 3D9.3 and MAb 2G8,
      which were supposed to be identifying other targets, have also provided good
      protection by recognizing Als3p. In this review, we summarize the functions of
      Als3p and highlight the development of the vaccines and the antibodies that are
      associated, directly or indirectly, with this protein.

PMID- 28911904
TI  - Functional characterization of candidate antigens of Hyalomma anatolicum and
      evaluation of its cross-protective efficacy against Rhipicephalus microplus.
AB  - Hyalomma anatolicum and Rhipicephalus microplus seriously affect dairy animals
      and immunization of host is considered as a sustainable option for the management
      of the tick species. Identification and validation of protective molecules are
      the major challenges in developing a cross-protective vaccine. The subolesin
      (SUB), calreticulin (CRT) and cathepsin L-like cysteine proteinase (CathL) genes
      of H. anatolicum were cloned, sequenced and analysed for sequence homology. Both
      Ha-SUB and Ha-CRT genes showed very high level of homogeneity within the species
      (97.6-99.4% and 98.2-99.7%) and among the tick species (77.3-99.3% and 85.1
      99.7%) while for Ha-CathL the homogeneity was lower among ticks (57.5-89.5%).
      Besides tick species, both Ha-SUB and Ha- CRT genes showed high level of
      homogeneity with dipterans (47.2-53.4% and 72.0-74.4%) and nematodes (64.0% by
      CRT). The level of expression of the conserved genes in different stages of the
      tick species was studied. The differences in fold change of expression (FCE) of
      the targeted genes in life stages of tick were not statistically significant
      except Ha-SUB in eggs and in frustrated females, Ha-CRT in fed male and Ha-CathL
      in unfed and frustrated females where highest FCE was recorded. The functional
      properties of the genes were studied by RNAi technology and a significant level
      of gene suppression (p<0.05) resulted in very low percentage of engorgement of
      treated ticks viz., 3.7%, 11.1% and 30.0% in Ha-SUB, Ha-CRT and Ha-CathL
      respectively, in comparison to control was recorded. The recombinant proteins rHa
      SUB, rHa-CRT and rHa-CathL encoded by the genes were expressed in prokaryotic
      expression system. They were evaluated for cross-protective efficacy and found to
      be respectively, 65.4%, 41.3% and 30.2% protective against H. anatolicum and
      54.0%, 37.6% and 22.2%, against R. microplus infestations.

PMID- 28911905
TI  - Gaussian process classification of superparamagnetic relaxometry data: Phantom
      study.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Superparamagnetic relaxometry (SPMR) is an emerging technology that
      holds potential for use in early cancer detection. Measurement of the magnetic
      field after the excitation of cancer-bound superparamagnetic iron oxide
      nanoparticles (SPIONs) enables the reconstruction of SPIONs spatial distribution
      and hence tumor detection. However, image reconstruction often requires solving
      an ill-posed inverse problem that is computationally challenging and sensitive to
      measurement uncertainty. Moreover, an additional image processing module is
      required to automatically detect and localize the tumor in the reconstructed
      image. OBJECTIVE: Our goal is to examine the use of data-driven machine learning
      technique to detect a weak signal induced by a small cluster of SPIONs (surrogate
      tumor) in presence of background signal and measurement uncertainty. We aim to
      investigate the performance of both data-driven and image reconstruction models
      to characterize situations that one can replace the computationally-challenging
      reconstruction technique by the data-driven model. METHODS: We utilize Gaussian
      process (GP) classification model and a physics-based image reconstruction
      method, tailored to SPMR datasets that are obtained from (i) in silico
      simulations designed based on mouse cancer models and (ii) phantom experiments
      using MagSense system (Imagion Biosystems, Inc.). We investigate the performance
      of the GP classifier against the reconstruction technique, for different levels
      of measurement noise, different scenarios of SPIONs distribution, and different
      concentrations of SPIONs at the surrogate tumor. RESULTS: In our in silico source
      detection analysis, we were able to achieve high sensitivity results using GP
      model that outperformed the image reconstruction model for various choices of
      SPIONs concentration at the surrogate tumor and measurement noise levels.
      Moreover, in our phantom studies we were able to detect the surrogate tumor
      phantoms with 5% and 7.3% of the total used SPIONs, surrounded by 9 low
      concentration phantoms with accuracies of 87.5% and 96.4%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The GP framework provides acceptable classification accuracies when
      dealing with in silico and phantom SPMR datasets and can outperform an image
      reconstruction method for binary classification of SPMR data.

PMID- 28911906
TI  - Identification of novel biomarkers for MLL-translocated acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) with translocations of the mixed lineage leukemia
      (MLL/KMT2A) gene are common in young patients and are generally associated with
      poor clinical outcomes. The molecular biology of MLL fusion genes remains
      incompletely characterized and is complicated by the fact that more than 100
      different partner genes have been identified in fusions with MLL. The
      continuously growing list of MLL fusions also represents a clinical challenge
      with respect to identification of novel fusions and tracking of the fusions to
      monitor progression of the disease after treatment. Recently, we have developed a
      novel single-donor model leukemia system that permits the development of human
      AML from normal cord blood cells. Gene expression analysis of this model and of
      MLL-AML patient samples has identified a number of candidate biomarker genes with
      highly biased expression on leukemic cells. Here, we present data demonstrating
      the potential clinical utility of several of these candidate genes for
      identifying known and novel MLL fusions.

PMID- 28911907
TI  - MicroRNA-22 controls interferon alpha production and erythroid maturation in
      response to infectious stress in mice.
AB  - MicroRNA-22 (miR-22) is a highly conserved microRNA that can regulate cell
      proliferation, oncogenesis, and cell maturation, especially during stress. In
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), miR-22 has been reported to be involved in the
      regulation of key self-renewal factors, including Tet2. Recent work demonstrates
      that miR-22 also participates in regulation of the interferon (IFN) response, and
      expression profiling studies suggest that it is variably expressed at different
      stages in erythroid differentiation. We thus hypothesized that miR-22 regulates
      maturation of erythroid progenitors during stress hematopoiesis through its
      interaction with IFN. We compared the blood and bone marrow of wild-type (WT) and
      miR-22-deficient mice at baseline and upon infectious challenge with systemic
      lymphochoriomeningitis (LCMV) virus. miR-22-deficient mice maintained platelet
      counts better than WT mice during infection, but they showed significantly
      reduced red blood cells and hemoglobin. Analysis of bone marrow progenitors
      demonstrated better overall survival and improved HSC homeostasis in infected miR
      22-null mice compared with WT, which was attributable to a blunted IFN response
      to LCMV challenge in the miR-22-null mice. We found that miR-22 was expressed
      exclusively in stage II erythroid precursors and downregulated upon infection in
      WT mice. Our results indicate that miR-22 promotes the IFN response to viral
      infection and that it functions at baseline as a brake to slow erythroid
      differentiation and maintain adequate erythroid potential. Impaired regulation of
      erythrogenesis in the absence of miR-22 can lead to anemia during infection.

PMID- 28911909
TI  - COUNTERPOINT: Should Continuous Venovenous Hemofiltration Always Be the Preferred
      Mode of Renal Replacement Therapy for the Patient With Acute Brain Injury? No.

PMID- 28911908
TI  - Enhancement of mouse hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell function via transient
      gene delivery using integration-deficient lentiviral vectors.
AB  - Integration-deficient lentiviruses (IdLVs) deliver genes effectively to tissues
      but are lost rapidly from dividing cells. This property can be harnessed to
      express transgenes transiently to manipulate cell biology. Here, we demonstrate
      the utility of short-term gene expression to improve functional potency of
      hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) during transplantation by
      delivering HOXB4 and Angptl3 using IdLVs to enhance the engraftment of HSPCs.
      Constitutive overexpression of either of these genes is likely to be undesirable,
      but the transient nature of IdLVs reduces this risk and those associated with
      unsolicited gene expression in daughter cells. Transient expression led to
      increased multilineage hematopoietic engraftment in in vivo competitive
      repopulation assays without the side effects reported in constitutive
      overexpression models. Adult stem cell fate has not been programmed previously
      using IdLVs, but we demonstrate that these transient gene expression tools can
      produce clinically relevant alterations or be applied to investigate basic
      biology.

PMID- 28911910
TI  - POINT: Should Continuous Venovenous Hemofiltration Always Be the Preferred Mode
      of Renal Replacement Therapy for the Patient With Acute Brain Injury? Yes.

PMID- 28911911
TI  - Rebuttal From Drs Niemi and Stoff.

PMID- 28911912
TI  - Rebuttal From Drs Osgood and Muehlschlegel.

PMID- 28911914
TI  - Changes in the level of Long Non-Coding RNA Gomafu gene expression in
      schizophrenia patients before and after antipsychotic medication.

PMID- 28911913
TI  - Phosphatidic Acid and Cardiolipin Coordinate Mitochondrial Dynamics.
AB  - Membrane organelles comprise both proteins and lipids. Remodeling of these
      membrane structures is controlled by interactions between specific proteins and
      lipids. Mitochondrial structure and function depend on regulated fusion and the
      division of both the outer and inner membranes. Here we discuss recent advances
      in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics by two critical phospholipids,
      phosphatidic acid (PA) and cardiolipin (CL). These two lipids interact with the
      core components of mitochondrial fusion and division (Opa1, mitofusin, and Drp1)
      to activate and inhibit these dynamin-related GTPases. Moreover, lipid-modifying
      enzymes such as phospholipases and lipid phosphatases may organize local lipid
      composition to spatially and temporarily coordinate a balance between fusion and
      division to establish mitochondrial morphology.

PMID- 28911915
TI  - Risk factors of compliance with self-harm command hallucinations in individuals
      with affective and non-affective psychosis.
AB  - Clinicians are often left with the difficult task of assessing and managing the
      risk of violent behaviors in individuals having command hallucinations, which may
      result in substantial rates of false positive or false negative. Moreover,
      findings on the association between command hallucinations and suicidal behaviors
      are limited. In an attempt to better understand compliance to this hallucinatory
      phenomenon, our objective was to identify the risk factors of compliance with
      self-harm command hallucinations. Secondary analyses from the MacArthur Study
      were performed on 82 participants with psychosis reporting such commands.
      Univariate logistic regression was used to examine the classification value of
      each characteristic associated with compliance with such commands. Seriousness
      and frequency of childhood physical abuse, a current comorbid substance use
      disorder, emotional distress, general symptomatology, history of compliance, and
      belief about compliance in the future were found to be significant risk factors
      of compliance with self-harm commands in the week preceding psychiatric
      inpatient. Multivariate analyses revealed that severity of childhood physical
      abuse, belief about compliance in the future, and a current comorbid substance
      use disorder were independent risk factors. The final model showed excellent
      classification accuracy as suggest by the receiver operating characteristic curve
      (AUC=0.84, 95% CI: 0.75-0.92, p<0.001). Our results suggest considerable clinical
      implications in regard to the assessment of risk of compliance to self-harm
      command hallucinations in individuals with psychosis.

PMID- 28911916
TI  - Transformational thinking about asthma.

PMID- 28911917
TI  - After asthma: airways diseases need a new name and a revolution.

PMID- 28911918
TI  - Ian Pavord: engaging with the eosinophil.

PMID- 28911919
TI  - Andrew Bush: a broad portfolio in paediatric respirology.

PMID- 28911921
TI  - Using data to tackle the burden of amputation in diabetes.

PMID- 28911920
TI  - After asthma: redefining airways diseases.

PMID- 28911922
TI  - Neoadjuvant sorafenib, gemcitabine, and cisplatin administration preceding
      cystectomy in patients with muscle-invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma: An open
      label, single-arm, single-center, phase 2 study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive
      urothelial bladder carcinoma (MIUBC) should be improved. Sorafenib was combined
      with gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy (SGC) in an open-label, single-arm,
      phase 2 trial (NCT01222676). PATIENTS AND METHODS: After transurethral resection
      of the bladder, T2-T4a N0 patients received four cycles of SGC followed by
      cystectomy. Sorafenib 400mg q12h daily, continuously, was added to standard GC
      chemotherapy. In a Simon's 2-stage design, the primary endpoint was the
      pathologic complete response (pT0), assuming H0: <=0.20 and H1: >=0.40, with a
      type I and type II error of 5% and 10%, respectively. RESULTS: From April 2011 to
      June 2016, 46 patients were enrolled. Pathologic T0 response was obtained in 20
      patients (43.5%, 95% CI: 28.9-58.9); pT <= 1 in 25 (54.3%, 95% CI: 39.0-69.1).
      After a median follow-up of 35 months, the median progression-free survival was
      not reached (NR, interquartile range: 23.6-NR), nor was median overall survival
      (interquartile range: 30.3-NR). Hematologic and extrahematologic grade 3 to 4
      adverse events occurred in 45.6% and 26.1% of patients, respectively. In 29
      samples from responders (pT <= 1) and nonresponders, different distribution of
      missense mutations involved DNA-repair genes, RAS-RAF pathway genes, chromatin
      remodeling genes, and HER-family genes. ERCC1 immunohistochemical expression was
      associated with pT <= 1 response (P = 0.047). The absence of a comparator arm
      prevented us to quantify sorafenib contribution. CONCLUSIONS: SGC combination was
      active in MIUBC, and the identified molecular features included alterations that
      may help personalize treatment in MIUBC with new more potent targeted agents,
      combined with chemotherapy.

PMID- 28911923
TI  - Secondary data sources for health services research in urologic oncology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Though secondary data analyses of large datasets may reduce
      logistical and financial barriers required to perform significant and innovative
      work, such research requires specialized skills in data handling and statistical
      techniques as well as thorough and detailed knowledge of the data sources being
      used. OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of several common types of secondary
      data, focusing on strengths, weaknesses and examples of how these data may be
      used for health services research. RESULTS: Secondary data comprise a broad and
      heterogeneous category. This review covers several large categories of such data
      with examples of their use and discussions about their strengths and weaknesses.
      Sources include administrative data, claims-based datasets, electronic health
      records health surveys, patient or disease or both registries, quality
      improvement initiatives, as well as data from existing trials. Linkages of
      different types of data may expand the scope of questions answerable using
      secondary data analysis. Specific strengths and weaknesses of each type of
      dataset are discussed along with examples from the recent urologic literature.
      CONCLUSIONS: Choice of the appropriate data source should be tailored to the
      specific research question as well as the research resources and expertise
      available. Appropriate decisions about which data to use are the foundation for
      valid, high-impact research using secondary data.

PMID- 28911924
TI  - Sialyl-Tn identifies muscle-invasive bladder cancer basal and luminal subtypes
      facing decreased survival, being expressed by circulating tumor cells and
      metastases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential of sialyl-Tn (STn), a cancer-associated
      glycan antigen present in membrane glycoproteins, to improve a recent molecular
      model for stratification and prognostication of advanced stage bladder tumors
      based on keratins (KRT14, 5, and 20) expression. In addition, determine the
      association between STn and disease dissemination based on the evaluation of
      circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and the metastasis, which is a critical matter to
      improve patient management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective series of 80
      muscle-invasive primary bladder tumors and associated metastasis were screened
      for KRT14, 5, and 20 and STn by real-time polymerase chain reaction and
      immunohistochemistry. Peripheral blood was collected in a patients' subset, CTCs
      were isolated through a size-based microfluidic chip and screened for KRTs and
      STn. RESULTS: Basal-like lesions presented worse cancer-specific and disease-free
      survival compared to luminal tumors. STn antigen inclusion discriminated patients
      with worst survival in each subgroup (P = 0.047 for luminal; P = 0.027 for basal
      like tumors). STn expression in CTCs and distant metastasis was also
      demonstrated. CONCLUSION: This work reinforces the potential of the KRT-based
      model for bladder cancer management and the association of STn with
      aggressiveness, supporting its inclusion in predictive molecular models toward
      patient-tailored precision medicine. Moreover, we describe for the first time
      that CTCs and the metastasis present a basal phenotype and express the STn
      antigen, highlighting its link with disease dissemination. Future studies should
      focus on determining the biological and clinical significance of these
      observations in the context of liquid biopsies. Given the membrane nature of STn,
      highly specific targeted therapeutics may also be envisaged.

PMID- 28911926
TI  - Severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome modifies early maternal serum beta-human
      chorionic gonadotropin kinetics, but obstetrical and neonatal outcomes are not
      impacted.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)
      on beta-hCG kinetics and obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective
      single-center case-control study. SETTING: University tertiary referral center.
      PATIENT(S): A total of 77 patients who presented a clinical pregnancy after IVF
      and had been hospitalized for severe OHSS were included in this study and
      compared with 231 controls presenting an IVF-induced clinical pregnancy without
      OHSS and matched for the year of pregnancy and the number of gestational sacs.
      INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURE(S): The outcome of pregnancy
      (miscarriage, medical abortion, or delivery), beta-hCG values, obstetrical, and
      neonatal outcomes. RESULT(S): After multivariate analysis adjusted for parity,
      tobacco smoking, presence of polycystic ovary syndrome, age, and body mass index,
      outcomes of pregnancies were not altered by OHSS. However, there was a trend
      toward a lower early miscarriage rate in the OHSS group (7.8%) than in the
      control group (16%). Maternal serum beta-hCG values at different time points of
      the pregnancy and fold changes of beta-hCG values were lower in OHSS than in
      controls (268 +/- 160 vs. 389 +/- 215 IU/L at day 16; and 4.8 +/- 1.5 vs. 5.4 +/-
      1.4 fold change between day 16 and day 20). Beta-hCG also correlated negatively
      with the number of oocytes retrieved. Incidence of gestational diabetes,
      gestational hypertension, intrauterine growth restriction, premature birth, and
      low birth weight did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION(S): Although early
      maternal serum beta-hCG kinetics were modified in women after severe OHSS, the
      outcomes of these pregnancies remained comparable to those of IVF pregnancies
      without OHSS. According to these data, pregnancies after severe OHSS do not
      require particular care compared with IVF pregnancies, but differences in beta
      hCG levels and kinetics should be taken into account when interpreting these
      results.

PMID- 28911925
TI  - Ethinylestradiol 20 MUg/drospirenone 3 mg in a flexible extended regimen for the
      management of endometriosis-associated pelvic pain: a randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of ethinylestradiol 20
      MUg/drospirenone 3 mg in a flexible extended regimen (FlexibleMIB) compared with
      placebo to treat endometriosis-associated pelvic pain (EAPP). DESIGN: A phase 3,
      randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, consisting of
      a 24-week double-blind treatment phase followed by a 28-week open-label extension
      phase with an unblinded reference arm. SETTING: Thirty-two centers. PATIENT(S): A
      total of 312 patients with endometriosis. INTERVENTION(S): Patients were
      randomized to FlexibleMIB, placebo, or dienogest. The FlexibleMIB and placebo
      arms received 1 tablet per day continuously for 120 days, with a 4-day tablet
      free interval either after 120 days or after >=3 consecutive days of spotting
      and/or bleeding on days 25-120. After 24 weeks, placebo recipients were changed
      to FlexibleMIB. Patients randomized to dienogest received 2 mg/d for 52 weeks in
      an unblinded reference arm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Absolute change in the most
      severe EAPP based on visual analog scale scores from the baseline observation
      phase to the end of the double-blind treatment phase. RESULT(S): Compared with
      placebo, FlexibleMIB significantly reduced the most severe EAPP (mean difference
      in visual analog scale score: -26.3 mm). FlexibleMIB also improved other
      endometriosis-associated pain and gynecologic findings and reduced the size of
      endometriomas. CONCLUSION(S): FlexibleMIB improved EAPP and was well tolerated,
      suggesting it may be a new alternative for managing endometriosis. CLINICAL
      TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01697111.

PMID- 28911927
TI  - Dynamic expression of PGRMC1 and SERBP1 in human endometrium: an implication in
      the human decidualization process.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize PGRMC1 and SERBP1 in human endometrium and to
      investigate the putative role of PGRMC1 in endometrial decidualization. DESIGN:
      The PGRMC1 and SERBP1 expression in human endometrium was determined throughout
      the menstrual cycle. We analyzed the colocalization of PGRMC1 and SERBP1. Then,
      endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) were isolated to investigate the functional
      effect of PGRMC1 overexpression on decidualization. SETTING: IVI clinic.
      PATIENT(S): Endometrial biopsies were collected from fertile volunteers (n = 61)
      attending the clinic as ovum donors. INTERVENTION(S): Endometrial samples of 61
      healthy fertile women. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): In vivo localization of PGRMC1
      and SERBP1 was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The PGRMC1/SERBP1 colocalization
      was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Decidualization effect of PGRMC1
      overexpression was evaluated in primary ESC cultures. RESULT(S): The PGRMC1 was
      detected in the endometrial stroma throughout the menstrual cycle, but decreased
      in the late secretory phase. The SERBP1 immunostaining was present in stroma and
      increased in the entire the menstrual cycle. The PGRMC1 and SERBP1 colocalized in
      the cytoplasmic fractions of nondecidualized and decidualized ESC. The PGRMC1
      overexpression significantly inhibited in vitro decidualization. CONCLUSION(S):
      Our results suggest that classic P receptors (PRs) are not the only kind playing
      a role in the normal physiology of the endometrium. The human decidualization
      process could be altered by the overexpression or mislocalization of PGRMC1 in
      ESC.

PMID- 28911928
TI  - Introduction: Contemporary approaches to alternative ovarian stimulation
      strategies for in vitro fertilization.
AB  - In the current practice of IVF, the vast majority of cycles use some form of
      controlled ovarian stimulation before egg retrieval to increase the number of
      embryos available for transfer or cryopreservation. However, the optimal
      stimulation regimen has not been established. This month's Views and Reviews
      presents five different approaches to alternative ovarian stimulation strategies.
      These include mild stimulation regimens, modified natural cycles, stimulation
      with oral agents, in vitro maturation (in the absence of stimulation), and
      finally, a proposal for patient-tailored ovarian stimulation. As the treatment of
      infertility becomes more personalized, it is likely that standard, heavy-handed
      stimulation protocols will give way to simpler strategies, specifically tailored
      to each patient's individual characteristics and needs.

PMID- 28911929
TI  - Clomiphene citrate at 50: the dawning of assisted reproduction.

PMID- 28911930
TI  - Low fertility awareness in United States reproductive-aged women and medical
      trainees: creation and validation of the Fertility & Infertility Treatment
      Knowledge Score (FIT-KS).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To create, validate, and use a fertility awareness survey based on
      current U.S. DATA:  DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Not applicable.
      PATIENT(S): Phase 1 included U.S. women ages 18-45; phase 2 included female
      medical students and obstetrics and gynecology trainees at two urban academic
      programs. INTERVENTION(S): Survey including demographics, the Fertility &
      Infertility Treatment Knowledge Score (FIT-KS) instrument, and General Nutrition
      Knowledge Questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Knowledge of natural fertility
      and infertility treatments. RESULT(S): The FIT-KS was validated through detailed
      item and validity analyses. In phase 1, 127 women participated; their median age
      was 31 years, and 43.7% had children. Their mean FIT-KS score was 16.2 +/- 3.5
      (55.9% correct). In phase 2, 118 medical trainees participated; their median age
      was 25 years, and 12.4% had children. Their mean FIT-KS score was 18.8 +/- 2.1
      (64.9% correct), with year of training correlating to a higher score (r=0.40).
      Participant awareness regarding lifestyle factors varied, but it was particularly
      low regarding the effects of lubricants. The majority underestimated the
      spontaneous miscarriage rate and overestimated the fecundability of 40-year-old
      women. There was general overestimation of success rates for assisted
      reproductive technologies, particularly among medical trainees. CONCLUSION(S):
      The FIT-KS is validated to current U.S. data for use in both general and medical
      populations as a quick assessment of fertility knowledge. The knowledge gaps
      demonstrated in this study correlate with national trends in delayed childbearing
      and time to initiate treatment. For medical trainees, these results raise
      concerns about the quality of fertility counseling they may be able to offer
      patients. Greater educational outreach must be undertaken to enhance fertility
      awareness.

PMID- 28911931
TI  - A validated measure for fertility awareness: an essential step toward informed
      reproductive decision-making.

PMID- 28911932
TI  - Varicocelectomy to "upgrade" semen quality to allow couples to use less invasive
      forms of assisted reproductive technology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the magnitude of improvement in semen parameters after a
      varicocelectomy and the fraction that have improvements such that couples needing
      IVF or IUI are "upgraded" to needing less invasive assisted reproductive
      technology (ART). DESIGN: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data.
      SETTING: Academic medical centers. PATIENT(S): Men presenting for a fertility
      evaluation with a clinical varicocele. INTERVENTION(S): Varicocele repair
      (surgical or embolization). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Total motile sperm count
      (TMSC) before and after repair, and the proportion of men considered candidates
      for: natural pregnancy (NP) >9 million, IUI 5-9 million, or IVF < 5 million.
      RESULT(S): A total of 373 men underwent varicocele repair. The TMSC increased
      from 18.22 +/- 38.32 to 46.72 +/- 210.92 (P=.007). The most pronounced increase
      was with baseline TMSC <5 million, from 2.32 +/- 1.50 to 15.97 +/- 32.92
      (P=.0000002); 58.8% of men were upgraded from IVF candidacy to IUI or NP. For
      baseline TMSC 5-9 million, the mean TMSC increased from 6.96 +/- 1.16 to 24.29 +/
      37.17 (P=.0004), allowing 64.9% of men to become candidates for NP. For baseline
      TMSC of >9 million, TMSC increased from 36.26 +/- 52.08 to 81.80 +/- 310.83
      (P=.05). CONCLUSION(S): Varicocele repair has an important role in the treatment
      of infertility. Even for low TMSCs, a varicocelectomy may reduce the need for
      IVF. Varicocele repair (by embolization or microsurgery) potentially reduces the
      need for IVF and IUI.

PMID- 28911933
TI  - Pain cognition versus pain intensity in patients with endometriosis: toward
      personalized treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore how pain intensity and pain cognition are related to health
      related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with endometriosis. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional questionnaire-based survey. SETTING: Multidisciplinary referral center.
      PATIENT(S): Women with laparoscopically and/or magnetic resonance imaging-proven
      endometriosis (n = 50) and healthy control women (n = 42). INTERVENTION(S): For
      HRQoL, two questionnaires: the generic Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the
      Endometriosis Health Profile 30 (EHP-30). For pain cognition, three
      questionnaires: the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Pain Vigilance and
      Awareness Questionnaire (PVAQ), and the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS). For
      pain intensity, the verbal Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):
      Association between pain intensity and pain cognition with HRQoL in women with
      endometriosis, and the differences in HRQoL and pain cognition between women with
      endometriosis and healthy controls. RESULT(S): Health-related quality of life was
      statistically significantly impaired in women with endometriosis as compared with
      healthy control women. The variables of pain intensity and pain cognition were
      independent factors influencing the HRQoL of women with endometriosis. Patients
      with endometriosis had statistically significantly more negative pain cognition
      as compared with controls. They reported more pain anxiety and catastrophizing,
      and they were hypervigilant toward pain. CONCLUSION(S): Pain cognition is
      independently associated with the HRQoL in endometriosis patients. Clinicians
      should be aware of this phenomenon and may consider treating pain symptoms in a
      multidimensional, individualized way in which the psychological aspects are taken
      into account. In international guidelines on management of women with
      endometriosis more attention should be paid to the psychological aspects of care.

PMID- 28911934
TI  - Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of dienogest in the treatment of painful
      symptoms in patients with adenomyosis: a randomized, double-blind, multicenter,
      placebo-controlled study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dienogest (DNG), a
      progestational 19-norsteroid, in patients with symptomatic adenomyosis. DESIGN:
      Phase III, randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study.
      SETTING: Clinical study sites in Japan. PATIENT(S): Sixty-seven patients with
      adenomyosis. INTERVENTION(S): Patients were randomly assigned to receive DNG (2
      mg/d, orally) or placebo for 16 weeks. In cases of complicated anemia, patients
      were treated for anemia before randomization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The
      primary end point was the change from baseline to after treatment pain score,
      using zero- to three-point verbal rating scales that defined pain severity
      according to limited ability to work and need for analgesics. The visual analogue
      scale was used as another pain parameter. RESULT(S): Decreases from baseline in
      the pain score and the visual analogue scale at the end of treatment were
      significantly more in the DNG group than in the placebo group (P<.001). During
      the treatment period, almost all of the patients treated with DNG experienced
      irregular uterine bleeding and one patient had mild anemia. No severe cases of
      anemia were observed. CONCLUSION(S): These results suggest that DNG is effective
      and well tolerated in the treatment for painful symptoms associated with
      adenomyosis not complicated by severe uterine enlargement or severe anemia.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: JapicCTI-142642(en).

PMID- 28911935
TI  - Obesity discrimination in healthcare.

PMID- 28911936
TI  - Exercise training in patients with pulmonary and systemic hypertension: A unique
      therapy for two different diseases.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension is a potentially life-threatening condition. Given its
      evolving definition, the incidence and prevalence of the disease is difficult to
      define, but registries suggest an increased global awareness. The management of
      patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension is highly specialised and requires
      multi-disciplinary input from a range of healthcare professionals, including
      cardiologists, respiratory physicians, rheumatologists, rehabilitation physicians
      and cardio-pulmonary physiotherapists. Historically, exercise training in
      pulmonary hypertension has not been recommended because of safety concerns.
      However, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated the benefit of
      exercise training on exercise capacity, peak oxygen consumption and quality of
      life. Systemic hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for
      cardiovascular disease, and has been ranked as the leading cause for death and
      disability worldwide: therefore, adequate control of blood pressure is important
      for public health. Lowering of blood pressure and prevention of hypertension is
      in first instance preferable by lifestyle changes. These include weight loss,
      moderation of alcohol intake, a diet with increased fresh fruit and vegetables,
      reduced saturated fat, reduced salt intake, reduced stress, and, finally,
      increased physical activity. With regard to the latter, former guidelines
      predominantly recommended aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, and cycling
      for lowering blood pressure. The main focus of this narrative overview paper is
      to briefly examine and summarize the benefit of exercise training in patients
      with pulmonary and systemic hypertension, suggest mechanisms by which exercise
      may improve symptoms and function and provide evidence-based recommendations
      regarding the frequency and intensity of exercise in these patients.

PMID- 28911937
TI  - [Vaccination study of children in the North department, France].

PMID- 28911938
TI  - [Families' experiences and satisfaction with a pediatric emergency service].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Today, pediatric emergency services receive a rising number of "non
      urgent" cases, which are due to parental anxiety or a miscomprehension of medical
      explanations. The aim of this study was therefore to understand what those
      families experience and need when they consult in such cases, in order to respond
      with adapted solutions. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires
      with parents, after the consultation or in the waiting room. RESULTS: Based on
      the families' narratives, we present the results in six steps, which correspond
      to the steps they experience from the decision to go to the hospital to the
      consultation. Families' experiences are very satisfactory regarding the quality
      of medical care, the relationship between staff and children, and the staff's
      overall attitude. Critical points concern practical aspects (parking, food, and
      play facilities); the waiting time and the lack of information; and the
      communication between the medical staff and the parents, most particularly
      related to their anxiety and waiting time. DISCUSSION: The results show first
      that parents have multiple preoccupations: many stress factors and organizational
      difficulties are added to their child's disease. These preoccupations are mostly
      related to the lack of information about the waiting time, information that they
      would need to organize their day and their time in the hospital. Second, the
      results show that parental anxiety influences their decision to come to the
      emergency department, their experience of care and of the waiting time, and their
      judgment about the quality of the medical care. Considering this, families
      requested practical improvements (i.e., more toys in the waiting room), and
      suggest more communication and presence from the medical staff. Based on their
      demands, we suggest an agenda of care in four steps: a waiting time, a time for
      sharing, a time for information giving, and a validation time. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overall, parents are stressed and anxious when they come to the emergency
      department and request more reassurance, attention, and explanations from the
      healthcare staff. We propose a final "validation time" to verify that the medical
      explanations are understood as well as the emotional state of the family. In this
      way, we can ensure good follow-up care at home, avoid unnecessary readmissions,
      and promote parental health education.

PMID- 28911939
TI  - Evaluation of airborne sensory irritants for setting exposure limits or
      guidelines: A systematic approach.
AB  - Sensory irritation of eyes and upper airways is an important endpoint for setting
      occupational exposure limits (OELs) and indoor air guidelines. Sensory irritants
      cause a painful burning, stinging and itching sensation. Controlled chamber
      studies are the "golden standard" for evaluations. Well conducted workplace
      studies offer another possibility. For generalization, the number of participants
      and their age, smoking, gender, and prior exposure, experience and mood has to be
      considered. Exposure assessments have to be reliable and exposure duration
      sufficiently long to establish time-response relationships. A potential
      confounding by odour has to be assessed. For workplace exposures, mixed exposure
      and healthy worker effects have to be evaluated. The "Alarie test" is the only
      validated animal bioassay for prediction of sensory irritation in humans. The
      mouse bioassay uses the trigeminal reflex-induced decrease in the respiratory
      rate. The 50% decrease (RD50) has been correlated with OELs set for sensory
      irritants; predicted OELs for sensory irritants are 0.03xRD50. Evaluation of the
      bioassay comprises the number of mice and the strain, the reliability of the
      exposure concentrations and exposure-response relationships, and the similar mode
      of-action in mice and humans. These approaches can be used for quality assurance
      of reported data to set air quality guidelines.

PMID- 28911940
TI  - Anthracenyl polar embedded stationary phases with enhanced aromatic selectivity.
      Part II: A density functional theory study.
AB  - New polar embedded aromatic stationary phases (mono- and trifunctional versions)
      that contain an amide-embedded group coupled with a tricyclic aromatic moiety
      were developed for chromatographic applications and described in the first paper
      of this series. These phases offered better separation performance for PAHs than
      for alkylbenzene homologues, and an enhanced ability to differentiate aromatic
      planarity to aromatic tridimensional conformation, especially for the
      trifunctional version and when using methanol instead of acetonitrile. In this
      second paper, a density functional theory study of the retention process is
      reported. In particular, it was shown that the selection of the suitable
      computational protocol allowed for describing rigorously the interactions that
      could take place, the solvent effects, and the structural changes for the
      monofunctional and the trifunctional versions. For the first time, the
      experimental data coupled with these DFT results provided a better understanding
      of the interaction mechanisms and highlighted the importance of the multimodal
      character of the designed stationary phases: alkyl spacers for interactions with
      hydrophobic solutes, amide embedded groups for dipole-dipole and hydrogen-bond
      interactions, and aromatic terminal groups for pi-pi interactions.

PMID- 28911941
TI  - Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to comprehensive two-dimensional
      gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the analysis of aerosol
      from tobacco heating product.
AB  - A method involving headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and
      comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry (GC*GC-TOFMS) was developed and optimised to elucidate the volatile
      composition of the particulate phase fraction of aerosol produced by tobacco
      heating products (THPs). Three SPME fiber types were studied in terms of
      extraction capacity and precision measurements. Divinylbenzene
      polydimethylsiloxane appeared as the most efficient coating for these
      measurements. A central composite design of experiment was utilised for the
      optimization of the extraction conditions. Qualitative and semi-quantitative
      analysis of the headspace above THP aerosol condensate was carried out using
      optimised extraction conditions. Semi-quantitative analyses of detected
      constituents were performed by assuming that their relative response factors to
      the closest internal standard (itR) were equal to 1. Using deconvoluted mass
      spectral data (library similarity and reverse match >750) and linear retention
      indices (match window of +/-15 index units), 205 peaks were assigned to
      individual compounds, 82 of which (including 43 substances previously reported to
      be present in tobacco) have not been reported previously in tobacco aerosol. The
      major volatile fraction of the headspace contained ketones, alcohols, aldehydes,
      alicyclic hydrocarbons alkenes, and alkanes. The method was further applied to
      compare the volatiles from the particulate phase of aerosol composition of THP
      with that of reference cigarette smoke and showed that the THP produced a less
      complex chemical mixture. This new method showed good efficiency and precision
      for the peak areas and peak numbers from the volatile fraction of aerosol
      particulate phase for both THP and reference cigarettes.

PMID- 28911942
TI  - Future perspectives in high efficient and ultrafast chiral liquid chromatography
      through zwitterionic teicoplanin-based 2-MUm superficially porous particles.
AB  - With the aim of pushing forward the limits of high efficient and ultrafast chiral
      liquid chromatography, a new Chiral Stationary Phase (CSP) has been prepared by
      covalently bonding the teicoplanin selector on 2.0MUm Superficially Porous
      Particles (SPPs). An already validated bonding protocol, which permits to achieve
      teicoplanin-based CSPs exhibiting zwitterionic behaviour, has been employed to
      prepare not only the 2.0MUm version of the CSP but also two other analogous CSPs
      based, respectively, on 2.7MUm SPPs and 1.9MUm Fully Porous Particles (FPPs). The
      kinetic performance of these CSPs has been compared through the analysis of both
      van Deemter curves and kinetic plots by employing in-house packed columns of
      4.6mm internal diameter and different lengths (20, 50 and 100mm). In particular
      on the columns packed with 2.0MUm SPPs, extremely large efficiencies were
      observed for both achiral (>310,000 theoretical plates/meter, N/m; hr: 1.61) and
      chiral compounds (>290,000 N/m; hr: 1.72) in HILIC conditions. Thanks to their
      efficiency and enantioselectivity, these CSPs were successfully employed in
      ultrafast chiral separations. As an example, the enantiomers of haloxyfop were
      baseline resolved in about 3s, with a resolution higher than 2.0, (flow rate:
      8mL/min) on a 2cm long column packed with the 2.0MUm chiral SPPs.

PMID- 28911943
TI  - Heterozygous deletion of AKT1 rescues cardiac contractility, but not hypertrophy,
      in a mouse model of Noonan Syndrome with Multiple Lentigines.
AB  - Noonan Syndrome with Multiple Lentigines (NSML) is associated with congenital
      heart disease in form of pulmonary valve stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
      (HCM). Genetically, NSML is primarily caused by mutations in the non-receptor
      protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2. Importantly, certain SHP2 mutations such as
      Q510E can cause a particularly severe form of HCM with heart failure in infancy.
      Due to lack of insight into the underlying pathomechanisms, an effective custom
      tailored therapy to prevent heart failure in these patients has not yet been
      found. SHP2 regulates numerous signaling cascades governing cell growth,
      differentiation, and survival. Experimental models have shown that NSML mutations
      in SHP2 cause dysregulation of downstream signaling, in particular involving the
      protein kinase AKT. AKT, and especially the isoform AKT1, has been shown to be a
      major regulator of cardiac hypertrophy. We therefore hypothesized that
      hyperactivation of AKT1 is required for the development of Q510E-SHP2-induced
      HCM. We previously generated a transgenic mouse model of NSML-associated HCM
      induced by Q510E-SHP2 expression in cardiomyocytes starting before birth. Mice
      display neonatal-onset HCM with initially preserved contractile function followed
      by functional decline around 2months of age. As a proof-of-principle study, our
      current goal was to establish to which extent a genetic reduction in AKT1 rescues
      the Q510E-SHP2-induced cardiac phenotype in vivo. AKT1 deletion mice were crossed
      with Q510E-SHP2 transgenic mice and the resulting compound mutant offspring
      analyzed. Homozygous deletion of AKT1 greatly reduced viability in our NSML mouse
      model, whereas heterozygous deletion of AKT1 in combination with Q510E-SHP2
      expression was well tolerated. Despite normalization of pro-hypertrophic
      signaling downstream of AKT, heterozygous deletion of AKT1 did not ameliorate
      cardiac hypertrophy induced by Q510E-SHP2. However, the functional decline caused
      by Q510E-SHP2 expression was effectively prevented by reducing AKT1 protein. This
      demonstrates that AKT1 plays an important role in the underlying pathomechanism.
      Furthermore, the functional rescue was associated with an increase in the
      capillary-to-cardiomyocyte ratio and normalization of capillary density per
      tissue area in the compound mutant offspring. We therefore speculate that limited
      oxygen supply to the hypertrophied cardiomyocytes may contribute to the
      functional decline observed in our mouse model of NSML-associated HCM.

PMID- 28911945
TI  - Long-term follow-up and survivorship of single-radius, posterior-stabilized total
      knee arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the 10-year survivorship of single-radius,
      posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Asian patients. We also
      aimed to determine whether the long-term clinical and radiographic results
      differed between patients with and without patellar resurfacing. METHODS: This
      retrospective study included 148 (115 patients) consecutive single-radius,
      posterior-stabilized TKAs. Ten-year survivorship analysis was performed using the
      Kaplan-Meier method with additional surgery for any reason as the end-point.
      Furthermore, long-term clinical and radiographic results of 109 knees (74%; 84
      patients) with more than 10-year follow-up were analyzed. Ten-year survivorship
      and long-term outcomes after surgery were determined, and outcomes were compared
      between patients with and without patellar resurfacing. RESULTS: The cumulative
      survival rate of the single-radius posterior-stabilized TKA of 148 knees was
      97.7% (95% confidence interval, 93.1%-99.3%) at 10 years after surgery. Three
      knees required additional surgery during the 10-year follow-up because of one
      case of instability and two cases of periprosthetic infections. Mean
      postoperative Knee Society knee score and function score were 97 points and 75
      points, respectively. There were no cases of aseptic loosening of the prosthesis,
      even though a non-progressive radiolucent line was found in 10 (9%) knees. There
      were no differences in postoperative scores and degree of patellar tilt and
      displacement between patients with and without patellar resurfacing. CONCLUSIONS:
      Single-radius, posterior-stabilized TKA showed satisfactory long-term clinical
      and radiographic outcomes in Asian patients regardless of patellar resurfacing,
      with comparable survivorship to that reported in westerners.

PMID- 28911944
TI  - Assessing the mechanisms of cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors.
AB  - Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors are a new class of
      therapeutics for dyslipidemia that simultaneously improve two major
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors: elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
      cholesterol and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. However,
      the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying their efficacy are poorly
      understood, as are any potential mechanistic differences among the drugs in this
      class. Herein, we used electron microscopy (EM) to investigate the effects of
      three of these agents (Torcetrapib, Dalcetrapib and Anacetrapib) on CETP
      structure, CETP-lipoprotein complex formation and CETP-mediated cholesteryl ester
      (CE) transfer. We found that although none of these inhibitors altered the
      structure of CETP or the conformation of CETP-lipoprotein binary complexes, all
      inhibitors, especially Torcetrapib and Anacetrapib, increased the binding ratios
      of the binary complexes (e.g., HDL-CETP and LDL-CETP) and decreased the binding
      ratios of the HDL-CETP-LDL ternary complexes. The findings of more binary
      complexes and fewer ternary complexes reflect a new mechanism of inhibition: one
      distal end of CETP bound to the first lipoprotein would trigger a conformational
      change at the other distal end, thus resulting in a decreased binding ratio to
      the second lipoprotein and a degraded CE transfer rate among lipoproteins. Thus,
      we suggest a new inhibitor design that should decrease the formation of both
      binary and ternary complexes. Decreased concentrations of the binary complex may
      prevent the inhibitor was induced into cell by the tight binding of binary
      complexes during lipoprotein metabolism in the treatment of CVD.

PMID- 28911946
TI  - Suboptimal Agreement Among Cytopathologists in Diagnosis of Malignancy Based on
      Endoscopic Ultrasound Needle Aspirates of Solid Pancreatic Lesions: A Validation
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Despite the widespread use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided
      fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) to sample pancreatic lesions and the
      standardization of pancreaticobiliary cytopathologic nomenclature, there are few
      data on inter-observer agreement among cytopathologists evaluating pancreatic
      cytologic specimens obtained by EUS-FNA. We developed a scoring system to assess
      agreement among cytopathologists in overall diagnosis and quantitative and
      qualitative parameters, and evaluated factors associated with agreement. METHODS:
      We performed a prospective study to validate results from our pilot study that
      demonstrated moderate to substantial inter-observer agreement among
      cytopathologists for the final cytologic diagnosis. In the first phase, 3
      cytopathologists refined criteria for assessment of quantity and quality
      measures. During phase 2, EUS-FNA specimens of solid pancreatic lesions from 46
      patients were evaluated by 11 cytopathologists at 5 tertiary care centers using a
      standardized scoring tool. Individual quantitative and qualitative measures were
      scored and an overall cytologic diagnosis was determined. Clinical and EUS
      parameters were assessed as predictors of unanimous agreement. Inter-observer
      agreement (IOA) was calculated using multi-rater kappa (kappa) statistics and a
      logistic regression model was created to identify factors associated with
      unanimous agreement. RESULTS: The IOA for final diagnoses, based on cytologic
      analysis, was moderate (kappa = 0.56; 95% CI, 0.43-0.70). Kappa values did not
      increase when categories of suspicious for malignancy, malignant, and neoplasm
      were combined. IOA was slight to moderate for individual quantitative (kappa =
      0.007; 95% CI, -0.03 to -0.04) and qualitative parameters (kappa = 0.5; 95% CI,
      0.47-0.53). Jaundice was the only factor associated with agreement among all
      cytopathologists on multivariate analysis (odds ratio for unanimous agreement,
      5.3; 95% CI, 1.1-26.89). CONCLUSIONS: There is a suboptimal level of agreement
      among cytopathologists in the diagnosis of malignancy based on analysis of EUS
      FNA specimens obtained from solid pancreatic masses. Strategies are needed to
      refine the cytologic criteria for diagnosis of malignancy and enhance tissue
      acquisition techniques to improve diagnostic reproducibility among
      cytopathologists.

PMID- 28911948
TI  - Pearly Esophageal Papules: An Innocent Bystander in the Evaluation of Dysphagia.

PMID- 28911947
TI  - Administration of Albumin Solution Increases Serum Levels of Albumin in Patients
      With Chronic Liver Failure in a Single-Arm Feasibility Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Infections are life-threatening to patients with acute
      decompensation and acute-on-chronic liver failure (AD/ACLF). Patients with
      AD/ACLF have prostaglandin E2-mediated immune suppression, which can be reversed
      by administration of albumin; infusion of 20% human albumin solution (HAS) might
      improve outcomes of infections. We performed a feasibility study to determine
      optimal trial design, assess safety, and validate laboratory assessments of
      immune function to inform design of a phase 3 trial. METHODS: We performed a
      prospective multicenter, single-arm, open-label trial of 79 patients with AD/ACLF
      and levels of albumin lower than 30 g/L, seen at 10 hospitals in the United
      Kingdom from May through December 2015. Patients were given daily infusions of
      20% HAS, based on serum levels, for 14 days or until discharge from the hospital.
      Rates of infection, organ dysfunction, and in-hospital mortality were recorded.
      The primary end point was daily serum albumin level during the treatment period.
      Success would be demonstrated if 60% achieved and maintained serum albumin levels
      at or above 30 g/L on at least one third of days with recorded levels. RESULTS:
      The patients' mean model for end-stage disease score was 20.9 +/- 6.6. The
      primary end point (albumin >=30 g/L on at least one third of days recorded) was
      achieved by 68 of the 79 patients; 75% of administrations were in accordance with
      suggested dosing regimen. Mean treatment duration was 10.3 days (104 +/- 678 mL
      administered). There were 8 deaths and 13 serious adverse events, considered by
      the independent data-monitoring committee to be consistent with those expected.
      Twelve of 13 patients that developed either respiratory or cardiovascular
      dysfunction (based on ward-based clinical definitions) as their only organ
      dysfunction were alive at 30 days compared with 1 of 3 that developed renal
      dysfunction. Only 1 case of brain dysfunction was recorded. CONCLUSIONS: In a
      feasibility trial, we found that administration of HAS increased serum levels of
      albumin in patients with AD/ACLF. The dosing regimen was acceptable at multiple
      sites and deemed safe by an independent data-monitoring committee. We also
      developed a robust system to record infections. The poor prognosis for patients
      with renal dysfunction was confirmed. However, patients with cardiovascular or
      respiratory dysfunction had good outcomes, which is counterintuitive. Severe
      encephalopathy appeared substantially under-reported, indicating that ward-based
      assessment of these parameters cannot be recorded with sufficient accuracy for
      use as a primary outcome in phase 3 trials. Trial registration no: EudraCT 2014
      002300-24 and ISRCTN14174793.

PMID- 28911950
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28911949
TI  - Postprandial High-Resolution Impedance Manometry Identifies Mechanisms of
      Nonresponse to Proton Pump Inhibitors.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Recognition of rumination and supragastric belching is often
      delayed as symptoms may be mistakenly attributed to gastroesophageal reflux
      disease. However, distinct from gastroesophageal reflux disease, rumination and
      supragastric belching are more responsive to behavioral interventions than to
      acid-suppressive and antireflux therapies. Postprandial high-resolution impedance
      manometry (PP-HRIM) is an efficient method to identify rumination and belches. We
      investigated the distribution of postprandial profiles determined by PP-HRIM, and
      identified patient features associated with postprandial profiles among patients
      with nonresponse to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective analysis of PP-HRIM studies performed on 94 adults (mean age, 50.6
      y; 62% female) evaluated for PPI nonresponsiveness at an esophageal referral
      center, from January 2010 through May 2016. Following a standard esophageal
      manometry protocol, patients ingested a solid refluxogenic test meal (identified
      by patients as one that induces symptoms) with postprandial monitoring up to 90
      minutes (median, 50 min). Patients were assigned to 1 of 4 postprandial profiles:
      normal; reflux only (>6 transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations
      (TLESRs)/h); supragastric belch (>2 supragastric belches/h), with or without
      TLESR; or rumination (>=1 rumination episode/h) with or without TLESR and
      supragastric belching. The primary outcome was postprandial profile. RESULTS: Of
      the study participants, 24% had a normal postprandial profile, 14% had a reflux
      only profile, 42% had a supragastric belch profile, and 20% had a rumination
      profile. In multinomial regression analysis, the rumination group most frequently
      presented with regurgitation, the supragastric belch and rumination groups were
      younger in age, and the reflux-only group had a lower esophagogastric junction
      contractile integral. The number of weakly acidic reflux events measured by
      impedance-pH monitoring in patients receiving PPI therapy was significantly
      associated with frequency of rumination episodes and supragastric belches.
      CONCLUSIONS: In a retrospective analysis of 94 nonresponders to PPI therapy
      evaluated by PP-HRIM, we detected an abnormal postprandial pattern in 76% of
      cases: 42% of these were characterized as supragastric belching, 20% as
      rumination, and 14% as reflux only. Age, esophagogastric junction contractility,
      impedance-pH profiles, and symptom presentation differed significantly among
      groups. PP-HRIM can be used in the clinic to evaluate mechanisms of PPI
      nonresponse.

PMID- 28911951
TI  - Anniversary Tribute From the Editors of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

PMID- 28911952
TI  - Trends in food insecurity among California residents from 2001 to 2011:
      Inequities at the intersection of immigration status and ethnicity.
AB  - Although immigrants are healthier than non-immigrants on numerous outcomes, the
      reverse appears to be true with regards to food insecurity. Most studies ignore
      heterogeneity in the risk for food insecurity within immigration status and by
      ethnicity, even though significant variation likely exists. We consider how
      immigration status and ethnicity are related to trends in food insecurity among
      Latinos and Asians in California from 2001 through 2011. Data come from the 2001
      to 2011 restricted California Health Interview Survey (n=245,679). We categorized
      Latinos and Asians as US-born, naturalized/legal permanent residents
      (naturalized/LPR), and non-LPRs (students, temporary workers, refugees, and
      undocumented persons). Multivariable weighted logistic regression analyses
      assessed temporal trends over the 10-year period after adjustment for
      demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, and program participation. Across
      this period, US-born Asians reported similar levels of food insecurity as US-born
      Whites. Conversely, Latinos, regardless of immigration status or nativity, and
      Asian immigrants (i.e., naturalized/LPR and non-LPR) reported greater food
      insecurity than US-born Whites. Further, from 2001 through 2009, non-LPR Latinos
      reported higher risk of food insecurity than naturalized/LPR Latinos. Thus, food
      insecurity differs between ethnic groups, but also differs within ethnic group by
      immigration status. Efforts to reduce food insecurity should consider the
      additional barriers to access that are faced by immigrants, particularly those
      without legal permanent residency.

PMID- 28911953
TI  - Associations between complementary medicine utilization and
      influenza/pneumococcal vaccination: Results of a national cross-sectional survey
      of 9151 Australian women.
AB  - Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for all adults, with older
      adults considered a high-risk group for targeted intervention. As such it is
      important for factors affecting vaccine uptake in this group to be examined.
      Complementary medicine (CM) use has been suggested as a possible factor
      associated with lower vaccination uptake. To determine if associations exist
      between influenza and pneumococcal vaccine uptake in older Australian women and
      the use of CM, data from women aged 62-67years surveyed as part of the Australian
      Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) were analyzed in 2013 regarding
      their health and health care utilization. Associations between the uptake of
      influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations and the use of CM were analyzed in 2016
      using chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression modelling. Of the 9151
      women, 65.6% and 17.7% reported that they had influenza and pneumococcal
      vaccination within the past 3years respectively. Regression analyses show that
      women who consulted naturopaths/herbalists (OR=0.64) and other CM practitioners
      (OR=0.64) were less likely to have vaccination (influenza only), as were women
      who used yoga (OR=0.77-0.80) and herbal medicines (OR=0.78-0.83) (influenza and
      pneumococcal). Conversely, women using vitamin supplements were more likely to
      receive either vaccination (OR=1.17-1.24) than those not using vitamin
      supplements. The interface between CM use and influenza and pneumococcal
      vaccination uptake in older women appears complex, multi-factorial and often
      highly individualized and there is a need for further research to provide a rich
      examination of the decision-making and motivations of stakeholders around this
      important public health topic.

PMID- 28911954
TI  - Erratum of "Hearing thresholds at high frequency in patients with cystic
      fibrosis: a systematic review".

PMID- 28911955
TI  - Somatic Mutations and Ancestry Markers in Hispanic Lung Cancer Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To address the lack of genomic data from Hispanic/Latino (H/L)
      patients with lung cancer, the Latino Lung Cancer Registry was established to
      collect patient data and biospecimens from H/L patients. METHODS: This
      retrospective observational study examined lung cancer tumor samples from 163 H/L
      patients, and tumor-derived DNA was subjected to targeted-exome sequencing (>1000
      genes, including EGFR, KRAS, serine/threonine kinase 11 gene [STK11], and tumor
      protein p53 gene [TP53]) and ancestry analysis. Mutation frequencies in this H/L
      cohort were compared with those in a similar cohort of non-Hispanic white (NHW)
      patients and correlated with ancestry, sex, smoking status, and tumor histologic
      type. RESULTS: Of the adenocarcinomas in the H/L cohort (n = 120), 31% had EGFR
      mutations, versus 17% in the NHW control group (p < 0.001). KRAS (20% versus 38%
      [p = 0.002]) and STK11 (8% versus 16% [p = 0.065]) mutations occurred at lower
      frequency, and mutations in TP53 occurred at similar frequency (46% versus 40% [p
      = 0.355]) in H/L and NHW patients, respectively. Within the Hispanic cohort,
      ancestry influenced the rate of TP53 mutations (p = 0.009) and may have
      influenced the rate of EGFR, KRAS, and STK11 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Driver
      mutations in H/L patients with lung adenocarcinoma differ in frequency from those
      in NHW patients associated with their indigenous American ancestry. The spectrum
      of driver mutations needs to be further assessed in the H/L population.

PMID- 28911956
TI  - ALK and ROS1 Double-Rearranged Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Responding to
      Crizotinib Treatment: A Case Report.

PMID- 28911957
TI  - A double blind randomized experimental study on the use of IgM-enriched
      polyclonal immunoglobulins in an animal model of pneumonia developing shock.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with severe pneumonia often develop septic shock. IgM
      enriched immunoglobulins have been proposed as a potential adjuvant therapy for
      septic shock. While in vitro data are available on the possible mechanisms of
      action of IgM-enriched immunoglobulins, the results of the in vivo experimental
      studies are non-univocal and, overall, unconvincing. We designed this double
      blinded randomized controlled study to test whether IgM-enriched immunoglobulins
      administered as rescue treatment in a pneumonia model developing shock, could
      either limit lung damage and/or contain systemic inflammatory response. METHODS:
      Thirty-eight Sprague Dawley rats were ventilated with injurious ventilation for
      30min to prime the lung. The rats were subsequently randomized to received
      intratracheal instillation of either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (12mg/kg) or
      placebo followed by 3.5h of protective mechanical ventilation. IgM-enriched
      immunoglobulins at 25mg/h (0.5mL/h) or saline were intravenously administered in
      the last hour of mechanical ventilation. During the experiment, gas exchange and
      hemodynamic measurements were recorded. Thereafter, the animals were sacrificed,
      and blood and organs were stored for cytokines measurements. RESULTS: Despite
      similar lung and hemodynamic findings, the administration of IgM-enriched
      immunoglobulins compared to placebo significantly modulates the inflammatory
      response by increasing IL-10 levels in the bloodstream and by decreasing TNF
      alpha in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Furthermore, in vitro data suggest
      that IgM-enriched immunoglobulins induce monocytes production of IL-10 after LPS
      stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: In an in vivo model of pneumonia developing shock, IgM
      enriched immunoglobulins administered as rescue treatment enhance the anti
      inflammatory response by increasing blood levels of IL-10 and reducing TNF-alpha
      in BAL fluid.

PMID- 28911958
TI  - Application of Real-Time Surgical Navigation for Zygomatic Implant Insertion in
      Patients With Severely Atrophic Maxilla.
AB  - PURPOSE: Computer-aided treatment technology has extended its applications to
      oral implantology. This report describes the authors' initial clinical experience
      on the application of a commercially available navigation system (VectorVision)
      in zygomatic implant (ZI) insertion in the severely atrophic maxilla. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This was a retrospective longitudinal study. Eligible patients with
      maxillary edentulism who were treated with ZI placement were enrolled. Treatment
      planning was performed on the computer based on previously obtained 3-dimensional
      imaging data. The surgical procedure was carried out under the guidance of a
      surgical navigation system. The outcome variable was safety and additional
      variables were ZI survival rate and radiologic bone-to-implant contact (rBIC)
      area in the zygoma. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 16.0 for Windows
      (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL). RESULTS: Fifteen patients (8 men, 7 women; age range,
      30 to 69 yr; average age, 43 +/- 3.5 yr) were eligible for the study and were
      enrolled from May 2015 through September 2016. Of the included patients, each of
      4 patients received 1 ZI on each side of the zygomatic bone and 2 to 4 standard
      implants in the edentulous anterior maxilla; the other 11 received a ZI "quad
      approach" without standard implant insertion. All ZIs were anchored in the site
      of the maxillary alveolar process and zygomatic bone, and no critical anatomic
      structure injuries occurred during insertion and postoperative radiographic
      examination. All ZIs achieved osseointegration, for an overall survival rate of
      100% after early healing. The overall rBIC area of ZIs in the study was 4.1 to
      24.7 mm (average, 14.5 +/- 4.6 mm). CONCLUSION: For the limited clinical cases
      treated in this study, the procedure for ZI placement was feasible and reliable
      with the guidance of the surgical navigation system. In addition, the potential
      risk of complications was minimized and ZIs were placed to make the best possible
      use of the available bone volume.

PMID- 28911959
TI  - Histological Changes in the Periosteum Following Subperiosteal Expansion in
      Rabbit Scalp.
AB  - PURPOSE: In intraoral bone grafting, tension-free coverage of the recipient site
      with periosteal flap results in optimal wound closure. Tissue expansion could be
      a suitable modality to obtain soft tissue in the oral cavity. The aim of this
      study was to assess the histology of the periosteum after subperiosteal expansion
      in the rabbit scalp. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this animal study, 6 rectangular
      tissue expanders were placed in the skulls of 6 male white New Zealand rabbits;
      in 6 control rabbits, an incision was made to the periosteum but no expansion was
      performed. Three months after the surgeries, the rabbits were sacrificed and
      tissue samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson trichrome.
      RESULTS: The number of osteoblasts, fibroblasts, and blood vessels and the
      density of collagen fibers were significantly increased in the experimental group
      compared with the control group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Subperiosteal tissue
      expansion in the rabbit scalp markedly increased the histologic components of the
      periosteum involved in bone regeneration.

PMID- 28911960
TI  - Characterization of the adrenocorticotrophic hormone - induced mouse model of
      resistance to antidepressant drug treatment.
AB  - Approximately 30-60% of patients treated with existing antidepressants fail to
      achieve remission of depressive symptoms leading to Treatment Resistant
      Depression (TRD). There is an urgent need to develop novel medications, which is
      highly limited by the non-availability of relevant animal models with good
      predictive validity. ACTH administration has been shown to result in the
      resistance to acute and chronic effects of imipramine. However, the pharmacology
      of the model and the mechanisms contributing to the resistance are not completely
      understood. Furthermore, it is not known whether the ACTH administered animals
      show signs of depression-like behavior. Accordingly, we characterized the
      behavioral profile and sensitivity to antidepressants in BALB/c mice treated with
      ACTH and to evaluate some of the mechanisms responsible for the behavioral
      effects. Daily treatment with ACTH for 14, 21 or 28days failed to produce a
      depression-like phenotype in the sucrose preference test, voluntary wheel running
      or FST. In contrast, the acute antidepressant response in the FST was no longer
      observed in ACTH mice treated with fluoxetine, imipramine, duloxetine or
      bupropion. Interestingly, the combination of fluoxetine and a low dose of
      olanzapine, or the combination of fluoxetine and bupropion was efficacious in
      ACTH treated mice. Further, the sensitivity to a GluN2B receptor antagonist,
      radiprodil was retained in the ACTH model. To understand the mechanism
      responsible for the diminished response in these mice, we evaluated p11 (S100A10)
      mRNA expression and 5-HT2A protein expression. p11 expression was decreased and 5
      HT2A protein content increased in ACTH treated mice. In summary, this model may
      have utility for the identification of novel treatments for TRD.

PMID- 28911961
TI  - Sociocultural Considerations in Juvenile Arthritis: A Review.
AB  - PROBLEM: Juvenile Arthritis (JA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases in
      children. A variety of sociocultural factors that influence health outcomes in
      children with JA have been examined in previous research. However, clinical
      guidelines to guide the care of these children lack support because this research
      has not been systematically examined and synthesized. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
      Primary research articles from five internet databases were included if they were
      peer-reviewed articles in English of studies conducted in the U.S. or Canada and
      referenced one or more determinants of health, quality of life, socioeconomic
      status, or health disparities in children with JA. SAMPLE: The final sample
      included 16 articles representing 2139 children and 939 parents. RESULTS: Topics
      covered in the studies included medication compliance, electronic medical
      records, environmental risk factors, economic hardship, parental coping, leisure
      activities, and their effects on patient outcomes including disability and
      quality of life. Patients with Medicaid experienced more severe outcomes than
      patients with private insurance despite equivalent levels of healthcare
      utilization. Other important topics, such as effects of the physical environment
      and alcohol use, were missing from the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Five categories
      of health determinants were found to influence outcomes: biology, individual
      behaviors, social environment, physical environment, and health services.
      Disparities continue to exist for racial and ethnic minority children with JA and
      those of low socioeconomic status. IMPLICATIONS: Sociocultural factors should be
      taken into consideration when developing care plans, research studies, and
      policies in order to remove barriers and promote the best outcomes for this
      vulnerable population.

PMID- 28911962
TI  - Development and psychometric validation of a questionnaire to evaluate nurses'
      adherence to recommendations for preventing pressure ulcers (QARPPU).
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: The main objective of this work is the development and
      psychometric validation of an instrument to evaluate nurses' adherence to the
      main recommendations issued for preventing pressure ulcers. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      An instrument was designed based on the main recommendations for the prevention
      of pressure ulcers published in various clinical practice guides. Subsequently,
      it was proceeded to evaluate the face and content validity of the instrument by
      an expert group. It has been applied to 249 Spanish nurses took part in a cross
      sectional study to obtain a psychometric evaluation (reliability and construct
      validity) of the instrument. The study data were compiled from June 2015 to July
      2016. RESULTS: From the results of the psychometric analysis, a final 18-item, 4
      factor questionnaire was derived, which explained 60.5% of the variance and
      presented the following optimal indices of fit (CMIN/DF: 1.40 p < 0.001; GFI:
      0.93; NFI: 0.92; CFI: 0.98; TLI: 0.97; RMSEA: 0.04 (90% CI 0.025-0.054).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained show that the instrument presents suitable
      psychometric properties for evaluating nurses' adherence to recommendations for
      the prevention of pressure ulcers.

PMID- 28911963
TI  - Evolution of Computed Tomography Imaging the First Year after Endovascular
      Sealing of Infrarenal Aortic Aneurysms Using the Nellix Device.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Nellix endovascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS) system is an
      alternative endovascular treatment option for infrarenal aortic aneurysms (AAAs),
      with a unique appearance on computed tomography angiography (CTA). Normal
      evolution of post-EVAS CTA appearance follow-up is still largely unknown and
      important to timely detect eventual complications. The objective is to assess the
      normal appearance of CTA images 30 days and 1 year after EVAS in 50 consecutive
      patients. METHODS: Fifty patients treated with Nellix EVAS for an infrarenal AAA
      were included from 3 hospitals. Using dedicated software, a total of 150 CTA
      scans were analyzed by predetermined variables per anatomical segment. RESULTS:
      Thirty days post-EVAS, there was a slight, but not statistically significant,
      increase in AAA diameter that returned to the preoperative value after 1 year. A
      shift in total aortic volume distribution was observed without changing aortic
      diameter, including a trend toward a decreased thrombus volume (85.6 +/- 49.1 mL
      and 78.8 +/- 35.5 mL at 30 days and 1 year, respectively, P < 0.242) and a
      slight, but statistically significant, increase in polymer volume (68.2 +/- 34.1
      mL and 71.9 +/- 35.2 mL at 30 days and 1 year, respectively, P < 0.001). The beta
      angle (P = 0.06) and iliac artery angulation (P < 0.001) decreased after implant.
      The latter returned to its original state after 1 year, whereas the neck
      straightening remained. Over time, there was a significant decrease in
      radiodensity in the middle of the polymer-filled endobags with an increase at its
      edges (P < 0.05). Thrombus radiodensity significantly increased over the first
      year (P < 0.05). Diameters of the infrarenal neck and common iliac arteries
      remained unchanged, no endoleaks were observed, and the position of the device
      was stable. CONCLUSIONS: Change of CT appearance after EVAS is unique, and as
      such, the judgment of these images requires experience. The appearance of the
      endobags in respect to volume and radiodensity differ from classic EVAR. Normal
      changes over time are observed in aortoiliac angulation, volumes, and
      radiodensities.

PMID- 28911964
TI  - Adventitial Cystic Disease: Complicated and Uncomplicated.
AB  - Three cases of adventitial cystic disease of popliteal artery are reported; 1
      complicated with associated thrombosis of the popliteal artery and 2
      uncomplicated. Operative management and follow-up are described.

PMID- 28911966
TI  - Fluoxetine administration during adolescence attenuates cognitive and synaptic
      deficits in adult 3*TgAD mice.
AB  - Fluoxetine (FLX) has broad neurobiological functions and neuroprotective effects;
      however, the preventive effects of FLX on cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) have not been reported. Here, we studied whether adolescent
      administration of fluoxetine can prevent memory deficits in AD transgenic mice
      that harbour PS1m146v, APPswe and TauP301L mutations (3 * TgAD). FLX was applied
      through peritoneal injection to the mice at postnatal day 35 (p35) for 15
      consecutive days, and the effects of FLX were observed at 6-month. We found that
      adolescent administration of FLX improved learning and memory abilities in 6
      month-old 3 * TgAD mice. FLX exposure also increased the sizes of the hippocampal
      CA1, dentate gyrus (DG) and extensive cortex regions, with increased numbers of
      neurons and higher dendritic spine density. Meanwhile, the synaptic plasticity of
      neurons in the hippocampus was remodelled, and the expression levels of synaptic
      related proteins were increased along with activation of the cyclic AMP response
      element-binding (CREB) protein/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
      signalling pathway. Finally, we found that FLX effectively prevented the increase
      of beta-amyloid (Abeta) levels. These data suggest that adolescent administration
      of the antidepressant drug FLX can efficiently preserve cognitive functions and
      improve pathologies in 3*Tg AD mice.

PMID- 28911965
TI  - Physiological roles of CNS muscarinic receptors gained from knockout mice.
AB  - Because the five muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes have overlapping
      distributions in many CNS tissues, and because ligands with a high degree of
      selectivity for a given subtype long remained elusive, it has been difficult to
      determine the physiological functions of each receptor. Genetically engineered
      knockout mice, in which one or more muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype has
      been inactivated, have been instrumental in identifying muscarinic receptor
      functions in the CNS, at the neuronal, circuit, and behavioral level. These
      studies revealed important functions of muscarinic receptors modulating neuronal
      activity and neurotransmitter release in many brain regions, shaping neuronal
      plasticity, and affecting functions ranging from motor and sensory function to
      cognitive processes. As gene targeting technology evolves including the use of
      conditional, cell type specific strains, knockout mice are likely to continue to
      provide valuable insights into brain physiology and pathophysiology, and advance
      the development of new medications for a range of conditions such as Alzheimer's
      disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and addictions, as well as non
      opioid analgesics. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled
      'Neuropharmacology on Muscarinic Receptors'.

PMID- 28911967
TI  - Applications of nuclear magnetic resonance in lipid analyses: An emerging
      powerful tool for lipidomics studies.
AB  - The role of lipids in cell, tissue, and organ physiology is crucial; as many
      diseases, including cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative, and infectious diseases,
      are closely related to absorption and metabolism of lipids. Mass spectrometry
      (MS) based methods are the most developed powerful tools to study the synthetic
      pathways and metabolic networks of cellular lipids in biological systems; leading
      to the birth of an emerging subject lipidomics, which has been extensively
      reviewed. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), another powerful analytical tool,
      which allows the visualization of single atoms and molecules, is receiving
      increasing attention in lipidomics analyses. However, very little work focusing
      on lipidomic studies using NMR has been critically reviewed. This paper presents
      a first comprehensive summary of application of 1H, 13C &31P NMR in lipids and
      lipidomics analyses. The scientific basis, principles and characteristic
      diagnostic peaks assigned to specific atoms/molecular structures of lipids are
      presented. Applications of 2D NMR in mapping and monitoring of the components and
      their changes in complex lipids systems, as well as alteration of lipid profiling
      over disease development are also reviewed. The applications of NMR lipidomics in
      diseases diagnosis and food adulteration are exemplified.

PMID- 28911968
TI  - Macrodislocation of cardiac pacemaker electrodes prior to surgery for renal
      tumour.

PMID- 28911969
TI  - Airway management of saber-sheath trachea using single use flexible videoscope.

PMID- 28911971
TI  - The effects of house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy tablet on immunologic
      biomarkers and nasal allergen challenge symptoms.

PMID- 28911970
TI  - Mesenchymal stem cells alleviate oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial
      dysfunction in the airways.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction can contribute to
      inflammation and remodeling in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD). Mesenchymal stem cells protect against lung damage in animal
      models of COPD. It is unknown whether these effects occur through attenuating
      mitochondrial dysfunction in airway cells. OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine the
      effect of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iPSC
      MSCs) on oxidative stress-induce mitochondrial dysfunction in human airway smooth
      muscle cells (ASMCs) in vitro and in mouse lungs in vivo. METHODS: ASMCs were
      cocultured with iPSC-MSCs in the presence of cigarette smoke medium (CSM), and
      mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mitochondrial membrane
      potential (DeltaPsim), and apoptosis were measured. Conditioned medium from iPSC
      MSCs and transwell cocultures were used to detect any paracrine effects. The
      effect of systemic injection of iPSC-MSCs on airway inflammation and
      hyperresponsiveness in ozone-exposed mice was also investigated. RESULTS:
      Coculture of iPSC-MSCs with ASMCs attenuated CSM-induced mitochondrial ROS,
      apoptosis, and DeltaPsim loss in ASMCs. iPSC-MSC-conditioned medium or transwell
      cocultures with iPSC-MSCs reduced CSM-induced mitochondrial ROS but not DeltaPsim
      or apoptosis in ASMCs. Mitochondrial transfer from iPSC-MSCs to ASMCs was
      observed after direct coculture and was enhanced by CSM. iPSC-MSCs attenuated
      ozone-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, airway hyperresponsiveness, and
      inflammation in mouse lungs. CONCLUSION: iPSC-MSCs offered protection against
      oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in human ASMCs and in mouse
      lungs while reducing airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness. These effects
      are, at least in part, dependent on cell-cell contact, which allows for
      mitochondrial transfer, and paracrine regulation. Therefore iPSC-MSCs show
      promise as a therapy for oxidative stress-dependent lung diseases, such as COPD.

PMID- 28911972
TI  - Sex-specific effects of developmental lead exposure on the immune-neuroendocrine
      network.
AB  - The environmental toxicant lead (Pb) has long been known to induce neurological
      deficits. The 1st century Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides noted that "lead
      makes the mind give way". Current studies are suggesting the effects of Pb on
      behaviors may involve the immune system and conversely some immunomodulatory
      changes may be due to Pb effects in the central nervous system. Although Pb
      induced disorders do not appear to discriminate among females and males, this
      report discusses the differences observed in human and animal studies regarding
      differential gender effects on gene expression after Pb exposure. The overall ill
      health outcomes are apparent with variant levels of Pb exposure and exposures at
      different times in development. However, the consensus is that doses leading to
      blood lead levels>5MUg/dl and prenatal exposures are most pathogenic. Although
      the general detriments induced by Pb may be similar in females and males, there
      are sex specific outcomes on health and behavior. It is suggested that Pb induces
      more oxidative stress in females and more upregulation of genes responding to
      oxidative stress, while males have more proteolytic destruction; but in both
      cases, there is generation of altered/denatured self-constituents causing
      inflammation and loss of homeostasis of neuronal and immune functions. The higher
      estrogen levels of females are indicated as the reason for more Pb-induced
      reactive oxygen species in females. This review describes some of the different
      genes involved in female and male responses to Pb exposure and involved pathways.

PMID- 28911973
TI  - Novel oxolane derivative DMTD mitigates high glucose-induced erythrocyte
      apoptosis by regulating oxidative stress.
AB  - Chronic hyperglycemia is one of the characteristic conditions associated with
      Diabetes Mellitus (DM), which often exerts deleterious effects on erythrocyte
      morphology and hemodynamic properties leading to anemia and diabetes-associated
      vascular complications. High glucose-induced over production of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) can alter the blood cell metabolism and biochemical functions
      subsequently causing eryptosis (red blood cell death), yet another complication
      of concern in DM. Therefore, blocking high glucose-induced oxidative damage and
      subsequent eryptosis is of high importance in the better management of DM and
      associated vascular complications. In this study, we synthesized an oxolane
      derivative 1-(2,2-dimethyltetrahydrofuro[2,3][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)ethane-1,2-diol
      (DMTD), and demonstrated its efficacy to mitigate hyperglycemia-induced ROS
      generation and subsequent eryptosis. We showed that DMTD effectively inhibits
      high glucose-induced ROS generation, intracellular calcium levels,
      phosphaditylserine (PS) scrambling, calpain and band 3 activation, LDH leakage,
      protein glycation and lipid peroxidation, meanwhile enhances the antioxidant
      indices, osmotic fragility and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in erythrocytes. DMTD dose
      dependently decreased the glycated hemoglobin level and enhances the glucose
      utilization by erythrocytes in vitro. Further, DMTD alleviated the increase in
      ROS production, intracellular Ca2+ level and PS externalization in the
      erythrocytes of human diabetic subjects and enhanced the Na+/K+-ATPase activity.
      Taken together, the synthesized oxolane derivative DMTD could be a novel
      synthetic inhibitor of high glucose-induced oxidative stress and eryptosis.
      Considering the present results DMTD could be a potential therapeutic to treat DM
      and associated complications and open new avenues in developing synthetic
      therapeutic targeting of DM-associated complications.

PMID- 28911974
TI  - Molecular genetics of the transcription factor GLIS3 identifies its dual function
      in beta cells and neurons.
AB  - The GLIS family zinc finger 3 isoform (GLIS3) is a risk gene for Type 1 and Type
      2 diabetes, glaucoma and Alzheimer's disease endophenotype. We identified GLIS3
      binding sites in insulin secreting cells (INS1) (FDR q<0.05; enrichment range
      1.40-9.11 fold) sharing the motif wrGTTCCCArTAGs, which were enriched in genes
      involved in neuronal function and autophagy and in risk genes for metabolic and
      neuro-behavioural diseases. We confirmed experimentally Glis3-mediated regulation
      of the expression of genes involved in autophagy and neuron function in INS1 and
      neuronal PC12 cells. Naturally-occurring coding polymorphisms in Glis3 in the
      Goto-Kakizaki rat model of type 2 diabetes were associated with increased insulin
      production in vitro and in vivo, suggestive alteration of autophagy in PC12 and
      INS1 and abnormal neurogenesis in hippocampus neurons. Our results support
      biological pleiotropy of GLIS3 in pathologies affecting beta-cells and neurons
      and underline the existence of trans-nosology pathways in diabetes and its co
      morbidities.

PMID- 28911975
TI  - Selection shapes the patterns of codon usage in three closely related species of
      genus Misgurnus.
AB  - Neutrality plots revealed that selection probably dominates codon bias, whereas
      mutation plays only a minor role, in shaping the codon bias in three loaches,
      Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, M. mohoity, and M. bipartitus. These three species
      also clearly showed similar tendencies in the preferential usage of codons.
      Nineteen, nine, and 14 preferred codon pairs and 179, 182, and 173 avoided codon
      pairs were also detected in M. anguillicaudatus, M. bipartitus, and M. mohoity,
      respectively, and the most frequently avoided type of cP3-cA1 dinucleotide in
      these species was nnUAnn. The expression-linked patterns of codon usage revealed
      that higher expression was associated with higher GC3, lower ENC, and a smaller
      proportion of amino acids with high size/complexity (S/C) scores in these three
      species. These results elucidate selectively driven codon bias in Misgurnus
      species, and reveal the potential importance of expression-mediated selection in
      shaping the genome evolution of fish.

PMID- 28911976
TI  - Gestational diabetes and the long-term risk of cataract surgery: A longitudinal
      cohort study.
AB  - AIMS: We assessed the long-term risk of cataract following a pregnancy
      complicated by gestational diabetes. METHODS: We carried out a longitudinal
      cohort study of 1,108,541 women who delivered infants between 1989-2013 in
      Quebec, Canada, with follow-up extending up to 25years later. The cohort included
      71,862 women with gestational diabetes and 5247 with cataracts. We used Cox
      regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals
      (CI) for the association of gestational diabetes with subsequent risk of
      cataract, adjusted for age, parity, socioeconomic status, time period,
      comorbidity, and type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: Women with gestational diabetes had an
      elevated incidence of cataract (22.6 per 1000) compared with no gestational
      diabetes (15.1 per 1000), with 1.15 times the risk (95% CI 1.04-1.28). Women with
      gestational diabetes who subsequently developed type 2 diabetes had a higher risk
      of cataract compared with no gestational and type 2 diabetes (HR 3.62, 95% CI
      3.01-4.35), but women with gestational diabetes who did not develop type 2
      diabetes continued to be at risk (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.25). CONCLUSIONS:
      Gestational diabetes may be an independent risk factor for cataract later in
      life, although risks are greatest for women who subsequently develop type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 28911977
TI  - Screening for sexual dissatisfaction among people with type 2 diabetes in primary
      care.
AB  - AIMS: The identification and discussion of sexual care needs in people with type
      2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in primary care is currently insufficient. The
      objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sexual
      dissatisfaction, sexual problems and need for help by using a screening
      instrument among people with T2DM in primary care. METHODS: Data were collected
      in 45 general practices in the Netherlands from January 2015 to February 2016.
      The Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist (BSSC) was used to screen among 40-75 year old
      men and women. RESULTS: In total, 786 people with T2DM (66.5% men) were screened.
      The prevalence of sexual dissatisfaction was 36.6%, significantly higher among
      men than among women (41.1% vs. 27.8%). Sexually dissatisfied men most often
      reported erectile dysfunction (71.6%); for sexually dissatisfied women, low
      sexual desire (52.8%) and lubrication problems (45.8%) were most common. More
      than half of all dissatisfied people had a need for care (61.8%), significantly
      more men than women (66.8% vs. 47.2%). CONCLUSIONS: One third of people with T2DM
      is sexually dissatisfied and more than half of these people report a need for
      help. The BSSC could be used a tool to proactively identify sexually dissatisfied
      people in primary care.

PMID- 28911978
TI  - Effect of 12-month resistance and endurance training on quality, quantity, and
      function of skeletal muscle in older adults requiring long-term care.
AB  - Older adults requiring long-term care will experience age-associated
      deterioration of the quality and quantity of skeletal muscle if no interventions
      are performed. Long-term training is considered a typical intervention method and
      is effective for improvement of both muscle quantity and physical function.
      However, how such training affects muscle quality [i.e., fat-to-muscle ratio as
      determined by echo intensity (EI)] in older adults requiring long-term care
      remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12
      month physical training intervention on the quality and quantity of skeletal
      muscle, physical function, and blood chemistry in older adults requiring long
      term care. Seventeen older adults requiring long-term care (Tr-group) and 15
      healthy older adults (Cont-group) participated in this study. Patients in the Tr
      group performed exercises consisting of resistance and endurance training once or
      twice a week for 12months. The EI and muscle thickness of the thigh were
      calculated from the rectus femoris and biceps femoris using B-mode transverse
      ultrasound images. Physical functions (isometric knee extension peak torque, sit
      to-stand test, 5-m normal/maximal speed walking, handgrip strength, and timed up
      and go test) and blood lipid components including adipocytokines were measured at
      three points, i.e. baseline and 6 and 12months after. The thigh EI was
      significantly lower after 6months of training than baseline, and it returned to
      the initial level after 12months of training (baseline, 70.2+/-8.3a.u.; 6months,
      64.1+/-11.2a.u.; 12months, 72.3+/-7.2a.u.). The thigh muscle thickness, 5-m
      maximal speed walking, and knee extension torque were significantly improved
      after 12months of training (P<0.05). The blood chemistry parameters did not
      significantly change. These results demonstrate that a 12-month training
      intervention contributes to improvement of muscle quantity and function with
      tentative changes in muscle quality but has no effect on blood chemistry in older
      adults requiring long-term care. We conclude that this type of training has the
      potential to restore the muscle functional abilities of older adults requiring
      long-term care.

PMID- 28911979
TI  - Opening Pandora's Box: Mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resuscitation.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) characteristically causes an asymptomatic
      infection. While this latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is not contagious,
      reactivation to active tuberculosis disease (TB) causes the patient to become
      infectious. A vaccine has existed for TB for a century, while drug treatments
      have been available for over 70 years; despite this, TB remains a major global
      health crisis. Understanding the factors which allow the bacillus to control
      responses to host stress and mechanisms leading to latency are critical for
      persistence. Similarly, molecular switches which respond to reactivation are
      important. Recently, research in the field has sought to focus on reactivation,
      employing system-wide approaches and animal models. Here, we describe the current
      work that has been done to elucidate the mechanisms of reactivation and stop
      reactivation in its tracks.

PMID- 28911981
TI  - Peripheral immune cells infiltrate into sites of secondary neurodegeneration
      after ischemic stroke.
AB  - Experimental stroke leads to microglia activation and progressive neuronal loss
      at sites of secondary neurodegeneration (SND). These lesions are remote from, but
      synaptically connected to, primary infarction sites. Previous studies have
      demonstrated that immune cells are present in sites of infarction in the first
      hours and days after stroke, and are associated with increased neurodegeneration
      in peri-infarct regions. However, it is not known whether immune cells are also
      present in more distal sites where SND occurs. Our study aimed to investigate
      whether immune cells are present in sites of SND and, if so, how these cell
      populations compare to those in the peri-infarct zone. Cells were isolated from
      the thalamus, the main site of SND, and remaining brain tissue 14days post
      stroke. Analysis was performed using flow cytometry to quantify microglia,
      myeloid cell and lymphocyte numbers. We identified a substantial infiltration of
      immune cells in the ipsilateral (stroked) compared to the contralateral (control)
      thalamus, with a significant increase in the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.
      This result was further quantified using immunofluorescent labelling of fixed
      tissue. In the remaining ipsilateral hemisphere tissue, there were significant
      increases in the frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, Ly6G+
      neutrophils and both Ly6G-Ly6CLO and Ly6G-Ly6CHI monocytes. Our results indicate
      that infiltrating immune cells persist in ischemic tissue after the acute
      ischemic phase, and are increased in sites of SND. Importantly, immune cells have
      been shown to play pivotal roles in both damage and repair processes after
      stroke. Our findings indicate that immune cells may also be involved in the
      pathogenesis of SND and further clinical studies are warranted to characterise
      the nature of inflammatory cell infiltrates in human disease.

PMID- 28911980
TI  - Chromatin organization as an indicator of glucocorticoid induced natural killer
      cell dysfunction.
AB  - It is well-established that psychological distress reduces natural killer cell
      immune function and that this reduction can be due to the stress-induced release
      of glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoids are known to alter epigenetic marks
      associated with immune effector loci, and are also known to influence chromatin
      organization. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the effect of
      glucocorticoids on natural killer cell chromatin organization and to determine
      the relationship of chromatin organization to natural killer cell effector
      function, e.g. interferon gamma production. Interferon gamma production is the
      prototypic cytokine produced by natural killer cells and is known to modulate
      both innate and adaptive immunity. Glucocorticoid treatment of human peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells resulted in a significant reduction in interferon gamma
      production. Glucocorticoid treatment also resulted in a demonstrable natural
      killer cell nuclear phenotype. This phenotype was localization of the histone,
      post-translational epigenetic mark, H3K27me3, to the nuclear periphery.
      Peripheral nuclear localization of H3K27me3 was directly related to cellular
      levels of interferon gamma. This nuclear phenotype was determined by direct
      visual inspection and by use of an automated, high through-put technology, the
      Amnis ImageStream. This technology combines the per-cell information content
      provided by standard microscopy with the statistical significance afforded by
      large sample sizes common to standard flow cytometry. Most importantly, this
      technology provides for a direct assessment of the localization of signal
      intensity within individual cells. The results demonstrate glucocorticoids to
      dysregulate natural killer cell function at least in part through altered
      H3K27me3 nuclear organization and demonstrate H3K27me3 chromatin organization to
      be a predictive indicator of glucocorticoid induced immune dysregulation of
      natural killer cells.

PMID- 28911982
TI  - Upper aerodigestive tract cancer and oral health status before radiotherapy: A
      cross-sectional study of 154 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine primarily the oral health status of patients
      with upper aerodigestive tract cancer before radiotherapy, and secondarily the
      prevalence of risk factors for poor oral status. METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      was conducted in Marseille University hospital. Assessment criteria were the
      Decay, Missing and Filled (DMF) Index and periodontal status. RESULTS: One
      hundred and fifty-four patients, mean age 60.9years, were included. The most
      common sites of primary tumors were the larynx (28.6%) and oral cavity (26.6%).
      Current or past smokers accounted for 80.5% of patients and 67% were alcohol
      abusers. Most patients (83.8%) did not have xerostomia. They ate three meals a
      day (61%), with sugar consumption in 40%. The median number of daily tooth
      brushings was 2, with a manual toothbrush (81.2%). Few patients used dental floss
      or interproximal brushes. Individual DMF index was 17.6 (D=2.3, M=9.3, F=6.0) and
      was higher in patients with xerostomia and alcohol abusers (P=0.01). Osseous
      level was 62.3% and 57.8% of patients had osseous infections, which were more
      common with poor hygiene (P=0.04). Most patients (85.7%) had periodontal disease,
      but incidence did not significantly differ according to risk factors. DISCUSSION:
      The DMF index was higher in presence of periodontal disease and osseous
      infections. Alcohol and xerostomia were associated with a high individual DMF
      index and osseous infections were more frequent in patients with poor hygiene.
      Patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancer are at high risk of
      osteoradionecrosis if they do not receive dental treatment before radiotherapy.

PMID- 28911983
TI  - Does the association between early life growth and later obesity differ by
      race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status? A systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rapid growth during infancy predicts higher risk of obesity later in
      childhood. The association between patterns of early life growth and later
      obesity may differ by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status (SES), but prior
      evidence syntheses do not consider vulnerable subpopulations. METHODS: We
      systemically reviewed published studies that explored patterns of early life
      growth (0-24 months of age) as predictors of later obesity (>24 months) that were
      either conducted in racial/ethnic minority or low-SES study populations or
      assessed effect modification of this association by race/ethnicity or SES.
      Literature searches were conducted in PubMed and SocINDEX. RESULTS: Ten studies
      met the inclusion criteria. Faster growth during the first 2 years of life was
      consistently associated with later obesity irrespective of definition and timing
      of exposure and outcome measures. Associations were strongest in populations
      composed of greater proportions of racial/ethnic minority and/or low-SES
      children. For example, ORs ranged from 1.17 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.24) in a
      heterogeneous population to 9.24 (95% CI: 3.73, 22.9) in an entirely low-SES
      nonwhite population. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of rapid growth in infancy on later
      obesity may differ by social stratification factors such as race/ethnicity and
      family income. More robust and inclusive studies examining these associations are
      needed.

PMID- 28911984
TI  - A multiplex protein-free lateral flow assay for detection of microRNAs based on
      unmodified molecular beacons.
AB  - Lateral flow assays (LFAs) have promising potentials for point-of-care
      applications. Recently, many LFAs have been reported that are based on
      hybridization of oligonucleotide strands. Mostly, biotinylated capture DNAs are
      immobilized on the surface of a nitrocellulose membrane via streptavidin
      interactions. During the assay, stable colorful complexes get formed that are
      visible by naked eyes. Here, we present an inexpensive and unique design of LFA
      that applies unmodified oligonucleotides at capture lines. The presented LFA do
      not utilize streptavidin or any other affinity protein. We employ structural
      switch of molecular beacons (MB) in combination with base stacking hybridization
      (BSH) phenomenon. The unique design of the reported LFA provided high selectivity
      for target oligonucleotides. We validated potential applications of the system
      for detection of DNA mimics of two microRNAs in multiplex assays.

PMID- 28911985
TI  - Moving forward in carcinogenicity assessment: Report of an EURL ECVAM/ESTIV
      workshop.
AB  - There is an increased need to develop novel alternative approaches to the two
      year rodent bioassay for the carcinogenicity assessment of substances where the
      rodent bioassay is still a basic requirement, as well as for those substances
      where animal use is banned or limited or where information gaps are identified
      within legislation. The current progress in this area was addressed in a EURL
      ECVAM- ESTIV workshop held in October 2016, in Juan les Pins. A number of
      initiatives were presented and discussed, including data-driven, technology
      driven and pathway-driven approaches. Despite a seemingly diverse range of
      strategic developments, commonalities are emerging. For example, providing
      insight into carcinogenicity mechanisms is becoming an increasingly appreciated
      aspect of hazard assessment and is suggested to be the best strategy to drive new
      developments. Thus, now more than ever, there is a need to combine and focus
      efforts towards the integration of available information between sectors. Such
      cross-sectorial harmonisation will aid in building confidence in new approach
      methods leading to increased implementation and thus a decreased necessity for
      the two-year rodent bioassay.

PMID- 28911987
TI  - Aortitis in giant cell arteritis: diagnosis with FDG PET/CT and agreement with CT
      angiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the detection rate of aortitis in giant cell arteritis
      (GCA) with fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography
      (PET) and to compare the findings with CT angiography (CTA). METHODS: Fifty-two
      GCA patients and 27 controls were included. GCA patients had a PET scan at
      diagnosis (35/52) or during relapse (17/52). Concomitant CTA was performed in
      35/52 patients. Aortitis was defined as FDG uptake higher than the liver for PET
      and wall thickness>=3mm for CTA. Agreement between PET and CTA was evaluated by
      the kappa coefficient and Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Aortitis was
      diagnosed using PET in 40% (14/35) of patients at diagnosis and in 0% of controls
      (0/27). Agreement was perfect between PET and CT at a patient-based level, and
      very good at a vascular segment-based level (kappa: 0.72 to 1). PET was positive
      in 35% (6/17) of patients scanned during GCA relapse, showing aortitis (n=4)
      and/or articular uptake (n=4). Discrepancies between PET and CT were observed
      only in relapsing GCA (n=3). Correlation between the maximum standardized uptake
      value and wall thickness was moderate at diagnosis (r: 0.57 to 0.7) and not
      statistically significant during relapse. CONCLUSIONS: The detection rate of
      aortitis in GCA patients using PET is 40%, approximately in the range of CTA
      rates, suggesting that the two techniques have similar sensitivity. PET seems
      valuable in relapsing GCA, allowing the detection of vascular and articular
      activities.

PMID- 28911986
TI  - Virtual Cell Based Assay simulations of intra-mitochondrial concentrations in
      hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes.
AB  - In order to replace the use of animals in toxicity testing, there is a need to
      predict human in vivo toxic doses from concentrations that cause adverse effects
      in in vitro test systems. The virtual cell based assay (VCBA) has been developed
      to simulate intracellular concentrations as a function of time, and can be used
      to interpret in vitro concentration-response curves. In this study we refine and
      extend the VCBA model by including additional target-organ cell models and by
      simulating the fate and effects of chemicals at the organelle level. In
      particular, we describe the extension of the original VCBA to simulate chemical
      fate in liver (HepaRG) cells and cardiomyocytes (ICell cardiomyocytes), and we
      explore the effects of chemicals at the mitochondrial level. This includes a
      comparison of: a) in vitro results on cell viability and mitochondrial membrane
      potential (mmp) from two cell models (HepaRG cells and ICell cardiomyocytes); and
      b) VCBA simulations, including the cell and mitochondrial compartment, simulating
      the mmp for both cell types. This proof of concept study illustrates how the
      relationship between intra cellular, intra mitochondrial concentration, mmp and
      cell toxicity can be obtained by using the VCBA.

PMID- 28911988
TI  - Primary thromboprophylaxis with low-dose aspirin and antiphospholipid antibodies:
      Pro's and Con's.
AB  - Whether primary prophylaxis should be prescribed in individuals with
      antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) remains controversial due to the lack of
      relevant evidence-based data. Indeed, it is unclear whether the benefit of LDA
      outweighs the risk of major bleeding associated with LDA in a low-risk
      population. On the contrary, stratification of aPL-positive subjects according to
      their aPL profile (combination, isotype and titer), presence of other concomitant
      risk factors for thrombosis and coexistence of an underling autoimmune disease is
      essential to decide whether primary prophylactic therapy should be prescribed.
      Additionally, the management of modifiable thrombotic risk factors is a necessary
      strategy, and the use of transient prophylaxis is crucial during high-risk
      periods. Specifically designed prospective trials are urgently needed to
      determine the real prophylactic impact of aspirin, as well as of alternative or
      concomitant therapeutic strategies such as hydroxychloroquine, statins or DOACS
      in aPL positive patients.

PMID- 28911989
TI  - U-47700: A Clinical Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: U-47700 is a synthetic opioid developed by The Upjohn Company in the
      1970s, which has recently appeared in the news and medical literature due to its
      toxicity. Currently, there are no clinical trial data assessing the safety of U
      47700. OBJECTIVE: To describe the signs and symptoms of ingestion, laboratory
      testing, and treatment modalities for U-47700 intoxication. DISCUSSION: We
      searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and EBSCO for articles using the term "U
      47700" and "47700." The following inclusion criteria were used: had to be in
      English; full text; must involve humans; must be either a randomized control
      trial, prospective trial, retrospective analysis, case series, or case report;
      and must include clinical findings at presentation. We identified and extracted
      data from relevant articles. Ten relevant articles were included with 16
      patients. Patients that died after overdose with U-47700 typically presented to
      the hospital with pulmonary edema. Patients who survived an overdose presented
      with decreased mental status and decreased respiratory rate suggestive of an
      opioid toxidrome. Patients also commonly had tachycardia. Immunoassays failed to
      identify U-47700, and the identification of U-47700 required the use of
      chromatographic and spectral techniques. CONCLUSION: We report the first clinical
      review of U-47700 intoxication.

PMID- 28911990
TI  - Peri-dome Choroidal Deepening in Highly Myopic Eyes With Dome-Shaped Maculas.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine characteristics of peri-dome choroidal deepening (PDCD)
      surrounding dome-shaped maculas (DSMs) in highly myopic eyes. DESIGN:
      Observational case series. METHODS: Applying swept-source optical coherence
      tomography, we examined the posterior pole of highly myopic eyes with DSMs.
      RESULTS: The study included 91 highly myopic eyes (67 patients; mean age: 60.0 +/
      15.1 years; mean axial length: 30.0 +/- 7.4 mm) with a mean dome height of the
      DSM of 232 +/- 132 MUm. PDCDs were detected in 53 (58%) eyes. Subfoveal choroidal
      thickness was significantly thinner in eyes with vs without PDCDs (35 +/- 29 MUm
      vs 62 +/- 48 MUm; P = .016), while both groups did not vary significantly (all P
      >= .25) in age, axial length, and dome height. In contrast to peripapillary
      intrachoroidal cavitations (ICCs), PDCDs consisted of a widened choroid without
      large low-reflective suprachoroidal spaces. Unlike peripapillary ICCs or macular
      ICCs, PDCDs were not associated with caving of the overlying retina or backward
      bowing of the sclera. In the region of the PDCDs, the Bruch membrane (BM) was
      shorter than the inner scleral surface. Defects of the BM overlying the PDCDs
      were detected in 20 (38%) eyes. CONCLUSIONS: PDCDs were common findings in highly
      myopic eyes with DSMs. PDCDs may be associated with a dome-induced inward push of
      the BM at the top of the DSM, leading to a compression of the subfoveal choroid
      and, owing to an increased strain of the BM on the dome's slopes, to a relative
      detachment of BM in the peri-dome region.

PMID- 28911991
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Outcomes of Cataract Surgery in
      Nanophthalmos With and Without Prophylactic Sclerostomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate visual outcomes and complications during and
      after cataract surgery with or without prophylactic sclerostomy in nanophthalmic
      eyes with visually significant cataract. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled
      trial. METHODS: Sixty nanophthalmic eyes of 60 patients with visually significant
      cataract were randomly assigned to cataract surgery alone (control group, n = 31)
      or cataract surgery with concomitant prophylactic sclerostomy (sclerostomy group,
      n = 29). Surgery was performed using phacoemulsification or manual small-incision
      cataract surgery (SICS) based on the LOCS III grading score. Group differences in
      intraoperative and postoperative complications were analyzed and risk factors
      assessed. RESULTS: Fewer complications were noted in eyes receiving sclerostomy
      (5/29, 17.2%) as compared to control group eyes (12/31, 38.7%), though
      differences were marginally significant (P = .065). Four control group, but no
      sclerostomy group, eyes developed postoperative uveal effusions (P = .04). In
      multivariable models, sclerostomy decreased the odds of an intraoperative or
      postoperative complication by 80% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.2, 95% confidence interval
      [CI] = 0.04-0.92, P = .039); SICS was associated with a significantly higher risk
      of complications as compared to phacoemulsification (OR = 5.95, 95% CI = 1.49
      23.73, P = .012), while high preoperative intraocular pressure (OR = 4.54, 95% CI
      = 0.99-20.9, P = .052) and greater lens thickness (OR = 3.38, 95% CI = 0.88
      12.91, P = .075) demonstrated a marginally significant association. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cataract surgery in eyes with nanophthalmos is associated with a high risk for
      vision-threatening complications. Performing a simultaneous prophylactic
      sclerostomy with cataract surgery reduces complication rates, particularly uveal
      effusions. Cataract surgery at earlier stages by phacoemulsification may be more
      beneficial than undergoing manual SICS.

PMID- 28911992
TI  - Is Corneal Arcus Independently Associated With Incident Cardiovascular Disease in
      Asians?
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the longitudinal relationship between baseline corneal arcus
      (CA) and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in ethnic Indian and Malay adults
      in Singapore. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. METHODS: Indian and Malay
      adults aged 40-80 years were recruited for baseline and 6-year follow-up visits
      between 2004-2009 and 2010-2015, respectively (follow-up response rate 73.9%). CA
      was assessed by ophthalmologists using slit-lamp biomicroscopy. The main outcome
      was self-reported incident CVD, defined as new myocardial infarction, angina
      pectoris, or stroke, which developed between baseline and follow-up.
      Multivariable logistic regression models assessed independent associations
      between baseline CA and incident CVD, adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors
      including age, sex, serum cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. We
      further conducted sex-stratified analyses to identify possible effect
      modifications. RESULTS: Of the total 3637 participants (overall mean [SD] age: 56
      [9] years, 46% male) with available follow-up data, without history of CVD at
      baseline, 208 (5.7%) incident CVD cases were reported. Participants with CA were
      more likely to have incident CVD (7.5%) than those without (4.9%). After
      controlling for traditional CVD risk factors, CA was independently associated
      with incident CVD (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.52 [1.07-2.16]) in
      adjusted models. In sex-stratified models, associations between CA and incident
      CVD were seen in men (1.73 [1.12-2.67]) and not in women (1.05 [0.56-1.97]).
      CONCLUSIONS: CA is associated with incident CVD, independent of serum lipids and
      traditional CVD risk factors, in ethnic Malay and Indian men. Our finding
      suggests that CA is an additional observable indicator of CVD in men.

PMID- 28911993
TI  - Ocular Manifestations of Familial Transthyretin Amyloidosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Among patients with familial amyloidosis, mutation in the transthyretin
      (TTR) protein is the most common type. Patients with TTR amyloidosis have been
      noted to have ocular, especially vitreous, involvement. In this report, an
      analysis of the types and frequency of ocular manifestations in TTR amyloidosis
      is presented. DESIGN: Observational case series. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty
      three patients who presented to Mayo Clinic with TTR amyloidosis between January
      1, 1970, and November 1, 2014, consented to be included in the Mayo Clinic
      amyloidosis database maintained by the Department of Hematology. Fifty-four
      patients had ocular examinations at a mean of 4.25 +/- 3.93 months after systemic
      symptoms. RESULTS: Of 108 examined eyes in 54 patients with TTR amyloidosis,
      there were 26 eyes (24%) in 13 patients with ocular involvement. Patients with
      ocular involvement were more likely to be women than those without ocular
      involvement (46% vs 15%, respectively, P = .008) and have significantly worse
      visual acuity (VA) at presentation (logMAR 0.24 [Snellen equivalent 20/30] vs
      logMAR 0.00 [Snellen equivalent 20/20], P = .017). The ophthalmic findings
      included vitreous amyloid (26/26, 100%), neurotrophic keratitis (2/26, 8%),
      glaucoma (5/26, 19%), and tortuous retinal vessels (4/26, 15%). The glaucoma was
      classified as open-angle (2/26), exfoliative (2/26), and neovascular following
      central retinal vein occlusion from amyloidosis (1/26). Ten patients underwent
      vitrectomy for visually significant vitreous amyloidosis, which significantly
      improved VA from a baseline of logMAR 0.70 (Snellen equivalent 20/100) to logMAR
      0.05 (Snellen equivalent ~20/20), P = .003. Three TTR mutations, Glu89Lys,
      Gly47Arg, and homozygous Gly6Ser, not previously described, were associated with
      vitreous amyloid. CONCLUSION: In this large cohort of patients with TTR
      amyloidosis, female sex and decreased VA were associated with ocular amyloid.
      Three mutations that have not been previously reported to have vitreous
      involvement were described: Glu89Lys, Gly47Arg, and homozygous Gly6Ser.

PMID- 28911994
TI  - Assessment of Optical Coherence Tomography Color Probability Codes in Myopic
      Glaucoma Eyes After Applying a Myopic Normative Database.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the optical coherence tomography (OCT) color probability
      codes based on a myopic normative database and to investigate whether the
      implementation of the myopic normative database can improve the OCT diagnostic
      ability in myopic glaucoma. DESIGN: Comparative validity study. METHODS: In this
      study, 305 eyes (154 myopic healthy eyes and 151 myopic glaucoma eyes) were
      included. A myopic normative database was obtained based on myopic healthy eyes.
      We evaluated the agreement between OCT color probability codes after applying the
      built-in and myopic normative databases, respectively. Another 120 eyes (60
      myopic healthy eyes and 60 myopic glaucoma eyes) were included and the diagnostic
      performance of OCT color codes using a myopic normative database was
      investigated. RESULTS: The mean weighted kappa (Kw) coefficients for quadrant
      retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, clock-hour RNFL thickness, and
      ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness were 0.636, 0.627, and
      0.564, respectively. The myopic normative database showed a higher specificity
      than did the built-in normative database in quadrant RNFL thickness, clock-hour
      RNFL thickness, and GCIPL thickness (P < .001, P < .001, and P < .001,
      respectively). The receiver operating characteristic curve values increased when
      using the myopic normative database in quadrant RNFL thickness, clock-hour RNFL
      thickness, and GCIPL thickness (P = .011, P = .004, P < .001, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: The diagnostic ability of OCT color codes for detection of myopic
      glaucoma significantly improved after application of the myopic normative
      database. The implementation of a myopic normative database is needed to allow
      more precise interpretation of OCT color probability codes when used in myopic
      eyes.

PMID- 28911995
TI  - Ocular Dysfunctions Presenting in Tacrolimus-Induced Posterior Reversible
      Encephalopathy Syndrome: A Case Presentation.
AB  - : The constellation of ocular symptoms known as Balint syndrome is a rare
      disorder seen in bilateral parieto-occipital lesions and is most frequently due
      to arterial occlusive disease or acute hypertension. Here we present the case of
      a patient with tacrolimus-induced posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
      (PRES) who presented with optic ataxia, simultanagnosia, and ocular apraxia.
      These ocular findings, consistent with Balint syndrome, are rarely the initial
      presentation of PRES. This case highlights the importance of early recognition of
      this unusual phenomenon, as well as the importance of an individualized
      rehabilitation plan to maximize functional independence in these patients. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: V.

PMID- 28911996
TI  - Accessibility to Tertiary Stroke Centers in Hokkaido, Japan: Use of Novel Metrics
      to Assess Acute Stroke Care Quality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both the accessibility and availability of stroke specialists are
      major determinants of patient outcomes following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The
      purpose of this study was to implement novel metrics to assess the accessibility
      of tertiary stroke centers as well as to evaluate regional disparities in stroke
      specialists. METHODS: Using network analysis in a geographic information system,
      we calculated areas within 30- and 60-minute travel times to facilities providing
      intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator and mechanical
      thrombectomy. We further evaluated the accessibility for the proportion of the
      population aged 65 years or older that resided outside of these areas. Uniformity
      in the geographical distribution of stroke specialists was then evaluated using
      optimal statistical analysis. RESULTS: Accessibility varied widely from region to
      region, with low accessibility being concentrated in rural areas with low
      population density. Accessibility to facilities providing mechanical thrombectomy
      was especially low, and 17.8% of elderly individuals lived >=60 minutes from
      treatment facilities. In addition, the distribution of stroke specialists was
      uneven compared with the distribution of hospital beds and full-time medical
      doctors. CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed regional disparities in
      the spatial accessibility to treatment facilities, as well as in the distribution
      of stroke specialists in Hokkaido. These findings provide useful information that
      could be employed to appropriately allocate resources toward the formation of a
      medical supply system for patients with AIS.

PMID- 28911997
TI  - Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein in cardiovascular disease: A systemic
      review.
AB  - Fatty acid-binding proteins, whose clinical applications have been studied, are a
      family of proteins that reflect tissue injury. Heart-type fatty acid-binding
      protein (H-FABP) is a marker of ongoing myocardial damage and useful for early
      diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In the past decade, compared to
      other cardiac enzymes, H-FABP has shown more promise as an early detection marker
      for AMI. However, the role of H-FABP is being re-examined due to recent
      refinement in the search for newer biomarkers, and greater understanding of the
      role of high-sensitivity troponin. We discuss the current role of H-FABP as an
      early marker for AMI in the era of high sensitive troponin. H-FABP is highlighted
      as a prognostic marker for a broad spectrum of fatal diseases, viz., AMI, heart
      failure, arrhythmia, and pulmonary embolism that could be associated with poor
      clinical outcomes. Because the cut-off value of what constitutes an abnormal H
      FABP potentially differs for each cardiovascular event and depends on the
      clinical setting, an optimal cut-off value has not been clearly established. Of
      note, several factors such as age, gender, and cardiovascular risk factors, which
      affect H-FABP levels need to be considered in this context. In this review, we
      discuss the clinical applications of H-FABP as a prognostic marker in various
      clinical settings.

PMID- 28911998
TI  - Establishing age-specific reference intervals for anti-Mullerian hormone in adult
      Chinese women based on a multicenter population.
AB  - AIM OF THIS STUDY: Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is useful for the assessment of
      ovarian reserve and treatment of individualized in vitro fertilization (IVF). The
      aim of this study is to establish AMH reference interval for adult Chinese women
      on the Beckman Beckman DxI 800 platform. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From May to
      September 2013, serum from 1169 apparently healthy adult females from five
      representative cities in China (Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Dalian and Urumqi)
      were collected, and AMH was analyzed on the platform of Beckman DxI 800 automated
      chemiluminescence immunoassay. Multiple regression analysis was used to
      investigate the effects of region, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), systolic
      blood pressure (SBP), exercise on AMH. Age specific reference interval for AMH
      was established. RESULTS: The main factor affecting AMH levels was age (B=-0.756,
      P<0.001). The AMH reference intervals for adult Chinese women aged 19-24years, 25
      29years, 30-34years, 35-39years, 40-44years, 45-49years and >=50years were 0.74
      16.06, 0.67-11.64, 0.50-9.99, 0.09-8.33, 0.04-4.09, 0.01-1.46 and <0.01
      0.18ng/ml, respectively. The linear, quadratic and cubic models could either
      provide good fit regression model to describe the decline of AMH with age
      (R2=0.40). CONCLUSION: This study firstly established age-specific reference
      intervals for AMH in Chinese women based on multicenter population.

PMID- 28912000
TI  - Not enough I say! Expand the remit of living systematic reviews to inform future
      research.

PMID- 28912001
TI  - Controversy and debate on clinical genomics sequencing-paper 3: response to
      "clinical genome-wide sequencing: do not throw out the baby with the bathwater".

PMID- 28911999
TI  - Living systematic reviews: 4. Living guideline recommendations.
AB  - While it is important for the evidence supporting practice guidelines to be
      current, that is often not the case. The advent of living systematic reviews has
      made the concept of "living guidelines" realistic, with the promise to provide
      timely, up-to-date and high-quality guidance to target users. We define living
      guidelines as an optimization of the guideline development process to allow
      updating individual recommendations as soon as new relevant evidence becomes
      available. A major implication of that definition is that the unit of update is
      the individual recommendation and not the whole guideline. We then discuss when
      living guidelines are appropriate, the workflows required to support them, the
      collaboration between living systematic reviews and living guideline teams, the
      thresholds for changing recommendations, and potential approaches to publication
      and dissemination. The success and sustainability of the concept of living
      guideline will depend on those of its major pillar, the living systematic review.
      We conclude that guideline developers should both experiment with and research
      the process of living guidelines.

PMID- 28912002
TI  - Living systematic review: 1. Introduction-the why, what, when, and how.
AB  - Systematic reviews are difficult to keep up to date, but failure to do so leads
      to a decay in review currency, accuracy, and utility. We are developing a novel
      approach to systematic review updating termed "Living systematic review" (LSR):
      systematic reviews that are continually updated, incorporating relevant new
      evidence as it becomes available. LSRs may be particularly important in fields
      where research evidence is emerging rapidly, current evidence is uncertain, and
      new research may change policy or practice decisions. We hypothesize that a
      continual approach to updating will achieve greater currency and validity, and
      increase the benefits to end users, with feasible resource requirements over
      time.

PMID- 28912005
TI  - Proximal radial artery arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis vascular access.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study reviewed our experience with proximal radial artery-based
      arteriovenous fistulas (PRA-AVFs) for hemodialysis vascular access, evaluating
      characteristics of the patients, functional patency, risk of steal syndrome,
      survival of the patient, and technical considerations. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed our database of consecutive patients, identifying those
      individuals with a PRA-AVF created during a 12-year period. In addition to
      physical examination, all patients underwent ultrasound vessel mapping by the
      operating surgeon, identifying the PRA-AVF configuration and outflow target most
      likely to succeed. RESULTS: PRA-AVFs were created in 1396 individuals during the
      12-year study period. The mean age was 59 years (standard deviation, +/-15.9
      years); 717 (51%) patients were women, 819 (59%) were diabetic, and 394 (28%)
      were obese. A transposition procedure was required in 400 patients, and 189 (47%)
      of these were completed in two-staged operations. Preoperative characteristics
      with a negative impact on PRA-AVF cumulative patency included female gender
      (hazard ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.37-2.65), obesity (hazard ratio,
      1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-2.65), and younger age. Dialysis-associated
      steal syndrome (DASS) requiring an intervention occurred in 39 (2.8%) patients,
      and 85% of these were diabetic. The most common procedures required to restore
      hand perfusion while preserving the AVF were banding and outflow branch ligation
      or coil occlusion to decrease access flow. DASS emerged spontaneously in 15
      (1.1%) of the patients, and 24 (1.7%) individuals developed hand ischemia
      requiring intervention after fistulography with balloon angioplasty of the PRA
      AVF anastomosis during the first years of the study period. Limiting angioplasty
      balloon size for such patients avoided these uncommon angioplasty-induced DASS
      events in later years. Primary, primary assisted, and cumulative (secondary)
      patency rates were 60%, 90%, and 93% at 12 months and 47%, 86%, and 91% at 24
      months, respectively. Follow-up was 0.7 to 127 months (median, 25 months).
      CONCLUSIONS: PRA-AVFs offer excellent functional patency with low risk of
      dialysis access-related steal syndrome. The antecubital site has a wide range of
      venous outflow options for both direct PRA-AVFs and transposition procedures.

PMID- 28912003
TI  - Living systematic reviews: 2. Combining human and machine effort.
AB  - New approaches to evidence synthesis, which use human effort and machine
      automation in mutually reinforcing ways, can enhance the feasibility and
      sustainability of living systematic reviews. Human effort is a scarce and
      valuable resource, required when automation is impossible or undesirable, and
      includes contributions from online communities ("crowds") as well as more
      conventional contributions from review authors and information specialists.
      Automation can assist with some systematic review tasks, including searching,
      eligibility assessment, identification and retrieval of full-text reports,
      extraction of data, and risk of bias assessment. Workflows can be developed in
      which human effort and machine automation can each enable the other to operate in
      more effective and efficient ways, offering substantial enhancement to the
      productivity of systematic reviews. This paper describes and discusses the
      potential-and limitations-of new ways of undertaking specific tasks in living
      systematic reviews, identifying areas where these human/machine "technologies"
      are already in use, and where further research and development is needed. While
      the context is living systematic reviews, many of these enabling technologies
      apply equally to standard approaches to systematic reviewing.

PMID- 28912004
TI  - Living systematic reviews: 3. Statistical methods for updating meta-analyses.
AB  - A living systematic review (LSR) should keep the review current as new research
      evidence emerges. Any meta-analyses included in the review will also need
      updating as new material is identified. If the aim of the review is solely to
      present the best current evidence standard meta-analysis may be sufficient,
      provided reviewers are aware that results may change at later updates. If the
      review is used in a decision-making context, more caution may be needed. When
      using standard meta-analysis methods, the chance of incorrectly concluding that
      any updated meta-analysis is statistically significant when there is no effect
      (the type I error) increases rapidly as more updates are performed. Inaccurate
      estimation of any heterogeneity across studies may also lead to inappropriate
      conclusions. This paper considers four methods to avoid some of these statistical
      problems when updating meta-analyses: two methods, that is, law of the iterated
      logarithm and the Shuster method control primarily for inflation of type I error
      and two other methods, that is, trial sequential analysis and sequential meta
      analysis control for type I and II errors (failing to detect a genuine effect)
      and take account of heterogeneity. This paper compares the methods and considers
      how they could be applied to LSRs.

PMID- 28912006
TI  - Predictors of late aortic intervention in patients with medically treated type B
      aortic dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with medically managed type B aortic dissection (TBAD) have
      a high incidence of aorta-related complications over time. Whereas early thoracic
      endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) to seal the entry tear can promote aortic
      remodeling and prevent late aneurysm formation, there are sparse data as to which
      patients will benefit from such therapy. The goal of this study was to identify
      clinical and anatomic factors that are associated with the need for subsequent
      aortic intervention in patients who present with uncomplicated TBAD. These
      factors could guide the selection of patients who will benefit from TEVAR in the
      subacute phase. METHODS: Patients who presented with acute uncomplicated TBAD and
      were initially managed medically from January 2000 to December 2013 were included
      in the study. Timing of intervention was stratified into early (within 180 days
      of initial presentation) and late (181 days and later) cohorts. All patients had
      follow-up axial imaging studies. These imaging studies were reviewed for anatomic
      criteria in a retrospective fashion. Predictors of aortic intervention were
      determined using Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: There were 254 patients (65%
      men) with medically managed acute TBAD. The average age at presentation was 66.3
      years, and 82.5% had a history of hypertension. Mean follow-up was 6.8 years
      (range, 0.1-13.6 years). There were a total of 97 (38%) patients who required an
      aortic intervention during follow-up; 30 (12%) patients required an early
      intervention, and 67 (26%) were treated during late follow-up (100% for
      aneurysmal degeneration). Predictors of late aortic intervention included entry
      tear >10 mm (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-3.8; P =
      .03), total aortic diameter >40 mm at time of presentation (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.8
      4.3; P = .02), false lumen diameter >20 mm (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-4.7; P = .03),
      and increase in total aortic diameter >5 mm between serial imaging studies (OR,
      2.3; 95% CI, 1.3-3.5; P = .02). Complete thrombosis of the false lumen was
      protective against late operative intervention (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.11-0.48; P <
      .01). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 40% of patients who present with an uncomplicated TBAD
      will ultimately require an aortic intervention. All of the late interventions
      were performed for aneurysmal degeneration. A variety of readily available
      anatomic features can predict the need for eventual operative intervention in
      TBAD; accordingly, these parameters can guide the desirability of early TEVAR.

PMID- 28912007
TI  - Adventitial adipogenic degeneration is an unidentified contributor to aortic wall
      weakening in the abdominal aortic aneurysm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The processes driving human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
      progression are not fully understood. Although antiinflammatory and proteolytic
      strategies effectively quench aneurysm progression in preclinical models, so far
      all clinical interventions failed. These observations hint at an incomplete
      understanding of the processes involved in AAA progression and rupture.
      Interestingly, strong clinical and molecular associations exist between popliteal
      artery aneurysms (PAAs) and AAAs; however, PAAs have an extremely low propensity
      to rupture. We thus reasoned that differences between these aneurysms may provide
      clues toward (auxiliary) processes involved in AAA-related wall debilitation. A
      better understanding of the pathophysiologic processes driving AAA growth can
      contribute to pharmaceutical treatments in the future. METHODS: Aneurysmal wall
      samples were collected during open elective and emergency repair. Control
      perirenal aorta was obtained during kidney transplantation, and reference
      popliteal tissue obtained from the anatomy department. This study incorporates
      various techniques including (immuno)histochemistry, Western Blot, quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction, microarray, and cell culture. RESULTS: Histologic
      evaluation of AAAs, PAAs, and control aorta shows extensive medial (PAA) and
      transmural fibrosis (AAA), and reveals abundant adventitial adipocytes aggregates
      as an exclusive phenomenon of AAAs (P < .001). Quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and microarray analysis showed
      enrichment of adipogenic mediators (C/EBP family P = .027; KLF5 P < .000; and
      peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma, P = .032) in AAA tissue. In
      vitro differentiation tests indicated a sharply increased adipogenic potential of
      AAA adventitial mesenchymal cells (P < .0001). Observed enrichment of adipocyte
      related genes and pathways in ruptured AAA (P < .0003) supports an association
      between the extent of fatty degeneration and rupture. CONCLUSIONS: This
      translational study identifies extensive adventitial fatty degeneration as an
      ignored and distinctive feature of AAA disease. Enrichment of adipocyte genesis
      and adipocyte-related genes in ruptured AAA point to an association between the
      extent of fatty degeneration and rupture. This observation may (partly) explain
      the failure of medical therapy and could provide a lead for pharmaceutical
      alleviation of AAA progression.

PMID- 28912008
TI  - Dietary inflammatory index and mental health: A cross-sectional analysis of the
      relationship with depressive symptoms, anxiety and well-being in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The relationship between diet, inflammation and mental health
      is of increasing interest. However, limited data regarding the role of dietary
      inflammatory potential in this context exist. Therefore the aim of this work was
      to examine associations between the inflammatory potential of habitual diet and
      mental health outcomes in a cross-sectional sample of 2047 adults (50.8% female).
      METHODS: Diet was assessed using a self-completed food frequency questionnaire
      from which dietary inflammatory index (DII(r)) scores were determined. Depressive
      symptoms, anxiety and well-being were assessed using the CES-D, HADS-A and WHO-5
      screening tools. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed that higher
      energy-adjusted DII (E-DII(r)) scores, reflecting a more pro-inflammatory diet,
      were associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms (odds ratios (OR)
      1.70, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.23-2.35, p = 0.001) and anxiety (OR 1.60,
      95% CI 1.15-2.24, p = 0.006) and lower likelihood of well-being (OR 0.62, 95% CI
      0.46-0.83, p = 0.001), comparing highest to lowest tertile of E-DII. In gender
      stratified analyses associations were noted in women only. Women with the highest
      E-DII scores were at elevated risk of depressive symptoms (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.49
      3.51, p < 0.001) and anxiety (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.30-3.06, p = 0.002), while
      likelihood of reporting good well-being was lower (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.36-0.79, p =
      0.002), relative to those with the lowest E-DII scores. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings, which suggest that a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with adverse
      mental health, may be of clinical and public health significance regarding the
      development of novel nutritional psychiatry approaches to promote good mental
      health.

PMID- 28912009
TI  - An inflammation-based prognostic score, the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio
      predicts the morbidity and mortality of patients on parenteral nutrition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no "gold standard" score for predicting poor-nutrition
      related outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify the optimal
      predictive score, based on inflammatory parameters, for the clinical outcomes of
      parenteral nutrition (PN). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a 4-year retrospective
      observational study of 460 patients treated with PN. C-reactive protein (CRP),
      prealbumin, albumin, CRP/prealbumin and CRP/albumin were studied as potential
      prognostic scores at the beginning of PN for clinical outcomes during PN. Three
      different statistical approaches were developed: 1) A univariate analysis of each
      of the 5 prognostic scores and 5 multivariate models for CRP/albumin and
      CRP/prealbumin to study their association with exitus, infection, sepsis, liver
      failure, renal impairment, cancer, intensive care unit stay, mechanical
      ventilation; 2) Univariate and multivariate survival analysis of PN length,
      intensive care unit (ICU) length of saty and days of mechanical ventilation vs
      CRP/albumin and CRP/prealbumin; 3) A ROC analysis of the prognostic accuracy of
      CRP/albumin and CRP/prealbumin over morbidity/mortality. RESULTS: 1) CRP, albumin
      and CRP/albumin gave more information about morbidity/mortality than prealbumin
      and CRP/prealbumin. CRP/albumin was statistically significant for exitus (OR
      1.85; CI 95%: 1.00-3.45), infection (OR 2.15; CI 95%: 1.22-3.80), sepsis (OR
      2.82; CI 95%: 1.69-4.70) and liver failure (OR 2.66; CI 95%: 1.55-4.58).
      CRP/prealbumin for sepsis was (OR 2.21; CI 95%: 1.34-3.64) and for liver failure
      (OR 2.04; CI 95%: 1.17-3.53); 2) CRP/albumin and CRP/prealbumin significantly
      predict PN duration, days in ICU and days on mechanical ventilation; 3) and are
      related to exitus, infection, sepsis and liver failure. CONCLUSION: The
      CRP/albumin score at the beginning of PN treatment has more prognostic capability
      than CRP/prealbumin, albumin or prealbumin. The systematic use of this score
      could help to identify those patients with higher risk.

PMID- 28912010
TI  - First week weight dip and reaching growth targets in early life in preterm
      infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Aggressive parenteral nutritional practices were implemented
      in clinical practice over a decade ago to prevent early growth retardation in
      preterm infants. We aimed to study adherence to current nutritional
      recommendations in a population of very preterm infants, and to evaluate growth
      in early life. METHODS: Preterm infants (gestational age <30 weeks and birth
      weight <1500 g) were included in a prospective observational cohort study. Data
      on parenteral and enteral intake were collected on days 1-7, 14, 21 and 28 (d28)
      of life. Growth data were collected at birth, at moment of maximal weight loss
      (dip), and either at discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit or at d28,
      whichever came first. Nutritional intakes were compared to recommendations of
      current guidelines. The target growth rate was 15-20 g/kg/d. RESULTS: Fifty-nine
      infants (63% male) were included. Median gestational age was 27 3/7
      (interquartile range 25 6/7;28 4/7), and birth weight was 920 g (720;1200).
      Median macronutrient intakes were within or above the targets on all study days,
      but energy targets were not met before day 5. Median growth rates were 9.5 and
      18.1 g/kg/d, when calculated from respectively birth and dip to discharge/d28.
      Eight (14%) versus 46 (78%) infants met the growth targets, when evaluated from
      respectively birth and dip to discharge/d28. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, only
      energy intake up to day 5 was lower than recommended. Growth targets were
      achieved in the majority of the infants, but only when evaluated from dip onward,
      not from birth.

PMID- 28912011
TI  - Cell-line dependent antiviral activity of sofosbuvir against Zika virus.
AB  - The recent epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas and its association with
      fetal and neurological complications has shown the need to develop a treatment.
      Repurposing of drugs that are already FDA approved or in clinical development may
      shorten drug development timelines in case of emerging viral diseases like ZIKV.
      Initial studies have shown conflicting results when testing sofosbuvir developed
      for treatment of infections with another Flaviviridae virus, hepatitis C virus.
      We hypothesized that the conflicting results could be explained by differences in
      intracellular processing of the compound. We assessed the antiviral activity of
      sofosbuvir and mericitabine against ZIKV using Vero, A549, and Huh7 cells and
      measured the level of the active sofosbuvir metabolite by mass spectrometry.
      Mericitabine did not show activity, while sofosbuvir inhibited ZIKV with an IC50
      of ~4 MUM, but only in Huh7 cells. This correlated with differences in
      intracellular concentration of the active triphosphate metabolite of sofosbuvir,
      GS-461203 or 007-TP, which was 11-342 times higher in Huh7 cells compared to Vero
      and A549 cells. These results show that a careful selection of cell system for
      repurposing trials of prodrugs is needed for evaluation of antiviral activity.
      Furthermore, the intracellular levels of 007-TP in tissues and cell types that
      support ZIKV replication in vivo should be determined to further investigate the
      potential of sofosbuvir as anti-ZIKV compound.

PMID- 28912012
TI  - The effects of aerobic exercise on depression-like, anxiety-like, and cognition
      like behaviours over the healthy adult lifespan of C57BL/6 mice.
AB  - Preclinical studies have demonstrated exercise improves various types of
      behaviours such as anxiety-like, depression-like, and cognition-like behaviours.
      However, these findings were largely conducted in studies utilising short-term
      exercise protocols, and the effects of lifetime exercise on these behaviours
      remain unknown. This study investigates the behavioural effects of lifetime
      exercise in normal healthy ageing C57BL/6 mice over the adult lifespan. 12 week
      old C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to voluntary wheel running or non
      exercise (control) groups. Exercise commenced at aged 3 months and behaviours
      were assessed in young adult (Y), early middle age (M), and old (O) mice (n=11
      17/group). The open field and elevated zero maze examined anxiety-like
      behaviours, depression-like behaviours were quantified with the forced swim test,
      and the Y maze and Barnes maze investigated cognition-like behaviours. The
      effects of lifetime exercise were not simply an extension of the effects of
      chronic exercise on anxiety-like, depression-like, and cognition-like behaviours.
      Exercise tended to reduce overt anxiety-like behaviours with ageing, and improved
      recognition memory and spatial learning in M mice as was expected. However,
      exercise also increased anxiety behaviours including greater freezing behaviour
      that extended spatial learning latencies in Y female mice in particular, while
      reduced distances travelled contributed to longer spatial memory and cognitive
      flexibility latencies in Y and O mice. Lifetime exercise may increase
      neurogenesis-associated anxiety. This could be an evolutionary conserved
      adaptation that nevertheless has adverse impacts on cognition-like function, with
      particularly pronounced effects in Y female mice with intact sex hormones. These
      issues require careful investigation in future rodent studies.

PMID- 28912013
TI  - Acid-sensing ion channel 1 contributes to normal olfactory function.
AB  - Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are cation channels activated by protons.
      ASIC1a, a primary ASIC subunit in the brain, was recently characterized in the
      olfactory bulb. The present study tested the hypothesis that ASIC1a is essential
      for normal olfactory function. Olfactory behavior of wild-type (WT) and ASIC1-/-
      mice was evaluated by using three standard olfactory tests: (1) the buried food
      test, (2) the olfactory habituation test, and (3) the olfactory preference test.
      In buried food test, ASIC1-/- mice had significantly longer latency to uncover
      buried food than WT mice. In olfactory habituation test, ASIC1-/- mice had
      increased sniffing time with acidic odorants. In olfactory preference test, ASIC1
      /- mice did not exhibit normal avoidance behavior for 2, 5- dihydro-2, 4, 5
      trimethylthiazoline (TMT). Consistent with ASIC1 knockout, ASIC1 inhibition by
      nasal administration of PcTX1 increased the latency for WT mice to uncover the
      buried food. Together, these findings suggest a key role for ASIC1a in normal
      olfactory function.

PMID- 28912014
TI  - Acute alerting effects of light: A systematic literature review.
AB  - Periodic, well timed exposure to light is important for our health and wellbeing.
      Light, in particular in the blue part of the spectrum, is thought to affect
      alertness both indirectly, by modifying circadian rhythms, and directly, giving
      rise to acute effects. We performed a systematic review of empirical studies on
      direct, acute effects of light on alertness to evaluate the reliability of these
      effects. In total, we identified 68 studies in which either light intensity,
      spectral distribution, or both were manipulated, and evaluated the effects on
      behavioral measures of alertness, either subjectively or measured in reaction
      time performance tasks. The results show that increasing the intensity of
      polychromatic white light has been found to increase subjective ratings of
      alertness in a majority of studies, though a substantial proportion of studies
      failed to find significant effects, possibly due to small sample sizes or high
      baseline light intensities. The effect of the color temperature of white light on
      subjective alertness is less clear. Some studies found increased alertness with
      higher color temperatures, but other studies reported no detrimental effects of
      filtering out the short wavelengths from the spectrum. Similarly, studies that
      used monochromatic light exposure showed no systematic pattern for the effects of
      blue light compared to longer wavelengths. Far fewer studies investigated the
      effects of light intensity or spectrum on alertness as measured with reaction
      time tasks and of those, very few reported significant effects. In general, the
      small sample sizes used in studies on acute alerting effects of light make it
      difficult to draw definitive conclusions and better powered studies are needed,
      especially studies that allow for the construction of dose-response curves.

PMID- 28912015
TI  - Stem cell-based peripheral vascular regeneration.
AB  - Chronic critical limb ischemia (CLI) represents an end-stage manifestation of
      peripheral arterial disease (PAD). CLI patients are at very high risk of
      amputation and cardiovascular complications, leading to severe morbidity and
      mortality. Because many patients with CLI are ineligible for conventional
      revascularization procedures, it is urgently needed to explore alternative
      strategies to improve blood supply in the ischemic tissue. Although researchers
      initially focused on gene/protein therapy using proangiogenic growth
      factors/cytokines, recent discovery of somatic stem/progenitor cells including
      bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs) has drastically developed the field of therapeutic angiogenesis for
      CLI. Overall, early phase clinical trials demonstrated that stem/progenitor cell
      therapies may be safe, feasible and potentially effective. However, only few late
      phase clinical trials have been conducted. This review provides an overview of
      the preclinical and clinical reports to demonstrate the usefulness and the
      current limitations of the cell-based therapies.

PMID- 28912016
TI  - Arabidopsis thaliana miRNAs promote embryo pattern formation beginning in the
      zygote.
AB  - miRNAs are essential regulators of cell identity, yet their role in early embryo
      development in plants remains largely unexplored. To determine the earliest stage
      at which miRNAs act to promote pattern formation in embryogenesis, we examined a
      series of mutant alleles in the Arabidopsis thaliana miRNA biogenesis enzymes
      DICER-LIKE 1 (DCL1), SERRATE (SE), and HYPONASTIC LEAVES 1 (HYL1). Cellular and
      patterning defects were observed in dcl1, se and hyl1 embryos from the zygote
      through the globular stage of embryogenesis. To identify miRNAs that are
      expressed in early embryogenesis, we sequenced mRNAs from globular stage Columbia
      wild type (wt) and se-1 embryos, and identified transcripts potentially
      corresponding to 100 miRNA precursors. Considering genome location and transcript
      increase between wt and se-1, 39 of these MIRNAs are predicted to be bona fide
      early embryo miRNAs. Among these are conserved miRNAs such as miR156, miR159,
      miR160, miR161, miR164, miR165, miR166, miR167, miR168, miR171, miR319, miR390
      and miR394, as well as miRNAs whose function has never been characterized. Our
      analysis demonstrates that miRNAs promote pattern formation beginning in the
      zygote, and provides a comprehensive dataset for functional studies of individual
      miRNAs in Arabidopsis embryogenesis.

PMID- 28912017
TI  - Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1, Increased in Human Gastric Pre-Neoplasia, Promotes
      Inflammation and Metaplasia in Mice and Is Associated With Type II
      Hypersensitivity/Autoimmunity.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Chronic gastrointestinal inflammation increases the risk of
      cancer by mechanisms that are not well understood. Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1
      (IDO1) is a heme-binding enzyme that regulates the immune response via
      catabolization and regulation of tryptophan availability for immune cell uptake.
      IDO1 expression is increased during the transition from chronic inflammation to
      gastric metaplasia. We investigated whether IDO1 contributes to the inflammatory
      response that mediates loss of parietal cells leading to metaplasia. METHODS:
      Chronic gastric inflammation was induced in Ido1-/- and CB57BL/6 (control) mice
      by gavage with Helicobacter felis or overexpression of interferon gamma in
      gastric parietal cells. We also performed studies in Jh-/- mice, which are devoid
      of B cells. Gastric tissues were collected and analyzed by flow cytometry,
      immunostaining, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Plasma
      samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gastric tissues were
      obtained from 20 patients with gastric metaplasia and 20 patients without gastric
      metaplasia (controls) and analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction; gastric tissue arrays were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. We
      collected genetic information on gastric cancers from The Cancer Genome Atlas
      database. RESULTS: H felis gavage induced significantly lower levels of
      pseudopyloric metaplasia in Ido1-/- mice, which had lower frequencies of gastric
      B cells, than in control mice. Blood plasma from H felis-infected control mice
      had increased levels of autoantibodies against parietal cells, compared to
      uninfected control mice, but this increase was lower in Ido1-/- mice. Chronically
      inflamed stomachs of Ido1-/- mice had significantly lower frequencies of natural
      killer cells in contact with parietal cells, compared with stomachs of control
      mice. Jh-/- mice had lower levels of pseudopyloric metaplasia than control mice
      in response to H felis infection. Human gastric pre-neoplasia and carcinoma
      specimens had increased levels of IDO1 messenger RNA compared with control
      gastric tissues, and IDO1 protein colocalized with B cells. Co-clustering of IDO1
      messenger RNA with B-cell markers was corroborated by The Cancer Genome Atlas
      database. CONCLUSIONS: IDO1 mediates gastric metaplasia by regulating the B-cell
      compartment. This process appears to be associated with type II
      hypersensitivity/autoimmunity. The role of autoimmunity in the progression of
      pseudopyloric metaplasia warrants further investigation.

PMID- 28912018
TI  - Association Between Germline Mutations in BRF1, a Subunit of the RNA Polymerase
      III Transcription Complex, and Hereditary Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although there is a genetic predisposition to colorectal
      cancer (CRC), few of the genes that affect risk have been identified. We
      performed whole-exome sequence analysis of individuals in a high-risk family
      without mutations in genes previously associated with CRC risk to identify
      variants associated with inherited CRC. METHODS: We collected blood samples from
      3 relatives with CRC in Spain (65, 62, and 40 years old at diagnosis) and
      performed whole-exome sequence analyses. Rare missense, truncating or splice-site
      variants shared by the 3 relatives were selected. We used targeted pooled DNA
      amplification followed by next generation sequencing to screen for mutations in
      candidate genes in 547 additional hereditary and/or early-onset CRC cases (502
      additional families). We carried out protein-dependent yeast growth assays and
      transfection studies in the HT29 human CRC cell line to test the effects of the
      identified variants. RESULTS: A total of 42 unique or rare (population minor
      allele frequency below 1%) nonsynonymous genetic variants in 38 genes were shared
      by all 3 relatives. We selected the BRF1 gene, which encodes an RNA polymerase
      III transcription initiation factor subunit for further analysis, based on the
      predicted effect of the identified variant and previous association of BRF1 with
      cancer. Previously unreported or rare germline variants in BRF1 were identified
      in 11 of 503 CRC families, a significantly greater proportion than in the control
      population (34 of 4300). Seven of the identified variants (1 detected in 2
      families) affected BRF1 mRNA splicing, protein stability, or expression and/or
      function. CONCLUSIONS: In an analysis of families with a history of CRC, we
      associated germline mutations in BRF1 with predisposition to CRC. We associated
      deleterious BRF1 variants with 1.4% of familial CRC cases, in individuals without
      mutations in high-penetrance genes previously associated with CRC. Our findings
      add additional evidence to the link between defects in genes that regulate
      ribosome synthesis and risk of CRC.

PMID- 28912020
TI  - Intestinal Dysbiosis Featuring Abundance of Ruminococcus gnavus Associates With
      Allergic Diseases in Infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota has been associated
      with development of allergies in infants. However, it is not clear what microbes
      might contribute to this process. We investigated what microbe(s) might be
      involved in analyses of infant twins and mice. METHODS: We studied fecal
      specimens prospectively in a twin cohort (n = 30) and age-matched singletons (n =
      14) born at National Taiwan University Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, from
      April 2011 to March 2013. Clinical parameters (gestational age, birth body
      weight, mode of delivery and feeding, immunizations, and medical events) were
      recorded. Fecal samples were collected beginning immediately after birth and for
      1 year; the children were followed until 3 years of age and allergic symptoms
      (repetitive and continuous for at least 6 months) were noted. A skin prick test
      was used to ascertain atopy. Bacterial communities in fecal samples were profiled
      by 16S ribosomal RNA-based polymerase chain reaction-temporal temperature
      gradient gel electrophoresis and next-generation sequencing. BALB/c mice without
      and with ovalbumin sensitization/challenge were infected with candidate bacteria
      by oral gauge intragastric intubation. Fecal, serum, lung, and colon tissue
      samples were collected from mice and analyzed for mechanisms of allergy
      development. RESULTS: During the investigation period, 20 children (45.5%)
      developed allergic diseases, including respiratory (allergic rhinitis and asthma)
      and skin (atopic dermatitis and eczema) allergies. Lachnospiraceae were detected
      at significantly higher frequency in allergic infants than nonallergic infants (P
      < .004); the high fecal count of Lachnospiraceae in allergic subjects appeared at
      2 months of age and persisted until 12 months of age. The enrichment of
      Lachnospiraceae in allergic infants was attributed to the overgrowth of
      Ruminococcus gnavus, which tended to have a low frequency in nonallergic subjects
      (P = .0004). Increased R gnavus was observed before the onset of allergic
      manifestations, and was associated with respiratory allergies (P < .002) or
      respiratory allergies coexistent with atopic eczema (P < .001). In mice,
      endogenous R gnavus grew rapidly after sensitization and challenge with
      ovalbumin. Mice gavaged with purified R gnavus developed airway hyper
      responsiveness and had histologic evidence of airway inflammation (asthma).
      Expansion of R gnavus in mice stimulated secretion of cytokines (interleukin [IL]
      25, IL33, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin) by colon tissues, which activated
      type 2 innate lymphoid cells and dendritic cells to promote differentiation of T
      helper 2 cells and production of their cytokines (IL4, IL5, and IL13). This led
      to infiltration of the colon and lung parenchyma by eosinophils and mast cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: In a study of a twin cohort (some infants with, some without
      allergies), we associated development of allergies, particularly respiratory
      allergies, with increased fecal abundance of R gnavus. Mice fed R gnavus
      developed airway inflammation, characterized by expansion of T-helper 2 cells in
      the colon and lung, and infiltration of colon and lung parenchyma by eosinophils
      and mast cells.

PMID- 28912019
TI  - A Nigro-Vagal Pathway Controls Gastric Motility and Is Affected in a Rat Model of
      Parkinsonism.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: In most patients with Parkinson's disease, gastrointestinal
      (GI) dysfunctions, such as gastroparesis and constipation, are prodromal to the
      cardinal motor symptoms of the disease. Sporadic Parkinson's disease has been
      proposed to develop after ingestion of neurotoxicants that affect the brain-gut
      axis via the vagus nerve, and then travel to higher centers, compromising the
      substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and, later, the cerebral cortex. We aimed
      to identify the pathway that connects the brainstem vagal nuclei and the SNpc,
      and to determine whether this pathway is compromised in a rat model of
      Parkinsonism. METHODS: To study this neural pathway in rats, we placed tracers in
      the dorsal vagal complex or SNpc; brainstem and midbrain were examined for tracer
      distribution and neuronal neurochemical phenotype. Rats were given injections of
      paraquat once weekly for 3 weeks to induce features of Parkinsonism, or vehicle
      (control). Gastric tone and motility were recorded after N-methyl-d-aspartate
      microinjection in the SNpc and/or optogenetic stimulation of nigro-vagal
      terminals in the dorsal vagal complex. RESULTS: Stimulation of the SNpc increased
      gastric tone and motility via activation of dopamine 1 receptors in the dorsal
      vagal complex. In the paraquat-induced model of Parkinsonism, this nigro-vagal
      pathway was compromised during the early stages of motor deficit development.
      CONCLUSIONS: We identified and characterized a nigro-vagal monosynaptic pathway
      in rats that controls gastric tone and motility. This pathway might be involved
      in the prodromal gastric dysmotility observed in patients with early-stage
      Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 28912021
TI  - Association between spinal immobilization and survival at discharge for on-scene
      blunt traumatic cardiac arrest: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Spinal immobilization has been indicated for all blunt trauma
      patients suspected of having cervical spine injury. However, for traumatic
      cardiac arrest (TCA) patients, rapid transportation without compromising
      potentially reversible causes is necessary. Our objective was to investigate the
      temporal trend of spinal immobilization for TCA patients and to examine the
      association between spinal immobilization and survival. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective cohort study using the Japan Trauma Data Bank 2004-2015 registry
      data. Our study population consisted of adult blunt TCA patients encountered at
      the scene of a trauma. The primary outcome was the survival proportion at
      hospital discharge, and the secondary outcome was the proportion achieving return
      of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). We examined the association between spinal
      immobilization and these outcomes using a logistic regression model based on
      imputed data sets with the multiple imputation method to account for missing
      data. RESULTS: Among 4313 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 3307 (76.7%)
      were immobilized. The proportion of patients that underwent spinal immobilization
      gradually decreased from 82.7% in 2004-2006 to 74.0% in 2013-2015. 1.0% of
      immobilized and 0.9% of non-immobilized patients had severe cervical spine
      injury. Spinal immobilization was significantly associated with lower survival at
      discharge (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42 to 0.98) and
      ROSC by admission (OR, 0.48; 95%CI, 0.27 to 0.87). There was no significant sub
      group difference of the association between spinal immobilization and survival at
      discharge by patients with or without cervical spine injury (p for interaction
      0.73). CONCLUSION: Spinal immobilization is widely used even for blunt TCA
      patients, even though it is associated with a lower rate of survival at discharge
      and ROSC by admission. According to these results, we suggest that spinal
      immobilization should not be routinely recommended for all blunt TCA patients.

PMID- 28912022
TI  - When does intraoperative 3D-imaging play a role in transpedicular C2 screw
      placement?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The stabilization of an atlantoaxial (C1-C2) instability is
      demanding due to a complex atlantoaxial anatomy with proximity to the spinal
      cord, a variable run of the vertebral artery (VA) and narrow C2 pedicles. We
      perfomed the Goel & Harms fusion in combination with an intraoperative 3D imaging
      to ensure correct screw placement in the C2 pedicle. We hypothesized, that narrow
      C2 pedicles lead to a higher malposition rate of screws by perforation of the
      pedicle wall. The purpose of this study was to describe a certain pedicle size,
      under which the perforation rate rises. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this
      retrospective study, all patients (n=30) were operated in the Goel & Harms
      technique. The isthmus height and pedicle diameter of C2 were measured. The
      achieved screw position in C2 was evaluated according to Gertzbein & Robbin
      classification (GRGr). RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was found
      between the pedicles size (isthmus height/pedicle diameter) and the achieved GRGr
      for the right (p=0.002/p=0.03) and left side (p=0.018/p=0.008). The ROC analysis
      yielded a Cut Off value for the pedicle size to distinguish between an intact or
      perforated pedicle wall (GRGr 1 or >=2). The Cut-Off value was identified for the
      isthmus height (right 6.1mm, left 5.4mm) and for the pedicle diameter (6.6mm both
      sides). CONCLUSION: The hypothesis, that narrow pedicles lead to a higher
      perforation rate of the pedicle wall, can be accepted. Pedicles of <6.6mm turned
      out to be a risk factor for a perforation of the pedicle wall (GRGr 2 or higher).
      Intraoperative 3D imaging is a feasible tool to confirm optimal screw position,
      which becomes even more important in cases with thin pedicles. The rising risk of
      VA injury in these cases support the additional use of navigation.

PMID- 28912023
TI  - Avoiding over-telescoping to improve outcomes in cephalomedullary nailing.

PMID- 28912024
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28912025
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28912026
TI  - Influence of various therapeutic strategies on right ventricular morphology,
      function and hemodynamics in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) treatment goals
      include improving right ventricular (RV) function, hemodynamics and symptoms to
      move patients to a low-risk category for adverse clinical outcomes. No data are
      available on the effect of upfront combination therapy on RV improvement as
      compared with monotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      echocardiographic RV morphology and function in patients affected by IPAH and
      treated with different strategies. METHODS: Sixty-nine consecutive, treatment
      naive IPAH patients treated with first-line upfront combination therapy at 10
      centers were retrospectively evaluated and compared with 2 matched cohorts
      treated with monotherapy after short-term follow-up. Evaluation included
      clinical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters. RESULTS: At 155 +/- 65
      days after baseline evaluation, patients in the oral+prostanoid group (Group 1)
      had the most clinical and hemodynamic improvement compared with the double oral
      group (Group 2), the oral monotherapy group (Group 3) and the prostanoid
      monotherapy group (Group 4). The more extensive reduction of pulmonary vascular
      resistance in Groups 1, 2 and 4 was associated with significant improvement in
      all RV echocardiographic parameters compared with Group 3. Considering the number
      of patients who reached the target goals suggested by established guidelines, 8
      of 27 (29.6%) and 7 of 42 (16.7%) patients in Groups 1 and 2, respectively,
      achieved low-risk status, as compared with 2 of 69 (2.8%) and 6 of 27 (22.2%) in
      Groups 3 and 4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In advanced treatment-naive IPAH
      patients, an upfront combination therapy strategy seems to significantly improve
      hemodynamics and RV morphology and function compared with oral monotherapy. The
      most significant results seem to be achieved with prostanoids plus oral drug,
      whereas the use of the double oral combination and prostanoids as monotherapy
      seem to produce similar results.

PMID- 28912028
TI  - Corrigendum to "Cyclical strain modulates metalloprotease and matrix gene
      expression in human tenocytes via activation of TGFbeta" [Biochim. Biophys. Acta
      (2013) 2596-2607].

PMID- 28912027
TI  - Factor analysis in optimization of formulation of high content uniformity tablets
      containing low dose active substance.
AB  - Warfarin is intensively discussed drug with narrow therapeutic range. There have
      been cases of bleeding attributed to varying content or altered quality of the
      active substance. Factor analysis is useful for finding suitable technological
      parameters leading to high content uniformity of tablets containing low amount of
      active substance. The composition of tabletting blend and technological procedure
      were set with respect to factor analysis of previously published results. The
      correctness of set parameters was checked by manufacturing and evaluation of
      tablets containing 1-10mg of warfarin sodium. The robustness of suggested
      technology was checked by using "worst case scenario" and statistical evaluation
      of European Pharmacopoeia (EP) content uniformity limits with respect to Bergum
      division and process capability index (Cpk). To evaluate the quality of active
      substance and tablets, dissolution method was developed (water; EP apparatus II;
      25rpm), allowing for statistical comparison of dissolution profiles. Obtained
      results prove the suitability of factor analysis to optimize the composition with
      respect to batches manufactured previously and thus the use of metaanalysis under
      industrial conditions is feasible.

PMID- 28912029
TI  - Inclusion of Highest Glasgow Coma Scale Motor Component Score in Mortality Risk
      Adjustment for Benchmarking of Trauma Center Performance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most widely used measure of
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity. Currently, the arrival GCS motor component
      (mGCS) score is used in risk-adjustment models for external benchmarking of
      mortality. However, there is evidence that the highest mGCS score in the first 24
      hours after injury might be a better predictor of death. Our objective was to
      evaluate the impact of including the highest mGCS score on the performance of
      risk-adjustment models and subsequent external benchmarking results. STUDY
      DESIGN: Data were derived from the Trauma Quality Improvement Program analytic
      dataset (January 2014 through March 2015) and were limited to the severe TBI
      cohort (16 years or older, isolated head injury, GCS <=8). Risk-adjustment models
      were created that varied in the mGCS covariates only (initial score, highest
      score, or both initial and highest mGCS scores). Model performance and fit, as
      well as external benchmarking results, were compared. RESULTS: There were 6,553
      patients with severe TBI across 231 trauma centers included. Initial and highest
      mGCS scores were different in 47% of patients (n = 3,097). Model performance and
      fit improved when both initial and highest mGCS scores were included, as
      evidenced by improved C-statistic, Akaike Information Criterion, and adjusted R
      squared values. Three-quarters of centers changed their adjusted odds ratio
      decile, 2.6% of centers changed outlier status, and 45% of centers exhibited a
      >=0.5-SD change in the odds ratio of death after including highest mGCS score in
      the model. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the concept that additional clinical
      information has the potential to not only improve the performance of current risk
      adjustment models, but can also have a meaningful impact on external benchmarking
      strategies. Highest mGCS score is a good potential candidate for inclusion in
      additional models.

PMID- 28912030
TI  - Liver Function Assessment Using Technetium 99m-Galactosyl Single-Photon Emission
      Computed Tomography/CT Fusion Imaging: A Prospective Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prediction of postoperative liver function remains a largely
      subjective practice based on CT volumetric analysis. However, future liver volume
      after a hepatectomy is not the only factor that contributes to postoperative
      liver function and outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: In this prospective trial, 185
      consecutive patients who underwent liver operations between 2014 and 2015 were
      studied. Volumetric and functional rates of remnant liver were measured using
      technetium 99m-galactosyl human serum albumin single-photon emission computed
      tomography/CT fusion imaging to evaluate post-hepatectomy remnant liver function.
      Remnant indocyanine green clearance rate using galactosyl (KGSA) (KGSA *
      functional rate) was used to predict future remnant liver function. Hepatectomy
      was considered safe for patients with remnant KGSA values >=0.05, and the primary
      end point was to determine the accuracy and reliability of this criteria. The
      prediction of the 90-day major complication and mortality rates was assessed.
      RESULTS: Median hospital stay was 9 days and median ICU stay was 1 day, with only
      1 in-hospital death (90-day mortality rate 0.5%). Overall morbidity rate
      evaluated according to the Clavien-Dindo classification was 9%. For post
      hepatectomy liver failure definitions, the International Study Group of Liver
      Surgery definition was fulfilled in 14 patients (8%), with the majority being
      grade B (50%), compared with 2 patients (1%) fulfilling the "50-50" criteria, and
      0 patients (0%) fulfilling the PeakBili >7 criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this
      study showed that remnant KGSA provided information that allowed us to predict
      remnant liver function. This information will be important for surgeons when
      deciding on a treatment plan for patients with liver diseases.
      (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02013895).

PMID- 28912031
TI  - Hormones and the Coolidge effect.
AB  - The Coolidge effect is the renewal of sexual behavior after the presentation of a
      novel sexual partner and possibly occurs as the result of habituation and
      dishabituation processes. This re-motivation to copulate is well studied in males
      and is commonly related to sexual satiety, which involves several neurobiological
      changes in steroid receptors and their mRNA expression in the CNS. On the other
      hand, there are few reports studying sexual novelty in females and have been
      limited to behavioral aspects. Here we report that the levels of rat proceptive
      behavior, a sign of sexual motivation, declines after 4 h of continuous mating,
      particularly in females that were unable to regulate the time of mating. Such
      reduction was not accompanied by changes in lordosis, suggesting that they were
      not due to the vanishing of the endocrine optimal milieu necessary for the
      expression of both components of sexual behavior in the female rat. These and
      previous data support important differences between sexual behavior in both sexes
      that would result in natural divergences in the Coolidge effect expression. We
      here also review some reports in humans showing peculiarities between the pattern
      of habituation and dishabituation in women and men. This is a growing research
      field that needs emphasis in female subjects.

PMID- 28912032
TI  - Androgens and androgen receptor action in skin and hair follicles.
AB  - Beyond sexual functions, androgens exert their action in skin physiology and
      pathophysiology. Skin cells are able to synthesize most active androgens from
      gonadal or adrenal precursors and the enzymes involved in skin steroidogenesis
      are implicated both in normal or pathological processes. Even when the role of
      androgens and androgen receptor (AR) in skin pathologies has been studied for
      decades, their molecular mechanisms in skin disorders remain largely unknown.
      Here, we analyze recent studies of androgens and AR roles in several skin-related
      disorders, focusing in the current understanding of their molecular mechanisms in
      androgenetic alopecia (AGA). We review the molecular pathophysiology of type 2
      5alpha-reductase, AR coactivators, the paracrine factors deregulated in dermal
      papillae (such as TGF-beta, IGF 1, WNTs and DKK-1) and the crosstalk between AR
      and Wnt signaling in order to shed some light on new promising treatments.

PMID- 28912033
TI  - Dissecting the CD93-Multimerin 2 interaction involved in cell adhesion and
      migration of the activated endothelium.
AB  - The glycoprotein CD93 has recently been recognized to play an important role in
      the regulation of the angiogenic process. Moreover, CD93 is highly expressed in
      the endothelial cells of tumor blood vessel and faintly expressed in the non
      proliferating endothelium. Much evidence suggests that CD93 mediates adhesion in
      the endothelium. Here we identify Multimerin 2 (MMRN2), a pan-endothelial
      extracellular matrix protein, as a specific ligand for CD93. We found that CD93
      and MMRN2 are co-expressed in the blood vessels of various human tumors.
      Moreover, disruption of the CD93-MMRN2 interaction reduced endothelial cell
      adhesion and migration, making the interaction of CD93 with MMRN2 an ideal target
      to block pathological angiogenesis. Model structures and docking studies served
      to envisage the region of CD93 and MMRN2 involved in the interaction. Site
      directed mutagenesis identified different residue hotspots either directly or
      indirectly involved in the binding. We propose a molecular model in which the
      coiled-coil domain of MMRN2 is engaged by F238 of CD93. Altogether, these studies
      identify the key interaction surfaces of the CD93-MMRN2 complex and provide a
      framework for exploring how to inhibit angiogenesis by hindering the CD93-MMRN2
      interaction.

PMID- 28912034
TI  - Sleep deprivation induces spatial memory impairment by altered hippocampus
      neuroinflammatory responses and glial cells activation in rats.
AB  - We aimed to investigate the glial cells activation as a potential mechanism
      involved in the sleep deprivation (SD) induced cognitive impairment through
      changes in inflammatory cytokines. We analyzed the spatial memory, inflammatory
      cytokine levels, and gliosis during SD. SD induced spatial memory impairment,
      imbalance of inflammatory (increased pro- and decreased anti-) cytokines in both
      hippocampus and plasma in association with glial cells activation in the
      hippocampus of sleep-deprived rats were observed. Further analysis of the data
      presented a correlation between spatial memory impairment and activated microglia
      induced increased pro-inflammatory cytokines after 48h of SD.

PMID- 28912035
TI  - Specific removal of autoantibodies by extracorporeal immunoadsorption ameliorates
      experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.
AB  - Myasthenia gravis (MG) is caused by autoantibodies, the majority of which target
      the muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Plasmapheresis and IgG-immunoadsorption
      are useful therapy options, but are highly non-specific. Antigen-specific
      immunoadsorption would remove only the pathogenic autoantibodies, reducing the
      possibility of side effects while maximizing the benefit. We have extensively
      characterized such adsorbents, but in vivo studies are missing. We used rats with
      experimental autoimmune MG to perform antigen-specific immunoadsorptions over
      three weeks, regularly monitoring symptoms and autoantibody titers.
      Immunoadsorption was effective, resulting in a marked autoantibody titer decrease
      while the immunoadsorbed, but not the mock-treated, animals showed a dramatic
      symptom improvement. Overall, the procedure was found to be efficient, suggesting
      the subsequent initiation of clinical trials.

PMID- 28912036
TI  - Dual effects of the PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 on multidrug efflux pumps in resistant
      cancer cells.
AB  - ZSTK474 is a potent phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor that reduces cell
      proliferation via G1-arrest. However, there is little information on the
      susceptibility of this anticancer drug to resistance conferred by the multidrug
      pumps P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) and ABCG2. We have demonstrated that ZSTK474
      generated cytotoxicity in cells over-expressing either pump with potency similar
      to that in drug sensitive cells. In addition, the co-administration of ZSTK474
      with the cytotoxic anti-cancer drugs vinblastine and mitoxantrone caused a
      potentiated cytotoxic effect in both drug sensitive and efflux pump expressing
      cells. These observations suggest that ZSTK474 is unaffected by the presence of
      multidrug efflux pumps and may circumvent their activities. Indeed, ZSTK474
      increased the cellular accumulation of calcein-AM and mitoxantrone in cells
      expressing ABCB1 and ABCG2, respectively. ZSTK474 treatment also resulted in
      reduced expression of both efflux pumps in multidrug resistant cancer cells.
      Measurement of ABCB1 or ABCG2 mRNA levels demonstrated that the reduction was not
      due to altered transcription. Similarly, inhibitor studies showed that the
      proteasomal degradation pathway for ABCB1 and the lysosomal route for ABCG2
      degradation were unaffected by ZSTK474. Thus the mechanism underlying reduced
      ABCB1 and ABCG2 levels caused by ZSTK474 was due to a reduction in overall
      protein synthesis; a process influenced by the PI3K pathway. In summary, ZSTK474
      is not susceptible to efflux by the resistance mediators ABCB1 and ABCG2.
      Moreover, it inhibits the drug transport function of the pumps and leads to a
      reduction in their cellular expression levels. Our observations demonstrate that
      ZSTK474 is a powerful anticancer drug.

PMID- 28912037
TI  - The role of mental imagery in mood amplification: An investigation across
      subclinical features of bipolar disorders.
AB  - Vivid emotional mental imagery has been identified across a range of mental
      disorders. In bipolar spectrum disorders - psychopathologies characterized by
      mood swings that alternate between depression and mania, and include irritability
      and mixed affect states - mental imagery has been proposed to drive instability
      in both 'positive' and 'negative' mood. That is, mental imagery can act as an
      "emotional amplifier". The current experimental study tested this hypothesis and
      investigated imagery characteristics associated with mood amplification using a
      spectrum approach to psychopathology. Young adults (N = 42) with low, medium and
      high scores on a measure of subclinical features of bipolar disorder (BD), i.e.,
      hypomanic-like experiences such as overly 'positive' mood, excitement and
      hyperactivity, completed a mental imagery generation training task using positive
      picture-word cues. Results indicate that (1) mood amplification levels were
      dependent on self-reported hypomanic-like experiences. In particular, (2)
      engaging in positive mental imagery led to mood amplification of both positive
      and negative mood in those participants higher in hypomanic-like experiences.
      Further, (3) in participants scoring high for hypomanic-like experiences, greater
      vividness of mental imagery during the experimental task was associated with
      greater amplification of positive mood. Thus, for individuals with high levels of
      hypomanic-like experiences, the generation of emotional mental imagery may play a
      causal role in their mood changes. This finding has implications for
      understanding mechanisms driving mood amplification in bipolar spectrum
      disorders, such as targeting imagery vividness in therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 28912038
TI  - Proton Pump Inhibitor Use Is Associated With a Reduced Risk of Infection with
      Intestinal Protozoa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) can kill some human protozoan parasites
      in cell culture better than the drug metronidazole. Clinical data showing an
      antiprotozoal effect for PPIs are lacking. The objective of the study is to
      determine if PPI use is associated with a reduced risk of having intestinal
      parasites. METHODS: We obtained electronic medical record data for all persons
      who received a stool ova and parasite (O & P) examination at our tertiary care
      academic medical center in Cleveland, Ohio, between January 2000 and September
      2014. We obtained the person's age, whether they were taking a PPI at the time of
      the O & P examination, and whether the pathology report indicated the presence of
      any parasites. chi2 with Yates correction was used to determine if PPI use was
      associated with stool protozoa. RESULTS: Three intestinal protozoa were
      identified in 1199 patients taking a PPI (0.3%), and 551 intestinal parasites
      were identified in the 14,287 patients not taking a PPI (3.9%). There was a
      statistically significant lower likelihood of finding protozoa in the stool of a
      person taking a PPI compared with those not taking a PPI (P < .0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients taking a PPI were statistically less likely to have an
      intestinal protozoa reported on stool O & P examination compared with those not
      taking a PPI.

PMID- 28912039
TI  - Acquired Heart Disease Superimposed on Congenital Heart Disease.
AB  - A 50-year-old man with a murmur since birth developed systemic arterial
      hypertension as an adult. He came to the hospital because of dyspnea. He had a
      pulmonic valve ejection click and a murmur of pulmonic stenosis. His
      echocardiogram showed biventricular hypertrophy, a flat ventricular septum, a D
      shaped left ventricle, systolic doming of the pulmonic valve, and Doppler
      evidence of a 70 mm Hg peak systolic pressure gradient across the pulmonic valve
      and a peak right ventricular systolic pressure of 100 mm Hg. His
      electrocardiograms showed no evidence of the right ventricular and right atrial
      enlargement so evident on echocardiogram, presumably because it was obscured by
      the marked changes of left ventricular hypertrophy. Three years later, when he
      was admitted for sepsis and worsening heart failure with anasarca, the voltage
      changes of left ventricular hypertrophy had virtually disappeared, likely due to
      the large amount of fluid between the heart and the electrodes.

PMID- 28912040
TI  - Inaccuracy of Right Atrial Pressure Estimates Through Inferior Vena Cava Indices.
AB  - The precision of echocardiography in estimating pulmonary pressures has been
      debated. A value of right atrial pressure (RAP) is needed for pulmonary pressure
      estimation, and it could be partly responsible for the estimation error. Several
      schemes based on the inferior vena cava (IVC) are commonly used in clinical
      practice and in experimental studies for RAP estimation. However, the majority
      lack proper validation, and thus far, no study has compared them all. In this
      prospective, blinded study, a comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography was
      performed on 200 patients referred for right heart catheterization. The IVC was
      measured in different views and RAP was estimated according to 6 different
      schemes. One hundred ninety patients were suitable for analysis. IVC measurements
      were significantly but poorly associated with invasive RAP. All RAP schemes
      showed poor accuracy compared with invasive RAP (average accuracy 34%). None of
      the schemes showed a clear superiority over the others. No echocardiographic or
      clinical variables showed a relevant impact on the estimation error. In
      conclusion, RAP estimation based on the IVC is highly inaccurate irrespective of
      the method used and should be avoided whenever possible. Whether adding estimated
      RAP values affects the estimation of pulmonary pressures is yet to be determined.

PMID- 28912042
TI  - Aptamer micelles targeting fractalkine-expressing cancer cells in vitro and in
      vivo.
AB  - In this work we hypothesized that the chemokine fractalkine can serve as a cancer
      molecular target. We engineered aptamer micelles functionalized with an outer
      poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) corona, and investigated the extent and efficacy of
      using them as a targeting tool against fractalkine-expressing colon
      adenocarcinoma cells. In vitro cell binding results showed that aptamer micelles
      bound and internalized to fractalkine-expressing cancer cells with the majority
      of the micelles found free in the cytoplasm. Minimal surface binding was observed
      by healthy cells. Even though partial PEGylation did not prevent serum
      adsorption, micelles were highly resistant to endonuclease and exonuclease
      degradation. In vivo biodistribution studies and confocal studies demonstrated
      that even though both aptamer and control micelles showed tumor accumulation,
      only the aptamer micelles internalized into fractalkine-expressing cancer cells,
      thus demonstrating the potential of the approach and showing that fractalkine may
      serve as a specific target for nanoparticle delivery to cancer cells.

PMID- 28912041
TI  - Postoperative B-type natriuretic peptide monitoring for the assessment of the
      magnitude of shunting through Blalock-Taussig anastomoses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (MBTS) is the most common
      palliative operation performed in patients with complex cardiac defects.
      Postoperative morbidity and mortality rates are high, mainly due to shunt
      thrombosis and over-shunting. Over-shunting may be difficult to identify
      postoperatively based on conventional criteria. Since plasma B-type natriuretic
      peptide (BNP) concentrations correlate with the magnitude of shunting in various
      left-to-right shunt cardiac defects, we investigated its ability to identify
      postoperative MBTS over-shunting. METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective,
      observational study included 42 consecutive patients (median age 9.50days, IQR:
      6.00-58.25) undergoing MBTS for obstruction of the pulmonary blood flow at a
      tertiary referral pediatric cardiac center. The BNP threshold concentrations
      which accurately predicted outcome and MBTS over-shunting were derived using the
      ROC methodology. 443 BNP concentrations were analysed. The presence of atrio
      ventricular valve regurgitation was the most important component of overall
      variance (72.75%). In 34 patients without regurgitation, BNP concentrations were
      predictive of a duration of mechanical ventilation >8days and of intensive care
      stay >11days, with ROC areas of 0.655 [0.597-0.719], 0.650 [0.589-0.711], a
      negative predictive value for the >1035pgmL-1 threshold of 0.93 and 0.96
      respectively. SaO2 was less accurate for the prediction of both outcomes. In
      patients in whom the pulmonary flow was entirely MBTS-supplied, a BNP
      concentrations >1052pgmL-1 was predictive of a pulmonary-to-systemic ratio>2.
      CONCLUSION: In MBTS patients without atrio-ventricular valve regurgitation,
      maintaining BNP below 1000pgmL-1 may represent a therapeutic target to avoid over
      shunting.

PMID- 28912043
TI  - Abnormal segments of right uncinate fasciculus and left anterior thalamic
      radiation in major and bipolar depression.
AB  - Differential brain structural abnormalities between bipolar disorder (BD) and
      major depressive disorder (MDD) may reflect different pathological mechanisms
      underlying these two brain disorders. However, few studies have directly compared
      the brain structural properties, especially in white matter (WM) tracts, between
      BD and MDD. Using automated fiber-tract quantification (AFQ), we utilized
      diffusion tensor images (DTI) from 67 unmedicated depressed patients, including
      31 BD and 36 MDD, and 45 healthy controls (HC) to create fractional anisotropy
      (FA) tract profiles along 20 major WM tracts. Then, we compared between-group
      differences in FA values at each node along the fiber tracts. To differentiate
      the BD and the MDD, we enrolled the diffusion measures of the tract profiles into
      support vector machine (SVM), a type of machine learning algorithm. The BD showed
      lower FA in the insular cortex portion of the right uncinate fasciculus (UF)
      compared to the MDD and in the prefrontal lobe portion of the right UF compared
      to the HC. The MDD showed lower FA in the prefrontal lobe portion of the left
      anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) compared to the HC. Using the SVM approach, we
      found the FA tract profile of the left ATR can be used to differentiate the BD
      and the MDD at an accuracy up to 68.33% (p=0.018). These findings suggested that
      the BD and the MDD may be characterized by different abnormalities in specific
      segments of brain WM tracts, especially in two frontal-situated tracts, the right
      UF and the left ATR.

PMID- 28912044
TI  - Sex estimation in a contemporary Turkish population based on CT scans of the
      calcaneus.
AB  - Building a reliable biological profile from decomposed remains depends heavily on
      the accurate estimation of sex. A variety of methods based on every single
      skeletal element have been developed over the years for different populations
      employing both osteological and virtual methods. The latter seem to be a
      reasonable alternative in countries lacking osteological reference collections.
      The current study used 3D virtual models of calcanei from CT scans of living
      adults to develop a sex estimation method for contemporary Turkish. Four hundred
      and twenty eight calcanei CT scans were analysed. The sample was divided in two
      subsamples: an original (N=348) and a validation sample (N=80) with similar
      distribution of males and females. Nine classical measurements were taken using
      the 3D models of the calcanei and two different statistical methods (Discriminant
      function analysis and Binary logistic regression) were used. Classification
      accuracy ranged from 82% to 98% for the validation sample and it was consistently
      high using any of the two methods. Sex bias seems to be lower for most of the
      logistic regression equations compared to the discriminant functions. These
      results, however, need further testing to be verified. Based on the results of
      this study we recommend the use of both methods for sex estimation from the
      measurements of the calcaneus bone in a Turkish population.

PMID- 28912045
TI  - Sulfate-reducing bacteria stimulate gut immune responses and contribute to
      inflammation in experimental colitis.
AB  - The intestinal microbiota is critical for mammalian immune system development and
      homeostasis. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are part of the normal gut
      microbiota, but their increased levels may contribute to colitis development,
      likely in association with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production. Here, we
      investigated the effects of SRB in the gut immune response in germ-free mice, and
      in experimental colitis. After 7days of colonization with Desulfovibrio
      indonesiensis or with a human SRB consortium (from patients with colitis), germ
      free mice exhibited alterations in the colonic architecture, with increased cell
      infiltration in the lamina propria. SRB colonization upregulated the Th17 and
      Treg profiles of cytokine production/cell activation, in T cells from mesenteric
      lymph nodes. These alterations were more pronounced in mice colonized with the
      human SRB consortium, although D. indonesiensis colonization produced higher
      levels of H2S. Importantly, the colon of C57BL/6 mice with colitis induced by
      TNBS or oxazolone had increased SRB colonization, and the administration of D.
      indonesiensis to mice with TNBS-induced colitis clearly exacerbated the
      alterations in colonic architecture observed in the established disease, and also
      increased mouse weight loss. We conclude that SRB contribute to immune response
      activation in the gut and play an important role in colitis development.

PMID- 28912046
TI  - Seasonal expression of luteinizing hormone receptor and follicle stimulating
      hormone receptor in testes of the wild ground squirrels (Citellus dauricus
      Brandt).
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate whether luteinizing hormone (LH),
      follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and their receptors luteinizing hormone
      receptor (LHR) and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) play roles in the
      seasonal spermatogenesis of the wild ground squirrels. To that end, we
      characterized the testicular immunolocalization of LHR and FSHR, their expression
      on both mRNA and protein levels, as well as serum concentrations of LH and FSH in
      male wild ground squirrels throughout the annual reproductive cycle.
      Histologically, all types of spermatogenic cells including mature spermatozoa
      were identified in the breeding season (April), while spermatogonia and primary
      spermatocytes were observed in the non-breeding season (June), and spermatogonia,
      primary spermatocytes and secondary spermatocytes were found in pre-hibernation
      (September). LHR was present in Leydig cells during the whole periods with more
      intense staining in the breeding season; Stronger immunostaining of FSHR was
      observed in Sertoli cells during the breeding season compared to the non-breeding
      season and pre-hibernation. Consistently, the mRNA and protein levels of LHR and
      FSHR were higher in testes of the breeding season, and then decreased to a
      relatively lower level in the non-breeding season and pre-hibernation. Meanwhile,
      serum LH and FSH concentrations were significantly higher in the breeding season
      than those in the non-breeding season and pre-hibernation. These results
      suggested that gonadotropins and its receptors, LHR and FSHR may be involved in
      the regulation of seasonal changes in testicular functions of the wild ground
      squirrels.

PMID- 28912047
TI  - Analytical and diagnostic aspects of carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT): A
      critical review over years 2007-2017.
AB  - The need for investigating alcohol abuse by means of objective tools is worldwide
      accepted. Among the currently available biomarkers of chronic alcohol abuse,
      carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is one of the most used indicator,
      mainly because of its high specificity. However, some CDT analytical and
      interpretation aspects are still under discussion, as witnessed by numerous
      research papers and reviews. The present article presents a critical review of
      the literature on CDT appeared in the period from 2007 to 2017 (included). The
      article is organized in the following sections: (1) introduction, (2) pre
      analytical aspects (3) analytical aspects (4) diagnostic aspects (5) concluding
      remarks. As many as 139 papers appeared in the international literature and
      retrieved by the search engines PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus are quoted.

PMID- 28912048
TI  - Effectiveness and safety of robotic-assisted versus laparoscopic hepatectomy for
      liver neoplasms: A meta-analysis of retrospective studies.
AB  - This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of RAH and
      LLR for liver neoplasms. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMbase, the
      Cochrane Library, Web of science, and China Biology Medicine disc up to July 2016
      for studies that provided comparisons between the surgical outcomes of RAH and
      LLR for liver neoplasms. WMD, OR and 95% CI were calculated and data combined
      using the random-effect model. The quality of the evidence was assessed using
      GRADE methods. A total of 17 studies were included in the meta-analysis, in which
      487 patients were in the RAH group and 902 patients were in the LLR group. The
      meta-analysis results indicated: compared to LLR, RAH was associated with more
      estimated blood loss, longer operative time, and longer time to first nutritional
      intake (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in length of hospital
      stay, conversion rate during operation, R0 resection rate, complications and
      mortality (p > 0.05). Three studies reported the total cost, and the result
      showed a higher cost in the RAH group when compared with the LLR group (p <
      0.05). This meta-analysis indicated that RAH and LLR display similar
      effectiveness and safety in hepatectomy. Considering the lack of high quality
      original studies, prospective clinical trials should be conducted to provide
      strong evidence for clinical guidelines formation, and the insurance coverage
      policies should be established to promote the application of robotic surgery in
      the future.

PMID- 28912049
TI  - Two novel mutations in ZAP70 gene that result in human immunodeficiency.

PMID- 28912050
TI  - Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy in Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition:
      A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the benefits of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT)
      in children with complicated severe acute malnutrition. STUDY DESIGN: We
      conducted a randomized, controlled trial in 90 children aged 6-60 months with
      complicated severe acute malnutrition at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in
      Malawi. All children received standard care; the intervention group also received
      PERT for 28 days. RESULTS: Children treated with PERT for 28 days did not gain
      more weight than controls (13.7 +/- 9.0% in controls vs 15.3 +/- 11.3% in PERT; P
      = .56). Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency was present in 83.1% of patients on
      admission and fecal elastase-1 levels increased during hospitalization mostly
      seen in children with nonedematous severe acute malnutrition (P <.01). Although
      the study was not powered to detect differences in mortality, mortality was
      significantly lower in the intervention group treated with pancreatic enzymes
      (18.6% vs 37.8%; P < .05). Children who died had low fecal fatty acid split
      ratios at admission. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency was not improved by PERT,
      but children receiving PERT were more likely to be discharged with every passing
      day (P = .02) compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: PERT does not improve weight
      gain in severely malnourished children but does increase the rate of hospital
      discharge. Mortality was lower in patients on PERT, a finding that needs to be
      investigated in a larger cohort with stratification for edematous and
      nonedematous malnutrition. Mortality in severe acute malnutrition is associated
      with markers of poor digestive function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN.com:
      57423639.

PMID- 28912051
TI  - The Relationship between Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors and Carotid Intima
      Media Thickness in Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the number of coronary artery disease risk factors and
      the individual coronary artery disease risk factors that have a negative
      influence on carotid intima-media thickness in children. STUDY DESIGN: One
      hundred and nineteen children (mean age 10.51 +/- 0.52 years; 51% female)
      participated. Each subject was assessed for carotid intima-media thickness, total
      cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glucose, body mass
      index (BMI), and resting blood pressure. Surveys assessed family history of
      cardiovascular disease, and physical activity. Ultrasound assessment was
      completed on the right and left common carotid arteries. Statistical analyses
      included the t test, chi2 test, one-way ANOVA, and stepwise regression. RESULTS:
      An increase in carotid intima-media thickness was observed with 2 vs 0 coronary
      artery disease risk factors for left carotid intima-media thickness (P < .001).
      With 3+ vs 0 coronary artery disease risk factors, increases in left (P < .001)
      and combined left and right carotid intima-media thickness (P < .05) were
      observed. BMI independently predicted carotid intima-media thickness (r = 0.410;
      P < .01), but HDL-C did not. However, HDL-C was significantly inversely related
      to BMI (r = -0.534; P < .01). Combining BMI and HDL-C provided the strongest
      prediction of carotid intima-media thickness (r = 0.451; adjusted R2 = 0.190).
      Compared with children with a healthy and overweight BMI, children in the obese
      category had greater right (P < .00), left (P < .001), and combined right and
      left carotid intima-media thickness (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Carotid intima-media
      thickness is negatively influenced by 2+ coronary artery disease risk factors.
      Weight status appears to have the greatest negative impact on carotid intima
      media thickness in children. These findings support the need for strategies to
      lower BMI in children.

PMID- 28912053
TI  - Erratum Regarding "Food Insecurity, CKD, and Subsequent ESRD in US Adults" (Am J
      Kidney Dis. 2017;70[1]:38-47).

PMID- 28912055
TI  - Data Without Numbers.

PMID- 28912054
TI  - Effectiveness of Pharmacist Interventions on Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With
      CKD: A Subgroup Analysis of the Randomized Controlled RxEACH Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Affecting a substantial proportion of adults, chronic kidney disease
      (CKD) is considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) events. It has
      been reported that patients with CKD are underserved when it comes to CV risk
      reduction efforts. STUDY DESIGN: Prespecified subgroup analysis of a randomized
      controlled trial. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Adults with CKD and at least 1
      uncontrolled CV risk factor were enrolled from 56 pharmacies across Alberta,
      Canada. INTERVENTION: Patient, laboratory, and individualized CV risk
      assessments; treatment recommendations; prescription adaptation(s) and/or
      initiation as necessary; and regular monthly follow-up for 3 months. OUTCOMES:
      The primary outcome was change in estimated CV risk from baseline to 3 months
      after randomization. Secondary outcomes were change between baseline and 3 months
      after randomization in individual CV risk factors (ie, low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, blood pressure, and hemoglobin A1c), risk for developing end-stage
      renal disease, and medication use and dosage; tobacco cessation 3 months after
      randomization for those who used tobacco at baseline; and the impact of rural
      versus urban residence on the difference in change in estimated CV risk.
      MEASUREMENTS: CV risk was estimated using the Framingham, UK Prospective Diabetes
      Study, and international risk assessment equations depending on the patients'
      comorbid conditions. RESULTS: 290 of the 723 participants enrolled in RxEACH had
      CKD. After adjusting for baseline values, the difference in change in CV risk was
      20% (P<0.001). Changes of 0.2mmol/L in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      concentration (P=0.004), 10.5mmHg in systolic blood pressure (P<0.001), 0.7% in
      hemoglobin A1c concentration (P<0.001), and 19.6% in smoking cessation (P=0.04)
      were observed when comparing the intervention and control groups. There was a
      larger reduction in CV risk in patients living in rural locations versus those
      living in urban areas. LIMITATIONS: The 3-month follow-up period can be
      considered relatively short. It is possible that larger reduction in CV risk
      could have been observed with a longer follow up period. CONCLUSIONS: This
      subgroup analysis demonstrated that a community pharmacy-based intervention
      program reduced CV risk and improved control of individual CV risk factors. This
      represents a promising approach to identifying and managing patients with CKD
      that could have important public health implications.

PMID- 28912052
TI  - Assessing Children's Report of Stool Consistency: Agreement Between the Pediatric
      Rome III Questionnaire and the Bristol Stool Scale.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the agreement between the Questionnaire on Pediatric
      Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III (QPGS-RIII) and the Bristol Stool Scale (BSS)
      in evaluating stool consistency and the diagnosis of functional constipation in
      children. STUDY DESIGN: Children aged 8-18 years were asked to describe their
      stool consistency in the previous month according to the QPGS-RIII and the BSS.
      Stool consistency according to both instruments was categorized into 3
      categories: "hard," "normal," and "liquid." The children's reported stool
      consistency using the QPGS-RIII and the BSS were compared, and the intrarater
      agreement between the 2 instruments was measured using the Cohen kappa
      coefficient (kappa). The diagnosis of functional constipation was based on the
      Rome III criteria, incorporating the assessment of stool consistency according to
      the QPGS-RIII and the BSS. RESULTS: A total of 1835 children were included. Only
      slight agreement existed between the QPGS-RIII and the BSS for assessing stool
      consistency (kappa = .046; P = .022). Significantly more children reported hard
      stools on the BSS compared to the QPGS-RIII (18.0% vs 7.1%; P = .000). The
      prevalence of functional constipation was 8.6% using the QPGS-RIII and 9.3% using
      the BSS (P = .134). CONCLUSIONS: Only slight agreement exists between the QPGS
      RIII and the BSS in the evaluation of stool consistency in children. Better
      instruments are needed to assess the consistency of stools with a high degree of
      reliability, both in research and in the clinical setting.

PMID- 28912056
TI  - Revisiting unplanned extubation in the pediatric intensive care unit: What's new?
AB  - In 2010, recommendations for preventing unplanned extubations (UEs) in pediatric
      patients were published based on a literature review. Since then, there have been
      an increasing number of publications related to UE focusing on children. If the
      introduction of care bundles and larger body of evidence on UE had impact on UE
      occurrence, this would have important implications on clinical practice. We
      searched for relevant publications published between Jan 1, 2010 and Jun 30, 2016
      in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane systems. Eight articles were eligible for
      data abstraction. Three studies were of high methodological quality. The mean
      contemporaneous incidence of UEs was 1.19 UEs/100 intubation days. The primary
      risk factors were as follows: caregiver bedside procedures/manipulation,
      agitation, and endotracheal tube care. The ideal incidence of UEs remains
      unknown. Key areas identified in the current review may be amenable to changes in
      unit processes by implementing a care bundle strategy.

PMID- 28912057
TI  - Apnoeic oxygenation during intubation in the intensive care unit: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Hypoxaemia increases the risk of cardiac arrest and mortality during intubation.
      The reduced physiological reserve and reduced efficacy of pre-oxygenation in
      intensive care patients makes their intubation particularly dangerous. Apnoeic
      oxygenation is a promising means of preventing hypoxaemia in this setting. We
      sought to ascertain whether apnoeic oxygenation reduces the incidence of
      hypoxaemia when used during endotracheal intubation in the intensive care unit
      (ICU). A systematic review of five databases for all relevant studies published
      up to November 2016 was performed. Eligible studies investigated apnoeic
      oxygenation during intubation in the ICU, irrespective of design. All studies
      were assessed for risk of bias and level of evidence. A meta-analysis was
      performed on all data using Revman 5.3. Six studies including 518 patients were
      retrieved. The study found level 1 evidence of a significant reduction in the
      incidence of critical desaturation (RR = 0.69, CI = 0.48-1.00, p = 0.05) and a
      significant increase in the lowest SpO2 value by 2.83% (CI = 2.28-3.38, p <
      0.00001). There was a significant reduction in ICU stay (WMD = -2.89, 95%CI = 
      3.25 to -2.51, p < 0.00001). There was no significant difference between groups
      regarding mortality (RR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.59-1.03, p = 0.08), first pass
      intubation success (RR = 1.17, 95%CI = 0.67 to 2.03, p = 0.58), arrhythmia during
      intubation (RR = 0.58, 95%CI = 0.08 to 4.29, p = 0.60), cardiac arrest during
      intubation (RR = 0.33, 95%CI = 0.01 to 7.84, p = 0.49) and duration of
      ventilation (WMD = -1.97, 95%CI = -5.89 to 1.95, p = 0.32). Apnoeic oxygenation
      reduces patient hypoxaemia during intubation performed in the ICU. This meta
      analysis found evidence that apnoeic oxygenation may significantly reduce the
      incidence of critical desaturation and significantly raises the minimum recorded
      SpO2 in this setting. We recommend apnoeic oxygenation be incorporated into ICU
      intubation protocol.

PMID- 28912058
TI  - Translation and cultural adaptation of the quality of communication questionnaire
      for ICU family members in Korea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no Korean instruments to assess the concepts associated
      with end-of-life communication quality. OBJECTIVES: To translate and culturally
      adapt the Quality of Communication (QOC) questionnaire into Korean and evaluate
      its acceptability and internal consistency. METHODS: We first translated the QOC
      from English into Korean, then back-translated from Korean to English, and
      evaluated the cultural appropriateness of the items. We pretested and refined the
      Korean version of the QOC with 11 ICU family members. Subsequently, the Korean
      version of the QOC was administered to 62 family members of chronically
      critically ill patients recruited from 10 ICUs to evaluate its internal
      consistency. RESULTS: Participants completed the Korean QOC without difficulty
      during the pretest, and it showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's
      alpha >=0.85). CONCLUSION: This study provided preliminary evidence of the
      acceptability and reliability of the Korean QOC in ICU family members.
      Nonetheless, further evaluation, including item relevance and other psychometric
      properties, is warranted.

PMID- 28912060
TI  - Conservative management of a first spontaneous hyphema secondary to iris vascular
      tufts.

PMID- 28912059
TI  - Piracetam inhibits ethanol (EtOH)-induced memory deficit by mediating multiple
      pathways.
AB  - Excessive ethanol (EtOH) intake, especially to prenatal exposure, can
      significantly affect cognitive function and cause permanent learning and memory
      injures in children. As a result, how to protect children from EtOH neurotoxicity
      has gained increasing attention in recent years. Piracetam (Pir) is a nootropic
      drug derived from c-aminobutyric acid and can manage cognition impairments in
      multiple neurological disorders. Studies have shown that Pir can exert
      therapeutic effects on EtOH-induced memory impairments, but the underlying
      mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we found that Pir inhibited ethanol
      induced memory deficit by mediating multiple pathways. Treatment with EtOH could
      cause cognitive deficit in juvenile rats, and triggered the alteration of
      synaptic plasticity. Administration with Pir significantly increased long-term
      potentiation and protected hippocampus neurons from EtOH neurotoxicity. Pir
      intervention ameliorated EtOH-induced cell apoptosis and inhibited the activation
      of Caspase-3 in vitro, suggesting that Pir protected neurons by anti-apoptotic
      effects. Pir could decrease the expression of LC3-II and Beclin-1 induced by
      EtOH, and increase the phosphorylation of mTOR and reduce the phosphorylation of
      Akt, which suggested that the protective effect of Pir was involved in regulation
      of autophagic process and mTOR/Akt pathways. In conclusion, we speculate that Pir
      reduces EtOH-induced neuronal damage by regulation of apoptotic action and
      autophagic action, and our research offers preclinical evidence for the
      application of Pir in ethanol toxicity.

PMID- 28912061
TI  - [Wide field OCT-angiography of a patient with proliferative diabetic
      retinopathy].

PMID- 28912062
TI  - Simulation of a dynamical ecotourism system with low carbon activity: A case from
      western China.
AB  - Currently, sustainable tourism is becoming more and more important in developing
      ecological economies. To achieve low-carbon development, some industries, such as
      logistics and municipal solid waste, have already taken action, but tourism has
      not attached sufficient importance to this issue. This paper designs an
      ecotourism system including tourism, carbon waste (solid waste and sewage), and
      ecology (water supply and green areas) to simulate low-carbon ecotourism through
      a quantitative approach. This paper explores the tourism system as well as some
      interactive factors and studies their quantitative relationship based on
      historical data. A feedback-loop dynamical system model is designed to simulate
      tourism, waste carbon, and ecology simultaneously. Finally, a case study applying
      the feedback-loop dynamical system model to Leshan City, a typical travel
      destination with colorful natural resources in western China, is conducted to
      indicate the development of ecotourism in an environmentally friendly economy,
      which verifies the positive effects of the model. Results show a coordinating
      upward tendency of tourism, solid waste carbon, and ecology from the dynamical
      model. When tourism increases, solid waste accumulation increases; however, the
      amount of sewage dumped directly into nature decreases sharply. After analysis of
      investment policy scenarios, the research indicates that more funds for sewage
      treatment will attract more tourists. To maintain the equilibrium of carbon
      waste, more funds shall be invested in solid waste treatment in the long term.
      Some discussions about local policy are included.

PMID- 28912063
TI  - Differential expression by chromatin modifications of alcohol dehydrogenase 1 of
      Chorispora bungeana in cold stress.
AB  - Epigenetic modifications regulate plant genes to cope with a variety of
      environmental stresses. Chorispora bungeana is an alpine subnival plant with
      strong tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, especially cold stress. In this
      study, we characterized the alcohol dehydrogenase 1 gene from Chorispora
      bungeana, CbADH1, that is up-regulated in cold conditions. Overexpression of
      CbADH1 in Arabidopsis thaliana improved cold tolerance, as indicated by a
      decreased lethal temperature (LT50). Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed
      that histone H3 is removed from the promoter region and the middle-coding region
      of the gene. H3K9 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylation increased throughout the
      gene and in the proximal promoter region, respectively. Moreover, increased Ser5P
      and Ser2P polymerase II accumulation further indicated changes in the
      transcription initiation and elongation of CbADH1 were due to the cold stress.
      Taken together, our results suggested that CbADH1 is highly expressed during cold
      stress, and is regulated by epigenetic modifications. This study expands our
      understanding of the regulation of gene expression by epigenetic modifications in
      response to environmental cues.

PMID- 28912064
TI  - Cell cycle and histone modification genes were decreased in placenta tissue from
      unexplained early miscarriage.
AB  - Genetic defect is a major cause of early miscarriage, but still in many cases the
      etiology are not fully understood. Recent studies have shown that dysregulation
      of genes in placenta tissue are participated in the pathogenesis of unexplained
      early miscarriage. The aim of our study is to explore mRNA expression profile in
      placental chorionic villi and to reveal the underlying mechanism of unexplained
      early miscarriage. Chorionic villous were isolated and extracted from early
      miscarriage (n=3) and control pregnancy (n=3) placenta with normal chromosome
      karyotype using MLPA assay, and then mRNA expression profiles were determined by
      microarray. For verification the reproducibility of the microarray, three up
      regulated genes and six down-regulated genes were chosen and examined by real
      time PCR (n=30). A total of 81 genes were up-regulated and 231 genes were down
      regulated when compared to the control group, and the differences were reached
      statistically significances (P<0.05). After Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto
      Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses, we found that almost
      down-regulation genes are associated with cell cycle and histone modification,
      and these genes are participated in several important physiological processes,
      such as cell proliferation, nuclear division, chromatic assembly, DNA packing and
      modification. These results indicated that cell cycle and histone modification
      genes, and related signaling pathway maybe contribute to the genesis and
      development of unexplained early miscarriage. Further studies and validations are
      necessary to elucidate the exact roles of these genes in miscarriage
      pathogenesis, which can develop tools for early detection and management.

PMID- 28912065
TI  - Taino and African maternal heritage in the Greater Antilles.
AB  - Notwithstanding the general interest and the geopolitical importance of the
      island countries in the Greater Antilles, little is known about the specific
      ancestral Native American and African populations that settled them. In an effort
      to alleviate this lacuna of information on the genetic constituents of the
      Greater Antilles, we comprehensively compared the mtDNA compositions of Cuba,
      Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. To accomplish this, the mtDNA
      HVRI and HVRII regions, as well as coding diagnostic sites, were assessed in the
      Haitian general population and compared to data from reference populations. The
      Taino maternal DNA is prominent in the ex-Spanish colonies (61.3%-22.0%) while it
      is basically non-existent in the ex-French and ex-English colonies of Haiti
      (0.0%) and Jamaica (0.5%), respectively. The most abundant Native American mtDNA
      haplogroups in the Greater Antilles are A2, B2 and C1. The African mtDNA
      component is almost fixed in Haiti (98.2%) and Jamaica (98.5%), and the
      frequencies of specific African haplogroups vary considerably among the five
      island nations. The strong persistence of Taino mtDNA in the ex-Spanish colonies
      (and especially in Puerto Rico), and its absence in the French and English
      excolonies is likely the result of different social norms regarding mixed
      marriages with Taino women during the early years after the first contact with
      Europeans. In addition, this article reports on the results of an integrative
      approach based on mtDNA analysis and demographic data that tests the hypothesis
      of a southward shift in raiding zones along the African west coast during the
      period encompassing the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

PMID- 28912066
TI  - The cAMP effectors PKA and Epac activate endothelial NO synthase through PI3K/Akt
      pathway in human endothelial cells.
AB  - 3',5'-Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) exerts an endothelium-dependent
      vasorelaxant action by stimulating endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity, and
      the subsequent NO release, through cAMP protein kinase (PKA) and exchange protein
      directly activated by cAMP (Epac) activation in endothelial cells. Here, we have
      investigated the mechanism by which the cAMP-Epac/PKA pathway activates eNOS.
      cAMP-elevating agents (forskolin and dibutyryl-cAMP) and the joint activation of
      PKA (6-Bnz-cAMP) and Epac (8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP) increased cytoplasmic Ca2+
      concentration ([Ca2+]c) in <=30% of fura-2-loaded isolated human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVEC). However, these drugs did not modify [Ca2+]c in fluo-4
      loaded HUVEC monolayers. In DAF-2-loaded HUVEC monolayers, forskolin, PKA and
      Epac activators significantly increased NO release, and the forskolin effect was
      reduced by inhibition of PKA (Rp-cAMPs), Epac (ESI-09), eNOS (L-NAME) or
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K; LY-294,002). On the other hand, inhibition of
      CaMKII (KN-93), AMPK (Compound C), or total absence of Ca2+, was without effect.
      In Western blot experiments, Serine 1177 phosphorylated-eNOS was significantly
      increased in HUVEC by cAMP-elevating agents and PKA or Epac activators. In
      isolated rat aortic rings LY-294,002, but not KN-93 or Compound C, significantly
      reduced the vasorelaxant effects of forskolin in the presence of endothelium. Our
      results suggest that Epac and PKA activate eNOS via Ser 1177 phosphorylation by
      activating the PI3K/Akt pathway, and independently of AMPK or CaMKII activation
      or [Ca2+]c increase. This action explains, in part, the endothelium-dependent
      vasorelaxant effect of cAMP.

PMID- 28912067
TI  - Farnesoid X receptor regulates SULT1E1 expression through inhibition of PGC1alpha
      binding to HNF4alpha.
AB  - Sulfotransferase 1E1 (SULT1E1, also known as estrogen sulfotransferase) plays an
      important role in metabolism and detoxification of many endogenous and exogenous
      compounds (e.g., estrogens and flavonoids). Here we aimed to assess the effects
      of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) activation on SULT1E1 expression, and to determine
      the mechanism thereof. Treatment with specific FXR agonists (i.e., GW4064 and
      CDCA) significantly decreased both mRNA and protein levels of SULT1E1 in HepG2
      cells. This was accompanied by a decrease in the enzymatic activity. The
      inhibitory effect was potentiated by FXR overexpression but attenuated by FXR
      knockdown, confirming FXR-dependent regulation of SULT1E1. Surprisingly, direct
      regulation of SULT1E1 by FXR was unlikely because FXR did not bind to SULT1E1
      promoter or enhancer as revealed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP).
      Interestingly, SULT1E1 regulation was abolished when HNF4alpha (hepatocyte
      nuclear factor 4alpha, a known activator of SULT1E1) was silenced, supporting a
      critical role for HNF4alpha in FXR regulation of SULT1E1. Furthermore, a
      combination of ChIP, luciferase reporter and co-immunoprecipitation assays showed
      that FXR inhibited HNF4alpha transactivation of SULT1E1 by suppressed binding of
      the co-activator PGC1alpha (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma
      coactivator 1alpha) to HNF4alpha. In conclusion, FXR transcriptionally regulates
      SULT1E1 through inhibition of PGC1alpha binding to HNF4alpha. Targeting the FXR
      SULT1E1 axis may represent a promising approach for management of estrogen
      related diseases.

PMID- 28912069
TI  - Generation of a novel human cytomegalovirus bacterial artificial chromosome
      tailored for transduction of exogenous sequences.
AB  - The study of herpesviruses, including human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), is
      complicated by viral genome complexity and inefficient methods for genetic
      manipulation in tissue culture. Reverse genetics of herpesviruses has been
      facilitated by propagating their genomes in E. coli as bacterial artificial
      chromosomes (BACs), which enables complex and precise genetic manipulation using
      bacterial recombinational systems. Internal capsid volume imposes a strict limit
      on the length of genome that can be packaged efficiently. This necessitates
      deletion of presumably nonessential segments of the viral genome to allow for
      incorporation of the E. coli mini-F plasmid propagation sequence. To avoid
      deleting viral genes, several BACs utilize a Cre/LoxP system to self-excise the
      mini-F sequence upon reconstitution of virus in tissue culture. Here, we describe
      the adaptation of Cre/LoxP to modify the mini-F sequence of the HCMV TB40/E BAC,
      thus generating a new self-excisable BAC, TB40/E/Cre. After excision of the E.
      coli propagation sequence, a 2.7 kbp genome length deficit is created due to a
      preexisting deletion within the US2-US6 coding region. We exploited this deficit
      and an FKBP12 protein destabilization domain (ddFKBP) to create a novel gene
      transduction system for studying exogenous proteins during HCMV infection. Using
      TB40/E/Cre, we: i) found genome length-associated differences in growth and ii)
      demonstrated its utility as a system capable of efficient transduction of
      exogenous proteins and regulation of their accumulation over periods as short as
      2h. TB40/E/Cre is a powerful tool of broad applicability that can be adapted to
      study HCMV replication and cell biology in a variety of contexts.

PMID- 28912070
TI  - Recombinant influenza H7 hemagglutinin containing CFLLC minidomain in the
      transmembrane domain showed enhanced cross-protection in mice.
AB  - Since February 2013, H7N9 influenza virus, causing human infections with high
      mortality in China, has been a potential pandemic threat. The H7N9 viruses are
      found to diverge into distinct genotypes as other influenza viruses; thus a
      vaccine that can provide sufficient cross-protection against different genotypes
      of H7N9 viruses is urgently needed. Our previous studies demonstrated that the HA
      based structural design approach by introducing a CFLLC minidomain into
      transmembrane domain (TM) of H1, H5 or H9 hemagglutinin (HA) proteins by
      replacing with H3 subtype HA TM could enhance their cross-protection. In this
      study, we used Sf9 insect cell expression system to express recombinant H7 HA
      proteins H7-53WT, in which HA gene was derived from H7N9-53 strain, and H7-53TM
      containing CFLLC minidomian by replacing its TM domain with H3 HA TM. We
      investigated whether introduction of CFLLC minidomain into H7 HA (H7-53TM) could
      increase its cross-reactivity and cross-protection against different genotypes of
      H7N9 viruses. The results showed that the H7-53TM either with or without squalene
      adjuvant induced increased HI antibodies, serum IgG antibodies, and IFN-gamma
      production to a panel of 7 H7N9 viruses in mice. Vaccinated animals with H7-53TM
      alone showed complete protection against challenge with heterologous H7N9-MCX
      strain, while H7-53WT alone showed incomplete protection (80%). Furthermore, mice
      vaccinated with H7-53TM HA showed less body weight loss and less pulmonary
      lesions and inflammation after challenge with homologous or heterologous H7N9
      viruses, comparing to H7-53WT. In summary, this study presents a better subunit
      vaccine candidate (H7-53TM) against potential H7N9 pandemic.

PMID- 28912068
TI  - Angiogenic imbalance and diminished matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 underlie
      regional decreases in uteroplacental vascularization and feto-placental growth in
      hypertensive pregnancy.
AB  - Preeclampsia is a form of hypertension-in-pregnancy (HTN-Preg) with unclear
      mechanism. Generalized reduction of uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) could be an
      initiating event leading to uteroplacental ischemia, angiogenic imbalance, and
      HTN-Preg. Additional regional differences in uteroplacental blood flow could
      further affect the pregnancy outcome and increase the risk of preeclampsia in
      twin or multiple pregnancy, but the mechanisms involved are unclear. To test the
      hypothesis that regional differences in angiogenic balance and matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMPs) underlie regional uteroplacental vascularization and
      feto-placental development, we compared fetal and placental growth, and placental
      and myoendometrial vascularization in the proximal, middle and distal regions of
      the uterus (in relation to the iliac bifurcation) in normal pregnant (Preg) and
      RUPP rats. Maternal blood pressure and plasma anti-angiogenic soluble fms-like
      tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)/placenta growth factor (PIGF) ratio were higher, and
      average placentae number, placenta weight, litter size, and pup weight were less
      in RUPP than Preg rats. The placenta and pup number and weight were reduced,
      while the number and diameter of placental and adjacent myoendometrial arteries,
      and MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels/activity were increased, and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was
      decreased in distal vs proximal uterus of Preg rats. In RUPP rats, the placenta
      and pup number and weight, the number and diameter of placental and
      myoendometrial arteries, and MMP-2 and -9 levels/activity were decreased, and
      sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was increased in distal vs proximal uterus. Treatment with sFlt
      1 or RUPP placenta extract decreased MMP-2 and MMP-9 in distal segments of Preg
      uterus, and treatment with PIGF or Preg placenta extract restored MMP levels in
      distal segments of RUPP uterus. Thus, in addition to the general reduction in
      placental and fetal growth during uteroplacental ischemia, localized angiogenic
      imbalance and diminished MMP-2 and MMP-9 could cause further decrease in
      placental and myoendometrial vascularization and placental and fetal growth in
      distal vs proximal uterus of HTN-Preg rats. Regional differences in
      uteroplacental perfusion, angiogenic balance and MMPs could be a factor in the
      incidence of preeclampsia in multiple pregnancy.

PMID- 28912071
TI  - Sentinel node biopsy after primary chemotherapy in cT2 N0/1 breast cancer
      patients: Long-term results of a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is controversial whether sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is adequate in
      breast cancer patients who become cN0 after primary chemotherapy. To address this
      we retrospectively compared outcomes in T2 cases given primary chemotherapy,
      comparing those given axillary dissection (AD) with those given SNB but no AD if
      sentinel nodes were clinically negative post-chemotherapy. METHODS: We examined
      overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and axillary failure in 317
      consecutive cT2 cN0/1 patients given primary chemotherapy followed by
      quadrantectomy/mastectomy, between January 2002 and December 2007. The approach
      to the axilla changed over time allowing division into three groups: 101 (31.9%)
      given upfront AD; 139 (43.8%) given SNB + AD; and 77 (24.3%) given SNB only
      because the SNs were negative. RESULTS: After median follow-ups of 92 (AD), 99
      (SNB + AD) and 72 months (SNB-only), OS (p = 0.131) and DFS (p = 0.087) did not
      differ between the 3 groups, or between SNB-only and the ypN1 and ypN0 subgroups
      of SNB + AD, or between the cN0 and cN1 subgroups (before chemotherapy) of the
      SNB-only group. No SNB-only patient had axillary failure. OS (p = 0.004) and DFS
      (p = 0.002) were better in patients with complete response than those with
      partial response or stable/progressive disease. CONCLUSIONS: SNB is adequate in
      T2 patients who are cN0 after primary chemotherapy, irrespective of axillary
      status before. Better outcomes after complete pathological remission confirm the
      prognostic importance of response to primary chemotherapy, and suggest that all
      T2 patients should receive primary chemotherapy.

PMID- 28912072
TI  - Suprapubic approach for robotic complete mesocolic excision in right colectomy:
      Oncologic safety and short-term outcomes of an original technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Right-sided colon cancer has a worse prognosis than left-sided
      colon cancer. Complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vessels ligation
      (CVL) reduces local recurrence, but is technically demanding, particularly with a
      laparoscopic approach. Aim of this study is to describe a new robotic approach to
      right colectomy with CME and CVL and to report oncologic safety and short term
      outcomes. METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients were included. All patients had a
      right colon adenocarcinoma and underwent right colectomy with a suprapubic
      approach. Surgery was realized with the Da Vinci Xi(r) system and all trocars
      were placed along a horizontal line 3-6 cm above the pubis. CME with CVL was
      realized in all the patients. Data analysed were: duration of surgery,
      conversions to open surgery, intraoperative and postoperative complication by
      Clavien Dindo classification, margins of resections, length of specimen and
      number of lymph nodes retrieved. RESULTS: Patients median age was 69 years,
      median body mass index was 27 kg/m2. Median operative time was 249 min, blood
      loss was negligible, no conversions to open or laparoscopic surgery occurred.
      Median hospital stay was six days; two postoperative grade IIIa Clavien-Dindo
      complications occurred, no 30-days postoperative death was registered. Resection
      margins were negative in all patients; median tumour diameter was 3.6 cm, median
      specimen length was 40 cm, median number of harvested lymph nodes was 40.
      CONCLUSIONS: Robotic right colectomy with CME using a suprapubic approach is a
      feasible and safe technique that allows for an extended lymphadenectomy and
      provides high quality surgical specimens.

PMID- 28912073
TI  - Mapping of ventricular arrhythmias using a novel noninvasive epicardial and
      endocardial electrophysiology system.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the use of a novel noninvasive
      epicardial and endocardial electrophysiology system (NEEES) for mapping of
      ventricular arrhythmias. METHODS: Eight patients (2 females, mean age 50+/-17
      years) with ischemic (n=3) and nonischemic (n=5) cardiomyopathy and inducible
      ventricular arrhythmias during electrophysiology study were enrolled. Noninvasive
      mapping of ventricular arrhythmias was performed using the NEEES based on body
      surface electrocardiograms and computed tomography imaging data. Arrhythmia
      patterns were analyzed using noninvasive phase mapping. RESULTS: Macro-reentrant
      VT circuits were observed in 3 ischemic and 1 nonischemic cardiomyopathy patient,
      respectively. In the remaining 4 patients, phase mapping revealed relatively
      stable rotor activity and multiple wavelets. CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive cardiac
      mapping was able to visualize the macro-reentrant circuits in patients with scar
      related VT. In patients without myocardial scar only polymorphic VT or VF was
      inducible, and rotor activity and multiple wavelets were observed.

PMID- 28912074
TI  - Heart rate dependency of JT interval sections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little experience exists with the heart rate correction of J-Tpeak
      and Tpeak-Tend intervals. METHODS: In a population of 176 female and 176 male
      healthy subjects aged 32.3+/-9.8 and 33.1+/-8.4years, respectively, curve-linear
      and linear relationship to heart rate was investigated for different sections of
      the JT interval defined by the proportions of the area under the vector magnitude
      of the reconstructed 3D vectorcardiographic loop. RESULTS: The duration of the JT
      sub-section between approximately just before the T peak and almost the T end was
      found heart rate independent. Most of the JT heart rate dependency relates to the
      beginning of the interval. The duration of the terminal T wave tail is only
      weakly heart rate dependent. CONCLUSIONS: The Tpeak-Tend is only minimally heart
      rate dependent and in studies not showing substantial heart rate changes does not
      need to be heart rate corrected. For any correction formula that has linear
      additive properties, heart rate correction of JT and JTpeak intervals is
      practically the same as of the QT interval. However, this does not apply to the
      formulas in the form of Int/RRa since they do not have linear additive
      properties.

PMID- 28912075
TI  - Ventricular repolarization disturbances after high dose intravenous
      methylprednisolone Theraphy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There are no randomized trials evaluating the effects of pulse steroid
      treatment on cardiac electrophysiologic functions. The data are limited only to
      case series. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effects of high dose
      intravenous methylprednisolone therapy on indices of ventricular repolarization.
      METHODS: Fifty patients with various autoimmune and inflammatory disorders were
      enrolled to the study. Electrocardiography (ECG) was obtained 4h before and 12h
      after the pulse steroid treatment. All ECGs were thoroughly evaluated by an
      experienced electrophysiologist. Indices of ventricular repolarization including
      QTc, JT, Tp-Te, Tp-Te/QTc were measured and compared with before and after
      treatment ECGs. RESULTS: There were 36 female and 14 male patients. Mean age was
      36+/-13years. Heart rate was significantly reduced after the therapy (87,16+/
      17,45bpm vs 73,86+/-17,45 p:0,001). QT interval (361,0+/-29,91 vs 388,20+/-42,84
      p:0,001) and corrected QT interval (QTc) was significantly prolonged (401,60+/
      19,79 vs 413,72+/-26,38 p:0,01) after pulse steroid therapy. Also, JT interval
      (273,0+/-28,73 vs. 299,60+/-45,66 p:0,001) and JT interval index (JTI%) was
      significantly prolonged (118,18+/-17,54 vs. 110,56+/-13,92 p:0,01). Tp-e interval
      was significantly prolonged after high-dose steroid treatment (74,60+/-13,12 vs.
      83,80+/-13,68 p:0.001). The ratio of Tp-Te to QTc was also significantly
      increased after pulse steroid therapy (0,18+/-0,03 vs 0,20+/-0,03 p:0,009).
      CONCLUSION: Our study shows that indices of ventricular repolarization are
      significantly prolonged after pulse steroid treatment. These findings indicate an
      increased risk of arrhythmias related to high dose intravenous methylprednisolone
      therapy.

PMID- 28912076
TI  - Positive effects of combined cognitive and physical exercise training on
      cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia: A
      meta-analysis.
AB  - Combined cognitive and physical exercise interventions have potential to elicit
      cognitive benefits in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or
      dementia. This meta-analysis aims to quantify the overall effect of these
      interventions on global cognitive functioning in older adults with MCI or
      dementia. Ten randomized controlled trials that applied a combined cognitive
      physical intervention with cognitive function as an outcome measure were
      included. For each study effect sizes were computed (i.e., post-intervention
      standardized mean difference (SMD) scores) and pooled, using a random-effects
      meta-analysis. The primary analysis showed a small-to-medium positive effect of
      combined cognitive-physical interventions on global cognitive function in older
      adults with MCI or dementia (SMD[95% confidence interval]=0.32[0.17;0.47],
      p<0.00). A combined intervention was equally beneficial in patients with dementia
      (SMD=0.36[0.12;0.60], p<0.00) and MCI (SMD=0.39[0.15;0.63], p<0.05). In addition,
      the analysis showed a moderate-to-large positive effect after combined cognitive
      physical interventions for activities of daily living (ADL) (SMD=0.65[0.09;1.21],
      p<0.01)and a small-to-medium positive effect for mood (SMD=0.27[0.04;0.50],
      p<0.01). These functional benefits emphasize the clinical relevance of combined
      cognitive and physical training strategies.

PMID- 28912077
TI  - Electron receptor addition enhances butanol synthesis in ABE fermentation by
      Clostridium acetobutylicum.
AB  - The techniques for enhancing butanol production in ABE fermentation by
      Clostridium acetobutylicum generally focus on adding electron carrier to
      strengthen NADH synthesis, repressing hydrogenase by aerating CO, supplementing
      butyrate, etc. However, those methods suffer from the problems of total solvent
      decrease, high purification cost, using expensive supplemental substances, etc.
      In this study, we added small amount of electron receptors (Na2SO4/CaSO4, 2g/L)
      into ABE fermentation broth: to alter electron/proton distributions in the
      intracellular electron transport shuttle system, directing more electron/proton
      pairs into NADH synthesis route; to stimulate intracellular accumulation of those
      amino acids favorable for cells survival/butanol synthesis. In ABE fermentation
      in a 7L fermentor, adding 2g/L Na2SO4 could raise butanol concentration to a
      higher level of 12.96g/L, which was 34.8% higher than that of the control.
      Addition of tiny amount cheap electron receptor would provide a new way to
      enhance bio-butanol production.

PMID- 28912078
TI  - Effect of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) on high-rate continuous biohydrogen
      production from galactose.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) on high
      rate continuous fermentative H2 production in a lab-scale fixed bed reactor (FBR)
      inoculated with mixed culture granules and fed with 15g/L galactose at a
      hydraulic retention time of 6h and at 37 degrees C. During the 83days of
      operation, 5-HMF up to 2.4g/L was spiked into the feedstock. The maximum hydrogen
      production performance of 26.6L/L-d and 2.9mol H2/mol galactoseadded were
      achieved at 5-HMF concentration of 0.6g/L. 5-HMF concentration exceeding 0.9g/L
      not only inhibited hydrogen production but also affected the biofilm structure
      and microbial community population. However, when 5-HMF was eliminated from the
      feedstock, the performance and microbial community population were rapidly
      recovered.

PMID- 28912079
TI  - Solid anaerobic digestion: State-of-art, scientific and technological hurdles.
AB  - In this paper, a state-of-art about solid anaerobic digestion (AD), focused on
      recent progress and trends of research is proposed. Solid anaerobic digestion
      should be the most appropriate process for degradation of by-products with high
      total solid (TS) content, especially lignocellulosic materials like agricultural
      waste (straw, manure), household waste and food waste. Solid AD is already widely
      used in waste water treatment plant for treating plant for sewage sludge but
      could be more developed for lignocellulosic materials with high TS content. Many
      research works were carried out in Europe on solid AD, focused on current hurdles
      (BMP, codigestion, inhibition, microbial population, rheology, water transfers,
      inoculum, etc.) in order to optimize the solid AD process. In conclusion, hurdles
      of solid AD process should and must be solved in order to propose better
      productivity and profitability of such system operating with high TS content
      (>15%), favouring reliable industrial processes.

PMID- 28912080
TI  - Induced prodrug activation by conditional protein degradation.
AB  - Enzyme prodrug therapies hold potential as a targeted treatment option for cancer
      patients. However, off-target effects can be detrimental to patient health and
      represent a safety concern. This concern can be alleviated by including a
      failsafe mechanism that can abort the therapy in healthy cells. This feature can
      be included in enzyme prodrug therapies by use of conditional degradation tags,
      which degrade the protein unless stabilized. We call this process Degradation
      Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (DDEPT). Herein, we use traceless shielding
      (TShld), a mechanism that degrades a protein of interest unless it is rescued by
      the addition of rapamycin, to test this concept. We demonstrated that TShld
      rapidly yielded only native protein products within 1h after rapamycin addition.
      The rapid protection phenotype of TShld was further adapted to rescue yeast
      cytosine deaminase, a prodrug converting enzyme. As expected, cell viability was
      adversely affected only in the presence of both 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) and
      rapamycin. We believe that the DDEPT system can be easily combined with other
      targeting strategies to further increase the safety of prodrug therapies.

PMID- 28912081
TI  - Towards understanding rTMS mechanism of action: Stimulation of the DLPFC causes
      network-specific increase in functional connectivity.
AB  - Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a powerful non-invasive technique for
      the modulation of brain activity. While the precise mechanism of action is still
      unknown, TMS is applied in cognitive neuroscience to establish causal
      relationships between stimulation and subsequent changes in cerebral function and
      behavioral outcome. In addition, TMS is an FDA-approved therapeutic agent in
      psychiatric disorders, especially major depression. Successful repetitive TMS in
      such disorders is usually applied over the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex
      (DLPFC) and treatment response mechanism was therefore supposed to be based on
      modulations in functional networks, particularly the meso-cortico-limbic reward
      circuit. However, mechanistic evidence for the direct effects of rTMS over DLPFC
      is sparse. Here we show the specificity and temporal evolution of rTMS effects by
      comparing connectivity changes within 20 common independent components in a sham
      controlled study. Using an unbiased whole-brain resting-state network (RSN)
      approach, we successfully demonstrate that stimulation of left DLPFC modulates
      anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) connectivity in one specific meso-cortico-limbic
      network, while all other networks are neither influenced by rTMS nor by sham
      treatment. The results of this study show that the neural correlates of TMS
      treatment response are also traceable in DLPFC stimulation of healthy brains and
      therefore represent direct effects of the stimulation procedure.

PMID- 28912082
TI  - MAPK signalling pathway in cancers: Olive products as cancer preventive and
      therapeutic agents.
AB  - The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are fundamental in inflammation and
      cancer control, through the crosstalk between the redox regulated nuclear factor
      E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor-kB (NFkappaB) gene expression.
      MAPKs regulate various cellular activities involved in cancer progression,
      including proliferation, apoptosis and immune escape and blockade of upstream
      kinases is a current therapeutic strategy. However, these therapies are
      associated with some adverse effects and with the paradoxical activation of the
      MAPKs pathway. In the context of cancer prevention and treatment, it has been
      suggested that dietary factors are able to modulate cancer initiation and
      progression by interacting with the MAPKs. Within these dietary factors, virgin
      olive oil (VOO) is of particular interest due to its content in squalene, already
      used as drug delivery system in cancer therapy. The aim of this review is to
      discuss the studies pointing to the effects of olive-derived foodstuff and
      nutraceuticals on MAPKs signalling cascades. The reviewed experimental studies
      suggest that the stress-activated JNK and p38 MAPKs could be targets of olive
      derived nutraceuticals. The latter, including phytochemicals from olive
      cultivation and processing wastes, could be adjuvants in chemotherapies, whereas
      VOO could be considered a "natural delivery system" of bioactive phytochemicals
      due to its high content in squalene.

PMID- 28912083
TI  - Nasogastric decompression not associated with a reduction in surgery or bowel
      ischemia for acute small bowel obstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Small bowel obstructions (SBOs) occur 300,000 times annually leading
      to $1.3 billion in cost. Approximately 20% of patients require a laparotomy to
      manage the obstruction and either prevent or treat intestinal ischemia. Early
      management may play a role in reducing these complications. Nasogastric
      decompression is commonly used for early management. Our primary objective was to
      determine if NGD was associated with lower rates of surgery, bowel ischemia or
      length of stay. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 181 ED patients with SBO
      from 9/2013 to 9/2015 in order to determine if nasogastric decompression was
      associated with a reduction in rates of surgery, bowel ischemia or hospital
      length of stay. RESULTS: Our subject population was 46% female, median age of
      60.27% of patients received surgery. Nasogastric decompression was used in 51% of
      patients. There was no association with a reduction in rates of surgery (p=0.20)
      or bowel resection (p=0.41) with patients receiving Nasogastric decompression,
      and no difference in baseline characteristics. Nasogastric decompression was
      associated with a two-day increase in hospital length of stay. Factors that were
      significantly associated with surgical exploration of SBO were: female (OR 2.32
      (95% CI: 1.01-5.31)) and "definite SBO" on CT (OR 3.29 (95% CI: 1.18-9.20)).
      Abnormal vital signs, obstipation, and lab values were not predictors of surgery.
      CONCLUSION: Nasogastric decompression is not associated with a reduction in need
      for surgery or bowel resection, but is associated with a 2-day increase in median
      LOS. Women were more likely to receive surgery than men.

PMID- 28912084
TI  - Patients' outcomes after cardiac arrest based on age: Methodological issues.

PMID- 28912085
TI  - The evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of wrist examination findings
      for predicting fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity
      of physical examination findings and functional tests in adult acute wrist trauma
      patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) and to create a reliable
      and practical clinical decision rule for determining the necessity of radiography
      in wrist trauma. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted in a
      tertiary ED. Each patient was checked for 18 physical examination findings and
      functional tests. Patients with suspected fracture were enrolled consecutively.
      Antero-posterior and lateral wrist views were performed for each patient. All
      radiographical studies were interpreted by an orthopedic surgeon. The prevalence,
      sensitivity and specificity, negative and positive predictive values of each
      finding were calculated. A modeling for predicting fractures was created using
      computer. RESULTS: 207 patients were evaluated and 69 patients (33.3%) had
      fractures. The most common encounterd fracture site was distal radius (29.5%).
      The most sensitive examination finding was pain in dorsiflexion (95.7%) and the
      most specific finding was ecchymosis (97.8%). Wrist edema, deformity and pain
      aggravated by pronation were found to be strong predictors of fracture. The area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve at internal validation for a
      prediction model based on these three predictors was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83-0,93).
      The overall sensitivity and specificity of this model were 94% (95% CI: 85-98%)
      and 51% (95% CI 43-60%) respectively. According to the model created in this
      study, 34% of acute blunt wrist trauma patients do not require any X-ray imaging.
      CONCLUSIONS: This triple modeling may be used as an effective decision rule for
      predicting all wrist fractures in the ED and in the disaster setting.

PMID- 28912087
TI  - Endocannabinoid mechanism in amphetamine-type stimulant use disorders: A short
      review.
AB  - Recent evidence shows that the endocannabinoid system is involved in amphetamine
      type stimulants (ATS) use disorders. To elucidate the role of the endocannabinoid
      system in ATS addiction, we reviewed results of studies using cannabinoid
      receptor agonists, antagonists as well as knockout model. The endocannabinoid
      system seems to play a role in reinstatement and relapse of ATS addiction and ATS
      induced psychiatric symptoms. The molecular mechanisms of this system remains
      unclear, the association with dopamine system in nucleus accumbens is most likely
      involved. However, the function of the endocannabinoid system in anxiety and anti
      anxiety effects induced by ATS is more complicated. These findings suggest that
      the endocannabinoid system may play an important role in the mechanism of ATS
      addiction and provide new idea for treating ATS addiction.

PMID- 28912086
TI  - G protein-coupled receptor kinase 4-induced cellular senescence and its
      senescence-associated gene expression profiling.
AB  - Senescent cells have lost their capacity for proliferation and manifest as
      irreversibly in cell cycle arrest. Many membrane receptors, including G protein
      coupled receptors (GPCRs), initiate a variety of intracellular signaling cascades
      modulating cell division and potentially play roles in triggering cellular
      senescence response. GPCR kinases (GRKs) belong to a family of serine/threonine
      kinases. Although their role in homologous desensitization of activated GPCRs is
      well established, the involvement of the kinases in cell proliferation is still
      largely unknown. In this study, we isolated GRK4-GFP expressing HEK293 cells by
      fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and found that the ectopic expression
      of GRK4 halted cell proliferation. Cells expressing GRK4 (GRK4(+)) demonstrated
      cell cycle G1/G0 phase arrest, accompanied with significant increase of
      senescence-associated-beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-Gal) activity. Expression
      profiling analysis of 78 senescence-related genes by qRT-PCR showed a total of 17
      genes significantly changed in GRK4(+) cells (>= 2 fold, p < 0.05). Among these,
      9 genes - AKT1, p16INK4, p27KIP1, p19INK4, IGFBP3, MAPK14, PLAU, THBS1, TP73 -
      were up-regulated, while 8 genes, Cyclin A2, Cyclin D1, CDK2, CDK6, ETS1, NBN,
      RB1, SIRT1, were down-regulated. The increase in cyclin-dependent kinase
      inhibitors (p16, p27) and p38 MAPK proteins (MAPK14) was validated by
      immunoblotting. Neither p53 nor p21Waf1/Cip1 protein was detectable, suggesting
      no p53 activation in the HEK293 cells. These results unveil a novel function of
      GRK4 on triggering a p53-independent cellular senescence, which involves an
      intricate signaling network.

PMID- 28912088
TI  - Sip and spit or sip and swallow: Choice of method differentially alters taste
      intensity estimates across stimuli.
AB  - While the myth of the tongue map has been consistently and repeatedly debunked in
      controlled studies, evidence for regional differences in suprathreshold intensity
      has been noted by multiple research groups. Given differences in physiology
      between the anterior and posterior tongue (fungiform versus foliate and
      circumvallate papillae) and differences in total area stimulated (anterior only
      versus whole tongue, pharynx, and epiglottis), small methodological changes (sip
      and spit versus sip and swallow) have the potential to substantially influence
      data. We hypothesized instructing participants to swallow solutions would result
      in greater intensity ratings for taste versus expectorating the solutions,
      particularly for umami and bitter, as these qualities were previously found to
      elicit regional differences in perceived intensity. Two experiments were
      conducted: one with model taste solutions [sucrose (sweet), a monosodium
      glutamate/inosine monophosphate (MSG/IMP) mixture (savory/umami), isolone (a
      bitter hop extract), and quinine HCl (bitter)], and a second with actual food
      products (grapefruit juice, salty vegetable stock, savory vegetable stock, iced
      coffee, and a green tea sweetened with acesulfame-potassium and sucralose). In a
      counterbalanced crossover design, participants (n=66 in experiment 1 and 64 in
      experiment 2) rated the stimuli for taste intensities both when swallowing and
      when spitting out the stimuli. Results suggest swallowing may lead to greater
      reported bitterness versus spitting out the stimulus, but that this effect was
      not consistent across all samples. Thus, explicit instructions to spit out or
      swallow samples should be given to participants in studies investigating
      differences in taste intensities, as greater intensity may sometimes, but not
      always, be observed when swallowing various taste stimuli.

PMID- 28912089
TI  - Vocal correlates of emotional reactivity within and across contexts in domestic
      pigs (Sus scrofa).
AB  - Vocalizations have long been recognized to encode information about an
      individual's emotional state and, as such, have contributed to the study of
      emotions in animals. However, the potential of vocalizations to also encode
      information about an individual's emotional reactivity has received much less
      attention. In this study, we aimed to test whether the vocalizations of domestic
      pigs contain correlates of emotional reactivity that are consistent between
      different contexts. We recorded vocalizations of 120 young female pigs in an
      experimental arena in two consecutive recording contexts, social isolation and an
      encounter with a familiar human. Simultaneously, we measured their heart rate and
      behaviour to determine their emotional reactivity in the same context (within
      context). In addition, we aimed to determine the subjects' emotional reactivity
      in other contexts (across-context) by measuring their behaviour in four common
      tests of emotional reactivity, the human approach test, the open door test, the
      open field test and the novel object test. Using a cluster analysis, we
      identified four different call types. Significant inter-context correlations were
      found for all call types, suggesting that pig vocalizations are consistent within
      an individual across contexts. The call rate and the proportions of the
      individual call types were found to correlate significantly with indices of
      emotional reactivity both within and across contexts. Thereby, we found more
      significant correlations to indices of emotional reactivity within context
      (behavioural and physiological response during recording) compared to across
      context (behavioural response in the four emotional reactivity tests). The
      consistency of the vocal correlates to emotional reactivity between the different
      contexts depended on the call type. While we found moderate evidence that the
      high grunt is indicative of more active, more explorative and less fearful
      individuals both within as well as across contexts, the other call types provided
      less consistent results. Thus, it seems that some call types are better suited to
      provide information on a caller's emotional reactivity than others, and further
      research is needed to clarify the underlying influential factors.

PMID- 28912090
TI  - Immuno-oncology and Its Opportunities for Interventional Radiologists: Immune
      Checkpoint Inhibition and Potential Synergies with Interventional Oncology
      Procedures.
AB  - Immunotherapy, specifically the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, offers a new
      approach to fighting cancer. Although the results of treatment with immune
      checkpoint inhibition alone have been remarkable for certain cancers, these
      results are not universal. Preclinical and early clinical studies indicate the
      potential for synergistic effects when immune checkpoint inhibition is combined
      with immunogenic local therapies such as ablation and embolization. This review
      offers an overview of immunology as it relates to immune checkpoint inhibition
      and the possibilities for synergy when combined with interventional radiology
      treatments.

PMID- 28912091
TI  - Is hippocampal neurogenesis modulated by the sensation of self-motion encoded by
      the vestibular system?
AB  - It is now well accepted that physical exercise stimulates hippocampal
      neurogenesis and may promote cognitive ability. Less clear are the mechanisms by
      which this process occurs. One potential contributing influence, that is usually
      neglected, is the vestibular system, which by its very nature must be activated
      during physical exercise and which essentially cannot be turned off without
      complete bilateral vestibular lesions. This paper reviews a small literature that
      demonstrates that bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) in rats modulates cell
      proliferation in the dentate gyrus (DG) and that artificial electrical activation
      of the vestibular system, using galvanic vestibular stimulation, does also.
      Although there are only a few piecemeal studies of this subject, because of the
      way that they were controlled, it is likely that the vestibular system has a
      regulatory role in cell proliferation in the DG and therefore possibly in
      neurogenesis, which needs to be taken into account in the interpretation of
      neurogenesis studies.

PMID- 28912092
TI  - Comparison of gut microbiota in adult patients with type 2 diabetes and healthy
      individuals.
AB  - Recent studies indicate that inflammatory reactions leading to the development of
      type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may also contribute to variations in the
      composition of the intestinal microbiota, suggesting a relation between T2DM and
      bacterial residents in the intestinal tract. This case-control study was designed
      to evaluate the composition of the gut microbiota dominant bacterial groups in
      patients with T2DM compared to the healthy people. A total of 36 adult subjects
      (18 patients diagnosed with T2DM and 18 healthy persons) were included in the
      study. The intestinal microbiota composition was investigated by quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method using bacterial 16S rRNA gene.
      The quantities of two groups of bacteria were meaningfully different among T2DM
      patients and healthy individuals. While, the level of Lactobacillus was
      significantly higher in the patients with T2DM (P value < 0.001), Bifidobacterium
      was significantly more frequent in the healthy people (P value < 0.001). The
      quantities of Prevotella (P value = 0.0.08) and Fusobacterium (P value = 0.99)
      genera in faecal samples were not significantly different between the two groups.
      The significant alterations in dominant faecal bacterial genera found in T2DM
      patients participating in the current study highlight the link between T2DM
      disease and compositional variation in intestinal flora. These findings may be
      valuable for developing approaches to control T2DM by modifying the gut
      microbiota. More investigations with focus on various taxonomic levels (family,
      genus and species) of bacteria are necessary to clarify the exact relevance of
      changes in the gut microbial communities with the progression of T2DM disorder.

PMID- 28912093
TI  - Lentiviral gene delivery to plasmolipin-expressing cells using Mus caroli
      endogenous retrovirus envelope protein.
AB  - Gene therapy is a promising method for treating malignant diseases. One of the
      main problems is target delivery of therapeutic genes. Here we show that
      lentiviral vector particles pseudotyped with Mus caroli endogenous retrovirus
      (McERV) envelope protein can be used for selective transduction of PLLP
      expressing cells. As a therapeutic gene in McERV-pseudotyped vector particles we
      used miniSOG encoding the cytotoxic FMN-binding protein, which can generate
      reactive oxygen species under illumination. Significant cytotoxic effect (up to
      80% of dead cells in population) was observed in PLLP-expressing cells transduced
      with McERV-pseudotyped vector particles and subjected to illumination. We
      demonstrated that the McERV-pseudotyped HIV-1 based lentiviral vector particles
      are an effective tool for selective photoinduced destruction of PLLP-expressing
      cells.

PMID- 28912094
TI  - Selection of PD1/PD-L1 X-Aptamers.
AB  - Specific, chemically modified aptamers (X-Aptamers) were identified against two
      immune checkpoint proteins, recombinant Programmed Death 1 (PD-1) and Programmed
      Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1). Selections were performed using a bead-based X-Aptamer
      (XA) library containing several different amino acid functional groups attached
      to dU at the 5-position. The binding affinities and specificities of the selected
      XA-PD1 and XA-PDL1 were validated by hPD-1 and hPD-L1 expression cells, as well
      as by binding to human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissue. The selected PD1
      and PDL1 XAs can mimic antibody functions in in vitro assays.

PMID- 28912095
TI  - Globularifolin exerts anticancer effects on glioma U87 cells through inhibition
      of Akt/mTOR and MEK/ERK signaling pathways in vitro and inhibits tumor growth in
      vivo.
AB  - Gliomas are the most recurrently occurring primary malignancies in the central
      nervous system. Despite surgical interventions, chemo- and radiotherapy, the
      results are unfortunately poor. Therefore, there is pressing need to explore more
      effective and efficient treatment options for treatment of glioma. In the present
      study we determined the anticancer potential of globularifolin against human
      glioma U87 cell line and human astrocytes. The results showed that globularifolin
      exhibits an IC50 value of 7.5 MUM against glioma U87 cells as against the IC50 of
      65 MUM against human astrocytes. The molecule exerted its anticancer activity
      through induction of apoptosis as evident from the Bid-, and Bax controlled
      cytochrome c and Omi/HtrA2 release, XIAP suppression, and caspase-9 and 3
      signalling cascade. Additionally, it also caused cell cycle arrest of human
      glioma U87 cancer cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. Interestingly,
      globularifolin also caused significant inhibition of Akt/mTOR/p70S6K and MEK/ERK
      pathways. Globularifolin also inhibits cell migration and invasion by regulating
      the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in U87 glioma cells. We
      further investigated whether globularifolin exhibits the same effectiveness
      against glioma cell xenografts in nude mice in vivo and it was observed that
      globularifolin significantly reduced the tumor growth and volume in vivo
      indicating the potential of globularifolin as lead molecule for glioma
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 28912096
TI  - Analytical verification and method comparison of the ADVIA Centaur(r) Intact
      Parathyroid Hormone assay.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study is the first verification of the novel iPTH Siemens ADVIA
      Centaur(r) Intact Parathyroid Hormone (iPTHm) chemiluminescence immunoassay based
      on monoclonal antibodies. We also compared the iPTH results obtained using this
      assay with the previous ADVIA Centaur(r) Parathyroid Hormone assay (iPTHp) based
      on polyclonal antibodies. DESIGN AND METHODS: The analytical performance study of
      iPTHm assay included LoD, LoQ, intra- and inter-assay reproducibility, and
      linearity. A comparison study was performed on 369 routine plasma samples. The
      results were analyzed independently for patients with normal and abnormal GFR, as
      well as patients on hemodialysis. In addition, clinical concordance between
      assays was assessed. Finally, we studied PTH stability of plasma samples at 4
      degrees C. RESULTS: For the iPTHm assay LoD and LoQ were 0.03pmol/L and
      0.10pmol/L, respectively. Intra- and inter-assay CV were between 2.3% and 6.2%.
      Linearity was correct in the range from 3.82 to 203.08pmol/L. Correlation studies
      showed a good correlation (r=0.99) between iPTHm and iPTHp, with bias of -2.55%
      (IC -3.48% to -1.62%) in the range from 0.32 to 117.07pmol/L. Clinical
      concordance, assessed by Kappa Index, was 0.874. The stability study showed that
      differences compared to basal iPTH concentration did not exceed 20% in any of the
      samples analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The iPTHm assay demonstrated acceptable
      performance and a very good clinical concordance with iPTHp assay, currently used
      in our laboratory. Thus, the novel iPTHm assay can replace the previous iPTHp
      assay, since results provided by both assays are very similar. In our study, the
      stability of iPTH is not affected by storage up to 14days.

PMID- 28912097
TI  - IgG subclasses quantitation: Analytical performance of The Binding Site
      SPAPLUS(r) human assay and comparison with Siemens BNII(r) assay.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Accurate evaluation of analyzers is highly recommended before these
      devices are broadly introduced for routine testing. Concerning quantification of
      IgG subclasses (IgGSc), standardization has not yet been reached and thus
      different assays might lead to different results. Here we report the analytical
      performances of The Binding Site (TBS) SPAPLUS(r) human IgGSc assay and the
      concordance with the Siemens BNII(r) human IgGSc assay. DESIGN AND METHODS: We
      evaluated precision, LoB, LoD and linearity of TBS SPAPLUS(r) human IgGSc
      immunoassay. Quantitation of IgGSc in 53 patients' serum samples was performed in
      parallel on both analyzers. Results from both assays were compared. RESULTS:
      Analytical performances of the TBS SPAPLUS(r) human IgGSc assay are acceptable
      for routine clinical use. According to the method comparison study, TBS assay
      measures lower values than Siemens assay for IgG1 and IgG4, whereas for IgG2 and
      IgG3 TBS provides greater values. All assays present a proportional bias, greater
      in the case of IgG3 and IgG4 assays. Individual subclass agreement, based on the
      classification of samples within three categories (low, normal and high)
      according to assay-specific reference intervals, range from 75% (IgG1) to 92%
      (IgG2). However, total classification agreement over all four subclasses only
      account for 55% of samples. CONCLUSION: Results obtained from both assays are not
      interchangeable. Standardization of IgGSc assay and review of the reference
      ranges must be accomplished in order to achieve a higher degree of agreement
      between different methods.

PMID- 28912098
TI  - Melatonin-mediated upregulation of Sirt3 attenuates sodium fluoride-induced
      hepatotoxicity by activating the MT1-PI3K/AKT-PGC-1alpha signaling pathway.
AB  - Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has been implicated in the
      pathogenesis of fluoride toxicity in liver. Melatonin, an indolamine synthesized
      in the pineal gland, was previously shown to protect against sodium fluoride
      (NaF)-induced hepatotoxicity. This study investigated the protective effects of
      melatonin pretreatment on NaF-induced hepatotoxicity and elucidates the potential
      mechanism of melatonin-mediated protection. Reducing mitochondrial ROS by
      melatonin substantially attenuated NaF-induced NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4)
      upregulation and cytotoxicity in L-02 cells. Melatonin exerted its
      hepatoprotective effects by upregulating Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) expression level and
      its activity. Melatonin increased the activity of manganese superoxide dismutase
      (SOD2) by promoting Sirt3-mediated deacetylation and promoted SOD2 expression
      through Sirt3-regulated DNA-binding activity of forkhead box O3 (FoxO3a), thus
      inhibiting the production of mitochondrial ROS induced by NaF. Notably, increased
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha)
      by melatonin activated the Sirt3 expression, which was regulated by an estrogen
      related receptor (ERR) binding element (ERRE) mapped to Sirt3 promoter region.
      Analysis of the cell signaling pathway profiling systems and specific pathway
      inhibition indicated that melatonin enhances PGC-1alpha expression by activating
      the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Importantly, inhibition of melatonin receptor
      (MT)-1 blocked the melatonin-activated PI3K/AKT-PGC-1alpha-Sirt3 signaling.
      Mechanistic study revealed that the protective effects of melatonin were
      associated with down-regulation of JNK1/2 phosphorylation. Our findings provided
      a theoretical basis that melatonin mitigated NaF-induced hepatotoxicity, which,
      in part, was mediated through the activation of the Sirt3 pathway.

PMID- 28912099
TI  - Antimicrobial peptides are degraded by the cytosolic proteases of human
      erythrocytes.
AB  - Well-studied and promising antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), with potent
      bactericidal activity, in vitro, have yet to have a significant impact in human
      medicine beyond topical applications. We previously showed that interactions of
      AMPs with concentrated human erythrocytes inhibit many of them, and suggested
      that screens and assays should be done in their presence to mimic host cell
      inhibition. Here, we use AMPs to characterize the activity of proteases that are
      associated with human erythrocytes. The representative AMPs, ARVA and
      indolicidin, are degraded significantly during incubation with dilute, washed
      erythrocytes and yield a variety of degradation products, suggesting significant
      exopeptidase activity. Comparison of these fragments with those obtained from
      incubation with serum shows that the proteolytic activity associated with cells
      yields unique products that are not explained by residual serum proteases. By
      separately testing the membrane and cytosolic fractions, we show that erythrocyte
      proteolytic activity is found only in the cytosol. Finally, we incubated a
      diverse cross-section of natural and synthetic linear AMPs with human erythrocyte
      cytosolic extracts and observed degradation of all of them. These results show
      that, in addition to cell binding, proteolysis can also contribute significantly
      to host cell inhibition of AMPs in vitro and possibly also in vivo.

PMID- 28912100
TI  - Influence of omega-3 fatty acids on bovine luteal cell plasma membrane dynamics.
AB  - Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which disrupt lipid microdomain
      structure and affect mobility of the prostaglandin F2alpha (FP) receptor in
      bovine luteal cells. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects
      of individual omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on 1) membrane fatty acid composition, 2) lipid
      microdomain structure, and 3) lateral mobility of the FP receptor in bovine
      luteal cells. Ovaries were collected from a local abattoir (n=5/experiment). The
      corpus luteum was resected and enzymatically digested using collagenase to
      generate a mixed luteal cell population. In all experiments, luteal cells were
      treated with 0, 1, 10 or 100MUM EPA or DHA for 72h to allow incorporation of
      fatty acids into membrane lipids. Results from experiment 1 show that culturing
      luteal cells in the presence of EPA or DHA increased these luteal fatty acids. In
      experiment 2, both EPA and DHA increased spatial distribution of lipid
      microdomains in a dose-dependent manner. Single particle tracking results from
      experiment 3 show that increasing both EPA and DHA concentrations increased micro
      and macro-diffusion coefficients, increased domain size, and decreased residence
      time of FP receptors. Collectively, results from this study demonstrate similar
      effects of EPA and DHA on lipid microdomain structure and lateral mobility of FP
      receptors in cultured bovine luteal cells. Moreover, only 10MUM of either fatty
      acid was needed to mimic the effects of fish oil.

PMID- 28912102
TI  - Cholesterol affects the interaction between an ionic liquid and phospholipid
      vesicles. A study by differential scanning calorimetry and nanoplasmonic sensing.
AB  - The present work aims at studying the interactions between cholesterol-rich
      phosphatidylcholine-based lipid vesicles and trioctylmethylphosphonium acetate
      ([P8881][OAc]), a biomass dissolving ionic liquid (IL). The effect of cholesterol
      was assayed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nanoplasmonic
      sensing (NPS) measurement techniques. Cholesterol-enriched dipalmitoyl
      phosphatidylcholine vesicles were exposed to different concentrations of the IL,
      and the derived membrane perturbation was monitored by DSC. The calorimetric data
      could suggest that the binding and infiltration of the IL are delayed in the
      vesicles containing cholesterol. To clarify our findings, NPS was applied to
      quantitatively follow the resistance of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine incorporating 0, 10, and 50mol% of cholesterol toward the IL
      exposure over time. The membrane perturbation induced by different concentrations
      of IL was found to be a concentration dependent process on cholesterol-free lipid
      vesicles. Moreover, our results showed that lipid depletion in cholesterol
      enriched lipid vesicles is inversely proportional to the increasing amount of
      cholesterol in the vesicles. These findings support that cholesterol-rich lipid
      bilayers are less susceptible toward membrane disrupting agents as compared to
      membranes that do not incorporate any sterols. This probably occurs because
      cholesterol tightens the phospholipid acyl chain packing of the plasma membranes,
      increasing their resistance and reducing their permeability.

PMID- 28912101
TI  - Importance of the REM (Ras exchange) domain for membrane interactions by RasGRP3.
AB  - RasGRP comprises a family of guanine nucleotide exchange factors, regulating the
      dissociation of GDP from Ras GTPases to enhance the formation of the active GTP
      bound form. RasGRP1 possesses REM (Ras exchange), GEF (catalytic), EF-hand, C1,
      SuPT (suppressor of PT), and PT (plasma membrane-targeting) domains, among which
      the C1 domain drives membrane localization in response to diacylglycerol or
      phorbol ester and the PT domain recognizes phosphoinositides. The homologous
      family member RasGRP3 shows less plasma membrane localization. The objective of
      this study was to explore the role of the different domains of RasGRP3 in
      membrane translocation in response to phorbol esters. The full-length RasGRP3
      shows limited translocation to the plasma membrane in response to PMA, even when
      the basic hydrophobic cluster in the PT domain, reported to be critical for
      RasGRP1 translocation to endogenous activators, is mutated to resemble that of
      RasGRP1. Moreover, exchange of the C-termini (SuPT-PT domain) of the two proteins
      had little effect on their plasma membrane translocation. On the other hand,
      while the C1 domain of RasGRP3 alone showed partial plasma membrane
      translocation, truncated RasGRP3 constructs, which contain the PT domain and are
      missing the REM, showed stronger translocation, indicating that the REM of
      RasGRP3 was a suppressor of its membrane interaction. The REM of RasGRP1 failed
      to show comparable suppression of RasGRP3 translocation. The marked differences
      between RasGRP3 and RasGRP1 in membrane interaction necessarily will contribute
      to their different behavior in cells and are relevant to the design of selective
      ligands as potential therapeutic agents.

PMID- 28912103
TI  - Membrane perturbing activities and structural properties of the frog-skin derived
      peptide Esculentin-1a(1-21)NH2 and its Diastereomer Esc(1-21)-1c: Correlation
      with their antipseudomonal and cytotoxic activity.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent new alternatives to cope with the
      increasing number of multi-drug resistant microbial infections. Recently, a
      derivative of the frog-skin AMP esculentin-1a, Esc(1-21), was found to rapidly
      kill both the planktonic and biofilm forms of the Gram-negative bacterium
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a membrane-perturbing activity as a plausible mode of
      action. Lately, its diastereomer Esc(1-21)-1c containing two d-amino acids i.e.
      DLeu14 and DSer17 revealed to be less cytotoxic, more stable to proteolytic
      degradation and more efficient in eradicating Pseudomonas biofilm. When tested in
      vitro against the free-living form of this pathogen, it displayed potent
      bactericidal activity, but this was weaker than that of the all-l peptide. To
      investigate the reason accounting for this difference, mechanistic studies were
      performed on Pseudomonas spheroplasts and anionic or zwitterionic membranes,
      mimicking the composition of microbial and mammalian membranes, respectively.
      Furthermore, structural studies by means of optical and nuclear magnetic
      resonance spectroscopies were carried out. Our results suggest that the different
      extent in the bactericidal activity between the two isomers is principally due to
      differences in their interaction with the bacterial cell wall components. Indeed,
      the lower ability in binding and perturbing anionic phospholipid bilayers for
      Esc(1-21)-1c contributes only in a small part to this difference, while the final
      effect of membrane thinning once the peptide is inserted into the membrane is
      identical to that provoked by Esc(1-21). In addition, the presence of two d-amino
      acids is sufficient to reduce the alpha-helical content of the peptide, in
      parallel with its lower cytotoxicity.

PMID- 28912104
TI  - Dissection of membrane-binding and -remodeling regions in two classes of
      bacterial phospholipid N-methyltransferases.
AB  - Bacterial phospholipid N-methyltransferases (Pmts) catalyze the formation of
      phosphatidylcholine (PC) via successive N-methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine
      (PE). They are classified into Sinorhizobium-type and Rhodobacter-type enzymes.
      The Sinorhizobium-type PmtA protein from the plant pathogen Agrobacterium
      tumefaciens is recruited to anionic lipids in the cytoplasmic membrane via two
      amphipathic helices called alphaA and alphaF. Besides its enzymatic activity,
      PmtA is able to remodel membranes mediated by the alphaA domain. According to the
      Heliquest program, alphaA- and alphaF-like amphipathic helices are also present
      in other Sinorhizobium- and Rhodobacter-type Pmt enzymes suggesting a conserved
      architecture of alpha-helical membrane-binding regions in these
      methyltransferases. As representatives of the two Pmt families, we investigated
      the membrane binding and remodeling capacity of Bradyrhizobium japonicum PmtA
      (Sinorhizobium-type) and PmtX1 (Rhodobacter-type), which act cooperatively to
      produce PC in consecutive methylation steps. We found that the alphaA regions in
      both enzymes bind anionic lipids similar to alphaA of A. tumefaciens PmtA.
      Membrane binding of PmtX1 alphaA is enhanced by its substrate monomethyl-PE
      indicating a substrate-controlled membrane association. The alphaA regions of all
      investigated enzymes remodel spherical liposomes into tubular filaments
      suggesting a conserved membrane-remodeling capacity of bacterial Pmts. Based on
      these results we propose that the molecular details of membrane-binding and
      remodeling are conserved among bacterial Pmts.

PMID- 28912105
TI  - High BMI and male sex as risk factor for increased short-term renal impairment in
      living kidney donors - Retrospective analysis of 289 consecutive cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation represents the treatment of choice for end
      stage renal disease (ESRD). However, nephrectomy bears certain short- as well as
      long-term risks for the healthy, voluntary donor. As obesity is increasing and is
      a known risk factor for surgical complications, we wanted to assess the impact of
      BMI on perioperative complication rates and renal function. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively assessed patients undergoing living donor kidney
      nephrectomy at our institution. We identified 289 donors that underwent
      unilateral nephrectomy between January 2006 and December 2015. Donors were
      categorized according to their BMI (BMI <25 kg/m2, BMI >=25/<30 kg/m2, BMI >=30
      kg/m2). Where indicated, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare groups,
      a stepwise linear regression model was used to assess impact of BMI on the change
      of eGFR. RESULTS: 126 donors (43.6%) had a BMI <25 while 120 (41.5%) had a BMI
      >=25/<30 and 43 (14.9%) were obese with a BMI >=30. BMI had no statistically
      significant influence on the percentage of laparoscopic approach (86.5% vs. 83.3%
      vs. 88.4%, p = 0.6564), on conversion rates (0% vs. 2.0% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.2879) or
      postoperative complication rates defined as Clavien Dindo >= II (8.7% vs. 13.3%
      vs. 14.0%, respectively; p = 0.4474). Notably, there were no Grade III or higher
      complications in any group. There was no difference in pre-operative kidney
      function, postoperative surgical site infection or systemic infection. BMI and
      male sex had a statistically significant influence on short-term decline of eGFR.
      CONCLUSION: Obese donors do not suffer from an increased risk of intraoperative
      or perioperative complication rates. However, male sex and high BMI are
      associated with a more pronounced short-term decline in renal function. The
      impact of BMI on long-term consequences for kidney donors needs to be defined in
      larger prospective cohorts.

PMID- 28912107
TI  - A short food literacy questionnaire (SFLQ) for adults: Findings from a Swiss
      validation study.
AB  - The short food literacy questionnaire (SFLQ) was developed to measure a broad
      range of skills including functional, interactive, and critical elements of FL.
      This study evaluated SFLQ measurement properties. We used a workplace
      intervention trial to reduce salt intake in Switzerland to explore the underlying
      structure of the questionnaire with 350 respondents and identify the ideal number
      of SFLQ items to capture the different elements of FL. Exploratory factor
      analysis showed a unidimensional structure of the final 12-item questionnaire. A
      sum score based on all 12 items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82) showed expected
      positive associations with health literacy and knowledge of recommended salt
      intake. The findings indicate the SFLQ is a feasible and reliable tool to assess
      FL among adults that can be helpful in public health practices focusing on FL.

PMID- 28912106
TI  - Vascular activation of K+ channels and Na+-K+ ATPase activity of estrogen
      deficient female rats.
AB  - The goal of the present study was to evaluate vascular potassium channels and Na+
      K+-ATPase activity in estrogen deficient female rats. Female rats that underwent
      ovariectomy were assigned to receive daily treatment with placebo (OVX) or
      estrogen replacement (OVX+E2, 1mg/kg, once a week, i.m.). Aortic rings were used
      to examine the involvement of K+ channels and Na+-K+-ATPase in vascular
      reactivity. Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation was analyzed in the presence
      of L-NAME (100MUM) and K+ channels blockers: tetraethylammonium (TEA, 5mM), 4
      aminopyridine (4-AP, 5mM), iberiotoxin (IbTX, 30nM), apamin (0.5mM),
      charybdotoxin (ChTX, 0.1mM) and iberiotoxin plus apamin. When aortic rings were
      pre-contracted with KCl (60mM) or pre-incubated with TEA (5mM), 4-aminopyridine
      (4-AP, 5mM) and iberiotoxin (IbTX, 30nM) plus apamin (0.5MUM), the ACh-induced
      relaxation was less effective in the ovariectomized group. Additionally, 4-AP and
      IbTX decreased the relaxation by sodium nitroprusside in all groups but this
      reduction was greater in the ovariectomized group. Estrogen deficiency also
      increased aortic functional Na+-K+ ATPase activity evaluated by K+-induced
      relaxation. L-NAME or endothelium removal were not able to block the increase in
      aortic functional Na+-K+ ATPase activity, however, TEA (5mM) restored this
      increase to the control level. We also found that estrogen deficiency increased
      superoxide anion production and reduced nitric oxide release in aortic ring from
      ovariectomized animals. In summary, our results emphasize that the process
      underlying ACh-induced relaxation is preserved in ovariectomized animals due to
      the activation of K+ channels and increased Na+-K+ ATPase activity.

PMID- 28912108
TI  - Leptospira borgpetersenii hybrid leucine-rich repeat protein: Cloning and
      expression, immunogenic identification and molecular docking evaluation.
AB  - Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease, and the major outbreak of this
      disease in Thailand in 1999 was due largely to the Leptospira borgpetersenii
      serovar Sejroe. Identification of the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) LBJ_2271 protein
      containing immunogenic epitopes and the discovery of the LBJ_2271 ortholog in
      Leptospira serovar Sejroe, KU_Sej_R21_2271, led to further studies of the
      antigenic immune properties of KU_Sej_LRR_2271. The recombinant hybrid (rh)
      protein was created and expressed from a hybrid PCR fragment of KU_Sej_R21_2271
      fused with DNA encoding the LBJ_2271 signal sequence for targeting protein as a
      membrane-anchoring protein. The fusion DNA was cloned into pET160/GW/D-TOPO(r) to
      form the pET160_hKU_R21_2271 plasmid. The plasmid was used to express the
      rhKU_Sej_LRR_2271 protein in Escherichia coli BL21 StarTM (DE3). The expressed
      protein was immunologically detected by Western blotting and immunoreactivity
      detection with hyperimmune sera, T cell epitope prediction by HLA allele and
      epitope peptide binding affinity, and potential T cell reactivity analysis. The
      immunogenic epitopes of the protein were evaluated and verified by HLA allele and
      epitope peptide complex structure molecular docking. Among fourteen best allele
      epitopes of this protein, binding affinity values of 12 allele epitopes remained
      unchanged compared to LBJ_2271. Two epitopes for alleles HLA-A0202 and -A0301 had
      higher IC50 values, while T cell reactivity values of these peptides were better
      than values from LBJ_2271 epitopes. Eight of twelve epitope peptides had positive
      T-cell reactivity scores. Although the molecular docking of two epitopes,
      3FPLLKEFLV11/47FPLLKEFLV55 and 50KLSTVPEGV58, into an HLA-A0202 model revealed a
      good fit in the docked structures, 50KLSTVPEGV58 and 94KLSTVPEEV102 are still
      considered as the proteins' best epitopes for allele HLA-A0202. The results of
      this study showed that rhKU_Sej_LRR_2271 protein contained natural immunological
      properties that should be further examined with respect to antigenic immune
      stimulation for vaccine development to prevent prevalent leptospiral serovar
      infection in Thailand.

PMID- 28912109
TI  - A label-free biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance for diagnosis
      of tuberculosis.
AB  - A biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) was developed to
      detect the antibody of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using the fusion protein CFP10
      ESAT6 as an antigen. To explore the diagnostic potential of the biosensor for
      tuberculosis (TB), the fusion protein CFP10-ESAT6 was immobilized on gold
      nanorods (Au NRs) by chemical modification, and the functionalized Au NRs were
      subsequently incubated with serums collected from TB patients, non-tuberculous
      pulmonary disease patients or healthy individuals. The change in the LSPR
      properties of Au NRs from the specific interaction between the antigen and
      antibody was monitored, and detection of the target antibody was completed based
      on the proposed biosensor. Serum analysis showed that the sensitivity of the
      biosensor was 79% and the specificity was 92%. Therefore, the LSPR biosensor is a
      valuable tool for serodiagnosis of TB.

PMID- 28912110
TI  - The genetics of congenitally small brains.
AB  - Primary microcephaly (PM) refers to a congenitally small brain, resulting from
      insufficient prenatal production of neurons, and serves as a model disease for
      brain volumic development. Known PM genes delineate several cellular pathways,
      among which the centriole duplication pathway, which provide interesting clues
      about the cellular mechanisms involved. The general interest of the genetic
      dissection of PM is illustrated by the convergence of Zika virus infection and PM
      gene mutations on congenital microcephaly, with CENPJ/CPAP emerging as a key
      target. Physical (protein-protein) and genetic (digenic inheritance) interactions
      of Wdr62 and Aspm have been demonstrated in mice, and should now be sought in
      humans using high throughput parallel sequencing of multiple PM genes in PM
      patients and control subjects, in order to categorize mutually interacting genes,
      hence delineating functional pathways in vivo in humans.

PMID- 28912111
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9 mediated G4946E substitution in the ryanodine receptor of Spodoptera
      exigua confers high levels of resistance to diamide insecticides.
AB  - Diamide insecticides selectively activate insect ryanodine receptors (RyRs),
      inducing uncontrolled release of calcium ions, and causing muscle contraction,
      paralysis and eventually death. The RyRG4946E substitution associated with
      diamide resistance has been identified in three lepidopteran pests, Plutella
      xylostella, Tuta absoluta and Chilo suppressalis. Recently, the T. absoluta
      RyRG4946V mutation was knocked into the model insect Drosophila melanogaster by
      CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genome editing and provided in vivo functional confirmation
      for its role in diamide resistance. In the present study, we successfully
      introduced the RyRG4946E mutation with CRISPR/Cas9 technology into a lepidopteran
      pest of global importance, Spodoptera exigua. The genome-edited strain (named
      4946E) homozygous for the SeRyRG4946E mutation exhibited 223-, 336- and >1000
      fold resistance to chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole and flubendiamide,
      respectively when compared to the wild type strain (WHS) of S. exigua. Reciprocal
      crossing experiments revealed that the target-site resistance in strain 4946E
      underlies an autosomal and almost recessive mode of inheritance for anthranilic
      diamides, whereas it was completely recessive for flubendiamide. Our results not
      only provided in vivo functional validation of the RyRG4946E mutation in
      conferring high levels of resistance to diamide insecticides for the first time
      in a controlled genetic background of a lepidopteran pest, but also revealed
      slight differences on the level of resistance between anthranilic diamides
      (chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole) and flubendiamide conferred by the
      SeRyRG4946E mutation.

PMID- 28912112
TI  - Molecular basis of peripheral olfactory sensing during oviposition in the
      behavior of the parasitic wasp Anastatus japonicus.
AB  - Anastatus japonicus is a parasitic wasp and natural enemy of the litchi pest
      Tessaratoma papillosa, and for decades in China, A. japonicus has been mass
      reared inside the eggs of Antheraea pernyi to control T. papillosa. A series of
      experiments was performed to explore the olfactory mechanism underlying the
      oviposition behavior of A. japonicus. First, a transcriptomic analysis was
      performed on the antennae of A. japonicus, and the resulting assemblies led to
      the generation of 70,473 unigenes. Subsequently, 21,368 unigenes were matched to
      known proteins, 48 odorant receptors (ORs) (including Orco) and 13 antennal
      ionotropic receptors (IRs) (including the co-receptors IR8a and IR25a) were
      identified and predicted to form complete open reading frames (ORFs). The FPKM
      (fragments per Kb per million reads) values and RT-PCR results showed that
      AjapOrco, AjapOR10, AjapOR27, AjapOR33 and AjapOR35 were either highly abundant
      or expressed specifically in the olfactory organs. Furthermore, AjapOrco
      silencing resulted in a significant decrease in both the parasitism rate and the
      host-seeking time of A. japonicus, whereas dsRNA injection showed that IR8a and
      IR25a did not produce significant behavioral changes, suggesting that the
      oviposition behavior of A. japonicus is more reliant on OR-based pathways than IR
      based pathways. Our previous GC-MS data derived twenty-nine compounds which were
      abundent from these host plants and host insects. We performed
      electrophysiological and oviposition assays on A. japonicus, and eight odorants
      were found to elicit a significant electroantennogram (EAG) response. Among these
      odorants, beta-Caryophyllene, Undecane, (E)-alpha-Farnesene (+)-Aromadendrene and
      Cis-3-Hexen-ol had strong attractant effects on oviposition, whereas 2-Ethyl-1
      Hexan-ol, Ethyl Acetate and alpha-Caryophyllene had a strong repellant effects.
      Thus, these chemicals might influence oviposition guidance/repulsion behavior in
      A. japonicus. To further explore the target ORs that are tuned to the functional
      odorants, the nine candidate ORs described above were silenced by RNA
      interference, and the results showed that a large decrease in the EAG response of
      all the tested functional odorants in the AjapOrco-silencing group. In addition,
      the AjapOR35-silencing group showed a significant decrease in the EAG response to
      beta-Caryophyllene and (E)-alpha-Farnesene, indicating that AjapOR35 is tuned to
      these two oviposition attractants beta-Caryophyllene and (E)-alpha-Farnesene.
      Further binary-choice oviposition assays showed that the oviposition attractant
      effect of beta-Caryophyllene and (E)-alpha-Farnesene vanished after AjapOR35 was
      silenced, indicating that the emission of these attractants from host plants can
      guide A. japonicus to locate eggs for ovipositioning and indicated that AjapOR35
      is correlated with the olfactory detection oviposition behavior of this species.
      This study provides a better understanding of the molecular basis and functional
      chemicals underlying the oviposition behavior of A. japonicus, and the results
      may help improve biocontrol approaches.

PMID- 28912113
TI  - Mobile Augmented Reality as a Feature for Self-Oriented, Blended Learning in
      Medicine: Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advantages of mobile Augmented Reality (mAR) application-based
      learning versus textbook-based learning were already shown in a previous study.
      However, it was unclear whether the augmented reality (AR) component was
      responsible for the success of the self-developed app or whether this was
      attributable to the novelty of using mobile technology for learning. OBJECTIVE:
      The study's aim was to test the hypothesis whether there is no difference in
      learning success between learners who employed the mobile AR component and those
      who learned without it to determine possible effects of mAR. Also, we were
      interested in potential emotional effects of using this technology. METHODS:
      Forty-four medical students (male: 25, female: 19, mean age: 22.25 years,
      standard deviation [SD]: 3.33 years) participated in this study. Baseline
      emotional status was evaluated using the Profile of Mood States (POMS)
      questionnaire. Dermatological knowledge was ascertained using a single choice
      (SC) test (10 questions). The students were randomly assigned to learn 45 min
      with either a mobile learning method with mAR (group A) or without AR (group B).
      Afterwards, both groups were again asked to complete the previous questionnaires.
      AttrakDiff 2 questionnaires were used to evaluate the perceived usability as well
      as pragmatic and hedonic qualities. For capturing longer term effects, after 14
      days, all participants were again asked to complete the SC questionnaire. All
      evaluations were anonymous, and descriptive statistics were calculated. For
      hypothesis testing, an unpaired signed-rank test was applied. RESULTS: For the SC
      tests, there were only minor differences, with both groups gaining knowledge
      (average improvement group A: 3.59 [SD 1.48]; group B: 3.86 [SD 1.51]).
      Differences between both groups were statistically insignificant (exact Mann
      Whitney U, U=173.5; P=.10; r=.247). However, in the follow-up SC test after 14
      days, group A had retained more knowledge (average decrease of the number of
      correct answers group A: 0.33 [SD 1.62]; group B: 1.14 [SD 1.30]). For both
      groups, descriptively, there were only small variations regarding emotional
      involvement, and learning experiences also differed little, with both groups
      rating the app similar for its stimulating effect. CONCLUSIONS: We were unable to
      show significant effects for mAR on the immediate learning success of the mobile
      learning setting. However, the similar level of stimulation being noted for both
      groups is inconsistent with the previous assumption of the success of mAR-based
      approach being solely attributable to the excitement of using mobile technology,
      independent of mAR; the mAR group showed some indications for a better long-term
      retention of knowledge. Further studies are needed to examine this aspect. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): 00012980;
      http://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?
      navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00012980 (Archived by WebCite at
      http://www.webcitation.org/ 6tCWoM2Jb).

PMID- 28912114
TI  - Understanding the Natural Progression of Spina Bifida: Prospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spina bifida (SB) is monitored through birth defects surveillance
      across the United States and in most developed countries. Although much is known
      about the management of SB and its many comorbid conditions in affected
      individuals, there are few systematic, longitudinal studies on population-based
      cohorts of children or adults. The natural history of SB across the life course
      of persons with this condition is not well documented. Earlier identification of
      comorbidities and secondary conditions could allow for earlier intervention that
      might enhance the developmental trajectory for children with SB. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of this project was to assess the development, health, and condition
      progression by prospectively studying children who were born with SB in Arizona
      and Utah. In addition, the methodology used to collect the data would be
      evaluated and revised as appropriate. METHODS: Parents of children with SB aged 3
      6 years were eligible to participate in the study, in English or Spanish. The
      actual recruitment process was closely documented. Data on medical history were
      collected from medical records; family functioning, child behaviors, self-care,
      mobility and functioning, and health and well-being from parent reports; and
      neuropsychological data from testing of the child. RESULTS: In total, 152
      individuals with SB were identified as eligible and their parents were contacted
      by site personnel for enrollment in the study. Of those, 45 (29.6%) declined to
      participate and 6 (3.9%) consented but did not follow through. Among 101 parents
      willing to participate, 81 (80.2%) completed the full protocol and 20 (19.8%)
      completed the partial protocol. Utah enrolled 72.3% (73/101) of participants,
      predominately non-Hispanic (60/73, 82%) and male (47/73, 64%). Arizona enrolled
      56% (28/50) of participants they had permission to contact, predominately
      Hispanic (18/28, 64%) and male (16/28, 57%). CONCLUSIONS: We observed variance by
      site for recruitment, due to differences in identification and ascertainment of
      eligible cases and the required institutional review board processes. Restriction
      in recruitment and the proportion of minorities likely impacted participation
      rates in Arizona more than Utah.

PMID- 28912115
TI  - System-Wide Inpatient Portal? Implementation: Survey of Health Care Team
      Perceptions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inpatient portals, a new type of patient portal tailored specifically
      to the hospital setting, can allow patients to access up-to-date health
      information and exchange secure communications with their care team. As such,
      inpatient portals present an opportunity for patients to increase engagement in
      their care during a time of acute crisis that emphasizes focus on a patient's
      health. While there is a large body of research on patient portals in the
      outpatient setting, questions are being raised specifically about inpatient
      portals, such as how they will be incorporated into the flow of patient care in
      hectic, stressed, team-based hospital settings. OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to improve
      understanding about hospital care team members' perceptions of the value of an
      interactive patient portal for admitted patients, as well as to ascertain staff
      orientation toward this new technology. METHODS: Throughout the course of 2016,
      an inpatient portal, MyChart Bedside (MCB) was implemented across a five-hospital
      health system. The portal is a tablet-based app that includes a daily schedule,
      lab/test results, secure messaging with the care team, a place to take notes, and
      access to educational materials. Within a month of initial rollout, hospital care
      team members completed a 5-minute, anonymous online survey to assess attitudes
      and perceptions about MCB use and staff training for the new technology. RESULTS:
      Throughout the health system, 686 staff members completed the survey: 193
      physicians (23.6%), 439 nurses (53.7%), and 186 support staff (22.7%). Questions
      about the importance of MCB, self-efficacy in using MCB with patients, and
      feelings about sufficient training and resources showed that an average of 40-60%
      of respondents in each group reported a positive orientation toward the MCB
      technology and training received. This positive orientation was highest among
      support staff, lower among nurses, and lowest for physicians (all differences by
      staff role were statistically significant at P<.001). Additionally, 62.0% of
      respondents reported "not enough" training. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the robust
      training effort, similar to that used in previous health information technology
      implementations at this health system, hospital care team members reported only a
      moderately positive orientation toward MCB and its potential, and the majority
      wanted more training. We propose that due to the unique elements of the inpatient
      portal-interactive features used by patients and providers requiring explanation
      and collaboration-traditional training approaches may be insufficient.
      Introduction of the inpatient portal as a new collaborative tool may thus require
      new methods of training to support enhanced engagement between patients and their
      care team.

PMID- 28912117
TI  - Sample Size Calculations for Population Size Estimation Studies Using Multiplier
      Methods With Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While guidance exists for obtaining population size estimates using
      multiplier methods with respondent-driven sampling surveys, we lack specific
      guidance for making sample size decisions. OBJECTIVE: To guide the design of
      multiplier method population size estimation studies using respondent-driven
      sampling surveys to reduce the random error around the estimate obtained.
      METHODS: The population size estimate is obtained by dividing the number of
      individuals receiving a service or the number of unique objects distributed (M)
      by the proportion of individuals in a representative survey who report receipt of
      the service or object (P). We have developed an approach to sample size
      calculation, interpreting methods to estimate the variance around estimates
      obtained using multiplier methods in conjunction with research into design
      effects and respondent-driven sampling. We describe an application to estimate
      the number of female sex workers in Harare, Zimbabwe. RESULTS: There is high
      variance in estimates. Random error around the size estimate reflects uncertainty
      from M and P, particularly when the estimate of P in the respondent-driven
      sampling survey is low. As expected, sample size requirements are higher when the
      design effect of the survey is assumed to be greater. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest a
      method for investigating the effects of sample size on the precision of a
      population size estimate obtained using multipler methods and respondent-driven
      sampling. Uncertainty in the size estimate is high, particularly when P is small,
      so balancing against other potential sources of bias, we advise researchers to
      consider longer service attendance reference periods and to distribute more
      unique objects, which is likely to result in a higher estimate of P in the
      respondent-driven sampling survey.

PMID- 28912116
TI  - Reliability of an e-PRO Tool of EORTC QLQ-C30 for Measurement of Health-Related
      Quality of Life in Patients With Breast Cancer: Prospective Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer represents the most common malignant disease in women
      worldwide. As currently systematic palliative treatment only has a limited effect
      on survival rates, the concept of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is
      gaining more and more importance in the therapy setting of metastatic breast
      cancer. One of the major patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for measuring HRQoL in
      patients with breast cancer is provided by the European Organization for Research
      and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Currently, paper-based surveys still
      predominate, as only a few reliable and validated electronic-based questionnaires
      are available. Facing the possibilities associated with evolving digitalization
      in medicine, validation of electronic versions of well-established PRO is
      essential in order to contribute to comprehensive and holistic oncological care
      and to ensure high quality in cancer research. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study
      was to analyze the reliability of a tablet-based measuring application for EORTC
      QLQ-C30 in German language in patients with adjuvant and (curative) metastatic
      breast cancer. METHODS: Paper- and tablet-based questionnaires were completed by
      a total of 106 female patients with adjuvant and metastatic breast cancer
      recruited as part of the e-PROCOM study. All patients were required to complete
      the electronic- (e-PRO) and paper-based versions of the HRQoL EORTC QLQ-C30
      questionnaire. A frequency analysis was performed to determine descriptive
      sociodemographic characteristics. Both dimensions of reliability (parallel forms
      reliability [Wilcoxon test] and test of internal consistency [Spearman rho and
      agreement rates for single items, Pearson correlation and Kendall tau for each
      scale]) were analyzed. RESULTS: High correlations were shown for both dimensions
      of reliability (parallel forms reliability and internal consistency) in the
      patient's response behavior between paper- and electronic-based questionnaires.
      Regarding the test of parallel forms reliability, no significant differences were
      found in 27 of 30 single items and in 14 of 15 scales, whereas a statistically
      significant correlation in the test of consistency was found in all 30 single
      items and all 15 scales. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated e-PRO version of the EORTC
      QLQ-C30 is reliable for patients with both adjuvant and metastatic breast cancer,
      showing a high correlation in almost all questions (and in many scales). Thus, we
      conclude that the validated paper-based PRO assessment and the e-PRO tool are
      equally valid. However, the reliability should also be analyzed in other
      prospective trials to ensure that usability is reliable in all patient groups.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03132506;
      https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03132506 (Archived by WebCite at
      http://www.webcitation.org/6tRcgQuou).

PMID- 28912118
TI  - Topically Applied Carvedilol Attenuates Solar Ultraviolet Radiation Induced Skin
      Carcinogenesis.
AB  - In previous studies, the beta-blocker carvedilol inhibited EGF-induced epidermal
      cell transformation and chemical carcinogen-induced mouse skin hyperplasia. As
      exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation leads to skin cancer, the present study
      examined whether carvedilol can prevent UV-induced carcinogenesis. Carvedilol
      absorbs UV like a sunscreen; thus, to separate pharmacological from sunscreen
      effects, 4-hydroxycarbazole (4-OHC), which absorbs UV to the same degree as
      carvedilol, served as control. JB6 P+ cells, an established epidermal model for
      studying tumor promotion, were used for evaluating the effect of carvedilol on UV
      induced neoplastic transformation. Both carvedilol and 4-OHC (1 MUmol/L) blocked
      transformation induced by chronic UV (15 mJ/cm2) exposure for 8 weeks. However,
      EGF-mediated transformation was inhibited by only carvedilol but not by 4-OHC.
      Carvedilol (1 and 5 MUmol/L), but not 4-OHC, attenuated UV-induced AP-1 and NF
      kappaB luciferase reporter activity, suggesting a potential anti-inflammatory
      activity. In a single-dose UV (200 mJ/cm2)-induced skin inflammation mouse model,
      carvedilol (10 MUmol/L), applied topically after UV exposure, reduced skin
      hyperplasia and the levels of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, IL1beta, IL6, and
      COX-2 in skin. In SKH-1 mice exposed to gradually increasing levels of UV (50-150
      mJ/cm2) three times a week for 25 weeks, topical administration of carvedilol (10
      MUmol/L) after UV exposure increased tumor latency compared with control (week 18
      vs. 15), decreased incidence and multiplicity of squamous cell carcinomas, while
      4-OHC had no effect. These data suggest that carvedilol has a novel
      chemopreventive activity and topical carvedilol following UV exposure may be
      repurposed for preventing skin inflammation and cancer. Cancer Prev Res; 10(10);
      598-606. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912119
TI  - Lower-extremity symmetry influences knee abduction moments during sidestepping in
      rugby.

PMID- 28912120
TI  - Profiling movement and gait quality using accelerometry in children's physical
      activity: consider quality, not just quantity.

PMID- 28912122
TI  - GPs earned an average of L90 100 in 2015-16.

PMID- 28912121
TI  - Cortical Bone Stem Cell Therapy Preserves Cardiac Structure and Function After
      Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - RATIONALE: Cortical bone stem cells (CBSCs) have been shown to reduce ventricular
      remodeling and improve cardiac function in a murine myocardial infarction (MI)
      model. These effects were superior to other stem cell types that have been used
      in recent early-stage clinical trials. However, CBSC efficacy has not been tested
      in a preclinical large animal model using approaches that could be applied to
      patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether post-MI transendocardial injection of
      allogeneic CBSCs reduces pathological structural and functional remodeling and
      prevents the development of heart failure in a swine MI model. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Female Gottingen swine underwent left anterior descending coronary
      artery occlusion, followed by reperfusion (ischemia-reperfusion MI). Animals
      received, in a randomized, blinded manner, 1:1 ratio, CBSCs (n=9; 2*107 cells
      total) or placebo (vehicle; n=9) through NOGA-guided transendocardial injections.
      5-ethynyl-2'deoxyuridine (EdU)-a thymidine analog-containing minipumps were
      inserted at the time of MI induction. At 72 hours (n=8), initial injury and cell
      retention were assessed. At 3 months post-MI, cardiac structure and function were
      evaluated by serial echocardiography and terminal invasive hemodynamics. CBSCs
      were present in the MI border zone and proliferating at 72 hours post-MI but had
      no effect on initial cardiac injury or structure. At 3 months, CBSC-treated
      hearts had significantly reduced scar size, smaller myocytes, and increased
      myocyte nuclear density. Noninvasive echocardiographic measurements showed that
      left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction were significantly more preserved
      in CBSC-treated hearts, and invasive hemodynamic measurements documented improved
      cardiac structure and functional reserve. The number of EdU+ cardiac myocytes was
      increased in CBSC- versus vehicle- treated animals. CONCLUSIONS: CBSC
      administration into the MI border zone reduces pathological cardiac structural
      and functional remodeling and improves left ventricular functional reserve. These
      effects reduce those processes that can lead to heart failure with reduced
      ejection fraction.

PMID- 28912123
TI  - Type VI secretion system MIX-effectors carry both antibacterial and anti
      eukaryotic activities.
AB  - Most type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) described to date are protein delivery
      apparatuses that mediate bactericidal activities. Several T6SSs were also
      reported to mediate virulence activities, although only few anti-eukaryotic
      effectors have been described. Here, we identify three T6SSs in the marine
      bacterium Vibrio proteolyticus and show that T6SS1 mediates bactericidal
      activities under warm marine-like conditions. Using comparative proteomics, we
      find nine potential T6SS1 effectors, five of which belong to the polymorphic MIX
      effector class. Remarkably, in addition to six predicted bactericidal effectors,
      the T6SS1 secretome includes three putative anti-eukaryotic effectors. One of
      these is a MIX-effector containing a cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 domain. We
      demonstrate that T6SS1 can use this MIX-effector to target phagocytic cells,
      resulting in morphological changes and actin cytoskeleton rearrangements. In
      conclusion, the V. proteolyticus T6SS1, a system homologous to one found in
      pathogenic vibrios, uses a suite of polymorphic effectors that target both
      bacteria and eukaryotic neighbors.

PMID- 28912124
TI  - Kindlin-2 recruits paxillin and Arp2/3 to promote membrane protrusions during
      initial cell spreading.
AB  - Cell spreading requires the coupling of actin-driven membrane protrusion and
      integrin-mediated adhesion to the extracellular matrix. The integrin-activating
      adaptor protein kindlin-2 plays a central role for cell adhesion and membrane
      protrusion by directly binding and recruiting paxillin to nascent adhesions.
      Here, we report that kindlin-2 has a dual role during initial cell spreading: it
      binds paxillin via the pleckstrin homology and F0 domains to activate Rac1, and
      it directly associates with the Arp2/3 complex to induce Rac1-mediated membrane
      protrusions. Consistently, abrogation of kindlin-2 binding to Arp2/3 impairs
      lamellipodia formation and cell spreading. Our findings identify kindlin-2 as a
      key protein that couples cell adhesion by activating integrins and the induction
      of membrane protrusions by activating Rac1 and supplying Rac1 with the Arp2/3
      complex.

PMID- 28912126
TI  - Atypical Altered Mental Status in a Toddler.

PMID- 28912125
TI  - BLM helicase regulates DNA repair by counteracting RAD51 loading at DNA double
      strand break sites.
AB  - The BLM gene product, BLM, is a RECQ helicase that is involved in DNA replication
      and repair of DNA double-strand breaks by the homologous recombination (HR)
      pathway. During HR, BLM has both pro- and anti-recombinogenic activities, either
      of which may contribute to maintenance of genomic integrity. We find that in
      cells expressing a mutant version of BRCA1, an essential HR factor, ablation of
      BLM rescues genomic integrity and cell survival in the presence of DNA double
      strand breaks. Improved genomic integrity in these cells is linked to a
      substantial increase in the stability of RAD51 at DNA double-strand break sites
      and in the overall efficiency of HR. Ablation of BLM also rescues RAD51 foci and
      HR in cells lacking BRCA2 or XRCC2. These results indicate that the anti
      recombinase activity of BLM is of general importance for normal retention of
      RAD51 at DNA break sites and regulation of HR.

PMID- 28912127
TI  - Painful red eyes in a contact lens wearer.

PMID- 28912128
TI  - Aging modifies the effect of cardiac output on middle cerebral artery blood flow
      velocity.
AB  - An association between cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cardiac output (CO) has been
      established in young healthy subjects. As of yet it is unclear how this
      association evolves over the life span. To that purpose, we continuously recorded
      mean arterial pressure (MAP; finger plethysmography), CO (pulse contour; CO
      trek), mean blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCAV; transcranial
      Doppler ultrasonography), and end-tidal CO2 partial pressure (PetCO2) in healthy
      young (19-27 years), middle-aged (51-61 years), and elderly subjects (70-79
      years). Decreases and increases in CO were accomplished using lower body negative
      pressure and dynamic handgrip exercise, respectively. Aging in itself did not
      alter dynamic cerebral autoregulation or cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity. A linear
      relation between changes in CO and MCAVmean was observed in middle-aged (P <
      0.01) and elderly (P = 0.04) subjects but not in young (P = 0.45) subjects,
      taking concurrent changes in MAP and PetCO2 into account. These data imply that
      with aging, brain perfusion becomes increasingly dependent on CO.

PMID- 28912129
TI  - The efficacy of unsupervised home-based exercise regimens in comparison to
      supervised laboratory-based exercise training upon cardio-respiratory health
      facets.
AB  - Supervised high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can rapidly improve
      cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). However, the effectiveness of time-efficient
      unsupervised home-based interventions is unknown. Eighteen volunteers completed
      either: laboratory-HIIT (L-HIIT); home-HIIT (H-HIIT) or home-isometric hand-grip
      training (H-IHGT). CRF improved significantly in L-HIIT and H-HIIT groups, with
      blood pressure improvements in the H-IHGT group only. H-HIIT offers a practical,
      time-efficient exercise mode to improve CRF, away from the laboratory
      environment. H-IHGT potentially provides a viable alternative to modify blood
      pressure in those unable to participate in whole-body exercise.

PMID- 28912130
TI  - Near-infrared spectroscopy of superficial and deep rectus femoris reveals
      markedly different exercise response to superficial vastus lateralis.
AB  - To date our knowledge of skeletal muscle deoxygenation as measured by near
      infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is predicated almost exclusively on sampling of
      superficial muscle(s), most commonly the vastus lateralis (VL-s). Recently
      developed high power NIRS facilitates simultaneous sampling of deep (i.e., rectus
      femoris, RF-d) and superficial muscles of RF (RF-s) and VL-s. Because deeper
      muscle is more oxidative with greater capillarity and sustains higher blood flows
      than superficial muscle, we used time-resolved NIRS to test the hypotheses that,
      following exercise onset, the RF-d has slower deoxy[Hb+Mb] kinetics with reduced
      amplitude than superficial muscles. Thirteen participants performed cycle
      exercise transitions from unloaded to heavy work rates. Within the same muscle
      (RF-s vs. RF-d) deoxy[Hb+Mb] kinetics (mean response time, MRT) and amplitudes
      were not different. However, compared with the kinetics of VL-s, deoxy[Hb+Mb] of
      RF-s and RF-d were slower (MRT: RF-s, 51 +/- 23; RF-d, 55 +/- 29; VL-s, 18 +/- 6
      s; P < 0.05). Moreover, the amplitude of total[Hb+Mb] was greater for VL-s than
      both RF-s and RF-d (P < 0.05). Whereas pulmonary VO2 kinetics (i.e., on vs. off)
      were symmetrical in heavy exercise, there was a marked on-off asymmetry of
      deoxy[Hb+Mb] for all three sites i.e., MRT-off > MRT-on (P < 0.05). Collectively
      these data reveal profoundly different O2 transport strategies, with the RF-s and
      RF-d relying proportionately more on elevated perfusive and the VL-s on diffusive
      O2 transport. These disparate O2 transport strategies and their temporal profiles
      across muscles have previously been concealed within the "global" pulmonary VO2
      response.

PMID- 28912131
TI  - Imaging the halogen bond in self-assembled halogenbenzenes on silver.
AB  - Halogens are among the most electronegative elements, and the variations in size
      and polarizability of halogens require different descriptions of the
      intermolecular bonds they form. Here we use the inelastic tunneling probe
      (itProbe) to acquire real-space imaging of intermolecular-bonding structures in
      the two-dimensional self-assembly of halogenbenzene molecules on a metal surface.
      Direct visualization is obtained for the intermolecular attraction and the
      "windmill" pattern of bonding among the fully halogenated molecules. Our results
      provide a hitherto missing understanding of the nature of the halogen bond.

PMID- 28912132
TI  - Mitotic transcription and waves of gene reactivation during mitotic exit.
AB  - Although the genome is generally thought to be transcriptionally silent during
      mitosis, technical limitations have prevented sensitive mapping of transcription
      during mitosis and mitotic exit. Thus, the means by which the interphase
      expression pattern is transduced to daughter cells have been unclear. We used 5
      ethynyluridine to pulse-label transcripts during mitosis and mitotic exit and
      found that many genes exhibit transcription during mitosis, as confirmed with
      fluorescein isothiocyanate-uridine 5'-triphosphate labeling, RNA fluorescence in
      situ hybridization, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction. The first round of transcription immediately after mitosis primarily
      activates genes involved in the growth and rebuilding of daughter cells, rather
      than cell type-specific functions. We propose that the cell's transcription
      pattern is largely retained at a low level through mitosis, whereas the amplitude
      of transcription observed in interphase is reestablished during mitotic exit.

PMID- 28912133
TI  - Use of CRISPR-modified human stem cell organoids to study the origin of
      mutational signatures in cancer.
AB  - Mutational processes underlie cancer initiation and progression. Signatures of
      these processes in cancer genomes may explain cancer etiology and could hold
      diagnostic and prognostic value. We developed a strategy that can be used to
      explore the origin of cancer-associated mutational signatures. We used CRISPR
      Cas9 technology to delete key DNA repair genes in human colon organoids, followed
      by delayed subcloning and whole-genome sequencing. We found that mutation
      accumulation in organoids deficient in the mismatch repair gene MLH1 is driven by
      replication errors and accurately models the mutation profiles observed in
      mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancers. Application of this strategy to the
      cancer predisposition gene NTHL1, which encodes a base excision repair protein,
      revealed a mutational footprint (signature 30) previously observed in a breast
      cancer cohort. We show that signature 30 can arise from germline NTHL1 mutations.

PMID- 28912135
TI  - Editorial expression of concern.

PMID- 28912134
TI  - ZATT (ZNF451)-mediated resolution of topoisomerase 2 DNA-protein cross-links.
AB  - Topoisomerase 2 (TOP2) DNA transactions proceed via formation of the TOP2
      cleavage complex (TOP2cc), a covalent enzyme-DNA reaction intermediate that is
      vulnerable to trapping by potent anticancer TOP2 drugs. How genotoxic TOP2 DNA
      protein cross-links are resolved is unclear. We found that the SUMO (small
      ubiquitin-related modifier) ligase ZATT (ZNF451) is a multifunctional DNA repair
      factor that controls cellular responses to TOP2 damage. ZATT binding to TOP2cc
      facilitates a proteasome-independent tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 2 (TDP2)
      hydrolase activity on stalled TOP2cc. The ZATT SUMO ligase activity further
      promotes TDP2 interactions with SUMOylated TOP2, regulating efficient TDP2
      recruitment through a "split-SIM" SUMO2 engagement platform. These findings
      uncover a ZATT-TDP2-catalyzed and SUMO2-modulated pathway for direct resolution
      of TOP2cc.

PMID- 28912136
TI  - Tumor Resection Recruits Effector T Cells and Boosts Therapeutic Efficacy of
      Encapsulated Stem Cells Expressing IFNbeta in Glioblastomas.
AB  - Purpose: Despite tumor resection being the first-line clinical care for
      glioblastoma (GBM) patients, nearly all preclinical immune therapy models intend
      to treat established GBM. Characterizing cytoreductive surgery-induced immune
      response combined with the administration of immune cytokines has the potential
      of offering a new treatment paradigm of immune therapy for GBMs.Experimental
      Design: We developed syngeneic orthotopic mouse GBM models of tumor resection and
      characterized the immune response of intact and resected tumors. We also created
      a highly secretable variant of immune cytokine IFNbeta to enhance its release
      from engineered mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-IFNbeta) and assessed whether
      surgical resection of intracranial GBM tumor significantly enhanced the antitumor
      efficacy of targeted on-site delivery of encapsulated MSC-IFNbeta.Results: We
      show that tumor debulking results in substantial reduction of myeloid-derived
      suppressor cells (MDSC) and simultaneous recruitment of CD4/CD8 T cells. This
      immune response significantly enhanced the antitumor efficacy of locally
      delivered encapsulated MSC-IFNbeta via enhanced selective postsurgical
      infiltration of CD8 T cells and directly induced cell-cycle arrest in tumor
      cells, resulting in increased survival of mice. Utilizing encapsulated human MSC
      IFNbeta in resected orthotopic tumor xenografts of patient-derived GBM, we
      further show that IFNbeta induces cell-cycle arrest followed by apoptosis,
      resulting in increased survival in immunocompromised mice despite their absence
      of an intact immune system.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of
      syngeneic tumor resection models in developing cancer immunotherapies and
      emphasizes the translational potential of local delivery of immunotherapeutic
      agents in treating cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 7047-58. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912137
TI  - Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy by Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells
      Engineered to Secrete Checkpoint Inhibitors.
AB  - Purpose: Despite favorable responses of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)
      engineered T-cell therapy in patients with hematologic malignancies, the outcome
      has been far from satisfactory in the treatment of solid tumors, partially owing
      to the development of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. To overcome
      this limitation, we engineered CAR T cells secreting checkpoint inhibitors (CPI)
      targeting PD-1 (CAR.alphaPD1-T) and evaluated their efficacy in a human lung
      carcinoma xenograft mouse model.Experimental Design: To evaluate the effector
      function and expansion capacity of CAR.alphaPD1-T cells in vitro, we measured the
      production of IFNgamma and T-cell proliferation following antigen-specific
      stimulation. Furthermore, the antitumor efficacy of CAR.alphaPD1-T cells, CAR T
      cells, and CAR T cells combined with anti-PD-1 antibody was determined using a
      xenograft mouse model. Finally, the underlying mechanism was investigated by
      analyzing the expansion and functional capacity of TILs.Results: Human anti-PD-1
      CPIs secreted by CAR.alphaPD1-T cells efficiently bound to PD-1 and reversed the
      inhibitory effect of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction on T-cell function. PD-1 blockade by
      continuously secreted anti-PD-1 attenuated the inhibitory T-cell signaling and
      enhanced T-cell expansion and effector function both in vitro and in vivo In the
      xenograft mouse model, we demonstrated that the secretion of anti-PD-1 enhanced
      the antitumor activity of CAR T cells and prolonged overall survival.Conclusions:
      With constitutive anti-PD-1 secretion, CAR.alphaPD1-T cells are more functional
      and expandable, and more efficient at tumor eradication than parental CAR T
      cells. Collectively, our study presents an important and novel strategy that
      enables CAR T cells to achieve better antitumor immunity, especially in the
      treatment of solid tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 6982-92. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912138
TI  - Sarcomatoid Renal Cell Carcinoma: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree.
AB  - The most comprehensive sequencing effort of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma
      (sRCC) to date reinforces the notion that the sarcomatoid component is closely
      related to the epithelial component of the cancer. This work also challenges the
      notion that sRCC evolves from low-grade RCC and identifies potential mediators of
      sarcomatoid differentiation. Clin Cancer Res; 23(21); 6381-3. (c)2017 AACRSee
      related article by Wang et al., p. 6686.

PMID- 28912139
TI  - A Combination RNAi-Chemotherapy Layer-by-Layer Nanoparticle for Systemic
      Targeting of KRAS/P53 with Cisplatin to Treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Purpose: Mutation of the Kirsten ras sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) and
      loss of p53 function are commonly seen in patients with non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC). Combining therapeutics targeting these tumor-defensive pathways
      with cisplatin in a single-nanoparticle platform are rarely developed in
      clinic.Experimental Design: Cisplatin was encapsulated in liposomes, which
      multiple polyelectrolyte layers, including siKRAS and miR-34a were built on to
      generate multifunctional layer-by-layer nanoparticle. Structure, size, and
      surface charge were characterized, in addition to in vitro toxicity studies. In
      vivo tumor targeting and therapy was investigated in an orthotopic lung cancer
      model by microCT, fluorescence imaging, and immunohistochemistry.Results: The
      singular nanoscale formulation, incorporating oncogene siKRAS, tumor-suppressor
      stimulating miR-34a, and cisplatin, has shown enhanced toxicity against lung
      cancer cell line, KP cell. In vivo, systemic delivery of the nanoparticles
      indicated a preferential uptake in lung of the tumor-bearing mice. Efficacy
      studies indicated prolonged survival of mice from the combination
      treatment.Conclusions: The combination RNA-chemotherapy in an LbL formulation
      provides an enhanced treatment efficacy against NSCLC, indicating promising
      potential in clinic. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7312-23. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912140
TI  - Downregulation of SAFB Sustains the NF-kappaB Pathway by Targeting TAK1 during
      the Progression of Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - Purpose: To investigate the role and the underlying mechanism of scaffold
      attachment factor B (SAFB) in the progression of colorectal cancer
      (CRC).Experimental Design: SAFB expression was analyzed in the Cancer Outlier
      Profile Analysis of Oncomine and in 175 paraffin-embedded archived CRC tissues.
      Gene Ontology analyses were performed to explore the mechanism of SAFB in CRC
      progression. Western blot, RT-PCR, luciferase assay, and chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were used to detect the regulation of transforming
      growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) and NF-kappaB signaling by SAFB The
      role of SAFB in invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis was investigated using in
      vitro and in vivo assays. The relationship between SAFB and TAK1 was analyzed in
      CRC tissues.Results: SAFB was downregulated in CRC tissues, and low expression of
      SAFB was significantly associated with an aggressive phenotype and poorer
      survival of CRC patients. The downregulation of SAFB activated NF-kappaB
      signaling by targeting the TAK1 promoter. Ectopic expression of SAFB inhibited
      the development of aggressive features and metastasis of CRC cells both in vitro
      and in vivo The overexpression of TAK1 could rescue the aggressive features in
      SAFB-overexpressed cells. Furthermore, the expression of SAFB in CRC tissues was
      negatively correlated with the expression of TAK1- and NF-kappaB-related
      genes.Conclusions: Our results show that SAFB regulated the activity of NF-kappaB
      signaling in CRC by targeting TAK1 This novel mechanism provides a comprehensive
      understanding of both SAFB and the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in the progression
      of CRC and indicates that the SAFB-TAK1-NF-kappaB axis is a potential target for
      early therapeutic intervention in CRC progression. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 7108
      18. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912142
TI  - Pioneering pharmacist and medication errors researcher Kenneth N. Barker dies at
      age 80.

PMID- 28912143
TI  - The relation between promotional spending on drugs and their therapeutic gain: a
      cohort analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether drug promotion helps or hinders appropriate prescribing by
      physicians is debated. This study examines the most heavily promoted drugs and
      the therapeutic value of those drugs to help determine whether doctors should be
      using promotional material to inform themselves about drugs. METHODS: Lists were
      constructed of the 50 most heavily promoted drugs (amount of money spent on
      journal advertisements and visits by sales representatives) and the 50 top
      selling drugs (by dollar value) for 2013, 2014 and 2015. Therapeutic gain was
      determined by examining ratings from the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board
      and the French drug bulletin Prescrire International and was categorized as
      major, moderate or little to none. For each of the 3 years, the number of drugs
      in the 3 therapeutic categories for drugs in both groups was compared. The amount
      and proportion of money spent on promotion for drugs in each of the 3 therapeutic
      categories for the 3 years was also determined. RESULTS: Therapeutic ratings were
      available for 42 of 79 of the most heavily promoted drugs over the 3 years and
      for 40 of 61 of the top-selling drugs. Nearly all the money spent on promotion in
      each of the 3 years went to drugs with little to no therapeutic gain. The
      distribution of therapeutic gain for drugs in both groups was statistically
      significantly different only in 2013 (p = 0.04). INTERPRETATION: Most of the
      money spent on promotion went to drugs that offer little to no therapeutic gain.
      This result calls into question whether doctors should read journal
      advertisements or see sales representatives to acquire information about
      important medical therapies.

PMID- 28912141
TI  - Macropinocytosis of Bevacizumab by Glioblastoma Cells in the Perivascular Niche
      Affects their Survival.
AB  - Purpose: Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody to VEGF, is used routinely
      in the treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). However, very
      little is known regarding the effects of bevacizumab on the cells in the
      perivascular space in tumors.Experimental Design: Established orthotopic
      xenograft and syngeneic models of GBM were used to determine entry of monoclonal
      anti-VEGF-A into, and uptake by cells in, the perivascular space. Based on the
      results, we examined CD133+ cells derived from GBM tumors in vitro Bevacizumab
      internalization, trafficking, and effects on cell survival were analyzed using
      multilabel confocal microscopy, immunoblotting, and cytotoxicity assays in the
      presence/absence of inhibitors.Results: In the GBM mouse models, administered
      anti-mouse-VEGF-A entered the perivascular tumor niche and was internalized by
      Sox2+/CD44+ tumor cells. In the perivascular tumor cells, bevacizumab was
      detected in the recycling compartment or the lysosomes, and increased autophagy
      was found. Bevacizumab was internalized rapidly by CD133+/Sox2+-GBM cells in
      vitro through macropinocytosis with a fraction being trafficked to a recycling
      compartment, independent of FcRn, and a fraction to lysosomes. Bevacizumab
      treatment of CD133+ GBM cells depleted VEGF-A and induced autophagy thereby
      improving cell survival. An inhibitor of lysosomal acidification decreased
      bevacizumab-induced autophagy and increased cell death. Inhibition of
      macropinocytosis increased cell death, suggesting macropinocytosis of bevacizumab
      promotes CD133+ cell survival.Conclusions: We demonstrate that bevacizumab is
      internalized by Sox2+/CD44+-GBM tumor cells residing in the perivascular tumor
      niche. Macropinocytosis of bevacizumab and trafficking to the lysosomes promotes
      CD133+ cell survival, as does the autophagy induced by bevacizumab depletion of
      VEGF-A. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 7059-71. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912144
TI  - Androgen and Estrogen Receptor Imaging in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients as a
      Surrogate for Tissue Biopsies.
AB  - In addition to the well-known estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2, the androgen receptor (AR) is also a potential drug target in
      breast cancer treatment. Whole-body imaging can provide information across
      lesions within a patient. ER expression in tumor lesions can be visualized by 18F
      fluoroestradiol (18F-FES) PET, and AR expression has been visualized in prostate
      cancer patients with 18F-fluorodihydrotestosterone (18F-FDHT) PET. Our aim was to
      assess the concordance between 18F-FDHT and 18F-FES PET and tumor AR and ER
      expression measured immunohistochemically in patients with metastatic breast
      cancer. Methods: Patients with ER-positive metastatic breast cancer were eligible
      for the study, irrespective of tumor AR status. The concordance of 18F-FDHT and
      18F-FES uptake on PET with immunohistochemical expression of AR and ER in
      biopsies of corresponding metastases was analyzed. Patients underwent 18F-FDHT
      PET and 18F-FES PET. A metastasis was biopsied within 8 wk of the PET procedures.
      Tumor samples with more than 10% and 1% nuclear tumor cell staining were
      considered, respectively, AR- and ER-positive. Correlations between PET uptake
      and semiquantitative immunohistochemical scoring (percentage positive cells *
      intensity) were calculated. The optimum threshold of SUV to discriminate positive
      and negative lesions for both AR and ER was determined by receiver-operating
      characteristic analysis. Results: In the 13 evaluable patients, correlation (R2 )
      between semiquantitative AR expression and 18F-FDHT uptake was 0.47 (P = 0.01)
      and between semiquantitative ER expression and 18F-FES uptake 0.78 (P = 0.01).
      The optimal cutoff for AR-positive lesions was an SUVmax of 1.94 for 18F-FDHT
      PET, yielding a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 100%; the optimal cutoff
      was an SUVmax of 1.54 for 18F-FES PET, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity
      of 100% for ER. Conclusion:18F-FDHT and 18F-FES uptake correlate well with AR and
      ER expression levels in representative biopsies. These results show the potential
      use of whole-body imaging for receptor status assessment, particularly in view of
      biopsy-associated sampling errors and heterogeneous receptor expression in breast
      cancer metastases.

PMID- 28912145
TI  - Dynamic 18F-FDG PET Lymphography for In Vivo Identification of Lymph Node
      Metastases in Murine Melanoma.
AB  - Positron lymphography using 18F-FDG followed by Cerenkov-guided resection of
      lymph nodes in healthy mice has previously been introduced by our group. Our aim
      in this study was to further assess the technique's potential beyond merely
      localizing sentinel lymph nodes. We now aimed to evaluate the potential of
      positron lymphography to characterize the nodes with respect to their tumor
      status in order to identify metastatic lymph nodes. We explored whether
      metastatic nodes could be distinguished from normal nodes via dynamic 18F-FDG
      lymphography, to then be resected under Cerenkov imaging guidance. Methods: A
      murine melanoma cell line highly metastatic to lymph nodes (B16F10) was implanted
      subcutaneously on the dorsal hind paw of C57 mice while the tumor-free
      contralateral leg served as an intraindividual control. A model of reactive lymph
      nodes after concanavalin A challenge served as an additional control to provide
      nonmalignant inflammatory lymphadenopathy. Dynamic PET/CT imaging was performed
      immediately after injection of 18F-FDG around the tumor or intracutaneously in
      the contralateral footpad. Furthermore, PET/CT and Cerenkov studies were
      performed repeatedly over time to follow the course of metastatic spread. In
      selected mice, popliteal lymph nodes underwent Cerenkov luminescence imaging.
      Hematoxylin and eosin staining was done to verify the presence of lymphatic
      melanoma infiltration. Results: Positron lymphography using 18F-FDG was
      successfully performed on tumor-bearing and non-tumor-bearing mice, as well as on
      controls bearing sites of inflammation; the results clearly identified the
      sentinel lymph node basin and delineated the lymphatic drainage. Significantly
      prolonged retention of activity was evident in metastatic nodes as compared with
      controls without tumor. On the basis of these results, the contrast in detection
      and identification of metastatic lymph nodes was distinct and could be used for
      guided lymph node resection, such as by using Cerenkov luminescence imaging.
      However, retention after 18F-FDG lymphography was also seen in acute inflammatory
      lymphadenopathy. Conclusion: In a tumor model, significantly longer retention of
      the radiotracer during 18F-FDG lymphography was seen in metastatic than
      nonmetastatic lymph nodes, allowing for differentiation between the two and for
      selective resection of tumor-bearing nodes using Cerenkov imaging. Inflammation
      can be better differentiated in a subacute state.

PMID- 28912146
TI  - Cerenkov-Activated Sticky Tag for In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging.
AB  - A big challenge in the clinical use of Cerenkov luminescence (CL) imaging is its
      low signal intensity, which is several orders of magnitude below ambient light.
      Consequently, highly sensitive cameras, sufficient shielding from background
      light, and long acquisition times are required. To alleviate this problem, we
      hypothesized a strategy to convert the weak CL signal into a stronger
      fluorescence signal by using CL-activated formation of nitrenes from azides to
      locally fix a fluorescent probe in tissue by the formation of a covalent bond. CL
      activated drug delivery was also evaluated using the same azide chemistry. The
      specific delivery of the CL-activated drug to cancer cells could reduce systemic
      toxicity, which is a limitation in chemotherapy. Methods: A cyanine-class near
      infrared fluorescent dye, Cy7, and doxorubicin were synthetically attached to
      polyfluorinated aryl azide to form Cy7 azide and DOX azide, respectively.
      Fibrosarcoma cells were incubated with 18F-FDG and exposed to Cy7 azide with
      subsequent fluorescence imaging. For CL-activated tagging in vivo, tumor-bearing
      mice were injected first with 90Y-DOTA-RGD, targeting alphavbeta3 integrins, and
      then with the Cy7 azide. Fluorescence signal was imaged over time. Breast cancer
      cells were incubated with DOX azide and 68Ga, after which cell viability was
      quantified using an assay. Results: CL photoactivation of Cy7 azide in vitro
      showed significantly higher fluorescence signal from 18F-FDG-treated than
      untreated cells. In vivo, CL photoactivation could be shown by using the tumor
      specific, integrin-targeting 90Y-DOTA-RGD and the localized activation of Cy7
      azide. Here, localized CL-induced fluorescence was detected in the tumors and
      remained significantly higher over several days than in tumors without CL. We
      also established as a next step CL-activated drug delivery of DOX azide by
      showing significantly decreasing cell viability of breast cancer cells in a CL
      dose-dependent manner in vitro using CL photoactivation of DOX azide. Conclusion:
      We were able to develop a CL-activated "sticky tag" that converts the low CL
      signal into a stable and long-lasting, highly intense fluorescence signal. This
      fluorescent footprint of the radioactive signal might be clinically used for
      intraoperative surgery. The CL-targeted drug delivery strategy may potentially be
      used for dual-step targeted therapy.

PMID- 28912147
TI  - Performance of a PET Insert for High-Resolution Small-Animal PET/MRI at 7 Tesla.
AB  - We characterize a compact MR-compatible PET insert for simultaneous preclinical
      PET/MRI. Although specifically designed with the strict size constraint to fit
      inside the 114-mm inner diameter of the BGA-12S gradient coil used in the BioSpec
      70/20 and 94/20 series of small-animal MRI systems, the insert can easily be
      installed in any appropriate MRI scanner or used as a stand-alone PET system.
      Methods: The insert consists of a ring of 16 detector-blocks each made from depth
      of-interaction-capable dual-layer-offset arrays of cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium
      oxyorthosilicate crystals read out by silicon photomultiplier arrays.
      Scintillator crystal arrays are made from 22 * 10 and 21 * 9 crystals in the
      bottom and top layers, respectively, with respective layer thicknesses of 6 and 4
      mm, arranged with a 1.27-mm pitch, resulting in a useable field of view 28 mm
      long and about 55 mm wide. Results: Spatial resolution ranged from 1.17 to 1.86
      mm full width at half maximum in the radial direction from a radial offset of 0
      15 mm. With a 300- to 800-keV energy window, peak sensitivity was 2.2% and noise
      equivalent count rate from a mouse-sized phantom at 3.7 MBq was 11.1 kcps and
      peaked at 20.8 kcps at 14.5 MBq. Phantom imaging showed that features as small as
      0.7 mm could be resolved. 18F-FDG PET/MR images of mouse and rat brains showed no
      signs of intermodality interference and could excellently resolve substructures
      within the brain. Conclusion: Because of excellent spatial resolvability and lack
      of intermodality interference, this PET insert will serve as a useful tool for
      preclinical PET/MR.

PMID- 28912149
TI  - Regarding "18F-GP1, a Novel PET Tracer Designed for High-Sensitivity, Low
      Background Detection of Thrombi".

PMID- 28912148
TI  - Thermal Imaging Is a Noninvasive Alternative to PET/CT for Measurement of Brown
      Adipose Tissue Activity in Humans.
AB  - Obesity and its metabolic consequences are a major cause of morbidity and
      mortality. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) utilizes glucose and free fatty acids to
      produce heat, thereby increasing energy expenditure. Effective evaluation of
      human BAT stimulators is constrained by the current standard method of assessing
      BAT-PET/CT-as it requires exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation. Infrared
      thermography (IRT) is a potential noninvasive, safe alternative, although direct
      corroboration with PET/CT has not been established. Methods: IRT and 18F-FDG
      PET/CT data from 8 healthy men subjected to water-jacket cooling were directly
      compared. Thermal images were geometrically transformed to overlay PET/CT-derived
      maximum intensity projection (MIP) images from each subject, and the areas with
      the most intense temperature and glucose uptake within the supraclavicular
      regions were compared. Relationships between supraclavicular temperatures (TSCR)
      from IRT and the metabolic rate of glucose uptake (MR(gluc)) from PET/CT were
      determined. Results: Glucose uptake on MR(gluc)MIP was found to correlate
      positively with a change in TSCR relative to a reference region (r2 = 0.721; P =
      0.008). Spatial overlap between areas of maximal MR(gluc)MIP and maximal TSCR was
      29.5% +/- 5.1%. Prolonged cooling, for 60 min, was associated with a further TSCR
      rise, compared with cooling for 10 min. Conclusion: The supraclavicular hotspot
      identified on IRT closely corresponded to the area of maximal uptake on PET/CT
      derived MR(gluc)MIP images. Greater increases in relative TSCR were associated
      with raised glucose uptake. IRT should now be considered a suitable method for
      measuring BAT activation, especially in populations for whom PET/CT is not
      feasible, practical, or repeatable.

PMID- 28912150
TI  - 18F-FDG PET in Parkinsonism: Differential Diagnosis and Evaluation of Cognitive
      Impairment.
AB  - Accurate differential diagnosis of parkinsonism is of paramount therapeutic and
      prognostic importance. In addition, with the development of invasive therapies
      and novel disease-specific therapies, strategies for patient enrichment in trial
      populations are of growing importance. Imaging disease-specific patterns of
      regional glucose metabolism with PET and 18F-FDG allows for a highly accurate
      distinction between Parkinson disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian syndromes,
      including multiple-system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and
      corticobasal degeneration. On the basis of a preliminary metaanalysis of
      currently available studies with inclusion of multiple disease groups, we
      estimated that the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for visual PET readings
      supported by voxel-based statistical analyses for diagnosis of atypical
      parkinsonian syndromes are 91.4% and 90.6%, respectively. The diagnostic
      specificity of 18F-FDG PET for diagnosing multiple-system atrophy, progressive
      supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration was consistently shown to be
      high (>90%), whereas sensitivity was more variable (>75%). It is increasingly
      acknowledged that cognitive impairment represents a major challenge in PD, with
      mild cognitive impairment being a prodromal stage of PD with dementia (PDD). In
      line with clinical and neuropsychologic studies, recent PET studies demonstrated
      that posterior cortical dysfunction in nondemented PD patients precedes cognitive
      decline and the development of PDD by several years. Taken together, the current
      literature underscores the utility of 18F-FDG PET for diagnostic evaluation of
      parkinsonism and the promising role of 18F-FDG PET for assessment and risk
      stratification of cognitive impairment in PD.

PMID- 28912151
TI  - In Vitro Evaluation of Molecular Tumor Targets in Nuclear Medicine:
      Immunohistochemistry Is One Option, but Under Which Conditions?
AB  - The identification of new molecular targets for diagnostic and therapeutic
      applications using in vitro methods is an important challenge in nuclear
      medicine. One such method is immunohistochemistry, increasingly popular because
      it is easy to perform. This review presents the case for conducting receptor
      immunohistochemistry to evaluate potential molecular targets in human tumor
      tissue sections. The focus is on the immunohistochemistry of G-protein-coupled
      receptors, one of the largest families of cell surface proteins, representing a
      major class of drug targets and thus playing an important role in nuclear
      medicine. This review identifies common pitfalls and challenges and provides
      guidelines on performing such immunohistochemical studies. An appropriate
      validation of the target is a prerequisite for developing robust and informative
      new molecular probes.

PMID- 28912152
TI  - Distinct Effects of Body Mass Index and Waist/Hip Ratio on Risk of Breast Cancer
      by Joint Estrogen and Progestogen Receptor Status: Results from a Case-Control
      Study in Northern and Eastern China and Implications for Chemoprevention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is a consideration in the pharmacologic intervention for
      estrogen receptor (ER) positive (ER+) breast cancer risk. Body mass index (BMI)
      and waist/hip ratio (WHR) have demonstrated different effects on breast cancer
      risk in relation to estrogen receptor (ER) status, but the results have been
      inconsistent. Furthermore, the situation in Chinese women remains unclear.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a case-control study including 1,439 breast
      cancer cases in Northern and Eastern China. Both ER and progesterone receptor
      (PR) statuses were available for 1,316 cases. Associations between body size
      related factors and breast cancer risk defined by receptor status were assessed
      by multiple polytomous unconditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Body
      mass index and WHR were positively associated with overall breast cancer risk.
      Body mass index was positively associated with both ER+/PR positive (PR+) and ER
      negative (ER-)/PR negative(PR-) subtype risks, although only significantly for
      ER+/PR+ subtype. Waist-hip ratio was only positively correlated with ER-/PR-
      subtype risk, although independent of BMI. Body mass index was positively
      associated with risk of ER+/PR+ and ER-/PR- subtypes in premenopausal women,
      whereas WHR was inversely correlated with ER+/PR- and positively with ER-/PR-
      subtype risks. Among postmenopausal women, WHR >0.85 was associated with
      increased risk of ER-/PR- subtype. CONCLUSION: Both general and central obesity
      contribute to breast cancer risk, with different effects on specific subtypes.
      General obesity, indicated by BMI, is more strongly associated with ER+/PR+
      subtype, especially among premenopausal women, whereas central obesity, indicated
      by WHR, is more specific for ER-/PR- subtype, independent of menopausal status.
      These results suggest that different chemoprevention strategies may be
      appropriate in selected individuals. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of
      this study suggest that general and central obesity may play different roles in
      different breast cancer subtypes, supporting the hypothesis that obesity affects
      breast carcinogenesis via complex molecular interconnections, beyond the impact
      of estrogens. The results also imply that different chemoprevention strategies
      may be appropriate for selected individuals, highlighting the need to be
      particularly aware of women with a high waist/hip ratio but normal body mass
      index. Given the lack of any proven pharmacologic intervention for estrogen
      receptor negative breast cancer, stricter weight-control measures may be advised
      in these individuals.

PMID- 28912153
TI  - Comprehensive Genomic Profiling of 282 Pediatric Low- and High-Grade Gliomas
      Reveals Genomic Drivers, Tumor Mutational Burden, and Hypermutation Signatures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of death for children
      with cancer in the U.S. Incorporating next-generation sequencing data for both
      pediatric low-grade (pLGGs) and high-grade gliomas (pHGGs) can inform diagnostic,
      prognostic, and therapeutic decision-making. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed
      comprehensive genomic profiling on 282 pediatric gliomas (157 pHGGs, 125 pLGGs),
      sequencing 315 cancer-related genes and calculating the tumor mutational burden
      (TMB; mutations per megabase [Mb]). RESULTS: In pLGGs, we detected genomic
      alterations (GA) in 95.2% (119/125) of tumors. BRAF was most frequently altered
      (48%; 60/125), and FGFR1 missense (17.6%; 22/125), NF1 loss of function (8.8%;
      11/125), and TP53 (5.6%; 7/125) mutations were also detected. Rearrangements were
      identified in 35% of pLGGs, including KIAA1549-BRAF, QKI-RAF1, FGFR3-TACC3,
      CEP85L-ROS1, and GOPC-ROS1 fusions. Among pHGGs, GA were identified in 96.8%
      (152/157). The genes most frequently mutated were TP53 (49%; 77/157), H3F3A
      (37.6%; 59/157), ATRX (24.2%; 38/157), NF1 (22.2%; 35/157), and PDGFRA (21.7%;
      34/157). Interestingly, most H3F3A mutations (81.4%; 35/43) were the variant
      K28M. Midline tumor analysis revealed H3F3A mutations (40%; 40/100) consisted
      solely of the K28M variant. Pediatric high-grade gliomas harbored oncogenic EML4
      ALK, DGKB-ETV1, ATG7-RAF1, and EWSR1-PATZ1 fusions. Six percent (9/157) of pHGGs
      were hypermutated (TMB >20 mutations per Mb; range 43-581 mutations per Mb),
      harboring mutations deleterious for DNA repair in MSH6, MSH2, MLH1, PMS2, POLE,
      and POLD1 genes (78% of cases). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive genomic profiling of
      pediatric gliomas provides objective data that promote diagnostic accuracy and
      enhance clinical decision-making. Additionally, TMB could be a biomarker to
      identify pediatric glioblastoma (GBM) patients who may benefit from
      immunotherapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: By providing objective data to support
      diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic decision-making, comprehensive genomic
      profiling is necessary for advancing care for pediatric neuro-oncology patients.
      This article presents the largest cohort of pediatric low- and high-grade gliomas
      profiled by next-generation sequencing. Reportable alterations were detected in
      95% of patients, including diagnostically relevant lesions as well as novel
      oncogenic fusions and mutations. Additionally, tumor mutational burden (TMB) is
      reported, which identifies a subpopulation of hypermutated glioblastomas that
      harbor deleterious mutations in DNA repair genes. This provides support for TMB
      as a potential biomarker to identify patients who may preferentially benefit from
      immune checkpoint inhibitors.

PMID- 28912155
TI  - Visual Motion Discrimination by Propagating Patterns in Primate Cerebral Cortex.
AB  - Visual stimuli can evoke waves of neural activity that propagate across the
      surface of visual cortical areas. The relevance of these waves for visual
      processing is unknown. Here, we measured the phase and amplitude of local field
      potentials (LFPs) in electrode array recordings from the motion-processing medial
      temporal (MT) area of anesthetized male marmosets. Animals viewed grating or dot
      field stimuli drifting in different directions. We found that, on individual
      trials, the direction of LFP wave propagation is sensitive to the direction of
      stimulus motion. Propagating LFP patterns are also detectable in trial-averaged
      activity, but the trial-averaged patterns exhibit different dynamics and
      behaviors from those in single trials and are similar across motion directions.
      We show that this difference arises because stimulus-sensitive propagating
      patterns are present in the phase of single-trial oscillations, whereas the trial
      averaged signal is dominated by additive amplitude effects. Our results
      demonstrate that propagating LFP patterns can represent sensory inputs at
      timescales relevant to visually guided behaviors and raise the possibility that
      propagating activity patterns serve neural information processing in area MT and
      other cortical areas.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Propagating wave patterns are widely
      observed in the cortex, but their functional relevance remains unknown. We show
      here that visual stimuli generate propagating wave patterns in local field
      potentials (LFPs) in a movement-sensitive area of the primate cortex and that the
      propagation direction of these patterns is sensitive to stimulus motion
      direction. We also show that averaging LFP signals across multiple stimulus
      presentations (trial averaging) yields propagating patterns that capture
      different dynamic properties of the LFP response and show negligible direction
      sensitivity. Our results demonstrate that sensory stimuli can modulate
      propagating wave patterns reliably in the cortex. The relevant dynamics are
      normally masked by trial averaging, which is a conventional step in LFP signal
      processing.

PMID- 28912154
TI  - Inhibition of p25/Cdk5 Attenuates Tauopathy in Mouse and iPSC Models of
      Frontotemporal Dementia.
AB  - Increased p25, a proteolytic fragment of the regulatory subunit p35, is known to
      induce aberrant activity of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), which is associated
      with neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Previously, we
      showed that replacing endogenous p35 with the noncleavable mutant p35 (Deltap35)
      attenuated amyloidosis and improved cognitive function in a familial Alzheimer's
      disease mouse model. Here, to address the role of p25/Cdk5 in tauopathy, we
      generated double-transgenic mice by crossing mice overexpressing mutant human tau
      (P301S) with Deltap35KI mice. We observed significant reduction of phosphorylated
      tau and its seeding activity in the brain of double transgenic mice compared with
      the P301S mice. Furthermore, synaptic loss and impaired LTP at hippocampal CA3
      region of P301S mice were attenuated by blocking p25 generation. To further
      validate the role of p25/Cdk5 in tauopathy, we used frontotemporal dementia
      patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) carrying the Tau P301L
      mutation and generated P301L:Deltap35KI isogenic iPSC lines using CRISPR/Cas9
      genome editing. We created cerebral organoids from the isogenic iPSCs and found
      that blockade of p25 generation reduced levels of phosphorylated tau and
      increased expression of synaptophysin. Together, these data demonstrate a crucial
      role for p25/Cdk5 in mediating tau-associated pathology and suggest that
      inhibition of this kinase can remedy neurodegenerative processes in the presence
      of pathogenic tau mutation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Accumulation of p25 results in
      aberrant Cdk5 activation and induction of numerous pathological phenotypes, such
      as neuroinflammation, synaptic loss, Abeta accumulation, and tau
      hyperphosphorylation. However, it was not clear whether p25/Cdk5 activity is
      necessary for the progression of these pathological changes. We recently
      developed the Deltap35KI transgenic mouse that is deficient in p25 generation and
      Cdk5 hyperactivation. In this study, we used this mouse model to elucidate the
      role of p25/Cdk5 in FTD mutant tau-mediated pathology. We also used a
      frontotemporal dementia patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell carrying
      the Tau P301L mutation and generated isogenic lines in which p35 is replaced with
      noncleavable mutant Deltap35. Our data suggest that p25/Cdk5 plays an important
      role in tauopathy in both mouse and human model systems.

PMID- 28912157
TI  - Approaching the Ground Truth: Revealing the Functional Organization of Human
      Multisensory STC Using Ultra-High Field fMRI.
AB  - Integrating inputs across sensory systems is a property of the brain that is
      vitally important in everyday life. More than two decades of fMRI research have
      revealed crucial insights on multisensory processing, yet the multisensory
      operations at the neuronal level in humans have remained largely unknown.
      Understanding the fine-scale spatial organization of multisensory brain regions
      is fundamental to shed light on their neuronal operations. Monkey
      electrophysiology revealed that the bimodal superior temporal cortex (bSTC) is
      topographically organized according to the modality preference (visual, auditory,
      and bimodal) of its neurons. In line with invasive studies, a previous 3 Tesla
      fMRI study suggests that the human bSTC is also topographically organized
      according to modality preference (visual, auditory, and bimodal) when analyzed at
      1.6 * 1.6 * 1.6 mm3 voxel resolution. However, it is still unclear whether this
      resolution is able to unveil an accurate spatial organization of the human bSTC.
      This issue was addressed in the present study by investigating the spatial
      organization of functional responses of the bSTC in 10 participants (from both
      sexes) at 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 mm3 and 1.1 * 1.1 * 1.1 mm3 using ultra-high field fMRI
      (at 7 Tesla). Relative to 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 mm3, the bSTC at 1.1 * 1.1 * 1.1 mm3
      resolution was characterized by a larger selectivity for visual and auditory
      modalities, stronger integrative responses in bimodal voxels, and it was
      organized in more distinct functional clusters indicating a more precise
      separation of underlying neuronal clusters. Our findings indicate that increasing
      the spatial resolution may be necessary and sufficient to achieve a more accurate
      functional topography of human multisensory integration.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
      The bimodal superior temporal cortex (bSTC) is a brain region that plays a
      crucial role in the integration of visual and auditory inputs. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the fine-scale spatial organization of the bSTC
      by using ultra-high magnetic field fMRI at 7 Tesla. Mapping the functional
      topography of bSTC at a resolution of 1.1 * 1.1 * 1.1 mm3 revealed more accurate
      representations than at lower resolutions. This result indicates that standard
      resolution fMRI may lead to wrong conclusions about the functional organization
      of the bSTC, whereas high spatial resolution is essential to more accurately
      approach neuronal operations of human multisensory integration.

PMID- 28912156
TI  - Neutrophils Are Critical for Myelin Removal in a Peripheral Nerve Injury Model of
      Wallerian Degeneration.
AB  - Wallerian degeneration (WD) is considered an essential preparatory stage to the
      process of axonal regeneration. In the peripheral nervous system, infiltrating
      monocyte-derived macrophages, which use the chemokine receptor CCR2 to gain entry
      to injured tissues from the bloodstream, are purportedly necessary for efficient
      WD. However, our laboratory has previously reported that myelin clearance in the
      injured sciatic nerve proceeds unhindered in the Ccr2-/- mouse model. Here, we
      extensively characterize WD in male Ccr2-/- mice and identify a compensatory
      mechanism of WD that is facilitated primarily by neutrophils. In response to the
      loss of CCR2, injured Ccr2-/- sciatic nerves demonstrate prolonged expression of
      neutrophil chemokines, a concomitant extended increase in the accumulation of
      neutrophils in the nerve, and elevated phagocytosis by neutrophils. Neutrophil
      depletion substantially inhibits myelin clearance after nerve injury in both male
      WT and Ccr2-/- mice, highlighting a novel role for these cells in peripheral
      nerve degeneration that spans genotypes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The accepted view
      in the basic and clinical neurosciences is that the clearance of axonal and
      myelin debris after a nerve injury is directed primarily by inflammatory CCR2+
      macrophages. However, we demonstrate that this clearance is nearly identical in
      WT and Ccr2-/- mice, and that neutrophils replace CCR2+ macrophages as the
      primary phagocytic cell. We find that neutrophils play a major role in myelin
      clearance not only in Ccr2-/- mice but also in WT mice, highlighting their
      necessity during nerve degeneration in the peripheral nervous system. These
      degeneration studies may propel improvements in nerve regeneration and draw
      critical parallels to mechanisms of nerve degeneration and regeneration in the
      CNS and in the context of peripheral neuropathies.

PMID- 28912158
TI  - Visual Responses in FEF, Unlike V1, Primarily Reflect When the Visual Context
      Renders a Receptive Field Salient.
AB  - When light falls within a neuronal visual receptive field (RF) the resulting
      activity is referred to as the visual response. Recent work suggests this
      activity is in response to both the visual stimulation and the abrupt appearance,
      or salience, of the presentation. Here we present a novel method for
      distinguishing the two, based on the timing of random and nonrandom
      presentations. We examined these contributions in frontal eye field (FEF; N = 51)
      and as a comparison, an early stage in the primary visual cortex (V1; N = 15) of
      male monkeys (Macaca mulatta). An array of identical stimuli was presented within
      and outside the neuronal RF while we manipulated salience by varying the time
      between stimulus presentations. We hypothesized that the rapid presentation would
      reduce salience (the sudden appearance within the visual field) of a stimulus at
      any one location, and thus decrease responses driven by salience in the RF. We
      found that when the interstimulus interval decreased from 500 to 16 ms there was
      an approximate 79% reduction in the FEF response compared with an estimated 17%
      decrease in V1. This reduction in FEF response for rapid presentation was evident
      even when the random sequence preceding a stimulus did not stimulate the RF for
      500 ms. The time course of these response changes in FEF suggest that salience is
      represented much earlier (<100 ms following stimulus onset) than previously
      estimated. Our results suggest that the contribution of salience dominates at
      higher levels of the visual system.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The neuronal responses
      in early visual processing [e.g., primary visual cortex (V1)] reflect primarily
      the retinal stimulus. Processing in higher visual areas is modulated by a
      combination of the visual stimulation and contextual factors, such as salience,
      but identifying these components separately has been difficult. Here we
      quantified these contributions at a late stage of visual processing [frontal eye
      field (FEF)] and as a comparison, an early stage in V1. Our results suggest that
      as visual information continues through higher levels of processing the neural
      responses are no longer driven primarily by the visual stimulus in the receptive
      field, but by the broader context that stimulus defines-very different from
      current views about visual signals in FEF.

PMID- 28912160
TI  - Dopamine D2 Receptors Modulate Pyramidal Neurons in Mouse Medial Prefrontal
      Cortex through a Stimulatory G-Protein Pathway.
AB  - Dopaminergic modulation of prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to play key roles
      in many cognitive functions and to be disrupted in pathological conditions, such
      as schizophrenia. We have previously described a phenomenon whereby dopamine D2
      receptor (D2R) activation elicits afterdepolarizations (ADPs) in subcortically
      projecting (SC) pyramidal neurons within L5 of the PFC. These D2R-induced ADPs
      only occur following synaptic input, which activates NMDARs, even when the delay
      between the synaptic input and ADPs is relatively long (e.g., several hundred
      milliseconds). Here, we use a combination of electrophysiological, optogenetic,
      pharmacological, transgenic, and chemogenetic approaches to elucidate cellular
      mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in male and female mice. We find that
      knocking out D2Rs eliminates the ADP in a cell-autonomous fashion, confirming
      that this ADP depends on D2Rs. Hyperpolarizing current injection, but not AMPA
      receptor blockade, prevents synaptic stimulation from facilitating D2R-induced
      ADPs, suggesting that this phenomenon depends on the recruitment of voltage
      dependent currents (e.g., NMDAR-mediated Ca2+ influx) by synaptic input. Finally,
      the D2R-induced ADP is blocked by inhibitors of cAMP/PKA signaling, insensitive
      to pertussis toxin or beta-arrestin knock-out, and mimicked by Gs-DREADD
      stimulation, suggesting that D2R activation elicits the ADP by stimulating
      cAMP/PKA signaling. These results show that this unusual physiological
      phenomenon, in which D2Rs enhance cellular excitability in a manner that depends
      on synaptic input, is mediated at the cellular level through the recruitment of
      signaling pathways associated with Gs, rather than the Gi/o-associated mechanisms
      that have classically been ascribed to D2Rs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Dopamine D2
      receptors (D2Rs) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are thought to play important
      roles in behaviors, including working memory and cognitive flexibility. Variation
      in D2Rs has also been implicated in schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, and bipolar
      disorder. Recently, we described a new mechanism through which D2R activation can
      enhance the excitability of pyramidal neurons in the PFC. Here, we explore the
      underlying cellular mechanisms. Surprisingly, although D2Rs are classically
      assumed to signal through Gi/o-coupled G-proteins and/or scaffolding proteins,
      such as beta-arrestin, we find that the effects of D2Rs on prefrontal pyramidal
      neurons are actually mediated by pathways associated with Gs-mediated signaling.
      Furthermore, we show how, via this D2R-dependent phenomenon, synaptic input can
      enhance the excitability of prefrontal neurons over timescales on the order of
      seconds. These results elucidate cellular mechanisms underlying a novel signaling
      pathway downstream of D2Rs that may contribute to prefrontal function under
      normal and pathological conditions.

PMID- 28912159
TI  - Oscillatory Reinstatement Enhances Declarative Memory.
AB  - Declarative memory recall is thought to involve the reinstatement of neural
      activity patterns that occurred previously during encoding. Consistent with this
      view, greater similarity between patterns of activity recorded during encoding
      and retrieval has been found to predict better memory performance in a number of
      studies. Recent models have argued that neural oscillations may be crucial to
      reinstatement for successful memory retrieval. However, to date, no causal
      evidence has been provided to support this theory, nor has the impact of
      oscillatory electrical brain stimulation during encoding and retrieval been
      assessed. To explore this we used transcranial alternating current stimulation
      over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of human participants [n = 70, 45
      females; age mean (SD) = 22.12 (2.16)] during a declarative memory task.
      Participants received either the same frequency during encoding and retrieval (60
      60 or 90-90 Hz) or different frequencies (60-90 or 90-60 Hz). When frequencies
      matched there was a significant memory improvement (at both 60 and 90 Hz)
      relative to sham stimulation. No improvement occurred when frequencies
      mismatched. Our results provide support for the role of oscillatory reinstatement
      in memory retrieval.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recent neurobiological models of
      memory have argued that large-scale neural oscillations are reinstated to support
      successful memory retrieval. Here we used transcranial alternating current
      stimulation (tACS) to test these models. tACS has recently been shown to induce
      neural oscillations at the frequency stimulated. We stimulated over the left
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during a declarative memory task involving
      learning a set of words. We found that tACS applied at the same frequency during
      encoding and retrieval enhances memory. We also find no difference between the
      two applied frequencies. Thus our results are consistent with the proposal that
      reinstatement of neural oscillations during retrieval supports successful memory
      retrieval.

PMID- 28912161
TI  - Disruption of Bmal1 Impairs Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity via Pericyte
      Dysfunction.
AB  - Circadian rhythm disturbances are well established in neurological diseases.
      However, how these disruptions cause homeostatic imbalances remains poorly
      understood. Brain and muscle aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like
      protein 1 (Bmal1) is a major circadian clock transcriptional activator, and Bmal1
      deficiency in male Bmal1nestin-/- mice induced marked astroglial activation
      without affecting the number of astrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Bmal1
      deletion caused blood-brain barrier (BBB) hyperpermeability with an age-dependent
      loss of pericyte coverage of blood vessels in the brain. Using Nestin-green
      fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice, we determined that pericytes are
      Nestin-GFP+ in the adult brain. Bmal1 deletion caused Nestin-GFP+ pericyte
      dysfunction, including the downregulation of platelet-derived growth factor
      receptor beta (PDGFRbeta), a protein necessary for maintaining BBB integrity.
      Knockdown of Bmal1 downregulated PDGFRbeta transcription in the brain pericyte
      cell line. Thus, the circadian clock component Bmal1 maintains BBB integrity via
      regulating pericytes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Circadian rhythm disturbances may
      play a role in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Our
      results revealed that one of the circadian clock components maintains the
      integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by regulating vascular-embedded
      pericytes. These cells were recently identified as a vital component for the
      control of BBB permeability and cerebral blood flow. Our present study
      demonstrates the involvement of circadian clock component Bmal1 in BBB
      homeostasis and highlights the role of Bmal1 dysfunction in multiple neurological
      diseases.

PMID- 28912162
TI  - Regional Cellular Environment Shapes Phenotypic Variations of Hippocampal and
      Neocortical Chandelier Cells.
AB  - Different cortical regions processing distinct information, such as the
      hippocampus and the neocortex, share common cellular components and circuit
      motifs but form unique networks by modifying these cardinal units. Cortical
      circuits include diverse types of GABAergic interneurons (INs) that shape
      activity of excitatory principal neurons (PNs). Canonical IN types conserved
      across distinct cortical regions have been defined by their morphological,
      electrophysiological, and neurochemical properties. However, it remains largely
      unknown whether canonical IN types undergo specific modifications in distinct
      cortical regions and display "regional variants." It is also poorly understood
      whether such phenotypic variations are shaped by early specification or regional
      cellular environment. The chandelier cell (ChC) is a highly stereotyped IN type
      that innervates axon initial segments of PNs and thus serves as a good model with
      which to address this issue. Here, we show that Cadherin-6 (Cdh6), a homophilic
      cell adhesion molecule, is a reliable marker of ChCs and Cdh6-CreER mice (both
      sexes) provide genetic access to hippocampal ChCs (h-ChCs). We demonstrate that,
      compared with neocortical ChCs (nc-ChCs), h-ChCs cover twice as much area and
      innervate twice as many PNs. Interestingly, a subclass of h-ChCs exhibits
      calretinin (CR) expression, which is not found in nc-ChCs. Furthermore, we find
      that h-ChCs appear to be born earlier than nc-ChCs. Surprisingly, despite the
      difference in temporal origins, ChCs display host-region-dependent
      axonal/synaptic organization and CR expression when transplanted heterotopically.
      These results suggest that local cellular environment plays a critical role in
      shaping terminal phenotypes of regional IN variants in the hippocampus and the
      neocortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Canonical interneuron (IN) types conserved
      across distinct cortical regions such as the hippocampus and the neocortex are
      defined by morphology, physiology, and gene expression. However, it remains
      unknown whether they display phenotypic variations in different cortical regions.
      In addition, it is unclear whether terminal phenotypes of regional IN variants
      belonging to a canonical IN type are determined intrinsically or extrinsically.
      Our results provide evidence of striking differences in axonal/synaptic
      organization and calretinin expression between hippocampal chandelier cells
      (ChCs) and neocortical ChCs. They also reveal that local cellular environment in
      distinct cortical regions regulates these terminal phenotypes. Therefore, our
      study suggests that local cortical environment shapes the phenotypes of regional
      IN variants, which may be required for unique circuit operations in distinct
      cortical regions.

PMID- 28912164
TI  - Highs and lows of diabetic care: lessons from a national audit.

PMID- 28912163
TI  - Neonatal resuscitation using a laryngeal mask airway: a randomised trial in
      Uganda.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mortality rates from birth asphyxia in low-income countries remain
      high. Face mask ventilation (FMV) performed by midwives is the usual method of
      resuscitating neonates in such settings but may not always be effective. The i
      gel is a cuffless laryngeal mask airway (LMA) that could enhance neonatal
      resuscitation performance. We aimed to compare LMA and face mask (FM) during
      neonatal resuscitation in a low-resource setting. SETTING: Mulago National
      Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. DESIGN: This prospective randomised clinical
      trial was conducted at the labour ward operating theatre. After a brief training
      on LMA and FM use, infants with a birth weight >2000 g and requiring positive
      pressure ventilation at birth were randomised to resuscitation by LMA or FM.
      Resuscitations were video recorded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to spontaneous
      breathing. RESULTS: Forty-nine (24 in the LMA and 25 in the FM arm) out of 50
      enrolled patients were analysed. Baseline characteristics were comparable between
      the two arms. Time to spontaneous breathing was shorter in LMA arm than in FM arm
      (mean 153 s (SD+/-59) vs 216 s (SD+/-92)). All resuscitations were effective in
      LMA arm, whereas 11 patients receiving FM were converted to LMA because response
      to FMV was unsatisfactory. There were no adverse effects. CONCLUSION: A cuffless
      LMA was more effective than FM in reducing time to spontaneous breathing. LMA
      seems to be safe and effective in clinical practice after a short training
      programme. Its potential benefits on long-term outcomes need to be assessed in a
      larger trial. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY: This trial was registered in
      https://clinicaltrials.gov, with registration number NCT02042118.

PMID- 28912166
TI  - Breastfeeding and vitamin D.

PMID- 28912167
TI  - Adult Nursing.
AB  - EBN Perspectives bring together key issues from the commentaries in one of our
      nursing topic themes. 

PMID- 28912165
TI  - Holistic care of complicated tuberculosis in healthcare settings with limited
      resources.
AB  - In recent years, most of the focus on improving the quality of paediatric care in
      low-income countries has been on improving primary care using the Integrated
      Management of Childhood Illness, and improving triage and emergency treatment in
      hospitals aimed at reducing deaths in the first 24 hours. There has been little
      attention paid to improving the quality of care for children with chronic or
      complex diseases. Children with complicated forms of tuberculosis (TB), including
      central nervous system and chronic pulmonary TB, provide examples of acute and
      chronic multisystem paediatric illnesses that commonly present to district-level
      and second-level referral hospitals in low-income countries. The care of these
      children requires a holistic clinical and continuous quality improvement
      approach. This includes timely decisions on the commencement of treatment often
      when diagnoses are not certain, identification and management of acute
      respiratory, neurological and nutritional complications, identification and
      treatment of comorbidities, supportive care, systematic monitoring of treatment
      and progress, rehabilitation, psychological support, ensuring adherence, and safe
      transition to community care. New diagnostics and imaging can assist this, but
      meticulous attention to clinical detail at the bedside and having a clear plan
      for all aspects of care that is communicated well to staff and families are
      essential for good outcomes. The care is multidimensional: biomedical,
      rehabilitative, social and economic, and multidisciplinary: medical, nursing and
      allied health. In the era of the Sustainable Development Goals, approaches to
      these dimensions of healthcare are needed within the reach of the poorest people
      who access district hospitals in low-income countries.

PMID- 28912169
TI  - Joined-up planning across the whole system is essential to improve mental health.

PMID- 28912168
TI  - Alternative Polyadenylation of PRELID1 Regulates Mitochondrial ROS Signaling and
      Cancer Outcomes.
AB  - Disruption of posttranscriptional gene regulation is a critical step in
      oncogenesis that can be difficult to observe using traditional molecular
      techniques. To overcome this limitation, a modified polyadenylation site
      sequencing (PAS-seq) protocol was used to generate a genome-wide map of
      alternative polyadenylation (APA) events in human primary breast tumor specimens
      and matched normal tissue. This approach identified an APA event in the PRELID1
      mRNA that enhances its steady-state level and translational efficiency, and is a
      strong breast cancer subtype-dependent predictor of patient clinical outcomes.
      Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that PRELID1 regulates stress response and
      mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in a cell type-specific
      manner. Modulation of PRELID1 expression, including its posttranscriptional
      control, appears to be a common stress response across different cancer types.
      These data reveal that PRELID1 mRNA processing is an important regulator of cell
      type-specific responses to stress used by multiple cancers and is associated with
      patient outcomes.Implications: This study suggests that the regulation of PRELID1
      expression, by APA and other mechanisms, plays a role in mitochondrial ROS
      signaling and represents a novel prognostic factor and therapeutic target in
      cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 15(12); 1741-51. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912170
TI  - Liver disease mortality varies widely across England.

PMID- 28912171
TI  - Headache and papilloedema in a 10 year old.

PMID- 28912173
TI  - Secondary malignant neoplasms, progression-free survival and overall survival in
      patients treated for Hodgkin lymphoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of
      randomized clinical trials.
AB  - Treatment intensification to maximize disease control and reduced intensity
      approaches to minimize the risk of late sequelae have been evaluated in newly
      diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma. The influence of these interventions on the risk of
      secondary malignant neoplasms, progression-free survival and overall survival is
      reported in the meta-analysis herein, based on individual patient data from 9498
      patients treated within 16 randomized controlled trials for newly diagnosed
      Hodgkin lymphoma between 1984 and 2007. Secondary malignant neoplasms were meta
      analyzed using Peto's method as time-to-event outcomes. For progression-free and
      overall survival, hazard ratios derived from each trial using Cox regression were
      combined by inverse-variance weighting. Five study questions (combined-modality
      treatment vs. chemotherapy alone; more extended vs. involved-field radiotherapy;
      radiation at higher doses vs. radiation at 20 Gy; more vs. fewer cycles of the
      same chemotherapy protocol; standard-dose chemotherapy vs. intensified
      chemotherapy) were investigated. After a median follow-up of 7.4 years, dose
      intensified chemotherapy resulted in better progression-free survival rates
      (P=0.007) as compared with standard-dose chemotherapy, but was associated with an
      increased risk of therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic
      syndromes (P=0.0028). No progression-free or overall survival differences were
      observed between combined-modality treatment and chemotherapy alone, but more
      secondary malignant neoplasms were seen after combined-modality treatment
      (P=0.010). For the remaining three study questions, outcomes and secondary
      malignancy rates did not differ significantly between treatment strategies. The
      results of this meta-analysis help to weigh up efficacy and secondary malignancy
      risk for the choice of first-line treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma patients.
      However, final conclusions regarding secondary solid tumors require longer follow
      up.

PMID- 28912175
TI  - In vitro evidence of complement activation in patients with sickle cell disease.

PMID- 28912174
TI  - Senescence is a Spi1-induced anti-proliferative mechanism in primary
      hematopoietic cells.
AB  - Transcriptional deregulation caused by epigenetic or genetic alterations is a
      major cause of leukemic transformation. The Spi1/PU.1 transcription factor is a
      key regulator of many steps of hematopoiesis, and limits self-renewal of
      hematopoietic stem cells. The deregulation of its expression or activity
      contributes to leukemia, in which Spi1 can be either an oncogene or a tumor
      suppressor. Herein we explored whether cellular senescence, an anti-tumoral
      pathway that restrains cell proliferation, is a mechanism by which Spi1 limits
      hematopoietic cell expansion, and thus prevents the development of leukemia. We
      show that Spi1 overexpression triggers cellular senescence both in primary
      fibroblasts and hematopoietic cells. Erythroid and myeloid lineages are both
      prone to Spi1-induced senescence. In hematopoietic cells, Spi1-induced senescence
      requires its DNA-binding activity and a functional p38MAPK14 pathway but is
      independent of a DNA-damage response. In contrast, in fibroblasts, Spi1-induced
      senescence is triggered by a DNA-damage response. Importantly, using our well
      established Spi1 transgenic leukemia mouse model, we demonstrate that Spi1
      overexpression also induces senescence in erythroid progenitors of the bone
      marrow in vivo before the onset of the pre-leukemic phase of erythroleukemia.
      Remarkably, the senescence response is lost during the progression of the disease
      and erythroid blasts do not display a higher expression of Dec1 and CDKN1A, two
      of the induced senescence markers in young animals. These results bring indirect
      evidence that leukemia develops from cells which have bypassed Spi1-induced
      senescence. Overall, our results reveal senescence as a Spi1-induced anti
      proliferative mechanism that may be a safeguard against the development of acute
      myeloid leukemia.

PMID- 28912172
TI  - RNA-binding proteins in neurodegeneration: mechanisms in aggregate.
AB  - Neurodegeneration is a leading cause of death in the developed world and a
      natural, albeit unfortunate, consequence of longer-lived populations. Despite
      great demand for therapeutic intervention, it is often the case that these
      diseases are insufficiently understood at the basic molecular level. What little
      is known has prompted much hopeful speculation about a generalized mechanistic
      thread that ties these disparate conditions together at the subcellular level and
      can be exploited for broad curative benefit. In this review, we discuss a
      prominent theory supported by genetic and pathological changes in an array of
      neurodegenerative diseases: that neurons are particularly vulnerable to
      disruption of RNA-binding protein dosage and dynamics. Here we synthesize the
      progress made at the clinical, genetic, and biophysical levels and conclude that
      this perspective offers the most parsimonious explanation for these mysterious
      diseases. Where appropriate, we highlight the reciprocal benefits of cross
      disciplinary collaboration between disease specialists and RNA biologists as we
      envision a future in which neurodegeneration declines and our understanding of
      the broad importance of RNA processing deepens.

PMID- 28912177
TI  - Rac1 functions downstream of miR-142 in regulation of erythropoiesis.

PMID- 28912176
TI  - Anexelekto/MER tyrosine kinase inhibitor ONO-7475 arrests growth and kills FMS
      like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication mutant acute myeloid leukemia
      cells by diverse mechanisms.
AB  - Nearly one-third of patients with acute myeloid leukemia have FMS-like tyrosine
      kinase 3 mutations and thus have poor survival prospects. Receptor tyrosine
      kinase anexelekto is critical for FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 signaling and
      participates in FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 inhibitor resistance mechanisms. Thus,
      strategies targeting anexelekto could prove useful for acute myeloid leukemia
      therapy. ONO-7475 is an inhibitor with high specificity for anexelekto and MER
      tyrosine kinase. Herein, we report that ONO-7475 potently arrested growth and
      induced apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia with internal tandem duplication
      mutation of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3. MER tyrosine kinase-lacking MOLM13 cells
      were sensitive to ONO-7475, while MER tyrosine kinase expressing OCI-AML3 cells
      were resistant, suggesting that the drug acts via anexelekto in acute myeloid
      leukemia cells. Reverse phase protein analysis of ONO-7475 treated cells revealed
      that cell cycle regulators like cyclin dependent kinase 1, cyclin B1, polo-like
      kinase 1, and retinoblastoma were suppressed. ONO-7475 suppressed cyclin
      dependent kinase 1, cyclin B1, polo-like kinase 1 gene expression suggesting that
      anexelekto may regulate the cell cycle, at least in part, via transcriptional
      mechanisms. Importantly, ONO-7475 was effective in a human FMS-like tyrosine
      kinase 3 with internal tandem duplication mutant murine xenograft model. Mice fed
      a diet containing ONO-7475 exhibited significantly longer survival and,
      interestingly, blocked leukemia cell infiltration in the liver. In summary, ONO
      7475 effectively kills acute myeloid leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo by
      mechanisms that involve disruption of diverse survival and proliferation
      pathways.

PMID- 28912178
TI  - Cardiomyopathies: An Overview.
AB  - The nonischemic cardiomyopathies are a diverse group of cardiac disorders that
      frequently cause heart failure and death and are now recognized with increasing
      frequency. There has been substantial progress in the clinical recognition and
      understanding of the natural history of these conditions. Well-established and
      new techniques of cardiac imaging are also helpful in this regard. Basic
      scientists are elucidating the pathogenesis and pathobiology of individual
      cardiomyopathies. In this compendium, some of the most important advances in this
      field are reviewed. Scientific opportunities to enhance further collaborative
      research to accelerate progress are identified.

PMID- 28912179
TI  - Classification, Epidemiology, and Global Burden of Cardiomyopathies.
AB  - In the past 25 years, major advances were achieved in the nosography of
      cardiomyopathies, influencing the definition and taxonomy of this important
      chapter of cardiovascular disease. Nearly, 50% of patients dying suddenly in
      childhood or adolescence or undergoing cardiac transplantation are affected by
      cardiomyopathies. Novel cardiomyopathies have been discovered (arrhythmogenic,
      restrictive, and noncompacted) and added to update the World Health Organization
      classification. Myocarditis has also been named inflammatory cardiomyopathy.
      Extraordinary progress accomplished in molecular genetics of inherited
      cardiomyopathies allowed establishment of dilated cardiomyopathy as mostly
      cytoskeleton, force transmission disease; hypertrophic-restrictive
      cardiomyopathies as sarcomeric, force generation disease; and arrhythmogenic
      cardiomyopathy as desmosome, cell junction disease. Channelopathies (short and
      long QT, Brugada, and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
      syndromes) should also be considered cardiomyopathies because of electric myocyte
      dysfunction. Cardiomyopathies are easily diagnosed but treated only with
      palliative pharmacological or invasive therapy. Curative therapy, thanks to
      insights into the molecular pathogenesis, has to target the fundamental
      mechanisms involved in the onset and progression of these conditions.

PMID- 28912182
TI  - Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: Surgical Myectomy and Septal Ablation.
AB  - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder characterized by marked
      hypertrophy of the myocardium. It is frequently accompanied by dynamic left
      ventricular outflow tract obstruction and symptoms of dyspnea, angina, and
      syncope. The initial therapy for symptomatic patients with obstruction is medical
      therapy with beta-blockers and calcium antagonists. However, there remain a
      subset of patients who have continued severe symptoms, which are unresponsive to
      medical therapy. These patients can be treated with septal reduction therapy,
      either surgical septal myectomy or alcohol septal ablation. When performed by
      experienced operators working in high-volume centers, septal myectomy is highly
      effective with a >90% relief of obstruction and improvement in symptoms. The
      perioperative mortality rate for isolated septal myectomy in most centers is <1%.
      Alcohol septal ablation is a less invasive treatment. In many patients, the
      hemodynamic and clinical results are comparable to that of septal myectomy.
      However, the results of alcohol septal ablation are dependent on the septal
      perforator artery supplying the area of the contact between the hypertrophied
      septum and the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. There are some patients,
      particularly younger patients with severe hypertrophy, who do not uniformly
      experience complete relief of obstruction and symptoms. Both techniques of septal
      reduction therapy are highly operator dependent. The final decision as to which
      approach should be selected in any given patient is dependent up patient
      preference and the availability and experience of the operator and institution at
      which the patient is being treated.

PMID- 28912180
TI  - Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Genetic Determinants and Mechanisms.
AB  - Nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) often has a genetic pathogenesis.
      Because of the large number of genes and alleles attributed to DCM, comprehensive
      genetic testing encompasses ever-increasing gene panels. Genetic diagnosis can
      help predict prognosis, especially with regard to arrhythmia risk for certain
      subtypes. Moreover, cascade genetic testing in family members can identify those
      who are at risk or with early stage disease, offering the opportunity for early
      intervention. This review will address diagnosis and management of DCM, including
      the role of genetic evaluation. We will also overview distinct genetic pathways
      linked to DCM and their pathogenetic mechanisms. Historically, cardiac morphology
      has been used to classify cardiomyopathy subtypes. Determining genetic variants
      is emerging as an additional adjunct to help further refine subtypes of DCM,
      especially where arrhythmia risk is increased, and ultimately contribute to
      clinical management.

PMID- 28912183
TI  - Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is an inherited heart muscle disorder, predisposing
      to sudden cardiac death, particularly in young patients and athletes.
      Pathological features include loss of myocytes and fibrofatty replacement of
      right ventricular myocardium; biventricular involvement is often observed. It is
      a cell-to-cell junction cardiomyopathy, typically caused by genetically
      determined abnormalities of cardiac desmosomes, which leads to detachment of
      myocytes and alteration of intracellular signal transduction. The diagnosis of
      arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy does not rely on a single gold standard test but is
      achieved using a scoring system, which encompasses familial and genetic factors,
      ECG abnormalities, arrhythmias, and structural/functional ventricular
      alterations. The main goal of treatment is the prevention of sudden cardiac
      death. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator is the only proven lifesaving
      therapy; however, it is associated with significant morbidity because of device
      related complications and inappropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator
      interventions. Selection of patients who are the best candidates for implantable
      cardioverter defibrillator implantation is one of the most challenging issues in
      the clinical management.

PMID- 28912184
TI  - Inflammatory Cardiomyopathic Syndromes.
AB  - Inflammatory activation occurs in nearly all forms of myocardial injury. In
      contrast, inflammatory cardiomyopathies refer to a diverse group of disorders in
      which inflammation of the heart (or myocarditis) is the proximate cause of
      myocardial dysfunction, causing injury that can range from a fully recoverable
      syndrome to one that leads to chronic remodeling and dilated cardiomyopathy. The
      most common cause of inflammatory cardiomyopathies in developed countries is
      lymphocytic myocarditis most commonly caused by a viral pathogenesis. In Latin
      America, cardiomyopathy caused by Chagas disease is endemic. The true incidence
      of myocarditis is unknown to the limited utilization and the poor sensitivity of
      endomyocardial biopsies (especially for patchy diseases such as lymphocytic
      myocarditis and sarcoidosis) using the gold-standard Dallas criteria. Emerging
      immunohistochemistry criteria and molecular diagnostic techniques are being
      developed that will improve diagnostic yield, provide additional clues into the
      pathophysiology, and offer an application of precision medicine to these
      important syndromes. Immunosuppression is recommended for patients with cardiac
      sarcoidosis, giant cell myocarditis, and myocarditis associated with connective
      tissue disorders and may be beneficial in chronic viral myocarditis once virus is
      cleared. Further trials of immunosuppression, antiviral, and immunomodulating
      therapies are needed. Together, with new molecular-based diagnostics and
      therapies tailored to specific pathogeneses, the outcome of patients with these
      disorders may improve.

PMID- 28912185
TI  - Restrictive Cardiomyopathy: Genetics, Pathogenesis, Clinical Manifestations,
      Diagnosis, and Therapy.
AB  - Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is characterized by nondilated left or right
      ventricle with diastolic dysfunction. The restrictive cardiomyopathies are a
      heterogenous group of myocardial diseases that vary according to pathogenesis,
      clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation and criteria, treatment, and
      prognosis. In this review, an overview of RCMs will be presented followed by a
      detailed discussion on 3 major causes of RCM, for which tailored interventions
      are available: cardiac amyloidosis, cardiac sarcoidosis, and cardiac
      hemochromatosis. Each of these 3 RCMs is challenging to diagnose, and recognition
      of each disease entity is frequently delayed. Clinical clues to promote
      recognition of cardiac amyloidosis, cardiac sarcoidosis, and cardiac
      hemochromatosis and imaging techniques used to facilitate diagnosis are
      discussed. Disease-specific therapies are reviewed. Early recognition remains a
      key barrier to improving survival in all RCMs.

PMID- 28912181
TI  - Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Genetics, Pathogenesis, Clinical Manifestations,
      Diagnosis, and Therapy.
AB  - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disorder that is characterized by
      left ventricular hypertrophy unexplained by secondary causes and a nondilated
      left ventricle with preserved or increased ejection fraction. It is commonly
      asymmetrical with the most severe hypertrophy involving the basal
      interventricular septum. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is present at
      rest in about one third of the patients and can be provoked in another third. The
      histological features of HCM include myocyte hypertrophy and disarray, as well as
      interstitial fibrosis. The hypertrophy is also frequently associated with left
      ventricular diastolic dysfunction. In the majority of patients, HCM has a
      relatively benign course. However, HCM is also an important cause of sudden
      cardiac death, particularly in adolescents and young adults. Nonsustained
      ventricular tachycardia, syncope, a family history of sudden cardiac death, and
      severe cardiac hypertrophy are major risk factors for sudden cardiac death. This
      complication can usually be averted by implantation of a cardioverter
      defibrillator in appropriate high-risk patients. Atrial fibrillation is also a
      common complication and is not well tolerated. Mutations in over a dozen genes
      encoding sarcomere-associated proteins cause HCM. MYH7 and MYBPC3, encoding beta
      myosin heavy chain and myosin-binding protein C, respectively, are the 2 most
      common genes involved, together accounting for ~50% of the HCM families. In ~40%
      of HCM patients, the causal genes remain to be identified. Mutations in genes
      responsible for storage diseases also cause a phenotype resembling HCM (genocopy
      or phenocopy). The routine applications of genetic testing and preclinical
      identification of family members represents an important advance. The genetic
      discoveries have enhanced understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of HCM and
      have stimulated efforts designed to identify new therapeutic agents.

PMID- 28912186
TI  - Cardiomyopathies Due to Left Ventricular Noncompaction, Mitochondrial and Storage
      Diseases, and Inborn Errors of Metabolism.
AB  - The normal function of the human myocardium requires the proper generation and
      utilization of energy and relies on a series of complex metabolic processes to
      achieve this normal function. When metabolic processes fail to work properly or
      effectively, heart muscle dysfunction can occur with or without accompanying
      functional abnormalities of other organ systems, particularly skeletal muscle.
      These metabolic derangements can result in structural, functional, and
      infiltrative deficiencies of the heart muscle. Mitochondrial and enzyme defects
      predominate as disease-related etiologies. In this review, left ventricular
      noncompaction cardiomyopathy, which is often caused by mutations in sarcomere and
      cytoskeletal proteins and is also associated with metabolic abnormalities, is
      discussed. In addition, cardiomyopathies resulting from mitochondrial
      dysfunction, metabolic abnormalities, storage diseases, and inborn errors of
      metabolism are described.

PMID- 28912188
TI  - Modern Imaging Techniques in Cardiomyopathies.
AB  - Modern advanced imaging techniques have allowed increasingly more rigorous
      assessment of the cardiac structure and function of several types of
      cardiomyopathies. In contemporary cardiology practice, echocardiography and
      cardiac magnetic resonance imaging are widely used to provide a basic framework
      in the evaluation and management of cardiomyopathies. Echocardiography is the
      quintessential imaging technique owing to its unique ability to provide real-time
      images of the beating heart with good temporal resolution, combined with its
      noninvasive nature, cost-effectiveness, availability, and portability. Cardiac
      magnetic resonance imaging provides data that are both complementary and uniquely
      distinct, thus allowing for insights into the disease process that until recently
      were not possible. The new catchphrase in the evaluation of cardiomyopathies is
      multimodality imaging, which is purported to be the efficient integration of
      various methods of cardiovascular imaging to improve the ability to diagnose,
      guide therapy, or predict outcomes. It usually involves an integrated approach to
      the use of echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for the
      assessment of cardiomyopathies, and, on occasion, single-photon emission computed
      tomography and such specialized techniques as pyrophosphate scanning.

PMID- 28912189
TI  - Associations between circulating macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)
      levels and rheumatoid arthritis, and between MIF gene polymorphisms and disease
      susceptibility: a meta-analysis.
AB  - AIM: To systematically review evidence regarding the relationship between
      circulating macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) levels and rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA), and the association between MIF gene polymorphisms and RA
      susceptibility. DESIGN: We performed a meta-analysis on data of serum/plasma MIF
      levels in patients with RA and in controls, and on associations between the MIF
      173 C/G and -794CATT5-8 polymorphisms and RA susceptibility. PATIENTS: Twelve
      studies, comprising a total of 362 RA cases and 531 controls evaluated for MIF
      levels, and 2367 RA cases and 2395 controls evaluated for MIF polymorphisms, were
      included. RESULTS: MIF levels were significantly higher in the RA group than in
      the control group (standardised mean difference (95% CI) 0.923 (0.766 to 1.080),
      p<0.001). Stratification by ethnicity revealed significantly higher MIF levels in
      the RA group in Caucasian, Asian and Latin American populations. MIF levels were
      significantly higher in patients with RA, regardless of adjustment, sample size
      or data type evaluated. RA was identified to be significantly associated with the
      MIF-173 C allele (OR (95% CI) 1.271 (1.141 to 1.416), p<0.001), as well as with
      the -794CATT7 allele (OR (95% CI) 1.229 (1.084 to 1.415), p=0.002) and the 
      794CATT7-MIF-173C haplotype RA (OR (95% CI) 1.433 (1.138 to 1.805), p=0.002).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analyses revealed significantly higher circulating MIF
      levels in patients with RA, and found evidence of associations between the MIF
      173 C/G and -794CATT5-8 polymorphisms and RA susceptibility.

PMID- 28912190
TI  - Invitations received from potential predatory publishers and fraudulent
      conferences: a 12-month early-career researcher experience.
AB  - PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study aims to describe all unsolicited electronic
      invitations received from potential predatory publishers or fraudulent
      conferences over a 12-month period following the first publication as a
      corresponding author of a junior academician. STUDY DESIGN: Unsolicited
      invitations received at an institutional email address and perceived to be sent
      by predatory publishers or fraudulent conferences were collected. RESULTS: A
      total of 502 invitations were included of which 177 (35.3%) had subject matter
      relevant to the recipient's research interests and previous work. Two hundred and
      thirty-seven were invitations to publish a manuscript. Few disclosed the
      publication fees (32, 13.5%) but they frequently reported accepting all types of
      manuscripts (167, 70.5%) or emphasised on a deadline to submit (165, 69.6%).
      Invitations came from 39 publishers (range 1 to 87 invitations per publisher).
      Two hundred and ten invitations from a potential fraudulent conference were
      received. These meetings were held in Europe (97, 46.2%), North America (65,
      31.0%), Asia (20.4%) or other continents (5, 2.4%) and came from 18 meeting
      organisation groups (range 1 to 137 invitations per organisation). Becoming an
      editorial board member (30), the editor-in-chief (1), a guest editor for journal
      special issue (6) and write a book chapter (11) were some of the roles offered in
      the other invitations included while no invitation to review a manuscript was
      received. CONCLUSIONS: Young researchers are commonly exposed to predatory
      publishers and fraudulent conferences following a single publication as a
      corresponding author. Academic institutions worldwide need to educate and inform
      young researchers of this emerging problem.

PMID- 28912187
TI  - Pediatric Cardiomyopathies.
AB  - : Pediatric cardiomyopathies are rare diseases with an annual incidence of 1.1 to
      1.5 per 100 000. Dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies are the most common;
      restrictive, noncompaction, and mixed cardiomyopathies occur infrequently; and
      arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is rare. Pediatric
      cardiomyopathies can result from coronary artery abnormalities, tachyarrhythmias,
      exposure to infection or toxins, or secondary to other underlying disorders.
      Increasingly, the importance of genetic mutations in the pathogenesis of isolated
      or syndromic pediatric cardiomyopathies is becoming apparent. Pediatric
      cardiomyopathies often occur in the absence of comorbidities, such as
      atherosclerosis, hypertension, renal dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus; as a
      result, they offer insights into the primary pathogenesis of myocardial
      dysfunction. Large international registries have characterized the epidemiology,
      cause, and outcomes of pediatric cardiomyopathies. Although adult and pediatric
      cardiomyopathies have similar morphological and clinical manifestations, their
      outcomes differ significantly. Within 2 years of presentation, normalization of
      function occurs in 20% of children with dilated cardiomyopathy, and 40% die or
      undergo transplantation. Infants with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have a 2-year
      mortality of 30%, whereas death is rare in older children. Sudden death is rare.
      Molecular evidence indicates that gene expression differs between adult and
      pediatric cardiomyopathies, suggesting that treatment response may differ as
      well. Clinical trials to support evidence-based treatments and the development of
      disease-specific therapies for pediatric cardiomyopathies are in their infancy.
      This compendium summarizes current knowledge of the genetic and molecular
      origins, clinical course, and outcomes of the most common phenotypic
      presentations of pediatric cardiomyopathies and highlights key areas where
      additional research is required. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT02549664 and NCT01912534.

PMID- 28912192
TI  - Mechanical cervicAl ripeninG for women with PrOlongedPregnancies (MAGPOP):
      protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a silicone double balloon catheter
      versus the Propess system for the slow release of dinoprostone for cervical
      ripening of prolonged pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Induction of labour for prolonged pregnancies (PP) when the cervix
      is unfavourable is a challenging situation. Cervical ripening by pharmacological
      or mechanical techniques before oxytocin administration is used to increase the
      likelihood of vaginal delivery. Both techniques are equally effective in
      achieving vaginal delivery but excessive uterine activity, which induces fetal
      heart rate (FHR) anomalies, is more frequent after the pharmacological
      intervention. We hypothesised that mechanical cervical ripening could reduce the
      caesarean rate for non-reassuring FHR especially in PP where fetuses are already
      susceptible to this. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre, superiority, open
      label, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial that aims to compare cervical
      ripening with a mechanical device (Cervical Ripening Balloon, Cook-Medical
      Europe, Ireland) inserted in standardised manner for 24 hours to pharmacological
      cervical ripening (Propess system for slow release system of 10 mg of
      dinoprostone, Ferring SAS, France) before oxytocin administration. Women (n=1220)
      will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio in 15 French units. Participants will be women
      with a singleton pregnancy, a vertex presentation, a term >=41+0 and<=42+0 week's
      gestation, and for whom induction of labour is planned. Women with a Bishop score
      >=6, a prior caesarean delivery, premature rupture of membranes or with any
      contraindication for vaginal delivery will be excluded. The primary endpoint is
      the caesarean rate for non-reassuring FHR. Secondary outcomes are related to
      delivery and perinatal morbidity. As study investigators and patients cannot be
      masked to treatment assignment, to compensate for the absence of blinding, an
      independent endpoint adjudication committee, blinded to group allocation, will
      determine whether the caesarean for non-reassuring FHR was justified. ETHICS AND
      DISSEMINATION: Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants.
      The Tours Research ethics committee has approved this study (2016-R23, 29
      November 2016). Study findings will be submitted for publication and presented at
      relevant conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02907060; pre-results.

PMID- 28912191
TI  - High versus low energy administration in the early phase of acute pancreatitis
      (GOULASH trial): protocol of a multicentre randomised double-blind clinical
      trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease with no specific
      treatment. Mitochondrial injury followed by ATP depletion in both acinar and
      ductal cells is a recently discovered early event in its pathogenesis.
      Importantly, preclinical research has shown that intracellular ATP delivery
      restores the physiological function of the cells and protects from cell injury,
      suggesting that restoration of energy levels in the pancreas is therapeutically
      beneficial. Despite several high quality experimental observations in this area,
      no randomised trials have been conducted to date to address the requirements for
      energy intake in the early phase of AP. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a randomised
      controlled two-arm double-blind multicentre trial. Patients with AP will be
      randomly assigned to groups A (30 kcal/kg/day energy administration starting
      within 24 hours of hospital admission) or B (low energy administration during the
      first 72 hours of hospital admission). Energy will be delivered by nasoenteric
      tube feeding with additional intravenous glucose supplementation or total
      parenteral nutrition if necessary. A combination of multiorgan failure for more
      than 48 hours and mortality is defined as the primary endpoint, whereas several
      secondary endpoints such as length of hospitalisation or pain will be determined
      to elucidate more detailed differences between the groups. The general
      feasibility, safety and quality checks required for high quality evidence will be
      adhered to. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the relevant
      organisation, the Scientific and Research Ethics Committee of the Hungarian
      Medical Research Council (55961-2/2016/EKU). This study will provide evidence as
      to whether early high energy nutritional support is beneficial in the clinical
      management of AP. The results of this trial will be published in an open access
      way and disseminated among medical doctors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial has
      been registered at the ISRCTN (ISRTCN 63827758).

PMID- 28912193
TI  - Effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention based on an application for
      smartphones, heart-healthy walks and a nutritional workshop in patients with type
      2 diabetes mellitus in primary care (EMID): study protocol for a randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: New information and communication technologies (ICTs) may promote
      lifestyle changes, but no adequate evidence is available on their combined effect
      of ICTs with multifactorial interventions aimed at improving diet and increasing
      physical activity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). The primary
      objective of this study is to assess the effect of a multifactorial intervention
      to increase physical activity and adherence to Mediterranean diet in DM2. METHODS
      AND ANALYSIS: Study scope and population: The study will be conducted at 'La
      Alamedilla' primary care research unit in Salamanca (Spain). 200 patients with
      DM2 of both sexes, aged 25-70 years and who meet the inclusion criteria and sign
      the informed consent will be recruited. Each participant will attend the clinic
      at baseline and 3 and 12 months after intervention. INTERVENTION: Both groups
      will be given short advice on diet and physical activity. The intervention group
      will also take five heart-healthy walks and attend a group session on diet
      education and will be trained on use of an application for smartphone (EVIDENT
      II) for 3 months. VARIABLES AND MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS: The main study endpoints
      will be changes in physical activity, as assessed by a pedometer and the
      International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and adherence to the Mediterranean
      diet, as evaluated by an adherence questionnaire and the Diet Quality Index.
      Anthropometric parameters and laboratory values, lifestyles and quality of life
      will also be assessed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: It was approved by the Clinical
      Research Ethics Committee of Salamanca on 28/11/2016. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      NCT02991079; Pre-results.

PMID- 28912194
TI  - Assessing oral medication adherence among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      treated with polytherapy in a developed Asian community: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The disease burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is rising due
      to suboptimal glycaemic control leading to vascular complications. Medication
      adherence (MA) directly influences glycaemic control and clinical consequences.
      This study aimed to assess the MA of patients with T2DM and identify associated
      factors. DESIGN: Analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey and electronic
      medical records. SETTING: Primary care outpatient clinic in Singapore.
      PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with T2DM. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MA to each
      prescribed oral hypoglycaemic agent (OHA) was measured using the five-question
      Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5). Low MA is defined as a MARS-R score
      of <25. Demographic data, clinical characteristics and investigation results were
      collected to identify factors that are associated with low MA. RESULTS: The study
      population comprised 382 patients with a slight female predominance (53.4%) and a
      mean+/-SD age of 62.0+/-10.4 years. 57.1% of the patients had low MA to at least
      one OHA. Univariate analysis showed that patients who were younger, of Chinese
      ethnicity, married or widowed, self-administering their medications or taking
      fewer (four or less) daily medications tended to have low MA to OHA. Logistic
      regression revealed that younger age (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.95 to0.99), Chinese
      ethnicity (OR 2.80; 95% CI 1.53 to5.15) and poorer glycaemic control (HbA1c
      level) (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.06 to1.51) were associated with low MA to OHA.
      CONCLUSIONS: Younger patients with T2DM and of Chinese ethnicity were susceptible
      to low MA to OHA, which was associated with poorer glycaemic control. Polytherapy
      was not associated with low MA.

PMID- 28912196
TI  - Correction: In patients presenting to the emergency department with skin and soft
      tissue infections what is the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care
      ultrasonography for the diagnosis of abscess compared to the current standard of
      care? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PMID- 28912195
TI  - Associations between participation in organised physical activity in the school
      or community outside school hours and neighbourhood play with child physical
      activity and sedentary time: a cross-sectional analysis of primary school-aged
      children from the UK.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the extent to which participation in organised physical
      activity in the school or community outside school hours and neighbourhood play
      was associated with children's physical activity and sedentary time. DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Children were recruited from 47 state-funded
      primary schools in South West England. PARTICIPANTS: 1223 children aged 8-9 years
      old. OUTCOME MEASURES: Accelerometer-assessed moderate-to-vigorous-intensity
      physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time. METHODS: Children wore an
      accelerometer, and the mean minutes of MVPA and sedentary time per day were
      derived. Children reported their attendance at organised physical activity in the
      school or community outside school hours and neighbourhood play using a piloted
      questionnaire. Cross-sectional linear and logistic regression were used to
      examine if attendance frequency at each setting (and all settings combined) was
      associated with MVPA and sedentary time. Multiple imputation methods were used to
      account for missing data and increase sample size. RESULTS: Children who attended
      clubs at school 3-4 days per week obtained an average of 7.58 (95% CI 2.7 to
      12.4) more minutes of MVPA per day than children who never attended.
      Participation in the three other non-school-based activities was similarly
      associated with MVPA. Evidence for associations with sedentary time was generally
      weaker. Associations were similar in girls and boys. When the four different
      contexts were combined, each additional one to two activities participated in per
      week increased participants' odds (OR: 1.18, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.25) of meeting the
      government recommendations for 60 min of MVPA per day. CONCLUSION: Participating
      in organised physical activity at school and in the community is associated with
      greater physical activity and reduced sedentary time among both boys and girls.
      All four types of activity contribute to overall physical activity, which
      provides parents with a range of settings in which to help their child be active.

PMID- 28912197
TI  - Standard admission order sets promote ordering of unnecessary investigations: a
      quasi-randomised evaluation in a simulated setting.

PMID- 28912198
TI  - Frequency of low-value care in Alberta, Canada: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine how frequently 10 low-value services highlighted by
      Choosing Wisely are done and what factors influence their provision. METHODS:
      This is a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected health data from
      five linked data sets from 2012 to 2015 in the Canadian province of Alberta to
      determine the frequency with which 10 low-value services were provided. RESULTS:
      Between 2012 and 2015, 162 143 people (4% of all 3 814 536 adult Albertans and 5%
      of the 3  423 135 who saw a physician at least once in that time frame) received
      at least one of the 10 low-value services, including 29.8% of Albertans older
      than 75 years (57 811 of 194 068). The proportion of adults receiving low-value
      services ranged from carotid artery imaging in 0.1% of asymptomatic adults
      without cerebrovascular disease, to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in
      55.5% of men 75 years or older without a history of prostate cancer. Although
      age, Charlson scores and frequency of primary care visits were associated with
      low-value service provision, the directions of the association differed across
      services; however, higher socioeconomic status, increased frequency of specialist
      contact and higher ratio of specialists to primary care physicians in the
      patient's region were associated with an increased risk of receiving all of the
      low-value services we examined. The low-value services which resulted in the
      greatest costs to the healthcare system were cervical cancer screening in women
      older than 65 without history of cervical dysplasia or genital cancer, PSA
      testing in men older than 75 without history of prostate cancer and preoperative
      stress testing/cardiac imaging before non-cardiac surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Even
      within a universal coverage healthcare system, the proportion of patients
      receiving low-value services varied widely (from <0.1% to 56%). Increased use was
      associated with higher socioeconomic status, increased frequency of specialist
      contact and higher ratio of specialists to primary care physicians.

PMID- 28912199
TI  - Preprints and Cardiovascular Science: Prescient or Premature?

PMID- 28912200
TI  - Development and Validation of Electronic Quality Measures to Assess Care for
      Patients With Transient Ischemic Attack and Minor Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite interest in using electronic health record (EHR) data to
      assess quality of care, the accuracy of such data is largely unknown. We sought
      to develop and validate transient ischemic attack and minor ischemic stroke
      electronic quality measures (eQMs) using EHR data. METHODS AND RESULTS: A random
      sample of patients with transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke, cared
      for in Veterans Health Administration facilities (fiscal year 2011), was
      identified. We constructed 31 eQMs based on existing quality measures. Chart
      review was the criterion standard for validating the eQMs. To evaluate eQMs in
      terms of eligibility, we calculated the proportion of patients who were genuinely
      not eligible to receive a process (based on chart review) and who were correctly
      identified as not eligible by the EHR data (specificity). To assess eQMs about
      classification of whether patients received a process, we calculated the
      proportion of patients who actually received the process (based on chart review)
      and who were classified correctly by the EHR data as passing (sensitivity). Seven
      hundred sixty-three patients were included. About eligibility, specificity varied
      from 25% (brain imaging; carotid imaging) to 99% (anticoagulation quality). About
      pass rates, sensitivity varied from 30% (antihypertensive class) to 100%
      (coronary risk assessment; international normalized ratio measured). The 16 eQMs
      with >=70% specificity in eligibility and >=70% sensitivity in pass rates
      included coronary risk assessment, international normalized ratio measured, HbA1c
      measurement, speech language pathology consultation, anticoagulation for atrial
      fibrillation, discharge on statin, lipid management, neurology consultation,
      Holter, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, oral hypoglycemic intensification,
      cholesterol medication intensification, antihypertensive intensification,
      antihypertensive class, carotid stenosis intervention, and substance abuse
      referral for alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to construct valid eQMs for
      processes of transient ischemic attack and minor ischemic stroke care. Healthcare
      systems with EHRs should consider using electronic data to evaluate care for
      their patients with transient ischemic attack and to complement and expand
      quality measurement programs currently focused on patients with stroke.

PMID- 28912201
TI  - Race and Socioeconomic Differences Associated With Changes in Statin Eligibility
      Under the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association
      Cholesterol Guidelines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association
      (ACC/AHA) guidelines expanded eligibility criteria for statins. We examined race
      and socioeconomic differences associated with these changes. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      This was an observational study of adults between 40 and 75 years of age using
      data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 2005 and
      2012. Change in eligibility for statins was assessed based on the third adult
      treatment panel criteria and the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines. Differences relating to
      self-reported race, income, education, and insurance status were assessed in
      models that were adjusted for age and each of the other factors. Statin
      eligibility increased among all race, education, and income groups. Becoming
      newly eligible for statins was more likely for black people (25.8% newly
      eligible; adjusted odds ratio, 3.8; P<0.001), people of other races (18.7%;
      adjusted odds ratio, 2.5; P<0.001), those with no more than high-school education
      (17.3%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.7; P=0.001), and those with no health insurance
      (17.6%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.5; P<0.001) compared with white people (14.5%),
      those who completed college (13.0%), and those with health insurance (15.6%).
      Income differences were not significant after adjusting for age, race, and
      education. These differences were driven by the prevalence of elevated predicted
      cardiac risk and diabetes mellitus. Among the US adults who were newly eligible
      for statins, 12.4 million (66.3%) were nonwhite, had lower education or lower
      income, and 3.0 million (16.1%) had no health insurance. Race and socioeconomic
      differences in statin eligibility were more pronounced under the 2013 ACC/AHA
      guidelines than under third adult treatment panel. If treatment disparities
      remain unchanged, the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines increase the number of US adults
      who are eligible but do not receive statins by 3.0 million nonwhites, 3.6 million
      with no more than high-school education, and 4.1 million in the lowest 2 income
      quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: The 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines increase statin eligibility
      most among adults with nonwhite race, socioeconomic disadvantage, and no health
      insurance. Without improving access to healthcare, the potential gains from
      expanding indications for cardioprotective medications will not be realized.

PMID- 28912202
TI  - Blockchain Technology: Applications in Health Care.

PMID- 28912203
TI  - Can Electronic Health Records Make Quality Measurement Fast and Easy?

PMID- 28912204
TI  - Microstructure, Cell-to-Cell Coupling, and Ion Currents as Determinants of
      Electrical Propagation and Arrhythmogenesis.

PMID- 28912205
TI  - Epicardial Breakthrough Waves During Sinus Rhythm: Depiction of the
      Arrhythmogenic Substrate?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epicardial breakthrough waves (EBW) during atrial fibrillation are
      important elements of the arrhythmogenic substrate and result from endo
      epicardial asynchrony, which also occurs to some degree during sinus rhythm (SR).
      We examined the incidence and characteristics of EBW during SR and its possible
      value in the detection of the arrhythmogenic substrate associated with atrial
      fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Intraoperative epicardial mapping
      (interelectrode distances 2 mm) of the right atrium, Bachmann's bundle, the left
      atrioventricular groove, and the pulmonary vein area was performed during SR in
      381 patients (289 male, 67+/-10 years) with ischemic or valvular heart disease.
      EBW were referred to as sinus node breakthrough waves if they were the earliest
      right atrial activated site. A total of 218 EBW and 57 sinus node breakthrough
      waves were observed in 168 patients (44%). EBW mostly occurred at right atrium
      (N=105, 48%) and left atrioventricular groove (N=67, 31%), followed by Bachmann's
      bundle (N=27, 12%) and pulmonary vein area (N=19, 9%; P<0.001). EBW occurred most
      often in ischemic heart disease patients (N=114, 49%) compared with (ischemic
      and) valvular heart disease patients (N=26, 17%; P<0.001). EBW electrograms most
      often consisted of double and fractionated potentials (N=137, 63%). In case of
      single potentials, an R wave was observed in 88% (N=71) of EBW, as opposed to 21%
      of sinus node breakthrough waves (N=5; P<0.001). Fractionated EBW potentials were
      more often observed at the right atrium and Bachmann's bundle (P<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: During SR, EBW are present in over a third of patients, particularly
      in thicker parts of the atrial wall. Features of SR EBW indicate that muscular
      connections between endo- and epicardium underlie EBW and that a slight degree of
      endo-epicardial asynchrony required for EBW to occur is already present in some
      areas during SR. Hence, an anatomic substrate is present, which may enhance the
      occurrence of EBW during atrial fibrillation, thereby promoting atrial
      fibrillation persistence.

PMID- 28912206
TI  - Clinical Yield of Familial Screening After Sudden Death in Young Subjects: The
      French Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After sudden cardiac death with negative autopsy, clinical screening
      of relatives identifies a high proportion of inherited arrhythmia syndrome.
      However, the efficacy of this screening in families not selected by autopsy has
      never been assessed. We aim to investigate the value of clinical screening in
      relatives of all subjects who died suddenly before 45 years of age. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: One hundred and three consecutive families who experienced unexplained
      sudden cardiac death before 45 years of age were included from May 2009 to
      December 2014 in a prospective multicenter registry. Clinical screening was
      provided to all relatives and performed in 64 families (230 relatives, 80
      unexplained sudden cardiac death). Diagnosis was established in 16 families
      (25%), including Brugada syndrome (7), long QT syndromes (5), dilated
      cardiomyopathy (2), and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (2). The diagnostic yield was
      mainly dependent on the number of screened relatives (3.8+/-3.4 screened
      relatives in diagnosed families versus 2.0+/-1.5; P<0.005) rising to 47% with at
      least 3 relatives. It additionally increased from 3 of 32 (9%) to 9 of 22 (41%)
      when both parents were screened (P=0.01). Diagnostic performance was also
      dependent on the exhaustiveness of screening (70% of complete screening in the
      diagnosed families versus 25%; P<0.0001) with 17 Brugada syndromes and 15 long QT
      syndromes diagnosed based on pharmacological tests. CONCLUSIONS: Even without
      autopsy, familial screening after sudden death in young patients is effective.
      Broad screening of relatives and systematic tests, including pharmacological
      challenges, greatly increases the likelihood of diagnosis in families.

PMID- 28912207
TI  - Propagation of Sinus Waves in the Atrial Architecture: When Laminar Electrical
      Fluxes Turn Turbulent.

PMID- 28912208
TI  - Efficacy of Familial Screening After Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Adults
      Irrespective of Postmortem Analysis: Implication of a Pharmacological Challenge
      as a First Step of Screening.

PMID- 28912209
TI  - Valve Interstitial Cells: The Key to Understanding the Pathophysiology of Heart
      Valve Calcification.

PMID- 28912210
TI  - Sex Differences in Clinical Characteristics, Psychosocial Factors, and Outcomes
      Among Patients With Stable Coronary Heart Disease: Insights from the STABILITY
      (Stabilization of Atherosclerotic Plaque by Initiation of Darapladib Therapy)
      Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Greater understanding of differences between men and women with
      coronary heart disease is needed. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this post hoc analysis
      of the STABILITY (Stabilization of Atherosclerotic Plaque by Initiation of
      Darapladib Therapy) trial, we described psychosocial factors, treatments, and
      outcomes of men versus women with stable coronary heart disease and explored the
      association of sex with psychosocial characteristics and cardiovascular risk. Cox
      proportional hazards models were used to assess the relationship between sex and
      outcomes. Interactions among sex, psychosocial factors, and the composite of
      cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke were
      tested. Of 15 828 patients, 2967 (19%) were women. Among women, 21.2% felt often
      or always stressed at home (versus 9.8% of men), and 19.2% felt often or always
      sad or depressed (versus 10.1% of men; all P<0.0001). The median duration of
      follow-up was 3.7 years (25th-75th percentiles: 3.5-3.8 years). Use of evidence
      based medications for coronary heart disease at baseline and 24 months was
      similar between sexes, as were event rates for all outcomes analyzed. In the
      multivariable model including psychosocial measures, female sex was associated
      with lower cardiovascular risk. There was a statistically significant interaction
      (P=0.03) such that the lower risk in women varied by depressive symptom
      frequency, whereby women who were more depressed had a risk similar to men.
      CONCLUSIONS: Female sex was independently associated with better long-term
      clinical outcomes, although this was modified by frequency of depressive
      symptoms. This suggests that emotional state may be an important target for
      improving outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease, specifically in
      women. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: STABILITY ClinicalTrials.gov number
      (NCT00799903).

PMID- 28912211
TI  - Body Mass Index Is Associated With Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction in
      Patients With Treated Metabolic Risk Factors and Suspected Coronary Artery
      Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is key feature of the metabolic syndrome and is associated
      with high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Obesity is associated with
      macrovascular endothelial dysfunction, a determinant of outcome in patients with
      coronary artery disease. Here, we compared the influence of obesity on
      microvascular endothelial function to that of established cardiovascular risk
      factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and
      smoking in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Endothelial function was assessed during postocclusive reactive hyperemia of the
      brachial artery and downstream microvascular beds in 108 patients who were
      scheduled for coronary angiography. In all patients, microvascular vasodilation
      was assessed using peripheral arterial tonometry; laser Doppler flowmetry and
      digital thermal monitoring were performed. Body mass index was significantly
      associated with decreased endothelium-dependent vasodilatation measured with
      peripheral arterial tonometry (r=0.23, P=0.02), laser Doppler flowmetry (r=0.30,
      P<0.01), and digital thermal monitoring (r=0.30, P<0.01). In contrast,
      hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking had no influence on microvascular
      vasodilatation. Especially in diabetic patients, endothelial function was not
      significantly reduced (control versus diabetes mellitus, mean+/-SEM or median
      [interquartile range], peripheral arterial tonometry: 1.90+/-0.20 versus 1.67+/
      0.20, P=0.19, laser Doppler flowmetry: 728% [interquartile range, 427-1110]
      versus 589% [interquartile range, 320-1067] P=0.28, and digital thermal
      monitoring: 6.6+/-1.0% versus 2.5+/-1.7%, P=0.08). In multivariate linear
      regression analysis, body mass index was the only risk factor that significantly
      attenuated endothelium-dependent vasodilatation using all 3 microvascular
      function tests. CONCLUSIONS: Higher body mass index is associated with reduced
      endothelial function in patients with suspected coronary artery disease, even
      after adjustment for treated diabetes mellitus, hypertension,
      hypercholesterolemia, and smoking.

PMID- 28912213
TI  - Comment on "The complex effects of ocean acidification on the prominent N2-fixing
      cyanobacterium Trichodesmium".
AB  - Hong et al (Reports, 5 May 2017, p. 527) suggested that previous studies of the
      biogeochemically significant marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium showing
      increased growth and nitrogen fixation at projected future high CO2 levels
      suffered from ammonia or copper toxicity. They reported that these rates instead
      decrease at high CO2 when contamination is alleviated. We present and discuss
      results of multiple published studies refuting this toxicity hypothesis.

PMID- 28912212
TI  - Risk Stratification Using the CHA2DS2-VASc Score in Takotsubo Syndrome: Data From
      the Takotsubo Italian Network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The CHA2DS2-VASc score predicts stroke in patients with atrial
      fibrillation and has been reported to have a prognostic role even in acute
      coronary syndrome patients. The Takotsubo syndrome is a condition that mimics
      acute coronary syndrome and may present several complications including stroke.
      We sought to assess the ability of CHA2DS2-VASc score to predict adverse events
      in Takotsubo syndrome patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Overall, 371 Takotsubo
      syndrome patients were enrolled in a prospective registry. Patients were divided
      into 3 groups according to the CHA2DS2-VASc score: Group A (<=1), B (2-3), and C
      (>=4). The median CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3 (interquartile range: 2-4). Overall,
      9%, 42%, and 49% were included in Group A, B, and C, respectively. Follow-up
      length was 26+/-20 months. The mortality rate was 6%, 7%, and 17% in Group A, B,
      and C, respectively (P=0.011). The stroke rate was 3% and not different among the
      3 groups. Estimated major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (the
      composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) rates in the 3 groups were
      6%, 9%, and 17% in Group A, B, and C, respectively (P=0.033). The CHA2DS2-VASc
      score resulted as a predictor of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events
      (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.6; P=0.01) and all-cause
      mortality (odds ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.9; P=0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: In Takotsubo syndrome, the CHA2DS2-VASc score allows prediction of
      cardiovascular events and mortality at long-term follow-up.

PMID- 28912214
TI  - Response to Comment on "The complex effects of ocean acidification on the
      prominent N2-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium".
AB  - Hutchins et al question the validity of our results showing that under fast
      growth conditions, the beneficial effect of high CO2 on Trichodesmium is
      overwhelmed by the deleterious effect of the concomitant decrease in ambient and
      cellular pH. The positive effect of acidification reported by Hutchins and co
      workers is likely caused by culture conditions that support suboptimal growth
      rates.

PMID- 28912217
TI  - Cover stories: Making the neutrino scattering cover.

PMID- 28912215
TI  - The form and function of channelrhodopsin.
AB  - Channelrhodopsins are light-gated ion channels that, via regulation of flagellar
      function, enable single-celled motile algae to seek ambient light conditions
      suitable for photosynthesis and survival. These plant behavioral responses were
      initially investigated more than 150 years ago. Recently, major principles of
      function for light-gated ion channels have been elucidated by creating
      channelrhodopsins with kinetics that are accelerated or slowed over orders of
      magnitude, by discovering and designing channelrhodopsins with altered spectral
      properties, by solving the high-resolution channelrhodopsin crystal structure,
      and by structural model-guided redesign of channelrhodopsins for altered ion
      selectivity. Each of these discoveries not only revealed basic principles
      governing the operation of light-gated ion channels, but also enabled the
      creation of new proteins for illuminating, via optogenetics, the fundamentals of
      brain function.

PMID- 28912216
TI  - A cargo-sorting DNA robot.
AB  - Two critical challenges in the design and synthesis of molecular robots are
      modularity and algorithm simplicity. We demonstrate three modular building blocks
      for a DNA robot that performs cargo sorting at the molecular level. A simple
      algorithm encoding recognition between cargos and their destinations allows for a
      simple robot design: a single-stranded DNA with one leg and two foot domains for
      walking, and one arm and one hand domain for picking up and dropping off cargos.
      The robot explores a two-dimensional testing ground on the surface of DNA
      origami, picks up multiple cargos of two types that are initially at unordered
      locations, and delivers them to specified destinations until all molecules are
      sorted into two distinct piles. The robot is designed to perform a random walk
      without any energy supply. Exploiting this feature, a single robot can repeatedly
      sort multiple cargos. Localization on DNA origami allows for distinct cargo
      sorting tasks to take place simultaneously in one test tube or for multiple
      robots to collectively perform the same task.

PMID- 28912220
TI  - Bot-hunters eye mischief in German election.

PMID- 28912218
TI  - Science of preparedness.

PMID- 28912221
TI  - NIH quietly shelves gun research program.

PMID- 28912223
TI  - Unusual quake rattles Mexico.

PMID- 28912222
TI  - 'Supergenes' drive evolution.

PMID- 28912224
TI  - Pay up or retract? Drug survey spurs conflict.

PMID- 28912225
TI  - Papua New Guinea's genetic diversity withstood farming.

PMID- 28912226
TI  - PETA targets early-career wildlife researcher.

PMID- 28912227
TI  - Keeping the faith.

PMID- 28912228
TI  - Neurons that drive and quench thirst.

PMID- 28912229
TI  - The refrigerant is also the pump.

PMID- 28912230
TI  - DNA robots sort as they walk.

PMID- 28912231
TI  - Crystal-clear memories of a bacterium.

PMID- 28912232
TI  - Scattering neutrinos caught in the act.

PMID- 28912233
TI  - Microbial mass movements.

PMID- 28912234
TI  - Without inclusion, diversity initiatives may not be enough.

PMID- 28912236
TI  - China must lead on emissions trading.

PMID- 28912235
TI  - Not just Salk.

PMID- 28912237
TI  - Carbon footprint of China's belt and road.

PMID- 28912238
TI  - Biological fabrication of cellulose fibers with tailored properties.
AB  - Cotton is a promising basis for wearable smart textiles. Current approaches that
      rely on fiber coatings suffer from function loss during wear. We present an
      approach that allows biological incorporation of exogenous molecules into cotton
      fibers to tailor the material's functionality. In vitro model cultures of upland
      cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) are incubated with 6-carboxyfluorescein-glucose and
      dysprosium-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid-glucose,
      where the glucose moiety acts as a carrier capable of traveling from the vascular
      connection to the outermost cell layer of the ovule epidermis, becoming
      incorporated into the cellulose fibers. This yields fibers with unnatural
      properties such as fluorescence or magnetism. Combining biological systems with
      the appropriate molecular design offers numerous possibilities to grow functional
      composite materials and implements a material-farming concept.

PMID- 28912239
TI  - DNA sequence-directed shape change of photopatterned hydrogels via high-degree
      swelling.
AB  - Shape-changing hydrogels that can bend, twist, or actuate in response to external
      stimuli are critical to soft robots, programmable matter, and smart medicine.
      Shape change in hydrogels has been induced by global cues, including temperature,
      light, or pH. Here we demonstrate that specific DNA molecules can induce 100-fold
      volumetric hydrogel expansion by successive extension of cross-links. We
      photopattern up to centimeter-sized gels containing multiple domains that undergo
      different shape changes in response to different DNA sequences. Experiments and
      simulations suggest a simple design rule for controlled shape change. Because DNA
      molecules can be coupled to molecular sensors, amplifiers, and logic circuits,
      this strategy introduces the possibility of building soft devices that respond to
      diverse biochemical inputs and autonomously implement chemical control programs.

PMID- 28912240
TI  - Highly efficient electrocaloric cooling with electrostatic actuation.
AB  - Solid-state refrigeration offers potential advantages over traditional cooling
      systems, but few devices offer high specific cooling power with a high
      coefficient of performance (COP) and the ability to be applied directly to
      surfaces. We developed a cooling device with a high intrinsic thermodynamic
      efficiency using a flexible electrocaloric (EC) polymer film and an electrostatic
      actuation mechanism. Reversible electrostatic forces reduce parasitic power
      consumption and allow efficient heat transfer through good thermal contacts with
      the heat source or heat sink. The EC device produced a specific cooling power of
      2.8 watts per gram and a COP of 13. The new cooling device is more efficient and
      compact than existing surface-conformable solid-state cooling technologies,
      opening a path to using the technology for a variety of practical applications.

PMID- 28912241
TI  - Soft x-ray excitonics.
AB  - The dynamic response of excitons in solids is central to modern condensed-phase
      physics, material sciences, and photonic technologies. However, study and control
      have hitherto been limited to photon energies lower than the fundamental band
      gap. Here we report application of attosecond soft x-ray and attosecond optical
      pulses to study the dynamics of core-excitons at the L2,3 edge of Si in silicon
      dioxide (SiO2). This attosecond x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (AXANES)
      technique enables direct probing of the excitons' quasiparticle character,
      tracking of their subfemtosecond relaxation, the measurement of excitonic
      polarizability, and observation of dark core-excitonic states. Direct measurement
      and control of core-excitons in solids lay the foundation of x-ray excitonics.

PMID- 28912242
TI  - Fabrication of fillable microparticles and other complex 3D microstructures.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) microstructures created by microfabrication and additive
      manufacturing have demonstrated value across a number of fields, ranging from
      biomedicine to microelectronics. However, the techniques used to create these
      devices each have their own characteristic set of advantages and limitations with
      regards to resolution, material compatibility, and geometrical constraints that
      determine the types of microstructures that can be formed. We describe a
      microfabrication method, termed StampEd Assembly of polymer Layers (SEAL), and
      create injectable pulsatile drug-delivery microparticles, pH sensors, and 3D
      microfluidic devices that we could not produce using traditional 3D printing.
      SEAL allows us to generate microstructures with complex geometry at high
      resolution, produce fully enclosed internal cavities containing a solid or
      liquid, and use potentially any thermoplastic material without processing
      additives.

PMID- 28912243
TI  - Thirst-associated preoptic neurons encode an aversive motivational drive.
AB  - Water deprivation produces a drive to seek and consume water. How neural activity
      creates this motivation remains poorly understood. We used activity-dependent
      genetic labeling to characterize neurons activated by water deprivation in the
      hypothalamic median preoptic nucleus (MnPO). Single-cell transcriptional
      profiling revealed that dehydration-activated MnPO neurons consist of a single
      excitatory cell type. After optogenetic activation of these neurons, mice drank
      water and performed an operant lever-pressing task for water reward with rates
      that scaled with stimulation frequency. This stimulation was aversive, and
      instrumentally pausing stimulation could reinforce lever-pressing. Activity of
      these neurons gradually decreased over the course of an operant session. Thus,
      the activity of dehydration-activated MnPO neurons establishes a scalable,
      persistent, and aversive internal state that dynamically controls thirst
      motivated behavior.

PMID- 28912246
TI  - The sustainable scientist.

PMID- 28912245
TI  - A Neolithic expansion, but strong genetic structure, in the independent history
      of New Guinea.
AB  - New Guinea shows human occupation since ~50 thousand years ago (ka), independent
      adoption of plant cultivation ~10 ka, and great cultural and linguistic diversity
      today. We performed genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping on 381
      individuals from 85 language groups in Papua New Guinea and find a sharp divide
      originating 10 to 20 ka between lowland and highland groups and a lack of non-New
      Guinean admixture in the latter. All highlanders share ancestry within the last
      10 thousand years, with major population growth in the same period, suggesting
      population structure was reshaped following the Neolithic lifestyle transition.
      However, genetic differentiation between groups in Papua New Guinea is much
      stronger than in comparable regions in Eurasia, demonstrating that such a
      transition does not necessarily limit the genetic and linguistic diversity of
      human societies.

PMID- 28912244
TI  - Potential role of intratumor bacteria in mediating tumor resistance to the
      chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine.
AB  - Growing evidence suggests that microbes can influence the efficacy of cancer
      therapies. By studying colon cancer models, we found that bacteria can metabolize
      the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine (2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine) into its
      inactive form, 2',2'-difluorodeoxyuridine. Metabolism was dependent on the
      expression of a long isoform of the bacterial enzyme cytidine deaminase (CDDL),
      seen primarily in Gammaproteobacteria. In a colon cancer mouse model, gemcitabine
      resistance was induced by intratumor Gammaproteobacteria, dependent on bacterial
      CDDL expression, and abrogated by cotreatment with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.
      Gemcitabine is commonly used to treat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC),
      and we hypothesized that intratumor bacteria might contribute to drug resistance
      of these tumors. Consistent with this possibility, we found that of the 113 human
      PDACs that were tested, 86 (76%) were positive for bacteria, mainly
      Gammaproteobacteria.

PMID- 28912247
TI  - miR-212 mediates counter-regulation on CRH expression and HPA axis activity in
      male mice.
AB  - The mechanisms of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation have been
      studied persistently but still are not elucidated. Considering the emerging roles
      of microRNA in stress response, we conducted a microRNA microarray in mice
      hypothalamus to identify the potential role of microRNAs in regulating the HPA
      axis. In total, 41 microRNAs changed during heat stress in which we found that
      miR-212 contains a binding sequence with corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh)
      3'UTR according to a sequence analysis. We observed that miR-212 expression in
      the hypothalamus was escalated by repeated heat and restraint stress. By
      overexpression or inhibition of miR-212 and the dual-luciferase reporter assay,
      we proved that miR-212 could bind with Crh 3'UTR to regulate its expression in
      mice hypothalamus primary cells and in the hippocampus neuron cell line HT-22. In
      addition, we injected miR-212 agomir or antagomir in mice hypothalamus to
      overexpress or inhibit miR-212, which leads to alterations of CRH expression and
      HPA axis activity in vivo Furthermore, miR-212 and CRH were both transcribed by
      the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). Overexpression and inhibition
      of miR-212 affect CREB-dependent CRH expression. Taken together, our results
      suggest an inhibitory role of miR-212 on the HPA axis, which acts in a counter
      regulatory manner.

PMID- 28912248
TI  - Multi-Disciplinary Vascular Access Care and Access Outcomes in People Starting
      Hemodialysis Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Fistulas, the preferred form of hemodialysis access,
      are difficult to establish and maintain. We examined the effect of a
      multidisciplinary vascular access team, including nurses, surgeons, and
      radiologists, on the probability of using a fistula catheter-free, and rates of
      access-related procedures in incident patients receiving hemodialysis. DESIGN,
      SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: We examined vascular access outcomes in
      the first year of hemodialysis treatment before (2004-2005, preteam period) and
      after the implementation of an access team (2006-2008, early-team period; 2009
      2011, late-team period) in the Calgary Health Region, Canada. We used logistic
      regression to study the probability of fistula creation and the probability of
      catheter-free fistula use, and negative binomial regression to study access
      related procedure rates. RESULTS: We included 609 adults (mean age, 65 [+/-15]
      years; 61% men; 54% with diabetes). By the end of the first year of hemodialysis,
      102 participants received a fistula in the preteam period (70%), 196 (78%) in the
      early-team period (odds ratios versus preteam, 1.47; 95% confidence interval,
      0.92 to 2.35), and 139 (66%) in the late-team period (0.85; 0.54 to 1.35). Access
      team implementation did not affect the probability of catheter-free use of the
      fistula (odds ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.52 to 1.43, for the early;
      and 0.89; 0.52 to 1.53, for the late team versus preteam period). Participants
      underwent an average of 4-5 total access-related procedures during the first year
      of hemodialysis, with higher rates in women and in people with comorbidities.
      Catheter-related procedure rates were similar before and after team
      implementation; relative to the preteam period, fistula-related procedure rates
      were 40% (20%-60%) and 30% (10%-50%) higher in the early-team and late-team
      periods, respectively. CONCLUSION: Introduction of a multidisciplinary access
      team did not increase the probability of catheter-free fistula use, but resulted
      in higher rates of fistula-related procedures.

PMID- 28912249
TI  - Preoperative staging of cholangiocarcinoma and biliary carcinoma using 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography: a meta-analysis.
AB  - This meta-analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) in assessing
      primary cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and CCA with lymph node and distant metastasis.
      A literature search for studies reporting the use of 18F-FDG-PET for preoperative
      work-up/staging in patients with CCA was performed. Diagnostic OR (DOR) was used
      as an index of diagnostic performance of FDG-PET/CT in predicting primary CCA,
      lymph node metastases, and distant metastases. The pooled DOR was 9.34 (95% CI
      4.27 to 20.42) and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic
      (SROC) curve was 0.8643 (SE=0.0362), indicating overall good discriminatory test
      performance in predicting primary CCA. Subgroup analyses based on the primary
      tumor site showed better diagnostic performance for intrahepatic CCA (DOR=54.44,
      95% CI 13.44 to 220.49), both intrahepatic and extrahepatic CCA (DOR=32.96, 95%
      CI 1.41 to 768.80) and gallbladder cancer (DOR=12.93, 95% CI 1.97 to 84.80), than
      for extrahepatic CCA (DOR=2.55, 95% CI 0.71 to 9.20) and hilar CCA (DOR=2.75, 95%
      CI 0.17 to 43.72). The pooled DOR for the prediction of lymph nodes metastases in
      10 studies was 11.34 (95% CI 4.79 to 26.80), with moderate heterogeneity (Cochran
      Q=15.14, p=0.0872, I2=40.5%). The area under the SROC curve was 0.8584
      (SE=0.0729). In conclusion, 18F-FDG-PET and PET/CT were found to be accurate in
      the evaluation of primary tumors, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis
      in patients with CCA.

PMID- 28912251
TI  - Neuroimmune interaction and the regulation of intestinal immune homeostasis.
AB  - Many essential gastrointestinal functions, including motility, secretion, and
      blood flow, are regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), both through
      intrinsic enteric neurons and extrinsic (sympathetic and parasympathetic)
      innervation. Recently identified neuroimmune mechanisms, in particular the
      interplay between enteric neurons and muscularis macrophages, are now considered
      to be essential for fine-tuning peristalsis. These findings shed new light on how
      intestinal immune cells can support enteric nervous function. In addition, both
      intrinsic and extrinsic neural mechanisms control intestinal immune homeostasis
      in different layers of the intestine, mainly by affecting macrophage activation
      through neurotransmitter release. In this mini-review, we discuss recent insights
      on immunomodulation by intrinsic enteric neurons and extrinsic innervation, with
      a particular focus on intestinal macrophages. In addition, we discuss the
      relevance of these novel mechanisms for intestinal immune homeostasis in
      physiological and pathological conditions, mainly focusing on motility disorders
      (gastroparesis and postoperative ileus) and inflammatory disorders (colitis).

PMID- 28912250
TI  - Role of MicroRNA-423-5p in posttranscriptional regulation of the intestinal
      riboflavin transporter-3.
AB  - Riboflavin (RF) is essential for normal cellular functions and health. Humans
      obtain RF from exogenous sources via intestinal absorption that involves a highly
      specific carrier-mediated process. We have recently established that the
      riboflavin transporter-3 (RFVT3) is vital for the normal intestinal RF uptake
      process and have characterized certain aspects of its transcriptional regulation.
      Little is known, however, about how this transporter is regulated at the
      posttranscriptional level. We address this issue by focusing on the role of
      microRNAs. Using bioinformatics, we identified two potential interacting miRNAs
      with the human (h) RFVT3-3'-UTR, and showed (using pmirGLO-hRFVT3-3'-UTR) that
      the hRFVT3-3'-UTR is, indeed, a target for miRNA effect. Of the two putative
      miRNAs identified, miR-423-5p was found to be highly expressed in intestinal
      epithelial cells and that its mimic affected luciferase reporter activity of the
      pmirGLO-hRFVT3-3'-UTR construct, and also led to inhibition in RF uptake by
      intestinal epithelial Caco-2 and HuTu-80 cells. Furthermore, cells transfected
      with mutated seed sequences for miR-423-5p showed an abrogation in inhibitory
      effect of the miR-423-5p mimic on luciferase activity. While miR-423-5p did not
      affect the level of expression of the hRFVT3 mRNA, it did lead to a significant
      inhibition in the level of expression of its protein. Similarly, miR-423-5p was
      found to affect the level of expression of the mouse RFVT3 in cultured intestinal
      enteroids. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, that the RFVT3 is a
      target for posttranscriptional regulation by miRNAs in intestinal epithelial
      cells and that this regulation has functional consequences on intestinal RF
      uptake.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our findings show for the first time that RFVT3 is a
      target for posttranscriptional regulation by miR-423-5p in intestinal epithelial
      cells, and this regulation has functional consequences on intestinal riboflavin
      (RF) uptake process.

PMID- 28912252
TI  - Time for action on deprivation in accessing cancer treatment in the UK.

PMID- 28912253
TI  - Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model Predictions of Panobinostat (LBH589)
      as a Victim and Perpetrator of Drug-Drug Interactions.
AB  - Panobinostat (Farydak) is an orally active hydroxamic acid-derived histone
      deacetylase inhibitor used for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple
      myeloma. Based on recombinant cytochrome P450 (P450) kinetic analyses in vitro,
      panobinostat oxidative metabolism in human liver microsomes was mediated
      primarily by CYP3A4 with lower contributions by CYP2D6 and CYP2C19. Panobinostat
      was also an in vitro reversible and time-dependent inhibitor of CYP3A4/5 and a
      reversible inhibitor of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19. Based on a previous clinical drug
      drug interaction study with ketoconazole (KTZ), the contribution of CYP3A4 in
      vivo was estimated to be ~40%. Using clinical pharmacokinetic (PK) data from
      several trials, including the KTZ drug-drug interaction (DDI) study, a
      physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was built to predict
      panobinostat PK after single and multiple doses (within 2-fold of observed values
      for most trials) and the clinical DDI with KTZ (predicted and observed area under
      the curve ratios of 1.8). The model was then applied to predict the drug
      interaction with the strong CYP3A4 inducer rifampin (RIF) and the sensitive
      CYP3A4 substrate midazolam (MDZ) in lieu of clinical trials. Panobinostat
      exposure was predicted to decrease in the presence of RIF (65%) and
      inconsequentially increase MDZ exposure (4%). Additionally, PBPK modeling was
      used to examine the effects of stomach pH on the absorption of panobinostat in
      humans and determined that absorption of panobinostat is not expected to be
      affected by increases in stomach pH. The results from these studies were
      incorporated into the Food and Drug Administration-approved product label,
      providing guidance for panobinostat dosing recommendations when it is combined
      with other drugs.

PMID- 28912255
TI  - Sex hormones and the development of sexual size dimorphism: 5alpha
      dihydrotestosterone inhibits growth in a female-larger lizard (Sceloporus
      undulatus).
AB  - Sexual differences in adult body size [sexual size dimorphism (SSD)] and color
      (sexual dichromatism) are widespread, and both male- and female-biased
      dimorphisms are observed even among closely related species. A growing body of
      evidence indicates testosterone can regulate growth, thus the development of SSD,
      and sexual dichromatism. However, the mechanism(s) underlying these effects are
      conjectural, including possible conversions of testosterone to estradiol (E2) or
      5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In the present study, we hypothesized that the
      effects of testosterone are physiological responses mediated by androgen
      receptors, and we tested two specific predictions: (1) that DHT would mimic the
      effects of testosterone by inhibiting growth and enhancing coloration, and (2)
      that removal of endogenous testosterone via surgical castration would stimulate
      growth. We also hypothesized that females share downstream regulatory networks
      with males and predicted that females and males would respond similarly to DHT.
      We conducted experiments on eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus), a
      female-larger species with striking sexual dichromatism. We implanted Silastic(r)
      tubules containing 150 ug DHT into intact females and intact and castrated males.
      We measured linear growth rates and quantified color for ventral and dorsal
      surfaces. We found that DHT decreased growth rate and enhanced male-typical
      coloration in both males and females. We also found that, given adequate time,
      castration alone is sufficient to stimulate growth rate in males. The results
      presented here suggest that: (1) the effects of testosterone on growth and
      coloration are mediated by androgen receptors without requiring aromatization of
      testosterone into E2, and (2) females possess the androgen-receptor-mediated
      regulatory networks required for initiating male-typical inhibition of growth and
      enhanced coloration in response to androgens.

PMID- 28912256
TI  - Mitochondrial capacity, oxidative damage and hypoxia gene expression are
      associated with age-related division of labor in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.)
      workers.
AB  - During adult life, honey bee workers undergo a succession of behavioral states.
      Nurse bees perform tasks inside the nest, and when they are about 2-3 weeks old
      they initiate foraging. This switch is associated with alterations in diet, and
      with the levels of juvenile hormone and vitellogenin circulating in hemolymph. It
      is not clear whether this behavioral maturation involves major changes at the
      cellular level, such as mitochondrial activity and the redox environment in the
      head, thorax and abdomen. Using high-resolution respirometry, biochemical assays
      and RT-qPCR, we evaluated the association of these parameters with this
      behavioral change. We found that tissues from the head and abdomen of nurses have
      a higher oxidative phosphorylation capacity than those of foragers, while for the
      thorax we found the opposite situation. As higher mitochondrial activity tends to
      generate more H2O2, and H2O2 is known to stabilize HIF-1alpha, this would be
      expected to stimulate hypoxia signaling. The positive correlation that we
      observed between mitochondrial activity and hif-1alpha gene expression in abdomen
      and head tissue of nurses would be in line with this hypothesis. Higher
      expression of antioxidant enzyme genes was observed in foragers, which could
      explain their low levels of protein carbonylation. No alterations were seen in
      nitric oxide (NO) levels, suggesting that NO signaling is unlikely to be involved
      in behavioral maturation. We conclude that the behavioral change seen in honey
      bee workers is reflected in differential mitochondrial activities and redox
      parameters, and we consider that this can provide insights into the underlying
      aging process.

PMID- 28912257
TI  - Nurse honeybee workers tend capped brood, which does not require feeding, around
      the clock.
AB  - 'Nurse' honeybees tend brood around the clock with attenuated or no circadian
      rhythms, but the brood signals inducing this behavior remain elusive. We first
      tested the hypothesis that worker circadian rhythms are regulated by brood
      pheromones. We monitored locomotor activity of individually isolated nurse bees
      that were exposed to either various doses of larval extract or synthetic brood
      ester pheromone (BEP). Bees orally treated with larval extract showed attenuated
      circadian rhythms in one of four tested colonies; a similar but statistically non
      significant trend was seen in two additional colonies. Nurse bees treated with
      synthetic BEP showed rhythm attenuation in one of three tested colonies. Next, we
      tested the hypothesis that capped brood, which does not require feeding,
      nevertheless induces around-the-clock activity in nurses. By combining a new
      protocol that enables brood care by individually isolated nurse bees, detailed
      behavioral observations and automatic high-resolution monitoring of locomotor
      activity, we found that isolated nurses tended capped brood around the clock with
      attenuated circadian rhythms. Bees individually isolated in similar cages but
      without brood showed strong circadian rhythms in locomotor activity and rest.
      This study shows for the first time that the need to feed hungry larvae is not
      the only factor accounting for around-the-clock activity in nurse bees. Our
      results further suggest that the transition between activity with and without
      circadian rhythms is not a simple switch triggered by brood pheromones. Around
      the-clock tending may enhance brood development and health in multiple ways that
      include improved larval feeding, thermoregulation or hygienic behavior.

PMID- 28912258
TI  - Frank-Starling mechanism and short-term adjustment of cardiac flow.
AB  - The Frank-Starling law of the heart is a filling-force mechanism (FFm), a
      positive relationship between the distension of a ventricular chamber and its
      force of ejection, and such a mechanism is found across all the studied
      vertebrate lineages. The functioning of the cardiovascular system is usually
      described by means of the cardiac and vascular functions, the former related to
      the contractility of the heart and the latter related to the afterload imposed on
      the ventricle. The crossing of these functions is the so-called 'operation
      point', and the FFm is supposed to play a stabilizing role for the short-term
      variations in the working of the system. In the present study, we analyze whether
      the FFm is truly responsible for such a stability within two different settings:
      one-ventricle and two-ventricle hearts. To approach the query, we linearized the
      region around an arbitrary operation point and put forward a dynamical system of
      differential equations to describe the relationship among volumes in face of
      blood flows governed by pressure differences between compartments. Our results
      show that the FFm is not necessary to give stability to an operation point. Thus,
      which forces selected and maintained such a mechanism in all vertebrates? The
      present results indicate three different and complementary roles for the FFm: (1)
      it decreases the demands of a central controlling system over the circulatory
      system; (2) it smooths out perturbations in volumes; and (3) it guarantees faster
      transitions between operation points, i.e. it allows for rapid changes in cardiac
      output.

PMID- 28912259
TI  - NOD2 (Nucleotide-Binding Oligomerization Domain 2) Is a Major Pathogenic Mediator
      of Coxsackievirus B3-Induced Myocarditis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cytoplasmatic pattern recognition receptor, NOD2 (nucleotide
      binding oligomerization domain 2), belongs to the innate immune system and is
      among others responsible for the recognition of single-stranded RNA. With
      Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) being a single-stranded RNA virus, and the recent
      evidence that the NOD2 target, NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain
      containing 3) is of importance in the pathogenesis of CVB3-induced myocarditis,
      we aimed to unravel the role of NOD2 in CVB3-induced myocarditis. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Endomyocardial biopsy NOD2 mRNA expression was higher in CVB3-positive
      patients compared with patients with myocarditis but without evidence of
      persistent CVB3 infection. Left ventricular NOD2 mRNA expression was also induced
      in CVB3-induced myocarditis versus healthy control mice. NOD2 knockdown(-/-) mice
      were rescued from the detrimental CVB3-mediated effects as shown by a reduced
      cardiac inflammation (less cardiac infiltrates and suppression of proinflammatory
      cytokines), cardiac fibrosis, apoptosis, lower CAR (Coxsackievirus and adenovirus
      receptor) expression and CVB3 copy number, and an improved left ventricular
      function in NOD2-/- CVB3 mice compared with wild-type CVB3 mice. In agreement,
      NOD2-/- decreased the CVB3-induced inflammatory response, CVB3 copy number, and
      apoptosis in vitro. NOD2-/- was further associated with a reduction in CVB3
      induced NLRP3 expression and activity as evidenced by lower ASC (apoptosis
      associated speck-like protein containing a CARD) expression, caspase 1 activity,
      or IL-1beta (interleukin-1beta) protein expression under in vivo and in vitro
      CVB3 conditions. CONCLUSIONS: NOD2 is an important mediator in the viral uptake
      and inflammatory response during the pathogenesis of CVB3 myocarditis.

PMID- 28912260
TI  - Decoupling Between Diastolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure and Pulmonary Capillary
      Wedge Pressure as a Prognostic Factor After Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist
      Device Implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A cohort of heart failure (HF) patients receiving left ventricular
      assist devices (LVADs) has decoupling of their diastolic pulmonary artery
      pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. However, the clinical
      implications of this decoupling remain unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this
      prospective study, patients with LVADs underwent routine invasive hemodynamic
      ramp testing with right heart catheterization, during which LVAD speeds were
      adjusted. Inappropriate decoupling was defined as a >5 mm Hg difference between
      diastolic pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. The
      primary outcomes of survival and heart failure readmission rates after ramp
      testing were assessed. Among 63 LVAD patients (60+/-12 years old and 25 female
      [40%]), 27 patients (43%) had inappropriate decoupling at their baseline speed.
      After adjustment of their rotation speed during ramp testing, 30 patients (48%)
      had inappropriate decoupling. Uni/multivariable Cox analyses demonstrated that
      decoupling was the only significant predictor for the composite end point of
      death and heart failure readmission during the 1 year following the ramp study
      (total of 18 events; hazards ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.24;
      P<0.05). Furthermore, normalization of decoupling (n=8) during ramp testing was
      significantly associated with higher 1-year heart failure readmission-free
      survival rate compared with the non-normalized group (n=19, 100% versus 53%;
      P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of inappropriate decoupling was associated
      with worse outcomes in patients with LVADs. Prospective, large-scale multicenter
      studies to validate the result are warranted.

PMID- 28912261
TI  - Preoperative Pectoralis Muscle Quantity and Attenuation by Computed Tomography
      Are Novel and Powerful Predictors of Mortality After Left Ventricular Assist
      Device Implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle mass decreases in end-stage heart failure and is
      predictive of clinical outcomes in several disease states. Skeletal muscle
      attenuation and quantity as quantified on preoperative chest computed tomographic
      scans may be predictive of mortality after continuous flow (CF) left ventricular
      assist device (LVAD) implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: A single-center
      continuous flow-LVAD database (n=354) was used to identify patients with chest
      computed tomographies performed in the 3 months before LVAD implantation (n=143).
      Among patients with computed tomography data available, unilateral pectoralis
      muscle mass indexed to body surface area and attenuation (approximated by mean
      Hounsfield units [PHUm]) were measured in each patient with a high intrarater and
      inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.98 and 0.97,
      respectively). Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed, censoring at
      cardiac transplantation, to assess the impact of preoperative pectoralis muscle
      index and pectoralis muscle mean Hounsfield unit on survival after LVAD
      implantation. Each unit increase in pectoralis muscle index was associated with a
      27% reduction in the hazard of death after LVAD (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.73; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.58-0.92; P=0.007). Each 5-U increase in pectoralis muscle
      mean Hounsfield unit was associated with a 22% reduction in the hazard of death
      after LVAD (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.89;
      P<0.0001). Pectoralis muscle index and pectoralis muscle mean Hounsfield unit
      outperformed other traditional measures in the data set, including the HeartMate
      II risk score. CONCLUSIONS: Pectoralis muscle size and attenuation were powerful
      predictors of outcomes after LVAD implantation in this data set. This one time,
      repeatable, internal assessment of patient substrate added valuable prognostic
      information that was not available on standard preoperative testing.

PMID- 28912262
TI  - Diastolic Pressure Difference to Classify Pulmonary Hypertension in the
      Assessment of Heart Transplant Candidates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diastolic pressure difference (DPD) is recommended to
      differentiate between isolated postcapillary and combined pre-/postcapillary
      pulmonary hypertension (Cpc-PH) in left heart disease (PH-LHD). However, in usual
      practice, negative DPD values are commonly calculated, potentially related to the
      use of mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP). We used the ECG to gate late
      diastolic PAWP measurements. We examined the method's impact on calculated DPD,
      PH-LHD subclassification, hemodynamic profiles, and mortality. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We studied patients with advanced heart failure undergoing right heart
      catheterization to assess cardiac transplantation candidacy (N=141). Pressure
      tracings were analyzed offline over 8 to 10 beat intervals. Diastolic pulmonary
      artery pressure and mean PAWP were measured to calculate the DPD as per usual
      practice (diastolic pulmonary artery pressure-mean PAWP). Within the same
      intervals, PAWP was measured gated to the ECG QRS complex to calculate the QRS
      gated DPD (diastolic pulmonary artery pressure-QRS-gated PAWP). Outcomes
      occurring within 1 year were collected retrospectively from chart review.
      Overall, 72 of 141 cases demonstrated PH-LHD. Within PH-LHD, the QRS-gated DPD
      yielded higher calculated DPD values (3 [-1 to 6] versus 0 [-4 to 3] mm Hg;
      P<0.01) and a greater proportion of Cpc-PH (24% versus 8%; P<0.01) versus the
      usual practice DPD. Cases reclassified as Cpc-PH based on QRS-gated DPD
      demonstrated higher pulmonary arterial pressures versus isolated postcapillary
      pulmonary hypertension (P<0.05). One-year mortality was similar between PH-LHD
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: The DPD calculated in usual practice is underestimated in PH
      LHD, which may classify Cpc-PH patients as isolated postcapillary pulmonary
      hypertension. The QRS-gated DPD reclassifies a subset of PH-LHD patients from
      isolated postcapillary pulmonary hypertension to Cpc-PH, which is characterized
      by an adverse hemodynamic profile.

PMID- 28912263
TI  - Hemodynamic Phenotyping of Pulmonary Hypertension in Left Heart Failure.
AB  - Increased pulmonary venous pressure secondary to left heart disease is the most
      common cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The diagnosis of PH due to left
      heart disease relies on a clinical probability assessment followed by the
      invasive measurements of a mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) >=25 mm Hg and
      mean wedged PAP (PAWP) >15 mm Hg. A combination of mean PAP and mean PAWP defines
      postcapillary PH. Postcapillary PH is generally associated with a diastolic
      pulmonary pressure gradient (diastolic PAP minus mean PAWP) <7 mm Hg, a
      transpulmonary pressure gradient (mean PAP minus mean PAWP) <12 mm Hg, and
      pulmonary vascular resistance <=3 Wood units (WU). This combination of criteria
      defines isolated postcapillary PH. Postcapillary PH with elevated vascular
      gradients and pulmonary vascular resistance defines combined post- and
      precapillary PH (Cpc-PH). Postcapillary PH is associated with a decreased
      survival in proportion to increased pulmonary vascular gradients, decreased
      pulmonary arterial compliance, and reduced right ventricular function. The Cpc-PH
      subcategory occurs in 12% to 13% of patients with PH due to left heart disease.
      Patients with Cpc-PH have severe PH, with higher diastolic pulmonary pressure
      gradient, transpulmonary pressure gradient, and pulmonary vascular resistance and
      more pronounced ventilatory responses to exercise, lower pulmonary arterial
      compliance, depressed right ventricular ejection fraction, and shorter life
      expectancy than isolated postcapillary PH. Cpc-PH bears similarities to pulmonary
      arterial hypertension. Whether Cpc-PH is amenable to therapies targeting the
      pulmonary circulation remains to be tested by properly designed randomized
      controlled trials.

PMID- 28912264
TI  - What We Talk About When We Talk About the Wedge Pressure.

PMID- 28912265
TI  - Editor's Perspective.

PMID- 28912266
TI  - Lysine trimethylation regulates 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein proteostasis
      during endoplasmic reticulum stress.
AB  - The up-regulation of chaperones such as the 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein
      (GRP78, also referred to as BiP or HSPA5) is part of the adaptive cellular
      response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. GRP78 is widely used as a marker
      of the unfolded protein response, associated with sustained ER stress. Here we
      report the discovery of a proteostatic mechanism involving GRP78 trimethylation
      in the context of ER stress. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we
      identified two GRP78 fractions, one homeostatic and one induced by ER stress. ER
      stress leads to de novo biosynthesis of non-trimethylated GRP78, whereas
      homeostatic, METTL21A-dependent lysine 585-trimethylated GRP78 is reduced. This
      proteostatic mechanism, dependent on the posttranslational modification of GRP78,
      allows cells to differentially regulate specific protein abundance during
      cellular stress.

PMID- 28912267
TI  - Antitumor immunity is defective in T cell-specific microRNA-155-deficient mice
      and is rescued by immune checkpoint blockade.
AB  - MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) regulates antitumor immune responses. However, its
      specific functions within distinct immune cell types have not been delineated in
      conditional KO mouse models. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-155
      specifically within T cells during the immune response to syngeneic tumors. We
      found that miR-155 expression within T cells is required to limit syngeneic tumor
      growth and promote IFNgamma production by T cells within the tumor
      microenvironment. Consequently, we found that miR-155 expression by T cells is
      necessary for proper tumor-associated macrophage expression of IFNgamma-inducible
      genes. We also found that immune checkpoint-blocking (ICB) antibodies against
      programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) and
      cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) restored antitumor immunity
      in miR-155 T cell-conditional KO mice. We noted that these ICB antibodies rescued
      the levels of IFNgamma-expressing T cells, expression of multiple activation and
      effector genes expressed by tumor-infiltrating CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, and tumor
      associated macrophage activation. Moreover, the ICB approach partially restored
      expression of several derepressed miR-155 targets in tumor-infiltrating, miR-155
      deficient CD8+ T cells, suggesting that miR-155 and ICB regulate overlapping
      pathways to promote antitumor immunity. Taken together, our findings highlight
      the multifaceted role of miR-155 in T cells, in which it promotes antitumor
      immunity. These results suggest that the augmentation of miR-155 expression could
      be used to improve anticancer immunotherapies.

PMID- 28912268
TI  - Structural and functional diversity in Listeria cell wall teichoic acids.
AB  - Wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are the most abundant glycopolymers found on the cell
      wall of many Gram-positive bacteria, whose diverse surface structures play key
      roles in multiple biological processes. Despite recent technological advances in
      glycan analysis, structural elucidation of WTAs remains challenging due to their
      complex nature. Here, we employed a combination of ultra-performance liquid
      chromatography-coupled electrospray ionization tandem-MS/MS and NMR to determine
      the structural complexity of WTAs from Listeria species. We unveiled more than 10
      different types of WTA polymers that vary in their linkage and repeating units.
      Disparity in GlcNAc to ribitol connectivity, as well as variable O-acetylation
      and glycosylation of GlcNAc contribute to the structural diversity of WTAs.
      Notably, SPR analysis indicated that constitution of WTA determines the
      recognition by bacteriophage endolysins. Collectively, these findings provide
      detailed insight into Listeria cell wall-associated carbohydrates, and will guide
      further studies on the structure-function relationship of WTAs.

PMID- 28912269
TI  - Glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) positively regulates transforming
      growth factor (TGF) beta3 and is essential for mouse palatogenesis.
AB  - Glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) (encoded by the Lrrc32 gene) plays
      important roles in cell-surface docking and activation of TGFbeta. However,
      GARP's role in organ development in mammalian systems is unclear. To determine
      the function of GARP in vivo, we generated a GARP KO mouse model. Unexpectedly,
      the GARP KO mice died within 24 h after birth and exhibited defective
      palatogenesis without apparent abnormalities in other major organs. Furthermore,
      we observed decreased apoptosis and SMAD2 phosphorylation in the medial edge
      epithelial cells of the palatal shelf of GARP KO embryos at embryonic day 14.5
      (E14.5), indicating a defect in the TGFbeta signaling pathway in the GARP-null
      developing palates. Of note, the failure to develop the secondary palate and
      concurrent reduction of SMAD phosphorylation without other defects in GARP KO
      mice phenocopied TGFbeta3 KO mice, although GARP has not been suggested
      previously to interact with TGFbeta3. We found that GARP and TGFbeta3 co-localize
      in medial edge epithelial cells at E14.5. In vitro studies confirmed that GARP
      and TGFbeta3 directly interact and that GARP is indispensable for the surface
      expression of membrane-associated latent TGFbeta3. Our findings indicate that
      GARP is essential for normal morphogenesis of the palate and demonstrate that
      GARP plays a crucial role in regulating TGFbeta3 signaling during embryogenesis.
      In conclusion, we have uncovered a novel function of GARP in positively
      regulating TGFbeta3 activation and function.

PMID- 28912270
TI  - The periplasmic transaminase PtaA of Pseudomonas fluorescens converts the
      glutamic acid residue at the pyoverdine fluorophore to alpha-ketoglutaric acid.
AB  - The periplasmic conversion of ferribactin to pyoverdine is essential for
      siderophore biogenesis in fluorescent pseudomonads, such as pathogenic
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa or plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas fluorescens The non
      ribosomal peptide ferribactin undergoes cyclizations and oxidations that result
      in the fluorophore, and a strictly conserved fluorophore-bound glutamic acid
      residue is converted to a range of variants, including succinamide, succinic
      acid, and alpha-ketoglutaric acid residues. We recently discovered that the
      pyridoxal phosphate-containing enzyme PvdN is responsible for the generation of
      the succinamide, which can be hydrolyzed to succinic acid. Based on this, a
      distinct unknown enzyme was postulated to be responsible for the conversion of
      the glutamic acid to alpha-ketoglutaric acid. Here we report the identification
      and characterization of this enzyme in P. fluorescens strain A506. In silico
      analyses indicated a periplasmic transaminase in fluorescent pseudomonads and
      other proteobacteria that we termed PtaA for "periplasmic transaminase A" An in
      frame-deleted ptaA mutant selectively lacked the alpha-ketoglutaric acid form of
      pyoverdine, and recombinant PtaA complemented this phenotype. The ptaA/pvdN
      double mutant produced exclusively the glutamic acid form of pyoverdine. PtaA is
      homodimeric and contains a pyridoxal phosphate cofactor. Mutation of the active
      site lysine abolished PtaA activity and affected folding as well as Tat-dependent
      transport of the enzyme. In pseudomonads, the occurrence of ptaA correlates with
      the occurrence of alpha-ketoglutaric acid forms of pyoverdines. As this enzyme is
      not restricted to pyoverdine-producing bacteria, its catalysis of periplasmic
      transaminations is most likely a general tool for specific biosynthetic pathways.

PMID- 28912271
TI  - The complex structure and function of Mediator.
AB  - In eukaryotes, RNA polymerase II (pol II) transcribes all protein-coding genes
      and many noncoding RNAs. Whereas many factors contribute to the regulation of pol
      II activity, the Mediator complex is required for expression of most, if not all,
      pol II transcripts. Structural characterization of Mediator is challenging due to
      its large size (~20 subunits in yeast and 26 subunits in humans) and
      conformational flexibility. However, recent studies have revealed structural
      details at higher resolution. Here, we summarize recent findings and place in
      context with previous results, highlighting regions within Mediator that are
      important for regulating its structure and function.

PMID- 28912272
TI  - The transcription factor HOXB7 regulates ERK kinase activity and thereby
      stimulates the motility and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - HOX genes encode transcription factors that function as sequence-specific
      transcription factors that are involved in cellular proliferation,
      differentiation, and death. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of
      a HOX family protein, HOXB7, in the motility and invasiveness of pancreatic
      cancer cells. We previously identified a HOXB7 transcript that is one of a number
      of transcripts that are preferentially translated in membrane protrusions in
      pancreatic cancer cells. Immunocytochemistry showed that HOXB7 was localized to
      the cell protrusions of migrating pancreatic cancer cells. Knockdown of HOXB7 by
      transfection with HOXB7-specific siRNA decreased these protrusions and inhibited
      the motility and invasiveness of the cells. Transfection of a HOXB7-rescue
      construct into the HOXB7-knockdown cells restored peripheral actin structures in
      cell protrusions and abrogated the HOXB7 knockdown-induced decrease in cell
      protrusions. It is generally accepted that the Rho family of GTPases regulate the
      organization of actin filaments and contribute to the formation of cell
      protrusions. The levels of the active Rho GTPases were not influenced by HOXB7 in
      the cells; however, HOXB7 knockdown decreased the level of phosphorylated ERK1/2.
      This inactivation of ERK1/2 decreased cell protrusions, thereby inhibiting the
      invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells. Further investigation showed that
      HOXB7/ERK1/2 signaling selectively stimulated JNK and HSP27 phosphorylation and
      thereby increased the motility and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells. These
      results suggested that HOXB7 stimulates ERK1/2 phosphorylation and provided
      evidence that HOXB7, besides its role in transcriptional regulation, also
      promotes cell motility and invasiveness.

PMID- 28912273
TI  - Neuroligin 4 regulates synaptic growth via the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)
      signaling pathway at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction.
AB  - The neuroligin (Nlg) family of neural cell adhesion molecules is thought to be
      required for synapse formation and development and has been linked to the
      development of autism spectrum disorders in humans. In Drosophila melanogaster,
      mutations in the neuroligin 1-3 genes have been reported to induce synapse
      developmental defects at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), but the role of
      neuroligin 4 (dnlg4) in synapse development has not been determined. Here, we
      report that the Drosophila neuroligin 4 (DNlg4) is different from DNlg1-3 in that
      it presynaptically regulates NMJ synapse development. Loss of dnlg4 results in
      reduced growth of NMJs with fewer synaptic boutons. The morphological defects
      caused by dnlg4 mutant are associated with a corresponding decrease in synaptic
      transmission efficacy. All of these defects could only be rescued when DNlg4 was
      expressed in the presynapse of NMJs. To understand the basis of DNlg4 function,
      we looked for genetic interactions and found connections with the components of
      the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway. Immunostaining and
      Western blot analyses demonstrated that the regulation of NMJ growth by DNlg4 was
      due to the positive modulation of BMP signaling by DNlg4. Specifically, BMP type
      I receptor thickvein (Tkv) abundance was reduced in dnlg4 mutants, and
      immunoprecipitation assays showed that DNlg4 and Tkv physically interacted in
      vivo Our study demonstrates that DNlg4 presynaptically regulates neuromuscular
      synaptic growth via the BMP signaling pathway by modulating Tkv.

PMID- 28912274
TI  - Structure, mechanism, and regulation of polycomb-repressive complex 2.
AB  - Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) methylates lysine 27 in histone H3, a
      modification associated with epigenetic gene silencing. This complex plays a
      fundamental role in regulating cellular differentiation and development, and PRC2
      overexpression and mutations have been implicated in numerous cancers. In this
      Minireview, we examine recent studies elucidating the first crystal structures of
      the PRC2 core complex, yielding seminal insights into its catalytic mechanism,
      substrate specificity, allosteric regulation, and inhibition by a class of small
      molecules that are currently undergoing cancer clinical trials. We conclude by
      exploring unresolved questions and future directions for inquiry regarding PRC2
      structure and function.

PMID- 28912275
TI  - NMR reveals the intrinsically disordered domain 2 of NS5A protein as an
      allosteric regulator of the hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase NS5B.
AB  - Non-structural protein 5B (NS5B) is the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that
      catalyzes replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA genome and therefore is
      central for its life cycle. NS5B interacts with the intrinsically disordered
      domain 2 of NS5A (NS5A-D2), another essential multifunctional HCV protein that is
      required for RNA replication. As a result, these two proteins represent important
      targets for anti-HCV chemotherapies. Despite this importance and the existence of
      NS5B crystal structures, our understanding of the conformational and dynamic
      behavior of NS5B in solution and its relationship with NS5A-D2 remains
      incomplete. To address these points, we report the first detailed NMR
      spectroscopic study of HCV NS5B lacking its membrane anchor (NS5BDelta21).
      Analysis of constructs with selective isotope labeling of the delta1 methyl
      groups of isoleucine side chains demonstrates that, in solution, NS5BDelta21 is
      highly dynamic but predominantly adopts a closed conformation. The addition of
      NS5A-D2 leads to spectral changes indicative of binding to both allosteric thumb
      sites I and II of NS5BDelta21 and induces long-range perturbations that affect
      the RNA-binding properties of the polymerase. We compared these modifications
      with the short- and long-range effects triggered in NS5BDelta21 upon binding of
      filibuvir, an allosteric inhibitor. We demonstrate that filibuvir-bound
      NS5BDelta21 is strongly impaired in the binding of both NS5A-D2 and RNA. NS5A-D2
      induces conformational and functional perturbations in NS5B similar to those
      triggered by filibuvir. Thus, our work highlights NS5A-D2 as an allosteric
      regulator of the HCV polymerase and provides new insight into the dynamics of
      NS5B in solution.

PMID- 28912277
TI  - Advantages of 70-kV CT Angiography for the Visualization of the Adamkiewicz
      Artery: Comparison with 120-kV Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Preprocedural identification of the Adamkiewicz artery is
      crucial in patients with aortic diseases. This study aimed to compare 70-kV CTA
      with conventional 120-kV CTA for the identification of the Adamkiewicz artery,
      examining differences in radiation dose and image quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We retrospectively analyzed 2 equal groups of 60 patients who had undergone 70-kV
      or 120-kV CTA to detect the Adamkiewicz artery before aortic repair. Size
      specific dose estimate, the CT number of the aorta, and the contrast-to-noise
      ratio of the anterior spinal artery to the spinal cord were recorded.
      Furthermore, detectability of the Adamkiewicz artery was evaluated by using a 4
      point continuity score (3, definite to 0, undetectable). RESULTS: There was
      significantly lower radiation exposure with 70-kV CTA than 120-kV CTA (median
      size-specific dose estimate, 23.1 versus 61.3 mGy, respectively; P < .001). CT
      number and contrast-to-noise ratio were both significantly higher in the 70-kV
      CTA group than the 120-kV group (999.1 HU compared with 508.7 HU, and 5.6
      compared with 3.4, respectively; P < .001 for both). Detectability of the
      Adamkiewicz artery was not impaired in the 70-kV CTA group (90.0% versus 83.3% in
      the 120-kV group, P = .28). Moreover, the Adamkiewicz artery was detected with
      greater confidence with 70-kV CTA, reflected by a significantly superior
      continuity score (median, 3) compared with 120-kV CTA (median, 2; P = .001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Seventy-kilovolt CTA has substantial advantages for the
      identification of the Adamkiewicz artery before aortic repair, with a
      significantly lower radiation exposure and superior image quality than 120-kV
      CTA.

PMID- 28912276
TI  - Cavin-2 regulates the activity and stability of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase
      (eNOS) in angiogenesis.
AB  - Angiogenesis is a highly regulated process for formation of new blood vessels
      from pre-existing ones. Angiogenesis is dysregulated in various pathologies,
      including age-related macular degeneration, arthritis, and cancer. Inhibiting
      pathological angiogenesis therefore represents a promising therapeutic strategy
      for treating these disorders, highlighting the need to study angiogenesis in more
      detail. To this end, identifying the genes essential for blood vessel formation
      and elucidating their function are crucial for a complete understanding of
      angiogenesis. Here, focusing on potential candidate genes for angiogenesis, we
      performed a morpholino-based genetic screen in zebrafish and identified Cavin-2,
      a membrane-bound phosphatidylserine-binding protein and critical organizer of
      caveolae (small microdomains in the plasma membrane), as a regulator of
      angiogenesis. Using endothelial cells, we show that Cavin-2 is required for in
      vitro angiogenesis and also for endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and
      invasion. We noted a high level of Cavin-2 expression in the neovascular tufts in
      the mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy, suggesting a role for Cavin-2 in
      pathogenic angiogenesis. Interestingly, we also found that Cavin-2 regulates the
      production of nitric oxide (NO) in endothelial cells by controlling the stability
      and activity of the endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) and that Cavin-2
      knockdown cells produce much less NO than WT cells. Also, mass spectrometry, flow
      cytometry, and electron microscopy analyses indicated that Cavin-2 is secreted in
      endothelial microparticles (EMPs) and is required for EMP biogenesis. Taken
      together, our results indicate that in addition to its function in caveolae
      biogenesis, Cavin-2 plays a critical role in endothelial cell maintenance and
      function by regulating eNOS activity.

PMID- 28912278
TI  - Pituitary Macroadenoma and Visual Impairment: Postoperative Outcome Prediction
      with Contrast-Enhanced FIESTA.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Contrast-enhanced FIESTA can depict anterior optic
      pathways in patients with large suprasellar tumors. We assessed whether the
      degree of kink in the optic nerve at the optic canal orifice on contrast-enhanced
      FIESTA correlates with the postoperative improvement of visual impairment in
      patients with pituitary macroadenoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients
      with pituitary macroadenoma who underwent preoperative MR imaging and an
      operation were evaluated. We measured the optic nerve kinking angle on sagittal
      oblique contrast-enhanced FIESTA parallel to the optic nerve; the optic nerve
      kinking angle was defined as the angle between a line parallel to the planum
      sphenoidale and a line parallel to the intracranial optic nerve at the optic
      canal orifice. We used logistic regression analyses to determine whether the
      clinical (sex, age, and duration of symptoms) and imaging (tumor height, chiasmal
      compression severity, hyperintense optic nerve on T2WI, and optic nerve kinking
      angle) characteristics were associated with the postoperative improvement (good
      versus-little improvement) of visual acuity disturbance and visual field defect.
      RESULTS: There were 53 impaired sides before the operation: 2 sides with visual
      acuity disturbance alone, 25 with visual field defect alone, and 26 with both.
      After the operation, good improvement was found in 17 of the 28 sides with visual
      acuity disturbance and in 32 of the 51 sides with visual field defects. Only the
      optic nerve kinking angle was significantly associated with good improvement of
      the visual acuity disturbance (P = .011) and visual field defect (P = .002).
      CONCLUSIONS: The degree of the optic nerve kinking angle was an independent
      predictor of postoperative improvement, indicating that irreversible damage to
      the optic nerve may be associated with its kinking at the optic canal orifice.

PMID- 28912279
TI  - Differences in Morphologic and Hemodynamic Characteristics for "PHASES-Based"
      Intracranial Aneurysm Locations.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Several recent prospective studies have found that
      unruptured intracranial aneurysms at various anatomic locations have different
      propensities for future rupture. This study aims to uncover the lack of
      understanding regarding rupture-prone characteristics, such as morphology and
      hemodynamic factors, associated with different intracranial aneurysm location.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the characteristics of 311 unruptured
      aneurysms at our center. Based on the PHASES study, we separated and compared
      morphologic and hemodynamic characteristics among 3 aneurysm location groups: 1)
      internal carotid artery; 2) middle cerebral artery; and 3) anterior
      communicating, posterior communicating, and posterior circulation arteries.
      RESULTS: A mixed model statistical analysis showed that size ratio, low wall
      shear stress area, and pressure loss coefficient were different between the
      intracranial aneurysm location groups. In addition, a pair-wise comparison showed
      that ICA aneurysms had lower size ratios, lower wall shear stress areas, and
      lower pressure loss coefficients compared with MCA aneurysms and compared with
      the group of anterior communicating, posterior communicating, and posterior
      circulation aneurysms. There were no statistical differences between MCA
      aneurysms and the group of anterior communicating, posterior communicating, and
      posterior circulation aneurysms for morphologic or hemodynamic characteristics.
      CONCLUSIONS: ICA aneurysms may be subjected to less rupture-prone morphologic and
      hemodynamic characteristics compared with other locations, which could explain
      the decreased rupture propensity of intracranial aneurysms at this location.

PMID- 28912280
TI  - Added Value of Arterial Spin-Labeling MR Imaging for the Differentiation of
      Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma from Metastasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In adults with only cerebellar masses, hemangioblastoma
      and metastasis are the 2 most important differential diagnoses. Our aim was to
      investigate the added value of arterial spin-labeling MR imaging for
      differentiating hemangioblastoma from metastasis in patients with only cerebellar
      masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included a homogeneous
      cohort comprising patients with only cerebellar masses, including 16
      hemangioblastomas and 14 metastases. All patients underwent enhanced MR imaging,
      including arterial spin-labeling. First, the presence or absence of a
      hyperperfused mass was determined. Next, in the hyperperfused mass, relative
      tumor blood flow (mean blood flow in the tumor divided by blood flow measured in
      normal-appearing cerebellar tissue) and the size ratio (size in the arterial spin
      labeling images divided by size in the postcontrast T1WI) were measured. To
      validate the arterial spin-labeling findings, 2 observers independently evaluated
      the conventional MR images and the combined set of arterial spin-labeling images.
      RESULTS: All patients with hemangioblastomas and half of the patients with
      metastases presented with a hyperperfused mass (P < .001). The size ratio and
      relative tumor blood flow were significantly larger for hemangioblastomas than
      for metastases (P < .001 and P = .039, respectively). The size ratio revealed
      excellent diagnostic power (area under the curve = 0.991), and the relative tumor
      blood flow demonstrated moderate diagnostic power (area under the curve = 0.777).
      The diagnostic accuracy of both observers was significantly improved after the
      addition of arterial spin-labeling; the area under the curve improved from 0.574
      to 0.969 (P < .001) for observer 2 and from 0.683 to 1 (P < .001) for observer 2.
      CONCLUSIONS: Arterial spin-labeling imaging can aid in distinguishing
      hemangioblastoma from metastasis in patients with only cerebellar masses.

PMID- 28912281
TI  - Bring Back the Joy in Neuroradiology.

PMID- 28912282
TI  - Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Histograms of Human Papillomavirus-Positive and
      Human Papillomavirus-Negative Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Assessment
      of Tumor Heterogeneity and Comparison with Histopathology.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma associated with
      human papillomavirus infection represents a distinct tumor entity. We
      hypothesized that diffusion phenotypes based on the histogram analysis of ADC
      values reflect distinct degrees of tumor heterogeneity in human papillomavirus
      positive and human papillomavirus-negative head and neck squamous cell
      carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred five consecutive patients (mean
      age, 64 years; range, 45-87 years) with primary oropharyngeal (n = 52) and oral
      cavity (n = 53) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma underwent MR imaging with
      anatomic and diffusion-weighted sequences (b = 0, b = 1000 s/mm2, monoexponential
      ADC calculation). The collected tumor voxels from the contoured ROIs provided
      histograms from which position, dispersion, and form parameters were computed.
      Histogram data were correlated with histopathology, p16-immunohistochemistry, and
      polymerase chain reaction for human papillomavirus DNA. RESULTS: There were 21
      human papillomavirus-positive and 84 human papillomavirus-negative head and neck
      squamous cell carcinomas. At histopathology, human papillomavirus-positive
      cancers were more often nonkeratinizing (13/21, 62%) than human papillomavirus
      negative cancers (19/84, 23%; P = .001), and their mitotic index was higher (71%
      versus 49%; P = .005). ROI-based mean and median ADCs were significantly lower in
      human papillomavirus-positive (1014 +/- 178 * 10-6 mm2/s and 970 +/- 187 * 10-6
      mm2/s, respectively) than in human papillomavirus-negative tumors (1184 +/- 168 *
      10-6 mm2/s and 1161 +/- 175 * 10-6 mm2/s, respectively; P < .001), whereas excess
      kurtosis and skewness were significantly higher in human papillomavirus-positive
      (1.934 +/- 1.386 and 0.923 +/- 0.510, respectively) than in human papillomavirus
      negative tumors (0.643 +/- 0.982 and 0.399 +/- 0.516, respectively; P < .001).
      Human papillomavirus-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma had symmetric
      normally distributed ADC histograms, which corresponded histologically to
      heterogeneous tumors with variable cellularity, high stromal component, keratin
      pearls, and necrosis. Human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell
      carcinomas had leptokurtic skewed right histograms, which corresponded to
      homogeneous tumors with back-to-back densely packed cells, scant stromal
      component, and scattered comedonecrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Diffusion phenotypes of
      human papillomavirus-positive and human papillomavirus-negative head and neck
      squamous cell carcinomas show significant differences, which reflect their
      distinct degree of tumor heterogeneity.

PMID- 28912283
TI  - Reaction Time Is Negatively Associated with Corpus Callosum Area in the Early
      Stages of CADASIL.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Reaction time was recently recognized as a marker of
      subtle cognitive and behavioral alterations in the early clinical stages of
      CADASIL, a monogenic cerebral small-vessel disease. In unselected patients with
      CADASIL, brain atrophy and lacunes are the main imaging correlates of disease
      severity, but MR imaging correlates of reaction time in mildly affected patients
      are unknown. We hypothesized that reaction time is independently associated with
      the corpus callosum area in the early clinical stages of CADASIL. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Twenty-six patients with CADASIL without dementia (Mini-Mental State
      Examination score > 24 and no cognitive symptoms) and without disability
      (modified Rankin Scale score <= 1) were compared with 29 age- and sex-matched
      controls. Corpus callosum area was determined on 3D-T1 MR imaging sequences with
      validated methodology. Between-group comparisons were performed with t tests or
      chi2 tests when appropriate. Relationships between reaction time and corpus
      callosum area were tested using linear regression modeling. RESULTS: Reaction
      time was significantly related to corpus callosum area in patients (estimate = 
      7.4 * 103, standard error = 3.3 * 103, P = .03) even after adjustment for age,
      sex, level of education, and scores of depression and apathy (estimate = -12.2 *
      103, standard error = 3.8 * 103, P = .005). No significant relationship was
      observed in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Corpus callosum area, a simple and robust
      imaging parameter, appears to be an independent correlate of reaction time at the
      early clinical stages of CADASIL. Further studies will determine whether corpus
      callosum area can be used as an outcome in future clinical trials in CADASIL or
      in more prevalent small-vessel diseases.

PMID- 28912286
TI  - Association of Developmental Venous Anomalies with Demyelinating Lesions in
      Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - We present 5 cases of demyelination in patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
      that are closely associated with a developmental venous anomaly. Although the
      presence of a central vein is a known phenomenon with multiple sclerosis plaques,
      demyelination occurring around developmental venous anomalies is an underreported
      phenomenon. Tumefactive demyelination can cause a diagnostic dilemma because of
      its overlapping imaging findings with central nervous system neoplasm. The
      relationship of a tumefactive plaque with a central vein can be diagnostically
      useful, and we suggest that if such a lesion is closely associated with a
      developmental venous anomaly, an inflammatory or demyelinating etiology should be
      a leading consideration.

PMID- 28912284
TI  - T1-Weighted Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Perfusion Imaging Characterizes Tumor
      Response to Radiation Therapy in Chordoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chordomas notoriously demonstrate a paucity of changes
      following radiation therapy on conventional MR imaging. We hypothesized that
      dynamic contrast-enhanced MR perfusion imaging parameters of chordomas would
      change significantly following radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven
      patients with pathology-proved chordoma who completed dynamic contrast-enhanced
      MR perfusion imaging pre- and postradiation therapy were enrolled. Quantitative
      tumor measurements were obtained by 2 attending neuroradiologists. ROIs were used
      to calculate vascular permeability and plasma volume and generate dynamic
      contrast-enhancement curves. Quantitative analysis was performed to determine
      mean and maximum plasma volume and vascular permeability values, while
      semiquantitative analysis on averaged concentration curves was used to determine
      the area under the curve. A Mann-Whitney U test at a significance level of P <
      .05 was used to assess differences of the above parameters between pre- and
      postradiation therapy. RESULTS: Plasma volume mean (pretreatment mean = 0.82;
      posttreatment mean = 0.42), plasma volume maximum (pretreatment mean = 3.56;
      posttreatment mean = 2.27), and vascular permeability mean (pretreatment mean =
      0.046; posttreatment mean = 0.028) in the ROIs significantly decreased after
      radiation therapy (P < .05); this change thereby demonstrated the potential for
      assessing tumor response. Area under the curve values also demonstrated
      significant differences (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma volume and vascular
      permeability decreased after radiation therapy, suggesting that these dynamic
      contrast-enhanced MR perfusion parameters may be useful for monitoring chordoma
      growth and response to radiation therapy. Additionally, the characteristic
      dynamic MR signal intensity-time curve of chordoma may provide a radiographic
      means of distinguishing chordoma from other spinal lesions.

PMID- 28912287
TI  - Public reason and the limited right to conscientious objection: a response to
      Magelssen.
AB  - In a recent article for this journal, Morten Magelssen argues that the right to
      conscientious objection in healthcare is grounded in the moral integrity of
      healthcare professionals, a good for both professionals and society. In this
      paper, I argue that there is no right to conscientious objection in healthcare,
      at least as Magelssen conceives of it. Magelssen's conception of the right to
      conscientious objection is too expansive in nature. Although I will assume that
      there is a right to conscientious objection, it does not extend to objections
      that are purely religious in nature. i Thus, this right is considerably more
      restricted than Magelssen thinks. In making my case, I draw on John Rawls's later
      work in arguing for the claim that conscientious objection based on purely
      religious considerations fails to benefit society in the appropriate way.

PMID- 28912285
TI  - Predictors of Incomplete Occlusion following Pipeline Embolization of
      Intracranial Aneurysms: Is It Less Effective in Older Patients?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Flow diversion with the Pipeline Embolization Device
      (PED) for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms is associated with a high rate
      of aneurysm occlusion. However, clinical and radiographic predictors of
      incomplete aneurysm occlusion are poorly defined. In this study, predictors of
      incomplete occlusion at last angiographic follow-up after PED treatment were
      assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of consecutive
      aneurysms treated with the PED between 2009 and 2016, at 3 academic institutions
      in the United States, was performed. Cases with angiographic follow-up were
      selected to evaluate factors predictive of incomplete aneurysm occlusion at last
      follow-up. RESULTS: We identified 465 aneurysms treated with the PED; 380 (81.7%)
      aneurysms (329 procedures; median age, 58 years; female/male ratio, 4.8:1) had
      angiographic follow-up, and were included. Complete occlusion (100%) was achieved
      in 78.2% of aneurysms. Near-complete (90%-99%) and partial (<90%) occlusion were
      collectively achieved in 21.8% of aneurysms and defined as incomplete occlusion.
      Of aneurysms followed for at least 12 months (211 of 380), complete occlusion was
      achieved in 83.9%. Older age (older than 70 years), nonsmoking status, aneurysm
      location within the posterior communicating artery or posterior circulation,
      greater aneurysm maximal diameter (>=21 mm), and shorter follow-up time (<12
      months) were significantly associated with incomplete aneurysm occlusion at last
      angiographic follow-up on univariable analysis. However, on multivariable
      logistic regression, only age, smoking status, and duration of follow-up were
      independently associated with occlusion status. CONCLUSIONS: Complete occlusion
      following PED treatment of intracranial aneurysms can be influenced by several
      factors related to the patient, aneurysm, and treatment. Of these factors, older
      age (older than 70 years) and nonsmoking status were independent predictors of
      incomplete occlusion. While the physiologic explanation for these findings
      remains unknown, identification of factors predictive of incomplete aneurysm
      occlusion following PED placement can assist in patient selection and counseling
      and might provide insight into the biologic factors affecting endothelialization.

PMID- 28912288
TI  - Sometimes, not always, not never: a response to Pickard and Pearce.
AB  - This paper provides a response to Hanna Pickard and Stephen Pearce's paper
      'Balancing costs and benefits: a clinical perspective does not support a harm
      minimisation approach for self-injury outside of community settings.' This paper
      responded to my article 'Should healthcare professionals sometimes allow harm?
      The case of self-injury.' There is much in the paper that I would agree with, but
      I feel it is important to respond to a number of the criticisms of my paper in
      order to clarify my position and to facilitate ongoing debate in relation to this
      important issue.

PMID- 28912289
TI  - Using best interests meetings for people in a prolonged disorder of consciousness
      to improve clinical and ethical management.
AB  - Current management of people with prolonged disorders of consciousness is failing
      patients, families and society. The causes include a general lack of concern,
      knowledge and expertise; a legal and professional framework which impedes timely
      and appropriate decision-making and/or enactment of the decision; and the
      exclusive focus on the patient, with no legitimate means to consider the broader
      consequences of healthcare decisions. This article argues that a clinical pathway
      based on the principles of (a) the English Mental Capacity Act 2005 and (b) using
      time-limited treatment trials could greatly improve patient management and reduce
      stress on families. There needs to be early and continuing use of formal best
      interests meetings, starting between 7 and 21 days after onset of unconsciousness
      (from any cause, including progressive disorders). The treatment options need to
      evolve as the clinical state and prognosis becomes more certain. A formal
      discussion of treatment withdrawal should occur when the upper bound of predicted
      recovery falls below a level the patient would have considered acceptable, and it
      should always be discussed when the condition is considered permanent. Any
      decision to stop treatment should be contingent on a formal second opinion from
      an independent expert who should review the clinical situation and expected
      prognosis, but not the best interests decision. The article also asks how, if at
      all, the adverse effects on the family and the resource implications of long-term
      care of people left in a prolonged state of unconsciousness should be
      incorporated in the process.

PMID- 28912290
TI  - Achieving high-quality care: a view from NICE.
AB  - The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) was established in
      1999 to provide evidence-based guidance. The task of producing guidance by
      reviewing primary research data and using an advisory committee to develop
      evidence-based recommendations, is not straightforward. Guidance production is,
      however, less challenging than the task of putting evidence-based recommendations
      into practice.NICE is very sensitive to this challenge as, since 1999, over 1500
      pieces of NICE guidance have been published. A number of pieces of guidance
      relate to heart disease, including pharmaceutical agents, new medical
      technologies and clinical guidelines. Examples include guidelines on acute heart
      failure and atrial fibrillation, and advice on technologies including edoxaban
      and implantable cardioverter defibrillators.The research evidence is clear that a
      change in practice rarely comes about as a result of simply disseminating
      guidance on best practice. Simple dissemination is particularly ineffective if
      the guidance has not been produced by a well-respected, credible organisation. It
      is also clear from the literature that implementation is more successful when
      more than one approach is taken, and when there is alignment between efforts at
      organisational, local and national levels.At an organisational level, there
      should be support from the Board for quality improvement, with ongoing
      measurement of progress. Resources should be provided for targeted change
      programmes, particularly where new guidance suggests improvements are required. A
      systematic process for putting change in place should include identifying
      barriers to change, agreeing interventions to overcome the barriers and drive
      forward improvement and planning for implementation and evaluation.

PMID- 28912291
TI  - High-risk DLBCL: interim PET? Not yet.

PMID- 28912292
TI  - Gene therapy: WAS (not) just for kids.

PMID- 28912293
TI  - tPA and anger management for macrophages.

PMID- 28912294
TI  - Brentuximab: is it time for a new "B" in ABVD?

PMID- 28912295
TI  - Erdheim-Chester disease: the "targeted" revolution.

PMID- 28912296
TI  - Exuberant nodal proliferation of mature plasmacytoid dendritic cells in a patient
      with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

PMID- 28912297
TI  - Cyclin D1-negative mantle cell lymphoma with aberrant CD3 expression.

PMID- 28912298
TI  - Empowering lay bystanders to respond to medical emergencies.

PMID- 28912299
TI  - The Test Your Memory for Mild Cognitive Impairment (TYM-MCI).
AB  - BACKGROUND: To validate a short cognitive test: the Test Your Memory for Mild
      Cognitive Impairment (TYM-MCI) in the diagnosis of patients with amnestic mild
      cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease (aMCI/AD). METHODS: Two hundred
      and two patients with mild memory problems were recruited. All had 'passed' the
      Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Patients completed the TYM-MCI, the Test
      Your Memory test (TYM), MMSE and revised Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE
      R), had a neurological examination, clinical diagnostics and multidisciplinary
      team review. RESULTS: As a single test, the TYM-MCI performed as well as the ACE
      R in the distinction of patients with aMCI/AD from patients with subjective
      memory impairment with a sensitivity of 0.79 and specificity of 0.91. Used in
      combination with the ACE-R, it provided additional value and identified almost
      all cases of aMCI/AD. The TYM-MCI correctly classified most patients who had
      equivocal ACE-R scores. Integrated discriminant improvement analysis showed that
      the TYM-MCI added value to the conventional memory assessment. Patients initially
      diagnosed as unknown or with subjective memory impairment who were later
      rediagnosed with aMCI/AD scored poorly on their original TYM-MCI. CONCLUSION: The
      TYM-MCI is a powerful short cognitive test that examines verbal and visual recall
      and is a valuable addition to the assessment of patients with aMCI/AD. It is
      simple and cheap to administer and requires minimal staff time and training.

PMID- 28912300
TI  - [18F]AV-1451 binding in vivo mirrors the expected distribution of TDP-43
      pathology in the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Semantic dementia, including the semantic variant of primary
      progressive aphasia (svPPA), is strongly associated with TAR-DNA binding protein
      43 (TDP-43) type C pathology. It provides a useful model in which to test the
      specificity of in vivo binding of the putative tau ligand [18F]AV-1451, which is
      elevated in frontotemporal lobar degeneration tauopathies. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Seven patients (five with svPPA and two with 'right' semantic dementia) and 12
      healthy controls underwent positron emission tomography brain imaging with
      [18F]AV-1451. Two independent preprocessing methods were used. For both methods,
      all patients had clearly elevated binding potential (BPND (non-displaceable
      binding potential)) in temporal lobes, lateralising according to their clinical
      syndrome and evident in raw images. Region of interest analyses confirmed that
      BPND was significantly increased in temporal regions, insula and fusiform gyrus,
      consistent with those areas known to be most affected in semantic dementia.
      Hierarchical cluster analysis, based on the distribution of [18F]AV-1451 binding
      potential, separated semantic dementia from controls with 86% sensitivity and
      100% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: [18F]AV-1451 binds in vivo regions that are likely
      to contain TDP-43 and not significant tau pathology. While this suggests a non
      tau target for [18F]AV-1451, the pathological regions in semantic dementia do not
      normally contain significant levels of recently proposed 'off target' binding
      sites for [18F]AV-1451, such as neuronal monoamine oxidase or neuromelanin.
      Postmortem and longitudinal data will be useful to assess the utility of [18F]AV
      1451 to differentiate and track different types of frontotemporal lobar
      degeneration.

PMID- 28912301
TI  - Early-onset drug-induced parkinsonism after exposure to offenders implies
      nigrostriatal dopaminergic dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The onset of parkinsonism in patients with drug-induced parkinsonism
      (DIP) exhibits extensive individual variability following exposure to offending
      drugs. We investigated whether the individual variations in the onset time of
      parkinsonism reflected the underlying subtle dopaminergic dysfunction in DIP.
      METHODS: We enrolled 71 patients with DIP who had visually normal striatal
      dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in 18F-FP-CIT positron emission
      tomography scans. According to their exposure durations to the offending drugs
      prior to onset of the parkinsonism, the patients were divided into the early
      onset group (duration <=6 months; n=35) and delayed-onset group (duration >6
      months; n=36). We performed the quantitative analysis of the DAT availability in
      each striatal subregion between the groups. RESULTS: No patients with DIP had DAT
      availability that was more than 2 SD below the normal mean of DAT availability.
      Compared with the delayed-onset group, the early-onset DIP group had decreased
      DAT availability in the striatal subregions including the posterior putamen
      (p=0.018), anterior putamen (p=0.011), caudate (p=0.035) and ventral striatum
      (p=0.027). After adjusting for age, sex and cross-cultural smell identification
      test scores, a multivariate analysis revealed that the DAT availability in the
      striatal subregions of the patients with DIP was significantly and positively
      associated with the natural logarithm of the duration of drug exposure.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a short exposure to the offending drugs
      before the development of parkinsonism would be associated with subtle
      nigrostriatal dopaminergic dysfunction in patients with DIP.

PMID- 28912303
TI  - GPR62 constitutively activates cAMP signaling but is dispensable for male
      fertility in mice.
AB  - G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) participate in diverse physiological
      functions and are promising targets for drug discovery. However, there are still
      over 140 orphan GPCRs whose functions remain to be elucidated. Gpr62 is one of
      the orphan GPCRs that is expressed in the rat and human brain. In this study, we
      found that Gpr62 is also expressed in male germ cells in mice, and its expression
      increases along with sperm differentiation. GPR62 lacks the BBXXB and DRY motifs,
      which are conserved across many GPCRs, and it was able to induce cAMP signaling
      in the absence of a ligand. These structural and functional features are
      conserved among mammals, and the mutant analysis of GPR62 has revealed that
      lacking of these motifs is involved in the constitutive activity. We also found
      that GPR62 can homooligomerize, but it is not sufficient for its constitutive
      activity. We further investigated its physiological function by using Gpr62
      knockout (Gpr62-/-) mice. Gpr62-/- mice were born normally and did not show any
      abnormality in growth and behavior. In addition, both male and female Gp62-/-
      mice were fertile, and the differentiation and motility of spermatozoa were
      normal. We also found that Gpr61, the gene most similar to Gpr62 in the GPCR
      family shows a constitutive activity and an expression pattern similar to those
      of Gpr62 Our results suggest that GPR62 constitutively activates the cAMP pathway
      in male germ cells but is dispensable for male fertility, which is probably due
      to its functional redundancy with GPR61.

PMID- 28912302
TI  - Prevention of renal apoB retention is protective against diabetic nephropathy:
      role of TGF-beta inhibition.
AB  - Animal studies demonstrate that hyperlipidemia and renal lipid accumulation
      contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). We previously
      demonstrated that renal lipoproteins colocalize with biglycan, a renal
      proteoglycan. The purpose of this study was to determine whether prevention of
      renal lipid (apoB) accumulation attenuates DN. Biglycan-deficient and biglycan
      wild-type Ldlr-/- mice were made diabetic via streptozotocin and fed a high
      cholesterol diet. As biglycan deficiency is associated with elevated transforming
      growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), in some experiments mice were injected with either
      the TGF-beta-neutralizing antibody, 1D11, or with 13C4, an irrelevant control
      antibody. Biglycan deficiency had no significant effect on renal apoB
      accumulation, but led to modest attenuation of DN with ~30% reduction in
      albuminuria; however, biglycan deficiency caused a striking elevation in TGF
      beta. Use of 1D11 led to sustained suppression of TGF-beta for approximately 8
      weeks at a time. The 1D11 treatment caused decreased renal apoB accumulation,
      decreased albuminuria, decreased renal hypertrophy, and improved survival,
      compared with the 13C4 treatment. Thus, prevention of renal apoB accumulation is
      protective against development of DN. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that
      prevention of renal apoB accumulation is a mechanism by which TGF-beta inhibition
      is nephroprotective.

PMID- 28912304
TI  - E-cadherin and ZEB2 modulate trophoblast cell differentiation during placental
      development in pigs.
AB  - It is one of the important events that trophoblast cells within the placental
      folds differentiate into two types that differ in cell shape during placental
      development in pigs. This study showed that all the trophoblast cells were of
      similar shape between Yorkshire and Chinese Meishan pigs on day 26 of gestation;
      thereafter, the trophoblast cells located at the top of the placental folds
      became high columnar, while those cells at the base of the placental folds were
      cuboidal on day 50 of gestation. Additionally, on day 95 of gestation, all the
      trophoblast cells in Meishan pigs became cuboidal, but the trophoblast cells
      located at the top of the placental folds in Yorkshire pigs still remained
      columnar. The membranous E-cadherin and beta-catenin were strongly co-expressed
      by the high columnar trophoblast cells but very weakly expressed by those
      cuboidal cells. Consistently, the expression pattern of ZEB2, the E-cadherin
      repressor, was inversely correlated with that of E-cadherin in the two types of
      trophoblast cells in the two breeds. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift
      assays demonstrated the binding of ZEB2 to the E-cadherin promoter in nuclear
      extracts from porcine placental tissue. These findings suggest a ZEB2-dependent
      mechanism of trophoblast cell differentiation during placental development in
      pigs.

PMID- 28912306
TI  - Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Klebsiella pneumoniae Bacteriophage
      vB_KpnM_KpV477.
AB  - The double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophage vB_KpnM_KpV477, with a broad
      spectrum of lytic activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, including strains of
      capsular serotypes K1, K2, and K57, was isolated from a clinical sample. The
      phage genome comprises 168,272 bp, with a G+C content of 39.3%, and it contains
      275 putative coding sequences (CDSs) and 17 tRNAs.

PMID- 28912305
TI  - Effects of Liraglutide on Weight Loss, Fat Distribution, and beta-Cell Function
      in Obese Subjects With Prediabetes or Early Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and
      cardiovascular complications. The risk depends significantly on adipose tissue
      distribution. Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 analog, is associated with
      weight loss, improved glycemic control, and reduced cardiovascular risk. We
      determined whether an equal degree of weight loss by liraglutide or lifestyle
      changes has a different impact on subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral
      adipose tissue (VAT) in obese subjects with prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Sixty-two metformin-treated obese subjects with
      prediabetes or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, were randomized to liraglutide
      (1.8 mg/day) or lifestyle counseling. Changes in SAT and VAT levels (determined
      by abdominal MRI), insulin sensitivity (according to the Matsuda index), and beta
      cell function (beta-index) were assessed during a multiple-sampling oral glucose
      tolerance test; and circulating levels of IGF-I and IGF-II were assessed before
      and after a comparable weight loss (7% of initial body weight). RESULTS: After
      comparable weight loss, achieved by 20 patients per arm, and superimposable
      glycemic control, as reflected by HbA1c level (P = 0.60), reduction in VAT was
      significantly higher in the liraglutide arm than in the lifestyle arm (P =
      0.028), in parallel with a greater improvement in beta-index (P = 0.021). No
      differences were observed in SAT reduction (P = 0.64). IGF-II serum levels were
      significantly increased (P = 0.024) only with liraglutide administration, and the
      increase in IGF-II levels correlated with both a decrease in VAT (rho = -0.435, P
      = 0.056) and an increase in the beta-index (rho = 0.55, P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS:
      Liraglutide effects on visceral obesity and beta-cell function might provide a
      rationale for using this molecule in obese subjects in an early phase of glucose
      metabolism dysregulation natural history.

PMID- 28912307
TI  - Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus PX03, an Acetoin-Producing Strain with a
      Small-Sized Genome.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus PX03 can produce acetoin efficiently. Here, we present a
      2.38-Mb assembly of its genome sequence, which might provide further insights
      into the molecular mechanism of its acetoin biosynthesis to further improve its
      biotechnological applications.

PMID- 28912308
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Epilithonimonas sp. FP211-J200, Isolated from an
      Outbreak Episode on a Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Farm.
AB  - Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Epilithonimonas sp. FP211-J200,
      isolated from rainbow trout head kidney cells. The size of the genome is
      4,110,772 bp, with a G+C content of 37.1%. The Epilithonimonas sp. FP211-J200
      genome has genes related to tetracycline and beta-lactam resistance. This is the
      first reported Epilithonimonas species genome isolated from a fish host.

PMID- 28912309
TI  - First Whole-Genome Shotgun Sequence of a Promising Cellulase Secretor,
      Trichoderma koningiopsis Strain POS7.
AB  - Trichoderma koningiopsis strain POS7 produces significantly large amounts of
      cellulase enzymes in solid-state fermentation. The Illumina-based sequence
      analysis reveals an approximate genome size of 36.6 Mbp, with a G+C content of
      48.82% for T. koningiopsis POS7. Based on ab initio prediction, 12,661 coding
      genes were annotated.

PMID- 28912310
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Prevotella copri Isolated from the Gut of a Healthy
      Indian Adult.
AB  - Prevotella copri, a Gram-negative anaerobic rod-shaped bacterium, is frequently
      associated with the human gastrointestinal tract and influences host physiology,
      immunity, and metabolic pathways. In the present study, we report the draft
      genome sequence of P. copri isolated from the gut of a healthy Indian adult.

PMID- 28912311
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Human-Pathogenic Fungus Scedosporium boydii.
AB  - The opportunistic fungal pathogen Scedosporium boydii is the most common
      Scedosporium species in French patients with cystic fibrosis. Here we present the
      first genome report for S. boydii, providing a resource which may enable the
      elucidation of the pathogenic mechanisms in this species.

PMID- 28912312
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium kefirresidentii SB, Isolated from Kefir.
AB  - The genus Corynebacterium includes Gram-positive species with a high G+C content.
      We report here a novel species, Corynebacterium kefirresidentii SB, isolated from
      kefir grains collected in Germany. Its draft genome sequence was remarkably
      dissimilar (average nucleotide identity, 76.54%) to those of other
      Corynebacterium spp., confirming that this is a unique novel species.

PMID- 28912313
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of a Shiga Toxin-Producing Enterobacter cloacae Clinical
      Isolate.
AB  - Enterobacter cloacae strain M12X01451 was isolated from a patient with mild
      diarrhea. This strain produces a novel subtype of Shiga toxin 1, Stx1e. The Stx1e
      converting prophage in strain M12X01451 is stable and can infect other bacteria
      following induction. Here we report the complete genome sequence and annotation
      of strain M12X01451.

PMID- 28912314
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Dehalobacterium formicoaceticum Strain DMC, a
      Strictly Anaerobic Dichloromethane-Degrading Bacterium.
AB  - Dehalobacterium formicoaceticum utilizes dichloromethane as the sole energy
      source in defined anoxic bicarbonate-buffered mineral salt medium. The products
      are formate, acetate, inorganic chloride, and biomass. The bacterium's genome was
      sequenced using PacBio, assembled, and annotated. The complete genome consists of
      one 3.77-Mb circular chromosome harboring 3,935 predicted protein-encoding genes.

PMID- 28912315
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Ralstonia solanacearum FJAT-91, a High-Virulence
      Pathogen of Tomato Wilt.
AB  - Ralstonia solanacearum FJAT-91, which displays higher virulence toward plants
      belonging to the family Solanaceae, was isolated from a wilted tomato plant
      vessel in Fujian province, southeast China. Here, we report the complete genome
      sequence of R. solanacearum FJAT-91 using long-read single-molecule PacBio
      sequencing technology. The genome comprises a 3,873,214-bp circular chromosome
      and a 2,000,873-bp circular megaplasmid with an overall G+C content of 66.85%.

PMID- 28912316
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai HD133.
AB  - We report here the 6,512,057-bp draft genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis
      subsp. aizawai HD133. This strain contains at least 6 cry genes and 13 candidate
      biosynthetic gene clusters.

PMID- 28912317
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Nervous Necrosis Virus Isolated from Orange-Spotted
      Grouper (Epinephelus coioides) in Taiwan.
AB  - The genome sequence of nervous necrosis virus strain KS1 isolated from orange
      spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was cloned and analyzed. The viral genome
      is composed of two single-stranded positive-sense RNA molecules, RNA1 and RNA2.
      Phylogenetic analysis shows that the virus strain KS1 belongs to the red-spotted
      grouper nervous necrosis virus genotype.

PMID- 28912318
TI  - Chromosome and Large Linear Plasmid Sequences of a Borrelia miyamotoi Strain
      Isolated from Ixodes pacificus Ticks from California.
AB  - Borrelia miyamotoi, a relapsing fever group spirochete, is an emerging tick-borne
      pathogen. It has been identified in ixodid ticks across the Northern Hemisphere,
      including the West Coast of the United States. We describe the chromosome and
      large linear plasmid sequence of a B. miyamotoi isolate cultured from a
      California field-collected Ixodes pacificus tick.

PMID- 28912319
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium chimaera SJ42, a Nonoutbreak Strain
      from an Immunocompromised Patient with Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - Mycobacterium chimaera, a nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) belonging to the
      Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause
      respiratory and disseminated disease. We report the complete genome sequence of a
      strain, SJ42, isolated from an immunocompromised male presenting with MAC
      pneumonia, assembled from Illumina and Oxford Nanopore data.

PMID- 28912320
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Spiroplasma corruscae EC-1T (DSM 19793), a Bacterium
      Isolated from a Lampyrid Beetle (Ellychnia corrusca).
AB  - Spiroplasma corruscae EC-1T (DSM 19793) was isolated from the gut of a lampryid
      beetle (Ellychnia corrusca) collected in Beltsville, MD, USA, in 1983. Here, we
      report the complete genome sequence of this bacterium to facilitate the
      investigation of its biology and the comparative genomics among Spiroplasma
      species.

PMID- 28912321
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Plant Pathogen Streptomyces sp. Strain 11-1-2.
AB  - Streptomyces sp. strain 11-1-2 is a Gram-positive filamentous bacterium that was
      isolated from a common scab lesion on a potato tuber. The strain is highly
      pathogenic to plants but does not produce the virulence-associated Streptomyces
      phytotoxin thaxtomin A. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Streptomyces
      sp. 11-1-2.

PMID- 28912322
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Streptomyces sp. XY006, an Endophyte Isolated from Tea
      (Camellia sinensis).
AB  - Streptomyces sp. XY006 is an endophytic bacterium isolated from the young leaf
      material of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). The draft genome consists of 8.2
      Mb and encodes 7,415 putative open reading frames. This strain is found to
      contain a high capacity for the production of natural products.

PMID- 28912323
TI  - Complete Genome Sequences of Bordetella pertussis Isolates with Novel Pertactin
      Deficient Deletions.
AB  - Clinical isolates of the respiratory pathogen Bordetella pertussis in the United
      States have become predominantly deficient for the acellular vaccine immunogen
      pertactin through various independent mutations. Here, we report the complete
      genome sequences for four B. pertussis isolates that harbor novel deletions
      responsible for pertactin deficiency.

PMID- 28912324
TI  - Permanent Draft Genome Sequence of Photorhabdus temperata Strain Hm, an
      Entomopathogenic Bacterium Isolated from Nematodes.
AB  - Photorhabdus temperata strain Hm is an entomopathogenic bacterium that forms a
      symbiotic association with Heterorhabditis nematodes. Here, we report a 5.0-Mbp
      draft genome sequence for P. temperata strain Hm with a G+C content of 44.1% and
      containing 4,226 candidate protein-encoding genes.

PMID- 28912325
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Vaginal Isolate Corynebacterium amycolatum ICIS 9.
AB  - Corynebacterium amycolatum ICIS 9 was isolated from a vaginal smear of a healthy
      woman. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of C. amycolatum ICIS 9, which
      will be useful for further studies of specific genetic features of this strain
      and for understanding its probiotic properties.

PMID- 28912326
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Subgenotype of Porcine Reproductive and
      Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain JX/CH/2016, Isolated in Jiangxi, China.
AB  - We sequenced the complete genome of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome
      virus (PRRSV) strain JX/CH/2016. Phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of
      the open reading frame 5 (ORF5) gene revealed that this strain belongs to
      subgenotype IV. This is the first report of the complete genome sequence of PRRSV
      IV.

PMID- 28912327
TI  - Whole-Genome Sequence of the First Sequence Type 27 Brucella ceti Strain Isolated
      from European Waters.
AB  - Brucella spp. that cause marine brucellosis are becoming more important, as the
      disease appears to be more widespread than originally thought. Here, we report a
      whole and annotated genome sequence of Brucella ceti CRO350, a sequence type 27
      strain isolated from a bottlenose dolphin carcass found in the Croatian part of
      the northern Adriatic Sea.

PMID- 28912328
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Paratyphi
      B Sequence Type 28 Harboring mcr-1.
AB  - In 2015, plasmid-mediated colistin resistance was reported to be caused by a
      mobilized phosphoethanolamine transferase gene (mcr-1) in Enterobacteriaceae
      Here, we announce the complete genome sequence of the earliest d-tartrate
      fermenting Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Paratyphi B isolate
      harboring mcr-1 from the collection of the German National Reference Laboratory
      for Salmonella.

PMID- 28912330
TI  - Genome Sequence of Grapevine Virus T, a Novel Foveavirus Infecting Grapevine.
AB  - Here, we report the genome sequence of grapevine virus T (GVT), a novel single
      stranded RNA virus identified from a transcriptome of grapevine. The genome of
      GVT is 8,701 nucleotides in length and encodes five open reading frames. GVT is a
      putative member of the genus Foveavirus in the family Betaflexiviridae.

PMID- 28912329
TI  - Genome Sequence of Grapevine Virus K, a Novel Vitivirus Infecting Grapevine.
AB  - Here, we report the genome sequence of grapevine virus K (GVK), a novel single
      stranded RNA virus identified from a transcriptome of grapevine. The genome of
      GVK is 7,476 nucleotides in length and encodes 5 open reading frames. GVK is a
      putative member of the genus Vitivirus in the family Betaflexiviridae.

PMID- 28912331
TI  - Complete Genome Sequences of Two Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Isolates Collected in
      Mexico.
AB  - We report two full-genome sequences of vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus
      (VSNJV) obtained by Illumina next-generation sequencing of RNA isolated from
      epithelial suspensions of cattle naturally infected in Mexico. These genomes
      represent the first full-genome sequences of vesicular stomatitis New Jersey
      viruses circulating in Mexico deposited in the GenBank database.

PMID- 28912332
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease-Causing
      Vibrio campbellii LA16-V1, Isolated from Penaeus vannamei Cultured in a Latin
      American Country.
AB  - We report here the complete genome sequence of Vibrio campbellii, isolated from
      Penaeus vannamei cultured in a Latin American country. The Tn3-like transposon
      and pirAB genes were encoded on the plasmid pLA16-2. These data support the
      geographical variations in the virulence plasmid found among acute
      hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND)-causing Vibrio isolates from Latin
      America and Asia.

PMID- 28912333
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Type Strain Sphingopyxis bauzanensis DSM 22271.
AB  - We present here the draft genome sequence of Sphingopyxis bauzanensis DSM 22271.
      The assembly contains 4,258,005 bp in 28 scaffolds and has a GC content of 63.3%.
      A series of specific genes involved in the catabolism or transport of aromatic
      compounds was identified.

PMID- 28912334
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus sp. XY044, a Potential Plant Growth
      Promoter Isolated from a Tea Plant.
AB  - Paenibacillus sp. XY044 is an endophytic bacterium isolated from the stem of a
      tea plant (Camellia sinensis cv. Maoxie). Here, we present the draft genome
      sequence of XY044, which includes genes encoding features related to plant growth
      promotion and biocontrol.

PMID- 28912335
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Klebsiella pneumoniae OK8, a Multidrug-Resistant Mouse
      and Human Pathogen.
AB  - We report here the draft genome sequence of Klebsiella pneumoniae OK8, a
      multidrug-resistant strain which was isolated in 1976 from a human and is known
      to be a mouse pathogen.

PMID- 28912336
TI  - Elevated semaphorin 5A in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a case-control
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is characterized by elevated specific
      auto-antibodies, including TgAb and TPOAb. Increasing evidence has demonstrated
      the essential role of Th17 cells in HT. However, the underlying mechanism is
      still unclear. Semaphorin 5A (Sema 5A) is involved in several autoimmune diseases
      through the regulation of immune cells. The aim of the present study was to
      explore the role of Sema 5A in HT. METHODS: We measured serum Sema 5A levels in
      HT (n = 92) and healthy controls (n = 111) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA). RNA levels of Sema 5A and their receptors (plexin-A1 and plexin-B3), as
      well as several cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-4 and IL-17), were detected by real-time
      polymerase chain reaction in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 23 patients
      with HT and 31 controls. In addition, we investigated the relationship between
      serum Sema 5A and HT. RESULTS: Serum Sema 5A in HT increased significantly
      compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001). Moreover, serum Sema 5A levels were
      positively correlated with TgAb (r = 0.511, P < 0.001), TPOAb (r = 0.423, P <
      0.001), TSH (r = 0.349, P < 0.001) and IL-17 mRNA expression (r = 0.442, P <
      0.001). Increased Sema 5A RNA expression was observed (P = 0.041) in HT compared
      with controls. In receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, serum Sema 5A
      predicted HT with a sensitivity of 79.35% and specificity of 96.40%, and the area
      under the curve of the ROC curve was 0.836 (95% CI: 0.778-0.884, P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrated elevated serum Sema 5A in HT patients for
      the first time. Serum Sema 5A levels were correlated with thyroid auto-antibodies
      and IL-17 mRNA expression. Sema 5A may be involved in immune response of HT
      patients.

PMID- 28912337
TI  - Adrenal hyperandrogenism does not deteriorate insulin resistance and lipid
      profile in women with PCOS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of adrenal
      hyperandrogenism on insulin resistance and lipid profile in women with polycystic
      ovary syndrome (PCOS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 372 women with PCOS
      according to the NIH criteria. 232 age- and BMI-matched women served as controls
      in order to define adrenal hyperandrogenism (DHEA-S >95th percentile). Then,
      patients with PCOS were classified into two groups: with adrenal hyperandrogenism
      (PCOS-AH, n = 108) and without adrenal hyperandrogenism (PCOS-NAH, n = 264).
      Anthropometric measurements were recorded. Fasting plasma glucose, insulin, lipid
      profile, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and androgen (TT, Delta4A, DHEA-S)
      concentrations were assessed. Free androgen index (FAI) and homeostatic model
      assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index were calculated. RESULTS: Women
      with PCOS-AH were younger than PCOS-NAH (P < 0.001), but did not differ in the
      degree and type of obesity. No differences were found in HOMA-IR, total
      cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c and triglyceride concentrations (in all comparisons, P
      > 0.05). These metabolic parameters did not differ between the two groups even
      after correction for age. Women with PCOS-AH had lower SHBG (29.2 +/- 13.8 vs
      32.4 +/- 11.8 nmol/L, P = 0.025) and higher TT (1.0 +/- 0.2 vs 0.8 +/- 0.4 ng/mL,
      P = 0.05) and Delta4A (3.9 +/- 1.2 vs 3.4 +/- 1.0 ng/mL, P = 0.007)
      concentrations, as well as FAI (14.1 +/- 8.0 vs 10.2 +/- 5.0, P < 0.001). These
      results were confirmed by a multiple regression analysis model in which adrenal
      hyperandrogenism was negatively associated with age (P < 0.001) and SHBG
      concentrations (P = 0.02), but not with any metabolic parameter. CONCLUSIONS:
      Women with PCOS and adrenal hyperandrogenism do not exhibit any deterioration in
      insulin resistance and lipid profile despite the higher degree of total
      androgens.

PMID- 28912338
TI  - Duration of post-operative hypocortisolism predicts sustained remission after
      pituitary surgery for Cushing's disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is the primary treatment modality for
      Cushing's disease (CD). However, the predictors of post-operative remission and
      recurrence remain debatable. Thus, we studied the post-operative remission and
      long-term recurrence rates, as well as their respective predictive factors.
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis of case records of 230 CD patients who
      underwent primary microscopic TSS at our tertiary care referral centre between
      1987 and 2015 was undertaken. Demographic features, pre- and post-operative
      hormonal values, MRI findings, histopathological features and follow-up data were
      recorded. Remission and recurrence rates as well as their respective predictive
      factors were studied. RESULTS: Overall, the post-operative remission rate was
      65.6% (early remission 46%; delayed remission 19.6%), while the recurrence rate
      was 41% at mean follow-up of 74 +/- 61.1 months (12-270 months). Significantly
      higher early remission rates were observed in patients with microadenoma vs
      macroadenoma (51.7% vs 30.6%, P = 0.005) and those with unequivocal vs equivocal
      MRI for microadenoma (55.8% vs 38.5%, P = 0.007). Patients with invasive
      macroadenoma had poorer (4.5% vs 45%, P = 0.001) remission rates. Recurrence
      rates were higher in patients with delayed remission than those with early
      remission (61.5% vs 30.8%, P = 0.001). Duration of post-operative
      hypocortisolemia >=13 months predicted sustained remission with 100% specificity
      and 46.4% sensitivity. Recurrence could be detected significantly earlier (27.7
      vs 69.2 months, P < 0.001) in patients with available serial follow-up
      biochemistry as compared to those with infrequent follow-up after remission.
      CONCLUSION: In our study, remission and recurrence rates were similar to that of
      reported literature, but proportion of delayed remission was relatively higher.
      Negative/equivocal MRI findings and presence of macroadenoma, especially those
      with cavernous sinus invasion were predictors of poor remission rates. In
      addition to early remission, longer duration of post-operative hypocortisolism is
      an important predictor of sustained remission. Regular biochemical surveillance
      may help in identifying recurrence early.

PMID- 28912339
TI  - Reproductive and metabolic features during puberty in sons of women with
      polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - CONTEXT: Intrauterine life may be implicated in the origin of polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) modifying the endocrine and metabolic functions of children born
      to PCOS mothers independently of the genetic inheritance and gender. The aim of
      the present study was to evaluate the reproductive and metabolic functions in
      sons of women with PCOS during puberty. METHODS: Sixty-nine PCOS sons (PCOSs) and
      84 control sons of 7-18 years old matched by the Tanner stage score were studied.
      A complete physical examination was conducted including anthropometric
      measurements (weight, height, waist, hip and body mass index). An oral glucose
      tolerance test was performed and circulating concentrations of luteinizing
      hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), sex hormone-binding globulin,
      testosterone, androstenedione (A4), 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and AMH
      were determined in the fasting sample. RESULTS: Waist-to-hip ratio, FSH and
      androstenedione levels were significantly higher in the PCOSs group compared to
      control boys during the Tanner stage II-III. In Tanner stages II-III and IV-V,
      PCOSs showed significantly higher total cholesterol and LDL levels. Propensity
      score analysis showed that higher LDL levels were attributable to the PCOSs
      condition and not to other metabolic factors. AMH levels were comparable during
      all stages. The rest of the parameters were comparable between both groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sons of women with PCOS show increased total cholesterol and LDL
      levels during puberty, which may represent latent insulin resistance. Thus, this
      is a group that should be followed and studied looking for further features of
      insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk markers. Reproductive markers, on the
      other hand, are very similar to controls.

PMID- 28912340
TI  - Donor-Recipient Identification in Para- and Poly-phyletic Trees Under Alternative
      HIV-1 Transmission Hypotheses Using Approximate Bayesian Computation.
AB  - Diversity of the founding population of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV
      1) transmissions raises many important biological, clinical, and epidemiological
      issues. In up to 40% of sexual infections, there is clear evidence for multiple
      founding variants, which can influence the efficacy of putative prevention
      methods, and the reconstruction of epidemiologic histories. To infer who-infected
      whom, and to compute the probability of alternative transmission scenarios while
      explicitly taking phylogenetic uncertainty into account, we created an
      approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) method based on a set of statistics
      measuring phylogenetic topology, branch lengths, and genetic diversity. We
      applied our method to a suspected heterosexual transmission case involving three
      individuals, showing a complex monophyletic-paraphyletic-polyphyletic
      phylogenetic topology. We detected that seven phylogenetic lineages had been
      transmitted between two of the individuals based on the available samples,
      implying that many more unsampled lineages had also been transmitted. Testing
      whether the lineages had been transmitted at one time or over some length of time
      suggested that an ongoing superinfection process over several years was most
      likely. While one individual was found unlinked to the other two, surprisingly,
      when evaluating two competing epidemiological priors, the donor of the two that
      did infect each other was not identified by the host root-label, and was also not
      the primary suspect in that transmission. This highlights that it is important to
      take epidemiological information into account when analyzing support for one
      transmission hypothesis over another, as results may be nonintuitive and
      sensitive to details about sampling dates relative to possible infection dates.
      Our study provides a formal inference framework to include information on
      infection and sampling times, and to investigate ancestral node-label states,
      transmission direction, transmitted genetic diversity, and frequency of
      transmission.

PMID- 28912342
TI  - A Powerful Variant-Set Association Test Based on Chi-Square Distribution.
AB  - Detecting the association between a set of variants and a given phenotype has
      attracted a large amount of attention in the scientific community, although it is
      a difficult task. Recently, several related statistical approaches have been
      proposed in the literature; powerful statistical tests are still highly desired
      and yet to be developed in this area. In this paper, we propose a powerful test
      that combines information from each individual single nucleotide polymorphism
      (SNP) based on principal component analysis without relying on the eigenvalues
      associated with the principal components. We compare the proposed approach with
      some popular tests through a simulation study and real data applications. Our
      results show that, in general, the new test is more powerful than its competitors
      considered in this study; the gain in detecting power can be substantial in many
      situations.

PMID- 28912341
TI  - The Role of Blm Helicase in Homologous Recombination, Gene Conversion Tract
      Length, and Recombination Between Diverged Sequences in Drosophilamelanogaster.
AB  - DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a particularly deleterious class of DNA
      damage that threatens genome integrity. DSBs are repaired by three pathways:
      nonhomologous-end joining (NHEJ), homologous recombination (HR), and single
      strand annealing (SSA). Drosophila melanogaster Blm (DmBlm) is the ortholog of
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae SGS1 and human BLM, and has been shown to suppress
      crossovers in mitotic cells and repair mitotic DNA gaps via HR. To further
      elucidate the role of DmBlm in repair of a simple DSB, and in particular
      recombination mechanisms, we utilized the Direct Repeat of white (DR-white) and
      Direct Repeat of whitewith mutations (DR-white.mu) repair assays in multiple
      mutant allele backgrounds. DmBlm null and helicase-dead mutants both demonstrated
      a decrease in repair by noncrossover HR, and a concurrent increase in non-HR
      events, possibly including SSA, crossovers, deletions, and NHEJ, although
      detectable processing of the ends was not significantly impacted. Interestingly,
      gene conversion tract lengths of HR repair events were substantially shorter in
      DmBlm null but not helicase-dead mutants, compared to heterozygote controls.
      Using DR-white.mu, we found that, in contrast to Sgs1, DmBlm is not required for
      suppression of recombination between diverged sequences. Taken together, our data
      suggest that DmBlm helicase function plays a role in HR, and the steps that
      contribute to determining gene conversion tract length are helicase-independent.

PMID- 28912343
TI  - Diversification of Transcriptional Regulation Determines Subfunctionalization of
      Paralogous Branched Chain Aminotransferases in the Yeast Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae.
AB  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae harbors BAT1 and BAT2 paralogous genes that encode
      branched chain aminotransferases and have opposed expression profiles and
      physiological roles . Accordingly, in primary nitrogen sources such as glutamine,
      BAT1 expression is induced, supporting Bat1-dependent valine-isoleucine-leucine
      (VIL) biosynthesis, while BAT2 expression is repressed. Conversely, in the
      presence of VIL as the sole nitrogen source, BAT1 expression is hindered while
      that of BAT2 is activated, resulting in Bat2-dependent VIL catabolism. The
      presented results confirm that BAT1 expression is determined by transcriptional
      activation through the action of the Leu3-alpha-isopropylmalate (alpha-IPM)
      active isoform, and uncovers the existence of a novel alpha-IPM biosynthetic
      pathway operating in a put3Delta mutant grown on VIL, through Bat2-Leu2-Leu1
      consecutive action. The classic alpha-IPM biosynthetic route operates in
      glutamine through the action of the leucine-sensitive alpha-IPM synthases. The
      presented results also show that BAT2 repression in glutamine can be alleviated
      in a ure2Delta mutant or through Gcn4-dependent transcriptional activation. Thus,
      when S. cerevisiae is grown on glutamine, VIL biosynthesis is predominant and is
      preferentially achieved through BAT1; while on VIL as the sole nitrogen source,
      catabolism prevails and is mainly afforded by BAT2.

PMID- 28912345
TI  - A Novel Bibenzyl Compound (20C) Protects Mice from 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6
      Tetrahydropyridine/Probenecid Toxicity by Regulating the alpha-Synuclein-Related
      Inflammatory Response.
AB  - The novel bibenzyl compound 2-[4-hydroxy-3-(4- hydroxyphenyl) benzyl]-4-(4-
      hydroxyphenyl) phenol (20C) plays a neuroprotective role in vitro, but its
      effects in vivo have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we estimated the
      efficacy of 20C in vivo using a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6
      tetrahydropyridine/probenecid (MPTP/p) mouse model from behavior, dopamine, and
      neuron and then the possible mechanisms for these effects were further
      investigated. The experimental results showed that 20C improved behavioral
      deficits, attenuated dopamine depletion, reduced dopaminergic neuron loss,
      protected the blood-brain barrier (BBB) structure, ameliorated alpha-synuclein
      dysfunction, suppressed glial activation, and regulated both nuclear factor
      kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling and the NOD-like receptor protein (NLRP) 3
      inflammasome pathway. Our results indicated that 20C may prevent
      neurodegeneration in the MPTP/p mouse model by targeting alpha-synuclein and
      regulating alpha-synuclein-related inflammatory responses, including BBB damage,
      glial activation, NF-kappaB signaling, and the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

PMID- 28912344
TI  - Parasex Generates Phenotypic Diversity de Novo and Impacts Drug Resistance and
      Virulence in Candida albicans.
AB  - Candida albicans is a diploid fungus that is a frequent cause of mucosal and
      systemic infections in humans. This species exhibits an unusual parasexual cycle
      in which mating produces tetraploid cells that undergo a nonmeiotic program of
      concerted chromosome loss to return to a diploid or aneuploid state. In this
      work, we used a multipronged approach to examine the capacity of parasex to
      generate diversity in C. albicans First, we compared the phenotypic properties of
      32 genotyped progeny and observed wide-ranging differences in fitness,
      filamentation, biofilm formation, and virulence. Strikingly, one parasexual
      isolate displayed increased virulence relative to parental strains using a
      Galleria mellonella model of infection, establishing that parasex has the
      potential to enhance pathogenic traits. Next, we examined parasexual progeny
      derived from homothallic, same-sex mating events, and reveal that parasex can
      generate diversity de novo from identical parental strains. Finally, we generated
      pools of parasexual progeny and examined resistance of these pools to
      environmental stresses. Parasexual progeny were generally less fit than control
      strains across most test conditions, but showed an increased ability to grow in
      the presence of the antifungal drug fluconazole (FL). FL-resistant progeny were
      aneuploid isolates, often being diploid strains trisomic for both Chr3 and Chr6.
      Passaging of these aneuploid strains frequently led to loss of the supernumerary
      chromosomes and a concomitant decrease in drug resistance. These experiments
      establish that parasex generates extensive phenotypic diversity de novo, and that
      this process has important consequences for both virulence and drug resistance in
      C. albicans populations.

PMID- 28912347
TI  - Intrafamily Protein Interactions Contribute to DNA Localization.

PMID- 28912346
TI  - The Blood Pressure-Lowering Effect of 20-HETE Blockade in Cyp4a14(-/-) Mice Is
      Associated with Natriuresis.
AB  - 20-Hydroxy-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) has been linked to pro
      hypertensive and anti-hypertensive actions through its ability to promote
      vasoconstriction and inhibit Na transport in the ascending limb of the loop of
      Henle, respectively. In this study, we assessed the effects of 20-HETE blockade
      on blood pressure, renal hemodynamics, and urinary sodium excretion in Cyp4a14(-/
      ) male mice, which display androgen-driven 20-HETE-dependent hypertension.
      Administration of 2,5,8,11,14,17-hexaoxanonadecan-19-yl 20-hydroxyicosa
      6(Z),15(Z)-dienoate (20-SOLA), a water-soluble 20-HETE antagonist, in the
      drinking water normalized the blood pressure of male Cyp4a14(-/-) hypertensive
      mice (+/-124 vs. +/-153 mmHg) while having no effect on age-matched normotensive
      wild-type (WT) male mice. Hypertension in Cyp4a14(-/-) male mice was accompanied
      by decreased renal perfusion and reduced glomerular filtration rates, which were
      corrected by treatment with 20-SOLA. Interestingly, Cyp4a14(-/-) male mice
      treated with 20-SOLA displayed increased urinary sodium excretion that was
      paralleled by the reduction of blood pressure suggestive of an antinatriuretic
      activity of endogenous 20-HETE in the hypertensive mice. This interpretation is
      in line with the observation that the natriuretic response to acute isotonic
      saline loading in hypertensive Cyp4a14(-/-) male mice was significantly impaired
      relative to that in WT mice; this impairment was corrected by 20-SOLA treatment.
      Hence, endogenous 20-HETE appears to promote sodium conservation in hypertensive
      Cyp4a14(-/-) male mice, presumably, as a result of associated changes in renal
      hemodynamics and/or direct stimulatory action on tubular sodium reabsorption.

PMID- 28912348
TI  - A Time to Divide and a Time to Expand: Histone Deacetylases Flip a Gibberellin
      Oxidase-Mediated Switch in Root Meristem Cells.

PMID- 28912349
TI  - NHS not ready to take on UK pensioners abroad if Brexit talks stall, peers are
      told.

PMID- 28912350
TI  - Reply to Nash: Color terms are lost, despite missing data.

PMID- 28912351
TI  - Reply to Jin and Zhu: PINOID-mediated COP1 phosphorylation matters in
      photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

PMID- 28912352
TI  - Role of PINOID-mediated COP1 phosphorylation in Arabidopsis photomorphogenesis is
      overemphasized.

PMID- 28912353
TI  - Loss of color terms not demonstrated.

PMID- 28912354
TI  - Well below 2  degrees C: Mitigation strategies for avoiding dangerous to
      catastrophic climate changes.
AB  - The historic Paris Agreement calls for limiting global temperature rise to "well
      below 2  degrees C." Because of uncertainties in emission scenarios, climate, and
      carbon cycle feedback, we interpret the Paris Agreement in terms of three climate
      risk categories and bring in considerations of low-probability (5%) high-impact
      (LPHI) warming in addition to the central (~50% probability) value. The current
      risk category of dangerous warming is extended to more categories, which are
      defined by us here as follows: >1.5  degrees C as dangerous; >3  degrees C as
      catastrophic; and >5  degrees C as unknown, implying beyond catastrophic,
      including existential threats. With unchecked emissions, the central warming can
      reach the dangerous level within three decades, with the LPHI warming becoming
      catastrophic by 2050. We outline a three-lever strategy to limit the central
      warming below the dangerous level and the LPHI below the catastrophic level, both
      in the near term (<2050) and in the long term (2100): the carbon neutral (CN)
      lever to achieve zero net emissions of CO2, the super pollutant (SP) lever to
      mitigate short-lived climate pollutants, and the carbon extraction and
      sequestration (CES) lever to thin the atmospheric CO2 blanket. Pulling on both CN
      and SP levers and bending the emissions curve by 2020 can keep the central
      warming below dangerous levels. To limit the LPHI warming below dangerous levels,
      the CES lever must be pulled as well to extract as much as 1 trillion tons of CO2
      before 2100 to both limit the preindustrial to 2100 cumulative net CO2 emissions
      to 2.2 trillion tons and bend the warming curve to a cooling trend.

PMID- 28912355
TI  - Diverse p53/DNA binding modes expand the repertoire of p53 response elements.
AB  - The tumor suppressor protein p53 acts as a transcription factor, binding sequence
      specifically to defined DNA sites, thereby activating the expression of genes
      leading to diverse cellular outcomes. Canonical p53 response elements (REs) are
      made of two decameric half-sites separated by a variable number of base pairs
      (spacers). Fifty percent of all validated p53 REs contain spacers between 1 and
      18 bp; however, their functional significance is unclear at present. Here, we
      show that p53 forms two different tetrameric complexes with consensus or natural
      REs, both with long spacers: a fully specific complex where two p53 dimers bind
      to two specific half-sites, and a hemispecific complex where one dimer binds to a
      specific half-site and the second binds to an adjacent spacer sequence. The two
      types of complexes have comparable binding affinity and specificity, as judged
      from binding competition against bulk genomic DNA. Structural analysis of the p53
      REs in solution shows that these sites are not bent in both their free and p53
      bound states when the two half-sites are either abutting or separated by spacers.
      Cell-based assay supports the physiological relevance of our findings. We propose
      that p53 REs with long spacers comprise separate specific half-sites that can
      lead to several different tetrameric complexes. This finding expands the universe
      of p53 binding sites and demonstrates that even isolated p53 half-sites can form
      tetrameric complexes. Moreover, it explains the manner in which p53 binds to
      clusters of more than one canonical binding site, common in many natural REs.

PMID- 28912356
TI  - Biomarkers of disease can be detected in mice as early as 4 weeks after
      initiation of exposure to third-hand smoke levels equivalent to those found in
      homes of smokers.
AB  - Third-hand smoke (THS) is a newly discovered environmental health hazard that
      results from accumulation and aging of second-hand smoke (SHS) toxins on surfaces
      where smoking has occurred. Our objective was to determine whether there is a
      time-dependent effect of THS exposure on health. Using an in vivo exposure mouse
      system that mimics exposure of humans to THS, we investigated its effects on
      biomarkers found in serum, and in liver and brain tissues. Mice were exposed to
      THS for 1, 2, 4, or 6 months and brain, liver, and serum were collected. We found
      that THS exposure, as early as 1 month, resulted in increased circulating
      inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor by an order of magnitude of 2 and
      granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor by an order of magnitude of 1.5
      and in increases in the stress hormone epinephrine and the liver damage biomarker
      aspartate aminotransferase (AST), increased in magnitude 1.5 and 2.5 times
      compared with controls, respectively. THS exposure for 2 months resulted in
      further damage and at 4 and 6 months, many factors related to oxidative stress
      were altered and caused molecular damage. We also found that the mice became
      hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinimic suggesting that insulin resistance (IR) may be
      a significant consequence of long-term exposure to THS. In conclusion, time
      dependent THS exposure has a significant effect on health as early as 1 month
      after initiation of exposure and these alterations progressively worsen with
      time. Our studies are important because virtually nothing is known about the
      effects of increased THS exposure time, they can serve to educate the public on
      the dangers of THS, and the biomarkers we identified can be used in the clinic,
      once verified in exposed humans.

PMID- 28912357
TI  - Grazing limits natural biological controls of woody encroachment in Inner
      Mongolia Steppe.
AB  - Woody encroachment in grasslands has become increasingly problematic globally.
      Grazing by domestic animals can facilitate woody encroachment by reducing
      competition from herbaceous plants and fire frequency. Herbivorous insects and
      parasitic plants can each exert forces that result in the natural biological
      control of encroaching woody plants through reducing seeding of their host woody
      plants. However, the interplay of grazing and dynamics of herbivorous insects or
      parasitic plants, and its effects on the potential biological control of woody
      encroachment in grasslands remains unclear. We investigated the flower and pod
      damage by herbivorous insects, and the infection rates of a parasitic plant on
      the shrub Caragana microphylla, which is currently encroaching in Inner Mongolia
      Steppe, under different grazing management treatments (33-year non-grazed, 7-year
      non-grazed, currently grazed). Our results showed that Caragana biomass was
      highest at the currently grazed site, and lowest at the 33-year non-grazed site.
      Herbaceous plant biomass followed the opposite pattern, suggesting that grazing
      is indeed facilitating the encroachment of Caragana plants in Inner Mongolia
      Steppe. Grazing also reduced the abundance of herbivorous insects per Caragana
      flower, numbers of flowers and pods damaged by insect herbivores, and the
      infection rates of the parasitic plant on Caragana plants. Our results suggest
      that grazing may facilitate woody encroachment in grasslands not only through
      canonical mechanisms (e.g. competitive release via feeding on grasses, reductions
      in fires, etc.), but also by limiting natural biological controls of woody plants
      (herbivorous insects and parasitic plants). Thus, management efforts must focus
      on preventing overgrazing to better protect grassland ecosystems from woody
      encroachment.

PMID- 28912358
TI  - Combined oral contraceptives plus spironolactone compared with metformin in women
      with polycystic ovary syndrome: a one-year randomized clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare a combined oral contraceptive (COC) plus the
      antiandrogen spironolactone with the insulin sensitizer metformin in women with
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: We conducted a randomized, parallel,
      open-label, clinical trial comparing COC (30 MUg of ethinylestradiol and 150 MUg
      of desogestrel) plus spironolactone (100 mg/day) with metformin (850 mg b.i.d.)
      for one year in women with PCOS (EudraCT2008-004531-38). METHODS: The composite
      primary outcome included efficacy (amelioration of hirsutism, androgen excess and
      menstrual dysfunction) and cardiometabolic safety (changes in the frequencies of
      disorders of glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia and hypertension). A complete
      anthropometric, biochemical, hormonal and metabolic evaluation was conducted
      every three months and data were submitted to intention-to-treat analyses.
      RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were assigned to COC plus spironolactone and 22
      patients to metformin. Compared with metformin, COC plus spironolactone caused
      larger decreases in hirsutism score (mean difference 4.6 points, 95% CI: 2.6
      6.7), total testosterone (1.1 nmol/L, 0.4-1.7), free testosterone (25 pmol/L, 12
      39), androstenedione (5.5 nmol/L, 1.8-9.2) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate
      (2.7 MUmol/L, 1.4-4.0). Menstrual dysfunction was less frequent with COC plus
      spironolactone (OR: 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02-0.23). No differences were found in
      frequencies of abnormal glucose tolerance (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 0.7-4.4),
      dyslipidemia (OR: 0.6, 95% CI: 0.2-1.8) or hypertension (OR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.5
      2.0). No major adverse events occurred and biochemical markers were similarly
      safe with both treatments. CONCLUSIONS: COC plus spironolactone was more
      effective than metformin for symptoms of PCOS showing similar safety and overall
      neutral effects on cardiometabolic risk factors.

PMID- 28912359
TI  - Left ventricular strain rate is reduced during voluntary apnea in healthy humans.
AB  - During an apneic event, sympathetic nerve activity increases resulting in
      subsequent increases in left ventricular (LV) afterload and myocardial work. It
      is unknown how cardiac mechanics are acutely impacted by the increased myocardial
      work during an apneic event. Ten healthy individuals (23 +/- 3 yr) performed
      multiple voluntary end-expiratory apnea (VEEA) maneuvers exposed to room air,
      while a subset ( n = 7) completed multiple VEEA exposed to hyperoxic air (100%
      [Formula: see text]). Beat-by-beat blood pressure, heart rate, and stroke volume
      were measured continuously. Effective arterial elastance (EA) was calculated as
      an index of cardiac afterload, and myocardial work was calculated as the rate
      pressure product (RPP). Tissue Doppler echocardiography was used to measure LV
      tissue velocities, deformation via strain, and strain rate (SR). Systolic blood
      pressure (Delta18 +/- 13 mmHg, P < 0.01), EA (Delta0.13 +/- 0.10 mmHg/ml, P <
      0.01), and RPP (Delta9 +/- 10 beats/min * mmHg 10-2, P < 0.01) significantly
      increased with room air VEEA. This occurred in parallel with decreases in peak
      longitudinal systolic (Delta-0.62 +/- 0.41 cm/s, P < 0.01) and early LV filling
      (Delta-2.81 +/- 1.99 cm/s, P < 0.01) myocardial velocities. Longitudinal SR
      (Delta-0.30 +/- 0.32 1/s, P = 0.01) was significantly decreased during room air
      VEEA. VEEA with hyperoxia did not alter ( P > 0.18) EA or RPP and attenuated the
      systolic blood pressure response compared with room air. Myocardial velocities
      and LV strain rate response to VEEA were unchanged ( P = 0.30) with hyperoxia.
      Consistent with our hypotheses, VEEA-induced increases in EA and myocardial work
      impact LV mechanics, which may depend, in part, on stimulation of peripheral
      chemoreceptors. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Transient increases in arterial blood pressure
      and systemic vascular resistance occur during sleep apnea events and may
      contribute to the associated daytime hypertension and risk of overt
      cardiovascular disease. To date, the link between this apnea pressor response and
      acute changes in left ventricular function remains poorly understood. We
      demonstrate that in parallel to increases in cardiac afterload a depressed left
      ventricular systolic function occurs at end apnea.

PMID- 28912360
TI  - Influence of past injurious exercise on fiber type-specific acute anabolic
      response to resistance exercise in skeletal muscle.
AB  - We investigated the influence of past injurious exercise on anabolic response of
      skeletal muscle fibers to resistance exercise (RE). Wistar rats were divided into
      exercise (E) and exercise-after-injury (I-E) groups. At age 10 wk, the right
      gastrocnemius muscle in each rat in the I-E group was subjected to strenuous
      eccentric contractions. Subsequently, RE was imposed on the same muscle of each
      rat at 14 wk of age in both groups. Peak joint torque and total force generation
      per body mass during RE were similar between the groups. Muscle protein synthesis
      (MPS) in the I-E group was higher than that in the E group 6 h after RE.
      Furthermore, levels of phospho-p70S6 kinase (Thr389) and phospho-ribosomal
      protein S6 (phospho-rpS6) (Ser240/244), a downstream target of p70S6 kinase, were
      higher in the I-E group than in the E group. For the anabolic response in each
      fiber type, the I-E group showed a higher MPS response in type IIb, IIa, and I
      fibers and a higher phospho-rpS6 response in type IIx, IIa, and I fibers than the
      E group. In the I-E group, the relative content of myosin heavy chain (MHC) IIa
      was higher and that of MHC IIb was lower than those in the E group. In addition,
      type IIa fibers showed a lower MPS response to RE than type IIb fibers in the I-E
      group. In conclusion, the past injurious exercise enhanced the MPS and phospho
      rpS6 responses in type IIb, IIa, and I fibers and type IIx, IIa, and I fibers,
      respectively. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Past injurious exercise increased the muscle
      protein synthesis (MPS) response and mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1
      (mTORC1) signaling activation to resistance exercise. In the responses of each
      fiber type, the past injurious exercise increased the MPS and phosphorylation
      ribosomal protein (Ser240/244) responses in type IIb, IIa, and I fibers and type
      IIx, IIa, and I fibers, respectively.

PMID- 28912361
TI  - Impact of sleep restriction on local immune response and skin barrier restoration
      with and without "multinutrient" nutrition intervention.
AB  - Systemic immune function is impaired by sleep restriction. However, the impact of
      sleep restriction on local immune responses and to what extent any impairment can
      be mitigated by nutritional supplementation is unknown. We assessed the effect of
      72-h sleep restriction (2-h nightly sleep) on local immune function and skin
      barrier restoration of an experimental wound, and determined the influence of
      habitual protein intake (1.5 g.kg-1.day-1) supplemented with arginine, glutamine,
      zinc sulfate, vitamin C, vitamin D3, and omega-3 fatty acids compared with lower
      protein intake (0.8 g.kg-1.day-1) without supplemental nutrients on these
      outcomes. Wounds were created in healthy adults by removing the top layer of less
      than or equal to eight forearm blisters induced via suction, after adequate sleep
      (AS) or 48 h of a 72-h sleep restriction period (SR; 2-h nightly sleep). A subset
      of participants undergoing sleep restriction received supplemental nutrients
      during and after sleep restriction (SR+). Wound fluid was serially sampled 48 h
      postblistering to assess local cytokine responses. The IL-8 response of wound
      fluid was higher for AS compared with SR [area-under-the-curve (log10), 5.1 +/-
      0.2 and 4.9 +/- 0.2 pg/ml, respectively; P = 0.03]; and both IL-6 and IL-8
      concentrations were higher for SR+ compared with SR ( P < 0.0001), suggestive of
      a potentially enhanced early wound healing response. Skin barrier recovery was
      shorter for AS (4.2 +/- 0.9 days) compared with SR (5.0 +/- 0.9 days) ( P = 0.02)
      but did not differ between SR and SR+ ( P = 0.18). Relatively modest sleep
      disruption delays wound healing. Supplemental nutrition may mitigate some
      decrements in local immune responses, without detectable effects on wound healing
      rate. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The data herein characterizes immune function in response
      to sleep restriction in healthy volunteers with and without nutrition
      supplementation. We used a unique skin wound model to show that sleep restriction
      delays skin barrier recovery, and nutrition supplementation attenuates decrements
      in local immune responses produced by sleep restriction. These findings support
      the beneficial effects of adequate sleep on immune function. Additional studies
      are necessary to characterize practical implications for populations where sleep
      restriction is unavoidable.

PMID- 28912362
TI  - Sympathetic function during whole body cooling is altered in hypertensive adults.
AB  - During moderate cold exposure, cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality
      increase disproportionately in hypertensive adults (HTN); however, the mechanisms
      underlying this association are not well defined. We hypothesized that whole body
      cold stress would evoke exaggerated increases in blood pressure (BP) and muscle
      sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in HTN compared with normotensive adults (NTN)
      and that sympathetic baroreflex function would be altered during cooling in HTN.
      MSNA (peroneal microneurography) and beat-to-beat BP (Finometer) were measured
      continuously in 10 NTN (6 men/4 women; age 53 +/- 3 yr; resting BP 125 +/- 3/79
      +/- 1 mmHg) and 13 HTN (7 men/6 women; age 58 +/- 2 yr; resting BP 146 +/- 5/88
      +/- 2 mmHg) during whole body cooling-induced reductions in mean skin temperature
      (Tsk; water-perfused suit) from 34.0 to 30.5 degrees C. During cooling, the
      increase in mean arterial pressure was greater in HTN (NTN: Delta6 +/- 2 vs. HTN:
      Delta11 +/- 1 mmHg; P = 0.02) and accompanied by exaggerated increases in MSNA
      (NTN: Delta8 +/- 3 vs. HTN: Delta20 +/- 3 bursts/100 heart beats; P < 0.01). The
      slope of the relation between MSNA and diastolic BP did not change during cooling
      in NTN (Tsk 34.0 degrees C: -4.4 +/- 0.8 vs. Tsk 30.5 degrees C: -5.0 +/- 0.3
      bursts.100 heart beats-1.mmHg-1; P = 0.47) but increased in HTN (Tsk 34.0 degrees
      C: -3.6 +/- 0.4 vs. Tsk 30.5 degrees C: -5.4 +/- 0.4 bursts.100 heart beats)
      1.mmHg-1; P = 0.02). These findings demonstrate that the cooling-induced
      increases in BP and MSNA are exaggerated in HTN. Furthermore, during cooling,
      sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity increases in HTN, but not NTN, presumably to
      allow for baroreflex-mediated buffering of excessive cooling-induced increases in
      BP. Collectively, these findings suggest that sympathetic function is altered
      during whole body cooling in hypertension. NEW & NOTEWORTHY These novel findings
      demonstrate that whole body cooling-induced reductions in mean skin temperature
      elicited greater increases in blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve
      activity in hypertensive adults. In addition, during moderate cold exposure,
      sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity increased in hypertensive, but not
      normotensive, adults.

PMID- 28912363
TI  - TGFbeta (Transforming Growth Factor-beta) Blockade Induces a Human-Like Disease
      in a Nondissecting Mouse Model of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Current experimental models of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) do not
      accurately reproduce the major features of human AAA. We hypothesized that
      blockade of TGFbeta (transforming growth factor-beta) activity-a guardian of
      vascular integrity and immune homeostasis-would impair vascular healing in models
      of nondissecting AAA and would lead to sustained aneurysmal growth until rupture.
      APPROACH AND RESULTS: Here, we test this hypothesis in the elastase-induced AAA
      model in mice. We analyze AAA development and progression using ultrasound in
      vivo, synchrotron-based ultrahigh resolution imaging ex vivo, and a combination
      of biological, histological, and flow cytometry-based cellular and molecular
      approaches in vitro. Systemic blockade of TGFbeta using a monoclonal antibody
      induces a transition from a self-contained aortic dilatation to a model of
      sustained aneurysmal growth, associated with the formation of an intraluminal
      thrombus. AAA growth is associated with wall disruption but no medial dissection
      and culminates in fatal transmural aortic wall rupture. TGFbeta blockade enhances
      leukocyte infiltration both in the aortic wall and the intraluminal thrombus and
      aggravates extracellular matrix degradation. Early blockade of IL-1beta or
      monocyte-dependent responses substantially limits AAA severity. However, blockade
      of IL-1beta after disease initiation has no effect on AAA progression to rupture.
      CONCLUSIONS: Endogenous TGFbeta activity is required for the healing of AAA.
      TGFbeta blockade may be harnessed to generate new models of AAA with better
      relevance to the human disease. We expect that the new models will improve our
      understanding of the pathophysiology of AAA and will be useful in the
      identification of new therapeutic targets.

PMID- 28912364
TI  - Novel Pathological Role of hnRNPA1 (Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein A1)
      in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Function and Neointima Hyperplasia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: hnRNPA1 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1) plays a variety
      of roles in gene expression. However, little is known about the functional
      involvement of hnRNPA1 in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) function and
      neointima hyperplasia. In this study, we have attempted to investigate the
      functional roles of hnRNPA1 in the contexts of VSMC function, injury-induced
      vessel remodeling, and human atherosclerotic lesions, as well as discern the
      molecular mechanisms involved. APPROACH AND RESULTS: hnRNPA1 expression levels
      were consistently modulated during VSMC phenotype switching and neointimal lesion
      formation induced by wire injury. Functional studies showed that VSMC-specific
      gene expression, proliferation, and migration were regulated by hnRNPA1. Our data
      show that hnRNPA1 exerts its effects on VSMC functions through modulation of
      IQGAP1 (IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 1). Mechanistically,
      hnRNPA1 regulates IQGAP1 mRNA degradation through 2 mechanisms: upregulating
      microRNA-124 (miR-124) and binding to AU-rich element of IQGAP1 gene. Further
      evidence suggests that hnRNPA1 upregulates miR-124 by modulating miR-124
      biogenesis and that IQGAP1 is the authentic target gene of miR-124. Importantly,
      ectopic overexpression of hnRNPA1 greatly reduced VSMC proliferation and
      inhibited neointima formation in wire-injured carotid arteries. Finally, lower
      expression levels of hnRNPA1 and miR-124, while higher expression levels of
      IQGAP1, were observed in human atherosclerotic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      show that hnRNPA1 is a critical regulator of VSMC function and behavior in the
      context of neointima hyperplasia, and the hnRNPA1/miR-124/IQGAP1 regulatory axis
      represents a novel therapeutic target for the prevention of cardiovascular
      diseases.

PMID- 28912366
TI  - Lower Plasma Fetuin-A Levels Are Associated With a Higher Mortality Risk in
      Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to evaluate the association of
      circulating fetuin-A with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality.
      APPROACH AND RESULTS: We measured plasma fetuin-A in 1620 patients using an
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The patients were members of the Guangdong
      coronary artery disease cohort and were recruited between October 2008 and
      December 2011. Cox regression models were used to estimate the association
      between plasma fetuin-A and the risk of mortality. A total of 206 deaths were
      recorded during a median follow-up of 5.9 years, 146 of whom died from CVD. The
      hazard ratios for the second and third tertiles of the fetuin-A levels (using the
      first tertile as a reference) were 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.96) and
      0.51 (95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.78) for CVD mortality (P=0.005) and 0.65
      (95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.91) and 0.48 (95% confidence interval, 0.33
      0.70) for all-cause mortality (P<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Lower plasma
      fetuin-A levels were associated with an increased risk of all-cause and CVD
      mortality in patients with coronary artery disease independently of traditional
      CVD risk factors.

PMID- 28912367
TI  - Lessons From Pediatric HIV: A Case for Curative Intent in Pediatric Cancer in
      LMICs.

PMID- 28912365
TI  - D-Dimer in African Americans: Whole Genome Sequence Analysis and Relationship to
      Cardiovascular Disease Risk in the Jackson Heart Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Plasma levels of the fibrinogen degradation product D-dimer are higher
      among African Americans (AAs) compared with those of European ancestry and higher
      among women compared with men. Among AAs, little is known of the genetic
      architecture of D-dimer or the relationship of D-dimer to incident cardiovascular
      disease. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We measured baseline D-dimer in 4163 AAs aged 21
      to 93 years from the prospective JHS (Jackson Heart Study) cohort and assessed
      association with incident cardiovascular disease events. In participants with
      whole genome sequencing data (n=2980), we evaluated common and rare genetic
      variants for association with D-dimer. Each standard deviation higher baseline D
      dimer was associated with a 20% to 30% increased hazard for incident coronary
      heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality. Genetic variation near F3 was
      associated with higher D-dimer (rs2022030, beta=0.284, P=3.24*10-11). The
      rs2022030 effect size was nearly 3* larger among women (beta=0.373, P=9.06*10-13)
      than among men (beta=0.135, P=0.06; P interaction =0.009). The sex by rs2022030
      interaction was replicated in an independent sample of 10 808 multiethnic men and
      women (P interaction =0.001). Finally, the African ancestral sickle cell variant
      (HBB rs334) was significantly associated with higher D-dimer in JHS (beta=0.507,
      P=1.41*10-14), and this association was successfully replicated in 1933 AAs
      (P=2.3*10-5). CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight D-dimer as an important
      predictor of cardiovascular disease risk in AAs and suggest that sex-specific and
      African ancestral genetic effects of the F3 and HBB loci contribute to the higher
      levels of D-dimer among women and AAs.

PMID- 28912368
TI  - Neurodevelopment of HIV-Exposed and HIV-Unexposed Uninfected Children at 24
      Months.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to determine if HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children had
      worse neurodevelopmental outcomes at 24 months compared with HIV-unexposed
      uninfected (HUU) children in Botswana. METHODS: HIV-infected and uninfected
      mothers enrolled in a prospective observational study ("Tshipidi") in Botswana
      from May 2010 to July 2012. Child neurodevelopment was assessed at 24 months with
      the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III:
      cognitive, gross motor, fine motor, expressive language, and receptive language
      domains) and the Development Milestones Checklist (DMC), a caregiver-completed
      questionnaire (locomotor, fine motor, language and personal-social domains). We
      used linear regression models to estimate the association of in-utero HIV
      exposure with neurodevelopment, adjusting for socioeconomic and maternal health
      characteristics. RESULTS: We evaluated 670 children (313 HEU, 357 HUU) with >=1
      valid Bayley-III domain assessed and 723 children (337 HEU, 386 HUU) with a DMC.
      Among the 337 HEU children with either assessment, 122 (36%) were exposed in
      utero to maternal 3-drug antiretroviral treatment and 214 (64%) to zidovudine.
      Almost all HUU children (99.5%) breastfed, compared with only 9% of HEU children.
      No domain score was significantly lower among HEU children in adjusted analyses.
      Bayley-III cognitive and DMC personal-social domain scores were significantly
      higher in HEU children than in HUU children, but differences were small.
      CONCLUSIONS: HEU children performed equally well on neurodevelopmental
      assessments at 24 months of age compared with HUU children. Given the global
      expansion of the HEU population, results suggesting no adverse impact of in-utero
      HIV and antiretroviral exposure on early neurodevelopment are reassuring.

PMID- 28912370
TI  - Private patients treated by rogue breast surgeon will be compensated under L37m
      fund.

PMID- 28912369
TI  - Customized Viral Immunotherapy for HPV-Associated Cancer.
AB  - The viral-transforming proteins E6 and E7 make human papillomavirus-positive
      (HPV+) malignancies an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. However,
      therapeutic vaccination exerts limited efficacy in the setting of advanced
      disease. We designed a strategy to induce substantial specific immune responses
      against multiple epitopes of E6 and E7 proteins based on an attenuated transgene
      from HPV serotypes 16 and 18 that is incorporated into MG1-Maraba virotherapy
      (MG1-E6E7). Mutations introduced to the transgene abrogate the ability of E6 and
      E7 to perturb p53 and retinoblastoma, respectively, while maintaining the ability
      to invoke tumor-specific, multifunctional CD8+ T-cell responses. Boosting with
      MG1-E6E7 significantly increased the magnitude of T-cell responses compared with
      mice treated with a priming vaccine alone (greater than 50 * 106 E7-specific CD8+
      T cells per mouse was observed, representing a 39-fold mean increase in boosted
      animals). MG1-E6E7 vaccination in the HPV+ murine model TC1 clears large tumors
      in a CD8+-dependent manner and results in durable immunologic memory. MG1-Maraba
      can acutely alter the tumor microenvironment in vivo and exploit molecular
      hallmarks of HPV+ cancer, as demonstrated by marked infection of HPV+ patient
      tumor biopsies and is, therefore, ideally suited as an oncolytic treatment
      against clinical HPV+ cancer. This approach has the potential to be directly
      translatable to human clinical oncology to tackle a variety of HPV-associated
      neoplasms that cause significant morbidity and mortality globally. Cancer Immunol
      Res; 5(10); 847-59. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28912371
TI  - Preprints and Cardiovascular Science: Prescient or Premature?

PMID- 28912372
TI  - Genome-wide maps of alkylation damage, repair, and mutagenesis in yeast reveal
      mechanisms of mutational heterogeneity.
AB  - DNA base damage is an important contributor to genome instability, but how the
      formation and repair of these lesions is affected by the genomic landscape and
      contributes to mutagenesis is unknown. Here, we describe genome-wide maps of DNA
      base damage, repair, and mutagenesis at single nucleotide resolution in yeast
      treated with the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). Analysis of
      these maps revealed that base excision repair (BER) of alkylation damage is
      significantly modulated by chromatin, with faster repair in nucleosome-depleted
      regions, and slower repair and higher mutation density within strongly positioned
      nucleosomes. Both the translational and rotational settings of lesions within
      nucleosomes significantly influence BER efficiency; moreover, this effect is
      asymmetric relative to the nucleosome dyad axis and is regulated by histone
      modifications. Our data also indicate that MMS-induced mutations at adenine
      nucleotides are significantly enriched on the nontranscribed strand (NTS) of
      yeast genes, particularly in BER-deficient strains, due to higher damage
      formation on the NTS and transcription-coupled repair of the transcribed strand
      (TS). These findings reveal the influence of chromatin on repair and mutagenesis
      of base lesions on a genome-wide scale and suggest a novel mechanism for
      transcription-associated mutation asymmetry, which is frequently observed in
      human cancers.

PMID- 28912374
TI  - Collagen-Embedded Tumor Transplantations in Xenopus laevis Tadpoles.
AB  - The Xenopus laevis tadpole provides a valuable model for studying tumorigenesis
      and tumor immunity by intravital real-time microscopy. Using well-characterized
      thymic lymphoid tumor lines (15/0 and ff-2) that are transplantable into their
      compatible hosts (LG-15 isogenic clones and the F inbred strain, respectively), a
      system of semisolid tumor engraftment has been designed. Because these lymphoid
      tumor cell lines are not adherent and grow in suspension, they are first
      immobilized in a matrix of type I rat tail collagen before transplantation as a
      semisolid tumor graft under the transparent dorsal skin in the head region of a
      tadpole. This semisolid tumor engraftment is amenable to manipulation and permits
      real-time visualization of tumor growth, neovascularization, collagen
      rearrangements, immune cell infiltration, and formation of the tumor
      microenvironment.

PMID- 28912375
TI  - Organ Culture of the Xenopus Tadpole Intestine.
AB  - During Xenopus metamorphosis, most tadpole organs remodel from the larval to
      adult form to prepare for adaptation to terrestrial life. Organ culture serves as
      an important tool for studying larval-to-adult organ remodeling independent of
      the effects of other parts of the body. Here, I introduce a protocol for organ
      culture in vitro using the Xenopus laevis tadpole intestine before metamorphic
      climax. During culture in the absence of exogenous 3,3',5-triiodo-l-thyronine
      (T3), the most potent natural thyroid hormone, the intestine remains in its
      larval state without any metamorphic changes. In contrast, when T3 is added to
      the culture medium, the larval epithelium undergoes apoptosis, whereas adult stem
      cells appear, actively proliferate, and finally generate the differentiated adult
      epithelium within a week. At the same time, the surrounding nonepithelial tissues
      also develop. Thus, this culture model is useful for clarifying the control
      mechanisms of apoptosis in larval tissues, formation of adult stem cells, and
      cell proliferation and differentiation of adult tissues, all of which occur in
      harmony during natural metamorphosis. Moreover, a procedure for tissue
      recombination combined with organ culture provides a platform for investigating
      complex tissue interactions during organ remodeling. Such tissue recombination
      experiments will help to reveal the important role of nonepithelial tissues in
      larval epithelial apoptosis and/or adult stem cell development in the X. laevis
      intestine.

PMID- 28912373
TI  - The Association of Sleep Duration and Quality with CKD Progression.
AB  - Evidence suggests that sleep disorders are common in individuals with CKD, but
      the influence of sleep duration and quality on CKD progression is unknown. We
      examined the association of habitual sleep duration and quality with CKD
      progression in 431 Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study participants,
      of whom 48% were women and 50% had diabetes (mean age of 60 years old, mean eGFR
      =38 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and median urine protein-to-creatinine ratio [UPCR] =0.20
      g/g). We assessed sleep duration and quality by 5-7 days of wrist actigraphy and
      self-report. Primary outcomes were incident ESRD, eGFR slope, log-transformed
      UPCR slope, and all-cause death. Participants slept an average of 6.5 hours per
      night; mean sleep fragmentation was 21%. Over a median follow-up of 5 years, we
      observed 70 ESRD events and 48 deaths. In adjusted analyses, greater sleep
      fragmentation associated with increased ESRD risk (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.07 per 1% increase in fragmentation). In adjusted
      mixed effects regression models, shorter sleep duration (per hour less) and
      greater sleep fragmentation (per 1% more) each associated with greater eGFR
      decline (-1.12 and -0.18 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per year, respectively; P=0.02 and
      P<0.01, respectively) and greater log UPCR slope (0.06/yr and 0.01/yr,
      respectively; P=0.02 and P<0.001, respectively). Self-reported daytime sleepiness
      associated with increased risk for all-cause death (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.20 per one-point increase in the Epworth
      Sleepiness Scale score). These findings suggest that short and poor-quality sleep
      are unrecognized risk factors for CKD progression.

PMID- 28912377
TI  - Immune responses in the thyroid cancer microenvironment: making immunotherapy a
      possible mission.
AB  - The incidence of thyroid cancers has been steadily increasing worldwide over the
      past few decades. Although five-year survival rates for differentiated thyroid
      cancers are upwards of 90%, clinical outcomes for patients with undifferentiated,
      recurrent and/or metastatic disease are often dismal despite conventional
      interventions. As such, there is a demand for novel treatment options. Cancer
      immunotherapy represents the ultimate form of personalized medicine by leveraging
      the specificity and potency of a patient's immune system to kill their tumor. The
      thyroid cancer microenvironment is rich in immunological cells, making it a
      reasonable candidate for immunotherapy. This review maps out the immunological
      features of thyroid cancers and how these can be modulated. There are surprising
      immunological consequences of conventional therapies that demand attention. Also,
      hormonal modulation of the immune system is highlighted as a unique and
      confounding feature of thyroid cancers. A variety of cutting-edge immune-based
      therapies are discussed, with an emphasis placed on how these can be integrated
      with the current standard of care. Several high priority areas in need of
      research are also highlighted.

PMID- 28912376
TI  - Recombinant ADAMTS-13: first-in-human pharmacokinetics and safety in congenital
      thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
AB  - Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of recombinant ADAMTS-13 (a
      disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13;
      BAX 930; SHP655) were investigated in 15 patients diagnosed with severe
      congenital ADAMTS-13 deficiency (plasma ADAMTS-13 activity <6%) in a prospective
      phase 1, first-in-human, multicenter dose escalation study. BAX 930 was well
      tolerated, no serious adverse events occurred, and no anti-ADAMTS-13 antibodies
      were observed. After single-dose administration of BAX 930 at 5, 20, or 40 U/kg
      body weight to adolescents and adults, there was approximate dose proportionality
      with respect to maximum plasma concentration (Cmax [U/mL]) and area under the
      concentration-time curve (AUC [h?U/mL]). Dose-related increases of individual
      ADAMTS-13:Ag and activity were observed and reached a maximum within 1 hour. With
      escalating BAX 930 doses administered, a dose-dependent persistence of ADAMTS-13
      mediated von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleavage products and reduced VWF multimeric
      size were observed. This study demonstrated that pharmacokinetic parameters of
      BAX 930 were comparable to those estimated in previous plasma infusion studies
      and provided evidence of pharmacodynamic activity. This study was registered at
      www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02216084.

PMID- 28912378
TI  - Systematic Mutagenesis of Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase Reveals an Essential
      Role in Nematode Resistance.
AB  - Rhg4 is a major genetic locus that contributes to soybean cyst nematode (SCN)
      resistance in the Peking-type resistance of soybean (Glycine max), which also
      requires the rhg1 gene. By map-based cloning and functional genomic approaches,
      we previously showed that the Rhg4 gene encodes a predicted cytosolic serine
      hydroxymethyltransferase (GmSHMT08); however, the novel gain of function of
      GmSHMT08 in SCN resistance remains to be characterized. Using a forward genetic
      screen, we identified an allelic series of GmSHMT08 mutants that shed new light
      on the mechanistic aspects of GmSHMT08-mediated resistance. The new mutants
      provide compelling genetic evidence that Peking-type rhg1 resistance in cv
      Forrest is fully dependent on the GmSHMT08 gene and demonstrates that this
      resistance is mechanistically different from the PI 88788-type of resistance that
      only requires rhg1 We also demonstrated that rhg1-a from cv Forrest, although
      required, does not exert selection pressure on the nematode to shift from HG type
      7, which further validates the bigenic nature of this resistance. Mapping of the
      identified mutations onto the SHMT structural model uncovered key residues for
      structural stability, ligand binding, enzyme activity, and protein interactions,
      suggesting that GmSHMT08 has additional functions aside from its main enzymatic
      role in SCN resistance. Lastly, we demonstrate the functionality of the GmSHMT08
      SCN resistance gene in a transgenic soybean plant.

PMID- 28912379
TI  - Element-based prognostics of occupational pneumoconiosis using micro-proton
      induced X-ray emission analysis.
AB  - Pneumoconiosis is an occupational disease accompanied by long-term lung
      impairment, for which prediction of prognosis is poorly understood because of the
      complexity of the inhaled particles. Micro-proton-induced X-ray emission (micro
      PIXE) analysis, which is advantageous for high-sensitivity, two-dimensional
      element mapping of lung tissues, was used to investigate element-based predictive
      factors of prognosis in Chinese patients with welder's and coal miner's
      pneumoconiosis. Chest radiographs and lung function tests showed that most of the
      coal miners deteriorated, whereas symptoms in some welders were alleviated after
      5 yr, as determined by comparing percent vital capacity (%VC) and forced
      expiratory volume in the 1st second over forced vital capacity (FEV1.0/FVC) to
      values taken at the initial diagnosis. Micro-PIXE analysis suggested that the
      most abundant particulates in welder's pneumoconiosis were Fe, Mn, and Ti
      (metallic oxide),which were accompanied by particulates containing Si, Al, and Ca
      (aluminum silicate) or only Si (SiO2); the most abundant particulates in coal
      miner's pneumoconiosis were composed of C, Si, Al, K, and Ti, which were
      accompanied by particulates containing Ca or Fe. Particulates containing Al, Si,
      S, K, Ca, and Ti (orthoclase and anorthite) were correlated with severity of
      fibrosis. Multivariable linear regression suggested that long-term FEV1.0/FVC
      decrease was independently associated with Si and smoking index, whereas %VC
      decrease was associated with Si and Ti. A risk index comprised of these factors
      was developed to predict the prognosis of pneumoconiosis. Micro-PIXE analysis is
      feasible for the evaluation of elemental composition and dust exposure,
      especially for patients whose exposure is mixed or uncertain.

PMID- 28912380
TI  - Exposure of neonatal mice to bromine impairs their alveolar development and lung
      function.
AB  - The halogen bromine (Br2) is used extensively in industry and stored and
      transported in large quantities. Its accidental or malicious release into the
      atmosphere has resulted in significant casualties. The pathophysiology of Br2
      induced lung injury has been studied in adult animals, but the consequences of
      Br2 exposure to the developing lung are completely unknown. We exposed neonatal
      mouse littermates on postnatal day 3 (P3) to either Br2 at 400 ppm for 30 min
      (400/30), to Br2 at 600 ppm for 30 min (600/30), or to room air, then returned
      them to their dams and observed until P14. Mice exposed to Br2 had decreased
      survival (S) and had decreased weight (W) at P14 in the 400/30 group (S = 63.5%,
      W = 6.67 +/- 0.08) and in the 600/30 group (S = 36.1%, W = 5.13 +/- 0.67) as
      compared with air breathing mice (S = 100%, W = 7.96 +/- 0.30). Alveolar
      development was impaired, as evidenced by increased mean linear intercept at P14.
      At P14, Br2 exposed mice also exhibited a decrease of arterial partial pressure
      of oxygen, decreased quasi-static lung compliance, as well as increased alpha
      smooth muscle actin mRNA and protein and increased mRNA for IL-1beta, IL-6,
      CXCL1, and TNFalpha. Global gene expression, evaluated by RNA sequencing and
      Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, revealed persistent abnormalities in gene expression
      profiles at P14 involving pathways of "formation of lung" and "pulmonary
      development." The data indicate that Br2 inhalation injury early in life results
      in severe lung developmental consequences, wherein persistent inflammation and
      global altered developmental gene expression are likely mechanistic contributors.

PMID- 28912381
TI  - Invariant natural killer T cells promote immunogenic maturation of lung dendritic
      cells in mouse models of asthma.
AB  - Our previous study showed that invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells might act
      as an adjuvant to promote Th2 inflammatory responses in an OVA-induced mouse
      model of allergic asthma, but the mechanism remains unknown. To clarify the
      underlying mechanism through which iNKT cells promote Th2 inflammatory responses,
      we investigated the modulatory influence of iNKT cells on phenotypic and
      functional maturation of lung dendritic cells (LDCs) using iNKT cell-knockout
      mice, specific iNKT cell activation, coculture experiments, and adoptive transfer
      of iNKT cells in mouse models of asthma. Our data showed that iNKT cell
      deficiency could downregulate surface maturation markers and proinflammatory
      cytokine secretion of LDCs from a mouse model of asthma. However, elevated
      activation of iNKT cells by alpha-galactosylceramide and adoptive transfer of
      iNKT cells could upregulate surface maturation markers and proinflammatory
      cytokine secretion of LDCs from mouse models of asthma. Meanwhile, iNKT cells
      significantly influenced the function of LDCs, markedly enhancing Th2 responses
      in vivo and in vitro. In addition, iNKT cell can induce LDCs expression of CD206
      and RELM-alpha, reflecting alternative activation of LDCs in a mouse model of
      asthma. alpha-Galactosylceramide treatment significantly enhanced expression of
      CD40L of lung iNKT cells from a mouse model of asthma, and the coculture
      experiment of LDCs with iNKT cells showed that the blockade of CD40L strongly
      suppressed surface maturation markers and proinflammatory cytokine production by
      LDCs. Our data suggest that iNKT cells can promote immunogenic maturation of LDCs
      to enhance Th2 responses in mouse models of asthma.

PMID- 28912383
TI  - Physiotherapists as detectives: investigating clues and plots in the clinical
      encounter.
AB  - This article investigates the clinical reasoning process of physiotherapists
      working with patients with chronic muscle pain. The article demonstrates how
      physiotherapists work with clues and weigh up different plots as they seek to
      build consistent stories about their patient's illness. The material consists of
      interviews with 10 Norwegian physiotherapists performed after the first clinical
      encounter with a patient. Using a narrative approach and Lonergan's theory of
      interpretation, the study highlights how, like detectives, the therapists work
      with clues by asking a number of interpretive questions of their data. They
      interrogate what they have observed and heard during the first session, they also
      question how the patient's story was told, including the contextual and relation
      aspects of clue production, and they ask why the patient's story was told to them
      in this particular way at this particular time. The article shows how the
      therapists configure clues into various plots on the basis of their experience of
      working with similar cases and how their detective work is pushed forward by
      uncertainty and persistent questioning of the data.

PMID- 28912384
TI  - [Fracture Liaison Service and Osteoporosis Liaison Service.]
AB  - Fracture Liaison Service(FLS)was initiated in the late 1990s in Europe then
      afterwards spread to North America and Australia. The aim of FLS is to prevent
      secondary fractures after fragility fractures. Because of its usefulness it has
      become a global success through proof of its high efficacy and cost
      effectiveness. The Japan Osteoporosis Society(JOS)initiated Osteoporosis Liaison
      Service(OLS)in Japan. FLS and OLS have the same aim-to prevent secondary
      fractures; however, OSL also aims to prevent primary fractures in clinics and the
      community. JOS created the role of Osteoporosis Manager(OM), which is a
      coordinator for OLS, and a total of 1,867 OMs have been approved as of March
      2017.

PMID- 28912382
TI  - Versican is produced by Trif- and type I interferon-dependent signaling in
      macrophages and contributes to fine control of innate immunity in lungs.
AB  - Growing evidence suggests that versican is important in the innate immune
      response to lung infection. Our goal was to understand the regulation of
      macrophage-derived versican and the role it plays in innate immunity. We first
      defined the signaling events that regulate versican expression, using bone marrow
      derived macrophages (BMDMs) from mice lacking specific Toll-like receptors
      (TLRs), TLR adaptor molecules, or the type I interferon receptor (IFNAR1). We
      show that LPS and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] trigger a signaling
      cascade involving TLR3 or TLR4, the Trif adaptor, type I interferons, and IFNAR1,
      leading to increased expression of versican by macrophages and implicating
      versican as an interferon-stimulated gene. The signaling events regulating
      versican are distinct from those for hyaluronan synthase 1 (HAS1) and syndecan-4
      in macrophages. HAS1 expression requires TLR2 and MyD88. Syndecan-4 requires
      TLR2, TLR3, or TLR4 and both MyD88 and Trif. Neither HAS1 nor syndecan-4 is
      dependent on type I interferons. The importance of macrophage-derived versican in
      lungs was determined with LysM/Vcan-/- mice. These studies show increased
      recovery of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of poly(I:C)
      treated LysM/Vcan-/- mice compared with control mice. IFN-beta and IL-10, two
      important anti-inflammatory molecules, are significantly decreased in both
      poly(I:C)-treated BMDMs from LysM/Vcan-/- mice and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
      from poly(I:C)-treated LysM/Vcan-/- mice compared with control mice. In short,
      type I interferon signaling regulates versican expression, and versican is
      necessary for type I interferon production. These findings suggest that
      macrophage-derived versican is an immunomodulatory molecule with anti
      inflammatory properties in acute pulmonary inflammation.

PMID- 28912385
TI  - [Primary fracture prevention through the Osteoporosis Liaison Service.]
AB  - It is difficult to prevent primary fragility fractures because the subjects have
      not yet experienced a fracture. The offers of the community Osteoporosis Liaison
      Service are important for primary prevention of fragility fractures. The
      prevention, education, enlightenment, and the offer of osteoporosis examinations
      are included in this service. It is necessary to deliver the prevention services
      and osteoporosis education according to the age of the subjects. Hence, for young
      people, it is effective to include in school education that getting high peak
      bone mass is important, and for the middle-aged population, it is necessary to
      include education on the maintenance of bone quantity and the impact on risk
      factors such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Furthermore, early
      detection of osteoporosis is important, with an osteoporosis check-up being one
      of the few opportunities for assessing the bone mineral density(BMD)in elderly
      women. However, there are some problems with osteoporosis check-ups in Japan.
      First, the implementation and participation rates of osteoporosis check-ups are
      low. Second, only BMD is set as the most important value for the assessment.
      Third, the subjects are limited to women in the range of 40-70 years of age with
      the knot age set at every 5 years. Finally, the setting of the BMD measuring
      apparatus is low. We adopted Fracture Risk Assessment Tool(FRAX)and loco-check
      for check-ups at Asahi-machi in the Toyama Prefecture to resolve the above
      problems and have reported its usefulness. Action by the Osteoporosis Liaison
      Service to enforce osteoporosis check-ups is expected. Various types of
      professional medical staff participate in the Osteoporosis Liaison Service as
      osteoporosis managers. It is desired that the managers will cooperate and
      function as an osteoporosis project team in the community.

PMID- 28912386
TI  - [Implementation of Fracture Liaison Service for a secondary prevention of
      fragility fracture.]
AB  - Secondary fracture prevention in aged people is most important issue for the
      reduction of fragility fractures. Implemetation of fractuire liaison service play
      a key role to achieve secondary fracture prevention with continuous and
      comprehensive care for fracture patients. Fracture Liaison Service are spread in
      world-wide, and demonstrated the effects for fracture incidence and economical
      aspects.

PMID- 28912387
TI  - [Osteoporosis Liaison Service and exercise regimens, based on Locomotive
      Syndrome.]
AB  - The purpose of Osteoporosis Liaison Service(OLS)is primary and secondary
      prevention of osteoporosis and fragility fracture by multiple medical
      occupations. Exercise instruction and exercise intervention are important factors
      in OLS. Exercise has effects of increasing bone density and preventing falls. In
      OLS, it is also necessary to disseminate knowledge on osteoporosis and fractures
      to the public. Main measures against locomotive syndrome(LS), meaning weakening
      of ambulatory ability, are exercise and nutrition, and the LS prevention campaign
      is thought to lead to prevention of falls. In addition, LS is in common with OLS
      because it aims to spread such preventive measures widely. Exercise for LS
      prevention can be used safely and effectively at hospitals and workshops, as well
      as regional comprehensive care system.

PMID- 28912388
TI  - [Osteoporosis Liaison Service and nutrition counseling and education.]
AB  - Nutritional counseling as part of the Osteoporosis Liaison Service(OLS)should
      provide active nutritional counseling and lifestyle guidance by referring to the
      detailed methods for conducting "nutritional status assessments", an item of OLS
      7, a detailed activity outcome measure of the OLS. After conducting adequate
      nutritional assessments, the goals for each stage of behavior change should be
      established, aiming to set roughly one goal for a specified period of time and
      increasing the goals once improvements have been made. Incorporating feedback in
      the next improvement plan becomes very important. Good nutritional counseling
      will surely lead to achieving the OLS goals(improvement in treatment rates and
      treatment continuation rates). Moreover, it will contribute to decreasing the
      number of patients with fractures, eliminating sequential fractures and
      prolonging a healthy life expectancy in Japan.

PMID- 28912389
TI  - [Osteoporosis Liaison Service and Medication Instruction.]
AB  - The goals of the osteoporosis liaison service are to prevent the disease more
      effectively, to diagnose it properly and to provide a higher quality treatment
      for it as well as to increase healthy life- span and to minimize the gap in
      health status by offering raising awareness activities. Pharmacist can play an
      important role in achieving both of goals. "The family pharmacist system", which
      was introduced by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law(Yakkiho)in 2016, is
      expected to contribute to achieve the former goal while "Health supporting
      pharmacy" is expected to strive for the latter goal. It is also necessary to
      build a patient-centered collaborative relationship between hospital pharmacists
      and those of insurance pharmacy by sharing the information on the patients'
      medication. In that sense, it seems that osteoporosis managers who have a license
      for a pharmacist can play a significant role as a collaboration hub in the
      service and they can be expected to help prevent osteoporosis bone fracture and
      repeated fracture by supporting them in life in the community. It seems their
      role as a connector among all pharmacists will be more important.

PMID- 28912390
TI  - [Osteoporosis Liaison Service and multi medical staff cooperation.]
AB  - A place of the activity of Osteoporosis Liaison Service (OLS) is classified into
      the in-hospital and the out-hospital. "Kotsu-Kotsu approach" is performed in our
      hospital for fracture inpatients as OLS. "Kotsu-Kotsu approach" can be able to
      performed the various and comprehensive assessment for the patients by multi
      medical staff, especially Osteoporosis managers. The construction of the
      cooperation with other facilities is propelled for activity of out-hospital.
      Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare impel to establish community-based
      integrated care systems. Importance adds to OLS under the multi medical staff
      cooperation that I included the care in the community in more and more from now
      on. To that end, the leadership of the doctor is required.

PMID- 28912391
TI  - [Sarcopenia, frailty and osteoporosis.]
AB  - Skeletal muscle mass declines and muscular strength also weakens with age. This
      is sarcopenia. Bone shows similar age-dependent changes leading to osteoporosis.
      Thus, the aging change of muscle and bone shows a similar change. Anatomically,
      skeletal muscle and bone are closely related. Sarcopenia and osteoporosis are
      risks of falls and fractures, and the risk for disability is also high. In
      addition, it is considered that vitamin D is involved in all of its etiologies,
      and attention to vitamin D is necessary. Along with these similarities, there is
      a difference between sarcopenia and osteoporosis, which is a gender difference.
      That is, while osteoporosis tends to occur in postmenopausal women, the decrease
      in skeletal muscle is more likely to occur in men. In this article, we will
      explain sarcopenia along with frailty which is likely to be caused by aging, and
      describe the diagnosis method and the treatment method from the pathophysiology.

PMID- 28912392
TI  - [Refracture prevention and rehabilitation.]
AB  - Osteoporosis Liaison Service(OLS)is not only the fracture prevention of the
      onset, and the refracture prevention holds important positioning. For OLS
      activity in the hospitals of the fracture risk by FRAX grasp it, and it is
      important to evaluate the fall risk. What an interval, a motor function including
      the lower limbs muscular strength evaluate in a fall risk evaluation and TUG and
      walking speed temporarily for a fall risk evaluation for, the eye opening single
      leg right time to leave is desirable. It is a problem that an evaluation and
      treatment for osteoporosis are insufficient by recent DPC induction.

PMID- 28912393
TI  - [Cost-effectiveness of implementing Osteoporosis Liaison Service program.]
AB  - Facing with swelling medical expenses, bringing a viewpoint of cost-effectiveness
      to disease management of osteoporosis has become important. Previous economic
      evaluations from the UK and the USA have reported that implementing a Fracture
      Liaison Service program reduces refracture rates and results in healthcare cost
      savings. In recent years, a model-based cost-effectiveness analysis has been
      performed in Japan and reported Secondary fracture prevention by Osteoporosis
      Liaison Service program is cost-effective in Japanese women with osteoporosis who
      have suffered a hip fracture. In addition, secondary fracture prevention is less
      expensive than no therapy in high-risk patients with multiple risk factors.

PMID- 28912394
TI  - [HPV Vaccination Program - The History and Recent Progress].
AB  - Four years have passed since HPV vaccination "crisis" occurred in June 2013. In
      Japan,a publicly funded HPV vaccination program for adolescent females aged 12-16
      years began in December 2010. However,the Japanese government withdrew its
      recommendation for HPV vaccination in June, 2013 because news reports on
      potential adverse effects of HPV vaccines without any medical evidence appeared
      repeatedly. The vaccination coverage among adolescent females decreased quickly
      from around 70%in females born between 1994 and 1999 to only 1%in females born
      since 2001 over the country. The suspension of recommendation for vaccination has
      continued to the present,though there is no scientific or epidemiologic evidence
      to demonstrate the causal linkage between post-vaccination symptoms and the HPV
      vaccines. Very recently,an ecological investigation reported that similar
      symptoms also occur in unvaccinated adolescents in Japan. Medical organizations
      in Japan are also calling for a resumption of the HPV vaccination program.
      Now,the resumption of the recommendation needs a political judgment.

PMID- 28912395
TI  - [Cytotoxic Agents and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors].
AB  - It has been reported that favorable influences of cytotoxic agents to anti-tumor
      immune response included immunogenic cell death and suppression of regulatory T
      cell and myeloid-derived suppressor cell. Some clinical trials showed that the
      addition of immune checkpoint inhibitor to standard chemotherapy improved
      efficacy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer or malignant melanoma in
      first-line settings. Phase III trials of the combination of immune checkpoint
      inhibitor and chemotherapy in several malignancies are ongoing.

PMID- 28912396
TI  - [Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitors for Lung Cancer with EGFR Mutation].
AB  - Recent clinical evidence that anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapy is superior to
      cytotoxic chemotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)that
      expresses PD-L1 has lead to a paradigm shift in treatment strategies for those
      patients. However, efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies for patients with NSCLC
      harboring EGFR mutation is generally poor. This lack ofresponse is at least
      partially attributed to suppression oftumor infiltrating lymphocytes caused by
      EGFR pathway activation or to low non-synonymous mutation load in NSCLC with EGFR
      mutation. However, anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies may play some roles in patients who
      acquired resistance against EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In this review,
      relationship between patients with EGFR mutation and treatment using immune
      checkpoint inhibitors is summarized.

PMID- 28912397
TI  - [Combination Therapy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors].
AB  - Recently, monotherapies of immune checkpoint inhibitor have been approved for
      some malignant tumors such as advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer,
      renal cell cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, head and neck cancer in Japan. As the next
      step, to aim improvement of the clinical benefit, development of combination
      immunotherapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors are ongoing. In this
      chapter, recent strategies of clinical development of combination immunotherapy
      are described.

PMID- 28912398
TI  - [Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor].
AB  - Therapeutic cancer vaccine enhances a specific immune response against tumor
      cells in vivo, resulting in exertion of antitumor effects. On the other hand,
      immune checkpoint inhibitors promote the induction of tumor-specific T cells and
      also enhance the cytotoxic abilityof these T cells in tumor microenvironment.
      There is a possibilitythat immune checkpoint inhibitors enhance tumor immune
      responses induced bytherapeutic cancer vaccine, and it is expected that additive
      or synergistic effects will be obtained bythe combination of them. Moreover,
      according to previous reports, we should use an immune checkpoint inhibitor to
      enhance the cytotoxic ability of tumor-specific T cells as the combination for
      therapeutic cancer vaccine. Furthermore, the combination of a specific
      antibodyagainst newlyidentified co-inhibitoryreceptors (Lag-3, Tim-3, TIGIT,
      etc)and a therapeutic cancer vaccine is also one of newlyexpected treatments in
      the future.

PMID- 28912399
TI  - [Adoptive Cell Therapy with Immune Checkpoint Blockade].
AB  - Cancer immunotherapy are taking a leading role of cancer therapy due to the
      development of the immune checkpoint blockade. To date, however, only about 20%
      of patients have clinical responses and the cancer-specific T cells in cancer
      site are required to obtain beneficial effects. There has been an innovative
      development in the field of adoptive cell therapy, especially receptor gene
      modified T cells in recent years. The effector cells mostly express PD-1,
      therefore the cytotoxic reactivity of the effector cells are inhibited by PD-L1.
      The combination of the adoptive cell therapy and the immune checkpoint blockade
      is expected to enhance efficacy. On the other hand, the immune-related adverse
      events may also be enhanced, therefore, it is needed to develop the combination
      therapy carefully, improving the cancer antigen-specificity or dealing with the
      cytokine release syndrome.

PMID- 28912400
TI  - [Upper G. I. Cancer].

PMID- 28912401
TI  - [I. Immunotherapy for Gastroenterological Cancer].

PMID- 28912402
TI  - [II. The Role of Extended Surgery for Advanced Gastric Cancer].

PMID- 28912403
TI  - [III. Peri-Operative Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer].

PMID- 28912404
TI  - Significance of UICC Activities in Global Health Initiatives on Cancer Looking
      Towards the Future of Cooperative Networks for Cancer Care in Asia - A Dialogue
      with the Union for International Cancer Control(UICC).
AB  - At the 24th Asia Pacific Cancer Conference held in Seoul, Korea from 22 to 24
      June 2017, a dialogue with Dr.Cary Adams, CEO of the Union for International
      Cancer Control(UICC)was held to discuss the significance of UICC activities in
      global health initiatives on cancer and pathways for cooperation on cancer
      control and care.UICC is engaged in a wide range of capacity building, advocacy
      and convening initiatives and is increasingly focusing on multi-sectoral
      approaches.In Japan activities are still predominantly focused on scientific and
      clinical research and this dialogue provided an opportunity to discuss the
      possibilities for expanding cooperation in Asia, using the UICC Asia Regional
      Office(UICC-ARO)as a platform.Discussion also covered UICC's new C/Can 2025: City
      Cancer Challenge, a new multi-sectoral initiative that has the potential to bring
      multiple stakeholders together.

PMID- 28912405
TI  - [Exploring the Possibility of New Biomarkers of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for
      Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)].
AB  - Mutation burden in a tumor, presumably involving neo-antigens in the tumor
      tissue, is also thought to be one of the better predictors for the efficacy of
      immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, it is difficult to analyze the mutation
      burden routinely in the clinic. Here, we describe more convenient factors that
      can be used as surrogate markers of mutation burden. Ninety-four patients with
      NSCLC who underwent resection in our institution were recruited for this study.
      Mutation burden and major gene alterations were analyzed by using next generation
      sequencing. Several immunological parameters were also assessed using
      immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was performed on mutation burden,
      major gene alternations, immunohistochemistry, and clinical parameters. The
      median mutation load was 54 mutations(range, 10-363 mutations). Squamous cell
      carcinoma, EGFRmutation -negativity, and TP53 alteration-positivity were closely
      connected with higher mutation burden. Multiple regression analysis showed that
      mutation burden in the tumor could be associated with EGFRmutation and TP53
      alteration status.

PMID- 28912406
TI  - [A Retrospective Study Analyzing the Clinical Course of Patients with Non-Small
      Cell Lung Cancer Receiving Local or Systemic Therapy after Post-Operative
      Recurrence].
AB  - BACKGROUND: While systemic therapy is one of the therapeutic options available
      for post-operative recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer, efficacy of local
      therapy for locoregional recurrence or limited metastatic lesions has also been
      reported. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the clinical course of patients with
      post-operative recurrence(locoregional or limited metastatic lesion)after
      receiving local or systemic therapy. METHODS: Clinical data were retrospectively
      analyzed and survival duration was compared using the logrank test. RESULTS: A
      total of 22 patients were included. Median progression-free survival in patients
      receiving local therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or a combination of both
      therapies was 15.1 months, 6.3 months, and 13 months, respectively. Two patients
      receiving treatment with EGFR-TKI did not show disease progression at 41.3 months
      and 45.8 months(p=0.265). Median overall survivals in patients receiving local
      therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or a combination of both therapies were 26.5
      months, 20 months, and 37.9 months, respectively(p=0.510). After the treatment, 6
      patients showed regrowth of the recurrent lesion, 8 patients showed remote
      metastases, and 2 patients showed both regrowth of the recurrent lesion and
      remote metastases. CONCLUSION: Patients who received treatment including local
      therapy showed longer survival duration, but statistical significance was not
      detected. Our study suggested that regrowth of the recurrent lesion and remote
      metastases can be equally observed after treatment.

PMID- 28912407
TI  - Diagnostic Efficacy of Percutaneous Renal Tumor Biopsy - Concomitant Use of
      Frozen Section to Accurately Diagnose Renal Tumor with Necrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of percutaneous renal tumor
      biopsy. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 23 patients who underwent
      percutaneous renal tumor biopsy since 2008 at Department of Renal and Urologic
      Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University Hospital. We examined indications of
      biopsy, diagnostic concordance rate between urologists, radiologists and biopsy
      findings, pathological findings and biopsy-related complications. RESULTS: Renal
      tumor biopsy was performed under ultrasonography guidance in 21 patients and
      computed tomography guidance in 2. The most frequent indication to perform biopsy
      was to determine histological subtype of renal cell carcinoma(RCC)before
      treatment. The second indication was to clarify the nature of renal tumor. Biopsy
      findings revealed RCC in 17 patients and urothelial carcino- ma(UC)in 6.
      Diagnostic concordance rate between urologist's diagnosis and biopsy findings was
      91%(21/23), which showed the same result between radiologists and biopsy
      findings. Biopsy-related adverse event included needle tract implantation in 1
      patient with UC. Another patient who had central necrosis in the tumor showed
      insufficient material causing repeat biopsy with frozen section. Except this
      patient, initial renal tumor biopsy was successful in all patients by concomitant
      use of frozen section for tumor with central necrosis. The overall diagnostic
      rate of initial biopsy was 95.7%(22/23). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a small number of
      patients and a retrospective nature, the present study shows that renal tumor
      biopsy plays an important role in diagnosis of renal tumor. Concomitant use of
      frozen section might be considered at the time of renal tumor biopsy in patients
      with necrotic renal tumor to avoid repeat biopsy. However, we should take into
      consideration that there are some possible risks of needle tract implantation in
      cases with UC when we perform percutaneous renal tumor biopsy.

PMID- 28912408
TI  - [Results of a Drug Use Survey of Filgrastim Biosimilar 1(Filgrastim BS Syringe
      for Inj. "MOCHIDA"and "F")].
AB  - With the aim of evaluating the safety and efficacy of filgrastim biosimilar
      1(Filgrastim BS syringe for Inj. "MOCHIDA"and "F"), we conducted a drug use
      results survey of this product for its indications, including mobilization of
      hematopoietic stem cells into peripheral blood and chemotherapy-induced
      neutropenia. Of the 518 cases enrolled between August 2013 and July 2015, 495
      were selected to be subjects of our safety and efficacy evaluations. 37 cases
      (7.47%)experienced side effects, which were mainly lower back pain(19, 3.84%),
      fever(8, 1.62%)and bone pain(3, 0.61%). As for serious side effects, interstitial
      pneumonia was reported in 2 cases, but this disorder has already been ecognized
      as being associated with the use of filgrastim originator, and there were no
      reports of unknown side effects calling for immediate attention. In addition, we
      investigated hypersensitivity reactions(such as nettle rash and anaphylactic
      shock)and diminished drug effects, both of which are considered to be
      attributable to immunogenicity, and found that non-serious nettle rash was
      reported in 2 cases. However, there have been no reports of anaphylactic shock or
      diminished drug effects. The efficacy rate based on physicians' clinical
      observations was 97.98%. This study confirmed that there are no problems with the
      clinical use of filgrastim biosimilar 1.

PMID- 28912409
TI  - [A Case of Pneumocystis Pneumonia during Adjuvant Dose-Dense Chemotherapy for
      Breast Cancer].
AB  - A 47-year-old woman received adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. On the 13th
      day of 4 courses of dose-dense AC therapy, she developed a fever. She was orally
      administered an antibioticfor febrile neutropenia treatment. She showed no
      improvement of symptoms and gradually presented with new symptoms, including a
      non-productive cough and dyspnea. After admission, she underwent a further
      examination, and was provided a diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia. It is
      reported that patients receiving chemotherapy for solid tumors are less likely to
      develop opportunistic infections. However, patients receiving dose-dense
      chemotherapy may have a higher risk for developing opportunistic infections than
      those receiving conventional chemotherapy.

PMID- 28912410
TI  - [Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Induced by Nivolumab in a Patient with
      Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint-blocking antibodies may induce specific side
      effects known as immune-relatedad verse events. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year
      oldman without any history of autoimmune disease was referredto our hospital for
      treatment of lung cancer in the right upper lobe. The tumor was diagnosed as
      Stage III A non-small-cell lung cancer by using bronchoscopic biopsy,
      computedtomography, andFDG -PET. After a single course of cisplatin andpemetrexed
      , the tumor size increasedremarkably andthe regimen was changedto
      nivolumab(3mg/kg every 2 weeks). Psoriasis andpsoriatic arthritis were observed
      after 4 courses of nivolumab. Nivolumab treatment continued, and the oral
      administration of predni- solone(20mg/day)couldimprove psoriasis andpsoriatic
      arthritis. However, the lung cancer showedprogressive disease after the 11th
      course of nivolumab. CONCLUSION: Psoriasis andpsoriatic arthritis were inducedby
      nivolumab in the patient without any history of autoimmune disease. It is unclear
      how prednisolone affected nivolumab for the treatment of lung cancer.

PMID- 28912411
TI  - [Early VATS(Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery)Was Effective for a Case of
      Chylothorax after Lung Cancer Excision].
AB  - A 66-year-old man underwent a right upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection for
      lung cancer. We confirmed a milky white pleural effusion after diet initiation on
      the first postoperative day, and a chylothorax was diagnosed. The patient began a
      f at-restricted diet; however, the pleural effusion did not decrease. Therefore,
      we performed VATS(video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery)1 week after surgery with
      good results. Early VATS for a postoperative chylothorax was useful.

PMID- 28912412
TI  - [A Case of Advanced Neuroendocrine Cell Carcinoma of the Stomach Treated with S-1
      and Cisplatin Chemotherapy].
AB  - A 69-year-old man presented to our hospital because of epigastric pain. A type 2
      lesion was seen in the lesser curvature of the antrum of the stomach. A
      moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma(human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      negative) was diagnosed by biopsy. Abdominal computed tomography showed a mass
      shadow 52mm in diameter in the pyloric region invading the surrounding organs,
      but no evidence of distant metastasis. Chemotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin(SP
      therapy)was initiated because of a diagnosis of locally advanced gastric cancer.
      After 2 courses of chemotherapy, the tumor shrinkage rate was 70%, confirming
      that treatment was effective. However, severe skin disorders developed,
      precluding the continuation of chemotherapy. Staging laparoscopy showed no
      evidence of peritoneal dissemination, but invasion into the superior mesenteric
      vein was noted. The tumor was resected by pancreaticoduodenectomy with partial
      resection of the venous wall. Pathological examination of the resected specimens
      provided a definite diagnosis of neuroendocrine cell carcinoma. As of 1 year and
      7 months after surgery, there has been no observation of metastasis or
      recurrence. SP therapy was suggested to be a useful regimen for preoperative
      chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced neuroendocrine cell carcinoma.

PMID- 28912413
TI  - [A Case of Alcoholic Liver Disease Presenting as Prominent Accumulation of
      Ascites Associated with Liver Damage Due to CapeOX].
AB  - A 75-year-old man with rectal cancer had consumed an average of6 6 g of alcohol
      per day for 47 years. However, his liver function was within normal limits and
      his Child-Pugh classification was A before initiation of therapy. He underwent
      neoadjuvant chemoradiation and a low anterior resection. The patient then
      received CapeOX as an adjuvant therapy. During the fourth cycle of CapeOX,
      computed tomography(CT)showed massive ascites. The chemotherapy was discontinued
      and treatment including a diuretic agent was initiated. The ascites gradually
      decreased and 8 months after the discontinuation of CapeOX, CT showed neither the
      presence ofascites nor recurrence ofthe cancer or metastasis. When a patient has
      a history ofexcessive alcohol intake, even iftest results for liver function are
      within normal limits, we should be aware ofthe hepatic toxicity ofCapeOX.

PMID- 28912414
TI  - Polish Experience with Liver Transplantation and Post-Transplant Outcomes in
      Children with Urea Cycle Disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND Liver transplantation (LT) is recommended for various metabolic
      diseases, including urea cycle disorders (UCDs). The aim of this study was to
      determine indications and outcomes of LT for UCDs in the tertiary reference
      Children's Hospital in Warsaw, Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS Medical charts of
      children with UCD who underwent LT between 2008 and July 2016 were
      retrospectively reviewed. The following parameters were analyzed: symptoms at
      time of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, age at transplantation, graft
      characteristics and survival, postsurgical complications, and biochemical and
      laboratory results before and after transplantation. RESULTS Twelve patients with
      UCD who underwent LT at a mean age of 5 y (0.5-14 y) received a total of 14 liver
      grafts. Four children (33%) received a living donor graft, while 8 (68%) got a
      deceased donor liver graft. A total number of transplanted organs consisted of 9
      (64%) whole-liver grafts and 5 (36%) reduced-size grafts. The 30-day post
      transplant patient survival rate was 100% and graft survival rate was 93%
      (13/14). For those with a post-transplant follow-up of at least 1 year (n=10/12),
      the 1-year patient survival rate was 100% and the graft survival rate was 85.7%
      (12/14). Median peak of blood ammonia at presentation was 653 (159-2613) ug/dL
      (normal <80 ug/dl), and median peak of blood glutamine was 1273.2 umol/l (964
      3900 umol/l). There was 1 episode of hyperammonemia following LT, but it was not
      due to UCD. Six (50%) patients were diagnosed with some degree of developmental
      delay/neurological impairment before transplantation, which remained stable or
      slightly improved after transplantation. Patients without developmental delay
      before transplantation maintained their cognitive abilities at follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS LT leads to eradication of hyperammonemia, withdrawal of dietary
      restrictions with low-protein diet, and potentially improved neurocognitive
      development.

PMID- 28912415
TI  - Targeting Overexpressed Activating Transcription Factor 1 (ATF1) Inhibits
      Proliferation and Migration and Enhances Sensitivity to Paclitaxel In Esophageal
      Cancer Cells.

PMID- 28912416
TI  - A Case of Tranexamic Acid as Adjunctive Treatment for Chronic Subdural Hematoma
      with Multiple Recurrences.
AB  - BACKGROUND Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common neurosurgical condition
      that is treated using a cranial burr hole evacuation procedure, but recurrence is
      common. The use of anticoagulant therapy can increase the risk of developing a
      recurrent subdural hematoma. We present a challenging case of a patient on long
      term anticoagulant therapy following previous aortic and aortic valve surgery who
      had CSDH with multiple recurrences and was ultimately treated with tranexamic
      acid as an adjunct to surgery. CASE REPORT A male patient in his mid-sixties
      presented with a headache and bilateral CSDH. Apart from a mechanical heart
      valve, he was otherwise healthy. A standard burr hole evacuation was performed,
      but the left hematoma and symptoms recurred after three months, and he presented
      with additional symptoms of aphasia and right-hand weakness. He had an additional
      three procedures followed by recurrences over a period of six weeks. Following
      his fifth and final surgical procedure, he was given postoperative intravenous
      tranexamic acid 10 mg/kg four times during the first 24 hours with dalteparin
      sodium 9,500 international units (IU) twice daily. His symptoms resolved, and
      after nine months he had no residual hematoma, and no thromboembolic
      complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS This case has demonstrated that tranexamic
      acid can be used as an adjunctive treatment to surgery when dealing with
      recurring CSDH, even in patients who require concomitant anticoagulant therapy.
      Although clinical trials are underway to evaluate tranexamic acid as a medical
      treatment for CSDH, this case report may support further studies that include
      patients with risk factors for thromboembolic disease.

PMID- 28912417
TI  - Comparison of Leukocyte Esterase Testing of Synovial Fluid with Synovial
      Histology for the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a complication of total joint
      arthroplasty (TJA). The leukocyte esterase (LE) strip test and histology are
      diagnostic methods for PJI. The aims of this study were to determine the
      sensitivity and specificity of the LE strip test and to compare it with histology
      in the diagnosis of PJI. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between January and December 2015,
      93 patients who underwent TJA with PJI were enrolled in the study. Synovial fluid
      samples were tested with an LE strip, and three synovial tissue samples from each
      patient underwent frozen section and formalin-fixed histology. Recent criteria
      from the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) were used for the diagnosis of
      PJI. RESULTS Ninety-three patients studied included 38 cases of PJI and 55 non
      infected cases. Sensitivity and specificity of the LE strip test were 92.1% (95%
      CI, 77.5-97.9%) and 96.4% (95% CI, 86.4-99.4%), respectively. There was no
      significant difference in sensitivity (p=0.249) or specificity (p=0.480) between
      frozen and paraffin sections for histology; the two methods were strongly
      correlated (phi=0.892). Comparison of the LE test results with histology showed a
      strong correlation (phi=0.758, and phi=0.840). CONCLUSIONS The findings of this
      preliminary study have shown that the LE strip test on synovial fluid showed
      similar sensitivity and specificity as histology for the diagnosis of PJI,
      indicating that that further controlled clinical studies should be performed to
      investigate the role of the LE strip test for the early diagnosis of PJI.

PMID- 28912418
TI  - Genesis of ultra-high-Ni olivine in high-Mg andesite lava triggered by seamount
      subduction.
AB  - The Kamchatka Peninsula is a prominent and wide volcanic arc located near the
      northern edge of the Pacific Plate. It has highly active volcanic chains and
      groups, and characteristic lavas that include adakitic rocks. In the north of the
      peninsula adjacent to the triple junction, some additional processes such as hot
      asthenospheric injection around the slab edge and seamount subduction operate,
      which might enhance local magmatism. In the forearc area of the northeastern part
      of the peninsula, monogenetic volcanic cones dated at <1 Ma were found. Despite
      their limited spatiotemporal occurrence, remarkable variations were observed,
      including primitive basalt and high-Mg andesite containing high-Ni (up to 6300
      ppm) olivine. The melting and crystallization conditions of these lavas indicate
      a locally warm slab, facilitating dehydration beneath the forearc region, and a
      relatively cold overlying mantle wedge fluxed heterogeneously by slab-derived
      fluids. It is suggested that the collapse of a subducted seamount triggered the
      ascent of Si-rich fluids to vein the wedge peridotite and formed a peridotite
      pyroxenite source, causing the temporal evolution of local magmatism with wide
      compositional range.

PMID- 28912419
TI  - Identifying topologically associating domains and subdomains by Gaussian Mixture
      model And Proportion test.
AB  - The spatial organization of the genome plays a critical role in regulating gene
      expression. Recent chromatin interaction mapping studies have revealed that
      topologically associating domains and subdomains are fundamental building blocks
      of the three-dimensional genome. Identifying such hierarchical structures is a
      critical step toward understanding the three-dimensional structure-function
      relationship of the genome. Existing computational algorithms lack statistical
      assessment of domain predictions and are computationally inefficient for high
      resolution Hi-C data. We introduce the Gaussian Mixture model And Proportion test
      (GMAP) algorithm to address the above-mentioned challenges. Using simulated and
      experimental Hi-C data, we show that domains identified by GMAP are more
      consistent with multiple lines of supporting evidence than three state-of-the-art
      methods. Application of GMAP to normal and cancer cells reveals several unique
      features of subdomain boundary as compared to domain boundary, including its
      higher dynamics across cell types and enrichment for somatic mutations in
      cancer.Spatial organization of the genome plays a crucial role in regulating gene
      expression. Here the authors introduce GMAP, the Gaussian Mixture model And
      Proportion test, to identify topologically associating domains and subdomains in
      Hi-C data.

PMID- 28912420
TI  - Room-temperature 2D semiconductor activated vertical-cavity surface-emitting
      lasers.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors are opening a new platform for revitalizing
      widely spread optoelectronic applications. The realisation of room-temperature
      vertical 2D lasing from monolayer semiconductors is fundamentally interesting and
      highly desired for appealing on-chip laser applications such as optical
      interconnects and supercomputing. Here, we present room-temperature low-threshold
      lasing from 2D semiconductor activated vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers
      (VCSELs) under continuous-wave pumping. 2D lasing is achieved from a 2D
      semiconductor. Structurally, dielectric oxides were used to construct the half
      wavelength-thick cavity and distributed Bragg reflectors, in favour of single
      mode operation and ultralow optical loss; in the cavity centre, the direct
      bandgap monolayer WS2 was embedded as the gain medium, compatible with the planar
      VCSEL configuration and the monolithic integration technology. This work
      demonstrates 2D semiconductor activated VCSELs with desirable emission
      characteristics, which represents a major step towards practical optoelectronic
      applications of 2D semiconductor lasers.Two-dimensional materials have recently
      emerged as interesting materials for optoelectronic applications. Here, Shang et
      al. demonstrate two-dimensional semiconductor activated vertical-cavity surface
      emitting lasers where both the gain material and the lasing characteristics are
      two-dimensional.

PMID- 28912421
TI  - Pollination of Ficus elastica: India rubber re-establishes sexual reproduction in
      Singapore.
AB  - Ficus elastica, otherwise known as India Rubber (although its geographical
      origins are unclear), was an important source of latex in the early 19th century
      and was widely cultivated in tropical Asia. Like all figs, F. elastica is
      dependent on tiny, highly specific wasps for pollination, and detailed studies
      based out of Singapore in the 1930s suggested that through the loss of its
      pollinator F. elastica was extinct in the wild. However, around 2005 wild
      seedlings of F. elastica began appearing in Singapore. We identified the
      pollinator as Platyscapa clavigera, which was originally described from F.
      elastica in Bogor in 1885. A visit to Bogor Botanical Gardens revealed that not
      only was F. elastica being pollinated by P. clavigera in the gardens, but there
      was clear evidence it had been reproducing naturally there over many decades.
      Although Singapore has a native fig flora of over 50 species, F. elastica went
      unpollinated for at least 70 years and probably from the time it was introduced
      during the 19th century. These observations illustrate the extraordinary
      specificity of this interaction and, through the fig's ability to wait for its
      pollinators, demonstrates one way in which such highly specific interactions can
      be evolutionarily stable.

PMID- 28912422
TI  - Children and adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder cannot move to
      the beat.
AB  - Children and adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) fail in
      simple tasks like telling whether two sounds have different durations, or in
      reproducing single durations. The deficit is linked to poor reading, attention,
      and language skills. Here we demonstrate that these timing distortions emerge
      also when tracking the beat of rhythmic sounds in perceptual and sensorimotor
      tasks. This contrasts with the common observation that durations are better
      perceived and produced when embedded in rhythmic stimuli. Children and adults
      with ADHD struggled when moving to the beat of rhythmic sounds, and when
      detecting deviations from the beat. Our findings point to failure in generating
      an internal beat in ADHD while listening to rhythmic sounds, a function typically
      associated with the basal ganglia. Rhythm-based interventions aimed at
      reinstating or compensating this malfunctioning circuitry may be particularly
      valuable in ADHD, as already shown for other neurodevelopmental disorders, such
      as dyslexia and Specific Language Impairment.

PMID- 28912423
TI  - The Chinese herbal formula Free and Easy Wanderer ameliorates oxidative stress
      through KEAP1-NRF2/HO-1 pathway.
AB  - Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) gains a lot of attention due to high
      prevalence and strong psychological upset, but the etiology remains undefined and
      effective treatment is quite limited. Growing studies demonstrated the
      involvement of oxidative stress in various psychiatry diseases, suggesting anti
      oxidation therapy might be a strategy for PTSD treatment. Free and Easy Wanderer
      (FAEW) is a poly-herbal drug clinically used in China for hundreds of years in
      the treatment of psychiatric disorder. We hypothesized that FAEW exerts clinical
      effects through the activity against oxidative stress with fluoxetine as
      antidepressant control drug. Our results revealed that FAEW significantly reduced
      both endogenous and H2O2-induced exogenous ROS levels in the human glioblastoma
      T98G and neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell lines. Transcriptome-wide microarray analysis
      indicated NRF2/HO-1 as the common target of FAEW and fluoxetine. Western blotting
      assay proved that the two drugs promoted NRF2 release from KEAP1 in the cytoplasm
      and translocation to the nuclei in a KEAP1-dependent manner, the expression of
      the protein HO-1 increased accordingly, suggesting the participation of KEAP1
      NRF2/HO-1 pathway. The chemical constituents of FAEW (i.e. paeoniflorin,
      baicalin) bound to KEAP1 in silico, which hence might be the effective substances
      of FAEW. In conclusion, FAEW counteracted H2O2-induced oxidative stress through
      KEAP1-NRF2/HO-1 pathway.

PMID- 28912424
TI  - Electric field and aging effects of uniaxial ferroelectrics Sr x Ba1-x Nb2O6
      probed by Brillouin scattering.
AB  - Static and dynamic heterogeneity of disordered system is one of the current
      topics in materials science. In disordered ferroelectric materials with random
      fields, dynamic polar nanoregions (PNRs) appear at Burns temperature and freeze
      into nanodomain state below Curie temperature (T C). This state is very sensitive
      to external electric field and aging by which it gradually switches into
      macrodomain state. However, the role of PNRs in such states below T C is still a
      puzzling issue of materials science. Electric field and aging effects of uniaxial
      ferroelectric Sr x Ba1-x Nb2O6 (x = 0.40, SBN40) single crystals were studied
      using Brillouin scattering to clarify the critical nature of PNRs in domain
      states below T C. On field heating, a broad anomaly in longitudinal acoustic (LA)
      velocity at low temperature region was due to an incomplete alignment of
      nanodomains caused by the interaction between PNRs. A sharp anomaly near T C was
      attributed to the complete switching of nanodomain to macrodomain state owing to
      the lack of interaction among PNRs. After isothermal aging below T C, the
      noticeable increase of LA velocity was observed. It was unaffected by cyclic
      temperature measurements up to T C, and recovered to initial state outside of a
      narrow temperature range above and below aging temperature.

PMID- 28912425
TI  - Predictive models of minimal hepatic encephalopathy for cirrhotic patients based
      on large-scale brain intrinsic connectivity networks.
AB  - We aimed to find the most representative connectivity patterns for minimal
      hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) using large-scale intrinsic connectivity networks
      (ICNs) and machine learning methods. Resting-state fMRI was administered to 33
      cirrhotic patients with MHE and 43 cirrhotic patients without MHE (NMHE). The
      connectivity maps of 20 ICNs for each participant were obtained by dual
      regression. A Bayesian machine learning technique, called Graphical Model-based
      Multivariate Analysis, was applied to determine ICN regions that characterized
      group differences. The most representative ICNs were evaluated by the performance
      of three machine learning methods (support vector machines (SVMs), multilayer
      perceptrons (MLP), and C4.5). The clinical significance of these potential
      biomarkers was further tested. The temporal lobe network (TLN), and subcortical
      network (SCN), and sensorimotor network (SMN) were selected as representative
      ICNs. The distinct functional integration patterns of the representative ICNs
      were significantly correlated with behavior criteria and Child-Pugh scores. Our
      findings suggest the representative ICNs based on GAMMA can distinguish MHE from
      NMHE and provide supplementary information to current MHE diagnostic criteria.

PMID- 28912426
TI  - Deconvolution of DNA methylation identifies differentially methylated gene
      regions on 1p36 across breast cancer subtypes.
AB  - Breast cancer is a complex disease consisting of four distinct molecular
      subtypes. DNA methylation-based (DNAm) studies in tumors are complicated further
      by disease heterogeneity. In the present study, we compared DNAm in breast tumors
      with normal-adjacent breast samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We
      constructed models stratified by tumor stage and PAM50 molecular subtype and
      performed cell-type reference-free deconvolution to control for cellular
      heterogeneity. We identified nineteen differentially methylated gene regions
      (DMGRs) in early stage tumors across eleven genes (AGRN, C1orf170, FAM41C,
      FLJ39609, HES4, ISG15, KLHL17, NOC2L, PLEKHN1, SAMD11, WASH5P). These regions
      were consistently differentially methylated in every subtype and all implicated
      genes are localized to the chromosomal cytoband 1p36.3. Seventeen of these DMGRs
      were independently validated in a similar analysis of an external data set. The
      identification and validation of shared DNAm alterations across tumor subtypes in
      early stage tumors advances our understanding of common biology underlying breast
      carcinogenesis and may contribute to biomarker development. We also discuss
      evidence of the specific importance and potential function of 1p36 in cancer.

PMID- 28912427
TI  - DNA methylation profiling reveals common signatures of tumorigenesis and defines
      epigenetic prognostic subtypes of canine Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma.
AB  - Epigenetic deregulation is a hallmark of cancer characterized by frequent
      acquisition of new DNA methylation in CpG islands. To gain insight into the
      methylation changes of canine DLBCL, we investigated the DNA methylome in primary
      DLBCLs in comparison with control lymph nodes by genome-wide CpG microarray. We
      identified 1,194 target loci showing different methylation levels in tumors
      compared with controls. The hypermethylated CpG loci included promoter, 5'-UTRs,
      upstream and exonic regions. Interestingly, targets of polycomb repressive
      complex in stem cells were mostly affected suggesting that DLBCL shares a stem
      cell-like epigenetic pattern. Functional analysis highlighted biological
      processes strongly related to embryonic development, tissue morphogenesis and
      cellular differentiation, including HOX, BMP and WNT. In addition, the analysis
      of epigenetic patterns and genome-wide methylation variability identified cDLBCL
      subgroups. Some of these epigenetic subtypes showed a concordance with the
      clinical outcome supporting the hypothesis that the accumulation of aberrant
      epigenetic changes results in a more aggressive behavior of the tumor.
      Collectively, our results suggest an important role of DNA methylation in DLBCL
      where aberrancies in transcription factors were frequently observed, suggesting
      an involvement during tumorigenesis. These findings warrant further investigation
      to improve cDLBCL prognostic classification and provide new insights on tumor
      aggressiveness.

PMID- 28912428
TI  - IL-37 is associated with osteoarthritis disease activity and suppresses
      proinflammatory cytokines production in synovial cells.
AB  - The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between IL-37 level
      and osteoarthritis activity and to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of IL
      37 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and synovial cells (SCs) from
      osteoarthritis (OA) patients, which including 32 patients with erosive
      inflammatory OA (EIOA) and 40 patients with primary generalized OA (PGOA), 40 age
      and sex matched healthy volunteers were recruited as healthy controls (HCs). The
      protein and relative mRNA levels of IL-37 were significant increased in the blood
      of EIOA patients compared with those of PGOA patients and HCs. Serum IL-37 levels
      of OA patients were positively correlated with VAS score, as well as with CRP,
      ESR in blood. Positive correlations were also observed among IL-37 with IL-1beta,
      TNF-alpha and IL-6 in synovial cells. Furthermore, the expression of IL-1beta,
      TNF-alpha and IL-6 in PBMCs and SCs from EIOA patients was suppressed by IL-37 in
      vitro. In conclusion, our results indicated that IL-37 increased in EIOA patients
      and was positively correlated with disease activity, the pro-inflammatory
      cytokines such as IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in PBMCs and synovial cells from
      EIOA patients were restrained by recombinant IL-37. Thus, IL-37 may serve as a
      novel therapeutic target for the treatment of OA inflammation.

PMID- 28912429
TI  - Production and Characteristics of a Novel Xylose- and Alkali-tolerant GH 43 beta
      xylosidase from Penicillium oxalicum for Promoting Hemicellulose Degradation.
AB  - beta-xylosidase is a pivotal enzyme for complete degradation of xylan in
      hemicelluloses of lignocelluloses, and the xylose- and alkali-tolerant beta
      xylosidase with high catalytic activity is very attractive for promoting
      enzymatic hydrolysis of alkaline-pretreated lignocellulose. In this study, a
      novel intracellular glycoside hydrolase family 43 beta-xylosidase gene (xyl43)
      from Penicillium oxalicum 114-2 was successfully high-level overexpressed in
      Pichia pastoris, and the secreted enzyme was characterized. The beta-xylosidase
      Xyl43 exhibited great pH stability and high catalytic activity in the range of pH
      6.0 to 8.0, and high tolerance to xylose with the Ki value of 28.09 mM. The Xyl43
      could effectively promote enzymatic degradation of different source of xylan and
      hemicellulose contained in alkaline-pretreated corn stover, and high conversion
      of xylan to xylose could be obtained.

PMID- 28912430
TI  - STIM1-dependent Ca2+ signaling regulates podosome formation to facilitate cancer
      cell invasion.
AB  - The clinical significance of STIM proteins and Orai Ca2+ channels in tumor
      progression has been demonstrated in different types of cancers. Podosomes are
      dynamic actin-rich cellular protrusions that facilitate cancer cell invasiveness
      by degrading extracellular matrix. Whether STIM1-dependent Ca2+ signaling
      facilitates cancer cell invasion through affecting podosome formation remains
      unclear. Here we show that the invasive fronts of cancer tissues overexpress
      STIM1, accompanied by active store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Interfering SOCE
      activity by SOCE inhibitors and STIM1 or Orai1 knockdown remarkably affects
      podosome rosettes formation. Mechanistically, STIM1-silencing significantly
      alters the podosome rosettes dynamics, shortens the maintenance phase of podosome
      rosettes and reduces cell invasiveness. The subsequently transient expression of
      STIM1 cDNA in STIM1-null (STIM1-/-) mouse embryo fibroblasts rescues the
      suppression of podosome formation, suggesting that STIM1-mediated SOCE activation
      directly regulates podosome formation. This study uncovers SOCE-mediated Ca2+
      microdomain that is the molecular basis for Ca2+ sensitivity controlling podosome
      formation.

PMID- 28912431
TI  - Phylogeography of the sand dollar genus Encope: implications regarding the
      Central American Isthmus and rates of molecular evolution.
AB  - Vicariant events have been widely used to calibrate rates of molecular evolution,
      the completion of the Central American Isthmus more extensively than any other.
      Recent studies have claimed that rather than the generally accepted date of ~3
      million years ago (Ma), the Isthmus was effectively complete by the middle
      Miocene, 13 Ma. We present a fossil calibrated phylogeny of the new world sand
      dollar genus Encope, based on one nuclear and four mitochondrial genes,
      calibrated with fossils at multiple nodes. Present day distributions of Encope
      are likely the result of multiple range contractions and extinction events. Most
      species are now endemic to a single region, but one widely distributed species in
      each ocean is composed of morphotypes previously described as separate species.
      The most recent separation between eastern Pacific and Caribbean extant clades
      occurred at 4.90 Ma, indicating that the Isthmus of Panama allowed genetic
      exchange until the Pliocene. The rate of evolution of mitochondrial genes in
      Encope has been ten times slower than in the closely related genera Mellita and
      Lanthonia. This large difference in rates suggests that splits between eastern
      Pacific and Caribbean biota, dated on the assumption of a "universal"
      mitochondrial DNA clock are not valid.

PMID- 28912432
TI  - Mitigating Motor Neuronal Loss in C. elegans Model of ALS8.
AB  - ALS8 is a late-onset familial autosomal dominant form of Amyotrophic Lateral
      Sclerosis (ALS) caused by a point mutation (P56S) in the VAPB gene (VAMP
      associated protein isoform B). Here, we generated two C. elegans models of the
      disease: a transgenic model where human VAPB wild-type (WT) or P56S mutant was
      expressed in a subset of motor neurons, and a second model that targeted
      inducible knockdown of the worm's orthologue, vpr-1. Overexpression of human VAPB
      in DA neurons caused a backward locomotion defect, axonal misguidance, and
      premature neuronal death. Knockdown of vpr-1 recapitulated the reduction in VAPB
      expression associated with sporadic cases of human ALS. It also caused backward
      locomotion defects as well as an uncoordinated phenotype, and age-dependent,
      progressive motor neuronal death. Furthermore, inhibiting phosphatidylinositol-4
      (PtdIns 4)-kinase activity with PIK-93 reduced the incidence of DA motor neuron
      loss and improved backward locomotion. This supports the loss of VAPB function in
      ALS8 pathogenesis and suggests that reducing intracellular PtdIns4P might be an
      effective therapeutic strategy in delaying progressive loss of motor neurons.

PMID- 28912433
TI  - Electron beam detection of a Nanotube Scanning Force Microscope.
AB  - Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows to probe matter at atomic scale by measuring
      the perturbation of a nanomechanical oscillator induced by near-field interaction
      forces. The quest to improve sensitivity and resolution of AFM forced the
      introduction of a new class of resonators with dimensions at the nanometer scale.
      In this context, nanotubes are the ultimate mechanical oscillators because of
      their one dimensional nature, small mass and almost perfect crystallinity.
      Coupled to the possibility of functionalisation, these properties make them the
      perfect candidates as ultra sensitive, on-demand force sensors. However their
      dimensions make the measurement of the mechanical properties a challenging task
      in particular when working in cavity free geometry at ambient temperature. By
      using a focused electron beam, we show that the mechanical response of nanotubes
      can be quantitatively measured while approaching to a surface sample. By coupling
      electron beam detection of individual nanotubes with a custom AFM we image the
      surface topography of a sample by continuously measuring the mechanical
      properties of the nanoresonators. The combination of very small size and mass
      together with the high resolution of the electron beam detection method offers
      unprecedented opportunities for the development of a new class of nanotube-based
      scanning force microscopy.

PMID- 28912434
TI  - Food-grade filler particles as an alternative method to modify the texture and
      stability of myofibrillar gels.
AB  - A series of food grade particles were characterized for their potential as
      fillers in myofibrillar gels. The fillers were separated into (i) hydrophilic,
      insoluble, crystalline particles and (ii) starch granules. The particles used
      were microcrystalline cellulose, oat fiber and walnut shell flour, as well as
      potato and tapioca starches. Crystalline particles increased hardness and
      decreased recovery properties. Although all of these fillers decreased the T2
      relaxation time of water, this was dependent on particle type and size. An
      increase in gel strength was observed with increasing filler content, which was
      attributed to particle crowding. Native potato starch was the most efficient at
      increasing liquid retention, while native tapioca was the least effective. Gel
      strength increased significantly only for the native potato and modified tapioca
      starches, but no effect on recovery attributes were observed for any of the
      starch varieties. The potato starches became swollen and hydrated to a similar
      extent during the protein gelation process, while the native tapioca starch
      gelatinized at higher temperatures, and the modified tapioca showed little
      evidence of swelling. T2 relaxometry supported this finding, as the meat batters
      containing native potato starch displayed two water populations, while the
      remaining starches displayed only a single population.

PMID- 28912435
TI  - Turning behaviors of T cells climbing up ramp-like structures are regulated by
      myosin light chain kinase activity and lamellipodia formation.
AB  - T cells navigate diverse microenvironments to perform immune responses. Micro
      scale topographical structures within the tissues, which may inherently exist in
      normal tissues or may be formed by inflammation or injury, can influence T cell
      migration, but how T cell migration is affected by such topographical structures
      have not been investigated. In this study, we fabricated ramp-like structures
      with a 5 MUm height and various slopes, and observed T cells climbing up the ramp
      like structures. T cells encountering the ramp-like structures exhibited MLC
      accumulation near head-tail junctions contacting the ramp-like structures, and
      made turns to the direction perpendicular to the ramp-like structures.
      Pharmacological study revealed that lamellipodia formation mediated by arp2/3 and
      contractility regulated by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) were responsible for
      the intriguing turning behavior of T cells climbing the ramp-like structures.
      Arp2/3 or MLCK inhibition substantially reduced probability of T cells climbing
      sharp-edged ramp-like structures, indicating intriguing turning behavior of T
      cells mediated by lamellipodia formation and MLCK activity may be important for T
      cells to access inflamed or injured tissues with abrupt topographical changes.

PMID- 28912436
TI  - Distributed Acoustic Sensing for Seismic Monitoring of The Near Surface: A
      Traffic-Noise Interferometry Case Study.
AB  - Ambient-noise-based seismic monitoring of the near surface often has limited
      spatiotemporal resolutions because dense seismic arrays are rarely sufficiently
      affordable for such applications. In recent years, however, distributed acoustic
      sensing (DAS) techniques have emerged to transform telecommunication fiber-optic
      cables into dense seismic arrays that are cost effective. With DAS enabling both
      high sensor counts ("large N") and long-term operations ("large T"), time-lapse
      imaging of shear-wave velocity (V S ) structures is now possible by combining
      ambient noise interferometry and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW).
      Here we report the first end-to-end study of time-lapse V S imaging that uses
      traffic noise continuously recorded on linear DAS arrays over a three-week
      period. Our results illustrate that for the top 20 meters the V S models that is
      well constrained by the data, we obtain time-lapse repeatability of about 2% in
      the model domain-a threshold that is low enough for observing subtle near-surface
      changes such as water content variations and permafrost alteration. This study
      demonstrates the efficacy of near-surface seismic monitoring using DAS-recorded
      ambient noise.

PMID- 28912437
TI  - Voice selectivity in the temporal voice area despite matched low-level acoustic
      cues.
AB  - In human listeners, the temporal voice areas (TVAs) are regions of the superior
      temporal gyrus and sulcus that respond more to vocal sounds than a range of
      nonvocal control sounds, including scrambled voices, environmental noises, and
      animal cries. One interpretation of the TVA's selectivity is based on low-level
      acoustic cues: compared to control sounds, vocal sounds may have stronger
      harmonic content or greater spectrotemporal complexity. Here, we show that the
      right TVA remains selective to the human voice even when accounting for a variety
      of acoustical cues. Using fMRI, single vowel stimuli were contrasted with single
      notes of musical instruments with balanced harmonic-to-noise ratios and pitches.
      We also used "auditory chimeras", which preserved subsets of acoustical features
      of the vocal sounds. The right TVA was preferentially activated only for the
      natural human voice. In particular, the TVA did not respond more to artificial
      chimeras preserving the exact spectral profile of voices. Additional acoustic
      measures, including temporal modulations and spectral complexity, could not
      account for the increased activation. These observations rule out simple
      acoustical cues as a basis for voice selectivity in the TVAs.

PMID- 28912438
TI  - Malignancy risk stratification of thyroid nodules: comparisons of four ultrasound
      Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems in surgically resected nodules.
AB  - To compare the efficiency of four different ultrasound (US) Thyroid Imaging
      Reporting and Data Systems (TI-RADS) in malignancy risk stratification in
      surgically resected thyroid nodules (TNs). The study included 547 benign TNs and
      464 malignant TNs. US images of the TNs were retrospectively reviewed and
      categorized according to the TI-RADSs published by Horvath E et al. (TI-RADS H),
      Park et al. (TI-RADS P), Kwak et al. (TI-RADS K) and Russ et al. (TI-RADS R). The
      diagnostic performances for the four TI-RADSs were then compared. At multivariate
      analysis, among the suspicious US features, marked hypoechogenicity was the most
      significant independent predictor for malignancy (OR: 15.344, 95% CI: 5.313
      44.313) (P < 0.05). Higher sensitivity was seen in TI-RADS H, TI-RADS K, TI-RADS
      R comparing with TI-RADS P (P < 0.05 for all), whereas the specificity, accuracy
      and area under the ROC curve (Az) of TI-RADS P were the highest (all P < 0.05).
      Higher specificity, accuracy and Az were seen in TI-RADS K compared with TI-RADS
      R (P = 0.003). With its higher sensitivity, TI-RADS K, a simple predictive model,
      is practical and convenient for the management of TNs in clinical practice. The
      study indicates that there is a good concordance between TI-RADS categories and
      histopathology.

PMID- 28912439
TI  - Association between cognitive deficits and suicidal ideation in patients with
      major depressive disorder.
AB  - The role of cognitive function in suicidal ideation in patients with major
      depressive disorder (MDD) has not been adequately explored. This research sought
      to measure the relationship between suicidal ideation and cognitive function.
      Therefore, in this study, the association between cognitive function and suicidal
      ideation in patients with MDD was assessed. Cognitive function was evaluated in
      233 patients with MDD using the Japanese version of the Brief Assessment of
      Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Suicidal ideation was assessed using item 3 of
      the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Approximately 59.2% of the patients
      (138/233) expressed suicidal ideation. Among the BACS subtests, only the
      executive function scores were significantly lower in patients with MDD with than
      in those without (p < 0.005). In addition, the executive function, motor speed
      function, and composite scores correlated negatively with the severity of
      suicidal ideation in these patients. These results suggest that executive
      function, motor speed function, and global neuropsychological function are
      associated with suicidal ideation in patients with MDD and that the BACS
      neuropsychological battery is an efficient instrument for monitoring these
      characteristics. Moreover, specific BACS scores can potentially serve as
      cognitive biomarkers of suicide risk in patients with MDD.

PMID- 28912440
TI  - The Generalization of Auditory Accommodation to Altered Spectral Cues.
AB  - The capacity of healthy adult listeners to accommodate to altered spectral cues
      to the source locations of broadband sounds has now been well documented. In
      recent years we have demonstrated that the degree and speed of accommodation are
      improved by using an integrated sensory-motor training protocol under anechoic
      conditions. Here we demonstrate that the learning which underpins the
      localization performance gains during the accommodation process using anechoic
      broadband training stimuli generalize to environmentally relevant scenarios. As
      previously, alterations to monaural spectral cues were produced by fitting
      participants with custom-made outer ear molds, worn during waking hours.
      Following acute degradations in localization performance, participants then
      underwent daily sensory-motor training to improve localization accuracy using
      broadband noise stimuli over ten days. Participants not only demonstrated post
      training improvements in localization accuracy for broadband noises presented in
      the same set of positions used during training, but also for stimuli presented in
      untrained locations, for monosyllabic speech sounds, and for stimuli presented in
      reverberant conditions. These findings shed further light on the neuroplastic
      capacity of healthy listeners, and represent the next step in the development of
      training programs for users of assistive listening devices which degrade
      localization acuity by distorting or bypassing monaural cues.

PMID- 28912441
TI  - Broadband acoustic skin cloak based on spiral metasurfaces.
AB  - A skin cloak based on the acoustic metasurface made of graded spiral units is
      proposed and numerically investigated. The presented skin cloak is an acoustical
      layer consisting of 80 subwavelength-sized unit cells, which provide precise
      local phase modulation and hence resort the disturbed sound filed in such a way
      to hide the object to acoustic wave. Numerical simulations show that the
      suggested skin cloak both work well under normal and small-angled incidences. By
      taking the advantage of the spiral-typed metasurface, the suggested skin cloak is
      rather thin with thickness in the order around 1/7 of the wavelength of target
      frequency, moreover, the intrinsic characteristics of modest dispersion ensure
      the skin cloak provides remarkable acoustic invisibility in a broad frequency
      ranging from 2500 Hz to 3600 Hz.

PMID- 28912442
TI  - The association between respiratory tract infection incidence and localised
      meningitis epidemics: an analysis of high-resolution surveillance data from
      Burkina Faso.
AB  - Meningococcal meningitis epidemics in the African meningitis belt consist of
      localised meningitis epidemics (LME) that reach attack proportions of 1% within a
      few weeks. A meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine was introduced in
      meningitis belt countries from 2010 on, but LME due to other serogroups continue
      to occur. The mechanisms underlying LME are poorly understood, but an association
      with respiratory pathogens has been hypothesised. We analysed national routine
      surveillance data in high spatial resolution (health centre level) from 13
      districts in Burkina Faso, 2004-2014. We defined LME as a weekly incidence rate
      of suspected meningitis >=75 per 100,000 during >=2 weeks; and high incidence
      episodes of respiratory tract infections (RTI) as the 5th quintile of monthly
      incidences. We included 10,334 health centre month observations during the
      meningitis season (January-May), including 85 with LME, and 1891 (1820) high
      incidence episodes of upper (lower) RTI. In mixed effects logistic regression
      accounting for spatial structure, and controlling for dust conditions, relative
      air humidity and month, the occurrence of LME was strongly associated with high
      incidence episodes of upper (odds ratio 23.9, 95%-confidence interval 3.1-185.3),
      but not lower RTI. In the African meningitis belt, meningitis epidemics may be
      triggered by outbreaks of upper RTI.

PMID- 28912443
TI  - Graphite Oxide Improves Adhesion and Water Resistance of Canola Protein-Graphite
      Oxide Hybrid Adhesive.
AB  - Protein derived adhesives are extensively explored as a replacement for synthetic
      ones, but suffers from weak adhesion and water resistance. Graphite oxide (GO)
      has been extensively used in nanocomposites, but not in adhesives applications.
      The objectives of this study were to prepare functionally improved protein
      adhesive by exfoliating GO with different oxidation levels, and to determine the
      effect of GO on adhesion mechanism. GO were prepared by oxidizing graphite for
      0.5, 2, and 4 h (GO-A, GO-B and GO-C, respectively). Increasing oxidation time
      decreased C/O ratio; while the relative proportion of C-OH, and C = O groups
      initially increased up to 2 h of oxidation, but reduced upon further oxidation.
      Canola protein-GO hybrid adhesive (CPA-GO) was prepared by exfoliating GO at a
      level of 1% (w/w). GO significantly increased (p < 0.05) adhesion; where GO-B
      addition showed the highest dry, and wet strength of 11.67 +/- 1.00, and 4.85 +/-
      0.61 MPa, respectively. The improvements in adhesion was due to the improved
      exfoliation of GO, improved adhesive and cohesive interactions, increased
      hydrogen bonding, increased hydrophobic interactions and thermal stability of CPA
      GO. GO, as we proposed for the first time is easier to process and cost-effective
      in preparing protein-based adhesives with significantly improved functionalities.

PMID- 28912444
TI  - Pan-genomic and transcriptomic analyses of Leuconostoc mesenteroides provide
      insights into its genomic and metabolic features and roles in kimchi
      fermentation.
AB  - The genomic and metabolic features of Leuconostoc (Leu) mesenteroides were
      investigated through pan-genomic and transcriptomic analyses. Relatedness
      analysis of 17 Leu. mesenteroides strains available in GenBank based on 16S rRNA
      gene sequence, average nucleotide identity, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization,
      molecular phenotype, and core-genome indicated that Leu. mesenteroides has been
      separated into different phylogenetic lineages. Pan-genome of Leu. mesenteroides
      strains, consisting of 999 genes in core-genome, 1,432 genes in accessory-genome,
      and 754 genes in unique genome, and their COG and KEGG analyses showed that Leu.
      mesenteroides harbors strain-specifically diverse metabolisms, probably
      representing high evolutionary genome changes. The reconstruction of fermentative
      metabolic pathways for Leu. mesenteroides strains showed that Leu. mesenteroides
      produces various metabolites such as lactate, ethanol, acetate, CO2, mannitol,
      diacetyl, acetoin, and 2,3-butanediol through an obligate heterolactic
      fermentation from various carbohydrates. Fermentative metabolic features of Leu.
      mesenteroides during kimchi fermentation were investigated through
      transcriptional analyses for the KEGG pathways and reconstructed metabolic
      pathways of Leu. mesenteroides using kimchi metatranscriptomic data. This was the
      first study to investigate the genomic and metabolic features of Leu.
      mesenteroides through pan-genomic and metatranscriptomic analyses, and may
      provide insights into its genomic and metabolic features and a better
      understanding of kimchi fermentations by Leu. mesenteroides.

PMID- 28912445
TI  - Cofilin-mediated Neuronal Apoptosis via p53 Translocation and PLD1 Regulation.
AB  - Amyloid beta (Abeta) accumulation is an early event in the pathogenesis of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), leading to mitochondrial and synaptic dysfunction, tau
      accumulation, and eventual neuronal death. While the p53 apoptotic pathway has
      clearly been associated with Abeta deposits and neuronal apoptosis, the critical
      upstream factors contributing to p53 activation in AD are not well understood. We
      have previously shown that cofilin activation plays a pivotal role in Abeta
      induced mitochondrial and synaptic dysfunction. In this study, we show that
      activated cofilin (S3A) preferentially forms a complex with p53 and promotes its
      mitochondrial and nuclear localization, resulting in transcription of p53
      responsive genes and promotion of apoptosis. Conversely, reduction of endogenous
      cofilin by knockdown or genetic deficiency inhibits mitochondrial and nuclear
      translocation of p53 in cultured cells and in APP/PS1 mice. This cofilin-p53 pro
      apoptotic pathway is subject to negative regulation by PLD1 thorough cofilin
      inactivation and inhibition of cofilin/p53 complex formation. Finally, activated
      cofilin is unable to induce apoptosis in cells genetically lacking p53. These
      findings taken together indicate that cofilin coopts and requires the nuclear and
      mitochondrial pro-apoptotic p53 program to induce and execute apoptosis, while
      PLD1 functions in a regulatory multi-brake capacity in this pathway.

PMID- 28912447
TI  - Development and Validation of a Nomogram for Predicting Survival in Patients with
      Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - This study aimed to develop and validate an effective prognostic nomogram for
      advanced PDAC patients. We conducted a prospective multicenter cohort study
      involving 1,526 advanced PDAC patients from three participating hospitals in
      China between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2013. Two thirds of the patients
      were randomly assigned to the training set (n = 1,017), and one third were
      assigned to the validation set (n = 509). Multivariate cox regression analysis
      was performed to identify significant prognostic factors for overall survival to
      develop the nomogram. Internal and external validation using C-index and
      calibration curve were conducted in the training set and validation set
      respectively. As results, seven independent prognostic factors were identified:
      age, tumor stage, tumor size, ALT (alanine aminotransferase), ALB (albumin), CA
      19-9, HBV infection status, and these factors were entered into the nomogram. The
      proposed nomogram showed favorable discrimination and calibration both in the
      training set and validation set. The C-indexes of the training set and validation
      set were 0.720 and 0.696 respectively, which were both significantly higher than
      that of the staging system (C-index = 0.613, P < 0.001). In conclusion, the
      proposed nomogram may be served as an effective tool for prognostic evaluation of
      advanced PDAC.

PMID- 28912449
TI  - Red and green colors emitting spherical-shaped calcium molybdate nanophosphors
      for enhanced latent fingerprint detection.
AB  - We report the synthesis of spherical-shaped rare-earth (Eu3+ and Tb3+) ions doped
      CaMoO4 nanoparticles in double solvents (IPA and H2O) with the help of autoclave.
      The X-ray diffraction patterns well match with the standard values and confirm
      the crystallization in a tetragonal phase with an I41/a (88) space group. The
      luminescence spectra exhibit the strong red and green emissions from Eu3+ and
      Tb3+ ions doped samples, respectively. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
      results show the oxidation states of all the elements present in the sample. The
      temperature-dependent luminescence spectra reveal the stability of Eu3+ and Tb3+
      ions doped samples. The red- and green-emitting Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions doped CaMoO4
      samples were used for detection and enhancement of latent fingerprints which are
      the common evidences found at crime scenes. The enhanced latent fingerprints
      obtained on different surfaces have high contrast with low background
      interference. The minute details of the fingerprint which are useful for
      individualization are clearly observed with the help of these nanopowders.

PMID- 28912446
TI  - An injectable hydrogel enhances tissue repair after spinal cord injury by
      promoting extracellular matrix remodeling.
AB  - The cystic cavity that develops following injuries to brain or spinal cord is a
      major obstacle for tissue repair in central nervous system (CNS). Here we report
      that injection of imidazole-poly(organophosphazenes) (I-5), a hydrogel with
      thermosensitive sol-gel transition behavior, almost completely eliminates cystic
      cavities in a clinically relevant rat spinal cord injury model. Cystic cavities
      are bridged by fibronectin-rich extracellular matrix. The fibrotic extracellular
      matrix remodeling is mediated by matrix metalloproteinase-9 expressed in
      macrophages within the fibrotic extracellular matrix. A poly(organophosphazenes)
      hydrogel lacking the imidazole moiety, which physically interacts with
      macrophages via histamine receptors, exhibits substantially diminished bridging
      effects. I-5 injection improves coordinated locomotion, and this functional
      recovery is accompanied by preservation of myelinated white matter and motor
      neurons and an increase in axonal reinnervation of the lumbar motor neurons. Our
      study demonstrates that dynamic interactions between inflammatory cells and
      injectable biomaterials can induce beneficial extracellular matrix remodeling to
      stimulate tissue repair following CNS injuries.The cystic cavity that develops
      following injuries to brain or spinal cord is a major obstacle. Here the authors
      show an injection of imidazole poly(organophosphazenes), a hydrogel with
      thermosensitive sol-gel transition behavior, almost completely eliminates cystic
      cavities in a clinically relevant rat spinal cord injury model.

PMID- 28912448
TI  - A general reaction mechanism for carbapenem hydrolysis by mononuclear and
      binuclear metallo-beta-lactamases.
AB  - Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae threaten human health, since carbapenems
      are last resort drugs for infections by such organisms. Metallo-beta-lactamases
      (MbetaLs) are the main mechanism of resistance against carbapenems. Clinically
      approved inhibitors of MBLs are currently unavailable as design has been limited
      by the incomplete knowledge of their mechanism. Here, we report a biochemical and
      biophysical study of carbapenem hydrolysis by the B1 enzymes NDM-1 and BcII in
      the bi-Zn(II) form, the mono-Zn(II) B2 Sfh-I and the mono-Zn(II) B3 GOB-18. These
      MbetaLs hydrolyse carbapenems via a similar mechanism, with accumulation of the
      same anionic intermediates. We characterize the Michaelis complex formed by mono
      Zn(II) enzymes, and we identify all intermediate species, enabling us to propose
      a chemical mechanism for mono and binuclear MbetaLs. This common mechanism open
      avenues for rationally designed inhibitors of all MbetaLs, notwithstanding the
      profound differences between these enzymes' active site structure, beta-lactam
      specificity and metal content.Carbapenem-resistant bacteria pose a major health
      threat by expressing metallo-beta-lactamases (MbetaLs), enzymes able to hydrolyse
      these life-saving drugs. Here the authors use biophysical and computational
      methods and show that different MbetaLs share the same reaction mechanism,
      suggesting new strategies for drug design.

PMID- 28912450
TI  - New molecular insights into the tyrosyl-tRNA synthase inhibitors: CoMFA, CoMSIA
      analyses and molecular docking studies.
AB  - Drug resistance caused by excessive and indiscriminate antibiotic usage has
      become a serious public health problem. The need of finding new antibacterial
      drugs is more urgent than ever before. Tyrosyl-tRNA synthase was proved to be a
      potent target in combating drug-resistant bacteria. In silico methodologies
      including molecular docking and 3D-QSAR were employed to investigate a series of
      newly reported tyrosyl-tRNA synthase inhibitors of furanone derivatives. Both
      internal and external cross-validation were conducted to obtain high predictive
      and satisfactory CoMFA model (q 2 = 0.611, r 2pred  = 0.933, r 2m  = 0.954) and
      CoMSIA model (q 2 = 0.546, r 2pred  = 0.959, r 2m  = 0.923). Docking results,
      which correspond with CoMFA/CoMSIA contour maps, gave the information for
      interactive mode exploration. Ten new molecules designed on the basis of QSAR and
      docking models have been predicted more potent than the most active compound 3-(4
      hydroxyphenyl)-4-(2-morpholinoethoxy)furan-2(5H)-one (15) in the literatures. The
      results expand our understanding of furanones as inhibitors of tyrosyl-tRNA
      synthase and could be helpful in rationally designing of new analogs with more
      potent inhibitory activities.

PMID- 28912451
TI  - Unveiling CO2 heterogeneous freezing plumes during champagne cork popping.
AB  - Cork popping from clear transparent bottles of champagne stored at different
      temperatures (namely, 6, 12, and 20  degrees C) was filmed through high-speed
      video imaging in the visible light spectrum. During the cork popping process, a
      plume mainly composed of gaseous CO2 with traces of water vapour freely expands
      out of the bottleneck through ambient air. Most interestingly, for the bottles
      stored at 20  degrees C, the characteristic grey-white cloud of fog classically
      observed above the bottlenecks of champagne stored at lower temperatures simply
      disappeared. It is replaced by a more evanescent plume, surprisingly blue,
      starting from the bottleneck. We suggest that heterogeneous freezing of CO2
      occurs on ice water clusters homogeneously nucleated in the bottlenecks,
      depending on the saturation ratio experienced by gas-phase CO2 after adiabatic
      expansion (indeed highly bottle temperature dependent). Moreover, and as observed
      for the bottles stored at 20  degrees C, we show that the freezing of only a
      small portion of all the available CO2 is able to pump the energy released
      through adiabatic expansion, thus completely inhibiting the condensation of water
      vapour found in air packages adjacent to the gas volume gushing out of the
      bottleneck.

PMID- 28912453
TI  - Measuring critical transitions in financial markets.
AB  - Tipping points in complex systems are structural transitions from one state to
      another. In financial markets these critical points are connected to systemic
      risks, which have led to financial crisis in the past. Due to this, researchers
      are studying tipping points with different methods. This paper introduces a new
      method which bridges the gap between real-world portfolio management and
      statistical facts in financial markets in order to give more insight into the
      mechanics of financial markets.

PMID- 28912452
TI  - Endogenous omega-3 Fatty Acid Production by fat-1 Transgene and Topically Applied
      Docosahexaenoic Acid Protect against UVB-induced Mouse Skin Carcinogenesis.
AB  - The present study was intended to explore the effects of endogenously produced
      omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced skin
      inflammation and photocarcinogenesis using hairless fat-1 transgenic mice
      harboring omega-3 desaturase gene capable of converting omega-6 to omega-3 PUFAs.
      Upon exposure to UVB irradiation, fat-1 transgenic mice exhibited a significantly
      reduced epidermal hyperplasia, oxidative skin damage, and photocarcinogenesis as
      compared to wild type mice. The transcription factor, Nrf2 is a master regulator
      of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant gene expression. While the protein
      expression of Nrf2 was markedly enhanced, the level of its mRNA transcript was
      barely changed in the fat-1 transgenic mouse skin. Topical application of
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a representative omega-3 PUFA, in wild type hairless
      mice induced expression of the Nrf2 target protein, heme oxygenase-1 in the skin
      and protected against UVB-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and
      papillomagenesis. Furthermore, transient overexpression of fat-1 gene in mouse
      epidermal JB6 cells resulted in the enhanced accumulation of Nrf2 protein.
      Likewise, DHA treated to JB6 cells inhibited Nrf2 ubiquitination and stabilized
      it. Taken together, our results indicate that functional fat-1 and topically
      applied DHA potentiate cellular defense against UVB-induced skin inflammation and
      photocarcinogenesis through elevated activation of Nrf2 and upregulation of
      cytoprotective gene expression.

PMID- 28912454
TI  - Resilience of electricity grids against transmission line overloads under wind
      power injection at different nodes.
AB  - A steadily increasing fraction of renewable energy sources for electricity
      production requires a better understanding of how stochastic power generation
      affects the stability of electricity grids. Here, we assess the resilience of an
      IEEE test grid against single transmission line overloads under wind power
      injection based on the dc power flow equations and a quasi-static grid response
      to wind fluctuations. Thereby we focus on the mutual influence of wind power
      generation at different nodes. We find that overload probabilities vary strongly
      between different pairs of nodes and become highly affected by spatial
      correlations of wind fluctuations. An unexpected behaviour is uncovered: for a
      large number of node pairs, increasing wind power injection at one node can
      increase the power threshold at the other node with respect to line overloads in
      the grid. We find that this seemingly paradoxical behaviour is related to the
      topological distance of the overloaded line from the shortest path connecting the
      wind nodes. In the considered test grid, it occurs for all node pairs, where the
      overloaded line belongs to the shortest path.

PMID- 28912455
TI  - A CRISPR screen identifies genes controlling Etv2 threshold expression in murine
      hemangiogenic fate commitment.
AB  - The ETS transcription factor Etv2 is necessary and sufficient for the generation
      of hematopoietic and endothelial cells. However, upstream regulators of Etv2 in
      hemangiogenesis, generation of hematopoietic and endothelial cells, have not been
      clearly addressed. Here we track the developmental route of hemangiogenic
      progenitors from mouse embryonic stem cells, perform genome-wide CRISPR
      screening, and transcriptome analysis of en route cell populations by utilizing
      Brachyury, Etv2, or Scl reporter embryonic stem cell lines to further understand
      the mechanisms that control hemangiogenesis. We identify the forkhead
      transcription factor Foxh1, in part through Eomes, to be critical for the
      formation of FLK1+ mesoderm, from which the hemangiogenic fate is specified.
      Importantly, hemangiogenic fate is specified not simply by the onset of Etv2
      expression, but by a threshold-dependent mechanism, in which VEGF-FLK1 signaling
      plays an instructive role by promoting Etv2 threshold expression. These studies
      reveal comprehensive cellular and molecular pathways governing the hemangiogenic
      cell lineage development.How haematopoietic and endothelial cell lineages are
      specified is unclear. Here, the authors identify the forkhead transcription
      factor Foxh1 as regulating FLK1+ mesoderm formation in mouse embryonic stem
      cells, which in turn specifies hemangiogenic fate via Etv2.

PMID- 28912456
TI  - Physiological activity in calm thermal indoor environments.
AB  - Indoor environmental comfort has previously been quantified based on the
      subjective assessment of thermal physical parameters, such as temperature,
      humidity, and airflow velocity. However, the relationship of these parameters to
      brain activity remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to
      determine the effect of airflow on brain activity using electroencephalograms
      (EEG) of participants in a living environment under different airflow conditions.
      Before the recording, the room was set to a standardised air temperature and
      humidity. During the recording, each participant was required to perform a simple
      time-perception task that involved pressing buttons after estimating a 10-second
      interval. Cooling and heating experiments were conducted in summer and winter,
      respectively. A frequency analysis of the EEGs revealed that gamma and beta
      activities showed lower amplitudes under conditions without airflow than with
      airflow, regardless of the season (i.e., cooling or heating). Our results reveal
      new neurophysiological markers of the response to airflow sensation. Further,
      based on the literature linking gamma and beta waves to less anxious states in
      calm environments, we suggest that airflow may alter the feelings of the
      participants.

PMID- 28912457
TI  - Photoelectrolysis Using Type-II Semiconductor Heterojunctions.
AB  - The solar-powered production of hydrogen for use as a renewable fuel is highly
      desirable for the world's future energy infrastructure. However, difficulties in
      achieving reasonable efficiencies, and thus cost-effectiveness, have hampered
      significant research progress. Here we propose the use of semiconductor
      nanostructures to create a type-II heterojunction at the semiconductor-water
      interface in a photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) and theoretically investigate it
      as a method of increasing the maximum photovoltage such a cell can generate under
      illumination, with the aim of increasing the overall cell efficiency. A model for
      the semiconductor electrode in a PEC is created, which solves the Schrodinger,
      Poisson and drift-diffusion equations self-consistently. From this, it is
      determined that ZnO quantum dots on bulk n-InGaN with low In content x is the
      most desirable system, having electron-accepting and -donating states straddling
      the oxygen- and hydrogen-production potentials for x < 0.26, though large
      variance in literature values for certain material parameters means large
      uncertainties in the model output. Accordingly, results presented here should
      form the basis for further experimental work, which will in turn provide input to
      refine and develop the model.

PMID- 28912458
TI  - Y Chromosome, Mitochondrial DNA and Childhood Behavioural Traits.
AB  - Many psychiatric traits are sexually dimorphic in terms of prevalence, age of
      onset, progression and prognosis; sex chromosomes could play a role in these
      differences. In this study we evaluated the association between Y chromosome and
      mitochondrial DNA haplogroups with sexually-dimorphic behavioural and psychiatric
      traits. The study sample included 4,211 males and 4,009 females with
      mitochondrial DNA haplogroups and 4,788 males with Y chromosome haplogroups who
      are part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) based in
      the United Kingdom. Different subsets of these populations were assessed using
      measures of behavioural and psychiatric traits with logistic regression being
      used to measure the association between haplogroups and the traits. The majority
      of behavioural traits in our cohort differed between males and females; however Y
      chromosome and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups were not associated with any of the
      variables. These findings suggest that if there is common variation on the Y
      chromosome and mitochondrial DNA associated with behavioural and psychiatric
      trait variation, it has a small effect.

PMID- 28912459
TI  - Iron deposition is associated with differential macrophage infiltration and
      therapeutic response to iron chelation in prostate cancer.
AB  - Immune cells such as macrophages are drivers and biomarkers of most cancers.
      Scoring macrophage infiltration in tumor tissue provides a prognostic assessment
      that is correlated with disease outcome and therapeutic response, but generally
      requires invasive biopsy. Routine detection of hemosiderin iron aggregates in
      macrophages in other settings histologically and in vivo by MRI suggests that
      similar assessments in cancer can bridge a gap in our ability to assess tumor
      macrophage infiltration. Quantitative histological and in vivo MRI assessments of
      non-heme cellular iron revealed that preclinical prostate tumor models could be
      differentiated according to hemosiderin iron accumulation-both in tumors and
      systemically. Monitoring cellular iron levels during "off-label" administration
      of the FDA-approved iron chelator deferiprone evidenced significant reductions in
      tumor size without extensive perturbation to these iron deposits. Spatial
      profiling of the iron-laden infiltrates further demonstrated that higher numbers
      of infiltrating macrophage iron deposits was associated with lower anti-tumor
      chelation therapy response. Imaging macrophages according to their innate iron
      status provides a new phenotypic window into the immune tumor landscape and
      reveals a prognostic biomarker associated with macrophage infiltration and
      therapeutic outcome.

PMID- 28912460
TI  - Elemental and Molecular Segregation in Oil Paintings due to Lead Soap
      Degradation.
AB  - The formation of Pb, Zn, and Cu carboxylates (soaps) has caused visible
      deterioration in hundreds of oil paintings dating from the 15th century to the
      present. Through transport phenomena not yet understood, free fatty acids in the
      oil binding medium migrate through the paint and react with pigments containing
      heavy metals to form soaps. To investigate the complex correlation among the
      elemental segregation, types of chemical compounds formed, and possible
      mechanisms of the reactions, a paint sample cross-section from a 15th century oil
      painting was examined by synchrotron X-ray techniques. X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
      microscopy, quantified with elemental correlation density distribution, showed Pb
      and Sn segregation in the soap-affected areas. X-ray absorption near edge
      structure (XANES) around the Pb-L3 absorption edge showed that Pb pigments and Pb
      soaps can be distinguished while micro-XANES gave further information on the
      chemical heterogeneity in the paint film. The advantages and limitations of these
      synchrotron-based techniques are discussed and compared to those of methods
      routinely used to analyze paint samples. The results presented set the stage for
      improving the information extracted from samples removed from works of art and
      for correlating observations in model paint samples to those in the naturally
      aged samples, to shed light onto the mechanism of soap formation.

PMID- 28912461
TI  - Vimentin knockout results in increased expression of sub-endothelial basement
      membrane components and carotid stiffness in mice.
AB  - Intermediate filaments are involved in stress-related cell mechanical properties
      and in plasticity via the regulation of focal adhesions (FAs) and the actomyosin
      network. We investigated whether vimentin regulates endothelial cells (ECs) and
      vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and thereby influences vasomotor tone and
      arterial stiffness. Vimentin knockout mice (Vim-/-) exhibited increased
      expression of laminin, fibronectin, perlecan, collagen IV and VE-cadherin as well
      as von Willebrand factor deposition in the subendothelial basement membrane.
      Smooth muscle (SM) myosin heavy chain, alpha-SM actin and smoothelin were
      decreased in Vim-/- mice. Electron microscopy revealed a denser endothelial
      basement membrane and increased SM cell-matrix interactions. Integrin alphav,
      talin and vinculin present in FAs were increased in Vim-/- mice. Phosphorylated
      FA kinase and its targets Src and ERK1/2 were elevated in Vim-/- mice. Knockout
      of vimentin, but not of synemin, resulted in increased carotid stiffness and
      contractility and endothelial dysfunction, independently of blood pressure and
      the collagen/elastin ratio. The increase in arterial stiffness in Vim-/- mice
      likely involves vasomotor tone and endothelial basement membrane organization
      changes. At the tissue level, the results show the implication of FAs both in ECs
      and vascular SMCs in the role of vimentin in arterial stiffening.

PMID- 28912462
TI  - Impacts of light limitation on corals and crustose coralline algae.
AB  - Turbidity associated with elevated suspended sediment concentrations can
      significantly reduce underwater light availability. Understanding the
      consequences for sensitive organisms such as corals and crustose coralline algae
      (CCA), requires an understanding of tolerance levels and the time course of
      effects. Adult colonies of Acropora millepora and Pocillopora acuta, juvenile P.
      acuta, and the CCA Porolithon onkodes were exposed to six light treatments of ~0,
      0.02, 0.1, 0.4, 1.1 and 4.3 mol photons m-2 d-1, and their physiological
      responses were monitored over 30 d. Exposure to very low light (<0.1 mol photons
      m-2 d-1) caused tissue discoloration (bleaching) in the corals, and
      discolouration (and partial mortality) of the CCA, yielding 30 d EI10 thresholds
      (irradiance which results in a 10% change in colour) of 1.2-1.9 mol photons m-2 d
      1. Recent monitoring studies during dredging campaigns on a shallow tropical
      reef, have shown that underwater light levels very close (~500 m away) from a
      working dredge routinely fall below this value over 30 d periods, but rarely
      during the pre-dredging baseline phase. Light reduction alone, therefore,
      constitutes a clear risk to coral reefs from dredging, although at such close
      proximity other cause-effect pathways, such as sediment deposition and
      smothering, are likely to also co-occur.

PMID- 28912463
TI  - Physical activity is prospectively associated with spinal pain in children
      (CHAMPS Study-DK).
AB  - ABSTARCT: Spinal pain and physical inactivity are critical public health issues.
      We investigated the prospective associations of physical activity intensity with
      spinal pain in children. Physical activity was quantified with accelerometry in a
      cohort of primary school students. Over 19 months, parents of primary school
      students reported children's spinal pain status each week via text-messaging
      (self-reported spinal pain). Spinal pain reports were followed-up by trained
      clinicians who diagnosed each child's complaint and classified the pain as non
      traumatic or traumatic. Associations were examined with logistic regression
      modeling using robust standard errors and reported with odds ratios (OR).
      Children (n = 1205, 53.0% female) with mean +/- SD age of 9.4 +/- 1.4 years,
      participated in 75,180 weeks of the study. Nearly one-third (31%) of children
      reported spinal pain, and 14% were diagnosed with a spinal problem. Moderate
      intensity physical activity was protectively associated with self-reported
      [OR(95%CI) = 0.84(0.74, 0.95)], diagnosed [OR(95%CI) = 0.79(0.67, 0.94)] and
      traumatic [OR(95%CI) = 0.77(0.61, 0.96)] spinal pain. Vigorous intensity physical
      activity was associated with increased self-reported [OR(95%CI) = 1.13(1.00,
      1.27)], diagnosed [OR(95%CI) = 1.25(1.07, 1.45)] and traumatic [OR(95%CI) =
      1.28(1.05, 1.57)] spinal pain. The inclusion of age and sex covariates weakened
      these associations. Physical activity intensity may be a key consideration in the
      relationship between physical activity behavior and spinal pain in children.

PMID- 28912464
TI  - On current transients in MoS2 Field Effect Transistors.
AB  - We present an experimental investigation of slow transients in the gate and drain
      currents of MoS2-based transistors. We focus on the measurement of both the gate
      and drain currents and, from the comparative analysis of the current transients,
      we conclude that there are at least two independent trapping mechanisms: trapping
      of charges in the silicon oxide substrate, occurring with time constants of the
      order of tens of seconds and involving charge motion orthogonal to the MoS2
      sheet, and trapping at the channel surface, which occurs with much longer time
      constants, in particular when the device is in a vacuum. We observe that the
      presence of such slow phenomena makes it very difficult to perform reliable low
      frequency noise measurements, requiring a stable and repeatable steady-state bias
      point condition, and may explain the sometimes contradictory results that can be
      found in the literature about the dependence of the flicker noise power spectral
      density on gate bias.

PMID- 28912465
TI  - Inhomogeneous phases in coupled electron-hole bilayer graphene sheets: Charge
      Density Waves and Coupled Wigner Crystals.
AB  - Recently proposed accurate correlation energies are used to determine the phase
      diagram of strongly coupled electron-hole graphene bilayers. The control
      parameters of the phase diagram are the charge carrier density and the insulating
      barrier thickness separating the bilayers. In addition to the electron-hole
      superfluid phase we find two new inhomogeneous ground states, a one dimensional
      charge density wave phase and a coupled electron-hole Wigner crystal. The
      elementary crystal structure of bilayer graphene plays no role in generating
      these new quantum phases, which are completely determined by the electrons and
      holes interacting through the Coulomb interaction. The experimental parameters
      for the new phases lie within attainable ranges and therefore coupled electron
      hole bilayer graphene presents itself as an experimental system where novel
      emergent many-body phases can be realized.

PMID- 28912466
TI  - Using a Novel Microfabricated Model of the Alveolar-Capillary Barrier to
      Investigate the Effect of Matrix Structure on Atelectrauma.
AB  - The alveolar-capillary barrier is composed of epithelial and endothelial cells
      interacting across a fibrous extracelluar matrix (ECM). Although remodeling of
      the ECM occurs during several lung disorders, it is not known how fiber structure
      and mechanics influences cell injury during cyclic airway reopening as occurs
      during mechanical ventilation (atelectrauma). We have developed a novel in vitro
      platform that mimics the micro/nano-scale architecture of the alveolar
      microenvironment and have used this system to investigate how ECM microstructural
      properties influence epithelial cell injury during airway reopening. In addition
      to epithelial-endothelial interactions, our platform accounts for the fibrous
      topography of the basal membrane and allows for easy modulation of fiber
      size/diameter, density and stiffness. Results indicate that fiber stiffness and
      topography significantly influence epithelial/endothelial barrier function where
      increased fiber stiffness/density resulted in altered cytoskeletal structure,
      increased tight junction (TJ) formation and reduced barrier permeability.
      However, cells on rigid/dense fibers were also more susceptible to injury during
      airway reopening. These results indicate that changes in the mechanics and
      architecture of the lung microenvironment can significantly alter cell function
      and injury and demonstrate the importance of implementing in vitro models that
      more closely resemble the natural conditions of the lung microenvironment.

PMID- 28912467
TI  - Highly chromophoric Cy5-methionine for N-terminal fluorescent tagging of proteins
      in eukaryotic translation systems.
AB  - Despite significant advances on fluorescent labeling of target proteins to study
      their structural dynamics and function, there has been need for labeling with
      high quantum yield ensuring high sensitivity and selectivity without sacrificing
      the biological function of the protein. Here as a technical advancement over non
      canonical amino acid incorporation, we provided a conceptual design of the N
      terminal fluorescent tagging of proteins. Cy5-labeled methionine (Cy5-Met) was
      chemically synthesized, and then the purified Cy5-Met was coupled with synthetic
      human initiator tRNA by methionine tRNA synthetase. Cy5-Met-initiator tRNA (Cy5
      Met-tRNAi) was purified and transfected into HeLa cells with HIV-Tat plasmid,
      resulting in an efficient production of Cy5-labeled HIV-Tat protein. Based on the
      universal requirement in translational initiation, the approach provides co
      translational incorporation of N-terminal probe to a repertoire of proteins in
      the eukaryote system. This methodology has potential utility in the single
      molecule analysis of human proteins in vitro and in vivo for addressing to their
      complex biological structural and functional dynamics.

PMID- 28912468
TI  - Cytokine-based Predictive Models to Estimate the Probability of Chronic
      Periodontitis: Development of Diagnostic Nomograms.
AB  - Although a distinct cytokine profile has been described in the gingival
      crevicular fluid (GCF) of patients with chronic periodontitis, there is no
      evidence of GCF cytokine-based predictive models being used to diagnose the
      disease. Our objectives were: to obtain GCF cytokine-based predictive models; and
      develop nomograms derived from them. A sample of 150 participants was recruited:
      75 periodontally healthy controls and 75 subjects affected by chronic
      periodontitis. Sixteen mediators were measured in GCF using the Luminex 100TM
      instrument: GMCSF, IFNgamma, IL1alpha, IL1beta, IL2, IL3, IL4, IL5, IL6, IL10,
      IL12p40, IL12p70, IL13, IL17A, IL17F and TNFalpha. Cytokine-based models were
      obtained using multivariate binary logistic regression. Models were selected for
      their ability to predict chronic periodontitis, considering the different role of
      the cytokines involved in the inflammatory process. The outstanding predictive
      accuracy of the resulting smoking-adjusted models showed that IL1alpha, IL1beta
      and IL17A in GCF are very good biomarkers for distinguishing patients with
      chronic periodontitis from periodontally healthy individuals. The predictive
      ability of these pro-inflammatory cytokines was increased by incorporating IFN
      gamma and IL10. The nomograms revealed the amount of periodontitis-associated
      imbalances between these cytokines with pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory
      effects in terms of a particular probability of having chronic periodontitis.

PMID- 28912469
TI  - Softening non-metallic crystals by inhomogeneous elasticity.
AB  - High temperature structural materials must be resistant to cracking and
      oxidation. However, most oxidation resistant materials are brittle and a
      significant reduction in their yield stress is required if they are to be
      resistant to cracking. It is shown, using density functional theory, that if a
      crystal's unit cell elastically deforms in an inhomogeneous manner, the yield
      stress is greatly reduced, consistent with observations in layered compounds,
      such as Ti3SiC2, Nb2Co7, W2B5, Ta2C and Ta4C3. The mechanism by which elastic
      inhomogeneity reduces the yield stress is explained and the effect demonstrated
      in a complex metallic alloy, even though the electronegativity differences within
      the unit cell are less than in the layered compounds. Substantial changes appear
      possible, suggesting this is a first step in developing a simple way of
      controlling plastic flow in non-metallic crystals, enabling materials with a
      greater oxidation resistance and hence a higher temperature capability to be
      used.

PMID- 28912470
TI  - The sensitivity of a radical pair compass magnetoreceptor can be significantly
      amplified by radical scavengers.
AB  - Birds have a remarkable ability to obtain navigational information from the
      Earth's magnetic field. The primary detection mechanism of this compass sense is
      uncertain but appears to involve the quantum spin dynamics of radical pairs
      formed transiently in cryptochrome proteins. We propose here a new version of the
      current model in which spin-selective recombination of the radical pair is not
      essential. One of the two radicals is imagined to react with a paramagnetic
      scavenger via spin-selective electron transfer. By means of simulations of the
      spin dynamics of cryptochrome-inspired radical pairs, we show that the new scheme
      offers two clear and important benefits. The sensitivity to a 50 MUT magnetic
      field is greatly enhanced and, unlike the current model, the radicals can be more
      than 2 nm apart in the magnetoreceptor protein. The latter means that animal
      cryptochromes that have a tetrad (rather than a triad) of tryptophan electron
      donors can still be expected to be viable as magnetic compass sensors. Lifting
      the restriction on the rate of the spin-selective recombination reaction also
      means that the detrimental effects of inter-radical exchange and dipolar
      interactions can be minimised by placing the radicals much further apart than in
      the current model.

PMID- 28912472
TI  - Honeycomb-like ZnO Mesoporous Nanowall Arrays Modified with Ag Nanoparticles for
      Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Activity.
AB  - A new structure of honeycomb-like ZnO mesoporous nanowall arrays (MNWAs) with
      highly efficient photocatalytic activity was designed and successfully
      synthesized on Al foil by hydrothermal method. The nanowalls of ZnO-MNWAs have
      mesopores, which possess a large surface area. The visible light absorption of
      ZnO-MNWAs was efficiently stronger than ZnO nanowire, resulting in that the
      photocatalytic activity of ZnO-MNWAs, whose bandgap energy was 3.12 eV, was 5.97
      times than that of ZnO nanowires in the degradation of methyl orange. Besides, Al
      foil acted as a good electron conductor which was beneficial to the separation of
      photo-induced electron-hole pairs. After modifying ZnO-MNWAs with a proper amount
      of Ag nanoparticles (NPs), photocatalytic activity could be further enhanced. The
      photocatalytic activity of ZnO-MNWAs with the optimal amount of Ag NPs was 9.08
      times than that of ZnO nanowires and 1.52 times than that of pure ZnO-MNWAs.

PMID- 28912471
TI  - Protein-driven RNA nanostructured devices that function in vitro and control
      mammalian cell fate.
AB  - Nucleic acid nanotechnology has great potential for future therapeutic
      applications. However, the construction of nanostructured devices that control
      cell fate by detecting and amplifying protein signals has remained a challenge.
      Here we design and build protein-driven RNA-nanostructured devices that actuate
      in vitro by RNA-binding-protein-inducible conformational change and regulate
      mammalian cell fate by RNA-protein interaction-mediated protein assembly. The
      conformation and function of the RNA nanostructures are dynamically controlled by
      RNA-binding protein signals. The protein-responsive RNA nanodevices are
      constructed inside cells using RNA-only delivery, which may provide a safe tool
      for building functional RNA-protein nanostructures. Moreover, the designed RNA
      scaffolds that control the assembly and oligomerization of apoptosis-regulatory
      proteins on a nanometre scale selectively kill target cells via specific RNA
      protein interactions. These findings suggest that synthetic RNA nanodevices could
      function as molecular robots that detect signals and localize target proteins,
      induce RNA conformational changes, and programme mammalian cellular
      behaviour.Nucleic acid nanotechnology has great potential for future therapeutic
      applications. Here the authors build protein-driven RNA nanostructures that can
      function within mammalian cells and regulate the cell fate.

PMID- 28912473
TI  - Fine-scale harbour seal usage for informed marine spatial planning.
AB  - High-resolution distribution maps can help inform conservation measures for
      protected species; including where any impacts of proposed commercial
      developments overlap the range of focal species. Around Orkney, northern
      Scotland, UK, the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) population has decreased by 78%
      over 20 years. Concern for the declining harbour seal population has led to
      constraints being placed on tidal energy generation developments. For this study
      area, telemetry data from 54 animals tagged between 2003 and 2015 were used to
      produce density estimation maps. Predictive habitat models using GAM-GEEs
      provided robust predictions in areas where telemetry data were absent, and were
      combined with density estimation maps, and then scaled to population levels using
      August terrestrial counts between 2008 and 2015, to produce harbour seal usage
      maps with confidence intervals around Orkney and the North coast of Scotland. The
      selected habitat model showed that distance from haul out, proportion of sand in
      seabed sediment, and annual mean power were important predictors of space use.
      Fine-scale usage maps can be used in consenting and licensing of anthropogenic
      developments to determine local abundance. When quantifying commercial impacts
      through changes to species distributions, usage maps can be spatially explicitly
      linked to individual-based models to inform predicted movement and behaviour.

PMID- 28912474
TI  - Rhus coriaria increases protein ubiquitination, proteasomal degradation and
      triggers non-canonical Beclin-1-independent autophagy and apoptotic cell death in
      colon cancer cells.
AB  - Colorectal cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
      Here, we investigated the anticancer effect of Rhus coriaria extract (RCE) on HT
      29 and Caco-2 human colorectal cancer cells. We found that RCE significantly
      inhibited the viability and colony growth of colon cancer cells. Moreover, RCE
      induced Beclin-1-independent autophagy and subsequent caspase-7-dependent
      apoptosis. Blocking of autophagy by chloroquine significantly reduced RCE-induced
      cell death, while blocking of apoptosis had no effect on RCE-induced cell death.
      Mechanistically, RCE inactivated the AKT/mTOR pathway by promoting the proteasome
      dependent degradation of both proteins. Strikingly, we also found that RCE
      targeted Beclin-1, p53 and procaspase-3 to degradation. Proteasome inhibition by
      MG-132 not only restored these proteins to level comparable to control cells, but
      also reduced RCE-induced cell death and blocked the activation of autophagy and
      apoptosis. The proteasomal degradation of mTOR, which occurred only 3 hours post
      RCE treatment was concomitant with an overall increase in the level of
      ubiquitinated proteins and translated stimulation of proteolysis by the
      proteasome. Our findings demonstrate that Rhus coriaria possesses strong anti
      colon cancer activity through stimulation of proteolysis as well as induction of
      autophagic and apoptotic cell death, making it a potential and valuable source of
      novel therapeutic cancer drug.

PMID- 28912476
TI  - Enstrophy transport conditional on local flow topologies in different regimes of
      premixed turbulent combustion.
AB  - Enstrophy is an intrinsic feature of turbulent flows, and its transport
      properties are essential for the understanding of premixed flame-turbulence
      interaction. The interrelation between the enstrophy transport and flow
      topologies, which can be assigned to eight categories based on the three
      invariants of the velocity-gradient tensor, has been analysed here. The enstrophy
      transport conditional on flow topologies in turbulent premixed flames has been
      analysed using a Direct Numerical Simulation database representing the corrugated
      flamelets (CF), thin reaction zones (TRZ) and broken reaction zones (BRZ)
      combustion regimes. The flame in the CF regime exhibits considerable flame
      generated enstrophy, and the dilatation rate and baroclinic torque contributions
      to the enstrophy transport act as leading order sink and source terms,
      respectively. Consequently, flow topologies associated with positive dilatation
      rate values, contribute significantly to the enstrophy transport in the CF
      regime. By contrast, enstrophy decreases from the unburned to the burned gas side
      for the cases representing the TRZ and BRZ regimes, with diminishing influences
      of dilatation rate and baroclinic torque. The enstrophy transport in the TRZ and
      BRZ regimes is governed by the vortex-stretching and viscous dissipation
      contributions, similar to non-reacting flows, and topologies existing for all
      values of dilatation rate remain significant contributors.

PMID- 28912475
TI  - The Impact of Young Age for Prognosis by Subtype in Women with Early Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - Young age (<=40 years) use to be considered an independent risk factor for the
      prognosis of women with early-stage breast cancer. We conducted a retrospective
      analysis to investigate this claim in a population of young patients who were
      stratified by molecular subtype. We identified 2,125 women with stage I to III
      breast cancer from the Fujian Medical University Union Hospital. Multivariable
      Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the relationship between age
      groups stratified by molecular subtype and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS), 5
      year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and 5-year breast cancer-specific
      survival (BCSS). Median follow-up time was 77 months. Patients <=40 years of age
      presented with a significantly worse 5-year DFS and 5-year DMFS. In stratified
      analyses, young women with luminal A subtype disease were associated with a worse
      5-year DFS, 5-year DMFS, and 5-year BCSS. Women with luminal B (Her2-) tumors
      showed a decrease in 5-year DFS and 5-year DMFS. Our findings support the
      hypothesis that young age seems to be an independent risk factor for the
      prognosis for breast cancer patients with the luminal A and luminal B (Her2-)
      subtypes but not in those with luminal B (Her2+), Her2 over-expression, and
      triple-negative disease.

PMID- 28912477
TI  - Brain barriers and functional interfaces with sequential appearance of ABC efflux
      transporters during human development.
AB  - Adult brain is protected from entry of drugs and toxins by specific mechanisms
      such as ABC (ATP-binding Cassette) efflux transporters. Little is known when
      these appear in human brain during development. Cellular distribution of three
      main ABC transporters (ABCC1, ABCG2, ABCB1) was determined at blood-brain
      barriers and interfaces in human embryos and fetuses in first half of gestation.
      Antibodies against claudin-5 and -11 and antibodies to alpha-fetoprotein were
      used to describe morphological and functional aspects of brain barriers. First
      exchange interfaces to be established, probably at 4-5 weeks post conception, are
      between brain and embryonic cerebrospinal fluid (eCSF) and between outer surface
      of brain anlage and primary meninx. They already exclude alpha-fetoprotein and
      are immunopositive for both claudins, ABCC1 and ABCG2. ABCB1 is detectable within
      a week of blood vessels first penetrating into brain parenchyma (6-7 weeks post
      conception). ABCC1, ABCB1 and ABCG2 are present at blood-CSF barrier in all
      choroid plexuses from first appearance (7 weeks post conception). Outer CSF-brain
      interfaces are established between 9-11 weeks post conception exhibiting
      immunoreactivity for all three transporters. Results provide evidence for
      sequential establishment of brain exchange interfaces and spatial and temporal
      timetable for three main ABC transporters in early human brain.

PMID- 28912478
TI  - The molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in the Comunidad Valenciana (Spain): analysis
      of transmission clusters.
AB  - HIV infections are still a very serious concern for public heath worldwide. We
      have applied molecular evolution methods to study the HIV-1 epidemics in the
      Comunidad Valenciana (CV, Spain) from a public health surveillance perspective.
      For this, we analysed 1804 HIV-1 sequences comprising protease and reverse
      transcriptase (PR/RT) coding regions, sampled between 2004 and 2014. These
      sequences were subtyped and subjected to phylogenetic analyses in order to detect
      transmission clusters. In addition, univariate and multinomial comparisons were
      performed to detect epidemiological differences between HIV-1 subtypes, and risk
      groups. The HIV epidemic in the CV is dominated by subtype B infections among
      local men who have sex with men (MSM). 270 transmission clusters were identified
      (>57% of the dataset), 12 of which included >=10 patients; 11 of subtype B (9
      affecting MSMs) and one (n = 21) of CRF14, affecting predominately intravenous
      drug users (IDUs). Dated phylogenies revealed these large clusters to have
      originated from the mid-80s to the early 00 s. Subtype B is more likely to form
      transmission clusters than non-B variants and MSMs to cluster than other risk
      groups. Multinomial analyses revealed an association between non-B variants,
      which are not established in the local population yet, and different foreign
      groups.

PMID- 28912480
TI  - Genome-wide RAD sequencing data provide unprecedented resolution of the phylogeny
      of temperate bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae).
AB  - The temperate bamboos (tribe Arundinarieae, Poaceae) are strongly supported as
      monophyly in recent molecular studies, but taxonomic delineation and phylogenetic
      relationships within the tribe lack resolution. Here, we sampled 39 species (36
      temperate bamboos and 3 outgroups) for restriction-site associated DNA sequencing
      (RAD-seq) with an emphasis on Phyllostachys clade and related clades. Using the
      largest data matrix for the bamboos to date, we were able to infer phylogenetic
      relationships with unparalleled resolution. The Phyllostachys, Shibataea, and
      Arundinaria clades defined from plastid phylogeny, were not supported as
      monophyletic group. However, the RAD-seq phylogeny largely agreed with the
      morphology-based taxonomy, with two clades having leptomorph rhizomes strongly
      supported as monophyletic group. We also explored two approaches, BWA-GATK (a
      mapping system) and Stacks (a grouping system), for differences in SNP calling
      and phylogeny inference. For the same level of missing data, the BWA-GATK
      pipeline produced much more SNPs in comparison with Stacks. Phylogenetic analyses
      of the largest data matrices from both pipelines, using concatenation and
      coalescent methods provided similar tree topologies, despite the presence of
      missing data. Our study demonstrates the utility of RAD-seq data for elucidating
      phylogenetic relationships between genera and higher taxonomic levels in this
      important but phylogenetically challenging group.

PMID- 28912479
TI  - Late-stage differentiation of embryonic pancreatic beta-cells requires Jarid2.
AB  - Jarid2 is a component of the Polycomb Repressor complex 2 (PRC2), which is
      responsible for genome-wide H3K27me3 deposition, in embryonic stem cells.
      However, Jarid2 has also been shown to exert pleiotropic PRC2-independent actions
      during embryogenesis. Here, we have investigated the role of Jarid2 during
      pancreas development. Conditional ablation of Jarid2 in pancreatic progenitors
      results in reduced endocrine cell area at birth due to impaired endocrine cell
      differentiation and reduced prenatal proliferation. Inactivation of Jarid2 in
      endocrine progenitors demonstrates that Jarid2 functions after endocrine
      specification. Furthermore, genome-wide expression analysis reveals that Jarid2
      is required for the complete activation of the insulin-producing beta-cell
      differentiation program. Jarid2-deficient pancreases exhibit impaired deposition
      of RNAPII-Ser5P, the initiating form of RNAPII, but no changes in H3K27me3, at
      the promoters of affected endocrine genes. Thus, our study identifies Jarid2 as a
      fine-tuner of gene expression during late stages of pancreatic endocrine cell
      development. These findings are relevant for generation of transplantable stem
      cell-derived beta-cells.

PMID- 28912481
TI  - Analytical Property of Scattering Matrix:Spectroscopy Phenomena and Sharp
      Overlapping Autoionization Resonances.
AB  - An extended atomic data base with sufficiently high precision is required in
      astrophysics studies and the energy researches. For example, there are "infinite"
      energy levels in discrete energy region as well as overlapping resonances in
      autoionization region. We show in this paper the merits of our relativistic
      eigenchannel R-matrix method R-R-Eigen based on the analytical continuation
      properties of scattering matrices for the calculations of the energy levels,
      overlapping resonances and the related transitions. Using Ne+ as an illustration
      example, the scattering matrices of Ne+ in both discrete and continuum energy
      regions are calculated by our R-R-Eigen method directly. Based on our proposed
      projected high dimensional quantum-defect graph (symmetrized), one can readily
      determine the accuracies of the calculated scattering matrices using the
      experimental energy levels in a systematical way. The calculated resonant
      photoionization cross sections in the autoionization region are in excellent
      agreement with the benchmark high resolution experiments. With the scattering
      matrices checked/calibrated against spectroscopy data in both discrete and
      continuum energy regions, the relevant dynamical processes should be calculated
      with adequate accuracies. It should then satisfy the needs of the astrophysical
      and energy researches.

PMID- 28912482
TI  - Strong coupling of magnons in a YIG sphere to photons in a planar superconducting
      resonator in the quantum limit.
AB  - We report measurements made at millikelvin temperatures of a superconducting
      coplanar waveguide resonator (CPWR) coupled to a sphere of yttrium-iron garnet.
      Systems hybridising collective spin excitations with microwave photons have
      recently attracted interest for their potential quantum information applications.
      In this experiment the non-uniform microwave field of the CPWR allows coupling to
      be achieved to many different magnon modes in the sphere. Calculations of the
      relative coupling strength of different mode families in the sphere to the CPWR
      are used to successfully identify the magnon modes and their frequencies. The
      measurements are extended to the quantum limit by reducing the drive power until,
      on average, less than one photon is present in the CPWR. Investigating the time
      dependent response of the system to square pulses, oscillations in the output
      signal at the mode splitting frequency are observed. These results demonstrate
      the feasibility of future experiments combining magnonic elements with planar
      superconducting quantum devices.

PMID- 28912483
TI  - Thermal properties of Zn2(C8H4O4)2*C6H12N2 metal-organic framework compound and
      mirror symmetry violation of dabco molecules.
AB  - Thermal properties of Zn2(C8H4O4)2*C6H12N2 metal-organic framework compound at 8
      300 K suggest the possibility of subbarrier tunnelling transitions between left
      twisted (S) and right-twisted (R) forms of C6H12N2 dabco molecules with D3 point
      symmetry. The data agree with those obtained for the temperature behavior of
      nuclear spin-lattice relaxation times. It is shown that there is a temperature
      range where the transitions are stopped. Therefore, Zn2(C8H4O4)2*C6H12N2 and
      related compounds are interesting objects to study the effect of spontaneous
      mirror-symmetry breaking and stabilization of chiral isomeric molecules in solids
      at low temperatures.

PMID- 28912484
TI  - Evaluation of therapeutic potential of the silver/silver chloride nanoparticles
      synthesized with the aqueous leaf extract of Rumex acetosa.
AB  - Silver nanoparticles were green synthesized with the aqueous leaf extract of the
      widely consumed green leafy vegetable, Rumex acetosa (sorrel) and the obtained
      silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were tested for their in vitro antioxidant
      potential, cytotoxicity against human osteosarcoma (HOS) cell lines and
      antibacterial effects against sixteen human pathogenic clinical isolates.
      Different analytical techniques viz. UV-vis, FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX and TEM were
      employed to characterize the synthesized Ag NPs. Surface Plasmon spectra for the
      Ag NPs with brownish black color were centered approximately at 448 nm. FTIR
      analysis revealed the presence of reactive N-H and O-H groups that are effective
      in reducing Ag(I) ions to Ag(0) which then reacted with the contents of the
      extract to AgCl/Ag2C2O4. From SEM and TEM analyses, the particles were found to
      be predominantly spherical in shape and ranged in size from 5 nm to 80 nm, but
      were largely in the range of 15 nm to 20 nm. Ag NPs showed considerable
      antioxidant activity, and all the sixteen clinical isolates of human pathogens
      tested were significantly inhibited. Also, HOS cell lines were significantly (p <
      0.05) inhibited at 25% concentration of the Ag NPs extract, while showing a
      marginal revival at 50% and 100% concentrations.

PMID- 28912486
TI  - The Homologous Recombination Machinery Orchestrates Post-replication DNA Repair
      During Self-renewal of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.
AB  - Embryonic stem (ES) cells require homologous recombination (HR) to cope with
      genomic instability caused during self-renewal. Here, we report expression
      dynamics and localization of endogenous HR factors in DNA break repair of ES
      cells. In addition, we analyzed gene expression patterns of HR-related factors at
      the transcript level with RNA-sequencing experiments. We showed that ES cells
      constitutively expressed diverse HR proteins throughout the cell cycle and that
      HR protein expression was not significantly changed even in the DNA damaging
      conditions. We further analyzed that depleting Rad51 resulted in the accumulation
      of larger single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) gaps, but did not perturb DNA replication,
      indicating that ES cells were able to enter the G2-phase in the presence of
      unrepaired DNA gaps, consistent with the possibility that post-replication repair
      helps avoid stalling at the G2/M checkpoint. Interestingly, caffeine treatment
      inhibited the formation of Rad51 or Rad54 foci, but not the formation of
      gammaH2AX and Exo1 foci, which led to incomplete HR in ssDNA, thus increasing DNA
      damage sensitivity. Our results suggested that ES cells possess conserved HR
      promoting machinery to ensure effective recruitment of the HR proteins to DNA
      breaks, thereby driving proper chromosome duplication and cell cycle progression
      in ES cells.

PMID- 28912485
TI  - Serial millisecond crystallography for routine room-temperature structure
      determination at synchrotrons.
AB  - Historically, room-temperature structure determination was succeeded by cryo
      crystallography to mitigate radiation damage. Here, we demonstrate that serial
      millisecond crystallography at a synchrotron beamline equipped with high
      viscosity injector and high frame-rate detector allows typical crystallographic
      experiments to be performed at room-temperature. Using a crystal scanning
      approach, we determine the high-resolution structure of the radiation sensitive
      molybdenum storage protein, demonstrate soaking of the drug colchicine into
      tubulin and native sulfur phasing of the human G protein-coupled adenosine
      receptor. Serial crystallographic data for molecular replacement already
      converges in 1,000-10,000 diffraction patterns, which we collected in 3 to
      maximally 82 minutes. Compared with serial data we collected at a free-electron
      laser, the synchrotron data are of slightly lower resolution, however fewer
      diffraction patterns are needed for de novo phasing. Overall, the data we
      collected by room-temperature serial crystallography are of comparable quality to
      cryo-crystallographic data and can be routinely collected at synchrotrons.Serial
      crystallography was developed for protein crystal data collection with X-ray free
      electron lasers. Here the authors present several examples which show that serial
      crystallography using high-viscosity injectors can also be routinely employed for
      room-temperature data collection at synchrotrons.

PMID- 28912487
TI  - CScape: a tool for predicting oncogenic single-point mutations in the cancer
      genome.
AB  - For somatic point mutations in coding and non-coding regions of the genome, we
      propose CScape, an integrative classifier for predicting the likelihood that
      mutations are cancer drivers. Tested on somatic mutations, CScape tends to
      outperform alternative methods, reaching 91% balanced accuracy in coding regions
      and 70% in non-coding regions, while even higher accuracy may be achieved using
      thresholds to isolate high-confidence predictions. Positive predictions tend to
      cluster in genomic regions, so we apply a statistical approach to isolate coding
      and non-coding regions of the cancer genome that appear enriched for high
      confidence predicted disease-drivers. Predictions and software are available at
      http://CScape.biocompute.org.uk/ .

PMID- 28912488
TI  - Gene Expression and Methylation Analyses Suggest DCTD as a Prognostic Factor in
      Malignant Glioma.
AB  - Malignant glioma is the most common brain cancer with dismal outcomes. Individual
      variation of the patients' survival times is remarkable. Here, we investigated
      the transcriptome and promoter methylation differences between patients of
      malignant glioma with short (less than one year) and the patients with long (more
      than three years) survival in CGGA (Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas), and validated
      the differences in TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) to identify the genes whose
      expression levels showed high concordance with prognosis of glioma patients, as
      well as played an important role in malignant progression. The gene coding a key
      enzyme in genetic material synthesis, dCMP deaminase (DCTD), was found to be
      significantly correlated with overall survival and high level of DCTD mRNA
      indicated shorter survival of the patients with malignant glioma in different
      databases. Our finding revealed DCTD as an efficient prognostic factor for
      malignant glioma. As DCTD inhibitor gemcitabine has been proposed as an adjuvant
      therapy for malignant glioma, our finding also suggests a therapeutic value of
      gemcitabine for the patients with high expression level of DCTD.

PMID- 28912489
TI  - Incoherent digital holograms acquired by interferenceless coded aperture
      correlation holography system without refractive lenses.
AB  - We present a lensless, interferenceless incoherent digital holography technique
      based on the principle of coded aperture correlation holography. The acquired
      digital hologram by this technique contains a three-dimensional image of some
      observed scene. Light diffracted by a point object (pinhole) is modulated using a
      random-like coded phase mask (CPM) and the intensity pattern is recorded and
      composed as a point spread hologram (PSH). A library of PSHs is created using the
      same CPM by moving the pinhole to all possible axial locations. Intensity
      diffracted through the same CPM from an object placed within the axial limits of
      the PSH library is recorded by a digital camera. The recorded intensity this time
      is composed as the object hologram. The image of the object at any axial plane is
      reconstructed by cross-correlating the object hologram with the corresponding
      component of the PSH library. The reconstruction noise attached to the image is
      suppressed by various methods. The reconstruction results of multiplane and thick
      objects by this technique are compared with regular lens-based imaging.

PMID- 28912490
TI  - The interdependent network of gene regulation and metabolism is robust where it
      needs to be.
AB  - Despite being highly interdependent, the major biochemical networks of the living
      cell-the networks of interacting genes and of metabolic reactions, respectively
      have been approached mostly as separate systems so far. Recently, a framework for
      interdependent networks has emerged in the context of statistical physics. In a
      first quantitative application of this framework to systems biology, here we
      study the interdependent network of gene regulation and metabolism for the model
      organism Escherichia coli in terms of a biologically motivated percolation model.
      Particularly, we approach the system's conflicting tasks of reacting rapidly to
      (internal and external) perturbations, while being robust to minor environmental
      fluctuations. Considering its response to perturbations that are localized with
      respect to functional criteria, we find the interdependent system to be sensitive
      to gene regulatory and protein-level perturbations, yet robust against metabolic
      changes. We expect this approach to be applicable to a range of other
      interdependent networks.Although networks of interacting genes and metabolic
      reactions are interdependent, they have largely been treated as separate systems.
      Here the authors apply a statistical framework for interdependent networks to E.
      coli, and show that it is sensitive to gene and protein perturbations but robust
      against metabolic changes.

PMID- 28912491
TI  - Meiotic arrest with roscovitine and follicular fluid improves cytoplasmic
      maturation of porcine oocytes by promoting chromatin de-condensation and gene
      transcription.
AB  - The developmental capacity of in vitro matured oocytes is inferior to that of the
      in vivo matured ones due to insufficient cytoplasmic maturation. Although great
      efforts were made to accomplish better cytoplasmic maturation by meiotic arrest
      maintenance (MAM) before in vitro maturation (IVM), limited progress has been
      achieved in various species. This study showed that MAM of porcine oocytes was
      better achieved with roscovitine than with dibutyryl cyclic adenosine
      monophosphate (db-cAMP) or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Oocyte developmental
      competence after IVM was significantly improved following MAM in 199 + FF medium
      (TCM-199 containing 10% porcine follicular fluid and 25 uM roscovitine) to a
      level even higher than that in control oocytes matured without pre-MAM.
      Observations on other markers further confirmed the positive effects of MAM in
      199 + FF on oocyte cytoplasmic maturation. During MAM culture in 199 + FF, re
      decondensation (RDC) of condensed chromatin occurred, and transcription of genes
      beneficial to cytoplasmic maturation was evident in some of the oocytes with
      surrounded nucleoli (SN). However, MAM with db-cAMP neither induced RDC nor
      improved oocyte developmental potential. Together, the results suggest that MAM
      in the presence of FF and roscovitine improved the developmental competence of
      porcine oocytes by promoting a pre-GVBD chromatin de-condensation and expression
      of beneficial genes.

PMID- 28912492
TI  - Epicutaneous allergen application preferentially boosts specific T cell responses
      in sensitized patients.
AB  - The effects of epicutaneous allergen administration on systemic immune responses
      in allergic and non-allergic individuals has not been investigated with defined
      allergen molecules. We studied the effects of epicutaneous administration of rBet
      v 1 and rBet v 1 fragments on systemic immune responses in allergic and non
      allergic subjects. We conducted a clinical trial in which rBet v 1 and two
      hypoallergenic rBet v 1 fragments were applied epicutaneously by atopy patch
      testing (APT) to 15 birch pollen (bp) allergic patients suffering from atopic
      dermatitis, 5 bp-allergic patients suffering from rhinoconjunctivitis only, 5
      patients with respiratory allergy without bp allergy and 5 non-allergic
      individuals. Epicutaneous administration of rBet v 1 and rBet v 1 fragments led
      to strong and significant increases of allergen-specific T cell proliferation
      (CLA+ and CCR4+T cell responses) only in bp-allergic patients with a positive APT
      reaction. There were no relevant changes of Bet v 1-specific IgE and IgG
      responses. No changes were noted in allergic subjects without bp allergy and in
      non-allergic subjects. Epicutaneous allergen application boosts specific T cell
      but not antibody responses mainly in allergic, APT-positive patients suggesting
      IgE-facilitated allergen presentation as mechanism for its effects on systemic
      allergen-specific immune responses.

PMID- 28912493
TI  - Synthesis of flower-like magnetite nanoassembly: Application in the efficient
      reduction of nitroarenes.
AB  - A facile approach for the synthesis of magnetite microspheres with flower-like
      morphology is reported that proceeds via the reduction of iron(III) oxide under a
      hydrogen atmosphere. The ensuing magnetic catalyst is well characterized by XRD,
      FE-SEM, TEM, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, and Mossbauer spectroscopy and
      explored for a simple yet efficient transfer hydrogenation reduction of a variety
      of nitroarenes to respective anilines in good to excellent yields (up to 98%)
      employing hydrazine hydrate. The catalyst could be easily separated at the end of
      a reaction using an external magnet and can be recycled up to 10 times without
      any loss in catalytic activity.

PMID- 28912494
TI  - Oxytocin Receptor Polymorphisms are Differentially Associated with Social
      Abilities across Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
AB  - Oxytocin is a pituitary neuropeptide that affects social behaviour. Single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) have been
      shown to explain some variability in social abilities in control populations.
      Whether these variants similarly contribute to the severity of social deficits
      experienced by children with neurodevelopmental disorders is unclear. Social
      abilities were assessed in a group of children with autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD, n = 341) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n = 276) using
      two established social measures. Scores were compared by OXTR genotype (rs53576,
      rs237887, rs13316193, rs2254298). Unexpectedly, the two most frequently studied
      OXTR SNPs in the general population (rs53576 and rs2254298) were associated with
      an increased severity of social deficits in ASD (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0005), yet
      fewer social deficits in ADHD (p = 0.007 and p < 0.0001). We conclude that these
      genetic modifier alleles are not inherently risk-conferring with respect to their
      impact on social abilities; molecular investigations are greatly needed.

PMID- 28912496
TI  - A Magnetometer Based on a Spin Wave Interferometer.
AB  - We describe a magnetic field sensor based on a spin wave interferometer. Its
      sensing element consists of a magnetic cross junction with four micro-antennas
      fabricated at the edges. Two of these antennas are used for spin wave excitation
      while two other antennas are used for detection of the inductive voltage produced
      by the interfering spin waves. Two waves propagating in the orthogonal arms of
      the cross may accumulate significantly different phase shifts depending on the
      magnitude and direction of the external magnetic field. This phenomenon is
      utilized for magnetic field sensing. The sensitivity attains its maximum under
      the destructive interference condition, where a small change in the external
      magnetic field results in a drastic increase of the inductive voltage, as well as
      in the change of the output phase. We report experimental data obtained for a
      micrometer scale Y3Fe2(FeO4)3 cross structure. The change of the inductive
      voltage near the destructive interference point exceeds 40 dB per 1 Oe. The phase
      of the output signal exhibits a pi-phase shift within 1 Oe. The data are
      collected at room temperature. Taking into account the low thermal noise in
      ferrite structures, we estimate that the maximum sensitivity of the spin wave
      magnetometer may exceed attotesla.

PMID- 28912495
TI  - Global organization of a binding site network gives insight into evolution and
      structure-function relationships of proteins.
AB  - The global organization of protein binding sites is analyzed by constructing a
      weighted network of binding sites based on their structural similarities and
      detecting communities of structurally similar binding sites based on the minimum
      description length principle. The analysis reveals that there are two central
      binding site communities that play the roles of the network hubs of smaller
      peripheral communities. The sizes of communities follow a power-law distribution,
      which indicates that the binding sites included in larger communities may be
      older and have been evolutionary structural scaffolds of more recent ones.
      Structurally similar binding sites in the same community bind to diverse ligands
      promiscuously and they are also embedded in diverse domain structures.
      Understanding the general principles of binding site interplay will pave the way
      for improved drug design and protein design.

PMID- 28912497
TI  - Selective antibody activation through protease-activated pro-antibodies that mask
      binding sites with inhibitory domains.
AB  - Systemic injection of therapeutic antibodies may cause serious adverse effects
      due to on-target toxicity to the antigens expressed in normal tissues. To improve
      the targeting selectivity to the region of disease sites, we developed protease
      activated pro-antibodies by masking the binding sites of antibodies with
      inhibitory domains that can be removed by proteases that are highly expressed at
      the disease sites. The latency-associated peptide (LAP), C2b or CBa of complement
      factor 2/B were linked, through a substrate peptide of matrix metalloproteinase-2
      (MMP-2), to an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody and an anti
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) antibody. Results showed that all the
      inhibitory domains could be removed by MMP-2 to restore the binding activities of
      the antibodies. LAP substantially reduced (53.8%) the binding activity of the
      anti-EGFR antibody on EGFR-expressing cells, whereas C2b and CBa were ineffective
      (21% and 9.3% reduction, respectively). Similarly, LAP also blocked 53.9% of the
      binding activity of the anti-TNF-alpha antibody. Finally, molecular dynamic
      simulation showed that the masking efficiency of LAP, C2b and CBa was 33.7%,
      10.3% and -5.4%, respectively, over the binding sites of the antibodies. This
      strategy may aid in designing new protease-activated pro-antibodies that attain
      high therapeutic potency yet reduced systemic on-target toxicity.

PMID- 28912498
TI  - Reproducible and scalable purification of extracellular vesicles using combined
      bind-elute and size exclusion chromatography.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a pivotal role in cell-to-cell communication
      and have been shown to take part in several physiological and pathological
      processes. EVs have traditionally been purified by ultracentrifugation (UC),
      however UC has limitations, including resulting in, operator-dependant yields, EV
      aggregation and altered EV morphology, and moreover is time consuming. Here we
      show that commercially available bind-elute size exclusion chromatography (BE
      SEC) columns purify EVs with high yield (recovery ~ 80%) in a time-efficient
      manner compared to current methodologies. This technique is reproducible and
      scalable, and surface marker analysis by bead-based flow cytometry revealed
      highly similar expression signatures compared with UC-purified samples.
      Furthermore, uptake of eGFP labelled EVs in recipient cells was comparable
      between BE-SEC and UC samples. Hence, the BE-SEC based EV purification method
      represents an important methodological advance likely to facilitate robust and
      reproducible studies of EV biology and therapeutic application.

PMID- 28912499
TI  - Role of Dopamine D2 Receptor in Stress-Induced Myelin Loss.
AB  - Dopaminergic systems play a major role in reward-related behavior and
      dysregulation of dopamine (DA) systems can cause several mental disorders,
      including depression. We previously reported that dopamine D2 receptor knockout
      (D2R-/-) mice display increased anxiety and depression-like behaviors upon
      chronic stress. Here, we observed that chronic stress caused myelin loss in wild
      type (WT) mice, while the myelin level in D2R-/- mice, which was already lower
      than that in WT mice, was not affected upon stress. Fewer mature oligodendrocytes
      (OLs) were observed in the corpus callosum of stressed WT mice, while in D2R-/-
      mice, both the control and stressed group displayed a decrease in the number of
      mature OLs. We observed a decrease in the number of active beta-catenin (ABC)
      expressing and TCF4-expressing cells among OL lineage cells in the corpus
      callosum of stressed WT mice, while such regulation was not found in D2R-/- mice.
      Administration of lithium normalized the behavioral impairments and myelin damage
      induced by chronic stress in WT mice, and restored the number of ABC-positive and
      TCF4-positive OLs, while such effect was not found in D2R-/- mice. Together, our
      findings indicate that chronic stress induces myelin loss through the Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling pathway in association with DA signaling through D2R.

PMID- 28912500
TI  - Dynamic Changes in the Splenic Transcriptome of Chickens during the Early
      Infection and Progress of Marek's Disease.
AB  - Gallid alphaherpesvirus 2 (GaHV2) is an oncogenic avian herpesvirus inducing
      Marek's disease (MD) and rapid-onset T-cell lymphomas. To reveal molecular events
      in MD pathogenesis and tumorigenesis, the dynamic splenic transcriptome of GaHV2
      infected chickens during early infection and pathogenic phases has been
      determined utilizing RNA-seq. Based on the significant differentially expressed
      genes (DEGs), analysis of gene ontology, KEGG pathway and protein-protein
      interaction network has demonstrated that the molecular events happening during
      GaHV2 infection are highly relevant to the disease course. In the 'Cornell Model'
      description of MD, innate immune responses and inflammatory responses were
      established at early cytolytic phase but persisted until lymphoma formation.
      Humoral immunity in contrast began to play a role firstly in the intestinal
      system and started at late cytolytic phase. Neurological damage caused by GaHV2
      is first seen in early cytolytic phase and is then sustained throughout the
      following phases over a long time period. During the proliferative phase many
      pathways associated with transcription and/or translation were significantly
      enriched, reflecting the cell transformation and lymphoma formation. Our work
      provides an overall view of host responses to GaHV2 infection and offers a
      meaningful basis for further studies of MD biology.

PMID- 28912501
TI  - Transcription regulation of CDKN1A (p21/CIP1/WAF1) by TRF2 is epigenetically
      controlled through the REST repressor complex.
AB  - We observed extra-telomeric binding of the telomere repeat binding factor TRF2
      within the promoter of the cyclin-dependent kinase CDKNIA (p21/CIP1/WAF1). This
      result in TRF2 induced transcription repression of p21. Interestingly, p21
      repression was through engagement of the REST-coREST-LSD1-repressor complex and
      altered histone marks at the p21 promoter in a TRF2-dependent fashion.
      Furthermore, mutational analysis shows p21 repression requires interaction of
      TRF2 with a p21 promoter G-quadruplex. Physiologically, TRF2-mediated p21
      repression attenuated drug-induced activation of cellular DNA damage response by
      evading G2/M arrest in cancer cells. Together these reveal for the first time
      role of TRF2 in REST- repressor complex mediated transcription repression.

PMID- 28912502
TI  - Caloric restriction delays age-related methylation drift.
AB  - In mammals, caloric restriction consistently results in extended lifespan.
      Epigenetic information encoded by DNA methylation is tightly regulated, but shows
      a striking drift associated with age that includes both gains and losses of DNA
      methylation at various sites. Here, we report that epigenetic drift is conserved
      across species and the rate of drift correlates with lifespan when comparing
      mice, rhesus monkeys, and humans. Twenty-two to 30-year-old rhesus monkeys
      exposed to 30% caloric restriction since 7-14 years of age showed attenuation of
      age-related methylation drift compared to ad libitum-fed controls such that their
      blood methylation age appeared 7 years younger than their chronologic age. Even
      more pronounced effects were seen in 2.7-3.2-year-old mice exposed to 40% caloric
      restriction starting at 0.3 years of age. The effects of caloric restriction on
      DNA methylation were detectable across different tissues and correlated with gene
      expression. We propose that epigenetic drift is a determinant of lifespan in
      mammals.Caloric restriction has been shown to increase lifespan in mammals. Here,
      the authors provide evidence that age-related methylation drift correlates with
      lifespan and that caloric restriction in mice and rhesus monkeys results in
      attenuation of age-related methylation drift.

PMID- 28912503
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs in
      experimental and human temporal lobe epilepsy.
AB  - Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a common chronic neurological disease in humans.
      A number of studies have demonstrated differential expression of miRNAs in the
      hippocampus of humans with TLE and in animal models of experimental epilepsy.
      However, the dissimilarities in experimental design have led to largely
      discordant results across these studies. Thus, a comprehensive comparison is
      required in order to better characterize miRNA profiles obtained in various post
      status epilepticus (SE) models. We therefore created a database and performed a
      meta-analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs across 3 post-SE models of
      epileptogenesis (electrical stimulation, pilocarpine and kainic acid) and human
      TLE with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS). The database includes data from 11
      animal post-SE studies and 3 human TLE-HS studies. A total of 378 differentially
      expressed miRNAs were collected (274 up-regulated and 198 down-regulated) and
      analyzed with respect to the post-SE model, time point and animal species. We
      applied the novel robust rank aggregation method to identify consistently
      differentially expressed miRNAs across the profiles. It highlighted common and
      unique miRNAs at different stages of epileptogenesis. The pathway analysis
      revealed involvement of these miRNAs in key pathogenic pathways underlying
      epileptogenesis, including inflammation, gliosis and deregulation of the
      extracellular matrix.

PMID- 28912504
TI  - Qubit-mediated deterministic nonlinear gates for quantum oscillators.
AB  - Quantum nonlinear operations for harmonic oscillator systems play a key role in
      the development of analog quantum simulators and computers. Since strong highly
      nonlinear operations are often unavailable in the existing physical systems, it
      is a common practice to approximate them by using conditional measurement-induced
      methods. The conditional approach has several drawbacks, the most severe of which
      is the exponentially decreasing success rate of the strong and complex nonlinear
      operations. We show that by using a suitable two level system sequentially
      interacting with the oscillator, it is possible to resolve these issues and
      implement a nonlinear operation both nearly deterministically and nearly
      perfectly. We explicitly demonstrate the approach by constructing self-Kerr and
      cross-Kerr couplings in a realistic situation, which require a feasible
      dispersive coupling between the two-level system and the oscillator.

PMID- 28912505
TI  - Biomimetic Silica Nanoparticles Prepared by a Combination of Solid-Phase
      Imprinting and Ostwald Ripening.
AB  - Herein we describe the preparation of molecularly imprinted silica nanoparticles
      by Ostwald ripening in the presence of molecular templates immobilised on glass
      beads (the solid-phase). To achieve this, a seed material (12 nm diameter silica
      nanoparticles) was incubated in phosphate buffer in the presence of the solid
      phase. Phosphate ions act as a catalyst in the ripening process which is driven
      by differences in surface energy between particles of different size, leading to
      the preferential growth of larger particles. Material deposited in the vicinity
      of template molecules results in the formation of sol-gel molecular imprints
      after around 2 hours. Selective washing and elution allows the higher affinity
      nanoparticles to be isolated. Unlike other strategies commonly used to prepare
      imprinted silica nanoparticles this approach is extremely simple in nature and
      can be performed under physiological conditions, making it suitable for
      imprinting whole proteins and other biomacromolecules in their native
      conformations. We have demonstrated the generic nature of this method by
      preparing imprinted silica nanoparticles against targets of varying molecular
      mass (melamine, vancomycin and trypsin). Binding to the imprinted particles was
      demonstrated in an immunoassay (ELISA) format in buffer and complex media (milk
      or blood plasma) with sub-nM detection ability.

PMID- 28912506
TI  - Role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and its receptors in diesel exhaust particle
      induced pulmonary inflammation.
AB  - Inhalation of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) induces an inflammatory reaction in
      the lung. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that operates by
      binding to tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) and tumor necrosis factor
      receptor 2 (TNFR2). The role of TNF-alpha signaling and the importance of either
      TNFR1 or TNFR2 in the DEP-induced inflammatory response has not yet been
      elucidated. TNF-alpha knockout (KO), TNFR1 KO, TNFR2 KO, TNFR1/TNFR2 double KO
      (TNFR-DKO) and wild type (WT) mice were intratracheally exposed to saline or DEP.
      Pro-inflammatory cells and cytokines were assessed in the bronchoalveolar lavage
      fluid (BALF). Exposure to DEP induced a dose-dependent inflammation in the BALF
      in WT mice. In addition, levels of TNF-alpha and its soluble receptors were
      increased upon exposure to DEP. The DEP-induced inflammation in the BALF was
      decreased in TNF-alpha KO, TNFR-DKO and TNFR2 KO mice. In contrast, the
      inflammatory response in the BALF of DEP-exposed TNFR1 KO mice was largely
      comparable with WT controls. In conclusion, these data provide evidence for a
      regulatory role of TNF-alpha in DEP-induced pulmonary inflammation and identify
      TNFR2 as the most important receptor in mediating these inflammatory effects.

PMID- 28912507
TI  - Fast-track development of an in vitro 3D lung/immune cell model to study
      Aspergillus infections.
AB  - To study interactions of airborne pathogens, e.g. Aspergillus (A.) fumigatus with
      upper and lower respiratory tract epithelial and immune cells, we set up a
      perfused 3D human bronchial and small airway epithelial cell system. Culturing of
      normal human bronchial or small airway epithelial (NHBE, SAE) cells under air
      liquid interphase (ALI) and perfusion resulted in a significantly accelerated
      development of the lung epithelia associated with higher ciliogenesis, cilia
      movement, mucus-production and improved barrier function compared to growth under
      static conditions. Following the accelerated differentiation under perfusion,
      epithelial cells were transferred into static conditions and antigen-presenting
      cells (APCs) added to study their functionality upon infection with A. fumigatus.
      Fungi were efficiently sensed by apically applied macrophages or basolaterally
      adhered dendritic cells (DCs), as illustrated by phagocytosis, maturation and
      migration characteristics. We illustrate here that perfusion greatly improves
      differentiation of primary epithelial cells in vitro, which enables fast-track
      addition of primary immune cells and significant shortening of experimental
      procedures. Additionally, co-cultured primary DCs and macrophages were fully
      functional and fulfilled their tasks of sensing and sampling fungal pathogens
      present at the apical surface of epithelial cells, thereby promoting novel
      possibilities to study airborne infections under conditions mimicking the in vivo
      situation.

PMID- 28912508
TI  - Use of anthropogenic linear features by two medium-sized carnivores in reserved
      and agricultural landscapes.
AB  - Many carnivores are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. These changes
      create linear features and habitat edges that can facilitate foraging and/or
      travel. To understand the significance of anthropogenic linear features in the
      ecology of carnivores, fine-scaled studies are needed. We studied two medium
      sized carnivores: the endangered Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) and the
      near threatened spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), in a mixed landscape
      of conservation and agricultural land. Using GPS tracking, we investigated their
      use of intact habitat versus linear features such as roads, fences and the
      pasture/cover interface. Both species showed a positive selection for
      anthropogenic linear features, using the pasture/cover interface for foraging and
      roads for movement and foraging. Devils travelled along fence lines, while quolls
      showed little preference for them. Otherwise, both species foraged in forest and
      travelled through pasture. While devils and quolls can utilise anthropogenic
      linear features, we suggest that their continued survival in these habitats may
      depend on the intensity of other threats, e.g. persecution, and providing that
      sufficient intact habitat remains to sustain their ecological needs. We suggest
      that the management of both species and probably many other species of carnivores
      should focus on controlling mortality factors associated with human use of
      landscapes.

PMID- 28912509
TI  - Aspirin inhibits LPS-induced macrophage activation via the NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) has been shown to improve bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cell-based calvarial bone regeneration by promoting osteogenesis
      and inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. However, it remains unknown whether aspirin
      influences other immune cells during bone formation. In the present study, we
      investigated whether ASA treatment influenced macrophage activation during the
      LPS inducement. We found that ASA could downregulate the expressions of iNOS and
      TNF-alpha both in mouse peritoneum macrophages and RAW264.7 cells induced by LPS
      via the IkappaK/IkappaB/NF-kappaB pathway and a COX2/PGE2/EP2/NF-kappaB feedback
      loop, without affecting the expressions of FIZZ/YM-1/ARG1 induced by IL-4.
      Furthermore, we created a rat mandibular bone defect model and showed that ASA
      treatment improved bone regeneration by inhibiting LPS-induced macrophage
      activation in the early stages of inflammation. Taken together, our results
      indicated that ASA treatment was a feasible strategy for improving bone
      regeneration, particularly in inflammatory conditions.

PMID- 28912510
TI  - The Th1/Th17 balance dictates the fibrosis response in murine radiation-induced
      lung disease.
AB  - Radiotherapy can result in lung diseases pneumonitis or fibrosis dependent on
      patient susceptibility. Herein we used inbred and genetically altered mice to
      investigate whether the tissue adaptive immune response to radiation injury
      influences the development of radiation-induced lung disease. Six inbred mouse
      strains were exposed to 18 Gy whole thorax irradiation and upon respiratory
      distress strains prone to pneumonitis with fibrosis presented an increased
      pulmonary frequency of Thelper (Th)17 cells which was not evident in strains
      prone solely to pneumonitis. The contribution of Th17 cells to fibrosis
      development was supported as the known enhanced fibrosis of toll-like receptor
      2&4 deficient mice, compared to C57BL/6J mice, occurred with earlier onset
      neutrophilia, and with increased levels of pulmonary Th17, but not Th1, cells
      following irradiation. Irradiated Il17-/- mice lacked Th17 cells, and were spared
      both fibrosis and pneumonitis, as they survived to the end of the experiment with
      a significantly increased pulmonary Th1 cell frequency, only. Interferon-gamma-/-
      mice, deficient in Th1 cells, developed a significantly enhanced fibrosis
      response compared to that of C57BL/6J mice. The tissue adaptive immune response
      influences the pulmonary disease response to radiotherapy, as an increased Th17
      cell frequency enhanced and a Th1 response spared, fibrosis in mice.

PMID- 28912511
TI  - Outcomes of adjuvant epithelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors
      (EGFR-TKIs) treatment for EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer: a propensity
      score analysis.
AB  - Small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have transformed the management
      of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring activating epithelial
      growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, while the efficacy of TKIs in the
      adjuvant setting remains unclear. We collected the data of 209 EGFR-mutant NSCLC
      patients receiving complete resection from 2010 to 2013. Study end points were
      disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Among the eligible
      patients, 41 (19.6%) received EGFR TKIs in the adjuvant treatment. The 3-year DFS
      of adjuvant EGFR TKIs treatment group (70.5%, 95% CI, 54.6-86.4%) was
      significantly superior that control group (50.2%, 95% CI, 40-60.4%; log-rank P =
      0.014). TKIs treatment (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.97; P = 0.04) was significantly
      associated with improved DFS in multivariate Cox analysis. No significant
      difference was observed in 3-year OS between two groups (73.1% [58.0-88.2%] vs
      61.8% [52.2-71.4%], log-rank P = 0.21). Propensity-score matching further
      confirmed that adjuvant TKIs treatment extended the DFS (log-rank P = 0.024), but
      did not improve OS (log-rank P = 0.40). Our analysis revealed that adjuvant EGFR
      TKIs treatment was beneficial for early-stage NSCLC patients harboring activating
      EGFR mutations after complete resection.

PMID- 28912512
TI  - Assessing individual risk for AMD with genetic counseling, family history, and
      genetic testing.
AB  - PurposeThe goal was to develop a simple model for predicting the individual risk
      profile for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on the basis of genetic
      information, disease family history, and smoking habits.Patients and methodsThe
      study enrolled 151 AMD patients following specific clinical and environmental
      inclusion criteria: age >55 years, positive family history for AMD, presence of
      at least one first-degree relative affected by AMD, and smoking habits. All of
      the samples were genotyped for rs1061170 (CFH) and rs10490924 (ARMS2) with a
      TaqMan assay, using a 7500 Fast Real Time PCR device. Statistical analysis was
      subsequently employed to calculate the real individual risk (OR) based on the
      genetic data (ORgn), family history (ORf), and smoking habits (ORsm).Results and
      conclusionThe combination of ORgn, ORf, and ORsm allowed the calculation of the
      Ort that represented the realistic individual risk for developing AMD. In this
      report, we present a computational model for the estimation of the individual
      risk for AMD. Moreover, we show that the average distribution of risk alleles in
      the general population and the knowledge of parents' genotype can be decisive to
      assess the real disease risk. In this contest, genetic counseling is crucial to
      provide the patients with an understanding of their individual risk and the
      availability for preventive actions.

PMID- 28912513
TI  - Comment on 'A review of 145 234 ophthalmic patient episodes lost to follow-up'.

PMID- 28912514
TI  - Retinal changes following rapid ascent to a high-altitude environment.
AB  - PurposeTo determine what impact rapid ascension to a high-altitude environment
      has on the retina with the aim of preventing and treating high-altitude
      oculopathy.Patients and methodsParticipants in the study were members of the
      Chinese military assigned to the high-altitude environment of the Tibetan
      plateau. Ninety-one participants were enrolled in the study. Optical coherence
      tomography was used to measure the thickness of retina-related indicators.
      Measurements were taken before and after exposure to the high-altitude
      environment and upon return to the baseline altitude.ResultsFollowing exposure to
      the high-altitude environment in Tibet, there was a significant increase in
      retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in the temporal and nasal quadrants of
      the optic disc, whilst a significant decrease in RNFL thickness in the inferior
      optic disc was also observed. A significant increase in RNFL thickness in the
      superior and inferior macula was also evident, along with a significant increase
      in the ganglion cell layer thickness in the superior macula. Upon return to the
      baseline altitude, all measurements returned to baseline levels except for the
      RNFL of the inferior macula, which was significantly thicker. Pathological
      changes were also documented in the eyes of nine participants upon returning to
      baseline altitude, including ischemic optic neuropathy, myopia, and cortical
      amaurosis.ConclusionsThe high-altitude environment can have a negative impact on
      the health of the retina and may contribute to the incidence of various eye
      diseases. This study deepens the understanding of what impact a high-altitude
      environment has on retina and provides reliable data for blindness prevention and
      treatment.

PMID- 28912515
TI  - Screening for vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy in South India: comparing
      portable non-mydriatic and standard fundus cameras and clinical exam.
AB  - PurposeTo evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a portable non-mydriatic
      fundus camera to diagnose vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR).Patients
      and methodsA prospective, single-site, comparative instrument validation study
      was undertaken at the Aravind Eye Care System. Overall, 155 subjects with and
      without diabetes were recruited. Images from 275 eyes were obtained with the (1)
      non-mydriatic Smartscope, (2) mydriatic Smartscope, and (3) mydriatic table-top
      camera of the macular, nasal, and superotemporal fields. A retina specialist
      performed a dilated fundus examination (DFE), (reference standard). Two masked
      retina specialists graded the images. Sensitivity and specificity to detect VTDR
      with the undilated Smartscope was calculated compared to DFE.ResultsGraders 1 and
      2 had a sensitivity of 93% (95% confidence interval (CI): 87-97%) and 88% (95%
      CI: 81-93%) and a specificity of 84% (95% CI: 77-89%) and 90% (95% CI: 84-94%),
      respectively, in diagnosing VTDR with the undilated Smartscope compared to DFE.
      Compared with the dilated Topcon images, graders 1 and 2 had sensitivity of 88%
      (95% CI: 81-93%) and 82% (95% CI: 73-88%) and specificity of 99% (95% CI: 96
      100%) and 99% (95% CI: 95-100%).ConclusionsRemote graders had high sensitivity
      and specificity in diagnosing VTDR with undilated Smartscope images, suggesting
      utility where portability is a necessity.

PMID- 28912516
TI  - Choroidal thickness measurements in children with isolated growth hormone
      deficiency.
AB  - PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the choroidal thickness measurement
      values in cases with isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD), to compare them
      with the healthy control group by using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence
      tomography (EDI-OCT), and to evaluate the effect of growth hormone (GH) treatment
      on choroid.Patients and methodsIn this study, 23 cases who were diagnosed with
      IGHD as a study group and 46 healthy subjects as a control group were included.
      All patients and controls underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination,
      including an examination with EDI-OCT. Choroidal thickness (CT) was measured at
      the fovea and at 1000 MUm intervals from the foveal center in both temporal and
      nasal directions.ResultsThe mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was
      329.04+/-88.49 MUm in the cases with IGHD and 365.35+/-50.48 MUm in the control
      group (P=0.033). The mean CT at temporal 1 and 2 mm were thinner in the IGHD
      group than that of control group (P=0.033 and P=0.043, respectively). Nasal
      quadrant measurements were also found to be thinner in the IGHD cases than that
      of control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. We found
      a significant positive correlation between pubertal staging and SFCT (rs=0.607,
      P=0.006). There was no statistically significant difference in CT values of the
      study group between before and 12 months after GH treatment
      (P>0.05).ConclusionThis study shows patients with IGHD has a thinner CT when
      compared with healthy pediatric cases. GH treatment seems to be not associated
      with the choroidal development.

PMID- 28912517
TI  - Reply to Anitua et al: Searching for the best blood-derived eye drops.

PMID- 28912519
TI  - Response to: 'Comment on A review of 145 234 ophthalmic patient episodes lost to
      follow-up'.

PMID- 28912518
TI  - Trainee-led research networks in ophthalmology: is this the way forward?

PMID- 28912520
TI  - Intraoperative intorsional traction test of the inferior oblique.
AB  - PurposeWe present a novel variation of the traction test of the inferior oblique
      (IO) muscle. We demonstrate the correlation between the traction test and
      clinically graded IO overaction and describe the utility of this test to confirm
      IO weakening.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review on all patients who
      underwent IO surgery and intraoperative intorsion traction tests by a single
      surgeon over a 10-year period. We compared the traction test results, in 'clock
      hours' of freedom, before and after IO surgery. We correlated the torsion test at
      start of surgery with clinical observed IO overaction (scale 0 to +4) in 67 IO
      operations (56 myectomies, 6 anterior transpositions, 4 myotomies, and 1
      recession) and compared to a control group of 23 eyes with minimal or no IO
      overaction.ResultsThe mean intorsion freedom in the eyes undergoing IO surgery
      was less than in control eyes (1.63 vs 1.89 clock hour; P<0.00005). There was a
      significant inverse relationship between grading of clinical IO action and the
      intorsion test result (Pearson rank coefficient, (r=-0.45; P<0.00001)). Myectomy
      produced the greatest change in torsion freedom (mean 1.32 clock hour), with all
      myectomies showing at least 1 clock hour extra freedom after the
      surgery.ConclusionsThe intorsion traction test confirmed that the IO stiffness
      correlated with pre-operative IO overaction grade. While it can be helpful in
      confirming that the entire IO muscle was weakened, it does not substitute for the
      careful inspection at the end of surgery to ensure there are no remaining IO
      fibers.

PMID- 28912521
TI  - Advanced glycation end-product (AGE)-albumin from activated macrophage is
      critical in human mesenchymal stem cells survival and post-ischemic reperfusion
      injury.
AB  - Post-ischemic reperfusion injury (PIRI) triggers an intense inflammatory response
      which is essential for repair but is also implicated in pathogenesis of post
      ischemic remodeling in several organs in human. Stem cell therapy has recently
      emerged as a promising method for treatment of PIRI in human. However,
      satisfactory results have not been reported due to severe loss of injected stem
      cells in PIRI including critical limb ischemia (CLI). For investigating the
      advanced glycation end-product-albumin (AGE-albumin) from activated macrophages
      is critical in both muscle cell and stem cell death, we evaluated the recovery of
      PIRI-CLI by injection of human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBD
      MSCs) with or without soluble receptor for AGEs (sRAGE). Our results showed that
      activated M1 macrophages synthesize and secrete AGE-albumin, which induced the
      skeletal muscle cell death and injected hBD-MSCs in PIRI-CLI through RAGE
      increase. Combined injection of sRAGE and hBD-MSCs resulted in enhanced survival
      of hBD-MSCs and angiogenesis in PIRI-CLI mice. Taken together, AGE-albumin from
      activated macrophages is critical for both skeletal muscle cell and hBD-MSCs
      death in PIRI-CLI. Therefore, the inhibition of AGE-albumin from activated
      macrophages could be a successful therapeutic strategy for treatment of PIRI
      including CLI with or without stem cell therapy.

PMID- 28912522
TI  - Human histone deacetylase 6 shows strong preference for tubulin dimers over
      assembled microtubules.
AB  - Human histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is the major deacetylase responsible for
      removing the acetyl group from Lys40 of alpha-tubulin (alphaK40), which is
      located lumenally in polymerized microtubules. Here, we provide a detailed
      kinetic analysis of tubulin deacetylation and HDAC6/microtubule interactions
      using individual purified components. Our data unequivocally show that free
      tubulin dimers represent the preferred HDAC6 substrate, with a K M value of 0.23
      uM and a deacetylation rate over 1,500-fold higher than that of assembled
      microtubules. We attribute the lower deacetylation rate of microtubules to both
      longitudinal and lateral lattice interactions within tubulin polymers. Using TIRF
      microscopy, we directly visualized stochastic binding of HDAC6 to assembled
      microtubules without any detectable preferential binding to microtubule tips.
      Likewise, indirect immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that microtubule
      deacetylation by HDAC6 is carried out stochastically along the whole microtubule
      length, rather than from the open extremities. Our data thus complement prior
      studies on tubulin acetylation and further strengthen the rationale for the
      correlation between tubulin acetylation and microtubule age.

PMID- 28912523
TI  - Enhanced paramagnetism of mesoscopic graphdiyne by doping with nitrogen.
AB  - The new two-dimensional graphitic material, graphdiyne, has attracted great
      interest recently due to the superior intrinsic semiconductor properties. Here we
      investigate the magnetism of pure graphdiyne material and find it demonstrating a
      remarkable paramagnetic characteristic, which can be attributed to the appearance
      of special sp-hybridized carbon atoms. On this basis, we further introduce
      nitrogen with 5.29% N/C ratio into graphdiyne followed by simply annealing in a
      dopant source and realize a twofold enhancement of saturation moment at 2 K.
      Associate with the density of states calculation, we investigate the influence of
      the nitrogen atom doping sites on paramagnetism, and further reveal the important
      role of doped nitrogen atom on benzene ring in improving local magnetic moment.
      These results can not only help us deeply understand the intrinsic magnetism of
      graphdiyne, but also open an efficient way to improve magnetism of graphdiyne by
      hetero atom doping, like nitrogen doping, which may promote the potential
      application of graphdiyne in spintronics.

PMID- 28912524
TI  - Precise insertion and guided editing of higher plant genomes using Cpf1 CRISPR
      nucleases.
AB  - Precise genome editing of plants has the potential to reshape global agriculture
      through the targeted engineering of endogenous pathways or the introduction of
      new traits. To develop a CRISPR nuclease-based platform that would enable higher
      efficiencies of precise gene insertion or replacement, we screened the Cpf1
      nucleases from Francisella novicida and Lachnospiraceae bacterium ND2006 for
      their capability to induce targeted gene insertion via homology directed repair.
      Both nucleases, in the presence of a guide RNA and repairing DNA template flanked
      by homology DNA fragments to the target site, were demonstrated to generate
      precise gene insertions as well as indel mutations at the target site in the rice
      genome. The frequency of targeted insertion for these Cpf1 nucleases, up to 8%,
      is higher than most other genome editing nucleases, indicative of its effective
      enzymatic chemistry. Further refinements and broad adoption of the Cpf1 genome
      editing technology have the potential to make a dramatic impact on plant
      biotechnology.

PMID- 28912525
TI  - Pulse Transit Time Based Continuous Cuffless Blood Pressure Estimation: A New
      Extension and A Comprehensive Evaluation.
AB  - Cuffless technique enables continuous blood pressure (BP) measurement in an
      unobtrusive manner, and thus has the potential to revolutionize the conventional
      cuff-based approaches. This study extends the pulse transit time (PTT) based
      cuffless BP measurement method by introducing a new indicator - the
      photoplethysmogram (PPG) intensity ratio (PIR). The performance of the models
      with PTT and PIR was comprehensively evaluated in comparison with six models that
      are based on sole PTT. The validation conducted on 33 subjects with and without
      hypertension, at rest and under various maneuvers with induced BP changes, and
      over an extended calibration interval, respectively. The results showed that,
      comparing to the PTT models, the proposed methods achieved better accuracy on
      each subject group at rest state and over 24 hours calibration interval. Although
      the BP estimation errors under dynamic maneuvers and over extended calibration
      interval were significantly increased for all methods, the proposed methods still
      outperformed the compared methods in the latter situation. These findings suggest
      that additional BP-related indicator other than PTT has added value for improving
      the accuracy of cuffless BP measurement. This study also offers insights into
      future research in cuffless BP measurement for tracking dynamic BP changes and
      over extended periods of time.

PMID- 28912526
TI  - MPZL1 forms a signalling complex with GRB2 adaptor and PTPN11 phosphatase in HER2
      positive breast cancer cells.
AB  - HER2/ErbB2 is overexpressed in a significant fraction of breast tumours and is
      associated with a poor prognosis. The adaptor protein GRB2 interacts directly
      with activated HER2 and is sufficient to transmit oncogenic signals. However, the
      consequence of HER2 activation on global GRB2 signalling networks is poorly
      characterized. We performed GRB2 affinity purification combined with mass
      spectrometry analysis of associated proteins in a HER2+ breast cancer model to
      delineate GRB2-nucleated protein interaction networks. We report the
      identification of the transmembrane protein MPZL1 as a new GRB2-associated
      protein. Our data show that the PTPN11 tyrosine phosphatase acts as a scaffold to
      bridge the association between GRB2 and MPZL1 in a phosphotyrosine-dependent
      manner. We further demonstrate that the formation of this MPZL1-PTPN11-GRB2
      complex is triggered by cell attachment to fibronectin. Thus, our data support
      the importance of this new signalling complex in the control of cell adhesion of
      HER2+ breast cancer cells, a key feature of the metastatic process.

PMID- 28912527
TI  - Treatment with Caffeic Acid and Resveratrol Alleviates Oxidative Stress Induced
      Neurotoxicity in Cell and Drosophila Models of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type3.
AB  - Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is caused by the expansion of a
      polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat in the protein ataxin-3 which is involved in
      susceptibility to mild oxidative stress induced neuronal death. Here we show that
      caffeic acid (CA) and resveratrol (Res) decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS),
      mutant ataxin-3 and apoptosis and increased autophagy in the pro-oxidant tert
      butyl hydroperoxide (tBH)-treated SK-N-SH-MJD78 cells containing mutant ataxin-3.
      Furthermore, CA and Res improved survival and locomotor activity and decreased
      mutant ataxin-3 and ROS levels in tBH-treated SCA3 Drosophila. CA and Res also
      altered p53 and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation and expression in
      tBH-treated cell and fly models of SCA3, respectively. Blockade of NF-kappaB
      activation annulled the protective effects of CA and Res on apoptosis, ROS, and
      p53 activation in tBH-treated SK-N-SH-MJD78 cells, which suggests the importance
      of restoring NF-kappaB activity by CA and Res. Our findings suggest that CA and
      Res may be useful in the management of oxidative stress induced neuronal
      apoptosis in SCA3.

PMID- 28912528
TI  - Extracellular vesicles derived from T regulatory cells suppress T cell
      proliferation and prolong allograft survival.
AB  - We have previously shown that rat allogeneic DC, made immature by adenoviral gene
      transfer of the dominant negative form of IKK2, gave rise in-vitro to a unique
      population of CD4+CD25- regulatory T cells (dnIKK2-Treg). These cells inhibited
      Tcell response in-vitro, without needing cell-to-cell contact, and induced kidney
      allograft survival prolongation in-vivo. Deep insight into the mechanisms behind
      dnIKK2-Treg-induced suppression of Tcell proliferation remained elusive. Here we
      document that dnIKK2-Treg release extracellular vesicles (EV) riched in exosomes,
      fully accounting for the cell-contact independent immunosuppressive activity of
      parent cells. DnIKK2-Treg-EV contain a unique molecular cargo of specific miRNAs
      and iNOS, which, once delivered into target cells, blocked cell cycle progression
      and induced apoptosis. DnIKK2-Treg-EV-exposed T cells were in turn converted into
      regulatory cells. Notably, when administered in-vivo, dnIKK2-Treg-EV prolonged
      kidney allograft survival. DnIKK2-Treg-derived EV could be a tool for
      manipulating the immune system and for discovering novel potential
      immunosuppressive molecules in the context of allotransplantation.

PMID- 28912529
TI  - Evasion of regulatory phosphorylation by an alternatively spliced isoform of
      Musashi2.
AB  - The Musashi family of RNA binding proteins act to promote stem cell self-renewal
      and oppose cell differentiation predominantly through translational repression of
      mRNAs encoding pro-differentiation factors and inhibitors of cell cycle
      progression. During tissue development and repair however, Musashi repressor
      function must be dynamically regulated to allow cell cycle exit and
      differentiation. The mechanism by which Musashi repressor function is attenuated
      has not been fully established. Our prior work indicated that the Musashi1
      isoform undergoes site-specific regulatory phosphorylation. Here, we demonstrate
      that the canonical Musashi2 isoform is subject to similar regulated site-specific
      phosphorylation, converting Musashi2 from a repressor to an activator of target
      mRNA translation. We have also characterized a novel alternatively spliced,
      truncated isoform of human Musashi2 (variant 2) that lacks the sites of
      regulatory phosphorylation and fails to promote translation of target mRNAs.
      Consistent with a role in opposing cell cycle exit and differentiation,
      upregulation of Musashi2 variant 2 was observed in a number of cancers and
      overexpression of the Musashi2 variant 2 isoform promoted cell transformation.
      These findings indicate that alternately spliced isoforms of the Musashi protein
      family possess distinct functional and regulatory properties and suggest that
      differential expression of Musashi isoforms may influence cell fate decisions.

PMID- 28912530
TI  - ROS induced distribution of mitochondria to filopodia by Myo19 depends on a class
      specific tryptophan in the motor domain.
AB  - The role of the actin cytoskeleton in relation to mitochondria function and
      dynamics is only recently beginning to be recognized. Myo19 is an actin-based
      motor that is bound to the outer mitochondrial membrane and promotes the
      localization of mitochondria to filopodia in response to glucose starvation.
      However, how glucose starvation induces mitochondria localization to filopodia,
      what are the dynamics of this process and which enzymatic adaptation allows the
      translocation of mitochondria to filopodia are not known. Here we show that
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) mimic and mediate the glucose starvation induced
      phenotype. In addition, time-lapse fluorescent microscopy reveals that ROS
      induced Myo19 motility is a highly dynamic process which is coupled to filopodia
      elongation and retraction. Interestingly, Myo19 motility is inhibited by back-to
      consensus-mutation of a unique residue of class XIX myosins in the motor domain.
      Kinetic analysis of the purified mutant Myo19 motor domain reveals that the duty
      ratio (time spent strongly bound to actin) is highly compromised in comparison to
      that of the WT motor domain, indicating that Myo19 unique motor properties are
      necessary to propel mitochondria to filopodia tips. In summary, our study
      demonstrates the contribution of actin-based motility to the mitochondrial
      localization to filopodia by specific cellular cues.

PMID- 28912531
TI  - TGF-a1-induced miR-503 controls cell growth and apoptosis by targeting PDCD4 in
      glioblastoma cells.
AB  - Aberrant expression of microRNAs hae been shown to be closely associated with
      glioblastoma cell proliferation, apoptosis and drug resistance. However,
      mechanisms underlying the role of mcroRNAs in glioblastoma cell growth and
      apoptosis are not fully understood. In this study, we report that miR-503 is
      overexpressed in glioblastoma tissue compared with normal human brain tissue.
      Mechanistically, miR-503 can be induced by TGF-a1 at the transcriptional level by
      binding the smad2/3 binding elements in the promoter. Ectopic overexpression of
      miR-503 promotes cell growth and inhibits apoptosis by targeting PDCD4. In
      contrast, inhibition of miR-503 reduces cell growth. Furthermore, miR-503
      inhibitor augments the growth inhibitory effect of temozolomide in glioblastoma
      cells. These results establish miR-503 as a promising molecular target for
      glioblastoma therapy.

PMID- 28912532
TI  - Chronic kidney disease is associated with poorer in-hospital outcomes in patients
      hospitalized with infections: Electronic record analysis from China.
AB  - Predominantly based on studies from high-income countries, reduced estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) has been associated with increased risk of
      infections and infection-related hospitalizations (IRHs). We here explore in
      hospital outcomes of IRHs in patients with different kidney function. A total of
      6,283 adults, not on renal replacement therapy, with a discharge diagnosis of
      infection, and with an eGFR 1-12 months before index hospitalization, were
      included from four hospitals in China. We compared in-hospital outcomes (death,
      intensive care unit (ICU) admission, length of hospital stay (LOHS) and medical
      expenses), between patients with and without chronic kidney disease (CKD, defined
      as eGFR <= 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 of body surface area) by mixed-effects logistic
      regression model or generalized linear model. The odds for in-hospital mortality
      (adjusted odds ratios (OR) = 1.41; 95% CI 1.02-1.96) and ICU admission (OR =
      2.18; 95% CI 1.64-2.91) were higher among patients with CKD. The median LOHS was
      significantly higher for CKD patients (11 days vs. 10 days in non-CKD, P <
      0.001), and inferred costs were 20.0% higher adjusted for inflation rate based on
      costs in 2012 (P < 0.001). Patients with CKD hospitalized with infections are at
      increased risk of poorer in-hospital outcomes, conveying higher medical costs.

PMID- 28912533
TI  - Oral fibroblasts modulate the macrophage response to bacterial challenge.
AB  - Tissue damage in chronic periodontal disease is driven by the host response to a
      dysbiotic microbiota, and not by bacteria directly. Among chronic inflammatory
      diseases of the oral cavity, inflammation and tissue damage around dental
      implants (peri-implantitis) is emerging as a major clinical challenge, since it
      is more severe and less responsive to treatment compared to inflammation around
      natural teeth. We tested whether oral fibroblasts from the periodontal ligament
      (PDLF), which are present around natural teeth but not around dental implants,
      actively regulate inflammatory responses to bacterial stimulation. We show that
      human PDLF down-regulate TNF-alpha post-transcriptionally in macrophages
      stimulated with the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. Cell contact and
      secretion of IL-6 and IL-10 contribute to the modulation of inflammatory cytokine
      production. Although fibroblasts decreased TNF-alpha secretion, they enhanced the
      ability of macrophages to phagocytose bacteria. Surprisingly, donor matched oral
      fibroblasts from gingival tissues, or fibroblasts from peri-implant inflamed
      tissues were at least as active as PDLF in regulating macrophage responses to
      bacteria. In addition, priming fibroblasts with inflammatory mediators enhanced
      PDLF regulatory activity. A further understanding of the spectrum of fibroblast
      activities in inflammatory lesions is important in order to design ways to
      control inflammatory tissue damage.

PMID- 28912534
TI  - Multisegmented Nanowires: a Step towards the Control of the Domain Wall
      Configuration.
AB  - Cylindrical nanowires synthesized by controlled electrodeposition constitute
      excellent strategic candidates to engineer magnetic domain configurations. In
      this work, multisegmented CoNi/Ni nanowires are synthesized for tailoring a
      periodic magnetic structure determined by the balance between magnetocrystalline
      and magnetostatic energies. High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy
      confirms the segmented growth and the sharp transition between layers. Although
      both CoNi and Ni segments have similar fcc cubic crystal symmetry, their magnetic
      configuration is quite different as experimentally revealed by Magnetic Force
      Microscopy (MFM) imaging. While the Ni segments are single domain with axial
      magnetization direction, the CoNi segments present two main configurations: a
      single vortex state or a complex multivortex magnetic configuration, which is
      further interpreted with the help of micromagnetic simulations. This original
      outcome is ascribed to the tight competition between anisotropies. The almost
      monocrystalline fcc structure of the CoNi segments, as revealed by the electron
      diffraction patterns, which is atypical for its composition, contributes to
      balance the magnetocrystalline and shape anisotropies. The results of MFM
      measurements performed under in-plane magnetic field demonstrate that it is
      possible to switch from the multivortex configuration to a single vortex
      configuration with low magnetic fields.

PMID- 28912535
TI  - Molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of the sigma-1 receptor in
      methamphetamine-mediated microglial polarization.
AB  - Our previous study demonstrated that the sigma-1 receptor is involved in
      methamphetamine-induced microglial apoptosis and death; however, whether the
      sigma-1 receptor is involved in microglial activation as well as the molecular
      mechanisms underlying this process remains poorly understood. The aim of this
      study is to demonstrate the involvement of the sigma-1 receptor in
      methamphetamine-mediated microglial activation. The expression of sigma-1R, iNOS,
      arginase and SOCS was examined by Western blot; activation of cell signaling
      pathways was detected by Western blot analysis. The role of sigma-1R in
      microglial activation was further validated in C57BL/6 N WT and sigma-1 receptor
      knockout mice (male, 6-8 weeks) injected intraperitoneally with saline or
      methamphetamine (30 mg/kg) by Western blot combined with immunostaining specific
      for Iba-1. Treatment of cells with methamphetamine (150 MUM) induced the
      expression of M1 markers (iNOS) with concomitant decreased the expression of M2
      markers (Arginase) via its cognate sigma-1 receptor followed by ROS generation.
      Sequential activation of the downstream MAPK, Akt and STAT3 pathways resulted in
      microglial polarization. Blockade of sigma-1 receptor significantly inhibited the
      generation of ROS and activation of the MAPK and Akt pathways. These findings
      underscore the critical role of the sigma-1 receptor in methamphetamine-induced
      microglial activation.

PMID- 28912536
TI  - Predictive and prognostic value of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MR imaging
      in patients with advanced cervical cancers undergoing concurrent chemo
      radiotherapy.
AB  - By using the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model, the diffusion-related
      coefficient (D) and the perfusion-related parameter (f) can be obtained
      simultaneously. Here, we explored the application of IVIM MR imaging in
      predicting long-term prognosis in patients with advanced cervical cancers treated
      with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT). In this study, pelvic MR examinations
      including an IVIM sequence were performed on 30 women with advanced cervical
      cancers at three time points (within 2 weeks before, as well as 2 and 4 weeks
      after, the initiation of CCRT). The performance of tumour size and IVIM-derived
      parameters in predicting long-term prognosis was evaluated. After a median follow
      up of 24 months (range, 10~34 months), 25/30 (83.33%) patients were alive, and
      21/30 (70.00%) remained free of disease. A shrinkage rate of maximum diameter
      (time point 1 vs. 3) >= 58.31% was useful in predicting a good long-term
      prognosis. The IVIM-derived apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCIVIM) value at
      time point 2 and the ADCIVIM and f values at time point 3 also performed well in
      predicting a good prognosis, with AUC of 0.767, 0.857 and 0.820, respectively.
      IVIM MR imaging has great potential in predicting long-term prognosis in patients
      with advanced cervical cancers treated with CCRT.

PMID- 28912537
TI  - Hybrid Ag nanowire transparent conductive electrodes with randomly oriented and
      grid-patterned Ag nanowire networks.
AB  - To improve the electrical properties of silver nanowire (Ag NW) transparent
      conductive electrodes (TCEs), the density of Ag NW networks should be increased,
      to increase the number of percolation paths. However, because of the inverse
      relationship between optical transmittance and electrical resistivity, the
      optical properties of Ag NW TCEs deteriorate with increasing density of the Ag NW
      network. In this study, a hybrid Ag NW electrode composed of randomly oriented
      and grid-patterned Ag NW networks is demonstrated. The hybrid Ag NW electrodes
      exhibit significantly improved sheet resistances and slightly decreased
      transmittances compared to randomly oriented Ag NW networks. Hybrid Ag NW TCEs
      show excellent mechanical flexibilities and durabilities in bending tests with a
      5 mm radius of curvature. Moreover, flexible transparent film heaters (TFHs)
      based on the hybrid Ag NW electrodes show elevated maximum temperatures relative
      to TFHs based on randomly oriented Ag NW electrodes, when operated at the same
      input voltages.

PMID- 28912538
TI  - Decoupled dynamic magnetic field measurements improves diffusion-weighted
      magnetic resonance images.
AB  - Field probes are miniature receiver coils with localized NMR-active samples
      inside. They are useful in monitoring magnetic field. This information can be
      used to improve magnetic resonance image quality. While field probes are coupled
      to each other marginally in most applications, this coupling can cause incorrect
      resonance frequency estimates and image reconstruction errors. Here, we propose a
      method to reduce the coupling between field probes in order to improve the
      accuracy of magnetic field estimation. An asymmetric sensitivity matrix
      describing the coupling between channels of field probes and NMR active droplets
      within field probes was empirically measured. Localized signal originating from
      each probe was derived from the product of the inverse of the sensitivity matrix
      and the coupled probe measurements. This method was used to estimate maps of
      dynamic magnetic fields in diffusion weighted MRI. The estimated fields using
      decoupled probe measurement led to images more robust to eddy currents caused by
      diffusion sensitivity gradients along different directions.

PMID- 28912539
TI  - Diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPIC) displays broad-spectrum bactericidal
      activity.
AB  - Indiscriminate use of antibiotics globally has lead to an increase in emergence
      of drug-resistant pathogens under both nosocomial, as well as more worryingly, in
      community setting as well. Further, a decrease in the corporate interest and
      financial commitment has exerted increasing pressure on a rapidly dwindling
      antimicrobial drug discovery and developmental program. In this context, we have
      screened the Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds (LOPAC, Sigma) against
      Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis to identify potent novel
      antimicrobial molecules amongst non-antibiotic molecules. Microplate-based whole
      cell growth assay was performed to analyze the antimicrobial potency of the
      compounds against Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We
      identified diphenyleneiodonium chloride, a potent inhibitor of NADH/NADPH
      oxidase, as a broad-spectrum antibiotic potently active against drug resistant
      strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Intriguingly,
      the diphenyleneiodonium chloride was also very effective against slow-growing non
      replicating Mtb persisters. FIC index demonstrated a strongly synergistic
      interaction between diphenyleneiodonium chloride and Rifampicin while it did not
      interact with INH. The antimicrobial property of the diphenyleneiodonium chloride
      was further validated in vivo murine neutropenic thigh S. aureus infection model.
      Taken together, these findings suggest that Diphenyleneiodonium chloride can be
      potentially repurposed for the treatment of tuberculosis and staphylococcal
      infections.

PMID- 28912540
TI  - SOX9 Regulates Cancer Stem-Like Properties and Metastatic Potential of Single
      Walled Carbon Nanotube-Exposed Cells.
AB  - Engineered nanomaterials hold great promise for the future development of
      innovative products but their adverse health effects are a major concern. Recent
      studies have indicated that certain nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes
      (CNTs), may be carcinogenic. However, the underlying mechanisms behind their
      potential malignant properties remain unclear. In this study, we linked SOX9, a
      stem cell associated transcription factor, to the neoplastic-like properties of
      human lung epithelial cells chronically exposed to a low-dose of single-walled
      carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). We found that SOX9 is upregulated in SWCNT-exposed
      cells, which is consistent with their abilities to induce tumor formation and
      metastasis in vivo. We therefore hypothesized that SOX9 overexpression may be
      responsible for the neoplastic-like phenotype observed in our model. Indeed, SOX9
      knockdown inhibited anchorage-independent cell growth in vitro and lung
      colonization in vivo in a mouse xenograft model. SOX9 depletion also suppressed
      the formation of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), as determined by tumor sphere
      formation and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity (Aldefluor) assays.
      Furthermore, SOX9 knockdown suppressed tumor metastasis and the expression of the
      stem cell marker ALDH1A1. Taken together, our findings provide a mechanistic
      insight into SWCNT-induced carcinogenesis and the role of SOX9 in CSC regulation
      and metastasis.

PMID- 28912541
TI  - Coprophagous features in carnivorous Nepenthes plants: a task for ureases.
AB  - Most terrestrial carnivorous plants are specialized on insect prey digestion to
      obtain additional nutrients. Few species of the genus Nepenthes developed
      mutualistic relationships with mammals for nitrogen supplementation. Whether
      dietary changes require certain enzymatic composition to utilize new sources of
      nutrients has rarely been tested. Here, we investigated the role of urease for
      Nepenthes hemsleyana that gains nitrogen from the bat Kerivoula hardwickii while
      it roosts inside the pitchers. We hypothesized that N. hemsleyana is able to use
      urea from the bats' excrements. In fact, we demonstrate that 15N-enriched urea
      provided to Nepenthes pitchers is metabolized and its nitrogen is distributed
      within the plant. As ureases are necessary to degrade urea, these hydrolytic
      enzymes should be involved. We proved the presence and enzymatic activity of a
      urease for Nepenthes plant tissues. The corresponding urease cDNA from N.
      hemsleyana was isolated and functionally expressed. A comprehensive phylogenetic
      analysis for eukaryotic ureases, including Nepenthes and five other carnivorous
      plants' taxa, identified them as canonical ureases and reflects the plant
      phylogeny. Hence, this study reveals ureases as an emblematic example for an
      efficient, low-cost but high adaptive plasticity in plants while developing a
      further specialized lifestyle from carnivory to coprophagy.

PMID- 28912542
TI  - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the left dorsolateral
      premotor cortex (dPMC) interferes with rhythm reproduction.
AB  - Movement timing in the sub-second range engages a brain network comprising
      cortical and sub-cortical areas. The present study aims at investigating the
      functional significance of the left dorsolateral premotor cortex (dPMC) for
      precise movement timing as determined by sensorimotor synchronization and rhythm
      reproduction. To this end, 18 healthy volunteers performed an auditorily paced
      synchronization-continuation task with the right hand. A simple reaction time
      task served as control condition. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
      was applied over the left dPMC in order to modulate cortical excitability either
      with anodal or cathodal polarity or as sham stimulation. TDCS was applied for 10
      minutes, respectively on separate days. For the continuation task the analysis
      revealed significantly smaller inter-tap intervals (ITIs) following cathodal tDCS
      suggesting movement hastening as well as a trend towards larger ITIs following
      anodal stimulation suggesting movement slowing. No significant effect was found
      following sham stimulation. Neither for synchronization nor for reaction time
      tasks significant polarity-specific effects emerged. The data suggest the causal
      involvement of the dPMC in temporally precisereproduction of isochronous rhythms
      rather than sensorimotor synchronization. The present findings support the
      hypothesis that different cortical brain areas within the motor-control-network
      distinctively contribute to movement timing in the sub-second range.

PMID- 28912543
TI  - Inhibition of fucosylation by 2-fluorofucose suppresses human liver cancer HepG2
      cell proliferation and migration as well as tumor formation.
AB  - Core fucosylation is one of the most important glycosylation events in the
      progression of liver cancer. For this study, we used an easily handled L-fucose
      analog, 2-fluoro-L-fucose (2FF), which interferes with the normal synthesis of
      GDP-fucose, and verified its potential roles in regulating core fucosylation and
      cell behavior in the HepG2 liver cancer cell line. Results obtained from lectin
      blot and flow cytometry analysis clearly showed that 2FF treatment dramatically
      inhibited core fucosylation, which was also confirmed via mass spectrometry
      analysis. Cell proliferation and integrin-mediated cell migration were
      significantly suppressed in cells treated with 2FF. We further analyzed cell
      colony formation in soft agar and tumor xenograft efficacy, and found that both
      were greatly suppressed in the 2FF-treated cells, compared with the control
      cells. Moreover, the treatment with 2FF decreased the core fucosylation levels of
      membrane glycoproteins such as EGF receptor and integrin beta1, which in turn
      suppressed downstream signals that included phospho-EGFR, -AKT, -ERK, and -FAK.
      These results clearly described the roles of 2FF and the importance of core
      fucosylation in liver cancer progression, suggesting 2FF shows promise for use in
      the treatment of hepatoma.

PMID- 28912544
TI  - Development of chloroplast genome resources for peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and
      other species of Arachis.
AB  - ABSRACT: Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed and cash crop
      worldwide. Wild Arachis spp. are potental sources of novel genes for the genetic
      improvement of cultivated peanut. Understanding the genetic relationships with
      cultivated peanut is important for the efficient use of wild species in breeding
      programmes. However, for this genus, only a few genetic resources have been
      explored so far. In this study, new chloroplast genomic resources have been
      developed for the genus Arachis based on whole chloroplast genomes from seven
      species that were sequenced using next-generation sequencing technologies. The
      chloroplast genomes ranged in length from 156,275 to 156,395 bp, and their gene
      contents, gene orders, and GC contents were similar to those for other Fabaceae
      species. Comparative analyses among the seven chloroplast genomes revealed 643
      variable sites that included 212 singletons and 431 parsimony-informative sites.
      We also identified 101 SSR loci and 85 indel mutation events. Thirty-seven SSR
      loci were found to be polymorphic by in silico comparative analyses. Eleven
      highly divergent DNA regions, suitable for phylogenetic and species
      identification, were detected in the seven chloroplast genomes. A molecular
      phylogeny based on the complete chloroplast genome sequences provided the best
      resolution of the seven Arachis species.

PMID- 28912545
TI  - The Cacna1h mutation in the GAERS model of absence epilepsy enhances T-type Ca2+
      currents by altering calnexin-dependent trafficking of Cav3.2 channels.
AB  - Low-voltage-activated T-type calcium channels are essential contributors to the
      functioning of thalamocortical neurons by supporting burst-firing mode of action
      potentials. Enhanced T-type calcium conductance has been reported in the Genetic
      Absence Epilepsy Rat from Strasbourg (GAERS) and proposed to be causally related
      to the overall development of absence seizure activity. Here, we show that
      calnexin, an endoplasmic reticulum integral membrane protein, interacts with the
      III-IV linker region of the Cav3.2 channel to modulate the sorting of the channel
      to the cell surface. We demonstrate that the GAERS missense mutation located in
      the Cav3.2 III-IV linker alters the Cav3.2/calnexin interaction, resulting in an
      increased surface expression of the channel and a concomitant elevation in
      calcium influx. Our study reveals a novel mechanism that controls the expression
      of T-type channels, and provides a molecular explanation for the enhancement of T
      type calcium conductance in GAERS.

PMID- 28912546
TI  - Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Maintains Glycolysis-driven Growth in
      Drosophila Tumors.
AB  - Tumors frequently fail to pass on all their chromosomes correctly during cell
      division, and this chromosomal instability (CIN) causes irregular aneuploidy and
      oxidative stress in cancer cells. Our objective was to test knockdowns of
      metabolic enzymes in Drosophila to find interventions that could exploit the
      differences between normal and CIN cells to block CIN tumor growth without
      harming the host animal. We found that depleting by RNAi or feeding the host
      inhibitors against phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) was able to block
      the growth of CIN tissue in a brat tumor explant model. Increasing NAD+ or
      oxidising cytoplasmic NADH was able to rescue the growth of PEPCK depleted
      tumors, suggesting a problem in clearing cytoplasmic NADH. Consistent with this,
      blocking the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle blocked tumor growth, as well as
      lowering ROS levels. This work suggests that proliferating CIN cells are
      particularly vulnerable to inhibition of PEPCK, or its metabolic network, because
      of their compromised redox status.

PMID- 28912548
TI  - Phylogenetic implications of nuclear rRNA IGS variation in Stipa L. (Poaceae).
AB  - The article takes up the problem of deficiency of molecular marker, which could
      illustrate molecular variability as well as phylogenetic relation within the
      genus of Stipa L. (Poaceae). Researches made so far hadn't delivered sufficient
      information about relationships between particular taxa from the genus of Stipa.
      In the present study, we analyzed variability and phylogenetic informativeness of
      nuclear ribosomal DNA in six species from the genus against five other species
      from Poaceae including a division of this region into functional elements and
      domains. Our results showed that the intergenic spacer region, and especially its
      part adjacent to 26 S nrDNA, is a molecular marker giving a real chance for a
      phylogeny reconstruction of Stipa. The region seems to be the most
      phylogenetically informative for Stipa from all the chloroplast and nuclear
      markers tested so far. Comparative analysis of nrDNA repeat units from Stipa to
      other representatives of Poaceae showed that their structure does not deviate
      from the general scheme. However, the rate of evolution within the inter-repeats
      in the IGS region is extremely high and therefore it predestines the region for
      phylogenetic analyses of Stipa at genus level or in shallower taxonomic scale.

PMID- 28912547
TI  - A systematic exploration of the interactions between bacterial effector proteins
      and host cell membranes.
AB  - Membrane-bound organelles serve as platforms for the assembly of multi-protein
      complexes that function as hubs of signal transduction in eukaryotic cells.
      Microbial pathogens have evolved virulence factors that reprogram these host
      signaling responses, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly
      understood. Here we test the ability of ~200 type III and type IV effector
      proteins from six Gram-negative bacterial species to interact with the eukaryotic
      plasma membrane and intracellular organelles. We show that over 30% of the
      effectors localize to yeast and mammalian cell membranes, including a subset of
      previously uncharacterized Legionella effectors that appear to be able to
      regulate yeast vacuolar fusion. A combined genetic, cellular, and biochemical
      approach supports that some of the tested bacterial effectors can bind to
      membrane phospholipids and may regulate membrane trafficking. Finally, we show
      that the type III effector IpgB1 from Shigella flexneri may bind to acidic
      phospholipids and regulate actin filament dynamics.Microbial pathogens secrete
      effector proteins into host cells to affect cellular functions. Here, the authors
      use a yeast-based screen to study around 200 effectors from six bacterial
      species, showing that over 30% of them interact with the eukaryotic plasma
      membrane or intracellular organelles.

PMID- 28912549
TI  - Synthesis of ammonia using sodium melt.
AB  - Research into inexpensive ammonia synthesis has increased recently because
      ammonia can be used as a hydrogen carrier or as a next generation fuel which does
      not emit CO2. Furthermore, improving the efficiency of ammonia synthesis is
      necessary, because current synthesis methods emit significant amounts of CO2. To
      achieve these goals, catalysts that can effectively reduce the synthesis
      temperature and pressure, relative to those required in the Haber-Bosch process,
      are required. Although several catalysts and novel ammonia synthesis methods have
      been developed previously, expensive materials or low conversion efficiency have
      prevented the displacement of the Haber-Bosch process. Herein, we present novel
      ammonia synthesis route using a Na-melt as a catalyst. Using this route, ammonia
      can be synthesized using a simple process in which H2-N2 mixed gas passes through
      the Na-melt at 500-590  degrees C under atmospheric pressure. Nitrogen molecules
      dissociated by reaction with sodium then react with hydrogen, resulting in the
      formation of ammonia. Because of the high catalytic efficiency and low-cost of
      this molten-Na catalyst, it provides new opportunities for the inexpensive
      synthesis of ammonia and the utilization of ammonia as an energy carrier and next
      generation fuel.

PMID- 28912550
TI  - Calcium-Mediated Adhesion of Nanomaterials in Reservoir Fluids.
AB  - Globally, a small percentage of oil is recovered from reservoirs using primary
      and secondary recovery mechanisms, and thus a major focus of the oil industry is
      toward developing new technologies to increase recovery. Many new technologies
      utilize surfactants, macromolecules, and even nanoparticles, which are difficult
      to deploy in harsh reservoir conditions and where failures cause material
      aggregation and sticking to rock surfaces. To combat these issues, typically
      material properties are adjusted, but recent studies show that adjusting the
      dispersing fluid chemistry could have significant impact on material
      survivability. Herein, the effect of injection fluid salinity and composition on
      nanomaterial fate is explored using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results
      show that the calcium content in reservoir fluids affects the interactions of an
      AFM tip with a calcite surface, as surrogates for nanomaterials interacting with
      carbonate reservoir rock. The extreme force sensitivity of AFM provides the
      ability to elucidate small differences in adhesion at the pico-Newton (pN) level
      and provides direct information about material survivability. Increasing the
      calcium content mitigates adhesion at the pN-scale, a possible means to increase
      nanomaterial survivability in oil reservoirs or to control nanomaterial fate in
      other aqueous environments.

PMID- 28912551
TI  - The antipsychotic drugs olanzapine and haloperidol modify network connectivity
      and spontaneous activity of neural networks in vitro.
AB  - Impaired neural synchronization is a hallmark of psychotic conditions such as
      schizophrenia. It has been proposed that schizophrenia-related cognitive deficits
      are caused by an unbalance of reciprocal inhibitory and stimulatory signaling.
      This supposedly leads to decreased power of induced gamma oscillations during the
      performance of cognitive tasks. In light of this hypothesis an efficient
      antipsychotic treatment should modify the connectivity and synchronization of
      local neural circuits. To address this issue, we investigated a model of
      hippocampal neuronal networks in vitro. Inhibitory and excitatory innervation of
      GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons was quantified using immunocytochemical
      markers and an automated routine to estimate network connectivity. The first
      generation (FGA) and second generation (SGA) antipsychotic drugs haloperidol and
      olanzapine, respectively, differentially modified the density of synaptic inputs.
      Based on the observed synapse density modifications, we developed a computational
      model that reliably predicted distinct changes in network activity patterns. The
      results of computational modeling were confirmed by spontaneous network activity
      measurements using the multiple electrode array (MEA) technique. When the
      cultures were treated with olanzapine, overall activity and synchronization were
      increased, whereas haloperidol had the opposite effect. We conclude that FGAs and
      SGAs differentially affect the balance between inhibition and excitation in
      hippocampal networks.

PMID- 28912552
TI  - Under-ice availability of phytoplankton lipids is key to freshwater zooplankton
      winter survival.
AB  - Shortening winter ice-cover duration in lakes highlights an urgent need for
      research focused on under-ice ecosystem dynamics and their contributions to whole
      ecosystem processes. Low temperature, reduced light and consequent changes in
      autotrophic and heterotrophic resources alter the diet for long-lived consumers,
      with consequences on their metabolism in winter. We show in a survival experiment
      that the copepod Leptodiaptomus minutus in a boreal lake does not survive five
      months under the ice without food. We then report seasonal changes in
      phytoplankton, terrestrial and bacterial fatty acid (FA) biomarkers in seston and
      in four zooplankton species for an entire year. Phytoplankton FA were highly
      available in seston (2.6 ug L-1) throughout the first month under the ice.
      Copepods accumulated them in high quantities (44.8 ug mg dry weight-1), building
      lipid reserves that comprised up to 76% of body mass. Terrestrial and bacterial
      FA were accumulated only in low quantities (<2.5 ug mg dry weight-1). The results
      highlight the importance of algal FA reserve accumulation for winter survival as
      a key ecological process in the annual life cycle of the freshwater plankton
      community with likely consequences to the overall annual production of aquatic FA
      for higher trophic levels and ultimately for human consumption.

PMID- 28912553
TI  - Polarization-independent, wide-incident-angle and dual-band perfect absorption,
      based on near-field coupling in a symmetric metamaterial.
AB  - We numerically and experimentally investigated a dual-band metamaterial perfect
      absorber (MPA), utilizing the near-field coupling of double split-ring resonators
      (DSRRs). Owing to the near-field coupling between resonators, two arms in each
      DSRR resonate in different phases, leading to a dual-band perfect absorption. The
      proposed MPA also exhibits polarization-insensitive behavior and maintains the
      high absorption above 90% up to a wide range of incident angle more than 45
      degrees . Finally, to further consolidate our approach, a multi-band absorption
      is also studied by exploiting the near-field coupling among a larger number of
      DSRRs. Our work is expected to be applied to future broadband devices using MPA.

PMID- 28912554
TI  - Oxytocin stimulates hippocampal neurogenesis via oxytocin receptor expressed in
      CA3 pyramidal neurons.
AB  - In addition to the regulation of social and emotional behaviors, the hypothalamic
      neuropeptide oxytocin has been shown to stimulate neurogenesis in adult dentate
      gyrus; however, the mechanisms underlying the action of oxytocin are still
      unclear. Taking advantage of the conditional knockout mouse model, we show here
      that endogenous oxytocin signaling functions in a non-cell autonomous manner to
      regulate survival and maturation of newly generated dentate granule cells in
      adult mouse hippocampus via oxytocin receptors expressed in CA3 pyramidal
      neurons. Through bidirectional chemogenetic manipulations, we also uncover a
      significant role for CA3 pyramidal neuron activity in regulating adult
      neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus. Retrograde neuronal tracing combined with
      immunocytochemistry revealed that the oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular
      nucleus project directly to the CA3 region of the hippocampus. Our findings
      reveal a critical role for oxytocin signaling in adult neurogenesis.Oxytocin
      (OXT) has been implicated in adult neurogenesis. Here the authors show that CA3
      pyramidal cells in the adult mouse hippocampus express OXT receptors and receive
      inputs from hypothalamic OXT neurons; activation of OXT signaling in CA3
      pyramidal cells promotes the survival and maturation of newborn neurons in the
      dentate gyrus in a non-cell autonomous manner.

PMID- 28912555
TI  - New taxa of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) from a species-rich but overlooked
      evolutionary hotspot in Southeast Asia.
AB  - Southeast Asia harbors a unique and diverse freshwater fauna of Mesozoic origin,
      which is under severe threat of extinction because of rapid economic development
      and urbanization. The largest freshwater basins of the region are certainly the
      primary evolutionary hotspots and they attract the most attention as key
      biodiversity areas for conservation. In contrast, medium-sized rivers are
      considered low-importance areas with secondary biodiversity, whose faunas
      originated via founder events from larger basins during the Pleistocene, although
      such a scenario has never been tested by using a phylogenetic approach. In this
      investigation, we used freshwater mussels (Unionidae) as a model to estimate the
      levels of endemism within the Sittaung, a little-known remote basin in Myanmar,
      compared with the surrounding larger rivers (Irrawaddy, Salween and Mekong). We
      discovered that the Sittaung represents an exceptional evolutionary hotspot with
      numerous endemic taxa of freshwater mussels. On the basis of our extensive
      dataset, we describe two new tribes, two genera, seven species and a subspecies
      of Unionidae. Our results highlight that medium-sized basins may represent
      separate evolutionary hotspots that harbor a number of endemic lineages. These
      basins should therefore be a focus of special conservation efforts alongside the
      largest Southeast Asian rivers.

PMID- 28912556
TI  - Synthesis and in-vitro anticancer evaluation of polyarsenicals related to the
      marine sponge derived Arsenicin A.
AB  - In the light of the promising bioactivity of the tetraarsenic marine metabolite
      arsenicin A, the dimethyl analogue 2 and four isomeric methylene homologues
      (including the natural product itself) were obtained using a one-pot microwave
      assisted synthesis, starting from arsenic (III) oxide. Due to the poor diagnostic
      value of the NMR technique in the structural elucidation of these molecules, they
      were fully characterized by mass spectrometry and infrared (IR)-spectroscopy,
      comparing density functional theory (DFT) simulated and experimental spectra.
      This synthetic procedure provided a fast and efficient access to the cytotoxicity
      evaluation of organoarsenical leads of the natural hit molecule. From in vitro
      screening, each tested compound resulted in being more active than the FDA
      approved arsenic trioxide, with the most lipophilic molecule in the series
      showing the best growth inhibition of both leukemia and solid tumor cell lines.
      These results may open promising perspectives in the development of new more
      potent and selective arsenical drugs against solid tumors.

PMID- 28912557
TI  - A NMDA-receptor calcium influx assay sensitive to stimulation by glutamate and
      glycine/D-serine.
AB  - N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptors (NMDARs) are ionotropic glutamate receptors that
      function in synaptic transmission, plasticity and cognition. Malfunction of
      NMDARs has been implicated in a variety of nervous system disorders, making them
      attractive therapeutic targets. Overexpression of functional NMDAR in non
      neuronal cells results in cell death by excitotoxicity, hindering the development
      of cell-based assays for NMDAR drug discovery. Here we report a plate-based, high
      throughput approach to study NMDAR function. Our assay enables the functional
      study of NMDARs with different subunit composition after activation by glycine/D
      serine or glutamate and hence presents the first plate-based, high throughput
      assay that allows for the measurement of NMDAR function in glycine/D-serine
      and/or glutamate sensitive modes. This allows to investigate the effect of small
      molecule modulators on the activation of NMDARs at different concentrations or
      combinations of the co-ligands. The reported assay system faithfully replicates
      the pharmacology of the receptor in response to known agonists, antagonists,
      positive and negative allosteric modulators, as well as the receptor's
      sensitivity to magnesium and zinc. We believe that the ability to study the
      biology of NMDARs rapidly and in large scale screens will enable the
      identification of novel therapeutics whose discovery has otherwise been hindered
      by the limitations of existing cell based approaches.

PMID- 28912558
TI  - An omniphobic lubricant-infused coating produced by chemical vapor deposition of
      hydrophobic organosilanes attenuates clotting on catheter surfaces.
AB  - ABSTARCT: Catheter associated thrombosis is an ongoing problem. Omniphobic
      coatings based on tethering biocompatible liquid lubricants on self-assembled
      monolayers of hydrophobic organosilanes attenuate clotting on surfaces. Herein we
      report an efficient, non-invasive and robust process for coating catheters with
      an antithrombotic, omniphobic lubricant-infused coating produced using chemical
      vapor deposition (CVD) of hydrophobic fluorine-based organosilanes. Compared with
      uncoated catheters, CVD coated catheters significantly attenuated thrombosis via
      the contact pathway of coagulation. When compared with the commonly used
      technique of liquid phase deposition (LPD) of fluorine-based organosilanes, the
      CVD method was more efficient and reproducible, resulted in less disruption of
      the outer polymeric layer of the catheters and produced greater antithrombotic
      activity. Therefore, omniphobic coating of catheters using the CVD method is a
      simple, straightforward and non-invasive procedure. This method has the potential
      to not only prevent catheter thrombosis, but also to prevent thrombosis on other
      blood-contacting medical devices.

PMID- 28912559
TI  - Inherent aggressive character of invasive and non-invasive cells dictates the in
      vitro migration pattern of multicellular spheroid.
AB  - Cellular migration, a process relevant to metastasis, is mostly studied in the
      conventional 2D condition. However, cells cultured in the 3D condition assumed to
      mimic the in vivo conditions better. The current study is designed to compare an
      invasive and non-invasive adenocarcinoma cell with an invasive fibrosarcoma cell
      to understand the migration pattern of the multicellular spheroid. It is observed
      that conventional haplotaxis, chemotactic and pseudo-3D migration assay cannot
      distinguish between the invasive and non-invasive cells conclusively under 2D
      condition. Invasive spheroids migrate rapidly in sprouting assay in comparison to
      non-invasive spheroids. Effects of cytochalasin B, marimastat and blebbistatin
      are tested to determine the influence of different migration modality namely
      actin polymerization, matrix metalloprotease and acto-myosin in both culture
      conditions. Altered mRNA profile of cellular migration related genes (FAK, Talin,
      Paxillin, p130cas and Vinculin) is observed between 2D and 3D condition followed
      by the changed expression of matrix metallo proteases. A distinct difference is
      observed in distribution and formation of focal adhesion complex under these
      culture conditions. This study demonstrates the efficacy of multicellular
      spheroids in identifying the intrinsic aggressive behavior of different cell
      lines as a proof of concept and recognizes the potential of spheroids as a
      migration model.

PMID- 28912560
TI  - The SRGAP2 SNPs, their haplotypes and G * E interactions on serum lipid traits.
AB  - Maonan nationality is a relatively conservative and isolated minority in China.
      Little is known about the association of the Slit-Robo Rho GTPase activating
      protein 2 gene (SRGAP2) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and serum lipid
      levels in the Chinese populations. This study was performed to clarify the
      association of the SRGAP2 rs2483058 and rs2580520 SNPs and their haplotypes with
      serum lipid traits in the Maonan and Han populations. Genotyping of the 2 SNPs
      was performed in 2444 unrelated subjects (Han, 1210 and Maonan, 1234) by
      polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism combined
      with gel electrophoresis, and then confirmed by direct sequencing. The allelic
      (rs2483058) and genotypic (rs2483058 and rs2580520) frequencies were different
      between the two ethnic groups. Four haplotypes were identified in our
      populations, and the rs2483058G-rs2580520C haplotype was the commonest one. The
      rs2483058C-rs2580520G haplotype was associated with an increased risk of
      dyslipidemia, and showed consistent association with serum total cholesterol
      (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein (Apo) A1
      levels, and the ApoA1/ApoB ratio. These results indicated that the SRGAP2 SNPs
      and their haplotypes were associated with serum lipid levels. Their haplotypes
      can explain much more serum lipid variation than any single SNP alone, especially
      for serum TC, HDL-C and ApoA1 levels.

PMID- 28912561
TI  - Luminophore Configuration and Concentration-Dependent Optoelectronic
      Characteristics of a Quantum Dot-Embedded DNA Hybrid Thin film.
AB  - To be useful in optoelectronic devices and sensors, a platform comprising stable
      fluorescence materials is essential. Here we constructed quantum dots (QDs)
      embedded DNA thin films which aims for stable fluorescence through the
      stabilization of QDs in the high aspect ratio salmon DNA (SDNA) matrix. Also for
      maximum luminescence, different concentration and configurations of core- and
      core/alloy/shell-type QDs were embedded within SDNA. The QD-SDNA thin films were
      constructed by drop-casting and investigated their optoelectronic properties. The
      infrared, UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies confirm the
      embedment of QDs in the SDNA matrix. Absolute PL quantum yield of the QD-SDNA
      thin film shows the ~70% boost due to SDNA matrix compared to QDs alone in
      aqueous phase. The linear increase of PL photon counts from few to order of 5
      while increasing [QD] reveals the non-aggregation of QDs within SDNA matrix.
      These systematic studies on the QD structure, absorbance, and concentration- and
      thickness-dependent optoelectronic characteristics demonstrate the novel
      properties of the QD-SDNA thin film. Consequently, the SDNA thin films were
      suggested to utilize for the generalised optical environments, which has the
      potential as a matrix for light conversion and harvesting nano-bio material as
      well as for super resolution bioimaging- and biophotonics-based sensors.

PMID- 28912562
TI  - Flexible supercapacitor electrodes based on real metal-like cellulose papers.
AB  - The effective implantation of conductive and charge storage materials into
      flexible frames has been strongly demanded for the development of flexible
      supercapacitors. Here, we introduce metallic cellulose paper-based supercapacitor
      electrodes with excellent energy storage performance by minimizing the contact
      resistance between neighboring metal and/or metal oxide nanoparticles using an
      assembly approach, called ligand-mediated layer-by-layer assembly. This approach
      can convert the insulating paper to the highly porous metallic paper with large
      surface areas that can function as current collectors and nanoparticle reservoirs
      for supercapacitor electrodes. Moreover, we demonstrate that the alternating
      structure design of the metal and pseudocapacitive nanoparticles on the metallic
      papers can remarkably increase the areal capacitance and rate capability with a
      notable decrease in the internal resistance. The maximum power and energy density
      of the metallic paper-based supercapacitors are estimated to be 15.1 mW cm-2 and
      267.3 MUWh cm-2, respectively, substantially outperforming the performance of
      conventional paper or textile-type supercapacitors.With ligand-mediated layer-by
      layer assembly between metal nanoparticles and small organic molecules, the
      authors prepare metallic paper electrodes for supercapacitors with high power and
      energy densities. This approach could be extended to various electrodes for
      portable/wearable electronics.

PMID- 28912563
TI  - A cell cycle-independent mode of the Rad9-Dpb11 interaction is induced by DNA
      damage.
AB  - Budding yeast Rad9, like its orthologs, controls two aspects of the cellular
      response to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) - signalling of the DNA damage
      checkpoint and DNA end resection. Rad9 binds to damaged chromatin via modified
      nucleosomes independently of the cell cycle phase. Additionally, Rad9 engages in
      a cell cycle-regulated interaction with Dpb11 and the 9-1-1 clamp, generating a
      second pathway that recruits Rad9 to DNA damage sites. Binding to Dpb11 depends
      on specific S/TP phosphorylation sites of Rad9, which are modified by cyclin
      dependent kinase (CDK). Here, we show that these sites additionally become
      phosphorylated upon DNA damage. We define the requirements for DNA damage-induced
      S/TP phosphorylation of Rad9 and show that it is independent of the cell cycle or
      CDK activity but requires prior recruitment of Rad9 to damaged chromatin,
      indicating that it is catalysed by a chromatin-bound kinase. The checkpoint
      kinases Mec1 and Tel1 are required for Rad9 S/TP phosphorylation, but their
      influence is likely indirect and involves phosphorylation of Rad9 at S/TQ sites.
      Notably, DNA damage-induced S/TP phosphorylation triggers Dpb11 binding to Rad9,
      but the DNA damage-induced Rad9-Dpb11 interaction is dispensable for recruitment
      to DNA damage sites, indicating that the Rad9-Dpb11 interaction functions beyond
      Rad9 recruitment.

PMID- 28912565
TI  - Real-time Image Processing for Microscopy-based Label-free Imaging Flow Cytometry
      in a Microfluidic Chip.
AB  - Imaging flow cytometry (IFC) is an emerging technology that acquires single-cell
      images at high-throughput for analysis of a cell population. Rich information
      that comes from high sensitivity and spatial resolution of a single-cell
      microscopic image is beneficial for single-cell analysis in various biological
      applications. In this paper, we present a fast image-processing pipeline (R-MOD:
      Real-time Moving Object Detector) based on deep learning for high-throughput
      microscopy-based label-free IFC in a microfluidic chip. The R-MOD pipeline
      acquires all single-cell images of cells in flow, and identifies the acquired
      images as a real-time process with minimum hardware that consists of a microscope
      and a high-speed camera. Experiments show that R-MOD has the fast and reliable
      accuracy (500 fps and 93.3% mAP), and is expected to be used as a powerful tool
      for biomedical and clinical applications.

PMID- 28912564
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of developing lens reveals abundance of novel transcripts
      and extensive splicing alterations.
AB  - Lens development involves a complex and highly orchestrated regulatory program.
      Here, we investigate the transcriptomic alterations and splicing events during
      mouse lens formation using RNA-seq data from multiple developmental stages, and
      construct a molecular portrait of known and novel transcripts. We show that the
      extent of novelty of expressed transcripts decreases significantly in post-natal
      lens compared to embryonic stages. Characterization of novel transcripts into
      partially novel transcripts (PNTs) and completely novel transcripts (CNTs)
      (novelty score >= 70%) revealed that the PNTs are both highly conserved across
      vertebrates and highly expressed across multiple stages. Functional analysis of
      PNTs revealed their widespread role in lens developmental processes while
      hundreds of CNTs were found to be widely expressed and predicted to encode for
      proteins. We verified the expression of four CNTs across stages. Examination of
      splice isoforms revealed skipped exon and retained intron to be the most abundant
      alternative splicing events during lens development. We validated by RT-PCR and
      Sanger sequencing, the predicted splice isoforms of several genes Banf1, Cdk4,
      Cryaa, Eif4g2, Pax6, and Rbm5. Finally, we present a splicing browser Eye Splicer
      ( http://www.iupui.edu/~sysbio/eye-splicer/ ), to facilitate exploration of
      developmentally altered splicing events and to improve understanding of post
      transcriptional regulatory networks during mouse lens development.

PMID- 28912566
TI  - Enhancement of the Device Performance and the Stability with a Homojunction
      structured Tungsten Indium Zinc Oxide Thin Film Transistor.
AB  - Tungsten-indium-zinc-oxide thin-film transistors (WIZO-TFTs) were fabricated
      using a radio frequency (RF) co-sputtering system with two types of source/drain
      (S/D)-electrode material of conducting WIZO (homojunction structure) and the
      indium-tin oxide (ITO) (heterojunction structure) on the same WIZO active-channel
      layer. The electrical properties of the WIZO layers used in the S/D electrode and
      the active-channel layer were adjusted through oxygen partial pressure during the
      deposition process. To explain enhancements of the device performance and
      stability of the homojunction-structured WIZO-TFT, a systematic investigation of
      correlation between device performance and physical properties at the interface
      between the active layer and the S/D electrodes such as the contact resistance,
      surface/interfacial roughness, interfacial-trap density, and interfacial energy
      level alignments was conducted. The homojunction-structured WIZO-TFT exhibited a
      lower contact resistance, smaller interfacial-trap density, and flatter
      interfacial roughness than the WIZO-TFT with the heterojunction structure. The
      0.09 eV electron barrier of the homojunction-structured WIZO-TFT is lower than
      the 0.21 eV value that was obtained for the heterojunction-structured WIZO-TFT.
      This reduced electron barrier may be attributed to enhancements of device
      performance and stability, that are related to the carrier transport.

PMID- 28912567
TI  - Structural and dynamical characteristics of flow units in metallic glasses.
AB  - The metallic glasses (MGs) are conjectured to be heterogeneous-their microscopic
      structures are embedded with localized, soft and loosely packed atomic regions,
      which are termed as flow units (FUs). Detailed knowledges on the structure and
      dynamical features of FUs are essential for understanding the plasticity of MGs.
      In our study, by performing dynamical tests on MGs in molecular dynamics
      simulations, we show that mechanical hysteretic loops are formed in the strain
      stress curves due to the undergoing plastic events. By analyzing the activated
      times of each atom in different dynamical tests, we map the exact locations of
      FUs and the distribution of their activation probability in the initial structure
      of MGs. More importantly, we demonstrate that the FUs are indeed liquid-like
      according to the Lindemann criterion of melting.

PMID- 28912568
TI  - Intrinsic neural network dysfunction in quiescent Crohn's Disease.
AB  - Psychological factors and comorbidities play an important role in inflammatory
      bowel diseases. Such comorbidity could be associated with a specific neural
      phenotype. Brain regions associated with emotion regulation and self-referential
      processing, including areas assigned to the "default mode network" (DMN), could
      be promising candidates in this regard. We investigated the functional integrity
      of multiple intrinsic neural networks in remitted patients with Crohn's disease
      (CD) and sought to establish relationships between neural network connectivity
      and psychiatric symptoms. Fifteen CD patients in remission and 14 controls were
      investigated. We employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (fMRI) at 3 Tesla followed by a spatial Independent Component Analysis for fMRI
      data. Abnormal connectivity in CD patients was observed in DMN subsystems only (p
      < 0.05, cluster-corrected). Increased connectivity was found in the anterior
      cingulate and left superior medial frontal gyrus (aDMN) and the middle cingulate
      cortex (pDMN). Middle cingulate activity showed a significant association with
      anxiety scores in patients (p = 0.029). This study provides first evidence of
      selectively disrupted intrinsic neural network connectivity in CD and suggests
      abnormalities of self-referential neural networks. An increased sensitivity to
      self-related affective and somatic states in CD patients could account for these
      findings and explain a higher risk for anxiety symptoms.

PMID- 28912569
TI  - Two-dimensional Dirac particles in a Poschl-Teller waveguide.
AB  - We obtain exact solutions to the two-dimensional (2D) Dirac equation for the one
      dimensional Poschl-Teller potential which contains an asymmetry term. The
      eigenfunctions are expressed in terms of Heun confluent functions, while the
      eigenvalues are determined via the solutions of a simple transcendental equation.
      For the symmetric case, the eigenfunctions of the supercritical states are
      expressed as spheroidal wave functions, and approximate analytical expressions
      are obtained for the corresponding eigenvalues. A universal condition for any
      square integrable symmetric potential is obtained for the minimum strength of the
      potential required to hold a bound state of zero energy. Applications for smooth
      electron waveguides in 2D Dirac-Weyl systems are discussed.

PMID- 28912571
TI  - Comparative global immune-related gene profiling of somatic cells, human
      pluripotent stem cells and their derivatives: implication for human lymphocyte
      proliferation.
AB  - Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and
      induced PSCs (iPSCs), represent potentially unlimited cell sources for clinical
      applications. Previous studies have suggested that hPSCs may benefit from immune
      privilege and limited immunogenicity, as reflected by the reduced expression of
      major histocompatibility complex class-related molecules. Here we investigated
      the global immune-related gene expression profiles of human ESCs, hiPSCs and
      somatic cells and identified candidate immune-related genes that may alter their
      immunogenicity. The expression levels of global immune-related genes were
      determined by comparing undifferentiated and differentiated stem cells and three
      types of human somatic cells: dermal papilla cells, ovarian granulosa cells and
      foreskin fibroblast cells. We identified the differentially expressed genes CD24,
      GATA3, PROM1, THBS2, LY96, IFIT3, CXCR4, IL1R1, FGFR3, IDO1 and KDR, which
      overlapped with selected immune-related gene lists. In further analyses,
      mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTOR) signaling was investigated in the
      differentiated stem cells following treatment with rapamycin and lentiviral
      transduction with specific short-hairpin RNAs. We found that the inhibition of
      mTOR signal pathways significantly downregulated the immunogenicity of
      differentiated stem cells. We also tested the immune responses induced in
      differentiated stem cells by mixed lymphocyte reactions. We found that CD24- and
      GATA3-deficient differentiated stem cells including neural lineage cells had
      limited abilities to activate human lymphocytes. By analyzing the transcriptome
      signature of immune-related genes, we observed a tendency of the hPSCs to
      differentiate toward an immune cell phenotype. Taken together, these data
      identify candidate immune-related genes that might constitute valuable targets
      for clinical applications.

PMID- 28912570
TI  - A focus on extracellular Ca2+ entry into skeletal muscle.
AB  - The main task of skeletal muscle is contraction and relaxation for body movement
      and posture maintenance. During contraction and relaxation, Ca2+ in the cytosol
      has a critical role in activating and deactivating a series of contractile
      proteins. In skeletal muscle, the cytosolic Ca2+ level is mainly determined by
      Ca2+ movements between the cytosol and the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The importance
      of Ca2+ entry from extracellular spaces to the cytosol has gained significant
      attention over the past decade. Store-operated Ca2+ entry with a low amplitude
      and relatively slow kinetics is a main extracellular Ca2+ entryway into skeletal
      muscle. Herein, recent studies on extracellular Ca2+ entry into skeletal muscle
      are reviewed along with descriptions of the proteins that are related to
      extracellular Ca2+ entry and their influences on skeletal muscle function and
      disease.

PMID- 28912573
TI  - Low-Magnitude High-Frequency Vibration Accelerated the Foot Wound Healing of n5
      streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats by Enhancing Glucose Transporter 4 and Blood
      Microcirculation.
AB  - Delayed wound healing is a Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) complication caused by
      hyperglycemia, systemic inflammation, and decreased blood microcirculation.
      Skeletal muscles are also affected by hyperglycemia, resulting in reduced blood
      flow and glucose uptake. Low Magnitude High Frequency Vibration (LMHFV) has been
      proven to be beneficial to muscle contractility and blood microcirculation. We
      hypothesized that LMHFV could accelerate the wound healing of n5-streptozotocin
      (n5-STZ)-induced DM rats by enhancing muscle activity and blood microcirculation.
      This study investigated the effects of LMHFV in an open foot wound created on the
      footpad of n5-STZ-induced DM rats (DM_V), compared with no-treatment DM (DM), non
      DM vibration (Ctrl_V) and non-DM control rats (Ctrl) on Days 1, 4, 8 and 13.
      Results showed that the foot wounds of DM_V and Ctrl_V rats were significantly
      reduced in size compared to DM and Ctrl rats, respectively, at Day 13. The blood
      glucose level of DM_V rats was significantly reduced, while the glucose
      transporter 4 (GLUT4) expression and blood microcirculation of DM_V rats were
      significantly enhanced in comparison to those of DM rats. In conclusion, LMHFV
      can accelerate the foot wound healing process of n5-STZ rats.

PMID- 28912572
TI  - Follistatin N terminus differentially regulates muscle size and fat in vivo.
AB  - Delivery of follistatin (FST) represents a promising strategy for both muscular
      dystrophies and diabetes, as FST is a robust antagonist of myostatin and activin,
      which are critical regulators of skeletal muscle and adipose tissues. FST is a
      multi-domain protein, and deciphering the function of different domains will
      facilitate novel designs for FST-based therapy. Our study aims to investigate the
      role of the N-terminal domain (ND) of FST in regulating muscle and fat mass in
      vivo. Different FST constructs were created and packaged into the adeno
      associated viral vector (AAV). Overexpression of wild-type FST in normal mice
      greatly increased muscle mass while decreasing fat accumulation, whereas
      overexpression of an N terminus mutant or N terminus-deleted FST had no effect on
      muscle mass but moderately decreased fat mass. In contrast, FST-I-I containing
      the complete N terminus and double domain I without domain II and III had no
      effect on fat but increased skeletal muscle mass. The effects of different
      constructs on differentiated C2C12 myotubes were consistent with the in vivo
      finding. We hypothesized that ND was critical for myostatin blockade, mediating
      the increase in muscle mass, and was less pivotal for activin binding, which
      accounts for the decrease in the fat tissue. An in vitro TGF-beta1-responsive
      reporter assay revealed that FST-I-I and N terminus-mutated or -deleted FST
      showed differential responses to blockade of activin and myostatin. Our study
      provided direct in vivo evidence for a role of the ND of FST, shedding light on
      future potential molecular designs for FST-based gene therapy.

PMID- 28912574
TI  - Distinct gut microbiome patterns associate with consensus molecular subtypes of
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease and recent advances in subtype
      classification have successfully stratified the disease using molecular
      profiling. The contribution of bacterial species to CRC development is
      increasingly acknowledged, and here, we sought to analyse CRC microbiomes and
      relate them to tumour consensus molecular subtypes (CMS), in order to better
      understand the relationship between bacterial species and the molecular
      mechanisms associated with CRC subtypes. We classified 34 tumours into CRC
      subtypes using RNA-sequencing derived gene expression and determined relative
      abundances of bacterial taxonomic groups using 16S rRNA amplicon metabarcoding.
      16S rRNA analysis showed enrichment of Fusobacteria and Bacteroidetes, and
      decreased levels of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in CMS1. A more detailed
      analysis of bacterial taxa using non-human RNA-sequencing reads uncovered
      distinct bacterial communities associated with each molecular subtype. The most
      highly enriched species associated with CMS1 included Fusobacterium hwasookii and
      Porphyromonas gingivalis. CMS2 was enriched for Selenomas and Prevotella species,
      while CMS3 had few significant associations. Targeted quantitative PCR validated
      these findings and also showed an enrichment of Fusobacterium nucleatum,
      Parvimonas micra and Peptostreptococcus stomatis in CMS1. In this study, we have
      successfully associated individual bacterial species to CRC subtypes for the
      first time.

PMID- 28912575
TI  - Thermodynamics of nanodisc formation mediated by styrene/maleic acid (2:1)
      copolymer.
AB  - Styrene/maleic acid copolymers (SMA) have recently attracted great interest for
      in vitro studies of membrane proteins, as they self-insert into and fragment
      biological membranes to form polymer-bounded nanodiscs that provide a native-like
      lipid-bilayer environment. SMA copolymers are available in different
      styrene/maleic acid ratios and chain lengths and, thus, possess different charge
      densities, hydrophobicities, and solubilisation properties. Here, we studied the
      equilibrium solubilisation properties of the most commonly used copolymer,
      SMA(2:1), by monitoring the formation of nanodiscs from phospholipid vesicles
      using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and
      differential scanning calorimetry. Comparison of SMA(2:1) phase diagrams with
      those of SMA(3:1) and diisobutylene/maleic acid (DIBMA) revealed that, on a mass
      concentration scale, SMA(2:1) is the most efficient membrane solubiliser, despite
      its relatively mild effects on the thermotropic phase behaviour of solubilised
      lipids. In contrast with previous kinetic studies, our equilibrium experiments
      demonstrate that the solubilisation of phospholipid bilayers by SMA(2:1) is most
      efficient at moderately alkaline pH values. This pH dependence was also observed
      for the solubilisation of native Escherichia coli membranes, for which SMA(2:1)
      again turned out to be the most powerful solubiliser in terms of the total
      amounts of membrane proteins extracted.

PMID- 28912576
TI  - Interrogating open issues in cancer medicine with patient-derived xenografts.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nrc.2016.140.

PMID- 28912579
TI  - Interference-exact radiative transfer equation.
AB  - The Purcell effect, i.e., the modification of the spontaneous emission rate by
      optical interference, profoundly affects the light-matter coupling in optical
      resonators. Fully describing the optical absorption, emission, and interference
      of light hence conventionally requires combining the full Maxwell's equations
      with stochastic or quantum optical source terms accounting for the quantum nature
      of light. We show that both the nonlocal wave and local particle features
      associated with interference and emission of propagating fields in stratified
      geometries can be fully captured by local damping and scattering coefficients
      derived from the recently introduced quantized fluctuational electrodynamics
      (QFED) framework. In addition to describing the nonlocal optical interference
      processes as local directionally resolved effects, this allows reformulating the
      well known and widely used radiative transfer equation (RTE) as a physically
      transparent interference-exact model that extends the useful range of
      computationally efficient and quantum optically accurate interference-aware
      optical models from simple structures to full optical devices.

PMID- 28912580
TI  - PTPRJ Inhibits Leptin Signaling, and Induction of PTPRJ in the Hypothalamus Is a
      Cause of the Development of Leptin Resistance.
AB  - Leptin signaling in the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in the regulation of
      body weight. Leptin resistance, in which leptin signaling is disrupted, is a
      major obstacle to the improvement of obesity. We herein demonstrated that protein
      tyrosine phosphatase receptor type J (Ptprj) is expressed in hypothalamic neurons
      together with leptin receptors, and that PTPRJ negatively regulates leptin
      signaling by inhibiting the activation of JAK2, the primary tyrosine kinase in
      leptin signaling, through the dephosphorylation of Y813 and Y868 in JAK2
      autophosphorylation sites. Leptin signaling is enhanced in Ptprj-deficient mice,
      and they exhibit lower weight gain than wild-type mice because of a reduced food
      intake. Diet-induced obesity and the leptin treatment up-regulated PTPRJ
      expression in the hypothalamus, while the overexpression of PTPRJ induced leptin
      resistance. Thus, the induction of PTPRJ is a factor contributing to the
      development of leptin resistance, and the inhibition of PTPRJ may be a potential
      strategy for improving obesity.

PMID- 28912578
TI  - Tumour acidosis: from the passenger to the driver's seat.
AB  - The high metabolic demand of cancer cells leads to an accumulation of H+ ions in
      the tumour microenvironment. The disorganized tumour vasculature prevents an
      efficient wash-out of H+ ions released into the extracellular medium but also
      favours the development of tumour hypoxic regions associated with a shift towards
      glycolytic metabolism. Under hypoxia, the final balance of glycolysis, including
      breakdown of generated ATP, is the production of lactate and a stoichiometric
      amount of H+ ions. Another major source of H+ ions results from hydration of CO2
      produced in the more oxidative tumour areas. All of these events occur at high
      rates in tumours to fulfil bioenergetic and biosynthetic needs. This Review
      summarizes the current understanding of how H+-generating metabolic processes
      segregate within tumours according to the distance from blood vessels and
      inversely how ambient acidosis influences tumour metabolism, reducing glycolysis
      while promoting mitochondrial activity. The Review also presents novel insights
      supporting the participation of acidosis in cancer progression via stimulation of
      autophagy and immunosuppression. Finally, recent advances in the different
      therapeutic modalities aiming to either block pH-regulatory systems or exploit
      acidosis will be discussed.

PMID- 28912581
TI  - Secretory phospholipase A2-IIA overexpressing mice exhibit cyclic alopecia
      mediated through aberrant hair shaft differentiation and impaired wound healing
      response.
AB  - Secretory phospholipase A2 Group-IIA (sPLA2-IIA) is involved in lipid catabolism
      and growth promoting activity. sPLA2-IIA is deregulated in many pathological
      conditions including various cancers. Here, we have studied the role of sPLA2-IIA
      in the development of cyclic alopecia and wound healing response in relation to
      complete loss of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). Our data showed that
      overexpression of sPLA2-IIA in homozygous mice results in hyperproliferation and
      terminal epidermal differentiation followed by hair follicle cycle being halted
      at anagen like stage. In addition, sPLA2-IIA induced hyperproliferation leads to
      compl pathological conditions including various cancers. Here ete exhaustion of
      hair follicle stem cell pool at PD28 (Postnatal day). Importantly, sPLA2-IIA
      overexpression affects the hair shaft differentiation leading to development of
      cyclic alopecia. Molecular investigation study showed aberrant expression of
      Sox21, Msx2 and signalling modulators necessary for proper differentiation of
      inner root sheath (IRS) and hair shaft formation. Further, full-thickness skin
      wounding on dorsal skin of K14-sPLA2-IIA homozygous mice displayed impaired
      initial healing response. Our results showed the involvement of sPLA2-IIA in
      regulation of matrix cells differentiation, hair shaft formation and complete
      loss of HFSCs mediated impaired wound healing response. These novel functions of
      sPLA2-IIA may have clinical implications in alopecia, cancer development and
      ageing.

PMID- 28912577
TI  - Classifying the evolutionary and ecological features of neoplasms.
AB  - Neoplasms change over time through a process of cell-level evolution, driven by
      genetic and epigenetic alterations. However, the ecology of the microenvironment
      of a neoplastic cell determines which changes provide adaptive benefits. There is
      widespread recognition of the importance of these evolutionary and ecological
      processes in cancer, but to date, no system has been proposed for drawing
      clinically relevant distinctions between how different tumours are evolving. On
      the basis of a consensus conference of experts in the fields of cancer evolution
      and cancer ecology, we propose a framework for classifying tumours that is based
      on four relevant components. These are the diversity of neoplastic cells
      (intratumoural heterogeneity) and changes over time in that diversity, which make
      up an evolutionary index (Evo-index), as well as the hazards to neoplastic cell
      survival and the resources available to neoplastic cells, which make up an
      ecological index (Eco-index). We review evidence demonstrating the importance of
      each of these factors and describe multiple methods that can be used to measure
      them. Development of this classification system holds promise for enabling
      clinicians to personalize optimal interventions based on the evolvability of the
      patient's tumour. The Evo- and Eco-indices provide a common lexicon for
      communicating about how neoplasms change in response to interventions, with
      potential implications for clinical trials, personalized medicine and basic
      cancer research.

PMID- 28912582
TI  - Evolution of gag and gp41 in Patients Receiving Ritonavir-Boosted Protease
      Inhibitors.
AB  - Several groups have proposed that genotypic determinants in gag and the gp41
      cytoplasmic domain (gp41-CD) reduce protease inhibitor (PI) susceptibility
      without PI-resistance mutations in protease. However, no gag and gp41-CD
      mutations definitively responsible for reduced PI susceptibility have been
      identified in individuals with virological failure (VF) while receiving a boosted
      PI (PI/r)-containing regimen. To identify gag and gp41 mutations under selective
      PI pressure, we sequenced gag and/or gp41 in 61 individuals with VF on a PI/r (n
      = 40) or NNRTI (n = 20) containing regimen. We quantified nonsynonymous and
      synonymous changes in both genes and identified sites exhibiting signal for
      directional or diversifying selection. We also used published gag and gp41
      polymorphism data to highlight mutations displaying a high selection index,
      defined as changing from a conserved to an uncommon amino acid. Many amino acid
      mutations developed in gag and in gp41-CD in both the PI- and NNRTI-treated
      groups. However, in neither gene, were there discernable differences between the
      two groups in overall numbers of mutations, mutations displaying evidence of
      diversifying or directional selection, or mutations with a high selection index.
      If gag and/or gp41 encode PI-resistance mutations, they may not be confined to
      consistent mutations at a few sites.

PMID- 28912583
TI  - Cleavage of 3'-terminal adenosine by archaeal ATP-dependent RNA ligase.
AB  - Methanothermobacter thermoautotrophicus RNA ligase (MthRnl) catalyzes formation
      of phosphodiester bonds between the 5'-phosphate and 3'-hydroxyl termini of
      single-stranded RNAs. It can also react with RNA with a 3'-phosphate end to
      generate a 2',3'-cyclic phosphate. Here, we show that MthRnl can additionally
      remove adenosine from the 3'-terminus of the RNA to produce 3'-deadenylated RNA,
      RNA(3'-rA). This 3'-deadenylation activity is metal-dependent and requires a 2'
      hydroxyl at both the terminal adenosine and the penultimate nucleoside. Residues
      that contact the ATP/AMP in the MthRnl crystal structures are essential for the
      3'-deadenylation activity, suggesting that 3'-adenosine may occupy the ATP
      binding pocket. The 3'-end of cleaved RNA(3'-rA) consists of 2',3'-cyclic
      phosphate which protects RNA(3'-rA) from ligation and further deadenylation.
      These findings suggest that ATP-dependent RNA ligase may act on a specific set of
      3'-adenylated RNAs to regulate their processing and downstream biological events.

PMID- 28912584
TI  - Niche harmony search algorithm for detecting complex disease associated high
      order SNP combinations.
AB  - Genome-wide association study is especially challenging in detecting high-order
      disease-causing models due to model diversity, possible low or even no marginal
      effect of the model, and extraordinary search and computations. In this paper, we
      propose a niche harmony search algorithm where joint entropy is utilized as a
      heuristic factor to guide the search for low or no marginal effect model, and two
      computationally lightweight scores are selected to evaluate and adapt to diverse
      of disease models. In order to obtain all possible suspected pathogenic models,
      niche technique merges with HS, which serves as a taboo region to avoid HS
      trapping into local search. From the resultant set of candidate SNP-combinations,
      we use G-test statistic for testing true positives. Experiments were performed on
      twenty typical simulation datasets in which 12 models are with marginal effect
      and eight ones are with no marginal effect. Our results indicate that the
      proposed algorithm has very high detection power for searching suspected disease
      models in the first stage and it is superior to some typical existing approaches
      in both detection power and CPU runtime for all these datasets. Application to
      age-related macular degeneration (AMD) demonstrates our method is promising in
      detecting high-order disease-causing models.

PMID- 28912585
TI  - Matrisome Profiling During Intervertebral Disc Development And Ageing.
AB  - Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is often the cause of low back pain.
      Degeneration occurs with age and is accompanied by extracellular matrix (ECM)
      depletion, culminating in nucleus pulpous (NP) extrusion and IVD destruction. The
      changes that occur in the disc with age have been under investigation. However, a
      thorough study of ECM profiling is needed, to better understand IVD development
      and age-associated degeneration. As so, iTRAQ LC-MS/MS analysis of foetus, young
      and old bovine NPs, was performed to define the NP matrisome. The enrichment of
      Collagen XII and XIV in foetus, Fibronectin and Prolargin in elder NPs and
      Collagen XI in young ones was independently validated. This study provides the
      first matrisome database of healthy discs during development and ageing, which is
      key to determine the pathways and processes that maintain disc homeostasis. The
      factors identified may help to explain age-associated IVD degeneration or
      constitute putative effectors for disc regeneration.

PMID- 28912586
TI  - Three-dimensional combined biomarkers assay could improve diagnostic accuracy for
      gastric cancer.
AB  - So far, stomach-specific biomarkers, gastric cancer(GC)-related environmental
      factors, and cancer-associated biomarkers are three major classes of serological
      biomarkers with GC warning potential, joint detection of which is expected to
      increase the diagnosis efficiency. We investigated whether the combination of
      serum pepsinogens(PGs), IgG anti-Helicobacter pylori (HpAb), and osteopontin
      (OPN) can be used as a panel for GC diagnose. Serum was collected from 365 GC
      patients and 729 healthy individuals,furtherly 332 cases and 332 age- and sex
      matched controls were selected for the matched analysis. Serum levels were
      measured by ELISA. Logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic curve
      (ROC) were used to assess the associations of biomarkers with GC and the
      discriminative performance of biomarkers for GC. The area under ROC from three
      dimensional combination of PGI/II-HpAb-OPN (0.826) was significantly higher than
      two-dimensional combination of PGI/II-HpAb (0.786, P < 0.001), PGI/II-OPN (0.787,
      P < 0.001), and OPN-HpAb (0.801, P = 0.006), as well as one-biomarker of PGI/II
      (0.735, P < 0.001), HpAb (0.737, P < 0.001) and OPN(0.713, P < 0.001),
      respectively. The combination of PGI/II-HpAb-OPN, yielded a sensitivity of 70.2%
      and specificity of 78.3% at the predicted probability of 0.493 as the optimal
      cutoff point. Three-dimensional combined biomarkers assay could improve
      diagnostic accuracy for gastric cancer.

PMID- 28912587
TI  - Tuning electromagnetic properties of SrRuO3 epitaxial thin films via atomic
      control of cation vacancies.
AB  - Elemental defect in transition metal oxides is an important and intriguing
      subject that result in modifications in variety of physical properties including
      atomic and electronic structure, optical and magnetic properties. Understanding
      the formation of elemental vacancies and their influence on different physical
      properties is essential in studying the complex oxide thin films. In this study,
      we investigated the physical properties of epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films by
      systematically manipulating cation and/or oxygen vacancies, via changing the
      oxygen partial pressure (P(O2)) during the pulsed laser epitaxy (PLE) growth. Ru
      vacancies in the low-P(O2)-grown SrRuO3 thin films induce lattice expansion with
      the suppression of the ferromagnetic T C down to ~120 K. Sr vacancies also
      disturb the ferromagnetic ordering, even though Sr is not a magnetic element. Our
      results indicate that both A and B cation vacancies in an ABO3 perovskite can be
      systematically engineered via PLE, and the structural, electrical, and magnetic
      properties can be tailored accordingly.

PMID- 28912588
TI  - Lipopolysaccharide-initiated persistent rhinitis causes gliosis and synaptic loss
      in the olfactory bulb.
AB  - The olfactory mucosa (OM) is exposed to environmental agents and therefore
      vulnerable to inflammation. To examine the effects of environmental toxin
      initiated OM inflammation on the olfactory bulb (OB), we induced persistent
      rhinitis in mice and analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns of
      histopathological changes in the OM and OB. Mice received unilateral intranasal
      administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline three times per week, and
      were immunohistologically analyzed at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after the first
      administration. LPS administration induced an inflammatory response in the OM,
      including the infiltration of Ly-6G-, CD11b-, Iba-1- and CD3-positive cells, the
      production of interleukin-1beta by CD11b- and Iba-1-positive cells, and loss of
      olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). In the OB, we observed activation of microglia
      and astrocytes and decreased expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in periglomerular
      cells, vesicular glutamate transporter 1, a presynaptic protein, in mitral and
      tufted projection neurons, and 5T4 in granule cells. Thus, the OM inflammation
      exerted a detrimental effect, not only on OSNs, but also on OB neurons, which
      might lead to neurodegeneration.

PMID- 28912589
TI  - Microbial diversity in the hypersaline Lake Meyghan, Iran.
AB  - Lake Meyghan is one of the largest and commercially most important salt lakes in
      Iran. Despite its inland location and high altitude, Lake Meyghan has a
      thalassohaline salt composition suggesting a marine origin. Inputs of fresh water
      by rivers and rainfall formed various basins characterized by different
      salinities. We analyzed the microbial community composition of three basins by
      isolation and culturing of microorganisms and by analysis of the metagenome. The
      basins that were investigated comprised a green ~50 g kg-1 salinity brine, a red
      ~180 g kg-1 salinity brine and a white ~300 g kg-1 salinity brine. Using
      different growth media, 57 strains of Bacteria and 48 strains of Archaea were
      isolated. Two bacterial isolates represent potential novel species with less than
      96% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity to known species. Abundant isolates were also
      well represented in the metagenome. Bacteria dominated the low salinity brine,
      with Alteromonadales (Gammaproteobacteria) as a particularly important taxon,
      whereas the high salinity brines were dominated by haloarchaea. Although the
      brines of Lake Meyghan differ in geochemical composition, their ecosystem
      function appears largely conserved amongst each other while being driven by
      different microbial communities.

PMID- 28912590
TI  - The importance of simulated lung fluid (SLF) extractions for a more relevant
      evaluation of the oxidative potential of particulate matter.
AB  - Particulate matter (PM) induces oxidative stress in vivo, leading to adverse
      health effects. Oxidative potential (OP) of PM is increasingly studied as a
      relevant metric for health impact (instead of PM mass concentration) as much of
      the ambient particle mass do not contribute to PM toxicity. Several assays have
      been developed to quantify PM oxidative potential and a widely used one is the
      acellular dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. However in such assays, particles are
      usually extracted with methanol or Milli-Q water which is unrepresentative of
      physiological conditions. For this purpose, OPDTT measurements after simulated
      lung fluids (SLF) extraction, in order to look at the impact of simulated lung
      fluid constituents, were compared to Milli-Q water extraction measurements. Our
      major finding is a significant decrease of the OPDTT when the artificial
      lysosomal fluid (ALF) solution was used. Indeed, ligand compounds are present in
      the SLF solutions and some induce a decrease of the OP when compared to water
      extraction. Our results suggest that the effect of ligands and complexation in
      lining fluids towards PM contaminants probably has been underestimated and should
      be investigated further.

PMID- 28912591
TI  - Inter-individual differences in heart rate variability are associated with inter
      individual differences in mind-reading.
AB  - In the present study, we investigated whether inter-individual differences in
      vagally-mediated cardiac activity (high frequency heart rate variability, HF-HRV)
      would be associated with inter-individual differences in mind-reading, a specific
      aspect of social cognition. To this end, we recorded resting state HF-HRV in 49
      individuals before they completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, a test
      that required the identification of mental states on basis of subtle facial cues.
      As expected, inter-individual differences in HF-HRV were associated with inter
      individual differences in mental state identification: Individuals with high HF
      HRV were more accurate in the identification of positive but not negative states
      than individuals with low HF-HRV. Individuals with high HF-HRV may, thus, be more
      sensitive to positive states of others, which may increase the likelihood to
      detect cues that encourage approach and affiliative behavior in social contexts.
      Inter-individual differences in mental state identification may, thus, explain
      why individuals with high HF-HRV have been shown to be more successful in
      initiating and maintaining social relationships than individuals with low HF-HRV.

PMID- 28912592
TI  - Accurate immune repertoire sequencing reveals malaria infection driven antibody
      lineage diversification in young children.
AB  - Accurately measuring antibody repertoire sequence composition in a small amount
      of blood is challenging yet important for understanding repertoire responses to
      infection and vaccination. We develop molecular identifier clustering-based
      immune repertoire sequencing (MIDCIRS) and use it to study age-related antibody
      repertoire development and diversification before and during acute malaria in
      infants (< 12 months old) and toddlers (12-47 months old) with 4-8 ml of blood.
      Here, we show this accurate and high-coverage repertoire-sequencing method can
      use as few as 1000 naive B cells. Unexpectedly, we discover high levels of
      somatic hypermutation in infants as young as 3 months old. Antibody clonal
      lineage analysis reveals that somatic hypermutation levels are increased in both
      infants and toddlers upon infection, and memory B cells isolated from individuals
      who previously experienced malaria continue to induce somatic hypermutations upon
      malaria rechallenge. These results highlight the potential of antibody repertoire
      diversification in infants and toddlers.Somatic hypermutation of antibodies can
      occur in infants but are difficult to track. Here the authors present a new
      method called MIDCIRS for deep quantitative repertoire sequencing with few cells,
      and show infants as young as 3 months can expand antibody lineage complexity in
      response to malaria infection.

PMID- 28912593
TI  - Effect of palm-based tocotrienols and tocopherol mixture supplementation on
      platelet aggregation in subjects with metabolic syndrome: a randomised controlled
      trial.
AB  - Tocotrienols, the unsaturated form of vitamin E, were reported to modulate
      platelet aggregation and thrombotic mechanisms in pre-clinical studies. Using a
      Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cartridge-based measurement system, a
      randomised, double-blind, crossover and placebo-controlled trial involving 32
      metabolic syndrome adults was conducted to investigate the effect of palm-based
      tocotrienols and tocopherol (PTT) mixture supplementation on platelet aggregation
      reactivity. The participants were supplemented with 200 mg (69% tocotrienols and
      31% alpha-tocopherol) twice daily of PTT mixture or placebo capsules for 14 days
      in a random order. After 14 days, each intervention was accompanied by a
      postprandial study, in which participants consumed 200 mg PTT mixture or placebo
      capsule after a meal. Blood samples were collected on day 0, day 14 and during
      postprandial for the measurement of platelet aggregation reactivity. Subjects
      went through a 15-day washout period before commencement of subsequent
      intervention. Fasting platelet aggregation reactivity stimulated with adenosine
      diphosphate (ADP) did not show substantial changes after supplementation with PTT
      mixture compared to placebo (p = 0.393). Concomitantly, changes in postprandial
      platelet aggregation reactivity remained similar between PTT mixture and placebo
      interventions (p = 0.408). The results of this study highlight the lack of
      inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation after short-term supplementation of PTT
      mixture in participants with metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 28912594
TI  - Quantification of Aquaporin-Z reconstituted into vesicles for biomimetic membrane
      fabrication.
AB  - Aquaporin incorporated biomimetic membranes are anticipated to offer
      unprecedented desalination capabilities. However, the lack of accurate methods to
      quantify the reconstituted aquaporin presents a huge hurdle in investigating
      aquaporin performance and optimizing membrane fabrication. Herein, we present
      three quantification methods to determine the Aquaporin-Z reconstituted into E.
      coli lipid vesicles: 1) nanogold labeling with transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM) visualization, 2) nickel labeling with inductively coupled plasma-mass
      spectrometry (ICP-MS) and 3) gel electrophoresis. The TEM method serves as a
      quick way to determine if aquaporin has been reconstituted, but is not
      quantitative. The numerical results from quantitative methods, ICP-MS and gel
      electrophoresis, correlate closely, showing that 60 +/- 20% vs 66 +/- 4% of
      Aquaporin-Z added is successfully reconstituted into vesicles respectively. These
      methods allow more accurate determination of Aquaporin-Z reconstituted and loss
      during reconstitution, with relatively commonly available equipment and without
      complex sample handling, or lengthy data analysis. These would allow them to be
      widely applicable to scientific studies of protein function in the biomimetic
      environment and engineering studies on biomimetic membrane fabrication.

PMID- 28912595
TI  - Analysis of VSV pseudotype virus infection mediated by rubella virus envelope
      proteins.
AB  - Rubella virus (RV) generally causes a systemic infection in humans. Viral cell
      tropism is a key determinant of viral pathogenesis, but the tropism of RV is
      currently poorly understood. We analyzed various human cell lines and determined
      that RV only establishes an infection efficiently in particular non-immune cell
      lines. To establish an infection the host cells must be susceptible and
      permissible. To assess the susceptibility of individual cell lines, we generated
      a pseudotype vesicular stomatitis virus bearing RV envelope proteins (VSV
      RV/CE2E1). VSV-RV/CE2E1 entered cells in an RV envelope protein-dependent manner,
      and thus the infection was neutralized completely by an RV-specific antibody. The
      infection was Ca2+-dependent and inhibited by endosomal acidification inhibitors,
      further confirming the dependency on RV envelope proteins for the VSV-RV/CE2E1
      infection. Human non-immune cell lines were mostly susceptible to VSV-RV/CE2E1,
      while immune cell lines were much less susceptible than non-immune cell lines.
      However, susceptibility of immune cells to VSV-RV/CE2E1 was increased upon
      stimulation of these cells. Our data therefore suggest that immune cells are
      generally less susceptible to RV infection than non-immune cells, but the
      susceptibility of immune cells is enhanced upon stimulation.

PMID- 28912596
TI  - Complete reperfusion is required for maximal benefits of mechanical thrombectomy
      in stroke patients.
AB  - A mTICI 2b or a mTICI 3 score are currently considered success following
      mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in acute stroke but is undetermined whether the two
      scores translate equivalent outcomes. We present a single-center, retrospective
      cohort of patients with anterior circulation stroke treated with MT and achieving
      a final mTICI score 2b or 3. A multimodal CT at baseline and a multimodal MRI at
      24 hours assessed the growth of the infarct, and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
      assessed functional outcome at 90 days. The primary outcome was the shift
      analysis of the mRS at day 90 in ordinal regression adjusted for covariates (age,
      sex, pretreatment NIHSS score, target occlusion, infarct core, pretreatment
      alteplase), and the collateral score. Infarct growth was explored in a similarly
      adjusted multiple linear regression model. MT was started within a median of 285
      minutes of symptom onset; 51 (41%) patients achieved a mTICI 2b, and 74 (59%), a
      mTICI 3. mTICI 3 resulted in better mRS score transitions than mTICI 2b (odds
      ratio 2.018 [95% CI 1.033-3.945], p = 0. 040), and reduced infarct growth (p =
      0.002). We conclude that in patients with acute stroke receiving MT, success
      should be redefined as achieving a mTICI 3 score.

PMID- 28912597
TI  - Angle-resolved stochastic photon emission in the quantum radiation-dominated
      regime.
AB  - Signatures of stochastic effects in the radiation of a relativistic electron beam
      interacting with a counterpropagating superstrong short focused laser pulse are
      investigated in a quantum regime when the electron's radiation dominates its
      dynamics. We consider the electron-laser interaction at near-reflection
      conditions when pronounced high-energy gamma-ray bursts arise in the backward
      emission direction with respect to the initial motion of the electrons. The
      quantum stochastic nature of the gamma-photon emission is exhibited in the
      angular distributions of the radiation and explained in an intuitive picture.
      Although, the visibility of the stochasticity signatures depends on the laser and
      electron beam parameters, the signatures are of a qualitative nature and robust.
      The stochasticity, a fundamental quantum property of photon emission, should thus
      be measurable rather straightforwardly with laser technology available in near
      future.

PMID- 28912598
TI  - Synthetic lethality screens point the way to new cancer drug targets.

PMID- 28912599
TI  - Market watch: Upcoming market catalysts in Q4 2017.

PMID- 28912600
TI  - The human microbiome: opportunity or hype?

PMID- 28912601
TI  - PHF7, a novel male gene influences female fecundity and population growth in
      Nilaparvata lugens Stal (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).
AB  - PHF7 exhibits male-specific expression in early germ cells, germline stem cells
      and spermatogonia in insects, and its expression promotes spermatogenesis in germ
      cells when they are present in a male soma. However, the influence of male
      specific PHF7 on female reproductive biology via mating remains unclear. Thus, we
      investigated the potential impacts of male PHF7, existed in seminal fluid of
      Nilaparvata lugens (NlPHF7), on fecundity and population growth via mating. Our
      results revealed that suppressing male NlPHF7 expression by RNAi led to decreases
      in body weight, soluble accessory gland protein content, arginine content, and
      reproductive organ development in males, resulting in significant reduction of
      oviposition periods and fecundity in females, and significant decrease in body
      weight, fat body and ovarian protein content, yeast-like symbionts abundance,
      ovarian development and vitellogenin gene expression in their female mating
      partners. Similarly, suppression of NlPHF7 expression in males mated with the
      control female reduced population growth and egg hatching rate, but did not
      influence gender ratio. We infer that NlPHF7 play a role important in stimulating
      female fecundity via mating. This study provides valuable information by
      identifying a potentially effective target gene for managing BPH population
      through RNAi.

PMID- 28912602
TI  - Kinetic adaptation of human Myo19 for active mitochondrial transport to growing
      filopodia tips.
AB  - Myosins are actin-based molecular motors which are enzymatically adapted for
      their cellular functions such as transportation and membrane tethering. Human
      Myo19 affects mitochondrial motility, and promotes their localization to stress
      induced filopodia. Therefore, studying Myo19 enzymology is essential to
      understand how this motor may facilitate mitochondrial motility. Towards this
      goal, we have purified Myo19 motor domain (Myo19-3IQ) from a human-cell
      expression system and utilized transient kinetics to study the Myo19-3IQ ATPase
      cycle. We found that Myo19-3IQ exhibits noticeable conformational changes
      (isomerization steps) preceding both ATP and ADP binding, which may contribute to
      nucleotide binding r egulation. Notably, the ADP isomerization step and
      subsequent ADP release contribute significantly to the rate-limiting step of the
      Myo19-3IQ ATPase cycle. Both the slow ADP isomerization and ADP release prolong
      the time Myo19-3IQ spend in the strong actin binding state and hence contribute
      to its relatively high duty ratio. However, the predicted duty ratio is lower
      than required to support motility as a monomer. Therefore, it may be that several
      Myo19 motors are required to propel mitochondria movement on actin filaments
      efficiently. Finally, we provide a model explaining how Myo19 translocation may
      be regulated by the local ATP/ADP ratio, coupled to the mitochondria presence in
      the filopodia.

PMID- 28912603
TI  - Novel insight into streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats from the protein
      misfolding perspective.
AB  - Protein folding is a process of self-assembly defined by the sequence of the
      amino acids of the protein involved. Additionally, proteins tend to unfold,
      misfold and aggregate due to both intrinsic and extrinsic causes. Human islet
      amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) aggregation is an early step in diabetes mellitus.
      However, the aggregation of rat IAPP (rIAPP) remains an open question. Adult
      female Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 150-250 g were divided into two groups. The
      experimental group (streptozotocin [STZ]) (n = 21) received an intraperitoneal
      injection of a single dose of 40 mg/kg STZ. We used the mouse anti-IAPP antibody
      and the anti-amyloid oligomer antibody to study the temporal course of rIAPP
      oligomerization during STZ-induced diabetes using a wide array of methods,
      strategies and ideas derived from biochemistry, cell biology, and proteomic
      medicine. Here, we demonstrated the tendency of rIAPP to aggregate and trigger
      cooperative processes of self-association or hetero-assembly that lead to the
      formation of amyloid oligomers (trimers and hexamers). Our results are the first
      to demonstrate the role of rIAPP amyloid oligomers in the development of STZ
      induced diabetes in rats. The IAPP amyloid oligomers are biomarkers of the onset
      and progression of diabetes and could play a role as therapeutic targets.

PMID- 28912604
TI  - Oral health promotion in the community pharmacy: an evaluation of a pilot oral
      health promotion intervention.
AB  - Introduction Poor oral health is a significant public health concern, costing the
      NHS in England L3.4 billion annually. Community pharmacies are easily accessible,
      frequently visited by patients and the community pharmacy contractual framework
      requires pharmacies to provide healthy living advice to patients - therefore
      offering a little explored avenue for the delivery of oral health
      interventions.Methodology A pilot oral health promotion intervention was
      introduced in five pharmacies in deprived areas of County Durham between
      September and December 2016. A mixed methods approach to the evaluation was
      performed, utilising a patient evaluation questionnaire and semi-structured
      qualitative interviews with pharmacy staff.Results One thousand and eighty-nine
      participants received the intervention. Following the intervention 72% of
      participants perceived their knowledge of oral health as much better, 66%
      definitely intended to change their oral health habits and 64% definitely thought
      a pharmacy was the right place to receive advice about oral health. Three themes
      emerged from the qualitative data: (1) intervention feedback, (2) knowledge gap
      and (3) service development.Discussion The data demonstrated the acceptability of
      patients to a community pharmacy based oral health intervention, with most
      patients reporting intentions to change their oral healthcare habits after
      receiving the intervention. Previous literature has identified a willingness of
      pharmacy staff to become involved with oral health; this study provides evidence
      that patients are also receptive to such services being delivered in the
      community pharmacy setting. Further work is required to assess the benefits of a
      community pharmacy based oral health intervention and the potential for further
      growth of this role.Conclusion A community pharmacy is perceived by patients as
      an acceptable provider of oral health interventions and has the potential to
      provide positive changes to the oral health of the population.

PMID- 28912606
TI  - Profiling of cocaine using ratios of GC-MS peaks.
AB  - Illicit cocaine seizures are often compared to each other by using gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) data from cocaine alkaloid compounds to
      determine whether two specimens originate from the same production batch or not.
      This can provide intelligence or investigative information at the early stages of
      an investigation or evidence in court. Traditional classification methods assume
      high stability of all alkaloids, use all of them to calculate the correlation
      between two profiles and use a threshold to classify samples. Unstable alkaloids
      will have a strong influence on the performance. We show that comparing each
      alkaloid target compound individually improves the classification. Unfortunately,
      it requires normalization and is also sensitive to the stability. Instead we
      suggest to use ratios of all possible pairwise combinations of the GC-MS peaks.
      These ratios are scale free and directly comparable between samples. The peaks
      can be given different weights in the comparison of profiles using appropriate
      classification methods and we show that randomForest classification using these
      ratios have a high and reproducible performance in comparison with other methods.
      The performance of this method is not affected by noise, transformation or
      normalization and should be considered for future comparison of chromatographic
      profiles in general.

PMID- 28912605
TI  - Peripheral human CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes exhibit a memory phenotype and enhanced
      responses to IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15.
AB  - CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes account for 1-2% of circulating human T lymphocytes, but
      their frequency is augmented in several diseases. The phenotypic and functional
      properties of these T lymphocytes are still ill-defined. We performed an ex vivo
      characterization of CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes from the blood of healthy individuals.
      We observed that CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes exhibit several characteristics
      associated with memory T lymphocytes including the expression of chemokine
      receptors (e.g. CCR7, CXCR3, CCR6) and activation markers (e.g. CD57, CD95).
      Moreover, we showed that a greater proportion of CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes have an
      enhanced capacity to produce cytokines (IFNgamma, TNFalpha, IL-2, IL-4, IL-17A)
      and lytic enzymes (perforin, granzyme B) compared to CD4+ and/or CD8+ T
      lymphocytes. Finally, we assessed the impact of three key cytokines in T cell
      biology on these cells. We observed that IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15 triggered STAT5
      phosphorylation in a greater proportion of CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes compared to CD4
      and CD8 counterparts. We demonstrate that CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes from healthy
      donors exhibit a phenotypic profile associated with memory T lymphocytes, an
      increased capacity to produce cytokines and lytic enzymes, and a higher
      proportion of cells responding to key cytokines implicated in T cell survival,
      homeostasis and activation.

PMID- 28912607
TI  - 'Nobody could possibly misunderstand what a group is': a study in early twentieth
      century group axiomatics.
AB  - In the early years of the twentieth century, the so-called 'postulate analysis'
      the study of systems of axioms for mathematical objects for their own sake-was
      regarded by some as a vital part of the efforts to understand those objects. I
      consider the place of postulate analysis within early twentieth-century
      mathematics by focusing on the example of a group: I outline the axiomatic
      studies to which groups were subjected at this time and consider the changing
      attitudes towards such investigations.

PMID- 28912609
TI  - The Biomonitoring of Great Lakes Populations Program.

PMID- 28912608
TI  - Structural features of the carbon-sulfur chemical bond: a semi-experimental
      perspective.
AB  - In this work semi-experimental and theoretical equilibrium geometries of 10
      sulfur-containing organic molecules, as well as 4 oxygenated ones, are determined
      by means of a computational protocol based on density functional theory. The
      results collected in the present paper further enhance our online database of
      accurate semi-experimental equilibrium molecular geometries, adding 13 new
      molecules containing up to 8 atoms, for 12 of which the first semi-experimental
      equilibrium structure is reported, to the best of our knowledge. We focus in
      particular on sulfur-containing compounds, aiming both to provide new accurate
      data on some rather important chemical moieties, only marginally represented in
      the literature of the field, and to examine the structural features of carbon
      sulfur bonds in the light of the previously presented linear regression approach.
      The structural changes issuing from substitution of oxygen by sulfur are
      discussed to get deeper insights on how modifications in electronic structure and
      nuclear potential can affect equilibrium geometries. With respect to our previous
      works, we perform non-linear constrained optimizations of equilibrium SE
      structures with a new general and user-friendly software under development in our
      group with updated definition of useful statistical indicators.

PMID- 28912610
TI  - A guide for religious for end-of-life decision making.

PMID- 28912611
TI  - Our Lady Undoer of Knots.

PMID- 28912612
TI  - Homily for the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.

PMID- 28912613
TI  - Is medicine losing its way? A firm foundation for medicine as a real therapeia.
AB  - : Is medicine losing its way? This question may seem to imply a serious warning,
      one needing a further explanation. What I mean to say by the title of this paper
      is that we can detect an undeniable shift in medicine in the last forty to fifty
      years. Medicine used to focus on what we call "health care" in a classical sense,
      that is, the treatment of people suffering from diseases, injuries or handicaps,
      or the alleviation of pain and other symptoms. In addition to this, in the last
      half century, it has begun to offer more and more treatments aiming to perfect
      the qualities of people who are otherwise healthy. SUMMARY: Due to the rapid
      progress of research in the biomedical field, medicine is already and will ever
      more be able not only to cure diseases, but also to improve the characteristics
      of healthy human persons. This seems to be justifiable from the point of view of
      the contemporary view of man. This considers the mind as the actual human person
      and the body as an object of which he may dispose as he likes. However, serious
      and convincing objections exist against this view, because it does not do justice
      to the fact that we experience ourselves as a unity. Aristotelian-Thomist
      anthropology explains man as a substantial unity of a spiritual and a material
      dimension, of body and soul, which implies that the body is an essential
      dimension of man, participates in his intrinsic dignity and is never to be
      instrumentalized in order to improve the characteristics of healthy people.
      Medicine should apply all new medical techniques availed, but remain true health
      care.

PMID- 28912614
TI  - Spiritual care of the sick.
AB  - : In the Gospel we see how people bring the sick to Christ to be healed. As
      physicians, nurses, and chaplains we are God's instruments bringing physical and
      spiritual healing to the sick. It is important for those of us who care for the
      sick to ask them about their religious affiliation and spiritual needs, and then
      following their cues and in a respectful way to encourage them to pray and, in
      the case of Catholics, to receive the sacraments. We should also pray for our
      patients, and when we think they would like it, to pray with them. SUMMARY:
      Physicians and nurses, not only chaplains, should ask patients about their
      religious beliefs, offer to find spiritual assistance for them, and when
      appropriate pray with them.

PMID- 28912615
TI  - Why the moratorium on human-animal chimera research should not be lifted.
AB  - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced its plans to lift its
      moratorium on funding research that involves injecting human embryonic stem cells
      into animal embryos, which would allow for the creation of part-human and part
      animal organisms known as chimeras. The NIH allowed only one month to receive
      public comments in the midst of a presidential election campaign. Lifting the
      moratorium means that, for the first time, the federal government will begin
      spending taxpayer dollars on the creation and manipulation of new organisms that
      would blur the line between humans and animals. Interestingly, this government
      effort is creating an uncommon coalition between pro-life groups and animal
      rights activists that oppose this medical research on ethical grounds; the former
      seeking to ensure the welfare of human embryos and the latter seeking to protect
      the well-being of animals. Unlike the issue of abortion, this research is
      complex. Yet, it is important that the pro-life laity and clergy be adequately
      informed on some of the basic science and ethics that surround this research. To
      fully understand why this research is unethical and why the NIH is pursuing this
      particular research, it is important to understand the ethical tenets governing
      human-subject research and why secular scientists are pursuing this scientific
      field.

PMID- 28912616
TI  - Decision making in neonatal end-of-life scenarios in low-income settings1.
AB  - : The challenge of decision making in end-of-life scenarios is exacerbated when
      the patient is a newborn and in a low-income setting. The principle of
      proportionate care is a helpful guide but needs to be applied. The complex
      interplay of benefit, burden, and cost of various treatments all need to be
      considered. In patients with severe neonatal encephalopathy, prognosis can be
      hard to determine, and a team approach to decision making can help. In low-income
      settings, or where there are limited resources, the ideal care needs to be
      incarnated in the real context. Issues of social justice also arise as finite
      resources need to be used prudently. SUMMARY: Decisions regarding medical care
      become difficult when the patient is a seriously ill newborn baby. In the
      developing world, scarce medical facilities and minimal economic resources also
      limit possible treatment options. The Catholic Church offers practical ethical
      principles which can help the medical team and family to strive to do what is
      morally best in these difficult situations.

PMID- 28912617
TI  - Pulmonary hypertension: Clinical parameters of a difficult case in pregnancy.
AB  - : Treatment of pulmonary hypertension in pregnancy with a prostacyclin analogue
      iloprost and/or calcium channel antagonists appears to improve outcomes and
      survival. These medications could have been administered to the patient and the
      response monitored. If the patient did not respond to therapy, this patient may
      have had either a referral to or transfer to another high risk center with more
      experience in this type of pregnant patient. There is no literature to support
      termination of pregnancy improving maternal survival outcomes in these patients,
      even though termination is recommended by all obstetrical textbooks. Maternal
      survival, rather, appears to be related to response to therapy, type of therapy,
      and continuation of therapy. SUMMARY: A patient who is pregnant with pulmonary
      hypertension (increased right-sided heart pressures) may be managed with
      medications. There is no literature to support termination of pregnancy improving
      maternal survival outcomes in patients with pulmonary hypertension, even though
      termination is recommended by all obstetrical textbooks. Maternal survival,
      rather, appears to be related to response to therapy, type of therapy, and
      continuation of therapy.

PMID- 28912618
TI  - Moral theological analysis of direct versus indirect abortion.
AB  - : Cases of a vital conflict, where the lives of both the mother and child are at
      risk during pregnancy, have been the subject of recent vigorous debate. The basic
      principles put forth in the Ethical and Religious Directives are reviewed, as is
      the principle of double effect. An illustrative case of severe cardiomyopathy in
      a pregnant woman is described and it is noted that the principle of double effect
      would not apply. Counter arguments are noted, focusing on Martin Rhonheimer who
      posits that in the case of vital conflicts, such as performing a craniotomy on a
      baby stuck in the birth canal, taking the baby's life does not constitute a
      direct abortion because moral norms do not apply in the extreme conflict
      situation where both mother and child will die. He states that the death of the
      fetus is not intentional in these cases. He overlooks "how the life is being
      saved" and that a choice has been made, which implies a moral act, not just a
      physical one. Rhonheimer wants to make his moral judgment solely on the basis of
      intention, prescinding from what actually occurs in the physical world of cause
      and effect. This is clearly against the teaching in Evangelium vitae. Ethics deal
      with the deliberate chosen actions in space and time of embodied human beings; it
      deals inescapably with material actions, with specifications of intentions.
      Rhonheimer states, "a killing or an abortion is 'direct,' not because the death
      of the fetus is caused in some physically direct way, but because it is willed as
      the means to an end." However the death of the child cannot be excluded from the
      act and is therefore of necessity included in it. What the acting person chooses
      includes what happens physically in this act. If the action theory proposed by
      Rhonheimer is accepted, it could be very difficult to avoid death-dealing actions
      from taking place in Catholic hospitals. SUMMARY: This is a moral analysis of
      cases of "vital conflicts," where the lives of both the mother and child are at
      risk during a pregnancy. It is stated by some ethicists that directly killing the
      baby to save the life of the mother is morally justified, even when the direct
      action of the doctor is to kill the baby. Examples are provided to illustrate how
      Catholic moral principles apply. It is concluded that direct killing, regardless
      of the intention, is not justified. The doctor should always work to try and save
      the lives of both the mother and the child. One should never be directly killed
      even if the intention is to save the life of the other.

PMID- 28912619
TI  - What moral character is and is not.
AB  - : Louise Mitchell discusses character in "Integrity and virtue: The forming of
      good character" (The Linacre Quarterly 82, no. 2: 149-169). I argue that she is
      mistaken in identifying character as a potency and that it is rather the sum of
      one's moral habits and dispositions. I establish this by showing that if one
      correctly applies the division Aristotle presents in the text that Mitchell
      relies on, it follows that character belongs in the category of habit. I further
      support this conclusion by considering how people commonly speak of moral
      character. I then show that the text from the Summa Theologiae Mitchell relies on
      concerns sacramental character and not moral character; moreover, if we apply the
      reasoning contained there to moral character, we are again led to see that it
      should be categorized as a habit. Lastly, I explain that a human being's potency
      for character lies in the soul's rational powers. SUMMARY: I defend the common
      sense view that moral character is the sum of one's moral habits and dispositions
      in response to Louise Mitchell who maintains that moral character is a potency. I
      do so by applying Aristotle's threefold division of things that exist in the soul
      namely, potency, habit, and emotion-and also by examining how Aristotle speaks
      about character and how the average person speaks about character. In addition, I
      show why humans are the only animals that have the potential to develop
      character, and how this potential lies in the rational faculties of our soul.

PMID- 28912621
TI  - FAQs from the 2012 CMA Annual Conference.

PMID- 28912620
TI  - Hormonal contraception and the development of autoimmunity: A review of the
      literature.
AB  - : Estrogens and progestins are known to have profound effects on the immune
      system and may modulate the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. A
      comprehensive literature search was carried out using PubMed for any of 153
      autoimmune disease terms and the terms contraception, contraceptive, or their
      chemical components with limits of Humans + Title or Abstract. Over 1,800 titles
      were returned and scanned, 352 papers retrieved and reviewed in depth and an
      additional 70 papers retrieved from the bibliographies. Based on this review,
      substantial evidence exists linking the use of combined oral contraceptives to a
      lower incidence of hyperthyroidism, an increase in multiple sclerosis, ulcerative
      colitis, Crohn's disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and interstitial
      cystitis. Progesterone only contraceptives are linked to progesterone dermatitis
      and in one large developing world concurrent cohort study are associated with
      increases in arthropathies and related disorders, eczema and contact dermatitis,
      pruritis and related conditions, alopecia, acne, and urticaria. Hormonal
      contraceptives modulate the immune system and may influence the susceptibility to
      autoimmune diseases with significant increases in risk for several autoimmune
      diseases. SUMMARY: Hormonal contraceptives (HCs), such as the "pill," Norplant,
      and vaginal rings, are very potent hormones that have effects on the immune
      system, which is made up of white blood cells and lymph nodes and normally
      defends the body against invading bacteria, viruses and parasites. This review
      looked at the association of HC use to the development of autoimmune diseases,
      where the immune system turns against the body and causes damage to organs. There
      is good evidence that HC use is associated with an increased risk of several
      serious autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease (which causes inflammation of
      the bowels), Lupus (which causes inflammation in many organs), and interstitial
      cystitis (which causes inflammation in the bladder). Several other rarer
      autoimmune diseases are also linked to HC use. People contemplating the use of
      HCs should be informed of these risks.

PMID- 28912622
TI  - Local and Systemic Immune Responses to Influenza A Virus Infection in Pneumonia
      and Encephalitis Mouse Models.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare local and systemic profiles between different disease
      pathologies (pneumonia and encephalitis) induced by influenza A virus (IAV).
      METHODS: An IAV pneumonia model was created by intranasal inoculation of C57BL/6
      mice with influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1) virus. Lung lavage and blood collection were
      performed on day 3 after IAV inoculation. Similarly, an IAV encephalitis mouse
      model was created by direct intracranial IAV inoculation. Cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) and blood collection were conducted according to the same schedule.
      Cytokine/chemokine profiles were produced for each collected sample. Then the
      data were compared visually using radar charts. RESULTS: Serum cytokine profiles
      were similar in pneumonia and encephalitis models, but local responses between
      the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in the pneumonia model and CSF in the
      encephalitis model differed. Moreover, to varying degrees, the profiles of local
      cytokines/chemokines differed from those of serum in both the pneumonia and
      encephalitis models. CONCLUSION: Investigating local samples such as BALF and CSF
      is important for evaluating local immune responses, providing insight into
      pathology at the primary loci of infection. Serum data alone might be
      insufficient to elucidate local immune responses and might not enable clinicians
      to devise the most appropriate treatment strategies.

PMID- 28912624
TI  - Corrigendum to "Expression and Clinical Significance of Cancer Stem Cell Markers
      CD24, CD44, and CD133 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Chronic
      Pancreatitis".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2017/3276806.].

PMID- 28912623
TI  - Measurement of Serum Klotho in Systemic Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate the serum concentration of
      klotho in a cohort of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients compared to that of
      healthy controls and to correlate its levels with the degree and the kind of
      organ involvement. METHODS: Blood samples obtained from both patients and
      controls were collected and analysed by an ELISA test for the determination of
      human soluble klotho. Scleroderma patients were evaluated for disease activity
      through clinical, laboratory, and instrumental assessment. RESULTS: Our cohort
      consisted of 81 SSc patients (74 females, mean age 63.9 +/- 13.1 years) and 136
      healthy controls (78 females, mean age 50.5 +/- 10.7 years). When matched for
      age, serum klotho concentration significantly differed between controls and
      patients (p < 0.001). However, in SSc patients, we did not find any significant
      association between serum klotho and clinical, laboratory, and instrumental
      findings. Lower serum levels of klotho were detected in 4 patients who were
      anticitrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) positive (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      data show a lower concentration of klotho in the serum of SSc patients compared
      to that of healthy controls, without any significant association with clinical
      manifestations and laboratory and instrumental findings. The association between
      serum klotho and ACPA positivity requires further investigation.

PMID- 28912625
TI  - Cognitive Impairment in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Very
      Mild Clinical Disability.
AB  - Cognitive dysfunction affects 40-65% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and can
      occur in the early stages of the disease. This study aimed to explore cognitive
      functions by means of the Italian version of the minimal assessment of cognitive
      function in MS (MACFIMS) in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients with very mild
      clinical disability to identify the primarily involved cognitive functions.
      Ninety-two consecutive RRMS patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)
      scores <= 2.5 and forty-two healthy controls (HC) were investigated. Our results
      show that 51.1% of MS patients have cognitive dysfunction compared to HC. An
      impairment of verbal and visual memory, working memory, and executive functions
      was found in the RRMS group. After subgrouping RRMS by EDSS, group 1 (EDSS <=
      1.5) showed involvement of verbal memory and executive functions; moreover, group
      2 (2 <= EDSS <= 2.5) patients were also impaired in information processing speed
      and visual memory. Our results show that utilizing a comprehensive
      neuropsychological assessment, approximately half of MS patients with very mild
      physical disability exhibit cognitive impairment with a primary involvement of
      prefrontal cognitive functions. Detecting impairment of executive functions at an
      early clinical stage of disease could be useful to promptly enroll MS patients in
      targeted rehabilitation.

PMID- 28912626
TI  - Clinical Impact of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate in Breast Cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer metastasizes to lymph nodes or other organs, which determine the
      prognosis of patients. It is difficult to cure the breast cancer patients with
      distant metastasis due to resistance to drug therapies. Elucidating the
      underlying mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis and drug resistance is expected
      to provide new therapeutic targets. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a
      pleiotropic, bioactive lipid mediator that regulates many cellular functions,
      including proliferation, migration, survival, angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis, and
      immune responses. S1P is formed in cells by sphingosine kinases and released from
      them, which acts in an autocrine, paracrine, and/or endocrine manner. S1P in
      extracellular space, such as interstitial fluid, interacts with components in the
      tumor microenvironment, which may be important for metastasis. Importantly,
      recent translational research has demonstrated an association between S1P levels
      in breast cancer patients and clinical outcomes, highlighting the clinical
      importance of S1P in breast cancer. We suggest that S1P is one of the key
      molecules to overcome the resistance to the drug therapies, such as hormonal
      therapy, anti-HER2 therapy, or chemotherapy, all of which are crucial aspects of
      a breast cancer treatment.

PMID- 28912627
TI  - IL-25 Could Be Involved in the Development of Allergic Rhinitis Sensitized to
      House Dust Mite.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: When house dust mite (HDM), a common allergen, comes into
      the mucosal membrane, it may stimulate innate immunity. However, the precise role
      of interleukin- (IL-) 25 in the development of HDM-induced nasal allergic
      inflammation is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated the role of IL-25 in
      allergic rhinitis (AR) patients sensitized to HDM. METHODS: To confirm the
      production of IL-25 in human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs), we stimulated HNECs.
      IL-25 expression in the nasal mucosa from control, non-AR (NAR) patients, and HDM
      sensitized AR patients was assessed using immunohistochemistry, and quantitative
      reverse transcription PCR. Correlations between IL-25 and other inflammatory
      markers were explored. RESULTS: An in vitro study showed significantly elevated
      concentrations of IL-25 in the HNEC samples with highest doses of HDM. Nasal
      tissues from AR patients sensitized to HDM showed significantly higher IL-25
      expression, compared to those from the control or NAR patients. Moreover, the
      expression of IL-25 in nasal tissues from AR patients sensitized to HDM was
      positively associated with Th2 markers, such as ECP and GATA3. CONCLUSIONS: IL-25
      expression increased with high-dose HDM stimulation and was related to Th2
      markers. Therefore, IL-25 neutralization might offer a new strategy for treating
      patients with HDM-sensitized AR.

PMID- 28912628
TI  - The future of orthopedic manual therapy: what are we missing?

PMID- 28912629
TI  - Spinal manipulation does not affect pressure pain thresholds in the absence of
      neuromodulators: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Measurement of pressure pain threshold (PPT) is a way to determine
      one of the many potential treatment effects of spinal manipulative therapy.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine how multiple spinal manipulations administered in a
      single-session affected PPTs at local and distal sites in asymptomatic
      individuals. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned into one of three
      groups: Group one (n = 18) received a lumbar manipulation followed by a cervical
      manipulation. Group two (n = 17) received a cervical manipulation followed by a
      lumbar manipulation. The control group (n = 19) received two bouts of five
      minutes of rest. At baseline and after each intervention or rest period, each
      participant's PPTs were obtained using a handheld algometer. The PPTs were tested
      bilaterally over the lateral epicondyles of the humerus and over the mid-bellies
      of the upper trapezius, lumbar paraspinal, and the tibialis anterior muscles.
      This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, and its Identifier is
      NCT02828501. RESULTS: Repeated-measures ANOVAs and Kruskal-Wallis tests showed no
      significant within- or between-group differences in PPT. Within-group effect
      sizes in the changes of PPT ranged from -.48 at the left paraspinal muscles to
      .24 at the left lateral humeral epicondyle. Statistical power to detect
      significant differences at alpha of 0.05 was calculated to be 0.94. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study suggests that in young adults who do not have current or recent
      symptoms of spinal pain, multiple within-session treatments of cervical and
      lumbar spinal manipulation fail to influence PPTs. Changes in PPT that are
      observed in symptomatic individuals are likely to be primarily influenced by pain
      related neuromodulators rather than by an isolated, mechanical effect of spinal
      manipulation.

PMID- 28912630
TI  - Inter-tester reliability of selected clinical tests for long-lasting
      temporomandibular disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinical tests used to examine patients with temporomandibular
      disorders vary in methodological quality, and some are not tested for
      reliability. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate inter
      tester reliability of clinical tests and a cluster of tests used to examine
      patients with long-lasting temporomandibular disorders. METHODS: Forty patients
      with pain in the temporomandibular area treated by health-professionals were
      included. They were between 18-70 years, had 65 symptomatic (33 right/32 left)
      and 15 asymptomatic joints. Two manual therapists examined all participants with
      selected tests. Percentage agreement and the kappa coefficient (k) with 95%
      confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the tests with categorical
      outcomes. For tests with continuous outcomes, the relative inter-tester
      reliability was assessed by the intraclass-correlation-coefficient (ICC3,1, 95%
      CI) and the absolute reliability was calculated by the smallest detectable change
      (SDC). RESULTS: The best reliability among single tests was found for the dental
      stick test, the joint-sound test (k = 0.80-1.0) and range of mouth-opening
      (ICC3,1 (95% CI) = 0.97 (0.95-0.98) and SDC = 4 mm). The reliability of cluster
      of tests was excellent with both four and five positive tests out of seven.
      CONCLUSION: The reliability was good to excellent for the clinical tests and the
      cluster of tests when performed by experienced therapists. The tests are feasible
      for use in the clinical setting. They require no advanced equipment and are easy
      to perform.

PMID- 28912631
TI  - Subacute effects of cervicothoracic spinal thrust/non-thrust in addition to
      shoulder manual therapy plus exercise intervention in individuals with
      subacromial impingement syndrome: a prospective, randomized controlled clinical
      trial pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the subacute effects of cervicothoracic spinal
      thrust/non-thrust in addition to shoulder non-thrust plus exercise in patients
      with subacromial pathology. METHODS: This was a randomized, single blinded
      controlled trial pilot study. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov
      (NCT01753271) and reported according to Consolidated Standards of Reporting
      Trials requirements. Patients were randomly assigned to either shoulder treatment
      plus cervicothoracic spinal thrust/non-thrust or shoulder treatment-only group.
      Primary outcomes were average pain intensity (Numeric Pain Rating Scale) and
      physical function (Shoulder Pain and Disability Index) at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and
      patient discharge. RESULTS: 18 patients, mean age 43.1(15.8) years satisfied the
      eligibility criteria and were analyzed for follow-up data. Both groups showed
      statistically significant improvements in both pain and function at 2 weeks, 4
      weeks, and discharge. The between-group differences for changes in pain or
      physical function were not significant at any time point. DISCUSSION: The
      addition of cervicothoracic spinal thrust/non-thrust to the shoulder treatment
      only group did not significantly alter improvement in pain or function in
      patients with subacromial pathology. Both approaches appeared to provide an
      equally notable benefit. Both groups improved on all outcomes and met the
      criteria for clinical relevance for both pain and function. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      2b.

PMID- 28912632
TI  - The intra-rater reliability of a revised 3-point grading system for accessory
      joint mobilizations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Joint mobilizations are often quantified using a 4-point grading
      system based on the physiotherapist's detection of resistance. It is suggested
      that the initial resistance to joint mobilizations is imperceptible to
      physiotherapists, but that at some point through range becomes perceptible, a
      point termed R1. Grades of mobilization traditionally hinge around this concept
      and are performed either before or after R1. Physiotherapists, however, show poor
      reliability in applying grades of mobilization. The definition of R1 is ambiguous
      and dependent on the skills of the individual physiotherapist. The aim of this
      study is to test a revised grading system where R1 is considered at the beginning
      of range, and the entire range, as perceived by the physiotherapists maximum
      force application, is divided into three, creating 3 grades of mobilization.
      METHOD: Thirty-two post-registration physiotherapists and nineteen pre
      registration students assessed end of range (point R2) and then applied 3 grades
      of AP mobilizations, over the talus, in an asymptomatic models ankle. Vertical
      forces were recorded through a force platform. Intra-class Correlation
      Coefficients, Standard Error of Measurement, and Minimal Detectable Change were
      calculated to explore intra-rater reliability on intra-day and inter-day testing.
      T-tests determined group differences. RESULTS: Intra-rater reliability was
      excellent for intra-day testing (ICC 0.96-0.97), and inter-day testing (ICC 0.85
      0.93). No statistical difference was found between pre- and post-registration
      groups. DISCUSSION: Standardizing the definition of grades of mobilization, by
      moving R1 to the beginning of range and separating grades into thirds, results in
      excellent intra-rater reliability on intra-day and inter-day tests. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 3b.

PMID- 28912633
TI  - A preliminary case series evaluating the safety and immediate to short-term
      clinical benefits of joint mobilization in hemophilic arthritis of the lower
      limb.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Arthritis resulting from recurrent intra-articular bleeding in
      individuals with hemophilia can be severely debilitating due to joint pain and
      stiffness with subsequent loss of mobility and function. Very limited studies
      have investigated the potential benefits of joint mobilization for this
      condition. This case series is a preliminary investigation of safety, as well as
      immediate and short-term clinical benefits, associated with gentle knee and ankle
      joint mobilization in people with hemophilic arthropathy. METHODS: A single
      intervention of joint mobilization was applied to the affected knees and/or
      ankles of 16 individuals with severe or moderate hemophilia within a public
      hospital setting. Adverse events, as well as immediate (pain-free passive joint
      range, Timed Up and Go Test with maximum pain numerical rating scale) and short
      term (Lower Extremity Functional Scale) effects of the intervention were
      evaluated with a repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: There were no adverse events.
      An immediate significant increase was observed in pain-free passive ankle joint
      range of motion (p < 0.05) following the joint mobilization intervention.
      DISCUSSION: The findings of this case series suggest that gentle joint
      mobilization techniques may be safely considered as part of a multimodal
      management approach for hemophilic arthropathy.

PMID- 28912634
TI  - Posterior hip instability relocation testing: a resident's case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Micro-instability (non-radiographic clinical instability) continues
      to gain recognition as a problem at the hip. Although most research has been
      directed to anterior hip instability, posterior hip instability (PHI) has also
      garnered attention. PHI is under recognized, difficult to identify, and confused
      with other hip pathologies such as a simple sprain or strain. A novel clinical
      test is introduced that may have helped identify PHI in this patient.
      Additionally, a conservative rehabilitation approach emphasizing stabilization
      exercises is described. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 29-year-old female presented with
      complaints of posterior lateral and anterior hip pain of 1.5 years duration. Upon
      initiating an aggressive stretching program, her pain worsened. Examination
      revealed limited and painful hip flexion, and positive anterior impingement
      testing for femoroacetabular impingement. Both tests were significantly less
      painful with more motion when retested with manual repositioning of the femoral
      head from posterior to anterior, referred to as posterior relocation testing. The
      patient was instructed to discontinue stretching. A stabilization plan was
      established including strengthening of the deep external rotators with trunk and
      lower quarter neuromuscular re-education. OUTCOME: The patient completed 12
      appointments over 2.5 months. At discharge, the patient reported improvements
      with pain and function. The Lower Extremity Functional Scale improved from 64/80
      to 77/80 and Oswestry Disability Questionnaire improved from 8 to 0%. DISCUSSION:
      PHI may have contributed to this patient's symptoms. The posterior relocation
      test may assist clinicians with identification of PHI, thus directing treatment
      toward stabilization and neuromuscular control rather than interventions designed
      to increase mobility. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28912635
TI  - Profile of Justice-Involved Marijuana and Other Substance Users: Demographics,
      Health and Health Care, Family, and Justice System Experiences.
AB  - Substance users are more likely to have co-occurring health problems, and this
      pattern is intensified among those involved with the criminal justice system.
      Interview data for 1977 incarcerated men in 5 states from the Multi-site Family
      Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering that was conducted between
      December 2008 and August 2011 were analyzed to compare pre-incarceration
      substance use patterns and health outcomes between men who primarily used
      marijuana, primarily used alcohol, primarily used other drugs, and did not use
      any illicit substances during that time. Using regression modeling, we examined
      the influence of substance use patterns on physical and mental health. Primary
      marijuana users comprised the largest portion of the sample (31.5%), closely
      followed by nonusers (30.0%), and those who primarily used other drugs (30.0%);
      primary alcohol users comprised the smallest group (19.6%). The substance user
      groups differed significantly from the nonuser group on many aspects of physical
      and mental health. Findings suggest that even among justice-involved men who are
      not using "hard" drugs, substance use merits serious attention. Expanding the
      availability of substance use treatment during and after incarceration might help
      to promote physical and mental health during incarceration and reentry.

PMID- 28912636
TI  - Should Emergency Endoscopy be Performed in All Patients With Suspected Colonic
      Diverticular Hemorrhage?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We attempted to develop a scoring system for facilitating decision
      making regarding the performance of emergency endoscopy in patients with colonic
      diverticular hemorrhage. METHODS: This study involved analysis of the data of 178
      patients who presented with hematochezia and were diagnosed as having colonic
      diverticular hemorrhage by colonoscopy. The patients were divided into 2 groups
      depending on whether the bleeding source was identified or not at the initial
      endoscopy (source-identified and source-not-identified groups), and on the basis
      of the results obtained, we established a scoring system for predicting
      successful identification of the bleeding source. RESULTS: The percentages of
      patients on oral anticoagulant therapy or with a Charlson comorbidity index of
      >=6, serum C-reactive protein level of >=1 mg/dL, or extravasation of contrast
      medium visualized on contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) images were all
      significantly higher in the identified than in the nonidentified group.
      Multivariate analysis identified extravasation of contrast medium on contrast
      enhanced CT images (odds ratio [OR]: 10.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7
      42.2) and use of anticoagulants (OR: 4.5; 95% CI: 1.5-13.5) as independent
      predictors of successful identification of the bleeding source at the initial
      endoscopy in patients with colonic diverticular hemorrhage. On the basis of these
      results, we established a scoring system, which showed a sensitivity of 80% and
      specificity of 81% for successful identification of the bleeding source at the
      initial endoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Herein, we propose a scoring system as a useful
      tool for determining whether emergency endoscopy is indicated in individual
      patients with suspected colonic diverticular hemorrhage.

PMID- 28912637
TI  - Prognostic Impact of Extracapsular Lymph Node Invasion and Myofibroblastic
      Activity in Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer.
AB  - Extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma is a potentially malignant gastrointestinal
      lesion. Cancer cells spread via the lymphatic system to regional lymph nodes and
      help in tumor progression. However, there are no reports on the prognostic impact
      of extracapsular lymph node invasion and myofibroblastic activity in this cancer.
      Hence, we classified the histopathologic patterns of lymph nodes into 2 patterns:
      extracapsular lymph node invasion or not. Based on this, we investigated 32 cases
      of extrahepatic bile duct cancer with lymph node metastasis and classified 21
      cases as positive and 11 cases as negative. The extracapsular lymph node invasion
      cases were associated with poor disease-free survival and overall survival. The
      myofibroblast density of the metastatic foci was significantly higher in the
      extracapsular lymph node invasion cases. This is the first study to demonstrate
      that extracapsular lymph node invasion cases were associated with poor prognosis
      and that the myofibroblast distribution contributed to malignancy.

PMID- 28912638
TI  - Chronic Pain Assessments in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature
      Review of the Selection, Administration, Interpretation, and Reporting of
      Unidimensional Pain Intensity Scales.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in pain assessment approaches now indicate which measures
      should be used to capture chronic pain experiences in children and adolescents.
      However, there is little guidance on how these tools should best be administered
      and reported, such as which time frames to use or how pain scores are categorised
      as mild, moderate, or severe. OBJECTIVE: To synthesise current evidence on
      unidimensional, single-item pain intensity scale selection, administration,
      interpretation, and reporting. METHODS: Databases were searched (inception: 18
      January 2016) for studies in which unidimensional pain intensity assessments were
      used with children and adolescents with chronic pain. Ten quality criteria were
      developed by modifying existing recommendations to evaluate the quality of
      administration of pain scales most commonly used with children. RESULTS: Forty
      six studies met the inclusion criteria. The highest score achieved was 7 out of a
      possible 10 (median: 5; IQR: 4-6). Usage of scales varied markedly in
      administrator/completer, highest anchors, number of successive assessments, and
      time referent periods used. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest these scales are
      selected, administered, and interpreted inconsistently, even in studies of the
      same type. Furthermore, methods of administration are rarely reported or
      justified making it impossible to compare findings across studies. This article
      concludes by recommending criteria for the future reporting of paediatric chronic
      pain assessments in studies.

PMID- 28912640
TI  - Spike Frequency Adaptation in Neurons of the Central Nervous System.
AB  - Neuronal firing patterns and frequencies determine the nature of encoded
      information of the neurons. Here we discuss the molecular identity and cellular
      mechanisms of spike-frequency adaptation in central nervous system (CNS) neurons.
      Calcium-activated potassium (KCa) channels such as BKCa and SKCa channels have
      long been known to be important mediators of spike adaptation via generation of a
      large afterhyperpolarization when neurons are hyper-activated. However, it has
      been shown that a strong hyperpolarization via these KCa channels would cease
      action potential generation rather than reducing the frequency of spike
      generation. In some types of neurons, the strong hyperpolarization is followed by
      oscillatory activity in these neurons. Recently, spike-frequency adaptation in
      thalamocortical (TC) and CA1 hippocampal neurons is shown to be mediated by the
      Ca2+-activated Cl- channel (CACC), anoctamin-2 (ANO2). Knockdown of ANO2 in these
      neurons results in significantly reduced spike-frequency adaptation accompanied
      by increased number of spikes without shifting the firing mode, which suggests
      that ANO2 mediates a genuine form of spike adaptation, finely tuning the
      frequency of spikes in these neurons. Based on the finding of a broad expression
      of this new class of CACC in the brain, it can be proposed that the ANO2-mediated
      spike-frequency adaptation may be a general mechanism to control information
      transmission in the CNS neurons.

PMID- 28912639
TI  - Comparison of the Perioperative and Postoperative Effects of Levobupivacaine and
      of Levobupivacaine + Adrenaline in Pediatric Tonsillectomy: A Double-Blind
      Randomized Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the effects of levobupivacaine and of
      levobupivacaine + adrenaline administered during pediatric tonsillectomy on the
      postoperative period. METHODS: A total of 90 patients between the ages of five
      and twelve were divided randomly into two groups before tonsillectomy:
      levobupivacaine only (0.5%) 0.4 mg.kg-1 or levobupivacaine (0.5%) 0.4 mg.kg-1 +
      adrenaline (1 : 200.000) administered by means of peritonsillar infiltration.
      Primary outcomes were postoperative pain scores recorded at various intervals
      until 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included postoperative nausea
      and vomiting (PONV), time to first oral intake, time to the first administration
      of analgesics and total consumption of analgesics, and the amount of bleeding for
      all children. RESULTS: In both groups, patients had the same postoperative pain
      scores and PONV rates, and equal amounts of analgesics were consumed up to 24
      hours postoperatively. The two groups also had the same time until first oral
      intake, recovery time and time to the first analgesic request, and amount of
      bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative levobupivacaine infiltration on its own is a
      valid alternative to the combination of levobupivacaine + adrenaline for
      perioperative and postoperative effectiveness in pediatric tonsillectomy. This
      trial is registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN:
      ACTRN12617001167358.

PMID- 28912641
TI  - Toll-like Receptor 2: A Novel Therapeutic Target for Ischemic White Matter Injury
      and Oligodendrocyte Death.
AB  - Despite paramount clinical significance of white matter stroke, there is a
      paucity of researches on the pathomechanism of ischemic white matter damage and
      accompanying oligodendrocyte (OL) death. Therefore, a large gap exists between
      clinical needs and laboratory researches in this disease entity. Recent works
      have started to elucidate cellular and molecular basis of white matter injury
      under ischemic stress. In this paper, we briefly introduce white matter stroke
      from a clinical point of view and review pathophysiology of ischemic white matter
      injury characterized by OL death and demyelination. We present a series of
      evidence that Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), one of the membranous pattern
      recognition receptors, plays a cell-autonomous protective role in ischemic OL
      death and ensuing demyelination. Moreover, we also discuss our recent findings
      that its endogenous ligand, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), is released from
      dying OLs and exerts autocrine trophic effects on OLs and myelin sheath under
      ischemic condition. We propose that modulation of TLR2 and its endogenous ligand
      HMGB1 can be a novel therapeutic target for ischemic white matter disease.

PMID- 28912643
TI  - Decreased Glial GABA and Tonic Inhibition in Cerebellum of Mouse Model for
      Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
AB  - About 5~12% of school-aged children suffer from the Attention
      Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, the core mechanism of ADHD
      remains unclear. G protein-coupled receptor kinase-interacting protein-1 (GIT1)
      has recently been reported to be associated with ADHD in human and the genetic
      deletion of GIT1 result in ADHD-like behaviors in mice. Mice lacking GIT1 shows a
      shift in neuronal excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance. However, the pricise
      mechanism for E/I imbalance and the role of neuron-glia interaction in GIT1
      knockout (KO) mice have not been studied. Especially, a possible contribution of
      glial GABA and tonic inhibition mediated by astrocytic GABA release in the mouse
      model for ADHD remains unexplored. Therefore, we investigated the changes in the
      amount of GABA and degree of tonic inhibition in GIT1 KO mice. We observed a
      decreased glial GABA intensity in GIT1 KO mice compared to wild type (WT) mice
      and an attenuation of tonic current from cerebellar granule cells in GIT1 KO
      mice. Our study identifies the previously unknown mechanism of reduced astrocytic
      GABA and tonic inhibition in GIT1 lacking mice as a potential cause of
      hyperactivity disorder.

PMID- 28912642
TI  - NOX Inhibitors - A Promising Avenue for Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - NADPH-oxidase (NOX) mediated superoxide originally found on leukocytes, but now
      recognized in several types of cells in the brain. It has been shown to play an
      important role in the progression of stroke and related cerebrovascular disease.
      NOX is a multisubunit complex consisting of 2 membrane-associated and 4 cytosolic
      subunits. NOX activation occurs when cytosolic subunits translocate to the
      membrane, leading to transport electrons to oxygen, thus producing superoxide.
      Superoxide produced by NOX is thought to function in long-term potentiation and
      intercellular signaling, but excessive production is damaging and has been
      implicated to play an important role in the progression of ischemic brain. Thus,
      inhibition of NOX activity may prove to be a promising treatment for ischemic
      brain as well as an adjunctive agent to prevent its secondary complications.
      There is mounting evidence that NOX inhibition in the ischemic brain is
      neuroprotective, and targeting NOX in circulating immune cells will also improve
      outcome. This review will focus on therapeutic effects of NOX assembly inhibitors
      in brain ischemia and stroke. However, the lack of specificity and toxicities of
      existing inhibitors are clear hurdles that will need to be overcome before this
      class of compounds could be translated clinically.

PMID- 28912644
TI  - TLR5 Activation through NF-kappaB Is a Neuroprotective Mechanism of
      Postconditioning after Cerebral Ischemia in Mice.
AB  - Postconditioning has been shown to protect the mouse brain from ischemic injury.
      However, the neuroprotective mechanisms of postconditioning remain elusive. We
      have found that toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) plays an integral role in
      postconditioning-induced neuroprotection through Akt/nuclear factor kappa B (NF
      kappaB) activation in cerebral ischemia. Compared to animals that received 30 min
      of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) group, animals that also
      underwent postconditioning showed a significant reduction of up to 60.51% in
      infarct volume. Postconditioning increased phospho-Akt (p-Akt) levels and NF
      kappaB translocation to the nucleus as early as 1 h after tMCAO and oxygen
      glucose deprivation. Furthermore, inhibition of Akt by Akt inhibitor IV decreased
      NF-kappaB promoter activity after postconditioning. Immunoprecipitation showed
      that interactions between TLR5, MyD88, and p-Akt were increased from
      postconditioning both in vivo and in vitro. Similar to postconditioning,
      flagellin, an agonist of TLR5, increased NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and Akt
      phosphorylation. Our results suggest that postconditioning has neuroprotective
      effects by activating NF-kappaB and Akt survival pathways via TLR5 after cerebral
      ischemia. Additionally, the TLR5 agonist flagellin can simulate the
      neuroprotective mechanism of postconditioning in cerebral ischemia.

PMID- 28912646
TI  - Student Misbehavior in Physical Education: The Role of 2 * 2 Achievement Goals
      and Moral Disengagement.
AB  - This study aimed to determine whether goal orientations were related to students'
      self-reported misbehaviors in physical education and to examine whether the
      effects were mediated by moral disengagement. A two-study project employing
      structural equation modeling was conducted with high school students (Study 1, n
      = 287; Study 2, n = 296). In Study 1, the results showed that mastery-avoidance
      goals were unable to predict five misbehaviors (i.e., aggressive behavior, low
      engagement, failure to follow directions, poor self-management, and distracting
      behavior). Mastery-approach goals negatively predicted low engagement, failure to
      follow directions, and poor self-management. Performance-approach goals
      positively predicted aggressive and distracting behaviors, while performance
      avoidance goals positively predicted all five misbehaviors. In Study 2, the
      results indicated that the positive relationships between performance-approach
      goals and misbehaviors and between performance-avoidance goals and misbehaviors
      were mediated by moral disengagement. These results are discussed in terms of the
      model of achievement goals, and implications for physical education are also
      highlighted.

PMID- 28912645
TI  - Anti-inflammatory Effect of Glucagon Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist, Exendin-4,
      through Modulation of IB1/JIP1 Expression and JNK Signaling in Stroke.
AB  - Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) stimulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion.
      Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, which block inactivation of GLP-1, are
      currently in clinical use for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Recently, GLP-1 has also
      been reported to have neuroprotective effects in cases of cerebral ischemia. We
      therefore investigated the neuroprotective effects of GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R)
      agonist, exendin-4 (ex-4), after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Transient
      middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) was induced in rats by
      intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of ex-4 or ex9-39. Oxygen-glucose
      deprivation was also induced in primary neurons, bEnd.3 cells, and BV-2. Ischemia
      reperfusion injury reduced expression of GLP-1R. Additionally, higher oxidative
      stress in SOD2 KO mice decreased expression of GLP-1R. Downregulation of GLP-1R
      by ischemic injury was 70% restored by GLP-1R agonist, ex-4, which resulted in
      significant reduction of infarct volume. Levels of intracellular cyclic AMP, a
      second messenger of GLP-1R, were also increased by 2.7-fold as a result of high
      GLP-1R expression. Moreover, our results showed that ex-4 attenuated pro
      inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 after MCAO. C-Jun NH2
      terminal kinase (JNK) signaling, which stimulates activation of COX-2, was 36%
      inhibited by i.c.v. injection of ex-4 at 24 h. Islet-brain 1 (IB1), a scaffold
      regulator of JNK, was 1.7-fold increased by ex-4. GLP-1R activation by ex-4
      resulted in reduction of COX-2 through increasing IB1 expression, resulting in
      anti-inflammatory neuroprotection during stroke. Our study suggests that the anti
      inflammatory action of GLP-1 could be used as a new strategy for the treatment of
      neuroinflammation after stroke accompanied by hyperglycemia.

PMID- 28912647
TI  - Accelerometery and Heart Rate Responses of Professional Fast-Medium Bowlers in
      One-Day and Multi-Day Cricket.
AB  - The physical demands of fast-medium bowling are increasingly being recognised,
      yet comparative exploration of the differing demands between competitive formats
      (i.e. one-day [OD] versus multi-day [MD] matches) remain minimal. The aim of this
      study was to describe in-match physiological profiles of professional fast-medium
      bowlers from England across different versions of competitive matches using a
      multivariable wearable monitoring device. Seven professional cricket fast-medium
      bowlers wore the BioharnessTM monitoring device during matches, over three
      seasons (>80 hours in-match). Heart Rate (HR) and Acceleromety (ACC) was compared
      across match types (OD, MD) and different in-match activity states (Bowling,
      Between over bowling, Fielding). Peak acceleration during OD bowling was
      significantly higher in comparison to MD cricket ([OD vs. MD] 234.1 +/- 57.9 vs
      226.6 +/- 32.9 ct.episode-1, p < 0.05, ES = 0.11-0.30). Data for ACC were also
      higher during OD than MD fielding activities (p < 0.01, ES = 0.11-.30). OD
      bowling stimulated higher mean HR responses (143 +/- 14 vs 137 +/- 16 beats.min
      1, p < 0.05, ES = 0.21) when compared to MD matches. This increase in OD cricket
      was evident for both between over (129 +/- 9 vs 120 +/- 13 beats.min-1,p < 0.01,
      ES = 0.11-0.50) and during fielding (115 +/- 12 vs 106 +/- 12 beats.min-1, p <
      0.01, ES = 0.36) activity. The increased HR and ACC evident in OD matches suggest
      greater acute physical loads than MD formats. Therefore, use of wearable
      technology and the findings provided give a valuable appreciation of the
      differences in match loads, and thus required physiological preparation and
      recovery in fast-medium bowlers.

PMID- 28912648
TI  - A Motivational Model of Physical Education and Links to Enjoyment, Knowledge,
      Performance, Total Physical Activity and Body Mass Index.
AB  - The present paper examined the full sequence of the Hierarchical Model of
      Motivation in physical education (PE) including motivational climate, basic
      psychological needs, intrinsic motivation, and related links to contextual
      enjoyment, knowledge, performance, and total moderate to vigorous physical
      activity (MVPA). Gender differences and correlations with body mass index (BMI)
      were also analyzed. Cross-sectional data was represented by self-reports and
      objective assessments of 770 middle school students (52% of girls) in North-East
      Finland. The results showed that task-involving climate in girls' PE classes was
      related to enjoyment and knowledge through physical competence and intrinsic
      motivation, whereas task-involving climate was associated with enjoyment and
      knowledge via competence and autonomy, and total MVPA via autonomy, intrinsic
      motivation, and knowledge within boys. This may indicate that girls and boys
      perceive PE classes in a different way. Graded PE assessments appeared to be
      essential in motivating both girls and boys to participate in greater total MVPA,
      whereas BMI was negatively linked with competence and social relatedness only
      among girls. Although, the current and previous empirical findings supported task
      involving teaching methods in PE, in some cases, ego-involving climate should be
      considered. Therefore, both task- and ego-involving teaching practices can be
      useful ways of developing preferred behaviors in PE classes.

PMID- 28912649
TI  - Does "Live High-Train Low (and High)" Hypoxic Training Alter Running Mechanics In
      Elite Team-sport Players?
AB  - This study aimed to investigate if "Live High-Train Low (and High)" hypoxic
      training alters constant-velocity running mechanics. While residing under
      normobaric hypoxia (>=14 h.d-1; FiO2 14.5-14.2%) for 14 days, twenty field hockey
      players performed, in addition to their usual training in normoxia, six sessions
      (4 * 5 * 5-s maximal sprints; 25 s passive recovery; 5 min rest) under either
      normobaric hypoxia (FiO2 ~14.5%, n = 9) or normoxia (FiO2 20.9%, n = 11). Before
      and immediately after the intervention, their running pattern was assessed at 10
      and 15 km.h-1 as well as during six 30-s runs at ~20 km.h-1 with 30-s passive
      recovery on an instrumented motorised treadmill. No clear changes in running
      kinematics and spring-mass parameters occurred globally either at 10, 15 or ~20
      km.h-1, with also no significant time * condition interaction for any parameters
      (p > 0.14). Independently of the condition, heart rate (all p < 0.05) and ratings
      of perceived exertion decreased post-intervention (only at 15 km.h-1, p < 0.05).
      Despite indirect signs for improved psycho-physiological responses, no forthright
      change in stride mechanical pattern occurred after "Live High-Train Low (and
      High)" hypoxic training.

PMID- 28912650
TI  - The Effects Combining Cryocompression Therapy following an Acute Bout of
      Resistance Exercise on Performance and Recovery.
AB  - Compression and cold therapy used separately have shown to reduce negative
      effects of tissue damage. The combining compression and cold therapy
      (cryocompression) as a single recovery modality has yet to be fully examined. To
      examine the effects of cryocompression on recovery following a bout of heavy
      resistance exercise, recreationally resistance trained men (n =16) were
      recruited, matched, and randomly assigned to either a cryocompression group (CRC)
      or control group (CON). Testing was performed before and then immediately after
      exercise, 60 minutes, 24 hours, and 48 hours after a heavy resistance exercise
      workout (barbell back squats for 4 sets of 6 reps at 80% 1RM, 90 sec rest between
      sets, stiff legged deadlifts for 4 sets of 8 reps at 1.0 X body mass with 60 sec
      rest between sets, 4 sets of 10 eccentric Nordic hamstring curls, 45 sec rest
      between sets). The CRC group used the CRC system for 20-mins of cryocompression
      treatment immediately after exercise, 24 hours, and 48 hours after exercise. CON
      sat quietly for 20-mins at the same time points. Muscle damage [creatine kinase],
      soreness (visual analog scale, 0-100), pain (McGill Pain Q, 0-5), fatigue, sleep
      quality, and jump power were significantly (p < 0.05) improved for CRC compared
      to CON at 24 and 48 hours after exercise. Pain was also significantly lower for
      CRC compared to CON at 60-mins post exercise. These findings show that
      cryocompression can enhance recovery and performance following a heavy resistance
      exercise workout.

PMID- 28912652
TI  - Objectively Measured Physical Activity Levels among Ethnic Minority Children
      Attending School-Based Afterschool Programs in a High-Poverty Neighborhood.
AB  - Ethnic minority children living in high poverty neighborhoods are at high risk of
      having insufficient physical activity (PA) during school days and, thus, the
      importance of school as a place to facilitate PA in these underserved children
      has been largely emphasized. This study examined the levels and patterns of PA in
      minority children, with particular focus on the relative contributions of regular
      physical education (PE) and school-based afterschool PA program in promoting
      moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) during school days. PA data were
      repeatedly measured using a Polar Active accelerometer across multiple school
      days (M = 5.3 days per child), from seventy-five ethnic minority children
      attending a Title I public elementary school in a high-poverty neighborhood in
      the US. The minutes and percentage of MVPA accumulated during school, PE, and
      afterschool PA program were compared to the current recommendations (>=30-min of
      MVPA during school hours; and >=50% of MVPA during PE or afterschool PA program)
      as well as by the demographic characteristics including sex, grade, ethnicity,
      and weight status using a general linear mixed model that accounts for repeated
      observations. On average, children spent 41.6 mins (SE = 1.8) of MVPA during
      school hours and of those, 14.1 mins (SE = 0.6) were contributed during PE. The
      average proportion of time spent in MVPA during PE was 31.3% (SE = 1.3), which
      was significantly lower than the recommendation (>=50% of MVPA), whereas 54.2%
      (SE = 1.2) of time in afterschool PA program were spent in MVPA. The percentage
      of monitoring days meeting current recommendations were 69.5% (SE = 0.03), 20.8%
      (SE = 0.02), and 59.6% (SE = 0.03) for during school, PE, and afterschool PA
      program, respectively. Our findings highlighted that school-based afterschool PA,
      in addition to regular PE classes, could be of great benefit to promote PA in
      minority children during school days. Further research and practice are still
      needed to increase MVPA during school hours, particularly during PE classes.

PMID- 28912651
TI  - Manual Resistance versus Conventional Resistance Training: Impact on Strength and
      Muscular Endurance in Recreationally Trained Men.
AB  - Manual resistance training (MRT) has been widely used in the field of physical
      therapy. It has also been used as a strength training method due to the
      accommodating resistance nature of this modality. The aim of the present study
      was to compare the effects of an 8-week MRT program on maximum strength and
      muscular endurance in comparison to conventional resistance training in
      recreationally trained men. Twenty healthy recreationally trained male subjects
      were recruited and divided into a MRT training group and a conventional training
      (CT) group. CT group performed bench press and lat pull-down exercises, and the
      MRT group performed similar movements with resistance provided by a personal
      trainer. Both groups completed similar training protocol and training load: 2
      training sessions weekly for 3 sets of 8 repetitions at an intensity of 8 to 10
      on the perceived exertion scale of 0-10. Initial maximum strength differences
      were not significant between the groups. Neither group showed significant changes
      in muscular strength or endurance. Despite the statistically non-significant pre-
      to post differences, a trend for improvement was observed and effect size (ES)
      calculations indicated greater magnitude of effects for strength and endurance
      changes in the MRT group in lat pulldown (g=0.84) compared to CT group.
      Effectiveness of MRT is similar to CT for improving muscular strength and
      endurance. MRT can be used as a supplemental or alternative strength training
      modality for recreationally trained subjects, or be considered by personal
      trainers especially in low equipped facility conditions.

PMID- 28912653
TI  - Validity of a Newly-Designed Rectilinear Stepping Ergometer Submaximal Exercise
      Test to Assess Cardiorespiratory Fitness.
AB  - The maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max), determined from graded maximal or submaximal
      exercise tests, is used to classify the cardiorespiratory fitness level of
      individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and
      reliability of the YMCA submaximal exercise test protocol performed on a newly
      designed rectilinear stepping ergometer (RSE) that used up and down reciprocating
      vertical motion in place of conventional circular motion and giving precise
      measurement of workload, to determine VO2 max in young healthy male adults.
      Thirty-two young healthy male adults (32 males; age range: 20-35 years; height:
      1.75 +/- 0.05 m; weight: 67.5 +/- 8.6 kg) firstly participated in a maximal
      effort graded exercise test using a cycle ergometer (CE) to directly obtain
      measured VO2 max. Subjects then completed the progressive multistage test on the
      RSE beginning at 50W and including additional stages of 70, 90, 110, 130, and
      150W, and the RSE YMCA submaximal test consisting of a workload increase every 3
      minutes until the termination criterion was reached. A metabolic equation was
      derived from the RSE multistage exercise test to predict oxygen consumption (VO2)
      from power output (W) during the submaximal exercise test (VO2 (mL.min-1 )=12.4
      *W(watts)+3.5 mL.kg-1.min-1*M+160mL.min-1, R2= 0.91, standard error of the
      estimate (SEE) = 134.8mL.min-1). A high correlation was observed between the RSE
      YMCA estimated VO2 max and the CE measured VO2 max (r=0.87). The mean difference
      between estimated and measured VO2 max was 2.5 mL.kg-1.min-1, with an SEE of 3.55
      mL.kg-1.min-1. The data suggest that the RSE YMCA submaximal exercise test is
      valid for predicting VO2 max in young healthy male adults. The findings show that
      the rectilinear stepping exercise is an effective submaximal exercise for
      predicting VO2 max. The newly-designed RSE may be potentially further developed
      as an alternative ergometer for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness and the
      promotion of personalized health interventions for health care professionals.

PMID- 28912654
TI  - Reduced Spanish Version of Participation Motives Questionnaire for Exercise and
      Sport: Psychometric Properties, Social/Sport Differences.
AB  - Understanding the motives that influence physical activity participation is
      important in order to orientate physical activity promotion and increase physical
      activity levels of practice of the population. Although many instruments been
      created and validated to measure motives to perform physical activity, one of the
      most frequently used scales during years is the Participation of Motives
      Questionnaire (PMQ) by Gill et al. (1983). Unfortunately, despite being so used
      and translated into many languages, there is no psychometric support for some
      factors about due to a low internal consistency. The purpose of this research was
      to present a reduced model of the Spanish version of the PMQ and to analyze the
      motives for sports participation. The Spanish version of PMQ was applied to
      participants of both sexes with ages between 12 and 60 years (M = 19.20; SD =
      6.37). Factorial validity of the questionnaire was checked using exploratory and
      confirmatory analyses. Analysis of items and internal consistency of the factors
      were carried out. Reduced version measures seven dimensions (competition, status,
      teamwork, energy release, family/peers, skill development and health/fitness)
      with good values of validity and reliability (Cronbach's Alpha were between 0.713
      and 0.879). Different reasons for exercise and sport by sociodemographic
      variables were found. For example, females practice for exercise and sports for
      competition and teamwork than males Elite athletes practice more exercise and
      sport also for teamwork, skills development and health/fitness than amateurs.
      Finally those who have more experience, practice more physical activity and sport
      for competition, status and health/fitness.

PMID- 28912655
TI  - Chronic Eccentric Exercise and Antioxidant Supplementation: Effects on Lipid
      Profile and Insulin Sensitivity.
AB  - Eccentric exercise has been shown to exert beneficial effects in both lipid
      profile and insulin sensitivity. Antioxidant supplementation during chronic
      exercise is controversial as it may prevent the physiological training-induced
      adaptations. The aim of this study was to investigate: 1) the minimum duration of
      the eccentric exercise training required before changes on metabolic parameters
      are observed and 2) whether antioxidant supplementation during training would
      interfere with these adaptations. Sixteen young healthy men were randomized into
      the Vit group (1 g of vitamin C and 400 IU vitamin E daily) and the placebo (PL)
      group. Subjects received the supplementation for 9 weeks. During weeks 5-9 all
      participants went through an eccentric exercise training protocol consisting of
      two exercise sessions (5 sets of 15 eccentric maximal voluntary contractions) per
      week. Plasma triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein
      (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), apolipoproteins (Apo A1, Apo B and Lpa) and
      insulin sensitivity (HOMA) were assessed before the supplementation (week 0), at
      weeks 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. TG, TC and LDL were significantly lower compared to pre
      supplementation at both weeks 8 and 9 (P<0.05) in both groups. HDL was
      significantly elevated after 4 weeks of training (p < 0.005) in both groups.
      There was no effect of the antioxidant supplementation in any of the variables.
      There was no effect of either the training or the supplementation protocol in
      apolipoproteins levels and insulin sensitivity. A minimum duration of 3 weeks of
      eccentric exercise training is required before beneficial effects in lipid
      profile can be observed in healthy young men. Concomitant antioxidant
      supplementation does not interfere with the training-induced adaptations.

PMID- 28912656
TI  - Do Maximal Roller Skiing Speed and Double Poling Performance Predict Youth Cross
      Country Skiing Performance?
AB  - The aims of the current study were to analyze whether specific roller skiing
      tests and cycle length are determinants of youth cross-country (XC) skiing
      performance, and to evaluate sex specific differences by applying non-invasive
      diagnostics. Forty-nine young XC skiers (33 boys; 13.8 +/- 0.6 yrs and 16 girls;
      13.4 +/- 0.9 yrs) performed roller skiing tests consisting of both shorter (50 m)
      and longer durations (575 m). Test results were correlated with on snow XC skiing
      performance (PXC) based on 3 skating and 3 classical distance competitions (3 to
      6 km). The main findings of the current study were: 1) Anthropometrics and
      maturity status were related to boys', but not to girls' PXC; 2) Significant
      moderate to acceptable correlations between girls' and boys' short duration
      maximal roller skiing speed (double poling, V2 skating, leg skating) and PXC were
      found; 3) Boys' PXC was best predicted by double poling test performance on flat
      and uphill, while girls' performance was mainly predicted by uphill double poling
      test performance; 4) When controlling for maturity offset, boys' PXC was still
      highly associated with the roller skiing tests. The use of simple non-invasive
      roller skiing tests for determination of PXC represents practicable support for
      ski clubs, schools or skiing federations in the guidance and evaluation of young
      talent.

PMID- 28912657
TI  - Moderate Intensity Cycling Exercise after Upper Extremity Resistance Training
      Interferes Response to Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength Gains.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of 30-min moderate
      intensity cycling exercise immediately after upper-body resistance training on
      the muscle hypertrophy and strength gain. Fourteen subjects were randomly divided
      between two groups. One group performed moderate intensity (55% of maximum oxygen
      consumption [VO2max], 30 min) cycle training immediately after arm resistance
      training as concurrent training (CT; n = 7, age: 21.8 +/- 0.7 years, height: 1.68
      +/- 0.06 m, weight: 60.3 +/- 7.4 kg); the second group performed the same
      endurance and arm RT on separate days as control group (SEP; n=7, age: 22.1 +/-
      0.7 years, height: 1.76 +/- 0.05 m, weight: 63.8 +/- 3.6 kg). The supervised
      progressive RT program was designed to induce muscular hypertrophy (3-5 sets of
      10 repetitions) with bilateral arm-curl exercise using 75% of the one repetition
      maximum (1RM) with 2-min rest intervals. The RT program was performed for 8
      weeks, twice per week. Muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), 1RM, and VO2max were
      measured pre- and post-training. Significant increases in muscle CSA from pre- to
      post-training were observed in both the SEP (p = 0.001, effect size [ES] = 0.84)
      and the CT groups (p = 0.004, ES = 0.45). A significant increase in 1RM from pre-
      to post-training was observed in the SEP (p = 0.025, ES = 0.91) and CT groups (p
      = 0.001, ES = 2.38). There were no interaction effects (time * group) for CSA,
      1RM, or VO2max. A significantly higher percentage change of CSA was observed in
      the SEP group (12.1 +/- 4.9%) compared to the CT group (5.0 +/- 2.7%, p = 0.029),
      but no significant difference was observed in the 1RM (SEP: 19.8 +/- 16.8%, CT:
      24.3 +/- 11.1%). The data suggest that significant improvement of CSA and
      strength can be expected with progressive resistance training with subsequent
      endurance exercise performed immediately or on a different day. Changes in CSA
      might be affected by subsequent cycling exercise after 8 weeks of training.

PMID- 28912658
TI  - A Systematic Method to Detect the Metabolic Threshold from Gas Exchange during
      Incremental Exercise.
AB  - Incremental exercise consists of three domains of exercise intensity demarcated
      by two thresholds. The first of these thresholds, derived from gas exchange
      measurements, is defined as the metabolic threshold (VO2theta) above which
      lactate accumulates. Correctly and reliably identified, VO2theta is a non
      invasive, sub-maximal marker of aerobic function with practical value. This
      investigation compared variability in selection of VO2theta among interpreters
      with different levels of experience as well as from auto-detection algorithms
      employed by a commercially available metabolic cart (MC). Ten healthy young men
      performed three replicates of incremental cycle exercise during which gas
      exchange measurements were collected breath-by-breath. Two experienced
      interpreters (E) and four novice interpreters (N) determined VO2theta from plots
      of specific response variables. Interpreters noted methods used and confidence in
      their selections. VO2theta was automatically determined by the MC. Interclass
      correlations indicated that E agreed with each other (mean difference, 21 mL.min
      1) and with the MC (23 mL.min-1), but not with N (-664 to 364 mL.min-1); N did
      not agree among themselves. Despite good overall agreement between E and MC,
      differences >500 mL.min-1 were seen in 50% of individual cases. N expressed
      unduly higher confidence and used different VO2theta selection strategies
      compared with E. Experience and use of a systematic approach is essential for
      correctly identifying VO2theta. Current guidelines for exercise testing and
      interpretation do not include recommendations for such an approach. Data from
      this study suggests that this may be a serious shortcoming. Until an alternative
      schema for VO2theta detection is developed prospectively, strategies based on the
      present study will give practitioners a systematic and consistent approach to
      threshold detection.

PMID- 28912659
TI  - Power-Time Curve Comparison between Weightlifting Derivatives.
AB  - This study examined the power production differences between weightlifting
      derivatives through a comparison of power-time (P-t) curves. Thirteen resistance
      trained males performed hang power clean (HPC), jump shrug (JS), and hang high
      pull (HHP) repetitions at relative loads of 30%, 45%, 65%, and 80% of their one
      repetition maximum (1RM) HPC. Relative peak power (PPRel), work (WRel), and P-t
      curves were compared. The JS produced greater PPRel than the HPC (p < 0.001, d =
      2.53) and the HHP (p < 0.001, d = 2.14). In addition, the HHP PPRel was
      statistically greater than the HPC (p = 0.008, d = 0.80). Similarly, the JS
      produced greater WRel compared to the HPC (p < 0.001, d = 1.89) and HHP (p <
      0.001, d = 1.42). Furthermore, HHP WRel was statistically greater than the HPC (p
      = 0.003, d = 0.73). The P-t profiles of each exercise were similar during the
      first 80-85% of the movement; however, during the final 15-20% of the movement
      the P-t profile of the JS was found to be greater than the HPC and HHP. The JS
      produced greater PPRel and WRel compared to the HPC and HHP with large effect
      size differences. The HHP produced greater PPRel and WRel than the HPC with
      moderate effect size differences. The JS and HHP produced markedly different P-t
      profiles in the final 15-20% of the movement compared to the HPC. Thus, these
      exercises may be superior methods of training to enhance PPRel. The greatest
      differences in PPRel between the JS and HHP and the HPC occurred at lighter
      loads, suggesting that loads of 30-45% 1RM HPC may provide the best training
      stimulus when using the JS and HHP. In contrast, loads ranging 65-80% 1RM HPC may
      provide an optimal stimulus for power production during the HPC.

PMID- 28912660
TI  - Effects of Whole Body Vibration on the Neuromuscular Amplitude of Vastus
      Lateralis Muscle.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of whole-body vibration
      (WBV) on vastus lateralis (VL) surface electromyographic (sEMG) amplitude during
      an isometric semi-squat exercise, using two different frequencies, and to verify
      the influence of additional filters on the analyzed sEMG signal's
      characteristics. Forty physically active women were randomly divided into two
      groups with 20 members each: one group performed an isometric semi-squat exercise
      at 30 Hz - while the other group performed the same exercise protocol at 50 Hz.
      The sEMG amplitude of the VL muscle was recorded during the exercise protocols in
      two conditions: with and without vibration. After removing vibration-induced
      artifacts using digital filters, sEMG amplitude of VL increased significantly (p
      < 0.05) without differences between the frequencies. The results of this study
      suggest that WBV at 30 Hz and 50 Hz increased the sEMG amplitude of the VL muscle
      during an isometric semi-squat exercise. Furthermore, applying sEMG filters
      during signal processing of WBV is necessary, because motion artifacts from the
      vibration frequencies may contribute to the contamination of the sEMG amplitude.

PMID- 28912661
TI  - Effectiveness of Movement Therapy Interventions and Training Modifications for
      Preventing Running Injuries: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Runners are at relatively high risk for sustaining an overuse injury. While many
      risk factors have been documented so far, previous reviews have mostly failed to
      identify effective interventions to lower injury risk in runners. To review the
      high-quality evidence on two types of preventive interventions - movement therapy
      interventions and training-modification interventions, regarding running-related
      injury prevention. Pubmed (MEDLINE), PEDro and Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials databases were searched in April 2017, with no date or language
      restrictions, using following search terms: running injury prevention, running
      injury therapy, running injury incidence, running injury exercise and running
      injury risk. Studies were included if they were a randomized controlled trial or
      prospective cohort study, investigated the effects of movement therapy or
      training modification interventions, contained a population of runners or other
      populations, involved in running (e.g. military recruits), and reported lower
      extremity injury incidence rates specific to running. In total, 4935 citations
      were identified, 69 of which were retrieved for full-text evaluation. Seven
      articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in meta-analysis. Two
      separate meta-analyses were carried out for both intervention types. First meta
      analysis showed no preventive effects of movement therapy interventions, with an
      overall risk ratio of 0.98 (p = 0.81, I2 = 42 %). The second meta-analysis showed
      no overall preventive effect of training modifications, with an overall risk
      ratio of 0.78 (p = 0.35, I2 = 79%). No evidence was found to support the
      preventive effects of movement therapy or training modification. This may
      primarily be due to non-optimal intervention designs, such as using inappropriate
      placebo exercises. Preventive programs may also be more effective when carried
      out prior to running program onset.

PMID- 28912663
TI  - Performance Enhancement by Brain Stimulation.

PMID- 28912662
TI  - Long Term Changes in Muscles around the Knee Joint after ACL Resection in Rats:
      Comparisons of ACL-Resected, Contralateral and Normal Limb.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of anterior
      cruciate ligament (ACL) resection on the morphological and contractile
      characteristics of rectus femoris (RF) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles in both
      injured and contralateral hindlimbs in rats. Wistar male rats (8-week old) were
      used. Rats were divided into two groups; ACL-resected and (sham-operated) control
      groups. Furthermore, right and left limbs of rats in the ACL-resected group were
      assigned as ACL-resected and contralateral groups, respectively, at 1 day, 1, 4,
      and 48 weeks after ACL resection. No ACL-resection-associated changes in the mass
      of both muscles were observed 1 week after ACL resection. On the other hand, ACL
      resection-associated reduction on mean fiber cross-sectional area (fiber CSA) in
      RF muscle lasted 48 weeks after ACL resection. Furthermore, ACL-resection
      associated increase in fiber composition of type I fiber in RF muscle in
      contralateral limbs. In addition, long-term effects of ACL resection were
      observed in both ACL-resected and contralateral limbs. Evidences from this study
      suggested that ACL resection may cause to change in the morphological (fiber CSA)
      and contractile (distribution of fiber types) properties of skeletal muscles
      around the knee joint in not only injured but also contralateral limb.
      Rehabilitation for quantitative and qualitative muscle changes by ACL resection
      may be required a special care for a long-term period.

PMID- 28912664
TI  - Modified Tuck Jump Assessment: Reliability and Training of Raters.

PMID- 28912665
TI  - Multimodal Approach of Pulmonary Artery Intimal Sarcoma: A Single-Institution
      Experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) is a rare tumor, whose therapeutic
      approach is mainly based on surgery, either pneumonectomy or pulmonary
      endarterectomy (PEA). The prognosis reported in published series is very poor,
      with survival of 1.5 months without any kind of treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      From January 2010 to January 2016, 1027 patients were referred to our hospital
      for symptoms of acute or chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease. Twelve
      patients having a confirmed diagnosis of PAS underwent PEA. Median age was 64.5
      years. Most patients had a long history of symptoms, having a median time of 7.5
      months from onset of symptoms to surgery. RESULTS: Following PEA and
      cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, 10 patients received conventional chemotherapy
      with doxorubicin and ifosfamide, starting at a median of 42 days from surgery.
      Four patients also received radiotherapy. Four patients have died due to disease
      progression, while 7 are still alive, with 5 being disease-free at 4-55+ months
      from diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PAS, a multimodal approach
      including PEA, CT, and RT is feasible but it should be evaluated individually,
      according to the tumor extension and the patient's clinical condition. Apart from
      improving quality of life mainly by reducing or delaying symptoms due to PH, it
      may improve life expectancy.

PMID- 28912666
TI  - Prevalence of low back pain in Iranian nurses: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) as a musculoskeletal disorder is one of the most
      common occupational injuries in nurses but there isn't any valid measure of the
      prevalence of LBP in Iranian nursing. In order to increase the power and improve
      the estimates of the prevalence of LBP in Iranian nurses, a comprehensive meta
      analysis was carried out. A summary measure of all studies conducted in this
      field was found and distributions of LBP were evaluated based on different
      variables. METHODS: Inclusion criteria included articles with prevalence of LBP
      in Iranian nurses, who had at least six months of work experience without any
      trauma, injuries to spine, or any underlying disease. The keywords"prevalence,
      low back pain, nurses", and "Iran" were used as part of this search. Databases
      such as Pubmed, Web of Science, Science direct, Scopus, IranMedex, Irandoc,
      Magiran, SID, CIVILICA, IMEMR and Google scholar were searched up to and
      including 15 June 2016. For data extraction a form was designed that included the
      following variables: Author names, province, sample size, age, gender, marital
      status, work experience, body mass index, job type, smoking status, work
      schedule, year of publication, type of standard questionnaire, prevalence of LBP,
      studies' quality score and climate classifications. Data analysis was carried out
      using fixed and random effects model. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed
      by using the I2 and Q tests. RESULTS: In all 1250 articles were identified and 22
      articles with 9347 participants met the inclusion criteria for meta-analyses
      after filtering. The prevalence of low back pain during their working life and
      during the last year, was estimated at 63% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 57.4
      68.5) and 61.2% (95% CI: 55.7-66.7) respectively. The prevalence rate of this
      disorder was 58.7% (95% CI: 35.8-81.7) and 60.4% (95% CI: 52.2-68.6) among men
      and women respectively. Furthermore, prevalence's of LBP were 59.5% in wards
      nurses, 50.3% in operating room technicians, and 39.4% in aid nurses.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results showed the high prevalence of LBP injury in nurses,
      especially female nurses. The effect of musculoskeletal disorders such as LBP may
      be reduced by considering proper observation of the principles of ergonomics in
      the workplace, performing physical examinations on a regular basis, identifying
      risk factors in the advancement of musculoskeletal disorders and then trying to
      fix them.

PMID- 28912667
TI  - How do nurse consultant job characteristics impact on job satisfaction? An
      Australian quantitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a direct link between job satisfaction, nurses' job
      performance and improved patient outcomes. Understanding what job characteristics
      influence job satisfaction is vital if health organizations are to optimize
      individual employee satisfaction and performance. This is particularly necessary
      in the Nurse Consultant role, which is a multifaceted role that has evolved to
      meet the dynamic and changing needs of health services. This study aims to
      examine how job characteristics influence Nurse Consultant job satisfaction and
      identify differences across metropolitan and rural contexts. METHODS: This paper
      presents quantitative findings that are part of a larger prospective cross
      sectional mixed method study. An online survey consisting of a variety of job
      characteristic factors was administered to all NCs working in a large Local
      Health District in New South Wales, Australia over an 8-week period in 2010.
      Descriptive analysis identified NC's perceptions of job satisfaction and job
      characteristics in their current role and factor and regression analysis
      identified relationships between these factors. RESULTS: Job satisfaction was
      identified as high (mean 4.3) and is strongly correlated with job autonomy, role
      clarity, role conflict and job support. A high level of role clarity has a
      moderating effect on the relationship between job autonomy and job satisfaction.
      CONCLUSIONS: Study findings inform how we prepare nurses for the NC role and how
      managers engage with and support NCs in their role taking into account context.
      Understanding the factors that influence job satisfaction and role effectiveness
      gives managers valuable information to assist in positioning and supporting these
      roles to maximize effectiveness across integrated and contemporary models of
      health care delivery.

PMID- 28912668
TI  - The prognostic values of the expression of Vimentin, TP53, and Podoplanin in
      patients with cervical cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), TP53, and Podoplanin have been
      implicated in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of human cancers. Nevertheless,
      the clinical significance of these markers in cancer patients is still not clear.
      In this study, we sought to determine the prognostic values of Vimentin, TP53,
      and Podoplanin in patients with cervical cancer. METHODS: Quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to
      determine the messenger RNA and protein expression levels of Vimentin, TP53, and
      Podoplanin, respectively, in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adjacent normal
      cervical tissues. Additionally, the expression levels of Podoplanin were also
      measured in 130 cervical cancer patients (FIGO stages Ib1-IIa2) using
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. RESULTS: The mRNA expression levels of
      Vimentin, TP53, and Podoplanin were considerably elevated in cervical cancer
      tissues, compared with those in the adjacent normal cervical tissues.
      Additionally, the protein expression levels of Vimentin were closely correlated
      with the age of onset (P = 0.007), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.007), lymphatic
      invasion (P = 0.024), disease recurrence (P < 0.001), and the clinical prognosis
      of patients with cervical cancer (P < 0.001). Our multivariate analysis also
      suggests that Vimentin is an independent marker for survival in cervical cancer
      patients. Furthermore, the expression levels of Vimentin are negatively
      correlated with the proliferation marker Ki67 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      show that Vimentin can serve as an independent prognostic marker for cervical
      cancer patients with primary surgery. Registration number ChiCTR-TRC-06000236
      Registered 15 December 2006.

PMID- 28912669
TI  - Identification of novel mutations in congenital afibrinogenemia patients and
      molecular modeling of missense mutations in Pakistani population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital afibrinogenemia (OMIM #202400) is a rare coagulation
      disorder that was first described in 1920. It is transmitted as an autosomal
      recessive trait that is characterized by absent levels of fibrinogen (factor I)
      in plasma. Consanguinity in Pakistan and its neighboring countries has resulted
      in a higher number of cases of congenital fibrinogen deficiency in their
      respective populations. This study focused on the detection of mutations in
      fibrinogen genes using DNA sequencing and molecular modeling of missense
      mutations in all three genes [Fibrinogen gene alpha (FGA), beta (FGB) and gamma
      (FGG)] in Pakistani patients. METHODS: This descriptive and cross sectional study
      was conducted in Karachi and Lahore and fully complied with the Declaration of
      Helsinki. Patients with fibrinogen deficiency were screened for mutations in the
      Fibrinogen alpha (FGA), beta (FGB) and gamma (FGG) genes by direct sequencing.
      Molecular modeling was performed to predict the putative structure functional
      impact of the missense mutations identified in this study. RESULTS: Ten patients
      had mutations in FGA followed by three mutations in FGB and three mutations in
      FGG, respectively. Twelve of these mutations were novel. The missense mutations
      were predicted to result in a loss of stability because they break ordered
      regions and cause clashes in the hydrophobic core of the protein. CONCLUSIONS:
      Congenital afibrinogenemia is a rapidly growing problem in regions where
      consanguinity is frequently practiced. This study illustrates that mutations in
      FGA are relatively more common in Pakistani patients and molecular modeling of
      the missense mutations has shown damaging protein structures which has
      profounding effect on phenotypic bleeding manifestations in these patients.

PMID- 28912670
TI  - The Role of Real Time Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Elastography for Targeting EUS
      FNA of Suspicious Pancreatic Masses: A Review of the Literature and A Single
      Center Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound guided elastography is an imaging modality that
      can be used to evaluate tissue stiffness and to assess solid pancreatic lesions.
      It can also assist in optimizing the diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound
      guided fine needle aspiration biopsies. AIMS: To review the literature on solid
      pancreatic lesions, the use of EUS guided fine needle aspiration and endoscopic
      ultrasound guided elastography and to present a single center experience using
      elastography to direct fine needle aspiration biopsies of solid pancreatic
      lesions. METHODS: We present a review of the literature and a single center
      experience describing the use of EUS guided elastography in directing fine needle
      aspiration biopsies of solid pancreatic lesions. RESULTS: Thirteen male veterans
      with an average age of 62.3 (SD+/-11.8) years were enrolled in the study. The
      mean pancreatic mass size on EUS was 5.1*5.2 (SD+/-4.4*4.5) cm. A total of 13
      lesions were identified during elastography. The lesions were most commonly found
      in the body (n=5), followed by multifocal lesions (n=4), pancreatic head (n=3)
      and tail (n=1). The seven concerning pancreatic lesions were stratified based on
      color pattern identified on EUS and EUS-elastography. Three lesions were
      homogenously blue, and four lesions were heterogeneously blue. The remaining six
      lesions which were less concerning were predominantly green. Of the three
      lesions, that were homogenously blue, two were diagnosed as adenocarcinoma (n=2)
      and chronic pancreatitis (n=1) respectively. Of the four heterogeneously blue
      lesions two were adenocarcinomas, while the other two represented a large B-cell
      lymphoma and chronic pancreatitis. Patients whose lesions were characterized as
      homogenous or heterogeneous green were benign and remained disease free after a
      median of two years of regular follow up. LIMITATIONS: Relatively small number of
      patients studied. CONCLUSIONS: In our single center experience we found that the
      use of real time endoscopic ultrasound guided elastography for targeting fine
      needle aspiration of suspicious pancreatic lesions may be beneficial as an
      adjunct modality to complement conventional EUS. Larger prospective studies need
      to be conducted to evaluate the utility of this modality in targeting pancreatic
      lesions.

PMID- 28912671
TI  - Brownian Optogenetic-Noise-Photostimulation on the Brain Amplifies Somatosensory
      Evoked Field Potentials.
AB  - Stochastic resonance (SR) is an inherent and counter-intuitive mechanism of
      signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) facilitation in biological systems associated with
      the application of an intermediate level of noise. As a first step to investigate
      in detail this phenomenon in the somatosensory system, here we examined whether
      the direct application of noisy light on pyramidal neurons from the mouse-barrel
      cortex expressing a light-gated channel channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) can produce
      facilitation in somatosensory evoked field potentials. Using anesthetized Thy1
      ChR2-YFP transgenic mice, and a new neural technology, that we called Brownian
      optogenetic-noise-photostimulation (BONP), we provide evidence for how BONP
      directly applied on the barrel cortex modulates the SNR in the amplitude of
      whisker-evoked field potentials (whisker-EFP). In all transgenic mice, we found
      that the SNR in the amplitude of whisker-EFP (at 30% of the maximal whisker-EFP)
      exhibited an inverted U-like shape as a function of the BONP level. As a control,
      we also applied the same experimental paradigm, but in wild-type mice, as
      expected, we did not find any facilitation effects. Our results show that the
      application of an intermediate intensity of BONP on the barrel cortex of ChR2
      transgenic mice amplifies the SNR of somatosensory whisker-EFPs. This result may
      be relevant to explain the improvements found in sensory detection in humans
      produced by the application of transcranial-random-noise-stimulation (tRNS) on
      the scalp.

PMID- 28912672
TI  - Maximizing the Potential of Longitudinal Cohorts for Research in
      Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Community Perspective.
AB  - Despite a wealth of activity across the globe in the area of longitudinal
      population cohorts, surprisingly little information is available on the natural
      biomedical history of a number of age-related neurodegenerative diseases (ND),
      and the scope for intervention studies based on these cohorts is only just
      beginning to be explored. The Joint Programming Initiative on Neurodegenerative
      Disease Research (JPND) recently developed a novel funding mechanism to rapidly
      mobilize scientists to address these issues from a broad, international community
      perspective. Ten expert Working Groups, bringing together a diverse range of
      community members and covering a wide ND landscape [Alzheimer's, Parkinson's,
      frontotemporal degeneration, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lewy-body and
      vascular dementia] were formed to discuss and propose potential approaches to
      better exploiting and coordinating cohort studies. The purpose of this work is to
      highlight the novel funding process along with a broad overview of the guidelines
      and recommendations generated by the ten groups, which include investigations
      into multiple methodologies such as cognition/functional assessment, biomarkers
      and biobanking, imaging, health and social outcomes, and pre-symptomatic ND. All
      of these were published in reports that are now publicly available online.

PMID- 28912673
TI  - Improving the Delivery of SOD1 Antisense Oligonucleotides to Motor Neurons Using
      Calcium Phosphate-Lipid Nanoparticles.
AB  - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease
      affecting the upper and lower motor neurons in the motor cortex and spinal cord.
      Abnormal accumulation of mutant superoxide dismutase I (SOD1) in motor neurons is
      a pathological hallmark of some forms of the disease. We have shown that the
      orderly progression of the disease may be explained by misfolded SOD1 cell-to
      cell propagation, which is reliant upon its active endogenous synthesis. Reducing
      the levels of SOD1 is therefore a promising therapeutic approach. Antisense
      oligonucleotides (ASOs) can efficiently silence proteins with gain-of-function
      mutations. However, naked ASOs have a short circulation half-life and are unable
      to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) warranting the use of a drug carrier for
      effective delivery. In this study, calcium phosphate lipid coated nanoparticles
      (CaP-lipid NPs) were developed for delivery of SOD1 ASO to motor neurons. The
      most promising nanoparticle formulation (Ca/P ratio of 100:1), had a uniform
      spherical core-shell morphology with an average size of 30 nm, and surface charge
      (zeta-potential) of -4.86 mV. The encapsulation efficiency of ASO was 48% and
      stability studies found the particle to be stable over a period of 20 days. In
      vitro experiments demonstrated that the negatively charged ASO-loaded CaP-lipid
      NPs could effectively deliver SOD1-targeted ASO into a mouse motor neuron-like
      cell line (NSC-34) through endocytosis and significantly down-regulated SOD1
      expression in HEK293 cells. The CaP-lipid NPs exhibited a pH-dependant
      dissociation, suggesting that that the acidification of lysosomes is the likely
      mechanism responsible for facilitating intracellular ASO release. To demonstrate
      tissue specific delivery and localization of these NPs we performed in vivo
      microinjections into zebrafish. Successful delivery of these NPs was confirmed
      for the zebrafish brain, the blood stream, and the spinal cord. These results
      suggest that CaP-lipid NPs could be an effective and safe delivery system for the
      improved delivery of SOD1 ASOs to motor neurons. Further in vivo evaluation in
      transgenic mouse models of SOD1 ALS are therefore warranted.

PMID- 28912674
TI  - A Mechanistic Understanding of Axon Degeneration in Chemotherapy-Induced
      Peripheral Neuropathy.
AB  - Chemotherapeutic agents cause many short and long term toxic side effects to
      peripheral nervous system (PNS) that drastically alter quality of life.
      Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common and enduring
      disorder caused by several anti-neoplastic agents. CIPN typically presents with
      neuropathic pain, numbness of distal extremities, and/or oversensitivity to
      thermal or mechanical stimuli. This adverse side effect often requires a
      reduction in chemotherapy dosage or even discontinuation of treatment. Currently
      there are no effective treatment options for CIPN. While the underlying
      mechanisms for CIPN are not understood, current data identify a "dying back" axon
      degeneration of distal nerve endings as the major pathology in this disorder.
      Therefore, mechanistic understanding of axon degeneration will provide insights
      into the pathway and molecular players responsible for CIPN. Here, we review
      recent findings that expand our understanding of the pathogenesis of CIPN and
      discuss pathways that may be shared with the axonal degeneration that occurs
      during developmental axon pruning and during injury-induced Wallerian
      degeneration. These mechanistic insights provide new avenues for development of
      therapies to prevent or treat CIPN.

PMID- 28912675
TI  - Deceptive but Not Honest Manipulative Actions Are Associated with Increased
      Interaction between Middle and Inferior Frontal gyri.
AB  - The prefrontal cortex is believed to be responsible for execution of deceptive
      behavior and its involvement is associated with greater cognitive efforts. It is
      also generally assumed that deception is associated with the inhibition of
      default honest actions. However, the precise neurophysiological mechanisms
      underlying this process remain largely unknown. The present study was aimed to
      use functional magnetic resonance imaging to reveal the underlying functional
      integration within the prefrontal cortex during the task which requires that
      subjects to deliberately mislead an opponent through the sequential execution of
      deceptive and honest claims. To address this issue, we performed
      psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis, which allows for statistical
      assessment of changes in functional relationships between active brain areas in
      changing psychological contexts. As a result the whole brain PPI-analysis
      established that both manipulative honest and deceptive claiming were associated
      with an increase in connectivity between the left middle frontal gyrus and right
      temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ). Taking into account the role played by rTPJ in
      processes associated with the theory of mind the revealed data can reflect
      possible influence of socio-cognitive context on the process of selecting
      manipulative claiming regardless their honest or deceptive nature. Direct
      comparison between deceptive and honest claims revealed pattern enhancement of
      coupling between the left middle frontal gyrus and the left inferior frontal
      gyrus. This finding provided evidence that the execution of deception relies to a
      greater extent on higher-order hierarchically-organized brain mechanisms of
      executive control required to select between two competing deceptive or honest
      task sets.

PMID- 28912676
TI  - Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MRI Signal Loss of the Substantia Nigra as
      an Imaging Biomarker to Evaluate the Diagnosis and Severity of Parkinson's
      Disease.
AB  - The early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and the accurate evaluation of
      disease severity are crucial for intervention and treatment in PD patients. In
      this study, we applied chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging to
      patients at different stages of PD and explored the clinical value of the CEST
      signal loss of the substantia nigra as an imaging biomarker of PD. The measured
      CEST signal intensities (including amide proton transfer-weighted or APTw, and
      total CEST or CESTtotal) of the substantia nigra in PD patients showed a
      significantly decreased tendency with PD progression. Compared to normal
      controls, the APTw and CEST total intensities of PD patients significantly
      decreased at both the early and advanced or late stages. These APTw and CESTtotal
      values of the substantia nigra were also significantly lower in advanced or late
      stage PD patients than in early stage PD patients. For PD patients with
      unilateral symptoms, the APTw and CESTtotal values in the substantia nigra on the
      affected side were significantly lower than those in normal controls. Both the
      APTw and CESTtotal values of PD were significantly correlated with the severity
      of disease and disease duration. Our findings suggest that the CEST MRI signal of
      the substantia nigra is a potential imaging biomarker for the diagnosis and
      monitoring of the severity of PD.

PMID- 28912677
TI  - Reversible Axonal Dystrophy by Calcium Modulation in Frataxin-Deficient Sensory
      Neurons of YG8R Mice.
AB  - Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a peripheral neuropathy involving a loss of
      proprioceptive sensory neurons. Studies of biopsies from patients suggest that
      axonal dysfunction precedes the death of proprioceptive neurons in a dying-back
      process. We observed that the deficiency of frataxin in sensory neurons of dorsal
      root ganglia (DRG) of the YG8R mouse model causes the formation of axonal
      spheroids which retain dysfunctional mitochondria, shows alterations in the
      cytoskeleton and it produces impairment of axonal transport and autophagic flux.
      The homogenous distribution of axonal spheroids along the neurites supports the
      existence of continues focal damages. This lead us to propose for FRDA a model of
      distal axonopathy based on axonal focal damages. In addition, we observed the
      involvement of oxidative stress and dyshomeostasis of calcium in axonal spheroid
      formation generating axonal injury as a primary cause of pathophysiology. Axonal
      spheroids may be a consequence of calcium imbalance, thus we propose the
      quenching or removal extracellular Ca2+ to prevent spheroids formation. In our
      neuronal model, treatments with BAPTA and o-phenanthroline reverted the axonal
      dystrophy and the mitochondrial dysmorphic parameters. These results support the
      hypothesis that axonal pathology is reversible in FRDA by pharmacological
      manipulation of intracellular Ca2+ with Ca2+ chelators or metalloprotease
      inhibitors, preventing Ca2+-mediated axonal injury. Thus, the modulation of Ca2+
      levels may be a relevant therapeutic target to develop early axonal protection
      and prevent dying-back neurodegeneration.

PMID- 28912678
TI  - IL-17A Enhances Microglial Response to OGD by Regulating p53 and PI3K/Akt
      Pathways with Involvement of ROS/HMGB1.
AB  - Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) has a complex pathogenesis, and
      interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a newly identified class of the cytokine family that
      plays an important role in ischemic inflammation. An oxygen-glucose deprivation
      (OGD) model showed that IL-17A expression was significantly up-regulated in
      microglial cells. After IL-17A siRNA transfection, the inhibition of
      proliferation, and the increased apoptosis in microglial cells, induced by
      OGD/reperfusion, was improved, and the elevation of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase
      9, and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) activities was inhibited. Mass
      spectrometry demonstrated that IL-17A functioned through a series of factors
      associated with oxidative stress and apoptosis and regulated Caspase-3 activity
      and apoptosis in microglial cells via the p53 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. IL
      17A, HMGB1, and ROS were regulated mutually to exhibit a synergistic effect in
      the OGD model of microglial cells, but the down-regulation of IL-17A or HMGB1
      expression did not completely inhibit the production of ROS. These findings
      demonstrated that ROS might be located upstream of IL-17A and HMGB1 so that ROS
      can regulate HMGB1/IL-17A expression to affect the p53 and PI3K/Akt signaling
      pathways and therefore promote the occurrence of apoptosis in microglial cells.
      These findings provide a novel evidence for the role of IL-17A in ischemic
      cerebral diseases.

PMID- 28912679
TI  - Proteomic Differences in Blood Plasma Associated with Antidepressant Treatment
      Response.
AB  - The current inability of clinical psychiatry to objectively select the most
      appropriate treatment is a major factor contributing to the severity and clinical
      burden of major depressive disorder (MDD). Here, we have attempted to identify
      plasma protein signatures in 39 MDD patients to predict response over a 6-week
      treatment period with antidepressants. LC-MS/MS analysis showed that differences
      in the levels of 29 proteins at baseline were found in the group with a favorable
      treatment outcome. Most of these proteins were components of metabolism or immune
      response pathways as well as multiple components of the coagulation cascade.
      After 6 weeks of treatment, 43 proteins were altered in responders of which 2
      (alpha-actinin and nardilysin) had been identified at baseline. In addition, 46
      proteins were altered in non-responders and 9 of these (alpha-actinin, alpha-2
      macroglobulin, apolipoprotein B-100, attractin, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen
      alpha chain, fibrinogen beta chain, nardilysin and serine/threonine-protein
      kinase Chk1) had been identified at baseline. However, it should be stressed that
      the small sample size precludes generalization of the main results. Further
      studies to validate these as potential biomarkers of antidepressant treatment
      response are warranted considering the potential importance to the field of
      psychiatric disorders. This study provides the groundwork for development of
      novel objective clinical tests that can help psychiatrists in the clinical
      management of MDD through improved prediction and monitoring of patient responses
      to antidepressant treatments.

PMID- 28912680
TI  - Fyn Signaling Is Compartmentalized to Dopamine D1 Receptor Expressing Neurons in
      the Dorsal Medial Striatum.
AB  - The tyrosine kinase Fyn plays an important role in synaptic plasticity, learning,
      and memory. Here we report that Fyn is activated in response to 15 min D1
      receptor (D1R) but not D2 receptor (D2R) stimulation specifically in the
      dorsomedial striatum (DMS) of mice but not in the other substriatal regions, the
      dorsolateral striatum (DLS), and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Once activated Fyn
      phosphorylates its substrate GluN2B, and we show that GluN2B is phosphorylated
      only in the DMS but not in the other striatal regions. Striatal neurons are
      divided into D1R expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and D2R expressing MSNs.
      Thus, to explore the cell-type specificity of this signaling pathway in the DMS,
      we developed a Cre-dependent Flip Excision (FLEX) approach to knockdown Fyn in
      D1R MSNs or D2R MSNs, and proved that the D1R-dependent Fyn activation is
      localized to DMS D1R MSNs. Importantly, we provide evidence to suggest that the
      differential association of Fyn and GluN2B with the scaffolding RACK1 is due to
      the differential localization of Fyn in lipid rafts.Our data further suggest that
      the differential cholesterol content in the three striatal regions may determine
      the region specificity of this signaling pathway. Together, our data show that
      the D1R-dependent Fyn/GluN2B pathway is selectively activated in D1R expressing
      MSNs in the DMS, and that the brain region specificity of pathway depends on the
      molecular and cellular compartmentalization of Fyn and GluN2B.

PMID- 28912681
TI  - Divergence in Morris Water Maze-Based Cognitive Performance under Chronic Stress
      Is Associated with the Hippocampal Whole Transcriptomic Modification in Mice.
AB  - Individual susceptibility determines the magnitude of stress effects on cognitive
      function. The hippocampus, a brain region of memory consolidation, is vulnerable
      to stressful environments, and the impact of stress on hippocampus may determine
      individual variability in cognitive performance. Therefore, the purpose of this
      study was to define the relationship between the divergence in spatial memory
      performance under chronically unpredictable stress and an associated
      transcriptomic alternation in hippocampus, the brain region of spatial memory
      consolidation. Multiple strains of BXD (B6 * D2) recombinant inbred mice went
      through a 4-week chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm, and the Morris water
      maze (MWM) test was conducted during the last week of CVS to assess hippocampal
      dependent spatial memory performance and grouped animals into low and high
      performing groups based on the cognitive performance. Using hippocampal whole
      transcriptome RNA-sequencing data, differential expression, PANTHER analysis,
      WGCNA, Ingenuity's upstream regulator analysis in the Ingenuity Pathway
      Analysis(r) and phenotype association analysis were conducted. Our data
      identified multiple genes and pathways that were significantly associated with
      chronic stress-associated cognitive modification and the divergence in
      hippocampal dependent memory performance under chronic stress. Biological
      pathways associated with memory performance following chronic stress included
      metabolism, neurotransmitter and receptor regulation, immune response and
      cellular process. The Ingenuity's upstream regulator analysis identified 247
      upstream transcriptional regulators from 16 different molecule types. Transcripts
      predictive of cognitive performance under high stress included genes that are
      associated with a high occurrence of Alzheimer's and cognitive impairments (e.g.,
      Ncl, Eno1, Scn9a, Slc19a3, Ncstn, Fos, Eif4h, Copa, etc.). Our results show that
      the variable effects of chronic stress on the hippocampal transcriptome are
      related to the ability to complete the MWM task and that the modulations of
      specific pathways are indicative of hippocampal dependent memory performance.
      Thus, the divergence in spatial memory performance following chronic stress is
      related to the unique pattern of gene expression within the hippocampus.

PMID- 28912683
TI  - Nano-scale Biophysical and Structural Investigations on Intact and Neuropathic
      Nerve Fibers by Simultaneous Combination of Atomic Force and Confocal Microscopy.
AB  - The links between neuropathies of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), including
      Charcot-Marie-Tooth1A and hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure
      palsies, and impaired biomechanical and structural integrity of PNS nerves remain
      poorly understood despite the medical urgency. Here, we present a protocol
      describing simultaneous structural and biomechanical integrity investigations on
      isolated nerve fibers, the building blocks of nerves. Nerve fibers are prepared
      from nerves harvested from wild-type and exemplary PNS neuropathy mouse models.
      The basic principle of the designed experimental approach is based on the
      simultaneous combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and confocal
      microscopy. AFM is used to visualize the surface structure of nerve fibers at
      nano-scale resolution. The simultaneous combination of AFM and confocal
      microscopy is used to perform biomechanical, structural, and functional integrity
      measurements at nano- to micro-scale. Isolation of sciatic nerves and subsequent
      teasing of nerve fibers take ~45 min. Teased fibers can be maintained at 37
      degrees C in a culture medium and kept viable for up to 6 h allowing considerable
      time for all measurements which require 3-4 h. The approach is designed to be
      widely applicable for nerve fibers from mice of any PNS neuropathy. It can be
      extended to human nerve biopsies.

PMID- 28912682
TI  - Extracellular Vesicles in Brain Tumors and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be classified into apoptotic bodies,
      microvesicles (MVs), and exosomes, based on their origin or size. Exosomes are
      the smallest and best characterized vesicles which derived from the endosomal
      system. These vesicles are released from many different cell types including
      neuronal cells and their functions in the nervous system are investigated. They
      have been proposed as novel means for intercellular communication, which takes
      part not only to the normal neuronal physiology but also to the transmission of
      pathogenic proteins. Indeed, exosomes are fundamental to assemble and transport
      proteins during development, but they can also transfer neurotoxic misfolded
      proteins in pathogenesis. The present review will focus on their roles in
      neurological diseases, specifically brain tumors, such as glioblastoma (GBM),
      neuroblastoma (NB), medulloblastoma (MB), and metastatic brain tumors and chronic
      neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, multiple sclerosis
      (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington, and Prion diseseases
      highlighting their involvement in spreading neurotoxicity, in therapeutics, and
      in pathogenesis.

PMID- 28912684
TI  - Distinct Activities of Tfap2A and Tfap2B in the Specification of GABAergic
      Interneurons in the Developing Cerebellum.
AB  - GABAergic inhibitory neurons in the cerebellum are subdivided into Purkinje cells
      and distinct subtypes of interneurons from the same pool of progenitors, but the
      determinants of this diversification process are not well defined. To explore the
      transcriptional regulation of the development of cerebellar inhibitory neurons,
      we examined the role of Tfap2A and Tfap2B in the specification of GABAergic
      neuronal subtypes in mice. We show that Tfap2A and Tfap2B are expressed in
      inhibitory precursors during embryonic development and that their expression
      persists into adulthood. The onset of their expression follows Ptf1a and Olig2,
      key determinants of GABAergic neuronal fate in the cerebellum; and, their
      expression precedes Pax2, an interneuron-specific factor. Tfap2A is expressed by
      all GABAergic neurons, whereas Tfap2B is selectively expressed by interneurons.
      Genetic manipulation via in utero electroporation (IUE) reveals that Tfap2B is
      necessary for interneuron specification and is capable of suppressing the
      generation of excitatory cells. Tfap2A, but not Tfap2B, is capable of inducing
      the generation of interneurons when misexpressed in the ventricular
      neuroepithelium. Together, our results demonstrate that the differential
      expression of Tfap2A and Tfap2B defines subtypes of GABAergic neurons and plays
      specific, but complementary roles in the specification of interneurons in the
      developing cerebellum.

PMID- 28912685
TI  - Neural Code-Neural Self-information Theory on How Cell-Assembly Code Rises from
      Spike Time and Neuronal Variability.
AB  - A major stumbling block to cracking the real-time neural code is neuronal
      variability - neurons discharge spikes with enormous variability not only across
      trials within the same experiments but also in resting states. Such variability
      is widely regarded as a noise which is often deliberately averaged out during
      data analyses. In contrast to such a dogma, we put forth the Neural Self
      Information Theory that neural coding is operated based on the self-information
      principle under which variability in the time durations of inter-spike-intervals
      (ISI), or neuronal silence durations, is self-tagged with discrete information.
      As the self-information processor, each ISI carries a certain amount of
      information based on its variability-probability distribution; higher-probability
      ISIs which reflect the balanced excitation-inhibition ground state convey minimal
      information, whereas lower-probability ISIs which signify rare-occurrence
      surprisals in the form of extremely transient or prolonged silence carry most
      information. These variable silence durations are naturally coupled with
      intracellular biochemical cascades, energy equilibrium and dynamic regulation of
      protein and gene expression levels. As such, this silence variability-based self
      information code is completely intrinsic to the neurons themselves, with no need
      for outside observers to set any reference point as typically used in the rate
      code, population code and temporal code models. Moreover, temporally coordinated
      ISI surprisals across cell population can inherently give rise to robust real
      time cell-assembly codes which can be readily sensed by the downstream neural
      clique assemblies. One immediate utility of this self-information code is a
      general decoding strategy to uncover a variety of cell-assembly patterns
      underlying external and internal categorical or continuous variables in an
      unbiased manner.

PMID- 28912686
TI  - Roles of Microglial Phagocytosis and Inflammatory Mediators in the
      Pathophysiology of Sleep Disorders.
AB  - Sleep serves crucial learning and memory functions in both nervous and immune
      systems. Microglia are brain immune cells that actively maintain health through
      their crucial physiological roles exerted across the lifespan, including
      phagocytosis of cellular debris and orchestration of neuroinflammation. The past
      decade has witnessed an explosive growth of microglial research. Considering the
      recent developments in the field of microglia and sleep, we examine their
      possible impact on various pathological conditions associated with a gain,
      disruption, or loss of sleep in this focused mini-review. While there are
      extensive studies of microglial implication in a variety of neuropsychiatric and
      neurodegenerative diseases, less is known regarding their roles in sleep
      disorders. It is timely to stimulate new research in this emergent and rapidly
      growing field of investigation.

PMID- 28912687
TI  - Alterations in Properties of Glutamatergic Transmission in the Temporal Cortex
      and Hippocampus Following Pilocarpine-Induced Acute Seizures in Wistar Rats.
AB  - Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type of focal epilepsy in humans,
      and is often developed after an initial precipitating brain injury. This form of
      epilepsy is frequently resistant to pharmacological treatment; therefore, the
      prevention of TLE is the prospective approach to TLE therapy. The lithium
      pilocarpine model in rats replicates some of the main features of TLE in human,
      including the pathogenic mechanisms of cell damage and epileptogenesis after a
      primary brain injury. In the present study, we investigated changes in the
      properties of glutamatergic transmission during the first 3 days after
      pilocarpine-induced acute seizures in Wistar rats (PILO-rats). Using RT-PCR and
      electrophysiological techniques, we compared the changes in the temporal cortex
      (TC) and hippocampus, brain areas differentially affected by seizures. On the
      first day, we found a transient increase in a ratio of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5
      methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors
      in the excitatory synaptic response in pyramidal neurons of the CA1 area of the
      dorsal hippocampus, but not in the TC. This was accompanied by an increase in the
      slope of input-output (I/O) curves for fEPSPs recorded in CA1, suggesting an
      enhanced excitability in AMPARs in this brain area. There was no difference in
      the AMPA/NMDA ratio in control rats on the third day. We also revealed the
      alterations in NMDA receptor subunit composition in PILO-rats. The GluN2B/GluN2A
      mRNA expression ratio increased in the dorsal hippocampus but did not change in
      the ventral hippocampus or the TC. The kinetics of NMDA-mediated evoked EPSCs in
      hippocampal neurons was slower in PILO-rats compared with control animals.
      Ifenprodil, a selective antagonist of GluN2B-containing NMDARs, diminished the
      area and amplitude of evoked EPSCs in CA1 pyramidal cells more efficiently in
      PILO-rats compared with control animals. These results demonstrate that PILO
      induced seizures lead to more severe alterations in excitatory synaptic
      transmission in the dorsal hippocampus than in the TC. Seizures affect the
      relative contribution of AMPA and NMDA receptor conductances in the synaptic
      response and increase the proportion of GluN2B-containing NMDARs in CA1 pyramidal
      neurons. These alterations disturb normal circuitry functions in the hippocampus,
      may cause neuron damage, and may be one of the important pathogenic mechanisms of
      TLE.

PMID- 28912690
TI  - RING Finger Protein 38 Is a Neuronal Protein in the Brain of Nile Tilapia,
      Oreochromis niloticus.
AB  - Really interesting new gene (RING) finger protein is a type of zinc-binding motif
      found in a large family of functionally distinct proteins. RING finger proteins
      are involved in diverse cellular processes including apoptosis, DNA repair, cell
      cycle, signal transduction, tumour suppressor, vesicular transport, and
      peroxisomal biogenesis. RING finger protein 38 (RNF38) is a member of the family
      whose functions remain unknown. To gain insight into the putative effects of
      RNF38 in the central nervous system, we localised its expression. The aim of this
      study was to identify the neuroanatomical location(s) of rnf38 mRNA and its
      peptide, determine the type of RNF38-expressing cells, and measure rnf38 gene
      expression in the brain of male tilapia. The distributions of rnf38 mRNA and its
      peptide were visualised using in situ hybridisation with digoxigenin-labelled RNA
      antisense and immunocytochemistry, respectively. Both were identically
      distributed throughout the brain, including the telencephalon, preoptic area,
      optic tectum, hypothalamus, cerebellum, and the hindbrain. Double-labelling
      immunocytochemistry for RNF38 and the neuronal marker HuC/D showed that most but
      not all RNF38 protein was expressed in neuronal nuclei. Quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction showed the highest level of rnf38 mRNA in the midbrain,
      followed by the preoptic area, cerebellum, optic tectum, telencephalon, hindbrain
      and hypothalamus. These findings reveal a differential spatial pattern of RNF38
      in the tilapia brain, suggesting that it has potentially diverse functions
      related to neuronal activity.

PMID- 28912691
TI  - The Brain of the Black (Diceros bicornis) and White (Ceratotherium simum) African
      Rhinoceroses: Morphology and Volumetrics from Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - The morphology and volumetrics of the understudied brains of two iconic large
      terrestrial African mammals: the black (Diceros bicornis) and white
      (Ceratotherium simum) rhinoceroses are described. The black rhinoceros is
      typically solitary whereas the white rhinoceros is social, and both are members
      of the Perissodactyl order. Here, we provide descriptions of the surface of the
      brain of each rhinoceros. For both species, we use magnetic resonance images
      (MRI) to develop a description of the internal anatomy of the rhinoceros brain
      and to calculate the volume of the amygdala, cerebellum, corpus callosum,
      hippocampus, and ventricular system as well as to determine the gyrencephalic
      index. The morphology of both black and white rhinoceros brains is very similar
      to each other, although certain minor differences, seemingly related to diet,
      were noted, and both brains evince the general anatomy of the mammalian brain.
      The rhinoceros brains display no obvious neuroanatomical specializations in
      comparison to other mammals previously studied. In addition, the volumetric
      analyses indicate that the size of the various regions of the rhinoceros brain
      measured, as well as the extent of gyrification, are what would be predicted for
      a mammal with their brain mass when compared allometrically to previously
      published data. We conclude that the brains of the black and white rhinoceros
      exhibit a typically mammalian organization at a superficial level, but
      histological studies may reveal specializations of interest in relation to
      rhinoceros behavior.

PMID- 28912688
TI  - A Shift from a Pivotal to Supporting Role for the Growth-Associated Protein (GAP
      43) in the Coordination of Axonal Structural and Functional Plasticity.
AB  - In a number of animal species, the growth-associated protein (GAP), GAP-43 (aka:
      F1, neuromodulin, B-50, G50, pp46), has been implicated in the regulation of
      presynaptic vesicular function and axonal growth and plasticity via its own
      biochemical properties and interactions with a number of other presynaptic
      proteins. Changes in the expression of GAP-43 mRNA or distribution of the protein
      coincide with axonal outgrowth as a consequence of neuronal damage and
      presynaptic rearrangement that would occur following instances of elevated
      patterned neural activity including memory formation and development. While
      functional enhancement in GAP-43 mRNA and/or protein activity has historically
      been hypothesized as a central mediator of axonal neuroplastic and regenerative
      responses in the central nervous system, it does not appear to be the crucial
      substrate sufficient for driving these responses. This review explores the
      historical discovery of GAP-43 (and associated monikers), its transcriptional,
      post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation and current understanding
      of protein interactions and regulation with respect to its role in axonal
      function. While GAP-43 itself appears to have moved from a pivotal to a
      supporting factor, there is no doubt that investigations into its functions have
      provided a clearer understanding of the biochemical underpinnings of axonal
      plasticity.

PMID- 28912692
TI  - Calsyntenins Are Expressed in a Dynamic and Partially Overlapping Manner during
      Neural Development.
AB  - Calsyntenins form a family of linker proteins between distinct populations of
      vesicles and kinesin motors for axonal transport. They were implicated in synapse
      formation and synaptic plasticity by findings in worms, mice and humans. These
      findings were in accordance with the postsynaptic localization of the
      Calsyntenins in the adult brain. However, they also affect the formation of
      neural circuits, as loss of Calsyntenin-1 (Clstn1) was shown to interfere with
      axonal branching and axon guidance. Despite the fact that Calsyntenins were
      discovered originally in embryonic chicken motoneurons, their distribution in the
      developing nervous system has not been analyzed in detail so far. Here, we
      summarize our analysis of the temporal and spatial expression patterns of the
      cargo-docking proteins Clstn1, Clstn2 and Clstn3 during neural development by
      comparing the dynamic distribution of their mRNAs by in situ hybridization in the
      spinal cord, the cerebellum, the retina and the tectum, as well as in the dorsal
      root ganglia (DRG).

PMID- 28912689
TI  - Monoamine Release in the Cat Lumbar Spinal Cord during Fictive Locomotion Evoked
      by the Mesencephalic Locomotor Region.
AB  - Spinal cord neurons active during locomotion are innervated by descending axons
      that release the monoamines serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) and these
      neurons express monoaminergic receptor subtypes implicated in the control of
      locomotion. The timing, level and spinal locations of release of these two
      substances during centrally-generated locomotor activity should therefore be
      critical to this control. These variables were measured in real time by fast
      cyclic voltammetry in the decerebrate cat's lumbar spinal cord during fictive
      locomotion, which was evoked by electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic
      locomotor region (MLR) and registered as integrated activity in bilateral
      peripheral nerves to hindlimb muscles. Monoamine release was observed in dorsal
      horn (DH), intermediate zone/ventral horn (IZ/VH) and adjacent white matter (WM)
      during evoked locomotion. Extracellular peak levels (all sites) increased above
      baseline by 138 +/- 232.5 nM and 35.6 +/- 94.4 nM (mean +/- SD) for NE and 5-HT,
      respectively. For both substances, release usually began prior to the onset of
      locomotion typically earliest in the IZ/VH and peaks were positively correlated
      with net activity in peripheral nerves. Monoamine levels gradually returned to
      baseline levels or below at the end of stimulation in most trials. Monoamine
      oxidase and uptake inhibitors increased the release magnitude, time-to-peak (TTP)
      and decline-to-baseline. These results demonstrate that spinal monoamine release
      is modulated on a timescale of seconds, in tandem with centrally-generated
      locomotion and indicate that MLR-evoked locomotor activity involves concurrent
      activation of descending monoaminergic and reticulospinal pathways. These gradual
      changes in space and time of monoamine concentrations high enough to strongly
      activate various receptors subtypes on locomotor activated neurons further
      suggest that during MLR-evoked locomotion, monoamine action is, in part, mediated
      by extrasynaptic neurotransmission in the spinal cord.

PMID- 28912693
TI  - Octopamine Underlies the Counter-Regulatory Response to a Glucose Deficit in
      Honeybees (Apis mellifera).
AB  - An animal's internal state is a critical parameter required for adaptation to a
      given environment. An important aspect of an animal's internal state is the
      energy state that is adjusted to the needs of an animal by energy homeostasis.
      Glucose is one essential source of energy, especially for the brain. A shortage
      of glucose therefore triggers a complex response to restore the animal's glucose
      supply. This counter-regulatory response to a glucose deficit includes metabolic
      responses like the mobilization of glucose from internal glucose stores and
      behavioral responses like increased foraging and a rapid intake of food. In
      mammals, the catecholamines adrenalin and noradrenalin take part in mediating
      these counter-regulatory responses to a glucose deficit. One candidate molecule
      that might play a role in these processes in insects is octopamine (OA). It is an
      invertebrate biogenic amine and has been suggested to derive from an ancestral
      pathway shared with adrenalin and noradrenalin. Thus, it could be hypothesized
      that OA plays a role in the insect's counter-regulatory response to a glucose
      deficit. Here we tested this hypothesis in the honeybee (Apis mellifera), an
      insect that, as an adult, mainly feeds on carbohydrates and uses these as its
      main source of energy. We investigated alterations of the hemolymph glucose
      concentration, survival, and feeding behavior after starvation and examined the
      impact of OA on these processes in pharmacological experiments. We demonstrate an
      involvement of OA in these three processes in honeybees and conclude there is an
      involvement of OA in regulating a bee's metabolic, physiological, and behavioral
      response following a phase of prolonged glucose deficit. Thus, OA in honeybees
      acts similarly to adrenalin and noradrenalin in mammals in regulating an animal's
      counter-regulatory response.

PMID- 28912694
TI  - From Cortical Blindness to Conscious Visual Perception: Theories on Neuronal
      Networks and Visual Training Strategies.
AB  - Homonymous hemianopia (HH) is the most common cortical visual impairment leading
      to blindness in the contralateral hemifield. It is associated with many
      inconveniences and daily restrictions such as exploration and visual orientation
      difficulties. However, patients with HH can preserve the remarkable ability to
      unconsciously perceive visual stimuli presented in their blindfield, a phenomenon
      known as blindsight. Unfortunately, the nature of this captivating residual
      ability is still misunderstood and the rehabilitation strategies in terms of
      visual training have been insufficiently exploited. This article discusses type I
      and type II blindsight in a neuronal framework of altered global workspace,
      resulting from inefficient perception, attention and conscious networks. To
      enhance synchronization and create global availability for residual abilities to
      reach visual consciousness, rehabilitation tools need to stimulate subcortical
      extrastriate pathways through V5/MT. Multisensory bottom-up compensation combined
      with top-down restitution training could target pre-existing and new neuronal
      mechanisms to recreate a framework for potential functionality.

PMID- 28912696
TI  - Swing Boat: Inducing and Recording Locomotor Activity in a Drosophila
      melanogaster Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Recent studies indicate that physical activity can slow down progression of
      neurodegeneration in humans. To date, automated ways to induce activity have been
      predominantly described in rodent models. To study the impact of activity on
      behavior and survival in adult Drosophila melanogaster, we aimed to develop a
      rotating tube device "swing boat" which is capable of monitoring activity and
      sleep patterns as well as survival rates of flies. For the purpose of a first
      application, we tested our device on a transgenic fly model of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). Activity of flies was recorded in a climate chamber using the
      Drosophila Activity Monitoring (DAM) System connected to data acquisition
      software. Locomotor activity was induced by a rotating tube device "swing boat"
      by repetitively tilting the tubes for 30 min per day. A non-exercising group of
      flies was used as control and activity and sleep patterns were obtained. The GAL4
      /UAS system was used to drive pan-neuronal expression of human Abeta42 in flies.
      Immunohistochemical stainings for Abeta42 were performed on paraffin sections of
      adult fly brains. Daily rotation of the fly tubes evoked a pronounced peak of
      activity during the 30 min exercise period. Pan-neuronal expression of human
      Abeta42 in flies caused abnormalities in locomotor activity, reduction of life
      span and elevated sleep fragmentation in comparison to wild type flies.
      Furthermore, the formation of amyloid accumulations was observed in the adult fly
      brain. Gently induced activity over 12 days did not evoke prominent effects in
      wild type flies but resulted in prolongation of median survival time by 7 days
      (32.6%) in Abeta42-expressing flies. Additionally, restoration of abnormally
      decreased night time sleep (10%) and reduced sleep fragmentation (28%) were
      observed compared to non-exercising Abeta42-expressing flies. On a structural
      level no prominent effects regarding prevalence of amyloid aggregations and
      Abeta42 RNA expression were detected following activity induction. The rotating
      tube device successfully induced activity in flies shown by quantitative activity
      analysis. Our setup enabled quantitative analysis of activity and sleep patterns
      as well as of survival rates. Induced activity in a Drosophila model of
      Alzheimer's disease improved survival and ameliorated sleep phenotypes.

PMID- 28912695
TI  - Region- and Cell-Specific Expression of Transmembrane Collagens in Mouse Brain.
AB  - Unconventional collagens are nonfribrillar proteins that not only contribute to
      the structure of extracellular matrices but exhibit unique bio-activities.
      Although roles for unconventional collagens have been well-established in the
      development and function of non-neural tissues, only recently have studies
      identified roles for these proteins in brain development, and more specifically,
      in the formation and refinement of synaptic connections between neurons. Still,
      our understanding of the full cohort of unconventional collagens that are
      generated in the mammalian brain remains unclear. Here, we sought to address this
      gap by assessing the expression of transmembrane collagens (i.e., collagens XIII,
      XVII, XXIII and XXV) in mouse brain. Using quantitative PCR and in situ
      hybridization (ISH), we demonstrate both region- and cell-specific expression of
      these unique collagens in the developing brain. For the two most highly expressed
      transmembrane collagens (i.e., collagen XXIII and XXV), we demonstrate that they
      are expressed by select subsets of neurons in different parts of the brain. For
      example, collagen XXIII is selectively expressed by excitatory neurons in the
      mitral/tufted cell layer of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) and by cells in
      the inner nuclear layer (INL) of the retina. On the other hand, collagen XXV,
      which is more broadly expressed, is generated by subsets of excitatory neurons in
      the dorsal thalamus and midbrain and by inhibitory neurons in the retina, ventral
      thalamus and telencephalon. Not only is col25a1 expression present in retina, it
      appears specifically enriched in retino-recipient nuclei within the brain
      (including the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), lateral geniculate complex, olivary
      pretectal nucleus (OPN) and superior colliculus). Taken together, the distinct
      region- and cell-specific expression patterns of transmembrane collagens suggest
      that this family of unconventional collagens may play unique, yet-to-be
      identified roles in brain development and function.

PMID- 28912697
TI  - Brains in Competition: Improved Cognitive Performance and Inter-Brain Coupling by
      Hyperscanning Paradigm with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.
AB  - Hyperscanning brain paradigm was applied to competitive task for couples of
      subjects. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and cognitive performance
      were considered to test inter-brain and cognitive strategy similarities between
      subjects (14 couples) during a joint-action. We supposed increased brain-to-brain
      coupling and improved cognitive outcomes due to joint-action and the competition.
      As supposed, the direct interaction between the subjects and the observed
      external feedback of their performance (an experimentally induced fictitious
      feedback) affected the cognitive performance with decreased Error Rates (ERs),
      and Response Times (RTs). In addition, fNIRS measure (oxyhemoglobin, O2Hb)
      revealed an increased brain activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in post
      feedback more than pre-feedback condition. Moreover, a higher inter-brain
      similarity was found for the couples during the task, with higher matched brain
      response in post-feedback condition than pre-feedback. Finally, a significant
      increased prefrontal brain lateralization effect was observed for the right
      hemisphere. Indeed the right PFC was more responsive with similar modalities
      within the couple during the post-feedback condition. The joined-task and
      competitive context was adduced to explain these cognitive performance improving,
      synergic brain responsiveness within the couples and lateralization effects
      (negative emotions).

PMID- 28912698
TI  - Altered Rich-Club and Frequency-Dependent Subnetwork Organization in Mild
      Traumatic Brain Injury: A MEG Resting-State Study.
AB  - Functional brain connectivity networks exhibit "small-world" characteristics and
      some of these networks follow a "rich-club" organization, whereby a few nodes of
      high connectivity (hubs) tend to connect more densely among themselves than to
      nodes of lower connectivity. The Current study followed an "attack strategy" to
      compare the rich-club and small-world network organization models using
      Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)
      patients and neurologically healthy controls to identify the topology that
      describes the underlying intrinsic brain network organization. We hypothesized
      that the reduction in global efficiency caused by an attack targeting a model's
      hubs would reveal the "true" underlying topological organization. Connectivity
      networks were estimated using mutual information as the basis for cross-frequency
      coupling. Our results revealed a prominent rich-club network organization for
      both groups. In particular, mTBI patients demonstrated hyper-synchronization
      among rich-club hubs compared to controls in the delta band and the delta-gamma1,
      theta-gamma1, and beta-gamma2 frequency pairs. Moreover, rich-club hubs in mTBI
      patients were overrepresented in right frontal brain areas, from theta to gamma1
      frequencies, and underrepresented in left occipital regions in the delta-beta,
      delta-gamma1, theta-beta, and beta-gamma2 frequency pairs. These findings
      indicate that the rich-club organization of resting-state MEG, considering its
      role in information integration and its vulnerability to various disorders like
      mTBI, may have a significant predictive value in the development of reliable
      biomarkers to help the validation of the recovery from mTBI. Furthermore, the
      proposed approach might be used as a validation tool to assess patient recovery.

PMID- 28912699
TI  - Effects of Scene Properties and Emotional Valence on Brain Activations: A
      Fixation-Related fMRI Study.
AB  - Temporal and spatial characteristics of fixations are affected by image
      properties, including high-level scene characteristics, such as object-background
      composition, and low-level physical characteristics, such as image clarity. The
      influence of these factors is modulated by the emotional content of an image.
      Here, we aimed to establish whether brain correlates of fixations reflect these
      modulatory effects. To this end, we simultaneously scanned participants and
      measured their eye movements, while presenting negative and neutral images in
      various image clarity conditions, with controlled object-background composition.
      The fMRI data were analyzed using a novel fixation-based event-related (FIBER)
      method, which allows the tracking of brain activity linked to individual
      fixations. The results revealed that fixating an emotional object was linked to
      greater deactivation in the right lingual gyrus than fixating the background of
      an emotional image, while no difference between object and background was found
      for neutral images. We suggest that deactivation in the lingual gyrus might be
      linked to inhibition of saccade execution. This was supported by fixation
      duration results, which showed that in the negative condition, fixations falling
      on the object were longer than those falling on the background. Furthermore,
      increase in the image clarity was correlated with fixation-related activity
      within the lateral occipital complex, the structure linked to object recognition.
      This correlation was significantly stronger for negative images, presumably due
      to greater deployment of attention towards emotional objects. Our eye-tracking
      results are in line with these observations, showing that the chance of fixating
      an object rose faster for negative images over neutral ones as the level of noise
      decreased. Overall, our study demonstrated that emotional value of an image
      changes the way that low and high-level scene properties affect the
      characteristics of fixations. The fixation-related brain activity is affected by
      the low-level scene properties and this impact differs between negative and
      neutral images. The high-level scene properties also affect brain correlates of
      fixations, but only in the case of the negative images.

PMID- 28912700
TI  - Action Direction of Muscle Synergies in Voluntary Multi-Directional Postural
      Control.
AB  - A muscle synergy is a coordinative structure of muscles that has been proposed as
      a strategy to reduce the number of variables that the central nervous system
      (CNS) has to address in motor tasks. In this article, the mechanical contribution
      of muscle synergies and coordinative structures of muscles in voluntary multi
      directional postural control were investigated. The task for healthy, young
      subjects was to shift and align their center of pressure (COP) to targets
      dispersed in 12 different directions in the horizontal plane by leaning their
      bodies for 10 s. Electromyograms (EMGs) of 18 muscles and COPs were recorded in
      the experiment. Muscle synergies were extracted using non-negative matrix
      factorization (NMF), and the structure of coordinative modules to keep the
      posture leaning toward various directions was disclosed. Then the directional
      properties, such as the mechanical role (i.e., action directions, we use ADs as
      abbreviation below), of muscle synergies and muscles were estimated using an
      electromyogram-weighted averaging (EWA) method, which is based on a cross
      correlation between the fluctuations in the activation of muscle synergies and
      the COP. The results revealed that the ADs of muscle synergies were almost
      uniformly distributed in the task space in most of the subjects, which indicates
      that mechanical characteristics reduce the redundancy in postural control. In
      terms of the composition of muscle synergies and the ADs of individual muscles,
      we confirmed that muscle synergies in multi-directional postural control
      comprised a combination of several muscles, including various ADs, that generate
      torque at different joints.

PMID- 28912701
TI  - Spectral Entropy Can Predict Changes of Working Memory Performance Reduced by
      Short-Time Training in the Delayed-Match-to-Sample Task.
AB  - Spectral entropy, which was generated by applying the Shannon entropy concept to
      the power distribution of the Fourier-transformed electroencephalograph (EEG),
      was utilized to measure the uniformity of power spectral density underlying EEG
      when subjects performed the working memory tasks twice, i.e., before and after
      training. According to Signed Residual Time (SRT) scores based on response speed
      and accuracy trade-off, 20 subjects were divided into two groups, namely high
      performance and low-performance groups, to undertake working memory (WM) tasks.
      We found that spectral entropy derived from the retention period of WM on channel
      FC4 exhibited a high correlation with SRT scores. To this end, spectral entropy
      was used in support vector machine classifier with linear kernel to differentiate
      these two groups. Receiver operating characteristics analysis and leave-one out
      cross-validation (LOOCV) demonstrated that the averaged classification accuracy
      (CA) was 90.0 and 92.5% for intra-session and inter-session, respectively,
      indicating that spectral entropy could be used to distinguish these two different
      WM performance groups successfully. Furthermore, the support vector regression
      prediction model with radial basis function kernel and the root-mean-square error
      of prediction revealed that spectral entropy could be utilized to predict SRT
      scores on individual WM performance. After testing the changes in SRT scores and
      spectral entropy for each subject by short-time training, we found that 16 in 20
      subjects' SRT scores were clearly promoted after training and 15 in 20 subjects'
      SRT scores showed consistent changes with spectral entropy before and after
      training. The findings revealed that spectral entropy could be a promising
      indicator to predict individual's WM changes by training and further provide a
      novel application about WM for brain-computer interfaces.

PMID- 28912702
TI  - Altered White Matter Integrity in Smokers Is Associated with Smoking Cessation
      Outcomes.
AB  - Smoking is a significant cause of preventable mortality worldwide. Understanding
      the neural mechanisms of nicotine addiction and smoking cessation may provide
      effective targets for developing treatment strategies. In the present study, we
      explored whether smokers have white matter alterations and whether these
      alterations are related to cessation outcomes and smoking behaviors. Sixty-six
      smokers and thirty-seven healthy non-smokers were enrolled. The participants
      underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans and smoking-related behavioral
      assessments. After a 12-week treatment with varenicline, 28 smokers succeeded in
      quitting smoking and 38 failed. Diffusion parameter maps were compared among the
      non-smokers, future quitters, and relapsers to identify white matter differences.
      We found that the future relapsers had significantly lower fractional anisotropy
      (FA) in the orbitofrontal area than non-smokers, and higher FA in the cerebellum
      than non-smokers and future quitters. The future quitters had significantly lower
      FA in the postcentral gyrus compared to non-smokers and future relapsers.
      Compared to non-smokers, pooled smokers had lower FA in bilateral orbitofrontal
      gyrus and left superior frontal gyrus. In addition, regression analysis showed
      that the left orbitofrontal FA was correlated with smoking-relevant behaviors.
      These results suggest that white matter alterations in smokers may contribute to
      the formation of aberrant brain circuits underlying smoking behaviors and are
      associated with future smoking cessation outcomes.

PMID- 28912703
TI  - The Influence of External Forces on Wrist Proprioception.
AB  - Proprioception combines information from cutaneous, joint, tendon, and muscle
      receptors for maintaining a reliable internal body image. However, it is still a
      matter of debate, in both neurophysiology and psychology, to what extent such
      body image is modified or distorted by a changing haptic environment. In
      particular, what is worth investigating is the contribution of external forces on
      our perception of body and joint configuration. The proprioceptive acuity of
      fifteen young participants was tested with a Joint Position Matching (JPM) task,
      performed with the dominant wrist under five different external forces, in order
      to understand to what extent they affect proprioceptive acuity. Results show that
      accuracy and precision in target matching do not change in a significant manner
      as a function of the loading condition, suggesting that the multi-sensory
      integration process is indeed capable of discriminating different sub-modalities
      of proprioception, namely the joint position sense and the sense of force.
      Furthermore, results indicate a preference for target undershooting when
      movements are performed in a viscous or high resistive force field, rather than
      passive or null fields in which subjects did not show any predominance for
      under/over estimation of their position.

PMID- 28912705
TI  - Corrigendum: Multi-Kernel Learning with Dartel Improves Combined MRI-PET
      Classification of Alzheimer's Disease in AIBL Data: Group and Individual
      Analyses.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 380 in vol. 11, PMID: 28790908.].

PMID- 28912706
TI  - Dynamic Neural Fields with Intrinsic Plasticity.
AB  - Dynamic neural fields (DNFs) are dynamical systems models that approximate the
      activity of large, homogeneous, and recurrently connected neural networks based
      on a mean field approach. Within dynamic field theory, the DNFs have been used as
      building blocks in architectures to model sensorimotor embedding of cognitive
      processes. Typically, the parameters of a DNF in an architecture are manually
      tuned in order to achieve a specific dynamic behavior (e.g., decision making,
      selection, or working memory) for a given input pattern. This manual parameters
      search requires expert knowledge and time to find and verify a suited set of
      parameters. The DNF parametrization may be particular challenging if the input
      distribution is not known in advance, e.g., when processing sensory information.
      In this paper, we propose the autonomous adaptation of the DNF resting level and
      gain by a learning mechanism of intrinsic plasticity (IP). To enable this
      adaptation, an input and output measure for the DNF are introduced, together with
      a hyper parameter to define the desired output distribution. The online
      adaptation by IP gives the possibility to pre-define the DNF output statistics
      without knowledge of the input distribution and thus, also to compensate for
      changes in it. The capabilities and limitations of this approach are evaluated in
      a number of experiments.

PMID- 28912704
TI  - Reliability of EEG Measures of Interaction: A Paradigm Shift Is Needed to Fight
      the Reproducibility Crisis.
AB  - Measures of interaction (connectivity) of the EEG are at the forefront of current
      neuroscientific research. Unfortunately, test-retest reliability can be very low,
      depending on the measure and its estimation, the EEG-frequency of interest, the
      length of the signal, and the population under investigation. In addition,
      artifacts can hamper the continuity of the EEG signal, and in some clinical
      situations it is impractical to exclude artifacts. We aimed to examine factors
      that moderate test-retest reliability of measures of interaction. The study
      involved 40 patients with a range of neurological diseases and memory impairments
      (age median: 60; range 21-76; 40% female; 22 mild cognitive impairment, 5
      subjective cognitive complaints, 13 temporal lobe epilepsy), and 20 healthy
      controls (age median: 61.5; range 23-74; 70% female). We calculated 14 measures
      of interaction based on the multivariate autoregressive model from two EEG
      recordings separated by 2 weeks. We characterized test-retest reliability by
      correlating the measures between the two EEG-recordings for variations of data
      length, data discontinuity, artifact exclusion, model order, and frequency over
      all combinations of channels and all frequencies, individually for each subject,
      yielding a correlation coefficient for each participant. Excluding artifacts had
      strong effects on reliability of some measures, such as classical, real valued
      coherence (~0.1 before, ~0.9 after artifact exclusion). Full frequency directed
      transfer function was highly reliable and robust against artifacts. Variation of
      data length decreased reliability in relation to poor adjustment of model order
      and signal length. Variation of discontinuity had no effect, but reliabilities
      were different between model orders, frequency ranges, and patient groups
      depending on the measure. Pathology did not interact with variation of signal
      length or discontinuity. Our results emphasize the importance of documenting
      reliability, which may vary considerably between measures of interaction. We
      recommend careful selection of measures of interaction in accordance with the
      properties of the data. When only short data segments are available and when the
      signal length varies strongly across subjects after exclusion of artifacts,
      reliability becomes an issue. Finally, measures which show high reliability
      irrespective of the presence of artifacts could be extremely useful in clinical
      situations when exclusion of artifacts is impractical.

PMID- 28912707
TI  - Methodological Choices in Muscle Synergy Analysis Impact Differentiation of
      Physiological Characteristics Following Stroke.
AB  - Muscle synergy analysis (MSA) is a mathematical technique that reduces the
      dimensionality of electromyographic (EMG) data. Used increasingly in biomechanics
      research, MSA requires methodological choices at each stage of the analysis.
      Differences in methodological steps affect the overall outcome, making it
      difficult to compare results across studies. We applied MSA to EMG data collected
      from individuals post-stroke identified as either responders (RES) or non
      responders (nRES) on the basis of a critical post-treatment increase in walking
      speed. Importantly, no clinical or functional indicators identified differences
      between the cohort of RES and nRES at baseline. For this exploratory study, we
      selected the five highest RES and five lowest nRES available from a larger
      sample. Our goal was to assess how the methodological choices made before,
      during, and after MSA affect the ability to differentiate two groups with
      intrinsic physiologic differences based on MSA results. We investigated 30
      variations in MSA methodology to determine which choices allowed differentiation
      of RES from nRES at baseline. Trial-to-trial variability in time-independent
      synergy vectors (SVs) and time-varying neural commands (NCs) were measured as a
      function of: (1) number of synergies computed; (2) EMG normalization method
      before MSA; (3) whether SVs were held constant across trials or allowed to vary
      during MSA; and (4) synergy analysis output normalization method after MSA. MSA
      methodology had a strong effect on our ability to differentiate RES from nRES at
      baseline. Across all 10 individuals and MSA variations, two synergies were needed
      to reach an average of 90% variance accounted for (VAF). Based on effect sizes,
      differences in SV and NC variability between groups were greatest using two
      synergies with SVs that varied from trial-to-trial. Differences in SV variability
      were clearest using unit magnitude per trial EMG normalization, while NC
      variability was less sensitive to EMG normalization method. No outcomes were
      greatly impacted by output normalization method. MSA variability for some, but
      not all, methods successfully differentiated intrinsic physiological differences
      inaccessible to traditional clinical or biomechanical assessments. Our results
      were sensitive to methodological choices, highlighting the need for disclosure of
      all aspects of MSA methodology in future studies.

PMID- 28912708
TI  - Remodeling Pearson's Correlation for Functional Brain Network Estimation and
      Autism Spectrum Disorder Identification.
AB  - Functional brain network (FBN) has been becoming an increasingly important way to
      model the statistical dependence among neural time courses of brain, and provides
      effective imaging biomarkers for diagnosis of some neurological or psychological
      disorders. Currently, Pearson's Correlation (PC) is the simplest and most widely
      used method in constructing FBNs. Despite its advantages in statistical meaning
      and calculated performance, the PC tends to result in a FBN with dense
      connections. Therefore, in practice, the PC-based FBN needs to be sparsified by
      removing weak (potential noisy) connections. However, such a scheme depends on a
      hard-threshold without enough flexibility. Different from this traditional
      strategy, in this paper, we propose a new approach for estimating FBNs by
      remodeling PC as an optimization problem, which provides a way to incorporate
      biological/physical priors into the FBNs. In particular, we introduce an L1-norm
      regularizer into the optimization model for obtaining a sparse solution. Compared
      with the hard-threshold scheme, the proposed framework gives an elegant
      mathematical formulation for sparsifying PC-based networks. More importantly, it
      provides a platform to encode other biological/physical priors into the PC-based
      FBNs. To further illustrate the flexibility of the proposed method, we extend the
      model to a weighted counterpart for learning both sparse and scale-free networks,
      and then conduct experiments to identify autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from
      normal controls (NC) based on the constructed FBNs. Consequently, we achieved an
      81.52% classification accuracy which outperforms the baseline and state-of-the
      art methods.

PMID- 28912709
TI  - Extending XNAT Platform with an Incremental Semantic Framework.
AB  - Informatics increases the yield from neuroscience due to improved data. Data
      sharing and accessibility enable joint efforts between different research groups,
      as well as replication studies, pivotal for progress in the field. Research data
      archiving solutions are evolving rapidly to address these necessities, however,
      distributed data integration is still difficult because of the need of explicit
      agreements for disparate data models. To address these problems, ontologies are
      widely used in biomedical research to obtain common vocabularies and logical
      descriptions, but its application may suffer from scalability issues, domain
      bias, and loss of low-level data access. With the aim of improving the
      application of semantic models in biobanking systems, an incremental semantic
      framework that takes advantage of the latest advances in biomedical ontologies
      and the XNAT platform is designed and implemented. We follow a layered
      architecture that allows the alignment of multi-domain biomedical ontologies to
      manage data at different levels of abstraction. To illustrate this approach, the
      development is integrated in the JPND (EU Joint Program for Neurodegenerative
      Disease) APGeM project, focused on finding early biomarkers for Alzheimer's and
      other dementia related diseases.

PMID- 28912712
TI  - Effect of Cognitive Demand on Functional Visual Field Performance in Senior
      Drivers with Glaucoma.
AB  - : Purpose: To investigate the effect of cognitive demand on functional visual
      field performance in drivers with glaucoma. Method: This study included 20
      drivers with open-angle glaucoma and 13 age- and sex-matched controls. Visual
      field performance was evaluated under different degrees of cognitive demand: a
      static visual field condition (C1), dynamic visual field condition (C2), and
      dynamic visual field condition with active driving (C3) using an interactive,
      desktop driving simulator. The number of correct responses (accuracy) and
      response times on the visual field task were compared between groups and between
      conditions using Kruskal-Wallis tests. General linear models were employed to
      compare cognitive workload, recorded in real-time through pupillometry, between
      groups and conditions. Results: Adding cognitive demand (C2 and C3) to the static
      visual field test (C1) adversely affected accuracy and response times, in both
      groups (p < 0.05). However, drivers with glaucoma performed worse than did
      control drivers when the static condition changed to a dynamic condition [C2 vs.
      C1 accuracy; glaucoma: median difference (Q1-Q3) 3 (2-6.50) vs. CONTROLS: 2 (0.50
      2.50); p = 0.05] and to a dynamic condition with active driving [C3 vs. C1
      accuracy; glaucoma: 2 (2-6) vs. CONTROLS: 1 (0.50-2); p = 0.02]. Overall, drivers
      with glaucoma exhibited greater cognitive workload than controls (p = 0.02).
      Conclusion: Cognitive demand disproportionately affects functional visual field
      performance in drivers with glaucoma. Our results may inform the development of a
      performance-based visual field test for drivers with glaucoma.

PMID- 28912710
TI  - Key Aging-Associated Alterations in Primary Microglia Response to Beta-Amyloid
      Stimulation.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline and
      believed to be driven by the self-aggregation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide
      into oligomers and fibrils that accumulate as senile plaques. It is widely
      accepted that microglia-mediated inflammation is a significant contributor to
      disease pathogenesis; however, different microglia phenotypes were identified
      along AD progression and excessive Abeta production was shown to dysregulate cell
      function. As so, the contribution of microglia to AD pathogenesis remains to be
      elucidated. In this study, we wondered if isolated microglia cultured for 16 days
      in vitro (DIV) would react differentially from the 2 DIV cells upon treatment
      with 1000 nM Abeta1-42 for 24 h. No changes in cell viability were observed and
      morphometric alterations associated to microglia activation, such as volume
      increase and process shortening, were obvious in 2 DIV microglia, but less
      evident in 16 DIV cells. These cells showed lower phagocytic, migration and
      autophagic properties after Abeta treatment than the 2 DIV cultured microglia.
      Reduced phagocytosis may derive from increased CD33 expression, reduced
      triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) and milk fat globule-EGF
      factor 8 protein (MFG-E8) levels, which were mainly observed in 16 DIV cells.
      Activation of inflammatory mediators, such as high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)
      and pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as increased expression of Toll-like
      receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4 and fractalkine/CX3C chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) cell
      surface receptors were prominent in 2 DIV microglia, while elevation of matrix
      metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) was marked in 16 DIV cells. Increased senescence
      associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) and upregulated miR-146a expression
      that were observed in 16 DIV cells showed to increase by Abeta in 2 DIV
      microglia. Additionally, Abeta downregulated miR-155 and miR-124, and reduced the
      CD11b+ subpopulation in 2 DIV microglia, while increased the number of CD86+
      cells in 16 DIV microglia. Simultaneous M1 and M2 markers were found after Abeta
      treatment, but at lower expression in the in vitro aged microglia. Data show key
      aging associated responses by microglia when incubated with Abeta, with a loss of
      reactivity from the 2 DIV to the 16 DIV cells, which course with a reduced
      phagocytosis, migration and lower expression of inflammatory miRNAs. These
      findings help to improve our understanding on the heterogeneous responses that
      microglia can have along the progression of AD disease and imply that therapeutic
      approaches may differ from early to late stages.

PMID- 28912713
TI  - Meta-Analysis for Clinical Evaluation of Xingnaojing Injection for the Treatment
      of Cerebral Infarction.
AB  - Objective: Xingnaojing injection (XNJ) is derived from An-Gong-Niu-Huang pill, a
      well-known traditional Chinese patent medicine, which is widely used for stroke.
      To evaluate the therapeutic effect of XNJ on cerebral infarction, an extensive
      meta-analysis was used. Methods: Six major electronic databases including the
      Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), Wanfang, the VIP medicine information system
      (VMIS) and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, Embase,
      and the Cochrane Library were examined to retrieve randomized controlled trials
      designed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of XNJ in treating CI before November
      26, 2016. Results: There were 53 randomized controlled trials with 4915
      participants in this study. The results reflected that compared with the
      conventional therapy (CT) alone, XNJ could significantly improve the overall
      response rate (OR = 3.56, 95% CI [2.94, 4.32], P < 0.00001), and clinical symptom
      (including increasing activities of daily living (ADL, MD = 10.23, 95% CI [9.47,
      10.99], P < 0.00001), and reduce infarction size (MD = -1.83, 95% CI [-2.49, 
      1.16], P < 0.00001)). However, there was no significant difference between the
      XNJ treatment and conventional therapy in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS, P = 0.32).
      Neurological deficit score demonstrated that XNJ could significantly reduce the
      score in two different evaluation criterions as National Institutes of Health
      Stroke Scale (NIHSS, MD = -3.44, 95% CI [-4.52, -2.36], P < 0.00001), and the
      Chinese Stroke Scale (CSS, MD = -5.72, 95% CI [-6.94, -4.50], P < 0.00001).
      Additionally, serum MMPs, including MMP-2 and MMP-9 were significantly reduced by
      XNJ treatment compared with conventional therapy (MD = -11.24, 95% CI [-20.83, 
      1.65], P = 0.02; MD = -25.08, 95% CI [-35.49, -14.67], P < 0.00001,
      respectively). Moreover, XNJ was able to improve hemorrheology in reducing whole
      blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, and hematocrit (MD = -1.44, 95% CI [-2.18,
      0.70], P = 0.001; MD = -0.22, 95% CI [-0.37, -0.07], P = 0.003; MD = -3.63, 95%
      CI [-6.23, -1.03], P = 0.006, respectively). The therapeutic efficacy of XNJ was
      found associated with improving hemodynamics (increasing peak-flow rate, and
      average velocity) (MD = 12.66, 95% CI [10.50, 14.81], P < 0.00001; MD = 9.90, 95%
      CI [8.63, 11.17], P < 0.00001). XNJ was also related to reducing cholesterol and
      triglyceride (MD = -1.06, 95% CI [-1.21, -0.92], P < 0.00001; MD = -1.05, 95% CI
      [-1.12, -0.97], P < 0.00001). Conclusion: Despite the sample size and the poor
      quality of the included studies of this review, the results of the research
      showed that XNJ might be a beneficial therapeutic method for the treatment of
      cerebral infarction.

PMID- 28912711
TI  - Increased Hippocampal ProBDNF Contributes to Memory Impairments in Aged Mice.
AB  - Memory decline during aging or accompanying neurodegenerative diseases,
      represents a major health problem. Neurotrophins have long been considered
      relevant to the mechanisms of aging-associated cognitive decline and
      neurodegeneration. Mature Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and its
      precursor (proBDNF) can both be secreted in response to neuronal activity and
      exert opposing effects on neuronal physiology and plasticity. In this study,
      biochemical analyses revealed that increased levels of proBDNF are present in the
      aged mouse hippocampus relative to young and that the level of hippocampal
      proBDNF inversely correlates with the ability to perform in a spatial memory
      task, the water radial arm maze (WRAM). To ascertain the role of increased
      proBDNF levels on hippocampal function and memory we performed infusions of
      proBDNF into the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus in male mice trained in the
      WRAM paradigm: In well-performing aged mice, intra-hippocampal proBDNF infusions
      resulted in a progressive and significant impairment of memory performance. This
      impairment was associated with increased p-cofilin levels, an important regulator
      of dendritic spines and synapse physiology. On the other hand, in poor
      performers, intra-hippocampal infusions of TAT-Pep5, a peptide which blocks the
      interaction between the p75 Neurotrophin Receptor (p75NTR) and RhoGDI,
      significantly improved learning and memory, while saline infusions had no effect.
      Our results support a role for proBDNF and its receptor p75NTR in aging-related
      memory impairments.

PMID- 28912714
TI  - Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Polygonum orientale L. Extracts.
AB  - Background and Purpose:Polygonum orientale L. (family: Polygonaceae), named
      Hongcao in China, is a Traditional Chinese Medicinal and has long been used for
      rheumatic arthralgia and rheumatoid arthritis. However, no pharmacological and
      mechanism study to confirm these clinic effects have been published. In this
      investigation, the anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects and representative active
      ingredient compounds of P. orientale have been studied. Methods: Dried small
      pieces of the stems and leaves of P. orientale were decocted with water and
      partitioned successively to obtain ethyl acetate and ethyl ether extract of P.
      orientale (POEa and POEe). Chemical compositions of them were analyzed by UPLC-Q
      Exactive HRMS. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of POEa and POEe were
      evaluated using xylene induced ear edema, carrageenan induced paw edema, Freunds'
      complete adjuvant induced arthritis, and formaldehyde induced pain in rat. Their
      mechanisms of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects were also studied via
      assays of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and PGE2 in serum. Results: UPLC-Q-Exactive
      HRMS analysis showed that POEa and POEe mainly contained flavonoids including
      orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, luteolin, and quercetin. Furthermore, anti
      inflammatory effects of POEa and POEe were evident in xylene induced ear edema.
      The paw edema in Freund's complete adjuvant and carrageenan were significantly (P
      < 0.05, 0.01) inhibited by POEa (5, 7.5 g/kg). POEe (7.5 g/kg) was significantly
      (P < 0.05, 0.01) inhibited Freunds' complete adjuvant induced paw edema and
      cotton pellet induced granuloma formation. Similarly, POEe significantly (P <
      0.05, 0.01) inhibited the pain sensation in acetic acid induced writhing test.
      POEa (5, 7.5 g/kg) significantly (P < 0.05, 0.01) inhibited formaldehyde induced
      pain in both phases. POEa (7.5 g/kg) markedly (P < 0.05) prolonged the latency
      period of hot plate test after 30 and 60 min. The concentrations of TNF-alpha, IL
      1beta, IL-6, and PGE2 were significantly (P < 0.01) decreased by POEa (3.75, 5
      g/kg). Conclusion: POEa and POEe have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects,
      which was mainly relevant to the presence of flavonoids, including orientin,
      isoorientin, vitexin, luteolin, and quercetin. The mechanism of anti-inflammatory
      and analgesic effects of POEa may be to decrease the concentrations of TNF-alpha,
      IL-1beta, IL-6, and PGE2 in serum.

PMID- 28912716
TI  - A Meta-Analysis of Folic Acid in Combination with Anti-Hypertension Drugs in
      Patients with Hypertension and Hyperhomocysteinemia.
AB  - Folic acid is generally used to lower homocysteine concentrations and prevent
      stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) at present. However, the efficacy of
      therapies that lower homocysteine concentrations in reducing the risk of CVD and
      stroke remains controversial. Our objective was to do a meta-analysis of relevant
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy of folic acid
      supplementation among patients with hypertension and Hyperhomocysteinemia
      (HT/HHcy). We included RCTs examining the effects of folic acid plus
      antihypertensive therapy compared to antihypertensive alone. Weighted Mean
      Difference (WMD) and Relative risk (RR) were used as a measure of the effect of
      folic acid on the outcome measures with a random effect model. Sixty-five studies
      including 7887 patients met all inclusion criteria. Among them, 49 trials
      reported significant effect of combination therapy for reducing SBP (systolic
      Blood Pressure) and DBP (Diastolic Blood Pressure) levels compared with
      antihypertensive alone (WMD = -7.85, WMD = -6.77, respectively). Meanwhile, folic
      acid supplementation apparently reduced the level of total homocysteine (WMD =
      5.5). In addition, folic acid supplementation obviously reduced the risk of
      cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (CVCE) by 12.9% compared with control
      groups. In terms of the stratified analyses, a bigger beneficial effect was seen
      in those RCTs with treatment duration of more than 12 weeks, a decrease in the
      concentration of total homocysteine of more than 25%, with folic acid
      fortification. Our findings indicated that folic acid supplementation was
      effective in the primary prevention of CVCE among HT/HHcy patients, as well as
      reducing the blood pressure and total homocysteine levels.

PMID- 28912717
TI  - Global Metabolomics Reveals the Metabolic Dysfunction in Ox-LDL Induced
      Macrophage-Derived Foam Cells.
AB  - Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic disorder of large arteries that is a major risk
      factors of high morbidity and mortality. Oxidative modification LDL is one of the
      important contributors to atherogenesis. Macrophages take up ox-LDL and convert
      into foam cells, which is the hallmark of AS. To advance the understanding of the
      metabolic perturbation involved in ox-LDL induced macrophage-derived foam cells
      and discover the potential biomarkers of early AS, a global metabolomics approach
      was applied based on UHPLC-QTOF/MS. Multivariate statistical analyses identified
      five metabolites (25-azacholesterol, anandamide, glycocholate, oleoyl
      ethanolamide, and 3-oxo-4, 6-choladienoate) for distinguishing foamy macrophages
      from controls. Among the six main metabolic pathways, the unsaturated fatty acid,
      especially arachidonic acid metabolism, contributed importantly to early AS. A
      new biomarker, anandamide (AEA), whose synthesis and metabolism in macrophages
      are disturbed by overloaded ox-LDL, results in metabolic obstruction. This study
      is the first to investigate the metabolic disturbance in macrophage-derived foam
      cells induced by ox-LDL and screen potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways
      associated with early AS. Our findings provide a new insight in the underlying
      pathophysiological mechanisms and also help to identify novel targets for the
      intervention of AS.

PMID- 28912715
TI  - Anti-fibrotic Potential of AT2 Receptor Agonists.
AB  - There are a number of therapeutic targets to treat organ fibrosis that are under
      investigation in preclinical models. There is increasing evidence that
      stimulation of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) is a novel anti-fibrotic
      strategy and we have reviewed the published in vivo preclinical data relating to
      the effects of compound 21 (C21), which is the only nonpeptide AT2R agonist that
      is currently available for use in chronic preclinical studies. In particular, the
      differential influence of AT2R on extracellular matrix status in various
      preclinical fibrotic models is discussed. Collectively, these studies demonstrate
      that pharmacological AT2R stimulation using C21 decreases organ fibrosis, which
      has been most studied in the setting of cardiovascular and renal disease. In
      addition, AT2R-mediated anti-inflammatory effects may contribute to the
      beneficial AT2R-mediated anti-fibrotic effects seen in preclinical models.

PMID- 28912719
TI  - Population-Based Case-Control Study Assessing the Association between Statins Use
      and Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Taiwan.
AB  - Background and Objectives: Little evidence is available about the relationship
      between statins use and pulmonary tuberculosis in Taiwan. The aim of the study
      was to explore this issue. Methods: Using the database of the Taiwan National
      Health Insurance Program, we conducted a population-based case-control study to
      identify 8,236 subjects aged 20 years and older with newly diagnosed pulmonary
      tuberculosis from 2000 to 2013 as the cases. We randomly selected 8,236 sex
      matched and age-matched subjects without pulmonary tuberculosis as the controls.
      Subjects who had at least one prescription of statins before the index date were
      defined as "ever use." Subjects who never had one prescription of statins before
      the index date were defined as "never use." The odds ratio (OR) and 95%
      confidence interval (CI) for pulmonary tuberculosis associated with statins use
      was estimated by a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: After
      adjustment for co-variables, the adjusted OR of pulmonary tuberculosis was 0.67
      for subjects with ever use of statins (95% CI 0.59, 0.75). In a sub-analysis, the
      adjusted ORs of pulmonary tuberculosis were 0.87 (95% CI 0.69, 1.10) for subjects
      with cumulative duration of statins use <3 months, 0.77 (95% CI 0.58, 1.03) for 3
      6 months, and 0.59 (95% CI 0.51, 0.68) for >=6 months, compared with subjects
      with never use of statins. Conclusions: Statins use correlates with a small but
      statistically significant risk reduction of pulmonary tuberculosis. The
      protective effect is stronger for longer duration of statins use. Due to a case
      control design, a causal-relationship cannot be established in our study. A
      prospective cohort design is needed to confirm our findings.

PMID- 28912718
TI  - Technical Improvement and Application of Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery in Study of
      Liver Diseases.
AB  - Development of an safe and efficient in vivo gene delivery method is
      indispensable for molecular biology research and the progress in the following
      gene therapy. Over the past few years, hydrodynamic gene delivery (HGD) with
      naked DNA has drawn increasing interest in both research and potential clinic
      applications due to its high efficiency and low risk in triggering immune
      responses and carcinogenesis in comparison to viral vectors. This method,
      involving intravenous injection (i.v.) of massive DNA in a short duration, gives
      a transient but high in vivo gene expression especially in the liver of small
      animals. In addition to DNA, it has also been shown to deliver other substance
      such as RNA, proteins, synthetic small compounds and even viruses in vivo. Given
      its ability to robustly mimic in vivo hepatitis B virus (HBV) production in
      liver, HGD has become a fundamental and important technology on HBV studies in
      our group and many other groups. Recently, there have been interesting reports
      about the applications and further improvement of this technology in other liver
      research. Here, we review the principle, safety, current application and
      development of hydrodynamic delivery in liver disease studies, and discuss its
      future prospects, clinical potential and challenges.

PMID- 28912720
TI  - A Single Angiotensin II Hypertensive Stimulus Is Associated with Prolonged
      Neuronal and Immune System Activation in Wistar-Kyoto Rats.
AB  - Activation of autonomic neural pathways by chronic hypertensive stimuli plays a
      significant role in pathogenesis of hypertension. Here, we proposed that even a
      single acute hypertensive stimulus will activate neural and immune pathways that
      may be important in initiation of memory imprinting seen in chronic hypertension.
      We investigated the effects of acute angiotensin II (Ang II) administration on
      blood pressure, neural activation in cardioregulatory brain regions, and central
      and systemic immune responses, at 1 and 24 h post-injection. Administration of a
      single bolus intra-peritoneal (I.P.) injection of Ang II (36 MUg/kg) resulted in
      a transient increase in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) (by 22 +/- 4 mmHg vs
      saline), which returned to baseline within 1 h. However, in contrast to MAP,
      neuronal activity, as measured by manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance (MEMRI),
      remained elevated in several cardioregulatory brain regions over 24 h. The
      increase was predominant in autonomic regions, such as the subfornical organ
      (SFO; ~20%), paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN; ~20%) and rostral
      ventrolateral medulla (RVLM; ~900%), among others. Similarly, systemic and
      central immune responses, as evidenced by circulating levels of CD4+/IL17+ T
      cells, and increased IL17 levels and activation of microglia in the PVN,
      respectively, remained elevated at 24 h following Ang II challenge. Elevated Fos
      expression in the PVN was also present at 24 h (by 73 +/- 11%) following Ang II
      compared to control saline injections, confirming persistent activation of PVN.
      Thus, even a single Ang II hypertensive stimulus will initiate changes in
      neuronal and immune cells that play a role in the developing hypertensive
      phenotype.

PMID- 28912721
TI  - Physical and Chemical Processes and the Morphofunctional Characteristics of Human
      Erythrocytes in Hyperglycaemia.
AB  - Background: This study examines the effect of graduated hyperglycaemia on the
      state and oxygen-binding ability of hemoglobin, the correlation of phospholipid
      fractions and their metabolites in the membrane, the activity of proteolytic
      enzymes and the morphofunctional state of erythrocytes. Methods: Conformational
      changes in the molecule of hemoglobin were determined by Raman spectroscopy. The
      structure of the erythrocytes was analyzed using laser interference microscopy
      (LIM). To determine the activity of NADN-methemoglobinreductase, we used the P.G.
      Board method. The degree of glycosylation of the erythrocyte membranes was
      determined using a method previously described by Felkoren et al. Lipid
      extraction was performed using the Bligh and Dyer method. Detection of the
      phospholipids was performed using V. E. Vaskovsky method. Results: Conditions of
      hyperglycaemia are characterized by a low affinity of hemoglobin to oxygen, which
      is manifested as a parallel decrease in the content of hemoglobin oxyform and the
      growth of deoxyform, methemoglobin and membrane-bound hemoglobin. The degree of
      glycosylation of membrane proteins and hemoglobin is high. For example, in the
      case of hyperglycaemia, erythrocytic membranes reduce the content of all
      phospholipid fractions with a simultaneous increase in lysoforms, free fatty
      acids and the diacylglycerol (DAG). Step wise hyperglycaemia in incubation medium
      and human erythrocytes results in an increased content of peptide components and
      general trypsin-like activity in the cytosol, with a simultaneous decreased
      activity of MU-calpain and caspase 3. Conclusions: Metabolic disorders and damage
      of cell membranes during hyperglycaemia cause an increase in the population of
      echinocytes and spherocytes. The resulting disorders are accompanied with a high
      probability of intravascular haemolysis.

PMID- 28912722
TI  - Repeated Mandibular Extension in Rat: A Procedure to Modulate the Cerebral
      Arteriolar Tone.
AB  - Previous data have shown both in the rat and in the human that a single
      mandibular extension lasting 10 min induces a significant important and prolonged
      reduction in blood pressure and heart rate, affecting also rat pial
      microcirculation by the release of endothelial factors. In the present work, we
      assessed whether repeated mandibular extension could further prolong these
      effects. We performed two mandibular extensions, the second mandibular extension
      being applied 10 min after the first one. The second mandibular extension
      produced a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate for at least 240 min. As in
      the case of a single mandibular extension, pial arterioles dilated persisting up
      to 140 min after the second extension. Spectral analysis on 30 min recordings
      under baseline conditions and after repetitive mandibular extensions showed that
      the pial arterioles dilation was associated with rhythmic diameter changes
      sustained by an increase in the frequency components related to endothelial,
      neurogenic, and myogenic activity while a single mandibular extension caused,
      conversely, an increase only in the endothelial activity. In conclusion,
      repetitive mandibular extension prolonged the effects of a single mandibular
      extension on blood pressure, heart rate and vasodilation and induced a modulation
      of different frequency components responsible of the pial arteriolar tone, in
      particular increasing the endothelial activity.

PMID- 28912723
TI  - Increased Hemodynamic Load in Early Embryonic Stages Alters Myofibril and
      Mitochondrial Organization in the Myocardium.
AB  - Normal blood flow is essential for proper heart formation during embryonic
      development, as abnormal hemodynamic load (blood pressure and shear stress)
      results in cardiac defects seen in congenital heart disease (CHD). However, the
      detrimental remodeling processes that relate altered blood flow to cardiac
      malformation and defects remain unclear. Heart development is a finely
      orchestrated process with rapid transformations that occur at the tissue, cell,
      and subcellular levels. Myocardial cells play an essential role in cardiac tissue
      maturation by aligning in the direction of stretch and increasing the number of
      contractile units as hemodynamic load increases throughout development. This
      study elucidates the early effects of altered blood flow on myofibril and
      mitochondrial configuration in the outflow tract myocardium in vivo. Outflow
      tract banding was used to increase hemodynamic load in the chicken embryo heart
      between Hamburger and Hamilton stages 18 and 24 (~24 h during tubular heart
      stages). 3D focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy analysis determined
      that increased hemodynamic load induced changes in the developing myocardium,
      characterized by thicker myofibril bundles that were more disbursed in
      circumferential orientation, and mitochondria that organized in large clusters
      around the nucleus. Proteomic mass-spectrometry analysis quantified altered
      protein composition after banding that is consistent with altered myofibril thin
      filament assembly and function, and mitochondrial maintenance and organization.
      Additionally, pathway analysis of the proteomics data identified possible
      activation of signaling pathways in response to banding, including the renin
      angiotensin system (RAS). Imaging and proteomic data combined indicate that
      myofibril and mitochondrial arrangement in early embryonic stages is a critical
      developmental process that when disturbed by altered blood flow may contribute to
      cardiac malformation and defects.

PMID- 28912724
TI  - Abnormalities in the Polysomnographic, Adenosine and Metabolic Response to Sleep
      Deprivation in an Animal Model of Hyperammonemia.
AB  - Patients with liver cirrhosis can develop hyperammonemia and hepatic
      encephalopathy (HE), accompanied by pronounced daytime sleepiness. Previous
      studies with healthy volunteers show that experimental increase in blood ammonium
      levels increases sleepiness and slows the waking electroencephalogram. As
      ammonium increases adenosine levels in vitro, and adenosine is a known regulator
      of sleep/wake homeostasis, we hypothesized that the sleepiness-inducing effect of
      ammonium is mediated by adenosine. Eight adult male Wistar rats were fed with an
      ammonium-enriched diet for 4 weeks; eight rats on standard diet served as
      controls. Each animal was implanted with electroencephalography/electromyography
      (EEG/EMG) electrodes and a microdialysis probe. Sleep EEG recording and cerebral
      microdialysis were carried out at baseline and after 6 h of sleep deprivation.
      Adenosine and metabolite levels were measured by high-performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) and targeted LC/MS metabolomics, respectively. Baseline
      adenosine and metabolite levels (12 of 16 amino acids, taurine, t4-hydroxy
      proline, and acetylcarnitine) were lower in hyperammonemic animals, while
      putrescine was higher. After sleep deprivation, hyperammonemic animals exhibited
      a larger increase in adenosine levels, and a number of metabolites showed a
      different time-course in the two groups. In both groups the recovery period was
      characterized by a significant decrease in wakefulness/increase in NREM and REM
      sleep. However, while control animals exhibited a gradual compensatory effect,
      hyperammonemic animals showed a significantly shorter recovery phase. In
      conclusion, the adenosine/metabolite/EEG response to sleep deprivation was
      modulated by hyperammonemia, suggesting that ammonia affects homeostatic sleep
      regulation and its metabolic correlates.

PMID- 28912725
TI  - Enhanced Strength and Sprint Levels, and Changes in Blood Parameters during a
      Complete Athletics Season in 800 m High-Level Athletes.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in sprint, strength,
      hematological, and hormonal parameters in high-level 800 m athletes during a
      complete athletics season. Thirteen male athletes of national and international
      level in 800 m (personal best ranging from 1:43 to 1:58 min:ss) participated in
      this study. A total of 5 tests were conducted during a complete athletics season.
      Athletes performed sprint tests (20 and 200 m), countermovement jump (CMJ), jump
      squat (JS), and full squat (SQ) tests. Blood samples (red and white blood
      profile) and hormones were collected in test 1 (T1), test 3 (T3), and test 5
      (T5). A general increase in the performance of the strength and sprint parameters
      analyzed (CMJ, JS, SQ, 20 m, and 200 m) during the season was observed, with a
      significant time effect in CMJ (P < 0.01), SQ (P < 0.01), and 200 m (P < 0.05).
      This improvement was accompanied by a significant enhancement of the 800 m
      performance from T3 to T5 (P < 0.01). Significant changes in some hematological
      variables: hematocrit (Hct) (P < 0.01), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (P <
      0.001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin content (MCHC) (P < 0.001), white blood cells
      count (WBC) (P < 0.05), neutrophils (P < 0.05), monocytes (P < 0.05), and mean
      platelet volume (MPV) (P < 0.05) were observed throughout the season. The
      hormonal response and creatin kinase (CK) did not show significant variations
      during the season, except for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) (P < 0.05). In
      conclusion, our results suggest the importance of strength levels in middle
      distance athletes. On the other hand, variations in some hematological parameters
      and a depression of the immune system occurred during the season. Therefore,
      monitoring of the mechanical, hematological and hormonal response in athletes may
      help coaches and athletes to optimize the regulation of training contents and may
      be useful to diagnose states of overreaching or overtraining in athletes
      throughout the season.

PMID- 28912726
TI  - Cardiovascular and Muscular Consequences of Work-Matched Interval-Type of
      Concentric and Eccentric Pedaling Exercise on a Soft Robot.
AB  - Eccentric types of endurance exercise are an acknowledged alternative to
      conventional concentric types of exercise rehabilitation for the cardiac patient,
      because they reduce cardiorespiratory strain due to a lower metabolic cost of
      producing an equivalent mechanical output. The former contention has not been
      tested in a power- and work-matched situation of interval-type exercise under
      identical conditions because concentric and eccentric types of exercise pose
      specific demands on the exercise machinery, which are not fulfilled in current
      practice. Here we tested cardiovascular and muscular consequences of work-matched
      interval-type of leg exercise (target workload of 15 sets of 1-min bipedal cycles
      of knee extension and flexion at 30 rpm with 17% of maximal concentric power) on
      a soft robotic device in healthy subjects by concomitantly monitoring
      respiration, blood glucose and lactate, and power during exercise and recovery.
      We hypothesized that interval-type of eccentric exercise lowers strain on glucose
      related aerobic metabolism compared to work-matched concentric exercise, and
      reduces cardiorespiratory strain to levels being acceptable for the cardiac
      patient. Eight physically active male subjects (24.0 years, 74.7 kg, 3.4 L O2 min
      1), which power and endurance performance was extensively characterized,
      completed the study, finalizing 12 sets on average. Average performance was
      similar during concentric and eccentric exercise (p = 0.75) but lower than during
      constant load endurance exercise on a cycle ergometer at 75% of peak aerobic
      power output (126 vs. 188 Watt) that is recommended for improving endurance
      capacity. Peak oxygen uptake (-17%), peak ventilation (-23%), peak cardiac output
      (-16%), and blood lactate (-37%) during soft robotic exercise were lower during
      eccentric than concentric exercise. Glucose was 8% increased after eccentric
      exercise when peak RER was 12% lower than during concentric exercise. Muscle
      power and RFD were similarly reduced after eccentric and concentric exercise. The
      results highlight that the deployed interval-type of eccentric leg exercise
      reduces metabolic strain of the cardiovasculature and muscle compared to
      concentric exercise, to recommended levels for cardio-rehabilitation (i.e., 50
      70% of peak heart rate). Increases in blood glucose concentration indicate that
      resistance to contraction-induced glucose uptake after the deployed eccentric
      protocol is unrelated to muscle fatigue.

PMID- 28912727
TI  - A Hybrid EMD-Kurtosis Method for Estimating Fetal Heart Rate from Continuous
      Doppler Signals.
AB  - Monitoring of fetal heart rate (FHR) is an important measure of fetal wellbeing
      during the months of pregnancy. Previous works on estimating FHR variability from
      Doppler ultrasound (DUS) signal mainly through autocorrelation analysis showed
      low accuracy when compared with heart rate variability (HRV) computed from fetal
      electrocardiography (fECG). In this work, we proposed a method based on empirical
      mode decomposition (EMD) and the kurtosis statistics to estimate FHR and its
      variability from DUS. Comparison between estimated beat-to-beat intervals using
      the proposed method and the autocorrelation function (AF) with respect to RR
      intervals computed from fECG as the ground truth was done on DUS signals from 44
      pregnant mothers in the early (20 cases) and late (24 cases) gestational weeks.
      The new EMD-kurtosis method showed significant lower error in estimating the
      number of beats in the early group (EMD-kurtosis: 2.2% vs. AF: 8.5%, p < 0.01,
      root mean squared error) and the late group (EMD-kurtosis: 2.9% vs. AF: 6.2%).
      The EMD-kurtosis method was also found to be better in estimating mean beat-to
      beat with an average difference of 1.6 ms from true mean RR compared to 19.3 ms
      by using the AF method. However, the EMD-kurtosis performed worse than AF in
      estimating SNDD and RMSSD. The proposed EMD-kurtosis method is more robust than
      AF in low signal-to-noise ratio cases and can be used in a hybrid system to
      estimate beat-to-beat intervals from DUS. Further analysis to reduce the
      estimated beat-to-beat variability from the EMD-kurtosis method is needed.

PMID- 28912728
TI  - "You're Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link": A Current Opinion about the
      Concepts and Characteristics of Functional Training.

PMID- 28912730
TI  - Diagnosis of Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema-A Review.
AB  - Swimming induced pulmonary edema (SIPE) is a complication that can occur during
      exercise with the possibility of misdiagnosis and can quickly become life
      threatening; however, medical literature infrequently describes SIPE. Therefore,
      the aim of this review was to analyse all individual cases diagnosed with SIPE as
      reported in scientific sources, with an emphasis on the diagnostic pathways and
      the key facts resulting in its diagnosis. Due to a multifactorial and complicated
      pathophysiology, the diagnosis could be difficult. Based on the actual
      literature, we try to point out important findings regarding history, conditions,
      clinical findings, and diagnostic testing helping to confirm the diagnosis of
      SIPE. Thirty-eight cases from seventeen articles reporting the diagnosis of SIPE
      were selected. We found remarkable differences in the individual described
      diagnostic pathways. A total of 100% of the cases suffered from an acute onset of
      breathing problems, occasionally accompanied by hemoptysis. A total of 73% showed
      initial hypoxemia. In most of the cases (89%), an initial chest X-Ray or chest CT
      was available, of which one-third (71%) showed radiological signs of pulmonary
      edema. The majority of the cases (82%) experienced a rapid resolution of symptoms
      within 48 h, the diagnostic hallmark of SIPE. Due to a foreseeable increase in
      participation in swimming competitions and endurance competitions with a swimming
      component, diagnosis of SIPE will be important, especially for medical teams
      caring for these athletes.

PMID- 28912729
TI  - Multiplicity of Mathematical Modeling Strategies to Search for Molecular and
      Cellular Insights into Bacteria Lung Infection.
AB  - Even today two bacterial lung infections, namely pneumonia and tuberculosis, are
      among the 10 most frequent causes of death worldwide. These infections still lack
      effective treatments in many developing countries and in immunocompromised
      populations like infants, elderly people and transplanted patients. The
      interaction between bacteria and the host is a complex system of interlinked
      intercellular and the intracellular processes, enriched in regulatory structures
      like positive and negative feedback loops. Severe pathological condition can
      emerge when the immune system of the host fails to neutralize the infection. This
      failure can result in systemic spreading of pathogens or overwhelming immune
      response followed by a systemic inflammatory response. Mathematical modeling is a
      promising tool to dissect the complexity underlying pathogenesis of bacterial
      lung infection at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels, and also at the
      interfaces among levels. In this article, we introduce mathematical and
      computational modeling frameworks that can be used for investigating molecular
      and cellular mechanisms underlying bacterial lung infection. Then, we compile and
      discuss published results on the modeling of regulatory pathways and cell
      populations relevant for lung infection and inflammation. Finally, we discuss how
      to make use of this multiplicity of modeling approaches to open new avenues in
      the search of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying bacterial
      infection in the lung.

PMID- 28912732
TI  - Transcriptome Identified lncRNAs Associated with Renal Fibrosis in UUO Rat Model.
AB  - Renal fibrosis represents a final common outcome of many renal diseases and has
      attracted a great deal of attention. To better understand whether lncRNAs could
      be a player in this process or be a biomarker for renal fibrosis diagnosis, we
      compared transcriptome sequencing data on renal tissues and urine respectively
      between UUO (unilateral ureteral obstruction) and shamed (Sham) rat model.
      Numerous genes including lncRNAs with significant changes in their expression
      were identified. 24 lncRNAs were up-regulated and 79 lncRNAs were down-regulated
      in the renal tissues of the UUO rats. 625 lncRNAs were up-regulated and 177
      lncRNAs were down-regulated in urines of the UUO rats. Among the lncRNAs
      upregulated in renal tissue of UUO rats, 19 lncRNAs were predicted containing
      several conserved Smad3 binding motifs in the promoter. Among them, lncRNAs with
      putative promoter containing more than 4 conserved Smad3 binding motifs were
      demonstrated to be induced by TGF-beta significantly in normal rat renal tubular
      epithelial NRK-52E cells. We further confirmed that lncRNA TCONS_00088786 and
      TCONS_01496394 were regulated by TGF-beta stimulation and also can influence the
      expression of some fibrosis-related genes through a feedback loop. Based on
      transcriptome sequencing data, bioinformatics analysis and qRT-PCR detection, we
      also demonstrated lncRNA in urine are detectable and might be a novel biomarker
      of renal fibrosis. These results provide new information for the involvement of
      lncRNAs in renal fibrosis, indicating that they may serve as candidate biomarkers
      or therapeutic targets in the future.

PMID- 28912731
TI  - Long-Term Athletic Development in Youth Alpine Ski Racing: The Effect of Physical
      Fitness, Ski Racing Technique, Anthropometrics and Biological Maturity Status on
      Injuries.
AB  - Alpine ski racing is known to be a sport with a high risk of injuries. Because
      most studies have focused mainly on top-level athletes and on traumatic injuries,
      limited research exists about injury risk factors among youth ski racers. The aim
      of this study was to determine the intrinsic risk factors (anthropometrics,
      biological maturity, physical fitness, racing technique) for injury among youth
      alpine ski racers. Study participants were 81 youth ski racers attending a ski
      boarding school (50 males, 31 females; 9-14 years). A prospective longitudinal
      cohort design was used to monitor sports-related risk factors over two seasons
      and traumatic (TI) and overuse injuries (OI). At the beginning of the study,
      anthropometric characteristics (body height, body weight, sitting height, body
      mass index); biological maturity [status age at peak height velocity (APHV)];
      physical performance parameters related to jump coordination, maximal leg and
      core strength, explosive and reactive strength, balance and endurance; and ski
      racing technique were assessed. Z score transformations normalized the age
      groups. Multivariate binary logistic regression (dependent variable: injury
      yes/no) and multivariate linear regression analyses (dependent variable: injury
      severity in total days of absence from training) were calculated. T-tests and
      multivariate analyses of variance were used to reveal differences between injured
      and non-injured athletes and between injury severity groups. The level of
      significance was set to p < 0.05. Relatively low rates of injuries were reported
      for both traumatic (0.63 TI/athlete) and overuse injuries (0.21 OI/athlete).
      Athletes with higher body weight, body height, and sitting height; lower APHV
      values; better core flexion strength; smaller core flexion:extension strength
      ratio; shorter drop jump contact time; and higher drop jump reactive strength
      index were at a lower injury risk or more vulnerable for fewer days of absence
      from training. However, significant differences between injured and non-injured
      athletes were only observed with respect to the drop jump reactive strength
      index. Regular documentation of anthropometric characteristics, biological
      maturity and physical fitness parameters is crucial to help to prevent injury in
      youth ski racing. The present findings suggest that neuromuscular training should
      be incorporated into the training regimen of youth ski racers to prevent
      injuries.

PMID- 28912733
TI  - Resilience and Cognitive Bias in Chinese Male Medical Freshmen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychological resilience has become a hot issue in positive
      psychology research. However, little is known about cognitive bias difference of
      individuals with different resilience levels. This study aimed to explore the
      characteristics of cognitive bias and its role in Chinese medical freshmen with
      different resilience levels. METHODS: 312 Chinese medical freshmen were surveyed
      by the Chinese version of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, 92 of whom were,
      respectively, allocated into high (n = 46) and low (n = 46) resilient group to
      complete computerized tests using an attentional shifting task and an emotional
      picture recognition task. RESULTS: All participants had the highest recognition
      accuracy toward negative pictures compared to neutral and positive ones. By
      comparison, it was found that the high-resilient group had a longer recognition
      response time toward positive emotional pictures, but a shorter response time
      toward negative emotional pictures, while the low-resilient group had a longer
      response time toward negative emotional pictures. CONCLUSION: This study pointed
      to the association between resilience and cognitive bias. Medical freshmen with
      different resilience levels showed significant differences in the cognitive bias
      toward emotional pictures, suggesting that reducing negative cognitive bias and
      promoting positive cognitive bias could be important targets to increase
      resilience.

PMID- 28912734
TI  - Malmo Treatment Referral and Intervention Study-High 12-Month Retention Rates in
      Patients Referred from Syringe Exchange to Methadone or Buprenorphine/Naloxone
      Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heroin dependence is associated with high mortality. Opioid agonist
      treatment (OAT) with methadone or buprenorphine has strong evidence for treatment
      of this relapsing condition. In our setting, OAT has been associated with strict
      and demanding intake procedures, often with requirements of social stability, but
      also high, approximately 80 percent 12-month retention rates. In a recent
      randomized controlled trial, we demonstrated high rates of successful rapid
      referral from a syringe exchange programme (SEP) to treatment with methadone or
      buprenorphine, including actual treatment initiation. The objectives of this
      study were to assess 12-month retention rates, in order to assess whether a novel
      referral program of current drug users at a SEP would achieve retention rates
      comparable to more traditional intake procedures. METHODS: The present report is
      a 12-month follow-up of 71 patients who successfully started treatment with
      methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone. Patient data from baseline and at 12 months
      were collected. RESULTS: Out of the 71 patients who started treatment, 58 (82%)
      were still in treatment after 12 months. CONCLUSION: This was a population,
      referred from a SEP, with a high drug use severity on admission and no
      pretreatment requirement for social stability, but there were still high
      retention rates at 12 months comparable to regular opioid agonist clinics in our
      setting.

PMID- 28912735
TI  - Development and Preliminary Validation of the Scale for Evaluation of Psychiatric
      Integrative and Continuous Care-Patient's Version.
AB  - This pilot study aimed to evaluate and examine an instrument that integrates
      relevant aspects of cross-sectoral (in- and outpatients) mental health care, is
      simply to use and shows satisfactory psychometric properties. The development of
      the scale comprised literature research, held 14 focus groups and 12 interviews
      with patients and health care providers, item-pool generation, content validation
      by a scientific expert panel, and face validation by 90 patients. The preliminary
      scale was tested on 385 patients across seven German hospitals with cross
      sectoral mental health care (CSMHC) as part of their treatment program.
      Psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated using genuine and transformed
      data scoring. To check reliability and postdictive validity of the scale,
      Cronbach's alpha coefficient and multivariable linear regression were used. This
      development process led to the development of an 18-item scale called the "Scale
      for Evaluation of Psychiatric Integrative and Continuous Care (SEPICC)" with a
      two-point and five-point response options. The scale consists of two sections.
      The first section assesses the presence or absence of patients' experiences with
      various CSMHC' relevant components such as home treatment, flexibility of
      treatments' switching, case management, continuity of care, cross-sectoral
      therapeutic groups, and multidisciplinary teams. The second section evaluates the
      patients' opinions about these relevant components. Using raw and transformed
      scoring resulted into comparable results. However, data distribution using
      transformed scoring showed a smaller deviation from normality. For the overall
      scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.82. Self-reported experiences with
      relevant components of the CSMHC were positively associated with the patients
      approval of these components. In conclusion, the new scale provides a good
      starting point for further validation. It can be used as a tool to evaluate
      CSMHC. Methodologically, using transformed data scoring appeared to be preferable
      because of a smaller deviation from normality and a higher reliability measured
      by Cronbach's alpha.

PMID- 28912736
TI  - Understanding the Uncanny: Both Atypical Features and Category Ambiguity Provoke
      Aversion toward Humanlike Robots.
AB  - Robots intended for social contexts are often designed with explicit humanlike
      attributes in order to facilitate their reception by (and communication with)
      people. However, observation of an "uncanny valley"-a phenomenon in which highly
      humanlike entities provoke aversion in human observers-has lead some to caution
      against this practice. Both of these contrasting perspectives on the
      anthropomorphic design of social robots find some support in empirical
      investigations to date. Yet, owing to outstanding empirical limitations and
      theoretical disputes, the uncanny valley and its implications for human-robot
      interaction remains poorly understood. We thus explored the relationship between
      human similarity and people's aversion toward humanlike robots via manipulation
      of the agents' appearances. To that end, we employed a picture-viewing task
      (Nagents = 60) to conduct an experimental test (Nparticipants = 72) of the
      uncanny valley's existence and the visual features that cause certain humanlike
      robots to be unnerving. Across the levels of human similarity, we further
      manipulated agent appearance on two dimensions, typicality (prototypic, atypical,
      and ambiguous) and agent identity (robot, person), and measured participants'
      aversion using both subjective and behavioral indices. Our findings were as
      follows: (1) Further substantiating its existence, the data show a clear and
      consistent uncanny valley in the current design space of humanoid robots. (2)
      Both category ambiguity, and more so, atypicalities provoke aversive responding,
      thus shedding light on the visual factors that drive people's discomfort. (3) Use
      of the Negative Attitudes toward Robots Scale did not reveal any significant
      relationships between people's pre-existing attitudes toward humanlike robots and
      their aversive responding-suggesting positive exposure and/or additional
      experience with robots is unlikely to affect the occurrence of an uncanny valley
      effect in humanoid robotics. This work furthers our understanding of both the
      uncanny valley, as well as the visual factors that contribute to an agent's
      uncanniness.

PMID- 28912738
TI  - Prejudice and Health Anxiety about Radiation Exposure from Second-Generation
      Atomic Bomb Survivors: Results from a Qualitative Interview Study.
AB  - The effect of atomic bomb radiation exposure on the survivors and their children
      has been a worrisome problem since soon after the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki
      bombings. Researchers have examined physical and genetic effects; however, no
      research has focused on second-generation survivors' (SGS) psychological effects.
      Consequently, this study shed light on the SGS' experience of discrimination and
      prejudice and their anxiety concerning the genetic effects of radiation exposure.
      This study utilized semi-structured interviews with 14 SGS (10 women, mean age =
      56 +/- 6.25 years, range = 46-68 years). Data were analyzed using a modified
      version of the grounded theory approach. Three categories were extracted: low
      awareness as an SGS, no health anxiety regarding the effect of radiation, and
      health anxiety regarding the effect of radiation. The results did not reveal that
      SGS who grew up in the bombed areas experienced discrimination or prejudice. They
      had little health anxiety from childhood to adolescence. In this study, some of
      the SGS developed health anxiety about their third-generation children, but only
      among female participants. Perhaps the transgenerational transmission of anxiety
      concerning the genetic effects of radiation exposure causes stress, particularly
      among women with children. However, a change was seen in adulthood health anxiety
      regarding the effects of radiation, suggesting the possibility that changes in
      the psychological experiences of SGS can be observed throughout their lifetimes
      and that their own health status, and that of their children, the third
      generation survivors, affects their health anxiety regarding radiation.

PMID- 28912737
TI  - Neuropsychological Profile of Specific Executive Dysfunctions in Patients with
      Deficit and Non-deficit Schizophrenia.
AB  - Objectives: Although it has been shown that there are more profound deficits
      present in deficit schizophrenia (DS) patients than in non-deficit schizophrenia
      (NDS) patients, there still remain some matters requiring further investigation.
      In this context, we formulated three research aims: (1) to compare executive
      functions between the investigated groups, (2) to determine the relationship
      between particular aspects of executive functions within the groups, and (3) to
      draw up a neuropsychological profile for executive functions. Methods: The study
      involved 148 schizophrenia patients divided into two groups on the basis of the
      Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome: DS (n = 70) and NDS (n = 78). Patients were
      matched for sex, age, years of education, and overall cognitive functioning. For
      assessing executive functions we used the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the
      Trail Making Test (TMT), the Phonemic Verbal Fluency Test (VFT P), the Stroop
      Color and Word Test (SCWT), and the Go/No Go task (GNG). Results: Deficit
      schizophrenia patients scored lower on the WCST and TMT (relative flexibility)
      than did the NDS patients. There were no inter-group differences in the VFT P,
      SCWT (relative inhibition), or GNG. There were significant correlations between
      WCST and TMT scores in both groups. The general neuropsychological profiles were
      similar in both groups. Conclusion: Deficit schizophrenia patients exhibited
      slightly greater interference with concept formation and non-verbal cognitive
      flexibility. Therefore, such problems may be specific to this particular type of
      schizophrenia. These results may be useful for the development of
      neuropsychological diagnostic methods for patients with schizophrenia.

PMID- 28912739
TI  - Contextual Cueing Effect in Spatial Layout Defined by Binocular Disparity.
AB  - Repeated visual context induces higher search efficiency, revealing a contextual
      cueing effect, which depends on the association between the target and its visual
      context. In this study, participants performed a visual search task where search
      items were presented with depth information defined by binocular disparity. When
      the 3-dimensional (3D) configurations were repeated over blocks, the contextual
      cueing effect was obtained (Experiment 1). When depth information was in chaos
      over repeated configurations, visual search was not facilitated and the
      contextual cueing effect largely crippled (Experiment 2). However, when we made
      the search items within a tiny random displacement in the 2-dimentional (2D)
      plane but maintained the depth information constant, the contextual cueing was
      preserved (Experiment 3). We concluded that the contextual cueing effect was
      robust in the context provided by 3D space with stereoscopic information, and
      more importantly, the visual system prioritized stereoscopic information in
      learning of spatial information when depth information was available.

PMID- 28912740
TI  - The Dark Triad Traits from a Life History Perspective in Six Countries.
AB  - Work on the Dark Triad traits has benefited from the use of a life history
      framework but it has been limited to primarily Western samples and indirect
      assessments of life history strategies. Here, we examine how the Dark Triad
      traits (i.e., psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) relate to two
      measures of individual differences in life history strategies. In Study 1 (N =
      937), we replicated prior observed links between life history strategies, as
      measured by the Mini-K, and the Dark Triad traits using samples recruited from
      three countries. In Study 2 (N = 1032), we measured life history strategies using
      the Consideration of Future Consequences Scale and correlated it with the Dark
      Triad traits in samples recruited from three additional countries. While there
      was some variability across participants' sex and country, the results were
      generally consistent in that psychopathy and (to a lesser extent)
      Machiavellianism were related to faster life history strategies and narcissism
      was related to slower life history strategies. These results add cross-cultural
      data and the use of two measures of life history speed to understand the Dark
      Triad traits from a life history perspective.

PMID- 28912741
TI  - Daily Use of Energy Management Strategies and Occupational Well-being: The
      Moderating Role of Job Demands.
AB  - We examine the relationships among employees' use of energy management strategies
      and two occupational well-being outcomes: job satisfaction and emotional
      exhaustion. Based on conservation of resources theory, it was hypothesized that
      employees with high job demands would benefit more from using energy management
      strategies (i.e., including prosocial, organizing, and meaning-related
      strategies), compared to employees with low job demands. We tested this
      proposition using a quantitative diary study. Fifty-four employees provided data
      twice daily across one work week (on average, 7 daily entries). Supporting the
      hypotheses, prosocial energy management was positively related to job
      satisfaction. Moreover, employees with high job demands were less emotionally
      exhausted when using prosocial strategies. Contrary to predictions, when using
      organizing strategies, employees with low job demands had higher job satisfaction
      and lower emotional exhaustion. Under high job demands, greater use of organizing
      strategies was associated with lower job satisfaction and higher emotional
      exhaustion. Finally, use of meaning-related strategies was associated with higher
      emotional exhaustion when job demands were low. With this research, we position
      energy management as part of a resource investment process aimed at maintaining
      and improving occupational well-being. Our findings show that this resource
      investment will be more or less effective depending on the type of strategy used
      and the existing drain on resources (i.e., job demands). This is the first study
      to examine momentary effects of distinct types of work-related energy management
      strategies on occupational well-being.

PMID- 28912742
TI  - Perception, Action, and Cognition of Football Referees in Extreme Temperatures:
      Impact on Decision Performance.
AB  - Different professional domains require high levels of physical performance
      alongside fast and accurate decision-making. Construction workers, police
      officers, firefighters, elite sports men and women, the military and emergency
      medical professionals are often exposed to hostile environments with limited
      options for behavioral coping strategies. In this (mini) review we use football
      refereeing as an example to discuss the combined effect of intense physical
      activity and extreme temperatures on decision-making and suggest an explicative
      model. In professional football competitions can be played in temperatures
      ranging from -5 degrees C in Norway to 30 degrees C in Spain for example. Despite
      these conditions, the referee's responsibility is to consistently apply the laws
      fairly and uniformly, and to ensure the rules are followed without waning or
      adversely influencing the competitiveness of the play. However, strenuous
      exercise in extreme environments imposes increased physiological and
      psychological stress that can affect decision-making. Therefore, the physical
      exertion required to follow the game and the thermal strain from the extreme
      temperatures may hinder the ability of referees to make fast and accurate
      decisions. Here, we review literature on the physical and cognitive requirements
      of football refereeing and how extreme temperatures may affect referees'
      decisions. Research suggests that both hot and cold environments have a negative
      impact on decision-making but data specific to decision-making is still lacking.
      A theoretical model of decision-making under the constraint of intense physical
      activity and thermal stress is suggested. Future naturalistic studies are needed
      to validate this model and provide clear recommendations for mitigating
      strategies.

PMID- 28912743
TI  - Act on Numbers: Numerical Magnitude Influences Selection and Kinematics of Finger
      Movement.
AB  - In the past decade hand kinematics has been reliably adopted for investigating
      cognitive processes and disentangling debated topics. One of the most
      controversial issues in numerical cognition literature regards the origin -
      cultural vs. genetically driven - of the mental number line (MNL), oriented from
      left (small numbers) to right (large numbers). To date, the majority of studies
      have investigated this effect by means of response times, whereas studies
      considering more culturally unbiased measures such as kinematic parameters are
      rare. Here, we present a new paradigm that combines a "free response" task with
      the kinematic analysis of movement. Participants were seated in front of two
      little soccer goals placed on a table, one on the left and one on the right side.
      They were presented with left- or right-directed arrows and they were instructed
      to kick a small ball with their right index toward the goal indicated by the
      arrow. In a few test trials participants were presented also with a small (2) or
      a large (8) number, and they were allowed to choose the kicking direction.
      Participants performed more left responses with the small number and more right
      responses with the large number. The whole kicking movement was segmented in two
      temporal phases in order to make a hand kinematics' fine-grained analysis. The
      Kick Preparation and Kick Finalization phases were selected on the basis of peak
      trajectory deviation from the virtual midline between the two goals. Results show
      an effect of both small and large numbers on action execution timing.
      Participants were faster to finalize the action when responding to small numbers
      toward the left and to large number toward the right. Here, we provide the first
      experimental demonstration which highlights how numerical processing affects
      action execution in a new and not-overlearned context. The employment of this
      innovative and unbiased paradigm will permit to disentangle the role of nature
      and culture in shaping the direction of MNL and the role of finger in the
      acquisition of numerical skills. Last but not least, similar paradigms will allow
      to determine how cognition can influence action execution.

PMID- 28912744
TI  - The Effect of Psychological Suzhi on Problem Behaviors in Chinese Adolescents:
      The Mediating Role of Subjective Social Status and Self-esteem.
AB  - In this study, we examined subjective social status (SSS) and self-esteem as
      potential mediators between the association of psychological suzhi and problem
      behaviors in a sample of 1271 Chinese adolescents (44.5% male, grades 7-12). The
      results showed that SSS and self-esteem were fully mediating the relationship
      between psychological suzhi and problem behaviors. Moreover, the indirect effect
      was stronger via self-esteem than via SSS. These findings perhaps provide insight
      into the preliminary effect that SSS and self-esteem underlie psychological
      suzhi's effect on adolescents' problem behaviors, and also are important in
      helping school-teachers and administrators to develop a better understanding of
      problem behaviors in their schools as a pre-requisite to the development of more
      effective behaviors management practices from the perspective of psychological
      suzhi. Implications and limitations in the present study have also been
      discussed.

PMID- 28912745
TI  - Emotional Empathic Responses to Dynamic Negative Affective Stimuli Is Gender
      Dependent.
AB  - Empathy entails the ability to recognize emotional states in others and feel for
      them. Since empathy does not take place in a static setting, paradigms utilizing
      more naturalistic, dynamic stimuli instead of static stimuli are perhaps more
      suited to grasp the origin of this highly complex social skill. The study was set
      up to test the effect of stimulus dynamics and gender on empathic responses.
      Participants were 80 healthy volunteers (N = 40 males) aged 22.5 years on
      average. Behavioral empathy was tested with the multifaceted empathy test,
      including static emotional stimuli, and the multidimensional movie empathy test
      (MMET), including dynamic stimuli. Findings showed emotional empathy (EE)
      responses were higher to negative emotional stimuli in both tasks, i.e., using
      static as well as dynamic stimuli. Interestingly a gender-dependent response was
      only seen in the MMET using dynamic stimuli. It was shown that females felt more
      aroused and were more concerned with people in negative affective states. It was
      concluded that the MMET is suited to study gender differences in EE.

PMID- 28912746
TI  - The Role of Slow Speech Amplitude Envelope for Speech Processing and Reading
      Development.
AB  - This study examined the putative link between the entrainment to the slow
      rhythmic structure of speech, speech intelligibility and reading by means of a
      behavioral paradigm. Two groups of 20 children (Grades 2 and 5) were asked to
      recall a pseudoword embedded in sentences presented either in quiet or noisy
      listening conditions. Half of the sentences were primed with their syllabic and
      prosodic amplitude envelope to determine whether a boost in auditory entrainment
      to these speech features enhanced pseudoword intelligibility. Priming improved
      pseudoword recall performance only for the older children both in a quiet and a
      noisy listening environment, and such benefit from the prime correlated with
      reading skills and pseudoword recall. Our results support the role of syllabic
      and prosodic tracking of speech in reading development.

PMID- 28912748
TI  - Editorial: Age-Related Vestibular Loss: Current Understanding and Future Research
      Directions.

PMID- 28912747
TI  - Decreasing Risk of Fatal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Other Epidemiological Trends
      in the Era of Coiling Implementation in Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is associated with a high
      risk of mortality and disability in survivors. We examined the epidemiology and
      burden of SAH in our population during a time services were re-organized to
      facilitate access to evidence-based endovascular coiling and neurosurgical care.
      METHODS: SAH hospitalizations from 2001 to 2009, in New South Wales, Australia,
      were linked to death registrations to June 30, 2010. We assessed the variability
      of admission rates, fatal SAH rates and case fatality over time and according to
      patient demographic characteristics. RESULTS: There were 4,945 eligible patients
      admitted to hospital with SAH. The risk of fatal SAH significantly decreased by
      2.7% on average per year (95% CI = 0.3-4.9%). Case fatality at 2, 30, 90, and 365
      days significantly declined over time. The average annual percentage reduction in
      mortality ranged from 4.4% for 30-day mortality (95% CI -6.1 to -2.7) (P < 0.001)
      to 4.7% for mortality within 2 days (-7.1 to -2.2) (P < 0.001) (Table 3). Three
      percent of patients received coiling at the start of the study period, increasing
      to 28% at the end (P-value for trend <0.001). Females were significantly more
      likely to be hospitalized for a SAH compared to males [incident rate ratio (IRR)
      = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.23-1.44] (P < 0.001) and to die from SAH (IRR = 1.40, 95% CI =
      1.24-1.59) (P < 0.001). People born in South-East Asia and the Oceania region had
      a significantly increased risk of SAH, while the risk of fatal SAH was greater in
      South-East and North-East Asian born residents. People residing in areas of least
      disadvantage had the lowest risk of hospitalization (IRR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.74
      0.92) and also the lowest risk of fatal SAH (0.81, 95% CI = 0.66-1.00) (P < 0.001
      and P = 0.003, respectively). For every 100 SAH admissions, 20 and 15 might be
      avoided in males and females, respectively, if the risk of SAH in our population
      equated to that of the most socio-economically advantaged. CONCLUSION: Our study
      reports reductions in mortality risk in SAH corresponding to identifiable changes
      in health service delivery and evolving treatments such as coiling. Addressing
      inequities in SAH risk and mortality may require the targeting of prevalent and
      modifiable risk factors to improve population outcomes.

PMID- 28912749
TI  - Functional Connectivity of the Corpus Callosum in Epilepsy Patients with
      Secondarily Generalized Seizures.
AB  - The corpus callosum (CC) plays an important role in generalization of seizure
      activity. We used resting-state function magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to
      investigate the regional and interregional functional connectivity of CC in
      patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-negative and secondarily
      generalized seizures. We measured the multi-regional coherences of blood oxygen
      level-dependent (BOLD) signals via rs-fMRI, cortical thickness via high
      resolution T1-weighted MRI, and white matter (WM) integrity via diffusion-tensor
      imaging in 16 epilepsy patients as well as in 16 age- and gender-matched healthy
      subjects. All patients had non-lesional MRI, medically well-controlled focal
      epilepsy and history of secondarily generalized convulsions. Individuals with
      epilepsy had significant differences in regional and interregional
      hypersynchronization of BOLD signals intrahemispherically and
      interhemispherically, but no difference in cortical thickness and WM integrity.
      The only area with increased regional hypersynchrony in WM was over the anterior
      CC, which also exhibited lower activation of neighboring resting-state networks.
      The present study revealed abnormal local and distant synchronization of
      spontaneous neural activities in epileptic patients with secondarily generalized
      seizures.

PMID- 28912751
TI  - Decreased Secondary Lesion Growth and Attenuated Immune Response after Traumatic
      Brain Injury in Tlr2/4-/- Mice.
AB  - Danger-associated molecular patterns are released by damaged cells and trigger
      neuroinflammation through activation of non-specific pattern recognition
      receptors, e.g., toll-like receptors (TLRs). Since the role of TLR2 and 4 after
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) is still unclear, we examined the outcome and the
      expression of pro-inflammatory mediators after experimental TBI in Tlr2/4-/- and
      wild-type (WT) mice. Tlr2/4-/- and WT mice were subjected to controlled cortical
      injury and contusion volume and brain edema formation were assessed 24 h
      thereafter. Expression of inflammatory markers in brain tissue was measured by
      quantitative PCR 15 min, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h after controlled cortical
      impact (CCI). Contusion volume was significantly attenuated in Tlr2/4-/- mice
      (29.7 +/- 0.7 mm3 as compared to 33.5 +/- 0.8 mm3 in WT; p < 0.05) after CCI
      while brain edema was not affected. Only interleukin (IL)-1beta gene expression
      was increased after CCI in the Tlr2/4-/- relative to WT mice. Inducible nitric
      oxide synthetase, TNF, IL-6, and COX-2 were similar in injured WT and Tlr2/4-/-
      mice, while the increase in high-mobility group box 1 was attenuated at 6 h. TLR2
      and 4 are consequently shown to potentially promote secondary brain injury after
      experimental CCI via neuroinflammation and may therefore represent a novel
      therapeutic target for the treatment of TBI.

PMID- 28912750
TI  - Current and Emerging Technologies for Probing Molecular Signatures of Traumatic
      Brain Injury.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is understood as an interplay between the initial
      injury, subsequent secondary injuries, and a complex host response all of which
      are highly heterogeneous. An understanding of the underlying biology suggests a
      number of windows where mechanistically inspired interventions could be targeted.
      Unfortunately, biologically plausible therapies have to-date failed to translate
      into clinical practice. While a number of stereotypical pathways are now
      understood to be involved, current clinical characterization is too crude for it
      to be possible to characterize the biological phenotype in a truly
      mechanistically meaningful way. In this review, we examine current and emerging
      technologies for fuller biochemical characterization by the simultaneous
      measurement of multiple, diverse biomarkers. We describe how clinically available
      techniques such as cerebral microdialysis can be leveraged to give mechanistic
      insights into TBI pathobiology and how multiplex proteomic and metabolomic
      techniques can give a more complete description of the underlying biology. We
      also describe spatially resolved label-free multiplex techniques capable of
      probing structural differences in chemical signatures. Finally, we touch on the
      bioinformatics challenges that result from the acquisition of such large amounts
      of chemical data in the search for a more mechanistically complete description of
      the TBI phenotype.

PMID- 28912753
TI  - Food Addiction in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes in Northeast
      China.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of food addiction (FA) in
      individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China and to
      analyze risk factors of FA. METHODS: A total of 624 subjects [312 individuals
      with newly diagnosed T2DM, 312 age-matched and body mass index (BMI)-matched
      healthy participants] were recruited. All participants were asked to complete the
      Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and received physical and lab examinations. The
      T2DM group was further divided into a FA group and a non-FA group. RESULTS: Of
      the patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, 8.6% (27/312) met the FA diagnostic
      criteria proposed by the YFAS (7.6% in men and 10.1% in women, P = 0.43), while
      1.3% (4/312) met the criteria in the control group. Logistic regression analysis
      showed that FA in the T2DM group was positively related to BMI and negatively
      related to age. T2DM with FA had a significantly higher uric acid (UA).
      CONCLUSION: Both men and women with newly diagnosed T2DM, especially in northeast
      China, were more likely to suffer from FA. T2DM patients with FA were younger and
      had higher UA.

PMID- 28912752
TI  - Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors in Blacks
      and Whites: Dissecting Racial Paradox of Metabolic Syndrome.
AB  - Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain as the leading cause of mortality in the
      western world and have become a major health threat for developing countries.
      There are several risk factors that account for the CVD and the associated
      mortality. These include genetics, type 2 diabetes (T2DM), obesity, physical
      inactivity, hypertension, and abnormal lipids and lipoproteins. The constellation
      of these risk factors has been termed metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS varies
      among racial and ethnic populations. Thus, race and ethnicity account for some of
      the differences in the MetS and the associated CVD and T2DM. Furthermore, the
      relationships among traditional metabolic parameters and CVD differ, especially
      when comparing Black and White populations. In this regard, the greater CVD in
      Blacks than Whites have been partly attributed to other non-traditional CVD risk
      factors, such as subclinical inflammation (C-reactive protein), homocysteine,
      increased low-density lipoprotein oxidation, lipoprotein a, adiponectin, and
      plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, etc. Thus, to understand CVD and T2DM
      differences in Blacks and Whites with MetS, it is essential to explore the
      contributions of both traditional and non-traditional CVD and T2DM risk factors
      in Blacks of African ancestry and Whites of Europoid ancestry. Therefore, in this
      mini review, we propose that non-traditional risk factors should be integrated in
      defining MetS as a predictor of CVD and T2DM in Blacks in the African diaspora in
      future studies.

PMID- 28912754
TI  - The Gambian Bone and Muscle Ageing Study: Baseline Data from a Prospective
      Observational African Sub-Saharan Study.
AB  - The Gambian Bone and Muscle Ageing Study is a prospective observational study
      investigating bone and muscle ageing in men and women from a poor, subsistence
      farming community of The Gambia, West Africa. Musculoskeletal diseases, including
      osteoporosis and sarcopenia, form a major part of the current global non
      communicable disease burden. By 2050, the vast majority of the world's ageing
      population will live in low- and middle-income countries with an estimated two
      fold rise in osteoporotic fracture. The study design was to characterise change
      in bone and muscle outcomes and to identify possible preventative strategies for
      fracture and sarcopenia in the increasing ageing population. Men and women aged
      >=40 years from the Kiang West region of The Gambia were recruited with
      stratified sampling by sex and age. Baseline measurements were completed in 488
      participants in 2012 who were randomly assigned to follow-up between 1.5 and 2
      years later. Follow-up measurements were performed on 465 participants
      approximately 1.7 years after baseline measurements. The data set comprises a
      wide range of measurements on bone, muscle strength, anthropometry, biochemistry,
      and dietary intake. Questionnaires were used to obtain information on health,
      lifestyle, musculoskeletal pain, and reproductive status. Baseline cross
      sectional data show preliminary evidence for bone mineral density and muscle loss
      with age. Men had greater negative differences in total body lean mass with age
      than women following adjustments for body size. From peripheral quantitative
      computed tomography scans, greater negative associations between bone outcomes
      and age at the radius and tibia were shown in women than in men. Ultimately, the
      findings from The Gambian Bone and Muscle Ageing Study will contribute to the
      understanding of musculoskeletal health in a transitioning population and better
      characterise fracture and sarcopenia incidence in The Gambia with an aim to the
      development of preventative strategies against both.

PMID- 28912755
TI  - Editorial: A Multidisciplinary Look at Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: An Emerging
      Multi-Drug-Resistant Global Opportunistic Pathogen.

PMID- 28912757
TI  - In situ Occurrence, Prevalence and Dynamics of Parvilucifera Parasitoids during
      Recurrent Blooms of the Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum.
AB  - Dinoflagellate blooms are natural phenomena that often occur in coastal areas,
      which in addition to their large number of nutrient-rich sites are characterized
      by highly restricted hydrodynamics within bays, marinas, enclosed beaches, and
      harbors. In these areas, massive proliferations of dinoflagellates have harmful
      effects on humans and the ecosystem. However, the high cell density reached
      during blooms make them vulnerable to parasitic infections. Under laboratory
      conditions parasitoids are able to exterminate an entire host population. In
      nature, Parvilucifera parasitoids infect the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium
      minutum during bloom conditions but their prevalence and impact remain
      unexplored. In this study, we evaluated the in situ occurrence, prevalence, and
      dynamics of Parvilucifera parasitoids during recurrent blooms of A. minutum in a
      confined site in the NW Mediterranean Sea as well as the contribution of
      parasitism to bloom termination. Parvilucifera parasitoids were recurrently
      detected from 2009 to 2013, during seasonal outbreaks of A. minutum. Parasitic
      infections in surface waters occurred after the abundance of A. minutum reached
      104-105 cells L-1, suggesting a density threshold beyond which Parvilucifera
      transmission is enhanced and the number of infected cells increases. Moreover,
      host and parasitoid abundances were not in phase. Instead, there was a lag
      between maximum A. minutum and Parvilucifera densities, indicative of a delayed
      density-dependent response of the parasitoid to host abundances, similar to the
      temporal dynamics of predator-prey interactions. The highest parasitoid
      prevalence was reached after a peak in host abundance and coincided with the
      decay phase of the bloom, when a maximum of 38% of the A. minutum population was
      infected. According to our estimates, Parvilucifera infections accounted for 5
      18% of the total observed A. minutum mortality, which suggested that the
      contribution of parasitism to bloom termination is similar to that of other
      biological factors, such as encystment and grazing.

PMID- 28912756
TI  - FixK2 Is the Main Transcriptional Activator of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens
      nosRZDYFLX Genes in Response to Low Oxygen.
AB  - The powerful greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O) has a strong potential to drive
      climate change. Soils are the major source of N2O and microbial nitrification and
      denitrification the main processes involved. The soybean endosymbiont
      Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens is considered a model to study rhizobial
      denitrification, which depends on the napEDABC, nirK, norCBQD, and nosRZDYFLX
      genes. In this bacterium, the role of the regulatory cascade FixLJ-FixK2-NnrR in
      the expression of napEDABC, nirK, and norCBQD genes involved in N2O synthesis has
      been previously unraveled. However, much remains to be discovered regarding the
      regulation of the respiratory N2O reductase (N2OR), the key enzyme that mitigates
      N2O emissions. In this work, we have demonstrated that nosRZDYFLX genes
      constitute an operon which is transcribed from a major promoter located upstream
      of the nosR gene. Low oxygen was shown to be the main inducer of expression of
      nosRZDYFLX genes and N2OR activity, FixK2 being the regulatory protein involved
      in such control. Further, by using an in vitro transcription assay with purified
      FixK2 protein and B. diazoefficiens RNA polymerase we were able to show that the
      nosRZDYFLX genes are direct targets of FixK2.

PMID- 28912758
TI  - The N-terminal Region of Nisin Is Important for the BceAB-Type ABC Transporter
      NsrFP from Streptococcus agalactiae COH1.
AB  - Lantibiotics are (methyl)-lanthionine-containing antimicrobial peptides produced
      by several Gram-positive bacteria. Some human pathogenic bacteria express
      specific resistance proteins that counteract this antimicrobial activity of
      lantibiotics. In Streptococcus agalactiae COH1 resistance against the well-known
      lantibiotic nisin is conferred by, the nisin resistance protein (NSR), a two
      component system (NsrRK) and a BceAB-type ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter
      (NsrFP). The present study focuses on elucidating the function of NsrFP via its
      heterologous expression in Lactococcus lactis. NsrFP is able to confer a 16-fold
      resistance against wild type nisin as determined by growth inhibition experiments
      and functions as a lantibiotic exporter. Several C-terminal nisin mutants
      indicated that NsrFP recognizes the N-terminal region of nisin. The N-terminus
      harbors three (methyl)-lanthionine rings, which are conserved in other
      lantibiotics.

PMID- 28912759
TI  - Seasonality Affects the Diversity and Composition of Bacterioplankton Communities
      in Dongjiang River, a Drinking Water Source of Hong Kong.
AB  - Water quality ranks the most vital criterion for rivers serving as drinking water
      sources, which periodically changes over seasons. Such fluctuation is believed
      associated with the state shifts of bacterial community within. To date,
      seasonality effects on bacterioplankton community patterns in large rivers
      serving as drinking water sources however, are still poorly understood. Here we
      investigated the intra-annual bacterial community structure in the Dongjiang
      River, a drinking water source of Hong Kong, using high-throughput pyrosequencing
      in concert with geochemical property measurements during dry, and wet seasons.
      Our results showed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were
      the dominant phyla of bacterioplankton communities, which varied in composition,
      and distribution from dry to wet seasons, and exhibited profound seasonal
      changes. Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria seemed to be more
      associated with seasonality that the relative abundances of Actinobacteria, and
      Bacteroidetes were significantly higher in the dry season than those in the wet
      season (p < 0.01), while the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria was about 10
      fold higher in the wet season than in the dry season. Temperature and [Formula:
      see text]-N concentration represented key contributing factors to the observed
      seasonal variations. These findings help understand the roles of various
      bacterioplankton and their interactions with the biogeochemical processes in the
      river ecosystem.

PMID- 28912760
TI  - Immunization with Live Human Rhinovirus (HRV) 16 Induces Protection in Cotton
      Rats against HRV14 Infection.
AB  - Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the main cause of cold-like illnesses, and
      currently no vaccine or antiviral therapies against HRVs are available to prevent
      or mitigate HRV infection. There are more than 150 antigenically heterogeneous
      HRV serotypes, with ~90 HRVs belonging to major group species A and B.
      Development of small animal models that are susceptible to infection with major
      group HRVs would be beneficial for vaccine research. Previously, we showed that
      the cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is semi-permissive to HRV16 (major group,
      species HRV-A virus) infection, replicating in the upper and lower respiratory
      tracts with measurable pathology, mucus production, and expression of
      inflammatory mediators. Herein, we report that intranasal infection of cotton
      rats with HRV14 (major group, species HRV-B virus) results in isolation of
      infectious virus from the nose and lung. Similar to HRV16, intramuscular
      immunization with live HRV14 induces homologous protection that correlated with
      high levels of serum neutralizing antibodies. Vaccination and challenge
      experiments with HRV14 and HRV16 to evaluate the development of cross-protective
      immunity demonstrate that intramuscular immunization with live HRV16
      significantly protects animals against HRV14 challenge. Determination of the
      immunological mechanisms involved in heterologous protection and further
      characterization of infection with other major HRV serotypes in the cotton rat
      could enhance the robustness of the model to define heterotypic relationships
      between this diverse group of viruses and thereby increase its potential for
      development of a multi-serotype HRV vaccine.

PMID- 28912761
TI  - Preliminary Characterization of MEDLE-2, a Protein Potentially Involved in the
      Invasion of Cryptosporidium parvum.
AB  - Cryptosporidium spp. are important causes of diarrhea in humans, ruminants, and
      other mammals. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that genetically related
      and host-adapted Cryptosporidium species have different numbers of subtelomeric
      genes encoding the Cryptosporidium-specific MEDLE family of secreted proteins,
      which could contribute to differences in host specificity. In this study, a
      Cryptosporidium parvum-specific member of the protein family MEDLE-2 encoded by
      cgd5_4590 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Immunofluorescent
      staining with antibodies generated from the recombinant protein showed the
      expression of the protein in sporozoites and development stages. In vitro
      neutralization assay with the antibodies partially blocked the invasion of
      sporozoites. These results support the potential involvement of MEDLE-2 in the
      invasion of host cells.

PMID- 28912762
TI  - Comparative Study of Transcriptome Profiles of Mouse Livers and Skins Infected by
      Fork-Tailed or Non-Fork-Tailed Schistosoma japonicum.
AB  - Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) is a worldwide spread pathogen which
      penetrates host skin and then induces several diseases in infected host, such as
      fibrosis, formation of granulomas, hepatocirrhosis, and hepatomegaly. In present
      study, for the first time, transcriptomic profiles of mouse livers and skins
      infected by fork-tailed S. japonicum cercaria or non-fork-tailed S. japonicum
      cercaria were analyzed by using RNA-seq. The present findings demonstrated that
      transcriptomic landscapes of livers and skins infected by fork-tailed S.
      japonicum cercaria or non-fork-tailed S. japonicum cercaria were different. S.
      japonicum has great influence on hepatic metabolic processes. Fork-tailed S.
      japonicum cercaria upregulated hepatic metabolic processes, while non-fork-tailed
      S. japonicum cercaria downregulated hepatic metabolic processes. For the
      metabolism process or the metabolism enzyme expressional change, the
      pharmacokinetics of host could be changed during S. japonicum infection,
      regardless the biotypes of S. japonicum cercariae. The changes of infected skins
      focused on upregulation of immune response. During the S. japonicum skin
      infection period, fork-tailed S. japonicum cercaria infection induced stronger
      immune response comparing with that immune response triggered by non-fork-tailed
      S. japonicum cercaria. The transcription factor enrichment analysis showed that
      Irf7, Stat1 and Stat2 could play important roles in gene regulation during fork
      tailed S. japonicum cercaria infection.

PMID- 28912763
TI  - The Microbial Community Dynamics during the Vitex Honey Ripening Process in the
      Honeycomb.
AB  - The bacterial and fungal communities of vitex honey were surveyed by sequencing
      the 16S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA.
      Vitex honey samples were analyzed at different stage of ripening; the vitex
      flower was also analyzed, and the effect of the chemical composition in the
      experimental setup was assessed. The results confirmed the presence of dominant
      Bacillus spp. as the dominant bacterial in honey, and yeast related genera was
      the main fungal in the honey, respectively. Lactococcus and Enterococcus were
      detected for the first time in honey. The proportion of most of the fungal
      community decreased during the honey ripening process. Multivariate analyses also
      showed that the fungal community of 5, 10, and 15 days honey samples tended to
      cluster together and were completely separated from the 1 day honey sample. The
      change in the fungal community showed a correlation with the variation in the
      chemical components, such as moisture and phenolic compounds. Together, these
      results suggest that ripening of honey could change its microbial composition,
      and decrease the potential risk of microbiology.

PMID- 28912765
TI  - Biology and Genomics of an Historic Therapeutic Escherichia coli Bacteriophage
      Collection.
AB  - We have performed microbiological and genomic characterization of an historic
      collection of nine bacteriophages, specifically infecting a K1 E. coli O18:K1:H7
      ColV+ strain. These phages were isolated from sewage and tested for their
      efficacy in vivo for the treatment of systemic E. coli infection in a mouse
      infection model by Smith and Huggins (1982). The aim of the study was to identify
      common microbiological and genomic characteristics, which co-relate to the
      performance of these phages in in vivo study. These features will allow an
      informed selection of phages for use as therapeutic agents. Transmission electron
      microscopy showed that six of the nine phages were Podoviridae and the remaining
      three were Siphoviridae. The four best performing phages in vivo belonged to the
      Podoviridae family. In vitro, these phages exhibited very short latent and rise
      periods in our study. In agreement with their microbiological profiles,
      characterization by genome sequencing showed that all six podoviruses belong to
      the Autographivirinae subfamily. Of these, four were isolates of the same species
      (99% identity), whereas two had divergent genomes compared to other podoviruses.
      The Siphoviridae phages, which were moderate to poor performers in vivo,
      exhibited longer latent and rise periods in vitro. Two of the three siphoviruses
      were closely related to each other (99% identity), but all can be associated with
      the Guernseyvirinae subfamily. Genome sequence comparison of both types of phages
      showed that a gene encoding for DNA-dependent RNA polymerase was only present in
      phages with faster replication cycle, which may account for their better
      performance in vivo. These data define a combination of microbiological, genomic
      and in vivo characteristics which allow a more rational evaluation of the
      original in vivo data and pave the way for the selection of phages for future
      phage therapy trails.

PMID- 28912764
TI  - Resistance to Antibiotics, Biocides, Preservatives and Metals in Bacteria
      Isolated from Seafoods: Co-Selection of Strains Resistant or Tolerant to
      Different Classes of Compounds.
AB  - Multi-drug resistant bacteria (particularly those producing extended-spectrum
      beta-lactamases) have become a major health concern. The continued exposure to
      antibiotics, biocides, chemical preservatives, and metals in different settings
      such as the food chain or in the environment may result in development of
      multiple resistance or co-resistance. The aim of the present study was to
      determine multiple resistances (biocides, antibiotics, chemical preservatives,
      phenolic compounds, and metals) in bacterial isolates from seafoods. A 75.86% of
      the 87 isolates studied were resistant to at least one antibiotic or one biocide,
      and 6.90% were multiply resistant to at least three biocides and at least three
      antibiotics. Significant (P < 0.05) moderate or strong positive correlations were
      detected between tolerances to biocides, between antibiotics, and between
      antibiotics with biocides and other antimicrobials. A sub-set of 30 isolates
      selected according to antimicrobial resistance profile and food type were
      identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and tested for copper and zinc tolerance. Then,
      the genetic determinants for biocide and metal tolerance and antibiotic
      resistance were investigated. The selected isolates were identified as
      Pseudomonas (63.33%), Acinetobacter (13.33%), Aeromonas (13.33%), Shewanella,
      Proteus and Listeria (one isolate each). Antibiotic resistance determinants
      detected included sul1 (43.33% of tested isolates), sul2 (6.66%), blaTEM
      (16.66%), blaCTX-M (16.66%), blaPSE (10.00%), blaIMP (3.33%), blaNDM-1 (3.33%),
      floR (16.66%), aadA1 (20.0%), and aac(6')-Ib (16.66%). The only biocide
      resistance determinant detected among the selected isolates was qacEDelta1
      (10.00%). A 23.30 of the selected isolates were able to grow on media containing
      32 mM copper sulfate, and 46.60% on 8 mM zinc chloride. The metal resistance
      genes pcoA/copA, pcoR, and chrB were detected in 36.66, 6.66, and 13.33% of
      selected isolates, respectively. Twelve isolates tested positive for both metal
      and antibiotic resistance genes, including one isolate positive for the
      carbapenemase gene blaNDM-1 and for pcoA/copA. These results suggest that
      exposure to metals could co-select for antibiotic resistance and also highlight
      the potential of bacteria on seafoods to be involved in the transmission of
      antimicrobial resistance genes.

PMID- 28912766
TI  - Environmental Bacteriophages of the Emerging Enterobacterial Phytopathogen,
      Dickeya solani, Show Genomic Conservation and Capacity for Horizontal Gene
      Transfer between Their Bacterial Hosts.
AB  - Dickeya solani is an economically important phytopathogen widespread in mainland
      Europe that can reduce potato crop yields by 25%. There are no effective
      environmentally-acceptable chemical systems available for diseases caused by
      Dickeya. Bacteriophages have been suggested for use in biocontrol of this
      pathogen in the field, and limited field trials have been conducted. To date only
      a small number of bacteriophages capable of infecting D. solani have been
      isolated and characterized, and so there is a need to expand the repertoire of
      phages that may have potential utility in phage therapy strategies. Here we
      describe 67 bacteriophages from environmental sources, the majority of which are
      members of the viral family Myoviridae. Full genomic sequencing of two isolates
      revealed a high degree of DNA identity with D. solani bacteriophages isolated in
      Europe in the past 5 years, suggesting a wide ecological distribution of this
      phage family. Transduction experiments showed that the majority of the new
      environmental bacteriophages are capable of facilitating efficient horizontal
      gene transfer. The possible risk of unintentional transfer of virulence or
      antibiotic resistance genes between hosts susceptible to transducing phages
      cautions against their environmental use for biocontrol, until specific phages
      are fully tested for transduction capabilities.

PMID- 28912767
TI  - Shifts in Host Mucosal Innate Immune Function Are Associated with Ruminal
      Microbial Succession in Supplemental Feeding and Grazing Goats at Different Ages.
AB  - Gastrointestinal microbiota may play an important role in regulating host mucosal
      innate immune function. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that age
      (non-rumination, transition and rumination) and feeding type [Supplemental
      feeding (S) vs. Grazing (G)] could alter ruminal microbial diversity and
      maturation of host mucosal innate immune system in goat kids. MiSeq sequencing
      was applied to investigate ruminal microbial composition and diversity, and RT
      PCR was used to test expression of immune-related genes in ruminal mucosa.
      Results showed that higher (P < 0.05) relative abundances of Prevotella,
      Butyrivibrio, Pseudobutyrivibrio, Methanobrevibacter.gottschalkii,
      Neocallimastix, Anoplodinium-Diplodinium, and Polyplastron, and lower relative
      abundance of Methanosphaera (P = 0.042) were detected in the rumen of S kids when
      compared to those in G kids. The expression of genes encoding TLRs, IL1alpha,
      IL1beta and TICAM2 was down-regulated (P < 0.01), while expression of genes
      encoding tight junction proteins was up-regulated (P < 0.05) in the ruminal
      mucosa of S kids when compared to that in G kids. Moreover, irrespective of
      feeding type, relative abundances of ruminal Prevotella, Fibrobacter,
      Ruminococcus, Butyrivibrio, Methanobrevibacter, Neocallimastix, and Entodinium
      increased with age. The expression of most genes encoding TLRs and cytokines
      increased (P < 0.05) from day 0 to 7, while expression of genes encoding tight
      junction proteins declined with age (P < 0.05). This study revealed that the
      composition of each microbial domain changed as animals grew, and these changes
      might be associated with variations in host mucosal innate immune function.
      Moreover, supplementing goat kids with concentrate could modulate ruminal
      microbial composition, enhance barrier function and decrease local inflammation.
      The findings provide useful information in interpreting microbiota and host
      interactions, and developing nutritional strategies to improve the productivity
      and health of rumen during early life.

PMID- 28912768
TI  - Linseed Oil Supplementation of Lambs' Diet in Early Life Leads to Persistent
      Changes in Rumen Microbiome Structure.
AB  - Diet has been shown to have a significant impact on microbial community
      composition in the rumen and could potentially be used to manipulate rumen
      microbiome structure to achieve specific outcomes. There is some evidence that a
      window may exist in early life, while the microbiome is being established, where
      manipulation through diet could lead to long-lasting results. The aim of this
      study was to test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation in early life will
      have an effect on rumen microbial composition that will persist even once
      supplementation is ceased. Twenty-seven new-born lambs were allocated to one of
      three dietary treatments; a control group receiving standard lamb meal, a group
      receiving lamb meal supplemented with 40 g kg-1 DM of linseed oil and a group
      receiving the supplement pre-weaning and standard lamb meal post-weaning. The
      supplement had no effect on average daily feed intake or average daily weight
      gain of lambs. Bacterial and archaeal community composition was significantly (p
      = 0.033 and 0.005, respectively) different in lambs fed linseed oil throughout
      the study compared to lambs on the control diet. Succinivibrionaceae, succinate
      producers, and Veillonellaceae, propionate producers, were in a higher relative
      abundance in the lambs fed linseed oil while Ruminococcaceae, a family linked
      with high CH4 emitters, were in a higher relative abundance in the control group.
      The relative abundance of Methanobrevibacter was reduced in the lambs receiving
      linseed compared to those that didn't. In contrast, the relative abundance of
      Methanosphaera was significantly higher in the animals receiving the supplement
      compared to animals receiving no supplement (40.82 and 26.67%, respectively).
      Furthermore, lambs fed linseed oil only in the pre-weaning period had a bacterial
      community composition significantly (p = 0.015) different to that of the control
      group, though archaeal diversity and community structure did not differ. Again,
      Succinivibrionaceae and Veillonellaceae were in a higher relative abundance in
      the group fed linseed oil pre-weaning while Ruminococcaceae were in a higher
      relative abundance in the control group. This study shows that lambs fed the
      dietary supplement short-term had a rumen microbiome that remained altered even
      after supplementation had ceased.

PMID- 28912769
TI  - Adaptation of Surface-Associated Bacteria to the Open Ocean: A Genomically
      Distinct Subpopulation of Phaeobacter gallaeciensis Colonizes Pacific
      Mesozooplankton.
AB  - The marine Roseobacter group encompasses numerous species which occupy a large
      variety of ecological niches. However, members of the genus Phaeobacter are
      specifically adapted to a surface-associated lifestyle and have so far been found
      nearly exclusively in disjunct, man-made environments including shellfish and
      fish aquacultures, as well as harbors. Therefore, the possible natural habitats,
      dispersal and evolution of Phaeobacter spp. have largely remained obscure.
      Applying a high-throughput cultivation strategy along a longitudinal Pacific
      transect, the present study revealed for the first time a widespread natural
      occurrence of Phaeobacter in the marine pelagial. These bacteria were found to be
      specifically associated to mesoplankton where they constitute a small but
      detectable proportion of the bacterial community. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of
      18 isolated strains were identical to that of Phaeobacter gallaeciensis DSM26640T
      but sequences of internal transcribed spacer and selected genomes revealed that
      the strains form a distinct clade within P. gallaeciensis. The genomes of the
      Pacific and the aquaculture strains were highly conserved and had a fraction of
      the core genome of 89.6%, 80 synteny breakpoints, and differed 2.2% in their
      nucleotide sequences. Diversification likely occurred through neutral mutations.
      However, the Pacific strains exclusively contained two active Type I restriction
      modification systems which is commensurate with a reduced acquisition of mobile
      elements in the Pacific clade. The Pacific clade of P. gallaeciensis also
      acquired a second, homolog phosphonate transport system compared to all other P.
      gallaeciensis. Our data indicate that a previously unknown, distinct clade of P.
      gallaeciensis acquired a limited number of clade-specific genes that were
      relevant for its association with mesozooplankton and for colonization of the
      marine pelagial. The divergence of the Pacific clade most likely was driven by
      the adaptation to this novel ecological niche rather than by geographic
      isolation.

PMID- 28912770
TI  - Infectious Agents As Markers of Human Migration toward the Amazon Region of
      Brazil.
AB  - Infectious agents are common companions of humans and since ancient times they
      follow human migration on their search for a better place to live. The study of
      paleomicrobiology was significantly improved in its accuracy of measurement with
      the constant development of better methods to detect and analyze nucleic acids.
      Human tissues are constantly used to trace ancient infections and the association
      of anthropological evidences are important to confirm the microbiological
      information. Infectious agents which establish human persistent infections are
      particularly useful to trace human migrations. In the present article, the
      evidence of infection by viral agents such as human T-lymphotropic virus 1, human
      T-lymphotropic virus 2, human herpes virus-8, JC virus, and a bacterium,
      Chlamydia trachomatis, was described using different methodologies for their
      detection. Their presence was further used as biomarkers associated with
      anthropological and other relevant information to trace human migration into the
      Amazon region of Brazil. The approach also evidenced their microbiological
      origin, emergence, evolution, and spreading. The information obtained confirms
      much of the archeological information available tracing ancient and more recent
      human migration into this particular geographical region. In this article, the
      paleomicrobiological information on the subject was summarized and reviewed.

PMID- 28912771
TI  - Selection of Functional Quorum Sensing Systems by Lysogenic Bacteriophages in
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - Quorum sensing (QS) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa coordinates the expression of
      virulence factors, some of which are used as public goods. Since their production
      is a cooperative behavior, it is susceptible to social cheating in which non
      cooperative QS deficient mutants use the resources without investing in their
      production. Nevertheless, functional QS systems are abundant; hence, mechanisms
      regulating the amount of cheating should exist. Evidence that demonstrates a
      tight relationship between QS and the susceptibility of bacteria against the
      attack of lytic phages is increasing; nevertheless, the relationship between
      temperate phages and QS has been much less explored. Therefore, in this work, we
      studied the effects of having a functional QS system on the susceptibility to
      temperate bacteriophages and how this affects the bacterial and phage dynamics.
      We find that both experimentally and using mathematical models, that the
      lysogenic bacteriophages D3112 and JBD30 select QS-proficient P. aeruginosa
      phenotypes as compared to the QS-deficient mutants during competition experiments
      with mixed strain populations in vitro and in vivo in Galleria mellonella, in
      spite of the fact that both phages replicate better in the wild-type background.
      We show that this phenomenon restricts social cheating, and we propose that
      temperate phages may constitute an important selective pressure toward the
      conservation of bacterial QS.

PMID- 28912772
TI  - An Anthropocentric View of the Virosphere-Host Relationship.
AB  - For over a century, viruses have been known as the most abundant and diverse
      group of organisms on Earth, forming a virosphere. Based on extensive meta
      analyses, we present, for the first time, a wide and complete overview of virus
      host network, covering all known viral species. Our data indicate that most of
      known viral species, regardless of their genomic category, have an intriguingly
      narrow host range, infecting only 1 or 2 host species. Our data also show that
      the known virosphere has expanded based on viruses of human interest, related to
      economical, medical or biotechnological activities. In addition, we provide an
      overview of the distribution of viruses on different environments on Earth, based
      on meta-analyses of available metaviromic data, showing the contrasting ubiquity
      of head-tailed phages against the specificity of some viral groups in certain
      environments. Finally, we uncovered all human viral species, exploring their
      diversity and the most affected organic systems. The virus-host network presented
      here shows an anthropocentric view of the virology. It is therefore clear that a
      huge effort and change in perspective is necessary to see more than the tip of
      the iceberg when it comes to virology.

PMID- 28912773
TI  - Hirsutine, an Indole Alkaloid of Uncaria rhynchophylla, Inhibits Late Step in
      Dengue Virus Lifecycle.
AB  - Dengue virus (DENV) is transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes and is a public
      health issue worldwide. No antiviral drugs specific for treating dengue infection
      are currently available. To identify novel DENV inhibitors, we analyzed a library
      of 95 compounds and 120 extracts derived from crude drugs (herbal medicines). In
      the primary screening, A549 cells infected with DENV-1 were cultured in the
      presence of each compound and extract at a final concentration of 10 MUM
      (compound) and 100 MUg/mL (extract), and reduction of viral focus formation was
      assessed. Next, we eliminated compounds and extracts which were cytotoxic using
      the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay.
      Hirsutine, an indole alkaloid of Uncaria rhynchophylla, was identified as a
      potent anti-DENV compound exhibiting high efficacy and low cytotoxicity.
      Hirsutine showed antiviral activity against all DENV serotypes. Time-of-drug
      addition and time-of-drug-elimination assays indicated that hirsutine inhibits
      the viral particle assembly, budding, or release step but not the viral
      translation and replication steps in the DENV lifecycle. A subgenomic replicon
      system was used to confirm that hirsutine does not restrict viral genome RNA
      replication. Hirsutine is a novel DENV inhibitor and potential candidate for
      treating dengue fever.

PMID- 28912774
TI  - Therapeutic Antibodies to KIR3DL2 and Other Target Antigens on Cutaneous T-Cell
      Lymphomas.
AB  - KIR3DL2 is a member of the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) family
      that was initially identified at the surface of natural killer (NK) cells.
      KIR3DL2, also known as CD158k, is expressed as a disulfide-linked homodimer. Each
      chain is composed of three immunoglobulin-like domains and a long cytoplasmic
      tail containing two immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs. Beside its
      expression on NK cells, it is also found on rare circulating T lymphocytes,
      mainly CD8+. Although the KIR gene number varies between haplotype, KIR3DL2 is a
      framework gene present in all individuals. Together with the presence of genomic
      regulatory sequences unique to KIR3DL2, this suggests some particular functions
      for the derived protein in comparison with other KIR family members. Several
      ligands have been identified for KIR3DL2. As for other KIRs, binding to HLA class
      I molecules is essential for NK development by promoting phenomena such as
      licensing and driving NK cell maturation. For KIR3DL2, this includes binding to
      HLA-A3 and -A11 and to the free heavy chain form of HLA-B27. In addition, KIR3DL2
      binds to CpG oligonucleotides (ODN) and ensures their transport to endosomal toll
      like receptor 9 that promotes cell activation. These characteristics have
      implicated KIR3DL2 in several pathologies: ankylosing spondylitis and cutaneous T
      cell lymphomas such as Sezary syndrome, CD30+ cutaneous lymphoma, and transformed
      mycosis fungoides. Consequently, a new generation of humanized monoclonal
      antibodies (mAbs) directed against KIR3DL2 has been helpful in the diagnosis,
      follow-up, and treatment of these diseases. In addition, preliminary clinical
      studies of a novel targeted immunotherapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphomas using
      the anti-KIR3DL2 mAb IPH4102 are now underway. In this review, we discuss the
      various aspects of KIR3DL2 on the functions of CD4+ T cells and how targeting
      this receptor helps to develop innovative therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28912775
TI  - Shared and Distinct Phenotypes and Functions of Human CD161++ Valpha7.2+ T Cell
      Subsets.
AB  - Human mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are an important T cell subset
      that are enriched in tissues and possess potent effector functions. Typically
      such cells are marked by their expression of Valpha7.2-Jalpha33/Jalpha20/Jalpha12
      T cell receptors, and functionally they are major histocompatibility complex
      class I-related protein 1 (MR1)-restricted, responding to bacterially derived
      riboflavin synthesis intermediates. MAIT cells are contained within the CD161++
      Valpha7.2+ T cell population, the majority of which express the CD8 receptor
      (CD8+), while a smaller fraction expresses neither CD8 or CD4 coreceptor (double
      negative; DN) and a further minority are CD4+. Whether these cells have distinct
      homing patterns, phenotype and functions have not been examined in detail. We
      used a combination of phenotypic staining and functional assays to address the
      similarities and differences between these CD161++ Valpha7.2+ T cell subsets. We
      find that most features are shared between CD8+ and DN CD161++ Valpha7.2+ T
      cells, with a small but detectable role evident for CD8 binding in tuning
      functional responsiveness. By contrast, the CD4+ CD161++ Valpha7.2+ T cell
      population, although showing MR1-dependent responsiveness to bacterial stimuli,
      display reduced T helper 1 effector functions, including cytolytic machinery,
      while retaining the capacity to secrete interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13. This was
      consistent with underlying changes in transcription factor (TF) expression.
      Although we found that only a proportion of CD4+ CD161++ Valpha7.2+ T cells
      stained for the MR1-tetramer, explaining some of the heterogeneity of CD4+
      CD161++ Valpha7.2+ T cells, these differences in TF expression were shared with
      CD4+ CD161++ MR1-tetramer+ cells. These data reveal the functional diversity of
      human CD161++ Valpha7.2+ T cells and indicate potentially distinct roles for the
      different subsets in vivo.

PMID- 28912776
TI  - Human CD5+ Innate Lymphoid Cells Are Functionally Immature and Their Development
      from CD34+ Progenitor Cells Is Regulated by Id2.
AB  - Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have emerged as a key cell type involved in
      surveillance and maintenance of mucosal tissues. Mouse ILCs rely on the
      transcriptional regulator Inhibitor of DNA-binding protein 2 (Id2) for their
      development. Here, we show that Id2 also drives development of human ILC because
      forced expression of Id2 in human thymic progenitors blocked T cell commitment,
      upregulated CD161 and promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF), and maintained
      CD127 expression, markers that are characteristic for human ILCs. Surprisingly
      CD5 was also expressed on these in vitro generated ILCs. This was not an in vitro
      artifact because CD5 was also found on ex vivo isolated ILCs from thymus and from
      umbilical cord blood. CD5 was also expressed on small proportions of ILC2 and
      ILC3. CD5+ ILCs were functionally immature, but could further differentiate into
      mature CD5- cytokine-secreting ILCs. Our data show that Id2 governs human ILC
      development from thymic progenitor cells toward immature CD5+ ILCs.

PMID- 28912777
TI  - Class A CpG Oligonucleotide Priming Rescues Mice from Septic Shock via Activation
      of Platelet-Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase.
AB  - Sepsis is a life-threatening, overwhelming immune response to infection with high
      morbidity and mortality. Inflammatory response and blood clotting are caused by
      sepsis, which induces serious organ damage and death from shock. As a mechanism
      of pathogenesis, platelet-activating factor (PAF) induces excessive inflammatory
      responses and blood clotting. In this study, we demonstrate that a Class A CpG
      oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-A1585) strongly induced PAF acetylhydrolase, which
      generates lyso-PAF. CpG-A1585 rescued mice from acute lethal shock and decreased
      fibrin deposition, a hallmark of PAF-induced disseminated intravascular
      coagulation. Furthermore, CpG-A1585 improved endotoxin shock induced by
      lipopolysaccharide, which comprises the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria and
      inhibits inflammatory responses induced by cytokines such as interleukin-6 and
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha. These results suggest that CpG-A1585 is a potential
      therapeutic target to prevent sepsis-related induction of PAF.

PMID- 28912778
TI  - Neuroprotective Effects of Annexin A1 Tripeptide after Deep Hypothermic
      Circulatory Arrest in Rats.
AB  - Resolution agonists, including lipid mediators and peptides such as annexin A1
      (ANXA1), are providing novel approaches to treat inflammatory conditions.
      Surgical trauma exerts a significant burden on the immune system that can affect
      and impair multiple organs. Perioperative cerebral injury after cardiac surgery
      is associated with significant adverse neurological outcomes such as delirium and
      postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Using a clinically relevant rat model of
      cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), we
      tested the pro-resolving effects of a novel bioactive ANXA1 tripeptide (ANXA1sp)
      on neuroinflammation and cognition. Male rats underwent 2 h CPB with 1 h DHCA at
      18 degrees C, and received vehicle or ANXA1sp followed by timed reperfusion up to
      postoperative day 7. Immortalized murine microglial cell line BV2 were treated
      with vehicle or ANXA1sp and subjected to 2 h oxygen-glucose deprivation followed
      by timed reoxygenation. Microglial activation, cell death, neuroinflammation, and
      NF-kappaB activation were assessed in tissue samples and cell cultures. Rats
      exposed to CPB and DHCA had evident neuroinflammation in various brain areas.
      However, in ANXA1sp-treated rats, microglial activation and cell death (apoptosis
      and necrosis) were reduced at 24 h and 7 days after surgery. This was associated
      with a reduction in key pro-inflammatory cytokines due to inhibition of NF-kappaB
      activation in the brain and systemically. Treated rats also had improved
      neurologic scores and shorter latency in the Morris water maze. In BV2 cells
      treated with ANXA1sp, similar protective effects were observed including
      decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell death. Notably, we also found
      increased expression of ANXA1, which binds to NF-kappaB p65 and thereby inhibits
      its transcriptional activity. Our findings provide evidence that treatment with a
      novel pro-resolving ANXA1 tripeptide is neuroprotective after cardiac surgery in
      rats by attenuating neuroinflammation and may prevent postoperative neurologic
      complications.

PMID- 28912779
TI  - Vgamma4+gammadeltaT Cells Aggravate Severe H1N1 Influenza Virus Infection-Induced
      Acute Pulmonary Immunopathological Injury via Secreting Interleukin-17A.
AB  - The influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus remains a critical global health concern and
      causes high levels of morbidity and mortality. Severe acute lung injury (ALI) and
      acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are the major outcomes among severely
      infected patients. Our previous study found that interleukin (IL)-17A production
      by humans or mice infected with influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 substantially
      contributes to ALI and subsequent morbidity and mortality. However, the cell
      types responsible for IL-17A production during the early stage of severe
      influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 infection remained unknown. In this study, a mouse model
      of severe influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 infection was established. Our results show
      that, in the lungs of infected mice, the percentage of gammadeltaT cells, but not
      the percentages of CD4+Th and CD8+Tc cells, gradually increased and peaked at 3
      days post-infection (dpi). Further analysis revealed that the Vgamma4+gammadeltaT
      subset, but not the Vgamma1+gammadeltaT subset, was significantly increased among
      the gammadeltaT cells. At 3 dpi, the virus induced significant increases in IL
      17A in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum. IL-17A was
      predominantly secreted by gammadeltaT cells (especially the Vgamma4+gammadeltaT
      subset), but not CD4+Th and CD8+Tc cells at the early stage of infection, and IL
      1beta and/or IL-23 were sufficient to induce IL-17A production by gammadeltaT
      cells. In addition to secreting IL-17A, gammadeltaT cells secreted interferon
      (IFN)-gamma and expressed both an activation-associated molecule, natural killer
      group 2, member D (NKG2D), and an apoptosis-associated molecule, FasL. Depletion
      of gammadeltaT cells or the Vgamma4+gammadeltaT subset significantly rescued the
      virus-induced weight loss and improved the survival rate by decreasing IL-17A
      secretion and reducing immunopathological injury. This study demonstrated that,
      by secreting IL-17A, lung Vgamma4+gammadeltaT cells, at least, in part mediated
      influenza A (H1N1) pdm09-induced immunopathological injury. This mechanism might
      serve as a promising new target for the prevention and treatment of ALI induced
      by influenza A (H1N1) pdm09.

PMID- 28912780
TI  - Inflammatory Markers for Arterial Stiffness in Cardiovascular Diseases.
AB  - Arterial stiffness predicts an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
      Inflammation plays a major role in large arteries stiffening, related to
      atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, smooth muscle cell
      migration, vascular calcification, increased activity of metalloproteinases,
      extracellular matrix degradation, oxidative stress, elastolysis, and degradation
      of collagen. The present paper reviews main mechanisms explaining the crosstalk
      between inflammation and arterial stiffness and the most common inflammatory
      markers associated with increased arterial stiffness, considering the most recent
      clinical and experimental studies. Diverse studies revealed significant
      correlations between the severity of arterial stiffness and inflammatory markers,
      such as white blood cell count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, adhesion molecules,
      fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, cytokines, microRNAs, and cyclooxygenase-2, in
      patients with a broad variety of diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes,
      coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, malignant and rheumatic
      disorders, polycystic kidney disease, renal transplant, familial Mediterranean
      fever, and oral infections, and in women with preeclampsia or after menopause.
      There is strong evidence that inflammation plays an important and, at least,
      partly reversible role in the development of arterial stiffness, and inflammatory
      markers may be useful additional tools in the assessment of the cardiovascular
      risk in clinical practice. Combined assessment of arterial stiffness and
      inflammatory markers may improve non-invasive assessment of cardiovascular risk,
      enabling selection of high-risk patients for prophylactic treatment or more
      regular medical examination. Development of future destiffening therapies may
      target pro-inflammatory mechanisms.

PMID- 28912782
TI  - The Sand Fly Salivary Protein Lufaxin Inhibits the Early Steps of the Alternative
      Pathway of Complement by Direct Binding to the Proconvertase C3b-B.
AB  - Saliva of the blood feeding sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis was previously shown
      to inhibit the alternative pathway (AP) of the complement system. Here, we have
      identified Lufaxin, a protein component in saliva, as the inhibitor of the AP.
      Lufaxin inhibited the deposition of C3b, Bb, Properdin, C5b, and C9b on agarose
      coated plates in a dose-dependent manner. It also inhibited the activation of
      factor B in normal serum, but had no effect on the components of the membrane
      attack complex. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments demonstrated that
      Lufaxin stabilizes the C3b-B proconvertase complex when passed over a C3b surface
      in combination with factor B. Lufaxin was also shown to inhibit the activation of
      factor B by factor D in a reconstituted C3b-B, but did not inhibit the activation
      of C3 by reconstituted C3b-Bb. Proconvertase stabilization does not require the
      presence of divalent cations, but addition of Ni2+ increases the stability of
      complexes formed on SPR surfaces. Stabilization of the C3b-B complex to prevent
      C3 convertase formation (C3b-Bb formation) is a novel mechanism that differs from
      previously described strategies used by other organisms to inhibit the AP of the
      host complement system.

PMID- 28912783
TI  - Sex Differences in Asthma: A Key Role of Androgen-Signaling in Group 2 Innate
      Lymphoid Cells.
AB  - Infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and also allergy differentially affect
      women and men. In general, women develop strongest immune responses and thus the
      proportion of infected individuals and the severity of many viral, bacterial, or
      parasitic infections are increased in men. However, heightened immunity in women
      makes them more susceptible than men to autoimmunity and allergy. While sex
      differences in immunity are well documented, little is known about the cellular
      and molecular mechanisms underlying these immunological differences, particularly
      in allergic asthma. Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways mediated by
      exacerbated type 2 immune responses. Sex differences have been reported in the
      incidence, prevalence, and severity of asthma. While during childhood, males are
      more susceptible to asthma than females, there is a switch at the onset of
      puberty as for many other allergic diseases. This decrease of asthma incidence
      around puberty in males suggests that hormonal mediators could play a protective
      role in the susceptibility to allergic responses in male. Group 2 innate lymphoid
      cells (ILC2s) have recently emerged as critical players in the initiation of
      allergic responses, but also in the resolution of parasitic infection, through
      their capacity to rapidly and potently produce type 2 cytokines. This review will
      cover the current understanding of the impact of sex-linked factors in allergic
      inflammation, with a particular focus on the role of sex hormones on the
      development and function of tissue-resident ILC2s.

PMID- 28912781
TI  - MicroRNA: Dynamic Regulators of Macrophage Polarization and Plasticity.
AB  - The ability of a healthy immune system to clear the plethora of antigens it
      encounters incessantly relies on the enormous plasticity displayed by the
      comprising cell types. Macrophages (MPhis) are crucial member of the mononuclear
      phagocyte system (MPS) that constantly patrol the peripheral tissues and are
      actively recruited to the sites of injury and infection. In tissues, infiltrating
      monocytes replenish MPhi. Under the guidance of the local micro-milieu, MPhi can
      be activated to acquire specialized functional phenotypes. Similar to T cells,
      functional polarization of macrophage phenotype viz., inflammatory (M1) and
      reparative (M2) is proposed. Equipped with diverse toll-like receptors (TLRs),
      these cells of the innate arm of immunity recognize and phagocytize antigens and
      secrete cytokines that activate the adaptive arm of the immune system and perform
      key roles in wound repair. Dysregulation of MPhi plasticity has been associated
      with various diseases and infection. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical
      regulators of transcriptome output. Their importance in maintaining health, and
      their contribution toward disease, encompasses virtually all aspects of human
      biology. Our understanding of miRNA-mediated regulation of MPhi plasticity and
      polarization can be utilized to modulate functional phenotypes to counter their
      role in the pathogenesis of numerous disease, including cancer, autoimmunity,
      periodontitis, etc. Here, we provide an overview of current knowledge regarding
      the role of miRNA in shaping MPhi polarization and plasticity through targeting
      of various pathways and genes. Identification of miRNA biomarkers of
      diagnostic/prognostic value and their therapeutic potential by delivery of miRNA
      mimics or inhibitors to dynamically alter gene expression profiles in vivo is
      highlighted.

PMID- 28912784
TI  - Comparison of the Protective Efficacy of Neutralizing Epitopes of 2009 Pandemic
      H1N1 Influenza Hemagglutinin.
AB  - The 2009 H1N1 influenza (Pdm09) pandemic has been referred to as the first
      influenza pandemic of the twenty-first century. There is a marked difference in
      antigenicity between the pandemic H1N1 virus and past seasonal H1N1 viruses,
      which allowed the pandemic virus to spread rapidly in humans. Antibodies (Abs)
      against hemagglutinin (HA), especially neutralizing Abs against epitopes in the
      head of HA, play critical roles in defending the host against the virus. Some
      preexisting neutralizing Abs that recognize neutralizing epitopes of Pdm09 HA,
      thereby affording cross-protection, have been reported. To better understand the
      protective effects of epitopes in Pdm09 HA, we constructed a series of plasmid
      DNAs (DNA vaccines) by cloning various combinations of Pdm09 neutralizing
      epitopes into the HA backbone derived from A/PR/8/1934 (H1N1). We subsequently
      compared the protective immune responses induced by these various forms of HA in
      a mouse model. We found that the plasmid DNAs with epitope substitutions provided
      better protection against lethal virus challenge and induced higher strain
      specific antibody titers, with epitope Sa being the most effective. Moreover, the
      combination of epitopes Sa and Sb provided almost complete protection in mice.
      These findings provide new insights into the protective efficacy of neutralizing
      epitopes of influenza HA.

PMID- 28912785
TI  - Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) Revealed Molecular Genetic Diversity of Iranian
      Wheat Landraces and Cultivars.
AB  - Background: Genetic diversity is an essential resource for breeders to improve
      new cultivars with desirable characteristics. Recently, genotyping-by-sequencing
      (GBS), a next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology that can simplify complex
      genomes, has now be used as a high-throughput and cost-effective molecular tool
      for routine breeding and screening in many crop species, including the species
      with a large genome. Results: We genotyped a diversity panel of 369 Iranian
      hexaploid wheat accessions including 270 landraces collected between 1931 and
      1968 in different climate zones and 99 cultivars released between 1942 to 2014
      using 16,506 GBS-based single nucleotide polymorphism (GBS-SNP) markers. The B
      genome had the highest number of mapped SNPs while the D genome had the lowest on
      both the Chinese Spring and W7984 references. Structure and cluster analyses
      divided the panel into three groups with two landrace groups and one cultivar
      group, suggesting a high differentiation between landraces and cultivars and
      between landraces. The cultivar group can be further divided into four subgroups
      with one subgroup was mostly derived from Iranian ancestor(s). Similarly,
      landrace groups can be further divided based on years of collection and climate
      zones where the accessions were collected. Molecular analysis of variance
      indicated that the genetic variation was larger between groups than within group.
      Conclusion: Obvious genetic diversity in Iranian wheat was revealed by analysis
      of GBS-SNPs and thus breeders can select genetically distant parents for crossing
      in breeding. The diverse Iranian landraces provide rich genetic sources of
      tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and they can be useful resources for
      the improvement of wheat production in Iran and other countries.

PMID- 28912786
TI  - Co-infection of Sweet Orange with Severe and Mild Strains of Citrus tristeza
      virus Is Overwhelmingly Dominated by the Severe Strain on Both the
      Transcriptional and Biological Levels.
AB  - Citrus tristeza is one of the most destructive citrus diseases and is caused by
      the phloem-restricted Closterovirus, Citrus tristeza virus. Mild strain CTV-B2
      does not cause obvious symptoms on indicators whereas severe strain CTV-B6 causes
      symptoms, including stem pitting, cupping, yellowing, and stiffening of leaves,
      and vein corking. Our laboratory has previously characterized changes in
      transcription in sweet orange separately infected with CTV-B2 and CTV-B6. In the
      present study, transcriptome analysis of Citrus sinensis in response to double
      infection by CTV-B2 and CTV-B6 was carried out. Four hundred and eleven
      transcripts were up-regulated and 356 transcripts were down-regulated prior to
      the onset of symptoms. Repressed genes were overwhelmingly associated with
      photosynthesis, and carbon and nucleic acid metabolism. Expression of genes
      related to the glycolytic, oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP), tricarboxylic acid
      cycle (TCA) pathways, tetrapyrrole synthesis, redox homeostasis, nucleotide
      metabolism, protein synthesis and post translational protein modification and
      folding, and cell organization were all reduced. Ribosomal composition was also
      greatly altered in response to infection by CTV-B2/CTV-B6. Genes that were
      induced were related to cell wall structure, secondary and hormone metabolism,
      responses to biotic stress, regulation of transcription, signaling, and secondary
      metabolism. Transport systems dedicated to metal ions were especially disturbed
      and ZIPs (Zinc Transporter Precursors) showed different expression patterns in
      response to co-infection by CTV-B2/CTV-B6 and single infection by CTV-B2. Host
      plants experienced root decline that may have contributed to Zn, Fe, and other
      nutrient deficiencies. Though defense responses, such as, strengthening of the
      cell wall, alteration of hormone metabolism, secondary metabolites, and signaling
      pathways, were activated, these defense responses did not suppress the spread of
      the pathogens and the development of symptoms. The mild strain CTV-B2 did not
      provide a useful level of cross-protection to citrus against the severe strain
      CTV-B6.

PMID- 28912787
TI  - Effect of Light Availability on the Interaction between Maritime Pine and the
      Pine Weevil: Light Drives Insect Feeding Behavior But Also the Defensive
      Capabilities of the Host.
AB  - Light is a major environmental factor that may determine the interaction between
      plants and herbivores in several ways, including top-down effects through changes
      in herbivore behavior and bottom-up effects mediated by alterations of plant
      physiology. Here we explored the relative contribution of these two regulation
      processes to the outcome of the interaction of pine trees with a major forest
      pest, the pine weevil (Hylobius abietis). We studied to what extent light
      availability influence insect feeding behavior and/or the ability of pines to
      produce induced defenses in response to herbivory. For this purpose, 3-year old
      Pinus pinaster plants from three contrasting populations were subjected to 6 days
      of experimental herbivory by the pine weevil under two levels of light
      availability (complete darkness or natural sunlight) independently applied to the
      plant and to the insect in a fully factorial design. Light availability strongly
      affected the pine weevil feeding behavior. The pine weevil fed more and caused
      larger feeding scars in darkness than under natural sunlight. Besides, under the
      more intense levels of weevil damage (i.e., those registered with insects in
      darkness), light availability also affected the pine's ability to respond to
      insect feeding by producing induced resin defenses. These results were consistent
      across the three studied populations despite they differed in weevil
      susceptibility and inducibility of defenses. Morocco was the most damaged
      population and the one that induced more defensive compounds. Overall, results
      indicate that light availability modulates the outcome of the pine-weevil
      interactions through both bottom-up and top-down regulation mechanisms.

PMID- 28912788
TI  - Development and Genetic Characterization of Advanced Backcross Materials and An
      Introgression Line Population of Solanum incanum in a S. melongena Background.
AB  - Advanced backcrosses (ABs) and introgression lines (ILs) of eggplant (Solanum
      melongena) can speed up genetics and genomics studies and breeding in this crop.
      We have developed the first full set of ABs and ILs in eggplant using Solanum
      incanum, a wild eggplant that has a relatively high tolerance to drought, as a
      donor parent. The development of these ABs and IL eggplant populations had a low
      efficiency in the early stages, because of the lack of molecular markers and
      genomic tools. However, this dramatically improved after performing genotyping-by
      sequencing in the first round of selfing, followed by high-resolution-melting
      single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping in subsequent selection steps. A set of
      73 selected ABs covered 99% of the S. incanum genome, while 25 fixed immortal
      ILs, each carrying a single introgressed fragment in homozygosis, altogether
      spanned 61.7% of the S. incanum genome. The introgressed size fragment in the ILs
      contained between 0.1 and 10.9% of the S. incanum genome, with a mean value of
      4.3%. Sixty-eight candidate genes involved in drought tolerance were identified
      in the set of ILs. This first set of ABs and ILs of eggplant will be extremely
      useful for the genetic dissection of traits of interest for eggplant, and
      represents an elite material for introduction into the breeding pipelines for
      developing new eggplant cultivars adapted to the challenges posed by the climate
      change scenario.

PMID- 28912789
TI  - Alignment of Common Wheat and Other Grass Genomes Establishes a Comparative
      Genomics Research Platform.
AB  - Grass genomes are complicated structures as they share a common
      tetraploidization, and particular genomes have been further affected by extra
      polyploidizations. These events and the following genomic re-patternings have
      resulted in a complex, interweaving gene homology both within a genome, and
      between genomes. Accurately deciphering the structure of these complicated plant
      genomes would help us better understand their compositional and functional
      evolution at multiple scales. Here, we build on our previous research by
      performing a hierarchical alignment of the common wheat genome vis-a-vis eight
      other sequenced grass genomes with most up-to-date assemblies, and annotations.
      With this data, we constructed a list of the homologous genes, and then, in a
      layer-by-layer process, separated their orthology, and paralogy that were
      established by speciations and recursive polyploidizations, respectively.
      Compared with the other grasses, the far fewer collinear outparalogous genes
      within each of three subgenomes of common wheat suggest that homoeologous
      recombination, and genomic fractionation should have occurred after its
      formation. In sum, this work contributes to the establishment of an important and
      timely comparative genomics platform for researchers in the grass community and
      possibly beyond. Homologous gene list can be found in Supplemental material.

PMID- 28912790
TI  - Development and Evaluation of Glycine max Germplasm Lines with Quantitative
      Resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
AB  - Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot, is a
      devastating fungal pathogen of soybean that can cause significant yield losses to
      growers when environmental conditions are favorable for the disease. The
      development of resistant varieties has proven difficult. However, poor resistance
      in commercial cultivars can be improved through additional breeding efforts and
      understanding the genetic basis of resistance. The objective of this project was
      to develop soybean germplasm lines that have a high level of Sclerotinia stem rot
      resistance to be used directly as cultivars or in breeding programs as a source
      of improved Sclerotinia stem rot resistance. Sclerotinia stem rot-resistant
      soybean germplasm was developed by crossing two sources of resistance, W04-1002
      and AxN-1-55, with lines exhibiting resistance to Heterodera glycines and
      Cadophora gregata in addition to favorable agronomic traits. Following greenhouse
      evaluations of 1,076 inbred lines derived from these crosses, 31 lines were
      evaluated for resistance in field tests during the 2014 field season.
      Subsequently, 11 Sclerotinia stem rot resistant breeding lines were moved forward
      for field evaluation in 2015, and seven elite breeding lines were selected and
      evaluated in the 2016 field season. To better understand resistance mechanisms, a
      marker analysis was conducted to identify quantitative trait loci linked to
      resistance. Thirteen markers associated with Sclerotinia stem rot resistance were
      identified on chromosomes 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Our markers confirm previously
      reported chromosomal regions associated with Sclerotinia stem rot resistance as
      well as a novel region of chromosome 16. The seven elite germplasm lines were
      also re-evaluated within a greenhouse setting using a cut petiole technique with
      multiple S. sclerotiorum isolates to test the durability of physiological
      resistance of the lines in a controlled environment. This work presents a novel
      and comprehensive classical breeding method for selecting lines with
      physiological resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot and a range of agronomic traits.
      In these studies, we identify four germplasm lines; 91-38, 51-23, SSR51-70, and
      52-82B exhibiting a high level of Sclerotinia stem rot resistance combined with
      desirable agronomic traits, including high protein and oil contents. The
      germplasm identified in this study will serve as a valuable source of
      physiological resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot that could be improved through
      further breeding to generate high-yielding commercial soybean cultivars.

PMID- 28912791
TI  - Mycorrhizal Associations and Trophic Modes in Coexisting Orchids: An Ecological
      Continuum between Auto- and Mixotrophy.
AB  - Two distinct nutritional syndromes have been described in temperate green
      orchids. Most orchids form mycorrhizas with rhizoctonia fungi and are considered
      autotrophic. Some orchids, however, associate with fungi that simultaneously form
      ectomycorrhizas with surrounding trees and derive their carbon from these fungi.
      This evolutionarily derived condition has been called mixotrophy or partial
      mycoheterotrophy and is characterized by 13C enrichment and high N content.
      Although it has been suggested that the two major nutritional syndromes are
      clearly distinct and tightly linked to the composition of mycorrhizal
      communities, recent studies have challenged this assumption. Here, we
      investigated whether mycorrhizal communities and nutritional syndromes differed
      between seven green orchid species that co-occur under similar ecological
      conditions (coastal dune slacks). Our results showed that mycorrhizal communities
      differed significantly between orchid species. Rhizoctonia fungi dominated in
      Dactylorhiza sp., Herminium monorchis, and Epipactis palustris, which were
      autotrophic based on 13C and N content. Conversely, Liparis loeselii and
      Epipactis neerlandica associated primarily with ectomycorrhizal fungi but
      surprisingly, 13C and N content supported mixotrophy only in E. neerlandica.
      This, together with the finding of some ectomycorrhizal fungi in rhizoctonia
      associated orchids, suggests that there exists an ecological continuum between
      the two syndromes. The presence of a large number of indicator species
      associating with individual orchid species further confirms previous findings
      that mycorrhizal fungi may be important factors driving niche-partitioning in
      terrestrial orchids and therefore contribute to orchid coexistence.

PMID- 28912792
TI  - Genotypic Variation in Yield, Yield Components, Root Morphology and Architecture,
      in Soybean in Relation to Water and Phosphorus Supply.
AB  - Water shortage and low phosphorus (P) availability limit yields in soybean. Roots
      play important roles in water-limited and P-deficient environment, but the
      underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study we determined the
      responses of four soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes [Huandsedadou (HD),
      Bailudou (BLD), Jindou 21 (J21), and Zhonghuang 30 (ZH)] to three P levels
      [applied 0 (P0), 60 (P60), and 120 (P120) mg P kg-1 dry soil to the upper 0.4 m
      of the soil profile] and two water treatment [well-watered (WW) and water
      stressed (WS)] with special reference to root morphology and architecture, we
      compared yield and its components, root morphology and root architecture to find
      out which variety and/or what kind of root architecture had high grain yield
      under P and drought stress. The results showed that water stress and low P,
      respectively, significantly reduced grain yield by 60 and 40%, daily water use by
      66 and 31%, P accumulation by 40 and 80%, and N accumulation by 39 and 65%. The
      cultivar ZH with the lowest daily water use had the highest grain yield at P60
      and P120 under drought. Increased root length was positively associated with N
      and P accumulation in both the WW and WS treatments, but not with grain yield
      under water and P deficits. However, in the WS treatment, high adventitious and
      lateral root densities were associated with high N and P uptake per unit root
      length which in turn was significantly and positively associated with grain
      yield. Our results suggest that (1) genetic variation of grain yield, daily water
      use, P and N accumulation, and root morphology and architecture were observed
      among the soybean cultivars and ZH had the best yield performance under P and
      water limited conditions; (2) water has a major influence on nutrient uptake and
      grain yield, while additional P supply can modestly increase yields under drought
      in some soybean genotypes; (3) while conserved water use plays an important role
      in grain yield under drought, root traits also contribute to high nutrient uptake
      efficiency and benefit yield under drought.

PMID- 28912793
TI  - Diverse Rice Landraces of North-East India Enables the Identification of Novel
      Genetic Resources for Magnaporthe Resistance.
AB  - North-East (NE) India, the probable origin of rice has diverse genetic resources.
      Many rice landraces of NE India were not yet characterized for blast resistance.
      A set of 232 landraces of NE India, were screened for field resistance at two
      different hotspots of rice blast, viz., IIRR-UBN, Hyderabad and ICAR-NEH, Manipur
      in two consecutive seasons. The phenotypic evaluation as well as gene profiling
      for 12 major blast resistance genes (Pitp, Pi33, Pi54, Pib, Pi20, Pi38, Pita2,
      Pi1, Piz, Pi9, Pizt, and Pi40) with linked as well as gene-specific markers,
      identified 84 resistant landraces possessing different gene(s) either in singly
      or in combinations and also identified seven resistant landraces which do not
      have the tested genes, indicating the valuable genetic resources for blast
      resistance. To understand the molecular diversity existing in the population,
      distance and model based analysis were performed using 120 SSR markers. Results
      of both analyses are highly correlated by forming two distinct subgroups and the
      existence of high diversity (24.9% among the subgroups; 75.1% among individuals
      of each subgroup) was observed. To practically utilize the diversity in the
      breeding program, a robust core set having an efficiency index of 0.82 which
      consists of 33 landraces were identified through data of molecular, blast
      phenotyping, and important agro-morphological traits. The association of eight
      novel SSR markers for important agronomic traits which includes leaf and neck
      blast resistance was determined using genome-wide association analysis. The
      current study focuses on identifying novel resources having field resistance to
      blast as well as markers which can be explored in rice improvement programs. It
      also entails the development of a core set which can aid in representing the
      entire diversity for efficiently harnessing its properties to broaden the gene
      pool of rice.

PMID- 28912794
TI  - Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis during Bulbil Formation in Lilium
      lancifolium.
AB  - Aerial bulbils are an important propagative organ, playing an important role in
      population expansion. However, the detailed gene regulatory patterns and
      molecular mechanism underlying bulbil formation remain unclear. Triploid Lilium
      lancifolium, which develops many aerial bulbils on the leaf axils of middle-upper
      stem, is a useful species for investigating bulbil formation. To investigate the
      mechanism of bulbil formation in triploid L. lancifolium, we performed
      histological and transcriptomic analyses using samples of leaf axils located in
      the upper and lower stem of triploid L. lancifolium during bulbil formation.
      Histological results indicated that the bulbils of triploid L. lancifolium are
      derived from axillary meristems that initiate de novo from cells on the adaxial
      side of the petiole base. Transcriptomic analysis generated ~650 million high
      quality reads and 11,871 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Functional
      analysis showed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in starch and sucrose
      metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction. Starch synthesis and
      accumulation likely promoted the initiation of upper bulbils in triploid L.
      lancifolium. Hormone-associated pathways exhibited distinct patterns of change in
      each sample. Auxin likely promoted the initiation of bulbils and then inhibited
      further bulbil formation. High biosynthesis and low degradation of cytokinin
      might have led to bulbil formation in the upper leaf axil. The present study
      achieved a global transcriptomic analysis focused on gene expression changes and
      pathways' enrichment during upper bulbil formation in triploid L. lancifolium,
      laying a solid foundation for future molecular studies on bulbil formation.

PMID- 28912795
TI  - Different Growth and Physiological Responses of Six Subtropical Tree Species to
      Warming.
AB  - Quantifying changes in interspecific plant growth and physiology under climate
      warming will facilitate explanation of the shifts in community structure in
      subtropical forest. We evaluated the effects of 3 years climate warming (ca. 1
      degrees C, 2012-2015) on plant growth and physiological parameters of six
      subtropical tree species by translocating seedlings and soil from a higher to a
      lower elevation site. We found that an increase in soil/air temperature had
      divergent effects on six co-occurring species. Warming increased the biomass of
      Schima superba and Pinus massoniana, whereas it decreased their specific leaf
      area and intrinsic water use efficiency compared to other species. Warming
      decreased the foliar non-structural carbohydrates for all species. Our findings
      demonstrated that a warmer climate would have species-specific effects on the
      physiology and growth of subtropical trees, which may cause changes in the
      competitive balance and composition of these forests.

PMID- 28912796
TI  - A Low-Cost Imaging Method for the Temporal and Spatial Colorimetric Detection of
      Free Amines on Maize Root Surfaces.
AB  - Plant root exudates are important mediators in the interactions that occur
      between plants and microorganisms in the soil, yet much remains to be learned
      about spatial and temporal variation in their production. This work outlines a
      method utilizing a novel colorimetric paper to detect spatial and temporal
      changes in the production of nitrogen-containing compounds on the root surface.
      While existing methods have made it possible to conduct detailed analysis of root
      exudate composition, relatively less is known about where in the root system
      exudates are produced and how this localization changes as the root grows.
      Furthermore, there is much to learn about how exudate localization and
      composition varies in response to stress. Root exudates are chemically diverse
      secretions composed of organic acids, amino acids, proteins, sugars, and other
      metabolites. The sensor utilized for the method, ninhydrin, is a colorless
      substance in solution that reacts with free amino groups to form a purple dye. A
      detection paper was developed by formulating ninhydrin into a print solution that
      was uniformly deposited onto paper with a commercial ink jet printer. This
      "ninhydrin paper" was used to analyze the chemical makeup of root surfaces from
      maize seedlings grown vertically on germination paper. Through contact between
      the ninhydrin paper and seedling root surfaces, combined with images of both the
      seedlings and dried ninhydrin papers captured using a standard flatbed scanner,
      nitrogen-containing substances on the root surface can be localized and
      concentration of signal estimated for over 2 weeks of development. The method was
      found to be non-inhibiting to plant growth over the analysis period although
      damage to root hairs was observed. The method is sensitive in the detection of
      free amines at concentrations as little as 140 MUM. Furthermore, ninhydrin paper
      is stable, showing consistent color changes up to 2 weeks after printing. This
      relatively simple, low-cost method could contribute to a better understanding of
      root exudates and mechanisms used by plants to interact with the complex soil
      environment during growth and development.

PMID- 28912797
TI  - Corrigendum: Expression Level of the DREB2-Type Gene, Identified with Amplifluor
      SNP Markers, Correlates with Performance, and Tolerance to Dehydration in Bread
      Wheat Cultivars from Northern Kazakhstan.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 1736 in vol. 7, PMID: 27917186.].

PMID- 28912799
TI  - Triportheus albus Cope, 1872 in the Blackwater, Clearwater, and Whitewater of the
      Amazon: A Case of Phenotypic Plasticity?
AB  - The Amazon basin includes 1000s of bodies of water, that are sorted according to
      their color in three types: blackwater, clearwater, and whitewater, which
      significantly differ in terms of their physicochemical parameters. More than
      3,000 species of fish live in the rivers of the Amazon, among them, the sardine,
      Triportheus albus, which is one of the few species that inhabit all three types
      of water. The purpose of our study was to analyze if the gene expression of T.
      albus is determined by the different types of water, that is, if the species
      presents phenotypic plasticity to live in blackwater, clearwater, and whitewater.
      Gills of T. albus were collected at well-characterized sites for each type of
      water. Nine cDNA libraries were constructed, three biological replicates of each
      condition and the RNA was sequenced (RNA-Seq) on the MiSeq(r) Platform
      (Illumina(r)). A total of 51.6 million of paired-end reads, and 285,456
      transcripts were assembled. Considering the FDR <= 0.05 and fold change >= 2,
      13,754 differentially expressed genes were detected in the three water types. Two
      mechanisms related to homeostasis were detected in T. albus that live in
      blackwater, when compared to the ones in clearwater and whitewater. The acidic
      blackwater is a challenging environment for many types of aquatic organisms. The
      first mechanism is related to the decrease in cellular permeability, highlighting
      the genes coding for claudin proteins, actn4, itgb3b, DSP, Gap junction protein,
      and Ca2+-ATPase. The second with ionic and acid-base regulation [rhcg1, slc9a6a
      (NHE), ATP6V0A2, Na+/K+-ATPase, slc26a4 (pedrin) and slc4a4b]. We suggest T.
      albus is a good species of fish for future studies involving the ionic and acid
      base regulation of Amazonian species. We also concluded that, T. albus, shows
      well defined phenotypic plasticity for each water type in the Amazon basin.

PMID- 28912800
TI  - Gaze Estimation Method Using Analysis of Electrooculogram Signals and Kinect
      Sensor.
AB  - A gaze estimation system is one of the communication methods for severely
      disabled people who cannot perform gestures and speech. We previously developed
      an eye tracking method using a compact and light electrooculogram (EOG) signal,
      but its accuracy is not very high. In the present study, we conducted experiments
      to investigate the EOG component strongly correlated with the change of eye
      movements. The experiments in this study are of two types: experiments to see
      objects only by eye movements and experiments to see objects by face and eye
      movements. The experimental results show the possibility of an eye tracking
      method using EOG signals and a Kinect sensor.

PMID- 28912798
TI  - Comparative Genomic Analysis of the Human Gut Microbiome Reveals a Broad
      Distribution of Metabolic Pathways for the Degradation of Host-Synthetized Mucin
      Glycans and Utilization of Mucin-Derived Monosaccharides.
AB  - The colonic mucus layer is a dynamic and complex structure formed by secreted and
      transmembrane mucins, which are high-molecular-weight and heavily glycosylated
      proteins. Colonic mucus consists of a loose outer layer and a dense epithelium
      attached layer. The outer layer is inhabited by various representatives of the
      human gut microbiota (HGM). Glycans of the colonic mucus can be used by the HGM
      as a source of carbon and energy when dietary fibers are not sufficiently
      available. Both commensals and pathogens can utilize mucin glycans. Commensals
      are mostly involved in the cleavage of glycans, while pathogens mostly utilize
      monosaccharides released by commensals. This HGM-derived degradation of the mucus
      layer increases pathogen susceptibility and causes many other health disorders.
      Here, we analyzed 397 individual HGM genomes to identify pathways for the
      cleavage of host-synthetized mucin glycans to monosaccharides as well as for the
      catabolism of the derived monosaccharides. Our key results are as follows: (i)
      Genes for the cleavage of mucin glycans were found in 86% of the analyzed
      genomes, which significantly higher than a previous estimation. (ii) Genes for
      the catabolism of derived monosaccharides were found in 89% of the analyzed
      genomes. (iii) Comparative genomic analysis identified four alternative forms of
      the monosaccharide-catabolizing enzymes and four alternative forms of
      monosaccharide transporters. (iv) Eighty-five percent of the analyzed genomes may
      be involved in potential feeding pathways for the monosaccharides derived from
      cleaved mucin glycans. (v) The analyzed genomes demonstrated different abilities
      to degrade known mucin glycans. Generally, the ability to degrade at least one
      type of mucin glycan was predicted for 81% of the analyzed genomes. (vi) Eighty
      two percent of the analyzed genomes can form mutualistic pairs that are able to
      degrade mucin glycans and are not degradable by any of the paired organisms
      alone. Taken together, these findings provide further insight into the inter
      microbial communications of the HGM as well as into host-HGM interactions.

PMID- 28912801
TI  - Efficient Multiple Kernel Learning Algorithms Using Low-Rank Representation.
AB  - Unlike Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) allows
      datasets to be free to choose the useful kernels based on their distribution
      characteristics rather than a precise one. It has been shown in the literature
      that MKL holds superior recognition accuracy compared with SVM, however, at the
      expense of time consuming computations. This creates analytical and computational
      difficulties in solving MKL algorithms. To overcome this issue, we first develop
      a novel kernel approximation approach for MKL and then propose an efficient Low
      Rank MKL (LR-MKL) algorithm by using the Low-Rank Representation (LRR). It is
      well-acknowledged that LRR can reduce dimension while retaining the data features
      under a global low-rank constraint. Furthermore, we redesign the binary-class MKL
      as the multiclass MKL based on pairwise strategy. Finally, the recognition effect
      and efficiency of LR-MKL are verified on the datasets Yale, ORL, LSVT, and Digit.
      Experimental results show that the proposed LR-MKL algorithm is an efficient
      kernel weights allocation method in MKL and boosts the performance of MKL
      largely.

PMID- 28912802
TI  - Chaotic Image Encryption Algorithm Based on Bit Permutation and Dynamic DNA
      Encoding.
AB  - With the help of the fact that chaos is sensitive to initial conditions and
      pseudorandomness, combined with the spatial configurations in the DNA molecule's
      inherent and unique information processing ability, a novel image encryption
      algorithm based on bit permutation and dynamic DNA encoding is proposed here. The
      algorithm first uses Keccak to calculate the hash value for a given DNA sequence
      as the initial value of a chaotic map; second, it uses a chaotic sequence to
      scramble the image pixel locations, and the butterfly network is used to
      implement the bit permutation. Then, the image is coded into a DNA matrix
      dynamic, and an algebraic operation is performed with the DNA sequence to realize
      the substitution of the pixels, which further improves the security of the
      encryption. Finally, the confusion and diffusion properties of the algorithm are
      further enhanced by the operation of the DNA sequence and the ciphertext
      feedback. The results of the experiment and security analysis show that the
      algorithm not only has a large key space and strong sensitivity to the key but
      can also effectively resist attack operations such as statistical analysis and
      exhaustive analysis.

PMID- 28912803
TI  - Optimal Parameter Selection for Support Vector Machine Based on Artificial Bee
      Colony Algorithm: A Case Study of Grid-Connected PV System Power Prediction.
AB  - Predicting the output power of photovoltaic system with nonstationarity and
      randomness, an output power prediction model for grid-connected PV systems is
      proposed based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and support vector machine
      (SVM) optimized with an artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm. First, according
      to the weather forecast data sets on the prediction date, the time series data of
      output power on a similar day with 15-minute intervals are built. Second, the
      time series data of the output power are decomposed into a series of components,
      including some intrinsic mode components IMFn and a trend component Res, at
      different scales using EMD. The corresponding SVM prediction model is established
      for each IMF component and trend component, and the SVM model parameters are
      optimized with the artificial bee colony algorithm. Finally, the prediction
      results of each model are reconstructed, and the predicted values of the output
      power of the grid-connected PV system can be obtained. The prediction model is
      tested with actual data, and the results show that the power prediction model
      based on the EMD and ABC-SVM has a faster calculation speed and higher prediction
      accuracy than do the single SVM prediction model and the EMD-SVM prediction model
      without optimization.

PMID- 28912804
TI  - Assessment of Nutritional Status, Digestion and Absorption, and Quality of Life
      in Patients with Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: To provide a comprehensive quantitative assessment of
      nutritional status, digestion and absorption, and quality of life (QoL) in
      patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). METHODS: Sixteen
      patients with LAPC were prospectively assessed for weight loss (WL), body mass
      index (BMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI), handgrip strength (HGS), dietary
      macronutrient intake, serum vitamin levels, resting and total energy expenditure
      (REE and TEE, indirect calorimetry), intestinal absorption capacity and fecal
      losses (bomb calorimetry), exocrine pancreatic function (fecal elastase-1 (FE1)),
      and gastrointestinal quality of life (GIQLI). RESULTS: Two patients had a low
      BMI, 10 patients had WL > 10%/6 months, 8 patients had a FFMI < P10, and 8
      patients had a HGS < P10. Measured REE was 33% higher (P = 0.002) than predicted
      REE. TEE was significantly higher than daily energy intake (P = 0.047).
      Malabsorption (<85%) of energy, fat, protein, and carbohydrates was observed in,
      respectively, 9, 8, 12, and 10 patients. FE1 levels were low (<200 MUg/g) in 13
      patients. Total QoL scored 71% (ample satisfactory). CONCLUSION: Patients with
      LAPC have a severely impaired nutritional status, most likely as a result of an
      increased REE and malabsorption due to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The
      trial is registered with PANFIRE clinicaltrials.gov NCT01939665.

PMID- 28912805
TI  - Antifibrotic Effect of Lactulose on a Methotrexate-Induced Liver Injury Model.
AB  - The most severe side effect of prolonged MTX treatment is hepatotoxicity. The aim
      of this study is to investigate the effect of lactulose treatment on MTX-induced
      hepatotoxicity in a rat model. Twenty-four male rats were included in the study.
      Sixteen rats were given a single dose of 20 mg/kg MTX to induce liver injury.
      Eight rats were given no drugs. 16 MTX-given rats were divided into two equal
      groups. Group 1 subjects were given lactulose 5 g/kg/day, and group 2 subjects
      were given saline 1 ml/kg/day for 10 days. The rats were then sacrificed to
      harvest blood and liver tissue samples in order to determine blood and tissue
      MDA, serum ALT, plasma TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, and PTX3 levels. Histological
      specimens were examined via light microscopy. Exposure to MTX caused structural
      and functional hepatotoxicity, as evidenced by relatively worse histopathological
      scores and increased biochemical marker levels. Lactulose treatment significantly
      reduced the liver enzyme ALT, plasma TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, PTX3, and MDA levels
      and also decreased histological changes in the liver tissue with MTX-induced
      hepatotoxicity in the rat model. We suggest that lactulose has anti-inflammatory
      and antifibrotic effects on an MTX-induced liver injury model. These effects can
      be due to the impact of intestinal microbiome.

PMID- 28912806
TI  - Associations of Fatty Liver Disease with Hypertension, Diabetes, and
      Dyslipidemia: Comparison between Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.
AB  - Alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are
      representative types of fatty liver disease (FLD) and have similar histologic
      features. In this study, we aimed to compare the associations of the two FLD
      types with hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM), and dyslipidemia (DL). A
      nationwide survey investigating FLD status included 753 Japanese subjects (median
      age 55 years; male 440, female 313) with biopsy-proven ASH (n = 172) or NASH (n =
      581). We performed a multiple logistic regression analysis to identify the
      factors associated with HT, DM, or DL. Older age and a higher body mass index
      were significant factors associated with HT. Older age, female sex, a higher body
      mass index, advanced liver fibrosis, and the NASH type of FLD (odds ratio 2.77;
      95% confidence interval 1.78-4.31; P < 0.0001) were significant factors
      associated with DM. Finally, the NASH type of FLD (odds ratio 4.05; 95%
      confidence interval 2.63-6.24; P < 0.0001) was the only significant factor
      associated with DL. Thus, the associations of NASH with DM and DL were stronger
      than those of ASH with DM and DL. In the management of FLD subjects, controlling
      DM and DL is particularly important for NASH subjects.

PMID- 28912807
TI  - A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Twice Daily PPIs versus
      Once Daily for Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate whether PPIs BID is superior to QD for treatment of
      GERD in a short time. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus,
      EMBASE, Ovid, EBSCO, and Web of Science databases (from 1998 to May 2016) to
      select RCTs, which compared the efficacy of PPIs BID versus QD for GERD. The
      primary outcomes were symptom relief or esophageal mucosal healing at weeks 4 and
      8. The M-H method with fixed-effect or random-effect model was used to calculate
      RR and 95% CIs. RESULTS: Seven RCTs were enrolled. The esophageal healing rates
      were higher in PPIs BID group (P = 0.01), and rabeprazole 20 mg BID can achieve
      better mucosal healing than 20 mg QD after 8 weeks (P < 0.05). However, no
      significant differences were observed in heartburn relief (P = 0.27), sustained
      symptom relief rates at week 4 (P = 0.05), 24 h pH monitoring after treatment (P
      = 0.11), endoscopic response at week 4 (P = 0.22), and adverse events (P = 0.18).
      CONCLUSION: PPIs BID more effectively improve endoscopic healing rate at week 8
      than PPIs QD. But there are no significant differences in symptom relief, 24 h pH
      monitoring, sustained symptom relief, and endoscopic response at week 4.

PMID- 28912808
TI  - Association of Polymorphisms in Toll-Like Receptors 4 and 9 with Autoimmune
      Thyroid Disease in Korean Pediatric Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been suggested to be associated with
      the development of AITD. METHODS: Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 7
      TLR genes were analyzed in 104 Korean children (girls = 86, boys = 18) with AITD
      (Hashimoto disease (HD) = 44, Graves' disease (GD) = 60, thyroid-associated
      ophthalmopathy (TAO) = 29, and non-TAO = 31) with 183 controls. RESULTS: GD
      showed higher frequencies of the TLR4 rs1927911 C allele than control. TAO showed
      a lower frequency of the TLR4 rs1927911 CT genotype and non-TAO showed a higher
      frequency of the TLR4 rs1927911 CC genotype than control. The frequency of the
      TLR9 rs187084 CC genotype in TAO was higher than that in non-TAO. GD females
      showed a higher frequency of the TLR4 rs10759932 T allele, rs1927911 CC genotype,
      and the rs1927911 C allele than controls. GD males showed a higher frequency of
      the TLR4 rs10759932 CC genotype and rs1927911 TT genotype and lower frequency of
      the rs1927911 CT genotype than control. The frequency of the TLR4 rs10759932 CC
      genotype, C allele and rs1927911 TT genotype, and T allele in a GD female were
      lower than in a GD male. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that TLR4 and 9
      polymorphisms might contribute to the pathogenesis of GD and TAO.

PMID- 28912809
TI  - The Biphasic Effect of Vitamin D on the Musculoskeletal and Cardiovascular
      System.
AB  - This narrative review summarizes beneficial and harmful vitamin D effects on the
      musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system. Special attention is paid to the dose
      response relationship of vitamin D with clinical outcomes. In infants and adults,
      the risk of musculoskeletal diseases is highest at circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin
      D (25OHD) concentrations below 25 nmol/L and is low if 40-60 nmol/L are achieved.
      However, evidence is also accumulating that in elderly people the risk of falls
      and fractures increases again at circulating 25OHD levels > 100 nmol/L. Cohort
      studies report a progressive increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD) events at
      25OHD levels < 50 nmol/L. Nevertheless, meta-analyses of randomized controlled
      trials suggest only small beneficial effects of vitamin D supplements on
      surrogate parameters of CVD risk and no reduction in CVD events. Evidence is
      accumulating for adverse vitamin D effects on CVD outcomes at 25OHD levels > 100
      nmol/L, but the threshold may be influenced by the level of physical activity. In
      conclusion, dose-response relationships indicate deleterious effects on the
      musculoskeletal system and probably on the cardiovascular system at circulating
      25OHD levels < 40-60 nmol/L and >100 nmol/L. Future studies should focus on
      populations with 25OHD levels < 40 nmol/L and should avoid vitamin D doses
      achieving 25OHD levels > 100 nmol/L.

PMID- 28912811
TI  - Corrigendum to "In Vitro Antioxidant Treatment of Semen Samples in Assisted
      Reproductive Technology: Effects of Myo-Inositol on Nemaspermic Parameters".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/2839041.].

PMID- 28912810
TI  - Latent Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Adipose Tissue.
AB  - Obesity is a growing problem in modern society and medicine. It closely
      associates with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and
      hepatic and cardiovascular diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,
      atherosclerosis, myocarditis, and hypertension. Obesity is often associated with
      latent inflammation; however, the link between inflammation, obesity, T2DM, and
      cardiovascular diseases is still poorly understood. Insulin resistance is the
      earliest feature of metabolic disorders. It mostly develops as a result of
      dysregulated insulin signaling in insulin-sensitive cells, as compared to
      inactivating mutations in insulin receptor or signaling proteins that occur
      relatively rare. Here, we argue that inflammatory signaling provides a link
      between latent inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic
      disorders. We further hypothesize that insulin-activated PI3-kinase pathway and
      inflammatory signaling mediated by several IkappaB kinases may constitute
      negative feedback leading to insulin resistance at least in the fat tissue.
      Finally, we discuss perspectives for anti-inflammatory therapies in treating the
      metabolic diseases.

PMID- 28912812
TI  - The Influence of Sweet Taste Perception on Dietary Intake in Relation to Dental
      Caries and BMI in Saudi Arabian Schoolchildren.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of sweet taste
      perception on dietary habits in Saudi schoolchildren. In addition, the
      relationship between dietary habits and both caries and BMI was studied. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional observational study comprising 225 schoolchildren aged 13-15
      years from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was conducted. The consumption frequency of
      certain food items was analysed from a beverage and snack questionnaire and a
      three-day estimated dietary record was obtained. The sweet taste perception level
      was determined as sweet taste threshold (TT) and sweet taste preference (TP).
      Children were grouped into low, medium, and high, according to their sweet taste
      perception level. ICDAS and DMFS indices were used for caries registration and
      anthropometric measurements using BMI were collected. RESULTS: Sweet taste
      perception was found to be negatively correlated to the number of main meals and
      positively correlated to both snack and sweet intake occasions. Statistically
      significant differences were found between the TT and TP groups with regard to
      the number of main meals and sweet intake (p <= 0.01). No significant correlation
      between the dietary variables and caries or BMI was found. CONCLUSIONS: The
      dietary habits and sweet intake were found to be influenced by the sweet taste
      perception level, while the relation between the dietary habits and the caries
      and BMI was found insignificant.

PMID- 28912813
TI  - Silicone Substrate with Collagen and Carbon Nanotubes Exposed to Pulsed Current
      for MSC Osteodifferentiation.
AB  - Autologous human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the
      potential for clinical translation through their induction into osteoblasts for
      regeneration. Bone healing can be driven by biophysical stimulation using
      electricity for activating quiescent adult stem cells. It is hypothesized that
      application of electric current will enhance their osteogenic differentiation,
      and addition of conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to the cell substrate will
      provide increased efficiency in current transmission. Cultured MSCs were seeded
      and grown onto fabricated silicone-based composites containing collagen and CNT
      fibers. Chemical inducers, namely, glycerol phosphate, dexamethasone, and vitamin
      C, were then added to the medium, and pulsatile submilliampere electrical
      currents (about half mA for 5 cycles at 4 mHz, twice a week) were applied for two
      weeks. Calcium deposition indicative of MSC differentiation and osteoblastic
      activity was quantified through Alizarin Red S and spectroscopy. It was found
      that pulsed current significantly increased osteodifferentiation on silicone
      collagen films without CNTs. Under no external current, the presence of 10% (m/m)
      CNTs led to a significant and almost triple upregulation of calcium deposition.
      Both CNTs and current parameters did not appear to be synergistic. These
      conditions of enhanced osteoblastic activities may further be explored ultimately
      towards future therapeutic use of MSCs.

PMID- 28912814
TI  - Effect of Antioxidant Water on the Bioactivities of Cells.
AB  - It has been reported that water at the interface of a hydrophilic thin film forms
      an exclusion zone, which has a higher density than ordinary water. A similar
      phenomenon was observed for a hydrated hydrophilic ceramic powder, and water
      turns into a three-dimensional cell-like structure composed of high density water
      and low density water. This structured water appears to have a stimulative effect
      on plant growth. This report outlines our study of antioxidant properties of this
      structured water and its effect on cell bioactivities. Culturing media which were
      prepared utilizing this antioxidant structured water promoted the viability of
      RAW 264.7 macrophage cells by up to three times. The same tendency was observed
      for other cells including IEC-6, C2C12, and 3T3-L1. Also, the cytokine expression
      of the splenocytes taken from a mouse spleen increased in the same manner. The
      water also appears to suppress the viability of cancer cell, MCF-7. These results
      strongly suggest that the structured water helps the activities of normal cells
      while suppressing those of malignant cells.

PMID- 28912815
TI  - Feasibility of Metatranscriptome Analysis from Infant Gut Microbiota: Adaptation
      to Solid Foods Results in Increased Activity of Firmicutes at Six Months.
AB  - Newborns are rapidly colonized by microbes and their intestinal tracts contain
      highly dynamic and rapidly developing microbial communities in the first months
      of life. In this study, we describe the feasibility of isolating mRNA from
      rapidly processed faecal samples and applying deep RNA-Seq analysis to provide
      insight into the active contributors of the microbial community in early life.
      Specific attention is given to the impact of removing rRNA from the mRNA on the
      phylogenetic and transcriptional profiling and its analysis depth. A breastfed
      baby was followed in the first six months of life during adaptation to solid
      food, dairy products, and formula. It was found that, in the weaning period, the
      total transcriptional activity of Actinobacteria, mainly represented by
      Bifidobacterium, decreased while that of Firmicutes increased over time.
      Moreover, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, including the canonical Bifidobacteria
      as well as Collinsella, were found to be important contributors to carbohydrate
      fermentation and vitamin biosynthesis in the infant intestine. Finally, the
      expression of Lactobacillus rhamnosus-like genes was detected, likely following
      transfer from the mother who consumed L. rhamnosus GG. The study indicates that
      metatranscriptome analysis of the infant gut microbiota is feasible on infant
      stool samples and can be used to provide insight into the core activities of the
      developing community.

PMID- 28912816
TI  - Review of Current Immunologic Therapies for Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
AB  - Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, recurrent, inflammatory disease of
      apocrine gland-bearing skin which affects approximately 1-4% of the population.
      The disease is more common in women and patients of African American descent and
      approximately one-third of patients report a family history. Obesity and smoking
      are known risk factors, but associations with other immune disorders, especially
      inflammatory bowel disease, are also recognized. The pathogenesis of HS is poorly
      understood and host innate or adaptive immune response, defective keratinocyte
      function, and the microbial environment in the hair follicle and apocrine gland
      have all been postulated to play a role in disease activity. While surgical
      interventions can be helpful to reduce disease burden, there is a high recurrence
      rate. Increasingly, data supports targeted immune therapy for HS, and
      longitudinal studies suggest benefit from these agents, both when used alone and
      as an adjunct to surgical treatments. The purpose of this review is to outline
      the current data supporting use of targeted immune therapy in HS management.

PMID- 28912817
TI  - The Effects of Vitamin D Supplement on Prevention of Recurrence of Preeclampsia
      in Pregnant Women with a History of Preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific syndrome. One of the
      hypotheses concerning the etiology of preeclampsia is vitamin D deficiency during
      pregnancy. METHOD AND MATERIALS: The present study is a randomized controlled
      clinical trial which aims to determine the effect of vitamin D supplement on
      reducing the probability of recurrent preeclampsia. 72 patients were placed in
      control group while 70 patients were randomized to the intervention group. The
      intervention group received a 50000 IU pearl vitamin D3 once every two weeks. The
      control group was administered placebo. Vitamin D or placebo was given until the
      36th week of pregnancy. RESULTS: The patients in intervention group have
      significantly lower (P value = 0.036) probability of preeclampsia than patients
      in the control group. The risk of preeclampsia for the control group was 1.94
      times higher than that for the intervention group (95% CI 1.02, 3.71).
      CONCLUSION: The intended intervention (i.e., prescription of vitamin D) has a
      protective effect against recurrent preeclampsia. Vitamin D supplementation
      therapy in pregnancy could help in reducing the incidence of gestational
      hypertension/preeclampsia. REGISTRATION: This study has been registered in
      Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) site with ID number
      IRCT2017010131695N1.

PMID- 28912818
TI  - A Successfully Treated Case of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Causing Severe
      Anemia and Localized Peritonitis Showing Angina Pectoris Resulting in Watershed
      Cerebral Infarction.
AB  - Ischemic stroke following acute myocardial infarction is a rare but a serious
      complication. Because the pathophysiology of stroke is dynamic, it is often hard
      to identify the cause of stroke. Here, we present the case of a 75-year-old man
      with ischemic stroke following angina pectoris caused by severe anemia and
      localized peritonitis due to gastrointestinal stromal tumor of small intestine.
      On admission, he showed consciousness disturbance, fever, and left hemiplegia.
      The electrocardiogram on admission showed ST-segment depression in V2 to V6 which
      was normalized 4 hours later. The ultrasound cardiogram showed the mild
      hypokinesis in the apical portion of left ventricle which was also normalized
      later. The magnetic resonance imaging and angiography showed ischemic stroke in
      watershed area between right anterior and middle cerebral arteries area and
      stenosis of distal portion of right middle cerebral artery. The computed
      tomography of abdomen showed a mass of small intestine. We decided to perform
      curative surgery after transfusion and successfully resected the mass of the
      small intestine, which was revealed to be a gastrointestinal stromal tumor
      (GIST). This is a successfully treated case of GIST in which the complicated
      pathophysiology of watershed cerebral infarction following angina pectoris might
      be clearly revealed.

PMID- 28912819
TI  - Large Subcapsular Splenic Hematoma with a Large Pancreatic Pseudocyst Was
      Successfully Treated with Splenic Arterial Embolization and Ultrasound-Guided
      Percutaneous Drainage of Pancreatic Pseudocyst.
AB  - Subcapsular splenic hematoma is a rare complication of pancreatitis. The
      management for subcapsular splenic hematoma remains controversial. We herein
      report a case of a large subcapsular splenic hematoma with a large pancreatic
      pseudocyst, which was successfully treated with splenic arterial embolization and
      ultrasound- (US-) guided percutaneous drainage of pancreatic pseudocyst, for the
      first time. A 44-year-old male suffered from recurrent abdominal pain for more
      than two years. He had previous 3 episodes of pancreatitis. A subcapsular splenic
      hematoma (16.0 * 16.0 * 7.6 cm) with pancreatic pseudocyst (13.5 * 10.0 * 8.0 cm)
      was shown on abdominal computed tomography (CT). He underwent splenic arterial
      embolization to decrease the blood supply of the spleen and then ultrasound
      guided percutaneous drainage of the large pancreatic pseudocyst. After 2 weeks,
      the repeated CT-Abdomen showed the disappearance of pancreatic pseudocyst and
      multiple areas of infarction on the spleen, while the splenic subcapsular
      hematoma had also significantly reduced. The patient was discharged after almost
      a month of his hospital admission with the drainage tube attached, and about 2
      weeks later the drainage tube was removed upon CT scan confirmation of decrease
      in the volume of the subcapsular hematoma. Patient had no abdominal symptoms at
      the 1.5-year follow-up.

PMID- 28912820
TI  - Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis with Myocarditis and Ventricular Tachycardia.
AB  - Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), previously known as Wegener's
      granulomatosis, is a pulmonary-renal syndrome affecting small and medium sized
      blood vessels. The disease has a prevalence in studies ranging from 3 to 15.7
      cases per 100,000, with a noted increasing incidence and prevalence in more
      recent studies. Pulmonary manifestations include hemorrhage, lung cavitary
      lesions, and pulmonary fibrosis. Within the kidney, GPA is known to cause rapidly
      progressive pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis. Rare and severe
      cardiovascular manifestations include pericarditis, arrhythmias, myocarditis, and
      aortic valve disease. Our patient is a 43-year-old female with typical pulmonary
      and renal lesions from GPA and also acute myocarditis, multiple episodes of
      ventricular tachycardia, and a severe reactive thrombocytosis.

PMID- 28912821
TI  - Thyrotoxicosis and Choledocholithiasis Masquerading as Thyroid Storm.
AB  - A 26-year-old female, thirteen months postpartum, presented to the emergency
      department for four weeks of epigastric abdominal pain, pruritus, new onset
      jaundice, and 11.3 kgs (25 lbs) unintentional weight loss. On examination, she
      was afebrile, tachycardic, alert, and oriented and had jaundice with scleral
      icterus. Labs were significant for undetectable TSH, FT4 that was too high to
      measure, and elevated total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase,
      and transaminases. Abdominal ultrasound revealed cholelithiasis without biliary
      ductal dilation. Treatment for presumed thyroid storm was initiated. Further work
      up with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed an
      obstructing cholelith within the distal common bile duct. With the presence of
      choledocholithiasis explaining the jaundice and abdominal pain, plus the absence
      of CNS alterations, the diagnosis of thyroid storm was revised to thyrotoxicosis
      complicated by choledocholithiasis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram
      (ERCP) with sphincterotomy was performed to alleviate the biliary obstruction,
      with prompt symptomatic improvement. Thyroid storm is a rare manifestation of
      hyperthyroidism with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of
      thyroid storm is based on clinical examination, and abnormal thyroid function
      tests do not correlate with disease severity. Knowledge of the many
      manifestations of thyroid storm will facilitate a quick and accurate diagnosis
      and treatment.

PMID- 28912822
TI  - A Rare Case of Cavitary Lesion of the Lung Caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae in an
      Immunocompetent Patient.
AB  - Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an atypical bacterium that most commonly causes upper
      respiratory tract infections, but it can also cause pneumonia, referred to as
      "walking pneumonia." Although cavitary lesions are present in a wide variety of
      infectious and noninfectious processes, those attributable to M. pneumoniae are
      extremely uncommon; thus, to date, epidemiological studies are lacking. Here, we
      present a rare case of a 20-year-old male, referred to us from a psychiatric
      facility for evaluation of a cough, who was found to have a cavitary lesion in
      the right upper lobe. An extensive workup for cavitary lesion was negative, but
      his mycoplasma IgM level was high. A computed tomography (CT) of the chest
      confirmed the presence of a cavitary lesion. After treatment with levofloxacin
      antibiotics, a follow-up CT showed complete resolution of the lesion. Our case is
      a rare presentation of mycoplasma pneumonia as a cavitary lesion in a patient
      without any known risk factors predisposing to mycoplasma infection. Early
      recognition and treatment with an appropriate antibiotic may lead to complete
      resolution of the cavitary lesion.

PMID- 28912823
TI  - Assessment of Environmental Attitudes and Risk Perceptions among University
      Students in Mersin, Turkey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental destruction is one of the most important problems in
      this century. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the environmental
      attitudes and perceived risks associated with environmental factors of the
      students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 7 faculties of
      Mersin University. The research data were collected using a questionnaire. The
      questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, the "Environmental
      Attitudes Scale," and the "Environmental Risk Perception Scale." 774 students who
      filled out questionnaires were evaluated. RESULTS: The sample included 55.8%
      females. Environmental Attitudes Scale mean scores of students were identified as
      81.1 +/- 11.3. The highest perceived risk was release of radioactive materials
      associated with nuclear power generation. The environmental attitudes and risk
      perception scores were higher in Health Sciences than in the other faculties.
      Females were more positive towards the environment and had higher risk
      perceptions than the men. There is a negative correlation between age and
      resource depletion risk and global environmental risk score. CONCLUSION: Students
      had a positive attitude to the environment and had moderate-level risk perception
      about the environment. Environmental awareness of students, especially those
      studying in the Social Sciences, should be increased. The environmental education
      curriculum should be revised throughout all the courses.

PMID- 28912824
TI  - Prevalence and Correlates of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among
      Patients with Lung Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study in Beirut, Lebanon.
AB  - Patients with lung cancer are increasingly seeking complementary and alternative
      medicine (CAM) to improve their physiological and psychological well-being. This
      study aimed to assess CAM use among lung cancer patients in Lebanon. Using a
      cross-sectional design, 150 lung cancer patients attending the Basile Cancer
      Institute at the American University of Beirut Medical Center were interviewed.
      Participants completed a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic
      characteristics, lung cancer condition, and use of CAM. The main outcome of
      interest was "use of any CAM therapy since diagnosis." Prevalence of CAM use was
      41%. The most commonly used CAM modality among study participants was "dietary
      supplements/special foods." Results of the multiple logistic regression analyses
      showed that CAM use was positively associated with Lebanese nationality and
      paying for treatment out of pocket and was negatively associated with
      unemployment and having other chronic diseases. About 10% of patients used CAM on
      an alternative base, 58% did not disclose CAM use to their physician, and only 2%
      cited health professionals as influencing their choice of CAM. This study
      revealed a prevalent CAM use among lung cancer patients in Lebanon, with a
      marginal role for physicians in guiding this use. Promoting an open-communication
      and a patient-centered approach regarding CAM use is warranted.

PMID- 28912825
TI  - Randomised and non-randomised studies to estimate the effect of community-level
      public health interventions: definitions and methodological considerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The preferred method to evaluate public health interventions
      delivered at the level of whole communities is the cluster randomised trial
      (CRT). The practical limitations of CRTs and the need for alternative methods
      continue to be debated. There is no consensus on how to classify study designs to
      evaluate interventions, and how different design features are related to the
      strength of evidence. ANALYSIS: This article proposes that most study designs for
      the evaluation of cluster-level interventions fall into four broad categories:
      the CRT, the non-randomised cluster trial (NCT), the controlled before-and-after
      study (CBA), and the before-and-after study without control (BA). A CRT needs to
      fulfil two basic criteria: (1) the intervention is allocated at random; (2) there
      are sufficient clusters to allow a statistical between-arm comparison. In a NCT,
      statistical comparison is made across trial arms as in a CRT, but treatment
      allocation is not random. The defining feature of a CBA is that intervention and
      control arms are not compared directly, usually because there are insufficient
      clusters in each arm to allow a statistical comparison. Rather, baseline and
      follow-up measures of the outcome of interest are compared in the intervention
      arm, and separately in the control arm. A BA is a CBA without a control group.
      CONCLUSION: Each design may provide useful or misleading evidence. A precise
      baseline measurement of the outcome of interest is critical for causal inference
      in all studies except CRTs. Apart from statistical considerations the exploration
      of pre/post trends in the outcome allows a more transparent discussion of study
      weaknesses than is possible in non-randomised studies without a baseline measure.

PMID- 28912826
TI  - Can yesterday's smoking research inform today's shiftwork research?
      Epistemological consequences for exposures and doses due to circadian disruption
      at and off work.
AB  - In 1950, landmark epidemiology studies by Wynder & Graham and Doll & Hill
      contributed to identifying smoking as a potent carcinogen. In 2007, IARC
      classified shiftwork involving circadian disruption (CD) as probably
      carcinogenic; however, epidemiological evidence in regards to the carcinogenicity
      of shiftwork that involves nightwork is conflicting. We hypothesize that
      shiftwork research is lacking chronobiological and methodological rigor and that
      lessons can be learned from comparison with smoking research. Herein, we provide
      a factual view at, and a fictional case study of, 1940s smoking research which
      serves as an analogy for current shiftwork research dilemmas. This analogy takes
      the form of limiting counting cigarettes to a particular time window (i.e. at
      work) rather than assessing exposures to, and doses of, accumulated smoking over
      24 h, highlighting the importance of exposure and dose. Simply put, smoking
      insights could have been delayed or even disallowed. In conclusion, CD may be
      similar to smoking insofar as for quantitative measures of cumulative doses,
      exposures both at and off work may have to be considered. Future work must
      explore whether such similarity factually exists and whether CD is a cancer
      hazard in IARC terms.

PMID- 28912827
TI  - Development of TaqMan probes targeting the four major celiac disease epitopes
      found in alpha-gliadin sequences of spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) and
      bread wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is caused by specific sequences of gluten
      proteins found in cereals such as bread wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum)
      and spelt (T. aestivum ssp. spelta). Among them, the alpha-gliadins display the
      highest immunogenicity, with four T-cell stimulatory epitopes. The toxicity of
      each epitope sequence can be reduced or even suppressed according to the allelic
      form of each sequence. One way to address the CD problem would be to make use of
      this allelic variability in breeding programs to develop safe varieties, but
      tools to track the presence of toxic epitopes are required. The objective of this
      study was to develop a tool to accurately detect and quantify the immunogenic
      content of expressed alpha-gliadins of spelt and bread wheat. RESULTS: Four
      TaqMan probes that only hybridize to the canonical-i.e. toxic-form of each of the
      four epitopes were developed and their specificity was demonstrated. Six TaqMan
      probes targeting stable reference genes were also developed and constitute a tool
      to normalize qPCR data. The probes were used to measure the epitope expression
      levels of 11 contrasted spelt accessions and three ancestral diploid accessions
      of bread wheat and spelt. A high expression variability was highlighted among
      epitopes and among accessions, especially in Asian spelts, which showed lower
      epitope expression levels than the other spelts. Some discrepancies were
      identified between the canonical epitope expression level and the global amount
      of expressed alpha-gliadins, which makes the designed TaqMan probes a useful tool
      to quantify the immunogenic potential independently of the global amount of
      expressed alpha-gliadins. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in this study provide
      useful tools to study the immunogenic potential of expressed alpha-gliadin
      sequences from Triticeae accessions such as spelt and bread wheat. The
      application of the designed probes to contrasted spelt accessions revealed a high
      variability and interesting low canonical epitope expression levels in the Asian
      spelt accessions studied.

PMID- 28912828
TI  - Dendritic Immunotherapy Improvement for an Optimal Control Murine Model.
AB  - Therapeutic protocols in immunotherapy are usually proposed following the
      intuition and experience of the therapist. In order to deduce such protocols
      mathematical modeling, optimal control and simulations are used instead of the
      therapist's experience. Clinical efficacy of dendritic cell (DC) vaccines to
      cancer treatment is still unclear, since dendritic cells face several obstacles
      in the host environment, such as immunosuppression and poor transference to the
      lymph nodes reducing the vaccine effect. In view of that, we have created a
      mathematical murine model to measure the effects of dendritic cell injections
      admitting such obstacles. In addition, the model considers a therapy given by
      bolus injections of small duration as opposed to a continual dose. Doses timing
      defines the therapeutic protocols, which in turn are improved to minimize the
      tumor mass by an optimal control algorithm. We intend to supplement therapist's
      experience and intuition in the protocol's implementation. Experimental results
      made on mice infected with melanoma with and without therapy agree with the
      model. It is shown that the dendritic cells' percentage that manages to reach the
      lymph nodes has a crucial impact on the therapy outcome. This suggests that
      efforts in finding better methods to deliver DC vaccines should be pursued.

PMID- 28912829
TI  - Mental health leadership and patient access to care: a public-private initiative
      in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mental health leadership is a critical component of patient access to
      care. More specifically, the ability of mental health professionals to articulate
      the needs of patients, formulate strategies and engage meaningfully at the
      appropriate level in pursuit of resources. This is not a skill set routinely
      taught to mental health professionals. METHODS: A public-private mental health
      leadership initiative, emanating from a patient access to care programme, was
      developed with the aim of building leadership capacity within the South African
      public mental health sector. The express aim was to equip health care
      professionals with the requisite skills to more effectively advocate for their
      patients. The initiative involved participants from various sites within South
      Africa. Inclusion was based on the proposal of an ongoing "project", i.e. a
      clinician-initiated service development with a multidisciplinary focus. The
      projects were varied in nature but all involved identification of and a plan for
      addressing an aspect of the participants' daily professional work which
      negatively impacted on patient care due to unmet needs. Six such projects were
      included and involved 15 participants, comprising personnel from psychiatry,
      psychology, occupational therapy and nursing. Each project group was formally
      mentored as part of the initiative, with mentors being senior professionals with
      expertise in psychiatry, public health and nursing. The programme design thus
      provided a unique practical dimension in which skills and learnings were applied
      to the projects with numerous and diverse outcomes. RESULTS: Benefits were noted
      by participants but extended beyond the individuals to the health institutions in
      which they worked and the patients that they served. Participants acquired both
      the skills and the confidence which enabled them to sustain the changes that they
      themselves had initiated in their institutions. The initiative gave impetus to
      the inclusion of public mental health as part of the curriculum for specialist
      training. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the significant adverse social and economic costs
      of mental illness, psychiatric and related services receive a low level of
      priority within the health care system. Ensuring that mental health receives the
      recognition and the resources it deserves requires that mental health care
      professionals become effective advocates through mental health leadership.

PMID- 28912831
TI  - Genome sequencing and transcriptome analysis of Trichoderma reesei QM9978 strain
      reveals a distal chromosome translocation to be responsible for loss of vib1
      expression and loss of cellulase induction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The hydrolysis of biomass to simple sugars used for the production of
      biofuels in biorefineries requires the action of cellulolytic enzyme mixtures.
      During the last 50 years, the ascomycete Trichoderma reesei, the main source of
      industrial cellulase and hemicellulase cocktails, has been subjected to several
      rounds of classical mutagenesis with the aim to obtain higher production levels.
      During these random genetic events, strains unable to produce cellulases were
      generated. Here, whole genome sequencing and transcriptomic analyses of the
      cellulase-negative strain QM9978 were used for the identification of mutations
      underlying this cellulase-negative phenotype. RESULTS: Sequence comparison of the
      cellulase-negative strain QM9978 to the reference strain QM6a identified a total
      of 43 mutations, of which 33 were located either close to or in coding regions.
      From those, we identified 23 single-nucleotide variants, nine InDels, and one
      translocation. The translocation occurred between chromosomes V and VII, is
      located upstream of the putative transcription factor vib1, and abolishes its
      expression in QM9978 as detected during the transcriptomic analyses. Ectopic
      expression of vib1 under the control of its native promoter as well as
      overexpression of vib1 under the control of a strong constitutive promoter
      restored cellulase expression in QM9978, thus confirming that the translocation
      event is the reason for the cellulase-negative phenotype. Gene deletion of vib1
      in the moderate producer strain QM9414 and in the high producer strain Rut-C30
      reduced cellulase expression in both cases. Overexpression of vib1 in QM9414 and
      Rut-C30 had no effect on cellulase production, most likely because vib1 is
      already expressed at an optimal level under normal conditions. CONCLUSION: We
      were able to establish a link between a chromosomal translocation in QM9978 and
      the cellulase-negative phenotype of the strain. We identified the transcription
      factor vib1 as a key regulator of cellulases in T. reesei whose expression is
      absent in QM9978. We propose that in T. reesei, as in Neurospora crassa, vib1 is
      involved in cellulase induction, although the exact mechanism remains to be
      elucidated. The data presented here show an example of a combined genome
      sequencing and transcriptomic approach to explain a specific trait, in this case
      the QM9978 cellulase-negative phenotype, and how it helps to better understand
      the mechanisms during cellulase gene regulation. When focusing on mutations on
      the single base-pair level, changes on the chromosome level can be easily
      overlooked and through this work we provide an example that stresses the
      importance of the big picture of the genomic landscape during analysis of
      sequencing data.

PMID- 28912830
TI  - In vitro oxidative decarboxylation of free fatty acids to terminal alkenes by two
      new P450 peroxygenases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: P450 fatty acid decarboxylases represented by the unusual CYP152
      peroxygenase family member OleTJE have been receiving great attention recently
      since these P450 enzymes are able to catalyze the simple and direct production of
      1-alkenes for potential applications in biofuels and biomaterials. To gain more
      mechanistic insights, broader substrate spectra, and improved decarboxylative
      activities, it is demanded to discover and investigate more P450 fatty acid
      decarboxylases. RESULTS: Here, we describe for the first time the expression,
      purification, and in vitro biochemical characterization of two new CYP152
      peroxygenases, CYP-Aa162 and CYP-Sm46Delta29, that are capable of decarboxylating
      straight-chain saturated fatty acids. Both enzymes were found to catalyze the
      decarboxylation and hydroxylation of a broad range of free fatty acids (C10-C20)
      with overlapping substrate specificity, yet distinct chemoselectivity. CYP
      Sm46Delta29 works primarily as a fatty (lauric) acid decarboxylase (66.1 +/- 3.9%
      1-undecene production) while CYP-Aa162 more as a fatty (lauric) acid hydroxylase
      (72.2 +/- 0.9% hydroxy lauric acid production). Notably, the optical
      spectroscopic analysis of functional CYP-Sm46Delta29 revealed no characteristic
      P450 band, suggesting a unique heme coordination environment. Active-site
      mutagenesis analysis showed that substitution with the proposed key
      decarboxylation-modulating residues, His85 and Ile170, enhanced the
      decarboxylation activity of CYP-Aa162 and P450BSbeta, emphasizing the importance
      of these residues in directing the decarboxylation pathway. Furthermore, the
      steady-state kinetic analysis of CYP-Aa162 and CYP-Sm46Delta29 revealed both
      cooperative and substrate inhibition behaviors which are substrate carbon chain
      length dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Our data identify CYP-Sm46Delta29 as an efficient
      OleTJE-like fatty acid decarboxylase. Oxidative decarboxylation chemoselectivity
      of the CYP152 decarboxylases is largely dependent upon the carbon chain length of
      fatty acid substrates and their precise positioning in the enzyme active site.
      Finally, the kinetic mode analysis of the enzymes could provide important
      guidance for future process design.

PMID- 28912832
TI  - Unique organization and unprecedented diversity of the Bacteroides
      (Pseudobacteroides) cellulosolvens cellulosome system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: (Pseudo) Bacteroides cellulosolvens is an anaerobic, mesophilic,
      cellulolytic, cellulosome-producing clostridial bacterium capable of utilizing
      cellulose and cellobiose as carbon sources. Recently, we sequenced the B.
      cellulosolvens genome, and subsequent comprehensive bioinformatic analysis,
      herein reported, revealed an unprecedented number of cellulosome-related
      components, including 78 cohesin modules scattered among 31 scaffoldins and more
      than 200 dockerin-bearing ORFs. In terms of numbers, the B. cellulosolvens
      cellulosome system represents the most intricate, compositionally diverse
      cellulosome system yet known in nature. RESULTS: The organization of the B.
      cellulosolvens cellulosome is unique compared to previously described cellulosome
      systems. In contrast to all other known cellulosomes, the cohesin types are
      reversed for all scaffoldins i.e., the type II cohesins are located on the enzyme
      integrating primary scaffoldin, whereas the type I cohesins are located on the
      anchoring scaffoldins. Many of the type II dockerin-bearing ORFs include X60
      modules, which are known to stabilize type II cohesin-dockerin interactions. In
      the present work, we focused on revealing the architectural arrangement of
      cellulosome structure in this bacterium by examining numerous interactions
      between the various cohesin and dockerin modules. In total, we cloned and
      expressed 43 representative cohesins and 27 dockerins. The results revealed
      various possible architectures of cell-anchored and cell-free cellulosomes, which
      serve to assemble distinctive cellulosome types via three distinct cohesin
      dockerin specificities: type I, type II, and a novel-type designated R (distinct
      from type III interactions, predominant in ruminococcal cellulosomes).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide novel insight into the
      architecture and function of the most intricate and extensive cellulosomal system
      known today, thereby extending significantly our overall knowledge base of
      cellulosome systems and their components. The robust cellulosome system of B.
      cellulosolvens, with its unique binding specificities and reversal of cohesin
      dockerin types, has served to amend our view of the cellulosome paradigm.
      Revealing new cellulosomal interactions and arrangements is critical for
      designing high-efficiency artificial cellulosomes for conversion of plant-derived
      cellulosic biomass towards improved production of biofuels.

PMID- 28912833
TI  - Perspectives for biocatalytic lignin utilization: cleaving 4-O-5 and Calpha-Cbeta
      bonds in dimeric lignin model compounds catalyzed by a promiscuous activity of
      tyrosinase.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the biorefinery utilizing lignocellulosic biomasses, lignin
      decomposition to value-added phenolic derivatives is a key issue, and recently
      biocatalytic delignification is emerging owing to its superior selectivity, low
      energy consumption, and unparalleled sustainability. However, besides heme
      containing peroxidases and laccases, information about lignolytic biocatalysts is
      still limited till date. RESULTS: Herein, we report a promiscuous activity of
      tyrosinase which is closely associated with delignification requiring high redox
      potentials (>1.4 V vs. normal hydrogen electrode [NHE]). The promiscuous activity
      of tyrosinase not only oxidizes veratryl alcohol, a commonly used nonphenolic
      substrate for assaying ligninolytic activity, to veratraldehyde but also cleaves
      the 4-O-5 and Calpha-Cbeta bonds in 4-phenoxyphenol and guaiacyl glycerol-beta
      guaiacyl ether (GGE) that are dimeric lignin model compounds. Cyclic
      voltammograms additionally verified that the promiscuous activity oxidizes lignin
      related high redox potential substrates. CONCLUSION: These results might be
      applicable for extending the versatility of tyrosinase toward biocatalytic
      delignification as well as suggesting a new perspective for sustainable lignin
      utilization. Furthermore, the results provide insight for exploring the
      previously unknown promiscuous activities of biocatalysts much more diverse than
      ever thought before, thereby innovatively expanding the applicable area of
      biocatalysis.

PMID- 28912834
TI  - Molecular and clinical characterization of new patient with 1,08 Mb deletion in
      10p15.3 region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Three distinct contiguous gene deletion syndromes are located at 10p
      chromosomal region. The deletion, involving 10p15.3 region, has been
      characterized by (DeScipio et al., Am J Med Genet A 158A:2152-61, 2012). However,
      because of the variation in size of the described deletions and lack of knowledge
      about the involved genes, the correlation between genotypes and patients'
      phenotypes remains unknown. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe female patient with de
      novo 1,08 Mb deletion in 10p15.3 region, similar to the patient nr seven reported
      by (DeScipio et al., Am J Med Genet A 158A:2152-61, 2012) but with more severe
      clinical features. Our patient demonstrated speech and motor delay, dysmorphic
      features, brain abnormalities and Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia.
      CONCLUSIONS: This case shows the importance of collection of more patients with
      deletion in order to obtain a more precise physical map of 10p region.

PMID- 28912835
TI  - A unique set of complex chromosomal abnormalities in an infant with myeloid
      leukemia associated with Down syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have an enhanced risk of developing
      acute leukemia, with the most common subtype being acute megakaryoblastic
      leukemia (AMKL). Myeloid leukemia in Down syndrome (ML-DS) is considered a
      disease with distinct clinical and biological features. There are few studies
      focusing on the clonal cytogenetic changes during evolution of ML-DS. CASE
      PRESENTATION: Here, we describe a complex karyotype involving a previously
      unreported set of chromosomal abnormalities acquired during progression of ML-DS
      in an infant boy: derivative der(1)t(1;15)(q24;q23), translocation
      t(4;5)(q26;q33) and derivative der(15)t(7;15)(p21;q23). Different molecular
      cytogenetic probes and probesets including whole chromosome painting (WCP) and
      locus specific probes, as well as, multicolor-FISH and multicolor chromosome
      banding (MCB) were performed in order to characterize the chromosomal
      abnormalities involved in this complex karyotype. The patient was treated
      according to the acute myeloid leukemia-Berlin-Frankfurt-Munich-2004 (AML-BFM
      2004) treatment protocol for patients with Down syndrome; however, he experienced
      a poor clinical outcome. CONCLUSION: The molecular cytogenetic studies performed,
      allowed the characterization of novel chromosomal abnormalities in ML-DS and
      possible candidate genes involved in the leukemogenic process. Our findings
      suggest that the complex karyotype described here was associated with the poor
      prognosis.

PMID- 28912836
TI  - Methods for enhancing the reproducibility of biomedical research findings using
      electronic health records.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability of external investigators to reproduce published
      scientific findings is critical for the evaluation and validation of biomedical
      research by the wider community. However, a substantial proportion of health
      research using electronic health records (EHR), data collected and generated
      during clinical care, is potentially not reproducible mainly due to the fact that
      the implementation details of most data preprocessing, cleaning, phenotyping and
      analysis approaches are not systematically made available or shared. With the
      complexity, volume and variety of electronic health record data sources made
      available for research steadily increasing, it is critical to ensure that
      scientific findings from EHR data are reproducible and replicable by researchers.
      Reporting guidelines, such as RECORD and STROBE, have set a solid foundation by
      recommending a series of items for researchers to include in their research
      outputs. Researchers however often lack the technical tools and methodological
      approaches to actuate such recommendations in an efficient and sustainable
      manner. RESULTS: In this paper, we review and propose a series of methods and
      tools utilized in adjunct scientific disciplines that can be used to enhance the
      reproducibility of research using electronic health records and enable
      researchers to report analytical approaches in a transparent manner.
      Specifically, we discuss the adoption of scientific software engineering
      principles and best-practices such as test-driven development, source code
      revision control systems, literate programming and the standardization and re-use
      of common data management and analytical approaches. CONCLUSION: The adoption of
      such approaches will enable scientists to systematically document and share EHR
      analytical workflows and increase the reproducibility of biomedical research
      using such complex data sources.

PMID- 28912837
TI  - Carbuncle due to Salmonella Enteritidis: a novel presentation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salmonella Enteritidis causes intestinal and extra-intestinal
      infections, but rarely cutaneous infections. It has never been reported to cause
      carbuncle (a collection of interconnected furuncles with multiple pustular
      openings). We report a case of carbuncle due to S. Enteritidis. CASE
      PRESENTATION: An adult Bangladeshi patient with type 2 diabetes presented with a
      carbuncle on the left-side of his neck. A pure culture of S. Enteritidis was
      grown from the pus of the carbuncle. The patient was successfully treated with
      ciprofloxacin to which the isolate was susceptible. Whole genome sequencing of
      the strain showed that it possessed three additional virulence genes-pef (for
      plasmid-encoded fimbriae), spv (for salmonella plasmid virulence), rck (for
      resistance to complement killing) -responsible for systemic infections that were
      absent in the genome of a reference S. Enteritidis strain. In phylogenetic
      analysis, the strain clustered with other S. Enteritidis strains from different
      parts of the world. CONCLUSIONS: A weakened immune system of the patient due to
      diabetes mellitus and the additional virulence genes of the isolate may have
      contributed to the unusual presentation of carbuncle. The possibility of S.
      Enteritidis to cause carbuncle should be considered.

PMID- 28912838
TI  - Phylogenomics of Colombian Helicobacter pylori isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During the Spanish colonisation of South America, African slaves and
      Europeans arrived in the continent with their corresponding load of pathogens,
      including Helicobacter pylori. Colombian strains have been clustered with the
      hpEurope population and with the hspWestAfrica subpopulation in multilocus
      sequence typing (MLST) studies. However, ancestry studies have revealed the
      presence of population components specific to H. pylori in Colombia. The aim of
      this study was to perform a thorough phylogenomic analysis to describe the
      evolution of the Colombian urban H. pylori isolates. RESULTS: A total of 115
      genomes of H. pylori were sequenced with Illumina technology from H. pylori
      isolates obtained in Colombia in a region of high risk for gastric cancer. The
      genomes were assembled, annotated and underwent phylogenomic analysis with 36
      reference strains. Additionally, population differentiation analyses were
      performed for two bacterial genes. The phylogenetic tree revealed clustering of
      the Colombian strains with hspWestAfrica and hpEurope, along with three clades
      formed exclusively by Colombian strains, suggesting the presence of independent
      evolutionary lines for Colombia. Additionally, the nucleotide diversity of horB
      and vacA genes from Colombian isolates was lower than in the reference strains
      and showed a significant genetic differentiation supporting the hypothesis of
      independent clades with recent evolution. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of specific
      lineages suggest the existence of an hspColombia subtype that emerged from a
      small and relatively isolated ancestral population that accompanied crossbreeding
      of human population in Colombia.

PMID- 28912839
TI  - Addition of nonalbumin proteinuria to albuminuria improves prediction of type 2
      diabetic nephropathy progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Albuminuria is generally accepted as a sensitive marker of diabetic
      nephropathy but has limitations in predicting its progression. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the use of nonalbumin proteinuria in addition to
      albuminuria for predicting the progression of type 2 diabetic nephropathy.
      METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, the urine albumin-to
      creatinine ratio (ACR) and the nonalbumin protein-to-creatinine ratio (NAPCR)
      were measured in 325 patients with type 2 diabetes and estimated glomerular
      filtration rates (eGFR) >=30 mL/min/1.73 m2. The patients were divided into four
      groups based on the cutoff points for the urinary ACR (30 mg/g) and NAPCR (120
      mg/g). The renal outcomes were chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression and
      accelerated eGFR decline. RESULTS: During the 4.3-year follow-up period, 25
      (7.7%) patients showed CKD progression and 69 (21.2%) patients showed accelerated
      eGFR decline. After adjusting for nine clinical parameters, the group with a
      NAPCR greater than 120 mg/g exhibited higher cumulative incidences of CKD
      progression (hazard ratio 6.84; P = 0.001) and accelerated eGFR decline (hazard
      ratio 1.95; P = 0.011) than the group with a NAPCR < 120 mg/g. In patients with
      normoalbuminuria, the group with NAPCR levels greater than 120 mg/g also
      exhibited a higher cumulative incidence than that with NAPCR levels <120 mg/g of
      CKD progression (hazard ratio 21.82; P = 0.005). The addition of NAPCR to ACR
      improved the model fit for CKD progression and accelerated eGFR decline.
      CONCLUSION: Nonalbumin proteinuria showed additional value over and above that of
      albuminuria for predicting the progression of CKD in patients with type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 28912840
TI  - The relationship between insulin sensitivity and heart rate-corrected QT interval
      in patients with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reduced insulin sensitivity not only contributes to the pathogenesis
      of type 2 diabetes but is also linked to multiple metabolic risk factors and
      cardiovascular diseases (CVD). A prolonged heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc
      interval) is related to ventricular arrhythmias and CVD mortality and exhibits a
      high prevalence among type 2 diabetes patients. The aim of the study was to
      investigate the relationship between insulin sensitivity and the QTc interval in
      patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study
      recruited 2927 patients with type 2 diabetes who visited the Affiliated Haian
      Hospital and Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University. The insulin
      sensitivity index (Matsuda index, ISIMatsuda) derived from 75-g OGTT and other
      metabolic risk factors were examined in all patients. The QTc interval was
      estimated using a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram, and an interval longer than
      440 ms was considered abnormally prolonged. RESULTS: The QTc interval was
      significantly and negatively correlated with the ISIMatsuda (r = -0.296, p <
      0.001), and when the multiple linear regression analysis was adjusted for
      anthropometric parameters, metabolic risk factors, and current antidiabetic
      treatments, the QTc interval remained significantly correlated with the
      ISIMatsuda (beta = -0.23, t = -12.63, p < 0.001). The proportion of patients with
      prolonged QTc interval significantly increased from 12.1% to 17.9%, 25.6% and
      37.9% from the fourth to third, second and first quartile of the ISIMatsuda,
      respectively. After adjusting for anthropometric parameters by multiple logistic
      regression analysis, the corresponding odd ratios (ORs) for prolonged QTc
      interval of the first, second and third quartiles versus the fourth quartile of
      ISIMatsuda were 3.11 (95% CI 2.23-4.34), 2.09 (1.51-2.88) and 1.53 (1.09-2.14),
      respectively, and p for trend was <0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced insulin
      sensitivity is associated with an increase in the QTc interval in patients with
      type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 28912841
TI  - Bioinformatics method identifies potential biomarkers of dilated cardiomyopathy
      in a human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte model.
AB  - Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common type of cardiomyopathy that
      account for the majority of heart failure cases. The present study aimed to
      reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms of DCM and provide potential
      biomarkers for detection of this condition. The public dataset of GSE35108 was
      downloaded, and 4 normal induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived
      cardiomyocytes (N samples) and 4 DCM iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (DCM samples)
      were utilized. Raw data were preprocessed, followed by identification of
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between N and DCM samples. Crucial
      functions and pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs were investigated, and protein
      protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was conducted. Furthermore, a module
      network was extracted from the PPI network, followed by enrichment analysis. A
      set of 363 DEGs were identified, including 253 upregulated and 110 downregulated
      genes. Several biological processes (BPs), such as blood vessel development and
      vasculature development (FLT1 and MMP2), cell adhesion (CDH1, ITGB6, COL6A3,
      COL6A1 and LAMC2) and extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction pathway
      (CDH1, ITGB6, COL6A3, COL6A1 and LAMC2), were significantly enriched by these
      DEGs. Among them, MMP2, CDH1 and FLT1 were hub nodes in the PPI network, while
      COL6A3, COL6A1, LAMC2 and ITGB6 were highlighted in module 3 network. In
      addition, PENK and APLNR were two crucial nodes in module 2, which were linked to
      each other. In conclusion, several potential biomarkers for DCM were identified,
      such as MMP2, FLT1, CDH1, ITGB6, COL6A3, COL6A1, LAMC2, PENK and APLNR. These
      genes may serve significant roles in DCM via involvement of various BPs, such as
      blood vessel and vasculature development and cell adhesion, and the ECM-receptor
      interaction pathway.

PMID- 28912842
TI  - A reliable method for the sorting and identification of ALDHhigh cancer stem
      cells by flow cytometry.
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a rare tumorigenic population of cells found in
      multiple types of cancer. It has been suggested that CSCs are responsible for
      cancer drug resistance, metastasis and recurrence. Therefore, it is important to
      develop techniques to correctly sort and identify CSCs. In the current study, the
      sorting and identification of aldehyde dehydrogenase high (ALDHhigh) CSCs was
      performed using flow cytometry. Cells from three colon cancer cell lines were
      cultured in serum-free medium to obtain CSCs-enriched spheroid cells.
      Subsequently, two subpopulations of ALDHhigh CSCs were isolated by flow cytometry
      either with the use of propidium iodide (PI) or not, respectively. The two
      subpopulations of ALDHhigh CSCs exhibited distinct characteristics, including
      stem cell related gene expression, self-renewal capacity and tumorigenicity in
      vitro and in vivo. Key regulators of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT),
      including vimentin, snail and slug were highly expressed in ALDHhigh CSCs.
      Therefore, the current study indicates that PI staining prior to the sorting of
      ALDHhigh CSCs by flow cytometry is an appropriate system for the study of CSCs.
      The current study also demonstrated that there was partial overlap between the
      transcriptional programs underlying the EMT and CSCs.

PMID- 28912843
TI  - MicroRNA-210 contributes to peripheral nerve regeneration through promoting the
      proliferation and migration of Schwann cells.
AB  - Peripheral nerve injury impacts the daily life of affected individuals. MicroRNA
      (miR)-210 is a multifunctional miR and has effects on the proliferation,
      migration and differentiation of cells. However, whether miR-210 has effects on
      peripheral nerve regeneration has remained elusive. In the present study, the miR
      210 levels in a rat model of sciatic nerve injury were evaluated by reverse
      transcription quantitative PCR and the effects of miR-210 on the proliferation
      and migration of Schwann cells were explored. Elevated miR-210 levels were
      discovered in the sciatic nerve injury rat model. miR-210 mimics were found to
      promote the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells, while miR-210 inhibitor
      was found to inhibit the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells. Further
      study showed that miR-210 had effects on the expression of growth-associated
      protein-43, myelin-associated glycoprotein and myelin basic protein. These
      results showed that miR-210 had effects on the proliferation and migration of
      Schwann cells and may be involved in the peripheral nerve regeneration.

PMID- 28912844
TI  - Triptolide inhibits CD4+ memory T cell-mediated acute rejection and prolongs
      cardiac allograft survival in mice.
AB  - There have been numerous investigations into the immunosuppressive effects of
      triptolide; however, its inhibitory effects on memory T cells remain to be
      elucidated. Using a cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ memory T-cell transfer
      model, the aim of the present study was to determine the inhibitory effects of
      triptolide on CD4+ memory T cell-mediated acute rejection and to determine the
      potential underlying mechanisms. At 4 weeks after skin transplantation, mouse
      cervical heart transplantation was performed following the transfer of CD4+
      memory T cells. Mice were divided into two groups: A Control [normal saline, 30
      ml/kg/day; intraperitoneal injection (ip)] and a triptolide group (triptolide, 3
      mg/kg/day; ip). Graft survival, pathological examination and the corresponding
      International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) scores were
      assessed 5 days following heart transplantation, and levels of interleukin (IL)
      2, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-10 and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF
      beta1) in cardiac grafts and peripheral blood were assessed using reverse
      transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA. The duration of
      cardiac graft survival in the triptolide group was significantly increased
      compared with the control group (14.3+/-0.4 vs. 5.3+/-0.2 days; P<0.001). Further
      pathological examinations revealed that the infiltration of inflammatory cells
      and myocardial damage in the cardiac grafts was notably reduced by triptolide,
      and the corresponding ISHLT scores in the triptolide group were significantly
      lower than those of the control group (grade 2.08+/-0.15 vs. 3.67+/-0.17;
      P<0.001). In addition, triptolide was able to significantly reduce IL-2 and IFN
      gamma secretion (P<0.01), significantly increase TGF-beta1 secretion in the
      cardiac grafts and peripheral blood (P<0.01) and increase IL-10 secretion in the
      cardiac grafts. Therefore, the present study suggests that triptolide inhibits
      CD4+ memory T cell-mediated acute rejection and prolongs cardiac allograft
      survival in mice. This effect may be mediated by the inhibition of cytokine
      secretion by type 1 T helper cells and promotion of regulatory T cell
      proliferation.

PMID- 28912845
TI  - Forkhead box C1 is targeted by microRNA-133b and promotes cell proliferation and
      migration in osteosarcoma.
AB  - Forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) has been demonstrated to act as an oncogene in a number
      of malignant tumors, though its underlying mechanism of action in osteosarcoma
      (OS) remains unknown. The present study evaluated the expression and regulatory
      role of FOXC1 in OS. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction
      and western blot data indicated that FOXC1 was significantly upregulated in OS
      tissues and cell lines when compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (P<0.001)
      and normal human osteoblast cells (P<0.01), respectively. Moreover, levels of
      FOXC1 expression were significantly higher in OS at advanced clinical stage (III
      IV) when compared with that at low clinical stage (I-II; P<0.001). Knockdown of
      FOXC1 expression caused a significant decrease in the proliferation and migration
      of OS U2OS cells (P<0.01), while overexpression of FOXC1 significantly promoted
      U2OS cell proliferation and migration (P<0.01), relative to control U2OS cells.
      Furthermore, FOXC1 was identified as a direct target of microRNA (miR)-133b, a
      reported tumor-suppressive miR in OS. The protein expression of FOXC1 was
      negatively regulated by miR-133b in U2OS cells (P<0.01), and miR-133b expression
      was inversely correlated with FOXC1 expression in OS. In conclusion, the present
      study demonstrated that FOXC1, targeted by miR-133b, may promote cell
      proliferation and migration in OS. Thus, FOXC1 may be a potential therapeutic
      target in the treatment of OS.

PMID- 28912846
TI  - The role of mTOR signaling pathway on cognitive functions in cerebral ischemia
      reperfusion.
AB  - The role and mechanism of the mTOR signaling pathway in the impaired cognitive
      function in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion were examined in the present study.
      Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into the sham operation, cerebral ischemia,
      cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion adaptive groups.
      A Morris water maze test was carried out in the different treatment groups at 2
      weeks after surgery to detect cognitive function. After the experimental animals
      were sacrificed, fluorescent quantitative PCR test was used to detect the key
      signaling molecules in the mTOR signaling pathway in the different treatment
      groups, such as mTOR, p-mTOR, AKT and p-AKT gene mRNA expression. The protein
      expression was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western
      blotting. mTOR expression and localization in the different treatment groups was
      detected by immunohistochemistry, and the positive cell rate was determined.
      Compared with the sham operation group, the levels of mTOR, p-mTOR, AKT and p-AKT
      mRNAs and hippocampal proteins were significantly lower in the cerebral ischemia
      group and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group (P<0.05). Levels of mTOR, p-mTOR,
      AKT and p-AKT mRNAs and proteins in the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion adaptive
      group decreased but did not show significant differences (P>0.05). The Morris
      water maze results showed that, the adaptive ability and the cognitive functions
      were improved significantly in the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion adaptive group
      when compared with the cerebral ischemia and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion groups
      (P<0.05). The number of mTOR-positive cells in hippocampus was significantly
      higher in the sham operation and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion adaptive groups,
      but there was no difference between these groups. In conclusion, mTOR signaling
      pathway improves the cognitive function in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

PMID- 28912848
TI  - Changes in the anterior cornea during the early stages of severe myopia prior to
      and following LASIK, as detected by confocal microscopy.
AB  - The present study aimed to assess the microscopic changes of the epithelium and
      Bowman's layer under confocal microscopy during the early stages of severe myopia
      following laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). The study comprised 54 patients
      (54 eyes) with severe myopia and 65 patients (65 eyes) with low and moderate
      myopia, who underwent LASIK surgery at Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital
      (Tianjin, China). In all patients, the epithelium, Bowman's layer and anterior
      stroma were examined prior to and 1, 7, 30, 90 and 180 days after the surgery,
      using in vivo confocal microscopy. Six (6 eyes) of the 54 patients with severe
      myopia (11.1%) exhibited corneal epithelial changes following the surgery, as
      examined by a slit lamp. Three patients (3 eyes) exhibited epithelial changes
      under confocal microscopy. In 40 eyes (74.1%) with severe myopia, brown yellow
      changes were observed at the epithelial layer and in the central part of the
      cornea 6 months after the surgery; the same was observed in 35 eyes (53.8%) with
      low and moderate myopia. Microfolds in the Bowman's layer of eyes with severe
      myopia were detected in 48 eyes (88.9%), and in 54 eyes (100.0%) in the anterior
      stroma following LASIK, whereas microfolds were observed in 51 (78.5%) and 65
      eyes (100%), respectively, in patients with low to moderate myopia. In the severe
      myopia group, 54 eyes (100%) exhibited nerve fibers below the epithelium that
      were detectable 1 day post-surgery; in 16 eyes (29.6%), 1 or 2 sub-epithelial
      nerve fibers were detected 7 days after the surgery, and in 24 eyes (44.4%), 1 or
      2 sub-epithelial nerve fibers were observed 6 months after the surgery. In eyes
      with low and moderate myopia, the figures were 100, 38.5 and 64.8%, respectively.
      The nerves of neither group returned to the pre-operative level. In conclusion,
      neurotrophic epitheliopathy, microfolds in Bowman's layer and anterior stroma
      were detected in the present patients with severe myopia of the cornea following
      LASIK, and the recovery of nerve fibers required an extended period of time.

PMID- 28912847
TI  - Identification of microRNAs involved in gefitinib resistance of non-small-cell
      lung cancer through the insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 signaling pathway.
AB  - Multiple clinical and experimental studies have suggested that epidermal growth
      factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) may be effective at
      treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, the molecular
      basis of primary resistance to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC remains unclear. In the current
      study, the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) gene in the gefitinib
      resistant human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line A549 (A549/GR) was
      silenced using small interfering RNA (siRNA) in order to determine the role of
      microRNA (miRNA) in the development of resistance against epidermal growth factor
      receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in lung adenocarcinoma. The
      relative gefitinib-resistant capacity in A549 and A549/GR cells was determined
      using a cell counting kit 8. A549/GR cells were transfected with chemically
      synthesized siRNA to silence the IGF-1R gene. A total of 48 h after siRNA
      transfection, IGF-1R expression in A549/GR cells was evaluated using reverse
      transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western
      blotting. miRNA expression in A549/GR cells and A549/GR cells with silenced IGF
      1R was analyzed using a miRNA microarray. The microarray results of 10 miRNAs
      were then compared with the results of RT-qPCR. The results demonstrated that the
      gefitinib-resistance capacity of A549/GR cells was six times higher than that of
      A549 cells. Additionally, RT-qPCR and western blotting demonstrated that the IGF
      1R gene in A549/GR cells was successfully silenced by siRNA. The highest
      silencing rate (72%) of the IGF-1R gene was obtained using siRNA-2. The
      microarray identified 72 miRNAs with significantly different expression in
      A549/GR cells with silenced IGF-1R compared with A549/GR cells. Of the 72
      differentially expressed miRNAs, 13 miRNAs (including miR-497-3p and miR-1273c)
      were up-regulated and 59 miRNAs (including miR-361-3p and miR-345-3p) were down
      regulated in A549/GR cells with silenced IGF-1R compared with A549/GR cells. The
      changes in the expression of 10 different miRNAs were confirmed by RT-qPCR. Thus,
      the present study successfully established an A549/GR cell line with silenced IGF
      1R. The results suggest that a number of miRNAs associated with the IGF-1R
      signaling pathway, including miR-497-3p and miR-144-5p, were involved in the
      development of resistance against EGFR-TKIs in A549 cells. These miRNAs may
      provide novel targets to treat lung adenocarcinoma exhibiting resistance against
      EGFR-TKIs.

PMID- 28912849
TI  - MicroRNA-93 inhibits inflammatory responses and cell apoptosis after cerebral
      ischemia reperfusion by targeting interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate changes in the expression of interleukin
      (IL)-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) and microRNA (miRNA or miR)-93 in
      mice with cerebral ischemia reperfusion (CIR) injury, as well as the association
      and regulatory mechanism between IRAK4 and miR-93. The CIR mouse model was
      constructed and mouse microglia BV2 cells were transfected with miR-93 mimic or
      miR-93 inhibitor. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the
      expression of mRNA and miR-93. Western blotting was performed to determine
      protein expression. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to measure
      the concentrations pro-inflammatory factors. The expression of miR-93 in CIR mice
      brains was significantly reduced, while Ago-miR-93 (a type of miRNA analog)
      increased its expression. Ago-miR-93 alleviated neurological deficits and reduced
      cerebral infarction volume in the mice. Furthermore, Ago-miR-93 inhibited
      inflammatory responses following CIR. Ago-miR-93 decreased the rate of cell
      apoptosis following CIR. In addition, miR-93 downregulated IRAK4 protein
      expression, but did not alter its mRNA expression levels in BV2 cells. miR-93
      expression reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory factors in BV2 cells. Ago
      miR-93 inhibited IRAK4 expression in the brain tissues of CIR mice. The present
      study demonstrated that miR-93 inhibits inflammatory responses and cell apoptosis
      following CIR by targeting the IRAK4 signaling pathway.

PMID- 28912850
TI  - Effects of leukotriene B4 on interleukin-32, interferon-gamma and chemokines in
      rats with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of leukotriene B4
      (LTB4) on the expression of interleukin-32 (IL-32) interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)
      and chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) and macrophage inhibitory
      protein (MIP-1alpha) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The rat model of RA collagen
      induced-arthritis (CIA) was established. The levels of LTB4, interleukin-32, IFN
      gamma and chemokines MCP-1 and MIP-1alpha in CIA rats were detected by ELISA.
      After the rat synovial cells were isolated and treated with different
      concentrations of LTB4, the effect of LTB4 the expression of IL-32, IFN-gamma and
      chemokines MCP-1 and MIP-1alpha mRNA in synovial cells was detected by real-time
      quantitative PCR, the effect of LTB4 on protein expression was detected by
      immunoblotting. The effects of different concentrations of LTB4 on the viability
      and apoptosis of synovial cells were detected by LDH and cell proliferation
      reagent WST-1. Compared with the control group, the levels of LTB4, IL-32, IFN
      gamma and chemokines MCP-1 and MIP-1alpha were significantly increased in the
      serum of the CIA group. After treatment of CIA rat synovial cells with different
      concentrations of LTB4, the expression of IL-32, IFN-gamma and chemokines MCP-1
      and MIP-1alpha mRNA and protein were increased with significant differences among
      groups. WST-1 and flow cytometry showed that LTB4 had significant toxic effects
      on synovial cells and promoted apoptosis. In conclusion, LTB4 promotes the
      expression of interleukin-32, IFN-gamma and chemokines MCP-1 and MIP-1alpha in
      synovial cells and facilitates apoptosis of synovial cells.

PMID- 28912851
TI  - Molecular mechanism of miR-181b in heart disease due to pregnancy-induced
      hypertension syndrome.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of microRNA (miR)
      181b in heart disease due to hypertensive disorders complicating pregnancy (HDCP)
      through regulating the expression of metallopeptidase inhibitor 3 (TIMP3). miR
      181b expression was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction in peripheral blood samples from patients with HDCP. These samples
      were analyzed for clinical pathological characteristics. The primary
      cardiomyocytes of rats were cultured in hypoxic conditions for 24 h, in which miR
      181b expression was detected at different time points. The expression of TIMP3
      was assessed in normal rat cardiomyocytes following transfection with miR-181b
      mimics by western blot analysis. The TIMP3 protein was also detected in
      cardiomyocytes following transfection with TIMP3 short interfering-RNA. The
      apoptosis rate of transfected cardiomyocytes was detected by flow cytometry
      following 24 h of culture in a hypoxic environment. Luciferase assay was applied
      to validate whether miR-181b binds to the 3' untranslated region of TIMP3 mRNA.
      miR-181b expression was significantly downregulated in the peripheral blood of
      patients with HDCP and the miR-181b expression was negatively associated with the
      grades of hypertension (P<0.05). The results of luciferase assay indicated that
      miR-181b directly targets TIMP3. The apoptosis rates of rat cardiomyocytes in the
      group transfected with miR-181b or TIMP3 siRNA was significantly lower than the
      normal control group (P<0.05). miR-181b may inhibit apoptosis of cardiomyocytes
      to protect myocardial cells through directly targeting TIMP3 genes, which serve
      important roles in HDCP.

PMID- 28912852
TI  - Baicalein reduces endometriosis by suppressing the viability of human endometrial
      stromal cells through the nuclear factor-kappaB pathway in vitro.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of baicalein on human
      endometrial stromal cells in vitro. Ectopic endometrium samples were obtained
      from 6 female patients with ovarian endometriosis who underwent laparoscopic
      surgical procedures from July to September 2015. After culturing the cells,
      immunocytochemistry was performed to verify the purity and homogeneity of the
      endometrial stromal cells, and a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to evaluate
      cell viability. In addition, cell cycle progression was analyzed using flow
      cytometry, and the effects of baicalein on the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2
      (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), proliferating cell nuclear antigen
      (PCNA) and cyclin D1 in endometrial stromal cells were evaluated using western
      blot analysis. The related signaling pathways were also investigated by
      incubating cells with inhibitors of signaling pathways, prior to adding 40 uM
      baicalein for 48 h, followed by analysis of cell viability using a Cell Counting
      Kit-8 assay. The results indicated that treatment with baicalein significantly
      induced a dose-dependent decrease (P<0.05) in the viability of human endometrial
      stromal cells, which was abolished by inhibition of the nuclear factor (NF)
      kappaB signaling pathway. However, baicalein treatment did not induce a time
      dependent decrease in viability, as cell viabilities between the 24, 48 and 72 h
      treatment groups did not differ significantly. The number of cells in the G0/G1
      phase significantly increased following treatment with baicalein (P<0.05), while
      the number of cells in the S and G2/M phases significantly decreased (P<0.05).
      Baicalein-treated cells also exhibited significantly reduced expression of Bcl-2,
      PCNA and cyclin D1 compared with control cells (P<0.05). These results suggested
      that baicalein may suppress the viability of human endometrial stromal cells
      through the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in vitro, and may induce apoptosis and
      promote cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Thus, baicalein may provide a novel
      treatment option for endometriosis.

PMID- 28912853
TI  - Efficacy research of salazosulfamide in ankylosing spondylitis and NAT1 gene
      polymorphism.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore the correlation of salazosulfamide efficacy
      on ankylosing spondylitis and N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) gene polymorphism.
      Thirty-two patients with ankylosing spondylitis were recruited in the
      experimental group and 36 normal individuals were recruited to the control group.
      The experimental group received 8.0 mg of salazosulfamide (MTX) per week and the
      control group received isodose of normal saline. Twenty-six patients in the
      experimental group responded to the salazosulfamide treatment and 6 did not show
      response. Morning stiffness time of patients in the experimental group who
      responded to salazosulfamide was significantly lower than that of patients with
      no reaction to salazosulfamide, and similar to patients in the control group. The
      average tender joint count of patients in the experimental group that responded
      to salazosulfamide was lower than in patients with no response to treatment, and
      similar to patients in the control group. NAT1 gene sequencing determined that
      the patients sensitive to salazosulfamide treatment manifested as AA/AG at 263
      locus, whereas patients not sensitive to salazosulfamide were GG. NAT1 expression
      was comparable between the different genotypes at the mRNA level. However, there
      was a significant difference of NAT1 protein between groups. Overall,
      salazosulfamide demonstrates curative activity for ankylosing spondylitis and we
      believe that NAT1 AA/GG genotype at 263 locus can promote salazosulfamide
      effectiveness on ankylosing spondylitis.

PMID- 28912854
TI  - Comparative proteomics analysis of primary cutaneous amyloidosis.
AB  - Primary cutaneous amyloidosis (PCA) is a localized skin disorder that is
      characterized by the abnormal deposition of amyloid in the extracellular matrix
      (ECM) of the dermis. The pathogenesis of PCA is poorly understood. The objective
      of the present study was to survey proteome changes in PCA lesions in order to
      gain insight into the molecular basis and pathogenesis of PCA. Total protein from
      PCA lesions and normal skin tissue samples were extracted and analyzed using the
      isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation technique. The function of
      differentially expressed proteins in PCA were analyzed by gene ontology (GO),
      Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein-protein interaction
      analysis. The proteins that were most upregulated in PCA lesions were further
      analyzed by immunohistochemistry. A total of 1,032 proteins were identified in
      PCA lesions and control skin samples, with 51 proteins differentially expressed
      in PCA lesions, of which 27 were upregulated. In PCA lesions, the upregulated
      proteins were primarily extracellulary located. In addition, GO analysis
      indicated that the upregulated proteins were significantly enriched in the
      biological processes of epidermal development, collagen fiber organization and
      response to wounding (adjusted P<0.001). KEGG analysis indicated that the
      upregulated proteins were significantly enriched in the signaling pathways of
      cell communication, ECM receptor interaction and focal adhesion (adjusted
      P<0.001). Furthermore, the upregulated proteins were enriched in the molecular
      function of calcium ion binding, and the calcium binding proteins calmodulin-like
      protein 5, S100 calcium-binding protein A7 (S100A7)/fatty-acid binding protein
      and S100A8/A9 exhibited the highest levels of upregulation in PCA. This analysis
      of differentially expressed proteins in PCA suggests that increased focal
      adhesion, differentiation and wound healing is associated with the pathogenesis
      of PCA.

PMID- 28912855
TI  - Effect of transoral endoscopic adenoidectomy on peripheral blood T-lymphocyte
      subsets in children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome and its
      treatment strategy.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of transoral
      endoscopic adenoidectomy on peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in pediatric
      patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and its treatment
      strategy. Ninety-eight pediatric patients with adenoidal hypertrophy associated
      with OSAHS admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology, Xuzhou Children's
      Hospital were selected. After admission, patients received perfected 24 h
      polysomnogram monitoring, routine blood examination, fasting blood biochemistry
      examination, T-lymphocyte subset count, 24 h ambulatory blood pressure
      monitoring, and nasopharyngeal computed tomography. After patients were diagnosed
      with adenoidal hypertrophy associated with OSAHS, they underwent transoral
      endoscopic adenoidectomy with a power microdebrider. Patients were evaluated at 3
      , 6- and 12-week follow-up visits. The CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T-cell counts,
      CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio, and changes of 24 h ambulatory blood pressure
      before and after surgery were recorded. After the 6-week follow-up visit, the
      mean CD4+ T lymphocyte count in patients was increased significantly compared
      with that before surgery, the CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio increased gradually,
      and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The frequency of
      nocturnal awakening of patients was decreased significantly after surgery and the
      duration of nocturnal sleep was extended significantly (P<0.05). Through analysis
      of the preoperative and postoperative clinical data of pediatric patients, the
      CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio was negatively correlated with mean arterial
      pressure (MAP) (r=-1.06, P=0.003). In conclusion, adenoidectomy can significantly
      decrease the MAP in pediatric patients with OSAHS and increase the duration of
      nocturnal sleep. The peripheral blood CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte ratio in pediatric
      patients was significantly negatively correlated with MAP.

PMID- 28912856
TI  - Blood purification treatment initiated at the time of sepsis diagnosis
      effectively attenuates serum HMGB1 upregulation and improves patient prognosis.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the increase in serum and urine
      levels of high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) during sepsis and the effect
      of blood purification treatments on HMGB1 levels and patient prognosis. A total
      of 40 intensive care patients with sepsis were randomly assigned to different
      groups (n=10 per group): A control group (sepsis group), a continuous renal
      replacement treatment (CRRT) group, a hemoperfusion (HP) group and an HP+CRRT
      group. The blood purification treatments using HP and/or CRRT were performed
      immediately after the diagnosis of sepsis. HMGB1 levels were measured using
      ELISA, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores and
      30-day survival rates were evaluated. Relative to a healthy control group (n=10),
      HMGB1 levels were observed to be significantly upregulated during sepsis
      (P<0.05). Following the initiation of sepsis, serum HMGB1 continued to increase
      in the sepsis group and was significantly elevated at 24 h (P<0.05), whereas
      urine HMGB1 levels decreased significantly at 12 and 24 h (P<0.05). Serum HMGB1
      levels were significantly positively correlated with APACHE II scores (r=0.7284,
      P<0.01) and significantly negatively correlated with urine HMGB1 levels (r=
      0.5103, P=0.026). Serum HMGB1 levels were significantly reduced in the HP and
      HP+CRRT groups by 12 and 24 h following the initiation of treatment (both
      P<0.05). Changes in the urine HMGB1 level differed in each group. Relative to the
      sepsis group, the APACHE II scores of all blood purification groups were
      significantly reduced (P<0.05) and the 30-day survival rate of the HP+CRRT group
      was significantly increased (P=0.0107). The results of the present study indicate
      that blood purification initiated at the point of diagnosis in patients with
      sepsis may attenuate serum HMGB1 upregulation, promote urinary excretion of HMGB1
      and improve the prognosis of sepsis.

PMID- 28912857
TI  - Overexpression of transcription factor activating enhancer binding protein 4
      (TFAP4) predicts poor prognosis for colorectal cancer patients.
AB  - Transcription factor activating enhancer binding protein 4 (TFAP4) is an
      important regulator in the genesis and progression of human cancers.
      Overexpression of TFAP4 has been found to be correlated with several
      malignancies. The present study assessed the clinical importance of TFAP4 in
      colorectal cancer (CRC). First, immunohistochemistry was used to analyze TFAP4
      expression and the association of TFAP4 expression with clinicopathological
      features on a tissue microarray containing 208 CRC patients. The results revealed
      that TFAP4 protein expression was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues
      compared with that in normal colon tissues (P<0.001). Of note, statistical
      analysis revealed that TFAP4 expression was significantly correlated with a high
      pathological grade (P=0.034), advanced clinical stage (P=0.024), enhanced tumor
      invasion (P=0.002) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.041). In addition, the Cancer
      Genome Atlas dataset further validated that TFAP4 mRNA levels were increased in
      CRC with advanced clinical stage (P=0.026), lymph node metastasis (P=0.018) and
      vascular invasion (P=0.046). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that CRC
      patients with high TFAP4 expression had shorter overall survival compared with
      those with low TFAP4 expression (P=0.011). Importantly, overexpression of TFAP4
      was a valuable independent prognostic factor for CRC patients (hazard ratio,
      8.200; 95% confidence interval, 1.838-36.591; P=0.006). In summary, TFAP4 may
      have an important role in CRC progression and upregulation of TFAP4 may be a
      predictor of poor prognosis for CRC patients.

PMID- 28912858
TI  - Cordycepin induces apoptosis of human acute monocytic leukemia cells via
      downregulation of the ERK/Akt signaling pathway.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to examine the apoptotic effect of cordycepin
      (COR) on human THP-1 acute monocytic leukemia cells. THP-1 cells were exposed to
      different concentrations of COR for 24, 48, 72 or 96 h. The cell viability and
      apoptotic rate were analyzed. The gene expression of Akt1, Akt2, Akt3, B-cell
      lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were assessed by reverse
      transcription quantitative PCR. Western blot analysis was used to detect the
      protein levels of phosphorylated (p)-Akt, p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase
      (ERK) and cleaved caspase-3. It was found that the viability of THP-1 cells was
      inhibited by COR in a dose- and time-dependent manner. After treatment with 200
      uM COR for 24 h, the percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly increased.
      COR also downregulated the levels of Bcl-2, Akt1, Akt2 and Akt3, and elevated the
      expression of Bax. The protein levels of p-Akt and p-ERK were suppressed and
      cleaved caspase-3 was increased after treatment of COR. In conclusion, COR was
      found to induce apoptosis of THP-1 acute monocytic leukemia cells through
      downregulation of ERK/Akt signaling.

PMID- 28912859
TI  - Multidisciplinary therapy for the treatment of malocclusion in a patient with
      chronic periodontitis with a five-year follow-up: A case report.
AB  - Multidisciplinary therapy is essential in dental practice to achieve optimized
      outcomes. The present case report describes the application of periodontal
      surgery with a five-year follow-up in a patient with malocclusion and chronic
      periodontitis. In the presence of periodontal inflammation, orthodontic therapy
      may result in further periodontal breakdown due to plaque accumulation. In order
      to prevent this progression, scaling and root planning with a periodontal
      endoscope was applied, and continuous clinical monitoring and risk assessment was
      performed every 3 months using a Florida Probe. This combined treatment supports
      the long-term maintenance of periodontal conditions, functional occlusion and
      harmony of the facial profile.

PMID- 28912860
TI  - Effects of HV-CRRT on PCT, TNF-alpha, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 in patients with
      pancreatitis complicated by acute renal failure.
AB  - The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of high-volume continuous
      renal replacement therapy (HV-CRRT) on procalcitonin (PCT), tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 in acute
      pancreatitis complicated by acute renal failure. Eighty-six patients with acute
      pancreatitis complicated with acute renal failure were selected from September
      2014 to September 2016 in our hospital, and were treated by continuous veno
      venous hemofiltration (CVVH). The patients were randomly divided into the
      observation group, treated by the HV-CVVH model with a displacement rate of 4
      l/h, and the control group, treated by the normal capacity model with a
      displacement rate of 2 l/h. The levels of PCT, TNF-alpha, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and
      IL-10 in serum were measured by ELISA before and 2, 6 and 12 h after treatment,
      and 12 h after CVVH. The serum PCT and TNF-alpha levels in the two groups were
      decreased at 2 h after treatment. The lowest levels appeared at 6 h after
      treatment, and then recovered, but remained lower than those before treatment
      (p<0.05). The levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, as well as PCT and TNF-alpha
      in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment, and the
      decreases in the observation group were more obvious than those in the control
      group (p<0.05). In conclusion, compared with the standard volume method, HV-CRRT
      can more effectively remove various inflammatory factors and reduce the levels of
      serum PCT for the treatment of pancreatitis complicated by acute renal failure.
      Additionally, replacement of the blood filter at appropriate time-points can
      improve the treatment efficacy.

PMID- 28912861
TI  - Phascolarctobacterium faecium abundant colonization in human gastrointestinal
      tract.
AB  - Phascolarctobacterium can produce short-chain fatty acids, including acetate and
      propionate, and can be associated with the metabolic state and mood of the host.
      The present study investigated the colonization characteristics of
      Phascolarctobacterium faecium in healthy individuals <1-80 years old in Southern
      China. A total of 150 fresh fecal samples were collected, and bacterial DNA was
      isolated from these samples for quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis.
      Phascolarctobacterium faecium demonstrated a high colonization rate and abundant
      colonization in the human gastrointestinal tract. The colonization rate varied
      between 43.33-93.33%, and the abundance of Phascolarctobacterium faecium ranged
      between 3.22-5.76 log cells g-1 (<1 years old) and 3.06-9.33 log cells g-1 (>1
      year old). The permillage of Phascolarctobacterium faecium in total bacteria
      ranged between 0.004-1.479. There was presence of Phascolarctobacterium faecium
      like bacteria in younger individuals with a gradual increase in the number of
      bacteria maintained at a high level with increasing ages (between 1 and 60 years
      old), but with a decrease in elderly individuals (>60 years old). The results of
      the present study demonstrated that Phascolarctobacterium faecium is abundantly
      colonized in the human gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 28912862
TI  - Astragalus polysaccharides combined with ibuprofen exhibit a therapeutic effect
      on septic rats via an anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Astragalus
      polysaccharides (APS) in combination with ibuprofen (IBU) in the treatment of
      sepsis and the underlying mechanism. The combined drug treatment was evaluated in
      a rat model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The serum concentrations of
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and acetylcholine (ACh)
      were determined. Nicotinic acetylcholine (nAChR) alpha7 receptor expression and
      histopathological changes in the lung tissue were also observed. When compared
      with untreated rats and rats treated with either component alone, the combined
      treatment significantly decreased the production of TNF-alpha and IL-6 (P<0.05),
      and increased nAChR alpha7 receptor mRNA expression and the release of ACh in the
      serum (P<0.05). These results demonstrated that APS combined with IBU can
      effectively reduce the generation of inflammatory mediators in the serum of CLP
      induced septic rats. These effects may be mediated via a cholinergic anti
      inflammatory pathway involving nAChR alpha7.

PMID- 28912863
TI  - A novel mutation in the hepatocyte nuclear factor-1beta gene in maturity onset
      diabetes of the young 5 with multiple renal cysts and pancreas hypogenesis: A
      case report.
AB  - A 17-year-old Chinese male was hospitalized exhibiting hyperglycemia and
      increased serum urea nitrogen and creatinine levels in addition to weight loss.
      The patient was treated with gliclazide. The patient was 150 cm tall, weighed 35
      kg and had no family history of diabetes or kidney disease. Physical examination
      revealed cephalus quadratus, rachitic rosary and a visible toe-out gait.
      Laboratory examinations revealed that the patient's fasting plasma glucose and
      glycosylated hemoglobin levels were markedly increased, fasting plasma C-peptide
      level was slightly increased and no peak 2 h postprandial was observed. Diabetic
      autoimmune antibodies [islet cell cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ICA), glutamic acid
      decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA), isulinoma-2-associated autoantibodies (IA2A)
      and insulin autoantibodies (IAA)] were negative. Levels of serum electrolytes
      decreased, uric acid and parathyroid hormone increased, mild albuminuria was
      detected and there was a low proportion of urine. The patient also presented with
      low bone mass and cataracts. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a
      bilateral atrophic kidney with multiple renal cysts, primarily located at the
      junction of renal cortex and medulla, with a diameter of 0.3-0.7 cm. CT also
      revealed hypogenesis of the body and tail of the pancreas. In an oral glucose
      tolerance test, the mother and paternal uncle of the patient were diagnosed with
      type II diabetes and the patient's sister, maternal uncle and paternal grandpa
      were diagnosed with glucose tolerance impairment. Genetic testing revealed an
      unreported amino acid mutation in exon 2 of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1beta
      (c.391C>T), a nonsense mutation of CAA to TAA at codon 131. This mutation was
      identified in the proband but not in any other family members.

PMID- 28912864
TI  - Evaluation of the chondroprotective action of N-acetylglucosamine in a rat
      experimental osteoarthritis model.
AB  - It has been demonstrated that oral administration of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)
      alleviates the symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of the present study was
      to elucidate the molecular mechanisms for the chondroprotective action of GlcNAc
      in OA. Biomarkers for type II collagen degradation and synthesis were evaluated,
      as were histopathological changes, using a rat anterior cruciate ligament
      transection (ACLT)-induced OA model. Changes in the expression of genes in the
      cartilage were assessed via DNA microarray and reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results indicated that ACLT induced
      histopathological changes of articular cartilage, whereas oral administration of
      GlcNAc (1,000 mg/kg/day for 28 days) significantly suppressed these changes.
      Additionally, GlcNAc significantly decreased levels of a type II collagen
      degradation marker in sera compared with that in the ACLT group, although there
      were no significant changes in the levels of a type II collagen synthesis marker.
      Furthermore, DNA microarray and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction results demonstrated that GlcNAc treatment downregulated the
      expression of periostin, which is likely involved in the degradation of
      cartilage, whereas GlcNAc upregulated the expression of lipocalin 2, which is
      involved in the regulation of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. In
      conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that GlcNAc is able to
      suppress the histopathological changes induced by OA and exhibits a
      chondroprotective action by inhibiting type II collagen degradation in the
      articular cartilage, possibly via modulation of the expression of inflammatory
      and chondroprotective molecules, including periostin and lipocalin 2.

PMID- 28912865
TI  - Elevated levels of soluble fractalkine and increased expression of CX3CR1 in
      neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of soluble fractalkine
      (sFKN) and expression of CX3CR1 in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus
      (NPSLE). Disease activity of SLE was assessed using the SLE Disease Activity
      Index (SLEDAI). The mRNA expression levels of CX3CR1 and FKN were quantified
      using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Levels of
      sFKN in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assays. The mRNA expression levels of CX3CR1 in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells from patients with NPSLE, non-NPSLE and Behcet's disease were
      significantly higher than that of rheumatoid arthritis and healthy persons.
      Levels of sFKN in the serum and CSF of cells with diffuse NPSLE (DNPSLE) were
      significantly higher than those of focal NPSLE (FNPSLE) cells. Serum levels of
      sFKN were higher in patients with NPSLE or non-NPSLE than heathy persons. sFKN in
      CSF were significantly higher in DNPSLE than non-NPSLE cells, but there were no
      significant difference between FNPSLE and control. Treatment reduced sFKN in
      serum and CSF in patients with NPSLE. There was significant correlation between
      sFKN in the serum of patients with SLE and the SLEDAI. sFKN levels were
      correlated with IgG in CSF from patients with NPSLE. The mRNA expression levels
      of CX3CR1 in the brain tissue of lupus mice were significantly higher than normal
      mice; however, the mRNA expression of FKN was lower than normal mice. These
      results suggest that sFKN and CX3CR1 may be involved in vasculitis and SLE,
      particularly in DNPSLE, which may occur by damaging the blood-brain barrier or
      recruiting expression microglial cells of CX3CR1. Additionally, sFKN appears to
      be a serological marker in patients with SLE, and may be useful for the diagnosis
      and treatment of NPSLE.

PMID- 28912866
TI  - Compositional analysis of various layers of upper urinary tract stones by
      infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to determine the composition of various
      layers of upper urinary stones and assess the mechanisms of stone nucleation and
      aggregation. A total of 40 integrated urinary tract stones with a diameter of
      >0.8 cm were removed from the patients. All of the stones were cut in half
      perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis. Samples were selected from nuclear,
      internal and external layers of each stone. Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FT-IR) was adopted for qualitative and quantitative analysis of all
      of the fragments and compositional differences among nuclear, internal and
      external layers of various types of stone were subsequently investigated. A total
      of 25 cases of calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones and 10 cases of calcium phosphate
      (CaP) stones were identified to be mixed stones, while 5 uric acid (UA) calculi
      were pure stones (purity, >95%). In addition, the contents of CaOx and
      carbapatite (CA.AP) crystals in various layers of the mixed stones were found to
      be variable. In CaOx stones, the content of CA.AP in nuclear layers was
      significantly higher than that of the outer layers (32.0 vs. 6.8%; P<0.05), while
      the content of CaOx was lower in the inner than in the outer layers (57.6 vs.
      86.6%; P<0.05). In CaP stones, the content of CA.AP in the nuclear layers was
      higher than that in the outer layers (74.0 vs. 47.3%; P<0.05), while the content
      of CaOx was lower in the inner than in the outer layers (7.0 vs. 40.0%; P<0.05).
      The UA stones showed no significant differences in their composition among
      different layers. In conclusion, FT-IR analysis of various layers of human upper
      urinary tract stones revealed that CaOx and CaP stones showed differences in
      composition between their core and surface, while all of the UA calculi were pure
      stones. The composition showed a marked variation among different layers of the
      stones, indicating that metabolism has an important role in different phases of
      the evolution of stones. The present study provided novel insight into the
      pathogenesis of urinary tract stones and may contribute to their prevention and
      treatment.

PMID- 28912867
TI  - Protective effect of controlled release of cytokine response modifier A from
      chitosan microspheres on rat chondrocytes from interleukin-1beta induced
      inflammation and apoptosis.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of cytokine
      response modifier A (CrmA) released from chitosan (CS) microspheres in a
      controlled manner on interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced inflammation and apoptosis in
      chondrocytes. The CrmA release kinetics were characterized by an initial burst
      release, which was reduced to a linear release over 8 days. Furthermore,
      chondrocytes were isolated from 1-week-old Sprague Dawley rats. The cell culture
      was established by stimulation with 10 ng/ml IL-1beta and subsequent incubation
      with CS-CrmA microspheres. Following stimulation with IL-1beta, the viability of
      chondrocytes was decreased. However, the cell viability was attenuated by CS-CrmA
      microspheres as revealed by a cell counting kit-8 assay. CS-CrmA microspheres
      significantly inhibited IL-1beta-induced inflammation in chondrocytes by
      attenuating increases in the gene expression levels of inducible nitric oxide
      synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, as well as the concentrations of nitric oxide and
      prostaglandin E2. CS-CrmA microspheres significantly decreased the number of
      apoptotic chondrocytes induced by IL-1beta as indicated by a terminal
      deoxyribonucleotide transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling
      assay. In addition, CS-CrmA microspheres blocked IL-1beta-induced chondrocyte
      apoptosis by increasing B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and decreasing Bcl-2-associated
      X protein, caspase-3 and poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase expression
      at the mRNA and protein levels, as indicated by reverse-transcription
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively.
      The results of the present study revealed that CS-CrmA microspheres, as a
      controlled release system of CrmA, may protect rat chondrocytes from IL-1beta
      induced inflammation and apoptosis via regulating inflammatory and apoptosis
      associated genes.

PMID- 28912868
TI  - Bax is involved in the anticancer activity of Velcade in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Numerous chemotherapeutic agents promote tumor cell death by activating the
      intrinsic apoptosis signaling pathway. This pathway is regulated by mitochondrial
      dysfunction, which occurs through an intricate process controlled by complex
      interactions between B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family members and other cellular
      proteins. Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) is a proapoptotic protein that is an
      essential component of the intrinsic apoptosis signaling pathway. Patients
      lacking Bax may be less sensitive to chemotherapy due to an impaired intrinsic
      apoptosis signaling pathway. The present study demonstrated that Bax expression
      in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues was typically increased compared with that in
      adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, Bax-/- HCT-116 cells exhibited reduced
      proliferation and colony formation ability compared with Bax+/+ HCT116 cells,
      although the rate of apoptosis of these cells remained unchanged. However, Bax-/-
      HCT116 cells became more resistant to apoptosis when treated with Velcade. The
      results of the present study provide novel insights into the relevance of Bax
      expression to the prognosis of CRC.

PMID- 28912869
TI  - Association of ANK1 variants with new-onset type 2 diabetes in a Han Chinese
      population from northeast China.
AB  - Previous studies have identified three loci (rs4737009, rs515071 and rs516946) in
      ankyrin 1 (ANK1) that are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a
      number of ethnic groups. However, the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) of ANK1 on T2DM in a Han Chinese population from northeast China has not
      yet been studied. The present study was undertaken to investigate the
      relationship between the ANK1 gene and new-onset T2DM in northeastern China.
      Three widely studied variants were genotyped and analyzed for T2DM susceptibility
      in 1,962 Chinese subjects (996 with T2DM and 966 healthy controls). Genotyping
      was performed using SNPscanTM. The single-locus analysis, identified differences
      in the expression of rs515071 and rs516946 between cases and controls, with an
      odds ratio (OR) of 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-1.55; P=0.002] and
      1.32 (95% CI, 1.09-1.61; P=0.005) respectively, while there were no differences
      in the expression of rs4737009 between the groups. For the SNP of rs515071, the
      presence of AA or GA significantly reduced the risk of T2DM compared with GG
      (adjusted P=0.019, OR=0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.96). With respect to rs516946,
      individuals carrying TT or CT exhibited a decreased risk of T2DM compared with
      those with the CC allele (adjusted P=0.040, OR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.63-0.99).
      Furthermore, haplotype analysis indicated that the haplotype frequency of GC in
      T2DM cases was significantly higher than in controls (P=0.002, OR=1.31; 95% CI,
      1.10-1.55). Furthermore, the rs516946-CC genotype was associated with a larger
      waist circumference (P=0.031). The present data indicated that ANK1 was a
      potential T2DM susceptibility gene in a Han Chinese population from northeastern
      China.

PMID- 28912870
TI  - Eosinophilic biomarkers for detection of acute exacerbation of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease with or without pulmonary embolism.
AB  - Eosinophilia has been implicated in the pathophysiology of acute exacerbation of
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). However, the role of eosinophil
      activation in the development of AECOPD remains unclear. In the present study,
      the reliability of plasma levels of eosinophil activation markers, including
      eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil-derived
      neurotoxin (EDN) and eosinophil peroxidase (EPX), were measured and used as
      diagnostic biomarkers of AECOPD with or without pulmonary embolism (PE). A total
      of 47 patients with AECOPD, 30 patients with AECOPD/PE and 35 healthy adults were
      enrolled in the present study. Plasma levels of ECP, EDN, EPX and MBP were
      measured using commercial ELISA kits. The mean concentrations of plasma ECP, EDN,
      EPX and MBP in the patients with AECOPD was significantly 2.87-, 3.06-, 1.60- and
      1.92-fold higher, respectively, compared with the control group (P<0.05). Similar
      results were obtained in patients with AECOPD/PE, for whom plasma levels of ECP,
      EDN, EPX and MBP were significantly 2.06-, 2.21-, 1.42- and 2.42-fold higher,
      respectively, compared with the controls (P<0.05). No significant differences
      were observed in the levels of these proteins between patients with AECOPD or
      AECOPD/PE. Among the four potential markers, ECP was determined to be the optimal
      marker for distinguishing patients with AECOPD or AECOPD/PE from the controls. No
      significant correlation was observed between marker concentrations and gender,
      age or disease severity. The results of the present study may have clinical
      applications in the diagnosis of AECOPD using these novel biomarkers.

PMID- 28912871
TI  - Paeonol enhances the sensitivity of human ovarian cancer cells to radiotherapy
      induced apoptosis due to downregulation of the phosphatidylinositol-3
      kinase/Akt/phosphatase and tensin homolog pathway and inhibition of vascular
      endothelial growth factor.
AB  - Radiotherapy is a vital and effective method to treat solid tumors. However, in
      many tumor types, development of resistance of cancer cells and cytotoxicity in
      normal tissues presents a major therapeutic problem. It is therefore crucial to
      identify and develop novel sensitizing agents that may improve the response to
      radiation therapy without causing any adverse effects. The present study aimed to
      investigate whether paeonol, a bioactive flavonoid, was able to confer
      sensitivity to radiation in human ovarian cancer cells. The human ovarian cancer
      cell lines SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3 were exposed to varying doses of radiation (2, 4 or
      6 Gy) in the presence or absence of paeonol (25, 50 or 100 uM). Radiosensitivity
      was assessed by measuring cell viability using a CCK-8 assay and Annexin V/PI
      staining. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia
      inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), proteins of the phosphatidylinositol-3
      kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway and apoptotic pathway proteins [caspase-3, Bcl-2
      associated death promoter, B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2, Bcl-2-associated X and Bcl
      extra large (Bcl-xL)] were also assessed. Paeonol treatment enhanced apoptosis of
      SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells that were exposed to radiation. The expression of Bcl-2
      and Bcl-xL were markedly upregulated in these cells. Treatment with paeonol
      concentrations of 50 and 100 uM caused a significant downregulation of VEGF, HIF
      1alpha and PI3K/Akt pathway proteins. Paeonol effectively enhanced the
      sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to radiation by significantly altering
      regulation of the proteins of the PI3K/Akt pathway, in addition to downregulating
      VEGF and HIF-1alpha.

PMID- 28912872
TI  - Preclinical trial of the multi-targeted lenvatinib in combination with cellular
      immunotherapy for treatment of renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Lenvatinib is an oral, multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor of vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptors 1-3, fibroblast growth factor receptors 1-4,
      platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta, RET and KIT. Cellular immunotherapy
      has the potential to be a highly targeted treatment, with low toxicity to normal
      tissues and a high capacity to eradicate tumor tissue. The present study assessed
      the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and preliminary antitumor activity of
      lenvatinib and cellular immunotherapy in a murine model of renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC). The present study used a therapeutic dose of 0.12 mg lenvatinib and/or 104
      rat uterine cancer adenocarcinoma (RuCa)-sensitized lymphocytes administered once
      daily continuously in 7-day cycles. Tumor regression was observed in mice with
      RCC following treatment with lenvatinib and 104 RuCa-sensitized lymphocytes. MTD
      was established as once daily administration of 0.18 mg lenvatinib and 106 RuCa
      sensitized lymphocytes. The most common treatment-related adverse effects
      observed were fatigue (40%), mucosal inflammation (30%), proteinuria, diarrhea,
      vomiting, hypertension and nausea (all 40%). Combination therapy using lenvatinib
      and cellular immunotherapy enhanced the antitumor effect induced by single
      treatments and prolonged the survival of mice with RCC compared with either of
      the single treatments. Treatment with lenvatinib (0.12 mg) combined with 104 RuCa
      sensitized lymphocytes was associated with manageable toxicity consistent with
      individual agents. Further evaluation of this combination therapy in mice with
      advanced RCC is required. In conclusion, cellular immunotherapy and oncolytic
      therapy for cancer may be improved by the synergistic effects of lenvatinib and
      sensitized lymphocytes. In the present study, the inherent antineoplastic and
      immune stimulatory properties of the two agents were enhanced when used in
      combination, which may provide a basis for clinical treatment of patients with
      RCC.

PMID- 28912873
TI  - Phospholemman, a major regulator of skeletal muscle Na+/K+-ATPase, is not mutated
      in probands with hypokalemic periodic paralysis.
AB  - The pathogenesis of hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP) remains unclear.
      Though some mutations in skeletal muscle ion channels were revealed previously,
      the exact mechanism remains to be fully elucidated. Increased Na+/K+-ATPase
      activity in skeletal muscle is postulated to contribute to attacks of HypoPP.
      Before the link between Na+/K+-ATPase dysfunction and these ion channel mutations
      is established, mutations in Na+/K+-ATPase and their regulators are the first to
      be excluded. Phospholemman, which is a protein encoded by the FXYD domain
      containing ion transport regulator 1 (FXYD1) gene, is predominantly expressed in
      skeletal muscle and is the major regulator of Na+/K+-ATPase. Therefore, the aim
      of the present study was to determine the genetic involvement of phospholemman in
      HypoPP development. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of five
      HypoPP probands with typical manifestations. The coding exons of FXYD1, exons 2
      7, were polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified and sequenced. No mutations
      were detected in FXYD1 in any of the subjects studied. To conclude, mutations in
      phospholemman encoding genes may not be involved with HypoPP and the relationship
      between phospholemman and Na+/K+-ATPase dysfunction in attacks of HypoPP requires
      further study.

PMID- 28912874
TI  - Dietary vitamin B6 modulates the gene expression of myokines, Nrf2-related
      factors, myogenin and HSP60 in the skeletal muscle of rats.
AB  - Previous studies have suggested that vitamin B6 is an ergogenic factor. However,
      the role of dietary vitamin B6 in skeletal muscle has not been widely researched.
      The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary vitamin B6
      on the gene expression of 19 myokines, 14 nuclear factor erythroid 2-related
      factor 2 (Nrf2)-regulated factors, 8 myogenesis-related factors and 4 heat shock
      proteins (HSPs), which may serve important roles in skeletal muscles. Rats were
      fed a diet containing 1 (marginal vitamin B6 deficiency), 7 (recommended dietary
      level) or 35 mg/kg of pyridoxine (PN) HCl/ for 6 weeks. Gene expressions were
      subsequently analysed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction. Food intake and growth were unaffected by this dietary treatment. The
      rats in the 7 and 35 mg/kg PN HCl groups exhibited a significant increase in the
      concentration of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in the gastrocnemius muscle compared with
      the 1 mg/kg PN HCl diet (P<0.01). The expressions of myokines, such as IL-7, IL
      8, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine, IL-6, growth differentiation
      factor 11, myonectin, leukaemia inhibitory factor, apelin and retinoic acid
      receptor responder (tazarotene induced) 1, the expression of Nrf2 and its
      regulated factors, such as heme oxygenase 1, superoxide dismutase 2, glutathione
      peroxidase 1 and glutathione S-transferase, and the expression of myogenin and
      HSP60 were significantly elevated in the 7 mg/kg PN HCl group compared with the 1
      mg/kg PN HCl diet (P<0.05). No significant differences in levels of these genes
      were observed between the 35 and 1 mg/kg PN HCl, with the exception of GDF11 and
      myonectin, whose expressions were significantly increased in the 35 mg/kg PN HCl
      (P<0.05). Notably, the majority of gene expressions that were affected responded
      to dietary supplemental vitamin B6 in a similar manner. The results suggest that
      compared with the marginal vitamin B6 deficiency, the recommended dietary intake
      of vitamin B6 upregulates the gene expression of a number of factors that promote
      the growth and repair of skeletal muscle.

PMID- 28912875
TI  - Inhibitory effect of burdock leaves on elastase and tyrosinase activity.
AB  - Burdock (Arctium lappa L.) leaves generate a considerable amount of waste
      following burdock root harvest in Taiwan. To increase the use of burdock leaves,
      the present study investigated the optimal methods for producing burdock leaf
      extract (BLE) with high antioxidant polyphenolic content, including drying
      methods and solvent extraction concentration. In addition, the elastase and
      tyrosinase inhibitory activity of BLE was examined. Burdock leaves were dried by
      four methods: Shadow drying, oven drying, sun drying and freeze-drying. The
      extract solution was then subjected to total polyphenol content analysis and the
      method that produced BLE with the highest amount of total antioxidant components
      was taken forward for further analysis. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-pycrylhydrazyl
      scavenging, antielastase and antityrosinase activity of the BLE were measured to
      enable the evaluation of the antioxidant and skin aging-associated enzyme
      inhibitory activities of BLE. The results indicated that the total polyphenolic
      content following extraction with ethanol (EtOH) was highest using the freeze
      drying method, followed by the oven drying, shadow drying and sun drying methods.
      BLE yielded a higher polyphenol content and stronger antioxidant activity as the
      ratio of the aqueous content of the extraction solvent used increased. BLE
      possesses marked tyrosinase and elastase inhibitory activities, with its
      antielastase activity notably stronger compared with its antityrosinase activity.
      These results indicate that the concentration of the extraction solvent was
      associated with the antioxidant and skin aging-associated enzyme inhibitory
      activity of BLE. The reactive oxygen species scavenging theory of skin aging may
      explain the tyrosinase and elastase inhibitory activity of BLE. In conclusion,
      the optimal method for obtaining BLE with a high antioxidant polyphenolic content
      was freeze-drying followed by 30-50% EtOH extraction. In addition, the
      antielastase and antityrosinase activities of the BLE produced may be aid in the
      development of skincare products with antiwrinkle and skin-evening properties.

PMID- 28912876
TI  - Effect of intercostal nerve block combined with general anesthesia on the stress
      response in patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of intercostal nerve
      block combined with general anesthesia on the stress response and postoperative
      recovery in patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS).
      A total of 30 patients scheduled for MIMVS were randomly divided into two groups
      (n=15 each): Group A, which received intercostal nerve block combined with
      general anesthesia and group B, which received general anesthesia alone.
      Intercostal nerve block in group A was performed with 0.5% ropivacaine from T3 to
      T7 prior to anesthesia induction. In each group, general anesthesia was induced
      using midazolam, sufentanil, propofol and vecuronium. Central venous blood
      samples were collected to determine the concentrations of cortisol, glucose,
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) at the following
      time points: During central venous catheterization (T1), 5 min prior to
      cardiopulmonary bypass (T2), perioperative (T3) and 24 h following surgery (T4).
      Clinical data, including parameters of opioid (sufentanil) consumption, time of
      mechanical ventilation, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, visual analog
      scale scores and any complications arising from intercostal nerve block, were
      recorded. Levels of cortisol, glucose, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in group A were
      significantly lower than those in group B at T2 (all P<0.001; cortisol, P<0.05),
      T3 (all P<0.001) and T4 (all P<0.001; glucose, P<0.05), suggesting that
      intercostal nerve block combined with general anesthesia may inhibit the stress
      response to MIMVS. Additionally, intercostal nerve block combined with general
      anesthesia may significantly reduce sufentanil consumption (P<0.001), promote
      early tracheal extubation (P<0.001), shorten the duration of ICU stay (P<0.01)
      and attenuate postoperative pain (P<0.001), compared with general anesthesia
      alone. Thus, these results suggest that intercostal nerve block combined with
      general anesthesia conforms to the concept of rapid rehabilitation surgery and
      may be suitable for clinical practice.

PMID- 28912877
TI  - FEN1 knockdown improves trastuzumab sensitivity in human epidermal growth factor
      2-positive breast cancer cells.
AB  - Trastuzumab has been widely applied as a treatment for human epidermal growth
      factor 2 (HER2)-overexpressing breast cancer. However, the therapeutic efficacy
      of trastuzumab is limited. Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is a multifunctional
      endonuclease that has a crucial role in DNA recombination and repair. Inhibition
      of FEN1 is associated with the reversal of anticancer drug resistance. However,
      it is unclear whether FEN1 is involved in trastuzumab resistance. In the present
      study, it was demonstrated that trastuzumab increases the expression of FEN1, and
      FEN1 knockdown significantly enhanced the sensitivity of BT474 cells to
      trastuzumab (P<0.05). It was also revealed that trastuzumab induced HER receptor
      activation, increased binding with FEN1 and estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha),
      and upregulated ERalpha-target gene transcription (P<0.05). Upon silencing of
      FEN1 expression with siRNA, activation of HER receptor and FEN1 binding to
      ERalpha were decreased, and trastuzumab-induced ERalpha target gene upregulation
      was partially ameliorated (P<0.05). These results suggest that FEN1 may mediate
      trastuzumab resistance via inducing HER receptor activation and enhancing ERalpha
      target gene transcription. The findings of the present study indicate a novel
      role of FEN1 in trastuzumab resistance, suggesting that targeting FEN1 may
      enhance the efficiency of trastuzumab as a treatment for HER2-positive breast
      cancer.

PMID- 28912878
TI  - Triterpenoids from Ganoderma lucidum inhibit the activation of EBV antigens as
      telomerase inhibitors.
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant disease that threatens the health
      of humans. To find effective agents for the inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus
      (EBV) infection, which is associated with NPC, a phytochemical investigation of
      Ganoderma lucidum was carried out in the present study. Five triterpenoids were
      identified, including ganoderic acid A (compound 1), ganoderic acid B (compound
      2), ganoderol B (compound 3), ganodermanontriol (compound 4), and
      ganodermanondiol (compound 5), on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. An
      inhibition of EBV antigens activation assay was implemented to elucidate the
      triterpenoids from G. lucidum and potentially prevent NPC. All the triterpenoids
      showed significant inhibitory effects on both EBV EA and CA activation at 16
      nmol. At 3.2 nmol, all the compounds moderately inhibited the activation of the
      two antigens. The activity of telomerase was inhibited by these triterpenoids at
      10 uM. Molecular docking demonstrated that compound 1 was able to inhibit
      telomerase as a ligand. In addition, the physicochemical properties of these
      compounds were calculated to elucidate their drug-like properties. These results
      provided evidence for the application of these triterpenoids and whole G. lucidum
      in the treatment of NPC.

PMID- 28912879
TI  - A crossover study of the combination therapy of metformin and exenatide or
      biphasic insulin aspart 30 in overweight or obese patients newly diagnosed with
      type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of various combinations
      of exenatide, metformin (MET) and biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIA30) on type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Two hundred overweight or obese patients newly
      diagnosed with T2DM were evenly randomized into two groups: A (twice daily for
      all: Phase I, 5 ug exenatide + 0.5 g MET for 4 weeks, then 10 ug exenatide + 0.5
      g MET for 8 weeks; Phase II, 0.5 g MET for 12 weeks; Phase III, 0.3-0.4 U/kg/day
      BIA30 + 0.5 g MET for 12 weeks) and B (Phases I, II, III matched the phases III,
      II and I in group A). In groups A and B a significant decrease and increase,
      respectively, in glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc) and body mass index (BMI) was noted
      during Phase I. A 3.2+/-0.4-kg decrease in body weight in group A and a 2.6+/-0.3
      kg increase in group B was observed. In Phase II, HbAlc was significantly
      increased in both groups (P<0.05). In Phase III, the BMI was increased in group A
      and reduced in group B (P<0.05). There was a 3.8+/-0.4-kg weight decrease in
      group B and 4.2+/-0.5-kg increase in group A (P<0.05). The combination of
      exenatide and MET promoted weight loss, glycemic control, beta-cell function
      index, C peptide and adiponectin levels. These results suggested that the
      combination of exenatide and MET is better than the combination of BIA and MET
      for the therapy of overweight or obese patients newly diagnosed with T2DM.

PMID- 28912881
TI  - Immune regulation of miR-30 on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced TLR/MyD88
      signaling pathway in THP-1 cells.
AB  - The present study aimed to examine the expression of microRNA (miR)-30 family
      members in THP-1 human monocytes cells during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)
      H37Rv infection, and to investigate the role of miR-30 in the regulation of MTB
      induced Toll-like receptor (TLR)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)
      activation and cytokine expression. The THP-1 cells were infected with MTB H37Rv
      and the expression of miR-30 family members was determined by reverse
      transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. In addition, miR
      30a and miR-30e mimics were transfected into THP-1 cells to overexpress miR-30a
      and miR-30e. The expression of TLR2, TLR4 and MyD88 was determined by western
      blot analysis, and the expression of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha,
      interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 was determined using ELISA assays. A luciferase
      reporter assay was used to identify the target gene of miR-30a. MTB infection was
      demonstrated to significantly induce miR-30a and miR-30e expression in THP-1
      cells in a time-dependent manner. Forced overexpression of miR-30a, but not miR
      30e, exhibited an inhibitory effect on TLR/MyD88 activation and cytokine
      expression in the uninfected and MTB-infected THP-1 cells. The luciferase
      reporter assay demonstrated that miR-30a directly regulates the transcriptional
      activity of the MyD88 3'-untranslated region. In conclusion, the present study,
      to the best of our knowledge, is the first to demonstrate that miR-30a suppresses
      TLR/MyD88 activation and cytokine expression in THP-1 cells during MTB H37Rv
      infection, and that MyD88 is a direct target of miR-30a. The current study may
      aid in the development of novel therapeutic approaches for treating MTB.

PMID- 28912880
TI  - Spectroscopic analysis and docking simulation on the recognition and binding of
      TEM-1 beta-lactamase with beta-lactam antibiotics.
AB  - The interaction between TEM-1 beta-lactamase and antibiotics is very important in
      the hydrolysis of antibiotics. In the present study, the recognition and binding
      of TEM-1 beta-lactamase with three beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin
      G, cefalexin and cefoxitin, was investigated by fluorescence and ultraviolet
      visible absorption spectra in combination with molecular docking in the
      temperature range of 278-288 K and under simulated physiological conditions. The
      results demonstrated that the fluorescence emissions of TEM-1 beta-lactamase were
      extinguished by static quenching and the energy of TEM-1 beta-lactamase was
      transferred in a non-radioactive manner. The binding of TEM-1 beta-lactamase with
      the three antibiotics was a spontaneously exothermic process, with binding
      constants of 1.41*107, 7.81*106 and 5.43*104 at 278 K. Furthermore, binding was
      driven by enthalpy change and the binding forces between them were mainly
      hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals forces. A TEM-1 beta-lactamase only bound with
      one antibiotic at a time and the binding capacity between them was closely
      associated with the functional groups and flexibility in the antibiotics. In
      addition, a conformational change occurred in the TEM-1 beta-lactamases when they
      bound with the three antibiotics and TEM-1 beta-lactamase-antibiotic complexes
      were formed. The present study provided an insight into the recognition and
      binding of TEM-1 beta-lactamase with beta-lactam antibiotics, which may be
      helpful for designing a novel substrate for TEM-1 beta-lactamase and developing
      novel antibiotics that are resistant to the enzyme.

PMID- 28912882
TI  - Atorvastatin alleviates iodinated contrast media-induced cytotoxicity in human
      proximal renal tubular epithelial cells.
AB  - Contrast media (CM)-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a serious complication of
      intravascularly applied radiocontrast media. At present, no drugs have been
      approved for the prevention of CIN. The present study aimed to explore the
      effects and potential mechanisms of atorvastatin on iodinated CM-induced
      cytotoxicity in the human proximal renal tubular epithelial cells. The cytotoxic
      effect of iohexol (50, 100 and 200 mg I/ml) and the protective effect of
      atorvastatin pretreatment (1, 20 and 40 uM) were assessed. The cytotoxicity of
      iohexol was evaluated via the MTT cell viability and lactate dehydrogenase
      assays. The amount of apoptotic cells was determined by flow cytometry.
      Morphological changes in HK-2 cells were observed via transmission electron
      microscopy. The mRNA expression of NOX4 and p22phox was measured through reverse
      transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The cytotoxicity
      was induced by iohexol in HK-2 cells. Atorvastatin was identified to
      significantly alleviate the suppression of cell viability induced by iohexol.
      Notably, 40 uM atorvastatin also significantly reduced the mRNA expression of
      intracellular NOX4 and p22phox, and the percentage of apoptotic cells.
      Furthermore, morphological changes characteristic of injured cells were
      alleviated by atorvastatin pretreatment. These results suggest that atorvastatin
      exhibits a protective effect on HK-2 cells against iohexol-induced cytotoxicity
      through the downregulation of NOX4 and p22phox. Thus, atorvastatin is a potential
      therapeutic agent for the prevention of CIN and required further study.

PMID- 28912883
TI  - Tirofiban facilitates the reperfusion process during endovascular thrombectomy in
      ICAS.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to assess the use of tirofiban injections for
      rescue therapy following artery reocclusion due to intra-luminal thrombosis
      during endovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). A
      total of seven cases of patients treated with adjunctive tirofiban injections
      following failed endovascular thrombectomy due to instant intra-luminal
      thrombosis were retrospectively assessed. A Solitaire stent was used as the
      primary thrombectomy device in all patients. Tirofiban was injected intra
      arterially via a temporarily deployed Solitaire stent with continuous intravenous
      infusion for the subsequent 24 h; half of the conventionally recommended dose was
      employed. Outcome measures included angiographic reperfusion (mTICI), symptomatic
      intracranial hemorrhage, mortality and functional independence at 90 days
      (modified Rankin Scale, 0-2). Six patients had occlusions in the middle cerebral
      artery and one patient had occlusions in the basilar artery. Of the seven
      patients, five exhibited successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b-3) and achieved
      functional independence following 90 days. Reperfusion failed in the remaining
      two patients, who succumbed within 90 days of therapy. No intracranial or
      extracranial hemorrhage cases were identified. The results of the present study
      suggest that tirofiban facilitates reperfusion and ameliorates long-term
      prognosis in patients with AIS undergoing endovascular thrombectomy, and may be
      safe for those receiving intravenous tissue plasminogen activator therapy.

PMID- 28912884
TI  - Towards Translational ImmunoPET/MR Imaging of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis:
      The Humanised Monoclonal Antibody JF5 Detects Aspergillus Lung Infections In
      Vivo.
AB  - Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a life-threatening lung disease of
      hematological malignancy or bone marrow transplant patients caused by the
      ubiquitous environmental fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Current diagnostic tests
      for the disease lack sensitivity as well as specificity, and culture of the
      fungus from invasive lung biopsy, considered the gold standard for IPA detection,
      is slow and often not possible in critically ill patients. In a previous study,
      we reported the development of a novel non-invasive procedure for IPA diagnosis
      based on antibody-guided positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance
      imaging (immunoPET/MRI) using a [64Cu]DOTA-labeled mouse monoclonal antibody
      (mAb), mJF5, specific to Aspergillus. To enable translation of the tracer to the
      clinical setting, we report here the development of a humanised version of the
      antibody (hJF5), and pre-clinical imaging of lung infection using a [64Cu]NODAGA
      hJF5 tracer. The humanised antibody tracer shows a significant increase in in
      vivo biodistribution in A. fumigatus infected lungs compared to its radiolabeled
      murine counterpart [64Cu]NODAGA-mJF5. Using reverse genetics of the pathogen, we
      show that the antibody binds to the antigenic determinant beta1,5-galactofuranose
      (Galf) present in a diagnostic mannoprotein antigen released by the pathogen
      during invasive growth in the lung. The absence of the epitope Galf in mammalian
      carbohydrates, coupled with the enhanced imaging capabilities of the hJF5
      antibody, means that the [64Cu]NODAGA-hJF5 tracer developed here represents an
      ideal candidate for the diagnosis of IPA and translation to the clinical setting.

PMID- 28912885
TI  - Brusatol-Mediated Inhibition of c-Myc Increases HIF-1alpha Degradation and Causes
      Cell Death in Colorectal Cancer under Hypoxia.
AB  - HIF-1 (hypoxia-inducible factor-1) regulates the expression of ~100 genes
      involved in angiogenesis, metastasis, tumor growth, chemoresistance and
      radioresistance, underscoring the growing interest in targeting HIF-1 for cancer
      control. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms
      underlying brusatol-induced HIF-1alpha degradation and cell death in colorectal
      cancer under hypoxia (0.5% O2). Under hypoxia, pretreatment of cancer cells with
      brusatol increased HIF-1alpha degradation and cancer cell death in a dose
      dependent manner. This effect was mediated by activation of prolyl hydroxylases
      (PHDs), as evidenced by the block of brusatol-induced HIF-1alpha degradation and
      cancer cell death by both pharmacological inhibition and siRNA-mediated knockdown
      of PHDs. In addition, a ferrous iron chelator (2,2'-bypyridyl) blocked brusatol
      induced degradation of HIF-1alpha and cancer cell death in hypoxia by inhibiting
      PHD activation. We further found that brusatol inhibited c-Myc expression, and
      showed that overexpression of c-Myc prevented brusatol-induced degradation of HIF
      1alpha and cancer cell death by increasing mitochondrial ROS production and
      subsequent ROS-mediated transition of ferrous iron to ferric iron. Consistent
      with these results, treatment of tumor-bearing mice with brusatol significantly
      suppressed tumor growth by promoting PHD-mediated HIF-1alpha degradation.
      Collectively, our results suggest that brusatol-mediated inhibition of c-Myc/ROS
      signaling pathway increases HIF-1alpha degradation by promoting PHD activity and
      induces cell death in colorectal cancer under hypoxia.

PMID- 28912886
TI  - The pH-Triggered Triblock Nanocarrier Enabled Highly Efficient siRNA Delivery for
      Cancer Therapy.
AB  - Small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapies have been hampered by lack of delivery
      systems in the past decades. Nowadays, a few promising vehicles for siRNA
      delivery have been developed and it is gradually revealed that enhancing siRNA
      release from endosomes into cytosol is a very important factor for successful
      delivery. Here, we designed a novel pH-sensitive nanomicelle, PEG-PTTMA-P(GMA-S
      DMA) (PTMS), for siRNA delivery. Owing to rapid hydrolysis in acidic environment,
      PTMS NPs underwent hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic transition in endosomes that
      enabled combination of proton sponge effect and raised osmotic pressure in
      endosomes, resulting in vigorous release of siRNAs from endosomes into cytosol.
      In vitro results demonstrated that PTMS/siRNA complexes exhibited excellent gene
      silencing effects in several cell lines. Their gene silencing efficiency could
      reach ~91%, ~87% and ~90% at the N/P ratio of 50/1 in MDA-MB-231, A549 and Hela
      cells respectively, which were better than that obtained with Lipofectamine 2000.
      The highly efficient gene silencing was then proven from enhanced siRNA endosomal
      release, which is mainly attributed to pH-triggered degradation of polymer and
      acid-accelerated siRNA release. In vivo experiments indicated that NPs/siRNA
      formulation rapidly accumulated in tumor sites after i.v. injection. Tumor growth
      was effectively inhibited and ~45% gene knockdown efficacy was determined at the
      siRRM2 dose of 1mg/kg. Meanwhile, no significant toxicity was observed during the
      whole treatment. We also found that PTMS/siRNA formulations could lead to
      significant gene silencing effects in liver (~63%) and skin (~80%) when injected
      by i.v. and s.c., respectively. This research work gives a rational strategy to
      optimize siRNA delivery systems for tumor treatments.

PMID- 28912887
TI  - rSj16 Protects against DSS-Induced Colitis by Inhibiting the PPAR-alpha Signaling
      Pathway.
AB  - Background: Epidemiologic studies and animal model experiments have shown that
      parasites have significant modulatory effects on autoimmune disorders, including
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recombinant Sj16 (rSj16), a 16-kDa secreted
      protein of Schistosoma japonicum (S.japonicum) produced by Escherichia coli (E.
      coli), has been shown to have immunoregulatory effects in vivo and in vitro. In
      this study, we aimed to determine the effects of rSj16 on dextran sulfate sodium
      (DSS)-induced colitis. Methods: DSS-induced colitis mice were treated with rSj16.
      Body weight loss, disease activity index (DAI), myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity
      levels, colon lengths, macroscopic scores, histopathology findings, inflammatory
      cytokine levels and regulatory T cell (Treg) subset levels were examined.
      Moreover, the differential genes expression after treated with rSj16 were
      sequenced, analyzed and identified. Results: rSj16 attenuated clinical activity
      of DSS-induced colitis mice, diminished pro-inflammatory cytokine production, up
      regulated immunoregulatory cytokine production and increased Treg percentages in
      DSS-induced colitis mice. Moreover, DSS-induced colitis mice treated with rSj16
      displayed changes in the expression levels of specific genes in the colon and
      show the crucial role of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPAR
      alpha) signaling pathway. PPAR-alpha activation diminished the therapeutic
      effects of rSj16 in DSS-induced colitis mice, indicating that the PPAR-alpha
      signaling pathway plays a crucial role in DSS-induced colitis development.
      Conclusions: rSj16 has protective effects on DSS-induced colitis, effects
      mediated mainly by PPAR-alpha signaling pathway inhibition. The findings of this
      study suggest that rSj16 may be useful as a therapeutic agent and that PPAR-alpha
      may be a new therapeutic target in the treatment of IBD.

PMID- 28912888
TI  - Sulforaphane-Induced Cell Cycle Arrest and Senescence are accompanied by DNA
      Hypomethylation and Changes in microRNA Profile in Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - Cancer cells are characterized by genetic and epigenetic alterations and
      phytochemicals, epigenetic modulators, are considered as promising candidates for
      epigenetic therapy of cancer. In the present study, we have investigated cancer
      cell fates upon stimulation of breast cancer cells (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SK-BR-3)
      with low doses of sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate. SFN (5-10 uM) promoted
      cell cycle arrest, elevation in the levels of p21 and p27 and cellular
      senescence, whereas at the concentration of 20 uM, apoptosis was induced. The
      effects were accompanied by nitro-oxidative stress, genotoxicity and diminished
      AKT signaling. Moreover, SFN stimulated energy stress as judged by decreased
      pools of ATP and AMPK activation, and autophagy induction. Anticancer effects of
      SFN were mediated by global DNA hypomethylation, decreased levels of DNA
      methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT3B) and diminished pools of N6-methyladenosine
      (m6A) RNA methylation. SFN (10 uM) also affected microRNA profiles, namely SFN
      caused upregulation of sixty microRNAs and downregulation of thirty two
      microRNAs, and SFN promoted statistically significant decrease in the levels of
      miR-23b, miR-92b, miR-381 and miR-382 in three breast cancer cells. Taken
      together, we show for the first time that SFN is an epigenetic modulator in
      breast cancer cells that results in cell cycle arrest and senescence, and SFN may
      be considered to be used in epigenome-focused anticancer therapy.

PMID- 28912889
TI  - CBX8 Suppresses Tumor Metastasis via Repressing Snail in Esophageal Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma.
AB  - The poor clinical outcome and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
      (ESCC) is mainly attributed to its highly invasive and metastatic nature, making
      it urgent to further elicit the molecular mechanisms of the metastasis of ESCC.
      The function of each polycomb chromobox (CBX) protein in cancer is cell-type
      dependent. Although CBX8 has been reported to promote the esophageal squamous
      cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumorigenesis, its role in ESCC metastasis has not been
      explored yet. In this study, we report that the inhibition of cell migration,
      invasion, and metastasis in ESCC requires CBX8-mediated repression of Snail, a
      key transcription factor that induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT),
      and that CBX8 inversely correlated with Snail in the ESCC tissues. Moreover, this
      novel function of CBX8 is dependent on its binding with the Snail promoter, which
      in turn suppresses the transcription of Snail. Collectively, CBX8 may play
      paradoxical roles in ESCC, inhibiting metastasis while promoting cell
      proliferation.

PMID- 28912890
TI  - Glioma Dual-Targeting Nanohybrid Protein Toxin Constructed by Intein-Mediated
      Site-Specific Ligation for Multistage Booster Delivery.
AB  - Malignant glioma is one of the most untreatable cancers because of the formidable
      blood-brain barrier (BBB), through which few therapeutics can penetrate and reach
      the tumors. Biologics have been booming in cancer therapy in the past two
      decades, but their application in brain tumor has long been ignored due to the
      impermeable nature of BBB against effective delivery of biologics. Indeed, it is
      a long unsolved problem for brain delivery of macromolecular drugs, which becomes
      the Holy Grail in medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Even assisting by
      targeting ligands, protein brain delivery still remains challenging because of
      the synthesis difficulties of ligand-modified proteins. Herein, we propose a
      rocket-like, multistage booster delivery system of a protein toxin, trichosanthin
      (TCS), for antiglioma treatment. TCS is a ribosome-inactivating protein with the
      potent activity against various solid tumors but lack of specific action and cell
      penetration ability. To overcome the challenge of its poor druggability and site
      specific modification, intein-mediated ligation was applied, by which a
      gelatinase-cleavable peptide and cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-fused recombinant
      TCS toxin can be site-specifically conjugated to lactoferrin (LF), thus
      constructing a BBB-penetrating, gelatinase-activatable cell-penetrating
      nanohybrid TCS toxin. This nanohybrid TCS system is featured by the multistage
      booster strategy for glioma dual-targeting delivery. First, LF can target to the
      BBB-overexpressing low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1),
      and assist with BBB penetration. Second, once reaching the tumor site, the
      gelatinase-cleavable peptide acts as a separator responsive to the glioma
      associated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), thus releasing to the CPP-fused
      toxin. Third, CPP mediates intratumoral and intracellular penetration of TCS
      toxin, thereby enhancing its antitumor activity. The BBB penetration and MMP-2
      activability of this delivery system were demonstrated. The antiglioma activity
      was evaluated in the subcutaneous and orthotopic animal models. Our work provides
      a useful protocol for improving the druggability of such class of protein toxins
      and promoting their in-vivo application for targeted cancer therapy.

PMID- 28912892
TI  - Real-time In vivo Diagnosis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Using Rapid Fiber-Optic
      Raman Spectroscopy.
AB  - We report the utility of a simultaneous fingerprint (FP) (i.e., 800-1800 cm-1)
      and high-wavenumber (HW) (i.e., 2800-3600 cm-1) fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy
      developed for real-time in vivo diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) at
      endoscopy. A total of 3731 high-quality in vivo FP/HW Raman spectra (normal=1765;
      cancer=1966) were acquired in real-time from 204 tissue sites (normal=95;
      cancer=109) of 95 subjects (normal=57; cancer=38) undergoing endoscopic
      examination. FP/HW Raman spectra differ significantly between normal and
      cancerous nasopharyngeal tissues that could be attributed to changes of proteins,
      lipids, nucleic acids, and the bound water content in NPC. Principal components
      analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) together with leave-one
      subject-out, cross-validation (LOO-CV) were implemented to develop robust Raman
      diagnostic models. The simultaneous FP/HW Raman spectroscopy technique together
      with PCA-LDA and LOO-CV modeling provides a diagnostic accuracy of 93.1%
      (sensitivity of 93.6%; specificity of 92.6%) for nasopharyngeal cancer
      identification, which is superior to using either FP (accuracy of 89.2%;
      sensitivity of 89.9%; specificity of 88.4%) or HW (accuracy of 89.7%; sensitivity
      of 89.0%; specificity of 90.5%) Raman technique alone. Further receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) analysis reconfirms the best performance of the simultaneous
      FP/HW Raman technique for in vivo diagnosis of NPC. This work demonstrates for
      the first time that simultaneous FP/HW fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy technique
      has great promise for enhancing real-time in vivo cancer diagnosis in the
      nasopharynx during endoscopic examination.

PMID- 28912891
TI  - Bioengineering of Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells and Lymphoid Organs.
AB  - The immune system protects the body against a wide range of infectious diseases
      and cancer by leveraging the efficiency of immune cells and lymphoid organs. Over
      the past decade, immune cell/organ therapies based on the manipulation, infusion,
      and implantation of autologous or allogeneic immune cells/organs into patients
      have been widely tested and have made great progress in clinical applications.
      Despite these advances, therapy with natural immune cells or lymphoid organs is
      relatively expensive and time-consuming. Alternatively, biomimetic materials and
      strategies have been applied to develop artificial immune cells and lymphoid
      organs, which have attracted considerable attentions. In this review, we survey
      the latest studies on engineering biomimetic materials for immunotherapy,
      focusing on the perspectives of bioengineering artificial antigen presenting
      cells and lymphoid organs. The opportunities and challenges of this field are
      also discussed.

PMID- 28912893
TI  - The Role of Nitric Oxide during Sonoreperfusion of Microvascular Obstruction.
AB  - Rationale: Microembolization during PCI for acute myocardial infarction can cause
      microvascular obstruction (MVO). MVO severely limits the success of reperfusion
      therapies, is associated with additional myonecrosis, and is linked to worse
      prognosis, including death. We have shown, both in in vitro and in vivo models,
      that ultrasound (US) and microbubble (MB) therapy (termed "sonoreperfusion" or
      "SRP") is a theranostic approach that relieves MVO and restores perfusion, but
      the underlying mechanisms remain to be established. Objective: In this study, we
      investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) during SRP. Methods and results: We
      first demonstrated in plated cells that US-stimulated MB oscillations induced a 6
      fold increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation in
      vitro. We then monitored the kinetics of intramuscular NO and perfusion flow rate
      responses following 2-min of SRP therapy in the rat hindlimb muscle, with and
      without blockade of eNOS with LNAME. Following SRP, we found that starting at 6
      minutes, intramuscular NO increased significantly over 30 min and was higher than
      baseline after 13 min. Concomitant contrast enhanced burst reperfusion imaging
      confirmed that there was a marked increase in perfusion flow rate at 6 and 10 min
      post SRP compared to baseline (>2.5 fold). The increases in intramuscular NO and
      perfusion rate were blunted with LNAME. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that NO
      plays a role in SRP by assessing reperfusion efficacy in a previously described
      rat hindlimb model of MVO during blockade of eNOS. After US treatment 1,
      microvascular blood volume was restored to baseline in the MB+US group, but
      remained low in the LNAME group. Perfusion rates increased in the MB+US group
      after US treatment 2 but not in the MB+US+LNAME group. Conclusions: These data
      strongly support that MB oscillations can activate the eNOS pathway leading to
      increased blood perfusion and that NO plays a significant role in SRP efficacy.

PMID- 28912894
TI  - Genetically Encoded Photoactuators and Photosensors for Characterization and
      Manipulation of Pluripotent Stem Cells.
AB  - Our knowledge of pluripotent stem cell biology has advanced considerably in the
      past four decades, but it has yet to deliver on the great promise of regenerative
      medicine. The slow progress can be mainly attributed to our incomplete
      understanding of the complex biologic processes regulating the dynamic
      developmental pathways from pluripotency to fully-differentiated states of
      functional somatic cells. Much of the difficulty arises from our lack of specific
      tools to query, or manipulate, the molecular scale circuitry on both single-cell
      and organismal levels. Fortunately, the last two decades of progress in the field
      of optogenetics have produced a variety of genetically encoded, light-mediated
      tools that enable visualization and control of the spatiotemporal regulation of
      cellular function. The merging of optogenetics and pluripotent stem cell biology
      could thus be an important step toward realization of the clinical potential of
      pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we have surveyed available genetically
      encoded photoactuators and photosensors, a rapidly expanding toolbox, with
      particular attention to those with utility for studying pluripotent stem cells.

PMID- 28912896
TI  - Investigation of the Safety of Focused Ultrasound-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier
      Opening in a Natural Canine Model of Aging.
AB  - Rationale: Ultrasound-mediated opening of the Blood-Brain Barrier(BBB) has shown
      exciting potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease(AD). Studies in
      transgenic mouse models have shown that this approach can reduce plaque pathology
      and improve spatial memory. Before clinical translation can occur the safety of
      the method needs to be tested in a larger brain that allows lower frequencies be
      used to treat larger tissue volumes, simulating clinical situations. Here we
      investigate the safety of opening the BBB in half of the brain in a large aged
      animal model with naturally occurring amyloid deposits. Methods: Aged dogs
      naturally accumulate plaques and show associated cognitive declines. Low
      frequency ultrasound was used to open the BBB unilaterally in aged beagles (9
      11yrs, n=10) in accordance with institutionally approved protocols. Animals
      received either a single treatment or four weekly treatments. Magnetic resonance
      imaging(MRI) was used to guide the treatments and assess the tissue effects. The
      animals underwent neurological testing during treatment follow-up, and a follow
      up MRI exam 1 week following the final treatment. Results: The permeability of
      the BBB was successfully increased in all animals (mean enhancement: 19+/-11%
      relative to untreated hemisphere). There was a single adverse event in the
      chronic treatment group that resolved within 24 hrs. Follow-up MRI showed the BBB
      to be intact with no evidence of tissue damage in all animals. Histological
      analysis showed comparable levels of microhemorrhage between the treated and
      control hemispheres in the prefrontal cortex (single/repeat treatment: 1.0+/-1.4
      vs 0.4+/-0.5/5.2+/-1.8 vs. 4.0+/-2.0). No significant differences were observed
      in beta-amyloid load (single/repeat: p=0.31/p=0.98) although 3/5 animals in each
      group showed lower Abeta loads in the treated hemisphere. Conclusion: Whole
      hemisphere opening of the BBB was well tolerated in the aged large animal brain.
      The treatment volumes and frequencies used are clinically relevant and indicate
      safety for clinical translation. Further study is warranted to determine if FUS
      has positive effects on naturally occurring amyloid pathology.

PMID- 28912897
TI  - Genomic Analysis of Tumor Microenvironment Immune Types across 14 Solid Cancer
      Types: Immunotherapeutic Implications.
AB  - We performed a comprehensive immuno-genomic analysis of tumor microenvironment
      immune types (TMITs), which is classified into four groups based on PD-L1+CD8A or
      PD-L1+cytolytic activity (CYT) expression, across a broad spectrum of solid
      tumors in order to help identify patients who will benefit from anti- PD-1/PD-L1
      therapy. The mRNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) of 14 solid
      cancer types representing 6,685 tumor samples was analyzed. TMIT was classified
      only for those tumor types that both PD-L1 and CD8A/CYT could prefict mutation
      and/or neoantigen number. The mutational and neoepitope features of the tumor
      were compared according to the four TMITs. We found that PD-L1/CD8A/CYT subgroups
      could not distinguish different mutation and neoantigen numbers in certain tumor
      types such as glioblastoma multiforme, prostate adenocarcinoma, and head and neck
      and lung squamous cell carcinoma. For the remaining tumor types, compared with
      TIMT II (low PD-L1 and CD8A/CYT), TIMT I (high PD-L1 and CD8A/CYT) had a
      significantly higher number of mutations or neoantigens in bladder urothelial
      carcinoma, breast and cervical cancer, colorectal, stomach and lung
      adenocarcinoma, and melanoma. In contrast, TMIT I of kidney clear cell, liver
      hepatocellular, and thyroid carcinoma were negatively correlated with mutation
      burden or neoantigen numbers. Our findings show that the TMIT stratification
      proposed could serve as a favorable approach for tailoring optimal
      immunotherapeutic strategies in certain tumor types. Going forward, it will be
      important to test the clinical practicability of TMIT based on quantification of
      immune infiltrates using mRNA-seq to predict clinical response to these and other
      immunotherapeutic strategies in more different tumors.

PMID- 28912895
TI  - Mass spectrometry-assisted gel-based proteomics in cancer biomarker discovery:
      approaches and application.
AB  - There is a critical need for the discovery of novel biomarkers for early
      detection and targeted therapy of cancer, a major cause of deaths worldwide. In
      this respect, proteomic technologies, such as mass spectrometry (MS), enable the
      identification of pathologically significant proteins in various types of
      samples. MS is capable of high-throughput profiling of complex biological samples
      including blood, tissues, urine, milk, and cells. MS-assisted proteomics has
      contributed to the development of cancer biomarkers that may form the foundation
      for new clinical tests. It can also aid in elucidating the molecular mechanisms
      underlying cancer. In this review, we discuss MS principles and instrumentation
      as well as approaches in MS-based proteomics, which have been employed in the
      development of potential biomarkers. Furthermore, the challenges in validation of
      MS biomarkers for their use in clinical practice are also reviewed.

PMID- 28912898
TI  - Inhibition of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Homing Towards Triple
      Negative Breast Cancer Microenvironment Using an Anti-PDGFRbeta Aptamer.
AB  - Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are shown to participate in
      tumor progression by establishing a favorable tumor microenvironment (TME) that
      promote metastasis through a cytokine networks. However, the mechanism of homing
      and recruitment of BM-MSCs into tumors and their potential role in malignant
      tissue progression is poorly understood and controversial. Here we show that BM
      MSCs increase aggressiveness of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines
      evaluated as capability to migrate, invade and acquire stemness markers.
      Importantly, we demonstrate that the treatment of BM-MSCs with a nuclease
      resistant RNA aptamer against platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta
      (PDGFRbeta) causes the inhibition of receptor-dependent signaling pathways thus
      drastically hampering BM-MSC recruitment towards TNBC cell lines and BM-MSCs
      trans-differentiation into carcinoma-associated fibroblast (CAF)-like cells.
      Moreover, in vivo molecular imaging analysis demonstrated the aptamer ability to
      prevent BM-MSCs homing to TNBC xenografts. Collectively, our results indicate the
      anti-PDGFRbeta aptamer as a novel therapeutic tool to interfere with BM-MSCs
      attraction to TNBC providing the rationale to further explore the aptamer in more
      complex pre-clinical settings.

PMID- 28912899
TI  - Earwax as an alternative specimen for forensic analysis.
AB  - In this work, we presented, for the first time, earwax as an alternative forensic
      specimen for detecting 12 neuropsychotic drugs employing liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry in positive and negative ion modes after straightforward
      extraction with methanol. The method was validated and standard curves were
      established by external calibration with correlation coefficients >0.99. All
      precision, accuracy, matrix effects, extraction recoveries, and carryover were
      within acceptable limits; limits of quantification were sufficiently low to
      quantify almost all the samples tested. To confirm the feasibility of the study,
      earwax specimens were collected from actual patients treated with different
      combinations of the 12 drugs and analyzed by our method; the 12 drugs could be
      quantified from the earwax specimens of the users successfully, showing
      usefulness of earwax specimens, because of its noninvasive sampling and the
      storage of drug(s) for relatively long time together with its being relatively
      less contaminated by environmental impurities. This study is pioneering; many
      detailed studies on earwax as an alternative specimen remain to be explored.

PMID- 28912900
TI  - Open Label Trial of the Efficacy and Safety Profile of Rikkunshito used for the
      Treatment of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A
      Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) usually experience distress
      related not only to motor dysfunction, but also to nonmotor symptoms, including
      gastrointestinal dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this pilot study was to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of a traditional Japanese medicine,
      rikkunshito (RKT), used for the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms,
      associated with anorexia and dyspepsia, in patients with PD. METHODS: Patients
      were randomly assigned to either Group A (4-week treatment period with 7.5 g/d
      RKT followed by a 4-week off-treatment period) or Group B (4-week off-treatment
      period followed by a 4-week treatment period with 7.5 g/d RKT). Appetite, quality
      of life for gastrointestinal symptoms, and depression were assessed using a
      visual analog scale, the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale and the Self
      Rating Depression Scale, respectively. The gastric emptying examination and assay
      of plasma acylated ghrelin level were performed using the 13C-acetate breath test
      and commercially available assay kits, respectively. RESULTS: RKT treatment
      produced a significant increase in the appetite score (1.84 [2.34]; P < 0.05),
      compared to a decrease in the score over the off-treatment period (-1.36 [2.94]).
      The mean score for abdominal pain, on the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale,
      and for self-reported depression, on the Self-Rating Depression Scale, also
      decreased significantly with RKT treatment (P < 0.05), compared with the off
      treatment period scores. No effect of RKT on plasma acylated ghrelin level and
      rate of gastric emptying was identified. CONCLUSIONS: RKT may improve anorexia in
      patients with PD. The positive effects of RKT on depression and anorexia may
      improve the overall quality of life of these patients. The benefits of RKT
      identified in our pilot study will need to be confirmed in a randomized, double
      blind, controlled trial. UMIN Clinical Trial Registry identifier: UMIN000009626.

PMID- 28912901
TI  - Can a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Act as a Glutamatergic Modulator?
AB  - Sertraline (Zoloft) and fluoxetine (Prozac) are selective serotonin reuptake
      inhibitors whose antidepressant mechanism of action is classically attributed to
      an elevation of the extracellular levels of serotonin in the synaptic cleft.
      However, the biological effects of these drugs seem to be more complex than their
      traditionally described mechanism of action. Among their actions is the
      inhibition of different types of Na+ and K+ channels, as well as of glutamate
      uptake activity. The clearance of extracellular glutamate is essential to
      maintain the central nervous system within physiological conditions, and this
      excitatory neurotransmitter is removed from the synaptic cleft by astrocyte
      transporters. This transport depends upon a hyperpolarized membrane potential in
      astrocytes that is mainly maintained by Kir4.1 K+ channels. The impairment of the
      Kir4.1 channel activity reduces driving force for the glutamate transporter,
      resulting in an accumulation of extracellular glutamate. It has been shown that
      sertraline and fluoxetine inhibit Kir4.1 K+ channels. Recently, we demonstrated
      that sertraline reduces glutamate uptake in human platelets, which contain a high
      affinity Na+-dependent glutamate uptake system, with kinetic and pharmacological
      properties similar to astrocytes in the central nervous system. Considering these
      similarities between human platelets and astrocytes, one might ask if sertraline
      could potentially reduce glutamate clearance in the synaptic cleft and
      consequently modulate glutamatergic transmission. This possibility merits
      investigation, since it may provide additional information regarding the
      mechanism of action and perhaps the side effects of these antidepressants.

PMID- 28912902
TI  - Effects of Dapagliflozin on Body Composition and Liver Tests in Patients with
      Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A
      Prospective, Open-label, Uncontrolled Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an active form of nonalcoholic
      fatty liver disease. Risk factors for NASH include type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM) and obesity. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors used to
      treat T2DM prevent glucose reabsorption in the kidney and increase glucose
      urinary excretion. Dapagliflozin is a potent, selective SGLT2 inhibitor that
      reduces hyperglycemia in patients with T2DM and has been demonstrated to reduce
      some complications associated with NASH in rodent models. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      the efficacy and safety profile of dapagliflozin for the treatment of NASH
      associated with T2DM. METHODS: In this single-arm, nonrandomized, open-label
      study, 16 patients with percutaneous liver biopsy-confirmed NASH and T2DM were
      enrolled to be prescribed dapagliflozin 5 mg/d for 24 weeks. Of these, 11
      patients were evaluable. Patients with chronic liver disease other than NASH were
      excluded. Body composition, laboratory variables related to liver tests and
      metabolism, and glucose homeostasis were assessed at baseline and periodically
      during the study. Changes from baseline were evaluated with the Wilcoxon signed
      rank test. RESULTS: Administration of dapagliflozin for 24 weeks was associated
      with significant decreases in body mass index (P < 0.01), waist circumference (P
      < 0.01), and waist-to-hip ratio (P < 0.01). Changes in body composition were
      driven by reductions in body fat mass (P < 0.01) and percent body fat (P < 0.01),
      without changes in lean mass or total body water. Liver tests (ie, serum
      concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, ferritin,
      and type IV collagen 7S) also significantly improved during the study. Insulin
      concentrations decreased (P < 0.01 by Week 24) in combination with significant
      reductions in fasting plasma glucose (P < 0.01) and glycated hemoglobin (P <
      0.01) levels and increases in adiponectin (P < 0.01) levels from Week 4 onward.
      CONCLUSIONS: Dapagliflozin was associated with improvements in body composition,
      most likely a reduction in visceral fat, which occurred together with
      improvements in liver tests and metabolic variables in patients with NASH
      associated with T2DM. UMIN Clinical Trial Registry identifier: UMIN000023574.

PMID- 28912903
TI  - What Did I Do? Practitioner Awareness of Ethical Issues in Scientific Publishing.
AB  - Massage therapy practice as well as research in massage therapy is guided by
      ethical principles and boundaries of professional behavior. Scientific publishing
      is also guided by a set of ethical standards, about which all aspiring scientific
      authors should be aware. Honesty, integrity, and conflicts of interest are issues
      in science and these issues can also impact scientific publishing. Historical
      ethical issues and current events are discussed.

PMID- 28912905
TI  - A Case for Mixed Methods Research in Massage Therapy.

PMID- 28912904
TI  - Fasciatherapy and Reflexology compared to Hypnosis and Music Therapy in Daily
      Stress Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients suffering from stress symptoms due to every-day life who are
      looking for a non-pharmacological response to their relief expectation are many.
      Furthermore, early reckoning of the day-to-day stress which may lead to clinical
      diagnosis is the best way of preventing the stress-related diseases. Among the
      many alternative medicinal options, there is little evidence that fasciatherapy
      (Fs) and reflexology (Rf) are effective in this field. PURPOSE: assess incidence
      of fasciatherapy Danis Bois Method (DBM) and of reflexology on patients' stress
      level in everyday-life, and provide a more informed choice among the numerous
      mind and body techniques by comparing them with hypnosis (Hp) and music therapy
      (Mt). SETTINGS: Specialized Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) centres
      for outpatients. PARTICIPANTS: 308 individuals (average age = 50.53 SD 14.37, 93
      males, 215 females) going to the centres for health care, but free from serious
      diseases and not heavily medicated respecting the inclusion criteria and
      providing valid forms. RESEARCH DESIGN: Four armed, non-randomized observational
      pragmatic trial with pretest-posttest repeated measures, on separate samples of
      natural groups. INTERVENTION: According to the centre participants where they
      used to be treated, they were exposed to a single semi-standardized session of a
      technique of their choice: Fs, Rf, Hp, Mt. Volunteers had a controlled non
      intervention resting (Rt) session. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean STAI-Y assessing
      anxiety as reflecting the stress level: MANCOVA and ANCOVA performed with Tukey's
      HSD. RESULTS: MANCOVA indicates a significant reduction of anxiety (p < .01) in
      each condition, resting included. ANCOVA performance adjusting on stress level in
      T0 (41.73) and on the mean sumscore of the trait (44.89), Fs (-13.92), Rf (
      15.92), and Hp (-15.88) were equally effective on the stress level decrease. Mt (
      10.0) and Rt (-6.38) showed the same level of effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results suggest fasciatherapy DBM, hypnosis, and reflexology could be used as non
      pharmacological and safe interventions in stress management. Though showing a
      lesser efficiency, music therapy could be useful in different circumstances.

PMID- 28912906
TI  - Constipation Is Related to Small Bowel Disturbance Rather Than Colonic
      Enlargement in Acquired Chagasic Megacolon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Constipation is the main symptom of acquired chagasic megacolon.
      However, a number of patients with Chagas disease without colon involvement also
      have the same complain. This study evaluated the role of small bowel in
      constipated patients with Chagas disease with and without megacolon. METHODS:
      Orocecal transit time (OCTT) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in
      constipated non-chagasic and chagasic patients with and without megacolon were
      performed. One hundred fifteen patients were included in this study and were
      divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of constipation, which
      is defined as at least 7 days without bowel movements for more than 1 year. These
      two groups were further divided into three subgroups based on the serology test
      results for Trypanosoma cruzi and the presence and absence of megacolon on barium
      enema. All patients were subjected to OCTT and OGTT. RESULTS: Among 70
      constipated patients, 64.3% had OCTT longer than 120 min, higher than the non
      constipated patients (31.1%, P < 0.000). The proportion of patients within the
      three subgroups in the non-constipated group was not different from each other (P
      = 0.345). Among the constipated subgroup, 94.44% of the chagasic megacolon
      subgroup had OCTT longer than 120 min, higher than the other two subgroups (P =
      0.005). Chagas patients with constipation, without or without megacolon, showed
      higher blood glucose levels at 30, 60, and 90 min after oral ingestion of 70 g
      glucose than normal subjects with or without constipation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Constipated, either non-chagasic or chagasic, patients have a prolonged OCTT.
      This result suggests that slow small bowel transit may be a significant factor
      for constipation.

PMID- 28912907
TI  - Long-Term Follow-Up of Autonomic and Enteric Measures in Patients Undergoing
      Vertical Banded Gastroplasty for Morbid Obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A multi-component model of autonomic and enteric factors may
      correlate with ultimate weight loss or gain after restrictive obesity surgery.
      This study aimed to determine relevant parameters to predict successful long-term
      weight loss. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients (four males and 35 females) with a
      mean age of 37.2 years were followed for over 15 years after vertical banded
      gastroplasty. Baseline adrenergic: postural adjustment ratio (PAR) and
      vasoconstriction (VC); cholinergic: electrocardiogram R-to-R interval (RRI) and
      enteric measure: electrogastrogram (EGG) were utilized by a discriminant function
      analysis to classify patients as a long-term loser or gainer. Using latest weight
      compared to baseline, patients were divided as 10 gainers and 29 losers. RESULTS:
      A discriminate model successfully predicted ultimate weight gain in 8/10 (80%) of
      patients who subsequently gained weight and weight loss in 24/29 (83%) of
      patients who lost weight for a total correct classification of 32/39 (82%). The
      same model with data at 3 months postoperatively predicted weight gain in 9/10
      (90%) of patients and weight loss in 24/29 (83%) of patients, for a total correct
      classification of 34/39 (87%). CONCLUSIONS: A multi-component model at baseline
      and 3 months postoperative can predict long-term weight outcome from restrictive
      obesity surgery.

PMID- 28912908
TI  - Gastrin-Releasing Peptide and Glucose Metabolism Following Pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is a pluripotent peptide that has
      been implicated in both gastrointestinal inflammatory states and classical
      chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Abnormal glucose metabolism (AGM)
      after pancreatitis, an exemplar inflammatory disease involving the
      gastrointestinal tract, is associated with persistent low-grade inflammation and
      altered secretion of pancreatic and gut hormones as well as cytokines. While GRP
      is involved in secretion of many of them, it is not known whether GRP has a role
      in AGM. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between GRP and AGM
      following pancreatitis. METHODS: Fasting blood samples were collected to measure
      GRP, blood glucose, insulin, amylin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide (PP),
      somatostatin, cholecystokinin, gastric-inhibitory peptide (GIP), gastrin,
      ghrelin, glicentin, glucagon-like peptide-1 and 2, oxyntomodulin, peptide YY
      (PYY), secretin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and interleukin-6. Modified
      Poisson regression analysis and linear regression analyses were conducted. Four
      statistical models were used to adjust for demographic, metabolic, and
      pancreatitis-related risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 83 individuals after an
      episode of pancreatitis were recruited. GRP was significantly associated with
      AGM, consistently in all four models (P -trend < 0.05), and fasting blood glucose
      contributed 17% to the variance of GRP. Further, GRP was significantly associated
      with glucagon (P < 0.003), MCP-1 (P < 0.025), and TNF-alpha (P < 0.025) -
      consistently in all four models. GRP was also significantly associated with PP
      and PYY in three models (P < 0.030 for both), and with GIP and glicentin in one
      model (P = 0.001 and 0.024, respectively). Associations between GRP and other
      pancreatic and gut hormones were not significant. CONCLUSION: GRP is
      significantly increased in patients with AGM after pancreatitis and is associated
      with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as certain
      pancreatic and gut hormones. Detailed mechanistic studies are now warranted to
      investigate the exact role of GRP in derangements of glucose homeostasis
      following pancreatitis.

PMID- 28912909
TI  - The Use of Tranexamic Acid for Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding by Medical and
      Surgical Intensivists: A Single Center Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) may be beneficial in the management of upper
      gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). We sought to investigate how frequently
      intensivists at our academic institution use TXA for patients with UGIB, and to
      investigate whether the utilization rate of TXA differs between surgical and
      medical intensivists, and provide an updated literature review on the subject.
      METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted for UGIB
      to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) and the medical intensive care unit
      (MICU) at our academic healthcare facility (University of Florida Health - Shands
      Hospital) from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2016. The patients were
      categorized as receiving or not receiving TXA. The overall utilization rate of
      TXA was calculated, and the utilization rates for the MICU and SICU were compared
      using a two-sample test for equality of two proportions with continuity
      correction. RESULTS: The study cohort included a total of 1,829 patients with a
      diagnosis of UGIB. Of those, 988 were treated in the MICU and 841 were treated in
      the SICU. Of the 988 patients in the MICU, six received TXA (0.61%), while 10
      (1.19%) of the 841 patients in the SICU received TXA. The overall utilization
      rate of TXA was 0.87%. The odds of receiving TXA in the SICU were 1.97 times
      greater than in the MICU (odds ratio (OR): 1.97, 95% confidence interval (CI):
      0.74 - 5.2, P = 1.83). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that TXA may be underused
      in the management of UGIB, and that the utilization rate does not differ
      significantly between surgical and medical intensivists.

PMID- 28912910
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Elevated Cardiac Troponin in Acute Gastrointestinal
      Bleeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB) is responsible for over
      140,000 hospitalizations annually. Cardiovascular-related deaths account for 30%
      of the patients surviving the initial episode of AGIB. The purpose of this study
      was to identify the impact of elevated troponin on short-term mortality and
      length of stay (LOS) of these patients. METHODS: From July 2013 to July 2016, 290
      patients admitted with a diagnosis of AGIB and who had cardiac troponin I
      measured within 24 h of presentation were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical
      variables including 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission and LOS were then
      compared between the groups of troponin elevation and no troponin elevation.
      RESULTS: The overall 30-day mortality among patients with AGIB was 6.5% (19/290).
      Cardiac troponin was elevated in 10% of patients (29/290). Among patients with
      normal troponin, 5% (13/261) died within 30 days. In patients with troponin
      elevation, 21% died in the same period (6/29, P = 0.001). The LOS was also higher
      in patients with troponin elevation (6 vs. 5 days, P = 0.02). There was no
      difference in 30-day readmission among the two groups. Past history of coronary
      artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, aspirin use and elevated
      creatinine was more common in patients with troponin elevation. On multivariate
      analysis, troponin elevation on presentation is associated with increased
      mortality (odds: 5.50, CI: 1.73 - 17.47, P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: In patients
      admitted to the inpatient service with AGIB, elevated troponin I on presentation
      is associated with high short-term mortality and longer hospital stay.

PMID- 28912911
TI  - Doxycycline-Induced Acute Pancreatitis: A Rare Adverse Event.
AB  - Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic belonging to the tetracycline group
      which acts by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis. It is considered to be a
      relatively safe drug. We report a case of doxycycline-induced acute pancreatitis
      (DIAP) in an adult female patient who was started on the usual therapeutic dose 1
      week before for acne vulgaris. The WHO causality assessment was possible, and the
      Naranjo scale confirmed it as "definite" adverse drug reaction. A brief
      literature review on case reports previously reporting DIAP has also been
      summarized.

PMID- 28912912
TI  - Splenic Abscess: An Unusual Complication of Colon Cancer.
AB  - Colon cancer is among the common malignancies. Common cancer-related
      complications are regional tumor extension, obstruction, and tumor perforation.
      Abscess formation is among the rare complications. We report a case of a 60-year
      old female who presented with shortness of breath and left upper quadrant pain
      and was diagnosed with splenic abscess associated with colon cancer. This type of
      presentation necessitates an early surgical intervention.

PMID- 28912913
TI  - Paraneoplastic Dermatomyositis Syndrome Presenting as Dysphagia.
AB  - Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare autoimmune condition which predominantly affects
      females in the fifth and sixth decades of life. DM presents acutely or
      progressively as painless proximal skeletal muscle weakness and can be associated
      with a heliotropic rash around the eyes, and Gottron's papules on extensor
      surfaces of the hands. While the pathophysiology of DM is still unclear, abnormal
      T- and B-cell immune activity has been reported. DM has been associated with
      malignancy and has been shown to appear before, concurrently with, or after
      diagnosis of cancer. We report a 72-year-old female with renal clear cell
      carcinoma, breast cancer, and papillary serous carcinoma of the uterus, who
      presented with progressive weakness, 30 pound weight loss, and dysphagia over the
      past 3 months. She also reported difficulty in ambulating, facial rash, and
      inability to extend her fingers. Left bicep muscle biopsy and staining with
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide tetrazolium reductase (NADH-TR) identified
      frequent myofibers with targetoid-like changes consistent with DM. Despite
      immunosuppression with intravenous corticosteroids, she did not respond to the
      treatment and a percutaneous gastrostomy tube was placed for enteral feeding.

PMID- 28912914
TI  - Intraductal Ultrasonography as a Local Assessment Before Magnetic Compression
      Anastomosis for Obstructed Choledochojejunostomy.
AB  - Magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) has been developed as a non-surgical
      alternative treatment for biliary obstruction without serious complications. A 70
      year-old woman who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy with modified Child
      reconstruction for pancreatic head cancer suffered from obstructed
      choledochojejunostomy with no recurrent findings 4 months after the operation.
      Cholangiography using the percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographic drainage
      (PTCD) and fluoroscopy revealed complete obstruction of the upper common bile
      duct, and the length of the obstruction was 7 mm. Intraductal ultrasonography
      (IDUS) showed fibrous heterogenous hyperechoic appearance without fluid
      collection, vessels or foreign bodies at the site of the obstruction. We
      performed choledochojejunostomy using the MCA technique. One magnet was inserted
      into the obstruction of the hepatic side through the PTCD fistula. Another was
      delivered endoscopically to the obstruction of the jejunal side. The two magnets
      were immediately attracted towards each other transmurally, and reanastomosis was
      confirmed 7 days after starting the compression. The magnets were easily
      retrieved endoscopically. A 16-Fr indwelling drainage tube was placed in the
      jejunum through the PTCD. The internal tube is still in place 6 months after
      reanastomosis, and no MCA-related complications have been observed. In
      conclusion, MCA is a safe, effective, low-invasive treatment for biliary
      obstruction, and IDUS is useful for the pretreatment assessment of feasibility
      and safety.

PMID- 28912915
TI  - Gastrointestinal Bleeding Successfully Treated Using Interventional Radiology.
AB  - Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is an emergency medical condition that leads to
      hemorrhagic shock or circulatory instability if left untreated. A mainstay for
      treating GI bleeding is endoscopic therapy; more than 90% of GI bleeding can be
      staunched by endoscopic hemostasis. However, patients with unstable hemodynamics
      or GI bleeding that cannot be controlled by endoscopy require transcatheter
      embolization or surgical intervention. The development of several devices and
      embolization agents that are used in interventional radiology (IVR) leads to safe
      and accessible treatment via IVR. If endoscopic treatment fails, IVR is the
      second strategy. Herein, we report cases of GI bleeding that were successfully
      treated by IVR and discuss the therapeutic strategy.

PMID- 28912916
TI  - Acute Liver Failure in a Patient Travelling From Asia: The Other Face of the Coin
      of Infectious Disease.
AB  - We present a case of a 63-year-old male who had travelled from South India to
      United Kingdom (UK) visiting relatives. He had developed episodes of diarrhea,
      vomiting and fevers while travelling and on assessment in hospital, mild
      abdominal distension was noted with rapid deterioration to hypovolemic shock.
      Initial blood test showed a low platelet count with deranged liver function tests
      (LFTs). It was noted that during admission to intensive care unit (ICU), blood
      continued to ooze from a previous surgical laparoscopy wound, central and
      arterial line access sites. Blood results revealed ongoing derangement of
      clotting and LFT. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed possible acute
      cholecystitis and a laparoscopy showed an ischemic-looking liver and gut but no
      significant gallbladder abnormality. The virology screen was positive for dengue
      virus antibodies IgM and IgG. The patient developed multi-organ failure and
      deteriorated despite intensive support. Post mortem showed fulminant hepatic
      failure and acute tubular necrosis of kidneys.

PMID- 28912917
TI  - The Low-Dose (7.5 mg/day) Pioglitazone Therapy.
AB  - Pioglitazone is one of thiazolidinedione derivatives, which stimulates nuclear
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and improves glucose and lipid
      metabolism and insulin sensitivity. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis
      showed that pioglitazone therapy was associated with a lower risk of major
      adverse cardiovascular events in patients with pre-diabetes and diabetes.
      Further, in a cohort study of patients with type 2 diabetes, pioglitazone therapy
      was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the risk of all-cause
      mortality. Despite these beneficial effects, the meta-analysis showed that
      pioglitazone therapy had higher risks of heart failure, bone fractures, edema and
      weight gain. To find out the efficacy and safety of the low-dose (7.5 mg/day)
      pioglitazone therapy, we reviewed the dose-response of pioglitazone on favorable
      effects and adverse effects due to pioglitazone, by searching the reports on
      effects of daily dose of 7.5 mg and/or 15 mg and/or 30 mg of pioglitazone. The
      low-dose pioglitazone therapy may show the same degree of improvements in glucose
      and lipid metabolism, fatty liver, insulin resistance, and adiponectin as the
      standard- and high-dose pioglitazone therapy. Furthermore, the low-dose
      pioglitazone therapy may also show less adverse effects on weight gain, edema and
      heart failure as compared with the standard- and high-dose pioglitazone therapy.

PMID- 28912918
TI  - Prospective Identification of Oligoclonal/Abnormal Band of the Same
      Immunoglobulin Type as the Malignant Clone by Differential Location of M-Spike
      and Oligoclonal Band.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum and urine protein electrophoreses and immunofixation
      electrophoreses are the gold standards in diagnosing monoclonal gammopathy.
      Identification of oligoclonal bands in post-treatment patients has emerged as an
      important issue and recording the location of the malignant monoclonal peak may
      facilitate prospective identification of a new "monoclonal" spike as being
      distinct from the malignant peak. METHODS: We recorded the locations of
      monoclonal spikes in descriptive terms, such as being in the cathodal region, mid
      gamma region, anodal region, and beta region. The location of monoclonal or
      restricted heterogeneity bands in subsequent protein electrophoreses was compared
      to the location of the original malignant spike. RESULTS: In a patient with
      plasma cell myeloma, the original monoclonal IgG kappa band was located at the
      anodal end of gamma region. Post-treatment, an IgG kappa band was noted in mid
      gamma region and the primary malignant clone was not detectable by serum protein
      immunofixation electrophoresis (SIFE) in post-treatment sample. Even though the
      kappa/lambda ratio remained abnormal, we were able to recognize stringent
      complete response by noting the different location of the new IgG kappa band as a
      benign regenerative process. CONCLUSIONS: Recording the location of the malignant
      monoclonal spike facilitates the identification of post-treatment oligoclonal
      bands, prospectively. Recognizing the regenerative, benign, bands in post
      transplant patients facilitates the determination of stringent complete response
      despite an abnormal kappa/lambda ratio.

PMID- 28912919
TI  - Intravenous Carnitine Administration in Addition to Parenteral Nutrition With
      Lipid Emulsion May Decrease the Inflammatory Reaction in Postoperative Surgical
      Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A prospective randomized study was performed to investigate the
      validity of intravenous carnitine administration during postoperative parenteral
      nutrition (PN) with lipid emulsion. METHODS: Patients undergoing surgery for
      gastric or colorectal cancer were enrolled in the study and were randomly divided
      into two groups (n = 8 in each group): 1) group L, who received a peripheral PN
      (PPN) solution of 7.5% glucose, 30% amino acid, and 20% lipid emulsion; and 2)
      group LC, who received the same PPN solution, as well as carnitine intravenously.
      PPN was performed from postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD4. Clinical and laboratory
      parameters were compared between the two groups; statistical significance was set
      at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Serum carnitine concentrations were significantly higher in
      group LC on POD3 (P < 0.01) and POD7 (P = 0.01). Postoperative changes in
      laboratory parameters and morbidity were comparable between the two groups.
      However, the decrease in C-reactive protein from POD3 to POD7 was significantly
      greater in group LC than in group L (P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The results show
      that intravenous carnitine administration in addition to PN is safe and may be
      beneficial for recovery from postoperative inflammatory reactions.

PMID- 28912920
TI  - Microalbuminuria: Correlation With Prevalence and Severity of Coronary Artery
      Disease in Non-Diabetics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that microalbuminuria (MAU) is an
      independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in diabetics, hypertensive
      patients and in the general population. However, the correlation of MAU with the
      severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in non-diabetic patients has not been
      addressed in detail. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between MAU
      and severity of angiographically confirmed CAD in non-diabetic patients. METHODS:
      This was a cross-sectional study, which included 90 non-diabetic patients with
      documented CAD by coronary angiography. The ratio of urine albumin to creatinine
      was used to define MAU and severity of CAD was estimated using SYNTAX score.
      Patients were divided into two groups: group I that included patients without MAU
      and group II that included patients with MAU. RESULTS: Out of 90 non-diabetic CAD
      patients, 62 (68.9%) were in group I (MAU negative) and 28 (31.1%) were in group
      II (MAU positive). There was statistically significant difference in the median
      SYNTAX score between the groups (21 vs. 28, P < 0.001). The prevalences of double
      vessel CAD and triple vessel CAD were significantly higher in MAU positive group.
      There was a strong relationship between the presence of MAU and the extent and
      complexity of CAD (r = 0.094; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Thus, we conclude that
      patients with MAU have more severe angiographically detected CAD than those
      without MAU, and MAU exhibits a significant association with the presence and
      severity of CAD.

PMID- 28912921
TI  - Validation of Skeletal Muscle Volume as a Nutritional Assessment in Patients With
      Gastric or Colorectal Cancer Before Radical Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, some studies have reported the importance of sarcopenia as
      a prognostic factor in patients with gastrointestinal cancer who have undergone
      surgery. We aimed to examine skeletal muscle volume for use in nutritional
      assessment of preoperative patients, and to compare the results with those of
      other conventional methods of nutritional assessment, such as biochemical or body
      composition values. METHODS: This was an open cohort study which examined
      skeletal muscle volume for use in nutritional assessment of preoperative
      patients. A total of 121 patients with gastrointestinal cancer who underwent
      radical surgery were enrolled in this study between June 1, 2008 and December 31,
      2012. There were 39 and 82 patients with gastric and colorectal cancer,
      respectively. The primary outcome of this study was postoperative overall
      survival. The secondary outcomes were postoperative survival from cancer-related
      deaths, recurrences of cancer after surgery, postoperative complications, and
      postoperative hospital inpatient stay (measured in days). Univariate and
      multivariate analyses were used to identify the relevant factors for
      postoperative outcomes mentioned above. RESULTS: Skeletal muscle volume was a
      significant (hazard ratio (HR): 3.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21 - 9.17,
      P = 0.020) independent prognostic factor for cancer-related deaths in patients
      with gastric or colorectal cancer who had undergone surgery, and a marginally
      independent (HR: 2.48, 95% CI: 0.91 - 6.81, P = 0.077) factor that negatively
      contributed to overall survival in these patients. In contrast, the preoperative
      skeletal muscle volume was not correlated with the recurrence of cancer, and was
      not significantly correlated with the occurrence of severe complications after
      surgery or prolongation of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative
      skeletal muscle volume was a significant prognostic factor in patients with
      gastric or colorectal cancers. Therefore, the estimation of skeletal muscle
      volume may be important for stable, long-term nutritional assessment in patients
      with gastrointestinal cancers.

PMID- 28912922
TI  - Obstetric Outcomes of Twin Pregnancies in Japanese Women Aged 40 and Older.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the obstetric outcomes of twin
      pregnancies between Japanese women aged >= 40 years and their younger
      counterparts aged 25 - 29. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of twin
      pregnancies managed at Japanese Red Cross Katsushika Maternity Hospital between
      2002 and 2016. Women aged 40 and older at delivery (n = 117) were compared with
      women aged 25 - 29 at delivery (n = 536). RESULTS: Although the women >= 40 years
      old were more likely to have increased risks of HELLP (hemolytic, elevated liver
      enzymes and low platelet) syndrome and very low birth weight neonates, there were
      no measurable differences in obstetric outcomes such as hypertensive disorders,
      premature delivery and neonatal asphyxia between the two groups. CONCLUSION:
      Advanced maternal age did not seem to affect obstetric outcomes in twin
      pregnancies seriously.

PMID- 28912923
TI  - Lack of Needs Assessment in Cancer Survivorship Care and Rehabilitation in
      Hospitals and Primary Care Settings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Formalized and systematic assessment of survivorship care and
      rehabilitation needs is prerequisite for ensuring cancer patients sufficient help
      and support through their cancer trajectory. Patients are often uncertain as to
      how to express and address their survivorship care and rehabilitation needs, and
      little is known about specific, unmet needs and the plans necessary to meet them.
      There is a call for both ensuring survivorship care and rehabilitation for cancer
      patients in need and further for documenting the specific needs related to the
      cancer disease and its treatment. Thus the aim of this study was to describe
      specific survivorship care and rehabilitation needs and plans as stated by
      patients with cancer at hospitals when diagnosed and when primary care
      survivorship care and rehabilitation begins. METHODS: Needs assessment forms from
      cancer patients at two hospitals and two primary care settings were analyzed. The
      forms included stated needs and survivorship care and rehabilitation plans. All
      data were categorized using the International Classification of Functioning,
      Disability and Health (ICF). RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients at hospitals and 99 in
      primary care, stated their needs. Around 50% of the patients completed a
      survivorship care and rehabilitation plan. In total, 666 (mean 7.5) needs were
      stated by hospital patients and 836 (mean 8.0) by those in primary care. The
      needs stated were primarily within the ICF component "body functions and
      structure", and the most frequent needs were (hospitals/primary care) fatigue
      (57%/67%), reduced muscle strength (55%/67%) and being worried (37%/36%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results underpin an urgent need for a systematic procedure to
      assess needs in clinical practice where cancer patients are being left without
      survivorship care and rehabilitation needs assessment. Gaining knowledge on needs
      assessment and the detailed description of needs and plans can facilitate
      targeted interventions. The findings indicate an urgent need to change the
      practice culture to be systematic in addressing and identifying survivorship care
      needs among patients with cancer. Further the findings call for considering the
      development of a new needs assessment form with involvement of both patients and
      healthcare professionals.

PMID- 28912924
TI  - Relationship Between Serum Total Testosterone Concentration and Augmentation
      Index at Radial Artery in Japanese Postmenopausal Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The significance of testosterone as a risk factor for cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) in females is controversial. This cross-sectional study aimed to
      elucidate the relationship between serum total testosterone concentration (T-T)
      and augmentation index at the radial artery (r-AIx) as a marker of arterial
      function in Japanese postmenopausal patients. METHODS: A total of 447
      postmenopausal patients with traditional cardiovascular risk factors and/or a
      history of CVD (age (mean +/- standard deviation (SD)), 73 +/- 10 years) were
      enrolled. r-AIx was measured using tonometry, and the association between r-AIx
      and various clinical parameters, including T-T, was determined. RESULTS: r-AIx
      significantly increased (CVD vs. non-CVD: 99+/-11% vs. 91+/-11%, P < 0.001) and T
      T significantly decreased (CVD vs. non-CVD: 0.31 +/- 0.13 ng/mL vs. 0.49 +/- 0.23
      ng/mL, P < 0.001) in patients with CVD than in those without CVD. A significant
      negative correlation (r = -0.48; P < 0.001) between r-AIx and T-T was observed.
      Furthermore, multiple regression analysis indicated that T-T (t value = -7.7; P <
      0.001), height (t value = -5.3; P < 0.001), d-ROMs test as a marker of oxidative
      stress in vivo (t value = 3.2; P < 0.001), CVD (t value = 2.9; P < 0.01), and
      pulse rate (t value = -2.7; P < 0.01) were independent variables for r-AIx as a
      subordinate factor. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that low T-T is an important
      determining factor for an increase in r-AIx in Japanese postmenopausal patients.
      A prospective multicenter study with a large sample size is required to confirm
      the results of this study.

PMID- 28912926
TI  - A Rare Case of Atrial Metastasis From a Rectal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Colorectal cancers typically metastasize to the lymph nodes, liver or lungs.
      Metastasis to the heart is rare and although a few cases of cardiac metastases
      from colon cancer are described in the literature, cases of metastatic rectal
      cancer to the heart are far fewer. A 69-year-old woman with a history of rectal
      adenocarcinoma treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation, followed by
      resection and adjuvant chemotherapy, presented with increasing dyspnea on
      exertion and lower extremity edema 5 years after oncology follow-up.
      Echocardiography revealed a mass within the right atrium, which was biopsied and
      found to be consistent with metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma and a thrombus. The
      patient was deemed to be a poor surgical candidate given her co-morbidities and
      overall prognosis. Chemotherapy was offered and refused by the patient. The
      medical literature has a paucity of similar cases of rectal adenocarcinoma
      metastasizing to the right atrium. Further studies are needed to help guide
      standardized treatment options.

PMID- 28912925
TI  - Incretin Kinetics Before and After Miglitol in Japanese Patients With Late
      Dumping Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with late dumping syndrome following gastrectomy, it has
      been reported that hypoglycemia occurs due to inhibition of glucagon secretion as
      a result of excessive insulin production facilitated by an increase in glucagon
      like peptide-1 (GLP-1). METHODS: To determine the kinetics of incretins in
      Japanese patients with late dumping syndrome, an oral glucose tolerance test was
      carried out before and after miglitol administration, and the kinetics of insulin
      and incretins were analyzed. RESULTS: After miglitol administration, there was
      improvement of hypoglycemia and early phase insulin secretion, with persistent
      excessive insulin secretion being minimized. These findings revealed that
      miglitol inhibited rapid excessive influx of carbohydrates into the blood and
      persistent elevation of GLP-1, resulting in improvement of early phase insulin
      secretion and minimizing persistent excessive insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS:
      Eating frequent small meals is generally effective for late dumping syndrome, but
      patients often find it difficult to continue such a regimen. Based on the present
      analysis of incretin kinetics, miglitol may be a useful treatment option for late
      dumping syndrome.

PMID- 28912927
TI  - The Sixth Vital Sign: Body Mass Index in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease.

PMID- 28912928
TI  - Method to Increase Undergraduate Laboratory Student Confidence in Performing
      Independent Research.

PMID- 28912929
TI  - Student Misconceptions about Plants - A First Step in Building a Teaching
      Resource.
AB  - Plants are ubiquitous and found in virtually every ecosystem on Earth, but their
      biology is often poorly understood, and inaccurate ideas about how plants grow
      and function abound. Many articles have been published documenting student
      misconceptions about photosynthesis and respiration, but there are substantially
      fewer on such topics as plant cell structure and growth; plant genetics,
      evolution, and classification; plant physiology (beyond energy relations); and
      plant ecology. The available studies of misconceptions held on those topics show
      that many are formed at a very young age and persist throughout all educational
      levels. Our goal is to begin building a central resource of plant biology
      misconceptions that addresses these underrepresented topics, and here we provide
      a table of published misconceptions organized by topic. For greater utility, we
      report the age group(s) in which the misconceptions were found and then map them
      to the ASPB - BSA Core Concepts and Learning Objectives in Plant Biology for
      Undergraduates, developed jointly by the American Society of Plant Biologists and
      the Botanical Society of America.

PMID- 28912930
TI  - Pedigree Go Fish.

PMID- 28912931
TI  - Laboratory Activity to Promote Student Understanding of UV Mutagenesis and DNA
      Repair.

PMID- 28912932
TI  - Engaging College Students by Singing the Science.

PMID- 28912933
TI  - A Model Approach to Public Engagement Training for Students in Developing
      Countries.

PMID- 28912934
TI  - Using Anthropomorphism and Fictional Story Development to Enhance Student
      Learning.

PMID- 28912936
TI  - Combination of Q-Switched Nd:YAG and Fractional Erbium:YAG Lasers in Treatment of
      Melasma: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.
AB  - Introduction: Ablative and nonablative lasers have been used to treat melasma. We
      aimed to assess and compare the combining Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (QSNYL) and
      fractional erbium:YAG laser (FEYL) with QSNYL alone in treatment of melasma.
      Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was performed in our Research
      Center during 2013-2014. Women with melasma and without a history of keloid
      formation, hypersensitivity to hydroquinone, or pigmentary changes due to laser
      therapy were randomly allocated to receive four sessions of either QSNYL-FEYL
      combination or QSNYL alone. All patients received topical treatment with
      Kligman's formula. Before laser therapy and 4 weeks after the last treatment
      session, patients' skin was assessed for changes in skin color, melanin content,
      and erythema intensity of melasma lesions quantitatively. Results: Finally, 21
      patients in QSNYL-FEYL and 20 in QSNYL group (mean age, 38.57 [5.60] and 42.60
      [8.44] years, respectively) completed study. The skin color had become lighter in
      both groups (mean [SD] percentage change of 56.95 [40.29] and 29.25 [13.20] in
      QSNYL-FEYL and QSNYL groups, respectively) with significantly better results in
      QSNYL-FEYL group (P = 0.006). Percentage of decrease of melanin content was
      significantly higher in QSNYL-FEYL group (22.01 [10.67] vs. 7.69 [4.75]; P <
      0.001). After adjustment for baseline values, the post treatment intensity of
      erythema was significantly lower in QSNYL-FEYL group (P < 0.001). The patients
      reported no adverse events. Conclusion: QSNYL-FEYL was significantly more
      effective in decreasing melanin content of lesions than QSNYL and led to a
      lighter skin.

PMID- 28912937
TI  - Relieving Pain in Oral Lesions of Pemphigus Vulgaris Using the Non-ablative, Non
      thermal, CO2 Laser Therapy (NTCLT): Preliminary Results of a Novel Approach.
AB  - Introduction: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic, serious autoimmune
      mucocutaneous bullous disease. Oral lesions in PV may be extremely painful. This
      pain may adversely affect the patients' oral intake and quality of life. This
      before-after clinical trial was designed to assess the pain relieving effects of
      single session of non-ablative, non-thermal CO2 laser therapy (NTCLT) in oral
      lesions of PV. Methods: Fifty painful oral lesions of fourteen patients with PV
      were illuminated by CO2 laser (power: 1 W, scanning the lesions with rapid
      circular motion of the handpiece) passing through a thick layer of transparent
      gel with high water content. The pain severity of the oral lesions was reported
      by the patients up to the fourth postoperative day. They were also asked to
      continue their existing systemic treatment during the course of this study as a
      precondition for the participation. Results: The severity of contact and non
      stimulate (non-contact) pain declined immediately and significantly after NTCLT
      (P < 0.001). The pain relieving effect was sustained during the four successive
      days of follow-up. The procedure was pain free and no kind of analgesics was
      required. Following NTCLT, there were no visible thermal complications such as
      destruction, ablation or irritation of the oral lesions. Conclusion: The results
      of the trial proposed that single session of NTCLT could immediately and
      significantly relieve pain in oral lesions of PV, without any visible thermal
      complications.

PMID- 28912935
TI  - Baicalin Attenuates Subarachnoid Hemorrhagic Brain Injury by Modulating Blood
      Brain Barrier Disruption, Inflammation, and Oxidative Damage in Mice.
AB  - In subarachnoid hemorrhagic brain injury, the early crucial events are edema
      formation due to inflammatory responses and blood-brain barrier disruption.
      Baicalin, a flavone glycoside, has antineuroinflammatory and antioxidant
      properties. We examined the effect of baicalin in subarachnoid hemorrhagic brain
      injury. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was induced through filament perforation and
      either baicalin or vehicle was administered 30 min prior to surgery. Brain
      tissues were collected 24 hours after surgery after evaluation of neurological
      scores. Brain tissues were processed for water content, real-time PCR, and
      immunoblot analyses. Baicalin improved neurological score and brain water
      content. Decreased levels of tight junction proteins (occludin, claudin-5, ZO-1,
      and collagen IV) required for blood-brain barrier function were restored to
      normal level by baicalin. Real-time PCR data demonstrated that baicalin
      attenuated increased proinflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta, IL-6, and CXCL-3)
      production in subarachnoid hemorrhage mice. In addition to that, baicalin
      attenuated microglial cell secretion of IL-1beta and IL-6 induced by
      lipopolysaccharide (100 ng/ml) dose dependently. Finally, baicalin attenuated
      induction of NOS-2 and NOX-2 in SAH mice at the mRNA and protein level. Thus, we
      demonstrated that baicalin inhibited microglial cell activation and reduced
      inflammation, oxidative damage, and brain edema.

PMID- 28912938
TI  - Comparison of Endovenous Laser and Radiofrequency Ablation in Treating Varices in
      the Same Patient.
AB  - Introduction: To compare endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) and radiofrequency
      ablation (RFA) in different legs in the same individual in patients with venous
      insufficiency. Methods: Sixty patients with bilateral saphenous vein
      insufficiency were included. EVLA or RFA was applied to one of the patient's legs
      and RFA or EVLA to the other leg. Results: EVLA and RFA complications were
      hyperemia at 20.7% and 31.0%, ecchymosis at 31.0% and 51.7% and edema at 27.6%
      and 65.5%, respectively. The rate of recanalization was 6.8% in the RFA group. No
      recanalization was observed in EVLA group. The level of patients satisfied with
      EVLA was 51.7%, compared to 31.0% for RFA, while 17.2% of patients were satisfied
      with both procedures. Times to return to daily activity were 0.9 days in the EVLA
      group and 1.3 days in the RFA group. Conclusion: EVLA procedure may be superior
      to RFA in certain respects.

PMID- 28912939
TI  - Effect of Er:YAG Laser and Sandblasting in Recycling of Ceramic Brackets.
AB  - Introduction: This study was performed to determine the shear bond strength of
      rebonded mechanically retentive ceramic brackets after recycling with Erbium
      Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Er:YAG) laser or sandblasting. Methods: Twenty
      eight debonded ceramic brackets plus 14 intact new ceramic brackets were used in
      this study. Debonded brackets were randomly divided into 2 groups of 14. One
      group was treated by Er:YAG laser and the other with sandblasting. All the
      specimens were randomly bonded to 42 intact human upper premolars. The shear bond
      strength of all specimens was determined with a universal testing machine at a
      crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min until bond failure occurred. The recycled bracket
      base surfaces were observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Analysis
      of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey tests were used to compare the shear bond strength
      of the 3 groups. Fisher exact test was used to evaluate the differences in
      adhesive remnant index (ARI) scores. Results: The highest bond strength belonged
      to brackets recycled by Sandblasting (16.83 MPa). There was no significant
      difference between the shear bond strength of laser and control groups. SEM
      photographs showed differences in 2 recycling methods. The laser recycled bracket
      appeared to have as well-cleaned base as the new bracket. Although the
      sandblasted bracket photographs showed no remnant adhesives, remarkable micro
      roughening of the base of the bracket was apparent. Conclusion: According to the
      results of this study, both Er:YAG laser and sandblasting were efficient to
      mechanically recondition retentive ceramic brackets. Also, Er:YAG laser did not
      change the design of bracket base while removing the remnant adhesives which
      might encourage its application in clinical practice.

PMID- 28912940
TI  - Technical Report on the Modification of 3-Dimensional Non-contact Human Body
      Laser Scanner for the Measurement of Anthropometric Dimensions: Verification of
      its Accuracy and Precision.
AB  - Introduction: Three-dimensional (3D) scanners are widely used in medicine. One of
      the applications of 3D scanners is the acquisition of anthropometric dimensions
      for ergonomics and the creation of an anthropometry data bank. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the precision and accuracy of a modified 3D scanner
      fabricated in this study. Methods: In this work, a 3D scan of the human body was
      obtained using DAVID Laser Scanner software and its calibration background, a
      linear low-power laser, and one advanced webcam. After the 3D scans were imported
      to the Geomagic software, 10 anthropometric dimensions of 10 subjects were
      obtained. The measurements of the 3D scanner were compared to the measurements of
      the same dimensions by a direct anthropometric method. The precision and accuracy
      of the measurements of the 3D scanner were then evaluated. The obtained data were
      analyzed using an independent sample t test with the SPSS software. Results: The
      minimum and maximum measurement differences from three consecutive scans by the
      3D scanner were 0.03 mm and 18 mm, respectively. The differences between the
      measurements by the direct anthropometry method and the 3D scanner were not
      statistically significant. Therefore, the accuracy of the 3D scanner is
      acceptable. Conclusion: Future studies will need to focus on the improvement of
      the scanning speed and the quality of the scanned image.

PMID- 28912941
TI  - The Effect of Er:YAG Laser Irradiation and Different Concentrations of Sodium
      Hypochlorite on Shear Bond Strength of Composite to Primary Teeth's Dentin.
AB  - Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of various
      concentrations of NaOCl on shear bond strength of composite resin to dentin of
      primary teeth, prepared with laser and bur. Methods: In this in vitro study, 48
      primary molars were sectioned at mesiodistal direction and were randomly divided
      into 6 groups; G1: bur, G2: bur + NaOCl 2.5%, G3: bur + NaOCl 5.25%, G4: laser,
      G5: laser + NaOCl 2.5%, G6: laser + NaOCl 5.25%. One-Step Plus adhesive was
      applied after phosphoric acid gel and NaOCl over the dentin surfaces for all
      groups, and composite resin cylinders were bonded to the samples. After
      thermocycling, shear bond strengths of composite resin to dentin were measured
      and statistical analyses were done by means of t test and analysis of variance
      (ANOVA). Results: The mean shear bond strength showed no significant difference
      between the groups prepared with bur (13.82 +/- 3.49) and laser (14.18 +/- 3.65)
      (P > 0.05). The mean difference of shear bond strength between three groups G1,
      G2 and G3 and between G4, G5 and G6 were not statistically significant (P >
      0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) figures showed an irregular surface in
      laser groups and fairly complete removal of smear layer from the orifices of the
      dentinal tubules, in the group in which NaOCl was used. Conclusion: The
      application of different concentrations of NaOCl does not significantly improve
      the bond strength in dentin surfaces prepared with laser or bur.

PMID- 28912942
TI  - Efficacy of Sodium Hypochlorite Activated With Laser in Intracanal Smear Layer
      Removal: An SEM Study.
AB  - Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the different
      concentrations of sodium hypochlorite activated with laser in removing of the
      smear layer in the apical, middle, and coronal segments of root canal walls by
      scanning electron microscopy analysis. Methods: Sixty single-rooted human
      mandibular teeth were decoronated to a standardized length. The samples were
      prepared by using Race rotary system to size 40, 0.04 taper and divided into 4
      equal groups (n = 15). Group 1, irrigated with EDTA 17% and 5.25% NaOCl, groups
      2, 3 and 4, 1%, 2.5%, and 5% NaOCl activated with Nd:YAG laser, respectively.
      Teeth were split longitudinally and subjected to scanning electron microscope
      (SEM). Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney tests. P value of <0.05
      was considered statistically significant. Results: Five percent NaOCl LAI (laser
      activated irrigation) showed best smear layer removal in test groups and the
      difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Control group (EDTA 17% and
      5.25% NaOCl irrigation) showed significantly better outcomes in comparative with
      test groups (P < 0.001). In the apical third, compared to coronal and middle
      third, the canal walls were often contaminated by inorganic debris and smear
      layer. Conclusion: All different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite activated
      with laser have a positive effect on removing of smear layer. Sodium hypochlorite
      activated with laser removed smear layer more effectively at the coronal and
      middle third compared to the apical third.

PMID- 28912943
TI  - Assessment of Low-Level Laser Therapy Effects After Extraction of Impacted Lower
      Third Molar Surgery.
AB  - Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of low-level laser
      therapy (LLLT) on pain, swelling and maximum mouth opening in patients undergoing
      third molar surgery. Methods: A prospective, randomized double-blind study was
      undertaken on 44 patients at the Dental School, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of
      Medical Sciences, in 2015. A low-level laser was randomly applied on one of the
      two sides after surgery of 15 patients. The experimental side received 18 J/cm2
      of energy density, wavelength of 980 nm, and output power of 1.8 W. On the
      control side, a hand-piece was applied intra-orally, but laser was not activated.
      In addition, in order to evaluate trismus, 13 patients were treated by unilateral
      laser therapy and 16 patients did not receive laser therapy at all. The laser was
      administered intraorally on two points of vestibular and lingual sides at 1 cm
      from the surgery site, and extraorally at the emergence of the masseter muscle,
      immediately after surgery, and repeated 24 hours later. The pain, swelling and
      maximum mouth opening (MMO) were compared between the two groups at 24 hours and
      a week after surgery. Results: The mean score of pain 24 hours after surgery in
      the laser therapy group (2.3 +/- 3.5) was significantly lower than the mean score
      of pain in the drug therapy (4.19 +/- 3.09) (P = 0.036). Moreover, the mean score
      of pain at one week after surgery in the laser therapy group (0.13 +/- 2.33) was
      significantly lower than the drug therapy group (1.43 +/- 2.45) (P = 0.046). The
      amount of swelling according to different measurements did not significantly
      differ between the two groups neither at 24 hours nor at 1 week after surgery.
      Conclusion: Our findings showed that LLLT was useful in reducing pain and could
      slightly reduce swelling compared to drug therapy in impacted third molar
      surgery.

PMID- 28912944
TI  - Photodynamic Therapy With Bengal Rose and Derivatives Against Leishmania
      amazonensis.
AB  - Introduction: The treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is based primarily on
      the use of pentavalent antimonials, which may lead to many side effects limiting
      their use. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative for the treatment of CL,
      and some xanthene dyes have the potential for use in PDT. Methods: The xanthenes
      rose bengal B (RB) and its derivatives rose bengal methyl ester (RBMET), and
      butyl ester (RBBUT) were analyzed for leishmanicidal activity against
      promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis.
      Cytotoxicity was assessed in J774.A1 macrophages. Results: RB derivates RBMET
      (IC50 9.83 MUM), and RBBUT (IC50 45.08 MUM) showed leishmanicidal activity,
      however, were toxic to J774.A1 macrophages, resulting in low selectivity index.
      Conclusion: The RBMET and RBBUT showed to be effective against the L. amazonensis
      and the low selectivity index presented may not be a limitation for their use in
      PDT to CL treatment.

PMID- 28912945
TI  - Comparison of Er:YAG Laser and Ultrasonic Scaler in the Treatment of Moderate
      Chronic Periodontitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - Introduction: Periodontitis is an inflammatory periodontal disease that leads to
      tooth loss. Recently laser has been introduced as an alternative treatment for
      periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of Erbium
      doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Er:YAG) laser with ultrasonic scaler in patients
      with moderate chronic periodontitis. Methods: In this randomized single-blind
      clinical trial, 27 patients with moderate chronic periodontitis were selected.
      One quadrant of the patients was treated by Er:YAG laser and the other one by
      ultrasonic scaler. Clinical parameters, including periodontal pocket depth (PPD),
      papillary bleeding index (PBI) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured
      before, as well as 6 and 12 weeks after treatment. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20
      software using Friedman test, paired t test, independent t test and Mann-Whitney
      test. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The means of clinical
      parameters in both groups were significantly improved in the first and second
      follow-ups (P < 0.001). Although the means of PPD, PBI and CAL were slightly
      higher in the laser group than in the ultrasonic group, the differences were not
      statistically significant between these two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion:
      Although both ultrasonic scaler and Er:YAG laser could effectively improve
      clinical periodontal parameters, the results did not reveal the superiority of
      Er:YAG laser over ultrasonic scaler or vice versa.

PMID- 28912946
TI  - Crosslinking method of hyaluronic-based hydrogel for biomedical applications.
AB  - In the field of tissue engineering, there is a need for advancement beyond
      conventional scaffolds and preformed hydrogels. Injectable hydrogels have gained
      wider admiration among researchers as they can be used in minimally invasive
      surgical procedures. Injectable gels completely fill the defect area and have
      good permeability and hence are promising biomaterials. The technique can be
      effectively applied to deliver a wide range of bioactive agents, such as drugs,
      proteins, growth factors, and even living cells. Hyaluronic acid is a promising
      candidate for the tissue engineering field because of its unique physicochemical
      and biological properties. Thus, this review provides an overview of various
      methods of chemical and physical crosslinking using different linkers that have
      been investigated to develop the mechanical properties, biodegradation, and
      biocompatibility of hyaluronic acid as an injectable hydrogel in cell scaffolds,
      drug delivery systems, and wound healing applications.

PMID- 28912947
TI  - Friction massage versus kinesiotaping for short-term management of latent trigger
      points in the upper trapezius: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Latent trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle may disrupt
      muscle movement patterns and cause problems such as cramping and decreased muscle
      strength. Because latent trigger points may spontaneously become active trigger
      points, they should be addressed and treated to prevent further problems. In this
      study we compared the short-term effect of kinesiotaping versus friction massage
      on latent trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle. METHODS: Fifty-eight male
      students enrolled with a stratified sampling method participated in this single
      blind randomized clinical trial (Registration ID: IRCT2016080126674N3) in 2016.
      Pressure pain threshold was recorded with a pressure algometer and grip strength
      was recorded with a Collin dynamometer. The participants were randomly assigned
      to two different treatment groups: kinesiotape or friction massage. Friction
      massage was performed daily for 3 sessions and kinesiotape was used for 72 h. One
      hour after the last session of friction massage or removal of the kinesiotape,
      pressure pain threshold and grip strength were evaluated again. RESULTS: Pressure
      pain threshold decreased significantly after both friction massage (2.66 +/- 0.89
      to 2.25 +/- 0.76; P = 0.02) and kinesiotaping (2.00 +/- 0.74 to 1.71 +/- 0.65; P
      = 0.01). Grip strength increased significantly after friction massage (40.78 +/-
      9.55 to 42.17 +/- 10.68; P = 0.03); however there was no significant change in
      the kinesiotape group (39.72 +/- 6.42 to 40.65 +/- 7.3; P = 0.197). There were no
      significant differences in pressure pain threshold (2.10 +/- 0.11 & 1.87 +/-
      0.11; P = 0.66) or grip strength (42.17 +/- 10.68 & 40.65 +/- 7.3; P = 0.53)
      between the two study groups. CONCLUSIONS: Friction massage and kinesiotaping had
      identical short-term effects on latent trigger points in the upper trapezius.
      Three sessions of either of these two interventions did not improve latent
      trigger points. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registration ID in IRCT: IRCT2016080126674N3.

PMID- 28912948
TI  - Outbreak of Fusarium oxysporum infections in children with cancer: an experience
      with 7 episodes of catheter-related fungemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fusarium species are widely spread in nature as plant pathogens but
      are also able to cause opportunistic fungal infections in humans. We report a
      cluster of Fusarium oxysporum bloodstream infections in a single pediatric cancer
      center. METHODS: All clinical and epidemiological data related to an outbreak
      involving seven cases of fungemia by Fusarium oxysporum during October 2013 and
      February 2014 were analysed. All cultured isolates (n = 14) were identified to
      species level by sequencing of the TEF1 and RPB2 genes. Genotyping of the
      outbreak isolates was performed by amplified fragment length polymorphism
      fingerprinting. RESULTS: In a 5-month period 7 febrile pediatric cancer patients
      were diagnosed with catheter-related Fusarium oxysporum bloodstream infections.
      In a time span of 11 years, only 6 other infections due to Fusarium were
      documented and all were caused by a different species, Fusarium solani. None of
      the pediatric cancer patients had neutropenia at the time of diagnosis and all
      became febrile within two days after catheter manipulation in a specially
      designed room. Extensive environmental sampling in this room and the hospital did
      not gave a clue to the source. The outbreak was terminated after implementation
      of a multidisciplinary central line insertion care bundle. All Fusarium strains
      from blood and catheter tips were genetically related by amplified fragment
      length polymorphism fingerprinting. All patients survived the infection after
      prompt catheter removal and antifungal therapy. CONCLUSION: A cluster with,
      genotypical identical, Fusarium oxysporum strains infecting 7 children with
      cancer, was most probably catheter-related. The environmental source was not
      discovered but strict infection control measures and catheter care terminated the
      outbreak.

PMID- 28912949
TI  - A comprehensive analysis on child mortality and its determinants in Bangladesh
      using frailty models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bangladesh has experienced a significant reduction of child mortality
      over the past decades which helped achieve the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG
      4) target. But the mortality among under-5 aged children is still relatively high
      and it needs a substantial effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal
      (SDG) target and decelerate the current rate of under-5 mortality. At this stage,
      it is hence important to explore the trend and determinants of under-5 mortality
      in order to reduce the vulnerability of child's survival. The aim of this study
      is to explore the trends and identify the factors associated with mortality in
      children aged less than 5 years in Bangladesh. METHODS: Data from three
      repeatedly cross-sectional Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHSs) for
      the year 2007, 2011 and 2014 were used. A stratified two-stage sampling method
      was used to collect information on child and maternal health in these surveys.
      Cox's proportional hazards models with community and mother level random effects
      (or frailty models) were fitted to identify the associated factors with under
      five mortality. RESULTS: Our study reveals that urban-rural disparity in child
      mortality has decreased over the time. The frailty models revealed that the
      combined effect of birth order and preceding birth interval length, sex of the
      child, maternal age at birth, mother's working status, parental education were
      the important determinants associated with risk of child mortality. The risk of
      mortality also varied across divisions with Sylhet division being the most
      vulnerable one. Moreover, significant and sizable frailty effects were found
      which indicates that the estimations of the unmeasured and unobserved mother and
      community level factors on the risk of death were substantively important.
      CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that community-based educational programs and
      public health interventions focused on birth spacing may turn out to be the most
      effective. Moreover, unobserved community and familial effects need to be
      considered along with significant programmable determinants while planning for
      the child survival program.

PMID- 28912950
TI  - Quality improvement regarding handoff.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have emphasized the importance of
      effectual communication during patient handoffs. The objectives of this study
      were to (1) implement a resident-driven quality improvement project to improve
      handoffs by including key elements that are necessary for a safe and effective
      handoff. We chose to use the IPASS (illness severity, patient summary, action
      items, situation awareness and contingency planning, synthesis by receiver)
      mnemonic as our standardized handoff model; (2) Consider balancing measures in an
      effort to be aware of any negative effects of our interventions on resident
      satisfaction with the system. METHODS: A senior resident established a quality
      improvement team which developed an AIM statement (a written, measurable, and
      time-sensitive description of the goal of a quality improvement team) and key
      drivers. A survey was administered to residents regarding their opinions about
      the handoff process. Tracking of whether or not handoffs included the component
      IPASS elements was performed over an 11-month period. During this time frame,
      three Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were conducted. The first was an educational
      series involving lecture and role playing. The second was printed cards listing
      appropriate handoff elements. Intervention three was development of a tool and
      method to decrease nurse interruptions during handoff. RESULTS: Inclusion of six
      key elements of handoffs improved as follows. Illness severity improved from 5%
      to 97%, diagnosis from 60% to 100%, patient summary from 71% to 100%, contingency
      planning from 10% to 100%, action list from 23% to 100%, and receiver synthesis
      from 0% to 97%. Balancing measures showed the residents were more satisfied with
      the new system and found it to be more effective at providing a safe transition
      of care. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a resident-driven multidisciplinary IPASS
      handoff system resulted in improved inclusion of key handoff elements and
      increased resident satisfaction.

PMID- 28912951
TI  - The frequency and severity of epistaxis in children with sickle cell anaemia in
      eastern Uganda: a case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are a paucity of data on epistaxis as it pertains to sickle
      cell anaemia. Some case studies suggest epistaxis to be a significant
      complication in patients with sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa; however,
      no robust studies have sought to establish the epidemiology or pathophysiology of
      this phenomenon. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study with the aim of
      investigating the importance of epistaxis among children presenting with sickle
      cell anaemia at the Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda. Cases
      were children aged 2-15 years with an existing diagnosis of laboratory confirmed
      sickle cell anaemia, while controls were children without sickle cell anaemia who
      were frequency matched to cases on the basis of age group and gender. The
      frequency and severity of epistaxis was assessed using a structured questionnaire
      developed specifically for this study. Odds ratios controlled for age group and
      gender were calculated using unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: A total
      of 150 children were included, 73 children with sickle cell anaemia and 77
      children without sickle cell anaemia. The overall prevalence of epistaxis among
      children with sickle cell anaemia and children without sickle cell anaemia was
      32.9 and 23.4% respectively. The case-control odds ratios for epistaxis,
      recurrent epistaxis and severe epistaxis were, 1.6 (95%CI 0.8-3.4; p = 0.2), 7.4
      (1.6-34.5; 0.01), and 8.3 (1.0-69.8; 0.05) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest that in eastern Uganda, children with sickle cell anaemia experience
      epistaxis more frequently and with greater severity than children without sickle
      cell anaemia. Further studies are indicated to confirm this conclusion and
      investigate aetiology.

PMID- 28912952
TI  - Noncontiguous finished genome sequences and descriptions of 'Paenibacillus
      bouchesdurhonensis,' 'Paenibacillus rubinfantis,' 'Paenibacillus
      senegalimassiliensis' and 'Paenibacillus tuaregi' identified by culturomics.
AB  - Microbial culturomics represents a completely new approach to investigate
      microbial diversity by using different optimized culture conditions, mass
      spectrometry, genome sequencing and annotation and phenotypic description that
      allow for an extensive characterization of new species and the study of the human
      microbiome. Here we present four new species within the genus Paenibacillus:
      'Paenibacillus bouchesdurhonensis' strain Marseille-P3071T, 'Paenibacillus
      rubinfantis' strain MT18T, 'Paenibacillus senegalimassiliensis' strain SIT18T and
      'Paenibacillus tuaregi' strain Marseille-P2472T, which are all facultatively
      aerobic and Gram-positive bacilli.

PMID- 28912953
TI  - Psychological effects of a disastrous hydrogen fluoride spillage on the local
      community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: On September 27, 2012, at 3:43 pm, a hydrogen fluoride spill occurred
      in a manufacturing plant located at the 4th complex of the Gumi National
      Industrial Complex in Gumi City, South Korea. The present study aimed to evaluate
      the psychological effects of the hydrogen fluoride spill on the members of the
      community and to investigate their relationships with physical symptoms and
      changes in psychological effects occurring as time passed after the accident.
      METHODS: The 1st phase involved a survey of 1359 individuals that was conducted 1
      month after the spill, and the 2nd phase involved a survey of 711 individuals
      that was conducted 7 months after the accident. The questionnaires included items
      for assessing demographic characteristics, hydrogen fluoride exposure level,
      physical symptoms, and psychological status. Physical symptoms were assessed to
      determine the persistence of irritations. Psychological status was assessed to
      investigate the impact of event level using the Impact of Event Scale - Revised
      Korean version (IES-R-K), and the anxiety level was assessed using the Beck
      Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS: As the hydrogen fluoride exposure level
      increased, the impact of event and anxiety levels increased significantly both 1
      and 7 months after the accident (p < 0.05). The mean score of the impact of event
      levels decreased significantly from 33.33 +/- 14.64 at 1 month after the accident
      to 28.68 +/- 11.80 at 7 months after the accident (p < 0.05). The mean score of
      the anxiety levels increased significantly from 5.16 +/- 6.59 at 1 month after
      the accident to 6.79 +/- 8.41 at 7 months after the accident (p < 0.05). The risk
      of persistent physical symptoms at 7 months after the accident was significantly
      higher in females. The risk of persistent physical symptoms also increased
      significantly, with increasing age, hydrogen fluoride exposure, and impact of
      event levels (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study found that the impact of
      event level and anxiety level increased with increasing hydrogen fluoride
      exposure. Anxiety levels persisted even after time passed. The risk of persistent
      physical symptoms at 7 months after the accident was higher in females, and it
      increased with increasing age, hydrogen fluoride exposure level, and impact of
      event levels.

PMID- 28912954
TI  - Evaluation of the current landscape of respiratory nurse specialists in the UK:
      planning for the future needs of patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The National Health Service currently faces significant challenges
      and must optimise effective workforce planning and management. There are
      increasing concerns regarding poor workforce planning for respiratory medicine; a
      greater understanding of the role of respiratory nurse specialists will inform
      better workforce planning and management. METHODS: This was a survey study. Two
      surveys were administered: an organisational-level survey and an individual
      respiratory nurse survey. RESULTS: There were 148 and 457 respondents to the
      organisational and individual nurse survey, respectively. Four main themes are
      presented: (1) breadth of service provided; (2) patient care; (3) work
      environment; and (4) succession planning. The majority of work conducted by
      respiratory nurse specialists relates to patient care outside the secondary care
      setting including supporting self-management in the home, supporting patients on
      home oxygen, providing hospital-at-home services and facilitating early discharge
      from acute care environments. Yet, most respiratory nursing teams are employed by
      secondary care trusts and located within acute environments. There was evidence
      of multidisciplinary working, although integrated care was not prominent in the
      free-text responses. High workload was reported with one-quarter of nursing teams
      short-staffed. Respiratory nurses reported working unpaid extra hours and a lack
      of administrative support that often took them away from providing direct patient
      care. Nearly half of the present sample either plan to retire or are eligible for
      retirement within 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: This survey report provides a current
      snapshot of the respiratory nurse specialist workforce in the UK. This workforce
      is an ageing population; the results from this survey can be used to inform
      succession planning and to ensure a viable respiratory nurse specialist workforce
      in future.

PMID- 28912956
TI  - Cardiometabolic effects of a novel SIRT1 activator, SRT2104, in people with type
      2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cardiometabolic effects of SRT2104, a novel SIRT1 activator, were
      investigated in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Fifteen
      adults with T2DM underwent a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross
      over trial and received 28 days of oral SRT2104 (2.0 g/day) or placebo. Forearm
      vasodilatation (measured during intrabrachial bradykinin, acetylcholine and
      sodium nitroprusside infusions) as well as markers of glycaemic control, lipid
      profile, plasma fibrinolytic factors, and markers of platelet-monocyte
      activation, were measured at baseline and at the end of each treatment period.
      RESULTS: Lipid profile and platelet-monocyte activation were similar in both
      treatment arms (p>0.05 for all). Forearm vasodilatation was similar on exposure
      to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside (p>0.05, respectively). Bradykinin
      induced vasodilatation was less during treatment with SRT2104 versus placebo
      (7.753vs9.044, respectively, mean difference=-1.291,(95% CI -2.296 to -0.285,
      p=0.012)). Estimated net plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 antigen release
      was reduced in the SRT2104 arm versus placebo (mean difference=-38.89 ng/100 mL
      tissue/min, (95% CI -75.47, to -2.305, p=0.038)). There were no differences in
      other plasma fibrinolytic factors (p>0.05 for all). After 28 days, SRT2104
      exposure was associated with weight reduction (-0.93 kg (95% CI -1.72 to -0.15),
      p=0.0236), and a rise in glycated haemoglobin (5 mmol/mol or 0.48% (0.26 to
      0.70), p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: In people with T2DM, SRT2104 had inconsistent,
      predominantly neutral effects on endothelial and fibrinolytic function, and no
      discernible effect on lipids or platelet function. In contrast, weight loss was
      induced along with deterioration in glycaemic control, suggestive of potentially
      important metabolic effects. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01031108; Results.

PMID- 28912957
TI  - Characteristics of rare and private deletions identified in phenotypically normal
      individuals.
AB  - Genomic copy number variations (CNVs) identified through chromosomal microarray
      testing must be validated to confirm whether they are pathogenically and
      functionally relevant to their respective clinical features. Although larger
      deletions have a higher probability to be pathogenic, this is not always true.
      Phenotypically normal individuals showed five CNV deletions larger than 1.5 Mb.
      The genes related to autosomal dominant trait were absent within these CNV
      deletions.

PMID- 28912955
TI  - Targeting aspirin resistance with nutraceuticals: a possible strategy for
      reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28912958
TI  - A nurse-delivered mental health intervention for obstetric fistula patients in
      Tanzania: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstetric fistula has severe psychological consequences, but no
      evidence-based interventions exist to improve mental health in this population.
      This pilot trial evaluated a psychological intervention for women receiving
      surgical care for obstetric fistula. METHODS: A parallel two-armed pilot RCT was
      conducted between 2014 and 2016. The intervention was six individual sessions,
      based on psychological theory and delivered by a nurse facilitator. The study was
      conducted at a tertiary hospital in Moshi, Tanzania. Women were eligible if they
      were over age 18 and admitted to the hospital for surgical repair of an obstetric
      fistula. Sixty participants were randomized to the intervention or standard of
      care. Surveys were completed at baseline, post-treatment (before discharge), and
      3 months following discharge. Standardized scales measured depression, anxiety,
      traumatic stress, and self-esteem. Feasibility of an RCT was assessed by
      participation and retention. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention
      were assessed by fidelity, attendance, and participant ratings. Potential
      efficacy was assessed by exploratory linear regression and clinical significance
      analysis. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent met criteria for mental health dysfunction
      at enrollment. All eligible patients enrolled, with retention 100% post and 73%
      at 3 months. Participants rated the intervention acceptable and beneficial. There
      were sharp and meaningful improvements in mental health outcomes over time, with
      no evidence of differences by condition. CONCLUSIONS: A nurse-delivered mental
      health intervention was feasible to implement as part of in-patient clinical care
      and regarded positively. Mental health treatment in this population is warranted
      given high level of distress at presentation to care. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT01934075.

PMID- 28912959
TI  - Research protocol for a complex intervention to support hearing and vision
      function to improve the lives of people with dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hearing and vision impairments are among the most common and
      disabling comorbidities in people living with dementia. Intervening to improve
      sensory function could be a means by which the lives of people living with
      dementia may be improved. However, very few studies have tried to ameliorate
      outcomes in dementia by improving sensory function. This paper describes the
      multi-step development of a new intervention designed to support hearing and
      vision function in people living with dementia in their own homes. At the end of
      the development programme, it is anticipated that a 'sensory support' package
      will be ready for testing in a full scale randomised controlled trial. METHODS:
      This programme is based on the process of 'intervention mapping' and comprises
      four integrated steps, designed to address the following: (1) scoping the gaps in
      understanding, awareness and service provision for the hearing and/or vision
      impairment care needs of people with dementia using a systematic literature
      review and Expert Reference Group; (2) investigating the support care needs
      through a literature search, stakeholder surveys, focus groups, semi-structured
      interviews and an Expert Reference Group, leading to a prototype sensory support
      package; (3) refining the prototype by additional input from stakeholders using
      focus groups and semi-structured interviews; and (4) field testing the draft
      intervention using an open-labelled, non-randomised feasibility study,
      integrating feedback from people with dementia and their significant others to
      develop the final intervention ready for full scale definitive trialling. Input
      from the 'patient and public voice' is a cornerstone of the work and will
      interlink with each step of the development process. The programme will take
      place in study centres in Manchester, Nicosia and Bordeaux. DISCUSSION:
      Quantitative and qualitative data analyses will be employed, dependent upon the
      sub-studies in question. Data from the steps will be integrated with
      consideration given to weighting of evidence for each step of the programme. This
      programme represents the logical development of a complex intervention to fulfil
      an unmet need. It is based on a theoretical framework and will lead to a
      subsequent full scale efficacy trial. The challenges in integrating the data and
      addressing the contextual issues across study sites will be scrutinised.

PMID- 28912960
TI  - Influence of disease activity on RA treatment choices in countries with
      restricted access to expensive, innovative drugs: a discrete choice experiment
      among rheumatologists.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of disease activity of patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis on treatment choices of rheumatologists in countries with
      restricted access to expensive, innovative drugs. METHODS: Rheumatologists from
      Hungary, Romania and UK were invited to complete two consecutive discrete choice
      experiments with hypothetical drug treatments for two different patient profiles:
      high and moderate disease activity. Rheumatologists were asked to choose
      repeatedly between two unlabelled treatment options that differed in five
      attributes: efficacy (expected improvement and achieved disease activity state),
      safety (probability of serious adverse events), patient's preference (level of
      agreement), total medication costs and cost-effectiveness. A heteroscedastic
      discrete choice model using interaction terms between attribute levels and
      patient profiles (binary variable) was used to assess the preferences of
      rheumatologists towards each attribute and the influence of the patient profile.
      RESULTS: Overall, 148 rheumatologists completed the survey (46% females, mean age
      49 years, 49% academic). For both patient profiles, efficacy dominated the
      treatment choice over patient's preference, safety and economic aspects. However,
      for patients with high compared with moderate disease activity, the importance of
      drug efficacy significantly increased (from 48% for moderate to 57% for high
      disease activity), whereas the importance of patient's preference significantly
      decreased (from 15% to 11%). No significant differences were observed for
      economic and safety considerations. CONCLUSION: Rheumatologists were willing to
      give up some efficacy to account for patient's preference when choosing
      treatments for patients with moderate compared to high disease activity. Disease
      activity however did not influence importance of economic aspects in treatment
      choices.

PMID- 28912961
TI  - TRPA1 expression is downregulated by dexamethasone and aurothiomalate in human
      chondrocytes: TRPA1 as a novel factor and drug target in arthritis.

PMID- 28912962
TI  - Gene panel sequencing in Brazilian patients with retinitis pigmentosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retinal dystrophies constitute a group of diseases characterized by
      clinical variability and pronounced genetic heterogeneity. Retinitis pigmentosa
      is the most common subtype of hereditary retinal dystrophy and is characterized
      by a progressive loss of peripheral field vision (Tunnel Vision), eventual loss
      of central vision, and progressive night blindness. The characteristics of the
      fundus changes include bone-spicule formations, attenuated blood vessels, reduced
      and/or abnormal electroretinograms, changes in structure imaged by optical
      coherence tomography, and subjective changes in visual function. The different
      syndromic and nonsyndromic forms of retinal dystrophies can be attributed to
      mutations in more than 250 genes. Molecular diagnosis for patients with retinitis
      pigmentosa has been hampered by extreme genetic and clinical heterogeneity
      between retinitis pigmentosa and other forms of retinal dystrophies. Next
      generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are among the most promising techniques
      to identify pathogenic variations in retinal dystrophies. PURPOSE: The purpose of
      this study was to discover the molecular diagnosis for Brazilian patients
      clinically diagnosed with a retinitis pigmentosa pattern of inheritance by using
      NGS technologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with the clinical
      diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa were included in the study. Their DNA was
      sequenced in a panel with 132 genes related to retinal dystrophies using the
      Illumina(r) platform. Sequence analysis and variation calling was performed using
      Soft Genetics(r), NextGene, and Geneticist Assistant software. The criteria for
      pathogenicity analysis were established according to the results of prediction
      programs (Polyphen 2, Mutation taster and MetaCoreTM) and comparison of
      pathogenic variations found with databases. RESULTS: The identified potentially
      pathogenic variations were all confirmed by Sanger sequencing. There were 89
      variations predicted as pathogenic, but only 10 of them supported the conclusion
      of the molecular diagnosis. Five of the nine patients were autosomal dominant RP
      (56%), two (22%) were autosomal recessive RP, and two (22%) were X-linked RP.
      Nine of the 16 patients (56%) had probably positive or positive results.
      CONCLUSION: The Next Generation Sequencing used in this study allowed the
      molecular diagnosis to be confirmed in 56% of the patients and clarified the
      inheritance pattern of the patient's retinal dystrophies.

PMID- 28912963
TI  - Hallmarks of glioblastoma: a systematic review.
AB  - Despite decades of intense research, the complex biology of glioblastoma (GBM) is
      not completely understood. Progression-free survival and overall survival have
      remained unchanged since the implementation of the STUPP regimen in 2005 with
      concomitant radio-/chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolomide. In
      the context of Hanahan and Weinberg's six hallmarks and two emerging hallmarks of
      cancer, we discuss up-to-date status and recent research in the biology of GBM.
      We discuss the clinical impact of the research results with the most promising
      being in the hallmarks 'enabling replicative immortality', 'inducing
      angiogenesis', 'reprogramming cellular energetics' and 'evading immune
      destruction'. This includes the importance of molecular diagnostics according to
      the new WHO classification and how next generation sequencing is being
      implemented in the clinical daily life. Molecular results linked together with
      clinical outcome have revealed the importance of the prognostic biomarker
      isocitratedehydrogenase (IDH), which is now part of the diagnostic criteria in
      brain tumours. IDH is discussed in the context of the hallmark 'reprogramming
      cellular energetics'. O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase status predicts a
      more favourable response to treatment and is thus a predictive marker. Based on
      genomic aberrations, Verhaak et al have suggested a division of GBM into three
      subgroups, namely, proneural, classical and mesenchymal, which could be
      meaningful in the clinic and could help guide and differentiate treatment
      decisions according to the specific subgroup. The information achieved will
      develop and improve precision medicine in the future.

PMID- 28912965
TI  - Medically Important Parasites Carried by Cockroaches in Melong Subdivision,
      Littoral, Cameroon.
AB  - Cockroaches have been recognized as mechanical vectors of pathogens that can
      infest humans or animals. A total of 844 adult cockroaches (436 males and 408
      females) were caught. In the laboratory, cockroaches were first washed in
      saturated salt solution to remove ectoparasites and then rinsed with 70% alcohol,
      dried, and dissected for endoparasites. An overall transport rate of 47.39% was
      recorded. Six genera of parasites were identified. These were Ascaris (33.76%),
      Trichuris (11.97%), Capillaria (6.16%), Toxocara (4.86%), Hook Worm (4.86%), and
      Eimeria (2.73%). The parasites were more recorded on the external surface
      (54.27%) of cockroaches than in the internal surface (GIT, 38.51%). The same
      tendency was obtained between sexes with female cockroaches having a higher
      transport rate (36.69%). Cockroaches caught in toilets carried more parasites
      (31.99%) as compared to those from kitchens (22.63%) and houses (11.14%). Almost
      all encountered parasites were recognized as responsible of zoonosis and they can
      be consequently released in nature by hosts and easily disseminated by
      cockroaches as mechanical vectors. Sanitary education, reenforcement of worms'
      eradication programs, and the fight against these insects remain a necessity in
      the Melong Subdivision.

PMID- 28912964
TI  - Is the South African Triage Scale valid for use in Afghanistan, Haiti and Sierra
      Leone?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of the South African Triage Scale (SATS) in
      four Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-supported emergency departments (ED, two
      trauma-only sites, one mixed site (both medical and trauma cases) and one
      paediatric-only site) in Afghanistan, Haiti and Sierra Leone. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective cohort study conducted between June 2013 and June 2014. Validity
      was assessed by comparing patients' SATS ratings with their final ED outcome (ie,
      hospital admission, death or discharge). RESULTS: In the two trauma settings, the
      SATS demonstrated good validity: it accurately predicted an increase in the
      likelihood of mortality and hospitalisation across incremental acuity levels
      (p<0.001) and ED outcomes for 'green' and 'red' patients matched the predicted ED
      outcomes in 84%-99% of cases. In the mixed ED, the SATS was able to predict an
      incremental increase in hospitalisation (p<0.001) across both trauma and non
      trauma cases. In the paediatric-only settings, SATS was able to predict an
      incremental increase in hospitalisation in the non-trauma cases only (p<0.001).
      However, 87% (non-trauma) and 94% (trauma) of 'red' patients in the mixed-medical
      setting were overtriaged and 76% (non-trauma) and 100% (trauma) of 'green'
      patients in the paediatric settings were undertriaged. CONCLUSION: The SATS is a
      valid tool for trauma-only settings in low-resource countries. Its use in mixed
      settings seems justified, but context-specific assessments would seem prudent.
      Finally, in paediatric settings with endemic malaria, adding haemoglobin level to
      the SATS discriminator list may help to improve the undertriage of patients with
      malaria.

PMID- 28912966
TI  - ABCC6 Gene Analysis in 20 Japanese Patients with Angioid Streaks Revealing Four
      Frequent and Two Novel Variants and Pseudodominant Inheritance.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the spectrum of ABCC6 variants in Japanese patients with
      angioid streaks (AS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a single-center cohort
      study. The medical records of 20 patients with AS from 18 unrelated Japanese
      families were retrospectively reviewed. Screening of the ABCC6 gene (exons 1 to
      31) was performed using PCR-based Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Eight ABCC6
      variants were identified as candidate disease-causing variants. These eight
      variants included five known variants (p.Q378X, p.R419Q, p.V848CfsX83, p.R1114C,
      and p.R1357W), one previously reported variant (p.N428S) of unknown significance,
      and two novel variants (c.1939C>T [p.H647Y] and c.3374C>T [p.S1125F]); the three
      latter variants were determined to be variants of significance. The following
      four variants were frequently identified: p.V848CfsX83 (14/40 alleles, 35.0%),
      p.Q378X (7/40 alleles, 17.5%), p.R1357W (6/40 alleles, 15.0%), and p.R419Q (4/40
      alleles, 10.0%). The ABCC6 variants were identified in compound heterozygous or
      homozygous states in 13 of 18 probands. Two families showed a pseudodominant
      inheritance pattern. Pseudoxanthoma elasticum was seen in 15 of 17 patients
      (88.2%) who underwent dermatological examination. CONCLUSIONS: We identified
      disease-causing ABCC6 variants that were in homozygous or compound heterozygous
      states in 13 of 18 families (72.2%). Our results indicated that ABCC6 variants
      play a significant role in patients with AS in the Japanese population.

PMID- 28912967
TI  - Correlation of Macular Focal Electroretinogram with Ellipsoid Zone Extension in
      Stargardt Disease.
AB  - Stargardt disease (STGD1) is the most common cause of inherited juvenile macular
      degeneration. This disease is characterized by a progressive accumulation of
      lipofuscin in the outer retina and subsequent loss of photoreceptors and retinal
      pigment epithelium. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship
      between cone photoreceptor function and structure in STGD1. Macular function was
      assessed by visual acuity measurement and focal electroretinogram (FERG)
      recording while spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging was
      performed to evaluate the integrity of photoreceptors. FERG amplitude was
      significantly reduced in patients with Stargardt disease (p < 0.0001). The
      amplitude of FERG showed a negative relationship with interruption of ellipsoid
      zone (EZ) (R2 = 0.54, p < 0.0001) and a positive correlation with average macular
      thickness (AMT). Conversely, visual acuity was only weakly correlated with
      central macular thickness (CMT) (R2 = 0.12, p = 0.04). In conclusion, this study
      demonstrates that FERG amplitude is a reliable indicator of macular cone function
      while visual acuity reflects the activity of the foveal region. A precise
      assessment of macular cone function by FERG recording may be useful to monitor
      the progression of STGD1 and to select the optimal candidates to include in
      future clinical trials to treat this disease.

PMID- 28912968
TI  - Bimanual Microincision Cataract Surgery versus Coaxial Microincision Cataract
      Surgery: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Cohort Studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: This meta-analysis was conducted to compare the intraoperative and
      postoperative outcomes of bimanual microincision cataract surgery (B-MICS) and
      coaxial microincision cataract surgery (C-MICS). METHODS: Three databases were
      searched for papers that compared B-MICS and C-MICS from inception to June 2016.
      The following intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were included in the
      final meta-analysis: ultrasound time (UST), effective phacoemulsification time
      (EPT), balanced salt solution use (BSS use), mean surgery time, best-corrected
      visual acuity (BCVA), central corneal thickness (CCT), and increased CCT.
      RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in mean surgery
      time, UST, BSS use, BCVA, CCT, or increased CCT (one subgroup at postoperative
      day 7-8 and another subgroup at postoperative day 30). However, there was less
      EPT needed during surgery (p < 0.01) and lower levels of increased CCT at
      postoperative day 1 (p = 0.02) in the B-MICS group compared with the C-MICS
      group. CONCLUSIONS: The EPT was shorter and increased CCT was less at
      postoperative day 1 in the B-MICS group. There were no statistically significant
      differences in other intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between the B-MICS
      group and the C-MICS group. B-MICS is an efficient and safe cataract surgery
      procedure.

PMID- 28912969
TI  - Migration-Related Stressors and Their Effect on the Severity Level and Symptom
      Pattern of Depression among Vietnamese in Germany.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Vietnamese in Germany represent a scarcely researched and vulnerable
      group for mental health problems, especially under exposure to migration-related
      stressors (MRS). This study analyzes the effect of those MRS on the severity
      level and symptom pattern of depression. DESIGN: We analyzed the data of 137
      depressed Vietnamese patients utilizing Germany's first Vietnamese psychiatric
      outpatient clinic. Hierarchical linear regression models were applied to
      investigate how the quantity of MRS influenced (1) the overall severity of self
      reported depression symptoms; (2) the cognitive, affective, and somatic BDI-II
      subscale; and (3) the single BDI-II items of these subscales. RESULTS: A greater
      number of MRS were related to a higher severity level of depression in general,
      as well as to a higher level on the cognitive depression subscale in particular.
      The BDI-II single items pessimism, past failure, guilt feelings, punishment
      feelings, and suicidal thoughts were particularly associated with a higher
      quantity of perceived MRS. CONCLUSION: Among depressed Vietnamese migrants in
      Germany, a higher number of reported MRS were associated with higher overall
      depression severity. Within the domains of depression, particularly the cognitive
      domain was linked to perceived MRS. The association between MRS and suicidal
      thoughts is clinically highly relevant.

PMID- 28912970
TI  - Knowledge, Practice, and Associated Factors of Home-Based Management of Diarrhea
      among Caregivers of Children Attending Under-Five Clinic in Fagita Lekoma
      District, Awi Zone, Amhara Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia, 2016.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In Ethiopia, it is the second cause for clinical presentation among
      under five-year child population. OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to
      assess knowledge, practice, and associated factors of home-based management of
      diarrhea among caregivers of children attending the under-five clinic. METHODS:
      Institution based quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out from March
      1, 2016, to April 22, 2016. RESULTS: Two hundred eight (56.2%) of them had good
      knowledge and one hundred thirty-nine (37.6%) of them had the good practice of
      home management of diarrhea, specifically, primary education (AOR: 5.384, 95% CI:
      2.008, 14.438), secondary and above education (AOR: 11.769, 95% CI: 3.527,
      39.275), daily laborer (AOR: 0.208, 95% CI: 0.054, 0.810), and no information
      about diarrhea (AOR: 0.139, 95% CI: 0.054, 0.354). Moreover, age range of 25-35
      (AOR: 4.091, 95% CI: 1.741, 9.616) and 36-45 (AOR: 3.639, 95% CI: 1.155, 11.460),
      being single (AOR: 0.111, 95% CI: 0.013, 0.938), being divorced (AOR: 0.120, 95%
      CI: 0.024, 0.598), illiteracy (AOR: 0.052, 95% CI: 0.017, 0.518), primary
      education (AOR: 0.143, CI: 0.046, 0.440), and no information about diarrhea (AOR:
      0.197, 95% CI: 0.057, 0.685) were significantly associated variables with the
      outcome variables in multivariate regression. CONCLUSION: Caregivers had slightly
      adequate knowledge but poor practice.

PMID- 28912971
TI  - Sleep Parameters in Short Daily versus Conventional Dialysis: An Actigraphic
      Study.
AB  - Previous studies have observed worse sleep quality in patients undergoing
      conventional dialysis as compared to daily dialysis. Our aim was to compare the
      sleep parameters of patients undergoing daily or conventional dialysis using an
      objective measure (actigraphy). This cross-sectional study was performed in three
      dialysis centers, including a convenience sample (nonprobability sampling) of 73
      patients (36 patients on daily hemodialysis and 37 patients on conventional
      hemodialysis). The following parameters were evaluated: nocturnal total sleep
      time (NTST), expressed in minutes; wake time after sleep onset (WASO), expressed
      in minutes; number of nighttime awakenings; daytime total sleep time (DTST),
      expressed in minutes; number of daytime naps; and nighttime percentage of sleep
      (% sleep). The Mini-Mental State Examination and the Beck Depression Inventory
      were also administered. The mean age was 53.4  +/-  17.0 years. After adjustment
      of confounding factors using multiple linear regression analysis, no difference
      in actigraphy parameters was detected between the groups: NTST (p = 0.468), WASO
      (p = 0.88), % sleep (p = 0.754), awakenings (p = 0.648), naps (p = 0.414), and
      DTST (p = 0.805). Different from previous studies employing qualitative analysis,
      the present assessment did not observe an influence of hemodialysis modality on
      objective sleep parameters in chronic renal patients.

PMID- 28912972
TI  - Denosumab for Male Hemodialysis Patients with Low Bone Mineral Density: A Case
      Control Study.
AB  - Denosumab increases bone mineral density (BMD) in patients not receiving
      hemodialysis therapy. However, limited data are available in the literature
      concerning the use of denosumab in hemodialysis patients. We treated male
      hemodialysis patients with low radius BMD with denosumab therapy for 1 year and
      evaluated its effect on radius BMD. Seventeen patients were treated with
      denosumab 60 mg every 6 months, and 20 patients were not treated with denosumab
      (control group). At seven days, the mean corrected calcium level decreased from
      9.2 +/- 0.5 mg to 8.5 +/- 0.5 mg (P < 0.01), and mean serum phosphorus decreased
      from 5.0 +/- 1.3 mg/dl to 4.2 +/- 0.9 mg/dl (P < 0.01). At 1 month, the corrected
      calcium and serum phosphorus levels were 9.2 +/- 0.9 mg/dl and 4.0 +/- 1.1 mg/dl,
      respectively. At 1 year, BMD increased by 2.6%  +/- 4.4% in the denosumab group
      and decreased by 4.5%  +/- 7.7% in the control group (P < 0.001). In our
      observational study, denosumab therapy represents an effective treatment for male
      dialysis patients with low BMD.

PMID- 28912973
TI  - Clinical Characteristics in Patients with Triple Negative Breast Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the clinical
      characteristics of the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-TNBC
      patients, with a particular focus on genetic susceptibility and risk factors
      prior to diagnosis. METHODS: Our institutional database was queried for all
      patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 2010 and May 2016.
      RESULTS: Out of a total of 1964 patients, 190 (10%) patients had TNBC. The median
      age for both TNBC and non-TNBC was 59 years. There was a significantly higher
      proportion of African American and Asian patients with TNBC (p = 0.0003) compared
      to patients with non-TNBC. BRCA1 and BRCA2 were significantly associated with
      TNBC (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0007). A prior history of breast cancer was significantly
      associated with TNBC (p = 0.0003). There was no relationship observed between
      TNBC and a history of chemoprevention or patients who had a history of AH or
      LCIS. CONCLUSIONS: We found that having Asian ancestry, a prior history of breast
      cancer, and a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation all appear to be positively associated with
      TNBC. In order to develop more effective treatments, better surveillance, and
      improved prevention strategies, it is necessary to improve our understanding of
      the population at risk for TNBC.

PMID- 28912974
TI  - Comment on "Interrelationship between Sleep and Exercise: A Systematic Review".

PMID- 28912975
TI  - An Incidentally Detected Right Ventricular Pseudoaneurysm.
AB  - Ventricular pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon, potentially fatal complication that
      has been associated with myocardial infarction, cardiac surgery, chest trauma,
      and infectious processes. Diagnosis can be challenging, as cases are rare and
      slowly progressing and typically lack identifiable features on clinical
      presentation. As a result, advanced imaging techniques have become the hallmark
      of identification. Ahead, we describe a patient who presents with acute
      decompensated heart failure and was incidentally discovered to have a large right
      ventricular pseudoaneurysm that developed following previous traumatic anterior
      rib fracture.

PMID- 28912976
TI  - Electromagnetic Interference from Swimming Pool Generator Current Causing
      Inappropriate ICD Discharges.
AB  - Electromagnetic interference (EMI) includes any electromagnetic field signal that
      can be detected by device circuitry, with potentially serious consequences:
      incorrect sensing, pacing, device mode switching, and defibrillation. This is a
      unique case of extracardiac EMI by alternating current leakage from a submerged
      motor used to recycle chlorinated water, resulting in false rhythm detection and
      inappropriate ICD discharge. A 31-year-old female with arrhythmogenic right
      ventricular cardiomyopathy and Medtronic dual-chamber ICD placement presented
      after several inappropriate ICD shocks at the public swimming pool. Patient had
      never received prior shocks and device was appropriate at all regular follow-ups.
      Intracardiac electrograms revealed unique, high-frequency signals at exactly 120
      msec suggestive of EMI from a strong external source of alternating current.
      Electrical artifact was incorrectly sensed as a ventricular arrhythmia which
      resulted in discharge. ICD parameters including sensing, pacing thresholds, and
      impedance were all normal suggesting against device malfunction. With device
      failure and intracardiac sources excluded, EMI was therefore strongly suspected.
      Avoidance of EMI source brought complete resolution with no further inappropriate
      shocks. After exclusion of intracardiac interference, device malfunction, and
      abnormal settings, extracardiac etiologies such as EMI must be thoughtfully
      considered and excluded. Elimination of inappropriate shocks is to "first, do no
      harm."

PMID- 28912977
TI  - Isolated Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava, Sick Sinus Syndrome, and Challenging
      Pacemaker Implantation.
AB  - Persistent left superior vena cava with absent right superior vena cava is a very
      rare venous anomaly and is known as isolated PLSVC. It is usually an asymptomatic
      anomaly and is mostly detected during difficult central venous access or
      pacemaker implantation, though it could also be associated with an increased
      incidence of congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, and conduction disturbances.
      Herein, we describe a dual-chamber pacemaker implantation in a patient with
      isolated PLSVC and sick sinus syndrome.

PMID- 28912978
TI  - Anoxic Brain Injury Presenting as Pseudosubarachnoid Hemorrhage in the Medical
      Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - Anoxic encephalopathy is frequently encountered in the medical intensive care
      unit (ICU). Cerebral edema as a result of anoxic brain injury can result in
      increased attenuation in the basal cisterns and subarachnoid spaces on
      computerized tomography (CT) scans of the head. These findings can mimic those
      seen in acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and are referred to as
      pseudosubarachnoid hemorrhage (pseudo-SAH). Pseudo-SAH is a diagnosis critical
      care physicians should be aware of as they treat and evaluate their patients with
      presumed SAH, which is a medical emergency. This lack of awareness could have
      important clinical implications on outcomes and impact management decisions if
      patients with anoxic brain injury are inappropriately treated for SAH. We
      describe three patients who presented to the hospital with anoxic brain injury.
      Subsequent CT head suggested SAH, which was subsequently proven to be pseudo-SAH.

PMID- 28912979
TI  - The Protocol of Fixed Reconstruction for Severely Worn Teeth Combined with
      Anterior Deep Bite.
AB  - Full mouth reconstruction is one of the most effective methods to restore severe
      worn teeth that have suffered reduced vertical dimension. Although the use of the
      overlay splint restoration for a trial period allowing the patient to adapt to an
      increased vertical dimension is the recognized method, the specific protocol from
      the transitional splint to the fixed reconstruction is yet to be established.
      This case report describes a 50-year-old female patient who has severely worn
      teeth combined with an anterior deep bite and chewing pain. The protocol of the
      treatment process is described.

PMID- 28912980
TI  - Sporotrichoid-Like Spread of Cutaneous Mycobacterium chelonae in an
      Immunocompromised Patient.
AB  - Mycobacterium chelonae is a rapidly growing mycobacterium found in water and soil
      that can cause local cutaneous infections in immunocompetent hosts but more
      frequently affects immunocompromised patients. Typically, patients will present
      with painful subcutaneous nodules of the joints or soft tissues from traumatic
      inoculation. However, exhibiting a sporotrichoid-like pattern of these nodules is
      uncommon. Herein, we report a case of sporotrichoid-like distribution of
      cutaneous Mycobacterium chelonae in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus
      on significant immunosuppressive medications. Clinicians treating
      immunocompromised patients should be cognizant of their propensity to develop
      unusual infections and atypical presentations.

PMID- 28912981
TI  - Physician Beware: Severe Cyanide Toxicity from Amygdalin Tablets Ingestion.
AB  - Despite the risk of cyanide toxicity and lack of efficacy, amygdalin is still
      used as alternative cancer treatment. Due to the highly lethal nature of cyanide
      toxicity, many patients die before getting medical care. Herein, we describe the
      case of a 73-year-old female with metastatic pancreatic cancer who developed
      cyanide toxicity from taking amygdalin. Detailed history and physical examination
      prompted rapid clinical recognition and treatment with hydroxocobalamin, leading
      to resolution of her cyanide toxicity. Rapid clinical diagnosis and treatment of
      cyanide toxicity can rapidly improve patients' clinical outcome and survival.
      Inquiries for any forms of ingestion should be attempted in patients with
      clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of poisoning.

PMID- 28912982
TI  - Severe Thyrotoxicosis Secondary to Povidone-Iodine from Peritoneal Dialysis.
AB  - A 73-year-old male on home peritoneal dialysis (PD) with recent diagnosis of
      atrial fibrillation presented with fatigue and dyspnea. Hyperthyroidism was
      diagnosed with TSH < 0.01 mIU/L and FT4 > 100 pmol/L. He had no personal or
      family history of thyroid disease. There had been no exposures to CT contrast,
      amiodarone, or iodine. Technetium thyroid scan showed diffusely decreased uptake.
      He was discharged with a presumptive diagnosis of thyroiditis. Three weeks later,
      he had deteriorated clinically. Possible iodine sources were again reviewed, and
      it was determined that povidone-iodine solution was used with each PD cycle.
      Methimazole 25 mg daily was initiated; however, he had difficulty tolerating the
      medication and continued to clinically deteriorate. He was readmitted to hospital
      where methimazole was restarted at 20 mg bid with high dose prednisone 25 mg and
      daily plasma exchange (PLEX) therapy. Biochemical improvement was observed with
      FT4 dropping to 48.5 pmol/L by day 10, but FT4 rebounded to 67.8 pmol/L after
      PLEX was discontinued. PLEX was restarted and thyroidectomy was performed.
      Pathology revealed nodular hyperplasia with no evidence of thyroiditis.
      Preoperative plasma iodine levels were greater than 5 times the upper limit of
      normal range. We hypothesize that the patient had underlying autonomous thyroid
      hormone production exacerbated by exogenous iodine exposure from a previously
      unreported PD-related source.

PMID- 28912983
TI  - Metastatic Melanoma of the Gallbladder in an Asymptomatic Patient.
AB  - Malignant Melanoma (MM) is among the most dangerous malignancies with some of the
      least known survival rates. Melanoma most commonly metastasizes to regional lymph
      nodes, the lungs, and brain. Metastatic disease of the gallbladder (GB) is
      exceptionally rare making it difficult to diagnose. The fact that typically
      patients do not present until they are symptomatic-only after widespread
      metastatic disease has already occurred-is further complicating the diagnosis of
      MM of the GB. For this reason, MM of the GB is rarely discovered in living
      patients. In fact, review of the literature showed only 40 instances in which
      metastatic disease of the GB was reported in living patients. We describe the
      presentation and management of a patient who had metastatic disease of the GB.
      However, our case is unique because his malignancy was discovered incidentally
      while he was asymptomatic. He was successfully treated with an open
      cholecystectomy. We have presented this case in order to make the necessity of
      meticulous investigation of potential metastasis in patients with a known history
      of cutaneous melanoma clear.

PMID- 28912984
TI  - Caecal Perforation from Primary Intestinal Tuberculosis in Pregnancy.
AB  - The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is rising worldwide, despite the efficacy of
      the BCG vaccination. Populations at greatest risk of contracting TB are migrant
      communities, as well as immunocompromised individuals. The diagnosis of
      extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) can often present as a diagnostic conundrum, due to its
      nonspecific and varied presentation, often mimicking inflammatory bowel disease
      or malignancy. We present a case of caecal TB in pregnancy, which resulted in
      caecal perforation, a right hemicolectomy, and severe preterm delivery. The aim
      of this case report is to discuss the diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB, as well as
      its subsequent management in pregnancy.

PMID- 28912985
TI  - Isolated Splenic Cold Abscesses with Perisplenic Extension: Treated Successfully
      without Splenectomy.
AB  - Splenic tuberculosis (TB) in the form of multiple splenic cold abscesses with
      perisplenic extensions is a rare disease, especially in an immunocompetent host.
      It demonstrates diagnostic complexity, which makes identification of the disease
      difficult. We report a case of an immunocompetent adult male who presented with
      fever, pain in the left lower chest, decreased appetite, and significant weight
      loss. On physical examination, he had tenderness in the left lower infra-axillary
      region and Traube's space dullness without palpable spleen. Ultrasound-guided
      aspiration of the abscess fluid revealed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) by
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR). No primary focus of the infection was detected
      in the lungs or any other organs. The patient was successfully treated with
      antitubercular therapy (ATT).

PMID- 28912986
TI  - Transmission of Donor-Derived Trypanosoma cruzi and Subsequent Development of
      Chagas Disease in a Lung Transplant Recipient.
AB  - Donor infection status should be considered when accepting an organ for
      transplant. Here we present a case of Chagas disease developing after a lung
      transplant where the donor was known to be Trypanosoma cruzi antibody positive.
      The recipient developed acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection with reactivation after
      treatment. Chagas disease-positive donors are likely to be encountered in the
      United States; donor targeted screening is needed to guide decisions regarding
      organ transplant and posttransplant monitoring.

PMID- 28912987
TI  - Cerebellar Involvement in an Immunocompetent Patient Presenting with Progressive
      Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy.
AB  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a demyelinating disease
      caused by the JC virus, a polyomavirus that can be reactivated under certain
      immunosuppressive conditions, such as AIDS, immunomodulatory therapy, and
      haematological malignancies. However, a few cases of immunocompetent patients
      have been reported in which no immunodeficiency was present. We describe the case
      of an 83-year-old immunocompetent man who presented with severe cerebellar
      symptoms with an MRI scan suggestive of severe demyelinating disease. We were not
      able to identify any occult immunosuppression or malignancy in our patient.

PMID- 28912988
TI  - Accidental Intrathecal Administration of Digoxin in an Elderly Male with End
      Stage Renal Disease.
AB  - The systemic effects of digoxin toxicity have been well-known. However, there has
      been no case citing the effects of intrathecal digoxin in light of end-stage
      renal disease in the elderly. Here, we report on the case of the successful
      management of accidental intrathecal digoxin administration in an elderly male
      with end-stage renal disease.

PMID- 28912989
TI  - Vaginal Urinary Calculi Formation Secondary to Vaginal Mesh Exposure with Urinary
      Incontinence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaginal stones may form in the setting of mesh exposure with urinary
      incontinence. This report serves to help understand the presentation, evaluation,
      and management of vaginal urinary stones. CASE: A 68-year-old female presented
      with a vaginal calculus. She had a history of anterior and posterior
      polypropylene mesh placement for prolapse 7 years earlier and urinary
      incontinence. The stone was identified on a portion of exposed mesh and removed
      in office. Pathology confirmed urinary etiology. The exposed mesh resolved with
      topical estrogen. Cystourethroscopy excluded urinary fistula and bladder mesh
      erosion. CONCLUSIONS: When identified, a vaginal calculus should be removed and
      evaluated for composition. Cystourethroscopy should be performed to assess
      potential urinary tract fistulas and mesh erosion. Additional imaging should be
      considered.

PMID- 28912990
TI  - Triple Synchronous Primary Neoplasms of the Cervix, Endometrium, and Ovary: A
      Rare Case Report and Summary of All the English PubMed-Indexed Literature.
AB  - The incidence rate of triple or more synchronous primary neoplasms of the female
      genital system is exceedingly uncommon. To the best of our knowledge, only 13
      such cases have been reported in the PubMed-indexed English literature. Herein,
      we report a single case of triple synchronous primary neoplasms of the cervix,
      endometrium, and left ovary with three distinct histological patterns that were
      not reported previously. Moreover, we briefly present a summary table of all the
      English PubMed-indexed cases of triple or more synchronous primary neoplasms of
      the female genital system (n = 13).

PMID- 28912991
TI  - T Cell Histiocyte Rich Large B Cell Lymphoma Presenting as Hemophagocytic
      Lymphohistiocytosis: An Uncommon Presentation of a Rare Disease.
AB  - T cell histiocyte rich large B cell lymphoma (THRLBCL) is a rare subtype of non
      Hodgkin's lymphoma characterized by malignant B cells with reactive T
      lymphocytes. The pathophysiology is thought to involve cytokine-mediated evasion
      of T cell immune response by malignant B cells. It usually presents at an
      advanced stage with extranodal involvement. An extremely unusual manifestation of
      the disease is hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) which is a
      hyperinflammatory disorder. We present a case of a 43-year-old male who presented
      with recurrent fever and recent radiologic imaging showing splenomegaly and right
      inguinal lymphadenopathy. On presentation, he had a fever of 105 degrees F.
      Laboratory work-up was consistent with pancytopenia, elevated lactate
      dehydrogenase, elevated D-dimer, and a ferritin of 24,247 ng/mL. The patient was
      started on steroid therapy. An excisional biopsy of the right inguinal lymph node
      was consistent with a diagnosis of THRLBCL and the patient subsequently received
      six cycles of chemotherapy with R-CHOP (Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin,
      Vincristine, and Prednisone) after which a PET-CT scan showed no evidence of
      biologically active disease and ferritin was down to 822 ng/mL. We discuss the
      clinical manifestations and diagnostic and therapeutic considerations of this
      rare disease along with a review of reported cases in the literature.

PMID- 28912992
TI  - Giant Conjunctival Nevus in a 12-Year-Old Child.
AB  - We describe a case of a giant conjunctival nevus presented in a 12-year-old girl
      with suspicious clinicomorphological appearance. The lesion was noticed by the
      parents at the age of 3 years as a "fleshy spot" on the bulbar conjunctiva. The
      lesion remained unchanged until approx. 6 months before recent admission. On slit
      lamp examination, a large conjunctival lesion with variegate pigmentation and
      indistinct margins was detected on the superonasal part of the bulbar conjunctiva
      of the left eye. Intralesional cysts and vessels were detected with AS-OCT
      examination. Wide excision and cryotherapy to the scleral bed were performed and
      amniotic membrane graft was used to restore the ocular surface. Histopathological
      examination revealed compound type conjunctival nevus and disclosed any sign of
      malignancy. Although giant conjunctival nevus is a rare entity, precise diagnosis
      and adequate management are very important as it can be confused with malignant
      melanoma.

PMID- 28912993
TI  - Bilateral Peritonsillar Abscess in an Infant: An Unusual Presentation of Sore
      Throat.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peritonsillar abscess is considered a suppurative complication of
      acute tonsillitis. It is usually unilateral and clinically evident bilateral
      presentation is uncommon. The condition affects mainly children older than 10
      years and young adults. Herein we present a rare case of bilateral peritonsillar
      abscess in an infant. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 1-year-old boy presented with a two
      day history of worsening sore throat, loss of appetite, vomiting, and fever.
      Examination of the oral cavity and oropharynx revealed enlarged and inflamed
      tonsils and a bilaterally congested and bulging soft palate. CT scan confirmed
      the hypothesis of bilateral peritonsillar abscess. Antibiotic therapy was
      instituted and after 5 days only slight regression of swelling of the soft palate
      was observed. He underwent a surgical procedure for draining the abscesses. After
      the procedure, he presented good clinical and laboratory evolution and was
      discharged home. DISCUSSION: Although peritonsillar abscesses are considered
      common complications of acute tonsillitis bilateral cases are extremely rare,
      especially in early childhood. The diagnosis is based on history and physical
      examination and the treatment remains controversial among otolaryngologists.
      CONCLUSION: Bilateral peritonsillar abscess should be diagnosed and treated
      promptly and adequately to prevent respiratory obstruction and to avoid
      dissemination into the deep neck spaces.

PMID- 28912994
TI  - Jitteriness/Anxiety Syndrome Developing Immediately following Initiation of Oral
      Administration of Sertraline.
AB  - Here, we report our experience with patients in whom jitteriness/anxiety syndrome
      developed immediately following the start of oral sertraline administration.
      Administration was discontinued in these patients on day 2, and the
      jitteriness/anxiety syndrome improved the following day. Jitteriness/anxiety
      syndrome may develop immediately following oral administration of even low doses
      of sertraline, and improvement can be expected if sertraline is promptly
      discontinued.

PMID- 28912995
TI  - Coprophagia and Entomophagia in a Patient with Alcohol Related Dementia.
AB  - Coprophagia and entomophagia are two phenomena not commonly reported in the
      medical literature and their occurrence is usually associated with mental
      disorders. We present the case of a 59-year-old man with a history of alcohol
      abuse who was evaluated due to cognitive deterioration and disturbed eating
      habits including feces and living insects. Organic causes were ruled out and an
      important cognitive impairment became evident on neuropsychological formal test.
      The behavior remitted after antipsychotic pharmacologic therapy and alcohol
      detoxification, leaving the diagnostic impression of alcohol related dementia.
      This report shows a rare association of these two conditions in a patient with
      dementia.

PMID- 28912996
TI  - A Rare Cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Retropharyngeal Lipoma.
AB  - Lipoma is the most common benign mesenchymal neoplasm. About 16% of lipomas arise
      in the head and neck region, especially in the posterior neck. Large lipomas that
      originate from the retropharyngeal space may cause dyspnea, dysphagia, and
      snoring and occasionally may lead to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
      Herein, we report a 45-year-old male patient with OSAS caused by a giant
      retropharyngeal lipoma with emphasis on CT findings.

PMID- 28912997
TI  - Laparoscopic Repair of Diaphragmatic Rupture: A Case Report with Radiological and
      Surgical Correlation.
AB  - The leading cause of diaphragmatic rupture is penetrating abdominal trauma,
      including gunshot- and stab-related wounds; however, diaphragmatic rupture can
      also result from blunt trauma to the abdomen. The diagnosis can be difficult to
      make as the physical examination may be unremarkable, and imaging, that is, a
      conventional chest X-ray and/or CT imaging, may initially fail to reveal the
      injury. Failure to recognize diaphragmatic rupture can result in a delayed
      presentation, sometimes years later, with a potential catastrophic outcome.
      Therefore, prompt and swift diagnosis is critical to avoid this potential harmful
      scenario. Traditionally, repair is performed through a laparotomy or a
      thoracotomy incision. Owing to the many advances made in minimally invasive
      surgery, not only has laparoscopy become the modality of choice to diagnose
      diaphragmatic rupture due to its high degree of sensitivity and specificity, but
      it can provide simultaneous therapeutic intervention as well. We report a case of
      laparoscopic repair of a diaphragmatic rupture in a 22-year-old female who
      sustained blunt abdominal trauma during a motor vehicle accident.

PMID- 28912998
TI  - IgG4-Related Kidney Disease: Report of a Case Presenting as a Renal Mass.
AB  - IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a nosological entity defined as a chronic
      immune-mediated fibro-inflammatory condition characterized by a tendency to form
      tumefactive, tissue-destructive lesions or by organ failure. Urologic involvement
      in IgG4-RD has been described in some short series of patients and in isolated
      case reports, most often involving the kidneys in so-called IgG4-related kidney
      disease (IgG4-RKD). The disease can occasionally mimic malignancies and is at
      risk of being misdiagnosed due to its rarity. We report the case of a 56-year-old
      man presenting with a right renal mass suspected of being malignant. Laboratory
      tests showed normal creatinine levels, a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and
      high levels of C-reactive protein and microalbuminuria. The patient underwent
      radical right nephroureterectomy and histopathologic examination revealed
      features proving IgG4-RKD. He was therefore referred to immunologists. Typical
      clinical presentation of IgG4-RKD includes altered renal function with inconstant
      or no radiologic findings. Conversely, in the case we presented, a single nodule
      was detected upon imaging evaluation, thus mimicking malignancy. This raises the
      issue of a proper differential diagnosis. A multidisciplinary approach can be
      useful, although in clinical practice the selection of patients suspected of
      having IgG4-RKD is critical in the cases presenting with a renal mass that mimics
      malignancy.

PMID- 28912999
TI  - Tacrolimus Aggravated Tube Feeding Syndrome with Acute Renal Failure in a
      Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipient.
AB  - Acute renal failure can be caused by calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), due to
      arteriolopathy and altered tubular function. Within this context, we present the
      case of a 14-month-old liver transplant recipient who suffered an acute polyuric
      renal failure during a short episode of hypercaloric feeding. In our case, CNI
      induced distal RTA led to nephrocalcinosis and therefore to secondary nephrogenic
      diabetes insipidus. The diet with high renal solute load consequently resulted in
      an acute polyuric renal failure with severe hypernatremic dehydration. In
      conclusion, a hypercaloric diet in children with potentially impaired renal
      function due to therapy with CNIs requires precise calculation of the potential
      renal solute load and the associated fluid requirements.

PMID- 28913000
TI  - Lipolymphedema Associated with Idiopathic Cyclic Edema: A Therapeutic Approach.
AB  - Idiopathic cyclic edema is a type of generalized edema that mainly affects women.
      Diagnosis is made by the patient's clinical history and an evaluation of the
      accumulation of weight during the day. The objective of this study is to report
      the clinical control of lymphedema associated with idiopathic cyclic edema using
      calcium dobesilate. A 55-year-old female patient reported generalized edema for
      years in that she woke up in the morning with her legs swollen and the edema
      worsened during the day. The physical examination revealed generalized edema.
      After four days of treatment with calcium dobesilate, the patient returned to the
      Clinica Godoy, Brazil, with less edema and reductions in body weight and the
      amount of extracellular and intracellular fluid. With further treatment, there
      was a total reduction of the edema. It is concluded that calcium dobesilate helps
      to control lymphedema secondary to idiopathic cyclic edema.

PMID- 28913001
TI  - Methamphetamine Use and Emergency Department Utilization: 20 Years Later.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine (MAP) users present to the emergency department (ED)
      for myriad reasons, including trauma, chest pain, and psychosis. The purpose of
      this study is to determine how their prevalence, demographics, and resource
      utilization have changed. METHODS: Retrospective review of MAP patients over 3
      months in 2016. Demographics, mode of arrival, presenting complaints,
      disposition, and concomitant cocaine/ethanol use were compared to a 1996 study at
      the same ED. RESULTS: 638 MAP-positive patients, 3,013 toxicology screens, and
      20,203 ED visits represented an increase in prevalence compared to 1996: 461 MAP
      positive patients, 3,102 screens, and 32,156 visits. MAP patients were older
      compared to the past. Mode of arrival was most frequently by ambulance but at a
      lower proportion than 1996, as was the proportion of MAP patients with positive
      cocaine toxicology screens and ethanol coingestion. Admission rate was lower
      compared to the past, as was discharge to jail. The proportion of MAP patients
      presenting with blunt trauma was lower compared to the past and higher for chest
      pain. CONCLUSION: A significant increase in the prevalence of MAP-positive
      patients was found. Differences in presenting complaints and resource utilization
      may reflect the shifting demographics of MAP users, as highlighted by an older
      patient population relative to the past.

PMID- 28913002
TI  - Corrigendum to "Mikkeli Osteoporosis Index Identifies Fracture Risk Factors and
      Osteoporosis and Intervention Thresholds Parallel with FRAX".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.4061/2011/732560.].

PMID- 28913003
TI  - Corrigendum to "The Relationship between Population T4/TSH Set Point Data and
      T4/TSH Physiology".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/6351473.].

PMID- 28913004
TI  - Hypermetabolic Thyroid Incidentaloma on Positron Emission Tomography: Review of
      Laboratory, Radiologic, and Pathologic Characteristics.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Incidental hypermetabolic thyroid lesions on Positron Emission
      Tomography have significant clinical value and may harbor malignancy. In this
      study we evaluated laboratory, radiologic, and pathologic characteristics of
      incidental hypermetabolic thyroid lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 18
      patients prospectively with various malignancies and hypermetabolic thyroid
      incidentaloma. The thyroid function tests, ultrasound assessment, and guided FNA
      biopsy were performed on all cases. RESULTS: We included 9 male and 9 female
      patients with mean age of 51 years. Most common malignancy was colon cancer.
      Metabolic activity quantification using maximum standard uptake value
      demonstrated range between 1.4 and 65.4 with mean value of 9.4. We found highest
      metabolic activity in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, B-cell lymphoma, and
      colon adenocarcinoma. On ultrasound exam most thyroid lesions were of solid,
      hypoechoic, noncalcified nature with either normal or peripheral increased
      vascularity. FNA biopsy report was benign in 15 cases and malignant or highly
      suggestive for malignancy in 3 other cases. Two of the three malignant cases
      demonstrated metabolic activity higher than average SUV max. CONCLUSION: Most
      thyroid hypermetabolic incidentalomas are benign lesions, while higher values of
      SUV max are in favor of malignancy. This mandates further evaluation of
      incidentally found thyroid hypermetabolic lesions on routine PET/CT scans.

PMID- 28913006
TI  - UHPLC-PDA Assay for Simultaneous Determination of Vitamin D3 and Menaquinone-7 in
      Pharmaceutical Solid Dosage Formulation.
AB  - A newly developed method based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography
      (UHPLC) was optimized for the simultaneous determination of vitamin D3 and
      menaquinone-7 (MK-7) in tablet formulation in the present study. UHPLC separation
      of vitamin D3 and MK-7 was performed with ACE Excel 2 C18-PFP column (2 MUm, 2.1
      * 100 mm) at 0.6 mL min-1 flow rate, whereas the mobile phase consisted of
      methanol/water (19 : 1, v/v, phase A) and isopropyl alcohol (99.9%, phase B)
      containing 0.5% triethylamine. Isocratic separation of both the analytes was
      performed at 40 degrees C by pumping the mobile phases A and B in the ratio of 50
      : 50 (v/v, pH, 6.0). Both analytes were detected at a wavelength of 265 nm and
      the injection volume was 1.0 MUL. The overall runtime per sample was 4.5 min with
      retention time of 1.26 and 3.64 min for vitamin D3 and MK-7, respectively. The
      calibration curve was linear from 5.0 to 100 MUg mL-1 for vitamin D3 and MK-7
      with a coefficient of determination (R2) >= 0.9981, while repeatability and
      reproducibility (expressed as relative standard deviation) were lower than 1.46
      and 2.21%, respectively. The proposed HPLC method was demonstrated to be simple
      and rapid for the determination of vitamin D3 and MK-7 in tablets.

PMID- 28913007
TI  - The role of unexplained high serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic
      gonadotropin (hCG) levels in the second trimester to determine poor obstetric
      outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between gestational complications and
      high levels of maternal serum alfa-fetoprotein (MSAFP) and/or beta human
      chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and to determine whether these markers are effective
      predictors of poor pregnancy outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we
      enrolled a total of 679 women at 15-20 gestational weeks with MSAFP and hCG below
      or above 2.0 multiples of the median (MoM); of those, 200 women with normal MSAFP
      and hCG MoM formed the control group. Pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth
      retardation (IUGR), preterm labor, preterm delivery, placental abruption,
      placenta previa, placenta accreta, preterm premature rupture of the membranes
      (PPROM), intrauterine fetal death, as well as neonatal and perinatal morbidity
      rates were evaluated. RESULTS: A significant relationship was found between
      adverse pregnancy outcomes and abnormal elevation of hCG and AFP levels in the
      second trimester. In cases of isolated elevation of hCG, preeclampsia and preterm
      labor/spontaneous preterm birth rate were slightly higher than in the control
      group (p=0.043, p=0.015), while IUGR, PPROM, placental abruption, and
      intrauterine fetal death rates were all similar (p=0.063, p=0.318, p=1.00,
      p=0.556). In case having an elevation in both markers, increased rate of
      obstetric complications have been observed. A significant relationship was found
      between the high levels of maternal serum AFP and hCG MoM and poor pregnancy
      outcomes like preeclampsia, IUGR, PPROM, intrauterine fetal death (p=0.003,
      p=0.001, p=0.040, p=0.006). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, up to now, no
      definitive follow-up and treatment protocols have been established for patients
      at increased risk. In light of these findings, it is recommended to inform and
      educate patients about the most likely signs and symptoms of complications, to
      make more often antenatal visits, to perform more frequent ultrasound examination
      (fetal growth, AFI, etc.), NST, arterial/venous doppler, biophysical profile, and
      cervical length measurements in high-risk group.

PMID- 28913008
TI  - Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: Relationship between bile acid levels and
      maternal and fetal complications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) complicates pregnancies
      which is characterized by elevated serum bile acid levels. ICP increases maternal
      and fetal morbidities. This study was designed to determine the association of
      maternal and fetal complications and serum bile acid levels. MATERIAL AND METHOD:
      Maternal and fetal characteristics were analyzed from the medical records of 61
      patients who gave birth following a pregnancy complicated with ICP between 2009
      and 2013. RESULTS: Eighty seven percent of 61 cases were singletons, and 13% of
      them were twins. Mean SBA level was 36 MUmol/L. Preterm birth rate among
      singletons and twin pregnancies were 24.5% and 62.5%, respectively. Mean SBA
      level in preterm birth group was statistically higher with respect to the term
      birth group (100.8 MUmol/L and 25.61 MUmol/L, respectively; p=0.001). No
      perinatal mortality associated with ICP was detected in the study group.
      CONCLUSION: Pregnant women with the ICP compose high-risk group in regard to
      fetal and maternal risks. Close follow-up of these patients is required due to
      increased risks such as preterm delivery, meconium staining and fetal death.

PMID- 28913005
TI  - Chaperone-Based Therapies for Disease Modification in Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and
      is characterized by the presence of pathological intracellular aggregates
      primarily composed of misfolded alpha-synuclein. This pathology implicates the
      molecular machinery responsible for maintaining protein homeostasis
      (proteostasis), including molecular chaperones, in the pathobiology of the
      disease. There is mounting evidence from preclinical and clinical studies that
      various molecular chaperones are downregulated, sequestered, depleted, or
      dysfunctional in PD. Current therapeutic interventions for PD are inadequate as
      they fail to modify disease progression by ameliorating the underlying pathology.
      Modulating the activity of molecular chaperones, cochaperones, and their
      associated pathways offers a new approach for disease modifying intervention.
      This review will summarize the potential of chaperone-based therapies that aim to
      enhance the neuroprotective activity of molecular chaperones or utilize small
      molecule chaperones to promote proteostasis.

PMID- 28913009
TI  - Evaluation of female sexual function index and associated factors among married
      women in North Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was detection of Female Sexual Function Index
      (FSFI) scores of married women living in North Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey
      and comparison with demographic data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional,
      descriptive study conducted at a University Hospital, gynecology and obstetrics
      outpatient clinic. Married women between 18-50 years of age, without any
      complaint enrolled in the study and participants were asked to fill out the form
      of FSFI. Age, gravidity and number of living children, duration of marriage,
      education and income levels, employment status, and contraceptive methods has
      been questioned. Sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, pain
      subscales, and total score of FSFI were determined and compared with demographic
      data. RESULTS: Lower FSFI levels were detected from 70.9% of the respondents.
      Age, duration of marriage and number of children were adversely affected the FSFI
      scores. Intermediate education level and usage of a contraceptive method were
      related with higher FSFI scores. Pain scores were high in all participants
      independently from other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: For identification of women's
      sexual dysfunction, increasing the knowledge level and awareness about sexuality
      are required.

PMID- 28913010
TI  - Does the serum E2 level change following coasting treatment strategy to prevent
      ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome impact cycle outcomes during controlled ovarian
      hyperstimulation and in vitro fertilization procedure?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) remains as a clinical problem
      for hyperresponder patients during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and in
      vitro fertilization (COH-IVF) procedure. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the COH-IVF
      outcomes in hyperresponder patients managed with coasting treatment strategy for
      OHSS prevention regarding the establishment of clinical pregnancy as an endpoint
      of the treatment cycle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records related to the
      COH-IVF outcome in 119 hyperresponder patients who have exhibited a serum
      estradiol level greater than or equal to 3000 pg/mL were evaluated. The study was
      conducted on a total of 119 patients, 98 of whom have been treated by coasting or
      coasting with GnRH antagonist co-treatment strategies, while the remaining 21
      women (control group) have not been managed with coasting treatment. The COH and
      IVF-ET outcomes in the 119 patients were compared based on the coasting treatment
      situation. RESULTS: Among the women who received coasting treatment, the number
      of patients demonstrating E2 level decrement and also E2 level decrement rate
      after coasting were similar between patients with and without clinical pregnancy.
      Total gonadotropin dose, 2PN number, embryo number, and fertilization rate were
      significantly higher in the patients with a clinical pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The
      coasting treatment is a clinically useful preventive strategy for OHSS avoidance.
      GnRH antagonist co-treatment decreases the duration of coasting although any
      detrimental or ameliorating impact of this effect on pregnancy rates have not
      been seen. The E2 level decrement or increment following coasting treatment seems
      not to be related to cycle outcomes.

PMID- 28913011
TI  - Analysis of non-squamous vulvar cancer cases: A 21-year experience in a single
      center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the patients with non-squamous cell type of vulvar cancer
      who were treated in our clinic within 21 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      assessed the data of 14 patients who were treated for non-squamous cancer of the
      vulva between January 1992 and August 2013. The age of patients,
      histopathological diagnosis of the tumor, tumor size, tumor location, medical or
      surgical treatment, response to the treatment, recurrence, and survival rates
      were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 53 years. The main
      complaint was vulvar pruritus (71%). Mean tumor size was 2.4 cm (range: 0.5-6
      cm). In 65% of cases, the tumor was localized in the labia majora. The
      histopathologic diagnosis of the patients was as follows: malignant melanoma in 5
      patients, basal cell carcinoma in 5 patients, mucinous type adenocarcinoma in 2
      patients, apocrine gland carcinoma in one patients, and malign peripheral nerve
      sheath tumor in 1 patient. For 11 patients, surgery was the primary treatment.
      Radical vulvectomy and bilateral inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy were performed in
      8 patients. Local excision alone without lymphadenectomy was performed in other 3
      patients. Five of eight patients (62.5%), who undergone radical surgery, had
      lymph node metastases. Of these 5 patients, two had bilateral lymph node
      metastasis. Mean follow-up time was 49.2 months (range 12 to 72 months). Eight
      (57.1%) patients had suffered first recurrence. In those patients, the mean time
      to recurrence was 19.5 months (range, 6-48 months). CONCLUSION: Non-squamous cell
      vulvar cancer is a rare disease and comprises a heterogeneous group of tumors.
      Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive one. Multicenter prospective studies
      are necessary in order to standardize the treatment of these rare tumors.

PMID- 28913012
TI  - Opinion of women about elective abortion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of women who
      presented to the hospital for elective abortion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      descriptive study was designed and conducted at our university hospital between
      March 2013-April 2013 by the method of face-to-face interviews with 500 women who
      presented to the hospital as patient or relatives of patients. Poll consisted of
      6 questions about demographic characteristics and 14 questions evaluating the
      opinions and attitudes about abortion. RESULTS: The age of the women who
      participated in the study was ranging between 18 and 75 years with the mean age
      of 31.5+/-11.9 years. Twenty-six women (5.2%) were illiterate, while 109 (21.8%)
      were university graduates. 70.8% of women stated that they were against elective
      abortion. Among the reasons against abortion on request were: "forbidden by the
      religion"-53.1% of women, "against human rights"-35.3%, and "unhealthy for the
      mother"-7.1% of women. About the prohibition of abortion, 82.4% of women said
      that "it may be performed under necessary conditions", 9.6% "it should be
      completely forbidden", and 8% stated that "it should never be forbidden".
      CONCLUSION: A large number of respondents reported that they have negative
      attitude towards elective abortion, however, in case of medical necessity,
      abortion should be performed. During the legal arrangements done about situations
      that may affect the public health, such as abortion regulations, we believe it
      would be useful to assess the perspective of the society on this issue.

PMID- 28913013
TI  - Prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse and related factors in a general female
      population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and the related
      factors of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in a female population to whom health care
      services are offered. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1354 of the 3000 women admitted to
      the outpatient clinic between June 2008 and December 2008 were enrolled as they
      accepted to participate to the study. 34 of these patients with a history of
      previous hysterectomy and/or any kind of pelvic reconstructive surgery were
      excluded. Baseline characteristics, as well as medical and obstetric history of
      the patients were recorded. All women underwent vaginal examination to determine
      the degree of prolapse by pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POPQ) system. POP
      Q stages >=2 were defined as prolapse. Women with and without prolapse were
      compared. Regression analysis was used in order to determine the independent
      predictors. RESULTS: Prolapse (stage >=2) was detected in 358 patients (27.1%).
      Patients with prolapse were found to be significantly older and heavier. They had
      a higher waist to hip ratio and had a higher parity. Compared to women without
      prolapse, cesarean rate was significantly lower in women with prolapse (10.6% vs.
      20.8%; p<0.001), and the mean birth weight of the babies of the women with
      prolapse was significantly higher (3584+/-574 vs. 3490+/-389 g, p=0.004).
      Prevalence of prolapse was found to be decreased as the level of education
      increased. Waist to hip ratio (OR:46.2, CI: 3.3-655, p=0.005), parity (OR:1.5,
      CI:1.3-1.7, p<0.001), vaginal delivery (OR:1.5, CI: 0.3-0.8, p=0.005), and
      menopausal status (OR:1.2, CI: 1.1-1.4, p=0.005) were found to be independent
      predictors of development of POP. CONCLUSION: In the present study, POP was found
      to be associated with waist to hip ratio, parity, vaginal delivery, and
      menopausal status.

PMID- 28913014
TI  - Recent advances in the diagnosis and management of gestational diabetes.
AB  - Gestational diabetes is a condition which is seen in 7% of pregnancies and have
      potential risks for both mother and fetus. Despite its importance, there is not
      any golden standard approaches to the diagnosis and management of the disease.
      The aim of this review was to investigate the advances in the diagnosis and
      management of gestational diabetes in recent years.

PMID- 28913015
TI  - Long-term survival after total pelvic exenteration in a patient with recurrent
      cervical carcinoma: A case report.
AB  - The management of recurrent cervical cancer depends mainly on previous treatment
      as well as on the site and extent of recurrence. Pelvic exenteration usually
      represents the only therapeutic approach with curative intent for women with
      central pelvic relapse who have previously received irradiation. In the present
      report, we share our experience regarding survival outcome in a patient with
      recurrent endocervical carcinoma who underwent total pelvic exenteration.

PMID- 28913016
TI  - Rudimentary horn pregnancy in the first trimester; importance of ultrasound and
      clinical suspicion in early diagnosis: A case report.
AB  - We aimed to present 7-8 weeks rudimentary horn pregnancy detected preoperatively.
      A 37-year-old woman, gravida 3, para 2, at 7-8 weeks' gestation referred to our
      clinic with a complaint of abdominal pain. The patient was primarily infertile,
      and she had unicornuate uterus detected during infertility investigation. Due to
      abnormal ultrasonographic image, rudimentary horn pregnancy was considered.
      Accurate diagnosis was made by laparoscopy, and rudimentary horn excision was
      performed. Prerupture diagnosis is very difficult in rudimentary horn
      pregnancies. The key role in preoperative diagnosis is suspicion.
      Ultrasonographic examination and clinical suspicion are sufficient in most cases.

PMID- 28913017
TI  - Successful medical treatment of fetal supraventricular tachycardia that cause
      hydrops fetalis.
AB  - Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most frequent fetal tachyarrhythmia.
      Diagnosis is established with M-mode ultrasound and/or Doppler investigation.
      Untreated cases may develop fetal heart failure and hydrops. Even these cases
      should not be left untreated - maternal administration of anti-arrhythmic drugs
      should be undertaken. In this manuscript, we describe a successful treatment with
      maternal administration of sotalol and digoxin in a fetus that developed hydrops
      because of SVT.

PMID- 28913018
TI  - Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma of the vagina: A tumor, not previously reported at
      this site.
AB  - This report presents the first case of low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS)
      arising from the vaginal wall (a rare soft-tissue sarcoma of subfascial planes)
      and draws attention to differential diagnosis of masses arising from the vaginal
      wall. A patient presenting with abdominal pain to emergency department was
      diagnosed to have an ovarian mass filling the Douglas space. At laparoscopy, the
      origin of the mass was identified as the posterior vaginal wall. After vaginal
      excision of the gelatinous mass, pathologic diagnosis revealed a rare tumor,
      LGFMS. We discussed the differential diagnosis of vaginal LGFMS.

PMID- 28913019
TI  - What should be the protocol selection after failure of in-vitro fertilization at
      normoresponder patients: Agonist or antagonist?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the impact of agonist or antagonist protocol selection
      on pregnancy outcomes after failure of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment
      cycles which were down regulated with Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH)
      agonist. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study. Two hundred and
      sixty nine patients who were treated with GnRH agonist protocol between years
      2002-2012 at an IVF unit and underwent a second attempt following one year period
      after failure of IVF enrolled in the study. Age, basal FSH levels, antral
      follicle counts, duration of induction, the number of yielded oocytes, the number
      of transferred embryos and the transfer days, clinical and ongoing pregnancy
      rates were evaluated for each treatment cycle. RESULTS: Normoresponder patients
      were separated into two groups according to the agonist or antagonist protocol
      selection at the second attempt and the results of two consequent IVF cycles were
      compared. There were no statistically significant difference between the groups
      for the dosage of administered gonadotropin, duration of induction, the count of
      yielded oocytes, the day and the number of transferred embryos (p>0.05).
      Furthermore the fertilization rate, clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates were
      similar in two groups. CONCLUSION: The selection of antagonist treatment is
      effective as agonist protocols at normoresponder patients after failure of IVF.

PMID- 28913020
TI  - Comparison of long GnRH agonist versus GnRH antagonist protocol in poor
      responders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare long GnRH agonist with GnRH antagonist protocol in poor
      responders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical charts of 531 poor responder women
      undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle at Zeynep Kamil Maternity and
      Children's Hospital, IVF Center were retrospectively analysed. Those who received
      at least 300 IU/daily gonadotropin and had <=3 oocytes retrieved were enrolled in
      the study. Poor responders were categorized into two groups as those who received
      long GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonist regimen. RESULTS: Treatment duration and
      total gonadotropin dosage were significantly higher in women undergoing the long
      GnRH agonist regimen compared with the GnRH antagonist regimen (p<0.001 for
      both). Although the number of total and mature oocytes retrieved was similar
      between the groups, good quality embryos were found to be higher in the GnRH
      antagonist regimen. The day of embryo transfer and number of transferred embryos
      were similar in the groups. No statistically significant differences were
      detected in pregnancy (10.5% vs 14.1%), clinical pregnancy (7.7% vs 10.6%) and
      early pregnancy loss rates (27.2% vs 35%) between the groups. CONCLUSION: GnRH
      antagonist regimen may be preferable to long GnRH regimen as it could decrease
      the cost and treatment duration in poor responders.

PMID- 28913021
TI  - The effect of first chromosome long arm duplication on survival of endometrial
      carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of first chromosome
      long arm duplication (dup(1q)) in cases with endometrial carcinoma detected with
      array based comperative genomic hybridization (aCGH) on survival from the cancer.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 53 patients with the diagnosis of endometrial
      carcinom due to endometrial biopsy and who have been operated for this reason
      have been allocated in the study. Frozen section biopsy and staging surgery have
      been performed for all the cases. Samples obtained from the tumoral mass have
      been investigated for chromosomal aberrations with aCGH method. Kaplan-Meier and
      Cox-regression analysis have been performed for survival analysis. RESULTS: Among
      53 cases with endometrial carcinomas, dup(1q) was diagnosed in 14 (26.4%) of the
      cases. For the patient group that has been followed-up for 24 months (3-33
      months), dup(1q) (p=.01), optimal cytoreduction (p<.001), lymph node positivity
      (p=.006), tumor stage >1 (p=.006) and presence of high risk tumor were the
      factors that were associated with survival. Cox-regression analysis has revealed
      that optimal cytoreduction was the most important prognostic factor (p=.02).
      CONCLUSION: Presence of 1q duplication can be used as a prognostic factor in the
      preoperative period.

PMID- 28913022
TI  - Prediction of tumor grade and stage in endometrial carcinoma by preoperative
      assessment of sonographic endometrial thickness: Is it possible?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate preopertive accuracy of endometrial thickness for
      assesment of histologic grade and stage of endometrial carcinoma and also
      determining a cut-off value for the determination of grade of endometrial
      carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data of 105 patients who underwent
      surgical staging with endometrial carcinoma were reviewed retrospectively.
      Preoperatively endometrial thickness were recorded and correlated with pathologic
      information. RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was found in
      between endometrial thickness and grade of the disease (r=0.746, p=0.001).
      Besides, no correlation was found between endometrial thickness and stage
      (r=0.153, p=0.119). The endometrial thickness at 9 mm revealed the optimal
      sensitivity and specificity (93.33 and 26.2, respectively) for turning through
      grade1 to grade 2 with 68.2% positive predictive value and 66.7% negative
      predictive value. We indicated the endometrial thickness at 27 mm as the optimal
      value with sensitivity and specificity (27.27 and 95.65, respectively) for
      turning through grade 2 to grade 3 with 66.7% positive predictive value and 77.5%
      negative predictive value. CONCLUSION: In conlusion, sonographic evaluation of
      the endometrial thickness is economical, simple and can be used as a prognostic
      tool for endometrial cancer grading. The operating team may have the chance to
      get prepared before the operation and may have the chance to inform the patient
      about the operation.

PMID- 28913023
TI  - Assessment of thickened endometrium in tamoxifen therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to evaluate role of hysteroscopy in thickened
      endometrium (>5 mm) associated with tamoxifen therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      performed dilatation and curettage (D&C) and hysteroscopic biopsy to patients for
      evaluation of thickened endometrium in tamoxifen therapy. One hundred and nine
      asymptomatic patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer treated with
      tamoxifen 20 mg daily. We performed hysteroscopic biopsy or D&C to patients who
      have thickened endometrium at transvaginal sonography. We correlate pathology
      report results of D&C and hysteroscopic biopsy. RESULTS: Fifty-nine of 103
      patients have thickened endometrium.Thirty-five of 59 patients diagnosed with D&C
      (19 inactive endometrium, 15 endometrial polyp, 1 endometrial hyperplasia). D&C
      couldn't get material 24 of these patients. Hysteroscopic biopsy diagnosed
      endometrial polyp 11 (45.8%) of these patients. CONCLUSION: We can state that D&C
      does not seem accurate enough for detection of intrauterin pathologies in
      thickened endometrium associated with tamoxifen therapy. We therefore believe it
      is reasonable to perform hysteroscopic biopsy in asymptomatic tamoxifen treated
      patients who have thickened endometrium.

PMID- 28913024
TI  - The influence of dexamethasone on postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients
      undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic surgeries: A randomised, controlled, double
      blind trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Dexamethasone, as a part of multimodal approach, can decrease nausea
      and vomiting following laparoscopy in high risk patients. We performed this study
      to find out whether the dexamethasone can improve postoperative nausea and
      vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing gynecology laparoscopic surgeries.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 91
      patients who underwent gynecologic laparoscopic surgery in Rasool Akram hospital
      in Tehran during 2011-2014 were enrolled. Fourty-four patients received 8 mg
      dexamethasone (study group) and 47 patients received 10 mg metochlopramide
      (control group) intravenously after intubation. Outcome parameters including age,
      weight, height, cause of hospitalization, drugs, Last Menstrual Period (LMP),
      Blood Pressure (BP), Heart Rate (HR), Respiratory Rate (RR) and oxygen
      saturation, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, nausea and vomiting were entered
      to SPSS (v.16) and were analyzed. RESULTS: Eighyt-eight American Society of
      Anesthesiology (ASA) class 1-2 patients between 25-39 years old were analyzed.
      There was no difference in vital signs during and post operation (BP, HR, RR and
      O2 saturation) between these two groups (p value>0.05). There was no significant
      difference between VAS score at 4 and 24 hours after the operation (14% vs. 17.8%
      and 7% vs. 6.7%, respectively, p>0.05). Incidence of PONV in 4 hours was
      significantly lower in dexamethasone group (11.6% vs. 55.6% p<0.0001), while
      there was no significant difference in 24 hours (23.3% vs. 22.2%, p>0.05) and
      also need to anti-emetic drugs wasn't significantly lower in study group
      (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that dexamethasone can relieve PONV after
      gynecologic laparoscopic surgery.

PMID- 28913025
TI  - Comparison of total laparoscopic hysterectomy and abdominal hysterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate and compare to the
      outcomes of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and total abdominal
      hysterectomy (TAH) who performed in our clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      performed surgical procedures at Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of
      Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology between January 2013 and April
      2014. Forty patients who underwent TLH (group 1) compared to 40 patients who
      underwent TAH (group 2). The mean age of the cases, body mass index (BMI),
      duration of operation, the amount of blood loss, rates of complications and post
      operative hospital stay were compared for two groups. RESULTS: There were no
      statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding age, body
      mass index (BMI), specimen weight, pre-operative hemoglobin (Hb) value and rates
      of the complications. The mean post-operative Hb value was significantly higher
      in group 1 than group 2 (11.5+/-0.8 gr/dl vs. 10.8+/-1.7, p=0.02). The mean time
      of operation was significantly longer in group 1 than in group 2 (105.4+/-22.9
      minutes vs. 74+/-18, p<0.001). The mean duration of hospital stay was
      statistically shorter in group 1 compared to the group 2 (2.48+/-0.6 days vs.
      4.88+/-1.2, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Total laparoscopic hysterectomy is safe and
      feasible method for gynecological diseases. TLH may offer specific benefits for
      properly selected patients. Its advantages are lower peri-operative morbidity,
      improvement of quality of life, shorter hospital stay and faster return to
      activity.

PMID- 28913026
TI  - Can we use as a marker the maternal serum levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen to
      predict intra uterin growth restriction?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of D-dimer
      and fibrinogen levels in maternal serum as a marker for detection of intrauterine
      growth restriction (IUGR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred-thirty four
      pregnant women who get pregnancy follow-up and delivery in the tertiary hospital
      between January 2011 and December 2011 were admitted to the study. Pregnant women
      were divided into two groups; group-1: 117 pregnants complicated with IUGR and
      group-2: 117 healthy pregnants without IUGR as control. Serum D-dimer and
      fibrinogen levels of all pregnant women were measured in the third trimester. The
      levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen were compared between two groups. RESULTS: There
      is no significant difference between the groups for age, body mass index before
      pregnancy, smoking and gestational weeks (p>0.05). Gravidity, parity, number of
      children and maternal serum fibrinogen level were detected significantly
      different between the groups (p<0.001). D-dimer level was not significantly
      different between the groups (p=0.183), but fibrinogen level in group-1 was found
      higher than group-2. CONCLUSION: Serum fibrinogen level was found higher in
      pregnant women complicated with IUGR but D-dimer level was not different between
      the groups. Although serum D-dimer should not be used as a marker for detection
      of IUGR, serum fibrinogen may be used.

PMID- 28913028
TI  - Recurrent massive haemoperitoneum associated with ruptured corpus luteum in women
      with congenital afibrinogenemia; case report.
AB  - Massive hemoperitoneum secondary to ruptured corpus luteum is a rare but serious
      and life-threatening complication for women with congenital bleeding disorders
      and may lead to surgical interventions and even oophorectomy. Congenital
      afibrinogenemia is a rare inherited coagulation disorder. As it can be
      asymptomatic, its clinical manifestations vary from minimal tendency of bleeding
      to life-threatening bleedings. Intraabdominal bleeding due to ovulation is very
      rare in these patients and only a few cases of corpus luteum rupture and
      hemoperitoneum in afibrinogenemic patients have been described. We report on a 28
      year-old woman with congenital afibrinogenemia with recurrent massive
      intraabdominal bleeding due to ovulation as the presenting clinical sign. The
      first episode was managed with fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate and blood
      transfusions; exploratory laparotomy and excision of the ruptured follicle was
      performed at the second episode; the third episode was managed with fresh frozen
      plasma, cryoprecipitate and blood transfusions; exploratory laparotomy and right
      salphingooopherectomy was performed at the fourth episode; fifth episode was
      managed with fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate and blood transfusions.
      Conservative management is crucial for patients with congenital bleeding
      disorders. These case demonstrate that preservation of ovarian function is
      possible with a conservative approach and recurrent episodes may be prevented by
      suppression of ovulation.

PMID- 28913027
TI  - Current approaches on non-invasive prenatal diagnosis: Prenatal genomics,
      transcriptomics, personalized fetal diagnosis.
AB  - Recent developments in molecular genetics improved our knowledge on fetal genome
      and physiology. Novel scientific innovations in prenatal diagnosis have
      accelerated in the last decade changing our vision immensely. Data obtained from
      fetal genomic studies brought new insights to fetal medicine and by the advances
      in fetal DNA and RNA sequencing technology novel treatment strategies has
      evolved. Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis found ground in genetics and the results
      are widely studied in scientific arena. When Lo and colleges proved fetal genetic
      material can be extracted from maternal plasma and fetal DNA can be isolated from
      maternal serum, the gate to many exciting discoveries was open. Microarray
      technology and advances in sequencing helped fetal diagnosis as well as other
      areas of medicine. Today it is a very crucial prerequisite for physicians
      practicing prenatal diagnosis to have a profound knowledge in genetics.
      Prevailing practical use and application of fetal genomic tests in maternal and
      fetal medicine mandates obstetricians to update their knowledge in genetics. The
      purpose of this review is to assist physicians to understand and update their
      knowledge in fetal genetic testing from maternal blood, individualized prenatal
      counseling and advancements on the subject by sharing our experiences as Istanbul
      University Fetal Nucleic Acid Research Group.

PMID- 28913029
TI  - Intracranial foreign body (bullet) during pregnancy.
AB  - Intracranial foreign bodies during pregnancy is a very rare condition, however
      its maternal and fetal outcomes are very crucial with regard to morbidity and
      mortality. Furthermore wounding by firearms is still a public health problem
      particularly in our country. Intracranial foreign bodies during pregnancy is high
      risk pregnancy and must be managed with care and multidisciplinary approach.
      During this course and labour avoiding the increase in intracranial pressure is
      the most important key point. In this case report we present the follow-up and
      outcome of a patient with bullet in brain after intracranial injury caused by
      firearm.

PMID- 28913030
TI  - Vaginal cuff dehiscence with bowel evisceration after robotic hysterectomy.
AB  - Vaginal cuff dehisence with bowel evisceration after hysterectomy is a very rare
      complication. However, the incidance of this complication appears to be increased
      with the widely used techniques of laparoscopic surgery especially with robotic
      hysterectomy. In this case report we aimed to evaluate the risk factors and
      treatment methods for this complication.

PMID- 28913031
TI  - Vaginal breech deliveries: Trend in the past 30 years.

PMID- 28913032
TI  - Factors affecting general sleep pattern and quality of sleep in pregnant women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors affecting general sleep pattern and sleep
      quality in pregnant women. MATERIALDS AND METHODS: We assessed all pregnant women
      applied to Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Training and Research
      Hospital, School of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University between 01
      January 2014 and 01 March 2014. The participants were informed prior to the study
      and 100 pregnant women who gave their informed consent were included in the
      study. Questionnaires consisting sociodemographic characteristics, pregnancy
      history and the Epworth sleepiness scale were applied to the patients. Factors
      affecting general sleep pattern and sleep quality in pregnant women were
      compared. RESULTS: The mean age of 100 pregnant women was 27.9 years (min=16,
      max=42). The mean gestational age of participants was found to be 24.8 weeks
      (min=5, max=40). In obstetric history, 9% of women previously had a stillbirth
      and also 25% of women previously had curettage performed. There were tobacco use
      in 6% of participants and 6% of patients previously had been to the hospital due
      to a sleep disorder. The mean excessive daytime sleepiness scale score of
      pregnant women were found to be 4.56. There were no significant difference among
      the patients regarding regular exercise (p=0.137), tobacco use (p=0.784),
      accompanying disease (p=0.437) and excessive daytime sleepiness scale score.
      CONCLUSION: In our study, patients who had a complaint of sleep disorder before
      and who were previously admitted to a health center for this problem, were also
      found to suffer from the same problem during pregnancy. Treatment of sleep
      disorders in preconception period for women planning pregnancy is important in
      terms of mother and the baby's health. Pregnant women should be informed about
      factors reducing sleep quality during pregnancy.

PMID- 28913033
TI  - The effect of preserving prepared sperm samples at room temperature or at 37 
      degrees C before intrauterine insemination (IUI) on clinical pregnancy rate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The comparison of the effect of preserving prepared sperm samples at
      room temperature or at 37  degrees C before intrauterine insemination (IUI) on
      clinical pregnancy rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective clinical research.
      University hospital, infertility clinic. Patients with one or two follicles,
      between the ages of 20 and 40, whose infertility period was less than 6 years and
      the injected total motile sperm count was more than 10 million. Preserving sperm
      samples prepared for IUI at 37 oC or at room temperature before IUI. The clinical
      pregnancy rate of IUI cycles between 1st of January 2004 and 1st of December 2011
      in which prepared sperm samples were preserved at 37 oC and the clinical
      pregnancy rate of IUI cycles between 1st of December 2011 and 31st of May 2014 in
      which prepared sperm samples preserved at room temperature. RESULTS: Clinical
      pregnancy rates were similar in IUI cycles in which prepared sperm samples were
      preserved at 37 oC and at room temperature (9.3% vs. 8.9%). Clinical pregnancy
      rates in IUI cycles with 2 follicles were higher than IUI cycles with 1 follicle
      (10.8% vs. 7.6%) (p=0.002). Further statistical analysis after splitting data
      according to the number of the follicles revealed that there was no statistical
      difference between clinical pregnancy rates after IUI cycles in which prepared
      sperm samples were preserved at 37 oC or at room temperature in both one follicle
      (7.6% vs. 7.6%), and two follicle cycles (11.5% vs. 10.1%). CONCLUSIONS:
      Preserving prepared sperm samples at room temperature had no negative effect on
      clinical pregnancy rates when compared with reserving prepared sperm samples at
      37 oC during IUI cycles.

PMID- 28913034
TI  - A comparison between stabilization exercises and pelvic floor muscle training in
      women with pelvic organ prolapse.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of stabilization
      exercises and pelvic floor muscle training in women with stage 1 and 2 pelvic
      organ prolapse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a total 38 women with pelvic organ
      prolapse whose average age was 45.60 years, pelvic floor muscles were evaluated
      with electromyography, and prolapse with pelvic organ prolapse quantification
      system, and the quality of life with prolapse quality of life questionnaire.
      Afterwards, the subjects were divided into two groups; stabilization exercise
      group (n=19) and pelvic floor muscle training group (n=19). Stabilization
      exercise group were given training for 8 weeks, 3 times a week. Pelvic floor
      muscle training group were given eight-week home exercises. Each group was
      assessed before training and after eight weeks. RESULTS: An increase was found in
      the pelvic muscle activation response in the 2 groups (p<=0.05). There was no
      difference in EMG activity values between the groups (p>0.05). A difference was
      found in the values Aa, Ba and C in subjects of each group (p<=0.05), and the
      TVL, Ap, Bp and D values of subjects in pelvic floor muscle training group
      (p<=0.05) in the before and after pelvic organ prolapse quantification system
      assessment, however, no difference was found between the groups (p<=0.05). A
      positive difference was found in the effect of prolapse sub parameter in each of
      the two groups, and in general health perception sub parameter in subjects of
      stabilization exercise group (p<0.05) in the prolapse quality of life
      questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that both training programs
      increased the pelvic floor muscle strength, provided a decline in prolapse
      stages. Stabilization exercise has increased general health perception unlike
      home training, thus, these exercises can be added to the treatment of women with
      prolapse.

PMID- 28913035
TI  - The relationship between Polycystic ovary syndrome and vitamin D levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to determine the association of serum
      25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D) levels with hormonal, clinical and metabolic
      profile in patients with and without Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Forty-eight normal-weight (body mass index (BMI) of 19-24.99 kg/m2)
      women with PCOS, 36 overweight (BMI of 25-29.9 kg/m2) women with PCOS and 56
      normal-weight controls participated in the study. Blood samples were collected in
      the early follicular phase (between day 2 and day 5 of the menstrual cycle) at
      9:00 am after an overnight fast. Circulating concentrations of 25-OH D,
      luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, TSH,
      free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-SO4), 17
      hydroxyprogesterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), fasting insulin,
      fasting glucose, and lipid profile were assessed. RESULTS: Normal weight (BMI 19
      24.99 kg/m2) and overweight (BMI 25-29.99 kg/m2) women with PCOS were compared
      with normal-weight controls and lower 25-OH D levels were found in both PCOS
      groups (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively 25-OH D significantly negatively
      correlated with waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), free
      testosterone and modified Ferriman-Gallwey scores, however, there was a positive
      correlation between 25-OH D and SHBG levels (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings
      suggest that PCOS is associated with hypovitaminosis D.

PMID- 28913036
TI  - What is the fate of scientific abstracts? The publication rates of abstracts
      presented at the 7th National Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Oral and poster presentations held at national and international
      congresses are recognized as valuable tools for sharing current scientific data
      and experience among physicians. However, a large proportion of these works fail
      to be published in scientific journals. We have designed a study to identify the
      publication rate of presentations held at the 7th National Congress of Obstetrics
      and Gynecology in 2009. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of databases
      was performed using author names and key words from the abstract title to locate
      publications in peer-reviewed journals corresponding to the presentations held at
      the 7th National Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Information regarding
      mode of presentation, topic, type of affiliation, name and impact factor of the
      scientific journal, change in author names and time elapsed between presentation
      and publication were recorded and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Of 243
      abstracts that were presented at the congress, 45 papers (18.5%) were published
      in international peer-reviewed journals, whereas 39 (16%) were published in
      national journals. The mean time to publication was 17+/-2 months for
      international and 11+/-4 months for national journals (p=0.102). The
      international publication rate of oral presentations was significantly higher
      than that of poster presentations (50% vs. 16.2%; p<0.03). The manuscripts were
      published in a total of 21 journals, with four journals accounting for 49% of the
      publications. The comparison of the publication rates of the universities with
      other institutions has yielded no significant difference. CONCLUSION: Alltough a
      significant proportion of the abstracts presented in the 7th National Gynecology
      and Obstetrics Congress have been succesfully converted to publication overall,
      only a limited percentage of all abstracts have been published in international
      peer-reviewed journals. The relatively higher conversion to international
      publication rate of the oral presentations show that they are of higher interest
      and clinical relevance.

PMID- 28913037
TI  - Predictive factors for latency period in viable pregnancies complicated by
      preterm premature rupture of the membranes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to evaluate some laboratory and clinical
      factors in the prediction of latency period for pregnant patients complicated
      with preterm premature rupture of the membranes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty
      five pregnant patients between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation, who were admitted to
      University of Cukurova School of Medicine Hospital with the diagnosis of preterm
      premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM) between January 01, 2013 and December
      31, 2013, were included in this study. Serum CRP, procalcitonin, sedimentation
      rate, leukocyte count and cervical length (measured with transvaginal ultrasound)
      of patients were analyzed for the correlation with the latency period. RESULTS:
      None of the parameters were found to be correlated with the latency period.
      However, patients with cervical length of <25 mm were found to have shorter
      duration of latency. CONCLUSION: Although preterm premature rupture of the
      membranes is thought to be either an infection-based disease or a disease
      increasing the risk of infectious complications, major infection markers are not
      found to be helpful criteria for the prediction of latency period. Patients with
      a cervical length of <25 mm can be expected to deliver earlier and, therefore,
      can be referred to a tertiary center earlier.

PMID- 28913038
TI  - The effect of magnesium sulphate on postoperative analgesia requirements in
      gynecological surgeries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have shown the positive effect of magnesium sulphate
      (MgSO4) on pain reduction and postoperative analgesic requirements in patients
      undergoing surgery. We assessed the effect of MgSO4 on intra-operative and
      postoperative analgesic requirements in patients undergoing lower abdominal
      gynecological laparotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized clinical trial
      was conducted on 30 female patients at Rasool-e-Akram (referral and academic)
      hospital in Tehran from August 2012 to March 2013. The patients who were
      candidates for gynecologic surgeries (hysterectomy and/or myomectomy) were
      randomized into study (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. Same anesthetic technique
      was used in all patients. Besides induction of the anesthesia in the study group,
      we administered MgSO4 50 mg/kg/hr intravenously (IV) for analgesic purposes as a
      bolus dose and then 8 mg/kg IV as maintenance dose. Control group received the
      same anesthetic agents and the same amount of isotonic saline instead of MgSO4.
      Analgesic consumption was measured in both groups postoperatively within 24
      hours. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used for the evaluation of postoperative
      pain in both groups. RESULTS: There was a decrease in analgesic consumption and
      pain in the group receiving MgSO4, in comparison to control group. Pain severity
      assessment, 24 hours post operatively showed similar results in both groups.
      There was a statistically significant difference in prescribed dose of pethidine
      between study and control groups (p=<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Intra-operative MgSO4
      is effective in postoperative pain control following lower abdominal laparotomy.
      Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up should be performed
      to obtain more information about safety and to determine whether doses of MgSO4
      can provide postoperative analgesic benefits.

PMID- 28913039
TI  - Uterus transplantation: Experimental animal models and recent experience in
      humans.
AB  - Uterus transplantation has been considered as an alternative management modality
      in the last few years for adoption or gestational surrogacy for women with
      absence of uterus due to congenital or acquired reasons. Surrogacy is legal in
      only a few countries because of ethical, social and legal issues. Up to date, a
      total of 11 uterus transplantation cases have been reported in which uteri were
      harvested from ten live donors and one donor with brain death. After unsuccessful
      attempt of first uterus transplantation, many studies have been conducted in
      animals and these experimental models enabled our knowledge to increase on this
      topic. First experimental studies were performed in rodents; later uterus
      transplantation was accomplished in sheep, pigs and rabbits. Recently, researches
      in non-human primates have led the experience regarding transplantation technique
      and success to improve. In this review, we reviewed the experimental animal
      researches in the area of uterus transplantation and recent experience in humans.

PMID- 28913041
TI  - Uterine inversion as an extremely rare cause of secondary infertility: A case
      report.
AB  - Today, infertility takes a major place in gynecology practice. Non-puerperal
      uterine inversion is a rare event and usually accompanies submucous myoma,
      leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant mixed Mullerian tumour, and
      endometrial polyp. Herein, we report a 39-year-old woman who suffered from
      secondary infertility together with uterine inversion, which is an extremely rare
      co-existence.

PMID- 28913040
TI  - Factors affecting age of onset of menopause and determination of quality of life
      in menopause.
AB  - Menopause is a process in the climacteric period, characterized by a reduction in
      ovarian activity, a fall in the fertility rate, and a range of symptoms including
      irregular menstruation intervals. Most women enter menopause in their 40s, but
      this can vary from one individual to another. Although there are many factors
      affecting the age of menopause onset, there is no general agreement on them.
      Studies have shown many factors to affect the age of menopause, such as the
      mother's age at menopause, the age at menarche, gestational age, use of oral
      contraceptives, irregular menstrual cycle, number of pregnancies, body mass
      index, use of tobacco and alcohol, physical activity, unilateral oophorectomy,
      serum lead levels, consumption of polyunsaturated fat, socioeconomic status and
      educational level. During this period, hormonal and biochemical changes give rise
      to various symptoms in the woman's body. In menopause period, physical,
      psychological, social and sexual changes have a negative effect on quality of
      life in women. Recently, different measures have been used to assess women's
      quality of life in this period of change. The purpose of this review was to
      examine the factors affecting the onset age of menopause and the measures of
      quality of life related to menopause.

PMID- 28913042
TI  - Mitotically active cellular fibroma of the ovary: A case report.
AB  - Fibromas are classified in a spectrum from fibromas to fibrosarcomas according to
      the number of mitosis they include. Malignant fibrosarcomas which have aggressive
      pattern show higher mitotic activity and nuclear atypia. Cellular fibromas with
      less than 4 mitotic figures under 10 high power fields (HPF) are benign.
      "Mitotically active cellular fibromas" that are classified between the cellular
      fibromas and fibrosarcomas, have >=4 mitotic figures in 10 HPF but do not have
      nuclear atypia. A very few cases of mitotically active cellular fibromas have
      been reported in the literature. In this report, we present the case of
      mitotically active cellular fibroma in a patient who applied to our clinic with
      the complaint of pelvic mass.

PMID- 28913043
TI  - Wilson's disease presenting with HELLP syndrome; A case report.
AB  - Wilson's disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder. It is characterized by
      toxic accumulation of copper mainly in the liver and brain but also in cornea and
      kidney due to a defect in biliary excretion of copper. The hepatic manifestation
      of WD is diverse and may include asymptomatic elevation of aminotransferase,
      chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, or acute/fulminant hepatic failure. Characteristic
      of acute hepatic failure in WD is concomitance of acute intravascular hemolytic
      anemia. Acute intravascular hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia in WD may be
      interpreted as a feature of Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelet Count
      (HELLP) syndrome besides acute liver failure. The differential diagnosis may be
      very difficult. Here, WD in pregnancy presenting with clinical symptoms of HELLP
      syndrome and developing acute liver failure in postpartum period is discussed.

PMID- 28913045
TI  - Do the interactions between coital frequency, cervical length, and urogenital
      infection affect obstetric outcomes?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether interactions between coital frequency, cervical
      length, and urogenital infection affect obstetric outcomes. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 268 unselected pregnant women were recruited in the study.
      The study population consisted of four groups of women: group 1 (n=203) screened
      negative for bacterial vaginosis (BV) both in the first and second trimesters;
      group 2 (n=18) screened negative for BV in the first trimester but positive in
      the second trimester; group 3 (n=33) screened positive for BV in the first
      trimester but negative in the second trimester; and group 4 (n=14) screened
      positive for BV both in the first and second trimesters. Urine culture, cervico
      vaginal cultures, and bacterial vaginosis were screened between 11-14 weeks and
      20-24 weeks. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty women were eligible for analysis in the
      study after lost-to-follow up patients were excluded. Previous abortion >=1 and
      previous preterm delivery at 24-34 weeks >=1 were statistically significantly
      higher in group 2. The number of patients who were diagnosed as having preterm
      premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) was statistically significantly higher in
      group 4. Sexual intercourse during the first trimester, cervical length during
      the second trimester, and history of preterm birth (PTB) were statistically
      significant risk factors for preterm birth <37 weeks (1.27; (1.12-1.44); 5.33;
      (1.84-15.41); 6.95; (1.58-30.54), respectively). CONCLUSION: Presence or
      treatment of BV did not influence rates of PTB. The probability of PPROM would be
      higher in patients who are BV positive both in the first and second trimesters.

PMID- 28913044
TI  - The combination of dehydroepiandrosterone, transdermal testosterone, and growth
      hormone as an adjuvant therapy in assisted reproductive technology cycles in
      patients aged below 40 years with diminished ovarian reserve.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate to the efficacy of testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone
      (DHEA) and growth hormone (GH) supplementations in patients with diminished
      ovarian reserve (DOR) in assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort including 33 women with 81 ART cycles were
      aged and ovarian reserve matched 52 women with 102 conventional in vitro
      fertilization (IVF)/intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) protocol.
      Administration of DHEA for 12 weeks and transdermal testosterone for 4 weeks as
      pretreatment adjuvant and luteal start GH in DOR patient treatment arm compared
      to conventional IVF/ICSI cycles. RESULTS: The number of follicles >14 mm, number
      of oocytes, number of metaphase 2 oocytes and fertilisation rate were
      significantly higher in ISIK protocol (IP). The clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) per
      embryo transfer of the IP was 38.2% (13/34). The cancellation rate of cycles
      decreased significantly from 54.5 % (24/44) to 8.1% (3/37) with the IP, while the
      OPR was 35.3% (12/34). CONCLUSIONS: Our study has shown that even the poorest
      responders could achieve clinical pregnancy after inducing ovarian
      folliculogenesis with a combination of transdermal testosterone, DHEA and GH.

PMID- 28913046
TI  - Six-year incidence and some features of cases of brachial plexus injury in a
      tertiary referral center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present some features and incidence of cases of brachial plexus
      injury in deliveries at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Zeynep
      Kamil Maternity and Children's Training and Research Hospital, from January 2010
      through December 2014. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 38.896 deliveries in the
      Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's
      Training and Research Hospital, from January 2010 through December 2014 were
      screened from a prospectively collected database. We recorded gravidity, parity,
      body mass index, maternal diabetes, labor induction, gestational age at delivery,
      operative deliveries, malpresentations, prolonged second stage of deliveries,
      shoulder dystocies, clavicle and humerus fructures, estimated fetal weight,
      biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference, femur length, fetal sex, route of
      delivery, maternal age, and fetal anomalies. RESULTS: There were 28 (72/100.000)
      cases of brachial plexus injury among 38.896 deliveries. In the 6-year study
      period, there were 18.363 deliveries via c-section, whereas 20.533 were vaginal
      deliveries. CONCLUSION: Sonographic fetal weight estimation and clinical
      examination performed by experienced obstetricians, and active appropriate
      management of shoulder dystocias seemed to attenuate the incidence of brachial
      plexus injury in the at risk population in our tertiary referral center.

PMID- 28913047
TI  - What is Turkish women's opinion about vaginal delivery?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine Turkish women's opinion about vaginal birth. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in Department of
      Obstetrics and Gynecology of Suleymaniye Maternity Research and Training Hospital
      in Istanbul, Turkey, between February 2015 and April 2015. The participants of
      this study were 100 primiparous pregnant women who had vaginal deliveries. The
      women were interviewed face-to-face after the birth. Data were collected through
      a socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety percent of the
      women reported vaginal birth as the ideal mode of delivery route; a minority of
      the women (10%) had decided on cesarean birth before having a vaginal birth.
      Anxiety of pain was the major factor that influenced choice of delivery type
      before giving birth. After vaginal birth, 84% of women were satisfied with
      vaginal birth and reported that they would prefer vaginal birth for their next
      pregnancy. However, 16% reported that they would prefer cesarean birth for their
      next pregnancy due to pain of labor, pain of episiotomy, anxiety, and prolonged
      duration of labor. CONCLUSION: The results suggest the majority of women prefer
      to give birth vaginally and reported vaginal birth as the ideal choice.

PMID- 28913048
TI  - Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma, Rubella, and Cytomegalovirus among pregnant women
      in Van.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma, anti-Rubella, and
      anti-Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies among pregnant women receiving prenatal
      care at Van Training and Research Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In developing
      countries, various infectious agents encountered in the gestational period are
      important because they influence both maternal and fetal health. Among these,
      Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella and CMV are quite prevalent. In the present study,
      anti-Toxoplasma, anti-Rubella and anti-CMV antibodies were analyzed in the serum
      samples obtained from women receiving prenatal care at Van Training and Research
      Hospital between June 2012 and July 2013, and positive serum samples were
      retrospectively evaluated. Anti-Toxoplasma, anti-Rubella and anti-CMV antibodies
      were analyzed using ELISA with Cobas 4000 e411 (Roche, Germany) and Architect
      i2000SR (Abbott Diagnostics, Germany) analyzers. RESULTS: Over the course of the
      study period, the results of a total of 9809 patients were investigated in terms
      of anti-Toxoplasma, anti-Rubella, and anti-CMV antibodies. Anti-Toxoplasma, anti
      Rubella, and anti-CMV IgM and IgG antibody positivity rates were 1.1%, 0.5% and
      2.6%, and 37.6%, 86.5% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Anti-Toxoplasma IgG
      antibody positivity rates determined in the present study were lower as compared
      with the results of the other studies reported from Turkey. However, CMV IgM and
      IgG antibody positivity rates were be higher as compared with those reported in
      the literature.

PMID- 28913049
TI  - Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes: Analysis of sixteen patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review patients with tubal carcinoma who
      underwent surgery in our clinic due to primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes,
      a very rare gynecologic malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients who
      were diagnosed as having primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes and underwent
      surgery in Zeynep Kamil Research and Training Hospital between January 2007 and
      December 2014 were included in the study. Demographic data such as age,
      gravidity, parity, menopausal condition, symptoms, adjuvant therapy, recurrence
      of tumor, as well as time and type of operation were extracted from patient
      epicrisis reports and oncology files. Patient information was extracted from the
      patients' current files and phone calls were made with patients and their
      relatives. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 59.6 (range, 43-78) years.
      Seventy-five percent of the women were menopausal at admission; the mean
      menopause duration was 10 years (range, 1-20 years). None of the patients were
      nulliparous and mean parity was 4.3 (2-8). The most common presenting symptom was
      abdominopelvic pain, followed by abnormal uterine bleeding. The most common
      histopathologic type was high-grade serous carcinoma. The mean follow-up duration
      was 23.7 months (range, 2-53 months). During follow-up, recurrence was seen in 4
      (25%) patients. One patient left the study during follow-up. The mean disease
      free survival was 48 months. No relation was found between disease-free survival,
      age, stage, grade, and histologic type in univariate logistic regression
      analysis. CONCLUSION: Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tubes is a rare
      gynecologic tumor that is seen in older patients, has no specific signs, and
      usually cannot be diagnosed before surgery. Therefore, we think that large
      series, multi-centered studies with long-term follow-up duration are needed to
      define its etiopathogenesis and treatment strategies for the disease.

PMID- 28913050
TI  - Evaluation of dietary habits during pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pregnancy is a special period of increased nutritional needs during
      which conscious nutritional support is required. Insufficient and imbalanced
      nutrition in this period of life causes serious conditions that affect both child
      and mother. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between pregnancy and
      nutrition/nutritional habits during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this
      descriptive study, a questionnaire was conducted on a voluntary basis to pregnant
      women who were admitted to the Pregnancy Outpatient Clinic of Obstetrics and
      Gynecology Department at Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital. Questions
      about general information, pregnancy-related information, thoughts and knowledge
      about breastfeeding, nutritional habits, and meal frequency were asked to
      pregnant women. Three hundred fourteen questionnaires were assessed in the study.
      SPSS for Windows Version 16.0 and MS-Excel 2007 were used for statistical
      evaluations. P<0.05 was accepted as statistical significance. RESULTS: There was
      a statistically significant relationship between pre-pregnancy body mass index
      (BMI) and number of pregnancies; level of education and income levels; number of
      children and history of caesarian section as an additional problem within
      previous pregnancies. The change of nutritional habits during pregnancy was
      examined; we found that consumption of fruits (51%) and vegetables (40.8%)
      increased the most, while intake of tea (26.1%) and redmeat (21%) mainly
      decreased during pregnancy. It was found that during pregnancy 20.4% of pregnant
      women had never consumed fish, 13.1% abstained from red meat, and 12.4% excluded
      white meat from their diet. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that this study will help to
      raise awareness about adequate and balanced nutrition during pregnancy and to
      define special nutritional recommendations.

PMID- 28913051
TI  - Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist triggering of oocyte maturation in
      assisted reproductive technology cycles.
AB  - Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) have gained increasing attention
      in the last decade as an alternative trigger for oocyte maturation in patients at
      high risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). They provide a short
      luteinizing hormone (LH) peak that limits the production of vascular endothelial
      growth factor, which is the key mediator leading to increased vascular
      permeability, the hallmark of OHSS. Initial studies showed similar oocyte yield
      and embryo quality compared with conventional human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
      triggering; however, lower pregnancy rates and higher miscarriage rates were
      alarming in GnRHa triggered groups. Therefore, two approaches have been
      implemented to rescue the luteal phase in fresh transfers. Intensive luteal phase
      support (iLPS) involves administiration of high doses of progesterone and
      estrogen and active patient monitoring. iLPS has been shown to provide
      satisfactory fertilization and clinical pregnancy rates, and to be especially
      useful in patients with high endogenous LH levels, such as in polycystic ovary
      syndrome. The other method for luteal phase rescue is low-dose hCG
      administiration 35 hours after GnRHa trigger. Likewise, this method results in
      statistically similar ongoing pregnancy rates (although slightly lower than) to
      those of hCG triggered cycles. GnRHa triggering decreased OHSS rates
      dramatically, however, none of the rescue methods prevent OHSS totally. Cases
      were reported even in patients who underwent cryopreservation and did not receive
      hCG. GnRH triggering induces a follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) surge, similar
      to natural cycles. Its possible benefits have been investigated and dual
      triggering, GnRHa trigger accompanied by a simultaneous low-dose hCG injection,
      has produced promising results that urge further exploration. Last of all, GnRHa
      triggering is useful in fertility preservation cycles in patients with hormone
      sensitive tumors. In conclusion, GnRHa triggering accompanied by appropriate
      luteal phase rescue protocols is a relatively safe option for patients at high
      risk for OHSS.

PMID- 28913053
TI  - Pregnancy with sigmoid volvulus: A case report with literature review.
AB  - Sigmoid volvulus refers to torsion of a segment of the alimentary tract, which
      often leads to bowel obstruction and ischemic changes. Sigmoid volvulus is an
      acute surgical emergency because delay in diagnosis and management can cause
      adverse maternal and fetal complications. Sigmoid volvulus typically presents
      with acute-on-chronic abdominal distension that may develop slowly over 3-4 days.
      An early and effective resuscitation with fluid replacement, electrolyte balance
      correction, prophylactic antibiotics and nasogastric decompression is necessary.
      The standard goals of treatment are to relieve the obstruction, avoid colonic
      ischemia, and prevent recurrence either by endoscopic decompression or resection
      with primary anastomosis. A pregnant woman with sigmoid volvulus at 34 weeks and
      1 day of gestation presented to our hospital with abdominal pain, vomiting, and
      constipation. The patient was jointly surgically managed with laparotomy,
      cesarean section, and detorsion of the sigmoid volvulus, and was discharged in a
      healthy state on the 5th postoperative day.

PMID- 28913052
TI  - The risk factors, consequences, treatment, and importance of gestational
      depression.
AB  - Nowadays, mental problems have become an important health issue, the most
      frequent of which in pregnancy is depression. Gestational depression is known to
      increase gestational complications and negatively affect maternal and fetal
      health. The frequency of gestational depression and depressive symptoms are 10
      30%. Risk factors vary according to genetic, psychologic, environmental, social,
      and biologic factors. Maternal morbidity and mortality rates increase in pregnant
      women who do not receive treatment, obstetric complications and negative fetal
      consequences are seen, and the incidence of postpartum depression increases. Due
      to all these important consequences, healthcare providers who manage pregnant
      women should be informed about the frequency, symptoms, and screening methods of
      postpartum depression, the significance of the consequences of undiagnosed and
      untreated depression on the health of mother and baby, and the importance of
      early diagnosis. Pregnant women who are at risk should be screened and detected,
      and directed to related centers. In this review, we briefly review the definition
      of gestational depression, its frequency, risk factors, complications, screening,
      treatments, and the procedures that need to be performed the diagnostic process.

PMID- 28913054
TI  - Renal angiomyolipoma during pregnancy: Case report and literature review.
AB  - Renal angiomyolipoma is a rare tumor that can be either sporadic or found
      together with tuberous sclerosis or pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis. These
      tumors are hormone sensitive and therefore tend to grow during pregnancy and
      their main complication is the risk of rupture. Optimal management is still
      controversial because there are very few cases reported in the literature. We
      expect that the case of our patient, who delivered her baby vaginally at 36 weeks
      of gestation and underwent definitive treatment (nephrectomy) thereafter, to
      further enhance the knowledge about the management of these rare tumors during
      pregnancy.

PMID- 28913055
TI  - Postmenopausal spontaneous uterine perforation: Case report.
AB  - Spontaneous uterine rupture and generalized peritonitis caused by pyometra occurs
      rarely with high morbidity and mortality. A correct and definite diagnosis can be
      made with laparotomy or laparoscopy. The clinical findings of perforated pyometra
      are similar to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract and gynecologic symptoms
      are less frequent, which makes preoperative diagnosis difficult. We report a case
      of a patient aged 82 years who underwent surgery for spontaneous uterine rupture
      and generalized peritonitis as a result of pyometra.

PMID- 28913056
TI  - The effects of thalidomide in a rat model of surgically-induced endometriosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze the anti-angiogenic role of
      thalidomide and to assess whether thalidomide had any influence on a rat model of
      surgically-induced endometriosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Endometriosis was
      induced through surgical induction and homologous transplantation in 16 rats. The
      rats were randomly separated into two groups as thalidomide (n=8) and control
      (n=8) groups. Using oral gavage, 100 mg/kg thalidomide 0.5 ml was administered to
      the first group and saline 0.5 ml to the control group. Histopathologic findings
      and volume analysis of implants were evaluated after 4 weeks. Vascular
      endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and oxidative markers were run from the
      fluid through peritoneal lavage. RESULTS: The average implant volume decreased
      significantly in the thalidomide administrated group after treatment (53.3 and
      22.9 mm3 respectively, p=0.012). Significant differences observed in the
      histopathologic scores of the thalidomide group (3 and 1 respectively, p=0.012)
      were not observed in the control group. Significant decreases were observed in
      the levels of VEGF-A and myeloperoxidase (MPO) from oxidative markers (p=0.004,
      p=0.037, respectively). CONCLUSION: Thalidomide provides volumetric and
      histopathologic recovery in implants particularly because the VEGF inhibition and
      anti-angiogenic effect, which suggests that it could be effective in the
      treatment of endometriosis.

PMID- 28913057
TI  - The effects of fresh embryo transfers and elective frozen/thawed embryo transfers
      on pregancy outcomes in poor ovarian responders as defined by the Bologna
      criteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of fresh embryo transfers (ET) and elective
      frozen/thawed embryo transfers (eFET) on implantation, clinical pregnancy, and
      live birth rates in poor ovarian responders, as defined by the Bologna criteria.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: All electronic databases of embryo transfers between
      January 2011 and January 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Two hundred fifty
      nine of all the fresh ET and 96 of all eFET were included into the study. An
      antagonist protocol with letrozole was used for the controlled ovarian
      hyperstimulation (COH) in all participants. RESULTS: The mean age was 36.9 years
      (range, 21-43 years) in the fresh ET arm and 37.2 years (range, 21-43 years) in
      the eFET arm (p=0.45). The clinical pregnancy rate was 35% (90/259) versus 29%
      (28/96); the abortion rate was 27% (20/75) versus 36% (9/25); and the live birth
      rate was 21% (55/259) versus 17% (16/99). There were no significant differences
      between groups and p values were 0.32, 0.52, and 0.42, respectively. The mean E2
      level was 389 (range, 50-2055 pg/mL) in the fresh ET group (on hCG day) and 418
      pg/mL (range, 121-3073 pg/mL) in the eFET group (on day 14 of cycle) (p=0.122).
      No differences were found between the two groups with respect to the total number
      of retrieved oocytes (p=0.55) and number of metaphase II (MII) oocytes (p=0.81).
      The number of embryo transfers was statistically different (p=0.005). The effects
      of age, total number of retrieved oocytes, number of MII oocytes, type of
      treatment, number of ET, and the day of ET and E2 level to live birth outcomes
      were investigated using binary logistic regresion analyses, and no stastical
      effect was determined by any of the parameters. P values were p=0.50, 0.66, 0.45,
      0.30, 0.30, 0.08, and 0.90, respectively. CONCLUSION: E2 levels tend to be lower
      in poor responders, thus the receptivity of the endometrium may be damaged less
      than normal, which may explain why pregnancy results are the same between eFET
      and ET groups.

PMID- 28913058
TI  - Laparoscopic staging of endometrial cancer: Does it have any impact on survival?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether laporoscopic approach to endometrial cancer is
      associated with survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 158 patients with
      endometrial cancer underwent staging surgery at a tertiary referral center, 30 of
      whom underwent laparoscopy, whereas the remainder received treatment with a
      conventional approach. Survival between groups was analyzed. RESULTS: The
      comparison of the groups revealed similar disease-free survival (p=0.791).
      Histology, cervical, adnexal and serosal involvement were found to be
      significantly correlated with recurrence in the laparoscopically staged group,
      whereas CA 125, histology, tumor grade, tumor diameter, cervical involvement,
      degree of myometrial invasion, adnexal and serosal involvement, and pelvic
      metastasis were significanly correlated with recurrence in the conventionally
      managed group. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic approach to endometrial cancer, along
      with its widely accepted postoperative advantages, has similar disease-free
      survival but different variables affect recurrence rates.

PMID- 28913059
TI  - Should we add unilateral sacrospinous ligament fixation to vaginal hysterectomy
      in management of stage 3 and stage 4 pelvic organ prolapse?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare ''vaginal hysterectomy alone'' with ''vaginal hysterectomy
      with prophylactic unilateral sacrospinous ligament fixation'' in terms of
      intraoperative complications and 1-year anatomic outcomes and symptoms in
      patients aged over 50 years who presented with stage 3 or 4 pelvic organ prolapse
      (POP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients underwent vaginal hysterectomy
      alone and 32 patients underwent vaginal hysterectomy with unilateral sacrospinous
      ligament fixation because of benign pathology between January 2012, and June
      2014, were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The patients' demographic data
      and preoperative and intraoperative findings were obtained from the hospital
      records and noted. The patients were invited by phone to a follow-up visit to
      assess their 1-year anatomic outcomes and symptoms. RESULTS: There was no
      significant demographic difference between the patients who underwent vaginal
      hysterectomy alone and those who had a vaginal hysterectomy with sacrospinous
      ligament fixation. Both length of operation and hospital stay were significantly
      longer in the patients who underwent vaginal hysterectomy with sacrospinous
      ligament fixation (p<0.001); intraoperative complications requiring blood
      transfusion were also significantly more frequent in these patients compared with
      the patients who underwent vaginal hysterectomy only (p=0.048). Recurrence of
      vaginal vault prolapse was significantly more frequent in the patients with
      vaginal hysterectomy alone compared with those who had both vaginal hysterectomy
      and sacrospinous ligament fixation (p=0.035). CONCLUSION: Unilateral sacrospinous
      ligament fixation might be added to vaginal hysterectomy in patients with stage 3
      or 4 POP who are predicted to have long survival times. However, further studies
      with a larger sample size are needed in this area of research.

PMID- 28913060
TI  - Neither early nor late for becoming pregnant: Comparison of the perinatal
      outcomes of adolescent, reproductive age, and advanced maternal age pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare perinatal and short-term neonatal outcomes of adolescent,
      reproductive age, and advanced maternal age (AMA) pregnancies in a low-income
      region of Istanbul. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred six adolescents, 301
      reproductive age, and 303 AMA pregnant women who delivered in Suleymaniye
      Education and Research Hospital between January 1st 2007, and January 31st 2015,
      were recruited to the study population. The clinical, obstetric and short-term
      neonatal outcomes of the women were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Adolescent
      and AMA pregnancies were associated with severe adverse perinatal and short-term
      neonatal outcomes compared with reproductive-age women. Adolescent and AMA
      pregnancies had quite similar risks in obstetric outcomes. Adolescent pregnancies
      were related with severe adverse short-term neonatal outcomes when compared with
      advanced maternal age pregnancies. CONCLUSION: Adolescent and AMA pregnancies
      should be defined as high-risk pregnancies. Our research indicated that
      healthcare providers such as obstetricians, midwives, and family physicians
      should be alert in these populations.

PMID- 28913062
TI  - Efficacy of endocervical curettage and CA-125 measurement in endometrial serous
      carcinoma: A case series and literature review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This is a case series and literature review of patients with
      endometrial serous carcinoma (ESC) in which endocervical curettage (ECC) and CA
      125 measurement were utilized as a diagnostic procedure in preoperative staging.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients were treated in the gynecologic oncology
      clinic of Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine between January 2005, and
      January 2015. A total of 37 patients were included in the final analysis.
      RESULTS: ECC accurately predicted ESC in 22 patients (59.5%). The mean pre
      operative serum CA-125 level was 73.24+/-3.30 IU/mL; pre-operative serum CA-125
      levels were elevated above 35 IU/mL in 25 patients (69%). CONCLUSION: ECC is an
      acceptable diagnostic tool to predict the presence or absence of cervical
      involvement in endometrial cancer. On the other hand, its accuracy in specific
      subgroups requires further analysis in carefully designed prospective studies.
      Furthermore, pre-operative serum CA-125 levels may be important for management
      and counseling in the subgroup of women with ESC.

PMID- 28913061
TI  - An analysis of 37 patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma at a high-volume cancer
      center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment methods,
      survival, and prognosis of uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      All patients with ULMS who were treated between January 1998 and October 2012
      were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 37 women who met the inclusion criteria
      were included in the present study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were
      used to identify the risk factors for overall survival (OS) and progression-free
      survival (PFS). RESULTS: The majority of patients had stage 1 disease (IA, n=9
      (24.3%); IB, n=23 (62.1%)). All patients underwent total abdominal hysterectomy
      and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Additionally, only pelvic, and pelvic plus
      para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed in 5 (13.5%) and 8 (21.6%) women,
      respectively. Adjuvant treatment was administered to 27 (72.9%) patients.
      Patients who did not receive adjuvant therapy had stage 1 disease. Recurrences
      occurred in 5 (13.5%) patients. The median follow-up period was 71 months (range
      1-158 months). The 5-year PFS and OS rates were 68% and 74%, for all patients.
      The 5-year OS rates for women with stage 1 and >= stage 2 disease were 82% and
      27%, respectively. Multivariate analysis confirmed stage 1 disease as the only
      independent predictor of both PFS (Odds ratio (OR) 10.955, 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.686-71.181, (p=0.012)) and OS (OR 57.429, 95% CI 3.287-1003.269,
      (p=0.006)). CONCLUSIONS: Extensive surgery is not associated with prognosis and
      stage 1 disease is the only independent good prognostic factor for survival in
      patients with ULMS.

PMID- 28913063
TI  - Uterine sparing surgical methods in pelvic organ prolapse.
AB  - Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is defined as the protrusion of pelvic organs to the
      vagen and is an important health problem in patients of older age. Today, most
      women with POP prefer uterine sparing surgery due to the changes in lifestyle,
      beliefs, pregnancy desire, and understanding the role of the uterus and cervix in
      sexual function. Therefore, the need for newer surgical procedures that involve
      less invasive surgery, reduced intraoperative and postoperative risks, and a
      faster healing time in POP surgery have gained importance. Vaginal, abdominal,
      laparoscopic, and robotic methods are defined in uterine preserving surgery but
      there is not yet a consensus on which of them should be chosen. In choosing the
      proper technique, the patient's general status, accompanying disease, correct
      indication, and the surgeon's experience are all important. In our practice we
      prefer laparoscopic mesh sacrohysteropexy in patients who prefer to preserve
      their uterus because of the lower costs and high success rates compared with
      abdominal and robotic techniques.

PMID- 28913064
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy and the
      postpartum period: Iron deficiency anemia working group consensus report.
AB  - According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anemia is the most common
      disease, affecting >1.5 billion people worldwide. Furthermore, iron deficiency
      anemia (IDA) accounts for 50% of cases of anemia. IDA is common during pregnancy
      and the postpartum period, and can lead to serious maternal and fetal
      complications. The aim of this report was to present the experiences of a
      multidisciplinary expert group, and to establish reference guidelines for the
      optimal diagnosis and treatment of IDA during pregnancy and the postpartum
      period. Studies and guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of IDA published in
      Turkish and international journals were reviewed. Conclusive recommendations were
      made by an expert panel aiming for a scientific consensus. Measurement of serum
      ferritin has the highest sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of IDA unless
      there is a concurrent inflammatory condition. The lower threshold value for
      hemoglobin (Hb) in pregnant women is <11 g/dL during the 1st and 3rd trimesters,
      and <10.5 g/dL during the 2nd trimester. In postpartum period a Hb concentration
      <10 g/dL indicates clinically significant anemia. Oral iron therapy is given as
      the first-line treatment for IDA. Although current data are limited, intravenous
      (IV) iron therapy is an alternative therapeutic option in patients who do not
      respond to oral iron therapy, have adverse reactions, do not comply with oral
      iron treatment, have a very low Hb concentration, and require rapid iron
      repletion. IV iron preparations can be safely used for the treatment of IDA
      during pregnancy and the postpartum period, and are more beneficial than oral
      iron preparations in specific indications.

PMID- 28913065
TI  - Laparoscopic systemic devascularization of uterine cornu for cornual resection in
      interstitial pregnancy.
AB  - Cornual pregnancies carry a greater maternal mortality risk than ampullary
      ectopic pregnancies and they may cause significant hemorrhage. A woman aged 36
      years with a six-week history of amenorrhea, slight vaginal bleeding, and low
      abdominal pain of three days duration presented to our clinic. A diagnosis of
      right cornual ectopic pregnancy was made using ultrasonographic findings.
      Laparoscopic exploration confirmed the diagnosis. We occluded the uterine artery
      at its origin and also transected vessels within the mesosalpinx and uteroovarian
      ligament to successfully accomplish avascularization of a cornual pregnancy.
      Occlusion of the uterine arteries is reported to be a safe and blood-sparing
      technique. Severe hemorragia may occur during the operation; therefore,
      techniques to minimize blood loss are reported. In our case, occlusion of the
      uterine artery and transection of the mesosalpinx and uteroovarian vessels
      provided a bloodless operation and there was no need to bilaterally occlude
      vessels.

PMID- 28913066
TI  - Primitive uterine neuroectodermal tumours: Two case reports.
AB  - Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) arise from Kulchitsky cells and are rarely
      seen in the female genital tract. Differential diagnosis of PNET can be made
      based on immunohistochemical profiles and genetic analyses. Genital tract pNETs
      are very aggressive pathologies with different clinical and molecular
      manifestations and there are no standard guidelines for treatment. We aimed to
      present two cases of uterine PNETs with different symptomatology and clinical
      findings.

PMID- 28913067
TI  - Uterine rupture in pregnancy after robotic myomectomy.
AB  - Uterine rupture in pregnancy is a rare and often catastrophic complication with a
      high incidence of fetal and maternal morbidity. A gravida 2 para 1 woman aged 40
      years who was 33-34 weeks pregnant presented to our clinic with serious abdominal
      pain, nausea and vomiting that had begun 6 hours previously. Her past surgical
      history included a robotic myomectomy 2 years ago in our unit. Obstetric
      ultrasonography revealed a 33-week fetus without a heartbeat whereupon she
      underwent emergency laparotomy and we found a 4 cm rupture on the anterior wall
      of the uterus. Uterine rupture should always be kept in mind, especially in
      patients with history of uterine surgery.

PMID- 28913068
TI  - HIV/AIDS epidemic in Turkey and use of antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant
      women and preventing HIV infection in infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in epidemiologic characteristics for HIV/AIDS in
      Turkey since 1985, management of HIV-positive pregnancies, and how new-borns and
      infants would be protected by anti-viral therapy (AVT). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The World Health Organization (WHO) progress reports, 2013 UNAIDS Global AIDS
      epidemic reports, Turkish Ministry of Health HIV/AIDS reports, and distribution
      tables that we published for specific time frames (1985-2013) according to sex,
      age, age groups, and possible transmission routes were used and the groups were
      compared. RESULTS: Although there were 35.3 (32.2-38.8) million people who were
      HIV(+) in the world as of 2013, only 9.7 million received AVTs. In Turkey, the
      total number of people with HIV/AIDS reported between 1985-2013 was 7050. There
      was a dramatic upward trend, with a peak in 2012 (n=1068). Sexually transmitted
      infection was the most common, and 4 drug use and blood transfusions showed a
      proportional increase. A total of 77 infections passed from mother to baby; seven
      cases have been reported in the last two years. CONCLUSION: Turkey is obliged to
      create an effective surveillance system for the prevention of HIV. The WHO
      proposed a new treatment protocol (option B+) in 2013 to prevent HIV mother-child
      transmission.

PMID- 28913069
TI  - Is anti-Mullerian hormone a good diagnostic marker for adolescent and young adult
      patients with Polycystic ovary syndrome?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels in adolescent
      and young adult (AYA) Turkish patients with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and
      to determine whether it had a diagnostic value. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      90 AYA patients were recruited for this study. The study group consisted of 43
      patients diagnosed as having PCOS, and the control group comprised 47 age-matched
      patients. The diagnosis of PCOS was made in accordance with the recent Amsterdam
      European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology/American Society for
      Reproductive Medicine PCOS consensus workshop group's proposal that all three of
      the Rotterdam criteria for diagnosing PCOS in adolescents be present. In all
      patients, serum AMH levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed to reveal
      diagnostic potential of AMH. RESULTS: Serum AMH levels were higher in the PCOS
      group compared with controls, but the difference was not statistically
      significant (10.1+/-6.9 ng/mL vs. 9.4+/-5.5 ng/mL, p=0.198). There was a
      significant age-related decrease in AMH levels in both the study and control
      groups (r=-0.331, p=0.001). There was also a significant inverse correlation
      between serum AMH and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in all patients (r=
      0.227, p=0.031). ROC analyses demonstrated that the area under the curve
      indicative of AMH value for discriminating PCOS was 0.579 with a 95% confidence
      interval of 0.453-0.705 (p=0.198). The cut-off value according to the highest
      Youden index was calculated to be 14.0 ng/mL with a sensitivity of 48.8% and
      specificity of 77.1%. CONCLUSION: Serum AMH levels are slightly higher in AYA
      patients with PCOS than in controls. However, AMH is not a good marker for the
      diagnosis of PCOS in AYA patients.

PMID- 28913070
TI  - Female sexual distress in infertile Turkish women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of infertility on sexual distress in women
      attending the infertility clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional
      study we evaluated sexual distress among 88 women who attended the infertility
      clinic in our institute between January and June 2015. All women who were
      experiencing primary or secondary infertility during the study sampling were
      included in the sudy. Sexual distress was measured using the Female sexual
      distress scale-revised (FSDS-R), a cross-validated patient-reported outcomes
      measure. Correlations of FSDS-R with patient characteristics and laboratory
      measurements were calculated using Spearman's rank correlation tests. RESULTS:
      With the exceptions of the age of couples and serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH)
      levels, no predictor of high sexual distress was found in the univariate analysis
      when comparing groups with regard to the FSDS-R cut-off score. The mean age of
      the sexually distressed women (33.6+/-5.8 years vs. 29.3+/-5.1 years) and their
      partners (35.4+/-4.8 years vs. 31.6+/-4.2 years) was significantly higher than
      those of the non distressed women, according to a FSDS-R score over 11 (p<0.05).
      The serum level of AMH was significantly lower in infertile women with high total
      sexual distress scores (1.4 vs. 7.6 ng/mL (p<0.001)). CONCLUSION: In infertile
      women, age of woman, age of partner, and serum AMH levels are related with the
      hope of women to have a child despite an association with sexual distress. Serum
      AMH, which is perceived as necessary for fertility, had a significant inverse
      correlation with levels of sexual stress.

PMID- 28913071
TI  - The effect of education given before surgery on self-esteem and body image in
      women undergoing hysterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of information provided before surgery on the
      self-esteem and body image of women undergoing hysterectomy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The study had a semi-experimental design with pre-post tests. A total of
      60 women were included in the study and divided into two groups, the intervention
      group (n=30) and control group (n=30). A questionnaire, the Rosenberg self-esteem
      scale, and the body image scale were used to collect data. RESULTS: The pre- and
      post-test body image scores were similar in the intervention group patients, but
      the post-test scores were significantly higher in the control group (p<0.05). The
      pre- and post-test self-esteem scores were again similar in the intervention
      group, but the post-test scores were significantly lower in the control group
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that health education given to patients
      prior to hysterectomy protects body image and consequently self-esteem.

PMID- 28913072
TI  - Retrospective analysis of factors that affect the success of single-dose
      methotrexate treatment in ectopic pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Detection of factors that affect the success of single-dose
      methotrexate treatment in ectopic pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      investigated 99 patients who had been treated with single-dose methotrexate for
      ectopic pregnancy in our clinic between January 2009 and June 2014. Demographic,
      clinical, and laboratory results of possible factors that affect treatment
      success were retrospectively analyzed. Successfully and unsuccessfully treated
      patients were compared based on their pre-treatment results. RESULTS: The success
      rate of single-dose methotrexate treatment was found to be 70.7%. No significant
      difference was found between succesfully and unsuccessfully treated patients
      before treatment in terms of factors such as gestational weeks, mass size,
      presence of yolk sac, and presence of free fluid (p=0.224, p=0.201, p=0.200,
      p=0.200). Serum beta-hCG values in patients whose treatment was unsuccessful was
      found to be higher compared with the successfully treated group (mean beta-hCG
      value of unsuccessful group: 4412+/-3501 mIU/mL; mean beta-hCG value of
      successful group: 1079+/-942 mIU/mL; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Single-dose
      methotrexate treatment is an effective and reliable method in the treatment of
      ectopic pregnancy. Elevation of serum beta-hCG value stands as the main
      prognostic factor that affects the success of single-dose methotrexate treatment.

PMID- 28913073
TI  - Analysis of the effectiveness of ultrasound and clinical examination methods in
      fetal weight estimation for term pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of clinical and ultrasonographic (USG)
      estimation of fetal weight in non-complicated, term pregnancies. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Two hundred term pregnant women were included in the study. We used
      three formulae for the estimation of fetal weight at term; the Hadlock formula
      for the USG method, and two different formulas for clinical methods, maternal
      symphysis-fundal height and abdominal circumference at the level of umbilicus.
      Accuracy was determined by mean percentage error, mean absolute percentage error
      and proportion of estimates within 10% of actual birth weight (birth weight +/
      10%). Patients were divided into two groups according to actual birth weight, the
      normal birth weight group (2500-3999 g) and high birth weight group (>=4000 g).
      RESULTS: All three methods statistically overestimated birth weight for the high
      and normal birth weight groups (p<0.001, p=1.000, p=0.233) (p=0.037, p<0.001, and
      p<0.001). For both groups, the mean absolute percentage errors of USG were
      smaller than for the other two clinical methods and the number of estimates were
      within 10% of actual birth weight for USG was greater than for the clinical
      methods; the differences were statistically significant (p<0.001). No
      statistically significant difference of accuracy was observed for all three
      methods for the high birth weight group (p=0.365, p=0.768, and p=0.540). However,
      USG systematically underestimated birth weight in this group. CONCLUSION: For
      estimation of fetal birth weight in term pregnancies, ultrasonography is better
      than clinical methods. In the suspicion of macrosomia, it must be remembered that
      no method is better than any other. In addition, if ultrasonography is used,
      careful management is recommended because ultrasonography overestimates in this
      group.

PMID- 28913074
TI  - Single intrauterine demise in twin pregnancies: Analysis of 29 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the maternal and fetal demographic features and clinical
      aspects of twin pregnancies with single intrauterine demise. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in Dicle University Faculty of
      Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics between January 2008 and
      December 2013. There were a total of 594 twin deliveries in our hospital between
      the given dates. Twenty-nine of these cases were referred to our hospital by
      another health center because of a preliminary diagnosis of single intrauterine
      demise. Maternal age, parity, chorionicity, week of fetal death, gestational week
      at delivery, mode of delivery, birth weight, Activity, pulse, grimace,
      appearance, respiration scores, maternal fibrinogen levels at delivery and during
      pregnancy, stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, and obstetric complications
      were explored in these 29 cases of single intrauterine demise. RESULTS: The mean
      age of the 29 patients who were provided antenatal follow-up and delivery
      services in our hospital was 29.9+/-6.5 years. Thirteen (44.8%) of the patients
      were monochorionic, whereas 16 (55.2%) were dichorionic. Intrauterine fetal death
      occurred in the first trimester in 6 pateints and in the second or third
      trimester in 23. In addition, 20 (69%) patients underwent cesarean section,
      whereas 9 (31%) had spontaneous vaginal delivery. Lastly, none of the patients
      had a maternal coagulation disorder. CONCLUSION: Twin pregnancies with single
      intrauterine death can lead to various complications for both the surviving fetus
      and the mother. Close maternal and fetal monitoring, and proper care and
      management can minimize complications.

PMID- 28913075
TI  - Problems of modern approaches to management of early pregnancy failure.
AB  - In the last 20 to 30 years, early diagnosis of pregnancy has markedly decreased
      ectopic pregnancy-related maternal mortality, and the necessity for surgical
      treatment. With modern approaches in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy, surgical
      therapy has been replaced by medical therapy and medical treatment by spontaneous
      follow-up in appropriate cases. However, this current trend has led to some
      problems, including the maximization of ultrasonographic interpretations,
      misunderstandings in serial human koryonik gonadotropin hormon measurements, and
      complications due to inappropriate methotrexate use. The aim of the present study
      was to review the literature relating to the diagnosis and follow-up of early
      pregnancies, to underline some of the important considerations, and to help avoid
      possible iatrogenic errors.

PMID- 28913076
TI  - Genomic, proteomic and lipidomic evaluation of endometrial receptivity.
AB  - Endometrial receptivity is a complex phenomenon that plays a vital role in
      infertility. Although quality of embryo can be evaluated for a successful
      implantation, endometrial receptivity is still an unknown factor. With advances
      in technology, the microarray approach has provided an 'omic' tool to evaluate
      endometrial receptivity. In Latin, 'omic' means the whole family. The genomic,
      proteomic, and lipidomic evaluations of endometrium mean a wholesome evaluation
      of the genes, lipids and proteins of the endometrium. Evaluation of receptivity
      with this three-way approach may provide insight to the potential markers of
      implantation. Genomic analysis has been limited to date because not every gene
      alteration affects protein expression. Lipidomic analysis has recently gained
      popularity because lipids are strictly controlled during the implantation period.
      In summary, with the recent advances in microarray technology, genomic,
      lipidomic, and proteomic analyses of the endometrium may provide 'optimal'
      evaluation tools and criteria to assess receptivity in the near future.

PMID- 28913077
TI  - Mullerian adenosarcoma of the uterus associated with tamoxifen treatment for
      breast cancer.
AB  - Mullerian adenosarcoma following tamoxifen therapy is a rare condition. Our aim
      was to report the youngest patient in the literature with uterine mullerian
      adenosarcoma who was undergoing tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer. A
      premenopausal woman aged 38 years who was undergoing tamoxifen therapy for breast
      cancer, was admitted with symptoms of lower abdominal pain and irregular vaginal
      bleeding and malodorous vaginal discharge that had continued for at least 6
      months. A pelvic examination revealed a large and malodorous polypoid mass
      protruding through the cervix and an enlarged uterus. A biopsy from the
      protruding polypoid mass was reported as a large area of necrosis with neoplastic
      mesenchymal cells. The patient underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy,
      bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy, pelvic-paraaortic lymph node dissection, and
      omentectomie. The histologic diagnosis was Mullerian adenosarcoma. As a result,
      she was discharged to the oncology department. The woman is alive and her
      chemoradiotherapy treatment is ongoing. The role of tamoxifen therapy in the
      development of endometrial neoplasms remains unclear, but all cases of
      endometrial thickening and vaginal bleeding must be investigated for Mullerian
      adenosarcoma in tamoxifen users.

PMID- 28913078
TI  - Reimplantation of an autoamputated ovary in the omentum: A case report.
AB  - Autoamputation is one of the complications of ovarian torsion. In many cases,
      ovarian torsion develops as a result of mature cystic teratoma. Herein, we
      present a woman aged 27 years whose right ovary was autoamputated and reimplanted
      in the omentum. It should be noted that autoamputated ovaries can reimplant in
      surrounding tissues by revascularization and present as mobile abdominal masses
      with atypical localization.

PMID- 28913079
TI  - Parasitic omental ovarian dermoid tumour mimicking an adnexal mass: A report of
      two very unusual cases.
AB  - The differential diagnosis of cystic adnexal masses includes various pathologies,
      some placed extragonadally. Herein, we present two different cases of omental
      ovarian dermoid tumours that were diagnosed using ultrasonography and removed
      with surgery. The greater part of the omental teratomas appear to have developed
      from self-amputation of cysts in the ovary, followed by their re-implantation
      into the omentum. Omental teratomas can be located in the pelvis, where they
      might be mistaken for an adnexal mass, an upper abdominal mass, or a
      periumbilical mass. The location of omental teratomas might slightly change from
      one examination to another. In such cases, preoperative diagnostic imaging
      methods may not provide adequate information to physicians. Gynecologists should
      always keep in mind the possibility of intraabdominal ovarian parasitic cystic
      teratomas in the differential diagnosis of suspicious adnexal masses during
      surgery. Awareness among gynecologic surgeons of such masses may help prevent
      misdiagnosis, delayed surgery, or the use of wrong surgical approaches.

PMID- 28913080
TI  - Characteristics and outcomes of in vitro fertilization in different phenotypes of
      polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) phenotype without polycystic ovaries (PCO) differs in terms of in
      vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes compared with classic phenotypes. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This retrospective controlled study included 262 patients who
      underwent IVF treatment with an indication of unexplained or tubal factor
      infertility (control group), ovulatory patients with PCO morphology (group 1),
      PCOS phenotype with oligoanovulation and hyperandrogenemia (group 2), PCOS
      phenotype with PCO morphology and oligoanovulation (group 3). Outcomes and
      baseline characteristics of IVF-embryo transfer treatments were compared among
      all groups. RESULTS: PCOS phenotype without PCO morphology had similar IVF
      stimulation characteristics compared with classic phenotypes; however, a higher
      total gonadotropin dose was needed to achieve similar results compared with
      patients with PCO morphology with or without PCOS. Basal follicle-stimulating
      hormone level (beta coefficient=0.207, p=0.003), group (beta coefficient=-0.305,
      p<0.001) and age (beta coefficient=0.311, p<0.001) were significantly associated
      with the total gonadotropin dose. The number of good quality embryo on transfer
      day was significantly lower in patients with isolated PCO morphology and PCO
      morphology with oligoanovulation than in those with PCOS phenotype without PCO
      morphology. CONCLUSION: PCO morphology provides easier stimulation, whereas
      hyperandrogenemia provides better results as good quality embryos. However, the
      end point is similar in terms of biochemical, clinical, and ongoing pregnancy
      rates.

PMID- 28913081
TI  - The outcomes of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation/intrauterine insemination in
      patients with unilateral tubal occlusion on hysterosalpingograph.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pregnancy rates of
      intrauterine insemination (IUI) and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) in
      patients with one-sided tubal occlusion on hysterosalpingography (HSG). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Patients who underwent COH/IUI were enrolled into this retrospective
      cohort study. The patients with one-sided tubal occlusion diagnosed under HSG who
      met the inclusion criteria were accepted into the study group. The control group
      consisted of patients with unexplained infertility. The outcomes of COH/IUI were
      compared between the study and control groups. RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients in
      the study group (n=44) and control group (n=53) who underwent COH/IUI treatment
      were included into study. The biochemical, clinical, and ongoing pregnancy rates
      were similar between patients with unilateral occlusion diagnosed under HSG and
      those with unexplained infertility. The spontaneous pregnancy rate within one
      year was higher in patients with normal HSG than in patients with unilateral
      tubal occlusion, but the difference did not show statistical significance.
      CONCLUSION: Infertile patients with one-sided tubal occlusion in HSG can be
      managed as with patients with unexplained infertility and normal HSG findings. In
      addition, COH/IUI may be considered as the first-line treatment option in the
      management of these patients.

PMID- 28913082
TI  - Does screening for vaginal infection have an impact on pregnancy rates in
      intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Assisted reproduction techniques have become widespread worldwide.
      Considering their costs, physicians endeavor to improve pregnancy rates.
      Infections are one of the disrupting problems in this arena. We aimed to
      investigate the effects of screening for vaginal infection on pregnancy rates in
      intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred
      twenty patients randomized into two groups for this study. Patients were screened
      for vaginal infections in group 1, and no screening was performed in group 2. The
      assisted reproduction outcomes were investigated and compared between the two
      groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between ages, or durations
      and causes of infertility of patients who conceived and of those who did
      conceive. Forty-five patients in group 1, and 40 patients in group 2 reached the
      embryo transfer stage. The rates of conception were 23.5% (n=4) in culture
      positive patients (n=17), and 42.9% (n=12) in culture-negative patients (n=28) in
      group 1. There was no significant difference among patients who were not
      screened, screen-positive, and screen-negative, in terms of pregnancy rates. None
      of the patients had Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Trichomonas vaginalis. Bacterial
      vaginosis was detected in 13 patients, and both bacterial vaginosis and Chlamydia
      trachomatis were detected in 4 patients. Three of 4 patients who conceived screen
      positive and 8 of 12 patients who conceived screen-negative delivered healthily
      at term. CONCLUSION: No significant difference was found between patients who
      were sampled for culture and patients who were not sampled in terms of pregnancy
      rates. Also, no difference was found between the patients who were culture
      negative and patients who were treated with antimicrobials after a culture
      positive result. Further larger studies are warranted to clarify this issue.

PMID- 28913083
TI  - What is the optimal strategy in the management of patients with preterm premature
      rupture of membranes before 32 weeks of gestation?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to compare the outcomes of expectant management of
      pregnancy or immediate delivery in patients with preterm premature rupture of
      membranes (PPROM) between 24+0 and 32+0 weeks of pregnancy. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at a tertiary medical
      center. Patients who were diagnosed as having PPROM between 24+0 and 32+0 weeks
      of gestation were selected from an electronic database. Thirty-one patients with
      expectant management and 22 patients with spontaneous immediate delivery were
      analyzed. Birth weight, Apgar score, duration of stay in the neonatal intensive
      care unit (NICU), composite adverse outcomes, and mortality rates of groups were
      compared. Binary logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise elimination
      was used to determine confounding factors for antenatal complications and
      neonatal composite adverse outcomes. RESULTS: Gestational age at admission was
      smaller in the expectant management group. The median latency period was 6 days
      (range, 2-58 days). Although gestational age at delivery was similar, birth
      weights were smaller in expectant management group compared with the immediate
      delivery group (p=0.264 and p<0.05, respectively). Apgar scores, duration in the
      NICU, composite adverse outcomes, and neonatal mortality rates were similar in
      each group. Antenatal complication in the expectant management group was higher
      (p<0.05). Gestational age at delivery and serum C-reactive protein levels were
      two confounding factors for antenatal complication and gestational age at
      delivery was the only factor affecting composite adverse outcome. CONCLUSION:
      Expectant management in patients with PPROM at 24 to 32 gestational weeks might
      be considered as a good alternative.

PMID- 28913084
TI  - Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy is not associated with diabetes mellitus
      development in pregnant women at low risk for gestational diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D deficiency as a risk
      factor for the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among pregnant
      women without known risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted
      on pregnant women who had been under regular follow-up and had low risk for GDM
      development. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence
      of GDM; GDM and no GDM (control) group. Body mass index (BMI), sociodemographic
      data including level of education and nutritional habits were recorded. Serum 25
      (OH) vitamin D3 levels, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
      values were measured. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed, between 24
      and 28 weeks of pregnancy. RESULTS: GDM ratio was calculated as 4.6%. The false
      positive rate of 50 g oral glucose load screening test was found to be 16.5%. The
      BMI levels of women diagnosed as having GDM and those with no GDM group at the
      beginningof the pregnancy period were calculated as 24.3+/-2.6 and 22.8+/-1.6
      kg/m2 respectively, exhibiting a statistically significant difference between the
      two groups (p=0.001). Hemoglobin, hematocrit, and MCV values did not show a
      statistically significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). The levels
      of 25 (OH) vitamin D3 of the study groups were found comparable in both groups
      (p=0.13). CONCLUSION: Plasma levels of vitamin D may not be a contributing factor
      for the development of GDM in women with a low risk for GDM.

PMID- 28913085
TI  - Conventional 22- and 20-gauge needle for second trimester amniocentesis: A
      comparison of short term outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term outcomes of two different-sized needles for
      genetic amniocentesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 271 amniocentesis were
      retrospectively evaluated in 2 groups concerning the size of the needles used
      during the procedure: Conventional 20-gauge (G) (n=164) and 22G (n=107).
      Periprocedural complications and cost-effectiveness were compared across the
      groups. RESULTS: There were no differences between groups concerning
      complications within 15 days after the procedure (fetal loss, 0.6% versus 0.9%,
      and amniotic fluid leak 1.2% versus 1.8%, p=0.99 for each). The 22G needle was
      significantly more cost efficient (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The 22 G spinal needle
      is convenient for second trimester amniocentesis with similar complication rate
      and has a favorable cost profile.

PMID- 28913086
TI  - Prevalence of endometrial polyps coexisting with uterine fibroids and associated
      factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of endometrial
      polyps in patients with uterine fibroids and associated factors of coexistence of
      these two pathologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 772 patients
      who underwent hysterectomy because of uterine fibroids were retrospectively
      reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of
      endometrial polyps in the histopathologic examination. Demographic, clinical and
      histopathologic findings of the patients with and without endometrial polyps were
      compared. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson's Chi-square test, and
      logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of the endometrial polyps in uterine fibroid cases was found 20.1%
      (n=155). Age >=45 years (odds ratio [OR] 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      [1.06-2.44]; p=0.014), presence of hypertension (23.9% vs. 17.5%; p=0.047),
      endometrial hyperplasia (OR 4.00; 95% CI: [1.92-8.33]; p<0.001) and cervical
      polyps (OR 3.13; 95% CI: [1.69-5.88]; p<0.001) were significantly associated with
      the coexistence of endometrial polyps and uterine fibroids. Endometrial polyps
      were more common in patients with >=2 fibroids (p=0.023) and largest fibroid <8
      cm (p=0.009). A negative correlation was found between condom use and endometrial
      polyps (8.1% vs. 3.9%; p=0.044). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of the endometrial
      polyps coexisting with uterine fibroids was 20.1%. Age, hypertension, endometrial
      hyperplasia, cervical polyps, and number of fibroids were positively correlated;
      condom use and size of largest fibroid were negatively correlated with the
      coexistence of these two pathologies.

PMID- 28913087
TI  - Utilization of Wilms' tumor 1 antigen in a panel for differential diagnosis of
      ovarian carcinomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ovarian metasteses are often mistaken for primary adenocarcinoma.
      Studies conducted in recent years have focused on a search for an
      immunohistochemical marker to aid the differential diagnosis primary and
      metastatic ovarian carcinoma. Our study objective was to study the usefulness of
      Wilms tumor 1 (WT 1) antigen in this context. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      was conducted at the pathology clinic of Lutfi Kirdar Training and Research
      Hospital. Deparaffinated blocks of 40 epithelial ovarian tumors, 40 colon
      adenocarcinomas, and 35 cases of omentum metastases were studied. Cytokeratin 7
      (CK 7), cytokeratin 20 (CK 20), and WT 1 were applied to all specimens. RESULTS:
      All ovarian adenocarcinomas were stained with CK 7 (100%). Colorectal
      adenocarcinomas were stained positive with CK 20 in 87.5% of cases. Primary
      ovarian adenocarcinomas stained positive with WT 1 in 82.5% of the cases and none
      of the colorectal adenocarcinomas showed staining with WT 1 (0%). CONCLUSION: WT
      1 can be used in conjuction with CK 7 in the differential diagnosis of ovarian
      carcinomas.

PMID- 28913088
TI  - A novel approach for congenital absence of the uterine cervix: Office
      hysteroscopic versapoint canalization using real-time trans-abdominal sonography
      guidance.
AB  - Herein, we report a novel technique for cervical agenesis via office hysteroscopy
      using Versapoint using real-time trans-abdominal sonography guidance. Fourteen
      days after the canalization procedure, a second hysteroscopy was performed to
      remove the silicone catheter and insert a Cupper T380a intrauterine device, which
      aimed to prevent a neocervical canal occlusion. This is the first case report of
      a patient with congenital cervical agenesis undergoing canalization with
      Versapoint in an office hysteroscopy; laparoscopy was not performed for
      assistance.

PMID- 28913089
TI  - Vesicocutaneus fistula after cesarean section-a curious complication: Case report
      and review.
AB  - Vesicocutaneous fistulas are very rare pathologies in the urinary tract. We
      present the second case of a vesicocutaneus fistula after cesarean section, and
      discuss strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this exceptional
      complication. A woman with a vesicocutaneous fistula after cesarean delivery was
      admitted and diagnostic tests including fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI), and reconstructed MRI revealed the fistula tract and an urachal anomaly.
      The patient was treated through excision of the fistula tract. Laparotomy should
      be performed carefully, and the surgeon should be aware of the urachus.
      Inadvertent trauma to the urachus during laparotomy might cause serious
      unexpected complications. Possible etiologic factors for vesicocutaneous
      fistulae, prevention, and treatment methods are discussed.

PMID- 28913090
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis of sirenomelia in the first trimester: A case report.
AB  - Sirenomelia or "mermaid syndrome" is a rare congenital syndrome characterized by
      the anomalous development of the caudal region of the body. We present a case of
      sirenomelia diagnosed in the first trimester using two-dimensional and three
      dimensional ultrasonographic examination. A nulliparous woman aged thirty years
      was referred to our perinatology unit for evaluation because of oligohydramnios
      at 12 weeks of gestation. Her medical history was unremarkable. There was no
      family history of genetic abnormalities. We identified a single lower extremity
      and severe oligohydramnios, which are characteristics of sirenomelia.
      Sirenomelia, a developmental defect involving the caudal region of the body, is
      associated with several internal visceral anomalies. Sirenomelia is fatal in most
      cases due to the characteristic pulmonary hypoplasia and renal agenesia. Prenatal
      diagnosis of sirenomelia may be difficult in the second or third trimester
      because of the severe oligohydramnios; it should be easier to diagnose
      sirenomelia in the first trimester.

PMID- 28913091
TI  - A 27-kg mucinous cystadenoma of the ovary presenting with deep vein thrombosis.
AB  - Giant ovarian adenomas are rarely observed today because of early diagnosis and
      treatment. Mucinous cystadenomas is a kind of tumor that mostly causes the ovary
      to enlarge. Theu can present with various and non-specific clinical
      manifestations such as deep vein thrombosis. The primary symptoms of giant
      ovarian tumors are abdominal enlargement and distension. Therefore, making the
      correct preoperative diagnosis is sometimes difficult. The appropriate treatment
      must include oncologic procedures and a multidisciplinary approach to minimalize
      complications and save the patient's life. Herein, we report a woman aged 53
      years with a 27-kg ovarian mucinous cystadenoma that presented as a left
      popliteal vein thrombosis.

PMID- 28913092
TI  - The relationship between estradiol-progesterone alterations after ovulation
      trigger and treatment success in intrauterine insemination cycles.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between the estrogen-progesterone
      alterations before and after ovulation trigger and treatment success in
      intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred fifty
      one women with infertility underwent ovulation induction followed by IUI. For all
      subjects, estradiol and progesterone concentrations were evaluated on the trigger
      and IUI day. The results were analyzed to assess the relationship between hormone
      levels and positive pregnancy test. RESULTS: There were 34 women with a positive
      pregnancy test following controlled ovarian stimulation and IUI cycle. Estradiol
      and progesterone levels on the trigger day and the day of IUI were compared
      within groups with and without positive pregnancy tests. The comparison revealed
      significantly increased levels of progesterone after trigger in both groups;
      however, although there were estradiol level drops in both groups, the drop in
      the group with negative pregnancy tests was statistically significant.
      CONCLUSION: Significant drops in estradiol concentrations after ovulation trigger
      are associated with IUI cycle treatment failure.

PMID- 28913093
TI  - The value of urea, creatinine, prolactin, and beta sub-unit of human chorionic
      gonadotropin of vaginal fluid in the diagnosis of premature preterm rupture of
      membranes in pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of urea, creatinine, prolactin, and the
      beta sub-unit of human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) of vaginal fluid in the
      diagnosis premature preterm rupture of membranes (PROM). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      In this observational study, 160 pregnant women with gestational age of 28 to 40
      weeks were divided into two equal groups: investigation (documented PROM) and
      control (intact membrane) groups. Five cubic centimeters of normal saline was
      poured into the vagina of all participants and the liquid was extracted after a
      few minutes using a syringe. The liquid was sent to a laboratory for examination.
      Data were analyzed using a t-test. RESULTS: The volume of urea, creatinine,
      prolactin, and beta-hCG was significantly different in the two groups (p<0.001).
      Based on receiver operating characteristic curve and cut-off point, sensitivity,
      specificity, positive and negative predictive values of beta-hCG for detecting
      PROM were 87.5%, 86%, 86.4%, and 87.3%, respectively. Also, the same factors for
      urea in detecting PROM were 79.7%, 82.5%, 81.8%, and 80.4%, respectively.
      Creatinine had 74.6% sensitivity, 85% specificity, and 83% and 77.2% positive and
      negative predictive values for detecting PROM. Finally, prolactin had 87.5%
      sensitivity, 90% specificity, and 90% positive and 88% negative predictive values
      for detecting PROM. CONCLUSION: Prolactin and beta-hCG have more diagnostic value
      than urea and creatinine in detecting PROM, and can be used in suspected cases.

PMID- 28913094
TI  - Changes of intraocular pressure in different trimesters of pregnancy among Syrian
      refugees in Turkey: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the physiologic changes in intraocular pressure associated
      with pregnancy in healthy Syrian refugee women in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      In this cross-sectional study, intraocular pressures were measured using a
      Goldmann tonometer in 235 patients in the first, second, and third trimester of
      pregnancy and puerperium among Syrian refugees in Turkey. RESULTS: Mean
      intraocular pressures values of the right eye were 15.5+/-2.5 mmHg, 14.4+/-1.4
      mmHg, 13.9+/-1.6 and 14.7+/-1.9 mmHg in the three trimesters and puerperium,
      respectively. Mean intraocular pressures values of the left eye were 15.3+/-1.6
      mmHg, 14.3+/-1.4 mmHg, 13.9+/-1.6 and 15.3+/-2.2 mmHg in the three trimesters and
      puerperium, respectively. The mean intraocular pressures values measured from
      both eyes were significantly higher in first trimester and puerperal period than
      in the third trimester (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Changes in the intraocular pressure
      in pregnancy are common and temporary. This study shows the baseline changes in
      the intraocular pressure during pregnancy in healthy women. Therefore, we cannot
      extrapolate the results to the whole eye. A decrease in intraocular pressures was
      shown in healthy pregnant women.

PMID- 28913095
TI  - Association of first trimester serum uric acid levels gestational diabetes
      mellitus development.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of first trimester serum uric acid
      levels with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in low-risk
      pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective data analysis, the
      results of pregnant women who completed both first trimester biochemical panel
      and two-step GDM screening were compared with an age-, body mass index, and
      gestational age-matched control group. The women were grouped as either GDM or
      impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) according to 100-g oral glucose challenge
      results. Uric acid levels were compared between the groups and diagnostic utility
      was tested with receiver-operating characteristics curves. RESULTS: Sixty-six
      women in GDM group and 358 women in the IGT group were compared against 202
      healthy pregnant women. The groups did not differ significantly in terms of
      parity, pre-gestational body mass index and gestational age. Serum samples for
      uric acid levels were obtained. The mean serum uric acid levels were
      significantly higher in the GDM and IGT groups (5.95 mg/dL (+/-0.97 mg/dL) and
      4.76 mg/dL (+/-1.51 mg/dL), respectively) compared with the control group (3.76
      mg/dL (+/-1.07 mg/dL) (p<0.001). The area under the curve for uric acid levels
      was 0.92 (95% confidence interval 0.88-0.95) for diagnosis of GDM. At a
      diagnostic threshold of 3.95 mg/dL, uric acid levels predicted development of GDM
      with 60% specificity and 100% sensitivity. CONCLUSION: First trimester serum uric
      acid has a linear association with the development of GDM and IGT.

PMID- 28913096
TI  - First trimester fetal aortic Doppler for hemoglobinopathies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate fetal aortic Doppler for the prenatal diagnosis of
      hemoglobinopathies in the first trimester of pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Between January and November 2014, a total of 108 patients were enrolled in the
      study. The couples were carriers of either alpha/beta thalassemia, sickle cell
      disease or combined carriers of these and were admitted to Cukurova University
      Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Prenatal Diagnosis
      Center. One hour before the chorionic villus sampling (CVS), patients were
      evaluated using fetal aortic Doppler. Pulsatility index, peak systolic velocity,
      and heart rate were noted. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant
      differences in Doppler indices between different groups of CVS results when
      compared with the healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Fetal aortic Doppler
      investigation was found to be ineffective for the prenatal diagnosis of
      hemoglobinopathies.

PMID- 28913097
TI  - Prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes using uterine artery Doppler imaging at
      22-24 weeks of pregnancy: A North Indian experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of uterine
      artery Doppler imaging at 22-24 weeks of gestation for adverse pregnancy
      outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study in which uterine
      artery Doppler was performed at 22-24 weeks of gestation in 165 pregnant women
      with singleton pregnancies. A pulsatility index (PI) more than 1.45 or bilateral
      uterine notching was labeled as abnormal Doppler. The pregnancy outcome was
      assessed in terms of normal outcome, preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction
      (FGR), low birth weight, spontaneous preterm delivery, oligohydramnios, fetal
      loss or at least one adverse outcome. RESULTS: Out of 165 patients, 35 (21.2%)
      had abnormal second trimester uterine artery Doppler. In pregnancies that
      resulted in preeclampsia (PE), (n=21), FGR, (n=21), and low birth weight (n=39),
      the median uterine artery PI was higher (1.52, 1.41, and 1.27 respectively). In
      the presence of abnormal Doppler, the risk of PE [OR=10.7, 95% confidence
      interval (CI): (3.91-29.1); p<0.001], FGR [OR=4.34, 95% CI: (1.62-11.6);
      p=0.002], low birth weight [OR=6.39, 95% CI: (3.16-12.9); p<0.001] and the risk
      of at least one obstetric complication [OR=8.73, 95% CI: (3.5-21.3); p<0.001] was
      significantly high. The positive predictive value of abnormal uterine artery
      Doppler was highest for preeclampsia (36.84%) among all adverse pregnancy
      outcomes assessed. CONCLUSION: Uterine artery Doppler ultrasonography at 22-24
      weeks of gestation is a significant predictor of at least one adverse pregnancy
      outcome, with the highest prediction for preeclampsia.

PMID- 28913098
TI  - A comparison of the effects of the most commonly used tocolytic agents on
      maternal and fetal blood flow.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of two tocolytics, nifedipine and magnesium
      sulfate, on Doppler indices in maternal and fetal vessels. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We recruited 100 pregnant women with preterm birth between 24-36 gestational
      weeks who were admitted to our tertiary center over a two-year period. Patients
      were allocated to nifedipine (n=49) and magnesium sulfate (n=51) groups and
      Doppler indices of umbilical, middle cerebral, uterine arteries, and ductus
      venosus were measured before and after tocolysis. RESULTS: There were no
      differences between the groups in terms of maternal age, gestational week, body
      mass indexes, cervical dilation, effacement at admission, birth weights and
      latency periods until birth. Nifedipine decreased resistance indexes in uterine
      arteries but magnesium sulfate increased resistance especially in the right
      uterine artery. Nifedipine significantly decreased systole to diastole and
      resistance index in the umbilical artery, magnesium sulfate increased systole to
      diastole and resistance index but this was not statistically significant.
      Nifedipine acted variably on resistance index and pulsatility index in the ductus
      venosus; however, magnesium sulfate increased resistance. Nifedipine decreased
      pulsatility index in the middle cerebral artery, contrary to magnesium sulfate
      with which it increased. CONCLUSION: Nifedipine had favorable effects on maternal
      and fetal vessel indexes but magnesium sulfate increased resistance. Despite the
      proposed neuroprotective benefits of magnesium sulfate, nifedipine seems to be a
      better and safer tocolytic agent than magnesium sulfate due to its positive
      beneficial effects on maternal and fetal vessels.

PMID- 28913099
TI  - Luteal phase support in intrauterine insemination cycles.
AB  - Intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment aims to increase the rate of conception
      by increasing the chances that the maximum number of healthy sperm reach the site
      of fertilization. IUI with controlled ovarian stimulation is frequently used in
      assisted reproduction practice. Although widely used, the efficacy of luteal
      support in IUI remains controversial. In this article, we aimed to review what we
      know regarding luteal support in IUI cycles and to adjudicate about the clinical
      use and benefits of this treatment. Based on the study results available in the
      literature, it appears to be beneficial to supplement the luteal phase in
      gonadotropin-stimulated IUI cycles that yield more than one follicle.

PMID- 28913100
TI  - Live birth after transfer of a tripronuclear embryo: An intracytoplasmic sperm
      injection as a combination of microarray and time-lapse technology.
AB  - Although around 1-4% of human zygotes have been found to be tripronuclear, there
      is little information about the subsequent development and chromosomal
      composition of embryos that derive from these zygotes. Herein, we report a
      pregnancy and subsequent delivery of a healthy newborn after the transfer of a
      blastocyst that developed from a tripronuclear zygote that had a euploid
      microarray result.

PMID- 28913101
TI  - Amphricrine carcinoma of the cervix-adeno neuroendocrine tumor: A case report.
AB  - Adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma is a very rare form of cervical carcinoma that
      includes both endocrine and exocrine components. In general terms, these
      carcinomas progress aggressively and show early metastases due to the
      neuroendocrine component. The most important criteria related to prognosis is the
      stage of the disease. Without clearly determined therapeutic protocols this
      carcinoma is generally seen at earlier ages and causes high mortality. Many
      radiotherapy and multidrug chemotherapy protocols are used after surgical
      intervention. Detection of the neuroendocrine component of cervical tumors is
      achieved through immunohistochemical staining. Herein, we present a woman aged 50
      years who was admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain and postmenopausal
      vaginal bleeding whose examination revealed a cervical tumor. A pathologic
      examination after surgery resulted as "adenocarcinoma and large cell
      neuroendocrine carcinoma." Afterwards, a combined chemotherapy regimen (cisplatin
      + etoposid) was administered to the patient and 6 months of progress is evaluated
      in this report.

PMID- 28913102
TI  - Do preeclampsia symptoms resolve after intrauterine death of a fetus?
AB  - : We present two cases of twin pregnancies without resolution of preeclamptic
      symptoms after intrauterine death of one twin. CASE 1: A nulliparous woman aged
      37 years was referred at 26 weeks of gestation because of arterial hypertension,
      edema, and growth restriction in one twin. Three weeks later the restricted twin
      died. During the following three weeks, ultrasound examinations showed a reduced
      growth velocity of the surviving fetus and reversed umbilical flow. At the end of
      the 34th week of gestation, cesarean section was performed and a healthy female
      infant was delivered. CASE 2: A nulliparous woman aged 33 years with a 27-week
      twin pregnancy was referred because of arterial hypertension and discordant
      growth. The restricted twin died at 31 weeks of gestation. Following the death,
      within two weeks the growth of the co-twin started to slow down and reversed end
      diastolic flow presented. At the end of the 33rd week of gestation, cesarean
      section was performed and a healthy female infant was delivered. : The
      interesting point of these cases was the secondary effects on the co-twins.
      During the time after intrauterine deaths of one twin, the surviving fetuses
      started to show a reduced growth velocity and reversed umbilical flow and mothers
      had increased blood pressure and proteinuria again. We think that both cases are
      evidence of late on-set systemic maternal effects (such as systemic maternal
      endothelial activation and/or systemic maternal inflammatory response) depends on
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 28913103
TI  - Early prenatal diagnosis of thoraco-omphalopagus twins at ten weeks of gestation
      by ultrasound.
AB  - Early prenatal diagnosis of conjoined twins, an extreme form of monozygotic
      twinning, is very important for the further management and counselling of parents
      because they are associated with high perinatal mortality. We present a case of
      thoraco-omphalopagus twins diagnosed at ten weeks and four days of gestation by
      two-dimensional Doppler ultrasound, which was then terminated.

PMID- 28913104
TI  - Role of inflammation and oxidative stress in the etiology of primary ovarian
      insufficiency.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate the etiology and treatment of
      primary ovarian insufficiency, which is of unknown cause in 95% of the cases.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients aged 18-40 years who presented to Dicle
      University Faculty of Medicine Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology between June
      2012 and January 2014 and were diagnosed as having primary ovarian insufficiency
      based on their clinical and endocrinologic data, and 30 healthy controls were
      included in this study. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between
      patients with primary ovarian insufficiency and control subjects in demographic
      data and lipid profile levels, thyroid- stimulating hormone, prolactin, and
      glucose. However, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and levels of follicle
      stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, total antioxidant status, total oxidant
      status, and oxidative stress index were significantly higher in patients with
      primary ovarian insufficiency than in control subjects. In the correlation
      analysis, follicle-stimulating hormone exhibited a positive correlation with
      total oxidant status, oxidative stress index, and the neutrophil to lymphocyte
      ratio (r=0.573** p<0.001, r=0.584** p<0.001, r=0.541 p<0.001, respectively) and
      correlated negatively with total antioxidant status (r=-0.437** p<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, total oxidant status, and
      oxidative stress index levels are elevated in primary ovarian insufficiency.
      Therefore, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory treatment might be administered
      to patients in the early stage of primary ovarian insufficiency. However, larger
      studies are needed to clarify whether these elevated levels are a cause or a
      consequence of primary ovarian insufficiency.

PMID- 28913105
TI  - Non-invasive prediction of implantation window in controlled hyperstimulation
      cycles: Can the time from the menstrual day at embryo transfer to expected
      menstrual cycle give a clue?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess whether the time from the
      menstrual day at embryo transfer to expected menstrual cycle (TETEMC) is
      associated with the implantation in women with regular cycles or not. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Forty women with successful implantation and forty women without
      implantation with regular cycles were randomly selected from prospectively
      collected database of assisted reproductive technology clinic of Zeynep Kamil
      Women And Children's Health Training and Research Hospital. TETEMC was calculated
      for each case to assess relationship with the successful implantation. RESULTS:
      Comparison of groups revealed significant differences with regard to TETEMC and
      the menstrual period (p<0.05). In ROC analyses both the TETEMC (AUC=0.824,
      p<0.001) and the menstrual period (AUC=0.797, p<0.001) were significant
      predictors for clinical pregnancy. Cut off value for the menstrual period was
      found to be 27.5 days with 82.6% sensitivity and 65% specificity. Cut off value
      for TETEMC was 11.5 days with 75% sensitivity and 63.2% specificity. CONCLUSION:
      Longer menstrual cycle and the TETEMC seem to be associated with the implantation
      failure.

PMID- 28913107
TI  - The views of nulliparous pregnant women on the types of delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relevant thoughts of nulliparous pregnant women in the
      second trimester without an absolute indication for cesarean on delivery
      preferences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on pregnant women
      who presented to the Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of
      Obstetrics and Gynecology Pregnant Outpatients Department for antenatal follow-up
      between May 2014 and February 2015. A total of 237 nulliparous patients
      voluntarily completed the survey form and the data were evaluated using various
      parameters. Parameters consistent with normal distribution were evaluated using
      the t-test, and parameters that were not normally distributed were evaluated
      using the Mann-Whitney U test. Parameters with a p value <0.05 were considered
      significant. RESULTS: We found that 221 (93.2%) of the 237 nulliparous pregnant
      women preferred vaginal delivery and the remaining 16 (6.8%) preferred delivery
      by cesarean section. CONCLUSION: Women should be informed on the type of birth
      and both methods should be explained in a realistic and scientific manner in
      terms of benefit and risk. An effort is being made to increase vaginal birth
      rates worldwide and the same effort should be made in Turkey.

PMID- 28913106
TI  - Do vitamin D and high-sensitivity-C reactive protein levels differ in patients
      with hyperemesis gravidarum? A preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The high sensitivity-C reactive protein (hs-CRP) is an inflammatory
      marker and vitamin D is an immune modulator that might play a critical role in
      the pathogenesis of hyperemesis gravidarum. Therefore, in the current study, we
      tested the hypothesis that suggests women with hyperemesis gravidarum have lower
      25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and higher hs-CRP levels, compared to controls.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective case-control study included 30 women with
      hyperemesis gravidarum (study group) and 30 age- and body mass index-matched
      healthy women (control group). The levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and hs-CRP were
      compared between two groups. RESULTS: Both the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (5.30
      MUg/L vs. 6.44 MUg/L; p=0.09) and hs-CRP levels (0.29 mg/dL vs. 0.47 mg/dL;
      p=0.93) were not significantly different between the study and control groups.
      Vitamin D deficiency was present in 27 (90.0%) women in the study group and 22
      (73.3%) women in the control group (p=0.181). There was also no correlation
      between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and hs-CRP levels in both groups. CONCLUSION:
      Although it did not reach statistical significance, vitamin D levels were lower
      in the study group compared with controls. Therefore, vitamin D might be
      speculated to play a crucial role in controlling the inflammatory status
      associated with hyperemesis gravidarum. Larger studies are required to clarify
      whether there is a relation between vitamin D deficiency and hyperemesis
      gravidarum.

PMID- 28913108
TI  - The optimal analgesic method in saline infusion sonogram: A comparison of two
      effective techniques with placebo.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Operations performed with local anesthesia can sometimes be extremely
      painful and uncomfortable for patients. Our aim was to investigate the optimal
      analgesic method in saline infusion sonograms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study
      was performed in our Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology between March and August
      2011. Ninety-six patients were included. Patients were randomly divided into
      groups that received saline (controls, group 1), paracervical block (group 2), or
      paracervical block + intrauterine lidocaine (group 3). In all groups, a visual
      analogue scale score was performed during the tenaculum placement, while saline
      was administered, and 30 minutes after the procedure. RESULTS: When all the
      patients were evaluated, the difference in the visual analogue scale scores in
      premenopausal patients during tenaculum placement, during the saline infusion
      into the cavity, and 30 minutes following the saline infusion sonography were
      statistically different between the saline and paracervical block groups, and
      between the saline and paracervical block + intrauterine lidocaine group.
      However, there was no statistically significant difference between paracervical
      block and paracervical block + intrauterine lidocaine groups. CONCLUSION: As a
      result of our study, paracervical block is a safe method to use in premenopausal
      patients to prevent pain during saline infusion sonography. The addition of
      intrauterine lidocaine to the paracervical block does not increase the analgesic
      effect; moreover, it increases the cost and time that the patient stays in the
      dorsolithotomy position by 3 minutes.

PMID- 28913109
TI  - A comparison of clinico-pathologic characteristics of patients with serous and
      clear cell carcinoma of the uterus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Serous carcinoma and clear cell carcinomas account for 10% and 3% of
      endometrial cancers but are responsible for 39% and 8% of cancer deaths,
      respectively. In this study, we aimed to compare serous carcinoma and clear cell
      carcinoma regarding the surgico-pathologic and clinical characteristics, and
      survival, and to detect factors that affected recurrence and survival. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with clear cell and serous
      endometrial cancer who underwent surgery between January 1993 and December 2013
      in our clinic. We used Kaplan-Meier estimator to analyze survival. RESULTS: The
      tumor type in 49 patients was clear cell carcinomas and was serous uterine
      carcinoma in 51 patients. Advanced stage (stage III and IV) disease was present
      in 42% of the patients in the clear cell group, whereas this rate was 62% in the
      serous group (p=0.044). Lymph node metastasis was detected in 37% of the patients
      with clear cell carcinomas and 51% of the patients with serous carcinoma
      (p=0.17). The adjuvant therapies used did not differ significantly between the
      groups (p=0.192). The groups had similar recurrence patterns. Five-year
      progression-free survival and the 5-year overall survival were 60.6% and 85.8%,
      45.5% and 67.8% in the patients with clear cell carcinomas and serous tumor,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: With the exception that more advanced stages were
      observed in patients with serous carcinoma endometrial cancers at presentation,
      the surgico-pathologic features, recurrence rates and patterns, and survival
      rates did not differ significantly between the groups with clear cell carcinoma
      and serous carcinoma endometrial cancers.

PMID- 28913110
TI  - Long- and short-term complications of episiotomy.
AB  - Although extensively applied in obstetrics practice to facilitate delivery by
      increasing the vaginal birth conduit, most episiotomy studies are in the context
      of short- or medium-term outcomes, and the number of studies investigating the
      long-term effects is insufficient. Episiotomy is often considered associated with
      urinary and/or anal incontinence and dyspareunia; however, there is no concrete
      evidence for this issue. Current meta-analyses and reviews that assessed the
      studies available in the literature revealed that episiotomy does not decrease
      the rates of urinary incontinence, perineal pain, and sexual dysfunction and that
      routine episiotomy does not prevent pelvic floor damage; thus, the recommended
      use of mediolateral episiotomy is restricted, rather than routine. According to
      the limited number of studies on sexual function, there seems to be a linear
      relationship between the degree of perineal laceration and postpartum
      dyspareunia. It is still not clear whether episiotomy has any impact on pelvic
      floor relaxation, pelvic organ prolapse, and sexual dysfunction in the long term.

PMID- 28913111
TI  - The role of ADAMTS genes in preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia is a complex disease that increases both maternal and fetal
      morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. It
      complicates around 5-10% of all pregnancies..The pathophysiology of preeclampsia
      includes both maternal and fetal/placental factors. Implantation of embryo and
      placentation are crucial steps for development of pregnancy involving trophoblast
      invasion. Abnormalities of spiral artery invasion, trophoblast function,
      inflammatory process, and biologic functions of angiogenic/anti-angiogenic
      factors early in pregnancy result in pregnancy diseases, including preeclampsia.
      ADAMTS genes are members of the family of matrix metalloproteinase, which have
      important tasks in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and repair processes.
      The roles of ADAMTS in preeclampsia may include regulation of spiral artery
      invasion and ECM arrangement of the placenta.

PMID- 28913112
TI  - Clitoral keloids after female genital mutilation/cutting.
AB  - We aimed to describe the presentation of long-term complications of female
      genital mutilation/cutting and the surgical management of clitoral keloids
      secondary to female genital mutilation/cutting. Twenty-seven women who underwent
      surgery because of clitoral keloid between May 2014 and September 2015 in Sudan
      Nyala Turkish Hospital were evaluated in this retrospective descriptive case
      series study. The prevalence of type 1, type 2, and type 3 female genital
      mutilation/cutting were 3.7%, 22.2%, and 74.1%, respectively (type 1: 1/27, type
      2: 6/27, and type 3: 20/27). All patients had long-term health problems (dysuria,
      chronic pelvic pain, vaginal discharge, and chronic pruritus) and sexual
      dysfunction. Keloids were removed by surgical excision. There were no
      postoperative complications in any patient. Although clitoral keloid lesions can
      be seen after any type of female genital mutilation/cutting, they usually develop
      after type 3 female genital mutilation/cutting. Most of these keloids were
      noticed after menarche. Keloids can be removed by surgical excision and this
      procedure can alleviate some long-term morbidities of female genital
      mutilation/cutting.

PMID- 28913113
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis of pectus excavatum.
AB  - Pectus excavatum (PE) is the depression of the lower part of manubrium sterni and
      xiphoid process. The main problem of PE depends on the cardiopulmonary morbidity
      caused by the narrowing of the thoracic space. To date, prenatal diagnosis of
      this deformity has been reported only once and was associated with Down syndrome.
      We present another case which we diagnosed as PE during a second-trimester fetal
      anatomic scan. The pectus severity index is used for these patients in postnatal
      life; however, prenatal adaption of this index is reported for the first time in
      our case.

PMID- 28913114
TI  - Placental, hepatic, and supraclavicular lymph node metastasis in pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma during pregnancy: A case report.
AB  - The occurrence of coexisting cancer in pregnant women is not a common phenomenon.
      It complicates approximately 1 in 1000 to 1500 pregnancies. We present a
      multiparous woman aged 27 years in her 28th week of pregnancy who was admitted to
      our clinic with right upper quadrant pain and was finally revealed to have
      multiple metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this
      is the first documented case of pancreatic adenocarcinoma to metastasize both to
      the placenta and multiple maternal sites (liver, supraclavicular, para-aortic
      lymph nodes) in a pregnant patient. Unpredictable metastases to the placenta may
      be encountered and may even lead to definitive diagnosis, as in our case.
      Therefore, the placenta in any patient with known malignancy should be sent for
      pathologic evaluation.

PMID- 28913115
TI  - Unusual uterine metastasis of invasive ductal carcinoma: A case report.
AB  - Metastatic carcinoma of the uterus usually originates from other genital sites.
      Extragenital metastases such as breast are rare. A woman aged 34 years with a
      history of breast cancer was referred to the gynecology outpatient clinic for
      routine follow-up. Diagnostic tests and gynecologic examination revealed a
      uterine mass, which was removed with laparotomy. The pathologic investigation
      revealed metastasis of invasive lobular breast cancer. Chemotherapy was given and
      the patient has been under follow-up for 3 years with normal imaging on comput
      erized tomographic examination and positron-emission tomography-computerized
      tomographic. It should be kept in mind that patients with breast cancer who have
      received tamoxifen may develop primary endometrial cancers, and may also
      demonstrate uterine metastases. With successful treatment these patients can
      obtain dis-ease-free survival.

PMID- 28913116
TI  - Evaluation of sleep disorder and its effect on sexual dysfunction in patients
      with Fibromyalgia syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sexual problems are commonly seen in women with fibromyalgia syndrome
      (FMS). The objective of this study was to reveal the relationship between the
      severity of symptoms, sleep disorder, and sexual dysfunction in women with FMS.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 140 sexually active women with FMS aged 17-67
      years who presented to our physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic
      between January 2016 and June 2016 were enrolled in the study. The patients' age,
      height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), and general pain score [visual
      analogue scale, (VAS)] for the last 1 week were recorded. The patients were given
      three different sets of questionnaires: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
      (PSQI), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and Female Sexual Function Index
      (FSFI). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 40.3+/-8.5 years; the mean BMI
      was 27.1+/-4.4 kg/m2, VAS (last 1 week) was 6.9+/-2 cm, the mean PSQI was 24.8+/
      10.8 (one patient with PSQI <=5), FIQ was 65.9+/-19.2, and FSFI was 19.0+/-6.9.
      No significant relationship was observed between the mean PSQI and BMI values
      (p=0.401), whereas a significant relationship was found between the mean values
      of VAS, FIQ, and FSFI (p=0.03; p=0.034; p<0.001, respectively). In Pearson's
      correlation analysis, a positive correlation was noted between PSQI and VAS
      (r=0.324; p<0.001) and FIQ values (r=0.271; p=0.001). A significant relationship
      was found between the FIQ and VAS values (p<0.001). P less than 0.005 was
      considered statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Sleep disorder is regarded as
      the underlying cause for many signs and symptoms in FMS. Sexual dysfunction may
      develop in women with FMS, based on the severity of the disease and poor sleep
      quality. We found that sleep dysfunction was significantly related with the
      severity of disease, pain, and sexual disfunction. We also found a positive
      correlation between VAS and PSQI.

PMID- 28913117
TI  - Evaluation of the efficacy of transobturator tape surgery in the treatment of
      stress urinary incontinence using urodynamics and questionnaires.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the efficiency of transobturator tape (TOT) surgery using
      urodynamics and questionnaires in stress urinary incontinence. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Ninety-two patients with stress and mixed urinary incontinency who
      underwent TOT surgery were selected for the study. We retrospectively examined
      the patients' urodynamics, ultrasonography, demographic characteristics,
      incontinency surveys, life quality scores [incontinence impact questionnaire, (IQ
      7) and urinary distress inventory (UDI-6)], diagnostic findings, Q-type test,
      surgical records, and complications. Patients treatment adherence, life quality
      scores, and urodynamics were evaluated as per the findings and complications
      following discharge of the patients between 12 and 36 months. Patients with a
      surgical history as the result of incontinence were excluded from the study.
      RESULTS: Prior to surgery, 57 (61%, 95) patients had stress urinary incontinence
      (SUI), and 35 (38%, 05) patients had mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). During
      surgery, 45 (48%, 91) patients underwent extra pelvic surgical intervention. The
      mean follow-up time was 22.17+/-7.55 months. Our subjective success rate was 91%,
      3 and the objective success rate was 78%, 3. In the life quality evaluation, a
      statistically significant improvement was found between IIQ-7 and UDI-6 scores.
      Parity over 4 was an important failure reason. Two (2%, 17) patients developed
      vaginal erosion, 2 (2%, 17) of the patients developed temporary urine retention,
      and 1 (1%, 08) patient developed nova urge incontinence. CONCLUSION: Our study
      demonstrates that TOT surgery provides high objective and subjective success and
      has a positive impact on life quality. The ease of application and lower
      complication rate makes TOT a valuable alternative for other treatment approaches
      in the surgical treatment of SUI.

PMID- 28913118
TI  - The course and outcomes of complicated gallstone disease in pregnancy: Experience
      of a tertiary center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the course and outcomes of pregnant patients with
      complicated gallstone disease and to reveal the experience of a tertiary center.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 92.567 patients were evaluated using
      searches for diagnoses with the terms of pregnant, pregnancy, gallstone,
      cholecystitis, cholangitis, choledocholithiasis, pancreatitis, and endoscopic
      retrograde cholangiopancreatography in pregnancy in the hospital database.
      Patients' age, week of gestation, parity, body mass index, definitive diagnosis,
      attack episodes, treatment modalities, and obstetric and neonatal complications
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, 59 women were diagnosed as having complicated
      gallstone disease in pregnancy. Acute cholecystitis was the most commonly
      diagnosed complicated gallbladder disease (62.7%). Cholecystectomy was performed
      in 15 women during gestation. Perinatal outcomes were as follows: one (1.7%)
      maternal death, 4 (6.8%) preterm deliveries, 5 (8.5%) low-birth-weight fetuses,
      and 1 (1.7%) missed abortion were encountered. No fetal abnormalities were
      encountered. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of women experience biliary
      disease during pregnancy. Herein, we presented our clinical experience because
      the diagnosis, course, and management of complicated gallstone disease in
      pregnancy is complicated.

PMID- 28913119
TI  - Hysteroscopy: A necessary method for detecting uterine pathologies in post
      menopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding or increased endometrial
      thickness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the histologic and hysteroscopic findings of post
      menopausal women with uterine bleeding and asymptomatic women with increased
      endometrial thickness equal or more than 5 mm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross
      sectional study was performed between May 2014 and June 2015 on 110 post
      menopausal women aged 40-82 years. The women were divided into two groups: Women
      with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB group) and asymptomatic women with increased
      endometrial thickness (asymptomatic group). RESULTS: Among the participants, 67
      women had AUB and 43 women were asymptomatic. In the AUB group sensitivity,
      specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of hysteroscopy for
      normal findings were 98%, 100%, 100% and 90%, respectively. In the asymptomatic
      group, the same parameters were 98%, 100%, 100% and 85%, respectively. The
      sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of
      hysteroscopy for polyps and myomas were 100%. Also, the sensitivity, specificity,
      and positive and negative predictive values were 100% in hyperplasia cases found
      during hysteroscopy in both groups. CONCLUSION: Increased endometrial thickness
      in postmenopausal women with or without AUB is mostly due to benign lesions such
      as polyps and submucosal myomas. Hysteroscopy is a safe and reliable method for
      evaluating and treating these lesions.

PMID- 28913120
TI  - Effects of the morbid obesity and skin incision choices on surgical outcomes in
      patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of obesity on surgical
      outcomes in patients who underwent gynecologic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      total, we evaluated 132 patients who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy with
      or without salpingo-oophorectomy for benign gynecologic procedures at our
      tertiary referral gynaecology clinic. RESULTS: The non-morbid obese group [body
      mass index (BMI) <40 kg/m2] included 94 patients, and the morbid obese group (BMI
      >=40 kg/m2) included 38 patients. The perioperative outcomes of the groups were
      compared. The mean operative time was significantly longer for morbid obese
      patients than non-morbid obese patients (p<0.05). Estimated blood loss, the need
      for blood transfusion, postoperative hemoglobin values, and the need for an
      intraabdominal drain were similar between the groups. Early and late
      postoperative complications were significantly more frequent in the morbid obese
      group than the other group (p<0.05, for each). Early postoperative complications
      in patients who underwent vertical skin incision were significantly more frequent
      than in patients who underwent pfannenstiel incision (p<0.05). Late complications
      were comparable between the two types of skin incision. CONCLUSION: Morbid
      obesity significantly increases the mean operative times and the postoperative
      complication rates of abdominal hysterectomy operations.

PMID- 28913121
TI  - The impact of abdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomies on women's sexuality and
      psychological condition.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there were any differences in the quality of
      life, sexual function, and self-esteem of patients who underwent total
      laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) (n=42) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH)
      (n=42). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All premenopausal patients who underwent TLH or
      TAH because of benign uterine disorders were enrolled. The sexual function and
      quality of life status were assessed preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively
      using three standardized validated questionnaires: the Arizona Sexual Experiences
      Scale (ASEX), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Rosenberg Self
      Esteem Scale (RSES). RESULTS: Preoperative ASEX, SCL-90-R and RSES scores were
      not different among the hysterectomy subgroups. The postoperative SCL-90-R scores
      were also not different among the hysterectomy subgroups. The postoperative RSES
      scores were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the preoperative scores for all
      procedures (indicating improved self-esteem) but did not differ among the groups.
      The postoperative ASEX scores were significantly decreased (p<0.01) as compared
      with the preoperative scores (indicating improved sexual function). When the
      average score of each item of the ASEX score was compared in both groups,
      significant differences were observed in sexual drive and arousal in the
      laparoscopy group (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Women undergoing TLH for benign uterine
      disease may have better outcomes related to certain sexual function parameters
      than women undergoing TAH.

PMID- 28913122
TI  - Impact of laparoscopic ovarian drilling on serum anti-mullerian hormone levels in
      patients with anovulatory Polycystic Ovarian syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is a marker of the activity of
      recruitable ovarian follicles. It is useful in the prediction of ovarian reserve.
      Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) have elevated circulating and
      intrafollicular AMH levels. Laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) in patients with
      PCOS destroys ovarian androgen-producing tissue and reduces their peripheral
      conversion to estrogens. Identifying factors that determine the response of
      patients with PCOS to LOD will help in selecting the patients who would likely
      benefit from this treatment. AMH is one such marker that can predict the response
      to LOD. To evaluate the effect of LOD on serum AMH levels among PCOS responders
      and non-responders and the usefulness of AMH as a tool in predicting the response
      to LOD, and to whether there was loss of ovarian function after LOD. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study including 30 clomiphene-resistant
      women with anovulatory PCOS undergoing LOD. Statistical analysis was performed to
      evaluate the effect of LOD on serum levels of AMH on these women. RESULTS: A
      significant fall in the levels of AMH was observed after LOD in both responders
      and non-responders (p<0.001). Women with AMH >8.3 ng/mL showed a significantly
      lower ovulation rate (33.3%). LOD was not associated with a risk of diminished
      ovarian reserve. CONCLUSION: LOD is an effective first-line treatment for women
      with PCOS who are clomiphene resistant. LOD has no negative effect on ovarian
      reserve. AMH is a useful marker in predicting the outcome of LOD.

PMID- 28913123
TI  - True management of Obstructed Hemi-vagina and Ipsilateral Renal Anomaly syndrome.
AB  - Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome is an unusual congenital anomaly of the female
      genitourinary system, which is described as uterine didelphys with Obstructed
      Hemi-vagina and Ipsilateral Renal Anomaly (OHIRA), also known as OHVIRA syndrome.
      Typical symptoms are pelvic pain, tenderness, pelvic mass due to blood collection
      in the obstructed hemi-vagina and uterus, and dysmenorrhea that usually begins
      shortly after menarche. Clinical suspicion is very important for diagnosis and
      correct management avoids both short- and long-term complications. Surgical
      removal of the vaginal septum is the main treatment method. Herein, we describe
      the evaluation and surgical management of a patient with OHVIRA syndrome who was
      diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging and pelvic ultrasound.

PMID- 28913124
TI  - Postpartum aortic dissection in a patient without Marfan's syndrome.
AB  - Aortic dissection can occur in pregnancy or during the postpartum period without
      pre-existing disease and it is a rare but potentially life-threatening event.
      Herein, we present a young woman without Marfan's syndrome who developed a
      postpartum ascending aortic dissection 5 days after cesarean section.

PMID- 28913125
TI  - Bilateral ovarian metastasis of a Klatskin tumor: A rare case.
AB  - Metastatic carcinomas of the ovary have an important place in all ovarian cancers
      and tumors. They can originate from many organs and systems and may metastasize
      to the ovary. The most common primary origin of metastasis is the
      gastrointestinal tract and then breast tissue. Cholangiocellular carcinomas
      involving the junction of the right and left bile ducts are called Klatskin
      tumors, and their metastases to the ovaries are very rare. A woman aged 54 years
      who had been treated previously for Klatskin tumor was admitted to our clinic due
      to bilateral ovarian masses and high serum calcium 19-9 levels. The preoperative
      approach, operative, and postoperative management of Klatskin tumor is presented.

PMID- 28913126
TI  - Angular pregnancy.
AB  - Angular pregnancy is a rare condition in which the embryo is implanted in the
      lateral angle of the uterine cavity, medial to the uterotubal junction and round
      ligament, and causes life-threatening obstetric complications. It is important to
      differentiate this condition from interstitial and cornual pregnancy because they
      all result in emergency conditions. Although angular pregnancy can progress to
      term pregnancy, it may be associated with major obstetric complications such as
      uterine rupture, placental retention, postpartum hemorrhage, or may need further
      surgery and hysterectomy. This report describes a case of angular pregnancy from
      the 6th gestational week and continued until delivery in the 32nd gestational
      week. Sonographic findings, follow-up, and delivery concerns are described in
      this manuscript.

PMID- 28913127
TI  - Severe methotrexate toxicity after treatment for ectopic pregnancy: A case
      report.
AB  - Severe methotrexate toxicity due to medical treatment of an ectopic pregnancy is
      presented. The feasibility of low-dose use and success of methotrexate makes it
      the first drug in the medical treatment of ectopic pregnancies. Besides its
      advantages, it should be used with caution and severe toxicity should be kept in
      mind.

PMID- 28913128
TI  - Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding: Factors influencing the attitudes
      of mothers who gave birth in a baby-friendly hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the initation time of breastfeeding, exclusive
      breastfeeding rates, and complementary feeding practices during the first six
      months of life among mothers who gave birth in a baby-friendly hospital.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 350 mothers.
      Demographic characteristics, obstetric history and information about
      breastfeeding initiation were collected at the hospital. Information about
      factors affecting breastfeeding duration and feeding practices of the infants
      were obtained at the end of six months. RESULTS: Some 97.4% of the mothers
      initiated breastfeeding, 60.1% within the first hour. Exclusive breastfeeding was
      maintained for six months in 38.9%. Low education levels of mother/father, random
      breastfeeding, rare breastfeeding at night, nipple problems, bottle/pacifier use,
      and lack of social support were found associated with early cessation. Planned
      pregnancy [odds ratio (OR=2.02)] and vaginal delivery (OR=0.3) were found as the
      most important factors in early initiation, whereas antepartum breastfeeding
      education (OR=7.17) was the most important factor for exclusive breastfeeding
      duration in the logistic analysis. More than half (61.1%) of the infants were
      partially/bottle fed for six months; the most common reason was the belief that
      breast milk was insufficient. CONCLUSION: Efforts to encourage mothers and
      society to breastfeed exclusively should be made as part of a primary public
      health strategy to prevent early cessation of breastfeeding.

PMID- 28913129
TI  - Evaluating the content and quality of intrapartum care in vaginal births: An
      example of a state hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the research was to assess the content and quality of
      the intrapartum care offered in vaginal births in Turkey, based on the example of
      a state hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted
      between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2014 at Aydin Maternity and
      Children's Hospital. The study sample consisted of 303 women giving vaginal
      birth, who were recruited into the study using the method of convenience
      sampling. Research data were collected with a questionnaire created by the
      researchers and assessed using the Bologna score. Numbers and percentages were
      assessed in the data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was 25.14+/
      5.37 years and 40.5% had given one live birth. Of the women, 45.2% were admitted
      to hospital in the latent phase, 76.6% were administered an enema, 3.3% had
      epidural anesthesia, 2.6% delivered using vacuum extraction, and 54.1% underwent
      an episiotomy. Some 23.8% of the women experienced spontaneous laceration that
      needed sutures. The babies of two women exhibited an Apgar score below 7 in the
      fifth minute. When the quality of the intrapartum care given to the women was
      assessed with the Bologna score, it was found that 92.7% went into labor
      spontaneously, 100% of the births were supervised by midwives and doctors, 97.7%
      of the women had no supporting companion, and the nonsupine position was only
      used in 0.3% of the women. A partogram was used to follow up on the birth process
      in 72.6% of the women, and 82.5% achieved contact with their babies within the
      first hour after birth. Induction was applied in 76.6% of the women and fundal
      pressure in 27.4%. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that the quality of intrapartum
      care in vaginal births was inadequate. Reformulating the guidelines regarding
      intrapartum care in accordance with World Health Organization recommendations and
      evidence-based practices may contribute to improving mother and infant health.

PMID- 28913130
TI  - Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus according to the different criterias.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The two-step approach recommended by the National Diabetes Data Group
      (NDDG), Carpenter and Coustan (C&C), and O'Sullivan, and the single-step approach
      recommended by the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study
      Group (IADPSG) are used to diagnose gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed
      to determine GDM prevalence and to compare the two-step and single-step
      approaches used in the southeastern region of Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      total, 3048 records of pregnant women screened for GDM between 2008 and 2014 were
      retrospectively extracted from our laboratory information system. GDM was defined
      according to the criteria of NDDG, C&C, and O'Sullivan between in 2008 and 2011,
      and according to those of the IADPSG between 2012 and 2014. Demographic variables
      were compared using student's t-test. The linear trends in GDM prevalence with
      age were calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: GDM prevalence was found
      as 4.8%, 8%, and 13.4% using the NDDG, C&C, and O'Sullivan two-step approach,
      respectively, and 22.3% with the IADPSG single-step approach. GDM prevalence
      increased with increasing age in both approaches. CONCLUSION: GDM prevalence was
      higher using the single-step approach than with the two-step approach. There was
      a significant increase in GDM prevalence using the IADPSG criteria.

PMID- 28913131
TI  - The significance of reverse flow in ductus venosus between sixteen and twenty
      weeks' gestation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between reversed a-wave in ductus venosus
      at 16-20 weeks' gestation and trisomy 21 and adverse perinatal outcomes.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study included 174 pregnant women who were under
      follow-up at a tertiary center between May and September 2010. Ductus venosus
      Doppler (DVD) measurements were obtained throughout the 6-month period from women
      who underwent amniocentesis procedures due to increased risk for trisomy 21 in
      terms of first or second trimester screening test results. These women were
      followed up for enrollment of subsequent data about perinatal outcomes. RESULTS:
      In 13 of 174 cases, Doppler studies indicated a reversed a-wave in the ductus
      venosus. Of these fetuses, 3 were diagnosed as having trisomy 21 after
      amniocentesis, which related to 60% (3 of 5 fetuses) of all fetuses with trisomy
      21. The pregnant women with reversed a-wave in DVD also had an increased rate of
      preeclampsia (15%) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (23%) in late
      pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Reversed a-wave in ductus venosus between 16-20 weeks'
      gestation is associated with increased risk of trisomy 21, preeclampsia, and GDM.
      If further prospective studies confirm its utility, DVD interrogation for trisomy
      21 may be extended until 20 weeks' gestation.

PMID- 28913132
TI  - The incidence, risk factors, and mortality of preterm neonates: A prospective
      study from Jordan (2012-2013).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the incidence of preterm delivery, maternal risk factors
      for having a preterm neonate, and preterm neonates' mortality in Jordan.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based design was applied.
      Socio-demographic, perinatal, delivery risk factors, and survival information
      were gathered in pre- and post-hospital discharge interviews with 21075 women who
      gave birth to live neonates at >=20 weeks of gestation in 18 hospitals in Jordan.
      Women were interviewed between 2012 and 2013. The sample was limited to singleton
      women who gave birth to live neonates. Women who gave birth to stillborn babies
      were excluded. RESULTS: Preterm delivery incidence was 5.8%, of which 85% were in
      32-36 gestational weeks. Male sex, primigravidity, hypertension, preeclampsia,
      and diabetes were significantly associated with an increased risk of preterm
      delivery. Women aged 20-35 years had the lowest risk of preterm delivery.
      Mother's weight <50 kg, hospitalization at 24-34 gestational weeks, lack of
      antenatal care visits or <8 visits during pregnancy, a history of preterm
      delivery, and a history of stillbirth/neonatal death were associated with
      increased risks of preterm delivery. The neonatal mortality rate was 4/1000 live
      births among full-term and 123/1000 live births among preterm babies.
      Prematurity, congenital anomalies, and maternal diseases were the causes of 84%
      of preterm neonatal deaths. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate was considerably
      higher among preterm neonates than among term neonates; discrepancies between
      Jordan and other countries existed. Systematic prenatal risk assessment and
      quality postnatal health care improvements are required to improve the survival
      rates of preterm neonates.

PMID- 28913133
TI  - The relationship between fecal incontinence and vaginal delivery in the
      postmenopausal stage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Obstetric anal sphincter injuries are one of the most significant
      complications of vaginal delivery that give way to fecal incontinence, which is
      defined as the involuntary leakage of gas, fluid or solid stool. Although
      sphincter injuries are seen in 0.5-9% of all deliveries. It has been reported
      that 20-41% of women who had vaginal deliveries had occult anal sphincter
      injuries as endoanal ultrasonography began to be used by physicians. The aim of
      our study was to investigate the relationship between fecal incontinence, whose
      incidence increases dramatically during the postmenopausal stage, and occult anal
      sphincter injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred healthy female patients
      with no history of anal sphincter injury, aged between 18 and 70 years were
      included in the study. The participants were divided into 4 groups according to
      their menopausal stages and mode of delivery; premenopausal (group 1) and
      postmenopausal (group 2) vaginal delivery, and premenopausal (group 3) and
      postmenopausal (group 4) cesarean section. Wexner incontinence scores were
      determined. The participants' defects were assessed using endoanal ultrasound and
      their status of fecal incontinence using anorectal manometric measurements.
      RESULTS: Anorectal manometric measurement results were found significantly lower
      in group 1 than in group 3 (p<0.01). The Wexner scores of groups 1 and 3 were
      similar. The anorectal manometric measurement results of group 2 were
      significantly lower than those of group 4, and the Wexner score of group 2 was
      significantly higher than other groups (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Anal sphincter
      injuries formed after vaginal delivery may be one of the reasons that increase
      the incidence of postmenopausal fecal incontinence and cause the formation of
      fecal incontinence symptoms in women.

PMID- 28913134
TI  - Management of vesicovaginal fistulas after gynecologic surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In developed nations, surgery, especially gynecologic procedures, is
      the major cause of vesicovaginal fistulas (VVFs). We retrospectively evaluated
      our treatment modalities for VVF repair caused by a gynecologic surgery, and
      discussed the reasons of selecting certain surgical techniques and their
      outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the surgical procedure preferences
      of surgeons and their results with patient and surgeon characteristics for the
      management of VVFs after an inciting gynecologic surgery in Suleyman Demirel
      University Hospital, Isparta over a 10-year period. The surgical procedures were
      undertaken in departments of urology and obstetrics and gynecology. RESULTS:
      Abdominal repair was chosen for 65%, vaginal repair for 25%, and laparoscopic
      repair for 10% of patients. For the 75% of the patients that urologists operated,
      they chose the abdominal route. The mean parity number of patients who underwent
      abdominal repair was lower than that for vaginal repairs (p<0.05). For the
      patients managed with the vaginal route, 20% had a Martius flap, and 80% had a
      simple excision and repair. For patients operated via the abdominal route, 18%
      needed omental flap; no tissue interposition was used for the rest. The mean
      hospitalization time was less in patients managed with transvaginal repair (3.4
      days) compared with transabdominal repair (9.2 days) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      choice of repair method depends on surgeon's training (gynecology vs. urology).
      The vaginal route should be the first choice because it does not compromise the
      success rate and the mean hospitalization time is less. For the transvaginal
      approach, access to the lesion is the most important factor for the success of
      the procedure. No flap is needed for tissues that appear well vascularized.

PMID- 28913135
TI  - Prognostic risk factors for lymph node involvement in patients with endometrial
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to analyze variables affecting lymph node (LN) involvement
      and to assess the need for systematic lymphadenectomy in patients with
      endometrial cancer (EC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single centre retrospective
      analysis was conducted in a total of 128 consecutive patients with EC who
      underwent systematic pelvic or combined pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy
      between 2009 and 2012. Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, and Fisher's exact test were
      used for univariate analyses when appropriate. Variables with a p value <0.05 in
      the univariate analysis were included into a multivariate logistic regression
      analysis. The effects of variables on LN involvement are reported using adjusted
      odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: In univariate
      analysis, grade 2-3, tumor size >=3 cm, deep (>=50%) myometrial invasion,
      presence of cervical, adnexal or omental involvement, positive peritoneal
      cytology, open surgical approach (laparotomy), combined pelvic and paraaortic
      lymphadenectomy and number of total LNs removed (>30) were found associated with
      LN involvement. However, the number of total LNs removed (>30) was the only
      independent variable that predict LN involvement in multivariate analysis [OR:
      15.08; 95% CI: (1.28-177.59); p=0.03]. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that
      the more LNs removed during staging of EC, the greater the probability of finding
      LN metastasis.

PMID- 28913136
TI  - Clinical analyses of successful and previously failed intracytoplasmic sperm
      injection cycle parameters in patients with poor ovarian reserve.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine some major characteristic differences between two
      consecutive successful and unsuccessful intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
      cycles in poor responders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty women with poor ovarian
      response as determined using the Bologna criteria underwent ICSI cycles following
      an unsuccessful trial. Some parameters of both cycles including age, body mass
      index (BMI), serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol levels,
      antral follicle count, gonadotropin dosage, duration of stimulation, antagonist
      starting day, duration of antagonist administration, endometrial thickness at
      trigger day, number of total and fertilized oocytes, embryo transfer day, number
      of embryo cells, and fertilization rate were compared in the same patients to
      identify predictors of cycles with clinical pregnancy. RESULTS: The mean age,
      BMI, serum FSH, estradiol concentrations, and antral follicle count were 35.9
      years (range, 30-42 years), 25.9 kg/m2 (range, 18.4-33.5 kg/m2), 10.9 IU/mL
      (range, 7-13 IU/mL), 52.9 pg/mL (range, 11.6-75 pg/mL), and 4.7 (range, 2-10),
      respectively. A comparison of cycle characteristics showed a significantly higher
      total number of mature and fertilized oocytes in successful cycles. The
      fertilization rate was also significantly higher in cycles with clinical
      pregnancy. Early initiation of antagonist was shown to result in favorable
      outcomes. A comparison of embryo characteristics showed that transfer of higher
      stage embryos and embryos with higher numbers of cells had a significant impact
      on cycle outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our comparison of parameters of failed and
      successful ICSI cycles in poor responders revealed significantly earlier
      antagonist initiation, higher total number of mature and fertilized oocytes,
      fertilization rate, and significantly higher stage of embryo development and cell
      numbers at transfer in cycles that resulted in clinical pregnancy.

PMID- 28913137
TI  - Intra-cesarean insertion and fixation of frameless intrauterine devices.
AB  - Various contraceptive methods are available to postpartum women including
      hormonal and nonhormonal barriers, as well as injectable forms. Of all the
      available birth control methods, intrauterine devices (IUD) are felt by many to
      be the near-ideal form of contraception, and are recommended by advocacy groups,
      physicians, and gynecological organizations worldwide. Immediate postpartum IUD
      insertion deserves greater attention because it can provide immediate
      contraception, prevents repeat unintended pregnancies, and may serve to reduce
      the incidence or need for secondary cesarean delivery; however, insertion of
      conventional T-shape IUDs immediately post placenta delivery is limited by their
      high expulsion and displacement rates. Anchoring of frameless-design IUDs that
      lack conventional cross-arms to the uterine fundal surfaces has been medically
      and commercially available throughout Europe for many years. The placement
      technique is simple, has minimal patient discomfort, and high long-term patient
      acceptance due to its high degree of uterine compatibility as a consequence of
      its small size and segmented design. Frameless-design IUD implantation appears to
      represent a major advance, suitable for general use, due to its lack of timing
      restraints and its simplicity of attachment, which only requires limited
      training.

PMID- 28913138
TI  - Chondrosarcoma mimicking an adnexal mass: A very rare case report.
AB  - Chondrosarcoma is considered as a common primary bone sarcoma. These sarcomas can
      form large masses without any specific symptoms because there are no barriers in
      pelvic anatomy to prevent the enlargement of tumors, and can mimic ovarian
      masses. We present a pelvic chondrosarcoma in a woman aged 37 years who was
      misdiagnosed as having an ovarian mass due to the limited information obtained
      from imaging studies. Pelvic chondrosarcoma should be considered in patients who
      have pelvic masses with solid components. It should be kept in mind that
      interventions should be performed at centers where there are orthopedic surgeons
      with experience of this subject.

PMID- 28913139
TI  - Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome associated with rectovestibular fistula.
AB  - A female neonate with two openings in the introitus and an absent anal opening at
      the anal site presents a diagnostic challenge. Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser
      (MRKH) syndrome associated with rectovestibular fistula, though rare, should be
      kept in mind as a differential diagnosis of this presentation. We present such a
      case in a one-year-old female child with MRKH syndrome and rectovestibular
      fistula.

PMID- 28913140
TI  - A rare case of complete penoscrotal transposition with hypospadias in a newborn.

PMID- 28913141
TI  - Outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection after preinstillation of a
      gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist in the uterine cavity just before embryo
      transfer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist
      (GnRHa) injection prior to embryo transfer on implantation and pregnancy rate.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients
      undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy with and without GnRHa
      preinstallation into the uterine cavity just before embryo transfer between
      January 2012 and March 2013 in a single IVF center of a university hospital.
      Patients were evaluated based upon implantation, pregnancy, live birth, and
      miscarriage rates. RESULTS: GnRHa was injected into the uterine cavity of 108
      patients prior to embryo transfer which were regarded as study group. One
      thousand forty-seven patients who were not injected GnRHa were regarded as the
      control group. Pregnancy rates were 44.4% and 41.7% in the GnRHa and control
      groups, respectively. Live birth rates were 27.8% and 26.1%, miscarriage rates
      were 15.7% and 15.7%, and implantation rates were 31% and 30%, respectively and
      there were no difference between groups statistically (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: No
      statistically significant differences in implantation, pregnancy, live birth, or
      miscarriage rates were observed in patients treated with GnRHa prior to embryo
      transfer, relative to the controls. Therefore, GnRHa injection into the uterine
      cavity prior to embryo transfer is not recommended as a means of increasing
      implantation or pregnancy rates in IVF. However, prospective randomized
      controlled studies are needed to clarify the effect of GnRHa instillation in the
      uterine cavity for embryo implantation in IVF.

PMID- 28913142
TI  - Day 3 embryo transfer versus day 5 blastocyst transfers: A prospective randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to show whether transferring day 5 embryos resulted
      in higher implantation and pregnancy rates than transferring day 3 embryos in
      Turkish women undergoing an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 190 women who had ICSI after retrieval of more
      than four oocytes on the day of fertilization check were randomly assigned to
      undergo embryo transfer either on day 3 or day 5. RESULTS: Day 3 and day 5
      transfers were statistically similar with respect to the age of woman (p=0.107),
      duration of infertility (p=0.528), cause of infertility (p=0.850), number of
      collected oocytes (p=0.119), number of metaphase II oocytes (p=0.178), number of
      fertilized oocytes (p=0.092), and number of transferred embryos (p=0.556). The
      number of grade 1 embryos was significantly higher in day 5 transfers than in day
      3 transfers (p=0.001). Day 3 and day 5 embryo transfers had statistically similar
      implantation, clinical pregnancy, twinning, and live birth rates (p=0.779,
      p=0.771, p=0.183, and p=0.649, respectively). The live birth rates in singleton
      pregnancies conceived after day 3 and day 5 embryo transfers were statistically
      similar (p=0.594). CONCLUSION: The efficacy of blastocyst transfer is not
      inferior to that of embryo transfer on cleavage stage. Performing blastocyst
      transfer may have benefits because it is associated with acceptable pregnancy
      rates and morphologic assessment on day 3 has limited predictive value for
      subsequent embryonic development.

PMID- 28913143
TI  - Role of osteocalcin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and adiponectin in polycystic
      ovary syndrome patients with insulin resistance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance (IR) seems to be the main pathogenic factor in
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      (TNF-alpha) are important in IR. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      correlations of osteocalcin, adiponectin, and TNF-alpha with IR in PCOS.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 women were divided into two groups. The
      first group constituted 44 patients with PCOS and the control group comprised 16
      healthy women. Osteocalcin, adiponectin, TNF-alpha levels, body mass index (BMI),
      and IR in the fasting state were assessed and correlations of these parameters
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-IR, adiponectin,
      osteocalcin, and androstenedione levels were significantly increased in the PCOS
      group. A moderate positive correlation between BMI and HOMA-IR, a moderate
      negative correlation between TNF-alpha and osteocalcin, and a mild negative
      correlation between adiponectin and BMI were detected in PCOS. CONCLUSION:
      Osteocalcin may have impact on adiponectin, TNF-alpha, and IR levels in PCOS.
      Different osteocalcin levels in patients with PCOS may be responsible for
      explaining PCOS heterogeneity.

PMID- 28913144
TI  - Effect of pigtail catheter application on obstetric outcomes in in vitro
      fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection pregnancies following
      hyperstimulation syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of percutaneous pigtail catheter drainage on
      the outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) pregnancies following
      moderate or severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This retrospective study included 189 patients hospitalized for OHSS
      following ICSI treatment in a tertiary in vitro fertilization unit between 2006
      and 2014. Pigtail catheters were applied in 63 patients; the other 126 patients
      did not need that treatment. The obstetric reports of 173 patients could be
      accessed and were examined to investigate the pregnancy outcomes of those with
      and without catheters. RESULTS: No complications such as infection or vascular or
      intra-abdominal organ trauma were observed related to the pigtail application.
      There were no differences in abortus, preterm labor, gestational diabetes
      mellitus, and preeclampsia ratio between the pigtail and control groups (p>0.05).
      The rate of readmission to hospital for OHSS was lower in the pigtail group than
      in the control group although not statistically significant (p=0.08). CONCLUSION:
      Pigtail application is a safe and effective method for draining ascites in
      patients with OHSS after ICSI treatment. The use of pigtail catheters had no
      adverse effects on the perinatal outcomes of patients hospitalized with OHSS who
      became pregnant after ICSI treatment. In addition, the percutaneous drainage of
      ascites via a pigtail catheter helped prevent the readmission of patients with
      moderate or severe OHSS.

PMID- 28913145
TI  - Subclinical hypothyroidism: Is it important in intracytoplasmic sperm injection
      cycles?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes of women
      with subclinical hypothyroidism with those of euthyroid women. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted. Out of 2529 ICSI
      cycles evaluated, 41 women with hypothyroidism, 28 women with hyperthyroidism,
      and 128 women with subclinical hyperthyroidism were excluded, and 2336 cycles
      were analyzed. Women were identified as having subclinical hypothyroidism (case
      group, n=105) in the presence of a thyroid-stimulating hormone level >4.5 mU/L
      and normal free T4 and compared with euthyroid controls (n=2231). RESULTS: The
      mean age, body mass index, day 3 follicle-stimulating hormone level, and antral
      follicle count of the study patients were similar to the control group (p>0.5).
      The cycle cancellation rate of the study group was similar to the control group
      (13.3% vs. 7.6%, p=0.1). The clinical pregnancy rate was 21.2% in the study
      group, which was significantly lower than the 35.8% in the control group
      (p=0.04). The take-home baby rate was also significantly lower in the study group
      compared with the control groups (13.5% vs. 31.4% respectively, p=0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Both the clinical pregnancy rate and the take-home baby rate is lower
      in women with subclinical hypothyroidism at the time of ICSI cycle.

PMID- 28913146
TI  - Fetomaternal outcomes in pregnant women with hepatitis E infection; still an
      important fetomaternal killer with an unresolved mystery of increased virulence
      in pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis is a prevalent infection in developing countries. While
      hepatitis B and C are deepening their roots in the developed world, hepatitis A
      and E are common in the developing world. The uniqueness of hepatitis is in its
      transformation from a relatively self-limiting disease in the non-pregnant state,
      to a highly virulent disease during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      retrospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics
      and Gynecology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, for a period of six
      months from June 2016 to November 2016 [probably during an endemic peak of
      hepatitis E virus (HEV)] to observe the clinical outcomes in HEV-infected
      pregnant women. RESULTS: A total of 32 anti-HEV immunoglobulin M-positive
      pregnant women were included, and fetomaternal outcomes were analyzed. Hepatitis
      E positivity was significantly associated with maternal mortality, intrauterine
      demise with prematurity, and premature rupture of membranes was the most common
      fetal complication noted. CONCLUSION: The difference in extent of virulence of
      infection and variations in maternal morbidity, mortality, and rates of
      intrauterine demise, signify the presence of some factors that play a role and
      need to be further studied and evaluated.

PMID- 28913147
TI  - Summary of 2185 prenatal invasive procedures in a single center: A retrospective
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency, indications, and outcomes of diagnostic
      invasive prenatal procedures (DIPP) performed in a university hospital. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This retrospective, observational study included 2185 cases of DIPP
      (chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, and cordocentesis) performed at the
      department of obstetrics and gynecology of a university hospital between 2010 and
      2016. We included all DIPP cases performed between 11 and 24 weeks of gestation.
      We compared the different types of DIPP performed in our hospital. RESULTS: Two
      thousand one hundred eighty-five procedures were performed (1853 amniocenteses,
      326 chorionic villus sampling, and 6 cordocenteses). The main indication for
      performing invasive procedures was abnormal results of aneuploidy screening for
      trisomy 21, followed by maternal age, and fetal structural abnormality. The fetal
      karyotype was altered in 154 (26.1%) cases. Trisomy 21 was the most common
      aneuploidy followed by trisomy 18, monosomy X, and trisomy 13. Fetal karyotype
      could not be revealed in 42 (2%) cases due to maternal contamination in 18 cases,
      inadequate sampling in 4 cases, and failure of cell culture in 27 cases. There
      were 2 pregnancy losses due to the invasive procedure (only in amniocentesis).
      CONCLUSION: The ideal approach to pregnancies with a detected chromosomal
      abnormality should be tailored according to the individual choice of the couples
      regarding whether they decide for or against a child with a known chromosomal
      abnormality.

PMID- 28913148
TI  - The effect of pelvic organ prolapse type on sexual function, muscle strength, and
      pelvic floor symptoms in women: A retrospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This retrospective research was planned to investigate the effect of
      pelvic organ prolapse (POP) type on sexual function, muscle strength, and pelvic
      floor symptoms in symptomatic women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on POP type and
      stages as assessed using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse-Quantification system of 721
      women who presented to the women's health unit between 2009 and 2016 were
      collected retrospectively. POP types were recorded as asymptomatic, anterior,
      apical, and posterior compartment prolapses. Sexual function was assessed using
      the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire short-form
      (PISQ-12), pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed through vaginal pressure
      measurement, and pelvic floor symptoms and quality of life were assessed using
      the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20). RESULTS: Among 168 women who
      met the inclusion criteria, 96 had anterior compartment prolapses, 20 had apical
      compartment prolapses, 16 had posterior compartment prolapses, and 36 women were
      asymptomatic. There was no difference between the groups in their PISQ-12 total
      and subscales scores, PFDI-20 total and two subscale (colorectal/anal, urinary)
      scores, and muscle strength (p>0.05). In the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress
      Inventory-6, another subscale of PFDI-20, it was determined that there was a
      difference between asymptomatic women and those with anterior compartment
      prolapses (p=0.044) and apical compartment prolapses (p=0.011). CONCLUSION: This
      research found that POP type did not affect sexual function, muscle strength, and
      colorectal and urinary symptoms in our cohort. There were more prolapse symptoms
      and complaints in women with anterior and apical compartment prolapses.

PMID- 28913149
TI  - Comparison of libido, Female Sexual Function Index, and Arizona scores in women
      who underwent laparoscopic or conventional abdominal hysterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare female sexual function
      between women who underwent conventional abdominal or laparoscopic hysterectomy.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-seven women who were scheduled to undergo
      hysterectomy without oophorectomy for benign gynecologic conditions were included
      in the study. The women were assigned to laparoscopic or open abdominal
      hysterectomy according to the surgeons preference. Women with endometriosis and
      symptomatic prolapsus were excluded. Female sexual function scores were obtained
      before and six months after the operation from each participant by using
      validated questionnaires. RESULTS: Pre- and postoperative scores of three
      different quationnaires were found as comparable in the group that underwent
      laparoscopic hysterectomy (p>0.05). Scores were also found as comparable in the
      group that underwent laparotomic hysterectomy (p>0.05). Pre- and postoperative
      values were compared between the two groups and revealed similar results with
      regard to all three scores (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data showed comparable pre-
      and the postoperative scores for the two different hysterectomy techniques. The
      two groups were also found to have similar pre- and postoperative score values.

PMID- 28913150
TI  - Features of ovarian Brenner tumors: Experience of a single tertiary center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Brenner tumors are rare neoplasms of the ovary. The aim of this study
      was to investigate the clinical features of Brenner tumors. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The clinical features of 22 patients who were treated in Ankara
      University Faculty of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology Department between 2005
      and 2015 were evaluated retrospectively from hospital medical records. RESULTS:
      The patients were aged 34 to 79 years at the time of diagnosis and the mean age
      was 55.1 years. Two (9.1%) patients were pre-menopausal, five (22.7%) were peri
      menopausal, and 25 (68.2%) patients were postmenopausal. One patient was
      pregnant. Twenty of the neoplasms were benign, one was malignant, and one was
      both malignant and benign. There was no recurrence in the malignant cases. Six
      (27.2%) patients had mixed tumors consisting of Brenner tumor and another ovarian
      pathology. Specifically, the other component of these tumors was mucinous
      cystadenoma in four patients, endometriosis externa in one patient, and high
      grade serous papillary cyst adenocarcinoma in one patient. CONCLUSION: Brenner
      tumors are usually incidental benign pathologic findings of surgical procedures
      in postmenopausal women. They can be found with other ovarian pathologies such as
      mucinous ovarian tumors and can coexist with other female genital tumors. Further
      studies are needed to completely understand the clinical features of Brenner
      tumors.

PMID- 28913151
TI  - Harlequin ichthyosis: A rare case.
AB  - Harlequin ichthyosis is a very rare condition that affects the skin of newborns.
      It is associated with poor barrier function of the skin leading to dehydration
      and leaves newborns prone to infections. It is due to mutations in adenosine
      triphosphate binding cassette A12 gene transmitted as an autosomal recessive
      disorder. The prognosis is very poor in these cases. Here, we report one such
      rare case.

PMID- 28913152
TI  - Early vulvar and umbilical incisional scar recurrence of cervical squamous cell
      carcinoma: Earlier than usually expected.
AB  - Cutaneous metastasis is considered as a hazardous condition depending on the mean
      survival around 9 months, which usually originates from cancers of the breast,
      lung, ovary, colon, and rarely from the cervix. The crucial prognostic factor of
      cutaneous metastasis depends on the period between the primary malignancy and
      cutaneous metastasis. We report two cases of the unusual presentation of squamous
      cell cancer of the cervix that developed vulvar and umbilical metastasis in the
      5th month of primary treatment. Both of our patients survived for 11 months
      following the primary treatment. In addition, our first case is the earliest
      vulvar recurrence of cervical carcinoma in the English literature following
      appropriate medical and surgical management.

PMID- 28913153
TI  - Quantitative analysis of 18F-NaF dynamic PET/CT cannot differentiate malignant
      from benign lesions in multiple myeloma.
AB  - A renewed interest has been recently developed for the highly sensitive bone
      seeking radiopharmaceutical 18F-NaF. Aim of the present study is to evaluate the
      potential utility of quantitative analysis of 18F-NaF dynamic PET/CT data in
      differentiating malignant from benign degenerative lesions in multiple myeloma
      (MM). 80 MM patients underwent whole-body PET/CT and dynamic PET/CT scanning of
      the pelvis with 18F-NaF. PET/CT data evaluation was based on visual (qualitative)
      assessment, semi-quantitative (SUV) calculations, and absolute quantitative
      estimations after application of a 2-tissue compartment model and a non
      compartmental approach leading to the extraction of fractal dimension (FD). In
      total 263 MM lesions were demonstrated on 18F-NaF PET/CT. Semi-quantitative and
      quantitative evaluations were performed for 25 MM lesions as well as for 25
      benign, degenerative and traumatic lesions. Mean SUVaverage for MM lesions was
      11.9 and mean SUVmax was 23.2. Respectively, SUVaverage and SUVmax for
      degenerative lesions were 13.5 and 20.2. Kinetic analysis of 18F-NaF revealed the
      following mean values for MM lesions: K1 = 0.248 (1/min), k3 = 0.359 (1/min),
      influx (Ki) = 0.107 (1/min), FD = 1.382, while the respective values for
      degenerative lesions were: K1 = 0.169 (1/min), k3 = 0.422 (1/min), influx (Ki) =
      0.095 (1/min), FD = 1. 411. No statistically significant differences between MM
      and benign degenerative disease regarding SUVaverage, SUVmax, K1, k3 and influx
      (Ki) were demonstrated. FD was significantly higher in degenerative than in
      malignant lesions. The present findings show that quantitative analysis of 18F
      NaF PET data cannot differentiate malignant from benign degenerative lesions in
      MM patients, supporting previously published results, which reflect the limited
      role of 18F-NaF PET/CT in the diagnostic workup of MM.

PMID- 28913154
TI  - PET/CT imaging of the diapeutic alkylphosphocholine analog 124I-CLR1404 in high
      and low-grade brain tumors.
AB  - CLR1404 is a cancer-selective alkyl phosphocholine (APC) analog that can be
      radiolabeled with 124I for PET imaging, 131I for targeted radiotherapy and/or
      SPECT imaging, or 125I for targeted radiotherapy. Studies have demonstrated avid
      CLR1404 uptake and prolonged retention in a broad spectrum of preclinical tumor
      models. The purpose of this pilot trial was to demonstrate avidity of 124I
      CLR1404 in human brain tumors and develop a framework to evaluate this uptake for
      use in larger studies. 12 patients (8 men and 4 women; mean age of 43.9 +/- 15.1
      y; range 23-66 y) with 13 tumors were enrolled. Eleven patients had suspected
      tumor recurrence and 1 patient had a new diagnosis of high grade tumor. Patients
      were injected with 185 MBq +/- 10% of 124I-CLR1404 followed by PET/CT imaging at
      6-, 24-, and 48-hour. 124I-CLR1404 PET uptake was assessed qualitatively and
      compared with MRI. After PET image segmentation SUV values and tumor to
      background ratios were calculated. There was no significant uptake of 124I
      CLR1404 in normal brain. In tumors, uptake tended to increase to 48 hours.
      Positive uptake was detected in 9 of 13 lesions: 5/5 high grade tumors, 1/2 low
      grade tumors, 1/1 meningioma, and 2/4 patients with treatment related changes.
      124I-CLR1404 uptake was not detected in 1/2 low grade tumors, 2/4 lesions from
      treatment related changes, and 1/1 indeterminate lesion. For 6 malignant tumors,
      the average tumor to background ratios (TBR) were 9.32 +/- 4.33 (range 3.46 to
      15.42) at 24 hours and 10.04 +/- 3.15 (range 5.17 to 13.17) at 48 hours. For 2
      lesions from treatment related change, the average TBR were 5.05 +/- 0.4 (range
      4.76 to 5.33) at 24 hours and 4.88 +/- 1.19 (range 4.04 to 5.72) at 48 hours. PET
      uptake had areas of both concordance and discordance compared with MRI. 124I
      CLR1404 PET demonstrated avid tumor uptake in a variety of brain tumors with high
      tumor-to-background ratios. There were regions of concordance and discordance
      compared with MRI, which has potential clinical relevance. Expansion of these
      studies is required to determine the clinical significance of the 124I-CLR1404
      PET findings.

PMID- 28913155
TI  - Hepatic metabolism of 11C-methionine and secretion of 11C-protein measured by PET
      in pigs.
AB  - Hepatic amino acid metabolism and protein secretion are essential liver functions
      that may be altered during metabolic stress, e.g. after surgery. We wished to
      develop a dynamic liver PET method using the radiolabeled amino acid 11C
      methionine to examine this question. Eleven 40-kg pigs were allocated to either
      laparotomy or pneumoperitoneum. 24 hours after surgery a 70-min dynamic PET
      scanning of the liver with arterial blood sampling was performed immediately
      after intravenous injection of 11C-methionine. Time course of arterial plasma 11C
      methionine concentration was used as input function and that of liver tissue 11C
      concentration as output function in an extended Patlak analysis that accounted
      for irreversible metabolism of 11C-methionine (hepatic systemic metabolic
      clearance Kmet) and secretion of 11C-protein + 11C-metabolites into blood (rate
      constant kloss). Appearance of 11C-proteins in arterial plasma was measured
      during the experiment. There were no statistically significant differences
      between the laparotomy group and the pneumoperitoneum group in any of the
      calculated parameters. Average mean hepatic systemic metabolic clearance Kmet was
      0.212 mL plasma/mL liver tissue/min, secretion rate constant from liver to blood
      kloss 0.0054 min-1, flux of methionine Fflux 3.59 MUmol methionine/mL liver
      tissue/min, and the appearance rate of 11C-proteins in plasma Rprot 0.048 kBq/mL
      plasma/min. There was significant correlation between Kmet and Rprot. In
      conclusion, the hepatic systemic metabolic clearance of 11C-methionine was
      significantly correlated to the appearance rate of 11C-proteins in plasma. It
      would be interesting to translate the present method to human studies for the
      development of a clinical quantitative test of hepatic protein secretion.

PMID- 28913156
TI  - Head and neck PET/CT therapy response interpretation criteria (Hopkins criteria) 
      external validation study.
AB  - Qualitative assessment of PET/CT results in post therapy is very important to
      provide a reproducible and systemic reporting. A recently introduced response
      criteria, known as the Hopkins criteria showed promising results. Our aim is to
      externally validate the Hopkins interpretation system to assess therapy response
      in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). The study included 69 biopsy
      proven HNSCC patients who underwent post therapy PET/CT between 5-24 weeks after
      completion of therapy. PET/CT images were interpreted by one nuclear medicine
      physician and one nuclear radiologist, independently. The studies were scored
      according to the Hopkins criteria for right neck, left neck, primary tumor site,
      and overall assessment. Scores 1, 2, 3 were considered as negative and scores 4
      and 5 were considered as positive for tumors. Inter-reader variability was
      assessed using percent agreement and Kappa statistics. Progression-free survival
      (PFS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and analyzed using Cox
      proportional hazards regression. Of the 69 patients, 59 (85.5%) were males, with
      a mean age of 62.8 years. The percent agreement between readers for overall,
      right neck, left neck, and primary tumor site were 91.3%, 97.6%, 97.6%, 91.3%
      respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and
      negative predictive value of the overall therapy assessment were 66.7%, 87.3%,
      33%, 96.5% respectively. Cox univariate regression analysis showed positive
      primary tumor site scores and overall scores were associated with a higher risk
      of progression (p<0.05). External validation of Hopkins criteria showed excellent
      inter-reader agreement and prediction of PFS in HNSCC patients.

PMID- 28913157
TI  - Non-functioning gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) tumors: a 111In-Pentetreotide
      SPECT/CT diagnostic study.
AB  - In a retrospective study performed in non-functioning GEP tumor patients we
      further investigated 111In-Pentetreotide SPECT/CT usefulness in diagnosis,
      staging and follow-up also evaluating whether the procedure may give more
      information than conventional imaging procedures (CIP), such as CT, MRI, US. We
      enrolled 104 consecutive patients with non-functioning GEP tumors, 30 in initial
      diagnosis and staging phases (IDS) and 74 in follow-up (FU). All patients
      underwent somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) whole body scan at 4, 24 and,
      if necessary, 48 hours followed by abdominal and chest SPECT/CT after 111In
      Pentetreotide 148-222 MBq i.v. injection. The patients previously underwent 2 to
      3 CIP. At both CIP and SPECT/CT, 34/104 patients were classified as no evidence
      of disease (NED); in 70/104 patients, neoplastic lesions were ascertained and 12
      IDS and 17 FU were classified as not operable and treated with octeotride or
      chemotherapy. SPECT/CT and CIP were concordantly positive in 44 patients, while
      only CIP was positive in 6 cases and only SPECT/CT in 20. Both per-patient
      sensitivity and accuracy of SPECT/CT (91.4 and 94.2%, respectively) were higher
      than CIP (71.4 and 80.8%, respectively), but not significantly. Globally, 292
      lesions were ascertained: 141 hepatic, 78 abdominal extra-hepatic and 73 extra
      abdominal. CIP detected 191/292 (65.4%) lesions in 50 patients, while SPECT/CT
      244/292 (83.6%) in 64, the difference being significant (p<0.0001). No false
      positive results were found at both SPECT/CT and CIP. Both SPECT/CT sensitivity
      and accuracy were higher than CIP in G1, G2, neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) and
      mixed adeno-neuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) patients, but significantly only for
      G1. Globally, SPECT/CT incremental value than CIP was 35.6%. SPECT/CT correctly
      modified CIP classification and patient management in 27.9% of cases, while it
      down-staged the disease than CIP in 9.6% of cases. However, the two procedures
      combined use could achieve the highest accuracy value. 111In-Pentetreotide SRS,
      acquired as SPECT/CT, showing high sensitivity and accuracy values, more elevated
      than CIP in the present study, can still have a wide employment in the routine
      diagnostic protocol of non-functioning GEP tumors with significant impact on
      patient management and therapy planning. The procedure is simple to perform, has
      limited cost and wide availability in all Nuclear Medicine Centers.

PMID- 28913158
TI  - Dosimetry and first human experience with 89Zr-panitumumab.
AB  - 89Zr-panitumumab is a novel immuno-PET radiotracer. A fully humanized IgG2
      antibody, panitumumab binds with high affinity to the extracellular ligand
      binding domain of EGFR. Immuno-PET with radiolabeled panitumumab is a non
      invasive method that could characterize EGFR expression in tumors and metastatic
      lesions. It might also assist in selecting patients likely to benefit from
      targeted therapy as well as monitor response and drug biodistribution for dosing
      guidance. Our objective was to calculate the maximum dosing for effective imaging
      with minimal radiation exposure in a small subset. Three patients with metastatic
      colon cancer were injected with approximately 1 mCi (37 MBq) of 89Zr-panitumumab
      IV. Whole body static images were then obtained at 2-6 hours, 1-3 days and 5-7
      days post injection. Whole organ contours were applied to the liver, kidneys,
      spleen, stomach, lungs, bone, gut, heart, bladder and psoas muscle. From these
      contours, time activity curves were derived and used to calculate mean resident
      times which were used as input into OLINDA 1.1 software for dosimetry estimates.
      The whole body effective dose was estimated between 0.264 mSv/MBq (0.97 rem/mCi)
      and 0.330 mSv/MBq (1.22 rem/mCi). The organ which had the highest dose was the
      liver which OLINDA estimated between 1.9 mGy/MBq (7.2 rad/mCi) and 2.5 mGy/MBq (9
      rad/mCi). The effective dose is within range of extrapolated estimates from mice
      studies. 89Zr-panitumumab appears safe and dosimetry estimates are reasonable for
      clinical imaging.

PMID- 28913159
TI  - Enzymatic characterization of a recombinant carbonyl reductase from Acetobacter
      sp. CCTCC M209061.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 could catalyze carbonyl compounds to
      chiral alcohols following anti-Prelog rule with excellent enantioselectivity.
      Therefore, the enzymatic characterization of carbonyl reductase (CR) from
      Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 needs to be investigated. RESULTS: A CR from
      Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 (AcCR) was cloned and expressed in E. coli. AcCR
      was purified and characterized, finding that AcCR as a dual coenzyme-dependent
      short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) was more preferred to NADH for
      biocatalytic reactions. The AcCR was activated and stable when the temperature
      was under 35  degrees C and the pH range was from 6.0 to 8.0 for the reduction of
      4'-chloroacetophenone with NADH as coenzyme, and the optimal temperature and pH
      were 45  degrees C and 8.5, respectively, for the oxidation reaction of
      isopropanol with NAD+. The enzyme showed moderate thermostability with half-lives
      of 25.75 h at 35  degrees C and 13.93 h at 45  degrees C, respectively. Moreover,
      the AcCR has broad substrate specificity to a range of ketones and ketoesters,
      and could catalyze to produce chiral alcohol with e.e. >99% for the majority of
      tested substrates following the anti-Prelog rule. CONCLUSIONS: The recombinant
      AcCR exhibited excellent enantioselectivity, broad substrate spectrum, and highly
      stereoselective anti-Prelog reduction of prochiral ketones. These results suggest
      that AcCR is a powerful catalyst for the production of anti-Prelog
      alcohols.Graphical abstractThe biocatalytic reactions conducted with the
      recombinant AcCR.

PMID- 28913160
TI  - Pancoast tumor approach through oesophagus.
AB  - Patient with Pancoast Tumor usually present in advanced stage of the disease
      which requires chemotherapy and radiotherapy as options of treatment. Histologic
      confirmation is a key for further treatment of these patients. Normally in
      bronchoscopy the lesion can't be visualised and in result making biopsy difficult
      to perform. Transthoracic biopsy through computed tomography poses anatomic
      difficulties and not always the pulmonary lesion can be reached. We report a case
      of pancoast tumor in a 68 year old male who presented with left arm pain and
      upper lobe increased density mass in chest x ray. Computed tomography confirmed
      an upper lobe mass of the left lung with invasion of the chest wall. It was
      successfully diagnosed with biopsy taken through the oesophagus of intrapulmonary
      mass with the EBUS bronchoscope (EUS- B FNA). No complication were observed
      during and after the procedure. To our knowledge this is the first case of making
      the diagnosis of lung carcinoma Pancoast tumor using EBUS bronchoscope with
      approach through oesophagus (EUS-B FNA). There may be a role in using EBUS
      specifically to diagnose a pancoast tumor in the right patient population.

PMID- 28913161
TI  - A young immunocompetent patient with spontaneous Aspergillus empyema who
      developed severe eosinophilia.
AB  - Aspergillus empyema is usually reported as a complication of surgical procedures,
      and spontaneous cases are quite rare. Here, we describe the case of a 16-year-old
      man who suddenly developed dyspnea despite previously being healthy. Chest
      computed tomography showed multiple mass-containing cavity lesions, pneumothorax,
      and pleural effusion in the left thorax. Within 2 weeks, Aspergillus fumigatus
      grew from his pleural effusion, thus he was diagnosed with Aspergillus empyema.
      He also developed severe eosinophilia after admission, and was treated with anti
      fungal drugs. Although there are many factors that can cause eosinophilia, we
      suspect that infection with Aspergillus fumigatus was the major cause of the
      eosinophilia in this patient. The lack of bronchial symptoms and lesions were not
      consistent with a diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. As far as
      we know, this is the first case of spontaneous Aspergillus empyema resulting in
      severe eosinophilia.

PMID- 28913162
TI  - Endobronchial hamartoma; a rare structural cause of chronic cough.
AB  - Pulmonary hamartomas are rare benign tumors consisting of multiple mesenchymal
      cell lines like cartilage, bone and fat. We discuss an interesting case of a 53
      year-old male patient, who was referred to our clinic for persistent cough. Chest
      X-ray revealed a left suprahilar density associated with plate like atelectasis,
      which on chest CT was found to be a densely calcified nodule, causing narrowing
      of the left upper lobe (LUL) bronchus with calcified bilateral hilar lymph nodes.
      A bronchoscopy revealed a smooth endobronchial mass with calcification, which was
      removed. Histopathology revealed pulmonary hamartoma.

PMID- 28913163
TI  - General and selective brain connectivity alterations in essential tremor: A
      resting state fMRI study.
AB  - Although essential tremor is the most common movement disorder, there is little
      knowledge about the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease. Therefore, we
      explored brain connectivity based on slow spontaneous fluctuations of blood
      oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal in patients with essential tremor (ET).
      A cohort of 19 ET patients and 23 healthy individuals were scanned in resting
      condition using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). General
      connectivity was assessed by eigenvector centrality (EC) mapping. Selective
      connectivity was analyzed by correlations of the BOLD signal between the
      preselected seed regions and all the other brain areas. These measures were then
      correlated with the tremor severity evaluated by the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor
      Rating Scale (FTMTS). Compared to healthy subjects, ET patients were found to
      have lower EC in the cerebellar hemispheres and higher EC in the anterior
      cingulate and in the primary motor cortices bilaterally. In patients, the FTMTS
      score correlated positively with the EC in the putamen. In addition, the FTMTS
      score correlated positively with selective connectivity between the thalamus and
      other structures (putamen, pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), parietal
      cortex), and between the pre-SMA and the putamen. We observed a selective
      coupling between a number of areas in the sensorimotor network including the
      basal ganglia and the ventral intermediate nucleus of thalamus, which is widely
      used as neurosurgical target for tremor treatment. Finally, ET was marked by
      suppression of general connectivity in the cerebellum, which is in agreement with
      the concept of ET as a disorder with cerebellar damage.

PMID- 28913164
TI  - Haemoprotozoa: Making biological sense of molecular phylogenies.
AB  - A range of protistan parasites occur in the blood of vertebrates and are
      transmitted by haematophagous invertebrate vectors. Some 48 genera are recognized
      in bood primarily on the basis of parasite morphology and host specificity;
      including extracellular kinetoplastids (trypanosomatids) and intracellular
      apicomplexa (haemogregarines, haemococcidia, haemosporidia and piroplasms). Gene
      sequences are available for a growing number of species and molecular phylogenies
      often link parasite and host or vector evolution. This review endeavours to
      reconcile molecular clades with biological characters. Four major trypanosomatid
      clades have been associated with site of development in the vector: salivarian or
      stercorarian for Trypanosoma, and supra- or peri-pylorian for Leishmania. Four
      haemogregarine clades have been associated with acarine vectors (Hepatozoon A and
      B, Karyolysus, Hemolivia) and another two with leeches (Dactylosoma,
      Haemogregarina sensu stricto). Two haemococcidian clades (Lankesterella,
      Schellackia) using leeches and mosquitoes (as paratenic hosts!) were paraphyletic
      with monoxenous enteric coccidia. Two major haemosporidian clades have been
      associated with mosquito vectors (Plasmodium from mammals, Plasmodium from birds
      and lizards), two with midges (Hepatocystis from bats, Parahaemoproteus from
      birds) and two with louse-flies and black-flies (Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon
      from birds). Three major piroplasm clades were recognized: one associated with
      transovarian transmission in ticks (Babesia sensu stricto); one with pre
      erythrocytic schizogony in vertebrates (Theileria/Cytauxzoon); and one with
      neither (Babesia sensu lato). Broad comparative studies with allied groups
      suggest that trypanosomatids and haemogregarines evolved first in aquatic and
      then terrestrial environments, as evidenced by extant lineages in invertebrates
      and their radiation in vertebrates. In contrast, haemosporidia and haemococcidia
      are thought to have evolved first in vertebrates from proto-coccidia and then
      incorporated invertebrate vectors. Piroplasms are thought to have evolved in
      ticks and diversified into mammals. More molecular studies are required on more
      parasite taxa to refine current thought, but ultimately transmission studies are
      mandated to determine the vectors for many haemoprotozoa.

PMID- 28913165
TI  - Molecular characterization of Babesia peircei and Babesia ugwidiensis provides
      insight into the evolution and host specificity of avian piroplasmids.
AB  - There are 16 recognized species of avian-infecting Babesia spp. (Piroplasmida:
      Babesiidae). While the classification of piroplasmids has been historically based
      on morphological differences, geographic isolation and presumed host and/or
      vector specificities, recent studies employing gene sequence analysis have
      provided insight into their phylogenetic relationships and host distribution and
      specificity. In this study, we analyzed the sequences of the 18S rRNA gene and
      ITS-1 and ITS-2 regions of two Babesia species from South African seabirds:
      Babesia peircei from African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) and Babesia
      ugwidiensis from Bank and Cape cormorants (Phalacrocorax neglectus and P.
      capensis, respectively). Our results show that avian Babesia spp. are not
      monophyletic, with at least three distinct phylogenetic groups. B. peircei and B.
      ugwidiensis are closely related, and fall within the same phylogenetic group as
      B. ardeae (from herons Ardea cinerea), B. poelea (from boobies Sula spp.) and B.
      uriae (from murres Uria aalge). The validity of B. peircei and B. ugwidiensis as
      separate species is corroborated by both morphological and genetic evidence. On
      the other hand, our results indicate that B. poelea might be a synonym of B.
      peircei, which in turn would be a host generalist that infects seabirds from
      multiple orders. Further studies combining morphological and molecular methods
      are warranted to clarify the taxonomy, phylogeny and host distribution of avian
      piroplasmids.

PMID- 28913166
TI  - Anisakidae nematodes isolated from the flathead grey mullet fish (Mugil cephalus)
      of Buenaventura, Colombia.
AB  - Anisakiasis is a parasitic infection caused by larval stages of nematodes of the
      genus Anisakis, Pseudoterranova and Contracaecum, of the Anisakidae family. The
      lifecycle of these nematodes develops in aquatic organisms and their final hosts
      are marine mammals. However, humans can act as accidental hosts and become
      infected with infective stage larvae (L3) by consuming raw or undercooked fish or
      shellfish carrying the parasite. Of this group of parasites, the genus Anisakis
      is the most studied: its presence in humans is associated with non-specific
      gastrointestinal symptoms or allergic responses that can trigger anaphylactic
      shock. The lack of studies in anisakiasis and Anisakis in Colombia has resulted
      in this infection being little-known by medical practitioners and therefore
      potentially underreported. The objective of this study was to identify anisakid
      nematodes in the flathead grey mullet fish (Mugil cephalus), caught by artisanal
      fishing methods and commercialized in Buenaventura. Morphological identification
      was carried out by classical taxonomy complemented by microscopy study using the
      histochemical technique Hematoxylin-Eosin. Nematodes of the genus Anisakis were
      found in the host M. cephalus. The Prevalence of Anisakis larvae in flathead grey
      mullet fish was 33%. The findings confirm the presence of Anisakis sp. in fish
      for human consumption in the Colombian Pacific region, a justification for
      further investigation into a possible emerging disease in this country.

PMID- 28913167
TI  - Ictal conduction aphasia and ictal angular gyrus syndrome as rare manifestations
      of epilepsy: The importance of ictal testing during video-EEG monitoring.
AB  - The aim of these two case reports is to demonstrate that a predefined,
      structured, multimodal clinical bed-side testing during seizures in a long-term
      video-EEG monitoring setting facilitates diagnosis of complex neuropsychological
      syndromes. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first case of conduction
      aphasia as the sole ictal semiology, and a patient with focal seizures producing
      an angular gyrus syndrome in the speech dominant hemisphere. The relevance of
      diagnosing ictal aphasic and angular gyrus syndromes and localizing the
      symptomatogenic zone is discussed. Current pathophysiological concepts are
      presented regarding conduction aphasia and Gerstmann's syndrome.

PMID- 28913168
TI  - Feasibility of photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging of synovitis in finger joints
      using a point-of-care system.
AB  - We evaluate a portable ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system for the
      feasibility of a point-of-care assessment of clinically evident synovitis.
      Inflamed and non-inflamed proximal interphalangeal joints of 10 patients were
      examined and compared with joints from 7 healthy volunteers. PAI scans,
      ultrasound power Doppler (US-PD), and clinical examination were performed. We
      quantified the amount of photoacoustic (PA) signal using a region of interest
      (ROI) drawn over the hypertrophic joint space. PAI response was increased 4 to 10
      fold when comparing inflamed with contralateral non-inflamed joints and with
      joints from healthy volunteers (p < 0.001 for both). US-PD and PAI were strongly
      correlated (Spearman's rho = 0.64, with 95% CI: 0.42, 0.79). Hence, PAI using a
      compact handheld probe is capable of detecting clinically evident synovitis. This
      motivates further investigation into the predictive value of PAI, including
      multispectral PAI, with other established modalities such as US-PD or MRI.

PMID- 28913169
TI  - A semi-virtual two dimensional gel electrophoresis: IF-ESI LC-MS/MS.
AB  - A method for increasing the productivity of ESI LC-MS/MS (electrospray ionization
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) was proposed and applied. After
      IF (isoelectric focusing) of the sample using IPG (immobilized pH gradient)
      strip, the strip was cut to sections, and every section was treated according to
      trypsinolysis protocol for MS/MS analysis. The peptides produced were further
      analyzed by ESI LC-MS/MS. The procedure allows to: *identify many more proteins
      and proteoforms compared to shotgun analysis of extracts.*build a semi-virtual
      2DE map of identified proteins.

PMID- 28913170
TI  - Comparison of tissue processing methods for microvascular visualization in
      axolotls.
AB  - The vascular system, the pipeline for oxygen and nutrient delivery to tissues, is
      essential for vertebrate development, growth, injury repair, and regeneration.
      With their capacity to regenerate entire appendages throughout their lifespan,
      axolotls are an unparalleled model for vertebrate regeneration, but they lack
      many of the molecular tools that facilitate vascular imaging in other animal
      models. The determination of vascular metrics requires high quality image data
      for the discrimination of vessels from background tissue. Quantification of the
      vasculature using perfused, cleared specimens is well-established in mammalian
      systems, but has not been widely employed in amphibians. The objective of this
      study was to optimize tissue preparation methods for the visualization of the
      microvascular network in axolotls, providing a basis for the quantification of
      regenerative angiogenesis. To accomplish this aim, we performed intracardiac
      perfusion of pigment-based contrast agents and evaluated aqueous and non-aqueous
      clearing techniques. The methods were verified by comparing the quality of the
      vascular images and the observable vascular density across treatment groups.
      Simple and inexpensive, these tissue processing techniques will be of use in
      studies assessing vascular growth and remodeling within the context of
      regeneration. Advantages of this method include: *Higher contrast of the
      vasculature within the 3D context of the surrounding tissue *Enhanced detection
      of microvasculature facilitating vascular quantification *Compatibility with
      other labeling techniques.

PMID- 28913172
TI  - Finding tuberculosis in prisons in India: who benefits?

PMID- 28913171
TI  - Development of capacity for research ethics review in low- and middle-income
      countries: need for a systems approach.

PMID- 28913173
TI  - 'Leaving no-one behind': how community health workers can contribute to achieving
      the Sustainable Development Goals.

PMID- 28913174
TI  - Research ethics committees in the Pacific Islands: gaps and opportunities for
      health sector strengthening.
AB  - There has been a range of developments in recent years to stimulate increasing
      public health research activity throughout the Pacific. Development of local
      capacity for ethics committee review and oversight is, however, frequently
      underdeveloped. This is reflected in the number of Pacific Island nations where
      ethics committees have not been established or where only informal processes
      exist for ethics review and oversight. This is problematic for the optimal
      development of relevant and culturally appropriate research, and building up
      local ethics committees should be part of continued research development in the
      Pacific. Three areas in which local ethics committees may add value are 1)
      offering better capacity to reflect local priorities, 2) providing broader
      benefits for research capacity building, and 3) assisting to strengthen systems
      beyond research ethics. This article considers benefits and challenges for ethics
      committees in the Pacific, and suggests directions for regional development to
      further strengthen public health research activity.

PMID- 28913176
TI  - Propensity Score Matched Comparison of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy vs
      Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: A Survival
      Analysis from the National Cancer Database.
AB  - PURPOSE: No direct comparisons between extreme hypofractionation and conventional
      fractionation have been reported in randomized trials for the treatment of
      localized prostate cancer. The goal of this study is to use a propensity score
      matched (PSM) analysis with the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for the
      comparison of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and intensity modulated
      radiation therapy (IMRT) for organ confined prostate cancer. METHODS: Men with
      localized prostate cancer treated with radiation dose >=72 Gy for IMRT and >=35
      Gy for SBRT to the prostate only were abstracted from the NCDB. Men treated with
      previous surgery, brachytherapy, or proton therapy were excluded. Matching was
      performed to eliminate confounding variables via PSM. Simple 1-1 nearest neighbor
      matching resulted in a matched sample of 5,430 (2,715 in each group). Subset
      analyses of men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) > 10, GS = 7, and GS > 7
      yielded matched samples of 1,020, 2,194, and 247, respectively. RESULTS: No
      difference in survival was noted between IMRT and SBRT at 8 years (p = 0.65).
      Subset analyses of higher risk men with PSA > 10 or GS = 7 histology or GS > 7
      histology revealed no difference in survival between IMRT and SBRT (p = 0.58, p =
      0.68, and p = 0.62, respectively). Variables significant for survival for the
      matched group included: age (p < 0.0001), primary payor (p = 0.0001),
      Charlson/Deyo Score (p = 0.0002), PSA (p = 0.0013), Gleason score (p < 0.0001),
      and use of hormone therapy (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Utilizing the NCDB, there is
      no difference in survival at 8 years comparing IMRT to SBRT in the treatment of
      localized prostate cancer. Subset analysis confirmed no difference in survival
      even for intermediate- and high-risk patients based on Gleason Score and PSA.

PMID- 28913175
TI  - Regulation of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondria Ca2+ Transfer and Its Importance
      for Anti-Cancer Therapies.
AB  - Inter-organelle membrane contact sites are emerging as major sites for the
      regulation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration and distribution. Here,
      extracellular stimuli operate on a wide array of channels, pumps, and ion
      exchangers to redistribute intracellular Ca2+ among several compartments. The
      resulting highly defined spatial and temporal patterns of Ca2+ movement can be
      used to elicit specific cellular responses, including cell proliferation,
      migration, or death. Plasma membrane (PM) also can directly contact mitochondria
      and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through caveolae, small invaginations of the PM
      that ensure inter-organelle contacts, and can contribute to the regulation of
      numerous cellular functions through scaffolding proteins such as caveolins. PM
      and ER organize specialized junctions. Here, many components of the receptor
      dependent Ca2+ signals are clustered, including the ORAI1-stromal interaction
      molecule 1 complex. This complex constitutes a primary mechanism for Ca2+ entry
      into non-excitable cells, modulated by intracellular Ca2+. Several contact sites
      between the ER and mitochondria, termed mitochondria-associated membranes, show a
      very complex and specialized structure and host a wide number of proteins that
      regulate Ca2+ transfer. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the
      particular action of several oncogenes and tumor suppressors at these specialized
      check points and analyze anti-cancer therapies that specifically target Ca2+ flow
      at the inter-organelle contacts to alter the metabolism and fate of the cancer
      cell.

PMID- 28913177
TI  - Big Data in Designing Clinical Trials: Opportunities and Challenges.
AB  - Emergence of big data analytics resource systems (BDARSs) as a part of routine
      practice in Radiation Oncology is on the horizon. Gradually, individual
      researchers, vendors, and professional societies are leading initiatives to
      create and demonstrate use of automated systems. What are the implications for
      design of clinical trials, as these systems emerge? Gold standard, randomized
      controlled trials (RCTs) have high internal validity for the patients and
      settings fitting constraints of the trial, but also have limitations including:
      reproducibility, generalizability to routine practice, infrequent external
      validation, selection bias, characterization of confounding factors, ethics, and
      use for rare events. BDARS present opportunities to augment and extend RCTs.
      Preliminary modeling using single- and muti-institutional BDARS may lead to
      better design and less cost. Standardizations in data elements, clinical
      processes, and nomenclatures used to decrease variability and increase veracity
      needed for automation and multi-institutional data pooling in BDARS also support
      ability to add clinical validation phases to clinical trial design and increase
      participation. However, volume and variety in BDARS present other technical,
      policy, and conceptual challenges including applicable statistical concepts,
      cloud-based technologies. In this summary, we will examine both the opportunities
      and the challenges for use of big data in design of clinical trials.

PMID- 28913179
TI  - Management of Elderly Patients with Glioblastoma after CE.6.

PMID- 28913178
TI  - Modeling Cancer Cell Growth Dynamics In vitro in Response to Antimitotic Drug
      Treatment.
AB  - Investigating the role of intrinsic cell heterogeneity emerging from variations
      in cell-cycle parameters and apoptosis is a crucial step toward better informing
      drug administration. Antimitotic agents, widely used in chemotherapy, target
      exclusively proliferative cells and commonly induce a prolonged mitotic arrest
      followed by cell death via apoptosis. In this paper, we developed a
      physiologically motivated mathematical framework for describing cancer cell
      growth dynamics that incorporates the intrinsic heterogeneity in the time
      individual cells spend in the cell-cycle and apoptosis process. More precisely,
      our model comprises two age-structured partial differential equations for the
      proliferative and apoptotic cell compartments and one ordinary differential
      equation for the quiescent compartment. To reflect the intrinsic cell
      heterogeneity that governs the growth dynamics, proliferative and apoptotic cells
      are structured in "age," i.e., the amount of time remaining to be spent in each
      respective compartment. In our model, we considered an antimitotic drug whose
      effect on the cellular dynamics is to induce mitotic arrest, extending the
      average cell-cycle length. The prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug can
      trigger apoptosis if the time a cell will spend in the cell cycle is greater than
      the mitotic arrest threshold. We studied the drug's effect on the long-term
      cancer cell growth dynamics using different durations of prolonged mitotic arrest
      induced by the drug. Our numerical simulations suggest that at confluence and in
      the absence of the drug, quiescence is the long-term asymptotic behavior emerging
      from the cancer cell growth dynamics. This pattern is maintained in the presence
      of small increases in the average cell-cycle length. However, intermediate
      increases in cell-cycle length markedly decrease the total number of cells and
      can drive the cancer population to extinction. Intriguingly, a large "switch
      on/switch-off" increase in the average cell-cycle length maintains an active cell
      population in the long term, with oscillating numbers of proliferative cells and
      a relatively constant quiescent cell number.

PMID- 28913180
TI  - Developmental Cycle and Genome Analysis of Protochlamydia massiliensis sp. nov. a
      New Species in the Parachlamydiacae Family.
AB  - Amoeba-associated microorganisms (AAMs) are frequently isolated from water
      networks. In this paper, we report the isolation and characterization of
      Protochlamydia massiliensis, an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium
      belonging to the Parachlamydiaceae family in the Chlamydiales order, from a
      cooling water tower. This bacterium was isolated on Vermamoeba vermiformis. It
      has a multiple range of hosts among amoeba and is characterized by a typical
      replication cycle of Chlamydiae with a particularity, recently shown in some
      chlamydia, which is the absence of inclusion vacuoles in the V. vermiformis host,
      adding by this a new member of Chlamydiae undergoing developmental cycle changes
      in the newly adapted host V. vermiformis. Draft genome sequencing revealed a
      chromosome of 2.86 Mb consisting of four contigs and a plasmid of 92 Kb.

PMID- 28913181
TI  - Clinical Experience of Sturdy Elevation of the Reconstructed Auricle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ear is composed of elastic cartilage as its framework, and is
      covered with a thin layer of skin. Auricular reconstruction using autogenous
      cartilage in microtia patients requires delicacy. This paper reports clinical
      experiences related to elevation of reconstructed ear in the last 11 years.
      METHODS: This study was based on 68 congenital microtia patients who underwent
      auricular elevation in our hospital. Among these 68 patients, 47 patients were
      recruited. We compared the differences in the ear size, auriculocephalic angle,
      and conchal depth with those in the opposite ear, and the patients' satisfaction
      levels were investigated using a survey. RESULTS: The difference in the sizes of
      the two ears was less than or equal to 5 mm in 32 patients, 5 to 10 mm in 10
      patients, and greater than or equal to 10 mm in 5 patients. The difference in the
      auriculocephalic angles of the two ears was less than or equal to 10 degrees in
      14 patients, 10 to 20 degrees in 26 patients, and greater than or equal to 20
      degrees in 7 patients. The difference in the conchal depths of the two ears was
      less than or equal to 5 mm in 24 patients, 5 to 10 mm in 19 patients, and greater
      than or equal to 10 mm in 4 patients. The average grade of 3.9 points out of 5
      points was obtained by the patients with satisfactory surveys. CONCLUSION: We
      could make enough protrusion and maintain the three-dimensional shape for a long
      time to satisfy our patients.

PMID- 28913182
TI  - Comparison between Z-plasty and V-Y Advancement for the Surgical Correction of
      Cryptotia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryptotia correction by V-Y advancement of a temporal triangular flap
      was introduced in 2005. However, despite the several advantages of V-Y
      advancement, visible scars at the donor site are problematic. As a result, a Z
      plasty technique was considered for skin deficiency in mild cases. Therefore, we
      introduce a new surgical scheme for cryptotia correction based on considerations
      of techniques and complications that arose in our clinic. METHODS: Between 2000
      and 2013, 26 patients (35 cases) of cryptotia were treated. Seventeen patients
      had unilateral cryptotia and nine had bilateral cryptotia. Two corrective methods
      were used, Z-plasty or V-Y advancement, based on the severity. In mild cases, Z
      plasty was used for correction and in severe cases, V-Y flap advancement was used
      for more skin supplement. RESULTS: Follow-up periods ranged from 6 months to 1.5
      years. The results obtained were relatively favorable. Nine cases of mild
      deformity were corrected by Z-plasty, and the other 26 cases with mild or severe
      deformities were corrected by V-Y advancement. In Z-plasty cases, there was one
      hypertrophic scar and in V-Y advancement cases, seven resulted in visible
      scarring and three in skin sloughing. CONCLUSION: The main advantage of Z-plasty
      is a lower likelihood of visible scarring at the donor site. In mild cases, Z
      plasty may be a good alternative, but in severe cases, V-Y advancement is
      probably the best option for more skin supplement.

PMID- 28913183
TI  - Acellular Dermal Matrix to Treat Full Thickness Skin Defects: Follow-Up
      Subjective and Objective Skin Quality Assessments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are several options for replacement of the dermal layer in full
      thickness skin defects. In this study, we present the surgical outcomes of
      reconstruction using acellular dermal substitutes by means of objective and
      subjective scar assessment tools. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the
      medical records of 78 patients who had undergone autologous split-thickness skin
      graft with or without concomitant acellular dermal matrix (CGDerm or AlloDerm)
      graft. We examined graft survival rate and evaluated postoperative functional
      skin values. Individual comparisons were performed between the area of skin graft
      and the surrounding normal skin. Nine months after surgery, we compared the skin
      qualities of CGDerm graft group (n=25), AlloDerm graft group (n=8) with skin
      graft only group (n=23) each other using the objective and subjective
      measurements. RESULTS: The average of graft survival rate was 93% for CGDerm
      group, 92% for AlloDerm group and 86% for skin graft only group. Comparing CGDerm
      grafted skin to the surrounding normal skin, mean elasticity, hydration, and skin
      barrier values were 87%, 86%, and 82%, respectively. AlloDerm grafted skin values
      were 84%, 85%, and 84%, respectively. There were no statistical differences
      between the CGDerm and AlloDerm groups with regard to graft survival rate and
      skin functional analysis values. However, both groups showed more improvement of
      skin quality than skin graft only group. CONCLUSION: The new dermal substitute
      (CGDerm) demonstrated comparable results with regard to elasticity,
      humidification, and skin barrier effect when compared with conventional dermal
      substitute (AlloDerm).

PMID- 28913184
TI  - Characteristics of Dermoid Cyst of the Auricle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dermoid cysts of the auricular area are extremely rare. We report on
      six cases of auricular dermoid and epidermoid cyst, and differentiate dermoid
      cyst from epidermal cyst along with a review of the literature. METHODS: Three
      cases involved a gradually enlarging mass of the superior and anterior aspect of
      the helix of their ear. Another two cases were located in the posterior aspect of
      the ear. RESULTS: During the operation, a tumor was found just under the skin,
      not fixed mastoid or adjacent cartilage. Histologically, all specimens contained
      desquamated squamous epithelium and keratin in the lumen. However, two cases of
      posterior masses showed the presence of adnexal structures and three cases did
      not. CONCLUSION: A key in diagnosis of the dermoid cyst is the presence of
      adnexal structures. If the wall does not bear adnexal structures, the term
      epidermoid or keratin cyst is applied. Acquired cysts are most commonly of
      traumatic origin and result from an implantation or downward displacement of an
      epidermal fragment. Finally, the congenital epidermoid cyst grew at the upper
      part of the auricle; however, the dermoid cyst grew at the lower and posterior
      part of the auricle.

PMID- 28913185
TI  - Intraparotid Facial Nerve Schwannoma.
AB  - Intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma is a rare benign neoplasm. Due to its
      rarity, it is not usually a prioritized diagnosis before surgery and may
      therefore lead to an unintentional treatment error. In this article, we report a
      single case of intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma. We were able to make a
      diagnosis with frozen biopsy. A complete resection of the mass while preserving
      the facial nerve was performed. Herein we present our clinical experience with
      regards to the treatment process of intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma.

PMID- 28913186
TI  - A Case of Rapidly Growing Extraocular Sebaceous Carcinoma.
AB  - Sebaceous carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor differentiated from the adnexal
      epithelium of sebaceous glands and forms less than 1% of all cutaneous
      malignancies. We present a case of a 93-year-old woman with a rapidly growing
      mass on the right cheek. Initial histiopathologic finding was basal cell
      carcinoma. The mass was widely excised and superficial parotidectomy was
      performed while preserving the facial nerve branches. The resulting defect was
      covered with a transposition flap from the ipsilateral posterior auricular area
      and the donor site was closed primarily. However, histopathologic examination of
      the excised mass showed a poorly differentiated sebaceous carcinoma with a clear
      resection margin. The diagnosis of sebaceous carcinoma can be difficult to make
      at initial presentation. This report describes a rare case of a rapidly growing
      extraocular sebaceous carcinoma, which resulted in a good treatment outcome, and
      provides a review of relevant literature.

PMID- 28913187
TI  - Leiomyosarcoma of the Face.
AB  - Leiomyosarcoma is a rare form of soft tissue neoplasm, with only 1% to 5%
      occurring in the head and neck region. Current recommended treatment suggests
      surgical excision with a wide lateral margin, but no definite guidelines
      regarding excisional margin have been established yet. Recently, complete
      excision with a narrow surgical margin has been recommended, and the authors
      present a case of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma on the face that was successfully
      managed by complete removal with a narrow excisional margin. A 74-year-old woman
      presented with a 3 cm sized, rapidly growing cutaneous mass on her right
      preauricular area. Preoperative biopsy of the skin lesion suggested a cutaneous
      leiomyosarcoma. The authors performed complete surgical excision with a 1 cm
      lateral margin, and the resulting skin defect was repaired with bilateral V-Y
      advancement local flaps. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry evaluation
      confirmed a moderately differentiated cutaneous leiomyosarcoma, with negative
      margin involvement. The patient refused of any additional treatment, but showed
      no locoregional recurrence during the 1.5 years of postoperative follow-up
      period. With a regular postoperative follow-up, cutaneous leiomyosarcomas may be
      successfully treated with a narrow surgical margin.

PMID- 28913188
TI  - Ganglion Cyst of the Sternoclavicular Joint in an Adult.
AB  - Ganglion cysts are most common on the dorsum of the hand or wrist, but they can
      occur in any part of the body. There have been few papers reporting ganglion
      cysts originating from the sternoclavicular joint, with most of these cases
      developing in children. A 76-year-old woman was referred to our department
      because of a painless mass over the right sternoclavicular joint. The mass was
      excised along with the portion of the sternoclavicular joint capsule surrounding
      the stalk. Histopathologic examination showed the cyst wall to be composed of
      compressed collagen fibers without evidence of an epithelial or synovial lining,
      which was consistent with ganglion cyst. To our knowledge, this is the first
      report of such a cyst in an adult. We consider this to be a useful report for
      surgeons that treat mass lesions occurring in almost any part of the body
      surface.

PMID- 28913189
TI  - Nodular Fasciitis of the Periorbital Area.
AB  - Nodular fasciitis is a reactive, non-neoplastic lesion that is most commonly
      found in the subcutaneous or superficial fascia of the extremities and trunk.
      Head and neck lesions are relatively uncommon and reports vary from 7% to 15%
      depending on the authors. Nodular fasciitis grows quickly, and shows a
      pleomorphic spindle cell pattern with increased mitotic activity. Such factors
      lead to cases where the lesion is mistaken for a malignancy such as fibrosarcoma
      and the case may end up with unnecessarily aggressive treatments. The intent of
      this paper is to report a relatively rare case of nodular fasciitis occurring in
      the periorbital area and also to highlight the importance of accurate diagnosis
      and non-aggressive management of this benign lesion.

PMID- 28913190
TI  - Effectiveness of Helmet Cranial Remodeling in Older Infants with Positional
      Plagiocephaly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Management of positional plagiocephaly by wearing a cranial molding
      helmet has become a matter of growing medical interest. Some research studies
      reported that starting helmet therapy early (age 5 to 6 months) is important and
      leads to a significantly better outcome in a shorter treatment time. The aim of
      the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cranial remodeling
      treatment with wearing helmet for older infants (>=18 months). METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective study of 27 infants with positional plagiocephaly
      without synostosis, who were started from 2008 to 2012. Every child underwent a
      computerized tomography (CT) before starting helmet therapy to exclude synostosis
      of the cranial sutures and had CT performed once again after satisfactory
      completion of therapy. Anthropometric measurements were taken on using spreading
      calipers in every child. The treatment effect was compared using cranial vault
      asymmetry (CVA) and the cranial vault asymmetry index (CVAI), which were obtained
      from diagonal measurements before and after therapy. RESULTS: The discrepancy of
      CVA and CVAI of all the patients significantly decreased after cranial molding
      helmet treatment in older infants (>=18 months) 7.6 mm from 15.6 mm to 8 mm and
      4.51% from 9.42% to 4.91%. Six patients had confirmed successful outcome, and all
      subjects were good compliance patients. The treatment lasted an average of 16.4
      months, was well tolerated, and had no complication. Additionally, the rate of
      the successful treatment (final CVA <=5 mm) significantly decreased when the
      wearing time per was shorter. CONCLUSION: This study showed that treatment by
      cranial remodeling orthosis was effective if the patient could wear the helmet
      longer and treatment duration was somewhat longer than in younger patients, well
      tolerated in older infants and had no morbidity. This therapeutic option is
      available and indicated in these older infants before other cranial remodeling
      surgery.

PMID- 28913191
TI  - Microplate Fixation without Maxillomandibular Fixation in Double Mandibular
      Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maxillomandibular fixation (MMF) is usually used to treat double
      mandibular fractures. However, advancements in reduction and fixation techniques
      may allow recovery of the premorbid dental arch and occlusion without the use of
      MMF. We investigated whether anatomical reduction and microplate fixation without
      MMF could provide secure immobilization and correct occlusion in double
      mandibular fractures. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with double mandibular
      fractures were treated with open reduction and internal fixation without MMF.
      Both fracture sites were surgically treated. For bony fixations, we used
      microplates with or without wire. After reduction, each fracture site was fixed
      at two or three points to maintain anatomical alignment of the mandible.
      Interdental wiring was used to reduce the fracture at the superior border and to
      enhance stability for 6 weeks. Mouth opening was permitted immediately. RESULTS:
      No major complications were observed, including infection, plate exposure, non
      union, or significant malocclusion. Five patients experienced minor
      complications, among whom the only one patient experienced a persistant but mild
      malocclusion with no need for additional management. CONCLUSION: This study
      showed that double mandibular fractures correction with two- or three-point
      fixation without MMF simplified the surgical procedure, increased patient
      comfort, and reduced complications, due to good stability and excellent
      adaptation.

PMID- 28913192
TI  - Effectiveness of Dual-Maneuver Using K-Wire and Dingman Elevator for the
      Reduction of Unstable Zygomatic Arch Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The zygoma is the most prominent portion of the face. Almost all
      simple zygomatic arch fractures are treated in a closed fashion with a Dingman
      elevator. However, the open approach should be considered for unstable zygomatic
      arch fractures. The coronal approach for a zygomatic arch fracture has
      complications. In this study, we introduce our method to reduce a special type of
      unstable zygomatic fracture. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed zygomatic arch
      view and facial bone computed tomography scans of 424 patients who visited the
      Wonju Severance Christian Hospital from 2007 to 2010 with zygomaticomaxillary
      fractures, among whom 15 patients met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: We used a
      Dingman elevator and K-wire simultaneously to manage this type of zygomatic arch
      fracture. Simple medial rotation force usually collapses the posterior fractured
      segment, and the fracture becomes unstable. Thus, the posterior fracture segment
      must be concurrently elevated with a Dingman elevator through Keen's approach
      with rotation force applied through the K-wire. All fractures were reduced
      without any instability using this method. CONCLUSION: We were able to reduce
      unstable and difficult zygomatic arch fractures without an open incision or any
      external fixation device.

PMID- 28913193
TI  - Acute Bone Remodeling after Reduction of Nasal Bone Fracture on Computed
      Tomography Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of studies have reported complication after reduction of
      nasal bone fractures. Among complicated cases, some showed improvement in shape
      of the nose with passage of time. Therefore, we examined these changes using
      computed tomography (CT) images taken over intervals. METHODS: CT scans of 50
      patients with new nasal bone fractures were reviewed, and the images were
      compared amongst preoperative, immediately postoperative, and one month scans.
      Changes in nasal bone shape, were evaluated based on the angle of nasal bone arch
      between the nasal bone and frontal process of maxilla, overall shape of arch, mal
      alignment of fracture segments involving bony irregularity or bony displacement.
      These evaluations were used to separate postoperative outcomes into 5 groups:
      excellent, good, fair, poor, and very poor. RESULTS: Immediate postoperative
      nasal shape was excellent in 10 cases, good in 31 cases, fair in 8 cases, and
      poor results in a single case. Postoperative shape at one month was excellent in
      37 cases, good in 12 cases, fair in a single case. CONCLUSION: The overall shape
      of nasal bone after fracture reduction tended to improve with passage of time.

PMID- 28913194
TI  - Palatal Mucoperiosteal Island Flaps for Palate Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many options are available to cover a palatal defect, including local
      or free flaps. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of
      palatal mucoperiosteal island flap in covering a palatal defect after tumor
      excision. METHODS: Between October 2006 and July 2013, we identified 19 patients
      who underwent palatal reconstruction using a palatal mucoperiosteal island flap
      after tumor excision. All cases were retrospectively analyzed by defect location,
      size, tumor pathology, type of reconstruction, and functional outcomes. Speech
      and swallowing functions were evaluated using a 7-point visual analog scale (VAS)
      score. RESULTS: Among the 19 patients, there were 7 men and 12 women with an age
      range of 25 to 74 years (mean, 52.5+/-14.3 years). The size of flaps was 2-16 cm2
      (mean, 9.4+/-4.2 cm2). Either unilateral or bilateral palatal island flaps were
      used depending on the size of defect. During the follow-up period (mean, 32.7+/
      21.4 months), four patients developed a temporary oronasal fistula, which healed
      without subsequent operative. The donor sites were well re-epithelized. Speech
      and swallowing function scores were 6.63+/-0.5 and 6.58+/-0.69 on the 7-point
      VAS, indicating the ability to eat solid foods and communicate verbally without
      significant disability. CONCLUSION: The palatal mucoperiosteal island flap is a
      good reconstruction modality for palatal defects if used under appropriate
      indications. The complication rates and donor site morbidity are low, with good
      functional outcomes.

PMID- 28913195
TI  - Comparison of Mechanical Stability between Fibular Free Flap Reconstruction
      versus Locking Mandibular Reconstruction Plate Fixation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The fibular free flap has been used as the standard methods of
      segmental mandibular reconstruction. The objective of mandibular reconstruction
      not only includes restored continuity of the mandible but also the recovery of
      optimal function. This paper emphasizes the advantage of the fibular free flap
      reconstruction over that of locking mandibular reconstruction plate fixation.
      METHODS: The hospital charts of all patients (n=20) who had a mandibular
      reconstruction between 1994 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Eight
      patients had plate-only fixation of the mandible, and the remaining 12 had
      vascularized fibular free flap reconstruction. Complications and outcomes were
      reviewed and compared between the 2 groups via statistical analysis. RESULTS:
      Overall complication rates were significantly lower in the fibular flap group
      (8.3%) than in the plate fixation group (87.5%; p =0.001). Most (7/8) patients in
      the plate fixation group had experienced plate-related late complications,
      including plate fracture or exposure. In the fibular flap group, no complications
      were observed, except for a single case of donor-site wound dehiscence (1/12).
      CONCLUSION: The fibular free flap provides a more stable support and additional
      soft tissue support for the plate, thereby minimizing the risk of plate-related
      complications. Fibular free flap is the most reliable option for mandibular
      reconstruction, and we believe that the flap should be performed primarily
      whenever possible.

PMID- 28913196
TI  - Dual Plane Augmentation Genioplasty Using Gore-Tex Chin Implants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The chin shape and position is important in determining the general
      shape of the face, and augmentation genioplasty is performed alone or in
      combination with other aesthetic procedures. However, augmentation genioplasty
      using osteotomy is an invasive and complex procedure with the potential to damage
      mentalis muscle and mental nerve, to affect chin growth, and prolonged recovery.
      Our aim was to present our experience with a modified augmentation genioplasty
      procedure for hypoplastic chins using a Gore-Tex implant. METHODS: Two vertical
      slit incisions were made at the canine level to create a supraperiosteal pocket
      between the incisions, preserving the periosteum and mentalis muscle. Minimal sub
      periosteal dissection was performed lateral to the incisions along the mandibular
      border. The both wings of implant were inserted under the periosteum to achieve a
      stable dual plane implantation. RESULTS: In total, 47 patients underwent dual
      plane chin augmentation using a Gore-Tex implant between January 2008 and May
      2013. The mean age at operation was 25.77 years (range, 15-55 years). There were
      3 cases of infection; one patient was treated with antibiotics, the others
      underwent implant removal. Additionally, two patients complained of postoperative
      parasthesia that spontaneously improved without any additional treatment. Most
      patients were satisfied with the postoperative outcomes, and no chin growth
      problems were observed among the younger patients. CONCLUSION: Dual plane Gore
      Tex chin augmentation is a minimally-invasive operation that is simple and safe.
      All implants yielded satisfactory results with no significant complications such
      as mental nerve injury, lower lip incompetence, or chin growth limitation.

PMID- 28913197
TI  - Hemifacial Transplantation Model in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To refine facial transplantation techniques and achieve sound
      results, it is essential to develop a suitable animal model. Rat is a small
      animal and has many advantages over other animals that have been used as
      transplantation models. The purpose of this study was to describe a rat
      hemifacial transplantation model and to verify its convenience and
      reproducibility. METHODS: Animals used in this study were Lewis rats (recipients)
      and Lewis-Brown Norway rats (donors). Nine transplantations were performed,
      requiring 18 animals. The hemifacial flap that included the ipsilateral ear was
      harvested based on the unilateral common carotid artery and external jugular vein
      and was transferred as a single unit. Cyclosporine A therapy was initiated 24
      hours after transplantation and lasted for 2 weeks. Signs of rejection responses
      were evaluated daily. RESULTS: The mean transplantation time was 1 hour 20
      minutes. The anatomy of common carotid artery and external jugular vein was
      consistent, and the vessel size was appropriate for anastomosis. Six of nine
      allografts remained good viable without vascular problems at the conclusion of
      study (postoperative 2 weeks). CONCLUSION: The rat hemifacial transplantation
      model is suitable as a standard transplantation training model.

PMID- 28913198
TI  - Correction of Unilateral Nostril Hypoplasia with Z-Plasty in a Child.
AB  - Unilateral nostril hypoplasia is an extremely rare congenital malformation of
      unknown etiology, and only a few cases have been reported in literature. Owing to
      variability and complexity of the deformity, surgical correction of unilateral
      nostril hypoplasia represents one of the most significant reconstructive
      challenges to reconstructive plastic surgeons. We report a 7-year-old Vietnamese
      child with nasal and periocular deformity resembling a craniofacial cleft.
      Grossly, the right nostril was patent but with alar rim deformity, and the left
      nostril was not readily identifiable. A dystopic medial canthus was present on
      the left side as well. Closer inspection and palpation of the left side of nose
      revealed a patency through the soft tissue and underlying bony structure, Thus, a
      new alar rim were reconstructed with an irregularly shaped Z-plasty to create
      patency on the involved side. Simulatneously, a second Z-plasty was performed to
      address the medial canthal deformity. Postoperative appearance and function was
      sastisfactory at one-year follow up visit. In the treatment of patients with
      nostril hypoplasia, a careful preoperative physical examination is a
      prerequisite, and Z-plasty can be a valuable option for surgical correction.

PMID- 28913199
TI  - Unusual Sjogren's Syndrome with Bilateral Parotid Cysts.
AB  - Sjogren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune exocrinopathy that destroys salivary
      and lacrimal gland tissue. We report an unusual case of this disease in a 54-year
      old woman who presented with multiple and bilateral parotid cystic masses. The
      multiple, small, bead-like cysts were clearly evident in the computed tomography
      sections in this patient, a visible reminder that this may be the initial
      presentation in a patient with Sjogren's syndrome. As the case illustrates,
      Sjogren's syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis of multiple
      and bilateral cystic parotid lesions.

PMID- 28913200
TI  - Spindle Cell Lipoma: A Rare, Misunderstood Entity.
AB  - Spindle cell lipoma, a rare variant of lipoma, is a benign tumor found in the
      posterior neck and shoulder. A 24-year-old man with a close family history of
      malignant lymphoma had presented with a large, firm, nodular mass found in the
      right supraclavicular area. Excision of the deeply located mass revealed a pale
      yellow, rubbery nodule which grossly resembled an enlarged lymph node, with a
      variant of lymphoma as a primary suspect. However, pathological studies revealed
      the lesion to be a spindle cell lipoma. Although atypical in location, spindle
      cell lipoma should always be kept in differential diagnosis of a newly-noted soft
      tissue mass, as this entity may be easily cured by simple excision.

PMID- 28913201
TI  - Half-and-Half Palatoplasty.
AB  - A 14-month-old child was diagnosed with a Veau Class II cleft palate. Von
      Langenbeck palatoplasty was performed for the right palate, and V-Y pushback
      palatoplasty was performed for the left palate. The child did not have a special
      problem during the surgery, and the authors were able to elongate the cleft by 10
      mm. Contrary to preoperative concerns regarding the hybrid use of palatoplasties,
      the uvula and midline incisions remained balanced in the middle. The authors
      named this combination method "half-and-half palatoplasty" and plan to conduct a
      long-term follow up study as a potential solution that minimizes the
      complications of palatoplasty.

PMID- 28913202
TI  - Analysis of Facial Asymmetry in Deformational Plagiocephaly Using Three
      Dimensional Computed Tomographic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infants with deformational plagiocephaly (DP) usually present with
      cranial vault deformities as well as facial asymmetry. The purpose of this study
      was to use three-dimensional anthropometric data to evaluate the influence of
      cranial deformities on facial asymmetry. METHODS: We analyzed three-dimensional
      computed tomography data for infants with DP (n=48) and without DP (n=30,
      control). Using 16 landmarks and 3 reference planes, 22 distance parameters and 2
      angular parameters were compared. This cephalometric assessment focused on
      asymmetry of the orbits, nose, ears, maxilla, and mandible. We then assessed the
      correlation between 23 of the measurements and cranial vault asymmetry (CVA) for
      statistical significance using relative differences and correlation analysis.
      RESULTS: With the exception of few orbital asymmetry variables, most measurements
      indicated that the facial asymmetry was greater in infants with DP. Mandibular
      and nasal asymmetry was correlated highly with severity of CVA. Shortening of the
      ipsilateral mandibular body was particularly significant. There was no
      significant deformity in the maxilla or ear. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated
      that the cranial vault deformity in DP is associated with facial asymmetry.
      Compared with the control group, the infants with DP were found to have prominent
      asymmetry of the nose and mandible.

PMID- 28913203
TI  - Clinical Characteristics of the Forehead Lipoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lipomas can be categorized into deep and superficial lipomas
      according to anatomical depth. Many cases of forehead lipomas are reported to be
      deep to the muscle layer. We analyze ultrasound in delineating depth of forehead
      lipomas. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all patients who
      underwent excision of forehead lipomas between January 2008 and March 2013 and
      for whom preoperative ultrasound study was available. Sensitivity and specificity
      of ultrasound imaging was evalauted against depth finding at the time of surgical
      excision. RESULTS: The review identified 42 patients who met the inclusion
      criteria. Preoperative ultrasound reading was 18 as deep lipomas and 24 as
      superficial. However, intraoperative finding revealed 2 of the 18 deep lipomas to
      be superficial and 13 of the 24 superficial lipomas to be deep lipomas. Overall,
      ultrasonography turned out to be 69% (29/42) accurate in correctly delineating
      superficial versus deep lipomas. CONCLUSION: Lipomas of the forehead tend to be
      located in deeper tissue plane compared to lipomas found elsewhere in the body.
      Preoperative ultrasonography of lipomas can be helpful, but was not accurate in
      identifying the depth of forehead lipomas in our patient population. Even if a
      forehead lipoma is found to be superficial on ultrasound, operative planning
      should include the possibility of deep lipomas.

PMID- 28913204
TI  - Venous Occlusion Detected by Caregiver with Implantable Doppler in a Buried Free
      Flap.
AB  - The use of the implantable Doppler device eases the burden of free flap
      monitoring, and allows caregivers to notify healthcare personnel of a potential
      vascular event. A 24-year-old female patient underwent anterolateral thigh
      adipofascial flap surgery to provide a buried flap on the left temporal area for
      a depressed and infected skull wound. The author was able to salvage the flap
      from two venous occlusions, which was made possible by early notifications from
      the caregiver who reported changes in the Doppler signal.

PMID- 28913205
TI  - Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor in Frontal Sinus, Orbital Cavity and
      Ethmoid Cavity.
AB  - Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors are extremely rare soft tissue sarcomas.
      Among various locations, the trunk and extremities are the most commonly involved
      sites, with only 15% of such lesions occuring in head and neck region. Here, we
      report a case of a 74-year-old male who presented with forehead swelling and
      right eye deviation. Computed tomography images revealed a tumor involving the
      frontal sinus, ethmoid sinus, and the orbital cavity. The patient underwent a
      surgical excision of the lesion, which histopathological examination revealed to
      be a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor.

PMID- 28913206
TI  - Aesthetic Correction of a Protrusive Forehead through Repositioning of the
      Anterior Wall of the Frontal Sinus.
AB  - Facial skeletal remodeling was revolutionized more than 30 years ago, by the work
      of Tessier and other craniofacial surgeons. However, the need to correct the
      skeleton in the upper third of the face is not frequently diagnosed or treated in
      aesthetic facial surgery. Here, we report on the aesthetic correction of a
      protrusive forehead. A patient visited our hospital for aesthetic contouring with
      a prominent forehead. The anterior wall of the frontal sinus was removed with a
      craniotome via the bicoronal approach. After the excised bone was repositioned,
      it was fixed with a titanium mesh plate and screws. An electric burr was used to
      contour the supraorbital rim and frontal bone. Once the desired shape was
      achieved, the periosteum was replaced, and the wound was closed in layers. When
      performed properly, frontal sinus contouring could significantly improve the
      appearance in patients with a prominent forehead. Plastic surgeons must carefully
      evaluate patients with a prominent forehead for skeletal remodeling that involves
      the accurate and safe repositioning of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus.

PMID- 28913207
TI  - Reconstruction of Full Thickness Ala Defect with Nasolabial Fold and Septal
      Mucosal Hinge Flap.
AB  - Reconstruction of a full-thickness alar defect requires independent blood
      supplies to the inner and outer surfaces. Because of this, secondary operations
      are commonly needed for the division of skin flap from its origin. Here, we
      report a single-stage reconstruction of full-thickness alar defect, which was
      made possible by the use of a nasolabial island flap and septal mucosal hinge
      flap. A 49-year-old female had presented with a squamous cell carcinoma of the
      right ala which was invading through the mucosa. The lesion was excised with a 5
      mm free margin through the full-thickness of ala. The lining and cartilage was
      restored using a septal mucosa hinge flap and a conchal cartilage from the
      ipsilateral ear. The superficial surface was covered with a nasolabial island
      flap based on a perforator from the angular artery. The three separate tissue
      layers were reconstructed as a single subunit, and no secondary operations were
      necessary. Single-stage reconstruction of the alar subunit was made possible by
      the use of a nasolabial island flap and septal mucosal hinge flap. Further
      studies are needed to compare long-term outcomes following single-stage and multi
      stage reconstructions.

PMID- 28913208
TI  - Importance of Accurate Diagnosis in Pyoderma Gangrenosum.
AB  - Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare inflammatory reactive dermatosis marked by painful
      cutaneous ulcers. Diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum is usually made based on past
      medical history and after the exclusion of other possible diseases based on the
      clinical manifestations of the lesion. Diseases that show rapid progression to
      necrosis and that should not be misdiagnosed as pyoderma gangrenosum include
      malignant neoplasms and necrotizing fasciitis. Immunosuppressive agents such as
      steroids and cyclosporine are considered first-line therapy. Surgical removal of
      the necrotic tissues is contraindicated, as it may further induce immune reaction
      and promote ulcer to enlarge. Here, we present a case to encourage plastic
      surgeons to consider pyodermagangrenosum in the differential diagnosis of
      idiopathic ulcers. Satisfactory outcomes for patients with pyodermagangrenosum
      may be expected when using steroids and immunosuppressive agents during the early
      stage of the disease.

PMID- 28913209
TI  - A Recurrent Giant Pilomatricoma on the Back.

PMID- 28913210
TI  - Multiple Skin Cancers Following Psoralen and Ultraviolet A Treatment of
      Psoriasis.

PMID- 28913211
TI  - Analysis of Facial Asymmetry.
AB  - Facial symmetry is an important component of attractiveness. However, functional
      symmetry is favorable to aesthetic symmetry. In addition, fluctuating asymmetry
      is more natural and common, even if patients find such asymmetry to be
      noticeable. However, fluctuating asymmetry remains difficult to define. Several
      studies have shown that a certain level of asymmetry could generate an
      unfavorable image. A natural profile is favorable to perfect mirror-image
      profile, and images with canting and differences less than 3 degrees -4 degrees 
      and 3-4 mm, respectively, are generally not recognized as asymmetry. In this
      study, a questionnaire survey among 434 medical students was used to evaluate
      photos of Asian women. The students preferred original images over mirror images.
      Facial asymmetry was noticed when the canting and difference were more than 3
      degrees  and 3 mm, respectively. When a certain level of asymmetry is
      recognizable, correcting it can help to improve social life and human
      relationships. Prior to any operation, the anatomical component for noticeable
      asymmetry should be understood, which can be divided into hard tissues and soft
      tissue. For diagnosis, two-and three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry and
      radiometry are used, including photography, laser scanner, cephalometry, and 3D
      computed tomography.

PMID- 28913212
TI  - Skull Reconstruction with Custom Made Three-Dimensional Titanium Implant.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Source material used to fill calvarial defects includes autologous
      bones and synthetic alternatives. While autologous bone is preferable to
      synthetic material, autologous reconstruction is not always feasible due to
      defect size, unacceptable donor-site morbidity, and other issues. Today, advanced
      three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques allow for fabrication of titanium
      implants customized to the exact need of individual patients with calvarial
      defects. In this report, we present three cases of calvarial reconstructions
      using 3D-printed porous titanium implants. METHODS: From 2013 through 2014, three
      calvarial defects were repaired using custommade 3D porous titanium implants. The
      defects were due either to traumatic subdural hematoma or to meningioma and were
      located in parieto-occipital, fronto-temporo-parietal, and parieto-temporal
      areas. The implants were prepared using individual 3D computed tomography (CT)
      data, Mimics software, and an electron beam melting machine. For each patient,
      several designs of the implant were evaluated against 3D-printed skull models.
      All three cases had a custom-made 3D porous titanium implant laid on the defect
      and rigid fixation was done with 8 mm screws. RESULTS: The custom-made 3D
      implants fit each patient's skull defect precisely without any dead space. The
      operative site healed without any specific complications. Postoperative CTs
      revealed the implants to be in correct position. CONCLUSION: An autologous graft
      is not a feasible option in the reconstruction of large calvarial defects.
      Ideally, synthetic materials for calvarial reconstruction should be easily
      applicable, durable, and strong. In these aspects, a 3D titanium implant can be
      an optimal source material in calvarial reconstruction.

PMID- 28913213
TI  - Transfacial Surgical Approaches to Secure Wide Exposure of the Skull Base.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of skull base tumors is challenging due to limited access
      and presence of important neurovascular structures nearby. The success of a
      complete tumor resection depends on the extent of tumor exposure and secure field
      of view. While these tumors are often removed by transcranial endoscopic access,
      transfacial approach is sometimes required depending on the location and size of
      the tumor. This study describes various transfacial approaches in patients
      undergoing skull base tumor resection. METHODS: From March to November 2013, 15
      patients underwent skull base tumor resection via transfacial accesses at a
      tertiary institution. Data were reviewed for patient demographics, type of access
      used, completeness of tumor resection, surgical outcome, and postoperative
      complications. RESULTS: Two clivus tumor patients underwent transmaxillary
      approach; three tuberculum- sellae and suprasellar-hypothalamus tumor patients
      underwent transbasal approach; three clinoid and retrobulbar intraconal orbital
      tumor patients underwent orbitozygomatic approach; and seven petroclival-area,
      pons, cavernous sinus, and lateral-sphenoid-wing tumor patients underwent
      zygomatic approach. In all cases, the upper and lower margins of the tumor were
      visible. Complete tumor removal consisted of 10 cases, and partial tumor removal
      in 5. There were no immediate major complications observed for the transfacial
      portion of the operations. The overall cosmetic results were satisfactory.
      CONCLUSION: Plastic surgeons can use various transfacial approaches according to
      the location and size of skull base tumors to secure a sufficient field of view
      for neurosurgeons.

PMID- 28913214
TI  - Simple Aesthetic Correction for Patients with Acute Auriculocephalic Angle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute auriculocephalic angle refers to an ear with helix that is
      spaced closely to the cranium. An increasing number of patients with acute
      auriculocephalic angle wish to undergo corrective operation for aesthetic
      purposes. However, there is a paucity of data regarding acute auriculocephalic
      angle. This paper proposes a treatment protocol for patients with acute
      auriculocephalic angle. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of
      patients undergoing acute auriculocephalic angle (4 patients, 6 ears). Patient
      records were reviewed for demographic data as well as auricular measurements at
      preoperative, immediate postoperative and final follow-up evaluations. RESULTS:
      All of the patients were men with a mean age of 36.5 years (range, 23-52 years).
      The mean follow-up period was 47.5 months (range, 28-60 months). Postoperative
      auriculocephalic angle was close to the normal auriculocephalic angle (25 degrees
      -30 degrees ) without notable scars. Moreover, the patients had minimal
      contractions of the skin flaps without any hematoma or relapse. CONCLUSION: We
      propose the following three treatment protocols for patients with acute
      auriculocephalic angle: the posterior auricular muscle should be sufficiently
      released, the mastoid area should be augmented using implants, the skin should be
      repositioned with a superior auricular flap.

PMID- 28913215
TI  - Application of Hand Towel Drape over Dingman Mouth Gag.
AB  - In cleft palate surgery, the environment is especially critical when suturing.
      Encum-bered, obstructive space in the environment can hinder a suture while using
      the Dingman mouth gag. We introduced a novel but simple draping technique. A
      simple hand towel is placed over the gag. A hole is cut out in the middle
      according to each patient's mouth. After making the hole, the hand towel is
      soaked in water and gently squeezed. Then the towel is properly placed over the
      Dingman mouth gag. Dripping water on the hand towel during the suture helps keep
      it in place. Using this draping technique, we cut 14 minutes of operation time
      compared to the average operation time of the past 2 years. There were several
      disadvantages in previous draping method. First, long suture material may easily
      get caught. Second, the operation field can easily be contaminated. Third,
      focusing on the operation becomes difficult due to the obstruction. This draping
      technique can compensate for the disadvantages of the previous Dingman mouth gag.

PMID- 28913216
TI  - Complex Correction of Complete Cleft Lip with Severe Prominent Premaxilla using
      Lip Adhesion and Nasoalveolar Molding Device.
AB  - Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) device is an effective treatment for protruding
      maxilla in infants with cleft palate. However, only a few studies have
      investigated the effect of NAM devices on the treatment of protruding maxilla in
      infants with cleft lip only. We have designed a combination treatment using NAM
      devices prior to cheiloplasy for cleft lip-only patients with severe anterior
      protrusion of the premaxilla. Three cleft lip-only infants with 1-cm or more of
      premaxilla protrusion were included. Definitive cheiloplasty was performed at 6
      months of age without any preoperative correction in infant 1. Cheiloplasty was
      performed in conjunction with the use of NAM device and lip adhesion in infants 2
      and 3. Postoperative columella length and anterior-posterior dimension of the
      protruding premaxilla were compared amongst the infants. We were able to obtain
      satisfactory postoperative columella length and general nasal appearance.

PMID- 28913217
TI  - Delayed Orbital Hemorrhage around Alloplastic Implants after Blowout Fracture
      Reduction.
AB  - Alloplastic implants have been used to repair orbital wall fractures in most
      cases. Orbital hemorrhage is a rare complication of these implants and has been
      reported rarely in Korea. The purpose of this article is to report a late
      complication case focusing on their etiology and management. A 20-year-old male
      patient underwent open reduction with Medpor (porous polyethylene) insertion for
      bilateral orbital floor fractures. The initial symptom occurred with proptosis in
      the right side as well as vertical dystopia, which had started 4 days earlier, 8
      months after surgery. Any trauma history after the surgery was not present. We
      performed an exploration and removal of hematoma with Medpor titanium meshed
      alloplastic implant. A case of delayed orbital hematoma following alloplastic
      implant insertion was identified. It occurred within the pseudocapsule of the
      implant. One week after surgery, overall symptoms improved successfully, and no
      complications were reported during the 11-month follow-up period. Although rare,
      orbital hemorrhage is a potential complication of alloplastic orbital floor
      implants, which may present many years after surgery. As in the case presented,
      delayed hematoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of late
      proptosis or orbital dystopia.

PMID- 28913218
TI  - Actinomycosis and Sialolithiasis in Submandibular Gland.
AB  - Actinomycosis is a subacute or chronic suppurative infection caused by
      Actinomyces species, which are anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria that normally
      colonize the human mouth and digestive and urogenital tracts. Cervicofacial
      actinomycosis is the most frequent clinical form of actinomycosis, and is
      associated with odontogenic infection. Characterized by an abscess and mandibular
      involvement with or without fistula, but the cervicofacial form of actinomycosis
      is often misdiagnosed because the presentation is not specific and because it can
      mimic numerous infectious and non-infectious diseases, including malignant
      tumors. We report a rare case of actinomycosis infection with coexisting
      submandibular sialolithiasis. The patient presented with a 1*1 cm abscess-like
      lesion below the lower lip. Punch biopsy of the lesion revealed atypical squamous
      cell proliferation with infiltrative growth, suggestive of squamous cell
      carcinoma. The patient underwent wide excision of this lesion, where the lesion
      was found to be an abscess formation with multiple submandibular sialolithiases.
      The surgical specimen was found to contain Actinomyces without any evidence of a
      malignant process. We assumed that associated predisposing factors such as poor
      oral hygiene may have caused a dehydrated condition of the oral cavity, leading
      to coexistence of actinomycosis and sialolithiasis.

PMID- 28913219
TI  - Microcystic Adnexal Carcinoma Misdiagnosed as Desmoplastic Trichoepithelioma on
      Preoperative Biopsy.
AB  - Microcystic adnexal carcinoma is a rare type of tumor, with about 300 cases
      reported globally. Due to its similar histology with other tumors, it is
      occasionally misdiagnosed as desmoplastic trichoepithelioma, basal cell
      carcinoma, syringoma, and so on. We present a patient with a mass on the perioral
      area who was preoperatively diagnosed with trichoepithelioma. Microcystic adnexal
      carcinoma was diagnosed after excisional biopsy and a wide excision. Defects were
      reconstructed with a mucosal advancement flap. There was no recurrence and there
      were no significant complications during the 18-month follow-up period. Because
      superficial punch biopsy has limitations in width and depth, surgeons should
      always consider the possibility of malignancy of a mass even if a biopsy shows a
      benign result.

PMID- 28913220
TI  - My Hopes for 2015: Letter from the President of Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial
      Association.

PMID- 28913221
TI  - Management of Alveolar Cleft.
AB  - The alveolar cleft has not received as much attention as labial or palatal
      clefts, and the management of this cleft remains controversial. The management of
      alveolar cleft is varied, according to the timing of operation, surgical
      approach, and the choice of graft material. Gingivoperiosteoplasty does not yet
      have a clear concensus among surgeons. Primary bone graft is associated with
      maxillary retrusion, and because of this, secondary bone graft is the most widely
      adopted. However, a number of surgeons employ presurgical palatal appliance prior
      to primary alveolar bone graft and have found ways to minimize flap dissection,
      which is reported to decrease the rate of facial growth attenuation and
      crossbite. In this article, the authors wish to review the literature regarding
      various advantages and disadvantages of these approaches.

PMID- 28913223
TI  - Morphology of the Aging Forehead: A Three-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age-related changes have been studied for lower and middle facial
      bones. Although the forehead comprises one-third of the facial area, no studies
      have investigated age-related changes in the upper part of the face or forehead.
      The purpose of this study was to use three-dimensional computed tomography (3D
      CT) to investigate age-related changes in the frontal bone. METHODS: A
      retrospective review was performed for patients who underwent 3D CT scan of
      facial bones. Patients were divided by gender and age (20 to 40 years, 41 to 60
      years, and above 60 years). The frontal bone curvature was evaluated by the
      length of frontal bone and by two frontal bone angles in relation to the
      Frankfurt horizon. RESULTS: In both genders, aging was associated with increasing
      lower slope length. In elderly men (>60 years), the upper slope angle was
      significantly higher when compared to younger male subjects. Women demonstrated
      similar age-related changes, but the differences were only statistically
      significant for the middle and older age groups. CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrates quantifiable age-related changes in the frontal bone. These findings
      contribute to the understanding of age-related changes of the facial soft
      tissues. The mean measurements in each age group can be used as a reference when
      planning forehead reconstruction.

PMID- 28913222
TI  - Quantitative Assessment of Orbital Volume and Intraocular Pressure after Two-Wall
      Decompression in Thyroid Ophthalmopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical outcomes after orbital wall decompression have focused on
      the degree of exophthalmos and intraocular pressure. The aim of this research was
      to evaluate intraorbital volume using computed tomography (CT) images following
      two-wall decompression using a combined subcilliary and endoscopic approaches.
      METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all patients who had undergone
      the two-wall decompression method. The pre/postoperative CT images were used to
      evaluate changes in intraocular volume. Intraocular pressure was evaluated using
      applanation tonometry. Surgical details are discussed within the body of text.
      RESULTS: Two-wall decompression thru the medial wall and floor was associated
      with an average intraorbital volume change of 7.3 cm3, with maximal accommodation
      up to 13 cm3. Changes in intraocular pressures were not statistically
      significant. CONCLUSION: Two-wall decompression was effective in accommodation of
      up to 13 cm3 of soft tissue herniation. There was no statistically significant
      association between changes in volume to pressure.

PMID- 28913224
TI  - A Surgical Technique for Congenital Preauricular Sinus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preauricular sinuses represent a common congenital abnormality in
      children. Classically, a preauricular sinus manifests as a small opening, usually
      near the anterior limb of ascending helix. The difficulty in the surgical
      treatment of preauricular sinus is the high recurrence rate. The aim of this
      article is to review the outcomes of preauricular sinus and to introduce our
      surgical technique and its prognosis. METHODS: A single-institutional
      retrospective review was performed for all patients who had undergone excision of
      congenital periauricular sinus between October 2007 and April 2014. Medical
      records were reviewed for demographic information, wound complication, and
      recurrence rate. The sinus tract was visualized with the aid of preoperative dye
      instillation and intraoperative probe insertion. The skin next to the sinus
      opening was incised elliptically, and the tract itself was dissected medially to
      the end of the sinus tract and posteriorly to the cartilage of the ascending
      helix. RESULTS: The review identified 44 patients for a total of 57 preauricular
      sinus tracts. The mean age at time of operation was 16.3 years with a range from
      9 months to 65 years. Unilateral preauricular sinus tract was present in 31
      patients (11 right and 20 left preauricular tract), and 13 patients had bilateral
      sinus tract. None of the patients had experienced wound issues postoperative, and
      there were no recurrent sinus tract formation or infection. CONCLUSION: Using a
      combination of dye instillation, probe insertion, and modified dissection, we
      were able to achieve a recurrence free series of preauricular sinus tract
      excision among a heterogenous group of patients. A large patient series is
      necessary to replicate the results of this study.

PMID- 28913225
TI  - Schwannoma of the Orbit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A schwannoma is a benign, slow-growing peripheral nerve sheath tumor
      that originates from Schwann cells. Orbital schwannomas are rare, accounting for
      only 1% of all orbital neoplasms. In this study, we retrospectively review
      orbital schwannomas and characterize clinical, radiologic, and histologic
      features of this rare entity. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed to
      identify patients with histologically confirmed orbital schwannoma, among a list
      of 437 patients who had visited our hospital with soft tissue masses within the
      orbit as the primary presentation between 2010 and 2014. Patient charts and
      medical records were reviewed for demographic information, relevant medical and
      family history, physical examination findings relating to ocular and extraocular
      sensorimotor function, operative details, postoperative complications, pathologic
      report, and recurrence. RESULTS: Five patients (5/437, 1.1%) were identified as
      having histologically confirmed orbital schwannoma and underwent complete
      excision. Both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      studies were not consistent in predicting histologic diagnosis. There were no
      complications, and none of the patients experienced significant scar formation.
      In two cases, patients exhibited a mild postoperative numbness of the forehead,
      but the patients demonstrated full recovery of sensation within 3 months after
      the operation. None of the five patients have experienced recurrence. CONCLUSION:
      Orbital schwannomas are relatively rare tumors. Preoperative diagnosis is
      difficult because of its variable presentation and location. Appropriate early
      assessment of orbital tumors by CT or MRI and prompt management is warranted to
      prevent the development of severe complications. Therefore, orbital schwannomas
      should be considered in the differential diagnosis of slow-growing orbital
      masses.

PMID- 28913227
TI  - Reconstruction of Chronic Complicated Scalp and Dural Defects Using Acellular
      Human Dermis and Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Free flap.
AB  - We present reconstruction of a complicated scalp-dura defect using acellular
      human dermis and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap. A 62-year-old female
      had previously undergone decompressive craniectomy for intracranial hemorrhage.
      The cranial bone flap was cryopreserved and restored to the original location
      subsequently, but necessitated removal for a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal
      infection. However, the infectious nidus remained in a dermal substitute that was
      left over the cerebrum. Upon re-exploration, this material was removed, and frank
      pus was observed in the deep space just over the arachnoid layer. This was
      carefully irrigated, and the dural defect was closed with acellular dermal matrix
      in a watertight manner. The remaining scalp defect was covered using a free
      latissimus dorsi flap with anastomosis between the thoracodorsal and deep
      temporal arteries. The wound healed well without complications, and the scalp
      remained intact without any evidence of cerebrospinal fluid leak or continued
      infection.

PMID- 28913226
TI  - Comparison of Prostaglandin E1 and Sildenafil Citrate Administration on Skin Flap
      Survival in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alprostadil and sildenafil are known vasodilators used independently
      to improve flap survival in animal models. In this study, we investigate whether
      these agents act synergistically to decrease flap necrosis in rat models.
      METHODS: After acclimation period, 4 groups of 10 male white rats were given a
      modified McFarlane skin flap. The postoperative treatment included saline control
      (Group A), sildenafil citrate-only (Group B), alprostadil-only (Group C), and
      both sildenafil and alprostadil (Group D). The flaps were observed on
      postoperative days 1, 3, 5 and 7. The animals were euthenized on postoperative
      day 7, and the flaps were evaluated for inflammation and neovascularization.
      RESULTS: At each observation, the mean necrotic index was significantly lower for
      all three treatment groups (Groups A, B, C) and was the lowest for the combined
      treatment group. On histologic evaluations, combined treatment was associated
      with decreased inflammation and increased capillary vessel formation, when
      compared with control group. CONCLUSION: Both sildenafil-only and alprostadil
      treatments were independently associated with increased flap survival rate.
      Sildenafil citrate and alprostadil had a synergistic effect in increasing flap
      survival rate.

PMID- 28913228
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Polyotia.
AB  - Polyotia is an extremely rare type of the auricular malformation that is
      characterized by a large accessory ear. A 3-year-old girl presented to us with
      bilateral auricular abnormalities and underwent two-stage corrective operation
      for polyotia. In this report, we present the surgical details and postoperative
      outcomes of polyotia correction in the patient. Relevant literature is reviewed.

PMID- 28913229
TI  - Improvement of Congenital Muscular Torticollis with Mild Symptoms in Non-Treated
      Adult after Simple Surgical Myotomy of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle under Local
      Anesthesia.
AB  - In adult congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) patients, physical therapy is not
      as effective because the development of sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) muscle
      is complete. While surgical release can address CMT in adult patients, the risk
      of general anesthesia and visible postoperative scar is a concern, expecially in
      patients with mild symptoms. In this paper, we report our experience in treating
      such patients with minimal-incision myotomy under local anesthesia. A review was
      performed for all adult patients who had undergone the simple myotomy procedure.
      Surgical indication was reserved for patients with mild fibrotic band in the SCM
      muscle with minimal lengthdiscrepancybetween the muscles. All patients had
      recognizable head tiltand palpation of fibrotic band on affected side of the
      neck. Surgical details are described in the main body of text. Three female
      patients had undergone the procedure. Torticollis was resolve in all patients
      with complete restoration of ranage of motion. There were no postoperative
      complications, and patient satisfaction was high. We have reported three cases of
      mild CMT in adult female patients, who had undergone minimal-incision myotomy
      under local anesthesia. Outcomes were satisafactory with no morbidity to report.
      With careful patient selection, this method offers an alternate treatment option
      for adult CMT patients with mild symptoms.

PMID- 28913230
TI  - A Giant Keratoacanthoma Treated with Surgical Excision.
AB  - A keratoacanthoma is a rapidly growing cutaneous tumor that spontaneously
      involutes in most instances. A giant keratoacanthoma is a rare variant and are
      characterized by lesions larger than 20 mm in diameter. We report a 56-year-old
      man with a rapidly growing tumor of the right cheek, which was diagnosed as
      keratoacanthoma. The mass was excised completely under general anesthesia,
      followed by Limberg flap for reconstruction. Intraoperative frozen section
      histology suggested the lesion to be a well-differentiated squamous cell
      carcinoma, whereas final histopathology was consistent with keratoacanthoma. We
      herein report the first case of a giant keratoacanthoma treated with surgical
      excision in Korea and discuss the clinical and histopathological features of
      keratoacanthoma, with a review of the literature.

PMID- 28913231
TI  - Use of a Y-Shaped Plate for Intermaxillary Fixation.
AB  - Maxillomandibular fractures usually require intermaxillary fixation as a means to
      immobilize and stabilize the fracture and to re-establish proper occlusion. Arch
      bars or intermaxillary fixation screws cannot be used for edentulous patients or
      for patients who have poor dental health. Here, we present a case of repeated
      intermaxillary fixation failure in a patient weak alveolar rigidity secondary to
      multiple dental implants. Because single-point fixation screws were not strong
      enough to maintain proper occlusion, we have used Y-shaped plates to provide more
      rigid anchoring points for the intermaxillary wires. We suggest that this method
      should be considered for patients in whom conventional fixation methods are
      inappropriate or have failed.

PMID- 28913232
TI  - Intermuscular Lipoma in the Posterior Triangle of the Neck.

PMID- 28913233
TI  - A Comment on Application of Hand Towel Drape over Dingman Mouth Gag.

PMID- 28913234
TI  - Reconstructive Trends in Post-Ablation Patients with Esophagus and Hypopharynx
      Defect.
AB  - The main challenge in pharyngoesophageal reconstruction is the restoration of
      swallow and speech functions. The aim of this paper is to review the
      reconstructive options and associated complications for patients with head and
      neck cancer. A literature review was performed for pharynoesophagus
      reconstruction after ablative surgery of head and neck cancer for studies
      published between January 1980 to July 2015 and listed in the PubMed database.
      Search queries were made using a combination of 'esophagus' and 'free flap',
      'microsurgical', or 'free tissue transfer'. The search query resulted in 123
      studies, of which 33 studies were full text publications that met inclusion
      criteria. Further review into the reference of these 33 studies resulted in 15
      additional studies to be included. The pharyngoesophagus reconstruction should be
      individualized for each patient and clinical context. Fasciocutaneous free flap
      and pedicled flap are effective for partial phayngoesophageal defect.
      Fasciocutaneous free flap and jejunal free flap are effective for circumferential
      defect. Pedicled flaps remain a safe option in the context of high surgical risk
      patients, presence of fistula. Among free flaps, anterolateral thigh free flap
      and jejunal free flap were associated with superior outcomes, when compared with
      radial forearm free flap. Speech function is reported to be better for the
      fasciocutaneous free flap than for the jejunal free flap.

PMID- 28913235
TI  - Inferior Blow-Out Fracture Reduction Using Two Urinary Balloon Catheters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reduction of orbital blowout fracture primarily aims to normalize
      the extra-ocular movement by returning the herniated orbital soft tissue into the
      original position, and to prevent enophthalmos by normalizing the orbital cavity
      volume. We introduce a balloon catheter-assisted orbital floor reduction
      technique. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all patients with
      orbital floor fracture who underwent the technique described in the main body of
      this text. Medical records were reviewed for demographic data, clinical
      presentation and course, degree of enophthalmos, intraorbital volume on computed
      tomography scan, and postoperative outcomes. The enophthalmos and intraorbital
      volume of the injured site were compared to the uninjured eye and orbit. RESULTS:
      The review identified 14 patients (11 male, 3 female). The mean preoperative
      difference in en-exopthalmos was 2.13 mm, while the mean orbital volume was 116%.
      The mean postoperative difference in en-exophthalmos had improved to 0.61 mm with
      a mean orbital volume of 101.85%. At the time of catheter removal at 10 days,
      three patients experienced diplopia (n=1), extra-ocular movement disorder (1), or
      enophthalmos (1). All of these had resolved by the 6-month follow-up visit.
      CONCLUSION: Balloon catheter-assisted reduction of the orbital floor fractures
      was associated with improvements in intraorbital volume and enopthalmos in the 14
      patients. Notable complications included diplopia, enophthalmos, and limited
      extra-ocular movement, all of which were transient in the early postoperative
      period and had resolved by 6-month follow up.

PMID- 28913236
TI  - Kirschner Wire Fixation for the Treatment of Comminuted Zygomatic Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Kirschner wire (K-wire) technique allows stable fixation of bone
      fragments without periosteal dissection, which often lead to bone segment
      scattering and loss. The authors used the K-wire fixation to simplify the
      treatment of laborious comminuted zygomatic bone fracture and report outcomes
      following the operation. METHODS: A single-institution retrospective review was
      performed for all patients with comminuted zygomatic bone fractures between
      January 2010 and December 2013. In each patient, the zygoma was reduced and fixed
      with K-wire, which was drilled from the cheek bone and into the contralateral
      nasal cavity. For severely displaced fractures, the zygomaticofrontal suture was
      first fixated with a microplate and the K-wire was used to increase the stability
      of fixation. Each wire was removed approximately 4 weeks after surgery. Surgical
      outcomes were evaluated for malar eminence, cheek symmetry, Kwire site scar, and
      complications (based on a 4-point scale from 0 to 3, where 0 point is 'poor' and
      3 points is 'excellent'). RESULTS: The review identified 25 patients meeting
      inclusion criteria (21 men and 4 women). The mean age was 52 years (range, 15-73
      years). The mean follow up duration was 6.2 months. The mean operation time was
      21 minutes for K-wire alone (n=7) and 52 minutes for K-wire and plate fixation
      (n=18). Patients who had received K-wire only fixation had severe underlying
      diseases or accompanying injuries. The mean postoperative evaluation scores were
      2.8 for malar contour and 2.7 for K-wire site scars. The mean patient
      satisfaction was 2.7. There was one case of inflammation due to the K-wire.
      CONCLUSION: The use of K-wire technique was associated with high patient
      satisfaction in our review. K-wire fixation technique is useful in patient who
      require reduction of zygomatic bone fractures in a short operating time.

PMID- 28913237
TI  - Medial Wall Orbital Reconstruction using Unsintered Hydroxyapatite Particles/Poly
      L-Lactide Composite Implants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poly-L-lactide materials combined with hydroxyapatite (u-HA /PLLA)
      have been developed to overcome the drawbacks of absorbable materials, such as
      radiolucency and comparably less implant strength. This study was designed to
      evaluate the usefulness of u-HA/PLLA material in the repair of orbital medial
      wall defects. METHODS: This study included 10 patients with pure medial wall blow
      out fractures. The plain radiographs were taken preoperatively, immediately
      after, and 2 months after surgery. The computed tomography scans were performed
      preoperatively and 2 months after surgery. Patients were evaluated for ease of
      manipulation, implant immobility, rigidity and complications with radiologic
      studies. RESULTS: None of the patients had postoperative complications, such as
      infection or enophthalmos. The u-HA/PLLA implants had adequate rigidity,
      durability, and stable position on follow-up radiographic studies. On average,
      implants were thawed 3.4 times and required 14 minutes of handling time.
      CONCLUSION: The u-HA/PLLA implants are safe and reliable for reconstruction of
      orbital medial wall in terms of rigidity, immobility, radiopacity, and cost
      effectiveness. These thin yet rigid implants can be useful where wide periosteal
      dissection is difficult due to defect location or size. Since the u-HA/PLLA
      material is difficult to manipulate, these implants are not suitable for use in
      complex 3-dimensional defects.

PMID- 28913238
TI  - Wire or Hook Traction for Reducing Zygomatic Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variable methods have been introduced for reduction of the zygomatic
      fractures. The Dingman elevator is used widely to reduce these fractures but is
      inappropriate in certain types of fractures which require atypical traction
      vectors. We introduce and examine an alternate method of reducing zygomatic
      fractures using wire and hook traction. METHODS: A retrospective study was
      performed for all zygomatic fracture patients admitted between 2008 and 2014.
      Medially rotated fractures were reduced by using a wire looped through an
      intermaxillary screw secured on the medial side of the zygoma. Laterally rotated
      fractures were reduced using a hook introduced through an infrazygomatic skin
      incision. RESULTS: No accidental bleeding or incomplete reduction was observed in
      any of the cases. Postoperative imaging demonstrated proper reduction immediately
      after the operation. Follow-up computed tomography study at 1 month after
      operation also demonstrated proper reduction and healthy union across the
      previous site of fracture. CONCLUSION: The hook and wire method allowed precise
      application of traction forces across zygomatic fractures. The fractured bone
      fragment could be pulled in the direction precisely opposite to the vector of
      impact at the time of trauma. Soft tissue damage due to dissection was minimized.
      In particular, this method was effective in reducing rotated bone fragments and
      can be an alternative option to using the zygoma elevator.

PMID- 28913239
TI  - A Retrospective Analysis of 303 Cases of Facial Bone Fracture: Socioeconomic
      Status and Injury Characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence and etiology of facial bone fracture differ widely
      according to time and geographic setting. Because of this, prevention and
      management of facial bone fracture requires ongoing research. This study examines
      the relationship between socioeconomic status and the incidence of facial bone
      fractures in patients who had been admitted for facial bone fractures. METHODS: A
      retrospective study was performed for all patients admitted for facial bone
      fracture at the National Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) from 2010 to 2014. We
      sought correlations amongst age, gender, fracture type, injury mechanism, alcohol
      consumption, and type of medical insurance. RESULTS: Out of the 303 patients
      meeting inclusion criteria, 214 (70.6%) patients were enrolled in National Health
      Insurance (NHI), 46 (15.2%) patients had Medical Aid, and 43 (14.2%) patients
      were homeless. The main causes of facial bone fractures were accidental trauma
      (51.4%), physical altercation (23.1%), and traffic accident (14.2%). On Pearson's
      chi-square test, alcohol consumption was correlated significantly with accidental
      trauma (p<0.05). And, the ratio of alcohol consumption leading to facial bone
      fractures differed significantly in the homeless group compared to the NHI group
      and the Medical Aid group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We found a significant inverse
      correlation between economic status and the incidence of facial bone fractures
      caused by alcohol consumption. Our findings indicate that more elaborate
      guidelines and prevention programs are needed for socioeconomically marginalized
      populations.

PMID- 28913240
TI  - Direct Open Venous Drainage: An Alternative Choice for Flap Congestion Salvage.
AB  - In this report, we present a scalp defect reconstruction with lateral arm free
      flap. We highlight the difficulty in obtaining a recipient vein and the venous
      drainage managed through an open end of the donor vein. A 52-year-old woman
      presented with a pressure sore on the left scalp. A lateral arm free flap was
      transferred to cover this 8*6 cm defect. The arterial anastomosis was successful,
      but no recipient vein could be identified within the wound bed. Instead, we used
      a donor venous end for the direct open venous drainage. In order to keep this
      exposed venous end patent, we applied heparin-soaked gauze dressing to the wound.
      Also, the vein end was mechanically dilated and irrigated with heparin solution
      at two hour intervals. Along with fluid management and blood transfusion, this
      management was continued for the five days after the operation. The flap survived
      well without any complication. Through this case, we were able to demonstrate
      that venous congestion can be avoided by drainage of the venous blood through an
      open vessel without the use of leeches.

PMID- 28913241
TI  - Unusual Bilateral Impalement Injury with Rusted Iron Bars on Face and Neck.
AB  - Impalement injury is the subset of penetrating trauma, defined as fixed,
      elongated objects penetrate and remain in the human body cavity or region by
      relatively low velocity. We report an unusual case of facial and neck impalement
      where two dirty rusted iron bars penetrated forehead bilaterally and exited neck
      and ear respectively without causing major organ injuries. After thorough
      radiologic and physical evaluation, the patient got medical and surgical
      treatment. The patient was discharged without complication after four day of
      delayed wound closure. There have been no complications and sequelaes related
      with trauma, wound infection and scar contracture at 3-year follow-up. According
      to affected organs and pattern of impalement, individualized and
      multidisciplinary surgical approach should be considered. Following these
      guidelines as in this case, it was possible to achieve excellent clinical outcome
      in impalement injury.

PMID- 28913242
TI  - Usefulness of Ultrasonography-Assisted Closed Reduction for Nasal Fracture under
      Local Anesthesia.
AB  - Closed reduction is the treatment of choice for most nasal bone fractures. In
      this technique, the nasal bone cannot be directly visualized, proper reduction is
      confirmed by palpation of the bony contour. This confirmation-via-palpation is in
      most cases too uncomfortable or painful for patients, and this is the reason why
      most closed reductions of nasal bone fractures are performed under general
      anesthesia. Recently, ultrasonography has been adopted as a useful diagnostic
      method and operative adjunct. In this report, we report the use of
      ultrasonography as a means to provide palpation-less confirmation of proper
      reduction, which in turn allows for nasal bone reduction under local anesthesia.

PMID- 28913243
TI  - Absorbable Plate-Related Infection after Facial Bone Fracture Reduction.
AB  - Absorbable plates are used widely for fixation of facial bone fractures. Compared
      to conventional titanium plating systems, absorbable plates have many favorable
      traits. They are not palpable after plate absorption, which obviates the need for
      plate removal. Absorbable plate-related infections are relatively uncommon at
      less than 5% of patients undergoing fixation of facial bone fractures. The plates
      are made from a mixture of poly-L-lactic acid and poly-DL-lactic acid or poly-DL
      lactic acid and polyglycolic acid, and the ratio of these biodegradable polymers
      is used to control the longevity of the plates. Degradation rate of absorbable
      plate is closely related to the chance of infection. Low degradation is
      associated with increased accumulation of plate debris, which in turn can
      increase the chance of infection. Predisposing factors for absorbable plate
      related infection include the presence of maxillary sinusitis, plate proximity to
      incision site, and use of tobacco and significant amount of alcohol. Using short
      screws in fixating maxillary fracture accompanied maxillary sinusitis will
      increase the rate of infection. Avoiding fixating plates near the incision site
      will also minimize infection. Close observation until complete absorption of the
      plate is crucial, especially those who are smokers or heavy alcoholics. The
      management of plate infection is varied depending on the clinical situation.
      Severe infections require plate removal. Wound culture and radiologic exam are
      essential in treatment planning.

PMID- 28913244
TI  - Clinical Analysis of Lobular Keloid after Ear Piercing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lobular keloid appears to be a consequence of hypertrophic
      inflammation secondary to ear piercings performed under unsterile conditions. We
      wish to understand the pathogenesis of lobular keloids and report operative
      outcomes with a literature review. METHODS: A retrospective review identified 40
      cases of lobular keloids between January, 2005 and December, 2010. Patient
      records were reviewed for preclinical factors such as presence of inflammation
      after ear piercing prior to keloid development, surgical management, and
      histopathologic correlation to recurrence. RESULTS: The operation had been
      performed by surgical core extirpation or simple excision, postoperative lobular
      compression, and scar ointments. Perivascular infiltration was noted in intra-
      and extra-keloid tissue in 70% of patients. The postoperative recurrence rate was
      10%, and most of the patients satisfied with treatment outcomes. CONCLUSION:
      Histological perivascular inflammation is a prominent feature of lobular keloids.
      Proper surgical treatment, adjuvant treatments, and persistent follow-up
      observation were sufficient in maintaining a relatively low rates of recurrence.

PMID- 28913245
TI  - Anthropometric Analysis of Facial Foramina in Korean Population: A Three
      Dimensional Computed Tomographic Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Position of the facial foramina is important for regional block and
      for various maxillofacial surgical procedures. In this study, we report on
      anthropometry and morphology of these foramina using three-dimensional computed
      tomography (3D-CT) data. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all
      patients who have undergone 3D-CT scan of the facial skeleton for reasons other
      than fracture or deformity of the facial skeleton. Anthropometry of the
      supraorbital, infraorbital, and mental foramina (SOF, IOF, MF) were described in
      relation to facial midline, inferior orbital margin, and inferior mandibular
      margin (FM, IOM, IMM). This data was analyzed according to sex and age.
      Additionally, infraorbital and mental foramen were classified into 5 positions
      based on the anatomic relationships to the nearest perpendicular dentition.
      RESULTS: The review identified 137 patients meeting study criteria. Supraorbital
      foramina was more often in the shape of a foramen (62%) than that of a notch
      (38%). The supraorbital, infraorbital, and mental foramina were located 33.7 mm,
      37.1 mm, and 33.7 mm away from the midline. The mean vertical distance between
      IOF and IOM was 13.4 mm. The mean distance between MF and IMM was 21.0 mm. The
      IOF and MF most commonly coincided with upper and lower second premolar
      dentition, respectively. Between the sex, the distance between MF and IMM was
      significantly higher for males than for female. In a correlation analysis, SOF
      FM, IOF-FM and MF-FM values were significantly increased with age, but IOF-IOM
      values were significantly decreased with age. CONCLUSION: In the current study,
      we have reported anthropometric data concerning facial foramina in the Korean
      population, using a large-scale data analysis of three-dimensional computed
      tomography of facial skeletons. The correlations made respect to patient sex and
      age will provide help to operating surgeons when considering nerve blocks and
      periosteal dissections around the facial foramina.

PMID- 28913246
TI  - Reduction of Nasal Bone Fracture using Ultrasound Imaging during Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most nasal bone fractures are corrected using non-invasive methods.
      Often, patients are dissatisfied with surgical outcomes following such closed
      approach. In this study, we compare surgical outcomes following blind closed
      reduction to that of ultrasound-guided reduction. METHODS: A single-institutional
      prospective study was performed for all nasal fracture patients (n=28) presenting
      between May 2013 and November 2013. Upon research consent, patients were randomly
      assigned to either the control group (n=14, blind reduction) or the experimental
      group (n=14, ultrasound-guided reduction). Surgical outcomes were evaluated using
      preoperative and 3-month postoperative X-ray images by two independent surgeons.
      Patient satisfaction was evaluated using a questionnaire survey. RESULTS: The
      experimental group consisted of 4 patients with Plane I fracture and 10 patients
      with Plane II fracture. The control group consisted of 3 patients with Plane I
      fracture and 11 patients with Plane II fracture. The mean surgical outcomes score
      and the mean patient dissatisfaction score were found not to differ between the
      experimental and the control group in Plane I fracture (p=0.755, 0.578,
      respectively). In a subgroup analysis consisting of Plane II fractures only,
      surgeons graded outcomes for ultrasound-guided reduction higher than that for the
      control group (p=0.007). Likewise, among the Plane II fracture patients, those
      who underwent ultrasound-guided reduction were less dissatisfied than those who
      underwent blind reduction (p=0.043). CONCLUSION: Our study result suggests that
      ultrasound-guided closed reduction is superior to blind closed reduction in those
      patients with Plane II nasal fractures.

PMID- 28913247
TI  - Silicone Implant-Based Paranasal Augmentation for Mild Midface Concavity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Midface concavity is a relatively common facial feature in East Asian
      populations. Paranasal augmentation is becoming an increasingly popular procedure
      for patients with mild concavity and normal occlusion. In this study, we evaluate
      clinical outcomes following a series of paranasal augmentation. METHODS: A
      retrospective review was performed for patients with Class I occlusion who had
      undergone bilateral paranasal augmentation using custom-made silicone implants,
      between October 2005 and September 2013. Patient charts were reviewed for
      demographic information, concomitant operations, and postoperative complications.
      Preoperative and postoperative (1-month) photographs were used to evaluate
      operative outcome. RESULTS: The review identified a total of 93 patients meeting
      study criteria. Overall, aesthetic outcomes were satisfactory. Five-millimeter
      thick silicone implant was used in 81 cases, and the mean augmentation was 4.26
      mm for this thickness. Among the 93 patients, 2 patients required immediate
      implant removal due to discomfort. An additional 3 patients experienced implant
      migration without any extrusion. Nine patients complained of transient
      paresthesia, which had resolved by 2 weeks. There were no cases of hematoma or
      infection. All patients reported improvement in their lateral profile and were
      pleased at follow-up. Complications that arose postoperatively included 9 cases
      of numbness in the upper lip and 3 cases of implant migration. All cases yielded
      satisfactory results without persisting complications. Sensations were fully
      restored postoperatively after 1 to 2 weeks. CONCLUSION: Paranasal augmentation
      with custom-made silicone implants is a simple, safe, and inexpensive method that
      can readily improve the lateral profile of a patient with normal occlusion. When
      combined with other aesthetic procedures, paranasal augmentation can
      synergistically improve outcome and lead to greater patient satisfaction.

PMID- 28913248
TI  - Cutaneous Horn in Premalignant and Malignant Conditions.
AB  - Cutaneous horns are conical, circumscribed protuberances formed by densely
      layered keratin. These lesions originate from basal keratinocytes and may
      manifest as benign, premalignant, or malignant cutaneous pathology in chronically
      sun-damaged areas. Complete surgical excision with histologic examination is
      needed for potential malignancy. In this report, we describe two elderly women
      presenting with solitary facial cutaneous horns, which were respectively
      diagnosed as actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma.

PMID- 28913249
TI  - Massive Hemorrhage Facial Fracture Patient Treated by Embolization.
AB  - Major maxillofacial bone injury itself can be life threatening from both
      cardiovascular point of view, as well as airway obstruction. Significant
      hemorrhage from facial fracture is an uncommon occurrence, and there is little in
      the literature to guide the management of these patients. We report a 73-year-old
      male driver who was transported to our hospital after a motor vehicle collision.
      The patient was hypotensive and tachycardic at presentation and required active
      fluid resuscitation and transfusion. The patient was intubated to protect the
      airway. All external attempts to control the bleeding, from packing to fracture
      reduction, were unsuccessful. Emergency angiogram revealed the bleeding to
      originate from terminal branches of the sphenopalatine artery, which were
      embolized. This was associated with cessation of bleeding and stabilization of
      vital signs. Despite the age and severity of injury, the patient recovered well
      and was discharged home at 3 months with full employment. In facial trauma
      patients with intractable bleeding, transcatheter arterial embolization should be
      considered early in the course of management to decrease mortality rate.

PMID- 28913250
TI  - Cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman Disease Confused with Vascular Mass.
AB  - Rosai-Dorfman disease is a rare histiocytic disorder, clinically characterized by
      massive, bilateral painless cervical lymphadenopathy with potential for
      extranodal manifestations. We report a 45-year-old male patient who presented
      with a slowly growing erythematous nodule of the left chin. The mass appeared non
      vascular on computed tomography study, but ultrasonogram was suggestive of a
      vascular lesion. The lesion was excised with presumptive diagnosis of a
      hemangioma. However, histopathologic examination of the surgical biopsy revealed
      histiocytic infiltration with emperipolesis, which was pathognomic for Rosai
      Dorfman disease. Additional imaging studies did not reveal lymph node enlargement
      or other extranodal manifestation. The patient was diagnosed with cutaneous form
      of the Rosai-Dorfman disease and was discharged home. He remains free of local
      recurrence at 8 months.

PMID- 28913251
TI  - Recurrent Chondroid Syringoma of the Alar Rim.
AB  - Chondroid synringoma (CS), pleomorphic adenoma of skin, is a benign tumor found
      in the head and neck region. CS was first reported in 1859 by Billorth for the
      salivary gland tumor. The usual presentation is an slowly growing, asymptomatic
      mass. A 53-year-old female with a history of chondroid synringoma had presented
      with multiple firm, nodular masses found in the left nostril area. The lesion had
      been excised 8 years prior and was diagnosed histopathologically, but had
      gradually recurred. Excision of the mass located in subcutaneous layer revealed
      four whitish, firm tumors surrounded with capsular tissue. Neither recurrence nor
      complications occurred during the 18 months follow-up period. In the head and
      neck region, chondroid syringoma should always be considered in differential
      diagnosis of soft tissue masses despite its rare incidence. For that reason,
      excisional biopsy with clear margin is the optimal diagnostic as well as
      therapeutic choice. We report a case of recurred chondroid syringoma on the nose
      in female patient.

PMID- 28913252
TI  - Forehead Osteoma Excision by Anterior Hairline Incision with Subcutaneous
      Dissection.
AB  - Forehead osteomas are benign but can pose aesthetic and functional problems.
      These osteomas are resected via bicoronal or endoscopic approach. However, large
      osteomas cannot be removed via endoscopic approach, and bicoronal approach can
      result in damage to the supraorbital nerve with resultant numbness in the
      forehead. We present a new approach to resection of forehead osteomas, with
      access provided by an anterior hairline incision and subcutaneous dissection.
      Three patients underwent resection of the forehead osteoma through an anterior
      hairline incision. The dissection was carried in the subcutaneous plane, and the
      frontalis muscle and periosteum were divided parallel to the course of
      supraorbital nerve. The resulting bony defect was re-contoured using Medpor(r).
      All three patients recovered without any postoperative infection or complication
      and symptoms. Scalp sensory was preserved. Aesthetic outcomes were satisfactory.
      Patients remain free of recurrence for 12 months of follow up. The anterior hair
      line approach with subcutaneous dissection is an effective method for removal of
      forehead osteoma, since it offers broad visualization and hides the scar in the
      hairline. In addition, the dissection in the subcutaneous plane avoids
      inadvertent injury to the deep nerve branches and helps to maintains scalp
      sensation.

PMID- 28913253
TI  - Spring Update: A Letter from the President of the Korean Cleft Palate
      Craniofacial Association.

PMID- 28913254
TI  - Oral and Oropharyngeal Reconstruction with a Free Flap.
AB  - Extensive surgical resection of the aerodigestive track can result in a large and
      complex defect of the oropharynx, which represents a significant reconstructive
      challenge for the plastic surgery. Development of microsurgical techniques has
      allowed for free flap reconstruction of oropharyngeal defects, with superior
      outcomes as well as decreases in postoperative complications. The reconstructive
      goals for oral and oropharyngeal defects are to restore the anatomy, to maintain
      continuity of the intraoral surface and oropharynx, to protect vital structures
      such as carotid arteries, to cover exposed portions of internal organs in
      preparation for adjuvant radiation, and to preserve complex functions of the oral
      cavity and oropharynx. Oral and oropharyngeal cancers should be treated with
      consideration of functional recovery. Multidisciplinary treatment strategies are
      necessary for maximizing disease control and preserving the natural form and
      function of the oropharynx.

PMID- 28913255
TI  - Delayed Reduction of Nasal Bone Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasal bone fractures are managed by closed reduction within the 2
      week period, and are managed by secondary correction after this time. There is
      little literature on the delayed reduction for nasal bone fractures beyond the 2
      week duration. We report our experience with nasal fractures, which were reduced
      beyond this period. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all
      patients who had undergone closed reduction of isolated nasal bone fracture.
      Patients were included for having undergone reduction of nasal bone fractures at
      or more than 2 weeks after the injury. Medical records were reviewed for
      demographic information, injury mechanism, fracture type, delay in treatment, and
      cause for delay. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated using computed tomography
      images. RESULTS: The review identified 10 patients. The average reduction time
      was 22.1 days. Five of patients underwent reduction between days 15 and 20, and
      the remaining five patients underwent reduction between days 21 and 41. The
      postoperative outcomes were excellent in 8 patients and good in 2 patients.
      CONCLUSION: Outcomes were superior for nasal fractures with displaced end plates
      and multiple fracture segments. Our study results appears to support delayed
      reduction of isolated nasal fractures in the presence of factors that delay bony
      reunion.

PMID- 28913256
TI  - A Retrospective Clinical View of Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma
      in the Head and Neck Region: A Single Institution's Experience of 247 Cases over
      19 Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The two most common skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and
      squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The purpose of this study was to describe the
      detailed clinical behavior of BCC and SCC in the head and neck region over 19
      years at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed
      for all patients with non-melanoma skin cancer who had undergone surgical
      resection over an 18-year period. Patient charts were reviewed for demographic
      information, tumor size, onset-to-diagnosis, anatomic location, clinical subtype,
      histologic differentiation, method of surgical treatment, and recurrence.
      RESULTS: The review identified 265 cases of either BCC or SCC in 226 patients. Of
      the 226 patients, 80 (35.4%) were men and 146 (64.6%) were women. BCC (n=138,
      55.9%) was more frequent than SCC (109, 44.1%). The most frequent age group was
      70-to-79 year olds (45 patients, 35.2%) for BCC and 80-to-89 year olds (41
      patients, 41.8%) for SCC. By aesthetic units of the face, the most common
      location was the nasal unit (44 cases, 31.9%) for BCC and the buccal unit (23
      cases, 21.1%) for SCC. The most common clinical subtype of BCC was the nodular
      type (80 cases, 58.0%). Local flaps were most commonly used to cover surgical
      defects (136 cases, 55.1%). Recurrent rates were 2.2% for BCC and 5.5% for SCC.
      CONCLUSION: In our study, many characteristics of BCC and SCC were compared to
      previously published reports were generally similar, except the ratio of BCC to
      SCC. Further study can help to establish the characteristics of BCC and SCC.

PMID- 28913257
TI  - Use of Triamcinolone Acetonide to Treat Lower Eyelid Malposition after the
      Subciliary Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The subciliary approach is commonly used for reconstruction of
      orbital wall or zygomaticomaxillary fractures. However, this approach is
      associated with postoperative complications, especially lower eyelid malposition.
      We report the experience of managing postoperative lower eyelid malposition with
      triamcinolone acetonide. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed for all
      traumatic facial fractures requiring surgery via the subciliary approach at
      Chosun University Hospital in 2014. For each patient meeting inclusion criteria,
      the medical chart was reviewed for demographic information and postoperative
      course, including the presence of postoperative eyelid malposition or scleral
      show. RESULTS: The review identified 189 cases in which the subciliary approach
      was used, and postoperative lower eyelid malposition was found in 7 cases (3.7%).
      For these 7 patients, the mean therapeutic period (interval to correction of the
      malposition) was 10.5 weeks (range, 8 to 14 weeks). On average, patients received
      3 injections of triamcinolone. In all cases, degrees of the malposition were
      improved, and none of the patients required an operative intervention to correct
      the malposition. CONCLUSION: Triamcinolone injection is an appropriate treatment
      modality for lower eyelid malposition after subciliary approach. Treatment
      duration is relatively short, requiring fewer than 4 outpatient clinic visits,
      with relatively earlier recovery compared to conservative "wait-and-see"
      management.

PMID- 28913258
TI  - Risk Acceptance and Expectations of Scalp Allotransplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In scalp allotransplantation, the scalp from a brain-dead donor,
      including hair, is transferred to a recipient with scalp defects. Opinions differ
      on the appropriateness of scalp allotransplantation. In order to maintain graft
      function and cosmetic outcomes, scalp transplantation recipients would need to
      receive lifelong immunosuppression treatments. The risks of this
      immunosuppression have to be balanced against the fact that receiving a scalp
      allotransplant does not extend lifespan or restore a physical function.
      Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate risk acceptance and
      expectations regarding scalp allotransplantation in different populations.
      METHODS: A questionnaire survey study was conducted. A total of 300 subjects
      participated; survey was conducted amongst the general public (n=100), kidney
      transplantation recipients (n=50), a group of patient who required scalp
      reconstruction due to tumor or trauma (n=50), and physicians (n=100). The survey
      was modified by using the Korean version of the Louisville instrument for
      transplantation questionnaire. RESULTS: Risk acceptance and expectations for
      scalp transplantation varied widely across the groups. Kidney transplantation
      recipients revealed the highest risk acceptance and expectations, whereas the
      physicians were most resistant to the risks of scalp transplantation. CONCLUSION:
      Our study demonstrates that, in specific groups, scalp allotransplantation and
      the need for immunosuppression carries an acceptable risk despite the lack of
      lifeextending benefits. Our results suggest that scalp allotransplantation can be
      an acceptable alternative to existing scalp reconstruction surgeries in patients
      with pre-existing need for immunosuppression.

PMID- 28913259
TI  - Improvement of Infraorbital Rim contour Using Medpor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asymmetry of the infraorbital rim can be caused by trauma, congenital
      or acquired disease, or insufficient reduction during a previous operation. Such
      asymmetry needs to be corrected because the shape of the infraorbital rim or
      midfacial skeleton defines the overall midfacial contour. METHODS: The study
      included 5 cases of retruded infraorbital rim. All of the patient underwent
      restoration of the deficient volume using polyethylene implants between June 2005
      and June 2011. The infraorbital rim was accessed through a subciliary approach,
      and the implants were placed in subperiosteal space. Surgical outcomes were
      evaluated using preoperative and postoperative computed tomography studies.
      RESULTS: Implant based augmentation was associated with a mean projection of 4.6
      mm enhancement. No postoperative complications were noted during the 30-month
      follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Because of the safeness, short recovery time,
      effectiveness, reliability, and potential application to a wide range of facial
      disproportion problems, this surgical technique can be applied to midfacial
      retrusion from a variety of etiologies, such as fracture involving infraorbital
      rim, congenital midfacial hypoplasia, lid malposition after blepharoplasty, and
      skeletal changes due to aging.

PMID- 28913260
TI  - Aesthetic Facial Correction of Cleidocranial Dysplasia.
AB  - We report two cases of cleidocranial dysplasia, which was managed without
      significant craniofacial osteotomy. A mother and daughter, both of normal
      intelligence, presented with central forehead depression, mid-face hypoplasia,
      and blepharoptosis. The fact that they have an identically deformed face implied
      a genetic basis. In both patients, radiologic evaluation revealed the
      underdeveloped maxilla, persistent fontanelle opening, and cleidal aplasia.
      Clinical findings and radiologic studies were consistent with the diagnosis of
      cleidocranial dysplasia. Both patients underwent forehead plasty via bicoronal
      approach, augmentation rhinoplasty using tip plasty, and epicanthoplasty. In
      addition, the mother underwent malar augmentation using Medpor implantation and
      reduction genioplasty. The patients did not experience any postoperative
      complication and remained satisfied with the operation at 6-year follow-up.

PMID- 28913261
TI  - Malignant Skin Tumor Misdiagnosed as a Benign Skin Lesion.
AB  - Despite the fact that benign skin lesions can undergo malignant transformation,
      the necessity and timing of the surgical resection have yet to be established. In
      this study, we analyse three cases of benign-appearing skin lesions, which were
      found to be carcinomatous on histologic examination and review the literature
      regarding the importance of prophylactic removal of benign-appearing skin lesion.
      The first and second cases were female patients wishing for cosmetic surgery. The
      first patient had a benign-appearing lesion on dorsum nasi, and the second
      patient had an inconspicuous lesion right along the right nasolabial fold. The
      third patient was a middle-aged male with a pigmented lesion on the left cheek,
      who presented to the clinic only after having met the operating surgeon through
      an acquaintance outside the hospital setting. All of the lesions were suspected
      to be of benign nature and were excised for cosmesis only. However, histologic
      examination of these lesions showed that the first two tumors were basal cell
      carcinoma with the last tumor being squamouse cell carcinoma. Thus, it is
      considered that removal of benign like skin lesion will result in good prognosis
      of patients scheduled to undergo other surgery.

PMID- 28913262
TI  - Recurrent Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Parotid Gland.
AB  - Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common type of salivary gland tumor and the most
      common tumor of the parotid gland. Because of its propensity for invasion,
      pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid requires superficial parotidectomy or total
      parotidectomy to minimize the risk of tumor recurrence. We report a case of
      pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland with repeated recurrences. A 23-year-old
      male patient presented with a protruding neck mass. Six years prior to this
      presentation, the patient had undergone superficial parotidectomy for the removal
      of pleomorphic adenoma of the right parotid gland at our institution. The patient
      experienced recurrence at 17 months after the initial resection, which required a
      total parotidectomy with partial resection of the facial nerve. Pathologic
      examination revealed histologic findings consistent with pleomorphic adenoma
      across the surgical specimen from all three of the operations. The patient
      suffered from facial nerve paralysis, with facial expressions partially recovered
      over a year.

PMID- 28913263
TI  - Sebaceoma Arising from Nevus Sebaceous with Early Focal Carcinomatous Area.

PMID- 28913264
TI  - Compound Type Odontoma at Maxilla.

PMID- 28913265
TI  - Cranioplasty with Methylmethacrylate in Plagiocephaly.

PMID- 28913266
TI  - Secondary Reconstruction of Frontal Sinus Fracture.
AB  - Fractures of frontal sinus account for 5%-12% of all fractures of facial
      skeleton. Inadequately treated frontal sinus injuries may result in malposition
      of sinus structures, as well as subsequent distortion of the overlying soft
      tissue. Such inappropriate treatment can result in aesthetic complaints (contour
      deformity) as well as medical complications (recurrent sinusitis, mucocele or
      mucopyocele, osteomyelitis of the frontal bone, meningitis, encephalitis, brain
      abscess or thrombosis of the cavernous sinus) with potentially fatal outcomes.
      Frontal contour deformity warrants surgical intervention. Although deformities
      should be corrected by the deficiency in tissue type, skin and soft tissue
      correction is considered better choice than bone surgery because of minimal
      invasiveness. Development of infection in the postoperative period requires all
      secondary operations to be delayed, pending the resolution of infectious
      symptoms. The anterior cranial fossa must be isolated from the nasal cavity to
      prevent infectious complications. Because most of the complications are related
      to infection, frontal sinus fractures require extensive surgical debridement and
      adequate restructuring of the anatomy. The authors suggest surgeons to be
      familiar with various methods of treatment available in the prevention and
      management of complications following frontal sinus fractures, which is helpful
      in making the proper decision for secondary frontal sinus fracture surgery.

PMID- 28913267
TI  - Orbital Floor Fracture.
AB  - The medial wall and floor of the bony orbit are frequently fractured because of
      the delicate anatomy. To optimize functional and aesthetic results,
      reconstructive surgeons should understand the anatomy and pathophysiology of
      orbital fractures. Appropriate treatment involves optimal timing of intervention,
      proper indications for operative repair, incision and dissection, release of
      herniated tissue, implant material and placement, and wound closure. The
      following review will discuss the management of orbital floor fractures, with the
      operative method preferred by the author. Special considerations in operation
      technique and the complication are also present in this article.

PMID- 28913268
TI  - Transconjuctival Incision with Lateral Paracanthal Extension for Corrective
      Osteotomy of Malunioned Zygoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conventional correction of malunioned zygoma requires complete
      regional exposure through a bicoronal flap combined with a lower eyelid incision
      and an upper buccal sulcus incision. However, there are many potential
      complications following bicoronal incisions, such as infection, hematoma,
      alopecia, scarring and nerve injury. We have adopted a zygomaticofrontal suture
      osteotomy technique using transconjunctival incision with lateral paracanthal
      extension. We performed a retrospective review of clinical cases underwent
      correction of malunioned zygoma with the approach to evaluate outcomes following
      this method. METHODS: Between June 2009 and September 2015, corrective
      osteotomies were performed in 14 patients with malunioned zygoma by a single
      surgeon. All 14 patients received both upper gingivobuccal and transconjunctival
      incisions with lateral paracanthal extension. The mean interval from injury to
      operation was 16 months (range, 12 months to 4 years), and the mean follow-up was
      1 year (range, 4 months to 3 years). RESULTS: Our surgical approach technique
      allowed excellent access to the infraorbital rim, orbital floor,
      zygomaticofrontal suture and anterior surface of the maxilla. Of the 14 patients,
      only 1 patient suffered a complication-oral wound dehiscence. Among the 6
      patients who received infraorbital nerve decompression, numbness was gradually
      relieved in 4 patients. Two patients continued to experience persistent numbness.
      CONCLUSION: Transconjunctival incision with lateral paracanthal extension
      combined with upper gingivobuccal sulcus incision offers excellent exposure of
      the zygoma-orbit complex, and could be a valid alternative to the bicoronal
      approach for osteotomy of malunioned zygoma.

PMID- 28913269
TI  - Ocular Complications in Assault-Related Blowout Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blowout fracture is one of the most common facial fractures, and
      patients usually present with accompanying ocular complications. Many studies
      have looked into the frequency of persistent ocular symptoms, but there is no
      study on assault patients and related ocular symptoms. We evaluated the incidence
      of residual ocular symptoms in blow-out fractures between assaulted and non
      assaulted patients, and sought to identify any connection among the degree of
      enophthalmos, defect size, and assault-related injury. METHODS: A retrospective
      review was performed for any patient who sustained a unilateral blowout fracture
      between January 2010 to December 2014. The collected data included information
      such as age, gender, etiology, and clinical ocular symptoms as examined by an
      ophthalmologist. This data was analyzed between patients who were injured through
      physical altercation and patients who were injured through other means. RESULTS:
      The review identified a total of 182 patients. Out of these, 74 patients (40.7%)
      have been struck by a fist, whereas 108 patients (59.3%) have sustained non
      assault related injuries. The average age was 36.1 years, and there was a male
      predominance in both groups (70 patients [94.6%] in the assaulted group and 87
      patients [80.6%] in the non-assault group). Diplopia and enophthalmos were more
      frequent in patients with assault history than in non-assaulted patients
      (p<0.05). Preoperatively, 25 patients (33.8%) with assault history showed
      diplopia, whereas 20 patients (18.5%) showed diplopia in the non-assaulted group
      (p<0.05). Preoperative enophthalmos was present in 34 patients (45.9%) with
      assault history, whereas 31 patients (28.7%) showed enophthalmos in the non
      assaulted group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with an assault history due to a
      fist blow experienced preoperative symptoms more frequently than did patients
      with non-assault-related trauma history. Preoperative diplopia and enophthalmos
      occurred at a higher rate for patients who were assaulted. Surgeons should take
      into account such characteristics in the management of assaulted patients.

PMID- 28913270
TI  - The Efficacy of Bioabsorbable Mesh in Craniofacial Trauma Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ultimate goal of craniofacial reconstructive surgery is to
      achieve the most complete restoration of facial functions. A bioabsorbable
      fixation system which does not need secondary operation for implant removal has
      been developed in the last decade. The purpose of this study is to share the
      experience of authors and to demonstrate the efficacy of bioabsorbable mesh in a
      variety of craniofacial trauma operations. METHODS: Between October 2008 and
      February 2015, bioabsorbable meshes were used to reconstruct various types of
      craniofacial bone fractures in 611 patients. Any displaced bone fragments were
      detached from the fracture site and fixed to the mesh. The resulting bone-mesh
      complex was designed and molded into an appropriate shape by the immersion in
      warm saline. The mesh was molded once again under simultaneous warm saline
      irrigation and suction. RESULTS: In all patients, contour deformities were
      restored completely, and bone segments were fixed properly. The authors found
      that the bioabsorbable mesh provided rigid fixation without any evidence of
      integrity loss on postoperative computed tomography scans. CONCLUSION: Because
      bioabsorbable meshes are more flexible than bioabsorbable plates, they can be
      molded and could easily reconstruct the facial bone in three dimensions.
      Additionally, it is easy to attach bone fragments to the mesh. Bioabsorbable mesh
      and screws is effective and can be easily applied for fixation in various
      craniofacial trauma reconstructive scenarios.

PMID- 28913271
TI  - The Clinical Analysis of the Nasal Septal Cartilage by Measurement Using Computed
      Tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nasal septal cartilage is often used as a donor graft in
      rhinoplasty operations but can vary widely in size across the patient population.
      As such, preoperative estimation of the cartilaginous area is important for
      patient counseling as well as operating planning. We aim to estimate septal
      cartilage area by using facial computed tomography (CT) studies. METHODS: The
      study was performed using facial CT images taken from 200 patients between
      January 2012 to July 2015. Using the mid-sagittal image, the boundary of
      cartilaginous septum was delineated from soft tissue using the mean difference in
      signal intensity (or brightness). The area within this boundary was calculated.
      The calculated area for septal cartilage was then compared across age groups and
      sexes. RESULTS: Overall, the mean area of nasal septal cartilage was 8.18 cm2
      with the maximum of 12.42 cm2 and the minimum of 4.89 cm2. The cartilage areas
      were measured to be larger in men than in women (p<0.05). The area decreased with
      advancing age (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Measuring the size of septal cartilage using
      brightness difference is more precise and reliable than previously reported
      methods. This method can be utilized as the standard for prevention of
      postoperative complication.

PMID- 28913272
TI  - Application of Rapid Prototyping Technique and Intraoperative Navigation System
      for the Repair and Reconstruction of Orbital Wall Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Restoring the orbital cavity in large blow out fractures is a
      challenge for surgeons due to the anatomical complexity. This study evaluated the
      clinical outcomes and orbital volume after orbital wall fracture repair using a
      rapid prototyping (RP) technique and intraoperative navigation system. METHODS:
      This prospective study was conducted on the medical records and radiology records
      of 12 patients who had undergone a unilateral blow out fracture reconstruction
      using a RP technique and an intraoperative navigation system from November 2014
      to March 2015. The surgical results were assessed by an ophthalmic examination
      and a comparison of the preoperative and postoperative orbital volume ratio (OVR)
      values. RESULTS: All patients had a successful treatment outcome without
      complications. Volumetric analysis revealed a significant decrease in the mean
      OVR from 1.0952+/-0.0662 (ranging from 0.9917 to 1.2509) preoperatively to
      0.9942+/-0.0427 (ranging from 0.9394 to 1.0680) postoperatively. CONCLUSION: The
      application of a RP technique for the repair of orbital wall fractures is a
      useful tool that may help improve the clinical outcomes by understanding the
      individual anatomy, determining the operability, and restoring the orbital cavity
      volume through optimal implant positioning along with an intraoperative
      navigation system.

PMID- 28913273
TI  - Transient Anisocoria during Medial Blowout Fracture Surgery.
AB  - Transient anisocoria is rare during blowout fracture reconstruction. We report a
      case of transient anisocoria occurring during medial blowout fracture
      reconstruction and review the relevant literature. A 54-year-old woman was struck
      in the face and was admitted for a medial blowout fracture of the left eye.
      During the operation, persistent bleeding occurred. To control this bleeding, a
      1% lidocaine solution with 1:200,000 epinephrine was applied to the orbital wall
      with cotton pledgets. In total, 40 mL of local anesthetic was used for the
      duration of the operation. After approximately three hours of the surgery, the
      ipsilateral pupil was observed to be dilated, with sluggish response to light. By
      3 hours after the operation, the mydriasis had resolved with normal light reflex.
      In conclusion, neurological and ophthalmologic evaluation must be performed prior
      to blowout fracture surgery. Preoperative ophthalmic evaluation is simple and
      essential in ruling out any preexisting neurologic condition. Moreover, surgeons
      must be aware of the fact that excessive injection of lidocaine with epinephrine
      for hemostasis during orbital wall surgery can result in intraoperative
      anisocoria. Anisocoria-related situations must be addressed in a proficient
      manner through sufficient understanding of the mechanism controlling the
      pupillary response to various stimuli.

PMID- 28913274
TI  - Primary Cutaneous Mucinous Carcinoma Treated with Narrow Surgical Margin.
AB  - Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma (PCMC) is a rare malignant tumor of eccrine
      origin. Clinically, the carcinoma presents as a solitary, slow growing, and
      painless nodule. For this reason, this tumor is often considered to be a benign
      mass in the preoperative setting. The lesion is, however, malignant in nature and
      has a tendency for local recurrence and infrequent metastasis. Wide local
      excision is the treatment of choice. However, few reports exist with information
      regarding surgical margins and clinical outcomes. Herein, we report a case of
      PCMC excised with a narrow surgical margin and review the relevant literature. A
      49-year-old man presented with a small cutaneous nodule of the right cheek. The
      mass was excised without any margin, but pathologic examination revealed
      histology of mucinous carcinoma. Because of this, the operative site was re
      excised with a 5-mm margin, and the wound was closed using a V-Y advancement
      flap. Systemic work-up did not reveal other potential metastatic primary, for a
      final diagnosis of PCMC. We report this case of PCMC, treated with relatively
      narrow margin in a patient with good prognostic factors.

PMID- 28913275
TI  - Stafne Bone Cavity of the Mandible.
AB  - Stafne bone cavity is a rare mandibular defect that was first reported by Edward
      C. Stafne in 1942. It commonly presents with a well-demarcated, asymptomatic,
      unilateral radiolucency that indicates lingual invagination of the cortical bone.
      A 52-year-old female patient who with nasal bone fracture, visited the hospital.
      During facial bone computed tomography (CT) for facial area evaluation, a well
      shaped cystic lesion was accidentally detected on the right side of the mandible.
      Compared to the left side, no swelling or deformity was observed in the right
      side of the oral lesion, and no signs of deformity caused by mucosal
      inflammation. 3D CT scans, and mandible series x-rays were performed, which
      showed a well-ossified radiolucent oval lesion. Axial CT image revealed a
      cortical defect containing soft tissue lesion, which has similar density as the
      submandibular gland on the lingual surface of the mandible. The fact that Stafne
      cavity is completely surrounded by the bone is the evidence to support the
      hypothesis that embryonic salivary gland is entrapped by the bone. In most cases,
      Stafne bone cavity does not require surgical treatment. We believe that the
      mechanical pressure from the salivary gland could have caused the defect.

PMID- 28913276
TI  - Recurrent Extranodal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma Presenting as a Perforating Palatal Ulcer
      and Oro-Nasal Fistula.
AB  - Nasal-type extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is a rare disease
      presenting with non-specific symptoms, typically originating in the nasal cavity,
      palate, or midfacial region. Oral cavity is an extremely rare site for this type
      of lymphoma. In this report, we present a case of palatal perforation and oro
      nasal fistula as a manifestation of recurrent ENKTL. Complicated disease entity
      should be considered when surgeons deal with palatal perforation and oro-nasal
      fistula.

PMID- 28913277
TI  - Atypical Facial Filler Granuloma: Comparative Histologic Analysis with
      Paraffinoma.
AB  - Dermal fillers are generally accepted as safe and well-tolerable cosmetic tools.
      However, adverse reactions have been reported in the literature. Here, we present
      a case of atypical facial filler granuloma and compare its histologic features
      with those of the classic paraffinoma.

PMID- 28913278
TI  - Chondroid Syringoma on Face.
AB  - Chondroid syringoma is a rare mixed tumor of the skin which is composed of both
      mesenchymal and epithelial cells. Its incidence at less than 0.1% and is
      frequently located on the head and neck. Chondroid syringoma is easily confused
      with epidermal cysts. Since malignant forms of chondroid syringoma have been
      reported, accurate and timely diagnosis is important for proper management. We
      report clinical and histological features of chondroid syringoma in 5 patients
      treated at our institution. In most of the cases, chondroid syringoma presented
      as a round, firm, nodular or cystic lesion that had well marginated heterogeneity
      in sonography. Clinically, all of the lesions were removed by simple excision.
      Microscopically, all five tumors were well circumscribed and consisted of
      epithelial, myoepithelial, and stromal components. The epithelial component
      formed tubules lined by one or more rows of eosinophilic epithelial cells. The
      outer layer of tubules appeared to be flattened myoepithelial cells. The stroma
      is myxoid and contained spindle shaped myoepithelial cells. We expect that the
      clinical, sonographic, and histological data from our report may help clinicians
      who are confronted with various kinds of analogous facial lesions to decide the
      most proper management for their patients.

PMID- 28913279
TI  - Primary Cutaneous Mucinous Carcinoma of the Eyelid.
AB  - Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma (PCMC) is a rare low-grade malignant
      neoplasm derived from the eccrine glands. PCMC most commonly arises in the head
      and neck, with the eyelid being the most common site of origin. This case report
      describes a 51-year-old male with a painless, pigmented superficial nodular
      lesion over his right lower eyelid. The lesion was considered to be benign, and
      the initial treatment was simple excision with a 3-mm margin. However, histologic
      examination revealed the diagnosis of PCMC, and the patient underwent re-excision
      of the tumor site with an additional 3-mm margin from the initial scar.
      Histologic study of this second margin was free of any malignant cells. The
      patient experienced no postoperative complication or recurrence after 2 years. In
      our case, the skin lesion had benign morphologic findings and was strongly
      suspected to be a benign mass. Physicians should be aware of this tumor and be
      able to differentiate it from benign cystic or solid eyelid lesions.

PMID- 28913280
TI  - Panfacial Bone Fracture and Medial to Lateral Approach.
AB  - Panfacial bone fracture is challenging. Even experienced surgeons find
      restoration of original facial architecture difficult because of the severe
      degree of fragmentation and loss of reference segments that could guide the start
      of facial reconstruction. To restore the facial contour, surgeons usually follow
      a general sequence for panfacial bone reduction. Among the sequences, the bottom
      to-top and outside-in sequence is reported to be the most widely used in recent
      publications. However, a single sequence cannot be applied to all cases of
      panfacial fractures because of the variations in panfacial bone fracture
      patterns. In this article, we intend to find the reference and discuss the
      efficacy of inside-out sequence in facial bone fracture reconstruction.

PMID- 28913281
TI  - A Review of Subbrow Approach in the Management of Non-Complicated Anterior Table
      Frontal Sinus Fracture.
AB  - Frontal sinus fractures, particularly anterior sinus fractures, are relatively
      common facial fractures. Many agree on the general principles of frontal fracture
      management; however, the optimal methods of reduction are controversial. The
      subbrow approach enables accurate reduction and internal fixation of the
      fractures in the anterior table of the frontal sinus by allowing direct
      visualization of the fracture. Given the surgical success in reduction and rigid
      fixation, patient satisfaction, and aesthetic benefits, the transcutaneous
      approach through a subbrow incision is superior to other reduction techniques
      used in the management of an anterior table frontal sinus fracture.

PMID- 28913282
TI  - The Versatility of Cheek Rotation Flaps.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cheek rotation flap has sufficient blood flow and large flap size
      and it is also flexible and easy to manipulate. It has been used for
      reconstruction of defects on cheek, lower eyelid, or medial and lateral canthus.
      For the large defects on central nose, paramedian forehead flap has been used,
      but patients were reluctant despite the remaining same skin tone on damaged area
      because of remaining scars on forehead. However, the cheek flap is cosmetically
      superior as it uses the adjacent large flap. Thus, the study aims to demonstrate
      its versatility with clinical practices. METHODS: This is retrospective case
      study on 38 patients who removed facial masses and reconstructed by the cheek
      rotation flap from 2008 to 2015. It consists of defects on cheek (16), lower
      eyelid (12), nose (3), medial canthus (3), lateral canthus (2), and preauricle
      (2). Buccal mucosa was used for the reconstruction of eyelid conjunctiva, and
      skin graft was processed for nasal mucosa reconstruction. RESULTS: The average
      defect size was 6.4 cm2, and the average flap size was 47.3 cm2. Every flap
      recovered without complications such as abnormal slant, entropion or ectropion in
      lower eyelid, but revision surgery required in three cases of nasal side wall
      reconstruction due to the occurrence of dog ear on nasolabial sulcus. CONCLUSION:
      The cheek rotation flap can be applicable instead of paramedian forehead flap for
      the large nasal sidewall defect reconstruction as well as former medial and
      lateral canthal defect reconstruction.

PMID- 28913283
TI  - Reduction of Zygomatic Arch Isolated Fracture Using Ultra Sound and Needle
      Marking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zygomatic arch is a bony arch constituting the lateral midface, which
      consists of 25% of all midface fractures. There are a number of ways to evaluate
      the extent of zygomatic arch fracture. Some authors have reported successful
      treatment outcomes using ultrasound (U/S). To add to the previous methods, we
      have considered ways to accurately display the location of the fracture line
      while using U/S with 23 gauge needle marking. We introduce our method, which
      provided satisfactory results for reduction using a portable U/S, and it can
      evaluate the fracture line simultaneously when reduction of an isolated zygomatic
      arch fracture is necessary, and needle marking, which can easily point out the
      fracture line on U/S. METHODS: We studied 21 patients with an isolated zygomatic
      arch fracture who underwent closed reduction using U/S and needle marking between
      2013 and 2015. RESULTS: We achieved satisfactory results in all our cases with
      respect to reduction by using the Dingman elevator after performing a temporal
      approach incision, while confirming relative positioning between needle marking
      and zygomatic fracture at the same time, after insertion of a 23 gauge needle in
      the skin above the zygomatic arch fracture line parallel to it. CONCLUSION: We
      treated 21 patients with an isolated zygomatic arch fracture using U/S and the
      needle marking method, which provided satisfactory results because the extent of
      reduction of the fracture could be evaluated in real-time during the operation
      and exposure to radiation was reduced.

PMID- 28913284
TI  - Comparison Study of the Use of Absorbable Materials as Internal Splints with
      Airway Silicone Splint and Absorbable Materials as Internal Splints Alone.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Packing after closed reduction of nasal fracture causes uncomfortable
      nasal obstruction in patients. We packed the superior meatus with synthetic
      polyurethane foam (SPF) to support the nasal bone, and packed the middle nasal
      meatus with a nasal airway splint (NAS) and SPF. The aim of this article is
      prospectively to compare the subjective patient discomfort of SPF (Nasopore Forte
      plus) packing alone and SPF with NAS. METHODS: We compared the prospectively
      subjective patient discomfort of SPF packing alone (group A) and SPF with NAS
      (group B) via visual analog scale (VAS; 0, no symptom; 100, most severe symptom).
      RESULTS: At first postoperative day group B showed significant lower scores in
      dry mouth, sleep disturbance, conversation difficulty. However at third
      postoperative day, VAS scores of each group had no statistically significant
      differences. Moreover at fifth postoperative day group A had statistically
      significant lower scores for nasal pain, dry mouth than the group B. CONCLUSION:
      Combination method of using NAS and SPF have some advantage on the patient
      comfort from first postoperative day to third postoperative day.

PMID- 28913285
TI  - Surgical Methods of Zygomaticomaxillary Complex Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zygoma is a major buttress of the midfacial skeleton, which is
      frequently injured because of its prominent location. Zygoma fractures are
      classified according to Knight and North based on the direction of anatomic
      displacement and the pattern created by the fracture. In zygomaticomaxillary
      complex (ZMC) fracture many incisions (lateral eyebrow, lateral upper
      blepharoplasty, transconjunctival, subciliary, subtarsal, intraoral, direct
      percutaneous approach) are useful. We reviewed various approaches for the
      treatment of ZMC fractures and discussed about incisions and fixation methods.
      METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of patients with ZMC fracture at a
      single institution from January 2005 to December 2014. Patients with single
      zygomatic arch fracture were excluded. RESULTS: The identified 694 patients who
      were admitted for zygomatic fractures from which 192 patients with simple arch
      fractures were excluded. The remaining 502 patients consisted of 439 males and 63
      females, and total 532 zygomatic bone was operated. Orbital fracture was the most
      common associated fracture. According to the Knight and North classification the
      most frequent fracture was Group IV. Most fractures were fixated at two points
      (73%). CONCLUSION: We reviewed our cases over 10 years according to fracture type
      and fixation methods. In conclusion, minimal incision, familiar approach and
      fixation methods of the surgeon are recommended.

PMID- 28913286
TI  - Treatment of Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis Using Multi-Split Osteotomy and Rigid
      Fixation with Absorbable Plates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis is a relatively common craniofacial
      anomaly and various techniques were introduced to achieve its operative goals.
      Authors found that by using smaller bone fragments than that used in conventional
      cranioplasty, sufficiently rigid bone union and effective regeneration capacity
      could be achieved with better postoperative outcome, only if their stable
      fixation was ensured. METHODS: Through bicoronal incisional approach, involved
      synostotic cranial bone together with its surrounding areas were removed. The
      resected bone flap was split into as many pieces as possible. The extent of this
      'multi-split osteotomy' depends on the degree of dysmorphology, expectative
      volume increment after surgery and probable dead space caused by bony gap between
      bone segments. Rigid interosseous fixation was performed with variable types of
      absorbable plate and screw. In all cases, the pre-operational three-dimensional
      computed tomography (3D CT) was checked and brain CT was taken immediately after
      the surgery. Also about 12 months after the operation, 3D CT was checked again to
      see postoperative morphology improvement, bone union, regeneration and
      intracranial volume change. RESULTS: The bony gaps seen in the immediate
      postoperative brain CT were all improved as seen in the 3D CT after 12 months
      from the surgery. No small bone fragment resorption was observed. Brain volume
      increase was found to be made gradually, leaving no case of remaining epidural
      dead space. CONCLUSION: We conclude that it is meaningful in presenting a new
      possibility to be applied to not only nonsyndromic craniosynostosis but also
      other reconstructive cranial vault surgeries.

PMID- 28913287
TI  - Cryptogenic Temporal Hollowing.
AB  - Temporal hollowing is a common complication that occurs after coronal approach
      surgeries. However, temporal hollowing without previous nerve damage or trauma
      history is rare. Herein, we present a patient with cryptogenic temporal
      hollowing. A 22-year-old man without any history of craniofacial interventions or
      trauma presented with temporal hallowing. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed
      fatty degeneration of the left temporalis muscle. Electromyography and nerve
      conduction study showed no signs of neurologic abnormalities. The patient
      received autologous fat injection of 30 mL harvested from the left thigh using
      the modified Coleman technique. Temporal hollowing is commonly caused by atrophy
      of the superficial temporal fat pad. Its incidence is reported to be as high as
      6% after coronal approach operation. Augmentation using porous hydroxyapatite or
      titanium mesh is a treatment option. Autologous fat graft can also be an option
      for mild to moderate temporal hollowing. In this case, a patient with no history
      of trauma, surgery, or myogenic disease developed temporal hollowing. Further
      study of the littleknown cryptogenic form of temporal hollowing is warranted.

PMID- 28913288
TI  - Rare Giant Upper Lip Epidermal Cyst in a Patient Wearing a Denture.
AB  - Epidermal cysts are intradermal or subcutaneous cystic tumors that frequently
      occur in the face, scalp, neck, and body trunk. Acquired cases of epidermal cyst
      commonly occur as a result of various surgical operations, chronic irritation, or
      trauma, all of which may trigger the occurrence of the invagination of squamous
      epithelium. A 57-year-old man presented with a palpable mass 7 cm*2 cm in size in
      the upper lip. The patient had a 3-year history of wearing a denture to restore
      missing bilateral maxillary central and lateral incisors, accompanied by
      inflammatory findings on the buccal mucosa due to chronic lip irritation. The
      resected oval-shaped cyst had a size of 5.5 cm*3.0 cm*2.5 cm, and it was an
      encapsulated mass with a well-defined margin. The histopathology was typical of
      epidermal cyst. This case of a rare giant upper lip epidermal cyst in a patient
      wearing a denture may be of interest to clinicians.

PMID- 28913289
TI  - Communicating Hydrocephalus Onset Following a Traumatic Tension Pneumocephalus.
AB  - The entrapment of intracranial air from the check valve system results in a
      tension pneumocephalus. It should be distinguished from simple pneumocephalus
      because they are intracranial space-occupying masses that can threaten life.
      Communicating hydrocephalus is a serious and frequent complication of post
      traumatic head injury. Head injury is one of the most common causes in
      etiopathogenesis of communicating hydrocephalus. Here, we describe a case of a 65
      year-old man who developed communicating hydrocephalus after a post-traumatic
      tension pneumocephalus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported
      case of communicating hydrocephalus developed after a post-traumatic tension
      pneumocephalus. Although the exact pathogenic mechanisms underlying the cascade
      following trauma remain unclear, communicating hydrocephalus after a tension
      pneumocephalus could be considered a possible complication.

PMID- 28913290
TI  - Delayed-Onset Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection at 18 Months
      after Absorbable Plate Fixation for Zygomaticomaxillary Complex Fracture.
AB  - None of the reports of delayed infection mentioned a latent period exceeding 13
      months. we report an infection that developed 18 months after implantation of an
      absorbable plate. A 16-year-old adolescent girl had undergone reduction and
      fixation with an absorbable plate for Lefort I and zygomaticomaxillary complex
      fractures 18 months prior at our hospital. In her most recent hospital visit as
      an outpatient, abscess was observed in periocular area. Computed tomography
      revealed sinusitis with an abscess above the infraorbital rim. Wound culture
      yielded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Despite conservative
      treatments, wound state did not improve. Therefore, our department decided to
      perform surgery. Absorbable plate had been mostly absorbed but remained a bit.
      Bony depression of infraorbital rim and mucosal exposure of maxillary sinus
      anterior wall were observed. After the surgery, the patient recovered. We believe
      that the reason the wound infection and sinusitis manifested at the same time is
      because of several factor such as alcohol abuse, smoking, and mucosal exposure of
      maxillary sinus anterior wall. Absorbable plate takes 9 months to 3 years to be
      completely absorbed, thus we suggest studies with a follow-up of at least 3 years
      be undertaken to determine the outcomes of patients with many risk factors.

PMID- 28913291
TI  - Immediate Near-Total Scalp Reconstruction with Artificial Dermis on Exposed
      Calvarium.
AB  - Scalp defect management is complicated secondary to reduced laxity in the scalp
      and forehead area. For reconstruction of larger defects with exposed bone and
      loss of the periosteal layer, free flap reconstruction is one option for single
      stage surgery, although the procedure is lengthy and includes the possibility of
      flap loss. We successfully performed a single-stage reconstruction of a large
      scalp defect using a combination of artificial dermis, split-thickness skin
      graft, and full-thickness skin graft following wide excision of a cutaneous
      angiosarcoma, and present our method as one option for the treatment of large
      oncologic surgical defects in patients who are poor candidates for free flap
      surgery.

PMID- 28913292
TI  - The Effect of Botulinum Toxin on an Iatrogenic Sialo-Cutaneous Fistula.
AB  - A sialo-cutaneous fistula is a communication between the skin and a salivary
      gland or duct discharging saliva. Trauma and iatrogenic complications are the
      most common causes of this condition. Treatments include aspiration, compression,
      and the administration of systemic anticholinergics; however, their effects are
      transient and unsatisfactory in most cases. We had a case of a patient who
      developed an iatrogenic sialo-cutaneous fistula after wide excision of squamous
      cell carcinoma in the parotid region that was not treated with conventional
      management, but instead completely resolved with the injection of botulinum
      toxin. Based on our experience, we recommend the injection of botulinum toxin
      into the salivary glands, especially the parotid gland, as a conservative
      treatment option for sialo-cutaneous fistula.

PMID- 28913293
TI  - Facial Flap Repositioning in Posttraumatic Facial Asymmetry.
AB  - Perfect facial and body symmetry is an important aesthetic concept which is very
      difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Yet, facial asymmetries are commonly
      encountered by plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Here, we present a case of
      posttraumatic facial asymmetry successfully treated with a unique concept of
      facial flap repositioning. A 25-year-old male patient visited our department with
      severe posttraumatic facial asymmetry. There was deviated nasal bone and implant
      to the right, and the actual facial appearance asymmetry was much more severe
      compared to the computed tomography, generally shifted to the right. After
      corrective rhinoplasty, we approached through intraoral incision, and much
      adhesion from previous surgeries was noted. We meticulously elevated the facial
      flap of both sides, mainly involving the cheeks. The elevated facial flap was
      shifted to the left, and after finding the appropriate location, we sutured the
      middle portion of the flap to the periosteum of anterior nasal spine for
      fixation. We successfully freed the deviated facial tissues and repositioned it
      to improve symmetry in a single stage operation. We conclude that facial flap
      repositioning is an effective technique for patients with multiple operation
      history, and such method can successfully apply to other body parts with
      decreased tissue laxity.

PMID- 28913294
TI  - Approach to Frontal Sinus Outflow Tract Injury.
AB  - Frontal sinus outflow tract (FSOT) injury may occur in cases of frontal sinus
      fractures and nasoethmoid orbital fractures. Since the FSOT is lined with mucosa
      that is responsible for the path from the frontal sinus to the nasal cavity, an
      untreated injury may lead to complications such as mucocele formation or chronic
      frontal sinusitis. Therefore, evaluation of FSOT is of clinical significance,
      with FSOT being diagnosed mostly by computed tomography or intraoperative dye.
      Several options are available to surgeons when treating FSOT injury, and they
      need to be familiar with these options to take the proper treatment measures in
      order to follow the treatment principle for FSOT, which is a safe sinus, and to
      reduce complications. This paper aimed to examine the surrounding anatomy,
      diagnosis, and treatment of FSOT.

PMID- 28913295
TI  - Management of Le Fort I fracture.
AB  - Among the classification of maxillary fracture, the Le Fort classification is the
      best-known categorization. Le Fort (1901) completed experiments that determined
      the maxilla areas of structural weakness which he designated as the "lines of
      weakness". According to these results, there are three basic fracture line
      patterns (transverse, pyramidal and craniofacial disjunction). A transverse
      fracture is a Le Fort I fracture that is above the level of the apices of the
      maxillary teeth section, including the entire alveolar process of the maxilla,
      vault of the palate and inferior ends of the pterygoid processes in a single
      block from the upper craniofacial skeleton. Le Fort fractures result in both a
      cosmetic and a functional deficit if treated inappropriately. In this article,
      authors review the management of a Le Fort I fracture with a case-based
      discussion.

PMID- 28913296
TI  - Effect of Relaxin Expressing Adenovirus on Scar Remodeling: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Relaxin is a transforming growth factor beta1 antagonist. To
      determine the effects of relaxin on scar reduction, we investigated the scar
      remodeling process by injecting relaxin-expressing adenoviruses using a pig scar
      model. METHODS: Scars with full thickness were generated on the backs of
      Yorkshire pigs. Scars were divided into two groups (relaxin [RLX] and Control).
      Adenoviruses were injected into the RLX (expressing relaxin) and Control (not
      expressing relaxin) groups. Changes in the surface areas, color index and
      pliability of scars were compared. RESULTS: Fifty days after treatment, the
      surface areas of scars decreased, the color of scars was normalized, and the
      pliability of scars increased in RLX group. CONCLUSION: Relaxin-expressing
      adenoviruses improved the surface area, color, and pliability of scars. The
      mechanism of therapeutic effects on scar formation should be further
      investigated.

PMID- 28913297
TI  - Pyogenic Granuloma: A Retrospective Analysis of Cases Treated Over a 10-Year.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is a benign vascular lesion of the mucosa and
      skin. Recent studies of the epidemiology of PG are rare. We aimed to
      retrospectively analyze characteristics of PG cases in South Korea. METHODS: We
      reviewed the medical records of 155 patients treated for PG between March 2005
      and May 2014. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.2 (70 males, 85 females). The mean
      age of patients was 35.3 years. RESULTS: A high occurrence was observed in the
      first and third decades in males, and the fourth to fifth decades in females.
      There was a statistically significant difference between genders according to age
      group (p<0.05). The average lesion diameter was 0.84+/-0.46 cm (long axis). The
      most frequently involved site was the face (n=47). Bleeding was the primary
      complication (n=41). PG was mostly treated with excisional biopsy (n=74). The
      recurrence rate was 7.7% (n=12). CONCLUSION: We concluded that most common site
      of PG was the face, the age of female with PG is higher than previous studies,
      and finger is associated with trauma more than other sites. The most recent
      epidemiological information on PG of this study will support the treatment and
      diagnosis of PG and future research objectives.

PMID- 28913298
TI  - The Unnecessity of Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography in the
      Etiologic Evaluation of Neurodevelopmental Delay in Craniosynostosis Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In evaluation of craniosynostosis patients in terms of
      neurodevelopmental delay, positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET
      CT) scan can be used to assess brain abnormalities through glucose metabolism. We
      aimed to determine the unnecessity of PET-CT in this study. METHODS: Thirty-eight
      patients diagnosed with craniosynostosis who underwent distraction osteogenesis
      from October, 2010 to November, 2013 were reviewed. Magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) and PET-CT scan were carried out for evaluation of the brain structure and
      function, whereas X-ray and CT scan were taken for evaluation of the skull.
      RESULTS: Nine patients reported abnormal MRI findings which were not significant,
      and five patients showed local problem on brain on PET-CT scan. No correlation
      was found among them. CONCLUSION: PET-CT evaluation of possible abnormal brain
      findings do not affect surgical planning or require additional therapy.
      Preoperative PET-CT scan is not the essential study to get any etiologic
      information of the disease consequences or to establish the treatment plan.

PMID- 28913299
TI  - Correlation between Operation Result and Patient Satisfaction of Nasal Bone
      Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many authors have evaluated the post-reduction result of nasal bone
      fracture through patient satisfaction or postoperative complications. However,
      these results are limited because they are subjective. The aim of this study was
      to correlate an objective operation result with patient satisfaction and
      postoperative complications according to the type of nasal bone fractures.
      METHODS: Our study included 313 patients who had isolated nasal bone fractures
      and had undergone a closed reduction. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated
      objectively using computed tomographic (CT) images, while patient satisfaction
      was evaluated one month after the operation. The correlation of the operation
      result with patient satisfaction was then evaluated. RESULTS: The correlation
      between the operation result and patient satisfaction was highest for the lateral
      impact group type I (LI) type of fracture and lowest for the comminuted fracture
      group (C) type of fracture. However, there were no statistically significant
      differences in correlation between the overall result and patient satisfaction by
      fracture type. The complication rate of lateral impact group type II (LII), C,
      and frontal impact group type I (FI) fractures were statistically significantly
      higher than that of frontal impact group type II (FII) and LI fractures. There
      were no statistically significant relationships between the prevalence of
      complications and septal fracture or deviation according to the fracture type. In
      the total group, however, there was a statistically significant difference in
      complication rate by septal fracture. CONCLUSION: We found that the CT outcomes
      correlated with patient satisfaction. The complication rate of LII, C, and FI
      fractures were statistically significantly higher than that of FII and LI
      fractures. Septal fracture/deviation increased the postoperative complication in
      the total group.

PMID- 28913300
TI  - Objective Outcomes of Closed Reduction According to the Type of Nasal Bone
      Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasal fractures have a tendency of resulting in structural or
      functional complications, and the results can vary according to the type of nasal
      bone fracture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the objective postoperative
      results according to the type of nasal bone fractures. METHODS: We reviewed 313
      patients who had a closed reduction of nasal bone fracture. The classification of
      nasal bone fracture by Stranc and Robertson was used to characterize the fracture
      type: frontal impact group type I (FI), frontal impact group type II (FII),
      lateral impact group type I (LI), lateral impact group type II (LII), and
      comminuted fracture group (C). For each patient, we tried to use the same axial
      image section of computed tomographic (CT) scans before and immediately after
      operation. Postoperative outcomes were classified into 4 grades: excellent (E),
      good (G), fair (F), and poor (P). We also analyzed postoperative complications by
      fracture type. RESULTS: Regarding the postoperative CT images, 189 subjects
      showed E results, 99 subjects showed G, 18 subjects showed F, and 7 subjects
      showed P reduction. The rate of operation results graded as E by each fracture
      type was 66.67% in FI, 52.0% in FII, 64.21% in LI, 62.79% in LII, and 21.74% in
      C. Complications of FI (7.14%), LII (13.95%), and C (13.04%) groups occurred more
      than in the FII (4.00%) and LI (4.21%) groups. CONCLUSION: It seems that the
      operation result by fracture type was better in the FI, LI, and LII type than the
      FII and C type; after one month, however, LII type showed more complications than
      other types. The septal fracture can be thought to affect early reduction results
      in nasal bone fractures.

PMID- 28913301
TI  - Concordant Surgical Treatment: Non-melanocytic Skin Cancer of the Head and Neck.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. Of the 4 million skin
      lesions excised annually worldwide, approximately 2 million are considered
      cancerous. In this study, we aimed to describe a regional experience with skin
      cancers treated by a single senior surgeon and to provide a treatment algorithm.
      METHODS: The medical records of 176 patients with head and neck non-melanocytic
      skin cancer (NMSC) who were treated by a single surgeon at our institution
      between January 2010 and May 2016 were retrospectively reviewed, and their data
      (age, sex, pathological type, tumor location/size, treatment modality) were
      analyzed. Patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) who were
      classified as a high-risk group for nodal metastasis underwent sentinel node
      mapping according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.
      RESULTS: Among the patients with NMSC who were treated during this period, basal
      cell carcinoma (BCC; n=102, 57.9%) was the most common pathological type,
      followed by cSCC (n=66, 37.5%). Most lesions were treated by complete excision,
      with tumor-free surgical margins determined via frozen section pathology. Thirty
      one patients with high-metastasis-risk cSCC underwent sentinel node mapping, and
      17 (54.8%) exhibited radiologically positive sentinel nodes. Although these nodes
      were pathologically negative for metastasis, 2 patients (6.5%) later developed
      lymph node metastases. CONCLUSION: In our experience, BCC treatment should
      comprise wide excision with tumor-free surgical margins and proper
      reconstruction. In contrast, patients with cSCC should undergo
      lymphoscintigraphy, as nodal metastases are a possibility. Proper diagnosis and
      treatment could reduce the undesirably high morbidity and mortality rates.

PMID- 28913302
TI  - Eccrine Poroma of the Postauricular Area.
AB  - Eccrine poroma is a common benign cutaneous tumor that originates in an
      intraepidermal eccrine duct. This tumor exhibits acral distribution (sole, palm),
      and is rarely encountered in the head and neck area. In fact eccrine poroma in
      the postauricular area has only been rarely reported. A 55-year-old female
      visited our hospital with a main complaint of a mass that first developed in the
      left postauricular area about a year previously. The mass was painless, soft,
      protruding, domed, and dark red in color, and had slowly enlarged (at
      presentation it measured 1*1 cm). Excisional biopsy was performed. Histological
      examination showed distinct features, and eccrine poroma was diagnosed. Follow-up
      at 6 months postoperatively showed no recurrence. The frequency of eccrine poroma
      is dependent on eccrine sweat glands density, and thus, usually occurs on the
      palms or soles. For eccrine poroma in the head and neck region, the differential
      diagnosis must rule out other masses, such as nevus, skin tag, pyogenic
      granuloma, cyst, basal cell carcinoma, and seborrheic keratosis. Importantly, 18%
      of poromas show malignant transformation, and can develop into porocarcinoma. For
      these reasons, an eccrine poroma in the facial area requires histological
      examination, complete excision, and follow-up.

PMID- 28913303
TI  - Simultaneous Development of Three Different Neoplasms of Trichilemmoma,
      Desmoplastic Trichilemmoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma Arising from Nevus Sebaceus.
AB  - Nevus sebaceus is a hamartoma of the sebaceous gland that occurs congenitally,
      from which various secondary tumors can arise with a prevalence of 5%-6%. Benign
      neoplasms commonly arise from nevus sebaceous, but they have a very low malignant
      potential. Two neoplasms may occasionally arise within the same lesion, but it is
      rare for three or more neoplasms to occur in a nevus sebaceus simultaneously. A
      61-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital for a 4 cm*2.5 cm growing
      tumor in a verrucous form arising within a periauricular nevus sebaceus in the
      post auricle of the left ear that had developed 30 years earlier. The nodule was
      diagnosed as 3 different types of tumors: trichilemmoma, desmoplastic
      trichilemmoma, and basal cell carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first
      report of the coexistence of three different tumors arising from nevus sebaceous.
      It contain malignant neoplasm also. Surgeons should be aware of the need for
      close monitoring and early complete surgical excision of sebaceous nevus in order
      to improve patient outcomes.

PMID- 28913304
TI  - Trichilemmal Carcinoma from Proliferating Trichilemmal Cyst on the Posterior
      Neck.
AB  - Trichilemmal cysts are common fluid-filled growths that arise from the isthmus of
      the hair follicle. They can form rapidly multiplying trichilemmal tumors-, also
      called proliferating trichilemmal cysts, which are typically benign. Rarely,
      proliferating trichilemmal cysts can become cancerous. Here we report the case of
      a patient who experienced this series of changes. The 27-year-old male patient
      had been observed to have a 1*1 cm cyst 7 years ago. Eight months prior to
      presentation at our institution, incision and drainage was performed at his local
      clinic. However, the size of the mass had gradually increased. At our clinic, he
      presented with a 5*4 cm hard mass that had recurred on the posterior side of his
      neck. The tumor was removed without safety margin, and the skin defect was
      covered with a split-thickness skin graft. The pathologic diagnosis was a benign
      proliferating trichilemmal cyst. The mass recurred after 4months, at which point,
      a wide excision (1.3-cm safety margin) and split-thickness skin graft were
      performed. The biopsy revealed a trichilemmal carcinoma arising from a
      proliferating trichilemmal cyst. This clinical experience suggests that
      clinicians should consider the possibility of malignant changes when diagnosing
      and treating trichilemmal cysts.

PMID- 28913305
TI  - Treatment of Tongue Lymphangioma with Intralesional Combination Injection of
      Steroid, Bleomycin and Bevacizumab.
AB  - Lymphangioma is a congenital malformed lymphatic tumor that rarely involves the
      tongue. In our clinic, a 10-year-old female presented with lymphangioma
      circumscriptum involving the right two-thirds of the tongue. We administered an
      intralesional combination injection of triamcinolone, bleomycin, and bevacizumab
      as a treatment. Almost complete remission after combination therapy was achieved
      without complications such as edema, swallowing difficulties or recurrence.
      Bevacizumab, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor, was effective
      for the treatment of lymphangioma of the tongue in this case. No recurrence was
      noted at the 1-year follow up.

PMID- 28913306
TI  - Silicone Implant Sandwiched between Intact Nasal Bones with Fractured Nasal Bone
      Segments.
AB  - As the number of people who have undergone augmentation rhinoplasty has increased
      recently, nasal fractures are becoming more common after rhinoplasty. A silicone
      implant can affect the nasal fracture pattern, but there is no significant
      difference in treatment methods commonly. A 28-year-old female who had undergone
      augmentation visited our clinic with a nasal fracture. Computed tomography
      revealed that the silicone implant was sandwiched between the intact nasal bones
      with fractured bone fragments. In this case, open reduction was inevitable and a
      new silicone implant was inserted after reduction. Migration of the silicone
      implant beneath the nasal bone is a very rare phenomenon, but its accurate
      prevention and diagnosis is important because a closed reduction is impossible.

PMID- 28913307
TI  - Solitary Piloleiomyoma in the Scalp.
AB  - Cutaneous leiomyomas can be classified into three types according to the site of
      origin: piloleiomyoma, angioleiomyoma, and dartoic (genital) leiomyoma. It might
      be expected that leiomyomas are commonly found on the scalp because there are
      many arrector pili muscles and vessels. However, leiomyomas are actually rarely
      reported in the scalp. Recently, we observed a case of cutaneous leiomyoma in the
      scalp and present our experience along with a literature review.

PMID- 28913308
TI  - New Treatment in Facial Nerve Palsy Caused by Sagittal Split Ramus Osteotomy of
      Mandible.
AB  - A 25-years-old woman with mandibular prognathism underwent a mandibular setback
      by way of mandibular sagittal split ramus osteotomy (MSSRO). After 2 days of
      operation, she developed difficulty of closing her right eye. The blink reflex
      test and motor nerve conduction study of the right orbicularis oris muscle were
      revealed right facial neuropathy of unknown origin and House-Brackmann facial
      nerve grading system (HBFNGS) grade V. For treatment, we initially prescribed
      oral prednisolone and nimodipine including physical therapy. The samples
      consisted of 11 facial nerve palsy patients caused by MSSRO and were analysed
      about onset of facial nerve palsy, postoperative HBFNGS, final HBFNGS, treatment
      method and recovery time. At 10 weeks of treatment of nimodipine, she had
      completely regained normal function (HBFNGS grade I) of the right facial nerve.
      The clinical results lead to assume a fast recovery of facial nerve function by
      the nimodipine medication, whereas average time of recovery is 16.32 weeks in
      references. Despite of the limited one patient treated, the result was very
      promising with respect to a faster recovery of the facial nerve function.
      Considering the use of nimodipine treatment for peripheral facial nerve palsy
      following a surgical approach with an anatomically preserved nerve can be
      recommended.

PMID- 28913309
TI  - 2017 Spring Update: A Letter from the President of the Korean Cleft Palate
      Craniofacial Association.

PMID- 28913310
TI  - Treatment of Mandibular Angle Fractures.
AB  - The management of mandibular angle fractures is often challenging and results in
      the highest complication rate among fractures of the mandible. In addition, the
      optimal treatment modality for angle fractures remains controversial. Traditional
      treatment protocols for angle fractures have involved rigid fixation with
      intraoperative maxillomandibular fixation (MMF) to ensure absolute stability.
      However, more recently, non-compression miniplates have gained in popularity and
      the use of absolute intraoperative MMF as an adjunct to internal fixation has
      become controversial. In this article, the history of, and current trends in, the
      treatment of mandibular angle fractures will be briefly reviewed. In addition,
      issues regarding the management of the third molar tooth will be discussed.

PMID- 28913311
TI  - Usefulness of a Transconjunctival Approach in the Reconstruction of the Medial
      Blow-Out Wall Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A transcaruncular approach is typically used for reconstructions of
      medial wall fractures. However, others reported that a transconjunctival approach
      was conducive for securing an adequate surgical field of view. In this study, we
      aimed to examine the extent of repair of medial wall fracture via a
      transconjunctival approach. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical
      records of 50 patients diagnosed as having medial wall fracture via preoperative
      computed tomography and who underwent surgery between March 2011 and February
      2014. The fracture location was defined by dividing each of the anterior
      posterior and superior-inferior distances into three compartments. RESULTS: A
      transcaruncular approach was used in 7 patients, while the transconjunctival
      approach was performed in the remaining 43 patients. The transconjunctival
      approach enabled a relatively broad range of repair that partially included the
      front and back of the medial wall, and was successful in 86% of the entire study
      population. CONCLUSION: It is known that more than 50% of total cases of the
      medial wall fracture occur mainly in the middle-middle portion, a majority of
      which can be reconstructed via a transconjunctival approach. We used a
      transconjunctival approach in identifying the location of the fracture on image
      scans except for cases including the fracture of the superior portion in patients
      with medial wall fracture. If it is possible to identify the location of the
      fracture, a transconjunctival approach would be an useful method for the
      reconstruction in that it causes no damages to the lacrimal system and is useful
      in confirming the overall status of the floor.

PMID- 28913312
TI  - The Efficacy of Coblator in Turbinoplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Turbinate hypertrophy is one of the common causes of chronic nasal
      obstruction. In principle, therapeutic guidelines recommend medical treatment.
      Failure to treat turbinate thickening despite drug therapy may indicate the need
      for surgery. The main aim of this study was to determine the effect of
      radiofrequency surgery, among various other surgical procedures, on people with
      both nasal septal deviation and turbinate hypertrophy. METHODS: Among people with
      nasal deviation who visited the subject hospital between July 2008 to July 2014,
      21 people with nasal septal deviation and severe turbinate hypertrophy before
      their surgery had undergone septoplasty with turbinoplasty using radiofrequency
      combined with septoplasty. The degree of the turbinate's hypertrophy was
      appraised in all the patients before and after the surgery using the rhinoscopy,
      and acoustic rhinometry was objectively carried out. The subjective effect of the
      turbinoplasty using radiofrequency was explored through the visual analog scale
      (VAS) score. RESULTS: The degree of contraction of the nasal mucosa after the
      rhinoscopy changed from Grades 3 and 4 (100%) to Grades 1 and 2 (95.2%) and
      Grades 3 (4.8%). The minimal cross-sectional area significantly increased from
      0.44+/-0.07 to 0.70+/-0.07 cm2 (p<0.05). The nasal cavity volume increased from
      4.79+/-0.49 to 6.76+/-0.55 cm2 (p<0.05). The subjective symptoms evaluated with
      VAS score a year after the surgery significantly improved (p<0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Turbinoplasty using Coblator with septoplasty is an effective treatment method
      because it expands nasal cavity, has a low incidence of complications,
      subjectively improves symptoms, and has short treatment duration.

PMID- 28913313
TI  - A Statistical Analysis of Superior Orbital Fissure Width in Korean Adults using
      Computed Tomography Scans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The superior orbital fissure is a small area that connects the middle
      cranial fossa and the orbit. Many studies have measured the size of the superior
      orbital fissure. However, there is no standard value for the size of the superior
      orbital fissure. Therefore, we conducted this study to provide the average size
      of the superior orbital fissure in Korean adults. METHODS: We measured the widths
      of the superior orbital fissures of 142 patients using computed tomography scans.
      Because the width of the superior orbital fissure varies at different locations,
      we measured the superior orbital fissure width at the level of the optic canal.
      RESULTS: In the males, the width of the superior orbital fissure on both sides
      was 3.79+/-0.93 mm, and these values were 3.79+/-0.96 mm for the left side and
      3.783+/-0.92 mm for the right side. In the females, the widths of the superior
      orbital fissures were 3.62+/-1.35 mm on the left side, 3.69+/-1.18 mm on the
      right side, and 3.65+/-1.26 mm across both sides. CONCLUSION: There were no
      significant differences between the males and females or between the left and
      right sides. The present study suggests that we may accept the hypothesis that a
      congenitally narrow superior orbital fissure may be a risk factor for the
      superior orbital fissure syndrome. Surgeons should take precaution with patients
      who have narrow superior orbital fissures during the perioperative period.

PMID- 28913314
TI  - Olfactory Dysfunction in Nasal Bone Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: All nasal bone fractures have the potential for worsening of
      olfactory function. However, few studies have studied the olfactory outcomes
      following reduction of nasal bone fractures. This study evaluates posttraumatic
      olfactory dysfunction in patients with nasal bone fracture before and after
      closed reduction. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted for all patients
      presenting with nasal bone fracture (n=97). Each patient consenting to the study
      underwent the Korean version of Sniffin' Sticks test (KVSS II) before operation
      and at 6 month after closed reduction. The nasal fractures were divided according
      to the nasal bone fracture classification by Haug and Prather (Types I-IV). The
      olfactory scores were compared across fracture types and between preoperative and
      postoperative settings. RESULTS: Olfactory dysfunction was frequent after nasal
      fracture (45/97, 46.4%). Our olfactory assessment using the KVSS II test revealed
      that fracture reduction was not associated with improvements in the mean test
      score in Type I or Type II fractures. More specifically, the mean posttraumatic
      Threshold, discrimination and identification score decreased from 28.8 points
      prior to operation to 23.1 point at 6 months for Type II fracture with septal
      fracture. CONCLUSION: Our study has revealed two alarming trends regarding post
      nasal fracture olfactory dysfunction. First, our study demonstrated that almost
      half (46.4%) of nasal fracture patients experience posttraumatic olfactory
      dysfunction. Second, closed reduction of these fractures does not lead to
      improvements olfaction at 6 months, which suggest that olfactory dysfunction is
      probably due to factors other than the fracture itself. The association should be
      further explored between injuries that lead to nasal fracture and the mechanism
      behind posttraumatic olfactory dysfunction.

PMID- 28913315
TI  - The Algorithm-Oriented Management of Nasal Bone Fracture according to Stranc's
      Classification System.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasal bone fracture is one of the most common facial bone fracture
      types, and the surgical results exert a strong influence on the facial contour
      and patient satisfaction. Preventing secondary deformity and restoring the
      original bone state are the major goals of surgeons managing nasal bone fracture
      patients. In this study, a treatment algorithm was established by applying the
      modified open reduction technique and postoperative care for several years.
      METHODS: This article is a retrospective chart review of 417 patients who had
      been received surgical treatment from 2014 to 2015. Using prepared questionnaires
      and visual analogue scale, several components (postoperative nasal contour;
      degree of pain; minor complications like dry mouth, sleep disturbance, swallowing
      difficulty, conversation difficulty, and headache; and degree of patient
      satisfaction) were evaluated. RESULTS: The average scores for the postoperative
      nasal contour given by three experts, and the degree of patient satisfaction,
      were within the "satisfied" (4) to "very satisfied" (5) range (4.5, 4.6, 4.5, and
      4.2, respectively). The postoperative degree of pain was sufficiently low that
      the patients needed only the minimum dose of painkiller. The scores for the minor
      complications (dry mouth, sleep disturbance, swallowing difficulty, conversation
      difficulty, headache) were relatively low (36.4, 40.8, 65.2, 32.3, and 34 out of
      the maximum score of 100, respectively). CONCLUSION: Satisfactory results were
      obtained through the algorithm-oriented management of nasal bone fracture. The
      degree of postoperative pain and minor complications were considerably low, and
      the degree of satisfaction with the nasal contour was high.

PMID- 28913316
TI  - Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lower Lip: Analysis of the 5-Year
      Survival Rate.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The author analyse the impact of extracapsular lymph node spread and
      bone engagement in the ipsilateral neck of patients suffering squamous cell
      carcinoma (SCC) of the lower lip. METHODS: The data of 56 neck dissections
      performed in patients suffering SCC of the lower lip between January 2000 and
      December 2008 were retrospectively analysed. Statistical analysis was performed
      with the Kaplan-Meier life table method, and the survival rate was investigated
      with the log rank statistic and significance test. The values were considered
      statistically significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: Nine patients took advantage from
      simultaneous treatment of tumor and prophylactic neck dissection (level I-III),
      reaching 100% survival rate. Patients suffering metastasized disease, who
      received radical neck dissection at the time of tumor treatment, presented 83.3%
      survival rate. Patients who underwent previous surgery and radiotherapy presented
      worse prognosis although radical neck dissection in case of extra-capsular spread
      only (24.7%) and osseous engagement (22.2%). CONCLUSION: Prophylactic neck
      dissection (level I-III) is recommended in T3-T4 N0 SCC. Simultaneous treatment
      of tumor and cervical lymph nodes provides a better prognosis as respect to
      delayed nodal management. Extra-capsular spread with or without bone engagement
      represents independent risk factor responsible for high mortality rate of SCC of
      the lower lip.

PMID- 28913317
TI  - Reconstruction of a Complex Scalp Defect after the Failure of Free Flaps:
      Changing Plans and Strategy.
AB  - The ideal scalp reconstruction involves closure of the defect with similar hair
      bearing local tissue in a single step. Various reconstructions can be used
      including primary closure, secondary healing, skin grafts, local flaps, and
      microvascular tissue transfer. A 53-year-old female patient suffered
      glioblastoma, which had recurred for the second time. The neurosurgeons performed
      radial debridement and an additional resection of the tumor, followed by
      reconstruction using a serratus anterior muscle flap with a split-thickness skin
      graft. Unfortunately, the flap became completely useless and a bilateral rotation
      flap was used to cover the defect. Two month later, seroma with infection was
      found due to recurrence of the tumor. Additional surgery was performed using
      multiple perforator based island flap. The patient was discharged two weeks after
      surgery without any complications, but two months later, the patient died.
      Radical surgical resection of tumor is the most important curative option,
      followed by functional and aesthetic reconstruction. We describe a patient with a
      highly malignant tumor that required multiple resections and subsequent
      reconstruction. Repeated recurrences of the tumor led to the failure of
      reconstruction and our strategy inevitably changed, from reconstruction to
      palliative treatment involving fast and stable wound closure for the patient's
      comfort.

PMID- 28913318
TI  - Modified Anterior Craniofacial Osteotomy Using Partial Nasal Bone Division and
      Reconstruction in Frontoethmoidal Sinus Meningioma.
AB  - Typical transcranial approaches are insufficient for adequate visualization and
      resection of skull base tumors. Different approaches with multiple modifications
      have been attempted. Here, we describe a new approach for a lesion that is
      central and hard to treat by conventional craniotomy and successful
      reconstruction with calvarial bone graft and titanium mesh plate. A 69-year-old
      female patient presented with recurrent meningioma. The tumor had invaded the
      frontal lobe, right supraorbital rim, and ethmoidal bone. We performed a modified
      anterior craniofacial approach that fully exposed the tumor and invaded bone. In
      consideration of the patient's age and cosmetic result, the tumor and invaded
      bone was resected and the defect area was reconstructed with titanium mesh and
      calvarial bone graft. At 6 months postoperative the patient had no complications
      and was satisfied with the esthetic result. We report this case to demonstrate
      the successful approach and reconstruction using this technique.

PMID- 28913319
TI  - Rare Location of Castleman's Disease in the Temporal Region: A Case Report
      Involving a Young Korean Woman and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Castleman's disease (CD) is an uncommon benign lymphoproliferative disorder of
      unknown etiology. Histopathologically, it is divided into three types: hyaline
      vascular, plasma cellular, and multicentric CD. The mass usually presents
      asymptomatically; however, it can cause non-specific symptoms such as fever and
      fatigue. Although CD can be found wherever lymph nodes are present, 75% of cases
      are reported in the mediastinum, and occurrence in the head and neck is rare.
      Herein, we report a rare case of CD presenting as a superficial mass in the
      temporal region. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of
      temporal CD in Korea involving a young patient.

PMID- 28913320
TI  - Pediatric Orbital Medial Wall Trapdoor Fracture with Normal Computed Tomography
      Findings.
AB  - With advances in diagnostic technology, radiologic diagnostic methods have been
      used more frequently, and physical examination may be neglected. The authors
      report a case of pediatric medial orbital trapdoor fracture in which the surgery
      was delayed because computed tomography (CT) findings did not indicate bone
      displacement, incarceration of rectus muscle, or soft tissue herniation. A
      healthy 6-year-old boy was admitted to the emergency room for right eyebrow
      laceration. We could not check eyeball movement or diplopia, because the patient
      was irritable. Thus, we performed facial CT under sedation, but there was normal
      CT finding. Seven days later, the patient visited our hospital due to persistent
      nausea and dizziness. We were able to perform a physical examination this time.
      Lateral gaze of right eye was limited. CT still did not show any findings
      suggestive of fracture, but we decided to perform exploratory surgery. We
      performed exploration, and found no bone displacement, but discovered entrapped
      soft tissue. We returned the soft tissue to its original position. The patient
      fully recovered six weeks later. To enable early detection and treatment,
      thorough physical examination and CT reading are especially needed when the
      patient shows poor compliance, and frequent follow-up observations are also
      necessary.

PMID- 28913321
TI  - Mixed Tumor in Deep Lobe and Versatility of Acellular Dermal Matrix.
AB  - Frey's syndrome and infra-auricular depressed deformities are the ones of the
      most common complications that can occur after total parotidectomy. We report 1
      case of pleomorphic adenoma occurred in the deep lobe that obtained good results
      from using acellular dermal matrix (ADM) after total parotidectomy. A 24-year-old
      man visited the hospital with oval shape mass in right mandibular angle which of
      4 cm in size was found in the deep lobe of right parotid gland from Magnetic
      resonance imaging scanning and a pleomorphic adenoma was suspected. A total
      parotidectomy was performed while preserving the facial nerve. The material known
      as ADM were placed in the depressed part from where the mass was removed, and the
      site was sutured. The surgery site was healed well without any complications such
      as Frey's syndrome or infra-auricular depressed deformities. The pathological
      result was confirmed as pleomorphic adenoma. In addition to these advantages, it
      does not have little potential of deformation by the gravity after the surgery,
      and there is no restraint on circulation, which makes fabrication free and each
      deformation into various shapes can be described as another advantage of the
      reconstruction using the ADM.

PMID- 28913322
TI  - Late Complication of a Silicone Implant Thirty Years after Orbital Fracture
      Reconstruction.
AB  - Alloplastic materials used for orbital fracture reconstruction can induce
      complications, such as infection, migration, extrusion, intraorbital hemorrhage,
      and residual diplopia. Silicone is one of the alloplastic materials that has been
      widely used for decades. The author reports a rare case of spontaneous extrusion
      of a silicone implant that was used for orbital fracture reconstruction 30 years
      earlier. A 50-year-old man was admitted to the emergency room for an exposed
      substance in the lower eyelid area of the left eye, which began as a palpable
      hard nodule a week earlier. The exposed material was considered to be implant
      used for previous surgery. Under general anesthesia, the implant and parts of the
      fibrous capsule tissue were removed. Several factors hinder the diagnosis of
      implant extrusions that occur a long period after the surgery. So, surgeons must
      be aware that complications with implants can still arise several decades
      following orbital fracture reconstruction, even without specific causes.

PMID- 28913323
TI  - Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinoma Arising in Odontogenic Cutaneous Fistula.
AB  - An odontogenic cutaneous fistula is a pathological communication between the
      outer skin surface of the face and the oral cavity. Facial cutaneous fistula is a
      complication of odontogenic infection that is often misdiagnosed with skin
      infection. We report a rare case, which was diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma
      based on the biopsy of skin lesions in the patient who had been diagnosed with
      odontogenic cutaneous fistula. A 64-year-old male patient presented with a
      cutaneous odontogenic fistula. The patient had undergone surgical extraction of
      fistula tract and loose tooth before dermatology or plastic surgery consultation.
      With the biopsy and computed tomography, it was confirmed that fistula and basal
      cell carcinoma. However, the connection between the fistula and skin cancer was
      not clear. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan was performed
      and was not detected as other local or distant metastasis. After that, wide
      excision of the skin lesion was performed. Although skin cancer is not commonly
      observed, it is necessary to rule out this disease entity by performing biopsy of
      skin lesions.

PMID- 28913324
TI  - Cutaneous Leiomyosarcoma of the Face.
AB  - Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma is an uncommon superficial soft tissue sarcoma and
      mainly found in the middle aged to elderly males. It can occur in any part of the
      body, mostly affecting the extremities and rarely affecting the face. It grows
      relatively slowly, can be diagnosed by biopsy and is treated by surgical
      excision. It needs to be distinguished from other spindle cell neoplasms, and
      immunohistochemical markers are usually required to attain an accurate diagnosis.
      We report a case of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma appeared on the left cheek within 6
      month of a 73-year-old female patient suspected with malignant melanoma before
      surgery.

PMID- 28913325
TI  - Bone Loss Prevention of Bisphosphonates in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel
      Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of
      bisphosphonates in improving bone mineral density (BMD) and decreasing the
      occurrence rate of fractures and adverse events in patients with inflammatory
      bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which use
      bisphosphonates in IBD patients were identified in PubMed, MEDLINE database,
      EMBASE database, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Databases between 1990 and
      June 2016. People received bisphosphonate or placebos with a follow-up of at
      least one year were also considered. STATA 12.0 software was used for the meta
      analysis. RESULTS: Eleven randomized clinical trials were included in the meta
      analysis. The data indicated that the percentage change in the increased BMD in
      the bisphosphonates groups was superior to that of the control groups at the
      lumbar spine and total hip. At the femoral neck, there was no significant
      difference between the two groups. The incidence of new fractures during follow
      up showed significant reduction. The adverse event analysis revealed no
      significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our results
      demonstrate that bisphosphonates therapy has an effect on bone loss in patients
      with IBD but show no evident efficiency at increasing the incidence of adverse
      events.

PMID- 28913326
TI  - Improvement in White Matter Tract Reconstruction with Constrained Spherical
      Deconvolution and Track Density Mapping in Low Angular Resolution Data: A
      Pediatric Study and Literature Review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) allows
      noninvasive investigation of brain structure in vivo. Diffusion tensor imaging
      (DTI) is a frequently used application of DW-MRI that assumes a single main
      diffusion direction per voxel, and is therefore not well suited for
      reconstructing crossing fiber tracts. Among the solutions developed to overcome
      this problem, constrained spherical deconvolution with probabilistic tractography
      (CSD-PT) has provided superior quality results in clinical settings on adult
      subjects; however, it requires particular acquisition parameters and long
      sequences, which may limit clinical usage in the pediatric age group. The aim of
      this work was to compare the results of DTI with those of track density imaging
      (TDI) maps and CSD-PT on data from neonates and children, acquired with low
      angular resolution and low b-value diffusion sequences commonly used in pediatric
      clinical MRI examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed DW-MRI studies of
      50 children (eight neonates aged 3-28 days, 20 infants aged 1-8 months, and 22
      children aged 2-17 years) acquired on a 1.5 T Philips scanner using 34 gradient
      directions and a b-value of 1,000 s/mm2. Other sequence parameters included 60
      axial slices; acquisition matrix, 128 * 128; average scan time, 5:34 min; voxel
      size, 1.75 mm * 1.75 mm * 2 mm; one b = 0 image. For each subject, we computed
      principal eigenvector (EV) maps and directionally encoded color TDI maps (DEC-TDI
      maps) from whole-brain tractograms obtained with CSD-PT; the cerebellar-thalamic,
      corticopontocerebellar, and corticospinal tracts were reconstructed using both
      CSD-PT and DTI. Results were compared by two neuroradiologists using a 5-point
      qualitative score. RESULTS: The DEC-TDI maps obtained presented higher anatomical
      detail than EV maps, as assessed by visual inspection. In all subjects, white
      matter (WM) tracts were successfully reconstructed using both tractography
      methodologies. The mean qualitative scores of all tracts obtained with CSD-PT
      were significantly higher than those obtained with DTI (p-value < 0.05 for all
      comparisons). CONCLUSION: CSD-PT can be successfully applied to DW-MRI studies
      acquired at 1.5 T with acquisition parameters adapted for pediatric subjects,
      thus providing TDI maps with greater anatomical detail. This methodology yields
      satisfactory results for clinical purposes in the pediatric age group.

PMID- 28913328
TI  - Editorial: Oesophageal Atresia-Tracheoesophageal Fistula.

PMID- 28913327
TI  - In Vivo Evaluation of the Acute Pulmonary Response to Poractant Alfa and
      Bovactant Treatments in Lung-Lavaged Adult Rabbits and in Preterm Lambs with
      Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poractant alfa (Curosurf(r)) and Bovactant (Alveofact(r)) are two
      animal-derived pulmonary surfactants preparations approved for the treatment of
      neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS). They differ in their source,
      composition, pharmaceutical form, and clinical dose. How much these differences
      affect the acute pulmonary response to treatment is unknown. OBJECTIVES:
      Comparing these two surfactant preparations in two different animal models of
      respiratory distress focusing on the short-term response to treatment. METHODS:
      Poractant alfa and Bovactant were administered in a 50-200 mg/kg dose range to
      surfactant-depleted adult rabbits with acute respiratory distress syndrome
      induced by lavage and to preterm lambs (127-129 days gestational age) with nRDS
      induced by developmental immaturity. The acute impact of surfactant therapy on
      gas exchange and pulmonary mechanics was assessed for 1 h in surfactant-depleted
      rabbits and for 3 h in preterm lambs. RESULTS: Overall, treatment with Bovactant
      50 mg/kg or Poractant alfa 50 mg/kg did not achieve full recovery of the rabbits'
      respiratory conditions, as indicated by significantly lower arterial oxygenation
      and carbon dioxide values. By contrast, the two approved doses for clinical use
      of Poractant alfa (100 and 200 mg/kg) achieved a rapid and sustained recovery in
      both animal models. The comparison of the ventilation indices of the licensed
      doses of Bovactant (50 mg/kg) and Poractant alfa (100 mg/kg) showed a superior
      performance of the latter preparation in both animal models. At equal
      phospholipid doses, Poractant alfa was superior to Bovactant in terms of arterial
      oxygenation in both animal models. In preterm lambs, surfactant replacement
      therapy with Poractant alfa at either 100 or 200 mg/kg was associated with
      significantly higher lung gas volumes compared to Bovactant treatment with 100
      mg/kg. CONCLUSION: At the licensed doses, the acute pulmonary response to
      Poractant alfa was significantly better than the one observed after Bovactant
      treatment, either at 50 or at 100 mg/kg dose, in two animal models of pulmonary
      failure.

PMID- 28913329
TI  - Structured Transition Protocol for Children with Cystinosis.
AB  - The transition from pediatric to adult medical services has a greater impact on
      the care of adolescents or young adults with chronic diseases such as cystinosis.
      This transition period is a time of psychosocial development and new
      responsibilities placing these patients at increased risk of non-adherence. This
      can lead to serious adverse effects such as graft loss and progression of the
      disease. Our transition protocol will provide patients, families, physicians, and
      all those involved a structured guide to transitioning cystinosis patients. This
      structured protocol depends on four areas of competency: Recognition, Insight,
      Self-reliance, and Establishment of healthy habits (RISE). This protocol has not
      been tested and therefore challenges not realized. With a focus on medical,
      social, and educational/vocational aspects, we aim to improve transition for
      cystinosis patients in all aspects of their lives.

PMID- 28913330
TI  - Resurgence of Diphtheria in North Kerala, India, 2016: Laboratory Supported Case
      Based Surveillance Outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: As part of national program, laboratory supported vaccine
      preventable diseases surveillance was initiated in Kerala in 2015. Mechanisms
      have been strengthened for case investigation, reporting, and data management.
      Specimens collected and sent to state and reference laboratories for confirmation
      and molecular surveillance. The major objective of this study is to understand
      the epidemiological information generated through surveillance system and its
      utilization for action. METHODS: Surveillance data captured from reporting
      register, case investigation forms, and laboratory reports was analyzed. Cases
      were allotted unique ID and no personal identifying information was used for
      analysis. Throat swabs were collected from investigated cases as part of
      surveillance system. All Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates were confirmed with
      standard biochemical tests, ELEK's test, and real-time PCR. Isolates were
      characterized using whole genome-based multi locus sequence typing method. Case
      investigation forms and laboratory results were recorded electronically. Public
      health response by government was also reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 533 cases
      were identified in 11 districts of Kerala in 2016, of which 92% occurred in 3
      districts of north Kerala; Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur. Almost 79% cases
      occurred in >10 years age group. In <18 years age group, 62% were male while in
      >=18 years, 69% were females. In <10 years age group, 31% children had received
      three doses of diphtheria vaccine, whereas in >=10 years, 3% cases had received
      all doses. Fifteen toxigenic C. diphtheriae isolates represented 6 novel sequence
      types (STs) (ST-405, ST-408, ST-466, ST-468, ST-469, and ST-470). Other STs
      observed are ST-50, ST-295, and ST-377. CONCLUSION: Diphtheria being an emerging
      pathogen, establishing quality surveillance for providing real-time information
      on disease occurrence and mortality is imperative. The epidemiological data thus
      generated was used for targeted interventions and to formulate vaccine policies.
      The data on molecular surveillance have given an insight on strain variation and
      transmission patterns.

PMID- 28913331
TI  - Health Effects and Public Health Concerns of Energy Drink Consumption in the
      United States: A Mini-Review.
AB  - As energy drink consumption continues to grow worldwide and within the United
      States, it is important to critically examine the nutritional content and effects
      on population health of these beverages. This mini-review summarizes the current
      scientific evidence on health consequences from energy drink consumption,
      presents relevant public health challenges, and proposes recommendations to
      mitigate these issues. Emerging evidence has linked energy drink consumption with
      a number of negative health consequences such as risk-seeking behaviors, poor
      mental health, adverse cardiovascular effects, and metabolic, renal, or dental
      conditions. Despite the consistency in evidence, most studies are of cross
      sectional design or focus almost exclusively on the effect of caffeine and sugar,
      failing to address potentially harmful effects of other ingredients. The negative
      health effects associated with energy drinks (ED) are compounded by a lack of
      regulatory oversight and aggressive marketing by the industry toward adolescents.
      Moreover, the rising trend of mixing ED with alcohol presents a new challenge
      that researchers and public health practitioners must address further. To curb
      this growing public health issue, policy makers should consider creating a
      separate regulatory category for ED, setting an evidence-based upper limit on
      caffeine, restricting sales of ED, and regulating existing ED marketing
      strategies, especially among children and adolescents.

PMID- 28913332
TI  - The Impact of Disclosure on Health and Related Outcomes in Human Immunodeficiency
      Virus-Infected Children: A Literature Review.
AB  - This review explores the association between pediatric human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) disclosure and health and related outcomes among children living with
      HIV. A multi-stage process was used to search for relevant articles on the ISI
      Web of Knowledge database. Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Five
      major outcomes emerged from children's knowledge of their HIV-seropositive
      status: physical/physiological outcomes; adherence to antiretroviral therapy;
      psychosocial outcomes; sexual and reproductive health, including HIV prevention
      outcomes; and disclosure of status by the children. Disclosure of a child's HIV
      status to the child has value in terms of positive health outcomes for the child,
      such as better adherence and slower disease progression-albeit the different
      studies did not always reach the same conclusions, and some suggest negative
      health outcomes, such as increased psychiatric hospitalization. Yet, there does
      not seem to be a systematic or coherent system for child disclosure. One
      recommendation from this review, therefore, is for government and program
      policies and guidelines that will promote child HIV disclosure in order to
      address the current low rates of disclosure in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). More
      rigorous and longitudinal studies on the outcomes of disclosure, with larger
      sample sizes, and in SSA, are also needed.

PMID- 28913333
TI  - Utilization of Parenteral Morphine by Application of ATC/DDD Methodology:
      Retrospective Study in the Referral Teaching Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies analyzed the pattern of opioid analgesic utilization in
      hospital settings. The aim of this study was to determine the consumption pattern
      of parenteral morphine in patients hospitalized in the Serbian referral teaching
      hospital and to correlate it with utilization at the national and international
      level. METHODS: In retrospective study, the required data were extracted from
      medical records of surgical patients who received parenteral morphine in the 5
      year period, from 2011 to 2015. We used the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical
      Classification/Defined Daily Doses (DDD) international system for consumption
      evaluation. RESULTS: While the number of performed surgical procedures in our
      hospital steadily increased from 2011 to 2015, the number of inpatient bed-days
      decreased from 2012. However, the consumption of parenteral morphine varied and
      was not more than 0.867 DDD/100 bed-days in the observed period. CONCLUSION:
      Based on the available data, parenteral morphine consumption in our hospital was
      lower compared with international data. The low level of morphine use in the
      hospital was in accordance with national data, and compared with other countries,
      morphine consumption applied for medical indications in Serbia was low. Adequate
      legal provision to ensure the availability of opioids, better education and
      training of medical personnel, as well as multidisciplinary approach should
      enable more rational and individual pain management in the future, not only
      within the hospitals.

PMID- 28913334
TI  - Editorial: Signaling Pathways in Embryonic Development.

PMID- 28913335
TI  - Extracellular Vesicle Flow Cytometry Analysis and Standardization.
AB  - The term extracellular vesicles (EVs) describes membranous vesicles derived from
      cells, ranging in diameter from 30 to 1,000 nm with the majority thought to be in
      the region of 100-150 nm. Due to their small diameter and complex and variable
      composition, conventional techniques have struggled to accurately count and
      phenotype EVs. Currently, EV characterization using high-resolution flow
      cytometry is the most promising method when compared to other currently available
      techniques, due to it being a high-throughput, single particle, multi-parameter
      analysis technique capable of analyzing a large range of particle diameters.
      Whilst high resolution flow cytometry promises detection of the full EV diameter
      range, standardization of light scattering and fluorescence data between
      different flow cytometers remains an problem. In this mini review, we will
      discuss the advances in high-resolution flow cytometry development and future
      direction of EV scatter and fluorescence standardization. Standardization and
      therefore reproducibility between research groups and instrumentation is lacking,
      hindering the validation of EVs use as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutics.

PMID- 28913336
TI  - Anti-Interleukin 5 (IL-5) and IL-5Ra Biological Drugs: Efficacy, Safety, and
      Future Perspectives in Severe Eosinophilic Asthma.
AB  - The definition of asthma has changed considerably in recent years, to the extent
      that asthma is no longer considered a single disease but a heterogeneous disorder
      that includes several phenotypes and, possibly, endotypes. A more detailed
      analysis of the immunological mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of asthma
      shows interleukin 5 (IL-5) to be a crucial cytokine in several asthma phenotypes.
      In fact, IL-5 exerts selective action on eosinophils, which, in turn, sustain
      airway inflammation and worsen asthma symptoms and control. Clinical trials have
      shown drugs targeting IL-5 or its receptor alpha subunit (IL-5Ra) to be a
      promising therapeutic approach to severe asthma, whose characteristics render
      standard therapy of little use: systemic corticosteroids only partially control
      the disease and have well-known adverse effects, and omalizumab is used for
      allergic subtypes. Analysis of the design process of clinical trials reveals the
      importance of patient selection, taking into account both clinical data (e.g.,
      exacerbations, lung function, and quality of life) and biomarkers (e.g.,
      eosinophils, which are predictive of therapeutic response).

PMID- 28913337
TI  - New Insights into the Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease.
AB  - Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune and multisystem gluten-related disorder that
      causes symptoms involving the gastrointestinal tract and other organs.
      Pathogenesis of CD is only partially known. It had been established that
      ingestion of gluten proteins present in wheat and other cereals are necessary for
      the disease and develops in individuals genetically predisposed carrying the DQ2
      or DQ8 human leukocyte antigen haplotypes. In this review, we had pay specific
      attention on the last discoveries regarding the three cellular components mainly
      involved in the development and maintenance of CD: T-cells, B-cells, and
      microbioma. All of them had been showed critical for the interaction between
      inflammatory immune response and gluten peptides. Although the mechanisms of
      interaction among overall these components are not yet fully understood, recent
      proteomics and molecular studies had shed some lights in the pathogenic role of
      tissue transglutaminase 2 in CD and in the alteration of the intestinal barrier
      function induced by host microbiota.

PMID- 28913338
TI  - Clinical Validation of a Pixon-Based Reconstruction Method Allowing a Twofold
      Reduction in Planar Images Time of 111In-Pentetreotide Somatostatin Receptor
      Scintigraphy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of
      Pixon-based reconstruction method on planar somatostatin receptor scintigraphy
      (SRS). METHODS: All patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) disease who were
      referred for SRS to our department during 1-year period from January to December
      2015 were consecutively included. Three nuclear physicians independently reviewed
      all the data sets of images which included conventional images (CI; 15 min/view)
      and processed images (PI) obtained by reconstructing the first 450 s extracted
      data using Oncoflash(r) software package. Image analysis using a 3-point rating
      scale for abnormal uptake of 111 Indium-DTPA-Phe-octreotide in any lesion or
      organ was interpreted as positive, uncertain, or negative for the evidence of NET
      disease. A maximum grade uptake of the radiotracer in the lesion was assessed by
      the Krenning scale method. The results of image interpretation by the two methods
      were considered significantly discordant when the difference in organ involvement
      assessment was negative vs. positive or in lesion uptake was >=2 grades.
      Agreement between the results of two methods and by different scan observers was
      evaluated using Cohen kappa coefficients. RESULTS: There was no significant (p =
      0.403) correlation between data acquisition protocol and quality image. The rates
      of significant discrepancies for exam interpretation and organs involvement
      assessment were 2.8 and 2.6%, respectively. Mean kappa values revealed a good
      agreement for concordance between CI and PI interpretation without difference of
      agreement for inter/intra-observer analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest the
      feasibility to use a Pixon-based reconstruction method for SRS planar images
      allowing a twofold reduction of acquisition time and without significant
      alteration of image quality or on image interpretation.

PMID- 28913339
TI  - Ulcerative Gastritis and Esophagitis in Two Children with Sarcina ventriculi
      Infection.
AB  - Sarcina ventriculi is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic coccus, with a
      characteristic morphology. Only 22 cases of human infections by this
      microorganism, including 7 in children, have been reported in literature so far.
      Affected subjects usually present with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and
      delayed gastric emptying. However, life-threatening complications, like
      emphysematous gastritis and gastric perforation have also been described.
      Gastroparesis and gastric outlet obstruction have been considered as a potential
      etiologic factor. All pediatric cases described thus far presented with
      concomitant gastrointestinal pathology, such as Helicobacter pylori gastritis,
      celiac disease, infection with Giardia lamblia or Candida spp. Here, we report
      two children with S. ventriculi infection, in whom the diagnosis was established
      by typical histological findings in mucosal biopsies. The first child presented
      with hematemesis due to ulcerative esophagitis and gastritis, the second child
      with a history of esophageal stricture had ulcerative gastritis. Confirmation of
      S. ventriculi infection is feasible by molecular microbiota detection methods,
      since this microorganism cannot be detected by classical culture techniques.
      Prompt treatment with antibiotics could prevent life-threatening complications.

PMID- 28913340
TI  - Caregiver Reports of Interactions between Children up to 6 Years and Their Family
      Dog-Implications for Dog Bite Prevention.
AB  - In children up to 6 years, interactions such as interfering with the dog's
      resources and also benign behaviors (e.g., petting) commonly precede a bite
      incident with the family dog. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to
      explore the development of everyday interactions between children up to 6 years
      and their family dogs and whether parents' attitudes to supervision are related
      to those interactions. Additionally, we investigated whether behavior of dogs
      that had lived in the family for longer than the child differed from those that
      grew up with children. A self-selected sample of caregivers living with a child
      up to 6 years and a family dog was surveyed via an online questionnaire (N =
      402). Frequency of observed child behaviors directed toward the dog and dog
      behaviors directed toward the child were scored on a six-point scale (1-never and
      6-very often). Data on characteristics of the caregiver, the child, and the dog
      were collected, and a section surveying attitudes to supervision of child-dog
      interactions was included. Additionally, we asked whether the dog already injured
      the child. Benign child behaviors toward dogs were most frequently reported (mean
      +/- SD: 4.1 +/- 1.2), increased with child age (rs = 0.38, p < 0.001), and
      reached high levels from 6 months on. Overall, resource-related interactions were
      relatively infrequent (2.1 +/- 1.1). Most common was the dog allowing the child
      to take objects from its mouth (4.1 +/- 1.7). This behavior was more common with
      older children (rs = 0.37, p < 0.001). Reported injuries during resource-related
      interactions occurred while feeding treats or taking objects from the dog during
      fetch play. Dogs that had lived in the family for longer than the child showed
      less affiliative behaviors toward the child (e.g., energetic affiliative: U = 
      7.171, p < 0.001) and more fear-related behaviors (U = -3.581, p < 0.001).
      Finally, the caregivers' attitudes to supervision were related to all child
      behaviors (e.g., allow unsafe behaviors-benign child behavior: rs = 0.47, p <
      0.001). The results of this study underline the need for a dog bite prevention
      approach directed toward the caregivers very early in the child-dog relationship,
      taking into account the child's age and individual needs of the dog.

PMID- 28913341
TI  - Assessing the Risk of a Canine Rabies Incursion in Northern Australia.
AB  - Rabies is a globally distributed virus that causes approximately 60,00 human
      deaths annually with >99% of cases caused by dog bites. Australia is currently
      canine rabies free. However, the recent eastward spread of rabies in the
      Indonesian archipelago has increased the probability of rabies entry into
      northern Australian communities. In addition, many northern Australian
      communities have large populations of free-roaming dogs, capable of maintaining
      rabies should an incursion occur. A risk assessment of rabies entry and
      transmission into these communities is needed to target control and surveillance
      measures. Illegal transportation of rabies-infected dogs via boat landings is a
      high-risk entry pathway and was the focus of the current study. A quantitative,
      stochastic, risk assessment model was developed to evaluate the risk of rabies
      entry into north-west Cape York Peninsula, Australia, and rabies introduction to
      resident dogs in one of the communities via transport of rabies-infected dogs on
      illegal Indonesian fishing boats. Parameter distributions were derived from
      expert opinion, literature, and analysis of field studies. The estimated median
      probability of rabies entry into north-west Cape York Peninsula and into Seisia
      from individual fishing boats was 1.9 * 10-4/boat and 8.7 * 10-6/boat,
      respectively. The estimated annual probability that at least one rabies-infected
      dog enters north-west Cape York Peninsula and into Seisia was 5.5 * 10-3 and 3.5
      * 10-4, respectively. The estimated median probability of rabies introduction
      into Seisia was 4.7 * 10-8/boat, and the estimated annual probability that at
      least one rabies-infected dog causes rabies transmission in a resident Seisia dog
      was 8.3 * 10-5. Sensitivity analysis using the Sobol method highlighted some
      parameters as influential, including but not limited to the prevalence of rabies
      in Indonesia, the probability of a dog on board an Indonesian fishing boat, and
      the probability of a Seisia dog being on the beach. Overall, the probabilities of
      rabies entry into north-west Cape York Peninsula and rabies introduction into
      Seisia are low. However, the potential devastating consequences of a rabies
      incursion in this region make this a non-negligible risk.

PMID- 28913342
TI  - Editorial: Towards Elimination of Dog Mediated Human Rabies.

PMID- 28913344
TI  - Farnesol inhibits translation to limit growth and filamentation in C. albicans
      and S. cerevisiae.
AB  - Candida albicans is a polymorphic yeast where the capacity to switch between
      yeast and filamentous growth is critical for pathogenicity. Farnesol is a quorum
      sensing sesquiterpene alcohol that, via regulation of specific signalling and
      transcription components, inhibits filamentous growth in Candida albicans. Here
      we show that farnesol also inhibits translation at the initiation step in both
      Candida albicans and S. cerevisiae. In contrast to fusel alcohols, that target
      the eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (eIF2B), farnesol affects the interaction of
      the mRNA with the small ribosomal subunit leading to reduced levels of the 48S
      preinitiation ribosomal complex in S. cerevisiae. Therefore, farnesol targets a
      different step in the translation pathway than fusel alcohols to elicit a
      completely opposite physiological outcome by negating filamentous growth.

PMID- 28913345
TI  - A yeast model for the mechanism of the Epstein-Barr virus immune evasion
      identifies a new therapeutic target to interfere with the virus stealthiness.
AB  - The oncogenic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) evades the immune system but has an
      Achilles heel: its genome maintenance protein EBNA1. Indeed, EBNA1 is essential
      for viral genome replication and maintenance but also highly antigenic. Hence,
      EBV evolved a system in which the glycine-alanine repeat (GAr) of EBNA1 limits
      the translation of its own mRNA at a minimal level to ensure its essential
      function thereby, at the same time, minimizing immune recognition. Defining
      intervention points where to interfere with EBNA1 immune evasion is an important
      step to trigger an immune response against EBV-carrying cancers. Thanks to a
      yeast-based assay that recapitulates all the aspects of EBNA1 self-limitation of
      expression, a recent study by Lista et al. [Nature Communications (2017) 7, 435
      444] has uncovered the role of the host cell nucleolin (NCL) in this process via
      a direct interaction of this protein with G-quadruplexes (G4) formed in GAr
      encoding sequence of EBNA1 mRNA. In addition, the G4 ligand PhenDC3 prevents NCL
      binding on EBNA1 mRNA and reverses GAr-mediated repression of translation and
      antigen presentation. This shows that the NCL-EBNA1 mRNA interaction is a
      relevant therapeutic target to unveil EBV-carrying cancers to the immune system
      and that the yeast model can be successfully used for uncovering drugs and host
      factors that interfere with EBV stealthiness.

PMID- 28913343
TI  - Exacerbating and reversing lysosomal storage diseases: from yeast to humans.
AB  - Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) arise from monogenic deficiencies in lysosomal
      proteins and pathways and are characterized by a tissue-wide accumulation of a
      vast variety of macromolecules, normally specific to each genetic lesion.
      Strategies for treatment of LSDs commonly depend on reduction of the offending
      metabolite(s) by substrate depletion or enzyme replacement. However, at least 44
      of the ~50 LSDs are currently recalcitrant to intervention. Murine models have
      provided significant insights into our understanding of many LSD mechanisms;
      however, these systems do not readily permit phenotypic screening of compound
      libraries, or the establishment of genetic or gene-environment interaction
      networks. Many of the genes causing LSDs are evolutionarily conserved, thus
      facilitating the application of models system to provide additional insight into
      LSDs. Here, we review the utility of yeast models of 3 LSDs: Batten disease,
      cystinosis, and Niemann-Pick type C disease. We will focus on the translation of
      research from yeast models into human patients suffering from these LSDs. We will
      also discuss the use of yeast models to investigate the penetrance of LSDs, such
      as Niemann-Pick type C disease, into more prevalent syndromes including viral
      infection and obesity.

PMID- 28913346
TI  - Live fast, die fast principle in a single cell of fission yeast.
AB  - Growth and death are both fundamental macroscopic properties for all living
      matters, and thus cell division and mortality rates are good parameters for
      characterizing cellular physiology in a given environment. While population
      growth rates in various conditions have been reported in literature, death rate
      is rarely measured, especially in favorable culture conditions where cells grow
      exponentially. In our recent study (Nakaoka and Wakamoto, 2017), we developed a
      microfluidics-based platform to track multiple single cell lineages until death.
      The system enabled us to monitor both cell growth and death in controlled steady
      environments, and we confirmed the absence of replicative aging in fission yeast
      old-pole cell lineages by showing remarkable constancy both in cell division and
      mortality rates. Furthermore, we revealed a growth-death trade-off relation in
      non-stressed conditions. The phenomenological law that constrains macroscopic
      physiological parameters could provide a new quantitative insight into possible
      balanced-growth states in various environments.

PMID- 28913348
TI  - The Use of Partial Least Square Regression and Spectral Data in UV-Visible Region
      for Quantification of Adulteration in Indonesian Palm Civet Coffee.
AB  - Asian palm civet coffee or kopi luwak (Indonesian words for coffee and palm
      civet) is well known as the world's priciest and rarest coffee. To protect the
      authenticity of luwak coffee and protect consumer from luwak coffee adulteration,
      it is very important to develop a robust and simple method for determining the
      adulteration of luwak coffee. In this research, the use of UV-Visible spectra
      combined with PLSR was evaluated to establish rapid and simple methods for
      quantification of adulteration in luwak-arabica coffee blend. Several
      preprocessing methods were tested and the results show that most of the
      preprocessing spectra were effective in improving the quality of calibration
      models with the best PLS calibration model selected for Savitzky-Golay smoothing
      spectra which had the lowest RMSECV (0.039) and highest RPDcal value (4.64).
      Using this PLS model, a prediction for quantification of luwak content was
      calculated and resulted in satisfactory prediction performance with high both RPD
      p and RER values.

PMID- 28913347
TI  - Haplotypes for Type, Degree, and Rate of Marbling in Cattle Are Syntenic with
      Human Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - Traditional analyses of a QTL on Bota 19 implicate a surfeit of candidates, but
      each is of marginal significance in explaining the deposition of healthy, low
      melting temperature fat within marbled muscle of Wagyu cattle. As an alternative
      approach, we have used genomic, multigenerational segregation to identify 14
      conserved, ancestral 20 Mb haplotypes. These determine the degree and rate of
      marbling in Wagyu and other breeds of cattle. The melting temperature of
      intramuscular fat is highly heritable and traceable by haplotyping. Fortunately,
      for the production of healthy beef, some of these haplotypes are sufficiently
      penetrant to be expressed in heterozygous crossbreds, thereby allowing selection
      of sires which will improve the healthiness of beef produced under even harsh
      climatic conditions. The region of Bota 19 is syntenic to a region of Hosa 17
      known to be important in muscle metabolism and in determining susceptibility to a
      form of human muscular dystrophy.

PMID- 28913349
TI  - Brain-Computer Interface for Clinical Purposes: Cognitive Assessment and
      Rehabilitation.
AB  - Alongside the best-known applications of brain-computer interface (BCI)
      technology for restoring communication abilities and controlling external
      devices, we present the state of the art of BCI use for cognitive assessment and
      training purposes. We first describe some preliminary attempts to develop verbal
      motor free BCI-based tests for evaluating specific or multiple cognitive domains
      in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, disorders of consciousness, and
      other neurological diseases. Then we present the more heterogeneous and advanced
      field of BCI-based cognitive training, which has its roots in the context of
      neurofeedback therapy and addresses patients with neurological developmental
      disorders (autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder), stroke patients, and elderly subjects. We discuss some advantages of
      BCI for both assessment and training purposes, the former concerning the
      possibility of longitudinally and reliably evaluating cognitive functions in
      patients with severe motor disabilities, the latter regarding the possibility of
      enhancing patients' motivation and engagement for improving neural plasticity.
      Finally, we discuss some present and future challenges in the BCI use for the
      described purposes.

PMID- 28913350
TI  - Neuronal Regeneration after Electroacupuncture Treatment in Ischemia-Reperfusion
      Injured Cerebral Infarction Rats.
AB  - Adult neuronal cells which can regenerate have been reported. The present study
      investigated whether acupuncture enhances neuronal regeneration in ischemic
      stroke rats. We established an ischemic stroke rat model by occluding the
      cerebral blood flow of the right middle cerebral artery for 15 minutes and then
      allowing reperfusion in Sprague-Dawley rats. The results indicated that, in these
      rats, 2 Hz electroacupuncture (EA) at both Zusanli (ST36) and Shangjuxu (ST37)
      acupoints reduced the infarction/hemisphere ratio 8 days after reperfusion and
      reduced the modified neurological severity score (mNSS) and increased the rotarod
      test time 4 and 8 days after reperfusion, respectively. In addition, 2 Hz reduced
      nestin immunoreactive cells in the penumbra area and the ischemic core area; 2 Hz
      EA also reduced Ki67 immunoreactive cells and increased glial fibrillary acidic
      protein immunoreactive cells in the penumbra area. These findings suggest that 2
      Hz EA at the ST36 and ST37 acupoints has a neuroprotective role. However,
      additional studies are needed to further investigate these preliminary results.

PMID- 28913351
TI  - Adequate Platelet Function Inhibition Confirmed by Two Inductive Agents Predicts
      Lower Recurrence of Ischemic Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The correlation between platelet function and recurrent ischemic
      stroke or TIA remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To investigate two inductive agents
      to detect platelet functions and assess associations with recurrent ischemic
      stroke/TIA. METHOD: The study included 738 ischemic stroke/TIA patients. On days
      0, 3, and 9 after antiplatelet therapy, platelet function tests were determined
      by maximum aggregation rate (MAR) using a PL-11 platelet function analyzer and
      phase matching reagents. Two induction agents were used: arachidonic acid (AA)
      and adenosine diphosphate (ADP). At 3-month follow-up, recurrence of stroke/TIA
      was recorded. RESULT: Cut-off values of adequate platelet function inhibition
      were MARADP < 35% and MARAA < 35%. Data showed that antiplatelet therapy could
      reduce the maximum aggregation rate. More importantly, adequate platelet function
      inhibition of either MARADP or MARAA was not associated with the recurrence of
      stroke/TIA, but adequate platelet function inhibition of not only MARADP but also
      MARAA predicts lower recurrence (0/121 (0.00%) versus 18/459 (3.92%), P =
      0.0188). CONCLUSION: The platelet function tested by PL-11 demonstrated that
      adequate inhibition of both MARADP and MARAA could predict lower risk of ischemic
      stroke/TIA recurrence.

PMID- 28913353
TI  - The Effects of Low-Intensity Ultrasound on Fat Reduction of Rat Model.
AB  - Nonfocused low-intensity ultrasound is generally believed to be less efficacious
      than High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) at body fat reduction;
      nevertheless, this technology has already been widely used clinically for body
      contouring purposes. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this
      new technology by applying 1 MHz nonfocused ultrasound at 3 W/cm2 to the outer
      thigh region of rat models. Ultrasonography measurement demonstrated an average
      reduction of 0.5 mm of subcutaneous fat thickness that persisted for at least
      three days after treatment. Biochemical analysis quantified a significant
      increase in lipid levels, specifically triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein,
      and total cholesterol. These two findings of subcutaneous fat reduction and
      plasma lipid increase showed a positive correlation. No evidence of adverse
      events or complications was observed after the treatment. This study validated
      nonfocused low-intensity ultrasound as an effective and safe method for body fat
      reduction, especially with repetitive treatment. However, the concurrent increase
      in plasma lipid level will require further investigation to determine this
      technology's long-term impact, if any, on health.

PMID- 28913352
TI  - New Roles of the Primary Cilium in Autophagy.
AB  - The primary cilium is a nonmotile organelle that emanates from the surface of
      multiple cell types and receives signals from the environment to regulate
      intracellular signaling pathways. The presence of cilia, as well as their length,
      is important for proper cell function; shortened, elongated, or absent cilia are
      associated with pathological conditions. Interestingly, it has recently been
      shown that the molecular machinery involved in autophagy, the process of
      recycling of intracellular material to maintain cellular and tissue homeostasis,
      participates in ciliogenesis. Cilium-dependent signaling is necessary for
      autophagosome formation and, conversely, autophagy regulates both ciliogenesis
      and cilium length by degrading specific ciliary proteins. Here, we will discuss
      the relationship that exists between the two processes at the cellular and
      molecular level, highlighting what is known about the effects of ciliary
      dysfunction in the control of energy homeostasis in some ciliopathies.

PMID- 28913354
TI  - Towards a Biohybrid Lung: Endothelial Cells Promote Oxygen Transfer through Gas
      Permeable Membranes.
AB  - In patients with respiratory failure, extracorporeal lung support can ensure the
      vital gas exchange via gas permeable membranes but its application is restricted
      by limited long-term stability and hemocompatibility of the gas permeable
      membranes, which are in contact with the blood. Endothelial cells lining these
      membranes promise physiological hemocompatibility and should enable prolonged
      application. However, the endothelial cells increase the diffusion barrier of the
      blood-gas interface and thus affect gas transfer. In this study, we evaluated how
      the endothelial cells affect the gas exchange to optimize performance while
      maintaining an integral cell layer. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were
      seeded on gas permeable cell culture membranes and cultivated in a custom-made
      bioreactor. Oxygen transfer rates of blank and endothelialized membranes in
      endothelial culture medium were determined. Cell morphology was assessed by
      microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Both setups provided oxygenation of the test
      fluid featuring small standard deviations of the measurements. Throughout the
      measuring range, the endothelial cells seem to promote gas transfer to a certain
      extent exceeding the blank membranes gas transfer performance by up to 120%.
      Although the underlying principles hereof still need to be clarified, the results
      represent a significant step towards the development of a biohybrid lung.

PMID- 28913355
TI  - Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Marginal Fit of Crowns Fabricated Using
      Commercially Pure Titanium and FUS-Invest.
AB  - This study investigated the mechanical properties and single crown accuracy of
      the tailor-made Fourth University Stomatology investment (FUS-invest) for casting
      titanium. Background. Current investment for casting titanium is not optimal for
      obtaining high-quality castings, and the commercially available titanium
      investment is costly. Methods. Titanium specimens were cast using the tailor-made
      FUS-invest. The mechanical properties were tested using a universal testing
      machine. Fractured castings were characterized by energy-dispersive spectroscopy.
      19 titanium crowns were produced using FUS-invest and another 19 by Symbion. The
      accuracy of crowns was evaluated. Results. The mechanical properties of the
      titanium cast by FUS-invest were elastic modulus 125.6 +/- 8.8 GPa, yield
      strength 567.5 +/- 11.1 MPa, tensile strength 671.2 +/- 15.6 MPa, and elongation
      4.6 +/- 0.2%. For marginal fit, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found at
      four marker points of each group. For internal fit, no significant difference (P
      > 0.05) was found between two groups, whereas significant difference (P < 0.01)
      was found at different mark point of each group. Conclusions. The mechanical
      properties of titanium casted using FUS-invest fulfilled the ISO 9693 criteria.
      The marginal and internal fit of the titanium crowns using either the FUS-invest
      or Symbion were similar.

PMID- 28913356
TI  - Expression Profiling of Cellular MicroRNA in Asymptomatic HBsAg Carriers and
      Chronic Hepatitis B Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may serve as potential molecular markers to
      predict liver injury resulting from chronic hepatitis B (CHB). In the present
      study, we want to study the expression profile and clinical significance of
      miRNAs at different stages of CHB virus infection. METHODS: Using miRNA
      microarray, we investigated the global expression profiles of cellular miRNA in
      asymptomatic hepatitis B antigen carriers (ASCs) and CHB patients, compared with
      healthy controls (HCs). RESULTS: We identified 79 and 203 differentially
      expressed miRNAs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ASCs and CHB
      patients compared to HCs, respectively. Some of these miRNAs were common to ASCs
      and CHB patients, but another set of miRNAs that showed differential expression
      between ASCs and CHB patients was also identified. Gene ontology and pathway
      enrichment analysis showed that the target genes of the identified miRNAs played
      a role in important biological functions, such as learning or memory, cell-cell
      adherens junction, ion channel inhibitor activity, TGF-beta signaling pathway,
      and p53 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: We identified some significant
      differentially expressed miRNA in different phases of HBV infection, which might
      serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets in the future.

PMID- 28913357
TI  - The Association of Uric Acid Calculi with Obesity, Prediabetes, Type 2 Diabetes
      Mellitus, and Hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To disclose the link between the composition of urolithiasis,
      especially that of uric acid calculi, and obesity, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes
      mellitus, and hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who had urinary
      calculi and underwent surgical treatment were registered in the study. The
      composition of urinary calculi was analyzed and correlated with clinical features
      and biomedical profiles of the patients before surgical intervention. RESULTS: A
      total of 666 patients with urolithiasis who underwent surgical management were
      registered and analyzed. In those who had uric acid calculi, there was a
      significant association with prediabetic (OR: 20.11, 95% CI: 7.40-54.63, P <
      0.001) and diabetic states (OR: 11.55, 95% CI: 4.41-29.97, P < 0.001). It also
      seemed that uric acid calculi were related to obesity but there was no
      statistical significance (OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 0.91-6.62, P = 0.078). There was no
      association of uric acid calculi with hypertension (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.54-2.17,
      P = 0.822) and concurrent urinary tract infection (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.44-1.96, P
      = 0.841). CONCLUSION: There was a remarkable association of uric acid calculi
      with prediabetic and diabetic states. The uric acid calculi were also seemingly
      associated with obesity in patients with urolithiasis undergoing surgical
      management.

PMID- 28913358
TI  - Central Modulation of Neuroinflammation by Neuropeptides and Energy-Sensing
      Hormones during Obesity.
AB  - Central nervous system (CNS) senses energy homeostasis by integrating both
      peripheral and autonomic signals and responding to them by neurotransmitters and
      neuropeptides release. Although it is previously considered an immunologically
      privileged organ, we now know that this is not so. Cells belonging to the immune
      system, such as B and T lymphocytes, can be recruited into the CNS to face damage
      or infection, in addition to possessing resident immunological cells, called
      microglia. In this way, positive energy balance during obesity promotes an
      inflammatory state in the CNS. Saturated fatty acids from the diet have been
      pointed out as powerful candidates to trigger immune response in peripheral
      system and in the CNS. However, how central immunity communicates to peripheral
      immune response remains to be clarified. Recently there has been a great interest
      in the neuropeptides, POMC derived peptides, ghrelin, and leptin, due to their
      capacity to suppress or induce inflammatory responses in the brain, respectively.
      These may be potential candidates to treat different pathologies associated with
      autoimmunity and inflammation. In this review, we will discuss the role of
      lipotoxicity associated with positive energy balance during obesity in
      proinflammatory response in microglia, B and T lymphocytes, and its modulation by
      neuropeptides.

PMID- 28913359
TI  - Nutraceutical, Anti-Inflammatory, and Immune Modulatory Effects of beta-Glucan
      Isolated from Yeast.
AB  - beta-Glucan is a dietary fibre, found in many natural sources, and controls
      chronic metabolic diseases effectively. However, beta-glucan from the yeast has
      rarely been investigated. Objectively, conditions were optimized to isolate beta
      glucan from the yeast (max. 66% yield); those optimized conditions included 1.0 M
      NaOH, pH 7.0, and 90 degrees C. The purity and identity of the isolated beta
      glucan were characterized through FT-IR, SEM, DSC, and physicofunctional
      properties. The obtained results from DSC revealed highly stable beta-glucan
      (m.p., 125 degrees C) with antioxidant activity (TAC value 0.240 +/- 0.0021
      ug/mg, H2O2 scavenging 38%), which has promising bile acid binding 40.463% and
      glucose control (in vitro). In line with these results, we evaluated the in vivo
      anti-inflammatory potential, that is, myeloperoxidase activity and reduction in
      MDA and NO; protective effect on proteins and keeping viscosity within normal
      range exhibited improvement. Also, the in vivo cholesterol binding and reduction
      in the skin thickness by beta-glucan were highly encouraging. Finally, our
      results confirmed that yeast beta-glucan is effective against some of the
      inflammatory and oxidative stress markers studied in this investigation. In
      general, the effect of 4%  beta-glucan was more noticeable versus 2%  beta
      glucan. Therefore, our results support the utilization of beta-glucan as a novel,
      economically cheap, and functional food ingredient.

PMID- 28913360
TI  - Association between Sedentary Behaviour and Physical, Cognitive, and Psychosocial
      Status among Older Adults in Assisted Living.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Identification of the factors that influence sedentary behaviour in
      older adults is important for the design of appropriate intervention strategies.
      In this study, we determined the prevalence of sedentary behaviour and its
      association with physical, cognitive, and psychosocial status among older adults
      residing in Assisted Living (AL). METHODS: Participants (n = 114, mean age =
      86.7) from AL sites in British Columbia wore waist-mounted activity monitors for
      7 consecutive days, after being assessed with the Timed Up and Go (TUG), Montreal
      Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Short Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Modified
      Fall Efficacy Scale (MFES). RESULTS: On average, participants spent 87% of their
      waking hours in sedentary behaviour, which accumulated in 52 bouts per day with
      each bout lasting an average of 13 minutes. Increased sedentary behaviour
      associated significantly with scores on the TUG (r = 0.373, p < 0.001) and MFES
      (r = -0.261, p = 0.005), but not with the MoCA or GDS. Sedentary behaviour also
      associated with male gender, use of mobility aid, and multiple regression with
      increased age. CONCLUSION: We found that sedentary behaviour among older adults
      in AL associated with TUG scores and falls-related self-efficacy, which are
      modifiable targets for interventions to decrease sedentary behaviour in this
      population.

PMID- 28913361
TI  - Insulin Resistance Predicts Atherogenic Lipoprotein Profile in Nondiabetic
      Subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atherogenic diabetes is associated with an increased cardiovascular
      risk and mortality in diabetic individuals; however, the impact of insulin
      resistance (IR) in lipid metabolism in preclinical stages is generally
      underreported. For that, we evaluated the capacity of IR to predict an
      atherogenic lipid subfraction profile. METHODS: Complete clinical evaluation and
      biochemical analysis (lipid, glucose profile, LDL, and HDL subfractions and LDL
      phenotype and size) were performed in 181 patients. The impact of IR as a
      predictor of atherogenic lipoproteins was tested by logistic regression analysis
      in raw and adjusted models. RESULTS: HDL-C and Apo AI were significantly lower in
      individuals with IR. Individuals with IR had a higher percentage of small HDL
      particles, lower percentage in the larger ones, and reduced frequency of
      phenotype A (IR = 62%; non-IR = 83%). IR individuals had reduced probability to
      have large HDL (OR = 0.213; CI = 0.999-0.457) and had twice more chances to show
      increased small HDL (OR = 2.486; CI = 1.341-7.051). IR was a significant
      predictor of small LDL (OR = 3.075; CI = 1.341-7.051) and atherogenic phenotype
      (OR = 3.176; CI = 1.469-6.867). CONCLUSION: IR, previously DM2 diagnosis, is a
      strong predictor of quantitative and qualitative features of lipoproteins
      directly associated with an increased atherogenic risk.

PMID- 28913362
TI  - Corrigendum to "Modeling and Measurement of Correlation between Blood and
      Interstitial Glucose Changes".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/4596316.].

PMID- 28913363
TI  - Associated Factors with Biochemical Hypoglycemia during an Oral Glucose Tolerance
      Test in a Chinese Population.
AB  - AIM: To find the association between biochemical hypoglycemia on a 2-hour
      screening oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin resistance. METHOD:
      Subjects of this study were sampled from the China National Diabetes and
      Metabolic Disorders Study that was conducted during 2007 and 2008. Blood samples
      were drawn at 0, 30, and 120 minutes after the glucose load. Biochemical
      hypoglycemia was defined as 2-hour glucose < 3.0 mmol/l. RESULTS: In total,
      26,606 participants were included, and 141 participants were diagnosed with
      biochemical hypoglycemia on a 2-hour OGTT. Compared to participants with normal
      glucose tolerance (NGT), participants with biochemical hypoglycemia presented
      with a younger age, lower BMI, lower levels of fasting glucose, and lower levels
      of 30-minute and 2-hour OGTT glucose. In terms of insulin resistance,
      participants with biochemical hypoglycemia showed higher levels of Matsuda ISI.
      In terms of beta-cell function, participants with biochemical hypoglycemia showed
      higher levels of Stumvoll early and late indexes. A multivariate regression
      analysis indicated that higher levels of Matsuda ISI and higher levels of
      Stumvoll early and late indexes were associated with biochemical hypoglycemia
      independently. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that biochemical hypoglycemia
      might be associated with lower levels of insulin resistance but higher levels of
      beta-cell function in a Chinese population.

PMID- 28913365
TI  - Frequency and Predictors of Self-Reported Hypoglycemia in Insulin-Treated
      Diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: Hypoglycemia is a limiting factor for achieving stringent glycemic control
      in diabetes. This study analyzes the frequency and predictors of hypoglycemia in
      insulin-treated diabetes in an ambulatory setting. METHODS: A retrospective chart
      review was performed to study self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG) data for 3
      months prior to a patient's HbA1c test. RESULTS: Hypoglycemia occurred more
      frequently in type 1 than in type 2 diabetes; however, 19% of type 2 diabetes
      patients did experience at least one episode of severe hypoglycemia. For type 1
      diabetes, hypoglycemia had a positive association with glycemic variability and
      duration of diabetes and a negative association with HbA1c and lowest blood
      glucose (BG). For type 2 diabetes, a positive association was noted with glycemic
      variability and a negative association with age and lowest BG. CONCLUSIONS:
      Delineating factors predisposing to hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes is difficult.
      Lower HbA1c is a potential predictor of hypoglycemia in type 1 but not in type 2
      diabetes. Longer duration of diabetes for type 1 and younger age for type 2 are
      associated with more hypoglycemia. Glycemic variability portends increased risk
      for hypoglycemia and should be a focus of further research.

PMID- 28913364
TI  - The Nrf2/Keap1/ARE Pathway and Oxidative Stress as a Therapeutic Target in Type
      II Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - Despite improvements in awareness and treatment of type II diabetes mellitus
      (TIIDM), this disease remains a major source of morbidity and mortality
      worldwide, and prevalence continues to rise. Oxidative damage caused by free
      radicals has long been known to contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of
      TIIDM and its complications. Only recently, however, has the role of the
      Nrf2/Keap1/ARE master antioxidant pathway in diabetic dysfunction begun to be
      elucidated. There is accumulating evidence that this pathway is implicated in
      diabetic damage to the pancreas, heart, and skin, among other cell types and
      tissues. Animal studies and clinical trials have shown promising results
      suggesting that activation of this pathway can delay or reverse some of these
      impairments in TIIDM. In this review, we outline the role of oxidative damage and
      the Nrf2/Keap1/ARE pathway in TIIDM, focusing on current and future efforts to
      utilize this relationship as a therapeutic target for prevention, prognosis, and
      treatment of TIID.

PMID- 28913366
TI  - The Differential Contribution of the Innate Immune System to a Good Pathological
      Response in the Breast and Axillary Lymph Nodes Induced by Neoadjuvant
      Chemotherapy in Women with Large and Locally Advanced Breast Cancers.
AB  - The tumour microenvironment consists of malignant cells, stroma, and immune
      cells. The role of adaptive immunity in inducing a pathological complete response
      (pCR) in breast cancer with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is well studied. The
      contribution of innate immunity, however, is poorly documented. Breast tumours
      and axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) from 33 women with large and locally advanced
      breast cancers (LLABCs) undergoing NAC were immunohistochemically assessed for
      tumour-infiltrating macrophages (TIMs: M1 and M2), neutrophils (TINs), and
      dendritic cells (TIDCs) using labelled antibodies and semiquantitative methods.
      Patients' blood neutrophils (n = 108), DCs (mDC1 and pDC), and their
      costimulatory molecules (n = 30) were also studied. Pathological results were
      classified as pCR, good (GPR) or poor (PRR). In breast and metastatic ALNs, high
      levels of CD163+ TIMs were significantly associated with a pCR. In blood, high
      levels of neutrophils were significantly associated with pCR in metastatic ALNs,
      whilst the % of mDC1 and pDC and expression of HLA-DR, mDC1 CD40, and CD83 were
      significantly reduced. NAC significantly reduced tumour DCs but increased blood
      DCs. PPRs to NAC had significantly reduced HLA-DR, CD40, and CD86 expression. Our
      study demonstrated novel findings documenting the differential but important
      contributions of innate immunity to pCRs in patients with LLABCs undergoing NAC.

PMID- 28913367
TI  - Efficacy of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Combined with IFN-alpha in Chinese
      Resected Stage III Malignant Melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore the efficacy of tumor-infiltrating
      lymphocytes (TIL) along with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) to treat stage III
      malignant melanoma (MM) patients in China. METHODS: Between May 2010 and October
      2014, 77 patients of stage III MM who underwent surgery were collected in this
      study. These patients were divided into two groups: patients who received TIL +
      IFN-alpha +/- RetroNectin-activated cytokine-induced killer cells (R-CIK) in Arm
      1 (n = 27) and IFN-alpha +/- R-CIK in Arm 2 (n = 50) as adjuvant therapy. The
      primary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS) time and DFS rates measured at
      time points of 1, 2, and 3 years. The secondary endpoints were overall survival
      (OS) rates measured at time points of 1, 2, 3, and 5 years as well as OS as
      evaluated by Kaplan-Meier. RESULTS: Our results indicated that the median DFS and
      OS in Arm 1 were significantly better than those in Arm 2. The data also
      demonstrated that DFS rate and OS rates in Arm 1 were significantly better than
      those in Arm 2 at all measured time points. CONCLUSION: Patients who undergo
      surgical excision of stage III MM appear to enjoy prolonged DFS and OS when
      treated with TIL + IFN-alpha compared to IFN-alpha alone.

PMID- 28913368
TI  - Erratum to "Low Baseline Interleukin-17A Levels Are Associated with Better
      Treatment Response at 12 Weeks to Tocilizumab Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis
      Patients".
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2015/487230.].

PMID- 28913369
TI  - Changes in the Width of the Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Related to Lower Extremity
      Joint Dynamics and Neuromuscular Coordination on Drop Landing During the
      Menstrual Cycle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many injuries of the lower extremities, especially the knee and
      ankle, occur during sports activity, and the incidence rate is higher in women
      than in men. HYPOTHESIS: The hypothesis was that phases of the menstrual cycle
      affect the width of the tibiofibular syndesmosis during drop landing in healthy
      young women and that such changes at the tibiofibular joint also affect the
      dynamics and neuromuscular coordination of the lower extremities. STUDY DESIGN:
      Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: Participants included 28 healthy young
      women (mean age, 21.0 +/- 0.8 years). Blood samples were collected to determine
      plasma levels of estradiol and progesterone immediately before the performance of
      the task: drop landing on a single leg from a 30-cm platform. Using
      ultrasonography, the distance between the tibia and the distal end of the fibula,
      regarded as the width of the tibiofibular syndesmosis, was measured in an upright
      position without flexion of the ankle. The peak ground-reaction force (GRF) on
      landing was measured using a force platform. The time to peak GRF (Tp-GRF) was
      measured as the time from initial ground contact to the peak GRF. Hip, knee, and
      ankle joint angles during the single-leg landing were calculated using a 3
      dimensional motion analysis system. Muscle activities of the lower extremities
      were measured using surface electromyography. RESULTS: The width of the
      tibiofibular syndesmosis was significantly greater in the luteal phase when
      compared with the menstrual, follicular, and ovulation phases (by 5%-8% of
      control). Also, during the luteal phase, the Tp-GRF was significantly shorter
      than in the follicular phase (by 6%); hip internal rotation and knee valgus were
      significantly greater than in the menstrual phase (by 43% and 34%, respectively);
      knee flexion was significantly less than in the menstrual and follicular phases
      (by 7%-9%); ankle dorsiflection was significantly less than in the follicular
      phase (by 11%); ankle adduction and eversion were significantly greater than in
      the menstrual and follicular phases (by 26%-46%, and 27%-33%, respectively); and
      activation of the gluteus maximus before landing was significantly lower than in
      the menstrual and follicular phases (by 20%-22%). CONCLUSION: The luteal phase
      appears to be associated with decreased strength and laxity of the ankle as well
      as lower extremity muscle activity in women. The changes presumably represent a
      greater risk for sports injuries. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results of this study
      suggest that the luteal phase may be related to the greater incidence of lower
      extremity injuries in women.

PMID- 28913370
TI  - Evaluating PROMIS Physical Function Measures in Older Adults at Risk for
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Activities of daily living can be affected by cognitive decline. Self-report
      measurement of functioning is attractive due to ease of data collection, low
      cost, and accessibility via technology-assisted means, and for understanding
      patient perspective. A concern is with reliability of such measurement as
      cognitive decline occurs. We compared a widely used, self-report "legacy" measure
      of functioning, Lawton and Brody's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale
      (IADLS), with a subset of physical functioning items from the Patient-Reported
      Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). The study sample consisted of
      304 individuals of varying cognitive status: normal, mild cognitive impairment
      (MCI), or early dementia. An expert consensus method was used to select PROMIS
      functional items most relevant to neurocognitive disorder and to identify major
      functional sub-domains. Selected PROMIS functional subscales and the IADLS were
      then evaluated with respect to cognitive status. Few PROMIS functional items were
      useful in identifying MCI, while we reaffirmed the utility of the IADLS. Also,
      even mild depression levels were found to have negative effects on functioning
      according to both PROMIS and IADLS.

PMID- 28913371
TI  - Comprehensive Gerontological Development: A Positive View on Aging.
AB  - Human aging can only be understood within its social and historical contexts. It
      is largely determined by the complex interrelation of biological, cultural,
      social, political, and economic factors. Furthermore, the phenomenon of
      population aging can be considered as a social and economic burden or as an
      invaluable social asset if understood within the perspective of the enormous
      potential of our aging populations. This article is based on the tenet that aging
      can be an enriching and productive stage marked by a lifelong process of personal
      growth and development. That is, in our perspective, ageing should become a
      process oriented toward the improvement and promotion of the individual's
      physical, psychological, and social potentialities to achieve the highest quality
      of life. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept and practice of
      Comprehensive Gerontological Development that underlie current research at the
      Gerontological Research Unit of the Zaragoza Campus of the National Autonomous
      University of Mexico.

PMID- 28913372
TI  - Identifying Sociodemographic Characteristics Associated With Burden Among
      Caregivers of the Urban Homebound: The Importance of Racial and Relationship
      Differences.
AB  - Limited research has explored whether the burden associated with caring for
      homebound patients varies across racial groups or by relationship status. We
      examined these variations for this vulnerable population. Patients self
      identified informal caregivers and caregiver burden/depression were assessed
      using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies
      Depression scale (CES-D). Forty-nine informal caregivers completed the interview.
      Mean age was 58 (SD = 14), 78% were female, 37% Black, 35% Hispanic, and 46% had
      completed high school. Over 60% of caregivers had moderate or severe caregiver
      burden and 30% had significant depression. White caregivers had greater burden
      than Black and Hispanic caregivers (p = .02). Mean caregiver burden was higher
      among spouse/partner caregivers, versus those who identified as children or other
      family or friends (p = .004). Additional research is needed to better understand
      the experience of racial and ethnic minorities and spouses in providing informal
      care to homebound adults.

PMID- 28913375
TI  - Important Lessons Learned From Nearly a Half-Century of Orthopedic Practice.

PMID- 28913373
TI  - Physical Activity Protects Men but Not Women for Sarcopenia Development.
AB  - Objective: Sarcopenia is among the most deleterious effects of aging. The
      objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between performance tests
      and muscular volume over the life span of male and female participants. Method: A
      correlation study was conducted with healthy individuals (50 males and 47
      females) between the ages of 20 and 94; the study group included active older
      people, sedentary younger people, and young athletes. Muscular volume was
      determined by tomography and muscular performance (4-meter speed tests [4 MSTs],
      chair test, and handgrip test), and a correlation analysis between the groups was
      performed. Results: Sex-related differences were observed between the variables;
      in males, muscle volume and functional parameters were closely related with age
      and physical activity, whereas in females, they were not related at all.
      Conclusion: Male and female muscle volume and performance demonstrate strong
      differences, which should be considered during clinical evaluations of
      sarcopenia.

PMID- 28913374
TI  - Comparison of the Nutritional Values of Infant Formulas Available in Saudi
      Arabia.
AB  - Introduction. Optimum growth and development are best achieved by breastfeeding,
      which is the safest source for infant feeding. Mothers in Saudi Arabia start to
      breastfeed their infants but soon introduce formula brands. Objective. To assess
      the safety and nutritional adequacy of the oldest formula brands available in the
      Saudi market. Methods. An observational study has compared between 5 types of
      infant formula brands; they were chosen based on their international popularity.
      Also, they are considered as the oldest formula brands available in the Saudi
      market. The contents of all the included formulas were carefully collected from
      their containers. The collected data were compared with the global standard
      requirements for infant formulas according to the guidelines. Results. All the
      infant formula brands had their contents within the optimal range as stated by
      the ESPGHAN (European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and
      Nutrition) guidelines. Some formulas did not provide elements like fluoride and
      nucleotides. Moreover, the mandatory elements and the most dominant ingredient in
      each formula were documented. Discussion. According to the results of our study,
      all included formula brands are considered safe and nutritionally adequate. By
      assuming that the elements that were not found in some brands meant an abnormal
      value, Bebelac and Liptomil are the most suitable infant formulas available in
      the Saudi market. Conclusions. Adequate nutrition during infancy is essential in
      each health organization. The nutritional status of infants should be studied to
      achieve lifelong health and well-being. All formula brands in this study were
      found to be safe and nutritionally adequate.

PMID- 28913376
TI  - Joint Distraction in Advanced Osteoarthritis of the Ankle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ankle joint distraction (AJD) avoids the potential complications
      associated with ankle fusion or total ankle replacement (TAR) in patients with
      advanced ankle osteoarthritis (OA). AJD could a tenable option to ankle fusion or
      TAR. METHODS: A review has been performed on the role of AJD in advanced OA of
      the ankle. The exploration machine was MedLine. The keywords utilized were: joint
      distraction ankle. Three hundred and eleven articles were found. Of the above
      mentioned, only 14 were chosen and analyzed because they were rigorously focused
      on the issue and the question of this paper. RESULTS: The types of articles
      published until now have a poor level of evidence (levels III and IV). The
      overall number of patients managed until now by way of AJD is 249. The published
      mean follow-up is very variable, from 1 year to 12 years. CONCLUSION: The rate of
      good outcomes ranged between 73% and 91%. The percentage of failure (final ankle
      arthrodesis or TAR) ranged between 6.2% and 44%. A minimum of 5.8 mm of
      distraction gap must be achieved. Ankle function after AJD deteriorates over
      time. Putting together ankle movement and distraction will result in an early and
      maintained profitable influence on outcome.

PMID- 28913377
TI  - Early Versus Late Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for Proximal Humerus Fractures:
      Does It Matter?
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study compared the outcomes between patients with proximal
      humerus fractures (PHF) who underwent acute reverse total shoulder arthroplasty
      (RSA) to those who underwent an alternative initial treatment before requiring
      (secondary) RSA. METHODS: Patients who underwent RSA after suffering a PHF were
      identified. Two year clinical follow-up was required for inclusion. Patients were
      divided into an acute group (RSA <4 weeks of fracture) and a secondary group. The
      secondary RSA group was subdivided by initial treatment (non-operative,
      hemiarthroplasty, open reduction internal fixation (ORIF)). Clinical and
      radiographic outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients met inclusion
      criteria with 15 in the acute RSA group and 32 in the secondary RSA group. The
      acute RSA group demonstrated better external rotation (28 degrees ) than the
      secondary RSA group (18 degrees , P=0.0495). The acute RSA group showed a trend
      towards better Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) scores. Tuberosity
      healing rate was higher in the acute RSA group. CONCLUSION: While acute and
      secondary RSA can yield successful outcomes, acute RSA results in a higher
      tuberosity healing rate and improved external rotation.

PMID- 28913378
TI  - First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Arthrodesis: A Retrospective Comparison of
      Crossed-screws, Locking and Non-Locking Plate Fixation with Lag Screw.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Locking plate fixation is increasingly used for first
      metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP-I) arthrodesis. There are still few comparable
      clinical data regarding this procedure. In this study we aimed to compare the
      clinical and radiographical outcomes of crossed-screws, locking and non-locking
      plate fixation with lag screw for first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis.
      METHODS: A total of 60 patients who had undergone arthrodesis of the MTP-I
      between January 2008 and June 2010 were retrospectively evaluated. Locking plate
      fixation with lag screw as well as arthrodesis with crossed-screws or with a non
      locking plate with lag screw was performed on three groups of 20 patients.
      RESULTS: There were four non-unions in patients with crossed-screws and one in
      non-locked plate group. All patients in locking plate group achieved union. 90%
      of the patients were completely or mildly satisfied in locking plate group,
      whereas this rate was 80% for patients in both crossed-screws and non-locking
      plate groups. CONCLUSION: Use of dorsal plating for arthrodesis of MTP-I joint,
      either locking or non-locking, were associated with high union rate and
      acceptable and comparable functional outcome. Although the rate of nonunion was
      higher with two crossed-screws, however, the functional outcome was not
      significantly different compared to dorsal plating.

PMID- 28913379
TI  - Is Spinal Anesthesia with Low Dose Lidocaine Better than Sevoflorane Anesthesia
      in Patients Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate general anesthesia with sevoflurane vs spinal anesthesia
      with low dose lidocaine 5% on hemodynamics changes in patients undergoing hip
      fracture surgery. METHODS: In this randomized double blind trial 100 patients (50
      patients in each group) older than 60 years under hip surgery were randomized in
      general anesthesia with sevoflurane and spinal anesthesia with lidocaine 5%.
      Hemodynamic changes including mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate, blood
      loss, pain severity, nausea and vomiting and opioids consumption were compared in
      two groups. RESULTS: During surgery, difference between two groups regarding
      changes in mean arterial pressure was not significant, but the changes in heart
      rate were significantly different. Mean arterial pressure changes during recovery
      between two groups were significantly different. But there was no significant
      difference in heart rate changes. Bleeding in the sevoflurane group was
      significantly more than spinal group (513.ml vs. 365 ml). Moreover, AS Score,
      opioid consumption, and the nausea and vomiting in spinal anesthesia group was
      significantly lower than the sevoflurane group. CONCLUSION: We showed that
      general anesthesia with sevoflurane and spinal anesthesia with low dose lidocaine
      5% have comparable effects on hemodynamics changes in patients undergoing hip
      fracture surgery. However postoperative pain score, vomiting and morphine
      consumption in patients with spinal anesthesia were lower than general
      anesthesia.

PMID- 28913380
TI  - Questionable Word Choice in Scientific Writing in Orthopedic Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the strong influence of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors on
      musculoskeletal symptoms and limitations it's important that both scientific and
      lay writing use the most positive, hopeful, and adaptive words and concepts
      consistent with medical evidence. The use of words that might reinforce
      misconceptions about preference-sensitive conditions (particularly those
      associated with age) could increase symptoms and limitations and might also
      distract patients from the treatment preferences they would select when informed
      and at ease. METHODS: We reviewed 100 consecutive papers published in 2014 and
      2015 in 6 orthopedic surgery scientific journals. We counted the number and
      proportion of journal articles with questionable use of one or more of the
      following words: tear, aggressive, required, and fail. For each word, we counted
      the rate of misuse per journal and the number of specific terms misused per
      article per journal. RESULTS: Eighty percent of all orthopedic scientific
      articles reviewed had questionable use of at least one term. Tear was most
      questionably used with respect to rotator cuff pathology. The words fail and
      require were the most common questionably used terms overall. CONCLUSION: The use
      of questionable words and concepts is common in scientific writing in orthopedic
      surgery. It's worth considering whether traditional ways or referring to
      musculoskeletal illness merit rephrasing.

PMID- 28913381
TI  - Is It "Fractured" or "Broken"? A Patient Survey Study to Assess Injury
      Comprehension after Orthopaedic Trauma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients who sustain orthopaedic trauma in the form of fractures
      commonly ask treating providers whether the bone is "fractured" or "broken".
      While orthopaedic surgeons consider these terms synonymous, patients appear to
      comprehend the terms as having different meanings. Given the commonality of this
      frequently posed question, it may be important for providers to assess patients'
      level of understanding in order to provide optimal care. The purpose of this
      study is to evaluate patients' comprehension and understanding regarding the use
      of the terms fractured and broken. METHODS: A survey was administered as a
      patient-quality measure to patients, family members and/or other non-patients
      presenting to an orthopaedic outpatient clinic at an academic teaching hospital.
      RESULTS: 200 responders met inclusion criteria. Only 45% of responders understood
      the terms fractured and broken to be synonymous. Age, gender, nor ethnicity
      correlated with understanding of terminology. Responders described a "fractured"
      bone using synonyms of less severe characteristics for 55.7% of their answers and
      chose more severe characteristics 44.3% of the time, whereas responders chose
      synonyms to describe a "broken" bone with more severe characteristics as an
      answer in 62.1% of cases and chose less severe characteristics 37.9% of the time.
      The difference for each group was statistically significant (P=0.0458 and P
      <=0.00001, respectively). There was no correlation between level of education nor
      having a personal orthopaedic history of a previous fracture with understanding
      the terms fracture and broken as synonymous. Having an occupation in the medical
      field (i.e. physician or physical/occupational therapist) significantly improved
      understanding of terminology. CONCLUSION: The majority of people, regardless of
      the age, gender, race, education or history of previous fracture, may not
      understand that fractured and broken are synonymous terms. Providers need to be
      cognizant of the terminology they use when describing a patient's injury in order
      to optimize patient understanding and care.

PMID- 28913382
TI  - Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Patient Rated Wris t
      Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE) score is one of the most
      common clinical instruments used as an outcome measurement tool for distal radius
      fractures and other upper extremity conditions. The purpose of this study was to
      translate the PRWE into its Persian version and to evaluate its validity and
      reliability in patients with upper extremity conditions. METHODS: One hundred and
      fourthly one adult patients with upper extremity conditions participated in this
      ethical board approved study from August 2015 to May 2016. After translating the
      original version of the PRWE into Persian, all patients filled out the PRWE in
      addition to the VAS (Visual analogue scale) and DASH questionnaires. For
      evaluating reliability, after three days the researchers called back some of the
      patients who did not receive treatment or any changes in symptoms and asked them
      to complete the PRWE retest (104 patients). RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha was
      calculated as high as 0.934, implying very reliable internal consistency. After
      each item deletion, the Cronbach's alpha was still constant (range: 0.926 to
      0.936). Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.952 and this showed excellent
      test-retest reliability. The correlation coefficient between the PRWE and DASH
      scores was strong. Multivariable analysis showed an association between the PRWE
      and years educated. CONCLUSION: Our study has shown that the Persian version of
      the PRWE is valid and reliable for patients with upper extremity conditions.

PMID- 28913383
TI  - The Effect of Sagittal Femoral Bowing on the Femoral Component Position in Total
      Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - In the current study, we investigated that how sagittal femoral bowing can affect
      the sagittal alignment of the femoral component in total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
      There were 25 patients underwent TKA. Long leg radiography in lateral view was
      performed. The sagittal femoral bowing (SFB) and component alignment in relation
      to the sagittal mechanical axis and distal anterior cortical line (DACL) were
      measured. Finally, the correlation of component alignment and SFB was examined.
      Mean SFB was 7+/-2.7 degrees. The component was in flexion position in relation
      to mechanical axis and DACL as 8.4+/-2.9 degrees and 1.7+/-0.9 degrees,
      respectively. The flexion alignment of the component was significantly correlated
      with SFB. Mechanical alignment of the limb in both coronal and sagittal axes
      should be preserved in TKA. SFB can significantly increased the flexion alignment
      of the femoral component.

PMID- 28913384
TI  - Anatomical Repair of Stener-like Lesion of Medial Collateral Ligament: A case
      Series and Technical Note.
AB  - Medial collateral ligament tears usually will be treated through non-surgical
      methods, but, in some cases such as those with tears at the distal insertion
      where the reduction could be blocked by the pes anserine tendons (Stener-like
      lesion), surgery will be performed. Here, we present a surgical technique in such
      cases. In this retrospective case series, we describe six patients diagnosed with
      Stener-like lesion based on clinical evaluation and imaging results. In the one
      year follow-up visit, there was no complaining of pain or joint instability and
      full range of motion and negative valgus stress test were reported in all cases.
      The results showed this surgical technique is a useful and safe treatment
      approach in such cases.

PMID- 28913385
TI  - Closed Internal Degloving of the Flank.
AB  - Originally described in 1853 by Dr. Morel-Lavellee, closed internal degloving
      injuries represent an important, although uncommon, source of morbidity in trauma
      patients. These injuries are typically the result of a shearing or crushing force
      that traumatically separates the skin and subcutaneous tissue from the underlying
      fat. This results in disruption of perforating blood vessels and lymphatics,
      leading to hematoma/seroma formation. We describe two cases in which industrial
      crush injuries resulted in lumbar transverse process fracture. Both patients
      developed closed degloving injuries of the flank. To the author's knowledge, this
      is the first case series describing the occurrence of closed internal degloving
      injuries of the flank with transverse process fractures. We advise that a high
      level of suspicion for these lesions to occur with transverse spinal fractures
      should be maintained, as they may arise several years after initial injury.

PMID- 28913386
TI  - Persistent Medial Subluxation of the Ulna with Radiotrochlear Articulation.
AB  - Two patients-one with a terrible triad fracture dislocation and one with an
      anterior olecranon fracture dislocation-were treated for maltracking of the elbow
      (medial subluxation). The radial head articulated with the lateral trochlea while
      the ulnar trochlear notch was perched over the medial trochlea. The late revision
      surgery could not correct the subluxation because the joints were accustomed to
      the new alignment, however the overall function was reasonable.

PMID- 28913387
TI  - Personality traits and theory of mind: Performance data of a Spanish sample of
      university students.
AB  - This article allows consulting the performance data of 96 Spanish university
      students in two personality questionnaires and two theory of mind (ToM) tasks.
      Personality dimensions were evaluated through the OPERAS questionnaire (Vigil
      Colet et al., 2013) [1], which evaluates global personality through 5 scales:
      extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness to
      experience, and the ESQUIZO-Q questionnaire (Fonseca-Pedrero et al., 2010) [2],
      which assesses schizotypy by means of 10 subscales: ideas of reference, magical
      thinking, unusual perceptual experiences, odd thinking and language, paranoid
      ideation, physical anhedonia, social anhedonia, odd behavior, lack of close
      friends, and excessive social anxiety. The ability to attribute/infer mental
      states, i.e. ToM, was measured through two computerized tasks: the revised
      Reading the Mind in the Eyes (Baron-Cohen et al., 1997, 2001) [3], [4], and the
      Director's task (Keysar et al., 2000, 2003; Dumontheil et al., 2010) [5-7].

PMID- 28913388
TI  - Dataset representing the effect of indirect band gap region of Cd-free AlGaAs
      buffer layer in Cu(In,Ga)Se photovoltaic cell.
AB  - The dataset of physical properties for the proposed CIGS solar cell with Cd-free
      AlGaAs buffer layer has been depicted in this data article. The cell performance
      outcome due to different AlGaAs buffer layer band gap is reported along with
      optimum solar cell performance parameters for instance, open circuit voltage
      [Formula: see text], short circuit current density ([Formula: see text], fill
      factor [Formula: see text], efficiency [Formula: see text], as well as collection
      efficiency [Formula: see text].

PMID- 28913389
TI  - Data set for extraction and transesterification of bio-oil from Stoechospermum
      marginatum, a brown marine algae.
AB  - The article presents the experimental data on the extraction and
      transesterification of bio-oil derived from Stoechospermum marginatum, a brown
      macro marine algae. The samples were collected from Mandapam region, Gulf of
      Mannar, Tamil Nadu, India. The bio-oil was extracted using Soxhlet technique with
      a lipid extraction efficiency of 24.4%. Single stage transesterification was
      adopted due to lower free fatty acid content. The yield of biodiesel was
      optimized by varying the process parameters. The obtained data showed the optimum
      process parameters as reaction time 90 min, reaction temperature 65  degrees C,
      catalyst concentration 0.50 g and 8:1 M ratio. Furthermore, the data pertaining
      to the physio-chemical properties of the derived algal biodiesel were also
      presented.

PMID- 28913390
TI  - Dataset on continuous passages of Trypanosoma brucei in different laboratory
      animals.
AB  - Scientist in developing countries maintain trypanosomes in laboratory animals for
      in vivo experiments. We generated data on the adaptation of Trypanosoma brucei
      (NITR201 strain) in balb/c mice (forty-five, 18-23 g), wistar rats (fifteen, 180
      220 g) and New Zealand white and chinchilla rabbits (fifteen, 2.8-3.0 kg) in a
      controlled experimental system. The weight, haematological parameters, course of
      parasitaemia, temperature, mean survival time and survival proportions of
      laboratory animals in groups A-E were collected and analysed for differences in
      response to the same challenge of quantity, strain and species of T. brucei.
      Trypanosome pleomorphism of long, intermediate to short-stumpy forms were among
      the dataset counts for parasitaemia. Statistical data after analysis were
      summarised in the supplementary file to show the differences and corresponding
      reaction of multiple passages.

PMID- 28913391
TI  - Data on optical coherence tomography guidance for the management of
      angiographically intermediate left main bifurcation lesions.
AB  - The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled
      "Optical coherence tomography guidance for the management of angiographically
      intermediate left main bifurcation lesions: early clinical experience" [1]. In
      this article we reports details about our clinical experience with frequency
      domain-optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) guidance for the management of
      patients with left main (LM) bifurcation lesions of intermediate angiographic
      severity. LM patients were assessed by FD-OCT and, on the bases of the findings,
      managed by myocardial revascularization or conservative treatment
      (revascularization deferral). The observed outcomes support the feasibility of FD
      OCT guidance for LM bifurcated lesions and call for further clinical evaluations
      in appropriately designed prospective studies.

PMID- 28913392
TI  - Data on scaling up and in vivo human study of progesterone lipid nanoparticles.
AB  - Progesterone containing nanoparticles constituted of tristearin or tristearin in
      association with caprylic-capric triglyceride were produced in a lab scale by
      ultrasound homogenization and in a pilot scale by high pressure homogenization. A
      study was conducted to select the pressure to be used in order to obtain
      homogenously sized nanoparticles. The Dialysis method was performed to mimic
      subcutaneous administration of lipid nanoparticles. Mathematical analyses of the
      results were conducted to understand and compare the drug release mechanisms. A
      human in vivo study, based on tape stripping, was conducted to investigate the
      performance of nanoparticles as progesterone skin delivery systems. Tape stripped
      stratum corneum was analyzed by light microscopy.

PMID- 28913393
TI  - Data for automated, high-throughput microscopy analysis of intracellular
      bacterial colonies using spot detection.
AB  - Quantification of intracellular bacterial colonies is useful in strategies
      directed against bacterial attachment, subsequent cellular invasion and
      intracellular proliferation. An automated, high-throughput microscopy-method was
      established to quantify the number and size of intracellular bacterial colonies
      in infected host cells (Detection and quantification of intracellular bacterial
      colonies by automated, high-throughput microscopy, Ernstsen et al., 2017 [1]).
      The infected cells were imaged with a 10* objective and number of intracellular
      bacterial colonies, their size distribution and the number of cell nuclei were
      automatically quantified using a spot detection-tool. The spot detection-output
      was exported to Excel, where data analysis was performed. In this article,
      micrographs and spot detection data are made available to facilitate
      implementation of the method.

PMID- 28913394
TI  - The genesis of an idea: the International Committee of the American Association
      of Hip and Knee Surgeons.

PMID- 28913395
TI  - Simultaneous bilateral total hip arthroplasty in Morquio syndrome.
AB  - A 16-year-old girl who had Morquio syndrome presented with severe bilateral hip
      pain and limited mobility because of bilateral hip osteoarthritis and fixed
      flexion deformities. She was wheelchair bound for the previous 6 months. Cervical
      spine flexion-extension views showed mild subluxation (<3 mm), and there was
      thoracolumbar spine kyphosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical and
      thoracolumbar spine showed hypoplasia of the odontoid and vertebral bodies, but
      no spinal cord compression. Bilateral cemented total hip arthroplasty was
      performed through a posterior approach under general anesthesia with fiberoptic
      intubation. The femoral canals accepted a small-diameter stem, the right femoral
      head was used as a graft for superior right acetabular deficiency, and low
      profile all-polyethylene acetabular cups were implanted. Follow-up at 15 years
      after surgery showed that the patient was fully ambulatory without pain or
      supports, and radiographs showed no loosening. In summary, total hip arthroplasty
      at a young age may be necessary in patients who have Morquio syndrome because of
      severe arthritis and soft tissue contractures. Extensive preoperative evaluation
      that includes imaging of the entire spine is mandatory because of the risk of
      developing spinal cord compression.

PMID- 28913396
TI  - Severe heterotopic ossification and stiffness after revision knee surgery for a
      periprosthetic fracture.
AB  - Although heterotopic ossification (HO) after total hip arthroplasty has been very
      well described as a cause of disability, much less was written on clinical
      dysfunction of HO after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). To the extent of our
      knowledge, there has been no published case of complete bony ankylosis, secondary
      to severe generalized HO, after a TKA. We present the case of a 67-year-old
      female treated successfully, with surgical excision of ossification and TKA
      revision surgery, using a rotating hinge system.

PMID- 28913397
TI  - Cardiac transplant due to metal toxicity associated with hip arthroplasty.
AB  - Concerns regarding metal-on-metal (MoM) bearing couples in total hip arthroplasty
      are well documented in the literature with cobalt (Co) and chromium (Cr) toxicity
      causing a range of both local and systemic adverse reactions. We describe the
      case of a patient undergoing cardiac transplantation as a direct result of Co and
      Cr toxicity following a MoM hip replacement. Poor implant positioning led to
      catastrophic wear generating abundant wear particles leading to Co and Cr
      toxicity, metallosis, bony destruction, elevated metal ion levels, and adverse
      biological responses. Systemic symptoms continued for 3 years following cardiac
      transplantation with resolution only after revision hip arthroplasty. There was
      no realization in the initial cardiac assessment and subsequent transplant workup
      that the hip replacement was the likely cause of the cardiac failure, and the hip
      replacement was not recognized as the cause until years after the heart
      transplant. This case highlights the need for clinicians to be aware of systemic
      MoM complications as well as the importance of positioning when using these
      prostheses.

PMID- 28913398
TI  - Total femur arthroplasty for revision hip failure in osteogenesis imperfecta:
      limits of biology.
AB  - Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare congenital disease characterized by
      alterations in bone quality, with susceptibility to fractures, instability,
      deformities, and osteoarthrosis. Prosthetic surgery in these patients is
      associated with an abnormally high rate of implant failures. On the other hand,
      abnormal bone fragility adds to the complexity of revision surgery in such
      individuals-thus representing a genuine challenge for the orthopaedic surgeon. We
      present a case of femoral reconstruction in a patient with OI and prosthetic
      loosening after reconstruction secondary to femoral septic pseudoarthrosis.
      Intramedullary total femoral reconstruction was carried out after exceeding the
      biological reconstruction limits. This is the first reported instance of the use
      of an intramedullary total femur arthroplasty as salvage technique in an OI
      patient. This technique should be considered when we have exceeded biological
      limits for femoral fixation.

PMID- 28913399
TI  - Reactive scoliosis: a challenging phenomenon in adolescent patients with hip
      arthritis.
AB  - Functional limb length discrepancy (LLD) in adolescents can result from soft
      tissue contracture following long-standing hip disease. We present a case of a 13
      year-old girl with difficulty in ambulation due to right hip pain and LLD.
      Radiographs revealed severe arthritis of right hip with signs of avascular
      necrosis of the femoral head. The patient had developed reactive scoliosis of
      lumbar spine along with pelvic obliquity. After failing conservative management,
      total hip arthroplasty (THA) without attempting to equalize LLD was performed. At
      6-month follow-up, patient was pain free with full range of motion and her
      functional LLD was completely resolved. In such adolescent patients, reactive
      scoliosis of spine is reversible, and with no evidence of true LLD, THA without
      correcting LLD should be the right choice.

PMID- 28913400
TI  - Novel cemented cup-holding technique while performing total hip arthroplasty with
      navigation system.
AB  - Recently, navigation systems have been more widely utilized in total hip
      arthroplasty. However, almost all of these systems have been developed for
      cementless cups. In the case of cemented total hip arthroplasty using a
      navigation system, a special-ordered cemented holder is needed. We propose a
      novel cemented cup-holding technique for navigation systems using readily
      available articles. We combine a cementless cup holder with an inverted
      cementless trial cup. The resulting apparatus is used as a cemented cup holder.
      The upside-down cup-holding technique is useful and permits cemented cup users to
      utilize a navigation system for placement of the acetabular component.

PMID- 28913401
TI  - Use of iPhone technology in improving acetabular component position in total hip
      arthroplasty.
AB  - Improper acetabular cup positioning is associated with high risk of complications
      after total hip arthroplasty. The aim of our study is to objectively compare 3
      methods, namely (1) free hand, (2) alignment jig (Sputnik), and (3) iPhone
      application to identify an easy, reproducible, and accurate method in improving
      acetabular cup placement. We designed a simple setup and carried out a simple
      experiment (see Method section). Using statistical analysis, the difference in
      inclination angles using iPhone application compared with the freehand method was
      found to be statistically significant (F[2,51] = 4.17, P = .02) in the "untrained
      group". There is no statistical significance detected for the other groups. This
      suggests a potential role for iPhone applications in junior surgeons in
      overcoming the steep learning curve.

PMID- 28913402
TI  - Midterm analysis of the seleXys cup with ceramic inlay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) articulations in total hip replacement (THR)
      has been accepted as giving reliable mid-term results; however recent studies
      have reported higher revision rates of some implants. This study analyses the
      nationwide results of the seleXys TPS cup and the Bionit2 liner (Mathys,
      Bettlach, Switzerland) with respect to implant survival, cause for revision and
      mortality rates compared to other CoC articulations using the same stem. METHODS:
      Utilising the New Zealand Joint Registry, we compared the seleXys TPS cup with
      Bionit2 liner used with an uncemented Twinsys femoral stem to every other
      uncemented CoC THR using the same stem. Multivariate analysis was used to
      determine the effects of patient age, gender, ASA score and implant head size on
      these rates. RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2013 a total of 1035 seleXys THRs were
      performed on 862 patients. The comparison group had 375 THRs on 280 patients.
      There were 77 revisions (1.4/100 component years) in the study group and two in
      the comparison group (0.12/100 component years). Overall hazards ratio for
      revision was 12.22 times higher and female gender was associated with an
      increased risk (hazards ratio 1.77). Causes for revision were disturbing noises
      (23.4%), acetabular loosening (20.8%), and fracture of the liner (18.2%).
      Mortality rates were not significantly different (P = .567). CONCLUSIONS: The
      seleXys TPS cup with the Bionit2 ceramic inlay coupling has an unacceptably high
      failure rate. We recommend avoiding this implant coupling and would advise that
      patients treated with this implant need close clinical and radiological follow
      up.

PMID- 28913403
TI  - Relative impact of hospital and surgeon procedure volumes on primary total hip
      arthroplasty revision: a nationwide cohort study in France.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both surgeon and hospital procedure volumes have been found to be
      associated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) outcomes. However, little research
      has been conducted on the relative influence. We studied the association between
      THA survivorship and both hospital and surgeon procedure volumes, considering
      their relative impact. METHODS: A population-based cohort included all patients
      aged >=40 years having received a unilateral primary THA from 2010 to 2011, from
      the French National Health Insurance Database. Patients were followed up until
      the end of 2014. The outcome was THA revision. Exposures of interest were
      procedure volumes, divided into tertiles: <1.5, 1.5-4, >4 and <7, 7-15, >15
      procedures per month defined as low, medium, and high volumes for surgeon and
      hospital, respectively. RESULTS: The cohort had 62,906 patients, with mean age 69
      years and women 57%. Mean surgeon and hospital volumes were 8 and 23 procedures
      per month, respectively, and 5%, 72%, 22% and 7%, 28%, 65% of THAs were implanted
      by a low-, medium-, and high-volume surgeon or in a low-, medium-, and high
      volume hospital, respectively. Median follow-up was 45 months (range, 0-57
      months). In multivariate analysis, adjusted for both surgeon and hospital
      volumes, for patient and THA characteristics, a lower surgeon volume was
      associated with poorer THA survivorship (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.19; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.34 and aHR = 1.70; 95% CI, 1.40-2.05, for medium
      and low-volume surgeon, respectively, compared with that of high volume),
      whereas hospital volume was not. CONCLUSIONS: This study brings evidence to
      support the notion that THAs performed by high-volume surgeons in French private
      hospitals have higher survivorship in the first 4 years.

PMID- 28913404
TI  - ESR and CRP are useful between stages of 2-stage revision for periprosthetic
      joint infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein
      (CRP) are important tests in the initial diagnosis of periprosthetic joint
      infection. Many surgeons also use these tests to determine if infection has
      resolved between stages of a 2-stage procedure, but little data exist regarding
      this practice. METHODS: A retrospective review of our institutional total joint
      databases was conducted to determine sensitivity, specificity, and predictive
      values of elevated ESR and/or CRP to diagnose persistent infection between
      stages. RESULTS: Among 16 knees and 5 hips, sensitivity was 50% for CRP, 75% for
      ESR, and 100% when combined. The negative predictive value of persistent
      infection was 100% when neither test was elevated. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this
      study support the use of CRP and ESR as indicators of the resolution of
      periprosthetic joint infection between stages of 2-stage revision.

PMID- 28913405
TI  - Post-acute care disparities in total joint arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the socioeconomic factors that influence
      hospitalization and post-discharge metrics after joint replacement is important
      for identifying key areas of improvement in the delivery of orthopaedic care.
      METHODS: An institutional administrative data set of 2869 patients from an
      academic arthroplasty referral center was analyzed to quantify the relationship
      between socioeconomic factors and post-acute rehabilitation care received, length
      of stay, and cost of care. The study used International Classification of
      Disease, ninth edition coding in order to identify cohorts of patients who
      received joint arthroplasty of the knee and hip between January 2007 and May
      2015. RESULTS: The study found that females (odds ratio [OR], 2.07; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.74-2.46), minorities (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.78-2.51),
      and non-private insurance holders (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.26-1.94) were more likely
      to be assigned to institutional care after discharge. The study also found that
      minorities (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.24-1.70) and non-private insurance holders (OR,
      1.43; 95% CI, 1.16-1.77) are more likely to exhibit longer length of stay. Mean
      charges were higher for males when compared to females ($80,010 vs $74,855; P <
      .001), as well as total costs ($19,910 vs $18,613; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Socioeconomic factors such as gender, race, and insurance status should be
      further explored with respect to healthcare policies seeking to influence quality
      of care and health outcomes.

PMID- 28913406
TI  - Long-term results of a porous tantalum monoblock tibia component: clinical and
      radiographic results at follow-up of 10 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term follow-up of
      cementless total knee arthroplasty with the trabecular metal (TM) monoblock
      tibial component at an average 10-year follow-up. This report is an extension of
      our previously reported series of 108 TM tibias reported in 2011 (Unger and
      Duggan, 2011). METHODS: Fifty-eight of the original 108 knees were available for
      review. Each follow-up patient was evaluated by radiologic and clinical Knee
      Society Scores. The average follow-up was 10.2 years. RESULTS: Our results
      indicate excellent long-term survivorship (96.5%) with 2 confirmed tibia
      revisions, and 1 femoral revision for periprosthetic fracture and 1 patella open
      reduction internal fixation. X-ray evaluation demonstrated one patient with 1 mm
      medial polyethylene wear and a nonprogressive 1 mm of radiolucency on the medial
      side. All the other tibial components showed full bone apposition and
      incorporation. Knee Society Scores were excellent in all the patients seen on
      follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term follow-up of TM monoblock tibia components
      confirm excellent survivorship and biologic implant fixation, with excellent
      outcomes and knee scores.

PMID- 28913407
TI  - Early intraprosthetic dislocation in dual-mobility implants: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dual mobility implants are subject to a specific implant-related
      complication, intraprosthetic dislocation (IPD), in which the polyethylene liner
      dissociates from the femoral head. For older generation designs, IPD was
      attributable to late polyethylene wear and subsequent failure of the head capture
      mechanism. However, early IPDs have been reportedly affecting contemporary
      designs. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature according to the
      preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines was
      performed. A comprehensive search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar
      was conducted for English articles between January 1974 and August 2016 using
      various combinations of the keywords "intraprosthetic dislocation," "dual
      mobility," "dual-mobility," "tripolar," "double mobility," "double-mobility,"
      "hip," "cup," "socket," and "dislocation." RESULTS: In all, 16 articles met our
      inclusion criteria. Fourteen were case reports and 2 were retrospective case
      series. These included a total of 19 total hip arthroplasties, which were divided
      into 2 groups: studies dealing with early IPD after attempted closed reduction
      and those dealing with early IPD with no history of previous attempted closed
      reduction. Early IPD was reported in 15 patients after a mean follow-up of 3.2
      months (2.9 SD) in the first group and in 4 patients after a mean follow-up of
      15.1 months (9.9 SD) in the second group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the current data,
      most cases have been preceded by an attempted closed reduction in the setting of
      outer, large articulation dislocation, perhaps indicating an iatrogenic etiology
      for early IPD. Recognition of this possible failure mode is essential to its
      prevention and treatment.

PMID- 28913409
TI  - Nonepidemic Kaposi sarcoma: A recently proposed category.

PMID- 28913408
TI  - Hepatocyte-Specific Deletion of Mouse Lamin A/C Leads to Male-Selective
      Steatohepatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Lamins are nuclear intermediate filament proteins that
      comprise the major components of the nuclear lamina. Mutations in LMNA, which
      encodes lamins A/C, cause laminopathies, including lipodystrophy, cardiomyopathy,
      and premature aging syndromes. However, the role of lamins in the liver is
      unknown, and it is unclear whether laminopathy-associated liver disease is caused
      by primary hepatocyte defects or systemic alterations. METHODS: To address these
      questions, we generated mice carrying a hepatocyte-specific deletion of Lmna
      (knockout [KO] mice) and characterized the KO liver and primary hepatocyte
      phenotypes by immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, microarray analysis,
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Oil Red O and Picrosirius
      red staining. RESULTS: KO hepatocytes manifested abnormal nuclear morphology, and
      KO mice showed reduced body mass. KO mice developed spontaneous male-selective
      hepatosteatosis with increased susceptibility to high-fat diet-induced
      steatohepatitis and fibrosis. The hepatosteatosis was associated with up
      regulated transcription of genes encoding lipid transporters, lipid biosynthetic
      enzymes, lipid droplet-associated proteins, and interferon-regulated genes.
      Hepatic Lmna deficiency led to enhanced signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 1 (Stat1) expression and blocked growth hormone-mediated Janus
      kinase 2 (Jak2), signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (Stat5), and
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Lamin A/C
      acts cell-autonomously to maintain hepatocyte homeostasis and nuclear shape and
      buffers against male-selective steatohepatitis by positively regulating growth
      hormone signaling and negatively regulating Stat1 expression. Lamins are
      potential genetic modifiers for predisposition to steatohepatitis and liver
      fibrosis. The microarray data can be found in the Gene Expression Omnibus
      repository (accession number: GSE93643).

PMID- 28913410
TI  - Contrast microsphere enhancement of the tricuspid regurgitant spectral Doppler
      signal - Is it still necessary with contemporary scanners?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate evaluation of the tricuspid regurgitant (TR) spectral
      Doppler signal is important during transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE)
      evaluation for pulmonary hypertension (PHT). Contrast enhancement improves
      Doppler backscatter. However, its incremental benefit with contemporary scanners
      is less well established. The aim of this study was to assess whether the TR
      spectral Doppler signal using contemporary scanners was improved using a second
      generation contrast agent, Definity(r) (CE), compared to unenhanced TTE (UE).
      METHODS: Analysis of patients who underwent UE then CE TR interrogation was
      performed. TR signal was evaluated by an experienced reader and graded 1 (clear
      high level of confidence of interpretation and complete spectral Doppler
      envelope), 2 (suboptimal with medium-low level of confidence of interpretation
      and incomplete envelope), 3 (poor-absent and no measurable spectral Doppler
      signal). Maximal TR velocity (TRV) was defined as peak velocity that could be
      clearly identified. An inexperienced sonographer read 30 randomly selected
      studies. RESULTS: 176 TTE were performed in 173 patients (mean age 57 +/- 14.8
      years). Wilcoxon signed rank test demonstrated significant improvement (p <
      0.0001) in TR spectral Doppler signal quality with CE TTE. Mean score CE TTE vs.
      TTE = 2.32 +/- 0.85 vs. 2.56 +/- 0.75 respectively (p < 0.0001). Mean maximal TRV
      CE TTE vs. UE TTE = 2.61 +/- 0.44 m/s vs. 2.54 +/- 0.49 m/s respectively (p <
      0.0001). The inexperienced reader had a greater improvement in scoring CE TTE
      signals vs. UE TTE (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In the era of contemporary scanners,
      CE improved the ability to detect and measure TRV, except in those with clear
      unenhanced TR spectral Doppler signals or greater than mild tricuspid
      regurgitation.

PMID- 28913411
TI  - Difference of Success Rates of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate Pulpotomies Performed
      Both by Undergraduate Dental Students and by an Expert Operator: A Retrospective
      Study.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical and
      radiographic success of pulpotomy on primary molars performed by dental students
      compared to that performed by an expert operator. METHODS: The study was
      conducted on 142 second primary molars in 102 children. The patients were
      randomly selected from the available records. The test group (treated by dental
      students) included 51 subjects (28 males and 23 females, mean age: 7.2 +/- 1) and
      the control group included 51 children (29 males and 22 females, mean age: 7.4 +/
      1.2 years). After pulpotomy, a clinical and radiographic evaluation after 12
      months was performed. Chi-square test and odds ratio were calculated and
      significance level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The success rate was
      significantly lower, 81.6% (p < 0.05), in the test group than in the control
      group (93%). The test group showed less clinical and radiographic success (86%
      and 80%, resp.) compared to the control group (97.2% for clinical success and 93%
      for radiographic success). CONCLUSIONS: Pulpotomy with MTA is an effective method
      that ensures a good percentage of success. The clinical experience of the
      operator is a contributing factor.

PMID- 28913412
TI  - Addition of Wollastonite Fibers to Calcium Phosphate Cement Increases Cell
      Viability and Stimulates Differentiation of Osteoblast-Like Cells.
AB  - Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) that is based on alpha-tricalcium phosphate (alpha
      TCP) is considered desirable for bone tissue engineering because of its
      relatively rapid degradation properties. However, such cement is relatively weak,
      restricting its use to areas of low mechanical stress. Wollastonite fibers (WF)
      have been used to improve the mechanical strength of biomaterials. However, the
      biological properties of WF remain poorly understood. Here, we tested the
      response of osteoblast-like cells to being cultured on CPC reinforced with 5% of
      WF (CPC-WF). We found that both types of cement studied achieved an ion balance
      for calcium and phosphate after 3 days of immersion in culture medium and this
      allowed subsequent long-term cell culture. CPC-WF increased cell viability and
      stimulated cell differentiation, compared to nonreinforced CPC. We hypothesize
      that late silicon release by CPC-WF induces increased cell proliferation and
      differentiation. Based on our findings, we propose that CPC-WF is a promising
      material for bone tissue engineering applications.

PMID- 28913413
TI  - Open versus Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises following an Anterior Cruciate
      Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no consensus on whether closed kinetic chain (CKC) or open
      kinetic chain (OKC) exercises should be the intervention of choice following an
      anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury or reconstruction. METHODS: A systematic
      search identified randomized controlled trials of OKC versus CKC exercise
      training in people who had undergone ACL reconstructive surgery. All published
      studies in this systematic review were comparisons between OKC and CKC groups.
      RESULTS: Seven studies were included. Lysholm knee scoring scale was not
      significantly different between OKC and CKC exercise patients: MD: -1.03%; CI: 
      13.02, 10.95; p value = 0.87 (Chi2  =  0.18, df = 1, and p value  =  0.67).
      Hughston clinic questionnaire scores were not significantly different between OKC
      and CKC exercise patients: MD: -1.29% (-12.02, 9.43); p value = 0.81 (Chi2  = 
      0.01, df = 1, and p value = 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: While OKC and CKC may be
      beneficial during ACL surgical rehabilitation, there is insufficient evidence to
      suggest that either one is superior to the other.

PMID- 28913414
TI  - Diversity of Aerobic Bacteria Isolated from Oral and Cloacal Cavities from Free
      Living Snakes Species in Costa Rica Rainforest.
AB  - Costa Rica has a significant number of snakebites per year and bacterial
      infections are often complications in these animal bites. Hereby, this study aims
      to identify, characterize, and report the diversity of the bacterial community in
      the oral and cloacal cavities of venomous and nonvenomous snakes found in
      wildlife in Costa Rica. The snakes where captured by casual encounter search
      between August and November of 2014 in the Quebrada Gonzalez sector, in Braulio
      Carrillo National Park. A total of 120 swabs, oral and cloacal, were taken from
      16 individuals of the Viperidae and Colubridae families. Samples were cultured on
      four different media at room temperature. Once isolated in pure culture, colonies
      were identified with the VITEK(r) 2C platform (bioMerieux). In order to test the
      identification provided on environmental isolates, molecular analyses were
      conducted on 27 isolates of different bacterial species. Specific 16S rDNA PCR
      mediated amplification for bacterial taxonomy was performed, then sequenced, and
      compared with sequences of Ribosomal Database Project (RDP). From 90 bacterial
      isolates, 40 different bacterial species were identified from both oral and
      cloacal swabs. These results indicate the diversity of opportunistic pathogens
      present and their potential to generate infections and zoonosis in humans.

PMID- 28913415
TI  - Forensic Pathology Education in Pathology Residency: A Survey of Current
      Practices, a Novel Curriculum, and Recommendations for the Future.
AB  - Forensic pathology is a fundamental part of anatomic pathology training during
      pathology residency. However, the lack of information on forensic teaching
      suggests the highly variable nature of forensic education. A survey of pathology
      residency program directors was performed to determine key aspects of their
      respective forensic rotations and curriculum. A total of 38.3% of programs from
      across the country responded, and the survey results show 5.6% don't require a
      forensic pathology rotation. In those that do, most forensic pathology rotations
      are 4 weeks long, are done at a medical examiner's office, and require set
      prerequisites. A total of 21.1% of responding programs have residents who are not
      receiving documented evaluations for this rotation. While 39.6% of programs have
      a defined forensics curriculum, as many as 15% do not. Furthermore, nearly 43% of
      programs place no limit on counting forensic autopsies when applying for
      pathology board examinations. Our survey confirmed the inconsistent nature of
      forensic pathology training in resident education. Additionally, our curriculum
      was reorganized to create a more robust educational experience. A pre- and post
      forensic lecture quiz and Resident In-Service Examination scores were analyzed to
      determine our curriculum's impact and effectiveness. Analysis of our pre- and
      post-lecture quiz showed an improved overall average as well as an increase in
      Resident In-Service Examination scores, indicating improved general forensic
      pathology knowledge. Using this knowledge, along with changes in our curriculum,
      we generated a number of recommendations for improving forensic pathology
      education in pathology residency.

PMID- 28913416
TI  - Using Focused Laboratory Management and Quality Improvement Projects to Enhance
      Resident Training and Foster Scholarship.
AB  - Training in patient safety, quality, and management is widely recognized as an
      important element of graduate medical education. These concepts have been
      intertwined in pathology graduate medical education for many years, although
      training programs face challenges in creating explicit learning opportunities in
      these fields. Tangibly involving pathology residents in management and quality
      improvement projects has the potential to teach and reinforce key concepts and
      further fulfill Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education goals for
      pursuing projects related to patient safety and quality improvement. In this
      report, we present our experience at a pathology residency program (University of
      Iowa) in engaging pathology residents in projects related to practical issues of
      laboratory management, process improvement, and informatics. In this program, at
      least 1 management/quality improvement project, typically performed during a
      clinical chemistry/management rotation, was required and ideally resulted in a
      journal publication. The residency program also initiated a monthly
      management/informatics series for pathology externs, residents, and fellows that
      covers a wide range of topics. Since 2010, all pathology residents at the
      University of Iowa have completed at least 1 management/quality improvement
      project. Many of the projects involved aspects of laboratory test utilization,
      with some projects focused on other areas such as human resources, informatics,
      or process improvement. Since 2012, 31 peer-reviewed journal articles involving
      effort from 26 residents have been published. Multiple projects resulted in
      changes in ongoing practice, particularly within the hospital electronic health
      record. Focused management/quality improvement projects involving pathology
      residents can result in both meaningful quality improvement and scholarly output.

PMID- 28913417
TI  - Parasite biodiversity faces extinction and redistribution in a changing climate.
AB  - Climate change is a well-documented driver of both wildlife extinction and
      disease emergence, but the negative impacts of climate change on parasite
      diversity are undocumented. We compiled the most comprehensive spatially explicit
      data set available for parasites, projected range shifts in a changing climate,
      and estimated extinction rates for eight major parasite clades. On the basis of
      53,133 occurrences capturing the geographic ranges of 457 parasite species,
      conservative model projections suggest that 5 to 10% of these species are
      committed to extinction by 2070 from climate-driven habitat loss alone. We find
      no evidence that parasites with zoonotic potential have a significantly higher
      potential to gain range in a changing climate, but we do find that ectoparasites
      (especially ticks) fare disproportionately worse than endoparasites. Accounting
      for host-driven coextinctions, models predict that up to 30% of parasitic worms
      are committed to extinction, driven by a combination of direct and indirect
      pressures. Despite high local extinction rates, parasite richness could still
      increase by an order of magnitude in some places, because species successfully
      tracking climate change invade temperate ecosystems and replace native species
      with unpredictable ecological consequences.

PMID- 28913418
TI  - Unveiling the role and life strategies of viruses from the surface to the dark
      ocean.
AB  - Viruses are a key component of marine ecosystems, but the assessment of their
      global role in regulating microbial communities and the flux of carbon is
      precluded by a paucity of data, particularly in the deep ocean. We assessed
      patterns in viral abundance and production and the role of viral lysis as a
      driver of prokaryote mortality, from surface to bathypelagic layers, across the
      tropical and subtropical oceans. Viral abundance showed significant differences
      between oceans in the epipelagic and mesopelagic, but not in the bathypelagic,
      and decreased with depth, with an average power-law scaling exponent of -1.03 km
      1 from an average of 7.76 * 106 viruses ml-1 in the epipelagic to 0.62 * 106
      viruses ml-1 in the bathypelagic layer with an average integrated (0 to 4000 m)
      viral stock of about 0.004 to 0.044 g C m-2, half of which is found below 775 m.
      Lysogenic viral production was higher than lytic viral production in surface
      waters, whereas the opposite was found in the bathypelagic, where prokaryotic
      mortality due to viruses was estimated to be 60 times higher than grazing. Free
      viruses had turnover times of 0.1 days in the bathypelagic, revealing that
      viruses in the bathypelagic are highly dynamic. On the basis of the rates of
      lysed prokaryotic cells, we estimated that viruses release 145 Gt C year-1 in the
      global tropical and subtropical oceans. The active viral processes reported here
      demonstrate the importance of viruses in the production of dissolved organic
      carbon in the dark ocean, a major pathway in carbon cycling.

PMID- 28913419
TI  - Quantum coherence as a witness of vibronically hot energy transfer in bacterial
      reaction center.
AB  - Photosynthetic proteins have evolved over billions of years so as to undergo
      optimal energy transfer to the sites of charge separation. On the basis of
      spectroscopically detected quantum coherences, it has been suggested that this
      energy transfer is partially wavelike. This conclusion depends critically on the
      assignment of the coherences to the evolution of excitonic superpositions. We
      demonstrate that, for a bacterial reaction center protein, long-lived coherent
      spectroscopic oscillations, which bear canonical signatures of excitonic
      superpositions, are essentially vibrational excited-state coherences shifted to
      the ground state of the chromophores. We show that the appearance of these
      coherences arises from a release of electronic energy during energy transfer. Our
      results establish how energy migrates on vibrationally hot chromophores in the
      reaction center, and they call for a reexamination of claims of quantum energy
      transfer in photosynthesis.

PMID- 28913420
TI  - Ghost reefs: Nautical charts document large spatial scale of coral reef loss over
      240 years.
AB  - Massive declines in population abundances of marine animals have been documented
      over century-long time scales. However, analogous loss of spatial extent of
      habitat-forming organisms is less well known because georeferenced data are rare
      over long time scales, particularly in subtidal, tropical marine regions. We use
      high-resolution historical nautical charts to quantify changes to benthic
      structure over 240 years in the Florida Keys, finding an overall loss of 52% (SE,
      6.4%) of the area of the seafloor occupied by corals. We find a strong spatial
      dimension to this decline; the spatial extent of coral in Florida Bay and
      nearshore declined by 87.5% (SE, 7.2%) and 68.8% (SE, 7.5%), respectively,
      whereas that of offshore areas of coral remained largely intact. These estimates
      add to finer-scale loss in live coral cover exceeding 90% in some locations in
      recent decades. The near-complete elimination of the spatial coverage of
      nearshore coral represents an underappreciated spatial component of the shifting
      baseline syndrome, with important lessons for other species and ecosystems. That
      is, modern surveys are typically designed to assess change only within the
      species' known, extant range. For species ranging from corals to sea turtles,
      this approach may overlook spatial loss over longer time frames, resulting in
      both overly optimistic views of their current conservation status and
      underestimates of their restoration potential.

PMID- 28913421
TI  - Curvature and Rho activation differentially control the alignment of cells and
      stress fibers.
AB  - In vivo, cells respond to a host of physical cues ranging from substrate
      stiffness to the organization of micro- and nanoscale fibrous networks. We show
      that macroscale substrates with radii of curvature from tens to hundreds of
      micrometers influence cell alignment. In a model system of fibroblasts, isolated
      cells aligned strongly in the axial direction on cylinders with radii similar to
      the cell length and more weakly on cylinders of much larger radius. Isolated
      vascular smooth muscle cells did not align as effectively as fibroblasts.
      However, both cell types aligned robustly in weak curvature fields when in
      confluent monolayers. We identified two distinct populations of stress fibers in
      both cell types: long, apical stress fibers that aligned axially and short, basal
      stress fibers that aligned circumferentially. Circumferential alignment of the
      basal stress fibers is in apparent disagreement with a long-standing hypothesis
      that energetic penalties for bending enforce axial alignment on cylinders. To
      explore this phenomenon, we manipulated stress fibers by activating Rho, a small
      guanosine triphosphatase that regulates stress fiber assembly. In response,
      apical stress fibers disassembled, whereas basal stress fibers thickened and
      aligned more strongly in the circumferential direction. By activating Rho in
      confluent monolayers of vascular smooth muscle cells, we recapitulated the
      circumferential alignment pattern of F-actin within these cells that is observed
      in cylindrical vessels in vivo. In agreement with recent theory, these results
      suggest that stress fiber bending penalties are overcome when stress fiber
      contractility is enhanced and motivate deeper study of the mechanics of these
      distinct stress fiber populations.

PMID- 28913422
TI  - Ultratransparent and stretchable graphene electrodes.
AB  - Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, are attractive for both conventional
      semiconductor applications and nascent applications in flexible electronics.
      However, the high tensile strength of graphene results in fracturing at low
      strain, making it challenging to take advantage of its extraordinary electronic
      properties in stretchable electronics. To enable excellent strain-dependent
      performance of transparent graphene conductors, we created graphene nanoscrolls
      in between stacked graphene layers, referred to as multilayer graphene/graphene
      scrolls (MGGs). Under strain, some scrolls bridged the fragmented domains of
      graphene to maintain a percolating network that enabled excellent conductivity at
      high strains. Trilayer MGGs supported on elastomers retained 65% of their
      original conductance at 100% strain, which is perpendicular to the direction of
      current flow, whereas trilayer films of graphene without nanoscrolls retained
      only 25% of their starting conductance. A stretchable all-carbon transistor
      fabricated using MGGs as electrodes exhibited a transmittance of >90% and
      retained 60% of its original current output at 120% strain (parallel to the
      direction of charge transport). These highly stretchable and transparent all
      carbon transistors could enable sophisticated stretchable optoelectronics.

PMID- 28913424
TI  - RecA filament maintains structural integrity using ATP-driven internal dynamics.
AB  - At the core of homologous DNA repair, RecA catalyzes the strand exchange
      reaction. This process is initiated by a RecA loading protein, which nucleates
      clusters of RecA proteins on single-stranded DNA. Each cluster grows to cover the
      single-stranded DNA but may leave 1- to 2-nucleotide (nt) gaps between the
      clusters due to three different structural phases of the nucleoprotein filaments.
      It remains to be revealed how RecA proteins eliminate the gaps to make a seamless
      kilobase-long filament. We develop a single-molecule fluorescence assay to
      observe the novel internal dynamics of the RecA filament. We directly observe the
      structural phases of individual RecA filaments and find that RecA proteins move
      their positions along the substrate DNA to change the phase of the filament. This
      reorganization process, which is a prerequisite step for interjoining of two
      adjacent clusters, requires adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis and is tightly
      regulated by the recombination hotspot, Chi. Furthermore, RecA proteins recognize
      and self-align to a 3-nt-period sequence pattern of TGG. This sequence-dependent
      phase bias may help the RecA filament to maintain structural integrity within the
      kilobase-long filament for accurate homology search and strand exchange reaction.

PMID- 28913423
TI  - Opto-thermophoretic assembly of colloidal matter.
AB  - Colloidal matter exhibits unique collective behaviors beyond what occurs at
      single-nanoparticle and atomic scales. Treating colloidal particles as building
      blocks, researchers are exploiting new strategies to rationally organize
      colloidal particles into complex structures for new functions and devices.
      Despite tremendous progress in directed assembly and self-assembly, a truly
      versatile assembly technique without specific functionalization of the colloidal
      particles remains elusive. We develop a new strategy to assemble colloidal matter
      under a light-controlled temperature field, which can solve challenges in the
      existing assembly techniques. By adding an anionic surfactant (that is,
      cetyltrimethylammonium chloride), which serves as a surface charge source, a
      macro ion, and a micellar depletant, we generate a light-controlled
      thermoelectric field to manipulate colloidal atoms and a depletion attraction
      force to assemble the colloidal atoms into two-dimensional (2D) colloidal matter.
      The general applicability of this opto-thermophoretic assembly (OTA) strategy
      allows us to build colloidal matter of diverse colloidal sizes (from
      subwavelength scale to micrometer scale) and materials (polymeric, dielectric,
      and metallic colloids) with versatile configurations and tunable bonding
      strengths and lengths. We further demonstrate that the incorporation of the
      thermoelectric field into the optical radiation force can achieve 3D
      reconfiguration of the colloidal matter. The OTA strategy releases the rigorous
      design rules required in the existing assembly techniques and enriches the
      structural complexity in colloidal matter, which will open a new window of
      opportunities for basic research on matter organization, advanced material
      design, and applications.

PMID- 28913425
TI  - Explaining opposition to refugee resettlement: The role of NIMBYism and perceived
      threats.
AB  - One week after President Donald Trump signed a controversial executive order to
      reduce the influx of refugees to the United States, we conducted a survey
      experiment to understand American citizens' attitudes toward refugee
      resettlement. Specifically, we evaluated whether citizens consider the geographic
      context of the resettlement program (that is, local versus national) and the
      degree to which they are swayed by media frames that increasingly associate
      refugees with terrorist threats. Our findings highlight a collective action
      problem: Participants are consistently less supportive of resettlement within
      their own communities than resettlement elsewhere in the country. This pattern
      holds across all measured demographic, political, and geographic subsamples
      within our data. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that threatening media
      frames significantly reduce support for both national and local resettlement.
      Conversely, media frames rebutting the threat posed by refugees have no
      significant effect. Finally, the results indicate that participants in refugee
      dense counties are less responsive to threatening frames, suggesting that
      proximity to previously settled refugees may reduce the impact of perceived
      security threats.

PMID- 28913426
TI  - Artificial solid electrolyte interphase for aqueous lithium energy storage
      systems.
AB  - Aqueous lithium energy storage systems address environmental sustainability and
      safety issues. However, significant capacity fading after repeated cycles of
      charge-discharge and during float charge limit their practical application
      compared to their nonaqueous counterparts. We introduce an artificial solid
      electrolyte interphase (SEI) to the aqueous systems and report the use of
      graphene films as an artificial SEI (G-SEI) that substantially enhance the
      overall performance of an aqueous lithium battery and a supercapacitor. The
      thickness (1 to 50 nm) and the surface area (1 cm2 to 1 m2) of the G-SEI are
      precisely controlled on the LiMn2O4-based cathode using the Langmuir trough-based
      techniques. The aqueous battery with a 10-nm-thick G-SEI exhibits a discharge
      capacity as high as 104 mA.hour g-1 after 600 cycles and a float charge current
      density as low as 1.03 mA g-1 after 1 day, 26% higher (74 mA.hour g-1) and 54%
      lower (1.88 mA g-1) than the battery without the G-SEI, respectively. We propose
      that the G-SEI on the cathode surface simultaneously suppress the structural
      distortion of the LiMn2O4 (the Jahn-Teller distortion) and the oxidation of
      conductive carbon through controlled diffusion of Li+ and restricted permeation
      of gases (O2 and CO x ), respectively. The G-SEI on both small (~1 cm2 in 1.15
      mA.hour cell) and large (~9 cm2 in 7 mA.hour cell) cathodes exhibit similar
      property enhancement, demonstrating excellent potential for scale-up and
      manufacturing.

PMID- 28913427
TI  - Ultrastable atomic copper nanosheets for selective electrochemical reduction of
      carbon dioxide.
AB  - The electrochemical conversion of CO2 and H2O into syngas using renewably
      generated electricity is an attractive approach to simultaneously achieve
      chemical fixation of CO2 and storage of renewable energy. Developing cost
      effective catalysts for selective electroreduction of CO2 into CO is essential to
      the practical applications of the approach. We report a simple synthetic strategy
      for the preparation of ultrathin Cu/Ni(OH)2 nanosheets as an excellent cost
      effective catalyst for the electrochemical conversion of CO2 and H2O into tunable
      syngas under low overpotentials. These hybrid nanosheets with Cu(0)-enriched
      surface behave like noble metal nanocatalysts in both air stability and
      catalysis. Uniquely, Cu(0) within the nanosheets is stable against air oxidation
      for months because of the presence of formate on their surface. With the presence
      of atomically thick ultrastable Cu nanosheets, the hybrid Cu/Ni(OH)2 nanosheets
      display both excellent activity and selectivity in the electroreduction of CO2 to
      CO. At a low overpotential of 0.39 V, the nanosheets provide a current density of
      4.3 mA/cm2 with a CO faradaic efficiency of 92%. No decay in the current is
      observed for more than 22 hours. The catalysts developed in this work are
      promising for building low-cost CO2 electrolyzers to produce CO.

PMID- 28913428
TI  - Rubbery electronics and sensors from intrinsically stretchable elastomeric
      composites of semiconductors and conductors.
AB  - A general strategy to impart mechanical stretchability to stretchable electronics
      involves engineering materials into special architectures to accommodate or
      eliminate the mechanical strain in nonstretchable electronic materials while
      stretched. We introduce an all solution-processed type of electronics and sensors
      that are rubbery and intrinsically stretchable as an outcome from all the
      elastomeric materials in percolated composite formats with P3HT-NFs [poly(3
      hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) nanofibrils] and AuNP-AgNW (Au nanoparticles with
      conformally coated silver nanowires) in PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane). The
      fabricated thin-film transistors retain their electrical performances by more
      than 55% upon 50% stretching and exhibit one of the highest P3HT-based field
      effect mobilities of 1.4 cm2/V?s, owing to crystallinity improvement. Rubbery
      sensors, which include strain, pressure, and temperature sensors, show reliable
      sensing capabilities and are exploited as smart skins that enable gesture
      translation for sign language alphabet and haptic sensing for robotics to
      illustrate one of the applications of the sensors.

PMID- 28913430
TI  - Time-of-day-dependent global distribution of lunar surficial water/hydroxyl.
AB  - A new set of time-of-day-dependent global maps of the lunar near-infrared
      water/hydroxyl (H2O/OH) absorption band strength near 2.8 to 3.0 MUm constructed
      on the basis of Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data is presented. The analyzed
      absorption band near 2.8 to 3.0 MUm indicates the presence of surficial H2O/OH.
      To remove the thermal emission component from the M3 reflectance spectra, a
      reliable and physically realistic mapping method has been developed. Our maps
      show that lunar highlands at high latitudes show a stronger H2O/OH absorption
      band in the lunar morning and evening than at midday. The amplitude of these time
      of-day-dependent variations decreases with decreasing latitude of the highland
      regions, where below about 30 degrees , absorption strength becomes nearly
      constant during the lunar day at a similar level as in the high-latitude
      highlands at midday. The lunar maria exhibit weaker H2O/OH absorption than the
      highlands at all, but showing a smaller difference from highlands absorption
      levels in the morning and evening than at midday. The level around midday is
      generally higher for low-Ti than for high-Ti mare surfaces, where it reaches near
      zero values. Our observations contrast with previous studies that indicate a
      significant concentration of surficial H2O/OH at high latitudes only.
      Furthermore, although our results generally support the commonly accepted
      mechanism of H2O/OH formation by adsorption of solar wind protons, they suggest
      the presence of a more strongly bounded surficial H2O/OH component in the lunar
      highlands and parts of the mare regions, which is not removed by processes such
      as diffusion/thermal evaporation and photolysis in the course of the lunar day.

PMID- 28913429
TI  - Ultrahigh mobility and efficient charge injection in monolayer organic thin-film
      transistors on boron nitride.
AB  - Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with high mobility and low contact
      resistance have been actively pursued as building blocks for low-cost organic
      electronics. In conventional solution-processed or vacuum-deposited OTFTs, due to
      interfacial defects and traps, the organic film has to reach a certain thickness
      for efficient charge transport. Using an ultimate monolayer of 2,7
      dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) molecules as an OTFT
      channel, we demonstrate remarkable electrical characteristics, including
      intrinsic hole mobility over 30 cm2/Vs, Ohmic contact with 100 Omega . cm
      resistance, and band-like transport down to 150 K. Compared to conventional
      OTFTs, the main advantage of a monolayer channel is the direct, nondisruptive
      contact between the charge transport layer and metal leads, a feature that is
      vital for achieving low contact resistance and current saturation voltage. On the
      other hand, bilayer and thicker C8-BTBT OTFTs exhibit strong Schottky contact and
      much higher contact resistance but can be improved by inserting a doped graphene
      buffer layer. Our results suggest that highly crystalline molecular monolayers
      are promising form factors to build high-performance OTFTs and investigate device
      physics. They also allow us to precisely model how the molecular packing changes
      the transport and contact properties.

PMID- 28913431
TI  - Ultrahigh-current density anodes with interconnected Li metal reservoir through
      overlithiation of mesoporous AlF3 framework.
AB  - Lithium (Li) metal is the ultimate solution for next-generation high-energy
      density batteries but is plagued from commercialization by infinite relative
      volume change, low Coulombic efficiency due to side reactions, and safety issues
      caused by dendrite growth. These hazardous issues are further aggravated under
      high current densities needed by the increasing demand for fast
      charging/discharging. We report a one-step fabricated Li/Al4Li9-LiF nanocomposite
      (LAFN) through an "overlithiation" process of a mesoporous AlF3 framework, which
      can simultaneously mitigate the abovementioned problems. Reaction-produced Al4Li9
      LiF nanoparticles serve as the ideal skeleton for Li metal infusion, helping to
      achieve a near-zero volume change during stripping/plating and suppressed
      dendrite growth. As a result, the LAFN electrode is capable of working properly
      under an ultrahigh current density of 20 mA cm-2 in symmetric cells and manifests
      highly improved rate capability with increased Coulombic efficiency in full
      cells. The simple fabrication process and its remarkable electrochemical
      performances enable LAFN to be a promising anode candidate for next-generation
      lithium metal batteries.

PMID- 28913432
TI  - Experimental phase diagram of zero-bias conductance peaks in
      superconductor/semiconductor nanowire devices.
AB  - Topological superconductivity is an exotic state of matter characterized by
      spinless p-wave Cooper pairing of electrons and by Majorana zero modes at the
      edges. The first signature of topological superconductivity is a robust zero-bias
      peak in tunneling conductance. We perform tunneling experiments on semiconductor
      nanowires (InSb) coupled to superconductors (NbTiN) and establish the zero-bias
      peak phase in the space of gate voltage and external magnetic field. Our findings
      are consistent with calculations for a finite-length topological nanowire and
      provide means for Majorana manipulation as required for braiding and topological
      quantum bits.

PMID- 28913433
TI  - Single-pixel computational ghost imaging with helicity-dependent metasurface
      hologram.
AB  - Different optical imaging techniques are based on different characteristics of
      light. By controlling the abrupt phase discontinuities with different polarized
      incident light, a metasurface can host a phase-only and helicity-dependent
      hologram. In contrast, ghost imaging (GI) is an indirect imaging modality to
      retrieve the object information from the correlation of the light intensity
      fluctuations. We report single-pixel computational GI with a high-efficiency
      reflective metasurface in both simulations and experiments. Playing a fascinating
      role in switching the GI target with different polarized light, the metasurface
      hologram generates helicity-dependent reconstructed ghost images and successfully
      introduces an additional security lock in a proposed optical encryption scheme
      based on the GI. The robustness of our encryption scheme is further verified with
      the vulnerability test. Building the first bridge between the metasurface
      hologram and the GI, our work paves the way to integrate their applications in
      the fields of optical communications, imaging technology, and security.

PMID- 28913434
TI  - Self-determined shapes and velocities of giant near-zero drag gas cavities.
AB  - Minimizing the retarding force on a solid moving in liquid is the canonical
      problem in the quest for energy saving by friction and drag reduction. For an
      ideal object that cannot sustain any shear stress on its surface, theory predicts
      that drag force will fall to zero as its speed becomes large. However,
      experimental verification of this prediction has been challenging. We report the
      construction of a class of self-determined streamlined structures with this free
      slip surface, made up of a teardrop-shaped giant gas cavity that completely
      encloses a metal sphere. This stable gas cavity is formed around the sphere as it
      plunges at a sufficiently high speed into the liquid in a deep tank, provided
      that the sphere is either heated initially to above the Leidenfrost temperature
      of the liquid or rendered superhydrophobic in water at room temperature. These
      sphere-in-cavity structures have residual drag coefficients that are typically
      less than [Formula: see text] those of solid objects of the same dimensions,
      which indicates that they experienced very small drag forces. The self-determined
      shapes of the gas cavities are shown to be consistent with the Bernoulli equation
      of potential flow applied on the cavity surface. The cavity fall velocity is not
      arbitrary but is uniquely predicted by the sphere density and cavity volume, so
      larger cavities have higher characteristic velocities.

PMID- 28913436
TI  - Our Journal in English.

PMID- 28913437
TI  - Biomarkers of sepsis, a never-ending story.

PMID- 28913435
TI  - IBA57 mutations abrogate iron-sulfur cluster assembly leading to cavitating
      leukoencephalopathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the molecular factors contributing to progressive
      cavitating leukoencephalopathy (PCL) to help resolve the underlying genotype
      phenotype associations in the mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) assembly
      system. METHODS: The subjects were 3 patients from 2 families who showed no
      inconsistencies in either clinical or brain MRI findings as PCL. We used exome
      sequencing, immunoblotting, and enzyme activity assays to establish a molecular
      diagnosis and determine the roles of ISC-associated factors in PCL. RESULTS: We
      performed genetic analyses on these 3 patients and identified compound
      heterozygosity for the IBA57 gene, which encodes the mitochondrial iron-sulfur
      protein assembly factor. Protein expression analysis revealed substantial
      decreases in IBA57 protein expression in myoblasts and fibroblasts.
      Immunoblotting revealed substantially reduced expression of SDHB, a subunit of
      complex II, and lipoic acid synthetase (LIAS). Levels of pyruvate dehydrogenase
      complex-E2 and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase-E2, which use lipoic acid as a
      cofactor, were also reduced. In activity staining, SDH activity was clearly
      reduced, but it was ameliorated in mitochondrial fractions from rescued
      myoblasts. In addition, NFU1 protein expression was also decreased, which is
      required for the assembly of a subset of iron-sulfur proteins to SDH and LIAS in
      the mitochondrial ISC assembly system. CONCLUSIONS: Defects in IBA57 essentially
      regulate NFU1 expression, and aberrant NFU1 ultimately affects SDH activity and
      LIAS expression in the ISC biogenesis pathway. This study provides new insights
      into the role of the iron-sulfur protein assembly system in disorders related to
      mitochondrial energy metabolism associated with leukoencephalopathy with
      cavities.

PMID- 28913438
TI  - Total Intravenous Anesthesia-Target Controlled Infusion for colorectal surgery.
      Remifentanil TCI vs sufentanil TCI.
AB  - : The aim of the study was to compare the effect of remifentanil and sufentanil
      administered for total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) using target-controlled
      infusion (TCI) on intraoperative hemodynamic response, tracheal intubation and
      extubation times in patients undergoing colorectal surgery. METHODS: Sixty
      patients undergoing open colorectal surgery for colorectal tumors or inflammatory
      diseases were randomized prospectively into one of two groups: remifentanil group
      R (n = 30) received TIVA-TCI with propofol and remifentanil and sufentanil group
      S (n = 30) received TIVA-TCI with propofol and sufentanil. Changes of mean
      arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were compared during induction and
      maintenance of anaesthesia. Response to tracheal intubation was assessed as
      episodes of hypertension, increased HR and bispectral index values, sweating,
      lacrimation, and coughing. The numbers of target plasma concentration (Cp)
      adjustments of opioids and propofol due to painful stimulation were recorded
      during surgery. Recovery time expressed as extubation time was also evaluated.
      RESULTS: MAP and HR, expressed as area under the curve (AUC), were not
      significantly different between groups during anesthesia and surgery. During
      induction of anesthesia, MAP values decrease from baseline, in both groups (p <
      0.001). Intergroup comparison revealed that MAP decreased more in the
      remifentanil than sufentanil group (p = 0.027). HR decreased from baseline values
      only in the remifentanil group (p = 0.05). The number of target concentration
      adjustments for propofol and opioid was higher in the remifentanil group as
      compared with sufentanil group (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04). Hemodynamic responses to
      tracheal intubation and extubation times were not significantly different between
      the groups. CONCLUSION: Both remifentanil and sufentanil TCI produced stable
      hemodynamic conditions during open colorectal surgery but sufentanil TCI was
      associated with less decrease in blood pressure and heart rate, and required
      fewer dose adjustments during anesthesia induction.

PMID- 28913439
TI  - Predicting scores correlations in patients with septic shock - a cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ICU prognostic scores were developed to measure the severity of the
      disease and the patients' prognosis. The objective of this study was to assess
      the validity of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE
      II), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Simplified Acute Physiology
      Score II (SAPS II) scores in patients with septic shock. METHODS: The APACHE II,
      SOFA and SAPS II scores were determined prospectively, in the first 24 hours
      after admission, for all 56 patients with septic shock who were included in this
      study. Data were statistically evaluated; the discriminating power regarding
      survivors vs deceased patients was calculated based on the receiver operating
      characteristic curves (ROC). RESULTS: The overall mortality of the 56 patients
      with septic shock was 60.71% (34 deaths). The average APACHE II score was 25.36
      +/- 7.477. The average SOFA score was 7.679 +/- 3.197. The average SAPS II score
      was 44.45 +/- 16.97. For the APACHE II and SOFA scores the differences when
      deceased and survivors were compared were not statistically significant (APACHE
      II: 26.76 +/- 6.742 vs 23.18 +/- 8.175 respectively for SOFA: 8.029 +/- 3.099 vs
      7.136 +/- 3.342). For the SAPS II score the values are: 49.12 +/- 16.61 in
      deceased vs 37.23 +/- 15.20 in survivors, the difference being statistically
      significant (p = 0.0092). The areas under ROC for the three scores are 0.622 for
      APACHE II, 0.575 for SAPS II and 0.705 for SOFA. CONCLUSIONS: In our study the
      SAPS II score was superior to the other scores for predicting survival in
      patients with septic shock.

PMID- 28913440
TI  - The influence of the method of initial stabilization of traumatic femoral shaft
      fractures on postoperative morbidity and mortality - a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The last 20 years have been dedicated to extensive research regarding
      the pathophysiology of trauma and the consequences of interventions that follow.
      Several theories have been proposed in terms of what causative factors are
      associated with poor outcome in polytrauma patients. Once the "two event model"
      was accepted, it became clear that patients although initially resuscitated, but
      in a vulnerable condition, have a high risk that a secondary aggression (for
      example, surgical interventions) would precipitate a state of hyperinflammation
      and early multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The aim of this
      retrospective study was the analysis of the "second hit" phenomenon, meaning the
      alterations that occur in patients having femoral shaft stabilization surgery
      after major trauma. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of severe polytrauma
      patients with femoral shaft fractures admitted to the intensive care unit of the
      Emergency clinical Hospital of Bucharest and treated from an orthopaedic point of
      view by either Damage Control Orthopaedics (DCO) or Early Total Care (ETC)
      principles. All patients had femoral shaft stabilization in the first 24 hours.
      Using patients files we recorded the following data: 30 day mortality,
      development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and MODS, local
      infectious complications (LIC), intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS),
      days of mechanical ventilation (MV), units of red blood cells units/48 h (RBC).
      We decided to analyze results in three groups - DCO group with shock on
      admission, DCO group without shock and ETC group. RESULTS: We observed
      significantly higher mortality in the DCO shock group (25%) compared with the
      other two groups (ETC - 9.4%; DCO without shock - 6.7%; p = 0.042/0.015). Similar
      results for: ICU LOS (16.29 +/- 6.7 versus 9.92 +/- 4.7 and 10 +/- 3.9; p =
      0.001/0.002), days of MV (10.29 +/- 5.7 versus 6.83 +/- 4.7 and 6.8 +/- 3.4; p =
      0.007/0.04), units of RBC/48 h (15.04 +/- 4.3 versus 8.08 +/- 4.3 and 7.33 +/-
      1.5; p = 0.007/0.04). Although not statistically significant, MODS and ARDS
      incidences were higher in the DCO shock group: MODS (41.7% versus 22.6% and 20%;
      p = 0.08/0.17), ARDS (29.2% versus 17% and 20%; p = 0.22/0.53). These results
      correlate with a higher trauma score in these patients, more serious lesions
      requiring several damage control procedures. In the other two groups (DCO without
      shock and ETC) all outcomes were similar. Local septic complications were higher,
      as expected, in all patients with external fixation and we observed a very low
      incidence in the ETC group (8.3% - DCO shock group versus 1.9% - ETC group and
      6.7% - DCO no shock group; p = 0.18/0.009). CONCLUSIONS: In patients who are not
      in a very severe condition (shock), the choice for femoral shaft stabilization by
      intramedullary nailing represents a safe option. We did not observe any
      differences in outcomes by comparing ETC and DCO types of procedures in these
      relatively stable patients.

PMID- 28913441
TI  - The interrelation between arterial lactate levels and postoperative outcome
      following liver transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine whether arterial blood lactate
      concentration at the end of liver transplantation is associated with major
      postoperative complications, length of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay and
      mortality. METHODS: Arterial lactate concentration was recorded at the end of
      surgery in 48 patients (30 males and 18 females) who had underwent liver
      transplantation (LT) over a six month period between June 2013 and December 2013.
      Demographic data, laboratory results and postoperative outcome were recorded.
      RESULTS: The mean age in the study group was 51.14 years (16-62); all the
      patients had undergone deceased-donor liver transplantation. The etiology of
      liver disease was various: viral infections (HBV and HCV), alcoholic cirrhosis,
      hepatocarcinoma and other rare causes of cirrhosis (Wilson disease) were found.
      The mean duration of surgery was 407 minutes (240-580). Mean lactate was 2.77
      mmol/L (0.8-7.9) and was increased above 1.5 mmol/L in 33 (68.75%) patients. ICU
      length of stay was longer in patients having lactate levels > 5 mmol/L (p =
      0.05). Intraoperative blood loss was higher in patients with lactate > 3 mmol/L
      (p = 0.012). Major complications including acute kidney injury, need for
      emergency surgery during ICU stay or primary graft disfunction were observed only
      in patients with lactate levels > 1.5 mmol/L (18.2%). Sixty days mortality was
      100% in the group with lactate > 5 mmol/L (4 patients) compared with 12.5%
      mortality in patients with lactate level < 5 mmol/L (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Arterial lactate concentrations at the end of liver transplantation correlates
      with increased intraoperative blood loss, longer ICU stay, and increased
      mortality.

PMID- 28913442
TI  - Cough, expiration and aspiration reflexes: possible anesthetic implications - a
      brief review.
AB  - Systematic study in animals indicated, that in addition to cough there are 2
      distinct airway reflexes. The aspiration reflex (AspR) characterized by rapid and
      strong gasp-like inspiration provoked by stimulation of nasopharynx, nasal
      phyltrum or auricle of ear. The expiration reflex (ExpR) manifests by prompt
      expiration, induced by laryngeal stimulation. Both reflexes strongly activate the
      brainstem inspiratory or expiratory generators, respectively, and inhibit the
      opposite respiratory and various functional disorders. This paper indicates
      several functional disorders occurring during manipulation with airways in
      anaesthesiological practice, which can be influenced positively or negatively by
      application of these special reflexes (asphyxia, breath-holding, laryngospasm,
      bronchospasm, sleep apnoea episodes, arrhythmia, collapse, etc.). The AspR, ExpR
      and CR (cough reflex) have important clinical relevance in anaesthesia and
      emergency medicine applicable also in domestic therapy and in hardly accessible
      places particularly by application of ICT (Information & Communication
      Technologies) using a mobile connection of the patient with the remote hospital
      centre.

PMID- 28913443
TI  - Biomarkers in polytrauma induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome and
      sepsis - a narrative review.
AB  - Polytrauma still represents one of the leading causes of death in the first four
      decades of life. Septic complications represent the predominant causes of late
      death in polytrauma patients. Early diagnosis and treatment of infection is
      associated with an improved clinical outcome and reduced mortality. Several
      biomarkers have been evaluated for making early diagnosis of sepsis. Current
      evidence does not support the use of a single biomarker in diagnosing septic
      complications. Procalcitonin trend was found to be useful in early identification
      of post-traumatic sepsis.

PMID- 28913445
TI  - The i-gel as a conduit for the Aintree intubation catheter for subsequent
      fiberoptic intubation.
AB  - We report a clinical case of an 128 kg, 53 year old male, who was scheduled for
      sleeve gastrectomy surgery. Video laryngoscope (GlideScope - Verathron) assisted
      intubation was attempted. Despite repositioning of the head and neck and external
      laryngeal manipulations, two attempts to lift the epiglottis were unsuccessful.
      An i-gel (Intersurgical, Wokingham, Berkshire, United Kingdom) supraglottic
      device was successfully placed and normal oxygenation and ventilation was
      established with pressure controlled ventilation. An Aintree intubation catheter
      (AIC, Cook Medical, USA) pre-loaded onto a pediatric fiberoptic bronchoscope
      (FOB) was advanced through the i-gel. After fiber optic visualization of the
      vocal cords, the AIC and FOB were successfully placed into the patient's trachea.
      We conclude that the i-gel may not only serve as a substitute for failed tracheal
      intubation, but is also useful as a conduit for subsequent fiberoptic intubation.

PMID- 28913444
TI  - Oxidative stress and antioxidant therapy in traumatic spinal cord injuries.
AB  - Spinal cord injury (SCI) is often accompanied by motor, vegetative and sensitive
      dysfunctions that can significantly decrease the chance of the complete recovery
      of the patients. The pathophysiological implication of these dysfunctions is
      represented by the increased production of the reactive species that are
      extremely aggressive to the surrounding tissue. The combination of massive
      production of free radicals, low concentration of antioxidants and the
      hypermetabolism present in patients with SCI leads to enhancement of the
      oxidative stress. Current studies are focused on several biological active
      compounds that are able to reduce the effects of free radicals - tissue necrosis,
      inflammation, infection, apoptosis. In this paper, the mechanism of the action of
      several biological active compounds that are able to significantly reduce
      oxidative stress in critical patients with spinal cord injury is presented.

PMID- 28913446
TI  - Effects of a novel cytokine haemoadsorbtion system on inflammatory response in
      septic shock after cephalic pancreatectomy - a case report.
AB  - Severe sepsis and septic shock are associated with an inflammatory cascade that
      is primarily responsible for multiple organ dysfunction. To date, there are no
      specific treatments designed to modulate and rebalance inflammatory cytokines
      levels. We present a case of a 50 years old man with postoperative septic shock
      after undergoing cephalic pancreatectomy for a pancreatic cystic tumor. The use
      of a haemoadsorbtion device (CytoSorb(r)) in combination with continuous veno
      venous haemofiltration was associated with a decrease in TNFalpha, IL-1beta and
      IFNgamma and an increase in IL-10 levels measured before and after two
      consecutive procedures. The effect of CytoSorb(r) on inflammatory cytokines
      translated into a more stable haemodynamic profile with a stable cardiac output
      and normalization of systemic vascular resistance index and decreased vasopressor
      requirements. Further prospective large clinical trials are required in order to
      determine the indications for CytoSorb(r) and to evaluate the overall outcome.

PMID- 28913447
TI  - Dreaming with a broken heart: the importance of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy as a
      perioperative etiology of anesthetic-related cardiopulmonary dysfunction.

PMID- 28913448
TI  - What is hiding the compartment syndrome?

PMID- 28913449
TI  - Evaluation of O-POSSUM vs ASA and APACHE II scores in patients undergoing
      oesophageal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Risk and prognostic scores quantify the patient's risk of
      death or complication according to the severity of his illness. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the predictive accuracy of O-POSSUM vs ASA and APACHE II
      models on patients undergoing oesophageal surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In this
      observational retrospective study 55 patients were enrolled who had undergone
      surgical interventions of excision and reconstruction of the oesophagus for
      neoplastic oesophageal stenosis, in the Surgical Clinics (I and II) of the
      Clinical County Emergency Hospital Mures, between January 2011 and January 2014.
      By using patients file records after extracting the data we calculated the
      predictive mortality, according to the prognostic scores O-POSSUM, ASA and APACHE
      II and we analyzed its correlations with the postoperative evolution. We
      evaluated the discriminatory power of the three scores using the ROC (receiver
      operating characteristic) curves. According to the cut-off value corresponding to
      each score, we compared the Kaplan Meier survival curves during the
      hospitalization period. RESULTS: ROC curves analysis revealed that O-POSSUM had a
      better discriminatory power for mortality compared to the other two scores: AUC =
      0.73 for O-POSSUM, AUC = 0.57 for APACHE II and AUC = 0.64 for ASA (p < 0.001).
      The cut-off value was statistically significant only in case of O-POSSUM, as it
      derives from the statistical analysis of the survival curves (p = 0.035).
      CONCLUSION: O-POSSUM predicts mortality more accurately compared to ASA or APACHE
      II in patients undergoing oesophageal surgery.

PMID- 28913450
TI  - Blood sampling as a cause of anemia in a general ICU - a pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our pilot study was to evaluate the influence of
      daily phlebotomy on patients' haemoglobin levels from our general intensive care
      unit. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 35 patients who did not present with
      acute haemorrhage or developed it during the study period. For each patient we
      recorded: the diagnosis, age, sex, haemoglobin, hematocrit, SOFA and APACHE II
      score, blood volume drawn in standardized vials, number of blood tests ordered
      per day, fluid balance per day, number of ICU days. The collected data were
      analyzed using the linear regression model, paired t-test, receiver operating
      characteristic curves, and descriptive analysis. Statistical analysis was
      performed with SPSS v.17 trial version (IBM, NY, USA). RESULTS: The mean volume
      of blood drawn per day was 18.1 (SD +/- 14.4) ml and the number of blood tests
      was 3.8 (SD +/- 1.75) per day. On univariate linear regression analysis both the
      blood volume drawn daily (p = 0.04) and the number of blood tests per day (p =
      0.009) correlated with a drop in mean haemoglobin concentration. The difference
      in the mean value of haemoglobin at admission and discharge correlated with
      overall mortality (p = 0.03). The sensitivity of admission haemoglobin equal to
      10.6 g/dL in predicting mortality was 82.4% with a specificity of 50%, (p =
      0.019, AUC = 0.732). CONCLUSIONS: We evidenced the predictive power of blood
      sampling and number of blood tests done on haemoglobin concentration. Besides the
      main objective of the study we noticed that the difference in the mean value of
      haemoglobin at admission and discharge correlated with overall mortality.
      Considering that blood sampling contributes to anemia among ICU patients, we
      should limit the daily tests undertaken, to the tests absolutely necessary for
      guiding our therapy.

PMID- 28913451
TI  - Anaesthesia for carotid endarterectomy - general or loco-regional?
AB  - Carotid endarterectomy has been widely used for the surgical treatment of carotid
      stenosis, and may be performed under either general or loco-regional anaesthesia.
      The greatest risks of carotid endarterectomy are the neurologic complications and
      the myocardial infarction. Anaesthetic and surgical techniques are constantly
      under scrutiny to try to reduce the relatively high incidence of morbidity and
      mortality of an operation which in itself is only preventative. Loco-regional
      anaesthesia is an alternative to general anaesthesia which has attracted
      considerable attention amid claims of a reduction in operative morbidity and
      mortality. This review describes the problems and some solutions for providing
      loco-regional or general anaesthesia for carotid endarterectomy.

PMID- 28913453
TI  - Effectiveness versus efficiency in a medical skills laboratory.
AB  - Medical educators are facing the new challenge of using medical simulation for
      teaching purposes. The use of simulators seems attractive for trainers and for
      trainees, but prices of simulators may be prohibitive. In an era of limited
      resources it is mandatory when using such an expensive tool as simulation, to
      prove its benefits. Despite the fact that simulation provides opportunity for
      training, additional advantages are far from being established. The supposed
      benefits of using medical simulators in teaching and examination needs to be
      proven regarding two aspects: effectiveness and efficiency.

PMID- 28913452
TI  - Regional anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia techniques for spine surgery - a
      review.
AB  - The use of regional anaesthesia techniques for intra-operative anaesthesia and
      postoperative analgesia remains very controversial for patients scheduled to
      undergo spinal interventions. Spine surgeries, especially the most extensive
      types, are mostly performed under general anaesthesia. This has to be explained
      by the position required during surgery, the preference of the surgeon and/or
      anaesthesiologist and lack of sufficient literature supporting locoregional
      anaesthesia. In addition, there is an increasing trend to prefer general
      anaesthesia for spinal surgery. Nevertheless, with respect to spine surgeries
      more than 80% of the actual literature on neuraxial blocks is dated less than 12
      years. The present overview was focused in the first place on the feasibility of
      (loco) regional techniques to be used intra-operatively. These techniques are
      also of interest for postoperative analgesia, either with a single bolus
      injection of local anaesthetics, opioids and adjuvants, alone or in combination,
      in continuous or intermittent administration and requiring the presence of
      foreign material in the neighborhood of the surgical field. As all techniques
      described offered variable success rates, future research is mandatory to
      determine their superiority over general intra-operative anaesthesia and
      conventional pain therapy with paracetamol, NSAIDs, opioids used alone or in
      combination.

PMID- 28913454
TI  - Current status of the EasyTube: a review of the literature.
AB  - EasyTube is an esophageal-tracheal double lumen airway device that combines the
      features of an endotracheal tube with a supraglottic airway device, enabling
      ventilation with either tracheal or esophageal insertion. EasyTube can be
      inserted blindly or by using a laryngoscope. Its main indication is for airway
      emergencies both in pre-and in-hospital areas. In this article we review the
      current knowledge on the use of the EasyTube.

PMID- 28913455
TI  - Postoperative Takotsubo cardiomyopathy triggered by intraoperative fluid overload
      and acute hypertensive crisis.
AB  - The Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a rare haemodynamic dysfunction, only recently
      reported perioperatively. While the diagnostic criteria have been established and
      the outcome is known as favorable, the pathophysiological mechanisms are not
      entirely understood. Here we present the case of a patient scheduled for
      laparoscopic hysterectomy and adnexectomy, who early postoperatively developed a
      Takotsubo cardiomyopathy supposedly triggered by an acute hypertensive crisis due
      to intraoperative fluid overload.

PMID- 28913456
TI  - Acute compartment syndrome and regional anaesthesia - a case report.
AB  - We describe the case of an adult 19 year old male with a fractured right radius.
      The patient underwent a revision open reduction and internal fixation due to mal
      alignment under combined general anaesthesia and supraclavicular brachial plexus
      block. Postoperatively the patient developed disproportionately intense pain
      despite an otherwise fully functioning sensory and motor block. The limb was
      swollen, tender and there was loss of radial pulse. Upon re-exploration a large
      haematoma was evacuated, a bleeding vessel being the causative factor. There were
      no further sequellae. The hallmark of this case report is the presence of out-of
      proportion pain with an odd distribution in the forearm in the presence of a
      dense and fully established nerve block. Acute compartment syndrome was diagnosed
      based on classical signs and symptoms within two hours of block performance.
      Appropriate treatment lead to satisfactory outcome.

PMID- 28913457
TI  - Benefits of early haemofiltration during aorto-bifemural bypass with mesenteric
      revascularization - a case report.
AB  - The intraoperative vs postoperative initiation of haemofiltration procedures in
      patients submitted for major vascular surgery is a controversial issue and a
      subject of debate in recent literature. We report the case of a 50 yr old patient
      scheduled for aorto-bifemoral bypass with mesenteric revascularization in whom
      the haemofiltration procedure (Prismaflex with Onix filter) was installed
      intraoperatively. Known to have non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, the
      patient was admitted for Leriche syndrome, abdominal aorta thrombosis, superior
      and inferior mesenteric artery occlusion, celiac trunk occlusion, bilateral
      critical limb ischemia and mild renal impairment. The filtration rate was 25
      ml/kg/h, ultrafiltration rate of 50 ml/h and 2 h clampation time. Haemofiltration
      was continued postoperatively in the ICU for another 48 h. The patient had a
      favorable evolution with restoration of renal function and a significant
      improvement of the biochemical parameters. In conclusion the early
      haemofiltration applied in this case provided clear beneficial effects, probably
      preventing the evolution towards multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

PMID- 28913458
TI  - Into the deep end: a look at the functional changes of neuronal pathways in the
      deeply anesthetized state.

PMID- 28913459
TI  - Benefits of antioxidant supplementation in multi-trauma patients.

PMID- 28913460
TI  - Less is more: lack of benefit of fentanyl addition to a bupivacaine-morphine
      spinal anesthetic for Cesarean section.

PMID- 28913461
TI  - Implementing the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist.

PMID- 28913462
TI  - Changes of cortical connectivity during deep anaesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frontal
      intracortical connectivity during deep anaesthesia (burst-suppression). METHODS:
      Experiments were carried out on 5 adult Sprague Dawley rats. The anaesthesia was
      induced and maintained with isoflurane. Following the induction of anaesthesia,
      rats were placed in a stereotactic instrument. A hole was drilled in the skull
      over the frontal cortex and electrodes were inserted in order to record the local
      field potentials. Rats were maintained in deep level anaesthesia (burst
      suppression). The cortical connectivity was assessed by computing the coherence
      spectra. The frontal intracortical connectivity was calculated during burst,
      suppression (non-burst) and slow wave anaesthesia periods. RESULTS: The global
      cortical connectivity (0.5-100 Hz) was 0.61 +/- 0.078 during the burst periods
      compared to 0.55 +/- 0.032 (p < 0.05) during the suppression periods and 0.55 +/-
      0.015 (p < 0.05) during slow wave anaesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: The global cortical
      connectivity increased during the burst periods compared to the suppression
      periods and slow wave anaesthesia. This increase in the cortical synchronization
      might be due to the subcortical origin of the bursts.

PMID- 28913464
TI  - Effects of fentanyl added to a mixture of intrathecal bupivacaine and morphine
      for spinal anaesthesia in elective caesearean section.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of either fentanyl or morphine intrathecally as adjuncts to
      bupivacaine for spinal anaesthesia in caesarean deliveries is commonplace.
      However, the use of fentanyl in combination with morphine and bupivacaine in
      elective caesarean section is debatable. We hypothesized that while the addition
      of intrathecal fentanyl to morphine and bupivacaine increases side effects, it
      does not improve the clinical quality of anaesthesia or analgesia in elective
      caesarean deliveries. METHODS: In this case-controlled, double-blinded study,
      women undergoing elective caesarean deliveries received intrathecal fentanyl plus
      morphine with bupivacaine (Group 1) or intrathecal morphine with bupivacaine
      alone (Group 2). Patients were assessed at 4 hours for pain at rest and on
      movement using the visual analog scale (VAS), time taken for sensory block to T6
      and side effects. RESULTS: Fifty patients were randomized into Group 1 (n = 25)
      and Group 2 (n = 25). There was no difference in the mean VAS scores at rest or
      on movement between the two groups. At 4 hours, the mean (SD) VAS scores at rest
      were 13.2 (13.7) mm and 12.0 (11.5) mm in Group 1 and 2, respectively (P =
      0.739). The mean (SD) VAS scores on movement in Group 1 were 38.0 (18.2) mm, and
      in Group 2 were 28.4 (12.4) mm (P = 0.349). Group 1 took 7.34 hours to the first
      request for postoperative opioid analgesia while Group 2 took 7.08 hours (P =
      0.749). Correspondingly, patient satisfaction ratings were comparable for both
      groups, the mean (SD) rating in Group 1 at 84.4 (11.11) compared to Group 2 at
      87.6 (9.02), (P = 0.269). Patients in both groups had similar onset of T6 block.
      The incidence of side effects was higher in Group 1 than Group 2. CONCLUSION: Our
      study found that the addition of intrathecal fentanyl to morphine and bupivacaine
      did not have an advantage for short-term postoperative analgesia, but increased
      the incidence of opioid-related side effects and thus cost of care in a maternal
      population attending for elective caesarean section.

PMID- 28913463
TI  - Influence of antioxidant therapy on the clinical status of multiple trauma
      patients. A retrospective single center study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The biochemical processes of bioproduction of free radicals (FR)
      are significantly increasing in polytrauma patients. Decreased plasma
      concentrations of antioxidants, correlated with a disturbance of the redox
      balance are responsible for the installation of the phenomenon called oxidative
      stress (OS). OS action is associated with a series of secondary complications
      with direct implications in reducing the rate of survival, as well as in
      increasing morbidity The objectives of this study were to reveal possible
      relations between antioxidant therapy and a number of serum biochemical variables
      (ALT, AST, APPT, LDH, urea, leukocytes, platelets), the length of mechanical
      ventilation, the time spent in the ICU, and the mortality rate in major trauma
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study from a single
      center, 64 medical files of polytrauma patients admitted to the ICU "Casa
      Austria" were analysed. The selection criteria were: the Injury Severity Score
      (ISS) > 16 and a systolic arterial pressure (SAP) < 89 mmHg. The selected
      patients (n = 34) were divided into two groups: Antiox group, 20 patients who
      benefited from antioxidant therapy and the Contr group, 14 patients who did not
      received antioxidant therapy and served as a control group. The antioxidant
      therapy consisted of the simultaneous administration of vitamin C (i.v.), vitamin
      B1 (i.v.) and N-acetylcysteine (i.v.). The clinical and the biological evaluation
      were performed repeatedly until discharge from the ICU or the death of the
      patient. RESULTS: No significant differences were highlighted concerning the
      demographic data, the magnitude or the trauma mechanism between the two groups.
      In comparison with patients from the Contr group, the patients submitted to
      antioxidant therapy showed lower values after the treatment for leukocytes (p =
      0.0066), urea (p = 0.0076), LDH (p = 0.0238), AST (p = 0.0070) and ALT (p <
      0.0001). No statistically significant differences were evidenced regarding the
      incidence of sepsis or the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome
      (MODS). The period of mechanical ventilation was longer in patients from the
      Contr group (p = 0.0498), with no differences concerning the ICU length of stay
      (p = 0.7313). The mortality rate was lower in the Contr group (p = 0.0475).
      CONCLUSION: In multiple trauma patients a prolonged antioxidant therapy improved
      the posttraumatic laboratory tests.

PMID- 28913465
TI  - Early post-anaesthesia recovery parameters - a prospective observational study.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the patients' baseline condition upon arrival in
      the PACU as a method of assessment of the quality of anaesthesia, and to
      establish a model for future comparisons. DESIGN: Prospective observational
      study. SETTING: Surgical PACU in an academic tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: All
      patients (n = 11,241) arriving in our hospital's recovery units after elective
      surgery. INTERVENTIONS: In this observational study, clinical data, vital signs
      and comfort parameters were collected from surgical patients who arrived in the
      PACU. For each parameter, its frequency distribution or percentage of occurrence
      was determined. MAIN RESULTS: The incidence of anaesthesia associated side
      effects such as hypoxemia, cold extremities, shivering and/or vomiting was 5%.
      The incidence of nausea, sore throat, headache and/or pruritus was 9%. Sore
      throat occurred in 4.8% of intubated patients, in 4% after laryngeal mask
      insertions and in 3.6% with no usage of any airway device. From all patients 48%
      had no pain at all (VAS = 0), 31% had low pain scores (VAS 1-3) and 16% had
      moderate (VAS 4-6) pain levels, while 5% indicated severe pain (VAS 7-10). 97.5%
      of patients were normothermic (35.0-37.3 degrees C), 77% had normal heart rate
      (60-100 beats per minute) and 74% had normal systolic blood pressure (90-140
      mmHg). After use of neuromuscular relaxants, moderate clinical signs of residual
      curarisation (2 of 3 clinical criteria positive) were observed in 1% and slight
      clinical signs of residual curarisation (1 of 3 clinical criteria positive) were
      observed in 22.4% of patients. These findings were collected in all patients,
      independently whether they had reversal of neuromuscular relaxation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Compared with the figures published in the literature, we report a lower
      incidence and severity of anaesthesia related side effects, measured as baseline
      data, upon patients' arrival in the post anaesthesia care unit. The baseline data
      may serve as a model to trigger specific interventions aimed at improving the
      quality of anaesthetic care, which could be assessed in future investigations.

PMID- 28913466
TI  - A prospective observational assessment of Surgical Safety Checklist use in Brasov
      Children's Hospital, barriers to implementation and methods to improve
      compliance.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The WHO surgical checklist is a universal tool which has been shown
      to reduce surgical morbidity and mortality and improve patient safety; however,
      simply implementing a checklist in a hospital may not lead to its utilisation. We
      aim to evaluate completion of this checklist, and to investigate problems in
      compliance and methods for improving these. METHODS: In July 2015 data was
      recorded regarding compliance with each of the components of the Surgical Safety
      Checklist (SSC) in a Children's Hospital in Brasov. 40 surgeries were observed
      over 10 days, information was gathered as regards to the surgical speciality, the
      number of surgeries per day, the number of theatre staff present and whether it
      was elective or emergency. At the end of the 10 days questionnaires were given to
      15 staff members to ask their opinions regarding the surgical checklist. Data
      analysis was performed using a chi-squared with p < 0.05 determining statistical
      significance. RESULTS: None of the checklists in the patient files were filled
      in; however, components of the SSC were completed, with an average of 55% of the
      checklist being performed. The percentage of the SSC completed was not
      statistically significant with different numbers of staff, theatre numbers of the
      day, speciality and whether it was elective or emergency. CONCLUSION: The success
      of the Surgical Safety Checklist implementation is dependent on the training of
      staff to improve knowledge and compliance. It cannot be assumed that the
      introduction of a checklist will automatically lead to improved outcomes and
      communication with staff is essential in order to improve and ensure compliance.

PMID- 28913467
TI  - Duloxetine, an antidepressant with analgesic properties - a preliminary analysis.
AB  - Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are second-line antidepressants
      largely used because of their good tolerance and their reduced side effects. Two
      of these drugs, duloxetine and venlafaxine, are used also in chronic pain
      management. In this review we present recent data regarding duloxetine's effects
      on the central nervous system, linked to acute pain management, and their
      efficiency in reducing postoperative chronic pain. The drug's efficacy results
      from its modulating effect on the descending inhibitory pain pathways and the
      inhibition of the nociceptive input. There are already several studies in favor
      of the analgesic properties of duloxetine. However, further and larger randomized
      studies are necessary in order to clarify duloxetine efficiency in acute
      postoperative settings, and thereafter on persistent chronic postoperative pain.

PMID- 28913468
TI  - Coronary fistula - an unexpected preanaesthetic finding.
AB  - Coronary artery fistulae are congenital vascular anomalies defined as aberrant
      communications between a coronary artery and a cardiac chamber, large vessel or
      another vascular structure. In the present case the preanaesthetic clinical
      assessment led to a fortuitous detection of a rare coronary artery anomaly, which
      changed the initial therapeutic option. A 21-year-old female patient was admitted
      for a right ankle fracture. She had a two years history of constrictive chest
      pain inconsistently generated by effort of medium intensity, which had not been
      investigated previously. Clinical examination identified a grade V systolic
      diastolic murmur audible on the entire anterior thorax, with no other
      abnormalities. The patient underwent cardiological evaluation including
      transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). TTE and TEE
      revealed an important dilatation of the left main coronary artery (LM) and a
      dilated circumflex artery (CX), with a very turbulent flow and a fistulous
      traject drawing most probably in the right atrium. The TTE and TEE evaluation
      raised the suspicion of a coronaro-cavitary fistula between the CX and the right
      atrium. The patient underwent coronary catheterization which confirmed a coronary
      fistula connecting CX with a superior vena cava-right atrium junction, with a
      hemodynamic significant left- to-right shunt. Surgeons opted for a conservative
      orthopedic management of the fracture; the patient continued to present
      exertional chest pain and was scheduled for interventional fistula closure. Our
      case confirms the importance of the preanaesthetic clinical examination, as a
      gold standard, that was decisive in identifying this rare, but potentially lethal
      congenital anomaly, as it triggered a series of tests, which established the
      diagnosis.

PMID- 28913469
TI  - Management of accidental extubation during oral surgery by nasotracheal
      intubation using the King vision video laryngoscope and a gum elastic bougie - a
      case report.
AB  - Accidental extubation during intra operative period especially during oral
      surgery is challenging for any anaesthesiologist. Securing the definitive airway
      during this period is not only crucial and life saving but also challenging to
      the anaesthesia provider. Here we report a case which got extubated during
      hemimandibulectomy and was successfully reintubated using King Vision video
      laryngoscope. This videolaryngoscope proved to be a good rescue device in
      managing an accidental extubation during oral surgery and could represent a
      useful tool for the management of such unfamiliar situations.

PMID- 28913470
TI  - Propofol: to shake or not to shake.

PMID- 28913471
TI  - Propofol emulsion-free drug concentration is similar between batches and stable
      over time.
AB  - : Despite their widespread use for anesthesia and sedation, propofol emulsions
      have several unresolved issues, including pain on injection, stability concerns,
      and propensity to support bacterial growth. Pain accompanying a propofol
      injection has been attributed to the amount of free as opposed to emulsified
      propofol in the blood, which can differ with the formulation. Emulsions are
      inherently unstable and subject to several types of destabilization, but the
      actual mechanism may vary between formulations or batches. Free drug
      concentration and emulsion stability have not been widely studied between batches
      of propofol emulsions. Verifying whether batch-to-batch variability is a
      contributing factor to pain on injection or emulsion destabilization will help us
      better assess the causes and guide the design of future propofol formulations.
      METHODS: Several samples of generic 1% propofol emulsion from various batches
      were compared. Free drug concentration was measured using an equilibrium dialysis
      method. Emulsion stability was evaluated by visible observation and by measuring
      droplet size distribution and polydispersity during shelf storage for up to 21
      months. RESULTS: Small differences in free drug concentration were observed
      between samples (10.6-16.7 MUg/mL), but these differences were not statistically
      significant (p > 0.05). Emulsion droplet size (235.4-221.1 nm) and polydispersity
      (0.115-0.095) did not differ statistically over 21 months of storage. All batches
      were resistant to creaming and other destabilization mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS:
      Batch-to-batch variability does not significantly alter the free drug
      concentration or stability of propofol formulations. If pain on injection of
      propofol is in fact related to the free propofol drug concentration, then it is
      unlikely that batch-to-batch variability causes any changes in pain on propofol
      injection.

PMID- 28913472
TI  - The efficacy of oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block in
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy - a prospective, placebo controlled study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pain control after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy can represent a
      challenge, considering the side effects due to standard analgesia methods.
      Recently the transversus abdominis plane block (TAP Block) has been used as a
      part of multimodal analgesia with promising results. The subcostal approach
      (OSTAP Block), a variant on the TAP block, produces reliable unilateral
      supraumbilical analgesia. This study evaluated the efficacy of the OSTAP block
      with bupivacaine in laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared with the placebo OSTAP
      block. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty ASA I/II adult patients listed for elective
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly allocated in one of two groups: Group
      A (OSTAP placebo) received preoperatively bilateral OSTAP block with sterile
      normal saline and Group B (OSTAP bupivacaine) received bilateral preoperatively
      OSTAP block with the same volumes of 0.25% bupivacaine. Twenty-four hours
      postoperative opioid consumption, the dose of opioid required during surgery,
      opioid dose in the recovery unit (PACU) and PACU length of stay were evaluated.
      The quality of analgesia was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at
      specific interval hours during 24 h, at rest and with movement. RESULTS: The mean
      intraoperative opioid consumption showed a significant difference between the two
      groups, (385 +/- 72.52 mg in group A vs 173.67 +/- 48.60 mg in group B, p <
      0.001). The mean 24 h opioid consumption showed a statistically significant
      difference between groups (32 +/- 26.05 mg vs 79 +/- 16.68 mg, p < 0.001). PACU
      length of stay was significantly lower for group B patients compared with group A
      patients (20.67 +/- 11.27 min vs 41.67 +/- 12.41 min, p < 0.001). The OSTAP
      bupivacaine group had a statistically significant lower pain score than the OSTAP
      placebo group at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 h, both at rest and with movement. No signs
      or symptoms of local anaesthetic systemic toxicity or other complications were
      detected. CONCLUSION: OSTAP block with bupivacaine 0.25% can provide effective
      analgesia up to 24 hours after laparoscopic cholecystectomy when combined with
      conventional multimodal analgesia regimen.

PMID- 28913473
TI  - The impact of donor liver graft quality on postoperative outcome in liver
      transplant recipients. A single centre experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Donor Risk Index (DRI) has become a universal score for organ
      allocation in liver transplantation (LT) worldwide. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the impact of liver graft quality measured by DRI, CIT, WIT and donor
      age on intraoperative hemodynamics (reperfusion syndrome) and early postoperative
      outcome, defined as initial graft poor function (within 3 days of LT), of
      deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) recipients. Secondary end-points were the
      assessment of the impact of graft quality on the intraoperative and postoperative
      day 1 hemostasis (evaluated using ROTEM assay). METHODS: We retrospectively
      analyzed 135 patients who underwent deceased-donor LT between January 2013 and
      December 2014. Patient demographic data (age, sex, cause of End-Stage Liver
      Disease), preoperative paraclinical data (total bilirubin, creatinine, serum
      sodium), severity of liver disease scores (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease -
      MELD and MELD-sodium), intraoperative blood loss and blood products transfusion,
      incidence of post reperfusion syndrome, postoperative biochemical data (including
      total bilirubin, hepatic transaminases, lactate levels) and outcome (initial
      graft poor function diagnosis) were noted. Donor characteristics including DRI,
      CIT, WIT and donor age were noted. Coagulation was assessed by rotational
      thromboelastometry (ROTEM) after reperfusion of the graft and on postoperative
      day 1 in order to determine the effects of liver graft quality on hemostasis.
      RESULTS: Donor age has significantly correlated with decreased derived ROTEM
      parameters time to the maximum velocity of clot formation - MaxVt (p = 0.000),
      area under the curve (AUC) (p = 0.008) and maximum clot elasticity (MCE) (p =
      0.018) although no difference in transfusion requirements has been observed. A
      longer CIT was associated with an increase in AST and ALT observed during the
      early postoperative period: day 1 ALT (p = 0.032) and AST (p = 0.008), day 2 ALT
      (p = 0.001) and AST (p = 0.001) and day 3 AST (p = 0.010) and ALT (p = 0.001).
      Higher DRI correlated with higher bilirubin levels measured on postoperative day
      1 (p = 0.027) and 2 (p = 0.001). Patients who developed initial graft poor
      function received liver grafts from older donors (p = 0.05) with a higher DRI (p
      = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a significant impact of donor age and
      DRI on perioperative coagulation kinetics that may be a result of initial graft
      poor function. Although CIT and DRI correlated with a more severe cholestasis and
      hepatocitolysis during the early postoperative period these seems to be short
      lived.

PMID- 28913474
TI  - Long-axis view for ultrasound-guided central venous catheter placement via the
      internal jugular vein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In modern practice, real-time ultrasound guidance is commonly
      employed for the placement of internal jugular vein catheters. With a new tool,
      such as ultrasound, comes the opportunity to refine and further optimize the
      ultrasound view during jugular vein catheterization. We describe jugular vein
      access techniques and use the long-axis view as an alternative to the commonly
      employed short-axis cross-section view for internal jugular vein access and
      cannulation. CONCLUSION: The long-axis ultrasound-guided internal jugular vein
      approach for internal jugular vein cannulation is a useful alternative technique
      that can provide better needle tip and guidewire visualization than the more
      traditional short-axis ultrasound view.

PMID- 28913475
TI  - Anaesthesia in early childhood - is the development of the immature brain in
      danger?
AB  - Experimental studies performed on immature animal brains had demonstrated a
      neurotoxic effect following sedation and general anaesthetics administration. The
      same magnitude of neurotoxicity has been suggested but not been proven to
      neonates, infants and small children who have undergone anaesthesia. There is a
      justified and increasing inquiry regarding the administration of general
      anaesthesia to paediatric patients.

PMID- 28913476
TI  - Focused cardiac and lung ultrasonography: implications and applicability in the
      perioperative period.
AB  - Focused ultrasonography in anesthesia (FUSA) can be a procedural and diagnostic
      tool, as well as potentially a tool for monitoring, and can facilitate the
      perioperative management of surgical patients. Its utilization is proposed within
      the anesthesiologist and/or intensivist scope of practice. However, there are
      significant barriers to more generalized use, but evidence continues to evolve
      that might one day make this practice a standard of care in the perioperative
      period. Currently, the most widely used applications of FUSA include the guidance
      and characterization of perioperative shock (acute cor pulmonale, left
      ventricular dysfunction, cardiac tamponade, and hypovolemia) and acute
      respiratory failure (pneumothorax, acute pulmonary edema, large pleural effusion,
      major atelectasis, and consolidation). Increased diagnostic accuracy of all of
      these clinical conditions makes FUSA valuable in the perioperative period.
      Furthermore, FUSA can be applied to other anesthesiology fields, such as airway
      management and evaluation of gastric content in surgical emergencies.

PMID- 28913478
TI  - Utilization of paravertebral nerve blocks as part of a multimodal analgesic
      regimen in a patient with Bernard-Soulier syndrome undergoing a Nuss procedure.
AB  - We present a case of regional analgesia utilized in a 43-year-old woman with
      Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) undergoing a Nuss procedure for the treatment of
      pectus excavatum. BSS is an extremely rare bleeding disorder (1:1,000,000)
      associated with prolonged bleeding times, giant platelets, and thrombocytopenia.
      Due to the rare incidence and heterogeneity in bleeding predisposition due to
      BSS, there is no clear consensus in management of such cases, and to our
      knowledge, utilization of regional analgesic techniques have not been described
      in the literature. The Nuss procedure is considered "minimally" invasive, and
      epidural analgesia is frequently utilized at our institution. Due to our
      patient's heterozygous presentation of BSS and mild history of bleeding, a
      modified perioperative multimodal analgesic plan was chosen which included
      bilateral single injection paravertebral nerve blocks (PVBs). Our report
      describes successful utilization of PVBs in a patient with BSS and our approach
      to this rare hereditary condition.

PMID- 28913477
TI  - Pulse waveform hemodynamic monitoring devices: recent advances and the place in
      goal-directed therapy in cardiac surgical patients.
AB  - Hemodynamic monitoring has evolved and improved greatly during the past decades
      as the medical approach has shifted from a static to a functional approach. The
      technological advances have led to innovating calibrated or not, but minimally
      invasive and noninvasive devices based on arterial pressure waveform (APW)
      analysis. This systematic clinical review outlines the physiologic rationale
      behind these recent technologies. We describe the strengths and the limitations
      of each method in terms of accuracy and precision of measuring the flow
      parameters (stroke volume, cardiac output) and dynamic parameters which predict
      the fluid responsiveness. We also analyzed the place of the APW monitoring
      devices in goal-directed therapy (GDT) protocols in cardiac surgical patients.
      According to the data from the three GDT-randomized control trials performed in
      cardiac surgery (using two types of APW techniques PiCCO and FloTrac/Vigileo),
      these devices did not demonstrate that they played a role in decreasing
      mortality, but only decreasing the ventilation time and the ICU and hospital
      length of stay.

PMID- 28913479
TI  - Acute mercury poisoning from occult ritual use.
AB  - Mercury exposure is a serious environmental issue that concerns people worldwide.
      Industrial emissions containing mercury, some pharmaceutical and cosmetic
      products represent exposure sources. In Romania, as in many other countries, a
      supplementary cause for mercury exposure is represented by various occult rituals
      where liquids containing mercury are supposed to be ingested. We present the case
      of a 28 year old female who was admitted to the hospital for oral paresthesia,
      nausea, vertigo and sialorrhoea, after ingesting 100 ml diluted liquid mercury
      during an occult ritual. After the gastrointestinal decontamination, including
      gastric lavage, activated charcoal and cathartics, the outcome was favourable and
      48 hours after admission the patient was discharged. This case report emphasizes
      the importance of an early digestive decontamination in mercury poisoning and the
      danger of mercury ingestion during various occult rituals.

PMID- 28913480
TI  - Singularity now: using the ventricular assist device as a model for future human
      robotic physiology.
AB  - In our 21st century world, human-robotic interactions are far more complicated
      than Asimov predicted in 1942. The future of human-robotic interactions includes
      human-robotic machine hybrids with an integrated physiology, working together to
      achieve an enhanced level of baseline human physiological performance. This
      achievement can be described as a biological Singularity. I argue that this time
      of Singularity cannot be met by current biological technologies, and that human
      robotic physiology must be integrated for the Singularity to occur. In order to
      conquer the challenges we face regarding human-robotic physiology, we first need
      to identify a working model in today's world. Once identified, this model can
      form the basis for the study, creation, expansion, and optimization of human
      robotic hybrid physiology. In this paper, I present and defend the line of
      argument that currently this kind of model (proposed to be named "IshBot") can
      best be studied in ventricular assist devices - VAD.

PMID- 28913481
TI  - Management of the hopelessly ill patient: to stop or not to start?
AB  - The paper discusses the subject of futile treatment in the case of a hopelessly
      ill patient. The topic has many facets, among them the ethical precepts of
      preventing futile treatment, but also the economic and logistic impact of
      treating patients who do not have a fair chance of benefitting from managing
      their medical condition. A 75-year old patient, suffering from an advanced stage
      of Alzheimer's disease and a clinical picture of acute surgical abdomen, is
      presented and two approaches are discussed. The first scenario is the aggressive
      management, including immediate laparotomy and admission to an intensive care
      unit, a solution without a fair chance of saving the patient's life. The most
      favorable, but theoretical, output in this case would be the patient's return to
      his previous mental condition, without any connection with the reality and
      surroundings and in permanent need for help, supervision and assistance. The
      second option is letting the patient die in dignity, alleviating pain and
      surrounded by family. The role of the primary care physician and family is
      discussed and some ethical principles are presented in order to emphasize the
      importance of preventing futile treatment in a case of a terminally ill patient.

PMID- 28913482
TI  - Sleep disordered breathing and the anaesthetist.

PMID- 28913483
TI  - The prevalence of perioperative complications in patients with and without
      obstructive sleep apnoea: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) have a high
      risk of postoperative complications. The purpose of the study was to record the
      spectrum and frequency of postoperative complications in patients with OSA versus
      (vs.) without OSA depending on the type of surgery and type of anaesthesia in a
      large cohort of patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, descriptive study
      (n = 400). Ethics Committee approval was obtained and written informed consent
      was signed. The Berlin screening questionnaire was used for OSA screening (77.2% 
      OSA [+]). Adverse events and complications were recorded postoperatively (AOS
      [+] vs. AOS [-]). Statistics: Chi square test. RESULTS: The highest rate of
      complications was found in patients who had underwent surgery in the abdominal
      cavity under general anaesthesia, AOS [+] vs. AOS [-]: cardiovascular [56.4%] vs.
      [7.5%], respiratory [17.6%] vs. [3.5%], stroke [0.7%] vs. [0.0% ], prolonged
      awakening from anaesthesia [2.5%] vs. [0.0%], postoperative fever [1.4%] vs.
      [0.3%], difficult orotracheal intubation [3.5%] vs. [0.3% ], unscheduled transfer
      to the intensive care unit [5.7%] vs. [0.0%]. CONCLUSIONS: OSA [+] patients who
      underwent abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia had a higher rate of
      complications compared to OSA [-] patients, and also compared to patients who had
      undergone peripheral limb surgery. Surgery on the musculoskeletal system is much
      better tolerated by patients with OSA, suffering a lower number and range of
      events and postoperative complications. Loco-regional anaesthesia should be
      considered a priority in patients with OSA.

PMID- 28913484
TI  - Identification of significant obstructive sleep apnoea in the obese patient:
      development of the novel DX-OSA score.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is a high prevalence of undiagnosed obstructive
      sleep apnoea (OSA) in obese surgical patients. We investigated the extent to
      which anthropometric measurements can be used to identify the presence of
      significant OSA (Apnoea/Hypopnoea Index (AHI) >= 20) in adult patients. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We prospectively studied 1357 adult patients scheduled for elective
      laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Prior to surgery, body mass index (BMI), gender,
      neck circumference, STOP-Bang score, SpO2, neck and trunk fat (by dual X-ray
      absorptiometry) were recorded. All patients with a STOP-Bang score >= 5 underwent
      polysomnography. Auto-titrated Positive Airway Pressure (APAP) therapy was
      instituted when AHI >= 20/h. Predictors of OSA were identified and their cut-off
      values determined. RESULTS: In total, 1357 patients were screened; 345 patients
      underwent preoperative polysomnography; 190 had AHI >= 20/h and received APAP
      treatment. The novel Dual X-Ray-Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (DX-OSA) score was
      derived from the data. The score included 6 items: the STOP-Bang score, BMI, neck
      fat, trunk fat, baseline SpO2, and Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV), and its
      sensitivity, specificity, positive-predictive values, negative-predictive values,
      likelihood ratios, and post-test probabilities determined. At a cut-off of 3, the
      DX-OSA score had the same sensitivity as the STOP-bang score, but better
      specificity. The lowest likelihood ratio was found for STOP-Bang and the highest
      for the DX-OSA score (OSA probability > 83%). CONCLUSION: The DX-OSA score may be
      useful for identifying obese patients with significant OSA who require CPAP
      (continuous positive airway pressure) treatment, and CPAP could be commenced
      without the need for polysomnography, therefore, without delaying surgery.

PMID- 28913485
TI  - An in vitro study of the release capacity of the local anaesthetics from siloxane
      matrices.
AB  - AIMS: In the field of anaesthesia and intensive care, the controlled release
      systems capable of delivering constantly local anaesthetics are of interest
      because of the advantages brought to pain management. In this paper we presented
      the release profiles by usage of siloxane matrices of two common local
      anaesthetics, lidocaine and bupivacaine, analysed in vitro. METHODS: The siloxane
      matrices were obtained in accordance with the methods described in the
      specialized literature, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and tetramethoxysilane (TMOS)
      were used as precursors. Lidocaine and bupivacaine were encapsulated in the
      synthesized gels. The controlled release was performed in vitro artificial
      systems in which temperature (30 degrees C, 36.5 degrees C, 40 degrees C) and pH
      (6, 7, 8) have varied. RESULTS: Following the analysis of the artificial systems
      similar profiles were highlighted for both local anaesthetics. Statistically
      significant differences were identified (p < 0.05) for systems where the release
      occurred at temperatures above 36.5 degrees C. There were no statistically
      significant differences regarding the influence of pH, the type of the entrapped
      anaesthetic or the type of the precursor used in the synthesis of siloxane
      matrices. CONCLUSIONS: According to this experimental study, the pH, the type of
      precursor or the type of anaesthetic does not statistically influence the release
      profile from the studied system. In conclusion, these systems are promising for
      obtaining pharmaceutical preparations which can be used in current clinical
      practice. Several studies on controlled release siloxane systems should be
      carried out both in vitro and in vivo in order to exclude possible toxicity and
      histopathological effects.

PMID- 28913487
TI  - Perioperative Surgical Home. Meeting tomorrow's challenges.
AB  - New healthcare models pose a variety of changes for anesthesiologists, ranging
      from the need to improve quality and to cost containment: as such, the concept of
      Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) has been developed. Modelled after the UK's
      Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), PSH takes a step further by coordinating
      care starting from the time a surgical decision is made for the patient to as
      many as 30 days postoperatively, taking a logical evidenced-based approach to
      judicious preoperative testing. Perioperative surgical home also relies heavily
      on engineering imported strategies such as the use of Lean Six Sigma
      methodologies, and involves active participation of all stakeholders. By
      comparison, ERAS is a series of well-defined clinical protocols that do not
      extend beyond the episode of surgical care. As an added aspect of its benefits,
      PSH also helps to control costs by decreasing unnecessary testing and
      cancellations, and allowing for more OR access by inpatients.

PMID- 28913488
TI  - Bilateral thoracic paravertebral nerve blocks for placement of percutaneous
      radiologic gastrostomy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case
      series.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To assess the efficacy of bilateral thoracic paravertebral
      nerve blocks (PVB) in providing procedural anesthesia and post-procedural
      analgesia for placement of percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy tubes (PRG) in
      patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: We prospectively
      observed 10 patients with ALS scheduled for PRG placement that had bilateral
      thoracic PVBs at thoracic 7, 8, and 9 levels with administration of a mixture of
      3 mL of 1% ropivacaine, 0.5 mg/mL dexamethasone, and 5 MUg/mL epinephrine at each
      level. The success of the block was assessed after 10 minutes. PRG placement was
      done in the interventional radiology suite without sedation. All patients were
      followed up via phone 24 hours after the procedure. RESULTS: All 10 patients had
      successful placement of PRG with PVBs as the primary anesthetic. Segmental
      anesthesia over the surgical site in all cases was successful with first attempt
      of the blocks. Three patients had significant hypotension after the block,
      requiring boluses of vasopressors and intravenous fluids. All patients reported
      high levels of satisfaction and sleep quality on the night of the procedure.
      CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral thoracic PVBs provided satisfactory procedural anesthesia
      and post-procedural analgesia, and thus, seem promising as a safe alternative to
      sedation in ALS patients having PRG placement.

PMID- 28913486
TI  - The switch from buprenorphine to tapentadol: is it worth?
AB  - Opioid analgesia continues to be the primary pharmacologic intervention for
      managing acute pain and malignant pain in both hospitalized and ambulatory
      patients. The increasing use of opioids in chronic nonmalignant pain is more
      problematic. Opioid treatment is complicated with the risks raised by adverse
      effects, especially cognitive disturbance, respiratory depression but also the
      risk of tolerance, opioid abuse and drug-disease interactions. Despite the
      growing number of available opioids within the last years, adequate trials of
      opioid rotation are lacking and most of the information is anecdotal. This
      article reviews the clinical evidence surrounding the switch from transdermal
      buprenorphine to tapentadol in malignant and non-malignant pain. Tapentadol acts
      on both the MU-opioid receptors (MOR) and on the neuronal reuptake of
      noradrenaline with a limited usefulness in acute pain management while
      buprenorphine is a mixed agonist-antagonist, and both present some advantages
      over other opioids. Both drugs show particular pharmacodynamic and
      pharmacokinetic properties which reduce the risks of development of tolerance,
      opioid abuse, diversion and determine fewer hormone changes than the "classical
      opioids" making these opioids more attractive than other opioids in long term
      opioid treatment. However, in the absence of powered clinical trials, the
      evidence to support the method used for transdermal buprenorphine rotation to
      tapentadol is weak.

PMID- 28913489
TI  - Cerebral salt wasting syndrome in patients with minor head trauma - two case
      reports.
AB  - We describe two polytrauma patients without severe head trauma who developed
      Cerebral Salt Wasting Syndrome (CSWS) during their stay in our ICU with
      natriuresis, hyponatremia and hypovolemia. Hyponatremia encountered in CSWS and
      the syndrome of inadequate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) is a common
      electrolyte finding in patients with severe head trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage,
      malignancy and infections of the central nervous system. CSWS was an unexpected
      electrolyte finding in our patients with minor head trauma without neurological
      or neurosurgical problems. To rule out other causes of hyponatremia (SIADH,
      secondary adrenal dysfunction and thyroid dysfunction) a correct diagnosis is
      very important, as proper treatment of CSWS with fluid and salt replacement will
      decrease mortality and morbidity. In conclusion, CSWS should be suspected in any
      polytrauma patient with minor head trauma and hyponatremia.

PMID- 28913490
TI  - Early sepsis biomarkers and their relation to mortality.

PMID- 28913491
TI  - Medical simulation - a costly but essential teaching tool.

PMID- 28913492
TI  - Incorporating airway examination photography into the electronic record.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Photography of the airway has been used in research to validate
      preoperative airway assessment and the likelihood of identifying the difficult-to
      mask ventilate and/or intubate patient. Up till now, no study has demonstrated
      the perceived utility of incorporation of airway photographs into the anesthesia
      preassessment. METHODS: The University of Florida Health Presurgical Clinic
      routinely incorporates three photographs of all adult patients during their
      preanesthesia visit. The first is a head-on view of the patient opening the mouth
      widely as part of a Mallampati examination, and the second and third are side
      views of the patient prognathing and with the neck in maximal extension,
      respectively. After IRB approval, providers of anesthesia were surveyed regarding
      their opinions on the perceived value of the new process. Chi-square tests were
      used to determine if the responses to each question significantly differed from
      the distribution that would be predicted by chance. P < 0.05 was considered
      statistically significant. RESULTS: The survey was emailed to 180 individuals,
      with 145 responding. The responses significantly (P < 0.0001) indicated that the
      photographs helped the providers plan care for their patients and improved their
      satisfaction with the preoperative assessment. Technical and educational barriers
      were overcome using iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles and coaching,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Photographs of the airway assessment can successfully
      be taken and incorporated into an electronic medical record in a busy presurgical
      clinic. The pictures provide additional perceived value to the traditional
      written assessment of a patient's airway examination by someone else.

PMID- 28913493
TI  - An evaluation of operating room throughput in a stand-alone soft-tissue trauma
      operating theatre.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Operating room time is a limited, expensive commodity in acute
      hospitals. Strategies aimed at reduction of non-operative time improve operating
      room throughput and capacity. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate and
      augment operating room throughput and capacity using context-specific work
      practice changes. METHODS: Following institutional and ethical approval, an
      interdisciplinary group designed and introduced a series of work practice changes
      specific to a stand-alone soft tissue trauma theatre, comprising modifications to
      patient processing, staff behaviours and additional anaesthesiologist hours. Time
      intervals relating to each patient were measured during a 16 week period before
      and after implementing work practice changes. The primary outcome measure was non
      operative time, with daily caseload and cancellations amongst secondary outcome
      measures. RESULTS: 251 procedures were included over 58 working days (8 to 17
      Monday to Friday). Non-operative time [55.6 (31.1) vs 52.3 (9.8) minutes, p =
      0.48], daily caseload [4 [1-9] vs 4 [2-7], p = 0.56], and the number of daily
      cancellations [3 [0-11] vs 5 [0-8], p = 0.38], did not differ between baseline
      and study phases. Regional anaesthesia for upper limb surgery increased during
      the study phase [26/59 (44.0%) vs 10/63 (15.9%), p = 0.014] with resultant
      decrease in mean duration of recovery room stay [20.7 (17.7) vs 30 (20.5)
      minutes, p = 0.0001] and increased recovery room bypass [26/116 (22.4%) vs 6/135
      (4.4%), p = 0.0002]. Avoidable delays accounted for 124.8 (72.2) minutes of
      theatre time lost each day. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, additional attending
      anaesthesiologist hours combined with work practice changes did not impact on
      measures of theatre throughput and capacity. The study identified important
      variables that contribute to avoidable delays, and points the way for future
      research.

PMID- 28913494
TI  - The public perception of the anaesthesiologist in Romania: a survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the public perception of
      anaesthesiologists' duties regarding perioperative management lacks a good
      understanding. The aim of this study was to assess the public perception of the
      anaesthesiologist's role before, during and after surgery, in Romania. METHOD:
      The prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken between January 2015 and
      August 2016. A questionnaire that comprised 23 questions was uploaded on Google
      at
      https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KxC8jSYydhEu3pn0Hr0LHEsuCEQLSEHQqUo_HzrHuw8/view
      orm. The link was forwarded on-line randomly (mail, social media). The questions
      were structured based on current literature. Inclusion criteria were people aged
      >15 years and not directly related to any medical activity. The answers were
      anonymously registered, in real time, in an Excel format, used later to process
      the statistics. RESULTS: 1153 people completed the questionnaire, 61% female and
      39% male, 80.8% being from the urban area and 19.2% from the countryside. 62.7%
      were hospitalized in the past, and 49.8% had undergone at least one surgery. From
      the questioned group 65.2% had graduated university, and 64.3% were aged between
      20 and 40 years. A majority of 1089 respondents (94.6%) knew that the
      anaesthesiologist was responsible for providing anaesthesia in the operating
      room. 26.6% considered that the surgeon and the anaesthesiologist played
      different roles in OR, but 54.4% understood that there is a collaboration between
      them during surgery. Only 36.2% were aware that the anaesthesiologist replaces
      blood losses and provides patients hemodynamic stability and proper oxygenation
      during surgery. 54.6% believe that the surgeon decides upon the postoperative
      pain management and only 32% know the anaesthesiologist is the physician in
      charge of intensive care patients. 79.5% of respondents are willing to receive
      from their anaesthesiologist detailed information, regarding anaesthesia and
      postoperative care, before surgery, and consider that more publicity should be
      made regarding this profession. CONCLUSION: The public perception of the
      anaesthesiologist's role in Romania is inaccurate in spite of the fact that a
      large group in our study comprised highly educated people living in urban areas.
      We consider that further strengthening of the anaesthesiologist/patient
      relationship and an increased media exposure of our specialty would help to
      improve its social perception.

PMID- 28913495
TI  - Improvement of recovery parameters using patient-controlled epidural analgesia
      after oncological surgery. A prospective, randomized single center study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare patient-controlled epidural
      analgesia (PCEA) versus conventional opioid intravenous (IV) infusion after
      gastrointestinal cancer surgery regarding several post-surgery parameters of
      recovery. METHODS: One hundred and one patients were prospectively randomized to
      receive either thoracic/lumbar PCEA (PCEA group) or the standard analgesia
      technique used in our hospital, conventional IV infusion of morphine (IVMO group)
      after gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Pain intensity, time of mobilization and
      bowel function recovery were analyzed post-surgery. We also evaluated
      postoperative complications and length of Postoperative-Intermediate Intensive
      Care Unit (PI-ICU) stay and hospital stay. RESULTS: Pain intensity was
      significantly less in the PCEA group in comparison with the IVMO Group at
      awakening 2, 8, 24, 30 and 48 hours after surgery (p <0.001, p <0.001, p <0.001,
      p = 0.043, p = 0.036, and p = 0.029, respectively). The latency to bedside
      mobilization, walking, first postoperative flatus and apparition of first stool
      were significantly faster (1.74 versus 2.26 days, 3.06 versus 3.78 days, 2.1
      versus 3.14 days and 3.73 versus 5.28 days, respectively) in the PCEA group than
      in the IVMO group (p <0.001, p <0.001, p <0.001, and p <0.001, respectively). The
      incidence of nausea/vomiting was significantly lower in the PCEA group in
      comparison with the IVMO group (p = 0.001). Surgical-associated complications
      were significantly lower in the IVMO Group than in the PCEA group (p = 0.023).
      Length of PI-ICU stay was similar in the two groups but length of hospital stay
      was significantly shorter in PCEA group (4 versus 5 days p = 0.2849, 9 versus 12
      days; p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PCEA provides better postoperative pain control,
      improves postoperative recovery after gastrointestinal cancer surgery compared
      with conventional intravenous morphine infusion. Therefore, it is more acceptable
      than conventional pain management.

PMID- 28913496
TI  - Anaesthesiologists' simulation training during emergencies in obstetrics.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Methods of simulation training and quality assessment during
      obstetric emergencies are still ambiguous. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      the effectiveness of anaesthesiologists' simulation training for emergency
      situations in obstetrics. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, descriptive, and
      comparative study to evaluate the anaesthesiologists' simulation training
      effectiveness during obstetrical emergencies. Data of 109 obstetrical
      anaesthesiologists trained over two years for invasive procedures and
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation, high-fidelity scenarios and medical personnel
      teamwork included were analyzed. We used the two-sided t-test (p < 0.05
      considered significant). RESULTS: We noted during the fifth training sessions,
      the anaesthesiologists had a significant manipulation time decrease for all
      skills compared to the ones assessed during their first training session (p <
      0.01). The 100-grade scale scores for all invasive techniques significantly
      improved during the anaesthesiologists' training (p < 0.01). Cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation effectiveness and team work also improved significantly during the
      fifth session (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: As a result of simulation training,
      significant improvement of speed and quality indicators, for invasive techniques
      in obstetrical emergency states treatment, was noted. For the fifth training
      sessions, there was a decrease in the practical skills execution time. The
      overall effectiveness and teamwork quality for cardiopulmonary resuscitation
      showed significant improvement.

PMID- 28913497
TI  - ECoG spectrum changes at different xenon-isoflurane anaesthesia depths.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The purpose of this study is to assess the frontal and
      parietal ECoG spectrum (gamma range) changes during isoflurane and combined xenon
      isoflurane anaesthesia in rats. METHODS: Experiments were carried out on four
      adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g). The anaesthesia was induced with
      isoflurane and maintained with isoflurane and a xenon-isoflurane mixture. The
      rats were maintained at two different anaesthetic depths: light (isoflurane
      anaesthesia) and deep (isoflurane and xenon-isoflurane anaesthesia). The frontal
      and the parietal cortical activity was assessed by computing the median
      frequency, spectral edge frequency and functional connectivity between these two
      areas during light and deep anaesthesia. RESULTS: We noticed a decrease in
      cortical connectivity under deep isoflurane anaesthesia and an increase in
      connectivity under deep xenon-isoflurane anaesthesia. Moreover, during xenon
      isoflurane anaesthesia, a trend of regularity of electro-cortical activity was
      present compared with isoflurane anaesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Xenon-isoflurane deep
      anaesthesia demonstrated a series of specific ECoG features regarding
      frontoparietal functional connectivity (gamma range connectivity increase) and
      regularity of the electrocortical activity compared with isoflurane anaesthesia.

PMID- 28913498
TI  - Quality trends in healthcare and their impact on anesthesiology.
AB  - The new approach of a patient-centred, appropriate and timely care that was at
      the heart of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) initiative is changing the face of
      the healthcare industry in general and, in particular, of anesthesiology as a
      speciality. The drivers of this change are better quality and decreased
      healthcare costs, since despite a large expenditure for healthcare, the quality
      of care has not changed tremendously. Metrics have been identified, derived from
      the cybernetic model first described by the quality "parent". Donabedian and each
      of those metrics have both advantages as well as disadvantages. Ultimately the
      outcome measures are the ones that CMS will hold hospitals accountable for
      financially as well as from a safety standpoint. The culture of safety and
      quality as well as methodologies to improve that culture will shape the future of
      quality of care and improve outcomes and patient satisfaction.

PMID- 28913499
TI  - Perioperative hyperoxia: perhaps a malady in disguise.
AB  - Oxygen is an element, which is used liberally during several medical procedures.
      The use of oxygen during perioperative care is a controversial issue.
      Anesthesiologists use oxygen to prevent hypoxemia during surgical procedures, but
      the effects of its liberal use can be harmful. Another argument for using high
      oxygen concentrations is to prevent surgical site infections by increasing oxygen
      levels at the incision site. Although inconclusive, literature concerning the use
      of high oxygen concentrations during anesthesia show that this approach may cause
      hemodynamic changes, altered microcirculation and increased oxidative stress. In
      intensive care it has been shown that high oxygen concentrations may be
      associated with increased mortality in certain patient populations such as post
      cardiac arrest patients. In this paper, a review of literature had been
      undertaken to warn anesthesiologists about the potential harmful effects of high
      oxygen concentrations.

PMID- 28913500
TI  - Neuroendocrine stress response: implications for cardiac surgery-associated acute
      kidney injury.
AB  - Surgical stress causes biochemical and physiologic perturbations of every
      homeostatic axis. These alterations include volume/baroreceptor regulation,
      sympathetic activation, parasympathetic suppression, neuroendocrine activation,
      acute phase response protein synthesis and secretion, immune response modulation
      and long-term behavioral adaptation. The kidney is central to the stress response
      because of its main role in the maintenance of water, electrolyte balance and
      hence, intracellular and extracellular compartments, including the intravascular
      volume. Acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery occurs as a result of numerous
      factors including ischemia-reperfusion, inflammation, oxidative stress,
      neurohormonal activation, metabolic factors, and nephrotoxicity or pigment
      nephropathy. The neuroendocrine stress response has a central role in initiating
      renal injury during cardiac surgery through an increased release of arginine
      vasopressin and activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the intrarenal
      and systemic renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. The contribution of an
      exaggerated neuroendocrine stress response to cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary
      bypass as key pathophysiologic mechanism for acute kidney injury after cardiac
      surgery represents an opportunity for scientific exploration.

PMID- 28913501
TI  - Acute poisoning due to ingestion of Datura stramonium - a case report.
AB  - Datura stramonium (DS) is a widespread annual plant, containing atropine,
      hyoscyamine, and scopolamine, which can produce poisoning with a severe
      anticholinergic syndrome. Teenagers ingest the roots, seeds or the entire plant
      to obtain its hallucinogenic and euphoric effects. We presented the case of a 22
      year old male who was admitted to the Emergency Room in a coma after consuming
      Datura stramonium, 2 hours earlier. The patient presented with fever, tachycardia
      with right bundle branch block, and urinary retention. Rapid sequence induction
      and intubation was performed immediately, with sedation and assisted-control
      mechanical ventilation, after being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. The
      patient received activated charcoal, in repeated doses, external and internal
      cooling was applied, and an infusion of neostigmine was started. The biological
      assessment revealed rhabdomyolysis and prevention of renal failure was initiated.
      After a proper neurological evaluation, 36 hours after using Datura stramonium,
      the patient was extubated and transferred to the Psychiatric ward for further
      assessment and care.

PMID- 28913502
TI  - Regional anesthesia for a total knee arthroplasty on an adult patient with
      spastic diplegia and an intrathecal baclofen pump.
AB  - We describe the clinical presentation of a patient with spastic diplegia, and its
      unique perioperative challenges. Opioids and antispasmodic medications are the
      primary therapy for managing pain and spasticity in the perioperative setting.
      However, such combination results in several side-effects and their sedative
      properties are synergistic. A 64-year-old woman with a history of spastic
      diplegia and an intrathecal baclofen pump for the treatment of her lower
      extremity spasticity was scheduled for a third elective left knee arthroplasty.
      She requested a regional anesthetic for the anticipated surgery and an opioid
      sparing postoperative analgesic regiment. We describe the successful use of a
      lumbar plexus and a sciatic nerve block as the primary anesthetic for the surgery
      and the use of a continuous lumbar plexus catheter for the postoperative course.
      Based on our patient's past anesthetic history, a regional anesthetic/analgesic
      technique is the ideal strategy in controlling perioperative pain and spasticity.

PMID- 28913503
TI  - Modern management of antimalarial usage and retinopathy.

PMID- 28913504
TI  - A review and meta-analysis of corneal cross-linking for post-laser vision
      correction ectasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to review the safety and stability of cornea
      cross-linking (CXL) for the treatment of keratectasia after Excimer Laser
      Refractive Surgery. METHODS: Eligible studies were identified by systematically
      searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and reference lists. Meta-analysis was
      performed using Stata 12.1 software. The primary outcome parameters included the
      changes of corrected distant visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected visual acuity
      (UCVA), the maximum keratometry value (Kmax) and minimum keratometry value
      (Kmin), the surface regularity index (SRI), the surface asymmetry index (SAI),
      the keratoconus prediction index (KPI), corneal thickness, and endothelial cell
      count. Efficacy estimates were evaluated by weighted mean difference (WMD) and
      95% confidence interval (CI) for absolute changes of the interested outcomes.
      RESULTS: Seven studies involving 118 patients treated with CXL for progressive
      ectasia after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) or photorefractive
      keratectomy (PRK) (140 eyes; the follow-up time range from 12 to 62 months) were
      included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that there were no
      significant differences in Kmax and Kmin values after CXL (WMD = 0.584; 95% CI: 
      0.289 to 1.458; P = 0.19; WMD = 0.466; 95% CI: -0.625 to 1.556; P = 0.403,
      respectively). The CDVA improved significantly after CXL (WMD = 0.045; 95% CI:
      0.010 to 0.079; P = 0.011), whereas UCVA did not differ statistically (WMD =
      0.011; 95% CI: -0.055 to 0.077; P = 0.746). The changes were not statistically
      significant in SRI, SAI, and KPI (WMD = 0.116; 95% CI: -0.090 to 0.322; P =
      0.269; WMD = 0.240; 95% CI: -0.200 to 0.681; P = 0.285; WMD = 0.045; 95% CI: 
      0.001 to 0.090; P = 0.056, respectively). Endothelial cell count and corneal
      thickness did not deteriorate (WMD = 12.634; 95% CI: -29.460 to 54.729; P =
      0.556; WMD = 0.657; 95% CI: -9.402 to 10.717; P = 0.898, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: The study showed that CXL is a promising treatment to stabilize the
      keratectasia after Excimer Laser Refractive Surgery. Further long-term follow-up
      studies are necessary to assess the persistence of the effect of the CXL.

PMID- 28913506
TI  - Comparison of the long-term outcomes of resident versus attending performed
      trabeculectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the long-term outcomes obtained by residents and attending
      surgeons performing trabeculectomy. METHODS: After reviewing medical records of
      the patients, 41 residents performing trabeculectomy under supervision of
      attendings were compared to 41 attendings performing trabeculectomy. The primary
      outcome measure was the surgical success defined in terms of intraocular pressure
      (IOP) <= 21 mmHg (criterion A) and IOP <= 16 mmHg (criterion B), with at least
      20% reduction in IOP, either with no medication (complete success) or with no
      more than 2 medications (qualified success). IOP, number of glaucoma medications,
      surgical complications, and visual acuity were analyzed as secondary outcome
      measures. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 59.5 +/- 8.6 years in the
      resident group and 59.6 +/- 12.31 years in the attending group (P = 0.96).
      Furthermore, mean duration of the follow-up was 62.34 +/- 5.51 months in the
      resident group and 64.80 +/- 7.80 months in the attending group (P = 0.10). The
      cumulative success according to criterion A was 87.8% in the resident group and
      85.3% in the attending group (P = 0.50). Moreover, according to criterion B, it
      was 87.8% and 83% in the resident and attending groups, respectively (P = 0.62).
      Repeated glaucoma surgery was required in 12.2% and 2.4% of the patients in the
      resident and attending groups, respectively (P = 0.09). Rate of complications was
      12.2% and 4.8% in the resident and attending groups, respectively (P = 0.23).
      CONCLUSION: There were comparable results with respect to success rates and
      complications between residents and attending surgeons performing trabeculectomy
      in the long-term follow-up.

PMID- 28913507
TI  - Keratoconus diagnosis using Corvis ST measured biomechanical parameters.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic power of the Corneal Visualization Scheimpflug
      Technology (Corvis ST) provided corneal biomechanical parameters in keratoconic
      corneas. METHODS: The following biomechanical parameters of 48 keratoconic eyes
      were compared with the corresponding ones in 50 normal eyes: time of the first
      applanation and time from start to the second applanation [applanation-1 time
      (A1T) and applanation-2 time (A2T)], time of the highest corneal displacement
      [highest concavity time (HCT)], magnitude of the displacement [highest concavity
      deformation amplitude (HCDA)], the length of the flattened segment in the
      applanations [first applanation length (A1L) and second applanation length
      (A2L)], velocity of corneal movement during applanations [applanation-1 velocity
      (A1V) and applanation-2 velocity (A2V)], distance between bending points of the
      cornea at the highest concavity [highest concavity peak distance (HCPD)], central
      concave curvature at the highest concavity [highest concavity radius (HCR)]. To
      assess the change of parameters by disease severity, the keratoconus group was
      divided into two subgroups, and their biomechanical parameters were compared with
      each other and with normal group. The parameters' predictive ability was assessed
      by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. To control the effect of
      central corneal thickness (CCT) difference between the two groups, two subgroups
      with similar CCT were selected, and the analyses were repeated. RESULTS: Of the
      10 parameters compared, the means of the 8 were significantly different between
      groups (P < 0.05). Means of the parameters did not show significant difference
      between keratoconus subgroups (P > 0.05). ROC curve analyses showed excellent
      distinguishing ability for A1T and HCR [area under the curve (AUC) > 0.9], and
      good distinguishing ability for A2T, A2V, and HCDA (0.9 > AUC > 0.7). A1T reading
      was able to correctly identify at least 93% of eyes with keratoconus (cut-off
      point 7.03). In two CCT matched subgroups, A1T showed an excellent distinguishing
      ability again. CONCLUSIONS: The A1T seems a valuable parameter in the diagnosis
      of keratoconic eyes. It showed excellent diagnostic ability even when controlled
      for CCT. None of the parameters were reliable index for keratoconus staging.

PMID- 28913505
TI  - Periorbital facial rejuvenation; applied anatomy and pre-operative assessment.
AB  - PURPOSE: Since different subspecialties are currently performing a variety of
      upper facial rejuvenation procedures, and the level of knowledge on the ocular
      and periocular anatomy and physiology is different, this review aims to highlight
      the most important preoperative examinations and tests with special attention to
      the eye and periocular adnexal structures for general ophthalmologist and
      specialties other than oculo-facial surgeons in order to inform them about the
      fine and important points that should be considered before surgery to have both
      cosmetic and functional improvement. METHODS: English literature review was
      performed using PubMed with the different keywords of "periorbital rejuvenation",
      "blepharoptosis", "eyebrow ptosis", "blepharoplasty", "eyelid examination",
      "facial assessment", and "lifting". Initial screening was performed by the senior
      author to include the most pertinent articles. The full text of the selected
      articles was reviewed, and some articles were added based upon the references of
      the initial articles. Included articles were then reviewed with special attention
      to the preoperative assessment of the periorbital facial rejuvenation procedures.
      RESULTS: There were 254 articles in the initial screening from which 84 articles
      were found to be mostly related to the topic of this review. The number finally
      increased to 112 articles after adding the pertinent references of the initial
      articles. CONCLUSION: Static and dynamic aging changes of the periorbital area
      should be assessed as an eyelid-eyebrow unit paying more attention to the
      anthropometric landmarks. Assessing the facial asymmetry, performing
      comprehensive and detailed ocular examination, and asking about patients'
      expectation are three key elements in this regard. Furthermore, taking standard
      facial pictures, obtaining special consent form, and finally getting feedback are
      also indispensable tools toward a better outcome.

PMID- 28913508
TI  - Confocal biomicroscopic changes of the corneal layers following femtosecond laser
      assisted MyoRing implantation in keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of the femtosecond laser-assisted MyoRing
      implantation on the confocal biomicroscopic findings in different corneal layers
      of the patients with keratoconus. METHODS: Twelve eyes of 12 patients with mild
      to moderate keratoconus (keratometry between 48 and 52 diopters) and intolerance
      to hard contact lens entered the study. All the included patients underwent
      femtosecond laser-assisted MyoRing (Dioptex GmBH, Linz, Austria) implantation.
      The confocal biomicroscopy of the cornea was performed for all corneal layers in
      the center and periphery preoperatively and 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The
      cell counts and the qualitative findings in each layer of the cornea were
      compared between preoperative and 3 and 6 months postoperative images. RESULTS:
      Compared with preoperative values, the central epithelial and the central and
      peripheral midstromal cell counts were significantly decreased 6 months after
      MyoRing implantation (P = 0.015, P = 0.010 and 0.005, respectively). Furthermore,
      compared with preoperative values, the peripheral posterior stromal cell count
      was significantly decreased 3 months after MyoRing implantation (P = 0.033). In
      the qualitative analysis, highly reflective nuclei in the basal epithelium,
      transient disruption in the subepithelial nerve plexus, increase in the
      reflectivity of the stromal keratocyte, and normal endothelial cell morphology
      were seen. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated some findings similar to that
      reported in intrastromal corneal ring segments (ICRS): decreased central
      epithelial cell counts, highly reflective nuclei in the basal epithelium,
      transient disruption in the subepithelial nerve plexus, and normal endothelial
      cell count and morphology. In addition, a decrease in the central and peripheral
      midstromal, transient decrease in posterior stromal cell counts, and absence of
      amorphous depositions were in contrast with the findings reported in ICRS.

PMID- 28913509
TI  - Effects of single-segment Intacs implantation on visual acuity and corneal
      topographic indices of keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the changes in visual acuity and topographic indices after
      implantation of single-segment Intacs. METHODS: Forty-two keratoconic eyes
      received Femtosecond-assisted single-segment Intacs. Uncorrected distance visual
      acuity (UDVA) and best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), refractive
      error, keratometry (K1, K2, Km, and KMax.), and seven Pentacam measured
      topographical indices; index of surface variance (ISV), index of vertical
      asymmetry (IVA), keratoconus index (KI), central keratoconus index (CKI), index
      of height asymmetry (IHA), index of height decentration (IHD), and minimum radius
      of curvature (R Min) were assessed 4 months after surgery. Correlations between
      changes of visual acuity and topographical indices changes were evaluated.
      RESULTS: UDVA increased from 0.92 +/- 0.35 to 0.49 +/- 0.31 logMAR (P < 0.001),
      and BSCVA increased from 0.39 +/- 0.15 to 0.23 +/- 0.11 logMAR (P < 0.001).
      Subjective refraction spherical equivalent (SRSE) decreased from -3.92 +/- 1.66
      diopters (D) to -2.00 +/- 1.51 D (P < 0.001). Mean central Keratometry decreased
      2.16 +/- 1.09 D from the preoperative readings (P < 0.001). All Pentacam
      topographical indices except CKI significantly improved (for IHA P = 0.046, for
      five others P < 0.001). The correlation between improvement in topographical
      indices and visual acuity improvements was not week. CONCLUSION: Intacs
      implantation in keratoconic eyes increased visual acuity and made corneal shape
      less irregular. However, the improvements of visual acuity and corneal shape were
      not strongly correlated.

PMID- 28913511
TI  - Accuracy of formulae for secondary intraocular lens power calculations in
      pediatric aphakia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy of axial length vergence formulas versus
      refractive vergence formulas for secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in
      pediatric aphakia. METHODS: This retrospective comparative study, evaluated 31
      eyes of 31 patients aged <=3.5 years, who had undergone secondary IOL
      implantation. The median absolute error (MedAE) was compared between axial length
      vergence formulas (Hoffer Q, Holladay I, SRK II, and SRK/T) and refractive
      vergence formulas (Lanchulev, Holladay R, Mackool, and Khan) as well as between
      formulas within the same vergence. RESULTS: There was a significant difference (P
      = 0.010) between MedAE for axial length vergence formulas [1.19 Diopter(D)] and
      MedAE for refractive vergence formulas (2.48 D). The MedAE of axial length
      vergence formulas were comparable as to Hoffer (1.59 D), Holladay (1.27 D), SRK/T
      (1.23 D), and SRK II (1.30 D). Among refractive vergence formulas, Lanchulev
      (5.00 D) and Holladay R (2.51 D) had significantly larger MedAE as compared to
      Khan (2.06 D) and Mackool (2.15 D). CONCLUSION: Axial length vergence formulas
      performed significantly better than refractive vergence formulas; however, axial
      length vergence formulas were comparable within the same vergence.

PMID- 28913510
TI  - The prevalence and determinants of pterygium in rural areas.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of pterygium and its determinants in the
      underserved, rural population of Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of
      3851 selected individuals, 86.5% participated in the study, and the prevalence of
      pterygium was evaluated in 3312 participants. A number of villages were selected
      from the north and south of Iran using multistage cluster sampling. Pterygium was
      diagnosed by the ophthalmologist using slit-lamp examination. RESULTS: The mean
      age of the study participants was 37.3 +/- 21.4 years (2-93 years), and 56.3% (n
      = 1865) of them were women. The prevalence of pterygium was 13.11% [95%confidence
      interval (CI):11.75-14.47]. The prevalence of pterygium was 14.99 (95%CI:12.79
      17.19) in men and 12.07 (95%CI:10.3-13.84) in women. Pterygium was not seen in
      children below the age of 5 years. The prevalence of pterygium increased linearly
      with age; the lowest and highest prevalence of pterygium was observed in the age
      group 5-20 years (0.19%) and 61-70 years (28.57%). Evaluation of the relationship
      between pterygium with age, sex, educational level, and place of living using a
      multiple model showed that age, living in the south of Iran, and low educational
      level were correlated with pterygium. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pterygium was
      significantly higher in Iranian villages when compared with the results of
      previous studies. This finding may represent the effect of a rural lifestyle and
      its risk factors.

PMID- 28913512
TI  - The distribution of negative and positive relative accommodation and their
      relationship with binocular and refractive indices in a young population.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the distribution of negative relative accommodation (NRA)
      and positive relative accommodation (PRA) and its relationship with binocular
      vision indices in a young population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study
      conducted in a student population, samples were selected through multistage
      cluster sampling. All the samples underwent the measurement of uncorrected and
      corrected visual acuity and refraction. Then far and near cover tests were
      performed. The near point of convergence (NPC) and accommodation, accommodation
      facility, PRA and NRA were evaluated in all participants. RESULTS: The mean age
      of the 382 participants was 22.5 +/- 4.4 years (18-35 years). Mean NRA and PRA in
      the total sample was +2.08 +/- 0.33 diopter (D) and -2.92 +/- 0.76 D,
      respectively. Mean NRA was highest in hyperopic (P = 0.002) and mean PRA was
      highest in myopic (P = 0.003) participants. The multiple model showed that NRA
      had a direct relationship with accommodation facility and spherical refractive
      error, while PRA had a direct relationship with amplitude of accommodation (AA).
      CONCLUSION: This study provides the normal range of the NRA and PRA and their
      relationship with accommodation facility, spherical refractive error, and AA in a
      sample of the Iranian population.

PMID- 28913513
TI  - Choroidal thickness in non-ocular Behcet's disease - A spectral-domain OCT study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate choroidal thickness in patients with non-ocular Behcet's
      disease (BD) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to
      compare the results to normal eyes. METHODS: In this retrospective observational
      comparative study, we collected OCT and clinical data from the charts of 4
      patients (7 eyes) with BD who had been referred for a screening eye exam and had
      a normal ocular examination. Data from 9 healthy volunteers (17 eyes) were
      collected as age-matched controls. The choroid was manually segmented from volume
      OCT scans using custom Doheny Image Reading Center OCT grading software (3D
      OCTOR). Main outcome measures were choroidal thickness and intensity were
      compared between eyes of patients with BD and those of healthy controls. RESULTS:
      Eyes of patients with non-ocular BD had significantly thinner mean central
      subfield choroidal thickness (227.5 +/- 56.93 versus 306.85 +/- 17.85, P = 0.04)
      and central subfield choroidal volume (0.18 +/- 0.04 vs 0.24 +/- 0.02, P =
      0.005). There was no significant difference in mean choroidal thickness in the
      whole ETDRS grid or in mean choroidal intensity in the central subfield and the
      whole ETDRS grid between eyes of patients with non-ocular BD and those of
      controls. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that BD may have subclinical
      manifestations in the choroid, resulting in thinning of the choroid relative to
      normal eyes, even without overt signs of ocular involvement.

PMID- 28913514
TI  - The incidence of needle stick and sharp injuries and their associations with
      visual function among hospital nurses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the one-year incidence of needle stick and sharp injuries
      (NSIs and SIs) and their associations with visual function among Iranian nurses.
      METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 278 nurses working at one hospital were
      selected through stratified random sampling. After applying the exclusion
      criteria, the final analysis was performed on the data of 267 nurses. The data of
      occupational injuries were collected through a researcher-administered
      questionnaire. Visual function indices including distance and near best corrected
      visual acuities (BCVAs), color vision, stereoacuity, distance and near
      heterophorias, accommodative amplitude and facility, contrast sensitivity (CS)
      for high and low spatial frequencies (SFs), near point of convergence (NPC),
      saccadic and pursuit eye movements, distance and near convergence and divergence
      fusional reserves and peripheral vision were evaluated through optometric
      examinations using standard protocols. RESULTS: The one-year incidence of NSIs
      and SIs was 41.2% [95% Confidence interval (CI): 35.3-47.1] and 19.1% (95% CI:
      14.4-23.8), respectively. Color vision deficiency, pursuit deficiency, abnormal
      near heterophoria, and decreased CS for high SF had a significant association
      with the increased incidence of NSIs with odds ratios of 3.26, 2.32, and 1.35,
      respectively. Moreover, saccadic deficiency, abnormal near heterophoria, and
      decreased near fusional divergence reserve were significantly associated with the
      increased incidence of SIs with odds ratios of 2.42, 2.40, and 1.27,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed a relatively high incidence of
      NSIs and SIs in Iranian nurses and their associations with some visual function
      indices. Therefore, pre-employment and periodic visual examinations are
      recommended to detect and remove the corresponding visual risk factors. Moreover,
      preventive strategies should be adopted to decrease the occurrence of the
      aforementioned injuries.

PMID- 28913515
TI  - Paradoxical head tilt in unilateral traumatic superior oblique palsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report a patient with abnormal head posture following ocular blunt
      trauma. METHODS: This is report of a case that despite findings compatible with
      diagnosis of left superior oblique (SO) palsy, the patient acquired an
      ipsilateral (left) head tilt. The interesting observation in our patient was
      reduction of left hypertropia and consequent less diplopia with ipsilateral head
      tilt. RESULTS: After blunt trauma, our patient adopted paradoxical left head tilt
      and consequently less diplopia despite acquired left SO palsy. Left inferior
      oblique myectomy resulted in significant improvement of patient's strabismus and
      abnormal head position. CONCLUSION: Traumatic SO palsy may present with
      paradoxical head tilt.

PMID- 28913516
TI  - A rare erosive orbital mass in a child: Case report of myofibroma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present the clinical, histological, and radiographic findings of a
      case of orbital myofibroma in an unusual location. The literature is reviewed and
      the clinical relevance discussed. METHODS: A 5-year-old boy was examined with a
      1.5-month history of progressive swelling in the left supraorbital region.
      RESULTS: Examination revealed a firm, painless mass in the supralateral region of
      the left orbit with slight reddish discoloration of the overlying skin.
      Computerized tomography (CT) scan images showed a well demarcated, homogenous,
      solid mass with extension to the lacrimal gland region and adjacent to frontal
      bone erosion. The mass was surgically excised and was confirmed to be myofibroma
      in diagnostic histological studies. There has been no evidence of recurrence in
      the first year after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical appearance and imaging
      findings are unspecific for this tumor, and histological examination still
      remains the definite method of diagnosis. Therefore, it is important to be able
      to differentiate myofibromas from other malignant tumors with a similar
      presentation in pediatric patients to avoid mismanagement.

PMID- 28913517
TI  - Intravitreal injection of ziv-aflibercept in the treatment of choroidal and
      retinal vascular diseases.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the short-term outcomes after intravitreal injection of
      ziv-aflibercept in the treatment of choroidal and retinal vascular diseases.
      METHODS: Thirty-four eyes of 29 patients with age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) received a single
      dose intravitreal injection of 0.05 ml ziv-aflibercept (1.25 mg). Visual acuity,
      spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) activity, and possible side
      effects were assessed before and at 1 week and 1 month after the intervention.
      RESULTS: At 1 month after treatment, mean central macular thickness (CMT)
      significantly decreased from 531.09 MUm to 339.5 MUm (P < 0.001), and no signs of
      side effects were observed in any subject. All patients responded to treatment in
      terms of reduction in CMT. The improvement in visual acuity was statistically non
      significant. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a single dose intravitreal
      injection of ziv-aflibercept may have acceptable relative safety and efficacy in
      the treatment of patients with intraocular vascular disease. The trial was
      registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT2015081723651N1).

PMID- 28913518
TI  - Naphthalene diimide-based non-fullerene acceptors flanked by open-ended and
      aromatizable acceptor functionalities.
AB  - Herein we present the design, synthesis and characterization of two novel,
      naphthalene diimide (NDI) core-based non-fullerene acceptors, N5 and N6,
      comprising respectively 2-methoxyethyl-2-cyanoacetate and cyanopyridone acceptor
      functionalities at the terminals. The influence of terminal units on
      optoelectronic and photovoltaic properties was studied. The target chromophore
      bearing cyanopyridone acceptor units (N6) afforded a power conversion efficiency
      of 6.10% when paired with the conventional donor polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene),
      a result that is the highest for the NDI core-based non-fullerene acceptors.

PMID- 28913519
TI  - Synergistic silver/scandium catalysis for divergent synthesis of skeletally
      diverse chromene derivatives.
AB  - The combination of AgTFA and Sc(OTf)3 enables the bimetallic synergistic
      catalysis of beta-alkynyl ketones and o-hydroxybenzyl alcohols, allowing
      divergent synthesis of three classes of skeletally diverse chromene derivatives
      with generally good yields and high diastereoselectivity through dehydroxylated
      bi- and tri-cyclization cascades. The selectivity of these cycloadditions was
      controlled by adjusting the catalyst loading and reaction temperatures. The
      mechanisms for forming these compounds were proposed.

PMID- 28913520
TI  - Evidential value of polymeric materials-chemometric tactics for spectral data
      compression combined with likelihood ratio approach.
AB  - Polymers have become a ubiquitous element of our culture. Therefore, these
      materials may play an important role in forensic investigations, serving as mute
      witnesses of occurrences such as car accidents. In this study, the possibilities
      provided by the likelihood ratio (LR) approach to estimate the evidential value
      of observed similarities and differences, and to discriminate among NIR spectral
      data originating from polypropylene automotive parts and household items, were
      investigated. Since the construction of LR models requires the introduction of
      only a few variables, the main objective was to reduce the dimensionality of
      registered spectra, which are characterised by over a thousand variables. The
      applied strategy was based on compression of NIR signals using discrete wavelet
      transform (DWT) followed by use of the SELECT algorithm for the selection and
      decorrelation of the most informative DWT coefficients. Selected features
      eventually served as an input for LR models. The performance of the developed
      models was assessed by measuring the rates of false positive and false negative
      answers as well as by applying an empirical cross entropy approach. Despite
      relatively small databases of polymeric objects, both univariate and multivariate
      LR models showed acceptable performances. The latter, however, gave the most
      satisfactory results, as it enabled successful discrimination of compared samples
      and delivered the lowest error rates. In addition, in order to verify the
      potential of NIR spectroscopy, the obtained results were compared with those
      obtained after application of the proposed tactics to the FTIR data, which is a
      well-established method in the forensic sphere.

PMID- 28913521
TI  - Solvation of Li+ by argon: how important are three-body forces?
AB  - A new analytical potential for Li+Ar2 including three-body interactions has been
      modeled by employing ab initio energies that were calculated within the CCSD(T)
      framework and a quadruple-zeta basis-set (i.e., cc-pVQZ for lithium and aug-cc
      pVQZ for argon) and, then, corrected for the basis-set superposition error (BSSE)
      with the counterpoise method. Departing from this function, we have constructed
      the potential energy surface for Li+Arn clusters by summing over all two-body and
      three-body terms. We have employed our evolutionary algorithm (EA) to perform a
      global geometry optimization that allows for the study of a Li+ ion microsolvated
      with argon atoms. For the smaller clusters, the putative global minimum geometry
      obtained for the analytical potential has been used as a starting point for an ab
      initio optimization at the MP2 level. For clusters up to n = 10, the energetics
      and structures from the analytical potential energy surface (PES) that includes
      three-body interactions show good agreement with the corresponding ones optimized
      at the ab initio level. Removing the three-body terms from the analytical PES
      leads to global minima that fail to represent the main energetic features and the
      structures become wrong in the case of the Li+Ar2, Li+Ar3 and Li+Ar10 clusters.
      For n > 10, the comparison between potentials with and without three-body forces
      shows significant structural and energetic differences for most of the cluster
      sizes.

PMID- 28913522
TI  - Single tube gene synthesis by phosphoramidate chemical ligation.
AB  - Templated chemical ligation of 5'-amino and 3'-phosphate oligonucleotides was
      used to synthesise a 762 base pair gene for green fluorescent protein. The
      phosphoramidate linkage can be read by DNA polymerase and transcribed to make
      RNA. We also show that phosphoramidate ligation and orthogonal CuAAC-mediated DNA
      ligation can be used simultaneously.

PMID- 28913523
TI  - The difficult search for organocerium(iv) compounds.
AB  - This Tutorial Review provides an overview of the historic and current development
      of the organometallic chemistry of cerium in its oxidation state 4+. Among the
      tetravalent lanthanide ions, only Ce4+ forms stable coordination compounds (e.g.
      (NH4)2[Ce(NO3)6]). Important fields of applications for cerium(iv) compounds
      include organic synthesis, bioinorganic chemistry, materials science, and
      industrial catalysis. In sharp contrast, organometallic cerium(iv) compounds are
      still exceedingly rare. The history of organocerium(iv) compounds is an exciting
      story of ups and downs. The so-called cerocene (= bis(eta8-cyclooctatetraenyl)
      cerium) has been known since 1976. Other early reports e.g. about Cp4Ce (Cp =
      eta5-cyclopentadienyl), were later disproven. However, significant progress in
      this field has been made in recent years through the use of carefully designed
      ligands and more sophisticated synthesis protocols. Taking the case of
      organocerium(iv) chemistry, this Tutorial Review also tries to exemplarily show
      how difficult synthetic and theoretical problems can eventually be solved through
      newly designed synthesis strategies (e.g. as accomplished for cyclopentadienyl
      and carbene derivatives) and a rewarding collaboration between synthetic and
      theoretical chemists (cf. the cerocene problem).

PMID- 28913524
TI  - Reassessing SERS enhancement factors: using thermodynamics to drive substrate
      design.
AB  - Over the past 40 years fundamental and application research into Surface-Enhanced
      Raman Scattering (SERS) has been explored by academia, industry, and government
      laboratories. To date however, SERS has achieved little commercial success as an
      analytical technique. Researchers are tackling a variety of paths to help break
      through the commercial barrier by addressing the reproducibility in both the SERS
      substrates and SERS signals as well as continuing to explore the underlying
      mechanisms. To this end, investigators use a variety of methodologies, typically
      studying strongly binding analytes such as aromatic thiols and azarenes, and
      report SERS enhancement factor calculations. However a drawback of the
      traditional SERS enhancement factor calculation is that it does not yield enough
      information to understand substrate reproducibility, application potential with
      another analyte, or the driving factors behind the molecule-metal interaction.
      Our work at the US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center has focused on these
      questions and we have shown that thermodynamic principles play a key role in the
      SERS response and are an essential factor in future designs of substrates and
      applications. This work will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various
      experimental techniques used to report SERS enhancement with planar SERS
      substrates and present our alternative SERS enhancement value. We will report on
      three types of analysis scenarios that all yield different information concerning
      the effectiveness of the SERS substrate, practical application of the substrate,
      and finally the thermodynamic properties of the substrate. We believe that
      through this work a greater understanding for designing substrates will be
      achieved, one that is based on both thermodynamic and plasmonic properties as
      opposed to just plasmonic properties. This new understanding and potential change
      in substrate design will enable more applications for SERS based methodologies
      including targeting molecules that are traditionally not easily detected with
      SERS due to the perceived weak molecule-metal interaction of substrates.

PMID- 28913525
TI  - Formation of antireflection Zn/ZnO core-shell nano-pyramidal arrays by O2+ ion
      bombardment of Zn surfaces.
AB  - ZnO is probably one of the most studied oxides since ZnO nanostructures are a
      very rich family of nanomaterials with a broad variety of technological
      applications. Although several chemical techniques offer the possibility to
      obtain such ZnO nanostructures, here we show that the controlled modification of
      the zinc surface by low-energy O2+ bombardment leads to the formation of core
      shell Zn/ZnO nano-pyramidal arrays that suppress the reflection of light
      decreasing the reflectivity below 6% in the wavelength range of 300-900 nm. This
      controlled and scalable protocol opens the door to a broad range of possibilities
      for the use of ion bombardment to produce surface modifications for technological
      applications in the field of photoelectric devices and solar cells.

PMID- 28913527
TI  - Electron induced reactions in condensed mixtures of methane and ammonia.
AB  - We demonstrate the efficient formation of carbon-nitrogen bonds starting from CH4
      and NH3 on a metal surface at cryogenic temperatures. Electrons in the energy
      range of 1-90 eV are used to initiate chemical reactions in mixed molecular films
      of CH4 and NH3 at ~15 K, and the products are detected by performing temperature
      programmed desorption (TPD). Extensive dehydrogenation occurs at all energies
      giving the products CH2NH and HCN in preference to CH3NH2. This is likely to do
      with the energetics of the reactions and the subsequent stability of these
      species in the condensed film. Thermal processing of the irradiated mixture
      favours dehydrogenation as indicated by the results of using different desorption
      rates. Electron impact excitation and subsequent dissociation into radicals is
      the reaction-initiating step rather than ionization of CH4 and NH3, as inferred
      from the yield of products as a function of electron energy. This could give
      insight into the important catalytic process of the industrial scale synthesis of
      HCN from CH4 and NH3 over Pt. This may also be a relevant pathway in the
      astrochemical environment where CN and HCN are abundant and low-energy electrons
      are found ubiquitously.

PMID- 28913526
TI  - New penta-saccharide-bearing tripod amphiphiles for membrane protein structure
      studies.
AB  - Integral membrane proteins either alone or as complexes carry out a range of key
      cellular functions. Detergents are indispensable tools in the isolation of
      membrane proteins from biological membranes for downstream studies. Although a
      large number of techniques and tools, including a wide variety of detergents, are
      available, purification and structural characterization of many membrane proteins
      remain challenging. In the current study, a new class of tripod amphiphiles
      bearing two different penta-saccharide head groups, designated TPSs, were
      developed and evaluated for their ability to extract and stabilize a range of
      diverse membrane proteins. Variations in the structures of the detergent head and
      tail groups allowed us to prepare three sets of the novel agents with distinctive
      structures. Some TPSs (TPS-A8 and TPS-E7) were efficient at extracting two
      proteins in a functional state while others (TPS-E8 and TPS-E10L) conferred
      marked stability to all membrane proteins (and membrane protein complexes) tested
      here compared to a conventional detergent. Use of TPS-E10L led to clear
      visualization of a receptor-Gs complex using electron microscopy, indicating
      profound potential in membrane protein research.

PMID- 28913528
TI  - DNA protection by ectoine from ionizing radiation: molecular mechanisms.
AB  - Ectoine, a compatible solute and osmolyte, is known to be an effective protectant
      of biomolecules and whole cells against heating, freezing and extreme salinity.
      Protection of cells (human keratinocytes) by ectoine against ultraviolet
      radiation has also been reported by various authors, although the underlying
      mechanism is not yet understood. We present the first electron irradiation of DNA
      in a fully aqueous environment in the presence of ectoine and at high salt
      concentrations. The results demonstrate effective protection of DNA by ectoine
      against the induction of single-strand breaks by ionizing radiation. The effect
      is explained by an increase in low-energy electron scattering at the enhanced
      free-vibrational density of states of water due to ectoine, as well as the use of
      ectoine as an OH-radical scavenger. This was demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy
      and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).

PMID- 28913529
TI  - A novel method to control carryover contamination in isothermal nucleic acid
      amplification.
AB  - We developed a novel method to control carryover contamination in loop-mediated
      isothermal amplification (LAMP) by primer engineering to carry recognition sites
      for a restriction endonuclease, providing a robust ability to eliminate carryover
      contaminants.

PMID- 28913530
TI  - Why microfluidics? Merits and trends in chemical synthesis.
AB  - The intrinsic limitations of conventional batch synthesis have hindered its
      applications in both solving classical problems and exploiting new frontiers.
      Microfluidic technology offers a new platform for chemical synthesis toward
      either molecules or materials, which has promoted the progress of diverse fields
      such as organic chemistry, materials science, and biomedicine. In this review, we
      focus on the improved performance of microreactors in handling various
      situations, and outline the trend of microfluidic synthesis (microsynthesis,
      MUSyn) from simple microreactors to integrated microsystems. Examples of
      synthesizing both chemical compounds and micro/nanomaterials show the flexible
      applications of this approach. We aim to provide strategic guidance for the
      rational design, fabrication, and integration of microdevices for synthetic use.
      We critically evaluate the existing challenges and future opportunities
      associated with this burgeoning field.

PMID- 28913531
TI  - Augmented pH-sensitivity absorbance of a ruthenium(ii) bis(bipyridine) complex
      with elongation of the conjugated ligands: an experimental and theoretical
      investigation.
AB  - An absorbance-based sensor employing ruthenium bipyridyl with a phenanthroline
      fused benzoylthiourea moiety formulated as [Ru(ii)(bpy)2(phen-nBT)](PF6)2 {bpy =
      2,2'-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, nBT = n-benzoylthiourea} has been
      synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, mass spectrometry, and
      infrared, ultraviolet-visible, luminescence and nuclear magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy. The changes in the intensity of absorption and emission of the
      complex induced by functionalization of the benzoylthiourea ligands with amino
      and carbonyl in their protonated and deprotonated forms were studied
      experimentally. The absorption and emission properties of the complex exhibit a
      strong dependence on the pH (1-11) of the aqueous medium. This work highlights
      the pH-sensitivity augmentation of the absorption band by elongating the
      conjugation length in the structure of the ruthenium bipyridine complex. The
      principle of this work was to design the title compound to be capable of
      enhancing the differences in the absorption sensitivity responses towards pH
      between the protonated and deprotonated complexes in the absorption measurement.
      Along with significant and noticeable changes in the absorption spectra,
      subsequent theoretical investigations specifically on the electronic and
      absorbance properties of the title compound were carried out in this study.
      Protonation of the molecule significantly stabilized the lowest-unoccupied
      molecular orbital (LUMO), whereas the highest-occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)
      is greatly destabilized upon deprotonation. A time-dependent density functional
      theory (TDDFT) calculation in the linear-response (-LR) regime was performed to
      clarify the origin of the experimentally observed linear dependence of absorption
      intensity upon pH (1-11). The MLCT band exhibits hyperchromic shift at low pH as
      indicated by the large transition dipole moment and a wider distribution of the
      response charge of the molecule, which is induced by the stabilization of the
      electrostatic potential at the carbonyl moiety by protonation. This study
      provides the possibility of employing theoretical information to gain insight
      into the origin of the optical absorption obtained experimentally. The ruthenium
      complex was designed with an elongated ligand conjugation length and exhibited a
      tremendously large change in the absorption intensity of the protonated and
      deprotonated forms, which therefore demonstrates its feasibility as an indicator
      molecule especially for absorbance measurements.

PMID- 28913532
TI  - Stereodivergent hydrodefluorination of gem-difluoroalkenes: selective synthesis
      of (Z)- and (E)-monofluoroalkenes.
AB  - We have developed a novel approach for the stereodivergent hydrodefluorination of
      gem-difluoroalkenes using copper(i) catalysts to obtain stereodefined
      monofluoroalkenes. Both (Z)- and (E)-terminal monofluoroalkenes were obtained by
      the hydrodefluorination of gem-difluoroalkenes in the presence of copper(i)
      catalysts and diboron or hydrosilane, respectively, with high stereoselectivity.
      DFT calculations were conducted to elucidate the stereoselectivity.

PMID- 28913533
TI  - Synthesis and redox reactions of bis(verdazyl)palladium complexes.
AB  - The synthesis and ligand-centered redox chemistry of palladium complexes bearing
      two potentially bidentate verdazyl ligands is explored. Reaction of 1,5
      diisopropyl-3-pyridin-2-yl-6-oxoverdazyl radical 1 with Pd(NCMe)4.2BF4 gives a
      complex containing two coordinated verdazyl radicals. The structure of this
      complex consists of one verdazyl bound to Pd in a bidentate mode and the second
      verdazyl bound in a monodentate fashion through the pyridine substituent; the
      fourth coordination site is occupied by a solvent molecule (acetonitrile (3) or
      dimethyl sulfoxide (4)). Two-electron reduction of this complex with
      decamethylferrocene affords a bis(verdazyl) palladium complex (5) in which both
      verdazyls have been reduced to their anionic state and are both bound to Pd in
      bidentate manner. Complex 5 can be independently synthesized by a redox reaction
      between 1 and Pd2(dba)3. Reduced complex 5 can be re-oxidized to 3 or 4 with
      AgBF4; in contrast, oxidation with PhICl2 leads to ligand dissociation,
      ultimately giving radical 1 and a mono(verdazyl)dichloropalladium complex 2. One
      electron oxidation using PhICl2 produces a formally "mixed valent" (in ligand)
      bis(verdazyl)chloropalladium complex (6) with one bidentate verdazyl anion ligand
      and one monodentate (pyridine-bound) verdazyl radical. Attempted protonation of
      the verdazyl ligands in complex 5 leads to complete ligand dissociation and
      protonation of both the tetrazine and pyridine moieties; deprotonation
      regenerates 5. Subsequent air oxidation of the tetrazane/pyridinium cation
      (formed as a tetrachloropalladate salt) leads to re-coordination of the verdazyl
      ligands to give 6 initially, but ultimately produces a combination of free
      radical 1 and 2.

PMID- 28913534
TI  - Shell isolated nanoparticles for enhanced Raman spectroscopy studies in lithium
      oxygen cells.
AB  - A critical and detailed assessment of using Shell Isolated Nanoparticles for
      Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SHINERS) on different electrode substrates was
      carried out, providing relative enhancement factors, as well as an evaluation of
      the distribution of shell-isolated nanoparticles upon the electrode surfaces. The
      chemical makeup of surface layers formed upon lithium metal electrodes and the
      mechanism of the oxygen reduction reaction on carbon substrates relevant to
      lithium-oxygen cells are studied with the employment of the SHINERS technique.
      SHINERS enhanced the Raman signal at these surfaces showing a predominant Li2O
      based layer on lithium metal in a variety of electrolytes. The formation of LiO2
      and Li2O2, as well as degradation reactions forming Li2CO3, upon planar carbon
      electrode interfaces and upon composite carbon black electrodes were followed
      under potential control during the reduction of oxygen in a non-aqueous
      electrolyte based on dimethyl sulfoxide.

PMID- 28913535
TI  - Stepwise microhydration of aromatic amide cations: water solvation networks
      revealed by the infrared spectra of acetanilide+-(H2O)n clusters (n <= 3).
AB  - The structure and activity of peptides and proteins strongly rely on their charge
      state and the interaction with their hydration environment. Here, infrared
      photodissociation (IRPD) spectra of size-selected microhydrated clusters of
      cationic acetanilide (AA+, N-phenylacetamide), AA+-(H2O)n with n <= 3, are
      analysed by dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations at the
      omegaB97X-D/aug-cc-pVTZ level to determine the stepwise microhydration process of
      this aromatic peptide model. The IRPD spectra are recorded in the informative X-H
      stretch (nuOH, nuNH, nuCH, amide A, 2800-3800 cm-1) and fingerprint (amide I-II,
      1000-1900 cm-1) ranges to probe the preferred hydration motifs and the cluster
      growth. In the most stable AA+-(H2O)n structures, the H2O ligands solvate the
      acidic NH proton of the amide by forming a hydrogen-bonded solvent network, which
      strongly benefits from cooperative effects arising from the excess positive
      charge. Comparison with neutral AA-H2O reveals the strong impact of ionization on
      the acidity of the NH proton and the topology of the interaction potential.
      Comparison with related hydrated formanilide clusters demonstrates the influence
      of methylation of the amide group (H -> CH3) on the shape of the intermolecular
      potential and the structure of the hydration shell.

PMID- 28913536
TI  - Isoreticular expansion of polyMOFs achieves high surface area materials.
AB  - The concept of isoreticular chemistry has become a core principle in metal
      organic framework (MOF) materials. Isoreticular chemistry has shown that organic
      ligands of different sizes, but with a common geometry/symmetry can be used to
      generate MOFs of related topologies, but with expanded pore sizes and volumes. In
      this report, polymer-MOF hybrid materials (polyMOFs) with a UiO (UiO = University
      of Oslo) architecture are shown to adhere to the principle of isoreticular
      expansion, generating polyMOFs with large surface areas and enhanced stability.

PMID- 28913537
TI  - A metal-lustrous porphyrin foil.
AB  - A metal-lustrous self-standing film, named "porphyrin foil", was formed from a
      glass-forming polymeric porphyrin. The amorphous glass nature of the porphyrin
      foil played a key role in spontaneously producing a smooth surface. Its sharp
      contrast in intense absorption and specular reflection of light at each
      wavelength provided a brilliant metallic lustre.

PMID- 28913538
TI  - Differences in cisplatin distribution in sensitive and resistant ovarian cancer
      cells: a TEM/NanoSIMS study.
AB  - Cisplatin is a widely used anti-cancer drug, but its effect is often limited by
      acquired resistance to the compound during treatment. Here, we use a combination
      of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nanoscale-secondary ion mass
      spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to reveal differences between cisplatin uptake in human
      ovarian cancers cells, which are known to be susceptible to acquired resistance
      to cisplatin. Both cisplatin sensitive and resistant cell lines were studied,
      revealing markedly less cisplatin in the resistant cell line. In cisplatin
      sensitive cells, Pt was seen to distribute diffusely in the cells with hotspots
      in the nucleolus, mitochondria, and autophagosomes. Inductively coupled plasma
      mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to validate the NanoSIMS results.

PMID- 28913539
TI  - Expression of Concern: Selective impairment of insulin signalling in the
      hypothalamus of obese Zucker rats.

PMID- 28913540
TI  - Expression of Concern: Circulating ghrelin concentrations are lowered by
      intracerebroventricular insulin.

PMID- 28913541
TI  - Erratum to: The aberrant right subclavian artery: cadaveric study and literature
      review.

PMID- 28913542
TI  - Metal release profiles of orthodontic bands, brackets, and wires: an in vitro
      study.
AB  - AIM: The present study evaluated the temporal release of Co Cr, Mn, and Ni from
      the components of a typical orthodontic appliance during simulated orthodontic
      treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Several commercially available types of bands,
      brackets, and wires were exposed to an artificial saliva solution for at least 44
      days and the metals released were quantified in regular intervals using
      inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, Elan DRC+,
      Perkin Elmer, USA). Corrosion products encountered on some products were
      investigated by a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive
      X-ray microanalyzer (EDX). RESULTS: Bands released the largest quantities of Co,
      Cr, Mn, and Ni, followed by brackets and wires. Three different temporal metal
      release profiles were observed: (1) constant, though not necessarily linear
      release, (2) saturation (metal release stopped after a certain time), and (3) an
      intermediate release profile that showed signs of saturation without reaching
      saturation. These temporal metal liberation profiles were found to be strongly
      dependent on the individual test pieces. The corrosion products which developed
      on some of the bands after a 6-month immersion in artificial saliva and the
      different metal release profiles of the investigated bands were traced back to
      different attachments welded onto the bands. CONCLUSION: The use of constant
      release rates will clearly underestimate metal intake by the patient during the
      first couple of days and overestimate exposure during the remainder of the
      treatment which is usually several months long. While our data are consistent
      with heavy metal release by orthodontic materials at levels well below typical
      dietary intake, we nevertheless recommend the use of titanium brackets and
      replacement of the band with a tube in cases of severe Ni or Cr allergy.

PMID- 28913544
TI  - What's new in PICU in resource limited settings?

PMID- 28913543
TI  - DEVOTE 3: temporal relationships between severe hypoglycaemia, cardiovascular
      outcomes and mortality.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The double-blind Trial Comparing Cardiovascular Safety of
      Insulin Degludec vs Insulin Glargine in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at High
      Risk of Cardiovascular Events (DEVOTE) assessed the cardiovascular safety of
      insulin degludec. The incidence and rates of adjudicated severe hypoglycaemia,
      and all-cause mortality were also determined. This paper reports a secondary
      analysis investigating associations of severe hypoglycaemia with cardiovascular
      outcomes and mortality. METHODS: In DEVOTE, patients with type 2 diabetes were
      randomised to receive either insulin degludec or insulin glargine U100 (100
      units/ml) once daily (between dinner and bedtime) in an event-driven, double
      blind, treat-to-target cardiovascular outcomes trial. The primary outcome was the
      first occurrence of an adjudicated major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE;
      cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke).
      Adjudicated severe hypoglycaemia was the pre-specified secondary outcome. In the
      present analysis, the associations of severe hypoglycaemia with both MACE and all
      cause mortality was evaluated in the pooled trial population using time-to-event
      analyses, with severe hypoglycaemia as a time-dependent variable and randomised
      treatment as a fixed factor. An investigation with interaction terms indicated
      that the effect of severe hypoglycaemia on the risk of MACE and all-cause
      mortality were the same for both treatment arms, and so the temporal association
      for severe hypoglycaemia with subsequent MACE and all-cause mortality is reported
      for the pooled population. RESULTS: There was a non-significant difference in the
      risk of MACE for individuals who had vs those who had not experienced severe
      hypoglycaemia during the trial (HR 1.38, 95% CI 0.96, 1.96; p = 0.080) and
      therefore there was no temporal relationship between severe hypoglycaemia and
      MACE. There was a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality for patients
      who had vs those who had not experienced severe hypoglycaemia during the trial
      (HR 2.51, 95% CI 1.79, 3.50; p < 0.001). There was a higher risk of all-cause
      mortality 15, 30, 60, 90, 180 and 365 days after experiencing severe
      hypoglycaemia compared with not experiencing severe hypoglycaemia in the same
      time interval. The association between severe hypoglycaemia and all-cause
      mortality was maintained after adjustment for the following baseline
      characteristics: age, sex, HbA1c, BMI, diabetes duration, insulin regimen,
      hepatic impairment, renal status and cardiovascular risk group.
      CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The results from these analyses demonstrate an
      association between severe hypoglycaemia and all-cause mortality. Furthermore,
      they indicate that patients who experienced severe hypoglycaemia were
      particularly at greater risk of death in the short term after the hypoglycaemic
      episode. These findings indicate that severe hypoglycaemia is associated with
      higher subsequent mortality; however, they cannot answer the question as to
      whether severe hypoglycaemia serves as a risk marker for adverse outcomes or
      whether there is a direct causal effect. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
      NCT01959529.

PMID- 28913546
TI  - Economic Burden of Osteoporosis in South Korea: Claim Data of the National Health
      Insurance Service from 2008 to 2011.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to estimate the current economic burden of
      osteoporosis in South Korea using national claim data of the Korean National
      Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) from 2008 to 2011. Patients aged 50 years or
      older were identified from KNHIS nationwide database for all records of
      outpatient visits or hospital admissions. Healthcare costs for osteoporotic
      patients included direct medical costs for hospitalization, outpatient care, and
      prescription drugs for the year after discharge. Healthcare costs were estimated
      based on the perspective of KNHIS, and calculated using a bottom-up approach.
      Between 2008 and 2011, total healthcare costs for osteoporotic patients increased
      from 3976 million USD to 5126 million USD, with an annual increase of 9.2% which
      accounted for one-sixth (16.7%) of national healthcare expenditure. Healthcare
      cost for hospitalization was the highest ($1903 million, 40.0% of total
      healthcare cost), followed by cost for outpatient care ($1474 million, 31.0%) and
      cost for prescription drugs ($1379 million, 29.0%). Although total healthcare
      cost for osteoporotic men was 6 times lower than that for osteoporotic women, the
      cost per person was 1.5 times higher than that for women. Total healthcare cost
      for osteoporotic patients without fractures was higher than that for osteoporotic
      patients with fractures. However, cost per person was the opposite. Osteoporosis
      entails substantial epidemiologic and economic burden in South Korea. This study
      provides information about the total healthcare burden, which could be important
      when determining what attention and awareness osteoporosis should be given in the
      public health system.

PMID- 28913545
TI  - Periostin in vitreoretinal diseases.
AB  - Proliferative vitreoretinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, proliferative
      vitreoretinopathy (PVR), and age-related macular degeneration are a leading cause
      of decreased vision and blindness in developed countries. In these diseases,
      retinal fibro(vascular) membrane (FVM) formation above and beneath the retina
      plays an important role. Gene expression profiling of human FVMs revealed
      significant upregulation of periostin. Subsequent analyses demonstrated increased
      periostin expression in the vitreous of patients with both proliferative diabetic
      retinopathy and PVR. Immunohistochemical analysis showed co-localization of
      periostin with alpha-SMA and M2 macrophage markers in FVMs. In vitro, periostin
      blockade inhibited migration and adhesion induced by PVR vitreous and
      transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-beta2). In vivo, a novel single-stranded
      RNAi agent targeting periostin showed the inhibitory effect on experimental
      retinal and choroidal FVM formation without affecting the viability of retinal
      cells. These results indicated that periostin is a pivotal molecule for FVM
      formation and a promising therapeutic target for these proliferative
      vitreoretinal diseases.

PMID- 28913547
TI  - Probucol prevents the attenuation of beta2-adrenoceptor-mediated vasodilation of
      retinal arterioles in diabetic rats.
AB  - Probucol is an antihyperlipidemic drug with potent antioxidant properties.
      Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic
      retinopathy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of
      probucol against diabetes-induced retinal vascular dysfunction in a rat model of
      diabetes. Diabetes was induced by a combination of streptozotocin treatment and D
      glucose feeding, and retinal vasodilator responses were assessed by measuring the
      diameter of retinal arterioles. The vasodilator effect of salbutamol, a beta2
      adrenoceptor agonist, on retinal arterioles was significantly diminished 2 weeks
      after the induction of diabetes. In non-diabetic rats, vasodilator responses to
      salbutamol were significantly reduced after an intravitreal injection of
      iberiotoxin, a blocker of large-conductance KCa (BKCa) channels. However, this
      effect was not observed in diabetic rats. Probucol had no significant effect on
      salbutamol-induced changes in diameter of retinal arterioles in non-diabetic
      rats, whereas it could prevent the attenuation of retinal vasodilator response to
      salbutamol in diabetic rats. These results suggest that the reduced function of
      BKCa channels is involved in the attenuation of beta2-adrenoceptor-mediated
      retinal vasodilation in diabetic rats. Probucol preserves the BKCa channel
      function in retinal arterioles under diabetic conditions; therefore, it may show
      beneficial effects on diabetic retinopathy by preventing or slowing the
      impairment of the retinal circulation in patients with diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 28913548
TI  - Changes in Histopathology, Enzyme Activities, and the Expression of Relevant
      Genes in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Following Long-Term Exposure to Environmental
      Levels of Thallium.
AB  - Thallium is a rare-earth element, but widely distributed in water environments,
      posing a potential risk to our health. This study was designed to investigate the
      chronic effects of thallium based on physiological responses, gene expression,
      and changes in the activity of relevant enzymes in adult zebra fish exposed to
      thallium at low doses. The endpoints assessed include mRNA expression of
      metallothionein (MT)2 and heat shock protein HSP70; enzymatic activities of
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Na+/K+-ATPase; and the histopathology of gill,
      gonad, and liver tissues. The results showed significant increases in HSP70 mRNA
      expression following exposure to 100 ng/L thallium and in MT2 expression
      following exposure to 500 ng/L thallium. Significantly higher activities were
      observed for SOD in liver and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in gill in zebra fish
      exposed to thallium (20 and 100 ng/L, respectively) in comparison to control
      fish. Gill, liver, and gonad tissues displayed different degrees of damage. The
      overall results imply that thallium may cause toxicity to zebra fish at
      environmentally relevant aqueous concentrations.

PMID- 28913549
TI  - Multicenter phase II study of capecitabine plus cisplatin as first-line therapy
      for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced gastric cancer:
      Yokohama Clinical Oncology Group Study YCOG1107.
AB  - PURPOSE: S-1 plus cisplatin therapy is the recommended standard first-line
      regimen for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-negative advanced
      unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer (AGC) in the Japanese Gastric Cancer
      Treatment Guidelines. By contrast, capecitabine plus cisplatin (XP) therapy has
      been second-line therapy for these patients. This prospective study aimed to
      evaluate the efficacy and safety of XP as a first-line regimen for HER2-negative
      patients with AGC. METHODS: In this multicenter, open-label, phase II study,
      patients received cisplatin (80 mg/m2 i.v. day 1) plus capecitabine (1000 mg/m2
      orally, twice daily, days 1-14) at 3 week intervals until disease progression or
      non-continuation for various reasons. The primary endpoint was overall response
      rate; secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall
      survival (OS), and toxicity profiles. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients with HER2
      negative AGC were enrolled in this study. Of these, 16 patients with evaluable
      lesions were assessable for efficacy and 36 were assessable for toxicity. One
      patient achieved a complete response and five partial responses. The overall
      response rate was 37.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 13.7-61.2%] calculated on
      an intention-to-treat basis. The median PFS and median OS were 5.2 months (95% CI
      4.2-6.2 months) and 16.9 months (95% CI 5.8-27.9 months), respectively. Treatment
      related adverse events were generally mild; the most common grade 3/4 adverse
      event was neutropenia (27.8%), followed by anorexia (19.4%), leucopenia (16.7%),
      anemia (16.7%), and nausea (13.9%). CONCLUSION: XP as first-line therapy is
      effective and well tolerated by patients with HER2-negative AGC.

PMID- 28913551
TI  - Bladder cancer in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial.

PMID- 28913550
TI  - Oxidative Damage and Genetic Toxicity Induced by DBP in Earthworms (Eisenia
      fetida).
AB  - Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most ubiquitous plasticizers used
      worldwide. However, it has negatives effects on the soil, water, atmosphere, and
      other environmental media and can cause serious pollution. According to the
      artificial soil test and previous studies, this study was conducted to evaluate
      the toxicity of earthworms induced by DBP at different concentrations (0, 0.1,
      1.0, 10, and 50 mg kg-1) on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th days of exposure. The
      variations in the antioxidant activities of enzymes, such as catalase (CAT),
      peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione-S-transferase
      (GST), in the amounts of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      and in the amount of DNA damage were measured to evaluate the toxic impact of DBP
      in earthworms. Upon exposure to DBP, the SOD, CAT, POD, and GST activities were
      significantly increased, with the exception of the 0.1 mg kg-1 treatment dose.
      High concentrations of DBP (10 and 50 mg kg-1) induced superfluous ROS to be
      produced and caused the MDA content to increase significantly. Therefore, we
      proposed that DBP led to DNA damage in earthworm coelomocytes in a dose-dependent
      manner, which means that DBP is a source of oxidative damage and genetic toxicity
      in earthworms.

PMID- 28913552
TI  - A Novel Scoring System for Diagnosing Acute Mesenteric Ischemia in the Emergency
      Ward: Methodological Issues.

PMID- 28913553
TI  - Dual inhibition of cathepsin G and chymase reduces myocyte death and improves
      cardiac remodeling after myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury.
AB  - Early reperfusion of ischemic cardiac tissue increases inflammatory cell
      infiltration which contributes to cardiomyocyte death and loss of cardiac
      function, referred to as ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. Neutrophil- and mast
      cell-derived proteases, cathepsin G (Cat.G) and chymase, are released early after
      IR, but their function is complicated by potentially redundant actions and
      targets. This study investigated whether a dual inhibition of Cat.G and chymase
      influences cardiomyocyte injury and wound healing after experimental IR in mice.
      Treatment with a dual Cat.G and chymase inhibitor (DCCI) immediately after
      reperfusion blocked cardiac Cat.G and chymase activity induced after IR, which
      resulted in decreased immune response in the infarcted heart. Mice treated with
      DCCI had less myocardial collagen deposition and showed preserved ventricular
      function at 1 and 7 days post-IR compared with vehicle-treated mice. DCCI
      treatment also significantly attenuated focal adhesion (FA) complex disruption
      and myocyte degeneration after IR. Treatment of isolated cardiomyocytes with
      Cat.G or chymase significantly promoted FA signaling downregulation, myofibril
      degeneration and myocyte apoptosis. Conversely, treatment of cardiac fibroblasts
      with Cat.G or chymase induced FA signaling activation and increased their
      migration and differentiation to myofibroblasts. These opposite responses in
      cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts were blocked by treatment with DCCI. These
      findings show that Cat.G and chymase are key mediators of myocyte apoptosis and
      fibroblast migration and differentiation that play a role in adverse cardiac
      remodeling and function post-IR. Thus, dual targeting of neutrophil- and mast
      cell-derived proteases could be used as a novel therapeutic strategy to reduce
      post-IR inflammation and improve cardiac remodeling.

PMID- 28913554
TI  - Reliability of size and echo intensity of abdominal skeletal muscles using
      extended field-of-view ultrasound imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the reliability of extended field-of-view
      (EFOV) ultrasound imaging to evaluate the cross-sectional area (CSA) and echo
      intensity of abdominal skeletal muscles. METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy young
      males (age 18.6 +/- 1.0 years, body mass index 20.9 +/- 2.8 kg/m2, waist
      circumference 75.0 +/- 7.9 cm, body fat 16.6 +/- 5.9%) visited the laboratory on
      2 days. EFOV ultrasound images of the rectus abdominis, abdominal oblique, and
      erector spinae muscles were acquired at the height of the third lumbar vertebra
      with the subject lying on a bed. We then analyzed CSA and echo intensity using
      ImageJ software and calculated intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and the
      standard error of measurement (SEM). RESULTS: No significant differences (p =
      0.149-0.679) were observed in CSA or echo intensity values for each skeletal
      muscle between days. ICC and SEM values in CSA for each skeletal muscle ranged
      between 0.944 and 0.958 and 4.9% and 7.3%, respectively. The corresponding values
      for echo intensity were 0.851-0.945 for ICC and 5.3-9.7% for SEM. CONCLUSIONS:
      The present results indicate that EFOV ultrasound imaging has high repeatability
      for measuring CSA and echo intensity of abdominal skeletal muscle groups in
      healthy college-aged males.

PMID- 28913555
TI  - Outcome of intrahepatic portosystemic shunt diagnosed prenatally.
AB  - : We analyzed the characteristics of the population with congenital portosystemic
      shunt diagnosed during the antenatal period and the organization of their
      perinatal care. This multicentric retrospective study included all the patients
      with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital portosystemic shunt. Between 1999 and
      2015, 12 patients were included. Prenatal diagnosis was done at a median 26.5
      weeks of gestation (21-34). All the patients presented intrahepatic CPSS, three
      of them had associated congenital cardiopathy, and one a Bannayan-Zonana
      syndrome. Ten patients had simple outcome on conservative treatment, eight of
      them having a spontaneous closure of their portosystemic shunt within the first 2
      years of life. One patient had surgical treatment which failed and he developed a
      focal nodular hyperplasia. Another patient had radiological interventional
      closure of his shunt which was complicated by a venal portal thrombosis.
      CONCLUSION: Outcome of intrahepatic portosystemic shunt diagnosed prenatally is
      good in the majority of cases. What is known: * Multiples studies exist on
      congenital porto systemic shunt but when the diagnosis is done after birth. * The
      evolution, management, and complication are well known. What is new: * There is
      very few studies with only patients diagnosed in antenatal and it is a large
      series of cases. * Outcome of intrahepatic portosystemic shunt diagnosed
      prenatally is good in the majority of cases.

PMID- 28913556
TI  - High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation decreases the number of colonic CD103+
      dendritic cells in healthy subjects.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vitamin D may induce tolerance in the intestinal immune system and has
      been shown to regulate the phenotype of tolerogenic intestinal dendritic cells
      (DCs) in vitro. It is unknown whether vitamin D supplementation affects human
      intestinal DCs in vivo, and we aimed to investigate the tolerability and effect
      on intestinal CD103+DCs of high-dose vitamin D3 treatment in healthy subjects.
      METHODS: Ten healthy subjects received a total of 480,000 IU oral vitamin D3 over
      15 days and colonic biopsies were obtained before and after intervention by
      endoscopy. Lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMCs) were isolated from the
      biopsies, stained with DC surface markers and analysed with flow cytometry. Snap
      frozen biopsies were analysed with qPCR for DC and regulatory T cell-related
      genes. RESULTS: No hypercalcemia or other adverse events occurred in the test
      subjects. Vitamin D decreased the number of CD103+ DCs among LPMCs (p = 0.006).
      Furthermore, vitamin D induced mRNA expression of TGF-beta (p = 0.048), TNF-alpha
      (p = 0.006) and PD-L1 (p = 0.02) and tended to induce IL-10 expression (p =
      0.06). Multivariate factor analysis discriminated between pre- and post-vitamin D
      supplementation with a combined increased qPCR expression of PD1, PD-L1, TGF
      beta, IL-10, CD80, CD86, FOXP3, NFATc2 and cathelicidin. CONCLUSION: High-dose
      vitamin D supplementation is well tolerated by healthy subjects and has a direct
      effect on the CD103+ DCs, local cytokine and surface marker mRNA expression in
      the colonic mucosa, suggestive of a shift towards a more tolerogenic milieu.

PMID- 28913557
TI  - Improved joint-line restitution in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty using a
      robotic-assisted surgical technique.
AB  - PURPOSE: Joint-line restitution is one objective of unicompartmental knee
      arthroplasty (UKA). However, the joint line is often lowered when resurfacing
      femoral implants are used. The aim of this study was to compare the joint-line
      height in UKA performed by robotic-assisted and conventional techniques. METHODS:
      This retrospective case-control study compared two matched groups of patients
      receiving a resurfacing UKA between 2013 and 2016 by either a robotic-assisted (n
      = 40) or conventional (n = 40) technique. Each group comprised 27 women and 13
      menm wuth a mean age of 69 and 68 years, respectively. Indications for surgery
      were osteoarthritis (n = 35) and condylar osteonecrosis (n = 5). Two validated
      radiologic measurement methods were used to assess joint-line height. RESULTS:
      Forty UKA (23 medial and 17 lateral) were analysed in each group. Restitution of
      joint-line height was significantly improved in the robotic-assisted group
      compared than the control group: +1.4 mm +/-2.6 vs +4.7 mm +/- 2.4 (p < 0.05) as
      assessed using method 1, and +1.5 mm +/-2.3 vs +4.6 mm +/-2.5 (p < 0.05) as
      assessed using method 2. CONCLUSIONS: Restitution of joint-line height in
      resurfacing UKA can be improved with robotic-assisted surgery. Improvement in
      clinical outcome measures must be demonstrated with long-term studies.

PMID- 28913558
TI  - Only SETBP1 hotspot mutations are associated with refractory disease in myeloid
      malignancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: SETBP1 mutations have been established as a diagnostic marker in
      myeloid malignancies and are associated with inferior survival. Since there is
      limited data on their clinical impact and stability during disease progression,
      we sought to investigate the relationship between SETBP1 mutations and disease
      evolution. METHODS: Bidirectional Sanger sequencing of the SETBP1 gene was
      performed for 442 unselected patients with World Health Organization (WHO)
      defined myeloid disorders. Follow-up analysis was performed on samples from
      123/442 patients to investigate SETBP1 mutation dynamics. Targeted deep next
      generation sequencing for a panel of 30 leukemia-associated genes was established
      to study SETBP1 cooperating mutations. RESULTS: 10/442 patients (2.3%) had SETBP1
      hotspot mutations (MDS/MPN, n = 7, sAML, n = 3), whereas four patients (1%) had
      SETBP1 non-hotspot mutations (MPN, n = 1; MDS, n = 2; sAML, n = 1). The median
      overall survival for patients with SETBP1 hotspot mutations, SETBP1 non-hotspot
      mutations, and SETBP1 wild type was 14 (range 0-31), 50 (range 0-71), and 47
      months (range 0-402), respectively. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, SETBP1 hotspot
      mutations were significantly associated with reduced overall survival compared to
      SETBP1 non-hotspot mutations and the SETBP1 wild type (p < 0.001). All 10
      patients with SETBP1 hotspot mutations died from relapse or disease progression.
      Three of four patients with SETBP1 non-hotspot mutations are alive with stable
      disease. Cooperating CSF3R and TET2 mutations were most frequently observed in
      patients with SETBP1 hotspot mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SETBP1 hotspot
      mutations suffered from aggressive disease with rapid evolution and inferior
      overall survival. Patients with SETBP1 non-hotspot mutations had less aggressive
      disease and a more favorable prognosis. Diagnostic screens for SETBP1 hotspot
      mutations may help identifying this dismal patient group and treat them in
      multicenter clinical studies.

PMID- 28913559
TI  - Risk factors for implant removal after spinal surgical site infection.
AB  - PURPOSE: Few studies have investigated the risk factors for implant removal after
      treatment for spinal surgical site infection (SSI). Therefore, there is no firmly
      established consensus for the management of implants. We aimed to investigate the
      incidence and risk factors for implant removal after SSI managed with
      instrumentation, and to examine potential strategies for avoiding implant
      removal. METHODS: Following a survey of seven spine centers, we retrospectively
      reviewed the records of 55 patients who developed SSI and were treated with
      reoperation, out of 3967 patients who had spinal instrumentation between 2003 and
      2012. We examined implant survival rate and applied logistic regression analysis
      to assess the potential risk factors for implant removal. RESULTS: The overall
      rate of implant retention was 60% (33/55). A higher implant retention rate was
      observed for posterior cervical surgery than for posterior-thoracic/lumbar
      surgery (100 vs. 49%, P < 0.001). On univariate analysis, significant risk
      factors for implant removal included greater blood loss, delay of reoperation,
      and delay of intervention with effective antibiotics. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that a delay in administering effective antibiotics was an independent
      and significant risk factor for implant removal in posterior-thoracic/lumbar
      surgery (odds ratio 1.17; 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.35, P = 0.028).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SSI who underwent posterior cervical surgery are
      likely to retain the implants. Immediate administration of effective antibiotics
      improves implant survival in SSI treatment. Our findings can be applied to
      identify SSI patients at higher risk for implant removal.

PMID- 28913560
TI  - Deregulation of obesity-relevant genes is associated with progression in BMI and
      the amount of adipose tissue in pigs.
AB  - The aim of this study was to elucidate the relative impact of three phenotypes
      often used to characterize obesity on perturbation of molecular pathways involved
      in obesity. The three obesity-related phenotypes are (1) body mass index (BMI),
      (2) amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SATa), and (3) amount of
      retroperitoneal adipose tissue (RPATa). Although it is generally accepted that
      increasing amount of RPATa is 'unhealthy', a direct comparison of the relative
      impact of the three obesity-related phenotypes on gene expression has, to our
      knowledge, not been performed previously. We have used multiple linear models to
      analyze altered gene expression of selected obesity-related genes in tissues
      collected from 19 female pigs phenotypically characterized with respect to the
      obesity-related phenotypes. Gene expression was assessed by high-throughput qPCR
      in RNA from liver, skeletal muscle and abdominal adipose tissue. The stringent
      statistical approach used in the study has increased the power of the analysis
      compared to the classical approach of analysis in divergent groups of
      individuals. Our approach led to the identification of key components of cellular
      pathways that are modulated in the three tissues in association with changes in
      the three obesity-relevant phenotypes (BMI, SATa and RPATa). The deregulated
      pathways are involved in biosynthesis and transcript regulation in adipocytes, in
      lipid transport, lipolysis and metabolism, and in inflammatory responses.
      Deregulation seemed more comprehensive in liver (23 genes) compared to abdominal
      adipose tissue (10 genes) and muscle (3 genes). Notably, the study supports the
      notion that excess amount of intra-abdominal adipose tissue is associated with a
      greater metabolic disease risk. Our results provide molecular support for this
      notion by demonstrating that increasing amount of RPATa has a higher impact on
      perturbation of cellular pathways influencing obesity and obesity-related
      metabolic traits compared to increase in BMI and amount of SATa.

PMID- 28913561
TI  - Conformational rearrangement of 1,2-d(GG) intrastrand cis-diammineplatinum
      crosslinked DNA is driven by counter-ion penetration within the minor groove of
      the modified site.
AB  - The major structural aberrations of DNA induced by a cis-diammineplatinum (II)
      1,2-d(GG) intrastrand cross-link (CPT) have been known for decades. To gain
      deeper insights into the structural dynamics of the sequence-dependent DNA
      distortions adjacent to the CPT adduct, we employed molecular modeling and
      molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The structural dynamics of native (N-DNA)
      and cisPt 1,2-d(GG) crosslinked (CPT-DNA) in the form of symmetric 36 nt
      d(G2T15G*G*T15G2)?C2A15CCA15C2) oligonucleotide duplexes is compared. The
      selected sequence context enabled tracking of the origin of the DNA axis
      curvature at the YpR flexible points (N-DNA), the enhancement of axis bending,
      and further distortions due to steric/electrostatic perturbations arising from
      the CPT-crosslink. In addition to the known structural distortions of CPT-DNA:
      helix bend towards the major groove; local helix unwinding; high roll angle
      between cross-linked guanine bases; and adoption of A-form DNA on the 5'-side of
      the CPT-crosslink (TpG junction); our results show the existence of a singular
      irreversible and reproducible conformational rearrangement, not previously
      observed, resulting in two stable CPT-DNA1 and CPT-DNA2 conformers. The CPT-DNA2
      conformation presents an enhanced DNA axis bend and a wider and shallower minor
      grove with increased solvent accessibility within the modified site. It is
      concluded that the polymorphous (unstable) DNA environment near the cisPt 1,2
      d(GG) unit in synergy with specific dynamic events, such as prolonged minor
      groove retention of particular Na+ ions and water redistribution within the
      d(TG*G*T) site, together with the formation of extra and more stable H-bonds
      between Pt(NH3)2 amines and neighboring nucleotides, are cooperatively
      responsible for the initiation of the conformational rearrangement leading to the
      CPT-DNA2 conformer, which, surprisingly, closely resembles the HMGB1-bound CPT
      DNA structure. Graphical abstract Superimposed averaged structures of normal (N
      DNA, green) and cisplatin intrastrand cross-linked (CPT-DNA, orange). Global DNA
      axes: N-DNA (blue beads); CPT-DNA (red beads); PT (yellow sphere); crosslinked
      dGs viewed from the minor groove (bold).

PMID- 28913562
TI  - Renal functional reserve: time to find a new bottle for the old wine?

PMID- 28913563
TI  - Dylan under the microscope: microbiology in Subterranean Homesick Blues.

PMID- 28913564
TI  - Moving Forward on Hypersexuality.

PMID- 28913565
TI  - A retrospective analysis of ramucirumab monotherapy in previously treated
      Japanese patients with advanced or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The REGARD trial demonstrated that ramucirumab monotherapy improved
      both overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with best
      supportive care plus placebo as second-line treatment for patients with advanced
      gastric cancer. However, the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab monotherapy for
      previously treated Japanese patients with advanced gastric cancer remains
      unknown. METHODS: Previously treated Japanese patients with advanced gastric
      cancer who received ramucirumab monotherapy between June 2015 and March 2016 at
      the Cancer Institute Hospital were enrolled in the study. OS, PFS, best overall
      response, and safety profiles were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: Nineteen
      patients were enrolled in this study. Ramucirumab monotherapy was generally
      administered as third-line therapy. After a median follow-up period of 7.4
      months, the median PFS was 2.1 months (95% CI 1.0-3.5), and median OS was 12.9
      months (95% CI 2.3, not reached). In 13 patients who had measurable lesions on
      radiologic examination, partial response was observed in one patient (7.7%) and
      stable disease was observed in five patients (38.5%). A total of 12 patients
      (63.2%) had adverse events (AEs). Common AEs included hypertension (8 patients,
      42.1%), fatigue (6 patients, 31.6%), and bleeding (5 patients, 26.3%). Grade 3
      AEs included gastrointestinal bleeding and aspiration pneumonia (1 patient each,
      5.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ramucirumab monotherapy in Japanese
      patients with previously treated advanced gastric cancer has comparable efficacy
      and safety profiles as reported in the REGARD trial.

PMID- 28913567
TI  - Two-cell embryos are more sensitive than blastocysts to AMPK-dependent
      suppression of anabolism and stemness by commonly used fertility drugs, a diet
      supplement, and stress.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study tests whether metformin or diet supplement BR-DIM-induced AMP
      activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediated effects on development are more
      pronounced in blastocysts or 2-cell mouse embryos. METHODS: Culture mouse zygotes
      to two-cell embryos and test effects after 0.5-1 h AMPK agonists' (e.g., Met, BR
      DIM) exposure on AMPK-dependent ACCser79P phosphorylation and/or Oct4 by
      immunofluorescence. Culture morulae to blastocysts and test for increased
      ACCser79P, decreased Oct4 and for AMPK dependence by coculture with AMPK
      inhibitor compound C (CC). Test whether Met or BR-DIM decrease growth rates of
      morulae cultured to blastocyst by counting cells. RESULT(S): Aspirin, metformin,
      and hyperosmotic sorbitol increased pACC ser79P ~ 20-fold, and BR-DIM caused a ~
      30-fold increase over two-cell embryos cultured for 1 h in KSOMaa but only 3- to
      6-fold increase in blastocysts. We previously showed that these stimuli decreased
      Oct4 40-85% in two-cell embryos that was ~ 60-90% reversible by coculture with
      AMPK inhibitor CC. However, Oct4 decreased only 30-50% in blastocysts, although
      reversibility of loss by CC was similar at both embryo stages. Met and BR-DIM
      previously caused a near-complete cell proliferation arrest in two-cell embryos
      and here Met caused lower CC-reversible growth decrease and AMPK-independent BR
      DIM-induced blastocyst growth decrease. CONCLUSION: Inducing drug or diet
      supplements decreased anabolism, growth, and stemness have a greater impact on
      AMPK-dependent processes in two-cell embryos compared to blastocysts.

PMID- 28913566
TI  - ADAR RNA editing in human disease; more to it than meets the I.
AB  - We review the structures and functions of ADARs and their involvements in human
      diseases. ADAR1 is widely expressed, particularly in the myeloid component of the
      blood system, and plays a prominent role in promiscuous editing of long dsRNA.
      Missense mutations that change ADAR1 residues and reduce RNA editing activity
      cause Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome, a childhood encephalitis and interferonopathy
      that mimics viral infection and resembles an extreme form of Systemic Lupus
      Erythmatosus (SLE). In Adar1 mouse mutant models aberrant interferon expression
      is prevented by eliminating interferon activation signaling from cytoplasmic
      dsRNA sensors, indicating that unedited cytoplasmic dsRNA drives the immune
      induction. On the other hand, upregulation of ADAR1 with widespread promiscuous
      RNA editing is a prominent feature of many cancers and particular site-specific
      RNA editing events are also affected. ADAR2 is most highly expressed in brain and
      is primarily required for site-specific editing of CNS transcripts; recent
      findings indicate that ADAR2 editing is regulated by neuronal excitation for
      synaptic scaling of glutamate receptors. ADAR2 is also linked to the circadian
      clock and to sleep. Mutations in ADAR2 could contribute to excitability syndromes
      such as epilepsy, to seizures, to diseases involving neuronal plasticity defects,
      such as autism and Fragile-X Syndrome, to neurodegenerations such as ALS, or to
      astrocytomas or glioblastomas in which reduced ADAR2 activity is required for
      oncogenic cell behavior. The range of human disease associated with ADAR1
      mutations may extend further to include other inflammatory conditions while ADAR2
      mutations may affect psychiatric conditions.

PMID- 28913568
TI  - Piperlongumine induces G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma
      cells through the ROS-JNK-ERK signaling pathway.
AB  - Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive, metastatic bile duct cancer. CCA is
      difficult to diagnose, and responds poorly to current radio- and chemo-therapy.
      Piperlongumine (PL) is a naturally-occurring small molecule selectively toxic to
      cancer cells by targeting reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we
      demonstrated the potential anticancer activity of PL in CCA. PL markedly induced
      death in CCA cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner through the
      activation of caspase-3 and PARP. PL also stimulated ROS accumulation in CCA. Co
      exposure of PL with the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine or GSH completely
      blocked PL-induced apoptosis in CCA cell lines. Increased p21 via the p53
      independent pathway in PL-treated CCA cells led to G2/M phase arrest and cell
      apoptosis. In addition, the study showed that PL trigger CCA cell lines death
      through JNK-ERK activation. Furthermore, the different antioxidant capacity of
      CCA cell lines also indicates the susceptibility of the cells to PL treatment.
      Our findings reveal that PL exhibits anti-tumor activity and has potential to be
      used as a chemotherapeutic agent against CCA.

PMID- 28913569
TI  - Antegrade intramedullary Kirschner-wire fixation of displaced metacarpal shaft
      fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to analyze complications and patient
      related functional outcome after antegrade intramedullary Kirschner-wire fixation
      of metacarpal shaft fractures. METHODS: All consecutive patients treated from
      January 2010 until December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed using patient logs
      and radiographic images. Indications for operative fixation were angulation > 40
      degrees , shortening > 2 mm, or rotational deficit. Complications were registered
      from the patient logs. Functional outcome was assessed with the Patient-rated
      wrist/hand evaluation (PRWHE) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand
      score (DASH) questionnaire both ranging from 1 to 100 after a minimum follow-up
      of 6 months. RESULTS: During the study period, 34 fractures of 27 patients could
      be included. Mean outpatient follow-up was 11 weeks (range 4-24 weeks). The mean
      interval for functional assessment was 30 months (range 8-62 months) and 19
      patients (70%) responded to the questionnaires. During outpatient follow-up, all
      fractures proceeded to union with no signs of secondary fracture dislocation or
      implant migration. One re-fracture after a new adequate trauma was seen and one
      patient underwent tenolysis due to persistent pain and impaired function. In 26
      cases (81%), the K-wires were removed of which 23 (68%) were planned removals.
      Functional outcome was excellent with mean PRWHE and DASH scores of 7 and 5
      points, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: If surgical treatment for metacarpal shaft
      fractures is considered, we recommend antegrade intramedullary K-wire fixation.
      This technique results in low complication rates and excellent functional
      outcome.

PMID- 28913571
TI  - ?
AB  - Cardiac rehabilitation is an evidence-based treatment to improve prognosis and
      quality of life in patients after a cardiac event. In general, cardiac
      rehabilitation programmes are offered in all European countries. Nevertheless a
      wide dispersion between countries exists in programme structure and design
      because of different national legislation and funding. The absence of
      international standards has a negative effect on programme quality and outcome.
      Most striking imbalance can be observed between patients eligible for cardiac
      rehabilitation and the real admission rate. Only three European countries report
      an admission rate of more than 50% of all eligible patients, and less than 25%
      are women. Thus, rehabilitation programmes in Europe are too heterogeneous. This
      needs measures for better standardization from "best evidence" to "best
      practice". The "Quality of Care Continuum" of cardiac rehabilitation could be
      helpful.

PMID- 28913570
TI  - Low physical activity is related to clustering of risk factors for fracture-a 2
      year prospective study in children.
AB  - : The study investigates the effect of physical activity (PA) on a composite
      score for fracture risk in pre-pubertal children. Low PA in children is related
      to the composite score for fracture risk and the pre-pubertal years seem to be a
      period when PA positively affects the score. INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates
      if PA in children is related to clustering of risk factors for fracture. Research
      questions are the following: (i) What is the effect of physical activity (PA) on
      single traits and a composite score for fracture risk? (ii) Could this score be
      used to identify the level of PA needed to reach beneficial effects? METHODS:
      This prospective population-based study included 269 children, aged 7-9 years at
      baseline while 246 attended the 2-year follow-up. We estimated duration of PA by
      questionnaires and measured traits that independently predict fractures. We then
      calculated gender specific Z-scores for each variable. The mean Z-score of all
      traits was used as a composite score for fracture risk. We tested correlation
      between duration of PA, each trait, and the composite score and group differences
      between children in different quartiles of PA. RESULTS: At baseline, we found no
      correlation between duration of PA and any of the traits or the composite score.
      At follow-up, we found a correlation between PA and the composite score. Physical
      activity had an effect on composite score, and children in the lowest quartiles
      of PA had unbeneficial composite score compared to children in the other
      quartiles. CONCLUSION: Low PA in children is related to clustering of risk
      factors for fracture, and the pre-pubertal years seem to be a period when PA
      positively affects the composite score.

PMID- 28913572
TI  - Establishment of S100A8 Transgenic Rats to Understand Innate Property of S100A8
      and Its Immunological Role.
AB  - The innate properties of S100A8 as a regulator in acute inflammation have not yet
      been elucidated in detail. Our aims are to newly establish S100A8 transgenic rats
      (Tg-S100A8) and to elucidate the immunological functions of S100A8. Following the
      treatment with 5% dextran sulfate sodium for 1 week, the body weight in Tg-S100A8
      weakly decreased after the start; however, that in Japanese Wistar rats (WT)
      significantly decreased in the end. The serum level of CRP in Tg-S100A8 was
      significantly lower than that in WT, although the concentration of CRP apparently
      increased in both Tg-S100A8 and WT. The dynamic mobility of S100A8 and S100A9 in
      macrophages was microscopically observed using fluorescent immunological
      staining, in which the S100A9 was dominantly expressed in many macrophages in the
      rectal tissue of WT. As determined by PCR and real-time PCR, the levels of S100A8
      messenger RNA (mRNA) in several organ tissues of the Tg-S100A8, such as heart and
      small intestine, were apparently higher than those of WT, respectively. The
      expression of IL-6 and TNF-alpha mRNAs was negatively regulated in main organ
      tissues of the large colon of Tg-S100A8 followed by down-regulation of IL-6
      protein. An important result was that the expression of S100A8 mRNA was strongly
      induced in many macrophages of Tg-S100A8, whereas that of some inflammatory
      cytokine mRNAs described above were significantly reduced. Tg-S100A8 has
      potential as a useful experimental model rat not only for investigating the
      innate properties of S100A8 as a regulator, but also for clarifying its
      functional role in immune cells from a myeloid origin, particularly macrophages.

PMID- 28913573
TI  - Genetic analysis of Japanese and American specimens of Scirpus hattorianus
      suggests its introduction from North America.
AB  - Scirpus hattorianus is a possible alien species in Japan, and a clarification of
      its unclear taxonomy is required to reveal its origin. It is not known whether
      the plants initially described from Japan represent the same species distributed
      in North America. To clarify the origin of the species, we attempted to sequence
      old specimens collected about 80 years ago using newly designed primer pairs
      specific for short sequences, including the variable sites. Chloroplast sequences
      of ndhF were compared among Japanese and North American S. hattorianus, and the
      closely related species, S. atrovirens, S. flaccidifolius, and S. georgianus. We
      succeeded in sequencing all samples, and two haplotypes were detected in S.
      hattorianus: one was unique to the species and the other, detected from specimens
      potentially collected from the same population as the types, was shared by both
      North American S. hattorianus and two closely related species, S. atrovirens and
      S. flaccidifolius. Our results suggest that Japanese S. hattorianus is an alien
      species that was introduced from North America at least twice.

PMID- 28913574
TI  - The association between the lymphocyte-monocyte ratio and disease activity in
      rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - The lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) is a systemic inflammatory marker for
      prediction of disease development, progress, and survival. Recently, a genome
      wide association study identified genetic variations in ITGA4 and HLA-DRB1 that
      affect the LMR levels and were widely believed to be susceptibility genes for
      autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the role of
      LMR in RA patients remains unclear. The LMR level and other laboratory data of 66
      RA patients, 163 osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and 131 healthy controls (HC) were
      compared using binary logistic regression. The correlations between LMR and
      disease activity and other inflammatory markers were measured using the Spearman
      rank test. ROC curve analyses assessed the diagnostic accuracy of LMR in RA. The
      LMR and lymphocyte count were significantly lower in RA patients, whereas the
      monocyte count was significantly higher relative to the HC group/OA patients (p <
      0.01). A decreased LMR has been associated with increased disease activity (p =
      0.012). In addition, the DAS28 and traditional inflammatory markers, including
      ESR, CRP, RDW, PLR, and NLR, and immune-related factors, such as C4, IgA, and
      IgM, were inversely correlated with LMR, while hemoglobin and albumin were
      positively correlated with LMR. The ROC curve showed that the area under the
      curve of LMR was 0.705 (95%CI = 0.630-0.781). The corresponding specificity and
      sensitivity were 82.82 and 45.45%, respectively. The present study shows that the
      LMR is an important inflammatory marker which could be used to identify disease
      activity in RA patients and to distinguish RA from OA patients.

PMID- 28913575
TI  - Day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability in DEVOTE: associations with severe
      hypoglycaemia and cardiovascular outcomes (DEVOTE 2).
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The Trial Comparing Cardiovascular Safety of Insulin Degludec vs
      Insulin Glargine in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at High Risk of Cardiovascular
      Events (DEVOTE) was a double-blind, randomised, event-driven, treat-to-target
      prospective trial comparing the cardiovascular safety of insulin degludec with
      that of insulin glargine U100 (100 units/ml) in patients with type 2 diabetes at
      high risk of cardiovascular events. This paper reports a secondary analysis
      investigating associations of day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability (pre
      breakfast self-measured blood glucose [SMBG]) with severe hypoglycaemia and
      cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: In DEVOTE, patients with type 2 diabetes were
      randomised to receive insulin degludec or insulin glargine U100 once daily. The
      primary outcome was the first occurrence of an adjudicated major adverse
      cardiovascular event (MACE). Adjudicated severe hypoglycaemia was the pre
      specified secondary outcome. In this article, day-to-day fasting glycaemic
      variability was based on the standard deviation of the pre-breakfast SMBG
      measurements. The variability measure was calculated as follows. Each month, only
      the three pre-breakfast SMBG measurements recorded before contact with the site
      were used to determine a day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability measure for
      each patient. For each patient, the variance of the three log-transformed pre
      breakfast SMBG measurements each month was determined. The standard deviation was
      determined as the square root of the mean of these monthly variances and was
      defined as day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability. The associations between day
      to-day fasting glycaemic variability and severe hypoglycaemia, MACE and all-cause
      mortality were analysed for the pooled trial population with Cox proportional
      hazards models. Several sensitivity analyses were conducted, including
      adjustments for baseline characteristics and most recent HbA1c. RESULTS: Day-to
      day fasting glycaemic variability was significantly associated with severe
      hypoglycaemia (HR 4.11, 95% CI 3.15, 5.35), MACE (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.12, 1.65) and
      all-cause mortality (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.23, 2.03) before adjustments. The
      increased risks of severe hypoglycaemia, MACE and all-cause mortality translate
      into 2.7-, 1.2- and 1.4-fold risk, respectively, when a patient's day-to-day
      fasting glycaemic variability measure is doubled. The significant relationships
      of day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability with severe hypoglycaemia and all
      cause mortality were maintained after adjustments. However, the significant
      association with MACE was not maintained following adjustment for baseline
      characteristics with either baseline HbA1c (HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.96, 1.47) or the
      most recent HbA1c measurement throughout the trial (HR 1.21, 95% CI 0.98, 1.49).
      CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Higher day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability is
      associated with increased risks of severe hypoglycaemia and all-cause mortality.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01959529.

PMID- 28913576
TI  - Interferon activates promoter of Nmi gene via interferon regulator factor-1.
AB  - N-Myc interactor (Nmi) is reported to participate in many activities, such as
      signaling transduction, transcription regulation, and antiviral responses. As Nmi
      may play important roles in interferon (IFN)-induced responses, we investigated
      the mechanism how Nmi protein is regulated. We identified and cloned the promoter
      of Nmi gene. Sequence analysis and luciferase assays shown that an IFN-stimulated
      response element (ISRE) and a GC box in the promoter were essential for the basal
      transcription activity of Nmi gene. We also found that interferon regulatory
      factor 1 (IRF-1) could activate transcription of Nmi by binding to the ISRE in
      the promoter. Knockdown of IRF-1 decreases IFN-induced Nmi transcription. These
      results revealed that IRF-1 is involved in the IFN-inducible expression of Nmi.

PMID- 28913577
TI  - A resequencing pathogen microarray method for high-throughput molecular diagnosis
      of multiple etiologies associated with central nervous system infection.
AB  - Central nervous system infection (CNSI) results in significant health and
      economic burdens worldwide, but the diversity of causative pathogens makes
      differential diagnosis very difficult. Although PCR and real-time fluorescent
      quantitative PCR (q-PCR) assays are widely applied for pathogen detection, they
      are generally optimized for the detection of a single or limited number of
      targets and are not suitable for the diagnosis of numerous CNSI agents. In this
      study, we describe the development of a resequencing pathogen microarray (RPM
      IVDC4) method for the simultaneous detection of viruses, bacteria, fungi and
      parasites that cause CNSI. The test panel of this assay included more than 100
      microorganism species across 45 genera and 30 families. The analytical
      specificity and sensitivity were examined using a panel of positive reference
      strains, and the clinical performance was evaluated using 432 clinical samples by
      comparing the results with q-PCR assays. Our results demonstrated good
      performance of the RPM-IVDC4 assay in terms of sensitivity, specificity and
      detection range, suggesting that the platform can be further developed for high
      throughput CNSI diagnosis.

PMID- 28913578
TI  - Loci on chromosomes 1A and 2A affect resistance to tan (yellow) spot in wheat
      populations not segregating for tsn1.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: QTL for tan spot resistance were mapped on wheat chromosomes 1A and
      2A. Lines were developed with resistance alleles at these loci and at the tsn1
      locus on chromosome 5B. These lines expressed significantly higher resistance
      than the parent with tsn1 only. Tan spot (syn. yellow spot and yellow leaf spot)
      caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis is an important foliar disease of wheat in
      Australia. Few resistance genes have been mapped in Australian germplasm and only
      one, known as tsn1 located on chromosome 5B, is known in Australian breeding
      programs. This gene confers insensitivity to the fungal effector ToxA. The main
      aim of this study was to map novel resistance loci in two populations:
      Calingiri/Wyalkatchem, which is fixed for the ToxA-insensitivity allele tsn1, and
      IGW2574/Annuello, which is fixed for the ToxA-sensitivity allele Tsn1. A second
      aim was to combine new loci with tsn1 to develop lines with improved resistance.
      Tan spot severity was evaluated at various growth stages and in multiple
      environments. Symptom severity traits exhibited quantitative variation. The most
      significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) were detected on chromosomes 2A and 1A.
      The QTL on 2A explained up to 29.2% of the genotypic variation in the
      Calingiri/Wyalkatchem population with the resistance allele contributed by
      Wyalkatchem. The QTL on 1A explained up to 28.1% of the genotypic variation in
      the IGW2574/Annuello population with the resistance allele contributed by
      Annuello. The resistance alleles at both QTL were successfully combined with tsn1
      to develop lines that express significantly better resistance at both seedling
      and adult plant stages than Calingiri which has tsn1 only.

PMID- 28913579
TI  - Association between FTO gene polymorphisms and HDL cholesterol concentration may
      cause higher risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with acromegaly.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases are main cause of morbidity and mortality
      in acromegaly. Polymorphisms of FTO gene are associated with obesity and
      increased risk of CVD (independently of BMI). Aim of this study was to
      investigate the allele frequencies of two FTO gene polymorphisms: rs9939609 and
      rs9930506 in patients with acromegaly and to examine the association of FTO gene
      polymorphisms with BMI and selected metabolic parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Identification of two single nucleotide polymorphisms of FTO gene was carried out
      in 51 patients with acromegaly using the minisequencing method. RESULTS: The risk
      allele frequencies of rs9939609 and rs9930506 polymorphisms were 0.471 and 0.529,
      respectively and they were higher than in general European population. There is
      no association of FTO gene polymorphisms with BMI, glucose, total cholesterol,
      LDL cholesterol and triglyceride. The risk alleles were associated with decreased
      HDL cholesterol concentration. Homozygotes for the rs9939609-risk allele had 1.25
      fold lower HDL cholesterol concentration than carriers of the TT genotype (p =
      0.0024). The estimated average decrease in HDL cholesterol concentration per risk
      allele for rs9930506 was 11.2%. Nevertheless, statistically significant
      differences were observed only between AG versus GG and AA versus GG genotypes.
      Homozygotes for the rs9930506-risk allele had 1.27-fold lower HDL cholesterol
      concentration than carriers of the AA genotype (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The risk
      allele frequencies of studied polymorphisms in acromegaly were higher than in
      general European population. There is an association between FTO gene
      polymorphisms and HDL cholesterol concentration, suggesting FTO gene
      polymorphisms may be associated with higher CVD risk in patients with acromegaly.

PMID- 28913580
TI  - In vitro tools for the toxicological evaluation of sediments and dredged
      materials: intra- and inter-laboratory comparisons of chemical and bioanalytical
      methods.
AB  - The implementation of in vitro bioassays for the screening of dioxin-like
      compounds (DLCs) into management guidelines of dredged material is of increasing
      interest to regulators and risk assessors. This study reports on an intra- and
      inter-laboratory comparison study between four independent laboratories. A
      bioassay battery consisting of RTL-W1 (7-ethoxy-resorufin-O-deethylase; EROD),
      H4IIE (micro-EROD), and H4IIE-luc cells was used to assess aryl hydrocarbon
      receptor-mediated effects of sediments from two major European rivers,
      differently contaminated with DLCs. Each assay was validated by characterization
      of its limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), z-factor,
      reproducibility, and repeatability. DLC concentrations were measured using high
      resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) and
      compared to bioassay-specific responses via toxicity equivalents (TEQs) on intra-
      and inter-laboratory levels. The micro-EROD assay exhibited the best overall
      performance among the bioassays. It was ranked excellent (z-factor = 0.54),
      reached a repeatability > 75%, was highly comparable (r 2 = 0.87) and
      reproducible (83%) between two laboratories, and was well correlated (r 2 =
      0.803) with TEQs. Its LOD and LOQ of 0.5 and 0.7 pM 2,3,7,8-TCDD, respectively,
      approached LOQs of HRGC/HRMS measurements. In contrast, cell lines RTL-W1 and
      H4IIE-luc produced LODs > 0.7 pM 2,3,7,8-TCDD, LOQs > 1.7 pM 2,3,7,8-TCDD, and
      repeatability < 70%. Based on the data obtained, the micro-EROD assay is the most
      favorable bioanalytical tool, and via a micro-EROD-based limit value, it would
      allow for the assessment of sediment DLC concentrations; thus, it could be
      considered for the implementation into testing and management guidelines for
      dredged materials.

PMID- 28913581
TI  - Investigation on the anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with sewage sludge.
AB  - In this laboratory-scale investigation on the applicability of the co-digestion
      of food waste with sewage sludge, evaluated were the effects of the single-stage
      versus two-stage operating modes at the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 15
      days, and the impact of HRTs: 15 days vs. 25 days, on the single-stage operation.
      An average volatile solid reduction (VSR) of 61% and methane yield of 314 ml/g-VS
      were achieved in the two-stage operation (HRT 15 days), while comparable VSR of
      57% and the methane yield of 325 ml CH4/g-VS could only be detected at a longer
      HRT at 25 days in the single-stage operation. The difference in the operating
      modes showed much higher influence on shaping the overall bacterial structures
      than the two HRTs of the single-stage operation. The one operational taxonomic
      unit (OTU) annotatable at the family level of Thermotogaceae was most abundant (>
      10%) in all the methanogenic co-digestion consortia, and its dominant role was
      recognized to be independent of other OTU lineages in the community. OTUs in the
      phylum Proteobacteria were much more common as the persistent OTUs in the single
      stage co-digestion consortia, while in the two-stage consortia, they were in the
      phylum Firmicutes. Annotation on the functional genes suggested that the phylum
      Firmicutes hosted the majority of pilus genes and hydrogenase genes that were
      reported to be essential for the syntrophic conversion of the high concentrations
      of alcohols and reduced fatty acids in the methanogenic reactor operated under
      the two-stage mode.

PMID- 28913582
TI  - Glyphosate (Ab)sorption by Shoots and Rhizomes of Native versus Hybrid Cattail
      (Typha).
AB  - Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America are integrated with
      farmland and contain mixtures of herbicide contaminants. Passive nonfacilitated
      diffusion is how most herbicides can move across plant membranes, making this
      perhaps an important process by which herbicide contaminants are absorbed by
      wetland vegetation. Prairie wetlands are dominated by native cattail (Typha
      latifolia) and hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca). The objective of this batch
      equilibrium study was to compare glyphosate absorption by the shoots and rhizomes
      of native versus hybrid cattails. Although it has been previously reported for
      some pesticides that passive diffusion is greater for rhizome than shoot
      components, this is the first study to demonstrate that the absorption capacity
      of rhizomes is species dependent, with the glyphosate absorption being
      significantly greater for rhizomes than shoots in case of native cattails, but
      with no significant differences in glyphosate absorption between rhizomes and
      shoots in case of hybrid cattails. Most importantly, glyphosate absorption by
      native rhizomes far exceeded that of the absorption occurring for hybrid
      rhizomes, native shoots and hybrid shoots. Glyphosate has long been used to
      manage invasive hybrid cattails in wetlands in North America, but hybrid cattail
      expansions continue to occur. Since our results showed limited glyphosate
      absorption by hybrid shoots and rhizomes, this lack of sorption may partially
      explain the poorer ability of glyphosate to control hybrid cattails in wetlands.

PMID- 28913583
TI  - Economic assessment of conventional and conservation tillage practices in
      different wheat-based cropping systems of Punjab, Pakistan.
AB  - Wheat productivity and profitability is low under conventional tillage systems as
      they increase the production cost, soil compaction, and the weed infestation.
      Conservation tillage could be a pragmatic option to sustain the wheat
      productivity and enhance the profitability on long term basis. This study was
      aimed to evaluate the economics of different wheat-based cropping systems viz.
      fallow-wheat, rice-wheat, cotton-wheat, mung bean-wheat, and sorghum-wheat, with
      zero tillage, conventional tillage, deep tillage, bed sowing (60/30 cm beds and
      four rows), and bed sowing (90/45 cm beds and six rows). Results indicated that
      the bed sown wheat had the maximum production cost than other tillage systems.
      Although both bed sowing treatments incurred the highest production cost, they
      generated the highest net benefits and benefit: cost ratio (BCR). Rice-wheat
      cropping system with bed sown wheat (90/45 cm beds with six rows) had the highest
      net income (4129.7 US$ ha-1), BCR (2.87), and marginal rate of return compared
      with rest of the cropping systems. In contrast, fallow-wheat cropping system
      incurred the lowest input cost, but had the least economic return. In crux, rice
      wheat cropping system with bed sown wheat (90/45 cm beds with six rows) was the
      best option for getting the higher economic returns. Moreover, double cropping
      systems within a year are more profitable than sole planting of wheat under all
      tillage practices.

PMID- 28913584
TI  - Diffusivity changes in bevacizumab-responding and -refractory meningioma.

PMID- 28913585
TI  - On the Number of Non-equivalent Ancestral Configurations for Matching Gene Trees
      and Species Trees.
AB  - An ancestral configuration is one of the combinatorially distinct sets of gene
      lineages that, for a given gene tree, can reach a given node of a specified
      species tree. Ancestral configurations have appeared in recursive algebraic
      computations of the conditional probability that a gene tree topology is produced
      under the multispecies coalescent model for a given species tree. For matching
      gene trees and species trees, we study the number of ancestral configurations,
      considered up to an equivalence relation introduced by Wu (Evolution 66:763-775,
      2012) to reduce the complexity of the recursive probability computation. We
      examine the largest number of non-equivalent ancestral configurations possible
      for a given tree size n. Whereas the smallest number of non-equivalent ancestral
      configurations increases polynomially with n, we show that the largest number
      increases with [Formula: see text], where k is a constant that satisfies
      [Formula: see text]. Under a uniform distribution on the set of binary labeled
      trees with a given size n, the mean number of non-equivalent ancestral
      configurations grows exponentially with n. The results refine an earlier analysis
      of the number of ancestral configurations considered without applying the
      equivalence relation, showing that use of the equivalence relation does not alter
      the exponential nature of the increase with tree size.

PMID- 28913586
TI  - Evolving Indications for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Interventions.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review was to summarize recent progress in
      the field of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), discuss expansion of
      indications, and identify areas of future clinical applications. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Favorable clinical outcomes as well as continued refinement of transcatheter
      heart valve technology have prompted the continuous expansion of indications for
      TAVR. The results of randomized clinical trials comparing the safety and efficacy
      of TAVR relative to conventional surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in
      lower- than high-risk patients have recently been published, and trials among
      lower-risk categories are ongoing. Furthermore, evidence of the feasibility and
      safety of TAVR in patients with other pathological conditions is accumulating.
      Large pivotal randomized studies support the extension of TAVR to intermediate
      risk patients. Moreover, TAVR is emerging as a valuable treatment option for
      other categories including patients with bicuspid aortic valve, those with pure
      native aortic regurgitation deemed inoperable, and those with degenerated
      surgical bioprosthetic valves.

PMID- 28913587
TI  - Isotopic effects of PCE induced by organohalide-respiring bacteria.
AB  - Reductive dechlorination performed by organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB)
      enables the complete detoxification of certain emerging groundwater pollutants
      such as perchloroethene (PCE). Environmental samples from a contaminated site
      incubated in a lab-scale microcosm (MC) study enable documentation of such
      reductive dechlorination processes. As compound-specific isotope analysis is used
      to monitor PCE degradation processes, nucleic acid analysis-like 16S-rDNA
      analysis-can be used to determine the key OHRB that are present. This study
      applied both methods to laboratory MCs prepared from environmental samples to
      investigate OHRB-specific isotope enrichment at PCE dechlorination. This method
      linkage can enhance the understanding of isotope enrichment patterns of distinct
      OHRB, which further contribute to more accurate evaluation, characterisation and
      prospection of natural attenuation processes. Results identified three known OHRB
      genera (Dehalogenimonas, Desulfuromonas, Geobacter) in diverse abundance within
      MCs. One species of Dehalogenimonas was potentially involved in complete
      reductive dechlorination of PCE to ethene. Furthermore, the isotopic effects of
      PCE degradation were clustered and two isotope enrichment factors (epsilon) (-
      11.60/00, - 1.70/00) were obtained. Notably, epsilon values were independent of
      degradation rates and kinetics, but did reflect the genera of the dechlorinating
      OHRB.

PMID- 28913588
TI  - Efficacy of PDE5Is and SSRIs in men with premature ejaculation: a new systematic
      review and five meta-analyses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To clarify the efficacy of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) and
      selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in men with premature ejaculation
      (PE). METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases to
      identify all randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) and compared the results,
      including intravaginal ejaculation latency time, satisfaction, intercourse per
      week and side effects after treatment with PDE5I or SSRIs versus placebo,
      combined use of PDE5I with SSRIs versus PDE5I or SSRIs alone, and PDE5I versus
      SSRIs for treating PE. RESULTS: The study inclusion criteria were met by 23
      studies (ten RCTs with five crossover studies) involving 6145 patients. The data
      synthesized from these studies indicated that the efficacy of PDE5Is and SSRIs
      was better than that of placebo (p < 0.00001; p < 0.00001); however, more
      patients had side effects while taking PDE5Is and SSRIs (p < 0.00001; p <
      0.00001). The efficacy of the combined treatment was significantly better than
      that of PDE5Is or SSRIs alone (p < 0.00001; p < 0.00001); however, more patients
      had side effects from the combined treatment than from SSRIs (p = 0.0002), with
      no significant difference in PDE5Is (p = 0.5). The efficacy of PDE5Is was better
      than that of SSRIs (p = 0.006), and no significant difference was observed in the
      frequency of side effects (p = 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: PDE5Is were significantly more
      effective than placebo or SSRIs for treating PE, while SSRIs were better than
      placebo. The combined treatment had better efficacy than PDE5Is or SSRIs alone.

PMID- 28913589
TI  - Estimating renal function in old people: an in-depth review.
AB  - Estimates of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) should provide accurate measure of
      an individual's kidney function because important clinical decisions such as
      timing of renal replacement therapy and drug dosing may be dependent on eGFR.
      Formulae from which eGFR is derived are generally based on serum creatinine
      measurement, such as Cockcroft-Gault, MDRD and CKD-EPI. More recently,
      calculation of eGFR using other laboratory biomarkers such as cystatin C has
      emerged with apparent greater accuracy. In old people, there is age-related
      physiological change in the kidney, which could lead to reduced GFR. Likewise,
      physiological changes in body composition that occur with the ageing process
      impede the use of a single creatinine-based calculation of eGFR across all adult
      age groups. Studies have shown differences in the prevalence of CKD based on the
      type of equation used to estimate GFR. This review discusses the evolution of
      eGFR calculations and the relative accuracy of such equations in older
      population.

PMID- 28913590
TI  - Challenges of Anticoagulation Therapy in Pregnancy.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Thrombotic complications in pregnancy represent a major cause
      of morbidity and mortality. Pregnancy is a primary hypercoagulable state due to
      enhanced production of clotting factors, a decrease in protein S activity, and
      inhibition of fibrinolysis. These physiologic changes will yield a collective
      rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) of about 1-2 in 1000 pregnancies for the
      general obstetric population, which represents a five- to tenfold increased risk
      in pregnancy compared to age-matched non-pregnant peers. A select group of women,
      however, will carry a significantly higher rate of thrombosis due to primary
      thrombophilia, either inherited or acquired. This introduces a population of
      women who may benefit from prophylactic anticoagulation, either antepartum or
      postpartum. The coagulation changes that occur in preparation for the hemostatic
      challenges of delivery endure for several weeks postpartum. In fact, daily risk
      for pulmonary embolism (PE) is the highest postpartum. Use of anticoagulation in
      pregnancy introduces particular risk at the time of delivery, where bleeding and
      clotting risk collide. Altered metabolism rates of anticoagulants in pregnant
      women often necessitate closer monitoring than is required outside of pregnancy
      in order to ensure efficacy and safety. Heparin products are the mainstay of
      treating VTE in pregnancy, chiefly because they do not cross the placenta. In
      women with mechanical heart valves, the ideal anticoagulation regimen remains
      controversial as heparin use has shown inferior outcomes for preventing
      thromboembolic complications compared to warfarin, but warfarin carries risk for
      fetal embryopathy. Other populations where a heparin alternative is necessary
      include women with a history of heparin-associated thrombocytopenia (HIT) or
      other heparin intolerance. Further challenging the management of anticoagulation
      in pregnancy is the dearth of randomized clinical trials. The evidence governing
      treatment recommendations is largely based on expert guidelines, observational
      studies, or extrapolation from non-pregnant cohorts. A careful critique of a
      woman's history, as well as the available data, is essential for optimal
      management of anticoagulation in pregnancy. Such decisions should involve a
      multidisciplinary team involving obstetrics, hematology, cardiology, and
      anesthesia.

PMID- 28913591
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards cystic echinococcosis in livestock
      among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda.
AB  - A cross-sectional study was done from March 2013 to May 2014 to assess knowledge,
      attitudes, and practices towards cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatidosis among
      selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda. A structured
      questionnaire was administered to 381 respondents. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis was done to find the relationship between knowledge about CE
      and factors such as age, sex, and level of education across all regions. The odds
      ratio and confidence interval were used to determine the difference in responses
      across regions. It was shown that age above 36 years was significantly (p <
      0.001) associated with awareness about CE in livestock. Likewise, uneducated (p <
      0.0001) and agro-pastoralists (p = 0.01) were significantly less knowledgeable
      than the educated and pastoralists across all regions. The overall knowledge
      towards CE in livestock was low 17.8% (95% CI = 14.0-21.6). Dog ownership was
      high and they never dewormed their freely roaming dogs. Dogs shared water with
      livestock. In conclusion, knowledge about CE in livestock was low across all
      regions. Therefore, public health education and formulation of policies towards
      its control by the relevant stakeholders should be done. Also, the true
      prevalence of CE in livestock needs to be done so that the magnitude and its
      public health significance are elucidated.

PMID- 28913592
TI  - Chronic Stress Causes Sex-Specific and Structure-Specific Alterations in
      Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Activity in Rat Brain.
AB  - Chronic restraint stress (CRS) induces a variety of changes in brain function,
      some of which are mediated by glucocorticoids. The response to stress occurs in a
      sex-specific way, and may include mitochondrial and synaptic alterations. The
      synapse is highly dependent on mitochondrial energy supply, and when mitochondria
      become dysfunctional, they orchestrate cell death. This study aimed to
      investigate the CRS effects on mitochondrial respiratory chain activity, as well
      as mitochondrial potential and mass in cell body and synapses using hippocampus,
      cortex and striatum of male and female rats. Rats were divided into non-stressed
      (control) and stressed group (CRS during 40 days). Results showed that CRS
      increased complex I-III activity in hippocampus. We also observed an interaction
      between CRS and sex in the striatal complex II activity, since CRS induced a
      reduction in complex II activity in males, while in females this activity was
      increased. Also an interaction was observed between stress and sex in cortical
      complex IV activity, since CRS induced increased activity in females, while it
      was reduced in males. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) content in cortex and
      hippocampus was sexually dimorphic, with female rats presenting higher levels
      compared to males. No changes were observed in GR content, mitochondrial
      potential or mass of animals submitted to CRS. It was concluded that CRS induced
      changes in respiratory chain complex activities, and some of these changes are
      sex-dependent: these activities are increased in the striatal mitochondria by CRS
      protocol mainly in females, while in males it is decreased.

PMID- 28913594
TI  - Developmental trajectory of the prefrontal cortex: a systematic review of
      diffusion tensor imaging studies.
AB  - Fluctuations in gray and white matter volumes in addition to the fibers'
      reorganization and refinement of synaptic connectivity apparently happen in a
      particular temporo-spatial sequence during the dynamic and prolonged process of
      cerebral maturation. These developmental events are associated with regional
      modifications of brain tissues and neural circuits, contributing to networks'
      specialization and enhanced cognitive processing. According to several studies,
      improvements in cognitive processes are possibly myelin-dependent and associated
      to white matter maturation. Of particular interest is the developmental pattern
      of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), more specifically the PFC white matter, due to
      its role in high-level executive processes such as attention, working memory and
      inhibitory control. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the
      Web of Science, PubMed and Embase databases to analyze the development of PFC
      white matter using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), a widely used non-invasive
      technique to assess white matter maturation. Both the research and reporting of
      results were based on Cochrane's recommendations and PRISMA (Preferred Reporting
      Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. Information extracted
      from 27 published studies revealed an increased myelination, organization and
      integrity of frontal white matter with age, as revealed by DTI indexes
      (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity [MD], radial diffusivity [RD] and
      axial diffusivity [AD]). These patterns highlight the extended developmental
      course of the frontal structural connectivity, which parallels the improvements
      in higher-level cognitive functions observed between adolescence and early
      adulthood.

PMID- 28913593
TI  - Interaction of Arabidopsis TGA3 and WRKY53 transcription factors on Cestrum
      yellow leaf curling virus (CmYLCV) promoter mediates salicylic acid-dependent
      gene expression in planta.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: This paper highlighted a salicylic acid-inducible Caulimoviral
      promoter fragment from Cestrum yellow leaf curling virus (CmYLCV). Interaction of
      Arabidopsis transcription factors TGA3 and WRKY53 on CmYLCV promoter resulted in
      the enhancement of the promoter activity via NPR1-dependent salicylic acid
      signaling. Several transcriptional promoters isolated from plant-infecting
      Caulimoviruses are being presently used worldwide as efficient tools for plant
      gene expression. The CmYLCV promoter has been isolated from the Cestrum yellow
      leaf curling virus (Caulimoviruses) and characterized more than 12 years ago;
      also we have earlier reported a near-constitutive, pathogen-inducible CmYLCV
      promoter fragment (-329 to +137 from transcription start site; TSS) that enhances
      stronger (3*) expression than the previously reported fragments; all these
      fragments are highly efficient in monocot and dicot plants (Sahoo et al. Planta
      240: 855-875, 2014). Here, we have shown that the full-length CmYLCV promoter
      fragment (-729 to +137 from TSS) is salicylic acid (SA) inducible. In this
      context, we have performed an in-depth study to elucidate the factors responsible
      for SA-inducibility of the CmYLCV promoter. We found that the as-1 1 and W-box1
      elements (located at -649 and -640 from the TSS) of the CmYLCV promoter are
      required for SA-induced activation by recruiting Arabidopsis TGA3 and WRKY53
      transcription factors. Consequently, as a nascent observation, we established the
      physical interaction between TGA3 and WYKY53; also demonstrated that the N
      terminal domain of TGA3 is sufficient for the interaction with the full-length
      WRKY53. Such interaction synergistically activates the CmYLCV promoter activity
      in planta. Further, we found that activation of the CmYLCV promoter by SA through
      TGA3 and WRKY53 interaction depends on NPR1. Finally, the findings presented here
      provide strong support for the direct regulatory roles of TGA3 and WRKY53 in the
      SA and NPR1-dependent activation of a Caulimoviral promoter (CmYLCV).

PMID- 28913595
TI  - Health Professionals "Make Their Choice": Pharmaceutical Industry Leaders'
      Understandings of Conflict of Interest.
AB  - Conflicts of interest, stemming from relationships between health professionals
      and the pharmaceutical industry, remain a highly divisive and inflammatory issue
      in healthcare. Given that most jurisdictions rely on industry to self-regulate
      with respect to its interactions with health professionals, it is surprising that
      little research has explored industry leaders' understandings of conflicts of
      interest. Drawing from in-depth interviews with ten pharmaceutical industry
      leaders based in Australia, we explore the normalized and structural management
      of conflicts of interest within pharmaceutical companies. We contrast this with
      participants' unanimous belief that the antidote to conflicts of interest with
      health professionals were "informed consumers." It is, thus, unlikely that a self
      regulatory approach will be successful in ensuring ethical interactions with
      health professionals. However, the pharmaceutical industry's routine and accepted
      practices for disclosing and managing employees' conflicts of interest could,
      paradoxically, serve as an excellent model for healthcare.

PMID- 28913596
TI  - [Perioperative management of immunosuppressive treatment in patients undergoing
      joint surgery].
AB  - The perioperative management of patients on immunosuppressive drugs is uncertain
      due to a lack of controlled studies. Continuation of medication without a pause
      may increase the risk of postoperative infections and wound healing disorders and
      when the pause is too long this can induce a flare of the underlying rheumatic
      disease. Additional factors, such as rheumatic disease activity, comorbidities,
      previous infections and the type of surgical procedure also modulate the risk.
      The highest risk of infection is associated with corticosteroids depending on the
      dose, so that a dosage as low as possible but stable in the perioperative period
      is recommended. Among the conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs
      (DMARDs) only methotrexate has been sufficiently investigated and in this case a
      pause in treatment induces higher risks than continuation. Antimalarial agents
      and sulphasalazine should be continued due to the low risks, whereas leflunomide
      should be washed out before major surgical interventions. The perioperative risk
      of treatment with biologics is still far from clear; therefore, as a rule of
      thumb, withholding treatment for two serum half-lives before an intervention and
      restarting after completed wound healing are recommended.

PMID- 28913597
TI  - Trauma Leagues-A Novel Option to Attract Medical Students to a Surgical Career.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Brazil, most medical schools do not offer trauma surgery in their
      undergraduate curriculum. The Trauma Leagues arose in Brazil as an important
      promoter of trauma education and stimulated activities related to surgical skills
      and practices. In recent decades, studies have demonstrated that the number of
      surgical residency applicants has decreased worldwide. Strategies to motivate
      medical students to choose surgery are needed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact
      of participation in the Unicamp Trauma League (UTL) during a 20-year period in
      the choice for a surgical career. METHODS: The study included 276 students in a
      Brazilian university hospital who were part of the Trauma League. Research of
      records in universities and medical societies about the specialties chosen during
      residency were evaluated. A Likert questionnaire was sent to participants to
      evaluate the impact of participating in the Trauma League in the student's
      professional career. RESULTS: The questionnaire was answered by 76% of the
      participants. Of those, 38.4% chose general surgery. About 55.1% did not know
      what medical career to choose when joined the league. Participation in the league
      had an influence on specialty choice in 79.1% of the students. Of those choosing
      surgery, 93.2% believed that participating in the league had positively
      influenced their career choice. Overall, 93.1% believed that participating in the
      league provided knowledge and information that the medical school curriculum was
      not able to provide. CONCLUSION: Participation in Trauma League has been an
      effective strategy to encourage medical students to choose a career in general
      surgery in Campinas, Brazil.

PMID- 28913598
TI  - Aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels for coal spontaneous
      combustion prevention and control.
AB  - We have developed aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels
      (AFG) for coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control. Specially, this
      study aimed to characterize the effect of AFG on the microstructure, static and
      dynamic stability, and coal fire inhibition performances of the prepared AFG
      stabilized clay suspensions. Compared with aqueous clay suspensions, the AFG
      stabilized clay suspensions manifest high static and dynamic stability, which can
      be ascribed to the formation of a robust three-dimensional gel network by AFG.
      The coal acceleration oxidation experimental results show that the prepared AFG
      stabilized clay suspensions can improve the coal thermal stability and
      effectively inhibit the coal spontaneous oxidation process by increasing crossing
      point temperature (CPT) and reducing CO emission. The prepared low-cost and
      nontoxic AFG-stabilized clay suspensions, exhibiting excellent coal fire
      extinguishing performances, indicate great application potentials in coal
      spontaneous combustion prevention and control.

PMID- 28913601
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Approach to the Patient with Coma.
AB  - Coma is an acute failure of neuronal systems governing arousal and awareness and
      represents a medical emergency. When encountering a comatose patient, the
      clinician must have an organized approach to detect easily remediable causes,
      prevent ongoing neurologic injury, and determine a hierarchical plan for
      diagnostic tests, treatments, and neuromonitoring. Coma was chosen as an
      Emergency Neurological Life Support protocol because timely medical and surgical
      interventions can be life-saving, and the initial work-up of such patients is
      critical to establishing a correct diagnosis.

PMID- 28913599
TI  - The mediating role of cortical thickness and gray matter volume on sleep slow
      wave activity during adolescence.
AB  - During the course of adolescence, reductions occur in cortical thickness and gray
      matter (GM) volume, along with a 65% reduction in slow-wave (delta) activity
      during sleep (SWA) but empirical data linking these structural brain and
      functional sleep differences, is lacking. Here, we investigated specifically
      whether age-related differences in cortical thickness and GM volume and cortical
      thickness accounted for the typical age-related difference in slow-wave (delta)
      activity (SWA) during sleep. 132 healthy participants (age 12-21 years) from the
      National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence study were
      included in this cross-sectional analysis of baseline polysomnographic,
      electroencephalographic, and magnetic resonance imaging data. By applying
      mediation models, we identified a large, direct effect of age on SWA in
      adolescents, which explained 45% of the variance in ultra-SWA (0.3-1 Hz) and 52%
      of the variance in delta-SWA (1 to <4 Hz), where SWA was lower in older
      adolescents, as has been reported previously. In addition, we provide evidence
      that the structure of several, predominantly frontal, and parietal brain regions,
      partially mediated this direct age effect, models including measures of brain
      structure explained an additional 3-9% of the variance in ultra-SWA and 4-5% of
      the variance in delta-SWA, with no differences between sexes. Replacing age with
      pubertal status in models produced similar results. As reductions in GM volume
      and cortical thickness likely indicate synaptic pruning and myelination, these
      results suggest that diminished SWA in older, more mature adolescents may largely
      be driven by such processes within a number of frontal and parietal brain
      regions.

PMID- 28913600
TI  - A multilayer biomaterial for osteochondral regeneration shows superiority vs
      microfractures for the treatment of osteochondral lesions in a multicentre
      randomized trial at 2 years.
AB  - PURPOSE: The increasing awareness on the role of subchondral bone in the
      etiopathology of articular surface lesions led to the development of
      osteochondral scaffolds. While safety and promising results have been suggested,
      there are no trials proving the real potential of the osteochondral regenerative
      approach. Aim was to assess the benefit provided by a nanostructured collagen
      hydroxyapatite (coll-HA) multilayer scaffold for the treatment of chondral and
      osteochondral knee lesions. METHODS: In this multicentre randomized controlled
      clinical trial, 100 patients affected by symptomatic chondral and osteochondral
      lesions were treated and evaluated for up to 2 years (51 study group and 49
      control group). A biomimetic coll-HA scaffold was studied, and bone marrow
      stimulation (BMS) was used as reference intervention. Primary efficacy
      measurement was IKDC subjective score at 2 years. Secondary efficacy measurements
      were: KOOS, IKDC Knee Examination Form, Tegner and VAS Pain scores evaluated at
      6, 12 and 24 months. Tissue regeneration was evaluated with MRI MOCART scoring
      system at 6, 12 and 24 months. An external independent agency was involved to
      ensure data correctness and objectiveness. RESULTS: A statistically significant
      improvement of all clinical scores was obtained from basal evaluation to 2-year
      follow-up in both groups, although no overall statistically significant
      differences were detected between the two treatments. Conversely, the subgroup of
      patients affected by deep osteochondral lesions (i.e. Outerbridge grade IV and
      OCD) showed a statistically significant better IKDC subjective outcome (+12.4
      points, p = 0.036) in the coll-HA group. Statistically significant better results
      were also found for another challenging group: sport active patients (+16.0, p =
      0.027). Severe adverse events related to treatment were documented only in three
      patients in the coll-HA group and in one in the BMS group. The MOCART score
      showed no statistical difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      highlighted the safety and potential of a biomimetic implant. While no
      statistically significant differences were found compared to BMS for chondral
      lesions, this procedure can be considered a suitable option for the treatment of
      osteochondral lesions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

PMID- 28913602
TI  - Devoting attention to glucose variability and hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes.
AB  - In the Trial Comparing Cardiovascular Safety of Insulin Degludec vs Insulin
      Glargine in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at High Risk of Cardiovascular Events
      (DEVOTE), insulin degludec was non-inferior to insulin glargine in terms of
      cardiovascular events and mortality. However, there were lower rates of severe
      hypoglycaemia with insulin degludec. DEVOTE investigators now extend these
      findings by presenting the results of two observational epidemiological analyses
      based on trial data. In the first of these analyses (DEVOTE 2), Zinman et al
      (Diabetologia DOI: 10.1007/s00125-017-4423-z ) demonstrate that, compared with
      individuals with lower day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability, those with
      higher day-to-day fasting glycaemic variability had a similar risk of major
      adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) but a higher risk of severe hypoglycaemia
      and all-cause mortality. In the second analysis (DEVOTE 3), Pieber et al
      (Diabetologia DOI: 10.1007/s00125-017-4422-0 ) found that individuals who
      experienced severe hypoglycaemia had a similar risk of MACE compared with those
      who never experienced severe hypoglycaemia, but had a more than twofold higher
      risk of subsequent total mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.
      The strengths of these studies relate to the availability of high-quality
      prospective data on adjudicated severe hypoglycaemia, MACE and mortality events
      in a large number of high-risk insulin-treated individuals with type 2 diabetes.
      Limitations include the observational nature of the data and thus residual
      confounding remains possible. Furthermore, the short duration of the trial
      resulted in limited statistical power for some analyses. Therefore, whilst DEVOTE
      2 and DEVOTE 3 raise awareness of the mortality risks associated with glucose
      variability and severe hypoglycaemia in high-risk, insulin-treated patients with
      type 2 diabetes, they cannot clarify causal relationships. Preventing severe
      hypoglycaemia in those with type 2 diabetes should already be a priority in
      clinical practice. However, findings from future clinical trials are needed to
      guide physicians on whether it is beneficial to target glucose variability, and
      risk for severe hypoglycaemia, to reduce the risks for CVD events and mortality
      in these individuals.

PMID- 28913603
TI  - Influence of anthropometry, TMD, and sex on molar bite force in adolescents with
      and without orthodontic needs.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bite force has been studied as representative of functional indices of
      mastication and its value may have diagnostic significance in disorders of the
      musculoskeletal system of facial bones. This study aimed to evaluate bite force
      in adolescents with and without orthodontic needs considering presence of
      temporomandibular disorders (TMD) as well as anthropometry: craniofacial
      dimensions and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: A total of 80 subjects were
      screened (61 females, 19 males; 18 +/- 3 years old). Unilateral molar bite force
      was measured using a digital dynamometer with a fork thickness of 12 mm. Direct
      anthropometry was used to quantify craniofacial measurements. Dental Health
      Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN-DHC) and the Research
      Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) were used to
      classify samples according to malocclusion and to TMD, respectively. Data were
      analyzed using normality tests, Mann-Whitney U test, and multiple linear
      regression analyses with stepwise backward elimination, controlling for the
      presence of malocclusion and TMD (p <= 0.05). RESULTS: The cephalic index was
      greater in females with malocclusion and the longitudinal cranial diameter was
      reduced in females with malocclusion. BMI was not different between normal and
      malocclusion groups for either gender. Bite force was negatively related with
      vertical dimension of the face, and positively related with facial width and
      facial index. The model explained 32% of bite force variability, considering the
      sample size (coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.324). CONCLUSIONS: Even when
      orthodontic needs and TMD signs and symptoms are present, stronger bite force is
      still observed in males and in subjects with smaller anterior facial heights and
      wider facial widths.

PMID- 28913604
TI  - Differing Perceptions Concerning Research Integrity Between Universities and
      Industry: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - Despite the ever increasing collaboration between industry and universities, the
      previous empirical studies on research integrity and misconduct excluded
      participants of biomedical industry. Hence, there is a lack of empirical data on
      how research managers and biomedical researchers active in industry perceive the
      issues of research integrity and misconduct, and whether or not their
      perspectives differ from those of researchers and research managers active in
      universities. If various standards concerning research integrity and misconduct
      are upheld between industry and universities, this might undermine research
      collaborations. Therefore we performed a qualitative study by conducting 22 semi
      structured interviews in order to investigate and compare the perspectives and
      attitudes concerning the issues of research integrity and misconduct of research
      managers and biomedical researchers active in industry and universities. Our
      study showed clear discrepancies between both groups. Diverse strategies in order
      to manage research misconduct and to stimulate research integrity were observed.
      Different definitions of research misconduct were given, indicating that similar
      actions are judged heterogeneously. There were also differences at an individual
      level, whether the interviewees were active in industry or universities. Overall,
      the management of research integrity proves to be a difficult exercise, due to
      many diverse perspectives on several essential elements connected to research
      integrity and misconduct. A management policy that is not in line with the vision
      of the biomedical researchers and research managers is at risk of being
      inefficient.

PMID- 28913605
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Status Epilepticus.
AB  - Patients with prolonged or rapidly recurring convulsions lasting more than 5 min
      should be considered to be in status epilepticus (SE) and receive immediate
      resuscitation. Although there are few randomized clinical trials, available
      evidence and experience suggest that early and aggressive treatment of SE
      improves patient outcomes, for which reason this was chosen as an Emergency
      Neurological Life Support protocol. The current approach to the emergency
      treatment of SE emphasizes rapid initiation of adequate doses of first line
      therapy, as well as accelerated second line anticonvulsant drugs and induced coma
      when these fail, coupled with admission to a unit capable of neurological
      critical care and electroencephalography monitoring. This protocol will focus on
      the initial treatment of SE but also review subsequent steps in the protocol once
      the patient is hospitalized.

PMID- 28913606
TI  - Ranges of Injury Risk Associated with Impact from Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
AB  - Regulations have allowed for increased unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations
      over the last decade, yet operations over people are still not permitted. The
      objective of this study was to estimate the range of injury risks to humans due
      to UAS impact. Three commercially-available UAS models that varied in mass (1.2
      11 kg) were evaluated to estimate the range of risk associated with UAS-human
      interaction. Live flight and falling impact tests were conducted using an
      instrumented Hybrid III test dummy. On average, live flight tests were observed
      to be less severe than falling impact tests. The maximum risk of AIS 3+ injury
      associated with live flight tests was 11.6%, while several falling impact tests
      estimated risks exceeding 50%. Risk of injury was observed to increase with
      increasing UAS mass, and the larger models tested are not safe for operations
      over people in their current form. However, there is likely a subset of smaller
      UAS models that are safe to operate over people. Further, designs which redirect
      the UAS away from the head or deform upon impact transfer less energy and
      generate lower risk. These data represent a necessary impact testing foundation
      for future UAS regulations on operations over people.

PMID- 28913607
TI  - Diabetes and the Esophagus.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Chronic hyperglycemia is a well-known cause of
      gastrointestinal motility disorders extending from the esophagus to the
      anorectum. Even though little attention has been paid to esophageal disorders in
      the context of DM, its prevalence is higher compared to gastroparesis. Heartburn,
      as a typical symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is the most
      prevalent symptom and has been found in 25 to 41% of patients with DM.
      Furthermore, DM has recently been established as possible independent factor for
      the development of Barrett's esophagus. The pathophysiology of esophageal
      disorders in patients with DM is complex and multifactorial, and the mechanisms
      described include the following: hyperglycemia, autonomic neuropathy,
      biomechanical and sensory alterations of the esophagus, presbyesophagus, and
      psychiatric comorbidity. Opportune detection, together with adequate glycemic
      control, can delay the onset of esophageal dysfunction and slow its progression
      in diabetic patients. There is limited evidence on patients with DM and
      esophageal dysfunction, with respect to medical treatment. Lifestyle
      modifications, prokinetics, and proton pump inhibitors should be indicated on an
      individual basis in patients that present with DM and esophageal disorders. A
      greater number of improved studies are needed to develop new therapeutic
      strategies. This chapter will review esophageal disorders associated with DM and
      the currently available treatment options.

PMID- 28913609
TI  - Modulation of the Emotional Response to Viewing Strabismic Children in Mothers
      Measured by fMRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: Strabismus influences not only the individual with nonparallel eyes but
      also the observer. It has previously been demonstrated by fMRI that adults
      viewing images of strabismic adults have a negative reaction to the images as
      demonstrated by limbic activation, especially activation of the left amygdala.
      The aim of this study was to see if mothers would have a similar reaction to
      viewing strabismic children and whether or not that reaction would be different
      in mothers of strabismic children. METHODS: Healthy mothers of children with
      strabismus (n = 10, Group I) and without strabismus (n = 15, Group II)
      voluntarily underwent fMRI at 3T. Blood oxygen level dependent signal responses
      to viewing images of strabismic and non-strabismic children were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Group II, while viewing images of strabismic children, showed
      significantly increased activation of the limbic network (p < 0.05) and bilateral
      amygdala activation. Group I showed considerably less limbic activation, compared
      to the group II, and had no amygdala activation. Both groups revealed statically
      significant activation in the FEF (frontal eye field) when they were viewing
      images of strabismic children as compared to when they were viewing children with
      parallel eyes. The activated FEF area for Group II was much larger than for group
      I. CONCLUSION: Mothers of non-strabismic children showed similar negative
      emotional fMRI patterns as adults did while viewing strabismic adults. Strabismus
      is an interpersonal organic issue for the observer, which also impacts the
      youngest members of our society.

PMID- 28913608
TI  - Efficacy of alpha-lipoic acid against cadmium toxicity on metal ion and oxidative
      imbalance, and expression of metallothionein and antioxidant genes in rabbit
      brain.
AB  - To explore the protective efficacy of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) against Cd-prompted
      neurotoxicity, young male New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were
      divided randomly into four groups. Group 1 (control) received demineralized
      water. Group 2 (Cd) administered cadmium chloride (CdCl2) 3 mg/kg bwt. Group 3
      (ALA) administered ALA 100 mg/kg bwt. Group 4 (Cd + ALA) administered ALA 1 h
      after Cd. The treatments were administered orally for 30 consecutive days. Cd
      induced marked disturbances in neurochemical parameters were indicated by the
      reduction in micro- and macro-elements (Zn, Fe, Cu, P, and Ca), with the highest
      reduction in Cd-exposed rabbits, followed by Cd + ALA group and then ALA group.
      In the brain tissues, Cd has significantly augmented the lipid hydroperoxides
      (LPO) and reduced the glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and
      glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase enzyme activities but had an
      insignificant effect on the antioxidant redox enzymes. Administration of ALA
      effectively restored LPO and sustained GSH and TAC contents. Moreover, Cd
      downregulated the transcriptional levels of Nrf2, MT3, and SOD1 genes, and
      upregulated that of Keap1 gene. ALA treatment, shortly following Cd exposure,
      downregulated Keap1, and upregulated Nrf2 and GPx1, while maintained MT3 and SOD1
      mRNA gene expression in the rabbits' brain. These data indicated the ALA
      effectiveness in protecting against Cd-induced oxidative stress and the depletion
      of cellular antioxidants in the brain of rabbits perhaps due to its antioxidant,
      free radical scavenging, and chelating properties.

PMID- 28913610
TI  - Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 (eEF2) is a Potential Biomarker of Prostate
      Cancer.
AB  - Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2), a key regulator of protein synthesis, is
      involved in the progression of several types of cancer. This first study was to
      investigate the relationships between eEF2 protein and prostate cancer (PCa).
      Immunohistochemical staining was used to verify eEF2 protein in a set of 97
      formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary PCa tissues. Expression of eEF2 protein
      in positive cells was characterized by cytoplasmic staining. Correlations with
      clinicopathological factors were evaluated by Chi-square or Fisher's exact
      probability tests. eEF2 protein was found in 74 out of 97 (76.29%) patients. eEF2
      positive had higher PSA and Gleason score than negative in all patients. In
      addition, the positive expression of eEF2 protein was significantly associated
      with PSA and Gleason score (P = 0.007 and 0.002). However, no significant
      correlations occurred between expression of eEF2 protein and TNM stage (P =
      0.292). In those eEF2 protein-positive patients, we have found staining intensity
      of eEF2 protein was not only associated with PSA and Gleason score, but also
      associated with TNM stage (P = 0, 0.014 and 0.001, respectively). To conclude,
      our study indicates that expression of eEF2 protein is a potential biomarker for
      evaluating PCa.

PMID- 28913611
TI  - Prospective intraindividual comparison of gadoterate and gadobutrol for cervical
      and intracranial contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: Gadobutrol (GB) is reported to provide improved relaxivity and
      concentration compared to gadoterate (GT). This study was designed to
      intraindividually compare quantitative and qualitative enhancement
      characteristics of GB to GT in cervicocranial magnetic resonance angiography
      (MRA) of patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: Patients (n = 54)
      with CVD underwent two identical contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography
      (CE-MRA) examinations of the cervical and intracranial vasculature in randomized
      order, using GB and GT in equimolar dose. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and
      contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were obtained by two independent
      neuroradiologists, blinded to the applied contrast agents. Qualitative assessment
      was performed using a three-point scale with a focus on M1/M2 segments. RESULTS:
      One thousand and twenty-six vessel segments were analyzed. GB revealed a
      significantly higher SNR (p = 0.032) and CNR (p = 0.031) in all vessel segments.
      GB featured a significantly higher SNR and CNR in thoracic (p = 0.022; p = 0.016)
      and cervical vessels (p = 0.03; p = 0.038), as well as in the posterior
      circulation (p = 0.012; p = 0.005). In blinded qualitative assessment, overall
      preference was given to GB (p = 0.02), showing a significant better delineation
      of the M1/M2 segments (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: Compared to GT, the use of GB
      results in a significantly higher SNR and CNR in cervical and cerebral CE-MRA,
      leading to a better delineation of the intracranial vasculature. Present results
      underline the potential of GB for improved CE-MRA assessment of vasculature in
      CVD patients.

PMID- 28913612
TI  - Finger tapping and pre-attentive sensorimotor timing in adults with ADHD.
AB  - Sensorimotor timing deficits are considered central to attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the tasks establishing timing
      impairments often involve interconnected processes, including low-level
      sensorimotor timing and higher level executive processes such as attention. Thus,
      the source of timing deficits in ADHD remains unclear. Low-level sensorimotor
      timing can be isolated from higher level processes in a finger-tapping task that
      examines the motor response to unexpected shifts of metronome onsets. In this
      study, adults with ADHD and ADHD-like symptoms (n = 25) and controls (n = 26)
      performed two finger-tapping tasks. The first assessed tapping variability in a
      standard tapping task (metronome-paced and unpaced). In the other task,
      participants tapped along with a metronome that contained unexpected shifts (+/
      15, 50 ms); the timing adjustment on the tap following the shift captures pre
      attentive sensorimotor timing (i.e., phase correction) and thus should be free of
      potential higher order confounds (e.g., attention). In the standard tapping task,
      as expected, the ADHD group had higher timing variability in both paced and
      unpaced tappings. However, in the pre-attentive task, performance did not differ
      between the ADHD and control groups. Together, results suggest that low-level
      sensorimotor timing and phase correction are largely preserved in ADHD and that
      some timing impairments observed in ADHD may stem from higher level factors (such
      as sustained attention).

PMID- 28913613
TI  - Risk Factor Analysis Between Newly Screened and Established Hepatitis C in GI and
      Hepatology Clinics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies show inconsistencies in the rate of hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) detection among baby boomers (born 1945-1965). We conducted a cross
      sectional HCV screening followed by a case-controlled comparison of the newly
      screened population with established HCV subjects. METHOD: Enrollment was offered
      to subjects aged 40-75 at our gastroenterology and hepatology clinics.
      Demographic data and potential risk factors were obtained, and HCV antibody test
      was offered to those who had never been screened and compared with a group with
      established HCV. Logistic regression analysis and Fisher's exact test were
      performed. RESULTS: Six hundred and seventy-five patients were offered
      participation, of whom 128 declined while 50 consented to participate but did not
      perform the HCV antibody test. Of 497 enrolled subjects, 252 patients had HCV,
      while 245 subjects (188 patients among "baby boomer") underwent screening for
      HCV. There were more females (62.4 vs. 41.7%) and immigrants (34.7 vs. 22.2%)
      among the newly screened group. Among the screened population, five patients had
      HCV antibody (2.04%), and two of them had positive viral load (0.82%) of whom
      only one fell in the baby boomer category (0.53%). Compared to HCV group,
      screened group had significantly lower-risk factors, such as IV drug use (1.22
      vs. 43.3%), intranasal cocaine use (14.3 vs. 49.6%), and blood transfusion (18.8
      vs. 32.5%). CONCLUSION: We found a slightly lower but similar prevalence of HCV
      antibody when screening based on birth cohort as compared to larger baby boomer
      studies. Future studies evaluating addition of other screening strategies or
      possibly universal screening may be needed.

PMID- 28913614
TI  - Researchers must be aware of their roles at the interface of ecosystem services
      science and policy.
AB  - Scientists working on ecosystem service (ES) science are engaged in a mission
      driven discipline. They can contribute to science-policy interfaces where
      knowledge is co-produced and used. How scientists engage with the governance
      arena to mobilise their knowledge remains a matter of personal choice, influenced
      by individual values. ES science cannot be considered neutral and a discussion of
      the values that shape it forms an important part of the sustainability dialogue.
      We propose a simple decision tree to help ES scientists identify their role and
      the purpose of the knowledge they produce. We characterise six idealised
      scientific postures spanning possible roles at the science-policy interface (pure
      scientist, science arbiter-guarantor, issue advocate-guardian, officer, honest
      broker and stealth issue advocate) and illustrate them with feedbacks from
      interviews. We encourage ES scientists to conduct a reflexive exploration of
      their attitudes regarding knowledge production and use, with the intention of
      progressing toward a higher recognition of the political and ethical importance
      of ES assessments.

PMID- 28913615
TI  - Course of acute nonspecific mesenteric lymphadenitis: single-center experience.
AB  - : Available reports dealing with acute nonspecific mesenteric lymphadenitis do
      not address the total duration of symptoms. However, it is commonly assumed a
      time for recovery <= 4 weeks. The purpose of this report was to investigate the
      course of acute nonspecific mesenteric lymphadenitis in childhood. A review was
      made of the patients aged <= 16 years in whom the diagnosis of acute nonspecific
      mesenteric lymphadenitis was established between 2011 and 2015 at the Pediatric
      Emergency Unit. The records of the Pediatric Emergency Unit, those of the
      referring family doctors, and the results of a structured telephone interview
      with each family were used. Forty-four patients (25 girls and 19 boys) aged 2.5
      to 16, median 8.2, years were included. A bimodal distribution in duration of
      symptoms was observed: symptoms persisted for <= 2 weeks in 22 patients and 3 to
      10 weeks in 22. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were similar in children
      with symptoms persisting for 2 weeks or less 28 and in those with symptoms
      persisting for 3-10 weeks. CONCLUSION: In patients affected with acute
      nonspecific mesenteric lymphadenitis, it is advantageous to think of the time
      span for recovery in terms of >= 4 weeks. What is Known: * Mesenteric adenitis is
      a self-limiting inflammatory condition with well-characterized clinical
      presentation and imaging features. * A total duration of symptoms of <= 4 weeks
      is usually hypothesized. What is New: * Symptoms persist for 3 to 10 weeks in
      half of the patients. * At presentation, clinical and laboratory characteristics
      are similar in children with symptoms persisting for 2 weeks or less and in those
      with 45 symptoms persisting for 3-10 weeks.

PMID- 28913616
TI  - Bone Phenotype Assessed by HRpQCT and Associations with Fracture Risk in the GLOW
      Study.
AB  - The epidemiology and pathogenesis of fractures in postmenopausal women has
      previously been investigated in the Global Longitudinal study of Osteoporosis in
      Women (GLOW). To date, however, relationships between bone imaging outcomes and
      fracture have not been studied in this cohort. We examined relationships between
      high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) parameters
      and fracture in the UK arm of GLOW, performing a cluster analysis to assess if
      our findings were similar to observations reported from older participants of the
      Hertfordshire Cohort Study (HCS), and extended the analysis to include tibial
      measurements. We recorded fracture events and performed HRpQCT of the distal
      radius and tibia and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the hip in 321
      women, mean age 70.6 (SD 5.4) years, identifying four clusters at each site. We
      saw differing relationships at the radius and tibia. Two radial clusters (3 and
      4) had a significantly lower hip areal bone mineral density (p < 0.001) compared
      to Cluster 1; only individuals in Cluster 4 had a significantly higher risk of
      fracture (p = 0.005). At the tibia, clusters 1, 3 and 4 had lower hip areal bone
      mineral density (p < 0.001) compared to Cluster 2; individuals in Cluster 3 had a
      significantly higher risk of fracture (p = 0.009). In GLOW our findings at the
      radius were very similar to those previously reported in the HCS, suggesting that
      combining variables derived from HRpQCT may give useful information regarding
      fracture risk in populations where this modality is available. Further data
      relating to tibial HRpQCT-phenotype and fractures are provided in this paper, and
      would benefit from validation in other studies. Differences observed may reflect
      age differences in the two cohorts.

PMID- 28913618
TI  - Estimating the potential of energy saving and carbon emission mitigation of
      cassava-based fuel ethanol using life cycle assessment coupled with a
      biogeochemical process model.
AB  - Global warming and increasing concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG)
      have prompted considerable interest in the potential role of energy plant
      biomass. Cassava-based fuel ethanol is one of the most important bioenergy and
      has attracted much attention in both developed and developing countries. However,
      the development of cassava-based fuel ethanol is still faced with many
      uncertainties, including raw material supply, net energy potential, and carbon
      emission mitigation potential. Thus, an accurate estimation of these issues is
      urgently needed. This study provides an approach to estimate energy saving and
      carbon emission mitigation potentials of cassava-based fuel ethanol through LCA
      (life cycle assessment) coupled with a biogeochemical process model-GEPIC (GIS
      based environmental policy integrated climate) model. The results indicate that
      the total potential of cassava yield on marginal land in China is 52.51 million
      t; the energy ratio value varies from 0.07 to 1.44, and the net energy surplus of
      cassava-based fuel ethanol in China is 92,920.58 million MJ. The total carbon
      emission mitigation from cassava-based fuel ethanol in China is 4593.89 million
      kgC. Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian are identified as target regions for large
      scale development of cassava-based fuel ethanol industry. These results can
      provide an operational approach and fundamental data for scientific research and
      energy planning.

PMID- 28913617
TI  - Fingolimod induces neuronal-specific gene expression with potential
      neuroprotective outcomes in maturing neuronal progenitor cells exposed to HIV.
AB  - Fingolimod (FTY720), a structural analogue of sphingosine, targets sphingosine-1
      phosphate receptor signaling and is currently an immunomodulatory therapy for
      multiple sclerosis. Fingolimod accesses the central nervous system (CNS) where
      its active metabolite, fingolimod phosphate (FTY720-P), has pleotropic
      neuroprotective effects in an inflammatory microenvironment. To investigate
      potential neuronal-specific mechanisms of fingolimod neuroprotection, we cultured
      the human neuronal progenitor cell line, hNP1, in differentiation medium
      supplemented with HIV- or Mock-infected supernatants, with or without FTY720-P.
      Gene expression was investigated using microarray and functional genomics. FTY720
      P treatment increased differentially expressed (DE) neuronal genes by 33% in HIV
      exposed and 40% in Mock-exposed cultures. FTY720-P treatment broadened the
      functional profile of DE genes in HIV-exposed versus Mock-exposed neurons,
      including not only immune responses but also transcriptional regulation and cell
      differentiation, among others. FTY720-P treatment downregulated the gene for
      follistatin, the antagonist of activin signaling, in all culture conditions.
      FTY720-P treatment differentially affected both glycolysis-related and immune
      response genes in Mock- or HIV-exposed cultures, significantly upregulating 11
      glycolysis-related genes in HIV-exposed neurons. FTY720-P treatment also
      differentially upregulated genes related to innate immune responses and antigen
      presentation in Mock-exposed and more so in HIV-exposed neurons. However, in HIV
      exposed neurons, FTY720-P depressed the magnitude of differential expression in
      almost half the genes, suggesting an anti-inflammatory potential. Moreover, in
      HIV-exposed neurons, FTY720-P reduced expression of the amyloid precursor protein
      (APP) gene, resulting in reduced expression of the APP protein. This study
      provides new evidence that fingolimod alters neuronal gene expression in
      inflammatory, viral-infected microenvironments, with the potential for
      neuroprotective effects.

PMID- 28913619
TI  - Bile duct obstruction in a patient treated with nivolumab as second-line
      chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a case report.
AB  - Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are becoming a standard therapy for non-small
      cell lung cancer in the advanced stage. As these ICIs become widely available in
      clinical practice, immune-related adverse effects will become more common. Here
      we report a patient with lung adenocarcinoma who was treated with nivolumab and
      developed obstruction because of biliary inflammation. A 63-year-old Japanese man
      having lung adenocarcinoma with pleural dissemination complained of epigastric
      pain on the fifth cycle of nivolumab. Computed tomography showed wall thickening
      at the lower part of the bile duct and cholecystitis. Endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography was repeatedly performed for drainage and stenting of
      the bile duct. Biopsies did not show obvious malignancy. Laboratory data on day
      85 demonstrated grade 3 elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase, transaminase,
      and amylase levels. We initiated high-dose oral prednisone, resulting in gradual
      improvement of symptoms and laboratory data. Follow-up magnetic resonance
      cholangiopancreatography demonstrated no progression of duct obstruction, which
      confirmed the absence of biliary malignancy. Combined with results from previous
      reports, nivolumab may cause extrahepatic cholangitis.

PMID- 28913620
TI  - A brief review on prognostic models of primary biliary cholangitis.
AB  - Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), previously known as primary biliary cirrhosis,
      is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by progressive destruction of small
      intrahepatic bile ducts. If left untreated, PBC may eventually result in end
      stage liver disease. For better management of PBC and optimal allocation of
      medical resources, it is pivotal to accurately estimate the prognosis of patients
      with PBC. This article will briefly review the models that predict long-term
      outcome of PBC patients, with special focus on the applicability, strengths and
      limitations of the widely used models reported from 1983 to 2016. Among many, the
      Mayo score has been extensively validated and considered as the classic
      prognostic model for untreated PBC patients, whereas the well-validated Paris I
      and Paris II criteria are mainly used in ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)-treated
      patients with advanced PBC (stage III-IV) and early PBC (stege I-II),
      respectively. Based on multicenter studies with large sample sizes, the recently
      reported GLOBE score and UK-PBC score seem to be superior to previous models and
      can be applied in patients with different stages of PBC who are already on UDCA
      therapy, but further external validation may be justified.

PMID- 28913621
TI  - What Do We Mean by Physician Wellness? A Systematic Review of Its Definition and
      Measurement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Physician wellness (well-being) is recognized for its intrinsic
      importance and impact on patient care, but it is a construct that lacks
      conceptual clarity. The authors conducted a systematic review to characterize the
      conceptualization of physician wellness in the literature by synthesizing
      definitions and measures used to operationalize the construct. METHODS: A total
      of 3057 references identified from PubMed, Web of Science, and a manual reference
      check were reviewed for studies that quantitatively assessed the "wellness" or
      "well-being" of physicians. Definitions of physician wellness were thematically
      synthesized. Measures of physician wellness were classified based on their
      dimensional, contextual, and valence attributes, and changes in the
      operationalization of physician wellness were assessed over time (1989-2015).
      RESULTS: Only 14% of included papers (11/78) explicitly defined physician
      wellness. At least one measure of mental, social, physical, and integrated well
      being was present in 89, 50, 49, and 37% of papers, respectively. The number of
      papers operationalizing physician wellness using integrated, general-life well
      being measures (e.g., meaning in life) increased [X 2 = 5.08, p = 0.02] over
      time. Changes in measurement across mental, physical, and social domains remained
      stable over time. CONCLUSIONS: Conceptualizations of physician wellness varied
      widely, with greatest emphasis on negative moods/emotions (e.g., burnout).
      Clarity and consensus regarding the conceptual definition of physician wellness
      is needed to advance the development of valid and reliable physician wellness
      measures, improve the consistency by which the construct is operationalized, and
      increase comparability of findings across studies. To guide future physician
      wellness assessments and interventions, the authors propose a holistic
      definition.

PMID- 28913622
TI  - Comment on Singh et al.:A systematic review and meta-analysis of platelet-rich
      plasma versus corticosteroid injections for plantar fasciopathy.

PMID- 28913623
TI  - Updated strategies for the management, pathogenesis and molecular genetics of
      different forms of ichthyosis syndromes with prominent hair abnormalities.
AB  - Syndromic ichthyosis is rare inherited disorders of cornification with varied
      disease complications. This disorder appears in seventeen subtypes associated
      with severe systematic manifestations along with medical, cosmetic and social
      problems. Syndromic ichthyosis with prominent hair abnormalities covers five
      major subtypes: Netherton syndrome, trichothiodystrophy, ichthyosis hypotrichosis
      syndrome, ichthyosis hypotrichosis sclerosing cholangitis and ichthyosis
      follicularis atrichia photophobia syndrome. These syndromes mostly prevail in
      high consanguinity states, with distinctive clinical features. The known
      pathogenic molecules involved in ichthyosis syndromes with prominent hair
      abnormalities include SPINK5, ERCC2, ERCC3, GTF2H5, MPLKIP, ST14, CLDN1 and
      MBTPS2. Despite underlying genetic origin, most of the health professionals
      solely rely on phenotypic expression of these disorders that leads to improper
      management of patients, hence making these patients living an orphanage life.
      After dermal features, association of other systems such as nervous system,
      skeletal system, hair abnormalities or liver problems may sometimes give clues
      for diagnosis but still leaving place for molecular screening for efficient
      diagnosis. In this paper, we have presented a review of ichthyosis syndrome with
      prominent hair abnormalities, with special emphasis on their updated genetic
      consequences and disease management. Additionally, we aim to update health
      professionals about the practice of molecular screening in ichthyosis syndromes
      for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 28913624
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
AB  - Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a neurological emergency because it may lead to
      sudden neurological decline and death and, depending on the cause, has treatment
      options that can return a patient to normal. Because there are interventions that
      can be life-saving in the first few hours after onset, SAH was chosen as an
      Emergency Neurological Life Support (ENLS) protocol.

PMID- 28913625
TI  - Calcium release-dependent inactivation precedes formation of the tubular system
      in developing rat cardiac myocytes.
AB  - Developing cardiac myocytes undergo substantial structural and functional changes
      transforming the mechanism of excitation-contraction coupling from the embryonic
      form, based on calcium influx through sarcolemmal DHPR calcium channels, to the
      adult form, relying on local calcium release through RYR calcium channels of
      sarcoplasmic reticulum stimulated by calcium influx. We characterized day-by-day
      the postnatal development of the structure of sarcolemma, using techniques of
      confocal fluorescence microscopy, and the development of the calcium current,
      measured by the whole-cell patch-clamp in isolated rat ventricular myocytes. We
      characterized the appearance and expansion of the t-tubule system and compared it
      with the appearance and progress of the calcium current inactivation induced by
      the release of calcium ions from sarcoplasmic reticulum as structural and
      functional measures of direct DHPR-RYR interaction. The release-dependent
      inactivation of calcium current preceded the development of the t-tubular system
      by several days, indicating formation of the first DHPR-RYR couplons at the
      surface sarcolemma and their later spreading close to contractile myofibrils with
      the growing t-tubules. Large variability of both of the measured parameters among
      individual myocytes indicates uneven maturation of myocytes within the growing
      myocardium.

PMID- 28913626
TI  - Role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of cardiovascular implantable electronic
      device infections: A meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We performed a meta-analysis evaluating the use of fluorine-18
      fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed
      tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of cardiovascular implantable electronic device
      (CIED) infections. BACKGROUND: PET/CT may be helpful in the diagnosis of CIED
      infection, particularly in patients with the absence of localizing signs or
      definitive echocardiographic findings. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library,
      CINAHL, Web of Knowledge, and www.clinicaltrials.gov from January 1990 to April
      2017 were searched for studies evaluating the accuracy of PET/CT in the diagnosis
      of CIED infections. RESULTS: Overall, 14 studies involving 492 patients were
      included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity of PET/CT for diagnosis of
      CIED infection was 83% (95% CI 78%-86%) and the pooled specificity was 89% (95%
      CI 84%-94%). PET/CT demonstrated a higher sensitivity of 96% (95% CI 86%-99%) and
      specificity of 97% (95% CI 86%-99%) for diagnosis of pocket infections.
      Diagnostic accuracy for lead infections or CIED-IE was lower with pooled
      sensitivity of 76% (95% CI 65%-85%) and specificity of 83% (95% CI 72%-90%).
      CONCLUSION: Use of PET/CT in the evaluation of CIED infection has both a high
      sensitivity (83%) and specificity (89%) and deserves consideration in the
      management of selected patients with suspected CIED infections.

PMID- 28913627
TI  - Everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold in daily clinical practice: A
      single-centre experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent evidence has raised concerns regarding the safety of the
      everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (E-BVS) (Absorb, Abbott
      Vascular, Santa Clara, CA, USA). Following these data, the use of this device has
      diminished in the Netherlands; however, daily practice data are limited.
      Therefore we studied the incidence of safety and efficacy outcomes with this
      device in daily clinical practice in a single large tertiary centre in the
      Netherlands. METHODS: All E-BVS treated patients were included in this analysis.
      The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac
      death, target vessel non-fatal myocardial infarction (TV-MI) and clinically
      driven target lesion revascularisation (TLR). The secondary endpoint was the
      incidence of definite scaffold thrombosis. RESULTS: Between October 2013 and
      January 2017, 105 patients were treated with 147 E-BVS. This population contained
      42 (40%) patients with diabetes mellitus and 43 (40.9%) undergoing treatment for
      acute coronary syndrome, and thus represents a high-risk patient cohort. Mean
      follow-up was 19.8 months. Intravascular imaging guidance during scaffold
      implantation was used in 64/105 (43.5%) patients. The primary endpoint (TLF)
      occurred in 3 (2.9%) patients. All-cause mortality and cardiac mortality occurred
      in 2 (2%) and 0 (0%) patients respectively. TV-MI occurred in 2 patients (1.9%):
      both were periprocedural and not related to the BVS implantation. TLR occurred in
      1 patient (1.0%) during follow-up. No definite scaffold thrombosis occurred
      during follow-up. CONCLUSION: This single-centre study examining the real-world
      experience of E-BVS implantation in a high-risk population shows excellent
      procedural safety and long-term clinical outcomes.

PMID- 28913628
TI  - Delayed Bronchocutaneous Fistula Without Pneumothorax Following a Microwave
      Ablation of a Recurrent Pulmonary Metastasis.
AB  - Percutaneous tumor ablations are rather safe and effective treatments in selected
      patients for non-operable non-small cell lung carcinomas or lung metastases.
      However, there are major complications such as bronchopleural or bronchocutaneous
      fistula, which it is important to know in order to manage them safely. We
      describe in this report a case of bronchocutaneous fistula without pneumothorax
      following a microwave ablation of a recurrent pulmonary metastasis and its
      management.

PMID- 28913629
TI  - Atherogenic index of plasma is positively associated with the risk of all-cause
      death in elderly women : A 10-year follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The blood concentrations of total cholesterol and low-density
      lipoprotein (LDL) do not predict survival in patients older than 60 years. The
      atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is a logarithm of the triacylglycerol to high
      density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio and a surrogate for the concentration of small
      dense LDL. It might be a better reflection of the risk of all-cause death in
      elderly patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study of
      patients with arterial hypertension older than 60 years. The concentrations of
      total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triacylglycerol were measured at the time of the
      recruitment and the patients were observed for 10 years. Cox regression analysis
      was performed to assess the effects of lipoproteins and AIP on survival. RESULTS:
      A total of 500 patients were recruited and 473 of them (226 men, 247 women)
      either died or successfully completed the 10-year follow-up and were included in
      the analysis. The AIP was positively associated, while HDL concentration was
      negatively associated with the risk of all-cause death adjusted for age, smoking
      habits, statin use, history of diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, stroke
      and peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD) in elderly women but not in men.
      The LDL, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and non-HDL concentrations were not
      associated with the risk of death in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: The AIP is
      positively associated with the risk of all-cause death in elderly women with
      arterial hypertension independent of age, smoking habits, statin therapy and
      comorbidities.

PMID- 28913630
TI  - Durability of treatment effects of the Sleep Position Trainer versus oral
      appliance therapy in positional OSA: 12-month follow-up of a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Sleep Position Trainer (SPT) is a new option for treating patients
      with positional obstructive sleep apnea (POSA). This study investigated long-term
      efficacy, adherence, and quality of life during use of the SPT device compared
      with oral appliance therapy (OAT) in patients with POSA. METHODS: This
      prospective, multicenter trial randomized patients with mild to moderate POSA
      (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] 5-30/h) to SPT or OAT. Polysomnography was performed
      at baseline and after 3 and 12 months' follow-up. The primary endpoint was OSA
      severity; adherence, quality of life, and adverse events were also assessed.
      RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients were randomized and 58 completed the study (29 in
      each group). Median AHI in the SPT group decreased from 13.2/h at baseline to
      7.1/h after 12 months (P < 0.001); corresponding values in the OAT group were
      13.4/h and 5.0/h (P < 0.001), with no significant between-group difference (P =
      1.000). Improvements throughout the study were maintained at 12 months. Long-term
      median adherence was also similar in the two treatment groups; the proportion of
      patients who used their device for >= 4 h for 5 days in a week was 100% in the
      SPT group and 97.0% in the OAT group (P = 0.598). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of
      SPT therapy was maintained over 12 months and was comparable to that of OAT in
      patients with mild to moderate POSA. Adherence was relatively high, and similar
      in the two groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02045576).

PMID- 28913631
TI  - Comparative proteomic analysis and characterization of benzo(a)pyrene removal by
      Microbacterium sp. strain M.CSW3 under denitrifying conditions.
AB  - High-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are persistent organic
      pollutants with great environmental and human health risks and the associated
      bioremediation activities have always been hampered by the lack of powerful
      bacterial species under redox conditions. A Microbacterium sp. strain capable of
      using benzo(a)pyrene as sole carbon and energy sources under denitrifying
      conditions was isolated. The difference in protein expression during BaP removal
      and removal characterization were investigated. A total of 146 proteins were
      differentially expressed, 44 proteins were significantly up-regulated and 102
      proteins were markedly down-regulated. GO and COG analysis showed that BaP
      removal inhibited the expression of proteins related to glucose metabolism at
      different levels and activated other metabolic pathway. The proteins associated
      with catalytic activity and metabolic process were altered significantly.
      Furthermore, the BaP removal might be occurred in certain organelle of M.CSW3.
      The strain removed BaP with a speed of 0.0657-1.0072 mg/L/day over the
      concentrations range 2.5-100 mg/L. High removal rates (>70%) were obtained over
      the range of pH 7-11 in 14 days. Carbohydrates and organic acids which could be
      utilized by the strain, as well as heavy metal ions, reduced BaP removal
      efficiency. However, phenanthrene or pyrene addition enhanced the removal
      capability of M.CSW3. The strain was proved to have practical potential for
      bioremediation of PAHs-contaminated soil and this study provided a powerful
      platform for further application by improving production of associated proteins.

PMID- 28913632
TI  - [Withholding life-sustaining therapies-interdisciplinary responsibility].

PMID- 28913635
TI  - Skin lipids of the striped plateau lizard (Sceloporus virgatus) correlate with
      female receptivity and reproductive quality alongside visual ornaments.
AB  - Sex pheromones can perform a variety of functions ranging from revealing the
      location of suitable mates to being honest signals of mate quality, and they are
      used in the mate selection process by many species of reptile. In this study, we
      determined whether the skin lipids of female striped plateau lizards (Sceloporus
      virgatus) can predict the reproductive quality of females, thereby having the
      potential to serve as pheromones. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, we
      identified 17 compounds present in skin lipids of female lizards. Using principal
      component analysis to compare the skin lipid profile of receptive and non
      receptive females, we determined that an uncharacterized compound may allow for
      chemical identification of receptive mates. We also compared extracted principal
      components to measures of female fitness and reproductive qualities and found
      that the level of two 18 carbon fatty acids present in a female's skin lipids may
      indicate her clutch size. Finally, we compared the information content of the
      skin lipids to that of female-specific color ornaments to assess whether chemical
      and visual cues transmit different information or not. We found that the chroma
      of a female's orange throat patch is also related to her clutch size, suggesting
      that chemical signals may reinforce the information communicated by visual
      ornamentation in this species which would support the "backup signals" hypothesis
      for multiple signals.

PMID- 28913634
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Intracranial Hypertension and Herniation.
AB  - Sustained intracranial hypertension and acute brain herniation are "brain codes,"
      signifying catastrophic neurological events that require immediate recognition
      and treatment to prevent irreversible injury and death. As in cardiac arrest, a
      brain code mandates the organized implementation of a stepwise management
      algorithm. The goal of this Emergency Neurological Life Support protocol is to
      implement an evidence-based, standardized approach to the evaluation and
      management of patients with intracranial hypertension and/or herniation.

PMID- 28913633
TI  - The function of endocytosis in Wnt signaling.
AB  - Wnt growth factors regulate one of the most important signaling networks during
      development, tissue homeostasis and disease. Despite the biological importance of
      Wnt signaling, the mechanism of endocytosis during this process is ill described.
      Wnt molecules can act as paracrine signals, which are secreted from the producing
      cells and transported through neighboring tissue to activate signaling in target
      cells. Endocytosis of the ligand is important at several stages of action: One
      central function of endocytic trafficking in the Wnt pathway occurs in the source
      cell. Furthermore, the beta-catenin-dependent Wnt ligands require endocytosis for
      signal activation and to regulate gene transcription in the responding cells.
      Alternatively, Wnt/beta-catenin-independent signaling regulates endocytosis of
      cell adherence plaques to control cell migration. In this comparative review, we
      elucidate these three fundamental interconnected functions, which together
      regulate cellular fate and cellular behavior. Based on established hypotheses and
      recent findings, we develop a revised picture for the complex function of
      endocytosis in the Wnt signaling network.

PMID- 28913636
TI  - Gelidibacter flavus sp. nov., Isolated from Activated Sludge of Seawater
      Treatment System.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative bacterial strain designated Con4T was isolated from
      activated sludge in a seawater treatment system. The strain was rod-shaped,
      motile, aerobic, and formed yellow-colored colonies on agar medium. Cells
      contained carotenoid pigments, but flexirubin-type pigments were absent. Based on
      16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the strain was assigned to the genus
      Gelidibacter. Optimum growth occurred at 20  degrees C, pH 7.0, and 1-2% (w/v)
      NaCl. Prominent fatty acid types were iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0, and iso-C16:0
      3OH. Diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine were present as the
      major polar lipids. MK-6 was present as major menaquinone. Strain Con4T showed
      the highest sequence similarity with Gelidibacter mesophilus KCTC 12106T (96.5%),
      Gelidibacter gilvus IC158T (96.4%), and Gelidibacter algens ACAM 536T (95.8%).
      The G+C mol% contents of the strain Con4T were 37.7%. Distinct morphological,
      physiological, and genotypic differences from the previously described taxa
      support the classification of strain Con4T as a representative of a novel species
      in the genus Gelidibacter, for which the name Gelidibacter flavus sp. nov. is
      proposed. The type strain is Con4T (=KEMB 41-198T = JCM 31135T).

PMID- 28913637
TI  - Chemical characterization and identification of Pinaceae pollen by infrared
      microspectroscopy.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: FTIR microspectroscopy, in combination with spectral averaging
      procedure, enables precise analysis of pollen grains for chemical
      characterization and identification studies of fresh and fossilised pollen in
      botany, ecology and palaeosciences. Infrared microspectroscopy (uFTIR) of
      Pinaceae pollen can provide valuable information on plant phenology,
      ecophysiology and paleoecology, but measurements are challenging, resulting in
      unreproducible spectra. The comparative analysis of uFTIR spectra belonging to
      morphologically different Pinaceae pollen, namely bisaccate Pinus and monosaccate
      Tsuga pollen, was conducted. The study shows that the main cause of spectral
      variability is non-radial symmetry of bisaccate pollen grains, while additional
      variation is caused by Mie scattering. Averaging over relatively small number of
      single pollen grain spectra (approx. 5-10) results with reproducible data on
      pollen chemical composition. The practical applicability of the uFTIR spectral
      averaging method has been demonstrated by the partial least-squares regression
      based differentiation of the two closely related Pinus species with
      morphologically indistinguishable pollen: Pinus mugo (mountain pine) and Pinus
      sylvestris (Scots pine). The study has demonstrated that the uFTIR approach can
      be used for identification, differentiation and chemical characterization of
      pollen with complex morphology. The methodology enables analysis of fresh pollen,
      as well as fossil pollen from sediment core samples, and can be used in botany,
      ecology and paleoecology for study of biotic and abiotic effects on plants.

PMID- 28913638
TI  - Psychosomatic medicine - viability of a discipline.

PMID- 28913639
TI  - Invited comment to the 'AbdoMAN': an artificial abdominal wall simulator for
      biomechanical studies on laparotomy closure techniques. L. F. Kroese, J. J.
      Harlaar, C. Ordrenneau, J. Verhelst, G. Guerin, F. Turquier, R. H. M. Goossens,
      G.-J. Kleinrensink, J. Jeekel, J. F. Lange.

PMID- 28913640
TI  - Case report of Kummell's disease with delayed onset myelopathy and the literature
      review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Kummell's disease is an avascular necrosis of the vertebral body,
      secondary to a vertebral compression fracture. This entity is characterised by
      the gradual development in time of a vertebral body collapse following a trivial
      spinal trauma, involving a worsening back pain associated with a progressive
      kyphosis. PURPOSES: The aim of this article is to carry out an international
      literature review regarding Kummell's disease, addressing its physiopathology,
      histopathology, clinical presentation, radiological characteristics and treatment
      modalities; at the same time, the literature is updated through the description
      of a new and interesting case, symbol of the pathology long-term potential
      complications, if not diagnosed and therefore not suitably treated. CASE REPORT:
      A patient with osteoporosis, following a slight spinal trauma, suffered a
      progressive necrosis of the D11 body; although the radiological exams showed a
      constant worsening of the thoracic-lumbar kyphosis and a restriction of the
      spinal canal, in another medical centre he was only treated with a corset and
      painkillers. A year after the injury, motor deficits concerning the lower limbs
      appeared. He was then sent to us and indication for posterior internal fixation
      was given. On the basis of both his medical history and radiological and
      histological findings, Kummell's disease was diagnosed. CONCLUSION: It is
      necessary to have a complete knowledge of the clinical, pathological and
      radiological characteristics of Kummell's disease, so as to follow a correct
      diagnostic course enabling to prepare the most suitable therapy.

PMID- 28913641
TI  - Periorbital edema from apixaban treatment.

PMID- 28913642
TI  - Small-Volume, Fast-Emptying Gastric Pouch Leads to Better Long-Term Weight Loss
      and Food Tolerance After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anatomical and functional influences on gastric bypass (GBP)
      results are often poorly evaluated and not yet fully understood. PURPOSE: The
      purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of the gastric pouch volume
      and its emptying rate on long-term weight loss and food tolerance after GBP.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Weight loss, food tolerance, pouch volumetry (V) by three
      dimensional reconstruction, and pouch emptying rate by 4 h scintigraphy were
      evaluated in 67 patients. Cutoffs were identified for V and retention percentage
      (%Ret) at 1 h (%Ret1). From these parameters, the sample was categorized, looking
      for associations between V, %Ret, weight loss, and food tolerance, assessed by a
      questionnaire for quick assessment of food tolerance (SS). RESULTS: PO median
      follow-up time was 47 months; median V was 28 mL; %Ret at 1, 2, and 4 h were 8,
      2, and 1%, respectively. There were associations between V <= 40 mL and higher
      emptying rates up to 2 h (V <= 40 mL: %Ret1 = 6, %Ret2 = 2, p = 0.009; V > 40 mL:
      %Ret1 = 44, %Ret2 = 13.5, p = 0.045). An association was found between higher
      emptying speed in 1 h and higher late weight loss (WL), represented by lower
      percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) regain (p = 0.036) and higher %EWL (p =
      0.033) in the group with %Ret1 <= 12%, compared to the group %Ret1 >= 25%. Better
      food tolerance (SS > 24), was associated with lower %Ret1 (p = 0.003).
      CONCLUSION: Smaller pouch size is associated with a faster gastric emptying,
      greater WL maintenance, and better food tolerance. These data suggest that a
      small pouch with rapid emptying rate is an important technical parameter for good
      outcomes in GBP.

PMID- 28913643
TI  - Does oxytocin lead to emotional interference during a working memory paradigm?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxytocin administration may increase attention to emotional
      information. We hypothesized that this augmented emotional processing might in
      turn lead to interference on concurrent cognitive tasks. To test this hypothesis,
      we examined whether oxytocin administration would lead to heightened emotional
      interference during a working memory paradigm. Additionally, moderating effects
      of childhood maltreatment were explored. METHODS: Seventy-eight healthy males
      received 24 IU of intranasal oxytocin or placebo in a randomized placebo
      controlled double-blind between-subjects study. A working memory task was
      performed during which neutral, positive, and negative distractors were
      presented. RESULTS: The main outcome observed was that oxytocin did not enhance
      interference by emotional information during the working memory task. There was a
      non-significant trend for oxytocin to slow down performance irrespective of
      distractor valence, while accuracy was unaffected. Exploratory analyses showed
      that childhood maltreatment was related to lower overall accuracy, but in the
      placebo condition only. However, the maltreated group sample size was very small
      precluding any conclusions on its moderating effect. CONCLUSIONS: Despite
      oxytocin's previously proposed role in enhanced emotional processing, no proof
      was found that this would lead to reduced performance on a concurrent cognitive
      task. The routes by which oxytocin exerts its effects on cognitive and social
      emotional processes remain to be fully elucidated.

PMID- 28913644
TI  - Affective-associative two-process theory: a neurocomputational account of partial
      reinforcement extinction effects.
AB  - The partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) is an experimentally
      established phenomenon: behavioural response to a given stimulus is more
      persistent when previously inconsistently rewarded than when consistently
      rewarded. This phenomenon is, however, controversial in animal/human learning
      theory. Contradictory findings exist regarding when the PREE occurs. One body of
      research has found a within-subjects PREE, while another has found a within
      subjects reversed PREE (RPREE). These opposing findings constitute what is
      considered the most important problem of PREE for theoreticians to explain. Here,
      we provide a neurocomputational account of the PREE, which helps to reconcile
      these seemingly contradictory findings of within-subjects experimental
      conditions. The performance of our model demonstrates how omission expectancy,
      learned according to low probability reward, comes to control response choice
      following discontinuation of reward presentation (extinction). We find that a
      PREE will occur when multiple responses become controlled by omission expectation
      in extinction, but not when only one omission-mediated response is available. Our
      model exploits the affective states of reward acquisition and reward omission
      expectancy in order to differentially classify stimuli and differentially mediate
      response choice. We demonstrate that stimulus-response (retrospective) and
      stimulus-expectation-response (prospective) routes are required to provide a
      necessary and sufficient explanation of the PREE versus RPREE data and that
      Omission representation is key for explaining the nonlinear nature of extinction
      data.

PMID- 28913645
TI  - Local analgesia in paediatric dentistry: a systematic review of techniques and
      pharmacologic agents.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the evidence supporting effects and adverse effects of local
      analgesia using different pharmacological agents and injection techniques during
      dental treatment in children and adolescents aged 3-19 years. METHODS: A
      systematic literature search of databases including PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus
      was conducted in November 2016. The PRISMA-statement was followed. Two review
      authors independently assessed the selected randomised control trials for risk of
      bias and quality. RESULTS: 725 scientific papers were identified. 89 papers were
      identified to be read in full text of which 80 were excluded. Finally, 9 papers
      were evaluated for quality and risk of bias. Many of the included papers had
      methodological shortcomings affecting the possibility to draw conclusions.
      Information about ethical clearance and consent were missing in some of the
      included papers. No alarming adverse effects were identified. One study was
      assessed as having low risk of bias. This reported inferior alveolar nerve block
      to be more effective than buccal infiltration for dental treatment of mandibular
      molars, while no differences were found regarding pharmacological agents.
      CONCLUSIONS: At present, there is insufficient evidence in support of any
      pharmacologic agent or injection technique as being superior compared to others.
      There is a need for more rigorous studies which also handle the ethical issues of
      including children in potentially painful studies.

PMID- 28913646
TI  - Computational investigation of the microstructural characteristics and physical
      properties of glycerol-based deep eutectic solvents.
AB  - Recently, there has been significant interest in the possibility of using deep
      eutectic solvents (DESs) as novel green media and alternatives to conventional
      solvents and ionic liquids (ILs) in many applications. Due to their attractive
      properties, such as their biodegradability, low cost, easy preparation, and
      nontoxicity, DESs appear to be very promising solvents for use in the field of
      green chemistry. This computational study investigated six glycerol-based DESs:
      DES1 (glycerol:methyl triphenyl phosphonium bromide), DES2 (glycerol:benzyl
      triphenyl phosphonium chloride), DES3 (glycerol:allyl triphenyl phosphonium
      bromide), DES4 (glycerol:choline chloride), DES5 (glycerol:N,N
      diethylethanolammonium chloride), and DES6 (glycerol:tetra-n-butylammonium
      bromide). The chemical structures and combination mechanisms as well as the sigma
      profiles and sigma potentials of the studied DESs were explored in detail.
      Moreover, density, viscosity, vapor pressure, and IR analytical data were
      predicted and compared with the corresponding experimental values reported in the
      literature for these DESs. To achieve these goals, the conductor-like screening
      model for realistic solvents (COSMO-RS) and the Amsterdam Density Functional
      (ADF) software package were used. The predicted results were found to be in good
      agreement with the corresponding experimental values reported in the literature.
      Further theoretical investigations are needed to confirm the experimental results
      regarding both properties and applications-reported for these DESs.

PMID- 28913647
TI  - Structure of the style and pollen tube pathway in the Ziziphoid and Rhamnoid
      clades of Rhamnaceae.
AB  - The ultrastructure of the style and pollen tube pathway before, during and after
      anthesis were studied in 13 species belonging to the tribes Pomaderreae,
      Paliureae, Colletieae and Gouanieae (Ziziphoid clade) and Rhamneae (Rhamnoid
      clade) using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The aim of
      this study is to provide new morphological characters useful for phylogenetic
      analysis at suprageneric level in Rhamnaceae. The patterns of pollen tube growth
      and the ultrastructural changes undergone by cells of the style were also
      described. Species of Rhamneae (Scutia buxifolia and Condalia buxifolia) have a
      solid style, with the transmitting tissue forming three independent strands (S.
      buxifolia) or a central, single horseshoe-shaped strand as seen in transversal
      section (C. buxifolia) which could derive from the fusion of formerly independent
      strands. In contrast, Pomaderreae, Gouanieae and Paliureae showed semi-solid
      styles, while in Colletieae, as previously reported, the style is hollow with two
      or three stylar canals. The style anatomy and the ultrastructure of the pollen
      tube pathway show that there is a tendency towards a solid style with a single
      strand of transmitting tissue within the family. The three-canalled hollow style
      could be the plesiomorphic state of the character "type of style" in the family,
      the semi-solid style the synapomorphic state and the solid style with three
      strands of transmitting tissue the apomorphic state, with the solid style with a
      single strand of transmitting tissue as the most derived state. Therefore,
      Colletieae would be the most basal tribe of the Ziziphoid clade.

PMID- 28913648
TI  - Combined effect of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae lag phase and the non
      Saccharomyces consortium to enhance wine fruitiness and complexity.
AB  - Non-Saccharomyces (NS) species that are either naturally present in grape must or
      added in mixed fermentation with S. cerevisiae may impact the wine's chemical
      composition and sensory properties. NS yeasts are prevailing during
      prefermentation and early stages of alcoholic fermentation. However, obtaining
      the correct balance between S. cerevisiae and NS species is still a critical
      issue: if S. cerevisiae outcompetes the non-Saccharomyces, it may minimize their
      impact, while conversely if NS take over S. cerevisiae, it may result in stuck or
      sluggish fermentations. Here, we propose an original strategy to promote the non
      Saccharomyces consortium during the prefermentation stage while securing
      fermentation completion: the use of a long lag phase S. cerevisiae. Various
      fermentations in a Sauvignon Blanc with near isogenic S. cerevisiae displaying
      short or long lag phase were compared. Fermentations were performed with or
      without a consortium of five non-Saccharomyces yeasts (Hanseniaspora uvarum,
      Candida zemplinina, Metschnikowia spp., Torulaspora delbrueckii, and Pichia
      kluyveri), mimicking the composition of natural NS community in grape must. The
      sensorial analysis highlighted the positive impact of the long lag phase on the
      wine fruitiness and complexity. Surprisingly, the presence of NS modified only
      marginally the wine composition but significantly impacted the lag phase of S.
      cerevisiae. The underlying mechanisms are still unclear, but it is the first time
      that a study suggests that the wine composition can be affected by the lag phase
      duration per se. Further experiments should address the suitability of the use of
      long lag phase S. cerevisiae in winemaking.

PMID- 28913649
TI  - Improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic arthrocentesis via constant
      compression.
AB  - We hypothesized that constant compression of the knee would mobilize residual
      synovial fluid and promote successful arthrocentesis. Two hundred and ten knees
      with grade II-III osteoarthritis were included in this paired design study: (1)
      conventional arthrocentesis was performed with manual compression and success and
      volume (milliliters) determined; and (2) the intra-articular needle was left in
      place, and a circumferential elastomeric brace was tightened on the knee to
      provide constant compression. Arthrocentesis was attempted again and additional
      fluid volume was determined. Diagnostic procedural cost-effectiveness was
      determined using 2017 US Medicare costs. No serious adverse events were noted in
      210 subjects. In the 158 noneffusive (dry) knees, sufficient synovial fluid for
      diagnostic purposes (>= 2 ml) was obtained in 5.0% (8/158) without compression
      and 22.8% (36/158) with compression (p = 0.0001, z for 95% CI = 1.96), and the
      absolute volume of arthrocentesis fluid obtained without compression was 0.28 +/-
      0.79 versus 1.10 +/- 1.81 ml with compression (293% increase, p = 0.0001). In the
      52 effusive knees, diagnostic synovial fluid (>= 2 ml) was obtained in 75%
      (39/52) without compression and 100% (52/52) with compression (p = 0.0001, z for
      95% CI = 1.96), and the absolute volume of arthrocentesis without compression was
      14.7 +/- 13.8 versus 25.3 +/- 15.5 ml with compression (72.1% increase, p =
      0.0002). Diagnostic procedural cost-effectiveness was $655/sample without
      compression and $387/sample with compression. The new technique of constant
      compression via circumferential mechanical compression mobilizes residual
      synovial fluid beyond manual compression improving the success, cost
      effectiveness, and yield of diagnostic and therapeutic arthrocentesis in both the
      effusive and noneffusive knee.

PMID- 28913650
TI  - Does levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system increase breast cancer risk in
      peri-menopausal women? An HMO perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between levonorgestrel-releasing
      intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) use and breast cancer (BC) risk. METHODS: A cohort
      of all Maccabi Healthcare Services (MHS) female members aged 40-50 years between
      1/2003 and 12/2013 was used to identify LNG-IUS users as "cases," and 2 age
      matched non-users as "controls." Exclusion criteria included: prior BC diagnosis,
      prior (5 years pre-study) and subsequent treatment with other female hormones or
      prophylactic tamoxifen. Invasive tumors were characterized by treatments received
      (chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, trastuzumab, or combination thereof). RESULTS:
      The analysis included 13,354 LNG-IUS users and 27,324 controls (mean age: 44.1 +/
      2.6 vs. 44.9 +/- 2.8 years; p < 0.0001). No significant differences in 5-year
      Kaplan-Meier (KM) estimates for overall BC risk or ductal carcinoma in situ
      occurrence were observed between groups. There was a trend towards higher risk
      for invasive BC in LNG-IUS users (5-year KM-estimate: 1.06% vs. 0.93%; p =
      0.051). This difference stemmed primarily from the younger women (40-45 years;
      0.88% vs. 0.69%, p = 0.014), whereas in older women (46-50 years), it was non
      significant (1.44% vs. 1.21%; p = 0.26). Characterization of invasive BC by
      treatment demonstrated that LNG-IUS users had similar proportions of tumors
      treated with hormonal therapy, less tumors treated with trastuzumab, (7.5% vs.
      14.5%) and more tumors treated with chemotherapy alone (25.8% vs. 14.9%; p =
      0.041). CONCLUSIONS: In peri-menopausal women, LNG-IUS was not associated with an
      increased total risk of BC, although in the subgroup of women in their early
      40's, it was associated with a slightly increased risk for invasive tumors.

PMID- 28913651
TI  - Outcomes of Percutaneous Portal Vein Intervention in a Single UK Paediatric Liver
      Transplantation Programme.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), with or without stent
      placement, has become the treatment of choice for portal vein complications (PVC)
      following liver transplantation. We aimed to assess long-term outcomes of
      intervention in paediatric transplant recipients, in a single institution.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 227 children received 255 transplants between November
      2000 and September 2016. 30 patients developed PVC of whom 21 had percutaneous
      intervention. Retrospective clinical and procedural outcome data on these 21
      patients were collected. RESULTS: 21 patients, with median age 1.7 years (range
      0.4-16.2), underwent 42 procedures with PTA with or without stenting. 36
      procedures were for PV stenosis and 6 for PV thrombosis. Treatment was with
      primary PTA, with stenting reserved for suboptimal PTA result or restenosis
      within 3 months. 28 procedures were performed with PTA and 13 with stenting.
      Technical success (>50% reduction in mean pressure gradient, absolute pressure
      gradient <=4 mmHg or venographic stenosis <30%) was achieved in 41 procedures.
      Failure to recanalise a thrombosed PV occurred in 1 procedure. There were no
      major procedural complications. Patients were followed-up with serial Doppler
      ultrasound surveillance. Kaplan-Meier estimated median primary patency was 9.9
      months, with primary-assisted patency of 95% after median follow-up of 45.5
      months (range 11.1-171.6). CONCLUSION: With regular surveillance, excellent
      patency rates can be achieved following percutaneous intervention for PVC post
      paediatric liver transplantation.

PMID- 28913652
TI  - Differences in bone structure and unloading-induced bone loss between C57BL/6N
      and C57BL/6J mice.
AB  - The C57BL/6 mouse, the most frequently utilized animal model in biomedical
      research, is in use as several substrains, all of which differ by a small array
      of genomic differences. Two of these substrains, C57BL/6J (B6J) and C57BL/6N
      (B6N), are commonly used but it is unclear how phenotypically similar or
      different they are. Here, we tested whether adolescent B6N mice have a bone
      phenotype and respond to the loss of weightbearing differently than B6J. At 9
      weeks of age, normally ambulating B6N had lower trabecular bone volume fraction
      but greater bone formation rates and osteoblast surfaces than corresponding B6J.
      At 11 weeks of age, differences in trabecular indices persisted between the
      substrains but differences in cellular activity had ceased. Cortical bone indices
      were largely similar between the two substrains. Hindlimb unloading (HLU) induced
      similar degeneration of trabecular architecture and cellular activity in both
      substrains when comparing 11-week-old HLU mice to 11-week-old controls. However,
      unloaded B6N mice had smaller cortices than B6J. When comparing HLU to 9 weeks
      baseline control mice, deterioration in trabecular separation, osteoblast
      indices, and endocortical variables was significantly greater in B6N than B6J.
      These data indicate specific developmental differences in bone formation and
      morphology between B6N and B6J mice, giving rise to a differential response to
      mechanical unloading that may be modulated, in part, by the genes Herc2, Myo18b,
      and Acan. Our results emphasize that these substrains cannot be used
      interchangeably at least for investigations in which the phenotypic makeup and
      its response to extraneous stimuli are of interest.

PMID- 28913653
TI  - Soluble soil aluminum alters the relative uptake of mineral nitrogen forms by six
      mature temperate broadleaf tree species: possible implications for watershed
      nitrate retention.
AB  - Increased availability of monomeric aluminum (Al3+) in forest soils is an
      important adverse effect of acidic deposition that reduces root growth and
      inhibits nutrient uptake. There is evidence that Al3+ exposure interferes with
      NO3- uptake. If true for overstory trees, the reduction in stand demand for NO3-
      could increase NO3- discharge in stream water. These effects may also differ
      between species that tolerate different levels of soil acidity. To examine these
      ideas, we measured changes in relative uptake of NO3- and NH4+ by six tree
      species in situ under increased soil Al3+ using a 15N-labeling technique, and
      measured soluble soil Al levels in a separate whole-watershed acidification
      experiment in the Fernow Experimental Forest (WV). When exposed to added Al3+,
      the proportion of inorganic N acquired as NO3- dropped 14% across species, but we
      did not detect a reduction in overall N uptake, nor did tree species differ in
      this response. In the long-term acidification experiment, we found that soluble
      soil Al was mostly in the free Al3+ form, and the concentration of Al3+ was ~65
      MUM higher (~250%) in the mineral soil of the acidified watershed vs. an
      untreated watershed. Thus, increased levels of soil Al3+ under acidic deposition
      cause a reduction in uptake of NO3- by mature trees. When our 15N uptake results
      were applied to the watershed acidification experiment, they suggest that
      increased Al3+ exposure could reduce tree uptake of NO3- by 7.73 kg N ha-1 year
      1, and thus increase watershed NO3- discharge.

PMID- 28913654
TI  - Discriminating cirRNAs from other lncRNAs using a hierarchical extreme learning
      machine (H-ELM) algorithm with feature selection.
AB  - As non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs (cirRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)
      have attracted an increasing amount of attention. They have been confirmed to
      participate in many biological processes, including playing roles in
      transcriptional regulation, regulating protein-coding genes, and binding to RNA
      associated proteins. Until now, the differences between these two types of non
      coding RNAs have not been fully uncovered. It is still quite difficult to detect
      cirRNAs from other lncRNAs using simple techniques. In this study, we
      investigated these two types of non-coding RNAs using several computational
      methods. The purpose was to extract important factors that could distinguish
      cirRNAs from other lncRNAs and build an effective classification model to
      distinguish them. First, we collected cirRNAs, lncRNAs and their representations
      from a previous study, in which each cirRNA or lncRNA was represented by 188
      features derived from its graph representation, sequence and conservation
      properties. Second, these features were analyzed by the minimum redundancy
      maximum relevance (mRMR) method. The obtained mRMR feature list, incremental
      feature selection method and hierarchical extreme learning machine algorithm were
      employed to build an optimal classification model with sensitivity of 0.703,
      specificity of 0.850, accuracy of 0.789 and a Matthews correlation coefficient of
      0.561. Finally, we analyzed the 16 most important features. Of them, the
      sequences and structures of the RNA molecule were top ranking, implying they can
      be potential indicators of differences between cirRNAs and other lncRNAs.
      Meanwhile, other features of evolutionary conversation, sequence consecution were
      also important.

PMID- 28913655
TI  - Quantitative trait loci for resistance to stripe rust of wheat revealed using
      global field nurseries and opportunities for stacking resistance genes.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Quantitative trait loci controlling stripe rust resistance were
      identified in adapted Canadian spring wheat cultivars providing opportunity for
      breeders to stack loci using marker-assisted breeding. Stripe rust or yellow
      rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Erikss., is a
      devastating disease of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in many regions of the
      world. The objectives of this research were to identify and map quantitative
      trait loci (QTL) associated with stripe rust resistance in adapted Canadian
      spring wheat cultivars that are effective globally, and investigate opportunities
      for stacking resistance. Doubled haploid (DH) populations from the crosses
      Vesper/Lillian, Vesper/Stettler, Carberry/Vesper, Stettler/Red Fife and
      Carberry/AC Cadillac were phenotyped for stripe rust severity and infection
      response in field nurseries in Canada (Lethbridge and Swift Current), New Zealand
      (Lincoln), Mexico (Toluca) and Kenya (Njoro), and genotyped with SNP markers. Six
      QTL for stripe rust resistance in the population of Vesper/Lillian, five in
      Vesper/Stettler, seven in Stettler/Red Fife, four in Carberry/Vesper and nine in
      Carberry/AC Cadillac were identified. Lillian contributed stripe rust resistance
      QTL on chromosomes 4B, 5A, 6B and 7D, AC Cadillac on 2A, 2B, 3B and 5B, Carberry
      on 1A, 1B, 4A, 4B, 7A and 7D, Stettler on 1A, 2A, 3D, 4A, 5B and 6A, Red Fife on
      2D, 3B and 4B, and Vesper on 1B, 2B and 7A. QTL on 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3B, 4A, 4B,
      5B, 7A and 7D were observed in multiple parents. The populations are compelling
      sources of recombination of many stripe rust resistance QTL for stacking disease
      resistance. Gene pyramiding should be possible with little chance of linkage drag
      of detrimental genes as the source parents were mostly adapted cultivars widely
      grown in Canada.

PMID- 28913656
TI  - New Insights into Cardiac Involvement in Juvenile Scleroderma: A Three
      Dimensional Echocardiographic Assessment Unveils Subclinical Ventricle
      Dysfunction.
AB  - Cardiac manifestations in juvenile scleroderma or systemic sclerosis (JSSc) have
      poor prognosis, begin in early stages of the disease, and remain clinically
      asymptomatic. New echocardiography modalities, such as 2D/3D speckle tracking
      (STE, strain analysis for regional and global ventricular functions), can detect
      cardiac involvement in early stages. We assessed 21 JSSc patients and 19 controls
      using 2D/3D STE. The left ventricular end diastolic volume, end systolic volume,
      and ejection fraction of the patient and control groups were significantly
      different (99.2 +/- 23.8 vs. 52 +/- 23.8, 40.6 +/- 16.0 vs. 20.2 +/- 17.4 and
      59.2 +/- 7.5 vs. 65.6 +/- 5.2, respectively). Global longitudinal strain (GLS)
      and global circumferential strain (GCS) were lower in the patient group (18.4 +/-
      4.7 vs. 22.4 +/- 3.7, 26.4 +/- 5.8 vs. 31.4 +/- 3.5), as were the peak systolic
      strain values of the right ventricular longitudinal strain (RVLS) septum and RVLS
      free wall (18.1 +/- 6.8 vs. 24.8 +/- 6.0 and 22.8 +/- 5.9 vs. 28.0 +/- 6.9,
      respectively). 3D measurements of RVEDV, RVESV, and RVSV were higher in the
      patient group (88.2 +/- 31.3 vs. 50.8 +/- 23.5, 43.1 +/- 17.6 vs. 19.0 +/- 12.2,
      and 45.0 +/- 16.2 vs. 31.7 +/- 12.6). RVLS freewall results were lower in the
      JSSc patients with interstitial lung fibrosis, arthritis, muscle weakness, weight
      loss, and anti-scl 70 antibodies than in the JSSc patients without these
      variables. We found that a GCS of <34.5% could identify patients for left
      ventricular (LV) dysfunction with a sensitivity of 93.3, specificity of 92.9,
      while an RVEF of <60.7% could identify patients for left ventricular (RV)
      dysfunction with a sensitivity of 92.9 and specificity of 21.4%. We highlighted
      key advantages of 3D STE for the tracking of early systolic dysfunction in
      patients with JSSc who would benefit from medical intervention for cardiac
      complications.

PMID- 28913657
TI  - Radical cystectomy for recurrent urothelial carcinoma after prior partial
      cystectomy: perioperative and oncologic outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate perioperative and oncologic outcomes of patients undergoing
      radical cystectomy (RC) for recurrence of urothelial carcinoma (UC) after prior
      partial cystectomy (PC), and to compare these outcomes to patients undergoing
      primary RC. METHODS: Patients who underwent RC for recurrence of UC after prior
      PC were matched 1:3 to patients undergoing primary RC based on age, pathologic
      stage, and decade of surgery. Perioperative and oncologic outcomes were compared
      using Wilcoxon sign-rank test, McNemars test, the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox
      proportional hazards regression analyses. RESULTS: Overall, the cohorts were well
      matched on clinical and pathological characteristics. No difference was noted in
      operative time (median 322 versus 303 min; p = 0.41), estimated blood loss
      (median 800 versus 700 cc, p = 0.10) or length of stay (median 9 versus 10 days;
      p = 0.09). Similarly, there were no differences in minor (51.7 versus 44.3%; p =
      0.32) or major (10.3 versus 12.6%; p = 0.66) perioperative complications. Median
      follow-up after RC was 5.0 years (IQR 1.5, 13.1 years). Notably, CSS was
      significantly worse for patients who underwent RC after PC (10 year-46.8 versus
      65.9%; p = 0.03). On multivariable analysis, prior PC remained independently
      associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer death (HR 2.28; 95% CI 1.17,
      4.42). CONCLUSIONS: RC after PC is feasible, without significantly adverse
      perioperative outcomes compared to patients undergoing primary RC. However, the
      risk of death from bladder cancer may be higher, suggesting the need for careful
      patient counseling prior to PC and the consideration of such patients for
      adjuvant therapy after RC.

PMID- 28913659
TI  - Will Gay and Bisexual Men Taking Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Switch to
      Long-Acting Injectable PrEP Should It Become Available?
AB  - Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at reducing HIV
      transmission risk and is CDC recommended for many gay, bisexual, and other men
      who have sex with men (GBM). We sought to investigate awareness of and preference
      for using long-acting injectable PrEP (LAI-PrEP) among GBM currently taking oral
      PrEP (n = 104), and identify their concerns. About half of GBM had heard of LAI
      PrEP, and 30.8% specifically preferred LAI-PrEP. GBM with more concerns about the
      level of protection and drug half-life of LAI-PrEP had lower odds of preferring
      LAI-PrEP. Given that daily pill adherence is a challenge for some on PrEP, it is
      important to investigate the degree to which those on PrEP might consider LAI
      PrEP as an alternative.

PMID- 28913658
TI  - Liver-specific reconstitution of CEACAM1 reverses the metabolic abnormalities
      caused by its global deletion in male mice.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1
      (CEACAM1) promotes insulin clearance. Mice with global null mutation (Cc1 -/-) or
      with liver-specific inactivation (L-SACC1) of Cc1 (also known as Ceacam1) gene
      display hyperinsulinaemia resulting from impaired insulin clearance, insulin
      resistance, steatohepatitis and obesity. Because increased lipolysis contributes
      to the metabolic phenotype caused by transgenic inactivation of CEACAM1 in the
      liver, we aimed to further investigate the primary role of hepatic CEACAM1
      dependent insulin clearance in insulin and lipid homeostasis. To this end, we
      examined whether transgenic reconstitution of CEACAM1 in the liver of global Cc1 
      /- mutant mice reverses their abnormal metabolic phenotype. METHODS: Insulin
      response was assessed by hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp analysis and energy
      balance was analysed by indirect calorimetry. Mice were overnight-fasted and
      refed for 7 h to assess fatty acid synthase activity in the liver and the
      hypothalamus in response to insulin release during refeeding. RESULTS: Liver
      based rescuing of CEACAM1 restored insulin clearance, plasma insulin level,
      insulin sensitivity and steatohepatitis caused by global deletion of Cc1. It also
      reversed the gain in body weight and total fat mass observed with Cc1 deletion,
      in parallel to normalising energy balance. Mechanistically, reversal of
      hyperphagia appeared to result from reducing fatty acid synthase activity and
      restoring insulin signalling in the hypothalamus. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION:
      Despite the potential confounding effects of deleting Cc1 from extrahepatic
      tissues, liver-based rescuing of CEACAM1 resulted in full normalisation of the
      metabolic phenotype, underscoring the key role that CEACAM1-dependent hepatic
      insulin clearance pathways play in regulating systemic insulin sensitivity, lipid
      homeostasis and energy balance.

PMID- 28913660
TI  - Weight gain in hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early-stage breast cancer: is it
      menopausal status or something else?
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigates weight trajectories in pre- versus
      postmenopausal breast cancer (BC) survivors diagnosed with hormone receptor
      positive tumors, with a specific focus on discerning menopausal status and type
      of endocrine treatment (ET) as risk factors for weight gain during ET. METHODS:
      We conducted a retrospective review of electronic medical records. Descriptive
      statistics and Chi-squared and t tests were used to compare pre- and
      postmenopausal women. Chi-squared tests and ANOVA were used for within-group
      associations between patient characteristics and weight trajectories. Log
      binomial regression models were used to estimate relative risk for weight gain.
      RESULTS: The final sample was 32% premenopausal (n = 140) and 68% postmenopausal
      (n = 298). Relative risk (RR) for weight gain during ET was highest in women who
      were premenopausal (RR = 1.29, 1.03-1.52) and had Stage 3 BC (RR = 2.12, 1.59
      2.82), mastectomy (RR = 1.49, 1.19-1.88), axillary node dissection (RR = 1.39,
      1.11-1.73), and chemotherapy (RR = 1.80, 1.37-2.36). For each kg of weight gained
      between BC diagnosis and start of ET, and for each additional year of age, RR of
      gaining weight during ET decreased (RR = 0.98, 0.97-0.99, and RR = 0.99, 0.98
      0.99, respectively). Menopausal status and type of ET were not significant
      predictors of weight gain. In multivariable analysis, only weight loss between BC
      diagnosis and start of ET was significant. CONCLUSION: The association of weight
      loss prior to ET and subsequent substantial weight gain during ET warrants
      further investigation.

PMID- 28913662
TI  - Effects of short-term exposure to sevoflurane on the survival, proliferation,
      apoptosis, and differentiation of neural precursor cells derived from human
      embryonic stem cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: Data from animal experiments suggest that exposure to general
      anesthetics in early life inhibits neurogenesis and causes long-term memory
      deficit. Considering short operating times and the popularity of sevoflurane in
      pediatric anesthesia, it is important to verify the effects of short-period
      exposure to sevoflurane on the developing brain. METHODS: We measured the effects
      of short-term exposure (2 h) to 3%, 6%, or 8% sevoflurane, the most commonly used
      anesthetic, on neural precursor cells derived from human embryonic stem cells,
      SNUhES32. Cell survival, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation on days 1,
      3, 5, and 7 post treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: Treatment with 6% sevoflurane
      increased cell viability (P = 0.046) and decreased apoptosis (P = 0.014) on day
      5, but the effect did not persist on day 7. Survival and apoptosis were not
      affected by 3% and 8% sevoflurane; there was no effect of proliferation at any of
      the tested concentrations. The differentiation of cells exposed to 6% or 8%
      sevoflurane decreased on day 1 (P = 0.033 and P = 0.036 for 6% and 8%
      sevoflurane, respectively) but was again normalized on days 3-7. CONCLUSION:
      Clinically relevant treatment with sevoflurane for 2 h induces no significant
      changes in the survival, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation of human
      neural precursor cells, although supraclinical doses of sevoflurane do alter
      human neurogenesis transiently.

PMID- 28913661
TI  - Discovery of non-peptidic small molecule inhibitors of cyclophilin D as
      neuroprotective agents in Abeta-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.
AB  - Cyclophilin D (CypD) is a mitochondria-specific cyclophilin that is known to play
      a pivotal role in the formation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore
      (mPTP).The formation and opening of the mPTP disrupt mitochondrial homeostasis,
      cause mitochondrial dysfunction and eventually lead to cell death. Several recent
      studies have found that CypD promotes the formation of the mPTP upon binding to
      beta amyloid (Abeta) peptides inside brain mitochondria, suggesting that neuronal
      CypD has a potential to be a promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease
      (AD). In this study, we generated an energy-based pharmacophore model by using
      the crystal structure of CypD-cyclosporine A (CsA) complex and performed virtual
      screening of ChemDiv database, which yielded forty-five potential hit compounds
      with novel scaffolds. We further tested those compounds using mitochondrial
      functional assays in neuronal cells and identified fifteen compounds with
      excellent protective effects against Abeta-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. To
      validate whether these effects derived from binding to CypD, we performed surface
      plasmon resonance (SPR)-based direct binding assays with selected compounds and
      discovered compound 29 was found to have the equilibrium dissociation constants
      (KD) value of 88.2 nM. This binding affinity value and biological activity
      correspond well with our predicted binding mode. We believe that this study
      offers new insights into the rational design of small molecule CypD inhibitors,
      and provides a promising lead for future therapeutic development.

PMID- 28913663
TI  - Effects of a Program to Promote High Quality Parenting by Divorced and Separated
      Fathers.
AB  - This paper reports on the effects on parenting and on children's mental health
      problems and competencies from a randomized trial of a parenting program for
      divorced and separated fathers. The program, New Beginnings Program-Dads (NBP
      Dads), includes ten group sessions (plus two phone sessions) which promote
      parenting skills to increase positive interactions with children, improve father
      child communication, use of effective discipline strategies, and skills to
      protect children from exposure to interparental conflict. The program was adapted
      from the New Beginnings Program, which has been tested in two randomized trials
      with divorced mothers and shown to strengthen mothers' parenting and improve long
      term outcomes for children (Wolchik et al. 2007). Fathers were randomly assigned
      to receive either NBP-Dads or a 2-session active comparison program. The sample
      consisted of 384 fathers (201 NBP-Dads, 183 comparisons) and their children.
      Assessments using father, youth, and teacher reports were conducted at pretest,
      posttest, and 10-month follow-up. Results indicated positive effects of NBP-Dads
      to strengthen parenting as reported by fathers and youth at posttest and 10-month
      follow-up. Program effects to reduce child internalizing problems and increase
      social competence were found at 10 months. Many of the program effects were
      moderated by baseline level of the variable, child age, gender, and father
      ethnicity. This is the first randomized trial to find significant effects to
      strengthen father parenting following divorce. In view of recent changes in
      family courts to allot fathers increasing amounts of parenting time following
      divorce, the results have significant implications for improving outcomes for
      children from divorced families.

PMID- 28913664
TI  - Supplementation of enzyme-treated soy protein saves dietary protein and promotes
      digestive and absorptive ability referring to TOR signaling in juvenile fish.
AB  - This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of enzyme-treated soy protein
      (ETSP) supplementation in the low-protein diet on growth performance, digestive
      and absorptive capacities, and related signaling molecules' gene expressions in
      juvenile Jian carp. The results showed that percent weight gain (PWG), specific
      growth rate (SGR), and feed intake (FI) were decreased by reducing dietary
      protein from 34 to 32% (P < 0.05). Supplying low-protein diet with optimal ETSP
      increased previously mentioned indices of juvenile Jian carp (P < 0.05), which
      also had no significant difference with the high-protein diet (34%CP) (P > 0.05).
      Compared with the low-protein diet, appropriate ETSP supplementation in the low
      protein diet increased (P < 0.05) (1) the trypsin, lipase, and amylase activities
      in the hepatopancreas; (2) cholecystokinin concentration in the proximal
      intestine; (3) the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT), alkaline phosphatase
      (AKP), and Na+/K+-ATPase activities in all intestinal segments; and (4) the
      messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of trypsin, lipase, and amylase in hepatopancreas and
      gamma-GT in the mid (MI) and distal (DI) intestine, alkaline phosphatase in MI,
      and Na+/K+-ATPase and target of rapamycin in all intestinal segments. At the same
      time, appropriate ETSP supplementation in the low-protein diet downregulated the
      mRNA levels of AKP in the DI and eIF4E-binding protein 2 in all intestinal
      segments (P < 0.05). In conclusion, adding 10 g ETSP/kg diet in the low-protein
      diet can restore the growth performance and digestive and absorptive abilities to
      the levels in group with 34% dietary protein. Supplementation of optimal ETSP in
      the low-protein diet enhanced the digestive and absorptive abilities and
      regulated the signaling molecules related to the TOR signaling pathway.

PMID- 28913665
TI  - Role of noncoding RNAs in regulation of cardiac cell death and cardiovascular
      diseases.
AB  - Loss of functional cardiomyocytes is a major underlying mechanism for myocardial
      remodeling and heart diseases, due to the limited regenerative capacity of adult
      myocardium. Apoptosis, programmed necrosis, and autophagy contribute to loss of
      cardiac myocytes that control the balance of cardiac cell death and cell survival
      through multiple intricate signaling pathways. In recent years, non-coding RNAs
      (ncRNAs) have received much attention to uncover their roles in cell death of
      cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy, and
      heart failure. In addition, based on the view that mitochondrial morphology is
      linked to three types of cell death, ncRNAs are able to regulate mitochondrial
      fission/fusion of cardiomyocytes by targeting genes involved in cell death
      pathways. This review focuses on recent progress regarding the complex
      relationship between apoptosis/necrosis/autophagy and ncRNAs in the context of
      myocardial cell death in response to stress. This review also provides insight
      into the treatment for heart diseases that will guide novel therapies in the
      future.

PMID- 28913666
TI  - Quantitative modeling of the dynamics and intracellular trafficking of far-red
      light-activatable prodrugs: implications in stimuli-responsive drug delivery
      system.
AB  - The combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with anti-tumor agents is a
      complimentary strategy to treat local cancers. We developed a unique
      photosensitizer (PS)-conjugated paclitaxel (PTX) prodrug in which a PS is excited
      by near-infrared wavelength light to site-specifically release PTX while
      generating singlet oxygen (SO) to effectively kill cancer cells with both PTX and
      SO. The aim of the present study was to identify the determinants influencing the
      combined efficacy of this light-activatable prodrug, especially the bystander
      killing effects from released PTX. Using PS-conjugated PTX as a model system, we
      developed a quantitative mathematical model describing the intracellular
      trafficking. Dynamics of the prodrug and the model predictions were verified with
      experimental data using human cancer cells in vitro. The sensitivity analysis
      suggested that parameters related to extracellular concentration of released PTX,
      prodrug uptake, target engagement, and target abundance are critical in
      determining the combined killing efficacy of the prodrug. We found that released
      PTX cytotoxicity was most sensitive to the retention time of the drug in
      extracellular space. Modulating drug internalization and conjugating the agents
      targeted to abundant receptors may provide a new strategy for maximizing the
      killing capacity of the far-red light-activatable prodrug system. These results
      provide guidance for the design of the PDT combination study in vivo and have
      implications for other stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems.

PMID- 28913667
TI  - Microsurgical versus endoscopic transsphenoidal resection for acromegaly: a
      systematic review of outcomes and complications.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the long-term endocrine
      outcomes and postoperative complications following endoscopic vs. microscopic
      transsphenoidal resection (TSR) for the treatment of acromegaly. METHODS: A
      literature review was performed, and studies with at least five patients who
      underwent TSR for acromegaly, reporting biochemical remission criteria and long
      term remission outcomes were included. Data extracted from each study included
      surgical technique, perioperative complications, biochemical remission criteria,
      and long-term remission outcomes. RESULTS: Fifty-two case series from 1976 to
      2016 met the inclusion criteria, comprising 4375 patients. Thirty-six reports
      were microsurgical (n = 3144) and 13 were endoscopic (n = 940). Three studies
      compared microsurgical (n = 111) to endoscopic TSR outcomes (n = 180). The
      overall initial and long-term remission rates were 58.2 vs. 57.4% and 69.2 vs.
      70.2% for the microsurgical and endoscopic groups, respectively. For
      microadenomas, the initial and long-term remission rates were 77.6 vs. 82.2% and
      76.9 vs. 73.5% for microsurgical and endoscopic approaches, respectively. For
      macroadenomas, the initial and long-term remission rates were 46.9 vs. 60.0% and
      40.2 vs. 61.5% for microsurgical and endoscopic approaches, respectively. The
      rates of postoperative CSF leak were 3.0 vs. 2.3% for the microscopic and
      endoscopic groups, respectively. The rates of hypopituitarism and transient
      diabetes insipidus were 6.7 vs. 6.4% and 9.0 vs. 7.8% for the microscopic and
      endoscopic groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both endoscopic and microsurgical
      approaches for TSR of growth hormone-secreting adenomas are viable treatment
      options for patients with acromegaly, and yield similarly high rates of remission
      under the most current consensus criteria.

PMID- 28913668
TI  - Floral features of two species of Bulbophyllum section Lepidorhiza Schltr.: B.
      levanae Ames and B. nymphopolitanum Kraenzl. (Bulbophyllinae Schltr.,
      Orchidaceae).
AB  - Two representatives of section Lepidorhiza, previously sometimes considered
      conspecific, Bulbophyllum levanae and Bulbophyllum nymphopolitanum, demonstrated
      both similarities and differences in floral features. There were significant
      differences in the length of sepals and micromorphological features of the
      labellum. In both species, osmophores are located on the extended apices of
      sepals and possibly on petals. An abundance of proteins in tepals is probably
      associated with the unpleasant scent of the flowers, whereas the thin wax layers
      on the epidermis are probably involved in the maintenance of the brilliance of
      floral tepals, which strongly attracts flies. In all tepals of both species, we
      noted the presence of dihydroxyphenolic globules in the cytoplasm after staining
      with FeCl3. Comparison with ultrastructure results revealed that they were
      associated with plastids containing plastoglobuli. The most remarkable feature
      was the presence of a prominent periplasmic space in the epidermal cells of both
      investigated species. Furthermore, in the labellum of B. levanae, the cuticle
      contained microchannels. The combination of periplasmic space and microchannels
      has not previously been recorded.

PMID- 28913670
TI  - Tension Gastrothorax and Hemodynamic Collapse due to Gastric Outlet Obstruction
      in a Paraesophageal Hernia.

PMID- 28913669
TI  - Resolving distinct molecular origins for copper effects on PAI-1.
AB  - Components of the fibrinolytic system are subjected to stringent control to
      maintain proper hemostasis. Central to this regulation is the serpin plasminogen
      activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), which is responsible for specific and rapid
      inhibition of fibrinolytic proteases. Active PAI-1 is inherently unstable and
      readily converts to a latent, inactive form. The binding of vitronectin and other
      ligands influences stability of active PAI-1. Our laboratory recently observed
      reciprocal effects on the stability of active PAI-1 in the presence of transition
      metals, such as copper, depending on the whether vitronectin was also present
      (Thompson et al. Protein Sci 20:353-365, 2011). To better understand the
      molecular basis for these copper effects on PAI-1, we have developed a gel-based
      copper sensitivity assay that can be used to assess the copper concentrations
      that accelerate the conversion of active PAI-1 to a latent form. The copper
      sensitivity of wild-type PAI-1 was compared with variants lacking N-terminal
      histidine residues hypothesized to be involved in copper binding. In these PAI-1
      variants, we observed significant differences in copper sensitivity, and these
      data were corroborated by latency conversion kinetics and thermodynamics of
      copper binding by isothermal titration calorimetry. These studies identified a
      copper-binding site involving histidines at positions 2 and 3 that confers a
      remarkable stabilization of PAI-1 beyond what is observed with vitronectin alone.
      A second site, independent from the two histidines, binds metal and increases the
      rate of the latency conversion.

PMID- 28913671
TI  - The Effect of Educational Program Based on PRECEDE Model in Promoting Prostate
      Cancer Screening in a Sample of Iranian Men.
AB  - Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases among men. This study aimed
      to assess the effect of educational program based on Predisposing, Reinforcing,
      and Enabling Constructs in Educational/Environmental Diagnosis and Evaluation
      (PRECEDE) model in promoting prostate cancer screening in a sample of Iranian
      men. This is a quasi-experimental study carried out on 300 men aged 40 to 70 (the
      subjects 150 experimental and 150 control groups) in Shiraz City, Fars Province,
      Iran, in 2016. The participants of the intervention group attended training based
      on the PRECEDE model. The study compared mean scores of knowledge, attitude,
      enabling factors, perceived social support, quality of life, general health, self
      efficacy, and screening behaviors of the subjects before and 6 months after
      intervention in experimental and control groups. The mean age of experimental
      group was 56.45 +/- 8.65, and the mean age of the control group was 55.64 +/-
      8.71 years (P = 0.521). The study showed that there was a significant increase in
      the mean score of knowledge, attitudes, perceived self-efficacy, enabling
      factors, perceived social support, quality of life, public health and screening
      behaviors of the experimental group; however, no significant change was observed
      in the mean score of knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, quality of life,
      general health, perceived social support, enabling factors, and screening
      behaviors of the control group. Our findings showed that the health education
      programs designed based on PRECEDE could positively affect prostate cancer
      screening behaviors of individuals by improving their knowledge level and
      attitude, enabling factors, perceived social support, quality of life, general
      health, and self-efficacy.

PMID- 28913672
TI  - Reversal of dabigatran-associated bleeding using idarucizumab: review of the
      current evidence.
AB  - Major bleeding occurs in about 4% of patients while on treatment with direct oral
      anticoagulants (DOACs). The case-fatality rate associated with these events is
      estimated to be about 5%. The specific roles of antidotes, when used with DOACs
      in reducing the case fatality or improving the overall clinical course of these
      events, are not thoroughly understood. To this regard, the US Food and Drug
      Administration as well as European Medicines Agency have recently licensed
      idarucizumab for the management of patients with life-threatening bleeding or the
      need for urgent surgery/procedures while on treatment with dabigatran.
      Specifically, idarucizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody fragment that
      rapidly reverses the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran. Two other antidotes,
      andeXanet and ciraparantag are currently under evaluation for reversal of DOACs.
      Here, we report on the use of idarucizumab in two patients who experienced life
      threatening bleeding while on treatment with dabigatran for atrial fibrillation
      and provide a review highlighting the need for antidotes use with DOACs.

PMID- 28913673
TI  - Multiple non-catalytic ADAMs are novel integrin alpha4 ligands.
AB  - The ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) protein family uniquely exhibits
      both catalytic and adhesive properties. In the well-defined process of ectodomain
      shedding, ADAMs transform latent, cell-bound substrates into soluble,
      biologically active derivatives to regulate a spectrum of normal and pathological
      processes. In contrast, the integrin ligand properties of ADAMs are not fully
      understood. Emerging models posit that ADAM-integrin interactions regulate
      shedding activity by localizing or sequestering the ADAM sheddase. Interestingly,
      8 of the 21 human ADAMs are predicted to be catalytically inactive. Unlike their
      catalytically active counterparts, integrin recognition of these "dead" enzymes
      has not been largely reported. The present study delineates the integrin ligand
      properties of a group of non-catalytic ADAMs. Here we report that human ADAM11,
      ADAM23, and ADAM29 selectively support integrin alpha4-dependent cell adhesion.
      This is the first demonstration that the disintegrin-like domains of multiple
      catalytically inactive ADAMs are ligands for a select subset of integrin
      receptors that also recognize catalytically active ADAMs.

PMID- 28913675
TI  - Diagnostic utility of 18FDG-PET/CT for ADPKD cyst infection.

PMID- 28913674
TI  - Prognostic significance of corticotroph staining in radiosurgery for non
      functioning pituitary adenomas: a multicenter study.
AB  - Silent corticotroph staining pituitary adenoma (SCA) represents an uncommon
      subset of Non-Functioning adenomas (NFAs), hypothesized to be more locally
      aggressive. In this retrospective multicenter study, we investigate the safety
      and effectiveness of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) in patients with SCA
      compared with other non-SCA NFA's. Eight centers participating in the
      International Gamma-Knife Research Foundation (IGKRF) contributed to this study.
      Outcomes of 50 patients with confirmed SCAs and 307 patients with confirmed non
      SCA NFA's treated with SRS were evaluated. Groups were matched. SCA was
      characterized by a lack of clinical evidence of Cushing disease, yet with
      positive immunostaining for corticotroph. Median age was 55.2 years (13.7-87).
      All patients underwent at least one trans-sphenoidal tumor resection prior to
      SRS. SRS parameters were comparable as well. Median follow-up 40 months (6-163).
      Overall tumor control rate (TCR) 91.2% (n = 280). In the SCA group, TCR were 82%
      (n = 41) versus 94.1% (n = 289) for the control-NFA (p = 0.0065). The SCA group
      showed a significantly higher incidence of new post-SRS visual deficit (p <
      0.0001) assigned to tumor progression and growth, and post-SRS weakness and
      fatigue (p < 0.0001). In univariate and multivariate analysis, only the status of
      silent corticotroph staining (p = 0.005, p = 0.009 respectively) and margin dose
      (p < 0.0005, p = 0.0037 respectively) significantly influenced progression rate.
      A margin dose of >=17 Gy was noted to influence the adenoma progression rate in
      the entire cohort (p = 0.003). Silent corticotroph staining represents an
      independent factor for adenoma progression and hypopituitarism after SRS. A
      higher margin dose may convey a greater chance of TCR.

PMID- 28913676
TI  - The Cost of Being Cool: How Adolescent Pseudomature Behavior Maps onto Adult
      Adjustment.
AB  - During adolescence, one's status among peers is a major concern. Such status is
      often largely a function of popularity and establishing oneself as "cool." While
      there are conventional avenues to achieving status among adolescents, engaging in
      adult-like, or pseudomature, behaviors such as substance use or sexual activity
      is a frequent occurrence. Although past research has examined the consequences of
      adolescent delinquency, what remains unclear is the long-term fate of adolescents
      who are both popular and antisocial. Using data from a sample of African American
      males (N = 339) we employ latent class analysis to examine the adult consequences
      of achieving popularity during adolescence by engaging in pseudomature behavior.
      Our results identified four classes of adolescents: the conventionals, the
      pseudomatures, the delinquents, and the detached. The conventionals were low on
      popularity, pseudomature behavior, and affiliation with deviant peers but high on
      academic commitment. The pseudomatures were high on popularity, adult-like
      behavior, and academic commitment but low on affiliation with delinquent peers.
      The delinquents were low on popularity and school achievement but high on
      pseudomature behavior and affiliations with delinquent peers. Finally, the
      detached were low on school commitment, popularity and pseudomature behavior but
      they report high involvement with a delinquent peer group. By early adulthood,
      the costs of adolescent adult-like behavior were evident. Early popularity and
      academic commitment did not portend later social competence or college completion
      for the pseudomatures. Instead, they frequently experienced an early transition
      to parenthood, a likely consequence of precocious sexual activity. These findings
      suggest that interventions should not focus only on the most delinquent
      adolescents but also need to attend to the pseudomature students who are brimming
      with promise but are flirting with behaviors that may subvert realization of this
      potential.

PMID- 28913677
TI  - Thus Far and No Further: Should Diastolic Hypotension Limit Intensive Blood
      Pressure Lowering?
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Intensive blood pressure lowering to systolic blood pressure
      thresholds of less than 120 mmHg is making a slow comeback with the publication
      of trials supporting its benefit, especially in lowering stroke and congestive
      heart failure. At the same time, there is an increasing awareness of the
      prevalence and risk of diastolic hypotension, especially at levels of less than
      60 mmHg, with support for the existence of a J-curve coming from post hoc
      analyses of trials and epidemiological data from large cohort studies. Hence,
      intensive lowering of systolic blood pressure should be done cautiously in those
      patients who have pre-existing coronary artery disease, and a diastolic blood
      pressure between 60 and 70 mmHg. Among those with diastolic blood pressure
      already below 60 mmHg, but whose systolic blood pressure is not at target, we
      recommend shared decision-making with an explicit discussion of the risks and
      benefits, and taking patient preferences into account. Further research with
      biomarkers and risk models exploring heterogeneity of outcomes might allow for
      more precise targeting of intensive blood pressure lowering in individuals most
      likely to benefit, with avoiding those most likely to harm.

PMID- 28913678
TI  - Comparison of point-source pollutant loadings to soil and groundwater for 72
      chemical substances.
AB  - Fate and transport of 72 chemicals in soil and groundwater were assessed by using
      a multiphase compositional model (CompFlow Bio) because some of the chemicals are
      non-aqueous phase liquids or solids in the original form. One metric ton of
      chemicals were assumed to leak in a stylized facility. Scenarios of both surface
      spills and subsurface leaks were considered. Simulation results showed that the
      fate and transport of chemicals above the water table affected the fate and
      transport of chemicals below the water table, and vice versa. Surface spill
      scenarios caused much less concentrations than subsurface leak scenarios because
      leaching amounts into the subsurface environment were small (at most 6% of the 1
      t spill for methylamine). Then, simulation results were applied to assess point
      source pollutant loadings to soil and groundwater above and below the water
      table, respectively, by multiplying concentrations, impact areas, and durations.
      These three components correspond to the intensity of contamination, mobility,
      and persistency in the assessment of pollutant loading, respectively. Assessment
      results showed that the pollutant loadings in soil and groundwater were linearly
      related (r 2 = 0.64). The pollutant loadings were negatively related with zero
      order and first-order decay rates in both soil (r = - 0.5 and - 0.6,
      respectively) and groundwater (- 1.0 and - 0.8, respectively). In addition, this
      study scientifically defended that the soil partitioning coefficient (K d)
      significantly affected the pollutant loadings in soil (r = 0.6) and the maximum
      masses in groundwater (r = - 0.9). However, K d was not a representative factor
      for chemical transportability unlike the expectation in chemical ranking systems
      of soil and groundwater pollutants. The pollutant loadings estimated using a
      physics-based hydrogeological model provided a more rational ranking for exposure
      assessment, compared to the summation of persistency and transportability scores
      in the chemical ranking systems. In the surface spill scenario, the pollutant
      loadings were zeros for all chemicals, except methylamine to soil whose pollutant
      loading was smaller than that in the subsurface leak scenario by 4 orders of
      magnitude. The maximum mass and the average mass multiplied by duration in soil
      greatly depended on leaching fluxes (r = 1.0 and 0.9, respectively), while the
      effect of leaching fluxes diminished below the water table. The contribution of
      this work is that a physics-based numerical model was used to quantitatively
      compare the subsurface pollutant loading in a chemical accident for 72 chemical
      substances, which can scientifically defend a simpler and more qualitative
      assessment of pollutant loadings. Besides, this study assessed pollutant loadings
      to soil (unsaturated zone) and groundwater (saturated zone) all together and
      discussed their interactions.

PMID- 28913679
TI  - Erratum to: Towards Robot-Assisted Echocardiographic Monitoring in
      Catheterization Laboratories : Usability-Centered Manipulator for Transesophageal
      Echocardiography.

PMID- 28913680
TI  - UV-C as an efficient means to combat biofilm formation in show caves: evidence
      from the La Glaciere Cave (France) and laboratory experiments.
AB  - Ultra-violet C (UV-C) treatment is commonly used in sterilization processes in
      industry, laboratories, and hospitals, showing its efficacy against
      microorganisms such as bacteria, algae, or fungi. In this study, we have
      eradicated for the first time all proliferating biofilms present in a show cave
      (the La Glaciere Cave, Chaux-les-Passavant, France). Colorimetric measurements of
      irradiated biofilms were then monitored for 21 months. To understand the
      importance of exposition of algae to light just after UV radiation, similar tests
      were carried out in laboratory conditions. Since UV-C can be deleterious for
      biofilm support, especially parietal painting, we investigated their effects on
      prehistoric pigment. Results showed complete eradication of cave biofilms with no
      algae proliferation observed after 21 months. Moreover, quantum yield results
      showed a decrease directly after UV-C treatment, indicating inhibition of algae
      photosynthesis. Furthermore, no changes in pigment color nor in chemical and
      crystalline properties has been demonstrated. The present findings demonstrate
      that the UV-C method can be considered environmentally friendly and the best
      alternative to chemicals. This inexpensive and easily implemented method is
      advantageous for cave owners and managers.

PMID- 28913681
TI  - Calculation of intercepted runoff depth based on stormwater quality and
      environmental capacity of receiving waters for initial stormwater pollution
      management.
AB  - While point source pollutions have gradually been controlled in recent years, the
      non-point source pollution problem has become increasingly prominent. The
      receiving waters are frequently polluted by the initial stormwater from the
      separate stormwater system and the wastewater from sewage pipes through
      stormwater pipes. Consequently, calculating the intercepted runoff depth has
      become a problem that must be resolved immediately for initial stormwater
      pollution management. The accurate calculation of intercepted runoff depth
      provides a solid foundation for selecting the appropriate size of intercepting
      facilities in drainage and interception projects. This study establishes a
      separate stormwater system for the Yishan Building watershed of Fuzhou City using
      the InfoWorks Integrated Catchment Management (InfoWorks ICM), which can predict
      the stormwater flow velocity and the flow of discharge outlet after each
      rainfall. The intercepted runoff depth is calculated from the stormwater quality
      and environmental capacity of the receiving waters. The average intercepted
      runoff depth from six rainfall events is calculated as 4.1 mm based on stormwater
      quality. The average intercepted runoff depth from six rainfall events is
      calculated as 4.4 mm based on the environmental capacity of the receiving waters.
      The intercepted runoff depth differs when calculated from various aspects. The
      selection of the intercepted runoff depth depends on the goal of water quality
      control, the self-purification capacity of the water bodies, and other factors of
      the region.

PMID- 28913682
TI  - [Therapeutic options in hyperlipidemia].
AB  - Treatment of lipid disorders (dyslipidemia) is the cornerstone of atherosclerosis
      prevention and reduction of progression. Lifestyle modification is the first step
      to improve the plasma lipid profile. Statins play a central role in the reduction
      of LDL cholesterol. Whether and to what extent other lipids such as triglycerides
      or lipoprotein(a) should also be treated depends on the extent of atherosclerotic
      disease and its progression over time. Especially in residential cardiac
      rehabilitation we have the opportunity to encourage adherence and adapt
      medication as necessary due to a face to face contact over 4 weeks. Moreover, the
      prescription for a PCSK9-inhibitor could be resolved or the indication for a
      lipoprotein apheresis could be considered.

PMID- 28913684
TI  - [Telemedicine in stroke care].
AB  - Telemedicine is already widely used in many telestroke networks and ensures
      stroke treatment close to the patient's home in rural and medically underserved
      areas. This is particularly effective when telemedicine is integrated into a
      stroke unit concept. While telemedically based thrombolysis therapy has become
      routine practice for many years, practical implementation of comprehensive
      mechanical thrombectomy and the related processes remains challenging. The main
      tasks for the future further include development of a structured stroke aftercare
      system in neurologically underserved areas and permanent assurance of high
      quality stroke care in telemedically connected sites.

PMID- 28913685
TI  - [Ramp lesions : Tips and tricks in diagnostics and therapy].
AB  - There is an increasing biomechanical and anatomical understanding of the
      different types of meniscal lesions. Lesions of the posterior part of the medial
      meniscus in the meniscosynovial area have recently received increased attention.
      They generally occur in association with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
      injuries. They are often missed ("hidden lesions") due to the fact that they
      cannot be seen by routine anterior arthroscopic inspection. Furthermore,
      meniscosynovial lesions play a role in anteroposterior knee laxity and, as such,
      they may be a cause of failure of ACL reconstruction or of postoperative
      persistent laxity. Little information is available regarding their cause with
      respect to injury mechanism, natural history, biomechanical implications, healing
      potential and treatment options. This article presents an overview of the
      currently available knowledge of these ramp lesions, their possible
      pathomechanism, classification, biomechanical relevance as well as repair
      techniques.

PMID- 28913688
TI  - The Effects of Condom Availability on College Women's Sexual Discounting.
AB  - College students commonly engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as casual sexual
      encounters and inconsistent condom use. Discounting paradigms that examine how
      individuals devalue rewards due to their delay or uncertainty have been used to
      improve our understanding of behavioral problems, including sexual risk. The
      current study assessed relations between college women's sexual partners
      discounting and risky sexual behavior. In this study, college women (N = 42)
      completed two sexual partners delay discounting tasks that assessed how choices
      among hypothetical sexual partners changed across a parametric range of delays in
      two conditions: condom availability and condom unavailability. Participants also
      completed two sexual partners probability discounting tasks that assessed partner
      choices across a parametric range of probabilities in condom availability and
      unavailability conditions. Additionally, participants reported risky sexual
      behavior on the Sexual Risk Survey (SRS). Participants discounted delayed
      partners more steeply in the condom availability condition, but those differences
      were significant only for those women with three or fewer lifetime sexual
      partners. There were no consistent differences in discounting rate across condom
      availability conditions for probability discounting. Sexual partners discounting
      measures correlated with risky sexual behaviors as measured by the SRS, but a
      greater number of significant relations were observed with the condoms
      unavailable delay discounting task. These findings suggest the importance of
      examining the interaction of inconsistent condom use and multiple partners in
      examinations of sexual decision-making.

PMID- 28913686
TI  - Pretreatment quality of life in patients with rectal cancer is associated with
      intrusive thoughts and sense of coherence.
AB  - PURPOSE: Quality of life may predict survival. In addition to clinical variables,
      it may be influenced by psychological factors, some of which may be accessible
      for intervention. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the
      association of intrusive thoughts and the patients' sense of coherence with
      pretreatment quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed rectal cancer.
      METHODS: Patients were prospectively included in 16 hospitals in Sweden and
      Denmark. They answered an extensive questionnaire after receiving their treatment
      plan. Clinical data were retrieved from national quality registries for rectal
      cancer. RESULTS: Of 1248 included patients, a total of 1085 were evaluable.
      Pretreatment global health-related and overall quality of life was lower in
      patients planned for palliative compared with curative treatment (median 53 vs.
      80 on the EuroQoL visual analogue scale, p < 0.001 and odds ratio 0.56, 95%
      confidence interval 0.36-0.88, respectively). Quality of life was associated with
      intrusive thoughts (odds ratio 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.24-0.45) and sense
      of coherence (odds ratio 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.52) irrespective of
      the treatment plan. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment quality of life was influenced by
      the intent of treatment as well as by intrusive thoughts and the patients' sense
      of coherence. Interventions could modify these psychological factors, and future
      studies should focus on initiatives to improve quality of life for this group of
      patients.

PMID- 28913687
TI  - Non-Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease in Women.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Takayasu arteritis, fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), spontaneous
      arterial dissection, Raynaud's phenomenon, and chilblains are vascular conditions
      that are associated with an increased predisposition in women and are often
      underdiagnosed. Takayasu arteritis has an incidence rate of 2.6 cases per million
      individuals per year in the USA and predominantly affects women of childbearing
      age. HLA-B5 genetic locus is linked with Takayasu arteritis susceptibility.
      Methods to determine active disease are limiting; currently utilized clinical and
      imaging findings and laboratory tests are of limited value for this purpose.
      Pregnancy poses risks for maternal and fetal complications, and these patients
      need additional monitoring and care before and after conception. Controlling
      hypertension and immunosuppression using steroids, biological and non-biological
      immunosuppressants, are key components of managing patients with this arteritis.
      FMD commonly affects middle-aged, white females. Its true prevalence is unknown.
      Renal and cerebrovascular beds are the most frequently involved vascular beds.
      Its clinical presentation varies from no symptoms to catastrophic events.
      Controlling vascular risk factors, periodic surveillance, and revascularization
      when indicated are important factors in FMD management. Spontaneous arterial
      dissections are less common, but are an important cause of morbidity and
      mortality in specific populations. Cervicocephalic dissection causes 10-20% of
      the strokes in young adults, and coronary artery dissection is the culprit in
      almost one fourth of young women presenting with acute myocardial infarction.
      Early diagnosis is key to improving prognosis in these patients, as the majority
      of patients have spontaneous resolution of the dissection with conservative
      management alone. Increased clinician awareness of the presentation features and
      angiographic findings are imperative for early diagnosis. Raynaud's phenomenon
      and chilblains are cold- or stress-induced cutaneous lesions, commonly involving
      distal extremities. Secondary causes such as connective tissue diseases and
      malignancies must be thoroughly excluded during evaluation of these conditions.
      Cold avoidance, systemic and local warming, and oral vasodilator therapy are the
      mainstays of therapy.

PMID- 28913689
TI  - The evaluation of protective effect of lycopene against genotoxic influence of X
      irradiation in human blood lymphocytes.
AB  - Many studies suggest that exogenous antioxidants may protect cells against DNA
      damage caused with ionizing radiation. One of the most powerful antioxidants is
      lycopene (LYC), a carotenoid derived from tomatoes. The aim of this study was to
      investigate, using the comet assay, whether LYC can act as protectors/modifiers
      and prevent DNA damage induced in human blood lymphocytes, as well as to mitigate
      the effects of radiation exposure. In this project, LYC, dissolved in DMSO at a
      concentration of 10, 20 or 40 MUM/ml of cell suspension, was added to the
      isolated lymphocytes from human blood at appropriate intervals before or after
      the X-irradiation at doses of 0.5, 1 and 2 Gy. Cell viability in all groups was
      maintained at above 70%. The results showed the decrease of DNA damage in cells
      treated with various concentrations of LYC directly and 1 h before exposure to X
      rays compared to the control group exposed to irradiation alone. Contrary results
      were observed in cells exposed to LYC immediately after exposure to ionizing
      radiation. The studies confirmed the protective effect of LYC against DNA damage
      induced by ionizing radiation, but after irradiation the carotenoid did not
      stimulate of DNA repair and cannot act as modifier. However, supplementation with
      LYC, especially at lower doses, may be useful in protection from radiation
      induced oxidative damage.

PMID- 28913690
TI  - Natural manganese ore catalyst for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction
      of NO with NH3 in coke-oven flue gas.
AB  - Different types of manganese ore raw materials were prepared for use as
      catalysts, and the effects of different manganese ore raw materials and
      calcination temperature on the NO conversion were analyzed. The catalysts were
      characterized by XRF, XRD, BET, XPS, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, and SEM techniques. The
      results showed that the NO conversion of calcined manganese ore with a
      Mn:Fe:Al:Si ratio of 1.51:1.26:0.34:1 at 450  degrees C reached 80% at 120 
      degrees C and 98% at 180~240  degrees C. The suitable proportions and better
      dispersibility of active ingredients, larger BET surface area, good
      reductibility, a lot of acid sites, contents of Mn4+ and Fe3+, and surface
      adsorbed oxygen played important roles in improving the NO conversion.

PMID- 28913683
TI  - An Evidence Map of the Women Veterans' Health Research Literature (2008-2015).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women comprise a growing proportion of Veterans seeking care at
      Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare facilities. VA initiatives have accelerated
      changes in services for female Veterans, yet the corresponding literature has not
      been systematically reviewed since 2008. In 2015, VA Women's Health Services and
      the VA Women's Health Research Network requested an updated literature review to
      facilitate policy and research planning. METHODS: The Minneapolis VA Evidence
      based Synthesis Program performed a systematic search of research related to
      female Veterans' health published from 2008 through 2015. We extracted study
      characteristics including healthcare topic, design, sample size and proportion
      female, research setting, and funding source. We created an evidence map by
      organizing and presenting results within and across healthcare topics, and
      describing patterns, strengths, and gaps. RESULTS: We identified 2276 abstracts
      and assessed each for relevance. We excluded 1092 abstracts and reviewed 1184
      full-text articles; 750 were excluded. Of 440 included articles, 208 (47%) were
      related to mental health, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (71
      articles), military sexual trauma (37 articles), and substance abuse (20
      articles). The number of articles addressing VA priority topic areas increased
      over time, including reproductive health, healthcare organization and delivery,
      access and utilization, and post-deployment health. Three or fewer articles
      addressed each of the common chronic diseases: diabetes, hypertension,
      depression, or anxiety. Nearly 400 articles (90%) used an observational design.
      Eight articles (2%) described randomized trials. CONCLUSIONS: Our evidence map
      summarizes patterns, progress, and growth in the female Veterans' health and
      healthcare literature. Observational studies in mental health make up the
      majority of research. A focus on primary care delivery over clinical topics in
      primary care and a lack of sex-specific results for studies that include men and
      women have contributed to research gaps in addressing common chronic diseases.
      Interventional research using randomized trials is needed.

PMID- 28913691
TI  - Intestinal Mechanomorphological Remodeling Induced by Long-Term Low-Fiber Diet in
      Rabbits.
AB  - Short-term feeding with low-fiber diet remodels the mechanomorphological
      properties in the rabbit small intestine. The aims were to study the effect of
      feeding low-fiber diet for 5 months on mechanomorphological properties including
      the collagen fraction in the rabbit intestines. Fifteen rabbits were divided into
      an Intervention group (IG, n = 10) fed a low-fiber diet and a Control group (CG,
      n = 5) fed a normal diet for 5 months. Five months later, four 10-cm-long
      segments obtained from the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and large intestine were used
      for histological and mechanical analysis, respectively. The wall thickness, wall
      area, mucosa and muscle layer thickness decreased whereas the submucosa layer
      thickness increased in the IG (p < 0.05). The collagen fraction decreased in all
      layers and segments in the IG (p < 0.05). The opening angle increased in the
      large intestine and decreased in the ileum in the IG (p < 0.05). The intestinal
      stress-strain curves for IG shifted to the right, indicating softening. The creep
      did not change in the four segments. The wall stiffness was associated with wall
      thickness and collagen fraction in the submucosa layer. Long-term low-fiber diet
      in rabbits induced histomorphometric and biomechanical remodelling of the
      intestines.

PMID- 28913692
TI  - Nanotechnology and water purification: Indian know-how and challenges.
AB  - Water contamination being ubiquitous problem across the world. A significant
      strata of population worldwide are still struggling to get drinkable water. This
      demand to develop technologies to provide clean water at affordable price is
      unveiling the need of rigorous research in this area. There are several
      technologies available for removal of persistent as well as emerging pollutants
      from water. Nanotechnology-based technology are providing the promising solution
      because of its extraordinary characteristics like large surface area, low cost
      maintenance and reuse, etc. During the past decade, there is an advancement in
      the field of nanotechnology and diligent efforts of researchers in achieving
      milestones in developing nanosorbents, nanostructured catalytic membranes,
      efficient photo catalysts, bioactive nanoparticles and new filtration regime.
      This article gives an overview of nanotechnology applications in water
      purification in India with an attempt to ponder indigenous technologies for
      implementation. A bibliometric approach is applied to bring the indigenous
      technologies available. In addition, we discuss some challenges associated with
      the development of convincing material and building water processing plants for
      purification of the wastewater.

PMID- 28913693
TI  - Human papillomavirus genotype distribution in cervical samples among vaccine
      naive Barbados women.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to provide baseline HPV genotype distribution
      among women in Barbados before HPV immunization was introduced. This information
      would then be used as a denominator for post-vaccine surveillance and is expected
      to aid in understanding the effect of vaccination on cervical disease in
      Barbados. METHODS: Liquid-based cytology specimens were collected from 413 women
      (age range 18-65 years) attending three clinics, in a pre-vaccination, population
      based study. After consent was obtained, sexual behavior and socio-demographic
      information were acquired from self-administered questionnaires. HPV types were
      detected using Luminex-based HPV PCR genotyping methodology. RESULTS: HPV was
      detected in 33% (135/413) of the subjects overall (95% CI 32.7, 33.37), of which
      70% (95/135) were high-risk types, with 35 different types being detected in this
      population. Single and multiple high-risk HPV types were detected in 14% (13/95)
      and 31% (29/95) of the subjects, respectively. The most common high-risk HPV
      types detected were 45(n = 22, 23%), 16 (n = 17, 18%), 52 (n = 16, 17%), and 58
      (n = 10, 11%). Persons with the highest level of infection by age were 21-25 (n =
      25/135;19%; 95% CI 18.8, 19.3); 26-30 (n = 22/135;16%; 95% CI 15.9, 16.2); 31-35
      (n = 19/135;14%; 95% CI 13.9, 14.2); 36-40 (n = 17/135;13%; 95% CI 12.2, 13.2),
      and 18-21 (n = 15/135;11%; 95% CI 10.9, 11.2). 91/413 (22%) persons had a normal
      cytology result. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of HPV type 45 was found in the
      screening population of women in Barbados. The results of cytological
      examinations and HPV positivity suggest that both tests should be used for
      greater reliable diagnosis of HPV infection.

PMID- 28913695
TI  - Comparison of helminth community of Apodemus agrarius and Apodemus flavicollis
      between urban and suburban populations of mice.
AB  - The growing human population and the development of urban areas have led to
      fragmentation and destruction of many natural habitats but have also created new
      urban habitats. These environmental changes have had a negative impact on many
      species of plants and animals, including parasite communities. The aim of present
      study was to compare the helminth communities of Apodemus flavicollis and
      Apodemus agrarius in natural and urban habitats. Helminth burdens were assessed
      in 124 mice, 48 A. flavicollis, and 76 A. agrarius from two managed forests close
      to the city boundaries and two city parks within Warsaw, Central Poland. In
      total, eight species of helminths, Nematoda (n = 3), Digenea (n = 2), and Cestoda
      (n = 3), were identified. Helminth community structure and prevalence/abundance
      of individual helminth species differed significantly between the two Apodemus
      species. Overall, prevalence and abundance of helminth species were significantly
      higher in A. agrarius compared to A. flavicollis. For A. flavicollis, higher
      prevalence and abundance of helminths were detected in individuals from managed
      forest habitats in comparison to city parks. In striped field mice, much higher
      prevalence and mean abundance were recorded in rodents trapped in city parks than
      in managed forests. This phenomenon may be explained by better adaptation of A.
      agrarius, compared to A. flavicollis, to city habitats, resulting in high local
      densities of mice and the full range of parasite species affecting this host
      species. Our data confirm also that the established routes of infection exist for
      selected helminth species in the urban environment.

PMID- 28913694
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Traumatic Spine Injury.
AB  - Traumatic spine injuries (TSIs) carry significantly high risks of morbidity,
      mortality, and exorbitant health care costs from associated medical needs
      following injury. For these reasons, TSI was chosen as an ENLS protocol. This
      article offers a comprehensive review on the management of spinal column injuries
      using the best available evidence. Though the review focuses primarily on
      cervical spinal column injuries, thoracolumbar injuries are briefly discussed as
      well. The initial emergency department (ED) clinical evaluation of possible
      spinal fractures and cord injuries, along with the definitive early management of
      confirmed injuries, are also covered.

PMID- 28913696
TI  - Clinicopathological Risk Factors for Distant Metastasis in Differentiated Thyroid
      Carcinoma: A Meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Distant metastasis (DM) is not a frequent event in differentiated
      thyroid carcinoma (DTC) but has an adverse impact on mortality of patients with
      DTC. In the current study, we aimed to conduct a comprehensive systematic review
      and meta-analysis to investigate the risk factors for DM in DTCs and for each
      histological subtype. METHODS: Five electronic databases were searched from
      inception to December 2016 for relevant articles. Pooled odd ratios and 95%
      confidence interval were calculated using random-effect model. RESULTS: Thirty
      four articles with 73,219 patients were included for meta-analyses. In DTCs, male
      gender, age >=45 years, tumor size >=4 cm, multifocality, vascular invasion (VI),
      extrathyroidal extension (ETE), lymph node metastasis (LNM), and lateral LNM were
      demonstrated to be associated with significant risks for DM. In addition, several
      clinicopathological factors such as age >=45 years, VI, ETE, and LNM were shown
      to be significant risk factors for DM in both PTC and FTC subgroups. CONCLUSION:
      Our study demonstrated the promising value of several clinicopathological factors
      such as male gender, older age, VI, ETE, and LNM in predicting DM in PTCs and
      FTCs. Our study affirms the value of the selected clinicopathological factors for
      tumor risk stratification and assessment of patients' prognosis.

PMID- 28913697
TI  - Developing a post-treatment survivorship care plan to help breast cancer
      survivors understand their fertility.
AB  - PURPOSE: Reproductive-aged breast cancer survivors (BCS) who have completed
      initial cancer treatment frequently want to know about their future fertility
      potential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess if the fertility
      related content presented in the survivorship care plan prototype met the
      informational needs of post-treatment BCS and to provide an opportunity for the
      target audience to review and react to the proposed content and design. METHODS:
      We conducted and analyzed transcripts from seven focus groups with BCS to
      evaluate their reactions to the survivorship care plan prototype. We
      independently coded transcripts for consistent themes and sub-themes and used a
      consensus-building approach to agree on interpretation of results. RESULTS: We
      identified five themes that describe the post-treatment BCS' responses to the
      prototype survivorship care plan in the context of their informational needs and
      experiences: (1) the prototype's fertility-related information is relevant; (2)
      desire for clinical parameters to help survivors understand their infertility
      risk; (3) fertility-related information is important throughout survivorship; (4)
      evidence-based content from a neutral source is trustworthy; and (5) the
      recommendation to see a fertility specialist is helpful, but cost is a barrier.
      CONCLUSIONS: BCS have concerns and needs related to their fertility potential
      after initial breast cancer treatment. The evidence-based information offered in
      our prototype survivorship care plan was acceptable to BCS and has significant
      potential to address these needs. Additional primary data that identify post
      cancer treatment indicators of fertility would advance this effort.

PMID- 28913698
TI  - Reduced Value-Driven Attentional Capture Among Children with ADHD Compared to
      Typically Developing Controls.
AB  - The current study examined whether children with ADHD were more distracted by a
      stimulus previously associated with reward, but currently goal-irrelevant, than
      their typically-developing peers. In addition, we also probed the associated
      cognitive and motivational mechanisms by examining correlations with other
      behavioral tasks. Participants included 8-12 year-old children with ADHD (n = 30)
      and typically developing controls (n = 26). Children were instructed to visually
      search for color-defined targets and received monetary rewards for accurate
      responses. In a subsequent search task in which color was explicitly irrelevant,
      we manipulated whether a distractor item appeared in a previously reward
      associated color. We examined whether children responded more slowly on trials
      with the previously-rewarded distractor present compared to trials without this
      distractor, a phenomenon referred to as value-driven attentional capture (VDAC),
      and whether children with and without ADHD differed in the extent to which they
      displayed VDAC. Correlations among working memory performance, immediate reward
      preference (delay discounting) and attentional capture were also examined.
      Children with ADHD were significantly less affected by the presence of the
      previously rewarded distractor than were control participants. Within the ADHD
      group, greater value-driven attentional capture was associated with poorer
      working memory. Although both ADHD and control participants were initially
      distracted by previously reward-associated stimuli, the magnitude of distraction
      was larger and persisted longer among control participants.

PMID- 28913699
TI  - Morphological analysis of the filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum using
      flow cytometry-the fast alternative to microscopic image analysis.
AB  - An important parameter in filamentous bioreactor cultivations is the morphology
      of the fungi, due to its interlink to productivity and its dependency on process
      conditions. Filamentous fungi show a large variety of morphological forms in
      submerged cultures. These range from dispersed hyphae, to interwoven mycelial
      aggregates, to denser hyphal aggregates, the so-called pellets. Depending on the
      objective function of the bioprocess, different characteristics of the morphology
      are favorable and need to be quantified accurately. The most common method to
      quantitatively characterize morphology is image analysis based on microscopy.
      This method is work intensive and time consuming. Therefore, we developed a
      faster, at-line applicable, alternative method based on flow cytometry. Within
      this contribution, this novel method is compared to microscopy for a penicillin
      production process. Both methods yielded in comparable distinction of
      morphological sub-populations and described their morphology in more detail. In
      addition to the appropriate quantification of size parameters and the description
      of the hyphal region around pellets, the flow cytometry method even revealed a
      novel compactness parameter for fungal pellets which is not accessible via light
      microscopy. Hence, the here presented flow cytometry method for morphological
      analysis is a fast and reliable alternative to common tools with some new
      insights in the pellet morphology, enabling at-line use in production
      environments.

PMID- 28913700
TI  - Mobility and dissipation of chlorpyriphos and quinalphos in sandy clay loam in an
      agroecosystem-a laboratory-based soil column study.
AB  - Leaching potential of pesticides, apart from climatological factors, depends on
      soil physical properties, soil-pesticide interaction and chemical nature of the
      molecule. Recent investigations have revealed the presence of various
      organophosphate pesticides in various agroecosystems. The present study
      investigated the soil transport mechanism of commonly used organophosphate
      pesticides in acidic sandy clay loam soils of Kerala State, India. Packed soil
      column experiment was undertaken under laboratory condition for 30 days.
      Unsaturated flow was carried out using distilled water/0.01 M CaCl2 solution
      after applying chlorpyriphos and quinalphos at the rate of 0.04% a.i.ha-1 and
      0.025% a.i.ha-1, respectively. The study revealed the retention of residues of
      chlorpyriphos and quinalphos in the top 5-cm layer. Irrespective of the applied
      concentration of chlorpyriphos and quinalphos, the relative concentration of the
      pesticides in soil was similar. About 56% of the applied chemicals were
      dissipated in 30 days of unsaturated flow. A new dissipation compound iron,
      tricarbonyl [N-(phenyl-2-pyridinylmethyene) benzenamine-N, N'], was detected in
      GCMS analysis of soil extract from distilled water percolated soil. The
      dissipation of chlorpyriphos and quinalphos was faster in 0.01 M CaCl2-treated
      soil column. Among the pesticides analysed, the residue of quinalphos was
      detected in leachate.

PMID- 28913701
TI  - Complete heart block during ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization.

PMID- 28913702
TI  - Impaired fertility and motor function in a zebrafish model for classic
      galactosemia.
AB  - Classic galactosemia is a genetic disorder of galactose metabolism, caused by
      severe deficiency of galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (GALT) enzyme
      activity due to mutations of the GALT gene. Its pathogenesis is still not fully
      elucidated, and a therapy that prevents chronic impairments is lacking. In order
      to move research forward, there is a high need for a novel animal model, which
      allows organ studies throughout development and high-throughput screening of
      pharmacologic compounds. Here, we describe the generation of a galt knockout
      zebrafish model and present its phenotypical characterization. Using a TALEN
      approach, a galt knockout line was successfully created. Accordingly, biochemical
      assays confirm essentially undetectable galt enzyme activity in homozygotes.
      Analogous to humans, galt knockout fish accumulate galactose-1-phosphate upon
      exposure to exogenous galactose. Furthermore, without prior exposure to exogenous
      galactose, they exhibit reduced motor activity and impaired fertility (lower egg
      quantity per mating, higher number of unsuccessful crossings), resembling the
      human phenotype(s) of neurological sequelae and subfertility. In conclusion, our
      galt knockout zebrafish model for classic galactosemia mimics the human
      phenotype(s) at biochemical and clinical levels. Future studies in our model will
      contribute to improved understanding and management of this disorder.

PMID- 28913703
TI  - Using Technology and Assessment to Personalize Instruction: Preventing Reading
      Problems.
AB  - Children who fail to learn to read proficiently are at serious risk of referral
      to special education, grade retention, dropping out of high school, and entering
      the juvenile justice system. Accumulating research suggests that instruction
      regimes that rely on assessment to inform instruction are effective in improving
      the implementation of personalized instruction and, in turn, student learning.
      However, teachers find it difficult to interpret assessment results in a way that
      optimizes learning opportunities for all of the students in their classrooms.
      This article focuses on the use of language, decoding, and comprehension
      assessments to develop personalized plans of literacy instruction for students
      from kindergarten through third grade, and A2i technology designed to support
      teachers' use of assessment to guide instruction. Results of seven randomized
      controlled trials demonstrate that personalized literacy instruction is more
      effective than traditional instruction, and that sustained implementation of
      personalized literacy instruction first through third grade may prevent the
      development of serious reading problems. We found effect sizes from .2 to .4 per
      school year, which translates into about a 2-month advantage. These effects
      accumulated from first through third grade with a large effect size (d = .7)
      equivalent to a full grade-equivalent advantage on standardize tests of literacy.
      These results demonstrate the efficacy of technology-supported personalized data
      driven literacy instruction to prevent serious reading difficulties. Implications
      for translational prevention research in education and healthcare are discussed.

PMID- 28913704
TI  - Impact of etiology, age and gender on onset and severity of hyponatremia in
      patients with hypopituitarism: retrospective analysis in a specialised endocrine
      unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia can unmask hypopituitarism and secondary adrenal
      insufficiency. This is important, since the need to screen for steroid
      deficiency, in patients with hyponatremia is often neglected. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: In a retrospective study, twenty-five patients (13f/12m, age 58.9 +/-
      18.6 years) with hyponatremia (119.7 +/- 10.5 mmol/L) were identified among 260
      in-patients treated for hypopituitarism in our specialized endocrine unit, over
      the last decade. We analyzed clinical characteristics, etiology, and severity of
      hypopituitarism in patients who presented with hyponatremia. RESULTS:
      Hyponatremia was recorded in 9.6% of our patients with hypopituitarism. In 80.7%
      it was the key to diagnosis of hypopituitarism. All patients with hyponatremia
      were steroid deficient with complete hypopituitarism compared to 75% (steroid
      deficient) and 60% (complete hypopituitarism) of the patients in the cohort. The
      most common etiology of hypopituitarism was non-functioning pituitary macro
      adenoma (NFPA) (n = 128, 49.2%). Patients with hyponatremia were divided into two
      groups, based on the etiology of hypopituitarism: Group 1. with NFPA n = 15
      (5F/10M), mean age 71.47 +/- 4.8 years, who were significantly older compared to
      patients with hyponatremia from other rare causes of hypopituitarism in Group 2.
      n = 10 (8F/2M), mean age 40.2 +/- 15.3 years (p < 0.01), such as: congenital
      hypopituitarism(n = 2), Sheehan's syndrome (n = 2), intracranial aneurysm (n =
      2), lymphocytic hypophysitis (n = 1), traumatic brain injury (n = 1), surgery and
      radiotherapy for astrocytoma (n = 1), pituitary metastasis from bronchial
      carcinoma (n = 1). Hyponatremia was more severe in Group 2. compared to Group 1.
      (113.5 +/- 10.9 mmol/L vs. 124.3 +/- 8.1 mmol/L, p < 0.01). Older age (p =
      0.0001) and number of endocrine deficiencies (p < 0.05) were identified as
      predictive factors for hyponatremia by multivariate analysis in patients with
      hypopituitarism. CONCLUSION: Hyponatremia is an important presenting feature of
      pituitary disease and a strong indicator of life-threatening steroid deficiency.
      Old age and severity of hypopituitarism are major risk factors for hyponatremia.
      In older patients NFPA is the most common etiology, while other rare causes of
      hypopituitarism are more prevalent in younger patients with hyponatremia.

PMID- 28913705
TI  - Variable PARK2 Mutations Cause Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease in a Small
      Restricted Population.
AB  - Early-onset Parkinson's disease (EOPD) is less common than the typical adult
      onset PD and may be associated with a genetic etiology. Mutations in several
      genes are known to cause autosomal recessive (AR) PD. This study aimed to detect
      the etiology of EOPD in consanguineous families or families living in a specific
      small geographic region in Israel. Six families with EOPD affecting more than a
      single individual were recruited. Homozygous mapping analysis using a single
      nucleotide polymorphism-based array was performed in all families, followed by
      Sanger sequencing of related genes based on the mapping results. In addition, all
      families underwent PARK2 sequencing and testing for large deletions and
      duplications in PD-associated genes. Different truncating mutations were detected
      in the PARK2 gene among affected individuals of three families: c.996C>A
      (p.Cys332X) and c.101delA in either homozygous or compound heterozygous fashion.
      Exon 4 deletion was detected in a heterozygous manner in a late-onset PD and in
      homozygous state in early-onset disease in the same family. No disease-causing
      mutations were detected in any other tested genes. In total, mutations in the
      PARK2 gene were detected in four of the six tested families with a history of
      EOPD. These results further demonstrate the role of PARK2 in AR PD. We recommend
      genetic analysis for the PARK2 gene when AR PD is suspected.

PMID- 28913706
TI  - Novel pericatheter retrograde urethrogram technique is a viable method for
      postoperative urethroplasty imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe our technique for pericatheter
      retrograde urethrogram (pcRUG) and to evaluate the utility of a pcRUG to detect a
      clinically significant leak after urethral reconstruction. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed our prospective IRB-approved database of patients
      undergoing urethral reconstruction. pcRUG was performed at 3-4 weeks after
      surgery, in standardized fashion. Patients were placed in oblique position, and
      with the penis stretched, diluted contrast was instilled via an angiocatheter
      alongside the indwelling urethral catheter under dynamic fluoroscopy. The image
      was then evaluated for the presence of any contrast extravasation. Patient with
      and without extravasation seen on initial pcRUG were compared. RESULTS: From
      September 2012 through February 2017, 144 pericatheter retrograde urethrograms
      were performed on 130 patients. 115 patients (88.5%) had no extravasation on
      pcRUG. Fifteen patients (11.5%) demonstrated extravasation, with 13 of those
      patients (10%) undergoing a repeat pcRUG. Patients with extravasation seen on
      initial pcRUG were more likely to have strictures that were panurethral (36 vs.
      9%, p = 0.029) and >=10 cm (43 vs. 11%, p = 0.016). One patient (0.8%) presented
      with urinary leak and scrotal abscess after a urethra was assessed as
      sufficiently healed at the initial pcRUG and the catheter removed. There were
      otherwise no infectious or procedural complications related to pericatheter
      retrograde urethrogram. CONCLUSIONS: Our pericatheter retrograde urethrogram
      technique is a safe and reproducible technique to effectively assess urethral
      healing after urethroplasty and determine timing of catheter removal. The pcRUG
      is minimally invasive and is comparable in accuracy and sensitivity to voiding
      cystourethrography and retrograde urethrography that have traditionally been used
      to assess healing after urethroplasty.

PMID- 28913707
TI  - Endocytic pathways involved in PLGA nanoparticle uptake by grapevine cells and
      role of cell wall and membrane in size selection.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: PLGA NPs' cell uptake involves different endocytic pathways.
      Clathrin-independent endocytosis is the main internalization route. The cell wall
      plays a more prominent role than the plasma membrane in NPs' size selection. In
      the last years, many studies on absorption and cell uptake of nanoparticles by
      plants have been conducted, but the understanding of the internalization
      mechanisms is still largely unknown. In this study, polydispersed and
      monodispersed poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) were
      synthesized, and a strategy combining the use of transmission electron microscopy
      (TEM), confocal analysis, fluorescently labeled PLGA NPs, a probe for endocytic
      vesicles (FM4-64), and endocytosis inhibitors (i.e., wortmannin, ikarugamycin,
      and salicylic acid) was employed to shed light on PLGA NP cell uptake in
      grapevine cultured cells and to assess the role of the cell wall and plasma
      membrane in size selection of PLGA NPs. The ability of PLGA NPs to cross the cell
      wall and membrane was confirmed by TEM and fluorescence microscopy. A strong
      adhesion of PLGA NPs to the outer side of the cell wall was observed, presumably
      due to electrostatic interactions. Confocal microscopy and treatment with
      endocytosis inhibitors suggested the involvement of both clathrin-dependent and
      clathrin-independent endocytosis in cell uptake of PLGA NPs and the latter
      appeared to be the main internalization pathway. Experiments on grapevine
      protoplasts revealed that the cell wall plays a more prominent role than the
      plasma membrane in size selection of PLGA NPs. While the cell wall prevents the
      uptake of PLGA NPs with diameters over 50 nm, the plasma membrane can be crossed
      by PLGA NPs with a diameter of 500-600 nm.

PMID- 28913708
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a subset of stroke due to spontaneous bleeding
      within the parenchyma of the brain. It is potentially lethal, and survival
      depends on ensuring an adequate airway, proper diagnosis, and early management of
      several specific issues such as blood pressure, coagulopathy reversal, and
      surgical hematoma evacuation for appropriate patients. ICH was chosen as an
      Emergency Neurological Life Support (ENLS) protocol because intervention within
      the first hours may improve outcome, and it is critical to have site-specific
      protocols to drive care quickly and efficiently.

PMID- 28913709
TI  - Unprecedented anticancer activities of organorhenium sulfonato and carboxylato
      complexes against hormone-dependent MCF-7 and hormone-independent triple-negative
      MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
AB  - Cisplatin and other metal-based drugs often display side effects and tumor
      resistance after prolonged use. Because rhenium-based anticancer complexes are
      often less toxic, a novel series of organorhenium complexes were synthesized of
      the types: XRe(CO)3Z (X = alpha-diimines and Z = p-toluenesulfonate, 1
      naphthalenesulfonate, 2-naphthalenesulfonate, picolinate, nicotinate, aspirinate,
      naproxenate, flufenamate, ibuprofenate, mefenamate, tolfenamate, N-acetyl
      tryptophanate), and their biological properties were examined. Specifically, in
      hormone-dependent MCF-7 and hormone-independent triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast
      cancer cells, the p-toluenesulfonato, 1-naphthalenesulfonato, 2
      naphthalenesulfonato, picolinato, nicotinato, acetylsalicylato, flufenamato,
      ibuprofenato, mefenamato, and N-acetyl-tryptophanato complexes were found to be
      far more potent than conventional drug cisplatin. DNA-binding studies were
      performed in each case via UV-Vis titrations, cyclic voltammetry, gel
      electrophoresis, and viscosity, which suggest DNA partial intercalation
      interaction, and the structure-activity relationship studies suggest that the
      anticancer activities increase with the increasing lipophilicities of the
      compounds, roughly consistent with their DNA-binding activities.

PMID- 28913710
TI  - Performance of multiple docking and refinement methods in the pose prediction D3R
      prospective Grand Challenge 2016.
AB  - We describe the performance of multiple pose prediction methods for the D3R 2016
      Grand Challenge. The pose prediction challenge includes 36 ligands, which
      represent 4 chemotypes and some miscellaneous structures against the FXR ligand
      binding domain. In this study we use a mix of fully automated methods as well as
      human-guided methods with considerations of both the challenge data and publicly
      available data. The methods include ensemble docking, colony entropy pose
      prediction, target selection by molecular similarity, molecular dynamics guided
      pose refinement, and pose selection by visual inspection. We evaluated the
      success of our predictions by method, chemotype, and relevance of publicly
      available data. For the overall data set, ensemble docking, visual inspection,
      and molecular dynamics guided pose prediction performed the best with overall
      mean RMSDs of 2.4, 2.2, and 2.2 A respectively. For several individual challenge
      molecules, the best performing method is evaluated in light of that particular
      ligand. We also describe the protein, ligand, and public information data
      preparations that are typical of our binding mode prediction workflow.

PMID- 28913711
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Resuscitation Following Cardiac Arrest.
AB  - Cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death in North America. An organized
      bundle of neurocritical care interventions can improve chances of survival and
      neurological recovery in patients who are successfully resuscitated from cardiac
      arrest. Therefore, resuscitation following cardiac arrest was chosen as an
      Emergency Neurological Life Support protocol. Key aspects of successful early
      post-arrest management include: prevention of secondary brain injury;
      identification of treatable causes of arrest in need of emergent intervention;
      and, delayed neurological prognostication. Secondary brain injury can be
      attenuated through targeted temperature management (TTM), avoidance of hypoxia
      and hypotension, avoidance of hyperoxia, hyperventilation or hypoventilation, and
      treatment of seizures. Most patients remaining comatose after resuscitation from
      cardiac arrest should undergo TTM. Treatable precipitants of arrest that require
      emergent intervention include, but are not limited to, acute coronary syndrome,
      intracranial hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism and major trauma. Accurate
      neurological prognostication is generally not appropriate for several days after
      cardiac arrest, so early aggressive care should never be limited based on
      perceived poor neurological prognosis.

PMID- 28913712
TI  - Surgical Site Infection Is Associated with Tumor Recurrence in Patients with
      Extrahepatic Biliary Malignancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSI) are one of the most common
      complications after hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery. Infectious complications
      may lead to an associated immune-modulatory effect that inhibits the body's
      response to cancer surveillance. We sought to define the impact of SSI on long
      term prognosis of patients undergoing surgical resection of extrahepatic biliary
      malignancies (EHBM). METHODS: Patients undergoing surgery for EHBM between 2000
      and 2014 were identified using a large, multi-center, national cohort dataset.
      Recurrence free survival (RFS) was calculated and a multivariable Cox
      proportional hazards model was utilized to identify potential risk factors for
      RFS including SSI. RESULTS: Seven hundred twenty-eight patients included in the
      analytic cohort; 236 (32.4%) patients had perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, 241
      (33.1%) gallbladder cancer, and 251 (34.5%) distal cholangiocarcinoma. A major
      resection, liver resection, was performed in 205 (28.3%) patients, while 110
      (15.2%) patients had a pancreaticoduodenectomy. The overall incidence of
      morbidity was 55.8%; among the 397 patients who experienced a complication, 161
      patients specifically had an SSI. The SSI occurred as an infection of the
      surgical site (n = 70, 9.6%) or formation of an abscess in the operative bed (n =
      91, 12.5%). SSI was associated with long-term survival as patients who
      experienced an SSI had a median RFS of 19.5 months compared with 30.5 months for
      those patients who did not have an SSI (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.08-1.80; p = 0.01).
      Among 279 patients who had EHBM that had no associated lymph node metastases,
      well-to-moderate tumor differentiation, as well as an R0 resection margin, SSI
      remained associated with worse RFS (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.03-3.29; p = 0.038), as
      well as overall survival (HR 1.87, 95% CI 1.18-2.97; p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: SSI
      was a relatively common occurrence following surgery for EHBM as 1 in 10 patients
      experienced an SSI. In addition to standard tumor-specific factors, the
      occurrence of postoperative SSI was adversely associated with long-term survival.

PMID- 28913713
TI  - Ethnic Groups Differ in How Poor Self-Rated Mental Health Reflects Psychiatric
      Disorders.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to explore cross-ethnic variation in the pattern of the
      associations between psychiatric disorders and self-rated mental health (SRMH) in
      the USA. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the Collaborative
      Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), 2001-2003, a national household
      probability sample. The study enrolled 18,237 individuals who were either Non
      Hispanic White (n = 7587), African American (n = 4746), Mexican (n = 1442), Cuban
      (n = 577), Puerto Rican (n = 495), Other Hispanic (n = 1106), Vietnamese (n =
      520), Filipino (n = 508), Chinese (n = 600) or Other Asian (n = 656). SRMH was
      the outcome. Independent variables were psychiatric disorders including major
      depressive disorder [MDD], general anxiety disorder [GAD], social phobia, alcohol
      abuse, binge eating disorders, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder
      [PTSD], measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).
      Demographic (age and gender) and socioeconomic (education and income) factors
      were covariates. RESULTS: The only psychiatric disorder which was universally
      associated with SRMH across all ethnic groups was MDD. More psychiatric disorders
      were associated with poor SRMH in Non-Hispanic Whites than any other ethnic
      groups. Among African Americans, demographic and socioeconomic factors could
      fully explain the associations between psychiatric disorders and SRMH. Among
      Mexican and Other Hispanics, demographic and socioeconomic factors could only
      explain the association between some but not all psychiatric disorders and SRMH.
      In all other ethnic groups, demographic and socioeconomic factors did not explain
      the link between psychiatric disorders and SRMH. CONCLUSION: Although SRMH is a
      useful tool for estimation of mental health needs of populations, poor SRMH may
      not have universal meanings across ethnically diverse populations. Ethnic groups
      differ in how their poor SRMH reflects psychiatric conditions and the role of
      demographic and socioeconomic factors in explaining such links. These ethnic
      differences may be a source of measurement bias in cross-ethnic health
      comparisons.

PMID- 28913714
TI  - High transient colonization by Pneumocystis jirovecii between mothers and
      newborn.
AB  - : The aim of the study was to explore the frequency and dynamics of acquisition
      and colonization of Pneumocystis jirovecii among neonates, as well as the
      epidemiological and genotypic characteristics in mother-child binomial. In a
      prospective enrolled cohort of women in their third trimester of pregnancy,
      nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) and clinical and epidemiological data were collected
      at four different times: 17 days, 2nd, 4th, and 6th month of life of the newborn.
      P. jirovecii was detected by nested-PCR for the mtLSU-rRNA gene in each NPS; the
      genotypes were determined amplifying four genes. Forty-three pairs and 301 NPS
      were included. During the third trimester, 16.3% of pregnant women were
      colonized. The rate of colonization in mothers at delivery was 16, 6, 16, and 5%
      and in their children 28, 43, 42, and 25%, respectively. Within pregnant women,
      53% remained negative throughout follow-up, and among these, 91% of their
      children were positive in at least one of their samples. In both, mothers and
      children, the most frequent genotype of P. jirovecii was 1. CONCLUSION: The
      frequency of colonization by P. jirovecii was higher in newborns than in their
      respective progenitors. Colonization of both mothers and children is transitory;
      however, the mother of the newborn is not necessarily the source of primary
      infection. What is Known: * We did not find studies comparing P. jirovecii
      colonization between mothers and children simultaneously, yet the frequency of
      colonization by serologic and molecular methods in pregnant women has been
      reported. What is New: * According to our findings, 3/4 of the children had
      transient colonization during the first 6 months of life, in only half in the
      mothers, without proof of mother-to-child transmission or vice versa.

PMID- 28913715
TI  - Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) affects load-free cell shortening of
      cardiomyocytes in a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9)-dependent
      way.
AB  - Recent studies have documented that oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      (oxLDL) levels directly impact myocardial structure and function. However, the
      molecular mechanisms by which oxLDL affects cardiac myocytes are not well
      established. We addressed the question whether oxLDL modifies load-free cell
      shortening, a standardized readout of cardiac cellular function, and investigated
      whether proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-9 (PCSK9) is involved on oxLDL
      dependent processes. Adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were isolated and
      incubated for 24 h with oxLDL. PCSK9 was silenced by administration of siRNA.
      Load-free cell shortening was analyzed via a line camera at a beating frequency
      of 2 Hz. RT-PCR and immunoblots were used to identify molecular pathways. We
      observed a concentration-dependent reduction of load-free cell shortening that
      was independent of cell damage (apoptosis, necrosis). The effect of oxLDL was
      attenuated by silencing of oxLDL receptors (LOX-1), blockade of p38 MAP kinase
      activation, and silencing of PCSK9. oxLDL increased the expression of PCSK9 and
      caused oxidative modification of tropomyosin. In conclusion, we found that oxLDL
      significantly impaired contractile function via induction of PCSK9. This is the
      first report about the expression of PCSK9 in adult terminal differentiated
      ventricular cardiomyocytes. The data are important in the light of recent
      development of PCSK9 inhibitory strategies.

PMID- 28913716
TI  - A case of a mucin-producing bile duct tumor diagnosed over the course of 6 years.
AB  - We report a case of a mucin-producing intraductal papillary neoplasm of the
      intrahepatic bile duct (M-IPNB) diagnosed over a period of 6 years. A 64-year-old
      man underwent follow-up evaluations for an abdominal aortic aneurysm at our
      hospital. In 2009, a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a simple hepatic cyst
      in segment 3 of the liver. Annual CT scans initially showed almost no change in
      the size or shape of the cyst. The cystic lesion, which measured 5 cm in 2014,
      had increased to 11 cm by 2015, and a solid component was detected within the
      cyst. A biliary cystic tumor was suspected and we performed a left lateral
      hepatectomy. Pathological examination showed that the papillary lesion in the
      cyst included adenocarcinoma and adenoma components. We diagnosed M-IPNB in 2015.
      Identification of the solid component of the cyst, as well as an increase in cyst
      diameter in the image analyses, was critical for diagnosis of M-IPNB.

PMID- 28913717
TI  - After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools: 1-Year Outcomes of an Evidence-Based
      Parenting Program for Military Families Following Deployment.
AB  - Despite significant stressors facing military families over the past 15 years of
      wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, no parenting programs adapted or developed for
      military families with school-aged children have been rigorously tested. We
      present outcome data from the first randomized controlled trial of a behavioral
      parent training program for families with a parent deployed to Iraq or
      Afghanistan. In the present study, 336 primarily National Guard and Reserve
      families with 4-12-year-old children were recruited from a Midwestern state. At
      least one parent in each family had deployed to the recent conflicts: Operations
      Iraqi or Enduring Freedom, or New Dawn (OIF/OEF/OND). Families were randomized to
      a group-based parenting program (After Deployment, Adaptive Parenting Tools
      (ADAPT)) or web and print resources-as-usual. Using a social interaction learning
      framework, we hypothesized an indirect effects model: that the intervention would
      improve parenting, which, in turn, would be associated with improvements in child
      outcomes. Applying intent-to-treat analyses, we examined the program's effect on
      observed parenting, and children's adjustment at 12-months post baseline.
      Controlling for demographic (marital status, length, child gender), deployment
      variables (number of deployments), and baseline values, families randomized to
      the ADAPT intervention showed significantly improved observed parenting compared
      to those in the comparison group. Observed parenting, in turn, was associated
      with significant improvements in child adjustment. These findings present the
      first evidence for the effectiveness of a parenting program for deployed military
      families with school-aged children.

PMID- 28913718
TI  - Identify a shared neural circuit linking multiple neuropsychiatric symptoms with
      Alzheimer's pathology.
AB  - Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common in Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated
      neurodegeneration. However, NPS lack a consistent relationship with AD pathology.
      It is unknown whether any common neural circuits can link these clinically
      disparate while mechanistically similar features with AD pathology. Here, we
      explored the neural circuits of NPS in AD-associated neurodegeneration using
      multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of resting-state functional MRI data. Data
      from 98 subjects (70 amnestic mild cognitive impairment and 28 AD subjects) were
      obtained. The top 10 regions differentiating symptom presence across NPS were
      identified, which were mostly the fronto-limbic regions (medial prefrontal
      cortex, caudate, etc.). These 10 regions' functional connectivity classified
      symptomatic subjects across individual NPS at 69.46-81.27%, and predicted
      multiple NPS (indexed by Neuropsychiatric Symptom Questionnaire-Inventory) and AD
      pathology (indexed by baseline and change of beta-amyloid/pTau ratio) all above
      70%. Our findings suggest a fronto-limbic dominated neural circuit that links
      multiple NPS and AD pathology. With further examination of the structural and
      pathological changes within the circuit, the circuit may shed light on linking
      behavioral disturbances with AD-associated neurodegeneration.

PMID- 28913719
TI  - Green garden snail, Cantareus apertus, as biomonitor and sentinel for integrative
      metal pollution assessment in roadside soils.
AB  - The present investigation was conceived to study, in a small scale field study,
      the potential of the green garden snail, Cantareus apertus, as biomonitor and
      sentinel for integrative metal pollution assessment in soils. For this purpose,
      we investigated the association between the trace metal (Cd, Pb, As, Fe, Cr, Cu,
      Ni, and Zn) concentrations in soil, plants (Trifolium repens), and C. apertus
      depending on the distance (20, 150, and 700 m) from a main roadside in Tunisia as
      well as between metal concentrations and biomarkers of oxidative stress,
      oxidative damage, and neurotoxicity in C. apertus. Results revealed a clear
      association between the concentration of metals such as Ni, Cu, and Zn in snail
      digestive gland, both amongst them and with oxidative stress and neurotoxicity
      biomarkers recorded in the same organ. Interestingly, Ni, Pb, and Zn occurred at
      the highest concentration in soil, plant, and snails and the association appeared
      related to the immediacy of the roadside and the concentration of these three
      metals tended to decrease with distance from the roadside in the soil-plant-snail
      system. Conversely, Cd and Cu were bioaccumulated in plants and snails but their
      concentrations in soil were not high and did not show a decline in concentration
      with distance from the roadside. After PCA analysis, PC-01 (56% of the variance)
      represented metal bioaccumulation and associated toxic effects in snails in the
      presence of high levels of metal pollution (nearby the roadside) while PC-02 (35%
      of the variance) represented stress induced by moderate levels of metal pollution
      (at intermediate distances from the roadside). The four studied sites were
      clearly discriminated one from each other, depending on how they are affected by
      traffic pollution. In summary, this field study reveals that (a) C. apertus can
      be used as biomonitor for metal pollution in roadside soils and as sentinel for
      pollution effects assessment based on biochemical biomarkers; and (b) that
      oxidative stress and neurotoxicity biomarkers endow with a powerful biological
      tool for metal pollution biomonitoring in soils, especially in combination with
      chemical analysis of the soil-plant-snail transfer system. Moreover, this study
      provides some baseline data for future impact assessments concerning trace metal
      pollution in Tunisia.

PMID- 28913720
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Acute ischemic stroke is a neurological emergency that can be treated with time
      sensitive interventions, including both intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular
      approaches to thrombus removal. Extensive study has demonstrated that rapid,
      protocolized, assessment and treatment is essential to improving neurological
      outcome. For this reason, acute ischemic stroke was chosen as an emergency
      neurological life support protocol. The protocol focuses on the first hour of
      medical care following the acute onset of a neurological deficit.

PMID- 28913722
TI  - Nonlinear data assimilation for the regional modeling of maximum ozone values.
AB  - We present a new method of data assimilation with the aim of correcting the
      forecast of the maximum values of ozone in regional photo-chemical models for
      areas over complex terrain using multilayer perceptron artificial neural
      networks. Up until now, these types of models have been used as a single model
      for one location when forecasting concentrations of air pollutants. We propose a
      method for constructing a more ambitious model: a single model, which can be used
      at several locations because the model is spatially transferable and is valid for
      the whole 2D domain. To achieve this goal, we introduce three novel ideas. The
      new method improves correlation at measurement station locations by 10% on
      average and improves by approximately 5% elsewhere.

PMID- 28913721
TI  - Intraperitoneal antibiotic administration for prevention of postoperative
      peritoneal catheter-related infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is recommended that systemic prophylactic antibiotics be given
      immediately prior to peritoneal catheter insertion. This administration requires
      intravenous access and could be inconvenient in dynamic and unpredictable
      operation room schedule. Intraperitoneal antibiotics could be an alternative
      simple way for prevention of postoperative peritoneal catheter infections.
      METHODS: Medical records from 109 patients undergoing permanent PD catheter
      placement procedures were reviewed retrospectively. Group I patients (66
      patients) received intraperitoneal cefazolin through the inserted Tenckhoff
      catheter in operation room. Group II (43 patients) received intravenous cefazolin
      2 h prior to the surgery. The effect of prophylactic antibiotics on the
      occurrence of peritonitis and exit site infection in the 14 days following
      surgical peritoneal dialysis catheter placement was evaluated. RESULTS: During
      the follow-up period, one patients from group II (2.3%) and none from group I
      developed peritonitis (P = 0.3945). One patient from each group developed exit
      site infection (P = 1.000). CONCLUSION: It was found that intraperitoneal
      antibiotics have the similar efficacy compared with intravenous antibiotics for
      postoperative peritoneal catheter-related infections' prevention. It does not
      require intravenous access and overcome the issue of unpredictable operation room
      schedule.

PMID- 28913724
TI  - Use of phytoproductivity data in the choice of native plant species to restore a
      degraded coal mining site amended with a stabilized industrial organic sludge.
AB  - Coal mining-related activities result in a degraded landscape and sites
      associated with large amounts of dumped waste material. The arid soil resulting
      from acid mine drainage affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and thus,
      site remediation programs must be implemented to mitigate this sequential
      deleterious processes. A low-cost alternative material to counterbalance the
      affected physico-chemical-microbiological aspects of the degraded soil is the
      amendment with low contaminated and stabilized industrial organic sludge. The
      content of nutrients P and N, together with stabilized organic matter, makes this
      material an excellent fertilizer and soil conditioner, fostering biota
      colonization and succession in the degraded site. However, choice of native plant
      species to restore a degraded site must be guided by some minimal criteria, such
      as plant survival/adaptation and plant biomass productivity. Thus, in this 3
      month study under environmental conditions, phytoproductivity tests with five
      native plant species (Surinam cherry Eugenia uniflora L., C. myrianthum
      Citharexylum myrianthum, Inga-Inga spp., Brazilian peppertree Schinus
      terebinthifolius, and Sour cherry Prunus cerasus) were performed to assess these
      criteria, and additional biochemical parameters were measured in plant tissues
      (i.e., protein content and peroxidase activity) exposed to different soil/sludge
      mixture proportions. The results show that three native plants were more adequate
      to restore vegetation on degraded sites: Surinam cherry, C. myrianthum, and
      Brazilian peppertree. Thus, this study demonstrates that phytoproductivity tests
      associated with biochemical endpoint measurements can help in the choice of
      native plant species, as well as aiding in the choice of the most appropriate
      soil/stabilized sludge proportion in order to optimize biomass production.

PMID- 28913723
TI  - Therapeutic Implications of the Molecular and Immune Landscape of Triple-Negative
      Breast Cancer.
AB  - Treatment and management of breast cancer imposes a heavy burden on public health
      care, and incidence rates continue to increase. Breast cancer is the most common
      female neoplasia and primary cause of death among women worldwide. The
      recognition of breast cancer as a complex and heterogeneous disease, comprising
      different molecular entities, was a landmark in our understanding of this
      malignancy. Valuing the impact of the molecular characteristics on tumor behavior
      enabled a better assessment of a patient's prognosis and increased the predictive
      power to therapeutic response and clinical outcome. Molecular heterogeneity is
      also prominent in the triple-negative breast cancer subtype, and is reflected by
      the distinct prognostic and patient's sensitivity to treatment, being
      chemotherapy the only systemic treatment currently available. From a therapeutic
      perspective, gene expression profiling of triple-negative tumors has notably
      contributed to the exploration of new druggable targets and brought to light the
      need to align these patients to the various therapies according to their triple
      negative subtype. Additionally, the higher amount of tumor infiltrating
      lymphocytes, and the prevalence of an increased expression of PD-1 receptor and
      its ligand, PD-L1, in triple-negative tumors, created a new treatment opportunity
      with immune checkpoint inhibitors. This manuscript addresses the current
      knowledge on the molecular and immune profiles of breast cancer, and its impact
      on the development of targeted therapies, with a particular emphasis on the
      triple-negative subtype.

PMID- 28913725
TI  - Exercise and Competitive Sport: Physiology, Adaptations, and Uncertain Long-Term
      Risks.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: The benefits of regular and moderate exercise training on
      cardiovascular outcomes have been well established. In addition, strenuous
      exercise training leads to corollary cardiac structural and functional
      adaptations that are sport-specific and facilitate athletic performance. In this
      review, the normal physiologic and hemodynamic changes that occur during exercise
      and the subsequent differential exercise-induced cardiac remodeling patterns that
      develop will be discussed. Paradoxically, recent data have raised concern about
      the long-term impact of higher doses of physical activity and exercise on
      mortality and cardiovascular health outcomes. We will discuss important aspects
      of these controversial data and review the supporting evidence as well as the
      limitations of prior research. Specifically, we will address the association
      between high levels of exercise and relative reductions in overall mortality,
      increased risk of atrial fibrillation, arrhythmogenic cardiac remodeling, and
      accelerated coronary artery calcifications. For the practitioner, this review
      aims to detail these contemporary sports cardiology controversies and highlights
      the critical need to incorporate shared decision making with the athlete in
      dealing with the uncertainties that exist. Finally, we will discuss key "athlete
      specific" variables that should be considered in the design of future important
      research in this arena.

PMID- 28913726
TI  - Diagnosis and Treatment of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Associated
      with Multiple Sclerosis Therapies.
AB  - Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare, but serious,
      complication encountered in patients treated with a select number of disease
      modifying therapies (DMTs) utilized in treating multiple sclerosis (MS). PML
      results from a viral infection in the brain for which the only demonstrated
      effective therapy is restoring the perturbed immune system-typically achieved in
      the patient with MS by removing the offending therapeutic agent or, in the case
      of HIV-associated PML, treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapies.
      Other therapies for PML remain either ineffective or experimental. Significant
      work to understand the virus and host interaction has been undertaken, but lack
      of an animal model for the disorder has significantly hindered progress,
      especially with respect to development of treatments. Strategies to limit risk of
      PML with natalizumab, a drug that carries a uniquely high risk for the
      development of the disorder, have been developed. Identifying factors such as
      positive JC virus antibody status that increase PML risk, at least in theory,
      should decrease the incidence rate of the disease. Whether other risk factors for
      PML can be identified and validated or unique strategies should be employed in
      association with other DMTs that predispose to PML and whether this has a
      salutary effect on outcome remains to be demonstrated. Identifying PML early,
      then promptly eliminating drug in the case of natalizumab-associated PML has
      demonstrated better outcomes, but the complication of PML continues to carry
      significant morbidity and mortality. While the scientific community has yet to
      identify targeted therapy with proven efficacy against JCV or PML there are
      several candidates being studied.

PMID- 28913728
TI  - Shoulder strengthening exercises adapted to specific shoulder pathologies can be
      selected using new simulation techniques: a pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Shoulder strength training exercises represent a major component of
      rehabilitation protocols designed for conservative or postsurgical management of
      shoulder pathologies. Numerous methods are described for exercising each shoulder
      muscle or muscle group. Limited information is available to assess potential
      deleterious effects of individual methods with respect to specific shoulder
      pathologies. Thus, the goal of this pilot study was to use a patient-specific 3D
      measurement technique coupling medical imaging and optical motion capture for
      evaluation of a set of shoulder strength training exercises regarding
      glenohumeral, labral and subacromial compression, as well as elongation of the
      rotator cuff muscles. METHODS: One volunteer underwent magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) and motion capture of the shoulder. Motion data from the volunteer were
      recorded during three passive rehabilitation exercises and twenty-nine
      strengthening exercises targeting eleven of the most frequently trained shoulder
      muscles or muscle groups and using four different techniques when available. For
      each exercise, glenohumeral and labral compression, subacromial space height and
      rotator cuff muscles elongation were measured on the entire range of motion.
      RESULTS: Significant differences in glenohumeral, subacromial and labral
      compressions were observed between sets of exercises targeting individual
      shoulder muscles. Muscle lengths computed by simulation compared to MRI
      measurements showed differences of 0-5%. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the
      first screening of shoulder strengthening exercises to identify potential
      deleterious effects on the shoulder joint. Motion capture combined with medical
      imaging allows for reliable assessment of glenohumeral, labral and subacromial
      compression, as well as muscle-tendon elongation during shoulder strength
      training exercises.

PMID- 28913727
TI  - Sleep-amount differentially affects fear-processing neural circuitry in pediatric
      anxiety: A preliminary fMRI investigation.
AB  - Insufficient sleep, as well as the incidence of anxiety disorders, both peak
      during adolescence. While both conditions present perturbations in fear
      processing-related neurocircuitry, it is unknown whether these neurofunctional
      alterations directly link anxiety and compromised sleep in adolescents. Fourteen
      anxious adolescents (AAs) and 19 healthy adolescents (HAs) were compared on a
      measure of sleep amount and neural responses to negatively valenced faces during
      fMRI. Group differences in neural response to negative faces emerged in the
      dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the hippocampus. In both regions,
      correlation of sleep amount with BOLD activation was positive in AAs, but
      negative in HAs. Follow-up psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses
      indicated positive connectivity between dACC and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex,
      and between hippocampus and insula. This connectivity was correlated negatively
      with sleep amount in AAs, but positively in HAs. In conclusion, the presence of
      clinical anxiety modulated the effects of sleep-amount on neural reactivity to
      negative faces differently among this group of adolescents, which may contribute
      to different clinical significance and outcomes of sleep disturbances in healthy
      adolescents and patients with anxiety disorders.

PMID- 28913729
TI  - Exome array analysis identifies ETFB as a novel susceptibility gene for
      anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in cancer patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Anthracyclines are widely used chemotherapeutic drugs that can cause
      progressive and irreversible cardiac damage and fatal heart failure. Several
      genetic variants associated with anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) have
      been identified, but they explain only a small proportion of the interindividual
      differences in AIC susceptibility. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the
      association of low-frequency variants with risk of chronic AIC using the Illumina
      HumanExome BeadChip array in a discovery cohort of 61 anthracycline-treated
      breast cancer patients with replication in a second independent cohort of 83
      anthracycline-treated pediatric cancer patients, using gene-based tests (SKAT-O).
      RESULTS: The most significant associated gene in the discovery cohort was ETFB
      (electron transfer flavoprotein beta subunit) involved in mitochondrial beta
      oxidation and ATP production (P = 4.16 * 10-4) and this association was
      replicated in an independent set of anthracycline-treated cancer patients (P =
      2.81 * 10-3). Within ETFB, we found that the missense variant rs79338777
      (p.Pro52Leu; c.155C > T) made the greatest contribution to the observed gene
      association and it was associated with increased risk of chronic AIC in the two
      cohorts separately and when combined (OR 9.00, P = 1.95 * 10-4, 95% CI 2.83
      28.6). CONCLUSIONS: We identified and replicated a novel gene, ETFB, strongly
      associated with chronic AIC independently of age at tumor onset and related to
      anthracycline-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction. Although experimental
      verification and further studies in larger patient cohorts are required to
      confirm our finding, we demonstrated that exome array data analysis represents a
      valuable strategy to identify novel genes contributing to the susceptibility to
      chronic AIC.

PMID- 28913731
TI  - Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of quantitative analysis for FP-CIT
      SPECT in patients with DLB.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dopamine transporter single photon emission CT (DAT-SPECT) is useful
      in the evaluation of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The specific binding ratio
      (SBR) is an index to measure DAT density. However, poorly reproducible cases are
      occasionally experienced in clinical practice. We hypothesized that distance
      weighted histogram (DWH) may be useful to improve the reproducibility of SBR. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate inter- and intra-observer
      reproducibility of SBR with conventional and DWH methods, and to visually
      evaluate the precision in reference voxel of interest (VOI) definition using
      these methods. METHODS: This study included 50 adult patients with probable DLB.
      They underwent brain MRI, DAT-SPECT, and cerebral blood flow SPECT with N
      isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine (I-123 IMP). SBR of the striatum was calculated
      using conventional and DWH method. For inter-observer reproducibility validation,
      conventional and DWH SBR were independently evaluated by experienced nuclear
      medicine physicians; these measurements were repeated by the nuclear medicine
      physician to investigate intra-observer reproducibility. RESULTS: Proper
      reference VOI definition was achieved in 60.0% using conventional SBR and in
      98.0% with DWH SBR. Both conventional and DWH SBR demonstrated good inter- and
      intra-observer reproducibility, however, there were statistically significant
      inter- and intra-observer variations with conventional SBR measurements. Average
      inter- and intra-observer errors of conventional SBR were 7.9 and 6.1%,
      respectively. Conversely, DWH SBR errors were not observed in all patients.
      Moreover, average inter- and intra-observer errors were significantly higher in
      conventional SBR with improper reference VOI definition than in that with proper
      reference VOI definition. CONCLUSIONS: Although the reproducibility of
      conventional and DWH SBR was good, inter- and intra-observer bias could not be
      ignored in conventional SBR, particularly with improper reference VOI definition.
      Thus, DWH may be useful to improve inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of
      SBR.

PMID- 28913730
TI  - Current Treatment Strategies for Tricuspid Regurgitation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Tricuspid regurgitation is common; however, recognition and
      diagnosis, clinical outcomes, and management strategies are poorly defined. Here,
      we will describe the etiology and natural history of tricuspid regurgitation
      (TR), evaluate existing surgical outcomes data, and review the evolving field of
      percutaneous interventions to treat TR. RECENT FINDINGS: Previously, the only
      definitive corrective therapy for TR was surgical valve repair or replacement
      which is associated with significant operative mortality. Advances in
      percutaneous valve repair techniques are now being translated to the tricuspid
      valve. These novel interventions may offer a lower-risk alternative treatment in
      patients at increased surgical risk. Significant TR adversely impacts survival.
      Surgery remains the only proven therapy for treatment of TR and may be
      underutilized due to mixed outcomes data. Early experience with percutaneous
      interventions is promising, but large clinical experience is lacking. Further
      study will be required before these therapies are introduced into broader
      clinical practice.

PMID- 28913732
TI  - Patient and provider perceptions of Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy
      for recent cancer survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although most cancer survivors adjust well, a subset experiences
      clinical levels of anxiety and depression following cancer treatment. Internet
      delivered cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) is a promising intervention for
      symptoms of anxiety and depression among survivors; however, patient and provider
      perceptions of iCBT have not been examined. METHODS: We employed an exploratory
      qualitative method and conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 cancer
      survivors and 10 providers to examine iCBT strengths and weaknesses, areas for
      improvement, and perceived barriers to program completion. A thematic content
      analysis approach was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The majority of
      survivors liked the flexible, convenient, and private nature of the program. Many
      viewed the program as helping them feel less alone following cancer treatment.
      Areas of improvement included suggestions of additional information regarding
      cancer treatment side effects. Barriers to completing the program were identified
      by a minority of survivors and included finding time to complete the program and
      current symptoms. Providers liked the program's accessibility and its ability to
      provide support to patients after cancer treatment. All providers perceived the
      program as useful in their current work with survivors. Concerns around the fit
      of the program (e.g., for particular patients) were expressed by a minority of
      providers. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide additional evidence for the acceptability
      of an iCBT program among recent cancer survivors and providers in oncology
      settings. The current study highlights the value of research exploring iCBT for
      cancer survivors and provides insights for other groups considering Internet
      delivered care for survivors.

PMID- 28913733
TI  - A prospective feasibility trial of a novel intravascular catheter system with
      retractable coiled tip guidewire placed in difficult intravascular access (DIVA)
      patients in the Emergency Department.
AB  - The primary study objective was to evaluate insertion success rates. Secondary
      objectives included patient satisfaction, procedure time, complication rates,
      completion of therapy and dwell time of the novel AccuCath(r) 2.25" Blood Control
      (BC) Catheter System (FDA approved) placed in difficult-access patients. This was
      a single-arm feasibility trial evaluating the AccuCath(r) 2.25" BC Catheter
      System in a convenience sample of DIVA patients defined as at least two failed
      initial attempts or a history of difficult access plus the inability to directly
      visualize or palpate a target vein. All enrolled patients were 18 years of age or
      older. A total of 120 patients were enrolled. These patients had an average of
      3.7 and median of 3 prior attempts at vascular access prior to AccuCath
      placement. Successful access was gained in 100% of the patients, 77% on the first
      attempt and all within three attempts; 88.5% of patients completed therapy, with
      the remaining 12.5% experiencing minor complications that required
      discontinuation of the catheter. The average patient satisfaction score on a 5
      point Likert scale was highly positive at 4.6. Preliminary results show that the
      AccuCath(r) 2.25" BC Catheter System has excellent success rates in gaining
      vascular access in an extremely difficult patient population. The device did not
      lead to any significant complications. Patients were also very satisfied with the
      procedure.

PMID- 28913734
TI  - Molecular profile of atypical hyperplasia of the breast.
AB  - PURPOSE: Atypical ductal and atypical lobular hyperplasia (AH) of the breast are
      important proliferative lesions which are associated with a significantly
      increased risk for breast cancer. The breast cancer which develops in association
      with AH may occur synchronously, representing local progression, or
      metachronously at a later date in either the ipsilateral or contralateral breast.
      These high-risk characteristics of AH suggest they contain significant genomic
      changes. METHODS: To define the genomic changes in AH, a comprehensive review of
      the literature was conducted to identify the numerical chromosomal and structural
      chromosomal changes, DNA methylation, and gene expression abnormalities in
      atypical ductal and atypical lobular hyperplasia. RESULTS: AHs are characterized
      by advanced genomic changes including aneuploidy, loss of heterozygosity, gross
      chromosomal rearrangements such as amplifications and large-scale deletions, DNA
      methylation of tumor suppressor and other genes, and gene expression differences
      between AH and surrounding normal breast tissue including significant estrogen
      receptor expression. Many of these changes are shared by an associated
      synchronous breast cancer, consistent with an important precursor role for AH. At
      the same time, many of the genomic changes of AHs are also shared by common
      sporadic breast cancer, consistent with a high risk for future development of
      metachronous breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: This molecular profile should help
      clarify the genomic characteristics and malignant predisposition of AH, and aid
      in the identification of new targets for the prevention of breast cancer.

PMID- 28913735
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Tazarotene 0.1% Plus Clindamycin 1% Gel Versus Adapalene
      0.1% Plus Clindamycin 1% Gel in Facial Acne Vulgaris: A Randomized, Controlled
      Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial disorder which is ideally treated
      with combination therapy with topical retinoids and antibiotics. OBJECTIVES: The
      present study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of tazarotene plus
      clindamycin against adapalene plus clindamycin in facial acne vulgaris. METHODS:
      This study is a randomized, open-label, parallel design clinical trial conducted
      on 60 patients with facial acne at the outpatient dermatology department in a
      tertiary healthcare center. The main outcome measures were change in the acne
      lesion count, Investigator's Static Global Assessment (ISGA) score, Global Acne
      Grading System (GAGS) score, and Acne-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire
      (Acne-QoL) at the end of 4 weeks of therapy. After randomization one group (n =
      30) received tazarotene 0.1% plus clindamycin 1% gel and another group (n = 30)
      received adapalene 0.1% plus clindamycin 1% gel for 1 month. At follow-up, all
      the parameter were reassessed. RESULT: In both treatment regimens the total
      number of facial acne lesions decreased significantly. The difference in the
      change in the total count between the two combination regimens was also
      significant [6.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.91-11.09, p = 0.007]. A >=50%
      reduction in the total lesion count from the baseline levels was achieved by 71%
      of patients in the tazarotene plus clindamycin group and 22% of patients in the
      adapalene plus clindamycin group (p = 0.0012). The difference in the change of
      inflammatory (p = 0.017) and non-inflammatory (p = 0.039) lesion counts in the
      tazarotene plus clindamycin group were significantly higher than the adapalene
      plus clindamycin group. The difference in change of the GAGS score was also
      significantly higher in the tazarotene plus clindamycin group (p = 0.003). The
      ISGA score improved in 17 patients in the tazarotene plus clindamycin group
      versusnine patients in the adapalene plus clindamycin group (p = 0.04). The
      change of total quality-of-life score was found to be significantly (p = 0.027)
      higher in the tazarotene plus clindamycin group. CONCLUSIONS: Both treatment
      regimens were efficacious, but tazarotene plus clindamycin was found to be
      superior to adapalene plus clindamycin. The tolerability profile of both regimens
      was comparable. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02721173.

PMID- 28913736
TI  - PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective.
AB  - PTFE is used as an inner coating material in non-stick cookware. This unique
      polymer coating prevents food from sticking in the pans during the cooking
      process. Such cookware is also easy to wash. At normal cooking temperatures, PTFE
      coated cookware releases various gases and chemicals that present mild to severe
      toxicity. Only few studies describe the toxicity of PTFE but without solid
      conclusions. The toxicity and fate of ingested PTFE coatings are also not
      understood. Moreover, the emerging, persistent, and well-known toxic
      environmental pollutant PFOA is also used in the synthesis of PTFA. There are
      some reports where PFOA was detected in the gas phase released from the cooking
      utensils under normal cooking temperatures. Due to toxicity concerns, PFOA has
      been replaced with other chemicals such as GenX, but these new alternatives are
      also suspected to have similar toxicity. Therefore, more extensive and systematic
      research efforts are required to respond the prevailing dogma about human
      exposure and toxic effects to PTFE, PFOA, and GenX and other alternatives.

PMID- 28913737
TI  - Minimally invasive endoscopic thyroid surgery using a collar access: experience
      in 246 cases with the CEViTS technique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The arguments for applying minimally invasive techniques are, besides
      cosmetic results, reduced access trauma and less postoperative pain. In thyroid
      surgery, cosmetic aspects are gaining importance. Whether minimally invasive
      endoscopic thyroid surgery is less painful has not been shown yet. METHOD: In
      this study, we analyse the outcome of 246 patients who underwent cervical
      endoscopic video-assisted thyroid surgery (CEViTS) regarding the surgery itself,
      their postoperative pain and satisfaction with the procedure. RESULTS: CEViTS is
      routinely performed in our hospital. In this study, no postoperative bleedings
      that would have made a reoperation necessary occurred. All lobectomies could be
      completed endoscopically. In two cases, conversions (enlargement of the 5-mm
      incision to 25 mm) were necessary. Transient nerve palsy was registered in three
      patients (1.22%). One patient (0.41%) had a permanent palsy of the recurrent
      laryngeal nerve. In comparison to open surgery (n = 173 patients), the 246 CEViTS
      patients had a significantly lower pain level (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical
      endoscopic video-assisted thyroid surgery (CEViTS) can be considered a safe, less
      traumatizing and useful minimally invasive procedure in endoscopic thyroid
      surgery.

PMID- 28913739
TI  - The Wurzburg MIH concept: the MIH treatment need index (MIH TNI) : A new index to
      assess and plan treatment in patients with molar incisior hypomineralisation
      (MIH).
AB  - AIM: This was to create a new easy-to-use index for the treatment of MIH.
      METHODS: An international MIH working group developed a new MIH index as an
      epidemiological screening procedure for assessing MIH treatment needs (MIH-TNI),
      and also for the screening and monitoring of individuals by dental practitioners.
      RESULTS: The MIH TNI assesses in particular the extent of the destruction of
      tooth structure in combination with any hypersensitivity occurring in MIH. The
      MIH-TNI is suggested as a basis for individual dental examinations covering all
      MIH typical problems or treatment planning. In addition, this index shall be the
      basis for decision-making in any MIH therapy studies already planned. CONCLUSION:
      After the validation of the MIH TNI it may be possible to create a standardised
      approach for dental treatment for MIH.

PMID- 28913738
TI  - Comparison of the efficiency of bacterial and fungal laccases in delignification
      and detoxification of steam-pretreated lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol
      production.
AB  - This study evaluates the potential of a bacterial laccase from Streptomyces
      ipomoeae (SilA) for delignification and detoxification of steam-exploded wheat
      straw, in comparison with a commercial fungal laccase from Trametes villosa. When
      alkali extraction followed by SilA laccase treatment was applied to the water
      insoluble solids fraction, a slight reduction in lignin content was detected, and
      after a saccharification step, an increase in both glucose and xylose production
      (16 and 6%, respectively) was observed. These effects were not produced with T.
      villosa laccase. Concerning to the fermentation process, the treatment of the
      steam-exploded whole slurry with both laccases produced a decrease in the phenol
      content by up to 35 and 71% with bacterial and fungal laccases, respectively. The
      phenols reduction resulted in an improved performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      during a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process, improving
      ethanol production rate. This enhancement was more marked with a
      presaccharification step prior to the SSF process.

PMID- 28913740
TI  - Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support for Cardiogenic Shock.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Cardiogenic shock is a life-threatening presentation of severe
      heart failure with high morbidity and mortality. Given the modest increased in
      cardiac output and neutral/negative survival benefits with today's available
      inotropes (namely, dobutamine and milrinone), the use of mechanical circulatory
      support (MCS) has increased dramatically over the past 2 decades. In this review
      article, we discuss the physiologic concept, clinical evidence of benefit, and
      current use and indications/potential complications of the four most commonly
      used devices for MCS: intra-aortic balloon pump, Impella percutaneous ventricular
      assist device, TandemHeart, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We
      also compare these devices in terms of complexity of implantation and hemodynamic
      effects.

PMID- 28913742
TI  - Automated Morphological and Morphometric Analysis of Mass Spectrometry Imaging
      Data: Application to Biomarker Discovery.
AB  - Mass spectrometry imaging datasets are mostly analyzed in terms of average
      intensity in regions of interest. However, biological tissues have different
      morphologies with several sizes, shapes, and structures. The important biological
      information, contained in this highly heterogeneous cellular organization, could
      be hidden by analyzing the average intensities. Finding an analytical process of
      morphology would help to find such information, describe tissue model, and
      support identification of biomarkers. This study describes an informatics
      approach for the extraction and identification of mass spectrometry image
      features and its application to sample analysis and modeling. For the proof of
      concept, two different tissue types (healthy kidney and CT-26 xenograft tumor
      tissues) were imaged and analyzed. A mouse kidney model and tumor model were
      generated using morphometric - number of objects and total surface - information.
      The morphometric information was used to identify m/z that have a heterogeneous
      distribution. It seems to be a worthwhile pursuit as clonal heterogeneity in a
      tumor is of clinical relevance. This study provides a new approach to find
      biomarker or support tissue classification with more information. Graphical
      Abstract ?.

PMID- 28913741
TI  - Pressure dependence of side chain 13C chemical shifts in model peptides Ac-Gly
      Gly-Xxx-Ala-NH2.
AB  - For evaluating the pressure responses of folded as well as intrinsically unfolded
      proteins detectable by NMR spectroscopy the availability of data from well
      defined model systems is indispensable. In this work we report the pressure
      dependence of 13C chemical shifts of the side chain atoms in the protected
      tetrapeptides Ac-Gly-Gly-Xxx-Ala-NH2 (Xxx, one of the 20 canonical amino acids).
      Contrary to expectation the chemical shifts of a number of nuclei have a
      nonlinear dependence on pressure in the range from 0.1 to 200 MPa. The size of
      the polynomial pressure coefficients B 1 and B 2 is dependent on the type of atom
      and amino acid studied. For HN, N and Calpha the first order pressure coefficient
      B 1 is also correlated to the chemical shift at atmospheric pressure. The first
      and second order pressure coefficients of a given type of carbon atom show
      significant linear correlations suggesting that the NMR observable pressure
      effects in the different amino acids have at least partly the same physical
      cause. In line with this observation the magnitude of the second order
      coefficients of nuclei being direct neighbors in the chemical structure also are
      weakly correlated. The downfield shifts of the methyl resonances suggest that
      gauche conformers of the side chains are not preferred with pressure. The valine
      and leucine methyl groups in the model peptides were assigned using
      stereospecifically 13C enriched amino acids with the pro-R carbons downfield
      shifted relative to the pro-S carbons.

PMID- 28913743
TI  - Predicting the affinity of Farnesoid X Receptor ligands through a hierarchical
      ranking protocol: a D3R Grand Challenge 2 case study.
AB  - The Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) Grand Challenges are blind contests organized
      to assess the state-of-the-art methods accuracy in predicting binding modes and
      relative binding free energies of experimentally validated ligands for a given
      target. The second stage of the D3R Grand Challenge 2 (GC2) was focused on
      ranking 102 compounds according to their predicted affinity for Farnesoid X
      Receptor. In this task, our workflow was ranked 5th out of the 77 submissions in
      the structure-based category. Our strategy consisted in (1) a combination of
      molecular docking using AutoDock 4.2 and manual edition of available structures
      for binding poses generation using SeeSAR, (2) the use of HYDE scoring for pose
      selection, and (3) a hierarchical ranking using HYDE and MM/GBSA. In this report,
      we detail our pose generation and ligands ranking protocols and provide
      guidelines to be used in a prospective computer aided drug design program.

PMID- 28913744
TI  - Eight-Year Latent Class Trajectories of Academic and Social Functioning in
      Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - We examined trajectories of academic and social functioning in children with
      attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to identify those who might be at
      risk for especially severe levels of academic and social impairment over time. We
      estimated a series of growth mixture models using data from two subsamples of
      children participating in the NIMH Collaborative Multisite Multimodal Treatment
      Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) including those with at least baseline and 96
      month data for reading and mathematics achievement (n = 392; 77.3% male; M age =
      7.7; SD = 0.8) or social skills ratings from teachers (n = 259; 74.9% male; M age
      = 7.6; SD = 0.8). We compared latent trajectories for children with ADHD to mean
      observed trajectories obtained from a local normative (i.e., non-ADHD) comparison
      group (n = 289; 80.6% male; M age = 9.9; SD = 1.1). Results indicated six latent
      trajectory classes for reading and mathematics and four classes for teacher
      social skills ratings. There was not only a relationship between trajectories of
      inattention symptoms and academic impairment, but also a similarly strong
      association between trajectory classes of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms and
      achievement. Trajectory class membership correlated with socio-demographic and
      diagnostic characteristics, inattention and hyperactive-impulsive symptom
      trajectories, externalizing behavior in school, and treatment receipt and dosage.
      Although children with ADHD display substantial heterogeneity in their reading,
      math, and social skills growth trajectories, those with behavioral and socio
      demographic disadvantages are especially likely to display severe levels of
      academic and social impairment over time. Evidence-based early screening and
      intervention that directly address academic and social impairments in elementary
      school-aged children with ADHD are warranted. The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier
      is NCT00000388.

PMID- 28913746
TI  - Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis Associated with Gall Bladder Carcinoma: a Case
      Report and Review of Literature.

PMID- 28913745
TI  - Management of Type 1 Diabetes in the Hospital Setting.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article was to review recent guideline
      recommendations on glycemic target, glucose monitoring, and therapeutic
      strategies, while providing practical recommendations for the management of
      medical and surgical patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) admitted to critical and
      non-critical care settings. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies evaluating safety and
      efficacy of insulin pump therapy, continuous glucose monitoring, electronic
      glucose management systems, and closed loop systems for the inpatient management
      of hyperglycemia are described. Due to the increased prevalence and life
      expectancy of patients with type 1 diabetes, a growing number of these patients
      require hospitalization every year. Inpatient diabetes management is complex and
      is best provided by a multidisciplinary diabetes team. In the absence of such
      resource, providers and health care staff must become familiar with the features
      of this condition to avoid complications such as severe hyperglycemia,
      ketoacidosis, hypoglycemia, or glycemic variability. We reviewed most recent
      guidelines and relevant literature in the topic to provide practical
      recommendations for the inpatient management of patients with T1D.

PMID- 28913747
TI  - Primary Sjogren's syndrome: Extraglandular manifestations and hydroxychloroquine
      therapy.
AB  - The use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in Primary Sjogren's Syndrome (pSS) has been
      assessed in different studies over the last years, with conflicting results
      regarding its efficacy in sicca syndrome and extraglandular manifestations (EGM).
      The goal of this study was to compare the incidence rate of EGM in pSS patients
      with and without HCQ therapy.We performed a multicenter retrospective study,
      including patients with pSS (European classification criteria) with at least 1
      year of follow-up. Subjects with concomitant fibromyalgia, autoimmune hepatitis,
      primary biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis were excluded.
      Demographics and pSS characteristics were recorded. The EGM were defined by EULAR
      SS disease activity index (ESSDAI). Patients were divided into two groups
      according to their use or not of HCQ therapy. We evaluated the use of HCQ and its
      relationship to EGM. HCQ therapy was defined as the continuous use of the drug
      for at least 3 months. A descriptive analysis of demographics and pSS
      characteristics was performed. We compared the incidence of EGM between groups
      defined by HCQ therapy using chi2 test or Fisher's exact test. A total of 221
      patients were included (97.3% women), mean age, 55.7 years (SD 14). Mean age at
      diagnosis, 48.8 years (SD 15); median disease duration, 60 months (IQR 35-84).
      One hundred and seventy patients (77%) received HCQ. About half of the patients
      had at least one EGM during the course of the disease, 20% of them developed an
      EGM before the onset of the sicca syndrome and 26% simultaneously with dryness
      symptom. Overall, EGM were less frequent in those on HCQ therapy (36.5% vs 63.5%,
      p < 0.001). Considering each EGM individually, the following manifestations were
      more frequent in the non-treated group: arthritis (p < 0.001), fatigue (p <
      0.001), purpura (p = 0.01), Raynaud phenomenon (p = 0.003), and
      hypergammaglobulinemia (p = 0.006). Immunosuppressive treatment was indicated on
      28 patients (12.7%), 13 of which were receiving also HCQ. The first reason for
      those treatments was the presence of arthritis in 12/28 patients (42.8%), and the
      drug used in all the cases was methotrexate. Only three patients required
      immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide, due to the presence of
      glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, and interstitial lung disease. None of the
      patients received biologic therapy. The lower incidence of EGM was observed in
      patients on HCQ therapy supports its efficacy in pSS. However, further large
      scale prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

PMID- 28913749
TI  - Erratum to: Potential lung carcinogenicity induced by chronic exposure to PM2.5
      in the rat.

PMID- 28913748
TI  - Religious Affiliation Influences on the Health Status and Behaviours of Students
      Attending Seventh-Day Adventist Schools in Australia.
AB  - Students attending Seventh-day Adventist (Adventist) schools in Australia have
      been shown to have better health status and behaviours compared to secular norms,
      yet these schools cater for a high percentage of non-Adventist students. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of religious affiliation
      (Adventist/non-Adventist) on the health status and behaviours of students
      attending Adventist secondary schools in Australia. The sample included 1734
      students who responded to a health and lifestyle survey that captured demographic
      details, self-reported height and weight, self-reported health status, mental
      health and select health behaviours. Students who identified themselves as
      Adventist reported significantly better health behaviours than the non-Adventist
      students in several behavioural domains, especially among the male students.
      However, this did not translate to a difference in health status. Further
      research is needed to understand the causal mechanisms responsible for the
      potential health advantage of Adventist students, which may include family or
      church religious influences.

PMID- 28913750
TI  - Selective and Sensitive Fluorescein-Benzothiazole Based Fluorescent Sensor for
      Zn2+ Ion in Aqueous Media.
AB  - An efficient fluorescent sensor based on fluorescein-benzothiazole (FB) for Zn2+
      ion was synthesized and characterized systematically. FB exhibited selective and
      sensitive recognition toward Zn2+ in MeCN-H2O (v/v = 2/1) over other cations due
      to the spirolactam ring-opening power of Zn2+. The complexation property of FB
      with Zn2+ ion was examined by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR experiments. The
      stoichiometric ratio of the FB-Zn2+ complex was determined from a Job plot to be
      1:1. The binding constant (K a) of Zn2+ binding to FB was found to be 4.22 * 104
      M- 1, with a detection limit of 5.64 MUM. In addition, the practical utility of
      FB was explored in the form of test strips. Graphical Abstract.

PMID- 28913752
TI  - The first-generation ABSORB BVS: awaiting dissolving outcomes.

PMID- 28913753
TI  - Herbivorous snails can increase water clarity by stimulating growth of benthic
      algae.
AB  - Eutrophication in shallow lakes is characterized by a switch from benthic to
      pelagic dominance of primary productivity that leads to turbid water, while
      benthification is characterized by a shift in primary production from the pelagic
      zone to the benthos associated with clear water. A 12-week mesocosm experiment
      tested the hypothesis that the herbivorous snail Bellamya aeruginosa stimulates
      the growth of pelagic algae through grazing on benthic algae and through
      accelerating nutrient release from sediment. A tube-microcosm experiment using
      32P-PO4 as a tracer tested the effects of the snails on the release of sediment
      phosphorus (P). The mesocosm experiment recorded greater total nitrogen (TN)
      concentrations and a higher ratio of TN:TP in the overlying water, and a higher
      light intensity and biomass of benthic algae as measured by chlorophyll a (Chl a)
      in the snail treatment than in the control. Concentrations of total phosphorus
      (TP), total suspended solids (TSSs), and inorganic suspended solids (ISSs) in the
      overlying water were lower in the snail treatment than in the control, though no
      significant difference in Chl a of pelagic algae between the snail treatment and
      control was observed. In the microcosm experiment, 32P activity in the overlying
      water was higher in the snail treatment than in the control, indicating that
      snails accelerated P release from the sediment. Our interpretation of these
      results is that snails enhanced growth of benthic algae and thereby improved
      water clarity despite grazing on the benthic algae and enhancing P release from
      the sediment. The rehabilitation of native snail populations may therefore
      enhance the recovery of eutrophic shallow lakes to a clear water state by
      stimulating growth of benthic algae.

PMID- 28913751
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Airway, Ventilation, and Sedation.
AB  - Airway management and ventilation are central to the resuscitation of the
      neurologically ill. These patients often have evolving processes that threaten
      the airway and adequate ventilation. Furthermore, intubation, ventilation, and
      sedative choices directly affect brain perfusion. Therefore, Airway, Ventilation,
      and Sedation was chosen as an Emergency Neurological Life Support protocol.
      Topics include airway management, when and how to intubate with special attention
      to hemodynamics and preservation of cerebral blood flow, mechanical ventilation
      settings and the use of sedative agents based on the patient's neurological
      status.

PMID- 28913754
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes substantial morbidity and mortality,
      and is a leading cause of death in both the developed and developing world. The
      need for a systematic evidence-based approach to the care of severe TBI patients
      within the emergency setting has led to its inclusion as an Emergency
      Neurological Life Support topic. This protocol was designed to enumerate the
      practice steps that should be considered within the first critical hours of
      neurological injury from severe TBI.

PMID- 28913755
TI  - Management and clinical outcome of stable coronary artery disease in Austria :
      Results from 5 years of the CLARIFY registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The population of patients with established coronary artery disease
      (CAD) is growing because of an improvement in outcomes and survival from acute
      disease episodes. Nevertheless, these patients remain at high risk of
      cardiovascular events. Thus, CAD management is important in prevention of disease
      progression. The objective of this analysis was to describe disease management
      and clinical outcome of Austrian outpatients with stable CAD over 5 years by
      using data from the international CLARIFY registry. METHODS: CLARIFY was an
      international prospective observational registry of outpatients with stable CAD,
      defined as prior myocardial infarction or revascularization (CABG or PCI),
      coronary stenosis of more than 50% by coronary angiography or chest pain with
      myocardial ischemia. We analyzed demographic characteristics, risk factors,
      treatments and clinical outcomes of 424 Austrian outpatients with established CAD
      who were enrolled between November 2009 and July 2010 and observed until
      September 2015. RESULTS: The primary risk factors in Austrian outpatients with
      stable CAD were smoking (current smokers: 13.2%), overweight (77.1%),
      hypertension (78.5%), raised low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol plasma
      levels (81.4% >= 0.7 g/l or 1.8 mmol/l), elevated heart rate (>=70 bpm: 60.9% in
      patients with anginal symptoms) and poor physical activity (none or light
      activity: 63.4%). Patients received lipid-lowering drugs (predominantly statins),
      aspirin, beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
      according to current recommendations. After 5 years a systolic blood pressure
      (SBP) < 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) < 90 mm Hg was reached in
      58.5% of patients. Of the patients 70.4% had LDL cholesterol plasma levels below
      1.0 g/l (2.6 mmol/l), 42.1% of smokers had stopped smoking, 42.9% of patients
      with anginal symptoms had a heart rate <=60 bpm and 26.0% of diabetic patients
      had brought their HbA1c levels below 6.5%. Cardiovascular death, myocardial
      infarction or stroke occurred in 30 patients (7.1%), all-cause death in 25 cases
      (5.9%) and cardiovascular death in 15 cases (3.5%). Myocardial infarction was
      reported in 14 patients (fatal and non-fatal: 3.3%) and stroke in 8 patients
      (fatal and non-fatal: 1.9%), 39 patients (9.2%) underwent myocardial
      revascularization and 124 patients (29.2%) experienced cardiovascular
      hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Characteristics of Austrian outpatients with stable
      CAD corresponded to those of patients with CAD in other developed countries.
      Medical treatments following the recommendations of the European guidelines were
      prescribed in the majority of patients; however, recommended goals of life style
      interventions including a heart rate less than 60 bpm and general risk factor
      management were not achieved by a high proportion of patients. Heart rate control
      and life style changes remain unmet needs of cardiovascular care in Austria.

PMID- 28913756
TI  - Spatial analysis and health risk assessment of heavy metals concentration in
      drinking water resources.
AB  - The heavy metals available in drinking water can be considered as a threat to
      human health. Oncogenic risk of such metals is proven in several studies. Present
      study aimed to investigate concentration of the heavy metals including As, Cd,
      Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in 39 water supply wells and 5 water
      reservoirs within the cities Ardakan, Meibod, Abarkouh, Bafgh, and Bahabad. The
      spatial distribution of the concentration was carried out by the software ArcGIS.
      Such simulations as non-carcinogenic hazard and lifetime cancer risk were
      conducted for lead and nickel using Monte Carlo technique. The sensitivity
      analysis was carried out to find the most important and effective parameters on
      risk assessment. The results indicated that concentration of all metals in 39
      wells (except iron in 3 cases) reached the levels mentioned in EPA, World Health
      Organization, and Pollution Control Department standards. Based on the spatial
      distribution results at all studied regions, the highest concentrations of metals
      were derived, respectively, for iron and zinc. Calculated HQ values for non
      carcinogenic hazard indicated a reasonable risk. Average lifetime cancer risks
      for the lead in Ardakan and nickel in Meibod and Bahabad were shown to be 1.09 *
      10-3, 1.67 * 10-1, and 2 * 10-1, respectively, demonstrating high carcinogenic
      risk compared to similar standards and studies. The sensitivity analysis suggests
      high impact of concentration and BW in carcinogenic risk.

PMID- 28913757
TI  - Mycobacterium shimoidei-cavitary pulmonary disease with favorable outcome.
AB  - We report a case of cavitary pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium shimoidei
      in 67-year-old female with history of asthma. Even though susceptibility testing
      was not available, choice of treatment regimen (streptomycin, rifampicin,
      ethambutol, and clarithromycin), based on a few cases with favorable outcome
      reported in the literature, resulted with an excellent clinical, microbiological,
      and radiological response. This is the first report of pulmonary disease caused
      by M. shimoidei, but also the first ever isolation of M. shimoidei in Croatia.

PMID- 28913758
TI  - A Review of Hydrogen Production by Photosynthetic Organisms Using Whole-Cell and
      Cell-Free Systems.
AB  - Molecular hydrogen is a promising currency in the future energy economy due to
      the uncertain availability of finite fossil fuel resources and environmental
      effects from their combustion. It also has important uses in the production of
      fertilizers and platform chemicals as well as in upgrading conventional fuels.
      Conventional methods for producing molecular hydrogen from natural gas produce
      carbon dioxide and use a finite resource as feedstock. However, these issues can
      be overcome by using light energy from the Sun combined with microorganisms and
      their molecular machinery capable of photosynthesis. In the presence of light,
      the proteins involved in photosynthesis coupled with appropriate catalysts in
      higher plants, algae, and cyanobacteria can produce molecular hydrogen, and
      optimization via genetic modifications and biomolecular engineering further
      improves production rates. In this review, we will discuss techniques that have
      been utilized to improve rates of hydrogen production in biological systems based
      on the protein machinery of photosynthesis coupled with appropriate catalysts. We
      will also suggest areas for improvement and future directions for work in the
      field.

PMID- 28913759
TI  - Biofuel consumption, biodiversity, and the environmental Kuznets curve:
      trivariate analysis in a panel of biofuel consuming countries.
AB  - This study examined the relationship between biofuel consumption, forest
      biodiversity, and a set of national scale indicators of per capita income,
      foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, trade openness, and population density
      with a panel data of 12 biofuels consuming countries for a period of 2000 to
      2013. The study used Global Environmental Facility (GEF) biodiversity benefits
      index and forest biodiversity index in an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC)
      framework. The results confirmed an inverted U-shaped relationship between GEF
      biodiversity index and per capita income, while there is flat/no relationship
      between carbon emissions and economic growth, and between forest biodiversity and
      economic growth models. FDI inflows and trade openness both reduce carbon
      emissions while population density and biofuel consumption increase carbon
      emissions and decrease GEF biodiversity index. Trade openness supports to
      increases GEF biodiversity index while it decreases forest biodiversity index and
      biofuel consumption in a region.

PMID- 28913761
TI  - Radioactive Seed Localization Versus Wire-Guided Localization for Nonpalpable
      Breast Cancer: A Cost and Operating Room Efficiency Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the cost and resource use between our
      first-year experience using breast-conserving surgery (BCS) with radioactive seed
      localization (RSL) and the previous-year standard practice of BCS with wire
      guided localization (WGL) for patients with nonpalpable breast cancer at a large
      Canadian tertiary center. METHODS: For this retrospective cohort study, data for
      BCS cases with RSL was collected from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 and for BCS
      cases with WGL from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. RESULTS: The study compared
      153 WGL patients with 194 RSL patients. The two groups had no significant
      demographic differences. The average cost per patient for RSL, including
      opportunity costs, was $250.90 versus $1130.41 for WGL. Dedicated allocated
      radiology appointments to RSL increased (9 per day), and fewer radiologists were
      required for these procedures per day. Patients were transported to the operating
      room more quickly for RSL procedures (120 vs. 254 min; p < 0.001). Fewer
      vasovagal reactions occurred after insertion of RSL versus WGL (p = 0.05). No
      significant differences were observed in terms of surgical time, specimen volume,
      positive margins, or margin reexcision rates. No significant differences in
      postoperative complication rates were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, RSL
      had lower costs than WGL, allowed for more efficient use of radiology scheduling
      and resources, and had shorter wait times for patients on their day of surgery.
      In addition, RSL led to fewer vasovagal reactions at insertion. Therefore, RSL
      should be used instead of WGL given the reduced cost, decreased need of human
      resources, improved efficiency, and potential benefits to the patient experience.

PMID- 28913762
TI  - The role of computed tomography (CT) in predicting diplopia in orbital blowout
      fractures (BOFs).
AB  - PURPOSE: The management of orbital blowout fractures (BOFs) is controversial: the
      evaluation of diplopia is the most important criterion for planning whether to
      undertake surgery. Our aim was to determine CT findings that may suggest the
      presence of diplopia when patients with BOFs cannot be adequately examined to
      plan an orbital repair. METHOD AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively evaluated CT of
      all patients presented to our Emergency Department for blunt craniofacial trauma
      (N = 3334) from January 2014 to March 2016, selecting patients with CT
      demonstrated BOFs. The following CT variables were assessed: fracture location,
      fracture multifocality, bone fragments displacement, extraocular muscles (EOM)
      thickening, EOM entrapment, EOM displacement, EOM hooking, intraconal and
      extraconal emphysema, intraconal and extraconal hematoma, and fat herniation. All
      patients underwent Hess-Lancaster test, to establish the presence of diplopia.
      After performing group comparison with Pearson chi2 test, we derived our
      prediction model by using logistic regression, with diplopia as the prediction
      and CT variables as predictors. RESULTS: We observed 299 patients with BOFs, 46
      (15.4%) with a Hess Lancaster test-proven diplopia. The CT variables with
      statistically significant difference between the group with diplopia and the
      group without diplopia were as follows: floor fracture (p = .014), bone fragments
      displacement (p = .001), multifocality (p = .005), EOM thickening (p = .001), EOM
      entrapment (p < .001), EOM displacement (p < .001), fat herniation (p = .003).
      The CT variables with significance as predictors of diplopia at multivariate
      analysis were as follows: orbital floor fracture (p value 0.015; odds ratio
      2.871, 95% confidence interval of odds ratio 0.223-6.738), EOM displacement (p
      value 0.001; odds ratio 10.693, 95% confidence interval of odds ratio 3.761
      30.401), EOM entrapment (p value 0.001; odds ratio 11.510, 95% confidence
      interval of odds ratio 3.059-43.306). CONCLUSION: The presence of diplopia can be
      suggested on the basis of CT findings after an orbital trauma.

PMID- 28913760
TI  - Impact of histopathology, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and adjuvant
      chemotherapy on prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given its high recurrence risk, guidelines recommend systemic therapy
      for most patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). While
      some clinicopathologic factors and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are
      known to be prognostic in patients receiving chemotherapy, their prognostic
      implications in systemically untreated patients remain unknown. METHODS: From a
      cohort of 9982 women with surgically treated non-metastatic breast cancer, all
      patients with clinically reported ER-negative/borderline (<=10%) disease were
      selected for central assessment of ER/PR/HER2, histopathology, Ki-67, and TILs.
      The impact of these parameters on invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) and
      overall survival (OS) was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models.
      RESULTS: Six hundred five patients met the criteria for TNBC (ER/PR < 1% and HER2
      negative). Most were T1-2 (95%), N0-1 (86%), grade 3 (88%), and had a Ki-67 >15%
      (75%). Histologically, 70% were invasive carcinoma of no special type, 16%
      medullary, 8% metaplastic, and 6% apocrine. The median stromal TIL content was
      20%. Four hundred twenty-three (70%) patients received adjuvant chemotherapy.
      Median OS follow-up was 10.6 years. On multivariate analysis, only higher nodal
      stage, lower TILs, and the absence of adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with
      worse IDFS and OS. Among systemically untreated patients (n = 182), the 5-year
      IDFS was 69.9% (95% CI 60.7-80.5) [T1a: 82.5% (95% CI 62.8-100), T1b: 67.5% (95%
      CI 51.9-87.8) and T1c: 67.3% (95% CI 54.9-82.6)], compared to 77.8% (95% CI 68.3
      83.6) for systemically treated T1N0. Nodal stage and TILs remained strongly
      associated with outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In early-stage TNBC, nodal involvement,
      TILs, and receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy were independently associated with
      IDFS and OS. In systemically untreated TNBC, TILs remained prognostic and the
      risk of recurrence or death was substantial, even for T1N0 disease.

PMID- 28913763
TI  - A Patient-Specific Three-Dimensional Hemodynamic Model of the Circle of Willis.
AB  - Circle of Willis (CoW) is one of the most important cerebral arteries in the
      human body and various attempts have been made to study the hemodynamic of blood
      flow in this vital part of the brain. In the present study, blood flow in a
      patient specific CoW is numerically modeled to predict disease-prone regions of
      the CoW. Medical images and computer aided design software are used to construct
      a realistic three-dimensional model of the CoW for this particular case. The
      arteries are considered as elastic conduits and the interactions between arterial
      walls and the blood flow are taken into account. Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic model
      is used to describe the behavior of arterial walls and blood is considered as a
      non-Newtonian fluid obeying the Carreau model. An available experimental-based
      pulsatile velocity profile is used at the entrance of the CoW. The finite element
      based commercial software, ADINA, is used to solve the governing equations. Blood
      pressure and velocity and arterial wall shear stress are calculated in different
      regions of the CoW. A simplified form of the model is also compared with the
      available published data. Results affirmed that the proposed computational model
      has the potential to capture the hemodynamic characteristics of the CoW. The
      computational results can be used to determine disease-prone locations for a
      given CoW.

PMID- 28913764
TI  - Drivers, challenges and opportunities of forage technology adoption by
      smallholder cattle households in Cambodia.
AB  - Forage technology has been successfully introduced into smallholder cattle
      systems in Cambodia as an alternative feed source to the traditional rice straw
      and native pastures, improving animal nutrition and reducing labour requirements
      of feeding cattle. Previous research has highlighted the positive impacts of
      forage technology including improved growth rates of cattle and household time
      savings. However, further research is required to understand the drivers,
      challenges and opportunities of forage technology for smallholder cattle
      households in Cambodia to facilitate widespread adoption and identify areas for
      further improvement. A survey of forage-growing households (n = 40) in July
      September 2016 examined forage technology adoption experiences, including reasons
      for forage establishment, use of inputs and labour requirements of forage plot
      maintenance and use of forages (feeding, fattening, sale of grass or seedlings
      and silage). Time savings was reported as the main driver of forage adoption with
      household members spending approximately 1 h per day maintaining forages and
      feeding it to cattle. Water availability was reported as the main challenge to
      this activity. A small number of households also reported lack of labour, lack of
      fencing, competition from natural grasses, cost of irrigation and lack of
      experience as challenges to forage growing. Cattle fattening and sale of cut
      forage grass and seedlings was not found to be a widespread activity by
      interviewed households, with 25 and 10% of households reporting use of forages
      for these activities, respectively. Currently, opportunities exist for these
      households to better utilise forages through expansion of forage plots and cattle
      activities, although assistance is required to support these households in
      addressing current constraints, particularly availability of water, if the
      sustainability of this feed technology for smallholder cattle household is to be
      established in Cambodia.

PMID- 28913765
TI  - Treatment of Theiler's virus-induced demyelinating disease with teriflunomide.
AB  - Teriflunomide is an oral therapy approved for the treatment of relapsing
      remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), showing both anti-inflammatory and antiviral
      properties. Currently, it is uncertain whether one or both of these properties
      may explain teriflunomide's beneficial effect in MS. Thus, to learn more about
      its mechanisms of action, we evaluated the effect of teriflunomide in the
      Theiler's encephalomyelitis virus-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) model,
      which is both a viral infection and an excellent model of the progressive
      disability of MS. We assessed the effects of the treatment on central nervous
      system (CNS) viral load, intrathecal immune response, and progressive
      neurological disability in mice intracranially infected with TMEV. In the TMEV
      IDD model, we showed that teriflunomide has both anti-inflammatory and antiviral
      properties, but there seemed to be no impact on disability progression and
      intrathecal antibody production. Notably, benefits in TMEV-IDD were mostly
      mediated by effects on various cytokines produced in the CNS. Perhaps the most
      interesting result of the study has been teriflunomide's antiviral activity in
      the CNS, indicating it may have a role as an antiviral prophylactic and
      therapeutic compound for CNS viral infections.

PMID- 28913766
TI  - Computational Modeling and Treatment Identification in the Myelodysplastic
      Syndromes.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review discusses the need for computational modeling in
      myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and early test results. RECENT FINDINGS: As our
      evolving understanding of MDS reveals a molecularly complicated disease, the need
      for sophisticated computer analytics is required to keep track of the number and
      complex interplay among the molecular abnormalities. Computational modeling and
      digital drug simulations using whole exome sequencing data input have produced
      early results showing high accuracy in predicting treatment response to standard
      of care drugs. Furthermore, the computational MDS models serve as clinically
      relevant MDS cell lines for pre-clinical assays of investigational agents. MDS is
      an ideal disease for computational modeling and digital drug simulations. Current
      research is focused on establishing the prediction value of computational
      modeling. Future research will test the clinical advantage of computer-informed
      therapy in MDS.

PMID- 28913767
TI  - Management of Atypical Renal Cell Carcinomas.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) encompasses a
      diverse group of diseases, with research yielding different histologic findings
      and genetic profiles with each distinct subgroup. Simply mirroring the management
      techniques of clear cell RCC and borrowing from its growing armamentarium of
      therapeutic agents, while somewhat productive at first, but will ultimately be
      limiting. Further investigation into the molecular pathogenesis of disease,
      similarities and differences between specific subtypes, and mechanisms of
      resistance to therapeutics will help identify new targets, stimulate development
      of novel agents, and improve clinical trial offerings for non-clear cell RCC
      (nccRCC). As nccRCC has been largely excluded from past trials, there will be a
      need for future trials to be designed either to evaluate nccRCC specifically, or
      to include nccRCC as a prespecified subgroup. Multi-center collaborative trials
      should be supported, as many of the nccRCC subtypes are rare and remain
      underrepresented even within the construct of trials that only enroll nccRCC.
      Given the absence of clear molecular targets at present, patients with metastatic
      nccRCC should be offered and encouraged enrollment on clinical studies whenever
      possible.

PMID- 28913768
TI  - Ionic effects on the temperature-force phase diagram of DNA.
AB  - Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) undergoes a structural transition to single-stranded
      DNA (ssDNA) in many biologically important processes such as replication and
      transcription. This strand separation arises in response either to thermal
      fluctuations or to external forces. The roles of ions are twofold, shortening the
      range of the interstrand potential and renormalizing the DNA elastic modulus. The
      dsDNA-to-ssDNA transition is studied on the basis that dsDNA is regarded as a
      bound state while ssDNA is regarded as an unbound state. The ground state energy
      of DNA is obtained by mapping the statistical mechanics problem to the imaginary
      time quantum mechanics problem. In the temperature-force phase diagram the
      critical force F c (T) increases logarithmically with the Na+ concentration in
      the range from 32 to 110 mM. Discussing this logarithmic dependence of F c (T)
      within the framework of polyelectrolyte theory, it inevitably suggests a
      constraint on the difference between the interstrand separation and the length
      per unit charge during the dsDNA-to-ssDNA transition.

PMID- 28913769
TI  - Plantactinospora solaniradicis sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from the
      root of a tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum L.).
AB  - A Gram-positive, non-motile actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-FJL1T, was
      isolated from tomato root (Solanum lycopersicum L.) collected from Harbin,
      Heilongjiang province, north China. The strain formed single spores with smooth
      surfaces from substrate mycelia. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequences indicated that strain NEAU-FJL1T should be affiliated with the genus
      Plantactinospora and forms a distinct branch with its close neighbour
      Plantactinospora soyae NEAU-gxj3T (99.2% sequence similarity). The cell wall was
      found to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid and the whole cell sugars were
      identified as xylose, glucose, arabinose and galactose. The predominant
      menaquinones were identified as MK-10(H6) and MK-10(H4). The phospholipid profile
      was found to consist of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and
      phosphatidylinositol. The major fatty acids were identified as C15:0, iso-C16:0,
      anteiso-C17:0, C17:0 and iso-C15:0. With reference to phenotypic characteristics,
      phylogenetic data and DNA-DNA hybridization results, strain NEAU-FJL1T can be
      distinguished from its most closely related strain and classified as a new
      species, for which the name Plantactinospora solaniradicis sp. nov. is proposed.
      The type strain is NEAU-FJL1T (= DSM 100596T = CGMCC 4.7284T).

PMID- 28913770
TI  - Sleep Deprived and Overwhelmed: Sleep Behaviors of Medical Students in the USA.

PMID- 28913771
TI  - Criminal Prohibition of Wrongful Re-identification: Legal Solution or Minefield
      for Big Data?
AB  - The collapse of confidence in anonymization (sometimes also known as de
      identification) as a robust approach for preserving the privacy of personal data
      has incited an outpouring of new approaches that aim to fill the resulting
      trifecta of technical, organizational, and regulatory privacy gaps left in its
      wake. In the latter category, and in large part due to the growth of Big Data
      driven biomedical research, falls a growing chorus of calls for criminal and
      penal offences to sanction wrongful re-identification of "anonymized" data. This
      chorus cuts across the fault lines of polarized privacy law scholarship that at
      times seems to advocate privacy protection at the expense of Big Data research or
      vice versa. Focusing on Big Data in the context of biomedicine, this article
      surveys the approaches that criminal or penal law might take toward wrongful re
      identification of health data. It contextualizes the strategies within their
      respective legal regimes as well as in relation to emerging privacy debates
      focusing on personal data use and data linkage and assesses the relative merit of
      criminalization. We conclude that this approach suffers from several flaws and
      that alternative social and legal strategies to deter wrongful re-identification
      may be preferable.

PMID- 28913772
TI  - Weight gain after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's
      disease is influenced by dyskinesias' reduction and electrodes' position.
AB  - Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disease that can be treated
      with pharmacological or surgical therapy. Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain
      stimulation is a commonly used surgical option. A reported side effect of STN-DBS
      is weight gain: the aim of our study was to find those factors that determine
      weight gain, through one year-long observation of 32 patients that underwent
      surgery in our centre. During the follow-up, we considered: anthropometric
      features, hormonal levels, motor outcome, neuropsychological and quality of life
      outcomes, therapeutic parameters and electrodes position. The majority (84%) of
      our patients gained weight (6.7 kg in 12 months); more than a half of the cohort
      became overweight. At 12th month, weight gain showed a correlation with
      dyskinesias reduction, electrodes voltage and distance on the lateral axis. In
      the multivariate regression analysis, the determinants of weight gain were
      dyskinesias reduction and electrodes position. In this study, we identified
      dyskinesias reduction and distance between the active electrodes and the third
      ventricle as determining factors of weight gain after STN-DBS implantation in PD
      patients. The first finding could be linked to a decrease in energy consumption,
      while the second one could be due to a lower stimulation of the lateral
      hypothalamic area, known for its important role in metabolism and body weight
      control. Weight gain is a common finding after STN-DBS implantation, and it
      should be carefully monitored given the potential harmful consequences of
      overweight.

PMID- 28913773
TI  - Food nitrogen footprint reductions related to a balanced Japanese diet.
AB  - Dietary choices largely affect human-induced reactive nitrogen accumulation in
      the environment and resultant environmental problems. A nitrogen footprint (NF)
      is an indicator of how an individual's consumption patterns impact nitrogen
      pollution. Here, we examined the impact of changes in the Japanese diet from 1961
      to 2011 and the effect of alternative diets (the recommended protein diet, a
      pescetarian diet, a low-NF food diet, and a balanced Japanese diet) on the food
      NF. The annual per capita Japanese food NF has increased by 55% as a result of
      dietary changes since 1961. The 1975 Japanese diet, a balanced omnivorous diet
      that reportedly delays senescence, with a protein content similar to the current
      level, reduced the current food NF (15.2 kg N) to 12.6 kg N, which is comparable
      to the level in the recommended protein diet (12.3 kg N). These findings will
      help consumers make dietary choices to reduce their impacts on nitrogen
      pollution.

PMID- 28913774
TI  - Is Integration Always most Adaptive? The Role of Cultural Identity in Academic
      Achievement and in Psychological Adaptation of Immigrant Students in Germany.
AB  - Immigrant adaptation research views identification with the mainstream context as
      particularly beneficial for sociocultural adaptation, including academic
      achievement, and identification with the ethnic context as particularly
      beneficial for psychological adaptation. A strong identification with both
      contexts is considered most beneficial for both outcomes (integration
      hypothesis). However, it is unclear whether the integration hypothesis applies in
      assimilative contexts, across different outcomes, and across different immigrant
      groups. This study investigates the association of cultural identity with several
      indicators of academic achievement and psychological adaptation in immigrant
      adolescents (N = 3894, 51% female, M age= 16.24, SD age = 0.71) in Germany.
      Analyses support the integration hypothesis for aspects of psychological
      adaptation but not for academic achievement. Moreover, for some outcomes,
      findings vary across immigrant groups from Turkey (n = 809), the former Soviet
      Union (n = 712), and heterogeneous other countries (n = 2373). The results
      indicate that the adaptive potential of identity integration is limited in
      assimilative contexts, such as Germany, and that it may vary across different
      outcomes and groups. As each identification is positively associated with at
      least one outcome, however, both identification dimensions seem to be important
      for the adaptation of immigrant adolescents.

PMID- 28913775
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of Taharana fasciana (Insecta, Hemiptera:
      Cicadellidae) and comparison with other Cicadellidae insects.
AB  - Here, we describe the first complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequence
      of the leafhopper Taharana fasciana (Coelidiinae). The mitogenome sequence
      contains 15,161 bp with an A + T content of 77.9%. It includes 13 protein-coding
      genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and one non-coding (A + T
      rich) region; in addition, a repeat region is also present (GenBank accession no.
      KY886913). These genes/regions are in the same order as in the inferred insect
      ancestral mitogenome. All protein-coding genes have ATN as the start codon, and
      TAA or single T as the stop codons, except the gene ND3, which ends with TAG.
      Furthermore, we predicted the secondary structures of the rRNAs in T. fasciana.
      Six domains (domain III is absent in arthropods) and 41 helices were predicted
      for 16S rRNA, and 12S rRNA comprised three structural domains and 24 helices.
      Phylogenetic tree analysis confirmed that T. fasciana and other members of the
      Cicadellidae are clustered into a clade, and it identified the relationships
      among the subfamilies Deltocephalinae, Coelidiinae, Idiocerinae, Cicadellinae,
      and Typhlocybinae.

PMID- 28913776
TI  - Interactions of antisera to different Chlamydia and Chlamydophila species with
      the ribosomal protein RPS27a correlate with impaired protein synthesis in a human
      choroid plexus papilloma cell line.
AB  - Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and the Chlamydophila species (CS) Chlamydophila
      pneumoniae (CPn), and Chlamydophila psittaci (CPs) are suggested to induce
      autoantibodies causative of several human autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid
      arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of the present study
      was therefore to identify cellular protein interaction partners with antisera to
      CT (alpha-CT) or CS (alpha-CS) and to identify functional consequences of such
      interaction in vitro. As detected with a commercial first trimester human
      prenatal brain multiprotein array (hEXselect, Engine, Germany), the most frequent
      interaction partner with both alpha-CT and alpha-CS was the ribosomal small
      subunit protein RPS27a. This could be confirmed by Western blot analysis with a
      recombinant RPS27a sample. In addition, immunocytochemistry with both antisera in
      the human choroid plexus papilloma cell line HIBCPP revealed a granular
      cytoplasmic staining, and Western blot analysis with whole-cell protein samples
      of HIBCPP cells revealed both antisera to label protein bands of different
      molecular weights and intensity. By 2D Western blot analysis and mass
      spectrometry, one of the protein spots interacting with alpha-CT could be
      identified as the RPS27a. Finally, two different methods for the detection of
      protein synthesis activity, the SUnSET technique and an HPG fluorescence assay
      revealed both antisera to cause reduced translational activity in HIBCPP cells.
      Together with previous findings of RPS27a as an autoimmune target in a mouse
      model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), these results suggest that
      infections with CT and/or CS could induce SLE-associated immune modifications.
      However, direct evidence for a pathogenic role of these interactions for SLE
      demands further investigations.

PMID- 28913778
TI  - Neural Basis of Early Somatosensory Change Detection: A Magnetoencephalography
      Study.
AB  - The mismatch negativity (MMN) reflects the early detection of changes in sensory
      stimuli at the cortical level. The mechanisms underlying its genesis remain
      debated. This magnetoencephalography study investigates the spatio-temporal
      dynamics and the neural mechanisms of the magnetic somatosensory MMN.
      Somatosensory evoked magnetic fields elicited by tactile stimulation of the right
      fingertip (Single), tactile stimulation of the right middle phalanx and fingertip
      (Double) or omissions (Omitted) of tactile stimuli were studied in different
      paradigms: in oddballs where Double/Omitted followed a sequence of four Single,
      in sequences of two stimuli where Double occurred after one Single, and in random
      presentation of Double only. The predictability of Double occurrence in oddballs
      was also manipulated. Cortical sources of evoked responses were identified using
      equivalent current dipole modeling. Evoked responses elicited by Double were
      significantly different from those elicited by Single at the contralateral
      secondary somatosensory (cSII) cortex. Double elicited higher cSII cortex
      responses than Single when preceded by a sequence of four Single, compared to
      when they were preceded by one Single. Double elicited higher cSII cortex
      response when presented alone compared to when Double were preceded by one or a
      sequence of Single. Omitted elicited similar cSII cortex response than Single.
      Double in oddballs led to higher cSII cortex responses when less predictable.
      These data suggest that early tactile change detection involves mainly cSII
      cortex. The predictive coding framework probably accounts for the SII cortex
      response features observed in the different tactile paradigms.

PMID- 28913779
TI  - Effects of sublethal Abamectin exposure on some hormonal profiles and testicular
      histopathology in male albino rats and the possible ameliorative role of Eruca
      sativa.
AB  - The ameliorative role of Eruca sativa on some hormonal profile and testicular
      histopathology in male albino rats exposed to a sublethal dose of 1 mg/kg body
      weight (b.wt). Abamectin (Crater 3.37% EC) was evaluated. Eighteen male albino
      rats were divided into three groups: control group, Abamectin-treated group, and
      Abamectin + E. sativa-treated group. Rats of the second group were orally
      administrated 1 mg/kg b.wt. of Abamectin, the third group received a mixture of
      sublethal oral dose of Abamectin (1 mg/kg b.wt.) and E. sativa suspension (5 g/kg
      b.wt.) every 48 h for 28 days. At the end of the study, blood samples were
      collected from all groups to measure some hormonal parameters; also, rats were
      dissected and tissue sections from the testes were prepared and stained with
      hematoxylin and eosin for examination under light microscope. The results of the
      present study revealed a disturbance in the hormonal parameters and some
      testicular histopathological changes. In addition, administration of E. sativa
      might have a promising effect against Abamectin toxicity-induced disorders of
      thyroid hormones and impaired testicular functions, which were correlated with
      histopathological changes in the testes of male rats.

PMID- 28913777
TI  - Diabetes and the Small Intestine.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its associated complications are
      becoming increasingly prevalent. Gastrointestinal symptoms associated with
      diabetes is known as diabetic enteropathy (DE) and may manifest as either
      diarrhea, fecal incontinence, constipation, dyspepsia, nausea, and vomiting or a
      combination of symptoms. The long-held belief that vagal autonomic neuropathy is
      the primary cause of DE has recently been challenged by newer theories of disease
      development. Specifically, hyperglycemia and the resulting oxidative stress on
      neural networks, including the nitrergic neurons and interstitial cells of Cajal
      (ICC), are now believed to play a central role in the development of DE. DE
      occurs in the majority of patients with diabetes; however, tools for early
      diagnosis and targeted therapy to counter the detrimental and potentially
      irreversible effects on the small bowel are lacking. Delay in diagnosis is
      further compounded by the fact that DE symptoms overlap with those of
      gastroparesis or can be confused with side effects from diabetes medications.
      Still, early recognition of the presence of DE is essential to mitigating
      symptoms and preventing further progression of complications including
      dysmotility and malabsorption. Current diagnostic modalities include manometry,
      wireless motility capsule (SmartPillTM), and scintigraphy; however, these are not
      regularly utilized in clinical practice due to limited availability. Several
      medications are available for symptom relief in DE patients including rifaximin
      for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and somatostatin analogues for
      diarrhea. While rodent models on stem cell therapy and alteration of the
      microbiome are promising, there is still a great need for further research on the
      pathologic underpinnings and development of novel treatment modalities for DE.

PMID- 28913780
TI  - Anxiolytic-like effects of alpha-asarone in a mouse model of chronic pain.
AB  - alpha-asarone (ASR) is a major bioactive compound isolated from the rhizome of
      Acorus tatarinowii Schott and it has extensive biological effects. Clinically,
      anxiety disorder is a common comorbidity of chronic pain. However, limited
      information is available regarding the effects of ASR on chronic pain-related
      anxiety. This study aims to evaluate the anxiolytic effects of ASR in chronic
      pain mice. Chronic inflammatory pain was induced by hind-paw injection of
      complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Behavioral tests, western-blot analysis and
      whole-cell patch recordings were performed to evaluate the subsequent events. We
      found that ASR induced anxiolytic activities in CFA-injected mice but did not
      affect the nociceptive threshold. ASR administration reversed the up-regulation
      of GluR1-containing alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid
      (AMPA) receptors, NR2A-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and down
      regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptors in the basolateral
      amygdala (BLA) of CFA-injected mice. Electrophysiological data revealed that ASR
      treatment restored the balance between excitatory and inhibitory
      neurotransmissions, which was disturbed in the BLA of CFA-injected mice.
      Moreover, ASR prevented the hyper-excitability of pyramidal neurons in the BLA of
      chronic pain mice. Our results suggested that the anxiolytic effects of ASR were
      partially due to maintaining the balance between excitatory/inhibitory
      transmissions and attenuating neuronal hyper-excitability of excitatory neurons
      in the BLA.

PMID- 28913781
TI  - Effects of Fluoride and/or Sulfur Dioxide on Morphology and DNA Integrity in
      Rats' Hepatic Tissue.
AB  - This study was aimed to evaluate the toxic effects of fluoride (F) and/or sulfur
      dioxide (SO2) on morphology and DNA integrity in liver of male rats. For this, 96
      Wistar rats (12-week-old) were randomly divided into four groups after 1-week
      adaptive breeding: the control group, treated with deionized water; the NaF
      group, administered high F (100 mg NaF/L in the drinking water); the SO2 group,
      with sulfur dioxide in ambient air (15 ppm SO2, 4 h/day); and NaF + SO2 group,
      treated with high F and sulfur dioxide together for 8 consecutive weeks. The body
      weight, liver organ coefficient, morphology, and DNA damage in the liver of rats
      were examined. The results showed that the body weight and liver organ
      coefficient were not significantly changed; however, significant pathological
      changes of liver tissues were observed in the NaF + SO2 group compared with the
      individual treated groups and control group. Furthermore, comet assay indicated
      that DNA damage in liver was significantly increased in the F and/or SO2
      treatment groups at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks, especially at 4 weeks. These results
      indicate that the liver morphology and DNA integrity of rats are adversely
      affected by F and/or SO2 exposure.

PMID- 28913782
TI  - Docking of small molecules to farnesoid X receptors using AutoDock Vina with the
      Convex-PL potential: lessons learned from D3R Grand Challenge 2.
AB  - The 2016 D3R Grand Challenge 2 provided an opportunity to test multiple protein
      ligand docking protocols on a set of ligands bound to farnesoid X receptor that
      has many available experimental structures. We participated in the Stage 1 of the
      Challenge devoted to the docking pose predictions, with the mean RMSD value of
      our submission poses of 2.9 A. Here we present a thorough analysis of our docking
      predictions made with AutoDock Vina and the Convex-PL rescoring potential by
      reproducing our submission protocol and running a series of additional molecular
      docking experiments. We conclude that a correct receptor structure, or more
      precisely, the structure of the binding pocket, plays the crucial role in the
      success of our docking studies. We have also noticed the important role of a
      local ligand geometry, which seems to be not well discussed in literature. We
      succeed to improve our results up to the mean RMSD value of 2.15-2.33 A 
      dependent on the models of the ligands, if docking these to all available
      homologous receptors. Overall, for docking of ligands of diverse chemical series
      we suggest to perform docking of each of the ligands to a set of multiple
      receptors that are homologous to the target.

PMID- 28913783
TI  - State of the art: the evolving role of RT in combined modality therapy for GBM.

PMID- 28913784
TI  - Managing wastes as green resources: cigarette butt-synthesized pesticides are
      highly toxic to malaria vectors with little impact on predatory copepods.
AB  - The development of novel mosquito control tools is a key prerequisite to build
      effective and reliable Integrated Vector Management strategies. Here, we proposed
      a novel method using cigarette butts for the synthesis of Ag nanostructures toxic
      to young instars of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi, chloroquine (CQ)
      resistant malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and microbial pathogens. The
      non-target impact of these nanomaterials in the aquatic environment was evaluated
      testing them at sub-lethal doses on the predatory copepod Mesocyclops
      aspericornis. Cigarette butt-synthesized Ag nanostructures were characterized by
      UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy, as well as by EDX, SEM and XRD analyses. Low doses
      of cigarette butt extracts (with and without tobacco) showed larvicidal and
      pupicidal toxicity on An. stephensi. The LC50 of cigarette butt-synthesized Ag
      nanostructures ranged from 4.505 ppm (I instar larvae) to 8.070 ppm (pupae) using
      smoked cigarette butts with tobacco, and from 3.571 (I instar larvae) to 6.143
      ppm (pupae) using unsmoked cigarette butts without tobacco. Smoke toxicity
      experiments conducted against adults showed that unsmoked cigarette butts-based
      coils led to mortality comparable to permethrin-based positive control (84.2 and
      91.2%, respectively). A single treatment with cigarette butts extracts and Ag
      nanostructures significantly reduced egg hatchability of An. stephensi.
      Furthermore, the antiplasmodial activity of cigarette butt extracts (with and
      without tobacco) and synthesized Ag nanostructures was evaluated against CQ
      resistant (CQ-r) and CQ-sensitive (CQ-s) strains of P. falciparum. The lowest
      IC50 values were achieved by cigarette butt extracts without tobacco, they were
      54.63 MUg/ml (CQ-s) and 63.26 MUg/ml (CQ-r); while Ag nanostructure IC50 values
      were 72.13 MUg/ml (CQ-s) and 77.33 MUg/ml (CQ-r). In MIC assays, low doses of the
      Ag nanostructures inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella
      pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi. Finally, the predation efficiency of copepod M.
      aspericornis towards larvae of An. stephensi did not decrease in a nanoparticle
      contaminated environment, if compared to control predation assays. Overall, the
      present research would suggest that an abundant hazardous waste, such as
      cigarette butts, can be turned to an important resource for nanosynthesis of
      highly effective antiplasmodials and insecticides.

PMID- 28913785
TI  - Evolution of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Their Role in Multiple Sclerosis
      Clinical Trials.
AB  - Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are playing an increasing role in multiple
      sclerosis (MS) research and practice, and are essential for understanding the
      effects that MS and MS treatments have on patients' lives. PROs are captured
      directly from patients and include symptoms, function, health status, and health
      related quality of life. In this article, we review different categories (e.g.,
      generic, targeted, preference-based) of PRO measures and considerations in
      selecting a measure. The PROs included in MS clinical research have evolved over
      time, as have the measures used to assess them. We describe findings from recent
      MS clinical trials that included PROs when evaluating Food and Drug
      Administration-approved disease-modifying therapies (e.g., daclizumab,
      teriflunomide). Variation in the measures used in these trials makes it difficult
      to draw any conclusions from the data. We therefore suggest a standardized
      approach to PRO assessment in MS research and describe 2 generic, National
      Institutes of Health-supported measurement systems [Neuro-QoL and the Patient
      Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)] that would facilitate
      such an approach. The use of PROs in MS care and research is expanding beyond
      clinical trials, as is demonstrated by examples from comparative effectiveness
      and other patient-centered research. The importance of PRO assessment is expected
      to continue to grow in the future.

PMID- 28913786
TI  - The lipid droplet: A conserved cellular organelle.
AB  - The lipid droplet (LD) is a unique multi-functional organelle that contains a
      neutral lipid core covered with a phospholipid monolayer membrane. The LDs have
      been found in almost all organisms from bacteria to humans with similar shape.
      Several conserved functions of LDs have been revealed by recent studies,
      including lipid metabolism and trafficking, as well as nucleic acid binding and
      protection. We summarized these findings and proposed a hypothesis that the LD is
      a conserved organelle.

PMID- 28913787
TI  - Mortality rates and risk factors for emergent open repair of abdominal aortic
      aneurysms in the endovascular era.
AB  - The background of this paper is to report the mortality at 30 and 90 days and at
      mean follow-up after open abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) emergent repair and to
      identify predictive risk factors for 30- and 90-day mortality. Between 1997 and
      2002, 104 patients underwent emergent AAA open surgery. Symptomatic and ruptured
      AAAs were observed, respectively, in 21 and 79% of cases. Mean patient age was 70
      (SD 9.2) years. Mean aneurysm maximal diameter was 7.4 (SD 1.6) cm. Primary
      endpoints were 30- and 90-day mortality. Significant mortality-related risk
      factor identification was the secondary endpoint. Open repair trend and its
      related perioperative mortality with a per-year analysis and a correlation
      subanalysis to identify predictive mortality factor were performed. Mean follow
      up time was 23 (SD 23) months. Overall, 30-day mortality was 30%. Significant
      mortality-related risk factors were the use of computed tomography (CT) as a
      preoperative diagnostic tool, AAA rupture, preoperative shock, intraoperative
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use of aortic balloon occlusion,
      intraoperative massive blood transfusion (MBT), and development of abdominal
      compartment syndrome (ACS). Previous abdominal surgery was identified as a
      protective risk factor. The mortality rate at 90 days was 44%. Significant
      mortality-related risk factors were AAA rupture, aortocaval fistula, peripheral
      artery disease (PAD), preoperative shock, CPR, MBT, and ACS. The mortality rate
      at follow-up was 45%. Correlation analysis showed that MBT, shock, and ACS are
      the most relevant predictive mortality factor at 30 and 90 days. During the
      transition period from open to endovascular repair, open repair mortality
      outcomes remained comparable with other contemporary data despite a selection
      bias for higher risk patients. MBT, shock, and ACS are the most pronounced
      predictive mortality risk factors.

PMID- 28913788
TI  - Suboptimal use of statins for secondary cardiovascular prevention: a "planetary"
      issue.

PMID- 28913789
TI  - Cardiac sarcoidosis after glucocorticoid therapy evaluated by 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose PET/MRI.

PMID- 28913791
TI  - Enabling Molecular Technologies for Trait Improvement in Wheat.
AB  - Wheat is the major staple food crop and a source of calories for humans
      worldwide. A steady increase in the wheat production is essential to meet the
      demands of an ever-increasing global population and to achieve food security. The
      large size and structurally intricate genome of polyploid wheat had hindered the
      genomic analysis. However, with the advent of new genomic technologies such as
      next generation sequencing has led to genome drafts for bread wheat and its
      progenitors and has paved the way to design new strategies for crop improvement.
      Here we provide an overview of the advancements made in wheat genomics together
      with the available "omics approaches" and bioinformatics resources developed for
      wheat research. Advances in genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic technologies
      are highlighted as options to circumvent existing bottlenecks in the phenotypic
      and genomic selection and gene transfer. The contemporary reverse genetics
      approaches, including the novel genome editing techniques to inform targeted
      manipulation of a single/multiple genes and strategies for generating marker-free
      transgenic wheat plants, emphasize potential to revolutionize wheat improvement
      shortly.

PMID- 28913792
TI  - What Will Be the Benefits of Biotech Wheat for European Agriculture?
AB  - In European countries, wheat occupies the largest crop area with high yielding
      production. France, a major producer and exporter in Europe, ranks the fifth
      producer worldwide. Biotic stresses are European farmers' major challenges
      (fungal and viral diseases, and insect pests) followed by abiotic ones such as
      drought and grain protein composition. During the last 40 years, 1136 scientific
      articles on biotech wheat were published by USA followed by China, Australia,
      Canada, and European Union with the UK. European research focuses on pests and
      diseases resistances using widely marker-assisted selection (MAS). Transgenesis
      is used in basic research to develop resistance against some fungi (Fusarium head
      blight) while RNA interference (RNAi) silencing is used against some fungi and
      virus. Transgenic plants were also transformed with genes from various species
      for drought tolerance. The UK (mostly with transgenesis and site-specific
      nucleases) and France (with no transgenic tools but with MAS and site-specific
      nucleases) are the main countries carrying out research programs for both biotic
      stress and drought tolerance. Thus, few European countries used transgenesis for
      gluten protein composition and RNAi-mediated silencing in celiac disease. Because
      of vandalism field trials of transgenics dropped since 2000. No transgenic wheat
      is cultivated in Europe for political reasons.

PMID- 28913790
TI  - Delivery of HSP90 Inhibitor Using Water Soluble Polymeric Conjugates with High
      Drug Payload.
AB  - PURPOSE: HSP90 (Heat shock protein 90kD) has been validated as a therapeutic
      target in Castrate Resistant Prostate Cancer. Unfortunately, HSP90 inhibitors
      suffer from dose-limiting toxicities that hinder their clinical applications.
      Previously developed polymeric delivery systems for HSP90 inhibitors had either
      low drug content or low biological activity suggesting the need for better
      delivery system for HSP90 inhibitors. METHODS: We developed a simplified
      synthetic strategy to prepare polyethylene glycol based water-soluble polymeric
      system for model HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin (GDM). We then investigated the
      effect of cathepsin B degradable linker and drug content in polymeric conjugates
      on their growth inhibitory property using DU145 (androgen independent) and LNCaP
      (androgen dependent) cell lines. RESULTS: Water-soluble polymeric conjugates were
      synthesized with GDM content ranging from 9 to 30% wt/wt. We demonstrated the
      importance of cathepsin B degradable linker from the context of drug content and
      different prostate cancer cell lines. The most active conjugate against DU145
      cells exhibited IC50 value of 2.9 MUM. This was similar to the IC50 (2.1 MUM) of
      small molecular drug aminohexane geldanamycin. CONCLUSION: Water-soluble
      polymeric conjugate with high drug content was synthesized that exhibited in
      vitro growth inhibitory activity similar to small molecular weight HSP90
      inhibitor. Graphical Abstract Water soluble degradable polymeric conjugate for
      the delivery of Geldanamycin.

PMID- 28913793
TI  - Overview of the Wheat Genetic Transformation and Breeding Status in China.
AB  - In the past two decades, Chinese scientists have achieved significant progress on
      three aspects of wheat genetic transformation. First, the wheat transformation
      platform has been established and optimized to improve the transformation
      efficiency, shorten the time required from starting of transformation procedure
      to the fertile transgenic wheat plants obtained as well as to overcome the
      problem of genotype-dependent for wheat genetic transformation in wide range of
      wheat elite varieties. Second, with the help of many emerging techniques such as
      CRISPR/cas9 function of over 100 wheat genes has been investigated. Finally,
      modern technology has been combined with the traditional breeding technique such
      as crossing to accelerate the application of wheat transformation. Overall, the
      wheat end-use quality and the characteristics of wheat stress tolerance have been
      improved by wheat genetic engineering technique. So far, wheat transgenic lines
      integrated with quality-improved genes and stress tolerant genes have been on the
      way of Production Test stage in the field. The debates and the future studies on
      wheat transformation have been discussed, and the brief summary of Chinese wheat
      breeding research history has also been provided in this review.

PMID- 28913794
TI  - Wheat Improvement in India: Present and Future.
AB  - Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) contributes substantially to global food and
      nutritional security. With the growing demands under the constraints of depleting
      natural resources, environmental fluctuation, and increased risk of epidemic
      outbreaks, the task of increasing wheat production has become daunting. The
      factors responsible for first green revolution seem to be exhausting rapidly, and
      there is an immediate need to develop the technologies which can not only
      increase the wheat production but also sustain the same at a higher level without
      adversely affecting the natural resources. Understanding abiotic stress factors
      such as temperature, drought tolerance, and biotic stress tolerance traits such
      as insect pest and pathogen resistance in combination with high yield in plants
      is of paramount importance to counter climate change related adverse effects on
      the productivity of wheat crops. Thus, an important goal of wheat breeding is to
      develop high-yielding varieties with better nutritional quality and resistance to
      major diseases. Therefore, in this chapter, we present a judicious mixture of
      basic as well as applied research outlooks. We trust that the information covered
      in this chapter would bridge the much-researched area of stress in plants with
      the information to breed climate-ready crop cultivars to ensure food security in
      the future.

PMID- 28913795
TI  - Overview of Methods for Assessing Salinity and Drought Tolerance of Transgenic
      Wheat Lines.
AB  - Salinity and drought are interconnected, causing phenotypic, physiological,
      biochemical, and molecular changes in a cell. These stresses are the major
      factors adversely affecting growth and productivity in cereals. Genetic
      engineering methods have advanced to enable development of genotypes with
      improved salinity and drought tolerance. The resulting transgenic plant produces
      a group of progenies which includes moderate to high-stress tolerant transgenic
      lines. Development of reproducible screening methods to identify high-stress
      tolerant germplasm under laboratory, greenhouse, or field conditions is must.
      Further, field level demonstration of improved phenotypes and yield under
      salinity and drought stress conditions is both challenging and expensive. Fast
      and efficient screening techniques that could be used to screen transgenic lines
      under greenhouse conditions, for salt and drought stress tolerance, may
      contribute toward the identification of promising lines for field conditions.
      This chapter provides information on various approaches which can be developed
      during different stages of plant development for selecting salinity and drought
      tolerant plants in cereals, especially wheat.

PMID- 28913797
TI  - Agribusiness Perspectives on Transgenic Wheat.
AB  - Declining yields of the major human food crops, looming growth in global
      population and rise of populism, and ill-founded bans on agricultural and
      horticultural crops and foodstuffs which are genetically modified have
      potentially serious implications. It makes the chance less than otherwise would
      be the case that agribusiness value chains in the future will meet the growing
      demand around the world for more and different foods from more and wealthier
      people. In the agribusiness value chain, transgenic wheat, meeting a consumer
      "trigger need" also must meet the "experience" and "credence," risk-related
      criteria of well-informed consumers. Public policy that rejects science-based
      evidence about the reductions in costs of production and price of genetically
      modified agricultural products and the science about the safety of genetically
      modified foods, including transgenic wheat, has imposed significant costs on
      producers and consumers. If the science-based evidence is accepted, transgenic
      wheat has potential to improve significantly the well-being of grain growers and
      consumers all over the world.

PMID- 28913796
TI  - Allergenicity Assessment of Transgenic Wheat Lines In Silico.
AB  - Agriculture biotechnology is a promising tool for developing varieties with
      enhanced quality and quantity. Transgenic proteins expressed by genetically
      modified (GM) food crops improve crop characteristics like nutritional value,
      taste, and texture, and endow plants with resistance against fungus, pests, and
      insects. Despite such potential benefits, there are concerns regarding possible
      adverse effects of GM crops on human health, animals and the environment. Among
      the proposed guidelines for GM food safety testing-the weight-of-evidence
      approach proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (ALINORM 03/34A) is the
      most recent. Till date, several transgenic wheat lines have been developed and
      research is underway for further improvement. However, GM wheat is not being
      grown or consumed in any part of the world. In the present study, in silico tools
      were employed for safety testing of eight transgenes used for the development of
      transgenic wheat lines. Among the genes studied, none of them shared sequence
      homology with the reported allergens and may be safe for use in genetic
      engineering. In conclusion, gene selection for developing transgenic wheat lines
      should be done with utmost care to ensure its safety for feed and fodder.

PMID- 28913798
TI  - Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Wheat Using Immature Embryos.
AB  - Methods of the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of bread wheat (Triticum
      aestivum L.) have been improved in recent years so that genetic engineering can
      be routinely used for functional genomics as well as for wheat breeding. In the
      protocol described here, immature embryos of the spring-type model genotype
      Bobwhite SH 98 26 have been used. Preculture and temperature pretreatment of
      these explants have led to the reproducible generation of transgenic plants at
      efficiencies between 5 and 15%. Whereas primary transgenic plants regenerated in
      vitro commonly show reduced fitness and fertility, no apparent variations with
      regard to morphology and grain set in their transgenic progeny as compared to
      wild-type counterparts were observed.

PMID- 28913799
TI  - Biolistic Transformation of Wheat.
AB  - The wheat genome encodes some 100,000 genes. To understand how the expression of
      these genes is regulated it will be necessary to carry out many genetic
      transformation experiments. Robust protocols that allow scientists to transform a
      wide range of wheat genotypes are therefore required. In this chapter, we
      describe a protocol for biolistic transformation of wheat that uses immature
      embryos and small quantities of DNA cassettes. An original method for DNA
      cassette purification is also described. This protocol can be used to transform a
      wide range of wheat genotypes and other related species.

PMID- 28913800
TI  - Wheat Genetic Transformation Using Mature Embryos as Explants.
AB  - Feeding the growing population utilizing the limited agricultural resources
      remains a great challenge. Plant biotechnology plays a vital role in crop
      improvement by incorporating desired quality traits, tolerance to abiotic
      stresses and resistance to biotic stresses, which are otherwise tough to achieve
      by conventional plant breeding methodologies. Genetic engineering is a powerful
      tool to develop desired traits in selected crops to make the crops suitable for
      future demand and environment. For genetic engineering of crops like wheat, the
      development of efficient transformation and regeneration systems has always been
      a prime requirement. Immature embryo cultures have been used largely for genetic
      engineering purposes in wheat, but the availability of healthy immature embryos
      as explant throughout the year is difficult. In contrast, mature embryos are
      readily available throughout the year. Therefore, it is essential to develop an
      efficient transformation and regeneration system employing mature embryos as
      explant. Here, we summarize the recent developments in wheat tissue culture using
      mature embryos as explants and its use in genetic transformation.

PMID- 28913801
TI  - Targeted Mutagenesis in Hexaploid Bread Wheat Using the TALEN and CRISPR/Cas
      Systems.
AB  - The use of sequence-specific transcription activator-like effector nucleases
      (TALENs) and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats
      associated system (CRISPR/Cas9) have provided powerful reverse genetic approaches
      to the targeted modification of genomes in numerous organisms. Both systems have
      been employed to generate loss-of-function alleles in bread wheat, by targeting
      multiple and single copies of genes. Here we present protocols for modifying the
      wheat genome using the two systems. The protocols include the design of TALEN and
      CRISPR/Cas9 target sites and their construction, evaluation of their activities
      in protoplasts, transformation of plants, and mutation screening.

PMID- 28913802
TI  - Design and Assembly of CRISPR/Cas9 Reagents for Gene Knockout, Targeted
      Insertion, and Replacement in Wheat.
AB  - Advances in cereal transformation along with the completion of the wheat genome
      sequence assembly have increased the demand for tools that perform targeted and
      specific modifications in this crop plant. This protocol demonstrates the
      construction of reagents using a comprehensive genome engineering kit to create
      single and multiple gene "knockouts," site-specific chromosome deletions and gene
      replacement or "knockins" including the use of geminivirus replicons (GVRs). The
      reagents allow for both easy construction of simple genome engineering vectors,
      and "mix and match" swapping of components such as the Cas9, guide RNA and donor
      template cassettes for gene targeting. In addition, a web-based tool greatly
      streamlines vector selection, primer design, and vector construction.

PMID- 28913803
TI  - Doubled Haploid Transgenic Wheat Lines by Microspore Transformation.
AB  - Microspores are preferred explant choice for genetic transformation, as their use
      shortens the duration of obtaining homozygous transformants. All established gene
      delivery methods of particle bombardment, electroporation, and cocultivation with
      Agrobacterium tumefaciens were optimized on androgenic microspores or derived
      tissues. In the biolistic gene delivery method 35-40 days old haploid microspore
      embryoids were used for genetic transformation, whereas freshly isolated
      androgenic microspores were used for genetic transformation in the
      electroporation and Agrobacterium cocultivation-based methods. The genetic
      transformation methods of biolistic gene-delivery and electroporation gave rise
      to the chimeric plants, whereas the method involving cocultivation with
      Agrobacterium yielded homozygous transformants. These methods were tested on a
      large number of cultivars belonging to different market classes of wheat, and
      found to be fairly independent of the explant genotype. Other benefits of using
      microspores or derived tissues for transformation are: (1) a few explant donors
      are required to obtain desired transformants and (2) the time required for
      obtaining homozygous transformants is about 8 months in case of spring wheat
      genotypes and about a year in case of winter wheat genotypes.

PMID- 28913804
TI  - Doubled Haploid Laboratory Protocol for Wheat Using Wheat-Maize Wide
      Hybridization.
AB  - In traditional wheat breeding, the uniformity of lines derived from a breeding
      population is obtained by repeated selfing from the F1 which takes several
      generations to reach homozygosity in loci controlling traits of interest. Using
      doubled haploid technology, however, it is possible to attain 100% homozygosity
      at all loci in a single generation and completely homogeneous breeding lines can
      be obtained in 1-2 years. Thus, doubled haploid technology may significantly
      reduce cultivar development time. Two major methods for producing wheat doubled
      haploids are androgenesis (anther culture and microspore culture) and embryo
      culture using wheat-maize wide hybridization, the latter being the most effective
      and widely used method. The method of wide hybridization between wheat and maize
      is laborious but is widely successful for rapidly obtaining homozygous lines.
      This technique includes six major steps: emasculation of the wheat flower;
      pollination of the emasculated flower with maize pollen; hormone treatment;
      embryo rescue; haploid plant regeneration in tissue culture medium; and
      chromosome doubling. It has been observed that the efficiency of doubled haploid
      production depends on both maize and wheat genotypes, good plant health and
      proper greenhouse conditions (without disease, insects, or drought stress), and
      proper conduct of all procedures. Therefore, the procedures may need minor
      modification in order to produce higher numbers of embryos, haploid green plants,
      and doubled haploid plants.

PMID- 28913805
TI  - Real-Time PCR for the Detection of Precise Transgene Copy Number in Wheat.
AB  - Despite the unceasing advances in genetic transformation techniques, the success
      of common delivery methods still lies on the behavior of the integrated
      transgenes in the host genome. Stability and expression of the introduced genes
      are influenced by several factors such as chromosomal location, transgene copy
      number and interaction with the host genotype. Such factors are traditionally
      characterized by Southern blot analysis, which can be time-consuming, laborious,
      and often unable to detect the exact copy number of rearranged transgenes. Recent
      research in crop field suggests real-time PCR as an effective and reliable tool
      for the precise quantification and characterization of transgene loci. This
      technique overcomes most problems linked to phenotypic segregation analysis and
      can analyze hundreds of samples in a day, making it an efficient method for
      estimating a gene copy number integrated in a transgenic line. This protocol
      describes the use of real-time PCR for the detection of transgene copy number in
      durum wheat transgenic lines by means of two different chemistries (SYBR(r) Green
      I dye and TaqMan(r) probes).

PMID- 28913806
TI  - Endogenous Reference Genes and Their Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assays for
      Genetically Modified Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Detection.
AB  - Endogenous reference genes (ERG) and their derivate analytical methods are
      standard requirements for analysis of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
      Development and validation of suitable ERGs is the primary step for establishing
      assays that monitoring the genetically modified (GM) contents in food/feed
      samples. Herein, we give a review of the ERGs currently used for GM wheat
      analysis, such as ACC1, PKABA1, ALMT1, and Waxy-D1, as well as their performances
      in GM wheat analysis. Also, we discussed one model for developing and validating
      one ideal RG for one plant species based on our previous research work.

PMID- 28913807
TI  - Phenotypic Characterization of Transgenic Wheat Lines Against Fungal Pathogens
      Puccinia triticina and Fusarium graminearum.
AB  - Leaf rust (LR) and Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Puccinia triticina and
      Fusarium graminearum, respectively, are among the most damaging fungal diseases
      challenging wheat production worldwide. Genetic resistance in combination with
      fungicide application has been the most widely employed approach to combat these
      fungal pathogens. Alternative approaches that could augment current practices are
      needed for the control of these devastating pathogens. To that end, we have
      recently shown that the extracellular expression of antifungal defensin MtDEF4.2
      from Medicago truncatula confers resistance to LR. Additionally, we show that
      expression of this defensin also provides Type II resistance to FHB under
      controlled growth chamber conditions. These findings have practical applications
      for control of these important fungal diseases in wheat. Here, we provide details
      on conducting LR and FHB bioassays of transgenic wheat lines in the growth
      chamber.

PMID- 28913808
TI  - Databases for Wheat Genomics and Crop Improvement.
AB  - The genomics revolution brought on by advances in high-throughput sequencing has
      led to the production of vast amounts of data. Databases play an essential role
      in storing and managing this information to make it available to researchers and
      crop breeders. This chapter provides an outline of how to use databases and tools
      for wheat genome research.

PMID- 28913809
TI  - High-Density SNP Genotyping Array for Hexaploid Wheat and Its Relatives.
AB  - A lack of genetic diversity between wheat breeding lines has been recognized as a
      significant block to future yield increases. Wheat breeding and prebreeding
      strategies are increasingly using material from wheat ancestors or wild relatives
      to reintroduce diversity. Where molecular markers are polymorphic between the
      host and introgressed material, they may be used to track the size and location
      of the introgressed material through generations of backcrossing. To generate
      markers for this purpose, sequence capture targeted resequencing was carried out
      for a range of wheat varieties, wheat relatives, and wheat progenitors. From
      these sequences, putative SNPs were identified and used to generate the Axiom(r)
      Wheat HD array. A selection of varieties representing a selection of elite wheat
      breeding material, progenitor species, and wild relatives were used to validate
      the array. The procedures used are described here in detail.

PMID- 28913810
TI  - Effect of nanoscale zero-valent iron confined in mesostructure on Escherichia
      coli.
AB  - Nanoscale zero-valent iron particles (NZVIs) confined in the mesochannels of SBA
      15 have superabilities in the remediation of contaminated groundwater. As a new
      kind of remediation nanomaterials, it is necessary to investigate the ecotoxicity
      of NZVIs/SBA-15 composites during their applications. In this study, we evaluated
      the toxicity of NZVIs/SBA-15 on Escherichia coli and proposed a possible
      mechanism. Compared with the bare NZVIs and SBA-15 surface-supported NZVIs at the
      same equivalent concentration of NZVIs (0.42 or 0.84 g/L), NZVIs/SBA-15
      composites had a minimal cytotoxicity on E. coli, though they had the smallest
      iron nanoparticle size, the largest zeta potential, and the best stability in
      water. The mechanism may be attributed to the protection of the mesochannels and
      the electrostatic hindrance resulting from the silica host that could keep NZVIs
      from directly contacting with the cell. Thus, NZVIs confined in the
      mesostructures can be safely used in the remediation of contaminated natural
      water.

PMID- 28913811
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Third Edition, Updates in the Approach to
      Early Management of a Neurological Emergency.
AB  - Emergency Neurologic Life Support (ENLS) is an educational program designed to
      provide users advisory instructions regarding management for the first few hours
      of a neurologic emergency. The content of the course is divided into 14 modules,
      each addressing a distinct category of neurological injury. The course is
      appropriate for practitioners and providers from various backgrounds who work in
      environments of variable medical complexity. The focus of ENLS is centered on a
      standardized treatment algorithm, checklists, to guide early patient care, and a
      structured format for communication of findings and concerns to other healthcare
      professionals. Certification and training in ENLS is hosted by the Neurocritical
      Care Society. This document introduces the concept of ENLS and describes
      revisions that constitute the third version.

PMID- 28913812
TI  - Theory of liquid crystal elastomers and polymer networks : Connection between
      neoclassical theory and differential geometry.
AB  - In liquid crystal elastomers and polymer networks, the orientational order of
      liquid crystals is coupled with elastic distortions of crosslinked polymers.
      Previous theoretical research has described these materials through two different
      approaches: a neoclassical theory based on the liquid crystal director and the
      deformation gradient tensor, and a geometric elasticity theory based on the
      difference between the actual metric tensor and a reference metric. Here, we
      connect those two approaches using a formalism based on differential geometry.
      Through this connection, we determine how both the director and the geometry
      respond to a change of temperature.

PMID- 28913813
TI  - Pharmacotherapy Pearls for Emergency Neurological Life Support.
AB  - The appropriate use of medications during Emergency Neurological Life Support
      (ENLS) is essential to optimize patient care. Important considerations when
      choosing the appropriate agent include the patient's organ function and
      medication allergies, potential adverse drug effects, drug interactions and
      critical illness and aging pathophysiologic changes. Critical medications used
      during ENLS include hyperosmolar therapy, anticonvulsants, antithrombotics,
      anticoagulant reversal and hemostatic agents, anti-shivering agents,
      neuromuscular blockers, antihypertensive agents, sedatives, vasopressors and
      inotropes, and antimicrobials. This article focuses on the important
      pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics characteristics, advantages and
      disadvantages and clinical pearls of these therapies, providing practitioners
      with essential drug information to optimize pharmacotherapy in acutely ill
      neurocritical care patients.

PMID- 28913814
TI  - Child with Abdominal Pain.
AB  - Abdominal pain is one of the common symptoms reported by children in urgent care
      clinics. While most children tend to have self-limiting conditions, the treating
      pediatrician should watch out for underlying serious causes like intestinal
      obstruction and perforation peritonitis, which require immediate referral to an
      emergency department (ED). Abdominal pain may be secondary to surgical or non
      surgical causes, and will differ as per the age of the child. The common
      etiologies for abdominal pain presenting to an urgent care clinic are acute
      gastro-enteritis, constipation and functional abdominal pain; however, a variety
      of extra-abdominal conditions may also present as abdominal pain. Meticulous
      history taking and physical examination are the best tools for diagnosis, while
      investigations have a limited role in treating benign etiologies.

PMID- 28913815
TI  - Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Analysis of Cisplatin with Hydration and Mannitol
      Diuresis: The Contribution of Urine Cisplatin Concentration to Nephrotoxicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Forced diuresis, high-volume hydration with diuresis,
      is widely used as a prophylactic treatment against cisplatin nephrotoxicity.
      However, the details of the underlying mechanisms and the optimal protocol of
      forced diuresis remain unclear. The present study investigated the alterations in
      pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (nephrotoxicity) of cisplatin with forced
      diuresis treatment. METHODS: Cisplatin (5 mg/kg) was intravenously injected to
      rats (5 rats/group, except for control group in pharmacodynamic study, n = 13)
      treated with or without forced diuresis 2-h pre- and post-hydration with 10%
      mannitol at different infusion rates (0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mL/h). The unbound
      cisplatin concentrations in plasma and urine, and the platinum amount in the
      kidney were monitored in the pharmacokinetic studies. The plasma creatinine
      concentration was evaluated as an index of nephrotoxicity in the pharmacodynamic
      studies. RESULTS: Forced diuresis treatment did not significantly alter the
      plasma cisplatin pharmacokinetics but dramatically decreased the urine
      concentration of unbound cisplatin and its accumulation into the kidneys in a
      dose-dependent manner, and correspondingly, nephrotoxicity was dose-dependently
      attenuated by forced diuresis. The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis
      suggested that the urine cisplatin concentration has a comparable impact on the
      cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity to that in plasma, probably owing to the
      reabsorption of cisplatin from urine, which can be attenuated by forced diuresis.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that the nephroprotective effect of forced
      diuresis is a pharmacokinetic-based drug-drug interaction possibly due to the
      inhibition of cisplatin reabsorption from urine. Monitoring of urine cisplatin
      concentration may lead to the optimization of a forced diuresis protocol with
      mannitol.

PMID- 28913817
TI  - Return-to-Play in 2017 and the Role of Shared Decision-Making in Patients with
      Inherited and Acquired Channelopathies and Cardiomyopathies.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Shared decision-making is based upon a physician-patient
      encounter in which there is adequate education using aids if needed, a mutual
      discussion of how to assist the patient in weighing risks and benefits, and a
      supportive environment that allows the patient to deliberate on the clinical
      decision and make their own choice. This decision-making paradigm centers on the
      principles of autonomy and self-determination. Physical activity is a critical
      part of healthy lifestyle choices that helps lower risk of cardiovascular disease
      or the progression of it. Exercise is also a significant contributor to quality
      of life in many patients in additional to the health benefits. In patients with
      inherited or acquired cardiovascular disease, exercise may increase risk of
      electrical and hemodynamic instability. There is a paucity of data to guide
      physicians and committees that create guidelines regarding athletic and fitness
      participation in these patients, particularly when the patient wants to
      participate in those activities that are considered moderate-severe in intensity.
      As a consequence, the principles of shared decision-making are critical for
      physicians to use to help patients with cardiovascular disease make the best
      decision regarding fitness participation that will minimize their risk of new
      disease or progression of their disease and enhance their quality of life.

PMID- 28913816
TI  - Re-visiting the Endocannabinoid System and Its Therapeutic Potential in Obesity
      and Associated Diseases.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of the review was to revisit the possibility of
      the endocannabinoid system being a therapeutic target for the treatment of
      obesity by focusing on the peripheral roles in regulating appetite and energy
      metabolism. RECENT FINDINGS: Previous studies with the global cannabinoid
      receptor blocker rimonabant, which has both central and peripheral properties,
      showed that this drug has beneficial effects on cardiometabolic function but
      severe adverse psychiatric side effects. Consequently, focus has shifted to
      peripherally restricted cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor blockers as possible
      therapeutic agents that mitigate or eliminate the untoward effects in the central
      nervous system. Targeting the endocannabinoid system using novel peripheral CB1
      receptor blockers with negligible penetrance across the blood-brain barrier may
      prove to be effective therapy for obesity and its co-morbidities. Perhaps the
      future of blockers targeting CB1 receptors will be tissue-specific neutral
      antagonists (e.g., skeletal muscle specific to treat peripheral insulin
      resistance, adipocyte-specific to treat fat excess, liver-specific to treat fatty
      liver and hepatic insulin resistance).

PMID- 28913818
TI  - A Spectroscopic Study of Interaction of Auricyanide with n-Acetylcysteine.
AB  - Interaction of auricyanide, an important metabolite of anti-arthritic gold-based
      drug auranofin, was studied in vitro with a pharmacologically active ligand n
      acetylcysteine with a view to understand reactivity of gold in vivo. Formation of
      reduction product aurocyanide occurred through mono- and di-n-acetylcysteine
      substituted intermediates. The product and intermediates were identified and
      monitored spectrophotometrically and by electrospray ionization mass
      spectrometry. This study suggests successive substitution with n-acetylcysteine
      through trans effect. At equimolar concentrations of auricyanide and n
      acetylcysteine, only mono-substituted mixed-ligand complex was formed.
      Substitution of the data obtained to various kinetic models suggested that the
      reaction orders are 0.6 in terms of n-acetylcysteine, 1.5 in terms of
      auricyanide, and 2 overall. The intermediates detected in this work may help to
      synthesize more effective and less toxic gold drugs.

PMID- 28913819
TI  - Emergency Neurologic Life Support: Spinal Cord Compression.
AB  - There are many causes of acute myelopathy including multiple sclerosis, systemic
      disease, and acute spinal cord compression (SCC). SCC should be among the first
      potential causes considered given the significant permanent loss of neurologic
      function commonly associated with SCC. This impairment can occur over a short
      period of time, and may be avoided through rapid and acute surgical intervention.
      Patients with SCC typically present with a combination of motor and sensory
      dysfunction that has a distribution referable to a spinal level. Bowel and
      bladder dysfunction and neck or back pain may also be part of the clinical
      presentation, but are not uniformly present. Because interventions are critically
      time-sensitive, the recognition and treatment of SCC was chosen as an ENLS
      protocol.

PMID- 28913820
TI  - Is Ribavirin Teratogenic in Humans? No Evidence So Far.

PMID- 28913821
TI  - Erratum to: Foreword to the special issue "Electroporation for biomedical
      applications".

PMID- 28913822
TI  - Improved Glycemic Control in a Patient Group Performing 7-Point Profile Self
      Monitoring of Blood Glucose and Intensive Data Documentation: An Open-Label,
      Multicenter, Observational Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Regular self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is recommended as
      an integral part of therapy for all patients with diabetes treated with insulin.
      In the current study, the effects on glycemic control of taking 7-point SMBG
      profiles and using a diabetes management system (DMA) on a smartphone were
      investigated. METHODS: In a 12-week, open-label, multicenter, observational
      study, 51 patients [26 with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and 25 with type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM)] were instructed to perform SMBG at least seven times a
      day using DMA combined with the iBGStar (r) SMBG system. HbA1c was measured at
      regular visits to the study sites. Patients reviewed and managed their data as
      well as their treatment on their own and there were no further assistance or
      treatment recommendations. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded throughout.
      RESULTS: Overall, mean (SD) change from baseline in HbA1c at week 12 was -0.46
      (0.57)% [-5 (6) mmol/mol (p < 0.0001)]. The change in HbA1c was observed in
      patients with T1DM [-0.27 (0.45)% (-3 [5] mmol/mol; p = 0.0063)] and T2DM [-0.65
      (0.62)% (-7 [7] mmol/mol; p < 0.0001)]. The change in HbA1c was not correlated
      with an increased number of hypoglycemic events (blood glucose less than 55
      mg/dL). The majority of AEs were symptomatic hypoglycemic events (42 events; nine
      patients). CONCLUSIONS: Glycemic control can be improved, without receiving any
      recommendations or advice on insulin dose, by performing daily 7-point SMBG
      profiles and using electronic documentation with a smartphone app. These results
      must be confirmed in a larger controlled trial, but they already strengthen the
      importance of structured SMBG in diabetes therapy. FUNDING: Sanofi.

PMID- 28913823
TI  - Dietary patterns as a red flag for higher risk of eating disorders among female
      teenagers with and without type I diabetes mellitus : Adolescents with type I
      diabetes mellitus are a risk factor for eating disorders: a case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Female adolescents with type I diabetes mellitus (TIDM) have an
      increased risk of developing eating disorders (ED) due to the dietary
      recommendations. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the association between dietary intake
      and increased risk of ED. METHODS: Case-control study with 50 T1DM female
      adolescents (11-16 years) and 100 healthy peers (CG). Measures included food
      frequency questionnaire (FFQ-PP), Child-EDE.12, economic and anthropometric data.
      RESULTS: Comparing female adolescents with T1DM vs CG, the first had higher
      intake of: bread, cereal, rice, and pasta (29.7 vs 23.8%, p = 0.001), vegetables
      (6.5 vs 2.8%, p < 0.001), milk yogurt and cheese (9.9 vs 7.6%, p = 0.032), fat,
      and oils (8.2 vs 5.9%, p = 0.003), besides higher fiber intake (19.2 vs 14.7%, p
      = 0.006) and lower consumption of sweets (13.6 vs 30.7%, p < 0.001). No
      differences on ED psychopathology (Child-EDE subscales and global score) were
      found between groups. In unadjusted association between the ED psychopathology
      and dietary intake, a diet rich in fiber was significantly associated with both
      the global and eating concern scores. Among CG, increased intake of meat,
      poultry, fish, and eggs and decreased bread, cereal, rice, and pasta consumption
      were significantly associated with higher ED psychopathology. When BMI and age
      are adjusted, the association between fiber intake and ED psychopathology is no
      longer significant among diabetic participants; however, in the CG, this
      association remains. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that an association between
      dietary intake and ED psychopathology might exist in female adolescents with and
      without TIDM and that careful evaluation of the dietary profile and risk of
      developing an ED should be considered in clinical practice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level III, case-control study.

PMID- 28913824
TI  - A randomised controlled trial of consumption of dark chocolate in pregnancy to
      reduce pre-eclampsia: Difficulties in recruitment, allocation and adherence.
AB  - In 2013-2014 we undertook a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to determine
      whether the daily ingestion of dark chocolate during pregnancy could reduce the
      incidence of pre-eclampsia in primigravidae. However, after two years we had not
      succeeded in recruiting more than 3.5% of the number of participants required to
      answer the research question, and the trial was halted. We also reviewed the
      literature on this topic and found it to be limited. We report here our findings
      and discuss the difficulties facing researchers in this area.

PMID- 28913825
TI  - A Nursing Intervention Increases Quality of Life and Self-Efficacy in Migraine: A
      1-Year Prospective Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the impact of a combined nursing and medical approach to a
      medical follow-up only on headache outcomes, quality of life, and self-efficacy
      in a cohort of migraineurs. BACKGROUND: Interdisciplinary approaches have been
      proposed for migraine management. A nursing intervention could improve patient
      outcomes. METHODS: We prospectively studied new patients referred to our tertiary
      headache center for migraine. The control group was followed by a physician; the
      active group was also followed by a nurse with a personalized intervention
      including adaptation of the lifestyle. RESULTS: Two hundred patients (176 women
      and 24 men, mean age 40 years old) were included and classified according to
      headache frequency. Each group was followed for 12 months with daily headache
      diaries. One hundred and sixty-two completed the study. There were no significant
      differences between groups for the decrease in headache days, the percent of
      chronic patients reverting to episodic status or the cessation of medication
      overuse. Patients in the control group were more likely to find a successful
      prophylaxis (55.6 vs 27.7%, P = .002). Despite this, the mean decrease in HIT-6
      scores at month 8 was 5.23 +/- 9.18 for the active group compared with a decrease
      of 2.10 +/- 9.27 for the control group (P = .030, clinically significant
      difference of 3.13). Headache Management Self-Efficacy Scale (HMSE) scores,
      representing the feeling of self-efficacy, increased by 14.35 +/- 18.41 for the
      active group vs 4.69 +/- 21.22 in the control group (P = .002). CONCLUSION: A
      nursing intervention can lower the impact of migraines on the patient's life. The
      improvement in the HIT-6 score in this study was correlated with improvements in
      self-efficacy.

PMID- 28913826
TI  - Modeling Tolerance Development for the Effect on Heart Rate of the Selective S1P1
      Receptor Modulator Ponesimod.
AB  - Ponesimod is a selective sphingosine-1-phosphate-1 (S1P1 ) receptor modulator
      currently under investigation for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. S1P
      receptor modulators reduce heart rate following treatment initiation. This effect
      disappears with repeated dosing, enabling development of innovative uptitration
      regimens to optimize patient safety. There are currently no published
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models describing the heart rate reduction of S1P
      receptor modulators in humans. The model developed here provides quantification
      of this effect for ponesimod. A direct-effect Imax model with estimated maximum
      reduction of 45%, tolerance development, and circadian variation best described
      this effect. The pooled data from nine clinical studies enabled characterization
      of interindividual variability. The model was used to simulate different
      treatment regimens to compare the effect of high initial doses vs. gradual
      uptitration with respect to the occurrence of bradycardia. The results indicate a
      better safety profile when using gradual uptitration. The model allows studying
      dosing regimens not clinically tested in silico.

PMID- 28913827
TI  - When More Is Less: An Exploratory Study of the Precautionary Reporting Bias and
      Its Impact on Safety Signal Detection.
AB  - Concerns have been expressed that large numbers of nonvalue-added reports have
      been accumulating in adverse drug reaction (ADR) databases, for example, via
      patient support programs. We performed an assessment of the impact of such
      reports, which we refer to as "precautionary reports," on safety signal detection
      in the Netherlands. The case narratives of ADR reports of three case products
      were screened with text-mining algorithms to identify those reports that lack a
      causal relationship with the suspected medicinal product. We demonstrate that
      precautionary reports impede the optimal use of the pharmacovigilance system by,
      on the one hand, masking safety signals and, on the other hand, creating spurious
      signals. The precautionary reporting bias and its suppressing effect on
      statistical signal detection results in an altered adverse event safety profile.
      The findings from this study highlight the need for a better alignment between
      regulatory authorities and marketing authorization holders regarding
      pharmacovigilance guidelines.

PMID- 28913828
TI  - Diet and body shape changes of paroko Kelloggella disalvoi (Gobiidae) from
      intertidal pools of Easter Island.
AB  - This study assesses seasonal variation in the morphology and diet of juveniles
      and adults of the Easter Island endemic goby Kelloggella disalvoi from intertidal
      pools during September-October 2015 (spring) and June-July 2016 (winter),
      utilizing geometric morphometric and gut-content analyses. A set of 16 landmarks
      was digitized in 128 individuals. Shape changes related to size changes (i.e.
      allometry) were low (18.6%) and were seasonally similar. Body shape changes were
      mainly dorsoventral (44.2% of variance) and comprised posteroventral displacement
      of the premaxilla and bending of the body. The latter included vertical
      displacement of the anterior portion of the first and second dorsal fins and the
      entire base of the caudal fin. Diets mainly comprised developmental stages of
      harpacticoid copepods (from eggs to adults), ostracods, isopods, gastropods and
      bivalves. Also, trophic niche breadth remained constant throughout development
      and did not vary between seasons. Nonetheless, significant dietary differences
      were detected in specimens collected during spring (main prey items: harpacticoid
      copepods and copepod eggs) and winter (harpacticoid copepods and copepod
      nauplii). Finally, there was weak but significant covariation between diet and
      morphology: molluscivores were characterized by having an inferior mouth gape,
      whereas planktivores had an anteriorly directed premaxilla.

PMID- 28913829
TI  - A Retrospective Examination of Child Protection Involvement Among Young Adults
      Accessing Homelessness Services.
AB  - Childhood maltreatment is associated with a variety of young adult adversities
      including homelessness. This study used linked administrative records to develop
      a population-level, epidemiological characterization of the child protection
      histories of young adults accessing homelessness services. The records of all 17-
      to 24-year-olds receiving homeless services between 2011 and 2014 in San
      Francisco County, California (n = 2241) were probabilistically linked to
      statewide child protective service (CPS) records. Findings document that 50.0% of
      young adults had been reported for maltreatment at least once during childhood,
      yet the prevalence of past CPS involvement varied across demographic and child
      welfare characteristics. Homeless female youth were significantly more likely to
      have a CPS history than male youth (58.1% vs. 41.5%). Nearly twice as many Black
      clients accessing homelessness services had a CPS history as did White clients
      (59.8% vs. 31.8%). Roughly half (47.3%) of those with a childhood history of
      reported maltreatment had been last reported for maltreatment in another
      California county. Targeting services that address past trauma and instability
      among homeless young adults may be justified given the prevalence of CPS history
      in this population.

PMID- 28913830
TI  - Ontogenesis of opercular deformities in gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata: a
      histological description.
AB  - The aim of this study was to characterize histological changes during opercular
      osteogenesis in farmed gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata larvae from 7 to 69 days
      post hatching (dph) and compare normal osteogenesis with that of deformed
      opercles. Mild opercular deformities were first detected in 19 dph larvae by
      folding of the opercle's distal edge into the gill chamber. Here, the variation
      in the phenotype and the irregular bone structure at the curled part of the
      opercles is described and compared with the histology of normal opercles. Results
      indicated that deformed opercles still undergo bone growth with the addition of
      new matrix by osteoblasts at the opercular surface, especially at its edges. No
      significant difference was found in bone thickness between deformed and normal
      opercles. In addition to differences in bone architecture, differences in
      collagen fibre thickness between normal and deformed opercles were also found.

PMID- 28913832
TI  - Corrigendum: Rapid and visual Chlamydia trachomatis detection using loop-mediated
      isothermal amplification and hydroxynaphthol blue.

PMID- 28913831
TI  - Asymmetry between ON and OFF alpha ganglion cells of mouse retina: integration of
      signal and noise from synaptic inputs.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Bipolar and amacrine cells presynaptic to the ON sustained alpha cell
      of mouse retina provide currents with a higher signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR)
      than those presynaptic to the OFF sustained alpha cell. Yet the ON cell loses
      proportionately more SNR from synaptic inputs to spike output than the OFF cell
      does. The higher SNR of ON bipolar cells at the beginning of the ON pathway
      compensates for losses incurred by the ON ganglion cell, and improves the
      processing of positive contrasts. ABSTRACT: ON and OFF pathways in the retina
      include functional pairs of neurons that, at first glance, appear to have
      symmetrically similar responses to brightening and darkening, respectively. Upon
      careful examination, however, functional pairs exhibit asymmetries in receptive
      field size and response kinetics. Until now, descriptions of how light-adapted
      retinal circuitry maintains a preponderance of signal over the noise have not
      distinguished between ON and OFF pathways. Here I present evidence of marked
      asymmetries between members of a functional pair of sustained alpha ganglion
      cells in the mouse retina. The ON cell exhibited a proportionately greater loss
      of signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR) from its presynaptic arrays to its
      postsynaptic currents. Thus the ON cell combines signal and noise from its
      presynaptic arrays of bipolar and amacrine cells less efficiently than the OFF
      cell does. Yet the inefficiency of the ON cell is compensated by its presynaptic
      arrays providing a higher SNR than the arrays presynaptic to the OFF cell,
      apparently to improve visual processing of positive contrasts. Dynamic clamp
      experiments were performed that introduced synaptic conductances into ON and OFF
      cells. When the amacrine-modulated conductance was removed, the ON cell's spike
      train exhibited an increase in SNR. The OFF cell, however, showed the opposite
      effect of removing amacrine input, which was a decrease in SNR. Thus ON and OFF
      cells have different modes of synaptic integration with direct effects on the SNR
      of the spike output.

PMID- 28913833
TI  - Symptom trajectories throughout two family therapy treatments for adolescent
      anorexia nervosa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the trajectory of symptom remission and
      affective functioning throughout the course of two family-based treatments for
      adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN): conjoint family-based treatment (FBT) and
      parent-focused treatment (PFT). METHOD: Participants were 107 adolescents (Mage 
      = 15.5 years, SD = 1.5) with a primary diagnosis of AN who participated in a
      randomized clinical trial comparing FBT (N = 55) and PFT (N = 51). Patient weight
      and self-reported assessments of dietary restraint and positive and negative
      affect were recorded at regular intervals throughout treatment. RESULTS:
      Multilevel models revealed increases in weight (beta = 0.33, p < .001) and
      positive affect (beta = 0.03, p < .001), and decreases in dietary restraint (beta
      = -0.03, p < .001) and negative affect (beta = -0.04, p < .001) over the course
      of treatment. No significant effects emerged by treatment type. DISCUSSION: These
      findings suggest that PFT may bring about comparable trajectories of weight gain
      and reduced dietary restraint as conjoint FBT, despite adolescents not being
      directly involved in treatment. These findings also highlight that the
      exclusively behavioral focus throughout both PFT and FBT is associated with
      significant increments in positive affect and significant reductions in negative
      affect.

PMID- 28913834
TI  - Which children and young people are excluded from school? Findings from a large
      British birth cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
      (ALSPAC).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exclusion from school is increasingly recognized as pertinent to
      child health. National educational data reveal that boys, children who are looked
      after, living in poverty, have special educational needs, or from certain ethnic
      minorities, are disproportionately excluded from school. As population-based data
      on the wider characteristics of excluded children are scarce, we aimed to
      describe predictors of school exclusion in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents
      and Children. METHOD: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a
      prospective U.K. population-based birth cohort study, collected parent reports of
      permanent school exclusions by 8 years and parent and self-reports of permanent
      and fixed-term exclusions in the preceding 12 months at 16 years. Potential risk
      factors were examined for associations with exclusion using logistic regression,
      with a focus on child mental health and neurodevelopment. RESULTS: Analyses were
      based on all available data on 53/8,245 (0.6%) pupils excluded from school by 8
      years and 390/4,482 (8.7%) at 16 years. Key factors associated with exclusion at
      both time points included male gender, lower socio-economic status, maternal
      psychopathology, mental health and behavioural difficulties, psychiatric
      disorder, social communication difficulties, language difficulties, antisocial
      activities, bullying/being bulled, lower parental engagement with education, low
      school engagement, poor relationship with teacher, low educational attainment,
      and special educational needs (all p < .05). CONCLUSION: Exclusion from school
      was associated with child, family and school-related factors identifiable at, or
      prior to, primary school age. Child health professionals have an important role
      in the holistic, multidisciplinary assessment of children who are at risk of
      exclusion from school. Mental health and neurodevelopmental difficulties should
      be recognized and supported, to improve the health and educational outcomes among
      this vulnerable group.

PMID- 28913835
TI  - Retributive justifications for jail diversion of individuals with mental
      disorder.
AB  - Jail diversion programs have proliferated across the United States as a means to
      decrease the incarceration of individuals with mental illnesses. These programs
      include pre-adjudication initiatives, such as crisis intervention teams, as well
      as post-adjudication programs, such as mental health courts and specialized
      probationary services. Post-adjudication programs often operate at the point of
      sentencing, so their comportment with criminal justice norms is crucial. This
      article investigates whether and under what circumstances post-adjudication
      diversion for offenders with serious mental illnesses may cohere with principles
      of retributive justice. Key tenets of retributive theory are that punishments
      must not be inhumane and that their severity must be proportionate to an
      offender's desert. Three retributive rationales could justify jail diversion for
      offenders with serious mental illnesses: reduced culpability, the avoidance of
      inhumane punishment, and the achievement of punishment of equal impact with
      similarly situated offenders. This article explores current proposals to
      effectuate these rationales, their manifestations in law, and how these
      considerations may impact decisions to divert individuals with serious mental
      illnesses from jail to punishment in the community.

PMID- 28913836
TI  - Female reproductive system morphology of crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and
      cryopreservation of genetic material for animal germplasm bank enrichment.
AB  - The sprawl of the urbanization and road network process without building
      ecological corridors contributes to the high mortality rates and a threat to the
      population decline of wild species such as the crab-eating fox. A strategy for
      the ex situ conservation is the study of the reproductive biology of the species
      and cryopreservation of their genetic heritage through the formation of an animal
      germplasm bank. This research is in accordance with the principles adopted by
      Brazilian College of Animal Experimentation. Reproductive systems of Cerdocyon
      thous females (n = 7) were examined macroscopically and microscopically by
      histological techniques and scanning electron microscopy. Gross features showed
      the shape of the ovaries was similar to a bean, and the elongated oviducts
      lengths were between 5 and 8 cm, with body of the uterus (3 cm) with long and
      narrow uterine horns (9-11 cm). The cervix was as a single annular conformation
      carrying out communication between the uterus and the vagina. The vagina has
      lengthened and circular muscle and the vulva with dense anatomical conformation
      with a quite pronounced clitoris. In addition, with regard to the establishment
      of a cell line (fibroblasts) for the gene bank enrichment, cells showed a low
      clonogenic capacity, especially when compared to domestic dogs, which can be
      explained by "in vitro" environment, age and diet of the animal. However, it was
      possible to create a bank of limited cell number. This study had morphological
      and preservationist character and aimed to help at long term in the conservation
      of wild animal's genetic resources.

PMID- 28913837
TI  - Practical recommendations for reporting Fine-Gray model analyses for competing
      risk data.
AB  - In survival analysis, a competing risk is an event whose occurrence precludes the
      occurrence of the primary event of interest. Outcomes in medical research are
      frequently subject to competing risks. In survival analysis, there are 2 key
      questions that can be addressed using competing risk regression models: first,
      which covariates affect the rate at which events occur, and second, which
      covariates affect the probability of an event occurring over time. The cause
      specific hazard model estimates the effect of covariates on the rate at which
      events occur in subjects who are currently event-free. Subdistribution hazard
      ratios obtained from the Fine-Gray model describe the relative effect of
      covariates on the subdistribution hazard function. Hence, the covariates in this
      model can also be interpreted as having an effect on the cumulative incidence
      function or on the probability of events occurring over time. We conducted a
      review of the use and interpretation of the Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard
      model in articles published in the medical literature in 2015. We found that many
      authors provided an unclear or incorrect interpretation of the regression
      coefficients associated with this model. An incorrect and inconsistent
      interpretation of regression coefficients may lead to confusion when comparing
      results across different studies. Furthermore, an incorrect interpretation of
      estimated regression coefficients can result in an incorrect understanding about
      the magnitude of the association between exposure and the incidence of the
      outcome. The objective of this article is to clarify how these regression
      coefficients should be reported and to propose suggestions for interpreting these
      coefficients.

PMID- 28913838
TI  - Simultaneous acquisition of perfusion image and dynamic MR angiography using time
      encoded pseudo-continuous ASL.
AB  - PURPOSE: Both dynamic magnetic resonance angiography (4D-MRA) and perfusion
      imaging can be acquired by using arterial spin labeling (ASL). While 4D-MRA
      highlights large vessel pathology, such as stenosis or collateral blood flow
      patterns, perfusion imaging provides information on the microvascular status.
      Therefore, a complete picture of the cerebral hemodynamic condition could be
      obtained by combining the two techniques. Here, we propose a novel technique for
      simultaneous acquisition of 4D-MRA and perfusion imaging using time-encoded
      pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling. METHODS: The time-encoded pseudo
      continuous arterial spin labeling module consisted of a first subbolus that was
      optimized for perfusion imaging by using a labeling duration of 1800 ms, whereas
      the other six subboli of 130 ms were used for encoding the passage of the labeled
      spins through the arterial system for 4D-MRA acquisition. After the entire
      labeling module, a multishot 3D turbo-field echo-planar-imaging readout was
      executed for the 4D-MRA acquisition, immediately followed by a single-shot,
      multislice echo-planar-imaging readout for perfusion imaging. The optimal
      excitation flip angle for the 3D turbo-field echo-planar-imaging readout was
      investigated by evaluating the image quality of the 4D-MRA and perfusion images
      as well as the accuracy of the estimated cerebral blood flow values. RESULTS:
      When using 36 excitation radiofrequency pulses with flip angles of 5 or 7.5
      degrees , the saturation effects of the 3D turbo-field echo-planar-imaging
      readout on the perfusion images were relatively moderate and after correction,
      there were no statistically significant differences between the obtained cerebral
      blood flow values and those from traditional time-encoded pseudo-continuous
      arterial spin labeling. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that simultaneous
      acquisition of 4D-MRA and perfusion images can be achieved by using time-encoded
      pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling. Magn Reson Med 79:2676-2684, 2018. (c)
      2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28913839
TI  - Long-term Stability of a Compounded Suspension of Torsemide (5 mg/mL) for Oral
      Administration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Torsemide use for congestive heart failure (CHF) has been reported,
      but prescription frequency is unknown. Commercially available tablet sizes in
      North America limit dosing precision, indicating a need to evaluate its strength
      and stability in suspension. OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of torsemide
      prescriptions and to determine a beyond use date (BUD) of a compounded suspension
      of torsemide for oral administration stored under 2 temperature conditions for 90
      days. ANIMALS: No animals used. METHODS: Pharmacy records were retrospectively
      reviewed for torsemide and furosemide prescriptions from 2008 to 2015 at 2
      veterinary referral centers. After preliminary strength testing, compounded
      torsemide suspension (5 mg/mL) for oral administration was prepared using
      torsemide tablets suspended in OraPlus:OraSweet 1:1, buffered to a pH of 8.3 and
      stored at refrigeration (2-8 degrees C) and room temperature (20-25 degrees C) in
      2 oz amber plastic bottles. Samples were analyzed by reverse phase high
      performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) on days 0, 14, 30, 60, and 90.
      RESULTS: Prescriptions for torsemide increased from 2008 to 2015. Analysis of the
      torsemide 5 mg/mL suspension for oral administration at each time point met
      United States Pharmacopeia (USP) requirements for torsemide content of 90-110% of
      label claim. The average strength at 90 days decreased to 92 +/- 3% at 2-8
      degrees C and 95 +/- 2% at 20-25 degrees C. Stability testing did not detect
      unknown impurities. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing torsemide use warrants availability
      of a validated and stable compounded formulation. Our results support the
      assignment of a 90-day BUD for torsemide 5 mg/mL suspension for oral
      administration compounded in OraPlus:Sweet 1:1 buffered to a pH of 8.3.

PMID- 28913840
TI  - Loss of regulatory characteristics in CD4+ CD25+/hi T cells induced by impaired
      transforming growth factor beta secretion in pneumoconiosis.
AB  - Pneumoconiosis is caused by the accumulation of airborne dust in the lung, which
      stimulates a progressive inflammatory response that ultimately results in lung
      fibrosis and respiratory failure. It is possible that regulatory cells in the
      immune system could function to suppress inflammation and possibly slow or
      reverse disease progression. However, results in this study suggest that in
      pneumoconiosis patients, the regulatory T cells (Tregs) and B cells are
      functionally impaired. First, we found that pneumoconiosis patients presented an
      upregulation of CD4+ CD25+ T cells compared to controls, whereas the CD4+ CD25+
      and CD4+ CD25hi T cells were enriched with Th1- and Th17-like cells but not Foxp3
      expressing Treg cells and evidenced by significantly higher T-bet, interferon
      (IFN)-gamma, and interleukin (IL)-17 expression but lower Foxp3 and transforming
      growth factor (TGF)-beta expression. Regarding the CD4+ CD25hi T-cell subset, the
      frequency of this cell type in pneumoconiosis patients was significantly reduced
      compared to controls, together with a reduction in Foxp3 and TGF-beta and an
      enrichment in T-bet, RORgammat, IFN-gamma, and IL-17. This skewing toward Th1 and
      Th17 types of inflammation could be driven by monocytes and B cells, since after
      depleting CD14+ monocytes and CD19+ B cells, the levels of IFN-gamma and IL-17
      were significantly decreased. Whole peripheral blood mononuclear cells and
      isolated monocytes and B cells in pneumoconiosis patients also presented reduced
      capacity of TGF-beta secretion. Furthermore, monocytes and B cells from
      pneumoconiosis patients presented reduced capacity in inducing Foxp3
      upregulation, a function that could be rescued by exogenous TGF-beta. Together,
      these data indicated a potential pathway for the progression of pneumoconiosis
      through a loss of Foxp3+ Treg cells associated with impaired TGF-beta secretion.

PMID- 28913841
TI  - Diversion at re-entry using criminogenic CBT: Review and prototypical program
      development.
AB  - Society and the criminal justice system prioritize the reduction of reoffending
      risk as part of any criminal justice intervention. The Sequential Intercept Model
      identifies five points of interception at which justice-involved individuals can
      be diverted into a more rehabilitative alternative: (1) law enforcement/emergency
      services; (2) booking/initial court hearings; (3) jails/courts; (4) re-entry; and
      (5) community corrections/community support. The present article focuses on
      diversion as part of Intercept 5 - re-entry planning and specialized services in
      the community. We describe the challenges associated with diversion at this
      stage, and review the relevant research. Next, we describe a "criminogenic
      cognitive behavioral therapy" project that has been developed and implemented as
      part of a federal re-entry court. Finally, we discuss the implications of the
      challenges of intervention at this stage, and the recently developed "Re-entry
      Project," for research, policy, and practice.

PMID- 28913842
TI  - The updated grading system of prostate carcinoma: an inter-observer agreement
      study among general pathologists in an academic practice.
AB  - In 2016, the grading criteria for Gleason scoring (GS) have been updated in the
      WHO classification of tumors of the prostate, and a new set of grade groups (GG)
      was introduced. As the inter-observer discordance is a well-known concern in
      Gleason grading before the update and no reproducibility study testing the grade
      groups exists, we planned to evaluate the inter-observer agreement of the most
      updated grading system. Four pathologists assessed 126 cores of prostatic
      carcinoma, and Kappa (k) test was calculated. The agreements for both GS and GG
      were substantial (k = 0.753 and 0.752; respectively). Discerning GG 2 from 3 also
      attained reasonable outcome (k = 0.675). Based on our results, the updated
      grading system seems to be reproducible, with satisfactory inter-observer
      concordance rate.

PMID- 28913843
TI  - Food and functional dyspepsia: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a debilitating functional
      gastrointestinal disorder characterised by early satiety, post-prandial fullness
      or epigastric pain related to meals, which affects up to 20% of western
      populations. A high dietary fat intake has been linked to FD and duodenal
      eosinophilia has been noted in FD. We hypothesised that an allergen such as wheat
      is a risk factor for FD and that withdrawal will improve symptoms of FD. We aimed
      to investigate the relationship between food and functional dyspepsia. METHODS:
      Sixteen out of 6451 studies identified in a database search of six databases met
      the inclusion criteria of studies examining the effect of nutrients, foods and
      food components in adults with FD or FD symptoms. RESULTS: Wheat-containing foods
      were implicated in FD symptom induction in six studies, four of which were not
      specifically investigating gluten and two that were gluten-specific, with the
      implementation of a gluten-free diet demonstrating a reduction in symptoms.
      Dietary fat was associated with FD in all three studies that specifically
      measured this association. Specific foods reported as inducing symptoms were high
      in either natural food chemicals, high in fermentable carbohydrates or high in
      wheat/gluten. Caffeine was associated with FD in four studies, although any
      association with alcohol was uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: Wheat and dietary fats may
      play key roles in the generation of FD symptoms and reduction or withdrawal eased
      symptoms. Randomised trials investigating the roles of gluten, FODMAPs
      (fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide and polyols) and high
      fat ingestion and naturally occurring food chemicals in the generation of
      functional dyspepsia symptoms are warranted and further investigation of the
      mechanisms is now required.

PMID- 28913844
TI  - Synergetic Metals on Carbocatalyst Shungite.
AB  - The naturally occurring Palaeoproterozoic carbon mineral shungite is a complex
      raw carbon microporous matrix, loaded with a wide range of elements. Shungite
      exhibits a disordered and amorphous structure with highly irregular building
      blocks. Shungite incorporates metals in its structure; typically catalytic
      elements such Fe and Ni are present, as well as the toxic elements Pb and As at
      mg g-1 levels. We show here that incorporation of the metals in the carbon matrix
      of shungite leads into synergistic catalytic effect. We investigate the
      application of shungite in energy related electrochemical catalytic reactions,
      such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER),
      and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). All elements have a synergetic effect, thus
      contributing for shungite's interesting catalytic performance towards a different
      range of electrochemical reactions, outperforming other tested carbon allotropes,
      such as carbon black, metal loaded carbon nanotubes, fullerene, and glassy
      carbon. These findings have profound impact on the application of the natural
      carbon materials for catalysis.

PMID- 28913845
TI  - Urinary WT1-positive cells as a non-invasive biomarker of crescent formation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between
      urinary WT1-positive cells (podocytes and active parietal epithelial cells) and
      WT1-positive cells in renal biopsy to investigate whether urinary WT1-positive
      cells are useful for detection of crescent formation. METHODS: Fifty-two patients
      with kidney disease were investigated (15 cases with crescentic lesions and 37
      cases with non-crescentic lesions) for immunoenzyme staining using anti-WT1
      antibody for urine cytology and renal biopsy. Numbers of WT1-positive cells in
      urine and renal biopsy were counted. RESULTS: There was no correlation between
      urinary WT1-positive cells and WT1-positive cells in renal biopsy. However, the
      number of urinary WT1-positive cells in patients with crescentic lesions was
      significantly higher than in patients with non-crescentic lesions. In addition,
      the best cut-off value to detect patients with crescentic lesions using urinary
      was 5 cells/10-mL (area under the concentration-time curve=0.735). CONCLUSIONS:
      The results of our study suggest urinary WT1-positive cells can be used to detect
      patients with crescent formation using 5 cells/10-mL cutoff value. WT1-positive
      glomerular podocytes and parietal epithelial cells may be shed into urine in
      active glomerular disease. This study, investigating the relationship between WT1
      positive cells in urine and in the renal biopsy found no correlation; however,
      the results do suggest that, using a cutoff value of 5 cells/10 mL, WT1 positive
      urinary cells can be used to detect patients with crescent formation.

PMID- 28913846
TI  - Cardioprotective Effects of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Juice in Patients with
      Ischemic Heart Disease.
AB  - Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The purpose
      of this study was to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of pomegranate juice
      in patients with ischemic heart disease. One hundred patients, diagnosed with
      unstable angina or myocardial infarction, were randomly assigned to the test and
      the control groups (n = 50, each). During 5 days of hospitalization, in addition
      to the conventional medical therapies, the test groups received 220 mL
      pomegranate juice, daily. During the hospitalization period, the blood pressure,
      heart rate, as well as the intensity, occurrence, and duration of the angina were
      evaluated on a regular basis. At the end of the hospitalization period, the serum
      levels of malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were
      measured in all patients. The levels of serum troponin and high-sensitive C
      reactive protein levels were also assayed in patients diagnosed with myocardial
      infarction. Pomegranate juice caused significant reductions in the intensity,
      occurrence, and duration of angina pectoris in patients with unstable angina.
      Consistently, the test patients had significantly lower levels of serum troponin
      and malondialdehyde. Other studied parameters did not change significantly. The
      results of this study suggest protective effects of pomegranate juice against
      myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons,
      Ltd.

PMID- 28913847
TI  - Incidence, malignancy rates of diagnoses and cyto-histological correlations in
      the new Italian Reporting System for Thyroid Cytology: An institutional
      experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: FNA biopsy is considered as the most accurate method for the selection
      of patients with thyroid nodules that need for surgery or for the wait and see
      management. The aim of the present study is to clarify the risk of malignancy for
      the cytological data classified according to the 2014 Italian reporting system.
      METHODS: We report a retrospective analysis of 4043 patients in our institution's
      experience during the period April 2014 through December 2016 with the Italian
      reporting system for thyroid cytology. RESULTS: The diagnostic incidences of the
      4043 cases were as follows: 9.8% TIR1; 1.3% TIR1C; 70% TIR2; 6.6% TIR3A; 4.5%
      TIR3B; 2.4% TIR4; 5.2% TIR5. A repeated aspiration was carried out in 68 out of
      269 cases (25%) classified as TIR3A. A total of 407 cases with cytology underwent
      surgical resection. A malignant neoplasm was detected in 261 out of 407 (64%)
      cases. Regarding TIR3B, surgical excision was undertaken in 109 cases, which
      included 42 high-risk lesions and 67 Hurthle cell neoplasms. The risk of
      malignancy was significantly higher in the former compared to the latter (50% vs
      9%; P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: This investigation emphasises the reliability of the
      2014 Italian Reporting System concerning the mutual frequency of the diagnostic
      categories. The risk of malignancy is perfectly within the range of the estimated
      values.

PMID- 28913848
TI  - Effect of the duration of hospice and palliative care on the quality of dying and
      death in patients with terminal cancer: A nationwide multicentre study.
AB  - Early referral to hospice and palliative care (HPC) has significant benefits, but
      little is known about the appropriate time for referral. The purpose of this
      study of terminal cancer patients was to identify the most appropriate time for
      referral to HPC. Cross-sectional correlation study design was used. Participants
      were the bereaved relatives, who were the adult primary caregivers of the 1,829
      terminal cancer patients who died 2-6 months previously in nationwide centres
      that provide HPC in Korea. A post-bereavement survey (Good Death Inventory, GDI)
      of family caregivers was used to assess patients' quality of dying and death.
      Relative to patients who were in HPC for 3-7 days and HPC for 8-21 days, those in
      HPC for 22-84 days had significantly higher quality of dying. Propensity score
      matched comparison between the group hospitalised for 22-84 days (n = 65) and the
      group hospitalised for 85 days or longer (n = 65) showed no significant
      differences in all the items on quality of dying and death. Our results suggest
      that terminal cancer patients who stay in HPC at least for 22 days have improved
      quality of dying and death.

PMID- 28913849
TI  - Ethnic disparities in renal cell carcinoma: An analysis of Hispanic patients in a
      single-payer healthcare system.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites
      diagnosed with and treated for renal cell carcinoma in an equal access healthcare
      system. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective cohort study within the Kaiser
      Permanente healthcare system using records from renal cell carcinoma cases.
      Ethnicity was identified as Hispanic or non-Hispanic whites. Patient
      characteristics, comorbidities, tumor characteristics and treatment were
      compared. Overall and disease-specific survival was calculated, and a Cox
      proportion hazard model estimated the association of ethnicity and survival.
      RESULTS: A total of 2577 patients (2152 non-Hispanic whites, 425 Hispanic) were
      evaluated. Hispanics were diagnosed at a younger age (59.6 years vs 65.3 years).
      Clear cell renal cell carcinoma was more prevalent, whereas papillary renal cell
      carcinoma was less common among Hispanics. Hispanics had a lower American Joint
      Committee on Cancer stage (I/II vs III/IV) than non-Hispanic whites (67.4% vs
      62.2%). Hispanics were found to have a greater frequency of comorbidities, such
      as chronic kidney disease and diabetes, but were more likely to receive surgery.
      The presence of metastases, nodal involvement, increased tumor size, non-surgical
      management, increasing age and Hispanic ethnicity were independent predictors of
      worse cancer-specific outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Within an equal access healthcare
      system, Hispanics seem to be diagnosed at younger ages, to have greater
      comorbidities and to present more frequently with clear cell renal cell carcinoma
      compared with non-Hispanic white patients. Despite lower stage and greater
      receipt of surgery, Hispanic ethnicity seems to be an independent predictor of
      mortality. Further work is necessary to confirm these findings.

PMID- 28913850
TI  - Hyphenation of proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry with thermal analysis
      for monitoring the thermal degradation of retinyl acetate.
AB  - RATIONALE: The processing of retinyl acetate, a vitamin and biomarker, at high
      temperatures causes significant decomposition of the compound and thus loss of
      its activity. The rate of mass loss can be conveniently studied by
      thermogravimetry (TG). However, this technique generally fails to reveal which
      compounds have evolved from the compound. In this work we propose a new
      hyphenation approach to continuously monitor the thermal decomposition of retinyl
      acetate and follow the evolution of specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
      METHODS: Thermal degradation of retinyl acetate was followed by TG coupled to a
      direct injection mass spectrometer based on proton transfer reaction mass
      spectrometry (PTR-MS) to follow continuously the thermal decomposition of retinyl
      acetate. The results were also compared with those obtained by a second evolved
      gas analysis system based on the coupling of TG with FTIR. RESULTS: The TG
      results showed two main mass losses, at 180 degrees C and 350 degrees C. When the
      PTR-MS instrument was connected to the outlet of the TG instrument, specific
      fragment ions (m/z 43, 61, 75, 85 and 97) showed characteristic evolution
      profiles. The first mass loss was mainly associated with the release of acetic
      acid (m/z 43 and 61), whereas the second mass loss was connected with the
      degradation of the molecule backbone (m/z 43, 61, 75, 85 and 97). These results
      were substantially correlated with those achieved by TG coupled with FTIR,
      although PTR-MS showed superior performance in terms of the qualitative
      identification of specific fragments and better sensitivity toward complex
      organic VOCs. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed TG-PTR-MS technique shows a great
      potential for following in real time the thermal degradation of ingredients such
      as retinyl acetate and identifying compounds evolved at specific temperatures.

PMID- 28913851
TI  - Pathways to Housing Policy: Translating Research to Policy to Achieve Impact on
      Well Being.
AB  - Policy emerges from the legislative, agency, and practice levels and from several
      pathways, including litigation; high profile or tragic events; community-based
      service provision and practice innovations; and research evidence. This
      commentary places an emphasis throughout on discussions of the articles included
      in this issue. It explores pathways that influenced the development of housing
      policy targeting child and family well being and provides examples to illustrate
      each pathway. The article further highlights how research on housing and child
      well being has influenced policy and practice and notes gaps for further
      research. It concludes with suggestions for structuring research to more
      effectively assist policymakers to make informed decisions that achieve positive
      change for children, youth, and families.

PMID- 28913852
TI  - Testing support for the northern and southern dispersal routes out of Africa: an
      analysis of Levantine and southern Arabian populations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Northern Dispersal Route (NDR) and Southern Dispersal Route (SDR)
      are hypothesized to have been used by modern humans in the dispersal out of
      Africa. The NDR follows the Nile into Northeast Africa and crosses the Red Sea
      into the Levant. The SDR emerges from the Horn of Africa and crosses the Bab el
      Mandeb into southern Arabia. In this study, we analyze genetic data from
      populations living along the NDR and SDR to test support for each dispersal
      route. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We genotyped 90 Yemeni samples on the Affymetrix
      Human Origins array. We analyzed these data with published data from Levantine
      and other southern Arabian populations as well as 157 comparative populations for
      a total sample size of >550,000 genetic variants from >2,000 individuals in >160
      populations. We calculated outgroup f3 statistics to test how Levantine and
      southern Arabian populations relate to African populations living along the NDR
      and SDR and to other non-African populations. RESULTS: We find that Levantine and
      southern Arabian populations bear similar genetic relationships to both African
      and non-African populations, thus providing no support for the use of one
      dispersal route over the other. DISCUSSION: Our results are consistent with a
      history of gene flow between the Levant and southern Arabia. Consideration of
      genetic, archaeological, and paleoclimate data provide a slight edge for the SDR
      but, ultimately, more data are needed to definitively identify which dispersal
      route out of Africa was used.

PMID- 28913853
TI  - Dose Rationalization of Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab Using Pharmacokinetic
      Modeling and Simulation and Cost Analysis.
AB  - Pembrolizumab and nivolumab are highly selective anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD
      1) antibodies approved for the treatment of advanced malignancies. Variable
      exposure and significant wastage have been associated with body size dosing of
      monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The following dosing strategies were evaluated
      using simulations: body weight, dose banding, fixed dose, and pharmacokinetic
      (PK)-based methods. The relative cost to body weight dosing for band, fixed 150
      mg and 200 mg, and PK-derived strategies were -15%, -25%, + 7%, and -16% for
      pembrolizumab and -8%, -6%, and -10% for band, fixed, and PK-derived strategies
      for nivolumab, respectively. Relative to mg/kg doses, the median exposures were 
      1.0%, -4.6%, + 27.1%, and +3.0% for band, fixed 150 mg, fixed 200 mg, and PK
      derived strategies, respectively, for pembrolizumab and -3.1%, + 1.9%, and +1.4%
      for band, fixed 240 mg, and PK-derived strategies, respectively, for nivolumab.
      Significant wastage can be reduced by alternative dosing strategies without
      compromising exposure and efficacy.

PMID- 28913854
TI  - Preoperative ultraviolet B inflammation in skin: Modelling individual differences
      in acute postoperative pain and neuro-immune interactions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuroimmune interactions play a vital role in many of the most common
      pain conditions, such as arthritis. There have been many attempts to derive
      clinically predictive information from an individual's inflammatory response in
      order to gauge subsequent pain perception. OBJECTIVES: Here, we wanted to test
      whether this effort could be enhanced and complemented by the use of a model
      system which takes into account the function of not just circulating, but also
      tissue-resident immune cells: ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation of the skin.
      METHODS: We conducted psychophysical and transcriptional analysis of hyperalgesia
      arising as a result of UVB-induced inflammation in patients before total knee
      arthroplasty (TKA, n = 23). Levels of acute postoperative pain were assessed and
      correlated with preoperative data. RESULTS: Cytokine and chemokine responses
      after UVB irradiation were found to be inversely correlated with the level of
      pain experienced after surgery (Spearman's rho = -0.498). CONCLUSION: It may be
      possible to use this simple model to study and predict the nature of neuro-immune
      responses at more remote, clinically relevant sites. SIGNIFICANCE: A simple model
      of UVB inflammation in the skin might predict the degree of a patient's neuro
      immune response and the extent of their postoperative pain after total knee
      arthroplasty.

PMID- 28913855
TI  - Effect of Simulated Mastication on the Retention of Locator Attachments for
      Implant-Supported Overdentures: An In Vitro Pilot Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Limited information is currently available relative to the effect of
      masticatory loads on the retentive properties of Locator attachments. The aims of
      this in vitro study were to assess and compare the effect of simulated
      mastication on the retention of white, pink, and blue Locator inserts for
      overdentures retained by 2 implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty specimens
      simulating a nonanatomic edentulous flat ridge with two implants and an
      overdenture were divided into 3 groups according to the color of the fitted
      insert: transparent clear group (n = 10), pink group (n = 10), and blue group (n
      = 10). Retention forces were measured in an axial direction initially and after
      100,000 cycles of simulated masticatory loads. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's
      post hoc tests were used to compare retention values and percentage retention
      loss between the 3 groups with significance set at p = 0.05. RESULTS: The 3
      groups presented significant differences in retention at baseline (9.95 +/- 1.91
      N, 15.43 +/- 4.08 N, and 41.73 +/- 9.29 N for the blue, pink, and clear groups,
      respectively) and after simulated mastication (6.37 +/- 2.64 N, 14.00 +/- 3.89 N,
      38.20 +/- 5.11 N for the blue, pink, and clear groups, respectively). Within the
      same group, cyclic loading did not significantly affect retention in the clear
      and pink groups, while the blue inserts showed a significant retention loss (
      37%) after loading. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that short-term simulated
      mastication affects the extra-light blue inserts but not the more-retentive
      inserts.

PMID- 28913857
TI  - Dynamic Molecular Invasion into a Multiply Interlocked Catenane.
AB  - A multiply interlocked catenane with a novel molecular topology was synthesized;
      a phthalocyanine bearing four peripheral crown ethers was quadruply interlocked
      with a cofacial porphyrin dimer bridged with four alkylammonium chains. The
      supramolecular conjugate has two nanospaces surrounded by a porphyrin, a
      phthalocyanine, and four alkyl chains to accommodate guest molecules. Because the
      phthalocyanine can move along the alkyl chains, it acts as an adjustable wall,
      thus permitting the invasion of large molecules into the nanospaces without
      spoiling the affinity of the association. The dynamic molecular invasion allowed
      the intercalation of dianionic porphyrins into both nanospaces with high
      affinity. A photometric titration experiment revealed the two-step inclusion
      phenomenon. The multiply interlocked catenane complexed with three Cu2+ ions, and
      the spin-spin interaction was switched off by the intercalation of dianionic
      porphyrins.

PMID- 28913856
TI  - Multiplate and TEG platelet mapping in a population of severely injured trauma
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to compare thromboelastography
      platelet mapping (TEG PM) with impedance aggregometry (Multiplate, MP) in a
      single trauma population and relate their results clinically. BACKGROUND:
      Platelet function as measured by thromboelastography and impedance aggregometry
      demonstrates significant reductions that persist for days following traumatic
      injury. However, no study compares these devices and the correlation between them
      is not known. METHODS: In level 1 trauma patients, TEG PM and MP were conducted
      at their initial presentation to the emergency department. Within-device
      repeatability and between-device association were determined using correlation
      analyses. Demographic variables, Injury Severity Score, blood product
      transfusion, laboratory test results and mortality rate were recorded. RESULTS:
      Ninety-two patients were enrolled. Within-device repeatability was high for TEG
      PM and MP for arachidonic acid (AA) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) activation
      pathways. When comparing TEG PM with MP, results correlated poorly in the ADP
      pathway (Spearman's rho = 0.11, P = 0.44) and moderately in the AA pathway
      (Spearman's rho = 0.56, P < 0.0001). TEG PM was predictive of blood product
      transfusion and correlated with increased base deficit, whereas MP was only
      predictive of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-device variability was low for TEG PM
      and MP, but the two point-of-care devices measuring platelet function correlate
      poorly with each other in injured trauma patients. Each device also had different
      clinical associations.

PMID- 28913858
TI  - Relationships between mineral concentrations and physicochemical characteristics
      in the Longissimus thoracis muscle of Japanese Black cattle.
AB  - The relationship between mineral concentrations, and the relationship of mineral
      concentrations with physicochemical characteristics in muscles were investigated
      using the Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle of 44 Japanese Black steers. We
      determined moisture content, fat content, meat color, fatty acid composition and
      mineral concentrations in the LT muscle. Magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and zinc
      (Zn) concentrations had negative correlations with fat content, but sodium (Na),
      manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and molybdenum (Mo) concentrations were not
      correlated with fat content. The concentrations of Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn largely
      and positively contributed to the first principal component of mineral
      concentrations. Because the red muscle was rich in these minerals compared to the
      white muscle, the variation of these minerals probably results from the abundance
      of red fibers in the LT muscle. The concentration of K was positively correlated
      with moisture content but Na concentration was not related to moisture content,
      suggesting that the intracellular fluid volume can largely affect moisture
      content. The results of the present experiment suggest that mineral
      concentrations reflect some traits such as not only fat content but also the
      composition of myofiber type and the intracellular fluid volume in the LT muscle
      of Japanese Black cattle.

PMID- 28913859
TI  - Changes in frontal and posterior cortical activity underlie the early emergence
      of executive function.
AB  - Executive function (EF) is a key cognitive process that emerges in early
      childhood and facilitates children's ability to control their own behavior.
      Individual differences in EF skills early in life are predictive of quality-of
      life outcomes 30 years later (Moffitt et al., 2011). What changes in the brain
      give rise to this critical cognitive ability? Traditionally, frontal cortex
      growth is thought to underlie changes in cognitive control (Bunge & Zelazo, 2006;
      Moriguchi & Hiraki, 2009). However, more recent data highlight the importance of
      long-range cortical interactions between frontal and posterior brain regions.
      Here, we test the hypothesis that developmental changes in EF skills reflect
      changes in how posterior and frontal brain regions work together. Results show
      that children who fail a "hard" version of an EF task and who are thought to have
      an immature frontal cortex, show robust frontal activity in an "easy" version of
      the task. We show how this effect can arise via posterior brain regions that
      provide on-the-job training for the frontal cortex, effectively teaching the
      frontal cortex adaptive patterns of brain activity on "easy" EF tasks. In this
      case, frontal cortex activation can be seen as both the cause and the consequence
      of rule switching. Results also show that older children have differential
      posterior cortical activation on "easy" and "hard" tasks that reflects continued
      refinement of brain networks even in skilled children. These data set the stage
      for new training programs to foster the development of EF skills in at-risk
      children.

PMID- 28913861
TI  - Food as medicine: the nutrition seminar series.

PMID- 28913860
TI  - Connectivity-based parcellation of the anterior limb of the internal capsule.
AB  - The anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) is an important locus of frontal
      subcortical fiber tracts involved in cognitive and limbic feedback loops.
      However, the structural organization of its component fiber tracts remains
      unclear. Therefore, although the ALIC is a promising target for various
      neurosurgical procedures for psychiatric disorders, more precise understanding of
      its organization is required to optimize target localization. Using diffusion
      tensor imaging (DTI) collected on healthy subjects by the Human Connectome
      Project (HCP), we generated parcellations of the ALIC by dividing it according to
      structural connectivity to various frontal regions. We then compared individuals'
      parcellations to evaluate the ALIC's structural consistency. All 40 included
      subjects demonstrated a posterior-superior to anterior-inferior axis of tract
      organization in the ALIC. Nonetheless, subdivisions of the ALIC were found to
      vary substantially, as voxels in the average parcellation were accurately
      assigned for a mean of only 66.2% of subjects. There were, however, some loci of
      consistency, most notably in the region maximally connected to orbitofrontal
      cortex. These findings clarify the highly variable organization of the ALIC and
      may represent a tool for patient-specific targeting of neuromodulation. Hum Brain
      Mapp 38:6107-6117, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28913862
TI  - The effect of neuromuscular blockade on the efficiency of facemask ventilation in
      patients difficult to facemask ventilate: a prospective trial.
AB  - Facemask ventilation of the lungs can be an important rescue intervention in a
      'cannot intubate' scenario. We assessed the effect of neuromuscular blockade on
      expiratory tidal volumes in patients with expected difficulty in mask
      ventilation. The lungs of patients with at least three predictors of difficulty
      in mask ventilation were ventilated using a facemask held with two hands, with
      mechanical ventilation set in a pressure-controlled mode. Tidal volumes were
      recorded before and after the establishment of complete neuromuscular block. In
      113 patients, median (IQR [range]) tidal volume increased from 350 (260-492 [80
      850]) ml initially, by 48% to 517 (373-667 [100-1250]) ml 30 s after rocuronium
      administration, (p < 0.001). After the onset of the complete neuromuscular block,
      a median tidal volume of 600 (433-750 [250-1303]) ml was observed, corresponding
      to an increase of 71% from baseline values (p < 0.001), and 16% from values
      obtained 30 s after rocuronium administration, respectively; p = 0.003). No
      decrease in the tidal volume during the measurements was observed. We conclude
      that the administration of rocuronium at a dose of 0.6 mg.kg-1 was able to
      improve facemask ventilation in all cases with a potentially clinically relevant
      increase in tidal volume. The early use of a neuromuscular blocking agent can be
      considered as a therapeutic option in case of difficulty with mask ventilation.

PMID- 28913863
TI  - Neighborhood Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Theory-Informed Analysis
      Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling.
AB  - Due to high prevalence rates and deleterious effects on individuals, families,
      and communities, intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health
      problem. Because IPV occurs in the context of communities and neighborhoods,
      research must examine the broader environment in addition to individual-level
      factors to successfully facilitate behavior change. Drawing from the Social
      Determinants of Health framework and Social Disorganization Theory, neighborhood
      predictors of IPV were tested using hierarchical linear modeling. Results
      indicated that concentrated disadvantage and female-to-male partner violence were
      robust predictors of women's IPV victimization. Implications for theory,
      practice, and policy, and future research are discussed.

PMID- 28913864
TI  - Strand Displacement in Coiled-Coil Structures: Controlled Induction and Reversal
      of Proximity.
AB  - Coiled-coil peptides are frequently used to create new function upon the self
      assembly of supramolecular complexes. A multitude of coil peptide sequences
      provides control over the specificity and stability of coiled-coil complexes.
      However, comparably little attention has been paid to the development of methods
      that allow the reversal of complex formation under non-denaturing conditions.
      Herein, we present a reversible two-state switching system. The process involves
      two peptide molecules for the formation of a size-mismatched coiled-coil duplex
      and a third, disruptor peptide that targets an overhanging end. A real-time
      fluorescence assay revealed that the proximity between two chromophores can be
      switched on and off, repetitively if desired. Showcasing the advantages provided
      by non-denaturing conditions, the method permitted control over the bivalent
      interactions of the tSH2 domain of Syk kinase with a phosphopeptide ligand.

PMID- 28913865
TI  - Transcriptome characterization of HPG axis from Chinese sea perch Lateolabrax
      maculatus.
AB  - Here the transcriptome and differential gene expression in the adult brain and
      gonads of the Chinese sea perch Lateolabrax maculatus were reported. A total of
      78 256 909 clean reads were generated from the adult brain, ovary and testis by
      using the Illumina HiSeq2000 platform and assembled into 274 909 contigs. A total
      of 31 683 unigenes were annotated based on sequence similarity and 20 702
      unigenes were found to exhibit 8237 gene ontology terms and 3888 signal pathways.
      Transcripts of 26 623 unigenes were present in all of the tissues, whereas
      pairwise comparisons revealed that 671/367, 496/315 and 1668/580 unigenes were up
      down regulated by at least two-fold between the brain and ovary, ovary and testis
      and brain and testis, respectively. Homology search led to the identification of
      reproduction-associated genes of the brain-gonad axis, including those involved
      in sex differentiation and maintenance. The data provided an integrated and
      comprehensive transcriptome resource for L. maculatus, which could be used for
      further research on hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis gene function, reproduction
      regulation and sex-biased gene expression.

PMID- 28913866
TI  - Conversion of array-based single nucleotide polymorphic markers for use in
      targeted genotyping by sequencing in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum).
AB  - Wheat breeders and academics alike use single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as
      molecular markers to characterize regions of interest within the hexaploid wheat
      genome. A number of SNP-based genotyping platforms are available, and their
      utility depends upon factors such as the available technologies, number of data
      points required, budgets and the technical expertise required. Unfortunately,
      markers can rarely be exchanged between existing and newly developed platforms,
      meaning that previously generated data cannot be compared, or combined, with more
      recently generated data sets. We predict that genotyping by sequencing will
      become the predominant genotyping technology within the next 5-10 years. With
      this in mind, to ensure that data generated from current genotyping platforms
      continues to be of use, we have designed and utilized SNP-based capture probes
      from several thousand existing and publicly available probes from Axiom(r) and
      KASPTM genotyping platforms. We have validated our capture probes in a targeted
      genotyping by sequencing protocol using 31 previously genotyped UK elite
      hexaploid wheat accessions. Data comparisons between targeted genotyping by
      sequencing, Axiom(r) array genotyping and KASPTM genotyping assays, identified a
      set of 3256 probes which reliably bring together targeted genotyping by
      sequencing data with the previously available marker data set. As such, these
      probes are likely to be of considerable value to the wheat community. The probe
      details, full probe sequences and a custom built analysis pipeline may be freely
      downloaded from the CerealsDB website
      (http://www.cerealsdb.uk.net/cerealgenomics/CerealsDB/sequence_capture.php).

PMID- 28913867
TI  - Effects of FCGRIIIa-158V/F polymorphism on antibody-dependent cellular
      cytotoxicity activity of adalimumab.
AB  - The associations between the efficacy of IgG reagents and the FCGRIIIa-158V/F
      polymorphism (rs396991) have been investigated. Although the genotype frequencies
      in healthy Japanese have been reported, those have varied, as one study reported
      that the proportions of V/V, V/F, and F/F were 59.1%, 38.6%, and 2.3%,
      respectively, while another study found that they were 4%, 44%, and 52%,
      respectively. However, there are no known investigations of the association
      between the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity of
      adalimumab (ADA), an IgG reagent, in combination with FcgammaRIIIa and the
      polymorphism. In this study, we analyzed healthy Japanese to clarify genotype
      frequency using a direct sequence method. In addition, we examined the
      association between the ADA-mediated ADCC activity and the polymorphism. Our
      results showed that the frequencies of the V/V, V/F, and F/F genotypes in healthy
      Japanese were 9.2%, 39.8%, and 51.0%, respectively. The average activity of ADA
      mediated ADCC was 25.0%, 19.0%, and 13.3% in the V/V, V/F, and F/F genotypes,
      respectively. Then, the ADCC activity of V/V was significantly higher than that
      of F/F (p < 0.05) in therapeutic concentration. The differences in therapeutic
      effect of ADA among individuals can be explained, in part, by ADCC activity via
      the FCGRIIIa-158V/F polymorphism.

PMID- 28913869
TI  - Fast-growing oysters show reduced capacity to provide a thermal refuge to
      intertidal biodiversity at high temperatures.
AB  - Ecosystem engineers that modify the thermal environment experienced by associated
      organisms might assist in the climate change adaptation of species. This depends
      on the ability of ecosystem engineers to persist and continue to ameliorate
      thermal stress under changing climatic conditions-traits that may display
      significant intraspecific variation. In the physically stressful intertidal, the
      complex three-dimensional structure of oysters provides shading and traps
      moisture during aerial exposure at low tide. We assessed variation in the
      capacity of a faster- and slower-growing population of the Sydney Rock Oyster,
      Saccostrea glomerata, to persist, form three-dimensional structure and provide a
      cool microhabitat to invertebrates under warmer conditions. The two populations
      of oysters were exposed to a temperature gradient in the field by attaching them
      to passively warmed white, grey and black stone pavers and their growth,
      survivorship and colonisation by invertebrates was monitored over a 12-month
      period. Oysters displayed a trade-off between fast growth and thermal tolerance.
      The growth advantage of the fast-growing population diminished with increasing
      substrate temperature, and at higher temperatures, the faster-growing oysters
      suffered greater mortality, formed less habitat, and were consequently less
      effective at ameliorating low-tide air temperature extremes than slower-growing
      oysters. The greater survivorship of slower-growing oysters, in turn, produced a
      cooler microclimate which fed back to further bolster oyster survivorship.
      Invertebrate recruitment increased with habitat cover and was greater among the
      slower than the faster-growing population. Our results show that the capacity of
      ecosystem engineers to serve as microhabitat refugia to associated organisms in a
      warming climate displays marked intraspecific variation. Our study also adds to
      growing evidence that fast growth may come at the expense of thermal tolerance.

PMID- 28913870
TI  - Mimicry in butterflies: co-option and a bag of magnificent developmental genetic
      tricks.
AB  - Butterfly wing patterns are key adaptations that are controlled by remarkable
      developmental and genetic mechanisms that facilitate rapid evolutionary change.
      With swift advancements in the fields of genomics and genetic manipulations,
      identifying the regulators of wing development and mimetic wing patterns has
      become feasible even in nonmodel organisms such as butterflies. Recent mapping
      and gene expression studies have identified single switch loci of major effects
      such as transcription factors and supergenes as the main drivers of adaptive
      evolution of mimetic and polymorphic butterfly wing patterns. We highlight
      several of these examples, with emphasis on doublesex, optix, WntA and other
      dynamic, yet essential, master regulators that control critical color variation
      and sex-specific traits. Co-option emerges as a predominant theme, where
      typically embryonic and other early-stage developmental genes and networks have
      been rewired to regulate polymorphic and sex-limited mimetic wing patterns in
      iconic butterfly adaptations. Drawing comparisons from our knowledge of wing
      development in Drosophila, we illustrate the functional space of genes that have
      been recruited to regulate butterfly wing patterns. We also propose a
      developmental pathway that potentially results in dorsoventral mismatch in
      butterfly wing patterns. Such dorsoventrally mismatched color patterns modulate
      signal components of butterfly wings that are used in intra- and inter-specific
      communication. Recent advances-fuelled by RNAi-mediated knockdowns and
      CRISPR/Cas9-based genomic edits-in the developmental genetics of butterfly wing
      patterns, and the underlying biological diversity and complexity of wing
      coloration, are pushing butterflies as an emerging model system in ecological
      genetics and evolutionary developmental biology. WIREs Dev Biol 2018, 7:e291.
      doi: 10.1002/wdev.291 This article is categorized under: Gene Expression and
      Transcriptional Hierarchies > Regulatory Mechanisms Comparative Development and
      Evolution > Regulation of Organ Diversity Comparative Development and Evolution >
      Evolutionary Novelties.

PMID- 28913868
TI  - Alterations of c-di-GMP turnover proteins modulate semi-constitutive rdar biofilm
      formation in commensal and uropathogenic Escherichia coli.
AB  - Agar plate-based biofilm of enterobacteria like Escherichia coli is characterized
      by expression of the extracellular matrix components amyloid curli and cellulose
      exopolysaccharide, which can be visually enhanced upon addition of the dye Congo
      Red, resulting in a red, dry, and rough (rdar) colony morphology. Expression of
      the rdar morphotype depends on the transcriptional regulator CsgD and occurs
      predominantly at ambient temperature in model strains. In contrast, commensal and
      pathogenic isolates frequently express the csgD-dependent rdar morphotype semi
      constitutively, also at human host body temperature. To unravel the molecular
      basis of temperature-independent rdar morphotype expression, biofilm components
      and c-di-GMP turnover proteins of seven commensal and uropathogenic E. coli
      isolates were analyzed. A diversity within the c-di-GMP signaling network was
      uncovered which suggests alteration of activity of the trigger phosphodiesterase
      YciR to contribute to (up)regulation of csgD expression and consequently semi
      constitutive rdar morphotype development.

PMID- 28913871
TI  - Experimental asbestos studies in the UK: 1912-1950.
AB  - The asbestos industry originated in the UK in the 1870s. By 1898, asbestos had
      many applications and was reported to be one of the four leading causes of severe
      occupational disease. In 1912, the UK government sponsored an experimental study
      that reported that exposure to asbestos produced no more than a modicum of
      pulmonary fibrosis in guinea pigs. In the 1930s, the newly established Medical
      Research Council, with assistance from industry, sponsored a study of the effects
      of exposing animals to asbestos by injection (intratracheal and subcutaneous) and
      by inhalation in the factory environment. Government reports, publications, and
      contemporary records obtained by legal discovery have been reviewed in the
      context of the stage of scientific development and the history of the times.
      Experimenters were engaged in a learning process during the 1912-1950 period, and
      their reports of the effects of asbestos were inconsistent. Pathologists who
      studied the effects of asbestos experimentally, at whole animal, tissue and
      cellular levels, advanced experimental methodology and mechanistic knowledge. In
      the hands of public relations experts, however, research was exploited to
      preserve an industry and perpetuate preventable diseases, a practice that
      continues to this day.

PMID- 28913872
TI  - High primary antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter Pylori strains isolated from
      dyspeptic patients: A prevalence cross-sectional study in Spain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rate of H. pylori resistance to different antibiotics is
      increasing and determines the selection of eradication therapy. The aim of this
      study was to determine the resistance patterns of H. pylori strains in our area.
      METHODS: Biopsies from gastric corpus for microbiological culture and antibiotic
      resistance were obtained in patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
      for dyspepsia. Selective Agar Pylori for isolation of the bacteria and Agar
      Mueller-Hinton supplemented with blood to test the sensitivity to antibiotics
      were used. Presence of H. pylori was confirmed using direct observation with
      phase-contrast microscopy and/or smears stained with acridine orange. In vitro
      bacterial susceptibility to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, rifampicin,
      tetracycline, metronidazole, and levofloxacin was tested using diffusion MIC test
      strips. Minimum inhibitory concentration values were determined based on the 6th
      version of the EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility
      Testing) Clinical Breakpoint (2016). RESULTS: Two hundred and seventeen patients
      were included (58.1% female, median age 64 years, range 25-92). H. pylori was
      identified in 108 patients (49.8%); culture and antibiogram were completed in 77
      of them (71.3% of H. pylori-positive patients). The resistance rates were as
      follows: levofloxacin 38.7%, rifampicin 33.3%, metronidazole 27% and
      clarithromycin 22.4%. No case of amoxicillin or tetracycline resistance was
      identified. Dual clarithromycin-metronidazole resistance was observed in 10% of
      strains, whereas multiple drug-resistant was observed in 14.2%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Resistance rate of H. pylori to antibiotics is high in the northwest of Spain.
      The high resistance to levofloxacin and clarithromycin advises against their wide
      empirical use of these antibiotics in eradication regimens.

PMID- 28913873
TI  - Improvement of Decellularization Efficiency of Porcine Aorta Using Dimethyl
      Sulfoxide as a Penetration Enhancer.
AB  - Decellularization of tissues and organs enables researchers to obtain
      extracellular matrix (ECM) with the natural conformation and chemical composition
      of specific tissues. However, drawbacks exist such as the structural alteration
      of ECM or loss of some important components in ECM due to overexposure to
      chemicals during the decellularization process. In this study, porcine aorta was
      decellularized by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was
      used as a penetration enhancer in the decellularization process to enhance the
      penetration of SDS, consequently reducing the exposure time of SDS to treated
      tissues. It is revealed that by addition of DMSO to the decellularization process
      64.4% more DNA was removed when compared with just SDS exposure within a 3 h
      reaction. Cross-validation by DAPI staining showed that, in the presence of DMSO,
      the penetration of SDS was improved and almost all cells were removed from the
      aorta within the 3 h exposure time. Collagen staining revealed that just SDS
      treatment showed less polarized collagen fibers, while the DMSO addition groups
      revealed denser and organized collagen fibers. Moreover 77% glycosaminoglycan
      content was preserved by addition of DMSO in resultant tissues. Scanning electron
      microscopy analysis of decellularized aortic matrix showed that ECM components
      remained in the adventitia layer with the addition of DMSO treatment, while the
      layer was removed with just SDS treatment. Biocompatibility assays proved that
      after washing the decellularized samples with media supplemented with 3%
      antibiotic and antimycotic solution for 2 days there was no cytotoxic effect
      related to the SDS + DMSO decellularization protocol. This study demonstrates
      that the new decellularization protocol not only improves the removal efficiency
      of cellular components but also protects the crucial ECM components.

PMID- 28913874
TI  - An algorithmic approach to diagnose haematolymphoid neoplasms in effusion by
      combining morphology, immunohistochemistry and molecular cytogenetics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There are limited studies of cytology diagnosis of haematopoietic and
      lymphoid tumours in serosal effusion except for occasional case reports. We would
      like to demonstrate an algorithmic approach for accurate diagnosis, especially in
      patients without previous history. METHODS: We reviewed 36 cases of lymphoma
      diagnosed in serosal effusion following an algorithmic approach. Suspected tumour
      cells were classified into small, intermediate and large sizes and two
      characteristic forms of plasmacytoid and Reed Sternberg-like on smears (step 1),
      followed by utilising panels of immunohistochemical markers and Epstein-Barr
      encoding region in situ hybridisation on cell blocks (step 2). A panel of CD3,
      CD20 and Ki-67 formed the basic workup, followed by pertinent batteries of
      immunostaining. Molecular tests were applied in 22 selected cases by fluorescence
      in situ hybridisation (step 3). RESULTS: There were 15 diffuse large B-cell
      lymphomas; 12 plasma cell myelomas; two mantle cell lymphomas; one anaplastic
      large cell lymphoma ALK +; one small lymphocytic lymphoma; one plasmablastic
      lymphoma; one peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified, one extranodal
      NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type and two T-cell lymphoblastic lymphomas. 14 cases
      with previous history had complete concordance in immunophenotype between
      cytology and histology. Another 14 cases were primarily diagnosed in patients
      with initial symptom of effusion based on immunophenotyping and cytogenetic test
      in selected cases. Eight cases were diagnosed based on morphology alone.
      CONCLUSION: An algorithmic approach based on morphology and immunohistochemistry
      is the key to making an accurate diagnosis of haematopoietic and lymphoid tumours
      in effusion. A molecular test is also important for confirmation and prognostic
      prediction. We reviewed 36 haematolymphoid neoplasms diagnosed in effusion
      including 14 cases primarily diagnosed in patients without previous history
      following an algorithmic approach by combining morphology, immunohistochemistry
      and molecular cytogenetics.

PMID- 28913876
TI  - An Assessment of Participant-Described Interprofessional Oral Health Referral
      Systems Across Rurality.
AB  - PURPOSE: As a means to identify and quantify oral health interprofessional
      collaborative practice (IPP), we examined participant-described medical-to-dental
      (M2D) referral networks and how they function across rurality. METHODS: We
      conducted a cross-sectional survey on the appraisal of IPP referral systems in
      2016. Secondarily, we examined if rural health clinics (RHCs) have different
      experiences with M2D referrals compared to other practice types. Independent
      variables included geographic and organizational indicators, referral system
      attributes, and respondent characteristics. Data were coded by Census region and
      state Medicaid expansion status. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were
      conducted using SAS. FINDINGS: A convenience cohort (n = 559) from 44 states was
      examined. Nearly, half (48.7%) reported dependable M2D referral systems. In
      bivariate analysis, all independent variables were significant except for state
      Medicaid expansion status. In multivariable analysis, Census region retained
      significance (P = .0093). Organization type and practice issues with no
      shows/missed appointments continued to have significance (P < .001 and .002,
      respectively). Accountable care organizations were over 5 times (5.72, P = .001)
      more likely than RHCs to report dependable M2D referral systems. Federally
      qualified health clinics were slightly over 3 times more likely than RHCs to
      report dependable M2D referral (3.04, P < .001). No differences between RHCs and
      other private practices were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of IPP
      continues to be promoted in the current health care environment. Our study
      demonstrates that, in this motivated study population, M2D referrals can work
      well, even in rural areas. Organization type, directionality of referral, broken
      appointment rates, and electronic health information management were all found to
      significantly impact the respondents' rating on the dependability of an M2D
      referral process.

PMID- 28913875
TI  - Alterations in the alpha2 delta ligand, thrombospondin-1, in a rat model of
      spontaneous absence epilepsy and in patients with idiopathic/genetic generalized
      epilepsies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Thrombospondins, which are known to interact with the alpha2 delta
      subunit of voltage-sensitive calcium channels to stimulate the formation of
      excitatory synapses, have recently been implicated in the process of
      epileptogenesis. No studies have been so far performed on thrombospondins in
      models of absence epilepsy. We examined whether expression of the gene encoding
      for thrombospondin-1 was altered in the brain of WAG/Rij rats, which model
      absence epilepsy in humans. In addition, we examined the frequency of genetic
      variants of THBS1 in a large cohort of children affected by idiopathic/genetic
      generalized epilepsies (IGE/GGEs). METHODS: We measured the transcripts of
      thrombospondin-1 and alpha2 delta subunit, and protein levels of alpha2 delta,
      Rab3A, and the vesicular glutamate transporter, VGLUT1, in the somatosensory
      cortex and ventrobasal thalamus of presymptomatic and symptomatic WAG/Rij rats
      and in two control strains by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and
      immunoblotting. We examined the genetic variants of THBS1 and CACNA2D1 in two
      independent cohorts of patients affected by IGE/GGE recruited through the Genetic
      Commission of the Italian League Against Epilepsy (LICE) and the EuroEPINOMICS
      CoGIE Consortium. RESULTS: Thrombospondin-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were
      largely reduced in the ventrobasal thalamus of both presymptomatic and
      symptomatic WAG/Rij rats, whereas levels in the somatosensory cortex were
      unchanged. VGLUT1 protein levels were also reduced in the ventrobasal thalamus of
      WAG/Rij rats. Genetic variants of THBS1 were significantly more frequent in
      patients affected by IGE/GGE than in nonepileptic controls, whereas the frequency
      of CACNA2D1 was unchanged. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest that
      thrombospondin-1 may have a role in the pathogenesis of IGE/GGEs.

PMID- 28913877
TI  - Minimal important difference of target lobar volume reduction after endobronchial
      valve treatment for emphysema.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Target lobar volume reduction (TLVR) is an important
      efficacy outcome measure for bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) treatment
      using one-way endobronchial valves (EBV) in patients with severe emphysema. The
      commonly used cut-off value for TLVR that expresses a perceivable clinical
      benefit is -350 mL. However, a scientifically determined minimal important
      difference (MID) for TLVR never has been published. The objective of the present
      study was to determine the MID for TLVR on HRCT in patients who were treated with
      EBV. METHODS: A total of 318 patients with severe emphysema from two BLVR trials
      were analysed. Anchor-based methods were used to define the TLVR MID at 6 months
      follow-up. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ), residual volume (RV) and St.
      George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were used as anchors. RESULTS: The
      calculated TLVR MID with each anchor was: FEV1 -587 mL, RV -534 mL and SGRQ -560
      mL. The combined MID (average of the three anchor-based MIDs) was -563 mL.
      CONCLUSION: Using the anchor-based method, we established a TLVR MID of -563 mL
      in patients with severe emphysema at 6 months follow-up after EBV treatment. This
      value can be useful for both interpreting the results from trials and clinical
      practice, as well as for designing future studies on lung volume reduction.

PMID- 28913879
TI  - Short T2 imaging using a 3D double adiabatic inversion recovery prepared
      ultrashort echo time cones (3D DIR-UTE-Cones) sequence.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate high contrast imaging of short T2 tissues with a three
      dimensional double adiabatic inversion recovery prepared ultrashort echo time
      Cones (3D DIR-UTE-Cones) sequence. METHODS: The sequence used two sequential
      adiabatic inversion pulses to suppress signals from long T2 tissues, followed by
      multispoke UTE acquisition to detect signals from short T2 tissues. The two
      adiabatic inversion pulses are identical with a center frequency located at the
      water peak, but the spectral width is broad enough to cover both water and fat
      frequencies. The feasibility of this technique was demonstrated through numerical
      simulation and phantom studies. Finally, DIR-UTE-Cones was applied to three
      healthy volunteers to image cortical bone, patellar tendon, and Achilles tendon.
      T2* was also measured via single-component exponential fitting. RESULTS:
      Numerical simulation suggests that the DIR technique provides perfect nulling of
      muscle and fat as well as efficient suppression of other long T2 tissues with T1
      values between fat and water or those above water. Excellent image contrast can
      be achieved with DIR-UTE-Cones for the short T2 tissues, with fitted T2* values
      of 0.28-0.38 ms for cortical bone, 0.56 +/- 0.07 ms for the patella tendon, and
      0.45 +/- 0.06 ms for the Achilles tendon, respectively. CONCLUSION: The 3D DIR
      UTE-Cones sequence provides robust suppression of long T2 tissues and allows
      selective imaging as well as T2* measurement of short T2 tissues such as cortical
      bone, patellar tendon, and the Achilles tendon. Magn Reson Med 79:2555-2563,
      2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28913880
TI  - Contraction of pi-Conjugated Rings upon Oxidation from Cyclooctatetraene to
      Benzene via the Tropylium Cation.
AB  - We have serendipitously discovered a unique transformation of a cyclooctatetraene
      derivative 1 into a cycloheptatriene spirolactone 3 upon oxidation, which is the
      first such transformation reported in 60 years. Product 3 could be reversibly
      interconverted into the aromatic tropylium cation 3H+ by acid/base treatment,
      which was accompanied by drastic spectroscopic changes. The resultant
      cycloheptatriene could be further converted into benzene upon oxidation. We
      characterized all the key structures by X-ray studies. Eventually, the pi
      conjugated ring size shrinks from 8 to 7, then finally to 6 upon oxidation, in
      the direction of the stronger aromatization.

PMID- 28913878
TI  - Do pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis share the same genetic risk
      factors? A PANcreatic Disease ReseArch (PANDoRA) consortium investigation.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a very aggressive tumor with a five
      year survival of less than 6%. Chronic pancreatitis (CP), an inflammatory process
      in of the pancreas, is a strong risk factor for PDAC. Several genetic
      polymorphisms have been discovered as susceptibility loci for both CP and PDAC.
      Since CP and PDAC share a consistent number of epidemiologic risk factors, the
      aim of this study was to investigate whether specific CP risk loci also
      contribute to PDAC susceptibility. We selected five common SNPs (rs11988997,
      rs379742, rs10273639, rs2995271 and rs12688220) that were identified as
      susceptibility markers for CP and analyzed them in 2,914 PDAC cases, 356 CP cases
      and 5,596 controls retrospectively collected in the context of the international
      PANDoRA consortium. We found a weak association between the minor allele of the
      PRSS1-PRSS2-rs10273639 and an increased risk of developing PDAC (ORhomozygous  =
      1.19, 95% CI 1.02-1.38, p = 0.023). Additionally all the SNPs confirmed
      statistically significant associations with risk of developing CP, the strongest
      being PRSS1-PRSS2-rs10273639 (ORheterozygous  = 0.51, 95% CI 0.39-0.67, p = 1.10
      * 10-6 ) and MORC4-rs 12837024 (ORhomozygous  = 2.07 (1.55-2.77, ptrend  = 0.7 *
      10-11 ). Taken together, the results from our study do not support variants
      rs11988997, rs379742, rs10273639, rs2995271 and rs12688220 as strong predictors
      of PDAC risk, but further support the role of these SNPs in CP susceptibility.
      Our study suggests that CP and PDAC probably do not share genetic susceptibility,
      at least in terms of high frequency variants.

PMID- 28913881
TI  - Effect of negative dietary cation-anion differences on carcass characteristics
      and beef tenderness of Japanese Black steers.
AB  - Lowering dietary cation-anion differences (DCAD) can enhance responsiveness to Ca
      homeostatic hormones and increase Ca availability, which might have potential to
      activate a Ca-dependent protease, calpain, and to enhance postmortem myofibrillar
      proteolysis. In this study, we investigated the effects of DCAD manipulation on
      calpain activity and beef tenderness in Japanese Black cattle which are
      characterized by their high marbling. Thirty-six Japanese Black steers were
      allotted to one of two treatments: (i) control (CON; DCAD +6.09 mEq/100 g of dry
      matter (DM)) or (ii) negative DCAD (NEGD; DCAD -8.27 mEq/100 g DM) for 70 days
      before slaughter. Lowering DCAD decreased DM and energy intake (P < 0.01) even
      though it did not negatively affect the growth performance or carcass
      characteristics. In NEGD, urine pH was decreased by acidification caused by the
      negative DCAD (P < 0.01). Calpain activities tended to be improved in NEGD (P =
      0.09), but Warner-Bratzler shear force values were not affected by treatment.
      Although calpain activities tended to improve, lowering DCAD to -8.27 for 70 days
      before slaughter was insufficient to enhance beef tenderness in Japanese Black
      steers.

PMID- 28913882
TI  - Reducing Disparities in Cancer Screening and Prevention through Community-Based
      Participatory Research Partnerships with Local Libraries: A Comprehensive Dynamic
      Trial.
AB  - Reduction of cancer-related disparities requires strategies that link medically
      underserved communities to preventive care. In this community-based participatory
      research project, a public library system brought together stakeholders to plan
      and undertake programs to address cancer screening and risk behavior. This study
      was implemented over 48 months in 20 large urban neighborhoods, selected to reach
      diverse communities disconnected from care. In each neighborhood, Cancer Action
      Councils were organized to conduct a comprehensive dynamic trial, an iterative
      process of program planning, implementation and evaluation. This process was
      phased into neighborhoods in random, stepped-wedge sequence. Population-level
      outcomes included self-reported screening adherence and smoking cessation, based
      on street intercept interviews. Event-history regressions (n = 9374) demonstrated
      that adherence outcomes were associated with program implementation, as were
      mediators such as awareness of screening programs and cancer information seeking.
      Findings varied by ethnicity, and were strongest among respondents born outside
      the U.S. or least engaged in care. This intervention impacted health behavior in
      diverse, underserved and vulnerable neighborhoods. It has been sustained as a
      routine library system program for several years after conclusion of grant
      support. In sum, participatory research with the public library system offers a
      flexible, scalable approach to reduce cancer health disparities.

PMID- 28913883
TI  - Interactions between erythromycin, flunixin meglumine, levamisole and plant
      secondary metabolites towards bovine gastrointestinal motility-in vitro study.
AB  - Continued ingestion of plant secondary metabolites by ruminants can provoke
      pharmacological interactions with pharmaceutical agents used in animals. As some
      drugs and phytocompounds affect smooth muscle activity, the aim of this study was
      to verify the possible interaction between selected pharmaceutical agents and
      plant secondary metabolites towards bovine gastrointestinal motility. The
      interactions between phytocompounds-apigenin, quercetin, hederagenin, medicagenic
      acid-and medicines-erythromycin, flunixin meglumine and levamisole-were evaluated
      on bovine isolated abomasal and duodenal specimens obtained from routinely
      slaughtered cows. The obtained results confirmed the contractile effect of all
      three drugs used solely. Hederagenin and medicagenic acid (0.001 MUM) enhanced
      the contractile effect of levamisole. Hederagenin additionally increased the
      impact of erythromycin. Both saponins (100 MUM) showed synergistic effects with
      all tested pharmaceuticals. Apigenin and quercetin (0.001 MUM) intensified the
      contractile response induced by erythromycin and levamisole. Moreover, both
      flavonoids (100 MUM) showed an antagonistic interaction with all tested drugs
      which in that situation were devoid of the prokinetic effect. To conclude, plant
      metabolic metabolites such as saponins and flavonoids are potent modifiers of the
      effect of drugs towards gut motility. The synergy observed between phytocompounds
      and selected medicines can be beneficial in the treatment of cows with
      hypomotility disorders.

PMID- 28913884
TI  - Syntheses and Properties of Tin-Containing Conjugated Heterocycles.
AB  - Heterocycles that contain tin atoms can be aromatic in a similar sense to well
      known aromatic compounds such as benzene or thiophene, but such examples are
      rare. However, due to the low-lying sigma*-orbitals of the tin-substituent bond
      in stannoles, they are capable of sigma*-pi* conjugation in a way that is
      exclusive to heavier element containing heterocycles. This makes stannoles very
      interesting alternatives for purely organic heterocycles in material
      applications, in which optoelectronic properties are of interest. This Concept
      article will highlight the synthesis, reactivity and physical properties of
      stannoles and related fluorenostannoles. At first, a brief introduction to
      different types of tin-containing heterocycles is presented, followed by a
      discussion on different approaches to prepare stannoles, their reactivity and
      their physical properties. In addition, the first stannole-containing polymer
      will be reviewed.

PMID- 28913885
TI  - Development and evaluation of high-density Axiom(r) CicerSNP Array for high
      resolution genetic mapping and breeding applications in chickpea.
AB  - To accelerate genomics research and molecular breeding applications in chickpea,
      a high-throughput SNP genotyping platform 'Axiom(r) CicerSNP Array' has been
      designed, developed and validated. Screening of whole-genome resequencing data
      from 429 chickpea lines identified 4.9 million SNPs, from which a subset of 70
      463 high-quality nonredundant SNPs was selected using different stringent filter
      criteria. This was further narrowed down to 61 174 SNPs based on p-convert score
      >=0.3, of which 50 590 SNPs could be tiled on array. Among these tiled SNPs, a
      total of 11 245 SNPs (22.23%) were from the coding regions of 3673 different
      genes. The developed Axiom(r) CicerSNP Array was used for genotyping two
      recombinant inbred line populations, namely ICCRIL03 (ICC 4958 * ICC 1882) and
      ICCRIL04 (ICC 283 * ICC 8261). Genotyping data reflected high success and
      polymorphic rate, with 15 140 (29.93%; ICCRIL03) and 20 018 (39.57%; ICCRIL04)
      polymorphic SNPs. High-density genetic maps comprising 13 679 SNPs spanning
      1033.67 cM and 7769 SNPs spanning 1076.35 cM were developed for ICCRIL03 and
      ICCRIL04 populations, respectively. QTL analysis using multilocation, multiseason
      phenotyping data on these RILs identified 70 (ICCRIL03) and 120 (ICCRIL04) main
      effect QTLs on genetic map. Higher precision and potential of this array is
      expected to advance chickpea genetics and breeding applications.

PMID- 28913886
TI  - What's parenting got to do with it: emotional autonomy and brain and behavioral
      responses to emotional conflict in children and adolescents.
AB  - Healthy parenting may be protective against the development of emotional
      psychopathology, particularly for children reared in stressful environments.
      Little is known, however, about the brain and behavioral mechanisms underlying
      this association, particularly during childhood and adolescence, when emotional
      disorders frequently emerge. Here, we demonstrate that psychological control, a
      parenting strategy known to limit socioemotional development in children, is
      associated with altered brain and behavioral responses to emotional conflict in
      27 at-risk (urban, lower income) youth, ages 9-16. In particular, youth reporting
      higher parental psychological control demonstrated lower activity in the left
      anterior insula, a brain area involved in emotion conflict processing, and
      submitted faster but less accurate behavioral responses-possibly reflecting an
      avoidant pattern. Effects were not replicated for parental care, and did not
      generalize to an analogous nonemotional conflict task. We also find evidence that
      behavioral responses to emotional conflict bridge the previously reported link
      between parental overcontrol and anxiety in children. Effects of psychological
      control may reflect a parenting style that limits opportunities to practice self
      regulation when faced with emotionally charged situations. Results support the
      notion that parenting strategies that facilitate appropriate amounts of
      socioemotional competence and autonomy in children may be protective against
      social and emotional difficulties.

PMID- 28913887
TI  - The equity of access to primary dental care in Sao Paulo, Brazil: A geospatial
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world, in terms of
      geography and population. Most Brazilians reside in the south and south-eastern
      regions, with notable numbers in the regions' megacities, such as Sao Paulo city.
      Healthcare provision in such a complex environment is difficult. Thus, a clear
      understanding of the distribution - or rather, the maldistribution - of these
      services is fundamental for optimising the allocation of human and financial
      resources to areas of greatest privation. The present study aimed to determine
      the distribution of primary dental clinics in Sao Paulo city. METHODS: A total of
      4,101 primary dental clinics in Sao Paulo city were identified and geocoded.
      Clinic locations were integrated with the city's 19,128 constituent census tracts
      - each containing sociodemographic data for the 11,252,204 residents - using
      Geographic Information Systems (GIS). RESULTS: Approximately two-thirds (64.8%)
      of the population resided within 0.5 km of a primary dental clinic, and a further
      23.9% were within 1 km. Populations more than 1 km out were typically
      characterised as sociodemographically disadvantaged. Primary dental clinics were
      also more sparsely distributed in the city's peripheral census tracts than
      central census tracts. CONCLUSION: Primary dental clinics are maldistributed in
      Sao Paulo city, with disadvantaged populations having less spatial access than
      their advantaged counterparts.

PMID- 28913888
TI  - Viral upper respiratory infection at pediatric liver transplantation is
      associated with hepatic artery thrombosis.

PMID- 28913890
TI  - Interfacial Fracture Toughness of Adhesive Resin Cement-Lithium-Disilicate/Resin
      Composite Blocks.
AB  - PURPOSE: Resin composite blocks (RCB) are advocated as alternative to ceramic
      blocks (CB). Prior to use, adherence to these materials should characterized.
      This study aimed to test the null hypothesis (H0 ) that material and surface
      treatment combinations do not influence interfacial fracture toughness (KIC ) of
      a self-cured adhesive resin cement [RelyX Ultimate (RXU)] to RCB or CB, under
      nonaged and aged conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two RCB, Lava Ultimate (LU)
      and Enamic (EN), and one CB, IPS e.max Press (EMP) were used. Half-size [(6 * 6 *
      6 * 6 mm)] specimens were prepared for EMP (n = 30), EN (n = 30), and LU (n =
      60). RCB specimens were prepared by wet cutting/grinding, while CB specimens were
      pressed. Surfaces of EMP and EN were preconditioned with hydrofluoric acid (5%);
      surfaces of LU were sandblasted with either 27 MUm alumina (LUS) or 30 MUm silica
      modified alumina Rocatec soft (LUR). All specimens were bonded with Scotchbond
      Universal adhesive and RXU. Additionally, twenty (4 * 4 * 4 * 8 mm) RXU specimens
      were prepared. All specimens were stored in water at 37 degrees C and tested
      after 1 and 60 days. Interfacial KIC was determined with the notchless triangular
      prism specimen KIC test. Results were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and Scheffe
      multiple means comparisons (alpha = 0.05). Preconditioned and selected fractured
      surfaces were characterized with scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: At 24
      hours, LUS-RXU and LUR-RXU had significantly higher interfacial KIC than EN-RXU
      and EMP-RXU and were not different from KIC of RXU. Aging lead to a significant
      decrease in KIC of RXU and interfacial KIC of LUS-RXU, LUR-RXU, and EMP-RXU;
      interfacial KIC of EN-RXU was not affected. Based on the results, H0 was
      rejected. CONCLUSION: Under the conditions of this study, at 24 hours,
      interfacial KIC of LUS-RXU and LUR-RXU was superior to EMP-RXU and EN-RXU. Aging
      in water at 37 degrees C did not affect interfacial KIC of EN-RXU but adversely
      affected KIC of RXU and the other interfacial KIC . CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The
      results suggest that RXU and its adherence to LU and EMP deteriorates upon
      exposure to water at 37 degrees C. In making clinical decisions related to
      material selection, practitioners should consider in vitro results.

PMID- 28913891
TI  - Venous thromboembolism and risk of cancer in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - : Essentials Can venous thromboembolism (VTE) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      patients be marker of cancer? RA patients with VTE and comparison cohorts from
      population-based registries were compared. Increased risk of cancer in RA
      patients with VTE during the first year of VTE was observed. Risk of cancer in RA
      patients was increased also during the longer period following VTE. SUMMARY:
      Background It is unknown whether venous thromboembolism (VTE) in rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) patients can be a marker of occult cancer. Objectives To examine
      risk of cancer subsequent to VTE among RA patients compared with risk of cancer
      in an RA cohort without VTE and in a general population without RA and without
      VTE. Patients/Methods All RA patients with a first-time diagnosis of VTE (index
      date) during 1978-2013 and comparison cohorts were identified from population
      based registries in Denmark. Results We identified three cohorts: 2497 RA
      patients with VTE, 11 672 RA patients without VTE and 12 730 persons from the
      general population. The cumulative incidence of cancer within the first year of
      the index date was 3.2% among RA with VTE, 2.2% among RA without VTE, and 2.0% in
      the general population cohort. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were 1.79 (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.37-2.33) for RA patients with VTE vs. RA patients
      without VTE and 2.12 (95% CI, 1.63-2.76) for RA patients with VTE vs. the general
      population. The IRR of cancer at > 1 to 36 years from the index date among RA
      patients with VTE was 1.16 (95% CI, 1.00-1.34) compared with the RA patients
      without VTE and 1.33 (95% CI, 1.15-1.53) compared with the general population.
      Conclusions We found an increased risk of cancer in RA patients with VTE during
      the first year following VTE and also during the longer follow-up period. Thus,
      VTE may not only be a result of inflammation and immunological dysfunctions
      associated with RA, but may also be a marker for occult cancer.

PMID- 28913892
TI  - Implementation of a simulation-based telemedicine curriculum.

PMID- 28913889
TI  - Prevalence and Contributors to Low-grade Inflammation in Three U.S. Populations
      of Reproductive Age Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammation, measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (hsCRP), is linked to adverse reproductive outcomes. However, prevalence and
      predictors of low-grade inflammation are poorly understood among reproductive age
      women. Therefore, the current aim was to characterize: (i) the prevalence of
      elevated hsCRP and (ii) whether the association of various demographic,
      anthropometric, life style, and metabolic characteristics with higher hsCRP
      varies across populations of reproductive age women with varying risk profiles
      for adverse reproductive outcomes. METHODS: Bivariate analysis of characteristics
      among women ages 18-40 having hsCRP <2.0 vs. >=2.0 mg/L in the BioCycle Study (N
      = 259), the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction Trial (EAGeR) (N =
      1228), and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; N =
      2173) were conducted. Multivariable regression analysis estimated the association
      of all characteristics to hsCRP within each cohort. RESULTS: Prevalence of
      hsCRP>=2 mg/L ranged from 20 to 40%. Age, BMI, waist circumference, blood
      pressure, lipids, glucose, and insulin were frequently higher in women with hsCRP
      >=2 mg/L. In multivariable models, however, only adiposity (BMI, waist
      circumference) was independently associated with hsCRP within all three cohorts.
      Some variables showed cohort-specific associations with higher hsCRP: white race
      (EAGeR), higher fasting glucose (BioCycle), and lesser education and employment
      (NHANES). The total characteristics explained 28-46% of the variation in hsCRP
      across the three cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Low-grade inflammation was common,
      including among predominantly non-obese women, affecting from 20 to 40% of
      reproductive age women. Given the potential to reduce inflammation through
      inexpensive, widely available therapies, examination of the impact of chronic
      inflammation on reproductive and pregnancy outcomes, as well as preventive
      interventions, are now needed.

PMID- 28913893
TI  - Gonial Angle Measured by Orthopantomography as a Predictor of Maximum Occlusal
      Force.
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish the accuracy of measuring the gonial angle on an
      orthopantomogram (GAO), as defined by the anatomic relationship between the
      inferior and posterior borders of the mandible. Furthermore, to examine the
      relationship between GAO and maximum occlusal force (MOF) in the premolar and
      molar regions of healthy young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Orthopantomograms
      of dry mandibles were obtained in three orientations in the sagittal plane, to
      represent variation in image acquisition in clinical settings. The GAO was
      measured using image-processing software, and reliability was analyzed using the
      intraclass correlation coefficient. Then, GAO, MOF, gender, and body mass index
      (BMI) were measured in a cohort of healthy young adult volunteers. MOF was
      measured using an Occlusal Force Meter GM 10 device. The relationships between
      GAO, MOF, sex, and BMI were examined using the Pearson correlation coefficient
      and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: In five dry mandibles, there was a
      high correlation between the GAOs measured in the different orientations (p <
      0.001). In 58 healthy volunteers (31 women and 27 men, mean age 24.6 years), the
      mean GAO was 123.3 degrees  +/- 7.5 degrees . The mean MOFs at the first
      premolar, second premolar, and first molar teeth were 256.4 N +/- 128.3 N, 319.0
      N +/- 171.7 N, and 487.5 N +/- 227.2 N, respectively. Men had significantly
      greater MOF than women at all teeth. The GAO was significantly inversely
      correlated with MOF at the second premolar (r = -0.376, p = 0.005) and first
      molar teeth (r = -0.479, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that GAO
      was a significant explanatory factor for MOF at the second premolar and first
      molar teeth (p = 0.012 and 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: GAOs were measured
      accurately on the orthopantomograms taken in this study and were a reliable
      predictor of MOF between the second premolar and first molar teeth. A smaller GAO
      was associated with a greater MOF at the second premolar and first molar teeth.

PMID- 28913894
TI  - Veteran treatment courts: A promising solution.
AB  - The high prevalence of substance use, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic
      stress disorder, and other mental illness in the veteran population presents
      unique public health and social justice challenges. Veteran involvement in the
      justice system has been identified as a national concern. Criminal justice
      involvement compounds pre-existing socioeconomic stressors and further strains
      support systems. The point of contact with the criminal justice system, however,
      presents an opportunity to establish mental health treatment. This is consistent
      with the concept of the sequential intercept model that seeks to divert offenders
      with mental illness from the criminal justice system into treatment. In recent
      years, many jurisdictions have established veterans treatment courts (VTCs), a
      type of problem-solving court serving this diversion function for military
      veterans. This article presents an overview of the problem, the ethical basis for
      their development, a brief history of the courts, and their potential for
      success. The Harris County Veterans Court is presented as an example.

PMID- 28913895
TI  - NRAMP2, a trans-Golgi network-localized manganese transporter, is required for
      Arabidopsis root growth under manganese deficiency.
AB  - To cope with manganese (Mn) deficiency, plants have evolved an efficient
      transport system to uptake and redistribute Mn. However, the underlying molecular
      mechanisms remain to be demonstrated. We carried out a forward genetic screen in
      a root high-affinity Mn transporter nramp1 mutant background in Arabidopsis
      thaliana and identified an uncharacterized Mn transport NRAMP2. We investigated
      the effect of nramp2 mutation on root growth and reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      accumulation and we also examined the NRAMP2 expression pattern, and the
      subcellular localization and transport activity of NRAMP2. Mutation of NRAMP2
      impaired plant growth, while overexpression of NRAMP2 improved plant growth under
      low Mn conditions. In the nramp2-1nramp1 double mutant, Mn deficiency inhibited
      root cell elongation and root hair development, which was associated with
      increased hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) accumulation. NRAMP2 is preferentially
      localized to the trans-Golgi network. NRAMP2 has Mn influx transport activity in
      yeast, and mutation of NRAMP2 led to greater Mn retention in roots. Our results
      suggest that under Mn-deficient conditions, increased accumulation of H2 O2 is
      partially responsible for the root growth inhibition and NRAMP2 is involved in
      remobilization of Mn in Golgi for root growth.

PMID- 28913896
TI  - A novel non-azole topical treatment reduces Malassezia numbers and associated
      dermatitis: a short term prospective, randomized, blinded and placebo-controlled
      trial in naturally infected dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malassezia yeast overgrowth on the skin is a common and often
      recurrent cause of dermatitis in dogs; it can be an exacerbating factor of atopic
      dermatitis. Anti-fungal drugs have been a standard treatment, but there is some
      concern that resistance may be evolving in a spectrum of Malassezia species.
      Safe, efficient and easy-to-use alternatives are needed. OBJECTIVES: To assess if
      a commercially available topical non-azole solution applied to paws affected by
      Malassezia-associated dermatitis (MAD), could ameliorate Malassezia numbers and
      associated signs over a short term (14 day) trial. ANIMALS: Eighteen dogs with
      MAD affecting at least two paws. METHODS: The study design was prospective,
      randomized, blinded and placebo-controlled, using a split-body protocol. Dogs
      were treated once daily with the test solution on one paw and placebo on the
      other. Dogs were examined at days 0 and 14 +/- 3. The primary end-point was
      Malassezia numbers assessed cytologically. Secondary end-points were clinical
      scores for lesion severity and pruritus as assessed by a pruritus Visual Analog
      Scale (PVAS). Owner compliance and adverse effects were assessed. RESULTS: There
      was a statistically significant reduction in Malassezia numbers and clinical
      scores for paws treated with the test solution versus placebo. No statistical
      difference in PVAS was found. CONCLUSION: Daily topical application of the test
      solution was effective in reducing the Malassezia burden, as well as improving
      clinical scores in dogs with MAD of the paws. No adverse effects were reported
      and owners described the product as either "easy" or "very easy" to use.

PMID- 28913897
TI  - Studying the Progression of Amyloid Pathology and Its Therapy Using Translational
      Longitudinal Model of Accumulation and Distribution of Amyloid Beta.
AB  - Long-term effects of amyloid targeted therapy can be studied using a mechanistic
      translational model of amyloid beta (Abeta) distribution and aggregation
      calibrated on published data in mouse and human species. Alzheimer disease (AD)
      pathology is modeled utilizing age-dependent pathological evolution for rate
      constants and several variants of explicit functions for Abeta toxicity
      influencing cognitive outcomes (Adas-cog). Preventive Abeta targeted therapies
      were simulated to minimize the Abeta difference from healthy physiological
      levels. Therapeutic targeted simulations provided similar predictions for mouse
      and human studies. Our model predicts that: (1) at least 1 year (2 years for
      preclinical AD) of treatment is needed to observe cognitive effects; (2) under
      the hypothesis with functional importance of Abeta, a 15% decrease in Abeta
      (using an imaging biomarker) is related to 15-20% cognition improvement by
      immunotherapy. Despite negative outcomes in clinical trials, Abeta continues to
      remain a prospective target demanding careful assessment of mechanistic effect
      and duration of trial design.

PMID- 28913898
TI  - Structural basis for binding and transfer of heme in bacterial heme-acquisition
      systems.
AB  - Periplasmic heme-binding proteins (PBPs) in Gram-negative bacteria are components
      of the heme acquisition system. These proteins shuttle heme across the
      periplasmic space from outer membrane receptors to ATP-binding cassette (ABC)
      heme importers located in the inner-membrane. In the present study, we
      characterized the structures of PBPs found in the pathogen Burkholderia
      cenocepacia (BhuT) and in the thermophile Roseiflexus sp. RS-1 (RhuT) in the heme
      free and heme-bound forms. The conserved motif, in which a well-conserved Tyr
      interacts with the nearby Arg coordinates on heme iron, was observed in both
      PBPs. The heme was recognized by its surroundings in a variety of manners
      including hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds, which was confirmed by
      isothermal titration calorimetry. Furthermore, this study of 3 forms of BhuT
      allowed the first structural comparison and showed that the heme-binding cleft of
      BhuT adopts an "open" state in the heme-free and 2-heme-bound forms, and a
      "closed" state in the one-heme-bound form with unique conformational changes.
      Such a conformational change might adjust the interaction of the heme(s) with the
      residues in PBP and facilitate the transfer of the heme into the translocation
      channel of the importer.

PMID- 28913900
TI  - An applied distance-based course on health equity for physicians in training.

PMID- 28913899
TI  - Genotyping-by-sequencing through transcriptomics: implementation in a range of
      crop species with varying reproductive habits and ploidy levels.
AB  - The application of genomics in crops has the ability to significantly improve
      genetic gain for agriculture. Many marker-dense tools have been developed, but
      few have seen broad adoption in plant genomics due to issues of significant
      variations of genome size, levels of ploidy, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      frequency and reproductive habit. When combined with limited breeding activities,
      small research communities and scant sequence resources, the suitability of
      popular systems is often suboptimal and routinely fails to effectively balance
      cost-effectiveness and sample throughput. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS)
      encompasses a range of protocols including resequencing of the transcriptome.
      This study describes a skim GBS-transcriptomics (GBS-t) approach developed to be
      broadly applicable, cost-effective and high-throughput while still assaying a
      significant number of SNP loci. A range of crop species with differing levels of
      ploidy and degree of inbreeding/outbreeding were chosen, including perennial
      ryegrass, a diploid outbreeding forage grass; phalaris, a putative segmental
      allotetraploid outbreeding forage grass; lentil, a diploid inbreeding grain
      legume; and canola, an allotetraploid partially outbreeding oilseed. GBS-t was
      validated as a simple and largely automated, cost-effective method which
      generates sufficient SNPs (from 89 738 to 231 977) with acceptable levels of
      missing data and even genome coverage from c. 3 million sequence reads per
      sample. GBS-t is therefore a broadly applicable system suitable for many crops,
      offering advantages over other systems. The correct choice of subsequent sequence
      analysis software is important, and the bioinformatics process should be
      iterative and tailored to the specific challenges posed by ploidy variation and
      extent of heterozygosity.

PMID- 28913901
TI  - Real-time continuous monitoring of injection pressure at the needle tip for
      peripheral nerve blocks: description of a new method.
AB  - The measurement of injection pressure during the performance of peripheral nerve
      blocks can be pivotal to detect intraneural placement of the needle tip and thus
      avoid intrafascicular injection. However, injection pressure can only be measured
      along the injection line (tubing), which is influenced by several factors. The
      primary aim of this feasibility study was to describe and validate the principle
      of a novel nerve-block needle conceived for real-time continuous monitoring of
      injection pressures at the needle tip. Our secondary aim was to provide
      measurements and compare injection pressure values at the needle tip and in the
      injection line. Four porcine lower limb anatomic models were prepared and
      extraneural injections were performed with fractioned boluses of 2 ml saline at a
      controlled infusion rate of 10 ml.min-1 (0.16 ml.s-1 ). Injection pressure at the
      needle tip was monitored and compared with the pressure in the injection line.
      The system proved to be reliable. Thirty injections were successfully performed
      without technical failures. The mean (95%CI) difference between pressures at the
      needle tip and the injection line varied substantially from 14.33 (12.58-16.08)
      kPa at 0.5 ml injected volume to 41.56 (39.66-43.45) kPa at the end of the
      injection. This study demonstrates that the described system allows for real-time
      continuous monitoring of injection pressure at the needle tip. Moreover, this
      study shows that injection pressure values measured in the injection line cannot
      be assumed to be a reliable indicator of the injection pressure at the needle
      tip.

PMID- 28913903
TI  - Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from hospital-acquired infection: biofilm
      production and drug susceptibility.
AB  - Acinetobacter baumannii cause opportunistic nosocomial infections and is often
      multidrug resistant. It has ability to form biofilm. The possession of drug
      resistance mechanism and ability of biofilm formation seems to be the different
      way to enhancement of viability in stressful environment. In this study, we
      evaluate relation between these two factors. The biofilm formation was
      investigated in M63 medium with casein in microtiter plates, and the drug
      susceptibility was performed by disk diffusion methods. We found that 80-98%
      strains formed a biofilm. Strains showing sensitivity to amikacin and tobramycin
      from ICU produced more biofilm than strains showing resistance to these
      antibiotics. Ceftazidime-sensitive strains formed a smaller biofilm than
      resistant. The logistic regression shows association between drug resistance and
      strains originating from ICU. In case of ceftazidime, strong biofilm formation
      and descending from ICU reduced the likelihood of drug sensitivity. For other
      drugs such as aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole,
      and tetracycline, we found opposite relation (but it was not statistically
      significance). However, generally it seems that strong biofilm producers from
      ICUs are often more susceptible to antibiotics. This situation can be explained
      by the fact that bacteria protected in biofilm do not need mechanisms responsible
      for resistance of planktonic cells.

PMID- 28913902
TI  - Analysis of cancer gene expression data with an assisted robust marker
      identification approach.
AB  - Gene expression (GE) studies have been playing a critical role in cancer
      research. Despite tremendous effort, the analysis results are still often
      unsatisfactory, because of the weak signals and high data dimensionality.
      Analysis is often further challenged by the long-tailed distributions of the
      outcome variables. In recent multidimensional studies, data have been collected
      on GEs as well as their regulators (e.g., copy number alterations (CNAs),
      methylation, and microRNAs), which can provide additional information on the
      associations between GEs and cancer outcomes. In this study, we develop an ARMI
      (assisted robust marker identification) approach for analyzing cancer studies
      with measurements on GEs as well as regulators. The proposed approach borrows
      information from regulators and can be more effective than analyzing GE data
      alone. A robust objective function is adopted to accommodate long-tailed
      distributions. Marker identification is effectively realized using penalization.
      The proposed approach has an intuitive formulation and is computationally much
      affordable. Simulation shows its satisfactory performance under a variety of
      settings. TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) data on melanoma and lung cancer are
      analyzed, which leads to biologically plausible marker identification and
      superior prediction.

PMID- 28913904
TI  - Re-emergence of rabies virus maintained by canid populations in Paraguay.
AB  - Paraguay has registered no human cases of rabies since 2004, and the last case in
      dogs, reported in 2009, was due to a variant maintained in the common vampire bat
      "Desmodus rotundus". In 2014, a dog was diagnosed as positive for rabies with
      aggression towards a boy and all required measures of control were successfully
      adopted. Epidemiological investigation revealed that the dog was not vaccinated
      and had been attacked by a crab-eating fox, "zorro" (Cerdocyon thous). The sample
      was diagnosed by the Official Veterinary Service of the Country and sent to the
      Center on Rabies Research from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, for antigenic
      and genetic characterization. A second sample from a dog positive for rabies in
      the same region in 2015 and 11 samples from a rabies outbreak from Asuncion in
      1996 were also characterized. The antigenic profile of the samples, AgV2, was
      compatible with one of the variants maintained by dogs in Latin America. In
      genetic characterization, the samples segregated in the canine (domestic and wild
      species)-related group in an independent subgroup that also included samples from
      Argentina. These results and the epidemiology of the case indicate that even with
      the control of rabies in domestic animals, the virus can still circulate in
      wildlife and may be transmitted to domestic animals and humans, demonstrating the
      importance of continuous and improved surveillance and control of rabies,
      including in wild species, to prevent outbreaks in controlled areas.

PMID- 28913905
TI  - Clinicopathological study of lip cancer: a retrospective hospital-based study in
      Taiwan.
AB  - To evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics, high-risk lifestyle factors
      (HRLF: chronic exposure to sun, betel quid, alcohol, and tobacco), and prognostic
      factors of lip cancer. The hospital records of patients with pathologically
      confirmed lip squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC, n = 112) and lip basal cell
      carcinoma (LBCC, n = 21) were reviewed. Differences in clinicopathological
      characteristics between LSCC and LBCC, upper and lower lip, and status of second
      primary tumors were compared by chi-square test and logistic regression. The
      prognostic factors for LSCC were analyzed by Cox regression. Compared with LBCC
      patients, LSCC patients were men-predominant (p < 0.001), had younger ages at
      onset (p < 0.001), and higher rates of lower lips involvement (p < 0.001) and
      HRLFs. Patients with second primary tumors were highly associated with lower lip
      cancer involvement (adjusted odds ratio = 2.91, p = 0.03). Patients with lower
      lip cancer had more HRLFs with an increasing linear trend (p = 0.004). The poorer
      prognostic factors of LSCC for disease-specific survival were advanced stage
      III/IV [crude hazard ratio (CHR) = 11.16, p < 0.001], tumor dimension >4 cm (CHR
      = 8.19, p = 0.006), lymph node involvement (CHR = 11.48, p < 0.001), and
      recurrence (CHR = 3.96, p = 0.01); whereas for disease-free survival were
      moderately to poorly differentiated LSCC (CHR = 4.97, p = 0.002) and alcohol
      consumption (CHR = 3.13, p = 0.04). LSCC and lower lip cancer were highly
      associated with HRLFs.

PMID- 28913906
TI  - Semiautomatic extraction of cortical thickness and diaphyseal curvature from CT
      scans.
AB  - The understanding of locomotor patterns, activity schemes, and biological
      variations has been enhanced by the study of the geometrical properties and
      cortical bone thickness of the long bones measured using CT scan cross-sections.
      With the development of scanning procedures, the internal architecture of the
      long bones can be explored along the entire diaphysis. Recently, several methods
      that map cortical thickness along the whole femoral diaphysis have been
      developed. Precise homology is vital for statistical examination of the data;
      however, the repeatability of these methods is unknown and some do not account
      for the curvature of the bones. We have designed a semiautomatic workflow that
      improves the morphometric analysis of cortical thickness, including robust data
      acquisition with minimal user interaction and considering the bone curvature. The
      proposed algorithm also performs automatic landmark refinement and rigid
      registration on the extracted morphometric maps of the cortical thickness.
      Because our algorithm automatically reslices the diaphysis into 100 cross
      sections along the medial axis and uses an adaptive thresholding method, it is
      usable on CT scans that contain soft tissues as well as on bones that have not
      been oriented specifically prior to scanning. Our approach exhibits considerable
      robustness to error in user-supplied landmarks, suppresses distortion caused by
      the curvature of the bones, and calculates the curvature of the medial axis.

PMID- 28913907
TI  - Primate diversification inferred from phylogenies and fossils.
AB  - Biodiversity arises from the balance between speciation and extinction. Fossils
      record the origins and disappearance of organisms, and the branching patterns of
      molecular phylogenies allow estimation of speciation and extinction rates, but
      the patterns of diversification are frequently incongruent between these two data
      sources. I tested two hypotheses about the diversification of primates based on
      ~600 fossil species and 90% complete phylogenies of living species: (1)
      diversification rates increased through time; (2) a significant extinction event
      occurred in the Oligocene. Consistent with the first hypothesis, analyses of
      phylogenies supported increasing speciation rates and negligible extinction
      rates. In contrast, fossils showed that while speciation rates increased,
      speciation and extinction rates tended to be nearly equal, resulting in zero net
      diversification. Partially supporting the second hypothesis, the fossil data
      recorded a clear pattern of diversity decline in the Oligocene, although
      diversification rates were near zero. The phylogeny supported increased
      extinction ~34 Ma, but also elevated extinction ~10 Ma, coinciding with diversity
      declines in some fossil clades. The results demonstrated that estimates of
      speciation and extinction ignoring fossils are insufficient to infer
      diversification and information on extinct lineages should be incorporated into
      phylogenetic analyses.

PMID- 28913908
TI  - Provision of cellular blood components to CMV-seronegative patients undergoing
      allogeneic stem cell transplantation in the UK: survey of UK transplant centres.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify current UK practice with regards to provision of blood
      components for cytomegalovirus (CMV)-seronegative, potential, allogeneic stem
      cell recipients of seronegative grafts. BACKGROUND: Infection with CMV remains a
      major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic stem cell transplantation
      (aSCT). CMV transmission has been a risk associated with the transfusion of blood
      components from previously exposed donors, but leucocyte reduction has been
      demonstrated to minimise this risk. In 2012, the UK Advisory Committee for the
      Safety of Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) recommended that CMV-unselected components
      could be safely transfused without increased risk of CMV transmission. METHODS:
      We surveyed UK aSCT centres to establish current practice. RESULTS: Fifteen adult
      and seven paediatric centres (75%) responded; 22.7% continue to provide
      components from CMV-seronegative donors. Reasons cited include the continued
      perceived risk of CMV transmission by blood transfusion, its associated morbidity
      and concerns regarding potential for ambiguous CMV serostatus in seronegative
      potential transplant recipients due to passive antibody transfer from CMV
      seropositive blood donors, leading to erroneous donor/recipient CMV matching at
      transplant. CONCLUSIONS: The survey demonstrated a surprisingly high rate (22.7%)
      of centres continuing to provide blood components from CMV-seronegative donors
      despite SaBTO guidance.

PMID- 28913909
TI  - Local delivery of strontium ranelate promotes regeneration of critical size bone
      defects filled with collagen sponge.
AB  - The effect of local delivery of strontium ranelate (SR) on bone regeneration of
      critical size bone defects filled with collagen sponge was evaluated. Bone
      defects of 5 mm diameter created in rat calvaria were filled with collagen sponge
      (C); collagen sponge with 5 mM Sr2+ SR (C5SR) or collagen sponge with 50 mM Sr2+
      SR (C50SR). After 2, 4, and 6 weeks, bone volume (BV), bone surface (BS),
      trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular number (Tb.N), and trabecular separation
      (Tb.Sp) were evaluated by computed microtomography. At 6 weeks, histological
      analysis was performed. Intragroup comparisons were made by the Friedman test,
      while comparisons between groups were made by Kruskal-Wallis test (alpha = 5%).
      All groups showed increased BV, BS, Tb.Th, and Tb.N over time, but only C50SR
      promoted the reduction of Tb.Sp (p < 0.05). No significant differences between
      groups were detected at weeks 2 and 4. However, C50SR showed the highest values
      of BV, BS, and Tb.Th at 6 weeks (p < 0.05). Histological analysis revealed
      connective tissue in C and C5SR and immature bone tissue in C50SR. Local delivery
      of SR 50 mM Sr2+ associated with collagen sponge increased and accelerated bone
      regeneration in critical bone defects. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed
      Mater Res Part A: 106A: 333-341, 2018.

PMID- 28913910
TI  - Rapid and high-resolution stable isotopic measurement of biogenic accretionary
      carbonate using an online CO2 laser ablation system: Standardization of the
      analytical protocol.
AB  - RATIONALE: The elaborate sampling and analytical protocol associated with
      conventional dual-inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry has long hindered high
      resolution climate studies from biogenic accretionary carbonates. Laser-based on
      line systems, in comparison, produce rapid data, but suffer from unresolvable
      matrix effects. It is, therefore, necessary to resolve these matrix effects to
      take advantage of the automated laser-based method. METHODS: Two marine bivalve
      shells (one aragonite and one calcite) and one fish otolith (aragonite) were
      first analysed using a CO2 laser ablation system attached to a continuous flow
      isotope ratio mass spectrometer under different experimental conditions
      (different laser power, sample untreated vs vacuum roasted). The shells and the
      otolith were then micro-drilled and the isotopic compositions of the powders were
      measured in a dual-inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometer following the
      conventional acid digestion method. RESULTS: The vacuum-roasted samples (both
      aragonite and calcite) produced mean isotopic ratios (with a reproducibility of
      +/-0.2 0/00 for both delta18 O and delta13 C values) almost identical to the
      values obtained using the conventional acid digestion method. As the isotopic
      ratio of the acid digested samples fall within the analytical precision (+/-0.2
      0/00) of the laser ablation system, this suggests the usefulness of the method
      for studying the biogenic accretionary carbonate matrix. CONCLUSIONS: When using
      laser-based continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry for the high
      resolution isotopic measurements of biogenic carbonates, the employment of a
      vacuum-roasting step will reduce the matrix effect. This method will be of
      immense help to geologists and sclerochronologists in exploring short-term
      changes in climatic parameters (e.g. seasonality) in geological times.

PMID- 28913911
TI  - Older Adults' Awareness of Deprescribing: A Population-Based Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine older adults' awareness of the concept of medication
      induced harm and their familiarity with the term "deprescribing." Secondary
      objectives were to ascertain determinants of self-initiated deprescribing
      conversations and to identify how older adults seek information on medication
      harms. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based household telephone survey using
      random-digit dialling. SETTING: Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults
      aged 65 and older (N = 2,665; n = 898 men, n = 1,767 women, mean age 74.9 +/-
      7.2, range 65-100). MEASUREMENTS: Information was gathered on age; sex; awareness
      of the term "deprescribing"; knowledge and information-seeking behaviors related
      to medication harms; and previous initiation of a deprescribing conversation with
      a healthcare professional. Three targeted classes of potentially inappropriate
      prescriptions were asked about: sedative-hypnotics, glyburide, and proton pump
      inhibitors. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to quantify
      associations. RESULTS: Two-thirds (65.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 63.4
      67.0%) of participants were familiar with the concept of medication-induced
      harms. Only 6.9% (95% CI = 5.9-7.8%) recognized the term deprescribing; 48% (95%
      CI = 46-50%) had researched medication-related harms. Older adults most commonly
      sought information from the Internet (35.5%, 95% CI = 33.4-37.6%), and from
      health care professionals (32.2%, 95% CI = 30.1-34.3%). Patient-initiated
      deprescribing conversations were associated with awareness of medication harms
      (odds ratio (OR) = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.46-2.07), familiarity with the term
      deprescribing (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.13-2.12), and information-seeking behaviors
      (OR = 4.57, 95% CI = 3.84-5.45), independent of age and sex. CONCLUSION:
      Healthcare providers can facilitate patient-initiated deprescribing conversations
      by providing information on medication harms and using the term "deprescribing."

PMID- 28913912
TI  - Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization of the nasopharynx is associated with
      increased severity during respiratory syncytial virus infection in young
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most
      significant cause of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in early life. RSV and
      other respiratory viruses are known to stimulate substantial outgrowth of
      potentially pathogenic bacteria in the upper airways of young children. However,
      the clinical significance of interactions between viruses and bacteria is
      currently unclear. The present study aimed to clarify the effect of viral and
      bacterial co-detections on disease severity during paediatric ARI. METHODS:
      Nasopharyngeal aspirates from children under 2 years of age presenting with ARI
      to the emergency department were screened by quantitative PCR for 17 respiratory
      viruses and the bacterial pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus
      influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. Associations between pathogen detection and
      clinical measures of disease severity were investigated. RESULTS: RSV was the
      most common virus detected, present in 29 of 58 samples from children with ARI
      (50%). Detection of S. pneumoniae was significantly more frequent during RSV
      infections compared to other respiratory viruses (adjusted effect size: 1.8, P:
      0.03), and co-detection of both pathogens was associated with higher clinical
      disease severity scores (adjusted effect size: 1.2, P: 0.03). CONCLUSION: Co
      detection of RSV and S. pneumoniae in the nasopharynx was associated with more
      severe ARI, suggesting that S. pneumoniae colonization plays a pathogenic role in
      young children.

PMID- 28913913
TI  - Development of the cancer-related loneliness assessment tool: Using the findings
      of a qualitative analysis to generate questionnaire items.
AB  - The aim of this research was to develop a tool to identify and assess the
      qualities of cancer-related loneliness in adult cancer survivors who have
      completed treatment. In addition to reporting the development of the tool, we
      explicate the process of using the findings of a qualitative analysis to generate
      questionnaire items, as currently little guidance exists on this topic. The
      findings of our qualitative research exploring the experience of loneliness in
      adult cancer survivors who had completed treatment, together with the findings of
      our concept analysis of loneliness, were used to develop an assessment tool for
      cancer-related loneliness following treatment completion. Cognitive testing was
      undertaken to assess fidelity of comprehension and feasibility in administration.
      The Cancer-Related Loneliness Assessment Tool is a 10-item self-report
      questionnaire capturing the essential elements of cancer-related loneliness
      following treatment completion. Experts believed the questionnaire to be face
      valid and usable in clinical practice, and preliminary cognitive testing
      indicated that the items generate the information intended and individuals have
      little trouble completing the tool. Following further development work, the tool
      could be employed to identify cancer-related loneliness following treatment
      completion. It could also aid with the development/adaptation and evaluation of
      person-centred interventions to address such loneliness.

PMID- 28913914
TI  - New onset of asthma and job status change among world trade center responders and
      workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the high rates, the consequences of new onset asthma among
      the World Trade Center (WTC) responders in terms of the change in job status have
      not been studied. METHODS: This study consists of a cohort of 8132 WTC responders
      out of the total 25 787 responders who held a full-time job at the baseline
      visit, and participated in at least one follow-up visit. RESULTS: Overall, 34% of
      the study cohort changed their job status from full-time at a follow-up visit.
      Multivariable models showed that asthmatics were respectively 27% and 47% more
      likely to have any job status change and get retired, and twice as likely to
      become disabled as compared to non-asthmatics. CONCLUSIONS: With asthma incidence
      from WTC exposure, negative job status change should be considered as a potential
      long-term consequence of WTC exposure.

PMID- 28913915
TI  - Home Use, Remotely Supervised, and Remotely Controlled Transcranial Direct
      Current Stimulation: A Systematic Review of the Available Evidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is gaining growing
      importance in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders and is
      currently investigated for home-based and remotely supervised applications.
      METHODS: Here, we systematically review the available evidence from a database
      search (PubMed, ICTRP, clinicaltrials.gov) from January 2000 to May 2017.
      RESULTS: We detected 22 original research papers, trial protocols or trial
      registrations dealing with tDCS as an add-on intervention to cognitive or
      physiotherapeutic intervention. Overall, study samples are small; many studies
      are single-blinded and focus on feasibility and safety. There are two guideline
      papers setting basic requirements for clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS: Further
      research needs to focus on home-based treatment from different viewpoints, that
      is, safety, technical monitoring, reproducibility of repeated applications,
      feasibility of combined interventions and systematic assessment of efficacy, and
      safety in large randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs). However, remotely
      controlled and supervised tDCS for home use represents a promising approach for
      widespread use of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in clinical care.

PMID- 28913916
TI  - Red and processed meat intake and cancer risk: Results from the prospective
      NutriNet-Sante cohort study.
AB  - The International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO-IARC) classified red meat
      and processed meat as probably carcinogenic and carcinogenic for humans,
      respectively. These conclusions were mainly based on studies concerning
      colorectal cancer, but scientific evidence is still limited for other cancer
      locations. In this study, we investigated the prospective associations between
      red and processed meat intakes and overall, breast, and prostate cancer risk.
      This prospective study included 61,476 men and women of the French NutriNet-Sante
      cohort (2009-2015) aged >=35 y and who completed at least three 24 hrs dietary
      records during the first year of follow-up. The risk of developing cancer was
      compared across sex-specific quintiles of red and processed meat intakes by
      multivariable Cox models. 1,609 first primary incident cancer cases were
      diagnosed during follow-up, among which 544 breast cancers and 222 prostate
      cancers. Red meat intake was associated with increased risk of overall cancers
      [HRQ5vs.Q1 =1.31 (1.10-1.55), ptrend  = 0.01) and breast cancer (HRQ5vs.Q1  =
      1.83 (1.33-2.51), ptrend  = 0.002]. The latter association was observed in both
      premenopausal [HRQ5vs.Q1 =2.04 (1.03-4.06)] and postmenopausal women [HRQ5vs.Q1
      =1.79 (1.26-2.55)]. No association was observed between red meat intake and
      prostate cancer risk. Processed meat intake was relatively low in this study (cut
      offs for the 5th quintile = 46 g/d in men and 29 g/d in women) and was not
      associated with overall, breast or prostate cancer risk. This large cohort study
      suggested that red meat may be involved carcinogenesis at several cancer
      locations (other than colon-rectum), in particular breast cancer. These results
      are consistent with mechanistic evidence from experimental studies.

PMID- 28913917
TI  - Merging [2+2] Cycloaddition with Radical 1,4-Addition: Metal-Free Access to
      Functionalized Cyclobuta[a]naphthalen-4-ols.
AB  - A metal-free [2+2] cycloaddition and 1,4-addition sequence induced by S-centered
      radicals has been achieved by treating benzene-linked allene-ynes with
      aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates and DABCO-bis(sulfur dioxide) in a one-pot
      procedure. The reaction provides a greener and more practical access to
      functionalized cyclobuta[a]naphthalen-4-ols with valuable applications. More than
      50 examples are demonstrated with excellent diastereoselectivity and chemical
      yields. The reaction pathway is proposed to proceed by the following steps:[2+2]
      cycloaddition, insertion of SO2 , 1,4-addition, diazotization, and
      tautomerization.

PMID- 28913918
TI  - Clopidogrel in Critically Ill Patients.
AB  - Only limited data are available regarding the treatment of critically ill
      patients with clopidogrel. This trial investigated the effects and the drug
      concentrations of the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) activated prodrug clopidogrel (n =
      43) and the half-life of the similarly metabolized pantoprazole (n = 16) in
      critically ill patients. ADP-induced aggregometry in whole blood classified 74%
      (95% confidence intervals 59-87%) of critically ill patients as poor responders
      (n = 43), and 65% (49-79%) responded poorly according to the vasodilator
      stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation (VASP-P) assay. Although the plasma
      levels of clopidogrel active metabolite normally exceed the inactive prodrug ~30
      fold, the parent drug levels even exceeded those of the metabolite 2-fold in
      critically ill patients. The half-life of pantoprazole was several-fold longer in
      these patients compared with reference populations. The inverse ratio of
      prodrug/active metabolite indicates insufficient metabolization of clopidogrel,
      which is independently confirmed by the ~5-fold increase in half-life of
      pantoprazole. Thus, high-risk patients may benefit from treatment with
      alternative platelet inhibitors.

PMID- 28913919
TI  - Technical Note: On the use of cylindrical ionization chambers for electron beam
      reference dosimetry.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the use of cylindrical chambers for electron beam
      dosimetry independent of energy by studying the variability of relative ion
      chamber perturbation corrections, one of the main concerns for electron beam
      dosimetry with cylindrical chambers. METHODS: Measurements are made with sets of
      cylindrical and plane-parallel reference-class chambers as a function of depth in
      water in 8 MeV and 18 MeV electron beams. The ratio of chamber readings for
      similar chambers is normalized in a high-energy electron beam and can be thought
      of as relative perturbation corrections. Data are plotted as a function of mean
      electron energy at depth for a range of depths close to the phantom surface to
      R80 , the depth at which the ionization falls to 80% of its maximum value.
      Additional, similar measurements are made in a Virtual Water(r) phantom with
      cylindrical chambers at the reference depth in a 4 MeV electron beam. RESULTS:
      The variability of relative ion chamber perturbation corrections for nominally
      identical cylindrical Farmer-type chambers is found to be less than 0.4%, no
      worse than plane-parallel chambers with similar specifications. CONCLUSIONS: This
      work discusses several issues related to the use of plane-parallel ion chambers
      and suggests that reference-class cylindrical chambers may be appropriate for
      reference dosimetry of all electron beams. This would simplify the reference
      dosimetry procedure and improve accuracy of beam calibration.

PMID- 28913920
TI  - Dramatic pretend play games uniquely improve emotional control in young children.
AB  - Pretense is a naturally occurring, apparently universal activity for typically
      developing children. Yet its function and effects remain unclear. One theorized
      possibility is that pretense activities, such as dramatic pretend play games, are
      a possible causal path to improve children's emotional development. Social and
      emotional skills, particularly emotional control, are critically important for
      social development, as well as academic performance and later life success.
      However, the study of such approaches has been criticized for potential bias and
      lack of rigor, precluding the ability to make strong causal claims. We conducted
      a randomized, component control (dismantling) trial of dramatic pretend play
      games with a low-SES group of 4-year-old children (N = 97) to test whether such
      practice yields generalized improvements in multiple social and emotional
      outcomes. We found specific effects of dramatic play games only on emotional self
      control. Results suggest that dramatic pretend play games involving physicalizing
      emotional states and traits, pretending to be animals and human characters, and
      engaging in pretend scenarios in a small group may improve children's emotional
      control. These findings have implications for the function of pretense and design
      of interventions to improve emotional control in typical and atypical
      populations. Further, they provide support for the unique role of dramatic
      pretend play games for young children, particularly those from low-income
      backgrounds. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at:
      https://youtu.be/2GVNcWKRHPk.

PMID- 28913921
TI  - Analgesic efficacy of local infiltration analgesia vs. femoral nerve block after
      anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Many published reports consider blockade of the femoral nerve distribution the
      best available analgesic treatment after anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction. However, some argue that an alternative approach of infiltrating
      local anaesthetic into the surgical site has similar efficacy. The objectives of
      this meta-analysis were to compare the analgesic and functional outcomes of both
      treatments following anterior ligament reconstruction. The primary outcomes were
      pain scores at rest (analogue scale, 0-10) in the early (0-2 postoperative
      hours), intermediate (3-12 hours) and late postoperative periods (13-24 hours).
      Secondary outcomes included range of motion, quadriceps muscle strength and
      complication rates (neurological problems, cardiovascular events, falls and knee
      infections). Eleven trials, including 628 patients, were identified. Pain scores
      in the early, intermediate and late postoperative periods were significantly
      lower in patients who received a femoral nerve block, with mean differences
      (95%CI) of 1.6 (0.2-2.9), p = 0.02; 1.2 (0.4-1.5), p = 0.002; and 0.7 (0.1-1.4),
      p = 0.03 respectively. The quality of evidence for our primary outcomes was
      moderate to high. Regarding functional outcomes, only one trial reported a
      similar range of motion between groups at 48 postoperative hours. No trial sought
      to record complications. In conclusion, femoral nerve block provides superior
      postoperative analgesia after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction to local
      infiltration analgesia. The impact of improved analgesia on function remains
      unclear due to the lack of reporting of functional outcomes in the existing
      literature.

PMID- 28913922
TI  - A clinically meaningful fetal hemoglobin threshold for children with sickle cell
      anemia during hydroxyurea therapy.
AB  - Hydroxyurea has proven clinical benefits and is recommended to be offered to all
      children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), but the optimal dosing regimen remains
      controversial. Induction of red blood cell fetal hemoglobin (HbF) by hydroxyurea
      appears to be dose-dependent. However, it is unknown whether maximizing HbF%
      improves clinical outcomes. HUSTLE (NCT00305175) is a prospective observational
      study with a primary goal of describing the long-term clinical effects of
      hydroxyurea escalated to maximal tolerated dose (MTD) in children with SCA. In
      230 children, providing 610 patient-years of follow up, the mean attained HbF% at
      MTD was >20% for up to 4 years of follow-up. When HbF% values were <=20%,
      children had twice the odds of hospitalization for any reason (P < .0001),
      including vaso-occlusive pain (P < .01) and acute chest syndrome (ACS) (P < .01),
      and more than four times the odds of admission for fever (P < .001). Thirty day
      readmission rates were not affected by HbF%. Neutropenia (ANC <1000 * 106 /L) was
      rare (2.3% of all laboratory monitoring), transient, and benign. Therefore,
      attaining HbF >20% was associated with fewer hospitalizations without significant
      toxicity. These data support the use of hydroxyurea in children, and suggest that
      the preferred dosing strategy is one that targets a HbF endpoint >20%.

PMID- 28913924
TI  - Nurse managers and the sandwich support model.
AB  - AIM: To explore the interplay between the work of nurse managers and the support
      they receive and provide. BACKGROUND: Support is the cornerstone of management
      practices and is pivotal in employees feeling committed to an organisation.
      Support for nurse managers is integral to effective health sector management; its
      characteristics merit more attention. METHODS: The experiences of 15 nurse
      managers in rural health institutions in South Australia were explored using
      structured interviews, observation and document review. RESULTS: Effective
      decision making requires adequate support, which influences the perceptions and
      performance of nurse managers, creating an environment in which they feel
      appreciated and valued. An ideal support system is proposed, the "sandwich
      support model," to promote effective functioning and desirable patient outcomes
      via support "from above" and "from below." IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT:
      The need to support nurse managers effectively is crucial to how they function.
      The sandwich support model can improve management practices, more effectively
      assisting nurse managers. Organisations should revisit and strengthen support
      processes for nurse managers to maximize efficiencies. CONCLUSION: This paper
      contributes to understanding the importance of supporting nurse managers,
      identifying the processes used and the type of support offered. It highlights
      challenges and issues affecting support practices within the health sector.

PMID- 28913925
TI  - A cascade of destabilizations: Combining Wolbachia and Allee effects to eradicate
      insect pests.
AB  - The management of insect pests has long been dominated by the use of chemical
      insecticides, with the aim of instantaneously killing enough individuals to limit
      their damage. To minimize unwanted consequences, environmentally friendly
      approaches have been proposed that utilize biological control and take advantage
      of intrinsic demographic processes to reduce pest populations. We address the
      feasibility of a novel pest management strategy based on the release of insects
      infected with Wolbachia, which causes cytoplasmic incompatibilities in its host
      population, into a population with a pre-existing Allee effect. We hypothesize
      that the transient decline in population size caused by a successful invasion of
      Wolbachia can bring the population below its Allee threshold and, consequently,
      trigger extinction. We develop a stochastic population model that accounts for
      Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibilities in addition to an Allee effect
      arising from mating failures at low population densities. Using our model, we
      identify conditions under which cytoplasmic incompatibilities and Allee effects
      successfully interact to drive insect pest populations towards extinction. Based
      on our results, we delineate control strategies based on introductions of
      Wolbachia-infected insects. We extend this analysis to evaluate control
      strategies that implement successive introductions of two incompatible Wolbachia
      strains. Additionally, we consider methods that combine Wolbachia invasion with
      mating disruption tactics to enhance the pre-existing Allee effect. We
      demonstrate that Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility and the Allee
      effect act independently from one another: the Allee effect does not modify the
      Wolbachia invasion threshold, and cytoplasmic incompatibilities only have a
      marginal effect on the Allee threshold. However, the interaction of these two
      processes can drive even large populations to extinction. The success of this
      method can be amplified by the introduction of multiple Wolbachia cytotypes as
      well as the addition of mating disruption. Our study extends the existing
      literature by proposing the use of Wolbachia introductions to capitalize on pre
      existing Allee effects and consequently eradicate insect pests. More generally,
      it highlights the importance of transient dynamics, and the relevance of
      manipulating a cascade of destabilizatons for pest management.

PMID- 28913923
TI  - An Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Patient Specific Model of Complement Factor H
      (Y402H) Polymorphism Displays Characteristic Features of Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration and Indicates a Beneficial Role for UV Light Exposure.
AB  - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness,
      accounting for 8.7% of all blindness globally. Vision loss is caused ultimately
      by apoptosis of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and overlying
      photoreceptors. Treatments are evolving for the wet form of the disease; however,
      these do not exist for the dry form. Complement factor H polymorphism in exon 9
      (Y402H) has shown a strong association with susceptibility to AMD resulting in
      complement activation, recruitment of phagocytes, RPE damage, and visual decline.
      We have derived and characterized induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from
      two subjects without AMD and low-risk genotype and two patients with advanced AMD
      and high-risk genotype and generated RPE cells that show local secretion of
      several proteins involved in the complement pathway including factor H, factor I,
      and factor H-like protein 1. The iPSC RPE cells derived from high-risk patients
      mimic several key features of AMD including increased inflammation and cellular
      stress, accumulation of lipid droplets, impaired autophagy, and deposition of
      "drusen"-like deposits. The low- and high-risk RPE cells respond differently to
      intermittent exposure to UV light, which leads to an improvement in cellular and
      functional phenotype only in the high-risk AMD-RPE cells. Taken together, our
      data indicate that the patient specific iPSC model provides a robust platform for
      understanding the role of complement activation in AMD, evaluating new therapies
      based on complement modulation and drug testing. Stem Cells 2017;35:2305-2320.

PMID- 28913926
TI  - Dangers on the road: A longitudinal examination of passenger-initiated violence
      against bus drivers.
AB  - This study examined the impact of workplace violence against 109 bus drivers over
      a 1-year span. Workplace violence is related to both psychological and work
      related consequences. Our findings showed that bus drivers experienced a wide
      range of violence at work and the psychological consequences were devastating:
      Half of the participants met the diagnostic criteria for acute stress disorder
      within the first month following the index event. Majority of them experienced at
      least moderate levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) problems over the
      1-year span. About 9.3% of participants showed a delayed onset of PTSD 6 months
      after. Furthermore, counter-supportive behaviours and reexposure to violence
      played important roles in the maintenance of PTSD symptoms over time. Even though
      PTSD symptoms per se did not relate to bus driver's confidence in coping with
      aggressive passengers, the immediate post-traumatic reaction-symptoms of acute
      stress disorder-showed a significant long-term negative effect on bus drivers'
      confidence in dealing with aggressive passengers 12 months after. This study
      provided empirical evidence of the changing nature of PTSD symptoms over time
      among bus drivers.

PMID- 28913927
TI  - The efficacy and safety of a monophasic hyaluronic acid filler in the correction
      of nasolabial folds: A randomized, multicenter, single blinded, split-face study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The different rheological properties of hyaluronic acid (HA) filler
      reflect their specific manufacturing processes and resultant physicochemical
      characteristics. However, there are few researches about the relationship between
      product differences and clinical outcome when HA fillers are used for nasolabial
      folds (NLFs). AIMS: This study sought to compare the rheological properties,
      efficacy and safety of a monophasic HA filler, and a well-studied biphasic HA
      filler, in the treatment of NLFs. PATIENTS/METHODS: A total of 72 Korean subjects
      with moderate to severe NLFs were randomized to receive injections with
      monophasic HA or biphasic HA on the left or right side of the face. Efficacy was
      evaluated by the change in the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS) at 2, 10, 18,
      26, and 52 weeks. Safety was assessed on the basis of all abnormal reactions
      during the clinical test period. To compare the rheological characteristics of
      two cross-linked HA fillers, viscoelastic analysis was performed. RESULTS: At
      week 26, the mean WSRS was 2.26+/-0.56 for the monophasic HA side and 2.24+/-0.54
      for the biphasic HA side. Both treatments were well tolerated. The adverse
      reactions were mild and transient. Monophasic HA filler had lower elasticity and
      higher viscosity than biphasic HA filler. CONCLUSION: Despite a number of
      different rheological properties, monophasic HA is noninferior to biphasic HA in
      the treatment of moderate to severe NLFs for 52 weeks. Therefore, monophasic HA
      provides an alternative option for NLFs correction.

PMID- 28913928
TI  - A new complementary approach for oral health and diabetes management: health
      coaching.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health coaching (HC) is based on 'partnering with clients in a
      thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their
      personal and professional potential' to adopt healthy lifestyles through
      'building awareness and empowerment'. This study's objective is to assess, for
      the first time to our knowledge, the effectiveness of HC compared with health
      education (HE) using clinical and subjective measures among type 2 diabetes (DM2)
      patients in Turkey and Denmark. METHODS: This stratified random prospective study
      selected type 2 diabetes patients in Turkey (n = 186) (TR) (2010-2012) and in
      Denmark (n = 116) (DK) (2012-2014). Participants were assigned to HC or HE
      groups. Selected outcomes were HbA1c, periodontal treatment need index (CPI),
      health behaviours and anthropometric measures. The study duration was 12 months
      (6 months initiation-maintenance, 6 months follow-up). RESULTS: At baseline,
      there were no statistically significant differences between the HC and HE groups.
      Post-intervention, a reduction of HbA1c in the HC groups was observed (TR: 0.8%;
      DK: 0.4%, P < 0.01) but not in the HE groups. The HC patients had a higher
      reduction in CPI than the HE group (P < 0.01). Principal component analysis
      showed that HbA1c, CPI and 'behaviour change' compose one cluster in the HCTR and
      HETR groups. Three clusters were formed for the HCDK; respectively HbA1c and CPI,
      lean mass and body fat percentage, 'behaviour change'. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      indicate that HC has a greater impact on DM management and health outcomes. There
      is a need for common health promotion strategies with behavioural interventions
      such as health coaching for the management of type 2 diabetes that focus on
      multidisciplinary approaches including oral health.

PMID- 28913929
TI  - High nutrition risk is associated with higher risk of dysphagia in advanced age
      adults newly admitted to hospital.
AB  - AIM: To establish the prevalence of nutrition risk and associated risk factors
      among adults of advanced age newly admitted to hospital. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was undertaken in adults aged over 85 years admitted to one of
      two hospital wards in Auckland within the previous 5 days. An interviewer
      administered questionnaire was used to establish participant's socio-demographic
      and health characteristics. Markers of body composition and muscle strength were
      collected. Nutrition risk was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment
      Short Form (MNA-SF), dysphagia risk using the 10-Item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT
      10) and level of cognition using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. RESULTS: A
      total of 88 participants with a mean age of 90.0 +/- 3.7 years completed the
      assessments. A third (28.4%) of the participants were categorised by the MNA-SF
      as malnourished and 43.2% were classified at risk of malnutrition. A third
      (29.5%) were at risk of dysphagia as assessed by EAT-10. Malnourished
      participants were more likely to be at risk of dysphagia (P = 0.015). The MNA-SF
      score was positively correlated with body mass index (r = 0.484, P < 0.001) and
      grip strength (r = 0.250, P = 0.026) and negatively correlated with risk of
      dysphagia (r = -0.383, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among newly hospitalised adults
      of advanced age, over two thirds were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition,
      and a third were at risk of dysphagia. Nutrition risk was positively correlated
      with low BMI and grip strength and negatively correlated with dysphagia risk.
      Findings highlight the importance of screening for dysphagia risk, especially in
      those identified to be malnourished or at nutrition risk.

PMID- 28913931
TI  - Automatic structure prediction of oligomeric assemblies using Robetta in CASP12.
AB  - Many naturally occurring protein systems function primarily as symmetric
      assemblies. Prediction of the quaternary structure of these assemblies is an
      important biological problem. This article describes automated tools we have
      developed for predicting the structures of symmetric protein assemblies in the
      Robetta structure prediction server. We assess the performance of this pipeline
      on a set of targets from the recent CASP12/CAPRI blind quaternary structure
      prediction experiment. Our approach successfully predicted 5 of 7 symmetric
      assemblies in this challenge, and was assessed as the best participating server
      group, and 1 of only 2 groups (human or server) with 2 predictions judged as high
      quality by the assessors. We also assess the method on a broader set of 22
      natively symmetric CASP12 targets, where we show that oligomeric modeling can
      improve the accuracy of monomeric structure determination, particularly in highly
      intertwined oligomers.

PMID- 28913930
TI  - Accuracy, repeatability, and interplatform reproducibility of T1 quantification
      methods used for DCE-MRI: Results from a multicenter phantom study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the in vitro accuracy, test-retest repeatability, and
      interplatform reproducibility of T1 quantification protocols used for dynamic
      contrast-enhanced MRI at 1.5 and 3 T. METHODS: A T1 phantom with 14 samples was
      imaged at eight centers with a common inversion-recovery spin-echo (IR-SE)
      protocol and a variable flip angle (VFA) protocol using seven flip angles, as
      well as site-specific protocols (VFA with different flip angles, variable
      repetition time, proton density, and Look-Locker inversion recovery). Factors
      influencing the accuracy (deviation from reference NMR T1 measurements) and
      repeatability were assessed using general linear mixed models. Interplatform
      reproducibility was assessed using coefficients of variation. RESULTS: For the
      common IR-SE protocol, accuracy (median error across platforms = 1.4-5.5%) was
      influenced predominantly by T1 sample (P < 10-6 ), whereas test-retest
      repeatability (median error = 0.2-8.3%) was influenced by the scanner (P < 10-6
      ). For the common VFA protocol, accuracy (median error = 5.7-32.2%) was
      influenced by field strength (P = 0.006), whereas repeatability (median error =
      0.7-25.8%) was influenced by the scanner (P < 0.0001). Interplatform
      reproducibility with the common VFA was lower at 3 T than 1.5 T (P = 0.004), and
      lower than that of the common IR-SE protocol (coefficient of variation 1.5T:
      VFA/IR-SE = 11.13%/8.21%, P = 0.028; 3 T: VFA/IR-SE = 22.87%/5.46%, P = 0.001).
      Among the site-specific protocols, Look-Locker inversion recovery and VFA (2-3
      flip angles) protocols showed the best accuracy and repeatability (errors < 15%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The VFA protocols with 2 to 3 flip angles optimized for different
      applications achieved acceptable balance of extensive spatial coverage, accuracy,
      and repeatability in T1 quantification (errors < 15%). Further optimization in
      terms of flip-angle choice for each tissue application, and the use of B1
      correction, are needed to improve the robustness of VFA protocols for T1 mapping.
      Magn Reson Med 79:2564-2575, 2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic
      Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28913932
TI  - Hox D genes and the fin-to-limb transition: Insights from fish studies.
AB  - Genes in the 5' extremity of the HoxD cluster encode DNA-binding transcription
      factors essential for development of the autopod and digits, regulating primarily
      gene expression and, consequently, morphogenesis and skeletal differentiation.
      Comparative studies focused on their expression and regulation have led to the
      idea that evolution of a bimodal regulation of the HoxD cluster, mainly due to
      the activation of cis-regulatory units in the centromeric side of the cluster,
      was a fundamental mechanism that potentiated the fin-to-limb transition in
      vertebrates. In addition, functional assays demonstrated that increased levels of
      5'HoxD genes stimulate the production of additional endochondral bone, while
      repressing the formation of dermal skeleton distally. Other data have come to
      light in recent years suggesting that these genes may interfere directly with the
      production of dermal skeleton components in fish and with the activity of cis
      regulatory units involved in the formation of autopod and digits. Finally,
      increasing evidences suggest that the role of HoxD genes in fin evolution may
      relate to their ability to change the fate of distal mesenchymal cells conducting
      them to differentiate into endochondral bone rather than in dermal skeleton.
      Here, we trace the history of the research concerning the involvement of HoxD
      genes in the fin-to-limb transition in vertebrates. To this end, we discuss three
      interconnected topics that have benefited from profound advances in recent years
      due to comparative analyses and functional assays performed using fish species:
      (a) comparative HoxD genes expression; (b) comparative HoxD gene transcriptional
      regulation; and (c) functional characterization of 5'HoxD genes.

PMID- 28913933
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of FNAC and cyto-histopathological correlation in testicular
      and paratesticular mass lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: FNAC has a definitive role and has proved extremely useful in
      diagnosis of testicular and paratesticular mass lesions. In view of the dearth of
      literature of studies involving large cohorts of patients, the present study
      describes at length the detailed cytological evaluation of testicular and
      paratesticular mass lesions. METHODS: Our study consisted of 85 cases in 5-year
      retrospective and 1-year prospective analyses carried out in the Department of
      Pathology, Government Medical College, Jammu. The study depicts cytomorphological
      findings of testicular and paratesticular mass lesions. We evaluate the
      concordance rate of cytological diagnosis with the histological diagnosis as a
      percentage and assess the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC by calculating sensitivity
      and specificity. RESULTS: Out of 85 cases, inflammatory lesions comprised the
      largest group comprising 47 cases (55.29%) followed by 20 cases (23.5%) of cystic
      lesions. In addition, there were 10 cases (11.76%) of malignant tumours and three
      cases (3.5%) of benign tumours. Overall, acute orchitis was the most common
      inflammatory lesions (12.94%) followed by tubercular epididymitis (9.4%). The
      most common cystic lesion was benign epididymal cyst (10.5%) and the most common
      malignant tumours were seminoma and embryonal carcinoma. Cytohistological
      correlation was available for 16 (18.82%) cases only and cytological diagnosis
      was concordant with the histological diagnosis in all these cases. Sensitivity
      and specificity of FNAC was 100% in our study. CONCLUSION: FNAC is a useful
      diagnostic modality for testicular and paratesticular mass lesions due to its
      high sensitivity and specificity in discriminating between different types of
      lesions and high concordance rates with histopathological diagnosis.

PMID- 28913935
TI  - Induction of cancer cell stemness by depletion of macrohistone H2A1 in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - : Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) contain a subpopulation of cancer stem cells
      (CSCs), which exhibit stem cell-like features and are responsible for tumor
      relapse, metastasis, and chemoresistance. The development of effective treatments
      for HCC will depend on a molecular-level understanding of the specific pathways
      driving CSC emergence and stemness. MacroH2A1 is a variant of the histone H2A and
      an epigenetic regulator of stem-cell function, where it promotes differentiation
      and, conversely, acts as a barrier to somatic-cell reprogramming. Here, we
      focused on the role played by the histone variant macroH2A1 as a potential
      epigenetic factor promoting CSC differentiation. In human HCC sections we
      uncovered a significant correlation between low frequencies of macroH2A1 staining
      and advanced, aggressive HCC subtypes with poorly differentiated tumor
      phenotypes. Using HCC cell lines, we found that short hairpin RNA-mediated
      macroH2A1 knockdown induces acquisition of CSC-like features, including the
      growth of significantly larger and less differentiated tumors when injected into
      nude mice. MacroH2A1-depleted HCC cells also exhibited reduced proliferation,
      resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, and stem-like metabolic changes consistent
      with enhanced hypoxic responses and increased glycolysis. The loss of macroH2A1
      increased expression of a panel of stemness-associated genes and drove
      hyperactivation of the nuclear factor kappa B p65 pathway. Blocking
      phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B p65 on Ser536 inhibited the emergence
      of CSC-like features in HCC cells knocked down for macroH2A1. CONCLUSION: The
      absence of histone variant macroH2A1 confers a CSC-like phenotype to HCC cells in
      vitro and in vivo that depends on Ser536 phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa
      B p65; this pathway may hold valuable targets for the development of CSC-focused
      treatments for HCC. (Hepatology 2017).

PMID- 28913934
TI  - The incidence of sarcopenia among hospitalized older patients: results from the
      Glisten study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New evidence is emerging on the importance of lean body mass during
      periods of illness and recovery. The preservation of lean body mass during such
      periods of intense stress impacts both patient and treatment outcomes. However,
      data concerning the incidence of sarcopenia among older people during
      hospitalization are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
      development of sarcopenia in a sample of hospitalized older subjects. METHODS: We
      used data of 394 participants from the multicentre Italian Study conducted by the
      Gruppo Lavoro Italiano Sarcopenia-Trattamento e Nutrizione (GLISTEN) in 12 Acute
      Care Wards (Internal Medicine and Geriatrics) of University Hospitals across
      Italy. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia at
      hospital admission and the change in muscle mass and strength during
      hospitalization. Sarcopenia was defined as low skeletal mass index (kg/m2 ) along
      with either low handgrip strength or slow walking speed [European Working Groups
      on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria]. Estimation of skeletal muscle
      mass was performed by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). RESULTS: The mean
      age of the 394 enrolled patients (including 211 females who accounted for 53% of
      the sample) was 79.6 +/- 6.4 years. Among those without sarcopenia at hospital
      admission, 14.7% of the study sample met the EWGSOP sarcopenia diagnostic
      criteria at discharge. The incidence of sarcopenia during hospitalization was
      significantly associated with the number of days spent in bed but was not
      correlated with the total length of hospital stay. In particular, patients who
      developed sarcopenia spent an average of 5.1 days in bed compared with 3.2 days
      for those with no sarcopenia at discharge (P = 0.02). Patients with sarcopenia
      showed a significantly lower body mass index compared with non-sarcopenic peers
      (25.0 +/- 3.8 kg/m2 vs. 27.6 +/- 4.9 kg/m2 , respectively; P < 0.001). Similarly,
      the skeletal mass index at admission was significantly lower among patients who
      developed sarcopenia during hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Incident sarcopenia
      during hospital stay is relatively common and is associated with nutritional
      status and the number of days of bed rest.

PMID- 28913937
TI  - Healthcare professionals' perceptions of neglect of older people in Mexico: A
      qualitative secondary analysis.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe healthcare professionals' perceptions of neglect
      of older people in Mexico. BACKGROUND: Mistreatment of older people, particularly
      neglect, has emerged as a significant public health concern worldwide. However,
      few studies have been conducted to examine neglect of older people in low- and
      middle-income countries. Most research has focused on estimating the prevalence
      of neglect in older populations with little emphasis on the perceptions of
      healthcare professionals and their role in addressing neglect of older people.
      DESIGN: Qualitative secondary analysis. METHODS: The parent study consisted of
      nine focus groups conducted with healthcare professionals at five public
      hospitals in Mexico. The purpose of the parent study was to perform a needs
      assessment to determine the feasibility of adapting the Nurses Improving Care for
      Healthsystem Elders programme to Mexico. A qualitative secondary analysis with
      directed content analysis approach was used to extract data related to neglect of
      older people. RESULTS: A total of 89 participants representing healthcare
      professionals from several disciplines were interviewed. Three themes emerged:
      (i) The main point is not here; (ii) We feel hopeless; and (iii) We need
      preparation. Participants reported distress and hopelessness related to neglect
      of older people. Lack of community-based resources was noted as contributing to
      neglect. Increased education regarding care of older people for both caregivers
      and healthcare professionals and greater interdisciplinary collaboration were
      identified as potential solutions to combat neglect. CONCLUSIONS: Community-based
      services and resource allocation need to be re-evaluated to improve the care of
      older Mexicans. Interdisciplinary models of care should be developed to address
      concerns related to neglect of older people. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Neglect
      negatively impacts healthcare professionals' ability to adequately care for older
      patients. There is a need to invest in community-based services and models of
      care to address these concerns.

PMID- 28913936
TI  - Detection of Bovine Coronavirus in Healthy and Diarrheic Dairy Calves.
AB  - BACKGROUND: BCoV is identified in both healthy and diarrheic calves, complicating
      its assessment as a primary pathogen. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the detection
      rates of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) in feces of healthy and diarrheic calves and
      to describe the usefulness of a pancoronavirus reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR
      (PanCoV-RT-PCR) assay to identify BCoV in samples of diarrheic calves. ANIMALS:
      Two hundred and eighty-six calves <21 days. Calves with liquid or semiliquid
      feces, temperature >39.5 degrees C, and inappetence were considered as cases, and
      those that had pasty or firm feces and normal physical examination were
      designated as controls. METHODS: Prospective case-control study. A specific BCoV
      RT-PCR assay was used to detect BCoV in fecal samples. Association between BCoV
      and health status was evaluated by exact and random effect logistic regression.
      Fecal (n = 28) and nasal (n = 8) samples from diarrheic calves were tested for
      the presence of BCoV by both the PanCoV-RT-PCR and a specific BCoV-RT-PCR assays.
      A Kappa coefficient test was used to assess the level of agreement of both
      assays. RESULTS: BCoV was detected in 55% (157/286) of calves; 46% (66/143), and
      64% (91/143) of healthy and diarrheic calves, respectively. Diarrheic calves had
      higher odds of BCoV presence than healthy calves (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.26 to 3.83,
      P = 0.004). A good agreement between PanCoV-RT-PCR and BCoV-RT-PCR to detect BCoV
      was identified (kappa = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.392 to 0.967; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND
      CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: BCoV was more likely to be detected in diarrheic than
      healthy calves. The PanCoV-RT-PCR assay can be a useful tool to detect CoV
      samples from diarrheic calves.

PMID- 28913938
TI  - Application of CRAFT (complete reduction to amplitude frequency table) in
      nonuniformly sampled (NUS) 2D NMR data processing.
AB  - The recently published CRAFT (complete reduction to amplitude frequency table)
      technique converts the raw FID data (i.e., time domain data) into a table of
      frequencies, amplitudes, decay rate constants, and phases. It offers an alternate
      approach to decimate time-domain data, with minimal preprocessing step. It has
      been shown that application of CRAFT technique to process the t1 dimension of the
      2D data significantly improved the detectable resolution by its ability to
      analyze without the use of ubiquitous apodization of extensively zero-filled
      data. It was noted earlier that CRAFT did not resolve sinusoids that were not
      already resolvable in time-domain (i.e., t1 max dependent resolution). We present
      a combined NUS-IST-CRAFT approach wherein the NUS acquisition technique (sparse
      sampling technique) increases the intrinsic resolution in time-domain (by
      increasing t1 max), IST fills the gap in the sparse sampling, and CRAFT
      processing extracts the information without loss due to any severe apodization.
      NUS and CRAFT are thus complementary techniques to improve intrinsic and usable
      resolution. We show that significant improvement can be achieved with this
      combination over conventional NUS-IST processing. With reasonable sensitivity,
      the models can be extended to significantly higher t1 max to generate an indirect
      DEPT spectrum that rivals the direct observe counterpart.

PMID- 28913939
TI  - Elderly living donor kidney transplantation allows worthwhile outcomes: The Japan
      Academic Consortium of Kidney Transplantation study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare transplant outcomes among elderly (aged >=60 years) and non
      elderly recipients, and to evaluate the acceptability of elderly living donor
      kidney transplantation in practice after consideration of living donor type.
      METHODS: We included 830 adult patients with living donor kidney transplantation
      between 2000 and 2011 in this retrospective cohort study. We compared death
      censored graft survival, patient survival, biopsy-proven rejection,
      complications, and renal function in elderly (n = 119) and non-elderly recipients
      (n = 278). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in 10-year death-censored
      graft survival (P = 0.980). Corresponding patient survival rates in the elderly
      and non-elderly groups were 84.1% and 98.1%, respectively (hazard ratio 6.15, 95%
      confidence interval 2.12-17.82, P < 0.001). Elderly patients had more
      complications and chronic T-cell-mediated rejection. Factors associated with
      death in elderly recipients with functioning grafts were residual advanced
      recipient age (hazard ratio 1.39), decreased hemoglobin (hazard ratio 4.10),
      hepatitis B virus (hazard ratio 7.89), hepatitis C virus (hazard ratio 13.12) and
      elevated alanine aminotransferase (hazard ratio 1.13). CONCLUSIONS: Elderly
      living donor kidney transplantation seems to provide adequate acceptable
      outcomes. However, physicians should be cautious when evaluating elderly patients
      with hepatitis, and further studies are required to improve long-term outcomes.

PMID- 28913940
TI  - Caesarean Birth is Associated with Both Maternal and Paternal Origin in
      Immigrants in Sweden: a Population-Based Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between maternal country of birth and
      father's origin and unplanned and planned caesarean birth in Sweden. METHODS:
      Population-based register study including all singleton births in Sweden between
      1999 and 2012 (n = 1 311 885). Multinomial regression was conducted to estimate
      odds ratios (OR) for unplanned and planned caesarean with 95% confidence
      intervals for migrant compared with Swedish-born women. Analyses were stratified
      by parity. RESULTS: Women from Ethiopia, India, South Korea, Chile, Thailand,
      Iran, and Finland had statistically significantly higher odds of experiencing
      unplanned (primiparous OR 1.10-2.19; multiparous OR 1.13-2.02) and planned
      caesarean (primiparous OR 1.18-2.25; multiparous OR 1.13-2.46). Only women from
      Syria, the former Yugoslavia and Germany had consistently lower risk than Swedish
      born mothers (unplanned: primiparous OR 0.76-0.86; multiparous OR 0.74-0.86.
      Planned; primiparous OR 0.75-0.82; multiparous OR 0.60-0.94). Women from Iraq and
      Turkey had higher odds of an unplanned caesarean but lower odds of a planned one
      (among multiparous). In most cases, these results remained after adjustment for
      available social characteristics, maternal health factors, and pregnancy
      complications. Both parents being foreign-born increased the odds of unplanned
      and planned caesarean in primiparous and multiparous women. CONCLUSIONS:
      Unplanned and planned caesarean birth varied by women's country of birth, with
      both higher and lower rates compared with Swedish-born women, and the father's
      origin was also of importance. These variations were not explained by a wide
      range of social, health, or pregnancy factors.

PMID- 28913941
TI  - Effects of hybrid and bacterial inoculation on fermentation quality and fatty
      acid profile of barley silage.
AB  - This study estimated the effects of hybrid and bacterial inoculant on
      fermentation quality and fatty acid profile of barley silages. Yuyeon (Silkless)
      and Youngyang (Silking) barley hybrids were harvested at 24.9 and 27.1% dry
      matter, respectively, and chopped to 10 cm lengths. Each hybrid was treated with
      or without an inoculant (2 * 104  colony-forming units/g of Lactobacillus
      plantarum). A total of 48 silos were prepared in an experiment with a 2 * 2
      (hybrid * inoculant) treatment arrangement with four replications and three
      ensiling durations (2, 7 and 100 days). After 100 days of ensiling, Yuyeon silage
      had higher (P < 0.05) in vitro dry matter digestibility and C18:3n-3 than
      Youngyang silage. Youngyang silage had higher (P < 0.05) acetic acid and C18:2n-6
      than Yuyeon silage. Inoculation reduced the C18:3n-3 concentration of both
      hybrids and increased (P < 0.05) the C18:2n-6 of Youngyang. However, fermentation
      quality was not improved by the inoculant. These results indicate that Yuyeon
      hybrid might have better potential benefits on animal performances due to its
      smooth awn and silkless nature, and higher in vitro dry matter digestibility. Its
      higher C18:3n-3 would be better for improving fatty acid profile of meat or milk
      than Youngyang hybrid.

PMID- 28913942
TI  - The Journal of Rural Health Reviewers, July 2016 - June 2017.

PMID- 28913943
TI  - Bimetallic Co-Mn Perovskite Fluorides as Highly-Stable Electrode Materials for
      Supercapacitors.
AB  - Bimetallic Co-Mn perovskite fluorides (KCox Mn1-x F3 , denoted as K-Co-Mn-F) with
      various Co/Mn ratios (1:0, 12:1, 6:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, 0:1) were prepared through a
      one-pot solvothermal strategy and further used as electrode materials for
      supercapacitors. The optimal K-Co-Mn-F candidate (Co/Mn=6:1) showed a size range
      of 0.1-1 MUm and uniform elemental distribution; exhibiting small changes in XRD
      peaks and XPS binding energy in comparison to the bare K-Co-F and K-Mn-F, due to
      the structural/electronic effects. Owing to the stronger synergistic effect of
      Co/Mn redox species, the K-Co-Mn-F (Co/Mn=6:1) electrode exhibited superior
      specific capacity and rate behavior (113-100 C g-1 at 1-16 Ag-1 ) together with
      excellent cycling stability (118 % for 5000 cycles at 8 Ag-1 ), and the activated
      carbon (AC)//K-Co-Mn-F (Co/Mn=6:1) asymmetric capacitor showed superior energy
      and power densities (8.0-2.4 Wh kg-1 at 0.14-8.7 kW kg-1 ) along with high
      cycling stability (90 % for 10 000 cycles at 5 Ag-1 ).

PMID- 28913944
TI  - The more you test, the more you find: The smallest P-values become increasingly
      enriched with real findings as more tests are conducted.
AB  - The increasing accessibility of data to researchers makes it possible to conduct
      massive amounts of statistical testing. Rather than follow specific scientific
      hypotheses with statistical analysis, researchers can now test many possible
      relationships and let statistics generate hypotheses for them. The field of
      genetic epidemiology is an illustrative case, where testing of candidate genetic
      variants for association with an outcome has been replaced by agnostic screening
      of the entire genome. Poor replication rates of candidate gene studies have
      improved dramatically with the increase in genomic coverage, due to factors such
      as adoption of better statistical practices and availability of larger sample
      sizes. Here, we suggest that another important factor behind the improved
      replicability of genome-wide scans is an increase in the amount of statistical
      testing itself. We show that an increase in the number of tested hypotheses
      increases the proportion of true associations among the variants with the
      smallest P-values. We develop statistical theory to quantify how the expected
      proportion of genuine signals (EPGS) among top hits depends on the number of
      tests. This enrichment of top hits by real findings holds regardless of whether
      genome-wide statistical significance has been reached in a study. Moreover, if we
      consider only those "failed" studies that produce no statistically significant
      results, the same enrichment phenomenon takes place: the proportion of true
      associations among top hits grows with the number of tests. The enrichment occurs
      even if the true signals are encountered at the logarithmically decreasing rate
      with the additional testing.

PMID- 28913946
TI  - Facial emotion recognition in schizophrenia: An exploratory study on the role of
      comorbid alcohol and substance use disorders and COMT Val158Met.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore whether facial emotion recognition (FER), impaired in both
      schizophrenia and alcohol and substance use disorders (AUDs/SUDs), is
      additionally compromised among comorbid subjects, also considering the role of
      catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met. METHODS: We conducted a cross
      sectional study, randomly recruiting 67 subjects with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of
      schizophrenia, and rigorously assessing AUDs/SUDs and COMT Val158Met
      polymorphism. FER was assessed using the Ekman 60 Faces Test- EK-60F. RESULTS: As
      a whole, the sample scored significantly lower than normative data on EK-60F.
      However, subjects with comorbid AUDs/SUDs did not perform worse on EK-60F than
      those without, who had a better performance on EK-60F if they carried the COMT
      Val/Met variant. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to date examining the
      impact of AUDs/SUDs and COMT variants on FER in an epidemiologically
      representative sample of subjects with schizophrenia. Our findings do not suggest
      an additional impairment from comorbid AUDs/SUDs on FER among subjects with
      schizophrenia, whilst COMT Val158Met, though based on a limited sample, might
      have a role just among those without AUDs/SUDs. Based on our results, additional
      research is needed also exploring differential roles of various substances.

PMID- 28913947
TI  - Extreme chromosome 17 copy number instability is a prognostic factor in patients
      with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: A retrospective cohort study.
AB  - Gastric and esophageal cancers frequently show genomic instability and
      aneuploidy. Chromosomal copy number instability (CIN) is a form of genomic
      instability that exerts pleiotropic effects on cellular biology and is a source
      of genetic heterogeneity in a population of cells. CIN results in cell-to-cell
      variation in chromosome copy number which can be detected and quantified by
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). CIN is a biomarker associated with
      differential response to a number of chemotherapy compounds. We quantified
      chromosome 17 copy number instability (CIN-17) in 348 gastroesophageal
      adenocarcinomas by centromeric FISH in cases that were tested for HER2
      amplification. We evaluated the association between CIN-17 and clinical outcome
      after surgical and nonsurgical treatment. CIN-17 was detected in 45.4% (158/348)
      and extreme CIN-17 in 28.4% (99/348). Extreme CIN-17 had no association with
      outcome in surgically treated patients. However, in patients treated with
      conventional radiation and/or chemotherapy, extreme CIN-17 was associated with
      55% reduction in overall mortality (hazard ratio, 0.448; 95% confidence interval,
      0.263-0.763) after adjusting for age and clinical stage at diagnosis. Extreme CIN
      17 is detected in over a quarter of gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas and is a
      favorable prognostic marker in patients treated nonoperatively.

PMID- 28913949
TI  - Relationship of Number of Missing Teeth to Hip Fracture in Elderly Patients: A
      Cohort Pilot Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between the number of missing natural
      teeth or remaining natural teeth and osteoporotic hip fracture in elderly
      patients and to determine the relationship between the number of missing teeth or
      remaining teeth and osteoporotic fracture risk assessment (FRAX) probability.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Number of missing teeth was determined by clinical oral
      exam on a total of 100 subjects, 50 with hip fractures and 50 without. Ten-year
      fracture risk and hip fracture risk probabilities were calculated using the FRAX
      tool. Statistical analyses were performed to determine strength of associations
      between number of missing natural teeth and likelihood of experiencing a
      fracture. Degree of correlation between number of missing natural teeth and FRAX
      probabilities were calculated. RESULTS: There appears to be an association
      between the number of missing natural teeth and hip fractures. For every 5-tooth
      increase in the number of missing teeth, the likelihood of being a subject in the
      hip fracture group increased by 26%. Number of missing natural teeth was
      positively correlated with FRAX overall fracture and hip fracture probability.
      CONCLUSIONS: Number of missing natural teeth may be a valuable tool to assist
      members of medical and dental teams in identifying patients with higher FRAX
      scores and higher likelihood of experiencing a hip fracture. Additional research
      is necessary to validate these findings.

PMID- 28913948
TI  - Synthesis of Size-Tunable Hollow Polypyrrole Nanostructures and Their Assembly
      into Folate-Targeting and pH-Responsive Anticancer Drug-Delivery Agents.
AB  - Chemotherapeutic drugs currently used in clinical settings have high toxicity,
      low specificity, and short half-lives. Herein, polypyrrole-based anticancer drug
      nanocapsules were prepared by tailoring the size of the nanoparticles with a
      template method, controlling drug release by means of an aromatic imine,
      increasing nanoparticle stability through PEGylation, and improving tumor-cell
      selectivity by folate mediation. The nanoparticles were characterized by TEM and
      dynamic light scattering. alpha-Folate receptor expression levelsof tumor cells
      and normal cells were investigated by western blot and quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction analyses. Flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging were used to
      verify the cell uptake of the different-sized nanoparticles. From the different
      sized polypyrrole nanoparticles, the optimally functionalized nanoparticles of
      180 nm hydrodynamic diameter were chosen and further usedfor in vitroandin
      vivotests. The nanoparticles showed excellent biocompatibility and the drug
      loaded nanoparticles exhibited effective inhibition of tumor cell growth in
      vitro. Moreover, the drug-loaded nanoparticles showed substantially enhanced
      accumulation in tumor regions and effectively inhibitedin vivotumor growth.
      Furthermore, the nanoparticles showed reduced doxorubicin-induced toxicity andno
      significant side effects in normal organs of tumor-bearing mice, as measured by
      body-weight shifts and evaluationof drug distribution. Overall, the
      functionalized nanoparticles are promising nanocarriers for tumor-targeting drug
      delivery.

PMID- 28913950
TI  - Do transgender children (gender) stereotype less than their peers and siblings?
AB  - In the present work, we ask whether socially transitioned, transgender children
      differ from other children in their endorsement of gender stereotypes and
      response to others' gender nonconformity. We compare transgender children (N =
      56) to a group of siblings of transgender children (N = 37), and a group of
      unrelated control participants (N = 56) during middle childhood (ages 6-8 years
      old). Our results indicate that transgender children and the siblings of
      transgender children endorse gender stereotypes less than the control group.
      Further, transgender children see violations of gender stereotypes as more
      acceptable, and they are more willing to indicate a desire to befriend and attend
      school with someone who violates gender stereotypes than the control
      participants. These results held after statistically controlling for demographic
      differences between families with and without transgender children. We discuss
      several possible reasons that can explain these differences.

PMID- 28913951
TI  - Rapid response team patients triaged to remain on ward despite deranged vital
      signs: missed opportunities?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid response teams (RRTs) triage most patients to stay on ward,
      even though some of them have deranged vital signs according to RRTs themselves.
      We investigated the prevalence and outcome of this RRT patient cohort. METHODS: A
      prospective observational study was conducted in a Finnish tertiary referral
      centre, Tampere University Hospital. Data on RRT activations were collected
      between 1 May 2012 and 30 April 2015. Vital signs of patients triaged to stay on
      ward without treatment limitations were classified according to objective RRT
      trigger criteria observed during the reviews. RESULTS: During the study period,
      860 patients had their first RRT review and were triaged to stay on ward. Of
      these, 564 (66%) had deranged vital signs, while 296 (34%) did not. RRT patients
      with deranged vital signs were of comparable age and comorbidity index as stable
      patients. Even though the patients with deranged vital signs had received RRT
      interventions, such as fluids and medications, more often than the stable
      patients, they required new RRT reviews more often and had higher in-hospital and
      30-day mortality. Moreover, the former group had substantially higher 1-year
      mortality than the latter (37% vs. 29%, P = 0.014). In a multivariate regression
      analysis, deranged vital signs during RRT review was found to be independently
      associated with 30-day mortality (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.12-2.70). CONCLUSION:
      Patients triaged to stay on ward despite deranged vital signs are high-risk
      patients who could benefit from routine follow-up by RRT nurses before they
      deteriorate beyond salvation.

PMID- 28913952
TI  - New-age ideas about age-old sex: separating meiosis from mating could solve a
      century-old conundrum.
AB  - Ever since Darwin first addressed it, sexual reproduction reigns as the 'queen'
      of evolutionary questions. Multiple theories tried to explain how this apparently
      costly and cumbersome method has become the universal mode of eukaryote
      reproduction. Most theories stress the adaptive advantages of sex by generating
      variation, they fail however to explain the ubiquitous persistence of sexual
      reproduction also where adaptation is not an issue. I argue that the obstacle for
      comprehending the role of sex stems from the conceptual entanglement of two
      distinct processes - gamete production by meiosis and gamete fusion by mating
      (mixis). Meiosis is an ancient, highly rigid and evolutionary conserved process
      identical and ubiquitous in all eukaryotes. Mating, by contrast, shows tremendous
      evolutionary variability even in closely related clades and exhibits wonderful
      ecological adaptability. To appreciate the respective roles of these two
      processes, which are normally linked and alternating, we require cases where one
      takes place without the other. Such cases are rather common. The heteromorphic
      sex chromosomes Y and W, that do not undergo meiotic recombination are an
      evolutionary test case for demonstrating the role of meiosis. Substantial recent
      genomic evidence highlights the accelerated rates of change and attrition these
      chromosomes undergo in comparison to those of recombining autosomes. I thus
      propose that the most basic role of meiosis is conserving integrity of the
      genome. A reciprocal case of meiosis without bi-parental mating, is presented by
      self-fertilization, which is fairly common in flowering plants, as well as most
      types of apomixis. I argue that deconstructing sex into these two distinct
      processes - meiosis and mating - will greatly facilitate their analysis and
      promote our understanding of sexual reproduction.

PMID- 28913953
TI  - Marine depth use of sea trout Salmo trutta in fjord areas of central Norway.
AB  - The vertical behaviour of 44 veteran sea trout Salmo trutta (275-580 mm) in
      different marine fjord habitats (estuary, pelagic, near shore with and without
      steep cliffs) was documented during May-February by acoustic telemetry. The
      swimming depth of S. trutta was influenced by habitat, time of day (day v.
      night), season, seawater temperature and the body length at the time of tagging.
      Mean swimming depth during May-September was 1.7 m (individual means ranged from
      0.4 to 6.4 m). Hence, S. trutta were generally surface oriented, but performed
      dives down to 24 m. Mean swimming depth in May-September was deeper in the near
      shore habitats with or without steep cliffs (2.0 m and 2.5 m, respectively) than
      in the pelagic areas (1.2 m). May-September mean swimming depth in all habitats
      was slightly deeper during day (1.9 m) than at night (1.2 m), confirming that S.
      trutta conducted small-scale diel vertical movements. During summer, S. trutta
      residing in near-shore habitat progressively moved deeper over the period May
      (mean 1.1 m) to August (mean 4.0 m) and then reoccupied shallower areas (mean 2.3
      m) during September. In winter (November and February), individuals residing in
      the innermost part of the fjords were found at similar average depths as they
      occupied during the summer (mean 1.3 m). The swimming depths of S. trutta
      coincide with the previously known surface orientation of salmon lice
      Lepeophtheirus salmonis. Combined with previous studies on horizontal use of S.
      trutta, this study illustrates how S. trutta utilize marine water bodies commonly
      influenced by anthropogenic factors such as aquaculture, harbours and marine
      constructions, marine renewable energy production or other human activity. This
      suggests that the marine behaviour of S. trutta and its susceptibility to coastal
      anthropogenic factors should be considered in marine planning processes.

PMID- 28913954
TI  - The relationship between pain, fatigue, sleep disorders and quality of life in
      adult patients with acute leukaemia: During the first year after diagnosis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pain, fatigue,
      sleep disorders and quality of life and assess the most powerful predictor of
      quality of life in patients with acute leukaemia. In this cross-sectional
      multicentre study, 406 patients were recruited. Data were collected using the
      Iranian Short-Form 36-item Health Survey, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and
      the Numeric Rating Scale for Pain and Fatigue Intensity. It was found that pain
      and fatigue had direct relationship with sleep disorders. Statistically
      significant relationships were reported between pain, fatigue, sleep disorders
      and QoL. Also, a statistically significant relationship was found between pain
      and QoL (p < .001). Pain, fatigue and sleep disorders in total had the predictive
      power for quality of life (R2  = 36%). The most powerful predictor of quality of
      life was pain. It is suggested that healthcare professionals note the importance
      of patients' symptoms in clinical investigations and take appropriate measures
      for their management. The assessment of pain as the most powerful predictor of
      quality of life can be considered a basis for the improvement of quality of life,
      fatigue and sleep quality in patients with acute leukaemia.

PMID- 28913955
TI  - Controlled JAGGED1 delivery induces human embryonic palate mesenchymal cells to
      form osteoblasts.
AB  - Osteoblast commitment and differentiation are controlled by multiple growth
      factors including members of the Notch signaling pathway. JAGGED1 is a cell
      surface ligand of the Notch pathway that is necessary for murine bone formation.
      The delivery of JAGGED1 to induce bone formation is complicated by its need to be
      presented in a bound form to allow for proper Notch receptor signaling. In this
      study, we investigate whether the sustained release of JAGGED1 stimulates human
      mesenchymal cells to commit to osteoblast cell fate using polyethylene glycol
      malemeide (PEG-MAL) hydrogel delivery system. Our data demonstrated that PEG-MAL
      hydrogel constructs are stable in culture for at least three weeks and maintain
      human mesenchymal cell viability with little cytotoxicity in vitro. JAGGED1
      loaded on PEG-MAL hydrogel (JAGGED1-PEG-MAL) showed continuous release from the
      gel for up to three weeks, with induction of Notch signaling using a CHO cell
      line with a Notch1 reporter construct, and qPCR gene expression analysis in
      vitro. Importantly, JAGGED1-PEG-MAL hydrogel induced mesenchymal cells towards
      osteogenic differentiation based on increased Alkaline phosphatase activity and
      osteoblast genes expression including RUNX2, ALP, COL1, and BSP. These results
      thus indicated that JAGGED1 delivery in vitro using PEG-MAL hydrogel induced
      osteoblast commitment, suggesting that this may be a viable in vivo approach to
      bone regeneration. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A:
      106A: 552-560, 2018.

PMID- 28913956
TI  - Regioselective Intermolecular Allylic C-H Amination of Disubstituted Olefins via
      Rhodium/pi-Allyl Intermediates.
AB  - A method for catalytic intermolecular allylic C-H amination of trans
      disubstituted olefins is reported. The reaction is efficient for a range of
      common nitrogen nucleophiles bearing one electron-withdrawing group, and proceeds
      under mild reaction conditions. Good levels of regioselectivity are observed for
      a wide range of electronically diverse trans-beta-alkyl styrene substrates.

PMID- 28913957
TI  - Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and the role of
      lenalidomide in patients affected by poems syndrome.
AB  - POEMS syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic condition, with a poorly understood
      pathogenesis. High dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell
      transplantation (ASCT) has been reported to be an effective therapeutic option
      for patients with good performance status. Here, we review the role of ASCT for
      POEMS syndrome and discuss indications together with advantages and
      disadvantages, and related issues such lenalidomide given before or after ASCT,
      VEGF levels as a marker of disease, and different regimens for stem cell
      mobilization.

PMID- 28913958
TI  - Preoperative nutritional management of bariatric patients in Australia: The
      current practice of dietitians.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this observational study was to investigate the reported
      practices of Australian dietitians managing bariatric surgery patients in the
      preoperative stage. METHODS: An online survey of dietitians providing nutritional
      care to bariatric patients was developed for the purpose of this investigation.
      The survey questions were guided by the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the
      Perioperative Nutritional, Metabolic and Nonsurgical Support of the Bariatric
      Surgery Patient guidelines and current literature. RESULTS: Ninety-nine
      dietitians completed the survey. Most participants recommended one to two
      different medical nutrition therapy strategies for preoperative weight loss (n =
      69, 74%), with a very-low-energy diet exclusively from liquid meal replacements
      being the most frequently prescribed (n = 62, 69%). A significantly higher
      proportion of dietitians working privately reported the involvement of a
      bariatric surgeon in the multidisciplinary team (P = 0.002). More private
      practitioners also reported providing education on the nutritional consequences
      of the different types of bariatric procedures (P = 0.005) and postoperative
      vitamin and mineral supplementation (P = 0.013), as well as the use of the
      guidelines to guide their practice (P = 0.014), compared to dietitians who worked
      in the public sector. A higher proportion of dietitians working in metropolitan
      areas reported that screening occurred more frequently for vitamin D (P = 0.008),
      fasting blood lipids (P = 0.03) and glycated haemoglobin (P = 0.003) compared to
      those in regional/rural/remote areas. CONCLUSIONS: Reported preoperative
      screening practices were not consistent with the recommendations from the
      literature and current American guidelines. Further investigation into the
      difference in the nutritional management strategies and work environments is
      warranted.

PMID- 28913959
TI  - Quantification through TLC-densitometric analysis, repellency and
      anticholinesterase activity of the homemade extract of Indian cloves.
AB  - The rise of the mosquitoes-transmitted diseases, like dengue, zika and
      chikungunya in Brazil in the last years has increased concerns on protection
      against mosquitoes bites. However, the prohibitive prices of the commercially
      available repellents for the majority of the Brazilian population has provoked a
      search for cheaper solutions, like the use of the homemade ethanolic extract of
      Indian clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) as repellent, which has been reported as
      quite efficient by the local press. In order to verify this, we performed here
      the quantification of the main components of this extract through high
      performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)-densitometry and evaluated its
      efficiency as a repellent and its acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition
      capacity. Our results have proved HPTLC-densitometry as an efficient and
      appropriate method for this quantification and confirmed the repellency activity,
      as well as its capacity of AChE inhibition.

PMID- 28913960
TI  - Psychosocial barriers associated with organ donation in Mexico.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a severe shortage of organs for transplantation worldwide,
      and Mexico has one of the lowest organ donation rates. In this study, we explored
      the psychosocial barriers that prevent posthumous organ donation by Mexicans.
      METHOD: We asked 218 adults who were not willing to be donors to complete the
      sentence "I don't want to donate my organs after death because organ donation
      is..." The data were analyzed using the Natural Semantic Networks Technique.
      RESULTS: The most important answers given by the participants were related to
      mistrust. Older participants and those with limited education gave more answers
      that reflect misconceptions about organ donation. Many participants acknowledged
      its benefits, even though they did not want to be donors, especially the youngest
      and those with a higher education. CONCLUSIONS: Mistrust and poor education are
      problems that urgently need to be addressed in order to increase acceptance of
      organ donation and transplantation.

PMID- 28913961
TI  - Generalized Pustular Psoriasis With IL-36 Receptor Antagonist Mutation
      Successfully Treated With Granulocyte and Monocyte Adsorption Apheresis
      Accompanied by Reduced Serum IL-6 Level.

PMID- 28913962
TI  - Refining estimates of prescription durations by using observed covariates in
      pharmacoepidemiologic databases: Necessary refinements to stimulate alternative
      approaches.

PMID- 28913964
TI  - Post-marketing surveillance in Japan: Potential best way forward.

PMID- 28913965
TI  - Guidance to reinforce the credibility of health care database studies and ensure
      their appropriate impact.

PMID- 28913963
TI  - Reporting to Improve Reproducibility and Facilitate Validity Assessment for
      Healthcare Database Studies V1.0.
AB  - PURPOSE: Defining a study population and creating an analytic dataset from
      longitudinal healthcare databases involves many decisions. Our objective was to
      catalogue scientific decisions underpinning study execution that should be
      reported to facilitate replication and enable assessment of validity of studies
      conducted in large healthcare databases. METHODS: We reviewed key investigator
      decisions required to operate a sample of macros and software tools designed to
      create and analyze analytic cohorts from longitudinal streams of healthcare data.
      A panel of academic, regulatory, and industry experts in healthcare database
      analytics discussed and added to this list. CONCLUSION: Evidence generated from
      large healthcare encounter and reimbursement databases is increasingly being
      sought by decision-makers. Varied terminology is used around the world for the
      same concepts. Agreeing on terminology and which parameters from a large
      catalogue are the most essential to report for replicable research would improve
      transparency and facilitate assessment of validity. At a minimum, reporting for a
      database study should provide clarity regarding operational definitions for key
      temporal anchors and their relation to each other when creating the analytic
      dataset, accompanied by an attrition table and a design diagram. A substantial
      improvement in reproducibility, rigor and confidence in real world evidence
      generated from healthcare databases could be achieved with greater transparency
      about operational study parameters used to create analytic datasets from
      longitudinal healthcare databases.

PMID- 28913967
TI  - The variation in quality and content of patient-focused health information on the
      Internet for otitis media.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When symptoms of otitis media appear, parents and patients often
      access the Internet for health information. We study the content and quality of
      health information in parent-patient-focused websites for otitis media. METHODS:
      We searched the 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) using "otitis media"
      and "middle ear infection" then reviewed the top 30 hits for each search. We
      included sites that were focused on providing patient-patient information about
      otitis media. A variety of instruments were used to assess website content and
      quality. RESULTS: In 35 included websites, there was considerable variation in
      content, with the average site having 11 out of 15 informational items
      potentially useful to parents and patients on otitis media (range 4-15). Across
      included websites, the mean DISCERN score was 47 out of 80 (low to medium
      quality), 16 (46%) were HONcode certified, and 8 (23%) fulfilled all the JAMA
      benchmark criteria. The average website was written at a 9th/10th-grade reading
      level. CONCLUSION: The content and quality of health information for otitis media
      in parent-and-patient-focused websites is highly variable. Although easy-to-read,
      high-quality websites with complete content are available, the average website
      sites is difficult to read without a high school education and is difficult to
      use. Consideration should be given to adopting a standard approach for presenting
      disease-specific information to parents and patients.

PMID- 28913966
TI  - Good practices for real-world data studies of treatment and/or comparative
      effectiveness: Recommendations from the joint ISPOR-ISPE Special Task Force on
      real-world evidence in health care decision making.
AB  - PURPOSE: Real-world evidence (RWE) includes data from retrospective or
      prospective observational studies and observational registries and provides
      insights beyond those addressed by randomized controlled trials. RWE studies aim
      to improve health care decision making. METHODS: The International Society for
      Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and the International Society for
      Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) created a task force to make recommendations
      regarding good procedural practices that would enhance decision makers'
      confidence in evidence derived from RWD studies. Peer review by ISPOR/ISPE
      members and task force participants provided a consensus-building iterative
      process for the topics and framing of recommendations. RESULTS: The ISPOR/ISPE
      Task Force recommendations cover seven topics such as study registration,
      replicability, and stakeholder involvement in RWE studies. These recommendations,
      in concert with earlier recommendations about study methodology, provide a
      trustworthy foundation for the expanded use of RWE in health care decision
      making. CONCLUSION: The focus of these recommendations is good procedural
      practices for studies that test a specific hypothesis in a specific population.
      We recognize that some of the recommendations in this report may not be widely
      adopted without appropriate incentives from decision makers, journal editors, and
      other key stakeholders.

PMID- 28913969
TI  - Spray-inlet microwave plasma torch ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the
      direct detection of drug samples in liquid solutions.
AB  - RATIONALE: Drug abuse or dependence results in a series of social problems,
      including crime and traffic accidents. Spray-inlet microwave plasma torch tandem
      mass spectrometry (MPT-MS/MS) was developed and used for the direct detection of
      such drugs in liquid solutions. METHODS: Drug sample solutions were directly
      sprayed into the flame of an MPT by a sampling pump and the ions produced by
      Penning ionization and ion-molecule reactions were guided into a quadrupole time
      of-flight (QTOF) tandem mass spectrometer for mass analysis. The MPT was operated
      at 40 W and 2.45 GHz in a 700 mL/min argon flow both for the inner and middle
      plasma. RESULTS: Intact quasi-molecular and molecular ions of various drugs were
      successfully characterized by spray-inlet MPT-MS/MS. The analysis of one sample
      was finished within 30 s. Furthermore, the method exhibited excellent efficiency,
      precision and sensitivity, and the limits of detection and limits of
      quantification of the samples in methanol were in the range of 5.25-60.0 and 17.5
      200 ng g-1 , respectively. Excellent linearities with coefficients of
      determination (R2 ) of 0.9627-0.9980 were verified in the range 0.05-50 MUg g-1 .
      Four different beverages purchased locally were also analyzed with spray-inlet
      MPT-MS/MS, and caffeine was directly determined in two of the beverages. By
      adding six standard drug samples to sport drinks (each drug was 1 MUg g-1 ) and
      Chinese spirit (each drug was 0.1 MUg g-1 ), all the drugs except for caffeine
      were detected successfully. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that spay-inlet MPT
      MS/MS is an effective method for direct and rapid identification of drug
      solutions, and it has substantial potential for fast and sensitive drug residue
      detection.

PMID- 28913970
TI  - Human neutrophils show decreased survival upon long-term exposure to clozapine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic prescribed for treatment
      resistant schizophrenic patients, but treatment with clozapine is strictly
      limited because it can induce lethal-hematologic side effects. We investigated
      the effects of short- and long-term exposure of human neutrophils derived from
      healthy subjects to clozapine and compared them with the effects of reactive
      metabolite of clozapine, olanzapine, and doxorubicin. METHODS: Neutrophils were
      exposed to clozapine and olanzapine (1, 10, 50, or 100 MUM), reactive metabolite
      of clozapine (50 or 100 MUM), or doxorubicin (0.2 MUM) and cultured for a short
      (2 hr) or long (24 or 48 hr) duration, and then the survival rate of neutrophils
      was calculated. RESULTS: Decreased human neutrophil survival was observed in
      short-term exposure to clozapine (100 MUM) and long-term exposure to clozapine
      even at a lower concentration (50 MUM). A similar phenomenon was observed in
      reactive metabolite of clozapine and long-term exposure to doxorubicin (0.2 MUM),
      but not to olanzapine (1-100 MUM). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of long-term exposure
      to clozapine on neutrophil survival is plausibly associated with delayed onset of
      agranulocytosis after initial exposure. Our results suggest that human
      neutrophils are vulnerable to clozapine and its reactive metabolite in a
      concentration- and time-dependent manner.

PMID- 28913972
TI  - Significance of histone methyltransferase SETDB1 expression in colon
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - This study investigated the clinical implications of SETDB1 (also known as KMT1E)
      in human colon adenocarcinoma. Expression levels of SETDB1 proteins were analyzed
      by immunohistochemistry staining, and tissue microarrays were used to examine
      expression profiles in human patients. Our results revealed that SETDB1 protein
      expression was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in normal tissue for the
      breast, colon, liver, and lung (p < 0.05). Moreover, an analysis with SurvExpress
      software suggested that elevated expression of SETDB1 mRNA was significantly
      associated with the overall survival of colon adenocarcinoma patients (p < 0.05);
      and additional analysis involving 90 paired samples of colon adenocarcinoma
      tissue and normal tissue revealed that SETDB1 protein expression was 82% higher
      in cancerous cells (p < 0.001). High SETDB1 expression was also found to be
      significantly correlated with histological grade (p = 0.005), TNM stage (p =
      0.003), T-class/primary tumor (p = 0.001), and N-class/regional lymph nodes (p =
      0.017); and Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that SETDB1 protein expression
      was significantly associated with poor survival. Finally, univariate analysis
      demonstrated that SETDB1 protein expression was related to TNM stage (p = 0.004)
      and SETDB1 score (p = 0.001), whereas multivariate analysis showed that the
      influence of SETDB1 on overall colon adenocarcinoma survival was independent from
      other risk factors. Taken together, our results suggest that the SETDB1 protein
      could serve as a clinical prognostic indicator for colon adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 28913973
TI  - Bone Marrow Stem Cells Do Not Contribute to Endometrial Cell Lineages in Chimeric
      Mouse Models.
AB  - Studies from five independent laboratories conclude that bone marrow stem cells
      transdifferentiate into endometrial stroma, epithelium, and endothelium. We
      investigated the nature of bone marrow-derived cells in the mouse endometrium by
      reconstituting irradiated wild type recipients with bone marrow containing
      transgenic mTert-green fluorescent protein (GFP) or chicken beta-actin (Ch beta
      actin)-GFP reporters. mTert-GFP is a telomerase marker identifying hematopoietic
      stem cells and subpopulations of epithelial, endothelial, and immune cells in the
      endometrium. Ch beta-actin-GFP is a ubiquitous reporter previously used to
      identify bone marrow-derived cells in the endometrium. Confocal fluorescence
      microscopy for GFP and markers of endometrial and immune cells were used to
      characterize bone marrow-derived cells in the endometrium of transplant
      recipients. No evidence of GFP+ bone marrow-derived stroma, epithelium, or
      endothelium was observed in the endometrium of mTert-GFP or Ch beta-actin-GFP
      recipients. All GFP+ cells detected in the endometrium were immune cells
      expressing the pan leukocyte marker CD45, including CD3+ T cells and F4/80+
      macrophages. Further examination of the Ch beta-actin-GFP transplant model
      revealed that bone marrow-derived F4/80+ macrophages immunostained weakly for
      CD45. These macrophages were abundant in the stroma, infiltrated the epithelial
      and vascular compartments, and could easily be mistaken for bone marrow-derived
      endometrial cells. We conclude that it is unlikely that bone marrow cells are
      able to transdifferentiate into endometrial stroma, epithelium, and endothelium.
      This result has important therapeutic implications, as the expectation that bone
      marrow stem cells contribute directly to endometrial regeneration is shaping
      strategies designed to regenerate endometrium in Asherman's syndrome and to
      control aberrant endometrial growth in endometriosis. Stem Cells 2018;36:91-102.

PMID- 28913976
TI  - High-performance liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry for the
      characterization of transformation products of ionic liquids.
AB  - RATIONALE: Ionic liquids (ILs) are a subject of active research in the field of
      alternative solvents. We studied the behaviour of a piperidine IL, 1-butyl-1
      methylpiperidinium tetrafluoroborate (BMPA), through the elucidation of its
      transformation products (TPs) in water. METHODS: The transformation pathways of
      BMPA were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
      combined with a hybrid LTQ-Orbitrap instrument on the basis of mass defect
      filtering. TPs of BMPA were identified by fragmentation patterns and accurate
      mass measurements. RESULTS: The separation and identification of 32 TPs was
      achieved. BMPA can be oxidized at different positions in the alkyl chains. The
      ultimate products corresponds to N-methyl-piperidinium and some byproducts
      involving ring-opening. Tests of acute toxicity, evaluated with Vibrio Fischeri
      bacteria, show that BMPA transformation proceeds through the formation of
      slightly harmful compounds. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that the main
      transformation pathways of BMPA were alkyl chain hydroxylation/shortening and de
      alkylation, and that HPLC/LTQ-Orbitrap can serve as an important analytical
      platform to gather the unknown TPs of ILs.

PMID- 28913974
TI  - Impact of ladder-related falls on the emergency department and recommendations
      for ladder safety.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of patients who presented to the ED
      from a ladder-related fall and their injuries, highlight the impact of ladder
      related falls on the ED, identify contributing factors of ladder falls and draw
      recommendations to improve ladder safety. METHODS: A prospective observational
      study was conducted in two EDs. Patients' demographics and ED services used were
      obtained from medical records. A 53-item questionnaire was used to gather
      information about the type of ladder used, ladder activity, circumstances of the
      fall, contributing factors and future recommendations. RESULTS: A total of 177
      patients were recruited for this study. The typical patient was male, over the
      age of 50 and using a domestic ladder. The ED length of stay was between 30 min
      and 16 h, and was longer if patients were transferred to the short stay unit.
      Services most utilised in the ED included diagnostic tests, procedures and
      referrals to other healthcare teams. Most falls occurred because of ladder
      movement and slips or misstep. The major contributing factors identified were a
      combination of user features and flaws in ladder setup. CONCLUSIONS: Ladder
      related falls carry a considerable burden to the ED. Recommendations include
      ladder safety interventions that target ladder users most at risk of falls: men,
      >=50 years old and performing domestic tasks. Safety interventions should
      emphasise task avoidance, education and training, utilisation of safety equipment
      and appropriate ladder setup.

PMID- 28913971
TI  - Nanobodies: Chemical Functionalization Strategies and Intracellular Applications.
AB  - Nanobodies can be seen as next-generation tools for the recognition and
      modulation of antigens that are inaccessible to conventional antibodies. Due to
      their compact structure and high stability, nanobodies see frequent usage in
      basic research, and their chemical functionalization opens the way towards
      promising diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In this Review, central
      aspects of nanobody functionalization are presented, together with selected
      applications. While early conjugation strategies relied on the random
      modification of natural amino acids, more recent studies have focused on the site
      specific attachment of functional moieties. Such techniques include
      chemoenzymatic approaches, expressed protein ligation, and amber suppression in
      combination with bioorthogonal modification strategies. Recent applications range
      from sophisticated imaging and mass spectrometry to the delivery of nanobodies
      into living cells for the visualization and manipulation of intracellular
      antigens.

PMID- 28913977
TI  - The effect of diet or exercise on ectopic adiposity in children and adolescents
      with obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ectopic fat depostion in youth with obesity is associated with an
      increased cardiovascular disease risk. The aim of this meta-analysis was to
      summarize the evidence for the use of diet and/or exercise on ectopic adiposity
      in this population. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed
      according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta
      analysis statement. Clinical trials that assessed ectopic fat deposition and
      included study arms with diet and/or exercise were searched in PubMed, PEDro and
      the Cochrane database. RESULTS: Hepatic fat content and intramyocellular lipid
      content were described in nine studies and three studies, respectively. Most
      studies included teenagers, and study duration ranged between 3 and 12 months
      without follow-up. Using random-effects weights, the standardized mean difference
      of the change in hepatic adiposity (totalling 320 subjects) was -0.54 Hedges' g
      (95% confidence interval: -0.69 to -0.38 with p < 0.0001). By re-expressing this
      effect size, it is seen that diet and/or exercise results in an absolute
      reduction of intrahepatic lipid with 2%, which accords with a relative reduction
      up to 70%. Although there were significant ameliorations of insulin sensitivity,
      no significant changes in intramyocellular lipid were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This
      meta-analysis showed that diet and/or exercise is effective to reduce hepatic
      adiposity in youth with obesity.

PMID- 28913978
TI  - A temperature sensor implant for active implantable medical devices for in vivo
      subacute heating tests under MRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: To introduce a temperature sensor implant (TSI) that mimics an active
      implantable medical device (AIMD) for animal testing of MRI heating. Computer
      simulations and phantom experiments poorly represent potential temperature
      increases. Animal experiments could be a better model, but heating experiments
      conducted immediately after the surgery suffer from alterations of the
      thermoregulatory and tissue properties during acute testing conditions.
      Therefore, the aim of this study was to introduce a temperature sensor implant
      that mimics an AIMD and capable of measuring the electrode temperature after
      implantation of the device without any further intervention at any time after the
      surgery in an animal model. METHODS: A battery-operated TSI, which resembled an
      AIMD, was used to measure the lead temperature and impedance and the case
      temperature. The measured values were transmitted to an external computer via a
      low-power Bluetooth communication protocol. In addition to validation experiments
      on the phantom, a sheep experiment was conducted to test the feasibility of the
      system in subacute conditions. RESULTS: The measurements had a maximum of 0.5
      degrees C difference compared to fiber-optic temperature probes. In vivo animal
      experiments demonstrated feasibility of the system. CONCLUSION: An active
      implant, which can measure its own temperature, was proposed to investigate
      implant heating during MRI examinations. Magn Reson Med 79:2824-2832, 2018. (c)
      2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28913979
TI  - Physical pain increases interpersonal trust in females.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People behave and interact with others differently when experiencing
      physical pain. Pain has dramatic effects on one's emotional responses, cognitive
      functions and social interaction. However, little has been known about whether
      and how physical pain influences interpersonal trust in social interaction. In
      the present study, we examined the influence of physical pain on trusting
      behaviour. METHODS: A total of 112 healthy participants were recruited and
      assigned to physical pain condition (induced by Capsaicin) and control condition
      (with hand cream), respectively. Thirty minutes after pain induction, three
      decision-making tasks were conducted to measure behaviours in social interaction,
      including trust and trustworthiness (trust game), non-social risk-taking (risk
      game) and altruism (dictator game). RESULTS: Results showed that physical pain
      increased interpersonal trust among females, but not among males. Pain did not
      influence non-social risk-taking, altruism or trustworthiness, as evaluated by
      monetary transfers in those tasks. Moreover, the effect of physical pain on
      interpersonal trust was fully mediated by expectation of monetary profit.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate an effect of pain on interpersonal trust
      and suggest a reciprocity mechanism that the effect may be driven by self
      interest rather than altruistic motivation. The pain effect on trust was evident
      only in females, implying distinct pain coping strategies used by both genders.
      SIGNIFICANCE: The present work highlights the social component of pain and
      extends our understanding of mutual interactions between pain and social
      cognition.

PMID- 28913980
TI  - Identifying the Elusive Framework Niobium in NbS-1 Zeolite by UV Resonance Raman
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - It was found that bands at 739, 963, and 1107 cm-1 in the resonant Raman spectra
      are characteristics of framework penta-coordinated NbV -OH species, and that a
      band at 1336 cm-1 in the UV Raman spectrum with excitation line at 320 nm is a
      sensitive detector for identifying extra-framework niobium species. The change of
      framework penta-coordinated NbV -OH species into Nb+ and NbO- species due to
      dehydration was definitively confirmed based on UV resonance Raman and UV/Vis
      results.

PMID- 28913981
TI  - Age-dependent expression of Nav1.9 channels in medial prefrontal cortex pyramidal
      neurons in rats.
AB  - Developmental changes that occur in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence
      alter behavior. These behavioral alterations likely stem from changes in
      prefrontal cortex neuronal activity, which may depend on the properties and
      expression of ion channels. Nav1.9 sodium channels conduct a Na+ current that is
      TTX resistant with a low threshold and noninactivating over time. The purpose of
      this study was to assess the presence of Nav1.9 channels in medial prefrontal
      cortex (mPFC) layer II and V pyramidal neurons in young (20-day old), late
      adolescent (60-day old), and adult (6- to 7-month old) rats. First, we
      demonstrated that layer II and V mPFC pyramidal neurons in slices obtained from
      young rats exhibited a TTX-resistant, low-threshold, noninactivating, and voltage
      dependent Na+ current. The mRNA expression of the SCN11a gene (which encodes the
      Nav1.9 channel) in mPFC tissue was significantly higher in young rats than in
      late adolescent and adult rats. Nav1.9 protein was immunofluorescently labeled in
      mPFC cells in slices and analyzed via confocal microscopy. Nav1.9 immunolabeling
      was present in layer II and V mPFC pyramidal neurons and was more prominent in
      the neurons of young rats than in the neurons of late adolescent and adult rats.
      We conclude that Nav1.9 channels are expressed in layer II and V mPFC pyramidal
      neurons and that Nav1.9 protein expression in the mPFC pyramidal neurons of late
      adolescent and adult rats is lower than that in the neurons of young rats. (c)
      2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 1371-1384, 2017.

PMID- 28913982
TI  - Validation of the American Joint Commission on Cancer (8th edition) changes for
      patients with stage III gastric cancer: survival analysis of a large series from
      a Specialized Eastern Center.
AB  - The 8th edition of the TNM was released in 2016 and included major revisions,
      especially for stage III. We aimed to compare the prognostic value of the 7th and
      8th editions of the AJCC TNM classification for stage III gastric cancer.
      Clinical data from 1557 patients operated on for stage III gastric cancer
      according to the 7th edition between 2007 and 2014 were analyzed and compared
      using the 7th and 8th TNM classifications. A proposed staging system was
      established, and the three systems were compared in terms of prognostic
      performance. The stage shifted for 669 (42.96%) patients. It shifted from IIIA to
      IIIB (one patient, 0.06%), IIIB to IIIA (230 patients, 14.8%), IIIB to IIIC (94
      patients, 6.0%), and IIIC to IIIB (344 patients, 22.1%). However, the new AJCC
      subgroupings did not prove distinctive for survival levels between T3N3aM0 (stage
      IIIB) and T3N3bM0 (stage IIIC) or between T4aN3aM0 (stage IIIB) and T4aN3bM0
      (stage IIIC) when <30 lymph nodes (LNs) were resected. The performance of the 8th
      edition (c-index, 0.614; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.596-0.633) revealed no
      relevant improvement compared to the 7th edition (c-index, 0.624; 95% CI, 0.605
      0.643). The proposed staging system generated the best prognostic stratification.
      The 8th TNM edition may not provide better accuracy in predicting the prognosis
      of stage III gastric cancer. The proposed staging system, comprised of a
      combination of the number of LNs harvested and the 7th and 8th AJCC
      classifications, may improve predictive capacities for stage III gastric cancer.

PMID- 28913984
TI  - Effective Strategies for Managing Asthma Exacerbations for Precision Medicine.

PMID- 28913983
TI  - The impact of ischemic time on early rejection after pediatric heart transplant.
AB  - Prolonged graft ischemia may be a risk factor for early rejection post-HTx, but
      this has not been well studied in children. Furthermore, factors moderating the
      association between IT and early rejection have not been investigated. From 2004
      to 2012, pediatric HTx recipients (n = 2381) were identified from the UNOS
      database. A ROC curve determined the optimal IT discriminating patients by the
      presence of early rejection. Separate univariate analyses identified factors
      associated with: (i) early (prior to hospital discharge) rejection, and (ii) IT.
      A multivariable logistic regression assessed independent risk factors for early
      rejection. We included interaction terms to evaluate whether IT's independent
      risk effect on early rejection is moderated via interaction with associated
      factors found in univariate analysis. Longer IT was associated with an increased
      risk of early rejection. In multivariable analysis, IT > 3.1 hours was an
      independent risk factor for early rejection (AOR 1.44, P = .01). No interaction
      terms between IT and any associated factors were significant. Longer IT is an
      independent risk for early rejection in pediatric HTx recipients. Better
      understanding the association between IT and early rejection may identify
      interventions to mitigate this risk.

PMID- 28913986
TI  - Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: Pathogenesis and Treatment Considerations.
AB  - The treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria begins with antihistamines;
      however, the dose required typically exceeds that recommended for allergic
      rhinitis. Second-generation, relatively non-sedating H1-receptor blockers are
      typically employed up to 4 times a day. First-generation antihistamines, such as
      hydroxyzine or diphenhydramine (Atarax or Benadryl), were employed similarly in
      the past. Should high-dose antihistamines fail to control symptoms (at least
      50%), omalizumab at 300 mg/month is the next step. This is effective in 70% of
      antihistamine-refractory patients. H2-receptor blockers and leukotriene
      antagonists are no longer recommended; they add little and the literature does
      not support significant efficacy. For those patients who are unresponsive to both
      antihistamines and omalizumab, cyclosporine is recommended next. This is
      similarly effective in 65%-70% of patients; however, care is needed regarding
      possible side-effects on blood pressure and renal function. Corticosteroids
      should not be employed chronically due to cumulative toxicity that is dose and
      time dependent. Brief courses of steroid e.g., 3-10 days can be employed for
      severe exacerbations, but should be an infrequent occurrence. Finally, other
      agents, such as dapsone or sulfasalazine, can be tried for those patients
      unresponsive to antihistamines, omalizumab, and cyclosporine.

PMID- 28913985
TI  - Asthma Biomarkers: Do They Bring Precision Medicine Closer to the Clinic?
AB  - Measurement of biomarkers has been incorporated within clinical research of
      asthma to characterize the population and to associate the disease with
      environmental and therapeutic effects. Regrettably, at present, there are no
      specific biomarkers, none is validated or qualified, and endotype-driven choices
      overlap. Biomarkers have not yet reached clinical practice and are not included
      in current asthma guidelines. Last but not least, the choice of the outcome
      upholding the value of the biomarkers is extremely difficult, since it has to
      reflect the mechanistic intervention while being relevant to both the disease and
      the particular person. On the verge of a new age of asthma healthcare standard,
      we must embrace and adapt to the key drivers of change. Disease endotypes,
      biomarkers, and precision medicine represent an emerging model of patient care
      building on large-scale biologic databases, omics and diverse cellular assays,
      health information technology, and computational tools for analyzing sizable sets
      of data. A profound transformation of clinical and research pattern from
      population to individual risk and from investigator-imposed subjective disease
      clustering (hypothesis driven) to unbiased, data-driven models is facilitated by
      the endotype/biomarker-driven approach.

PMID- 28913987
TI  - Clinical Characteristics of Exacerbation-Prone Adult Asthmatics Identified by
      Cluster Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by various types of
      airway inflammation and obstruction. Therefore, it is classified into several
      subphenotypes, such as early-onset atopic, obese non-eosinophilic, benign, and
      eosinophilic asthma, using cluster analysis. A number of asthmatics frequently
      experience exacerbation over a long-term follow-up period, but the exacerbation
      prone subphenotype has rarely been evaluated by cluster analysis. This prompted
      us to identify clusters reflecting asthma exacerbation. METHODS: A uniform
      cluster analysis method was applied to 259 adult asthmatics who were regularly
      followed-up for over 1 year using 12 variables, selected on the basis of their
      contribution to asthma phenotypes. After clustering, clinical profiles and
      exacerbation rates during follow-up were compared among the clusters. RESULTS:
      Four subphenotypes were identified: cluster 1 was comprised of patients with
      early-onset atopic asthma with preserved lung function, cluster 2 late-onset non
      atopic asthma with impaired lung function, cluster 3 early-onset atopic asthma
      with severely impaired lung function, and cluster 4 late-onset non-atopic asthma
      with well-preserved lung function. The patients in clusters 2 and 3 were
      identified as exacerbation-prone asthmatics, showing a higher risk of asthma
      exacerbation. CONCLUSIONS: Two different phenotypes of exacerbation-prone asthma
      were identified among Korean asthmatics using cluster analysis; both were
      characterized by impaired lung function, but the age at asthma onset and atopic
      status were different between the two.

PMID- 28913988
TI  - Prevalence of Respiratory Viral Infections in Korean Adult Asthmatics With Acute
      Exacerbations: Comparison With Those With Stable State.
AB  - PURPOSE: Viral infections are involved in ~50% of exacerbations among Caucasian
      adult asthmatics. However, there have been few reports on the causative virus of
      exacerbations in Korean adult asthmatics. Thus, we compared frequencies and types
      of viruses between lower respiratory tract illnesses (LRTIs) with exacerbations
      (exacerbated LRTIs) and those without exacerbations (stable LRTIs) to evaluate
      contribution of respiratory viruses to exacerbations. METHODS: Viral RNA was
      extracted from sputum using the Viral Gene-spinTM Kit. Reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to detect adenovirus (ADV),
      metapneumovirus (MPV), parainfluenza virus (PIV) 1/2/3, influenza virus (IFV) A,
      IFV B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A/B, and rhinovirus (RV) A. RESULTS:
      Among the 259 patients, 210 underwent a single sputum examination, and the
      remaining 49 underwent 2 to 4 sputum examinations. Virus was detected in 68 of
      the 259 exacerbated episodes and in 11 of the 64 stable episodes. Among the
      exacerbated episodes, RV was the most frequently detected virus, followed by
      influenza A, parainfluenza, RSV A/B, and ADV. Among the 11 stable episodes, RV
      was most frequently detected. Detection rates of these viruses did not differ
      between the 2 groups (P>0.05). Thirty-five patients underwent the virus
      examination at 2 episodes of exacerbation, while 14 patients underwent at each
      time of exacerbated and stable episodes. Virus detection rate at the second
      examination was significantly higher in cases with 2 exacerbation episodes than
      in those with initial exacerbation and sequential stable episodes (P=0.003). A
      seasonal pattern was noted in the detection rates of RV (September to December),
      IFV (January to April), PIV (May to September), and RSV A/B (September to April).
      CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory viruses were identified in approximately 20% of LRTI
      irrespective of the presence of asthma exacerbation. RV and IFV A/B were most
      frequently detected. A group of patients experienced frequent viral infections
      followed by asthma exacerbations.

PMID- 28913989
TI  - Patterns of Inhalant Allergen Sensitization and Geographical Variation in Korean
      Adults: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Inhalant allergen sensitization is one of the major factors involved in
      the pathogenesis of allergic respiratory diseases. However, the sensitization is
      determined by interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Thus,
      testing panels of inhalant allergens may differ among geographical areas. Here we
      aimed to determine 10 common inhalant allergens in Korean adult patients with
      suspected respiratory allergies and to examine the variation between different
      geographical locations. METHODS: A total of 28,954 patient records were retrieved
      for retrospective analysis, from 12 referral allergy clinics located in 9
      different areas. Inclusion criteria were Korean adults (>=18 years old) who
      underwent the inhalant allergen skin prick test for suspected history of
      respiratory allergy. The primary outcome was inhalant allergen skin prick
      response. Demographic and clinical information were also collected. Positive skin
      prick responses to allergens were defined as allergen-to-histamine wheal ratio
      >=1. Based on skin test results, the most prevalent aeroallergens were
      determined. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of allergic sensitization was 45.3%.
      Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were the most
      commonly sensitized allergens. Other common inhalant allergens were cat
      epithelium (8.1%), birch (7.7%), mugwort (6.9%), alder (6.7%), hazel (6.7%),
      beech (6.7%), oak (6.6%), and Tyrophagus putres (6.2%), in decreasing order
      frequency. These 10 inhalant allergens explained 90% of inhalant allergen
      sensitization in the study participants. However, distinct patterns of the 10
      inhalant sensitization were observed in patients living in Chungnam and Jeju.
      American cockroach, Gernam cockroach, and Trichophyton metagrophytes were unique
      in Chungnam. Orchard, Japanese cedar, and Velvet were unique in Jeju.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis suggests a panel of 10 most common inhalant
      allergens in Korean adult patients with suspected respiratory allergies, which
      explained 90% of inhalant allergen sensitization. This panel can be utilized as a
      practical and convenient tool for primary practice and epidemiological surveys of
      respiratory allergic diseases.

PMID- 28913990
TI  - Association Between Sensitization to Mold and Impaired Pulmonary Function in
      Children With Asthma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent data indicate that sensitization to mold contributes to the
      severity and persistence of asthma. In this study, we investigated the
      relationships between sensitization to mold and lung function parameters in
      children with asthma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data from 551
      asthmatic subjects. We selected subjects who met clinical diagnostic criteria of
      asthma. Their spirometry, methacholine challenge tests, and measurements of blood
      eosinophils, serum IgE, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and fractional exhaled
      nitric oxide (FeNO) results were included. Skin prick testing (SPT) results with
      13 common aeroallergens in Korea including house dust mites, animal dander,
      pollen, cockroach and mold were reviewed. Subjects were divided into 3 groups
      according to their SPT results. Subjects who showed no positive result to any
      aeroallergen were designated as group 1 (non-sensitized). Group 2 represented
      subjects who were sensitized to aeroallergens other than mold (other allergen
      sensitized) and group 3 included subjects who were sensitized to mold allergens
      (mold-sensitized). RESULTS: Among the 551 asthmatic subjects, 67 (12.2%) were
      sensitized to mold and 366 (66.4%) were sensitized to other aeroallergens. The
      log mean IgE levels were higher in groups 2 (5.96+/-1.14 IU/mL) and 3 (5.81+/
      0.97 IU/mL) compared to group 1 (3.88+/-1.68 IU/mL). Blood eosinophils, ECP and
      FeNO concentrations were significantly higher in groups 2 and 3, but no
      significant difference was found between the 2 groups. The mean FEV1 value was
      significantly lower in group 3 (86.9+/-12.1%pred) than in groups 2 (92.0+/
      14.8%pred) and 1 (93.4+/-15.4%pred). The log mean methacholine PC20 was
      significantly lower in group 3 (0.08+/-1.91 mg/mL) than in groups 2 (1.31+/-1.69
      mg/mL) and 1 (2.29+/-1.66 mg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a differential
      association between mold and other aeroallergen sensitization, and severity of
      asthma. Sensitization to mold is associated with lower lung function and
      increased airway hyper-responsiveness in children with asthma. Mold sensitization
      could be an important factor determining asthma severity particularly airflow
      limitation in children.

PMID- 28913991
TI  - Seasonal Cycle and Relationship of Seasonal Rhino- and Influenza Virus Epidemics
      With Episodes of Asthma Exacerbation in Different Age Groups.
AB  - PURPOSE: Seasonal variations in asthma exacerbation (AE) are associated with
      respiratory virus outbreaks and the return of children to school after vacation.
      This study aims to elucidate the period, phase, and amplitude of seasonal cycles
      of AE in 5 different age groups with regard to rhino- and influenza virus
      epidemics in Korea. METHODS: The number of daily emergency department (ED) visits
      for AE in all age groups of Korea and the nationwide weekly incidence of rhino-
      and influenza virus, were obtained for 2008-2012. Fourier regression was used to
      model rhythmicity, and the Cosinor method was used to determine the amplitude and
      phase of the cycles in each age group. The cross-correlation function (CCF)
      between AE and the rhino- and influenza virus epidemics was also calculated.
      RESULTS: There were 157,559 events of AE (0.62 events/1,000 individuals/year)
      during the study period. There were spring and fall peaks of AE in children and
      adults, but only 1 winter peak in the elderly. The amplitude of the AE peak in
      infants was higher in spring than in fall (9.16 vs 3.04, P<0.010), and the fall
      peak was approximately 1 month later in infants than in school children (October
      11 vs November 13, P<0.010). The association between AE and rhinovirus was
      greatest in school children (rho=0.331), and the association between AE and
      influenza virus was greatest in those aged >=60 years (rho=0.682). CONCLUSIONS:
      The rhythmicity, amplitude, and phase of the annual cycle of AE differed among
      different age groups. The patterns of AE were related to the annual rhino- and
      influenza virus epidemics.

PMID- 28913993
TI  - A Retrospective Study of Korean Adults With Food Allergy: Differences in
      Phenotypes and Causes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Increasing in prevalence, food allergy (FA) is becoming an important
      public health concern. In Korean adults, however, clinical phenotypes and causes
      of FA have not been studied. We aimed to study common causative allergens and
      clinical manifestations of FA in Korean adults. METHODS: This study was conducted
      as a retrospective review of medical records for 95 patients (>=19 years old)
      diagnosed with FA from September 2014 to August 2015 at a single university
      hospital. RESULTS: In the 95 patients, 181 FA events were recorded. The mean age
      of first onset of FA symptoms was 34.7+/-15.8 years. The most frequent causative
      food was seafood (34.8%); shrimp and crab allergies ranked highest, regardless of
      age and sex. Among all FA events, there were 47 (26.0%) cases of anaphylaxis and
      26 (14.4%) cases of oral allergy syndrome (OAS). Seafood (51.1%) was the most
      frequent cause of anaphylaxis, followed by grains (14.9%). Most OAS cases were
      associated with fruits (95.7%). The frequency of fruit-induced FA was
      significantly higher in males than in females (23.0% vs 8.4%, P=0.011). While no
      cases of vegetables-induced FA were noted in younger individuals (19 to 30
      years), vegetables accounted for 20.5% of FA symptoms in older subjects (>=51
      years, P<0.001). Allergic rhinitis (44.2%) and drug allergy (20.0%) were major
      comorbidities associated with FA. Overall, 29 FA events had cofactors, of which
      10 were combined with exercise. CONCLUSIONS: The major causes of FA in Korean
      adults were crustacean, fruits, and grains. Interestingly, the clinical
      manifestations of FA and demographics varied according to type of food allergen.

PMID- 28913992
TI  - Effects of Immunoglobulin Replacement on Asthma Exacerbation in Adult Asthmatics
      with IgG Subclass Deficiency.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recurrent respiratory tract infection is a common manifestation of
      primary immunodeficiency disease, and respiratory viruses or bacteria are
      important triggers of asthma exacerbations. Asthma often coexists with humoral
      immunodeficiency in adults, and some asthmatics with immunoglobulin (Ig) G
      subclass deficiency (IgGSCD) suffer from recurrent exacerbations. Although some
      studies suggest a benefit from Ig replacement, others have failed to support its
      use. This study aimed to assess the effect of Ig replacement on asthma
      exacerbation caused by respiratory infection as well as the asthma control status
      of adult asthmatics with IgGSCD. METHODS: This is a multi-center, open-label
      study of adult asthmatics with IgGSCD. All patients received monthly intravenous
      immunoglobulin (IVIG) for 6 months and were evaluated regarding asthma
      exacerbation related to infection, asthma control status, quality of life, and
      lung function before and after IVIG infusion. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients
      were enrolled, and 24 completed the study. Most of the patients had a moderate
      degree of asthma severity with partly (52%) or uncontrolled (41%) status at
      baseline. IVIG significantly reduced the proportion of patients with asthma
      exacerbations, lowered the number of respiratory infections, and improved asthma
      control status, compared to the baseline values (P<0.001). The mean asthma
      specific quality of life and asthma control test scores were improved
      significantly (P=0.009 and P=0.053, respectively); however, there were no
      significant changes in lung function. CONCLUSIONS: IVIG reduced the frequency of
      asthma exacerbations and improved asthma control status in adult asthmatics with
      IgGSCD, suggesting that IVIG could be an effective treatment option in this
      population.

PMID- 28913994
TI  - Mouse Model of IL-17-Dominant Rhinitis Using Polyinosinic-Polycytidylic Acid.
AB  - Interleukin (IL)-17 plays an important role in rhinitis and the level thereof
      correlates with the severity of disease. However, no mouse model for IL-17
      dominant rhinitis has yet been developed. Our objective was to establish a mouse
      model of IL-17-dominant rhinitis via intranasal application of polyinosinic
      polycytidylic acid (abbreviated as Poly(I:C)). Mice were divided into 6 groups
      (n=8 for each group); 1) 1 negative control group, 2) 1 positive control group
      (OVA/alum model), 3) 2 Poly(I:C) groups (10 or 100 MUg), and 4) 2 OVA/Poly(I:C)
      groups (10 or 100 MUg). The positive control group was treated with the
      conventional OVA/alum protocol. In the Poly(I:C) and OVA/Poly(I:C) groups,
      phosphate-buffered saline or an OVA solution plus Poly(I:C) were administered.
      The OVA/Poly(I:C) groups exhibited significantly greater neutrophil infiltration
      and increased IL-17/interferon gamma expression compared with the other groups.
      However, the levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE), OVA-specific IgE, eosinophil
      infiltration, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10 were significantly lower in the
      OVA/Poly(I:C) groups than in mice subjected to conventional Th2-dominant OVA/alum
      treatment (the positive control group). IL-17 and neutrophil measurement,
      chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy
      revealed increased numbers of IL-17-secreting cells in the nasal mucosa of the
      OVA/Poly(I:C) groups, which included natural killer cells, CD4 T cells, and
      neutrophils. In conclusion, we developed a mouse model of IL-17-dominant rhinitis
      using OVA together with Poly(I:C). This model will be useful in research on
      neutrophil- or IL-17-dominant rhinitis.

PMID- 28913968
TI  - Risk factors for unfavourable postoperative outcome in patients with Crohn's
      disease undergoing right hemicolectomy or ileocaecal resection An international
      audit by ESCP and S-ECCO.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient and disease-related factors, as well as operation technique
      all have the potential to impact on postoperative outcome in Crohn's disease. The
      available evidence is based on small series and often displays conflicting
      results. AIM: To investigate the effect of pre- and intra-operative risk factors
      on 30-day postoperative outcome in patients undergoing surgery for Crohn's
      disease. METHOD: International prospective snapshot audit including consecutive
      patients undergoing right hemicolectomy or ileocaecal resection. This study
      analysed a subset of patients who underwent surgery for Crohn's disease. The
      primary outcome measure was the overall Clavien-Dindo postoperative complication
      rate. The key secondary outcomes were anastomotic leak, re-operation, surgical
      site infection and length of stay at hospital. Multivariable binary logistic
      regression analyses were used to produce odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI). RESULTS: Three hundred and seventy five resections in 375
      patients were included. The median age was 37 and 57.1% were female. In
      multivariate analyses, postoperative complications were associated with
      preoperative parenteral nutrition (OR 2.36 95% CI 1.10-4.97)], urgent/expedited
      surgical intervention (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.13-3.55) and unplanned intraoperative
      adverse events (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.20-4.45). The postoperative length of stay in
      hospital was prolonged in patients who received preoperative parenteral nutrition
      (OR 31, CI [1.08-1.61]) and those who had urgent/expedited operations (OR 1.21,
      CI [1.07-1.37]). CONCLUSION: Preoperative parenteral nutritional support,
      urgent/expedited operation and unplanned intraoperative adverse events were
      associated with unfavourable postoperative outcome. Enhanced preoperative
      optimization and improved planning of operation pathways and timings may improve
      outcomes for patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights
      reserved.

PMID- 28913995
TI  - Intraoperatively Observed Lacrimal Obstructive Features and Surgical Outcomes in
      External Dacryocystorhinostomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the features of lacrimal drainage system obstruction
      confirmed during external dacryocystorhinostomy surgeries and report the surgical
      outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of a total of 769 cases who
      underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy for primary lacrimal drainage
      obstruction between 2005 and 2014. Data about detailed location and extent of
      obstruction were collected intraoperatively. The sites of obstruction were
      classified into nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO), common canalicular
      obstruction (CCO), and canalicular obstruction. Lacrimal sac mucosa and lumen
      were grossly inspected, and the frequency of lacrimal sac changes, such as
      significant inflammation or fibrosis, was analyzed in cases of CCO or canalicular
      obstruction. The surgical success rate was also evaluated including effect of
      lacrimal sac status in the CCO and canalicular obstruction groups. RESULTS: Of
      769 cases, primary NLDO with patent canaliculi was diagnosed intraoperatively in
      432 cases (56.2%), CCO in 253 (32.9%), and canalicular obstruction in 84 (10.9%).
      Of 253 cases with CCO, 122 (48.2%) showed clear lacrimal sac lumen, and the other
      131 (51.8%) showed significant inflammation or fibrosis of the lacrimal sac. In
      cases with canalicular obstruction, 35 of 84 (41.7%) showed a clear lacrimal sac,
      and the other 49 cases (58.3%) cases revealed mucosal changes of the lacrimal
      sac. The functional success rate was 87.5% for primary NLDO, 75.5% for CCO, and
      72.6% for canalicular obstruction. In the CCO group, the functional success rate
      was lower in cases with significant lacrimal sac change (p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS:
      Even in patients with CCO or canalicular obstruction, a large number of cases
      have lacrimal sac changes, and those changes were associated with lower
      functional success rate.

PMID- 28913996
TI  - Intraocular Lens Power Calculation after Refractive Surgery: A Comparative
      Analysis of Accuracy and Predictability.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation
      using conventional regression formulae or the American Society of Cataract and
      Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) IOL power calculator for previous corneal refractive
      surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 96 eyes from 68 patients that had
      undergone cataract surgery after keratorefractive surgeries. We calculated the
      formula with two approaches: IOL powers using the ASCRS IOL power calculator and
      IOL powers using conventional formulae with previous refractive data (Camellin,
      Jarade, Savini, and clinical history method) or without prior data (0, 2 and, 4
      mm total mean power in topography, Wang-Koch-Maloney, Shammas, Seitz, and
      Maloney). Two conventional IOL formulae (the SRK/T and the Hoffer Q) were
      calculated with the single K and double K methods. Mean arithmetic refractive
      error and mean absolute error were calculated at the first postoperative month.
      RESULTS: In conventional formulae, the Jarade method or the Seitz method, applied
      in the Hoffer Q formula with the single K or double K method, have the lowest
      prediction errors. The least prediction error was found in the Shammas-PL method
      in the ASCRS group. There was no statistically significant difference between the
      10 lowest mean absolute error conventional methods, the Shammas-PL method and the
      Barrett True-K method calculated with using the ASCRS calculator, without using
      preoperative data. CONCLUSIONS: The Shammas-PL formula and the Barrett True-K
      formula, calculated with the ASCRS calculator, without using history, were
      methods comparable to the 10 most accurate conventional formulae. Other methods
      using the ASCRS calculator show a myopic tendency.

PMID- 28913999
TI  - Five-year Outcomes of Ranibizumab in Neovascular Age-related Macular
      Degeneration: Real Life Clinical Experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcomes of 5-year ranibizumab treatment in neovascular
      age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in a single center and real life clinical
      setting. METHODS: The records of nAMD patients who were treated with ranibizumab
      between January 2010 and June 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who
      completed 5 years of follow-up were included. Main outcome measures were change
      in best-corrected visual acuity, central retinal thickness, and visit and
      injection numbers. RESULTS: Forty-four eyes of 37 patients were included. Mean
      best-corrected visual acuity decreased from 0.82 +/- 0.69 to 1.11 +/- 0.65
      logarithm of minimal angle of resolution after 5 years. Twenty-four eyes (54.5%)
      had visual acuity loss >=3 lines, and 20 eyes (45.5%) had stable or improved
      vision (loss <3 lines, remained stable, or gained >=1 line) at month 60. The mean
      total number of visits was 25.3 +/- 5.8 (range, 14 to 42), and the mean total
      number of injections was 12.6 +/- 6.4 (range, 3 to 26) at month 60. CONCLUSIONS:
      Half of the ranibizumab-treated nAMD patients maintained their vision during the
      5 years of follow-up. Visit and injection numbers were found to be lower than in
      prospective studies, reflecting a real world clinical practice.

PMID- 28913998
TI  - Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life in Age-related Macular Degeneration Based
      on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the depressive symptoms and
      quality of life (QOL) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
      using data obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination
      Survey V-2 (KNHANES V-2) conducted in 2011. METHODS: This was a population-based,
      cross-sectional study that selected 329 participants from the fifth KNHANES
      (2011) who were diagnosed with AMD by an ophthalmologist based on fundus
      photography. The prevalence of depressive symptoms and the health-related QOL
      (using EuroQol indices) in this cohort were also estimated. Factors associated
      with depressive symptoms, including socioeconomic status, QOL indices, and
      associated chronic diseases, were investigated using multivariate regression
      models. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were observed more frequently in AMD
      patients than in non-AMD controls (p = 0.013). Among the total 329 AMD
      participants, 65 (19.8%) had depressive symptoms. There were 16 males (24.6%) and
      49 females (75.4%). Upon multivariate analysis, significant factors found to be
      associated with depressive symptoms were female gender (odds ratio [OR], 2.082;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001 to 4.330), being in the "dependent" group for
      activities of daily living (OR, 4.638; 95% CI, 2.061 to 10.435), and having "some
      problems" in the "anxiety-depression" dimension of the EQ-5D (OR, 7.704; 95% CI,
      1.890 to 31.408). CONCLUSIONS: Female gender and being dependent on others for
      activities of daily living increased the association of depressive symptoms in
      this cohort of AMD participants. Screening for depressive symptoms in East Asian
      AMD patients with these characteristics should be an important component of their
      care.

PMID- 28913997
TI  - Additive Effect of Oral Steroid with Topical Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug
      for Preventing Cystoid Macular Edema after Cataract Surgery in Patients with
      Epiretinal Membrane.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the additive effect of oral steroid with topical
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) on cystoid macular edema (CME) in
      patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM) after cataract surgery. METHODS: Medical
      records of subjects who underwent uneventful cataract surgery (n = 1,349) were
      retrospectively reviewed; among these patients, those with pre-existing ERM (n =
      81) were included. Patients were divided into two groups: one group had
      postoperative administration of oral steroid for 1 week (n = 45) and the other
      group did not have oral steroid administration (n = 36). Changes in macular
      thickness and incidence of CME were compared in both groups. Topical NSAIDs were
      administered in both groups for 1 month postoperatively. Definite CME and
      probable CME were defined by changes in retinal contour with or without cystoid
      changes. Change in central macular thickness of more than three standard
      deviations (>=90.17 MUm) was defined as possible CME. Macular thickness was
      measured at 1 month after the operation by optical coherence tomography. RESULTS:
      The incidence of definite, probable, and possible CME were 2.22%, 4.44%, and
      8.89% with the use of steroid and 2.78%, 5.56%, and 8.33% without steroid,
      respectively (p = 0.694, p = 0.603, and p = 0.625), and regardless of treatment
      group, the incidences in these patients were higher compared to incidences in
      whole subjects (1.26%, 2.30%, and 4.32%; p = 0.048, p = 0.032, and p = 0.038,
      respectively). The differences in macular thickness were not statistically
      different between the two groups. Average changes of central foveal thickness in
      3 mm and 6 mm zone were 29.29 MUm, 35.93 MUm, and 38.02 MUm with the use of
      steroid and 32.25 MUm, 44.08 MUm, and 45.39 MUm without steroid (p = 0.747, p =
      0.148, and p = 0.077, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that
      administration of oral steroid may not have a synergistic effect in reduction of
      CME and retinal thickness in patients with pre-existing ERM after cataract
      surgery, when topical NSAIDs are applied.

PMID- 28914000
TI  - Trends of Pars Plana Vitrectomy Rates in South Korea: A Nationwide Cohort Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the trends in pars plana vitrectomy surgery rates and factors
      affecting rate change between 2002 and 2013 in South Korea. METHODS: Data from
      National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort 2002-2013, which
      represents 1,025,340 samples with a sampling rate of 2.2% from the total eligible
      Korean population, was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 3,816 vitrectomy procedures
      were performed (male, 2,010; female, 1,806) from 2002 to 2013. Annual rates of
      vitrectomy increased from 15.1 (in 2002) to 49.4 (in 2013) per 100,000
      individuals, and this trend was prominent in those aged 60 years or older. As for
      the anesthetic method, vitrectomy under local anesthesia increased more
      prominently than vitrectomy under general anesthesia. The most common diagnoses
      associated with vitrectomy were diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment,
      epiretinal membrane, and macular hole. CONCLUSIONS: The average annual rate of
      vitrectomy surgery was 31.5 per 100,000 between 2002 and 2013, and the rate has
      steadily increased.

PMID- 28914001
TI  - Comparative Study of the Effects of Trabecular Meshwork Outflow Drugs on the
      Permeability and Nitric Oxide Production in Trabecular Meshwork Cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the effects of the barrier function in human trabecular
      meshwork (TM) cells monolayer and the production of nitric oxide (NO) between
      trabecular outflow drugs, Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitors, adenosine, and
      statin. METHODS: Primary cultured TM cells were exposed to 10 or 25 MUM Y-27632,
      0.1 or 1 MUM N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA), or 15 or 30 MUM simvastatin for 24
      hours. NO production and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase mRNA
      were measured by Griess assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction, respectively. Barrier functions of the TM cell monolayer were measured
      by carboxyfluorescein and trans-endothelial electrical resistance. The expression
      of matrix metalloproteinase-2 mRNA was assessed with reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: In TM cells, treatment with each drug
      increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression. Treatment with 25
      MUM Y-27632 and 1.0 MUM CHA increased NO production significantly (p = 0.035 and
      p = 0.043, respectively). Treatment with each drug increased the permeability
      (all p = 0.001) and decreased the trans-endothelial electron resistance of the TM
      cell monolayer. Treatment with 0.1 MUM and 1.0 MUM CHA significantly increased
      matrix metalloproteinase-2 mRNA expression, but simvastatin inhibited its
      expression. CONCLUSIONS: Since treatment with ROCK inhibitor more greatly
      increased NO production and permeability than did adenosine or statin, ROCK
      inhibitor seems to be more effective for lowering intraocular pressure.

PMID- 28914002
TI  - A Case of Rothia mucilaginosa Keratitis in South Korea.

PMID- 28914003
TI  - Visual Fatigue Induced by Viewing a Tablet Computer with a High-resolution
      Display.
AB  - PURPOSE: In the present study, the visual discomfort induced by smart mobile
      devices was assessed in normal and healthy adults. METHODS: Fifty-nine volunteers
      (age, 38.16 +/- 10.23 years; male : female = 19 : 40) were exposed to tablet
      computer screen stimuli (iPad Air, Apple Inc.) for 1 hour. Participants watched a
      movie or played a computer game on the tablet computer. Visual fatigue and
      discomfort were assessed using an asthenopia questionnaire, tear film break-up
      time, and total ocular wavefront aberration before and after viewing smart mobile
      devices. RESULTS: Based on the questionnaire, viewing smart mobile devices for 1
      hour significantly increased mean total asthenopia score from 19.59 +/- 8.58 to
      22.68 +/- 9.39 (p < 0.001). Specifically, the scores for five items (tired eyes,
      sore/aching eyes, irritated eyes, watery eyes, and hot/burning eye) were
      significantly increased by viewing smart mobile devices. Tear film break-up time
      significantly decreased from 5.09 +/- 1.52 seconds to 4.63 +/- 1.34 seconds (p =
      0.003). However, total ocular wavefront aberration was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS:
      Visual fatigue and discomfort were significantly induced by viewing smart mobile
      devices, even though the devices were equipped with state-of-the-art display
      technology.

PMID- 28914004
TI  - Mislocation of Boundary of Localized Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Defect in Red-free
      Photography of Three Glaucoma Patients.

PMID- 28914005
TI  - Delayed Absorption of Subretinal Fluid after Retinal Reattachment Surgery and
      Associated Choroidal Features.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and associated
      clinical factors of delayed absorption of subretinal fluid (SRF) after surgery
      for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. METHODS: This study involved 36 eyes of 36
      consecutive patients who underwent successful surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal
      detachment. A complete ophthalmologic evaluation, including clinical fundus
      examination, optical coherence tomography, and indocyanine green angiography, was
      conducted before and after surgery. Delayed absorption was defined as the
      presence of residual concave SRF or an SRF bleb at 6 months after surgery.
      Clinical factors and choroidal features on indocyanine green angiography were
      compared according to the presence and absence of delayed absorption. RESULTS:
      Eighteen of 36 eyes (50%) showed delayed absorption. Macular involvement and
      worse preoperative visual acuity were significantly related to the presence of
      delayed absorption (p = 0.001 and p = 0.034, respectively). On indocyanine green
      angiography, preoperative choroidal vascular hyperpermeability was noted in 70%
      of eyes with delayed absorption and in 14% of eyes without it (p = 0.010).
      CONCLUSIONS: Delayed absorption of SRF after retinal reattachment surgery was not
      rare, with a 50% of incidence in this study. Macula-off status was significantly
      related to the incidence of delayed SRF absorption, and choroidal features such
      as choroidal vascular hyperpermeability might be responsible in part, possibly
      through the resultant exudative property of choroid.

PMID- 28914006
TI  - Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma in a Patient with Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum.

PMID- 28914007
TI  - Approximate P3 solution for the semi-infinite medium: steady state and time
      domain.
AB  - The steady-state solution of the Green's function obtained by the P3 equation in
      a semi-infinite medium is presented, the proposed solution is a diffusion-based
      model. Two time-domain solutions are established: one is the solution under
      extrapolation boundary condition, which we call the optical parameter method, and
      the other corresponds to the diffusion equation, which we call the double
      diffusion coefficient method. The spatial-resolved reflectance and the time
      resolved reflectance are calculated. The Monte Carlo simulation is used to verify
      the P3 equation. The results show that the P3 steady-state equation and the two
      time-domain equations are in good agreement with the Monte Carlo simulation. In
      the steady state, when the distance between the detector and the light source is
      less than several free paths, the P3 equation is more accurate than the diffusion
      equation. In other cases, the P3 model and the diffusion model have similar
      results. However, when the absorption coefficient is large, P3 is more accurate.
      In the time domain, the optical parameter method is more accurate, and the double
      diffusion coefficient method is more consistent with the diffusion equation.

PMID- 28914008
TI  - Linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating response to thermal gradient: from bench
      tests to the real-time assessment during in vivo laser ablations of biological
      tissue.
AB  - The response of a fiber optic sensor [linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating
      (LCFBG)] to a linear thermal gradient applied on its sensing length (i.e., 1.5
      cm) has been investigated. After these bench tests, we assessed their feasibility
      for temperature monitoring during thermal tumor treatment. In particular, we
      performed experiments during ex vivo laser ablation (LA) in pig liver and in vivo
      thermal ablation in animal models (pigs). We investigated the following: (i) the
      relationship between the full width at half maximum of the LCFBG spectrum and the
      temperature difference among the extremities of the LCFBG and (ii) the
      relationship between the mean spectrum wavelength and the mean temperature acting
      on the LCFBG sensing area. These relationships showed a linear trend during both
      bench tests and LA in animal models. Thermal sensitivity was significant although
      different values were found with regards to bench tests and animal experiments.
      The linear trend and significant sensitivity allow hypothesizing a future use of
      this kind of sensor to monitor both temperature gradient and mean temperature
      within a tissue undergoing thermal treatment.

PMID- 28914009
TI  - Luminescent diagnostics of skin defects in the near-infrared range.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy becomes a widely spread method due to cancer growth in the
      world. However, to detect tumors at early stages, it is necessary to carry out
      diagnostic measures in a timely manner. Our aim was to test the developed
      pharmaceutical composition, which can be used for external application in early
      fluorescent diagnostics even in the absence of visual changes, as well as for
      therapy effectiveness control. Pharmacokinetic studies on laboratory animals and
      volunteers were carried out. The results have shown that the dipotassium salt of
      Yb3+-dimethoxyhematoporphyrin IX, which is highly soluble in water and stable in
      storage, is a promising marker for earlier diagnostics of tumors and can be used
      in dermatology, dentistry, gynecology, cosmetology, ear, nose, and throat
      diseases, veterinary, and in other areas of medicine.

PMID- 28914010
TI  - FRET-based method for evaluation of the efficiency of reversible and irreversible
      sonoporation.
AB  - It is widely known that not all of the treated cells survive after introduction
      of exogenous molecules via any physical method. Therefore, it is important to
      develop methods that would allow simultaneous evaluation of both molecular
      delivery efficiency and cell viability. This study presents Forster resonance
      energy transfer (FRET)-based method that allows molecular transfer and cell
      viability evaluation in a single measurement by employing two common fluorescent
      dyes, namely, ethidium bromide and trypan blue. The method has been validated
      using cell sonoporation. The FRET-based method allows the efficiency evaluation
      of both reversible and irreversible sonoporation in a single experiment.
      Therefore, this method could be used to reduce time, labor, and material cost
      while improving the accuracy of evaluations.

PMID- 28914011
TI  - [Combinations in Fangji of Chinese medicine: holistic view].
AB  - The modernization research on Fangji is not only an important approach to the
      improvement on the clinical effects of Chinese medicine, but also a
      representative field on the inheritance and innovation of Chinese medicine in
      this new historical period. For the rule of the combintions in Fangji, we
      proposed a hypothesis of "the holistic harmonious pharmacological effect", which
      is defined as the different efficacies of different combinations in Fangji
      deriving from the harmoniousness on the diversity of pharmacological effects like
      antagonism, complementarity, regulation, etc. In our paper, by analyzing the
      different pharmacological mechanisms in the differential genes and pathways for
      the additive effect on the combinations of gardenoside and baicalin as well as
      the synergy effect on the combinations of gardenoside and cholic acid, we
      introduced a developed analytical technique for the principle of comprehensive
      pharmacological effects, pointed out the encountered dilemma in the researches on
      the combinations in Fangji and at last proposed three transformations to the
      further researches in this fields.

PMID- 28914012
TI  - [Advance in molecular biology of Dendrobium (Orchidaceae)].
AB  - With the development of molecular biology, the process in molecular biology
      research of Dendrobium is going fast. Not only did it provide new ways to
      identify Dendrobium quickly, reveal the genetic diversity and relationship of
      Dendrobium, but also lay the vital foundation for explaining the mechanism of
      Dendrobium growth and metabolism. The present paper reviews the recent process in
      molecular biology research of Dendrobium from three aspects, including molecular
      identification, genetic diversity and functional genes. And this review will
      facilitate the development of this research area and Dendrobium.

PMID- 28914013
TI  - [Disease of root-knot nematode and control strategy in medicinal plants].
AB  - Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) is one of the important disease of
      medicinal plant cultivation and seriously hinders the sustainable development of
      traditional Chinese medicine industry. We introduced the main species,
      identification methods and control strategies of root-knot nematode diseases in
      the medicinal plants in this study. Identifications of morphology and molecular
      were the main tools for the distinction of root-knot nematodes at present. This
      study stated that integrated system was established for root-knot nematode
      control, including that integrated control technique was the first step, disease
      resistant varieties with high yield were the basis, and normalized patterns of
      cultivation and management were the measure. These strategies would improve the
      sustainable development of medicinal plants and environmental protection.

PMID- 28914014
TI  - [Application and prospect of "couplet medicine" techniques in preservation of
      Chinese medicinal materials].
AB  - Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) are easily to be contaminated by all kinds of
      molds to produce various mycotoxins due to their internal factors and the
      external environmental conditions during the growth, harvesting, processing, and
      especially storage processes. This will not only affect the quality of CMMs,
      resulting in enormous financial loss, but also influence the safety and
      effectiveness of CMMs, posing potential threats to human health. With the
      increase in awareness of "traditional Chinese medicine health" idea, more and
      more attention has been paid on how to prevent and control these CMMs from being
      mouldy to guarantee their safety. Some physical and chemical techniques have been
      restricted for protecting CMMs due to their own disadvantages. As a green, safe
      and economic strategy for the preservation of CMMs, "couplet medicine" technique
      based on the principle of "protecting CMM with another CMM" has been developed:
      two kinds of CMMs are stored together and fight against each other to prevent
      mildew metamorphism, exhibiting no obvious changes in color, smell and quality.
      Nowadays, certain application results have been obtained for the "antagonistic
      storage" method based on the above mode and principle. In this paper, we would
      review and discuss the mechanism, practical application and the problems of
      "couplet medicine" technique, and provide scientific evidences for developing
      safe and effective tools to protect CMMs from being mouldy.

PMID- 28914015
TI  - [Relationship between hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP450 and traditional
      Chinese medicine-induced hepatotoxicity].
AB  - In recent years, with the emergence of new methods and technologies in
      traditional Chinese medicines metabolism, the relationship between medicine
      metabolism and cytochrome P450 has gradually been revealed. The research on P450
      drug metabolizing enzymes can be used to predict the side effects of traditional
      Chinese medicines and explore the relationship between compatibility of medicines
      and toxicity reducing and efficacy enhancing. This paper aims to summarize the
      progress of CYP450 research, the mechanism of hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes
      in the process of drug-metabolism and the relationship between CYP450 and
      medicine hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, we set out the regulation effects of
      typical traditional Chinese medicines on CYP450 to provide a reliable basis for
      the rational use of Chinese medicines.

PMID- 28914016
TI  - [Analysis and evaluation of resourceful chemical compositions in different parts
      of Zanthoxylum bungeanum fruit and its seed oil].
AB  - The study aims of this study is to analyze and evaluate the resourceful chemical
      compositions in different parts of mature fruit of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, and
      provide a scientific basis for the comprehensive utilization of this medicinal
      plant resources. GC-MS method was used to analyze the volatile oils and the fatty
      acids, and HPLC method was used to determine the flavonoids and phenolic acids in
      the pericarp, seed and seed oil of Z.bungeanum. There were 26, 19 and 11 kinds of
      volatile components detected in the pericarp, seed and seed oil, respectively, in
      which terpenoids and their oxy-derivatives were the main components, and the
      contents of linalool and its esters in pericarp were relatively high. The
      contents of total fatty acids in the pericarp, seed and seed oil were 108.42,
      331.63, 966.04 mg*g-1, respectively.Oleic acid, linoleic acid andalpha-linolenic
      acid were abundantin all samples. The pericarp contains relatively high content
      of flavonoids, such as hyperoside, quercitrin, rutin, isoquercitrin, while the
      above components were not detected in the seed and seed oil. These results
      confirmed that the fruit of Z.bungeanum contains high contents of the resourceful
      chemical compositions, and their composition and contents were differed among
      organs, which provide a scientific basis for the utilization of Z.bungeanumfruit.

PMID- 28914017
TI  - [Study on correlation of oxygen consumption rate and suffocation point of
      Whitmania pigra and Bellamya purificata and optimum way of feeding Whitmania
      pigra].
AB  - The oxygen consumption, oxygen consumption rate and suffocation point of
      different quality Whitmania pigra and Bellamya purificata were determined by
      hydrostatic breathing room method. The effects of feeding modes on growth of
      W.pigra were determined by biomass. The results showed that the oxygen
      consumption correlated positively with the weight of W.pigra and B.
      purificata(P<0.05), suffocation point increased with the increases of the
      weight(P<0.05).Oxygen consumption correlated negatively with the weight of W.
      pigra, the oxygen consumption rate of B.purificata first increased and then
      decreased with the increasing of the weight. Feeding modes had no significant
      effects on the finial weight, SGR, WGR, death rates of W. pigra. Feeding modes
      had significant effects on eating ratio. It suggested that the optimum feeding
      frequency of W. pigra was once every three days. Scientific and reasonable
      feeding amount of B. purificata should be calculated based on oxygen consumption
      and suffocation point of W.pigra and B.purificata at every period. Meanwhile,
      stocking density, water area and water exchanging frequency should be taken into
      consideration.

PMID- 28914018
TI  - [Effects of exogenous MeJA, SA and two kinds of endophytic fungi on physiology
      and total phenols content of seedlings of Bletilla striata].
AB  - Tissue culture seedlings of Bletilla striata were treated with MeJA, SA and two
      kinds of endophytic fungi in order to study the effects of those treatments on
      the physiology and total phenols content. The method of tissue culture was used
      to culture seeds into seedlings, and then different treatments were applied on
      them to observe and measure the changes of physiology and total phenols content.
      We find that the growth of seedlings treated with SA was poor, which treated with
      40 MUmol*L-1 MeJA, 50 mL*L-1 Hypocrea koningii and 10 mL*L-1 Trichoderma
      koningiopsis showed better. The activity of SOD, POD and CAT was at a high level
      under SA treatment of each concentration. The activity of SOD and POD increased
      as the rise of MeJA concentration, while CAT was highest at 80 MUmol*L-1. The
      activity of SOD and POD increased with the increasing of the concentration of H.
      koningii treatment, while CAT reached the highest at 1 mL*L-1. The activity of
      SOD, POD and CAT increased first and then declined with the concentration of T.
      koningiopsis increasing, and the highest activity was at 10 mL*L-1. The contents
      of MDA, soluble protein and proline were increased more or less under the four
      treatments. The content of polysaccharide was at a high level under 60 MUmol*L-1
      of MeJA. The total phenols content was at a high level under 40 MUmol*L-1 of
      MeJA, 60 MUmol*L-1 of SA, 1 mL*L-1 of H. koningii and 10 mL*L-1 of T.
      koningiopsis. The results indicated that the addition of exogenous MeJA, SA and
      endophytic fungi under certain concentrations could improve the resistance of B.
      striata and increase the content of total phenols at some degree and the
      trearment of MeJA, H. koningii and T. koningiopsis could promote the growth of
      seedlings under certain concentrations.

PMID- 28914019
TI  - [Correlation between Andrographis Herba preparation's fingerprint,
      pharmacological activity and preparation process].
AB  - Process design grants the quality connotation to products. This paper was to
      investigate the correlation between changes of chemical fingerprints of
      Andrographis Herba preparation and its pharmacological activity, and set up the
      bridge between key process and quality attributes. By referring to the
      preparation process of Andrographis Herba. preparation (extracting-concentrating
      drying-granulation), HPLC fingerprints were employed to determine the difference
      of the effective materials of the intermediate micro components. Cluster analysis
      results indicated that the extraction link had great influence on quality
      connotation variation of Andrographis Herba preparation. The pharmacological
      activity of various intermediates was continuously decreased in the models of
      DPPH antioxidant activity and LPS-induced anti-inflammatory activity in mice
      peritoneal macrophages. Traditional high temperature treatment process was
      detrimental to its clinical effect from the curve equation between the key
      process parameters and pharmacodynamic activity. Partial least square (PLS) was
      used to construct spectrum-efficiency model equation, and it was verified that
      this equation could accurately predict the relationship between fingerprints and
      pharmacological activity, which would facilitate the subsequent evaluation of
      quality attributes and provide scientific basis for further quality control of
      the whole process.

PMID- 28914020
TI  - [Preparation of borneol loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles and effect
      on borneol volatility].
AB  - The hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) were prepared by hard template
      method, with a size of 300 nm and shell thickness of 25 nm. Borneol was loaded
      with solvent impregnation method in order to solve the stability problem of
      borneol in pharmaceutics, and the BET, TEM and FT-IR were used to characterize
      the HMSNs and the borneol-HMSNs drug delivery system. The optimal drug loading
      time, maximum drug loading capacity and the volatility of borneol were
      investigated. The results showed that HMSNs which were prepared at room
      temperature and neutral conditions had good sphericity, achieved high drug
      loading of borneol in a short time, and the drug loading was up to 74.04% within
      6 hours; meanwhile, volatility of borneol in the system was greatly improved.
      This novel drug delivery system provides a new idea for wide application of
      borneol in the traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28914021
TI  - [Application of time domain reflectometry for determination of wate content in
      Xiangsha Yangwei pills].
AB  - Xiangsha Yangwei pill was selected as a model drug in this research, and time
      domain reflectometry (TDR) was used to determine the water content in the pill.
      The effects of five factors including the number of pill layers, pill packing
      density, atmospheric moisture, ambient temperature and the ratio of pill formula
      were investigated on water content. The results showed that the number of pill
      layers and ambient temperature had significant effects on water content of pills,
      while the pill packing density, atmospheric moisture and pill formula ratio had
      little effect on the determination of water content in pills. The reflection
      value was stable when 6 layers of pills were used. Under the condition of 25 C
      and 45% relative humidity, the water content of pills ranged from 4.01% to
      22.38%, showing good linear relationship between water content and reflection
      value, and the model equation was as follows: Y=0.279X-21.670 (R2=0.997 0).
      Verification experiment was used to explain the feasibility of this prediction
      model. The precision of the method complied with the methodology standard. It is
      concluded that TDR can be used in determination of water content in Xiangsha
      Yangwei pills. Additionally, TDR, as a new way to quickly and efficiently
      determine the water content, has a prospect application in the processing of
      traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy, especially for concentrated pill.

PMID- 28914022
TI  - [Effect of Astragali Radix with different sulfur fumigation technologies on
      immune function in mice].
AB  - To investigate the effect of Astragali Radix with different sulfur fumigation
      technologies on immune function in mice, and observe the effect of different
      Astragali Radix samples on carbon clearance in cyclophosphamide induced
      immunosuppressed mice, on immune organ weight in immunosuppressed mice and on
      delayed type hypersensitivity response (DTH) induced by 2,4 dinitrochlorobenzene.
      Carbon clearance index, phagocytic index, organ index and ear swelling rate were
      taken as the indexes. The results showed that, all of the Astragali Radix with
      different sulfur fumigation technologies markedly increased the carbon clearance
      index K, phagocytic index alpha, immune organ weight and improved the ability of
      DTH response in immunosuppressed mice. As compared with the model group, combined
      hot air-microwave group had the most significant difference, but when other
      groups were compared with and combined hot air-microwave group, only carbon
      clearance test had significant difference. From the perspective of
      pharmacodynamics, the effect of Astragali Radix with different sulfur
      fumigationon technologies on the immune function of mice was investigated, which
      provided a reference for the selection of appropriate alternative technology, and
      also provided guidance for clinical medication.

PMID- 28914023
TI  - [Stability of cantharidin and cantharidic acid in Mylabris aqueous solution].
AB  - To investigate the stability and the conversion rules of cantharidin and
      cantharidic acid contained in the Mylabris aqueous solution under different
      conditions. The contents of cantharidin and cantharidic acid under different
      conditions (pH, temperature and light) were determined by HPLC-TQ-MS. The results
      showed that the content of cantharidin was gradually decreased with the rising of
      pH value, while on the contrary, the content of cantharidic acid was increased
      gradually; after Mylabris aqueous solution with different pH values were placed
      at 25, 40 C and 25 C respectively for lighting for 90 days, the samples were
      collected for analysis. The results showed the contents of cantharidin and
      cantharidic acid were changed greatly in the first 10 days, mainly including the
      decrease of cantharidic acid and increase of cantharidin when the solution was
      acidic, and the increase of cantharidic acid and decrease of cantharidin when the
      solution was alkaline. After that, the contents of the above two components
      basically remained stable. This study revealed that pH was the main factor to
      affect the contents of cantharidin and cantharidic acid, and they could be
      converted into each other with the changes of pH value. High temperature and
      light can accelerate the speed of achieving such balance. The study can provide
      certain reference for the quality control of the medicines using the Mylabris as
      raw material.

PMID- 28914024
TI  - [A new flavonoid with an aryl moiety from Selaginella uncinata].
AB  - The present study is to investigate the chemical constituents of the whole plants
      of Selaginella uncinata. A new flavonoid was isolated from the 75% ethanol
      extract of Selaginella uncinata by column chromatographies over macroporous
      resin, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and prep-HPLC. The structure was elucidated as
      8-[4-(carboxyl)phenoxy]-5,4'-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone (1) and named
      unciflacone G.

PMID- 28914025
TI  - [Sesquiterpenoids from aerial parts of Artemisia myriantha].
AB  - The present study is to investigate the chemical constituents from the aerial
      parts of Artemisia myriantha. The chemical constituents were isolated by column
      chromatographies over silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, ODS and Semi-prep HPLC, and the
      structures were identified by NMR and MS data. Thirteen known compounds were
      isolated and identified as: blumenol A (1),(+)-dehydrovomifoliol (2),(+)-3
      hydroxy-beta-ionone (3),(3R, 6R, 7E)-3-hydroxy-4, 7-megastigmadien-9-one (4),(-)
      10-oxo-isodauc-3-en-15-oic acid (5),isoerivanin (6),eudesmafraglaucolide (7),
      artanomalide A (8),13-acetoxy-3beta-hydroxy-germacra-1(10) E,4E,7(11)-trien
      12,6alpha-olide (9),13-acetoxy-3beta-tigloyl-germacra-1(10) E, 4E, 7(11)-trien
      12, 6alpha-olide (10),13-acetoxy-3beta-(3-methylbutanoyl)-germacra-1(10)E, 4E,
      7(11)-trien-12, 6alpha-olide (11),3,9-diacetoxy-13-hydroxy-1(10), 4, 7(11)
      germacratrien-12,6alpha-olide (12), and 8alpha-angeloyloxycostunolide (13).
      Compounds 1-6 and 13 were obtained from the genus Artemisia for the first time,
      and 7-9 and 12 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Compound 8
      exhibited selective cytotoxicity against human colon cancer (HCT-8) and human
      gastric cancer (BGC-823) with IC50 values of 2.33 and 4.53 MUmol*L -1,
      respectively.

PMID- 28914026
TI  - [Studies on alkaloids from Fissistigma oldhamii].
AB  - 14 alkaloids were obtained from stems and leaves of Fissistigma oldhamii, by
      silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies, and semi-preparative
      HPLC. Using physicochemical and spectral methods, the isolated alkaloids were
      identified as norcepharadione B(1), asimilobine(2), lanuginosine(3),
      laurotanine(4), isocorydine(5), anolobine(6), xylopine(7), N-methylbuxifoline(8),
      aristolactam AIIIa(9), piperumbellactam A(10), goniopedaline(11), aristololactam
      BIII(12), liriodenine(13), and salutaridine(14), respectively. Compounds 3-5, 8,
      10, 11 and 14 were isolated from the genus Fissistigma for the first time.

PMID- 28914027
TI  - [Integrative research of QAMS model used in assay of flavonoids in Epimedii
      Folium, its processed products and finished Chinese medicines].
AB  - Through a series of methodology investigations, we established a new method for
      simultaneous analysis of epimedins A, B, C, icariin and baohuoside I in Epimedii
      Folium by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Meanwhile, using
      Icariin as an internal reference substance to establish the relative correct
      factors and relative retention values of Epimedins A, B, C and Baohuoside I to
      Icariin, then using the quantitative analysis of multi-components by single
      marker (QAMS) model, the five analytes can be quantitatively determined in
      Epimedii Folium and its processed products as well as Kanggu Zengsheng capsule
      only by measuring the content of icariin in the corresponding samples. All these
      analysis are completed in the same chromatorgraphic conditions. This paper played
      the part of demonstration role in the popularization and application of QAMS
      method established in a single herb to the proprietary Chinese medicines
      containing this herb.

PMID- 28914028
TI  - [A new method on investigate chemical constituents which have anti-thrombin
      effect by HPLC].
AB  - An in vitro anti-thrombin bioassay was developed to investigate the chemical
      constituents which have anti-thrombin effect from the water soluble components of
      Salvia miltiorrhiza. Using Chromozym TH as a probe combined with ethyl acetate
      Semi-micro extraction was applied to measure p-nitroaniline by HPLC. According to
      the results, the inactivationrate of thrombin by sodium danshensu, salvianolic
      acid A and salvianolic acid B under a given set of conditions were 3.06%, 77.77%
      and 2.35%, respectively. In the water-soluble components, salvianolic acid A has
      a direct inhibition of thrombin, while sodium danshensu and salvianolic acid B
      have no significant effect on thrombin. The method is sensitive and low
      consumption. It can eliminate the interference absorbed for the sample itself
      which can be used for screening single or multiple direct antithrombin active
      ingredient of herbal extract.

PMID- 28914029
TI  - [Polymorphism of shikimic acid].
AB  - This study was performed to systematically investigate the polymorphism of
      shikimic acid. Through optimizing the recrystallization solvent, solvent volume,
      recrystallization temperature, time and pressure, three crystal forms were
      discovered and prepared. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD) and infrared
      spectrometry (IR) were used to characterize these solid states. Furthermore, the
      influencing factor experiments were used to explore the stability of these
      polymorphisms and the transformation among them. Three new polymorphisms were
      prepared and identified. The results indicated that only PXRD could identify
      different polymorphisms and there was no solvent in all three crystal forms. The
      composition, thermodynamic property and transformation of these crystal forms
      were described in this work. Furthermore, an effective method for qualitative
      analysis of these crystal forms was established.

PMID- 28914030
TI  - [Preliminary investigation on mechanism of Naoxintong capsule's preventive
      treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular disease based on serum proteomics].
AB  - Naoxintong capsule has beneficial effects for activating blood circulation,
      dispersing blood stasis and dredging collateral. It is widely used in the
      treatment of coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, stroke and cardiovascular
      disease. However, the pharmacodynamic basis and possible mechanism of its
      preventive effects are not clear. In this study, 10 male and 10 female C57BL/6
      mice were used, and were randomly divided into the control group (saline) and
      Naoxintong group. Adaptively fed for 7 days in common conditions, mice were given
      Naoxintong capsule or saline for 3 days via intragastric administration. Serum
      was collected from 6 mice in each group 1 h after the last administration. Serum
      proteins were prepared to do two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Then image
      analysis and mass spectrometry detection were carried out to screen and identify
      the differentially expressed proteins and make bioinformatics analysis. It was
      found that 24 differentially expressed proteins between Naoxintong group and
      control group. Compared with the control group, 12 proteins were increased, and
      12 were decreased. The proteins were involved in apoptosis signal pathway and
      vascular endothelial growth factor signal transduction pathway, in which
      vasohibin-1 is a negative feedback regulation factor in angiogenesis. Western
      blot showed that the expression of vasohibin-1 in Naoxintong group was reduced,
      which is consistent with the result in two-dimensional electrophoresis. Serum
      proteins expression is different between Naoxintong and control groups. The
      targets of these differentially expressed proteins include endothelial cells,
      inflammatory cells and platelets. The changes on proteins showed that Naoxintong
      capsule may ameliorate coronary heart disease and ischemic cerebrovascular
      disease, and provide potential biological markers to prevent ischemic disease.

PMID- 28914031
TI  - [Oxymatrine alleviates oxidative stress in fat-induced insulin resistance mice by
      suppressing p38MAPK pathway].
AB  - This paper was aimed to investigate the effect of oxymatrine on fat-induced
      insulin resistance mice(IR), and to explore the effects of oxymatrine on
      oxidative stress and on p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway.
      ApoE-/- mice with high fat diet for 16 weeks were selected as IR animal model and
      randomly divided into the model group, oxymatrine 25, 50, 100 mg*kg-1 group.
      C57BL/6J mice were selected as the normal control group. Mice were gavage for 8
      weeks. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), fatty
      acid (FFA) and serum insulin (FINS) in the plasma were detected. Activity of
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH
      Px) and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver were detected. Reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) content in liver cells were detected by Flow cytometry. The
      expression of heme oxygenase-1(HO-1), gamma-glutamyl cysteine synthetase (gamma
      GCS) of liver was examined by Real time PCR and Western blot. The protein
      expression of p38MAPK, p-p38MAPK was examined by Western blot. In the study, the
      authors found that oxymatrine reduced the levels of FBG, TC, TG and FFA,
      increased SOD and GSH-Px contents, decreased MDA and ROS content. Compared with
      model group, HO-1, gamma-GCS mRNA and protein expression significantly increased
      in 50, 100 mg*kg-1 oxymatrine group. The expression of p-p38MAPK decreased in
      oxymatrine group. The results showed that oxymatrine alleviate oxidative stress
      in hepatic by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38MAPK, to ameliorate fat
      induced insulin resistance mice.

PMID- 28914032
TI  - [Effect of hyperforin on learning and memory abilities and Abeta1-42, betaAPP and
      BACE1 protein expressions in hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease model mice].
AB  - To investigate the effect of the hyperforin (HF) on learning and memory function
      and Abeta1-42, betaAPP and BACE1 protein expressions in hippocampus of five-month
      old APP/PS1 double transgenic mice, and discuss the underlying mechanism of HF.
      The five-month-old APP/PS1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided into the
      model group, rosiglitazone group (12 mg*kg-1*d-1) and HF high dose, middle dose
      and low dose groups (600, 300 and 150 mg*kg-1*d-1) in each group; in addition,
      15C57BL/6J mice with the same months and background were selected as normal
      group. Drugs were diluted in the same volume before using, and then administrated
      by ig for 7 months, 1 time a day; the mice in normal group and model group
      received the same volume of distilled water. The learning and memory ability was
      tested by Morris water maze; Abeta1-42, betaAPP and
      BACE1proteinexpressionlevelswere tested by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.
      The Morris water maze results showed that as compared with the normal group, the
      learning and memory ability was significantly impaired in mice of model group
      (P<0.01); as compared with the model group, the learning and memory ability was
      improved in mice of rosiglitazone group and HF high, middle and low dose
      groups(P<0.01 or P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry and western blot results showed
      thatas compared with the normal group, the Abeta1-42, betaAPP and BACE1 protein
      expression levels in hippocampus were significantly increased in mice of model
      group (P<0.01);as compared with the model group, Abeta1-42, betaAPP and BACE1
      protein expression levels in hippocampus were decreased in mice of rosiglitazone
      group and HF high, middle and low dose groups (P<0.01 or P<0.05). HF may improve
      the learning and memory ability of AD model mice via inhibition of betaAPP and
      BACE1 protein expressions, thus reduced the generation of Abeta1-42 proteins and
      amyloid plaque deposits in the brain.

PMID- 28914033
TI  - [Effect of turmeric volatile oil on proliferation and apoptosis of human skin SCC
      A431 cells].
AB  - To investigate the effect of turmeric volatile oil (TVO) on the apoptosis and
      proliferation of human skin SCC A431 cells, A431 cells were incubated with
      different concentrations (5-80 mg*L-1) of TVO in vitro.The proliferation and cell
      cycle were assessed by CCK8 assay. The change of morphology was observed with
      inverted microscope. Apoptosis was evaluated with AO/EB double staining and flow
      cytometry (FCM); cell cycle was analyzed with FCM .Western blot method was used
      to detect caspase-3 and caspase-9 protein expression. Results indicated that TVO
      has significant inhibitory effects on the growth of A431 cells in a dose
      dependent relationship, the difference between groups has statistically
      significant (P<0.05). TVO group compared with control group, concentrations in
      cells shrivel and broken phenomenon, cell apoptosis rate increased, and a dose
      dependent and increased the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9. The experiment
      results suggested that TVO could restrain skin squamous carcinoma A431 cells
      proliferation, and induce its apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to increase
      the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9.

PMID- 28914034
TI  - [Effects of serums containing Buzhong Yiqi decoction with Astragalus Radix or
      Hedysari Radix on anti-immunosenescence in spleen lymphocytes of SAMP8 mice].
AB  - This paper was aimed to compare the effect of Buzhong Yiqi decoction containing
      Hedysari Radix or Astragali Radix on anti-immunosenescence effects in spleen
      lymphocytes of senescence accelerated mouse 8 (SAMP8). The effect of the serums
      on the proliferation of spleen T lymphocytes in SAMP8 mice induced by ConA was
      tested by MTT. The effect of the serums on the T lymphocytes subsets of SAMP8
      mice was measured by flow cytometry. ELISA was used to detect the level of IL-2
      and IFN-gamma in the culture supernatants of spleen lymphocytes. The effect of
      the serums on the expression of CD28 mRNA in spleen T lymphocytes was detected by
      fluorescent quantitative PCR. Western blot was used to detect the expression of
      CD28 protein in spleen T lymphocytes of SAMP8 mice. Both the serums of Buzhong
      Yiqi decoctions containing Hedysari Radix or Astragali Radix improved the
      proliferation of T lymphocytes in SAMP8 mice. Both the serums had no obvious
      effect on the differentiation of spleen T lymphocytes'subsets in SAMP8 mice. Both
      the serums increased the content of IL-2 and INF-gamma in the culture
      supernatants of spleen lymphocytes. And for the content of IL-2, the serum of
      Buzhong Yiqi decoction with Hedysari Radix was better(P<0.05). Both the serums
      improved the expression of CD28 mRNA in spleen T lymphocytes of SAMP8 mice. And
      the effect of Hedysari Radix group was better than that of Astragalus Radix
      group(P<0.05). Both the serums improved the expression of CD28 protein in spleen
      T lymphocytes of SAMP8 mice. The role of the serums containing Buzhong Yiqi
      decoction with Astragalus Radix and the decoction with Hedysari Radix in anti
      immunosenescence was through the effect of the CD28. And the effect of Hedysari
      Radix group was better than that of Astragalus Radix group on improved the
      expression of CD28 mRNA in T lymphocytes of SAMP8 mice. Astragalus Radix and
      Hedysari Radix could swap in the aspect of anti-immunosenescence.

PMID- 28914035
TI  - [Effects of extractionfrom raspberry on hippocampus proteomics of mice suffered
      from ovariectomized-induced AD].
AB  - This paper was aimed to investigate the impact of the extraction from raspberry
      on the Alzheimer disease model protein expression. According to weight, the
      ovariectomized mice were randomly divided into shame operation group, model
      group, estrogen positive control group(0.1 g*L-1) and ethyl acetate extraction
      part control group(in dose of 18 g*kg-1). Each mouse in positive control group
      was subcutaneous injected of estradiol with 0.2 mL every two days. Raspberry
      effective parts group were given 0.01 mL*g-1 raspberry ethylacetate extracts,
      model group and control group were given 0.01 mL*g-1 saline once a day. The drug
      administration lasted for 32 days. Proteins from mice's hippocampus were
      extracted, then Nanol-ESI liquid-mass spectrometry system was used for detection
      and ProteinDiscovery software was used for identification to qualitative analysis
      different groups of hippocampal proteins by using the software of SIEVE. The
      results showed that model group compared with the mice of ethyl acetate
      extraction part control group have 66 differentially expressed proteins including
      heat shock protein, microtubule protein, protein involved in energy metabolism
      and protein of brain protection related proteins associated with AD. Those
      differences protein may be the target that Raspberry prevention and treatment of
      AD.

PMID- 28914036
TI  - [Chinmedomics strategy to discover effective constituents and elucidate action
      mechanism of Nanshi capsule against kidney-yang deficiency syndrome].
AB  - The chinmedomics method was used to explore the effect of Nanshi capsule on
      endogenous metabolites of rats with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome, investigate
      the metabolites and metabolic pathways closely related to kidney-yang deficiency
      syndrome (KYDS)and identify the therapeutic basis of Nanshi capsule(NPC)as well
      as its action mechanism for KYDS. The routine biochemical indexes of serum were
      detected and histomorphology was observed. Based on the chinmedomics technology
      platform, discriminatory analysis in multivariate modes was conducted for rat
      blood and urine, thus to investigate the biomarkers of KYDS and the therapeutic
      effect of NPC against KYDS. Meanwhile, the main constituents of NPC in rat serum
      were also detected to analyze its correlation between the constituents in vivo
      and the biomarkers of KYDS, and determine the potential effective compounds for
      therapeutic effect. Eleven biomarkers of KYDS were identified in the rat models,
      involving steroid hormone biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism and tyrosine
      metabolism. It was found that NPC could regulate steroid hormone biosynthesis,
      tryptophan metabolism and tyrosine metabolism; PCMS analysis showed that caffeic
      acid, 2-hydroxy-1-methoxy-anthraquinone, 1-hydroxy-2-methoxyanthraquinone,
      ferulic acid glucuronide conjugation, deacetylasperulosidic acid, cynaroside,
      betaine and umbelliferone were the main effective compounds of NPC for KYDS. In
      this study, cynaroside, betaine, umbelliferone and other compounds in NPC could
      integrally regulate the disturbance of metabolic profile in KYDS by improving the
      hormone synthesis, hormone synthesis pathway, hormone synthesis and release
      pathway in tyrosine metabolism and linoleic acid synthesis pathway in linoleic
      acid metabolism. These results indicated that the NPC had the characteristics of
      multi-pathway, multi-target and overall regulation in the treatment of KYDS.
      Chinmedomics approach can provide methodology support to discover innovative drug
      from traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28914037
TI  - [Preliminary study on effective components of Tripterygium wilfordii for liver
      toxicity based on spectrum-effect correlation analysis].
AB  - In this paper, the spectrum-effect correlation analysis method was used to
      explore the main effective components of Tripterygium wilfordii for liver
      toxicity, and provide reference for promoting the quality control of T.
      wilfordii. Chinese medicine T.wilfordii was taken as the study object, and LC-Q
      TOF-MS was used to characterize the chemical components in T. wilfordii samples
      from different areas, and their main components were initially identified after
      referring to the literature. With the normal human hepatocytes (LO2 cell line)as
      the carrier, acetaminophen as positive medicine, and cell inhibition rate as
      testing index, the simple correlation analysis and multivariate linear
      correlation analysis methods were used to screen the main components of T.
      wilfordii for liver toxicity. As a result, 10 kinds of main components were
      identified, and the spectrum-effect correlation analysis showed that triptolide
      may be the toxic component, which was consistent with previous results of
      traditional literature. Meanwhile it was found that tripterine and
      demethylzeylasteral may greatly contribute to liver toxicity in multivariate
      linear correlation analysis. T. wilfordii samples of different varieties or
      different origins showed large difference in quality, and the T. wilfordii from
      southwest China showed lower liver toxicity, while those from Hunan and Anhui
      province showed higher liver toxicity. This study will provide data support for
      further rational use of T. wilfordii and research on its liver toxicity
      ingredients.

PMID- 28914038
TI  - [Absorption mechanism of neobavaisoflavone in Caco-2 cell monolayer mode].
AB  - Neobavaisoflavone is one of flavonoids of traditional Chinese medicine Psoralea
      corylifolial. It has numerous biological properties such as antibacterial, anti
      inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-osteoporosis effects. This paper aimed to
      investigate the absorption mechanism of neobavaisoflavone in Caco-2 cell
      monolayer model. The analyte and osalmide were separated on Thermo Syncronis C18
      column with methanol-0.1% formic acid solution (90?10) as the mobile phase, at a
      flow rate of 0.2 mL*min-1. The concentration of neobavaisoflavone was determined
      in eletrospray ionization(ESI) positive ion mode with osalmide as an the internal
      standard. The effects of time, concentration, P-gp inhibitor verapamil, MRP-2
      inhibitor MK-571 and BCRP inhibitor Ko143 on the absorption of neobavaisoflavone
      were investigated. According to the results, neobavaisoflavone showed a good
      linearity within the concentration of 10-2 000 MUg*L-1, and the results of its
      specificity, matrix effect, extraction recovery, precision, accuracy and
      stability all met the requirements. In the Caco-2 cell monolayer model, the
      transport volume of neobavaisoflavone was correlated positively with the time and
      concentration. The ER values of 15, 30, 50 MUmol*L-1 neobavaisoflavone were 1.64,
      1.94,0.99, respectively. As compared with the control group, all of verapamil
      hyduochloride, MK-571 and Ko143 could promote the transportation of
      neobavaisoflavone, and the effect was more obvious in verapamil hyduochloride and
      Ko143. The absorption of neobavaisoflavone may be mainly of active transport in
      Caco-2 cell monolayer model, and also involve passive transport. Excretion
      mechanism of intestinal transport protein may be also involved.

PMID- 28914039
TI  - [Research on application status of Chinese herbal decoction pieces based on
      clinical survey].
AB  - Chinese herbal decoction pieces are the basic approaches for clinical traditional
      Chinese medicine (TCM), reflecting the features and advantages of TCM. In order
      to investigate the clinical application status and features of Chinese herbal
      decoction pieces, the questionnaire on application of commonly used Chinese
      herbal decoction pieces was designed in this study for analysis of the
      application situations of Chinese herbal decoction pieces from 56 medical
      institutions in 10 provinces. The results showed 549 varieties of Chinese herbs
      and 801 varieties of decoction pieces were used on clinic. They can be classified
      into 19 categories according to their effects. The varieties of Gancao
      (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Huangqi (Astragali Radix), Dihuang (Rehmanniae
      Radix), Chuanxiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephale
      Rhizima), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), Danggui (Angelicae Sinenses Radix),
      Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba) and Maidong (Ophiopogonis Radix) were most common
      ones; the application of Chinese herbal decoction pieces from different medical
      institutions was differentiated from areas to areas. The survey results reflected
      the general situation about application of decoction pieces, providing the basic
      data for recording and completing Chinese herbal decoction pieces in essential
      drug system, with certain reference significance for the production of Chinese
      medicinal materials and the allocation of the varieties of Chinese herbal
      decoction pieces.

PMID- 28914040
TI  - [Prescription rules of preparations containing Crataegi Fructus in Chinese patent
      drug].
AB  - To analyze the prescription rules of preparations containing Crataegi Fructus in
      the drug standards of the People's Republic of China Ministry of Public Health
      Chinese Patent Drug(hereinafter referred to as Chinese patent drug), and provide
      some references for clinical application and the research and development of new
      medicines. Based on TCMISS(V2.5), the prescriptions containing Crataegi Fructus
      in Chinese patent drug were collected to build the database; association rules,
      frequency statistics and other data mining methods were used to analyze the
      disease syndrome, common drug compatibility and prescription rules. There were a
      total of 308 prescriptions containing Crataegi Fructus, involving 499 kinds of
      Chinese medicines, 34 commonly used drug combinations, and mainly for 18 kinds of
      diseases. Drug combination analysis was done with "Crataegi Fructus-Citri
      Reticulatae Pericarpium" and "Crataegi Fructus-Poria" as the high-frequency herb
      pairs and with "stagnation" and "diarrhea" as the high-frequency diseases. The
      results indicated that the Crataegi Fructus in different herb pairs had a roughly
      same function, and its therapy effect was different in different diseases. The
      prescriptions containing Crataegi Fructus in Chinese patent drug had the effect
      of digestion, and they were widely used in clinical application, often used
      together with spleen-strengthening medicines to achieve different treatment
      effects; the prescription rules reflected the prescription characteristics of
      Crataegi Fructus for different diseases, providing a basis for its clinically
      scientific application and the research and development of new medicines.

PMID- 28914041
TI  - [Research on problem of exogenous pollution of Chinese medicine resources from
      perspective of circular economy].
AB  - Based on the in-depth analysis of the current situation of the exogenous
      pollution of Chinese medicine resources, this research mainly discusses the
      intrinsic link and practical significance between the development of circular
      economy in Chinese medicine resources and the control of the problem of the
      exogenous pollution from the perspective of circular economy, and proposes some
      suggestions to develop the recycling economy of Chinese medicine resources from
      the establishment of legal system, mechanism of development, production norms,
      industry standards and regulatory system of the recycling of Chinese medicine
      resources.

PMID- 28914042
TI  - Meeting of the International Task Force for Disease Eradication, June 2017.

PMID- 28914043
TI  - Decrease in size and activity of parathyroid adenoma after ultrasound guided
      biopsy.

PMID- 28914044
TI  - How many patients with TIR3 FNA really have a thyroid neoplasm?

PMID- 28914045
TI  - Electron Transfer from Bi-Isonicotinic Acid Emerges upon Photodegradation of N3
      Sensitized TiO2 Electrodes.
AB  - The long-term stability of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is determined to a
      large extent by the photodegradation of their sensitizers. Understanding the
      mechanism of light-induced decomposition of dyes sensitizing a mesoporous oxide
      matrix may therefore contribute to solutions to increase the life span of DSSCs.
      Here, we investigate, using ultrafast terahertz photoconductivity measurements,
      the evolution of interfacial electron-transfer (ET) dynamics in Ru(4,4'
      dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine)2(NCS)2 (N3) dye-sensitized mesoporous TiO2
      electrodes upon dye photodegradation. Under inert environment, interfacial ET
      dynamics do not change over time, indicating that the dye is stable and
      photodegradation is absent; the associated ET dynamics are characterized by a sub
      100 fs rise of the photoconductivity, followed by long-lived (?1 ns) electrons in
      the oxide electrode. When the N3-TiO2 sample is exposed to air under identical
      illumination conditions, dye photodegradation is evident from the disappearance
      of the optical absorption associated with the dye. Remarkably, approximately half
      of the sub-100 fs ET is observed to still occur but is followed by very rapid
      (~10 ps) electron-hole recombination. Laser desorption/ionization mass
      spectrometry, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared, and
      terahertz photoconductivity analyses reveal that the photodegraded ET signal
      originates from the N3 dye photodegradation product as bi-isonicotinic acid (4,4'
      dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine), which remains bonded to the TiO2 surface via
      either bidentate chelation or bridging-type geometry.

PMID- 28914046
TI  - Synergistic Effect of Polypyrrole-Intercalated Graphene for Enhanced Corrosion
      Protection of Aqueous Coating in 3.5% NaCl Solution.
AB  - Dispersion of graphene in water and its incorporation into waterborne resin have
      been rarely researched and hardly achieved owing to its hydrophobicity.
      Furthermore, it has largely been reported that graphene with impermeability
      contributed to the improved anticorrosion property. Here, we show that highly
      concentrated graphene aqueous solution up to 5 mg/mL can be obtained by
      synthesizing hydrophilic polypyrrole (PPy) nanocolloids as intercalators and
      ultrasonic vibration. On the basis of pi-pi interaction between PPy and graphene,
      stacked graphene sheets are exfoliated to the thickness of three to five layers
      without increasing defects. The corrosion performance of coatings without and
      with PPy and graphene is obtained by potential and impedance measurements, Tafel
      curves, and fitted pore resistance by immersing in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution. It
      turns out that composite coating with 0.5 wt % graphene additive exhibits
      superior anticorrosive ability. The mechanism of intercalated graphene-based
      coating is interpreted as the synergistic protection of impermeable graphene
      sheets and self-healing PPy and proved by the identification of corrosion
      products and the scanning vibrating electrode technique.

PMID- 28914047
TI  - Light-Triggered CO2 Breathing Foam via Nonsurfactant High Internal Phase
      Emulsion.
AB  - Solid materials for CO2 capture and storage have attracted enormous attention for
      gaseous separation, environmental protection, and climate governance. However,
      their preparation and recovery meet the problems of high energy and financial
      cost. Herein, a controllable CO2 capture and storage process is accomplished in
      an emulsion-templated polymer foam, in which CO2 is breathed-in under dark and
      breathed-out under light illumination. Such a process is likely to become a relay
      of natural CO2 capture by plants that on the contrary breathe out CO2 at night.
      Recyclable CO2 capture at room temperature and release under light irradiation
      guarantee its convenient and cost-effective regeneration in industry.
      Furthermore, CO2 mixed with CH4 is successfully separated through this reversible
      breathing in and out system, which offers great promise for CO2 enrichment and
      practical methane purification.

PMID- 28914048
TI  - Impacts of Pb and SO2 Poisoning on CeO2-WO3/TiO2-SiO2 SCR Catalyst.
AB  - A CeO2-WO3/TiO2-SiO2 catalyst was employed to investigate the poisoning
      mechanisms of Pb and SO2 during selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The
      introduction of Pb and SO2 suppressed the catalytic performance by decreasing the
      numbers of surface acid and redox sites. Specifically, Pb preferentially bonded
      with amorphous WO3 species rather than with CeO2, decreasing the numbers of both
      Lewis and Bronsted acid sites but exerting less influence on the reducibility.
      SO2 preferentially bonded with CeO2 as sulfate species rather than with WO3,
      leading to a significant decrease in reducibility and the loss of surface active
      oxygen groups. Although SO2 provided additional Bronsted acid sites via the
      interaction of SO42- and CeO2, it had little positive effect on catalytic
      activity. A synergistic deactivation effect of Pb and SO42- on CeO2 was found. Pb
      covered portions of the weakly bonded catalyst sites poisoned by SO42-, which
      increased the decomposition temperature of the sulfate species on the catalyst.

PMID- 28914049
TI  - Polarization-Dependent Photoinduced Bias-Stress Effect in Single-Crystal Organic
      Field-Effect Transistors.
AB  - Photoinduced charge transfer between semiconductors and gate dielectrics can
      occur in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) operating under illumination,
      leading to a pronounced bias-stress effect in devices that are normally stable
      while operating in the dark. Here, we report an observation of a polarization
      dependent photoinduced bias-stress effect in two prototypical single-crystal
      OFETs, based on rubrene and tetraphenylbis(indolo{1,2-a})quinolin. We find that
      the decay rate of the source-drain current in these OFETs under illumination is a
      periodic function of the polarization angle of incident photoexcitation with
      respect to the crystal axes, with a periodicity of pi. The angular positions of
      maxima and minima of the bias-stress rate match those of the optical absorption
      coefficient of the corresponding crystals. The analysis of the effect shows that
      it stems from a charge transfer of "hot" holes, photogenerated in the crystal
      within a very short thermalization length (?MUm) from the semiconductor
      dielectric interface. The observed phenomenon is a type of intrinsic structure
      property relationship, revealing how molecular packing affects parameter drift in
      organic transistors under illumination. We also demonstrate that a photoinduced
      charge transfer in OFETs can be used for recording rewritable accumulation
      channels with an optically defined geometry and resolution, which can be used in
      a number of potential applications.

PMID- 28914050
TI  - Boric Acid as an Efficient Agent for the Control of Polydopamine Self-Assembly
      and Surface Properties.
AB  - The deposition of polydopamine (PDA) films on surfaces, a versatile deposition
      method with respect to the nature of the used substrate, is unfortunately
      accompanied by deposition of insoluble precipitates in solution after a prolonged
      oxidation time of dopamine solutions. Therefore, there is evident interest to
      find methods able to stop the deposition of PDA on surfaces and to simultaneously
      control the self-assembly of PDA in solution to get stable colloidal aggregates.
      In addition to proposed methods relying on the use of polymers like poly(vinyl
      alcohol) and proteins like human serum albumin, we show herein that boric acid is
      an efficient adjuvant that is simultaneously able to stop the self-assembly of
      PDA in solution as well as on surfaces and to change the adhesive properties of
      the resulting PDA coatings.

PMID- 28914051
TI  - Chromosome-Centric Human Proteome Project Allies with Developmental Biology: A
      Case Study of the Role of Y Chromosome Genes in Organ Development.
AB  - One of the main goals of Chromosome-Centric Human Proteome Project is to identify
      protein evidence for missing proteins (MPs). Here, we present a case study of the
      role of Y chromosome genes in organ development and how to overcome the
      challenges facing MPs identification by employing human pluripotent stem cell
      differentiation into cells of different organs yielding unprecedented biological
      insight into adult silenced proteins. Y chromosome is a male-specific sex
      chromosome which escapes meiotic recombination. From an evolutionary perspective,
      Y chromosome has preserved 3% of ancestral genes compared to 98% preservation of
      the X chromosome based on Ohno's law. Male specific region of Y chromosome (MSY)
      contains genes that contribute to central dogma and govern the expression of
      various targets throughout the genome. One of the most well-known functions of
      MSY genes is to decide the male-specific characteristics including sex, testis
      formation, and spermatogenesis, which are majorly formed by ampliconic gene
      families. Beyond its role in sex-specific gonad development, MSY genes in
      coexpression with their X counterparts, as single copy and broadly expressed
      genes, inhibit haplolethality and play a key role in embryogenesis. The role of X
      Y related gene mutations in the development of hereditary syndromes suggests an
      essential contribution of sex chromosome genes to development. MSY genes, solely
      and independent of their X counterparts and/or in association with sex hormones,
      have a considerable impact on organ development. In this Review, we present major
      recent findings on the contribution of MSY genes to gonad formation,
      spermatogenesis, and the brain, heart, and kidney development and discuss how Y
      chromosome proteome project may exploit developmental biology to find missing
      proteins.

PMID- 28914052
TI  - CO2 Plasma-Treated TiO2 Film as an Effective Electron Transport Layer for High
      Performance Planar Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have received great attention because of their
      excellent photovoltaic properties especially for the comparable efficiency to
      silicon solar cells. The electron transport layer (ETL) is regarded as a crucial
      medium in transporting electrons and blocking holes for PSCs. In this study, CO2
      plasma generated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was
      introduced to modify the TiO2 ETL. The results indicated that the CO2 plasma
      treated compact TiO2 layer exhibited better surface hydrophilicity, higher
      conductivity, and lower bulk defect state density in comparison with the pristine
      TiO2 film. The quality of the stoichiometric TiO2 structure was improved, and the
      concentration of oxygen-deficiency-induced defect sites was reduced significantly
      after CO2 plasma treatment for 90 s. The PSCs with the TiO2 film treated by CO2
      plasma for 90 s exhibited simultaneously improved short-circuit current (JSC) and
      fill factor. As a result, the PSC-based TiO2 ETL with CO2 plasma treatment
      affords a power conversion efficiency of 15.39%, outperforming that based on
      pristine TiO2 (13.54%). These results indicate that the plasma treatment by the
      PECVD method is an effective approach to modify the ETL for high-performance
      planar PSCs.

PMID- 28914053
TI  - Construction of Functional Coatings with Durable and Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial
      Potential Based on Mussel-Inspired Dendritic Polyglycerol and in Situ-Formed
      Copper Nanoparticles.
AB  - A novel surface coating with durable broad-spectrum antibacterial ability was
      prepared based on mussel-inspired dendritic polyglycerol (MI-dPG) embedded with
      copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs). The functional surface coating is fabricated via a
      facile dip-coating process followed by in situ reduction of copper ions with a MI
      dPG coating to introduce Cu NPs into the coating matrix. This coating has been
      demonstrated to possess efficient long-term antibacterial properties against
      Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and kanamycin
      resistant E. coli through an "attract-kill-release" strategy. The synergistic
      antibacterial activity of the coating was shown by the combination of two
      functions of the contact killing, reactive oxygen species production and Cu ions
      released from the coating. Furthermore, this coating inhibited biofilm formation
      and showed good compatibility to eukaryotic cells. Thus, this newly developed Cu
      NP-incorporated MI-dPG surface coating may find potential application in the
      design of antimicrobial coating, such as implantable devices.

PMID- 28914054
TI  - Total Synthesis of Glycinocins A-C.
AB  - The glycinocins are a class of calcium-dependent, acidic cyclolipopeptide
      antibiotics structurally related to the clinically approved daptomycin. Herein,
      we describe a divergent total synthesis of glycinocins A-C, which differ in the
      structure of a branched alpha,beta-unsaturated fatty acyl moiety. The three
      natural products exhibited calcium-dependent antimicrobial activity against
      Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis with MICs ranging from 5.5 to 17 MUM.

PMID- 28914055
TI  - Two-Dimensional Graphene-Gold Interfaces Serve as Robust Templates for Dielectric
      Capacitors.
AB  - The electronic structures of novel heterostructures, namely, graphene-Au van der
      Waals (vdW) interfaces, have been studied using density functional theory.
      Dispersion-corrected PBE-D2 functionals are used to describe the phonon spectrum
      and binding energies. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the
      vdW framework is preserved till 1200 K. Beyond T = 1200 K, a transition of the
      quasiplanar Au into the three-dimensional cluster-like structure is observed. A
      dielectric capacitor is designed by placing 1-4 hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN)
      monolayers between graphene and Au conductive plates. Charge separation between
      the Au and graphene plates is carried out under the effect of an external field
      normal to the graphene-h-BN-Au interface. The gravimetric capacitances are
      computed as C1 = 7.6 MUF/g and C2 = 3.2 MUF/g for h-BN bilayers with the Au
      graphene heterostructures. The capacitive behavior shows strong deviations from
      the classical charging models and exemplifies the importance of quantum
      phenomenon at short contacts, which eventually nullifies at large interelectrode
      distances. The graphene-Au interface is predicted to be an exciting vdW
      heterostructure with a potential application as a dielectric capacitor.

PMID- 28914056
TI  - Effect of the Composition and Structure of Excipient Emulsion on the
      Bioaccessibility of Pesticide Residue in Agricultural Products.
AB  - The influence of co-ingestion of food emulsions with tomatoes on the
      bioaccessibility of a model pesticide (chlorpyrifos) was studied. Emulsions were
      fabricated with different oil contents (0-8%), lipid compositions (medium chain
      triglyceride (MCT) and corn oil), and particle diameters (d32 = 0.17 and 10 MUm).
      The emulsions were then mixed with chlorpyrifos-contaminated tomato puree, and
      the mixtures were subjected to a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT)
      consisting of mouth, stomach, and small intestine. The particle size, surface
      charge, and microstructure of the emulsions was measured as they passed through
      the GIT, and chlorpyrifos bioaccessibility was determined after digestion. The
      composition and structure of the emulsions had a significant impact on
      chlorpyrifos bioaccessibility. Bioaccessibility increased with increasing oil
      content and was higher for corn oil than MCT, but did not strongly depend on oil
      droplet size. These results suggest that co-ingestion of emulsions with fruits or
      vegetables could increase pesticide bioaccessibility.

PMID- 28914057
TI  - Tight-Binding Quantum Chemical Molecular Dynamics Study on the Friction and Wear
      Processes of Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings: Effect of Tensile Stress.
AB  - Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings have attracted much attention as an excellent
      solid lubricant due to their low-friction properties. However, wear is still a
      problem for the durability of DLC coatings. Tensile stress on the surface of DLC
      coatings has an important effect on the wear behavior during friction. To improve
      the tribological properties of DLC coatings, we investigate the friction process
      and wear mechanism under various tensile stresses by using our tight-binding
      quantum chemical molecular dynamics method. We observe the formation of C-C bonds
      between two DLC substrates under high tensile stress during friction, leading to
      a high friction coefficient. Furthermore, under high tensile stress, C-C bond
      dissociation in the DLC substrates is observed during friction, indicating the
      atomic-level wear. These dissociations of C-C bonds are caused by the transfer of
      surface hydrogen atoms during friction. This work provides atomic-scale insights
      into the friction process and the wear mechanism of DLC coatings during friction
      under tensile stress.

PMID- 28914058
TI  - Delayed Triplet-State Formation through Hybrid Charge Transfer Exciton at Copper
      Phthalocyanine/GaAs Heterojunction.
AB  - Light absorption in organic molecules on an inorganic substrate and subsequent
      electron transfer to the substrate create so-called hybrid charge transfer
      exciton (HCTE). The relaxation process of the HCTE states largely determines
      charge separation efficiency or optoelectronic device performance. Here, the
      study on energy and time-dispersive behavior of photoelectrons at the hybrid
      interface of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/p-GaAs(001) upon light excitation of
      GaAs reveals a clear pathway for HCTE relaxation and delayed triplet-state
      formation. According to the ground-state energy level alignment at the interface,
      CuPc/p-GaAs(001) shows initially fast hole injection from GaAs to CuPc. Thus, the
      electrons in GaAs and holes in CuPc form an unusual HCTE state manifold.
      Subsequent electron transfer from GaAs to CuPc generates the formation of the
      triplet state in CuPc with a few picoseconds delay. Such two-step charge transfer
      causes delayed triplet-state formation without singlet excitation and subsequent
      intersystem crossing within the CuPc molecules.

PMID- 28914059
TI  - Physiochemical Characteristics and Molecular Structures for Digestible
      Carbohydrates of Silages.
AB  - The main objectives of this study were (1) to assess the magnitude of differences
      among new barley silage varieties (BS) selected for varying rates of in vitro
      neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (ivNDFD; Cowboy BS with higher
      ivNDFD, Copeland BS with intermediate ivNDFD, and Xena BS with lower ivNDFD) with
      regard to their carbohydrate (CHO) molecular makeup, CHO chemical fractions, and
      rumen degradability in dairy cows in comparison with a new corn silage hybrid
      (Pioneer 7213R) and (2) to quantify the strength and pattern of association
      between the molecular structures and digestibility of carbohydrates. The
      carbohydrate-related molecular structure spectral data was measured using
      advanced vibrational molecular spectroscopy (FT/IR). In comparison to BS, corn
      silage showed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher level of starch and energy
      content and higher degradation of dry matter (DM). Cowboy BS had lower feeding
      value (higher indigestible fiber content and lower starch content) and lower DM
      degradation in the rumen compared to other BS varieties (P < 0.05). The spectral
      intensities of carbohydrates were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with
      digestible carbohydrate content of the silages. In conclusion, the univariate
      approach with only one-factor consideration (ivNDFD) might not be a satisfactory
      method for evaluating and ranking BS quality. FT/IR molecular spectroscopy can be
      used to evaluate silage quality rapidly, particularly the digestible fiber
      content.

PMID- 28914060
TI  - Nuclear Spin Symmetry Conservation in 1H216O Investigated by Direct Absorption
      FTIR Spectroscopy of Water Vapor Cooled Down in Supersonic Expansion.
AB  - We report the results of an experimental study related to the relaxation of the
      nuclear spin isomers of the water molecule in a supersonic expansion.
      Rovibrational lines of both ortho and para spin isomers were recorded in the
      spectral range of H2O stretching vibrations at around 3700 cm-1 using FTIR direct
      absorption. Water vapor seeded in argon, helium, or oxygen or in a mixture of
      oxygen and argon was expanded into vacuum through a slit nozzle. The water vapor
      partial pressure in the mixture varied over a wide range from 1.5 to 102.7 hPa,
      corresponding to a water molar fraction varying between 0.2 and 6.5%. Depending
      on expansion conditions, the effect of water vapor clustering was clearly seen in
      some of our measured spectra. The Boltzmann plot of the line intensities allowed
      the H2O rotational temperatures in the isentropic core and in the lateral shear
      layer probed zones of the planar expansion to be determined. The study of the
      OPR, i.e., the ratio of the ortho to para absorption line intensities as a
      function of Trot, did not reveal any signs of the OPR being relaxed to the sample
      temperature. In contrast, the OPR was always conserved according to the
      stagnation reservoir equilibrium temperature. The conservation of the OPR was
      found irrespective of whether water molecule clustering was pronounced or not.
      Also, no effect of the paramagnetic oxygen admixture enhancing OPR relaxation was
      observed.

PMID- 28914061
TI  - Mobile applications as good intervention tools for individuals with depression.
AB  - At present mental disorders affect approximately 450 million people around the
      world. Depressive disorder is probably one of the most serious disorders and as a
      type of chronic disease, it represents a global threat and burdens economic and
      social systems of both individuals and governments worldwide. One of these most
      recent non-pharmacological approaches is also the so-called mHealth (mobile
      health), the use of mobile devices for the practice of medicine and public
      health, which proves to be effective particularly in the early stages of
      depression. The purpose of this article is to explore the most recent randomized
      controlled trial studies which indicate efficacy of the use of mobile
      applications in the detection, diagnostics or treatment of depression. The
      methods used in this study include a method of literature search of the studies
      focused on the impacts of individual applications for people with depression and
      on the specification of criteria evaluating quality of these applications. The
      findings of the randomized controlled trials (RCT) show that there is a big
      potential of mobile applications in the detection, diagnostics, and treatment of
      depression, particularly in mild and moderate stages of the disease. They seem to
      be especially relevant for self-monitoring of depressive symptoms in the early
      stages of depression. There is an urgent need of more longitudinal RCT in this
      field in order to prove conclusive efficacy of these mobile applications in the
      treatment of depression. The authors list the main strengths and weaknesses of
      mobile applications in the detection, diagnostics, and treatment of
      depression.Key words: mobile applications depression treatment.

PMID- 28914062
TI  - [Separation of phenylalanine and methionine enantiomers by HPLC method: a
      comparison of stationary phase types].
AB  - The paper deals with enantioselective separation of amino acids by the high
      performance liquid chromatography method. Separations of enantiomeric forms were
      tested on the chiral stationary phases based on beta-cyclodextrine, isopropyl
      carbamate cyclofructan 6, and the macrocyclic antibiotic teicoplanin. The best
      enantioseparation was obtained on the teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phase
      in the reversed-phase mode. UV spectrophotometric detection at 210 nm was used
      for detection of amino acids. The method was validated with respect to linearity,
      precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, and recovery. Limits of
      quantitation for phenylalanine and methionine enantiomers were 0.3 and 0.2 ug.ml
      1, respectively. The HPLC method with teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phase
      was applied for analysis of dietary supplements.Key words: separation of
      enantiomers HPLC phenylalanine methionine.

PMID- 28914063
TI  - Identifying the interprofessional agreement between community pharmacists and
      general practitioners views on collaborative practice in Slovakia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The collaboration of community pharmacists (CPs) and general
      practitioners (GPs) has a positive effect on healthcare outcomes. There are still
      many countries, where no efforts have been made to enhance this type of teamwork.
      There is no evidence of how GPs and CPs collaborate in Slovakia. The objective of
      this study is to identify the current level of GPs and CPs teamwork in Slovakia
      and to identify the key factors, where these professions agree. METHODS: Two
      parallel electronic surveys were prepared and sent out by e-mail to CPs and GPs
      in Slovakia. The questions in the multi-choice questionnaires were divided into 6
      sections: teamwork experience, attitudes to collaborative practice, preferred
      method of communication, preferred tasks done by CPs, anticipated areas of future
      collaboration and perceived barriers to collaborative practice. The results were
      analyzed separately by the proportion of agreements within each group. RESULTS:
      From the total of 670 questionnaires, which were sent out (434 to GPs and 236 to
      CPs) 347 were completed and returned by GPs (79.95%) and 181 by CPs (76.7%). The
      overall response rate was 78.33%. The perfect match of agreements between the CPs
      and the GPs answers was identified in: their preference to collaborate face-to
      face (p = 0.0001) perception of the role of the community pharmacist (p < 0.0001)
      barriers to collaboration (p < 0.0001) areas for future collaboration (p =
      0.0468) The majority of respondents confirmed (without proportional agreement)
      that their collaboration improves patient outcomes (71.3% of CPs, 60.5% of GPs),
      however, only 15.5% CPs and 17.6% GPs indicated, that they would consider team
      working in the future. CONCLUSION: The responding health professionals agreed
      about the current role of CPs in Slovakia. Both professions reported their
      willingness to collaborate in the following areas: 1. patient counselling and 2.
      patient adherence improvement. Face-to-face communication was preferred by both
      groups of respondents, as a potential key factor to improve their relationships
      (general trust). However, in order to create a sustainable collaborative
      environment, the identified barriers need to be taken into account.Key words:
      agreement barriers collaboration community pharmacist general practitioner.

PMID- 28914064
TI  - [Targeted drug delivery system: potential application to resveratrol].
AB  - Drug delivery system (DDS) is intended to increasing effectiveness of drugs
      through targeted distribution and to reducing of unwanted effects. In this mini
      review, the basic principles of nanotechnology that were developed for DDS were
      reported including sections on the present research in key areas that are
      important for future investigations. Attention is paid on resveratrol as a model
      phytochemical with interesting pharmacologic profile which was demonstrated in
      great numbers of studies and for its wide use as supplemental therapy. Due to
      complicated pharmacokinetic profile of resveratrol that is characterized by very
      low bioavailability in spite of high oral absorption, the effects of resveratrol
      is being studied in new nanotechnology preparations of pharmaceutical
      formulation. Herein we report on results of present in vitro and in vivo
      investigations with resveratrol in new types of drug formulations using different
      nanoparticles as liposomes, solid lipid particles, cyclodextrins and micelles.Key
      words: targeted drug delivery nanotechnology resveratrol.

PMID- 28914065
TI  - [The image of a good pharmacist in the works of Saladin di Ascoli and Valerius
      Cordus].
AB  - Separation of pharmacy from medicine induced the requirements formulation for an
      ideal pharmacist. Two prominent authors did so, Saladin di Ascoli (the first half
      of the XVth century) in the work Compendium aromatariorum (1488) and Valerius
      Cordus (1515-1544) in the work Dispensatorium pharmacopolarum (1546). Both of
      them formulate similar postulates of both professional and ethical nature, namely
      a knowledge of Latin, good education, experience, good character traits, need of
      satisfied marriage; both say that the pharmacist is required to be a good
      Christian, they condemn alcohol, relationships with women, poisons and
      abortifacients, remember right relationship to money. In addition, Cordus adds a
      good financial situation. Their considerations had a great impact on further
      development of pharmacy across Europe.Key words: Saladin di Ascoli Valerius
      Cordus ideal pharmacist.

PMID- 28914066
TI  - [Herpes simplex virus infection: an overview of the problem, pharmacologic
      therapy and dietary measures].
AB  - Treatment of infectious diseases remains one of the principal research target for
      many researchers and healthcare providers worldwide. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV
      1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) are common human pathogens with an
      estimated 60-95% of the adult population infected by at least one of them. The
      worldwide disease burden of HSV is substantial, and acyclovir and related
      nucleoside analogues (viral DNA polymerase inhibitors) as therapies have led to
      significantly increased treatment efficacy of HSV infections. Although the
      treatment of HSV infection has greatly advanced through the use of nucleoside
      analogues therapy, the treatment efficacy has decreased significantly. This is
      due to the extensive use of nucleoside analogues drugs, which has created drug
      resistance, associated with other adverse effects as well. In this review, we aim
      to shed light on the HSV infection, the current pharmacologic treatment, and the
      use of dietary measures as alternative therapy option.Key words: HSV infection
      dietary measures antiviral drugs nucleoside analogues natural compounds.

PMID- 28914067
TI  - [Drugs and dosage forms as risk factors for dental caries].
AB  - Dental caries is a multifactorial disease which, despite a series of preventive
      measures, remains the most common infectious disease worldwide. Susceptibility or
      resistance to caries may be a result of the presence of risk or protective
      factors, genetic predisposition, inappropriate lifestyle associated with
      education, behavioural and socioeconomic factors. The aim of this review is to
      highlight the risks associated with the use of some drugs and dosage forms in
      relation to the formation and development of dental caries. Drugs are classified
      by the mechanism of their action in this process, into those that 1. influence
      the tooth development, especially enamel, 2. directly or indirectly damage the
      tooth structure and/or 3. disrupt the protective function of saliva, causing oral
      microflora dysbiosis. The review article assesses the current possibilities in
      the treatment and prevention of dental caries using drugs, dietary supplements
      and supporting measures. The conclusion of the study deals with recommendations
      for prevention of adverse effects of drug therapy in the oral cavity, through
      preventive measures and/or by considering the duration of the treatment to
      achieve an optimal balance between benefits and risks. Since the topic of the
      study is of an interdisciplinary character, information on prevention within the
      oral health improvement in the population can be used not only by pharmacists,
      who should primarily warn patients about the risks associated with
      pharmacotherapy, but also dentists, paediatricians/general practitioners and the
      public.Key words: dental caries prevention drug dosage form adverse effect.

PMID- 28914068
TI  - [The extent of the burnout syndrome among pharmacists: partial study].
AB  - The paper deals with the possibilities of investigating the susceptibility to
      burnout syndrome in pharmacists and pharmaceutical assistants working in
      pharmacies. By using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, between November 2015 and
      January 2016, 53 healthcare professionals were contacted in 11 pharmacies (Brno,
      Vyskov). The results of the research show that with an increasing length of
      practice the average EE factor (emotional exhaustion) increases. The DP
      (depersonalization) factor does not increase significantly with the increase in
      the length of practice. Respondents with the longest experience are at high risk
      of burnout syndrome presented by the factor PA (personal satisfaction from work).
      It has also been shown that with an increasing age the factor EE slightly
      increases, the DP factor is in the low range, and the PA factor is significantly
      reduced in the "oldest" age category, it is high in the band.Key words: stress
      burnout syndrome pharmacists research.

PMID- 28914069
TI  - The role of a hospital pharmacist in the management of asthma in Great Britain.
AB  - The role of the pharmacist in the asthma management is well established. However,
      there is still a considerable number of patients with suboptimal asthma control
      affecting patients quality of life and resulting in poor outcomes, morbidity and
      mortality. The aim was to identify patients factors, explore the hospital
      pharmacists role in the asthma management and identify any areas for improvement
      in Great Britain. Qualitative data collection was selected. Patients case studies
      and semi-structured open interviews with the hospital multi-disciplinary team
      (MDT) were applied. Data were analysed and grouped into themes. Patients case
      studies showed a variety in the patients understanding of the pharmacists role in
      their asthma management and similarly of the pharmacy services available to them.
      From the MDT interviews it emerged that communication across the
      secondary/primary care is lacking at times, and as a result new communication
      systems are being implemented. More research is needed into the asthma-patients
      needs and expectations of pharmacy service. The hospital pharmacists are well
      placed to recognise asthma patients requiring pharmaceutical interventions and to
      provide medicines optimisation, across the primary/ secondary care settings. It
      was observed that the level of patients involvement in their asthma was dependent
      on their interest in utilising asthma information and pharmacy services.Key
      words: asthma asthma management hospital pharmacist secondary care case studies
      qualitative research.

PMID- 28914070
TI  - Effect of the vaginal pessaries Melanizol(r) and Klimedeks(r) on the glycogen
      level in the vaginal tissue of rats on the background of experimental vaginitis.
AB  - The experimental studies of the new vaginal pessaries Melanizol(r) and
      Klimedeks(r) have been carried out on the model of experimental vaginitis induced
      in rats by a mixture of terebenthine oil and dimethyl sulfoxide. The obtained
      experimental data indicate that the vaginal pessaries Melanizol(r) and
      Klimedeks(r) on the background of experimental vaginitis have a therapeutic
      effect on the 5th and 8th days of the experiment, significantly surpassing the
      group of animals of control pathology and placebo in its ability to restore
      physiological functions and accumulate glycogen by the vaginal epithelium.
      Melanizol(r) and Klimedeks(r) have significantly surpassed the reference drugs,
      the pessaries Gravagin(r) and Hippophaes oleum, but have been less efficient in
      the activity to the reference drug, the vaginal tablets Micogynax(r) on this
      criterion.Key words: glycogen vaginal pessaries vaginitis rats.

PMID- 28914071
TI  - A qualitative study of the service experiences of women with autism spectrum
      disorder.
AB  - It is recognized that the experiences of women with autism spectrum disorder are
      often underrepresented in the literature. In this study, 20 women with autism
      spectrum disorder participated in five focus groups with discussions centered on
      their service use, unmet service needs, and barriers to care. Overall, women
      emphasized high unmet service needs, particularly with respect to mental health
      concerns, residential supports, and vocational and employment services.
      Participants also perceived many service providers as disregarding or
      misunderstanding women's service needs. Findings of the current exploratory study
      are discussed in relation to areas of future research required to ensure
      effective care for this understudied population.

PMID- 28914073
TI  - Problems managed and medications prescribed during encounters with people with
      autism spectrum disorder in Australian general practice.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder is associated with high rates of co-occurring health
      conditions. While elevated prescription rates of psychotropic medications have
      been reported in the United Kingdom and the United States, there is a paucity of
      research investigating clinical and prescribing practices in Australia. This
      study describes the problems managed and medications prescribed by general
      practitioners in Australia during encounters where an autism spectrum disorder
      was recorded. Information was collected from 2000 to 2014 as part of the
      Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health programme. Encounters where patients
      were aged less than 25 years and autism spectrum disorder was recorded as one of
      the reasons for encounter and/or problems managed ( n = 579) were compared to all
      other Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health programme encounters with
      patients aged less than 25 years ( n = 281,473). At 'autism spectrum disorder'
      encounters, there was a significantly higher management rate of psychological
      problems, and significantly lower management rates of skin, respiratory and
      general/unspecified problems, than at 'non-autism spectrum disorder' encounters.
      The rate of psychological medication prescription was significantly higher at
      'autism spectrum disorder' encounters than at 'non-autism spectrum disorder'
      encounters. The most common medications prescribed at 'autism spectrum disorder'
      encounters were antipsychotics and antidepressants. Primary healthcare providers
      need adequate support and training to identify and manage physical and mental
      health concerns among individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

PMID- 28914072
TI  - Social media addiction: What is the role of content in YouTube?
AB  - Background YouTube, the online video creation and sharing site, supports both
      video content viewing and content creation activities. For a minority of people,
      the time spent engaging with YouTube can be excessive and potentially
      problematic. Method This study analyzed the relationship between content viewing,
      content creation, and YouTube addiction in a survey of 410 Indian-student YouTube
      users. It also examined the influence of content, social, technology, and process
      gratifications on user inclination toward YouTube content viewing and content
      creation. Results The results demonstrated that content creation in YouTube had a
      closer relationship with YouTube addiction than content viewing. Furthermore,
      social gratification was found to have a significant influence on both types of
      YouTube activities, whereas technology gratification did not significantly
      influence them. Among all perceived gratifications, content gratification had the
      highest relationship coefficient value with YouTube content creation inclination.
      The model fit and variance extracted by the endogenous constructs were good,
      which further validated the results of the analysis. Conclusion The study
      facilitates new ways to explore user gratification in using YouTube and how the
      channel responds to it.

PMID- 28914074
TI  - Impact of Test Conditions on ADP-Induced Platelet Function Results With the
      Multiplate Assay: Is Further Standardization Required?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet function testing was suggested to help tailor P2Y12
      inhibitor therapy; however, the lack of proper standardization is still a
      limitation. METHODS: In a prospective study, we enrolled clopidogrel-treated and
      P2Y12-inhibitor naive patients to investigate the influence of (1) time from
      blood collection, (2) stability of the stored Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
      reagent, and (3) the use of enoxaparin on results of the Multiplate assay.
      Measurements were performed from samples kept for 0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 minutes
      at room temperature before processing. To determine the impact of the reagent
      stability, freshly thawed ADP was compared with ADP kept for 3 to 5 or 8 to 13
      days at 2 degrees C to 8 degrees C. Finally, samples containing enoxaparin at
      therapeutic or prophylactic doses were compared with enoxaparin-free blood.
      RESULTS: A total of 180 measurements were performed. ADP-stimulated platelet
      reactivity values decreased significantly over time (67 +/- 40 U to 68 +/- 37 U
      to 58 +/- 37 U to 45 +/- 33 U to 35 +/- 33 U; P < .0001). Consequently, a
      dramatic reduction was observed in the proportion of patients with high platelet
      reactivity ( P < .0001). A significant drop in platelet reactivity was observed
      with ADP stored for 8 to 13 days as compared to freshly thawed ADP ( P = .011).
      Enoxaparin triggered a slight, concentration-dependent increase in platelet
      reactivity ( P < .05). CONCLUSION: Test conditions may have profound impacts on
      the obtained results with the Multiplate assay. Our findings highlight the large
      influence of the time from sample collection until testing, suggesting that
      measurements should be performed within an hour of blood collection.

PMID- 28914075
TI  - The temperature of storage of a batch of wheat distillers dried grains with
      solubles samples on their nutritive value for broilers.
AB  - 1. A batch of wheat distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) was obtained
      immediately after production and was separated into 5 equal parts and placed in
      woven polypropylene sacks. The samples were stored under 5 different temperature
      conditions for 1 year as follows: kept at a constant -20 degrees C; kept at -20
      degrees C for 24 h period and after that kept at a constant +4 degrees C; kept at
      a constant +4 degrees C only; kept at a constant +15 degrees C; stored at ambient
      temperature (range of weekly mean temperatures was from +4 to +22 degrees C). 2.
      Each of the 5 wheat DDGS samples was included (200 g/kg) in a nutritionally
      complete diet and fed to broiler chickens from 7 to 21 d of age. The chemical
      composition of the DDGS samples was determined at the beginning and at the end of
      the 1-year storage period. 3. The nitrogen corrected apparent metabolisable
      energy (AMEn) and the nutrient availability of each sample was measured using a
      total collection technique. The growth performance of birds was also determined.
      4. The DDGS samples kept at a constant -20 degrees C had higher dry matter, lower
      oxidation value and lower antioxidant contents. The DDGS sample that was stored
      at ambient temperatures had a higher AMEn than the rest of the DDGS samples. 5.
      The results of this experiment have shown that there can be changes in the AMEn
      of wheat DDGS during storage at ambient temperatures. In general, there were no
      serious effects of storage of DDGS on its feeding value to broiler chickens.

PMID- 28914076
TI  - Integrative Review of the Literature on Hispanics and Hospice.
AB  - The provision of optimal end-of-life care to Hispanics receiving hospice care
      requires familiarity with hospice-specific variables. For example, a preference
      for nondisclosure of terminal prognosis in some Hispanics is incongruous with
      traditional hospice practice. In addition, the Spanish word for hospice,
      "hospicio," has negative connotations about abandonment of loved ones. Added to
      cultural considerations are socioeconomic considerations. Many marginalized
      Hispanic individuals may experience distinct challenges when enrolling in hospice
      due to socioeconomic hardships relating to poverty, citizenship, and lack of
      insurance. This systematic integrative review examines the research literature on
      Hispanics and hospice to report on the state of the science for this topic.
      Reviewed articles were identified systematically using computer research
      databases and inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of the 21 reviewed articles, many
      are survey and low-inference qualitative designs with limited validity and
      trustworthiness. Most survey instruments were not validated for Spanish language
      or Hispanic culture. None of the qualitative studies included theoretical
      sampling or follow-up interviews. Few study designs considered heterogeneity
      within the Hispanic population. Interpreting results cautiously, there is
      evidence that some Hispanics find some satisfaction with hospice care in spite of
      cultural incongruities and socioeconomic challenges. Future research calls for
      intervention studies and high-inference qualitative designs to gain insight into
      hospice experiences and what constitutes quality hospice care from the
      perspectives of Hispanic subgroups. Assessing quality and designing interventions
      for these end-of-life cultural and socioeconomic issues will improve end-of-life
      care and facilitate the hospice philosophy of promoting emotional growth at end
      of life.

PMID- 28914077
TI  - Decision Algorithms for Direct Oral Anticoagulant Use in Patients With
      Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Practical Guide for Neurologists.
AB  - Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are valid alternative options to vitamin K
      antagonists due to their limited interactions with drugs or food and the fact
      that they do not require regular coagulation monitoring. To this regard, recent
      practice guidelines recommend that DOACs should be considered as first-line
      anticoagulant therapy for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial
      fibrillation (NVAF). This review (1) outlines current international guidelines
      for the management of DOACs to prevent stroke in patients with NVAF, (2) outlines
      indications for elderly patients as well as specific settings including acute
      coronary syndromes and intracranial hemorrhage, and (3) offers a practical guide
      for the use of DOACs in neurological settings.

PMID- 28914078
TI  - Evaluation of Expression Level of Apolipoprotein M as a Diagnostic Marker for
      Primary Venous Thromboembolism.
AB  - Recently, decreased levels of apolipoprotein M (ApoM) were shown to be associated
      with higher risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in male patients.
      However, the role of ApoM in primary VTE is unknown. We aimed in our study to
      analyze the plasma levels of ApoM in patients with VTE in order to evaluate the
      diagnostic importance of ApoM in primary VTE. A total of 357 patients with
      suspected first episode of VTE were recruited prospectively in the SCORE study.
      Plasma samples from 307 patients were available for quantifying the plasma levels
      of ApoM in patients with VTE using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      method. Among the whole population, plasma levels (mean [standard deviation]) of
      ApoM were not significantly different between patients with VTE (0.72 [0.20]) and
      non-VTE patients (0.72 [0.16]), P = .99. Similarly, in regression analyses, no
      significant association of ApoM plasma levels with the risk of VTE was found on
      univariate (odds ratio [OR] =1.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21-4.84, P =
      .99) and multivariate analysis (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.19-8.34, P = .819) after
      adjusting for age, body mass index, and smoking. Moreover, results did not differ
      significantly after stratification of data according to sex ( P > .05). In this
      study, our results do not suggest a diagnostic role for ApoM plasma levels in
      patients with primary VTE. Moreover, the current study suggests that role of ApoM
      as a risk factor may differ for primary VTE and recurrent VTE in male patients.

PMID- 28914079
TI  - Co-infection of human herpesvirus type 2 (HHV-2) and human immunodeficiency virus
      (HIV) among pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
AB  - Pregnant women who are infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are
      particularly vulnerable to severe and recurrent infections with Human Herpesvirus
      2 (HHV-2). Neonatal transmission of HHV-2 has been associated with malformations
      and neurological sequelae in infants, which makes it very important to perform
      antenatal monitoring for genital herpes. In the study, 134 pregnant women
      infected with HIV were tested for HHV-2 IgM and IgG using an enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and had HHV-2 DNA analyzed by Real Time Polymerase
      Chain Reaction (qPCR). Fisher's exact test was applied to analyze the
      epidemiological dates (p < 0.05). A total of 59.7% of the pregnant women infected
      with HIV had HHV-2 IgG and 3.75% of them showed HHV-2 viremia. HHV-2 IgM was
      found in 6% of the pregnant women and 25% of them had HHV-2 viremia. The risk
      factors associated with HHV-2 seropositive were age under 20 and a CD4/CD8 ratio
      > 1. Our study found high HHV-2/HIV coinfection prevalence and HHV-2 viremia
      among patients with recurrent and primary genital infection, reinforcing the need
      of prevention and control of HHV-2 infection in order to avoid this virus
      transmission.

PMID- 28914080
TI  - Gender identity and sexual orientation in autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - Clinical impressions indicate that there is an overrepresentation of gender
      dysphoria within the autism spectrum disorder. However, little is presently known
      about the demographics of gender-identity issues in autism spectrum disorder.
      Based upon what little is known, we hypothesized that there would be an increased
      prevalence of gender-dysphoria among those with autism spectrum disorder compared
      to a typically developing population. We surveyed gender-dysphoria with the
      Gender-Identity/Gender-Dysphoria Questionnaire among 90 males and 219 females
      with autism spectrum disorder and compared these rates to those of 103 males and
      158 females without autism spectrum disorder. When compared to typically
      developing individuals, autistic individuals reported a higher number of gender
      dysphoric traits. Rates of gender-dysphoria in the group with autism spectrum
      disorder were significantly higher than reported in the wider population.
      Mediation analysis found that the relationship between autistic traits and sexual
      orientation was mediated by gender-dysphoric traits. Results suggest that autism
      spectrum disorder presents a unique experience to the formation and consolidation
      of gender identity, and for some autistic individuals, their sexual orientation
      relates to their gender experience. It is important that clinicians working with
      autism spectrum disorder are aware of the gender-diversity in this population so
      that the necessary support for healthy socio-sexual functioning and mental well
      being is provided.

PMID- 28914081
TI  - C-reactive Protein Is Associated With Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome,
      Hypertension, and Diabetes Mellitus in US Adults.
AB  - The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has increased globally and is
      associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases that may be related
      to its association with inflammation. We have assessed whether the prevalence of
      the MetS correlates with a serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)
      concentration in a population-based sample of US men and women. Participants were
      selected from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005
      to 2010. Of the 17 689 participants analyzed, 8607 (48.3%) were men. The mean age
      was 45.8 years in the overall sample (between men and women P = .047). The
      prevalence of MetS, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension increased across
      quartiles for hsCRP (all P < .001). Moreover, we found that for the age-, race-,
      sex-, and smoking-adjusted logistic regression, with increasing hsCRP, the risk
      of having MetS increased with an odds ratio of 5.20 (95% confidence interval,
      4.54-5.93, P < .001) when comparing the highest quartile of serum hsCRP with the
      lowest. This study provides further evidence for an association between MetS and
      subclinical inflammation.

PMID- 28914082
TI  - Characterizing psychiatric comorbidity in children with autism spectrum disorder
      receiving publicly funded mental health services.
AB  - Publicly funded mental health programs play a significant role in serving
      children with autism spectrum disorder. Understanding patterns of psychiatric
      comorbidity for this population within mental health settings is important to
      implement appropriately tailored interventions. This study (1) describes patterns
      of psychiatric comorbidity in children with autism spectrum disorder who present
      to mental health services with challenging behaviors and (2) identifies child
      characteristics associated with comorbid conditions. Data are drawn from baseline
      assessments from 201 children with autism spectrum disorder who participated in a
      community effectiveness trial across 29 publicly funded mental health programs.
      Non-autism spectrum disorder diagnoses were assessed using an adapted Mini
      International Neuropsychiatric Interview, parent version. Approximately 92% of
      children met criteria for at least one non-autism spectrum disorder diagnosis
      (78% attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 58% oppositional defiant disorder,
      56% anxiety, 30% mood). Logistic regression indicated that child gender and
      clinical characteristics were differentially associated with meeting criteria for
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, an
      anxiety, or a mood disorder. Exploratory analyses supported a link between
      challenging behaviors and mood disorder symptoms and revealed high prevalence of
      these symptoms in this autism spectrum disorder population. Findings provide
      direction for tailoring intervention to address a broad range of clinical issues
      for youth with autism spectrum disorder served in mental health settings.

PMID- 28914083
TI  - The importance of context in early autism intervention: A qualitative South
      African study.
AB  - The majority of individuals with autism spectrum disorder live in low- and middle
      income countries and receive little or no services from health or social care
      systems. The development and validation of autism spectrum disorder interventions
      has almost exclusively occurred in high-income countries, leaving many unanswered
      questions regarding what contextual factors would need to be considered to ensure
      the effectiveness of interventions in low- and middle-income countries. This
      study qualitatively explored contextual factors relevant to the adaptation of a
      caregiver-mediated early autism spectrum disorder intervention in a low-resource
      South African setting. We conducted four focus groups and four in-depth
      interviews with 28 caregivers of young children with autism spectrum disorder and
      used thematic analysis to identify key themes. Eight contextual factors including
      culture, language, location of treatment, cost of treatment, type of service
      provider, support, parenting practices, and stigma emerged as important.
      Caregivers reported a preference for an affordable, in-home, individualized early
      autism spectrum disorder intervention, where they have an active voice in shaping
      treatment goals. Distrust of community-based health workers and challenges
      associated with autism spectrum disorder-related stigma were identified.
      Recommendations that integrate caregiver preferences with the development of a
      low-cost and scalable caregiver-mediated early autism spectrum disorder
      intervention are included.

PMID- 28914084
TI  - LC-MS determination of fentanyl in human serum and application to a fentanyl
      transdermal delivery pharmacokinetic study.
AB  - AIM: Fentanyl is an opioid agonist used for acute and chronic pain management. In
      this report, a highly sensitive and simple LC-MS/MS method using Hydrophilic
      Interaction Chromatography (HILIC) column was validated and used for fentanyl
      quantification in human serum. RESULTS: The isocratic mobile phase was composed
      of acetonitrile: 10 mM ammonium formate buffer (pH = 3.2; 90:10, v/v). The assay
      was linear over a concentration range of 10-10,000 pg/ml. The accuracy of the
      validation method ranged from 93.2 to 107%, and the precision was within 6.4%.
      Fentanyl was stable during short- and long-term storage. CONCLUSION: The assay
      has been successfully applied to serum samples obtained from healthy subjects of
      a fentanyl transdermal pharmacokinetic study.

PMID- 28914085
TI  - Development of a patient-centered conceptual model of the impact of living with
      autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - The aim of this study was to generate a patient-centered conceptual model of the
      impact of living with autism spectrum disorder, which can be used to support the
      selection of outcome measures for clinical trials. Following an initial
      literature review to identify preliminary concepts and inform an interview guide,
      in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with adolescents and adults with
      autism spectrum disorder (IQ ? 70) (n = 10), as well as parents of children,
      adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder (IQ ? 70) (n = 26). Data
      were analyzed using established qualitative research methods. The resultant
      conceptual model contains three interrelated domains reflecting core symptoms of
      autism spectrum disorder (communication deficits, socialization deficits, and
      restrictive, repetitive patterns of behavior), three domains reflecting
      associated symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (physical, cognitive, and
      emotional/behavioral), and three domains representing the impacts of living with
      autism spectrum disorder (impacts on activities of daily living, school/work, and
      social life). Interview respondents also cited social communication deficits as
      priority targets for new treatments. The conceptual model provides a patient
      centered perspective of relevant concepts of autism spectrum disorder from the
      perspectives of people with autism spectrum disorder and their parents and offers
      a valuable tool for identifying valid patient-centered outcome measures for
      future clinical trials.

PMID- 28914086
TI  - Preliminary efficacy of a daily living skills intervention for adolescents with
      high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - Daily living skills deficits are strongly associated with poor adult outcomes for
      individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder, and yet, there are no
      group interventions targeting daily living skills. Seven adolescents with autism
      spectrum disorder and their parents participated in a feasibility pilot of a 12
      week manualized group treatment targeting specific daily living skills (i.e.
      morning routine, cooking, laundry, and money management). Outcomes included the
      Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (Vineland-II) age equivalence
      scores and four goal attainment scaling scores. Adolescents demonstrated
      significant improvement on two Vineland-II subdomains and on all goal attainment
      scaling scores at post-treatment and 6-month follow-up. The intervention has
      promise for improving critical daily living skills' deficits that affect
      independent living and employment. Limitations and implications for future
      studies are discussed.

PMID- 28914088
TI  - Multi-morbidity: A patient perspective on navigating the health care system and
      everyday life.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The importance of everyday life when managing the burden of treatment
      is rarely studied. This article explores the burden of treatment among people
      with multi-morbidity by investigating the tension between everyday life and the
      health care system. METHOD: This was an ethnographic study using individual
      interviews and participant-observations. An inductive analytical approach was
      applied, moving from observations and results to broader generalisations.
      RESULTS: People with multi-morbidity experience dilemmas related to their
      individual priorities in everyday life and the management of their treatment
      burdens. Dilemmas were identified within three domains: family and social life;
      work life; agendas and set goals in appointments with health professionals.
      Individual resources and priorities in everyday life play a dominant role in
      resolving dilemmas and navigating the tension between everyday life and the
      health care system. DISCUSSION: People with multi-morbidity are seldom supported
      by health professionals in resolving the dilemmas they must face. This study
      suggests an increased focus on patient-centredness and argues in favour of
      planning health care through cooperation between health professionals and people
      with multi-morbidity in a way that integrates both health and everyday life
      priorities.

PMID- 28914087
TI  - Effect of myofascial techniques for treatment of persistent arm pain after breast
      cancer treatment: randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of myofascial therapy in addition to a
      standard physical therapy program for treatment of persistent arm pain after
      finishing breast cancer treatment. DESIGN: Double-blinded (patient and assessor)
      randomized controlled trial. SETTING: University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
      PATIENTS: A total of 50 patients with persistent arm pain and myofascial
      dysfunctions after breast cancer treatment. INTERVENTION: Over three months, all
      patients received a standard physical therapy program. The intervention group
      received in addition 12 sessions of myofascial therapy, and the control group
      received 12 sessions of placebo therapy. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Main outcome
      parameters were pain intensity (primary outcome) (maximum visual analogue scale
      (VAS) (0-100)), prevalence rate of arm pain, pressure hypersensitivity (pressure
      pain thresholds (kg/cm2) and pain quality (McGill Pain Questionnaire). Measures
      were taken before and after the intervention and at long term (6 and 12 months
      follow-up). RESULTS: Patients in the intervention group had a significantly
      greater decrease in pain intensity compared to the control group (VAS -44/100 vs.
      -24/100, P = 0.046) with a mean difference in change after three months between
      groups of 20/100 (95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 39.7). After the intervention,
      44% versus 64% of patients still experienced pain in the intervention and control
      group, respectively ( P = 0.246). No significant differences were found for the
      other outcomes. CONCLUSION: Myofascial therapy is an effective physical therapy
      modality to decrease pain intensity at the arm in breast cancer survivors at
      three months, but no other benefits at that time were found. There were no long
      term effects at 12 months either.

PMID- 28914089
TI  - Art museum-based intervention to promote emotional well-being and improve quality
      of life in people with dementia: The ARTEMIS project.
AB  - ARTEMIS (ART Encounters: Museum Intervention Study) is an art-based intervention
      designed especially for people with dementia and their care partners that
      involves a combination of museum visits and artistic activity. This paper reports
      the results of a randomized wait-list controlled study on the influence of the
      ARTEMIS intervention on the emotional state, well-being, and quality of life of
      dementia patients. People with mild-to-moderate dementia (n = 44) and their care
      partners (n = 44) visited the Frankfurt Stadel Museum once a week on six pre
      arranged occasions. The intervention consisted of six different guided art tours
      (60 minutes), followed by art-making in the studio (60 minutes). Independent
      museum visits served as a control condition. A mixed-methods design was used to
      assess several outcomes including cognitive status, emotional well-being, self
      rated aspects of quality of life, and subjective evaluations by informal
      caregivers. In a pre-post-assessment, we found significant improvements in
      participants' self-rated quality of life (t = -3.15, p < .05). In a situational
      assessment of emotional well-being immediately before and after each of the
      museum sessions, we were able to demonstrate statistically significant positive
      changes with medium effect sizes (dcorr = .74-.77). Furthermore, the total
      Neuropsychiatric Inventory score as well as the affective (depressed mood and
      anxiety) and apathy subscales were significantly lower after the ARTEMIS
      intervention (tNPI total = 2.43; tNPI affective = 2.24; tNPI apathy = 2.52; p <
      .05). The results show that art museum-based art interventions are able to
      improve the subjective well-being, mood, and quality of life in people with
      dementia. This promising psychosocial approach deserves further attention in
      future studies and consideration in community-based dementia care programs.

PMID- 28914090
TI  - Exploring the theoretical foundations of visual art programmes for people living
      with dementia.
AB  - Despite the growing international innovations for visual arts interventions in
      dementia care, limited attention has been paid to their theoretical basis. In
      response, this paper explores how and why visual art interventions in dementia
      care influence changes in outcomes. The theory building process consists of a
      realist review of primary research on visual art programmes. This aims to uncover
      what works, for whom, how, why and in what circumstances. We undertook a
      qualitative exploration of stakeholder perspectives of art programmes, and then
      synthesised these two pieces of work alongside broader theory to produce a
      conceptual framework for intervention development, further research and practice.
      This suggests effective programmes are realised through essential attributes of
      two key conditions (provocative and stimulating aesthetic experience; dynamic and
      responsive artistic practice). These conditions are important for cognitive,
      social and individual responses, leading to benefits for people with early to
      more advanced dementia. This work represents a starting point at identifying
      theories of change for arts interventions, and for further research to critically
      examine, refine and strengthen the evidence base for the arts in dementia care.
      Understanding the theoretical basis of interventions is important for service
      development, evaluation and implementation.

PMID- 28914091
TI  - Short-term carbon dynamics in a temperate grassland and heathland ecosystem
      exposed to 104 days of drought followed by irrigation.
AB  - Temperate ecosystems are susceptible to drought events. The effect of a severe
      drought (104 days) followed by irrigation on the plant C uptake, its assimilation
      and input of C in soil were examined using a triple 13CO2 pulse-chase labelling
      experiment in model grassland and heathland ecosystems. First 13CO2 pulse at day
      0 of the experiment revealed much higher 13C tracer uptake for shoots, roots and
      soil compared to the second pulse (day 44), where all plants showed significantly
      lower 13C tracer uptake. After the third 13CO2 pulse (day 70), very low 13C
      uptake in shoots led to a negligible allocation of 13C into roots and soil.
      During irrigation after the severe drought, the 13C tracer that was allocated in
      plant tissues during the second and third pulse labelling was re-allocated in
      roots and soil, as soon as the irrigation started. This re-allocation was higher
      and longer lasting in heathland compared to grassland ecosystems.

PMID- 28914092
TI  - Mental Health Professionals' Suicide Risk Assessment and Management Practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 20% of suicide decedents have had contact with a mental
      health professional within 1 month prior to their death, and the majority of
      mental health professionals have treated suicidal individuals. Despite limited
      evidence-based training, mental health professionals make important clinical
      decisions related to suicide risk assessment and management. AIMS: The current
      study aimed to determine the frequency of suicide risk assessment and management
      practices and the association between fear of suicide-related outcomes or comfort
      working with suicidal individuals and adequacy of suicide risk management
      decisions among mental health professionals. METHOD: Mental health professionals
      completed self-report assessments of fear, comfort, and suicide risk assessment
      and management practices. RESULTS: Approximately one third of mental health
      professionals did not ask every patient about current or previous suicidal
      thoughts or behaviors. Further, comfort, but not fear, was positively associated
      with greater odds of conducting evidence-based suicide risk assessments at first
      appointments and adequacy of suicide risk management practices with patients
      reporting suicide ideation and a recent suicide attempt. LIMITATIONS: The study
      utilized a cross-sectional design and self-report questionnaires. CONCLUSION:
      Although the majority of mental health professionals report using evidenced-based
      practices, there appears to be variability in utilization of evidence-based
      practices.

PMID- 28914093
TI  - Problematizing Men's Suicide, Mental Health, and Well-Being.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Province of Quebec, Canada (PQ), witnessed a drastic rise in
      suicide among adult men between 1990 and 2000, followed by a continuous drop
      since then. At the end of the 1990s, men's suicide became recognized as a social
      issue, leading to implementation of gender-responsive strategies focusing on
      positive aspects of masculinity. Many of these strategies received positive
      assessments. AIMS: This article offers a critical overview of the evolution of
      social responses to men's suicide in PQ. METHOD: We highlight elements of success
      with examples of interventions targeting men directly, professionals who work
      with men, and natural support networks of men. RESULTS: Results and discussion
      suggest the benefits to shift towards salutogenic, gender-transformative approach
      to men's suicide prevention. CONCLUSION: Closing remarks question the current
      gaps and upcoming challenges in suicide prevention among men.

PMID- 28914094
TI  - Quality Assessment of Economic Evaluations of Suicide and Self-Harm
      Interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Death following self-harm constitutes a major global public health
      challenge and there is an urgent need for governments to implement cost
      effective, national suicide prevention strategies. AIM: To conduct a systematic
      review and quality appraisal of the economic evaluations of interventions aimed
      at preventing suicidal behavior. METHOD: A systematic literature search was
      performed in several literature databases to identify relevant articles published
      from 2003 to 2016. Drummond's 10-item appraisal tool was used to assess the
      methodological quality of the included studies. RESULTS: In total, 25 documents
      encompassing 30 economic evaluations were included in the review. Of the
      identified evaluations, 10 studies were found to be of poor quality, 14 were of
      average quality, and six studies were considered of good quality. The majority of
      evaluations found the interventions to be cost-effective. LIMITATIONS: Several
      limitations were identified and discussed in the article. CONCLUSION: A notable
      few economic evaluations were identified. The studies were diverse, primarily set
      in high-income countries, and often based on modeling, emphasizing the need for
      more primary research into the topic. The discussion of suicide and self-harm
      prevention should be as nuanced as possible, including health economics along
      with cultural, social, and political aspects.

PMID- 28914095
TI  - Depressed Multiple-Suicide-Attempters - A High-Risk Phenotype.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is compelling evidence that suicide attempts are among the
      strongest predictors of suicide and future suicide attempts. AIM: This study
      aimed to examine psychopathology in multiple-suicide attempters. METHOD: We
      compared the demographic and clinical features of three groups: depressed
      patients without a history of suicide attempts (non-attempters), depressed
      patients with a history of one to three suicide attempts (attempters), and
      depressed patients with a history of four or more suicide attempts (multiple
      attempters). RESULTS: We found that attempters and multiple attempters had higher
      levels of depression, hopelessness, aggression, hostility, and impulsivity and
      were more likely to have borderline personality disorder and family history of
      major depression or alcohol use disorder compared with non-attempters, but did
      not differ between each other on these measures. Multiple attempters had greater
      suicidal ideation at study entry and were more likely to have family history of
      suicide attempt compared with attempters. Importantly, multiple attempters had
      greater suicide intent at the time of the most medically serious suicide attempt
      and more serious medical consequences during their most medically serious suicide
      attempt compared with attempters. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design of the
      study. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that multiple-suicide attempters require
      careful evaluation as their behavior can have serious medical consequences.

PMID- 28914097
TI  - Advanced glycation end products interfere in luteinizing hormone and follicle
      stimulating hormone signaling in human granulosa KGN cells.
AB  - Advanced glycation end products accumulate in the ovarian granulosa-cell layer of
      women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Taken that the MAPK/ERK-pathway is a key
      regulator of oocyte maturation and function, consisting the main pathway used by
      the gonadotrophic hormones (luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone) to
      control ovulation, the present study aims to assess advanced glycation end
      products' interference into luteinizing hormone-and follicle stimulating hormone
      signaling via the MAPK/ERK-pathway in the human granulosa KGN cell line. KGN
      cells were treated with luteinizing hormone or follicle stimulating hormone in
      the absence or presence of human glycated albumin. The specific activation of the
      main components of the MAPK/ERK1/2-pathway (namely c-Raf, MEK and ERK1/2) was
      assessed. Treatment of KGN cells with an MEK1/2-inhibitor or a blocking anti-RAGE
      antibody was also performed to shed further light on the mechanism of the
      involvement of advanced glycation end products in luteinizing hormone and/or
      follicle stimulating hormone-related signaling pathways. Luteinizing hormone
      treatment increased p-ERK1/2 levels in human granulosa cells, while the combined
      treatment of luteinizing hormone and human glycated albumin provoked a decrease
      of p-ERK1/2 levels. A similar reducing effect was also observed for the upstream
      molecule phospho-cRaf upon combined treatment, while treatment with an MEK
      inhibitor confirmed that the phenomenon is MAPK/ERK-pathway-dependent. Similarly,
      follicle stimulating hormone treatment increased p-ERK1/2 and p-MEK1/2 levels,
      while the combined treatment of follicle stimulating hormone and human glycated
      albumin downregulated their levels. Advanced glycation end products reduce the
      luteinizing hormone- and follicle stimulating hormone-induced ERK1/2 activation
      that is critical for granulosa cell mitogenesis and proliferation. Inappropriate
      activation of ERK1/2 in granulosa cells may block the granulosa cell
      differentiation pathway and/or impair follicular responses to hormones,
      potentially leading to ovulation failure that characterizes polycystic ovarian
      syndrome.

PMID- 28914096
TI  - MicroRNAs as biomarkers for clinical studies.
AB  - The development of better diagnostic and prognostic non-invasive biomarkers holds
      an enormous potential to improve the ability to diagnose and individualize
      treatment of a great number of human diseases and substantially reduce health
      care cost. The discovery of a fundamental role of microRNAs in the disease
      pathogenesis and their presence and stability in biological fluids has led to
      extensive investigation of the role of microRNAs as potential non-invasive
      biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. The result of this research has
      suggested that alterations of microRNAs may be sensitive indicators of various
      pathologies; however, despite the indisputable progress in this field, the
      diagnostic promise of microRNAs has remained a work in progress, and circulating
      microRNAs have not entered the field of clinical medicine yet. Commonly reported
      microRNAs as disease biomarkers are largely not disease-specific and the results
      are often contradicting in independent studies. This review summarizes the
      current knowledge on the role of microRNAs as disease indicators and emphasizes
      the current gaps, challenges, and questions that need to be addressed in future
      well-designed and well-controlled studies for a successful translation of
      microRNA profiling into clinically meaningful tests. Impact statement This review
      summarizes the current knowledge on the role of circulating miRNAs as clinical
      diagnostic biomarkers and highlights the challenges that need to be addressed in
      future studies for a successful translation of circulating miRNAs into a novel
      diagnostic tool.

PMID- 28914098
TI  - The antimicrobial effects of three phenolic extracts from Rosmarinus officinalis
      L., Vitis vinifera L. and Polygonum cuspidatum L. on food pathogens.
AB  - In this study three phenolic extracts were examined, without volatile fraction,
      against common food pathogens. The samples, all suitable for food application,
      were from the leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis L., Vitis vinifera L., and the
      root of Polygonum cuspidatum L. The microorganisms tested were Escherichia coli
      O157:H7, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhi, Yersinia enterocolitica and
      Listeria monocytogenes, well-known as important food pathogens. The results
      demonstrated a microbicidal activity of all the tested compounds at different
      concentrations; the rosemary extract showed greater efficacy than the other
      compounds against the tested microorganisms. In particular, the best results were
      obtained with rosemary extract against E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes with
      values of 200 and 270 MUg/mL, respectively. Our results show that rosemary
      extract, often present as a natural antioxidant in food, can also be proposed as
      a natural disinfectant in the food field.

PMID- 28914099
TI  - Integrating social class and privilege in the community medicine curriculum.
AB  - Social class and privilege are hidden variables that impact the physician-patient
      relationship and health outcomes. This article presents a sample of activities
      from three programs utilized in the community health curriculum to teach resident
      physicians about patients within context, including how social class and
      privilege impact physician-patient relationships and patient health. These
      activities address resident physicians' resistance to discussion of privilege,
      social class, and race by emphasizing direct experience and active learning
      rather than traditional didactic sessions. The group format of these activities
      fosters flexible discussion and personal engagement that provide opportunities
      for reflection. Each activity affords opportunities to develop a vocabulary for
      discussing social class and privilege with compassion and to adopt therapeutic
      approaches that are more likely to meet patients where they are.

PMID- 28914100
TI  - Acute myeloid leukemia and the infectious diseases consultant.
AB  - Infectious complications following treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are
      important causes of morbidity and mortality. The spectrum and complexity of these
      infections is reflected by the severe net state of immunosuppression of AML
      patients, that is dynamic and continuously changing, the polypharmacy, including
      the widespread use of anti-infectives and the complex epidemiology of severe and
      frequently resistant pathogens afflicting these patients. Infectious diseases
      (ID) consultants having a critical mass of expertise and intimate knowledge of
      the intricacies of leukemia care, add considerable value in improving outcomes of
      patients with AML who develop infections. Furthermore, pharmaco-economic
      considerations such as length of stay, choice of cost-effective anti-infective
      program, infection control and antibiotic stewardship strategies create a
      delicate interplay of the ID consultant and the ecosystem of care of AML
      patients. This is an increasingly recognized area of cross collaboration and a
      productive direction for future collaborative practice models and research.

PMID- 28914101
TI  - Pelvic incidence and hip disorders.
AB  - Background and purpose - The role of pelvic incidence in hip disorders is
      unclear. Therefore, we undertook a literature review to evaluate the evidence on
      that role. Methods - A search was carried out on MEDLINE, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, and
      CINAHL databases. Quantitative analysis was based on comparison with a reference
      population of asymptomatic subjects. Results - The search resulted in 326
      records: 15 studies were analyzed qualitatively and 13 quantitatively. The
      estimates of pelvic incidence varied more than 10 degrees from 47 (SD 3.7) to 59
      (SD 14). 2 studies concluded that higher pelvic incidence might contribute to the
      development of coxarthrosis while 1 study reported the opposite findings. In 2
      studies, lower pelvic incidence was associated with a mixed type of
      femoroacetabular impingement. We formed a reference population from asymptomatic
      groups used or cited in the selected studies. The reference comprised 777 persons
      with pooled average pelvic incidence of 53 (SD 10) degrees. The estimate showed a
      relatively narrow 95% CI of 52 to 54 degrees. The 95% CIs of only 4 studies did
      not overlap the CIs of reference: 2 studies on coxarthrosis, 1 on mixed
      femoroacetabular impingement, and 1 on ankylosing spondylitis Interpretation - We
      found no strong evidence that pelvic incidence plays any substantial role in hip
      disorders. Lower pelvic incidence may be associated with the mixed type of
      femoroacetabular impingement and hip problems amongst patients with ankylosing
      spondylitis. The evidence on association between pelvic incidence and
      coxarthrosis remained inconclusive.

PMID- 28914102
TI  - 5-HTTLPR-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene interactions and early
      adverse life events effect on impulsivity in suicide attempters.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: An expanding body of research suggests that childhood adverse
      experiences can lead to different negative health outcomes, including attempted
      suicide. Serotonergic genes such as the promoter region of the serotonin
      transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) have been associated both with impulsivity in suicide
      attempts and reactivity to environmental stress exposure. BDNF gene may play an
      epigenetic role. METHODS: We studied the influence of childhood stressful events
      and 5-HTTLPR genotype on impulsivity measured by Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS
      10) in a multicentre sample of 1,655 suicide attempters (69.4% women, 30.6% men;
      mean age 40.13 years). A co-dominant additive genetic model was used for the
      statistical analyses. Interaction between 5-HTTLPR genotype and early trauma
      exposure was tested using moderated and multiple regression techniques.
      Interaction plots were used to explore BDNF genotype modulation. RESULTS: Mildly
      higher impulsivity scores were found in men with SS compared with SL or LL
      genotypes, and men with childhood emotional and physical abuse. Interaction
      analyses showed that combination of 5-HTTLPR-SS genotype and early trauma
      exposure increase impulsivity scores independently. Impulsivity scores were not
      affected by the modulation of BDNF genes. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood trauma and 5
      HTTLPR genotype seem to be independently involved in suicide attempts, sharing a
      common pathway of increasing impulsivity.

PMID- 28914103
TI  - The first 6 weeks of recovery after primary total hip arthroplasty with fast
      track.

PMID- 28914104
TI  - Influence of previous body mass index and sex on regional fat changes in a weight
      loss intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Men and women may lose weight in a different fashion. This study
      compares the changes in different anatomical regions after a well-controlled
      weight loss program by sex and initial BMI. METHODS: A total of 180 subjects (48
      overweight women, 36 overweight men, and 48 obese women and 48 obese men) were
      recruited to participate in a 22-week weight loss programme (diet + exercise).
      RESULTS: Regarding percentage body weight change from baseline, there was no
      triple interaction (BMI, sex and anatomical region), but there was interaction
      between BMI and anatomical region (F2,840 = 34.5; p < 0.001), and between sex and
      anatomical region (F2,840 = 98.8; p < 0.001). Usually, the arms and legs are the
      regions that lose more weight in obese participants, but men lose the highest
      percentage of mass from the trunk. There were differences between men and women
      for the areas of left trunk mass (750g), right trunk mass (700g), total mass of
      the trunk (1400g), android mass (350g), and finally in the total mass in
      overweight participants (1300g), with higher values for men than for women. The
      region that loses more weight and fat is the trunk, followed by the legs, and
      then the arms, when the loss is observed in function of the total weight or fat
      lost. CONCLUSION: Both BMI and sex exert a definite influence fat loss,
      especially in some anatomical regions.

PMID- 28914105
TI  - Bone and subcutaneous adipose tissue pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in total knee
      replacement patients.
AB  - Background and purpose - The incidence of orthopedic methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is increasing. Vancomycin may therefore
      play an increasingly important role in orthopedic perioperative antimicrobial
      prophylaxis. Studies investigating perioperative bone and soft tissue
      concentrations of vancomycin are sparse and challenged by a lack of appropriate
      methods. We assessed single-dose plasma, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCT) and
      bone concentrations of vancomycin using microdialysis in male patients undergoing
      total knee replacement. Methods - 1,000 mg of vancomycin was administered
      postoperatively intravenously over 100 minutes to 10 male patients undergoing
      primary total knee replacement. Vancomycin concentrations in plasma, SCT,
      cancellous, and cortical bone were measured over the following 8 hours.
      Microdialysis was applied for sampling in solid tissues. Results - For all solid
      tissues, tissue penetration of vancomycin was significantly impaired. The time to
      a mean clinically relevant minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 mg/L was
      3, 36, 27, and 110 min for plasma, SCT, cancellous, and cortical bone,
      respectively. As opposed to the other compartments, a mean MIC of 4 mg/L could
      not be reached in cortical bone. The area under the concentration-time curve from
      0 to the last measured value and peak drug concentrations (Cmax) for SCT,
      cancellous, and cortical bone was lower than that of free plasma. The time to
      Cmax was higher for all tissues compared with free plasma. Interpretation -
      Postoperative penetration of vancomycin to bone and SCT was impaired and delayed
      in male patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery. Adequate
      perioperative vancomycin concentrations may not be reached using standard
      prophylactic dosage.

PMID- 28914106
TI  - Concomitant diseases and their effect on disease prognosis in Meniere's disease:
      diabetes mellitus identified as a negative prognostic factor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study comorbidities and their effect on the disease progression in
      Meniere's disease (MD). METHODS: Retrospective study on 350 definite MD patients
      diagnosed according to AAO-HNS 1995 criteria using hospital records and postal
      questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of migraine, hypothyroidism, allergies,
      coronary heart disease and autoimmune diseases was more common in MD patients
      than reported in the general population of Finland. Diabetes mellitus was
      associated with both more severe hearing impairment (p = .033) and more frequent
      vertigo (p = .028) in MD patients. The number of concomitant diseases was
      associated with more frequent vertigo (p = .021). CONCLUSIONS: A patient's
      concomitant diseases, especially diabetes, should be treated effectively because
      they might affect the progression of MD. Further studies on the effects of
      concomitant diseases on MD prognosis are needed.

PMID- 28914107
TI  - Using beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors for infections due to extended
      spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae to slow the emergence of
      carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

PMID- 28914108
TI  - Does particle disease really exist?

PMID- 28914109
TI  - Stem cell therapy for the systemic right ventricle.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In specific forms of congenital heart defects and pulmonary
      hypertension, the right ventricle (RV) is exposed to systemic levels of pressure
      overload. The RV is prone to failure in these patients because of its
      vulnerability to chronic pressure overload. As patients with a systemic RV reach
      adulthood, an emerging epidemic of RV failure has become evident. Medical
      therapies proven for LV failure are ineffective in treating RV failure. Areas
      covered: In this review, the pathophysiology of the failing RV under pressure
      overload is discussed, with specific emphasis on the pivotal roles of
      angiogenesis and oxidative stress. Studies investigating the ability of stem cell
      therapy to improve angiogenesis and mitigate oxidative stress in the setting of
      pressure overload are then reviewed. Finally, clinical trials utilizing stem cell
      therapy to prevent RV failure under pressure overload in congenital heart disease
      will be discussed. Expert commentary: Although considerable hurdles remain before
      their mainstream clinical implementation, stem cell therapy possesses
      revolutionary potential in the treatment of patients with failing systemic RVs
      who currently have very limited long-term treatment options. Rigorous clinical
      trials of stem cell therapy for RV failure that target well-defined mechanisms
      will ensure success adoption of this therapeutic strategy.

PMID- 28914110
TI  - Evaluation of dual target-specific real-time PCR for the detection of Kingella
      kingae in a Danish paediatric population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the relevance of dual target real-time
      polymerase chain (PCR) assays targeting the rtxA and cpn60 genes of the
      paediatric pathogen Kingella kingae. We also studied for the first time the
      clinical and epidemiological features of K. kingae infections in a Danish
      population. METHOD: Children with K. kingae-positive cultures were identified
      from 11,477 children and 86 children younger than 16 years old from whom blood
      cultures and joint fluid cultures were obtained between January 2010 and November
      2016. Results were then compared to microbiological results obtained from 29
      joint fluids (28 children) tested by dual target K. kingae real-time PCR from
      September 2014 to November 2016. Epidemiological data of all children with
      microbiologically confirmed K. kingae infections were collected. RESULTS: From
      2010 to 2016, we diagnosed 17 children with microbiological-proven K. kingae
      infections. During this period, blood cultures from five children and joint fluid
      cultures from a single child yielded K. kingae. Dual target K. kingae real-time
      PCR allowed us to increase the diagnostic yield of K. kingae infections by
      detecting the organism in 12 of 29 (41.4%) specimens. Notably, the 12 real-time
      PCR-positive specimens were rtxA-positive whereas only 10 (83.3%) were cpn60
      positive. PCR-positive children were significantly younger than PCR-negative
      children (p-value: .01). A significant seasonal variation was found for patients
      with proven K. kingae infection (p-value: <.001), with a peak in autumn.
      CONCLUSION: Dual target-specific real-time PCR markedly improved the detection of
      K. kingae in clinical specimens when compared to culture methods.

PMID- 28914111
TI  - Analyzing How Discursive Practices Affect Physicians' Decision-Making Processes:
      A Phenomenological-Based Qualitative Study in Critical Care Contexts.
AB  - An intensive care unit (ICU) is a demanding environment, defined by significant
      complexity, in which physicians must make decisions in situations characterized
      by high levels of uncertainty. This study used a phenomenological approach to
      investigate the decision-making (DM) processes among ICU physicians' team with
      the aim of understanding what happens when ICU physicians must reach a decision
      about the infectious status of a patient. The focus was put on the identification
      of how the discursive practices influence physicians' DM processes and on how
      different ICU environments make different discursive profiles emerge,
      particularly when a key issue is at the center of the physicians' discussion. A
      naturalistic approach used in this study is particularly suitable for
      investigating health care practices because it can best illuminate the essential
      meaning of the "lived experiences" of the participants. The findings revealed a
      common framework of elements that provide insight into DM processes in ICUs and
      how these are affected by discursive practices.

PMID- 28914113
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28914112
TI  - Socioeconomic differences in childhood vaccination in developed countries: a
      systematic review of quantitative studies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The reasons for vaccine hesitancy and its relation to individual
      socioeconomic status (SES) must be better understood. Areas covered: This review
      focused on developed countries with programs addressing major financial barriers
      to vaccination access. We systematically reviewed differences by SES in uptake of
      publicly funded childhood vaccines and in cognitive determinants (beliefs,
      attitudes) of parental decisions about vaccinating their children. Using the
      PRISMA statement to guide this review, we searched three electronic databases
      from January 2000 through April 2016. We retained 43 articles; 34 analyzed SES
      differences in childhood vaccine uptake, 7 examined differences in its cognitive
      determinants, and 2 both outcomes. Expert commentary: Results suggest that
      barriers to vaccination access persist among low-SES children in several
      settings. Vaccination programs could be improved to provide all mandatory and
      recommended vaccines 100% free of charge, in both public organizations and
      private practices, and to reimburse vaccine administration. Multicomponent
      interventions adapted to the context could also be effective in reducing these
      inequalities. For specific vaccines (notably for measles, mumps, and rubella), in
      UK and Germany, uptake was lowest among the most affluent. Interventions
      carefully tailored to respond to specific concerns of vaccine-hesitant parents,
      without reinforcing hesitancy, are needed.

PMID- 28914114
TI  - Shining dead bone-cause for cautious interpretation of [18F]NaF PET scans.
AB  - Background and purpose - [18F]Fluoride ([18F]NaF) PET scan is frequently used for
      estimation of bone healing rate and extent in cases of bone allografting and
      fracture healing. Some authors claim that [18F]NaF uptake is a measure of
      osteoblastic activity, calcium metabolism, or bone turnover. Based on the known
      affinity of fluoride to hydroxyapatite, we challenged this view. Methods - 10
      male rats received crushed, frozen allogeneic cortical bone fragments in a pouch
      in the abdominal wall on the right side, and hydroxyapatite granules on left
      side. [18F]NaF was injected intravenously after 7 days. 60 minutes later, the
      rats were killed and [18F]NaF uptake was visualized in a PET/CT scanner.
      Specimens were retrieved for micro CT and histology. Results - MicroCT and
      histology showed no signs of new bone at the implant sites. Still, the implants
      showed a very high [18F]NaF uptake, on a par with the most actively growing and
      remodeling sites around the knee joint. Interpretation - [18F]NaF binds with high
      affinity to dead bone and calcium phosphate materials. Hence, an [18F]NaF PET/CT
      scan does not allow for sound conclusions about new bone ingrowth into bone
      allograft, healing activity in long bone shaft fractures with necrotic fragments,
      or remodeling around calcium phosphate coated prostheses.

PMID- 28914115
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes and perspective on adverse drug reaction reporting in a
      public sector hospital in South Africa: baseline analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can cause significant harm in patients;
      however, ADRs are under-reported in many countries, including South Africa, where
      evidence of a pharmacovigilance (PV) system to monitor and manage ADRs is a
      requirement for compliance with norms and standards for quality healthcare
      delivery. We conducted an analysis amongst health care professionals (HCPs) at
      Sebokeng Hospital to assess the situation there and make recommendations.
      METHODS: Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire,
      targeting all medical practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and pharmacist
      assistants in the hospital. Current procedures for reporting of ADRs were
      documented. Records were reviewed to determine the number of ADR reports
      submitted for the 18-month period prior to the study. Data were analysed with
      SAS. Ethical clearance was obtained. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by
      132 HCPs (nurses: 58.3%; medical practitioners: 23.5%; pharmacist assistants:
      11.4%; pharmacists: 6.8%). The vast majority indicated ADR reporting is necessary
      (96.2%) and their professional obligation (89.4%). Only 18.9% were aware of an
      existing PV system in the hospital, 15.2% had an ADR form available and 18.9%
      knew to whom the form should be submitted. The vast majority had never reported
      an ADR, had never received training in PV, but wanted training on ADR reporting.
      Factors discouraging ADR reporting included not knowing how to report them
      (53.8%), lack of time (37.1%), additional work load (22.0%), uncertainty about
      the outcome of reporting (32.6%), and lack of confidence to discuss ADRs with
      colleagues (22.0%). Only 2.3% knew how many ADRs were reported, that ADRs are
      discussed by a committee (6.1%) and that internal feedback is received on
      reported ADRs (6.1%). CONCLUSION: There is an extensive need in Sebokeng Hospital
      for training on ADR reporting and implementation of systems to facilitate
      relevant processes; a need which may also exist in other public hospitals in
      South Africa.

PMID- 28914116
TI  - Defining a core outcome set for adolescent and young adult patients with a spinal
      deformity.
AB  - Background and purpose - Routine outcome measurement has been shown to improve
      performance in several fields of healthcare. National spine surgery registries
      have been initiated in 5 Nordic countries. However, there is no agreement on
      which outcomes are essential to measure for adolescent and young adult patients
      with a spinal deformity. The aim of this study was to develop a core outcome set
      (COS) that will facilitate benchmarking within and between the 5 countries of the
      Nordic Spinal Deformity Society (NSDS) and other registries worldwide. Material
      and methods - From August 2015 to September 2016, 7 representatives (panelists)
      of the national spinal surgery registries from each of the NSDS countries
      participated in a modified Delphi study. With a systematic literature review as a
      basis and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
      framework as guidance, 4 consensus rounds were held. Consensus was defined as
      agreement between at least 5 of the 7 representatives. Data were analyzed
      qualitatively and quantitatively. Results - Consensus was reached on the
      inclusion of 13 core outcome domains: "satisfaction with overall outcome of
      surgery", "satisfaction with cosmetic result of surgery", "pain interference",
      physical functioning", "health-related quality of life", "recreation and
      leisure", "pulmonary fatigue", "change in deformity", "self-image", "pain
      intensity", "physical function", "complications", and "re-operation". Panelists
      agreed that the SRS-22r, EQ-5D, and a pulmonary fatigue questionnaire (yet to be
      developed) are the most appropriate set of patient-reported measurement
      instruments that cover these outcome domains. Interpretation - We have identified
      a COS for a large subgroup of spinal deformity patients for implementation and
      validation in the NSDS countries. This is the first study to further develop a
      COS in a global perspective.

PMID- 28914117
TI  - Making the case for innovative reentry employment programs: previously
      incarcerated women as birth doulas - a case study.
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to make a case for novel and innovative
      reentry programs focused on women of color and to describe policy recommendations
      that are necessary to support the sustainability of these programs and in turn
      the success of the women who participate in them. Design/methodology/approach A
      review and analysis of the literature that described job-training opportunities
      specifically targeted to women exiting jail and the impact on recidivism provided
      limited information. The authors developed, implemented, and evaluated doula
      training program for low-income and women of color to determine if birth work
      could provide stable income and decrease recidivism. Findings Training low-income
      formerly incarcerated women to become birth doulas is an innovative strategy to
      solve employment barriers faced by women reentering communities from jail.
      Realigning women within communities via birth support to other women also
      provides culturally relevant and appropriate members of the healthcare team for
      traditionally vulnerable populations. Doulas are important members of the
      healthcare workforce and can improve birth outcomes. The authors' work testing
      doula training, as a reentry vocational program has been successful in producing
      16 culturally relevant and appropriate doulas of color that experienced no re
      arrests and to date no program participant has experienced recidivism.
      Originality/value To be successful, the intersections of race, gender, and
      poverty, for women of color should be considered in the design of reentry
      programs for individuals exiting jail. The authors' work provided formerly
      incarcerated and low-income women of color with vocational skills that provide
      consistent income, serve as a gateway to the health professions, and increase the
      numbers of well-trained people of color who serve as providers of care.

PMID- 28914118
TI  - Universal opt-out screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) within correctional
      facilities is an effective intervention to improve public health.
AB  - Purpose Worldwide efforts to identify individuals infected with the hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) focus almost exclusively on community healthcare systems, thereby
      failing to reach high-risk populations and those with poor access to primary
      care. In the USA, community-based HCV testing policies and guidelines overlook
      correctional facilities, where HCV rates are believed to be as high as 40
      percent. This is a missed opportunity: more than ten million Americans move
      through correctional facilities each year. Herein, the purpose of this paper is
      to examine HCV testing practices in the US correctional system, California and
      describe how universal opt-out HCV testing could expand early HCV detection,
      improve public health in correctional facilities and communities, and prove cost
      effective over time. Design/methodology/approach A commentary on the value of
      standardizing screening programs across facilities by mandating all facilities
      (universal) to implement opt-out testing policies for all prisoners upon entry to
      the correctional facilities. Findings Current variability in facility-level
      testing programs results in inconsistent testing levels across correctional
      facilities, and therefore makes estimating the actual number of HCV-infected
      adults in the USA difficult. The authors argue that universal opt-out testing
      policies ensure earlier diagnosis of HCV among a population most affected by the
      disease and is more cost-effective than selective testing policies.
      Originality/value The commentary explores the current limitations of selective
      testing policies in correctional systems and provides recommendations and
      implications for public health and correctional organizations.

PMID- 28914119
TI  - Building on mental health training for law enforcement: strengthening community
      partnerships.
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the current state of law
      enforcement training related to the high number of interactions with persons with
      mental illness, and to recommend next steps in preparing law enforcement to
      effectively meet this challenge. Design/methodology/approach The authors reviewed
      the current literature on relevant law enforcement training programs, focusing
      primarily on crisis intervention team (CIT) training, and used the case example
      of California to identify opportunities to improve and enhance law enforcement
      preparedness for the challenge of responding to persons with mental illness.
      Findings Broad-based community partnerships working together to develop programs
      that meet the local needs of both those with mental illness and law enforcement,
      the availability of mental health treatment centers with no-refusal policies, and
      a coordinating person or agency to effectively liaise among stakeholders are
      critical enhancements to CIT training. Originality/value As increasing attention
      is paid to adverse interactions between police and vulnerable populations, this
      paper identifies policies that would build on existing training programs to
      improve police responses to persons with mental illness.

PMID- 28914120
TI  - The furthest left behind: the urgent need to scale up harm reduction in prisons.
AB  - Purpose Raise awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV and hepatitis C
      (HCV) on prisoners worldwide and the need for key harm reduction services such as
      needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy in prisons offer
      practical recommendations to assist policy makers in implementing or scaling up
      these services. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
      Design/methodology/approach This study is a desk review of existing data and
      evidence on HIV, HCV and harm reduction in prisons, analysis of political
      barriers and formulation of key policy recommendations. Findings Harm reduction
      works, yet service provision in prisons remains extremely limited. There is an
      urgent need for governments to enhance political leadership and funding for harm
      reduction in prisons. Authorities must also work to remove obstacles to the
      implementation of harm reduction services in prisons, enhance the monitoring and
      evaluation of laws, policies and programmes relating to HIV, HCV and drugs in
      prison settings, and recognise access to harm reduction in prisons as a
      fundamental human right. Until these obstacles are addressed, the world will not
      meet the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating HIV and HCV by 2030.
      Originality/value More than just a desk review, this policy brief provides a
      political analysis of the harm reduction crisis in prisons and offers clear-cut
      recommendations for policy makers.

PMID- 28914121
TI  - Evidence-based recommendations to improve reproductive healthcare for
      incarcerated women.
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe standards for evidence-based
      reproductive healthcare for incarcerated women. Design/methodology/approach The
      literature on reproductive healthcare in the US criminal justice system and
      recommendations from professional organizations were reviewed and critical areas
      of concern were identified. Within these areas, studies and expert opinion were
      synthesized and policy recommendations were formulated through an iterative
      process of group discussion and document revision. This brief specifically
      addresses women's incarceration in the USA, but the recommendations are grounded
      in a human rights framework with global relevance. Findings Women who are
      incarcerated have health needs that are distinct from those of men, and there is
      a clear need for gender-responsive reproductive healthcare within the criminal
      justice system. This brief identifies five core domains of reproductive
      healthcare: routine screening, menstruation-related concerns, prenatal and
      postpartum care, contraception and abortion, and sexually transmitted infections.
      The recommendations emphasize the continuity between the criminal justice system
      and the community, as well as the dignity and self-determination of incarcerated
      women. Originality/value This brief provides a unique synthesis of the available
      evidence with concrete recommendations for improving the reproductive healthcare
      for incarcerated women.

PMID- 28914122
TI  - Improving health in prisons - from evidence to policy to implementation -
      experiences from the UK.
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the components of a high
      quality prison healthcare system and the impact, ten-years on, of the transfer of
      accountability in England, from a justice ministry to a health ministry.
      Design/methodology/approach A rapid the evidence review was undertaken, which
      included a review of 82 papers and qualitative interviews with key informants.
      The concepts and themes identified were summarised and analysed through a
      framework analysis, designed to improve population outcomes and address health
      inequalities. The use of a rapid evidence assessment, rather than a systematic
      review methodology, the use of abstracts (rather than full-text articles) to
      extract the data, and limiting the search strategy to articles published in the
      English language only might mean that some relevant research papers and themes
      were not identified. The need for the evidence to be produced within a limited
      time frame and with limited resources determined these pragmatic approaches.
      Findings The review found that English prison healthcare has undergone
      "transformation" during this period, leading to increased quality of care through
      organisational engagement, professionalisation of the healthcare workforce,
      transparency, use of evidence-based guidance and responsiveness of services. The
      review also highlighted that there is still room for improvement, for example,
      relating to the prison regime and the lack of focus on early/preventive
      interventions, as well as specific challenges from limited resources. Research
      limitations/implications Time and resource constraints meant a rapid evidence
      review of papers in the English language was undertaken, rather than a systematic
      review. This might mean relevant papers have been missed. The review also only
      covered small number of countries, which may limit the transferability of
      findings. The lack of qualitative data necessitated the use of quantitative data
      gathered from key informants. However, this enabled a good understanding of
      current practice. Practical implications The review findings support the World
      Health Organisation position on the value of integrated prison and public health
      systems in improving quality of healthcare. It also recommends future policy
      needs to take account of the "whole prison approach" recognising that healthcare
      in prisons cannot operate in isolation from the prison regime or the community.
      Originality/value This is unique research which has great value in supporting
      prison reform in England. It will also be of interest internationally due to the
      paucity of data in the published peer-reviewed literature on the impact of
      commissioning models on healthcare or health outcomes.

PMID- 28914123
TI  - Advancing evidence-based interventions at the intersection of criminal justice
      and health.

PMID- 28914124
TI  - Case management helps prevent criminal justice recidivism for people with serious
      mental illness.
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how case management can decrease
      recidivism for people with serious mental illness (SMI) because people with SMI
      are at high risk for incarceration and recidivism. Design/methodology/approach
      Examples of successful case management models for formerly incarcerated
      individuals with SMI found through a secondary analysis of qualitative data and
      an analysis of the literature are presented. Findings Currently, no
      international, national, or statewide guidelines exist to ensure that formerly
      incarcerated individuals with SMI receive case management upon community reentry
      despite evidence that such services can prevent further criminal justice
      involvement. Recommendations include establishment of and evaluation of best
      practices for case management. In addition, the authors recommend additional
      funding for case management with the goal of greatly increasing the number of
      individuals with SMI leaving the criminal justice system in their ability to
      access adequate case management. Originality/value Providing effective case
      management tailored to the needs of formerly incarcerated people with SMI
      improves their quality of life and reduces their involvement in the criminal
      justice system with clear positive outcomes for public safety and public health.

PMID- 28914125
TI  - Mobilizing cross-sector community partnerships to address the needs of criminal
      justice-involved older adults: a framework for action.
AB  - Purpose The rapidly increasing number of older adults cycling through local
      criminal justice systems (jails, probation, and parole) suggests a need for
      greater collaboration among a diverse group of local stakeholders including
      professionals from healthcare delivery, public health, and criminal justice and
      directly affected individuals, their families, and advocates. The purpose of this
      paper is to develop a framework that local communities can use to understand and
      begin to address the needs of criminal justice-involved older adults.
      Design/methodology/approach The framework included solicit input from community
      stakeholders to identify pressing challenges facing criminal justice-involved
      older adults, conduct needs assessments of criminal justice-involved older adults
      and professionals working with them; implement quick-response interventions based
      on needs assessments; share findings with community stakeholders and generate
      public feedback; engage interdisciplinary group to develop an action plan to
      optimize services. Findings A five-step framework for creating an
      interdisciplinary community response is an effective approach to action planning
      and broad stakeholder engagement on behalf of older adults cycling through the
      criminal justice system. Originality/value This study proposes the Criminal
      Justice Involved Older Adults in Need of Treatment Initiative Framework for
      establishing an interdisciplinary community response to the growing population of
      medically and socially vulnerable criminal justice-involved older adults.

PMID- 28914126
TI  - Patient navigators effectively support HIV-infected individuals returning to the
      community from jail settings.
AB  - Purpose Patient navigation is an evidence-based approach for enhancing medical
      and support service co-ordination and ensuring linkage to medical care for people
      living with HIV released from jail. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
      Design/methodology/approach This brief describes the benefits of patient
      navigation and issues to consider when implementing a navigator program. The
      authors use process data to describe the type and amount of navigation services
      delivered as part of a randomized study, the "The San Francisco Navigator
      Project." Findings Navigation programs are able to accommodate a range of service
      needs; most clients required multiple types of services, particularly during the
      first two months after release. Originality/value Navigation programs should be
      prioritized because they provide unique and essential support for people leaving
      jail during the particularly vulnerable time immediately after release navigation
      plays a crucial role in retaining individuals in care and preventing onward
      transmission of HIV.

PMID- 28914127
TI  - Psychiatric and neurological symptoms in patients with Niemann-Pick disease type
      C (NP-C): Findings from the International NPC Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a rare inherited neurovisceral
      disease that should be recognised by psychiatrists as a possible underlying cause
      of psychiatric abnormalities. This study describes NP-C patients who had
      psychiatric manifestations at enrolment in the international NPC Registry, a
      unique multicentre, prospective, observational disease registry. METHODS:
      Treating physicians' data entries describing psychiatric manifestations in NPC
      patients were coded and grouped by expert psychiatrists. RESULTS: Out of 386 NP-C
      patients included in the registry as of October 2015, psychiatric abnormalities
      were reported to be present in 34% (94/280) of those with available data. Forty
      four patients were confirmed to have identifiable psychiatric manifestations,
      with text describing these psychiatric manifestations. In these 44 patients, the
      median (range) age at onset of psychiatric manifestations was 17.9 years (2.5
      67.9; n = 15), while the median (range) age at NP-C diagnosis was 23.7 years (0.2
      69.8; n = 34). Almost all patients (43/44; 98%) had an occurrence of >=1
      neurological manifestation at enrolment. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that
      substantial delays in diagnosis of NP-C are long among patients with psychiatric
      symptoms and, moreover, patients presenting with psychiatric features and at
      least one of cognitive impairment, neurological manifestations, and/or visceral
      symptoms should be screened for NP-C.

PMID- 28914128
TI  - Risk factors associated with acute kidney injury in a cohort of 20,575
      arthroplasty patients.

PMID- 28914129
TI  - Maternal high-fat diet programs cerebrovascular remodeling in adult rat
      offspring.
AB  - Maternal environmental factors such as diet have consequences on later health of
      the offspring. We found that maternal high-fat diet (HFD) exposure renders adult
      offspring brain more susceptible to ischemic injury. The present study was
      further to investigate whether HFD consumption during rat pregnancy and lactation
      influences the cerebral vasculature in adult male offspring. Besides the
      endothelial damage observed in the transmission electron microscopy, the MCAs of
      offspring from fat-fed dams fed with control diet (HFD/C) also displayed
      increased wall thickness and media/lumen ratio, suggesting that cerebrovascular
      hypertrophy or hyperplasia occurs. Moreover, smaller lumen diameter and elevated
      myogenic tone of the MCAs over a range of intralumenal pressures indicate inward
      cerebrovascular remodeling in HFD/C rats, with a concomitant increase in vessel
      stiffness. More importantly, both wire and pressure myography demonstrated that
      maternal HFD intake also enhanced the MCAs contractility to ET-1, accompanied by
      increases in ET types A receptor (ETAR) but not B (ETBR) density in the arteries.
      Furthermore, ETAR antagonism but not ETBR antagonism restored maternal HFD
      induced cerebrovascular dysfunction in adult offspring. Taken together, maternal
      diet can substantially influence adult offspring cerebrovascular health, through
      remodeling of both structure and function, at least partially in an ET-1 manner.

PMID- 28914130
TI  - High failure rate after internal fixation and beneficial outcome after
      arthroplasty in treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures in patients between
      55 and 70 years.
AB  - Background and purpose - The treatment of patients between 55 and 70 years with
      displaced intracapsular femoral neck fracture remains controversial. We compared
      internal fixation (IF), bipolar hemiarthroplasty (HA) and total hip arthroplasty
      (THA) in terms of mortality, reoperations and patient-reported outcome by using
      data from the Norwegian Hip Fracture Register. Patients and methods - We included
      2,713 patients treated between 2005 and 2012. 1,111 patients were treated with
      IF, 1,030 with HA and 572 patients with THA. Major reoperations (defined as re
      osteosynthesis, secondary arthroplasty, exchange, or removal of prosthesis
      components and Girdlestone procedure), patient-reported outcome measures
      (satisfaction, pain, and health-related quality of life (EQ5D) after 4 and 12
      months), 1-year mortality, and change in treatment methods over the study period
      were investigated. Results - Major reoperations occurred in 27% after IF, 3.8%
      after HA and 2.8% after THA. 549 patients (20% of total study population)
      answered both questionnaires. Compared with IF, patients treated with THA were
      more satisfied after 4 and 12 months, reported less pain after 4 months and 12
      months, had a higher EQ5D-index score after 4 months and 12 months, and EQ-VAS
      score after 4 months. Compared with IF, patients treated with HA were more
      satisfied and reported less pain after 4 months. EQ5D-index and EQ-VAS were
      similar. Patients treated with HA had higher 1-year mortality and had more
      comorbidities than both the THA and IF group. All these differences were
      statistically and clinically significant. Interpretation - This study showed high
      reoperation rate after IF and better patient-reported outcome after both THA and
      HA with medium follow-up. Patients selected for HA represented a frailer group
      than patients treated with THA or IF.

PMID- 28914131
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Repeat Open-Label AbobotulinumtoxinA Treatment in
      Pediatric Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - This was a prospective, repeat-treatment, open-label study (NCT01251380) of
      abobotulinumtoxinA for the management of lower limb spasticity in children who
      had completed a double-blind study. Children (2-17 years) received injections
      into the gastrocnemius-soleus complex, and other distal and proximal muscles as
      required (maximum total dose per injection cycle: 30 U/kg or 1000U). A total of
      216 of the 241 double-blind patients entered the extension study and 207 received
      >=1 open label injection into the gastrocnemius-soleus; 17-24% of patients also
      had injections into the hamstrings. The most frequent adverse events were related
      to common childhood infections and the most frequent treatment-related adverse
      event was injection site pain (n = 10). There was no evidence of a cumulative
      effect on adverse events. Sustained significant clinical improvements in muscle
      tone (Modified Ashworth Scale), spasticity (Tardieu Scale), overall clinical
      benefit (Physicians Global Assessment), and goal attainment (Goal Attainment
      Scale) were also observed across treatment cycles.

PMID- 28914133
TI  - Age of donor of human mesenchymal stem cells affects structural and functional
      recovery after cell therapy following ischaemic stroke.
AB  - Cell transplantation therapy offers great potential to improve impairments after
      stroke. However, the importance of donor age on therapeutic efficacy is unclear.
      We investigated the regenerative capacity of transplanted cells focusing on donor
      age (young vs. old) for ischaemic stroke. The quantities of human mesenchymal
      stem cell (hMSC) secreted brain-derived neurotrophic factor in vitro and of
      monocyte chemotactic protein-1 at day 7 in vivo were both significantly higher
      for young hMSC compared with old hMSC. Male Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to
      transient middle cerebral artery occlusion that received young hMSC (trans
      arterially at 24 h after stroke) showed better behavioural recovery with
      prevention of brain atrophy compared with rats that received old hMSC.
      Histological analysis of the peri-infarct cortex showed that rats treated with
      young hMSC had significantly fewer microglia and more vessels covered with
      pericytes. Interestingly, migration of neural stem/progenitor cells expressing
      Musashi-1 positively correlated with astrocyte process alignment, which was more
      pronounced for young hMSC. Aging of hMSC may be a critical factor that affects
      cell therapy outcomes, and transplantation of young hMSC appears to provide
      better functional recovery through anti-inflammatory effects, vessel maturation,
      and neurogenesis potentially by the dominance of trophic factor secretion.

PMID- 28914134
TI  - Blunted cerebrovascular response is associated with elevated beta-amyloid.
AB  - The goal of this study was to explore the association of beta-amyloid
      accumulation and cerebrovascular response (CVR) in cognitively normal older
      adults. Beta-amyloid accumulation was characterized with [18F] Florbetapir
      positron emission tomography scans. CVR was calculated as middle cerebral artery
      blood flow velocity change from rest to moderate intensity exercise. We found
      that individuals with elevated beta-amyloid aggregation had a blunted CVR ( n =
      25, age 70.1 +/- 4.8; 3.3 +/- 3.7 cm/s) compared to non-elevated individuals ( n
      = 45, age 72.0 +/- 4.9; 7.2 +/- 5.0 cm/s, p < 0.001). Further, greater beta
      amyloid burden was linearly associated with less CVR across all participants (b =
      -11.7, p < 0.001). Greater CVR and less beta-amyloid burden were associated with
      processing speed ( p < 0.05). This study is the first to show that CVR from rest
      to exercise is blunted across increased global beta-amyloid burden.

PMID- 28914132
TI  - Reverse electron transfer results in a loss of flavin from mitochondrial complex
      I: Potential mechanism for brain ischemia reperfusion injury.
AB  - Ischemic stroke is one of the most prevalent sources of disability in the world.
      The major brain tissue damage takes place upon the reperfusion of ischemic
      tissue. Energy failure due to alterations in mitochondrial metabolism and
      elevated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the main causes of
      brain ischemia-reperfusion (IR) damage. Ischemia resulted in the accumulation of
      succinate in tissues, which favors the process of reverse electron transfer (RET)
      when a fraction of electrons derived from succinate is directed to mitochondrial
      complex I for the reduction of matrix NAD+. We demonstrate that in intact brain
      mitochondria oxidizing succinate, complex I became damaged and was not able to
      contribute to the physiological respiration. This process is associated with a
      decline in ROS release and a dissociation of the enzyme's flavin. This previously
      undescribed phenomenon represents the major molecular mechanism of injury in
      stroke and induction of oxidative stress after reperfusion. We also demonstrate
      that the origin of ROS during RET is flavin of mitochondrial complex I. Our study
      highlights a novel target for neuroprotection against IR brain injury and
      provides a sensitive biochemical marker for this process.

PMID- 28914135
TI  - Hemodynamic and Anatomic Predictors of Renovisceral Stent-Graft Occlusion
      Following Chimney Endovascular Repair of Juxtarenal Aortic Aneurysms.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify anatomic and hemodynamic changes associated with impending
      visceral chimney stent-graft occlusion after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR)
      with the chimney technique (chEVAR). METHODS: A retrospective evaluation was
      performed of computed tomography scans from 41 patients who underwent juxtarenal
      chEVAR from 2008 to 2012 to identify stent-grafts demonstrating conformational
      changes following initial placement. Six subjects (mean age 74 years; 3 men) were
      selected for detailed reconstruction and computational hemodynamic analysis; 4
      had at least 1 occluded chimney stent-graft. This subset of repairs was
      systematically analyzed to define the anatomic and hemodynamic impact of these
      changes and identify signature patterns associated with impending renovisceral
      stent-graft occlusion. Spatial and temporal analyses of cross-sectional area,
      centerline angle, intraluminal pressure, and wall shear stress (WSS) were
      performed within the superior mesenteric and renal artery chimney grafts used for
      repair. RESULTS: Conformational changes in the chimney stent-grafts and
      associated perturbations, in both local WSS and pressure, were responsible for
      the 5 occlusions in the 13 stented branches. Anatomic and hemodynamic signatures
      leading to occlusion were identified within 1 month postoperatively, with a lumen
      area <14 mm2 (p=0.04), systolic pressure gradient >25 Pa/mm (p=0.03), and
      systolic WSS >45 Pa (p=0.03) associated with future chimney stent-graft
      occlusion. CONCLUSION: Chimney stent-grafts at increased risk for occlusion
      demonstrated anatomic and hemodynamic signatures within 1 month of juxtarenal
      chEVAR. Analysis of these parameters in the early postoperative period may be
      useful for identifying and remediating these high-risk stent-grafts.

PMID- 28914136
TI  - Protecting the Innocence of Youth: Moral Sanctity Values Underlie Censorship From
      Young Children.
AB  - Three studies examined the relationship between people's moral values (drawing on
      moral foundations theory) and their willingness to censor immoral acts from
      children. Results revealed that diverse moral values did not predict censorship
      judgments. It was not the case that participants who valued loyalty and
      authority, respectively, sought to censor depictions of disloyal and disobedient
      acts. Rather, censorship intentions were predicted by a single moral value
      sanctity. The more people valued sanctity, the more willing they were to censor
      from children, regardless of the types of violations depicted (impurity,
      disloyalty, disobedience, etc.). Furthermore, people who valued sanctity objected
      to indecent exposure only to apparently innocent and pure children-those who were
      relatively young and who had not been previously exposed to immoral acts. These
      data suggest that sanctity, purity, and the preservation of innocence underlie
      intentions to censor from young children.

PMID- 28914137
TI  - Comparing phoneme frequency, age of acquisition, and loss in aphasia:
      Implications for phonological universals.
AB  - Phonological complexity may be central to the nature of human language. It may
      shape the distribution of phonemes and phoneme sequences within languages, but
      also determine age of acquisition and susceptibility to loss in aphasia. We
      evaluated this claim using frequency statistics derived from a corpus of
      phonologically transcribed Italian words (phonitalia, available at
      phonitalia,org), rankings of phoneme age of acquisition (AoA) and rate of phoneme
      errors in patients with apraxia of speech (AoS) as an indication of articulatory
      complexity. These measures were related to cross-linguistically derived
      markedness rankings. We found strong correspondences. AoA, however, was predicted
      by both apraxic errors and frequency, suggesting independent contributions of
      these variables. Our results support the reality of universal principles of
      complexity. In addition they suggest that these complexity principles have
      articulatory underpinnings since they modulate the production of patients with
      AoS, but not the production of patients with more central phonological
      difficulties.

PMID- 28914138
TI  - The Role of Conscious Attention in How Weight Serves as an Embodiment of
      Importance.
AB  - Inconsistency among findings in the embodied cognition literature suggests a need
      for theoretical boundary conditions. The current research proposes that conscious
      attention of a bodily state can moderate its influence on social judgment. Three
      studies tested this possibility in the case of the demonstrated effect of weight
      sensations on judgments of an abstract idea's importance. Studies 1 and 2 showed
      that participants rated a topic as more important when holding a moderately
      heavy, compared with light, clipboard. However, when the clipboard was very
      heavy, participants rated the survey topic as less important compared with when
      the clipboard was moderately heavy. The differences in importance ratings were
      not caused by derogation of the topic or the activation of a different metaphor.
      In Study 3, the importance rating difference between light and moderately heavy
      clipboards was eliminated by explicitly drawing perceiver's attention to the
      clipboard's weight. Implications and future directions are discussed.

PMID- 28914139
TI  - The influence of geometric design variables on the kinematic performance of a
      surface-guided total knee replacement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tibiofemoral geometries in a total knee replacement (TKR) affect the
      performance of an implant during activities of daily living. The specially shaped
      components of a surface-guided TKR aim to control the tibiofemoral motion, such
      that a normal pattern of motion is achieved, even at high flexion angles. The
      purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the design parameters on the
      kinematic behavior of such an implant. A combination of design variables was
      determined that resulted in the least deviation from the design kinematic target.
      METHODS: Six major design variables were considered to generate customized
      surface-guided TKR candidates. The contribution of these variables was evaluated
      by principal component analysis considering the input design variables and the
      results of the kinematic performance from a virtual simulation of deep squatting.
      The tibial internal-external rotation and the anterior-posterior translation of
      the medial and lateral femoral condyles were recorded for each design candidate.
      A quantified objective function of the kinematic behavior was used to define the
      design with a maximum agreement with the target pattern of motion. RESULTS: The
      location and orientation of the flexion-extension axis and the tibial slope were
      the most contributing parameters on the modes of variation. On the other hand,
      the conformity between the lateral guiding arcs had the least contribution.
      CONCLUSION: Virtual simulation showed that the current TKR reached deep flexion
      angles under squat load, while the tibia pivoted around the medial center. The
      tibial rotation was within the expected range of the IE rotation from healthy
      joints.

PMID- 28914140
TI  - The Faces of Group Members Share Physical Resemblance.
AB  - Perceivers form strong inferences of disposition from others' facial appearance,
      and these inferences guide a wide variety of important behaviors. The current
      research examines the possibility that similar-looking individuals are more
      likely to form groups with one another. We do so by testing a necessary
      downstream consequence of this process, examining whether the faces of
      individuals within groups more physically resemble one another than those in
      other groups. Across six studies, we demonstrate that individuals' group
      membership can be accurately classified both from ratings of members' faces, and
      from direct measurement of members' faces. Results provide insight into how
      affiliative groups initially form and maintain membership over time, as well as
      the perception of homogeneity of groups.

PMID- 28914141
TI  - Higher USA State Resident Neuroticism Is Associated With Lower State Volunteering
      Rates.
AB  - Highly neurotic persons have dispositional characteristics that tend to
      precipitate social anxiety that discourages formal volunteering. With the 50
      American states as analytical units, Study 1 found that state resident
      neuroticism correlated highly ( r = -.55) with state volunteering rates and
      accounted for another 26.8% of the volunteering rate variance with selected state
      demographics controlled. Study 2 replicated Study 1 during another period and
      extended the association to college student, senior, secular, and religious
      volunteering rates. Study 3 showed state resident percentages engaged in other
      social behaviors involving more familiarity and fewer demands than formal
      volunteering related to state volunteering rates but not to neuroticism. In Study
      4, state resident neuroticism largely accounted statistically for relations
      between state volunteering rates and state population density, collectivism,
      social capital, Republican preference, and well-being. This research is the first
      to show that state resident neuroticism is a potent predictor of state
      volunteering rates.

PMID- 28914142
TI  - Theorizing and Measuring Religiosity Across Cultures.
AB  - For almost 50 years, psychologists have been theorizing about and measuring
      religiosity essentially the way Gordon Allport did, when he distinguished between
      intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity. However, there is a historical debate
      regarding what this scale actually measures, which items should be included, and
      how many factors or subscales exist. To provide more definitive answers, we
      estimated a series of confirmatory factor analysis models comparing four
      competing theories for how to score Gorsuch and McPherson's commonly used measure
      of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity. We then formally investigated measurement
      invariance across U.S. Protestants, Irish Catholics, and Turkish Muslims and
      across U.S. Protestants, Catholics, and Muslims. We provide evidence that a five
      item version of intrinsic religiosity is invariant across the U.S. samples and
      predicts less warmth toward atheists and gay men/lesbians, validating the scale.
      Our results suggest that a variation of Gorsuch and McPherson's measure may be
      appropriate for some but not all uses in cross-cultural research.

PMID- 28914143
TI  - In Harm's Way: On Preferential Response to Threatening Stimuli.
AB  - Given the evolutionary significance of survival, the mind might be particularly
      sensitive (in terms of strength and speed of reaction) to stimuli that pose an
      immediate threat to physical harm. To rectify limitations in past research, we
      pilot-tested stimuli to obtain images that are threatening, nonthreatening
      negative, positive, or neutral. Three studies revealed that participants (a) were
      faster to detect a threatening than nonthreatening-negative image when each was
      embedded among positive or neutral images, (b) oriented their initial gaze more
      frequently toward threatening than nonthreatening-negative, positive, or neutral
      images, and (c) evidenced larger startle-eyeblinks to threatening than to
      nonthreatening-negative, positive, or neutral images. Social-psychological
      implications for the mind's sensitivity to threat are discussed.

PMID- 28914144
TI  - Impaired disengagement of attention and its relationship to emotional distress in
      infants at high-risk for autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We provide data on visual orienting and emotional distress in
      infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD:
      Participants included 83 high-risk (HR) infants with an older sibling with ASD
      and 53 low-risk (LR) control infants with no family history of ASD. Infants were
      assessed on the gap-overlap task and a parent-completed temperament questionnaire
      at 6 and 12 months of age. At 36 months of age, an independent, gold standard
      diagnostic assessment for ASD was conducted. RESULTS: HR infants subsequently
      diagnosed with ASD were distinguished at 12 months by an asymmetric disengage
      impairment (for left- vs. right-sided stimuli) that was associated with an
      increase in latencies between 6 and 12 months. Across groups, prolonged left
      directed disengage latencies at 12 months were associated with emotional distress
      (high irritability and difficult to soothe). CONCLUSIONS: The asymmetry in our
      findings raises the question of whether the disengage problem in ASD is at base
      one of orienting or alerting attention. Our findings also raise the question of
      whether attention training might be a critical ingredient in the early treatment
      of ASD.

PMID- 28914145
TI  - Did You Reject Me for Someone Else? Rejections That Are Comparative Feel Worse.
AB  - Rejections differ. For those who are rejected, one important difference is
      whether they are rejected for someone else (comparative rejection) or no one at
      all (noncomparative rejection). We examined the effect of this distinction on
      emotional reactions to a rejection in four studies ( N = 608), one of which was
      fully preregistered. Our results show that comparative rejections feel worse than
      noncomparative rejections and that this may be because such rejections lead to an
      increased sense of exclusion and decreased belonging. Furthermore, we found
      evidence that, by default, people react to a rejection as though it were
      comparative-that is, in the absence of any information about whether they have
      been rejected for someone or no one, they react as negatively as if they were
      rejected for someone. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these
      findings, including why people often seek out information in the wake of a
      rejection.

PMID- 28914146
TI  - Effects of age and type of picture on visuospatial working memory assessed with a
      computerized jigsaw-puzzle task.
AB  - We investigated the effect of age and color in a computerized version of the
      jigsaw-puzzle task. In Experiment 1, young and older adults were presented with
      puzzles in color and black-and-white line drawings, varying in difficulty from 4
      to 9 pieces. Older adults performed the task better with the black-and-white
      stimuli and younger adults performed better with the color ones. In Experiment 2,
      new older and young adults identified the same fragmented pictures as fast and
      accurately as possible. The older group identified the black-and-white stimuli
      faster than those presented in color, while the younger adults identified both
      similarly. In Experiment 3A, new older and young groups performed the puzzle task
      with the same color pictures and their monochrome versions. In Experiment 3B,
      participants performed a speeded identification task with the two sets. The
      findings of these experiments showed that older adults have a memory not a
      perceptual difficulty.

PMID- 28914147
TI  - Attitudes Toward Euthanasia Among Turkish University Students.
AB  - This study aims to examine perceptions and attitudes toward euthanasia among
      university students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees. Although the
      legalization and application of euthanasia are discussed commonly by health-care
      professionals and partially by lawyers, the ideas of other segments of society,
      especially university students, are taken place very rarely. The research was
      conducted descriptively to determine the ideas of 1,170 students at Kastamonu
      University from six different departments: arts and sciences, theology, tourism,
      nursing, school of physical education, and sports with using a questionnaire.
      Findings demonstrated that 73.2% of the students do not approve euthanasia. Also,
      it was found that there are significant differences depending on age, gender,
      department of study, income level, place of living, and the loss of kinsmen. This
      study serves as a resource for future research to understand the effects of
      sociodemographic characteristics on the decision of euthanasia.

PMID- 28914148
TI  - DNA methylation in candidate genes for handedness predicts handedness direction.
AB  - Handedness is a complex trait influenced by both genetic and non-genetic factors.
      Asymmetries of DNA methylation and gene expression in the developing foetus are
      thought to underlie its development. However, its molecular epigenetics are not
      well understood. We collected buccal cells from adult left- and right-handers (n
      = 60) to investigate whether epigenetic biomarkers of handedness can be
      identified in non-neuronal tissue. We associated DNA methylation in promoter
      regions of candidate genes with handedness direction. Results indicate that DNA
      methylation of genes asymmetrically expressed in the foetal brain or spinal cord
      might play a role within such a multifactorial model. Moreover, we provide
      tentative evidence that birth stress might be a factor that affects DNA
      methylation in NEUROD6, a gene that is asymmetrically expressed in foetal brains.

PMID- 28914149
TI  - Identifying the nature of impairments in executive functioning and working memory
      of children with severe difficulties in arithmetic.
AB  - An age-matched achievement-matched design was used to examine whether the
      executive functioning and working memory impairments exhibited by children with
      severe difficulties in arithmetic (SDA) are better viewed as developmental lags
      or as cognitive deficits. Three groups of children were included: 20 SDA
      children, 20 typically achieving children (CM) matched in chronological age with
      the SDA children, and 20 younger typically achieving children (AM) matched in
      achievement with the SDA group. While children with SDA did not exhibit
      impairments in color-word inhibition and verbal working memory, they did
      demonstrate impairments in shifting, quantity-digits inhibition, and visuospatial
      working memory. As children with SDA did not perform more poorly than their AM
      counterparts on any of these tasks, impairments in specific areas of executive
      functioning and working memory appear to reflect developmental lags rather than
      cognitive deficits.

PMID- 28914150
TI  - A computerized test for the assessment of mild cognitive impairment subtypes in
      sentence processing.
AB  - This study examines thesentence processing ability of mild cognitive impairment
      (MCI) subtypes. In addition to standard MCI neuropsychological tests, an
      experimental approach was applied to assess language. 133 people (93 MCI/40
      controls) participated in novel computerized sentence processing tasks. Results
      presented statistically significant differences between MCI/controls andMCI
      subtypes (ANOVA):(a) duration F(2,92) = 19.259,p < .001) in sentence
      construction; (b) correct answers (F(2, 89) = 8.560,p < .001) and duration
      (F2,89) = 15.525,p < .001)in text comprehension; (c) correct answers (F(2, 92) =
      8.975,p < .001) andduration (F(2, 92) = 4.360,p = .016) in metaphoric sentences
      comprehension; (d) correct answers (F(2, 92) = 12.836,p < .001) andduration (F(2,
      92) = 10.974,p < .001) in verb form generation. Subtle changes in MCIsubtypes
      could affect sentence processing and provide useful information for cognitive
      decline risk estimation and screening purposes.

PMID- 28914151
TI  - Defining Social Class Across Time and Between Groups.
AB  - We examined changes over four decades and between ethnic groups in how people
      define their social class. Changes included the increasing importance of income,
      decreasing importance of occupational prestige, and the demise of the "Victorian
      bargain," in which poor people who subscribed to conservative sexual and
      religious norms could think of themselves as middle class. The period also saw
      changes (among Whites) and continuity (among Black Americans) in subjective
      status perceptions. For Whites (and particularly poor Whites), their perceptions
      of enhanced social class were greatly reduced. Poor Whites now view their social
      class as slightly but significantly lower than their poor Black and Latino
      counterparts. For Black respondents, a caste-like understanding of social class
      persisted, as they continued to view their class standing as relatively
      independent of their achieved education, income, and occupation. Such achievement
      indicators, however, predicted Black respondents' self-esteem more than they
      predicted self-esteem for any other group.

PMID- 28914152
TI  - Half a Gift Is Not Half-Hearted: A Giver-Receiver Asymmetry in the Thoughtfulness
      of Partial Gifts.
AB  - Four studies document an asymmetry in givers' and receivers' evaluations of
      gifts: Givers underestimate the extent to which receivers perceive partial (but
      more desirable) gifts to be thoughtful, valuable, and worthy of appreciation.
      Study 1 documents this asymmetry and suggests that givers underestimate the
      extent to which partial gifts signal thoughtfulness to receivers. Study 2
      replicates this asymmetry in the context of a real gift exchange among friends.
      Study 3 shows that this asymmetry arises because givers believe that purchasing
      partial gifts is a greater violation of gift-giving norms than do receivers,
      leading givers to expect that partial gifts will damage receivers' perceptions of
      a gift's value. Study 4 offers an intervention that induces givers to select the
      (partial) gifts that receivers prefer more than givers expect: framing a gift's
      separate components as complete units.

PMID- 28914153
TI  - Cardiotoxicity with carfilzomib at doses greater than 27 mg/m2: A case series.
AB  - Carfilzomib is a second-generation proteasome inhibitor that irreversibly
      inhibits chymotrypsin-like (CT-L) activities of the proteasome, and is indicated
      for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Cardiotoxicity is a well-established
      adverse effect of carfilzomib. The extent of cardiac toxicity in the literature
      spans anywhere from palpitations to cardiac arrest, with the most commonly
      reported manifestation being new-onset or worsening heart failure. A pre-clinical
      study of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of carfilzomib given via
      intravenous bolus or 30-minute infusion in rats showed that carfilzomib can
      strongly induce apoptosis and potently damage cardiac myocytes at clinically
      relevant concentrations. Moreover, the mortality rate with the bolus
      administration was 44% whereas the same dose administered as a 30-minute infusion
      did not result in mortality. There remains limited clinical data regarding the
      safety of carfilzomib at doses of 27-56 mg/m2 based on infusion times as these
      doses have not been well studied. This retrospective review was conducted to
      evaluate the safety of carfilzomib at doses >27 mg/m2 at all infusion times.

PMID- 28914154
TI  - The Failure of Null Hypothesis Significance Testing When Studying Incremental
      Changes, and What to Do About It.
AB  - A standard mode of inference in social and behavioral science is to establish
      stylized facts using statistical significance in quantitative studies. However,
      in a world in which measurements are noisy and effects are small, this will not
      work: selection on statistical significance leads to effect sizes which are
      overestimated and often in the wrong direction. After a brief discussion of two
      examples, one in economics and one in social psychology, we consider the
      procedural solution of open postpublication review, the design solution of
      devoting more effort to accurate measurements and within-person comparisons, and
      the statistical analysis solution of multilevel modeling and reporting all
      results rather than selection on significance. We argue that the current
      replication crisis in science arises in part from the ill effects of null
      hypothesis significance testing being used to study small effects with noisy
      data. In such settings, apparent success comes easy but truly replicable results
      require a more serious connection between theory, measurement, and data.

PMID- 28914155
TI  - Psychological Foundations of Xenophilia: Understanding and Measuring the
      Motivational Functions of Exploratory Cross-Cultural Contact.
AB  - Two multipart studies (total N = 1,638) were conducted to introduce and test a
      functional perspective on exploratory cross-cultural contact. Studies 1a and 1b
      addressed the lack of standardized measures and developed a psychometrically
      valid inventory of six individual motivational functions: knowledge and
      understanding, value expression, professional advancement, social development,
      personal-, and group-image concerns. Studies 2a and 2b produced experimental
      evidence that different environments offer differing "fulfillment opportunities"
      such that the motivating potential of a distinct contact function results from a
      function by environment fit. First, participants were more persuaded by and
      wanted to visit a cultural center more when it matched their motivational
      functions (Study 2a). Second, participants showed a preference to choose an
      intercultural interaction partner with a higher potential over a partner with a
      lower potential to fulfill their primary cross-cultural contact motivation (Study
      2b, preregistered). Theoretical and practical implications of this perspective
      are discussed.

PMID- 28914156
TI  - Lexical decision performance in developmental surface dysgraphia: Evidence for a
      unitary orthographic system that is used in both reading and spelling.
AB  - The relationship between spelling, written word recognition, and picture naming
      is investigated in a study of seven bilingual adults who have developmental
      surface dysgraphia in both Greek (their first language) and English (their second
      language). Four of the cases also performed poorly at orthographic lexical
      decision in both languages. This finding is consistent with similar results in
      Italian that have been taken as evidence of a developmental impairment to a
      single orthographic system that is used for both reading and spelling. The
      remaining three participants performed well at orthographic lexical decision. At
      first sight, preserved lexical decision in surface dysgraphia is less easy to
      explain in terms of a shared orthographic system. However, the results of
      subsequent experiments showed clear parallels between the nature of the reading
      and spelling difficulties that these three individuals experienced, consistent
      with the existence of a single orthographic system. The different patterns that
      were observed were consistent with the claims of Friedmann and Lukov (2008.
      Developmental surface dyslexias. Cortex, 44, 1146-1160) that several distinct sub
      types of developmental surface dyslexia exist. We show that individual
      differences in spelling in surface dysgraphia are also consistent with these sub
      types; there are different developmental deficits that can give rise, in an
      individual, to a combination of surface dyslexia and dysgraphia. Finally, we
      compare the theoretical framework used by Friedmann and her colleagues that is
      based upon the architecture of the DRC model with an account that relies instead
      upon the Triangle model of reading].

PMID- 28914157
TI  - Keeping Minorities Happy: Hierarchy Maintenance and Whites' Decreased Support for
      Highly Identified White Politicians.
AB  - We test the hypothesis that, to avoid provoking minorities, Whites will withhold
      their support for White political candidates who are highly identified with their
      race. In Study 1, we found that White Republicans were less supportive of White
      candidates the higher the perceived White identity of the candidate due to
      beliefs that such candidates would provoke racial minorities. In Study 2, we
      replicated this effect with a manipulation of candidates' White identity. Study 3
      found that Whites reported less support for high-identity candidates when they
      were led to believe that the hierarchy was unstable rather than stable.
      Consistent with our hypothesis that those who have the most to lose are most
      likely to avoid provoking minorities, in Study 4, we found that Whites with high
      subjective socioeconomic status (SES) varied their support for provocative White
      candidates as a function of hierarchy stability, whereas those with low
      subjective SES did not.

PMID- 28914158
TI  - Studying Positive and Negative Direct and Extended Contact: Complementing Self
      Reports With Social Network Analysis.
AB  - Traditionally, studies of intergroup contact have primarily relied on self
      reports, which constitute a valid method for studying intergroup contact, but has
      limitations, especially if researchers are interested in negative or extended
      contact. In three studies, we apply social network analyses to generate
      alternative contact parameters. Studies 1 and 2 examine self-reported and network
      based parameters of positive and negative contact using cross-sectional datasets
      ( N = 291, N = 258), indicating that both methods help explain intergroup
      relations. Study 3 examines positive and negative direct and extended contact
      using the previously validated network-based contact parameters in a large-scale,
      international, and longitudinal dataset ( N = 12,988), demonstrating that
      positive and negative direct and extended contact all uniquely predict intergroup
      relations (i.e., intergroup attitudes and future outgroup contact). Findings
      highlight the value of social network analysis for examining the full complexity
      of contact including positive and negative forms of direct and extended contact.

PMID- 28914159
TI  - Positive Stereotype Validation: The Bolstering Effects of Activating Positive
      Stereotypes After Intellectual Performance.
AB  - Past research has found that members of stigmatized groups may feel more certain
      of poor performance when negative stereotypes are made accessible after finishing
      a task (i.e., stereotype validation). However, no research to date has identified
      the potential effects of activating positive stereotypes after performance. Based
      on past research and theory, we hypothesized that such positive stereotype
      validation may serve to bolster-rather than hinder-important beliefs related to
      one's abilities and future task performance. Across three studies, the
      accessibility of positive group stereotypes was manipulated after participants
      completed an initial test on a topic. Consistent with predictions, the activation
      of positive, self-relevant stereotypes after the initial test was found to
      increase how certain participants were that they performed well on it.
      Furthermore, these increases in evaluative certainty predicted more positive
      ability beliefs, higher expectations for future performance, and better
      performance on a follow-up test that participants completed.

PMID- 28914160
TI  - Making Boundaries Great Again: Essentialism and Support for Boundary-Enhancing
      Initiatives.
AB  - Psychological essentialism entails a focus on category boundaries (e.g.,
      categorizing people as men or women) and an increase in the conceptual distance
      between those boundaries (e.g., accentuating the differences between men and
      women). Across eight studies, we demonstrate that essentialism additionally
      entails an increase in support for boundary-enhancing legislation, policies, and
      social services, and that it does so under conditions that disadvantage social
      groups, as well as conditions that benefit them. First, individual differences in
      essentialism were associated with support for legislation mandating that
      transgender people use restrooms corresponding with their biological sex, and
      with support for the boundary-enhancing policies of the 2016 then-presumptive
      Republican presidential nominee (i.e., Donald Trump). Second, essentialism was
      associated with support for same-gender classrooms designed to promote student
      learning, as well as support for services designed to benefit LGBTQ (lesbian,
      gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) individuals. These findings demonstrate the
      boundary-enhancing implications of essentialism and their social significance.

PMID- 28914161
TI  - A Net of Friends: Investigating Friendship by Integrating Attachment Theory and
      Social Network Analysis.
AB  - The current article focuses on attachment style-an individual difference widely
      studied in the field of close relationships-and its application to the study of
      social networks. Specifically, we investigated whether attachment style predicts
      perception and management of social networks. In Study 1, we examined the
      associations of attachment style with perceptions of network tie strength and
      multiplexity. In Studies 2a and 2b, we investigated the association between
      attachment style and network management skills (initiating, maintaining, and
      dissolving ties) and whether network management skills mediated the associations
      of attachment style with network tie strength and multiplexity. In Study 3,
      experimentally enhancing attachment security made people more likely to initiate
      and less likely to dissolve social ties (for the latter, especially among those
      high on avoidance or anxiety). As for maintenance, security priming also
      increased maintenance; however, mainly among people high on attachment anxiety or
      low on attachment avoidance.

PMID- 28914162
TI  - Mere Gifting: Liking a Gift More Because It Is Shared.
AB  - We investigated a type of mere similarity that describes owning the same item as
      someone else. Moreover, we examined this mere similarity in a gift-giving
      context, whereby givers gift something that they also buy for themselves (a
      behavior we call "companionizing"). Using a Heiderian account of balancing unit
      sentiment relations, we tested whether gift recipients like gifts more when gifts
      are companionized. Akin to mere ownership, which describes people liking their
      possessions more merely because they own them, we tested a complementary
      prediction: whether people like their possessions more merely because others own
      them too. Thus, in a departure from previous work, we examined a type of
      similarity based on two people sharing the same material item. We find that this
      type of sharing causes gift recipients to like their gifts more, and feel closer
      to gift givers.

PMID- 28914163
TI  - Truth or Punishment: Secrecy and Punishing the Self.
AB  - We live in a world that values justice; when a crime is committed, just
      punishment is expected to follow. Keeping one's misdeed secret therefore appears
      to be a strategic way to avoid (just) consequences. Yet, people may engage in
      self-punishment to right their own wrongs to balance their personal sense of
      justice. Thus, those who seek an escape from justice by keeping secrets may in
      fact end up serving that same justice on themselves (through self-punishment).
      Six studies demonstrate that thinking about secret (vs. confessed) misdeeds leads
      to increased self-punishment (increased denial of pleasure and seeking of pain).
      These effects were mediated by the feeling one deserved to be punished, moderated
      by the significance of the secret, and were observed for both self-reported and
      behavioral measures of self-punishment.

PMID- 28914164
TI  - The Danish National Youth Study 2014: Study design, population characteristics
      and non-response analysis.
AB  - AIMS: This paper aims to give a description of the Danish National Youth Study
      2014 in terms of study design, study population and questionnaire content. The
      differences between participants and non-participants regarding socioeconomic
      characteristics are also described. METHODS: The Danish National Youth Study 2014
      was a web-based survey with data collected through self-completion questionnaires
      administered in the classroom. There were two questionnaires: one for students,
      with >250 core questions; and one for school leaders on the school environment.
      Data collection took place at 119 high schools and 10 vocational schools.
      RESULTS: A total of 75,853 students participated (70,674 high school students and
      5179 vocational school students). In the participating schools, 85% of high
      school students and 69% of vocational school students took part in the survey. A
      total of 166 school leaders responded. Among the high school students, 61% were
      girls, and among vocational school students, 24% were girls. The average age was
      17.9 years for high school students and 20.9 years for vocational school
      students. Participants were more likely than non-participants to be of Danish
      origin and to have parents with higher educational levels and a higher disposable
      income. CONCLUSIONS: The Danish National Youth Study 2014 contributes to
      knowledge on adolescent health behaviour, health and well-being. It is unique in
      its size, diversity of questionnaire content, high participation rate and
      possibility of linkage to various national registers through the Danish Civil
      Registration System. The study offers great opportunities for health planning and
      a wide range of future research projects.

PMID- 28914165
TI  - Mobile instant messaging for rural community health workers: a case from Malawi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile instant messaging (MIM) tools, such as WhatsApp, have
      transformed global communication practice. In the field of global health, MIM is
      an increasingly used, but little understood, phenomenon. OBJECTIVES: It remains
      unclear how MIM can be used by rural community health workers (CHWs) and their
      facilitators, and what are the associated benefits and constraints. To address
      this gap, WhatsApp groups were implemented and researched in a rural setting in
      Malawi. METHODS: The multi-site case study research triangulated interviews and
      focus groups of CHWs and facilitators with the thematic qualitative analysis of
      the actual conversations on WhatsApp. A survey with open questions and the
      quantitative analysis of WhatsApp conversations were used as supplementary
      triangulation sources. RESULTS: The use of MIM was differentiated according to
      instrumental (e.g. mobilising health resources) and participatory purposes (e.g.
      the enactment of emphatic ties). The identified benefits were centred on the
      enhanced ease and quality of communication of a geographically distributed health
      workforce, and the heightened connectedness of a professionally isolated health
      workforce. Alongside minor technical and connectivity issues, the main challenge
      for the CHWs was to negotiate divergent expectations regarding the social versus
      the instrumental use of the space. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some challenges and
      constraints, the implementation of WhatsApp was received positively by the CHWs
      and it was found to be a useful tool to support distributed rural health work.

PMID- 28914166
TI  - Repeated Iron-Soot Exposure and Nose-to-brain Transport of Inhaled Ultrafine
      Particles.
AB  - Particulate exposure has been implicated in the development of a number of
      neurological maladies such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
      Alzheimer's disease, and idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Only a few studies have
      focused on the olfactory pathway as a portal through which combustion-generated
      particles may enter the brain. The primary objective of this study was to define
      the deposition, uptake, and transport of inhaled ultrafine iron-soot particles in
      the nasal cavities of mice to determine whether combustion-generated
      nanoparticles reach the olfactory bulb via the olfactory epithelium and nerve
      fascicles. Adult female C57B6 mice were exposed to iron-soot combustion particles
      at a concentration of 200 MUg/m3, which included 40 MUg/m3 of iron oxide
      nanoparticles. Mice were exposed for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 5 consecutive
      weeks (25 total exposure days). Our findings visually demonstrate that inhaled
      ultrafine iron-soot reached the brain via the olfactory nerves and was associated
      with indicators of neural inflammation.

PMID- 28914167
TI  - Nephrotic syndrome in infants and children: pathophysiology and management.
AB  - Nephrotic syndrome is defined by nephrotic-range proteinuria (>=40 mg/m2/hour or
      urine protein/creatinine ratio >=200 mg/mL or 3+ protein on urine dipstick),
      hypoalbuminaemia (<25 g/L) and oedema. This review focuses on the classification,
      epidemiology, pathophysiology, management strategies and prognosis of idiopathic
      nephrotic syndrome of childhood, and includes a brief overview of the congenital
      forms.

PMID- 28914168
TI  - Synthesis of Cr3+-doped TiO2 nanoparticles: characterization and evaluation of
      their visible photocatalytic performance and stability.
AB  - Cr3+-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (Ti-Cr) were synthesized by microwave-assisted sol
      gel method. The Ti-Cr catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction,
      ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption
      analysis, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron
      microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
      (XPS) and zetametry. The anatase mesoporous Ti-Cr material exhibited a specific
      surface area of 54.5 m2/g. XPS analysis confirmed the proper substitution of Ti4+
      cations by Cr3+ cations in the TiO2 matrix. The particle size was of average size
      of 17 nm for the undoped TiO2 but only 9.5 nm for Ti-Cr. The Cr atoms promoted
      the formation of hydroxyl radicals and modified the surface adsorptive properties
      of TiO2 due to the increase in surface acidity of the material. The
      photocatalytic evaluation demonstrated that the Ti-Cr catalyst completely
      degraded (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy) acetic acid under visible light irradiation,
      while undoped TiO2 and P25 allowed 45.7% and 31.1%, respectively. The rate of
      degradation remained 52% after three cycles of catalyst reuse. The higher visible
      light photocatalytic activity of Ti-Cr was attributed to the beneficial effect of
      Cr3+ ions on the TiO2 surface creating defects within the TiO2 crystal lattice,
      which can act as charge-trapping sites, reducing the electron-hole recombination
      process.

PMID- 28914169
TI  - Development of an algorithm for determination of the likelihood of virological
      failure in HIV-positive adults receiving antiretroviral therapy in decentralized
      care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early identification of virological failure (VF) limits occurrence
      and spread of drug-resistant viruses in patients receiving antiretroviral
      treatment (ART). Viral load (VL) monitoring is therefore recommended, but
      capacities to comply with this are insufficient in many low-income countries.
      Clinical algorithms might identify persons at higher likelihood of VF to allocate
      VL resources. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to construct a VF algorithm (the Viral Load
      Testing Criteria; VLTC) and compare its performance to the 2013 WHO treatment
      failure criteria. METHODS: Subjects with VL results available 1 year after ART
      start (n = 494) were identified from a cohort of ART-naive adults (n = 812),
      prospectively recruited and followed 2011-2015 at Ethiopian health centres. VF
      was defined as VL>=1000 copies/mL. Variables recorded at the time of sampling,
      with potential association with VF, were used to construct the algorithm based on
      multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Fifty-seven individuals (12%) had VF,
      which was independently associated with CD4 count <350 cells/mm3, previous ART
      interruption, and short mid-upper arm circumference (<24cm and <23cm, for men and
      women, respectively). These variables were included in the VLTC. In derivation,
      the VLTC identified 52/57 with VF; sensitivity 91%, specificity 43%, positive
      predictive value (PPV) 17%, negative predictive value (NPV) 97%. In comparison,
      the WHO criteria identified 38/57 with VF (sensitivity 67%, specificity 74%, PPV
      25%, NPV 94%). CONCLUSIONS: The VLTC identified subjects at greater likelihood of
      VF, with higher sensitivity and NPV than the WHO criteria. If external validation
      confirms this performance, these criteria could be used to allocate limited VL
      resources. Due to its limited specificity, it cannot be used to determine
      treatment failure in the absence of a confirmatory viral load.

PMID- 28914170
TI  - The investigation of the effects of topiramate on the hypothalamic levels of fat
      mass/obesity-associated protein and neuropeptide Y in obese female rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of
      topiramate on the fat mass/obesity-associated protein (FTO) and on the
      neuropeptide Y (NPY) level in the hypothalamus depending on the recently
      increased prevalence of obesity. METHOD: In this study, twenty-four female rats
      were divided into four equal groups: Non-obese control, obese control, non-obese
      topiramate, and obese topiramate. Obese groups were fed with a 40% high-fat diet.
      At the end of the 9th week, the drug treatment started and the subjects were
      treated with topiramate once a day for 6 weeks. All animals underwent cardiac
      perfusion under high-dose anesthesia on the 15th week. Tissues were analyzed
      using biochemical, histological, and stereological methods. RESULTS: In terms of
      neuron number in the arcuate nucleus area, a significant difference was observed
      among all groups (P < 0.01). The neuron number of the non-obese topiramate group
      was found to be significantly higher than that of the non-obese control group (P
      < 0.01). In the examination of the ventromedial nucleus of the entire group, it
      was observed that the neuron number of the non-obese control group was
      significantly lower than those of the other groups (P < 0.01). A significant
      increase in the NPY levels of the obese groups compared to the groups treated
      with topiramate was observed. Furthermore, the amount of the FTO protein
      increased in obese rats, while FTO and NPY levels decreased in the groups treated
      with topiramate. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, the mechanism of the effect of
      topiramate to create a state of obesity is thought to involve the decrease in the
      levels of NPY and FTO.

PMID- 28914171
TI  - Exploring the effects of high temperature on mortality in four cities in the
      Philippines using various heat wave definitions in different mortality subgroups.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sustained high temperatures, specifically heat waves (HW), increase
      the risk of dying, especially among risk populations, which are highly vulnerable
      to its additional effect. In developing countries, there are only a few studies
      which focused on the magnitude of the risks attributed to HWs. OBJECTIVES: This
      study explored the HW effects using 15 HW definitions through the combination of
      duration (> 2, > 4, and > 7 consecutive days) and intensity (at the >= 90th, >=
      95th, >= 97th, >= 98th, and >= 99th temperature percentiles). METHODS: Daily
      mortality count data from 2006-2010 were obtained from the four tropical cities
      of the Philippines, and were further stratified by mortality sub-groups, such as
      cause of death, sex, and age. The same period of daily maximum temperature and
      relative humidity were also collected. We used a distributed lag non-linear model
      to determine the risks associated with the main temperature effects, as well as
      the added HW effects. RESULTS: It has been observed that the main temperature
      effects comprise a substantial portion of the risks compared to the HW effects,
      even across the mortality sub-groups. Further stratification by the sub-groups
      showed significant HW effects among the young and male populations. CONCLUSIONS:
      Results of this study can be of use to improve (1) candidate HW definition
      identification/selection, and (2) risk population-specific strategies, taking
      into consideration the risk attributions.

PMID- 28914172
TI  - Effects of pharmacological inhibition of plasminogen binding on liver
      regeneration in rats.
AB  - The fibrinolysis system is thought to play an important role in liver
      regeneration. We previously found that plasminogen (Plg) is localized to the cell
      surface of regenerating liver tissue as well as proliferating hepatocytes in
      vitro. Here, we investigated the significance of Plg binding to the cell surface
      during liver regeneration. Pre-administration of tranexamic acid (TXA), which is
      a competitive inhibitor of Plg binding, to hepatectomized rats mildly delayed
      restoration of liver weight in vivo. Although binding of Plg to the cell membrane
      decreased following TXA administration, TXA showed little effect on hepatocyte
      proliferation in rats. We also discovered that Plg treatment did not stimulate
      proliferation of primary rat hepatocytes in vitro. These results suggest that
      Plg/plasmin potentiates liver regeneration via a pathway distinct from those
      through which hepatocyte proliferation is stimulated.

PMID- 28914173
TI  - Flow cytometric analysis of patients with hereditary spherocytosis - an Indian
      scenario.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Flow cytometry osmotic fragility test (FC-OFT) was a recently
      introduced screening test for hereditary spherocytosis (HS). This study was
      conducted to evaluate the utility of FC-OFT in all newly diagnosed cases of HS,
      to compare its diagnostic value with conventional OFT and to correlate with
      clinical disease severity. METHODS: In this study, the percentage of residual red
      cells (%RRC) was measured using flow cytometer after creating a red cell
      suspension. Subsequently, this was spiked with deionized water for FC-OFT in all
      cases of HS (n = 40), healthy subjects (n = 40) and beta-thalassemia traits (BTT)
      (n = 20). RESULTS: The receiver operator curve analysis defined the optimal cut
      offs for FC-OFT-derived indices, such as %RRC value (<=16.29%) and %RRC ratio
      (>1.72), for HS cases when compared with healthy subjects and BTT (p < 0.05). The
      FC-OFT (96%) achieved higher test efficiency than the conventional OF test
      (68.9%). A significant positive and a negative correlation were found between
      number of spherocytes/hpf and %RRC ratio (p = 0.001) and %RRC values (p =
      0.0486). No significant correlation was observed between %RRC value (p = 0.8934),
      %RRC ratio (p = 0.6348) and HS disease severity score. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest that FC-OFT could be the better screening test for HS cases in developing
      countries if flow cytometer is available.

PMID- 28914174
TI  - (Dis)entangling Barad: Materialisms and ethics.
AB  - In the wake of the widespread uptake of and debate surrounding the work of Karen
      Barad, this article revisits her core conceptual contributions. We offer
      descriptions, elaborations, problematizations and provocations for those
      intrigued by or invested in this body of work. We examine Barad's use of quantum
      physics, which underpins her conception of the material world. We discuss the
      political strengths of this position but also note tensions associated with
      applying quantum physics to phenomena at macro-scales. We identify both frictions
      and unacknowledged affinities with science and technology studies in Barad's
      critique of reflexivity and her concept of diffraction. We flesh out Barad's
      overarching position of 'agential realism', which contains a revised
      understanding of scientific apparatuses. Building upon these discussions, we
      argue that inherent in agential realism is both an ethics of inclusion and an
      ethics of exclusion. Existing research has, however, frequently emphasized
      entanglement and inclusion to the detriment of foreclosure and exclusion.
      Nonetheless, we contend that it is in the potential for an ethics of exclusion
      that Barad's work could be of greatest utility within science and technology
      studies and beyond.

PMID- 28914175
TI  - Menstruation experiences of South African women belonging to the ama-Xhosa ethnic
      group.
AB  - A growing body of research has emphasised the salience of cultural beliefs and
      traditional practices to women's experiences of menstruation. Relatively less
      research has, however, been undertaken in South Africa. This study explored the
      experience of menstruation among women from the ama-Xhosa ethnic group, one of
      the largest ethnic groups in the country. Among the ama-Xhosa, there are distinct
      cultural practices associated with menstruation, including the female rite of
      passage (intonjane) and virginity testing (inkciyo). However, few studies have
      explored the experience of menstruation for women from this cultural group. This
      study involved the synthesis of data from individual interviews and focus group
      discussions conducted among a sample of ama-Xhosa women. The data were analysed
      using thematic analysis. Distinctive findings included women's participation in
      traditional cultural practices of intonjane and inkciyo and the presence of
      cultural taboos associated with menstruation. Women's narratives revealed strong
      ambivalence regarding these practices. On the one hand, they wanted to adhere to
      traditional practices but experienced these customs as evoking discomfort and
      shame. The study confirmed the prevalence of negative constructions of
      menstruation. Positive appraisals of menstruation as evoking joy and happiness
      were also encountered.

PMID- 28914176
TI  - Intraoperative Gutter Leaks That Merit Our Attention.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The natural history and potential morbidity of gutter endoleaks are
      unclear. We present our experience with intraoperative gutter endoleaks and
      strategies to determine which of these require intervention. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective review of all patients treated with parallel stent grafts from
      January 2010 to September 2015. We reviewed all operative records and
      intraoperative angiograms as well as all postoperative imaging and secondary
      interventions. All gutter leaks were classified as low-flow/nonsac-enhancing
      gutter endoleaks or high-flow/sac-enhancing gutter endoleaks. Adjunctive
      interventions to manage the gutter leaks were noted, as were all subsequent
      interventions for gutter leak and endoleak management. RESULTS: Seventy-eight
      patients had 144 parallel stents placed over a 5-year period with an average of
      1.8 stents per patient. Twenty-eight patients (36%) had gutter endoleaks
      diagnosed intraoperatively. Seventeen patients had adjunctive procedures to
      reduce gutter leaks prior to leaving the operating room (OR). Patients selected
      for treatment had gutters filling early during completion angiography and/or
      contrast enhancement of the aneurysm sac. Twenty-two patients (28%) left the OR
      with low-flow/delayed/nonsac-enhancing gutter endoleaks. At 30 days, a total of 6
      persistent gutter endoleaks were diagnosed on computed tomographic angiography.
      This gives a 73% rate of resolution for low-flow/nonaneurysm sac-enhancing
      endoleaks. There were 2 de novo endoleaks not detected at the index procedure
      diagnosed at 6-month follow-up. Of the 8 total postoperative endoleaks, 5
      required additional intervention with a 100% success rate. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that the only significant predictor of having a postoperative endoleak
      is leaving the OR with an endoleak. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative treatment of
      gutter endoleaks has an acceptable rate of resolution. It does have a high rate
      of converting high-flow endoleaks to low-flow endoleaks. Low-flow/nonsac
      enhancing gutter endoleaks have a high rate of spontaneous resolution.
      Intraoperative gutter endoleaks are not predictive of future aneurysm sac growth.

PMID- 28914177
TI  - Sedentariness and weight status related to SES and family characteristics in
      Italian adults: exploring geographic variability through multilevel models.
AB  - AIM: In this study, our aim was to assess the prevalence of sedentariness and
      overweight/obesity, two modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases
      (NCDs), and to investigate the geographic variability in their association with
      socio-economic status (SES) and family characteristics in Italian adults.
      METHODS: The Multipurpose Survey on Health Conditions and the Recourse to Health
      Services (MSHC), 2012/2013 edition, conducted by the National Institute of
      Statistics was used as data source. The sample for this study included 99,479
      interviewed people aged 18 and over, which are representative of about 50 million
      persons. For the scope of this analysis, data were considered as individuals
      nested within families within regions and analysed through multilevel models.
      RESULTS: It was estimated that 39.8% of Italian adults are sedentary, 38.1% are
      partially active and 22.1% are physically active; 11.3% of Italian adults are
      obese and the 34.5% are overweight. There was evidence of inverse socio-economic
      gradient for both sedentariness and body mass index (BMI). There was higher risk
      of sedentariness for one-parent (odds ratio (OR) = 1.10; 95% confidence interval
      (CI) = (1.02; 1.20)) and other family types (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = (1.20; 1.48 ))
      compared with couples with children. Also, the relative variation of BMI was
      statistically significant for one-parent, one-person and other families ( p <
      0.05). An increasing north-south gradient was suggested for BMI, but not for
      sedentariness. CONCLUSIONS: Policy interventions could be addressed to reduce BMI
      levels in the southern area and to encourage physical activity in regions with
      high sedentariness. The Italian family is the key driver to promote virtuous
      healthy behaviours.

PMID- 28914178
TI  - 'You just have to learn to keep moving on': young women's experiences with
      unplanned pregnancy in the Cook Islands.
AB  - The Cook Islands is one of several countries in the Pacific region that has high
      rates of teenage pregnancy and birth. While the social determinants of pregnancy
      and early motherhood are well established in the global context, little is known
      about how Cook Islands young women who become pregnant before age 20 make sense
      of their experiences. Drawing on individual interviews with a purposive sample of
      10 young mothers, this paper examines the phenomenology of early pregnancy from
      their perspectives. Structural, cultural and individual factors emerged as
      salient themes in participants' accounts. Qualitative analysis revealed that
      nearly all the pregnancies were unplanned and every participant reacted
      negatively when she learned she was pregnant. While some participants wanted to
      terminate their pregnancies, lack of access to safe, legal and affordable
      abortion care limited their options. Ultimately, while nearly all participants
      wished they had been able to delay motherhood, they expressed happiness and pride
      about their new-found status as mothers. These findings allow for a fuller
      understanding of factors shaping young women's experiences of pregnancy in the
      Cook Islands, which have policy implications for reproductive health and rights.

PMID- 28914179
TI  - Neutralization of acidic drainage by Cryptococcus sp. T1 immobilized in alginate
      beads.
AB  - We isolated Cryptococcus sp. T1 from Lake Tazawa's acidic water in Japan.
      Cryptococcus sp. T1 neutralized an acidic casamino acid solution (pH 3.0) and
      released ammonia from the casamino acids to aid the neutralization. The
      neutralization volume was estimated to be approximately 0.4 mL/h. The casamino
      acids' amino acids decreased (1.24->0.15 mM); ammonia increased (0.22->0.99 mM).
      We neutralized acidic drainage water (1 L) from a Tamagawa River neutralization
      plant, which was run through the column with the T1-immobilized alginate beads at
      a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, and observed that the viscosity, particle size and
      amounts of the alginate beads affected the acidic drainage neutralization with an
      increase of the pH value from 5.26 to 6.61 in the last fraction. An increase in
      the Al concentration decreased Cryptococcus sp. T1's neutralization ability.
      After 48 h, the pH of acidic water with 50 mg/L Al was apparently lower than that
      without Al. Almost no pH increase was observed at 75 mg/L.

PMID- 28914181
TI  - Remediation approach for organic compounds and arsenic co-contaminated soil using
      the pressurized hot water extraction process.
AB  - Successful remediation of soil with co-existing organics contaminants and arsenic
      (As) is a challenge as the chemical and remediation technologies are different
      for each group of pollutants. In this study, the treatment effectiveness of the
      pressurized hot water (PHW) extraction process was investigated for remediation
      of soil co-contaminated with phenol, crude oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs), and As. An elimination percentage of about 99% was achieved for phenol,
      and in the range of 63-100% was observed for the PAHs at 260 degrees C for 90 min
      operation. The performance of PHW extraction in the removal of total petroleum
      hydrocarbons was found to be 86%. Of the 87 mg/kg of As in untreated soil, 67% of
      which was eliminated after treatment. The removal of organic contaminants was
      mainly via desorption, dissolution and degradation in subcritical water, while As
      was eliminated probably by oxidation and dissolution of arsenic-bearing minerals.
      According to the experimental results, the PHW extraction process can be
      suggested as an alternative cleaning technology, instead of using any organic
      solvents for remediation of such co-contaminated soil.

PMID- 28914180
TI  - Symptoms-Based Phenotypes Among Women With Dysmenorrhea: A Latent Class Analysis.
AB  - Dysmenorrhea is highly prevalent and may increase women's risk for developing
      other chronic pain conditions. Although it is highly variable, symptom-based
      dysmenorrhea phenotypes have not been identified. The aims of the study were to
      identify symptom-based dysmenorrhea phenotypes and examine their relationships
      with demographic and clinical characteristics. In a cross-sectional study, 762
      women with dysmenorrhea rated severity of 14 dysmenorrhea-related symptoms. Using
      latent class analysis, we identified three distinctive phenotypes. Women in the
      "mild localized pain" phenotype ( n = 202, 26.51%) had mild abdominal cramps and
      dull abdominal pain/discomfort. Women in the "severe localized pain" phenotype (
      n = 412, 54.07%) had severe abdominal cramps. Women in the "multiple severe
      symptoms" phenotype ( n = 148, 19.42%) had severe pain at multiple locations and
      multiple gastrointestinal symptoms. Race, ethnicity, age, and comorbid chronic
      pain conditions were significantly associated with phenotypes. Identification of
      these symptom-based phenotypes provides a foundation for research examining
      genotype-phenotype associations, etiologic mechanisms, and/or variability in
      treatment responses.

PMID- 28914182
TI  - Energy Drink Adverse Effects: What Is Being Done to Protect Public Health?

PMID- 28914183
TI  - Enhancing mercury removal across air pollution control devices for coal-fired
      power plants by desulfurization wastewater evaporation.
AB  - Desulfurization wastewater evaporation technology is used to enhance the removal
      of gaseous mercury (Hg) in conventional air pollution control devices (APCDs) for
      coal-fired power plants. Studies have affirmed that gaseous Hg is oxidized and
      removed by selective catalytic reduction (SCR), an electrostatic precipitator
      (ESP) and wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) in a coal-fired thermal experiment
      platform with WFGD wastewater evaporation. Effects of desulfurization wastewater
      evaporation position, evaporation temperature and chlorine ion concentration on
      Hg oxidation were studied as well. The Hg0 oxidation efficiency was increased
      ranging from 30% to 60%, and the gaseous Hg removal efficiency was 62.16% in
      APCDs when wastewater evaporated before SCR. However, the Hg0 oxidation
      efficiency was 18.99% and the gaseous Hg removal efficiency was 40.19% in APCDs
      when wastewater evaporated before ESP. The results show that WFGD wastewater
      evaporation before SCR is beneficial to improve the efficiency of Hg oxidized and
      removed in APCDs. Because Hg2+ can be easily removed in ACPDs and WFGD wastewater
      in power plants is enriched with chlorine ions, this method realizes WFGD
      wastewater zero discharge and simultaneously enhances Hg removal in APCDs.

PMID- 28914184
TI  - Elements of effective community engagement: lessons from a targeted malaria
      elimination study in Lao PDR (Laos).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mass drug (antimalarial) administration (MDA) is currently under
      study in Southeast Asia as part of a package of interventions referred to as
      targeted malaria elimination (TME). This intervention relies on effective
      community engagement that promotes uptake and adherence in target communities
      (above 80%). OBJECTIVE: Based on the experienced of designing and implementing
      the community engagement for TME in Laos, in this article we aim to present the
      elements of effective community engagement for mass antimalarial administration.
      METHODS: The design and implementation of community engagement, which took place
      from September 2015 to August 2016 was recorded as field notes, meeting minutes
      and photographs. These data underwent qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The
      community engagement strategy that accompanied TME in Laos was successful in
      terms of contributing to high levels of participation in mass anti-malarial
      administration (above 85%). Based on the experience of designing and implementing
      the community engagement, five key elements were identified: (1) stakeholder and
      authority engagement, which proceeded from national level, to regional/district
      and local level; (2) local human resources, particularly the recruitment of local
      volunteers who were integral to the design and implementation of activities in
      the study villages; (3) formative research, to rapidly gain insight into the
      local social and economic context; (4) responsiveness whereby the approach was
      adapted according to the needs of the community and their responses to the
      various study components; and (5) sharing control/leadership with the community
      in terms of decisions on the organization of TME activities. CONCLUSIONS: The
      community engagement that accompanied TME in Laos had to deal with challenges of
      implementing a complex study in remote and linguistically isolated villages.
      Despite these challenges, the study recorded high population coverage. Lessons
      learnt from this experience are useful for studies and intervention programs in
      diverse contexts.

PMID- 28914186
TI  - Viral and parasitic pathogen burden and the association with stroke in a
      population-based cohort.
AB  - Background Higher cumulative burden of viral and bacterial pathogens may increase
      the risk of stroke, but the contribution of parasitic infections in relation to
      cumulative pathogen burden and risk of stroke has rarely been examined. Aim To
      estimate the association of multiple persistent viral and parasitic infections
      with stroke in a representative sample of adults in the United States. Methods
      Serological evidence of prior infection was categorized as positive for 0-1, 2,
      3, or 4-5 infections based on immunoglobulin G seropositivity to cytomegalovirus,
      hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus, Toxoplasma gondii, and Toxocara spp. in
      13,904 respondents from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III.
      Regression analysis was used to estimate the cross-sectional association between
      serological evidence of prior infection and history of stroke adjusting for
      demographic risk factors, and potential mediators of stroke. Results Age-adjusted
      models that included serological evidence of prior infection to cytomegalovirus,
      hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus, Toxoplasma gondii, and Toxocara spp. showed
      that adults in the highest serological evidence of prior infection category (4-5
      infections) had a higher prevalence of stroke (5.50%, 95% confidence interval
      2.44-10.46%) than those in the lowest serological evidence of prior infection
      categories (1.49%, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.11%), and a trend test
      suggested a graded association between serological evidence of prior infection
      and stroke ( p = 0.02). In multivariable logistic regression models, the positive
      association of serological evidence of prior infection with stroke prevalence
      remained significant after adjustment for other significant risk factors (odds
      ratio = 1.4, p = 0.01) but was only significant among those aged 20-59 (odds
      ratio = 2.0, p = 0.005) and not among those aged 60-69 ( p = 0.78) or 70 and
      older ( p = 0.43). Conclusion We found support for a connection between
      serological evidence of prior infection to cytomegalovirus, hepatitis A virus,
      hepatitis B virus, Toxoplasma gondii, and Toxocara spp. and stroke among those
      aged 20-59. There may be a need to consider common parasitic infections in
      addition to viral and bacterial pathogens when calculating serological evidence
      of prior infection in relation to cerebrovascular disease.

PMID- 28914187
TI  - Improving quality and outcomes of stroke care in hospitals: Protocol and
      statistical analysis plan for the Stroke123 implementation study.
AB  - : Rationale The effectiveness of clinician-focused interventions to improve
      stroke care is uncertain. Aims To determine whether an organizational
      intervention can improve the quality of stroke care over usual care. Sample size
      estimates To detect an absolute 10% difference in overall performance (composite
      outcome), a minimum of 21 hospitals and 843 patients per group was determined.
      Methods and design Before and after controlled design in hospitals in Queensland,
      Australia. Intervention Externally facilitated program (StrokeLink) using
      outreach workshops incorporating clinical performance feedback, patient outcomes
      (survival, quality of life at 90-180 days), local barrier assessments to best
      practice care, action planning, and ongoing support. Descriptive and
      multivariable analyses adjusted for patient correlations by hospital (intention
      to-treat method). Context Concurrent implementation of financial incentives to
      increase stroke unit access and use of the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry
      for performance monitoring. Study outcome(s) Primary outcome: net change in
      composite score (i.e. total number of process indicators achieved divided by the
      sum of eligible indicators for each cohort). SECONDARY OUTCOMES: change in
      individual indicators, change in composite score comparing hospitals that did or
      did not develop action plans (per-protocol analysis), impact on 90-180-day health
      outcomes. Sensitivity analyses: hospital self-rated status, alternate cross
      sectional audit data (Stroke Foundation). To account for temporal effects,
      comparison of Queensland hospital performance relative to other Australian
      hospitals will also be undertaken. Discussion Twenty-one hospitals were
      recruited; however, one was unable to participate within the study time frame.
      Workshops were held between 11 March 2014 and 7 November 2014. Data are ready for
      analysis.

PMID- 28914188
TI  - A Retrospect Study on Thiazole Derivatives as the Potential Antidiabetic Agents
      in Drug Discovery and Developments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heterocycles containing thiazole, a moiety with sulfur and nitrogen
      is a core structure which is found in a number of biologically active compounds.
      The thiazole ring is notable as a component of the certain natural products, such
      as vitamin B1 (thiamine) and penicillins. Thiazole is also known as wonder
      nucleus and has uses in different biological fields. A number of new compounds
      contain heterocycle thiazole moieties, thus it is one of the important areas of
      research. METHODS: We searched the scientific database using relevant keywords.
      Among the searched literature only peer-reviewed papers were collected which
      addresses our questions. The retrieved quality research articles were screened
      and analyzed critically. The key findings of these studies were included along
      with their importance. RESULTS: The quality research articles included in this
      review were selected for the lifethreatening diseases i.e. diabetes, which is one
      of the serious issues all over the globe with an estimated worldwide prevalence
      in 2016 of 422 million people, which is expected to rise double to by 2030. Since
      1995, there has been an explosion of the introduction of new classes of
      pharmacological agents having thiazole moieties. However, most of the drugs can
      cause noncompliance, hypoglycemia, and obesity. Thus, new antidiabetic drugs with
      thiazole moieties came up with improved compliance and reduced side effects such
      as pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), netoglitazone, DRF-2189, PHT46,
      PMT13, DRF-2519. With such a great importance, research in thiazole is part of
      many academic and industrial laboratories worldwide. CONCLUSION: The present
      review describes the importance of thiazole nucleus and its derivatives as
      antidiabetic agents with an emphasis on the past as well as recent developments.

PMID- 28914185
TI  - Power, potential, and pitfalls in global health academic partnerships: review and
      reflections on an approach in Nepal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Global health academic partnerships are centered around a core
      tension: they often mirror or reproduce the very cross-national inequities they
      seek to alleviate. On the one hand, they risk worsening power dynamics that
      perpetuate health disparities; on the other, they form an essential response to
      the need for healthcare resources to reach marginalized populations across the
      globe. OBJECTIVES: This study characterizes the broader landscape of global
      health academic partnerships, including challenges to developing ethical,
      equitable, and sustainable models. It then lays out guiding principles of the
      specific partnership approach, and considers how lessons learned might be applied
      in other resource-limited settings. METHODS: The experience of a partnership
      between the Ministry of Health in Nepal, the non-profit healthcare provider
      Possible, and the Health Equity Action and Leadership Initiative at the
      University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine was reviewed. The
      quality and effectiveness of the partnership was assessed using the Tropical
      Health and Education Trust Principles of Partnership framework. RESULTS: Various
      strategies can be taken by partnerships to better align the perspectives of
      patients and public sector providers with those of expatriate physicians. Actions
      can also be taken to bring greater equity to the wealth and power gaps inherent
      within global health academic partnerships. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides
      recommendations gleaned from the analysis, with an aim towards both future
      refinement of the partnership and broader applications of its lessons and
      principles. It specifically highlights the importance of targeted engagements
      with academic medical centers and the need for efficient organizational work-flow
      practices. It considers how to both prioritize national and host institution
      goals, and meet the career development needs of global health clinicians.

PMID- 28914189
TI  - A Hopeful Prospect of Riociguat as a Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulator for
      Management of Pressure Ulcers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcer remains as a common problem, especially developed in
      disabled patients and hence, subjected to continuous pressure for prolonged
      periods of time. Most of the studies investigating the preventive and therapeutic
      approaches have focused on wound cleansing, dressing and supportive strategies,
      as well as pharmacological therapy including zinc sulphate, vitamin A or
      phenytoin. Despite such efforts, pressure ulcer continues to impair the life
      quality and expectancy. Thus involving in the paradigm shift in biomedical
      studies, the recent ones focus on biological signaling pathways involving nitric
      oxide (NO)- soluble guanylatecyclase (sGC)- cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)
      contributing in vasodilation, reperfusion and oxygen delivery. METHODS:
      Literatures review focusing on NO/sGC/cGMP pathway was performed as well as
      seeking themolecular biology aspects inKyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes
      (KEGG). RESULTS: NO is an important signaling molecule activating sGC and cGMP
      production, which is a mediator of vasodilation and platelet inhibition.
      Considering the subject, it could be hypothesized that the application of sGC
      stimulators and activators is a very curious strategy for pressure ulcer healing.
      It is well known that pressure and shear forces usually produce the blood vessel
      obstruction, inducing ischemia and tissue necrosis and in pathologic states,
      damaged endothelium leads to a reduced synthesis of NO and inadequate oxygen
      supply contributing to delayed wound healing. Riociguat is the first FDA approved
      agent of new class of sGC stimulators, involving in activation of sGC both in
      presence and absence of NO. CONCLUSION: The findings of this review confirm that
      Riociguat could start a new therapeutic approach for pressure ulcer treatment
      even with dysfunctional endothelium.

PMID- 28914190
TI  - Perioperative Considerations of Herbal Medications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A considerable portion of the US population uses herbal supplements
      on a daily basis for their various proposed beneficial effects. However, the over
      the-counter nature of these medications and lack of knowledge of adverse effect
      profiles can have unexpected serious impact on the perioperative course. The
      growing list of supplements presents a pharmacologic conundrum to the
      anesthesiologist. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to compile a comprehensive list of
      vitamins, herbals, and supplements used commonly by patients, describe the risks
      associated with them, and identify recommendations for perioperative management.
      METHOD: The current literature on PubMed and Medline was reviewed for the years
      2000 through 2016. The reference lists of each selected article were also
      reviewed for additional sources of information. RESULTS: The review identified 23
      herbals and supplements that are commonly used and their perioperative
      considerations. CONCLUSION: The management of herbals and supplements is an issue
      for the anesthesiologist. Although it would be prudent to stop the use of most
      substances a week or more preoperatively, the perioperative physician must be
      wary of the potential for withdrawal.

PMID- 28914191
TI  - Neoisoliquiritigenin Inhibits Tumor Progression by Targeting GRP78-beta- catenin
      Signaling in Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer mortality has been stable or decreasing in the world,
      its incidence and recurrence rates have sharply risen worldwide in the recent
      years. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological significance and
      potential function of GRP78 in the development and progression of breast cancer.
      To explore the effects of neoisoliquiritigenin (NISL) in breast cancer and the
      underlying mechanism. METHOD: GRP78 was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC)
      using breast cancer tissue microarrays (TMAs), and the association between GRP78
      levels and clinicopathological factors and prognosis was analyzed. The functional
      effects of GRP78 on breast cancer were validated by an MTT assay, foci formation
      assay, Matrigel invasion assay and mouse xenograft assay. The effects of NISL
      were tested by an MTT assay, apoptosis assay and mouse xenograft assay. A
      LigandFit algorithm, ATPase activity assay, western blot and IHC assay were used
      to discover the underlying mechanism of the effects of NSIL. RESULTS: GRP78 was
      highly expressed in breast cancer cell lines and tissues. In addition, high
      expression of GRP78 was correlated to poor outcomes and distant metastasis.
      Functional experiments showed that GRP78 promoted breast cancer proliferation and
      invasion in vitro and in vivo. NISL inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell
      apoptosis in breast cancer by directly binding to GRP78 to regulate the beta
      catenin pathway. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results highlighted the
      significance of GRP78 in breast cancer development and suggested NISL as a
      natural candidate to inhibit breast cancer by targeting GRP78 and beta-catenin
      signaling.

PMID- 28914192
TI  - Current Trends in Cancer Biomarker Discovery Using Urinary Metabolomics:
      Achievements and New Challenges.
AB  - : The development of effective screening methods for early cancer detection is
      one of the foremost challenges facing modern cancer research. Urinary
      metabolomics has recently emerged as a potentially transformative approach to
      cancer biomarker discovery owing to its noninvasive sampling characteristics and
      robust analytical feasibility. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of new
      developments in urinary metabolomics, cover the most promising aspects of
      hyphenated techniques in untargeted and targeted metabolomics, and to discuss
      technical and clinical limitations in addition to the emerging challenges in the
      field of urinary metabolomics and its application to cancer biomarker discovery.
      METHOD: A systematic review of research conducted in the past five years on the
      application of urinary metabolomics to cancer biomarker discovery was performed.
      Given the breadth of this topic, our review focused on the five most widely
      studied cancers employing urinary metabolomics approaches, including lung,
      breast, bladder, prostate, and ovarian cancers. RESULTS: As an extension of
      conventional metabolomics, urinary metabolomics has benefitted from recent
      technological developments in nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, gas
      and liquid chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis that have improved urine
      metabolome coverage and analytical reproducibility. Extensive metabolic profiling
      in urine has revealed a significant number of altered metabolic pathways and
      putative biomarkers, including pteridines, modified nucleosides, and
      acylcarnitines, that have been associated with cancer development and
      progression. CONCLUSION: Urinary metabolomics presents a transformative new
      approach toward cancer biomarker discovery with high translational capacity to
      early cancer screening.

PMID- 28914193
TI  - Chalcone Derivatives: Anti-inflammatory Potential and Molecular Targets
      Perspectives.
AB  - Chalcone or (E)-1,3-diphenyl-2-propene-1-one scaffold has gained considerable
      scientific interest in medicinal chemistry owing to its simple chemistry, ease in
      synthesizing a variety of derivatives and exhibiting a broad range of promising
      pharmacological activities by modulating several molecular targets. A number of
      natural and (semi-) synthetic chalcone derivatives have demonstrated admirable
      anti-inflammatory activity due to their inhibitory potential against various
      therapeutic targets like Cyclooxygenase (COX), Lipooxygenase (LOX), Interleukins
      (IL), Prostaglandins (PGs), Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS), Leukotriene D4 (LTD4),
      Nuclear Factor-kappaB (NF- kappaB), Intracellular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM
      1), Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1), Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein
      1 (MCP-1) and TLR4/MD-2, etc. The chalcone scaffold with hydroxyl, methoxyl,
      carboxyl, prenyl group and/or heterocyclic ring substitution like
      thiophene/furan/indole showed promising anti-inflammatory activity. In this
      review, a comprehensive study (from the year 1991 to 2016) on multi-targets of
      inflammatory interest, related inflammation reactions and their treatment by
      chalcone-based inhibitors acting on various molecular targets entailed in
      inflammation, Structure-Activity Relationships (SARs), Mechanism of Actions
      (MOAs), and patents are highlighted.

PMID- 28914194
TI  - Diabetic Retinopathy: Recent Updates on Different Biomarkers and Some Therapeutic
      Agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetic Retinopathy is a leading cause of sight-threatening
      complication, which occurs due to a number of physiological and metabolic
      abnormalities during later stages of diabetes. Many of these abnormal changes are
      consistent with altered oxidative stress, inflammation, genetic set up, advanced
      glycation end products, and hematological changes. So the altered levels of
      different biomolecules related to these changes serve as important biomarkers to
      assess better evaluation and early treatment of this disease. Some treatments
      like laser therapy may be fast and specific but are more expensive, limited and
      can result in severe contraindications. Several other novel treatment strategies
      have been evolved recently besides classical approaches like control over
      hyperglycemia, hypertension, lipid profile to control diabetic retinopathy. These
      precise treatments are based on targeting the elevated biomarkers in retina. Such
      treatments include use of anti-VEGF therapy, intravitreal corticosteroids,
      gamigliptin and flavonoids. CONCLUSION: The present review discusses the latest
      updates on diabetic retinopathy, common etiology, different biomarkers and
      current treatments. In conclusion, perfection and proper supervision of diabetes
      and early treatment of diabetic retinopathy are crucial in controlling the
      occurrence and severity of this disease.

PMID- 28914195
TI  - Polymorphism rs9939609 of Fat Mass and Obesity-associated Gene Correlation with
      Leptin Level of Obese Women Suffered from Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies reported that Fat Mass and Obesity-associated gene
      (FTO) single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs), especially rs9939609, have
      association with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. On the other hand, many
      researches confirmed that leptin, an adipocytokine, is related to the obesity and
      Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients who suffered from Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM).
      OBJECTIVE: In this study, the correlation of FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and
      leptin level was investigated in the obese women who suffered from T2DM. METHODS:
      In case-control study, metabolic and anthropometric parameters, and leptin level
      of 38 obese diabetic and 38 non-diabetic women were investigated. Genotyping of
      rs9939609 FTO gene was completed by sequencing of PCR amplicons for all cases.
      RESULTS: According to the results, FBS, age, HbA1c, insulin level, HOMA index and
      leptin level showed statistically significant difference between diabetic and non
      diabetic women (P < 0.05). Based on the adjusting of FTO rs9939609 SNP with
      anthropometric and metabolic parameters, no significant difference was found
      between the three genotypes (AA, TA and TT) in non-diabetic women (P > 0.05).
      But, in the diabetic group, only TC had significant difference and mean of TC was
      higher in mutant genotypes (AA and TA) than wild genotype (TT). Also, BMI,
      insulin, LDL and HDL showed negative correlation with leptin level in both groups
      but these correlations were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The
      results of our study (with little sample size) showed that the mean of leptin
      level in diabetic women was lower than non-diabetic women (significant
      difference). However, the level of leptin was not statistically significant
      between three genotypes, and odds ratio of rs9939609 was higher in diabetic women
      in comparison with non-diabetic women.

PMID- 28914196
TI  - Ethnic Disparity and Increased Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Among South Asians:
      Aetiology and Future Implications for Diabetes Prevention and Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is turning out to be a global health
      crisis. Currently available literature clearly indicates an increased risk of
      type 2 diabetes amongst South Asian population. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this
      narrative review is to explore the non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors of
      T2DM in South Asian population, including their beliefs, attitudes, socio
      economic and cultural barriers and also to explore the possible implications in
      designing culture specific diabetes prevention and management programs. METHODS:
      This narrative review is based upon the data from individual studies and review
      article known to the authors. Additional relevant studies were identified through
      PubMed search on Englishlanguage papers published in 2000-2017 using the relevant
      keywords. Where appropriate, the reference lists of key papers were reviewed to
      identify additional studies of interest. RESULTS: Many genetic and environmental
      risk factors such as diet, physical inactivity, and sleep contribute to the
      increased prevalence of diabetes in the ethnic group. Providing mere knowledge
      about diabetes and these risk factors might not be sufficient in this particular
      ethnic group. It is essential to address their beliefs, attitudes and the
      cultural barriers faced. CONCLUSION: To overcome the health disparity in the
      South Asian ethnic group, various risk factors associated with diabetes, and the
      challenges faced are to be considered while designing future diabetes prevention
      and management strategies.

PMID- 28914197
TI  - Characterization of Inherent Particles and Mechanism of Thermal Stress Induced
      Particle Formation in HSV-2 Viral Vaccine Candidate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaccine formulations may contain visible and/or subvisible particles,
      which can vary in both size and morphology. Extrinsic particles, which are
      particles not part of the product such as foreign contaminants, are generally
      considered undesirable and should be eliminated or controlled in injectable
      products. However, biological products, in particular vaccines, may also contain
      particles that are inherent to the product. Here we focus on the characterization
      of visible and subvisible particles in a live, replication-deficient viral
      vaccine candidate against HSV genital herpes in an early developmental stage.
      METHOD: HSV-2 viral vaccine was characterized using a panel of analytical
      methods, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), sodium dodecyl
      sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blot, liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), light microscopy, transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM), micro-flow imaging (MFI), dynamic light scattering (DLS), right
      angle light scattering (RALS), and intrinsic fluorescence. RESULTS: Particles in
      HSV-2 vaccine typically ranged from hundreds of nanometers to hundreds of
      micrometers in size and were determined to be inherent to the product. The
      infectious titer did not correlate with any trend in subvisible particle
      concentration and size distribution as shown by DLS, MFI, and TEM under stressed
      conditions. This suggested that particle changes in the submicron range were
      related to HSV-2 virion structure and had direct impact on biological activity.
      It was also observed that subvisible and visible particles could induce
      aggregation in the viral product. The temperature induced aggregation was
      observed by RALS, intrinsic fluorescence, and DLS. The increase of subvisible
      particle size with temperature could be fitted to a two-step thermokinetic model.
      CONCLUSION: Visible and subvisible particles were found to be inherent to the HSV
      2 viral vaccine product. The mechanism of protein aggregation was discussed and a
      two-step thermokinetic aggregation profile was proposed. The approaches reported
      in this study may be applied to a variety of vaccines and other biological
      products, as a way to assess the consistency of the manufacturing process and
      identify key product quality attributes.

PMID- 28914198
TI  - PeMtb: A Database of MHC Antigenic Peptide of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For design of a subunit vaccine for tuberculosis, identification of
      antigenic Tcell epitope is of utmost importance. Several MHC prediction server
      are available that can accurately predict antigenic peptide of variable lengths.
      However, peptides predicted from one server not necessarily are predicted form
      another server, thus creating a confusing situation for scientists to choose a
      best epitope. METHOD: Keeping the above problem in mind, we developed a
      comprehensive database of peptides of Mycobacterial proteins. Each protein was
      taken from PubMed and was run through different MHC prediction servers, with the
      results being compiled into one database. RESULTS: For each protein, PeMtb
      generates a set of three different mers of variable lengths (12 mer or 13-mer)
      based on their ranking; with each mer being predicted for a plethora of MHC
      alleles. Researcher can choose the peptide (mers) that gives best binding
      affinity from most of the servers. CONCLUSION: The database relieves the
      investigators of the painstaking task of searching various MHC prediction servers
      for the right epitope (T-cell epitope) for a particular Mycobacterial antigen. We
      trust and anticipate that PeMtb will be a practical platform for trial and
      computational analyses of antigenic peptides for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All
      the resources and information can be accessed by PeMtb home page www.pemtb
      amu.org.

PMID- 28914199
TI  - Clinical Applications of Intravenous Immunoglobulins in Child Neurology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While there are guidelines for the use of intravenous immunoglobulins
      in children with Guillain-Barre syndrome and myasthenia gravis based on high
      level evidence studies, data are scarce for the majority of neurologic disorders
      in this age group. Neuronal antibodies are detected in children with seizures of
      autoimmune etiology. Intravenous immunoglobulins with their broad
      immunomodulatory mechanism of action could be ideally effective in different
      forms of immunedysregulated intractable epilepsies such as autoimmune epilepsy
      and autoimmune Rasmussen encephalitis. We conducted a systematic review of the
      literature for evidence of the use of intravenous immunoglobulins in a variety of
      neurologic diseases in childhood. METHOD: A comprehensive literature search was
      conducted using Pubmed as the medical database source without date range.
      Prospective studies in pediatric groups including objective measures of clinical
      outcomes were systematically selected. RESULTS: A total of 11 prospective studies
      were identified in the literature demonstrating a favorable effect of this
      therapeutic option in children with drug-resistant epilepsy and in cases of
      encephalitis. No serious adverse effects were reported. No prospective studies
      about the use of intravenous immunoglobulins in children with demyelinating
      disorders or neurologic paraneoplasmatic syndromes were found. CONCLUSION: In
      this review, we summarize the recent advances in the field of intravenous
      immunoglobulins used in pediatric neurological diseases. Literature data supports
      a beneficial effect in this age group. Whilst awaiting the results of large scale
      studies, administration of intravenous immunoglobulins could be justified in
      refractory child epilepsy. Otherwise, its use should be guided by the individual
      needs of each child, depending on the underlying neurological disease.

PMID- 28914201
TI  - The Transport Mechanism of Extracellular Vesicles at the Blood-Brain Barrier.
AB  - Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs), like exosomes and microvesicles, have
      attracted attention as potent carriers of intercellular communication throughout
      the body, including the brain. They transmit biological signals from donor cells
      to recipient cells, and recent evidence suggests that they may even carry such
      signals to distant destinations through peripheral circulation. In the central
      nervous system (CNS), EVs contribute to maintaining normal neuronal function, as
      well as to the pathological development of neurodegenerative diseases. Although
      some evidence has suggested that EVs can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB),
      moving from the peripheral circulation to the CNS, the mechanisms by which EVs
      facilitate communication between peripheral tissues and the CNS are not well
      understood. The BBB is a dynamic interface that regulates molecular trafficking
      between the peripheral circulation and the CNS. However, there is limited
      mechanistic understanding of how bloodborne EVs cross the BBB under physiological
      and pathological conditions. In this review, we focus on current knowledge of
      trafficking of EVs between the peripheral circulation and the brain. Moreover, we
      describe hypothetical transport routes by which EVs may cross the BBB based on
      previous reports. Further investigation is needed to understand the precise
      mechanisms by which EVs are transported across the BBB.

PMID- 28914202
TI  - Statins and contrast-induced nephropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a type of acute kidney injury associated
      with intravascular administration of iodinated contrast, usually reversible.
      Contrast agents are an essential component of invasive and noninvasive coronary
      angiography. These agents have been modified over time to enhance patient safety
      and tolerability, but adverse reactions still occur. CIN has been variably
      defined, as a rise in serum creatinine of 0.5 mg/dl, or a 25% increase in serum
      creatinine above baseline within 24-72 hours after the procedure. The incidence
      of CIN varies based on the definition used and risk profile of the patients. CIN
      is rare among patients with normal renal function at baseline. In low-risk
      patients, CIN occurs in 1-5%, whereas in higher-risk populations, the incidence
      can be as high as 30%. CIN is also associated with a 5- to 20-fold increased risk
      of other early adverse events including in-hospital myocardial infarction, target
      vessel occlusion, and early mortality. The main prevention strategies are
      adequate intravenous hydration before, during and after the procedure as well as
      restriction of contrast load with maximum volume approximately no more than three
      times the serum creatinine clearance. Recent observational and small prospective
      randomized trials demonstrate the reduction of CIN incidence with HMG-CoA enzyme
      inhibitors. In this systematic review and meta-analysis we explore the effects of
      statin administration in prevention of CIN.

PMID- 28914203
TI  - Phytomedicines are Efficient Complementary Therapies for the Treatment of Atopic
      Dermatitis: A Review of Mechanistic Insight and Recent Updates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phytomedicines have been well-accepted alternative complementary
      therapies for the treatment of a wide range of acute and chronic skin
      inflammatory diseases including chronic herpes, prurigo, psoriasis, and atopic
      dermatitis (AD). A plethora of in vitro and in vivo studies have evidenced the
      therapeutic viability of phytomedicines, polyherbal formulations, plant-based
      materials and their decoctions for the treatment of mild-to-severe AD. OBJECTIVE:
      This review was aimed to summarize and critically discuss the convincing evidence
      for the therapeutic effectiveness of phytomedicines for the treatment of AD and
      explore their anti-AD efficacy. RESULTS: The critical analysis of a wide
      algorithm of herbal medicines revealed that their remarkable anti-AD efficacy is
      attributed to their potential of reducing erythema intensity, oedema,
      inflammation, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and a remarkable suppression of
      mRNA expression of ADassociated inflammatory biomarkers including histamine,
      immunoglobulin (Ig)-E, prostaglandins, mast cells infiltration and production of
      cytokines and chemokines in the serum and skin biopsies. CONCLUSION: In
      conclusion, herbal medicines hold great promise as complementary and alternative
      therapies for the treatment of mild-to-moderate AD when used as monotherapy and
      for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD when used in conjunction with other
      pharmacological agents.

PMID- 28914204
TI  - A Review on the Effects of Testosterone Supplementation in Hypogonadal Men with
      Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - Cognitive function and testosterone level of men decline concurrently with age.
      Low testosterone levels are associated with higher risk of Alzheimer's disease
      and mild cognitive impairment in men. There are continuous debates on whether
      this relationship is casual. This paper aims to summarize the current evidence on
      the association between testosterone level and cognitive function in elderly men.
      The presence of testosterone, androgen receptor and its responsive genes
      indicates that testosterone has biological functions in the central nervous
      system. The ability of the body to convert testosterone into estrogen suggests
      that part of the actions of testosterone could be mediated by estrogen.
      Observational studies generally showed that low endogenous testosterone levels
      were associated with poor cognitive performance in healthy elderly men.
      Testosterone substitution exerted positive effects on certain cognitive domains
      in normal and hypogonadal elderly men. In conclusion, testosterone may influence
      cognitive function in elderly men and its substitution may be considered in men
      with cognitive impairment and testosterone deficiency.

PMID- 28914200
TI  - Development of Peptide Vaccines in Dengue.
AB  - Dengue is one of the most important arboviral infections worldwide, infecting up
      to 390 million people and causing 25,000 deaths annually. Although a licensed
      dengue vaccine is available, it is not efficacious against dengue serotypes that
      infect people living in South East Asia, where dengue is an endemic disease.
      Hence, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient dengue vaccine for this
      region. Data from different clinical trials indicate that a successful dengue
      vaccine must elicit both neutralizing antibodies and cell mediated immunity. This
      can be achieved by designing a multi-epitope peptide vaccine comprising B, CD8+
      and CD4+ T cell epitopes. As recognition of T cell epitopes are restricted by
      human leukocyte antigens (HLA), T cell epitopes which are able to recognize
      several major HLAs will be preferentially included in the vaccine design. While
      peptide vaccines are safe, biocompatible and cost-effective, it is poorly
      immunogenic. Strategies to improve its immunogenicity by the use of long
      peptides, adjuvants and nanoparticle delivery mechanisms are discussed.

PMID- 28914205
TI  - Vitamin D and Depression: The Evidence from an Indirect Clue to Treatment
      Strategy.
AB  - Depression is a common psychiatric disorder that decreases the quality of life
      and increases the mortality of patients. It incurs significant healthcare costs
      if left untreated. Even though intervention with antidepressants can reduce
      depressive symptoms, side effects are often an issue and relapse is very common.
      Vitamin D, commonly known as the sunshine vitamin, is an essential fat-soluble
      vitamin for the absorption of calcium to prevent rickets (children) and
      osteomalacia (adults). Evidence on a possible relationship between vitamin D
      deficiency and depression is growing. In this review, the authors summarized the
      evidence on the association between vitamin D status and depression in human
      observational studies, followed by clinical trials to evaluate the effects of
      vitamin D supplementation in treating depression. In conclusion, vitamin D
      deficiency may be associated with an increased risk or severity of depression.
      Supplementation of vitamin D may confer protection for depressed patients.

PMID- 28914206
TI  - Mesenchymal Stem Cell as a Potential Therapeutic for Inflammatory Bowel Disease-
      Myth or Reality?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which include Crohn's disease and
      Ulcerative Colitis, are inflammatory autoimmune diseases which severely affect
      the quality of life. Till date, no long-lasting cure has been found for the
      disease and all the current treatment strategies are mainly focused on dampening
      the symptomatic inflammatory process that has certain side effects. In addition,
      a large number of patients remain refractory to conventional therapies.
      Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be looked upon as a biodrug to treat IBD owing
      to their immune-suppressive and regenerative capabilities. MSCs provide an
      advantage over the other widely used adult stem cells- hematopoietic stem cells
      in the aspects of lower side effects and enhanced tolerability. MSCs have had
      reasonable success thus far in clinical trials to treat IBD via systemic delivery
      as well as in local delivery (perianal Crohn's disease). OBJECTIVE: In order to
      optimize and standardize, MSC based therapy for IBD, a better understanding of
      cellular and molecular mechanisms of the therapeutic activities of MSCs, is
      extremely mandatory. There has been a plethora of publications in the last decade
      which elucidates the biologic rationale that makes MSC a promising therapeutic
      tool for IBD. Recent studies have witnessed a replacement of hypotheses regarding
      the mechanism of MSCs in curing IBD. The present review summarizes all these
      discussions, the results of the trials carried out to date and the future
      prospects in this field. CONCLUSION: Based on the current development of MSC
      based clinical trials and the ever-increasing rate of in-vitro studies, with a
      purpose to unveil the mechanism of curative approach of these cells, MSC based
      therapy for IBD can be expected to achieve clinical relevance in the near future.

PMID- 28914207
TI  - A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials of Mesenchymal Stem Cell
      Therapy for Cartilage Repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major global burden creating significant
      morbidity worldwide. Current curative therapies are expensive, challenging to
      access and have significant risks, making them infeasible and difficult in many
      cases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be applied to joints and may regenerate
      the cartilage damaged in OA, this therapy may be advantageous to existing
      treatments. OBJECTIVE: We systematically reviewed clinical trials of MSCs for
      cartilage repair and provide an overview of the literature in this area here.
      MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, clinicaltrials.gov and Open- Grey were searched for
      controlled trials and case series with >5 patents involving MSC therapy for
      cartilage repair. The controlled trials were meta-analysed and the primary
      outcome measure was improvement in pain over the control group. A narrative
      synthesis was composed for the case series. RESULTS: A significant reduction in
      pain was found with the use of MSCs over controls: Standardised mean difference=
      1.27 (95% Confidence intervals -1.95 to -0.58). However, the data was extremely
      heterogeneous with I2=95%, this may be attributed to differing therapies,
      clinical indication for treatment and joints treated amongst others. Case series
      showed improvements in treated patients with a variety of differing treatments
      and by many outcomes. There were no severe adverse outcomes found across all
      studies that could be attributed to MSCs, implying their safety. CONCLUSION: We
      conclude that MSCs have significant potential for the treatment of OA, however,
      larger, more consistent trials are needed for conclusive analysis.

PMID- 28914208
TI  - A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies Investigating Mesenchymal Stem Cells for
      Fracture Non-Union and Bone Defects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fracture non-union is a significant problem with a wide range
      demographic and massive socioeconomic elements, as well as the clinical
      difficulties it presents. Conventional treatments with autograft and allograft
      bone grafting pose serious difficulties, thus, it is necessary to develop novel
      techniques with our ever increasing knowledge of bioengineering using natural
      materials. OBJECTIVE: To search for current evidence regarding the treatment of
      fracture non-union or bone defects using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). RESULTS:
      The results presented in this review show that the use of mesenchymal stem cells
      for the treatment of non-union and bone defects is optimistic. Several papers had
      positive outcomes to report. There is a need for higher level evidence.
      CONCLUSION: A strong need of clinical results is required to further progress in
      cell therapy. Launched trials will hopefully provide this information in the near
      future. If clinical trials are positive, further development of complex tissue
      engineering techniques may be developed to treat large bone defects.

PMID- 28914209
TI  - Knee Ligament Injury and the Clinical Application of Tissue Engineering
      Techniques: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of knee ligament injury is increasing and represents a
      significant cost to healthcare providers. Current interventions include tissue
      grafts, suture repair and non-surgical management. These techniques have
      demonstrated good patient outcomes but have been associated graft rejection,
      infection, long term immobilization and reduced joint function. The limitations
      of traditional management strategies have prompted research into tissue
      engineering of knee ligaments. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to evaluate whether
      tissue engineering of knee ligaments offers a viable alternative in the clinical
      management of knee ligament injuries. A search of existing literature was
      performed using OVID Medline, Embase, AMED, PubMed and Google Scholar, and a
      manual review of citations identified within these papers. RESULTS: Silk, polymer
      and extracellular matrix based scaffolds can all improve graft healing and
      collagen production. Fibroblasts and stem cells demonstrate compatibility with
      scaffolds, and have been shown to increase organized collagen production. These
      effects can be augmented using growth factors and extracellular matrix
      derivatives. Animal studies have shown tissue engineered ligaments can provide
      the biomechanical characteristics required for effective treatment of knee
      ligament injuries. CONCLUSION: There is a growing clinical demand for a tissue
      engineered alternative to traditional management strategies. Currently, there is
      limited consensus regarding material selection for use in tissue engineered
      ligaments. Further research is required to optimize tissue engineered ligament
      production before clinical application. Controlled clinical trials comparing the
      use of tissue engineered ligaments and traditional management in patients with
      knee ligament injury could determine whether they can provide a cost-effective
      alternative.

PMID- 28914210
TI  - [Sepsis: new insights, new definition].
AB  - - Incidence of sepsis is increasing, partly due to an ageing population,
      increased use of immunosuppressants, and antibiotic resistance. Sepsis survival
      has improved substantially, in part because of continuously improving intensive
      care and implementation of evidence-based guidelines.- Sepsis is defined as 'life
      threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to infection'.
      The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score can be used to estimate
      organ dysfunction severity.- In this article, we discuss the new sepsis
      definitions - including reactions to these definitions, an overview of current
      insights in sepsis pathogenesis, and the new treatment guidelines.- Prevention of
      sepsis, faster pathogen detection, new lung and kidney function-preserving
      treatment strategies, further individualisation of patient care and attention to
      long-term consequences of sepsis will determine the research agenda for the
      coming years.

PMID- 28914211
TI  - [A toddler with a vaginal mass and blood loss; the rhabdomyosarcoma].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The differential diagnosis of vaginal blood loss in childhood is
      broad, and includes irritation of the mucous membranes, trauma, tumours, foreign
      bodies and sexual abuse. Physical and additional examination is often initially
      difficult; however, prompt detection of a rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft-tissue tumour
      principally diagnosed in childhood, is vitally important. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 3
      year-old girl with a history of vaginal blood loss and an introital mass was
      referred to the gynaecologist. Treatment with oestriol and triamcinolone cream
      did not lead to healing. Pathological examination of a biopsy taken under general
      anaesthetic indicated an embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma. Chemotherapy, surgical
      resection and brachytherapy lead to persistent remission of the tumour.
      CONCLUSION: Because rhabdomyosarcoma is rare and can present atypically,
      diagnosis can be delayed. Early recognition is, however, essential and this
      condition should be placed high in the differential diagnosis by vaginal blood
      loss or vaginal abnormality in childhood.

PMID- 28914212
TI  - [From being a child to being ill; changes in thinking about Alzheimer's disease].
AB  - In 1984 the public consciousness about Alzheimer's disease radically changed.
      Suddenly, especially in the media, a tremendous interest in the phenomenon arose.
      In the years before, there was hardly any public knowledge about 'Alzheimer's
      disease'. Mental deterioration was seen as a natural and inevitable part of a
      human being's course of life. Starting in 1984 however, this deterioration was
      seen as the most dreaded disease that could struck a person. The disease seemed
      to rob a person from its most essential abilities: the ability to think, to
      communicate and to be an individual. This new disease concept had clear
      advantages for many parties: scientists could develop new knowledge; healthy
      elderly were protected against stereotypes about their age; and the elderly who
      actually deteriorated seriously, could blame this on a disease, something they
      could do nothing about. In the year 1984, the foundation of this Alzheimer
      revolution was laid.

PMID- 28914213
TI  - [Medical treatment of people with dementia requires dealing with uncertainty].
AB  - Here we report on a number of medical dilemmas during the final 6 years of life
      of a 78-year-old woman with dementia. Questions concerning both diagnostic
      procedures and treatment options are discussed. The first dilemma concerns mild
      symptoms leading to the diagnosis of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and the
      requirement for anticoagulation; the second dilemma concerns vague symptoms of
      tiredness with anaemia leading to the diagnosis of colon cancer and the
      requirement for surgery. The conclusion is that there are no protocols that can
      be used to solve questions of this nature, and we need careful reflection with
      colleagues, the patient and important people in the patient's life in order to
      make decisions in the best interest of the quality of life as experienced by the
      patient. This is a complicated task for any doctor who has to deal with medical
      uncertainties and an incapacitated patient.

PMID- 28914214
TI  - [What if a patient with dementia asks for help].
AB  - Imagine that a patient with mild or moderate cognitive problems comes to your
      surgery - usually with a carer - or presents at the Emergency Department or an
      outpatient clinic. As a physician, what should you do or not do? How do you make
      contact? How do you explain things? What are the pitfalls in communication that
      you should avoid? This article provides you with eight practical tips for dealing
      with this situation.

PMID- 28914215
TI  - [Treatment of sepsis in perspective: what have 25 years of sepsis definition
      brought us?]
AB  - The first official definition of sepsis was published in 1992. Last year, in
      2016, the third version was published. In this article we discuss the various
      definitions, the evolving insights into pathophysiology and several of the
      treatments that have been implemented over the last 25 years.

PMID- 28914216
TI  - [Driving with Alzheimer's disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarise the available literature on driving with Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) and to investigate the relationship between driving and cognitive
      functioning. DESIGN: Literature review. METHOD: A systematic search of the
      electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE was conducted to select the relevant
      literature on the driving competence of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
      RESULTS: A total of 31 studies were selected that investigated driving competence
      in AD using either an on-road driving assessment or a driving simulator. The
      driving competence of patients with AD was less accurate compared with controls.
      The most commonly made errors included errors in staying in lane, lane changing,
      slower reaction times, and more fluctuations in speed. Cognitive functioning was
      more predictive of driving competence than a diagnosis of AD alone. CONCLUSION:
      Based on the available literature it is difficult to determine when patients with
      AD should be restricted in their driving. In addition, there is currently no
      consensus on which neuropsychological tests are useful in clinical practice to
      predict driving competence. Specific practical guidelines that can be implemented
      in daily practice are still lacking.

PMID- 28914217
TI  - [Unexplained behaviour and dementia].
AB  - Behavioural changes, often resulting in negative or challenging behaviour, are
      highly prevalent in patients with dementia. Here we describe two patients in whom
      challenging behaviour was the first sign of an evolving dementia process. We
      discuss the relevance of a multifactorial approach in analysis and treatment,
      starting from a biopsychosocial model of behaviour in dementia. One pitfall is
      underestimating the contribution of physical co-morbidity to challenging
      behaviour in these patients; a further pitfall is the 'attribution phenomenon',
      i.e. the tendency to attribute new behavioural symptoms to conditions that are
      already known, such as chronic psychiatric illness. Guidelines for the assessment
      and management of challenging behaviour in patients who have already been
      diagnosed with dementia are also useful in cases where the physician is
      confronted with unexplained behavioural changes and challenging behaviour in
      older adults who have not yet been diagnosed with this condition.

PMID- 28914218
TI  - [Apathetic geriatric patient benefits from methylphenidate].
AB  - Two independent, home-dwelling geriatric patients presented with apathy at a
      general practice in the Netherlands and were seen by an elderly care physician
      after (non-)medical interventions had failed. Both patients were treated with low
      dose methylphenidate. During treatment, apathy symptoms decreased and the
      patients became more active. Apathy is a frequent symptom of several
      neuropsychiatric diseases, depression and somatic conditions. Its incidence
      varies from 1.3% in healthy elderly people to more than 50% in the elderly with
      depression or dementia. In this clinical lesson we present these two cases and
      discuss considerations for treatment of apathy with methylphenidate.

PMID- 28914219
TI  - [Euthanasia and advanced dementia].
AB  - Somewhere around 1975 there was a shift in our perception of suffering that is
      soon followed by death: it seemed a good idea to skip this unhappy stage of life.
      A complicated national debate arose, and continues to this day, about whether a
      life may be prematurely terminated in cases of insoluble misery. Legislation came
      into effect 2002, after 30 years of deliberation, and the rest of the world
      looked on in horror. England, in particular, liked to point out that the Dutch
      were on a very slippery slope.

PMID- 28914220
TI  - [Leading cause of death in young Dutch people: the cigarette].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of smoking on premature death in the
      Netherlands and the difference between causes of death for smokers and non
      smokers. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. METHOD: Data on smoking behaviour
      were obtained from 40,000 people who participated in the CBS (Statistics
      Netherlands) health survey between 2001-2006. These data were linked to data on
      death and cause of death for the 10 years following this questionnaire. Hazard
      ratios were calculated for premature deaths among smokers, classified into
      smoking intensity, and ex-smokers as compared with those who had never smoked.
      These data were used to estimate cumulative death of smokers versus non-smokers.
      RESULTS: The hazard ratio for premature death was 3.8 (95% CI: 3.2-4.5) for heavy
      smokers, 2.6 (95% CI: 2.2-3.0) for moderate smokers and 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3-2.3) for
      light smokers. Lifelong heavy smokers had a chance of 23% of dying before the age
      of 65. For moderate and light smokers and for non-smokers, the chance was
      respectively 16, 11 and 7%. For half of all people who died relatively young,
      cancer was the underlying cause of death. This was mainly lung cancer for
      smokers. Heavy smokers are estimated to have lost 13 years of life, moderate
      smokers 9 and light smokers 5. Smoking cessation at any age still benefited
      health. Ex-smokers who had quit before an approximate age of 35 had the same life
      expectancy as lifelong non-smokers. CONCLUSION: An estimated four in ten
      premature deaths can be attributed to smoking in the Netherlands. Cancer is the
      predominant cause of death amongst smokers. Smoking cessation increases life
      expectancy. Therefore, the earlier a smoker stops, the better.

PMID- 28914221
TI  - [The default setting of memory is 'forgetting'].
AB  - From the age of about 60, many people begin to experience difficulties with tasks
      that require the use of prospective memory and begin to have trouble finding
      words and names. Worried that these symptoms may be indicative of the onset of
      Alzheimer's disease, many of them fill in online self-tests or consult their
      family doctor. In the vast majority of cases, symptoms like these indicate
      completely natural age-related forgetfulness. Physicians should encourage a
      socially active lifestyle to slow down further decline. In cases of mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI), the physician should be aware of patients who deny or
      trivialise memory problems, especially if these problems have repercussions for
      performance in professions such as that of airline pilots or medical
      practitioners. In the absence of formal annual performance checks, ageing
      physicians should keep a close watch on themselves and on their colleagues.

PMID- 28914222
TI  - Process measures or patient reported experience measures (PREMs) for comparing
      performance across providers? A study of measures related to access and
      continuity in Swedish primary care.
AB  - : Aim To study (a) the covariation between patient reported experience measures
      (PREMs) and registered process measures of access and continuity when ranking
      providers in a primary care setting, and (b) whether registered process measures
      or PREMs provided more or less information about potential linkages between
      levels of access and continuity and explaining variables. BACKGROUND: Access and
      continuity are important objectives in primary care. They can be measured through
      registered process measures or PREMs. These measures do not necessarily converge
      in terms of outcomes. Patient views are affected by factors not necessarily
      reflecting quality of services. Results from surveys are often uncertain due to
      low response rates, particularly in vulnerable groups. The quality of process
      measures, on the other hand, may be influenced by registration practices and are
      often more easy to manipulate. With increased transparency and use of quality
      measures for management and governance purposes, knowledge about the pros and
      cons of using different measures to assess the performance across providers are
      important. METHODS: Four regression models were developed with registered process
      measures and PREMs of access and continuity as dependent variables. Independent
      variables were characteristics of providers as well as geographical location and
      degree of competition facing providers. Data were taken from two large Swedish
      county councils. Findings Although ranking of providers is sensitive to the
      measure used, the results suggest that providers performing well with respect to
      one measure also tended to perform well with respect to the other. As process
      measures are easier and quicker to collect they may be looked upon as the
      preferred option. PREMs were better than process measures when exploring factors
      that contributed to variation in performance across providers in our study;
      however, if the purpose of comparison is continuous learning and development of
      services, a combination of PREMs and registered measures may be the preferred
      option. Above all, our findings points towards the importance of a pre-analysis
      of the measures in use; to explore the pros and cons if measures are used for
      different purposes before they are put into practice.

PMID- 28914223
TI  - Educator Readiness to Improve Gerontological Curricula in Health and Social
      Service Education.
AB  - This study investigated the state of gerontology content in health and social
      service education programs in Ontario, and readiness indicators for change among
      administrators and faculty. We conducted a survey of teaching faculty (n = 100)
      and deans or directors (n = 56) of 89 education programs, which revealed mixed
      evidence on readiness for change. Most respondents thought their programs were
      adequate but needed enhancement. However, they were unaware of published
      gerontological competencies with which to evaluate their curricula. Beliefs about
      capacity for change varied, with half the participants indicating that their
      programs had sufficient faculty expertise in gerontology and geriatrics. Factors
      influencing readiness for change include lack of gerontological expertise; need
      for institutional and management support; need for additional teaching resources;
      and recognizing the need for change. There is an opportunity, by committing
      resources and time, to capitalize on the faculty and administrators who thought
      their programs should improve.

PMID- 28914224
TI  - Rapid Risk Assessment Report for Schistosomiasis Epidemic in Jianli County Caused
      by the Sunk "Oriental Star" Cruise Ship.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At 9:28 pm on June 1, 2015, the cruise ship "Oriental Star" sank into
      Yangtze River in Jianli County, with 422 people killed. When the accident
      occurred, the Chinese government took immediate action and dispatched more than
      9000 rescuers. The risk for outbreak of schistosomiasis was increased because of
      the shipwreck. Obviously it is critical to carry out risk assessment as soon as
      possible. METHODS: By means of the Delphi method, the situation was analyzed so
      that the government could fathom the severity of the accident. Then, through
      matrix and sigma-plotting (3-dimensional graphics) methods, related authorities
      performed risk assessment after site investigation. RESULTS: The latest news
      reported that more than 9000 people were involved in the rescue. The affected
      river was analyzed and mapped using SigmaPlot software, according to which the
      possibility, harmfulness, and controllability of the accident were determined to
      be medium (6), medium (6), and poor (7), respectively. CONCLUSION: The site of
      the accident where the cruise ship sank and rescue operations were carried out is
      a schistosomiasis epidemic area with high mortality and morbidity. The chance of
      an outbreak of the schistosomiasis epidemic in Jianli County is quite high. To
      protect people in this county from the epidemic, relevant logistic services
      should be arranged and all remains should be cleared up carefully. (Disaster Med
      Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:147-153).

PMID- 28914225
TI  - New Directions for Care Management Journals.

PMID- 28914226
TI  - Comprehensive Care.
AB  - Illness is a combination of pathophysiology and associated thoughts, emotions,
      and behaviors. Given the large number of treatments that are discretionary and
      preference sensitive, one goal is accurate diagnosis of patient preferences.
      Reliance on biomedical treatments (e.g., medication and procedures) may overlook
      important opportunities for improved health such as amelioration of stress and
      distress and training in more effective coping strategies.

PMID- 28914227
TI  - A System Analysis of Delay in Outpatient Respiratory Equipment Delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To systematically assess barriers delaying home respiratory equipment
      requisition and to evaluate for temporal correlation between delays and emergency
      room or hospitalization episodes. BACKGROUND: Initiation of home respiratory
      treatments is delayed because of delays in delivery of durable medical equipment
      (DME). This study assesses root causes of such delays from a system perspective.
      We also describe clinical consequences by measuring emergency room visits and
      hospitalization days for temporal correlations. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective review of DME ordering records from April 2011 to March of 2012.
      SETTINGS: Outpatient DME records in Pediatric Pulmonary Division. RESULTS: Of 164
      available orders studied, deliveries were made as followed: 31 (19%) within 24
      hr: 18 (59%) oxygen orders and 10 (32%) nebulizer orders 50 (30%) within 1 week:
      25 (50%) nebulizer orders and 10 (20%) oxygen orders Delays: 45 (27%) delivered >
      1 month: Bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) = 16 (36%) Oxygen = 12 (26%)
      Cough assist device = 7 (16%) Nebulizer = 5 (11%) Miscellaneous devices = 5 (11%)
      Analysis of barriers includes (a) type of insurance, (b) human error, (c)
      communication barrier, (d) deficit in training or knowledge, (e) no clear policy,
      (f) differences in clinical policy/ standard, (g) no DME benefit, (h) no clinical
      justification, and (i) error in communication/record keeping. Six patients with 7
      emergency department (ED) visits and 4 inpatient admissions, totaling 24 hospital
      days, were temporally associated with delays in delivery of equipment over 30
      days. CONCLUSION: One half of commonly used DMEs were delivered within the first
      week. One quarter of more expensive required more steps for approval. Twenty-nine
      ED/hospital days with respiratory morbidities were temporally associated with
      delays.

PMID- 28914228
TI  - An Integrated Case Management Model to Assist Pacific Youth Offenders and Their
      Families in Australia.
AB  - Pasifika Support Services (PSS) was a program managed by a nongovernment
      organization, Mission Australia, and funded by the New South Wales Premiers
      Office to meet the needs of young offenders from a Pacific background. PSS ran
      from June 2005 to June 2009 and implemented a cost-effective integrated case
      management model with the New South Wales Police Force adapted to address social
      risk factors specific to Pacific youth offenders and family support networks.
      Sixty young people were reviewed regarding the outcomes achieved through their
      participation, further supported by an evaluation carried out by an external
      evaluator who found that 65% of participants did not reoffend after 18 months of
      completing the program. An importance of developing a shared approach to
      employing a holistic and intensive model of case management that affects
      individual, community, and organizational change through culturally relevant
      processes and practices, paired with a cross institutional commitment underpins
      the various outcomes discussed.

PMID- 28914229
TI  - Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of beta-interferon and glatiramer
      acetate for treating multiple sclerosis: systematic review and economic
      evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At the time of publication of the most recent National Institute for
      Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance [technology appraisal (TA) 32] in 2002
      on beta-interferon (IFN-beta) and glatiramer acetate (GA) for multiple sclerosis,
      there was insufficient evidence of their clinical effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness. OBJECTIVES: To undertake (1) systematic reviews of the clinical
      effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of IFN-beta and GA in relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis (RRMS), secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) and
      clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) compared with best supportive care (BSC) and
      each other, investigating annualised relapse rate (ARR) and time to disability
      progression confirmed at 3 months and 6 months and (2) cost-effectiveness
      assessments of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for CIS and RRMS compared with
      BSC and each other. REVIEW METHODS: Searches were undertaken in January and
      February 2016 in databases including The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and the
      Science Citation Index. We limited some database searches to specific start dates
      based on previous, relevant systematic reviews. Two reviewers screened titles and
      abstracts with recourse to a third when needed. The Cochrane tool and the
      Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) and Philips
      checklists were used for appraisal. Narrative synthesis and, when possible,
      random-effects meta-analysis and network meta-analysis (NMA) were performed. Cost
      effectiveness analysis used published literature, findings from the Department of
      Health's risk-sharing scheme (RSS) and expert opinion. A de novo economic model
      was built for CIS. The base case used updated RSS data, a NHS and Personal Social
      Services perspective, a 50-year time horizon, 2014/15 prices and a discount rate
      of 3.5%. Outcomes are reported as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs).
      We undertook probabilistic sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: In total, 6420
      publications were identified, of which 63 relating to 35 randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) were included. In total, 86% had a high risk of bias. There was
      very little difference between drugs in reducing moderate or severe relapse rates
      in RRMS. All were beneficial compared with BSC, giving a pooled rate ratio of
      0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56 to 0.76] for ARR and a hazard ratio of
      0.70 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.87) for time to disability progression confirmed at 3
      months. NMA suggested that 20 mg of GA given subcutaneously had the highest
      probability of being the best at reducing ARR. Three separate cost-effectiveness
      searches identified > 2500 publications, with 26 included studies informing the
      narrative synthesis and model inputs. In the base case using a modified RSS the
      mean incremental cost was L31,900 for pooled DMTs compared with BSC and the mean
      incremental quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were 0.943, giving an ICER of
      L33,800 per QALY gained for people with RRMS. In probabilistic sensitivity
      analysis the ICER was L34,000 per QALY gained. In sensitivity analysis, using the
      assessment group inputs gave an ICER of L12,800 per QALY gained for pooled DMTs
      compared with BSC. Pegylated IFN-beta-1 (125 ug) was the most cost-effective
      option of the individual DMTs compared with BSC (ICER L7000 per QALY gained); GA
      (20 mg) was the most cost-effective treatment for CIS (ICER L16,500 per QALY
      gained). LIMITATIONS: Although we built a de novo model for CIS that incorporated
      evidence from our systematic review of clinical effectiveness, our findings
      relied on a population diagnosed with CIS before implementation of the revised
      2010 McDonald criteria. CONCLUSIONS: DMTs were clinically effective for RRMS and
      CIS but cost-effective only for CIS. Both RCT evidence and RSS data are at high
      risk of bias. Research priorities include comparative studies with longer follow
      up and systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. STUDY
      REGISTRATION: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42016043278. FUNDING: The
      National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

PMID- 28914231
TI  - Plasmonic resonances in hybrid systems of aluminum nanostructured arrays and few
      layer graphene within the UV-IR spectral range.
AB  - The size-controllable and ordered Al nanocavities and nanodomes arrays were
      synthesized by electrochemical anodization of aluminum using phosphoric acid,
      citric acid and mixture both acids. Few layer graphene (FLG) was transferred
      directly on top of Al nanostructures and their morphology were evaluated by
      scanning electron microscopy. The interaction between FLG and the plasmonic
      properties of Al nanostructures arrays were investigated based on specular
      reflectivity in the ultraviolet-visible-infrared range and Raman spectroscopy. We
      found that their optical reflectivity was dramatically reduced as compared with
      unstructured Al. At the same time pronounced reflectivity dips were detectable in
      the 200-896 nm wavelength range, which were ascribed to plasmonic resonances. The
      plasmonic properties of these nanostructures do not exhibit evident changes by
      the presence of FLG in the UV-vis range of the electromagnetic spectrum. By
      contrast, the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of FLG was observed in
      nanocavities and nanodomes structures that result in an intensity increase of the
      characteristic G and 2D bands of FLG induced by the plasmonic properties of Al
      nanostructures.

PMID- 28914230
TI  - Prefrontal cortical responses in children with prenatal alcohol-related
      neurodevelopmental impairment: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Disruption in the neural activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in
      modulating arousal was explored in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure
      (PAE), who have known neurobehavioral impairment. METHODS: During a task that
      elicits frustration, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to
      measure PFC activation, specifically levels of oxygenated (HBO) and deoxygenated
      (HBR) hemoglobin, in children with PAE (n=18) relative to typically developing
      Controls (n=12) and a Clinical Contrast group with other neurodevelopmental or
      behavioral problems (n=14). RESULTS: Children with PAE had less activation during
      conditions with positive emotional arousal, as indicated by lower levels of HBO
      in the medial areas of the PFC and higher levels of HBR in all areas of the PFC
      sampled relative to both other groups. Children in the Control group demonstrated
      greater differentiation of PFC activity than did children with PAE. Children in
      the Clinical Contrast group demonstrated the greatest differences in PFC activity
      between valences of task conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Specific patterns of PFC
      activation differentiated children with PAE from typically developing children
      and children with other clinical problems. SIGNIFICANCE: FNIRS assessments of PFC
      activity provide new insights regarding the mechanisms of commonly seen
      neurobehavioral dysfunction in children with PAE.

PMID- 28914232
TI  - Combined rTMS and virtual reality brain-computer interface training for motor
      recovery after stroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Combining repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with
      brain-computer interface (BCI) training can address motor impairment after stroke
      by down-regulating exaggerated inhibition from the contralesional hemisphere and
      encouraging ipsilesional activation. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy
      of combined rTMS  +  BCI, compared to sham rTMS  +  BCI, on motor recovery after
      stroke in subjects with lasting motor paresis. APPROACH: Three stroke subjects
      approximately one year post-stroke participated in three weeks of combined rTMS
      (real or sham) and BCI, followed by three weeks of BCI alone. Behavioral and
      electrophysiological differences were evaluated at baseline, after three weeks,
      and after six weeks of treatment. MAIN RESULTS: Motor improvements were observed
      in both real rTMS  +  BCI and sham groups, but only the former showed significant
      alterations in inter-hemispheric inhibition in the desired direction and
      increased relative ipsilesional cortical activation from fMRI. In addition,
      significant improvements in BCI performance over time and adequate control of the
      virtual reality BCI paradigm were observed only in the former group.
      SIGNIFICANCE: When combined, the results highlight the feasibility and efficacy
      of combined rTMS  +  BCI for motor recovery, demonstrated by increased
      ipsilesional motor activity and improvements in behavioral function for the real
      rTMS  +  BCI condition in particular. Our findings also demonstrate the utility
      of BCI training alone, as shown by behavioral improvements for the sham rTMS  + 
      BCI condition. This study is the first to evaluate combined rTMS and BCI training
      for motor rehabilitation and provides a foundation for continued work to evaluate
      the potential of both rTMS and virtual reality BCI training for motor recovery
      after stroke.

PMID- 28914233
TI  - Lessons from two cases of radiation induced skin injuries in fluoroscopic
      procedures in Bulgaria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radiation-induced injuries to patient skin as a result of fluoroscopy
      guided interventional procedures are infrequently reported, often misdiagnosed
      and there is a need to learn lessons from every injury. METHODS: This paper
      describes two cases of radiation induced skin injuries that are, to the best of
      our knowledge, the first ever reported cases from Bulgaria and possibly from
      Eastern Europe, and would thus have educational value. RESULTS: The important
      messages from the skin injuries reported here are: lack of awareness among part
      of the interventional specialists about the potential for radiation induced skin
      injury, misdiagnosis after injury happened because of lack of awareness and
      knowledge among general physicians, dermatologists and surgeons who followed up
      cases of skin injuries; the lack of system to monitor patients with relatively
      high exposure; the important role played by the medical physicist in diagnosing
      the injury and overall in initiating actions; the role of training and
      informational material displayed in interventional facilities. CONCLUSIONS: For
      avoidance of skin injuries from interventional procedures it is of utmost
      importance to implement a system that includes (a) regular monitoring of
      radiation dose parameters of the procedure; (b) established trigger values for
      reporting;

PMID- 28914234
TI  - Selective hierarchical patterning of silicon nanostructures via soft nanostencil
      lithography.
AB  - It is challenging to hierarchically pattern high-aspect-ratio nanostructures on
      microstructures using conventional lithographic techniques, where photoresist
      (PR) film is not able to uniformly cover on the microstructures as the aspect
      ratio increases. Such non-uniformity causes poor definition of nanopatterns over
      the microstructures. Nanostencil lithography can provide an alternative means to
      hierarchically construct nanostructures on microstructures via direct deposition
      or plasma etching through a free-standing nanoporous membrane. In this work, we
      demonstrate the multiscale hierarchical fabrication of high-aspect-ratio
      nanostructures on microstructures of silicon using a free-standing nanostencil,
      which is a nanoporous membrane consisting of metal (Cr), PR, and anti-reflective
      coating. The nanostencil membrane is used as a deposition mask to define Cr
      nanodot patterns on the predefined silicon microstructures. Then, deep reactive
      ion etching is used to hierarchically create nanostructures on the
      microstructures using the Cr nanodots as an etch mask. With simple modification
      of the main fabrication processes, high-aspect-ratio nanopillars are selectively
      defined only on top of the microstructures, on bottom, or on both top and bottom.

PMID- 28914235
TI  - Jump stabilization and landing control by wing-spreading of a locust-inspired
      jumper.
AB  - Bio-inspired robotics is a promising design strategy for mobile robots. Jumping
      is an energy efficient locomotion gait for traversing difficult terrain. Inspired
      by the jumping and flying behavior of the desert locust, we have recently
      developed a miniature jumping robot that can jump over 3.5 m high. However, much
      like the non-adult locust, it rotates while in the air and lands uncontrollably.
      Inspired by the winged adult locust, we have added spreading wings and a tail to
      the jumper. After the robot leaps, at the apex of the trajectory, the wings
      unfold and it glides to the ground. The advantages of this maneuver are the
      stabilization of the robot when airborne, the reduction of velocity at landing,
      the control of the landing angle and the potential to change the robot's
      orientation and control its flight trajectory. The new upgraded robot is capable
      of jumping to a still impressive height of 1.7 m eliminating airborne rotation
      and reducing landing velocity. Here, we analyze the dynamic and aerodynamic
      models of the robot, discuss the robot's design, and validate its ability to
      perform a jump-glide in a stable trajectory, land safely and change its
      orientation while in the air.

PMID- 28914236
TI  - The Krummel (Germany) Childhood Leukaemia Cluster: a review and update.
AB  - The debate surrounding possible adverse health effects from the civil use of
      nuclear power under normal operating conditions has been on-going since its
      introduction. It was particularly intensified by the detection of three leukaemia
      clusters near nuclear installations, i.e. near the reprocessing plants in
      Sellafield and Dounreay, UK, and near the Krummel nuclear power plant, Germany,
      the last of which commenced between 1990 and 1991 and was first described in
      1992; it continued until 2003, and an elevated risk up to 2005 has been reported
      in the literature. A number of expert commissions and working groups were set up
      by the governments of the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Schleswig
      Holstein to investigate the possible causes of the cluster. An overview of the
      many risk factors that were investigated as a possible explanation of the Krummel
      cluster is given here, focussing on radiation, but also including other risk
      factors. Further, results from related epidemiological and cytogenetic studies
      are described. In summary, the cause of the occurrence of the Krummel cluster has
      to be considered as unknown. Further research on the causes of childhood
      leukaemia is needed, focussing on epigenetics and on gene-environment
      interaction. An update of the leukaemia incidence around the Krummel site shows
      that the incidence rates are now comparable to the average rate in Germany.

PMID- 28914237
TI  - Thrust areas for pedodontic research: The way ahead!

PMID- 28914238
TI  - Assessment of dental caries, oral hygiene status, traumatic dental injuries and
      provision of basic oral health care among visually impaired children of Eastern
      Odisha.
AB  - CONTEXT: The magnitude and severity of oral health problems in visually impaired
      population are worse than in general population, and they tend to have more
      untreated dental diseases and more problems accessing dental care. AIMS: The aim
      of this study is to assess dentition status and treatment needs, oral hygiene
      status, and traumatic dental injuries among institutionalized children attending
      special schools for the visually impaired in eastern Odisha. SETTINGS AND DESIGN:
      A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using a universal sampling
      protocol. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: American Dental Association Type III clinical
      examination was carried out using plane mouth mirrors and community periodontal
      index probes under adequate natural illumination by a single examiner assisted by
      a trained recording assistant. After completion of the study, all participants
      were provided with basic oral health care through outreach programs. STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: Comparisons were done using Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and
      Chi-square test. RESULTS: Caries prevalence for primary and permanent dentition
      was 15% and 46%, respectively. Mean oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) was
      2.43 +/- 1.03. The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries was 11%. A
      statistically significant difference in mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth
      (DMFT/dmft) was observed in children consuming liquid sugar as compared to solid
      and those consuming sticky sugars as compared to nonsticky. A statistically
      significant difference in mean OHI-S scores was observed when compared with
      frequency of changing toothbrush. CONCLUSIONS: This sample of visually impaired
      children has a high prevalence of dental caries, traumatic dental injuries, and
      poor oral hygiene. Unmet needs for dental caries were found to be high indicating
      very poor accessibility and availability of oral health care.

PMID- 28914239
TI  - Road blocks perceived by the dentists toward the treatment of early childhood
      caries in Chennai city - A cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The problem of early childhood caries remains a worldwide public
      concern, as most of the caries remains untreated. Despite advances in dental
      care, most children fail to benefit from oral health-care services not only due
      to differences in attitudes in parents but also in oral health-care providers.
      OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to determine the road blocks perceived
      by the dentist in Chennai, toward the treatment of early childhood caries.
      METHODS: Following a simple random sampling technique, a cross-sectional
      questionnaire study was conducted among general dentists (n = 50) and pediatric
      dentists (n = 50) in Chennai city. Each selected dentist was asked to complete
      the Barriers to Childhood Caries Treatment (BaCCT) questionnaire: a 29-item
      measure considering child, parent, dentist, and healthcare system factors.
      RESULTS: The mean BaCCT score was found to be significantly higher among general
      dentists 2.68 +/- 0.36 when compared to pediatric dentists 2.36 +/- 0.45 (P =
      0.0001). Similarly, mean BaCCT score was found to be significantly higher among
      general dentists in Domain-I (child coping abilities), Domain-II (dentist
      attitudes toward offering restorative treatment), and Domain-III (dentist
      attitudes toward restoring primary teeth) when compared to the pediatric dentists
      (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The general dentists exhibited inherent barriers in
      providing treatment for early childhood caries compared to pediatric dentists.
      Training in the field of pediatric dentistry enhances their ability to handle
      early child caries better.

PMID- 28914240
TI  - Comparison of Candida species isolated from children with and without early
      childhood caries: A descriptive cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early childhood caries (ECC) is characterized by the presence of one
      or more decayed, missing (due to caries), or filled teeth surfaces in any primary
      tooth, in a child below 6 years of age. Although ECC is primarily associated with
      high levels of maternal Streptococcus mutans, there has been an increased
      interest in finding the relationship between oral fungal flora and dental caries.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to identify and characterize the Candida
      species and to compare the candidal isolates in children with ECC and without
      ECC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on children below 6 years of
      age, who were categorized into ECC and non-ECC groups of fifty children each.
      Samples were collected using sterile cotton swabs and were inoculated on
      Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar and incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Candidal
      colonies were isolated, species identified and virulence factors tested for both
      ECC and non-ECC groups. RESULTS: The candidal carriage among the ECC children was
      found to be 84%, which was significantly higher than the non-ECC group of 24%.
      Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida (NAC) were isolated in both ECC and non
      ECC groups. Phospholipase production was significantly high in ECC group whereas
      hemolysin production and germ tube formation showed no significant difference
      between the two groups. CONCLUSION: A significant correlation was found between
      the presence of Candida and ECC. NAC also plays an important role in the
      development of ECC. The virulence factors such as phospholipase may be
      responsible for the pathogenicity of Candida in the development of ECC.

PMID- 28914241
TI  - Validation of different diagnostic aids in detection of occlusal caries in
      primary molars: An in vitro study.
AB  - AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To estimate the accuracy and assess the sensitivity and
      specificity of direct visual examination (DVE), computerized radiograph (VISTA
      SCAN mini), and DIAGNOdent (DD) for caries diagnosis in primary molars as
      compared to histological examination of the teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An in
      vitro comparative study was carried out on 40 freshly extracted primary molars
      with questionable pit and fissures that yielded 89 examination sites. These
      samples were mounted on plaster and were subjected to examination methods for
      caries detection on the occlusal surface by two trained and calibrated examiners.
      The examination methods used in this study were DVE, computerized radiographic
      (CR) examination, laser fluorescence examination using DD followed by
      histological examination which is a gold standard; later, these samples were
      examined under microscope for caries extent. The scoring criteria given by Nytun
      et al. were used in this study for scoring the extent of caries. RESULTS: The
      sensitivity for caries in enamel were 66.10%, 52.86%, and 54.17% for DVE, CR, and
      DD, respectively, while the specificity for DVE, CR, and DD were found to be
      86.67%, 68.42%, and 76.47%, respectively. For dentinal caries, sensitivity for
      DVE, CR, and DD were 86.67%, 92.86%, and 81.25%, respectively, while the
      specificity were 66.10%, 56%, and 54.79%, respectively. The accuracy were 73.03%,
      61.80%, and 59.55%, respectively, suggesting that the DVE showed highest
      sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for enamel caries, whereas for dentinal
      caries, CR showed highest sensitivity and DVE showed highest specificity and
      accuracy. CONCLUSION: The DD exhibited better specificity than sensitivity for
      enamel lesions and better sensitivity than specificity for lesions into dentin.
      DD may prove useful as a predictive clinical tool and should only be used in
      addition to other diagnostic methods such as visual inspection and dental
      radiographs to avoid false-positive diagnoses.

PMID- 28914242
TI  - Assessment of plaque regrowth with a probiotic toothpaste containing
      Lactobacillus paracasei: A spectrophotometric study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in
      adequate amounts confer health benefits on the host. Commonly, most of the
      organisms ascribed as having probiotic properties belong to the genera
      Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and milk is the most commonly used vehicle.
      OBJECTIVES: The study was aimed at analyzing the biofilm formation by plaque
      regrowth method upon the usage of a probiotic toothpaste containing Lactobacillus
      paracasei by measuring the optical density using a spectrophotometer. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A commercially available probiotic toothpaste, PerioBiotic
      (spearmint flavored) from the company Designs for Health, has been tested. The
      toothpaste contains the strain L. paracasei, which has been found to co-aggregate
      with Streptococcus mutans (MS). The Plaque Glycolysis and Regrowth Method (PGRM)
      was used for the evaluation of the antimicrobial effects on plaque metabolism in
      vivo. PGRM is based on the observation that natural fasted dental plaque, sampled
      from different quadrants of the dentition, exhibits similar metabolic and
      regrowth properties when suspended at equal "biomass" in standardized media.
      CONCLUSION: The results suggest that L. paracasei-based toothpaste, PerioBiotic,
      is effective in the reduction of MSmonospecies biofilm, but the activity appears
      short lived when high sucrose exposure is administered.

PMID- 28914243
TI  - An in vitro comparison of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate
      paste, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate paste with fluoride and
      casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate varnish on the inhibition of
      demineralization and promotion of remineralization of enamel.
AB  - AIM: This study aims to determine and compare the extent of inhibition of
      demineralization and promotion of remineralization of permanent molar enamel with
      and without application of three remineralizing agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Forty extracted permanent molars were randomly divided into two groups 1 and 2,
      longitudinally sectioned into four and divided into subgroups A, B, C, and D. The
      sections were coated with nail varnish leaving a window of 3 mm * 3 mm. All
      sections of Group 1 were treated with their respective subgroup-specific agent:
      Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) paste for subgroup A,
      CPP-amorphous calcium phosphate fluoride (ACPF) paste for subgroup B, CPP-ACPF
      varnish for subgroup C and subgroup D served as a control. The sections were then
      subjected to demineralization for 12 days following which lesional depth was
      measured under the stereomicroscope. All the sections of Group 2 were subjected
      to demineralization for 12 days, examined for lesional depth, then treated with
      their respective subgroup specific agents and immersed in artificial saliva for 7
      days. The sections were then examined again under the stereomicroscope to measure
      the lesional depth. RESULTS: CPP-ACPF varnish caused significant inhibition of
      demineralization. All three agents showed significant remineralization of
      previously demineralized lesions. However, CPP-ACPF varnish showed the greatest
      remineralization, followed by CPP-ACPF paste and then CPP-ACP paste. CONCLUSION:
      This study shows that CPP-ACPF varnish is effective in preventing
      demineralization as well as promoting remineralization of enamel. Thus, it can be
      used as an effective preventive measure for pediatric patients where compliance
      with the use of tooth mousse may be questionable.

PMID- 28914244
TI  - Comparative evaluation of salt water rinse with chlorhexidine against oral
      microbes: A school-based randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mouth rinse that is natural, safe, cost-effective, readily available
      and culturally acceptable is required as an adjunct to routine tooth brushing to
      combat dental diseases. The aim of present study was to compare the effectiveness
      of salt water rinse with chlorhexidine mouth rinse in reducing dental plaque and
      oral microbial count. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
      (MIC) of salt water against S. mutans, L.acidophilus, A. actinomycetemcomitans
      and P. gingivalis was determined by Macrobroth Dilution method. Thirty
      participants were randomly allocated into study group (salt water rinse) and
      control group (chlorhexidine rinse). Baseline DMFS, defs and plaque scores were
      recorded. Baseline unstimulated saliva samples were collected by spitting method.
      Oral prophylaxis was done after baseline sample collection. The participants were
      advised to rinse the allocated mouthrinse for 5 days under the supervision of co-
      investigator. Pre- rinse (after oral prophylaxis) and Post -rinse (5th day of
      mouthrinsing) plaque examination and salivary microbial analysis was done. The
      collected salivary samples were immediately transported and streaked on the
      respective media for microbial count. RESULT: MIC of salt water was 0.7 M for S.
      mutans, A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis and 0.8M for L. acidophilus.
      There was statistically significant reduction in the plaque scores, salivary S.
      mutans, L. acidophilus, A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis count from
      baseline, pre-rinse to post-rinse in the study group (p=0.001) and control group
      (p=0.001). Salt water was as effective as chlorhexidine in reducing dental plaque
      (p = 0.19) and A. actinomycetemcomitans (p = 0.35) count and while chlorhexidine
      was superior against S. mutans (p = 0.001), L. acidophilus (p = 0.001) and P.
      gingivalis (p =0.001). CONCLUSION: Salt water rinse can be used as adjunct to
      routine mechanical plaque control for prevention of oral diseases.

PMID- 28914245
TI  - A comparative evaluation of clinical and radiographic success rate of pulpotomy
      in primary molars using antioxidant mix and mineral trioxide aggregate: An in
      vivo 1-year follow-up study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pulpotomy technique is most widely accepted clinical procedure for
      treating primary teeth with coronal pulp inflammation caused by caries with no
      involvement of the radicular pulp. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to
      evaluate the success and efficacy of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and
      antioxidant mix as pulpotomy agents both clinically and radiographically.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of forty primary molars in children aged between 6
      and 9 years, requiring for pulpotomy procedures, were selected. Random samples
      distribution was done, antioxidant mix (n = 20) and MTA (n = 20) both were used
      as pulpotomy agent. Under rubber dam isolation, pulpotomy procedure was performed
      in all samples followed by restoration with stainless steel crowns. Later, the
      patients were recalled after 6 and 12 months for clinical and radiographic
      evaluation. The data were evaluated using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS:
      Statistically analysis shows no significant difference between the two groups (P
      > 0.05) with respect to clinical and radiographic success rate, but antioxidant
      mix showed more efficient result than MTA. CONCLUSION: Antioxidant mix pulpotomy
      is more biocompatible and cost effective than any other commercially available
      medicament.

PMID- 28914246
TI  - Comparative evaluation of the effects of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium
      phosphate (CPP-ACP) and xylitol-containing chewing gum on salivary flow rate, pH
      and buffering capacity in children: An in vivo study.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to compare and evaluate the changes in the salivary flow
      rate, pH, and buffering capacity before and after chewing casein phosphopeptide
      amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) and xylitol-containing chewing gums in
      children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty children aged between 8 and 12 years were
      selected for the study. They were randomly divided into Group 1 (CPP-ACP chewing
      gum) and Group 2 (xylitol-containing chewing gum) comprising thirty children
      each. Unstimulated and stimulated saliva samples at 15 and 30 min interval were
      collected from all children. All the saliva samples were estimated for salivary
      flow rate, pH, and buffering capacity. RESULTS: Significant increase in salivary
      flow rate, pH, and buffering capacity from baseline to immediately after spitting
      the chewing gum was found in both the study groups. No significant difference was
      found between the two study groups with respect to salivary flow rate and pH.
      Intergroup comparison indicated a significant increase in salivary buffer
      capacity in Group 1 when compared to Group 2. CONCLUSION: Chewing gums containing
      CPP-ACP and xylitol can significantly increase the physiochemical properties of
      saliva. These physiochemical properties of saliva have a definite relation with
      caries activity in children.

PMID- 28914247
TI  - Assessment of hypoxia, sedation level, and adverse events occurring during
      inhalation sedation using preadjusted mix of 30% nitrous oxide + 70%oxygen.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of nitrous oxide (N2O)-oxygen (O2) inhalation
      sedation by rapid induction technique using preadjusted mix of 30% N2O and 70% O2
      in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty children with a treatment plan which
      included pulp therapy were recruited for the study. Children categorized 3 and 4
      of Frankl behavior rating scale and American Society of Anesthesiologists health
      status I and II were included for the study. Children were distributed into study
      group (Group-I) and control group (Group-II) by fishbowl randomization. Children
      in Group-I were induced inhalation sedation using a preadjusted mix of 30% N2O
      and 70% O2 through rapid induction technique, and children in Group-II were
      exposed to inhalation sedation by conventional slow induction technique.
      Parameters such as least oxygen saturation, sedation levels by Richmond Agitation
      Sedation Scale, time taken to achieve ideal sedation, maximum N2O concentrations
      used, and adverse events were recorded and evaluated for each procedure. Data
      were analyzed using independent sample t-test and Chi-square tests. RESULTS:
      Analysis of data showed statistically significant difference between both groups
      in time taken to achieve ideal sedation (P < 0.001). No significant difference
      was seen in incidence of hypoxia (P < 0.512), maximum N2O concentrations used (P
      < 0.118), and occurrence of any adverse events. CONCLUSION: None of the children
      from both groups exhibited hypoxia. Sense of detachment was seen in one child
      each from both groups. Rapid induction by preadjusted mix resulted in ideal
      sedation in 57% children of the Group-I; rest had achieved these levels at 40%
      N2O. There was a significant difference in the time taken to achieve ideal
      sedation by rapid induction which was almost half the time taken with slow
      induction.

PMID- 28914248
TI  - Comparative evaluation of clinical and radiological success of zinc oxide
      ozonated oil, modified 3mix-mp antibiotic paste, and vitapex as treatment options
      in primary molars requiring pulpectomy: An in vivo study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic
      success of zinc oxide-ozonated oil (ZnO-OO), modified 3Mix antibiotic paste, and
      Vitapex in treatment of primary molars requiring pulpectomy. METHODS: Sixty-four
      primary molars of forty three children aged between 4 and 8 years with pulpally
      involved primary molars requiring root canal procedures were treated with ZnO-OO,
      modified 3Mix-MP paste, and Vitapex. The subjects were followed up clinically at
      1, 6, and 12 months whereas radiographically at 6 and 12 months, respectively.
      RESULTS: The results showed that the clinical and radiographic success rates of
      ZnO-OO and Vitapex over 12 months period of observation were 100% whereas, for
      modified 3Mix-MP paste, the results were 95.8% and 79.2%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: On the basis of the overall success rates of all the three
      medicaments, following order of performance can be inferred clinical success and
      radiographical success:- ZnO-OO = Vitapex > modified 3MIX-MP paste.

PMID- 28914249
TI  - Visual pedagogy and probiotics for hearing impaired children: A pilot study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Oral health care for children with special needs remains largely unmet.
      It is important that we should focus on preventive strategies for special
      children to help curtail and prevent oral diseases. AIM: This study aimed to
      assess the effect of visual pedagogy and probiotic mouth rinse on the periodontal
      health of hearing impaired children. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY: The study cohort
      consisted of twenty children with hearing impairment (HI) and 20 age-matched
      healthy children. The gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), and salivary pH for
      all children were assessed at baseline, 15 days after oral hygiene training using
      visual pedagogy, 15 days after probiotic mouth rinse introduction, and at the end
      of the test period, i.e., 2 months after discontinuing probiotics. STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: Comparison of means was carried out using the Student's t-test.
      Intragroup parameters were assessed using the one-way ANOVA, followed by the post
      hoc Scheffe test. Value for statistical significance was fixed at 0.05. RESULTS:
      The GI and PI scores did not improve significantly after oral hygiene training in
      either of the two groups. The use of probiotic mouth rinse significantly reduced
      GI scores (<0.01) and PI scores (<0.01) and increased salivary pH above the
      critical pH in both groups. CONCLUSION: The use of visual pedagogy coupled with
      probiotic mouth rinsing may improve the periodontal status of children with HI
      and should be explored as a preventive procedure for children with special health
      care needs.

PMID- 28914250
TI  - A comparative evaluation of retention of pit and fissure sealant bonded using
      sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-generation adhesives: An in vivo study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dental caries is one of the most common preventable childhood
      infections. a number of measures are available to prevent occlusal caries; pit
      and fissure sealants are one of the various methods currently available to cost
      effectively reduce dental caries. AIM: To evaluate the retention of pit and
      fissure sealant bonded using sixth (Adper promt), seventh (Optibond) and eighth
      (Futurabond Dual Cure) generations of adhesives. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A total of
      37 healthy children who fulfilled the inclusion were randomly selected. A total
      of 148 teeth (4 in each subject) were used as samples for the study. METHODS AND
      MATERIAL: The teeth to be sealed were then isolated using rubber dam. The
      placement of adhesives was done using split mouth design. The first permanent
      molars were randomly divided into four groups on the basis of sealant placed
      without and with using 6th, 7th and 8th generation bonding agents as follows:
      GROUP A (N=37):- Pit and fissure sealant placed without bonding agent. GROUP B
      (N=37):- Pit and fissure sealant placed following sixth generation bonding agent
      (ADPER PROMT). GROUP C (N=37):- Pit and fissure sealant placed following seventh
      generation bonding agent. (OPTIBOND). GROUP D (N=37):- Pit and fissure sealant
      placed following eighth generation bonding agent. (FUTURA BOND DUAL CURE). The
      integrity of the sealant placed was assessed immediately after completion of the
      procedure, 3 months and 6 months after placement. The post-operative evaluation
      for retention was done using Simonsen criteria. A score of 0 was given for
      complete retention, 1 for partial retention and 2 for no retention. STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS USED: The statistical analysis was done using SPSS (Statistical Package
      for Social Sciences) software version 21. RESULTS: It was found that there was no
      statistically significant difference between the groups after 3 and 6 months as
      the value obtained (0.133) was much greater than the p-value (0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      This study concluded that the use of bonding agent prior to application of pit
      and fissure sealant does not necessarily aid in retention of sealant as compared
      to pit and fissure sealant placed without bonding agent, Sealants effectiveness
      is directly related to its retention and it dependent on application procedures.
      The failure of retention of pit and fissure sealants can attribute to moisture
      contamination, improper curing methods, inadequate adhesion, improper application
      procedure or early age placement.

PMID- 28914251
TI  - Clinical and radiographic comparison of platelet-rich fibrin and mineral trioxide
      aggregate as pulpotomy agents in primary molars.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) and
      Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) as a pulpotomy agent in primary molars. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: In this study, 50 primary molars from 50 healthy children aged 5-9
      years requiring pulpotomy were randomly allocated into two groups. In PRF group,
      after coronal pulp removal and hemostasis, remaining pulp tissue was covered with
      PRF preparation. In the MTA group, the pulp stumps were covered with MTA (Pro
      Root MTA-Root Canal Repair Material, Dentsply International Inc.) paste obtained
      by mixing MTA powder with sterile water at a 3:1 powder to water ratio. All teeth
      were restored with reinforced zinc oxide eugenol base and glass - ionomer cement.
      Stainless steel crowns were given in both groups 24 h after treatment. Clinical
      evaluation was undertaken at 1, 3, and 6 months intervals whereas radiographic
      evaluation of the treated teeth was carried out at the interval of 6 months.
      RESULTS: By the end of 6 months, the overall success rate was 90% in PRF group
      and 92% in MTA Group. A statistically significant difference was observed between
      the groups at 6 months of follow-up (P < 0.05). The results were statistically
      nonsignificant between the groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Radiographic and
      clinical outcome in PRF group could suggest it as an acceptable alternative in
      pulpotomy of primary teeth. PRF holds a promising future in the area of primary
      tooth vital pulp therapy.

PMID- 28914252
TI  - Unilateral fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh molar in a nonsyndromic patient: A
      rare and unusual case report.
AB  - Multiple supernumerary teeth are rare developmental anomalies which are often
      associated with syndromes. Only few examples of nonsyndromic supernumerary teeth
      have been reported with fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh molar rarest of all.
      The cause, frequency, complications, and surgical operation of supernumerary
      teeth are always interesting subjects for study and research. Literature reports
      increased occurrence of the supernumeraries in the maxilla, but here, a unique
      and unusual case report of 12-year-old female patient with unilateral multiple
      impacted supernumerary teeth in the mandible in otherwise healthy individual has
      been presented.

PMID- 28914253
TI  - Mineral trioxide aggregate-induced apical closure in nonvital immature permanent
      maxillary incisor.
AB  - Treatment of nonvital immature permanent teeth with calcium hydroxide is
      associated with few difficulties such as weakened tooth root, root canal
      reinfection, and long treatment time. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) apical
      plug method is an alternative treatment method for open apices and has gained
      popularity in the recent times. This case report describes the management of a
      late-referral case of periapically involved, traumatized immature permanent
      incisor by endodontic treatment and the use of MTA apical plug. After preparing
      the access cavity, the working length was determined. The root canals were
      irrigated with 3% sodium hypochlorite and disinfected with metapex for 2 weeks.
      MTA was then placed in the apical 3 mm of the root canal. The remaining part of
      the root canal was filled with thermoplastic gutta-percha, and the coronal
      restoration was finished with composite resin. After 1-year follow-up, radiograph
      showed successful healing of periradicular radiolucency.

PMID- 28914254
TI  - Homeopathic therapy for sleep bruxism in a child: Findings of a 2-year case
      report.
AB  - Bruxism is a sleep disorder characterized by grinding and biting teeth with
      multifactorial etiology, resulting in deleterious effects on teeth, periodontium,
      and temporomandibular joint. There is a lack of scientific evidence evaluating
      the effectiveness of medicines in treating this parafunction. The present case
      report was drafted under the rules of CARE checklist. An 8-year-old male patient
      with sleep bruxism and associated symptoms received a combined homeopathic
      therapy of Phytolacca decandra 12c and Melissa officinalis 12c for 2 months.
      After this period of combined homeopathic therapy, the bruxism and associated
      symptoms completely disappeared. After 2 years of clinical follow-ups, the
      patient had no recurrences. The use of homeopathic therapy was successful and
      should be seen as an alternative to treat sleep bruxism and its associated
      symptoms in children.

PMID- 28914255
TI  - Microabrasion-remineralization (MAb-Re): An innovative approach for dental
      fluorosis.
AB  - Enamel microabrasion is a noninvasive method that removes intrinsic and
      superficial defects from teeth aimed to improve dental esthetic with minimal loss
      of dental tissue. This case presentation describes the attempt for teeth color
      correction utilizing that conservative technique in a young girl whose maxillary
      anterior teeth presented an opaque white/brown stain. Along with microabrasion,
      an innovative approach of application of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium
      phosphate creme on the tooth, and remineralization was carried out thereby
      reducing postoperative sensitivity of the treated tooth. Based on the results of
      this case report, it can be concluded that this technique is efficient and can be
      considered a minimally invasive procedure.

PMID- 28914257
TI  - Corrigendum: Detecting sulphate aerosol geoengineering with different methods.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep39169.

PMID- 28914258
TI  - Corrigendum: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Subsequent Risk of Chronic
      Rhinosinusitis: A Population-Based Study.
AB  - This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep20786.

PMID- 28914256
TI  - Mettl3-/Mettl14-mediated mRNA N6-methyladenosine modulates murine
      spermatogenesis.
AB  - Spermatogenesis is a differentiation process during which diploid spermatogonial
      stem cells (SSCs) produce haploid spermatozoa. This highly specialized process is
      precisely controlled at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and
      translational levels. Here we report that N6-methyladenosine (m6A), an
      epitranscriptomic mark regulating gene expression, plays essential roles during
      spermatogenesis. We present comprehensive m6A mRNA methylomes of mouse
      spermatogenic cells from five developmental stages: undifferentiated
      spermatogonia, type A1 spermatogonia, preleptotene spermatocytes,
      pachytene/diplotene spermatocytes, and round spermatids. Germ cell-specific
      inactivation of the m6A RNA methyltransferase Mettl3 or Mettl14 with Vasa-Cre
      causes loss of m6A and depletion of SSCs. m6A depletion dysregulates translation
      of transcripts that are required for SSC proliferation/differentiation. Combined
      deletion of Mettl3 and Mettl14 in advanced germ cells with Stra8-GFPCre disrupts
      spermiogenesis, whereas mice with single deletion of either Mettl3 or Mettl14 in
      advanced germ cells show normal spermatogenesis. The spermatids from double
      mutant mice exhibit impaired translation of haploid-specific genes that are
      essential for spermiogenesis. This study highlights crucial roles of mRNA m6A
      modification in germline development, potentially ensuring coordinated
      translation at different stages of spermatogenesis.

PMID- 28914259
TI  - Epigenetic targeting of Notch1-driven transcription using the HDACi panobinostat
      is a potential therapy against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

PMID- 28914260
TI  - High-dose methotrexate therapy significantly improved survival of adult acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia: a phase III study by JALSG.
AB  - High-dose methotrexate (Hd-MTX) therapy has recently been applied to the
      treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) based on pediatric
      protocols; however, its effectiveness for adult ALL has not yet been confirmed in
      a rigorous manner. We herein conducted a randomized phase III trial comparing Hd
      MTX therapy with intermediate-dose (Id)-MTX therapy. This study was registered at
      UMIN-CTR (ID: C000000063). Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative ALL patients
      aged between 25 and 64 years of age were enrolled. Patients who achieved complete
      remission (CR) were randomly assigned to receive therapy containing Hd-MTX (3
      g/m2) or Id-MTX (0.5 g/m2). A total of 360 patients were enrolled. The CR rate
      was 86%. A total of 115 and 114 patients were assigned to the Hd-MTX and Id-MTX
      groups, respectively. The estimated 5-year disease-free survival rate of the Hd
      MTX group was 58%, which was significantly better than that of the Id-MTX group
      at 32% (P=0.0218). The frequencies of severe adverse events were not
      significantly different. We herein demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of
      Hd-MTX therapy for adult Ph-negative ALL. Our results provide a strong rationale
      for protocols containing Hd-MTX therapy being applied to the treatment of adult
      ALL.

PMID- 28914261
TI  - RSK2 is a new Pim2 target with pro-survival functions in FLT3-ITD-positive acute
      myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD
      AML) accounts for 20-30% of AML cases. This subtype usually responds poorly to
      conventional therapies, and might become resistant to FLT3 tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (TKIs) due to molecular bypass mechanisms. New therapeutic strategies
      focusing on resistance mechanisms are therefore urgently needed. Pim kinases are
      FLT3-ITD oncogenic targets that have been implicated in FLT3 TKI resistance.
      However, their precise biological function downstream of FLT3-ITD requires
      further investigation. We performed high-throughput transcriptomic and proteomic
      analyses in Pim2-depleted FLT3-ITD AML cells and found that Pim2 predominantly
      controlled apoptosis through Bax expression and mitochondria disruption. We
      identified ribosomal protein S6 kinase A3 (RSK2), a 90 kDa serine/threonine
      kinase involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade encoded by the
      RPS6KA3 gene, as a novel Pim2 target. Ectopic expression of an RPS6KA3 allele
      rescued the viability of Pim2-depleted cells, supporting the involvement of RSK2
      in AML cell survival downstream of Pim2. Finally, we showed that RPS6KA3
      knockdown reduced the propagation of human AML cells in vivo in mice. Our results
      point to RSK2 as a novel Pim2 target with translational therapeutic potential in
      FLT3-ITD AML.

PMID- 28914262
TI  - Transmembrane TNF-alpha Density, but not Soluble TNF-alpha Level, is Associated
      with Primary Response to Infliximab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha agents like Infliximab (IFX)
      are effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and are
      widely used. However, a considerable number of patients do not respond or lose
      response to this therapy. Preliminary evidence suggests that transmembrane TNF
      alpha (tmTNF-alpha) might be linked to response to IFX by promoting reverse
      signaling-induced apoptosis in inflammatory cells. The main aim of this study was
      the evaluation of this hypothesis in primary IFX non-responders. METHODS: A total
      of 47 IFX naive IBD patients were included in the study. Blood samples were taken
      before the start of IFX therapy (at week 0) and after induction therapy (at week
      14). Endoscopic disease activity and markers of inflammation at baseline and at
      week 14 were used to evaluate response. Baseline soluble TNF-alpha (sTNF-alpha),
      percentage of circulating TNF-alpha positive cells, mean fluorescence intensity
      (MFI) of tmTNF-alpha, and apoptosis rate at week 14 in the peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated in IFX responders and non-responders.
      RESULTS: Mean sTNF-alpha was not significantly different in responders compared
      to non-responders (P=0.13). Mean percentage of tmTNF-alpha bearing lymphocytes
      and monocytes was higher in the PBMCs of responders (P=0.05 and P=0.014,
      respectively). Mean MFI of tmTNF-alpha in circulating lymphocytes and monocytes
      was greater in responders (P=0.002 and P<0.001, respectively). Moreover, the mean
      percentage of apoptosis in PBMCs was significantly greater in responders compared
      to non-responders (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of tmTNF-alpha bearing
      lymphocytes and monocytes and the intensity of tmTNF-alpha in the circulating
      leukocyte population of IBD patients was directly related to primary response to
      IFX. This was likely due-as assessed by the apoptosis rate-to promotion of
      inflammatory cell death. Thus, our data suggest that peripheral leukocytes could
      in principle be used for predicting primary response to IFX in IBD patients.

PMID- 28914263
TI  - Coexistent genetic alterations involving ALK, RET, ROS1 or MET in 15 cases of
      lung adenocarcinoma.
AB  - In lung cancer, targetable activating alterations in cancer genes, such as EGFR,
      ALK, RET, ROS1 and MET, are usually mutually exclusive. Rare lung cancer cases
      with coexistent alterations of EGFR and ALK or EGFR mutations with RET or ROS1
      rearrangements have been reported. In this study, we report 15 patients (3 men
      and 12 women; 14 Caucasians and 1 African American) with ages ranging from 43 to
      81 years (median 60 years) with lung adenocarcinoma in which coexistent
      alterations of two cancer-associated genes, including ALK, ROS1, or RET
      rearrangement or MET amplification were present. The combination of alterations
      detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization included ALK combined with ROS1
      (n=4), ALK with MET (n=3), ALK with RET (n=1); RET with MET (n=4), RET with ROS1
      (n=2), and ROS1 combined with MET (n=1). The frequencies of involvement were
      similar for all 4 genes, 53% for both ALK and MET (n=8), 47% for both RET and
      ROS1 (n=7). Activating gene mutations were also detected by next-generation
      sequencing for TP53 (n=6), EGFR (n=5), KRAS (n=3) and STK11 (n=2). Nine patients
      reported a smoking history (8 heavy and 1 light) and 6 patients were non-smokers.
      These findings suggest the need for assessing a panel of genes in lung cancer.
      Since targetable agents are available for each of these activating alterations,
      treatment with more than one targeted agent may be beneficial for this rare group
      of patients.

PMID- 28914264
TI  - Comprehensive use of extended exome analysis improves diagnostic yield in rare
      disease: a retrospective survey in 1,059 cases.
AB  - PurposeWe sought to determine the analytical sensitivity of several extended
      exome variation analysis approaches in terms of their contribution to diagnostic
      yield and their clinical feasibility.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the
      results of genetic testing in 1,059 distinct cases referred for exome sequencing
      to our institution. In these, we routinely employed extended exome analysis
      approaches in addition to basic variant analysis, including (i) copy-number
      variation (CNV) detection, (ii) nonconsensus splice defect detection, (ii)
      genomic breakpoint detection, (iv) homozygosity mapping, and (v) mitochondrial
      variant analysis.ResultsExtended exome analysis approaches assisted in
      identification of causative genetic variant in 44 cases, which represented a 4.2%
      increase in diagnostic yield. The greatest contribution was associated with CNV
      analysis (1.8%) and splice variant prediction (1.2%), and the remaining
      approaches contributed an additional 1.2%. Analysis of workload has shown that on
      average nine additional variants per case had to be interpreted in the extended
      analysis.ConclusionWe show that extended exome analysis approaches improve the
      diagnostic yield of heterogeneous genetic disorders and result in considerable
      increase of diagnostic yield of exome sequencing with a minor increase of
      interpretative workload.

PMID- 28914265
TI  - Fragile X testing as a second-tier test.

PMID- 28914266
TI  - Medical genetics and genomics education and its impact on genomic literacy of the
      clinical workforce.

PMID- 28914267
TI  - Developing a common framework for evaluating the implementation of genomic
      medicine interventions in clinical care: the IGNITE Network's Common Measures
      Working Group.
AB  - PurposeImplementation research provides a structure for evaluating the clinical
      integration of genomic medicine interventions. This paper describes the
      Implementing Genomics in Practice (IGNITE) Network's efforts to promote (i) a
      broader understanding of genomic medicine implementation research and (ii) the
      sharing of knowledge generated in the network.MethodsTo facilitate this goal, the
      IGNITE Network Common Measures Working Group (CMG) members adopted the
      Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to guide its approach
      to identifying constructs and measures relevant to evaluating genomic medicine as
      a whole, standardizing data collection across projects, and combining data in a
      centralized resource for cross-network analyses.ResultsCMG identified 10 high
      priority CFIR constructs as important for genomic medicine. Of those, eight did
      not have standardized measurement instruments. Therefore, we developed four
      survey tools to address this gap. In addition, we identified seven high-priority
      constructs related to patients, families, and communities that did not map to
      CFIR constructs. Both sets of constructs were combined to create a draft genomic
      medicine implementation model.ConclusionWe developed processes to identify
      constructs deemed valuable for genomic medicine implementation and codified them
      in a model. These resources are freely available to facilitate knowledge
      generation and sharing across the field.

PMID- 28914268
TI  - Impact of HIPAA's minimum necessary standard on genomic data sharing.
AB  - This article provides a brief introduction to the Health Insurance Portability
      and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule's minimum necessary standard,
      which applies to sharing of genomic data, particularly clinical data, following
      2013 Privacy Rule revisions. This research used the Thomson Reuters Westlaw
      database and law library resources in its legal analysis of the HIPAA privacy
      tiers and the impact of the minimum necessary standard on genomic data sharing.
      We considered relevant example cases of genomic data-sharing needs. In a climate
      of stepped-up HIPAA enforcement, this standard is of concern to laboratories that
      generate, use, and share genomic information. How data-sharing activities are
      characterized-whether for research, public health, or clinical interpretation and
      medical practice support-affects how the minimum necessary standard applies and
      its overall impact on data access and use. There is no clear regulatory guidance
      on how to apply HIPAA's minimum necessary standard when considering the sharing
      of information in the data-rich environment of genomic testing. Laboratories that
      perform genomic testing should engage with policy makers to foster sound, well
      informed policies and appropriate characterization of data-sharing activities to
      minimize adverse impacts on day-to-day workflows.

PMID- 28914270
TI  - Transplantation: CXCL10 linked to poor outcomes.

PMID- 28914271
TI  - Surgery: Postprandial hypoglycaemia following bariatric surgery.

PMID- 28914272
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial of a CPR Decision Support Video for Patients
      Admitted to the General Medicine Service.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient preferences regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are
      important, especially during hospitalization when a patient's health is changing.
      Yet many patients are not adequately informed or involved in the decision-making
      process. OBJECTIVE: We examined the effect of an informational video about CPR on
      hospitalized patients' code status choices. DESIGN: This was a prospective,
      randomized trial conducted at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System
      in Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: We enrolled 119 patients, hospitalized on the general
      medicine service, and at least 65 years old. The majority were men (97%) with a
      mean age of 75. INTERVENTION: A video described code status choices: full code
      (CPR and intubation if required), do not resuscitate (DNR), and do not
      resuscitate/do not intubate (DNR/DNI). Participants were randomized to watch the
      video (n = 59) or usual care (n = 60). MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was
      participants' code status preferences. Secondary outcomes included a
      questionnaire designed to evaluate participants' trust in their healthcare team
      and knowledge and perceptions about CPR. RESULTS: Participants who viewed the
      video were less likely to choose full code (37%) compared to participants in the
      usual care group (71%) and more likely to choose DNR/DNI (56% in the video group
      vs. 17% in the control group) (?? < 0.00001). We did not see a difference in
      trust in their healthcare team or knowledge and perceptions about CPR as assessed
      by our questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized patients who watched a video
      about CPR and code status choices were less likely to choose full code and more
      likely to choose DNR/DNI.

PMID- 28914273
TI  - Patterns and Appropriateness of Thrombophilia Testing in an Academic Medical
      Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend against routine use of thrombophilia
      testing in patients with acute thromboembolism. Thrombophilia testing rarely
      changes acute management of a thrombotic event. OBJECTIVE: To determine
      appropriateness of thrombophilia testing in a teaching hospital. DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: One academic medical center in Utah.
      PARTICIPANTS: All patients who received thrombophilia testing between July 1,
      2014, and December 31, 2014. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Proportion of thrombophilia tests
      occurring in situations associated with minimal clinical utility, defined as
      tests meeting at least 1 of the following criteria: discharged before results
      available; test type not recommended; testing in situations associated with
      decreased accuracy; duplicate testing; and testing following a provoked
      thrombotic event. RESULTS: Overall, 163 patients received a total of 1451
      thrombophilia tests for stroke (50% of tests; 35% of patients), venous
      thromboembolism (21% of tests; 21% of patients), and pregnancy-related conditions
      (15% of tests; 25% of patients). Of the 39 different test types performed, the
      most common were cardiolipin IgG and IgM antibodies (9% each), lupus
      anticoagulant (9%), and beta2-glycoprotein 1 IgG and IgM antibodies (8% each). In
      total, 911 tests (63%) were performed in situations associated with minimal
      clinical utility, with 126 patients (77%) receiving at least one such test. Only
      2 patients (1%) had clear documentation of being offered genetic consultation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Thrombophilia testing in this single-center study was often
      associated with minimal clinical utility. Strategies to improve testing practices
      (eg, hematology specialty consult prior to inpatient testing, improved order
      panels) might help minimize inappropriate testing and promote value-driven care.

PMID- 28914274
TI  - Influenza Season Hospitalization Trends in Israel: A Multi-Year Comparative
      Analysis 2005/2006 Through 2012/2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Influenza-related morbidity impacts healthcare systems, including
      hospitals. OBJECTIVE: To obtain a quantitative assessment of hospitalization
      burden in pediatric and internal medicine departments during influenza seasons
      compared with the summer months in Israel. METHODS: Data on pediatric and
      internal medicine hospitalized patients in general hospitals in Israel during the
      influenza seasons between 2005 and 2013 were analyzed for rate of
      hospitalizations, rate of hospitalization days, hospital length of stay (LOS),
      and bed occupancy and compared with the summer months. Data were analyzed for
      hospitalizations for all diagnoses, diagnoses of respiratory or cardiovascular
      disease (ICD9 390-519), and influenza or pneumonia (ICD9480-487), with data
      stratified by age. The 2009-2010 pandemic influenza season was excluded. RESULTS:
      Rates of monthly hospitalizations and hospitalization days for all diagnoses were
      4.8% and 8% higher, respectively, during influenza seasons as compared with the
      summers. The mean LOS per hospitalization for all diagnoses demonstrated a small
      increase during influenza seasons as compared with summer seasons. The excess
      hospitalizations and hospitalization days were especially noticed for the age
      groups under 1 year, 1-4 years, and 85 years and older. The differences were
      severalfold higher for patients with a diagnosis of respiratory or cardiovascular
      disease and influenza or pneumonia. Bed occupancy was higher during influenza
      seasons compared with the summer, particularly in pediatric departments.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hospital burden in pediatric and internal medicine departments
      during influenza seasons in Israel was associated with age and diagnosis. These
      results are important for optimal preparedness for influenza seasons.

PMID- 28914275
TI  - National Trends (2007-2013) of Clostridium difficile Infection in Patients with
      Septic Shock: Impact on Outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile is the most common infectious cause of
      healthcare-associated diarrhea and is associated with worse outcomes and higher
      cost. Patients with septic shock (SS) are at increased risk of acquiring C.
      difficile infections (CDIs) during hospitalization, but little data are available
      on CDI complicating SS. OBJECTIVE: Prevalence of CDI in SS between 2007-2013 and
      impact of CDI on outcomes in SS. METHODS: Outcomes were prevalence of CDI in SS,
      effect on mortality, length of stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission. RESULTS: There
      were 2,031,739 hospitalizations with SS (2007-2013). CDI was present in 8.2% of
      SS. The in-hospital mortality of SS with and without CDI were comparable (37.1%
      vs 37.0%; ?? = 0.48). Median LOS was longer for SS with CDI (13 days vs 9 days;
      ?? < 0.001). LOS >75th percentile (>17 days) was 36.9% in SS with CDI vs 22.7%
      without CDI (?? < 0.001). Similarly, LOS > 90th percentile (> 29 days) was 17.5%
      vs 9.1%, ?? < 0.001. Odds of LOS >75% and >90% in SS were greater with CDI (odds
      ratio [OR] 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.06-2.15; ?? < 0.001 and OR 2.25;
      95% CI, 2.22-2.28; ?? < 0.001, respectively). Hospital readmission of SS with CDI
      was increased, adjusted OR 1.26 (95% CI, 1.22-1.31; ?? < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CDI
      complicating SS is common and is associated with increased hospital LOS and 30
      day hospital readmission. This represents a population in which a focus on
      prevention and treatment may improve clinical outcomes.

PMID- 28914269
TI  - Looking beyond the exome: a phenotype-first approach to molecular diagnostic
      resolution in rare and undiagnosed diseases.
AB  - PurposeTo describe examples of missed pathogenic variants on whole-exome
      sequencing (WES) and the importance of deep phenotyping for further diagnostic
      testing.MethodsGuided by phenotypic information, three children with negative WES
      underwent targeted single-gene testing.ResultsIndividual 1 had a clinical
      diagnosis consistent with infantile systemic hyalinosis, although WES and a next
      generation sequencing (NGS)-based ANTXR2 test were negative. Sanger sequencing of
      ANTXR2 revealed a homozygous single base pair insertion, previously missed by the
      WES variant caller software. Individual 2 had neurodevelopmental regression and
      cerebellar atrophy, with no diagnosis on WES. New clinical findings prompted
      Sanger sequencing and copy number testing of PLA2G6. A novel homozygous deletion
      of the noncoding exon 1 (not included in the WES capture kit) was detected, with
      extension into the promoter, confirming the clinical suspicion of infantile
      neuroaxonal dystrophy. Individual 3 had progressive ataxia, spasticity, and
      magnetic resonance image changes of vanishing white matter leukoencephalopathy.
      An NGS leukodystrophy gene panel and WES showed a heterozygous pathogenic variant
      in EIF2B5; no deletions/duplications were detected. Sanger sequencing of EIF2B5
      showed a frameshift indel, probably missed owing to failure of
      alignment.ConclusionThese cases illustrate potential pitfalls of WES/NGS testing
      and the importance of phenotype-guided molecular testing in yielding diagnoses.

PMID- 28914276
TI  - Appropriate Reconciliation of Cardiovascular Medications After Elective Surgery
      and Postdischarge Acute Hospital and Ambulatory Visits.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe appropriate discharge reconciliation of cardiovascular
      medications and assess associations with postdischarge healthcare utilization in
      surgical patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study from January 2007 to
      December 2011. SETTING: An academic medical center. PATIENTS: Seven hundred and
      fifty-two adults undergoing elective noncardiac surgery and taking antiplatelet
      agents, beta-blockers, renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, or statin lipid
      lowering agents before surgery. MEASUREMENTS: Primary predictor: appropriate
      discharge reconciliation of preoperative cardiovascular medications (continuation
      without documented contraindications). Primary outcomes: acute hospital visits
      (emergency department visits or hospitalizations) and unplanned ambulatory visits
      (primary care or surgical) at 30 days after surgery. RESULTS: Preoperative
      medications were appropriately reconciled in 436 (58.0%) patients. For individual
      medications, appropriate discharge reconciliation occurred for 156 of the 327
      patients on antiplatelet agents (47.7%), 507 of the 624 patients on beta-blockers
      (81.3%), 259 of the 361 patients on renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (71.8%),
      and 302 of the 406 patients on statins (74.4%). In multivariable analyses,
      appropriate reconciliation of all preoperative medications was not associated
      with acute hospital (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.94; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 0.63-1.41) or unplanned ambulatory visits (AOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.94-2.35).
      Appropriate reconciliation of statin therapy was associated with lower odds of
      acute hospital visits (AOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26-0.85). There were no other
      statistically significant associations between appropriate reconciliation of
      individual medications and either outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Although large gaps in
      appropriate discharge reconciliation of chronic cardiovascular medications were
      common in patients undergoing elective surgery, these gaps were not consistently
      associated with postdischarge acute hospital or ambulatory visits.

PMID- 28914277
TI  - Antidepressant Use and Depressive Symptoms in Intensive Care Unit Survivors.
AB  - Nearly 30% of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors have depressive symptoms 2-12
      months after hospital discharge. We examined the prevalence of depressive
      symptoms and risk factors for depressive symptoms in 204 patients at their
      initial evaluation in the Critical Care Recovery Center (CCRC), an ICU survivor
      clinic based at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. Thirty-two percent (N
      = 65) of patients had depressive symptoms on initial CCRC visit. For patients who
      are not on an antidepressant at their initial CCRC visit (N = 135), younger age
      and lower education level were associated with a higher likelihood of having
      depressive symptoms. For patients on an antidepressant at their initial CCRC
      visit (N = 69), younger age and being African American race were associated with
      a higher likelihood of having depressive symptoms. Future studies will need to
      confirm these findings and examine new approaches to increase access to
      depression treatment and test new antidepressant regimens for post-ICU
      depression.

PMID- 28914278
TI  - Magnitude of Potentially Inappropriate Thrombophilia Testing in the Inpatient
      Hospital Setting.
AB  - Laboratory costs of thrombophilia testing exceed an estimated $650 million (in US
      dollars) annually. Quantifying the prevalence and financial impact of potentially
      inappropriate testing in the inpatient hospital setting represents an integral
      component of the effort to reduce healthcare expenditures. We conducted a
      retrospective analysis of our electronic medical record to evaluate 2 years'
      worth of inpatient thrombophilia testing measured against preformulated
      appropriateness criteria. Cost data were obtained from the Centers for Medicare
      and Medicaid Services 2016 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule. Of the 1817 orders
      analyzed, 777 (42.7%) were potentially inappropriate, with an associated cost of
      $40,422. The tests most frequently inappropriately ordered were Factor V Leiden,
      prothrombin gene mutation, protein C and S activity levels, antithrombin activity
      levels, and the lupus anticoagulant. Potentially inappropriate thrombophilia
      testing is common and costly. These data demonstrate a need for institution-wide
      changes in order to reduce unnecessary expenditures and improve patient care.

PMID- 28914279
TI  - Blood Products Provided to Patients Receiving Futile Critical Care.
AB  - The number of hospitalized patients receiving treatment perceived to be futile is
      not insignificant. Blood products are valuable resources that are donated to help
      others in need. We aimed to quantify the amount of blood transfused into patients
      who were receiving treatment that the critical care physician treating them
      perceived to be futile. During a 3-month period, critical care physicians in 5
      adult intensive care units completed a daily questionnaire to identify patients
      perceived as receiving futile treatment. Of 1136 critically ill patients,
      physicians assessed 123 patients (11%) as receiving futile treatment. Fifty-nine
      (48%) of the 123 patients received blood products after they were assessed to be
      receiving futile treatment: 242 units of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (7.6% of
      all PRBC units transfused into critical care patients during the 3-month study
      period); 161 (9.9%) units of plasma, 137 (12.1%) units of platelets, and 21
      (10.5%) units of cryoprecipitate. Explicit guidelines on the use of blood
      products should be developed to ensure that the use of this precious resource
      achieves meaningful goals.

PMID- 28914280
TI  - Internal Medicine Resident Engagement with a Laboratory Utilization Dashboard:
      Mixed Methods Study.
AB  - The objective of this study was to measure internal medicine resident engagement
      with an electronic medical record-based dashboard providing feedback on their use
      of routine laboratory tests relative to service averages. From January 2016 to
      June 2016, residents were e-mailed a snapshot of their personalized dashboard, a
      link to the online dashboard, and text summarizing the resident and service
      utilization averages. We measured resident engagement using e-mail read-receipts
      and web-based tracking. We also conducted 3 hour-long focus groups with
      residents. Using grounded theory approach, the transcripts were analyzed for
      common themes focusing on barriers and facilitators of dashboard use. Among 80
      residents, 74% opened the e-mail containing a link to the dashboard and 21%
      accessed the dashboard itself. We did not observe a statistically significant
      difference in routine laboratory ordering by dashboard use, although residents
      who opened the link to the dashboard ordered 0.26 fewer labs per doctor-patient
      day than those who did not (95% confidence interval, -0.77 to 0.25; ?? = 0 .31).
      While they raised several concerns, focus group participants had positive
      attitudes toward receiving individualized feedback delivered in real time.

PMID- 28914281
TI  - Two-Unit Red Cell Transfusions in Stable Anemic Patients.

PMID- 28914282
TI  - Mass Confusion.

PMID- 28914283
TI  - Morbo Serpentino.

PMID- 28914284
TI  - The Weekend Effect in Hospitalized Patients: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The presence of a "weekend effect" (increased mortality rate during
      Saturday and/or Sunday admissions) for hospitalized inpatients is uncertain.
      PURPOSE: We performed a systematic review to examine the presence of a weekend
      effect on hospital inpatient mortality. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and
      Cochrane databases (January 1966-April 2013) were utilized for our search. STUDY
      SELECTION: We examined the mortality rate for hospital inpatients admitted during
      the weekend compared with those admitted during the workweek. To be included, the
      study had to provide discrete mortality data around the weekends (including
      holidays) versus weekdays, include patients who were admitted as inpatients over
      the weekend, and be published in English. DATA EXTRACTION: The primary outcome
      was all-cause weekend versus weekday mortality with subgroup analysis by
      personnel staffing levels, rates and times to procedures rates and delays, or
      illness severity. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 97 studies (N = 51,114,109 patients)
      were examined. Patients admitted on the weekends had a significantly higher
      overall mortality (relative risk, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-1.23). With
      regard to the subgroup analyses, patients admitted on the weekends consistently
      had higher mortality than those admitted during the week, regardless of the
      levels of weekend/weekday differences in staffing, procedure rates and delays,
      and illness severity. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital inpatients admitted during weekends
      may have a higher mortality rate compared with inpatients admitted during the
      weekdays.

PMID- 28914285
TI  - Hospital Medicine Point of Care Ultrasound Credentialing: An Example Protocol.
AB  - Though the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has increased over the last
      decade, formal hospital credentialing for POCUS may still be a challenge for
      hospitalists. This document details the Hospital Medicine Department Ultrasound
      Credentialing Policy from Regions Hospital, which is part of the HealthPartners
      organization in Saint Paul, Minnesota. National organizations from internal
      medicine and hospital medicine (HM) have not published recommended guidelines for
      POCUS credentialing. Revised guidelines for POCUS have been published by the
      American College of Emergency Physicians, though these are not likely intended to
      guide hospitalists when working with credentialing committees and medical boards.
      This document describes the scope of ultrasound in HM and our training,
      credentialing, and quality assurance program. This report is intended to be used
      as a guide for hospitalists as they work with their own credentialing committees
      and will require modification for each institution. However, the overall process
      described here should assist in the establishment of POCUS at various
      institutions.

PMID- 28914286
TI  - A Video Is Worth a Thousand Words.

PMID- 28914287
TI  - Certification of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Competency.

PMID- 28914288
TI  - Inpatient Thrombophilia Testing: At What Expense?

PMID- 28914289
TI  - Does the Week-End Justify the Means?

PMID- 28914290
TI  - Reducing Routine Labs-Teaching Residents Restraint.

PMID- 28914291
TI  - White light induced covalent modification of graphene using a phenazine dye.
AB  - Herein, we report a novel strategy for a covalent modification of graphene
      nanoplatelets with photoactive dyes. The functionalization of the graphene
      surface was carried out using white light to photochemically generate phenazine
      radicals and the reaction progress was followed up spectrophotometrically. The
      characterization of the modified material was carried out using FTIR, XRD, UV-vis
      absorption, fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy and SEM imaging. The hybrid material
      has improved solubility, shows an optical band gap of 1.95 eV and is highly
      emissive in the visible wavelength region.

PMID- 28914292
TI  - pH and redox dual-sensitive polysaccharide nanoparticles for the efficient
      delivery of doxorubicin.
AB  - A pH and redox dual-sensitive biodegradable polysaccharide, succinic acid
      decorated dextran-g-phenylalanine ethyl ester-g-cysteine ethyl ester (Dex-SA-l
      Phe-l-Cys), was synthesized to load doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX.HCl). The DOX
      loaded nanoparticles, which were prepared in aqueous solution and free of organic
      solvent, could spontaneously self-assemble into uniform sizes. When loading
      DOX.HCl, mercapto Dex-SA-l-Phe-l-Cys was oxidized into a crosslinked disulfide
      linkage to form pH and redox dual-sensitive nanoparticles (DOX-S-NPs). The
      amphiphilic polymer loaded DOX.HCl into the core through electrostatic and
      hydrophobic interactions, meanwhile the crosslinked disulfide bond could
      stabilize the drug loaded nanoparticles. As a control with similar polymer
      structure, succinic acid decorated dextran-g-phenylalanine ethyl ester (Dex-SA-l
      Phe) was prepared to obtain pH-sensitive DOX-loaded micelles (DOX-N-NPs). The
      controlled pH and redox-dependent release profiles of the DOX-S-NPs in vitro were
      certified in different releasing mediums. Furthermore, the cellular uptake of the
      DOX-S-NPs was comparable with that of free DOX.HCl, determined by confocal laser
      scanning microscopy (CLSM) and flow cytometry. Cytotoxicity assay in vitro showed
      that the DOX-S-NPs and free DOX.HCl were similar in inhibiting the proliferation
      of non-small cell lung carcinoma A549 and breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines. DOX-S
      NPs displayed similar antitumor efficiency compared with free DOX.HCl, but lower
      toxicity by body weight. These dual-sensitive DOX-S-NPs provide a useful strategy
      for anti-tumor therapy.

PMID- 28914293
TI  - The first lead cobalt phosphite, PbCo2(HPO3)3.
AB  - Single crystals of a new lead cobalt phosphite, PbCo2(HPO3)3, have been
      synthesized using mild hydrothermal techniques and characterized by X-ray
      diffraction analysis, SQUID magnetic measurements, IR spectroscopy, UV/vis
      spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy.
      PbCo2(HPO3)3 crystallizes in the non-centrosymmetric (NCS) R3m space group, a =
      5.3145(15) A, c = 25.494(7) A, V = 623.6(4) A3. The crystal structure of
      PbCo2(HPO3)3 is based upon 2D heteropolyhedral blocks built up from Co2O9
      octahedral dimers and HPO3 pseudo-tetrahedra. Lead cations reside in the
      interlayer space of the structure. Here, the NCS character results reasonably
      from the cooperative Pb2+ lone electron pair arrangements, by analogy to the
      centrosymmetric compound (NH4)2Co2(HPO3)3 with similar but disordered blocks. A
      local twisting of specific HPO3 groups arises due to unreasonably short HH
      contacts between two phosphite oxoanions. In terms of the magnetic behavior, the
      new PbCo2(HPO3)3 phase demonstrates weak antiferromagnetic interactions inside
      the Co2O9 dimers between cobalt ions as expected from the phosphite MU-O bridges.

PMID- 28914294
TI  - Facile synthesis of CdS/Bi4V2O11 photocatalysts with enhanced visible-light
      photocatalytic activity for degradation of organic pollutants in water.
AB  - The development of Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalytic systems is a promising
      strategy to produce hydrogen and for pollutant degradation. In this study, the
      direct Z-scheme CdS/Bi4V2O11 photocatalysts were synthesized via a two-step
      solvothermal method. The photocatalytic properties of the samples were measured
      by ciprofloxacin (CIP), tetracycline (TC) and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under
      visible light (lambda > 420 nm). In addition, a probable reaction mechanism for
      organic pollutants over CdS/Bi4V2O11 photocatalysts was also proposed based on
      the analysis of electron spin resonance (ESR) and active species capture
      experiments. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of CdS/Bi4V2O11 photocatalysts
      was ascribed to the efficient electron transfer of direct Z-scheme CdS/Bi4V2O11
      photocatalysts.

PMID- 28914295
TI  - A novel photo-active Cd:1,4-benzene dicarboxylate metal organic framework
      templated using [Ru(ii)(2,2'-bipyridine)3]2+: synthesis and photophysics of RWLC
      5.
AB  - The development of photoactive porous materials is of significant importance for
      applications ranging from sustainable energy to pharmaceutical development and
      catalysis. A particularly attractive class of photo-active materials is the metal
      organic framework (MOF)-based platform in which the photo-active elements are
      components of the framework itself or photo-active guests encapsulated within the
      MOF cavities. It has now been demonstrated that the photo-active [Ru(2,2'
      bipyridine)3]2+ (RuBpy) complex can template the formation of MOFs with varying
      three dimensional structures. Here we report the synthesis and structural and
      photo-physical characterization of a new RuBpy-templated MOF composed of Cd2+
      ions with 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate ligands (RWLC-5) that contains
      crystallographically resolved RuBpy complexes. The new material displays a
      biphasic emission decay (130 ns and 1180 ns, T = 20  degrees C) and a
      bathochromically shifted emission maximum, relative to RuBpy in solution (603 nm
      for RuBpy in ethanol vs. 630 nm for RWLC-5). The emission lifetimes also do not
      display temperature-dependent decays which are characteristic of RuBpy type
      complexes as well as other RuBpy templated MOFs. The lack of temperature
      dependence is consistent with the complete deactivation of the 3LF state of the
      encapsulated RuBpy complex due to a constrained environment. The fast phase decay
      is attributed to a water molecule hydrogen bonded to a bipyridine ligand
      associated with ~38% of the encapsulated RuBpy complexes resulting in the
      nonradiative deactivation of the 3MLCT state.

PMID- 28914296
TI  - Correction: Observation of crystalline changes of titanium dioxide during lithium
      insertion by visible spectrum analysis.
AB  - Correction for 'Observation of crystalline changes of titanium dioxide during
      lithium insertion by visible spectrum analysis' by Inho Nam et al., Phys. Chem.
      Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 13140-13146.

PMID- 28914297
TI  - Dispersion of Ni2+ ions via acetate precursor in the preparation of NaNiPO4
      nanoparticles: effect of acetate vs. nitrate on the capacitive energy storage
      properties.
AB  - The influence of the precursors on the dispersion of Ni2+ ions and the presence
      of several other functional groups was investigated in the preparation of sodium
      nickel phosphate (NaNiPO4) cathode for a supercapacitor study. The dispersion of
      nickel phases, in the form of nanosheets, is influenced by the type of precursors
      used in the synthesis. XPS based spectroscopic information on the surface
      functional groups on NaNiPO4 show differences between the precursors (i.e.)
      acetate- and nitrate-derived materials. The benefits of using acetate as an
      alternative to nitrate are explored by using the NaNiPO4 nanoparticles as a
      cathode for supercapacitor applications. The acetate-derived material exhibits
      improved electrochemical properties possessing both redox behaviour and double
      layer capacitance. The results indicate that the metal acetates are homogenously
      distributed. Acetate functionalization resulted in an improved capacitance of 90
      F g-1 compared with that obtained from the nitrate precursor derived material (58
      F g-1). Capacitance retention and high rate capability were also a feature of the
      acetate-derived material. The sodium nickel phosphate cathode material has
      provided useful insights on the precursor chemistry in storing renewable energy
      have been reported for the first time.

PMID- 28914298
TI  - Folic acid on iron oxide nanoparticles: platform with high potential for
      simultaneous targeting, MRI detection and hyperthermia treatment of lymph node
      metastases of prostate cancer.
AB  - The overexpression of the folate receptor in most cancers has been widely
      exploited to specifically deliver folic acid (FA) coupled nanomedicines to
      tumors. However, complex coupling chemistry is often used to bind FA to the
      nanoparticles. Furthermore, very little has been reported for the targeting of
      nanomedicines to lymph node metastases (LNMs) of prostate cancer. We here report
      the simple and aqueous coating of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) with FA for
      theranostics of LNMs of prostate cancer. FA was directly bound to the IONPs'
      surface without the use of any linker, simultaneously playing the role of the
      coating molecule and targeting agent. We measured for FA-IONPs a hydrodynamic
      diameter around 100 nm and a negative surface charge, what is needed to access
      and to be retained in the lymphatic system for the LNMs targeting. We also show
      that FA-IONPs are specifically uptaken by prostate cancer cells expressing the
      prostate specific membrane antigen, including LNMs cells. FA-IONPs also displayed
      both high relaxivity for MRI detection and high specific absorption rate needed
      for hyperthermia treatment of tumors. Our study provides a theranostic platform
      for targeting LNMs of prostate cancer with high potential for their detection by
      MRI and treatment by hyperthermia.

PMID- 28914299
TI  - A dinuclear copper(i) thiodiacetate complex as an efficient and reusable 'click'
      catalyst for the synthesis of glycoconjugates.
AB  - We report herein the facile synthesis and structural characterization of a highly
      stable dinuclear Cu(i) complex, [(PPh3)2Cu(MU-tda)Cu(PPh3)2].6H2O 1 (tda =
      thiodiacetate anion), in which the Cu-Cu distance is 7.197 A. This "pre-formed"
      complex serves as an extremely efficient and recyclable homogeneous catalyst (2
      mol%, 30 min) for CuAAC in dichloromethane solvent. The synthesis of a variety of
      glycoconjugates under ambient conditions is successfully achieved using 1 as a
      catalyst. The products are obtained in high yields and very short reaction times
      while complying with the "click protocols". A simpler procedure solely involving
      the mixing of substrates with 1 (i.e. base free and solvent free) gave the
      corresponding glycoconjugate in 10 min using 2 mol% of the catalyst.

PMID- 28914300
TI  - Highly efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of urea on a Mn-incorporated
      Ni(OH)2/carbon fiber cloth for energy-saving rechargeable Zn-air batteries.
AB  - A Mn-incorporated Ni(OH)2/carbon fiber cloth (Mn-Ni(OH)2/CFC) fabricated via a
      room-temperature solution route exhibited superior electrocatalytic activities of
      the oxygen reduction and urea oxidation reactions, delivering 12-21% energy
      saving in the charging process of Mn-Ni(OH)2/CFC assembled Zn-air batteries in
      the presence of 0.5 M urea compared to the battery without urea.

PMID- 28914301
TI  - Addressing the distribution of proteins spotted on MUPADs.
AB  - Adsorption is the most common approach to immobilize biorecognition elements on
      the surface of paper-based devices. Adsorption is also the route selected to coat
      the substrate with albumin, therefore minimizing the interaction of other
      proteins. While similar in nature, the structure of the selected proteins as well
      as the conditions selected from the immobilization have a significant effect on
      the amount and distribution of the resulting composites. To illustrate these
      differences and provide general guidelines to efficiently prepare these devices,
      this article explores the interaction (adsorption and desorption) of BSA with 3MM
      chromatography paper. The experimental conditions investigated were the protein
      concentration, the interaction time, the number of times the protein was spotted,
      the pH of buffer solution, and the ionic strength of the buffer solution. The
      proposed approach mimics the steps involved in the fabrication (adsorption) and
      use (rinsing induced by the sample) of paper-based microfluidic devices. To
      identify the protein location following the rinsing step, the protein was fixed
      by dehydration in a convection oven and then stained using Coomassie Blue. The
      color intensity, which was found to be proportional to the amount of protein
      immobilized, was determined using a desktop scanner. To highlight the importance
      of understanding the adsorption process to the rational development of MUPADs,
      results were complemented by experiments performed with lysozyme and
      immunoglobulin G.

PMID- 28914302
TI  - Li3Co1.06(1)TeO6: synthesis, single-crystal structure and physical properties of
      a new tellurate compound with CoII/CoIII mixed valence and orthogonally oriented
      Li-ion channels.
AB  - A tellurate compound with CoII/CoIII mixed valence states and lithium ions within
      orthogonally oriented channels was realized in Li3Co1.06(1)TeO6. The single
      crystal structure determination revealed two independent and interpenetrating
      Li/O and (Co,Te)/O substructures with octahedral oxygen coordination of the metal
      atoms. In contrast to other mixed oxides, a honeycomb-like ordering of CoO6 and
      TeO6 octahedra was not observed. Li3Co1.06(1)TeO6 crystallizes orthorhombically
      with the following unit cell parameters and refinement results: Fddd, a =
      588.6(2), b = 856.7(2), c = 1781.5(4) pm, R1 = 0.0174, wR2 = 0.0462, 608 F2
      values, and 33 variables. Additional electron density in tetrahedral voids in
      combination with neighboring face-linked and under-occupied octahedral lithium
      sites offers an excellent possible diffusion pathway for lithium ions. According
      to the symmetry of the crystal structure the diffusion pathways in
      Li3Co1.06(1)TeO6 were found in two orthogonal orientations. The CoII/CoIII mixed
      valence was investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), revealing a
      composition comparable to that derived from single-crystal X-ray diffractometry.
      Magnetic susceptibility measurements underlined the coexistence of CoII and
      CoIII, the title compound, however, showed no magnetic ordering down to low
      temperatures. The ionic conductivity of Li3Co1.06(1)TeO6 was determined via
      alternating current (AC) electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and was found to
      be in the range of 1.6 * 10-6 S cm-1 at 573 K.

PMID- 28914303
TI  - Structure dependence of intramolecular electron transfer reactions of simple
      dyads of a zinc(ii) porphyrin complex bearing a peripheral bipyridine moiety.
AB  - New dyad systems based on a zinc(ii) porphyrin complex and a 2,2'-bipyridine
      moiety linked by amide bridges having various bridging groups were synthesized.
      The photochemical behavior was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy and a
      time-resolved absorption technique. The singlet excited state of the porphyrin
      complex was found to be partially quenched by Cu2+ in methanol, and a
      photoinduced electron transfer from the excited state of the porphyrin moiety to
      the Cu(ii)-bipyridine moiety was observed using a transient absorption technique.
      The relatively long lifetime of the charge-separated state was ascribed to the
      slow electron-transfer reaction of the Cu(ii)/Cu(i) couple bound to the
      bipyridine moiety. The lifetime of the charge-separated state of dyads becomes
      longer with the increase of the distance between the porphyrin and bipyridine
      moieties, and these findings are discussed using an empirical formula for the
      relationship between the reactivity and molecular structure of dyads.

PMID- 28914304
TI  - High-accuracy and high-sensitivity spectroscopic measurement of dinitrogen
      pentoxide (N2O5) in an atmospheric simulation chamber using a quantum cascade
      laser.
AB  - A spectroscopic instrument based on a mid-infrared external cavity quantum
      cascade laser (EC-QCL) was developed for high-accuracy measurements of dinitrogen
      pentoxide (N2O5) at the ppbv-level. A specific concentration retrieval algorithm
      was developed to remove, from the broadband absorption spectrum of N2O5, both
      etalon fringes resulting from the EC-QCL intrinsic structure and spectral
      interference lines of H2O vapour absorption, which led to a significant
      improvement in measurement accuracy and detection sensitivity (by a factor of
      10), compared to using a traditional algorithm for gas concentration retrieval.
      The developed EC-QCL-based N2O5 sensing platform was evaluated by real-time
      tracking N2O5 concentration in its most important nocturnal tropospheric chemical
      reaction of NO3 + NO2 <-> N2O5 in an atmospheric simulation chamber. Based on an
      optical absorption path-length of Leff = 70 m, a minimum detection limit of 15
      ppbv was achieved with a 25 s integration time and it was down to 3 ppbv in 400
      s. The equilibrium rate constant Keq involved in the above chemical reaction was
      determined with direct concentration measurements using the developed EC-QCL
      sensing platform, which was in good agreement with the theoretical value deduced
      from a referenced empirical formula under well controlled experimental
      conditions. The present work demonstrates the potential and the unique advantage
      of the use of a modern external cavity quantum cascade laser for applications in
      direct quantitative measurement of broadband absorption of key molecular species
      involved in chemical kinetic and climate-change related tropospheric chemistry.

PMID- 28914305
TI  - Two-step crystallization of a phase-pure Ln2(OH)5NO3.nH2O layered compound for
      the smallest Ln ions of Tm, Yb and Lu, anion exchange, and exfoliation.
AB  - Crystallization of the Ln2(OH)5NO3.nH2O layered hydroxide (LLnH) is the most
      difficult for the three smallest lanthanide ions of Tm, Yb and Lu. By applying a
      novel two-step crystallization technique, which involves chemical precipitation
      at a freezing-temperature of ~4  degrees C and subsequent Ostwald ripening at 50 
      degrees C for Tm and Yb and 65  degrees C for Lu, the three compounds have been
      obtained in a phase-pure form without the use of any mineralizer. The resulting
      LTmH and LYbH (n ~ 1.5) were shown to accommodate free NO3- anions in the
      interlayer gallery, which are readily exchangeable by DS- (C12H25OSO3-).
      Delamination of the DS- derivatives in formamide produced micron-sized nanosheets
      of ~1.7 nm thick. A similar anion exchange was found to hardly proceed for LLuH
      even at 65  degrees C, owing to the direct coordination of the interlayer NO3-
      with the Lu3+ center.

PMID- 28914306
TI  - Enhanced intermediate-temperature CO2 splitting using nonstoichiometric ceria and
      ceria-zirconia.
AB  - CO2 splitting via thermo-chemical or reactive redox has emerged as a novel and
      promising carbon-neutral energy solution. Its performance depends critically on
      the properties of the oxygen carriers (OC). Ceria is recognized as one of the
      most promising OC candidates, because of its fast chemistry, high ionic
      diffusivity, and large oxygen storage capacity. The fundamental surface ion
      incorporation pathways, along with the role of surface defects and the adsorbates
      remain largely unknown. This study presents a detailed kinetics study of CO2
      splitting using CeO2 and Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 (CZO) in the temperature range 600-900 
      degrees C. Given our interest in fuel-assisted reduction, we limit our study to
      relatively lower temperatures to avoid excessive sintering and the need for high
      temperature heat. Compared to what has been reported previously, we observe
      higher splitting kinetics, resulting from the utilization of fine particles and
      well-controlled experiments which ensure a surface-limited-process. The peak
      rates with CZO are 85.9 MUmole g-1 s-1 at 900  degrees C and 61.2 MUmole g-1 s-1
      at 700  degrees C, and those of CeO2 are 70.6 MUmole g-1 s-1 and 28.9 MUmole g-1
      s-1. Kinetic models are developed to describe the ion incorporation dynamics,
      with consideration of CO2 activation and the charge transfer reactions. CO2
      activation energy is found to be -120 kJ mole-1 for CZO, half of that for CeO2,
      while CO desorption energetics is analogous between the two samples with a value
      of ~160 kJ mole-1. The charge-transfer process is found to be the rate-limiting
      step for CO2 splitting. The evolution of CO32- with surface Ce3+ is examined
      based on the modeled kinetics. We show that the concentration of CO32- varies
      with Ce3+ in a linear-flattened-decay pattern, resulting from a mismatch between
      the kinetics of the two reactions. Our study provides new insights into the
      significant role of surface defects and adsorbates in determining the splitting
      kinetics.

PMID- 28914307
TI  - Revealing the distinct thermal transition behavior between PEGA-based linear
      polymers and their disulfide cross-linked nanogels.
AB  - The distinct thermal transition behavior of thermoresponsive block polymers based
      on poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether acrylate (PEGA) and their corresponding
      disulfide-cross-linked nanogels was studied by using FTIR measurements in
      combination with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2Dcos). Spectral
      analysis clearly reveals that the sharp thermal transition of the precursor
      polymer is accompanied by a forced hydration process induced by the formation of
      hydrogen bonds between the entrapped water molecules and the C[double bond,
      length as m-dash]O groups, while the nanogel with a relatively continuous thermal
      transition is related to the existence of various dehydrating states of the
      C[double bond, length as m-dash]O groups. The C-H groups in the pyridyl disulfide
      (PDS) units exhibit a distinct change in the thermoresponsive profile of the
      precursor and the nanogel to show the effect of the polymer architecture on the
      thermal transition behavior. Additionally, a portion of the poly(N,N
      dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) segments is entrapped in the nanogel core, indicating
      that the thiol-disulfide exchange reaction occurs rapidly within the nanogels.

PMID- 28914308
TI  - Multicomponent ionic liquid CMC prediction.
AB  - We created a model to predict CMC of ILs based on 704 experimental values
      published in 43 publications since 2000. Our model was able to predict CMC of
      variety of ILs in binary or ternary system in a presence of salt or alcohol. The
      molecular volume of IL (Vm), solvent-accessible surface (S), solvation enthalpy
      (DeltasolvGinfinity), concentration of salt (Cs) or alcohol (Ca) and their
      molecular volumes (Vms and Vma, respectively) were chosen as descriptors, and
      Kernel Support Vector Machine (KSVM) and Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) as
      regression methodologies to create the models. Data was split into training and
      validation set (80/20) and subjected to bootstrap aggregation. KSVM provided
      better fit with average R2 of 0.843, and MSE of 0.608, whereas EA resulted in R2
      of 0.794 and MSE of 0.973. From the sensitivity analysis it was shown that Vm and
      S have the highest impact on ILs micellization in both binary and ternary
      systems, however surprisingly in the presence of alcohol the Vm becomes
      insignificant/irrelevant. Micelle stabilizing or destabilizing influence of the
      descriptors depends upon the additives. Previous attempts at modelling the CMC of
      ILs was generally limited to small number of ILs in simplified (binary) systems.
      We however showed successful prediction of the CMC over a range of different
      systems (binary and ternary).

PMID- 28914309
TI  - Tetragonal phase of cylinders self-assembled from binary blends of AB diblock and
      (A'B)n star copolymers.
AB  - The phase behavior of binary blends composed of AB diblock and (A'B)n star
      copolymers is studied using the polymeric self-consistent field theory, focusing
      on the formation and stability of the stable tetragonal phase of cylinders. In
      general, cylindrical domains self-assembled from AB-type block copolymers are
      packed into a hexagonal array, although a tetragonal array of cylinders could be
      more favourable for lithography applications in microelectronics. The polymer
      blends are designed such that there is an attractive interaction between the A
      and A' blocks, which increases the compatibility between the two copolymers and
      thus suppresses the macroscopic phase separation of the blends. With an
      appropriate choice of system parameters, a considerable stability window for the
      targeted tetragonal phase is identified in the blends. Importantly, the
      transition mechanism between the hexagonal and tetragonal phases is elucidated by
      examining the distribution of the two types of copolymers in the unit cell of the
      structure. The results reveal that the short (A'B)n star copolymers are
      preferentially located in the bonding area connecting two neighboring domains in
      order to reduce extra stretching, whereas the long AB diblock copolymers are
      extended to further space of the unit cell.

PMID- 28914310
TI  - Plasmonic enhancement of SERS measured on molecules in carbon nanotubes.
AB  - We isolated the plasmonic contribution to surface-enhanced Raman scattering
      (SERS) and found it to be much stronger than expected. Organic dyes encapsulated
      in single-walled carbon nanotubes are ideal probes for quantifying plasmonic
      enhancement in a Raman experiment. The molecules are chemically protected through
      the nanotube wall and spatially isolated from the metal, which prevents
      enhancement by chemical means and through surface roughness. The tubes carry
      molecules into SERS hotspots, thereby defining molecular position and making it
      accessible for structural characterization with atomic-force and electron
      microscopy. We measured a SERS enhancement factor of 106 on alpha-sexithiophene
      (6T) molecules in the gap of a plasmonic nanodimer. This is two orders of
      magnitude stronger than predicted by the electromagnetic enhancement theory
      (104). We discuss various phenomena that may explain the discrepancy (including
      hybridization, static and dynamic charge transfer, surface roughness,
      uncertainties in molecular position and orientation), but found all of them
      lacking in enhancement for our probe system. We suggest that plasmonic
      enhancement in SERS is, in fact, much stronger than currently anticipated. We
      discuss novel approaches for treating SERS quantum mechanically that appear
      promising for predicting correct enhancement factors. Our findings have important
      consequences on the understanding of SERS as well as for designing and optimizing
      plasmonic substrates.

PMID- 28914312
TI  - Plasmon induced polymerization using a TERS approach: a platform for
      nanostructured 2D/1D material production.
AB  - Plasmon-induced chemical reactions have recently attracted great attention as a
      promising method for high efficiency light-energy conversion and proved to be
      useful in a wealth of different domains of chemistry and physics. One of the
      interesting and, so far, less explored avenues of such reactions is their
      potential for efficient, highly localized and controlled polymer production.
      Here, we present the first example of a localized, directed plasmon catalyzed
      polymerization process of a self-assembled monolayer on both silver and gold
      surfaces monitored by surface- and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS and
      TERS). As a proof-of-concept, a bi-functionalized dibenzo(1,2)dithiine-3,8
      diamine (D3ATP) molecule that undergoes a well-known plasmon-induced coupling via
      the amino group into an azo group has been used. Initial dimerization is
      demonstrated using established marker bands associated with the formation of the
      azo group. A subsequent indicator for a polymerization reaction, the appearance
      of a new characteristic band, is monitored by time-dependent SERS and TERS
      experiments. We demonstrate that the dimerization reaction and hence, the
      subsequent polymerization, can be induced by a plasmonic feature, e.g. a TERS
      tip, at specific nanoscale locations and, at a much larger micron scale, by
      continuously scanning the plasmonic probe. The presented results provide the
      basis for designing further plasmonic catalysis experiments in general, and offer
      a new platform for producing ultra-thin polymer films with a defined structural
      dimension.

PMID- 28914311
TI  - Comparing Caenorhabditis elegans gentle and harsh touch response behavior using a
      multiplexed hydraulic microfluidic device.
AB  - The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model system for
      understanding the genetics and physiology of touch. Classical assays for C.
      elegans touch, which involve manually touching the animal with a probe and
      observing its response, are limited by their low throughput and qualitative
      nature. We developed a microfluidic device in which several dozen animals are
      subject to spatially localized mechanical stimuli with variable amplitude. The
      device contains 64 sinusoidal channels through which worms crawl, and hydraulic
      valves that deliver touch stimuli to the worms. We used this assay to
      characterize the behavioral responses to gentle touch stimuli and the less well
      studied harsh (nociceptive) touch stimuli. First, we measured the relative
      response thresholds of gentle and harsh touch. Next, we quantified differences in
      the receptive fields between wild type worms and a mutant with non-functioning
      posterior touch receptor neurons. We showed that under gentle touch the receptive
      field of the anterior touch receptor neurons extends into the posterior half of
      the body. Finally, we found that the behavioral response to gentle touch does not
      depend on the locomotion of the animal immediately prior to the stimulus, but
      does depend on the location of the previous touch. Responses to harsh touch, on
      the other hand, did not depend on either previous velocity or stimulus location.
      Differences in gentle and harsh touch response characteristics may reflect the
      different innervation of the respective mechanosensory cells. Our assay will
      facilitate studies of mechanosensation, sensory adaptation, and nociception.

PMID- 28914313
TI  - Cohesiveness and flowability of particulated solid and semi-solid food systems.
AB  - Cohesiveness and flowability of particulated food systems is of particular
      interest in the oral processing and swallowing of food products, especially for
      people suffering from dysphagia. Although cohesiveness of a bolus is an essential
      parameter in swallowing, a robust technique for objective measurement of
      cohesiveness of particulated semi- or soft-solids is still lacking. In our
      approach the ring shear tester is used to measure the cohesiveness and
      flowability of a model particulated food system based on fresh green pea powders
      and pastes with controlled moisture content. The focus is on how the cohesiveness
      and flowability of dry pea particles change as they absorb moisture, swell and
      soften, while continuously agglomerating until a paste like bolus is achieved.
      Differently hydrated pea powders start to granulate with increasing moisture
      content resulting in decreasing flowability and increasing cohesiveness until a
      critical moisture content of approximately 73 wt% is reached. Above the critical
      moisture content, cohesiveness starts to decrease and flowability increases, i.e.
      indicating the transition into the rheological domain of concentrated suspension
      flow. Besides moisture content we also show that water adsorption capacity i.e.
      hydration properties and resulting degree of particle softness tremendously
      influences the flowability factor and cohesiveness of powder systems. Thus ring
      shear tester can be used to provide guidelines for food paste formulation with
      controlled cohesiveness.

PMID- 28914314
TI  - The impact of extrusion on the nutritional composition, dietary fiber and in
      vitro digestibility of gluten-free snacks based on rice, pea and carob flour
      blends.
AB  - Consumers and the food industry are demanding healthier products. Expanded snacks
      with a high nutritional value were developed from different rice, pea and carob
      flour blends. The proximate composition, starch (total and resistant), amylose
      and amylopectin, dietary fiber (soluble and insoluble) contents, and the in vitro
      protein digestibility of different rice-legume formulations, were evaluated
      before and after the extrusion process. Compared with the corresponding non
      extruded blends (control), the extrusion treatment did not change the total
      protein content, however, it reduced the soluble protein (61-86%), the fat (69
      92%) and the resistant starch contents (100%). The total starch content of all
      studied blends increased (2-19%) after extrusion. The processing increased the in
      vitro protein digestibility, reaching values around 88-95% after extrusion. Total
      dietary fiber was reduced around 30%, and the insoluble fraction was affected to
      a larger extent than the soluble fraction by the extrusion process. Because of
      its balanced nutritional composition, high dietary fiber content, as well as low
      energy density, these novel gluten-free snack-like foods could be considered as
      functional foods and a healthier alternative to commercially available gluten
      containing or gluten-free and low nutritional value snacks.

PMID- 28914315
TI  - Tyr25, Tyr58 and Trp133 of Escherichia coli bacterioferritin transfer electrons
      between iron in the central cavity and the ferroxidase centre.
AB  - Ferritins are 24meric proteins that overcome problems of toxicity, insolubility
      and poor bioavailability of iron in all types of cells by storing it in the form
      of a ferric mineral within their central cavities. In the bacterioferritin (BFR)
      from Escherichia coli iron mineralization kinetics have been shown to be
      dependent on an intra-subunit catalytic diiron cofactor site (the ferroxidase
      centre), three closely located aromatic residues and an inner surface iron site.
      One of the aromatic residues, Tyr25, is the site of formation of a transient
      radical, but the roles of the other two residues, Tyr58 and Trp133, are unknown.
      Here we show that these residues are important for the rates of formation and
      decay of the Tyr25 radical and decay of a secondary radical observed during Tyr25
      radical decay. The data support a mechanism in which these aromatic residues
      function in electron transfer from the inner surface site to the ferroxidase
      centre.

PMID- 28914316
TI  - Negative Gaussian curvature induces significant suppression of thermal conduction
      in carbon crystals.
AB  - From the mathematic category of surface Gaussian curvature, carbon allotropes can
      be classified into three types: zero curvature, positive curvature, and negative
      curvature. By performing Green-Kubo equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations,
      we found that surface curvature has a significant impact on the phonon vibration
      and thermal conductivity (kappa) of carbon crystals. When curving from zero
      curvature to negative or positive curvature structures, kappa is reduced by
      several orders of magnitude. Interestingly, we found that kappa of negatively
      curved carbon crystals exhibits a monotonic dependence on curvature. Through
      phonon mode analysis, we show that curvature induces remarkable phonon softening
      in phonon dispersion, which results in the reduction of phonon group velocity and
      flattening of phonon band structure. Furthermore, the curvature was found to
      induce phonon mode hybridization, leading to the suppression of phonon relaxation
      time. Our study provides physical insight into thermal transport in curvature
      materials, and will be valuable in the modulation of phonon activity through
      surface curvature.

PMID- 28914317
TI  - A bifunctional nanomodulator for boosting CpG-mediated cancer immunotherapy.
AB  - Unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) oligonucleotides (ODNs) possess
      high immunostimulatory activity and represent attractive tools for cancer
      treatment. However, their success in eliminating large solid tumors was hampered
      by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Herein, we report that the
      design of a novel MnO2-CpG-silver nanoclusters (AgNCs)-doxorubicin (DOX)
      conjugate for enhanced cancer immunotherapy, in which MnO2 nanosheets function as
      unique supports to integrate the chemotherapy drug DOX and the immunotherapeutic
      agent CpG-AgNCs. Importantly, DOX could be conjugated with MnO2 nanosheets
      through pi-pi interactions to serve as a bifunctional modulator of the tumor
      microenvironment to activate a tumor-specific immune response by inducing
      immunogenic cell death, and reverse the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment
      via abrogating the immune-suppressive activity of regulatory T cells, both of
      which would greatly improve the immune response of CpG-AgNCs. In this way, the T
      cell immune responses of CpG-AgNCs which are linked to MnO2 nanosheets were
      significantly enhanced and could exhibit remarkable antitumor activity against
      large solid tumors. Our study may guide the rational design of immunotherapeutic
      boosters for improving cancer treatment.

PMID- 28914318
TI  - Analytical, numerical, and experimental studies of viscoelastic effects on the
      performance of soft piezoelectric nanocomposites.
AB  - Piezoelectric composite (p-NC) made of a polymeric matrix and piezoelectric
      nanoparticles with conductive additives is an attractive material for many
      applications. As the matrix of p-NC is made of viscoelastic materials, both
      elastic and viscous characteristics of the matrix are expected to contribute to
      the piezoelectric response of p-NC. However, there is limited understanding of
      how viscoelasticity influences the piezoelectric performance of p-NC. Here we
      combined analytical and numerical analyses with experimental studies to
      investigate effects of viscoelasticity on piezoelectric performance of p-NC. The
      viscoelastic properties of synthesized p-NCs were controlled by changing the
      ratio between monomer and cross-linker of the polymer matrix. We found good
      agreement between our analytical models and experimental results for both quasi
      static and dynamic loadings. It is found that, under quasi-static loading
      conditions, the piezoelectric coefficients (d33) of the specimen with the lowest
      Young's modulus (~0.45 MPa at 5% strain) were ~120 pC N-1, while the one with the
      highest Young's modulus (~1.3 MPa at 5% strain) were ~62 pC N-1. The results
      suggest that softer matrices enhance the energy harvesting performance because
      they can result in larger deformation for a given load. Moreover, from our
      theoretical analysis and experiments under dynamic loading conditions, we found
      the viscous modulus of a matrix is also important for piezoelectric performance.
      For instance, at 40 Hz and 50 Hz the storage moduli of the softest specimen were
      ~0.625 MPa and ~0.485 MPa, while the loss moduli were ~0.108 MPa and ~0.151 MPa,
      respectively. As piezocomposites with less viscous loss can transfer mechanical
      energy to piezoelectric particles more efficiently, the dynamic piezoelectric
      coefficient (d'33) measured at 40 Hz (~53 pC N-1) was larger than that at 50 Hz
      (~47 pC N-1) though it has a larger storage modulus. As an application of our
      findings, we fabricated 3D piezo-shells with different viscoelastic properties
      and compared the charging time. The results showed a good agreement with the
      predicted trend that the composition with the smallest elastic and viscous moduli
      showed the fastest charging rate. Our findings can open new opportunities for
      optimizing the performance of polymer-based multifunctional materials by
      harnessing viscoelasticity.

PMID- 28914319
TI  - Femtosecond laser induced robust periodic nanoripple structured mesh for highly
      efficient oil-water separation.
AB  - Marine oil spills have induced severe water pollution and threatened sea
      ecosystems, which also result in a loss of energy resources. To deal with this
      problem, much work has been done for using superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic
      mesh for oil-water separation. Nevertheless, there are still great challenges in
      the rapid fabrication of extremely durable mesh with superwetting properties,
      particularly considering the highly efficient oil-water separation. In this
      study, we present a simple, efficient method to fabricate superhydrophilic and
      underwater superoleophobic stainless steel mesh surfaces with one-step
      femtosecond laser induced periodic nanoripple structures. The as-prepared mesh
      shows high separation efficiency, which is higher than 99% for various oil-water
      mixtures. More importantly, the wettability and the separation efficiency of the
      fabricated mesh show no obvious change after the abrasion tests and corrosion
      tests, indicating that the as-prepared samples possess robust stability. This
      study provides an efficient route for constructing durable and highly efficient
      separation mesh, which can be applied in the cleanup of large-scale oil spills in
      the near future.

PMID- 28914320
TI  - Fabrication of metalosomes (metal containing cationic liposomes) using single
      chain surfactants as a precursor via formation of inorganic organic hybrids.
AB  - Among the self-assembled forms of surfactants, vesicles/liposomes are a highly
      promising and interesting feature of surfactants, which are usually formed from
      water insoluble surfactants. Herein, we demonstrate the formation of liposomes
      from single-chain cationic surfactants with the help of metals as a part of the
      counter ion, and these metal embedded liposomes are termed as metalosomes. It is
      a noteworthy advancement in the area of self-assembled molecular structures since
      we report the preparation of metal embedded liposomes (metalosomes) from a water
      soluble single chain cationic surfactant, which is otherwise a property or an
      arrangement made by double tailed surfactants, or more precisely lipids that are
      poorly water soluble. We can use this method for various cationic surfactants and
      metal combinations and the studies are still in process. However, this
      preliminary report on manganese-based surfactants depicts the successful
      formation of cationic metalosomes (with/without cholesterol), and the formation,
      structure and size has been verified using TEM, FE-SEM, DLS XRD and SAXS. The
      comparison of metalosomes with reverse vesicles in different solvents further
      gave an insight of microstructure and solvent environment effects on the self
      assembly of metallosurfactants. In addition, we have also evaluated the
      encapsulation ability of metalosomes for fluorescein dye. High encapsulation
      efficiency of Mn-somes makes them promising candidates for several applications,
      particularly because of its water solubility.

PMID- 28914321
TI  - Photoredox catalysis enabled alkylation of alkenyl carboxylic acids with N
      (acyloxy)phthalimide via dual decarboxylation.
AB  - A ruthenium based photoredox catalyst in combination with a substoichiometric
      amount of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) efficiently catalyzed dual
      decarboxylative couplings between alkenyl carboxylic acids and N
      (acyloxy)phthalimides derived from aliphatic carboxylic acids, delivering
      alkylated styrene derivatives in a high regio- and stereo-selective manner under
      mild reaction conditions. Various types of secondary, tertiary, and quaternary
      aliphatic carboxylic acids as well as alpha-amino acids can be used as suitable
      substrates. Mechanistic analysis suggested that the reaction proceeds through a
      radical mechanism mediated by a Ru(i)/Ru(ii) catalytic cycle with DABCO acting
      both as the base and the co-catalyst for single electron transfer.

PMID- 28914322
TI  - Harnessing sunlight without a photosensitizer for highly efficient consecutive
      [3+2]/[4+2] annulation to synthesize fused benzobicyclic skeletons.
AB  - A photosensitizer-free, highly efficient sunlight-promoted tandem [3+2]/[4+2]
      annulation of unsaturated alpha-bromocarbonyls with o-alkynylanilines was
      developed, and allowed for convenient synthesis of fused benzobicyclic skeletons.
      The reaction was clean and practical in mild conditions and showed excellent
      functional group compatibility.

PMID- 28914323
TI  - The spectroscopic impact of interactions with the four Gouterman orbitals from
      peripheral decoration of porphyrins with simple electron withdrawing and donating
      groups.
AB  - Tetrapyrroles are of great interest for solar cell and photodynamic therapy
      applications due to their structural analogy with chlorophyll, a natural
      photosensitizer. Unsubstituted symmetric porphyrins exhibit weak absorption in
      the red region which makes them unsuitable for these applications. The push-pull
      peripheral decoration modifies the energies of the frontier molecular orbitals,
      which in turn influences the tetrapyrrole's spectroscopic properties. The
      absorption, magnetic circular dichroism, and emission spectra were measured for
      four zinc tetratolylporphyrin compounds substituted peripherally with a fused
      dimethoxybenzo group as an electron withdrawing group (EWG) on one pyrrole and on
      the opposite pyrrole, a single acetamido (1), a nitro (2), a proton (3), or a
      benzoylamino (4) substituent. Unusually, the magnetic circular dichroism spectrum
      of 2 exhibited a negative A term for the lowest energy absorption band (the Q
      band) and its emission spectrum was also unlike those of 1, 3, and 4. A complete
      computational analysis was carried out to obtain the energies and electron
      distribution, shown by electron density surfaces, of the four Gouterman MOs. TD
      DFT calculations showed that for 2, DeltaLUMO was greater than DeltaHOMO, which
      accounted for the observed negative A term. The trend in the estimated MCD A term
      magnitudes, normalized to the absorbance as [A/(dipole strength) BM], provides
      experimental confirmation of the computationally determined ratio of
      DeltaLUMO/DeltaHOMO data. The value of DeltaHOMO was confirmed by the trend in
      oscillator strengths. A series of fictive porphyrins (F1-F5) incorporating simple
      push-pull substituents were designed and their electronic structures were
      investigated using TD-DFT calculations. The substituents in the five fictive
      molecules illustrate the differential effect of the donor and acceptor groups in
      the beta-position of the pyrroles on the relative stabilities of the four
      Gouterman orbitals. NO2 groups result in the greatest splitting of the LUMO pair.
      We show that on using strong EWGs, opposite electron donating groups result in a
      DeltaLUMO > 0, which red-shifts the Q band and introduces a strong dipole. With
      the nitro and formyl EWGs, DeltaLUMO becomes greater than DeltaHOMO, resulting in
      a complex electronic structure of the Q band, recognizable by a negative A term
      suggesting a design objective for future photosensitizers.

PMID- 28914324
TI  - Multiple particle tracking study of thermally-gelling nanoemulsions.
AB  - We perform multiple particle tracking (MPT) on a thermally-gelling oil-in-water
      nanoemulsion system. Carboxylated and plain polystyrene probes are used to
      investigate the role of colloidal probe size and surface chemistry on MPT in the
      nanoemulsion system. As temperature increases, hydrophobic groups of PEG-based
      gelators (PEGDA) partition into the oil/water interface and bridge droplets. This
      intercolloidal attraction generates a wide variety of microstructures consisting
      of droplet-rich and droplet-poor phases. By tailoring the MPT colloidal probe
      surface chemistry, we can control the residence of probes in each domain, thus
      allowing us to independently probe each phase. Our results show stark differences
      in probe dynamics in each domain. For certain conditions, the mean squared
      displacement (MSD) can differ by over four orders of magnitude for the same probe
      size but different surface chemistry. Carboxylated probe surface chemistries
      result in "slippery" probes while plain polystyrene probes appear to tether to
      the nanoemulsion gel network. We also observe probe hopping between pores in the
      gel for carboxylated probes. Our approach demonstrates that probes with different
      surface chemistries are useful in probing the local regions of a colloidal gel
      and allows the measurement of local properties within structurally heterogeneous
      hydrogels.

PMID- 28914325
TI  - Night work, long work weeks, and risk of accidental injuries. A register-based
      study.
AB  - Objectives The aims of this study were to (i) investigate the association between
      night work or long work weeks and the risk of accidental injuries and (ii) test
      if the association is affected by age, sex or socioeconomic status. Methods The
      study population was drawn from the Danish version of the European Labour Force
      Survey from 1999-2013. The current study was based on 150 438 participants (53%
      men and 47% women). Data on accidental injuries were obtained at individual level
      from national health registers. We included all 20-59-year-old employees working
      >=32 hours a week at the time of the interview. We used Poisson regression to
      estimate the relative rates (RR) of accidental injuries as a function of night
      work or long work weeks (>40 hours per week) adjusted for year of interview, sex,
      age, socioeconomic status (SES), industry, and weekly working hours or night
      work. Age, sex and SES were included as two-way interactions. Results We observed
      23 495 cases of accidental injuries based on 273 700 person years at risk.
      Exposure to night work was statistically significantly associated with accidental
      injuries (RR 1.11, 99% CI 1.06-1.17) compared to participants with no recent
      night work. No associations were found between long work weeks (>40 hours) and
      accidental injuries. Conclusion We found a modest increased risk of accidental
      injuries when reporting night work. No associations between long work weeks and
      risk of accidental injuries were observed. Age, sex and SES showed no trends when
      included as two-way interactions.

PMID- 28914326
TI  - Negative attitudes related to violence against women: gender and ethnic
      differences among youth living in Serbia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify to what extent negative attitudes
      towards intimate partner violence against women are present among young women and
      men living in Serbia, in Roma and non-Roma settlements. METHODS: We used the data
      from the 2010 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey conducted in Serbia, for the
      respondents who were 15-24 years old. Regression analyses were used to examine
      the association between judgmental attitudes, socio-demographic factors and life
      satisfaction. RESULTS: In Roma settlements, 34.8% of men and 23.6% of women
      believed that under certain circumstances men are justified to be violent towards
      wives, while among non-Roma it was 5.6 and 4.0%, respectively. These negative
      attitudes were significantly associated with lower educational level, lower socio
      economic status and being married. In multivariate model, in both Roma and non
      Roma population women who were not married were less judgmental, while the
      richest Roma men were least judgmental (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.18-0.87). CONCLUSIONS:
      Violence prevention activities have to be focused on promoting gender equality
      among youth in vulnerable population groups such as Roma, especially through
      social support, strengthening their education and employment.

PMID- 28914328
TI  - Erratum to: Improving isopropanol tolerance and production of Clostridium
      beijerinckii DSM 6423 by random mutagenesis and genome shuffling.

PMID- 28914327
TI  - Repeated 2% sevoflurane administration in 7- and 60-day-old rats : Neurotoxicity
      and neurocognitive dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sevoflurane is one of the most widely used inhalation anesthetics in
      pediatric anesthesia. A large number of studies have demonstrated that repeated
      treatment with high concentrations or long durations of sevoflurane anesthesia
      during the neonatal period can induce neuroapoptosis and long-term learning
      disability. In clinical practice, we observed that a subset of patients underwent
      minor surgery under sevoflurane anesthesia more than once from birth to
      adolescence. Therefore, this research was conducted to investigate whether a 2%
      concentration of sevoflurane (clinically relevant usage of sevoflurane) for 1 h
      (a short duration) can induce neuroapoptosis and neurocognitive dysfunction in
      adolescent rats that received sevoflurane (2% for 1 h) during the neonatal
      period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Group I: neonatal rats at postnatal day 7 (PND-7)
      were treated with oxygen under controlled conditions and then raised to PND-60.
      Group II: PND-7 rats were treated with 2% sevoflurane for 1 h and then raised to
      PND-60. Group III: the PND-60 rats were treated with 2% sevoflurane for 1 h and
      in group IV the PND-7 rats were treated with 2% sevoflurane for 1 h and then
      anesthetized with 2% sevoflurane for 1 h at PND-60 again. The expression of
      caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) were measured by
      Western blot analysis. Neuroapoptosis in the hippocampal DG was assessed using
      NeuN/caspase-3 double-immunofluorescence staining. Spatial reference memory was
      tested by the Morris water maze test. RESULTS: The present data showed that
      sevoflurane (2% for 1 h) did not induce obvious hippocampal neuroapoptosis in the
      PND-7 rats and PND-60 rats; their performance in hippocampal-dependent spatial
      memory was not significantly impaired; however, the rats in group IV showed poor
      performance in the Morris water maze test and the neuroapoptosis in group IV was
      significantly increased. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that sevoflurane can
      induce neuroapoptosis and cognitive dysfunction in adolescent rats that received
      repeated sevoflurane (2% for 1 h) during the postnatal period. These findings
      will promote further studies to investigate the effects of repeated sevoflurane
      exposure on the development of the central nervous system and function of
      learning and memory, as well as the underlying mechanisms in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28914329
TI  - ?

PMID- 28914330
TI  - ?

PMID- 28914331
TI  - [The IDEALE-handover].

PMID- 28914332
TI  - [Comment on: ketamine for prevention of postoperative delirium and pain].

PMID- 28914333
TI  - [Acute skin infections and their imitators in children : A photo quiz].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skin infections account for 40% of emergency visits in pediatric
      dermatology. It is important to promptly recognize skin infections with potential
      complications and initiate treatment. However some characteristic skin findings
      may imitate skin infections and are often misdiagnosed. OBJECTIVES: To illustrate
      frequent pediatric skin infections and pitfalls in view of imitators and
      differential diagnoses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A photo quiz is presented with the
      discussion of a selection of acute pediatric skin infections in comparison to
      their infectious or noninfectious differential diagnoses. RESULTS: The following
      infectious skin conditions and imitators are described and clinical clues for
      differentiation highlighted: eczema herpeticum and bacterial superinfection of
      atopic dermatitis; exanthematous hand, foot and mouth disease and varicella
      infection; erythema chronicum multilocularis and anular urticaria; Gianotti
      Crosti syndrome and Gianotti-Crosti-like reaction; bacterial folliculitis of the
      scalp and kerion celsi and eosinophilic pustular folliculitis of the scalp;
      cutaneous Leishmaniasis and idiopathic facial aseptic granuloma; allergic and
      bacterial lymphangitis; bullous impetigo contagiosa and nonaccidental scalding.
      CONCLUSIONS: Careful anamnesis and skin examination with attention to the here
      illustrated differential diagnoses are essential to avoid pitfalls in the
      evaluation of acute pediatric skin infections.

PMID- 28914335
TI  - Regulatory experience of TOPS: an internet-based system to prevent healthy
      subjects from over-volunteering for UK clinical trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim was to review the use of The Over-volunteering Prevention System
      (TOPS) since the HRA began hosting it in 2013, and the Medicines and Healthcare
      products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) experience of monitoring its use by UK clinical
      research units. METHODS: The HRA searched the TOPS database for the number, type
      and location of units and the number of entries. The MHRA inspectors reviewed
      their findings from routine inspections. RESULTS: Twenty-two additional UK units
      registered to use TOPS during 2013-2016, making a total of 84 units since TOPS
      was established in 2002. Use of TOPS is now a condition of research ethics
      committee approval of a phase 1 study and fulfils MHRA accreditation requirements
      for preventing over-volunteering. The total number of entries by all active units
      during 2013-2016 was 89,335, of which 84% were UK citizens and 16% non-UK
      citizens. The total number of entries during 2002-2016 was 249,612. Only 15 of
      24,531 subjects (1/1600) and 18 of 18,745 subjects (1/1040) entered in 2015 and
      2016, respectively, were deemed potential over-volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings continue to support the concept that TOPS not only helps to prevent over
      volunteering, but also deters subjects from trying to do so. Regulation of TOPS
      by the HRA and MHRA has enhanced its effectiveness, benefited all users and
      helped to improve the safety of volunteers who participate in non-therapeutic
      trials in the UK. The UK is still the only country with a national database to
      prevent over-volunteering that has published data on its widespread use and
      effectiveness.

PMID- 28914334
TI  - The clinical and radiological results of individualized surgical treatment
      depending on pathologic abnormalities in recurrent patellar dislocation: low
      recurrence rate, but unintended patella baja.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes and chondral lesion
      change using individualized surgery for recurrent patellar dislocation. METHODS:
      A total of 31 knees with recurrent patellar dislocation underwent surgery
      depending on individual pathologic abnormalities. Pathologic abnormalities
      including medial laxity, lateral tightness, increased tibial tuberosity (TT)-to
      trochlear groove distance (>20 mm), and patella alta (Caton-Deschamps ratio >1.2)
      were evaluated in each patient. The abnormalities were corrected through medial
      patellofemoral ligament reconstruction, TT distalization, TT anteromedialization,
      and lateral retinacula release. The mean follow-up period was 33 months. RESULTS:
      There was one recurrent case (3.2%), requiring additional surgery. The mean
      Kujala scores were significantly (P = 0.002) improved from 75.8 (SD 12.4) to 84.6
      (SD 13.1). Tegner scores were significantly improved from 3.7 (range 1-9) to 5.4
      (range 2-9) (P < 0.001), as were and visual analogue scale pain scores from 4.7
      (SD 2.5) to 2.6 (SD 2.2) (P = 0.001). Caton-Deschamps ratio was significantly
      decreased from 1.1 (SD 0.2) to 0.9 (SD 0.1) (P < 0.001), regardless of TT
      distalization. Chondral lesions of the patella and trochlear groove were improved
      or maintained in 57.1 and 71.4% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Individualized surgery in recurrent patellar dislocation was effective and safe
      with a low recurrence rate. However, the possibility of unintended patella baja,
      which might be related to post-operative anterior knee pain, should be
      considered. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28914337
TI  - Obesity: how much does it matter for female pelvic organ prolapse?
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to determine the association
      between body mass index (BMI) and symptoms and signs of female pelvic organ
      prolapse (POP). METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study of 964 archived
      datasets of women seen for symptoms and signs of lower urinary tract and pelvic
      organ dysfunction between September 2011 and February 2014 at a tertiary
      urogynaecology centre in Australia was carried out. An in-house standardised
      interview, the International Continence Society Pelvic Organ Prolapse
      Quantification (ICS POP-Q) and 4-D translabial ultrasound, followed by analysis
      of ultrasound volumes for pelvic organ descent and hiatal area on Valsalva, were
      performed, blinded against other data. RESULTS: There is a positive association
      between BMI and posterior compartment prolapse on clinical examination and
      ultrasound imaging, but not for the anterior and central compartments. There was
      no association with prolapse symptom bother and a negative association with
      symptoms of prolapse. CONCLUSIONS: In this observational study, we found a strong
      association between all tested measures of posterior compartment descent and BMI,
      both clinical and on imaging.

PMID- 28914336
TI  - Patterns of cutaneous nerve fibre loss and regeneration in type 2 diabetes with
      painful and painless polyneuropathy.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The determinants and mechanisms of the development of diabetic
      sensorimotor polyneuropathy as a painful (DSPN+p) or painless (DSPN-p) entity
      remain unclear. We examined the degree of cutaneous nerve fibre loss and
      regeneration in individuals with type 2 diabetes with DSPN+p or DSPN-p compared
      with individuals with recent-onset type 2 diabetes and corresponding healthy
      volunteers. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, skin biopsies taken from the
      distal lateral calf were obtained from individuals with recent-onset type 2
      diabetes (n = 32) from the German Diabetes Study, with DSPN+p (n = 34) and DSPN-p
      (n = 32) from the PROPANE study, and volunteers with normal glucose tolerance (n
      = 50). Double immunofluorescence staining for protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5)
      (pan-neuronal marker) and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) (nerve
      regeneration marker) was applied to assess intraepidermal nerve fibre density
      (IENFD) and length (IENFL) and dermal nerve fibre length (DNFL). DSPN was
      diagnosed using the modified Toronto Consensus (2011) criteria, while neuropathic
      pain was assessed using an 11-point Numerical Rating Scale. RESULTS: After
      adjustment for age, sex, BMI and HbA1c, IENFD and IENFL were reduced for both
      markers in individuals with recent-onset diabetes and both DSPN groups compared
      with control participants (all p < 0.05), but did not differ between the DSPN
      groups. The DNFL GAP-43/PGP9.5 ratio was higher in the DSPN+p and DSPN-p groups
      compared with control participants (1.18 +/- 0.28 and 1.07 +/- 0.10 vs 1.02 +/-
      0.10; p <= 0.05) and in the DSPN + p group compared with DSPN-p (p < 0.05).
      Correlation analyses showed distinct inverse associations between the DNFL GAP
      43/PGP9.5 ratio and PGP9.5 positive IENFD as well as DNFL (IENFD: beta = -0.569,
      DNFL: beta = -0.639; both p < 0.0001) in individuals with type 2 diabetes, but
      not in the control group. A similar pattern was found for correlations between
      the DNFL GAP-43/PGP9.5 ratio and peripheral nerve function tests.
      CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Dermal nerve fibre regeneration is enhanced in DSPN,
      particularly in DSPN+p, and increases with advancing intraepidermal nerve fibre
      loss. These data suggest that, despite progressive epidermal fibre loss, dermal
      nerve repair is preserved, particularly in DSPN+p, but fails to adequately
      counteract epidermal neurodegenerative processes.

PMID- 28914338
TI  - The UK National Prolapse Survey: 10 years on.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To assess trends in the surgical management of
      pelvic organ prolapse (POP) amongst UK practitioners and changes in practice
      since a previous similar survey. METHODS: An online questionnaire survey
      (Typeform Pro) was emailed to British Society of Urogynaecology (BSUG) members.
      They included urogynaecologists working in tertiary centres, gynaecologists with
      a designated special interest in urogynaecology and general gynaecologists. The
      questionnaire included case scenarios encompassing contentious issues in the
      surgical management of POP and was a revised version of the questionnaire used in
      the previous surveys. The revised questionnaire included additional questions
      relating to the use of vaginal mesh and laparoscopic urogynaecology procedures.
      RESULTS: Of 516 BSUG members emailed, 212 provided completed responses.. For
      anterior vaginal wall prolapse the procedure of choice was anterior colporrhaphy
      (92% of respondents). For uterovaginal prolapse the procedure of choice was still
      vaginal hysterectomy and repair (75%). For posterior vaginal wall prolapse the
      procedure of choice was posterior colporrhaphy with midline fascial plication
      (97%). For vault prolapse the procedure of choice was sacrocolpopexy (54%)
      followed by vaginal wall repair and sacrospinous fixation (41%). The laparoscopic
      route was preferred for sacrocolpopexy (62% versus 38% for the open procedure).
      For primary prolapse, vaginal mesh was used by only 1% of respondents in the
      anterior compartment and by 3% in the posterior compartment. CONCLUSION: Basic
      trends in the use of native tissue prolapse surgery remain unchanged. There has
      been a significant decrease in the use of vaginal mesh for both primary and
      recurrent prolapse, with increasing use of laparoscopic procedures for prolapse.

PMID- 28914339
TI  - Do we need randomized clinical trials in extracorporeal respiratory support? Yes.
AB  - Extracorporeal respiratory support, also known as extracorporeal gas exchange,
      may be used to rescue the most severe forms of acute hypoxemic respiratory
      failure with high blood flow venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
      Alternatively, lower flow extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal might be applied
      to reduce the intensity of mechanical ventilation in patients with less severe
      forms of the disease. However, critical reading of the results of the randomized
      trials and case series published to date reveals major methodological biases.
      Older trials are not relevant anymore since the ECMO circuitry was not heparin
      coated leading to severe hemorrhagic complications due to high levels of
      anticoagulation, and because extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and
      control group patients did not receive lung-protective ventilation.
      Alternatively, in the more recent CESAR trial, many patients randomized to the
      ECMO arm did not receive ECMO and no standardized protocol for lung-protective
      mechanical ventilation existed in the control group. Since these techniques are
      costly and associated with potentially serious adverse events, there is an urgent
      need for high-quality data, for which the cornerstone remains randomized
      controlled trials.

PMID- 28914340
TI  - Interpreting signal-intensity ratios without visible T1 hyperintensities in
      clinical gadolinium retention studies.

PMID- 28914341
TI  - Knee joint preservation: a call for daily practice revival of realignment surgery
      and osteotomies around the knee.

PMID- 28914342
TI  - Quantification of the Intracellular Life Time of Water Molecules to Measure
      Transport Rates of Human Aquaglyceroporins.
AB  - Orthodox aquaporins are transmembrane channel proteins that facilitate rapid
      diffusion of water, while aquaglyceroporins facilitate the diffusion of small
      uncharged molecules such as glycerol and arsenic trioxide. Aquaglyceroporins play
      important roles in human physiology, in particular for glycerol metabolism and
      arsenic detoxification. We have developed a unique system applying the strain of
      the yeast Pichia pastoris, where the endogenous aquaporins/aquaglyceroporins have
      been removed and human aquaglyceroporins AQP3, AQP7, and AQP9 are recombinantly
      expressed enabling comparative permeability measurements between the expressed
      proteins. Using a newly established Nuclear Magnetic Resonance approach based on
      measurement of the intracellular life time of water, we propose that human
      aquaglyceroporins are poor facilitators of water and that the water transport
      efficiency is similar to that of passive diffusion across native cell membranes.
      This is distinctly different from glycerol and arsenic trioxide, where high
      glycerol transport efficiency was recorded.

PMID- 28914343
TI  - Image-guided percutaneous removal of ballistic foreign bodies secondary to air
      gun injuries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ballistic injuries with retained foreign bodies from air guns is a
      relatively common problem, particularly in children and adolescents. If not
      removed in a timely fashion, the foreign bodies can result in complications,
      including pain and infection. Diagnostic methods to identify the presence of the
      foreign body run the entire gamut of radiology, particularly radiography,
      ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT). Removal of the foreign bodies can
      be performed by primary care, emergency, surgical, and radiologic clinicians,
      with or without imaging guidance. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the modalities of
      radiologic detection and the experience of image-guided ballistic foreign body
      removal related to air gun injuries within the interventional radiology
      department of a large pediatric hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A database of
      more than 1,000 foreign bodies that were removed with imaging guidance by the
      interventional radiologists at our institution was searched for ballistic foreign
      bodies from air guns. The location, dimensions, diagnostic modality, duration,
      complications and imaging modality used for removal were recorded. In addition,
      the use of sedation and anesthesia required for the procedures was also recorded.
      RESULTS: Sixty-one patients with ballistic foreign bodies were identified. All
      foreign bodies were metallic BBs or pellets. The age of the patients ranged from
      5 to 20 years. The initial diagnostic modality to detect the foreign bodies was
      primarily radiography. The primary modality to assist in removal was US, closely
      followed by fluoroscopy. For the procedure, 32.7% of the patients required some
      level of sedation. Only two patients had an active infection at the time of the
      removal. The foreign bodies were primarily in the soft tissues; however,
      successful removal was also performed from intraosseous, intraglandular and
      intratendinous locations. All cases resulted in successful removal without
      complications. CONCLUSION: Image-guided removal of ballistic foreign bodies
      secondary to air guns is a very effective procedure that can obviate the need for
      open surgical procedures in children.

PMID- 28914344
TI  - Influence of genetic co-factors on the population pharmacokinetic model for
      clopidogrel and its active thiol metabolite.
AB  - PURPOSE: A high interindividual variability is observed in the pharmacokinetics
      of clopidogrel, a widely used antiplatelet drug. In the present study, a joint
      parent-metabolite population pharmacokinetic model was developed to adequately
      describe observed concentrations of clopidogrel and its active thiol metabolite
      (H4). METHODS: The study included 63 patients undergoing elective coronarography
      or percutaneous coronary intervention. The population pharmacokinetic model was
      developed in the NONMEM 7.3 software, and first-order conditional estimation
      method with interaction was applied. Also, the influence of covariates was
      evaluated (age, weight, body mass index (BMI), obesity defined as BMI >= 30
      kg/m2, sex, diabetes mellitus, co-administration of PPI or statins, presence of
      CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*17, CYP3A4*1G alleles, and ABCB1 3435 TT genotype). RESULTS:
      It was found that the only significant covariate was the presence of CYP2C19*2
      allele, which had an impact on lower conversion of clopidogrel to H4. As a
      result, predicted area under the time-concentration curve values was lower in
      carriers of this allele, with median 5.94 ng h/ml (interquartile range 3.92-12.51
      [ng?h/ml]) vs. 12.70 ng h/ml in non-carriers (interquartile range, 7.00-19.39
      [ng?h/ml]), respectively (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Developed model predicts that
      the only significant covariate influencing the observed concentrations and
      therefore the exposure to the active H4 metabolite is the presence of CYP2C19*2
      allele.

PMID- 28914346
TI  - Is the obesity a risk factor for delayed colonic post-polypectomy bleeding?

PMID- 28914347
TI  - Intermetatarsal bursa primary synovial chondromatosis: case report and review of
      the literature.
AB  - Primary synovial chondromatosis is a benign neoplastic process, occurring mostly
      in large joints, more rarely in tendon sheaths, and extremely uncommonly in
      bursae. We describe a patient with primary synovial chondromatosis arising in the
      fourth intermetatarsal bursa. Knowledge of the bursal anatomy of the forefoot,
      and of characteristic imaging findings and the pathogenesis of synovial
      chondromatosis, is essential in including this uncommon entity in the
      differential when occurring in unusual locations.

PMID- 28914345
TI  - Comparison of clinical outcomes between open and thoracoscopic repair for
      esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A meta-analysis was performed for a comparison of outcomes between
      open repair (OR) and thoracoscopic repair (TR) for esophageal atresia with
      tracheoesophageal fistula (EA with TEF). METHODS: Electronic databases, including
      PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Medline, were searched systematically for the
      literatures aimed mainly at comparing the therapeutic effects for EA with TEF
      administrated by OR and TR. Corresponding data sets were extracted and two
      reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality. Meta-analysis was
      performed with Stata 12.0. RESULTS: Ten studies meeting the inclusion criteria
      were included, involving 447 subjects in total. It was observed that OR entailed
      a shorter operative time with significant statistical differences (SMD 0.604; 95%
      CI 0.344-0.864, P = 0). While TR was superior in two aspects: shorter length of
      hospital stay (SMD 0.584; 95% CI 0.214-0.953; P = 0.002) and shorter first oral
      feeding time (SMD 0.652; 95% CI 0.27-1.035; P = 0.001). However, meta-analyses of
      occurrence rate of leaks (OR, 1.747; 95% CI 0.817-3.737; P = 0.15), strictures
      (OR, 0.937; 95% CI 0.5-1.757; P = 0.839), pulmonary complications (OR, 1.08; 95%
      CI 0.21-5.44; P = 0.897), fundoplication rate of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
      (GERD) (OR, 1.642; 95% CI 0.855-3.153; P = 0.601), and blood loss (SMD 0.048; 95%
      CI -1.292 to 1.388; P = 0.944) showed no significant differences between OR and
      TR. Meta-analysis of ventilation time showed similar outcome between OR and TR
      (SMD 0.474; 95% CI 0.02-0.968; P = 0.06), but the result remained controversial
      due to estimated result changing after sensitivity analysis (SMD 0.61; 95% CI
      0.16-1.07; P = 0). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with OR, a longer operative time was
      associated within TR group, although the TR procedure could possibly reduce the
      length of hospital stay and first oral feeding time. Meanwhile, the occurrence
      rate for leaks, strictures, pulmonary complications, and the fundoplication rate
      of GERD, and blood loss were similar between the OR and TR groups. Estimated
      result of ventilation time between the two groups remained ambiguous.

PMID- 28914348
TI  - Immunogenicity and antimicrobial effectiveness of Pseudomonas aeruginosa specific
      bacteriophage in a human lung in vitro model.
AB  - The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria is posing a serious threat to human
      health. For example, resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have resulted in
      untreatable and potentially lethal infections in both cystic fibrosis and
      immunocompromised patients. Due to the growing need for alternative treatment
      options, bacteriophage, or phage, therapy is gaining considerable attention.
      While previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of phage in combating
      persistent bacterial infections, there is currently a lack of knowledge regarding
      the host immunological response following phage exposure. In the present study,
      the bioresponses of an enhanced in vitro model were characterized following
      exposure to either DMS3 or PEV2, P. aeruginosa targeting phages. Results
      demonstrated a PEV2-dependent increase in IL-6 and TNF-alpha production, but no
      changes associated with DMS3 exposure. Additionally, following the establishment
      of an in vitro infection model, DMS3 was found to successfully protect mammalian
      lung cells from P. aeruginosa. Taken together, the biocompatibility and
      antibacterial effectiveness distinguish DMS3 bacteriophage as a strong candidate
      for phage therapy. However, as DMS3 is pilin dependent and bacterial receptor
      expression varies significantly, this work highlights the necessity of generating
      phage cocktails.

PMID- 28914349
TI  - Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty for type I fracture sequelae after internal
      fixation of proximal humerus fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Complications after internal fixation of proximal humerus fracture
      are common and may require surgical revision. Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty
      (RTSA) is frequently performed in such cases. The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate the functional results and complications after RTSA for the treatment of
      type I fracture sequelae after internal fixation of proximal humerus fractures.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 26 patients (18 female, 8 male) underwent surgical
      revision of type I fracture sequelae of the proximal humerus after locking plate
      (n = 22) or intramedullary nail (n = 4) fixation. The mean age of the patients at
      the time of the revision was 75 years (range 65-89). After a mean follow-up of 36
      months (range 18-58), clinical examination was performed and the age- and gender
      related Constant-Murley Score (CMS) and the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) were
      obtained from all patients and compared to the pre-revision values. RESULTS: The
      mean age- and gender-related CMS of the affected shoulder increased from 44%
      (range 17-65) to 73% (range 44-97). This difference was statistically significant
      (p < 0.001). The CMS of the unaffected shoulder was 93% (range 72-98). This
      relates to a ratio in the CMS of 78% between the affected and the contralateral
      shoulder. The mean OSS was 28 points (range 12-54) for the operated shoulder and
      43 points (range 34-48) for the unaffected side, resulting in 66% ratio. Again,
      the OSS improved significantly when compared with the preoperative values (p <
      0.001). A total of five complications including two periprosthetic fractures were
      observed and required surgical revision. CONCLUSION: Satisfying results can be
      obtained with RTSA as a salvage procedure for type I fracture sequelae after
      previous internal fixation of proximal humerus fractures.

PMID- 28914350
TI  - A stochastic model for speciation by mating preferences.
AB  - Mechanisms leading to speciation are a major focus in evolutionary biology. In
      this paper, we present and study a stochastic model of population where
      individuals, with type a or A, are equivalent from ecological, demographical and
      spatial points of view, and differ only by their mating preference: two
      individuals with the same genotype have a higher probability to mate and produce
      a viable offspring. The population is subdivided in several patches and
      individuals may migrate between them. We show that mating preferences by
      themselves, even if they are very small, are enough to entail reproductive
      isolation between patches, and we provide the time needed for this isolation to
      occur as a function of the carrying capacity. Our results rely on a fine study of
      the stochastic process and of its deterministic limit in large population, which
      is given by a system of coupled nonlinear differential equations. Besides, we
      propose several generalisations of our model, and prove that our findings are
      robust for those generalisations.

PMID- 28914351
TI  - Subfascial fat herniation: sonographic features of back mice.
AB  - Three adult patients are described with sonographic features of subfascial fat
      hernation. Each patient presented to the musculoskeletal ultrasound department at
      our institution for the evaluation of a palpable mass of the low back. Subfascial
      fat hernation, also known as back mice and fibro-fatty nodule, are an uncommon
      cause of a palpable mass in the low back or low back pain. They are small mobile
      subcutaneous nodules in a characteristic location near the posterior superior
      iliac spine. This entity has not been described in the radiology literature.
      These cases are presented in order to demonstrate the sonographic findings of
      back mice and to describe key anatomic features.

PMID- 28914352
TI  - Impact of Physical Activity on Reporting of Childhood Asthma Symptoms.
AB  - This study aims to determine the impact of physical activity on asthma symptom
      reporting among children living in an inner city. Among 147 children aged 5-12
      years with physician-diagnosed asthma, we assessed asthma symptoms using twice
      daily diaries and physical activity using the physical activity questionnaire for
      children during three 8-day periods (baseline, 3 and 6 months). Linear, logistic,
      and quasi-poisson regression models were used to determine the association
      between physical activity and asthma symptoms; adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI,
      caregiver's education, asthma severity, medication use, and season. A 1-unit
      increase in PAQ score was significantly associated with reporting more nocturnal
      symptoms [risk ratio (RR): 1.03; 95% CI 1.00-1.06], daytime symptoms (RR: 1.04;
      95% CI 1.00-1.09), being bothered by asthma (RR: 1.05; 95% CI 1.00-1.09), and
      trouble breathing (RR: 1.05; 95% CI 1.00-1.10). Level of physical activity should
      be taken into account in clinical management of asthma and epidemiological
      studies of asthma symptom burden.

PMID- 28914353
TI  - Optic neuritis in patients with anti-MOG antibodies spectrum disorder: MRI and
      clinical features from a large multicentric cohort in France.

PMID- 28914355
TI  - Nasal injury and comfort with jet versus bubble continuous positive airway
      pressure delivery systems in preterm infants with respiratory distress.
AB  - : Nasal injuries with use of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
      range from blanching of nasal tip to septal necrosis and septal drop. This
      analysis was done in preterm neonates of < 34-week gestation, who received nasal
      CPAP as primary support as part of a randomized trial comparing Jet device with
      Bubble device for delivery of CPAP, both through nasal prongs of different
      structure, make and fixation methods. Nasal injury was assessed using a validated
      nasal injury score. Out of 170 neonates enrolled, 103 (61%) had nasal injuries;
      moderate and severe injuries were observed in 18 (11%) and 8 (5%) infants,
      respectively. Septum was the most common site injured. The incidence and severity
      of nasal injury were significantly lesser in Jet group compared to Bubble group
      [RR 0.6 (95% C.I. 0.5-0.8); p < 0.001]. Similarly, neonates in Jet group had
      lesser average [median (IQR): 3 (3,4) vs. 4 [8, 14]; p = 0.04] as well as peak N
      PASS pain scores [median (IQR): 4 [8, 14] vs. 5 [13, 16]; p = 0.01] in comparison
      to Bubble group. However, Jet group neonates had significantly more common prong
      displacements. CONCLUSION: Bubble CPAP device with its nasal interface had higher
      and more serious incidence of nasal injuries in comparison to Jet CPAP device.
      What is known: * Nasal injuries are becoming increasingly common with use of
      nasal CPAP low gestational age, low birth weight, longer use of CPAP and longer
      NICU stay are risk factors for such injuries * Validated nasal injury scores have
      been created for assessment of nasal trauma in neonates What is new: * Bubble
      device with its interface had higher and more serious incidence of nasal injuries
      in comparison to Jet device * Even though pain assessed by N-PASS was less with
      Jet device, prong displacements were more frequent with its system.

PMID- 28914354
TI  - Comorbidity of dementia with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): insights from a
      large multicenter Italian cohort.
AB  - To assess the association, at diagnosis, between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      (ALS) and dementia in a large cohort of well-characterized Italian patients. We
      investigated the phenotypic profile of 1638 incident patients with definite,
      probable or laboratory-supported probable ALS, diagnosed from January 2009 to
      December 2013 in 13 Italian Referral Centers, located in 10 Italian Regions, and
      classified in two independent subsamples accounting for presence or not of
      dementia. The collected ALS features, including survival and other follow-up
      data, were compared between the two subgroups using a one-way analysis of
      variance and Chi-square test, as appropriate, logistic regression models and
      Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Between-subgroup comparisons showed an older age
      at clinical observation (p = .006), at onset and at diagnosis (p = .002) in
      demented versus non demented ALS patients. After adjustment for these variables,
      diagnosis of dementia was significantly associated with higher odds of family
      history of ALS (p = .001) and frontotemporal dementia (p = .003) and of bulbar
      onset (p = .004), and lower odds of flail leg phenotype (p = .019) and spinal
      onset (p = .008). The median survival time was shorter in demented versus non
      demented patients, especially in case of classical, bulbar and flail limb
      phenotypes and both bulbar and spinal onset. Our multicenter study emphasized the
      importance of an early diagnosis of comorbid dementia in ALS patients, which may
      have clinical impact and prognostic relevance. Moreover, our results may give
      further inputs to validation of ALS-specific tools for the screening of cognitive
      impairment in clinical practice.

PMID- 28914357
TI  - Erratum to: Density-dependent effects of larval dispersal mediated by host plant
      quality on populations of an invasive insect.
AB  - There was a coding error in the original paper resulting in incorrect model
      parameter estimates and in some cases incorrect model conclusions. The error was
      the specification of logistic models (using the glm and glmer functions) in R as
      cbind (survived, total) instead of cbind (survived, dead). The differences
      between the originally published and correct models of those affected are
      detailed.

PMID- 28914356
TI  - In vivo treatment with nitazoxanide induces anaerobic metabolism in experimental
      intraperitoneal cysticercosis.
AB  - Taenia crassiceps cysticerci are used as experimental model to study the host
      parasite relationship and treatment of cysticercosis. One of the described mode
      of actions of nitazoxanide (NTZ) is to block the pyruvate ferredoxine
      oxidoreductase (PFOR) enzyme which is an essential enzyme to the parasite
      metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine the in vivo influence of one
      dosage of NTZ on the energetic metabolism of T. crassiceps cysticerci. Thirty
      days after the intraperitoneal inoculation of T. crassiceps cysticerci, BALB/c
      mice were orally treated with 7.5 mg/kg of NTZ. The control group was treated
      with physiologic solution (NaCl 0.9%). After 24 h, the animals were euthanized
      and the cysticerci were removed, washed, and processed for biochemical analysis.
      The organic acids detection occurred through high-performance liquid
      chromatographic and spectrophotometric analysis. While there was no difference in
      the glucose dosages, it was possible to observe a significant increase in the
      lactate concentrations and a decrease in the pyruvate concentrations of the NTZ
      treated groups when compared to the control group. Also, there was a decrease in
      the urea and alpha-ketoglutarate concentrations. This probably occurred due to
      the impairment of the parasite's PFOR and nitroreductases leading an impairment
      of the mitochondrial aerobic pathways. In conclusion, the in vivo NTZ treatment
      leads to an increase in the lactic fermentation and to a decrease in the protein
      catabolism in T. crassiceps cysticerci.

PMID- 28914358
TI  - Dynamic foraging of a top predator in a seasonal polar marine environment.
AB  - The seasonal movement of animals at broad spatial scales provides insight into
      life-history, ecology and conservation. By combining high-resolution satellite
      tagged data with hierarchical Bayesian movement models, we can associate spatial
      patterns of movement with marine animal behavior. We used a multi-state mixture
      model to describe humpback whale traveling and area-restricted search states as
      they forage along the West Antarctic Peninsula. We estimated the change in the
      geography, composition and characteristics of these behavioral states through
      time. We show that whales later in the austral fall spent more time in movements
      associated with foraging, traveled at lower speeds between foraging areas, and
      shifted their distribution northward and inshore. Seasonal changes in movement
      are likely due to a combination of sea ice advance and regional shifts in the
      primary prey source. Our study is a step towards dynamic movement models in the
      marine environment at broad scales.

PMID- 28914359
TI  - Changes in acid-base and ion balance during exercise in normoxia and normobaric
      hypoxia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Both exercise and hypoxia cause complex changes in acid-base
      homeostasis. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether during
      intense physical exercise in normoxia and hypoxia, the modified physicochemical
      approach offers a better understanding of the changes in acid-base homeostasis
      than the traditional Henderson-Hasselbalch approach. METHODS: In this
      prospective, randomized, crossover trial, 19 healthy males completed an exercise
      test until voluntary fatigue on a bicycle ergometer on two different study days,
      once during normoxia and once during normobaric hypoxia (12% oxygen, equivalent
      to an altitude of 4500 m). Arterial blood gases were sampled during and after the
      exercise test and analysed according to the modified physicochemical and
      Henderson-Hasselbalch approach, respectively. RESULTS: Peak power output
      decreased from 287 +/- 9 Watts in normoxia to 213 +/- 6 Watts in hypoxia (-26%, P
      < 0.001). Exercise decreased arterial pH to 7.21 +/- 0.01 and 7.27 +/- 0.02 (P <
      0.001) during normoxia and hypoxia, respectively, and increased plasma lactate to
      16.8 +/- 0.8 and 17.5 +/- 0.9 mmol/l (P < 0.001). While the Henderson-Hasselbalch
      approach identified lactate as main factor responsible for the non-respiratory
      acidosis, the modified physicochemical approach additionally identified strong
      ions (i.e. plasma electrolytes, organic acid ions) and non-volatile weak acids
      (i.e. albumin, phosphate ion species) as important contributors. CONCLUSIONS: The
      Henderson-Hasselbalch approach might serve as basis for screening acid-base
      disturbances, but the modified physicochemical approach offers more detailed
      insights into the complex changes in acid-base status during exercise in normoxia
      and hypoxia, respectively.

PMID- 28914360
TI  - Adaptive variation in vein placement underpins diversity in a major Neotropical
      plant radiation.
AB  - Vein placement has been hypothesised to control leaf hydraulic properties, but
      the ecophysiological significance of variation in vein placement in the
      angiosperms has remained poorly understood. The highly diverse Neotropical
      Bromeliaceae offers an excellent system for exploring understudied relationships
      between leaf vein placement, physiological functions, and species ecology. To
      test key hypotheses regarding the links between vein placement, functional type
      divergences, and ecological diversity in the Bromeliaceae, I characterised the
      ratio of interveinal distance (IVD) to vein-epidermis distance (VED) in 376
      species, representing all major functional types and 10% of the species diversity
      in the family, as well as bioclimatic properties and key leaf traits for subsets
      of species. There were significant differences in vein placement parameters in
      species of contrasting functional type, habitat association, and bioclimatic
      distribution. In many C3 tank-epiphytes, a greater ratio between interveinal
      distance and the depth of veins within the mesophyll reflects optimisation for
      resource foraging in shady, humid habitats. In succulent terrestrials,
      overinvestment in veins probably facilitates rapid recharge of water storage
      tissue, as well as restricting water loss. These results highlight how
      divergences in vein placement relate to distinctive ecophysiological strategies
      between and within bromeliad functional types, and provide timely insights into
      how structural-functional innovation has impacted the evolution of ecological
      diversity in a major radiation of tropical herbaceous angiosperms.

PMID- 28914361
TI  - In reply: Sevoflurane in patients at risk of ventricular dysrhythmias.

PMID- 28914362
TI  - Shared decision-making in palliative care: desires and facts.

PMID- 28914363
TI  - Additional new insights into biometeorology.

PMID- 28914364
TI  - Unhealthy lifestyle habits and diabetes-specific health-related quality of life
      in youths with type 1 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: Management of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) influences several aspects of
      life, such as adherence to healthy lifestyle habits and health-related quality of
      life (HRQoL). Our aim was to evaluate the association between unhealthy lifestyle
      habits and HRQoL in adolescents and young adults with T1DM. METHODS: Two hundred
      and forty-two Caucasian patients (13-19 years) consecutively enrolled over a 12
      month period in three Regional Pediatric Diabetes Centers in Italy. Demographics,
      clinical, and laboratory parameters, adherence to lifestyle habits (Mediterranean
      Diet assessed by KIDMED, Physical Activity levels and sedentary behavior by
      questionnaire) considered either separately or in cluster, and HRQoL by Pediatric
      Quality of Life Inventory Diabetes Module (PedsQL 3.0 DM) were collected.
      Metabolic control was determined by HbA1cmean of previous year. RESULTS: Only 15
      (6.2%) patients fulfilled the cluster of three healthy lifestyle habits without
      gender differences (p = 0.353); 62 (25.6%) had 1 unhealthy lifestyle habit, and
      165 (68.2%) had >=2. Adolescents meeting physical activity recommendations had
      better PedsQL scores than those who did not meet. PedsQL total score and specific
      sub-scales decreased in patients with unhealthy lifestyle habits. High PedsQL was
      significantly associated with being male, living in South Italy, having lower
      HbA1c mean levels, and reporting lower adherence to unhealthy lifestyle habits.
      CONCLUSIONS: The clustering of unhealthy lifestyle habits is associated with
      reduced HRQoL in adolescents and young adults with T1DM. Promoting multiple
      behavior changes may be a useful approach to improve the health status and the
      HRQoL in youths with T1DM.

PMID- 28914365
TI  - Effect of swallowing maneuver on fentanyl-induced coughing.

PMID- 28914366
TI  - Geriatric assessment with management intervention in older adults with cancer: a
      randomized pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Older adults receiving cancer therapy have heightened risk for
      treatment-related toxicity. Geriatric assessment (GA) can identify impairments,
      which may contribute to vulnerability and adverse outcomes. GA management
      interventions can address these impairments and have the potential to improve
      outcomes when implemented. METHODS: We conducted a randomized pilot study
      comparing GA with management interventions versus usual care in patients with
      stage III/IV solid tumor malignancies (N = 71). In all patients, a trained
      coordinator conducted and scored a baseline GA with pre-determined cutoffs for
      impairment. For patients randomized to the intervention arm, an algorithm was
      used to identify GA management recommendations based upon identified impairments.
      Recommendations were relayed to the primary oncologist for implementation. GA was
      repeated at 3 months. The primary outcome was grade 3-5 chemotherapy toxicity.
      Secondary outcomes included feasibility, hospitalizations, dose reductions, dose
      delays, and early treatment discontinuation. RESULTS: The mean participant age
      was 76 (70-89). The total number of GA management recommendations relayed was
      409, of which 35.4% were implemented by the primary oncologist. Incidence of
      grade 3-5 chemotherapy toxicity did not differ between the two groups. Prevalence
      of hospitalization, dose reductions, dose delays, and early treatment
      discontinuation also did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: An
      algorithm can be used to guide GA management recommendations in older adults with
      cancer. However, reliance upon the primary oncologist for execution resulted in a
      low prevalence of implementation. Future work should aim to understand barriers
      to implementation and explore alternate models of implementing geriatric-focused
      care for older adults with cancer.

PMID- 28914367
TI  - No association of single nucleotide polymorphisms within H19 and HOX transcript
      antisense RNA (HOTAIR) with genetic susceptibility to systemic lupus
      erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and primary Sjogren's syndrome in a Chinese
      Han population.
AB  - The H19 (rs2839698, rs3741219) and HOTAIR (rs920778) polymorphisms were related
      to many kinds of cancers. However, these polymorphisms have been scarcely
      explored in different autoimmune diseases. Here, we aimed to examine the
      association of the polymorphisms with susceptibility to or protection against
      systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and primary
      Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) among Chinese Han patients. We conducted a case-control
      study including 800 patients (300 with SLE, 350 with RA, and 150 with pSS) and
      350 healthy control individuals. The polymorphisms were specified from genomic
      DNA using TaqMan genotyping assay on a 7300 real-time reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction system. H19 rs2839698 was not associated with SLE
      susceptibility and was not associated with RA and pSS, respectively (P > 0.05).
      Similarly, we did not find significant differences of allele or genotype
      frequencies between SLE, RA, and pSS patients and healthy controls for H19 gene
      rs3741219 polymorphism (P > 0.05). In addition, no significant evidence was
      detected for the relationship of HOTAIR rs920778 polymorphism with risk of these
      diseases. Our results suggested that H19 rs2839698, rs3741219, and HOTAIR
      rs920778 polymorphisms may not be involved in the genetic background of SLE, RA,
      and pSS in Chinese.

PMID- 28914368
TI  - Macrophage activation syndrome in Still's disease: analysis of clinical
      characteristics and survival in paediatric and adult patients.
AB  - Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a reactive form of hemophagocytic
      lymphohistiocytosis, complicating Still's disease, both in paediatric and adult
      patients. In this work, we aimed to investigate clinical picture and outcome of
      Still's disease patients developing MAS. We performed a retrospective analysis of
      patients, both paediatrics and adults, affected by Still's disease attending our
      department. During the follow-up, each patient was investigated for MAS
      occurrence and possible predictors, clinical and laboratory factors, were
      analysed. We evaluated 50 patients affected by Still's disease, 21 paediatric and
      29 adult patients. Ten patients experienced MAS (five adult and five paediatric
      patients) and its development significantly reduced the survival rate when
      compared with patients without this complication (p < 0.0001). The analysis of
      possible predictors showed that high-value systemic score (p = 0.03) and high
      levels of serum ferritin (p = 0.002) were independently associated with an
      increased likelihood of MAS. MAS occurrence significantly reduced survival rate
      in both paediatric and adult patients affected by Still's disease. The high
      levels of serum ferritin and an elevated systemic score, at the time of
      diagnosis, were significantly associated with MAS.

PMID- 28914369
TI  - Joint involvement in Mexican patients with ulcerative colitis: a hospital-based
      retrospective study.
AB  - The most frequent extra-intestinal manifestation in ulcerative colitis (UC)
      around the world is joint involvement. There are no previous data in Latin
      America that is about this aspect of disease; hence, the aim of this study was to
      determine the frequency and factors associated to joint involvement in Mexican
      patients with UC. A total of 295 patients with histological diagnosis of UC were
      studied, divided into two groups: (1) 154 cases with at least one joint affection
      (arthralgia, peripheral, or axial arthropathy (sacroilitis (SI) or ankylosing
      spondylitis (AS))) and (2) 141 controls that had never presented any joint
      involvement during the clinical course of UC. Demographic, clinical, and
      laboratory variables were collected from the clinical records, at the time of
      presentation of the joint involvement for the cases and with the last information
      available for controls. A total of 52.2% of the patients had joint involvement,
      which was also the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestation (EIM). The
      frequency of peripheral arthralgia was 46.8% and of axial arthropathy was 5.4%
      (2.7% AS, 2.4% SI, and 0.3% both). The female gender (P = 0.01, OR = 3.061 95%
      CI: 1.311-7.15), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P = 0.07, OR =
      8.04 95% CI: 1.759-36.764), and moderate disease activity by Truelove and Witts
      criteria (P = 0.024, OR = 4.37 95% CI: 1.211-15.78) were factors associated at
      the time of presentation of the joint affection. Joint involvement is the most
      frequent EIM in Mexican patients with UC. The female gender, elevated ESR, and
      disease activity are factors associated with its presentation.

PMID- 28914370
TI  - Thioredoxin 1 is associated with the proliferation and apoptosis of rheumatoid
      arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.
AB  - We aimed to investigate the possible effects of thioredoxin 1 (Trx1) on the
      proliferation and apoptosis of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes
      (RA-FLSs) and elucidate the possible mechanisms involved. We investigated the
      distribution and expression of Trx1 in synovial tissues from RA and
      osteoarthritis (OA) patients by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses. RA-FLSs were isolated and cultured under
      normoxic (21% oxygen) or hypoxic (3% oxygen) concentrations. Transfection of Trx1
      siRNAs and a Trx1 overexpression construct was conducted to manipulate the
      expression of Trx1. Protein expression was detected by Western blot. Doxorubicin
      (Adriamycin, ADR) was used to induce apoptosis. LY-294002 was used for the
      inhibition of PI3K-Akt. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined by MTS
      (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-5-[3-carboxymethoxyphenyl]-2-[4-sulfophenyl]-2H
      tetrazolium, inner salt) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The mRNA and
      protein expression of Trx1 in RA tissues was higher than that in OA tissues. The
      expression levels of Trx1 and cell proliferation in RA-FLSs were increased under
      hypoxia in comparison to those under normoxia. In hypoxia, downregulation of Trx1
      significantly suppressed FLS proliferation, and the expression of PI3Kp85,
      phospho-Akt, and Bcl-2, while notably increased FLS apoptosis and the expression
      of active Caspase3 and Bax. In normoxia, Trx1 overexpression promoted the FLS
      proliferation and the expression of PI3Kp85, phospho-Akt, and Bcl-2, but
      inhibited FLS apoptosis and the expression of active Caspase3 and Bax in FLSs.
      Such effects were partially repressed by LY-294002 treatment. Trx1 may play an
      important role in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of RA-FLSs by
      modulating PI3K-Akt activation.

PMID- 28914371
TI  - Serum cystatin C is associated with kidney function but not with cardiovascular
      risk factors or subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with Systemic Lupus
      Erythematosus.
AB  - Cystatin C (CysC) is a protein considered as an excellent marker of renal
      function, and it has been suggested as an independent predictor of cardiovascular
      (CV) risk. We evaluated the association of serum CysC with renal function, CV
      risk factors, inflammation, and subclinical atherosclerosis in Systemic Lupus
      Erythematosus (SLE) patients. Sixty-one SLE female patients were selected
      according to estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) > 60 ml/min/1.73m2. Renal
      function parameters, SLE specific factors, CV risk factors, and inflammatory
      markers were assessed. Subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by measuring the
      carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) by Doppler velocimetry. Serum CysC
      concentration was measured using a particle-enhanced immunonephelometric assay
      that established 0.59-1.01 mg/l as reference values. Patients with high CysC
      showed significantly altered creatinine, microalbuminuria, and GFR in addition to
      a significant higher presence of traditional CV risk factors such as arterial
      hypertension (p < 0.001), metabolic syndrome (p < 0.001), hypertrigliceridemia (p
      < 0.001), tobacco habit (p < 0.05), and a strong association with arterial
      stiffness (p = 0.017). Positive correlation between CysC, homocysteine (r =
      0.511; p < 0.001) and fibrinogen levels (r = 0.304; p < 0.02) were also observed.
      A significantly higher SLICC/ACR score was related to high CysC level (p =
      0.011), together with higher endothelin-1 and lower TNF serum concentration (p <
      0.005). Considering only patients without any renal impairment
      (microalbumin/creatinine <30 mg/g), no association between CysC level and CV risk
      factors, arterial stiffness, or SLE-related factors was found. Serum CysC is a
      good marker of renal function in SLE patients, but it is not independently
      associated with cardiovascular risk factor or subclinical atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28914372
TI  - The role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases.
AB  - Rheumatic diseases refer to many diseases with a loss of immune self-tolerance,
      leading to a chronic inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement in
      multiple organs or tissues. The cause of rheumatic diseases remains to be
      elucidated, though both environmental and genetic factors are required for the
      development of rheumatic diseases. Over the past decades, emerging studies
      suggested that alteration of intestinal microbiota, known as gut dysbiosis,
      contributed to the occurrence or development of a range of rheumatic diseases,
      including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing
      spondylitis, systemic sclerosis, and Sjogren's syndrome, through profoundly
      affecting the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses. In
      this article, we discussed the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of
      rheumatic diseases based on a large number of experimental and clinical
      materials, thereby providing a new insight for microbiota-targeted therapies to
      prevent or cure rheumatic diseases.

PMID- 28914374
TI  - Bacterial penetration into filled root canals exposed to different pressures and
      to the oral environment-in vivo analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The study aims to correlate the depth of bacterial penetration into
      filled root canals with the time of exposure to the oral environment and
      different pressures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred and twenty-two root
      canals of male Beagle dog teeth were prepared and filled. The root canals were
      distributed into three groups, according to the pressure applied: (A) no
      pressure, (B) 30 kPa, and (C) 60 kPa. Then, the root canals were exposed to the
      oral environment, establishing sub-groups considering the time intervals of
      exposure: (1) 45 days and (2) 120 days (n = 17). Sub-groups had positive and
      negative controls (n = 5). The animals were sacrificed, and the specimens were
      prepared for histological analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference
      in the bacterial penetration among groups A, B, and C at 45 days (P = 0.903) and
      120 days (P = 0.211). No statistically significant difference was found (P =
      0.608) between the exposure time intervals. Most of the specimens from
      experimental groups exposed for 120 days presented moderate inflammatory
      infiltrate. CONCLUSIONS: Pressures of 30 and 60 kPa did not affect sealing
      ability of root canal filling. The time of exposure did not influence bacterial
      penetration, which was limited to the first 4 mm of the root canals exposed for
      120 days. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This animal study demonstrated that disinfection of
      the first millimeters of root canals could be considered before retreatment of
      their entire length. However, clinical studies in humans should be conducted
      before validation of this protocol.

PMID- 28914375
TI  - Central nervous system involvement in patients with granulomatosis with
      polyangiitis: a single-center retrospective study.
AB  - The aims of this study were to estimate the frequency of central nervous system
      (CNS) involvement in Greek patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA)
      and describe the related clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of these
      patients. Medical charts of all ANCA-associated vasculitis patients were
      retrospectively reviewed, and GPA patients with CNS involvement were identified.
      Demographics, serological, and clinical features throughout the disease course
      were recorded. Comparisons of disease characteristics and long-term outcomes were
      performed between GPA patients with and without CNS involvement. Seventy-seven
      GPA patients were studied. Of these, 9 (11.7%) developed CNS manifestations. At
      the time of CNS involvement, all patients had increased acute phase reactants,
      and all but one had vasculitic manifestations in multiple systems and increased
      ANCA titers. CNS manifestations included the following: sensor/sensorimotor
      symptomatology (33.3%), severe headache and hearing loss (33.3%),
      delirium/seizures (22.2%), diplopia (11.1%), and cerebellar symptoms (11.1%). At
      initial GPA diagnosis, patients with CNS involvement, compared to those without,
      had ENT involvement more frequently (77.8 versus 25.4%, p = 0.004) along with a
      lower disease activity (BVAS) while during the overall disease course, they
      experienced lung vasculitis less frequently (44.4 vs. 79.4%, p = 0.02).
      Comparisons between the two groups did not reveal any differences regarding the
      long-term outcomes, including relapse rate, treatment-related adverse events, and
      patient survival. CNS involvement was recorded in 11.7% of our GPA patients. At
      disease onset, ENT involvement and lower BVAS scores were more common in GPA
      patients with CNS manifestations. Based on our results, CNS involvement did not
      affect the long-term outcomes of GPA patients.

PMID- 28914373
TI  - The therapeutic effect of probiotics on rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review
      and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which probiotics appears to have
      an immune modulating action along with decreased inflammatory process. Therefore,
      we aim to investigate the efficacy of probiotics as an adjuvant therapy for
      rheumatoid arthritis. A comprehensive literature search was performed using nine
      databases including PubMed and Web of Science. Interesting data was extracted and
      meta-analyzed. We assessed the risk of bias using Cochrane Collaboration's tool.
      The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42016036769). We found nine studies
      involving 361 patients who met our eligibility criteria. Our meta-analysis
      indicated that pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 was significantly lower in the
      probiotics compared with the placebo group (standardized mean difference = -
      0.708; 95% confidence interval (CI) - 1.370 to 0.047, P = 0.036). However, there
      was no difference between probiotics and placebo in disease activity score (mean
      difference 0.023; 95% CI - 0.584 to 0.631, P = 0.940). Probiotics lowered pro
      inflammatory cytokines IL-6 in RA; however, its clinical effect is still unclear.
      Hence, many high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are still needed to
      prove this effect.

PMID- 28914376
TI  - Cubic membrane formation supports cell survival of amoeba Chaos under starvation
      induced stress.
AB  - Cubic membranes (CM) are highly organized membrane structures found in biological
      systems. They are mathematically well defined and reveal a three-dimensional nano
      periodic structure with cubic symmetry. These membrane arrangements are
      frequently induced in cells under stress, disease conditions, or upon viral
      infection. In this study, we investigated CM formation in the mitochondria of
      amoeba Chaos carolinense and observed a striking correlation between the
      organism's ability to generate CM and the cell survival under starvation. Since
      starvation also induces autophagy, rapamycin was used to pharmacologically induce
      autophagy, and interestingly, CM formation was observed in parallel. Conversely,
      inhibition of autophagy reverted the cubic mitochondrial inner membrane
      morphology to tubular structure. In starved Chaos cells, mitochondria and
      autophagosomes did not co-localize and ATP production was sustained. CM
      transition in the mitochondria during starvation or upon induction of autophagy
      might prevent their sequestration by autophagosomes, thus slowing their rate of
      degradation. Such sustained mitochondrial activity may allow amoeba Chaos cells
      to survive for a longer period upon starvation.

PMID- 28914377
TI  - The permeability enhancing mechanism of menthol on skin lipids: a molecular
      dynamics simulation study.
AB  - The stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of skin, represents the primary
      barrier to molecules penetrating the skin. Menthol is widely used in clinical
      medicine as a penetration enhancer due to its high efficiency and relative
      safety. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to
      investigate the effect of menthol molecules on the structural and permeability of
      both single component and ternary mixed bilayers. The lipid matrix is modeled as
      pure ceramide (CER2) or as a 2:2:1 mixture of CER2, cholesterol (CHOL), and free
      fatty acid (FFA). The effect of menthol on the SC bilayer was investigated at
      various concentrations of menthol. For both models, the area per lipid decreases
      and the membrane thickness increases with increased menthol concentration, which
      may be due to the fact that menthol molecules penetrate into the bilayer and
      aggregate at the bilayer center. As for ternary mixed bilayer at high
      concentration, the lipids rearranged, and one more layer formed inside the former
      two leaflets. Our simulation results are consistent with the experimental
      evidence that high concentrations of menthol fluidize the SC lipids and enhance
      permeability. The penetration enhancement of menthol may take place through
      direct interactions with lipids rather than by forming water pores. Graphical
      abstract The effect of menthol on the structural and permeability of skin lipids
      was investigated using a molecular dynamics simulation method. Increased menthol
      concentration makes the area per lipid decrease and the membrane thickness
      increase. Our results show that the penetration enhancement of menthol may take
      place through direct interactions with lipids.

PMID- 28914378
TI  - The spectrum of psoriatic arthritis in a South African cohort.
AB  - The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features of patients with
      psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in a South African cohort. This is a retrospective
      analysis of patients contributing to development of the international
      classification criteria for PsA, ClASsification criteria for Psoriatic ARthritis
      (CASPAR). Patients were all seen at the arthritis clinics at Groote Schuur
      Hospital, Cape Town. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiographic
      information was collected. This study describes the relevant findings relating to
      the clinical profile of the patients seen at our centre as well as the effect of
      family history and/or dactylitis in determining the severity of psoriatic
      arthritis. There were 45 patients with a male to female ratio of 1:1.25. The mean
      age of psoriasis onset was 38.34 years (SD 15.54), whilst that of arthritis onset
      was 43.86 years (SD 13.4). Polyarthritis was the commonest pattern and sacro
      iliitis was uncommon. Dactylitis was present in 26%. The presence of family
      history or of dactylitis did not predict more severe disease. There was a
      significant correlation between tender and swollen joints. The mean Health
      Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score was 1.05. Eighty-three percent showed
      evidence of radiological changes, and distal interphalangeal (DIP) erosions were
      found in 54%. Arthritis mutilans was present in 31%. There were no black subjects
      in the cohort. The clinical patterns of PsA in our cohort are similar to those
      reported elsewhere. The paucity of blacks amongst this cohort requires further
      study. PsA-specific measures of disease activity need to be developed. PsA causes
      significant joint damage and disability.

PMID- 28914379
TI  - Sudomotor function in diabetic peripheral artery disease: a role for diabetic
      neuropathy?

PMID- 28914380
TI  - Secretory sphingomyelinase (S-SMase) activity is elevated in patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - The goals of this study were to determine if secretory sphingomyelinase (S-SMase)
      activity is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to
      control subjects and to examine the relationships of S-SMase activity with
      functional status, quality of life, and RA disease activity measurements. We
      collected data on 33 patients who were diagnosed with RA and 17 non-RA controls
      who were comparable in terms of age, sex, and race. Demographic, clinical data
      and self-reported measures of fatigue, pain, and physical function were obtained
      directly from patients and controls. RA patients also completed quantitative
      joint assessment using a 28-joint count and functional status and quality of life
      assessment using the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ). Archived
      serum samples were used to analyze retrospectively serum S-SMase activity in
      patients and controls. The mean serum S-SMase activity was 1.4-fold higher in
      patients with RA (RA 2.8 +/- 1.0 nmol/ml/h vs. controls 2.0 +/- 0.8 nmol/ml/h; p
      = 0.014). Spearman's rho correlations between S-SMase activity and oxidant
      activity, markers of inflammation and endothelial activation with the exception
      of P-selectin (rho = 0.40, p = 0.034), measures of disease activity, functional
      status, and quality of life were not statistically significant in patients with
      RA. We confirmed that S-SMase activity is higher among RA patients compared to
      controls, as in other acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Future studies can
      build on the present findings to understand more fully the biologic role(s) of S
      SMase activity in RA.

PMID- 28914381
TI  - Response to the letter to the editor of Nicolas Nicastro et al.

PMID- 28914383
TI  - Central pontine myelinolysis and poorly controlled diabetes: MRI's hints for
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 28914384
TI  - Gonorrhea resistance: don't forget the old chaps.

PMID- 28914382
TI  - Clinical high risk for psychosis in children and adolescents: a systematic
      review.
AB  - The concept of being at risk for psychosis has been introduced both for adults
      and children and adolescents, but fewer studies have been conducted in the latter
      population. The aim of this study is to systematically review the articles
      associated with clinical description, interventions, outcome and other areas in
      children and adolescents at risk for psychosis. We searched in MEDLINE/PubMed and
      PsycINFO databases for articles published up to 30/06/16. Reviewed articles were
      prospective studies; written in English; original articles with Clinical High
      Risk (CHR) for psychosis samples; and mean age of samples younger than 18 years.
      From 103 studies initially selected, 48 met inclusion criteria and were
      systematically reviewed. Studies show that CHR children and adolescents present
      several clinical characteristics at baseline, with most attenuated positive
      symptom inclusion criteria observed, reporting mostly perceptual abnormalities
      and suspiciousness, and presenting comorbid conditions such as depressive and
      anxiety disorders. CHR children and adolescents show lower general intelligence
      and no structural brain changes compared with controls. Original articles
      reviewed show rates of conversion to psychosis between 17 and 20% at 1 year
      follow-up and between 7 and 21% at 2 years. While 36% of patients recovered from
      their CHR status at 6-year follow-up, 40% still met CHR criteria. Studies in
      children and adolescents with CHR were conducted with different methodologies,
      assessments tools and small samples. It is important to conduct studies on
      psychopharmacological and psychological treatment, as well as replication of the
      few studies found.

PMID- 28914386
TI  - Concomitant neurosyphilis and herpes simplex encephalitis in an immunocompetent
      patient: a case report.

PMID- 28914385
TI  - Multiple sclerosis and rehabilitation: an overview of the different
      rehabilitation settings.
AB  - To date, a lack of accurate information about how the different rehabilitation
      settings are actually delivered to people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is still
      present. Here, we described how PwMS use the different rehabilitation settings in
      Italy. An observational retrospective study was designed and data collected
      through an anonymous questionnaire distributed attending MS clinical centers,
      rehabilitation units, or among PwMS affiliated to the Italian MS Society. We
      considered as settings: out-patient ambulatory therapy (OUT), hospitalized
      therapy (HOSP, in-patient and out-patient hospitalized therapy), and home-based
      therapy (HOME). One thousand six hundred eighty-six subjects at all disability
      levels were included in the analysis. A high number (53%, n = 890) did not
      receive rehabilitation care in the last 3 months before the interview. Main
      causes were probably due to organizational aspects and poor transports and road
      networks especially in Center and the Islands. The rehabilitation setting profile
      of the 796 subjects obtaining rehabilitation care consisted in 58.3% (n = 464)
      receiving only OUT setting, 9.4% (n = 75) only HOSP setting, and 21.7% (n = 173)
      only HOME setting. We observed a percentage of overlap among different
      rehabilitation settings: 3.9% (n = 31) OUT-HOME, 3.6% (n = 29) OUT-HOSP, 2.6% (n
      = 21) HOSP-HOME, and 0.4% (n = 3) OUT-HOME-HOSP. The physiotherapy was the
      treatment more common among different rehabilitation settings. Only in the in
      patient hospitalized therapy setting, the patient received more frequently
      diversified treatment. Considering the results, the admission to rehabilitation
      care in Italy is still far from the standards outlined by the recent guidelines
      that hypothesize a multidisciplinary evaluation and a more individualized
      rehabilitation plan.

PMID- 28914387
TI  - Joint stimulus control in a temporal discrimination task.
AB  - The ability to identify stimuli that signal important events is fundamental for
      an organism to adapt to its environment. In the present paper, we investigated
      how more than one stimulus could be used jointly to learn a temporal
      discrimination task. Ten pigeons were exposed to a symbolic matching-to-sample
      procedure with three durations as samples (2, 6, and 18 s of keylight) and two
      colors as comparisons (red and green hues). A 30-s intertrial interval (ITI),
      illuminated with a houselight, separated the trials. Both the houselight and the
      sample keylight could control responding, so two tests were run to assess how
      these stimuli influenced choice. In the no-sample test, the keylight was not
      presented; in the dark-ITI test, the houselight was not illuminated. Results
      suggest that both houselight and keylight controlled choice, and with the
      exception of one animal, the more a pigeon relied on one of these stimuli, the
      less it appeared to rely on the other.

PMID- 28914388
TI  - Diet has independent effects on the pace and shape of aging in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - Studies examining how diet affects mortality risk over age typically characterise
      mortality using parameters such as aging rates, which condense how much and how
      quickly the risk of dying changes over time into a single measure. Demographers
      have suggested that decoupling the tempo and the magnitude of changing mortality
      risk may facilitate comparative analyses of mortality trajectories, but it is
      unclear what biologically meaningful information this approach offers. Here, we
      determine how the amount and ratio of protein and carbohydrate ingested by female
      Drosophila melanogaster affects how much mortality risk increases over a time
      standardised life-course (the shape of aging) and the tempo at which animals live
      and die (the pace of aging). We find that pace values increased as flies consumed
      more carbohydrate but declined with increasing protein consumption. Shape values
      were independent of protein intake but were lowest in flies consuming ~90 MUg of
      carbohydrate daily. As protein intake only affected the pace of aging, varying
      protein intake rescaled mortality trajectories (i.e. stretched or compressed
      survival curves), while varying carbohydrate consumption caused deviation from
      temporal rescaling (i.e. changed the topography of time-standardised survival
      curves), by affecting pace and shape. Clearly, the pace and shape of aging may
      vary independently in response to dietary manipulation. This suggests that there
      is the potential for pace and shape to evolve independently of one another and
      respond to different physiological processes. Understanding the mechanisms
      responsible for independent variation in pace and shape, may offer insight into
      the factors underlying diverse mortality trajectories.

PMID- 28914390
TI  - Germline mutations in lung cancer and personalized medicine.

PMID- 28914389
TI  - State-of-the-art review: stress T1 mapping-technical considerations, pitfalls and
      emerging clinical applications.
AB  - In vivo mapping of the myocardial T1 relaxation time has recently attained wide
      clinical validation of its potential utility. In this review, we address the
      basic principles of the T1 mapping techniques, with particular attention to the
      emerging application of vasodilatory stress agents to interrogate the myocardial
      microvascular compartment, and differences between commonly used T1 mapping
      methods when applied in clinical practice.

PMID- 28914391
TI  - Sedimentation and erosion in Lake Diefenbaker, Canada: solutions for shoreline
      retreat monitoring.
AB  - This study looks into sedimentation and erosion rates in Lake Diefenbaker, a
      prairie reservoir, in Saskatchewan, Canada, which has been in operation since
      1968. First, we looked at the historical data in all different formats over the
      last 70 years, which includes data from more than 20 years before the formation
      of the lake. The field observations indicate high rates of shoreline erosion,
      especially in the upstream portion as a potential region for shoreline retreat.
      Because of the great importance of this waterbody to the province, monitoring
      sedimentation and erosion rates is necessary for maintaining the quality of water
      especially after severe floods which are more common due to climate change
      effects. Second, we used Google Maps Elevation API, a new tool from Google that
      provides elevation data for cross sections drawn between two points, by drawing
      24 cross sections in the upstream area extending 250 m from each bank. This
      feature from Google can be used as an easy and fast monitoring tool, is free of
      charge, and provides excellent control capabilities for monitoring changes in
      cross-sectional profiles.

PMID- 28914393
TI  - Costunolide induces micronuclei formation, chromosomal aberrations, cytostasis,
      and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
AB  - Costunolide (CE) is a sesquiterpene lactone well-known for its antihepatotoxic,
      antiulcer, and anticancer activities. The present study focused on the evaluation
      of the cytogenetic toxicity and cellular death-inducing potential of CE in CHO
      cells, an epithelial cell line derived from normal ovary cells of Chinese
      hamster. The cytotoxic effect denoting MTT assay has shown an IC50 value of 7.56
      MUM CE, where 50% proliferation inhibition occurs. The oxidative stress caused by
      CE was confirmed based on GSH depletion induced cell death, conspicuously absent
      in N-acetylcysteine (GSH precursor) pretreated cells. The evaluation of genotoxic
      effects of CE using cytokinesis block micronucleus assay and chromosomal
      aberration test has shown prominent induction of binucleated micronucleated cells
      and aberrant metaphases bearing chromatid and chromosomal breaks, indicating CE's
      clastogenic and aneugenic potential. The apoptotic death in CE treated cells was
      confirmed by an increase in the number of cells in subG1 phase, exhibiting
      chromatin condensation and membranous phosphatidylserine translocation. The
      apoptosis induction follows mitochondrial mediation, evident from an increase in
      the BAX/Bcl-2 ratio, caspase-3/7 activity, and mitochondrial membrane
      permeability. CE also induces cytostasis in addition to apoptosis, substantiated
      by the reduced cytokinetic (replicative indices) and mitotic (mitotic indices and
      histone H3 Ser-10 phosphorylation) activities. Overall, the cellular GSH
      depletion and potential genotoxic effects by CE led the CHO cells to commit
      apoptosis and lowered cell division. The observed sensitivity of CHO cells doubts
      unintended adverse effects of CE on normal healthy cells, suggesting higher
      essentiality of further studies in order to establish its safety efficacy in
      therapeutic explorations.

PMID- 28914392
TI  - Alginate/hyaluronic acid hydrogel delivery system characteristics regulate the
      differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells toward chondrogenic lineage.
AB  - Cartilage tissue regeneration often presents a challenging clinical situation.
      Recently, it has been shown that Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells (PDLSCs) possess
      high chondrogenic differentiation capacity. In this study, we developed a stem
      cell delivery system based on alginate/hyaluronic acid (HA) loaded with TGF-beta1
      ligand, encapsulating PDLSCs; and investigated the chondrogenic differentiation
      of encapsulated cells in alginate/HA hydrogel microspheres in vitro and in vivo.
      The results showed that PDLSCs, as well as human bone marrow mesenchymal stem
      cells (hBMMSCs), as the positive control, were stained positive for both
      toluidine blue and alcian blue staining, while exhibiting high levels of gene
      expression related to chondrogenesis (Col II, Aggrecan and Sox-9), as assessed
      via qPCR. The quantitative PCR analyses exhibited that the chondrogenic
      differentiation of encapsulated MSCs can be regulated by the modulus of
      elasticity of hydrogel delivery system, confirming the vital role of the
      microenvironment, and the presence of inductive signals for viability and
      differentiation of MSCs. In vivo, histological and immunofluorescence staining
      for chondrogenic specific protein markers confirmed ectopic cartilage-like tissue
      regeneration inside transplanted hydrogels. PDLSCs presented significantly
      greater capability for chondrogenic differentiation than hBMMSCs (P < 0.05).
      Altogether, our findings confirmed that alginate/HA hydrogels encapsulating
      PDLSCs are a promising candidate for cartilage regeneration.

PMID- 28914394
TI  - Bioinformatics-Based Identification of Methylated-Differentially Expressed Genes
      and Related Pathways in Gastric Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of the study was to identify methylated
      differentially expressed genes (MDEGs) in gastric cancer and investigate their
      potential pathways. METHODS: Expression profiling (GSE13911 and GSE29272) and
      methylation profiling (GSE25869 and GSE30601) data were obtained from GEO
      DataSets. Differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated genes were
      identified using GEO2R. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses were
      performed for the MDEGs. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were
      established by STRING and Cytoscape. Analysis of modules in the PPI networks was
      performed using MCODE. Further, the hub genes derived from the PPI networks were
      verified by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and human tissues, with
      methylation-specific PCR for genes methylation and real-time qPCR for genes
      expression. RESULTS: A total of 445 genes were identified as hypermethylated,
      lowly expressed genes (Hyper-LGs), which were enriched in the regulation of
      system process and channel activity. A total of 129 genes were identified as
      hypomethylated, highly expressed genes (Hypo-HGs), which were involved in cell
      adhesion, cell proliferation, and protein binding. Pathway analysis showed that
      Hyper-LGs were associated with neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and
      calcium signaling pathway, while Hypo-HGs were enriched in pathways in cancer. In
      the PPI networks, after verification by TCGA analysis and human tissue detection,
      CASR, CXCL12, and SST were identified as significantly different hub genes.
      CONCLUSIONS: MDEG analysis helps to understand the epigenetic regulation
      mechanisms involved in the development and progression of gastric cancer. The hub
      genes have predictive and prognostic value as methylation-based biomarkers for
      the precise diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.

PMID- 28914395
TI  - Repetitive on-demand drug release from polymeric matrices containing a
      macroscopic spherical iron core.
AB  - : A system for multiple on-demand drug release has been prepared that can be
      activated with an alternating magnetic field as external trigger. The core/shell
      samples have been developed based on a macroscopic spherical iron core coated
      with a thermoresponsive polymer, poly(styrene-stat-butyl methacrylate),
      containing ibuprofen as a model drug. During exposure of the samples to the
      magnetic field (ON state), the release rate of ibuprofen is significantly
      increased, up to 35 times the release rate without the magnetic field (OFF
      state). Using one sample or two samples in line with the magnetic field does not
      influence the ON/OFF ratio of the system, showing the possibility of using
      multiple samples to increase and tune the drug dose. Increasing the concentration
      of ibuprofen in the polymer layer is shown to increase the release rate in both
      the ON and OFF states. Increasing the size of the iron core and, consequently,
      decreasing the polymer thickness, was found to only increase the release rate
      during exposure resulting in higher ON/OFF ratios. The developed on demand drug
      delivery systems represents a promising development towards on demand drug
      delivery implants. REFLECTIONS ON CAREER GOALS: During my chemical engineering
      studies, it was only during my master thesis work that I decided to continue with
      PhD research as I really enjoyed doing original research. When coming to the end
      of my PhD research under supervision of Prof. Ulrich S. Schubert, I developed the
      ambition to pursue an academic career. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to stay
      with Prof. Schubert as project leader for the Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI).
      Within this position, I supervised ten researchers and was able to start
      developing my independent research lines. Despite that I now advise students to
      not stay in the same laboratory, this first position allowed me to gain some
      initial independence and to publish a large number of papers that has been a
      great benefit in my further career. After two and a half years I needed a new
      challenge that I found by taking up a part-time position at a start-up company in
      Eindhoven, Dolphys Medical BV, while I also continued as part-time group leader
      for the DPI. As senior product developer, I was in charge of the research and
      learned to focus on the application rather than scientific curiosity. This
      experience made me realize that I prefer the freedom to do academic blue sky
      research and decided to fully go for an academic position. After personal
      discussions with some prominent professors in the Netherlands, I applied for a
      postdoc fellowship in the Netherlands with Prof. Roeland Nolte as well as a
      Humboldt fellowship in Germany with Prof. Martin Moller, which I both got. As a
      result, I went one year 'abroad' to Aachen and returned to Nijmegen where I
      intended to start my independent career. However, another opportunity came along.
      Via my personal network I was informed that I would make a good chance if I
      applied for a new professor scheme in Ghent. So I applied and the rest is
      history. Picture of the Supramolecular Chemistry Group (2017).

PMID- 28914396
TI  - The expected benefit of preventive mastectomy on breast cancer incidence and
      mortality in BRCA mutation carriers, by age at mastectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Preventive breast surgery is offered to unaffected BRCA mutation
      carriers to prevent breast cancer incidence and mortality. The clinical benefit
      of preventive mastectomy can be measured in several ways, including extension of
      life expectancy (mean years of life gained) and by estimating the probability of
      surviving until age 80. We sought to estimate the expected benefit of a
      preventive mastectomy at various ages, using these indices of mortality, by
      simulating hypothetical cohorts of women. METHODS: The age-specific annual risks
      of developing breast cancer were used to estimate the actuarial risk of
      developing breast cancer by age 80 for women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. The
      probability of developing breast cancer before age 80 was then modified to
      include competing causes of death, including from ovarian cancer. The mortality
      rate from breast cancer after a diagnosis of breast cancer was set at 2% annually
      for the first 10 years and then 1% annually for years ten to twenty. The
      incidence rate and mortality rate from ovarian cancer were based on published
      literature. We assumed that preventive mastectomy was associated with complete
      protection against subsequent breast cancer. A series of simulations was
      conducted to evaluate the reduction in the probability of death (from all causes)
      until age 80, according to the age at mastectomy. RESULTS: The actuarial risk of
      developing breast cancer until age 80 was estimated to be 70.8%. The actual risk
      (incorporating competing risks) was 64.0%. The probability of being alive at age
      80 by having a mastectomy at age 25 increased by 8.7% (from 42.7 to 51.3%). The
      estimated benefit declined with age at mastectomy; for surgery done at age 50 the
      improvement in survival to age 80 was much more modest (2.8% at age 80, from 42.7
      to 45.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Among BRCA mutation carriers, the mortality benefit of
      preventive mastectomy at age 25 is substantial, but the expected benefit declines
      rapidly with increasing age at surgery.

PMID- 28914397
TI  - Influence of acid treatment on surface properties and in vivo performance of
      Ti6Al4V alloy for biomedical applications.
AB  - The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of acid treatment on
      the surface properties and in vivo performance of titanium grade 5 (Ti6Al4V)
      alloy. Mini-implants with surface treatment were inserted into New Zealand rabbit
      tibia for 1, 4 and 8 weeks. SEM analysis showed intercommunicated micropores in
      acid treated samples. AFM showed micron and sub-micron roughness. The thickness
      of the titanium oxide layer increased with surface treatment, with a significant
      reduction of Al and V concentration. Acid treated implant removal torque was
      larger than without treatment. The implants/bone interface of acid treated
      implants showed dense adhered Ca/P particles with spreading osteoblasts after 4
      weeks and newly formed bone trabeculae after 8 weeks. Analysis of rabbit blood
      that received treated implant showed lower Al and V contents at all times. Acid
      treatment improved surface morphology and mechanical stability, which allowed
      initial events of osseointegration, while Al-V ion release was reduced. GRAPHICAL
      ABTSRACT.

PMID- 28914398
TI  - Characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer after liver or kidney
      transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Immunoediting is crucial in cancer development and progression. This
      study compared the characteristics and prognosis of post-transplant breast cancer
      (PTBC) patients receiving immunosuppressants and general breast cancer patients.
      METHODS: Data from the Asan Medical Center Breast Cancer (AMCBC), kidney
      transplantation, and liver transplantation databases recorded during 1989-2013
      were retrospectively analyzed. Four controls of AMCBC cohort per one case of PTBC
      cohort were selected based on tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and age.
      RESULTS: After a median of 61 and 90.8 months after liver and kidney
      transplantation, respectively, 8 and 16 patients were diagnosed with breast
      cancer, respectively (p = 0.178). Mean age at breast cancer diagnosis was 51.9
      (+/-8.7) and 45.2 (+/-4.5) years in liver and kidney transplantation patients,
      respectively. Age at diagnosis was significantly younger in kidney
      transplantation patients than in general breast cancer patients (45.2 +/- 4.5 vs.
      48.5 +/- 10.1 years; p = 0.008). Cancer was detected via asymptomatic screening
      in 41.7% of the PTBC cohort but 30.6% of the control cohort (p = 0.241). In the
      PTBC cohort, 7 (29.2%) patients had stage 0 breast cancer compared with 1704
      (9.7%) in the control cohort (p = 0.022); 22 (91.7%) patients had lymph node
      negative cancer compared with 11,704 (66.8%) in the control cohort (p = 0.01).
      Estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 positivity did not differ
      between cohorts. Immunosuppressant use was not a poor prognostic factor for
      breast cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Age at breast cancer diagnosis was younger
      in patients who received kidney transplants; the subtype and prognosis of breast
      cancer were comparable with that in the general cohort. Immunosuppressants do not
      adversely affect breast cancer prognosis.

PMID- 28914399
TI  - Surgery for Duodenal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A Single-Center Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are an extremely
      rare subset of GISTs. The optimal surgical procedure remains not well defined.
      AIMS: We assessed the surgical approach and long-term outcomes of patients with
      duodenal GISTs who underwent limited resection (LR) versus
      pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). METHODS: From November 2005 to January 2016, 64
      consecutive patients with duodenal GISTs in a single center were retrospectively
      analyzed. Overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and
      perioperative outcomes were analyzed according to the different surgical type.
      RESULTS: A total of 41 patients (64.1%) underwent LR, while 23 patients (35.9%)
      underwent PD. All patients had negative surgical margins (R0). Median tumor size
      was larger for PD (6 cm) versus LR (4 cm) (P = 0.041). PD also had more
      complications than LR (PD, 69.6 vs. LR, 31.7%) (P = 0.002). The 3-year and 5-year
      RFS was 62.9 and 44.3%, respectively. The 3-year and 5-year OS was 85.7 and
      59.5%, respectively. The multivariate analysis demonstrated the only unfavorable
      predictive factor was tumor size >5 cm for RFS and OS. Although the complication
      rate in the PD group was higher than in the LR group, OS and RFS were not
      affected by the complication (P = 0.492 for OS, P = 0.512 for RFS). PD versus LR
      was not associated with RFS and OS. Adjuvant imatinib mesylate (IM) did not
      improve the survival of the patients after operation. CONCLUSIONS: Survival of
      duodenal GISTs is mainly dependent on tumor biology rather than surgical
      procedure. LR should be the surgical procedure of choice for duodenal GISTs when
      technically feasible and no anatomical constrains. LR shows comparable survival
      and lower risk of postoperative complications compared by PD. The administration
      of IM both as adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy for duodenal GISTs needs large
      population and prospective study to evaluate its effect.

PMID- 28914400
TI  - An in vivo study on endothelialized vascular grafts produced by autologous
      biotubes and adipose stem cells (ADSCs).
AB  - Currently, commercial synthetic vascular grafts made from Dacron and ePTFE for
      small-diameter, vascular applications (<6 mm) show limited reendothelization and
      are less compliant, often resulting in thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia.
      Although good blood compatibility can be achieved in autologous arteries and
      veins, the number of high quality harvest sites is limited, and the grafts are
      size-mismatched for use in the fistula or cardiovascular bypass surgery; thus,
      alternative small graft substitutes must be developed. A biotube is an in vivo,
      tissue-engineered approach for the growth of autologous grafts through the
      subcutaneous implantation of an inert rod through the inflammation process. In
      the present study, we embedded silicone rods with a diameter of 2 mm into the
      dorsal subcutaneous tissue of rabbits for 4 weeks to grow biotubes. The formation
      of functional endothelium cells aligned on the inner wall surface was achieved by
      seeding with adipose stem cells (ADSCs). The ADSCs-seeded biotubes were implanted
      into the carotid artery of rabbits for more than 1 month, and the patency rates
      and remodeling of endothelial cells were observed by angiography and fluorescence
      staining, respectively. Finally, the mechanical properties of the biotube were
      also evaluated. The fluorescence staining results showed that the ADSCs
      differentiated not only into endothelia cells but also into smooth muscle cells.
      Moreover, the patency of the ADSCs-seeded biotube remained high for at least 5
      months. These small-sized ADSCs-seeded vascular biotubes may decrease the rate of
      intimal hyperplasia during longer implantation times and have potential clinical
      applications in the future.

PMID- 28914402
TI  - Analytical modeling of the mechanics of early invasion of a merozoite into a
      human erythrocyte.
AB  - In this study, we used a continuum model based on contact mechanics to understand
      the mechanics of merozoite invasion into human erythrocytes. This model allows us
      to evaluate the indentation force and work as well as the contact pressure
      between the merozoite and erythrocyte for an early stage of invasion (gamma =
      10%). The model predicted an indentation force of 1.3e -11N and an indentation
      work of 1e -18J. The present analytical model can be considered as a useful tool
      not only for investigations in mechanobiology and biomechanics but also to
      explore novel therapeutic targets for malaria and other parasite infections.

PMID- 28914403
TI  - Self-Transformation at the Boundary of Religious Conversion and Psychosis.
AB  - The relationship between religious conversion, as a form of spiritual emergency,
      and psychosis is one of the fundamental issues at the meeting point of theology
      and clinical psychology. In the present study, we assessed 53 individuals
      referred to a psychiatry center with the initial diagnosis of a psychotic episode
      by focusing on the clinical diagnosis (psychosis vs. spiritual emergency),
      subjective experiences (basic symptoms), and neuropsychological functions. Twenty
      nine individuals meet the diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, but 24
      persons experienced only religious and spiritual problems (religious conversion).
      Both groups reported similar levels of perplexity (e.g., ambivalence, inability
      to discriminate between own feelings, and hyperreflectivity) and self-disorder
      (e.g., depersonalization, impression of a change in one's mirror image, and
      experience of discontinuity in own action). Diminished affectivity, disturbed
      contact, and perceptual/cognitive disorders were pronounced in psychosis, whereas
      anxiety and depressive symptoms were more severe in people with spiritual and
      religious problems. These results indicate that perplexity, self-disorder, and
      emotional turmoil are common features of turbulent religious conversion and
      psychosis, but a broader emergence of anomalous subjective experiences and
      cognitive deficits are detectable only in psychosis.

PMID- 28914404
TI  - Development and characterization of hybrid tubular structure of PLCL porous
      scaffold with hMSCs/ECs cell sheet.
AB  - Tissue engineering offers an alternate approach to providing vascular graft with
      potential to grow similar with native tissue by seeding autologous cells into
      biodegradable scaffold. In this study, we developed a combining technique by
      layering a sheet of cells onto a porous tubular scaffold. The cell sheet prepared
      from co-culturing human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and endothelial cells
      (ECs) were able to infiltrate through porous structure of the tubular poly
      (lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) scaffold and further proliferated on luminal
      wall within a week of culture. Moreover, the co-culture cell sheet within the
      tubular scaffold has demonstrated a faster proliferation rate than the
      monoculture cell sheet composed of MSCs only. We also found that the co-culture
      cell sheet expressed a strong angiogenic marker, including vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor (VEGFR), as compared with the monoculture
      cell sheet within 2 weeks of culture, indicating that the co-culture system could
      induce differentiation into endothelial cell lineage. This combined technique
      would provide cellularization and maturation of vascular construct in relatively
      short period with a strong expression of angiogenic properties.

PMID- 28914406
TI  - Manganese-Induced Neurotoxicity and Alterations in Gene Expression in Human
      Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells.
AB  - Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element required for many physiological
      functions including proper biochemical and cellular functioning of the central
      nervous system (CNS). However, exposure to excess level of Mn through
      occupational settings or from environmental sources has been associated with
      neurotoxicity. The cellular and molecular mechanism of Mn-induced neurotoxicity
      remains unclear. In the current study, we investigated the effects of 30-day
      exposure to a sub-lethal concentration of Mn (100 MUM) in human neuroblastoma
      cells (SH-SY5Y) using transcriptomic approach. Microarray analysis revealed
      differential expression of 1057 transcripts in Mn-exposed SH-SY5Y cells as
      compared to control cells. Gene functional annotation cluster analysis exhibited
      that the differentially expressed genes were associated with several biological
      pathways. Specifically, genes involved in neuronal pathways including neuron
      differentiation and development, regulation of neurogenesis, synaptic
      transmission, and neuronal cell death (apoptosis) were found to be significantly
      altered. KEGG pathway analysis showed upregulation of p53 signaling pathways and
      neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathways, and downregulation of
      neurotrophin signaling pathway. On the basis of the gene expression profile,
      possible molecular mechanisms underlying Mn-induced neuronal toxicity were
      predicted.

PMID- 28914405
TI  - Managing Asthma in Low-Income, Underrepresented Minority, and Other Disadvantaged
      Pediatric Populations: Closing the Gap.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this article, we review current understanding of the
      epidemiology and etiology of disparities in asthma. We also highlight current and
      emerging literature on solutions to tackle disparities while underscoring gaps
      and pressing future directions. RECENT FINDINGS: Tailored, multicomponent
      approaches including the home, school, and clinician-based interventions show
      great promise. Managing asthma in disadvantaged populations can be challenging as
      they tend to have disproportionately worse outcomes due to a multitude of
      factors. However, multifaceted, innovative interventions that are sustainable and
      scalable are key to improving outcomes.

PMID- 28914408
TI  - 3D Volumetry and its Correlation Between Postoperative Gastric Volume and Excess
      Weight Loss After Sleeve Gastrectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The volume of the postoperative gastric remnant is a key factor in
      excess weight loss (EWL) after sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Traditional methods to
      estimate gastric volume (GV) after bariatric procedures are often inaccurate;
      usually conventional biplanar contrast studies are used. METHODS: Thirty patients
      who underwent SG were followed prospectively and evaluated at 6 months after the
      surgical procedure, performing 3D CT reconstruction and gastric volumetry, to
      establish its relationship with EWL. The gastric remnant was distended with
      effervescent sodium bicarbonate given orally. Helical CT images were acquired and
      reconstructed; GV was estimated with the software of the CT device. The
      relationship between GV and EWL was analyzed. RESULTS: The study allowed
      estimating the GV in all patients. A dispersion diagram showed an inverse
      relationship between GV and %EWL. 55.5% of patients with GV <= 100 ml had %EWL 25
      75% and 38.8% had an %EWL above 75% and patients with GV >= 100 ml had an %EWL
      under 25% (50% of patients) or between 25 and 75% (50% of this group). The
      Pearson's correlation coefficient was R = 6.62, with bilateral significance (p <=
      .01). The Chi-square result correlating GV and EWL showed a significance of .005
      (p <= .01). The 3D reconstructions showed accurately the shape and anatomic
      details of the gastric remnant. CONCLUSIONS: 3D volumetry CT scans accurately
      estimate GV after SG. A significant relationship between GV and EWL 6 months
      after SG was established, seeming that GV >= 100 ml at 6 months of SG is
      associated with poor EWL.

PMID- 28914409
TI  - Evaluation of contactless human-machine interface for robotic surgical training.
AB  - PURPOSE: Teleoperated robotic systems are nowadays routinely used for specific
      interventions. Benefits of robotic training courses have already been
      acknowledged by the community since manipulation of such systems requires
      dedicated training. However, robotic surgical simulators remain expensive and
      require a dedicated human-machine interface. METHODS: We present a low-cost
      contactless optical sensor, the Leap Motion, as a novel control device to
      manipulate the RAVEN-II robot. We compare peg manipulations during a training
      task with a contact-based device, the electro-mechanical Sigma.7. We perform two
      complementary analyses to quantitatively assess the performance of each control
      method: a metric-based comparison and a novel unsupervised spatiotemporal
      trajectory clustering. RESULTS: We show that contactless control does not offer
      as good manipulability as the contact-based. Where part of the metric-based
      evaluation presents the mechanical control better than the contactless one, the
      unsupervised spatiotemporal trajectory clustering from the surgical tool motions
      highlights specific signature inferred by the human-machine interfaces.
      CONCLUSIONS: Even if the current implementation of contactless control does not
      overtake manipulation with high-standard mechanical interface, we demonstrate
      that using the optical sensor complete control of the surgical instruments is
      feasible. The proposed method allows fine tracking of the trainee's hands in
      order to execute dexterous laparoscopic training gestures. This work is promising
      for development of future human-machine interfaces dedicated to robotic surgical
      training systems.

PMID- 28914407
TI  - Association of fetuin B with markers of liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty
      liver disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The liver-derived plasma protein fetuin B is associated with
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and impaired glucose homeostasis in
      mice. However, its association with non-invasive ultrasound- and magnetic
      resonance (MR)-based markers of liver fibrosis and steatosis, the enhanced liver
      fibrosis (ELF) score, liver biopsy, as well as rs738409 in PNPLA3, has not been
      elucidated in NAFLD, so far. DESIGN AND METHODS: The association of circulating
      fetuin B and transient elastography (TE), controlled attenuation parameter (CAP),
      1H-MR-spectroscopy, the ELF score, liver biopsy, as well as risk alleles in
      rs738409 in PNPLA3, was studied in 101 NAFLD patients as compared to 15 healthy
      controls. RESULTS: Serum fetuin B levels did not differ between NAFLD patients
      and controls (p = 0.863). Fetuin B was independently and negatively associated
      with transient elastography liver stiffness measurement (LSM) (p = 0.002), but
      not with the steatosis markers CAP or 1H-MR-spectroscopy. Fetuin B serum
      concentrations were significantly lower in individuals with LSM > 7.0 kPa as
      compared to patients with LSM < 7.0 kPa (p = 0.024). Furthermore, the ELF score
      and histologically proven fibrosis were independent and negative predictors of
      circulating fetuin B. Moreover, serum fetuin B significantly depended on number
      of rs738409 risk alleles (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Fetuin B is independently and
      negatively associated with non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis and PNPLA3
      status in NAFLD patients but does not show a correlation with the hepatic lipid
      content. Future studies need to elucidate the pathophysiological significance of
      fetuin B in NAFLD and its potential value as predictor for disease severity.

PMID- 28914410
TI  - C21 steroid derivatives from the Dai herbal medicine Dai-Bai-Jie, the dried roots
      of Marsdenia tenacissima, and their screening for anti-HIV activity.
AB  - Twenty-three new C21 steroidal glycosides, marstenacissides C1-C10 (1-10), D1-D7
      (11-17) and E1-E6 (18-23), and four new C21 steroids, 11alpha,12beta-O-ditigloyl
      tenacigenin C (24), 11alpha-O-benzoyl-12beta-O-tigloyl-tenacigenin C (25),
      11alpha-O-tigloyl-12beta-O-benzoyl-tenacigenin C (26) and 11alpha-O-tigloyl
      12beta-O-benzoyl-marsdenin (27), were isolated from the Dai herbal medicine Dai
      Bai-Jie, derived from the roots of Marsdenia tenacissima. The chemical structures
      of all compounds were established by spectroscopic techniques, including high
      resolution mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy, as well as by comparison with
      reported spectral data. The anti-HIV activities of these compounds were screened,
      and the compounds obtained displayed inhibitory effects against HIV-1 with
      inhibition rates of 36.4-81.3% at 30 MUM.

PMID- 28914411
TI  - Body farms.

PMID- 28914412
TI  - Body farms.

PMID- 28914413
TI  - Study of the mechanism of remediation of Cd-contaminated soil by novel biochars.
AB  - This article used novel non-magnetized and magnetized biochars prepared under a
      CO2 atmosphere returned to Cd-contaminated soil and compared these to the effects
      of conventional biochars prepared under a N2 atmosphere with regard to Cd
      contaminated soil remediation. A pot experiment with lettuce (Lactuca sativa) was
      conducted to investigate the relative soil remediation effects of these biochars.
      The soil used for the pot experiment was spiked with 20 mg kg-1 Cd and amended
      with 5% of a biochar before sowing. Through these research works, some important
      results were obtained as follows: (1) applying biochar treated by pyrolysis under
      a CO2 atmosphere can obtain the best remediation effect of Cd-contaminated soil
      that the content of cadmium in the lettuce roots, stems, and leaves was reduced
      67, 62, and 63%, respectively; (2) the magnetic biochar aggregation for the soil
      is weak, so the heavy metal cadmium in the soil could not be immobilized well by
      the magnetic biochar; (3) The remediation mechanism of novel biochars is that
      biochar includes a large number of organic functional groups (-C-OH, -C=O, COO-)
      that can act in a complexing reaction with heavy metal Cd(II) and the inorganic
      salt ions (Si, S, Cl, etc.) that can combine with cadmium and generate a stable
      combination.

PMID- 28914414
TI  - Novel insights in biopurification system for dissipation of a pesticide mixture
      in repeated applications.
AB  - A biopurification system based on the adsorption and degradation capacity of a
      biomixture to degrade a mixture of pesticides (atrazine, chlorpyrifos, iprodione;
      50 mg kg-1 each) in repeated applications (0, 30, and 60 days) was evaluated.
      Tanks of 1 m3 packed with a biomixture (rho 0.29 g mL-1) with and without vegetal
      cover were used. The biomixture contained soil, peat, and wheat straw in a
      proportion 1:1:2 by volume, respectively. Pesticide concentrations, biological
      activities (urease, phenoloxidase, and dehydrogenase), and microbial community
      changes (DGGE and qPCR) were evaluated periodically. Pesticide dissipation was
      higher in tanks with vegetal cover (> 95%) and no variation was observed after
      the three applications; contrarily, pesticide dissipation decreased in the tank
      without vegetal cover after each application. The presence of vegetal cover
      decreased the half-life of pesticides by at least twice. Biological activities
      were in general not affected by the application and reapplication of pesticides
      in the same treatment; however, they exhibited some differences between tanks
      containing and lacking the vegetal cover. High similarity between microbial
      groups (actinobacteria, bacteria, and fungi) was observed, suggesting no
      influence ascribable to the successive pesticide applications. The number of
      copies of bacteria and actinobacteria remained almost constant during the assay.
      However, the number of copies of fungi was significantly higher in the
      uncontaminated tank without vegetal cover.

PMID- 28914415
TI  - A randomized trial of restarting warfarin at maintenance versus loading doses
      following an elective procedure.
AB  - Guidelines suggest restarting warfarin at known maintenance doses, although this
      may result in a delay to achieving therapeutic anticoagulation. As such, we
      compared the time to achieve an INR >= 2.0 between those restarting warfarin
      maintenance vs loading doses after transient interruption, and the impact on
      protein C, S and factor II levels. Patients requiring interruption of warfarin
      for elective procedures without hospitalization were randomized 1:1 to receive
      warfarin maintenance or loading doses (1.5 times the maintenance dose for 3 days
      followed by pre-procedural warfarin maintenance dosing). Protein C, S and Factor
      II were drawn at baseline (prior to warfarin interruption), 7 and 14 days after
      restarting warfarin. Among 19 patients randomized to maintenance and 20 to
      loading doses, nearly half in each group had mechanical heart valves with
      gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures most commonly performed (41%). The median
      number of days to reach an INR >= 2.0 was 7.8 days in the loading and 9.0 in the
      maintenance group (difference between medians 1.2 days, 95% CI -3.1 to 4.9; P =
      0.19). Although levels of protein C, S and factor II were lower in the loading vs
      maintenance dose group, all remained above that of baseline. Warfarin resumption
      with loading doses shortened the time to achieve a therapeutic INR by a median of
      1.2 days. Prompt warfarin dose escalation should be done in response to the INR.
      Protein C and S remained above pre-warfarin interruption levels, implying a lack
      of depletion with restarting warfarin.

PMID- 28914401
TI  - 2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and
      surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation: executive summary.

PMID- 28914416
TI  - Heterogeneity analysis of diffusion-weighted MRI for prediction and assessment of
      microstructural changes early after one cycle of induction chemotherapy in
      nasopharyngeal cancer patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the pretreatment apparent diffusion coefficient
      (ADC) heterogeneity parameters and their alterations, after one cycle of
      induction chemotherapy, can be used as reliable markers of treatment response to
      induction chemotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Ten patients were recruited and received induction chemotherapy (IC).
      Diffusion-weighted imaging was performed prior to, during, and after IC. The
      first-order ADC histogram parameters at the intra-treatment time-point were
      compared to the baseline time-point in the metastatic lymph nodes (LNs). Some ADC
      pretreatment parameters were combined with each other, employing discriminant
      analysis to achieve a feasible model to separate the complete response (CR) from
      the partial response (PR) groups. RESULTS: For ten patients, significant rise in
      Mean and Txt1Mean (p = 0.048 and 0.015, respectively) was observed in the
      metastatic nodes following one cycle of IC. Txt5Energy significantly decreased (p
      = 0.002). Discriminant analysis on pretreatment parameters illustrated that
      Txt5Energypre was the best parameter to use to correctly classify CR and PR
      patients. This was followed by Txt9Percentile75pre, Txt1Meanpre, and Txt2Standard
      Deviationpre. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that heterogeneity metrics
      extracted from ADC-maps in metastatic lymph nodes, before and after IC, can be
      used as supplementary IC response indicators.

PMID- 28914418
TI  - Spermidine rescues proximal tubular cells from oxidative stress and necrosis
      after ischemic acute kidney injury.
AB  - Kidney ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) is associated with a high mortality
      rate, which is attributed to tubular oxidative stress and necrosis; however, an
      effective approach to limit IRI remains elusive. Spermidine, a naturally
      occurring polyamine, protects yeast cells against aging through the inhibition of
      oxidative stress and necrosis. In the present study, spermidine supplementation
      markedly attenuated increases in plasma creatinine concentration and tubular
      injury score after IRI. In addition, exogenous spermidine potently inhibited
      oxidative stress, especially lipid peroxidation after IRI in kidneys and exposure
      to hydrogen peroxide in kidney proximal tubular cells, suppressing plasma
      membrane disruption and necrosis. Consistent with spermidine supplementation,
      upregulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in human kidney proximal tubular
      cells significantly diminished lipid peroxidation and necrosis induced by
      hydrogen peroxide-induced injury. Conversely, ODC deficiency significantly
      enhanced lipid peroxidation and necrosis after exposure to hydrogen peroxide.
      Finally, small interfering RNA-mediated ODC inhibition induced functional and
      histological damage in kidneys as well as it increased lipid hydroperoxide levels
      after IRI. In conclusion, these data suggest that spermidine level determines
      kidney proximal tubular damage through oxidative stress and necrosis induced by
      IRI, and this finding provides a novel target for prevention of tubular damage
      induced by IRI.

PMID- 28914417
TI  - Early decrease of oxidative stress by non-invasive ventilation in patients with
      acute respiratory failure.
AB  - Oxidative stress plays an important role in chronic respiratory diseases where
      the use of non-invasive ventilation seems to reduce the oxidative damage. Data on
      acute respiratory failure are still lacking. The aim of the study is to
      investigate the interplay between oxidative stress and acute respiratory failure,
      and the role of non-invasive ventilation in this setting. We enrolled 60 patients
      suffering from acute respiratory failure (PaO2/FiO2 ratio <300): 30 consecutive
      patients treated with non-invasive ventilation and 30 consecutive patients
      treated with conventional oxygen therapy. Serum levels of soluble Nox2-derived
      peptide (sNOX2-dp), a marker of NADPH-oxidase activation, and 8-iso-PGF2alpha and
      H2O2, markers of oxidative stress, were evaluated at baseline and after 3 h of
      treatment. At baseline, higher values of sNOX2-dp, 8-iso-PGF2alpha and H2O2 are
      associated with lower values of PaO2/FiO2 ratio (p < 0.001). After 3 h, serum
      levels of sNOX2-dp, H2O2, and 8-iso-PGF2alpha significantly decrease in patients
      treated with non-invasive ventilation, but not in patients treated with
      conventional oxygen therapy. Delta changes of oxidative stress parameters
      correlate inversely with the delta changes of PaO2/FiO2 (R = -0.623, p < 0.001
      for sNOX2-dp; R = -0.428, p < 0.001 for H2O2; R = -0.548, p < 0.001 for 8-iso
      PGF2alpha). In the acute respiratory failure setting, treatment with non-invasive
      ventilation reduces the levels of oxidative stress in the first hours. This
      reduction is associated with an improvement of PaO2/FiO2 ratio as well as in a
      reduction of NADPH-oxidase activity.

PMID- 28914419
TI  - Social Isolation During Adolescence Induces Anxiety Behaviors and Enhances Firing
      Activity in BLA Pyramidal Neurons via mGluR5 Upregulation.
AB  - Social isolation during the vulnerable period of adolescence contributes to the
      occurrence of psychiatric disorders and profoundly affects brain development and
      adult behavior. Although the impact of social isolation during adolescence on
      anxiety behaviors has been well studied, much less is known about the onset and
      underlying mechanisms of these behaviors. We observed that following 2 weeks, but
      not 1 week, of social isolation, adolescent mice exhibited anxiety behaviors.
      Strikingly, the mGluR5 protein levels in the amygdala increased concomitantly
      with anxiety behaviors, and both intraperitoneal administration and intra
      basolateral amygdala (BLA) infusion of MPEP, a metabotropic glutamate receptor 5
      antagonist, normalized anxiety behaviors. Furthermore, electrophysiological
      studies showed that 2 weeks of social isolation during adolescence facilitated
      pyramidal neuronal excitability in the BLA, which could be normalized by MPEP.
      Together, these results reveal a critical period in adolescence during which
      social isolation can induce anxiety behaviors and facilitate BLA pyramidal
      neuronal excitability, both of which are mediated by mGluR5, thus providing
      mechanistic insights into the onset of anxiety behaviors after social isolation
      during adolescence.

PMID- 28914420
TI  - Labdane-type diterpenoids from Vitex limonifolia and their antivirus activities.
AB  - Phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of Vitex limonifolia leaves
      led to the isolation of three new labdane-type diterpenoids, vitexlimolides A-C
      (1-3) and eight known compounds, 5,4'-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyflavone (4),
      vitecetin (5), 5,4'-dihydroxy-7,3'-dimethoxyflavone (6), verrucosin (7), 2alpha,
      3alpha-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (8), euscaphlic acid (9), 18,19-seco,
      2alpha, 3alpha-dihydroxy-19-oxo-urs-11,13(18)-dien-28-oic acid (10), and maslinic
      acid (11). Their chemical structures were elucidated by physical and chemical
      methods. All compounds were evaluated for antiviral activities against CVB3,
      HRV1B, and EV71 viruses. As a result, compounds 4 and 6 showed potent antiviral
      activity against CVB3 infection with IC50 values of 0.12 +/- 0.06 and 1.86 +/-
      0.18 (uM), respectively.

PMID- 28914422
TI  - Normative Data for IVC Diameter and its Correlation with the Somatic Parameters
      in Healthy Indian Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the normative data for inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter
      in children and its correlation with various somatic parameters like height,
      weight and body surface area in Indian children. Readily available baseline data
      of IVC diameter in normal children shall be of great help in rapid assessment of
      variations in sick children. METHODS: Total 475 healthy children aged one month
      to 12 y visiting out patient clinics (OPD's) were enrolled in this study. Weight,
      height and body surface area were calculated at the time of examination. The
      maximum and minimum diameters of IVC were measured during the expiratory and
      inspiratory phase of the respiratory cycle respectively using M mode
      ultrasonography. Collapsibility Index was also calculated for each subject by
      measuring difference between the maximum (expiratory) and minimum (inspiratory)
      IVC diameters divided by the maximum diameter. RESULTS: The mean age of study
      subjects was 4.72 +/- 3.72 y. Out of 475 subjects, 285 (60%) were boys and 190
      (40%) were girls. Mean weight for age (%) of subjects was 89.18 +/- 13.26%.
      Correlation was studied between physical parameters and IVC diameter which
      revealed a positive correlation of age, height and weight with both maximum and
      minimum IVC diameter. Regression analysis was also performed to derive the
      equations for maximum and minimum diameters of children from 1 y to 12 y.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provides reference values of IVC diameters for Indian
      children of different age groups.

PMID- 28914421
TI  - Acid-base safety during the course of a very low-calorie-ketogenic diet.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Very low-calorie ketogenic (VLCK) diets have been
      consistently shown to be an effective obesity treatment, but the current evidence
      for its acid-base safety is limited. The aim of the current work was to evaluate
      the acid-base status of obese patients during the course of a VLCK diet. METHOD:
      Twenty obese participants undertook a VLCK diet for 4 months. Anthropometric and
      biochemical parameters, and venous blood gases were obtained on four subsequent
      visits: visit C-1 (baseline); visit C-2, (1-2 months); maximum ketosis; visit C-3
      (2-3 months), ketosis declining; and visit C-4 at 4 months, no ketosis. Results
      were compared with 51 patients that had an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis as
      well as with a group that underwent a similar VLCK diet in real life conditions
      of treatment. RESULTS: Visit C1 blood pH (7.37 +/- 0.03); plasma bicarbonate
      (24.7 +/- 2.5 mmol/l); plasma glucose (96.0 +/- 11.7 mg/l) as well as anion gap
      or osmolarity were not statistically modified at four months after a total weight
      reduction of 20.7 kg in average and were within the normal range throughout the
      study. Even at the point of maximum ketosis all variables measured were always
      far from the cut-off points established to diabetic ketoacidosis. CONCLUSION:
      During the course of a VLCK diet there were no clinically or statistically
      significant changes in glucose, blood pH, anion gap and plasma bicarbonate. Hence
      the VLCK diet can be considered as a safe nutritional intervention for the
      treatment of obesity in terms of acid-base equilibrium.

PMID- 28914423
TI  - Influences of nitrogen fertilization and energy supplementation for growth
      perfomance of beef cattle on Alexander grass.
AB  - This study evaluated the influences of nitrogen fertilizer and energy
      supplementation cattle on the growth performance of beef cattle. This study was
      conducted at the Federal University of Technology of Parana, Dois Vizinhos
      through continuous grazing on 6.3 ha, divided into nine paddocks. The treatments
      were: Alexander grass +100 kg ha-1 of N (N100); Alexander grass + 100 kg ha-1 of
      N + 0.5 kg per 100 kg of weight live supplementation of wheat bran (N100S); and
      Alexander grass +200 kg ha-1 of N (N200), with an average herbage allowance of
      10% for all treatments. Crossbred and non-castrated steers with an average weight
      of 276 +/- 41 kg were used for 107 days. The crude protein from entire plant
      differed (P < 0.05) between treatments, with the greater value (14.8%) occurring
      in the N200, and the lesser value (13.3%) occurring in the N100S. The herbage
      accumulation rate was greater (P < 0.05) in the N200 (55.7  DM ha-1 d-1) than
      that in the N100S and N100 (40.0 and 39.7 kg DM ha-1 d-1, respectively). The
      N100S produced greater (P < 0.05) average daily weight gains (0.815 kg animal day
      1) than did the N200 (0.685 kg animal day-1) and N100 treatments (0.727 kg animal
      day-1).

PMID- 28914425
TI  - Platelet factor 4 increases bone marrow B cell development and differentiation.
AB  - Platelet factor 4 (PF4) is a megakaryocyte-/platelet-derived chemokine with
      diverse functions as a regulator of vascular and immune biology. PF4 has a
      central role in vessel injury responses, innate immune cell responses, and T
      helper cell differentiation. We have now discovered that PF4 has a direct role in
      B cell differentiation in the bone marrow. Mice lacking PF4 (PF4-/- mice) had
      fewer developing B cells in the bone marrow beginning after the pre-pro-B cell
      stage of differentiation. In vitro, PF4 increased the differentiation of
      hematopoietic progenitors to B cell lineage cells, indicating that PF4 has a
      direct effect on B cell differentiation. STAT5 activation is essential in early B
      cell development and PF4 increased the phosphorylation of STAT5. Taken together,
      these data demonstrate that PF4 has an important role in increasing B cell
      differentiation in the bone marrow environment.

PMID- 28914424
TI  - New perspectives in nanotherapeutics for chronic respiratory diseases.
AB  - According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hundreds of millions of people
      of all ages and in all countries suffer from chronic respiratory diseases, with
      particular negative consequences such as poor health-related quality of life,
      impaired work productivity, and limitations in the activities of daily living.
      Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, occupational lung diseases (such
      as silicosis), cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary arterial hypertension are the most
      common of these diseases, and none of them are curable with current therapies.
      The advent of nanotechnology holds great therapeutic promise for respiratory
      conditions, because non-viral vectors are able to overcome the mucus and lung
      remodeling barriers, increasing pharmacologic and therapeutic potency. It has
      been demonstrated that the extent of pulmonary nanoparticle uptake depends not
      only on the physical and chemical features of nanoparticles themselves, but also
      on the health status of the organism; thus, the huge diversity in nanotechnology
      could revolutionize medicine, but safety assessment is a challenging task. Within
      this context, the present review discusses some of the major new perspectives in
      nanotherapeutics for lung disease and highlights some of the most recent studies
      in the field.

PMID- 28914426
TI  - Resistance training status modifies inflammatory response to explosive and
      hypertrophic resistance exercise bouts.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to examine the immediate and prolonged
      immune response in circulating cytokine and adipocytokine concentrations after
      two different resistance exercise bouts: hypertrophic (HYP1, 5 * 10, 80% of 1RM)
      and maximal explosive (POW1, 10 * 5, 60% of 1RM) resistance exercise bouts and
      how 12 weeks of resistance training (RT) modifies these responses (HYP2, POW2).
      Eight men completed the study. RE-induced interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta
      (IL-1beta), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), monocyte-chemoattractant
      protein-1 (MCP-1), leptin, resistin, and adiponectin were measured before (PRE)
      and immediately (POST0), 24 (POST24) and 48 (POST48) hours after RE bouts before
      and after RT. In the untrained state, IL-6 increased immediately after RE in HYP1
      (p = 0.002) and in POW1 (p = 0.003) whereas no changes were observed after RT.
      Similar results were observed in IL-1beta, whereas conversely, IL-1ra increased
      only after RT in HYP2 and POW2 (p < 0.05). Resistin increased before RT in HYP1
      and in POW1 (p = 0.011 and p = 0.003, respectively), but after RT, significant
      responses were not observed. Interestingly, in HYP2, MCP-1 increased
      significantly at POST24 (p = 0.009) and at POST48 (p = 0.032) only following RT.
      The present study shows that RT modifies RE-induced cytokine responses towards an
      anti-inflammatory direction.

PMID- 28914427
TI  - The clinical and genetic Spectrum of Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome
      (Mucopolysaccharidosis VI) in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
AB  - Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS VI) or Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome is an autosomal
      recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency of the enzyme N
      acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase or arylsulfatase B. It is involved in the
      degradation of glycosaminoglycans and characterized by a wide spectrum of
      clinical and genetic heterogeneity. So far, more than 150 mutations have been
      reported in the ARSB gene. Most of these mutations are either novel, private, or
      compound heterozygous making phenotype-genotype correlation as well as population
      screening difficult. The aim of our study is to determine the genotypes and
      phenotypes of MPS VI among the Saudi population at the Eastern Province of Saudi
      Arabia. The clinical data of all the patients seen and diagnosed with MPS VI
      (Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome) at the main hospital from January 1, 1983, to December
      31, 2016, were reviewed. A total of 18 patients from 6 unrelated consanguineous
      families (first-cousin parents) were diagnosed with MPS VI during the defined 33
      years. All of the affected patients displayed the severe phenotype of MPS VI.
      Only one genotype (c.753C > Gp.Y251X) was identified among five of the studied
      families. All of those families were inhabitants of Al-Hofuf area, but they
      descended from different clans. A second genotype (c270_274del5bp pc.91Afs*34)
      was detected in a single family who had originated from Abha area (the southern
      west region of the country). This report demonstrated the homogeneity for both
      phenotype and genotype of our studied patients with MPS VI. This may eventually
      make selective asymptomatic carrier test and newborn screening highly feasible in
      this region of country.

PMID- 28914430
TI  - Position paper: recommendations for a digital mammography quality assurance
      program V4.0.
AB  - In 2001 the ACPSEM published a position paper on quality assurance in screen film
      mammography which was subsequently adopted as a basis for the quality assurance
      programs of both the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists
      (RANZCR) and of BreastScreen Australia. Since then the clinical implementation of
      digital mammography has been realised and it has become evident that existing
      screen-film protocols were not appropriate to assure the required image quality
      needed for reliable diagnosis or to address the new dose implications resulting
      from digital technology. In addition, the advantages and responsibilities
      inherent in teleradiology are most critical in mammography and also need to be
      addressed. The current document is the result of a review of current overseas
      practice and local experience in these areas. At this time the technology of
      digital imaging is undergoing significant development and there is still a lack
      of full international consensus about some of the detailed quality control (QC)
      tests that should be included in quality assurance (QA) programs. This document
      describes the current status in digital mammography QA and recommends test
      procedures that may be suitable in the Australasian environment. For
      completeness, this document also includes a review of the QA programs required
      for the various types of digital biopsy units used in mammography. In the future,
      international harmonisation of digital quality assurance in mammography and
      changes in the technology may require a review of this document. Version 2.0
      represented the first of these updates and key changes related to image quality
      evaluation, ghost image evaluation and interpretation of signal to noise ratio
      measurements. In Version 3.0 some significant changes, made in light of further
      experience gained in testing digital mammography equipment were introduced. In
      Version 4.0, further changes have been made, most notably digital breast
      tomosynthesis (DBT) testing and QC have been addressed. Some additional testing
      for conventional projection imaging has been added in order that sites may have
      the capability to undertake dose surveys to confirm compliance with diagnostic
      reference levels (DRLs) that may be established at the National or State level. A
      key recommendation is that dosimetry calculations are now to be undertaken using
      the methodology of Dance et al. Some minor changes to existing facility QC tests
      have been made to ensure the suggested procedures align with those most recently
      adopted by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and
      BreastScreen Australia. Future updates of this document may be provided as deemed
      necessary in electronic format on the ACPSEM's website (
      https://www.acpsem.org.au/whatacpsemdoes/standards-position-papers and see also
      http://www.ranzcr.edu.au/quality-a-safety/radiology/practice-quality
      activities/mqap ).

PMID- 28914429
TI  - A Systematic Review of Patient and Caregiver Experiences with a Tracheostomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A tracheostomy is a surgically created opening through the anterior
      neck tissues and the trachea, into which a tube is inserted. Despite its
      influence on basic human needs such as respiration, communication and nutrition,
      little is known about the impact of tracheostomy on patients and their caregivers
      or what could be done to enable better care and quality of life (QoL) for these
      individuals. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to better understand the
      current knowledge related to the experience and QoL of adults living with a
      tracheostomy and their caregivers so as to be able to improve these experiences.
      METHOD: A systematic review of the English-language, peer-reviewed literature was
      conducted in PubMed, Scopus, PsychINFO, Google Scholar, and CINAHL databases.
      Articles were eligible if they included adult patient or lay caregiver-reported
      experiences of tracheostomy. RESULTS: Overall, 1080 articles were identified and
      17 eligible for inclusion. Fourteen articles reported on experiences of
      tracheostomy patients, while three focused on those of their caregivers. Studies
      were conducted in the home setting (n = 5), on a hospital ward (n = 4), in an
      intensive care unit (n = 3), in an outpatient clinic (n = 3), in a rehab facility
      (n = 1), and online (n = 1). Patients and their caregivers reported a range of
      mostly negative experiences related to the care, support, and management of a
      tracheostomy, speech and communication, wellbeing and QoL, disfigurement and body
      image, and stigma and social withdrawal. CONCLUSION: Few studies have published
      data on the patient and caregiver experiences with tracheostomy, especially in
      the community setting. There is a need to better understand these experiences in
      order to be able to formulate strategies and provide resources to improve the
      quality of care and overall QoL of patients with a tracheostomy and their
      caregivers in-hospital and in the community.

PMID- 28914431
TI  - A rare disorder or not? How a child with jaundice changed a nationwide regimen in
      the Netherlands.
AB  - Due to global migration, there is an increased frequency of diseases, which used
      to be rare in Western countries. Here, we describe a striking case in order to
      create awareness for diseases that are known for decades but sometimes
      "forgotten" in Western countries, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
      deficiency. We will discuss how everyday practice can lead to serious medical
      problems and present general recommendations to support.

PMID- 28914428
TI  - Anhydroecgonine Methyl Ester (AEME), a Product of Cocaine Pyrolysis, Impairs
      Spatial Working Memory and Induces Striatal Oxidative Stress in Rats.
AB  - When burning crack cocaine, the pyrolysis of cocaine generates anhydroecgonine
      methyl ester (AEME). AEME has been shown to be highly neurotoxic but its effects
      on cognitive function and oxidative stress are still unknown. Thus, this study
      investigated the effects of AEME on spatial working memory and on parameters of
      oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. First, 18
      well-trained rats in 8-arm radial maze (8-RM) procedures received acute
      intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of AEME at doses of 10, 32, or 100
      MUg or saline (SAL) in a counterbalanced order and were tested 5 min later in 1-h
      delayed tasks in the 8-RM. Secondly, separated animals received acute icv
      administration of AEME at doses of 10 (n = 5), 32 (n = 5), or 100 MUg (n = 5) or
      SAL (n = 5) for analysis of advanced oxidation protein products, thiobarbituric
      acid, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. A higher number
      of errors were seen in the 1-h post-delay performance after AEME 32 MUg and AEME
      100 MUg when compared to SAL. In the striatum, animals receiving AEME 100 MUg icv
      showed increased advanced oxidation protein products levels when compared to 10
      MUg, and also showed increased activity of glutathione peroxidase enzyme when
      compared to SAL but also comparing to AEME 32 MUg and AEME 10 MUg. These results
      showed that AEME impairs long-term spatial working memory and also induces
      greater protein oxidation and increased levels of antioxidant enzymes in the
      striatum.

PMID- 28914432
TI  - Relationship between the peroxidation of leukocytes index ratio and a functional
      mathematical index including uric acid levels and health-related habits: a pilot
      study.

PMID- 28914433
TI  - Platelet transfusion refractoriness after T-cell-replete haploidentical
      transplantation is associated with inferior clinical outcomes.
AB  - Haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) has been an alternative
      source of bone marrow for patients without human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched
      donors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between
      platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR) and clinical outcomes in the setting of
      haplo-SCT. Between May 2012 and March 2014, 345 patients who underwent
      unmanipulated haplo-SCT were retrospectively enrolled. PTR occurred in 20.6% of
      all patients. Patients in the PTR group experienced higher transplant-related
      mortality (TRM, 43.7% vs. 13.5%, P<0.001), lower overall survival (OS, 47.9% vs.
      76.3%, P<0.001) and lower leukemia-free survival (LFS, 47.9% vs. 72.3%, P<0.001)
      compared to patients in the non-PTR group. The multivariate analysis showed that
      PTR was associated with TRM (P=0.002), LFS (P<0.001), and OS (P<0.001). The
      cumulative incidences of PTR in patients receiving >12 platelet (PLT)
      transfusions (third quartile of PLT transfusions) were higher than in patients
      receiving either >6 (second quartile) or >3 (first quartile) PLT transfusions
      (56.1% vs. 41.6% vs. 28.2%, respectively; P<0.001). The multivariate analysis
      also showed that PTR was associated with the number of PLT transfusions
      (P<0.001). PTR could predict poor transplant outcomes in patients who underwent
      haploidentical SCT.

PMID- 28914434
TI  - Human infection with a further evolved avian H9N2 influenza A virus in Sichuan,
      China.

PMID- 28914435
TI  - Combination Therapy of Tacrolimus and Chinese Herb Medicated Bath in Children
      with Inverse Psoriasis.

PMID- 28914436
TI  - Chinese and Indian women's experience with alternative medications for menopause
      related symptoms: A qualitative analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore women's rationalization for using alternative medications,
      their experience and view on safety of long-term use. METHODS: Two focus group
      discussions, involving 5 participants each for Chinese and Indian groups, were
      conducted separately. Participant's personal information was collected
      anonymously. The discussion covered 5 areas: determinants for taking medications;
      reason for choosing alternative medications rather than hormone replacement
      therapy (HRT); how these medications help them; their view on cost-effectiveness
      and concerns over long-term use. The discussions were audio-taped, transcribed
      and analyzed. RESULTS: Chinese participants took supplements for controlling
      symptoms while Indian participants used herbs as a preventive measure during
      menopause according to their tradition. Women of both groups mentioned that they
      did not take HRT because of fear of side effects. Chinese group mentioned that
      medications remarkably improved their symptoms whereas Indian participants
      appreciated their herbals more for improvement in general wellbeing than for
      specific symptoms. All members agreed that using alternative medication was cost
      effective. Both Chinese and Indian participants were quite confident in saying
      that long-term use will not be associated with any side effects. However, Indian
      group emphasized that proper preparation of herbal compound using different types
      of leaves, is essential in order to avoid untoward effects. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese
      and Indian women used alternative medicine in prevention and treatment of
      menopause-related problems even as they were avoiding HRT because of the fear of
      side effects. They believed that their supplements were effective, safe and cost
      beneficial even with long-term use.

PMID- 28914437
TI  - Salutary potential of ethanolic extract of avocado fruit on anomalous
      carbohydrate metabolic key enzymes in hepatic and renal tissues of hyperglycaemic
      albino rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the beneficial potential of ethanolic extract of avocado
      fruit on abnormal carbohydrate metabolic key enzymes in hepatic and renal tissues
      in streptozotocin (STZ) induced hyperglycemic albino rats. METHODS: Twenty-four
      male albino rats were randomly divided into four groups with six in each group by
      simple random sampling method. Group 1 as control rats; Group 2 as STZ induced
      diabetic rats; Group 3 as diabetic rats treated with avocado fruit extract (AFE),
      300 mg/kg as aqueous suspension orally for 30 days; Group 4 as diabetic rats
      treated with gliclazide (5 mg/kg) in aqueous solution orally for 30 days. The
      rats were fasted overnight and sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the blood
      was collected for various biochemical analysis and excision of hepatic and kidney
      were done for histological analysis. Levels of fasting blood glucose, plasma
      insulin and glycosylated hemoglobin were estimated. The activities of key enzymes
      in carbohydrate metabolism such as hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, glucose-6-
      phosphatase, fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase,
      glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase were assayed by standard methods
      described in the methodology. RESULTS: Oral administration of AFE significantly
      improved the altered levels of blood glucose, plasma insulin, glycosylated
      hemoglobin, and modulated the activities of carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes
      (P<0.05, respectively). The glycogen content in hepatic tissues was significantly
      increased in diabetic rats treated with AFE (P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      AFE plays a pivotal role to maintain normoglycemia in diabetes by modulating the
      activities of carbohydrate metabolic enzymes.

PMID- 28914438
TI  - Antihypercholesterolemic, antioxidant and renal protective effects of Mengkudu
      (Rubiaceae) fruit in nephropathy-induced albino rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the modulatory impact of alcoholic extract of fruit of
      Mengkudu (AEFM, Morinda citrifolia L., Rubiaceae) on renal oxido-lipidemic stress
      in hypercholesterolemic albino rats. METHODS: Twenty-four male albino rats were
      randomly divided into four groups with six rats in each group: group I as
      control, group II fed with hypercholesterolemic diet (HCD) for 45 days (4%
      cholesterol and 1% cholic acid), Group III rats fed with HCD for 45 days + AEFM
      (300 mg/kg body weight/day orally) for last 30 days and group IV normal rats fed
      AEFM alone. The blood was collected using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)
      as an anticoagulant for various biochemical analysis, and excision of kidney was
      done for histological analysis. RESULTS: The levels of total cholesterol (TC),
      triacylglycerol (TG), phospholipids (PLs), renal functional parameters and lipid
      peroxidation products were markedly mitigated in AEFM treated
      hypercholesterolemic rats (group III) compared to group I (P<0.01). Activities of
      both enzymic and non-enzymic free radical scavenging factors were significantly
      increased in group III compared to group I (P<0.01). In group III the mRNA levels
      of interstitial endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and inducible nitric
      oxide synthase (iNOS) genes were obviously up-regulated (P<0.01) and down
      regulated in (P<0.05) compared with group I. Histomorphological observations also
      exhibited similar as in group III AEFM commendably protects the renal tissues
      compared with group I (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: AEFM can act as nephroprotective
      agent by attenuating the renal oxidative stress, lipid levels as well as
      regulating NOS level and by this means protects the kidney in
      hypercholesterolemic induced nephropathy experimental rats.

PMID- 28914439
TI  - Dampness-Heat Accelerates DMBA-Induced Mammary Tumors in Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of dampness-heat (DH) on the development of
      mammary tumors in 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced rats. METHODS:
      Forty rats were randomly divided into 3 groups in a randomized block design,
      including the control group (n=13), DMBA group (n=14), and DMBA plus DH group
      (n=13). Rats in the DMBA group and DMBA plus DH group were intragastrically
      administrated with DMBA (100 mg/kg) for twice, once per week, while rats in the
      control group were treated with equivalent volumes of sesame oil. After DMBA
      administration, rats in the DMBA plus DH group were exposed to a simulated
      climate chamber with ambient temperature (33.0+/-0.5 degrees C) and humidity
      (90%+/-5%) for 8 weeks, 8 h per day. The body weight, time of tumor formation,
      and number of tumors were measured weekly to calculate tumor incidence, average
      latency period, average number of tumors, and average tumor weight. At the end of
      the experiment, the levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and tissue
      inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) in serum, and the contents of tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin (IL)-1beta in serum and tumor
      tissue were measured, respectively. Some tumor tissues were processed for
      hematoxylin-eosin staining to determine the histopathological changes. RESULTS:
      Compared with DMBA, DMBA plus DH significantly increased the average number of
      tumors, average tumor weight, levels of serum MMP-9, TIMP-1, TNF-alpha and IL
      1beta, and contents of tumor tissue TNF-alpha and IL-1beta (P<0.05 or P<0.01).
      CONCLUSION: DH could accelerate the development of mammary tumors through
      increasing the expressions of MMP-9, TIMP-1, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in DMBA
      induced rats.

PMID- 28914440
TI  - Olaratumab in Combination with Doxorubicin for the Treatment of Advanced Soft
      Tissue Sarcoma: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a National Institute for
      Health and Care Excellence Single Technology Appraisal.
AB  - The manufacturer of olaratumab (Lartruvo(r)), Eli Lilly & Company Limited,
      submitted evidence for the clinical and cost effectiveness of this drug, in
      combination with doxorubicin, for untreated advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS)
      not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy, as part of the National Institute for
      Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Single Technology Appraisal process. The
      Peninsula Technology Assessment Group, commissioned to act as the Evidence Review
      Group (ERG), critically reviewed the company's submission. Clinical effectiveness
      evidence for the company's analysis was derived from an open-label, randomised
      controlled trial, JGDG. The analysis was based on a partitioned survival model
      with a time horizon of 25 years, and the perspective was of the UK National
      Health Service (NHS) and Personal Social Services. Costs and benefits were
      discounted at 3.5% per year. Given the available evidence, olaratumab is likely
      to meet NICE's end-of-life criteria. To improve the cost effectiveness of
      olaratumab, the company offered a discount through a Commercial Access Agreement
      (CAA) with the NHS England. When the discount was applied, the mean base-case and
      probabilistic incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for olaratumab plus
      doxorubicin versus the standard-of-care doxorubicin were L46,076 and L47,127 per
      quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained, respectively; the probability of this
      treatment being cost effective at the willingness-to-pay threshold of L50,000 per
      QALY gained, applicable to end-of-life treatments, was 0.54. The respective ICERs
      from the ERG's analysis were approximately L60,000/QALY gained, and the
      probability of the treatment being cost effective was 0.21. In August 2017, the
      NICE Appraisal Committee recommended olaratumab in combination with doxorubicin
      for this indication for use via the UK Cancer Drugs Fund under the agreed CAA
      until further evidence being collected in the ongoing phase III trial-ANNOUNCE
      becomes available in December 2020.

PMID- 28914441
TI  - Do children grow into cerebral palsy?

PMID- 28914442
TI  - Evaluating treatment options for spasticity.

PMID- 28914443
TI  - Indirect effects of larval dispersal following mass mortality events.

PMID- 28914444
TI  - Studies on cyanobacterial protein PipY shed light on structure, potential
      functions, and vitamin B6 -dependent epilepsy.
AB  - The Synechococcus elongatus COG0325 gene pipY functionally interacts with the
      nitrogen regulatory gene pipX. As a first step toward a molecular understanding
      of such interactions, we characterized PipY. This 221-residue protein is
      monomeric and hosts pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), binding it with limited affinity
      and losing it upon incubation with D-cycloserine. PipY crystal structures with
      and without PLP reveal a single-domain monomer folded as the TIM barrel of type
      III fold PLP enzymes, with PLP highly exposed, fitting a role for PipY in PLP
      homeostasis. The mobile PLP phosphate-anchoring C-terminal helix might act as a
      trigger for PLP exchange. Exploiting the universality of COG0325 functions, we
      used PipY in site-directed mutagenesis studies to shed light on disease causation
      by epilepsy-associated mutations in the human COG0325 gene PROSC.

PMID- 28914445
TI  - The prevalence of mental health disorders and symptoms in children and
      adolescents with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - AIM: Mental health conditions and problems are often reported in children and
      adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). A systematic review was undertaken to
      describe their prevalence. METHOD: MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases from 1996 to
      2016 were searched and reference lists of selected studies were reviewed. Studies
      were included if they reported point prevalence of mental health diagnoses or
      symptoms in a general population of children and/or adolescents with CP. Pooled
      prevalence for mental health symptoms was determined using a random effects meta
      analysis. RESULTS: Of the 3158 studies identified, eight met the inclusion
      criteria. Mental health disorders were diagnosed by psychiatric interview in one
      study, giving a prevalence of 57% (32 out of 56 children). The remaining seven
      studies (n=1715 children) used parent-report mental health screening tools. The
      pooled prevalence for mental health symptoms using the Strengths and Difficulties
      Questionnaire (n=5 studies) was 35% (95% confidence interval [CI] 20-61) and
      using the Child Behavior Checklist (n=2 studies) was 28% (95% CI 22-36). Evidence
      was characterized by a moderate level of bias. INTERPRETATION: More studies are
      needed to ascertain the prevalence of mental health disorders. Mental health
      symptoms are common and mental health evaluations should be incorporated into
      multidisciplinary assessments for these children. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Children
      with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability have a higher risk of mental
      health symptoms. The prevalence of mental health symptoms for age and severity
      groups is unclear.

PMID- 28914447
TI  - Are brown trout Salmo trutta fario and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss two of a
      kind? A comparative study of salmonids to temperature-influenced Tetracapsuloides
      bryosalmonae infection.
AB  - Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) of salmonids caused by Tetracapsuloides
      bryosalmonae causes high mortalities of wild brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) and
      farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at elevated water temperatures. Here
      the aim was to compare the temperature-dependent modulation of T. bryosalmonae in
      the two salmonid host species, which display different temperature optima. We
      used a novel experimental set-up in which we exposed brown trout and rainbow
      trout to an identical quantified low concentration of T. bryosalmonae for a short
      time period (1 hr). We followed the development of the parasite in the fish hosts
      for 70 days. PKD prevalence and parasite kinetics were assessed using qPCR.
      Exposures were performed at temperatures (12 degrees C and 15 degrees C) that
      reflect an environmental scenario that may occur in the natural habitat of
      salmonids. T. bryosalmonae infection was confirmed earliest in brown trout kept
      at 15 degrees C (day 7 post-exposure) while, in all other groups, T. bryosalmonae
      was not confirmed until day 15 post-exposure. Moreover, significantly greater
      infection prevalence and a faster increase of parasite intensity were observed in
      brown trout kept at 15 degrees C than in all other groups. These results indicate
      that PKD is differentially modulated by water temperature in related host
      species.

PMID- 28914446
TI  - Risk factors for thiopurine-induced myelosuppression and infections in
      inflammatory bowel disease patients with a normal TPMT genotype.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leucopenia is a common side effect in patients treated with
      thiopurines. Variants in the thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) gene are the
      best-known risk factor, but only explain up to 25% of leucopenia cases. AIM: To
      identify the clinical risk factors for thiopurine-induced leucopenia in patients
      without a common TPMT variant, and explore if these patients are at increased
      risk for infections. METHODS: Post hoc analysis of the Thiopurine response
      Optimisation by Pharmacogenetic testing in Inflammatory bowel disease Clinics
      (TOPIC) trial. For this analysis, patients without a variant in TPMT (*2, *3A
      or*3C) were included. Uni- and multivariate Cox-proportional hazard models were
      used to identify risk factors for leucopenia and infections. Leucopenia was
      defined as a white blood cell (WBC) count <3.0 * 109 /L and infections were
      classified according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.
      RESULTS: Sixty hundred and ninety-five patients (90.6%) included in the TOPIC
      trial had no variant in TPMT, of which 45 (6.5%) developed leucopenia. Median
      time to leucopenia was 56 (29-112) days. Multivariate analysis showed that use of
      mercaptopurine compared to azathioprine was associated with leucopenia (hazard
      ratio [HR] 2.61 [95% CIs, 1.39-4.88; P < .01]) and a higher baseline WBC count
      was protective (HR 0.80 [95% CIs, 0.71-0.89; P < .01]). Risk factors for
      infections were older age (per 10 year; HR 2.07 [95% CIs, 1.18-3.63; P = .01])
      and concomitant use of biologic drugs (HR 2.15 [95% CIs, 1.14-4.07; P = .02]).
      CONCLUSIONS: Low baseline WBC count and mercaptopurine, due to a relatively
      higher dose, were risk factors for thiopurine-induced leucopenia in patients
      without a TPMT variant.

PMID- 28914448
TI  - Significant burden of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with advanced fibrosis in
      the US: a cross-sectional analysis of 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of
      chronic liver disease in the US. Understanding the epidemiology of NAFLD, with
      specific focus on individuals with hepatic fibrosis is important to guide
      healthcare resource planning. AIM: To evaluate prevalence and predictors of
      hepatic fibrosis among US adults with NAFLD. METHODS: We performed a cross
      sectional study using data from the updated 2011-2014 National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey, a national, stratified, multistage sampling survey
      of non-institutionalised US adults age >= 20. METAVIR F2 or greater fibrosis
      among individuals with NAFLD was assessed using AST to Platelet Ratio Index
      (APRI) score > 0.7. METAVIR F3 or greater fibrosis was assessed using NAFLD
      fibrosis score (NFS) > 0.676 and FIB-4 score > 3.25. Multivariate logistic
      regression models evaluated for predictors of fibrosis among individuals with
      NAFLD. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of NAFLD among US adults was 21.9% (95% CI
      20.6-23.3), representing 51.6 million adults. Among individuals with NAFLD, we
      observed a 23.8% prevalence of >=F2 fibrosis, representing 12.2 million
      individuals, and we observed a 2.3%-9.7% prevalence of >=F3 fibrosis,
      representing as many as 5.0 million adults. On multivariate regression analyses,
      increasing age, obesity and concurrent diabetes mellitus were associated with
      increased risk of >=F3 fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD represents a major healthcare
      burden among US adults with as many as 5 million adults estimated to have NAFLD
      with >=F3 fibrosis. Age and the components of the metabolic syndrome are
      independently associated with higher risk of fibrosis.

PMID- 28914449
TI  - Insights on the stilbenes in Raboso Piave grape (Vitis vinifera L.) as a
      consequence of postharvest vs on-vine dehydration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Grape withering is a process used to produce reinforced wines and
      raisins. Dehydration is usually carried out postharvest by keeping ripe grapes in
      special warehouses in controlled conditions of temperature, relative humidity
      (RH) and air flow. Alternatively, grape clusters can be left on the vines after
      the canes have been pruned. In general, dehydration increases stilbenes in grape,
      but there are few studies on the effects of on-vine withering. The stilbene
      profiles of Raboso Piave grape during postharvest and on-vine dehydration were
      studied here. RESULTS: High-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) was used to
      identify 19 stilbenes, including resveratrol monomers, dimers (viniferins),
      oligomers and glucoside derivatives. The two dehydration methods generally had
      different effects on the above nutraceuticals in grape. The samples kept in
      warehouses revealed significant increases in Z-omega-viniferin, E-epsilon
      viniferin, delta-viniferin and another resveratrol dimer which were not observed
      in the plants. Trans-Resveratrol increased significantly only in samples
      dehydrated in the warehouse at 21  degrees C and 60-70% RH. CONCLUSION: The
      findings increase knowledge of stilbene composition in grapes subjected to
      withering on-vine. The choice of dehydration method affects the contents of these
      nutraceuticals in the grape and consequently in wines. Reasonably, it could also
      affect other secondary metabolites important for wine quality. (c) 2017 Society
      of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28914450
TI  - Changes in composition and content of food-derived peptide in human blood after
      daily ingestion of collagen hydrolysate for 4 weeks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Daily ingestion of collagen hydrolysate for a long period improves
      skin and joint conditions. It has been speculated that the beneficial effects are
      exerted by food-derived hydroxyproline (Hyp) peptides, which are detected in
      human blood after single ingestions. In the present study, to investigate the
      effect of long-term ingestion of collagen hydrolysate on Hyp peptides profile in
      blood, the concentrations of Hyp-peptides in human blood before and after daily
      ingestion for a long period were examined. RESULTS: Hyp-peptides increased to a
      maximum level at 1 h after ingestion and reverted to their initial levels within
      24 h during experimental period. Pro-Gly and Hyp-peptides such as Pro-Hyp-Gly,
      Pro-Hyp, Ile-Hyp, Leu-Hyp, Hyp-Gly, Glu-Hyp and Ala-Hyp were identified in the
      blood after ingestion of collagen hydrolysate at 4.5 g day-1 for 4 weeks. For the
      whole period, Pro-Hyp was the leading compound. The compositional rate of Hyp-Gly
      showed a tendency to increase, while that of Pro-Hyp tended to decrease after
      daily ingestion. CONCLUSION: The present results indicate that daily ingestion of
      collagen hydrolysate for a long period can change compositional rate of Hyp
      peptides in human blood. This fact suggests that long-term ingestion of collagen
      hydrolysate might change exo- or endo-type protease activity in the digestive
      tract, which may consequently promote beneficial effects. (c) 2017 Society of
      Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28914451
TI  - Pilomatrix carcinoma: 12-year experience and review of the literature.
AB  - Pilomatrix carcinoma is a rare, locally aggressive tumor with a tendency to
      recur. Distant metastases have been reported, with pulmonary lesions being the
      most frequent manifestation. Similar to pilomatrixoma, pilomatrix carcinoma
      typically presents as a nontender, firm dermal swelling and is found most
      commonly in the head and neck region. Although pilomatrixomas and pilomatrix
      carcinoma are well-recognized lesions, clinically they are frequently
      misdiagnosed as other skin conditions. By reviewing the literature over the past
      10 years, the aims of this review are to analyze the cause, clinical
      presentation, histopathologic features, management and outcomes of pilomatrix
      carcinoma amongst children and adults.

PMID- 28914452
TI  - Comparative evaluation of MCP gene in worldwide strains of Megalocytivirus
      (Iridoviridae family) for early diagnostic marker.
AB  - Members of the Iridoviridae family have been considered as aetiological agents of
      iridovirus diseases, causing fish mortalities and economic losses all over the
      world. Virus identification based on candidate gene sequencing is faster, more
      accurate and more reliable than other traditional phenotype methodologies.
      Iridoviridae viruses are covered by a protein shell (capsid) encoded by the
      important candidate gene, major capsid protein (MCP). In this study, we
      investigated the potential of the MCP gene for use in the diagnosis and
      identification of infections caused Megalocytivirus of the Iridoviridae family.
      We selected data of 66 Iridoviridae family isolates (53 strains of
      Megalocytivirus, eight strains of iridoviruses and five strains of Ranavirus)
      infecting various species of fish distributed all over the world. A total of 53
      strains of Megalocytivirus were used for designing the complete primer sets for
      identifying the most hypervariable region of the MCP gene. Further, our in silico
      analysis of 102 sequences of related and unrelated viruses reconfirms that primer
      sets could identify strains more specifically and offers a useful and fast
      alternative for routine clinical laboratory testing. Our findings suggest that
      phenotype observation along with diagnosis using universal primer sets can help
      detect infection or carriers at an early stage.

PMID- 28914453
TI  - Potential effectiveness of visible and near infrared spectroscopy coupled with
      wavelength selection for real time grapevine leaf water status measurement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing attention is being paid to non-destructive methods for
      water status real time monitoring as a potential solution to replace the tedious
      conventional techniques which are time consuming and not easy to perform directly
      in the field. The objective of this study was to test the potential effectiveness
      of two portable optical devices (visible/near infrared (vis/NIR) and near
      infrared (NIR) spectrophotometers) for the rapid and non-destructive evaluation
      of the water status of grapevine leaves. Moreover, a variable selection
      methodology was proposed to determine a set of candidate variables for the
      prediction of water potential (Psi, MPa) related to leaf water status in view of
      a simplified optical device. RESULTS: The statistics of the partial least square
      (PLS) models showed in validation R2 between 0.67 and 0.77 for models arising
      from vis/NIR spectra, and R2 ranged from 0.77 to 0.85 for the NIR region. The
      overall performance of the multiple linear regression (MLR) models from selected
      wavelengths was slightly worse than that of the PLS models. Regarding the NIR
      range, acceptable MLR models were obtained only using 14 effective variables (R2
      range 0.63-0.69). CONCLUSION: To address the market demand for portable optical
      devices and heading towards the trend of miniaturization and low cost of the
      devices, individual wavelengths could be useful for the design of a simplified
      and low-cost handheld system providing useful information for better irrigation
      scheduling. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28914454
TI  - Optimization of protein recovery from bovine lung by pH shift process using
      response surface methodology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Response surface methodology (RSM) was used in a sequential manner to
      optimize solubilization and precipitation conditions in the recovery of protein
      from bovine lung using pH shift. RESULTS: Separate D-optimal designs were
      employed for protein solubilization and precipitation. Independent variables
      investigated for protein solubilization were time (10-120 min), temperature (4-20
      degrees C), pH (8.0-11.0) and solvent/sample ratio (2.5-10). Variables for
      protein precipitation were time (0-60 min) and pH (4.25-6.00). Soluble protein
      yields ranged from 323 to 649 g kg-1 and the quadratic model for protein
      solubilization revealed a coefficient of determination R2 of 0.9958. Optimal
      conditions for maximum protein solubility were extraction time 140 min,
      temperature 19  degrees C, pH 10.8 and solvent/sample ratio 13.02. Protein
      precipitation yields varied from 407 to 667 g kg-1 , giving a coefficient of
      determination R2 of 0.9335. Optimal conditions for maximum protein precipitation
      were pH 5.03 and 60 min. Based on the RSM model, solubilization conditions were
      manipulated to maximize protein solubilization under reduced water and alkaline
      usage. These conditions were also validated. CONCLUSION: Models for
      solubilization and precipitation using bovine and porcine lung were validated;
      predicted and actual yields were in good agreement, showing cross-species
      applicability of the results. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28914455
TI  - Using probiotics to prevent necrotising enterocolitis.

PMID- 28914456
TI  - Ovarian structure and oogenesis of the extremophile viviparous teleost Poecilia
      mexicana (Poeciliidae) from an active sulfur spring cave in Southern Mexico.
AB  - The structure of the ovary and oogenesis of Poecilia mexicana from an active
      sulfur spring cave is documented. Poecilia mexicana is the only poeciliid adapted
      to a subterranean environment with high hydrogen sulfide levels and extreme
      hypoxic conditions. Twenty females were captured throughout one year at Cueva del
      Azufre, located in the State of Tabasco in Southern Mexico. Ovaries were
      processed with histological techniques. P. mexicana has a single, ovoid ovary
      with ovigerous lamella that project to the ovarian lumen. The ovarian wall
      presents abundant loose connective tissue, numerous melanomacrophage centers and
      large blood vessels, possibly associated with hypoxic conditions. The germinal
      epithelium bordering the ovarian lumen contains somatic and germ cells forming
      cell nests projecting into the stroma. P. mexicana stores sperm in ovarian folds
      associated with follicles at different developmental phases. Oogenesis in P.
      mexicana consisted of the following stages: (i) oogonial proliferation, (ii)
      chromatin nucleolus, (iii) primary growth, subdivided into: (a) one nucleolus,
      (b) multiple nucleoli, (c) droplet oils-cortical alveoli steps; (iv) secondary
      growth, subdivided in: (a) early secondary growth, (b) late secondary growth, and
      (c) full grown. Follicular atresia was present in all stages of follicular
      development; it was characterized by oocyte degeneration, where follicle cells
      hypertrophy and differentiate in phagocytes. The ovary and oogenesis are similar
      to these seen in other poeciliids, but we found frequent atretic follicles,
      melanomacrophage centers, reduced fecundity and increased of offspring size.

PMID- 28914457
TI  - Gross brain morphology of the armoured catfish Rineloricaria heteroptera,
      Isbrucker and Nijssen (1976), (Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Loricariinae): A
      descriptive and quantitative approach.
AB  - The gross morphology of the brain of Rineloricaria heteroptera and its relation
      to the sensory/behavioural ecology of the species is described and discussed. The
      sexual and ontogenetic intraspecific variation in the whole brain length and
      mass, as well as within/between the eight different brain subdivisions volumes,
      is also examined and discussed. Negative allometry for the whole brain
      length/mass and relative growth of the telencephalon and optic tecta was
      observed. Positive allometry was observed for the relative growth of the
      olfactory bulbs and medulla oblongata. Univariate and multivariate statistical
      analyses did not reveal significant differences in the brain subdivision growth
      rates among sexes and/or developmental stages, except for the optic tectum and
      some portions of the medulla oblongata, with juveniles and males showing more
      developed optic tecta and medullary subdivisions, respectively. The growth rates
      for each brain subdivision were relatively constant, and the slopes of the growth
      equations were almost parallel, except for those of the olfactory bulbs and
      medulla oblongata subdivisions, suggesting some degree of tachyauxesis of
      subdivisions against the entire brain. The corpus cerebelli was the more
      voluminous brain subdivision in most specimens (principally adults), followed by
      the optic tectum (the more voluminous subdivision in juveniles), hypothalamus,
      and telencephalon, in that order. Differences in the number of lamellae and
      relative size of the olfactory organ were also detected among developmental
      stages, which were more numerous and larger in adults. Based on these results, it
      is possible to infer an ontogenetic shift in the habitat/resource use and
      behaviour of R. heteroptera. Vision, primarily routed through the optic tectum,
      could be fundamental in early stages, whereas in adults, olfaction and taste,
      primarily routed through the olfactory bulbs and medulla oblongata, play more
      important roles.

PMID- 28914458
TI  - Are men monkeys? Why are child healthcare professionals reluctant to include
      fathers in parenting support interventions?

PMID- 28914459
TI  - Testing a biopsychosocial model of the basic birth beliefs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women perceive what birth is even before they are pregnant for the
      first time. Part of this conceptualization is the basic belief about birth as a
      medical and natural process. These two separate beliefs are pivotal in the
      decision-making process about labor and birth. Adapting Engel's biopsychosocial
      framework, we explored the importance of a wide range of factors which may
      contribute to these beliefs among first-time mothers. METHOD: This observational
      study included 413 primiparae >=24 weeks' gestation, recruited in medical centers
      and in natural birth communities in Israel. The women completed a questionnaire
      which included the Birth Beliefs Scale and a variety of biopsychosocial
      characteristics such as obstetric history, birth environment, optimism, health
      related anxiety, and maternal expectations. RESULTS: Psychological dispositions
      were more related to the birth beliefs than the social or biomedical factors.
      Sociodemographic characteristics and birth environment were only marginally
      related to the birth beliefs. The basic belief that birth is a natural process
      was positively related to optimism and to conceiving spontaneously. Beliefs that
      birth is a medical process were related to pessimism, health-related anxiety, and
      to expectations that an infant's behavior reflects mothering. Expectations about
      motherhood as being naturally fulfilling were positively related to both beliefs.
      CONCLUSION: Psychological factors seem to be most influential in the
      conceptualization of the beliefs. It is important to recognize how women
      interpret the messages they receive about birth which, together with their
      obstetric experience, shape their beliefs. Future studies are recommended to
      understand the evolution of these beliefs, especially within diverse cultures.

PMID- 28914460
TI  - Structure of supporting elements in the dorsal fin of percid fishes.
AB  - The dorsal fin is one of the most varied swimming structures in Acanthomorpha,
      the spiny-finned fishes. This fin can be present as a single contiguous structure
      supported by bony spines and soft lepidotrichia, or it may be divided into an
      anterior, spiny dorsal fin and a posterior, soft dorsal fin. The freshwater fish
      family Percidae exhibits especially great variation in dorsal fin spacing,
      including fishes with separated fins of varying gap length and fishes with
      contiguous fins. We hypothesized that fishes with separated dorsal fins,
      especially those with large gaps between fins, would have stiffened fin elements
      at the leading edge of the soft dorsal fin to resist hydrodynamic loading during
      locomotion. For 10 percid species, we measured the spacing between dorsal fins
      and calculated the second moment of area of selected spines and lepidotrichia
      from museum specimens. There was no significant relationship between the spacing
      between dorsal fins and the second moment of area of the leading edge of the soft
      dorsal fin.

PMID- 28914461
TI  - From Five to Seven: Ring Expansion of Monoazadiene Titanium Complexes by
      Insertion of Aldehydes, Ketones and Nitriles.
AB  - The ring enlargement reactions at ambient temperatures of non C-terminus
      substituted monoazabutadiene (eta4 -RN=CHCH=CH2 ) titanium complexes 2 are
      investigated. The insertion of aldehydes/ketones (five examples) and nitriles
      (four examples) into the Ti-C bonds result in expansion of the five-membered
      rings to uncommon seven-membered titanacycles 3 and 4 in good yields. These new
      compounds are fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction. In subsequent reactions, the seven-membered ring systems are
      protolyzed and the released organic fragments are isolated. Whereas the
      aldehyde/ketone insertion products 3 form substituted delta-amino alcohols 5
      after reduction with NaBH3 CN, the nitrile insertion products 4 form substituted
      pyrroles 6 via cyclization.

PMID- 28914462
TI  - Specimen mammography distorts margin status in patients undergoing breast
      conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer.

PMID- 28914463
TI  - Burrowing with a kinetic snout in a snake (Elapidae: Aspidelaps scutatus).
AB  - Of the few elongate, fossorial vertebrates that have been examined for their
      burrowing mechanics, all were found to use an akinetic, reinforced skull to push
      into the soil, powered mostly by trunk muscles. Reinforced skulls were considered
      essential for head-first burrowing. In contrast, I found that the skull of the
      fossorial shield-nosed cobra (Aspidelaps scutatus) is not reinforced and retains
      the kinetic potential typical of many non-fossorial snakes. Aspidelaps scutatus
      burrows using a greatly enlarged rostral scale that is attached to a kinetic
      snout that is independently mobile with respect to the rest of the skull. Two
      mechanisms of burrowing are used: (1) anteriorly directed head thrusts from a
      loosely bent body that is anchored against the walls of the tunnel by friction,
      and (2) side-to-side shovelling using the head and rostral scale. The premaxilla,
      to which the rostral scale is attached, lacks any direct muscle attachments.
      Rostral scale movements are powered by, first, retractions of the palato
      pterygoid bar, mediated by a ligament that connects the anterior end of the
      palatine to the transverse process of the premaxilla and, second, by contraction
      of a previously undescribed muscle slip of the m. retractor pterygoidei that
      inserts on the skin at the edge of the rostral scale. In derived snakes,
      palatomaxillary movements are highly conserved and power prey capture and
      transport behaviors. Aspidelaps scutatus has co-opted those mechanisms for the
      unrelated function of burrowing without compromising the original feeding
      functions, showing the potential for evolution of functional innovations in
      highly conserved systems.

PMID- 28914465
TI  - Exploring avenues for best use of cytotechnologists in non-gynaecological
      cytology: Double screening or independent sign-out.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cytotechnologist (CT) screening workload has been decreasing due to
      the falling number of Papanicolaou tests. This continuing trend has prompted
      exploration of ways to best employ the CT skillset. One potential way of more
      effective use is by having two CTs double screen non-gynaecological (NGC) cases
      to assess whether this improves screening quality and concordance with
      pathologists. Another is evaluating the CT's performance on low-complexity
      negative NGC cases for a potential independent CT sign-out without pathologist
      review. METHODS: In total, 1119 NGC cases were reviewed; 577 screened by two CTs
      and 542 screened by one CT. All cases were signed out by a pathologist and all CT
      interpretations were compared to the pathologist final diagnoses. The
      disagreements were classified based on degree of discrepancy. The extra workload
      by adding the second screener was assessed. RESULTS: The agreement rate between
      the CT's screening interpretation and pathologist's interpretation did not
      improve by adding a second CT compared to a single screener (91.5% vs 92.9%,
      respectively). CT to pathologist concordance was very high on low complexity NGC
      cases (voided urine, fluid, sputum) whether screened and interpreted as negative
      by one CT (97.3%) or two CTs (99.3%). CONCLUSION: Double screening of NGC cases
      by two cytotechnologists prior to pathologist sign-out does not improve screening
      quality and is not cost-effective. The high concordance between the CTs and
      pathologists in this limited group of low complexity negative cases suggests that
      such cases could be signed out independently by cytotechnologists.

PMID- 28914464
TI  - Expression of caveolin-1 in the interfollicular but not the follicle-associated
      epithelial cells in the bursa of fabricius of chickens.
AB  - The surface epithelium of the bursa of Fabricius consists of interfollicular
      (IFE) and follicle-associated epithelium (FAE). The IFE comprises (i) cylindrical
      shaped secretory cells (SC) and (ii) cuboidal basal cells (BCs). The FAE provides
      histological and two-way functional connections between the bursal lumen and
      medulla of the follicle. We used a carbon solution and anti-caveolin-1 (Cav-1) to
      study the endocytic activity of FAE. Carbon particles entered the intercellular
      space of FAE, but the carbon particles were not internalized by the FAE cells.
      Cav-1 was not detectable in the FAE cells or the medulla of the bursal follicle.
      The absence of Cav-1 indicates that no caveolin-mediated endocytosis occurs in
      the FAE cells, B cells, bursal secretory dendritic cells (BSDC), or reticular
      epithelial cells. Surprisingly, a significant number of Cav-1 positive cells can
      be found among the SC, which are designated SC II. Cav-1 negative cell are called
      SC I, and they produce mucin for lubricating the bursal lumen and duct.
      Occasionally, BCs also express Cav-1, which suggests that BC is a precursor of a
      SC. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the existence of type I and II SC.
      The SC II are highly polarized and have an extensive trans-Golgi network that is
      rich in different granules and vesicles. Western blot analysis of bursa lysates
      revealed a 21-23 kDa compound (caveolin) and Filipin fluorescence histochemistry
      provided evidence for intracellular cholesterol. High amount of cholesterol in
      the feces shows the cholesterol efflux from SC II. The presence of Cav-1 and
      cholesterol in SC II indicates, that the bursa is a complex organ in addition to
      possessing immunological function contributes to the cholesterol homeostasis in
      the chickens.

PMID- 28914466
TI  - Supramolecular Hydro- and Ionogels: A Study of Their Properties and Antibacterial
      Activity.
AB  - Diimidazolium-based organic salts, bearing peptides or amino acids as anions have
      been synthesised and tested for their gelling ability in biocompatible solvents.
      These low molecular weight salts were successfully used as gelators in phosphate
      buffered saline (PBS) solution and ionic liquids. Then, the properties of the
      obtained soft materials were analysed in terms of melting temperature and gel
      strength as accounted for by rheological investigations. The gel-phase formation
      was studied by using UV/Vis and resonance light scattering measurements, whereas
      the morphology of the soft materials was analysed by using polarised optical
      microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. To get information about the
      organisation of the gelator in the gelatinous matrix, X-ray diffraction
      measurements were performed both on the neat gelators and their gels. The results
      collected show that the properties of the gel phases, like the thermal stability,
      the self-repairing ability, the resistance to flow as well as the morphology, are
      dependent on the nature of the anion. Furthermore, bioassays revealed that the
      obtained diimidazolium organic salts possessed antimicrobial activity, against
      gram-negative and gram-positive tester strains. In particular and noteworthy, the
      diimidazolium organic salts exert a bactericidal capability, which was retained
      even if they are included in the gel phase. Thus, a novel kind of bioactive soft
      material was obtained that could be fruitfully employed as a non-covalent coating
      exerting antibacterial capability.

PMID- 28914467
TI  - Cloning, expression pattern analysis, and subcellular localization of Capra
      hircus SCD1 gene with production of transgenic mice.
AB  - This study aimed to clone the Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) gene derived from
      Xuhuai goat (Capra hircus), and analyze the sub-cellular localization in cells
      and tissues. The cDNA was cloned by reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR). pEGFP-SCD1 vector was constructed to detect sub-cellular
      localization and tissue distribution. pEGFP-SCD1 was transfected into NIH-3T3
      cells using polyethylene imine (PEI) and observed under fluorescence inversion
      microscope system 48 h after transfection. The expression level of SCD1 was
      detected by RT-PCR. Testicular injection was used to produce transgenic mice with
      goat SCD1 gene. DNA and protein were extracted from the tail tissue of F1 mice.
      The expression of exogenous gene in the F1 generation was detected in both DNA
      and protein. The results showed that the coding sequence (CDS) fragments of C.
      hircus SCD1 gene was 1074 bp and encodes 360 amino acids. RT-PCR results showed
      that SCD1 could be expressed successfully in NIH-3T3 cells in vitro. Sub-cellular
      localization analysis showed that pEGFP-SCD1 fusion protein located in the
      cytoplasm. It can be concluded that transgenic mice with goat SCD1 expressed in
      sperm and tail tissue was successfully produced in the F1 mice generation.

PMID- 28914468
TI  - The toxic alpha-gliadin peptide 31-43 enters cells without a surface membrane
      receptor.
AB  - Alpha-gliadin peptide 31-43 is considered to be the main peptide responsible for
      the innate immune response in celiac disease patients. Recent evidence indicates
      that peptide 31-43 rapidly enters cells and interacts with the early endocytic
      vesicular compartment. However, the mechanism of its uptake is not completely
      understood. Our aim is to characterize, isolate and identify possible cell
      surface proteins involved in peptide 31-43 internalization by Caco-2 cells. In
      this study, we used a chemical cross-linker to block peptide 31-43 on cell
      surface proteins, and pulled-down peptide-proteins complexes using antibodies
      raised against peptide 31-43. Through this experimental approach, we did not
      observe any specific complex between cell proteins and peptide 31-43 in Coomassie
      stained denaturating gels or by Western blotting. We also found that type 2
      transglutaminase was not necessary for peptide 31-43 internalization, even though
      it had a regulatory role in the process. Finally, we demonstrated that peptide 31
      43 did not behave as a classical ligand, indeed the labeled peptide did not
      displace the unlabeled peptide in a competitive binding assay. On the basis of
      these findings and of previous evidence demonstrating that peptide 31-43 is able
      to interact with a membrane-like environment in vitro, we conclude that membrane
      composition and organization, rather than a specific receptor protein, may have a
      major role in peptide 31-43 internalization by cells.

PMID- 28914469
TI  - Morphology and Spelling in French: A Comparison of At-Risk Readers and Typically
      Developing Children.
AB  - We present two studies that examine the role of morphology in French spelling. In
      Study 1, we examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between
      inflectional awareness and derivational awareness and spelling within a sample of
      77 children in a French immersion programme in Canada. Children completed a non
      verbal reasoning measure and French measures of phonological awareness, word
      reading, vocabulary, morphological awareness, and spelling. Results showed that
      inflectional morphological awareness in Grade 3 was a predictor of spelling in
      the same grade. Inflectional awareness in Grade 2 predicted Grade 3 spelling,
      controlling for reading-related skills and spelling at Grade 2. These analyses
      support the role of inflectional morphological awareness in the development of
      spelling of children of a range of reading and spelling abilities. In contrast,
      derivational awareness in Grades 2 and 3 did not predict spelling concurrently in
      both grades respectively. Study 2 contrasted the morphological errors in the
      spellings of six children at risk for reading difficulties with those of six
      chronological age-matched and six reading level-matched children. Analyses showed
      that at-risk children exhibited more difficulties with spelling roots and
      suffixes in words as compared with their age-matched peers, although they
      performed similarly to children matched on reading level. Copyright (c) 2017 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28914470
TI  - Selective Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Ethanol on a Boron- and
      Nitrogen-Co-doped Nanodiamond.
AB  - Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to ethanol, a clean and renewable liquid fuel
      with high heating value, is an attractive strategy for global warming mitigation
      and resource utilization. However, converting CO2 to ethanol remains great
      challenge due to the low activity, poor product selectivity and stability of
      electrocatalysts. Here, the B- and N-co-doped nanodiamond (BND) was reported as
      an efficient and stable electrode for selective reduction of CO2 to ethanol. Good
      ethanol selectivity was achieved on the BND with high Faradaic efficiency of 93.2
      % (-1.0 V vs. RHE), which overcame the limitation of low selectivity for
      multicarbon or high heating value fuels. Its superior performance was mainly
      originated from the synergistic effect of B and N co-doping, high N content and
      overpotential for hydrogen evolution. The possible pathway for CO2 reduction
      revealed by DFT computation was CO2 ->*COOH->*CO->*COCO->*COCH2 OH->*CH2 OCH2 OH
      >CH3 CH2 OH.

PMID- 28914471
TI  - WASH overexpression enhances cancer stem cell properties and correlates with poor
      prognosis of esophageal carcinoma.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that cytoskeleton remodeling is involved in cancer
      progression. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) family represents a key
      regulator of actin cytoskeleton remodeling. However, the underlying mechanism of
      the WASP family in cancer progression remains elusive. Here, we studied the role
      of WASP and SCAR Homolog (WASH), a recently identified WASP family member, in
      human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Using three human ESCC cell
      lines, we found that WASH expression was significantly elevated in cancer stem
      like cells enriched by sphere formation assay. WASH knockdown decreased the
      sphere-forming capacity of esophageal cancer cells whereas WASH over-expression
      exhibited the opposite effect. Mechanistically, we identified interleukin-8 (IL
      8) as a key downstream target of WASH. IL-8 knockdown completely attenuated tumor
      sphere formation induced by WASH overexpression. WASH knockdown also delayed the
      growth of human ESCC xenografts in BALB/c nude mice. Importantly, high WASH
      levels were associated with poor clinical prognosis in a total of 145 human ESCC
      tissues. Collectively, our results suggest an essential role of the WASH/IL-8
      pathway in human ESCC by maintaining the stemness of cancer cells. Hence,
      targeting this pathway might represent a promising strategy to control human
      esophageal carcinoma.

PMID- 28914472
TI  - Imitation, Inspiration, and Creation: Cognitive Process of Creative Drawing by
      Copying Others' Artworks.
AB  - To investigate the cognitive processes underlying creative inspiration, we tested
      the extent to which viewing or copying prior examples impacted creative output in
      art. In Experiment 1, undergraduates made drawings under three conditions: (a)
      copying an artist's drawing, then producing an original drawing; (b) producing an
      original drawing without having seen another's work; and (c) copying another
      artist's work, then reproducing that artist's style independently. We discovered
      that through copying unfamiliar abstract drawings, participants were able to
      produce creative drawings qualitatively different from the model drawings.
      Process analyses suggested that participants' cognitive constraints became
      relaxed, and new perspectives were formed from copying another's artwork.
      Experiment 2 showed that exposure to styles of artwork considered unfamiliar
      facilitated creativity in drawing, while styles considered familiar did not do
      so. Experiment 3 showed that both copying and thoroughly viewing artwork executed
      using an unfamiliar style facilitated creativity in drawing, whereas merely
      thinking about alternative styles of artistic representation did not do so. These
      experiments revealed that deep encounters with unfamiliar artworks-whether
      through copying or prolonged observation-change people's cognitive
      representations of the act of drawing to produce novel artwork.

PMID- 28914473
TI  - Ethers on Si(001): A Prime Example for the Common Ground between Surface Science
      and Molecular Organic Chemistry.
AB  - By using computational chemistry it has been shown that the adsorption of ether
      molecules on Si(001) under ultrahigh vacuum conditions can be understood with
      classical concepts of organic chemistry. Detailed analysis of the two-step
      reaction mechanism-1) formation of a dative bond between the ether oxygen atom
      and a Lewis acidic surface atom and 2) nucleophilic attack of a nearby Lewis
      basic surface atom-shows that it mirrors acid-catalyzed ether cleavage in
      solution. The O-Si dative bond is the strongest of its kind, and the reactivity
      in step 2 defies the Bell-Evans-Polanyi principle. Electron rearrangement during
      C-O bond cleavage has been visualized with a newly developed method for analyzing
      bonding, which shows that the mechanism of nucleophilic substitutions on
      semiconductor surfaces is identical to molecular SN 2 reactions. Our findings
      illustrate how surface science and molecular chemistry can mutually benefit from
      each other and unexpected insight can be gained.

PMID- 28914474
TI  - Determination of net energy content of soybean oil fed to growing pigs using
      indirect calorimetry.
AB  - The objectives of this experiment were: (i) to determine the net energy (NE) of
      soybean oil (SBO) fed to growing pigs using indirect calorimetry (IC); and (ii)
      to evaluate the effects of inclusion rate of SBO on heat production, oxidative
      status and nutrient digestibility in growing pigs. Eighteen growing barrows were
      allotted to three diets based on completely randomized design with six replicate
      pigs (period) per diet. Diets included a corn-soybean meal basal diet and two
      test diets containing 5% or 10% SBO at the expense of corn and soybean meal.
      During each period, pigs were individually housed in metabolism crates for 14
      days, including 7 days to adapt to feed, metabolism crate and environmental
      conditions. On day 8, pigs were transferred to the open-circuit respiration
      chambers for measurement of daily O2 consumption and CO2 and CH4 production.
      During this time, pigs were fed one of the three diets at 2.4 MJ metabolizable
      energy/kg body weight (BW)0.6 /day. Total feces and urine were collected and
      daily total heat production (THP) was measured from days 9 to 13 and fasted on
      day 14 to evaluate their fasting heat production (FHP). The results show that
      trends of decreased apparent total tract digestibility of neutral detergent fiber
      (linear, P = 0.09) and acid detergent fiber (linear, P = 0.07) were observed as
      the content of dietary lipids increased. The average THP for the three diets were
      1326, 1208 and 1193 kJ/kg BW0.6 /day, respectively. The FHP of pigs averaged 843
      kJ/kg BW0.6 /day and was not affected by diet characteristics. A reduction of the
      respiratory quotients in the fed state as the inclusion level of SBO increased
      was observed. In conclusion, the NE values of SBO we determined by indirect
      calorimetry were 33.45 and 34.05 MJ/kg dry matter under two inclusion levels. THP
      could be largely reduced when SBO is added in the feed, but the THP of SBO
      included at 5% in a corn-soybean meal diet is not different from the THP of SBO
      included at 10%.

PMID- 28914475
TI  - The Predicament of the Probably Benign Breast MRI: Should We Rely on Intuition?

PMID- 28914476
TI  - Corrigendum: Digital Quantification of DNA Replication and Chromosome Segregation
      Enables Determination of Antimicrobial Susceptibility after only 15 Minutes of
      Antibiotic Exposure.

PMID- 28914477
TI  - Spotlights on our sister journals: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 39/2017.

PMID- 28914478
TI  - Mechanistic Insights into Cyclic Peptide Generation by DnaE Split-Inteins through
      Quantitative and Structural Investigation.
AB  - Inteins carry out protein-splicing reactions, which are used in protein
      chemistry, protein engineering and biotechnological applications. Rearrangement
      of the order of the domains in split-inteins results in head-to-tail cyclisation
      of the target sequence, which can be used for genetic encoding and expression of
      libraries of cyclic peptides (CPs). The efficiency of the splicing reaction
      depends on the target sequence. Here we used mass spectrometry to assess in vivo
      cyclic peptide formation from different hexameric target sequences by the DnaE
      split-inteins from Synechocystis sp. and Nostoc punctiforme, revealing a strong
      impact of the target sequence and of the intein on the intracellular peptide
      concentration. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structures of their pre
      splicing complexes, which allowed us to identify F-block Asp17 as crucial for the
      DnaE-mediated splicing reaction.

PMID- 28914479
TI  - A Freestanding Selenium Disulfide Cathode Based on Cobalt Disulfide-Decorated
      Multichannel Carbon Fibers with Enhanced Lithium Storage Performance.
AB  - SeS2 shows attractive advantages beyond bare S and Se as a cathode material for
      lithium storage. Here, a freestanding lotus root-like carbon fiber network
      decorated with CoS2 nanoparticles (denoted as CoS2 @LRC) has been designed and
      prepared as the SeS2 host for enhancing the lithium storage performance. The
      integrated electrode is constructed by three-dimensional interconnected
      multichannel carbon fibers, which can not only accommodate high content of SeS2
      (70 wt %), but also promise excellent electron and ion transport for achieving
      high capacity utilization of 1015 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 . What is more, there are
      numerous CoS2 nanoparticles decorated all over the inner walls and surfaces of
      the carbon fibers, providing efficient sulfiphilic sites for restricting the
      dissolution of polysulfides and polyselenides during the electrochemical
      processes, thus successfully suppressing the shuttle effect and maintaining
      excellent cycling stability over 400 cycles at 0.5 A g-1 .

PMID- 28914480
TI  - Wireless Electrochemical Actuation of Conducting Polymers.
AB  - Electrochemical actuation of conducting polymers usually requires a direct
      connection to an electric power supply. In this contribution, we suggest to
      overcome this issue by using the concept of bipolar electrochemistry. This allows
      changing the oxidation state of the polymer in a gradual and wireless way. Free
      standing polypyrrole films were synthesized with an intrinsic morphological
      asymmetry of their two faces in order to form a bilayer structure. Immersing such
      objects in an electrolyte solution and exposing them to a potential gradient
      leads to the asymmetric oxidation/reduction of the polymer, resulting in
      differential shrinking and swelling along the main axis. This additional
      asymmetry is responsible for a structural deformation. Optimization allowed
      highly efficient bending, which is expected to open up completely new directions
      in the field of actuation due to the wireless mode of action.

PMID- 28914481
TI  - Boron and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots as a sensitive fluorescent probe for the
      detection of curcumin.
AB  - In this present study, a fluorescent probe was developed to detect curcumin,
      which is derived from the rhizomes of the turmeric. We used a simple and
      economical way to synthesize boron and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (BNCDs) by
      microwave heating. The maximum emission wavelength of the BNCDs was 450 nm at an
      excitation wavelength of 360 nm. The as-prepared BNCDs were characterized by
      multiple analytical techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. The
      synthesized carbon nanoparticles had an average particle diameter of 4.23 nm. The
      BNCDs exhibited high sensitivity to the detection of curcumin at ambient
      conditions. The changes of BNCDs fluorescent intensity show a good linear
      relationship with the curcumin concentrations in the range 0.2-12.5 MUM. This
      proposed method has been successfully applied to detect the curcumin in urine
      samples with the recoveries of 96.5-105.5%.

PMID- 28914483
TI  - The Thermodynamic Basis of the Fuzzy Interaction of an Intrinsically Disordered
      Protein.
AB  - Many intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP) that fold upon binding retain
      conformational heterogeneity in IDP-target complexes. The thermodynamics of such
      fuzzy interactions is poorly understood. Herein we introduce a thermodynamic
      framework, based on analysis of ITC and CD spectroscopy data, that provides
      experimental descriptions of IDP association in terms of folding and binding
      contributions which can be predicted using sequence folding propensities and
      molecular modeling. We show how IDP can modulate the entropy and enthalpy by
      adapting their bound-state structural ensemble to achieve optimal binding. This
      is explained in terms of a free-energy landscape that provides the relationship
      between free-energy, sequence folding propensity, and disorder. The observed
      "fuzzy" behavior is possible because of IDP flexibility and also because backbone
      and side-chain interactions are, to some extent, energetically decoupled allowing
      IDP to minimize energetically unfavorable folding.

PMID- 28914484
TI  - Fluorine Effects on Group Migration via a Rhodium(V) Nitrenoid Intermediate.
AB  - An unprecedented rhodium(III)-catalyzed hydroarylation of alpha,alpha
      difluoromethylene alkynes with N-pivaloxyl aroylamides through sequential C-H
      activation and aryl migration is detailed herein. A large array of alpha,alpha
      difluoromethylene alkynes and N-pivaloxyl aryl amides were amenable to this
      transformation, thus providing a novel synthetic protocol for the construction of
      difluorinated 2-alkenyl aniline derivatives in high yields and with excellent
      regioselectivity. Notably, unique fluorine effects were found to underlie the
      thus unconventional reaction manifold.

PMID- 28914485
TI  - Match of psychosocial risk and psychosocial care in families of a child with
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) was developed to screen for
      psychosocial risk, aimed to be supportive in directing psychosocial care to
      families of a child with cancer. This study aimed to determine (i) the match
      between PAT risk score and provided psychosocial care with healthcare
      professionals blind to outcome of PAT assessment, and (ii) the match between PAT
      risk score and team risk estimation. METHODS: Eighty-three families of children
      with cancer from four pediatric oncology centers in the Netherlands participated
      (59% response rate). The PAT and team risk estimation was assessed at diagnosis
      (M = 40.2 days, SD = 14.1 days), and the content of provided psychosocial care in
      the 5-month period thereafter resulting in basic or specialized care. RESULTS:
      According to the PAT, 65% of families were defined as having low (universal), 30%
      medium (targeted), and 5% high (clinical) risk for developing psychosocial
      problems. Thirty percent of patients from universal group got basic psychosocial
      care, 63% got specialized care, and 7% did not get any care. Fourteen percent of
      the families at risk got basic care, 86% got specialized care. Team risk
      estimations and PAT risk scores matched with 58% of the families. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study showed that families at risk, based on standardized risk assessment
      with the PAT, received more specialized care than families without risk. However,
      still 14% of the families with high risks only received basic care, and 63% of
      the families with standard risk got specialized care. Standardized risk
      assessment can be used as part of comprehensive care delivery, complementing the
      team.

PMID- 28914486
TI  - A Systematic Structure-Activity Study of a New Type of Small Peptidic
      Transfection Vector Reveals the Importance of a Special Oxo-Anion-Binding Motif
      for Gene Delivery.
AB  - We discovered a new class of artificial peptidic transfection vectors based on an
      artificial anion-binding motif, the guanidiniocarbonylpyrrole (GCP) cation. This
      new type of vector is surprisingly smaller than traditional systems, and our
      previous work suggested that the GCP group was important for promoting critical
      endosomal escape. We now present here a systematic comparison of similar DNA
      ligands featuring our GCP oxo-anion-binding motif with DNA ligands only
      consisting of naturally occurring amino acids. Structure-activity studies showed
      that the artificial binding motif clearly outperformed natural amino acids such
      as histidine, lysine, and arginine. It improved the ability to shuttle foreign
      genetic material into cells, yet successfully mediated endosomal escape. Also,
      plasmids that were complexed by our artificial ligands were stabilized against
      cytosolic degradation to some extent. This resulted in the successful expression
      of plasmid information (comparable to gold standards such as polyethyleneimine).
      Hence, our study clearly demonstrates the importance of the tailor-made GCP anion
      binding site for efficient gene transfection.

PMID- 28914487
TI  - Illness Perceptions Explain the Variance in Functional Disability, but Not
      Habitual Physical Activity, in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Cross
      Sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although the importance of psychosocial factors has been
      highlighted in many studies in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), there
      is a lack of research examining the role of illness perceptions in explaining
      functional disability and physical activity in patients with CLBP. AIM: The aim
      of the study was to explore the value of illness perceptions in explaining
      functional disability and physical activity in patients with CLBP. METHODS:
      Eighty-four participants with CLBP (of > 3 months' duration) completed a battery
      of questionnaires investigating psychosocial factors (Pain Catastrophizing Scale
      [PCS], Illness Perceptions Questionnaire Revised [IPQ-R], and 36-Item Short Form
      mental health scale [SF-36_MH]) and perceived pain intensity (visual analog scale
      [VAS]), as well as the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Baecke questionnaire.
      The latter 2 were entered separately as dependent variables in a regression
      analysis. RESULTS: The combined variables (VAS, PCS, SF-36_MH, IPQ-R) accounted
      for 62% of the variance in functional disability (ODI). Adding the results of the
      IPQ-R to the scores of the other 3 variables (VAS, PCS, SF-36_MH) significantly
      increased the explained variance of ODI scores in CLBP patients, yielding 18%
      additional information (P < 0.01). Only 5% of the variance in the Baecke
      questionnaire was explained by combining the 4 variables. None of the single
      variables alone made a significant contribution to R2. CONCLUSIONS: Illness
      perceptions are an important factor for explaining functional disability, but not
      for explaining habitual physical activity in CLBP patients.

PMID- 28914488
TI  - A Hebrew adaptation of the tinnitus functional index.

PMID- 28914489
TI  - Responses of microbial decomposers to drought in streams may depend on the
      environmental context.
AB  - A consequence of drought in streams is the emersion of decomposing leaf litter,
      which may alter organic matter recycling. We assessed the effects of emersion on
      decomposition of black poplar leaves and associated microbes (microbial biomass,
      extracellular enzyme activities and microbial diversity) in two streams with
      distinct characteristics, in particular nutrients, temperature and oxygen levels.
      Leaf decomposition rates, fungal biomass and extracellular enzyme activities were
      lower in the most impacted stream (high nutrients and temperature, low oxygen).
      Also, the structure of fungal and bacterial communities differed between streams.
      Emersion strongly affected all microbial functional measures. Leaf decomposition,
      fungal biomass and extracellular enzyme activities were more sensitive at the
      most pristine site, while fungal reproduction and bacterial biomass production
      were more affected by emersion at the most impacted stream. Microbial community
      structure was strongly altered after emersion. Although similar effects on leaf
      associated microbes were found in both streams, functional responses to emersion
      differed probably as a consequence of different initial microbial communities
      with different sensitivity to the drying stress. Our study highlights the need of
      understanding the effects of drought in streams suffering from different
      environmental perturbations, since responses to emersion appear to depend on the
      environmental context.

PMID- 28914490
TI  - A Catalytic Microwave Process for Superfast Preparation of High-Quality Reduced
      Graphene Oxide.
AB  - Herein we report that a small amount of graphite can unexpectedly act as the
      catalyst to greatly promote the microwave exfoliation and reduction of graphite
      oxide in ambient air. The reaction can be finished in a few seconds in contrast
      to more than ten minutes without catalyst. The catalytic microwave exfoliated
      graphite oxide (CMEGO) is of higher quality than the traditional microwave
      exfoliated graphite oxide, including a much higher exfoliation degree with
      thinner graphene sheets and higher specific surface area (886 m2  g-1 vs. 466 m2 
      g-1 ), a much larger C/O ratio (19.4 vs. 6.3) and a higher lattice crystallinity,
      as well as significantly improved electrical conductivity (53180 S m-1 vs. 5140 S
      m-1 ). The CMEGO is used as anode for lithium-ion battery (LIB) and sodium-ion
      battery (SIB), and delivers ultrahigh reversible capacities, remarkable rate
      capabilities, and superior cycling stabilities in both LIB and SIB.

PMID- 28914491
TI  - nirS-type denitrifying bacterial assemblages respond to environmental conditions
      of a shallow estuary.
AB  - Molecular analysis of dissimilatory nitrite reductase genes (nirS) was conducted
      using a customized microarray containing 165 nirS probes (archetypes) to identify
      members of sedimentary denitrifying communities. The goal of this study was to
      examine denitrifying community responses to changing environmental variables over
      spatial and temporal scales in the New River Estuary (NRE), NC, USA. Multivariate
      statistical analyses revealed three denitrifier assemblages and uncovered
      'generalist' and 'specialist' archetypes based on the distribution of archetypes
      within these assemblages. Generalists, archetypes detected in all samples during
      at least one season, were commonly world-wide found in estuarine and marine
      ecosystems, comprised 8%-29% of the abundant NRE archetypes. Archetypes found in
      a particular site, 'specialists', were found to co-vary based on site specific
      conditions. Archetypes specific to the lower estuary in winter were designated
      Cluster I and significantly correlated by sediment Chl a and porewater Fe2+ . A
      combination of specialist and more widely distributed archetypes formed Clusters
      II and III, which separated based on salinity and porewater H2 S respectively.
      The co-occurrence of archetypes correlated with different environmental
      conditions highlights the importance of habitat type and niche differentiation
      among nirS-type denitrifying communities and supports the essential role of
      individual community members in overall ecosystem function.

PMID- 28914492
TI  - Bacterial aetiology of recalcitrant acute otitis media in 62 children-high risk
      of pathogen colonisation after treatment.

PMID- 28914493
TI  - Rethinking ethnicity, fetal growth and customised charts.

PMID- 28914494
TI  - Sketching Biological Phenomena and Mechanisms.
AB  - In many fields of biology, both the phenomena to be explained and the mechanisms
      proposed to explain them are commonly presented in diagrams. Our interest is in
      how scientists construct such diagrams. Researchers begin with evidence,
      typically developed experimentally and presented in data graphs. To arrive at a
      robust diagram of the phenomenon or the mechanism, they must integrate a variety
      of data to construct a single, coherent representation. This process often begins
      as the researchers create a first sketch, and it continues over an extended
      period as they revise the sketch until they arrive at a diagram they find
      acceptable. We illustrate this process by examining the sketches developed in the
      course of two research projects directed at understanding the generation of
      circadian rhythms in cyanobacteria. One identified a new aspect of the phenomenon
      itself, whereas the other aimed to develop a new mechanistic account. In both
      cases, the research resulted in a paper in which the conclusion was presented in
      a diagram that the authors deemed adequate to convey it. These diagrams violate
      some of the normative "cognitive design principles" advanced by cognitive
      scientists as constraints on successful visual communication. We suggest that
      scientists' sketching is instead governed by norms of success that are broadly
      explanatory: conveying the phenomenon or mechanism.

PMID- 28914495
TI  - Acculturation-based family conflict: A validation of Asian American Family
      Conflict Scale among Chinese Americans.
AB  - Acculturation-based family conflicts can influence parent-child relationships and
      children's development among immigrant families. The Asian American Family
      Conflict Scale (AAFCS) was developed to measure conflicting practices and values
      between parents and children in the context of acculturation. Given that
      considerable cultural and institutional changes have taken place in original
      countries for the Chinese immigrant population, it is important to investigate
      whether the factor structure of the AAFCS is appropriate for measuring the
      attitudes and practices of acculturation among the current Chinese immigrant
      population. A sample of Chinese American immigrant parents (n = 269) from the
      Survey of Asian American Families was employed to conduct exploratory factor
      analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The principal-axis
      factoring method of EFA was used to determine the factor structure of the AAFCS,
      followed by the weighted least squares means and variance estimation in CFA to
      assess the fitness of the measurement model. A nine-item one-factor model
      (without the first item regarding decision making) was suggested by EFA with all
      factor loadings greater than .45. CFA results indicated a good fit of the nine
      item one-factor model: chi2 (27, 296) = 40.24, p < .05, root-mean-square error of
      approximation = .04, 90% CI [.00, .07], comparative fit index = .99, Tucker-Lewis
      index = .99. The validation of the AAFCS is useful for practitioners and
      researchers to better assess the outcomes of acculturation conflicts among
      Chinese immigrants who are adjusting to living in the United States. This study
      can inform social work practitioners in regards to cultural sensitivity and
      cultural competency when working with Chinese immigrants and their U.S.-born
      children.

PMID- 28914496
TI  - Silver Thiolate Nano-sized Molecular Clusters and Their Supramolecular Covalent
      Frameworks: An Approach Toward Pre-templated Synthesis.
AB  - A series of seven new complexes including silver-thiolate molecular clusters and
      their covalent supramolecular frameworks have been assembled from the silver
      carbide precursor Ag2 C2 using a C22- pre-templated approach. Herein, two
      prototype clusters Ag14 (SR)6 and CO3 @Agm (SR)10 (R=isopropyl, cyclohexyl or
      tert-butyl; m=18 or 20) are employed to construct cluster-based metal-organic
      frameworks of different dimensions. In particular, both new ellipsoidal
      tetradecanuclear molecular cluster compounds, namely, Ag14 (S-iPr)6 (CO2 CF3 )8
      ?(DMSO)6 (two polymorphic forms 1, 2) and [Ag14 (S-Cy)6 (CO2 CF3 )8 (DMSO)4
      ]?(DMSO)3 (3), and a cluster-based metal-organic framework {Ag3 [Ag14 (S-iPr)6
      (CO2 CF3 )11 (H2 O)3 CH3 OH]?(H2 O)2.5 }n (4) have been isolated and structurally
      characterized. Furthermore, increased acidity of the reaction mixture afforded
      three carboxylate-templated cluster based frameworks: a chain-like compound
      {[HN(CH3 )2 CO]?[CO3 @Ag18 (S-tBu)10 (NO3 )7 (DMF)4 ]?DMF}n (5), as well as two
      layer-type compounds, namely, {Ag[CO3 @Ag20 (S-iPr)10 (CO2 CF3 )9 (CO2 HCF3 )(CH3
      OH)2 ]}n (6) and {Ag2 [CO3 @Ag20 (S-Cy)10 (CO2 CF3 )10 (CO2 HCF3 )2 (H2 O)2 ]?(H2
      O)3 ?(CH3 OH)3 }n (7) exhibiting sql-net characteristics. It is demonstrated that
      the C=C2- pre-template, which draws several Ag+ ions together to form the C2 @Agn
      entity, plays an indispensable role in the syntheses of these compounds.
      Furthermore, covalent linkage of these nano-sized silver thiolate clusters from
      one- to three-dimensions revealed enormous potential for the future development
      of silver cluster-based frameworks.

PMID- 28914497
TI  - Fuel Production from Seawater and Fuel Cells Using Seawater.
AB  - Seawater is the most abundant resource on our planet and fuel production from
      seawater has the notable advantage that it would not compete with growing demands
      for pure water. This Review focuses on the production of fuels from seawater and
      their direct use in fuel cells. Electrolysis of seawater under appropriate
      conditions affords hydrogen and dioxygen with 100 % faradaic efficiency without
      oxidation of chloride. Photoelectrocatalytic production of hydrogen from seawater
      provides a promising way to produce hydrogen with low cost and high efficiency.
      Microbial solar cells (MSCs) that use biofilms produced in seawater can generate
      electricity from sunlight without additional fuel because the products of
      photosynthesis can be utilized as electrode reactants, whereas the electrode
      products can be utilized as photosynthetic reactants. Another important source
      for hydrogen is hydrogen sulfide, which is abundantly found in Black Sea deep
      water. Hydrogen produced by electrolysis of Black Sea deep water can also be used
      in hydrogen fuel cells. Production of a fuel and its direct use in a fuel cell
      has been made possible for the first time by a combination of photocatalytic
      production of hydrogen peroxide from seawater and dioxygen in the air and its
      direct use in one-compartment hydrogen peroxide fuel cells to obtain electric
      power.

PMID- 28914498
TI  - Shared temptations: An fMRI study of dishonest profit maximization.
AB  - A single case of a tempting-decision task involving financial gain is reported.
      The subject showed a prosocial Social Value Orientation and applied a profit
      maximizing strategy. Differential brain activation patterns for self-serving and
      other-serving decisions were observed. Results provide new insight into the
      design of paradigms on bounded ethicality and self- and group-serving behavior.

PMID- 28914499
TI  - Copy number variants of Ras/MAPK pathway genes in patients with isolated
      cryptorchidism.
AB  - Cryptorchidism is the most common congenital disorder in boys, but the cause for
      most cases remains unknown. Patients with Noonan Syndrome are characterized by a
      typical face, growth retardation, congenital heart defects, learning disabilities
      and cryptorchidism. Copy number variations of Ras/MAPK pathway genes are unusual
      in patients with several clinical features of Noonan Syndrome; however, they have
      not been studied in patients with only one feature of this condition, such as
      cryptorchidism. Our aim was to determine whether patients with isolated
      cryptorchidism exhibit Ras/MAPK pathway gene copy number variations (CNVs). Fifty
      nine patients with isolated cryptorchidism and negative for mutations in genes
      associated with Noonan Syndrome were recruited. Determination of Ras/MAPK pathway
      gene CNVs was performed by Comparative Genome Hybridization array. A CNV was
      identified in two individuals, a ~175 kb microduplication at 3p25.2, partially
      including RAF1. A similar RAF1 microduplication has been observed in a patient
      with testicular aplasia. This suggests that some patients with isolated
      cryptorchidism may harbor Ras/MAPK pathway gene CNVs.

PMID- 28914501
TI  - Andrology of male-to-female transsexuals: influence of cross-sex hormone therapy
      on testicular function.
AB  - Patients with gender dysphoria are offered cross-sex hormone therapy and sex
      reassignment surgery to achieve the transition between the sex assigned at birth
      and gender identity. According to international guidelines, cross-sex hormone
      therapy in trans-women should lead to a psychologically and physiologically
      healthy body with feminized serum hormone levels, resulting in suppression of
      spermatogenesis. However, in a recently published multi-center study, we
      discovered a high proportion of patients with male serum hormone levels and
      qualitatively intact spermatogenesis on the day of sex reassignment surgery. The
      objective of this study was to review the content of 11 publications that focus
      on the influence of cross-sex hormone therapy on testicular morphology. These
      publications were identified based on a PubMed search for the key words
      transgender/transsexual/gender dysphoria in male-to-female persons, cross-sex
      hormone therapy, and testicular tissues. Whereas three publications described a
      marked reduction of the spermatogenic level in all patients examined, eight
      publications reported inconsistent results. Histological analyses showed highly
      variable outcomes from qualitatively normal spermatogenesis and undisturbed
      Leydig/Sertoli cell morphology to full testicular regression with severe cellular
      damage and hyalinization. Explanations for these heterogeneous findings include
      insufficient cross-sex hormone therapy regarding dosage or duration. As complete
      spermatogenesis is associated with virilized serum hormone levels, these patients
      may face challenges especially after sex reassignment surgery in adjusting to the
      abruptly established hypogonadal state following removal of the testes. These
      findings also suggest that contraception should be discussed, and fertility
      preservation should be offered during/prior to cross-sex hormone therapy. There
      is a need for more individualized and better-controlled cross-sex hormone therapy
      and post-treatment regimens. Evidence-based guidelines for attending clinicians
      need to be established in order to deliver the most appropriate care.

PMID- 28914502
TI  - Probiotics to improve testicular function (Andrology 5:439-444, 2017) - a comment
      on mechanism of action and therapeutic potential of probiotics beyond
      reproduction.

PMID- 28914500
TI  - Comprehensive proteomics analysis of exosomes derived from human seminal plasma.
AB  - Exosomes are membranous nanovesicles of endocytic origin that carry and transfer
      regulatory bioactive molecules and mediate intercellular communication between
      cells and tissues. Although seminal exosomes have been identified in human
      seminal plasma, their exact composition and possible physiologic function remain
      unknown. The objective of this study was to perform a comprehensive proteomics
      analysis of exosomes derived from human seminal plasma. Seminal exosomes were
      isolated and purified from 12 healthy donors using a 30% sucrose cushion-based
      exosome-isolation protocol, followed by characterization by western blot,
      transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis before
      performing extensive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry proteomics
      analysis. The identified proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics analysis, and
      seminal exosomes-associated proteins were selectively validated by western blot.
      A total of 1474 proteins were identified in all seminal exosomes samples, with
      Gene Ontology analysis demonstrating that these identified seminal exosomes
      associated proteins were mostly linked to 'exosomes,' 'cytoplasm,' and 'cytosol.'
      Bioinformatics analysis indicated that these proteins were mainly involved in
      biologic processes, including metabolism, energy pathways, protein metabolism,
      cell growth and maintenance, and transport. Of these identified proteins, PHGDH,
      LGALS3BP, SEMG1, ACTB, GAPDH, and the exosomal-marker protein ALIX were validated
      by western blot. This study provided a more comprehensive description of the
      seminal exosomes proteome and could also be a resource for further screening of
      biomarkers and comparative proteomics studies, including those associated with
      male infertility and prostate cancer.

PMID- 28914503
TI  - Testosterone therapy preserves muscle strength and power in aging men with type 2
      diabetes-a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether testosterone replacement therapy
      improves muscle mechanical and physical function in addition to increasing lean
      leg mass and total lean body mass in aging men with type 2 diabetes and lowered
      bio-available testosterone (BioT) levels. Thirty-nine men aged 50-70 years with
      type 2 diabetes and BioT levels <7.3 nmol/L were included from an academic
      tertiary-care medical center. Patients were randomized to testosterone gel
      (testosterone replacement therapy, n = 20) or placebo (n = 19) for 24 weeks,
      applying a double-blinded design. Muscle mechanical function was assessed by
      Nottingham Leg Rig (leg extension power) and isokinetic dynamometry (knee
      extensor maximal isometric contraction, rate of force development (RFD100),
      maximal dynamic contraction (Dyn180)). Physical function was assessed by gait
      speed. Body composition was assessed by whole body dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry (total lean body mass, lean leg mass, total fat mass, leg fat
      mass). Levels of total testosterone (TotalT), BioT, free testosterone (FreeT),
      and sex hormone-binding globulin were measured from fasting blood samples.
      Coefficients (b) represent the placebo-controlled mean effect of intervention.
      Maximal isometric contraction (b = 18.4 Nm, p = 0.039), RFD100 (b = 195.0 Nm/s, p
      = 0.017) and Dyn180 (b = 10.2 Nm, p = 0.019) increased during testosterone
      replacement therapy compared with placebo. No changes were observed in leg power
      or gait speed. Total lean body mass (b = 1.9 kg, p = 0.001) and lean leg mass (b
      = 0.5 kg, p < 0.001) increased, while total fat mass (b = -1.3 kg, p = 0.009) and
      leg fat mass (b = -0.7 kg, p = 0.025) decreased during testosterone replacement
      therapy compared with placebo. Total T (b = 14.5 nmol/L, p = 0.056), BioT (b =
      7.6 nmol/L, p = 0.046), and FreeT (b = 0.32 nmol/L, p = 0.046) increased during
      testosterone replacement therapy compared with placebo, while sex hormone-binding
      globulin (n = -2 nmol/L, p = 0.030) decreased. Knee extensor muscle mechanical
      function was preserved, and body composition improved substantially during
      testosterone replacement therapy for 24 weeks compared with placebo, whereas
      physical function (gait speed) was unchanged in aging men with type 2 diabetes
      and lowered BioT levels.

PMID- 28914519
TI  - Inadequate hand-off communication.

PMID- 28914520
TI  - Where Have All the Babies Gone?

PMID- 28914521
TI  - Health Care In and Out of Prison.

PMID- 28914522
TI  - Nanozyme-Mediated Dual Immunoassay Integrated with Smartphone for Use in
      Simultaneous Detection of Pathogens.
AB  - Nanozymes are an excellent class of optical reporters for the development of
      sensitive biosensors for widespread applications. In this study, mesoporous core
      shell palladium@platinum (Pd@Pt) nanoparticles were synthesized and then applied
      as signal amplifier in a dual lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) and integrated with
      a smartphone-based device for use in simultaneous detection of Salmonella
      Enteritidis and Escherichia coli O157:H7. After optimization, the limit of
      detections were calculated to be ~20 cfu/mL for S. Enteritidis and ~34 cfu/mL for
      E. coli O157:H7, respectively. The greatly improved sensitivity was contributed
      by the peroxidase-like catalytic activity of the Pd@Pt nanoparticles for signal
      enhancement and the parallel design of dual detection for eliminating the cross
      interference. The estimated recoveries of the dual LFIA range from 91.44 to
      117.00%, which indicated that the developed method is capable of detecting live
      bacteria in food samples. This approach provides an attractive platform for S.
      Enteritidis and E. coli O157:H7 detection using a smartphone-based device as the
      sole piece of equipment, indicating great promise for foodborne pathogen analysis
      or in-field food safety tracking.

PMID- 28914523
TI  - Aqueous Processing of Na0.44MnO2 Cathode Material for the Development of Greener
      Na-Ion Batteries.
AB  - The implementation of aqueous electrode processing of cathode materials is a key
      for the development of greener Na-ion batteries. Herein, the development and
      optimization of the aqueous electrode processing for the ecofriendly Na0.44MnO2
      (NMO) cathode material, employing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as binder, are
      reported for the first time. The characterization of such an electrode reveals
      that the performances are strongly affected by the employed electrolyte solution,
      especially, the sodium salt and the use of electrolyte's additives. In
      particular, the best results are obtained using the 1 M solution of NaPF6 in
      EC/DEC (ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate) 3:7 (v/v) + 2 wt % FEC
      (fluoroethylene carbonate). With this electrolyte, the outstanding capacity of
      99.7 mA h g-1 is delivered by the CMC-NMO cathode after 800 cycles at a 1C
      charge/discharge rate. On the basis of this excellent long-term performance, a
      full sodium cell, composed of a CMC-based NMO cathode and hard carbon from
      biowaste (corn cob), has been assembled and tested. The cell delivers excellent
      performances in terms of specific capacity, capacity retention, and long-term
      cycling stability. After 75 cycles at a C/5 rate, the capacity of the NMO in the
      full-cell approaches 109 mA h g-1 with a Coulombic efficiency of 99.9%.

PMID- 28914524
TI  - Templated and Catalytic Fabrication of N-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon-Carbon
      Nanotube Hybrids as Host for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.
AB  - Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon and carbon nanotube hybrids (N-HPC
      CNTs) are fabricated by simple pyrolysis of the N-rich raw material melamine
      formaldehyde (MF) resin in the presence of nano-CaCO3 and a bimetallic
      combination of Fe-Co catalyst. During carbonization, nano-CaCO3 acts as a
      template for creating a hierarchical porous carbon, and the N atoms originated
      from MF resin are in situ doped into the carbon matrix simultaneously. Meanwhile,
      volatile gases generated by the thermal decomposition of MF resin could serve as
      carbon and nitrogen sources to grow nitrogen-doped CNTs on HPC. The growth
      mechanism is the same as that for conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
      growth of CNTs on the metal catalysts, but the technological requirements are
      obviously not as harsh as those for the CVD method. Low-cost raw materials and
      simple equipment are sufficient for the growth. Moreover, the density and length
      of the CNTs are tunable, which can be simply adjusted via applying different
      amounts of Fe-Co catalysts. Such an N-doped hybrid structured carbon with
      mesopores can not only effectively prompt the physical and chemical adsorption of
      polysulfides but also ensures a fast electron transfer because of the
      incorporation of CNTs, which provides sufficient conducting pathways and
      effective connections between the CNTs and HPC. Furthermore, CNTs grown on HPC
      can act as physical barriers to block the large pores on HPC, thereby reducing
      the polysulfide loss. Benefiting from the advantages, the N-HPC-CNT hybrids are a
      desirable host prospect for Li-S batteries.

PMID- 28914525
TI  - Two Distinct Polymorphic Folding States of Self-Assembly of the Non-amyloid-beta
      Component Differ in the Arrangement of the Residues.
AB  - Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It
      is characterized by presence of Lewy bodies (LBs), in which the main components
      of the LBs are alpha-synuclein (AS) aggregates. The central domain of AS, known
      as the "non-amyloid-beta component" (NAC) is responsible for the aggregation
      properties of AS. It is proposed that AS fibrillar structure is a well-packed
      cross-beta structure of the NAC domains, while the N- and C-termini are
      disordered. Therefore, the study of the self-assembly of NAC domains is crucial
      in order to understand the molecular mechanisms of AS aggregation. This is a
      first study that illustrates two distinct polymorphic folding states of NAC that
      differ in the arrangement of the residues along the sequence. One of the
      polymorphic folding states reveals a conformational change that is similar to the
      other polymorphic folding state in the backbone shape but differs in the
      arrangement of the residues along the backbone. This work provides insight into
      the molecular mechanisms through which AS can self-assembled in two different
      pathways yielding a conformational change between the two polymorphic folding
      states.

PMID- 28914526
TI  - g-C3N4/TiO2 Mesocrystals Composite for H2 Evolution under Visible-Light
      Irradiation and Its Charge Carrier Dynamics.
AB  - The photocatalytic performance of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been
      limited to low efficiency due to fast charge recombination. Here, we constructed
      g-C3N4 nanosheets/TiO2 mesocrystals metal-free composite (g-C3N4 NS/TMC) to
      promote the efficiency of charge separation. The photocatalytic H2 evolution
      experiments indicate that coupling g-C3N4 NS with TMC increases photogenerated
      charge carriers in g-C3N4 NS/TMC composite due to efficient charge separation. g
      C3N4 NS (31 wt %)/TMC shows the highest photocatalytic activity and the
      corresponding H2 evolution rate is 3.6 MU mol h-1. This value is 20 times larger
      than that of g-C3N4 NS without any noble metal cocatalyst under visible-light
      irradiation (lambda > 420 nm). The photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 NS/TMC (3.6
      MUmol h-1) is 7 times higher than that of g-C3N4 NS/P25 (0.5 MU mol h-1),
      confirming the importance of strong interface interaction between two-dimensional
      g-C3N4 NS and plate-shape TMC. Femtosecond time-resolved diffuse reflectance (fs
      TDR) was employed to study the fundamental photophysical processes of bulk g
      C3N4, g-C3N4 NS, and g-C3N4/TMC composite which are essential to explain the
      photocatalytic activity. Using fs-TDR, we demonstrate that the photocatalytic
      activity depends on the increased driving force for photoinduced electron
      transfer and a higher percentage of photogenerated charges.

PMID- 28914527
TI  - Locally Induced Adipose Tissue Browning by Microneedle Patch for Obesity
      Treatment.
AB  - Obesity is one of the most serious public health problems in the 21st century
      that may lead to many comorbidities such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular
      diseases, and cancer. Current treatments toward obesity including diet, physical
      exercise, pharmacological therapy, as well as surgeries are always associated
      with low effectiveness or undesired systematical side effects. In order to
      enhance treatment efficiency with minimized side effects, we developed a
      transcutaneous browning agent patch to locally induce adipose tissue
      transformation. This microneedle-based patch can effectively deliver browning
      agents to the subcutaneous adipocytes in a sustained manner and switch on the
      "browning" at the targeted region. It is demonstrated that this patch reduces
      treated fat pad size, increases whole body energy expenditure, and improves type
      2 diabetes in vivo in a diet-induced obesity mouse model.

PMID- 28914528
TI  - Inhibition of Human and Rat Sucrase and Maltase Activities To Assess Antiglycemic
      Potential: Optimization of the Assay Using Acarbose and Polyphenols.
AB  - : We optimized the assays used to measure inhibition of rat and human alpha
      glucosidases (sucrase and maltase activities), intestinal enzymes which catalyze
      the final steps of carbohydrate digestion. Cell-free extracts from fully
      differentiated intestinal Caco-2/TC7 monolayers were shown to be a suitable
      source of sucrase-isomaltase, with the same sequence as human small intestine,
      and were compared to a rat intestinal extract. The kinetic conditions of the
      assay were optimized, including comparison of enzymatic and chromatographic
      methods to detect the monosaccharide products. Human sucrase activity was more
      susceptible than the rat enzyme to inhibition by acarbose (IC50 (concentration
      required for 50% inhibition) = 2.5 +/- 0.5 and 12.3 +/- 0.6 MUM, respectively),
      by a polyphenol-rich green tea extract, and by pure (-)-epigallocatechin gallate
      (EGCG) (IC50 = 657 +/- 150 and 950 +/- 86 MUM respectively). In contrast, the
      reverse was observed when assessing maltase activity (e.g. , EGCG: IC50 = 677 +/-
      241 and 14.0 +/- 2.0 MUM for human and rat maltase, respectively). 5
      Caffeoylquinic acid did not significantly inhibit maltase and was only a very
      weak inhibitor of sucrase. The data show that for sucrase and maltase activities,
      inhibition patterns of rat and human enzymes are generally qualitatively similar
      but can be quantitatively different.

PMID- 28914529
TI  - Well-Hidden Grain Boundary in the Monolayer MoS2 Formed by a Two-Dimensional Core
      Shell Growth Mode.
AB  - Guided by the hexagonal lattice symmetry, triangles and hexagons are the most
      basic morphological units for two-dimensional (2D) transition metal
      dichalcogenides (TMDs) synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Also, it
      is widely acknowledged that these units start from the single nucleation site and
      then grow epitaxially. Accordingly, the triangular monolayer (ML) samples are
      generally considered as single crystals. Here, we report a 2D core-shell growth
      mode in the CVD process for ML-MoS2, which leads to one kind of "pseudo" single
      crystal triangles containing triangular outline grain boundaries (TO-GBs). It is
      difficult to be optically distinguished from the "true" single-crystal triangles.
      The weakening of Raman peaks and the remarkable enhancement of photoluminescence
      (PL) are found at the built-in TO-GBs, which could be useful for high-performance
      optoelectronics. In addition, the electrical measurements indicate that the TO
      GBs are conductive. Furthermore, TO-GBs and the common grain boundaries (CO-GBs)
      can coexist in a single flake, whereas their optical visibility and optical
      modifications (Raman and PL) are quite different. This work is helpful in further
      understanding the growth mechanism of 2D TMD materials and may also play a
      significant role in related nanodevices.

PMID- 28914530
TI  - Emergence of the Reactivity Continuum of Organic Matter from Kinetics of a
      Multitude of Individual Molecular Constituents.
AB  - The reactivity continuum (RC) model is a powerful statistical approach for
      describing the apparent kinetics of bulk organic matter (OM) decomposition. Here,
      we used ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry data to evaluate the main premise
      of the RC model, namely that there is a continuous spectrum of reactivity within
      bulk OM, where each individual reactive type undergoes exponential decay. We
      performed a 120 day OM decomposition experiment on lake water, with an untreated
      control and a treatment preexposed to UV light, and described the loss of bulk
      dissolved organic carbon with RC modeling. The behavior of individual molecular
      formulas was described by fitting the single exponential model to the change in
      peak intensities over time. The range of the empirically derived apparent
      exponential decay coefficients (kexp) was indeed continuous. The character of the
      corresponding distribution, however, differed from the conceptual expectations,
      due to the effects of intrinsic averaging, overlaps in formula-specific loss and
      formation rates, and the limitation of the RC model to include apparently
      accumulating compounds in the analysis. Despite these limitations, both the RC
      model-simulated and empirical (mass spectrometry-derived) distributions of kexp
      captured the effects of preexposure to UV light. Overall, we present experimental
      evidence that the reactivity continuum within bulk OM emerges from a range of
      reactivity of numerous individual components. This constitutes direct empirical
      support for the major assumption behind the RC model of the natural OM
      decomposition.

PMID- 28914531
TI  - Systems-Level Annotation of a Metabolomics Data Set Reduces 25 000 Features to
      Fewer than 1000 Unique Metabolites.
AB  - When using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to perform untargeted
      metabolomics, it is now routine to detect tens of thousands of features from
      biological samples. Poor understanding of the data, however, has complicated
      interpretation and masked the number of unique metabolites actually being
      measured in an experiment. Here we place an upper bound on the number of unique
      metabolites detected in Escherichia coli samples analyzed with one untargeted
      metabolomics method. We first group multiple features arising from the same
      analyte, which we call "degenerate features", using a context-driven annotation
      approach. Surprisingly, this analysis revealed thousands of previously unreported
      degeneracies that reduced the number of unique analytes to ~2961. We then applied
      an orthogonal approach to remove nonbiological features from the data using the
      13C-based credentialing technology. This further reduced the number of unique
      analytes to less than 1000. Our 90% reduction in data is 5-fold greater than
      previously published studies. On the basis of the results, we propose an
      alternative approach to untargeted metabolomics that relies on thoroughly
      annotated reference data sets. To this end, we introduce the creDBle database (
      http://creDBle.wustl.edu ), which contains accurate mass, retention time, and
      MS/MS fragmentation data as well as annotations of all credentialed features.

PMID- 28914532
TI  - Aggregation-Induced Electrochemiluminescence of Platinum(II) Complexes.
AB  - We report the electrochemiluminescence properties of square-planar Pt(II)
      complexes that result from the formation of supramolecular nanostructures. We
      define this new phenomenon as aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence
      (AIECL). In this system, self-assembly changes the HOMO and LUMO energies, making
      their population accessible via ECL pathways and leading to the generation of the
      luminescent excited state. Significantly, the emission from the self-assembled
      system is the first example of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of Pt(II) complexes
      in aqueous solution having higher efficiency than the standard, Ru(bpy)32+.The
      finding can lead to a new generation of bright emitters that can be used as ECL
      labels.

PMID- 28914533
TI  - Mossbauer Spectroscopic Characterization of Iron(III)-Polysaccharide Coordination
      Complexes: Photochemistry, Biological, and Photoresponsive Materials
      Implications.
AB  - While polycarboxylates and hydroxyl-acid complexes have long been known to be
      photoactive, simple carboxylate complexes which lack a significant LMCT band are
      not typically strongly photoactive. Hence, it was somewhat surprising that a
      series of reports demonstrated that materials synthesized from iron(III) and
      polysaccharides such as alginate (poly[guluronan-co-mannuronan]) or pectate
      (poly[galacturonan]) formed photoresponsive materials that convert from hydrogels
      to sols under the influence of visible light. These materials have numerous
      potential applications in areas such as photopatternable materials, materials for
      controlled drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Despite the near-identity of
      the functional units in the polysaccharide ligands, the reactivity of iron(III)
      hydrogels can depend on the configuration of some chiral centers in the sugar
      units and in the case of alginate the guluronate to mannuronate block
      composition, as well as pH. Here, using temperature- and field-dependent
      transmission Mossbauer spectroscopy, we show that the dominant iron compound
      detected for both the alginate and pectate gels displays features typical of a
      polymeric (Fe3+O6) system. The Mossbauer spectra of such systems are strongly
      dependent on temperature, field, size, and crystallinity, indicative of
      superparamagnetic relaxation of magnetically ordered nanoparticles. Pectate and
      alginate hydrogels differ in the size distribution of the iron oxyhydroxy
      nanoparticles, suggesting that in general smaller nanoparticles are more
      reactive. Potential biological implications of these results are also discussed.

PMID- 28914534
TI  - Stochastic Formulation of the Resolution of Identity: Application to Second Order
      Moller-Plesset Perturbation Theory.
AB  - A stochastic orbital approach to the resolution of identity (RI) approximation
      for 4-index electron repulsion integrals (ERIs) is presented. The stochastic RI
      ERIs are then applied to second order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2)
      utilizing a multiple stochastic orbital approach. The introduction of multiple
      stochastic orbitals results in an O(NAO3) scaling for both the stochastic RI-ERIs
      and stochastic RI-MP2, NAO being the number of basis functions. For a range of
      water clusters we demonstrate that this method exhibits a small prefactor and
      observed scalings of O(Ne2.4) for total energies and O(Ne3.1) for forces (Ne
      being the number of correlated electrons), outperforming MP2 for clusters with as
      few as 21 water molecules.

PMID- 28914535
TI  - Small Molecule Near-Infrared Boron Dipyrromethene Donors for Organic Tandem Solar
      Cells.
AB  - Three furan fused boron dipyrromethenes (BODIPYs) with a CF3 group on the meso
      carbon are synthesized as near-infrared absorbing materials for vacuum
      processable organic solar cells. The best single junction device reaches a short
      circuit current (jsc) of 13.3 mA cm-2 and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of
      6.1%. These values are highly promising for an electron donor material with an
      absorption onset beyond 900 nm. In a tandem solar cell comprising a NIR BODIPY
      subcell and a matching "green" absorber subcell, complementary absorption is
      achieved, resulting in PCE of ~10%.

PMID- 28914536
TI  - Determination of the True Lateral Grain Size in Organic-Inorganic Halide
      Perovskite Thin Films.
AB  - In this letter, methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) thin films were examined via
      piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and nanoindentation (NI) to determine if
      long-range atomic order existed across the full width and depth of the apparent
      grains. From the PFM, the piezoelectric response of the films was strongly
      correlated with low-index planes of the crystal structure and ferroelastic
      domains in macroscale solution-grown MAPbI3 crystals, which implied long-range
      order near the top surface. From the NI, it was found that the induced cracks
      were straight and extended across the full width of the apparent grains, which
      indicated that the long-range order was not limited to the near-surface region,
      but extended through the film thickness. Interestingly, the two MAPbI3 processes
      examined resulted in subtle differences in the extracted electro-mechanical and
      fracture properties, but exhibited similar power conversion efficiencies of >17%
      in completed devices.

PMID- 28914537
TI  - Coupling Bioflocculation of Dehalococcoides mccartyi to High-Rate Reductive
      Dehalogenation of Chlorinated Ethenes.
AB  - Continuous bioreactors operated at low hydraulic retention times have rarely been
      explored for reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated ethenes. The inability to
      consistently develop such bioreactors affects the way growth approaches for
      Dehalococcoides mccartyi bioaugmentation cultures are envisioned. It also affects
      interpretation of results from in situ continuous treatment processes. We report
      bioreactor performance and dehalogenation kinetics of a D. mccartyi-containing
      consortium in an upflow bioreactor. When fed synthetic groundwater at 11-3.6 h
      HRT, the upflow bioreactor removed >99.7% of the influent trichloroethene (1.5
      2.8 mM) and produced ethene as the main product. A trichloroethene removal rate
      of 98.51 +/- 0.05 me- equiv L-1 d-1 was achieved at 3.6 h HRT. D. mccartyi cell
      densities were 1013 and 1012 16S rRNA gene copies L-1 in the bioflocs and
      planktonic culture, respectively. When challenged with a feed of natural
      groundwater containing various competing electron acceptors and 0.3-0.4 mM
      trichloroethene, trichloroethene removal was sustained at >99.6%. Electron
      micrographs revealed that D. mccartyi were abundant within the bioflocs, not only
      in multispecies structures, but also as self-aggregated microcolonies. This study
      provides fundamental evidence toward the feasibility of upflow bioreactors
      containing D. mccartyi as high-density culture production tools or as a high
      rate, real-time remediation biotechnology.

PMID- 28914538
TI  - Interface-Confined FeOx Adlayers Induced by Metal Support Interaction in Pt/FeOx
      Catalysts.
AB  - Active oxide nanolayers can be stabilized on noble metal surfaces through
      interface confinement effect in oxide/metal inverse catalysts. Here, using normal
      metal/oxide catalysts we show that Fe oxide nanolayers can be confined on Pt
      nanoparticles (NPs) when treating a Pt/FeOx catalyst in Ar or H2/O2 atmospheres
      at elevated temperatures. Pt NPs partially covered with Fe oxide nanopatches are
      more active in CO oxidation than bare Pt NPs, while those with fully encapsulated
      Fe oxide shells in strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) state show much lower
      activity. Characterization results indicate that three steps play an important
      role in the formation of Fe oxide overlayers: Pt-aided reduction of interfacial
      Fe oxide, Pt alloying of interfacial Fe atoms, and surface segregation of alloyed
      Fe atoms onto surface of Pt NPs. Active surface oxides in so-called support-metal
      interface confinement (SMIC) state and fully encapsulated oxide layers in the
      SMSI state can be sequentially produced which depend on the treatment conditions.

PMID- 28914539
TI  - Phonon-Assisted Ultrafast Charge Transfer at van der Waals Heterostructure
      Interface.
AB  - The van der Waals (vdW) interfaces of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor are
      central to new device concepts and emerging technologies in light-electricity
      transduction where the efficient charge separation is a key factor. Contrary to
      general expectation, efficient electron-hole separation can occur in vertically
      stacked transition-metal dichalcogenide heterostructure bilayers through
      ultrafast charge transfer between the neighboring layers despite their weak vdW
      bonding. In this report, we show by ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics
      calculations, that instead of direct tunneling, the ultrafast interlayer hole
      transfer is strongly promoted by an adiabatic mechanism through phonon excitation
      occurring on 20 fs, which is in good agreement with the experiment. The atomic
      level picture of the phonon-assisted ultrafast mechanism revealed in our study is
      valuable both for the fundamental understanding of ultrafast charge carrier
      dynamics at vdW heterointerfaces as well as for the design of novel quasi-2D
      devices for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.

PMID- 28914540
TI  - Adhesion and Separation of Nanoparticles on Polymer-Grafted Porous Substrates.
AB  - This work explores interactions of functionalized nanoparticles (NP) with polymer
      brushes (PB) in a binary mixture of good and poor solvents. NP-PB systems are
      used in multiple applications, and we are particularly interested in the problem
      of chromatographic separation of NPs on polymer-grafted porous columns. This
      process involves NP flow through the pore channels with walls covered by PBs. NP
      PB adhesion is governed by adsorption of polymer chains to NP surface and
      entropic repulsion caused by the polymer chain confinement between NP and the
      channel wall. Both factors depend on the solvent composition, variation of which
      causes contraction or expansion of PB. Using dissipative particle dynamics
      simulations in conjunction with the ghost tweezers free energy calculation
      technique, we examine the free energy landscapes of functionalized NPs within PB
      grafted channels depending on the solvent composition at different PB grafting
      densities and polymer-solvent affinities. The free energy landscape determines
      the probability of NP location at a given distance to the surface, positions of
      equilibrium adhesion states, and the Henry constant that characterizes adsorption
      equilibrium and NP partitioning between the stationary phase of PB and mobile
      phase of flowing solvent. We analyze NP transport through a polymer-grafted
      channel and calculate the mean velocity and retention time of NP depending on the
      NP size and solvent composition. We find that, with the increase of the bad
      (poor) solvent fraction and respective PB contraction, NP separation exhibits a
      transition from the hydrodynamic size exclusion regime with larger NPs having
      shorter retention time to the adsorption regime with smaller NPs having shorter
      retention time. The observed reversal of the sequence of elution is reminiscent
      of the critical condition in polymer chromatography at which the retention time
      is molecular weight independent. This finding suggests the possibility of the
      existence of an analogous special regime in nanoparticle chromatography at which
      NPs with like surface properties elute together regardless of their size. The
      latter has important practical implications: NPs can be separated by surface
      chemistry rather than by their size employing the gradient mode of elution with
      controlled variation of solvent composition.

PMID- 28914541
TI  - Ullmann-Type Intramolecular C-O Reaction Toward Thieno[3,2-b]furan Derivatives
      with up to Six Fused Rings.
AB  - A new strategy for the efficient synthesis of thieno[3,2-b]benzofuran derivatives
      (15 examples) was achieved on the basis of successive regioselective
      intermolecular Suzuki and newly developed intramolecular Ullmann C-O reactions in
      up to a 70% overall yield. The fast intramolecular C-O reaction can be realized
      by an efficient catalytic combination of CuI/1,10-phenanthroline in up to a 97%
      yield. This method is suitable for the construction of highly fused thieno[3,2
      b]furan-containing heterocycles including DTBDF and TTDBF. The pi-pi and hydrogen
      bonding interactions observed for the C8-DTBDF single crystal suggest its great
      potential for OFET applications in the near future.

PMID- 28914542
TI  - Asymmetric Organocatalytic One-Pot, Two-Step Sequential Process to Synthesize
      Chiral Acetal-Containing Polycyclic Derivatives from Cyclic Hemiacetals and
      Enones.
AB  - We have developed an efficient one-pot, two-step sequential process to synthesize
      biologically and synthetically important chiral acetal-containing polycyclic
      derivatives. This novel protocol had been proved to proceed via Michael
      lactolization-oxocarbenium ion ring-closing sequence, which was initiated by a
      key reactive enamine intermediate and interrupted the previously established
      reaction pathway of two different enones used in this work, and generated the
      corresponding cycloadducts with excellent stereoselectivity bearing up to seven
      continuous stereocenters. Both chiral and racemic starting cyclic hemiacetals
      worked well in this strategy. The synthetic applications of the obtained
      polycyclic products have also been demonstrated.

PMID- 28914543
TI  - Modified Conducting Polymer Hole Injection Layer for High-Efficiency Perovskite
      Light-Emitting Devices: Enhanced Hole Injection and Reduced Luminescence
      Quenching.
AB  - Modification of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)
      (PEDOT:PSS) with sodium-poly(styrenesulfonate) leads to a ca. 0.3 eV increase in
      the work function and 15 times enhancement in the photoluminescence intensity of
      the overlying perovskite layer, which is closely correlated with the formation of
      a highly PSS-enriched top layer. As a direct result, the hybrid halide perovskite
      light-emitting devices with a modified PEDOT:PSS layer show the maximum external
      quantum efficiency of 7.2% and power efficiency of 19.0 lm W-1, which are 14-20
      times those of the analogous devices using a pristine PEDOT:PSS layer and among
      the best reported values for the light-emitting devices using a neat perovskite
      emission layer. Our results illustrate that insufficient hole injection and
      luminescence quenching at the PEDOT:PSS anode are among the most important
      factors limiting the external quantum efficiencies of inverted perovskite light
      emitting devices.

PMID- 28914544
TI  - Fabrication of Hollow Silica Microspheres with Orderly Hemispherical Protrusions
      and Capability for Heat-Induced Controlled Cracking.
AB  - Hollow silica microspheres with orderly protrusions on their outer and inner
      surfaces were fabricated in three simple steps: (1) suspension polymerization of
      a polymerizable monomer containing silica nanoparticles to obtain polymeric
      microspheres with a layered shell of silica particles; (2) sol-gel reaction of
      tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) on the surface of the microspheres to connect the silica
      nanoparticles; (3) removal of polymer core by calcination. The shell composed of
      silica-connected silica nanoparticles remained spherical even after calcination,
      and the characteristic surface morphology with protrusions were obtained on both
      inner and outer surfaces. Measurements of the mechanical strength revealed that
      the compression modulus of the hollow microspheres increased with increasing
      thickness of the silica layer, which could be controlled by changing the
      concentration of TEOS in the sol-gel reaction. Rapid heating of the hollow silica
      microspheres with the thin silica-connected layer led to silica shell cracking,
      and the cracks were mostly observed in the connecting layer between the silica
      nanoparticles. The stress was probably concentrated in the connecting layer
      because of its lower thickness than the nanoparticles. Such characteristic of the
      hollow microspheres is useful for a capsule with capability for heat-induced
      controlled cracking caused by internal pressure changes.

PMID- 28914545
TI  - Spin-Multiplet Components and Energy Splittings by Multistate Density Functional
      Theory.
AB  - Kohn-Sham density functional theory has been tremendously successful in chemistry
      and physics. Yet, it is unable to describe the energy degeneracy of spin
      multiplet components with any approximate functional. This work features two
      contributions. (1) We present a multistate density functional theory (MSDFT) to
      represent spin-multiplet components and to determine multiplet energies. MSDFT is
      a hybrid approach, taking advantage of both wave function theory and density
      functional theory. Thus, the wave functions, electron densities and energy
      density-functionals for ground and excited states and for different components
      are treated on the same footing. The method is illustrated on valence excitations
      of atoms and molecules. (2) Importantly, a key result is that for cases in which
      the high-spin components can be determined separately by Kohn-Sham density
      functional theory, the transition density functional in MSDFT (which describes
      electronic coupling) can be defined rigorously. The numerical results may be
      explored to design and optimize transition density functionals for configuration
      coupling in multiconfigurational DFT.

PMID- 28914546
TI  - Defibrotide: An Oligonucleotide for Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the efficacy and safety of defibrotide as well as its
      pharmacology, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics (PK), drug-drug interactions,
      dosing, cost considerations, and place in therapy. DATA SOURCES: A PubMed search
      was performed through August 2017 using the terms defibrotide, oligonucleotide,
      hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), and
      hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Other data sources were from references
      of identified studies, review articles, and conference abstracts plus
      manufacturer product labeling and website, the Food and Drug Administration
      website, and clinicaltrials.gov. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: English
      language trials that examined defibrotide's pharmacodynamics, mechanism, PK,
      efficacy, safety, dosing, and cost-effectiveness were included. DATA SYNTHESIS:
      Trials have confirmed the safety and efficacy of defibrotide for treatment of
      VOD/SOS in adult and pediatric HCT patients, with complete response rates and day
      +100 overall survival rates ranging from 25.5% to 76% and 35% to 64%,
      respectively. The British Committee for Standards in Haematology/British Society
      for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Guidelines recommend defibrotide prophylaxis
      in pediatric and adult HCT patients with risk factors for VOD/SOS; however, its
      prophylactic use in the United States is controversial. Although there are
      efficacy data to support this strategy, cost-effectiveness data have not shown it
      to be cost-effective. Defibrotide has manageable toxicities, with low rates of
      grade 3 to 4 adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Defibrotide is the first medication
      approved in the United States for the treatment of adults and children with
      hepatic VOD/SOS, with renal or pulmonary dysfunction following HCT. Data
      evaluating defibrotide for VOD/SOS prevention are conflicting and have not shown
      cost-effectiveness.

PMID- 28914547
TI  - Challenges and resilience related to aging in the United States among older
      Chinese immigrants.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify challenges and protective factors for
      resilience related to the process of aging among older Chinese immigrants in the
      United States. METHODS: This study used qualitative methods and involved 24 in
      depth interviews with Chinese immigrants aged 65 or older in Los Angeles. Content
      analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data. RESULTS: Three major themes
      emerged regarding challenges older Chinese immigrants encountered in aging in the
      United States: language barriers, loneliness and social isolation, and
      insufficient use of social services. Four themes were identified regarding
      resilience protective factors: acceptance and optimism; independence and
      autonomy; informal social support; and use of the formal social welfare system.
      CONCLUSION: This study provides several implications for future human services to
      build relational and societal resilience and enhance Chinese older immigrants'
      personal resilience. Cultural strengths should be taken into consideration by
      practitioners and policy makers.

PMID- 28914548
TI  - Neurohormonal modulation for treatment of cardiac involvement in
      dystrophinopathies and mitochondrial disease.

PMID- 28914549
TI  - Age groups related glioblastoma study based on radiomics approach.
AB  - Glioblastoma is the most aggressive malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis.
      Radiomics is a newly emerging and promising technique to reveal the complex
      relationships between high-throughput medical image features and deep information
      of disease including pathology, biomarkers and genomics. An approach was
      developed to investigate the internal relationship between magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) features and the age-related origins of glioblastomas based on a
      quantitative radiomics method. A fully automatic image segmentation method was
      applied to segment the tumor regions from three dimensional MRI images. 555
      features were then extracted from the image data. By analyzing large numbers of
      quantitative image features, some predictive and prognostic information could be
      obtained by the radiomics approach. 96 patients diagnosed with glioblastoma
      pathologically have been divided into two age groups (<45 and >=45 years old). As
      expected, there are 101 features showing the consistency with the age groups (T
      test, p < .05), and unsupervised clustering results of those features also show
      coherence with the age difference (T test, p= .006). In conclusion, glioblastoma
      in different age groups present different radiomics-feature patterns with
      statistical significance, which indicates that glioblastoma in different age
      groups should have different pathologic, protein, or genic origins.

PMID- 28914550
TI  - SOCS3 participates in cholinergic pathway regulation of synovitis in rheumatoid
      arthritis.
AB  - Stimulation of the cholinergic inflammatory pathway can attenuate collagen
      induced arthritis (CIA) and inhibit synovitis by Janus kinase (JAK) 2 and signal
      transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 signaling. Suppressor of
      cytokine signaling (SOCS) protein can also regulate the inflammatory processes
      and activate JAK/STAT signal transduction, but its involvement in rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) has not been demonstrated. This study investigated the effect of
      SOCS on cholinergic pathway regulation of synovitis in the fibroblast-like
      synoviocytes (FLSs) of RA and CIA mice. The effects of nicotine on SOCS1 and
      SOCS3 protein expression in FLSs were assayed by western blotting before and
      after transfection with a small interfering RNA oligonucleotide (SOCS3-siRNA or
      control-siRNA). Interleukin-6 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      of SOCS3-siRNA and control-siRNA transfected FLS culture supernatants.
      Histopathological evaluation and immunohistochemical staining of SOCS3 were
      performed in joint tissue sections of control, CIA model, vagotomy, and nicotine
      treated DBA/1 mice. Nicotine increased SOCS3 expression in the FLSs of RA. The
      inhibitory effect of nicotine on inflammatory factors was abolished by siRNA
      knockdown of SOCS3 protein expression. Nicotine increased the expression of SOCS3
      protein in the synovium and reduced synovitis and bone erosion in CIA mice.

PMID- 28914551
TI  - Screening after hypertensive pregnancy disorders: She can do best.

PMID- 28914552
TI  - Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in regular care in Germany - the oldest patients
      come to the fore.

PMID- 28914553
TI  - Nanomaterials as nanocarriers: a critical assessment why these are multi-chore
      vanquisher in breast cancer treatment.
AB  - Breast cancer is a group of diseases with various subtypes and leads to high
      mortality throughout the globe. Various conventional techniques are in practice
      to cure breast cancer but these techniques are linked with various shortcomings.
      Mostly these treatments are not site directed and cause toxicity towards normal
      cells. In order to overcome these issues, we need smart system that can deliver
      anticancer drugs to specific sites. Targeted drug delivery can be achieved via
      passive or active drug delivery using nanocarriers. This mode of drug delivery is
      more effective against breast cancer and may help in the reduction of mortality
      rate. Potentially used nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery belong to organic
      and inorganic molecules. Various FDA approved nano products are in use to cure
      breast cancer. However, body's defense system is main limitation for potential
      use of nano systems. However, this can be overcome by surface modification of
      nanocarriers. In this review, breast cancer and its types, targeted drug delivery
      and nanocarriers used to cure breast cancer are discussed. By progressing
      nanotechnology, we will be able to fight against this life threatening issue and
      serve the humanity, which is the basic aim of scientific knowledge.

PMID- 28914554
TI  - When cooperation goes wrong: brain and behavioural correlates of ineffective
      joint strategies in dyads.
AB  - PURPOSE: Human life is connoted by sophisticated interactions that involve not
      only single individuals, but larger social groups composed by members interacting
      each other. Cooperation secures a benefit to all the people engaged as well as
      important behaviors like helping, sharing, and acting prosocially. But what
      happens when the joint actions are not effective? MATERIALS AND METHOD: In the
      present study, we asked 24 participants paired in 12 dyads to cooperate during an
      attentional task in a way to synchronize their responses and obtain better
      outcomes. In addition we tested inter-brain and cognitive strategy similarities
      between subjects. Then, we frustrated their strategies by providing false
      feedbacks signalling the incapacity to create a synergy, which was reinforced by
      a general negative evaluation halfway through the task. The effects of the
      feedback inmodulating subjects behavioural performance and brain responsiveness
      were explored by means of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). RESULTS:
      Results showed a worsen performance after the negative feedback in the form of
      longer reaction times and a specifc pattern of brain activation involving th
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the superior frontal gyrus. The DLPFC
      showed increased O2Hb (oxy-haemoglobin) level after the feedback, compatible with
      the need for higher cognitive effort. In addition, fNIRS measures revealed a
      decreased inter-brain synchronicity in post-feedback condition for the dyad.
      Also, the representation of negative emotions in response to failing interactions
      was signalled by a right-lateralized effect. CONCLUSIONS: Results were
      interpreted at light of available knowledge on perceived self-efficacy and the
      implementation of common goals and strategies.

PMID- 28914555
TI  - Evaluation of the quality of care of elderly patients with chronic and
      breakthrough pain treated with opioids: SAND study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of care of
      elderly patients with treatment for chronic pain (CP) and breakthrough pain
      (BTP). METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 20 pain
      units, selecting patients aged 70 years or older with baseline controlled CP in
      treatment with opioids and a diagnosis of BTP. Patients were classified as first
      episode of BTP or patient in follow-up. The patients completed the SF-12 quality
      of life questionnaire, Brief Pain Inventory, Lattinen Index, and Edmonton
      Symptoms Assessment Scale. The patient's satisfaction with the treatment was
      evaluated through a visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: A total of 199 patients
      were included with 67.7% women (132). There were 28.5% (55) attending the first
      visit for BTP and 71.5% (138) were on follow-up visits. On the physical component
      of the SF-12, 95% had a score below the mean for the Spanish general population
      and 44% had a score below the mean on the mental component. Worse scores were
      observed for women in the bodily pain dimension (p = .032) and in the overall
      physical component (p = .045). There were 62.9% (112) patients satisfied with the
      treatment for BTP. In the multivariate analysis, SF-12 physical component scores
      (p = .017) and patient's satisfaction with BTP treatment was better in follow-up
      visits (p = .031). CONCLUSIONS: All clinical parameters compared between first
      visit for the treatment of BTP and follow-up visits were improved, so the quality
      of care was also considered improved. Elderly women and non-oncologic patients
      were observed to be the population with worse symptom control.

PMID- 28914556
TI  - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia during the third trimester of pregnancy.

PMID- 28914557
TI  - An analysis of the types of recently published research in the field of cachexia.
AB  - Introduction Cachexia is a common complication of many and varied chronic disease
      processes, yet it has received very little attention as an area of clinical
      research effort until recently. We sought to survey the contemporary literature
      on published research into cachexia to define where it is being published and the
      proportion of output classified into the main types of research output. Methods I
      searched the PubMed listings under the topic research term "cachexia" and related
      terms for articles published in the calendar years of 2015 and 2016, regardless
      of language. Searches were conducted and relevant papers extracted by two
      observers, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. Results There were 954
      publications, 370 of which were review articles or commentaries, 254 clinical
      observations or non-randomised trials, 246 original basic science reports and
      only 26 were randomised controlled trials. These articles were published in 478
      separate journals but with 36% of them being published in a core set of 23
      journals. The H-index of these papers was 25 and there were 147 papers with 10 or
      more citations. Of the top 100 cited papers, 25% were published in five journals.
      Of the top cited papers, 48% were review articles, 18% were original basic
      science, and 7% were randomised clinical trials. Discussion This analysis shows a
      steady but modest increase in publications concerning cachexia with a strong
      pipeline of basic science research but still a relative lack of randomised
      clinical trials, with none exceeding 1000 patients. Research in cachexia is still
      in its infancy, but the solid basic science effort offers hope that translation
      into randomised controlled clinical trials may eventually lead to effective
      therapies for this troubling and complex clinical disease process.

PMID- 28914558
TI  - Robotics in percutaneous cardiovascular interventions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The fundamental technique of performing percutaneous cardiovascular
      (CV) interventions has remained unchanged and requires operators to wear heavy
      lead aprons to minimize exposure to ionizing radiation. Robotic technology is now
      being utilized in interventional cardiology partially as a direct result of the
      increasing appreciation of the long-term occupational hazards of the field. This
      review was undertaken to report the clinical outcomes of percutaneous robotic
      coronary and peripheral vascular interventions. Areas covered: A systematic
      literature review of percutaneous robotic CV interventions was undertaken. The
      safety and feasibility of percutaneous robotically-assisted CV interventions has
      been validated in simple to complex coronary disease, and iliofemoral disease.
      Studies have shown that robotically-assisted PCI significantly reduces operator
      exposure to harmful ionizing radiation without compromising procedural success or
      clinical efficacy. In addition to the operator benefits, robotically-assisted
      intervention has the potential for patient advantages by allowing more accurate
      lesion length measurement, precise stent placement and lower patient radiation
      exposure. However, further investigation is required to fully elucidate these
      potential benefits. Expert commentary: Incremental improvement in robotic
      technology and telecommunications would enable treatment of an even broader
      patient population, and potentially provide remote robotic PCI.

PMID- 28914559
TI  - Bilateral Posterior Scleritis Associated with Giant Cell Arteritis: A Case
      Report.
AB  - AIM: To report a case of bilateral posterior scleritis associated with giant cell
      arteritis Case Report: A 62-year-old female patient presented with bilateral
      progressive vision loss was diagnosed with bilateral posterior scleritis.
      According to clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory testing, Giant cell
      arteritis was also diagnosed. Within 8 weeks of the corticosteroid treatment, the
      serous retinal detachments completely resolved and choroidal thickness decreased
      in both eyes. Visual acuity increased, and the symtoms related to Giant cell
      arteritis improved. CONCLUSION: Posterior scleritis is an inflammatory disease
      that may be associated with many autoimmune systemic diseases. GCA should be
      thought of particularly in patients over the age of 50 with bilateral
      involvement, and a relevant detailed history should be obtained for early and
      correct diagnosis and treatment.

PMID- 28914560
TI  - Thiopurine metabolite levels in patients with atopic dermatitis and/or chronic
      hand/foot eczema treated with azathioprine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Azathioprine is frequently used in severe eczema. It is converted in
      the liver into active metabolites, including 6-thioguanine nucleotide (6-TGN) and
      methylated 6-methylmercaptopurine (6-MMP). In the past, the therapeutic potential
      of azathioprine may have not been fully utilized. Recent investigations on
      inflammatory bowel disease have led to a better understanding of azathioprine
      metabolism and optimizing treatment. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether measuring
      thiopurine metabolites in circulation can improve the effectiveness and safety of
      azathioprine treatment in patients with atopic dermatitis and/or chronic
      hand/foot eczema. METHODS: Azathioprine metabolite levels were measured in eczema
      patients during maintenance treatment (Part I) and dose escalation (Part II).
      Clinical effectiveness, hepatotoxicity, and bone marrow suppression were analyzed
      and TPMT genotype was assessed. RESULTS: A wide variation in metabolite levels in
      all dose groups was observed. In Part I (32 patients), there were no significant
      differences in 6-TGN levels between clinical responders and non-responders (p =
      .806). No hepatoxicity or myelotoxicity was observed. In Part II, all 6-TGN and 6
      MMP levels increased during dose escalation. Hypermethylation was observed in 2/8
      patients. CONCLUSION: For individual eczema patients treated with azathioprine,
      routinely measuring 6-TGN and 6-MMP can be helpful in optimizing azathioprine
      dose, improving clinical effectiveness, and preventing side effects.

PMID- 28914561
TI  - Oral and depot progestin therapy for endometriosis: towards a personalized
      medicine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory
      disorder that requires a life-long management plan. Long-term adherence to
      treatment is pivotal to ensure an effective clinical management. In this optic,
      one of the cornerstone of endometriosis medical treatment is represented by
      progestins. Areas covered: This narrative review examines the clinical efficacy,
      safety and tolerability of oral and depot progestins used in the treatment of
      endometriosis. The material included in the current manuscript was obtained with
      a MEDLINE search through PubMed from inception until February 2017. Expert
      opinion: Progestins are effective in controlling pain symptoms in the majority of
      women with endometriosis, and their effect seems not inferior to that achieved
      with other compounds used to treat the disease, such as gonadotropin-releasing
      hormone agonist. Available progestins include a broad range of both oral and
      depot compounds, and represent, in most cases, an inexpensive treatment option.
      In addition, progestins do not increase significantly thrombotic risk and could
      be adopted in those women with metabolic or cardiovascular contraindication to
      estrogen-progestins. The choice between the different available compounds should
      be tailored for every woman with preference to the most cost-effective treatment,
      depending on the most complained symptom and disease location.

PMID- 28914562
TI  - The effect of regular aquatic exercise on blood pressure: A meta-analysis of
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - Background No meta-analysis has examined the effect of regular aquatic exercise
      on blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to
      evaluate the effects of regular aquatic exercise on blood pressure. Design A meta
      analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods Databases were searched for
      literature published up to April 2017. The randomized controlled trials analysed
      involved healthy adults, an intervention group that only performed aquatic
      exercise and a control group that did not exercise, no other intervention, and
      trials indicated mean systolic blood pressure or diastolic blood pressure. The
      net change in blood pressure was calculated from each trial, and the changes in
      blood pressure were pooled by a random effects model, and the risk of
      heterogeneity was evaluated. Subgroup analysis of subjects with hypertension,
      subjects who performed endurance exercise (or not), and subjects who only swam
      (or not) was performed, and the net changes in blood pressure were pooled.
      Results The meta-analysis examined 14 trials involving 452 subjects. Pooled net
      changes in blood pressure improved significantly (systolic blood pressure -8.4
      mmHg; diastolic blood pressure -3.3 mmHg) and the changes in systolic blood
      pressure contained significant heterogeneity. When subjects were limited to those
      with hypertension, those who performed endurance exercise and subjects who did
      not swim, pooled net changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased
      significantly, but the heterogeneity of systolic blood pressure did not improve.
      Conclusion Like exercise on land, aquatic exercise should have a beneficial
      effect by lowering blood pressure. In addition, aquatic exercise should lower the
      blood pressure of subjects with hypertension, and other forms of aquatic exercise
      besides swimming should also lower blood pressure.

PMID- 28914563
TI  - Patients with psychological ICPC codes in primary care; a case-control study
      investigating the decade before presenting with problems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recognizing patients with psychological problems can be difficult for
      general practitioners (GPs). Use of information collected in electronic medical
      records (EMR) could facilitate recognition. OBJECTIVES: To assess relevant EMR
      parameters in the decade before patients present with psychological problems.
      METHODS: Exploratory case-control study assessing EMR parameters of 58 228
      patients recorded between 2013 and 2015 by 54 GPs. We compared EMR parameters
      recorded before 2014 of patients who presented with psychological problems in
      2014 with those who did not. RESULTS: In 2014, 2406 patients presented with
      psychological problems. Logistic regression analyses indicated that having
      registrations of the following statistically significant parameters increased the
      chances of presenting with psychological problems in 2014: prior administration
      of a depression severity questionnaire (odds ratio (OR): 3.3); fatigue/sleeping
      (OR: 1.6), neurological (OR: 1.5), rheumatic (OR: 1.5) and substance abuse
      problems (OR: 1.5); prescriptions of opioids (OR: 1.3), antimigraine preparations
      (OR: 1.5), antipsychotics (OR: 1.7), anxiolytics (OR: 1.4), hypnotics and
      sedatives (OR: 1.4), antidepressants (OR: 1.7), and antidementia drugs (OR: 2.1);
      treatment with minimal interventions (OR: 2.2) and physical exercise (OR: 3.3),
      referrals to psychology (OR: 1.5), psychiatry (OR: 1.6), and psychosocial care
      (OR: 2.1); double consultations (OR: 1.2), telephone consultations (OR: 1.1), and
      home visits (OR: 1.1). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that possible
      indications of psychological problems can be identified in EMR. Many EMR
      parameters of patients presenting with psychological problems were different
      compared with patients who did not.

PMID- 28914564
TI  - Neurohumoral treatment for cardiac disease in dystrophinopathies and
      mitochondrial disorders.

PMID- 28914565
TI  - Reducing overdiagnosis in primary care is needed.

PMID- 28914567
TI  - Chemotherapy-free, triple combination of obinutuzumab, venetoclax and
      idasanutlin: antitumor activity in xenograft models of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

PMID- 28914566
TI  - A novel ETFDH mutation in an adult patient with late-onset riboflavin-responsive
      multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.
AB  - AIM OF THE STUDY: To report a novel mutation in the electron transfer
      flavoprotein dehydrogenase (ETFDH) gene in an adult patient with late-onset
      riboflavin-responsive multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The genomic DNAs from a patient whose main clinical presentations are
      muscles weakness and hypoglycemia was analysed. RESULTS: The patient was
      identified to carry compound heterozygous mutations in ETFDH gene. Two missense
      mutations c.814 G > A and c.389 A > T were found. CONCLUSION: This is the first
      report of c.814G > A mutation in ETFDH in adult patient with MADD.

PMID- 28914568
TI  - Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Decrease the
      Development of Severe Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis in B10.RIII Mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the effect of exogenously administered human embryonic
      stem cell-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hESC-MSCs) in experimental
      autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in B10.RIII mice, a murine model of severe uveitis.
      METHODS: B10.RIII mice were immunized with an uveitogenic peptide, and
      intraperitoneal injections of 5 million hESC-MSCs per animal were given on the
      same day. Behavioral light sensitivity assays, histological evaluation, cytokine
      production, and regulatory T cells were analyzed at the peak of the disease.
      RESULTS: Histological and behavioral evidence demonstrated that early systemic
      treatment with hESC-MSCs decreases the development of severe EAU in B10.RIII
      mice. hESC-MSCs suppress Th17 and upregulate Th1 and Th2 responses as well as IL
      2 and GM-CSF in splenocytes from hESC-MSC-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: MSCs that
      originate from hESC decrease the development of severe EAU in B10.RIII mice,
      likely through systemic immune modulation. Further investigation is needed to
      determine any potential effect on active EAU.

PMID- 28914569
TI  - Mutations in myeloproliferative neoplasms - their significance and clinical use.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Clonal hematologic diseases of the blood such as polycythemia vera,
      essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis belong to the BCR-ABL
      negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN). These diseases are characterized by
      clonal expansion of hematopoietic precursor cells followed by increased
      production of differentiated cells of the myeloid lineage. Initiation of clonal
      hematopoiesis, formation of a clinical phenotype as well as disease progression
      form part of MPN disease evolution. The disease is driven by acquired somatic
      mutations in critical pathways such as cytokine signaling, epigenetic regulation,
      RNA splicing, and transcription factor signaling. Areas covered: The following
      review aims to provide an overview of the mutational landscape of MPN, the impact
      of these mutations in MPN pathogenesis as well as their prognostic value.
      Finally, a summary of how these mutations are being used or could potentially be
      used for the treatment of MPN patients is presented. Expert commentary: The
      genetic landscape of MPN patients has been successfully dissected within the past
      years with the advent of new sequencing technologies. Integrating the genetic
      information within a clinical setting is already benefitting patients in terms of
      disease monitoring and prognostic information of disease progression but will be
      further intensified within the next years.

PMID- 28914570
TI  - Inflammasome Deficiency Makes Pro-resolving Lipid Mediators Great Again.

PMID- 28914571
TI  - High-Frequency Oscillation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The End of the
      Story?

PMID- 28914572
TI  - Bleeding and Thrombosis in Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Can We
      Improve Anticoagulation Strategies?

PMID- 28914573
TI  - The Tobacco Industry Targets Youth.

PMID- 28914574
TI  - One of us: the story of Anders Breivik and the massacre in Norway.

PMID- 28914575
TI  - Clinician's guide to psychological assessment and testing: with forms and
      templates for effective practice.

PMID- 28914576
TI  - Behavioral health care and technology: using science-based innovations to
      transform practice.

PMID- 28914577
TI  - Unbalanced Vitreous Levels of Osteoprotegerin, RANKL, RANK, and TRAIL in
      Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the expression of the proinflammatory and proangiogenic
      factor osteoprotegerin (OPG) and its ligands, receptor activator of nuclear
      factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL), tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing
      ligand (TRAIL), and the receptor RANK in proliferative diabetic retinopathy
      (PDR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Vitreous samples from PDR and nondiabetic control
      patients and epiretinal membranes from PDR patients were studied by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS:
      Vascular endothelial growth factor, OPG, and soluble RANK levels in vitreous
      samples from PDR patients were significantly higher than that in nondiabetic
      controls. Soluble TRAIL levels were significantly lower in PDR patients than that
      in nondiabetic control, whereas soluble RANKL levels did not differ
      significantly. RANKL, RANK, and TRAIL were expressed in vascular endothelial
      cells, myofibroblasts, and CD45-expressing leukocytes in PDR epiretinal
      membranes. CONCLUSIONS: Dysregulated expression of OPG/RANKL/RANK pathway and
      TRAIL might be related to inflammation and angiogenesis in PDR.

PMID- 28914578
TI  - The Choroidal Vascularity Index Decreases and Choroidal Thickness Increases in
      Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease Patients During a Recurrent Anterior Uveitis Attack.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure changes in the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in chronic
      Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease during a recurrent anterior uveitis attack.
      METHODS: Forty VKH patients and 40 normal controls were included in this study.
      Choroidal images were recorded before and during a recurrent anterior uveitis
      attack, as well as after appropriate treatment. CVI was measured by the
      binarization technique using ImageJ software (Bethesda, MD). RESULTS: The CVI was
      0.75 +/- 0.09 in quiescent VKH patients, which was significantly higher compared
      to healthy controls (0.70 +/- 0.05, p < 0.0001). The CVI significantly decreased
      to 0.72 +/- 0.09 when granulomatous anterior uveitis appeared in these patients.
      However, it returned to 0.75 +/- 0.08 after uveitis resolved. CONCLUSIONS: A
      significant decrease of the CVI occurred during recurrent anterior uveitis in
      chronic VKH. CVI may provide a novel parameter to guide the treatment of VKH
      disease.

PMID- 28914579
TI  - A polymicrobial view of disease potential in Crohn's-associated adherent-invasive
      E. coli.
AB  - The human gut is home to trillions of bacteria and provides the scaffold for one
      of the most complex microbial ecosystems in nature. Inflammatory bowel diseases,
      such as Crohn's disease, involve a compositional shift in the microbial
      constituents of this ecosystem with a marked expansion of Enterobacteriaceae,
      particularly Escherichia coli. Adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) strains are
      frequently isolated from the biopsies of Crohn's patients, where their ability to
      elicit inflammation suggests a possible role in Crohn's pathology. Here, we
      consider the origins of the AIEC pathovar and discuss how risk factors associated
      with Crohn's disease might influence AIEC colonization dynamics within the host
      to alter the overall disease potential of the microbial community.

PMID- 28914580
TI  - IF2 and unique features of initiator tRNAfMet help establish the translational
      reading frame.
AB  - Translation begins at AUG, GUG, or UUG codons in bacteria. Start codon
      recognition occurs in the P site, which may help explain this first-position
      degeneracy. However, the molecular basis of start codon specificity remains
      unclear. In this study, we measured the codon dependence of 30S*mRNA*tRNAfMet and
      30S*mRNA*tRNAMet complex formation. We found that complex stability varies over a
      large range with initiator tRNAfMet, following the same trend as reported
      previously for initiation rate in vivo (AUG > GUG, UUG > CUG, AUC, AUA > ACG).
      With elongator tRNAMet, the codon dependence of binding differs qualitatively,
      with virtually no discrimination between GUG and CUG. A unique feature of
      initiator tRNAfMet is a series of three G-C basepairs in the anticodon stem,
      which are known to be important for efficient initiation in vivo. A mutation
      targeting the central of these G-C basepairs causes the mRNA binding specificity
      pattern to change in a way reminiscent of elongator tRNAMet. Unexpectedly, for
      certain complexes containing fMet-tRNAfMet, we observed mispositioning of mRNA,
      such that codon 2 is no longer programmed in the A site. This mRNA mispositioning
      is exacerbated by the anticodon stem mutation and suppressed by IF2. These
      findings suggest that both IF2 and the unique anticodon stem of fMet-tRNAfMet
      help constrain mRNA positioning to set the correct reading frame during
      initiation.

PMID- 28914581
TI  - Circulating lymphocyte levels and relationship with infection status in patients
      with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with daclizumab beta.
AB  - BACKGROUND:: Reversible lymphocyte count reductions have occurred following
      daclizumab beta treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVE::
      To analyse total and differential lymphocyte levels and relationship with
      infection status. METHODS:: In DECIDE, blood samples were collected at 12-week
      intervals from daclizumab beta- ( n = 919) or intramuscular interferon beta-1a
      treated ( n = 922) patients. Infections/serious infections were assessed
      proximate to grade 2/3 lymphopenia or low CD4+/CD8+ T-cell counts. Total safety
      population (TSP) data were additionally analysed from the entire clinical
      development programme ( n = 2236). RESULTS:: Over 96 weeks in DECIDE, mean
      absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell counts decreased <10% (7.1%
      vs 1.6%, 9.7% vs 2.0%, 9.3% vs 5.9%: daclizumab beta vs interferon beta-1a,
      respectively); shifts to ALC below lower limit of normal occurred in 13% versus
      15%, respectively. Grade 3 lymphopenia was uncommon (TSP: <1%) and transient.
      Lymphocyte changes generally occurred within 24 weeks after treatment initiation
      and were reversible within 12 weeks of discontinuation. In DECIDE, mean CD4+/CD8+
      T-cell counts were similar regardless of infection status. TSP data were
      consistent with DECIDE. CONCLUSION:: When observed, ALC and CD4+/CD8+ T-cell
      count decreases in daclizumab beta-treated patients were generally mild-to
      modest, reversible upon treatment discontinuation and not associated with
      increased risk of infections, including opportunistic infections.

PMID- 28914582
TI  - A case of worsening pulmonary arterial hypertension and pleural effusions by
      bosutinib after prior treatment with dasatinib.
AB  - A 52-year-old man with a past medical history of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
      in remission developed progressive shortness of breath over a two-month period.
      He was initially treated with dasatinib for four years, until developing
      pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with pleural effusions. His symptoms
      improved after stopping dasatinib. He was then switched to bosutinib for
      approximately one year, which was then stopped before admission due to worsening
      shortness of breath. His initial workup showed bilateral pleural effusions with
      severe PAH and cor pulmonale. He had symptomatic improvement with PAH-specific
      therapy following discontinuation of the bosutinib. The life expectancy of CML
      patients has increased in the era of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and
      managing adverse events (AEs) of the TKIs and improving quality of life are
      becoming more important. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) and pleural effusions are
      rarely reported AEs of bosutinib. More reports with PH and pleural effusions
      arising after bosutinib use in patients previously treated with dasatinib is
      furthermore concerning. In this era with novel chemotherapeutic agents,
      physicians ought to be weary of the significant morbidity implicated by these
      agents in the lives of patients.

PMID- 28914583
TI  - The DEKA hand: A multifunction prosthetic terminal device-patterns of grip usage
      at home.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research is needed to understand how upper limb prosthesis users take
      advantage of multiple grip options. OBJECTIVES: To quantify usage of DEKA hand
      grip patterns during home use and compare patterns of usage at home to test
      sessions. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study design. METHODS: Data were collected
      from 21 subjects. Engineering data on grip were downloaded at various intervals.
      Proportion of time in each grip was calculated for the first 4 weeks of home use,
      later months, and test sessions (testing use) and compared statistically across
      intervals. Exploratory analyses compared grip proportion by DEKA Arm level and
      prior prosthesis use. RESULTS: Three most commonly used grips during home use
      were power, pinch open, and lateral pinch. There were no significant differences
      between grip use during the first month and later months. Power grip was used 55%
      of the time at home and 23% of the time in testing use. Pinch closed, lateral,
      and chuck grip were used less at home than in tests. Comparisons were by
      configuration level and prosthetic use and no significant differences were found.
      CONCLUSION: Patterns of DEKA hand grip usage differed between home and test
      environments, suggesting that users relied on fewer grip patterns at home.
      Clinical relevance These findings have implications for prosthetic training with
      multi-articulating terminal devices.

PMID- 28914584
TI  - Circumferential Ciliary Body Cysts Presenting as Acute Pigment Dispersion and
      Ocular Hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a case of circumferential neuroepithelial cyst of the ciliary
      body presenting with pigment dispersion (PD) and ocular hypertension. CASE
      REPORT: 48-year-old female patient presented with a complaint of pain in the left
      eye. On examination, visual acuity of the left eye was 0.9, and the intraocular
      pressure was 48 mmHg. Biomicroscopic anterior segment examination of the left eye
      revealed 4+ pigmented cells in the anterior chamber. Active PD from the pupillary
      region at 11 o'clock was noticed at the time of the examination. Ultrasound
      biomicroscopy demonstrated 360o cystic lesions of the ciliary body in the left
      eye. The patient was diagnosed as neuroepithelial cyst of the ciliary body.
      CONCLUSION: Our case is unique as it is the first case of circumferential
      neuroepithelial ciliary body cyst presenting with acute PD and ocular
      hypertension.

PMID- 28914585
TI  - Planning future care services: Analyses of investments in Norwegian
      municipalities.
AB  - AIMS: To analyse whether the Norwegian Central Government's goal of subsidizing
      12,000 places in nursing homes or sheltered housing using an earmarked grant was
      reached and to determine towards which group of users the planned investments
      were targeted. METHODS: Data from the investment plans at municipal level were
      provided by the Norwegian Housing Bank and linked to variables describing the
      municipalities' financial situation as well as variables describing the local
      needs for services provided by Statistics Norway. Using regression analyses we
      estimated the associations between municipal characteristics and planned
      investments in total and by type of care place. RESULTS: The Norwegian Central
      Government reached its goal of giving subsidies to 12,000 new or rebuilt places
      in nursing homes and sheltered housing. A total of 54% of the subsidies (6878
      places) were given to places in nursing homes. About 7500 places were available
      by the end of the planning period and the rest were under construction. About 50%
      of the places were planned for user groups aged <67 years and 23% of the places
      for users aged <25 years. One-third of the places were planned for users with
      intellectual disabilities. Investments in nursing homes were correlated with the
      share of the population older than 80 years and investments in sheltered houses
      were correlated with the share of users with intellectual disabilities.
      CONCLUSIONS: Earmarked grants to municipalities can be adequate measures to
      affect local resource allocation and thereby stimulate investments in future
      care. With the current institutional setup the municipalities adapt investments
      to local needs.

PMID- 28914586
TI  - Presenilins at the crossroad of a functional interplay between PARK2/PARKIN and
      PINK1 to control mitophagy: Implication for neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - Autophagic and mitophagic defects are consistently observed in Alzheimer's
      disease-affected brains. However, the mechanistic defects underlying these
      anatomical lesions remained unexplained. We have delineated a molecular cascade
      by which PSEN1 and PSEN2 (presenilins 1 and 2) control PINK1 transcription and
      function by an AICD-mediated FOXO3a-dependent mechanism. Further, we establish
      that PARK2 (parkin) acts upstream to PINK1 and regulates its function by a PSEN
      dependent mechanism. Our study thus demonstrates a functional interplay between
      PSEN and PINK1 and establishes a feedback process by which PARK2 and PINK1 could
      control mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagic processes in various
      neurodegenerative pathologies including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

PMID- 28914587
TI  - Self-rated health and social capital in Iraqi immigrants to Sweden: The MEDIM
      population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Poor self-rated health is an estimator of quality of life and a
      predictor of mortality seldom studied in immigrant populations. This work aimed
      to study self-rated health in relation to social capital, socioeconomic status,
      lifestyle and comorbidity in immigrants from Iraq - one of the largest non
      European immigrant group in Sweden today - and to compare it with the self-rated
      health of native Swedes. DESIGN: The study was a cross-sectional population-based
      study conducted from 2010 to 2012 among citizens of Malmo, Sweden, aged 30-65
      years and born in Iraq or Sweden. All participants underwent a health examination
      and answered questionnaires on self-rated health, social capital, comorbidity,
      lifestyle and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: In total, 1348 Iraqis and 677 Swedes
      participated. Poor self-rated health was identified in 43.9% of Iraqis and 21.9%
      of native Swedes ( p<0.001), with the highest prevalence (55.5%) among Iraqi
      women. Low social capital was highly prevalent in the immigrants. Female gender
      showed higher odds of poor self-rated health in Iraqis than in Swedes (OR 1.8,
      95% CI 1.4-2.5, pinteraction=0.024), independent of other risk factors connected
      to social capital, socioeconomic status, lifestyle or comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although public health initiatives promoting social capital, socioeconomic status
      and comorbidity in immigrants are crucial, the excess risk of poor self-rated
      health in Iraqi women is not fully attributed to known risk factors for self
      rated health, but remains to be further explored.

PMID- 28914588
TI  - Interstitial telomeric repeats-associated DNA breaks.
AB  - During a cell's lifespan, DNA break formation is a common event, associated with
      many processes, from replication to apoptosis. Most of DNA breaks are readily
      repaired, but some are meant to persist in time, such as the chromosome ends,
      protected by telomeres. Besides them, eukaryotic genomes comprise shorter
      stretches of interstitial telomeric repeats. We assumed that the latter may also
      be associated with the formation of DNA breaks meant to persist in time. In
      zebrafish and mouse embryos, cells containing numerous breakage foci were
      identified. These breaks were not associated with apoptosis or replication, nor
      did they seem to activate DNA damage response machinery. Unlike short-living,
      accidental sparse breaks, the ones we found seem to be closely associated,
      forming discrete break foci. A PCR-based method was developed, allowing specific
      amplification of DNA regions located between inverted telomeric repeats
      associated with breaks. The cloning and sequencing of such DNA fragments were
      found to denote some specificity in their distribution for different tissue types
      and development stages.

PMID- 28914589
TI  - HPLC-DAD method development and validation for the quantification of
      hydroxymethylfurfural in corn chips by means of response surface optimisation.
AB  - In recent years, there has been an increased concern about the presence of toxic
      compounds derived from the Maillard reaction produced during food cooking at high
      temperatures. The main toxic compounds derived from this reaction are acrylamide
      and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The majority of analytical methods require
      sample treatments using solvents which are highly polluting for the environment.
      The difficulty of quantifying HMF in complex fried food matrices encourages the
      development of new analytical methods. This paper provides a rapid, sensitive and
      environmentally-friendly analytical method for the quantification of HMF in corn
      chips using HPLC-DAD. Chromatographic separation resulted in a baseline
      separation for HMF in 3.7 min. Sample treatment for corn chip samples first
      involved a leaching process using water and afterwards a solid-phase extraction
      (SPE) using HLB-Oasis polymeric cartridges. Sample treatment optimisation was
      carried out by means of Box-Behnken fractional factorial design and Response
      Surface Methodolog y to examine the effects of four variables (sample weight, pH,
      sonication time and elution volume) on HMF extraction from corn chips. The SPE
      HPLC-DAD method was validated. The limits of detection and quantification were
      0.82 and 2.20 mg kg-1, respectively. Method precision was evaluated in terms of
      repeatability and reproducibility as relative standard deviations (RSDs) using
      three concentration levels. For repeatability, RSD values were 6.9, 3.6 and 2.0%;
      and for reproducibility 18.8, 7.9 and 2.9%. For a ruggedness study the Yuden test
      was applied and the result demonstrated the method as robust. The method was
      successfully applied to different corn chip samples.

PMID- 28914590
TI  - Canine Salivary Glands: Analysis of Rab and SNARE Protein Expression and SNARE
      Complex Formation With Diverse Tissue Properties.
AB  - The comparative structure and expression of salivary components and vesicular
      transport proteins in the canine major salivary glands were investigated.
      Histochemical analysis revealed that the morphology of the five major salivary
      glands-parotid, submandibular, polystomatic sublingual, monostomatic sublingual,
      and zygomatic glands-was greatly diverse. Immunoblot analysis revealed that
      expression levels of alpha-amylase and antimicrobial proteins, such as lysozyme,
      lactoperoxidase, and lactoferrin, differed among the different glands. Similarly,
      Rab proteins (Rab3d, Rab11a, Rab11b, Rab27a, and Rab27b) and soluble N
      ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor (SNARE)
      proteins VAMP4, VAMP8, syntaxin-2, syntaxin-3, syntaxin-4, and syntaxin-6 were
      expressed at various levels in individual glands. mmunohistochemistry of Rab3d,
      Rab11b, Rab27b, VAMP4, VAMP8, syntaxin-4, and syntaxin-6 revealed their
      predominant expression in serous acinar cells, demilunes, and ductal cells. The
      VAMP4/syntaxin-6 SNARE complex, which is thought to be involved in the maturation
      of secretory granules in the Golgi field, was found more predominantly in the
      monostomatic sublingual gland than in the parotid gland. These results suggest
      that protein expression profiles in canine salivary glands differ among
      individual glands and reflect the properties of their specialized functions.

PMID- 28914592
TI  - Effect of Topically-Applied Hyaluronic-Acid on Pain and Palatal Epithelial Wound
      Healing: An Examiner-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two different
      concentrations of topical hyaluronic-acid on post-operative patient discomfort
      and wound healing of palatal donor sites following free gingival graft (FGG)
      surgery. METHODS: Thirty-six patients requiring FGG were randomly assigned into
      three groups in an examiner-blind, randomized-controlled clinical trial. After
      harvesting palatal grafts, 0.2% and 0.8% hyaluronic-acid gels were used in the
      test-1 and -2 groups, respectively. Gels were applied on donor sites and
      protected with periodontal dressing in the test groups whereas the wound was
      covered only with periodontal dressing in the control group. On days 3-7-14 and
      21, pain and burning sensation were recorded by using visual analog scale (VAS)
      as well as other parameters such as complete epithelization (CE) and color match
      on days 3-7-14-21-42. RESULTS: Test groups experienced less pain than the control
      group on days 3 and 7 (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively). The mean VAS score for
      burning sensation was higher in the control group on day 3 compared to the test-1
      and -2 groups (P=0.033 and P=0.020, respectively). CE in all patients was
      achieved on day 21 in both test groups while it was achieved on day 42 in the
      control group. The test groups showed higher color match scores than the control
      group on days 21 (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively) and 42 (P=0.004 and P=0.002,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: Topical application of hyaluronic-acid exhibits
      positive impact on post-operative pain, burning sensation and accelerates palatal
      wound healing in terms of epithelization and color match.

PMID- 28914591
TI  - Mucosa-associated microbiota dysbiosis in colitis associated cancer.
AB  - Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been associated with inflammatory bowel diseases
      (IBD). In colorectal cancer, the gut microbiota has also been recognized as
      potentially involved in aggravating or favoring the tumor development. However,
      very little is known on the structure and role of the microbiota in colitis
      associated cancer (CAC), an important complication of IBD in human. Here we
      analyzed the bacterial and fungal composition of the mucosa associated microbiota
      of patients suffering CAC, sporadic cancer (SC) and of healthy subjects (HS) by
      barcode sequences analysis on the following cohort: 7 CAC patients, 10 SC
      patients and 10 HS using 16S (MiSeq) and ITS2 (pyrosequencing) sequencing, for
      bacteria and fungi respectively. Mucosa-associated bacterial microbiota in CAC
      was significantly different from the ones in SC or in HS, while the fungal showed
      no differences. Comparison between mucosa-associated microbiota on the tumor site
      or in normal mucosa near the tumor showed very similar patterns. The global
      mucosa-associated bacterial microbiota in cancer patients was characterized by a
      restriction in biodiversity but no change for the fungal community. Compared to
      SC, CAC was characterized by an increase of Enterobacteriacae family and
      Sphingomonas genus and a decrease of Fusobacterium and Ruminococcus genus. Our
      study confirms the alteration of the mucosa-associated bacterial microbiota in
      IBD and SC. Although the cohort is limited in number, this is the first evidence
      of the existence of an altered bacterial microbiota in CAC clearly different from
      the one in SC patients.

PMID- 28914593
TI  - Effects of Local Administration of Tiludronic Acid on Experimental Periodontitis
      in Diabetic Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tiludronic acid (TIL) presents antiresorptive and anti-inflammatory
      properties and it has not been evaluated in the association periodontitis
      diabetes mellitus (DM) to date. This study evaluated the effects of local
      administration of TIL on experimental periodontitis (EP) in rats with
      streptozotocin-induced DM. METHODS: Thirty-two animals (Rattus norvegicus,
      albinus, Wistar) were divided into groups DM/C (Control), DM/EP, DM/EP/TIL1 and
      DM/EP/TIL3. In groups EP, a ligature was placed around mandibular molars (MM). In
      groups DM/EP/TIL1 and DM/EP/TIL3, TIL solutions (1 and 3 mg/kg, respectively)
      were injected into the gingival tissue of MM every other day during 10 days,
      until euthanasia. Periodontal tissues were analyzed by microcomputed tomography,
      histomorphometry, immunohistochemistry (TRAP, RANKL, OPG, cleaved caspase 3) and
      qRT-PCR (IL-1beta, VEGF). RESULTS: In microtomographic analyses, groups
      DM/EP/TIL1 and DM/EP/TIL3 presented reduced alveolar bone resorption (p<0.05).
      Group DM/EP/TIL3 presented decreased attachment loss (p<0.05). The amount of TRAP
      positive multinucleated cells was decreased in TIL groups (p<0.05). Group
      DM/EP/TIL3 presented lower immunolabeling pattern for RANKL (p<0.05). TIL
      treatment decreased the genic expression of IL-1beta and, in group DM/EP/TIL3,
      the expression of VEGF was increased (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Local administration
      of TIL promoted a protective effect against tissue destruction in EP in diabetic
      rats, and the dosage of 3 mg/kg of TIL promoted the best results regarding its
      antiresorptive and anti-inflammatory effects.

PMID- 28914594
TI  - Salivary Neuropeptides, Stress and Periodontitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence for psychological stress as a risk factor for
      periodontitis is fragmentary relying mostly on either questionnaire-based or
      biomarker studies. The aim of this study was to investigate Brain Derived
      Neurotrophic Factor, Substance P, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP),
      Neuropeptide Y (NPY), Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide and Adrenomedullin as well
      as cortisol in saliva and serum in periodontal health and disease combined with
      different aspects of stress and possible associations with clinical parameters.
      METHODS: In total, 56 patients with aggressive and chronic periodontitis and 44
      healthy controls were screened by ELISA and mass spectrometry for the presence of
      neuropeptides and cortisol in saliva and serum. Psychological stress was
      evaluated by validated questionnaires. All substances were explored for a
      possible relationship to periodontitis, clinical parameters and stress. RESULTS:
      VIP and NPY showed significantly higher levels in the saliva but not in the serum
      of patients with periodontitis. These neuropeptides correlated with the extent,
      severity and bleeding on probing scores in periodontitis patients. Females had
      significantly lower salivary VIP levels. There were no differences among the
      participants regarding psychological stress. CONCLUSIONS: VIP and NPY in saliva
      could be potential gender-specific salivary biomarkers for periodontitis
      regardless of psychological stress.

PMID- 28914595
TI  - Evaluation of gingival crevicular fluid and peri-implant sulcus fluid levels of
      periostin: A preliminary report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periostin is a protein present in alveolar bone and periodontal
      ligament whose function is related to response to external forces. The aims of
      this study are to detect levels of periostin in peri-implant sulcular fluid
      (PISF) and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and to evaluate the relationship
      between periostin, pyridinoline cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of Type
      I collagen (ICTP), and C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of Type I collagen
      (CTX) levels and clinical inflammatory symptoms and duration of functional
      loading. METHODS: The study population comprised nine women and four men with
      mean age 43.23 +/- 12.48. Twenty "bone-level designed" dental implants (DIs)
      placed in molar or premolar sites, without any signs of peri-implant bone loss
      and with a restoration in function for at least 12 months, were included in the
      study with 20 contralateral natural teeth (NT) as controls. Clinical parameters
      and restoration dates of the implants were recorded. PISF, GCF, ICTP, CTX, and
      periostin levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS:
      ICTP, CTX, and periostin levels were similar between DI and NT groups. There were
      no statistically significant differences between PISF and GCF values. When
      implants were grouped as healthy (gingival index [GI] = 0) and inflamed (GI >=0),
      ICTP levels and PISF volume were lower in healthy implants compared with the
      inflamed group. Both periostin and CTX levels were negatively correlated with
      functioning time, suggesting less bone remodeling around DIs at later stages of
      functioning. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study suggest collagen breakdown
      products may be used as markers to evaluate peri-implant metabolism.

PMID- 28914596
TI  - Obesity and periodontitis: An experimental study to evaluate periodontal and
      systemic effects of comorbidity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity and overweight have been associated with periodontitis. This
      study aims to evaluate periodontal and systemic effects of this association in a
      validated experimental model. METHODS: Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were
      randomly divided into four groups: 1) control group (Con) (fed with standard
      diet); 2) high-fat diet group (HFD) (fed with a diet containing 35.2% fat); 3)
      control group with induced periodontitis (Con-Perio); and 4) HFD group with
      induced periodontitis (HFD-Perio). To induce periodontitis, oral gavages with
      Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC W83K1 and Fusobacterium nucleatum DMSZ 20482 were
      used. Periodontal outcomes were evaluated by inflammatory parameters, periodontal
      probing depth (PD), and modified gingival index (MGI). Systemic effects were
      evaluated by measuring levels of inflammatory cytokines, insulin, adiponectin,
      and leptin using multiplex immunoassays and levels of visfatin, resistin, lipid
      profiles, transaminases, and plasma endotoxin using colorimetric tests and the
      glucose tolerance test. RESULTS: Clinical parameters (PD and MGI) were
      significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the induced periodontitis groups compared
      with controls. The HFD-Perio group demonstrated significantly higher PD compared
      with Con-Perio group. Lipid profiles, cytokines, and adipocytokines showed
      significantly elevated levels in the HFD-Perio group compared with the other
      groups. Similarly, glucose levels in the HFD-Perio group were significantly
      higher (P < 0.05) than in the HFD group, and hepatic damage parameters
      demonstrated a tendency toward higher levels in the HFD-Perio group. CONCLUSION:
      Obesity and periodontitis demonstrated a comorbidity effect on both systemic
      inflammatory and metabolic dysregulation biomarkers, with increased glucose,
      dyslipidemia and hepatic damage.

PMID- 28914597
TI  - Combination of Ultrasonic Decontamination, Soft Tissue Curettage and Submucosal
      Air Polishing With Povidone-Iodine Application for Non-Surgical Therapy of Peri
      Implantitis: 12 Months Clinical Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of a
      concept for non-surgical peri-implantitis combining stepwise mechanical
      debridement measures with adjuvant Povidone-iodine application with and without
      systemic antibiotics. METHODS: 45 patients with chronic periodontitis comprising
      164 screw-typed implants with peri-implantitis were included. Peri-implantitis
      was defined as radiographic bone loss of >2 mm, probing pocket depth (PD) >=5 mm
      with bleeding on probing (BOP). Stepwise treatment of implants was performed with
      ultrasonic debridement, soft tissue curettage (STC), glycine powder air polishing
      (GPAP) and a repeated submucosal application of Povidone-iodine. Teeth with PD
      >4mm were treated simultaneously according to the same concept except STC. In
      cases with severe periodontitis (N = 24), amoxicillin and metronidazole (AM) were
      prescribed for 7 days. RESULTS: After 12 months, implants treated without AM
      showed significant reductions (p<0.05) of mean PD (1.4 +/- 0.7 mm), CAL (1.3 +/-
      0.8 mm) and BOP (33.4 +/- 17.2%). In deep pockets (PD >6mm) changes of mean PD
      (2.3 +/- 1.3 mm), CAL (2.0 +/- 1.6 mm) and BOP (44.0 +/- 41.7%) were more
      pronounced. Intake of AM did not significantly influence the changes of these
      parameters. However, the reduction of implant sites with PD >4 mm and BOP was
      significantly higher in patients with AM than in those without AM (31.8 +/- 12.6%
      vs. 20.8 +/- 14.7%; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of ultrasonic
      debridement, STC and GPAP with adjuvant Povidone-iodine led to significant
      clinical improvements at implants. Systemic antibiotics had limited effects on
      the reduction of persisting implant sites with treatment need.

PMID- 28914598
TI  - Ovarian Cancer: Prevalence in Incidental Simple Adnexal Cysts Initially
      Identified in CT Examinations of the Abdomen and Pelvis.
AB  - Purpose To evaluate the rate of malignancy in incidentally detected simple
      adnexal cysts at computed tomography (CT) to determine if simple-appearing cysts
      require follow-up. Materials and Methods In this HIPAA-compliant, institutional
      review board-approved retrospective cohort study, an institutional database was
      searched for abdominal and pelvic CT studies performed between June 2003 and
      December 2010 in women reported to have adnexal cysts. Adnexal cyst
      characterization was determined by prospective report description as well as
      image review by a research fellow and by a fellowship-trained abdominal
      radiologist for examinations with disagreement between the original report and
      the research fellow's assessment. Patients with known ovarian cysts or ovarian
      cancer at time of the index CT examination were excluded. Clinical outcome was
      assessed by using follow-up imaging studies, medical records, and the state
      cancer registry. Benign outcome was determined by benign findings at surgery, a
      decrease in size or resolution of a simple-appearing cyst at follow-up imaging,
      or stability of the cyst for at least 1 year. Descriptive statistics and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results Among 42 111 women who
      underwent abdominal and pelvic CT examinations in the study period, 2763 (6.6%;
      95% CI: 6.3%, 6.8%) (mean age, 48.1 years +/- 18.1; range, 15-102 years) had a
      newly detected finding of ovarian cyst described in the body or impression
      section of the report. Median cyst size was 3.1 cm (range, 0.8-20.0 cm). Eighteen
      (0.7%; 95% CI: 0.4%, 1.0%) of 2763 patients were found to have ovarian cancer
      after an average follow-up of 5.1 years +/- 3.8 (range, 0-12.8 years). None (95%
      CI: 0%, 0.4%) of 1031 women with simple-appearing cysts were given a diagnosis of
      ovarian cancer. This included none (95% CI: 0%, 0.4%) of 904 women with simple
      appearing cysts with an adequate reference standard for benign outcome.
      Conclusion The prevalence of previously unknown adnexal cysts at CT was 6.6%,
      with an ovarian cancer rate of 0.7% (95% CI: 0.4%, 1.0%). All simple-appearing
      cysts were benign (95% CI: 99.6%, 100%). (c) RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental
      material is available for this article.

PMID- 28914599
TI  - Ductal Carcinoma in Situ: Quantitative Preoperative Breast MR Imaging Features
      Associated with Recurrence after Treatment.
AB  - Purpose To investigate whether specific imaging features on breast magnetic
      resonance (MR) images are associated with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
      recurrence risk after definitive treatment. Materials and Methods Patients with
      DCIS who underwent preoperative dynamic contrast material-enhanced (DCE) MR
      imaging between 2004 and 2014 with ipsilateral recurrence more than 6 months
      after definitive surgical treatment were retrospectively identified. For each
      patient, a control subject with DCIS that did not recur was identified and
      matched on the basis of clinical, histopathologic, and treatment features known
      to affect recurrence risk. On DCE MR images, lesion characteristics (longest
      diameter, functional tumor volume [FTV], peak percentage enhancement [PE], peak
      signal enhancement ratio [SER], and washout fraction) and normal tissue features
      (background parenchymal enhancement [BPE] volume, mean BPE) were quantitatively
      measured. MR imaging features were compared between patients and control subjects
      by using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with adjustment for multiple comparisons.
      Results Of 415 subjects with DCIS who underwent preoperative MR imaging, 14
      experienced recurrence and 11 had an identifiable matching control subject (final
      cohort, 11 patients and 11 control subjects). Median time to recurrence was 14
      months, and median follow-up for control subjects was 102 months. When compared
      with matched control subjects, patients with DCIS recurrence exhibited
      significantly greater FTV (median, 9.3 cm3 vs 1.3 cm3, P = .01), lesion peak SER
      (median, 1.7 vs 1.2; P = .03), and mean BPE (median, 58.3% vs 41.1%; P = .02).
      Conclusion Quantitative lesion and normal breast tissue characteristics at
      preoperative MR imaging in women with newly diagnosed DCIS show promise for
      association with breast cancer recurrence after treatment. (c) RSNA, 2017.

PMID- 28914600
TI  - Reduction of 18F-FDG Dose in Clinical PET/MR Imaging by Using Silicon
      Photomultiplier Detectors.
AB  - Purpose To determine the level of clinically acceptable reduction in injected
      fluorine 18 (18F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) dose in time-of-flight (TOF)-positron
      emission tomography(PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging by using silicon
      photomultiplier (SiPM) detectors compared with TOF-PET/computed tomography (CT)
      using Lu1.8Y0.2SiO5(Ce), or LYSO, detectors in patients with different body mass
      indexes (BMIs). Materials and Methods Patients were enrolled in this study as
      part of a larger prospective study with a different purpose than evaluated in
      this study (NCT02316431). All patients gave written informed consent prior to
      inclusion into the study. In this study, 74 patients with different malignant
      diseases underwent sequential whole-body TOF-PET/CT and TOF-PET/MR imaging. PET
      images with simulated reduction of injected 18F-FDG doses were generated by
      unlisting the list-mode data from PET/MR imaging. Two readers rated the image
      quality of whole-body data sets, as well as the image quality in each body
      compartment, and evaluated the conspicuity of malignant lesions. Results The
      image quality with 70% or 60% of the injected dose of 18F-FDG at PET/MR imaging
      was comparable to that at PET/CT. With 50% of the injected dose, comparable image
      quality was maintained among patients with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2. PET
      images without TOF reconstruction showed higher artifact scores and deteriorated
      sharpness than those with TOF reconstruction. Conclusion Sixty percent of the
      usually injected 18F-FDG dose (reduction of up to 40%) in patients with a BMI of
      more than 25 kg/m2 results in clinically adequate PET image quality in TOF-PET/MR
      imaging performed by using SiPM detectors. Additionally, in patients with a BMI
      of less than 25 kg/m2, 50% of the injected dose may safely be used. (c) RSNA,
      2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

PMID- 28914601
TI  - Left Ventricular Long-Axis Function Assessed with Cardiac Cine MR Imaging Is an
      Independent Predictor of All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Reduced Ejection
      Fraction: A Multicenter Study.
AB  - Purpose To evaluate the prognostic value of a simple index of left ventricular
      (LV) long-axis function-lateral mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE)
      in a large multicenter population of patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF)
      who were undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Materials and
      Methods This retrospective study included 1040 consecutive patients (mean age,
      59.5 years +/- 15.8) at four U.S. medical centers who were undergoing cardiac MR
      imaging for assessment of LV dysfunction with EF less than 50%. Lateral MAPSE was
      measured in the four-chamber cine view. The primary end point was all-cause
      death. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to examine the
      independent association between lateral MAPSE and death. The incremental
      prognostic value of lateral MAPSE was assessed in nested models. Results During a
      median follow-up of 4.4 years, 132 patients died. With Kaplan-Meier analysis, the
      risk of death increased significantly with decreasing tertiles of lateral MAPSE
      (log-rank P = .0001). Patients with relatively preserved lateral MAPSE (>9 mm)
      had very few deaths, regardless of whether their EF was above or below 35%.
      Patients with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and low lateral MAPSE had
      significantly reduced survival compared to those with LGE and high lateral MAPSE
      (log-rank P < .0001). Lateral MAPSE was independently associated with risk of
      death after adjustment for clinical and imaging risk factors, which were
      univariate predictors (age, body mass index, diabetes, LV end-diastolic volume
      index, LGE, EF) (hazard ratio = 2.051 per mm decrease; 95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 1.520, 2.768; P < .001). Inclusion of lateral MAPSE in this model resulted
      in significant improvement in model fit (likelihood ratio test P < .0001) and C
      statistic (increasing from 0.675 to 0.844; P < .0001). Continuous net
      reclassification improvement was 1.036 (95% CI: 0.878, 1.194). Conclusion Lateral
      MAPSE measured during routine cine cardiac MR imaging is a significant
      independent predictor of mortality in patients with LV dysfunction, incremental
      to common clinical and cardiac MR risk factors-including EF and LGE. (c) RSNA,
      2017.

PMID- 28914602
TI  - Initial Clinical Experience with a Modulated Holmium Laser Pulse-Moses
      Technology: Does It Enhance Laser Lithotripsy Efficacy?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Lumenis(r) High-power Holmium Laser (120H) has a unique modulated
      pulse mode, MosesTM technology. Moses technology modulates the laser pulse to
      separate the water (vapor bubble), then deliver the remaining energy through the
      bubble. Proprietary laser fibers were designed for the Moses technology. Our aim
      was to compare stone lithotripsy with and without the Moses technology. METHODS:
      We designed a questionnaire for the urologist to fill immediately after each
      ureteroscopy in which the Lumenis 120H was used. We compared procedures with
      (n=23) and without (n=11) the use of Moses technology. Surgeons ranked the Moses
      technology in 23 procedures, in comparison to regular lithotripsy (worse,
      equivalent, better, much better). Laser working time and energy use were
      collected from the Lumenis 120H log. RESULTS: During 4 months, five urologists
      used the Lumenis 120H in 34 ureteroscopy procedures (19 kidney stones, 15
      ureteral stones; 22 procedures with a flexible ureteroscope, and 12 with a semi
      rigid ureteroscope). Three urologists ranked Moses technology as much better or
      better in 17 procedures. In 2 cases, it was ranked equivalent, and in 4 cases
      ranking was not done. Overall, laser lithotripsy with Moses technology utilized
      laser energy in less time to achieve a satisfying stone fragmentation rate of
      95.8 mm3/min versus 58.1 mm3/min, P=0.19. However, this did not reach statistical
      significance. CONCLUSION: The new Moses laser technology demonstrated good stone
      fragmentation capabilities when used in everyday clinical practice.

PMID- 28914603
TI  - Synaptic up-scaling preserves motor circuit output after chronic, natural
      inactivity.
AB  - Neural systems use homeostatic plasticity to maintain normal brain functions and
      to prevent abnormal activity. Surprisingly, homeostatic mechanisms that regulate
      circuit output have mainly been demonstrated during artificial and/or
      pathological perturbations. Natural, physiological scenarios that activate these
      stabilizing mechanisms in neural networks of mature animals remain elusive. To
      establish the extent to which a naturally inactive circuit engages mechanisms of
      homeostatic plasticity, we utilized the respiratory motor circuit in bullfrogs
      that normally remains inactive for several months during the winter. We found
      that inactive respiratory motoneurons exhibit a classic form of homeostatic
      plasticity, up-scaling of AMPA-glutamate receptors. Up-scaling increased the
      synaptic strength of respiratory motoneurons and acted to boost motor amplitude
      from the respiratory network following months of inactivity. Our results show
      that synaptic scaling sustains strength of the respiratory motor output following
      months of inactivity, thereby supporting a major neuroscience hypothesis in a
      normal context for an adult animal.

PMID- 28914604
TI  - Scc2/Nipbl hops between chromosomal cohesin rings after loading.
AB  - The cohesin complex mediates DNA-DNA interactions both between (sister chromatid
      cohesion) and within chromosomes (DNA looping). It has been suggested that intra
      chromosome loops are generated by extrusion of DNAs through the lumen of
      cohesin's ring. Scc2 (Nipbl) stimulates cohesin's ABC-like ATPase and is
      essential for loading cohesin onto chromosomes. However, it is possible that the
      stimulation of cohesin's ATPase by Scc2 also has a post-loading function, for
      example driving loop extrusion. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching
      (FRAP) and single-molecule tracking in human cells, we show that Scc2 binds
      dynamically to chromatin, principally through an association with cohesin. Scc2's
      movement within chromatin is consistent with a 'stop-and-go' or 'hopping' motion.
      We suggest that a low diffusion coefficient, a low stoichiometry relative to
      cohesin, and a high affinity for chromosomal cohesin enables Scc2 to move rapidly
      from one chromosomal cohesin complex to another, performing a function distinct
      from loading.

PMID- 28914605
TI  - A causal role for right frontopolar cortex in directed, but not random,
      exploration.
AB  - The explore-exploit dilemma occurs anytime we must choose between exploring
      unknown options for information and exploiting known resources for reward.
      Previous work suggests that people use two different strategies to solve the
      explore-exploit dilemma: directed exploration, driven by information seeking, and
      random exploration, driven by decision noise. Here, we show that these two
      strategies rely on different neural systems. Using transcranial magnetic
      stimulation to inhibit the right frontopolar cortex, we were able to selectively
      inhibit directed exploration while leaving random exploration intact. This
      suggests a causal role for right frontopolar cortex in directed, but not random,
      exploration and that directed and random exploration rely on (at least partially)
      dissociable neural systems.

PMID- 28914608
TI  - Models and materials for generalized Kitaev magnetism.
AB  - The exactly solvable Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice has recently received
      enormous attention linked to the hope of achieving novel spin-liquid states with
      fractionalized Majorana-like excitations. In this review, we analyze the
      mechanism proposed by Jackeli and Khaliullin to identify Kitaev materials based
      on spin-orbital dependent bond interactions and provide a comprehensive overview
      of its implications in real materials. We set the focus on experimental results
      and current theoretical understanding of planar honeycomb systems (Na2IrO3, alpha
      Li2IrO3, and alpha-RuCl3), three-dimensional Kitaev materials (beta- and gamma
      Li2IrO3), and other potential candidates, completing the review with the list of
      open questions awaiting new insights.

PMID- 28914606
TI  - Nanoscale architecture of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe contractile ring.
AB  - The contractile ring is a complex molecular apparatus which physically divides
      many eukaryotic cells. Despite knowledge of its protein composition, the
      molecular architecture of the ring is not known. Here we have applied super
      resolution microscopy and FRET to determine the nanoscale spatial organization of
      Schizosaccharomyces pombe contractile ring components relative to the plasma
      membrane. Similar to other membrane-tethered actin structures, we find proteins
      localize in specific layers relative to the membrane. The most membrane-proximal
      layer (0-80 nm) is composed of membrane-binding scaffolds, formin, and the tail
      of the essential myosin-II. An intermediate layer (80-160 nm) consists of a
      network of cytokinesis accessory proteins as well as multiple signaling
      components which influence cell division. Farthest from the membrane (160-350 nm)
      we find F-actin, the motor domains of myosins, and a major F-actin crosslinker.
      Circumferentially within the ring, multiple proteins proximal to the membrane
      form clusters of different sizes, while components farther from the membrane are
      uniformly distributed. This comprehensive organizational map provides a framework
      for understanding contractile ring function.

PMID- 28914609
TI  - Effect of multiple perfusion components on pseudo-diffusion coefficient in
      intravoxel incoherent motion imaging.
AB  - The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of multiple perfusion
      components on the pseudo-diffusion coefficient D * in the bi-exponential
      intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model. Simulations were first performed to
      examine how the presence of multiple perfusion components influences D *. The
      real data of livers (n  =  31), spleens (n  =  31) and kidneys (n  =  31) of 31
      volunteers was then acquired using DWI for in vivo study and the number of
      perfusion components in these tissues was determined together with their
      perfusion fraction and D *, using an adaptive multi-exponential IVIM model.
      Finally, the bi-exponential model was applied to the real data and the mean,
      standard variance and coefficient of variation of D * as well as the fitting
      residual were calculated over the 31 volunteers for each of the three tissues and
      compared between them. The results of both the simulations and the in vivo study
      showed that, for the bi-exponential IVIM model, both the variance of D * and the
      fitting residual tended to increase when the number of perfusion components was
      increased or when the difference between perfusion components became large. In
      addition, it was found that the kidney presented the fewest perfusion components
      among the three tissues. The present study demonstrated that multi-component
      perfusion is a main factor that causes high variance of D * and the bi
      exponential model should be used only when the tissues under investigation have
      few perfusion components, for example the kidney.

PMID- 28914610
TI  - Fluorescent J-aggregates of cyanine dyes: basic research and applications review.
AB  - J-aggregates are fascinating fluorescent nanomaterials formed by highly ordered
      assembly of organic dyes with the spectroscopic properties dramatically different
      from that of single or disorderly assembled dye molecules. They demonstrate very
      narrow red-shifted absorption and emission bands, strongly increased absorbance
      together with the decrease of radiative lifetime, highly polarized emission and
      other valuable features. The mechanisms of their electronic transitions are
      understood by formation of delocalized excitons already on the level of several
      coupled monomers. Cyanine dyes are unique in forming J-aggregates over the broad
      spectral range, from blue to near-IR. With the aim to inspire further
      developments, this review is focused on the optical characteristics of J
      aggregates in connection with the dye structures and on their diverse already
      realized and emerging applications.

PMID- 28914607
TI  - Cortex-wide BOLD fMRI activity reflects locally-recorded slow oscillation
      associated calcium waves.
AB  - Spontaneous slow oscillation-associated slow wave activity represents an
      internally generated state which is characterized by alternations of network
      quiescence and stereotypical episodes of neuronal activity - slow wave events.
      However, it remains unclear which macroscopic signal is related to these active
      periods of the slow wave rhythm. We used optic fiber-based calcium recordings of
      local neural populations in cortex and thalamus to detect neurophysiologically
      defined slow calcium waves in isoflurane anesthetized rats. The individual slow
      wave events were used for an event-related analysis of simultaneously acquired
      whole-brain BOLD fMRI. We identified BOLD responses directly related to onsets of
      slow calcium waves, revealing a cortex-wide BOLD correlate: the entire cortex was
      engaged in this specific type of slow wave activity. These findings demonstrate a
      direct relation of defined neurophysiological events to a specific BOLD activity
      pattern and were confirmed for ongoing slow wave activity by independent
      component and seed-based analyses.

PMID- 28914611
TI  - Deep convolutional neural network with transfer learning for rectum toxicity
      prediction in cervical cancer radiotherapy: a feasibility study.
AB  - Better understanding of the dose-toxicity relationship is critical for safe dose
      escalation to improve local control in late-stage cervical cancer radiotherapy.
      In this study, we introduced a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to
      analyze rectum dose distribution and predict rectum toxicity. Forty-two cervical
      cancer patients treated with combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and
      brachytherapy (BT) were retrospectively collected, including twelve toxicity
      patients and thirty non-toxicity patients. We adopted a transfer learning
      strategy to overcome the limited patient data issue. A 16-layers CNN developed by
      the visual geometry group (VGG-16) of the University of Oxford was pre-trained on
      a large-scale natural image database, ImageNet, and fine-tuned with patient
      rectum surface dose maps (RSDMs), which were accumulated EBRT  +  BT doses on the
      unfolded rectum surface. We used the adaptive synthetic sampling approach and the
      data augmentation method to address the two challenges, data imbalance and data
      scarcity. The gradient-weighted class activation maps (Grad-CAM) were also
      generated to highlight the discriminative regions on the RSDM along with the
      prediction model. We compare different CNN coefficients fine-tuning strategies,
      and compare the predictive performance using the traditional dose volume
      parameters, e.g. D 0.1/1/2cc, and the texture features extracted from the RSDM.
      Satisfactory prediction performance was achieved with the proposed scheme, and we
      found that the mean Grad-CAM over the toxicity patient group has geometric
      consistence of distribution with the statistical analysis result, which indicates
      possible rectum toxicity location. The evaluation results have demonstrated the
      feasibility of building a CNN-based rectum dose-toxicity prediction model with
      transfer learning for cervical cancer radiotherapy.

PMID- 28914612
TI  - BNC NanoShells a Novel Structure for Atomic Storage.
AB  - Quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) and density functional theory (DFT) are employed
      in this work in order to study the structural and&#13; electronics properties of
      carbon, Boron Nitride or hybrid BNC nanoshells (BNCNSs). The studied nanoshells
      can be formed by stacking two zigzag graphene nanoribbons (zGNRs), two zigzag
      Boron Nitride nanoribbons (zBNNRs) or one zigzag graphene nanoribbon on a Boron
      Nitride nanoribbon. In all cases only one of the edges of the ribbon is
      passivated, while the other one is left unpassivated. Our QMD results show that
      these nanoribbons collapse just a few femtoseconds after the beginning of the
      simulation, forming a coalesced structure in the shape of a shell. Our band
      structure calculations revealed that this structures may be metallic or
      semiconductor, depending on its stoichiometry. Furthermore, a spin splitting for
      energies near the Fermi level is predicted for both the pure carbon and the
      hybrid BNC-nanoshell systems.&#13; &#13; We further show that when a transverse
      electric field is applied to these systems, the nanoshell structure tends to open
      up. This effect can lead to the application of these nanoshells for molecular
      storage. As a proof of concept, we investigate this storage effect for the H2
      molecule.

PMID- 28914613
TI  - A novel system for commissioning brachytherapy applicators: example of a ring
      applicator.
AB  - A novel system was developed to improve commissioning and quality assurance of
      brachytherapy applicators used in high dose rate (HDR). It employs an imaging
      panel to create reference images and to measure dwell times and dwell positions.
      As an example: two ring applicators of the same model were evaluated. An
      applicator was placed on the surface of an imaging panel and a HDR 192Ir source
      was positioned in an imaging channel above the panel to generate an image of the
      applicator, using the gamma photons of the brachytherapy source. The applicator
      projection image was overlaid with the images acquired by capturing the gamma
      photons emitted by the source dwelling inside the applicator. We verified 0.1,
      0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 cm interdwell distances for different offsets, applicator
      inclinations and transfer tube curvatures. The data analysis was performed using
      in-house developed software capable of processing the data in real time, defining
      catheters and creating movies recording the irradiation procedure. One applicator
      showed up to 0.3 cm difference from the expected position for a specific dwell
      position. The problem appeared intermittently. The standard deviations of the
      remaining dwell positions (40 measurements) were less than 0.05 cm. The second
      ring applicator had a similar reproducibility with absolute coordinate
      differences from expected values ranging from  -0.10 up to 0.18 cm. The curvature
      of the transfer tube can lead to differences larger than 0.1 cm whilst the
      inclination of the applicator showed a negligible effect. The proposed method
      allows the verification of all steps of the irradiation, providing accurate
      information about dwell positions and dwell times. It allows the verification of
      small interdwell positions (?0.1 cm) and reduces measurement time. In addition,
      no additional radiation source is necessary since the HDR 192Ir source is used to
      generate an image of the applicator.

PMID- 28914614
TI  - Structural Control in Porous/Compact Multilayer Systems Grown by Magnetron
      Sputtering.
AB  - In this work we analyze a phenomenon that takes place when growing magnetron
      sputtered porous/compact multilayer systems by alternating the oblique angle and
      the classical configuration geometries. We show that the compact layers develop
      numerous fissures rooted in the porous structures of the film below, in a
      phenomenon that amplifies when increasing the number of stacked layers. We
      demonstrate that these fissures emerge during growth due to the high roughness of
      the porous layers and the coarsening of a discontinuous interfacial region. To
      minimize this phenomenon, we have grown thin interlayers between porous and
      compact films under the impingement of energetic plasma ions, responsible for
      smoothing out the interfaces and inhibiting the formation of structural fissures.
      This method has been tested in practical situations for compact TiO2/porous SiO2
      multilayer systems, although it can be extrapolated to other materials and
      conditions.

PMID- 28914616
TI  - Effect of Full-Length Carbon Fiber Insoles on Lower Limb Kinetics in Patients
      With Midfoot Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of full-length carbon fiber (FCF) insoles
      on gait, muscle activity, kinetics, and pain in patients with midfoot
      osteoarthritis (OA). DESIGN: We enrolled 13 patients with unilateral midfoot OA
      (mild: Visual Analog Scale [VAS] range, 1-3; moderate, VAS range, 4-7) and
      healthy controls. All participants were asked to walk under two conditions: with
      and without FCF insole. The outcome measures were ground reaction force,
      quantitative gait parameters, electromyography activities and pain severity
      (VAS). RESULTS: In the patients with moderate midfoot OA, significantly longer
      gait cycle and higher muscle activity of lower limb during loading-response phase
      were observed while walking without FCF insoles. In the mild midfoot OA group,
      there was no significant difference in VAS score (without, 2.0 +/- 1.0 vs. with,
      2.0 +/- 0.5) with FCF insole use. However, significantly reduced VAS score
      (without, 5.5 +/- 1.4 vs. with, 2.0 +/- 0.5) and muscle activity of the tibialis
      anterior and increased muscle activity of gastrocnemius were observed in the
      moderate midfoot OA group by using an FCF insole (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Full
      length carbon fiber insoles can improve pain in individuals with moderate midfoot
      OA, which might be associated with changes in the kinetics and muscle activities
      of the lower limb. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that
      FCF insoles may be used as a helpful option for midfoot OA.

PMID- 28914615
TI  - Apoptosis generates mechanical forces that close the lens vesicle in the chick
      embryo.
AB  - During the initial stages of eye development, optic vesicles grow laterally
      outward from both sides of the forebrain and come into contact with the
      surrounding surface ectoderm (SE). Within the region of contact, these layers
      then thicken locally to create placodes and invaginate to form the optic cup
      (primitive retina) and lens vesicle (LV), respectively. This paper examines the
      biophysical mechanisms involved in LV formation, which consists of three phases:
      (1) lens placode formation; (2) invagination to create the lens pit (LP); and (3)
      closure to form a complete ellipsoidally shaped LV. Previous studies have
      suggested that extracellular matrix deposited between the SE and optic vesicle
      causes the lens placode to form by locally constraining expansion of the SE as it
      grows, while actomyosin contraction causes this structure to invaginate. Here,
      using computational modeling and experiments on chick embryos, we confirm that
      these mechanisms for Phases 1 and 2 are physically plausible. Our results also
      suggest, however, that they are not sufficient to close the LP during Phase 3. We
      postulate that apoptosis provides an additional mechanism by removing cells near
      the LP opening, thereby decreasing its circumference and generating tension that
      closes the LP. This hypothesis is supported by staining that shows a ring of cell
      death located around the LP opening during closure. Inhibiting apoptosis in
      cultured embryos using caspase inhibitors significantly reduced LP closure, and
      results from a finite-element model indicate that closure driven by cell death is
      plausible. Taken together, our results suggest an important mechanical role for
      apoptosis in lens development.

PMID- 28914617
TI  - Distribution Patterns of the Vulnerable Vessels Around Cervical Nerve Roots: A
      Computed Tomography-Based Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of vulnerable
      vessels around the target of cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injection
      at the C3-C7 cervical nerve root levels in a clinical setting. DESIGN:
      Retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted. PARTICIPANTS: Patients
      complaining of neck or arm pain with no previous surgical history and who had
      undergone both precontrast and contrast-enhanced neck computed tomography were
      included retrospectively. RESULTS: In 26 (21.0%) of 124 patients, none of the
      vulnerable vessels around the target of cervical transforaminal epidural steroid
      injection around both sides of the C3-C7 nerve roots were observed. Of 248
      cervical root levels, the C3 level had 103 vessels (41.5%), the C4 level had 110
      vessels (44.4%), the C5 level had 98 vessels (39.5%), the C6 level had 59 vessels
      (23.8%), and the C7 level had 34 vessels (13.7%) close to each target nerve root.
      In addition, variations of the vertebral artery at the C4-C7 level were observed
      in 11 (8.9%) of 124 patients. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent unexpected critical
      complications involving injury to vulnerable vessels during cervical
      transforaminal epidural steroid injection, it is recommended to routinely
      evaluate the vulnerable vessels around the cervical nerve root with computed
      tomography or Doppler ultrasound before cervical transforaminal epidural steroid
      injection, especially for the upper cervical nerve root level.

PMID- 28914618
TI  - Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome: Moving Beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2.
AB  - The recent implementation of next generation sequencing and multigene platforms
      has expanded the spectrum of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome,
      beyond the traditional genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. A large number of other moderate
      penetrance genes have now been uncovered, which also play critical roles in
      repairing double stranded DNA breaks through the homologous recombination
      pathway. This review discusses the landmark discoveries of BRCA1 and BRCA2, the
      homologous repair pathway and new genes discovered in hereditary breast and
      ovarian cancer syndrome, as well as their clinicopathologic significance and
      implications for genetic testing. It also highlights the new role of PARP
      inhibitors in the context of synthetic lethality and prophylactic surgical
      options.

PMID- 28914619
TI  - There Are No Magic Bullets in Hematopathology: Even Immunostains for CD20 and CD3
      Can Get You Into Trouble.
AB  - Immunohistochemistry is a powerful tool for the diagnosis and subclassification
      of hematolymphoid neoplasms. However, the expression of certain markers is not
      always as expected, and unusual patterns of staining can lead to misdiagnosis.
      CD20 and CD3 are our most commonly used markers for identification of B cells and
      T cells, respectively, and they almost always yield reliable, specific staining.
      This discussion focuses on diagnostic pitfalls related to the use of
      immunohistochemistry for CD20 and CD3 in hematopathology, and specifically on
      diagnostic challenges that arise when (1) CD20 is not expressed in B-cell
      lymphomas, when (2) CD20 is expressed in plasma cell neoplasms and T-cell
      lymphomas, and when (3) CD3 is expressed in B-cell lymphomas and Hodgkin
      lymphoma.

PMID- 28914620
TI  - New Developments in the Molecular Mechanisms of Pancreatic Tumorigenesis.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease with a dismal prognosis in dire need
      of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The past decade has witnessed an
      explosion of data on the genetic alterations that occur in pancreatic cancer, as
      comprehensive next-generation sequencing analyses have been performed on samples
      from large cohorts of patients. These studies have defined the genomic landscape
      of this disease and identified novel candidates whose mutations contribute to
      pancreatic tumorigenesis. They have also clarified the genetic alterations that
      underlie multistep tumorigenesis in precursor lesions and provided insights into
      clonal evolution in pancreatic neoplasia. In addition to these important insights
      into pancreatic cancer biology, these large scale genomic studies have also
      provided a foundation for the development of novel early detection strategies and
      targeted therapies. In this review, we discuss the results of these comprehensive
      sequencing studies of pancreatic neoplasms, with a particular focus on how their
      results will impact the clinical care of patients with pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 28914621
TI  - CE: Original Research: Exploring How Nursing Schools Handle Student Errors and
      Near Misses.
AB  - : : Background: Little attention has been paid to how nursing students learn
      about quality and safety, and to the tools and policies that guide nursing
      schools in helping students respond to errors and near misses. PURPOSE: This
      study sought to determine whether prelicensure nursing programs have a policy for
      reporting and following up on student clinical errors and near misses, a tool for
      such reporting, a tool or process (or both) for identifying trends, strategies
      for follow-up with students after errors and near misses, and strategies for
      follow-up with clinical agencies and individual faculty members. METHODS: A
      national electronic survey of 1,667 schools of nursing with a prelicensure
      registered nursing program was conducted. Data from 494 responding schools (30%)
      were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the responding schools, 245 (50%) reported having no
      policy for managing students following a clinical error or near miss, and 272
      (55%) reported having no tool for reporting student errors or near misses.
      CONCLUSIONS: Significant work is needed if the principles of a fair and just
      culture are to shape the response to nursing student errors and near misses. For
      nursing schools, some essential first steps are to understand the tools and
      policies a school has in place; the school's philosophy regarding errors and near
      misses; the resources needed to establish a fair and just culture; and how
      faculty can work together to create learning environments that eliminate or
      minimize the negative consequences of errors and near misses for patients,
      students, and faculty.

PMID- 28914622
TI  - CE: Assessing Patients During Septic Shock Resuscitation.
AB  - : In 2015, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign six-hour bundle was updated. The revised
      version now recommends documenting the reassessment of volume status and tissue
      perfusion after initial fluid resuscitation through a repeated focused
      examination. This article addresses the practice and interpretation of two
      components of this examination in adults: capillary refill time and skin mottling
      score. It further discusses how to best integrate these noninvasive parameters
      into the care of patients undergoing resuscitation for septic shock.

PMID- 28914623
TI  - Prevalence and Prognosis Impact of Patient-Ventilator Asynchrony in Early Phase
      of Weaning according to Two Detection Methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient-ventilator asynchrony is associated with a poorer outcome.
      The prevalence and severity of asynchrony during the early phase of weaning has
      never been specifically described. The authors' first aim was to evaluate the
      prognosis impact and the factors associated with asynchrony. Their second aim was
      to compare the prevalence of asynchrony according to two methods of detection: a
      visual inspection of signals and a computerized method integrating
      electromyographic activity of the diaphragm. METHODS: This was an ancillary study
      of a multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing neurally adjusted
      ventilatory assist to pressure support ventilation. Asynchrony was quantified at
      12, 24, 36, and 48 h after switching from controlled ventilation to a partial
      mode of ventilatory assistance according to the two methods. An asynchrony index
      greater than or equal to 10% defined severe asynchrony. RESULTS: A total of 103
      patients ventilated for a median duration of 5 days (interquartile range, 3 to 9
      days) were included. Whatever the method used for quantification, severe patient
      ventilator asynchrony was not associated with an alteration of the outcome. No
      factor was associated with severe asynchrony. The prevalence of asynchrony was
      significantly lower when the quantification was based on flow and pressure than
      when it was based on the electromyographic activity of the diaphragm at 0.3 min
      (interquartile range, 0.2 to 0.8 min) and 4.7 min (interquartile range, 3.2 to
      7.7 min; P < 0.0001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: During the early phase of
      weaning in patients receiving a partial ventilatory mode, severe patient
      ventilator asynchrony was not associated with adverse clinical outcome, although
      the prevalence of patient-ventilator asynchrony varies according to the
      definitions and methods used for detection.

PMID- 28914624
TI  - Management of Type I and Type II laryngeal clefts: controversies and evidence.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize the pediatric Type I and Type II laryngeal cleft
      literature, paying special attention to recent trends, including evolution of
      surgical techniques, standardization of outcome assessments, and utilization of
      management algorithms. RECENT FINDINGS: There are a variety of options to choose
      from whenever considering Type I and Type II cleft repair, including endoscopic
      repair, transoral robotic surgery, and injection laryngoplasty. Conservative
      management including feeding therapy and treatment of comorbid medical conditions
      is recommended prior to repair. Validated outcome measures have arisen for
      swallow study interpretation and timing, as well as caregiver quality-of-life
      assessment. In addition, a series of medical algorithms have been proposed, which
      provide specific recommendations for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.
      SUMMARY: For clefts that fail conservative management, endoscopic repair has
      become the gold standard. In addition, injection laryngoplasty appears to provide
      both a diagnostic and therapeutic option in the management of these patients.
      Transoral robotic-assisted endoscopic repair appears well tolerated and feasible,
      although broader implementation of this technology remains limited. The
      development and refinement of best practice algorithms can help standardize
      management and improve decision-making. Furthermore, incorporating validated
      outcome measures, recorded and followed over time, will improve both patient care
      and research efforts moving forward.

PMID- 28914625
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28914626
TI  - Secondary Traumatic Stress in NICU Nurses: A Mixed-Methods Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Secondary traumatic stress is an occupational hazard for healthcare
      providers who care for patients who have been traumatized. This type of stress
      has been reported in various specialties of nursing, but no study to date had
      specifically focused on neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses. PURPOSE: (1)
      To determine the prevalence and severity of secondary traumatic stress in NICU
      nurses and (2) to explore those quantitative findings in more depth through
      nurses' qualitative descriptions of their traumatic experiences caring for
      critically ill infants in the NICU. METHODS: Members of NANN were sent e-mails
      with a link to the electronic survey. In this mixed-methods study, a convergent
      parallel design was used. Neonatal nurses completed the Secondary Traumatic
      Stress Scale (STSS) and then described their traumatic experiences caring for
      critically ill infants in the NICU. SPSS version 24 and content analysis were
      used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. RESULTS: In
      this sample of 175 NICU nurses, 49% of the nurses' scores on the STSS indicated
      moderate to severe secondary traumatic stress. Analysis of the qualitative data
      revealed 5 themes that described NICU nurses' traumatic experiences caring for
      critically ill infants. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NICU nurses need to know the
      signs of secondary traumatic stress that they may experience caring for their
      critically ill infants. Avenues for dealing with the stress should be provided.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Future research with a higher response rate to
      increase the external validity of the findings to the population of neonatal
      nurses is needed.

PMID- 28914627
TI  - Antinociceptive effects of JWH015 in female and male rats.
AB  - Despite greater chronic pain prevalence in females compared with males, and the
      analgesic potential of cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) agonists, CB2 agonists
      have rarely been tested in females. The aim of the present study was to compare
      the antinociceptive effects of a CB2-preferring agonist, (2-methyl-1-propyl-1H
      indol-3-yl)-1-naphthalenylmethanone (JWH015), in female and male rats against
      acute pain and persistent inflammatory pain. JWH015 (5-20 mg/kg,
      intraperitoneally) produced dose-dependent and time-dependent increases in
      latency to respond on the tail withdrawal and paw pressure tests that did not
      differ statistically between the sexes. JWH015 dose-dependently decreased
      locomotor activity in both sexes, but was more potent in females than males.
      JWH015 produced little catalepsy in either sex. In females, the antinociceptive
      effects of JWH015 against acute pain were blocked by rimonabant and SR144528,
      whereas locomotor suppression was antagonized by rimonabant. When administered 3
      days after intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant, JWH015 produced
      a significantly greater antiallodynic effect in females at the highest dose
      tested (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Antiallodynic effects of JWH015 were
      antagonized by rimonabant and SR144528 in both sexes. These studies indicate that
      systemically administered JWH015 produced antinociception that was both CB1 and
      CB2 receptor-mediated in both sexes. Unlike [INCREMENT]-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
      and other nonselective cannabinoid agonists, the CB2-preferring agonist JWH015
      may produce more equivalent antinociception in females and males.

PMID- 28914628
TI  - Wanted: Effective Followers in Surgery.
AB  - BRIEF DESCRIPTION: This SURGICAL PERSPECTIVE paper brings to our readers the
      general topic of "followership." Leadership has received a lot of attention in
      the administrative education domain; however, there is a history of academic
      research on the role and importance of the effective follower. We review some of
      the critical articles in this field, and present a possible approach for
      incorporating the notion of effective followership in a surgical context.

PMID- 28914629
TI  - Association between ambulatory blood pressure values and central aortic pressure
      in a large population of normotensive and hypertensive patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine the association of ambulatory blood pressure
      monitoring (ABPM) and central blood pressure (CBP) data in a large set of
      normotensive and hypertensive patients and its relation with pulse wave velocity
      (PWV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a
      single centre and included 2864 individuals who carried out an ABPM, measurement
      of CBP from the aortic waveform (SphygmoCor) and carotid-femoral PWV (Complior).
      RESULTS: In our study, 26.6% of the normotensive individuals and 32.5% of
      controlled hypertensive patients had abnormal values of at least one or of both
      ABPM and CBP values, compared with 96.6% of uncontrolled hypertensive patients.
      In the overall population, normal ABPM and CBP occurred in 25.3% (group 1),
      abnormal ABPM and CBP occurred in 44.4% (group 4), abnormal ABPM and normal CBP
      occurred in 10.5% (group 3) and normal ABPM and abnormal CBP occurred in 19.8%
      (group 2). PWV was significantly superior in group 4 versus group 3; group 4
      versus group 1 and group 3 versus group 2 and group 2 versus group 1 (Mann
      Whitney U-test; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: At least 26-32% of patients classified as
      normotensive or controlled hypertensive patients have abnormal ABPM or CBP
      associated with target organ damages. When abnormal values of ABPM and CBP
      coexist, target organ damage (aortic stiffness) is greater than that occurring
      when only one abnormal ABPM or CBP is present in the absence of the other.
      Isolated central hypertension entails greater organ damage than both normal ABPM
      and CBP. These patients may be at higher risk of further target organ damage
      because of unawareness of their central hypertension.

PMID- 28914630
TI  - Strategies for the use of nonstatin therapies.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Dyslipidaemias are a major risk factor for cardiovascular
      disease (CVD); in particular, high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      (LDL-C) have been associated to a higher cardiovascular risk. Reducing LDL-C
      levels decreases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), and the greater the
      LDL-C reduction, the greater the decrease in cardiovascular risk. Although
      statins represent the first line lipid-lowering therapy, many patients do not
      reach the recommended goals or exhibit adverse side effects leading to therapy
      discontinuation; in addition, a significant percentage of statin-treated patients
      continue to experience cardiovascular events even in the presence of well
      controlled LDL-C levels, because of alterations in other lipid/lipoprotein
      classes, including triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. RECENT
      FINDINGS: These conditions require further therapeutic interventions to achieve
      the recommended lipid goals. Several drugs have been developed to address these
      needs. Recent studies have shown that the association of ezetimibe with
      rosuvastatin or atorvastatin results in a better hypolipidaemic effect; in
      addition to this, PCSK9 inhibitors significantly reduce LDL-C levels and
      cardiovascular events. SUMMARY: For patients who are intolerant to statins or not
      able to reach the recommended LDL-C levels, despite maximal tolerated dose of
      statin, or exhibiting additional lipid alterations, several drugs are available
      that can be used either in monotherapy or on top of the maximally tolerated dose
      of statins.

PMID- 28914631
TI  - Evaluation of Buccal Bone Concavity in the Esthetic Zone: A Cadaver Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the buccal bone concavity
      position and depth in the anterior maxilla. The accuracy of cone beam computed
      tomography (CBCT) to measure the buccal bone concavity was also investigated.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eleven fresh cadaver heads were used in this study. CBCT
      images were first acquired, on which the location and depth of the buccal bone
      concavity were measured in maxillary incisors and canines. After full-thickness
      mucoperiosteal flap reflection, the corresponding measurements were made directly
      on cadavers. The accuracy and correlations between direct and image-derived
      measurements were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: A total of 53 sites were
      measured. The mean depths were 2.88 +/- 1.37 mm and 2.40 +/- 1.29 mm (with direct
      and CBCT measurement, respectively). The deepest concavities were found in the
      lateral incisors sites (3.15 +/- 1.32 mm). There was a statistically significant
      underestimation of the depth of concavity (0.2 to 0.6 mm) by CBCT. Nevertheless,
      there is a high statistical correlation (r = 0.8) between the direct and CBCT
      measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, it can be
      concluded that buccal bone concavity is the most prominent at the lateral incisor
      sites. The CBCT readings were highly correlated but underestimated to the direct
      measurements.

PMID- 28914632
TI  - Stepwise Guided Photorefractive Keratectomy in Treatment of Irregular Astigmatism
      After Penetrating Keratoplasty and Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the outcome of stepwise ablation using topography-guided
      photorefractive keratectomy to treat irregular astigmatism after either
      penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) or deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK).
      METHODS: This is a retrospective, interventional analysis including patients with
      irregular astigmatism after either PKP or DALK, who underwent topography-guided
      photorefractive keratectomy. The entire cohort was analyzed, as well as the PKP
      and DALK groups separately. Analysis of factors associated with a better outcome
      was also performed. RESULTS: Thirty-four eyes of 34 patients (20 PKP patients and
      14 DALK patients) aged 47.4 +/- 15.9 years were included. Twenty-one patients
      underwent more than 1 ablation. Refractive stability and a minimal period of 5
      months were required before repeat ablation. The average follow-up duration was
      17.0 +/- 6.0 months. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) improved
      significantly from 0.22 +/- 0.14 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution
      (logMAR) to 0.14 +/- 0.12 logMAR at final follow-up (P = 0.035). Uncorrected
      distance visual acuity (UDVA) improved significantly from 0.90 +/- 0.54 logMAR to
      0.57 +/- 0.40 logMAR at final follow-up (P = 0.004). CDVA and UDVA improved by
      >=1 Snellen lines in 54.2% and 70.8% of the eyes, respectively, and by >=3
      Snellen lines in 16.7% and 54.2% of the eyes, respectively. Statistically
      significant improvement was seen in optical aberrometry indices (total root mean
      square, higher-order aberration root mean square, defocus, coma, trefoil, and
      spherical aberration). The difference between PKP and DALK in either CDVA (P =
      0.562) or UDVA (P = 0.384) improvement was nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The
      stepwise topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy approach in cases of
      irregular astigmatism after PKP or DALK can help improve visual acuity outcomes.
      Patients should be appropriately counseled that more than 1 treatment will likely
      be needed.

PMID- 28914633
TI  - Gaps in Current Knowledge and Priorities for Future Research in Dry Eye.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dry eye, a common yet underrecognized and evolving field, has few
      recommended treatment algorithms, mostly based on expert consensus rather than
      robust research evidence. There are high costs associated with managing dry eye
      and conducting research to identify effective and safe long-term treatments. To
      support evidence-based management of dry eye, our purpose was to identify and
      prioritize important clinical research questions for future clinical research.
      METHODS: We translated recommendations from the American Academy of
      Ophthalmology's 2013 Preferred Practice Patterns for dry eye into answerable
      clinical research questions about treatment effectiveness. Clinicians around the
      world who manage patients with dry eye rated each question's importance from 0
      (not important) to 10 (very important) using a 2-round online Delphi survey. We
      considered questions as "important" if >=75% of respondents assigned a rating of
      6 or more in round 2. We mapped the identified important clinical research
      questions to reliable systematic reviews published up to March 2016. RESULTS:
      Seventy-five clinicians from at least 21 countries completed both Delphi rounds.
      Among the 58 questions, 24 met our definition of "important": 9/24 and 7/24
      addressed topical and systemic treatments, respectively. All 4 questions with the
      highest 25th percentiles addressed topical treatments. Although 6/24 "important"
      questions were associated with 4 existing reliable systematic reviews, none of
      these reviews came to a definitive conclusion about treatment effectiveness.
      CONCLUSIONS: We identified gaps pertaining to treatment options for dry eye.
      Future clinical research on the management of dry eye should strongly consider
      these prioritized questions.

PMID- 28914634
TI  - Cellular Therapy With Human Autologous Adipose-Derived Adult Stem Cells for
      Advanced Keratoconus.

PMID- 28914636
TI  - Dietary intervention for preventing food allergy in children.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In the past decade, food allergy has been increasingly
      recognized as an important public health issue. The role of maternal and infant
      diet in the development of food allergy has been a major focus of research
      throughout this period. Recently, research in this area has moved from
      observational studies to intervention trials, and the findings from these trials
      have started to influence infant feeding guidelines. In this article, we review
      recent studies of dietary interventions for preventing food allergy, summarize
      current knowledge and discuss future research directions. RECENT FINDINGS: The
      latest result from an intervention trial shows that introduction of peanut in the
      first year of life reduces the risk of peanut allergy in high-risk infants. A
      systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials also suggests a
      protective effect of egg introduction from around 4 to 6 months of age for
      reducing the risk of egg allergy, with most studies conducted in high-risk
      infants. Despite several intervention trials involving modifications to the
      maternal diet, the effect of maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation in
      preventing food allergy remains unclear. SUMMARY: Earlier introduction of
      allergenic foods is a promising intervention to reduce the risk of some food
      allergies in high-risk infants. Further work is needed to improve knowledge of
      how to prevent food allergy in the general population.

PMID- 28914635
TI  - Clinical genetics of craniosynostosis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: When providing accurate clinical diagnosis and genetic
      counseling in craniosynostosis, the challenge is heightened by knowledge that
      etiology in any individual case may be entirely genetic, entirely environmental,
      or anything in between. This review will scope out how recent genetic discoveries
      from next-generation sequencing have impacted on the clinical genetic evaluation
      of craniosynostosis. RECENT FINDINGS: Survey of a 13-year birth cohort of
      patients treated at a single craniofacial unit demonstrates that a genetic cause
      of craniosynostosis can be identified in one quarter of cases. The substantial
      contributions of mutations in two genes, TCF12 and ERF, is confirmed. Important
      recent discoveries are mutations of CDC45 and SMO in specific craniosynostosis
      syndromes, and of SMAD6 in nonsyndromic midline synostosis. The added value of
      exome or whole genome sequencing in the diagnosis of difficult cases is
      highlighted. SUMMARY: Strategies to optimize clinical genetic diagnostic pathways
      by combining both targeted and next-generation sequencing are discussed. In
      addition to improved genetic counseling, recent discoveries spotlight the
      important roles of signaling through the bone morphogenetic protein and hedgehog
      pathways in cranial suture biogenesis, as well as a key requirement for adequate
      cell division in suture maintenance.

PMID- 28914637
TI  - Signal transducer and activator of transcription gain-of-function primary
      immunodeficiency/immunodysregulation disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe primary immunodeficiencies caused by gain-of
      function (GOF) mutations of signal transducer and activator of transcription
      (STAT) genes, a group of genetically determined disorders characterized by
      susceptibility to infections and, in many cases, autoimmune manifestations.
      RECENT FINDINGS: GOF mutations affecting STAT1 result in increased STAT tyrosine
      phosphorylation and secondarily increased response to STAT1-signaling cytokines,
      such as interferons. In contrast, STAT3 hyperactivity is not usually related to
      hyperphosphorylation but rather to increased STAT3-mediated transcriptional
      activity. In both cases, heterozygous STAT1 and STAT3 GOF mutations trigger a
      distinct set of genes in target cells that lead to abnormal functioning of
      antimicrobial response and/or autoimmunity and result in autosomal dominant
      diseases. SUMMARY: Clinical manifestations of patients with STAT1 GOF are
      characterized by mucocutaneous candidiasis and recurrent lower tract respiratory
      infections. In addition, many patients have thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes
      mellitus, autoimmune cytopenias, cancer or aneurysms. Patients with germline
      STAT3 GOF mutations have an increased frequency of early-onset multiorgan
      autoimmunity (i.e. autoimmune enteropathy, type 1 diabetes mellitus, autoimmune
      interstitial lung disease and autoimmune cytopenias), lymphoproliferation, short
      stature and, less frequently, severe recurrent infections. Treatment options
      range from antimicrobial therapy, intravenous or subcutaneous immunoglobulin and
      immunosuppressive drugs. Some patients with STAT1 GOF disorder have undergone
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, although these have been difficult
      because of the underlying proinflammatory milieu from the mutation.

PMID- 28914638
TI  - Long-term risk and predictors of cardiovascular death in stable coronary artery
      disease: the CORONOR study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge on the residual risk of cardiovascular
      death (CVD) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who receive
      modern secondary prevention. Our aim was to analyze the causes of death and to
      determine predictors of CVD in the 5-year CORONOR registry. METHODS: We studied
      4184 consecutive CAD outpatients who were free from any myocardial infarction
      (MI) or coronary revascularization for more than 1 year at inclusion.
      Antithrombotics were prescribed in 99%, statins in 92%, inhibitors of renin
      angiotensin system in 82%, and beta-blockers in 79%; 86% had prior coronary
      revascularization. Follow-up was performed at 5 years with adjudication of the
      causes of death. RESULTS: There were 677 deaths during follow-up. The cause of
      death was cardiovascular in 269 patients (1.3%/year), with 99 deaths from heart
      failure (HF), 91 sudden deaths, and 65 vascular deaths (stroke, MI, limb or
      mesenteric ischemia, aortic aneurysm). Predictors of CVD were age [subhazard
      ratio (SHR)=1.06 (1.04-1.07) per year increase], previous hospitalization for
      decompensated HF [SHR=3.10 (2.19-4.40)], left ventricular ejection fraction
      [SHR=0.97 (0.96-0.98) per percentage increase], prior aortic or peripheral
      intervention [SHR=1.61 (1.12-2.13)], and estimated glomerular filtration rate
      [SHR=0.99 (0.98-1.00)] per ml/min/1.73m increase]. In analyses stratified on age,
      prior HF, and left ventricular ejection fraction, the estimated 5-year
      cardiovascular mortality rates varied from less than 2% to more than 50%.
      CONCLUSION: In stable CAD patients widely treated by secondary prevention
      medications, the main causes of CVD are death from HF and sudden death. The risk
      of CVD can be predicted by simple baseline variables. New therapeutic strategies
      are needed for the high-risk patients.

PMID- 28914639
TI  - Correlation Between Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen Level and the
      Clinicopathological Features of Early-Stage Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma and
      the Predictive Value of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen Combined With Computed
      Tomography Scan for Lymph Node Metastasis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between serum
      squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) and the clinicopathological features of
      cervical squamous cell carcinoma. The value of SCC-Ag and computed tomography
      (CT) for predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) was evaluated. METHODS: A total
      of 197 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages
      IB to IIA cervical squamous cell carcinoma who underwent radical surgery were
      enrolled in this study. The SCC-Ag was measured, and CT scans were used for the
      preoperative assessment of lymph node status. RESULTS: Increased preoperative SCC
      Ag levels were associated with International Federation of Gynecology and
      Obstetrics stage (P = 0.001), tumor diameter of greater than 4 cm (P < 0.001),
      lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.001), LNM (P < 0.001), and greater than one half
      stromal infiltration (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified LNM (P <
      0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 4.399), tumor diameter of greater than >4 cm (P = 0.001,
      OR = 4.019), and greater than one half stromal infiltration (P = 0.002, OR =
      3.680) as independent factors affecting SCC-Ag greater than or equal to 2.35
      ng/mL. In the analysis of LNM, SCC-Ag greater than or equal to 2.35 ng/mL (P <
      0.001, OR = 4.825) was an independent factor for LNM. The area under the receiver
      operator characteristic curve (AUC) of SCC-Ag was 0.763 for all patients, and
      0.805 and 0.530 for IB1 + IIA1 and IB2 + IIA2 patients, respectively; 2.35 ng/mL
      was the optimum cutoff for predicting LNM. The combination of CT and SCC-Ag
      showed a sensitivity and specificity of 82.9% and 66% in parallel tests, and
      29.8% and 93.3% in serial tests, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The increase of SCC
      Ag level in the preoperative phase means that there may be a pathological risk
      factor for postoperative outcomes. The SCC-Ag (>=2.35 ng/mL) may be a useful
      marker for predicting LNM of cervical cancer, especially in stages IB1 and IIA1,
      and the combination of SCC-Ag and CT may help identify patients with LNM to
      provide them with the most appropriate therapeutic approach.

PMID- 28914640
TI  - Machine learning: novel bioinformatics approaches for combating antimicrobial
      resistance.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to global health
      and new approaches to combating AMR are needed. Use of machine learning in
      addressing AMR is in its infancy but has made promising steps. We reviewed the
      current literature on the use of machine learning for studying bacterial AMR.
      RECENT FINDINGS: The advent of large-scale data sets provided by next-generation
      sequencing and electronic health records make applying machine learning to the
      study and treatment of AMR possible. To date, it has been used for antimicrobial
      susceptibility genotype/phenotype prediction, development of AMR clinical
      decision rules, novel antimicrobial agent discovery and antimicrobial therapy
      optimization. SUMMARY: Application of machine learning to studying AMR is
      feasible but remains limited. Implementation of machine learning in clinical
      settings faces barriers to uptake with concerns regarding model interpretability
      and data quality.Future applications of machine learning to AMR are likely to be
      laboratory-based, such as antimicrobial susceptibility phenotype prediction.

PMID- 28914641
TI  - Elderly recipients of liver transplantation: impact of age and psychosocial
      variables on outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: With expanding experience and success of liver
      transplantation, increasing numbers of elderly candidates await and undergo liver
      transplantation. There is accumulating evidence that graft survival and mortality
      does not appear to differ significantly between the young and carefully selected
      elderly liver transplantation recipients. Although existing evidence suggests
      that psychosocial factors impact outcomes after liver transplantation in general,
      no such information is available specifically for elderly (age >=65 years) liver
      transplantation recipients. We conducted a broad medical literature review of
      outcome studies of elderly liver transplantation recipients. In this review
      article, we summarize the findings and comment on psychosocial variables included
      in these studies. RECENT FINDINGS: Ten outcome studies have reported on the
      impact of age on the liver transplantation outcomes. There is increasing evidence
      of favorable outcomes in elderly liver transplantation recipients. Few of these
      studies include measures of quality of life, functional improvement and other
      psychosocial variables. SUMMARY: Very limited information is available about the
      impact of psychosocial factors on outcomes in elderly liver transplantation
      recipients. This dearth of information represents a critical gap in our knowledge
      and has implications for optimal candidate selection and outcomes after liver
      transplantation.

PMID- 28914642
TI  - Implications of weight loss for cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cancer-associated weight loss is a common comorbid condition
      best described among patients with advanced malignancy receiving systemic
      therapy, but its relationship to patients undergoing radiation treatment is less
      well described. We review the interaction between cancer-associated weight loss
      and radiation treatment as well as its prognostic significance. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Multiple studies demonstrate a consistent detrimental effect of cancer-associated
      weight loss either existing prior to treatment or developing during radiotherapy.
      Emerging data suggest cancer-associated weight loss independently contributes to
      an aggressive malignant phenotype rather than simply reflecting a consequence of
      disease. Novel therapies are urgently needed to address the unmet burden of
      cancer-associated weight loss. SUMMARY: Consideration of cancer-associated weight
      loss is important among patients receiving radiotherapy. Further study will
      further characterize the relationship and identify targetable biologic mechanisms
      of cancer cachexia.

PMID- 28914643
TI  - Cancer-associated weight loss: releasing its firm grip on negative clinical
      outcomes.

PMID- 28914644
TI  - Systemic therapy in advanced melanoma: integrating targeted therapy and
      immunotherapy into clinical practice.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Here we review the results from relevant phase III trials and
      discuss treatment strategies for challenging subgroups of melanoma patients.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Targeted therapies induce rapid responses in the majority of
      BRAF-mutant patients, however, 50% of these responders will develop resistance
      within approximately 13 months. In contrast, inhibitors of checkpoints on T
      cells, particularly inhibitors of PD-1, induce responses in 40-55% of patients
      (monotherapy or whenever combined with anti-CTLA-4), and these responses tend to
      be durable. Data from subgroup analyses of large clinical trials, as well as
      patient-centred factors, help guide clinicians in their choice of first-line
      therapy. SUMMARY: Immune checkpoint inhibitors and MAP kinase pathway-targeted
      therapies have revolutionized the management of advanced melanoma, and
      significantly prolong the overall survival of patients with this disease. The
      median overall survival is over 2 years for both anti-PD-1-based therapy and
      combined BRAF and MEK inhibition. Without head-to-head comparison data for either
      therapy, choice of first-line drug treatment is difficult.

PMID- 28914645
TI  - Notch inhibitors and their role in the treatment of triple negative breast
      cancer: promises and failures.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Notch signaling is a highly evolutionarily conserved cell-to
      cell communication system that is involved in a number of pivotal cellular
      processes, such as development, stem cell maintenance, cell fate specification,
      differentiation, proliferation, and death. Much progress has been made in
      understanding Notch signaling. This review will focus on the role of canonical
      Notch signaling pathway in breast cancer cause and progressing. RECENT FINDINGS:
      In this review, we will discuss the results of the studies using drugs, which
      target the Notch pathway. SUMMARY: Notch sustains a proliferative signaling and
      protects from apoptosis, favors the angiogenic switch, the chemoresistance and
      radioresistance, controls the cancer stemness, and induces a prometastatic
      phenotype. Therefore, Notch-signaling represented an interesting target in the
      strategy against cancer growth.

PMID- 28914646
TI  - In Response: Comment on "Assessing the Utility of Fluoroscopy for Epidural
      Catheter Placement: What End Points Are Important?"

PMID- 28914647
TI  - Effect of an Intravenous Dexamethasone Added to Caudal Local Anesthetics to
      Improve Postoperative Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis With Trial
      Sequential Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Caudal anesthesia has been used for postoperative pain control in
      pediatric surgical patients, but the duration of the analgesic effect is
      occasionally unsatisfactory. Intravenous steroids have been shown to be effective
      for postsurgical pain management after certain surgeries. The aim of this meta
      analysis with trial sequential analysis (TSA) was to evaluate the analgesic
      effect of steroids in patients administered with caudal anesthesia. METHODS: This
      study was a systematic review and meta-analysis. A search of published literature
      was conducted in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials databases and in trial registration sites.
      Randomized controlled trials that compared intravenous steroids with a placebo in
      pediatric patients who had received caudal anesthesia for surgery were included
      in the study. The primary outcomes from the present meta-analysis were the
      analgesic duration and the number of patients who required rescue analgesics. The
      analgesic duration and incidence of rescue use were summarized using mean
      difference or risk ratio with a 97.5% confidence interval (CI), respectively. If
      the 97.5% CI of the mean difference or risk ratio included a value of 0 or 1,
      respectively, we considered the difference not to be significant. We used the
      random effects model to combine the results. Heterogeneity was quantified with
      the I statistic. The quality of the trials was evaluated using the Cochrane
      methodology. Moreover, a TSA with a risk of type 1 error of 2.5% and power of 90%
      was performed. We established the minimum clinically meaningful difference of
      analgesic duration as 3 hours. The target sample size for meta-analysis was also
      calculated in the TSA. We also assessed adverse events. RESULTS: Six trials with
      424 patients were included; 211 patients received intravenous steroids. All
      trials compared dexamethasone of at least 0.5 mg/kg dose with a placebo.
      Dexamethasone prolonged the duration of caudal analgesia (mean difference, 244
      minutes; 97.5% CI, 188-300). Heterogeneity was considerable with an I value of
      94.8%. Quality of evidence was very low. The TSA suggested that only 17.0% of the
      target sample size had been reached, but the cumulative Z score crossed the trial
      sequential monitoring boundary to indicate a benefit. Rescue use was reported in
      4 studies with 260 patients. Rescue use was not significantly reduced in the
      dexamethasone group (risk ratio, 0.53; 97.5% CI, 0.09-3.30; I, 98.7%). No
      increase in adverse events was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous dexamethasone
      prolongs the analgesic duration of caudal anesthesia. Trials to investigate the
      effectiveness of a lower dose of the dexamethasone in prolonging analgesic
      effects would be of interest. Further trials with a low risk of bias are
      necessary.

PMID- 28914648
TI  - Dexmedetomidine Maintains Its Direct Cardioprotective Effect Against
      Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Hypertensive Hypertrophied Myocardium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has a direct cardioprotective effect against
      ischemia/reperfusion injury through endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)
      phosphorylation via alpha2-adrenoreceptor (alpha2-AR). By using spontaneously
      hypertensive rat (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat models, the cardioprotective
      effect of DEX in hypertrophied myocardium and the differential characteristics of
      cardiac alpha2-AR and the I1 imidazoline receptor (I1R) were examined. METHODS:
      Langendorff-perfused rat hearts underwent 40 minutes of global ischemia followed
      by 120 minutes of reperfusion in the presence or absence of DEX before ischemia.
      Infarct size was measured, and eNOS phosphorylation was assessed by Western
      blotting. The presence and expression of the receptors were assessed by
      immunohistochemistry, real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction,
      and Western blotting. RESULTS: In WKY, DEX significantly decreased infarct size
      and increased phosphorylated-eNOS/eNOS. These effects were counteracted by
      yohimbine (alpha2-AR antagonist) and efaroxan (alpha2-AR and I1R antagonist). In
      SHR, DEX significantly decreased infarct size, and the effect was counteracted by
      efaroxan but not yohimbine. DEX did not alter phosphorylated-eNOS/eNOS in SHR.
      alpha2-AR and I1R were observed in WKY and SHR hearts. Although alpha2A-AR and
      alpha2B-AR messenger RNA and protein levels were upregulated in SHR, I1R
      expression was comparable between the 2 species. CONCLUSIONS: In the
      hypertrophied heart, DEX maintains its direct cardioprotective effect against
      ischemia/reperfusion injury via I1R in an eNOS-nondependent manner despite
      upregulation of alpha2-AR.

PMID- 28914650
TI  - Assessing the Utility of Fluoroscopy for Epidural Catheter Placement: What End
      Points Are Important?

PMID- 28914651
TI  - Sedation After Cardiac Surgery With Propofol or Dexmedetomidine: Between Scylla
      and Charybdis?

PMID- 28914652
TI  - In Response: Sedation After Cardiac Surgery With Propofol or Dexmedetomidine:
      Between Scylla and Charybdis?

PMID- 28914654
TI  - Accuracy of tests used to detect infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in
      asymptomatic pregnant women: a systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in pregnancy is linked to
      increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth. Currently, PCR or
      DNA-based tests are the gold standard when detecting the infection; however, they
      are costly and require access to specialist equipment. The aim of this systematic
      review was to assess the accuracy of available tests to detect infection in an
      asymptomatic pregnant population. RECENT FINDINGS: There was evidence of the
      superior accuracy of nucleic acid amplification tests to cell culture in
      nonpregnant asymptomatic women; however, there are multiple commercial nucleic
      acid amplification tests with varying sensitivities and specificities. There is a
      gap in current literature on accuracy studies in an asymptomatic pregnant
      population, particularly within routine antenatal settings. SUMMARY: There is a
      need for a point-of-care test for Chlamydia in pregnancy. Future test accuracy
      studies for this population should aim to use a universally established reference
      standard. Further research should provide relevant evidence to guide practice.

PMID- 28914655
TI  - Percutaneous Nucleoplasty for the Treatment of a Contained Cervical Disk
      Herniation.
AB  - Cervical radiculopathy is characterized by compression of the roots of the nerve.
      When conservative treatment fails and symptoms persist or increase in severity,
      surgical treatment is considered. Anterior cervical discectomy with or without
      fusion is regarded as the standard treatment for cervical disk herniation.
      Recently, there is an evolving trend in spinal surgery towards less invasive
      techniques. Nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive technique in which
      radiofrequency technology is used for percutaneous decompression. During the last
      years nucleoplasty has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment to
      alleviate radiculopathy, caused by a contained disk herniation. Nucleoplasty is
      usually performed on an outpatient basis and is associated with a fast recovery
      time. This paper will describe the preoperative and postoperative management of
      cervical nucleoplasty as well as the surgical technique, accompanied by a video.

PMID- 28914657
TI  - Hearing Protective Devices Should Be Used by Recipients of Repetitive
      Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

PMID- 28914656
TI  - Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A: Influence of Body Mass Index on Nerve
      Conduction Studies and on the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Examination Score.
AB  - PURPOSE: Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease type 1A (CMT1A) is caused by a duplication
      of the peripheral myelin protein gene 22 at chromosome 17p11.2-12. There is
      limited data regarding whether body mass index (BMI) affects electrophysiological
      or clinical data in those with CMT1A. METHODS: Electrophysiological data, the
      Charcot-Marie-Tooth examination score (CMTES) and BMI from 101 patients with
      known CMT1A were obtained and analyzed. RESULTS: When controlling for age, a
      higher BMI does not affect ulnar motor nerve conduction studies in those with
      CMT1A, but rather components of the CMTES (loss of pinprick and motor strength in
      the lower extremities). CONCLUSIONS: BMI and clinical components of the CMTES are
      correlated, but it is uncertain which came first-whether the loss of lower
      extremity pinprick sensation and motor strength results in a higher BMI or if
      higher BMI results in these signs.

PMID- 28914658
TI  - Are the Sensory Fibers of the Ulnar Nerve Affected in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
AB  - PURPOSE: Distribution of paresthesia throughout the skin area without median
      nerve innervation is frequently seen in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However,
      its pathophysiologic mechanisms are still unclear. We aimed to research whether a
      dysfunction in sensory fibers of the ulnar nerve (UN) was present or not in hands
      with CTS. METHODS: Totally, upper extremity nerve conduction study recordings of
      508 patients were considered. After exclusions, 331 upper extremity recordings of
      277 patients were included. We compared the results of sensory conduction studies
      of median nerve and UN between normal hands and hands with CTS. RESULTS: The mean
      distal sensory latency of the median nerve was longer, the mean conduction
      velocity was slower, and mean nerve action potential amplitude was higher in the
      hands with CTS than in normal hands (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). There was no
      statistically significant difference on any sensory conduction parameters of UN
      recorded on digit IV or digit V between the disease and control groups (P > 0.05
      for all comparisons). The rates of conduction abnormalities of the UN sensory
      fibers were also similar in hands with CTS and in normal hands (P > 0.05 for all
      comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: The hands with CTS do not have an increased rate of
      conduction abnormalities of UN sensory fibers compared with the normal hands in
      our study population. Therefore, our study did not confirm the distortion of UN
      sensory fibers as a mechanism underlying the spread of paresthesia throughout the
      skin area without median nerve innervation in CTS.

PMID- 28914659
TI  - Relationship Between Alpha Rhythm and the Default Mode Network: An EEG-fMRI
      Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Reports of the relationship between the default mode network (DMN) and
      alpha power are conflicting. Our goal was to assess this relationship by
      analyzing concurrently obtained EEG/functional MRI data using hypothesis
      independent methods. METHODS: We collected functional MRI and EEG data during
      eyes-closed rest in 20 participants aged 19 to 37 (10 females) and performed
      independent component analysis on the functional MRI data and a Hamming-windowed
      fast Fourier transform on the EEG data. We correlated functional MRI fluctuations
      in the DMN with alpha power. RESULTS: Of the six independent components found to
      have significant relationships with alpha, four contained DMN-associated regions:
      One independent component was positively correlated with alpha power, whereas all
      others were negatively correlated. Furthermore, two independent components with
      opposite relationships with alpha had overlapping voxels in the medial prefrontal
      cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, suggesting that subpopulations of neurons
      within these classic nodes within the DMN may have different relationships to
      alpha power. CONCLUSIONS: Different parts of the DMN exhibit divergent
      relationships to alpha power. Our results highlight the relationship between DMN
      activity and alpha power, indicating that networks, such as the DMN, may have
      subcomponents that exhibit different behaviors.

PMID- 28914660
TI  - Mediterranean diet impact on cardiovascular diseases: a narrative review.
AB  - : Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for more than 17 million deaths per year
      worldwide. It has been estimated that the influence of lifestyle on CVD mortality
      amounts to 13.7% for smoking, 13.2% for poor diet, and 12% for inactive
      lifestyle. These results deeply impact both the healthy status of individuals and
      their skills in working. The impact of CVD on productivity loss accounts for the
      24% in total costs for CVD management.Mediterranean diet (MedD) can positively
      impact on natural history of CVD. It is characterized by a relatively high
      consumption of inexpensive and genuine food such as cereals, vegetables, legumes,
      nuts, fish, fresh fruits, and olive oil as the principal source of fat, low meat
      consumption and low-to-moderate consumption of milk, dairy products, and wine.Its
      effects on cardiovascular health are related to the significant improvements in
      arterial stiffness. Peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, and
      chronic heart failure are all positively influenced by the MedD. Furthermore,
      MedD lowers the risk of sudden cardiac death due to arrhythmias.The present
      narrative review aims to analyze the effects of MedD on CVD.

PMID- 28914661
TI  - Percutaneous aortic leak closure in a small and frail annulus after double heart
      valve replacement.
AB  - : Paravalvular leak (PVL) is an uncommon but serious complication associated with
      the implantation of prosthetic valves. Following aortic valve replacement, up to
      5% of patients affected by PVL develop clinical symptoms of heart failure,
      hemolysis or both. Percutaneous treatment of PVL has emerged instead of
      conventional surgery, as a well tolerated and less invasive procedure but remains
      a challenge. We present the case of a young woman with mechanical aortic and
      mitral prostheses, who presented surgical aortic PVL caused by a serious frailty
      of native annulus, became symptomatic after 5 months and was successfully
      percutaneously treated with an Amplatzer Duct Occluder device.

PMID- 28914662
TI  - A concealed case of takotsubo syndrome as consequence of ab ingestis episode in a
      revascularized patient.

PMID- 28914664
TI  - Three-dimensional MRI analyses of prereduced femoral head sphericity in patients
      with developmental dysplasia of the hip after Pavlik harness failure.
AB  - We used three-dimensional (3D) MRI to assess the sphericity of the cartilaginous
      femoral head in developmental dysplasia of the hip. We assessed 21 children using
      3D-MRI. The smallest sphere including the femoral head cartilage was drawn, the
      diameter was measured, and the center of the sphere was defined. We compared the
      diameters of the femoral heads between unaffected and diseased sides. The
      diameter of the affected side was smaller, with flattening at the posteromedial
      area and proximoposterior areas. 3D-MRI showed that the shape of the dislocated
      femoral head was aspherical with focal growth failure.

PMID- 28914663
TI  - Physicians' Decision-making When Implementing Buprenorphine With New Patients:
      Conjoint Analyses of Data From a Cohort of Current Prescribers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Few studies have considered how providers make decisions to prescribe
      buprenorphine to new patients with opioid use disorder. This study examined the
      relative importance of patients' clinical, financial, and social characteristics
      on physicians' decision-making related to willingness to prescribe buprenorphine
      to new patients and the number of weeks of medication that they are willing to
      initially prescribe after induction. METHODS: A national sample of 1174 current
      prescribers was surveyed. Respondents rated willingness to prescribe on a 0 to 10
      scale and indicated the number of weeks of medication (ranging from none to >4
      weeks) for 20 hypothetical patients. Conjoint analysis estimated relative
      importance scores and part-worth utilities for these 2 outcome ratings. RESULTS:
      The mean rating for willingness to prescribe was 5.52 (SD 2.47), indicating a
      moderate willingness to implement buprenorphine treatment. The mean prescription
      length was 2.06 (SD 1.34), which corresponds to 1 week of medication. For both
      ratings, the largest importance scores were for other risky substance use, method
      of payment, and spousal involvement in treatment. Illicit benzodiazepine use,
      having Medicaid insurance to pay for the office visit, and having an opioid-using
      spouse were negatively associated with these outcome ratings, whereas a history
      of no risky alcohol or benzodiazepine use, cash payment, and having an abstinent
      spouse were positively associated with both ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Reticence to
      prescribe to individuals using an illicit benzodiazepine and individuals with a
      drug-using spouse aligns with practice guidelines. However, reluctance to
      prescribe to patients with Medicaid may hamper efforts to expand access to
      treatment.

PMID- 28914665
TI  - Role of a tendon transfer as a dynamic checkrein reducing recurrence of equinus
      following distal tibial dorsiflexion osteotomy.
AB  - Tibial dorsiflexion osteotomy for recalcitrant equinus in clubfeet is reported to
      have a high recurrence rate with growth. We present the results of closing wedge
      tibial dorsiflexion osteotomy and tendon transfers in 15 feet and 11 patients.
      The mean age at presentation was 7 (range: 3.98-12.38) years. At a mean follow-up
      of 4.16 (range: 2.09-6.87) years, 11 of the 15 feet remained corrected. Mean
      correction of the dorsiflexion was 24.5 degrees  and mean correction of anterior
      distal tibial angle was 10.9 degrees  at final review. Muscle rebalancing appears
      to influence bone remodeling and reduce recurrence of equinus.

PMID- 28914666
TI  - The regulation and importance of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, a chemokine
      regulating monocyte chemotaxis and T-lymphocyte differentiation by binding to the
      CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2), plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of
      inflammatory diseases, atherosclerosis and cancer. This review summarizes the
      current knowledge on the regulation and importance of the MCP-1/CCR2 axis,
      focusing on the therapeutic potential of its inhibition. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Differential modulation of MCP-1 and CCR2 lead to downstream activation pathways,
      pathogenetic to differing disease conditions characterized by dysregulated
      monocyte/macrophage tissue recruitment. Pharmacological targeting of the MCP
      1/CCR2 axis has led to selective MCP-1/CCR2 antagonists that have now entered
      phase I/II clinical trials for the treatment of inflammatory diseases,
      atherosclerosis and cancer. The pleiotropic nonselective MCP-1/CCR2 inhibition by
      current pharmacological agents is thought to contribute to their anti
      inflammatory and antiatherosclerotic effects that is also seen for nutraceutical
      compounds such as curcumin. SUMMARY: MCP-1 has a critical role in regulating
      chemotaxis both in health and disease, with increasing interest in its
      pharmacological inhibition. However, the therapeutic efficacy and safety of
      targeting the MCP-1/CCR2 axis is still in evolution.

PMID- 28914667
TI  - Metabolic regulation of macrophages in tumor microenvironment.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Insight into the metabolic changes in cancer has become so
      important that cancer is regarded as a disease entity full of metabolic
      implications. We summarize the recent findings pertaining to cancer cell-derived
      metabolic changes that regulate the function of macrophages to favor cancer cell
      survival, and the reported approaches to reverse these changes. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Since the observation and dramatic revitalization of the Warburg effect,
      metabolic changes were thought to be confined in cancer cells. However, the
      Warburg effect has recently been proven to exist in various types of immune cells
      in tumor tissue. A growing number of publications now indicate that cancer cells
      interact with other cells in the tumor microenvironment, not only through
      traditional inflammatory mediators, but also through oncometabolites, and that
      metabolic changes in immune cells by oncometabolites are the key factors favoring
      the survival of cancer cells and pro-tumoral function of immune cells. Notably,
      these metabolic changes do not occur uniformly in tumor progression. SUMMARY:
      Understanding of the complex metabolic interactions in the tumor microenvironment
      can not only set a new paradigm for tumor progression, but also provide new
      breakthroughs to control cancer by modulation of function in tumor-associated
      macrophages.

PMID- 28914668
TI  - Minimally Invasive Palmaris Longus Abductorplasty for Severe Carpal Tunnel
      Syndrome.
AB  - Camitz abductorplasty is the most commonly used tendon transfer in patients with
      severe carpal tunnel syndrome with significant muscle wasting and loss of
      opposition. This procedure requires a long incision in the palm to harvest a
      strip of palmar aponeurosis to lengthen the palmaris longus tendon, allowing it
      to reach the abductor pollicis brevis insertion. Several complications have been
      attributed to this extensive dissection in the palm. We describe a minimally
      invasive palmaris longus abductorplasty using a strip of free flexor carpi
      radialis tendon graft to achieve the necessary length. This can be done together
      with carpal tunnel release in patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome.

PMID- 28914670
TI  - Endometrial Stromal Neoplasm in the Placenta: Report of a Case and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Placental neoplasms involving the fetal membranes are exceptionally rare. In
      leiomyomas and endometrial stromal neoplasms, a uterine origin for nodules in the
      membranes is also a possibility. We present a case of an incidental endometrial
      stromal nodule found in the decidua of the free membranes and review the
      literature.

PMID- 28914669
TI  - Infection Staging and Incidence Surveillance Applications of High Dynamic Range
      Diagnostic Immuno-Assay Platforms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Custom HIV staging assays, including the Sedia HIV-1 Limiting Antigen
      (LAg) Avidity EIA and avidity modifications of the Ortho VITROS anti-HIV-1+2 and
      Abbott ARCHITECT HIV Ag/Ab Combo assays, are used to identify "recent" infections
      in clinical settings and for cross-sectional HIV incidence estimation. However,
      the high dynamic range of chemiluminescent platforms allows differentiating
      recent and long-standing infection on signal intensity, and this raises the
      prospect of using unmodified diagnostic assays for infection timing and
      surveillance applications. METHODS: We tested a panel of 2500 well-characterized
      specimens with estimable duration of HIV infection with the 3 assays and the
      unmodified ARCHITECT. Regression models were used to estimate mean durations of
      recent infection (MDRIs), context-specific false-recent rates (FRRs) and
      correlation between diagnostic signal intensity and LAg measurements.
      Hypothetical epidemiological scenarios were constructed to evaluate utility in
      surveillance applications. RESULTS: Over a range of MDRIs (reflecting recency
      discrimination thresholds), a diluted ARCHITECT-based RITA produced lower FRRs
      than the VITROS platform (FRR ~ 0.5% and 1.5%, respectively at MDRI ~ 200 days),
      and the unmodified diagnostic ARCHITECT produces incidence estimates with
      comparable precision to LAg (relative SE ~ 17.5% and 15%, respectively at MDRI ~
      200 days). ARCHITECT S/CO measurements were highly correlated with LAg optical
      density measurements (r = 0.80), and values below 200 are strongly predictive of
      LAg recency and duration of infection less than 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Low
      quantitative measurements from the unmodified ARCHITECT obviate the need for
      additional recency testing, and its use is feasible in clinical staging and
      incidence surveillance applications.

PMID- 28914671
TI  - Endometrial Polyps and Benign Endometrial Hyperplasia Have Increased Prevalence
      of DNA Fragmentation Factors 40 and 45 (DFF40 and DFF45) Together With the
      Antiapoptotic B-Cell Lymphoma (Bcl-2) Protein Compared With Normal Human
      Endometria.
AB  - DNA fragmentation factor 40 (DFF40) is a key executor of apoptosis. It localizes
      to the nucleus together with DNA fragmentation factor 45 (DFF45), which acts as a
      DFF40 inhibitor and chaperone. B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) protein is a proven
      antiapoptotic factor present in the cytoplasm. In this study, we aimed to
      investigate DFF40, DFF45, and Bcl-2 immunoexpression in endometrial polyps (EPs)
      and benign endometrial hyperplasia (BEH) tissue compared with that in normal
      proliferative endometrium (NPE) and normal secretory endometrium (NSE) as well as
      normal post menopausal endometrium (NAE). This study used archived samples from
      65 and 62 cases of EPs and BEH, respectively. The control group consisted of 52
      NPE, 54 NSE, and 54 NAE specimens. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect DFF40,
      DFF45, and Bcl-2. DFF40, DFF45, and Bcl-2 were more highly expressed in the
      glandular layer of EPs and BEH compared with the stroma, and this was not
      influenced by menopausal status. Both glandular and stromal expression of DFF40,
      DFF45, and Bcl-2 were significantly higher in EPs compared with NPE, NSE, and
      NAE. Glandular BEH tissue showed significantly higher DFF40, DFF45, and Bcl-2
      expression than in NPE, NSE, and NAE. No differences in the glandular expression
      of DFF40, DFF45, and Bcl-2 were observed between EP and BEH tissues, while Bcl-2
      stromal expression in BEH was significantly lower than in EPs. Glandular,
      menopause-independent DFF40, DFF45, and Bcl-2 overexpression may play an
      important role in the pathogenesis of EPs and BEH.

PMID- 28914672
TI  - Endometrial Changes in Surgical Specimens of Perimenopausal Patients Treated With
      Ulipristal Acetate for Uterine Leiomyomas.
AB  - Ulipristal acetate (UPA) is used to treat leiomyomas, and its effect on the
      endometrium has been studied in biopsy material. Reversible histologic
      modifications were found, named progesterone receptor modulators-associated
      endometrial changes (PAEC). However, hysterectomies from patients treated with
      UPA have not been analyzed. For the first time, we examined surgical specimens
      from 100 leiomyoma-treated patients for UPA-related endometrial changes. We
      analyzed the distribution of lesions, involution after treatment, and the
      relationship between type and extent of lesions and dosage. Clinically, 72
      patients were treated with 1 cycle of UPA; 23 patients with 2 cycles, and 5 with
      3 cycles. A total of 66 patients underwent surgery in the first 4 wk after
      treatment, 24 were operated between 5 and 12 wk after discontinuation of UPA, and
      10 after more than 12 wk after the last cycle, up to a maximum of 32 wk.
      Histologically normal endometria were found in 41 cases and PAEC in 59 cases.
      PAEC consisted of irregular, cystic glands showing a flattened secretory-like
      epithelium with vacuolation, coexisting mitoses and apoptosis, and were found
      focally within cyclic endometria in 51 cases. Only in 8 cases did diffuse PAEC
      involve the whole endometrium, transforming it into a thick spongy cushion. PAEC
      also occurred in adenomyosis. There was no relationship between dosage and type
      and extent of lesions. Diffuse PAEC, which usually presents differential
      diagnoses with hyperplasia, occurred in only 8 cases, being only present during
      the first 4 wk after discontinuation of treatment and was independent of the
      number of cycles administered.

PMID- 28914673
TI  - Nodular Hyperplasia of the Bartholin Gland, A Benign Mimicker of Aggressive
      Angiomyxoma: A Case Series and Literature Review.
AB  - Nodular hyperplasia (NH) of the Bartholin gland is an exceedingly rare benign
      solid lesion of the female genital tract that can mimic the Bartholin gland cyst
      clinically. The histologic criteria for NH were established in 1998 by Koenig and
      Tavassoli. In this case series, we describe 4 cases of NH from Women and Infants
      Hospital in Rhode Island. All cases have microscopic features of lobular
      proliferation of acini and inspissated mucin. One case especially has extensive
      mucin extravasation mimicking an aggressive angiomyxoma. In this case series, we
      call attention to NH as another entity to consider in the differential diagnosis
      of an enlarged Bartholin gland. We also discuss ways to distinguish it from other
      benign and malignant solid lesions of the vulvar vestibule.

PMID- 28914674
TI  - Frequent PD-L1 Expression in Malignant Melanomas of the Vulva.
AB  - Blockade of immune checkpoint pathways such as the programmed cell death protein
      1 pathway (PD-1/PD-L1) is an emerging approach in the treatment of solid tumors.
      In malignant melanoma, the efficiacy of antibodies against PD-L1 has been shown
      to be associated with PD-L1 protein expression. To evaluate whether this approach
      may be of use in the rare cases of primary melanoma of the vulva, we have
      evaluated a series of 13 cases for PD-L1 expression as well as additional
      molecular alterations of KIT, NRAS, KRAS, and BRAF. PD-L1 expression was detected
      in 69% of cases and was not associated with any other molecular alteration, tumor
      stage or morphology. In conclusion, targeting PD-L1 by selective antibodies may
      be of benefit in the treatment of these uncommon tumors.

PMID- 28914675
TI  - Ganglioneuroblastoma Arising in an Ovarian Dermoid Cyst: First Report in the
      Literature.
AB  - The development of a somatic neoplasm within an ovarian dermoid cyst (mature
      cystic teratoma) is a rare, but well described, phenomenon which occurs in
      approximately 1% of all cases. Any of the tissue components of a dermoid cyst has
      the potential to undergo neoplastic transformation with carcinoid tumors and
      squamous cell carcinomas being among the most common neoplasms. We report a case
      of a ganglioneuroblastoma arising within an ovarian dermoid cyst, an association
      which, as far as we are aware, has not been described previously.

PMID- 28914676
TI  - Is Dexmedetomidine a Miracle Drug for Sedation in Patients With
      Neuroacanthocytosis With Involuntary Movements?

PMID- 28914677
TI  - Survival of the Fittest, Part 2: The Emergence of Super Fungi.

PMID- 28914678
TI  - Update: Topical Antimicrobial Agents for Chronic Wounds.
AB  - GENERAL PURPOSE: To provide information on the use of topical antimicrobial
      agents for the treatment of chronic wounds. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing
      education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse
      practitioners, and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care. LEARNING
      OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES: After participating in this educational activity, the
      participant should be better able to:1. Examine features of wounds and wound
      healing as well as the purpose of specific antimicrobial agents.2. Identify
      potential therapeutic and adverse effects of specific topical antimicrobial
      agents for the treatment of chronic wounds. ABSTRACT: Bacteria can delay or
      prevent healing in the surface compartment of a chronic wound or invade the deep
      and surrounding structures. This article focuses on the superficial compartment
      and the appropriate use of topical antimicrobial therapies. The authors have
      reviewed the published evidence for the last 5 years (2012-2017) and extrapolated
      findings to clinical practice with critical appraisal and synthesis of the recent
      literature with expert opinion, patient-centered concerns, and healthcare systems
      perspectives. Summary evidence tables for commonly used topical antimicrobials
      are included.

PMID- 28914679
TI  - Reliability of a Skin Diagnostic Device in Assessing Hydration and Erythema.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the reliability of a skin diagnostic device, the SD202
      (Courage+Khazaka GmBH, Cologne, Germany), in assessing hydration and erythema of
      periwound skin and pressure injury-prone areas. DESIGN: Intrarater reliabilities
      from 3 cross-sectional and prospective studies are reported. SETTING AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients attending an outpatient, nurse-led wound dressing clinic
      (n = 16), a podiatrist-led high-risk foot clinic (n = 17), and residents (n = 38)
      at a single residential aged-care facility. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Skin hydration
      and erythema levels assessed using the SD202. MAIN RESULTS: High internal
      consistency was maintained for consecutive skin hydration and erythema measures
      at a single point on the venous leg ulcer periwound (alpha > .996 and alpha >
      .970 for hydration and erythema, respectively) and for the pressure-prone areas
      of the sacrum (alpha > .916), right (alpha > .994) and left (alpha > .967)
      ischium, right (alpha > .989) and left (alpha > .916) trochanter, right (alpha >
      .985) and left (alpha > .992) calcaneus, and right (alpha > .991) and left (alpha
      > .990) lateral malleolus. High consistency was also found for the measures
      obtained at 4 different locations around the periwound for the venous leg ulcer
      (alpha > .935 and alpha > .870 for hydration and erythema, respectively). In
      diabetic foot ulcer assessment, acceptable internal consistency of hydration
      measures around the periwound was observed (alpha > .634). Internal consistency
      of erythema measures was variable, ranging from low to high reliability,
      particularly among predebridement measures. CONCLUSIONS: Using the protocols
      outlined in this study, the SD202 demonstrates high reliability for assessing
      skin hydration and erythema levels. It is possible that the SD202 can be used in
      clinical practice as an appropriate tool for skin hydration and erythema
      assessment.

PMID- 28914680
TI  - Outcomes in Patients Treated with a Novel, Simple Method for Hemostasis of Dermal
      Avulsion Injuries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A recently described technique proposes a simple method to achieve
      permanent hemostasis of distal fingertip dermal avulsion injuries. It is simple
      to learn and easy to perform with readily available materials found in most
      emergency departments. However, long-term outcomes for patients treated with this
      technique have not yet been evaluated. A primary objective of the current article
      is to provide safety data for the technique using an off-label product
      indication. SETTING: Emergency department of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center,
      San Francisco, California. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients were treated in
      the emergency department for fingertip dermal avulsion injuries using a
      tourniquet and tissue adhesive glue (Dermabond by Ethicon, Somerville, New
      Jersey). Patients were subsequently contacted to assess healing and satisfaction
      with cosmetic outcome through interview and photographs of their wounds at 9
      months following the date of injury. RESULTS: All 6 patients were satisfied with
      the cosmetic outcome of treatment, and none received a diagnosis of serious
      complications. CONCLUSIONS: This series demonstrates cosmetic outcomes for
      injuries treated with the technique, highlights potential problems that may be
      perceived by patients during their clinical course, and creates the groundwork
      for a larger clinical study examining the use of the technique.

PMID- 28914681
TI  - Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Collagen/Oxidized Regenerated
      Cellulose/Silver to Standard of Care in the Management of Venous Leg Ulcers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess healing outcomes in venous leg ulcers (VLUs) treated with a
      combination of collagen, oxidized regenerated cellulose, and silver in
      conjunction with standard of care (SOC; intervention group) compared with SOC
      alone (control group). Standard of care included ADAPTIC nonadhering dressing
      (Acelity, San Antonio, Texas) and compression. DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomized
      controlled trial that followed patients in 3 US facilities for 12 weeks or until
      complete healing. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: Forty-nine patients with VLUs were
      randomized to either the intervention group (n = 22) or the control group (n =
      27). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Wound healing over 12 weeks. MAIN RESULTS: Intent-to
      treat analysis showed a mean percentage wound area reduction at 12 weeks of 85.6%
      (SD, 28.6%) for the intervention group and 72.5% (SD, 77.8%) for the control
      group. There was a higher healing rate in the intervention group compared with
      patients who received SOC only at both week 4 (23% vs 11%) and week 12 (64% vs
      59%). There were no adverse events related to the study therapy. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although the results were not significant, there was a trend toward faster
      healing in the intervention group. The results of this study indicate that
      collagen/oxidized regenerated cellulose/silver is a suitable and safe adjunctive
      intervention for use with SOC to manage VLUs.

PMID- 28914682
TI  - Refractory Ulcerated Necrobiosis Lipoidica: Closure of a Difficult Wound with
      Topical Tacrolimus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report a case of refractory ulcerated necrobiosis lipoidica (NL)
      with significant response to treatment with topical tacrolimus. SUBJECT: A 55
      year-old woman without diabetes and with a previous history of NL presented to
      the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Hyperbaric and Advanced Wound Healing Center of
      NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, with bilateral lower-leg ulcerations
      resistant to wound healing techniques at other institutions. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Repeat biopsy performed at the author's institution confirmed the
      diagnosis of NL. Initial therapy was based on reports of other successful
      treatment methods, which included collagen wound grafts and collagen-based
      dressings coupled with compression. These methods initially showed promising
      results; however, the wounds reulcerated, and any gains in wound healing were
      lost. Alternative options were initiated, including topical clobetasol and
      narrowband ultraviolet B; however, no significant improvement was observed. The
      patient's lower-extremity wounds began to deteriorate. The patient also refused
      systemic therapy. Treatment was changed to topical 0.1% tacrolimus ointment and
      was applied daily for 10 months with multilayer compression wraps. RESULTS: Both
      lower-extremity ulcerations began to show significant improvement, with the
      ulcers progressing toward closure except for 1 very small area on the left lower
      extremity. CONCLUSIONS: Topical tacrolimus seems to be an effective treatment
      option for patients with refractory chronic ulcerated NL who do not want systemic
      oral therapy. The authors found that successful wound closure may require a
      multimodal approach, which promotes wound healing, but also concurrently
      addresses the underlying disease process.

PMID- 28914683
TI  - Primum Non Nocere and the 5 Rights.
AB  - Overutilization of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is commonplace and primarily
      associated with outpatient wound care. While the number of hospitals providing
      HBOT is at an all-time high, the number of those willing to treat patients in
      immediate need is at an all-time low. Huge areas of the country, including major
      population areas, are now completely devoid of 24/7 HBOT availability and
      inpatient access. Purchasers of healthcare, including the Centers for Medicare
      and Medicaid Services, have become increasingly concerned to the point that
      several strategies have been introduced to constructively deal with this issue.
      This commentary serves as a counterpoint to concerns that one such approach,
      prior authorization of elective indications, adversely delays medically necessary
      care. The historical evolution of HBOT practice will be described to underscore
      how this problem has become so widespread and, to date, largely unchecked. It
      will also address the paradoxical national crisis of access for emergencies.

PMID- 28914685
TI  - Update: Topical Antimicrobial Agents for Chronic Wounds.

PMID- 28914684
TI  - Merit-Based Incentive Payment System Audit Checklist for 2017.

PMID- 28914686
TI  - Rhenium-188 as a therapeutic radionuclide in low-income and middle-income
      countries.

PMID- 28914687
TI  - Prevention of macular edema after cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although cataract surgery can effectively restore visual
      function in many patients with cataract, PCME remains an important cause of
      suboptimal visual acuity. The present review provides an overview of the current
      literature on the prevention and treatment of PCME. RECENT FINDINGS: Optimal
      prevention of PCME starts preoperatively with a personalized risk assessment.
      Diabetes mellitus, retinal vein occlusion, epiretinal membrane, macular hole, and
      uveitis are the most important risk factors for developing cystoid macular edema
      after cataract surgery. Topical NSAIDs either in addition to, or instead of,
      topical corticosteroids reduce the risk of developing PCME. Additional
      intravitreal corticosteroid and antivascular endothelial growth factor injections
      have been studied in patients with diabetes. Timely diagnosis and treatment of
      PCME is essential. Topical NSAIDs solely, or in addition to corticosteroids,
      improve visual acuity in patients with PCME. Oral acetazolamide and intravitreal
      dexamethasone implants have been used in refractory cases. SUMMARY: Topical
      NSAIDs can be used solely, or in combination with topical corticosteroids, to
      prevent and treat PCME. Further research is needed to compare the efficacy of
      various NSAIDs, and to investigate the cost-effectiveness and long-term benefit
      of anti-inflammatory treatments on visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and
      quality of life.

PMID- 28914688
TI  - Femtosecond laser-assisted versus phacoemulsification for cataract extraction and
      intraocular lens implantation: clinical outcomes review.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) has gained
      popularity in recent years with the new technology suggesting potential
      improvements in clinical and safety outcomes over conventional
      phacoemulsification cataract surgery (PCS). A decade since the advent of FLACS
      has given time and experience for laser technology to develop in maturity, and
      better quality evidence to become available. This review evaluates current
      evidence on the clinical and safety outcomes for FLACS in comparison to PCS.
      RECENT FINDINGS: FLACS technology continues to improve and with it our confidence
      in tackling more complex patient indications. Concurrently other new technologies
      such as precision pulse capsulotomy also look to deliver the biomechanically
      ideal 5.2 mm capsulotomy, particularly as there remain suggestions from large
      studies and meta-analyses of raised capsular complications with FLACS compared
      with PCS and IOL technology responding to advantages of a consistent capsulotomy.
      Visual benefits of FLACS over and above PCS also remain to be conclusively
      demonstrated, with equivalence but not superiority. Economic modelling continues
      to indicate that FLACS remains 'not' cost-effective. SUMMARY: FLACS can be
      considered non-inferior to conventional PCS in term of safety and clinical
      outcomes. However, FLACS has yet to demonstrate an overall cost-benefit to the
      patient.

PMID- 28914689
TI  - The European Journal of Cancer Prevention special issue on 'Joining forces for
      better cancer registration in Europe': achievements and perspectives.

PMID- 28914690
TI  - Incidence trends and survival of skin melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma in
      Cluj County, Romania.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the incidence trends of cutaneous melanoma
      (CM) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in Cluj County, from 1998 to 2011, and the
      5-year net survival between 2006 and 2010. Data on all cases of CM and SCC
      between 1998 and 2011 were obtained from Cluj Cancer Registry. Incidence rates
      were age standardized by the direct method Age Standardized Incidence Rate
      (ASIR), using the world standard population. Trends and annual percentage change
      (APC) of incidence rates were calculated by joinpoint regression analysis. The
      Pohar-Perme estimator was used to examine the 5-year net survival of cases
      diagnosed during 2006-2010 and followed up until December 2015. A total of 580
      cases of CM and 397 cases of SCC were reported. During 1998-2011, the ASIR of CM
      increased significantly by 7.8% APC in male patients and by 7.42% APC in female
      patients, and the ASIR for SCC increased by 9.40% APC in male patients. In female
      patients, the incidence of SCC increased by 12.65% APC during 2002-2011. The 5
      year net survival during 2006-2010 was 0.64 in men and 0.75 in women for CM and
      0.86 and 1.00, respectively, for SCC. Survival rates showed an improving trend
      during 2006-2010, and were generally lower in men. Survival from both entities
      decreased with age and was lower in rural areas and in advanced stages in both
      sexes. This study reveals a rising incidence of cutaneous cancers in concordance
      with international trends. These data support the important role of primary and
      secondary prevention of skin cancers, focusing not only on melanoma, due to its
      lower survival, but also on SCC, in order to reduce their burden.

PMID- 28914691
TI  - Time trends and spatial patterns in the mesothelioma incidence in Slovenia, 1961
      2014.
AB  - We aimed to explore the temporal and spatial variations in mesothelioma incidence
      in Slovenia for the last 50 years and, among these, to evaluate the consequences
      of asbestos usage. The incidence data from the population-based Cancer Registry
      of Republic of Slovenia for the period 1961-2014 were analysed. The data of
      asbestos imported to Slovenia were used as a proxy for asbestos exposure in
      manufacturing areas. Log-linear joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort
      Poisson models were used in the time-trend analysis. The mesothelioma maps were
      produced according to the method of local standardized incidence ratio estimates
      and are presented together with the map of Slovenian major asbestos-exposed
      locations. The maximum value of the asbestos import curve corresponds to the peak
      of mesothelioma curve exactly 30 years later. Both increases before the peak are
      comparable in time interval and steepness. The highest mesothelioma risk was
      detected for the cohort born between 1940 and 1944. In maps, the mesothelioma
      clusters manifest around known asbestos sources predominantly in the years 1980
      1990, but in the last few years, the geographical distribution is more dispersed.
      The data from our long-existing population-based cancer registry provide a good
      insight into the on-going mesothelioma epidemic in Slovenia. Our results imply
      that the mesothelioma peak has already been reached in Slovenia. In the future,
      new cases will emerge more randomly throughout the country.

PMID- 28914692
TI  - Increasing suicide risk among cancer patients in Lithuania from 1993 to 2012: a
      cancer registry-based study.
AB  - Certain groups of individuals seem to have an increased risk of committing
      suicide, and a number of studies have reported an increased risk of suicide among
      cancer patients. In this study, we aim to estimate the risk of suicide among
      cancer patients in Lithuania over the period 1993-2012. The records of patients
      diagnosed with primary cancer were extracted from the population-based Lithuanian
      Cancer Registry and 273 511 cases of first cancer were included in the analysis.
      Sex, age and calendar period-standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated
      by dividing the observed numbers of suicides among cancer patients by the
      expected number using national rates. An increased suicide risk was found for
      both sexes combined [SMR=1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21-1.41] compared
      with the general population. For all cancer sites except melanoma and skin, and
      breast and thyroid cancers, the relative suicide risk was elevated. The suicide
      risk was almost three-fold higher for advanced-stage patients compared with the
      general population (SMR=2.89, 95% CI: 2.24-3.73). The highest suicide risk
      observed in our study was during the first 3 months following cancer diagnosis
      (SMR=2.43, 95% CI: 1.96-3.01), indicating a critical period shortly after
      diagnosis. Despite ongoing increases in survival among cancer patients and
      decreases in suicide mortality in the general Lithuanian population during our
      study period, the increasing risk for suicide indicates that cancer patients'
      clinical and psychosocial needs remain unsatisfied. The major clinical
      implication of these data suggests the importance of multidisciplinary preventive
      interventions.

PMID- 28914693
TI  - Care patterns and changes in treatment for nonmetastatic breast cancer in 2013
      2014 versus 2005: a population-based high-resolution study.
AB  - Studies on recent trends in patterns of care for breast cancer patients are
      scarce. This study aims to examine the patterns and trends in the treatment of
      women with nonmetastatic breast cancer according to major recommended treatment
      options. A population-based study was carried out in Navarra, Spain, including
      all women with a primary invasive nonmetastasized breast cancer, diagnosed in
      2005 and in 2013-2014. We compared patients' characteristics and treatment
      patterns between periods. Factors associated with receipt of recommended
      treatment were examined by multivariate logistic regression. Of the 719 patients
      included, 90% received guideline-adherent locoregional treatment. Over the two
      periods, there was an increasing use of sentinel lymph node biopsy as opposed to
      axillary lymph node dissection as the first axillary procedure. Among women with
      oestrogen receptor-positive tumours, 96% received endocrine therapy. The
      proportion of high-risk patients who were treated with chemotherapy increased
      between the two periods from 65 to 74% (P=0.079) and, among patients with human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive tumours, the receipt of targeted
      treatment increased from 37 to 72% (P<0.001). The main factors associated
      independently with a lower probability of receiving recommended treatment were
      age 70 years or older for all treatment modalities and comorbidity for
      locoregional treatment and chemotherapy. The proportion of women with breast
      cancer who received treatment according to recent European guidelines in Navarra
      has increased from 2005 to 2013-2014, resulting in a high level of adherence to
      standard care. Most failures in adherence to these standards are related to older
      age or comorbidities.

PMID- 28914695
TI  - Autoimmune acute liver failure and seronegative autoimmune liver disease in
      children: Are they different from classical disease?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Presentation as autoimmune acute liver failure (AI-ALF) and
      seronegative autoimmune liver disease (SN-AILD) represents two uncommon variants
      of AILD. We compared the clinical profile and outcome of AI-ALF with autoimmune
      non-acute liver failure (AI-non-ALF) and also SN-AILD with seropositive
      autoimmune liver disease (SP-AILD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Children managed as AI
      ALF and AI-non-ALF including SN-AILD and SP-AILD were enrolled and compared. AI
      non-ALF was diagnosed by simplified diagnostic criteria and AI-ALF by Pediatric
      Acute Liver Failure Study Group criteria with positive autoantibody, exclusion of
      other etiologies, elevated immunoglobulin G and histology when available.
      RESULTS: Seventy children [AI-ALF=15 and AI-non-ALF=55 (SN-AILD=11, SP-AILD=44)]
      were evaluated. Age at presentation [7 (1.2-16) vs. 9 (2-17) years] percentage of
      female patients (67 vs. 62%), and AILD type (type II, 53 vs. 31%) were similar in
      AI-ALF and AI-non-ALF patients], respectively. 8/15 AI-ALF cases were treated
      with steroids (improved-4, liver transplant-1, and death-3) and 7/15 died before
      initiation of therapy. Hepatic encephalopathy (100 vs. 16.3%; P<0.001), massive
      hepatic necrosis (60 vs. 0%; P<0.001), and higher pediatric end-stage liver
      disease [n=53, 29.9 (13.1-56.9) vs. 9.8 (-10-28.7) P<0.001], model for end-stage
      liver disease [n=17, 38.5 (24-46) vs. 18 (6-24); P=0.005], and Child-Turcotte
      Pugh [n=70, 13 (8-13) vs. 9 (5-13); P<0.001] scores were features of AI-ALF.
      Poorer response to immunosuppression (4/8 vs. 48/55; P=0.02) and higher mortality
      (11/15 vs. 4/55; P=0.0001) were seen in AI-ALF than in AI-non-ALF patients.
      Clinicolaboratory profile, therapeutic response, and outcome were similar in SN
      AILD and SP-AILD. CONCLUSION: AI-ALF is characterized by poorer liver function,
      lower response to immunosuppression, and higher mortality compared with SP or SN
      AI-non-ALF, which are similar.

PMID- 28914694
TI  - The association of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and
      abnormal liver enzymes has been reported in multiple studies. The existing
      literature regarding the relationship between OSA and nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis (NASH) is conflicting. Thus we aimed to determine the
      relationship between OSA and NASH from a large database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study was performed using the 2012 Nationwide Inpatient Sample.
      We identified adult patients (18-90 years) who had a diagnosis of OSA using the
      International Classification of Diseases 9th version codes. The control group was
      comprised of adult individuals with no discharge records of OSA. NASH diagnosis
      was also identified using the International Classification of Diseases 9th
      version codes. The association between OSA and NASH was calculated using
      univariable and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 30 712 524
      hospitalizations were included. The OSA group included 1 490 150 patients versus
      29 222 374 in the control non-OSA group. The OSA group average age was 61.8+/
      0.07 years (44.2% females) compared with 57.0+/-0.11 years (60.1% females) in the
      non-OSA group. NASH prevalence was significantly higher in the OSA group compared
      with the non-OSA group [2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9, 2.1) vs. 0.65%
      (95% CI: 0.63, 0.66), P<0.001]. After adjusting for obesity, diabetes,
      hypertension, dyslipidemia, the metabolic syndrome and Charlson comorbidity
      index, OSA patients were three times more likely to have NASH [adjusted odds
      ratio: 3.1 (95% CI: 3.0-3.3), P<0.001]. CONCLUSION: Patients with OSA are three
      times more likely to have NASH compared with patients without OSA after
      controlling for other confounders. These data indicate that OSA should be
      considered as an independent risk factor for developing NASH.

PMID- 28914696
TI  - The overlap of gastroesophageal reflux disease and functional constipation in
      children: the efficacy of constipation treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to investigate the frequency of
      gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children with functional constipation
      (FC). It was structured to assess the improvement level in reflux symptoms by
      measuring the acid reflux in these patients after they had received FC treatment.
      METHODS: Ninety-four children who suffered from constipation were evaluated
      prospectively. Data forms were completed to assess the GERD symptoms in all the
      cases. Twenty-four-hour pH meter monitoring was performed in 55 of the patients
      with GERD symptoms. The cases with abnormal acid reflux were treated by
      conventional therapy for FC. These cases were re-evaluated for GERD symptoms and
      weekly defecation frequency, and 24-h pH meter monitoring was performed at the
      end of a 3-month period. RESULTS: An abnormal level of acid reflux was determined
      in 23 of the 55 cases. After the constipation treatment, a significant
      improvement was achieved in the acid reflux index and GERD symptoms, whereas the
      weekly defecation frequency increased. CONCLUSION: GERD is a frequent problem in
      children with FC. Treatment of the constipation can improve the reflux symptoms
      and abnormal acid reflux in these cases. Physicians should bear in mind the co
      occurrence of these two prevalent problems for better disease management.

PMID- 28914697
TI  - Are we ready to treat hepatitis C virus in individuals with opioid use disorder:
      assessment of readiness in European countries on the basis of an expert-generated
      model.
AB  - Individuals with a history of injecting drugs have a high prevalence of chronic
      hepatitis C (HCV) infection. Many have a history of opioid use disorder (OUD).
      Despite novel treatments with improved efficacy and tolerability, treatment is
      limited in the group. A faculty of experts shared insights from clinical practice
      to develop an HCV care-readiness model. Evidence and expert knowledge was
      collected. Ten experts developed a model of three factors (with measures):
      'healthcare engagement', 'guidance' and 'place'. Overall, 40-90% of individuals
      with OUD engage with drug treatment services. Ten of 12 HCV guidelines provided
      specific advice for the OUD population. Ten of 12 OUD care guidelines provided
      useful HCV care advice. In 11 of 12 cases, location of HCV/drug treatment care
      was in different places. This readiness assessment shows that there are important
      limitations to successful HCV care in OUD. Specific actions should be taken:
      maintain/increase access to OUD treatment services/opioid agonist therapy,
      updating HCV guidance, locate care in the same place and allow wider prescribing
      of anti HCV medicines.

PMID- 28914698
TI  - Male hepatitis C patients' sexual functioning and its determinants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to detect sexual impairment in male hepatitis
      C virus patients and determine its associations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of
      61 male hepatitis C virus patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional study.
      Sexual functioning was assessed using the International Index of Erectile
      Function. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was evaluated using the Greek
      version of the Short Form 36 Health Survey, and the presence and severity of
      anxiety and depression were assessed using the Greek version of the Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale. RESULTS: Noncirrhotic patients showed clinically
      significant dysfunction, mainly in intercourse (59.6%) and overall satisfaction
      (57.4%). Erectile functioning and desire were correlated with depression (r=
      0.520, P=0.000 and r=-0.473, P=0.000), anxiety (r=-0.443, P=0.000 and r=-0.428,
      P=0.001), physical (r=0.427, P=0.001 and r=0.329, P=0.012), and mental (r=0.379,
      P=0.003 and r=0.432, P=0.001) HRQOL, platelet count (r=-0.357, P=0.012 and
      r=0.366, P=0.010), and international normalized ratio (INR) levels (r=-0.373,
      P=0.013 and r=-0.440, P=0.003). Erection was also correlated with albumin levels
      (r=0.310, P=0.032). Orgasmic functioning was associated significantly with
      platelet count (r=0.322, P=0.024) and INR levels (r=-0.425, P=0.004). Intercourse
      satisfaction was significantly related to depression (r=-0.435, P=0.001) and
      anxiety (r=-0.335, P=0.008) levels, physical (r=0.374, P=0.004) and mental
      (r=0.300, P=0.022) HRQOL, platelet count (r=0.333, P=0.020), and INR levels (r=
      0.373, P=0.013), and overall satisfaction was significantly correlated with
      depressive (r=-0.435, P=0.001) and anxiety (r=-0.278, P=0.033) symptoms, mental
      HRQOL (r=0.340, P=0.010), platelet count (r=0.316, P=0.029), and INR levels (r=
      0.332, P=0.030). CONCLUSION: Hepatitis C is accompanied by poor sexual
      functioning even in the absence of cirrhosis and different correlations emerge
      for distinct subdomains of male sexuality.

PMID- 28914699
TI  - Ergonomics in Surgery: A Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent among
      surgeons and may result in practice modification. We aimed to perform a
      comprehensive review of the English-language literature regarding ergonomic risk,
      prevalence of WMSDs, and unique ergonomic considerations by route of surgery.
      METHODS: Multiple searches were performed of PubMed and University library
      resources to access English-language publications related to surgeon ergonomics.
      Combinations of keywords were used for each mode of surgery, including the
      following: "ergonomics," "guidelines," "injury," "operating room," "safety,"
      "surgeon," and "work-related musculoskeletal disorders." Each citation was read
      in detail, and references were reviewed. RESULTS: Surgeon WMSDs are prevalent,
      with rates ranging from 66% to 94% for open surgery, 73% to 100% for conventional
      laparoscopy, 54% to 87% for vaginal surgery, and 23% to 80% for robotic-assisted
      surgery. Risk factors for injury in open surgery include use of loupes,
      headlamps, and microscopes. Unique risks in laparoscopic surgery include table
      and monitor position, long-shafted instruments, and poor instrument handle
      design. In vaginal surgery, improper table height and twisted trunk position
      create injury risk. Although robotic surgery offers some advantages, it remains
      associated with trunk, wrist, and finger strain. Surgeon WMSDs often result in
      disability but are under-reported to institutions. Additionally, existing
      research tools face limitations in the operating room environment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent among surgeons but have
      received little attention owing to under-reporting of injury and logistical
      constraints of studying surgical ergonomics. Future research must aim to develop
      objective surgical ergonomics instruments and guidelines and to correlate
      ergonomics assessments with pain and tissue-level damage in surgeons with WMSDs.
      Ergonomics training should be developed to protect surgeons from preventable,
      potentially career-altering injuries.

PMID- 28914700
TI  - Use of Ketorolac After Outpatient Urogynecologic Surgery: A Randomized Control
      Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patient surveys highlight a prevalence of moderate to severe pain in
      the postanesthesia care unit. Multimodal analgesia has been promoted to improve
      this with fewer opioid-induced adverse effects. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the opioid sparing and analgesic effect of postoperative intravenous
      (IV) ketorolac after outpatient transvaginal surgery. METHODS: Forty patients
      were enrolled in this institutional review board-approved, randomized, double
      blind, placebo-controlled study, to receive either 30 mg of IV ketorolac or IV
      saline placebo postoperatively. Pain was assessed by visual analog scale at timed
      intervals. Narcotic pain medication was provided upon request. Narcotic use was
      reassessed by telephone 5 to 7 days postoperatively. Categorical characteristics
      were compared by chi. Continuous variables were evaluated by Mann-Whitney U test.
      RESULTS: Twenty patients were randomized to each group. Groups were similar in
      age, health, and operative factors. There was no significant difference in mean
      pain scores at any interval. The ketorolac group had a total morphine equivalent
      consumption median of 7.5 mg versus 4.0 mg for placebo, which was not significant
      (P = 0.17). Total use of narcotic pills postoperatively was equivalent (median,
      5). There was no difference in postoperative nausea. One Dindo grade II
      complication was reported in the ketorolac group of a postoperative pelvic
      hematoma requiring transfusion. DISCUSSION: Intravenous ketorolac administered
      after outpatient transvaginal surgery did not result in a reduction of pain
      scores or total morphine consumption. There was one Dindo grade II complication
      in the ketorolac group. Larger randomized control trials are needed to validate
      these findings.

PMID- 28914701
TI  - Elevated Postvoid Residual Urine Volume: Identifying Risk Factors and Predicting
      Resolution in Women With Pelvic Organ Prolapse.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify risk factors for elevated preoperative
      postvoid residual (PVR) and persistently elevated postoperative PVR and to
      evaluate the resolution rate of elevated PVR urine volume in patients undergoing
      reconstructive surgery for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). METHODS: This was a
      retrospective cohort study comparing 50 women with elevated preoperative PVR
      (>=100 mL) and 50 women with normal PVR (<100 mL). Preoperative demographic,
      physical examination, urodynamic data, type of surgery performed, and
      postoperative trial of void data were collected. Variables were evaluated for
      association with elevated PVR using Student t test or Mann-Whitney U test, and
      chi or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: The elevated PVR cohort was older (65.5 +/-
      13.3 vs 60.6 +/- 10.1 years, P = 0.04). The cohorts did not differ by body mass
      index, parity, number of cesarean deliveries, prior hysterectomy, incontinence,
      prolapse surgery, menopausal status, hormone replacement therapy, history of
      recurrent urinary tract infections, diabetes mellitus, or maximum bladder
      capacity. Most patients had preoperative anterior prolapse stage 2 or 3.
      Complaints of incontinence, incomplete bladder emptying, and overactive bladder
      did not differ between groups. Performed Surgical procedures, cystoscopy
      findings, and rate of postoperative trial of void failures did not differ between
      groups. One patient per cohort learned clean intermittent self-catheterization
      for persistently elevated PVR. CONCLUSIONS: All women undergoing surgery for POP
      had postoperative resolution of elevated PVR. Patients with nonneurogenic
      elevated PVR can be reassured that bladder emptying will improve after surgical
      repair of POP.

PMID- 28914702
TI  - Digitation to Void: What Is the Significance of This Symptom?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Digitation to void is defined as the need to apply manual pressure on
      the perineum or the vagina to assist with voiding. It has been associated with
      prolapse; however, there is little objective data concerning this symptom. Our
      aim was to determine the correlation between digitation to void, symptoms and
      signs of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and urodynamic data. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective study that included a total of 1174 patients seen at a tertiary
      urogynecological unit. A standardized history was obtained from all patients
      followed by multichannel urodynamic testing, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification
      scoring and 3-D/4-D translabial ultrasound. Stored 4-D translabial ultrasound
      volumes were obtained and analyzed at a later date. RESULTS: Digitation to void
      was present in 7% (n = 83) of our population. It is associated with primary
      symptoms of POP (odds ratio [OR], 25.75; confidence interval [CI], 8.08-82.05),
      clinically significant POP (OR, 5.62; CI, 2.25-14.02), and POP on ultrasound (OR,
      5.39; CI, 2.67-10.88). Cystocele presented the strongest association, clinically
      (OR, 3.45; CI, 1.98-6.03) and on ultrasound (OR, 4.04; CI, 2.46-6.64). Digitation
      to void was also associated with symptoms of voiding dysfunction (OR, 6.38 [3.83
      10.64]) and slower maximum urine flow rate centile (18.4 vs 24.9, P = 0.017).
      CONCLUSIONS: Digitation to void is strongly associated with primary symptoms of
      prolapse and of voiding dysfunction, clinically significant POP, and pelvic organ
      descent on ultrasound. It is also associated with objective voiding dysfunction.
      The strongest associations were found with cystocele, both clinically and on
      imaging.

PMID- 28914703
TI  - Length of Catheter Use After Hysterectomy as a Risk Factor for Urinary Tract
      Infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine the effect of length of
      postoperative catheterization on risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) and to
      identify risk factors for postoperative UTI. METHODS: This was a retrospective
      case-control study. Demographic and perioperative data, including duration of
      indwelling catheter use and postoperative occurrence of UTI within 30 days of
      surgery, were analyzed for hysterectomies using the Michigan Surgical Quality
      Collaborative database. Catheter exposure was categorized as low-no catheter
      placed/catheter removed the day of surgery, intermediate-catheter removed
      postoperative day 1, high-catheter removal on postoperative day 2 or later, or
      highest-patient discharged home with catheter. A multivariable logistic
      regression model was developed to identify factors associated with UTI. An
      interaction term was included in the final model. RESULTS: Overall, UTI
      prevalence was 2.3% and increased with duration of catheter exposure (low: 1.3%
      vs intermediate: 2.1% vs high: 4.1% vs highest: 6.5%, P < 0.0001). High (odds
      ratio [OR] = 2.54 [1.51-4.27]) and highest (OR = 3.39 [1.86-6.17]) catheter
      exposure, operative time (OR = 1.15 [1.03-1.29]), and dependent functional status
      (OR = 4.62 [1.90-11.20]) were independently associated with UTI. Women who had a
      vaginal hysterectomy with sling/pelvic organ prolapse repair were more likely to
      have a UTI than those who had a vaginal hysterectomy alone (OR = 2.58 [1.10
      6.07]) and more likely to have a UTI than women having an abdominal or
      laparoscopic hysterectomy with a sling/pelvic organ prolapse repair (OR = 2.13
      [1.12-4.04]). CONCLUSIONS: Length of catheterization and operative time are
      modifiable risk factors for UTI after hysterectomy. An interaction between
      vaginal hysterectomy and concomitant pelvic reconstruction increases the odds of
      UTI.

PMID- 28914704
TI  - Rectoneovaginal Fistula in a Transgender Woman Successfully Repaired Using a
      Buccal Mucosa Graft.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rectoneovaginal fistulae (RnVFs) are abnormal connections between the
      rectum and a surgically created neovagina. Although very uncommon, they confer
      significant morbidity in patients and may require a multidisciplinary team
      approach to the repair. Risk factors for RnVF include rectal injury at the time
      of neovaginoplasty, malignancy in the neovagina, trauma (iatrogenic or
      otherwise), radiation, and neovaginal revision surgery. CASE DESCRIPTION: The
      patient is a 64-year-old transgender woman with recurrent RnVF following penile
      skin inversion neovaginoplasty, which was complicated by an intraoperative rectal
      injury. After failing an initial attempt at repair, the fistula was successfully
      repaired with a buccal mucosa graft. CONCLUSIONS: In some cases, RnVFs following
      vaginoplasty surgery for gender affirmation may be repaired successfully with a
      buccal mucosa graft.

PMID- 28914705
TI  - Increasing Anteroposterior Genital Hiatus Widening Does Not Limit Apical Descent
      for Prolapse Staging During Valsalva's Maneuver: Effect on Symptom Severity and
      Surgical Decision Making.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Determine if anteroposterior genital hiatus (GH) widening obscures
      rather than facilitates signs and symptoms, inadvertently altering management
      decisions for women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) during Valsalva's Maneuver,
      at a given total vaginal length (TVL). METHODS: We performed a retrospective
      cohort with nested cross-sectional study of patients who underwent POP surgery.
      Data from obstetric and gynecologic history, preoperative and postoperative
      physical examinations, and 20-item Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) and
      7-item Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7) scores were extracted. Study
      participants were compared in 2 groups: anteroposterior widened (>3 cm) and not
      widened (<=3 cm) GH, for baseline leading edge and POP stage, while controlling
      for TVL. Baseline PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores were evaluated within GH groups.
      Delta GH, PFDI-20, and PFIQ-7 scores after apical suspension with and without
      posterior colporrhaphy were compared to assess the clinical value of the
      procedure. RESULTS: Study participants with anteroposterior GH widening during
      Valsalva maneuver had greater baseline leading edge descent and higher POP stage
      compared with those without anteroposterior GH widening after controlling for
      TVL. Baseline PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores were similar within both GH categories
      controlling for prolapse severity. Adding posterior colporrhaphy to apical
      suspension resulted in a greater anteroposterior GH reduction without improving
      delta PFDI-20 or PFIQ-7 scores. CONCLUSIONS: Facilitation through herniation
      rather than obscuration from anteroposterior GH widening explains why patients
      will not be undertreated based on signs and symptoms of disease. Adding posterior
      colporrhaphy to apical suspension more effectively reduces anteroposterior GH
      widening without differential improvement in symptoms rendering the operation to
      no more than a cosmetic procedure.

PMID- 28914706
TI  - Long-Term Sexual Function After Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) are associated with severe
      short and long-term morbidities, although little is known about the long-term
      sexual function or satisfaction of women and partners of women with history of
      OASIS. The objective of this study was to describe the long-term sexual function
      and satisfaction of women who previously sustained OASIS and to assess sexual
      satisfaction among their male partners. METHODS: This was a follow-up study of
      participants enrolled in the For Optimal Recovery: Care After Severe Tears
      (FORCAST) prospective cohort study of women with a history of OASIS after
      delivery of a full-term singleton infant between 2011 and 2013. A total of 47
      women and 25 male partners at a mean of 45 months +/- 8 months after incident
      delivery completed online validated questionnaires assessing current sexual
      functioning and satisfaction. The Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) was
      completed by female participants, whereas the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual
      Satisfaction (GRISS) was completed by both female participants and their male
      partners. RESULTS: Nearly half (47%) of women met the criteria for female sexual
      dysfunction according to the Female Sexual Functioning Index. One-third of women
      (34%) had an overall GRISS score of 5 or greater, indicating sexual dysfunction.
      Sixty-two percent of women had a subsequent delivery. Seven male partners (28%)
      met the criteria for sexual dysfunction according to the GRISS. The most
      problematic GRISS subscale reported by both men and women was that of infrequency
      of intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: Even 3 years after sustaining OASIS, up to half of
      women and many male partners meet the criteria for sexual dysfunction. Future
      studies including women without history of OASIS are needed to further
      investigate the role OASIS may play in the development of long-term sexual
      dysfunction.

PMID- 28914707
TI  - Prospective Randomized Feasibility Study Assessing the Effect of Cyclic Sacral
      Neuromodulation on Urinary Urge Incontinence in Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this prospective, randomized, multicenter, single-blind, 4
      * 4 crossover study was to estimate the effect of 4 InterStim cycling settings
      (continuous, 16 seconds on/8 seconds off, 10 minutes on/10 minutes off, and 30
      minutes on/23.5 hours off) on efficacy, Global Response Assessment, and safety.
      METHODS: Eligible women implanted for at least 3 months for urgency urinary
      incontinence (UI) were enrolled, and daily diaries were collected. General linear
      mixed models were used to estimate the cycling effect on efficacy. Quality of
      life measured by Global Response Assessment (subjects' perception of
      effectiveness) and safety were summarized. RESULTS: Primary efficacy analysis was
      based on the first 24 subjects who completed unique randomization sequences. Mean
      age was 64 years, and mean implant duration was 2.8 years. Results showed no
      significant cycling (P = 0.3773) or period (P = 0.0800) effect on UI. There was a
      statistically significant interaction between cycling and period (P = 0.0032). In
      the first period, subjects on 10 minutes on/10 minutes off had significantly
      fewer UI episodes compared with subjects on 16 seconds on/8 seconds off (P =
      0.0026); this difference was not observed in any other period or sensitivity
      analyses. No cycling effect was found on urgency or pad usage. When programmed to
      10 minutes on/10 minutes off, 54% of subjects felt their incontinence symptoms
      improved compared with when they entered the study, followed by 42% on 30 minutes
      on/23.5 hours off, 38% on 16 seconds on/8 seconds off, and 29% on continuous.
      Safety was similar across cycling settings. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that
      patients with overactive bladder who have been implanted with sacral
      neuromodulation devices and are receiving substantial benefit may perceive
      further optimization by switching to cycling settings.

PMID- 28914708
TI  - Efficacy of FemiScan Pelvic Floor Therapy for the Treatment of Anal Incontinence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pelvic floor muscle training can be effective in alleviating anal
      incontinence; however, women need instruction, motivation, and feedback to gain
      optimal benefit. The FemiScan Pelvic Floor Therapy System is approved in the
      United States and European Union for the treatment of urinary incontinence. It
      uses office electromyography and an in-home programmable device. This study was
      undertaken to document the effect of FemiScan on anal incontinence symptoms of
      women who completed a physician-supervised program. METHODS: Women referred for
      treatment of urinary symptoms who also reported anal incontinence symptoms were
      included in the analysis. We collected patient demographics, electromyographic
      measurements, and responses to subjective questions about the status of their
      anal incontinence. RESULTS: Forty eight (55%) of 88 patients who started
      treatment completed the 8-visit protocol. No adverse events were reported. Mean
      age was 54.8 +/- 12.0 years. There was a statistically significant increase in
      the mean maximal response comparing the first and final electromyographic
      measurements obtained during the first and last office visits: left side, 13.7 +/
      9.3 MUV versus 23.2 +/- 13.5 MUV, P < 0.001 and right side, 14.6 +/- 2.4 MUV
      versus 22.7 +/- 10.6 MUV, P < 0.001 were analyzed separately. Fifty six percent
      reported that they were 100% free of symptoms, and 77% considered their symptoms
      at least 80% improved. Colorectal Anal Distress Inventory results demonstrated a
      statistically significant improvement when comparing the first and last visit
      (28.9 +/- 17.9 vs 2.1 +/- 7.8, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: FemiScan appears to be a
      safe and effective treatment for anal incontinence with concomitant increased
      pelvic floor electromyographic activity.

PMID- 28914709
TI  - Outcomes of Vaginal Hysterectomy With and Without Perceived Contraindications to
      Vaginal Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of vaginal hysterectomy
      between patients with and without the following perceived contraindications to
      vaginal surgery: uterine weight greater than 280 g, prior cesarean delivery, no
      vaginal parity, and obesity. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of benign vaginal
      hysterectomies between 2009 and 2013 was obtained. Outcomes included uterine
      debulking, transfusion, intraoperative complications, length of stay, and
      Accordion grade 2+ postoperative complications. For each outcome, the association
      between the presence of each contraindication and the outcome was evaluated using
      univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Among 692
      vaginal hysterectomies, 11% (76/691) had a uterine weight greater than 280 g,
      11.3% (78/690) had no vaginal parity, 14.9% (103/690) had a history of cesarean
      delivery, and 37.7% (248/657) had a body mass index of 30 kg/m or greater; 110
      (15.9%) had 2 or more contraindications. Uterine debulking occurred in 146 women
      (21.1%), and both uterine weight greater 280 g (adjusted odds ratio, 39.2; 95%
      confidence interval, 18.4-83.5) and prior cesarean delivery (adjusted odds ratio,
      2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.7) were significantly associated with an
      increased likelihood of uterine debulking after adjusting for age, hematologic
      disease, and preoperative diagnosis. None of the contraindications were
      significantly associated with need for a blood transfusion, presence of an
      intraoperative complication, length of stay greater than 2 days, or presence of
      an Accordion grade 2+ postoperative complication, which occurred in 2.7%, 2.5%,
      14.0%, and 6.9% of all women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal hysterectomy can
      be safely performed with favorable outcomes, even in women with a uterus greater
      than 280 g, prior cesarean delivery, no vaginal parity, and obesity. Our findings
      challenge several perceived contraindications to vaginal hysterectomy.

PMID- 28914710
TI  - Effect of Time to Operative Intervention on Motility Outcomes Following Orbital
      Floor Fracture Repair in Children.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between time to surgical intervention and
      extraocular motility outcomes in children following repair of an orbital floor
      fracture with inferior rectus entrapment. METHODS: After institution review
      board's approval, a retrospective, consecutive case series of 28 children with
      unilateral orbital floor fractures entrapping the inferior rectus muscle was
      conducted. Clinical examinations and CT images were performed on all children.
      The main outcomes measures were postoperative motility measurements. RESULTS:
      Eleven patients underwent surgery within 24 hours of reported injury, while 17
      patients underwent surgery after 24 hours. There was no statistically significant
      difference in average age at the time of surgery (p = 0.47) or average
      preoperative motility scores (p = 1.0) between the 2 groups. Patients who
      underwent surgery within 24 hours of reported injury had an improved likelihood
      of recovery (log hazard ratio = 0.469; 95% confidence interval, -0.42 to 1.36).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our exploratory study suggests that surgical reduction of inferior
      rectus entrapment in pediatric orbital floor fractures within 24 hours from the
      time of injury shows an improved, but nonstatistically significant, likelihood of
      recovery in motility deficits with earlier surgical intervention.

PMID- 28914712
TI  - Quality, Reliability, Repeatability - What about Excellence?

PMID- 28914711
TI  - Change in Eyelid Position Following Muller's Muscle Conjunctival Resection With a
      Standard Versus Variable Resection Length.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study compares the use of a standard 7 mm resection length to a
      variable 4:1 ratio of resection length to desired elevation nomogram when
      performing Muller's muscle conjunctival resection surgery. METHODS: In this cross
      sectional case control study, 2 groups were defined. The first underwent Muller's
      muscle conjunctival resection surgery with a standard 7 mm resection length and
      the second underwent the same surgery with a variable resection length determined
      by a 4:1 ratio of resection length to desired elevation nomogram. Groups were
      matched for age (within 5 years) and sex. Pre- and postoperative photographs were
      measured digitally. Change in upper marginal reflex distance 1 (MRD1) and final
      MRD1 were the primary outcome measures. The study was powered to detect a 1 mm
      difference in MRD1 to a beta error of 0.95. RESULTS: No significant preoperative
      differences between the groups were noted. No significant difference in final
      MRD1 (0.1 mm; p = 0.74) or change in MRD1 (0.2 mm; p = 0.52) was noted. Mean
      resection length to elevation ratios were 3.9:1 for standard group and 4.3:1 for
      the variable group (p = 0.54). CONCLUSION: The authors were not able to detect a
      significant difference in final MRD1 or change in MRD1 for patients undergoing
      Muller's muscle conjunctival resection surgery with standard or variable
      resection lengths. These results tend to argue against a purely mechanical
      mechanism for Muller's muscle conjunctival resection surgery.

PMID- 28914713
TI  - The hyperfibrinolytic phenotype is the most lethal and resource intense
      presentation of fibrinolysis in massive transfusion patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among bleeding patients, we hypothesized that the hyperfibrinolytic
      (HF) phenotype would be associated with the highest mortality, whereas shutdown
      (SD) patients would have the greatest complication burden. METHODS: Severely
      injured patients predicted to receive a massive transfusion at 12 Level I trauma
      centers were randomized to one of two transfusion ratios as described in the
      Pragmatic, Randomized, Optimal Platelet and Plasma Ratio trial. Fibrinolysis
      phenotypes were determined based on admission clot lysis at 30 minutes (LY30): SD
      <=0.8%, physiologic (PHYS) 0.9-2.9%, and HF >=3%. Univariate and multivariate
      analysis was performed. Logistic regression was used to adjust for age, gender,
      arrival physiology, shock, injury severity, center effect, and treatment arm.
      RESULTS: Among the 680 patients randomized, 547(80%) had admission
      thrombelastography (TEG) values available to determine fibrinolytic phenotypes.
      Compared to SD and PHYS, HF patients had higher Injury Severity Score (25 vs. 25
      vs. 34), greater base deficit (-8 vs. -6 vs. -12) and were more uniformly
      hypocoagulable on admission by PT, PTT, and TEG values; all p <0.001. HF patients
      also received more red blood cells, plasma, and platelets (at 3, 6, and 24
      hours); had fewer ICU-, ventilator-, and hospital-free days; and had higher 24
      hour and 30-day mortality. There were no differences in complications between the
      three phenotypes. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that HF on
      admission was associated with a threefold higher mortality (OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.57
      5.95, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Previous data have shown that both the SD and HF
      phenotypes are associated with increased mortality and complications in the
      general trauma population. However, in a large cohort of bleeding patients, HF
      was confirmed to be a much more lethal and resource-intense phenotype. These data
      suggest that further research into the understanding of SD and HF is warranted to
      improve outcomes in this patient population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic, level
      II.

PMID- 28914714
TI  - Radiologically Undetected Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients Undergoing Liver
      Transplantation: An Immunohistochemical Correlation With LI-RADS Score.
AB  - Orthotopic liver transplantation is the best option for patients with carefully
      selected unresectable disease because of underlying liver dysfunction. The 5-year
      survival rate after orthotopic liver transplantation for early detected
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is high, and a similar or even higher rate is
      reported in those with radiologically undetected HCC. This study evaluated and
      compared the histologic features of pretransplant radiologically undetected (14
      patients, 25 tumors) versus detected (36 patients, 45 tumors) HCCs. Tumor size,
      tumor differentiation, number of unpaired arteries, mitotic count per 10 high
      power fields, CD34 immunostain to assess microvessel density, and Ki67
      immunostain were compared with the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System score,
      which was retrospectively assigned to each tumor in both groups. The Liver
      Imaging Reporting and Data System score was significantly higher in the HCC
      detected group (P<0.001). The vast majority of the undetected HCCs (88%) was <2
      cm in size. Only 12% of the undetected HCCs were >=2 cm, whereas 51% of the
      detected HCCs were >=2 cm in size. Higher rate of moderate to poor tumor
      differentiation was noted in the detected HCCs compared with the undetected group
      (89% vs. 60%; P=0.004). No statistically significant difference in the number and
      distribution of unpaired arteries, or mitotic count was observed in 2 groups
      (although fewer unpaired arteries were identified in the undetected group). The
      detected HCCs had a higher rate of 2+ CD34 staining compared with the undetected
      HCCs (68% vs. 27%; P=0.002), whereas the opposite was observed for 1+ CD34
      staining (59% undetected HCCs vs. 17% detected HCCs; P=0.002). Ki67 proliferative
      index was not statistically different between the 2 groups (120.8/1000 cells
      detected HCCs vs. 81.8/1000 cells undetected HCCs; P=0.36). The factors
      associated with failing to detect HCCs pretransplant by radiologic studies
      include small tumor size (<2 cm), low-grade histologic differentiation, and low
      microvessel density (low CD34 staining). A significant association between the
      number and distribution of unpaired arteries and HCC detection has not been
      established by our study.

PMID- 28914716
TI  - Diagnostic Utility of SATB2 in Metastatic Krukenberg Tumors of the Ovary: An
      Immunohistochemical Study of 70 Cases With Comparison to CDX2, CK7, CK20,
      Chromogranin, and Synaptophysin.
AB  - SATB2 is a sensitive marker for colorectal adenocarcinomas. No study has
      investigated its diagnostic utility in metastatic Krukenberg tumors (MKTs) of the
      ovary. Here we performed immunohistochemical staining SATB2 in 70 MKTs of various
      origins (stomach 27, colorectum 13, appendix 20 including 19 metastatic
      adenocarcinomas ex goblet cell carcinoids [AdexGCC] and 1 conventional poorly
      differentiated carcinoma with signet ring cells, breast 5, bladder 3, lung 2) to
      assess its diagnostic utility. We also compared SATB2 with CDX2, CK7, CK20,
      chromogranin, and synaptophysin in MKTs of gastric origin (MKTs-stomach), those
      of colorectal origin (MKTs-colorectum) and those due to appendiceal AdexGCCs (MKT
      AdexGCCs) for their sensitivity and specificity to distinguish these tumors.
      SATB2 staining was seen in 1/27 (4%) MKTs-stomach (40% cells), 7/13 (54%) MKTs
      colorectum (mean: 17% cells, median: 7%, range: 2% to 60%), and 19/19 (100%) of
      MKT-AdexGCCs (mean: 97% cells, median: 100%, range: 80% to 100%) (P<0.01 between
      any two). SATB2 staining was seen in 1/1 metastatic appendiceal poorly
      differentiated carcinoma with signet ring cells (5% cells), 1/3 MKTs of bladder
      origin (60% cells), 0/2 MKTs of pulmonary origin, and 1/5 MKTs of breast origin
      (10% cells). SATB2 staining was diffuse strong in MKT-AdexGCCs whereas in other
      MKTs it was focal and weak in the signet ring and nonsignet ring nonglandular
      cells and from focal weak to diffuse strong in well-formed glands. MKTs-stomach,
      MKTs-colorectum, and MKT-AdexGCCs showed no significant staining difference in
      CDX2 (100%, 100%, 100% cases, respectively; P=1.0), CK20 (96%, 100%, 100%,
      respectively; P=1.0), chromogranin (59%, 31%, 63%, respectively; P>0.05) or
      synaptophysin (59%, 63%, 84%, respectively; P>0.05) but they had significant
      difference in CK7 staining (93%, 8%, 42%, respectively; P<0.05). Among these 6
      markers, SATB2 is the best one to distinguish MKT-AdexGCCs from MKTs-stomach
      (100% sensitivity, 96% specificity) and MKTs-colorectum (100% sensitivity and
      100% specificity if staining more than 75% tumor cells as the cutoff). In
      distinguishing MKTs-stomach from MKTs-colorectum, SATB2 is not as good as CK7
      which is the best marker. Our results indicate that SATB2 is a highly sensitive
      marker (100% sensitivity) for metastatic MKT-AdexGCCs with high specificity (100%
      specificity when showing strong staining in at least 75% cells) among MKTs. SATB2
      is a useful marker for determining the primary sites of MKTs of the ovary.

PMID- 28914715
TI  - Diffuse Staining for Activated NOTCH1 Correlates With NOTCH1 Mutation Status and
      Is Associated With Worse Outcome in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.
AB  - NOTCH1 is frequently mutated in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). To test the idea
      that immunohistochemical (IHC) staining can identify ACCs with NOTCH1 mutations,
      we performed IHC for activated NOTCH1 (NICD1) in 197 cases diagnosed as ACC from
      173 patients. NICD1 staining was positive in 194 cases (98%) in 2 major patterns:
      subset positivity, which correlated with tubular/cribriform histology; and
      diffuse positivity, which correlated with a solid histology. To determine the
      relationship between NICD1 staining and NOTCH1 mutational status, targeted exome
      sequencing data were obtained on 14 diffusely NICD1-positive ACC specimens from
      11 patients and 15 subset NICD1-positive ACC specimens from 15 patients. This
      revealed NOTCH1 gain-of-function mutations in 11 of 14 diffusely NICD1-positive
      ACC specimens, whereas all subset-positive tumors had wild-type NOTCH1 alleles.
      Notably, tumors with diffuse NICD1 positivity were associated with significantly
      worse outcomes (P=0.003). To determine whether NOTCH1 activation is unique among
      tumors included in the differential diagnosis with ACC, we performed NICD1 IHC on
      a cohort of diverse salivary gland and head and neck tumors. High fractions of
      each of these tumor types were positive for NICD1 in a subset of cells,
      particularly in basaloid squamous cell carcinomas; however, sequencing of
      basaloid squamous cell carcinomas failed to identify NOTCH1 mutations. These
      findings indicate that diffuse NICD1 positivity in ACC correlates with solid
      growth pattern, the presence of NOTCH1 gain-of-function mutations, and
      unfavorable outcome, and suggest that staining for NICD1 can be helpful in
      distinguishing ACC with solid growth patterns from other salivary gland and head
      and neck tumors.

PMID- 28914717
TI  - The Relationship Between Mismatch Repair Deficiency and PD-L1 Expression in
      Breast Carcinoma.
AB  - Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency in solid tumors has recently been linked to
      susceptibility to immunotherapies targeting the programmed cell death-1 (PD
      1)/programmed cell death-1 ligand (PD-L1) axis. Loss of MMR proteins has been
      shown to correlate with tumoral PD-L1 expression in colorectal and endometrial
      carcinomas, but the association between expression of MMR proteins and PD-L1 has
      not previously been studied in breast carcinoma, where MMR deficiency is less
      common. We assessed the relationship between PD-L1 and MMR protein expression by
      immunohistochemistry in 245 primary and 40 metastatic breast carcinomas. Tumoral
      staining for PD-L1 was positive in 12% of all cases, including 32% of triple
      negative cancers. MMR deficiency was observed in 0.04% of breast cancers; the
      single MMR-deficient case was a high-grade, triple-negative ductal carcinoma
      which showed dual loss of MLH1 and PMS2 proteins and expressed PD-L1. Two ER
      carcinomas initially were scored with MMR protein loss in tissue microarray
      format but were subsequently shown to be MMR-intact on whole sections. Analysis
      of MMR gene mutation in The Cancer Genome Atlas corroborates low frequency of MMR
      deficiency for invasive breast cancer. MMR protein expression is therefore
      unlikely to show utility as a screen for immunotherapeutic vulnerability in this
      tumor type, and may provoke unwarranted genetic testing in patients unlikely to
      have a heritable cancer syndrome. PD-L1 may be a more clinically relevant
      biomarker for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies in this setting.

PMID- 28914718
TI  - Balance Evaluation of Prefrail and Frail Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: With the increase in the percentage of the population in
      older adulthood, issues such as frailty syndrome need to be considered. The aim
      of the present study was to evaluate the ability of the Balance Evaluation
      Systems Test (BESTest) and center of pressure (COP) in their ability to
      discriminate between nonfrail, prefrail, and frail older adults. The proposed
      hypothesis is that frail older adults would show poorer performance in BESTest
      tasks and higher oscillation of COP on a force platform. METHODS: Sixty older
      adults 65 years or older were divided into 3 groups of 20: group 1, nonfrail;
      group 2, prefrail; and group 3, frail. The prefrail and frail identifications
      were made by Fried's 5 frailty phenotype criteria. Balance was assessed using the
      BESTest and a force platform in 6 positions: (1) fixed platform with eyes open;
      (2) fixed platform with eyes closed; (3) unstable platform with foam, with eyes
      open; (4) unstable platform, with eyes closed; (5) semitandem with eyes open; and
      (6) semitandem with eyes closed. RESULTS: Frail older adults had lower scores in
      all sections and in the total score of the BESTest, indicating worse performance
      in the tasks. However, on the force platform, the frail older adults did not show
      higher oscillations, having similar mean values when compared with the prefrail
      and nonfrail older adults, indicating similar behavior of COP. CONCLUSION: The
      BESTest seems to be more appropriate than a force plate for assessing postural
      control impairment and discriminating balance performance among frail, prefrail,
      and nonfrail older adults, providing information about different components of
      postural control rather than the force plate, which evaluates sensory
      orientation.

PMID- 28914719
TI  - Physical Therapy Management of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain and Hip
      Abductor Weakness.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hip abductor dysfunction is common in individuals with
      chronic low back pain (CLBP). Previous research investigating abductor
      strengthening in the heterogeneous CLBP population is sparse and has failed to
      target those patients most likely to benefit. The aim of the current case series
      was to describe the physical therapy management and outcomes of 3 patients with
      CLBP matching a previously identified subgroup characterized by substantial hip
      abductor weakness. CASE DESCRIPTION: Three nonconsecutive patients with CLBP-a 77
      year-old man, a 78-year-old woman, and an 85-year-old woman-were treated in an
      outpatient physical therapy clinic. All 3 patients matched a previously
      identified CLBP subgroup characterized by substantial hip abductor weakness.
      INTERVENTION: Patients were treated using a targeted exercise approach consisting
      mostly of hip abductor strengthening for 11 to 17 visits over 8 to 10 weeks.
      Patients received additional treatments including heel lift and pain neuroscience
      education when indicated. OUTCOMES: By discharge, all patients had made
      clinically important improvements in pain (3- to 7-point reduction on the Numeric
      Pain Rating Scale), function (10- to 16-point change on the Modified Oswestry
      Disability Index), and perceived improvement (6-7 on Global Rating of Change
      Scale). Lumbar range of motion was painless, and hip abductor strength was
      improved from 2+/5 to 3+/5 in all 3 patients. These gains were maintained at 3
      month follow-up. DISCUSSION: The current case series describes the use of a
      targeted exercise approach consisting mostly of hip abductor strengthening in a
      group of patients with CLBP and hip abductor weakness. The results indicated that
      this approach may be effective in reducing pain and improving function,
      particularly for older patients.

PMID- 28914720
TI  - Effects of Corrective Exercise for Thoracic Hyperkyphosis on Posture, Balance,
      and Well-Being in Older Women: A Double-Blind, Group-Matched Design.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of
      a corrective exercise for thoracic hyperkyphosis on posture, balance, and well
      being in Korean community-dwelling older women. METHODS: Fifty women 65 years of
      age and older, recruited from 2 senior centers, participated in this study.
      Participants were assigned to either the experimental group (EG) or the control
      group (CG) on the basis of convenience of location, and 22 in each were analyzed.
      Participants in the EG underwent a thoracic corrective exercise program 1 hour
      each session, twice per week for 8 weeks (a total of 16 sessions), which
      consisted of specific exercises to enhance breathing, thoracic mobility and
      stability, and awareness of thoracic alignment. The CG received education on the
      same thoracic corrective exercise program and a booklet of the exercises. Outcome
      measures included the extent of postural abnormality (angle of thoracic kyphosis,
      kyphosis index calculated both in relaxed- and best posture using flexicurve, the
      ratio of the kyphosis index calculated best posture/relaxed posture,
      craniovertebral angle, and tragus-to-wall distance), balance (Short Physical
      Performance Battery and limit of stability), and well-being (Geriatric Depression
      Scale Short Form and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36]). All data were
      collected by 6 blinded assessors at baseline, at 8 weeks after the completion of
      intervention, and at 16 weeks for follow-up. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: For
      participants of the EG, means of all parameters showed significant improvements
      over time (P < .05), with improved values both in comparison of baseline to
      postintervention and baseline to follow-up. Means of CG parameters were
      significantly improved in only the angle of thoracic kyphosis and the tragus-to
      wall distance (P < .05). Furthermore, in all parameters, percent change between
      baseline and postintervention data was significantly (P < .05) higher for the EG
      than that for the CG, except for the limit of stability and SF-36 which improved
      but not significantly. All parameters between baseline and follow-up data were
      significantly (P < .05) higher for the EG than those for the CG, except for the
      limit of stability. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that a well
      designed exercise program may be beneficial to improve spinal posture, balance,
      and well-being in older women with thoracic hyperkyphosis. We recommend the use
      of the therapeutic strategies utilized in this study to enhance thoracic posture,
      balance, and well-being of older women with thoracic hyperkyphosis. Future
      research is needed to apply this exercise protocol on a larger and more diverse
      population.

PMID- 28914721
TI  - Sepsis in Children: Global Implications of the World Health Assembly Resolution
      on Sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sepsis, worldwide the leading cause of death in children, has now
      been recognized as the global health emergency it is. On May 26, 2017, the World
      Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization,
      adopted a resolution proposed by the Global Sepsis Alliance to improve the
      prevention, diagnosis, and management of sepsis. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the
      implications of this resolution for children worldwide. CONCLUSIONS: The
      resolution highlights sepsis as a global threat and urges the 194 United Nations
      member states to take specific actions and implement appropriate measures to
      reduce its human and health economic burden. The resolution is a major step
      toward achieving the targets outlined by the Sustainable Developmental Goals for
      decreasing mortality in infants and children, but implementing it will require a
      concerted global effort.

PMID- 28914722
TI  - Factors Associated With Pediatric Ventilator-Associated Conditions in Six U.S.
      Hospitals: A Nested Case-Control Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A newly proposed surveillance definition for ventilator-associated
      conditions among neonatal and pediatric patients has been associated with
      increased morbidity and mortality among ventilated patients in cardiac ICU,
      neonatal ICU, and PICU. This study aimed to identify potential risk factors
      associated with pediatric ventilator-associated conditions. DESIGN: Retrospective
      cohort. SETTING: Six U.S. hospitals PATIENTS:: Children less than or equal to 18
      years old ventilated for greater than or equal to 1 day. INTERVENTIONS: None.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified children with pediatric ventilator
      associated conditions and matched them to children without ventilator-associated
      conditions. Medical records were reviewed for comorbidities and acute care
      factors. We used bivariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression
      models to identify factors associated with ventilator-associated conditions. We
      studied 192 pairs of ventilator-associated conditions cases and matched controls
      (113 in the PICU and cardiac ICU combined; 79 in the neonatal ICU). In the
      PICU/cardiac ICU, potential risk factors for ventilator-associated conditions
      included neuromuscular blockade (odds ratio, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.08-4.87), positive
      fluid balance (highest quartile compared with the lowest, odds ratio, 7.76; 95%
      CI, 2.10-28.6), and blood product use (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.70-3.28).
      Weaning from sedation (i.e., decreasing sedation) or interruption of sedation may
      be protective (odds ratio, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.18-1.11). In the neonatal ICU,
      potential risk factors included blood product use (odds ratio, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.02
      8.78), neuromuscular blockade use (odds ratio, 3.96; 95% CI, 0.93-16.9), and
      recent surgical procedures (odds ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 0.77-6.28). Weaning or
      interrupting sedation was protective (odds ratio, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.79).
      CONCLUSIONS: In mechanically ventilated neonates and children, we identified
      several possible risk factors associated with ventilator-associated conditions.
      Next steps include studying propensity-matched cohorts and prospectively testing
      whether changes in sedation management, transfusion thresholds, and fluid
      management can decrease pediatric ventilator-associated conditions rates and
      improve patient outcomes.

PMID- 28914723
TI  - Inducing Somatic Symptoms in Functional Syndrome Patients: Effects of
      Manipulating State Negative Affect.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Induction of negative affective states can enhance bodily symptoms in
      high habitual symptom reporters among healthy persons and in patients with
      irritable bowel syndrome. The aims of this study were to replicate this effect in
      patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome and to investigate the
      role of moderators, focusing on alexithymia, negative affectivity, and
      absorption. METHODS: Patients with fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome
      (n = 81) and HCs (n = 41) viewed series of neutral, positive, and negative
      affective pictures. After every picture series, participants filled out a somatic
      symptom checklist and rated emotions experienced during the picture series on
      valence, arousal, and perceived control. RESULTS: Patients reported more somatic
      symptoms after viewing negative pictures (least square mean [LSM] = 19.40,
      standard error (SE) = 0.50) compared with neutral (LSM = 17.59, SE = 0.42, p <
      .001) or positive (LSM = 17.04, SE = 0.41, p < .001) pictures, whereas somatic
      symptom ratings of HCs after viewing negative picture series (LSM = 12.07, SE =
      0.71) did not differ from ratings after viewing neutral (LSM = 11.07, SE = 0.59,
      p = .065) or positive (LSM = 11.10, SE = 0.58, p = .93) pictures. Negative
      affectivity did not moderate the symptom-enhancing effect of negative affective
      pictures, whereas the alexithymia factor "difficulty identifying feelings" and
      absorption did (p = .016 and p = .006, respectively). CONCLUSION: Negative
      affective states elicit elevated somatic symptom reports in patients experiencing
      fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. This symptom-enhancing effect is
      greater in patients having higher difficulty to identify feelings and higher
      absorption scores. The results are discussed in a predictive coding framework of
      symptom perception.

PMID- 28914724
TI  - Role of Brain Structure in Predicting Adherence to a Physical Activity Regimen.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Physical activity (PA) is important for maintaining health throughout
      the lifespan. However, adherence to PA regimens is poor with approximately 50% of
      older adults terminating activity intervention programs within 6 months. In this
      study, we tested whether gray matter volume and white matter microstructural
      integrity before the initiation of a PA intervention predicts PA adherence.
      METHODS: One hundred fifty-nine adults aged 60 to 80 years were randomly assigned
      to a moderate-intensity aerobic walking condition or a nonaerobic stretching and
      toning condition. Participants engaged in supervised exercise 3 times per week
      for 12 months. Data were collected for a period of 1 year. Voxel-based
      morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics protocols were used to process
      neuroimaging data, and ordinary least squares regression models with
      bootstrapping were used to analyze voxelwise neural predictors of PA adherence.
      RESULTS: Greater volume in several regions predicted greater PA adherence,
      including prefrontal, motor, somatosensory, temporal, and parietal regions (p <
      .01). We also found that higher fractional anisotropy in several white matter
      tracts predicted greater PA adherence (pFDR-corrected < .05), including the
      superior longitudinal fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, forceps minor, and
      body of the corpus callosum. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide preliminary
      support for macro- and microstructural neural predictors of PA adherence and may
      translate to other health behaviors and behavioral goal pursuit more broadly.

PMID- 28914725
TI  - Sleep Duration and Quality as Related to Left Ventricular Structure and Function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inadequate sleep is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular
      events; however, the associations between sleep duration or quality and cardiac
      function or structure are not well understood. This cross-sectional study was
      conducted to investigate to what extent sleep duration and quality are associated
      with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction or structural deterioration.
      METHODS: A total of 31,598 healthy Korean adults who received echocardiography
      and completed the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index were enrolled in this study.
      Participants were stratified into three groups by self-reported sleep duration
      (i.e., <7, 7-9, >9 hours) and into two groups by subjective sleep quality. Sleep
      duration was also assessed as a continuous variable. The odds ratios for impaired
      LV diastolic function, increased relative wall thickness, and LV hypertrophy
      (LVH) were compared between groups using multivariable logistic regression
      analyses. RESULTS: After adjustment for confounding variables (e.g., age,
      smoking, body mass index), there was a statistically significant association
      between short sleep duration (<7 hours) and greater LVH (fully adjusted odds
      ratio = 1.32 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 1.02-1.73]). Short sleep duration
      was also significantly associated with greater LVH (0.87 per hour [95% CI = 0.78
      0.98]) and increased relative wall thickness (0.92 [95% CI = 0.86-0.99]), but
      there was no significant association between sleep and LV diastolic function.
      Among individuals with normal sleep duration, poor quality of sleep was not
      associated with adverse cardiac measures. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate
      that short sleep duration (<7 hours) is associated with unfavorable LV structural
      characteristics. The association of insufficient sleep with adverse
      cardiovascular health outcomes may be mediated in part by adverse changes in
      cardiac structure and function.

PMID- 28914726
TI  - Proinflammatory Cytokines, Mood, and Sleep in Interepisode Bipolar Disorder and
      Insomnia: A Pilot Study With Implications for Psychosocial Interventions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Proinflammatory cytokines are associated with bipolar disorder (BD),
      but less is known about how cytokines function during the interepisode period.
      This study examined cytokines, mood symptoms, and sleep in individuals with
      interepisode BD with complaints of insomnia. We also investigated the effects of
      a BD-specific modification of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBTI-BP)
      on cytokine levels. METHODS: Twenty-two adults with interepisode BD type I and
      insomnia were drawn from a subset of a National Institute of Mental Health funded
      study. Participants were randomly allocated to CBTI-BP (n = 11) or
      psychoeducation (n = 11). Participants completed a sleep diary, rated self-report
      measures of mania and depression, and provided samples assayed for interleukin
      (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor soluble receptor 2 (sTNF-R2). RESULTS: IL-6 was
      associated with mania symptoms (rs = 0.44, p = .041) and total sleep time (rs = 
      0.49, p = .026). IL-6 was related to depression symptoms at the trend level (rs =
      0.43, p = .052). sTNF-R2 was not significantly related to mood or sleep measures.
      From pretreatment to posttreatment, CBTI-BP compared with psychoeducation was
      associated with a nonsignificant, large effect size decrease in IL-6 (z = -1.61,
      p = .13, d = -0.78) and a nonsignificant, small-medium effect size decrease in
      sTNF-R2 (z = -0.79, p = .44, d = -0.38). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide
      preliminary evidence that IL-6 is related to mania symptoms and shorter total
      sleep time in interepisode BD. A treatment that targets sleep in BD could
      potentially decrease IL-6 although replication is warranted.

PMID- 28914728
TI  - Reason for Referral Predicts Utilization and Perceived Impact of Early
      Intervention Services.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Children participating in early intervention (EI) vary in their
      medical needs and degree of delay, and previous studies have shown significant
      differences in EI enrollment based on the reason for referral. The effect of
      reason for referral on service provision and family satisfaction is largely
      unknown. METHODS: We used data from the National Early Intervention Longitudinal
      Study for our secondary data analysis. The main predictor was the reason for
      referral: a diagnosed condition, documented developmental delay, or other risk
      factors. Outcomes included unmet service needs, program dropout, and family
      satisfaction with services. RESULTS: The 2966 participants were mostly white
      (51.9%), male (60.3%), and had an annual household income at or below $50,000
      (77.0%). There were 1924 referred due to diagnosis, 691 due to delay, and 351 due
      to other risks. Compared with the diagnosis group, children with delays were more
      likely (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.87)
      to have unmet service needs and to drop out of EI programs (aOR 1.44, 95% CI,
      1.07-1.96); their families were less likely to report that services were highly
      individualized (aOR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.65-0.98) or had an impact on their children's
      development (aOR 0.77, 95% CI, 0.62-0.96). CONCLUSION: Children participating in
      EI because of developmental delays are more likely to have unmet service needs,
      drop out of services because of a reason other than ineligibility (family or
      child-related reason), and have lower caregiver satisfaction than those
      participating because of diagnosed conditions. It is important to determine
      reasons for these differences and their impact on developmental outcomes.

PMID- 28914727
TI  - Summer Healthy-Lifestyle Intervention Program for Young Children Who Are
      Overweight: Results from a Nonrandomized Pilot Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine initial outcomes of an 8-week Healthy-Lifestyle
      Intervention Program (HIP) which included children's participation in a daily
      summer camp along with parents' participation in a parenting program focused on
      overweight/obesity. METHODS: Using a nonrandomized pilot trial design, 16
      children (M child age = 6.42 yr; 81% male; 100% Latino) classified as
      overweight/obese and their mothers completed 3 assessments (baseline,
      posttreatment, and 6-8 mo follow-up). RESULTS: Children who completed HIP
      experienced significant decreases in their body mass index z-scores (primary
      outcome) from baseline to posttreatment (d = -1.11) with such decreases being
      moderately maintained at follow-up (d = -0.64). In terms of secondary outcomes,
      HIP was effective in improving and maintaining healthy habits in both children
      and mothers and children's nutritional knowledge and fitness. Objective food data
      showed that children's dietary intake during HIP improved. High attendance and
      satisfaction were reported for families who completed HIP. CONCLUSION: This pilot
      treatment development study shows that a family lifestyle intervention conducted
      in a summer camp setting that targets both children and parents is a promising
      option for addressing pediatric obesity in young children.

PMID- 28914729
TI  - Mental Health Service Use Among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although youth with autism have elevated rates of mental health
      problems compared to typically developing youth, little is known about the mental
      health services that they receive. The current study examines predisposing,
      enabling, and clinical need factors as they relate to mental health service use
      in youth with autism. METHODS: The current study surveyed parents of 2337
      children and adolescents with autism, compared their access to behavioral
      management and mental health treatment (MHT), and isolated the correlates of such
      receipt. RESULTS: Children used behavioral management more than adolescents,
      whereas the opposite was true for MHT. Mental health treatment receipt was
      associated with caregiver-related and mental health problems in both age groups,
      with routine health service use in children and with behavioral problems in
      adolescents. Behavioral management was correlated with caregiver-related services
      and behavioral problems in both age groups, and with sex and intellectual
      disability in adolescents. CONCLUSION: Clinical needs and caregiver service use
      are consistently associated with mental health care across ages, whereas the role
      of youth characteristics is particularly relevant when considering service use
      for adolescents.

PMID- 28914730
TI  - Family and Environmental Influences on Child Behavioral Health: The Role of
      Neighborhood Disorder and Adverse Childhood Experiences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Adverse Childhood Experiences study suggests childhood adversity
      is a "root" origin for health and human development. Newer research is examining
      the more immediate impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on child
      development and the impact of neighborhood environment on the likelihood of and
      prevention ACEs. The extent to which all of these aspects of the child context
      fit together remains unclear. The current study seeks to fill this gap examining
      the precursors for ACEs and the multitude of ways in which a child's home life
      can impact his or her development. METHODS: Using data from 3001 mothers of
      children in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study
      investigates the relationship between neighborhood disorder, ACEs, and child
      behavioral health. Using a path analysis, the direct and indirect relations
      between neighborhood disorder and child behavioral health are estimated, with
      ACEs as the key mediator. RESULTS: The most common ACE in our study was intimate
      partner violence (IPV), followed by child emotional abuse. Neighborhood disorder
      is associated with higher levels of ACEs and is both directly and indirectly
      (through its relation with ACEs) negatively related to child behavioral health.
      CONCLUSION: Screening for ACEs for children living in disordered neighborhoods
      may help reduce those experiences and their impacts in this high-risk population.
      Preventive interventions related to IPV and child emotional abuse may be
      especially helpful.

PMID- 28914731
TI  - Academic Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric Faculty at Developmental-Behavioral
      Pediatric Research Network Sites: Changing Composition and Interests.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To obtain and review workforce data, given the critical demand for
      developmental pediatricians (DPs). METHODS: Survey of demographics and
      professional activities of DP physician faculty at Developmental-Behavioral
      Pediatric (DBP) Research Network fellowship training sites. RESULTS: Of the
      eligible providers at 12 centers, 76% (n = 50) completed surveys. They were on
      average 50 years old and mostly female (86%), white (82%), and working full time
      (74%). Full timers reported a mean 50.2-hour week made up of clinical work (23.2
      hours), supervision (5.9 hours), research (8.8 hours), administration (5.2
      hours), teaching (1.5 hours), advocacy (1.1 hours), and other (4.3 hours).
      Compared with those >10 years out of training, the 20 physicians (40%) <=10 years
      out of fellowship were more likely to be nonwhite (p = .003). Overall faculty
      interest/expertise (I/E) was highest in autism (90%) and attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 86%). Those <=10 years out of fellowship had more
      I/E in autism (p = .05) and less in chronic illness (p = .06) and parenting (p =
      .06). DPs practiced most frequently in a General DBP Clinic (74%), followed by
      clinics specific for: Autism (36%), Toddlers (22%), ADHD (20%), Infants (18%) and
      Preschoolers (16%). Common clinics were Autism (9), syndrome specific (9), ADHD
      (6), and School-Aged (5). CONCLUSION: Developmental pediatrician faculty in DBP
      training sites feed the pipeline of much needed DP physicians. This survey
      provides baseline information on the professional activities of DP faculty and
      found changing demographics and I/E as well as a wide variety of clinic types.

PMID- 28914732
TI  - Predictors of Weight-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents Who Are Overweight or
      Obese.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Weight-related quality of life (WRQOL) is a type of health-related QOL
      that may serve as a patient-reported outcome of the potential burden of
      overweight. The present study uses structural equation modeling path analysis
      methods to examine body mass index (BMI) and other potential predictors of WRQOL
      components among adolescents who were overweight/obese from predominantly low
      income, urban households. METHODS: Baseline data were obtained from 360
      participants (10-13 year olds; 57.8% female; 76.7% black; average BMI of 27.12)
      and their parents/legal guardians from a randomized, controlled, treatment trial.
      Youth completed measures of WRQOL, depressive symptoms, and family/friend social
      support for healthy eating. Parents completed measures of demographics and child
      social problems. RESULTS: The initial model included BMI, gender, parent
      education, family/friend social support for healthy eating, child social
      problems, body esteem and social life WRQOL, and depressive symptoms. The final
      model fit the data well (chi = 27.738; df = 16; p = .034). Higher BMI was
      indirectly related to lower social life and body esteem WRQOL through greater
      social problems. Physical comfort and family relations WRQOL were unrelated to
      BMI and were not included. Lower social life and body esteem related to more
      depressive symptoms. Family/friend discouragement for healthy eating was
      associated with lower body esteem; also, family discouragement was related to
      lower social life. CONCLUSION: Body mass index may not directly relate to WRQOL
      but may be associated through other factors, including child social problems.
      Interventions should screen for and treat mood and social problems and address
      family/friend support for healthy eating.

PMID- 28914733
TI  - Metabolic connectivity: methods and applications.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Metabolic connectivity modelling aims to detect functionally
      interacting brain regions based on PET recordings with the glucose analogue
      [F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Here, we outline the most popular metabolic
      connectivity methods and summarize recent applications in clinical and basic
      neuroscience. RECENT FINDINGS: Metabolic connectivity is modelled by various
      methods including a seed correlation, sparse inverse covariance estimation,
      independent component analysis and graph theory. Given its multivariate nature,
      metabolic connectivity possess added value relative to conventional univariate
      analyses of FDG-PET data. As such, metabolic connectivity provides valuable
      insights into pathophysiology and diagnosis of dementing, movement disorders, and
      epilepsy. Metabolic connectivity can also identify resting state networks
      resembling patterns of functional connectivity as derived from functional MRI
      data. SUMMARY: Metabolic connectivity is a valuable concept in the fast
      developing field of brain connectivity, at least as reasonable as functional
      connectivity of functional MRI. So far, the value of metabolic connectivity is
      best established in neurodegenerative disorders, but studies in other brain
      diseases as well as in the healthy state are emerging. Growing evidence indicates
      that metabolic connectivity may serve a marker of normal and pathological
      cognitive function. A relationship of metabolic connectivity with structural and
      functional connectivity is yet to be established.

PMID- 28914734
TI  - Revisiting the concept of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as a multisystems
      disorder of limited phenotypic expression.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current review will examine the contemporary evidence that
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a syndrome in which the unifying feature
      is a progressive loss of upper and lower motor neuron function. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Although ALS is traditionally viewed as a neurodegenerative disorder affecting
      the motor neurons, there is considerable phenotypic heterogeneity and widespread
      involvement of the central nervous system. A broad range of both causative and
      disease modifying genetic variants are associated with both sporadic and familial
      forms of ALS. A significant proportion of ALS patients have an associated
      frontotemporal dysfunction which can be a harbinger of a significantly shorter
      survival and for which there is increasing evidence of a fundamental disruption
      of tau metabolism in those affected individuals. Although the traditional
      neuropathology of the degenerating motor neurons in ALS is that of neuronal
      cytoplasmic inclusions composed neuronal intermediate filaments, the presence of
      neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions composed of RNA binding proteins suggests a key
      role for RNA dysmetabolism in the pathogenesis of ALS. SUMMARY: ALS is a complex
      multisystem neurodegenerative syndrome with marked heterogeneity at not only the
      level of clinical expression, but also etiologically.

PMID- 28914735
TI  - Palliative care in neuromuscular diseases.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of
      life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life
      threatening illness. Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are characterized by
      progressive muscle weakness, leading to pronounced and incapacitating physical
      disabilities. Most NMDs are not amenable to curative treatment and would thus
      qualify for palliative care. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a relentlessly
      progressive disease, which leads to death about 2 years after onset due to
      respiratory muscle weakness. Increasingly, neurologists caring for these patients
      learn to apply the principles of palliative care. However, this does not yet
      apply to other well known and frequently occurring NMDs. RECENT FINDINGS: There
      is sparse literature on palliative care in NMDs such as Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophies, some congenital
      myopathies, Pompe's disease and myotonic dystrophy type 1. These NMDs are often
      associated with imminent respiratory insufficiency and/or heart failure leading
      to a reduced life expectancy. Reasons for underutilization may include
      misconceptions about palliative care amongst patients, family carers and
      healthcare professionals or lack of awareness of the usefulness of this approach
      in these severely affected patients and the possibilities of integration of
      palliative principles into care for children and adults with NMDs. SUMMARY: There
      is an urgent need for increased attention to the development of palliative care
      in chronic progressive neuromuscular diseases associated with increasing
      functional incapacities and premature death. This will require education and
      training of the healthcare professionals, involvement of patient associations and
      funding to perform research.

PMID- 28914736
TI  - Update on tauopathies.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the role
      of tau beyond the stabilization of microtubules and on the clinical,
      pathological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of tauopathies. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Beyond its function as a microtubule-associated tau protein, tau is also involved
      in gene regulation, signal transduction and metabolism. Experimental models allow
      for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Tauopathies
      encompass different disorders that may manifest with various clinical syndromes.
      Differential diagnosis with other proteinopathies is still challenging.
      Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and radiotracers were extensively studied in the
      last year. Although diagnostic accuracy remains deceiving in non-Alzheimer's
      disease tauopathies, positron emission tomography tau tracers could be used to
      monitor disease progression. SUMMARY: Despite the advent of novel therapeutic
      approaches and the increasing number of clinical trials in tauopathies, accurate
      clinical diagnosis is still an unmet need and better tau biomarkers are still
      desperately needed. Although primary taupathies are rare and heterogeneous
      disorders, their combined prevalence and the importance of tau disorder in
      Alzheimer's disease and secondary tauopathies makes research on tauopathy a
      priority - because it could benefit many patients.

PMID- 28914737
TI  - Evidence of semantic processing impairments in behavioural variant frontotemporal
      dementia and Parkinson's disease.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Category-specific impairments caused by brain damage can
      provide important insights into how semantic concepts are organized in the brain.
      Recent research has demonstrated that disease to sensory and motor cortices can
      impair perceptual feature knowledge important to the representation of semantic
      concepts. This evidence supports the grounded cognition theory of semantics, the
      view that lexical knowledge is partially grounded in perceptual experience and
      that sensory and motor regions support semantic representations. Less well
      understood, however, is how heteromodal semantic hubs work to integrate and
      process semantic information. RECENT FINDINGS: Although the majority of semantic
      research to date has focused on how sensory cortical areas are important for the
      representation of semantic features, new research explores how semantic memory is
      affected by neurodegeneration in regions important for semantic processing. Here,
      we review studies that demonstrate impairments to abstract noun knowledge in
      behavioural variant frontotemporal degeneration (bvFTD) and to action verb
      knowledge in Parkinson's disease, and discuss how these deficits relate to
      disease of the semantic selection network. SUMMARY: Findings demonstrate that
      semantic selection processes are supported by the left inferior frontal gyrus
      (LIFG) and basal ganglia, and that disease to these regions in bvFTD and
      Parkinson's disease can lead to categorical impairments for abstract nouns and
      action verbs, respectively.

PMID- 28914738
TI  - Age-related resting-state functional connectivity in the olfactory and trigeminal
      networks.
AB  - Brain networks for intranasal chemosensation have been shown to be intrinsically
      organized in humans . However, little is known about how changes in the intrinsic
      functional connectivity (FC) in chemosensory networks are related to aging. We,
      therefore, investigated the impact of age on resting-state FC in the olfactory
      and trigeminal networks (ON and TN) by combining two freely available resting
      state fMRI data sets (obtained from the NITRC.org; Atlanta and New York) with
      data collected in our lab to generate a large sample size (N=103; 51 women)
      spanning the age range of 20-61 years. Seed regions were defined using Montreal
      Neurological Institute's coordinates that anchor ON and TN in activation studies
      and meta-analyses. The ON included the piriform cortex and the oribtofrontal
      cortex. The TN included the anterior insula and the cingulate cortex. Scanner
      site, sex, and age were used as covariates in group-level analyses. The FC
      between the ON and the parahippocampal gyrus was correlated negatively with age.
      The FC between the TN and the parahippocampal gyrus, however, was positively
      correlated. Similarly, age was correlated positively with the ON FC to the
      ventral striatum and the TN FC to the default mode network. These results reflect
      divergent age-related alterations in the intrinsic FC of the human chemosensory
      system.

PMID- 28914739
TI  - Hypothermic neuroprotections in the brain of an echolocation bat, Hipposideros
      terasensis.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate how bats protect their brain in a
      hypothermic situation. Formosan leaf-nosed bats (Hipposideros terasensis) were
      used in this study and treated under three conditions: room temperature (25+/-1
      degrees C), low temperature (4+/-1 degrees C), and hibernation. The reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) levels in the blood and apoptosis-related proteins in the
      brain tissue were assessed and then compared among those bats under three
      conditions. Our results showed that the blood ROS levels of bats treated under
      conditions of low temperature and hibernation were significantly reduced compared
      with bats treated under the condition of room temperature. Both
      immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting expressions of hypoxia, inflammation, and
      apoptosis-related proteins in the brain tissue of bats treated under the
      condition of hibernation were significantly reduced compared with those bats
      treated under conditions of room temperature and low temperature. Thus, we
      suggested that bats can protect the brain in cold environment by reducing blood
      ROS levels and decreasing expressions of hypoxia, inflammation, and apoptosis
      related proteins in the brain. Possible protection mechanisms involved in
      hypothermic adaptations need to be further clarified.

PMID- 28914741
TI  - Eosinophilic Bronchiolitis.

PMID- 28914740
TI  - The role of precisely matching fascicles in the quick recovery of nerve function
      in long peripheral nerve defects.
AB  - Peripheral nerve injury therapy in the clinic remains less than satisfactory. The
      gold standard of treatment for long peripheral nerve defects is autologous nerve
      grafts; however, numerous clinical complications are associated with this
      treatment. As tissue engineering has developed, tissue-engineered nerve grafts
      (TENGs) have shown potential applications as alternatives to autologous nerve
      grafts. To verify the important role of the biomimetic pathway of fascicle design
      in TENGs, we designed an animal model to study the role of the precise matching
      of fascicles in the effectiveness of nerve function recovery. 24 Sprague-Dawley
      rats were divided randomly into three groups (eight/group) that corresponded to
      100% fascicle matching (100%FM), 50%FM and 0%FM. We selected Sprague-Dawley rat
      long-gap (15 mm) sciatic nerve defects. In the 6 weeks after surgery, we found
      that the 100%FM group showed the most effective functional recovery among the
      three groups. The 100%FM group showed better functional recovery on the basis of
      the sciatic functional index than the 50%FM and 0%FM groups. According to
      histological evaluation, the 100%FM group showed more regenerating nerve fibres.
      Moreover, in terms of the prevention of muscle atrophy, the 100%FM group showed
      excellent physiological outcomes. The 100%FM as tissue-engineered scaffolds can
      enhance nerve regeneration and effective functional recovery after the repair of
      large nerve defects. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for
      future TENG designs including biomimetic fascicle pathways for repairing long
      nerve defects.

PMID- 28914742
TI  - Mature Cystic Teratoma With an Element of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Anterior
      Mediastinum: Magnetic Resonance-Pathologic Correlation.

PMID- 28914744
TI  - Cardiac Computed Tomography: Before and After Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a noninvasive imaging technique
      that has been rapidly adopted into clinical practice. Over the past decade,
      technological advances have improved CCTA accuracy, and there is an increasing
      amount of data supporting its prognostic value in the assessment of coronary
      artery disease. Recently, "appropriate use criteria" has been used as a tool to
      minimize inappropriate testing and reduce patient exposure to unnecessary risk
      and inconclusive studies. This review will summarize the appropriate uses of CCTA
      in patients before and after cardiac surgery. Although the most common indication
      for CCTA is assessment of patency of native coronary arteries, other potential
      perioperative uses (eg, assessment of congenital heart disease, valvular heart
      disease, pericardial disease, myocardial disease, cardiac anatomy, bypass grafts,
      aortic disease, and cardiac masses) will be reviewed.

PMID- 28914743
TI  - Effectiveness of Bone Suppression Imaging in the Detection of Lung Nodules on
      Chest Radiographs: Relevance to Anatomic Location and Observer's Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of bone suppression imaging (BSI)
      software in lung-nodule detection on chest radiographs (CXRs) in relation to
      nodule location and observer's experience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CXRs of 80
      patients, of which 40 had a lung nodule (8 to 30 mm in diameter) and 40 did not
      have any nodules, were interpreted by 20 observers comprising of 7 pulmonologists
      with >10 years of experience and 13 pulmonology residents. Each patient's image
      was sequentially read, first using the standard CXR and thereafter with the BSI
      software. The nodule location and confidence level with regard to the presence of
      a lung nodule were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used
      to evaluate observer performance. RESULTS: The average area under the curve (AUC)
      for the observers' receiver operating characteristic significantly improved from
      0.867 to 0.900 (P=0.004) with the use of the BSI software. The average AUC for
      experienced pulmonologists improved from 0.877 to 0.924 (P=0.017) for lung
      nodules located in the apical and peripheral areas but not for those in the inner
      area. The average AUC for residents improved regardless of nodule location.
      CONCLUSION: The use of BSI software improved the performance in lung-nodule
      detection on CXRs regardless of observer's experience and was more effective for
      observers with limited experience.

PMID- 28914745
TI  - Is Digital Tomosynthesis on Par With Computed Tomography for the Detection and
      Measurement of Pulmonary Nodules?
AB  - Chest digital tomosynthesis (DT) has potential advantages compared to computed
      tomography (CT) such as radiation dose reduction. However, the role of DT in
      pulmonary nodule management remains investigative. We compared DT against CT for
      pulmonary nodule detection and size measurement. A clinical population comprising
      54 nodules from 30 patients and a screening population comprising 42 nodules from
      52 patients were included. Scans were independently read by two radiologists.
      Agreement in nodule measurements between readers and between modalities was
      assessed by Bland-Altman analysis using a 95% level of significance. The DT true
      positive fraction for the two readers was 0.44 and 0.39 in the clinical
      population, and 0.10 and 0.05 in the screening population. No significant inter
      modality bias was observed between DT and CT measurements of nodule size, but the
      range of variation between modalities was approximately 30%. Inter-reader DT
      measurements also showed no significant bias, with a range of variation of
      approximately 15%. We conclude that DT has poor nodule detection sensitivity
      compared to CT. However, DT showed good measurement reproducibility and may be
      useful for monitoring growth of existing pulmonary nodules.

PMID- 28914746
TI  - Thin-section Computed Tomographic Findings of Multicentric Castleman Disease
      Changing Over 10 Years.

PMID- 28914747
TI  - Appropriate Use Criteria for Cardiac Computed Tomography: Does Computed
      Tomography Have Incremental Value in All Appropriate Use Criteria Categories?
AB  - PURPOSE: Cardiac imaging expenditures have come under scrutiny, and a focus on
      appropriate use criteria (AUC) has arisen to ensure cost-effective resource
      utilization. Although AUC has been developed by clinical experts, it has not
      undergone rigorous quality assurance testing to ensure that inappropriate
      indications for testing yield little clinical benefit. The objective of the study
      was to evaluate the potential incremental prognostic value of coronary computed
      tomographic angiography (CCTA) in the different AUC categories. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Consecutive patients enrolled into a cardiac CT Registry were collated.
      Patient indications were reviewed and based on the 2010 AUC (appropriate,
      uncertain, and inappropriate). Patients were followed-up for death, myocardial
      infarction (MI), and late revascularization, with the primary composite endpoint
      being cardiac death, nonfatal MI, and late revascularization. The prognostic
      value of CCTA over clinical variables in each of the AUC categories was assessed.
      RESULTS: Indications for CCTA were appropriate, uncertain, and inappropriate in
      1284 (66.5%), 312 (16.2%), and 334 (17.3%) patients, respectively. Rates of all
      cause of death, cardiac death, nonfatal MI, and late revascularization were
      similar across patients with appropriate, uncertain, and inappropriate
      indications for CCTA. Moreover, in each AUC category, CCTA had incremental
      prognostic value over a routine clinical risk score (National Cholesterol
      Education Program) with hazard ratios of 9.98, 7.39, and 5.61. CONCLUSIONS: CCTA
      has incremental prognostic value in all AUC categories, even when the reason for
      the study was deemed "inappropriate." This suggests that CCTA may still have
      clinical value in "inappropriate" indications and that further quality assurance
      AUC studies are needed.

PMID- 28914748
TI  - Klebsiella pneumoniae: Virulence, Biofilm and Antimicrobial Resistance.

PMID- 28914749
TI  - Raised Frequency of Microcephaly Related to Zika Virus Infection in Two Birth
      Defects Surveillance Systems in Bogota and Cali, Colombia.
AB  - Zika virus infection during pregnancy is now known to cause congenital
      microcephaly and severe brain defects. In 2016, rates of microcephaly appeared to
      start increasing around May, peaking in July, and declining through December. The
      occurrence of microcephaly appears to have increased nearly 4-fold in 2 large
      cities in Colombia, concurrently with the reported Zika virus epidemic in the
      country.

PMID- 28914750
TI  - Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccination Before 3 Years of Age and Subsequent
      Development of Asthma: A 14-year Follow-up Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) are not licensed in
      children younger than 2 years of age because of a wheezing safety signal that has
      not been fully elucidated. In 2000, the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center
      conducted a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT) of LAIV in
      children. As many of these children were still enrolled in Kaiser Permanente in
      2014, we could assess the possible long-term association between LAIV and
      subsequent asthma diagnosis. METHODS: We identified all children who were
      originally enrolled into the LAIV RCT at younger than 3 years of age. We followed
      up subjects until disenrollment from the health plan, a first diagnosis of
      asthma, or through the end of the study period in 2014. Asthma was defined by a
      first International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical
      Modification code (493.*) assigned at an outpatient or emergency department
      encounter. We performed a survival analysis of time to first asthma diagnosis
      among children receiving LAIV or placebo with a Cox proportional hazards model.
      RESULTS: We identified 1151 children in the original RCT who were 12 through 35
      months of age at the time of enrollment and who had received 2 doses of LAIV or
      placebo. A total of 767 (66.7%) RCT participants were still Kaiser Permanente
      Northern California members in 2014. There was no evidence of differential
      dropout by treatment group. The hazard ratio for new-onset asthma for LAIV
      recipients compared with placebo was 1.1 (95% confidence interval: 0.88-1.41; P =
      0.38). CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence of increased risk of subsequent asthma
      diagnosis among children younger than 3 years of age who received LAIV compared
      with placebo.

PMID- 28914751
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Prostate-Specific Antigen Density for Prediction
      of Gleason Score Upgrade in Patients With Low-Risk Prostate Cancer on Initial
      Biopsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the utility of prostate-specific
      antigen density (PSAD) calculated using magnetic resonance imaging for predicting
      Gleason score (GS) upgrade in patients with low-risk prostate cancer on biopsy.
      METHODS: Seventy-three patients were divided into 2 groups according to the
      concordance between biopsy and prostatectomy GS: group 1 (6/6) and group 2
      (6/>=7). Magnetic resonance imaging-based PSAD, prostate volume, prostate
      specific antigen (PSA), and age were compared between the 2 groups. Logistic
      regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were performed.
      RESULTS: Gleason score was upgraded in 40 patients. Patients in group 2 had
      significantly higher PSAD and PSA values and smaller prostate volume than did
      those in group 1. Prostate-specific antigen density of 0.26 ng/mL per cm or
      higher, PSA of 7.63 ng/mL or higher, and prostate volume of 25.1 cm or less were
      related to GS upgrade, with area-under-the-curve values of 0.765, 0.721, and
      0.639, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic resonance imaging-based PSAD could
      help in predicting postoperative GS upgrade in patients with low-risk prostate
      cancer.

PMID- 28914752
TI  - CT Attenuation of Pericoronary Adipose Tissue in Normal Versus Atherosclerotic
      Coronary Segments as Defined by Intravascular Ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The factors influencing genesis of atherosclerosis at specific
      regions within the coronary arterial system are currently uncertain. Local
      mechanical factors such as shear stress as well as metabolic factors, including
      inflammatory mediators released from epicardial fat, have been proposed. We
      analyzed computed tomographic (CT) attenuation of pericoronary adipose tissue in
      normal versus atherosclerotic coronary segments as defined by intravascular
      ultrasound (IVUS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the data sets of 29
      patients who were referred for invasive coronary angiography and in whom IVUS of
      1 coronary vessel was performed for clinical reasons. Coronary CT angiography was
      performed within 24 hours from invasive coronary angiography. Computed
      tomographic angiography was performed using dual-source CT (Siemens Healthcare;
      Forchheim, Germany). A contrast-enhanced volume data set was acquired (120 kV,
      400 mA/rot, collimation 2 * 64 * 0.6 mm, 60-80 mL intravenous contrast agent).
      Intravascular ultrasound was performed using a 40-MHz IVUS catheter (Atlantis;
      Boston Scientific Corporation, Natick, Mass) and motorized pullback at 0.5 mm/s.
      Sixty corresponding coronary artery segments within the coronary artery system
      were identified in both dual source computed tomography and IVUS using
      bifurcation points as fiducial markers. In dual source computed tomography data
      sets, 8 serial parallel cross sections (2-mm slice thickness) were rendered
      orthogonal to the center line of the coronary artery for each segment. For each
      cross section, pericoronary adipose tissue within a radius of 3 mm from the
      coronary artery and enclosed within the epicardium (excluding coronary veins and
      myocardium) was manually traced and mean CT attenuation values were obtained.
      Intravascular ultrasound was used to define coronary segments as follows:
      presence of predominantly fibrous atherosclerotic plaque (hyperechoic), presence
      of predominantly lipid-rich atherosclerotic plaque (hypoechoic), and absence of
      atherosclerotic plaque. RESULTS: In IVUS, 20 coronary segments with fibrous
      plaque, 20 segments with lipid-rich plaque, and 20 coronary segments without
      plaque were identified. The mean CT attenuation of pericoronary adipose tissue
      for segments with any coronary atherosclerotic plaque was -34 +/- 14 Hounsfield
      units (HU), as compared with -56 +/- 16 HU for segments without plaque (P =
      0.005). The density of pericoronary fat in segments with fibrous versus lipid
      rich plaque as defined by IVUS was not significantly different (-35 +/- 19 HU vs 
      36 +/- 16 HU, P = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: Mean CT attenuation of pericoronary adipose
      tissue is significantly lower for normal versus atherosclerotic coronary
      segments. This supports a hypothesis of different types of pericoronary adipose
      tissue, the more metabolically active of which might exert local effects on the
      coronary vessels, thus contributing to atherogenesis.

PMID- 28914753
TI  - On Optimal Cooperative Sensing with Energy Detection in Cognitive Radio.
AB  - In this paper, we propose an optimal cooperative sensing technique for cognitive
      radio to maximize sensing performance based on energy detection. In most spectrum
      sensing research, many cooperation methods have been proposed to overcome the
      sensitivity of energy detection so that both primary and secondary users are
      better off in terms of spectral efficiency. However, without assigning a proper
      sensing threshold to each sensing node, cooperation may not be effective unless
      the received average primary user signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is identical. We
      show that equal threshold energy detection severely degrades sensing performance
      when cooperative sensing nodes experience diverse average SNRs, and it is not
      unusual for even single-node sensing to be better than cooperative sensing. To
      this end, based on the Neyman-Pearson criterion we formulate an optimization
      problem to maximize sensing performance by using optimized thresholds. Since this
      is a non-convex optimization problem, we provide a condition that convexifies the
      problem and thus serves as a sufficient optimality condition. We find that,
      perhaps surprisingly, in all practical cases one may consider this condition
      satisfied, and thus optimal sensing performance can be obtained. Through
      extensive simulations, we demonstrate that the proposed technique achieves a
      globally optimal solution, i.e., it maximizes the probability of detection under
      practical operating parameters such as the target probability of false alarm,
      different SNRs, and the number of cooperative sensing nodes.

PMID- 28914754
TI  - Investigation of Antimicrobial Peptide Genes Associated with Fungus and Insect
      Resistance in Maize.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small defense proteins present in various
      organisms. Major groups of AMPs include beta-barrelin, hevein, knottin, lipid
      transfer protein (LTP), thionin, defensin, snakin, and cyclotide. Most plant AMPs
      involve host plant resistance to pathogens such as fungi, viruses, and bacteria,
      whereas a few plant AMPs from the cyclotide family carry insecticidal functions.
      In this research, a genome-wide investigation on antimicrobial peptide genes in
      maize genome was conducted. AMPs previously identified from various plant species
      were used as query sequences for maize genome data mining. Thirty-nine new maize
      AMPs were identified in addition to seven known maize AMPs. Protein sequence
      analysis revealed 10 distinguishable maize AMP groups. Analysis of mRNA
      expression of maize AMP genes by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
      (qRT-PCR) revealed different expression patterns in a panel of 10 maize inbred
      lines. Five maize AMP genes were found significantly associated with insect or
      fungus resistance. Identification of maize antimicrobial peptide genes will
      facilitate the breeding of host plant resistance and improve maize production.

PMID- 28914756
TI  - An Anti-Electromagnetic Attack PUF Based on a Configurable Ring Oscillator for
      Wireless Sensor Networks.
AB  - Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are an emerging technology employed in some
      crucial applications. However, limited resources and physical exposure to
      attackers make security a challenging issue for a WSN. Ring oscillator-based
      physical unclonable function (RO PUF) is a potential option to protect the
      security of sensor nodes because it is able to generate random responses
      efficiently for a key extraction mechanism, which prevents the non-volatile
      memory from storing secret keys. In order to deploy RO PUF in a WSN, hardware
      efficiency, randomness, uniqueness, and reliability should be taken into account.
      Besides, the resistance to electromagnetic (EM) analysis attack is important to
      guarantee the security of RO PUF itself. In this paper, we propose a novel
      architecture of configurable RO PUF based on exclusive-or (XOR) gates. First, it
      dramatically increases the hardware efficiency compared with other types of RO
      PUFs. Second, it mitigates the vulnerability to EM analysis attack by placing the
      adjacent RO arrays in accordance with the cosine wave and sine wave so that the
      frequency of each RO cannot be detected. We implement our proposal in XINLINX A-7
      field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and conduct a set of experiments to
      evaluate the quality of the responses. The results show that responses pass the
      National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) statistical test and have
      good uniqueness and reliability under different environments. Therefore, the
      proposed configurable RO PUF is suitable to establish a key extraction mechanism
      in a WSN.

PMID- 28914755
TI  - Thioredoxin 2 Offers Protection against Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress in H9c2
      Cells and against Myocardial Hypertrophy Induced by Hyperglycemia.
AB  - Mitochondrial oxidative stress is thought to be a key contributor towards the
      development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Thioredoxin 2 (Trx2) is a mitochondrial
      antioxidant that, along with Trx reductase 2 (TrxR2) and peroxiredoxin 3 (Prx3),
      scavenges H2O2 and offers protection against oxidative stress. Our previous study
      showed that TrxR inhibitors resulted in Trx2 oxidation and increased ROS emission
      from mitochondria. In the present study, we observed that TrxR inhibition also
      impaired the contractile function of isolated heart. Our studies showed a
      decrease in the expression of Trx2 in the high glucose-treated H9c2 cardiac cells
      and myocardium of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Overexpression of
      Trx2 could significantly diminish high glucose-induced mitochondrial oxidative
      damage and improved ATP production in cultured H9c2 cells. Notably, Trx2
      overexpression could suppress high glucose-induced atrial natriuretic peptide
      (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) gene expression. Our studies suggest
      that high glucose-induced mitochondrial oxidative damage can be prevented by
      elevating Trx2 levels, thereby providing extensive protection to the diabetic
      heart.

PMID- 28914757
TI  - PIG's Speed Estimated with Pressure Transducers and Hall Effect Sensor: An
      Industrial Application of Sensors to Validate a Testing Laboratory.
AB  - The pipeline inspection using a device called Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) is
      safe and reliable when the PIG is at low speeds during inspection. We built a
      Testing Laboratory, containing a testing loop and supervisory system to study
      speed control techniques for PIGs. The objective of this work is to present and
      validate the Testing Laboratory, which will allow development of a speed
      controller for PIGs and solve an existing problem in the oil industry. The
      experimental methodology used throughout the project is also presented. We
      installed pressure transducers on pipeline outer walls to detect the PIG's
      movement and, with data from supervisory, calculated an average speed of 0.43
      m/s. At the same time, the electronic board inside the PIG received data from
      odometer and calculated an average speed of 0.45 m/s. We found an error of 4.44%,
      which is experimentally acceptable. The results showed that it is possible to
      successfully build a Testing Laboratory to detect the PIG's passage and estimate
      its speed. The validation of the Testing Laboratory using data from the odometer
      and its auxiliary electronic was very successful. Lastly, we hope to develop more
      research in the oil industry area using this Testing Laboratory.

PMID- 28914758
TI  - Up-Regulation of HSFA2c and HSPs by ABA Contributing to Improved Heat Tolerance
      in Tall Fescue and Arabidopsis.
AB  - Abscisic acid (ABA) is known to play roles in regulating plant tolerance to
      various abiotic stresses, but whether ABA's effects on heat tolerance are
      associated with its regulation of heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) and
      heat shock proteins (HSPs) is not well documented. The objective of this study
      was to determine whether improved heat tolerance of tall fescue (Festuca
      arundinacea Schreb.) by ABA was through the regulation of HSFs and HSPs. ABA
      responsive transcriptional factors, ABA-responsive element binding protein 3
      (FaAREB3) and dehydration-responsive element binding protein 2A (FaDREB2A) of
      tall fescue, were able to bind to the cis-elements in the promoter of tall fescue
      heat stress transcription factor A2c (FaHSFA2c). Exogenous ABA (5 MUM)
      application enhanced heat tolerance of tall fescue, as manifested by increased
      leaf photochemical efficiency and membrane stability under heat stress (37/32 
      degrees C, day/night). The expression levels of FaHSFA2c, several tall fescue
      HSPs (FaHSPs), and ABA-responsive transcriptional factors were up-regulated in
      plants treated with ABA. Deficiency of Arabidopsis heat stress transcription
      factor A2 (AtHSFA2) suppressed ABA-induction of AtHSPs expression and ABA
      improved heat tolerance in Arabidopsis. These results suggested that HSFA2 plays
      an important role in ABA-mediated plant heat tolerance, and FaAREB3 and FaDREB2A
      may function as upstream trans-acting factors and regulate transcriptional
      activity of FaHSFA2c and the downstream FaHSPs, leading to improved heat
      tolerance.

PMID- 28914759
TI  - Isoform Sequencing Provides a More Comprehensive View of the Panax ginseng
      Transcriptome.
AB  - Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has been widely used for medicinal
      purposes and contains potent plant secondary metabolites, including ginsenosides.
      To obtain transcriptomic data that offers a more comprehensive view of functional
      genomics in P. ginseng, we generated genome-wide transcriptome data from four
      different P. ginseng tissues using PacBio isoform sequencing (Iso-Seq)
      technology. A total of 135,317 assembled transcripts were generated with an
      average length of 3.2 kb and high assembly completeness. Of those unigenes, 67.5%
      were predicted to be complete full-length (FL) open reading frames (ORFs) and
      exhibited a high gene annotation rate. Furthermore, we successfully identified
      unique full-length genes involved in triterpenoid saponin synthesis and plant
      hormonal signaling pathways, including auxin and cytokinin. Studies on the
      functional genomics of P. ginseng seedlings have confirmed the rapid upregulation
      of negative feed-back loops by auxin and cytokinin signaling cues. The conserved
      evolutionary mechanisms in the auxin and cytokinin canonical signaling pathways
      of P. ginseng are more complex than those in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our analysis
      also revealed a more detailed view of transcriptome-wide alternative isoforms for
      88 genes. Finally, transposable elements (TEs) were also identified, suggesting
      transcriptional activity of TEs in P. ginseng. In conclusion, our results suggest
      that long-read, full-length or partial-unigene data with high-quality assemblies
      are invaluable resources as transcriptomic references in P. ginseng and can be
      used for comparative analyses in closely related medicinal plants.

PMID- 28914760
TI  - GNSS Receiver Identification Using Clock-Derived Metrics.
AB  - Falsifying Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data with a simulator or
      with a fake receiver can have a significant economic or safety impact in many
      transportation applications where Position, Velocity and Time (PVT) are used to
      enforce a regulation. In this context, the authentication of the source of the
      PVT data (i.e., the GNSS receiver) is a requirement since data faking can become
      a serious threat. Receiver fingerprinting techniques represent possible
      countermeasures to verify the authenticity of a GNSS receiver and of its data.
      Herein, the potential of clock-derived metrics for GNSS receiver fingerprinting
      is investigated, and a filter approach is implemented for feature selection.
      Novel experimental results show that three intrinsic features are sufficient to
      identify a receiver. Moreover, the adopted technique is time effective as data
      blocks of about 40 min are sufficient to produce stable features for
      fingerprinting.

PMID- 28914761
TI  - Flavonolignans Inhibit IL1-beta-Induced Cross-Talk between Blood Platelets and
      Leukocytes.
AB  - Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta)-the most potent pro-inflammatory is responsible for
      a broad spectrum of immune and inflammatory responses, it induces T-cell and B
      cell activation and consequently the synthesis of other pro-inflammatory
      cytokines (such as IFN-gamma and TNF). IL-1beta induces the formation of blood
      platelet-leukocyte aggregates (PLAs), which suggests that IL-1beta significantly
      affects the cross-talk between blood platelets and the immune response system,
      leading to coronary thrombosis. The aim of our study is to investigate the effect
      of flavonolignans (silybin, silychristin and silydianin) on the IL-1beta-induced
      interaction between platelets and leukocytes, as well as on the expression and
      the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors. Whole blood samples were pre-incubated
      with commercially available flavonolignans (silybin, silychristin and silydianin)
      in a concentration range of 10-100 uM (30 min, 37  degrees C). Next, samples were
      activated by IL-1beta for 1 h. Blood platelet-leukocyte aggregates were detected
      by using the double-labeled flow cytometry (CD61/CD45). The level of produced
      cytokines was estimated via the ELISA immunoenzymatic method. IFN-gamma and TNF
      gene expression was evaluated using Real Time PCR with TaqMan arrays. We observed
      that in a dose-dependent manner, silybin and silychristin inhibit the IL-1beta
      induced formation of blood platelet-leukocyte aggregates in whole blood samples,
      as well as the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines-IL-2, TNF, INF-alpha, and
      INF-gamma. Additionally, these two flavonolignans abolished the IL-1beta-induced
      expression of mRNA for IFN-gamma and TNF. Our current results demonstrate that
      flavonolignans can be novel compounds used in the prevention of cardiovascular
      diseases with dual-use action as antiplatelet and anti-inflammatory agents.

PMID- 28914762
TI  - The 1-Week and 8-Month Effects of a Ketogenic Diet or Ketone Salt Supplementation
      on Multi-Organ Markers of Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Function in Rats.
AB  - We determined the short- and long-term effects of a ketogenic diet (KD) or ketone
      salt (KS) supplementation on multi-organ oxidative stress and mitochondrial
      markers. For short-term feedings, 4 month-old male rats were provided isocaloric
      amounts of KD (n = 10), standard chow (SC) (n = 10) or SC + KS (~1.2 g/day, n =
      10). For long-term feedings, 4 month-old male rats were provided KD (n = 8), SC
      (n = 7) or SC + KS (n = 7) for 8 months and rotarod tested every 2 months. Blood,
      brain (whole cortex), liver and gastrocnemius muscle were harvested from all rats
      for biochemical analyses. Additionally, mitochondria from the brain, muscle and
      liver tissue of long-term-fed rats were analyzed for mitochondrial quantity
      (maximal citrate synthase activity), quality (state 3 and 4 respiration) and
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) assays. Liver antioxidant capacity trended higher
      in short-term KD- and SC + KS-fed versus SC-fed rats, and short-term KD-fed rats
      exhibited significantly greater serum ketones compared to SC + KS-fed rats
      indicating that the diet (not KS supplementation) induced ketonemia. In long term
      fed rats: (a) serum ketones were significantly greater in KD- versus SC- and SC +
      KS-fed rats; (b) liver antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase protein
      was significantly greater in KD- versus SC-fed rats, respectively, while liver
      protein carbonyls were lowest in KD-fed rats; and (c) gastrocnemius mitochondrial
      ROS production was significantly greater in KD-fed rats versus other groups, and
      this paralleled lower mitochondrial glutathione levels. Additionally, the
      gastrocnemius pyruvate-malate mitochondrial respiratory control ratio was
      significantly impaired in long-term KD-fed rats, and gastrocnemius mitochondrial
      quantity was lowest in these animals. Rotarod performance was greatest in KD-fed
      rats versus all other groups at 2, 4 and 8 months, although there was a
      significant age-related decline in performance existed in KD-fed rats which was
      not evident in the other two groups. In conclusion, short- and long-term KD
      improves select markers of liver oxidative stress compared to SC feeding,
      although long-term KD feeding may negatively affect skeletal muscle mitochondrial
      physiology.

PMID- 28914763
TI  - Emerging Estrogenic Pollutants in the Aquatic Environment and Breast Cancer.
AB  - The number and amount of man-made chemicals present in the aquatic environment
      has increased considerably over the past 50 years. Among these contaminants,
      endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) represent a significant proportion. This
      family of compounds interferes with normal hormonal processes through multiple
      molecular pathways. They represent a potential risk for human and wildlife as
      they are suspected to be involved in the development of diseases including, but
      not limited to, reprotoxicity, metabolic disorders, and cancers. More precisely,
      several studies have suggested that the increase of breast cancers in
      industrialized countries is linked to exposure to EDCs, particularly estrogen
      like compounds. Estrogen receptors alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta) are the two
      main transducers of estrogen action and therefore important targets for these
      estrogen-like endocrine disrupters. More than 70% of human breast cancers are
      ERalpha-positive and estrogen-dependent, and their development and growth are not
      only influenced by endogenous estrogens but also likely by environmental estrogen
      like endocrine disrupters. It is, therefore, of major importance to characterize
      the potential estrogenic activity from contaminated surface water and identify
      the molecules responsible for the hormonal effects. This information will help us
      understand how environmental contaminants can potentially impact the development
      of breast cancer and allow us to fix a maximal limit to the concentration of
      estrogen-like compounds that should be found in the environment. The aim of this
      review is to provide an overview of emerging estrogen-like compounds in the
      environment, sum up studies demonstrating their direct or indirect interactions
      with ERs, and link their presence to the development of breast cancer. Finally,
      we emphasize the use of in vitro and in vivo methods based on the zebrafish model
      to identify and characterize environmental estrogens.

PMID- 28914764
TI  - Antioxidant Activity of Spices and Their Impact on Human Health: A Review.
AB  - Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation of other compounds or
      neutralize free radicals. Spices and herbs are rich sources of antioxidants. They
      have been used in food and beverages to enhance flavor, aroma and color. Due to
      their excellent antioxidant activity, spices and herbs have also been used to
      treat some diseases. In this review article, the chemical composition and
      antioxidant activity of spices and culinary herbs are presented. The content of
      flavonoids and total polyphenols in different spices and herbs are summarized.
      The applications of spices and their impacts on human health are briefly
      described. The extraction and analytical methods for determination of antioxidant
      capacity are concisely reviewed.

PMID- 28914766
TI  - Development of a Sensitive Electrochemical Enzymatic Reaction-Based Cholesterol
      Biosensor Using Nano-Sized Carbon Interdigitated Electrodes Decorated with Gold
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - We developed a versatile and highly sensitive biosensor platform. The platform is
      based on electrochemical-enzymatic redox cycling induced by selective enzyme
      immobilization on nano-sized carbon interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) decorated
      with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Without resorting to sophisticated
      nanofabrication technologies, we used batch wafer-level carbon
      microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) processes to fabricate 3D carbon IDEs
      reproducibly, simply, and cost effectively. In addition, AuNPs were selectively
      electrodeposited on specific carbon nanoelectrodes; the high surface-to-volume
      ratio and fast electron transfer ability of AuNPs enhanced the electrochemical
      signal across these carbon IDEs. Gold nanoparticle characteristics such as size
      and morphology were reproducibly controlled by modulating the step-potential and
      time period in the electrodeposition processes. To detect cholesterol selectively
      using AuNP/carbon IDEs, cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) was selectively immobilized
      via the electrochemical reduction of the diazonium cation. The sensitivity of the
      AuNP/carbon IDE-based biosensor was ensured by efficient amplification of the
      redox mediators, ferricyanide and ferrocyanide, between selectively immobilized
      enzyme sites and both of the combs of AuNP/carbon IDEs. The presented AuNP/carbon
      IDE-based cholesterol biosensor exhibited a wide sensing range (0.005-10 mM) and
      high sensitivity (~993.91 uA mM-1 cm-2; limit of detection (LOD) ~1.28 uM). In
      addition, the proposed cholesterol biosensor was found to be highly selective for
      the cholesterol detection.

PMID- 28914765
TI  - Statin and Bisphosphonate Induce Starvation in Fast-Growing Cancer Cell Lines.
AB  - Statins and bisphosphonates are increasingly recognized as anti-cancer drugs,
      especially because of their cholesterol-lowering properties. However, these drugs
      act differently on various types of cancers. Thus, the aim of this study was to
      compare the effects of statins and bisphosphonates on the metabolism (NADP+/NADPH
      relation) of highly proliferative tumor cell lines from different origins (PC-3
      prostate carcinoma, MDA-MB-231 breast cancer, U-2 OS osteosarcoma) versus cells
      with a slower proliferation rate like MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. Global gene
      expression analysis revealed that after 6 days of treatment with pharmacologic
      doses of the statin simvastatin and of the bisphosphonate ibandronate,
      simvastatin regulated more than twice as many genes as ibandronate, including
      many genes associated with cell cycle progression. Upregulation of starvation
      markers and a reduction of metabolism and associated NADPH production, an
      increase in autophagy, and a concomitant downregulation of H3K27 methylation was
      most significant in the fast-growing cancer cell lines. This study provides
      possible explanations for clinical observations indicating a higher sensitivity
      of rapidly proliferating tumors to statins and bisphosphonates.

PMID- 28914767
TI  - Feasibility of Equivalent Dipole Models for Electroencephalogram-Based Brain
      Computer Interfaces.
AB  - This article examines the localization errors of equivalent dipolar sources
      inverted from the surface electroencephalogram in order to determine the
      feasibility of using their location as classification parameters for non-invasive
      brain computer interfaces. Inverse localization errors are examined for two head
      models: a model represented by four concentric spheres and a realistic model
      based on medical imagery. It is shown that the spherical model results in
      localization ambiguity such that a number of dipolar sources, with different
      azimuths and varying orientations, provide a near match to the
      electroencephalogram of the best equivalent source. No such ambiguity exists for
      the elevation of inverted sources, indicating that for spherical head models,
      only the elevation of inverted sources (and not the azimuth) can be expected to
      provide meaningful classification parameters for brain-computer interfaces. In a
      realistic head model, all three parameters of the inverted source location are
      found to be reliable, providing a more robust set of parameters. In both cases,
      the residual error hypersurfaces demonstrate local minima, indicating that a
      search for the best-matching sources should be global. Source localization error
      vs. signal-to-noise ratio is also demonstrated for both head models.

PMID- 28914768
TI  - Tilted Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor with Graphene Oxide Coating for Humidity
      Sensing.
AB  - In this study, we propose a tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) humidity sensor
      fabricated using the phase mask method to produce a TFBG that was then etched
      with five different diameters of 20, 35, 50, 55 and 60 MUm, after which
      piezoelectric inkjet technology was used to coat the grating with graphene oxide.
      According to the experimental results, the diameter of 20 MUm yielded the best
      sensitivity. In addition, the experimental results showed that the wavelength
      sensitivity was -0.01 nm/%RH and the linearity was 0.996. Furthermore, the
      measurement results showed that when the relative humidity was increased, the
      refractive index of the sensor was decreased, meaning that the TFBG cladding mode
      spectrum wavelength was shifted. Therefore, the proposed graphene oxide film TFBG
      humidity sensor has good potential to be an effective relative humidity monitor.

PMID- 28914769
TI  - Multifunctional Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors for Rapid Capture and Detection of
      Pathogens.
AB  - Nanomaterial-based sensing approaches that incorporate different types of
      nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructures in conjunction with natural or synthetic
      receptors as molecular recognition elements provide opportunities for the design
      of sensitive and selective assays for rapid detection of contaminants. This
      review summarizes recent advancements over the past ten years in the development
      of nanotechnology-enabled sensors and systems for capture and detection of
      pathogens. The most common types of nanostructures and NPs, their modification
      with receptor molecules and integration to produce viable sensing systems with
      biorecognition, amplification and signal readout are discussed. Examples of all
      in-one systems that combine multifunctional properties for capture, separation,
      inactivation and detection are also provided. Current trends in the development
      of low-cost instrumentation for rapid assessment of food contamination are
      discussed as well as challenges for practical implementation and directions for
      future research.

PMID- 28914770
TI  - Silicon and Nitrate Differentially Modulate the Symbiotic Performances of Healthy
      and Virus-Infected Bradyrhizobium-nodulated Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Yardlong
      Bean (V. unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) and Mung Bean (V. radiata).
AB  - The effects of 2 mM silicon (Si) and 10 mM KNO3 (N)-prime signals for plant
      resistance to pathogens-were analyzed in healthy and Cowpea chlorotic mottle
      virus (CCMV) or Cowpea mild mottle virus (CMMV)-infected Bradyrhizobium-nodulated
      cowpea, yardlong bean and mung bean plants. In healthy plants of the three Vigna
      taxa, nodulation and growth were promoted in the order of Si + N > N > Si >
      controls. In the case of healthy cowpea and yardlong bean, the addition of Si and
      N decreased ureide and alpha-amino acids (AA) contents in the nodules and leaves
      in the order of Si + N> N > Si > controls. On the other hand, the addition of N
      arrested the deleterious effects of CCMV or CMMV infections on growth and
      nodulation in the three Vigna taxa. However, the addition of Si or Si + N
      hindered growth and nodulation in the CCMV- or CMMV-infected cowpea and yardlong
      bean, causing a massive accumulation of ureides in the leaves and nodules.
      Nevertheless, the AA content in leaves and nodules of CCMV- or CMMV-infected
      cowpea and yardlong bean was promoted by Si but reduced to minimum by Si + N.
      These results contrasted to the counteracting effects of Si or Si + N in the CCMV
      and CMMV-infected mung bean via enhanced growth, nodulation and levels of ureide
      and AA in the leaves and nodules. Together, these observations suggest the
      fertilization with Si + N exclusively in virus-free cowpea and yardlong bean
      crops. However, Si + N fertilization must be encouraged in virus-endangered mung
      bean crops to enhance growth, nodulation and N-metabolism. It is noteworthy to
      see the enhanced nodulation of the three Vigna taxa in the presence of 10 mM
      KNO3.

PMID- 28914772
TI  - The Heat-Stable Enterotoxin Receptor, Guanylyl Cyclase C, as a Pharmacological
      Target in Colorectal Cancer Immunotherapy: A Bench-to-Bedside Current Report.
AB  - Cancer immunotherapy is becoming a routine treatment modality in the oncology
      clinic, in spite of the fact that it is a relatively nascent field. The challenge
      in developing effective immunotherapeutics is the identification of target
      molecules that promote anti-tumor efficacy across the patient population while
      sparing healthy tissue from damaging autoimmunity. The intestinally restricted
      receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GUCY2C) is a target that has been investigated for
      the treatment of colorectal cancer and numerous animal, and clinical studies have
      demonstrated both efficacy and safety. Here, we describe the current state of
      GUCY2C-directed cancer immunotherapy and the future directions of this work.

PMID- 28914771
TI  - Geminiviruses and Plant Hosts: A Closer Examination of the Molecular Arms Race.
AB  - Geminiviruses are plant-infecting viruses characterized by a single-stranded DNA
      (ssDNA) genome. Geminivirus-derived proteins are multifunctional and effective
      regulators in modulating the host cellular processes resulting in successful
      infection. Virus-host interactions result in changes in host gene expression
      patterns, reprogram plant signaling controls, disrupt central cellular metabolic
      pathways, impair plant's defense system, and effectively evade RNA silencing
      response leading to host susceptibility. This review summarizes what is known
      about the cellular processes in the continuing tug of war between geminiviruses
      and their plant hosts at the molecular level. In addition, implications for
      engineered resistance to geminivirus infection in the context of a greater
      understanding of the molecular processes are also discussed. Finally, the
      prospect of employing geminivirus-based vectors in plant genome engineering and
      the emergence of powerful genome editing tools to confer geminivirus resistance
      are highlighted to complete the perspective on geminivirus-plant molecular
      interactions.

PMID- 28914773
TI  - Vitamin D Nutritional Status and its Related Factors for Chinese Children and
      Adolescents in 2010-2012.
AB  - Vitamin D plays a critical role in calcium and phosphate metabolism and helps
      maintain skeletal integrity in childhood, yet vitamin D status in Chinese
      children and adolescents is not well documented. The aim of this study was to
      assess the vitamin D status and analyze the risk factors for vitamin D deficiency
      in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. Serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D
      (25(OH)D) was measured with a radioimmunoassay kit in 15,000 children and
      adolescent participants in the Chinese national nutrition and health survey
      (CNNHS) 2010-2012. Age, gender, region type, ethnicity, outdoor time, and vitamin
      D supplementation were recorded in unified design questionnaires. The season was
      recorded by the date of blood taken; location was divided into north and south by
      China's Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River; and ambient ultraviolet B (UVB)
      radiation level was classified according to the corresponding dose of each
      participant living area from National Aeronautics and Space Administration data.
      14,473 participants from the cross-sectional study of CNNHS 2010-2012 were
      included in this study. The median serum 25(OH)D concentration was 48.2 (35.4
      63.4) nmol/L, and the concentration for males was 50.0 (36.5-65.7) nmol/L, which
      was statistically higher than that of females (46.7 (34.4-60.9) nmol/L) (P <
      0.001). The general prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 53.2%; 50.0% for males
      and 56.5% for females at the cut-off 50 nmol/L. According to the results of the
      log-binomial regression analysis, vitamin D deficiency in Chinese children and
      adolescents was specifically related to female gender (P < 0.0001), to ages 12-14
      years (P < 0.0001) and 15-17 years (P < 0.0001), living in large cities (P <
      0.0001) or ordinary rural areas (P < 0.0001), low ambient UVB levels (P < 0.0001)
      and medium ambient UVB levels (P < 0.0001), spring (P < 0.0001), autumn (P <
      0.0001) and winter seasons (P < 0.0001). The data showed that vitamin D
      deficiency was very common among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in
      China. Effective sun exposure should be encouraged in both genders aged 6-17
      years, dietary vitamin D and vitamin D supplements are also recommended,
      especially in the seasons of spring and winter.

PMID- 28914775
TI  - New Methods to Address Old Challenges: The Use of Administrative Data for
      Longitudinal Replication Studies of Child Maltreatment.
AB  - Administrative data are crucial to the "big data" revolution of social science
      and have played an important role in the development of child maltreatment
      research. These data are also of value to administrators, policy makers, and
      clinicians. The focus of this paper is the use of administrative data to produce
      and replicate longitudinal studies of child maltreatment. Child protection
      administrative data have several advantages. They are often population-based, and
      allow longitudinal examination of child maltreatment and complex multi-level
      analyses. They also allow comparison across subgroups and minority groups, remove
      burden from individuals to disclose traumatic experiences, and can be less biased
      than retrospective recall. Finally, they can be linked to data from other
      agencies to explore comorbidity and outcomes, and are comparatively cost and time
      effective. The benefits and challenges associated with the use of administrative
      data for longitudinal child maltreatment research become magnified when these
      data are used to produce replications. Techniques to address challenges and
      support future replication efforts include developing a biographical
      understanding of the systems from which the data are drawn, using multiple data
      sources to contextualize the data and research results, recognizing and adopting
      various approaches to replication, and documenting all data coding and
      manipulation processes. These techniques are illustrated in this paper via a case
      study of previous replication work.

PMID- 28914776
TI  - Worldwide Occurrence and Investigations of Contamination of Herbal Medicines by
      Tropane Alkaloids.
AB  - Tropane alkaloids occur mainly in Solanaceae plants. In the present review, the
      main objective is to describe the worldwide occurrence and investigations of
      anticholinergic poisoning due to the contamination of herbal teas and herbs by
      tropane alkaloids. Tropane alkaloid poisoning can occur after consumption of any
      medicinal plant if Solanaceae plants or plant parts are present as contaminants.
      Globally, almost all reports in 1978-2014 involve herbal teas and one of the
      prescribed herbs in composite formulae. Contamination most likely occurs during
      harvest or processing. As for prescribed herbs, on-site inspection is necessary
      to exclude cross-contamination and accidental mix-up at the retail level. The
      diagnosis is confirmed by screening for the presence of Solanaceae species and
      tropane alkaloids. Herbal teas and herbs contaminated by tropane alkaloids can
      pose a serious health hazard because these relatively heat-stable alkaloids may
      exist in large quantities. The WHO repeatedly emphasises the importance of good
      agricultural and collection practices for medicinal plants. DNA barcoding is
      increasingly used to exclude the presence of contaminants (particularly toxic
      species) and product substitution. All suspected cases should be reported to
      health authorities so that investigations along the supply chain and early
      intervention measures to protect the public can be initiated.

PMID- 28914777
TI  - The Usefulness of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in the Assessment of Early Kidney
      Transplant Function and Complications.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The routine diagnostic method for assessment of renal graft
      dysfunction is Doppler ultrasound. However, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)
      may provide more information about parenchymal flow and vascular status of kidney
      allografts. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of CEUS in the
      immediate post-transplant period, focusing on acute vascular complications. A
      brief review of available literature and a report of our initial experience is
      made. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 15 kidney transplant (KT) cases with clinical
      suspicion of acute surgical complication were assessed with CEUS and conventional
      Doppler ultrasound (US). In addition, bibliographic review was conducted through
      PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalKey databases. RESULTS: 10% of KT underwent CEUS,
      useful for detecting vascular complication or cortical necrosis in 4 (26%) and
      exclude them in 74%. Grafts with acute vascular complications have a delayed
      contrast-enhancement with peak intensity lower than normal kidneys. Perfusion
      defects can be clearly observed and the imaging of cortical necrosis is
      pathognomonic. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS is a useful tool in the characterization of
      renal graft dysfunction with special interest on acute vascular complications
      after renal transplant. It is a feasible technique for quantitative analysis of
      kidney perfusion, which provides information on renal tissue microcirculation and
      regional parenchymal flow. Exploration could be done by a urologist at the
      patient's bedside while avoiding iodinated contrast.

PMID- 28914778
TI  - Screening for Autochthonous Phytoextractors in a Heavy Metal Contaminated Coal
      Mining Area.
AB  - In order to protect public health and crops from soil heavy metal (HM)
      contamination at a coal mining area in Henan, central China, HM pollution
      investigation and screening of autochthonous HM phytoextractors were conducted.
      The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in
      surface soils exceeded the corresponding local background values and the China
      National Standard (CNS). The maximum potential ecological risk (RI) was 627.30,
      indicating very high ecological risk. The monomial risk of Cd contributed the
      most to the RI, varying from 85.48% to 96.48%. The plant community structure in
      the study area was simple, and was composed of 24 families, 37 genera and 40
      species. B. pilosa, A. roxburghiana, A. argyi, A. hispidus were found to be the
      most dominant species at considerable risk sites. Based on the comprehensive
      analysis of Cd concentration, bioconcentration factor, translocation factor and
      adaptability factor, B. pilosa and A. argyi had potential for phytoextraction at
      considerable risk sites. A. roxburghiana had potential for Cd phytoextraction at
      moderately risk sites and A. hispidus seemed suitable for phytostabilization. The
      results could contribute to the phytoremediation of the similar sites.

PMID- 28914779
TI  - Simultaneous Recognition and Relative Pose Estimation of 3D Objects Using 4D
      Orthonormal Moments.
AB  - Both three-dimensional (3D) object recognition and pose estimation are open
      topics in the research community. These tasks are required for a wide range of
      applications, sometimes separately, sometimes concurrently. Many different
      algorithms have been presented in the literature to solve these problems
      separately, and some to solve them jointly. In this paper, an algorithm to solve
      them simultaneously is introduced. It is based on the definition of a four
      dimensional (4D) tensor that gathers and organizes the projections of a 3D object
      from different points of view. This 4D tensor is then represented by a set of 4D
      orthonormal moments. Once these moments are arranged in a matrix that can be
      computed off-line, recognition and pose estimation is reduced to the solution of
      a linear least squares problem, involving that matrix and the 2D moments of the
      observed projection of an unknown object. The abilities of this method for 3D
      object recognition and pose estimation is analytically proved, demonstrating that
      it does not rely on experimental work to apply a generic technique to these
      problems. An additional strength of the algorithm is that the required projection
      is textureless and defined at a very low resolution. This method is
      computationally simple and shows very good performance in both tasks, allowing
      its use in applications where real-time constraints have to be fulfilled. Three
      different kinds of experiments have been conducted in order to perform a thorough
      validation of the proposed approach: recognition and pose estimation under z axis
      (yaw) rotations, the same estimation but with the addition of y axis rotations
      (pitch), and estimation of the pose of objects in real images downloaded from the
      Internet. In all these cases, results are encouraging, at a similar level to
      those of state-of-the art algorithms.

PMID- 28914774
TI  - Targeting Heat Shock Proteins in Cancer: A Promising Therapeutic Approach.
AB  - Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a large family of chaperones that are involved in
      protein folding and maturation of a variety of "client" proteins protecting them
      from degradation, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and thermal stress. Hence, they are
      significant regulators of cellular proliferation, differentiation and strongly
      implicated in the molecular orchestration of cancer development and progression
      as many of their clients are well established oncoproteins in multiple tumor
      types. Interestingly, tumor cells are more HSP chaperonage-dependent than normal
      cells for proliferation and survival because the oncoproteins in cancer cells are
      often misfolded and require augmented chaperonage activity for correction. This
      led to the development of several inhibitors of HSP90 and other HSPs that have
      shown promise both preclinically and clinically in the treatment of cancer. In
      this article, we comprehensively review the roles of some of the important HSPs
      in cancer, and how targeting them could be efficacious, especially when
      traditional cancer therapies fail.

PMID- 28914780
TI  - Public Health Network Structure and Collaboration Effectiveness during the 2015
      MERS Outbreak in South Korea: An Institutional Collective Action Framework.
AB  - Following the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South
      Korea, this research aims to examine the structural effect of public health
      network explaining collaboration effectiveness, which is defined as joint efforts
      to improve quality of service provision, cost savings, and coordination. We
      tested the bonding and bridging effects on collaboration effectiveness during the
      MERS outbreak response by utilizing an institutional collective action framework.
      The analysis results of 114 organizations responding during the crisis show a
      significant association between the bonding effect and the effectiveness of
      collaboration, as well as a positive association between risk communication in
      disseminating public health information and the effectiveness of collaboration.

PMID- 28914781
TI  - Response to Elwood, M. et al., Comment on: Maternal Exposure to Domestic Hair
      Cosmetics and Occupational Endocrine Disruptors Is Associated with a Higher Risk
      of Hypospadias in the Offspring. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14,
      27.
AB  - Dear Editor, Thank you for inviting us to reply to a "Comment" paper to our
      published paper "Maternal Exposure to Domestic Hair Cosmetics and Occupational
      Endocrine Disruptors Is Associated with a Higher Risk of Hypospadias in the
      Offspring" (Authors: Elodie Haraux, Karine Braun, Philippe Buisson, Erwan Stephan
      Blanchard, Jannick Ricard, Camille Devauchelle, Bernard Boudailliez, Pierre
      Tourneux, Richard Gouron, Karen Chardon).[...].

PMID- 28914783
TI  - Smoothed Temporal Atlases of Age-Gender All-Cause Mortality in South Africa.
AB  - Most mortality maps in South Africa and most contried of the sub-Saharan region
      are static, showing aggregated count data over years or at specific years. Lack
      of space and temporral dynamanics in these maps may adversely impact on their use
      and application for vigorous public health policy decisions and interventions.
      This study aims at describing and modeling sub-national distributions of age
      gender specific all-cause mortality and their temporal evolutions from 1997 to
      2013 in South Africa. Mortality information that included year, age, gender, and
      municipality administrative division were obtained from Statistics South Africa
      for the period. Individual mortality level data were grouped by three ages groups
      (0-14, 15-64, and 65 and over) and gender (male, female) and aggregated at each
      of the 234 municipalities in the country. The six age-gender all-cause mortality
      rates may be related due to shared common social deprivation, health and
      demographic risk factors. We undertake a joint analysis of the spatial-temporal
      variation of the six age-gender mortality risks. This is done within a shared
      component spatial model construction where age-gender common and specific spatial
      and temporal trends are estiamted using a hierarchical Bayesian spatial model.
      The results show municipal and temporal differentials in mortality risk profiles
      between age and gender groupings. High rates were seen in 2005, especially for
      the 15-64 years age group for both males and females. The dynamic geographical
      and time distributions of subnational age-gender all-cause mortality contribute
      to a better understanding of the temporal evolvement and geographical variations
      in the relationship between demographic composition and burden of diseases in
      South Africa. This provides useful information for effective monitoring and
      evaluation of public health policies and programmes targeting mortality reduction
      across time and sub-populations in the country.

PMID- 28914784
TI  - Antiallodynic Effects of Bee Venom in an Animal Model of Complex Regional Pain
      Syndrome Type 1 (CRPS-I).
AB  - Neuropathic pain in a chronic post-ischaemic pain (CPIP) model mimics the
      symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I). The administration of
      bee venom (BV) has been utilized in Eastern medicine to treat chronic
      inflammatory diseases accompanying pain. However, the analgesic effect of BV in a
      CPIP model remains unknown. The application of a tight-fitting O-ring around the
      left ankle for a period of 3 h generated CPIP in C57/Bl6 male adult mice. BV (1
      mg/kg ; 1, 2, and 3 times) was administered into the SC layer of the hind paw,
      and the antiallodynic effects were investigated using the von Frey test and by
      measuring the expression of neurokinin type 1 (NK-1) receptors in dorsal root
      ganglia (DRG). The administration of BV dose-dependently reduced the pain
      withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimuli compared with the pre-administration
      value and with that of the control group. After the development of the CPIP
      model, the expression of NK-1 receptors in DRG increased and then decreased
      following the administration of BV. SC administration of BV results in the
      attenuation of allodynia in a mouse model of CPIP. The antiallodynic effect was
      objectively proven through a reduction in the increased expression of NK-1
      receptors in DRG.

PMID- 28914782
TI  - The Future Challenge of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in Hypertension: From Bench
      to Bed Side.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as signaling molecules that control
      physiological processes, including cell adaptation to stress. Redox signaling via
      ROS has quite recently become the focus of much attention in numerous
      pathological contexts, including neurodegenerative diseases, kidney and
      cardiovascular disease. Imbalance in ROS formation and degradation has also been
      implicated in essential hypertension. Essential hypertension is characterized by
      multiple genetic and environmental factors which do not completely explain its
      associated risk factors. Thereby, even if advances in therapy have led to a
      significant reduction in hypertension-associated complications, to interfere with
      the unbalance of redox signals might represent an additional therapeutic
      challenge. The decrease of nitric oxide (NO) levels, the antioxidant activity
      commonly found in preclinical models of hypertension and the ability of
      antioxidant approaches to reduce ROS levels have spurred clinicians to
      investigate the contribution of ROS in humans. Indeed, particular effort has
      recently been devoted to understanding how redox signaling may contribute to
      vascular pathobiology in human hypertension. However, although biomarkers of
      oxidative stress have been found to positively correlate with blood pressure in
      preclinical model of hypertension, human data are less convincing. We herein
      provide an overview of the most relevant mechanisms via which oxidative stress
      might contribute to the pathophysiology of essential hypertension. Moreover,
      alternative approaches, which are directed towards improving antioxidant
      machinery and/or interfering with ROS production, are also discussed.

PMID- 28914785
TI  - Hsp90alpha Mediates BMI1 Expression in Breast Cancer Stem/Progenitor Cells
      through Facilitating Nuclear Translocation of c-Myc and EZH2.
AB  - Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that facilitates the
      correct folding and functionality of its client protein. Numerous Hsp90-client
      proteins are involved in cancer development. Thus, Hsp90 inhibitors have
      potential applications as anti-cancer drugs. We previously discovered that
      Hsp90alpha expression increased in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), which can
      initiate tumorigenesis and metastasis and resist treatment. In the present study,
      we further demonstrated that 17-dimethylaminoethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin
      (17-DMAG), an inhibitor of Hsp90, could suppress the self-renewal of BCSCs by
      downregulating B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 homolog (BMI1), a polycomb
      family member with oncogenic activity in breast cancer. Through
      immunoprecipitation analysis, we found that BMI1 did not interact with Hsp90alpha
      and that the downregulation of BMI1 by 17-DMAG was mediated by the inhibition of
      c-Myc and enhancement of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) expression. The transcriptional
      and BMI1 promoter-binding activities of c-Myc in BCSCs were inhibited by 17-DMAG
      treatment. The overexpression of EZH2 attenuated the inhibitory effect of 17-DMAG
      on BMI1 and c-Myc expression. Furthermore, Hsp90alpha could be co
      immunoprecipitated with c-Myc and EZH2 and bind to the BMI1 promoter. Treatment
      with 17-DMAG decreased the nuclear expression of EZH2 and c-Myc but not that of
      Hsp90alpha. In conclusion, our data suggested that Hsp90alpha could positively
      regulate the self-renewal of BCSCs by facilitating the nuclear translocation of c
      Myc and EZH2 to maintain BMI1 expression.

PMID- 28914786
TI  - Baseline and Estimated Trends of Sodium Availability and Food Sources in the
      Costa Rican Population during 2004-2005 and 2012-2013.
AB  - In 2012, Costa Rica launched a program to reduce salt and sodium consumption to
      prevent cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors, but little was known
      about the level of sodium consumption or its sources. Our aim was to estimate the
      magnitude and time trends of sodium consumption (based on food and beverage
      acquisitions) in Costa Rica. Data from the National Household Income and
      Expenditure Surveys carried out in 2004-2005 (n = 4231) and 2012-2013 (n = 5705)
      were used. Records of food purchases for household consumption were converted
      into sodium and energy using food composition tables. Mean sodium availability
      (per person/per day and adjusted for a 2000-kcal energy intake) and the
      contribution of food groups to this availability were estimated for each year.
      Sodium availability increased in the period from 3.9 to 4.6 g/person/day (p <
      0.001). The income level was inversely related to sodium availability. The main
      sources of sodium in the diet were domestic salt (60%) in addition to processed
      foods and condiments (with added sodium) (27.4%). Dietary sources of sodium
      varied within surveys (p < 0.05). Sodium available for consumption in Costa Rican
      households largely exceeds the World Health Organization-recommended intake
      levels (<2 g sodium/person/day). These results are essential for the design and
      implementation of effective policies and interventions.

PMID- 28914787
TI  - A Sparse Dictionary Learning-Based Adaptive Patch Inpainting Method for Thick
      Clouds Removal from High-Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery.
AB  - Cloud cover is inevitable in optical remote sensing (RS) imagery on account of
      the influence of observation conditions, which limits the availability of RS
      data. Therefore, it is of great significance to be able to reconstruct the cloud
      contaminated ground information. This paper presents a sparse dictionary learning
      based image inpainting method for adaptively recovering the missing information
      corrupted by thick clouds patch-by-patch. A feature dictionary was learned from
      exemplars in the cloud-free regions, which was later utilized to infer the
      missing patches via sparse representation. To maintain the coherence of
      structures, structure sparsity was brought in to encourage first filling-in of
      missing patches on image structures. The optimization model of patch inpainting
      was formulated under the adaptive neighborhood-consistency constraint, which was
      solved by a modified orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm. In light of
      these ideas, the thick-cloud removal scheme was designed and applied to images
      with simulated and true clouds. Comparisons and experiments show that our method
      can not only keep structures and textures consistent with the surrounding ground
      information, but also yield rare smoothing effect and block effect, which is more
      suitable for the removal of clouds from high-spatial resolution RS imagery with
      salient structures and abundant textured features.

PMID- 28914788
TI  - A Decrease of Incidence Cases of Fumonisins in South Korean Feedstuff between
      2011 and 2016.
AB  - Several plant pathogen Fusarium species produce fumonisins (FUMs); which can end
      up in food and feed and; when ingested; can exhibit harmful effects on humans and
      livestock. Mycotoxin intoxication by fumonisin B1 (FB1) and fumonisin B2 (FB2)
      can cause porcine pulmonary edema; leukoencephalomalacia in equines; esophageal
      cancer and birth defects by natural contamination. Herein; the occurrence of FB1
      and FB2 in feedstuff (compound feed and feed ingredients) was investigated
      between 2011 and 2016 in South Korea. A total of 535 animal feed samples (425
      compound feed samples and 110 feed ingredients) produced domestically were
      sampled four times between 2011 and 2016 (2011; 2012; 2014 and 2016) from feed
      factories in South Korea. The limit of detection (LOD) for FB1 and FB2 was 20
      MUg/kg and 25 MUg/kg; respectively; and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 30
      MUg/kg and 35 MUg/kg; respectively. The recovery range (%) was between 86.4% and
      108.8%; and the relative standard deviation (RSD) (%) was 4.7-12.1%. Seven (swine
      feed samples) out of the 425 feed samples exceeded the European Union (EU) and
      South Korea commission regulations over the six-year test period; and no feed
      ingredients exceeded the guidelines.

PMID- 28914789
TI  - Phytochemical Constituents, Health Benefits, and Industrial Applications of Grape
      Seeds: A Mini-Review.
AB  - Grapes are one of the most widely grown fruits and have been used for winemaking
      since the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Grape seeds are rich in
      proanthocyanidins which have been shown to possess potent free radical scavenging
      activity. Grape seeds are a complex matrix containing 40% fiber, 16% oil, 11%
      proteins, and 7% complex phenols such as tannins. Grape seeds are rich sources of
      flavonoids and contain monomers, dimers, trimers, oligomers, and polymers. The
      monomeric compounds includes (+)-catechins, (-)-epicatechin, and (-)-epicatechin
      3-O-gallate. Studies have reported that grape seeds exhibit a broad spectrum of
      pharmacological properties against oxidative stress. Their potential health
      benefits include protection against oxidative damage, and anti-diabetic, anti
      cholesterol, and anti-platelet functions. Recognition of such health benefits of
      proanthocyanidins has led to the use of grape seeds as a dietary supplement by
      the consumers. This paper summarizes the studies of the phytochemical compounds,
      pharmacological properties, and industrial applications of grape seeds.

PMID- 28914790
TI  - Ancient Living Organisms Escaping from, or Imprisoned in, the Vents?
AB  - We have recently criticised the natural pH gradient hypothesis which purports to
      explain how the difference in pH between fluid issuing from ancient alkali vents
      and the more acidic Hadean ocean could have driven molecular machines that
      catalyse reactions that are useful in prebiotic and autotrophic chemistry. In
      this article, we temporarily suspend our earlier criticism while we consider
      difficulties for primitive organisms to have managed their energy supply and to
      have left the vents and become free-living. We point out that it may have been
      impossible for organisms to have acquired membrane-located proton (or sodium ion)
      pumps to replace the natural pH gradient, and independently to have driven
      essential molecular machines such as the ATP synthase. The volumes of the ocean
      and of the vent fluids were too large for a membrane-located pump to have
      generated a significant ion concentration gradient. Our arguments apply to three
      of the four concurrent models employed by the proponents of the natural pH
      gradient hypothesis. A fourth model is exempt from these arguments but has other
      intrinsic difficulties that we briefly consider. We conclude that ancient
      organisms utilising a natural pH gradient would have been imprisoned in the
      vents, unable to escape and become free-living.

PMID- 28914791
TI  - Quercetin Attenuates Manganese-Induced Neuroinflammation by Alleviating Oxidative
      Stress through Regulation of Apoptosis, iNOS/NF-kappaB and HO-1/Nrf2 Pathways.
AB  - Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element required for the development of
      human body and acts as an enzyme co-factor or activator for various reactions of
      metabolism. While essential in trace amounts, excessive Mn exposure can result in
      toxic accumulations in human brain tissue and resulting extrapyramidal symptoms
      called manganism similar to idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Quercetin (QCT)
      has been demonstrated to play an important role in altering the progression of
      neurodegenerative diseases by protecting against oxidative stress. This study
      aimed to investigate the protective effect of QCT on Mn-induced neurotoxicity and
      the underlying mechanism in SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma cell line and Sprague
      Dawley (SD) male rat brain. The results showed that Mn treatment significantly
      decreased the cell viability of SK-N-MC cell and increased the release of lactate
      dehydrogenase (LDH), which was attenuated by QCT pretreatment at 10 and 20 ug/mL.
      Compared to the Mn alone group, QCT pretreatment significantly attenuated Mn
      induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. Meanwhile, QCT
      pretreatment markedly downregulated the NF-kappaB but upregulated the heme
      oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and Nrf2 proteins, compared to the Mn alone group. Our result
      showed the beneficial effect of QCT on hematological parameters against Mn in rat
      brain. QCT decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein carbonyl levels and
      increased Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity induced in Mn-treated rats.
      QCT administration caused a significant reduction in the Mn-induced
      neuroinflammation by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory markers such as
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta),
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase
      (iNOS). QCT lowered the Mn elevated levels of various downstream apoptotic
      markers, including Bax, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3 and polymerase-1 (PARP
      1), while QCT treatment upregulated anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and prevented
      Mn-induced neurodegeneration. Furthermore, administration of QCT (25 and 50
      mg/kg) to Mn-exposed rats showed improvement of histopathological alteration in
      comparison to Mn-treated rats. Moreover, administration of QCT to Mn-exposed rats
      showed significant reduction of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), Bax,
      activated caspase-3 and PARP-1 immunoreactivity. These results indicate that QCT
      could effectively inhibit Mn induced apoptosis and inflammatory response in SK-N
      MC cells and SD rats, which may involve the activation of HO-1/Nrf2 and
      inhibition of NF-kappaB pathway.

PMID- 28914792
TI  - Impact of Source and Manufacturing of Collagen Matrices on Fibroblast Cell Growth
      and Platelet Aggregation.
AB  - Collagen is a main component of the extracellular matrix. It is often used in
      medical applications to support tissue regeneration, hemostasis, or wound
      healing. Due to different sources of collagen, the properties and performance of
      available products can vary significantly. In this in vitro study, a comparison
      of seven different collagen matrices derived from bovine, equine, and porcine
      sources was performed. As performance indicators, the scaffold function for
      fibroblasts and platelet aggregation were used. We found strong variation in
      platelet aggregation and fibroblast growth on the different collagen materials.
      The observed variations could not be attributed to species differences alone, but
      were highly dependent on differences in the manufacturing process.

PMID- 28914793
TI  - Multi-Aperture Shower Design for the Improvement of the Transverse Uniformity of
      MOCVD-Derived GdYBCO Films.
AB  - A multi-aperture shower design is reported to improve the transverse uniformity
      of GdYBCO superconducting films on the template of sputtered-LaMnO3/epitaxial
      MgO/IBAD-MgO/solution deposition planarization (SDP)-Y2O3-buffered Hastelloy
      tapes. The GdYBCO films were prepared by the metal organic chemical vapor
      deposition (MOCVD) process. The transverse uniformities of structure, morphology,
      thickness, and performance were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD),
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM), step profiler, and the standard four-probe
      method using the criteria of 1 MUV/cm, respectively. Through adopting the multi
      aperture shower instead of the slit shower, measurement by step profiler revealed
      that the thickness difference between the middle and the edges based on the slit
      shower design was well eliminated. Characterization by SEM showed that a GdYBCO
      film with a smooth surface was successfully prepared. Moreover, the transport
      critical current density (Jc) of its middle and edge positions at 77 K and self
      field were found to be over 5 MA/cm2 through adopting the micro-bridge four-probe
      method.

PMID- 28914795
TI  - Synthesis, In Vitro alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity and Molecular Docking
      Studies of Novel Benzothiazole-Triazole Derivatives.
AB  - Benzothiazole-triazole derivatives 6a-6s have been synthesized and characterized
      by 1HNMR and 13C-NMR. All synthetic compounds were screened for their in vitro
      alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity by using Baker's yeast alpha-glucosidase
      enzyme. The majority of compounds exhibited a varying degree of alpha-glucosidase
      inhibitory activity with IC50 values between 20.7 and 61.1 MUM when compared with
      standard acarbose (IC50 = 817.38 MUM). Among the series, compound 6s (IC50 = 20.7
      MUM) bearing a chlorine group at the 5-position of the benzothiazole ring and a
      tertbutyl group at the para position of the phenyl ring, was found to be the most
      active compound. Preliminary structure-activity relationships were established.
      Molecular docking studies were performed to predict the binding interaction of
      the compounds in the binding pocket of the enzyme.

PMID- 28914796
TI  - Enhanced Interface Structure and Properties of Titanium Carbonitride-Based
      Cermets with the Extra Solid Phase Reaction.
AB  - In this paper, the influence of the extra solid phase reaction on the interface
      structure and mechanical properties of titanium carbonitride-based cermets were
      investigated. The extra solid phase reaction in the preparation process of
      cermets could induce the formation of a core/rim/binder interface with the
      coherent structure and reinforce the interface bonding strength in cermets. The
      existence of a coherent structure interface can inhibit crack spread and improve
      the toughness and abrasion resistance of titanium carbonitride-based cermets
      significantly. Cermets can exhibit the high hardness Rockwell Hardness A (HRA)
      92.3, fracture toughness of 11.6 MPa.m1/2, and transverse rupture strength of
      2810 MPa.

PMID- 28914797
TI  - Dynamic Recrystallization of the Constituent gamma Phase and Mechanical
      Properties of Ti-43Al-9V-0.2Y Alloy Sheet.
AB  - A crack-free Ti-43Al-9V-0.2Y alloy sheet was successfully fabricated via hot-pack
      rolling at 1200  degrees C. After hot-rolling, the beta/gamma lamellar
      microstructure of the as-forged TiAl alloy was completely converted into a
      homogeneous duplex microstructure with an average gamma grain size of 10.5 MUm.
      The dynamic recrystallization (DRX) of the gamma phase was systematically
      investigated. A recrystallization fraction of 62.5% was obtained for the gamma
      phase in the TiAl alloy sheet, when a threshold value of 0.8 degrees  was applied
      to the distribution of grain orientation spread (GOS) values. The high strain
      rate and high stress associated with hot-rolling are conducive for discontinuous
      dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) and continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX),
      respectively. A certain high-angle boundary (HAGB: theta = 89 degrees  +/- 3
      degrees <100>), which is associated with DDRX, occurs in both the recrystallized
      and deformed gamma grains. The twin boundaries play an important role in the DDRX
      of the gamma phase. Additionally, the sub-structures and sub-boundaries
      originating from low-angle boundaries in the deformed grains also indicate that
      CDRX occurs. The mechanical properties of the alloy sheet were determined at both
      room and elevated temperatures. At 750  degrees C, the alloy sheet exhibited
      excellent elongation (53%), corresponding to a failure strength of 467 MPa.

PMID- 28914794
TI  - Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Human Health.
AB  - The human gastrointestinal tract is colonised by a complex ecosystem of
      microorganisms. Intestinal bacteria are not only commensal, but they also undergo
      a synbiotic co-evolution along with their host. Beneficial intestinal bacteria
      have numerous and important functions, e.g., they produce various nutrients for
      their host, prevent infections caused by intestinal pathogens, and modulate a
      normal immunological response. Therefore, modification of the intestinal
      microbiota in order to achieve, restore, and maintain favourable balance in the
      ecosystem, and the activity of microorganisms present in the gastrointestinal
      tract is necessary for the improved health condition of the host. The
      introduction of probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics into human diet is
      favourable for the intestinal microbiota. They may be consumed in the form of raw
      vegetables and fruit, fermented pickles, or dairy products. Another source may be
      pharmaceutical formulas and functional food. This paper provides a review of
      available information and summarises the current knowledge on the effects of
      probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on human health. The mechanism of
      beneficial action of those substances is discussed, and verified study results
      proving their efficacy in human nutrition are presented.

PMID- 28914798
TI  - Genome Instability and gammaH2AX.
AB  - gammaH2AX has emerged in the last 20 years as a central player in the DDR (DNA
      damage response), with specificity for DSBs (double-strand breaks). Upon the
      generation of DSBs, gamma-phosphorylation extends along megabase-long domains in
      chromatin, both sides of the damage. The significance of this mechanism is of
      great importance; it depicts a biological amplification mechanism where one DSB
      induces the gamma-phosphorylation of thousands of H2AX molecules along
      megabaselong domains of chromatin, that are adjusted to the sites of DSBs. A
      sequential recruitment of signal transduction factors that interact to each other
      and become activated to further amplify the signal that will travel to the
      cytoplasm take place on the gamma-phosphorylated chromatin. gamma-phosphorylation
      is an early event in the DSB damage response, induced in all phases of the cell
      cycle, and participates in both DSB repair pathways, the HR (homologous
      recombination) and NHEJ (non-homologous end joining). Today, numerous studies
      support the notion that gammaH2AX functions as a guardian of the genome by
      preventing misrepaired DSB that increase the mutation load of the cells and may
      further lead to genome instability and carcinogenesis.

PMID- 28914799
TI  - Resonance Frequency Readout Circuit for a 900 MHz SAW Device.
AB  - A monolithic resonance frequency readout circuit with high resolution and short
      measurement time is presented for a 900 MHz RF surface acoustic wave (SAW)
      sensor. The readout circuit is composed of a fractional-N phase-locked loop (PLL)
      as the stimulus source to the SAW device and a phase-based resonance frequency
      detecting circuit using successive approximation (SAR). A new resonance frequency
      searching strategy has been proposed based on the fact that the SAW device phase
      frequency response crosses zero monotonically around the resonance frequency. A
      dedicated instant phase difference detecting circuit is adopted to facilitate the
      fast SAR operation for resonance frequency searching. The readout circuit has
      been implemented in 180 nm CMOS technology with a core area of 3.24 mm2. In the
      experiment, it works with a 900 MHz SAW resonator with a quality factor of Q =
      130. Experimental results show that the readout circuit consumes 7 mW power from
      1.6 V supply. The frequency resolution is 733 Hz, and the relative accuracy is
      0.82 ppm, and it takes 0.48 ms to complete one measurement. Compared to the
      previous results in the literature, this work has achieved the shortest
      measurement time with a trade-off between measurement accuracy and measurement
      time.

PMID- 28914800
TI  - Effect of Clotting Duration and Temperature on BDNF Measurement in Human Serum.
AB  - Brain-derived neurothrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin expressed in
      different tissues and cells, including neurons, endothelial cells, leukocytes,
      megakaryocytes and platelets. Modifications of BDNF in plasma and/or in serum are
      associated with neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular
      diseases, metabolic syndrome and with mortality risk. Indeed, changes in blood
      levels of BDNF may reflect those of its tissue of origin and/or promote
      pathological dysfunctions. The measurement of BDNF amount in plasma or in serum
      has been characterized with particular attention in the impact of different anti
      coagulants, clotting duration, temperature (<=21  degrees C) and delay in blood
      sample centrifugation as well as in stability of storage. However, the influences
      of normothermic conditions (37  degrees C) and of clotting duration on BDNF
      levels in human serum have not been investigated yet. Here, we showed that time
      and temperature during serum preparation could be taken into consideration to
      assess the association and/or impact of BDNF levels in the occurrence of
      pathological conditions.

PMID- 28914801
TI  - Gender Differences in Problematic Alcohol Consumption in University Professors.
AB  - The role of job satisfaction and other psychosocial variables in problematic
      alcohol consumption within professional settings remains understudied. The aim of
      this study is to assess the level of problematic alcohol consumption among male
      and female university professors and associated psychosocial variables. A total
      of 360 professors (183 men and 177 women) of a large private university in
      Ecuador were surveyed using standardized instruments for the following
      psychosocial measures: alcohol consumption, job satisfaction, psychological
      stress, psychological flexibility, social support and resilience. Problematic
      alcohol consumption was found in 13.1% of participants, although this was
      significantly higher (chi2 = 15.6; d.f. = 2, p < 0.001) in men (19.1%) than women
      (6.8%). Problematic alcohol consumption was reported in men with higher perceived
      stress and job satisfaction. However, 83.3% of women with problematic alcohol use
      reported lower job satisfaction and higher psychological inflexibility. Results
      suggest that job satisfaction itself did not prevent problematic alcohol
      consumption in men; stress was associated with problematic consumption in men and
      psychological inflexibility in women. Findings from this study support the need
      to assess aspects of alcohol consumption and problematic behavior differently
      among men and women. Intervention strategies aimed at preventing or reducing
      problematic alcohol consumption in university professors must be different for
      men and women.

PMID- 28914803
TI  - Achieving Congestion Mitigation Using Distributed Power Control for Spectrum
      Sensor Nodes in Sensor Network-Aided Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks.
AB  - The data sequence of spectrum sensing results injected from dedicated spectrum
      sensor nodes (SSNs) and the data traffic from upstream secondary users (SUs) lead
      to unpredictable data loads in a sensor network-aided cognitive radio ad hoc
      network (SN-CRN). As a result, network congestion may occur at a SU acting as
      fusion center when the offered data load exceeds its available capacity, which
      degrades network performance. In this paper, we present an effective approach to
      mitigate congestion of bottlenecked SUs via a proposed distributed power control
      framework for SSNs over a rectangular grid based SN-CRN, aiming to balance
      resource load and avoid excessive congestion. To achieve this goal, a distributed
      power control framework for SSNs from interior tier (IT) and middle tier (MT) is
      proposed to achieve the tradeoff between channel capacity and energy consumption.
      In particular, we firstly devise two pricing factors by considering stability of
      local spectrum sensing and spectrum sensing quality for SSNs. By the aid of
      pricing factors, the utility function of this power control problem is formulated
      by jointly taking into account the revenue of power reduction and the cost of
      energy consumption for IT or MT SSN. By bearing in mind the utility function
      maximization and linear differential equation constraint of energy consumption,
      we further formulate the power control problem as a differential game model under
      a cooperation or noncooperation scenario, and rigorously obtain the optimal
      solutions to this game model by employing dynamic programming. Then the
      congestion mitigation for bottlenecked SUs is derived by alleviating the buffer
      load over their internal buffers. Simulation results are presented to show the
      effectiveness of the proposed approach under the rectangular grid based SN-CRN
      scenario.

PMID- 28914802
TI  - Phylogenetic Analysis and Antimicrobial Profiles of Cultured Emerging
      Opportunistic Pathogens (Phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria) Identified in
      Hot Springs.
AB  - Hot spring water may harbour emerging waterborne opportunistic pathogens that can
      cause infections in humans. We have investigated the diversity and antimicrobial
      resistance of culturable emerging and opportunistic bacterial pathogens, in water
      and sediment of hot springs located in Limpopo, South Africa. Aerobic bacteria
      were cultured and identified using 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene sequencing. The
      presence of Legionella spp. was investigated using real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. Isolates were tested for resistance to ten antibiotics representing six
      different classes: beta-lactam (carbenicillin), aminoglycosides (gentamycin,
      kanamycin, streptomycin), tetracycline, amphenicols (chloramphenicol,
      ceftriaxone), sulphonamides (co-trimoxazole) and quinolones (nalidixic acid,
      norfloxacin). Gram-positive Kocuria sp. and Arthrobacter sp. and gram-negative
      Cupriavidus sp., Ralstonia sp., Cronobacter sp., Tepidimonas sp., Hafnia sp. and
      Sphingomonas sp. were isolated, all recognised as emerging food-borne pathogens.
      Legionella spp. was not detected throughout the study. Isolates of Kocuria,
      Arthrobacter and Hafnia and an unknown species of the class Gammaproteobacteria
      were resistant to two antibiotics in different combinations of carbenicillin,
      ceftriaxone, nalidixic acid and chloramphenicol. Cronobacter sp. was sensitive to
      all ten antibiotics. This study suggests that hot springs are potential
      reservoirs for emerging opportunistic pathogens, including multiple antibiotic
      resistant strains, and highlights the presence of unknown populations of emerging
      and potential waterborne opportunistic pathogens in the environment.

PMID- 28914804
TI  - The Role of ERK Signaling in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling plays a crucial role in
      regulating immune cell function and has been implicated in autoimmune disorders.
      To date, all commercially available inhibitors of ERK target upstream components,
      such as mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase/ERK kinase (MEKs), but not ERK
      itself. Here, we directly inhibit nuclear ERK translocation by a novel
      pharmacological approach (Glu-Pro-Glu (EPE) peptide), leading to an increase in
      cytosolic ERK phosphorylation during T helper (Th)17 cell differentiation. This
      was accompanied by diminished secretion of granulocyte-macrophage colony
      stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a cytokine influencing the encephalitogenicity of
      Th17 cells. Neither the production of the cytokine interleukin (IL)-17 nor the
      proliferation rate of T cells was affected by the EPE peptide. The in vivo
      effects of ERK inhibition were challenged in two independent variants of
      experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple
      sclerosis (MS). Overall, ERK inhibition had only a very minor impact on the
      clinical disease course of EAE. This indicates that while ERK translocation might
      promote encephalitogenicity in T cells in vitro by facilitating GM-CSF
      production, this effect is overcome in more complex in vivo animal models of
      central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity.

PMID- 28914806
TI  - Comparison of Ti-Based Coatings on Silicon Nanowires for Phosphopeptide
      Enrichment and Their Laser Assisted Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry
      Detection.
AB  - We created different TiO2-based coatings on silicon nanowires (SiNWs) by using
      either thermal metallization or atomic layer deposition (ALD). The fabricated
      surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy
      dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and reflectivity measurements. Surfaces with
      different TiO2 based coating thicknesses were then used for phosphopeptide
      enrichment and subsequent detection by laser desorption/ionization mass
      spectrometry (LDI-MS). Results showed that the best enrichment and LDI-MS
      detection were obtained using the silicon nanowires covered with 10 nm of
      oxidized Ti deposited by means of thermal evaporation. This sample was also able
      to perform phosphopeptide enrichment and MS detection from serum.

PMID- 28914805
TI  - A Recombinant HAV Expressing a Neutralization Epitope of HEV Induces Immune
      Response against HAV and HEV in Mice.
AB  - Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are causative agents of acute
      viral hepatitis transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Both viruses place a heavy
      burden on the public health and economy of developing countries. To test the
      possibility that HAV could be used as an expression vector for the development of
      a combination vaccine against hepatitis A and E infections, recombinant HAV
      HEp148 was created as a vector to express an HEV neutralization epitope (HEp148)
      located at aa 459-606 of the HEV capsid protein. The recombinant virus expressed
      the HEp148 protein in a partially dimerized state in HAV-susceptible cells.
      Immunization with the HAV-HEp148 virus induced a strong HAV- and HEV-specific
      immune response in mice. Thus, the present study demonstrates a novel approach to
      the development of a combined hepatitis A and E vaccine.

PMID- 28914807
TI  - Development, Optimization and In Vitro/In Vivo Characterization of Collagen
      Dextran Spongious Wound Dressings Loaded with Flufenamic Acid.
AB  - The aim of this study was the development and optimization of some topical
      collagen-dextran sponges with flufenamic acid, designed to be potential dressings
      for burn wounds healing. The sponges were obtained by lyophilization of hydrogels
      based on type I fibrillar collagen gel extracted from calf hide, dextran and
      flufenamic acid, crosslinked and un-crosslinked, and designed according to a 3
      factor, 3-level Box-Behnken experimental design. The sponges showed good fluid
      uptake ability quantified by a high swelling ratio. The flufenamic acid release
      profiles from sponges presented two stages-burst effect resulting in a rapid
      inflammation reduction, and gradual delivery ensuring the anti-inflammatory
      effect over a longer burn healing period. The resistance to enzymatic degradation
      was monitored through a weight loss parameter. The optimization of the sponge
      formulations was performed based on an experimental design technique combined
      with response surface methodology, followed by the Taguchi approach to select
      those formulations that are the least affected by the noise factors. The
      treatment of experimentally induced burns on animals with selected sponges
      accelerated the wound healing process and promoted a faster regeneration of the
      affected epithelial tissues compared to the control group. The results generated
      by the complex sponge characterization indicate that these formulations could be
      successfully used for burn dressing applications.

PMID- 28914808
TI  - Structural and Dynamics Perspectives on the Binding of Substrate and Inhibitors
      in Mycobacterium tuberculosis DHFR.
AB  - Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), an essential enzyme in the folate pathway, is a
      potential target for new anti-tuberculosis drugs. Fifteen crystal structures of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis DHFR complexed with NADPH and various inhibitors are
      available in the RCSB Protein Data Bank, but none of them is a substrate binding
      structure. Therefore, we performed molecular dynamics simulations on ternary
      complexes of M. tuberculosis DHFR:NADPH with a substrate (dihydrofolate) and each
      of three competitive inhibitors the in 2,4-diaminopyrimidine series (P1, P157,
      and P169), in order to gain insight into the inhibition-mechanism of DHFR in the
      folate pathway. The binding energy and thermodynamics values of each system were
      calculated by the Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM/GBSA)
      method. The dynamics of the enzyme and the motion of each amino acid residue at
      the active site were examined. The key factors that promote the binding of P157
      and P169 on M. tuberculosis DHFR (mtbDHFR) reveal opportunities for using these
      compounds as novel anti-tuberculosis drugs.

PMID- 28914809
TI  - Perception of Radiation Risk as a Predictor of Mid-Term Mental Health after a
      Nuclear Disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.
AB  - Predictive factors including risk perception for mid-term mental health after a
      nuclear disaster remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the
      association between perceived radiation risk and other factors at baseline and
      mid-term mental health after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 in
      Japan. A mail-based questionnaire survey was conducted in January 2012 and
      January 2013. Mental health status was assessed using the K6 scale. Psychological
      distress over the 2-year period was categorized into the following four groups:
      chronic, recovered, resistant, or worsened. Most participants (80.3%) were
      resistant to the disaster. A positive association was found between the radiation
      risk perception regarding immediate effects and the worsened group in women.
      Baseline post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a history of psychiatric
      disease predicted being in the chronic or worsened group in mid-term course.
      These results suggest that evacuees who believed that their health was
      substantially affected by the nuclear disaster were at an increased risk of
      having poor mid-term mental health in women. Careful assessment of risk
      perception after a nuclear disaster, including the presence of PTSD or a history
      of psychiatric disease, is needed for appropriate interventions.

PMID- 28914810
TI  - An NMR-Based Metabolomic Approach to Unravel the Preventive Effect of Water
      Soluble Extract from Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo on Streptozotocin
      Induced Diabetes in Mice.
AB  - Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo (D. officinale) is a precious herbal
      medicine. In this study, we investigated metabolic mechanism underlying the
      effect of D. officinale water extract (DOWE) on diabetes prevention in mice after
      streptozotocin (STZ) exposure using NMR-based metabolomics. Interestingly, we
      found a decrease in blood glucose and an increase in liver glycogen in mice
      pretreated with DOWE after STZ exposure. The DOWE pretreatment significantly
      increased citrate and glutamine in the serum as well as creatine, alanine,
      leucine, isoleucine, valine, glutamine, glutathione and taurine in the liver of
      STZ-treated mice. Furthermore, serum glucose was significantly negatively
      correlated with citrate, pyruvate, alanine, isoleucine, histidine and glutamine
      in the serum as well as alanine and taurine in the liver. These findings suggest
      that the effect of DOWE on diabetes prevention may be linked to increases in
      liver glycogen and taurine as well as the up-regulation of energy and amino acid
      metabolism.

PMID- 28914811
TI  - Leptolide Improves Insulin Resistance in Diet-Induced Obese Mice.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a complex disease linked to pancreatic beta-cell
      failure and insulin resistance. Current antidiabetic treatment regimens for T2DM
      include insulin sensitizers and insulin secretagogues. We have previously
      demonstrated that leptolide, a member of the furanocembranolides family, promotes
      pancreatic beta-cell proliferation in mice. Considering the beneficial effects of
      leptolide in diabetic mice, in this study, we aimed to address the capability of
      leptolide to improve insulin resistance associated with the pathology of obesity.
      To this end, we tested the hypothesis that leptolide should protect against fatty
      acid-induced insulin resistance in hepatocytes. In a time-dependent manner,
      leptolide (0.1 uM) augmented insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of protein kinase
      B (PKB) by two-fold above vehicle-treated HepG2 cells. In addition, leptolide
      (0.1 uM) counteracted palmitate-induced insulin resistance by augmenting by four
      fold insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of PKB in HepG2 cells. In vivo, acute
      intraperitoneal administration of leptolide (0.1 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg) improved
      glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in lean mice. Likewise, prolonged
      leptolide treatment (0.1 mg/kg) in diet-induced obese mice improved insulin
      sensitivity. These effects were paralleled with an ~50% increased of insulin
      stimulated phosphorylation of PKB in liver and skeletal muscle and reduced
      circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines in obese mice. We concluded that leptolide
      significantly improves insulin sensitivity in vitro and in obese mice, suggesting
      that leptolide may be another potential treatment for T2DM.

PMID- 28914812
TI  - Probing Gas Adsorption in Zeolites by Variable-Temperature IR Spectroscopy: An
      Overview of Current Research.
AB  - The current state of the art in the application of variable-temperature IR (VTIR)
      spectroscopy to the study of (i) adsorption sites in zeolites, including dual
      cation sites; (ii) the structure of adsorption complexes and (iii) gas-solid
      interaction energy is reviewed. The main focus is placed on the potential use of
      zeolites for gas separation, purification and transport, but possible extension
      to the field of heterogeneous catalysis is also envisaged. A critical comparison
      with classical IR spectroscopy and adsorption calorimetry shows that the main
      merits of VTIR spectroscopy are (i) its ability to provide simultaneously the
      spectroscopic signature of the adsorption complex and the standard enthalpy
      change involved in the adsorption process; and (ii) the enhanced potential of
      VTIR to be site specific in favorable cases.

PMID- 28914815
TI  - A Systematic Review: Family Support Integrated with Diabetes Self-Management
      among Uncontrolled Type II Diabetes Mellitus Patients.
AB  - The rate of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is dramatically increasing worldwide.
      Continuing diabetes mellitus (DM) care needs effective self-management education
      and support for both patients and family members. This study aimed to review and
      describe the impacts of diabetes mellitus self-management education (DSME) that
      involve family members on patient outcomes related to patient health behaviors
      and perceived self-efficacy on self-management such as medication adherence,
      blood glucose monitoring, diet and exercise changes, health outcomes including
      psychological well-being and self-efficacy, and physiological markers including
      body mass index, level of blood pressure, cholesterol level and glycemic control.
      Three databases, PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus were reviewed for relevant articles.
      The search terms were "type 2 diabetes," "self-management," "diabetes self
      management education (DSME)," "family support," "social support," and
      "uncontrolled glycaemia." Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines were used to
      determine which studies to include in the review. Details of the family support
      components of DSME intervention and the impacts of these interventions had on
      improving the health outcomes patients with uncontrolled glycaemia patients. A
      total of 22 intervention studies were identified. These studies involved
      different DSME strategies, different components of family support provided, and
      different health outcomes to be measured among T2D patients. Overall, family
      support had a positive impact on healthy diet, increased perceived support,
      higher self-efficacy, improved psychological well-being and better glycemic
      control. This systematic review found evidence that DSME with family support
      improved self-management behaviors and health outcomes among uncontrolled
      glycaemia T2D patients. The findings suggest DSME models that include family
      engagement can be a useful direction for improving diabetes care.

PMID- 28914816
TI  - Energy-Saving Traffic Scheduling in Hybrid Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable
      Sensor Networks.
AB  - Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (SDWRSNs) are an
      inexorable trend for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), including Wireless
      Rechargeable Sensor Network (WRSNs). However, the traditional network devices
      cannot be completely substituted in the short term. Hybrid SDWRSNs, where
      software defined devices and traditional devices coexist, will last for a long
      time. Hybrid SDWRSNs bring new challenges as well as opportunities for energy
      saving issues, which is still a key problem considering that the wireless
      chargers are also exhaustible, especially in some rigid environment out of the
      main supply. Numerous energy saving schemes for WSNs, or even some works for
      WRSNs, are no longer suitable for the new features of hybrid SDWRSNs. To solve
      this problem, this paper puts forward an Energy-saving Traffic Scheduling (ETS)
      algorithm. The ETS algorithm adequately considers the new characters in hybrid
      SDWRSNs, and takes advantage of the Software Defined Networking (SDN)
      controller's direct control ability on SDN nodes and indirect control ability on
      normal nodes. The simulation results show that, comparing with traditional
      Minimum Transmission Energy (MTE) protocol, ETS can substantially improve the
      energy efficiency in hybrid SDWRSNs for up to 20-40% while ensuring feasible data
      delay.

PMID- 28914814
TI  - Zearalenone (ZEN) and Its Influence on Regulation of Gene Expression in Carp
      (Cyprinus carpio L.) Liver Tissue.
AB  - Zearalenone (ZEN) is a frequently-occurring mycotoxin in both animal and fish
      feeds. In order to characterize its effects on carp, three groups of fish were
      fed for 28 days with feeds contaminated with three different levels of ZEN (low:
      332 ug kg-1, medium: 621 ug kg-1, and high: 797 ug kg-1 feed). The reversibility
      of the effects of ZEN was assessed by feeding all of the groups with
      uncontaminated feed for a further 14 days. Gene expression of immune genes in the
      liver tissue of the fish was analysed, revealing reduced expressions of immune,
      antioxidative, and estrogen-related genes after the fish had been exposed to ZEN.
      However, the expression of vacuole-type H+ ATPase increased substantially with
      ZEN exposure, thus supporting the previously-reported sensitivity of lysosomal
      functions to ZEN. Feeding the fish with a ZEN-free diet for a further two weeks
      changed the effects of ZEN on the expression of some genes, including the
      expressions of the cytokines IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-10, and arginase 2, which were
      not influenced after four weeks of treatment, but showed lower values after the
      recovery phase in fish previously treated with ZEN compared with the control
      group. In summary, this study confirmed the broad effects of ZEN on different
      essential functions in carp and suggests that the current maximum allowable
      levels in compound feed are too high to prevent damage to fish.

PMID- 28914813
TI  - Lactoferrin: A Natural Glycoprotein Involved in Iron and Inflammatory
      Homeostasis.
AB  - Human lactoferrin (hLf), an iron-binding multifunctional cationic glycoprotein
      secreted by exocrine glands and by neutrophils, is a key element of host
      defenses. HLf and bovine Lf (bLf), possessing high sequence homology and
      identical functions, inhibit bacterial growth and biofilm dependently from iron
      binding ability while, independently, bacterial adhesion to and the entry into
      cells. In infected/inflamed host cells, bLf exerts an anti-inflammatory activity
      against interleukin-6 (IL-6), thus up-regulating ferroportin (Fpn) and
      transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) and down-regulating ferritin (Ftn), pivotal actors
      of iron and inflammatory homeostasis (IIH). Consequently, bLf inhibits
      intracellular iron overload, an unsafe condition enhancing in vivo susceptibility
      to infections, as well as anemia of inflammation (AI), re-establishing IIH. In
      pregnant women, affected by AI, bLf oral administration decreases IL-6 and
      increases hematological parameters. This surprising effect is unrelated to iron
      supplementation by bLf (80 MUg instead of 1-2 mg/day), but to its role on IIH. AI
      is unrelated to the lack of iron, but to iron delocalization: cellular/tissue
      overload and blood deficiency. BLf cures AI by restoring iron from cells to blood
      through Fpn up-expression. Indeed, anti-inflammatory activity of oral and
      intravaginal bLf prevents preterm delivery. Promising bLf treatments can
      prevent/cure transitory inflammation/anemia/oral pathologies in athletes.

PMID- 28914818
TI  - Optimal Energy Efficiency Fairness of Nodes in Wireless Powered Communication
      Networks.
AB  - In wireless powered communication networks (WPCNs), it is essential to research
      energy efficiency fairness in order to evaluate the balance of nodes for
      receiving information and harvesting energy. In this paper, we propose an
      efficient iterative algorithm for optimal energy efficiency proportional fairness
      in WPCN. The main idea is to use stochastic geometry to derive the mean
      proportionally fairness utility function with respect to user association
      probability and receive threshold. Subsequently, we prove that the relaxed
      proportionally fairness utility function is a concave function for user
      association probability and receive threshold, respectively. At the same time, a
      sub-optimal algorithm by exploiting alternating optimization approach is
      proposed. Through numerical simulations, we demonstrate that our sub-optimal
      algorithm can obtain a result close to optimal energy efficiency proportional
      fairness with significant reduction of computational complexity.

PMID- 28914817
TI  - LEDGF/p75 Deficiency Increases Deletions at the HIV-1 cDNA Ends.
AB  - Processing of unintegrated linear HIV-1 cDNA by the host DNA repair system
      results in its degradation and/or circularization. As a consequence, deficient
      viral cDNA integration generally leads to an increase in the levels of HIV-1 cDNA
      circles containing one or two long terminal repeats (LTRs). Intriguingly,
      impaired HIV-1 integration in LEDGF/p75-deficient cells does not result in a
      correspondent increase in viral cDNA circles. We postulate that increased
      degradation of unintegrated linear viral cDNA in cells lacking the lens
      epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF/p75) account for this inconsistency. To
      evaluate this hypothesis, we characterized the nucleotide sequence spanning 2-LTR
      junctions isolated from LEDGF/p75-deficient and control cells. LEDGF/p75
      deficiency resulted in a significant increase in the frequency of 2-LTRs
      harboring large deletions. Of note, these deletions were dependent on the 3'
      processing activity of integrase and were not originated by aberrant reverse
      transcription. Our findings suggest a novel role of LEDGF/p75 in protecting the
      unintegrated 3' processed linear HIV-1 cDNA from exonucleolytic degradation.

PMID- 28914819
TI  - Construction of Hierarchical CuO/Cu2O@NiCo2S4 Nanowire Arrays on Copper Foam for
      High Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes.
AB  - Hierarchical copper oxide @ ternary nickel cobalt sulfide (CuO/Cu2O@NiCo2S4) core
      shell nanowire arrays on Cu foam have been successfully constructed by a facile
      two-step strategy. Vertically aligned CuO/Cu2O nanowire arrays are firstly grown
      on Cu foam by one-step thermal oxidation of Cu foam, followed by
      electrodeposition of NiCo2S4 nanosheets on the surface of CuO/Cu2O nanowires to
      form the CuO/Cu2O@NiCo2S4 core-shell nanostructures. Structural and morphological
      characterizations indicate that the average thickness of the NiCo2S4 nanosheets
      is ~20 nm and the diameter of CuO/Cu2O core is ~50 nm. Electrochemical properties
      of the hierarchical composites as integrated binder-free electrodes for
      supercapacitor were evaluated by various electrochemical methods. The
      hierarchical composite electrodes could achieve ultrahigh specific capacitance of
      3.186 F cm-2 at 10 mA cm-2, good rate capability (82.06% capacitance retention at
      the current density from 2 to 50 mA cm-2) and excellent cycling stability, with
      capacitance retention of 96.73% after 2000 cycles at 10 mA cm-2. These results
      demonstrate the significance of optimized design and fabrication of electrode
      materials with more sufficient electrolyte-electrode interface, robust structural
      integrity and fast ion/electron transfer.

PMID- 28914820
TI  - Indoor Positioning System Based on a PSD Detector, Precise Positioning of Agents
      in Motion Using AoA Techniques.
AB  - Here, we present an indoor positioning system (IPS) for detecting mobile agents
      based on a single Position Sensitive Device sensor (PSD) sited in the environment
      and InfraRed Emitter Diode (IRED) located on mobile agents. The main goal of the
      work is to develop an alternative IPS to other sensing technologies, cheaper,
      easier to install and with a low computational load to obtain a high rate of
      measurements per second. The proposed IPS has the capacity to accurately
      determine 3D position from the angle of arrival (AoA) of the signal received at
      the PSD sensor. In this first approach to the method, the agents are considered
      to move along a plane. We propose two alternatives for determining position: in
      one, tones are emitted on a frequency unique to each transmitter, while in the
      other, sequences are emitted.The paper proposes and set up a very simple and easy
      to deploy system capable of performing 3D positioning with a single analog
      sensor, obtaining a high accurate positioning and a reduced execution time for
      the signal processing. The low computational load of the IPS makes it possible to
      obtain a very high position update rate (more than 100 times per second),
      yielding millimetric accuracies.

PMID- 28914821
TI  - Biocompatibility of Titania Nanotube Coatings Enriched with Silver Nanograins by
      Chemical Vapor Deposition.
AB  - Bioactivity investigations of titania nanotube (TNT) coatings enriched with
      silver nanograins (TNT/Ag) have been carried out. TNT/Ag nanocomposite materials
      were produced by combining the electrochemical anodization and chemical vapor
      deposition methods. Fabricated coatings were characterized by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy.
      The release effect of silver ions from TNT/Ag composites immersed in bodily
      fluids, has been studied using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP
      MS). The metabolic activity assay (MTT) was applied to determine the L929 murine
      fibroblasts adhesion and proliferation on the surface of TNT/Ag coatings.
      Moreover, the results of immunoassays (using peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      PBMCs isolated from rats) allowed the estimation of the immunological activity of
      TNT/Ag surface materials. Antibacterial activity of TNT/Ag coatings with
      different morphological and structural features was estimated against two
      Staphylococcus aureus strains (ATCC 29213 and H9). The TNT/Ag nanocomposite
      layers produced revealed a good biocompatibility promoting the fibroblast
      adhesion and proliferation. A desirable anti-biofilm activity against the S.
      aureus reference strain was mainly noticed for these TiO2 nanotube coatings,
      which contain dispersed Ag nanograins deposited on their surface.

PMID- 28914822
TI  - Cytotoxic Evaluation of (2S)-5,7-Dihydroxy-6-prenylflavanone Derivatives Loaded
      PLGA Nanoparticles against MiaPaCa-2 Cells.
AB  - The search for new alternatives for the prevention and treatment of cancer is
      extremely important to minimize human mortality. Natural products are an
      alternative to chemical drugs, since they are a source of many potential
      compounds with anticancer properties. In the present study, the (2S)-5,7
      dihydroxy-6-prenylflavanone (semi-systematic name), also called (2S)-5,7
      dihydroxy-6-(3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl)-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-4H-1-Benzopyran-4-one
      (CAS Name registered) (1) was isolated from Eysenhardtia platycarpa leaves. This
      flavanone 1 was considered as the lead compound to generate new cytotoxic
      derivatives 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. These compounds 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d were then
      loaded in nanosized drug delivery systems such as polymeric nanoparticles (NPs).
      Small homogeneous spherical shaped NPs were obtained. Cytotoxic activity of free
      compounds 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d and encapsulated in polymeric NPs (NPs1, NPs1a,
      NPs1b, NPs1c and NPs1d) were evaluated against the pancreatic cancer cell line
      MiaPaCa-2. The obtained results demonstrated that NPs1a and NPs1b exhibited
      optimal cytotoxicity, and an even higher improvement of the cytotoxic efficacy
      was exhibited with the encapsulation of 1a. Based on these results, NPs1a were
      proposed as promising anticancer agent candidates.

PMID- 28914823
TI  - Hole-Transporting Materials for Printable Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent undoubtedly the most significant
      breakthrough in photovoltaic technology since the 1970s, with an increase in
      their power conversion efficiency from less than 5% to over 22% in just a few
      years. Hole-transporting materials (HTMs) are an essential building block of PSC
      architectures. Currently, 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis-(N,N'-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'
      spirobifluorene), better known as spiro-OMeTAD, is the most widely-used HTM to
      obtain high-efficiency devices. However, it is a tremendously expensive material
      with mediocre hole carrier mobility. To ensure wide-scale application of PSC
      based technologies, alternative HTMs are being proposed. Solution-processable
      HTMs are crucial to develop inexpensive, high-throughput and printable large-area
      PSCs. In this review, we present the most recent advances in the design and
      development of different types of HTMs, with a particular focus on mesoscopic
      PSCs. Finally, we outline possible future research directions for further
      optimization of the HTMs to achieve low-cost, stable and large-area PSCs.

PMID- 28914825
TI  - Effects of Pulse Parameters on Weld Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of
      Extra Pulse Current Aided Laser Welded 2219 Aluminum Alloy Joints.
AB  - In order to expand the application range of laser welding and improve weld
      quality, an extra pulse current was used to aid laser-welded 2219 aluminum alloy,
      and the effects of pulse current parameters on the weld microstructure and
      mechanical properties were investigated. The effect mechanisms of the pulse
      current interactions with the weld pool were evaluated. The results indicated
      that the coarse dendritic structure in the weld zone changed to a fine equiaxed
      structure using an extra pulse current, and the pulse parameters, including
      medium peak current, relatively high pulse frequency, and low pulse duty ratio
      benefited to improving the weld structure. The effect mechanisms of the pulse
      current were mainly ascribed to the magnetic pinch effect, thermal effect, and
      electromigration effect caused by the pulse current. The effect of the pulse
      parameters on the mechanical properties of welded joints were consistent with
      that of the weld microstructure. The tensile strength and elongation of the
      optimal pulse current-aided laser-welded joint increased by 16.4% and 105%,
      respectively, compared with autogenous laser welding.

PMID- 28914824
TI  - Use of Principal Components Analysis and Kriging to Predict Groundwater-Sourced
      Rural Drinking Water Quality in Saskatchewan.
AB  - Groundwater drinking water supply surveillance data were accessed to summarize
      water quality delivered as public and private water supplies in southern
      Saskatchewan as part of an exposure assessment for epidemiologic analyses of
      associations between water quality and type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
      Arsenic in drinking water has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases and
      previous studies have identified multiple wells with arsenic above the drinking
      water standard of 0.01 mg/L; therefore, arsenic concentrations were of specific
      interest. Principal components analysis was applied to obtain principal component
      (PC) scores to summarize mixtures of correlated parameters identified as health
      standards and those identified as aesthetic objectives in the Saskatchewan
      Drinking Water Quality Standards and Objective. Ordinary, universal, and
      empirical Bayesian kriging were used to interpolate arsenic concentrations and PC
      scores in southern Saskatchewan, and the results were compared. Empirical
      Bayesian kriging performed best across all analyses, based on having the greatest
      number of variables for which the root mean square error was lowest. While all of
      the kriging methods appeared to underestimate high values of arsenic and PC
      scores, empirical Bayesian kriging was chosen to summarize large scale geographic
      trends in groundwater-sourced drinking water quality and assess exposure to
      mixtures of trace metals and ions.

PMID- 28914826
TI  - Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare, diffuse interstitial lung
      disease, characterized by alveolar obstruction due to the accumulation of
      pulmonary surfactant. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old male with
      progressively worsening dyspnea and non-productive cough for one year. He was a
      sugar cane plantation worker and had prior recurrent respiratory infections.
      Physical exam revealed cyanosis, and bilateral coarse and fine rales. Chest
      computed tomography showed diffuse crazy paving pattern. Bronchoscopy with
      bronchoalveolar lavage yielded a foamy, thick whitish material. Cytology revealed
      lymphocytes and acellular proteinaceous eosinophilic material. Transbronchial
      biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Patient met
      criteria for whole lung lavage, responding favorably to this therapy. CONCLUSION:
      Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare lung disease and important to consider
      due to the diagnostic and therapeutic challenge it represents.

PMID- 28914827
TI  - [Endovascular surgery for critical ischemia of lower extremities with suppurative
      necrotic lesion of the feet].
AB  - AIM: To improve treatment of patients with grade IV chronic ischemia of lower
      extremities via endovascular angioplasty combined with surgical methods for
      suppurative-necrotic lesions of the feet. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 51 patients with
      grade IV chronic ischemia of lower extremities underwent endovascular
      interventions (balloon angioplasty, stenting). A total of 23 stents were deployed
      in 16 patients including 12 stents in superficial and common femoral arteries, 5
      in popliteal artery, 6 in iliac artery. There were no stents in crural arteries.
      The most perspective artery for wound healing was preferred in case of
      revascularization below popliteal segment. Necrectomy was performed along with
      angioplasty in patients with suppurative-necrotic lesion of the feet followed by
      delayed reconstructive operations if it was necessary. RESULTS: Endovascular
      surgery for grade IV chronic ischemia of lower extremities was associated with
      good immediate results in most cases due to revascularization and organ-sparing
      interventions for suppurative lesions of the feet. Current endovascular methods
      allow to perform successful re-operations to restore blood flow in previously
      repaired arteries and implanted stents with restenosis or thrombosis.

PMID- 28914828
TI  - [The results of profundoplasty in patients with critical ischemia of lower
      extremities].

PMID- 28914829
TI  - [Circular tracheal resection for cicatrical stenosis and functioning
      tracheostomy].
AB  - AIM: To analyze the results of tracheal resection for cicatricial stenosis
      depending on the presence of tracheostomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1128 patients
      with tracheal cicatricial stenosis were treated for the period 1963-2015. The
      first group consisted of 297 patients for the period 1963-2000, the second group 
      831 patients for the period 2001-2015. Most of them 684 (60.6%) were young and
      able-bodied (age from 21 to 50 years). In the first group 139 (46.8%) out of 297
      patients had functioning tracheostomy. For the period 2001-2015 tracheostomy was
      made in 430 (51.7%) out of 831 patients with cicatricial stenosis. Time of
      cannulation varied from a few weeks to 21 years. RESULTS: Re-tracheostomy within
      various terms after decanulation was performed in 68 (15.8%) patients. Tracheal
      resection with anastomosis was performed in 59 and 330 in both groups
      respectively. At present time these operations are performed more often in view
      of their standard fashion in everyday practice. In the second group tracheal
      resection followed by anastomosis was observed in 110 (25.6%) out of 430 patients
      with tracheostomy that is 4.4 times more often than in previous years. In total 2
      patients died after 330 circular tracheal resections within 2001-2015 including
      one patient with and one patient without tracheostomy. Mortality was 0.6%.
      Moreover, this value was slightly higher in patients operated with a functioning
      tracheostomy compared with those without it - 0.9 vs. 0.5% respectively. The
      causes of death were bleeding into tracheobronchial lumen and pulmonary embolism.
      The source of bleeding after tracheal resection was innominate artery. Overall
      incidence of postoperative complications was 2 times higher in tracheostomy
      patients compared with those without it - 22 (20%) vs. 26 (11.8%) cases
      respectively. Convalescence may be achieved in 89.8% patients after circular
      tracheal resection. Adverse long-term results are associated with postoperative
      complications. So their prevention and treatment will improve the outcomes.

PMID- 28914830
TI  - [Combined forecasting system of peritonitis outcome].
AB  - AIM: To create a reliable system for assessing of severity and prediction of the
      outcome of peritonitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Critical analysis of the systems
      for peritonitis severity assessment is presented. The study included outcomes of
      347 patients who admitted at the Department of Faculty Surgery of Peoples'
      Friendship University of Russia in 2015-2016. The cause of peritonitis were
      destructive forms of acute appendicitis, cholecystitis, perforated gastroduodenal
      ulcer, various perforation of small and large intestines (including tumor).
      RESULTS: Combined forecasting system for peritonitis severity assessment is
      created. The system includes clinical, laboratory data, assessment of systemic
      inflammatory response (SIRS) and severity of organ failure (qSOFA). The authors
      focused on easily identifiable parameters which are available in virtually any
      surgical hospital. Threshold value (lethal outcome probability over 50%) is 8
      scores in this system. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 93.3, 99.7 and
      98.9%, respectively according to ROC-curve that exceeds those parameters of MPI
      and APACHE II.

PMID- 28914831
TI  - [Technical features of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with overweight
      and obesity].
AB  - AIM: To improve surgical treatment of patients with cholelithiasis and obesity by
      using of different technologies of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: There were 88 (16.4%) patients with overweight and obesity among 538
      patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Conventional laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy was performed in 33 (6.1%) cases, cholecystectomy through single
      laparoscopic access - in 12 (2.3%), cholecystectomy via single laparoscopic
      access with trocar support - in 43 (8.0%) patients with body mass index 25-52.3
      kg/m2. The article describes the technical features of laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy. RESULTS: Complications were absent in 83 (94.3%) of 88 cases
      after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The lowest pain severity in early
      postoperative period was noted in case of single laparoscopic access (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Conventional and single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy is
      advisable in patients with calculous cholecystitis, overweight and obesity.

PMID- 28914832
TI  - [Enteroenterostomy in surgical treatment of malignant colonic obstruction].
AB  - AIM: To consider surgical tactics and to study the immediate results of primary
      enteroenterostomy in surgical treatment of malignant colonic obstruction.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Radical surgery was performed in 170 (63.9%) out of 266
      patients with malignant obstructive colonic obstruction. Colonic resection
      followed by anastomosis was performed in 68 patients. Conventional hemicolectomy
      (9 patients) and various original techniques of Y-shaped ileotransversanastomoses
      (27 patients) were used for right-sided tumor process. In case of left-sided
      tumor we used intraoperative colonic irrigation with enterosorption (20
      operations), Y-shaped anastomoses (9 operations) and subtotal colectomy (3
      operations). RESULTS: There was significantly increased mortality in patients
      with sub- and decompensated stages of malignant colonic obstruction.
      Postoperative mortality after radical surgery was 10.6%, after palliative
      interventions - 21.9%. There was similar postoperative mortality after various
      types of radical interventions with/without enteroenterostomy (8.8% and 11.8%,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: In favorable clinical situation radical surgery with
      tumor removal at the first emergency stage should be preferred for malignant
      colonic obstruction. At the specialized hospital segmental colonic resection with
      primary anastomosis is possible after comprehensive assessment of surgical risk,
      intraoperative colonic irrigation is obligatory for left-sided tumor. This
      approach increases surgical effectiveness and provides early rehabilitation.

PMID- 28914833
TI  - [Endoscopic interventions in patients with colorectal cancer: the effect of
      comorbidities].
AB  - AIM: To evaluate endoscopic technologies in treatment of patients with colorectal
      cancer and severe comorbidities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two groups of patients
      after endoscopic (group 1, n = 58) and open (group 2, n = 40) surgery were
      assessed. RESULTS: Comorbidities were observed in 90.7% patients in group 1 and
      83.3% patients in group 2 (p > 0.05). Mean comorbidity index was 6.9+/-0.3 (2-14)
      and 7.1+/-0.7 (2-18) in both groups respectively. Comorbidities ASA grade 3-4
      were observed in 88.2% patients of group 1 had and in 71.4% patients of group 2
      (p > 0.05). One patient of group 1 with intra-abdominal bleeding required
      conversion of surgical approach. In another case the conversion was due to
      technical difficulties during intestinal resection. Postoperative complications
      were noted in 2 patients (3.4%). There were no intraoperative complications in
      group 2. Postoperative complications were observed in two cases (5.0%).
      CONCLUSION: Severe comorbidities do not impose serious restrictions on the choice
      of endoscopic approach in colorectal cancer patients.

PMID- 28914834
TI  - [Plasma management in complex treatment of late inflammatory complications after
      injection contour plasty with polyacrylamide gel].
AB  - AIM: To improve the results of treatment of late inflammatory complications after
      injection contour plasty with polyacrylamide gel. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The
      authors analyze treatment of 21 patients with late septic complications of body
      contour plasty with polyacrylamide gel (PAGE) for the period 2010-2015. Mean age
      of women was 47.4 years. Time after primary intervention was 10-22 years. The
      depth of soft tissue lesion corresponded to II-III grade by D. Ahrenholz
      classification (1991), length - from 67 to 180 cm2. Mammary glands were the most
      common area of augmentation (18 cases). Besides antibiotic therapy and surgery
      complex treatment included exposure with plasma flows in various modes. RESULTS:
      Plasma technology significantly accelerated regenerative processes and provided
      stable microbial decontamination in 100% patients. High-energy vaporization was
      associated with maximum possible removal of PAGE from the tissues that was
      confirmed by histological examination.

PMID- 28914835
TI  - [Surgical treatment of pain syndrome in lumbar spine in patients with obesity].
AB  - AIM: To analyze the reduction of pain severity, time of surgery, intraoperative
      blood loss, incidence of unintentional lesion of dura mater, infectious
      complications and hospital-stay after lumbar microdiscectomy. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: The study included 104 patients aged 24-58 years (37 men and 67 women,
      mean age 45 years) who underwent lumbar microdiscectomy within January 2015 -
      June 2016. The main and control groups consisted of 48 and 56 patients with and
      without obesity respectively. In all cases lumbar microdiscectomy was made. Pain
      syndrome was assessed by visual analogue scale and Oswestry questionnaire.
      RESULTS: In 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months after surgery significant improvement of
      both lumbar and leg pain was observed. Significantly reduced pain was stable and
      similar in both groups within follow-up although there was a tendency to
      increased pain in long-term period in group 1. Blood loss and infections were
      slightly higher in obese group while surgery time and hospital-stay were
      significantly higher in these patients. CONCLUSION: Features of patients with
      excessive body weight should be considered prior to elective surgery. Probably,
      implants are advisable to stabilize spinal motion segment and improve the
      outcomes among patients with excessive body weight.

PMID- 28914836
TI  - [Preclinical tests of additive materials for personified endoprostheses of hand
      joints].
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the biocompatibility of additive materials for personified
      endoprostheses of hand joints in vivo. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We tested a material
      based on titanium that was implanted into muscles and bone tissue in experiment
      on rabbits. Follow-up was 30 and 90 days. RESULTS: Implantation into muscle
      tissue is accompanied by reaction against foreign body followed by fibrosis
      without concomitant inflammation. Induction of osteogenesis and trabecular
      structures remodeling were detected after implantation into bone tissue.
      CONCLUSION: Biocompatibility of tested titanium-based material was confirmed.

PMID- 28914838
TI  - [Native collagen application in clinical practice for chronic wounds treatment].

PMID- 28914837
TI  - [Our experience in treating children with acute destructive pancreatitis].

PMID- 28914839
TI  - [Off-pump left ventricular reconstruction for giant aneurysm in patient with low
      myocardial capacity].

PMID- 28914841
TI  - [Surgical treatment of patient with intra-abdominal malignant schwannoma].

PMID- 28914840
TI  - [Transanal total mesorectumectomy with D3-lymphodissection through a single
      laparoscopic approach].

PMID- 28914842
TI  - [Chronic duodenal obstruction due to high fixation of duodenojejunal transition
      and adhesive peritoneal disease].

PMID- 28914843
TI  - [Colonic malformations as a cause of acute intestinal obstruction].

PMID- 28914844
TI  - [Molecular genetic predictors of resistance to anti-Helicobacter pylori therapy].
AB  - In current clinical practice, there is no optimal empirical therapy for
      Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and there is a progressive decrease in
      the efficiency of classical eradication therapy (ET) regimens. The variability in
      the efficiency of ET in a specific patient is largely due to the heterogeneous
      molecular genetic mechanisms underlying the resistance of the microorganism to
      the components of the treatment regimens. The basis of the mechanisms for
      antibiotic resistance in H. pylori is mainly the point mutations in some genes,
      which determine alterations in the mechanisms of action of drugs, such as
      clarithromycin (domain V of 23S rRNA), metronidazole (rdxA, frxA), amoxicillin
      (pbp1A), tetracycline (16S rRNA), and levofloxacin (gyrA). The predictors of
      resistance to ET are also the CagA-negative status of the microorganism and the
      presence of the vacA s2 allele. There are a number of host genetic determinants
      (the CYP2C19 genotype (*1/*1, *1/*17, *17/*17) and the MDR1 3435 T/T genotype (in
      an Asian population)) that reduce the efficiency of ET, by altering the
      pharmacokinetics of proton pump inhibitors. In addition, the IL-1beta-511 C/C
      polymorphism that affects gastric acid secretion is a predictor of the
      inefficiency of ET.

PMID- 28914845
TI  - [Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in patients with asthma: Results of a
      prospective study].
AB  - AIM: To estimate the frequency of fungal sensitization and the incidence of
      allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in asthmatic patients. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: A total of 140 asthmatic patients were examined. They underwent
      allergologic (skin tests for fungal allergens, estimation of total and fungal
      allergen-specific IgE levels) and mycological (microscopy and inoculation of
      respiratory biosubstrates) examinations. Chest computed tomography, when
      indicated, was done. A group of patients with ABPA and that of patients with
      severe asthma and fungal sensitization were identified. RESULTS: The frequency of
      fungal sensitization in asthmatic patients was 36%; the main allergenic fungi
      were Aspergillus and Alternaria. The incidence of ABPA was as high as 4% in the
      patients with asthma and 11% in those with severe asthma and fungal
      sensitization. CONCLUSION: The given current diagnostic criteria will assist
      practitioners to identify ABPA, to prevent its progression, and to initiate
      specific anti-inflammatory and antifungal therapy in due time.

PMID- 28914846
TI  - [Analysis of the efficiency of antimicrobial treatment for community-acquired
      pneumonia in clinical practice].
AB  - AIM: To analyze actual drug consumption based on the defined daily dose (DDD
      analysis) and to analyze the utilization of drugs based on their proportion of
      the total defined daily doses (DU90% analysis) for the antimicrobial therapy of
      community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in clinical practice at a hospital in Russia.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The investigation materials were the data of 117 case
      histories of male (51.3%) and female (48.7%) patients hospitalized with CAP at
      Nizhny Novgorod City Clinical Hospital Five in 2015. The investigation enrolled
      all the patients admitted to the hospital over the analyzed period. DDD analysis
      and DU90% analysis were used as study methods. RESULTS: DDD analysis and DU90%
      analysis of antimicrobial therapy for CAP were carried out at the hospital in
      clinical practice during a year. The annual number of defined daily doses (NDDD)
      for antimicrobial drugs, the number of defined daily doses per 100 bed-days
      (NDDD/100 bed-days), and a drug load (g) per 1000 CAP patients per day and per
      CAP patient per year were determined. The largest NDDD/year for CAP treatment
      with ceftriaxone was 376 g, or 43.43 NDDD/100 bed-days, which is much higher than
      that with other antimicrobial agents. The daily drug load of ceftriaxone per
      1,000 CAP patients was 8.8 g, which exceeds that of moxifloxacin by 18.7 times,
      azithromycin and levofloxacin by 5 times, and ampicillin/sulbactam by 2.3 times.
      The daily drug load of ceftriaxone per CAP patient was 3.2 g, which exceeds that
      of of ampicillin/sulbactam by 2.3 times, levofloxacin and azithromycin by 5
      times, and moxifloxacin by 19 times. CONCLUSION: It may be recommended that the
      proportion of cephalosporins as drugs that promote the rise of resistance in
      microbes and their production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases should be
      further limited, the proportion of penicillins be extended, and the administered
      ampicillin/sulbactam be added, for example, by amoxicillin/clavulanate.
      Penicillins contribute to the rise of resistance to a lesser degree, and the use
      of two different penicillin molecules specified in the guidelines for the
      treatment of CAP will be able to slow the process further. By the same reasoning,
      it is also advisable to use cefuroxime (second-generation cephalosporins) along
      with ceftriaxone in patients in stable condition, without impairing vital
      functions.

PMID- 28914847
TI  - [Efficiency of triple antihypertensive therapy in patients with uncontrolled
      hypertension and depressive disorders].
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the efficiency of triple antihypertensive therapy in patients
      with uncontrolled hypertension and depressive disorders (DD). MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: 153 patients with uncontrolled hypertension were examined, of whom 82
      patients were diagnosed with mild and moderate DD. A combination of perindopril
      10 mg/day, indapamide SR 1.5 mg/day, and amlodipine at an initial dose of 5
      mg/day was given to patients with hypertension and DD. After 4 weeks of
      treatment, if target blood pressure (BP) levels could not be achieved, the dose
      of amlodipine was increased up to 10 mg/day. General clinical examination and 24
      hour BP monitoring (BPM) were performed in all the patients at baseline and in
      the patients with DD also after 24 weeks of therapy. The traditional measures of
      the diurnal BP profile, as well as the parameters characterizing arterial
      stiffness and central aortic pressure (CAP) were estimated. RESULTS: After 8
      weeks of therapy, target BP levels were recorded in 63 (76.8%) patients. After 24
      weeks of treatment, the hypertensive patients with DD showed significant positive
      changes in all the investigated 24-hour BPM parameters and normalization of the
      diurnal BP profile in 65.1% of cases. During the treatment, there were
      significant decreases in pulse wave velocity, brachial arterial and aortic
      augmentation indices, aortic systolic and diastolic pressures, and mean aortic BP
      and an increase in the velocity of the reflected wave. CONCLUSION: Triple
      therapy, including perindopril, indapamide SR, and amlodipine, contributed to the
      achievement of target BP levels in the majority of hypertensive patients with DD,
      with significant positive changes in all 24-hour BPM parameters, optimization of
      the diurnal BP profile in most patients, clinically significant improvement of
      the parameters that characterize arterial stiffness and CAP.

PMID- 28914848
TI  - [Effect of a fixed-dose combination of perindopril arginine/amlodipine on the
      level and variability of blood pressure according to its office visit-to-visit
      measurements and self-measurements at home: A subanalysis of the PREVOSHODSTVO
      (SUPERIORITY) program].
AB  - AIM: To study the effect of a fixed-dose combination of perindopril
      arginine/amlodipine (prestans) on the goal levels and variability of blood
      pressure (BP) according to its office visit-to-visit measurements and self
      measurement (OVVM and SM) in a subgroup of 483 people from the population of the
      Russian observational SUPERIORITY program, most cases of whom are given the
      combination replacing the previously ineffective mono- and combination
      antihypertensive therapy (AHT). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The subanalysis included
      data on 483 patients (34% men) aged 57.9+/-10.8 years with uncontrolled
      hypertension, who were both untreated and treated with antihypertensive mono- or
      combination therapy using a free or fixed-dose combination of 2-3
      antihypertensive drugs and in whom the physicians decided to use prestans to
      correct AHT. The follow-up period was 24 weeks. RESULTS: At the end of the
      investigation, the patients received prestans in the following doses: 5/5 mg (34%
      of the patients), 10/5 mg (39.5%), 5/10 mg (3.9%), and 10/10 mg (22%). In the
      analyzed patient group, the baseline BP was 160.8+/-8.8/92.6+/-7.4 mm Hg and
      dropped to 125.9+/-7.9/77.8+/-5.0 mm Hg at 24 weeks (p<0.001). According to SM,
      the morning BP significantly decreased from 147.0+/-13.3/85.6+/-7.2 to 127.5+/
      8.3/78,9+/-5.6 mm Hg at 24 weeks (p<0.001). The evening BP readings showed the
      similar trends. Target BP was achieved in 93 and 78% of the patients, as shown by
      OVVM and SM, respectively. According to SCM, the day-to-day variability of BP
      significantly decreased from 5.1+/-3.2/3.4+/-2.3 Hg mm at Visit 2 to 2.7+/
      2/0/2,3+/-1/5 mm Hg at Visit 5 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of the fixed-dose
      combination of perindopril arginine/amlodipine in hypertensive patients just at
      the beginning of treatment, by switching from insufficiently effective mono- or
      combination AHT to the fixed-dose combination of perindopril arginine/amlodipine,
      is an effective way to optimize AHT in clinical practice, which lowers the BP
      level and variability, as evidenced by both OVVM and SM.

PMID- 28914849
TI  - [Analysis of the clinical efficiency of eradication therapy in patients with
      coronary heart disease associated with gastroduodenal pathology].
AB  - AIM: To comparatively analyze the clinical efficiency of eradiation therapy (ET)
      in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) concurrent with gastroduodenal
      pathology (GDP). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in three steps. In
      Step 1, 1588 patients with chronic CHD were examined. In Step 2, the
      characteristics of the course of CHD concurrent with Helicobacter pylori
      associated GDP in 147 patients with these conditions compared to the same number
      of CHD patients without GDP. In Step 3, the impact of a GDP treatment option on
      the efficiency of treatment was investigated in the patients with CHD. Group 1
      received ET + basic therapy (BT); Group 2 used antisecretory therapy + BT; Group
      3 consisted of CHD patients without concomitant GDP who received BT only. The
      time course of changes in clinical and quality-of-life (QOL) indicators was
      assessed. RESULTS: The patients with CHD concurrent with GDP have a more severe
      course of the disease as manifested by deterioration in clinical status and QOL.
      After ET, anginal attack rates were decreased by 62.6% in Group 1, by 30.7% in
      Group 2 (during antisecretory therapy), and by 29.5% in Group 3. The level of
      physical QOL increased by 23.7% in Group 1, which was not observed in Groups 2
      and 3. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of ET in an algorithm for treating CHD patients with
      GDP promotes the angina stability and normalizes QOL in the patients.

PMID- 28914850
TI  - [Correction of small bowel function as a new direction for treating patients with
      metabolic syndrome].
AB  - AIM: To provide a rationale for and to evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of the
      combined use of pancreatic enzymes and actovegin in the combination therapy of
      patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) on the basis of comprehensive clinical and
      functional studies of the small bowel (SB). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In the course
      of treatment, 120 patients with MS (verified using the diagnostic criteria
      elaborated by the All-Russian Research Society of Cardiology (2009)) underwent a
      comprehensive study of SB function: an isolated study of resorptive processes;
      evaluation of parietal and cavitary digestion, motor-evacuation function. The
      peripheral blood levels of gastrin, insulin, cortisol, thyroxine and thyrotropin
      were determined. RESULTS: The combined use of pancreatic enzymes and actovegin
      has a positive impact on the clinical and functional state of SB, which was
      manifested as restoration of its hydrolysis and absorption, as well as motor
      evacuation function in the patients with MS. The treatment resulted in reductions
      in the levels of triglycerides from 2.85+/-0.34 to 1.53+/-0.18 mmol/l (p<0.01),
      total cholesterol from 6.08+/-0.16 to 5.19+/-0.21 mmol/l (p<0.05), and
      atherogenic factor from 5.21+/-0.28 to 2.93+/-0.34 (p<0.05). Posttreatment HOMA
      IR decreased from 4.22+/-0.8 to 2.12+/-0.8. There were no substantial changes in
      insulin levels and insulin resistance index in the patients on standard therapy.
      CONCLUSION: The combined use of pancreatic enzymes and actovegin is
      pathogenetically sound in correcting SB dysfunctions and may be one of the most
      effective directions for the treatment of patients with MS.

PMID- 28914851
TI  - [Oxidative stress in women with insomnia in different stages of menopause].
AB  - AIM: To investigate of a lipid peroxidation (LPO) process and the antioxidant
      defense system (ADS) in peri- and postmenopausal women with insomnia. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: 47 perimenopausal women and 71 postmenopausal ones were examined.
      Each group was divided into 2 subgroups: 1) individuals with insomnia and 2)
      controls. LPO-ADS spectrophotometric studies were used in the investigation.
      RESULTS: There was an increase in the serum levels of ketodienes and conjugated
      trienes and a decrease in those of alpha-tocopherol and retinol in postmenopause
      versus in perimenopause. In insomnia, there was a rise in the level of ketodienes
      and conjugated trienes in perimenopause; LPO substrates with conjugated double
      bonds, diene conjugates, and thiobarbituric acid-active products in
      postmenopause. The indicators of ADS do not differ from those in the controls.
      The integral indicator of oxidative stress assessment suggests that there is a
      LPO-ADS imbalance in the menopausal women with insomnia, which is most pronounced
      in postmenopause. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the patients with
      insomnia develop oxidative stress that is more marked in postmenopause.

PMID- 28914852
TI  - [Efficiency of immunosuppressive therapy in virus-negative and virus-positive
      patients with morphologically verified lymphocytic myocarditis].
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the efficiency of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in virus
      negative (V-) and virus-positive (V+) patients with lymphocytic myocarditis (LM).
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 60 patients (45 males) (mean age 46.7+/-11.8 years) with
      dilated cardiomyopathy (mean left ventricular (LV) end diastolic size (EDS) 6.7+/
      0.7 cm; ejection fraction (EF) 26.2+/-9.1%) were examined. The diagnosis of
      active/borderline LM was verified by right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy in
      38 patients, by intraoperative LV biopsy in 10, in the study of explanted hearts
      from 3 patients and at autopsy in 9. The investigators determined the genomes of
      parvovirus B19, herpes viruses types 1, 2 and 6, Epstein-Barr (EBV), zoster, and
      cytomegalovirus in the blood and myocardium and, if antibodies were present in
      the blood, hepatitis B and C viruses, as well as antibodies against antigens in
      the endothelium, cardiomyocytes and their nuclei, smooth muscles, fibers of the
      conducting system. IST was used in terms of histological, immune, and viral
      activities. IST was performed in 22 V+ patients (Group 1) and in 24 V- patients
      (Group 2); this was not done in 10 V+ patients (Group 3) and V- patients (Group
      4). IST comprised methylprednisolone at a mean dose of 24 mg/day (n=40),
      hydroxychloroquine 200 mg/day (n=20), azathioprine at a mean dose of 150 mg/day
      (n=21); antiviral therapy included acyclovir, ganciclovir, intravenous
      immunoglobulin (n=24). The follow-up period was 19 (7.3-40.3) months. RESULTS:
      The viral genome was detected in the myocardium of 32 patients who made up a V+
      group. The degree of histological activity did not differ in relation to the
      presence of viral genome in the myocardium. The degree of immune activity
      (anticardiolipin antibody titers) in the V+ patients was as high as that in V-
      ones. At baseline, the V+ patients had a significantly higher LV EDS and a lower
      EF than the V- patients. Overall, IST only could lead to a significant increase
      in EF (from 26.5+/-0.9 to 36.0+/-10.8%; p<0.001) and reductions in NYHA
      functional class from III to II (p<0.001), LV EDS (from 6.7+/-0.7 to 6.4+/-0.8
      cm; p<0.01), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (from 48.9+/-15.5 to 39.4+/-11.5
      mm Hg (p<0.01); the IST group had significantly lower mortality rates than the
      non-IST group (23.9 and 64.3%; p<0.01). At the same time, a significant trend was
      seen in both V- and V+ patients. The mortality rate in the V+ patients, as a
      whole, was higher (46.9 and 17.9%; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: IST leads to a
      significant improvement of functional indices and it is associated with lower
      mortality rates in both myocardial V- and V+ patients with LM. A more than 10% EF
      increase in the first 2 months is associated with a good prognosis. The presence
      of viral genome in the myocardium (primarily herpesviruses rather than parvovirus
      19) is accompanied by more severe initial dysfunction, a less pronounced effect
      of IST, and higher mortality rates. However, the positive effect of IST also
      persists in V+ patients. No positive changes (a decrease in EF was observed) were
      absent only in IST-naive V+ patients.

PMID- 28914853
TI  - [Uromodulin gene polymorphisms in patients with cast nephropathy in multiple
      myeloma].
AB  - AIM: To investigate the nature of mutations in exons 4 and 5 of the uromodulin
      (UM) gene, including in the area encoding the domain of 8 cysteines (D8C), in
      patients with multiple myeloma (MM) with the secretion of monoclonal light chains
      (LC) in cast nephropathy (CN) and without kidney injury. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      The investigation enrolled 24 patients in MM remission, who were observed to have
      monoclonal LC secretion at onset. Group 1 included 14 patients with CN; Group 2
      consisted of 10 patients with normal renal function (a comparison group). The
      compared groups did not differ in the number of serum and urinary monoclonal LCs.
      Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood samples of patients. The
      nucleotide sequence of exons 4 and 5 of the UM gene was determined by the Sanger
      method. RESULTS: No differences were found in the frequency of polymorphisms
      depending on the severity of kidney injury. The missense mutation p.142R>R/Q in
      the UM gene, which had not been previously described, was discovered. CONCLUSION:
      The patients with MM were not found to have statistically significant differences
      in the frequency and nature of polymorphisms of exons 4 and 5 in the UM gene,
      including in the area encoding D8C, in CN without kidney injury.

PMID- 28914854
TI  - [Giant cell arteritis: Genetic and epigenetic aspects].
AB  - The paper describes clinical cases in 2 patients (brothers) with giant cell
      arteritis. It analyzes the genetic and epigenetic aspects of the disease. The
      data available in the Russian and foreign literature are given.

PMID- 28914855
TI  - [Late-onset rheumatoid arthritis in a patient with successfully treated IgA
      nephropathy].
AB  - The paper describes a rare clinical case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that
      developed in a patient 9 years after diagnosing IgA nephropathy. Kidney disease
      was characterized by a stable course with moderate urinary syndrome,
      hypertension, and reduced renal function. Immunosuppressive therapy using
      glucocorticosteroids and then mycophenolic acid led to remission of nephritis and
      recovery of renal function. However, the absence of nephritis activity and
      discontinuation of immunosuppressants was responsible for articular syndrome. The
      diagnosis of RA is based on its characteristic radiological patterns and
      immunological characteristics after ruling out a number of systemic diseases and
      infections. The common pathogenetic components of IgA nephropathy and RA,
      including the role of rheumatoid factor IgA, are discussed.

PMID- 28914856
TI  - [The Russian consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pancreatitis:
      Enzyme replacement therapy].
AB  - Pancreatology Club Professional Medical Community, 1A.S. Loginov Moscow Clinical
      Research and Practical Center, Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow; 2A.I.
      Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Ministry of Health
      of Russia, Moscow; 3Kazan State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia,
      Kazan; 4Kazan (Volga) Federal University, Kazan; 5Far Eastern State Medical
      University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Khabarovsk; 6Morozov City Children's
      Clinical Hospital, Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow; 7I.I. Mechnikov North
      Western State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Saint Petersburg;
      8Siberian State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Tomsk; 9M.F.
      Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute, Moscow; 10Maimonides
      State Classical Academy, Moscow; 11V.I. Razumovsky State Medical University,
      Ministry of Health of Russia, Saratov; 12I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical
      University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow; 13S.M. Kirov Military Medical
      Academy, Ministry of Defense of Russia, Saint Petersburg; 14Surgut State Medical
      University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Surgut; 15City Clinical Hospital Five,
      Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow; 16Nizhny Novgorod Medical Academy, Ministry
      of Health of Russia, Nizhny Novgorod; 17Territorial Clinical Hospital Two,
      Ministry of Health of the Krasnodar Territory, Krasnodar; 18Saint Petersburg
      State Pediatric Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Saint
      Petersburg; 19Rostov State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia,
      Rostov-on-Don; 20Omsk Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Omsk;
      21Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Ministry of Health of
      Russia, Moscow; 22Novosibirsk State Medical University, Ministry of Health of
      Russia, Novosibirsk; 23Stavropol State Medical University, Ministry of Health of
      Russia, Stavropol; 24Kemerovo State Medical University, Ministry of Health of
      Russia, Kemerovo; 25N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University,
      Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow; 26A.M. Nikiforov All-Russian Center of
      Emergency and Radiation Medicine, Russian Ministry for Civil Defense, Emergencies
      and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Saint Petersburg;
      27Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian
      Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk; 28S.P. Botkin City Clinical Hospital, Moscow
      Healthcare Department, Moscow; 29Tver State Medical University, Ministry of
      Health of Russia, Tver The Russian consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of
      chronic pancreatitis has been prepared on the initiative of the Russian
      Pancreatology Club to clarify and consolidate the opinions of Russian specialists
      (gastroenterologists, surgeons, and pediatricians) on the most significant
      problems of diagnosis and treatment of chronic pancreatitis. This article
      continues a series of publications explaining the most significant
      interdisciplinary consensus statements and deals with enzyme replacement therapy.

PMID- 28914857
TI  - [Characteristics of lipid metabolism and the cardiovascular system in
      glycogenosis types I and III].
AB  - Glycogen storage disease (GSD) is an inherited metabolic disorder characterized
      by early childhood lipid metabolic disturbances with potentially proatherogenic
      effects. The review outlines the characteristics of impaired lipid composition
      and other changes in the cardiovascular system in GSD types I and III. It
      analyzes the factors enabling and inhibiting the development of atherosclerosis
      in patients with GSD. The review describes the paradox of vascular resistance to
      the development of early atherosclerosis despite the proatherogenic composition
      of lipids in the patients of this group.

PMID- 28914858
TI  - [Bosentan use in pulmonary arterial hypertension: Russian and foreign
      experience].
AB  - The results of evaluating the efficacy and safety of bosentan in patients with
      pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), as shown by the data of foreign randomized
      controlled trials and the authors' own experience, convincingly demonstrate that
      the introduction of the drug into clinical practice has led to a significant
      improvement of the possibilities of drug therapy in patients with this serious
      illness. Bosentan substantially improves physical activity in patients, reduces
      the severity of clinical symptoms, slows down the rates of disease progression,
      and prolongs survival in patients with different forms of PAH.

PMID- 28914859
TI  - [Depression, anxiety, and stress in patients with coronary heart disease].
AB  - The analytical paper summarized the results of recent studies of an association
      of depression, anxiety, and stress with coronary heart disease (CHD). Mental
      disorders are shown to be associated with increased risk of CHD and to worsen the
      course of coronary disease. Antidepressants and psychotherapy improve the control
      of mental disorders, quality of life, and, in some cases, have a positive impact
      on the course of coronary disease.

PMID- 28914860
TI  - [New opportunities for inhaled therapy for inflammatory diseases of the
      respiratory system].
AB  - The paper considers current approaches to mucoregulatory therapy for various
      inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system. It gives the advantages and
      disadvantages of common drugs used in their treatment. Emphasis is laid on the
      use of inhaled hypertonic saline of NaCl in combination with hyaluronic acid
      (Hyaneb). Clinical examples of its use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
      acute and chronic bronchitis, and severe asthma are considered.

PMID- 28914861
TI  - [Kagocel in the therapy of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections: Data
      analysis and systematization from the results of preclinical and clinical
      trials].
AB  - The article provides the summarized data of clinical trials evaluating the
      efficacy and safety of kagocel used to prevent and treat influenza and acute
      respiratory viral infections of different etiologies. The results of numerous
      preclinical and clinical trials suggest that the kagocel substance is highly safe
      and that it is appropriate to use the drug for the treatment and prevention of
      influenza and acute respiratory viral infections of another etiology.

PMID- 28914862
TI  - [Liver diseases: The pathogenetic role of the gut microbiome and the potential of
      treatment for its modulation].
AB  - The paper gives an update on the role of the gut microbiome (GM) in the
      development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis,
      alcoholic liver disease, liver cirrhosis (LC), and its complications, such as
      hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and discusses the
      possibilities of its correction with prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics,
      antibiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). The pathophysiology of
      the liver diseases in question demonstrates some common features that are
      characterized by pathogenic changes in the composition of the gastrointestinal
      tract microflora, by intestinal barrier impairments, by development of
      endotoxemia, by increased liver expression of proinflammatory factors, and by
      development of liver inflammation. In progressive liver disease, the above
      changes are more pronounced, which contributes to the development of LC, HE, and
      HCC. GM modulation using prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics, and FMT
      diminishes dysbacteriosis, strengthens the intestinal mucosal barrier, reduces
      endotoxemia and liver damage, and positively affects the clinical manifestations
      of HE. Further investigations are needed, especially in humans, firstly, to
      assess a relationship of GM to the development of liver diseases in more detail
      and, secondly, to obtain evidence indicating the therapeutic efficacy of GM
      modulating agents in large-scale, well-designed, randomized, controlled,
      multicenter studies.

PMID- 28914863
TI  - [Chronic gastritis: Instructions for use of medications].
AB  - The paper highlights the features of drug use in the legal aspect. It analyzes
      instructions for medical use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and gastric
      protective agents. Taking into account the characteristics of indications
      registered in the instruction, the authors discuss the possibility of using
      various PPIs. The instruction for medical application is an official document
      approved by the Ministry of Health, the basis of which is the data of trials
      carried out by a manufacturer, and it should be a key or fundamental source for a
      physician in choosing a medication. The use of a drug with no indications given
      in the manual (the so-called 'off-label' use in foreign practice), is a clinical
      trial of a sort conducted by a physician individually, by taking upon
      himself/herself a legal liability. If arguments break out over the correct choice
      of this or that drug in treating the specific patient, the instruction containing
      the indications for use of specific medications to treat a specific disease is
      one of the proofs that the physician has correctly chosen the drug or a criterion
      for skilled medical care. The inclusion of chronic gastritis as a primary and
      only diagnosis into the primary documentation substantially limits the
      possibilities of using PPIs. When a PPI is indicated for therapy of erosive
      gastritis, a formal rationale is contained only in the instruction for use of
      Controloc. There are no registered indications for PPI use to treat chronic non
      erosive gastritis; the gastric protective agent Rebagit is indicated.

PMID- 28914864
TI  - [Hyponatremia: A clinical approach].
AB  - Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte metabolic abnormality in clinical
      practice. The unfavorable course of many diseases is associated with
      hyponatremia. Acute severe hyponatremia is life-threatening because cerebral
      edema may develop. Less obvious chronic hyponatremia increases the risk of
      balance problems, falls and fractures, especially in elderly patients. In any
      occasion, hyponatremia should not be now regarded only as a laboratory phenomenon
      in critically ill patients, but it necessitates a thorough clinical analysis of
      each individual case and appropriate therapy. The paper presents approaches to
      diagnosing and treating hyponatremia in various clinical situations.

PMID- 28914865
TI  - [Main results of the World Congress of Internal Medicine (Bali, 2016)].

PMID- 28914866
TI  - [Extended endoscopic endonasal posterior (transclival) approach to tumors of the
      clival region and ventral posterior cranial fossa. Part 1. Topographic and
      anatomical features of the clivus and adjacent structures].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to describe the main topographic and anatomical features of the clival
      region and its adjacent structures for improvement and optimization of the
      extended endoscopic endonasal posterior (transclival) approach for resection of
      tumors of the clival region and ventral posterior cranial fossa. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: We performed a craniometric study of 125 human skulls and a topographic
      anatomical study of heads of 25 cadavers, the arterial and venous bed of which
      was stained with colored silicone (the staining technique was developed by the
      authors) to visualize bed features and individual variability. Currently, we have
      clinical material from more than 120 surgical patients with various skull base
      tumors of the clival region and ventral posterior cranial fossa (chordomas,
      pituitary adenomas, meningiomas, cholesteatomas, etc.) who were operated on using
      the endoscopic transclival approach. RESULTS: We present the main anatomical
      landmarks and parameters of some anatomical structures that are required for
      performing the endoscopic endonasal posterior approach. The anatomical landmarks,
      such as the intradural openings of the abducens and glossopharyngeal nerves, may
      be used to arbitrarily divide the clival region into the superior, middle, and
      inferior thirds. The anatomical landmarks important for the surgeon, which are
      detected during a topographic anatomical study of the skull base, facilitate
      identification of the boundaries between the different clival portions and the C1
      segments of the internal carotid arteries. The superior, middle, and inferior
      transclival approaches provide an access to the ventral surface of the upper,
      middle, and lower neurovascular complexes in the posterior cranial fossa.
      CONCLUSION: The endoscopic transclival approach may be used to access midline
      tumors of the posterior cranial fossa. The approach is an alternative to
      transcranial approaches in surgical treatment of clival region lesions. This
      approach provides results comparable (and sometimes better) to those of the
      transcranial and transfacial approaches.

PMID- 28914867
TI  - [On the classification of large and giant paraclinoid internal carotid artery
      aneurysms].
AB  - Large and giant intradural ICA aneurysms or the so-called paraclinoid aneurysms
      are a surgical challenge requiring high qualification of the neurosurgeon.
      Despite numerous publications on this topic, there is still no generally accepted
      classification of paraclinoid aneurysms. In this paper, we analyzed the
      definitions and classifications of paraclinoid aneurysms, which were available in
      the medical literature. The paper presents our own surgical classification of
      paraclinoid ICA aneurysms, which has been developed by Prof. Sh.Sh. Eliava and co
      authors at the Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute. The classification is based on
      the aneurysm neck position relative to the ICA wall, aneurysm dome direction, and
      type of aneurysm clipping.

PMID- 28914868
TI  - [Combination treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations using endovascular
      and microsurgical techniques].
AB  - MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 40 patients with cerebral AVMs. In the
      study group, 14 (35%) patients underwent microsurgical resection without
      preliminary embolization (1st group), and 26 (65%) patients underwent combined
      treatment (endovascular embolization and microsurgical intervention, 2nd group).
      The first group included patients with S&M grade I-III AVMs, and the second group
      included patients with S&M grade II-V AVMs. Treatment outcomes were evaluated
      with allowance for completeness of AVM resection, operative blood loss, duration
      of surgery, changes in clinical and neurological impairments according to the
      modified Rankin scale, and rate of neurological and surgical complications.
      RESULTS: According to postoperative findings, AVMs were totally resected in all
      patients. Persistent focal neurological symptoms developed in 2 (7.7%) cases in
      the second group; neurological complications occurred in 1 (7.1%) patient in the
      first group. The mean blood loss during resection of AVMs without preliminary
      embolization and embolized AVMs in patients with S&M grade I-III AVMs was 271.4
      mL and 149.1 mL, respectively. The duration of surgery and blood loss did not
      differ significantly in microsurgery and combination treatment groups.
      CONCLUSION: Combination treatment, including microsurgical intervention after
      endovascular embolization, is an effective treatment for AVMs, in particular for
      high grade (S&M grade III-V) AVMs. Teamwork and coordination among the surgeon,
      endovascular surgeon, and radiologist in treatment of AVMs is a prerequisite for
      a good outcome.

PMID- 28914869
TI  - [Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas. A series of clinical cases and an analysis
      of the literature data].
AB  - : Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (SDAVFs) are the most common vascular
      malformation of the spinal cord, causing segmental lesions of the spinal cord due
      to venous ischemia. Functional outcomes of treatment in SDAVF patients are
      favorable, but the rate of improvement varies from 25 to 100%, which complicates
      prediction of the treatment outcome. AIM: the study aim was to identify a
      relationship between fistula localization and clinical manifestations and
      evaluate the effect of disease duration and severity of neurological impairments
      on immediate and long-term treatment outcomes, based on analysis of the
      literature and own data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In September 2016, we performed a
      PubMed search for publications using keywords 'spinal arteriovenous fistula',
      'treatment', and 'outcome'. We selected publications containing information on
      the patient's age, fistula location, disease duration, and evaluation of symptom
      severity (Aminoff-Logue scale) preoperatively, postoperatively, and at least 3
      months after surgery. The analysis also included data on patients operated on at
      the clinic. A total of 187 patients were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The
      fistula was most often located at the T6, T7, and T9 level, with motor disorders
      being more severe for fistulas located at or below the T9 vertebra. Surgical
      isolation of the fistula improved the functional state of patients, with patients
      under the age of 60 years having a better prognosis for recovery of impaired
      functions. Motor disorders significantly regressed in the early postoperative
      period in all patients, but in the long-term period, there was worsening of motor
      disorders in patients with a better baseline functional state.

PMID- 28914870
TI  - [Shunt-induced craniosynostosis: topicality of the problem, choice of the
      approach, and features of surgical treatment].
AB  - RATIONALE: Shunt-induced craniosynostosis is one of the late complications of CSF
      shunting surgery, which affects the patient's condition, clinical picture, and
      treatment approach. OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the prevalence rate and clinical
      significance of this disease, define the indications for surgery, and choose the
      optimal surgical approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 59 children
      with shunt system dysfunction, aged 1 to 14 years, who were treated at the
      Department in the period from 2014 to 2016. The inclusion criteria were as
      follows: 1) age at the time of examination is older than 1 year; 2) implantation
      of a shunt system in the first 12 months of life. The state of cranial sutures
      was assessed using three-dimensional reconstruction of patient's computerized
      tomography images. Images obtained before or in the first months after primary
      implantation of a shunt system were used to exclude cases of primary
      craniosynostosis. RESULTS: Premature synostosis of the cranial sutures was
      detected in 27 (46%) cases. Of these, 3 (11%) patients with clinical symptoms of
      increased intracranial pressure and radiographic signs of craniocerebral
      disproportion underwent cranial vault remodeling surgery: two biparietal
      craniotomies and one fronto-parieto-occipital reconstruction. In two cases,
      simultaneous replacement of a valve with a programmable one was performed. There
      were no complications after reconstructive surgery. CONCLUSION: Shunt-associated
      craniosynostosis is one of the late complications of CSF shunting surgery.
      However, its presence is not an indication for surgery and should not be a reason
      for surgical aggression. Surgery for increasing the intracranial volume is
      indicated only for secondary craniosynostosis combined with signs of
      craniocerebral disproportion. In these cases, reconstructive surgery is an
      effective treatment option for improving the patient's condition.

PMID- 28914871
TI  - [Intramedullary spinal cord tumors and hydrocephalus: an analysis of the results
      of surgical treatment in 541 patients].
AB  - : The article addresses the problem of intramedullary tumors (IMTs) combined with
      hydrocephalus (HC). PURPOSE: The study purpose was to explore, based on large
      clinical material, the occurrence of hydrocephalus combined with intramedullary
      tumors, possible pathogenetic mechanisms of its development, effect of tumor
      resection on the course of hydrocephalus, and need and timing of shunting
      surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present and analyze the data of the largest
      individual series of patients of all age groups operated on for IMTs of the
      spinal cord: 541 patients; 586 operations; age from 2 months to 72 years. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm a potential pathogenetic relationship
      between IMT and HC. The overall occurrence rate of HC in IMT patients was 6.3%.
      In patients with benign tumors (WHO Grade 1-2; 449 patients), HC developed in 25
      (5.6%) cases; in patients with malignant tumors (WHO Grade 3-4; 84 patients), HC
      developed in 7 (8.3%) cases. A statistically significant prevalence of cervico
      medullary tumors was found in HC patients: 19 (59.4%) cases. According to our
      data, dissemination of the tumor process is a potential factor of HC development.

PMID- 28914872
TI  - [The efficacy of desmopressin in the treatment of central diabetes insipidus
      after resection of chiasmo-sellar region tumors].
AB  - : Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is a neuroendocrine disease, the pathogenesis
      of which is associated with abnormal secretion of the antidiuretic hormone. One
      of the specific causes of CDI is neurosurgical resection of chiasmatic-sellar
      region tumors. AIM: to study the efficacy and safety of desmopressin in CDI
      patients after resection of chiasmatic-sellar region (CSR) tumors. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Examination and treatment of patients were performed at a hospital for 7
      14 days after surgery and then were continued after discharge. During treatment,
      the following tests were performed: a daily fluid intake and excretion volume,
      serum levels of sodium, potassium, and glucose twice a day, morning urine
      specific gravity, and Zimnitsky's test. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients with CSR
      tumors (11 craniopharyngiomas, 10 pituitary adenomas, 1 skull base chordoma, and
      1 CSR meningioma) and CDI after neurosurgical treatment received desmopressin. On
      treatment, a thirst decrease, a reduced rate of diuresis, a reduced amount of
      excreted urine, and normalization of the sodium level were observed in all
      patients. In 12 patients (with pituitary adenoma, skull base chordoma, and
      meningioma) with transient CDI, desmopressin therapy was discontinued upon
      regression of symptoms 7-30 days after surgery. Eleven patients with permanent
      CDI continued to receive the drug at a dose of 1 to 4 doses per day. All patients
      well tolerated the drug without significant adverse effects. CONCLUSION: Therapy
      with desmopressin in the form of a nasal spray (vazomirin) in patients with
      transient and permanent CDI after resection CSR tumors of various histological
      nature (craniopharyngiomas, pituitary adenomas, meningiomas, and chordomas) was
      effective and safe in the early postoperative and long-term postoperative
      periods.

PMID- 28914873
TI  - [The extended endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach in surgery for
      epidermoid cysts of the chiasmatic region].
AB  - : Surgical treatment for epidermoid cysts of the chiasmatic region is a challenge
      because of the tendency to a massive spread of epidermoid masses through the
      cerebrospinal fluid pathways and a significant lesion deviation from the midline.
      PURPOSE: To analyze capabilities of the extended endoscopic endonasal
      transsphenoidal approach in surgery for epidermoid cysts. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      The study included 6 patients with epidermoid cysts of the chiasmatic region who
      were operated on using the extended anterior endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal
      approach at the Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute in the past 5 years. RESULTS:
      Epidermoid masses were completely removed in 5 patients; in none of the cases,
      complete removal of the epidermoid cyst capsule was achieved. There were no cases
      of vision deterioration and the development of new focal neurological symptoms.
      One female patient developed hypopituitary disorders in the postoperative period.
      There was no recurrence of epidermoid cysts during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Removal
      of epidermoid cysts of the chiasmatic region using the extended anterior
      endoscopic transsphenoidal approach may be an alternative to transcranial
      microsurgery.

PMID- 28914874
TI  - [Craniofacial tumors blood supply].
AB  - : Because of the spread to different anatomical regions, craniofacial tumors
      (CFTs) usually receive blood supply from several arterial systems, and CFT
      removal is often accompanied by abundant blood loss. PURPOSE: The study purpose
      was to develop an algorithm of diagnostic angiography for planning surgical
      treatment of CFT patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Complex preoperative angiography
      was performed in 72 patients with craniofacial tumors, aged 10 to 78 years (mean
      age, 45.5 years), who underwent surgical treatment at the Burdenko Neurosurgical
      Institute in the period from 2012 to 2015. At the first stage, blood supply to
      tumors was quantified using SCT perfusion. Then, depending on an assessed degree
      of tumor vascularization, direct angiography or modern minimally invasive
      angiographic techniques (3D TOF HR MR angiography, SCT angiography) were applied.
      RESULTS: In 12 cases of hypervascular tumors, accessible afferents were
      preoperatively embolized through the external carotid artery, which was
      accompanied by an increase in the blood supply to tumors via alternative routes
      of the external and internal carotid arteries. The obtained data were used to
      plan the surgical approach. A comparative analysis of the SCT perfusion data and
      the expression level of endothelial markers in histological specimens revealed no
      significant correlation. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated the importance of a
      comprehensive assessment of the blood supply to CFTs in planning of the surgical
      treatment and enabled the development of algorithms for preoperative angiographic
      diagnosis, depending on the baseline clinical and radiological data.

PMID- 28914875
TI  - [A malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor developed from the auditory nerve: a
      case report and a literature review].
AB  - We present a rare clinical case of a patient with a malignant peripheral nerve
      sheath tumor developed from the auditory nerve as well as a literature review,
      including 30 reported cases of this disease.

PMID- 28914876
TI  - [An aneurysm of the medial posterior choroidal artery: a case report and a
      literature review].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Aneurysms of the medial posterior choroidal artery are very rare.
      To date, only 5 cases have been reported. The article presents a case of
      successful surgical treatment of an aneurysm of the medial posterior choroidal
      artery and a literature review. CLINICAL CASE: A 57-year-old male was admitted to
      the Center 1 month after a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage. CT angiography
      revealed an aneurysm of the right posterior medial choroidal artery in the
      perimesencephalic cistern and resolved hemorrhage. TREATMENT: The paramedian
      supracerebellar transtentorial approach to the lateral surface of the midbrain
      was used. The posterior cerebral artery was identified in the perimesencephalic
      cistern, and the medial posterior choroidal artery aneurysm was isolated and
      successfully clipped, with the parent artery being preserved. Postoperative CT
      and MRI scans revealed a small asymptomatic ischemic lesion in the tectal region
      on the right. The patient was discharged without any neurological symptoms 10
      days after surgery. CONCLUSION: Medial posterior choroidal artery aneurysms can
      be clipped using the paramedian supracerebellar transtentorial approach.

PMID- 28914877
TI  - [Expansive suboccipital cranioplasty in Chiari 1 malformation (a case report and
      technical notes)].
AB  - In this case report, we describe the use of expansive suboccipital cranioplasty
      in Chiari-1 malformation. The technique improves the efficacy and safety of
      treatment for Chiari-1 malformation. The technique can be used as an adjunct
      treatment together with any variant of posterior fossa decompression, including
      duroplasty and extradural decompression.

PMID- 28914878
TI  - [Pineal cyst].
AB  - : A pineal cyst (PC) is a benign neoplasm in the pineal region, or more precisely
      in the pineal body. Most cysts are incidental findings and are not associated
      with symptoms typical of patients seeking medical advice. Symptomatic cysts are
      discovered less often and, depending on the clinical picture, require different
      treatment approaches. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the literature data about
      the clinical picture, diagnosis, and treatment of PCs for more than a century
      (1914-2016). CONCLUSION: To date, there is no single approach for managing PC
      patients. The indications for surgical treatment of symptomatic PCs are still not
      fully defined. It remains unclear which PC cases should be followed-up, and how
      often control examinations should be performed. More research of PCs is needed to
      develop new approaches to treatment of PC patients.

PMID- 28914879
TI  - Metabolite toxicity slows local diversity loss during expansion of a microbial
      cross-feeding community.
AB  - Metabolic interactions between populations can influence patterns of spatial
      organization and diversity within microbial communities. Cross-feeding is one
      type of metabolic interaction that is pervasive within microbial communities,
      where one genotype consumes a resource into a metabolite while another genotype
      then consumes the metabolite. A typical feature of cross-feeding is that the
      metabolite may impose toxicity if it accumulates to sufficient concentrations.
      However, little is known about the effect of metabolite toxicity on spatial
      organization and local diversity within microbial communities. We addressed this
      knowledge gap by experimentally varying the toxicity of a single cross-fed
      metabolite and measuring the consequences on a synthetic microbial cross-feeding
      community. Our results demonstrate that metabolite toxicity slows demixing and
      thus slows local diversity loss of the metabolite-producing population. Using
      mathematical modeling, we show that this is because toxicity slows growth, which
      enables more cells to emigrate from the founding region and contribute towards
      population expansion. Our results show that metabolite toxicity is an important
      factor affecting local diversity within microbial communities and that spatial
      organization can be affected by non-intuitive mechanisms.

PMID- 28914880
TI  - Tremblaya phenacola PPER: an evolutionary beta-gammaproteobacterium collage.
AB  - Many insects rely on bacterial endosymbionts to obtain nutrients that are scarce
      in their highly specialized diets. The most surprising example corresponds to the
      endosymbiotic system found in mealybugs from subfamily Pseudococcinae in which
      two bacteria, the betaproteobacterium 'Candidatus Tremblaya princeps' and a
      gammaproteobacterium, maintain a nested endosymbiotic consortium. In the sister
      subfamily Phenacoccinae, however, a single beta-endosymbiont, 'Candidatus
      Tremblaya phenacola', has been described. In a previous study, we detected a trpB
      gene of gammaproteobacterial origin in 'Ca. Tremblaya phenacola' from two
      Phenacoccus species, apparently indicating an unusual case of horizontal gene
      transfer (HGT) in a bacterial endosymbiont. What we found by sequencing the
      genome of 'Ca. Tremblaya phenacola' PPER, single endosymbiont of Phenacoccus
      peruvianus, goes beyond a HGT phenomenon. It rather represents a genome fusion
      between a beta and a gammaproteobacterium, followed by massive rearrangements and
      loss of redundant genes, leading to an unprecedented evolutionary collage.
      Mediated by the presence of several repeated sequences, there are many possible
      genome arrangements, and different subgenomic sequences might coexist within the
      same population.

PMID- 28914881
TI  - MicroRNA-200c impairs uterine receptivity formation by targeting FUT4 and
      alpha1,3-fucosylation.
AB  - Successful embryo implantation requires the establishment of a receptive
      endometrium. Poor endometrial receptivity has generally been considered as a
      major cause of infertility. Protein glycosylation is associated with many
      physiological and pathological processes. The fucosylation is catalyzed by the
      specific fucosyltransferases. Fucosyltransferase IV (FUT4) is the key enzyme for
      the biosynthesis of alpha1,3-fucosylated glycans carried by glycoproteins, and
      the previous studies showed FUT4 expression changed dynamically during
      perimplantation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to regulate specific gene
      expression. However, the relationship between specific miRNA and FUT4, as well as
      the role of miRNA/FUT4 in the establishment of uterine receptivity remains
      elusive. In the current study, we reported that the levels of miR-200 family
      members were significantly increased in serum from infertility and abortion
      patients relative to healthy non-pregnancy and early-pregnancy women. Among
      these, miR-200c was the most sensitive diagnostic criterion for infertility by
      receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. FUT4 was lower in the serum
      from infertility and abortion patients compared with the healthy non-pregnancy
      and early-pregnancy women. Using endometrial cell lines and a mouse model, we
      demonstrated that miR-200c targeted and inhibited FUT4 expression, leading to the
      dysfunction of uterine receptivity. Our results also revealed that miR-200c
      decreased alpha1.3-fucosylation on glycoprotein CD44, which further inactivated
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. Taken together, miR-200c hampers uterine
      receptivity formation by targeting FUT4 and alpha1.3-fucosylation on CD44. miR
      200c and FUT4 may be applied together as the potential markers for endometrial
      receptivity, and useful diagnostic and therapeutic targets for infertility.

PMID- 28914882
TI  - SIRT3/SOD2 maintains osteoblast differentiation and bone formation by regulating
      mitochondrial stress.
AB  - Recent studies have revealed robust metabolic changes during cell
      differentiation. Mitochondria, the organelles where many vital metabolic
      reactions occur, may play an important role. Here, we report the involvement of
      SIRT3-regulated mitochondrial stress in osteoblast differentiation and bone
      formation. In both the osteoblast cell line MC3T3-E1 and primary calvarial
      osteoblasts, robust mitochondrial biogenesis and supercomplex formation were
      observed during differentiation, accompanied by increased ATP production and
      decreased mitochondrial stress. Inhibition of mitochondrial activity or an
      increase in mitochondrial superoxide production significantly suppressed
      osteoblast differentiation. During differentiation, SOD2 was specifically induced
      to eliminate excess mitochondrial superoxide and protein oxidation, whereas SIRT3
      expression was increased to enhance SOD2 activity through deacetylation of K68.
      Both SOD2 and SIRT3 knockdown resulted in suppression of differentiation.
      Meanwhile, mice deficient in SIRT3 exhibited obvious osteopenia accompanied by
      osteoblast dysfunction, whereas overexpression of SOD2 or SIRT3 improved the
      differentiation capability of primary osteoblasts derived from SIRT3-deficient
      mice. These results suggest that SIRT3/SOD2 is required for regulating
      mitochondrial stress and plays a vital role in osteoblast differentiation and
      bone formation.

PMID- 28914884
TI  - Parkinson disease: CSMD1 gene mutations can lead to familial Parkinson disease.

PMID- 28914883
TI  - CIDP and other inflammatory neuropathies in diabetes - diagnosis and management.
AB  - Distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSPN) is the most common neuropathy to occur in
      diabetes mellitus. However, patients with diabetes can also develop inflammatory
      neuropathies, the most common and most treatable of which is chronic inflammatory
      demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). Whether diabetes is a risk factor
      for CIDP remains under debate. Early studies suggested that patients with
      diabetes were at increased risk of CIDP, but epidemiological studies failed to
      confirm the association, and subsequent data have re-opened the debate.
      Inadequate interpretation of investigations and differentials between CIDP and
      other neuropathies that can occur in diabetes, such as DSPN, diabetic
      radiculoplexus neuropathies and vasculitic multiple mononeuropathy, might mean
      that CIDP is under-recognized. Despite a response rate of >80% to first-line
      therapies for CIDP in patients with or without diabetes, those with diabetes
      often present with greater disability owing to late referral and axonal pathology
      attributed to DSPN. The increasing worldwide prevalence of diabetes creates an
      urgent need to improve identification of potentially treatable neuropathies, such
      as CIDP. In this Review, we consider the features of CIDP in patients with
      diabetes, and discuss how these features can be used to differentiate the
      condition from other neuropathies. We also review the management options for CIDP
      and other inflammatory neuropathies in patients with diabetes.

PMID- 28914885
TI  - Multiple sclerosis: Intrathecal inflammation mediates mood in relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28914886
TI  - Multiple sclerosis: Concussion during adolescence linked to increased risk of MS.

PMID- 28914887
TI  - Neural repair and rehabilitation: Prolonged neural stem cell maturation restores
      motor function in spinal cord-lesioned rats.

PMID- 28914888
TI  - Parkinson disease: Asthma drug could protect against PD.

PMID- 28914889
TI  - Two-color walking Peregrine solitary waves.
AB  - We study the extreme localization of light, evolving upon a non-zero background,
      in two-color parametric wave interaction in nonlinear quadratic media. We report
      the existence of quadratic Peregrine solitary waves, in the presence of
      significant group-velocity mismatch between the waves (or Poynting vector beam
      walk-off), in the regime of cascading second-harmonic generation. This finding
      opens a novel path for the experimental demonstration of extreme rogue waves in
      ultrafast quadratic nonlinear optics.

PMID- 28914890
TI  - High-energy and efficient Raman soliton generation tunable from 1.98 to 2.29  um
      in an all-silica-fiber thulium laser system.
AB  - We demonstrate a compact, all-fiber-integrated laser system that delivers Raman
      solitons with a duration of ~100  fs and pulse energy of up to 13.3 nJ,
      continuously wavelength tunable from 1.98 to 2.29 um via Raman-induced soliton
      self-frequency shift (SSFS) in a thulium-doped fiber amplifier. We realize a >90%
      efficiency of Raman conversion, the highest reported value from SSFS-based
      sources, to the best of our knowledge. This enables us to achieve >10  nJ soliton
      energy from a 2.16 to 2.29 um range, the highest energy demonstrated above 2.22
      um from an SSFS-assisted, all-fiber tunable single-soliton-pulse source, to the
      best of our knowledge. Our simple and compact all-fiber tunable laser could serve
      as an efficient ~2  um femtosecond source for a wide range of mid-infrared
      applications.

PMID- 28914891
TI  - Optimization of primary Kerr optical frequency combs for tunable microwave
      generation.
AB  - We analyze the condition under which Kerr combs generate the highest microwave
      output power after photodetection. These optimal comb states correspond to
      configurations in which the sidemode-to-pump ratio is the highest possible. For
      the case of primary combs, we show how the interplay between the power and
      frequency of the pump laser critically influences this ratio, which has a direct
      influence on the phase noise performance of the generated microwaves. We also
      experimentally demonstrate primary combs with a sidemode-to-pump ratio as high as
      -2  dB, thereby leading to efficient energy conversion from the lightwave to the
      microwave frequency range.

PMID- 28914892
TI  - Linearly polarized cascaded Raman fiber laser with random distributed feedback
      operating beyond 1.5  MUm.
AB  - We report on, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a linearly
      polarized cascaded Raman fiber laser based on a simple half-open cavity with a
      broadband composite reflector and random distributed feedback in a polarization
      maintaining phosphosilicate fiber with a zero dispersion wavelength at ~1400  nm.
      Pumped by a 1080 nm Yb-doped fiber laser, the random laser delivers more than 8 W
      at 1262 nm and 9 W at 1515 nm with a polarization extinction ratio of 27 dB. The
      generation linewidths amount to about 1 and 3 nm, respectively, being almost
      independent of power, in correspondence with the theory of a cascaded random
      fiber lasing.

PMID- 28914894
TI  - 2.3  MUm Tm3+:YLF mode-locked laser.
AB  - A passively mode-locked Tm:YLF laser emitting at 2.3 MUm is reported for the
      first time, to the best of our knowledge. The continuous-wave stable mode-locking
      operation is obtained with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror at a
      repetition rate of 100 MHz. The average output power is 165 mW for a pulse
      duration of 94 ps.

PMID- 28914893
TI  - High-contrast 10  fs OPCPA-based front end for multi-PW laser chains.
AB  - Applications using multi-PW lasers necessitate high temporal pulse quality with a
      tremendous contrast ratio (CR). The first crucial prerequisite to achieve multi
      PW peak power is the generation of ultrashort pulses with good spectral phase
      quality. Second, to avoid any deleterious pre-ionization effect on targets,
      nanosecond contrast better than 1012 is also targeted. In the framework of the
      Apollon 10 PW French laser program, we present a high-contrast 10 fs front-end
      design study to inject highly energetic Ti:sapphire PW lasers. The CR has been
      measured and analyzed in different time ranges highlighting the different major
      contributions for each scale.

PMID- 28914895
TI  - Experimental generation of discrete ultraviolet wavelength by cascaded intermodal
      four-wave mixing in a multimode photonic crystal fiber.
AB  - In this Letter, we demonstrate experimentally for the first time, to the best of
      our knowledge, discrete ultraviolet (UV) wavelength generation by cascaded
      intermodal FWM when femtosecond pump pulses at 800 nm are launched into the
      deeply normal dispersion region of the fundamental guided mode of a multimode
      photonic crystal fiber (MPCF). For pump pulses at average input powers of
      Pav=450, 550, and 650 mW, the first anti-Stokes waves are generated at the
      visible wavelength of 538.1 nm through intermodal phase matching between the
      fundamental and second-order guided mode of the MPCF. The first anti-Stokes waves
      generated then serve as the secondary pump for the next intermodal FWM process.
      The second anti-Stokes waves in the form of the third-order guided mode are
      generated at the UV wavelength of 375.8 nm. The maximum output power is above 10
      mW for Pav=650  mW. We also confirm that the influences of fiber bending and
      intermodal walk-offs on the cascaded intermodal FWM-based frequency conversion
      process are negligible.

PMID- 28914896
TI  - Rapid measurement of transversal flow velocity vector with high spatial
      resolution using speckle decorrelation optical coherence tomography.
AB  - We propose and demonstrate a novel method that uses only three sets of B-scans to
      accurately determine both the direction and the speed of a transversal flow using
      speckle decorrelation optical coherence tomography. Our tri-scan method has the
      advantages of high measurement speed, high spatial resolution, and insensitivity
      to the flow speed. By introducing error maps, we show that the flow angle
      inaccuracy can be minimized by choosing the measurement result with a lesser
      error between results obtained from the x- and y-scans. Finally, we demonstrate
      that the flow angle measurement accuracy can be further improved for the high
      speed flows by increasing the speed of the x- and y-scans.

PMID- 28914897
TI  - Dual-frequency Doppler lidar for wind detection with a superconducting nanowire
      single-photon detector.
AB  - A dual-frequency direct detection Doppler lidar is demonstrated using a
      superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) at 1.5 MUm. The so-called
      double-edge technique is implemented by using a dual-frequency laser pulse,
      rather than using a double-channel Fabry-Perot interferometer. Such a
      modification to the reported lidars enhances the frequency stability in the
      system level. Using the time-division multiplexing method, only one piece of
      SNSPD is used in the optical receiver, making the system simplified and robust.
      The SNSPD is adopted to enhance the temporal resolution since it offers merits of
      high quantum efficiency, low dark count noise, no after-pulsing probability, and
      a high maximum count rate. Two telescopes that point westward and northward at a
      zenith angle of 30 degrees  are used to detect the line-of-sight wind components,
      which are used to synthesize the horizontal wind profile. Horizontal wind
      profiles up to an altitude of about 2.7 km are calculated with vertical
      spatial/temporal resolution of 10 m/10 s. Wind dynamic evolution and vertical
      wind shears are observed clearly.

PMID- 28914898
TI  - Highly sensitive temperature sensor based on an ultra-compact Mach-Zehnder
      interferometer with side-opened channels.
AB  - We demonstrated an ultra-compact and highly sensitive temperature sensor by using
      an in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with side-opened channels. The MZI
      was constructed by off-center splicing a thin piece of microstructured optical
      fiber (MOF) between two single-mode fibers. Then, two side-opened channels were
      drilled through the MOF along the transverse direction by using a femtosecond
      laser to let the liquid with a high thermo-optic coefficient enter into the air
      cavity of the MZI. Due to the large effective refractive index (RI) difference
      between the core mode and the cavity mode excited by the offset splicing point,
      the scale of the MOF-based MZI can be reduced to several hundred micrometers.
      Experimental results show that the MOF-based MZI infiltrated with isopropanol has
      a temperature sensitivity up to 3.8 nm/ degrees C with small strain cross
      sensitivity of 0.0001  degrees C/MUepsilon in the temperature range of 22 degrees
      C-34 degrees C, which makes it a competitive fiber sensor in highly sensitive
      temperature sensing applications, including healthcare and consumer electronics.

PMID- 28914899
TI  - Tapered polysilicon core fibers for nonlinear photonics: erratum.
AB  - We correct an error of the nonlinear refractive index used in our original paper.

PMID- 28914900
TI  - Cycle-slip-less low-complexity phase recovery algorithm for coherent optical
      receivers.
AB  - We propose and experimentally validate a blind phase recovery algorithm based on
      tracking low-frequency components of the phase noise, which we call "filtered
      carrier-phase estimation (F-CPE)." Tracking only the low-frequency components
      allows F-CPE to reduce the computational complexity by using a frequency-domain
      equalizer and to simplify the partitioning of a 16 quadrature amplitude
      modulation (16QAM) constellation. Further, this approach eliminates cycle slips
      by suppressing the impact of amplified spontaneous emission on phase noise
      estimation. The experimental results demonstrate cycle-slip-free operation for 15
      and 32 GBd 16QAM signals. Additionally, the proposed method showed similar or
      better sensitivity compared with the blind-phase-search algorithm, near standard
      forward error correction thresholds of modern wavelength division multiplexing
      systems.

PMID- 28914901
TI  - Interaction of surface plasmon polaritons and acoustic waves inside an acoustic
      cavity.
AB  - In this Letter, we introduce an approach for manipulation of active plasmon
      polaritons via acoustic waves at sub-terahertz frequency range. The acoustic
      structures considered are designed as phononic Fabry-Perot microresonators where
      mirrors are presented with an acoustic superlattice and the structure's surface,
      and a plasmonic grating is placed on top of the acoustic cavity so formed. It
      provides phonon localization in the vicinity of the plasmonic grating at
      frequencies within the phononic stop band enhancing phonon-light interaction. We
      consider phonon excitation by shining a femtosecond laser pulse on the plasmonic
      grating. Appropriate theoretical model was used to describe the acoustic process
      caused by the pump laser pulse in the GaAs/AlAs-based acoustic cavity with a gold
      grating on top. Strongest modulation is achieved upon excitation of propagating
      surface plasmon polaritons and hybridization of propagating and localized
      plasmons. The relative changes in the optical reflectivity of the structure are
      more than an order of magnitude higher than for the structure without the
      plasmonic film.

PMID- 28914902
TI  - Development of an atmospheric polarization Scheimpflug lidar system based on a
      time-division multiplexing scheme.
AB  - A polarization Scheimpflug lidar system based on the Scheimpflug principle has
      been developed by employing two linearly polarized 808 nm laser diodes and a
      complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. The polarization of
      one laser diode is rotated 90 degrees  by a half-wave plate. The two laser beams
      with orthogonal polarizations are combined by a polarization beam splitter and
      transmitted into the atmosphere. The corresponding parallel- and perpendicular
      polarized backscattering echoes are detected by the 45 degrees  tilted CMOS
      sensor using a time-division multiplexing scheme. A 24 h continuous atmospheric
      vertical profiling of the depolarization ratio has been performed by using the
      polarization Scheimpflug lidar system. The promising results successfully
      demonstrated that the present lidar system has potential for the polarization
      studies of atmospheric aerosols.

PMID- 28914903
TI  - Experimental demonstration of an apodized-imaging chip-fiber grating coupler for
      Si3N4 waveguides.
AB  - A silicon nitride waveguide is a promising platform for integrated photonics,
      particularly due to its low propagation loss compared to other complementary
      metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible waveguides, including silicon-on-insulator.
      Input/output coupling in such thin optical waveguides is a key issue for
      practical implementations. Fiber-to-chip grating couplers in silicon nitride
      usually exhibit low coupling efficiency because the moderate index contrast leads
      to weak radiation strengths and poor directionality. Here, we present the first,
      to the best of our knowledge, experimental demonstration of a recently proposed
      apodized-imaging fiber-to-chip grating coupler in silicon nitride that images an
      in-plane waveguide mode to an optical fiber placed at a specific distance above
      the chip. By employing amplitude and phase apodization, the diffracted optical
      field of the grating is matched to the fiber mode. High grating directionality is
      achieved by using staircase grating teeth, which produce a blazing effect.
      Experimental results demonstrate an apodized-imaging grating coupler with a
      record coupling efficiency of -1.5  dB and a 3 dB bandwidth of 60 nm in the C
      band.

PMID- 28914904
TI  - Probing the degenerate states of V-point singularities.
AB  - V-points are polarization singularities in spatially varying linearly polarized
      optical fields and are characterized by the Poincare-Hopf index eta. Each V-point
      singularity is a superposition of two oppositely signed orbital angular momentum
      states in two orthogonal spin angular momentum states. Hence, a V-point
      singularity has zero net angular momentum. V-points with given |eta| have the
      same (amplitude) intensity distribution but have four degenerate polarization
      distributions. Each of these four degenerate states also produce identical
      diffraction patterns. Hence to distinguish these degenerate states
      experimentally, we present in this Letter a method involving a combination of
      polarization transformation and diffraction. This method also shows the
      possibility of using polarization singularities in place of phase singularities
      in optical communication and quantum information processing.

PMID- 28914905
TI  - High-repetition-rate, multi-pulse all-normal-dispersion fiber laser.
AB  - In this Letter, a fiber laser that exploits the dissipative Faraday instability
      as a pulse-generating mechanism is presented, and its dynamics are studied
      numerically. The proposed laser operates in the all-normal-dispersion regime and
      produces a train of quasi-parabolic pulses, with a repetition rate that can be
      controlled depending on the cavity dispersion and nonlinearity, ranging from 10
      to 50 GHz. It exploits a lumped amplification scheme, which can be potentially
      realized with rare-earth gain media. The issues concerning the stability of the
      pulses are discussed, and the differences with similar pulsed lasers are
      highlighted. In particular, the transition from the ordered multi-pulse regime
      proposed here to the random pulse operation mode already studied in the
      literature is discussed.

PMID- 28914906
TI  - Modal birefringence-free lithium niobate waveguides.
AB  - We investigate polarization-insensitive waveguide designs afforded by the
      interplay of material and waveguide birefringence in LiNbO3-on-insulator photonic
      wires. Fundamental mode birefringence-free operation in the 0.8-1.8 MUm spectral
      range is predicted for a suitable choice of waveguide widths in the 375-600 nm
      range. Optimized buried waveguide designs yield broadband (1350-1625 nm) index
      matching between TE00 and TM00 modes. Furthermore, simultaneous phase- and group
      velocity matching at infrared wavelengths appears feasible for pulse durations as
      short as 100 fs.

PMID- 28914907
TI  - Fast electroholographic wavelength selective switching implemented in a slab
      waveguide.
AB  - We present wavelength selective switching with a rise time of 25 ns implemented
      in a slab waveguide constructed in a KLTN:Cu crystal. The waveguide was
      fabricated by implantations of alpha particles at 2.1 MeV which produced a 0.5
      MUm thick cladding layer with reduced refractive index at 4.5 MUm underneath the
      crystal surface. This demonstrates the feasibility of implementing
      electroholography in waveguides maintaining the performance obtained in bulk
      crystals, providing in potential the basis for constructing integrated photonic
      circuits which incorporate interconnected electroholographic wavelength selective
      switches and electrical wavelength tuning devices for employing wavelength
      addressing routing schemes in computer networks, in particular for relieving the
      bandwidth bottlenecks in data center networks.

PMID- 28914908
TI  - Phase-matched nonlinear optics via patterning layered materials.
AB  - The ease of integration and a large second-order nonlinear coefficient of
      atomically thin layered two-dimensional (2D) materials presents a unique
      opportunity to realize second-order nonlinearity in a silicon compatible
      integrated photonic system. However, the phase-matching requirement for second
      order nonlinear optical processes makes the nanophotonic design difficult. We
      show that by nano-patterning the 2D material, quasi-phase-matching can be
      achieved. Such patterning-based quasi-phase-matching could potentially compensate
      for inevitable fabrication errors and significantly simplify the design process
      of the nonlinear nanophotonic devices.

PMID- 28914909
TI  - Pump-degenerate phase-sensitive amplification in amorphous silicon waveguides.
AB  - We demonstrate phase-sensitive amplification in hydrogenated amorphous silicon
      photonic waveguides based on pump-degenerate four-wave mixing at continuous-wave
      (CW) operation, as well as at repetition rates of both 90 MHz and 10 GHz. At 90
      MHz pulsed operation, an 11.7 dB phase-sensitive extinction ratio (ER) is
      achieved with a peak pump power of 1.6 W. At 10 GHz pulsed operation, a 6.6 dB
      phase-sensitive ER is achieved with a peak pump power of 0.5 W. At CW operation,
      a 1.6 dB ER is achieved with a pump power of 38 mW.

PMID- 28914910
TI  - Large-bandwidth, low-loss, efficient mode mixing using long-period mechanical
      gratings.
AB  - We propose a new architecture for using long-period fiber gratings (LPGs) to
      induce strong mode mixing with low loss for space-division multiplexing. In this
      architecture, LPGs are installed in step-index (SI) few-mode fibers that support
      more modes than the transmission fiber. Such a design could significantly reduce
      losses due to coupling from the highest-order mode group to cladding modes. In
      our experiment, efficient mixing of three spatial modes over a broad bandwidth
      was achieved by a mechanical long-period grating on a SI fiber that supports
      eight spatial modes. The insertion loss, including two splice losses, is less
      than 0.5 dB, and the coupling matrix and mode-dependent loss (MDL) are
      characterized experimentally for the first time, to the best of our knowledge.
      Strong mixing between LP01 and LP11 for a whole C band is demonstrated, and MDL
      introduced to the system is negligible.

PMID- 28914911
TI  - Iridescence-free and narrowband perfect light absorption in critically coupled
      metal high-index dielectric cavities.
AB  - Perfect light absorption in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) was demonstrated
      using metamaterials, plasmonic nanostructures, and thin films. Thin film
      absorbers offer a simple and low-cost design as they can be produced on large
      areas and without lithography. Light is strongly absorbed in thin film metal
      dielectric-metal (MDM) cavities at their resonance frequencies. However, a major
      drawback of MDM absorbers is their strong resonance iridescence, i.e., angle
      dependence. Here, we solve the iridescence problem by achieving angle-insensitive
      narrowband perfect and near-perfect light absorption. In particular, we show
      analytically that using a high-index dielectric in MDM cavities is sufficient to
      achieve angle-insensitive cavity resonance. We demonstrate experimentally angle
      insensitive perfect and near-perfect absorbers in the NIR and visible regimes up
      to +/-60 degrees . By overcoming the iridescence problem, we open the door for
      practical applications of MDM absorbers at optical frequencies.

PMID- 28914912
TI  - Quasiperiodic one-dimensional photonic crystals with adjustable multiple photonic
      bandgaps.
AB  - We propose an elegant approach to produce photonic bandgap (PBG) structures with
      multiple photonic bandgaps by constructing quasiperiodic photonic crystals
      (QPPCs) composed of a superposition of photonic lattices with different periods.
      Generally, QPPC structures exhibit both aperiodicity and multiple PBGs due to
      their long-range order. They are described by a simple analytical expression,
      instead of quasiperiodic tiling approaches based on substitution rules. Here we
      describe the optical properties of QPPCs exhibiting two PBGs that can be tuned
      independently. PBG interband spacing and its depth can be varied by choosing
      appropriate reciprocal lattice vectors and their amplitudes. These effects are
      confirmed by the proof-of-concept measurements made for the porous silicon-based
      QPPC of the appropriate design.

PMID- 28914913
TI  - High-repetition-rate, deep-infrared, picosecond optical parametric oscillator
      based on CdSiP2.
AB  - We report a high-repetition-rate picosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO)
      based on CdSiP2 (CSP) that is synchronously pumped by an Yb-fiber laser at 1064
      nm and provides high average power in the deep-infrared (deep-IR) at 79.5 MHz.
      The OPO is tunable across 6205-6710 nm in the idler, providing as much as 105 mW
      of average power at 6205 nm and >55  mW over nearly the entire tuning range. The
      deep-IR idler output exhibits passive power stability better than 2.3% rms over
      12 h in good beam quality. The near-IR signal pulses from the OPO have a Gaussian
      pulse duration of ~19  ps, measured at 1284 nm. We have investigated the
      temperature tuning characteristics of the OPO and compared the data with the
      theoretical calculations using the most recent Sellmeier equations and thermo
      optic coefficients for the crystal. To the best of our knowledge, this is the
      first picosecond OPO based on CSP operating at MHz repetition rates.

PMID- 28914914
TI  - Regularized Huygens' plasmonic wave field synthesis using a metal-clad plasmonic
      waveguide array.
AB  - Huygens' principle states that point sources are the basis of optical wave field
      generation, and an array of point sources with complex amplitudes that are
      separated by subwavelength distances can generate a desired optical field
      distribution. In field synthesis based on the Huygens' principle, the
      construction of ideal point sources has been overlooked when compared to other
      elements in optical field synthesis engineering, such as complex modulation.
      However, the construction of ideal point sources should be considered an
      important goal because the use of non-ideal point sources generates considerable
      optical noise in the background of the synthesized field distribution. In this
      Letter, we investigate Huygens' plasmonic wave field synthesis and its
      regularization by analyzing the noise features that arise during wave field
      synthesis based on non-ideal point sources and proposing a novel structure for
      regularized point source construction. It is shown that the quality of plasmonic
      wave field synthesis based on the Huygens' principle is greatly improved with the
      proposed design of a structure that generates a unit point source. Practical
      field synthesis examples involving plasmonic focusing and Airy beams are
      presented in support of the proposed design.

PMID- 28914915
TI  - Long-wavelength infrared solitons in air.
AB  - Dispersion and optical nonlinearity of atmospheric air in the long-wavelength
      infrared (LWIR) range are shown to enable unique soliton dynamics in freely
      propagating laser beams. Analysis of spatiotemporal LWIR waveform evolution in
      air reveals soliton self-compression scenarios whereby ultrashort LWIR
      subterawatt pulses can be compressed to single-cycle terawatt field waveforms.

PMID- 28914916
TI  - Continuous-wave optically pumped green perovskite vertical-cavity surface
      emitter.
AB  - We report an optically pumped green perovskite vertical-cavity surface-emitter
      operating in continuous-wave (CW) with a power density threshold of ~89  kW/cm2.
      The device has an active region of CH3NH3PbBr3 embedded in a dielectric
      microcavity; this feat was achieved with a combination of optimal spectral
      alignment of the optical cavity modes with the perovskite optical gain, an
      adequate Q-factor of the microcavity, adequate thermal stability, and improved
      material quality with a smooth, passivated, and annealed thin active layer. Our
      results signify a way towards efficient CW perovskite emitter operation and
      electrical injection using low-cost fabrication methods for addressing monolithic
      optoelectronic integration and lasing in the green gap.

PMID- 28914917
TI  - Compact single-shot radial shearing interferometer with random phase shift.
AB  - We propose a compact phase-shifting radial shearing interferometer based on a
      pixelated micro-retarder array (MRA). The MRA is made of a thin birefringence
      plate, and is composed of identical units that have pixels of four different
      thicknesses. We demonstrate that pixelated phase delay between two shearing beams
      can be introduced by applying the fast axis of birefringence plate in the
      horizontal or vertical orientation. We also present an approach to extract the
      wavefront under test with random phase shift, which dramatically reduces the
      machining difficulty of the MRA. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed
      method are further validated through our numerical analysis. With the advantages
      of vibration immunity, simultaneous phase stepping, and broad spectral range, the
      presented interferometer is expected to be of potential use in a variety of
      applications, such as the detection of moving objects and dynamic processes.

PMID- 28914918
TI  - Cascading second-order nonlinear processes in a lithium niobate-on-insulator
      microdisk.
AB  - Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microcavities are very important in both
      fundamental science and practical applications, among which on-chip second-order
      nonlinear microresonators play an important role in integrated photonic
      functionalities. Here we demonstrate resonant second-harmonic generation (SHG)
      and cascaded third-harmonic generation (THG) in a lithium niobate-on-insulator
      (LNOI) microdisk resonator. Efficient SHG in the visible range was obtained with
      only several mW input powers at telecom wavelengths. THG was also observed
      through a cascading process, which reveals simultaneous phase matching and strong
      mode coupling in the resonator. Cascading of second-order nonlinear processes
      gives rise to an effectively large third-order nonlinearity, which makes on-chip
      second-order nonlinear microresonators a promising frequency converter for
      integrated nonlinear photonics.

PMID- 28914919
TI  - Highly sensitive optical sensor for precision measurement of electrical charges
      based on optomechanically induced difference-sideband generation.
AB  - Difference-sideband generation in an optomechanical system coupled to a charged
      object is investigated beyond the conventional linearized description of
      optomechanical interactions. An exponential decay law for difference-sideband
      generation in the presence of electric interaction is identified which exhibits
      more sensitivity to electrical charges than the conventional linearized effects.
      Using the exact same parameters with previous work based on the linearized
      dynamics of the optomechanical interactions, we show that optomechanically
      induced difference-sideband generation may enable an all-optical sensor for
      precision measurement of electrical charges with higher precision and lower
      power. The proposed mechanism is especially suited for on-chip optomechanical
      devices, where nonlinear optomechanical interaction in the weak coupling regime
      is within current experimental reach.

PMID- 28914920
TI  - Spectral focusing dual-comb coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopic imaging.
AB  - Coherent Raman microscopy provides label-free imaging by interrogating the
      intrinsic vibration of molecules. Here, we present a concept in a 100 MHz dual
      comb scheme to facilitate high-speed and broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman
      spectroscopic imaging based on down-converted, automatically varying delay-time
      in spectral focusing excitation. A rapid measurement of vibrational
      microspectroscopy on submicrosecond scale over a spectral span ~700  cm-1 with a
      refresh rate of 1.2 kHz provides access to well-resolved molecular signatures
      within the fingerprint region. We demonstrate hyperspectral images of a mixture
      of spatially inhomogeneous distributions of chemical substances.

PMID- 28914922
TI  - Effect of nitrogen doping on the photoluminescence intensity of graphene quantum
      dots.
AB  - We have developed a facile, fast, and one-step synthetic method to prepare
      graphene quantum dots (GQDs) simultaneously with nitrogen (N) doping via pulsed
      laser ablation. The N-doped GQDs (N-GQDs) with an average size around 3 nm and an
      N/C atomic ratio of 33% have been obtained. The N-GQDs emit blue
      photoluminescence (PL), where the PL intensity enhances as the N doping
      increases. The PL enhancement for the N-GQDs with a factor as high as 25 has been
      achieved as compared to GQDs. The origin of the PL enhancement in GQDs after N
      doping is attributed to the increased densities of pyridinic and graphitic N.

PMID- 28914921
TI  - Truly unentangled photon pairs without spectral filtering.
AB  - We demonstrate that an integrated silicon microring resonator is capable of
      efficiently producing photon pairs that are completely unentangled; such pairs
      are a key component of heralded single-photon sources. A dual-channel
      interferometric coupling scheme can be used to independently tune the quality
      factors associated with the pump and signal and idler modes, yielding a biphoton
      wavefunction with a Schmidt number arbitrarily close to unity. This will permit
      the generation of heralded single-photon states with unit purity.

PMID- 28914923
TI  - Gigabit free-space multi-level signal transmission with a mid-infrared quantum
      cascade laser operating at room temperature.
AB  - Gigabit free-space transmissions are experimentally demonstrated with a quantum
      cascaded laser (QCL) emitting at mid-wavelength infrared of 4.65 MUm, and a
      commercial infrared photovoltaic detector. The QCL operating at room temperature
      is directly modulated using on-off keying and, for the first time, to the best of
      our knowledge, four- and eight-level pulse amplitude modulations (PAM-4, PAM-8).
      By applying pre- and post-digital equalizations, we achieve up to 3  Gbit/s line
      data rate in all three modulation configurations with a bit error rate
      performance of below the 7% overhead hard decision forward error correction limit
      of 3.8*10-3. The proposed transmission link also shows a stable operational
      performance in the lab environment.

PMID- 28914924
TI  - Additivity of the coefficient of thermal expansion in silicate optical fibers.
AB  - A model that predicts the material additivity of the thermal expansion
      coefficient in the binary silicate glasses most commonly used for present (GeO2
      SiO2, P2O5-SiO2, B2O3-SiO2, and Al2O3-SiO2) and emerging (BaO-SiO2) optical
      fibers is proposed. This model is based on a derivation of the expression for the
      coefficient of thermal expansion in isotropic solids, and gives direct insight on
      the parameters that govern its additivity in silicate glasses. Furthermore, a
      consideration of the local structural environment of the glass system is
      necessary to fully describe its additivity behavior in the investigated systems.
      This Letter is important for better characterizing and understanding of the
      impact of temperature and internal stresses on the behavior of optical fibers.

PMID- 28914925
TI  - Application of polarization information to a light-controlling-light technique.
AB  - Nonlinear effects of photo-induced waveguides based on isomerization
      photochemistry are investigated. It is found that polarization information of the
      controlling light can be used to control the propagation of the signal light in
      all-optical waveguides, and an accurate and convenient light-controlling-light
      scheme is proposed, that is, controlling propagation of the signal light by
      synergic use of the intensity information and polarization information of the
      controlling light. The polarization dependence of optical nonlinearity is
      expected to enrich the connotation of the optical nonlinear effects and has
      theoretical significance and practical value.

PMID- 28914926
TI  - Single-polarization fiber-pigtailed high-finesse silica waveguide ring resonator
      for a resonant micro-optic gyroscope.
AB  - A new record for high-finesse silica waveguide ring resonators (WRRs), to the
      best of our knowledge, is demonstrated experimentally. The achieved finesse and
      resonant depths of the silica WRR with a length of 7.9 cm and a diameter of 2.5
      cm are 196.7% and 98%, respectively. In addition, the silica WRR chip is coupled
      with single-polarization fiber to improve the polarization extinction ratio (PER)
      and, thus, to reduce the polarization error. With the application of this high
      finesse and high-PER WRR to the resonant micro-optic gyroscope (RMOG), a bias
      stability of 0.004 degrees /s is observed over a 1 h timeframe. To the best of
      our knowledge, this is the first RMOG reported in the open literature that can
      sense the earth's rotation rate (15 degrees /h).

PMID- 28914927
TI  - Secure communications of CAP-4 and OOK signals over MMF based on electro-optic
      chaos.
AB  - Chaos-based secure communication can provide a high level of privacy in data
      transmission. Here, we experimentally demonstrate secure signal transmission over
      two kinds of multimode fiber (MMF) based on electro-optic intensity chaos. High
      quality synchronization is achieved in an electro-optic feedback configuration.
      Both 5  Gbit/s carrier-less amplitude/phase (CAP-4) modulation and 10  Gbit/s on
      off key (OOK) signals are recovered efficiently in electro-optic chaos-based
      communication systems. Degradations of chaos synchronization and communication
      system due to mismatch of various hardware keys are also discussed.

PMID- 28914928
TI  - Multi-resonant Lugiato-Lefever model.
AB  - We introduce a new model that extends the Lugiato-Lefever equation to the
      description of multiple resonances in Kerr optical cavities. It perfectly agrees
      quantitatively (in both stationary and dynamical regimes) with the exact Ikeda
      map, even when using a small number of resonances. Our model predicts the onset
      of complex phenomena such as the recently observed super-cavity solitons and the
      coexistence of multiple nonlinear states. It will be of crucial importance for
      the analytical understanding of new nonlinear phenomena in Kerr cavities when the
      intensities or nonlinearities are high enough to be able to excite more than one
      cavity resonance.

PMID- 28914929
TI  - Full-vectorial propagation model and modified effective mode area of four-wave
      mixing in straight waveguides.
AB  - We derive from Maxwell's equations full-vectorial nonlinear propagation equations
      of four-wave mixing valid in straight semiconductor-on-insulator waveguides.
      Special attention is given to the resulting effective mode area, which takes a
      convenient form known from studies in photonic crystal fibers, but has not been
      introduced in the context of integrated waveguides. We show that the difference
      between our full-vectorial effective mode area and the scalar equivalent often
      referred to in the literature may lead to mistakes when evaluating the nonlinear
      refractive index and optimizing designs of new waveguides. We verify the results
      of our derivation by comparing it to experimental measurements in a silicon-on
      insulator waveguide, taking tolerances on fabrication parameters into account.

PMID- 28914930
TI  - Continuous-wave, singly resonant parametric oscillator-based mid-infrared optical
      vortex source.
AB  - We report on a high-power, continuous-wave source of optical vortices tunable in
      the mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelength range. Using the orbital angular momentum
      (OAM) conservation of the parametric processes and the threshold conditions of
      the cavity modes of the singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO), we
      have transferred the OAM of the pump beam at the near-infrared wavelength to the
      idler beam tunable in the mid-IR. Pumped with a vortex beam of order lp=1 at 1064
      nm, the SRO, configured in a four curved mirror-based ring cavity with a 50 mm
      long MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal, produces an idler beam with an
      output power in excess of 2 W in a vortex spatial profile with the order li=1,
      tunable across 2217-3574 nm and corresponding signal beam in Gaussian intensity
      distribution across 1515-2046 nm. For pump vortices of the order lp=1 and 2, and
      a power of 22 W, the SRO produces idler vortices of the same order as that of the
      pump beam with a maximum power of 5.23 and 2.3 W, corresponding to near-IR to mid
      IR vortex conversion efficiency of 23.8% and 10.4%, respectively. The idler
      vortex beam has a spectral width, and a passive rms power stability of 101 MHz
      and 4.9% over 2 h, respectively.

PMID- 28914931
TI  - High-speed 2D Raman imaging at elevated pressures.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) Raman scattering at 10 kHz in non-reacting flow mixtures is
      demonstrated by employing a burst-mode laser with a long-duration pulse of about
      70 ns and pulse energy of about 750 mJ at 532 nm. To avoid optical breakdown, the
      pulse width of the laser was varied in the range of 10-1000 ns. The effects of
      pulse shape, pulse energy, and harmonic conversion on 2D measurements are also
      studied. The applications of high-speed, single-shot, 2D imaging of CH4 and H2
      jets in N2 at elevated pressures are demonstrated. In addition, the scalar
      dissipation rate of CH4 in N2 at 20 bar is determined, and multi-dimensional,
      multi-species, high-speed imaging of flows at elevated pressures is demonstrated.

PMID- 28914932
TI  - Observation of 7pP23/2->7dD2 optical transitions in 209 and 210 francium
      isotopes.
AB  - We report on the direct experimental observation of the 7pP23/2->7dD2 optical
      transitions in 209 and 210 francium isotopes. By continuously monitoring the
      fluorescence emitted by the isotopes collected in a magneto-optical trap (MOT),
      the electric dipole transitions 7pP23/2->7dD25/2 of Fr209, not yet experimentally
      observed, and 7pP23/2->7dD25/2, 7pP23/2->7dD25/2 of Fr210 were detected as sub
      Doppler depletion dips of the cold atom population. This approach allowed
      unambiguous identification of the excited state hyperfine structures, even in the
      absence of a large stable vapor. Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness and
      the flexibility of fluorescence monitoring of trap depletion upon laser
      excitation, and broaden the experimental knowledge of francium isotopes and their
      electronic and nuclear properties. These results will have a relevant impact on
      ongoing researches for low-energy testing of fundamental symmetries with
      francium, from atomic parity non-conservation to the electron dipole moment.

PMID- 28914933
TI  - Broadband high-order mode pass filter based on mode conversion.
AB  - We report a unique concept to implement a high-order mode pass filter using mode
      converters. Our proposed design method implements a high-order mode pass filter
      of any order, uses different mode converters available, and applies to a variety
      of planar lightwave circuit material platforms. We fabricate a broadband
      fundamental mode filter device using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and Y
      junctions to demonstrate our idea. The performance of the fabricated device is
      demonstrated experimentally in the wavelength range of 1.530-1.565 MUm (C-band).
      This filter exhibits a simulated extinction ratio of 37 dB with an excess loss of
      0.52 dB for the first-order mode transmission.

PMID- 28914934
TI  - Extended Yeh's method for optically active anisotropic layered media.
AB  - We extend the original method of Yeh [J. Opt. Soc. Am.69, 742 (1979)JOSAAH0030
      394110.1364/JOSA.69.000742] for calculating the reflection and transmission from
      anisotropic layered structures to media exhibiting not only dielectric, but also
      magnetic anisotropy, as well as optical activity. We likewise establish the
      relationship between the optical activity and gyration tensors from the two most
      used constitutive relations for optically active media and illustrate the
      extended Yeh's method on a practically important example.

PMID- 28914935
TI  - Optical parametric generation in orientation-patterned gallium phosphide.
AB  - We report an optical parametric generator (OPG) based on the new nonlinear
      material, orientation-patterned gallium phosphide (OP-GaP). Pumped by a Q
      switched nanosecond Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm with 25 kHz pulse repetition rate,
      the OPG can be tuned across 1721-1850 nm in the signal and 2504-2787 nm in the
      idler. Using a 40-mm-long crystal in single-pass configuration, we have generated
      a total average output power of up to ~18  mW, with ~5  mW of idler power at 2670
      nm, for 2 W of input pump power. The OPG exhibits a passive stability in total
      output power better than 0.87% rms over 1 h, at a crystal temperature of 120
      degrees C, compared to 0.14% rms for the input pump. The output signal pulses,
      recorded at 1769 nm, have duration of 5.9 ns for input pump pulses of 9 ns.
      Temperature-dependent loss measurements for the pump polarization along the [100]
      axis in the OP-GaP crystal have also been performed, for the first time,
      indicating a drop in transmission from 28.8% at 50 degrees C to 19.4% at 160
      degrees C.

PMID- 28914936
TI  - Study of middle infrared difference frequency generation using a femtosecond
      laser source in LGT.
AB  - We demonstrate phase-matched difference frequency generation in the emerging
      nonlinear crystal La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14. Tunable wavelengths between 1.4 and 4.7 MUm
      are generated by using femtosecond sources. We also report on the measurements of
      the optical damage threshold in the femtosecond regime and on the nonlinear
      refractive index n2.

PMID- 28914937
TI  - Efficient spot size converter for higher-order mode fiber-chip coupling.
AB  - We propose and demonstrate a silicon-based spot size converter (SSC), composed of
      two identical tapered channel waveguides and a Y-junction. The SSC is designed
      for first-order mode fiber-to-chip coupling on the basis of mode petal separation
      and the recombination method. Compared with a traditional on-chip SSC, this
      method is superior with reduced coupling loss when dealing with a higher-order
      mode. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first experimental
      observations of a higher-order SSC which is fully compatible with a standard
      fabrication process. Average coupling losses of 3 and 5.5 dB are predicted by
      simulation and demonstrated experimentally. A fully covered 3 dB bandwidth over a
      1515-1585 nm wavelength range is experimentally observed.

PMID- 28914938
TI  - Full color waveguide liquid crystal display.
AB  - We developed a waveguide liquid crystal display from a liquid crystal
      (LC)/polymer composite. It does not need polarizers or color filters. It is
      illuminated by color LEDs installed on its edge. The light produced by the edge
      LEDs is coupled into the display and then waveguided through the display. When
      the LC is in the transparent state, the incident light is waveguided through and
      no light comes out of the viewing side of the display. When the LC is in the
      scattering state, the incident light is scattered and comes out of the display.
      It can be used either for transparent display or for direct view display. The
      composite has a submillisecond response time, and a field sequential scheme can
      be used to display full color images. Because the display does not need
      polarizers or color filters, its energy efficiency is much higher than current
      liquid crystal displays.

PMID- 28914939
TI  - Multicore fiber-Bragg-grating-based directional curvature sensor interrogated by
      a broadband source with a sinusoidal spectrum.
AB  - A simple, spectral-drift-insensitive interrogation scheme for a multicore fiber
      Bragg grating (FBG)-based directional curvature sensor is proposed. The basic
      principle is to transform the wavelength shift of FBGs into the reflected power
      variation, which is accomplished by utilizing a broadband source with a
      sinusoidal spectrum. The closed-form expression of the relationship between the
      reflected power of the FBG and the corresponding peak wavelength is derived for
      the first time, to the best of our knowledge; therefore, the peak wavelength of
      the FBG can be precisely interrogated by using a single photodiode. The
      experimental results show that, with respect to conventional wavelength
      measurement by an optical spectrum analyzer, the demodulated wavelength error by
      our proposed interrogation scheme is within +/-20  pm. The proposed scheme is
      further extended to interrogate the direction and curvature using a multicore FBG
      based curvature sensor; the interrogated curvature with an error less than 8% is
      achieved.

PMID- 28914940
TI  - Asymmetric dual-loop feedback to suppress spurious tones and reduce timing jitter
      in self-mode-locked quantum-dash lasers emitting at 1.55  MUm.
AB  - We demonstrate an asymmetric dual-loop feedback method to suppress external
      cavity side-modes induced in self-mode-locked quantum-dash lasers with
      conventional single- and dual-loop feedback. In this Letter, we report optimal
      suppression of spurious tones by optimizing the delay in the second loop. We
      observed that asymmetric dual-loop feedback, with large (~8*) disparity in loop
      lengths, gives significant suppression in external-cavity side-modes and produces
      flat radio frequency (RF) spectra close to the main peak with a low timing
      jitter, compared to single-loop feedback. Significant reduction in RF linewidth
      and timing jitter was produced by optimizing the delay time in the second
      feedback loop. Experimental results based on this feedback configuration validate
      predictions of recently published numerical simulations. This asymmetric dual
      loop feedback scheme provides simple, efficient, and cost-effective stabilization
      of optoelectronic oscillators based on mode-locked lasers.

PMID- 28914941
TI  - Mid-infrared fiber-optic photothermal interferometry.
AB  - We demonstrate mid-infrared photothermal interferometry (PTI) in a hollow-core
      fiber (HCF) for trace gas detection. Compared with free-space PTI, the optical
      intensity could be increased by orders of magnitude by confining the pump and
      probe lights in the hollow core. We coupled the pump light at 4.46 MUm from a
      quantum cascade laser and the 1555.14 nm probe light into the HCF with a bore
      size of 200 MUm. The HCF was filled with nitrous oxide (N2O) which has strong
      absorption at the pump wavelength. The probe light detects the N2O absorption
      induced phase change in the HCF via a fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
      With a 25 cm fiber length and 6 mW of pump power, we have achieved a minimum
      detection limit of 0.8 ppm for N2O, corresponding to a normalized noise
      equivalent absorption coefficient of 4.9*10-7  cm-1 WHz-1/2.

PMID- 28914942
TI  - A room temperature reversible phase transition containing dielectric switching of
      a host-guest supramolecular metal-halide compound.
AB  - Following our recent findings on dielectric materials, we synthesized a new host
      guest supramolecular metal-halide compound, [(2-AMPD)(18-crown-6)]CuCl4 (1, 2
      AMPD = 2-aminomethylpiperidinium). Systematic characterization techniques such as
      variable-temperature crystal structure analyses, differential scanning
      calorimetry (DSC) measurements, temperature-dependent dielectric measurements and
      powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) measurements demonstrate that 1 undergoes a
      reversible phase transition at room temperature, accompanied by switchable
      dielectric responses and remarkable anisotropy along three different
      crystallographic axes. The structural phase transition mechanism is triggered by
      the order-disorder transition of the 18-crown-6 molecules. We believe that these
      findings might further promote the application of a host-guest inclusion compound
      in the field of switchable dielectric materials.

PMID- 28914943
TI  - Mammalian cell defence mechanisms against the cytotoxicity of NaYF4:(Er,Yb,Gd)
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Water-soluble upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), based on polyvinylpyrrolidone
      (PVP)-coated NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+,Gd3+, with various concentrations of Gd3+ ions and
      relatively high upconversion efficiencies, were synthesized. The internalization
      and cytotoxicity of the thus obtained UCNPs were evaluated in three cell lines
      (HeLa, HEK293 and astrocytes). No cytotoxicity was observed even at
      concentrations of UCNPs up to 50 MUg ml-1. The fate of the UCNPs within the cells
      was studied by examining their upconversion emission spectra with confocal
      microscopy and confirming these observations with transmission electron
      microscopy. It was found that the cellular uptake of the UCNPs occurred primarily
      by clathrin-mediated endocytosis, whereas they were secreted from the cells via
      lysosomal exocytosis. The results of this study, focused on the mechanisms of the
      cellular uptake, localization and secretion of UCNPs, demonstrate, for the first
      time, the co-localization of UCNPs within discrete cell organelles.

PMID- 28914944
TI  - First-principles studies on the effects of halogen adsorption on monolayer
      antimony.
AB  - Using first-principles calculations, we carry out systematic studies on the
      electronic, magnetic and structural properties of halogenated beta-phase
      antimonene. We consider two different levels of halogen adatom coverage i.e.
      Theta = 1/8 and Theta = 1/18. It is found that F, Cl and Br adatoms act as
      acceptors whereas the I adatom acts as a donor. For a high coverage of Theta =
      1/8, halogenated beta-phase antimonene exhibits metallic characteristics. With a
      lower coverage of Theta = 1/18, through the adsorption of F, Cl and Br the
      semiconducting unstrained antimonene becomes metallic. In contrast, I-adsorbed
      antimonene remains semiconducting but exhibits magnetic behavior. We further
      investigate the effects of bi-axial strain on the halogenated beta-phase
      antimonene. It is found that bi-axial strain can only induce ferromagnetism on
      the halogenated antimonene at Theta = 1/18. However, the ferromagnetism is
      suppressed when the applied strain is high. We uncover that the emergence of
      strain-dependent magnetism is attributed to the presence of localized states in
      the bandgap resulting from collective effects of bi-axial strain and the
      adsorption of halogen atoms.

PMID- 28914945
TI  - Amorphous/crystalline hybrid MoO2 nanosheets for high-energy lithium-ion
      capacitors.
AB  - A carbon-free MoO2 nanosheet with amorphous/crystalline hybrid domain was
      synthesized, and demonstrated to be an efficient host material for lithium-ion
      capacitors. Discrepant crystallinity in MoO2 shows unique boundaries, which can
      improve Li-ion diffusion through the electrode. Improved rate capacities and
      cycling stability open the door to design of high-performance lithium ion
      capacitor bridging batteries and supercapacitors.

PMID- 28914946
TI  - The role of metal oxide interactions: revisiting Pt growth on the TiO2 surface in
      the process of impregnation method.
AB  - First-principles calculations and experiments with PtOx on TiO2 surfaces were
      performed together to understand the interactions of metal oxides during the
      calcination process and their influence on the growth pattern of Pt on the TiO2
      surface. Our calculations indicate that PtOx with a high concentration of oxygen
      binds more strongly to rutile than to anatase, indicating the formation of
      stronger interactions between Pt oxide and the rutile surface compared with
      anatase during the calcination stage under an oxidative atmosphere. X-ray
      photoelectron spectra quantification analysis illustrates that higher amounts of
      Pt oxide are obtained when impregnation is performed with a rutile support after
      calcination in comparison with that of anatase. After reduction, the stronger
      interaction between PtOx and rutile leads to a larger amount of partially charged
      and highly dispersed Pt nanoclusters on the surface, while the weaker interaction
      between PtOx and anatase illustrates the dispersion and sintering of higher
      amounts of metal nanoparticles on the anatase surface. Furthermore, the
      photocatalytic oxygen evolution test highlights the importance of understanding
      the interaction between the metal oxide and anatase/rutile for targeted synthesis
      of the supported catalyst.

PMID- 28914947
TI  - Singlet oxygen-mediated one-pot chemoselective peptide-peptide ligation.
AB  - We here describe a furan oxidation based site-specific chemical ligation approach
      using unprotected peptide segments. This approach involves two steps: after
      photooxidation of a furan-containing peptide, ligation is achieved by reaction of
      the unmasked keto-enal with C- or N-terminal alpha-nucleophilic moieties of the
      second peptide such as hydrazine or hydrazide to form a pyridazinium or
      pyrrolidinone linkage respectively.

PMID- 28914948
TI  - Nanotopography mediated osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp derived
      stem cells.
AB  - Advanced medical devices, treatments and therapies demand an understanding of the
      role of interfacial properties on the cellular response. This is particularly
      important in the emerging fields of cell therapies and tissue regeneration. In
      this study, we evaluate the role of surface nanotopography on the fate of human
      dental pulp derived stem cells (hDPSC). These stem cells have attracted interest
      because of their capacity to differentiate to a range of useful lineages but are
      relatively easy to isolate. We generated and utilized density gradients of gold
      nanoparticles which allowed us to examine, on a single substrate, the influence
      of nanofeature density and size on stem cell behavior. We found that hDPSC
      adhered in greater numbers and proliferated faster on the sections of the
      gradients with higher density of nanotopography features. Furthermore, greater
      surface nanotopography density directed the differentiation of hDPSC to
      osteogenic lineages. This study demonstrates that carefully tuned surface
      nanotopography can be used to manipulate and guide the proliferation and
      differentiation of these cells. The outcomes of this study can be important in
      the rational design of culture substrates and vehicles for cell therapies, tissue
      engineering constructs and the next generation of biomedical devices where
      control over the growth of different tissues is required.

PMID- 28914949
TI  - Influence of flavonol-rich excipient food (onion peel and Dendropanax morbifera)
      on the bioavailability of green tea epicatechins in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - The impacts of onion peel (OP) and Dendropanax morbifera (DM), as excipient foods
      rich in flavonols, on the digestive recovery, intestinal absorption, and
      pharmacokinetics of GT epicatechins were studied via an in vitro digestion model
      system with Caco-2 cells and an in vivo study. The digestive stability of total
      epicatechins recovered from GT upon the addition of 2% DM was up to 1.12 times
      higher than that observed with OP. The combined effects of OP and DM, which were
      observed with 2% OP + DM in a ratio of 1 : 4 (w : w), significantly increased (by
      a factor of 1.31) the digestive recovery of total epicatechins (p < 0.05).
      Remarkable cellular uptakes of EC (185.36%) and ECG (188.08%) were found with 4%
      OP + DM (4 : 1, w : w), and those of EGC (112.30%) and EGCG (136.27%) were
      obtained with 2% OP + DM (4 : 1, w : w) and 1% OP + DM (1 : 1, w : w),
      respectively. The peak plasma concentrations of total epicatechins from GT, GT +
      5% OP, GT + 5% DM, and GT + 2% OP + 2% DM were 1044.78 +/- 609.10, 2267.18 +/-
      3734.38, 1270.35 +/- 547.59, and 714.53 +/- 499.27 ng mL-1, respectively. The
      Cmax value of total epicatechins in rats orally administrated with GT with 5% OP
      was found to be approximately twice of that obtained with GT alone. The co
      ingestion of GT with flavonol-rich excipient foods possibly enhances the
      absorption of epicatechins because flavonols act as not only enhancers of
      digestive stability but also modulators of the biotransformation of epicatechins.
      The results obtained from the current study suggest that the absorption of GT
      catechins can vary depending upon the kinds and doses of excipient foods co
      ingested.

PMID- 28914950
TI  - Enhanced luminescence of delaminated layered europium hydroxide (LEuH) composites
      with sensitizer anions of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid.
AB  - The organic compound of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (CCA), deprotonated beforehand
      by NaOH, and the 1-octane sulfonic acid anion (OS) were co-intercalated into the
      gallery of the layered europium hydroxide (LEuH) via an ion exchange method.
      Different molar ratios of CCA/OS and NaOH/CCA gave rise to the composites of CCA1
      xOSx-LEuH (x = 0.8-1.0) showing different emission intensities. In formamide
      (FM), all composites were delaminated and the formed colloidal suspensions
      exhibited enhanced red luminescence of Eu3+ in comparison with the OS-LEuH
      without CCA. Also, the red emissions of the composites were different from the
      violet emission (421 nm) of free CCA- and blue emission (471 nm) of CCA2- anions
      in different deprotonation states. The energy levels of CCA and Eu3+ were
      analyzed to explain the sensitization effect for Eu3+ luminescence. The
      fluorescence lifetimes of CCA0.2OS0.8-LEuH-1 : 1, CCA0.02OS0.98-LEuH-1 : 1,
      CCA0.2OS0.8-LEuH-1 : 2, and CCA0.02OS0.98-LEuH-1 : 2 were determined to be 0.705,
      0.704, 0.699 and 0.638 ms, respectively, indicating significantly longer
      lifetimes. The PL quantum yields of ~10% demonstrate the excellent luminescence
      properties of the as-prepared CCA1-xOSx-LEuH composites. This is the first report
      on the sensitized luminescence properties of layer Eu3+ ions in LRH composites in
      the delaminated state. The intriguing red luminescence of delaminated LEuH
      composites offers a promising approach to achieve efficient luminescent film
      materials.

PMID- 28914951
TI  - Plasmonic color metasurfaces fabricated by a high speed roll-to-roll method.
AB  - Lab-scale plasmonic color printing using nano-structured and subsequently
      metallized surfaces have been demonstrated to provide vivid colors. However,
      upscaling these structures for large area manufacturing is extremely challenging
      due to the requirement of nanometer precision of metal thickness. In this study,
      we have investigated a plasmonic color meta-surface design that can be easily
      upscaled. We have demonstrated the feasibility of fabrication of these plasmonic
      color surfaces by a high-speed roll-to-roll method, comprising roll-to-roll
      extrusion coating at 10 m min-1 creating a polymer foil having 100 nm deep pits
      of varying sub-wavelength diameter and pitch length. Subsequently this polymer
      foil was metallized and coated also by high-speed roll-to-roll methods. The
      perceived colors have high tolerance towards the thickness of the metal layer,
      when this thickness exceeds the depths of the pits, which enables the robust high
      speed fabrication. This finding can pave the way for plasmonic meta-surfaces to
      be implemented in a broader range of applications such as printing, memory,
      surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), biosensors, flexible displays,
      photovoltaics, security, and product branding.

PMID- 28914952
TI  - Nanocarriers for TRAIL delivery: driving TRAIL back on track for cancer therapy.
AB  - Since its initial identification, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis
      inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to be capable of selectively inducing
      apoptosis in cancer cells. However, translation of the encouraging preclinical
      studies of this cytokine into the clinic has been restricted by its extremely
      short half-life, the presence of resistant cancer cell populations, and its
      inefficient in vivo delivery. Recently, there has been exceptional progress in
      developing novel formulations to increase the circulatory half-life of TRAIL and
      new combinations to treat cancers that are resistant to TRAIL. In particular,
      TRAIL-based nanotherapies offer the potential to improve the stability of TRAIL
      and prolong its half-life in plasma, to specifically deliver TRAIL to a
      particular target site, and to overcome resistance to TRAIL. The aim of this
      review is to provide an overview of the state-of-the art drug delivery systems
      that are currently being tested or developed to improve the biological attributes
      of TRAIL-based therapies.

PMID- 28914953
TI  - Grafting of a Eu3+-tfac complex on to a Tb3+-metal organic framework for use as a
      ratiometric thermometer.
AB  - Microrods of [Tb2(bpydc)3(H2O)3].nDMF (TbMOF) were employed as a platform for
      grafting a beta-diketonate complex of Eu3+ for the purpose of obtaining
      ratiometric luminescence thermometer materials. A straightforward post-synthetic
      functionalization is employed to obtain the TbMOF@Eu_tfac (tfac =
      trifluoroacetylacetonate) compounds. The emission color of the TbMOF@Eu compounds
      can be slightly tuned by varying the percentage of the grafted beta-diketonate
      complex of Eu3+. Also, as shown, the thermometric properties of the material can
      be tuned by the percentage of grafted beta-diketonate complex of Eu3+. The
      TbMOF@3%Eu_tfac and TbMOF@7.3%Eu_tfac compounds were investigated in detail for
      their use as luminescent ratiometric thermometers. For the TbMOF@3%Eu_tfac
      compound an absolute sensitivity Sa of 0.069 K-1 (225 K) and relative sensitivity
      Sr of 2.59%K-1 (225 K) were obtained showing its good sensing capability. For the
      TbMOF@7.3%Eu_tfac compound a Sa of 0.012 K-1 (275 K) and relative sensitivity Sr
      of 1.33%K-1 (325 K) were obtained showing that the TbMOF@3%Eu_tfac compound is
      superior for temperature sensor applications. We also show that the emission
      color of the parent TbMOF material itself can be tuned by varying the excitation
      wavelength from 250-380 nm. It can be tuned from light-green to blue by simply
      changing the excitation wavelength.

PMID- 28914954
TI  - Resident Rounds Part III: Case Report: Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma in an African American Female.
AB  - Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the most common skin cancer diagnosed
      in African Americans.<sup>1</sup> Twenty to forty percent of cSCCs reported in
      African Americans are related to chronic scarring processes or areas of in
      ammation.<sup>2</sup> Risk factors for developing cSCCs in patients of color
      include chronic scars resulting from burns, skin ulcers, and radiation sites; and
      chronic inflammatory diseases such as discoid lupus and hidradenitis
      suppuritiva.<sup>1</sup> Although skin cancer only accounts for 1% to 2% of
      cancers diagnosed within African Americans, it is associated with increased
      morbidity and mortality in this population.<sup>1,3</sup> Significant delays in
      diagnosis and treatment are largely thought to be responsible for this prognostic
      incongruity. The rate of metastasis in patients of color is 31%, compared with
      only 4% in Caucasians.<sup>4,5</sup> Early recognition by physicians and
      increased awareness resulting in preventative measures by patients may decrease
      this noted disparity. <em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2016;16(1):81-84.</em>.

PMID- 28914956
TI  - Ischemic femoral head osteonecrosis in a piglet model causes three dimensional
      decrease in acetabular coverage.
AB  - Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a childhood form of ischemic osteonecrosis
      marked by development of severe femoral head deformity and premature
      osteoarthritis. The pathogenesis of femoral head deformity has been studied
      extensively using a piglet model of ischemic osteonecrosis, however, accompanying
      acetabular changes have not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to
      determine if acetabular changes accompany femoral head deformity in a well
      established piglet model of LCPD and to define the acetabular changes using three
      dimensional computed tomography (3-D CT) and modeling. Twenty-four piglets were
      surgically induced with ischemic osteonecrosis on the right side. The
      contralateral hip was used as control. At 8 weeks postoperative, pelvi were
      retrieved and imaged with CT. Custom software was used to measure acetabular
      morphologic parameters on 3-D CT images. Moderate to severe femoral head
      deformities were present in all animals. Acetabula with accompanying femoral head
      deformity had a significant decrease in acetabular version and tilt (p < 0.001)
      and in coverage angle in the superior, posterior, and inferior quadrants (p <
      0.05). These findings indicate that the development of femoral head deformity
      following ischemic osteonecrosis produces specific and predictable changes to the
      shape of the acetabulum. Acetabular changes described in patients with LCPD were
      observed in the piglet model. This model may serve as a valuable tool to
      elucidate the relationship between femoral head and acetabular deformities. (c)
      2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop
      Res 36:1173-1177, 2018.

PMID- 28914955
TI  - Alcohol-Related Mortality in Patients With Psoriasis: A Population-Based Cohort
      Study.
AB  - Importance: People diagnosed with psoriasis have an increased risk of premature
      mortality, but the underlying reasons for this mortality gap are unclear.
      Objective: To investigate whether patients with psoriasis have an elevated risk
      of alcohol-related mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants: An incident
      cohort of patients with psoriasis aged 18 years and older was delineated for 1998
      through 2014 using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and linked to
      Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and Office for National Statistics (ONS)
      mortality records. Patients with psoriasis were matched with up to 20 comparison
      patients without psoriasis on age, sex, and general practice. Main Outcomes and
      Measures: Alcohol-related deaths were ascertained via the Office for National
      Statistics mortality records. A stratified Cox proportional hazard model was used
      to estimate the cause-specific hazard ratio for alcohol-related death, with
      adjustment for socioeconomic status. Results: The cohort included 55 537 with
      psoriasis and 854 314 patients without psoriasis. Median (interquartile) age at
      index date was 47 (27) years; 408 230 of total patients (44.9%) were men. During
      a median (IQR) of 4.4 (6.2) years of follow-up, the alcohol-related mortality
      rate was 4.8 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI, 4.1-5.6; n = 152) for the psoriasis
      cohort, vs 2.5 per 10 000 (95% CI, 2.4- 2.7; n = 1118) for the comparison cohort.
      The hazard ratio for alcohol-related death in patients with psoriasis was 1.58
      (95% CI, 1.31-1.91), and the predominant causes of alcohol-related deaths were
      alcoholic liver disease (65.1%), fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver (23.7%), and
      mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol (7.9%). Conclusions and Relevance:
      People with psoriasis have approximately a 60% greater risk of dying due to
      alcohol-related causes compared with peers of the same age and sex in the general
      population. This appears to be a key contributor to the premature mortality gap.
      These findings call for routine screening, identification and treatment, using
      the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) in both primary and
      secondary care to detect alcohol consumption and misuse among people diagnosed
      with psoriasis.

PMID- 28914957
TI  - Hepatitis B virus core-related antigen levels predict progression to liver
      cirrhosis in hepatitis B carriers.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Several hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers have been identified
      as risk factors for progression to liver cirrhosis in patients with chronic HBV
      infection. The predictive impact of HBV markers on progression to cirrhosis in
      HBV carriers was clarified. METHODS: A total of 529 hepatitis B e antigen
      seroconverters with fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index <= 3.6 not on nucleos(t)ide analogue
      therapy were included. Univariate and multivariate analyses of associations
      between HBV markers and progression to cirrhosis were performed. In addition, the
      hazard ratio (HR) spline curves for continuous HBV markers were compared.
      RESULTS: Eighty-four patients progressed to cirrhosis (FIB-4 index > 3.6) during
      the follow-up period. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV DNA, HBV core
      related antigen (HBcrAg), and basal core promoter status, but not genotype and
      precore status, were significantly associated with progression to cirrhosis in
      univariate Cox proportional hazards models. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards
      models adjusted for HBV genotype, HBsAg, HBV DNA, HBcrAg, precore status, and
      basal core promoter status indicated that HBsAg >= 3.0 log IU/mL (HR, 0.53; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.30-0.94) and HBcrAg >= 3.7 log U/mL (HR, 3.28; 95%
      CI, 1.60-6.75) are independently associated with progression to cirrhosis. In the
      HR spline curve analysis, HR and 95% CI gradually increased as HBcrAg levels
      increased. Conversely, HRs and 95% CIs for HBsAg and HBV DNA did not show this
      tendency as their levels increased. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated HBcrAg levels in HBV
      carriers increases the risk for progression to cirrhosis. HBcrAg is an excellent
      predictor of the development of cirrhosis.

PMID- 28914958
TI  - Assessment of histopathological features of maculopapular viral exanthem and drug
      induced exanthem.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viral infections and drug reactions are the commonest causes of
      exanthems in clinical practice. Clinically, their overlapping features may pose a
      diagnostic challenge. Hematologic, in vitro, and drug provocation tests are
      either unreliable or impractical. METHODS: This was a descriptive, prospective
      study to assess and compare histopathological features of maculopapular viral and
      drug exanthem. Subjects fulfilling case definition of exanthems were included.
      Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and absolute eosinophil count (AEC) were also
      studied. RESULTS: Skin biopsy slides of 48 cases were evaluated and AEC and CRP
      were performed. Both median AEC and CRP were lower in viral exanthem compared
      with drug exanthem. On histopathological evaluation, features such as lymphocytic
      exocytosis, and dermal infiltrate of eosinophils, lymphocytes and histiocytes
      were seen in a significantly greater number of drug exanthems. Other findings
      such as focal spongiosis, acanthosis, keratinocyte necrosis, basal cell damage,
      papillary dermal edema and atypical lymphocytes in the dermis were also observed
      in higher though not statistically significant number of drug exanthem biopsies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Certain histopathological features can help to differentiate between
      the two exanthems and this modality may be used in situations when there is
      clinical overlap and when drug rechallenge cannot be undertaken.

PMID- 28914960
TI  - Hidradenitis suppurativa is associated with myocardial infarction, but not stroke
      or peripheral arterial disease of the lower extremities.

PMID- 28914959
TI  - Nocturia is Associated with Poor Sleep Quality Among Older Women in the Study of
      Osteoporotic Fractures.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) To examine relationships between frequency of nocturia and self
      reported sleep quality and objective sleep measures in older women, and (2) to
      estimate the amount of variation in sleep measures that is specifically
      attributable to frequency of nocturia. DESIGN AND SETTING: Secondary, cross
      sectional analysis of the multicenter prospective cohort Study of Osteoporotic
      Fractures (SOF). PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling women aged >=80 years.
      MEASUREMENTS: Frequency of nocturia in the previous 12 months, Pittsburgh Sleep
      Quality Index sleep quality subscale, and actigraphy-measured wake after sleep
      onset (WASO) and total sleep time (TST). RESULTS: Of 1,520 participants, 25% (n =
      392) reported their nocturia frequency was 3-4 times/night and an additional 60%
      (n = 917) reported their nocturia frequency was 1-2 times/night. More frequent
      nocturia was associated with poor sleep quality (3-4/night: 26.8% reported fairly
      bad or very bad sleep quality; 1-2/night: 14.7%; 0/night: 7.7%; P < .001) and
      longer WASO (3-4/night: 89.8 minutes; 1-2/night: 70.6; 0/night: 55.5; P < .001).
      In nested regression models, a nocturia frequency of 3-4/night quadrupled the
      odds of poor sleep quality (odds ratio: 4.26 [95% CI 1.65, 11.01]; P = .003) and
      was associated with a 37-minute worsening in WASO (95% CI 26.0, 49.0; P < .001).
      Frequency of nocturia explained an additional 6% variation in WASO, above and
      beyond demographic, medical/psychiatric conditions, and medication factors (?R2 =
      0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Nocturia is common among octogenarian and nonagenarian women
      and is independently associated with poor sleep quality and longer wake time at
      night. Interventions that improve nocturia may be useful in improving sleep
      quality and wake time at night.

PMID- 28914961
TI  - A semiparametric likelihood-based method for regression analysis of mixed panel
      count data.
AB  - Panel-count data arise when each study subject is observed only at discrete time
      points in a recurrent event study, and only the numbers of the event of interest
      between observation time points are recorded (Sun and Zhao, 2013). However,
      sometimes the exact number of events between some observation times is unknown
      and what we know is only whether the event of interest has occurred. In this
      article, we will refer this type of data to as mixed panel-count data and propose
      a likelihood-based semiparametric regression method for their analysis by using
      the nonhomogeneous Poisson process assumption. However, we establish the
      asymptotic properties of the resulting estimator by employing the empirical
      process theory and without using the Poisson assumption. Also, we conduct an
      extensive simulation study, which suggests that the proposed method works well in
      practice. Finally, the method is applied to a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
      that motivated this study.

PMID- 28914962
TI  - Impaired Phosphate Tolerance Revealed With an Acute Oral Challenge.
AB  - Elevated serum phosphate is consistently linked with cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      events and mortality in the setting of normal and impaired kidney function.
      However, serum phosphate does not often exceed the upper limit of normal until
      glomerular filtration rate (GFR) falls below 30 mL/min/m2 . It was hypothesized
      that the response to an oral, bioavailable phosphate load will unmask impaired
      phosphate tolerance, a maladaptation not revealed by baseline serum phosphate
      concentrations. In this study, rats with varying kidney function as well as normo
      phosphatemic human subjects, with inulin-measured GFR (13.2 to 128.3mL/min),
      received an oral phosphate load. Hormonal and urinary responses were evaluated
      over 2 hours. Results revealed that the more rapid elevation of serum phosphate
      was associated with subjects and rats with higher levels of kidney function,
      greater responsiveness to acute changes in parathyroid hormone (PTH), and
      significantly more urinary phosphate at 2 hours. In humans, increases in urinary
      phosphate to creatinine ratio did not correlate with baseline serum phosphate
      concentrations but did correlate strongly to early increase of serum phosphate.
      The blunted rise in serum phosphate in rats with CKD was not the result of
      altered absorption. This result suggests acute tissue deposition may be altered
      in the setting of kidney function impairment. Early recognition of impaired
      phosphate tolerance could translate to important interventions, such as dietary
      phosphate restriction or phosphate binders, being initiated at much higher levels
      of kidney function than is current practice. (c) 2017 American Society for Bone
      and Mineral Research.

PMID- 28914963
TI  - Class categories and the subjective dimension of class: the case of Denmark.
AB  - Class relations have been proven to affect various aspects of social life, even
      in modern individualized societies. However, following claims on
      individualization and the so-called 'death of class' thesis, studying the
      subjective dimension of class - that is, the way individuals perceive of class
      relations and their own position within them - has gone out of style. We argue
      that even in equalized societies, subjective class perceptions may still
      influence attitudes and behaviour as they evolve to fit modern class relations.
      To explore the existence as well as structure and content of perceived social
      classes, this article investigates how people describe society and social groups
      in focus group discussions. We find that groups in different positions in terms
      of education and economy all tend to apply hierarchical class categories to
      describe Danish society, which is normally seen as one of the most equal
      societies and political systems in the world. In addition, we find that economic
      resources serve as a baseline for the hierarchical ordering, often supplemented
      with notions of education, lifestyle and/or occupational profile. Even though
      people are somewhat uncomfortable with the notion of class, their descriptions of
      Danish society and classes are surprisingly similar within and across groups. We
      conclude that not only do class relations matter; people are also highly aware of
      the existing classes and able to position themselves and others according to
      their notion of classes.

PMID- 28914964
TI  - Clinicopathological and molecular implications of aberrant thyroid transcription
      factor-1 expression in colorectal carcinomas: an immunohistochemical analysis of
      1319 cases using three different antibody clones.
AB  - AIMS: The precise profile of aberrant expression of thyroid transcription factor
      1 (TTF-1) according to antibody clones in colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) has been
      controversial. Moreover, the detailed clinicopathological and molecular features
      of CRCs with TTF-1 expression have rarely been investigated. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate TTF-1 expression status in a large series of CRC cases by
      using three different antibody clones. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry
      for TTF-1 with clones 8G7G3/1, SPT24 and SP141 was performed on tumour tissues of
      1319 primary CRCs and 98 corresponding metastatic lesions. Among the 1319 CRCs,
      TTF-1 expression was detected in 68 cases by both clone SPT24 and clone SP141.
      TTF-1 expression was not detected in any of the cases when clone 8G7G3/1 was
      used. The 68 CRCs with TTF-1 expression detected by both clone SPT24 and clone
      SP141 were considered to be TTF-1-positive in this study. TTF-1 positivity was
      significantly associated with distal tumour location, non-mucinous histology,
      intact CDX2 expression and a low frequency of KRAS mutations in CRCs. Nearly all
      TTF-1-positive CRCs showed microsatellite-stable and CpG island methylator
      phenotype-negative statuses. TTF-1 positivity was also found in all metastatic
      lesions of the five TTF-1-positive primary CRCs. TTF-1 negativity was maintained
      in all metastatic lesions of the 93 TTF-1-negative primary CRCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study confirmed that the frequency and characteristics of aberrant TTF-1
      expression in CRCs vary according to the antibody clone. Aberrant TTF-1
      expression detected by clone SPT24 or SP141 may be encountered preferentially in
      distally located, conventional pathway-type CRCs.

PMID- 28914966
TI  - Monte Carlo methods for nonparametric regression with heteroscedastic measurement
      error.
AB  - Nonparametric regression is a fundamental problem in statistics but challenging
      when the independent variable is measured with error. Among the first approaches
      was an extension of deconvoluting kernel density estimators for homescedastic
      measurement error. The main contribution of this article is to propose a new
      simulation-based nonparametric regression estimator for the heteroscedastic
      measurement error case. Similar to some earlier proposals, our estimator is built
      on principles underlying deconvoluting kernel density estimators. However, the
      proposed estimation procedure uses Monte Carlo methods for estimating nonlinear
      functions of a normal mean, which is different than any previous estimator. We
      show that the estimator has desirable operating characteristics in both large and
      small samples and apply the method to a study of benzene exposure in Chinese
      factory workers.

PMID- 28914968
TI  - Neighborhood Characteristics and Adolescent Suicidal Behavior: Evidence from a
      Population-based Study.
AB  - Research on the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and
      adolescents' risk of nonfatal suicidal behavior is scarce. We used California
      survey data to examine associations between measures of objective neighborhood
      quality (levels of violent crime, property crime, and socioeconomic disadvantage)
      and subjective neighborhood quality (perceptions of neighborhood safety and
      social cohesion) and adolescents' self-reported suicidal ideation and suicide
      attempt. Objective measures of neighborhood quality were unrelated to
      adolescents' risk of suicidal behavior. However, adolescents who perceived their
      neighborhoods to be less safe and less cohesive were 20%-45% more likely than
      nonsuicidal peers to report suicidal ideation and attempt.

PMID- 28914967
TI  - The chemotherapy response score is a useful histological predictor of prognosis
      in high-grade serous carcinoma.
AB  - AIMS: High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common tubal/ovarian
      malignant tumour, and usually presents at an advanced stage. Interval debulking
      surgery (IDS) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is being increasingly used
      for the management of these patients. The chemotherapy response score (CRS) has
      been proposed for grading the response of tubo-ovarian HGSC to NACT on the basis
      of examination of IDS specimens. Our aims were to evaluate the CRS in post-NACT
      cases, assess the interobserver agreement, and correlate it with overall and
      progression-free survival. METHODS AND RESULTS: The CRS was applied by two
      independent pathologists on omental and adnexal tumour tissue sections from post
      NACT patients with HGSC who had undergone IDS. The assigned primary site of
      tumour origin was documented. The interobserver agreement and prognostic
      significance of the CRS were evaluated. There were 103 cases, and in 61.1% of
      cases a fallopian tubal origin was confirmed. There were 26, 35 and 42 cases with
      CRSs of 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The interobserver variability for CRS was low
      (kappa = 0.806). The CRS showed a significant correlation with progression-free
      survival (CRS 1 and 2 versus 3: median survival 16 months versus 18 months; P =
      0.004); however, after controlling for debulking status, this association was not
      significant. The CRS applied to adnexal sections did not show any prognostic
      significance for either progression-free or overall survival. CONCLUSION: The CRS
      is an easy and reproducible method for predicting the prognosis in post-NACT HGSC
      patients.

PMID- 28914969
TI  - Autocrine and Paracrine Regulation of the Murine Skeleton by Osteocyte-Derived
      Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein.
AB  - Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) have N
      terminal domains that bind a common receptor, PTHR1. N-terminal PTH
      (teriparatide) and now a modified N-terminal PTHrP (abaloparatide) are US Food
      and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies for osteoporosis. In physiology,
      PTHrP does not normally circulate at significant levels, but acts locally, and
      osteocytes, cells residing within the bone matrix, express both PTHrP and the
      PTHR1. Because PTHR1 in osteocytes is required for normal bone resorption, we
      determined how osteocyte-derived PTHrP influences the skeleton. We observed that
      adult mice with low PTHrP in osteocytes (targeted with the Dmp1(10kb)-Cre) have
      low trabecular bone volume and osteoblast numbers, but osteoclast numbers were
      unaffected. In addition, bone size was normal, but cortical bone strength was
      impaired. Osteocyte-derived PTHrP therefore stimulates bone formation and bone
      matrix strength, but is not required for normal osteoclastogenesis. PTHrP
      knockdown and overexpression studies in cultured osteocytes indicate that
      osteocyte-secreted PTHrP regulates their expression of genes involved in matrix
      mineralization. We determined that osteocytes secrete full-length PTHrP with no
      evidence for secretion of lower molecular weight forms containing the N-terminus.
      We conclude that osteocyte-derived full-length PTHrP acts through both PTHR1
      receptor-mediated and receptor-independent actions in a paracrine/autocrine
      manner to stimulate bone formation and to modify adult cortical bone strength.
      (c) 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

PMID- 28914970
TI  - MicroRNA-410 is involved in mitophagy after cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury
      by targeting high-mobility group box 1 protein.
AB  - Mitochondrial dysfunction has emerged as a critical pathophysiological factor of
      myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. A thorough understanding of
      mitochondrial dysfunction during I/R at the molecular level is urgently needed.
      One prominent microRNA, miR-410, was previously reported to be dynamically
      regulated in diverse cardiomyopathies, but its mechanism is unclear. In the
      present study, in a cardiac I/R injury mice model, the expression of miR-410 was
      significantly upregulated, accompanied with decreased mitochondrial function and
      mitophagy deficit. After an unbiased search for downstream messenger RNA targets
      of miR-410, effects of the target gene in mitochondrial dysfunction during I/R
      injury and the underlying mechanism were further explored in cultured human adult
      cardiac myocytes (HACMs). The results showed that MitoTracker Red-labeled HACMs
      mitochondria overlapped with GFP-LC3-labeled autophagosomes, suggesting the
      presence of mitophagy. MiR-410 expression was significantly increased in
      hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-stimulated HACMs. MiR-410 overexpression further
      inhibited cell viability, ATP production, mitochondrial membrane potential and
      mitophagy level, and increased caspase-3 activity, Bax expression and cytochrome
      c release. Conversely, inhibition of miR-410 attenuated these effects. We found
      that miR-410 directly interacted with the 3'-untranslated region of the
      suppressor of high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) by Dual-Luciferase assay.
      Moreover, pcDNA3.1-HMGB1 pretreatment effectively reduced the inhibition effects
      of cell viability and mitophagy brought by H/R, while all those effects can be
      attenuated by pretreatment with HSPB1 siRNA transfection. Taken together, our
      results suggest that miR-410 may inhibit mitophagy after cardiac I/R injury by
      modulating HSPB1 activity via directly targeting HMGB1.

PMID- 28914971
TI  - Extending Data Worth Analyses to Select Multiple Observations Targeting Multiple
      Forecasts.
AB  - Hydrological models are often set up to provide specific forecasts of interest.
      Owing to the inherent uncertainty in data used to derive model structure and used
      to constrain parameter variations, the model forecasts will be uncertain.
      Additional data collection is often performed to minimize this forecast
      uncertainty. Given our common financial restrictions, it is critical that we
      identify data with maximal information content with respect to forecast of
      interest. In practice, this often devolves to qualitative decisions based on
      expert opinion. However, there is no assurance that this will lead to optimal
      design, especially for complex hydrogeological problems. Specifically, these
      complexities include considerations of multiple forecasts, shared information
      among potential observations, information content of existing data, and the
      assumptions and simplifications underlying model construction. In the present
      study, we extend previous data worth analyses to include: simultaneous selection
      of multiple new measurements and consideration of multiple forecasts of interest.
      We show how the suggested approach can be used to optimize data collection. This
      can be used in a manner that suggests specific measurement sets or that produces
      probability maps indicating areas likely to be informative for specific
      forecasts. Moreover, we provide examples documenting that sequential measurement
      election approaches often lead to suboptimal designs and that estimates of data
      covariance should be included when selecting future measurement sets.

PMID- 28914972
TI  - Seasonal patterns of acute and recurrent idiopathic pericarditis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pericarditis is presumed to result from viral infection.
      The incidence rates of some viral infections have typical seasonal patterns. The
      data in the literature on a possible seasonal pattern of acute pericarditis are
      very limited. The mechanism and possible seasonality of recurrent episodes are
      not well established . HYPOTHESIS: The incidence of acute idiopathic pericarditis
      has a seasonal pattern. METHODS: The computerized database of a tertiary,
      university-affiliated hospital was searched for all patients admitted with a
      first episode of acute idiopathic pericarditis between January 1, 2010 and
      December 31, 2015. Patients for whom a nonviral etiology for the pericarditis was
      identified were excluded. RESULTS: The final cohort included 175 patients (75%
      male) ages 19 to 86 years (median = 50.0 +/- 18.2 years). The incidence of the
      disease was twice as high during the colder half of the year (October-March) than
      the warmer half, peaking in the first quarter (January-March, P = 0.001). This
      first-quarter peak was observed in each of the 6 years examined. Comparison of
      the patients who acquired pericarditis during peak and nonpeak quarters yielded
      no differences in baseline characteristics, peak body temperature, white blood
      cell count, C-reactive protein level, or frequency of myocardial involvement or
      liver enzyme elevation. No seasonal pattern was identified for recurrent episodes
      of pericarditis (n = 57). CONCLUSIONS: Acute idiopathic pericarditis appears to
      have a seasonal pattern with a distinct late winter peak. No seasonal pattern was
      identified for recurrent episodes.

PMID- 28914973
TI  - Comparison of mid- to long-term clinical outcomes between anatomical testing and
      usual care in patients with suspected coronary artery disease: A meta-analysis of
      randomized trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversies remain regarding clinical outcomes following initial
      strategies of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) vs usual care with
      functional testing in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).
      HYPOTHESIS: CCTA as initial diagnostic strategy results in better mid- to long
      term outcomes than usual care in patients with suspected CAD. METHODS: We
      searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials
      comparing clinical outcomes during >=6 months' follow-up between initial
      anatomical testing by CCTA vs usual care with functional testing in patients with
      suspected CAD. Occurrence of all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction
      (MI), and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and use of invasive
      coronary angiography and coronary revascularization, were compared between the 2
      diagnostic strategies. RESULTS: Twelve trials were included (20 014 patients;
      mean follow-up, 20.5 months). Patients undergoing CCTA as initial noninvasive
      testing had lower risk of nonfatal MI compared with those treated with usual care
      (risk ratio [RR]: 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.52-0.94, P = 0.02). There
      was a tendency for reduced MACE following initial CCTA strategy, but not for risk
      of all-cause mortality. Compared with functional testing, the CCTA strategy
      increased use of invasive coronary angiography (RR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.12-2.09, P =
      0.007) and coronary revascularization (RR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.11-2.00, P = 0.007).
      CONCLUSIONS: Anatomical testing with CCTA as the initial noninvasive diagnostic
      modality in patients with suspected CAD resulted in lower risk of nonfatal MI
      than usual care with functional testing, at the expense of more frequent use of
      invasive procedures.

PMID- 28914974
TI  - Mucocutaneous inflammation in the Ikaros Family Zinc Finger 1-keratin 5-specific
      transgenic mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our genomewide association study documented an association between
      cold medicine-related Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (CM
      SJS/TEN) and Ikaros Family Zinc Finger 1 (IKZF1). Few studies examined biological
      and pathological functions of IKZF1 in mucosal immunity. We hypothesized that
      IKZF1 contributes to the mucocutaneous inflammation. METHODS: Human skin and
      conjunctival tissues were obtained for immunohistological studies. Primary human
      conjunctival epithelial cells (PHCjECs) and adult human epidermal keratinocytes
      (HEKa) also used for gene expression analysis. We also generated K5-Ikzf1-EGFP
      transgenic mice (Ikzf1 Tg) by introducing the Ik1 isoform into cells expressing
      keratin 5, which is expressed in epithelial tissues such as the epidermis and
      conjunctiva, and then examined them histologically and investigated gene
      expression of the epidermis. Moreover, Ikzf1 Tg were induced allergic contact
      dermatitis. RESULTS: We found that human epidermis and conjunctival epithelium
      expressed IKZF1, and in PHCjECs and HEKa, the expression of IKZF1 mRNA was
      upregulated by stimulation with polyI:C, a TLR3 ligand. In Ikzf1 Tg, we observed
      dermatitis and mucosal inflammation including the ocular surface. In contact
      dermatitis model, inflammatory infiltrates in the skin of Ikzf1 Tg were
      significantly increased compared with wild type. Microarray analysis showed that
      Lcn2, Adh7, Epgn, Ifi202b, Cdo1, Gpr37, Duoxa1, Tnfrsf4, and Enpp5 genes were
      significantly upregulated in the epidermis of Ikzf1 Tg compared with wild type.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings support the hypothesis that Ikaros might participate in
      mucocutaneous inflammation.

PMID- 28914975
TI  - Seroepidemiology of hepatitis E virus infection in pigs in Durango State, Mexico.
AB  - No information about hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in pigs in the northern
      Mexican state of Durango exists. We determined the seroprevalence and correlates
      of anti-HEV IgG antibodies in pigs in Durango, Mexico. Through a cross-sectional
      study, we studied 427 pigs raised in backyards (n = 328), or slaughtered (n = 99)
      in Durango. Sera of pigs were analyzed for anti-HEV IgG antibodies using a
      commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassay. Antibodies to HEV were found in
      193 (45.2%) of the 427 pigs studied. A significantly higher seroprevalence was
      observed in slaughtered pigs (79.8%) than in backyard pigs (34.8%). Bivariate
      analysis showed that HEV seropositivity was associated with age, sex, breed,
      climate, altitude, mean annual temperature, mean annual rainfall, and farm
      raising. Logistic regression analysis showed that HEV seropositivity was
      associated with the origin (Sonora State) of pigs (OR=6.51; 95%CI: 3.74-11.32; P
      < 0.001), and mean annual rainfall (<=600 mm) (OR=1.78; 95%CI: 1.01-3.15; P =
      0.04). A high seroprevalence of HEV infection in pigs slaughtered for human
      consumption in Durango City was found. This is the first report of an association
      between HEV seropositivity in pigs and climatic factors. Infection factors found
      may help for the optimal planning of preventive measures against HEV infection.

PMID- 28914976
TI  - Haloperidol Versus 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists for Postoperative Vomiting and QTc
      Prolongation: A Noninferiority Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of
      Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Haloperidol is an antipsychotic with well-known antiemetic potential. It is
      underutilized for postoperative nausea vomiting due to reported corrected QT
      interval (QTc) prolongation. This meta-analysis evaluates its safety and efficacy
      as an antiemetic in the perioperative period. Trials comparing haloperidol to 5
      HT3 -receptor antagonists (5-HT3 -RA) for 24 postoperative vomiting incidences
      published up to May 2017 were searched in the medical database. Comparisons were
      made for antiemetic efficiency variables (vomiting incidence, rescue antiemetic
      need, and patients with complete response) during early (until 6 hours) and late
      postoperative phases. Eight randomized controlled double-blinded trials were
      included in the final analysis. Twenty-four-hour vomiting incidence was similar
      in groups (fixed effects, P = 0.52, I2 = 0%). Trial-sequential analysis confirmed
      noninferiority of haloperidol over 5-HT3 -RAs (alpha = 5%, beta = 20%, delta =
      10%), with "information size" being 859 (required > 812). Pooled results did not
      demonstrate superiority/inferiority of 5-HT3 -RAs over haloperidol in all other
      antiemetic efficacy variables (early and delayed). Negligible heterogeneity was
      found in all the comparisons made. Pooled Mantel Haenszel odds ratio for QTc
      prolongation was equivalent in both groups (fixed effects, P = 0.23, I2 = 0%).
      The mean dose of haloperidol used was 1.34 mg, and no trial reported
      extrapyramidal side effects. Trial-sequential analysis showed statistical
      equivalence (alpha = 5%, beta = 20%, delta = 10%), with information size being
      745 (required > 591). Publication bias was unlikely (Egger test, X-intercept =
      2.07, P = 0.10). We conclude that haloperidol is equivalent to the well
      established 5-HT3 -RAs in preventing vomiting during the first day after surgery.
      The incidence of QTc prolongation with haloperidol is statistically equivalent to
      5-HT3 -RAs and thus should not be the factor that discourages its use for
      treatment/prophylaxis of postoperative nausea vomiting.

PMID- 28914977
TI  - Autism, theory of mind, and the reactive attitudes.
AB  - Whether to treat autism as exculpatory in any given circumstance appears to be
      influenced both by models of autism and by theories of moral responsibility. This
      article looks at one particular combination of theories: autism as theory of mind
      challenges and moral responsibility as requiring appropriate experience of the
      reactive attitudes. In pursuing this particular combination of ideas, we do not
      intend to endorse them. Our goal is, instead, to explore the implications of this
      combination of especially prominent ideas about autism and about moral
      responsibility. These implications can be quite serious and practical for autists
      and those who interact directly with autists, as well as for broader communities
      as they attend to the fair, compassionate, and respectful treatment of increasing
      numbers of autistic adults. We find that these theories point to a limited range
      of situations in which autists should not be blamed for transgressive actions for
      which neurotypical individuals should be blamed. We build on what others have
      written on these issues by bringing in a recent cognitive model of the role
      theory of mind plays in empathy, by discussing the social implications of the
      theoretical findings, and by raising questions about the compatibility of
      reactive attitude theories of moral responsibility with the neurodiversity
      approach to autism.

PMID- 28914978
TI  - Model Informed Dose Optimization of Dichloroacetate for the Treatment of
      Congenital Lactic Acidosis in Children.
AB  - Dichloroacetate (DCA) is an investigational drug used to treat congenital lactic
      acidosis and other mitochondrial disorders. Response to DCA therapy in young
      children may be suboptimal following body weight-based dosing. This is because of
      autoinhibition of its metabolism, age-dependent changes in pharmacokinetics, and
      polymorphisms in glutathione transferase zeta 1 (GSTZ1), its primary metabolizing
      enzyme. Our objective was to predict optimal DCA doses for the treatment of
      congenital lactic acidosis in children. Accordingly, a semimechanistic
      pharmacokinetic-enzyme turnover model was developed in a step-wise approach: (1)
      a population pharmacokinetic model for adults was developed; (2) the adult model
      was scaled to children using allometry and physiology-based scaling; and (3) the
      scaled model was externally qualified, updated with clinical data, and optimal
      doses were projected. A 2-compartment model accounting for saturable clearance
      and GSTZ1 enzyme turnover successfully characterized the DCA PK in adults and
      children. DCA-induced inactivation of GSTZ1 resulted in phenoconversion of all
      subjects into slow metabolizers after repeated dosing. However, rate and extent
      of inactivation was 2-fold higher in subjects without the wild-type EGT allelic
      variant of GSTZ1, resulting in further phenoconversion into ultraslow
      metabolizers after repeated DCA administration. Furthermore, DCA-induced GSTZ1
      inactivation rate and extent was found to be 25- to 30-fold lower in children
      than in adults, potentially accounting for the observed age-dependent changes in
      PK. Finally, a 12.5 and 10.6 mg/kg twice-daily DCA dose was optimal in achieving
      the target steady-state trough concentrations (5-25 mg/L) for EGT carrier and EGT
      noncarrier children, respectively.

PMID- 28914979
TI  - Systemic Evaluation of Vascular Dysfunction by High-Resolution Sonography in an
      Nomega -Nitro-l-Arginine Methyl Ester Hydrochloride-Induced Mouse Model of
      Preeclampsia-Like Symptoms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate vascular function,
      including arterial resistance and endothelial function, by high-resolution
      sonography in an Nomega -nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME)
      induced mouse model of preeclampsia-like symptoms. METHODS: Pregnant mice were
      subcutaneously injected with a saline solution (control; n = 10) or l-NAME (n =
      10) between the 7th and 18th days of gestation. The resistive index and
      pulsatility index (RI and PI, indicators of arterial resistance) of the
      uteroplacental, umbilical, femoral, and common carotid arteries and the flow
      mediated dilatation (index of endothelial function) of the femoral artery were
      measured by high-frequency sonography in both groups. RESULTS: We noted
      significant increases in the RI and PI of the uteroplacental and umbilical
      arteries and a decrease in the flow-mediated dilatation of the femoral artery in
      the l-NAME group compared with the control group. We also found that the RI and
      PI of the uteroplacental and umbilical arteries were negatively correlated with
      fetal weight and crown-rump length. The results of the multivariate analysis
      using a logistic regression model indicated that the flow-mediated dilatation at
      120 seconds was an independent diagnostic criterion for the l-NAME-induced
      preeclampsia-like model. A receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that
      flow-mediated dilatation at 120 seconds had the greatest area under the curve of
      0.934, with an optimal cutoff point of 11.1%, yielding sensitivity of 100% and
      specificity of 84.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The PI and RI of the fetomaternal vasculature
      can identify fetuses in "high-risk" pregnancies, and flow-mediated dilatation is
      a reliable indicator for predicting preeclampsia. Assessment of vascular function
      by high-resolution sonography provides a useful platform for preeclampsia-related
      basic research with high reproducibility.

PMID- 28914980
TI  - Co3 O4 @Co/NCNT Nanostructure Derived from a Dicyanamide-Based Metal-Organic
      Framework as an Efficient Bi-functional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and
      Evolution Reactions.
AB  - There has been growing interest in the synthesis of efficient reversible oxygen
      electrodes for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution
      reactions (OER), for their potential use in a variety of renewable energy
      technologies, such as regenerative fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Here, a bi
      functional electrocatalyst, derived from a novel dicyanamide based nitrogen rich
      MOF {[Co(bpe)2 (N(CN)2 )]?(N(CN)2 )?(5 H2 O)}n [Co-MOF-1, bpe=1,2-bis(4
      pyridyl)ethane, N(CN)2- =dicyanamide] under different pyrolysis conditions is
      reported. Pyrolysis of the Co-MOF-1 under Ar atmosphere (at 800  degrees C)
      yielded a Co nanoparticle-embedded N-doped carbon nanotube matrix (Co/NCNT-Ar)
      while pyrolysis under a reductive H2 /Ar atmosphere (at 800  degrees C) and
      further mild calcination yielded Co3 O4 @Co core-shell nanoparticle-encapsulated
      N-doped carbon nanotubes (Co3 O4 @Co/NCNT). Both catalysts show bi-functional
      activity towards ORR and OER, however, the core-shell Co3 O4 @Co/NCNT
      nanostructure exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity for both the ORR with
      a potential of 0.88 V at a current density of -1 mA cm-2 and the OER with a
      potential of 1.61 V at 10 mA cm-2 , which is competitive with the most active bi
      functional catalysts reported previously.

PMID- 28914981
TI  - FNA cytology of solitary fibrous tumors and the diagnostic value of STAT6
      immunocytochemistry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare mesenchymal tumors commonly
      located in the pleura, soft tissues, or meninges and are characterized by the
      NGFI-A-binding protein 2 (NAB2)-signal transducer and activator of transcription
      6 (STAT6) fusion gene. Recent studies have indicated that nuclear STAT6
      immunohistochemistry is a specific marker for SFTs. METHODS: The authors reviewed
      fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens from extracranial SFTs diagnosed at their
      institution between 1993 and 2017. Histologic blocks and available formalin-fixed
      smears of FNA specimens from SFTs were investigated for STAT6 immunoreactivity
      using a monoclonal antibody. STAT6 immunocytochemistry was also investigated in
      schwannomas and spindle cell lipomas. Cytopathologic and clinical characteristics
      were described. RESULTS: Nineteen benign and 9 malignant SFTs were identified.
      Both benign and malignant SFTs had a female predominance (female-to-male ratio,
      2.8:1 and 1.25, respectively). Localization varied, and approximately one-half of
      the extrapleural tumors were located in the extremities and frequently were
      intramuscular. Benign and malignant primary tumors had limited differences in
      cytologic presentation, the most notable feature being nuclear pleomorphism.
      Cytomorphologic features included low-to-moderate cellularity of mixed oval,
      elongated, round, and stellate cells with pink collagenous stroma and
      hypercellular clusters with infrequent atypia. In metastatic SFTs, the
      cytopathology was suggestive of sarcoma. Immunohistochemistry revealed nuclear
      STAT6 immunoreactivity in SFTs (n = 5) with cytoplasmic reactivity in cytologic
      mimickers. CONCLUSIONS: Benign and malignant SFTs have common cytopathologic
      features, and the ability to distinguish between them is limited. Nuclear STAT6
      immunoreactivity is a valuable cytologic marker for SFTs. Cancer Cytopathol
      2018;126:36-43. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28914982
TI  - Production of accurate skeletal models of domestic animals using three
      dimensional scanning and printing technology.
AB  - Access to adequate anatomical specimens can be an important aspect in learning
      the anatomy of domestic animals. In this study, the authors utilized a structured
      light scanner and fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer to produce highly
      accurate animal skeletal models. First, various components of the bovine
      skeleton, including the femur, the fifth rib, and the sixth cervical (C6)
      vertebra were used to produce digital models. These were then used to produce 1:1
      scale physical models with the FDM printer. The anatomical features of the
      digital models and three-dimensional (3D) printed models were then compared with
      those of the original skeletal specimens. The results of this study demonstrated
      that both digital and physical scale models of animal skeletal components could
      be rapidly produced using 3D printing technology. In terms of accuracy between
      models and original specimens, the standard deviations of the femur and the fifth
      rib measurements were 0.0351 and 0.0572, respectively. All of the features except
      the nutrient foramina on the original bone specimens could be identified in the
      digital and 3D printed models. Moreover, the 3D printed models could serve as a
      viable alternative to original bone specimens when used in anatomy education, as
      determined from student surveys. This study demonstrated an important example of
      reproducing bone models to be used in anatomy education and veterinary clinical
      training. Anat Sci Educ 11: 73-80. (c) 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

PMID- 28914983
TI  - Suggesting the cytologic diagnosis of noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm
      with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP): A retrospective analysis of
      atypical and suspicious nodules.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The term "noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like
      nuclear features" (NIFTP) has replaced a subset of follicular variant of
      papillary thyroid carcinoma due to the indolent behavior of such tumors. NIFTPs
      are most often classified in an "indeterminate" diagnostic category. In the
      current study, the authors sought to identify cytologic features helpful in
      distinguishing NIFTP from other entities in these categories, particularly benign
      nodules. METHODS: The authors retrospectively evaluated a consecutive cohort of
      130 thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens with an indeterminate
      diagnosis and available histopathologic follow-up. All FNA specimens were
      evaluated using the ThinPrep method. Each FNA was blindly reviewed by 2 board
      certified cytopathologists, who assessed overall cellularity; architectural
      parameters; and nuclear features, including nuclear pallor and fine chromatin,
      distinct nucleoli, and irregular nuclear membranes. Each case received a score of
      0 to 3, based on the presence or absence of these 3 nuclear features. RESULTS:
      Nuclear but not architectural features appeared to distinguish NIFTP from benign
      nodules. Ninety-one percent of the NIFTPs (32 of 35 NIFTPs) received a score of
      >=2, compared with 35% of benign nodules (23 of 66 benign nodules) (P<.0001). In
      contrast, NIFTP could not be differentiated from the invasive/infiltrative
      follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma using these criteria (P =
      1.000). Nuclear scoring was found to be especially useful in atypia of
      undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS); a
      score >=2 enriched for NIFTP (39% vs 3% of AUS cases with a score <2), whereas a
      score <2 was more likely benign (85% vs 50% of AUS cases with a score >=2).
      CONCLUSIONS: In indeterminate FNA specimens, the distinction of a possible NIFTP
      from a benign thyroid nodule can be suggested using a simple nuclear scoring
      system that is most valuable in AUS aspirates. Cancer Cytopathol 2018;126:86-93.
      (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28914986
TI  - Linkages of Nursing Diagnoses, Outcomes, and Interventions Performed by Nurses
      Caring for Medical and Surgical Patients Using a Decision Support System.

PMID- 28914985
TI  - Cherubism Mice Also Deficient in c-Fos Exhibit Inflammatory Bone Destruction
      Executed by Macrophages That Express MMP14 Despite the Absence of TRAP+
      Osteoclasts.
AB  - Currently, it is believed that osteoclasts positive for tartrate-resistant acid
      phosphatase (TRAP+) are the exclusive bone-resorbing cells responsible for focal
      bone destruction in inflammatory arthritis. Recently, a mouse model of cherubism
      (Sh3bp2KI/KI ) with a homozygous gain-of-function mutation in the SH3-domain
      binding protein 2 (SH3BP2) was shown to develop auto-inflammatory joint
      destruction. Here, we demonstrate that Sh3bp2KI/KI mice also deficient in the FBJ
      osteosarcoma oncogene (c-Fos) still exhibit noticeable bone erosion at the distal
      tibia even in the absence of osteoclasts at 12 weeks old. Levels of serum
      collagen I C-terminal telopeptide (ICTP), a marker of bone resorption generated
      by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), were elevated, whereas levels of serum cross
      linked C-telopeptide (CTX), another resorption marker produced by cathepsin K,
      were not increased. Collagenolytic MMP levels were increased in the inflamed
      joints of the Sh3bp2KI/KI mice deficient in c-Fos. Resorption pits contained a
      large number of F4/80+ macrophages and genetic depletion of macrophages rescued
      these erosive changes. Importantly, administration of NSC405020, an MMP14
      inhibitor targeted to the hemopexin (PEX) domain, suppressed bone erosion in c
      Fos-deficient Sh3bp2KI/KI mice. After activation of the NF-kappaB pathway,
      macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF)-dependent macrophages from c-Fos
      deficient Sh3bp2KI/KI mice expressed increased amounts of MMP14 compared with
      wild-type macrophages. Interestingly, receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand
      (RANKL)-deficient Sh3bp2KI/KI mice failed to show notable bone erosion, whereas c
      Fos deletion did restore bone erosion to the RANKL-deficient Sh3bp2KI/KI mice,
      suggesting that osteolytic transformation of macrophages requires both loss-of
      function of c-Fos and gain-of-function of SH3BP2 in this model. These data
      provide the first genetic evidence that cells other than osteoclasts can cause
      focal bone destruction in inflammatory bone disease and suggest that MMP14 is a
      key mediator conferring pathological bone-resorbing capacity on c-Fos-deficient
      Sh3bp2KI/KI macrophages. In summary, the paradigm that osteoclasts are the
      exclusive cells executing inflammatory bone destruction may need to be
      reevaluated based on our findings with c-Fos-deficient cherubism mice lacking
      osteoclasts. (c) 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

PMID- 28914987
TI  - European Society of Cardiology 2017.
AB  - Ann M. Carracher, Payal H. Marathe, and Kelly L. Close are of Close Concerns
      (http://www.closeconcerns.com), a healthcare information company focused
      exclusively on diabetes and obesity care. Close Concerns publishes Closer Look, a
      periodical that brings together news and insights in these areas. Each month, the
      Journal of Diabetes includes this News feature, in which Carracher, Marathe, and
      Close review the latest developments relevant to researchers and clinicians.

PMID- 28914984
TI  - Hypercalcemic Disorders in Children.
AB  - Hypercalcemia is defined as a serum calcium concentration that is greater than
      two standard deviations above the normal mean, which in children may vary with
      age and sex, reflecting changes in the normal physiology at each developmental
      stage. Hypercalcemic disorders in children may present with hypotonia, poor
      feeding, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, lethargy, polyuria, dehydration,
      failure to thrive, and seizures. In severe cases renal failure, pancreatitis and
      reduced consciousness may also occur and older children and adolescents may
      present with psychiatric symptoms. The causes of hypercalcemia in children can be
      classified as parathyroid hormone (PTH)-dependent or PTH-independent, and may be
      congenital or acquired. PTH-independent hypercalcemia, ie, hypercalcemia
      associated with a suppressed PTH, is commoner in children than PTH-dependent
      hypercalcemia. Acquired causes of PTH-independent hypercalcemia in children
      include hypervitaminosis; granulomatous disorders, and endocrinopathies.
      Congenital syndromes associated with PTH-independent hypercalcemia include
      idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia (IIH), William's syndrome, and inborn errors
      of metabolism. PTH-dependent hypercalcemia is usually caused by parathyroid
      tumors, which may give rise to primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) or tertiary
      hyperparathyroidism, which usually arises in association with chronic renal
      failure and in the treatment of hypophosphatemic rickets. Acquired causes of PTH
      dependent hypercalcemia in neonates include maternal hypocalcemia and
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. PHPT usually occurs as an isolated
      nonsyndromic and nonhereditary endocrinopathy, but may also occur as a hereditary
      hypercalcemic disorder such as familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia, neonatal
      severe primary hyperparathyroidism, and familial isolated primary
      hyperparathyroidism, and less commonly, as part of inherited complex syndromic
      disorders such as multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN). Advances in identifying the
      genetic causes have resulted in increased understanding of the underlying
      biological pathways and improvements in diagnosis. The management of symptomatic
      hypercalcemia includes interventions such as fluids, antiresorptive medications,
      and parathyroid surgery. This article presents a clinical, biochemical, and
      genetic approach to investigating the causes of pediatric hypercalcemia. (c) 2017
      American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

PMID- 28914988
TI  - Metallacrowns as Templates for Diabolo-like {LnCu8 } Complexes with Nearly
      Perfect Square Antiprismatic Geometry.
AB  - A series of diabolo-like nonanuclear {LnIII CuII8 } (Ln=Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb,
      and Y) clusters were prepared in which the LnIII ion is capped by two 8-MC-4
      metallacrown ligands to form a nearly ideal square antiprismatic (SAP)
      coordination geometry with D4d symmetry. Despite the lack of crystallographic
      symmetry, these molecules engender the lanthanide ions with highly axial mJ
      states. The axial/equatorial nature of the crystal field in environments close to
      ideal SAP geometry is very subtle and influenced by the nature of the ligand lone
      pairs. Slow magnetic relaxation behaviour was observed for the DyIII , ErIII ,
      TmIII , and YbIII analogues, and the obtained effective energy barriers are not
      consistent with excitations on the LnIII ion, suggesting a more nuanced
      situation.

PMID- 28914990
TI  - Simulating the multi-disciplinary care team approach: Enhancing student
      understanding of anatomy through an ultrasound-anchored interprofessional
      session.
AB  - Quality of healthcare delivery is dependent on collaboration between professional
      disciplines. Integrating opportunities for interprofessional learning in health
      science education programs prepares future clinicians to function as effective
      members of a multi-disciplinary care team. This study aimed to create a modified
      team-based learning (TBL) environment utilizing ultrasound technology during an
      interprofessional learning activity to enhance musculoskeletal anatomy knowledge
      of first year medical (MD) and physical therapy (PT) students. An ultrasound
      demonstration of structures of the upper limb was incorporated into the gross
      anatomy courses for first-year MD (n = 53) and PT (n = 28) students. Immediately
      before the learning experience, all students took an individual readiness
      assurance test (iRAT) based on clinical concepts regarding the assigned study
      material. Students observed while a physical medicine and rehabilitation
      physician demonstrated the use of ultrasound as a diagnostic and procedural tool
      for the shoulder and elbow. Following the demonstration, students worked within
      interprofessional teams (n = 14 teams, 5-6 students per team) to review the
      related anatomy on dissected specimens. At the end of the session, students
      worked within interprofessional teams to complete a collaborative clinical case
      based multiple choice post-test. Team scores were compared to the mean individual
      score within each team with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Students scored higher
      on the collaborative post-test (95.2 +/-10.2%) than on the iRAT (66.1 +/- 13.9%
      for MD students and 76.2 +/-14.2% for PT students, P < 0.0001). Results suggest
      that this interprofessional team activity facilitated an improved understanding
      and clinical application of anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 11: 94-99. (c) 2017 American
      Association of Anatomists.

PMID- 28914989
TI  - Encapsulating Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Self-Assembling Adamantanes
      with Short DNA Zippers.
AB  - Formulating pharmaceutically active ingredients for drug delivery is a challenge.
      There is a need for new drug delivery systems that take up therapeutic molecules
      and release them into biological systems. We propose a novel mode of
      encapsulation that involves matrices formed through co-assembly of drugs with
      adamantane hybrids that feature four CG dimers as sticky ends. Such adamantanes
      are accessible via inexpensive solution-phase syntheses, and the resulting
      materials show attractive properties for controlled release. This is demonstrated
      for two different hybrids and a series of drugs, including anticancer drugs,
      antibiotics, and cyclosporin. Up to 20 molar equivalents of active pharmaceutical
      ingredients (APIs) are encapsulated in hybrid materials. Encapsulation is
      demonstrated for DNA-binding and several non-DNA binding compounds. Nanoparticles
      were detected that range in size from 114-835 nm average diameter, and zeta
      potentials were found to be between -29 and +28 mV. Release of doxorubicin into
      serum at near-constant rates for 10 days was shown, demonstrating the potential
      for slow release. The encapsulation and release in self-assembling matrices of
      dinucleotide-bearing adamantanes appears to be broadly applicable and may thus
      lead to new drug delivery systems for APIs.

PMID- 28914991
TI  - Resistiveness to Care as Experienced by Family Caregivers Providing Care for
      Someone With Dementia.
AB  - PURPOSE: This research explored family caregivers' lived experiences of
      resistiveness to care when they provided care for people with dementia. The goal
      was to identify a general meaning of family caregivers' lived experiences to
      target potential areas for future nursing interventions to help family caregivers
      manage their caregiving role and provide a base for future research surrounding
      resistiveness to care. DESIGN: Descriptive phenomenology was used to provide
      descriptions of eight family caregivers who provided care for someone with
      dementia and experienced resistiveness to care. Family caregivers were recruited
      from Alzheimer's support groups from June to November 2014. METHOD: Caregiver
      interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using scientific phenomenology
      to identify essential constituents of the experience. FINDINGS: The identified
      general meaning structure contained five essential constituents. These included
      self-questioning of abilities; signal for increased future caregiver
      responsibilities; changed perception of personal self; unexpected emotional
      responses; and seeing a changed person, not the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Study
      findings represent family caregivers' lived perceptions of resistiveness to care,
      which are different from current research findings regarding nurses' perceptions
      of resistiveness to care. The identified meaning structure indicates focus areas
      for future research and for nursing interventions to help family caregivers
      manage their distress when experiencing resistiveness to care. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Identification of the meaning caregivers ascribe to their lived
      experience of resistiveness to care (five essential constituents) provides nurses
      with opportunities to help family caregivers (coproviders of care) holistically.
      Supporting caregivers in their caregiving role can decrease caregiver distress
      when resistiveness to care occurs.

PMID- 28914992
TI  - An effective thermal therapy against cancer using an E-jet 3D-printing method to
      prepare implantable magnetocaloric mats.
AB  - Magnetic hyperthermia has been rapidly developed as a potential cancer treatment
      in recent years. Artificially induced hyperthermia close to a tumor can raise the
      temperature to 45 degrees C causing tumor cell death. Herein, we introduce a
      novel method for rapid preparation of anti-cancer magnetocaloric PCL/Fe3 O4 mats
      capable of high-performance hyperthermia using E-jet 3D printing technology. Our
      3D printed mats not only maintained the heating efficiency of traditional
      techniques for magnetic hyperthermia but also prolonged the effective therapy in
      vivo. When Fe3 O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were used in mats at a concentration of 6
      mmol/L, 0.07 g PCL/Fe3 O4 mats were able to increase the temperature peripherally
      to 45 degrees C under an alternating magnetic field (AMF) within 45 min.
      Moreover, the reproducibility experiment indicated that the maximum temperature
      was achieved following repeated heating and cooling cycles. Cell toxicity tests
      showed a high cell death rate during one treatment cycle. In vivo experiments
      indicated clear signs of tumor growth inhibitory and prolonged survival time of
      tumor-bearing mice after 4 weeks of treatment. The present magnetic mats may be a
      potential candidate for a novel heat-generating substrate for localized
      hyperthermia cancer therapy. Furthermore, the main advantage of such implantable
      magnetic mats is the local and precise delivery of Fe3 O4 NPs, ideal for the
      hyperthermia treatment of easily accessible tumors. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1827-1841, 2018.

PMID- 28914993
TI  - Hyaluronan incorporation into model contact lens hydrogels as a built-in
      lubricant: Effect of hydrogel composition and proteoglycan 4 as a lubricant in
      solution.
AB  - Contact lens friction significantly correlates with subjective comfort.
      Hyaluronan (HA) and proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) are natural boundary lubricants present
      in the body. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of crosslinked
      HA into the bulk of model contact lens materials pHEMA, pHEMA/TRIS, and DMAA/TRIS
      on surface wettability, protein sorption, and boundary lubricating properties at
      a material-cornea biointerface, both alone and synergistically with PRG4 in
      solution. Surface wettability was assessed by water contact angle measurement,
      protein sorption by lysozyme sorption assay, and boundary lubricating properties
      using an in vitro friction test method. HA incorporation (HAinc ) increased the
      surface wettability of all materials, and reduced protein sorption for pHEMA and
      DMAA/TRIS. HAinc increased friction for pHEMA, and DMAA/TRIS, whereas a decrease
      was observed for pHEMA/TRIS. A combination of HAinc and PRG4sol had a synergistic
      effect of reducing friction only for pHEMA/TRIS. This combination had similar
      friction reduction compared with PRG4sol alone for DMAA/TRIS. These results
      indicate HA incorporation could be an effective internal wetting agent,
      antiadhesive, and boundary lubricant for pHEMA/TRIS silicone hydrogels. In
      conclusion, HA incorporation can reduce friction of hydrogels alone and in
      combination with PRG4 in solution, though in a hydrogel composition-dependent
      (e.g., TRIS) manner. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B:
      Appl Biomater, 106B: 1818-1826, 2018.

PMID- 28914994
TI  - Hessian-based quantitative image analysis of host-pathogen confrontation assays.
AB  - Host-fungus interactions have gained a lot of interest in the past few decades,
      mainly due to an increasing number of fungal infections that are often associated
      with a high mortality rate in the absence of effective therapies. These
      interactions can be studied at the genetic level or at the functional level via
      imaging. Here, we introduce a new image processing method that quantifies the
      interaction between host cells and fungal invaders, for example, alveolar
      macrophages and the conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus. The new technique relies on
      the information content of transmitted light bright field microscopy images,
      utilizing the Hessian matrix eigenvalues to distinguish between unstained
      macrophages and the background, as well as between macrophages and fungal
      conidia. The performance of the new algorithm was measured by comparing the
      results of our method with that of an alternative approach that was based on
      fluorescence images from the same dataset. The comparison shows that the new
      algorithm performs very similarly to the fluorescence-based version.
      Consequently, the new algorithm is able to segment and characterize unlabeled
      cells, thus reducing the time and expense that would be spent on the fluorescent
      labeling in preparation for phagocytosis assays. By extending the proposed method
      to the label-free segmentation of fungal conidia, we will be able to reduce the
      need for fluorescence-based imaging even further. Our approach should thus help
      to minimize the possible side effects of fluorescence labeling on biological
      functions. (c) 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

PMID- 28914995
TI  - Silencing HMGN5 suppresses cell growth and promotes chemosensitivity in
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Previous study has demonstrated that high mobility group nucleosome-binding
      domain 5 (HMGN5) is involved in tumorigenesis and the development of multidrug
      resistance in several human cancers. However, the role of HMGN5 in esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Here, we showed that HMGN5 was
      significantly upregulated in ESCC cells. Knockdown of HMGN5 significantly
      inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis of ESCC cells. Moreover,
      knockdown of HMGN5 increased the sensitivity of ESCC cells towards cisplatin. By
      contrast, overexpression of HMGN5 showed the opposite effects. Further
      experiments demonstrated that HMGN5 regulated the expression of multidrug
      resistance 1, cyclin B1, and Bcl-2. Overall, our results reveal that HMGN5
      promotes tumor progression of ESCC and is also an important regulator of
      chemoresistance. Our study suggests that inhibition of HMGN5 may be a potential
      strategy for improving effectiveness of ESCC treatment.

PMID- 28914996
TI  - Enzymatic Synthesis, Amplification, and Application of DNA with a Functionalized
      Backbone.
AB  - The ability to amplify DNA along with its unprecedented sequence control has led
      to its use for different applications, but all are limited by the properties
      available to natural nucleotides. We previously reported the evolution of
      polymerase SFM4-3, which better tolerates 2'-modified substrates. To explore the
      utility of SFM4-3, we now report the characterization of its recognition of
      substrates with 2'-azido, 2'-chloro, 2'-amino, or arabinose sugars. We find that
      SFM4-3 can efficiently synthesize polymers composed of these nucleotides, and
      most interestingly, that SFM4-3 can also PCR amplify these modified
      oligonucleotides. When combined with post-amplification modification, the latter
      allows for the exponential amplification of polymers that may be functionalized
      with desired moieties arrayed in a controlled fashion, the utility of which we
      demonstrate with extensive small molecule functionalization and the production
      and initial characterization of a novel DNA hydrogel.

PMID- 28914997
TI  - Synergistic effect of l-ascorbic acid and hyaluronic acid on the expressions of
      matrix metalloproteinase-3 and -9 in human chondrocytes.
AB  - Proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to be
      involved in the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). New evidence
      clarifying the correlation between ROS and inflammation has indicated that
      oxidative stress can up-regulate inflammatory cytokines. l-Ascorbic acid (AA), an
      antioxidant, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and improve matrix
      deposition in chondrocytes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects
      of hyaluronic acid (HA; 100 MUg/mL) supplemented with AA (50 MUg/mL) on human
      normal and interleukin-1 beta-stimulated (IL-1beta, 10 ng/mL) chondrocytes. HA,
      AA, and HA + AA treatment did not change cell morphology, viability,
      proliferation, and glycosaminoglycan production in normal chondrocytes. HA, AA,
      and HA + AA, by contrast, partially restored viability and morphology of
      hypertrophic chondrocytes, and HA and HA + AA further decreased the cytotoxicity
      of IL-1beta. Real-time PCR revealed that AA and HA + AA had no substantial
      effects on unstimulated chondrocytes, except for down-regulation of matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 mRNA levels. For IL-1beta-stimulated chondrocytes,
      significant down-regulation of IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
      MMP-3, and MMP-9 mRNA expression was found when cells were cultured in HA
      supplemented media. Moreover, HA + AA supplementation further significantly
      decreased MMP-3 and MMP-9 mRNA expression. The protein production of MMP-3 was
      decreased, with a significant difference between the HA + AA group and HA group.
      The antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutases activity were also partially
      restored in stimulated chondrocytes. HA supplemented with AA modulates MMPs
      expression and antioxidant fuction in chondrocytes. AA may enhance the
      anticatabolic effects of HA on OA chondrocytes. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
      J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1809-1817, 2018.

PMID- 28914998
TI  - Clinicopathological characteristics of distant metastases of adenocarcinoma,
      squamous cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma: An autopsy study of older
      Japanese patients.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to clarify the characteristics of malignancies in older adults
      focusing on distant metastasis in the whole body. METHODS: We retrospectively
      evaluated 7710 cases of autopsies (4011 men, 3699 women, median age of 80 years),
      and analyzed the characteristics of metastasis of adenocarcinoma, squamous cell
      carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma in each organ. RESULTS: The total number of
      cases with adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or urothelial carcinoma was
      2856, and most of them were adenocarcinomas. Among them, 1604 had metastatic
      lesions, and patients with metastasis were younger than those without metastasis.
      The major primary organs of adenocarcinoma were the stomach, colon, lung,
      prostate, gallbladder and pancreas, whereas those for squamous cell carcinoma
      were the lung, esophagus and uterus. Urothelial carcinoma cases were found in the
      urinary bladder, kidney and ureter. Metastatic adenocarcinomas mainly originated
      from the stomach, colon, lung, pancreas and gallbladder. Metastatic squamous cell
      carcinomas were from the lung, esophagus and uterus, whereas the kidney, bladder
      and ureter were the primary origins of metastatic urothelial carcinomas. Squamous
      cell carcinoma showed the highest incidence of metastasis, suggestive of it being
      of an aggressive phenotype. Furthermore, metastatic ability and the preferred
      metastatic sites varied among primary organs. CONCLUSIONS: We revealed an
      accurate incidence and the characteristics of metastatic cancer in a large-scale
      autopsy study of older Japanese patients from one institution. Identifying these
      features might prompt screening for malignancies, and consequently improve
      quality of life for older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 211-215.

PMID- 28914999
TI  - The art of caring: In health care settings, the arts and creative arts therapies
      help patients and their caregivers express themselves and find relief from pain,
      anxiety, and depression.

PMID- 28915000
TI  - Ductile Glass of Polyrotaxane Toughened by Stretch-Induced Intramolecular Phase
      Separation.
AB  - A new class of ductile glasses is created from a thermoplastic polyrotaxane. The
      hard glass, which has a Young's modulus of 1 GPa, shows crazing, necking, and
      strain hardening with a total elongation of 330%. Stress concentration is
      prevented through a unique stretch-induced intramolecular phase separation of the
      cyclic components and the exposed backbone. In situ synchrotron X-ray scattering
      studies indicate that the backbone polymer chains slip through the cyclic
      components in the regions where the stress is concentrated.

PMID- 28915001
TI  - Design of Donor Polymers with Strong Temperature-Dependent Aggregation Property
      for Efficient Organic Photovoltaics.
AB  - Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs) have attracted intensive
      research attention over the past two decades owing to their unique advantages
      including mechanical flexibility, light weight, large area, and low-cost
      fabrications. To date, OSC devices have achieved power conversion efficiencies
      (PCEs) exceeding 12%. Much of the progress was enabled by the development of high
      performance donor polymers with favorable morphological, electronic, and optical
      properties. A key problem in morphology control of OSCs is the trade-off between
      achieving small domain size and high polymer crystallinity, which is especially
      important for the realization of efficient thick-film devices with high fill
      factors. For example, the thickness of OSC blends containing state-of-the-art
      PTB7 family donor polymers are restricted to ~100 nm due to their relatively low
      hole mobility and impure polymer domains. To further improve the device
      performance and promote commercialization of OSCs, there is a strong demand for
      the design of new donor polymers that can achieve an optimal blend morphology
      containing highly crystalline yet reasonably small domains. In this Account, we
      highlight recent progress on a new family of conjugated polymers with strong
      temperature-dependent aggregation (TDA) property. These polymers are mostly
      disaggregated and can be easily dissolved in solution at high temperatures, yet
      they can strongly aggregate when the solution is cooled to room temperature. This
      unique aggregation property allows us to control the disorder-order transition of
      the polymer during solution processing. By preheating the solution to high
      temperature (~100  degrees C), the polymer chains are mostly disaggregated before
      spin coating; as the temperature of the solution drops during the spin coating
      process, the polymer can strongly aggregate and form crystalline domains yet that
      are not excessivelylarge. The overall blend morphology can be optimized by
      various processing conditions (e.g., temperature, spin-rates, concentration,
      etc.). This well-controlled and near-optimal BHJ morphology produced over a dozen
      cases of efficient OSCs with an active layer nearly 300 nm thick that can still
      achieve high FFs (70-77%) and efficiencies (10-11.7%). By studying the structure
      property relationships of the donor polymers, we show that the second position
      branched alkyl chains and the fluorination on the polymer backbone are two key
      structural features that enable the strong TDA property. Our comparative studies
      also show that the TDA polymer family can be used to match with non-fullerene
      acceptors yielding OSCs with low voltage losses. The key difference between the
      empirical matching rules for fullerene and non-fullerene OSCs is that TDA
      polymers with slightly reduced crystallinity appear to match better with small
      molecular acceptors and yield higher OSC performances.

PMID- 28915002
TI  - MicroRNA-Catalyzed Cancer Therapeutics Based on DNA-Programmed Nanoparticle
      Complex.
AB  - The use of cancer-relevant microRNA molecules as endogenous drug release stimuli
      is promising for personalized cancer treatment yet remains a great challenge
      because of their low abundance. Herein, we report a new type of microRNA
      catalyzed drug release system based on DNA-programmed gold nanoparticle (GNP)
      quantum dot (QD) complex. We show that a trace amount of miRNA-21 molecules could
      specifically catalyze the disassembly of doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded GNP-QDs complex
      through entropy driven process, during which the Dox-intercalating sites are
      destructed for drug release. This catalytic reaction could proceed both in fixed
      cells and live cells with miRNA-21 overexpression. Dox molecules could be
      efficiently released in the cells and translocate to cell nuclei. QD
      photoluminescence is simultaneously activated during catalytic disassembly
      process, thus providing a reliable feedback for microRNA-triggered drug release.
      The GNP-QDs-Dox complex exhibits much higher drug potency than free Dox
      molecules, and therefore represents a promising platform for accurate and
      effective cancer cell treatment.

PMID- 28915003
TI  - The Evolution of DNA-Templated Synthesis as a Tool for Materials Discovery.
AB  - Precise control over reactivity and molecular structure is a fundamental goal of
      the chemical sciences. Billions of years of evolution by natural selection have
      resulted in chemical systems capable of information storage, self-replication,
      catalysis, capture and production of light, and even cognition. In all these
      cases, control over molecular structure is required to achieve a particular
      function: without structural control, function may be impaired, unpredictable, or
      impossible. The search for molecules with a desired function is often achieved by
      synthesizing a combinatorial library, which contains many or all possible
      combinations of a set of chemical building blocks (BBs), and then screening this
      library to identify "successful" structures. The largest libraries made by
      conventional synthesis are currently of the order of 108 distinct molecules. To
      put this in context, there are 1013 ways of arranging the 21 proteinogenic amino
      acids in chains up to 10 units long. Given that we know that a number of these
      compounds have potent biological activity, it would be highly desirable to be
      able to search them all to identify leads for new drug molecules. Large libraries
      of oligonucleotides can be synthesized combinatorially and translated into
      peptides using systems based on biological replication such as mRNA display, with
      selected molecules identified by DNA sequencing; but these methods are limited to
      BBs that are compatible with cellular machinery. In order to search the vast
      tracts of chemical space beyond nucleic acids and natural peptides, an
      alternative approach is required. DNA-templated synthesis (DTS) could enable us
      to meet this challenge. DTS controls chemical product formation by using the
      specificity of DNA hybridization to bring selected reactants into close
      proximity, and is capable of the programmed synthesis of many distinct products
      in the same reaction vessel. By making use of dynamic, programmable DNA
      processes, it is possible to engineer a system that can translate instructions
      coded as a sequence of DNA bases into a chemical structure-a process analogous to
      the action of the ribosome in living organisms but with the potential to create a
      much more chemically diverse set of products. It is also possible to ensure that
      each product molecule is tagged with its identifying DNA sequence. Compound
      libraries synthesized in this way can be exposed to selection against suitable
      targets, enriching successful molecules. The encoding DNA can then be amplified
      using the polymerase chain reaction and decoded by DNA sequencing. More
      importantly, the DNA instruction sequences can be mutated and reused during
      multiple rounds of amplification, translation, and selection. In other words, DTS
      could be used as the foundation for a system of synthetic molecular evolution,
      which could allow us to efficiently search a vast chemical space. This has huge
      potential to revolutionize materials discovery-imagine being able to evolve
      molecules for light harvesting, or catalysts for CO2 fixation. The field of DTS
      has developed to the point where a wide variety of reactions can be performed on
      a DNA template. Complex architectures and autonomous "DNA robots" have been
      implemented for the controlled assembly of BBs, and these mechanisms have in turn
      enabled the one-pot synthesis of large combinatorial libraries. Indeed, DTS
      libraries are being exploited by pharmaceutical companies and have already found
      their way into drug lead discovery programs. This Account explores the processes
      involved in DTS and highlights the challenges that remain in creating a general
      system for molecular discovery by evolution.

PMID- 28915004
TI  - Calcium-Induced Morphological Transitions in Peptide Amphiphiles Detected by 19F
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - Misregulation of extracellular Ca2+ can indicate bone-related pathologies. New,
      noninvasive tools are required to image Ca2+ fluxes and fluorine magnetic
      resonance imaging (19F-MRI) is uniquely suited to this challenge. Here, we
      present three, highly fluorinated peptide amphiphiles that self-assemble into
      nanoribbons in buffered saline and demonstrate these nanostructures can be
      programmed to change 19F-NMR signal intensity as a function of Ca2+
      concentration. We determined these nanostructures show significant reduction in
      19F-NMR signal as nanoribbon width increases in response to Ca2+, corresponding
      to 19F-MR image intensity reduction. Thus, these peptide amphiphiles can be used
      to quantitatively image biologically relevant Ca2+ concentrations.

PMID- 28915005
TI  - A Novel Type of Aqueous Dispersible Ultrathin-Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets
      for in Vivo Bioimaging and Drug Delivery.
AB  - Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles have been widely used for various
      biomedical applications. However, because of the difficulty of surface
      functionalization of LDH nanoparticles, the systemic administration of these
      nanomaterials for in vivo therapy remains a bottleneck. In this work, we develop
      a novel type of aqueous dispersible two-dimensional ultrathin LDH nanosheets with
      a size of about 50 nm and a thickness of about 1.4 to 4 nm. We are able to
      covalently attach positively charged rhodamine B fluorescent molecules to the
      nanosheets, and the nanohybrid retains strong fluorescence in liquid and even dry
      powder form. Therefore, it is available for bioimaging. Beyond this, it is
      convenient to modify the nanosheets with neutral poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), so
      the nanohybrid is suitable for drug delivery through systemic administration.
      Indeed, in the test of using these nanostructures for delivery of a negatively
      charged anticancer drug, methotrexate (MTX), in a mouse model, dramatically
      improved therapeutic efficacy is achieved, indicated by the effective inhibition
      of tumor growth. Furthermore, our systematic in vivo safety investigation
      including measuring body weight, determining biodistribution in major organs,
      hematology analysis, blood biochemical assay, and hematoxylin and eosin stain
      demonstrates that the new material is biocompatible. Overall, this work
      represents a major development in the path of modifying functional LDH
      nanomaterials for clinical applications.

PMID- 28915006
TI  - Chemical and Electronic Repair Mechanism of Defects in MoS2 Monolayers.
AB  - Using ab initio density functional theory calculations, we characterize changes
      in the electronic structure of MoS2 monolayers introduced by missing or
      additional adsorbed sulfur atoms. We furthermore identify the chemical and
      electronic function of substances that have been reported to reduce the adverse
      effect of sulfur vacancies in quenching photoluminescence and reducing electronic
      conductance. We find that thiol-group-containing molecules adsorbed at vacancy
      sites may reinsert missing sulfur atoms. In the presence of additional adsorbed
      sulfur atoms, thiols may form disulfides on the MoS2 surface to mitigate the
      adverse effect of defects.

PMID- 28915007
TI  - Synthesis and Properties of 2D Carbon-Graphdiyne.
AB  - Graphdiyne (GDY) is a flat material comprising sp2- and sp-hybridized carbon
      atoms with high degrees of pi conjugation that features uniformly distributed
      pores. It is interesting not only from a structural point of view but also from
      the perspective of its electronic, chemical, mechanical, and magnetic properties.
      We have developed an in situ homocoupling reaction of hexaethynylbenzene on Cu
      foil for the fabrication of large-area ordered films of graphdiyne. These films
      are uniform and composed of graphdiyne multilayers. The conductivity of
      graphdiyne films, calculated at 2.52 * 10-4 S m-1, is comparable to that of Si,
      suggesting excellent semiconducting properties. Through morphology-controlled
      syntheses, we have prepared several well-defined graphdiyne structures (e.g.,
      nanotubes, nanowires, and nanowalls) having distinct properties. The graphdiyne
      nanotube arrays and graphdiyne nanowalls exhibited excellent field emission
      performance, higher than that of some other semiconductors such as graphite and
      carbon nanotubes. These structures have several promising applications, for
      example, as energy storage materials and as anode materials in batteries. The
      unique atomic arrangement and electronic structure of graphdiyne also inspired us
      to use it to develop highly efficient catalysts; indeed, its low reduction
      potential and highly conjugated electronic structure allow graphdiyne to be used
      as a reducing agent and stabilizer for the electroless deposition of highly
      dispersed and surfactant-free Pd clusters. GDY-based three-dimensional (3D)
      nanoarchitectures featuring well-defined porous network structures can function
      as highly active cathodes for H2 evolution. Heteroatom-doped GDY structures are
      excellent metal-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
      Its excellent electrocatalytic activity and inexpensive, convenient, and scalable
      preparation make GDY a promising candidate for practical and efficient energy
      applications; indeed, we have explored the application of GDY as a highly
      efficient lithium storage material and have elucidated the method through which
      lithium storage occurs in multilayer GDY. Lithium-ion batteries featuring GDY
      based electrodes display excellent electrochemical performance, including high
      specific capacity, outstanding rate performance, and long cycle life. We have
      also explored the application of GDY in energy conversion and found that it
      exhibits excellent conductivity. In this Account, we summarize the relationships
      between the functions of graphdiyne and its well-defined nanostructures. Our
      results suggest that GDY is a novel 2D carbon material possessing many attractive
      properties. It can be designed into new nanostructures and materials across a
      range of compositions, sizes, shapes, and functionalities and can be applied in
      the fields of electronics, optics, energy, and optoelectronics.

PMID- 28915008
TI  - H2S Activated Drug Release from Protein Cages.
AB  - We took advantage of gasotransmitter H2S as a chemical reaction-based trigger for
      controlled release of doxorubicin which is precoordinated by copper ions and
      enclosed in horse spleen apoferritin. The nanocomposite is stable at
      physiological pH and temperature before H2S activation. The drug release process
      avoids disassembly of protein shells and is controllable by the strong affinity
      of sulfide with copper ions. The in vitro cytotoxicity assay indicates the
      antitumor effect of doxorubicin toward tumor cells could be achievable by H2S
      activation.

PMID- 28915009
TI  - Electron Stability and Negative-Tetron Luminescence in Free-Standing Colloidal n
      Type CdSe/CdS Quantum Dots.
AB  - We examine the effects of CdS shell growth on photochemical reduction of
      colloidal CdSe quantum dots (QDs) and describe the spectroscopic properties of
      the resulting n-type CdSe/CdS QDs. CdS shell growth greatly slows electron
      trapping. Because of this improvement, complete two-electron occupancy of the 1Se
      conduction-band orbital is achieved in CdSe/CdS QDs and found to be much more
      stable than in past experiments. Simultaneous photoluminescence at two different
      energies is now observed from QDs possessing two excess conduction-band
      electrons, reflecting competing recombination of discretized 1Se and 1Pe
      conduction-band electrons within photogenerated four-carrier negative tetrons
      (three electrons and one hole). Stable occupancy of the 1Pe level is not
      achievable under these conditions, and possible reasons are discussed. The
      stability and accessibility of these multielectron configurations, and the facile
      spectroscopic detection of negative tetrons, both make photodoped core/shell QDs
      attractive for exploring the physical properties of free-standing heavily n-doped
      colloidal CdSe-based QDs.

PMID- 28915010
TI  - Molecular Engineering for Enhanced Charge Transfer in Thin-Film Photoanode.
AB  - We developed three types of dithieno[3,2-b;2',3'-d]thiophene (DTT)-based organic
      sensitizers for high-performance thin photoactive TiO2 films and investigated the
      simple but powerful molecular engineering of different types of bonding between
      the triarylamine electron donor and the conjugated DTT pi-bridge by the
      introduction of single, double, and triple bonds. As a result, with only 1.3 MUm
      transparent and 2.5-MUm TiO2 scattering layers, the triple-bond sensitizer (T
      DAHTDTT) shows the highest power conversion efficiency (eta = 8.4%; VOC = 0.73 V,
      JSC = 15.4 mA.cm-2, and FF = 0.75) in an iodine electrolyte system under one
      solar illumination (AM 1.5, 1000 W.m-2), followed by the single-bond sensitizer
      (S-DAHTDTT) (eta = 7.6%) and the double-bond sensitizer (D-DAHTDTT) (eta = 6.4%).
      We suggest that the superior performance of T-DAHTDTT comes from enhanced
      intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) induced by the triple bond. Consequently, T
      DAHTDTT exhibits the most active photoelectron injection and charge transport on
      a TiO2 film during operation, which leads to the highest photocurrent density
      among the systems studied. We analyzed these correlations mainly in terms of
      charge injection efficiency, level of photocharge storage, and charge-transport
      kinetics. This study suggests that the molecular engineering of a triple bond
      between the electron donor and the pi-bridge of a sensitizer increases the
      performance of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) with a thin photoactive film by
      enhancing not only JSC through improved ICT but also VOC through the evenly
      distributed sensitizer surface coverage.

PMID- 28915011
TI  - Highly Controllable and Efficient Synthesis of Mixed-Halide CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br,
      I) Perovskite QDs toward the Tunability of Entire Visible Light.
AB  - CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have been intensively
      investigated on photoelectric devices due to their superior optical properties.
      To date, the stability of CsPbX3 PQDs is still an open challenge. The previous
      mixed-halide CsPbX3 PQDs were generally obtained via the anion-exchange method at
      40  degrees C. Here, the single- and mixed-halide CsPbX3 PQDs are synthesized at
      high temperature via the hot injection technique. The surface ligands could thus
      be strongly coordinated onto the surface of the PQDs, which dramatically improve
      the optical properties of the PQDs. The resulting CsPbX3 PQDs have high quantum
      yield (QY, 40-95%), narrow full width at half-maximum (FWHM) (the narrowest FWHM
      <10 nm), tunable band gap (408-694 nm), and highly strong photostability. The
      variation of their emission peaks upon anion atoms is well-supported by the
      theoretical band gaps calculated by the density functional theory calculations
      with the alloy formula correction. Hence, these PQDs show great potential as good
      candidates for photoelectric devices.

PMID- 28915012
TI  - Managing the SOS Response for Enhanced CRISPR-Cas-Based Recombineering in E. coli
      through Transient Inhibition of Host RecA Activity.
AB  - Phage-derived "recombineering" methods are utilized for bacterial genome editing.
      Recombineering results in a heterogeneous population of modified and unmodified
      chromosomes, and therefore selection methods, such as CRISPR-Cas9, are required
      to select for edited clones. Cells can evade CRISPR-Cas-induced cell death
      through recA-mediated induction of the SOS response. The SOS response increases
      RecA dependent repair as well as mutation rates through induction of the umuDC
      error prone polymerase. As a result, CRISPR-Cas selection is more efficient in
      recA mutants. We report an approach to inhibiting the SOS response and RecA
      activity through the expression of a mutant dominant negative form of RecA, which
      incorporates into wild type RecA filaments and inhibits activity. Using a plasmid
      based system in which Cas9 and recA mutants are coexpressed, we can achieve
      increased efficiency and consistency of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated selection and
      recombineering in E. coli, while reducing the induction of the SOS response. To
      date, this approach has been shown to be independent of recA genotype and host
      strain lineage. Using this system, we demonstrate increased CRISPR-Cas selection
      efficacy with over 10 000 guides covering the E. coli chromosome. The use of
      dominant negative RecA or homologues may be of broad use in bacterial CRISPR-Cas
      based genome editing where the SOS pathways are present.

PMID- 28915013
TI  - A Polyoxovanadate-Resorcin[4]arene-Based Porous Metal-Organic Framework as an
      Efficient Multifunctional Catalyst for the Cycloaddition of CO2 with Epoxides and
      the Selective Oxidation of Sulfides.
AB  - In this work, we report a new polyoxovanadate-resorcin[4]arene-based metal
      organic framework (PMOF), [Co2L0.5V4O12].3DMF.5H2O (1), assembled with a newly
      functionalized wheel-like resorcin[4]arene ligand (L). 1 features an elegant
      porous motif and represents a rare example of PMOFs composed of both a
      resorcin[4]arene ligand and polyoxovanadate. Remarkably, 1 shows open V sites in
      the channel, which makes 1 an efficient heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst for the
      cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxides with high conversion and selectivity.
      Strikingly, 1 also exhibits high catalytic activity for the heterogeneous
      oxidative desulfurization of sulfides. Particularly, the heterogeneous catalyst 1
      can be easily separated and reused with good catalytic activity.

PMID- 28915014
TI  - A Bispidol Chelator with a Phosphonate Pendant Arm: Synthesis, Cu(II)
      Complexation, and 64Cu Labeling.
AB  - Here we present the synthesis and characterization of a new bispidine (3,7
      diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane) ligand with N-methanephosphonate substituents (L2).
      Its physicochemical properties in water, as well as those of the corresponding
      Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes, have been evaluated by using UV-visible absorption
      spectroscopy, potentiometry, 1H and 31P NMR, and cyclic voltammetry.
      Radiolabeling experiments with 64CuII have been carried out, showing excellent
      radiolabeling properties. Quantitative complexation was achieved within 60 min
      under stoichiometric conditions, at room temperature and in the nanomolar
      concentration range. It was also demonstrated that the complexation occurred
      below pH 2. Properties have been compared to those of the analogue bispidol
      bearing a N-methanecarboxylate substituent (L1). Although both systems meet the
      required criteria to be used as new chelator for 64/67Cu in terms of the kinetics
      of formation, thermodynamic stability, selectivity for Cu(II), and kinetic
      inertness regarding redox- or acid-assisted decomplexation processes,
      substitution of the carboxylic acid function by the phosphonic moiety is
      responsible for a significant increase in the thermodynamic stability of the
      Cu(II) complex (+2 log units for pCu) and also leads to an increase in the
      radiochemical yields with 64CuII which is quantitative for L2.

PMID- 28915015
TI  - Small-Scale Metal-Based Syntheses of Lanthanide Iodide, Amide, and
      Cyclopentadienyl Complexes as Analogues for Transuranic Reactions.
AB  - Small-scale reactions of the Pu analogues La, Ce, and Nd have been explored in
      order to optimize reaction conditions for milligram scale reactions of
      radioactive plutonium starting from the metal. Oxidation of these lanthanide
      metals with iodine in ether and pyridine has been studied, and LnI3(Et2O)x (1-Ln;
      x = 0.75-1.9) and LnI3(py)4 (2-Ln; py = pyridine, NC5H5) have been synthesized on
      scales ranging from 15 mg to 2 g. The THF adducts LnI3(THF)4 (3-Ln) were
      synthesized by dissolving 1-Ln in THF. The viability of these small-scale samples
      as starting materials for amide and cyclopentadienyl f-element complexes was
      tested by reacting KN(SiMe3)2, KCp' (Cp' = C5H4SiMe3), KCp'' (Cp'' = C5H3(SiMe3)2
      1,3), and KC5Me4H with 1-Ln generated in situ. These reactions produced
      Ln[N(SiMe3)2]3 (4-Ln), Cp'3Ln (5-Ln), Cp"3Ln (6-Ln), and (C5Me4H)3Ln (7-Ln),
      respectively. Small-scale samples of Cp'3Ce (5-Ce) and Cp'3Nd (5-Nd) were reduced
      with potassium graphite (KC8) in the presence of 2.2.2-cryptand to check the
      viability of generating the crystallographically characterizable Ln2+ complexes
      [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][Cp'3Ln] (8-Ln; Ln = Ce, Nd).

PMID- 28915016
TI  - Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Enhancement from Real-Time NMR Metabolite Kinetics:
      Redirecting Energy Fluxes in Hybrid RRL Systems.
AB  - A counterintuitive cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) strategy, based on reducing
      the ribosomal fraction in rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RRL), triggers the
      development of hybrid systems composed of RRL ribosome-free supernatant
      complemented with ribosomes from different mammalian cell-types. Hybrid RRL
      systems maintain translational properties of the original ribosome cell types,
      and deliver protein expression levels similar to RRL. Here, we show that
      persistent ribosome-associated metabolic activity consuming ATP is a major
      obstacle for maximal protein yield. We provide a detailed picture of hybrid CFPS
      systems energetic metabolism based on real-time nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
      investigation of metabolites kinetics. We demonstrate that protein synthesis
      capacity has an upper limit at native ribosome concentration and that lower
      amounts of the ribosomal fraction optimize energy fluxes toward protein
      translation, consequently increasing CFPS yield. These results provide a
      rationalized strategy for further mammalian CFPS developments and reveal the
      potential of real-time NMR metabolism phenotyping for optimization of cell-free
      protein expression systems.

PMID- 28915017
TI  - Cationic and Anionic Disorder in CZTSSe Kesterite Compounds: A Chemical
      Crystallography Study.
AB  - The cationic and anionic disorder in the Cu2ZnSnSe4-Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTSe-CZTS) system
      has been investigated through a chemical crystallography approach including X-ray
      diffraction (in conventional and resonant setup), 119Sn and 77Se NMR
      spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)
      techniques. Single-crystal XRD analysis demonstrates that the studied compounds
      behave as a solid solution with the kesterite crystal structure in the whole S/(S
      + Se) composition range. As previously reported for pure sulfide and pure
      selenide compounds, the 119Sn NMR spectroscopy study gives clear evidence that
      the level of Cu/Zn disorder in mixed S/Se compounds depends on the thermal
      history of the samples (slow cooled or quenched). This conclusion is also
      supported by the investigation of the 77Se NMR spectra. The resonant single
      crystal XRD technique shows that regardless of the duration of annealing step
      below the order-disorder critical temperature the ordering is not a long-range
      phenomenon. Finally, for the very first time, HREM images of pure selenide and
      mixed S/Se crystals clearly show that these compounds have different
      microstructures. Indeed, only the mixed S/Se compound exhibits a mosaic-type
      contrast which could be the sign of short-range anionic order. Calculated images
      corroborate that HRTEM contrast is highly dependent on the nature of the anion as
      well as on the local anionic order.

PMID- 28915018
TI  - Recent Advances in the Chemical Synthesis of C-Glycosides.
AB  - Advances in the chemical synthesis of C-pyranosides/furanosides are summarized,
      covering the literature from 2000 to 2016. The majority of the methods take
      advantage of the construction of the glycosidic C-C bond. These C-glycosylation
      methods are categorized herein in terms of the glycosyl donor precursors, which
      are commonly used in O-glycoside synthesis and are easily accessible to
      nonspecialists. They include glycosyl halides, glycals, sugar acetates, sugar
      lactols, sugar lactones, 1,2-anhydro sugars, thioglycosides/sulfoxides/sulfones,
      selenoglycosides/telluroglycosides, methyl glycosides, and glycosyl
      imidates/phosphates. Mechanistically, C-glycosylation reactions can involve
      glycosyl electrophilic/cationic species, anionic species, radical species, or
      transition-metal complexes, which are discussed as subcategories under each type
      of sugar precursor. Moreover, intramolecular rearrangements, such as the Claisen
      rearrangement, Ramberg-Backlund rearrangement, and 1,2-Wittig rearrangement,
      which usually involve concerted pathways, constitute another category of C
      glycosylations. An alternative to the C-glycosylations is the formation of
      pyranoside/furanoside rings after construction of the predetermined glycosidic C
      C bonds, which might involve cyclization of acyclic precursors or D-A
      cycloadditions. Throughout, the stereoselectivity in the formation of the
      resultant C-glycosidic linkages is highlighted.

PMID- 28915019
TI  - Correction to "Oxidative Substitution of Boranephosphonate Diesters as a Route to
      Post-synthetically Modified DNA".

PMID- 28915020
TI  - Rotating Magnetocaloric Effect in an Anisotropic Two-Dimensional CuII[WV(CN)8]3-
      Molecular Magnet with Topological Phase Transition: Experiment and Theory.
AB  - Conventional (MCE) and rotating (RMCE) magnetocaloric effects have been explored
      in the two-dimensional (2D) coordination polymer
      {(tetren)H5)0.8CuII4[WV(CN)8]4.7.2H2O}n (WCu-t; tetren = tetraethylenepentamine).
      The unusual magnetostructural properties were exploited, including the bilayered
      Prussian Blue like coordination skeleton and the XY easy-plane magnetic
      anisotropy based on the in-plane correlation between WV and CuII spins of 1/2,
      underlying the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) topological phase transition
      to the long-range-ordered state at TC = 33 K. The magnetic properties were
      studied on single crystals along the H?ac easy plane and H?b hard axis. The
      maximal entropy change for MCE for easy-plane geometry at 38.0 K and the magnetic
      field change MU0DeltaH = 7.0 T reached ~4.01 J K-1 kg-1. The strong magnetic
      anisotropy was used to study the RMCE in which the maximal entropy change was
      observed at 35.5 K for 7.0 T, attaining 1.81 J K-1 kg-1. Moreover, easy-plane
      anisotropy introduces the inverse magnetocaloric effect for H?b, which enhances
      the RMCE by up to 47%. This observation was confirmed by a theoretical
      investigation considering the XY model using a molecular field and cluster
      variational method in the pair approximation approach, dedicated to the bilayered
      systems with the adequate nearest neighbor number z = 5 and spin S = 1/2.

PMID- 28915021
TI  - Novel Approach for in Situ Recovery of Lithium Carbonate from Spent Lithium Ion
      Batteries Using Vacuum Metallurgy.
AB  - Lithium is a rare metal because of geographical scarcity and technical barrier.
      Recycling lithium resource from spent lithium ion batteries (LIBs) is significant
      for lithium deficiency and environmental protection. A novel approach for
      recycling lithium element as Li2CO3 from spent LIBs is proposed. First, the
      electrode materials preobtained by mechanical separation are pyrolyzed under
      enclosed vacuum condition. During this process the Li is released as Li2CO3 from
      the crystal structure of lithium transition metal oxides due to the collapse of
      the oxygen framework. An optimal Li recovery rate of 81.90% is achieved at 973 K
      for 30 min with a solid-to-liquid ratio of 25 g L-1, and the purity rate of
      Li2CO3 is 99.7%. The collapsed mechanism is then presented to explain the release
      of lithium element during the vacuum pyrolysis. Three types of spent LIBs
      including LiMn2O4, LiCoO2, and LiCoxMnyNizO2 are processed to prove the validity
      of in situ recycling Li2CO3 from spent LIBs under enclosed vacuum condition.
      Finally, an economic assessment is taken to prove that this recycling process is
      positive.

PMID- 28915022
TI  - Cobalt(II) Ions Connecting [CoII4] Helicates into a 2-D Coordination Polymer
      Showing Slow Relaxation of the Magnetization.
AB  - The reactions of cobalt(II) perchlorate with a diazine tetratopic helicand, H4L,
      in the presence of sodium carbonate afford two coordination polymers constructed
      from tetranuclear anionic helicates as building blocks:
      infinity3[Co4L3Na4(H2O)4].4H2O (1) and infinity2[Co5L3Na2(H2O)9].2.7H2O.DMF (2).
      The tetranuclear triple-stranded helicates, {CoII4L3}4-, are connected in 1 by
      sodium(I) ions and in 2 by sodium(I) and cobalt(II) ions (H4L results from the
      condensation reaction between 3-formylsalicylic acid and hydrazine). The crystal
      structures of the two compounds have been solved. In both compounds the anionic
      helicates interact with the assembling cations through the carboxylato oxygen
      atoms. Compound 2 features chains resulting from connecting the tetranuclear
      helicates through cobalt(II) ions. The analysis of the magnetic properties of
      compounds 1 and 2 evidenced a dominant antiferromagnetic coupling for 1,
      resulting in a diamagnetic ground state. In contrast, the magnetic behavior of 2
      is dominated at low temperature by the CoII ion which connects the
      antiferromagnetically coupled {CoII4} helical moieties. The ac magnetic
      measurements for 2 reveal the occurrence of slow relaxation of the magnetization
      that is due to the single, uncorrelated cobalt(II) ions, which are diluted in an
      essentially diamagnetic matrix of {CoII4} moieties (DeltaEeff = 26.7 +/- 0.3 cm-1
      with tau0 = (2.3 +/- 0.2) * 10-6 s).

PMID- 28915023
TI  - Detecting Activity at Different Length Scales: From Subdiffraction to Whole
      Animal Activity.

PMID- 28915024
TI  - Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Suboxide Solid Solutions, Ti12-deltaGaxBi3
      xO10.
AB  - Single crystals of suboxide solid solutions Ti12-deltaGaxBi3-xO10 (x = 1.42-1.74;
      delta = 0.77-0.62) were prepared at 900  degrees C with a Bi flux. Crystal
      structure analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the solid solutions
      are isostructural with Ti12-deltaSn3O10 (cubic, space group Fm3m). The cell
      parameter a decreases from 13.5616(3) to 13.5402(5) A with increasing Ga content,
      x, while the total valence electron number of Ti12-deltaGaxBi3-xO10 is maintained
      at 117.1 by decreasing Ti defects, delta. Stella octangula is formed by sharing
      of the edges of four supertetrahedra composed of O-centered Ti tetrahedra and
      trigonal bipyramids (oxide part). Another superpolyhedron is formed by sharing of
      the pyramidal planes of Ga/Bi-centered, Ti-monocapped square antiprisms
      (intermetallic part). These two parts are incorporated in the structure. A
      polycrystalline bulk of a solid solution with x = 2.01 and delta = 0.67 [a =
      13.53772(13) A] was synthesized by reaction sintering at 950  degrees C from a
      mixture of Ti, TiO2, Bi2O3, and Ga2O3. The resistivities measured for the bulk
      were (2.2-2.4) * 10-5 Omega m in the temperature range from 10 to 300 K.

PMID- 28915026
TI  - Supercubes, Supersquares, and Superrods of Face-Centered Cubes (FCC): Atomic and
      Electronic Requirements of [Mm(SR)l(PR'3)8]q Nanoclusters (M = Coinage Metals)
      and Their Implications with Respect to Nucleation and Growth of FCC Metals.
AB  - Understanding the nucleation and growth pathways of nanocrystallites allows
      precise control of the size and shape of functional crystalline nanomaterials of
      importance in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This paper provides a detailed
      analysis of the stereochemical and electronic requirements of three series of
      nanoclusters based on face-centered cubes (fcc) as the basic building blocks,
      namely, 1-, 2-, and 3-D assemblages of fcc to form superrods (n), supersquares
      (n2), and supercubes (n3). The generating functions for calculating the numbers
      (and arrangements) of surface and interior metal atoms, as well as the number and
      dispositions of the ligands, for these particular sequences of fcc metal clusters
      of the general formula [Mm(SR)l(PR'3)8]q (where M = coinage metals; SR =
      thiolates (or group XI ligands), and PR'3 = phosphines) are presented. An
      electron-counting scheme based on the jelliumatic shell nodel, a variant of the
      jellium model, predicts the electron requirements and hence the chemical
      compositions that are critical in the design and synthesis of the next generation
      of giant nanoclusters in the nanorealm. The ligand binding specificities, which
      are keys to effective surface ligand control of the size and shape of these
      nanoclusters, are defined. Finally, a connection is made with regard to the
      growth of fcc metals, n3, from fcc supercubes (n < 10) to fcc
      nanocrystallites/particles (10 < n < 102) and to fcc bulk phase (n > 102).

PMID- 28915025
TI  - Structural Evidence for the Dopamine-First Mechanism of Norcoclaurine Synthase.
AB  - Norcoclaurine synthase (NCS) is a Pictet-Spenglerase that catalyzes the first key
      step in plant benzylisoquinoline alkaloid metabolism, a compound family that
      includes bioactive natural products such as morphine. The enzyme has also shown
      great potential as a biocatalyst for the formation of chiral isoquinolines. Here
      we present new high-resolution X-ray crystallography data describing Thalictrum
      flavum NCS bound to a mechanism-inspired ligand. The structure supports two key
      features of the NCS "dopamine-first" mechanism: the binding of dopamine catechol
      to Lys-122 and the position of the carbonyl substrate binding site at the active
      site entrance. The catalytically vital residue Glu-110 occupies a previously
      unobserved ligand-bound conformation that may be catalytically significant. The
      potential roles of inhibitory binding and alternative amino acid conformations in
      the mechanism have also been revealed. This work significantly advances our
      understanding of the NCS mechanism and will aid future efforts to engineer the
      substrate scope and catalytic properties of this useful biocatalyst.

PMID- 28915027
TI  - Structure and Dynamics of Membrane Proteins and Membrane Associated Proteins with
      Native Bicelles from Eukaryotic Tissues.
AB  - In vitro studies of protein structure, function, and dynamics typically preclude
      the complex range of molecular interactions found in living tissues. In vivo
      studies elucidate these complex relationships, yet they are typically
      incompatible with the extensive and controlled biophysical experiments available
      in vitro. We present an alternative approach by extracting membranes from
      eukaryotic tissues to produce native bicelles to capture the rich and complex
      molecular environment of in vivo studies while retaining the advantages of in
      vitro experiments. Native bicelles derived from chicken egg or mouse cerebrum
      tissues contain a rich composition of phosphatidylcholine (PC),
      phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylserine
      (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidic acid (PA), lysolipids, cholesterol,
      ceramides (CM), and sphingomyelin (SM). The bicelles also contain source-specific
      lipids such as triacylglycerides (TAGs) and sulfatides from egg and brain
      tissues, respectively. With the influenza hemagglutinin fusion peptide (HAfp) and
      the C-terminal Src homology domain of lymphocyte-specific protein-tyrosine kinase
      (lck-cSH2), we show that membrane proteins and membrane associated proteins
      reconstituted in native bicelles produce high-resolution NMR data and probe
      native protein-lipid interactions.

PMID- 28915028
TI  - Acid Rock Drainage Treatment Using Membrane Distillation: Impacts of Chemical
      Free Pretreatment on Scale Formation, Pore Wetting, and Product Water Quality.
AB  - Acid rock drainage (ARD) is a metal-rich wastewater that forms upon oxidation of
      sulfidic minerals. Although ARD impacts >12,000 miles of rivers in the U.S. and
      has an estimated cleanup cost of $32-$72 billion, the low pH and high metal
      concentrations in ARD make rapid, high volume treatment without chemical addition
      difficult. This research focuses on a novel method of ARD treatment, membrane
      distillation (MD). In MD, heated ARD is separated from a cooled distillate by a
      hydrophobic, water-excluding membrane. Because water only passes through the
      membrane in the vapor phase, nonvolatile sulfate and heavy metals are retained in
      the concentrate stream. A preliminary in silico analysis using an electrolyte
      thermodynamic model indicated that MD of 10 different mine wastes yields product
      water containing no contaminants at concentrations >0.2 ppm. MD tests of
      synthetic ARD used a ~34  degrees C temperature difference, operated at 80%
      recovery, and produced an initial flux of 38.4 +/- 1.1 L.m-2.h-1. This flux
      decreased slightly after scaling by iron oxyhydroxide; however, membranes
      maintained >99% dissolved solids rejection. Both flux decline and membrane scale
      formation decreased after a chemical-free, thermal precipitation pretreatment.
      These results indicate that MD can purify contaminated, acidic wastewater using
      low-grade heat sources, such as geothermal energy, without chemical addition.

PMID- 28915029
TI  - Rapid One-Pot Solvothermal Batch Synthesis of Porous Nanocrystal Assemblies
      Composed of Multiple Transition-Metal Elements.
AB  - The ability of a rapid-heating solvothermal process to synthesize porous
      nanocrystal assemblies composed of the multiple transition metals was
      demonstrated. The rapid heating facilitated the quick formation of nascent
      nanocrystals to generate homogeneous mixed transition-metal oxides. Systematic
      studies of the synthesis of mixed-metal oxides under various experimental
      conditions indicated that the present simple method is suitable to develop a wide
      variety of binary and ternary transition-metal systems such as Co/Mn, Ni/Mn, and
      Co/Mn/Fe mixed-metal oxides. The products obtained from the rapid heating process
      were hierarchically assembled porous nanospheres composed of sub-10 nm
      nanocrystals, which had an extraordinarily high surface area and nano/mesopores.
      Electrochemical tests revealed the high catalytic ability of the porous
      nanocrystal assemblies in water oxidation.

PMID- 28915030
TI  - Radical-Enhanced Acidity: Why Bicarbonate, Carboxyl, Hydroperoxyl, and Related
      Radicals Are So Acidic.
AB  - Comparison of accepted pKa values of bicarbonate, carboxyl, and hydroperoxyl
      radicals, with those of models having the unpaired electron replaced by H atoms,
      implied the acidity of the radicals was greatly increased. A Density Functional
      Theory computational method of estimating pKas was developed and applied to a set
      of radicals designed to probe the phenomenon of radical-enhanced deprotonation
      (RED-shift) and its underlying causes. Comparison of the computed pKa values of
      12 acid radicals to those of the corresponding model acids confirmed the
      intensified acidity of the title radicals and also pin-pointed the carboxy
      ethynyl (HO2CC=C*) and the carboxy-aminyl (HO2CNH*) radicals as having enhanced
      acidity. The underlying cause was found to be extensive charge distribution away
      from the anionic O atoms of the conjugate radical anions, coupled with spin
      density displaced toward these O atoms. Ethyne spacers, between the radical and
      carboxylate centers, transmitted the effect extremely efficiently such that
      measurable enhancement was detectable up to at least six alkyne units. The
      bicyclo[1.1.1]pent-1-yl-3-carboxylic acid radical also displayed enhanced
      acidity, but additional cage units drastically attenuated the effect. Nitroxide
      radicals with suitably situated carboxylic acid substituents also exhibited
      enhanced acidity. Several families of potentially persistent radicals with
      enhanced acidity were identified.

PMID- 28915031
TI  - Unexpectedly Large Spin Coherence Effects in the Recombination Fluorescence from
      Irradiated Highly Polar Solutions on a Nanosecond Time Scale.
AB  - Spin correlation effects in the geminate recombination of radical ion pairs in
      irradiated highly polar liquids are typically believed to be negligible due to a
      high escape probability for the ions. This report presents the results of an
      exploratory study of organic polar solvents aimed at the searching for, and
      estimating the magnitude of, the time-resolved magnetic field effects (TR MFEs)
      in the delayed radiation-induced fluorescence from diluted solutions of a
      luminophore. It has been found that upon the high-energy irradiation of the
      solutions in polar liquids, such as dichloroethane (epsilon ~ 10), methanol
      (epsilon ~ 33), acetonitrile (epsilon ~ 37), dimethylformamide (epsilon ~ 37),
      dimethyl sulfoxide (epsilon ~ 47), ethylene carbonate (epsilon ~ 89), substantial
      spin coherence effects in the delayed fluorescence can be observed within a time
      range up to ~100 ns. In most of the cases studied, magnetic resonance
      characteristics of primary or very early solvent-related radical ions were
      evaluated from the TR MFE curves. This approach can, therefore, be widely used to
      complement results obtained by the pulse radiolysis technique with structural and
      kinetic data extracted from the magnetic resonance characteristics of the short
      lived radical ions formed in irradiated media.

PMID- 28915032
TI  - Ion Pair Formation between Tertiary Aliphatic Amines and Perchlorate in the
      Biphasic Water/Dichloromethane System.
AB  - The ability of aliphatic amines (AAs), namely, tripropylamine (TPrA),
      trisobutylamine (TisoBuA), and tributylamine (TBuA), to form ion pairs with
      perchlorate anion (ClO4-) in biphasic aqueous/dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) mixtures
      containing ClO4- 0.1 M has been demonstrated by GC with flame ionization (FID)
      and mass detectors (MS) and by NMR measurements. The extraction efficiency of the
      AAs to the organic phase was modeled by equations that were used to fit the
      experimental GC data, allowing us to determine values for KP (partition constant
      of the free AA), KIP (formation constant of the ion pair), and KPIP (partition
      constant of the ion pair) for TPrA, TisoBuA, and TBuA at 25  degrees C. Ion pairs
      were shown to form in CH2Cl2 also when ClO4- is replaced by other inorganic
      anions, like NO3-, ClO3-, Cl-, H2PO4-, and IO3-. No ion pairs formed when CH2Cl2
      was replaced by n-hexane, suggesting that aliphatic amine ion pairs can form in
      polar organic solvents but not in nonpolar ones.

PMID- 28915033
TI  - Stereoselective Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Compounds from Enamines.
AB  - The domino reaction of enamines, electrophiles (N-sulfonylimines, N
      tosylisocyanate, or diethyl azodicarboxylate), and trichlorosilane provided trans
      amines (trans/cis = > 99:1 to 96:4). Meanwhile, the sequential imino ene-type
      reaction of enamines and electrophiles/NaBH3CN reduction afforded cis-amines
      (trans/cis = 1:>99 to 15:85). The reversal of selectivity is discussed on the
      basis of diastereofacial selection of the plausible iminium ion intermediates.
      For the domino reaction of cyclic enamines and cyclic imines, high
      enantioselectivity (er = 95.7:4.3 to 99.9:0.1) was achieved by utilizing chiral
      Lewis base catalysts.

PMID- 28915034
TI  - Affinity-Guided Oxime Chemistry for Selective Protein Acylation in Live Tissue
      Systems.
AB  - Catalyst-mediated protein modification is a powerful approach for the imaging and
      engineering of natural proteins. We have previously developed affinity-guided 4
      dimethylaminopyridine (AGD) chemistry as an efficient protein modification method
      using a catalytic acyl transfer reaction. However, because of the high
      electrophilicity of the thioester acyl donor molecule, AGD chemistry suffers from
      nonspecific reactions to proteins other than the target protein in crude
      biological environments, such as cell lysates, live cells, and tissue samples. To
      overcome this shortcoming, we here report a new acyl donor/organocatalyst system
      that allows more specific and efficient protein modification. In this method, a
      highly nucleophilic pyridinium oxime (PyOx) catalyst is conjugated to a ligand
      specific to the target protein. The ligand-tethered PyOx selectively binds to the
      target protein and facilitates the acyl transfer reaction of a mild electrophilic
      N-acyl-N-alkylsulfonamide acyl donor on the protein surface. We demonstrated that
      the new catalytic system, called AGOX (affinity-guided oxime) chemistry, can
      modify target proteins, both in test tubes and cell lysates, more selectively and
      efficiently than AGD chemistry. Low-background fluorescence labeling of the
      endogenous cell-membrane proteins, carbonic anhydrase XII and the folate
      receptor, in live cells allowed for the precise quantification of diffusion
      coefficients in the protein's native environment. Furthermore, the excellent
      biocompatibility and bioorthogonality of AGOX chemistry were demonstrated by the
      selective labeling of an endogenous neurotransmitter receptor in mouse brain
      slices, which are highly complicated tissue samples.

PMID- 28915035
TI  - Photoelectrochemistry of Photosystem II in Vitro vs in Vivo.
AB  - Factors governing the photoelectrochemical output of photosynthetic
      microorganisms are poorly understood, and energy loss may occur due to
      inefficient electron transfer (ET) processes. Here, we systematically compare the
      photoelectrochemistry of photosystem II (PSII) protein-films to cyanobacteria
      biofilms to derive: (i) the losses in light-to-charge conversion efficiencies,
      (ii) gains in photocatalytic longevity, and (iii) insights into the ET mechanism
      at the biofilm interface. This study was enabled by the use of hierarchically
      structured electrodes, which could be tailored for high/stable loadings of PSII
      core complexes and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 cells. The mediated photocurrent
      densities generated by the biofilm were 2 orders of magnitude lower than those of
      the protein-film. This was partly attributed to a lower photocatalyst loading as
      the rate of mediated electron extraction from PSII in vitro is only double that
      of PSII in vivo. On the other hand, the biofilm exhibited much greater longevity
      (>5 days) than the protein-film (<6 h), with turnover numbers surpassing those of
      the protein-film after 2 days. The mechanism of biofilm electrogenesis is
      suggested to involve an intracellular redox mediator, which is released during
      light irradiation.

PMID- 28915036
TI  - Collagen Peptides from Crucian Skin Improve Calcium Bioavailability and
      Structural Characterization by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS.
AB  - The effects of collagen peptides (CPs), which are derived from crucian skin, were
      investigated in a retinoic acid-induced bone loss model. The level of serum bone
      alkaline phosphatase (BALP) in the model group (117.65 +/- 4.66 units/L) was
      significantly higher than those of the other three groups (P < 0.05). After
      treatment with 600 and 1200 mg of CPs/kg, the level of BALP decreased to 85.26 +/
      7.35 and 97.03 +/- 7.21 units/L, respectively. After treatment with 600 mg of
      CPs/kg, the bone calcium content significantly increased by 22% (femur) and
      12.38% (tibia) compared to those of the model group. In addition, the bone
      mineral density in the 600 mg of CPs/kg group was significantly higher (femur,
      0.37 +/- 0.02 g/cm2; tibia, 0.33 +/- 0.02 g/cm2) than in the model group (femur,
      0.26 +/- 0.01 g/cm2; tibia, 0.23 +/- 0.02 g/cm2). The morphology results
      indicated bone structure improved after the treatment with CPs. Structural
      characterization demonstrated that Glu, Lys, and Arg play important roles in
      binding calcium and promoting calcium uptake. Our results indicated that CPs
      could promote calcium uptake and regulate bone formation.

PMID- 28915037
TI  - Reactivity of a FeS Surface under Room Temperature Exposure to Nitrogen and H2S.
AB  - The reactivity of an iron monosulfide surface exposed at room temperature to
      molecular nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide has been investigated using X-ray
      photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). We
      have observed adsorption of nitrogen at room temperature that depends on the
      surface nanostructure and on the electronic state of nitrogen. The subsequent
      reaction of this adsorbed nitrogen with hydrogen sulfide results in depletion of
      the nitrogen surface content which can be interpreted in terms of ammonia
      formation. The XPS nitrogen N 1s core level line shape shows different components
      one of which seems to be the most reactive one in the ensuing H2S reaction.

PMID- 28915038
TI  - Frustrated Lewis Pair Polymers as Responsive Self-Healing Gels.
AB  - Steric bulk prevents the formation of strong bonds between Lewis acids and bases
      in frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), where latent reactivity makes these reagents
      transformative in small molecule activations and metal-free catalysis. However,
      their use as a platform for developing materials chemistry is unexplored. Here we
      report a fully macromolecular FLP, built from linear copolymers that containing
      either a sterically encumbered Lewis base or Lewis acid as a pendant functional
      group. The target functional copolymers were prepared by a controlled radical
      copolymerization of styrene with designer boron or phosphorus containing
      monomers. Mixtures of the B- and P-functionalized polystyrenes do not react, with
      the steric bulk of the functional monomers preventing the favorable Lewis acid
      base interaction. Addition of a small molecule (diethyl azodicarboxylate)
      promotes rapid network formation, cross-linking the reactive polymer chains. The
      resulting gel is dynamic, can self-heal, is heat responsive, and can be reshaped
      by postgelation processing.

PMID- 28915039
TI  - A First-Principles Molecular Dynamics Study of the Solvation Shell Structure,
      Vibrational Spectra, Polarity, and Dynamics around a Nitrate Ion in Aqueous
      Solution.
AB  - A first-principles molecular dynamics study is presented for the structural,
      dynamical, vibrational, and dipolar properties of the solvation shell of a
      nitrate ion in deuterated water. A detailed description of the anisotropic
      structure of the solvation shell is presented through calculations of various
      structural distributions in different conical shells around the perpendicular
      axis of the ion. The nitrate ion-water dimer potential energies are also
      calculated for many different orientations of water. The average vibrational
      stretch frequency of OD modes in the solvation shell is found to be higher than
      that of other OD modes in the bulk, which signifies a weakening of hydrogen bonds
      in the hydration shell. A splitting of the NO stretch frequencies and an
      associated fast spectral diffusion of the solute are also observed in the current
      study. The dynamics of rotation and hydrogen bond relaxation are found to be
      faster in the hydration shell than that in the bulk water. The residence time of
      water in the hydration shell is, however, found to be rather long. The nitrate
      ion is found to have a dipole moment of 0.9 D in water which can be attributed to
      its fluctuating interactions with the surrounding water.

PMID- 28915041
TI  - Preorganized Cyclic alpha,alpha-Disubstituted alpha-Amino Acids Bearing
      Functionalized Side Chains That Act as Peptide-Helix Inducers.
AB  - Preorganized cyclic alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino acids (dAA) bearing
      functionalized side chains that acted as peptide-helix inducers, which could be
      used for solid-phase peptide synthesis, were designed and synthesized.
      Furthermore, a helical octapeptide with the following amino acid sequence was
      prepared, and its preferred conformation was analyzed based on its CD spectra: Ac
      X1EYSAX2KA-NH2 (11: X1 = ApiC4N3, X2 = Ac6c). The side-chain azido functional
      group of peptide 11 was efficiently converted to various 1,2,3-triazole groups
      via Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions involving different types of
      alkynes. The new cyclic dAA derivatives, which combine the advantages of
      conformational preorganization and side-chain functional groups, should prove to
      be a useful tool for the further development of biologically active peptides.

PMID- 28915040
TI  - Elucidating the Interdependence of Drug Resistance from Combinations of
      Mutations.
AB  - HIV-1 protease is responsible for the cleavage of 12 nonhomologous sites within
      the Gag and Gag-Pro-Pol polyproteins in the viral genome. Under the selective
      pressure of protease inhibition, the virus evolves mutations within (primary) and
      outside of (secondary) the active site, allowing the protease to process
      substrates while simultaneously countering inhibition. The primary protease
      mutations impede inhibitor binding directly, while the secondary mutations are
      considered accessory mutations that compensate for a loss in fitness. However,
      the role of secondary mutations in conferring drug resistance remains a largely
      unresolved topic. We have shown previously that mutations distal to the active
      site are able to perturb binding of darunavir (DRV) via the protein's internal
      hydrogen-bonding network. In this study, we show that mutations distal to the
      active site, regardless of context, can play an interdependent role in drug
      resistance. Applying eigenvalue decomposition to collections of hydrogen bonding
      and van der Waals interactions from a series of molecular dynamics simulations of
      15 diverse HIV-1 protease variants, we identify sites in the protease where amino
      acid substitutions lead to perturbations in nonbonded interactions with DRV
      and/or the hydrogen-bonding network of the protease itself. While primary
      mutations are known to drive resistance in HIV-1 protease, these findings
      delineate the significant contributions of accessory mutations to resistance.
      Identifying the variable positions in the protease that have the greatest impact
      on drug resistance may aid in future structure-based design of inhibitors.

PMID- 28915042
TI  - Mode of PEG Coverage on Carbon Nanotubes Affects Binding of Innate Immune Protein
      C1q.
AB  - Surface modification of nanoparticles with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is used in
      biomedicine to increase the circulation time of the particles after intravenous
      injection. Here, we study the interaction of PEG-covered carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
      with the serum complement protein C1q. Besides being the target-recognizing unit
      of the initiating complex for the classical pathway of complement in our innate
      immune system, C1q is involved in a range of important physiological processes.
      We modified the surface of multiwalled CNTs with covalently grafted PEG and
      physically adsorbed PEG. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the
      interaction of these PEG-coated CNTs with C1q. We found abundant C1q coverage on
      the PEG-grafted CNTs but not on the CNTs with adsorbed PEG. We tested the ability
      of these CNTs to activate the complement system using in vitro complement
      activation assays. None of the CNTs studied activated the C1q-dependent classical
      complement pathway. These findings are pertinent to the safe design and novel
      biomedical applications of PEGylated CNTs.

PMID- 28915043
TI  - Proton Network Flexibility Enables Robustness and Large Electric Fields in the
      Ketosteroid Isomerase Active Site.
AB  - Hydrogen-bond networks play vital roles in biological functions ranging from
      protein folding to enzyme catalysis. Here we combine electronic structure
      calculations and ab initio path integral molecular dynamics simulations, which
      incorporate both nuclear and electronic quantum effects, to show why the network
      of short hydrogen bonds in the active site of ketosteroid isomerase is remarkably
      robust to mutations along the network and how this gives rise to large local
      electric fields. We demonstrate that these properties arise from the network's
      ability to respond to a perturbation by shifting proton positions and
      redistributing electronic charge density. This flexibility leads to small changes
      in properties such as the partial ionization of residues and pKa isotope effects
      upon mutation of the residues, consistent with recent experiments. This proton
      flexibility is further enhanced when an extended hydrogen-bond network forms in
      the presence of an intermediate analogue, which allows us to explain the chemical
      origins of the large electric fields in the enzyme's active site observed in
      recent experiments.

PMID- 28915044
TI  - Real-Space Bonding Indicator Analysis of the Donor-Acceptor Complexes X3BNY3,
      X3AlNY3, X3BPY3, and X3AlPY3 (X, Y = H, Me, Cl).
AB  - Calculations of real-space bonding indicators (RSBI) derived from Atoms-In
      Molecules (AIM), Electron Localizability Indicator (ELI-D), Non-Covalent
      Interactions index (NCI), and Density Overlap Regions Indicator (DORI) toolkits
      for a set of 36 donor-acceptor complexes X3BNY3 (1, 1a-1h), X3AlNY3 (2, 2a-2h),
      X3BPY3 (3, 3a-3h), and X3AlPY3 (4, 4a-4h) reveal that the donor-acceptor bonds
      comprise covalent and ionic interactions in varying extents (X = Y = H for 1-4; X
      = H, Y = Me for 1a-4a; X = H, Y = Cl for 1b-4b; X = Me, Y = H for 1c-4c; X, Y =
      Me for 1d-4d; X = Me, Y = Cl for 1e-4e; X = Cl, Y = H for 1f-4f; X = Cl, Y = Me
      for 1g-4g; X, Y = Cl for 1h-4h). The phosphinoboranes X3BPY3 (3, 3a-3h) in
      general and Cl3BPMe3 (3f) in particular show the largest covalent contributions
      and the least ionic contributions. The aminoalanes X3AlNY3 (2, 2a-2h) in general
      and Me3AlNCl3 (2e) in particular show the least covalent contributions and the
      largest ionic contributions. The aminoboranes X3BNY3 (1, 1a-1h) and the
      phosphinoalanes X3AlPY3 (4, 4a-4h) are midway between phosphinoboranes and
      aminoalanes. The degree of covalency and ionicity correlates with the
      electronegativity difference BP (DeltaEN = 0.15) < AlP (DeltaEN = 0.58) < BN
      (DeltaEN = 1.00) < AlN (DeltaEN = 1.43) and a previously published energy
      decomposition analysis (EDA). To illustrate the importance of both contributions
      in Lewis formula representations, two resonance formulas should be given for all
      compounds, namely, the canonical form with formal charges denoting covalency and
      the arrow notation pointing from the donor to the acceptor atom to emphasis
      ionicity. If the Lewis formula mainly serves to show the atomic connectivity, the
      most significant should be shown. Thus, it is legitimate to present aminoalanes
      using arrows; however, for phosphinoboranes the canonical form with formal
      charges is more appropriate.

PMID- 28915045
TI  - Identification and Validation of Reaction Coordinates Describing Protein
      Functional Motion: Hierarchical Dynamics of T4 Lysozyme.
AB  - While adequately chosen reaction coordinates are expected to reveal the mechanism
      of a dynamical process, it proves to be notoriously difficult to model the
      complex structural rearrangements of a macromolecule by a low-dimensional
      collective coordinate. Adopting the hinge-bending motion of T4 lysozyme (T4L) as
      a prominent example and performing a 50 MUs long unbiased molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulation of T4L, a general strategy to identify reaction coordinates of protein
      functional dynamics is developed. As a systematic method to reduce the
      dimensionality of the dynamics, first various types of principal component
      analyses are employed, and it is shown that the applicability and outcome of the
      approach crucially depends on the type of input coordinates used. In a second
      step, prospective candidates for a reaction coordinate are tested by studying the
      molecule's response to external pulling along the coordinate, using targeted MD
      simulations. While trying to directly enforce the open-closed transition does not
      recover the two-state behavior of T4L, this transition is triggered by a locking
      mechanism, by which the side chain of Phe4 changes from a solvent-exposed to a
      hydrophobically buried state. The mechanism is found to stabilize the open and
      closed states of T4L and thereby causes their relatively long lifetime of ~10
      MUs. In extension of the usual two-state picture, a four-state model of the
      functional motion of T4L is proposed, which describes a hierarchical coupling of
      the fast nanosecond opening-closing motion and the slow microsecond locking
      transition.

PMID- 28915046
TI  - Factors Affecting the Bioaccessibility and Intestinal Transport of
      Difenoconazole, Hexaconazole, and Spirodiclofen in Human Caco-2 Cells Following
      in Vitro Digestion.
AB  - This study examined how gastrointestinal conditions affect pesticide
      bioaccessibility and intestinal transepithelial transport of pesticides
      (difenoconazole, hexaconazole, and spirodiclofen) in humans. We used an in vitro
      model combining human gastric and intestinal digestion, followed with Caco-2 cell
      model for human intestinal absorption. Bioaccessibility of three tested
      pesticides ranged from 25.2 to 76.3% and 10.6 to 79.63% in the gastric and
      intestinal phases, respectively. A marked trend similar to the normal
      distribution was observed between bioaccessibility and pH, with highest values
      observed at pH 2.12 in gastric juice. No significant differences were observed
      with increasing digestion time; however, a significant negative correlation was
      observed with the solid-liquid (S/L) ratio, following a logarithmic equation. R2
      ranged from 0.9198 to 0.9848 and 0.9526 to 0.9951 in the simulated gastric and
      intestinal juices, respectively, suggesting that the S/L ratio is also a major
      factor affecting bioaccessibility. Moreover, significant dose- and time-response
      effects were subsequently observed for intestinal membrane permeability of
      difenoconazole, but not for hexaconazole or spirodiclofen. This is the first
      study to demonstrate the uptake of pesticides by human intestinal cells, aiding
      quantification of the likely effects on human health and highlighting the
      importance of considering bioaccessibility in studies of dietary exposure to
      pesticide residues.

PMID- 28915047
TI  - Two-Photon Absorption in Pentacene Dimers: The Importance of the Spacer Using
      Upconversion as an Indirect Route to Singlet Fission.
AB  - In this proof of concept study, we show that intramolecular singlet fission (iSF)
      can be initiated from a singlet excited state accessed by two-photon absorption,
      rather than through a traditional route of direct one-photon excitation (OPE).
      Thus, iSF in pentacene dimers 2 and 3 is enabled through NIR irradiation at 775
      nm, a wavelength where neither dimer exhibits linear absorption of light. The
      adamantyl and meta-phenylene spacers 2 and 3, respectively, are designed to
      feature superimposable geometries, which establishes that the electronic coupling
      between the two pentacenes is the significant structural feature that dictates
      iSF efficiency.

PMID- 28915048
TI  - X-ray Free Electron Laser Radiation Damage through the S-State Cycle of the
      Oxygen-Evolving Complex of Photosystem II.
AB  - The oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) catalyzes water-splitting through a reaction
      mechanism that cycles the OEC through the "S-state" intermediates. Understanding
      structure/function relationsships of the S-states is crucial for elucidating the
      water-oxidation mechanism. Serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography has been used
      to obtain radiation damage-free structures. However, it remains to be established
      whether "diffraction-before-destruction" is actually accomplished or if
      significant changes are produced by the high-intensity X-ray pulses during the
      femtosecond scattering measurement. Here, we use ab initio molecular dynamics
      simulations to estimate the extent of structural changes induced on the
      femtosecond time scale. We found that the radiation damage is dependent on the
      bonding and charge of each atom in the OEC, in a manner that may provide lessons
      for XFEL studies of other metalloproteins. The maximum displacement of Mn and
      oxygen centers is 0.25 and 0.39 A, respectively, during the 50 fs pulse, which is
      significantly smaller than the uncertainty given the 1.9 A resolution of the
      current PSII crystal structures. However, these structural changes might be
      detectable when comparing isomorphous Fourier differences of electron density
      maps of the different S-states. One conclusion is that pulses shorter than 15 fs
      should be used to avoid significant radiation damage.

PMID- 28915049
TI  - Ruthenium-Catalyzed ortho/meta-Selective Dual C-H Bonds Functionalizations of
      Arenes.
AB  - The first example of transition-metal-catalyzed ortho/meta-selective dual C-H
      functionalizations of arenes in one reaction is described. In this
      transformation, ortho-C-H chlorination and meta-C-H sulfonation of 2
      phenoxypyri(mi)dines were achieved simultaneously under catalysis by [Ru(p
      cymene)Cl2]2. The other reactant, namely, an arylsulfonyl chloride, played the
      role of both a sulfonation and chlorination reagent. More importantly, the
      arylsulfonyl chloride was also an oxidant in the process. Mechanistic studies
      indicated that six-membered ruthenacycles were the key intermediate in the
      reaction.

PMID- 28915050
TI  - One-Pot Synthesis of 1,2-Disubstituted 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-Azaindoles from Amino-o
      halopyridines via N-Arylation/Sonogashira/Cyclization Reaction.
AB  - A direct synthesis of several 1,2-disubstituted 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-azaindoles from
      available amino-o-halopyridines is described. This procedure involves a palladium
      catalyzed N-arylation followed by a Sonogashira reaction and subsequent
      cyclization in a one-pot manner, exhibiting a wide scope and compatibility with
      electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. The strategy represents an
      advancement in azaindole chemistry with a straightforward approach toward 1,2
      disubstituted azaindoles, while avoiding complex N-arylations of hindered 2
      substituted azaindoles and difficult purification steps of intermediates.

PMID- 28915051
TI  - Reconfigurable Positioning of Vertically-Oriented Nanowires Around Topographical
      Features in an AC Electric Field.
AB  - We report the effect of topographical features on gold nanowire assemblies in a
      vertically applied AC electric field. Nanowires 300 nm in diameter *2.5 MUm long,
      and coated with ~30 nm silica shell, were assembled in aqueous solution between
      top and bottom electrodes, where the bottom electrode was patterned with
      cylindrical dielectric posts. Assemblies were monitored in real time using
      optical microscopy. Dielectrophoretic and electrohydrodynamic forces were
      manipulated through frequency and voltage variation, organizing nanowires
      parallel to the field lines, i.e., standing perpendicular to the substrate
      surface. Field gradients around the posts were simulated and assembly behavior
      was experimentally evaluated as a function of patterned feature diameter and
      spacing. The electric field gradient was highest around these topographic
      features, which resulted in accumulation of vertically oriented nanowires around
      the post perimeters when dielectrophoresis dominated (high AC frequency) or
      between the posts when electrohydrodynamics dominated (low AC frequency). This
      general type of reconfigurable assembly, coupled with judicious choice of
      nanowire and post materials/dimensions, could ultimately enable new types of
      optical materials capable of switching between two functional states by changing
      the applied field conditions.

PMID- 28915052
TI  - Mass Spectrometric Analysis of SOX11-Binding Proteins in Head and Neck Cancer
      Cells Demonstrates the Interaction of SOX11 and HSP90alpha.
AB  - Deregulated expression of SOX11 has been shown to be involved in the progression
      of various types of cancer. However, the role of SOX11 in head and neck cancer
      remains largely unknown. In this study, coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were performed to identify the
      proteins that bind to SOX11 at significantly higher levels in head and neck
      cancer cells than in normal human oral keratinocytes. Gene Ontology and Kyoto
      Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses indicated that many
      potential SOX11-binding partners were associated with protein synthesis, cell
      metabolism, and cell-cell adhesion. One of the identified proteins, heat shock
      protein 90 alpha (HSP90alpha), was selected for further investigation. The
      binding of HSP90alpha with SOX11 in head and neck cancer cells was validated by
      Co-IP with western blotting. In addition, HSP90alpha was found to be remarkably
      overexpressed in head and neck cancer cell lines when compared to its level in
      normal human oral keratinocytes, and knockdown of HSP90alpha inhibited the
      proliferation and invasion capacity of these cancer cells. On the basis of The
      Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data analysis, HSP90AA1 gene was overexpressed in head
      and neck cancer tissues compared to normal controls and increased HSP90AA1 gene
      expression was positively associated with extracapsular spread and clinical
      stage. Head and neck cancer patients with higher HSP90AA1 expression had
      significantly poorer long-term overall and disease-free survival rates than those
      with lower HSP90AA1 expression. Collectively, our studies indicate that SOX11
      binds to HSP90alpha, a highly overexpressed protein that may promote invasion and
      progression of head and neck cancer cells.

PMID- 28915053
TI  - Heterogeneous Nucleation of Colloidal Crystals on a Glass Substrate with
      Depletion Attraction.
AB  - The heterogeneous nucleation of colloidal crystals with attractive interactions
      has been investigated via in situ observations. We have found two types of
      nucleation processes: a cluster that overcomes the critical size for nucleation
      with a monolayer, and a method that occurs with two layers. The Gibbs free energy
      changes (DeltaG) for these two types of nucleation processes are evaluated by
      taking into account the effect of various interfacial energies. In contrast to
      homogeneous nucleation, the change in interfacial free energy, Deltasigma, is
      generated for colloidal nucleation on a foreign substrate such as a cover glass
      in the present study. The Deltasigma and step free energy of the first layer,
      gamma1, are obtained experimentally based on the equation deduced from classical
      nucleation theory (CNT). It is concluded that the DeltaG of q-2D nuclei is
      smaller than of monolayer nuclei, provided that the same number of particles are
      used, which explains the experimental result that the critical size in q-2D
      nuclei is smaller than that in monolayer nuclei.

PMID- 28915054
TI  - Rapid Removal and Mineralization of Bisphenol A by Heterosupramolecular Plasmonic
      Photocatalyst Consisting of Gold Nanoparticle-Loaded Titanium(IV) Oxide and
      Surfactant Admicelle.
AB  - The establishment of technology for rapid and complete removal and mineralization
      of harmful phenolic compounds from water is of great importance for environmental
      conservation. Visible-light irradiation (lambda > 430 nm, light intensity
      integrated from 420 to 485 nm = 6.0 mW cm-2) of Au nanoparticle (NP)-loaded TiO2
      (Au/TiO2) in dilute aqueous solutions of bisphenol A (BPA) and p-cresol (PC)
      causes degradation of the phenols. The addition of trimethylstearylammonium
      chloride (C18TAC) enhances the adsorption of BPA on Au/TiO2 to greatly increase
      the rate of reaction. Consequently, 10 MUM phenols are completely removed from
      the solutions within 2.5 h irradiation, and prolonging irradiation time to 24 h
      quantitatively oxidizes BPA to CO2. Dynamic light scattering zeta-potential
      measurements indicate that a C18TAC bilayer or admicelle is formed on the Au/TiO2
      particle surface at C18TAC concentration >50 MUM. The action spectrum for
      reaction shows that this reaction is driven by the Au NP localized surface
      plasmon resonance excitation-induced interfacial electron transfer from Au to
      TiO2. We propose a possible reaction scheme on the basis of the experimental
      results including intermediate analysis.

PMID- 28915055
TI  - Efficient Method of Designing Stable Layered Cathode Material for Sodium Ion
      Batteries Using Aluminum Doping.
AB  - Despite their high specific capacity, sodium layered oxides suffer from severe
      capacity fading when cycled at higher voltages. This key issue must be addressed
      in order to develop high-performance cathodes for sodium ion batteries (SIBs).
      Herein, we present a comprehensive study on the influence of Al doping of Mn
      sites on the structural and electrochemical properties of a P2-Na0.5Mn0.5
      xAlxCo0.5O2 (x = 0, 0.02, or 0.05) cathode for SIBs. Detailed structural,
      morphological, and electrochemical investigations were carried out using X-ray
      diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements,
      and some new insights are proposed. Rietveld refinement confirmed that Al doping
      caused TMO6 octahedra (TM = transition metal) shrinkage, resulting in wider
      interlayer spacing. After optimizing the aluminum concentration, the cathode
      exhibited remarkable electrochemical performance, with better stability and
      improved rate performance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)
      measurements were performed at various states of charge to probe the surface and
      bulk effects of Al doping. The material presented here exhibits exceptional
      stability over 100 cycles within a 1.5-4.3 V window and outperforms several other
      Mn-Co-based cathodes for SIBs. This study presents a facile method for designing
      structurally stable cathodes for SIBs.

PMID- 28915056
TI  - Gigahertz Optomechanical Modulation by Split-Ring-Resonator Nanophotonic Meta
      Atom Arrays.
AB  - Using polarization-resolved transient reflection spectroscopy, we investigate a
      metasurface consisting of coherently vibrating nanophotonic U-shaped split-ring
      meta-atoms that exhibit colocalized optical and mechanical resonances. With an
      array of these resonators formed of gold on glass, essentially miniature tuning
      forks, we monitor the visible-pump induced gigahertz oscillations in reflected
      infrared light intensity to probe the multimodal vibrational response. Numerical
      simulations of the associated transient deformations and strain fields elucidate
      the complex nanomechanical dynamics contributing to the ultrafast optical
      modulation and point to the role of acousto-plasmonic interactions through the
      opening and closing motion of the SRR gaps as the dominant effect. Applications
      include ultrafast acoustooptic modulator design and sensing.

PMID- 28915057
TI  - Highly Efficient Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide Glucose Dehydrogenase Fused to a
      Minimal Cytochrome C Domain.
AB  - Flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD) dependent glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) is a
      thermostable, oxygen insensitive redox enzyme used in bioelectrochemical
      applications. The FAD cofactor of the enzyme is buried within the proteinaceous
      matrix of the enzyme, which makes it almost unreachable for a direct
      communication with an electrode. In this study, FAD dependent glucose
      dehydrogenase was fused to a natural minimal cytochrome domain in its c-terminus
      to achieve direct electron transfer. We introduce a fusion enzyme that can
      communicate with an electrode directly, without the use of a mediator molecule.
      The new fusion enzyme, with its direct electron transfer abilities displays
      superior activity to that of the native enzyme, with a kcat that is ca. 3 times
      higher than that of the native enzyme, a kcat/KM that is more than 3 times higher
      than that of GDH and 5 to 7 times higher catalytic currents with an onset
      potential of ca. (-) 0.15 V vs Ag/AgCl, affording higher glucose sensing
      selectivity. Taking these parameters into consideration, the fusion enzyme
      presented can serve as a good candidate for blood glucose monitoring and for
      other glucose based bioelectrochemical systems.

PMID- 28915058
TI  - Valorization of Unconventional Lipids from Microalgae or Tall Oil via a Selective
      Dual Catalysis One-Pot Approach.
AB  - A dual catalysis approach enables selective functionalization of unconventional
      feedstocks composed of complex fatty acid mixtures with highly unsaturated
      portions like eicosapentaenoate (20:5) along with monounsaturated compounds. The
      degree of unsaturation is unified by selective heterogeneous hydrogenation on
      Pd/gamma-Al2O3, complemented by effective activation to a homogeneous
      carbonylation catalyst [(dtbpx)PdH(L)]+ by addition of diprotonated diphosphine
      (dtbpxH2)(OTf)2. By this one-pot approach, neat 20:5 as a model substrate is
      hydrogenated to up to 80% to the monounsaturated analogue (20:1), this is
      functionalized to the desired C21 alpha,omega-diester building block with a
      linear selectivity of over 90%. This catalytic approach is demonstrated to be
      suitable for crude microalgae oil from Phaeodactylum tricornutum genetically
      engineered for this purpose, as well as tall oil, an abundant waste material.
      Both substrates were fully converted with an overall selectivity to the linear
      alpha,omega-diester of up to 75%.

PMID- 28915059
TI  - Difluoromethylation of Carboxylic Acids via the Addition of Difluorinated
      Phosphorus Ylide to Acyl Chlorides.
AB  - A one-step protocol for the difluoromethylation of carboxylic acids is described.
      The reaction involves the interaction of intermediate acyl chlorides with in situ
      generated difluorinated phosphorus ylide Ph3P?CF2. Aromatic acids can be
      selectively transformed within one step either to bis-difluoromethylated alcohols
      or to difluorinated ketones depending on the particular reaction conditions. For
      bulky alpha-branched carboxylic acids, only ketones are produced.

PMID- 28915060
TI  - The Long Noncoding RNA LnRPT Is Regulated by PDGF-BB and Modulates the
      Proliferation of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells.
AB  - Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a rare and fatal disorder that involves
      extensive remodeling of the pulmonary arteries mediated by hyperproliferation of
      pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Aberrant platelet-derived growth
      factor (PDGF) activity can lead to hyperproliferation of PASMCs; however, little
      is known about the role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in this process. Using RNA
      sequencing, we identified 725 lncRNAs in rat PASMCs, 95 of which were expressed
      differentially in response to PDGF-BB treatment. Depletion of four lncRNAs
      affected the proliferation of rat PASMCs as measured by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine
      incorporation assay. Among these, one lncRNA, named LnRPT (lncRNA regulated by
      PDGF and transforming growth factor beta), was found to be the most potent in
      promoting the proliferation of PASMCs when knocked down. In contrast,
      proliferation of PASMCs was repressed when LnRPT was overexpressed.
      Mechanistically, LnRPT inhibited the expression of two genes involved in the
      Notch signaling pathway (notch3 and jag1) as well as the cell-cycle-regulating
      gene ccna2. In addition, downregulation of LnRPT induced by PDGF-BB was abrogated
      when phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase activity was inhibited with pictilisib.
      Downregulation of LnRPT was also observed in the pulmonary arteries of rats with
      monocrotaline-induced PAH. This study provides novel insights into the effects of
      PDGF-BB on lncRNA expression in PASMCs, and identifies one lncRNA, LnRPT, that
      plays a role in PAH development as a regulator of PASMC proliferation by
      mediating the Notch signaling pathway and cell cycle.

PMID- 28915061
TI  - Prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Herbal Remedy Use in
      Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women: Results from the Study of Women's Health
      Across the Nation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of complementary and alternative
      medicine (CAM) use, including botanical/herbal remedies, among Hispanic and non
      Hispanic white women from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN),
      New Jersey site. We also examined whether attitudes toward CAM and communication
      of its use to providers differed for Hispanic and non-Hispanic women. STUDY
      DESIGN: SWAN is a community-based, multiethnic cohort study of midlife women. At
      the 13th SWAN follow-up, women at the New Jersey site completed both a general
      CAM questionnaire and a culturally sensitive CAM questionnaire designed to
      capture herbal products commonly used in Hispanic/Latina communities. Prevalence
      of and attitudes toward CAM use were compared by race/ethnicity and demographic
      characteristics. RESULTS: Among 171 women (average age 61.8 years), the overall
      prevalence of herbal remedy use was high in both Hispanic and non-Hispanic white
      women (88.8% Hispanic and 81.3% non-Hispanic white), and prayer and herbal teas
      were the most common modalities used. Women reported the use of multiple herbal
      modalities (mean 6.6 for Hispanic and 4.0 for non-Hispanic white women; p =
      0.001). Hispanic women were less likely to consider herbal treatment drugs (16%
      vs. 37.5%; p = 0.005) and were less likely to report sharing the use of herbal
      remedies with their doctors (14.4% Hispanic vs. 34% non-Hispanic white; p =
      0.001). The number of modalities used was similar regardless of the number of
      prescription medications used. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of herbal CAM use was
      observed for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women. Results highlight the
      need for healthcare providers to query women regarding CAM use to identify
      potential interactions with traditional treatments and to determine whether CAM
      is used in lieu of traditional medications.

PMID- 28915062
TI  - A Recombinant Fragment of Human Surfactant Protein D Suppresses Basophil
      Activation and T-Helper Type 2 and B-Cell Responses in Grass Pollen-induced
      Allergic Inflammation.
AB  - RATIONALE: Recombinant fragment of human surfactant protein D (rfhSP-D) has been
      shown to suppress house dust mite- and Aspergillus fumigatus-induced allergic
      inflammation in murine models. OBJECTIVES: We sought to elucidate the effect of
      rfhSP-D on high-affinity IgE receptor- and CD23-mediated, grass pollen-induced
      allergic inflammatory responses. METHODS: rfhSP-D, containing homotrimeric neck
      and lectin domains, was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(lambdaDE3)pLysS cells.
      Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and sera were obtained from individuals with
      grass pollen allergy (n = 27). The effect of rfhSP-D on basophil activation and
      histamine release was measured by flow cytometry. IgE-facilitated allergen
      binding and presentation were assessed by flow cytometry. T-helper cell type 2
      (Th2) cytokines were measured in cell culture supernatants. The effect of rfhSP-D
      on IgE production by B cells when stimulated with CD40L, IL-4, and IL-21 was also
      determined. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: rfhSP-D bound to Phleum pratense in a
      dose- and calcium-dependent manner. Allergen-induced basophil responsiveness and
      histamine release were inhibited in the presence of rfhSP-D, as measured by CD63,
      CD203c (P = 0.0086, P = 0.04205), and intracellularly labeled diamine oxidase (P
      = 0.0003, P = 0.0148). The binding of allergen-IgE complexes to B cells was
      reduced by 51% (P = 0.002) in the presence of rfhSP-D. This decrease was
      concomitant with reduction in CD23 expression on B cells (P < 0.001). rfhSP-D
      suppressed allergen-driven CD27-CD4+CRTh2+ T-cell proliferation (P < 0.01), IL-4,
      and IL-5 levels (all P < 0.01). Moreover, rfhSP-D inhibited CD40L/IL-4- and IL-21
      mediated IgE production (77.12%; P = 0.02) by B cells. CONCLUSIONS: For the first
      time, to our knowledge, we show that rfhSP-D inhibited allergen-induced basophil
      responses at a single-cell level and suppressed CD23-mediated facilitated
      allergen presentation and Th2 cytokine production. In addition, rfhSP-D inhibited
      IgE synthesis by B cells, which is also a novel observation.

PMID- 28915063
TI  - Twist1 in Hypoxia-induced Pulmonary Hypertension through Transforming Growth
      Factor-beta-Smad Signaling.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a devastating pulmonary vascular disease
      characterized by aberrant muscularization of the normally nonmuscularized distal
      pulmonary arterioles. The expression of the transcription factor, Twist1,
      increases in the lungs of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. However,
      the mechanisms by which Twist1 controls the pathogenesis of PH remain unclear. It
      is becoming clear that endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) contributes
      to various vascular pathologies, including PH; Twist1 is known to mediate EndMT.
      In this report, we demonstrate that Twist1 overexpression increases transforming
      growth factor (TGF) beta receptor2 (TGF-betaR2) expression and Smad2
      phosphorylation, and induces EndMT in cultured human pulmonary arterial
      endothelial (HPAE) cells, whereas a mutant construct of Twist1 at the serine 42
      residue (Twist1S42A) fails to induce EndMT. We also implanted fibrin gel
      supplemented with HPAE cells on the mouse lung, and found that these HPAE cells
      form vascular structures and that Twist1-overexpressing HPAE cells undergo EndMT
      in the gel, whereas Twist1S42A-overexpressing cells do not. Furthermore, hypoxia
      induced EndMT is inhibited in endothelial cells overexpressing Twist1S42A mutant
      construct in vitro. Hypoxia-induced accumulation of alpha-smooth muscle actin
      positive cells in the pulmonary arterioles is attenuated in Tie2-specific Twist1
      conditional knockout mice in vivo. These findings suggest that Twist1 serine 42
      phosphorylation plays a key role in EndMT through TGF-beta signaling and that
      modulation of Twist1 phosphorylation could be an effective strategy for managing
      PH.

PMID- 28915064
TI  - The Immunopathologic Effects of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Community-acquired
      Respiratory Distress Syndrome Toxin. A Primate Model.
AB  - Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection has been linked to poor asthma outcomes. M.
      pneumoniae produces an ADP-ribosylating and vacuolating toxin called community
      acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin that has a major role in
      inflammation and airway dysfunction. The objective was to evaluate the
      immunopathological effects in primates exposed to M. pneumoniae or CARDS toxin. A
      total of 13 baboons were exposed to M. pneumoniae or CARDS toxin. At Days 7 and
      14, BAL fluid was collected and analyzed for cell count, percent of each type of
      cell, CARDS toxin by PCR, CARDS toxin by antigen capture, eosinophilic cationic
      protein, and cytokine profiles. Serum IgM, IgG, and IgE responses to CARDS toxin
      were measured. All animals had a necropsy for analysis of the histopathological
      changes on lungs. No animal developed signs of infection. The serological
      responses to CARDS toxin were variable. At Day 14, four of seven animals exposed
      to M. pneumoniae and all four animals exposed to CARDS toxin developed
      histological "asthma-like" changes. T cell intracellular cytokine analysis
      revealed an increasing ratio of IL-4/IFN-gamma over time. Both M. pneumoniae and
      CARDS toxin exposure resulted in similar histopathological pulmonary changes,
      suggesting that CARDS toxin plays a major role in the inflammatory response.

PMID- 28915066
TI  - A Quantitative Assessment of the Reporting Quality of Herbal Medicine Research:
      The Road to Improvement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To quantify different aspects of the quality of reporting of herbal
      medicine clinical trials, to determine how that quality is affecting the
      conclusions of meta-analyses, and to target areas for improvement in future
      herbal medicine research reporting. STUDY DESIGN: The Electronic databases
      PubMed, Academic Search Premier, ScienceDirect, and Alt HealthWatch were searched
      for meta-analyses of herbal medicines in refereed journals and Cochrane Reviews
      in the years 2000-2004 and 2010-2014. The search was limited to meta-analyses of
      randomized controlled trials involving humans and published in English. Judgments
      and descriptions within the meta-analyses were used to report on risks of bias in
      the included clinical trials and the meta-analyses themselves. RESULTS: Out of
      3264 citations, 9 journal-published meta-analyses were selected from 2000 to
      2004, 116 from 2010 to 2014, and 44 Cochrane Reviews from 2010 to 2014. Across
      both time frames and categories of publication, <42% of the trials included in
      the meta-analyses described adequate randomization; <19% described concealment
      methods; <26% described double blinding; <29% described outcome assessment
      blinding, <=53% discussed incomplete data, and <36% were nonselective in their
      reporting. Less than 54% of trials reported on adverse events and 64% of meta
      analyses did not include a single trial with a low risk of bias. Taxonomic
      verification and chemical characterization of test products were infrequent in
      trials. Only 40% of meta-analyses considered publication bias and, of those that
      did, 90% found evidence for it. Cochrane Reviews were more likely than other
      sources to make negative conclusions of efficacy or to defer conclusions because
      of the absence of high quality trials. CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analyses of herbal
      medicines include a significant number of clinical trials that do not meet the
      recommended standards for clinical trial reporting. This quantitative assessment
      identified significant publication bias and other bias risks that may be due to
      inadequate trial design or incomplete reporting of outcomes. Suggested
      improvements to herbal medicine clinical trial reporting are discussed.

PMID- 28915067
TI  - Reverse Message-Framing Effects on Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity Among
      Older Outpatients With Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - It has been suggested that gain-framed messages are more effective than loss
      framed messages in promoting low-risk health behaviors such as physical activity.
      Because of a heightened health concern and possible medical complications, older
      adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) may consider physical activity to be risky.
      This study examined whether a reverse message-framing effect would be found among
      older adults with T2D. The participants included 211 sedentary and older adults
      with T2D recruited from an outpatient clinic. The participants were randomly
      assigned to receive either gain-framed or loss-framed messages and wore an
      accelerometer to monitor their physical activity for 2 weeks. The participants
      who received loss-framed messages were more physically active than those who
      received gain-framed messages (beta = 0.13, p = .033). This loss-frame advantage
      might be attributable to the heightened perceived risks among older outpatients
      with T2D and the temporarily activated prevention-focused orientation in a
      clinical setting.

PMID- 28915065
TI  - Targeting Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1alpha/Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 1 Axis by
      Dichloroacetate Suppresses Bleomycin-induced Pulmonary Fibrosis.
AB  - Hypoxia has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases.
      Aberrantly activated myofibroblasts are the primary pathological driver of
      fibrotic progression, yet how various microenvironmental influences, such as
      hypoxia, contribute to their sustained activation and differentiation is poorly
      understood. As a defining feature of hypoxia is its impact on cellular
      metabolism, we sought to investigate how hypoxia-induced metabolic reprogramming
      affects myofibroblast differentiation and fibrotic progression, and to test the
      preclinical efficacy of targeting glycolytic metabolism for the treatment of
      pulmonary fibrosis. Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrotic progression was
      evaluated in two independent, fibroblast-specific, promoter-driven, hypoxia
      inducible factor (Hif) 1A knockout mouse models and in glycolytic inhibitor,
      dichloroacetate-treated mice. Genetic and pharmacological approaches were used to
      explicate the role of metabolic reprogramming in myofibroblast differentiation.
      Hypoxia significantly enhanced transforming growth factor-beta-induced
      myofibroblast differentiation through HIF-1alpha, whereas overexpression of the
      critical HIF-1alpha-mediated glycolytic switch, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1
      (PDK1) was sufficient to activate glycolysis and potentiate myofibroblast
      differentiation, even in the absence of HIF-1alpha. Inhibition of the HIF
      1alpha/PDK1 axis by genomic deletion of Hif1A or pharmacological inhibition of
      PDK1 significantly attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Our findings
      suggest that HIF-1alpha/PDK1-mediated glycolytic reprogramming is a critical
      metabolic alteration that acts to promote myofibroblast differentiation and
      fibrotic progression, and demonstrate that targeting glycolytic metabolism may
      prove to be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of pulmonary
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28915068
TI  - Prevalence and Transmission of Antimicrobial Resistance in a Vertically
      Integrated Veal Calf Production System.
AB  - Transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from animal production systems to
      humans through the food supply is a public health concern. Currently, little is
      known about the prevalence of AMR among veal calves in the United States.
      Therefore, the objective of this prospective cohort study was to estimate the
      prevalence of AMR and multidrug resistance (MDR) among Escherichia coli within a
      vertically integrated production system. In addition, this study aimed to
      identify genes associated with phenotypic resistance to third- and fourth
      generation cephalosporins (3GC and 4GC). Calves from four veal cohorts were
      randomly sampled resulting in a total of 166 farm fecal samples, 159 harvest
      fecal swabs, 164 preevisceration swabs, and 122 final carcass swabs. The
      prevalence of MDR among random-pick E. coli isolates recovered from the
      respective samples was 97% (161/166), 35% (55/159), 61% (51/84), and 24% (5/21).
      A selective isolation protocol found cefotaxime (a 3GC)-resistant isolates in 91%
      (127/140) of farm fecal samples, 34% (55/164) of preevisceration swabs, and 19%
      (23/122) of final carcass swabs tested. Isolates resistant to cefepime, a 4GC,
      were found among 24% (33/140), 6.7% (11/164), and 0.8% (1/122) of the same,
      respective samples. Isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone, were
      recovered from 75% (73/98) of farm fecal samples, 23% (38/164) of preevisceration
      swabs, and 6.6% (8/122) of final carcass swabs. The blaCMY-2 and blaCTX-M
      resistance genes were found in 89% (93/105) and 100% (42/42) of tested subsets of
      3GC- and 4GC-resistant isolates, respectively. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
      (PFGE) analysis conducted on 3GC- and fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates showed
      three indistinguishable PFGE patterns from cefotaxime-resistant isolates
      recovered at farm and from two preevisceration carcass swabs. Although the
      prevalence of resistance declined between initial farm fecal samples and final
      carcass swabs, resistant bacteria recovered from carcasses illustrate the
      potential transmission of AMR to the human food supply.

PMID- 28915069
TI  - Facilitators and Barriers to Positive Airway Pressure Adherence for Adolescents.
      A Qualitative Study.
AB  - RATIONALE: Low adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment for
      adolescents with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can have long-term cardiometabolic
      and developmental impact. OBJECTIVES: To explore the facilitators and barriers to
      PAP use in adolescents with OSA. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using
      a descriptive thematic analysis approach. A total of 21 interviews were conducted
      in the clinical setting with adolescents prescribed PAP to treat OSA within the
      previous 12 months. Interview audio recordings were transcribed verbatim for
      analysis. Transcripts were reviewed, and data were categorized using a coding
      framework developed by the research team. Codes were structured into themes
      related to the barriers and facilitators to using PAP. RESULTS: Participants
      described numerous challenges with the physical design of the PAP machine,
      including the restriction of the tubing, the discomfort of the mask, and concerns
      with its size and weight. A period of adjustment to wearing and preparing the PAP
      machine was described whereby participants had to develop their own strategies to
      improve comfort. After initiating the therapy, the challenges experienced by
      participants were cited more often than the perceived benefits, particularly for
      those who were less adherent. Finally, the unique needs of adolescents were
      highlighted, which impacted the amount of family support desired in using PAP.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies factors affecting PAP adherence when
      prescribed in adolescence and highlights the need for ongoing dialogue between
      adolescents and their clinical team with respect to challenges encountered,
      troubleshooting, adherence strategies, and parental engagement.

PMID- 28915070
TI  - Value of transmission electron microscopy for primary ciliary dyskinesia
      diagnosis in the era of molecular medicine: Genetic defects with normal and non
      diagnostic ciliary ultrastructure.
AB  - Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic disorder causing chronic oto-sino
      pulmonary disease. No single diagnostic test will detect all PCD cases.
      Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of respiratory cilia was previously
      considered the gold standard diagnostic test for PCD, but 30% of all PCD cases
      have either normal ciliary ultrastructure or subtle changes which are non
      diagnostic. These cases are identified through alternate diagnostic tests,
      including nasal nitric oxide measurement, high-speed videomicroscopy analysis,
      immunofluorescent staining of axonemal proteins, and/or mutation analysis of
      various PCD causing genes. Autosomal recessive mutations in DNAH11 and HYDIN
      produce normal TEM ciliary ultrastructure, while mutations in genes encoding for
      radial spoke head proteins result in some cross-sections with non-diagnostic
      alterations in the central apparatus interspersed with normal ciliary cross
      sections. Mutations in nexin link and dynein regulatory complex genes lead to a
      collection of different ciliary ultrastructures; mutations in CCDC65, CCDC164,
      and GAS8 produce normal ciliary ultrastructure, while mutations in CCDC39 and
      CCDC40 cause absent inner dynein arms and microtubule disorganization in some
      ciliary cross-sections. Mutations in CCNO and MCIDAS cause near complete absence
      of respiratory cilia due to defects in generation of multiple cellular basal
      bodies; however, the scant cilia generated may have normal ultrastructure.
      Lastly, a syndromic form of PCD with retinal degeneration results in normal
      ciliary ultrastructure through mutations in the RPGR gene. Clinicians must be
      aware of these genetic causes of PCD resulting in non-diagnostic TEM ciliary
      ultrastructure and refrain from using TEM of respiratory cilia as a test to rule
      out PCD.

PMID- 28915072
TI  - Parent-Driven Campaign Videos: An Analysis of the Motivation and Affect of Videos
      Created by Parents of Children With Complex Healthcare Needs.
AB  - Caring for a child with complex health care needs places additional stress and
      time demands on parents. Parents often turn to their peers to share their
      experiences, gain support, and lobby for change; increasingly this is done
      through social media. The WellChild #notanurse_but is a parent-driven campaign
      that states its aim is to "shine a light" on the care parents, who are not
      nurses, have to undertake for their child with complex health care needs and to
      raise decision-makers' awareness of the gaps in service provision and support.
      This article reports on a study that analyzed the #notanurse_but parent-driven
      campaign videos. The purpose of the study was to consider the videos in terms of
      the range, content, context, perspectivity (motivation), and affect (sense of
      being there) in order to inform the future direction of the campaign. Analysis
      involved repeated viewing of a subset of 30 purposively selected videos and
      documenting our analysis on a specifically designed data extraction sheet. Each
      video was analyzed by a minimum of 2 researchers. All but 2 of the 30 videos were
      filmed inside the home. A variety of filming techniques were used. Mothers were
      the main narrators in all but 1 set of videos. The sense of perspectivity was
      clearly linked to the campaign with the narration pressing home the reality,
      complexity, and need for vigilance in caring for a child with complex health care
      needs. Different clinical tasks and routines undertaken as part of the child's
      care were depicted. Videos also reported on a sense of feeling different than
      "normal families"; the affect varied among the researchers, ranging from strong
      to weaker emotional responses.

PMID- 28915071
TI  - Transcriptional Response of Respiratory Epithelium to Nontuberculous
      Mycobacteria.
AB  - The incidence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease is
      increasing, but host responses in respiratory epithelium infected with NTM are
      not fully understood. In this work, we aimed to identify infection-relevant gene
      expression signatures of NTM infection of the respiratory epithelium. We infected
      air-liquid interface (ALI) primary respiratory epithelial cell cultures with
      Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium (MAC) or Mycobacterium abscessus subsp.
      abscessus (MAB). We used cells from four different donors to obtain generalizable
      data. Differentiated respiratory epithelial cells at the ALI were infected with
      MAC or MAB at a multiplicity of infection of 100:1 or 1,000:1, and RNA sequencing
      was performed at Days 1 and 3 after infection. In response to infection, we found
      down-regulation of ciliary genes but upregulation of genes associated with
      cytokines/chemokines, such as IL-32, and cholesterol biosynthesis. Inflammatory
      response genes tended to be more upregulated by MAB than by MAC infection.
      Primary respiratory epithelial cell infection with NTM at the ALI identified
      ciliary function, cholesterol biosynthesis, and cytokine/chemokine production as
      major host responses to infection. Some of these pathways may be amenable to
      therapeutic manipulation.

PMID- 28915073
TI  - Internalized Homonegativity and Substance Use Among U.S. Men Who Have Sex with
      Men Only (MSMO) and Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women (MSMW).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Internalized homonegativity may promote substance use among U.S. men
      who have sex with men only (MSMO) and men who have sex with men and women (MSMW).
      However, studies have produced mixed findings, used non-representative samples,
      and not adequately examined MSMW. OBJECTIVES: We investigated (1) internalized
      homonegativity in relation to substance use and (2) the extent of temporal change
      in internalized homonegativity among MSMO and MSMW. METHODS: Using merged 2002,
      2006-2010, and 2011-2013 cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth-a
      nationally representative U.S. sample of persons aged 15-44 years-we acquired
      subsamples of MSMO (n = 419) and MSMW (n = 195). Rao-Scott chi-square tests
      examined internalized homonegativity in relation to past-month binge drinking and
      use of marijuana. These tests examined past-year use of any illicit substance,
      cocaine, crack, injection drugs, and methamphetamine. Multivariable logistic
      regression models controlled for covariates. Rao-Scott chi-square tests examined
      temporal changes in internalized homonegativity. RESULTS: Among MSMO,
      internalized homonegativity was associated with increased odds of using any
      illicit substance, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Among MSMW, however,
      internalized homonegativity was associated with decreased odds of using any
      illicit substance, cocaine, crack, injection drugs, and methamphetamine. The
      proportion of MSMO and MSMW who expressed internalized homonegativity did not
      significantly change during 2002-2013. Conclusions/Importance: Internalized
      homonegativity may be positively associated with substance use among MSMO, but
      negatively associated with substance use among MSMW. Future studies should seek
      to better understand internalized homonegativity and other determinants of
      substance use among MSMO and MSMW.

PMID- 28915074
TI  - Palliative Care Units Are Really Cost Effective Compared With Usual Care.

PMID- 28915075
TI  - Responding to Patient Requests for Hastened Death: Physician Aid in Dying and the
      Clinical Oncologist.
AB  - Physician aid in dying (PAD) or assisted suicide is becoming legal in more US
      jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the needs of terminally ill patients with cancer are
      receiving greater attention, including the integration of palliative care into
      oncology practice. This article highlights a case vignette of a patient with
      advanced cancer who requests PAD from her oncologist, as a backdrop to help the
      practicing oncologist examine his or her moral stance regarding participation in
      aid in dying. The article concludes by offering a framework within which the
      practicing oncologist can receive and process a patient's request for PAD.

PMID- 28915076
TI  - Reply to S.R. Isenberg et al.

PMID- 28915077
TI  - Patient-Clinician Communication: American Society of Clinical Oncology Consensus
      Guideline Summary.

PMID- 28915078
TI  - Pediatric-Specific End-of-Life Care Quality Measures: An Unmet Need of a
      Vulnerable Population.
AB  - We must ensure that the 20,000 US children (age 0 to 19 years) who die as a
      result of serious illness annually receive high-quality end-of-life care.
      Ensuring high-quality end-of-life care requires recognition that pediatric end-of
      life care is conceptually and operationally different than that for adults. For
      example, in-hospital adult death is considered an outcome to be avoided, whereas
      many pediatric families may prefer hospital death. Because pediatric deaths are
      comparatively rare, not all centers offer pediatric-focused palliative care and
      hospice services. The unique psychosocial issues facing families who are losing a
      child include challenges for parent decision makers and young siblings.
      Furthermore, the focus on advance directive documentation in adult care may be
      less relevant in pediatrics because parental decision makers are available.
      Health care quality measures provide a framework for tracking the care provided
      and aid in agency and provider accountability, reimbursement, and educated
      patient choice for location of care. The National Quality Forum, Joint
      Commission, and other groups have developed several end-of-life measures.
      However, none of the current quality measures focus on the unique needs of dying
      pediatric patients and their caregivers. To evolve the existing infrastructure to
      better measure and report quality pediatric end-of-life care, we propose two
      changes. First, we outline how existing adult quality measures may be modified to
      better address pediatric end-of-life care. Second, we suggest the formation of a
      pediatric quality measure end-of-life task force. These are the next steps to
      evolving end-of-life quality measures to better fit the needs of seriously ill
      children.

PMID- 28915080
TI  - Weight-adjusted Intravenous Reslizumab in Severe Asthma with Inadequate Response
      to Fixed-Dose Subcutaneous Mepolizumab.
AB  - RATIONALE: Clinical benefits of fixed-dose 100-mg subcutaneous (SC) mepolizumab
      in prednisone-dependent patients are modest when sputum eosinophilia is not
      adequately controlled. OBJECTIVES: This study compared treatment response of
      weight-adjusted intravenous (IV) reslizumab in patients previously treated with
      100-mg SC mepolizumab. METHODS: Ten prednisone-dependent patients with asthma
      (sputum eosinophils >3% and blood eosinophils >300 cells/MUl), who had previously
      received mepolizumab (100 mg SC dosed every 4 wk [Q4W]) for at least 1 year,
      received two infusions of placebo (Q4W) followed by four infusions of 3.0 mg/kg
      reslizumab Q4W in a single-blind, placebo-controlled sequential trial. Primary
      outcomes were reduction of eosinophils in sputum and blood. Additional outcomes
      included FEV1, asthma control questionnaire, eosinophil peroxidase, IL-5, sputum
      and blood innate lymphoid cells group 2, eosinophil progenitor cells, and
      autoimmune responses. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: IV reslizumab attenuated
      sputum eosinophils by 91.2% (P = 0.002), blood eosinophil counts by 87.4% (P =
      0.004), and sputum eosinophil peroxidase levels by 65.5% (P = 0.03) compared with
      placebo. Attenuation of both local and systemic eosinophilia was associated with
      statistically significant improvements in FEV1 (P = 0.004) and asthma control
      questionnaire five-question instrument scores (P = 0.006). Decrease in percent
      sputum eosinophil was greater with reslizumab (by 42.7%) compared with
      mepolizumab (by 5.0%) and this was associated with greater improvement in asthma
      control questionnaire (P = 0.01; analysis of covariance of Delta between before
      and after treatment, mepolizumab vs. reslizumab, adjusted for baseline
      prednisone). Changes in sputum IL-5 and anti-eosinophil peroxidase IgG after anti
      IL-5 therapy were predictors of response. CONCLUSIONS: Weight-adjusted IV
      reslizumab was superior to fixed-dose SC mepolizumab in attenuating airway
      eosinophilia in prednisone-dependent patients with asthma, with associated
      improvement in asthma control. Clinical trial registered with
      www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 02559791).

PMID- 28915081
TI  - The Story of RNA Interference as a New Therapeutic Paradigm from Nobel Laureate
      Craig Mello.

PMID- 28915082
TI  - A Combined Study of SLC6A15 Gene Polymorphism and the Resting-State Functional
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging in First-Episode Drug-Naive Major Depressive Disorder.
AB  - AIMS: The SLC6A15 gene has been identified as a novel candidate gene for major
      depressive disorder (MDD). However, the mechanism underlying the effects of how
      the SLC6A15 gene affects functional brain activity of patients with MDD remains
      unknown. METHODS: In the present study, we investigated the effect of the SLC6A15
      gene polymorphism, rs1545843, on resting-state brain function in MDD with the
      imaging genomic technology and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) method. Sixty
      seven MDD patients and 44 healthy controls underwent functional magnetic
      resonance imaging scans and genotyping. The differences in ReHo between genotypes
      were initially tested using the student's t test. We then performed a 2 * 2
      (genotypes * disease status) analysis of variance to identify the main effects of
      genotypes, disease status, and their interactions in MDD. RESULTS: MDD patients
      with A+ genotypes showed decreased ReHo in the medial cingulum compared with MDD
      patients with the GG genotype. This was in contrast to normal controls with A+
      genotypes who showed increased ReHo in the posterior cingulum and the frontal,
      temporal, and parietal lobes and decreased ReHo in the left corpus callosum,
      compared with controls with the GG genotypes. The main effect of disease was
      found in the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. The main effect of genotypes
      was found in the left corpus callosum and the frontal lobe. There was no
      interaction between rs1545843 genotypes and disease status. We found that the
      left corpus callosum ReHo was positively correlated with total scores of the
      Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) (p = 0.021), so as was the left inferior
      parietal gyrus ReHo with cognitive disorder (p = 0.02). In addition, the right
      middle temporal gyrus had a negative correlation with retardation (p = 0.049).
      CONCLUSION: We observed an association between the SLC6A15 rs1545843 and resting
      state brain function of the corpus callosum, cingulum and the frontal, parietal,
      and temporal lobes in MDD patients, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of
      MDD.

PMID- 28915083
TI  - Research for the People by the People.

PMID- 28915086
TI  - Effective Physical Activity Promotion to Survivors of Cancer Is Likely to Be Home
      Based and to Require Oncologist Participation.

PMID- 28915085
TI  - Pooled Analysis Safety Profile of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab Combination Therapy in
      Patients With Advanced Melanoma.
AB  - Purpose The addition of nivolumab (anti-programmed death-1 antibody) to
      ipilimumab (anti-cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte-associated 4 antibody) in patients
      with advanced melanoma improves antitumor response and progression-free survival
      but with a higher frequency of adverse events (AEs). This cross-melanoma study
      describes the safety profile of the approved nivolumab plus ipilimumab regimen.
      Methods This retrospective safety review on data from three trials (phase I, II,
      and III) included patients with advanced melanoma who received at least one dose
      of nivolumab 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks * 4 and then nivolumab
      3 mg/kg every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity while
      following established guidelines for AE management. Analyses were of all
      treatment-related AEs, select (immune-related) AEs, time to onset and resolution,
      and use of immune-modulating agents and their effects on outcome. Results Among
      448 patients, median duration of follow-up was 13.2 months. Treatment-related
      grade 3/4 AEs occurred in 55.5% of patients; 35.7% had treatment-related AEs that
      led to discontinuation. The most frequent treatment-related select AEs of any
      grade were skin (64.3%) and GI (46.7%) and of grade 3/4, hepatic (17.0%) and GI
      (16.3%); 30.1% developed a grade 2 to 4 select AE in more than one organ
      category. Median time to onset of grade 3/4 treatment-related select AEs ranged
      from 3.1 (skin) to 16.3 (renal) weeks, and with the exclusion of endocrine AEs,
      median time to resolution from onset ranged from 1.9 (renal) to 4.5 (pulmonary)
      weeks, with resolution rates between 79% and 100% while using immune-modulating
      agents. Four (< 1%) on-study deaths were attributed to therapy. Conclusion
      Frequency of grade 3/4 treatment-related AEs was higher with nivolumab plus
      ipilimumab and occurred earlier than historical experience with either agent
      alone, but resolution rates were similar.

PMID- 28915087
TI  - Feasibility of Detecting Bioorganic Compounds in Enceladus Plumes with the
      Enceladus Organic Analyzer.
AB  - Enceladus presents an excellent opportunity to detect organic molecules that are
      relevant for habitability as well as bioorganic molecules that provide evidence
      for extraterrestrial life because Enceladus' plume is composed of material from
      the subsurface ocean that has a high habitability potential and significant
      organic content. A primary challenge is to send instruments to Enceladus that can
      efficiently sample organic molecules in the plume and analyze for the most
      relevant molecules with the necessary detection limits. To this end, we present
      the scientific feasibility and engineering design of the Enceladus Organic
      Analyzer (EOA) that uses a microfluidic capillary electrophoresis system to
      provide sensitive detection of a wide range of relevant organic molecules,
      including amines, amino acids, and carboxylic acids, with ppm plume-detection
      limits (100 pM limits of detection). Importantly, the design of a capture plate
      that effectively gathers plume ice particles at encounter velocities from 200 m/s
      to 5 km/s is described, and the ice particle impact is modeled to demonstrate
      that material will be efficiently captured without organic decomposition. While
      the EOA can also operate on a landed mission, the relative technical ease of a
      fly-by mission to Enceladus, the possibility to nondestructively capture pristine
      samples from deep within the Enceladus ocean, plus the high sensitivity of the
      EOA instrument for molecules of bioorganic relevance for life detection argue for
      the inclusion of EOA on Enceladus missions. Key Words: Lab-on-a-chip-Organic
      biomarkers-Life detection-Planetary exploration. Astrobiology 17, 902-912.

PMID- 28915088
TI  - Abiotic and Biotic Formation of Amino Acids in the Enceladus Ocean.
AB  - The active plume at Enceladus' south pole makes the indirect sampling of its
      global ocean possible. The partially resolved chemistry of the plume, which
      points to conditions that are seemingly compatible with life, has made orbital
      sampling missions a priority. We present a conceptual model of energy flux,
      hydrothermal H2 production, and both abiotic and biotic production of amino
      acids. Based on the energy flux observed at the south pole and the inferred
      internal hydrothermal activity, we estimate an H2 production of 0.6-34 mol/s from
      serpentinization, sufficient to sustain abiotic and biotic amino acid synthesis
      of 1.6-87 and 1-44 g/s, respectively. Two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulations
      of the hydrothermal vent suggest that the vent fluids could reach the ice-water
      boundary in less than 11-55 days for a 50 km deep ocean diluted by ambient ocean
      water 10 to 1. Concentrations of glycine, alanine, alpha-amino isobutyric acid,
      and glutamic acid in the plume and in the ambient ocean could all be above 0.01
      MUM just due to abiotic production. Biological synthesis, if occurring, could
      produce a maximum of 90 MUM concentrations of amino acids based on a methanogenic
      ecosystem consuming H2 and CO2. Racemization timescales in the ocean are short
      compared with production timescales. Thus, no enantiomeric excess is expected in
      the ambient ocean, and if biology is present, enantiomeric excess at the vent
      fluids is expected to be less than 10% in the plume. From vent H2 concentrations
      of 7.8 mM (e.g., Lost City) and assuming complete H2 use and conversion to
      chemical energy by methanogens, cell production is estimated. Annual biomass
      production in the methanogenic-based biology model is 4 * 104-2 * 106 kg/year.
      This corresponds to cell concentrations ~109 cells/cm3 in the vents and ~108
      cells/cm3 in the plume, and when diluted into the ambient ocean, we predict cell
      concentrations of 80-4250 cells/cm3. Key Words: Abiotic organic synthesis
      Enceladus-Extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology 17, 862-875.

PMID- 28915089
TI  - Transgender Teachers: The Personal, Pedagogical, and Political.
AB  - This empirical research study examines the experiences of three male-to-female
      transgender teachers who transitioned genders, in three different decades (1980s,
      1990s, 2000s) while actively teaching within Canadian K-12 public schools. I
      utilize poststructural storylines to explore how these transgender teachers
      navigated the personal, pedagogical, and political and the survival and
      transition strategies they developed to become intelligible within their schools.
      Their storylines illustrate how they developed counternarratives to challenge
      traditional discourses of trans invisibility, silence, shame, and fear.

PMID- 28915090
TI  - Evaluating the consistency of scales used in adult attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder assessment of college-aged adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neurocognitive evaluations are commonly integrated with clinical
      assessment to evaluate adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
      Study goal is to identify measures most strongly related to ADHD diagnosis and to
      determine their utility in screening processes. PARTICIPANTS: 230 students who
      were evaluated at the Vanderbilt University Psychological and Counseling Center
      between July 2013 and October 2015. METHODS: We retrospectively examined charts,
      including clinical diagnosis, family history, childhood parental reported and
      current self-reported ADHD symptoms, psychiatric comorbidities, and continuous
      performance test (CPT). RESULT: Positive report of childhood and current ADHD
      symptoms, and lack of comorbid psychiatric symptoms were strongly associated with
      clinical diagnosis. CPT results were not associated with an ADHD diagnosis. The
      absence of reported childhood and current ADHD symptoms may serve as a
      contradictory marker for ADHD diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Clinical assessment of ADHD
      symptoms and ADHD childhood history, but not CPT, contributes to an accurate
      diagnosis of ADHD in college-aged adults.

PMID- 28915091
TI  - Working with the Complexity and Refusing to Simplify: Undocuqueer Meaning Making
      at the Intersection of LGBTQ and Immigrant Rights Discourses.
AB  - This study brings gender, sexuality, and immigration status, and their conceptual
      margins, to the center of analysis via the narratives of 31 self-identified
      undocuqueer immigrants. Undocuqueer immigrants ascribe meaning to their
      experiences by producing alternate subjectivities and subject positions that
      resist multiple axes of oppression. These subjectivities problematize the
      exclusionary repercussions of single-axis identity categorization that mostly
      benefit those who already have some structural privileges. Undocuqueer as a form
      of resistance to essentialized identity discourses was evidenced in participants'
      opposition to heteronormative, homonormative, and DREAMer discourses. This study
      has implications for further understanding the way that queer politics and
      identity interact with various axes of inequality.

PMID- 28915092
TI  - Sexual Orientation in State Hate Crime Laws: Exploring Social Construction and
      Criminal Law.
AB  - Several studies have described and analyzed the development and diffusion of hate
      crime laws in the United States, but none specifically examined state-level
      differences in protected categories. Forty-five of the 50 states have a hate
      crime statute, but only 30 of those include sexual orientation. In this study the
      social construction framework is applied to the hate crime policy domain in order
      to determine whether or not variations in the social and political status of gays
      and lesbians are associated with the inclusion of sexual orientation in state
      hate crime laws. Content analysis of daily newspapers in six states revealed that
      a positive social construction is associated with groups seeking hate crime law
      protections, and that political influence may also be a key factor.

PMID- 28915093
TI  - Sport Skill-Specific Expertise Biases Sensory Integration for Spatial Referencing
      and Postural Control.
AB  - The authors asked how sport expertise modulates visual field dependence and
      sensory reweighting for controlling posture. Experienced soccer athletes, ballet
      dancers, and nonathletes performed (a) a Rod and Frame test and (b) a 100-s
      bipedal stance task during which vision and proprioception were successively or
      concurrently disrupted in 20-s blocks. Postural adaptation was assessed in the
      mean center of pressure displacement, root mean square of center of pressure
      velocity and ankle muscles integrated electromyography activity. Soccer athletes
      were more field dependent than were nonathletes. During standing, dancers were
      more destabilized by vibration and required more time to reweigh sensory
      information compared with the other 2 groups. These findings reveal a sport skill
      specific bias in the reweighing of sensory inputs for spatial orientation and
      postural control.

PMID- 28915094
TI  - Surgical Site Infections after Tissue Flaps Performed in Low- and Middle-Human
      Development Index Countries: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) affect the safety of surgical care
      and are particularly problematic and prevalent in low and middle Human
      Development Index Countries (LMHDICs). METHODS: We performed a systematic review
      of the existing literature on SSIs after tissue flap procedures in LMHDICs
      through the PubMed, Ovid, and Web of Science databases. Of the 405 abstracts
      identified, 79 were selected for full text review, and 30 studies met inclusion
      criteria for analysis. RESULTS: In the pooled analysis, the SSI rate was 5.8
      infections per 100 flap procedures (95% confidence interval [CI] 2%-10%, range: 0
      40%). The most common indication for tissue flap was pilonidal sinus repair,
      which had a pooled SSI rate of 5.6 infections per 100 flap procedures (95% CI 2%
      10%, range: 0-15%). No fatalities from an infection were noted. The reporting of
      infection epidemiology, prevention, and treatment was poor, with few studies
      reporting antibiotic agent use (37%), responsible pathogens (13%), infection
      comorbidities (13%), or time to infection (7%); none reported cost. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our review highlights the need for more work to develop standardized hospital
      based reporting for surgical outcomes and complications, as well as future
      studies by large, multi-national groups to establish baseline incidence rates for
      SSIs and best practice guidelines to monitor SSI rates.

PMID- 28915095
TI  - Ethical Considerations For Social Workers Working with Muslim Refugees.
AB  - In 2016 almost 39,000 Muslim refugees entered the United States, representing a
      record of admissions during a time of elevated anti-Muslim political rhetoric and
      public sentiment. Anti-Muslim attitudes and policies can affect refugees' ability
      to successfully resettle and contribute to decreased health status. Given the
      current social and political moment there is an ethical imperative for social
      workers to engage in resistance to anti-Muslim sentiment and the encoding of
      Islamophobia in resettlement policy. In this article, the authors explore
      constraints on resettlement social workers' engagement with advocacy and make
      suggestions for ethical practice that promotes social and emotional well-being.

PMID- 28915096
TI  - Dietary supplement use, perceptions, and associated lifestyle behaviors in
      undergraduate college students, student-athletes, and ROTC cadets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use, perceptions
      of DS efficacy, and lifestyle behaviors of DS users and non-users. PARTICIPANTS:
      Undergraduate students, student-athletes, and ROTC cadets at a Midwestern
      University between September 2014 and January 2015. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      online survey was administered. Analysis included descriptive statistics, chi
      square, and independent sample t-tests. RESULTS: At least 50% of respondents from
      each group reported DS use. Users generally reported favorable perceptions of
      efficacy. Undergraduate student DS users reported more exercise and more
      healthful dietary habits compared to non-users; however, nearly 72% of
      undergraduates who reported tobacco use also reported DS use. Less significant
      differences were observed in the student-athlete and cadet samples. CONCLUSIONS:
      DS use is common on college campuses, and many DS users report favorable
      perceptions of efficacy. With the exception of tobacco use, collegiate DS users
      generally report lifestyles that are as healthy or healthier than non-users.

PMID- 28915098
TI  - Balance, Proprioception, and Gross Motor Development of Chinese Children Aged 3
      to 6 Years.
AB  - The authors' aim was to find the features of balance, proprioception, and gross
      motor development of Chinese children 3-6 years old and their correlations,
      provide theoretical support for promoting children's motor development, and
      enrich the world theoretical system of motor development. This study used a
      Tekscan foot pressure measurement instrument (Tekscan, Inc., Boston, MA), walking
      on a balance beam, Xsens 3-dimensional positional measuring system (Xsens
      Technologies, Enschede, the Netherlands), and Test of Gross Motor Development-2
      to assess static balance, dynamic balance, knee proprioception, and levels of
      gross motor development (GMD) of 3- to 6-year-old children (n = 60) in Beijing.
      The results are as follows: children had significant age differences in static
      balance, dynamic balance, proprioception, and levels of GMD; children had
      significant gender differences in static balance, proprioception, and levels of
      GMD; children's static balance, dynamic balance, and proprioception had a very
      significant positive correlation with GMD (p < .01), but no significant
      correlation with body mass index.

PMID- 28915097
TI  - Synergies and Motor Equivalence in Voluntary Sway Tasks: The Effects of Visual
      and Mechanical Constraints.
AB  - The authors used two analyses developed within the framework of the uncontrolled
      manifold hypothesis to quantify multimuscle synergies during voluntary body sway:
      analysis of intertrial variance and analysis of motor equivalence with respect to
      the center of pressure (COP) trajectory. Participants performed voluntary sway
      tasks in the anteroposterior direction at 0.33 and 0.66 Hz. Muscle groups were
      identified in the space of muscle activations and used as elemental variables in
      the synergy analyses. Changing mechanical and vision feedback-based constraints
      led to significant changes in indices of sway performance such as COP deviations
      in the uninstructed, mediolateral direction and indices of spontaneous postural
      sway. In contrast, there were no significant effects on synergy indices. These
      findings show that the neural control of performance and of its stability may
      involve different control variables and neurophysiological structures. There were
      strong correlations between the indices of motor equivalence and those computed
      using the intercycle variance analysis. This result is potentially important for
      studies of patients with movement disorders who may be unable to perform multiple
      trials (cycles) at any given task, making analysis of motor equivalence of single
      trials a viable alternative to explore changes in stability of actions.

PMID- 28915099
TI  - Examining Readmissions through the Zone of Tolerance Theory.
AB  - The relationship between readmissions and customer service expectations is
      examined through the lens of the Zone of Tolerance (ZoT) theory. ZoT theory is
      expanded to consider the potential conflicting expectations and nature of the
      payer and patent customer dichotomy of the healthcare industry. The paper will
      suggest opportunities to influence patient expectations and understanding. It
      will also present empirical methods for understanding and responding to payer
      service expectations.

PMID- 28915101
TI  - These Unprecedented Times.

PMID- 28915100
TI  - Promotion of Immunizations for Health Professionals in Europe: A Qualitative
      Study in Seven European Member States.
AB  - Health Care Workers (HCWs) are a high-risk group for contracting Vaccine
      Preventable Diseases who, despite legislation and guidance, remain
      undervaccinated. In order to understand their barriers and needs, focus groups
      were formed with 278 physicians, nurses, infection-control personnel, and policy
      makers in 7 EU MS. Several implications for the development of promotional
      initiatives were identified including the need to overcome organizational
      barriers, to sensitize HCWs about the importance of immunization and to provide
      specific up-to-date information about vaccinations covering prevalence of
      diseases, protection years, side effects, administration times, antibody
      examinations, costs and immunization settings.

PMID- 28915102
TI  - Acceleration-selective Arterial Spin-labeling MR Angiography Used to Visualize
      Distal Cerebral Arteries and Collateral Vessels in Moyamoya Disease.
AB  - Purpose To evaluate and compare the performance of acceleration-selective
      arterial spin labeling (AccASL) magnetic resonance (MR) angiography in the
      visualization of cerebral arteries and collateral vessels in patients with
      Moyamoya disease with that of time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography, with digital
      subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard. Materials and Methods
      Thirty-six cerebral hemispheres from 22 patients with Moyamoya disease underwent
      TOF and AccASL MR angiography and DSA. Qualitative evaluations included imaging
      of the terminal internal carotid artery (ICA), distal middle cerebral arteries
      (MCAs), Moyamoya vessels, and leptomeningeal anastomosis (LMA) collaterals with
      reference to DSA. Quantitative evaluations included assessment of contrast-to
      noise ratio (CNR) and number of vessels in MCA branches. The linear mixed-effect
      model was used to compare the two methods. Results Mean scores for qualitative
      evaluation were significantly higher with AccASL angiography than with TOF
      angiography for imaging distal MCAs (3.9 +/- 0.3 [standard deviation] vs 2.9 +/-
      1.1; P < .001), Moyamoya vessels (3.6 +/- 0.6 vs 2.7 +/- 0.9, P < .001), and LMA
      collaterals (3.8 +/- 0.6 vs 1.8 +/- 0.7, P < .001). Scores for steno-occlusive
      degree around the terminal ICAs were better with TOF angiography than with AccASL
      angiography (2.6 +/- 0.5 vs 2.4 +/- 0.6, P = .023). CNRs in the M4 segment were
      significantly higher with AccASL angiography (11.9 +/- 12.9, P < .001) than with
      TOF angiography (4.1 +/- 7.9). The number of vessels was significantly higher
      with AccASL angiography (18.3 +/- 5.0, P < .001) than with TOF angiography (8.9
      +/- 4.9). The increase in the number of vessels from TOF angiography to AccASL
      angiography was greater in patients with severe ICA steno-occlusion (late ICA
      stage group, 11.4 +/- 4.5; early ICA stage group, 6.8 +/- 4.0; P = .007) and well
      developed leptomeningeal anastomosis (mildly developed LMA group, 7.1 +/- 4.3;
      well-developed LMA group, 11.3 +/- 4.5; P = .011). Conclusion AccASL MR
      angiography enables better visualization of distal cerebral arteries and
      collateral vessels in patients with Moyamoya disease than does TOF MR
      angiography, while TOF MR angiography enables better visualization of stenosis of
      proximal arteries. Both methods work in a mutually beneficial manner in the
      assessment of cerebral arteries. (c) RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is
      available for this article.

PMID- 28915103
TI  - MR Spectroscopy-derived Proton Density Fat Fraction Is Superior to Controlled
      Attenuation Parameter for Detecting and Grading Hepatic Steatosis.
AB  - Purpose To prospectively compare the diagnostic accuracy of controlled
      attenuation parameter (CAP) obtained with transient elastography and proton
      density fat fraction (PDFF) obtained with proton magnetic resonance (MR)
      spectroscopy with results of liver biopsy in a cohort of adult patients suspected
      of having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Materials and Methods The
      institutional review board approved this study. Informed consent was obtained
      from all patients. The authors evaluated 55 patients suspected of having NAFLD
      (40 men, 15 women). Patients had a median age of 52.3 years (interquartile range
      [IQR], 43.7-57.6 years) and a median body mass index of 27.8 kg/m2 (IQR, 26.0
      33.1 kg/m2). CAP and PDFF measurements were obtained on the same day, within 27
      days of biopsy (IQR, 7-44 days). CAP and PDFF were compared between steatosis
      grades by using the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Diagnostic accuracies of CAP and
      PDFF for grading steatosis were assessed with receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) analysis. Within-weeks reproducibility (CAP and PDFF) and within-session
      repeatability were assessed with linear regression analyses, intraclass
      correlation coefficients, and coefficients of variation. Results Steatosis grades
      at liver biopsy were distributed as follows: S0, five patients; S1, 24 patients;
      S2, 17 patients; and S3, nine patients. Both PDFF and CAP helped detect
      histologically proven steatosis (>=S1), but PDFF showed better diagnostic
      accuracy than CAP in terms of the area under the ROC curve (0.99 vs 0.77,
      respectively; P = .0334). PDFF, but not CAP, enabled the grading of steatosis (P
      < .0001). For within-weeks reproducibility, the intraclass correlation
      coefficient with PDFF was higher than that with CAP (0.95 vs 0.65, respectively;
      P = .0015); coefficients of variation were similar (19% vs 11%, P = .55). Within
      session repeatability of CAP was good, with a coefficient of variation of 4.5%.
      Conclusion MR spectroscopy-derived PDFF is superior to CAP in detecting and
      grading liver steatosis in human NAFLD. (c) RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental
      material is available for this article.

PMID- 28915105
TI  - Variations of ankle-foot orthosis-constrained movements increase ankle range of
      movement while maintaining power output of recumbent cycling.
AB  - Previous research investigated recumbent cycle power output (PO) from the
      perspective of knee and hip joint biomechanics. However, ankle-foot biomechanics
      and, in particular, the effect of ankle-foot orthosis (AFO)-constrained movements
      on cycle PO has not been widely explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study
      was to determine whether AFOs of a fixed position (FP) and in dorsi
      plantarflexion (DPF)-, dorsiflexion (DF)- and plantarflexion (PF)-constrained
      movements might influence PO during voluntary recumbent cycling exercises. Twenty
      five healthy individuals participated in this study. All underwent 1-min cycling
      at a fixed cadence for each of the AFOs. The peak and average PO of each
      condition were analyzed. The peak and average PO were 27.2+/-12.0 W (range 6-60)
      and 17.2+/-9.0 W (range 2-36), respectively, during voluntary cycling. There were
      no significant differences in the peak PO generated by the AFOs (p=0.083). There
      were also no significant differences in the average PO generated using different
      AFOs (p=0.063). There were no significant differences in the changes of the hip
      and knee joint angles with different AFOs (p=0.974 and p=1.00, respectively).
      However, there was a significant difference in the changes of the ankle joint
      angle (p<0.00). The present study observed that AFO-constrained movements did not
      have an influence in altering PO during voluntary recumbent cycling in healthy
      individuals. This finding might serve as a reference for future rehabilitative
      cycling protocols.

PMID- 28915104
TI  - Rift Valley fever phlebovirus NSs protein core domain structure suggests
      molecular basis for nuclear filaments.
AB  - Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV) is a clinically and economically important
      pathogen increasingly likely to cause widespread epidemics. RVFV virulence
      depends on the interferon antagonist non-structural protein (NSs), which remains
      poorly characterized. We identified a stable core domain of RVFV NSs (residues 83
      248), and solved its crystal structure, a novel all-helical fold organized into
      highly ordered fibrils. A hallmark of RVFV pathology is NSs filament formation in
      infected cell nuclei. Recombinant virus encoding the NSs core domain induced
      intranuclear filaments, suggesting it contains all essential determinants for
      nuclear translocation and filament formation. Mutations of key crystal fibril
      interface residues in viruses encoding full-length NSs completely abrogated
      intranuclear filament formation in infected cells. We propose the fibrillar
      arrangement of the NSs core domain in crystals reveals the molecular basis of
      assembly of this key virulence factor in cell nuclei. Our findings have important
      implications for fundamental understanding of RVFV virulence.

PMID- 28915106
TI  - Making sense of a haemolysis monitoring and reporting system: a nationwide
      longitudinal multimethod study of 68 Australian laboratory participant
      organisations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The key incident monitoring and management systems (KIMMS) quality
      assurance program monitors incidents in the pre- and postanalytical phases of
      testing in medical laboratories. Haemolysed specimens have been found to be the
      most frequent preanalytical error and have major implications for patient care.
      The aims of this study were to assess the suitability of KIMMS for quality
      reporting of haemolysis and to devise a meaningful method for reporting and
      monitoring haemolysis. METHODS: A structured survey of 68 Australian KIMMS
      laboratory participant organisations was undertaken. Quarterly haemolysis reports
      (2011-2014) were analysed. RESULTS: Among 110 million accessions reported,
      haemolysis rates varied according to the reporting methods that participants used
      for assigning accessions (16% of participants reported haemolysis by specimen and
      83% reported by episode) and counting haemolysis rejections (61% by specimen, 35%
      by episode and 3% by test). More than half of the participants (56%) assigned
      accessions by episode and counted rejections by specimen. For this group, the
      average haemolysis rate per 100,000 episodes was 177 rejected specimens with the
      average rate varying from 100 to 233 over time. The majority of participants
      (91%) determined rejections using the haemolysis index. Two thirds of
      participants (66%) recorded the haemolysis manually in laboratory information
      systems. CONCLUSIONS: KIMMS maintains the largest longitudinal haemolysis
      database in the world. However, as a means of advancing improvements in the
      quality of the preanalytical laboratory process, there is a need to standardise
      reporting methods to enable robust comparison of haemolysis rejection rates
      across participant laboratories.

PMID- 28915107
TI  - Selective changes in cholesterol metabolite levels in plasma of breast cancer
      patients after tumor removal.

PMID- 28915108
TI  - Development of an internally controlled quantitative PCR to measure total cell
      associated HIV-1 DNA in blood.

PMID- 28915109
TI  - Factors affecting utilization of youth friendly health services in Lagos State,
      Nigeria.
AB  - Background Youth friendly health services (YFHS) are services that attract,
      respond to the needs of and retain young people for continuing care. This study
      was conducted to determine the factors affecting utilization of government (GYFF)
      and non-governmental youth friendly facilities (NGYFF) in Lagos state, Nigeria.
      Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 543
      adolescents aged 15-24 years, between August 1, 2014 and October 31, 2014 were
      consecutively recruited from 10 (five government and five non-governmental) youth
      friendly health facilities that had been in operation for at least 6 months prior
      to the study. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of utilization
      of youth friendly health facilities. Results Overall, the mean age of respondents
      was 17.9 +/- 2.8. However, the mean age of respondents at GYFF (18.5 +/- 3.0) was
      significantly higher than those at NGYFF (17.1 +/- 2.5) (p < 0.001). Of the 567
      youths enrolled, 196 (34.6%) had good utilization of youth friendly facilities
      (YFF) (34% from the GYFF and 35.2% from the NGYFF). Marital status, school
      attendance, having a baby, satisfaction with visit, perception that information
      shared was kept confidential and accessibility of the youth friendly services
      were associated with utilization of YFF (p < 0.05). Confidentiality and access to
      facilities were predictors of utilization of YFF. Conclusion There is poor
      utilization of both government and non-governmental youth friendly services in
      Lagos, Nigeria. There is a need for both the government and private sector to
      harmonize resources aimed at encouraging utilization of YFF in Lagos, Nigeria.

PMID- 28915110
TI  - Diet quality of adolescents with eating disorders.
AB  - Purpose To compare the nutritional intake of adolescents with eating disorders
      (EDs) to recommended Daily Values of macronutrients and micronutrients, using the
      Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDSR); to determine if nutritional content
      varied among the different sub-types of EDs; and to use the Healthy Eating Index
      2010 (HEI-2010) as a measurement of diet quality in this population. Methods
      Forty-six adolescents referred to an ED Program were recruited for inclusion in
      this study. A detailed 24-h dietary recall from each participant was obtained and
      a detailed nutritional analysis was generated, allowing for calculation of the
      HEI-2010. Descriptive statistics were calculated to determine baseline
      characteristics of the study population and to determine associations and
      differences between ED subtypes. Results Average daily caloric intake was below
      recommended values in the study population. Despite this, the distribution of
      macronutrients was within the ranges recommended for older children and
      adolescents by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Micronutrient content
      varied considerably. The study population had a mean HEI-2010 score of 60.1,
      falling within the "needs improvement" category. A majority of the participants
      had insufficient caloric intake for the HEI to be applicable. Conclusion Results
      suggest that adolescents with EDs have a surprisingly normal distribution of
      macronutrient intake. Although using a diet quality assessment tool such as the
      HEI-2010 has been helpful in analyzing overall diet quality in the general
      population, the restrictive caloric intake which characterizes the ED population
      prevents the utility of such a guide for most patients with EDs.

PMID- 28915111
TI  - The effect of group counseling based on self-awareness skill on sexual risk
      taking among girl students in Gorgan, Iran: a randomized trial.
AB  - Background Sexual puberty in adolescents occurs before their mental and emotional
      maturity and exposes them to high-risk sexual behaviors. Because sexual risk
      taking occurs before adolescents become involved in a sexual relationship, this
      study was conducted to identify the effect of group counseling based on self
      awareness skill on sexual risk-taking among female high school students in Gorgan
      in order to suggest some preventative measures. Methods The present parallel
      study is a randomized field trial conducted on 96 girl students who were studying
      in grades 10, 11 and 12 of high school with an age range of 14-18 years old.
      Sampling was done based on a multi-stage process. In the first stage, through the
      randomized clustering approach, four centers among six health centers were
      selected. In the second stage, 96 samples were collected through consecutive
      sampling. Finally, the samples were divided into two intervention and control
      groups (each one having 48 subjects) through the simple randomized approach. It
      has to be noted that no blinding was done in the present study. The data were
      collected using a demographic specifications form and the Iranian Adolescents
      Risk-Taking Scale (IARS). The consultation sessions based on self-awareness skill
      were explained to an intervention group through 60-min sessions over 7 weeks. The
      pretest was conducted for both groups and the posttest was completed 1 week and 1
      month after the intervention by the intervention and control groups. Finally,
      after the loss of follow-up/drop out, a total of 80 subjects remained in the
      study; 42 subjects in the intervention group and 38 subjects in the control
      group. Data analyses were done using SPSS v.16 along with the Freidman non
      parametric test and the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. Results The results
      showed that the sexual risk-taking mean scores in the intervention group (10.54
      +/- 15.64) were reduced by applying 1-week (8.03 +/- 12.82) and 1-month (4.91 +/-
      10.10) follow-ups after the intervention. This reduction was statistically
      significant (p = 14%). However, no statistically significant difference was
      observed in the control group. Conclusion Group counseling based on self
      awareness skill decreased the sexual risk-taking in girl students of the high
      school. As prevention is prior to treatment, this method could be proposed as the
      prevention of high-risk sexual behavior to healthcare centers and educational
      environments and non-government organizations (NGOs) interacting with
      adolescents.

PMID- 28915112
TI  - Raising awareness on cyber safety: adolescents' experience of a primary
      healthcare professional-led, school-based, multi-center intervention.
AB  - Purpose Although safe Internet use is an emerging public health issue, there is a
      scarcity of published work describing relevant school-based interventions. The
      objective of this study was to explore the impact of a health professional-led,
      school-based intervention in raising awareness on cyber-safety in adolescents,
      Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate adolescents' evaluation of
      this school-based intervention, 6 months after its implementation, as well as the
      impact of adolescents' school class and gender on their evaluation. Methods A
      student sample was selected using a multistage stratified random sampling
      technique, according to the location and school grade level (middle, high
      school). The students - aged from 12 to 18 years old experienced an interactive
      presentation in their classrooms on the amount of time spent online, the use of
      social networks and the available support services. An evaluation tool was
      completed anonymously and voluntarily 6 months after the intervention. Results
      Four hundred and sixty-two students (response rate 90.7%, 246 middle, 216 high
      school) completed the evaluation tool. Younger students, especially the ones in
      the first year of middle school, scored significantly higher in all six
      parameters used in the evaluation of this intervention compared with all the
      older participants: (a) they had kept the presented information on Safeline and
      Saferinternet websites and the helpline Ypostirizo (70.2% vs. 33.7%, p < 0.001)
      (b) they had already used it (32.5% vs. 12.3%, p < 0.001), (c) they had learned
      new information on cyber safety (66.4% vs. 34%, p < 0.001), (d) they rated the
      intervention as more interesting (median 8 vs. 7, p < 0.05), (e) they had
      reconsidered the way they use Internet (median 7 vs. 6, p < 0.05) and (f) they
      had changed their cyber behavior (median 7 vs. 5, p < 0.05). Conclusion The
      active involvement of students in a discussion on cyber-safety based on their
      experiences was highly evaluated. The impact of the intervention on the youngest
      students underlines the need for raising awareness on cyber-safety and support
      services, earlier in the students' life.

PMID- 28915113
TI  - Causative factors for sexual and reproductive health status of pregnant
      adolescent girls in urban communities of Lagos, Nigeria.
AB  - Background The overall goal of this study was to determine the causative factors
      for pregnancy status in adolescent girls in two communities in the Lagos Island
      local government area. Methods A mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative)
      study reviewing routine health facility antenatal care (ANC) records and
      conducting focus group discussions among 46 pregnant adolescents, exploring their
      views about sex, contraception, pregnancy and sexual and reproductive health
      (SRH) services, was carried out. Key informant interviews were also carried out
      among healthcare workers and community members to assess their perceptions of
      adolescents' SRH problems. Results Five percent of those accessing ANC services
      were adolescents. Pregnant adolescents were found to access health services at
      later stages of their pregnancies due to the shame and stigma associated with
      their condition. The presence of morbidity in the form of anaemia (33%) and HIV
      (2.4%) was also found in this population. Social factors such as peer pressure
      and the desire to develop or maintain a relationship were found to be the major
      reasons for initiation of sexual activity by the adolescents. There was generally
      poor knowledge and utilisation of contraceptives, leading to unprotected sex and,
      thus, unintended pregnancies. Conclusion SRH information and services should be
      made readily available to adolescents at all levels of care.

PMID- 28915114
TI  - Association between sleep quality and quality of life among students: a cross
      sectional study.
AB  - Background Lack of sleep and on going sleep disorder can affect family health and
      interpersonal relationships. Objective The aim of study was to investigate the
      association between sleep quality and the probable determinants of quality of
      life among students of a public health faculty at Shahid Beheshti University of
      Medical Sciences (SBMU) in the 2015 academic year. Methods The data from a cross
      sectional study of 275 students that randomly stratified sampling between
      different classes of college students of a public health faculty of Shahid
      Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were used in this study. The data were
      collected using a structured questionnaire consisted of modules on socio
      demographic characteristics, the Petersburg Standardized Sleep Quality
      Questionnaire(PSQL) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life
      Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Data analysis was done with descriptive and logistic
      regression. All analyses were carried out using SPSS software V.19. Results A
      total of 275 students participated in this study. The mean age +/- standard
      deviation (SD) was 22.1 +/- 3.6 years. In the univariable model, students that
      were living in their own homes had the odds of 2.18 times more than the others to
      have a higher quality of life level [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-4.45].
      Moreover, sleep disorder was negatively associated with the quality of life [odds
      ratio (OR) = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.12-0.46]. Conclusion These results will help
      university administrators and policy makers to identify factors associated with
      poor sleep and provide approaches to enhance sleep hygiene and relevant knowledge
      in university students. Living in a dormitoy while also suffering from sleep
      problems could significantly reduce the quality of life.

PMID- 28915115
TI  - Anti-arthritic and gastroprotective activities of Ardisia crispa root partially
      mediated via its antioxidant effect.
AB  - Background Ardisia crispa Thunb A.DC (Myrsinaceae), commonly known as "hen's
      eyes", has been traditionally used in treating various inflammatory diseases. The
      present study evaluated anti-arthritic, gastroprotective and antioxidant
      activities of Ardisia crispa root hexane extract (ACRH) in various animal models.
      Methods Anti-arthritic activity was evaluated in complete Freund adjuvant (CFA)
      induced adjuvant arthritis and gastroprotective effect was studied in the ethanol
      induced ulcer model in rats. ACRH was further isolated to yield quinone-rich
      fraction (QRF) and both were analyzed for their total phenolic content, total
      flavonoid content and antioxidant activities in various antioxidant assays. Both
      ACRH and QRF were also analyzed for the quinone composition via gas
      chromatography analysis. Results ACRH exerted significant reduction of IL-1beta
      and TNF-alpha at a lower dose range in CFA-induced arthritis, as well as
      exhibited its cytoprotective effect against ethanol-induced ulcer lesion via
      involvement of mucosal nonprotein sulfhydryl (NP-SH) groups. ACRH also showed
      higher phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as better antioxidant activities
      than QRF. Conclusions These findings demonstrated the plant as a potential anti
      inflammatory agent, with ACRH succeeded in inhibiting both arthritic and
      ulcerogenic effect, possibly mediated via its antioxidant effect.

PMID- 28915116
TI  - A review of Tunisian medicinal plants with anticancer activity.
AB  - Cancer is a major public health problem in the world. The use of the medicinal
      plants in cancer prevention and management is frequent in Africa, especially in
      Tunisia, and it is transmitted from generation to generation within cultures.
      Many previous studies showed that a wide range of Tunisian medicinal plants
      exerted cytotoxic and anticancer activity. A comprehensive review was conducted
      to collect information from scientific journal articles, including indigenous
      knowledge researches, about Tunisian medicinal plants used for the prevention and
      management of cancer. The aim of this review article is to provide the reader
      with information concerning the importance of Tunisian medicinal plants in the
      prevention and management of cancer and to open the door for the health
      professionals and scientists working in the field of pharmacology and
      therapeutics to produce new drug formulations to treat different types of cancer.

PMID- 28915117
TI  - Molecular genetic and clinical delineation of 22 patients with congenital
      hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) is classified as
      Kallmann syndrome (KS) with anosmia/hyposmia or normosmic (n)CHH. Here, we
      investigated the genetic causes and phenotype-genotype correlations in Japanese
      patients with CHH. METHODS: We enrolled 22 Japanese patients with CHH from 21
      families (18 patients with KS and 4 with nCHH) and analyzed 27 genes implicated
      in CHH by next-generation and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: We detected 12
      potentially pathogenic mutations in 11 families, with three having a mutation in
      ANOS1 (X-linked recessive); three and four having a mutation in FGFR1 and CHD7,
      respectively (autosomal dominant); and one having two TACR3 mutations (autosomal
      recessive). Among four patients with KS carrying a CHD7 mutation, one had
      perceptive deafness and two had a cleft lip/palate. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of
      CHH genes in the Japanese was compatible with previous reports, except that CHD7
      mutations might be more common. Furthermore, partial phenotype-genotype
      correlations were demonstrated in our cohort.

PMID- 28915118
TI  - Delayed diagnosis of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) deficiency with type 1 diabetes
      in a 9-year-old girl and her infant sibling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) protein, encoded by the POMC gene, is the
      precursor of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) that is released from the
      anterior pituitary gland. Homozygous mutations in the POMC gene is associated
      with hyperphagia, severe and early-onset obesity, adrenal insufficiency,
      hypopigmentation of the skin and red hair. CASE PRESENTATION: A 9-year-old girl
      from a consanguineous family of Iraqi origin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
      She also had a tall stature. Her laboratory assessment showed low cortisol and
      ACTH concentrations, normal renin and poor response to ACTH stimulation. Genetic
      testing revealed a novel biallelic mutation in the POMC gene. Her sibling who had
      severe obesity and central adrenal insufficiency was found to be a carrier of the
      same mutation. Both siblings had alabaster-colored skin and brown hair.
      CONCLUSIONS: POMC deficiency results in significant morbidity due to obesity, and
      it is also a potentially life threatening disease because of adrenal
      insufficiency. Therefore any suggestive symptom or sign of POMC deficiency
      warrants detailed investigations.

PMID- 28915119
TI  - Cytogenetic analysis in fetuses with late onset abnormal sonographic findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of chromosomal cytogenetic abnormalities in
      fetuses with late onset abnormal sonographic findings. DESIGN: Retrospective
      cohort of women who underwent amniocentesis at or beyond 23 weeks of gestation,
      for fetal karyotype and chromosomal microarray analysis, indicated due to late
      onset abnormal sonographic findings. RESULTS: All 103 fetuses had a normal
      karyotype. Ninety-five women also had chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA)
      performed. The detection rate of abnormal CMA (5/95, 5.3%) was similar to that of
      women who underwent amniocentesis due to abnormal early onset ultrasound findings
      detected at routine prenatal screening tests during the first or early second
      trimester (7.3%, P=0.46) and significantly higher than that for women who
      underwent amniocentesis and CMA upon request, without a medical indication for
      CMA (0.99%, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Late onset sonographic findings are an
      indication for amniocentesis, and if performed, CMA should be applied to evaluate
      fetuses with late onset abnormal sonographic findings.

PMID- 28915120
TI  - Ultrasound study of fetal movements in singleton and twin pregnancies at 12-19
      weeks.
AB  - Objective To evaluate fetal behavioral differences between singleton and twin
      fetuses before 20 weeks of gestation using four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound.
      Methods 4D ultrasound was used to examine fetal movements in 58 singleton and 48
      twin normal fetuses at 12-19 weeks. The frequencies of eight fetal movements were
      assessed through 15-min recordings. The fetuses were divided into two gestational
      age groups (12-13 and 14-19 weeks) to evaluate the changes with advancing
      gestation in twin versus singleton fetuses. Results Arm and general movements
      were the most frequent movements in singleton fetuses, whereas only general
      movement was significantly more frequent than the other seven fetal movements in
      twin fetuses at 12-13 weeks. At 14-19 weeks, frequencies of arm and leg movements
      were significantly higher than those of the other six movements in singleton
      fetuses, while only arm movement was significantly more frequent than the other
      fetal movements in twin fetuses. Comparisons of fetal movements between singleton
      and twin fetuses revealed that only arm movement showed a significant difference
      at 12-13 weeks, while the frequencies of all movements in singleton fetuses were
      significantly higher than those in twin fetuses at 14-19 weeks. Conclusion Our
      results suggest that the limitation of available space and crowding of twin
      fetuses with advancing gestation may have a marked impact on twin fetal movements
      compared with singleton fetuses, even in the first half of pregnancy. Further
      studies are needed to assess whether decreased fetal movements in twin pregnancy
      can affect fetal and neonatal development and maturation before and after birth.

PMID- 28915121
TI  - An observation of umbilical coiling index in a low risk population in Nigeria.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The umbilical coiling index (UCI) is one of cord parameters for
      foetal assessment with limited studies in our environment. With recent advances
      in its evaluation, its significance, pattern, abnormalities and correlates need
      to be defined in our parturients. METHODS: The umbilical cords of 436 neonates
      were examined. Gross examination was done within 5 min of delivery. The UCI was
      defined as the number of complete coils per centimetre of cord. Normal UCI was
      defined as values between the 10th and 90th percentiles of the study population.
      RESULTS: The mean umbilical cord length was 52.7+/-11.5 cm, mean number of coils
      was 10.8+/-5.1 and mean UCI was 0.21+/-0.099. The range was between 0.0 and 1.0.
      UCI values of 0.13 and 0.30 were 10th and 90th percentiles, respectively. Normal
      UCI was observed in 351 (80.5%) neonates, 44 (10.4%) and 41 (9.1%) had hypo- and
      hypercoiled cords, respectively. Congenital abnormalities occurred in the
      normocoiled and hypercoiled groups but was not demonstrated in the hypocoiled
      group. The mean value of UCI in neonates with congenital abnormalities was 0.29+/
      0.12 (P=0.011). There was no significant statistical relationship between foetal
      outcome and degree of UCI. CONCLUSION: The UCI was not associated with adverse
      perinatal outcome in this study.

PMID- 28915122
TI  - Understanding fetal factors that contribute to preterm birth: Sjogren-Larsson
      syndrome as a model.
AB  - AIM: Preterm birth is the world's leading cause of neonatal death. Unfortunately,
      the pathophysiology of preterm birth remains poorly understood. Sjogren-Larsson
      syndrome is a rare, neurometabolic disorder caused by a fatty aldehyde
      dehydrogenase deficiency. A majority of patients with Sjogren-Larsson syndrome is
      born preterm. METHODS: Data of all known Dutch patients with Sjogren-Larsson
      syndrome and all cases reported in literature were analyzed to learn from preterm
      birth in context of this rare disease. RESULTS: Exact gestational age was known
      in 33 Dutch patients; 24 (73%) of them were born preterm, with a median
      gestational age of 36 weeks. The literature search confirmed our findings: 13
      (59%) of 22 cases was born preterm. CONCLUSIONS: Preterm birth is a hallmark of
      Sjogren-Larsson syndrome, presumably caused by the abnormal lipid metabolism of
      the fetus. At least five additional rare genetic disorders (namely Ehlers-Danlos
      syndrome, ichthyosis prematurity syndrome, congenital analbuminemia, osteogenesis
      imperfecta type II and restrictive dermopathy) were found in literature that lead
      to preterm birth of the affected fetus. These disorders are in fact "experiments
      of nature" and as such they shed new lights on the mechanisms causing preterm
      birth.

PMID- 28915123
TI  - Placental examination in nonmacerated stillbirth versus neonatal mortality.
AB  - AIM: To retrospectively statistically compare clinical and placental phenotypes
      of nonmacerated fetuses and live-born perinatal deaths in 3rd trimester
      pregnancies. METHODS: Twenty-five clinical and 47 placental phenotypes were
      statistically compared among 93 cases of nonmacerated (intrapartum, or recent
      antepartum death) 3rd trimester fetal deaths (Group 1), 118 3rd trimester
      neonatal deaths (Group 2) and 4285 cases without perinatal mortality (Group 3).
      RESULTS: Sixteen clinical and placental phenotypes were statistically
      significantly different between Group 3 and the two groups of perinatal deaths,
      which included eight placental phenotypes of fetal vascular malperfusion and
      eight other placental phenotypes of various etiology (amnion nodosum, 2-vessel
      umbilical cord, villous edema, increased extracellular matrix of chorionic villi,
      erythroblasts in fetal blood and trophoblastic lesions of shallow placentation).
      Statistically significant differences between Groups 1 and 2 were scant
      (oligohydramnios, fetal malformations, cesarean sections, hypercoiled umbilical
      cord and amnion nodosum being more common in the latter, and retroplacental
      hematoma more common in the former). CONCLUSION: Placental examination in
      neonatal mortality shows thrombotic pathology related to umbilical cord
      compromise and features of shallow placental implantation that are similar to
      those in nonmacerated stillbirth; however, the features of placental abruption
      were more common in recent antepartum death, as were the features related to
      neonatal congenital malformations in neonatal deaths.

PMID- 28915124
TI  - Effect of female genital cutting performed by health care professionals on labor
      complications in Egyptian women: methodological concerns.

PMID- 28915125
TI  - Air pollution, aeroallergens and suicidality: a review of the effects of air
      pollution and aeroallergens on suicidal behavior and an exploration of possible
      mechanisms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Risk factors for suicide can be broadly categorized as
      sociodemographic, clinical and treatment. There is interest in environmental risk
      and protection factors for suicide. Emerging evidence suggests a link between
      environmental factors in the form of air pollution and aeroallergens in relation
      to suicidality. METHODS: Herein, we conducted a systematic review of 15 articles
      which have met inclusion criteria on the aforementioned effects. RESULTS: The
      majority of the reviewed articles reported an increased suicide risk alongside
      increased air pollutants or aeroallergens (i.e. pollen) increase; however, not
      all environmental factors were explored equally. In specific, studies that were
      delimited to evaluating particulate matter (PM) reported a consistent association
      with suicidality. We also provide a brief description of putative mechanisms
      (e.g. inflammation and neurotransmitter dysregulation) that may mediate the
      association between air pollution, aeroallergens and suicidality. CONCLUSION:
      Available evidence suggests that exposure to harmful air quality may be
      associated with suicidality. There are significant public health implications
      which are amplified in regions and countries with greater levels of air pollution
      and aeroallergens. In addition, those with atopic sensitivity may represent a
      specific subgroup that is at risk.

PMID- 28915126
TI  - Toxicological profile of organochlorines aldrin and dieldrin: an Indian
      perspective.
AB  - Several epidemiological studies have suggested various environmental factors as a
      possible cause for increased incidence of various abnormalities. Of the various
      environmental contaminants, the most prevalent and the most discussed are the
      endocrine disrupting chemicals. Contact of such disruptors with humans has become
      inevitable today. They are cosmopolitan and present from agriculture to
      industrial sectors, even in day-to-day consumer products. Aldrin and dieldrin
      belong to one such class of substances which are known to have a toxic effect on
      various physiological systems of the human body. Despite an imposed ban on their
      manufacture and commercial use, these pesticides could still be detected in
      probable areas of consumption like agriculture. The present review discusses the
      known possible toxic effects of aldrin and dieldrin and their current existence
      in the ecosystem across India.

PMID- 28915127
TI  - One-dimensional quantum matter: gold-induced nanowires on semiconductor surfaces.
AB  - Interacting electrons confined to only one spatial dimension display a wide range
      of unusual many-body quantum phenomena, ranging from Peierls instabilities to the
      breakdown of the canonical Fermi liquid paradigm to even unusual spin phenomena.
      The underlying physics is not only of tremendous fundamental interest, but may
      also have bearing on device functionality in future micro- and nanoelectronics
      with lateral extensions reaching the atomic limit. Metallic adatoms deposited on
      semiconductor surfaces may form self-assembled atomic nanowires, thus
      representing highly interesting and well-controlled solid-state realizations of
      such 1D quantum systems. Here we review experimental and theoretical
      investigations on a few selected prototypical nanowire surface systems,
      specifically Ge(0 0 1)-Au and Si(hhk)-Au, and the search for 1D quantum states in
      them. We summarize the current state of research and identify open questions and
      issues.

PMID- 28915128
TI  - Polyphenols: dietary assessment and role in the prevention of cancers.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Polyphenols are a large and diverse family of phytochemicals
      widely consumed by humans. Here we summarize the latest epidemiological evidence
      for associations between cancer risk and polyphenol intake, taking into account
      difficulties in the accurate estimation of exposure. RECENT FINDINGS: Flavonoids
      are the most studied subgroup of polyphenols with regard to cancer risk. In
      recent epidemiological studies, total flavonoid intake has rarely been associated
      with a reduction in cancer risk. However, isoflavones, whose main dietary source
      is soy foods, plausibly reduce the risk of colorectal, breast, and prostate
      cancers, especially in Asian countries. Findings depend heavily upon the
      assessment of polyphenol intake, which is usually measured by food frequency
      questionnaires coupled to databases of food polyphenol composition. To a lesser
      extent, nutritional biomarkers have been used whenever estimating associations of
      polyphenol intake with cancer. SUMMARY: Polyphenol intake may mitigate cancer
      risk but this depends on cancer site, the subgroup of compounds under study, and
      accurate assessment of dietary exposure. Further work must better characterize
      the effects of intake of different flavonoid subclasses and begin to investigate
      the role of phenolic acids and other minor polyphenol classes.

PMID- 28915129
TI  - Atypical Exit Wound in High-Voltage Electrocution.
AB  - Electrocution fatality cases are difficult to investigate. High-voltage
      electrocution burns resemble burns caused by other sources, especially if the
      person survives for few days. In that case, circumstantial evidence if correlated
      with the autopsy findings helps in determining the cause and manner of death. In
      addition, the crime scene findings also help to explain the pattern of injuries
      observed at autopsy. A farmer came in contact with a high-voltage transmission
      wire and sustained superficial to deep burns over his body. A charred and deeply
      scorched area was seen over the face, which was suggestive of the electric entry
      wound. The exit wound was present over both feet and lower leg and was atypical
      in the form of a burnt area of peeled blistered skin, charring, and deep
      scorching. The injuries were correlated with crime scene findings, and the
      circumstances that lead to his electrocution are discussed here.

PMID- 28915130
TI  - Dolichoectasia of Vertebrobasilar Arteries as a Cause of Hydrocephalus and
      Ischemic Cerebral Stroke.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dolichoectasia of vertebrobasilar artery is a rare vasculopathy,
      which is characterized by ectasia, elongation, and tortuosity of the basilar
      artery. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 85-year-old man was referred to the Clinic of
      Neurology with sudden-onset coma. A brain computed tomography scan showed
      remarkable fusiform dilatation with elongation of basilar artery, with
      compressive effect on brain stem. Autopsy confirmed existence of vertebrobasilar
      dolichoectasia, with organized old thrombus and partially with recent occlusive
      thrombosis. The histology and immunohistochemical staining were showing a loss of
      the elastic tissue with significant fibrosis in the tunica media and small groups
      of foam macrophages and cholesterol crystals in atherosclerotic plaque.
      CONCLUSIONS: We presented a case of dolichoectasia of vertebrobasilar artery with
      an obstructive hydrocephalus, due to direct compression on pons and midbrain,
      which is an extremely rare entity. This case had been analyzed during the
      patient's life through clinical, laboratory, and radiology examinations and after
      he died through autopsy.

PMID- 28915131
TI  - Body Mass Index and Saltwater Drowning.
AB  - Comparison of body mass index (BMI) was undertaken between 30 cases of salt water
      drowning and 30 age- and sex-matched controls randomly selected from the autopsy
      files of Forensic Science SA, Adelaide, Australia, during the period 2000 to
      2017. The age range of drowning cases and controls was 18 to 80 (average, 49)
      years, with a male to female ratio of 19:11. The BMIs of the drowning cases
      ranged from 15.5 to 37.5 (average, 25.4; median, 23). The control cases had
      higher BMIs ranging from 22.9 to 44.3 (average, 29.2; median, 25). The number of
      obese (BMI, >=30) decedents in the drowning group was 5 (17%) and in the controls
      was 9 (30%). Individuals who drown in the sea may regularly swim, and thus be
      fitter and therefore slimmer than more sedentary controls. However, it is also
      possible that greater amounts of adipose tissue may be protective against
      drowning, as increased fat stores could improve buoyancy. Thinner individuals
      with denser body mass may have to struggle more to avoid submersion. It could be
      that a low BMI is an underappreciated finding that may increase the risk of
      lethal immersion along with alcohol intoxication and poor swimming skills.

PMID- 28915132
TI  - Clinical update regarding general anesthesia-associated neurotoxicity in infants
      and children.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a
      warning stating that 'repeated or lengthy use of general anesthetic and sedation
      drugs during surgeries or procedures in children younger than 3 years or in
      pregnant women during their third trimester may affect the development of
      children's brains' (www.fda.gov/ucm582356.htm). The goal of this article is to
      review the most recent clinical studies which provide evidence that these
      concerns may be overstated for the majority of healthy young children who require
      surgery and anesthesia. RECENT FINDINGS: Three large retrospective matched cohort
      studies published within the past year provide data on a total of 59 814 children
      exposed to general anesthesia before age 4 (including 30 021 <2 years and 9814
      multiple exposure). All three studies independently conclude that neither
      exposure to anesthesia in children under 2 years of age nor multiple exposures
      are associated with adverse neurodevelopmental consequences in the patient
      populations studied. Biological, environmental, and social factors were found to
      be of far greater import. SUMMARY: These findings suggest that anesthetic
      neurotoxicity is not a major contributory pathway for adverse neurodevelopmental
      outcomes in the majority of healthy children who require surgery before 3 years
      of age. Future work should focus on the particular vulnerabilities of the fetus,
      premature infant, and children with developmental disabilities, major congenital,
      cardiac or neurological abnormalities not specifically addressed by these
      studies.

PMID- 28915133
TI  - Complications and unplanned admissions in nonoperating room procedures.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article is to review complications and
      unplanned hospital admissions in patients presenting for ambulatory procedures
      requiring anesthesia care in the gastrointestinal endoscopy, bronchoscopy, and
      radiology suites. RECENT FINDINGS: The range of ambulatory diagnostic and
      therapeutic procedures being undertaken in the gastrointestinal endoscopy,
      bronchoscopy, and radiology suites is expanding rapidly. Recent observational
      studies in gastrointestinal endoscopy confirm low incidences of complications and
      unplanned admissions. Deep propofol-based sedation is associated with more
      complications than lighter sedation. Older patients suffer more complications but
      obstructive sleep apnea does not appear to increase risk. Sedation improves
      patient comfort during bronchoscopy. Propofol-based sedation is associated with
      fewer complications than benzodiazepine-based sedation, but all combinations are
      associated with high patient satisfaction. Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea
      are not associated with worse outcomes in bronchoscopy patients. Sedation is
      increasingly required for interventions in the radiology suite. When patients are
      involved in choosing sedation depth, there is a trend to lighter sedation and
      high patient satisfaction. SUMMARY: Sedation and anesthesia are required for the
      increasing number of increasingly complex procedures being undertaken outside the
      operating suite. Large randomized trials are required to define the optimum
      sedation drugs, sedation depth and sedation provider.

PMID- 28915134
TI  - Vitamin D in obesity.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Vitamin D is essential for bone health, and may also have
      important functions in immunity and other systems. Vitamin D deficiency is
      common, and testing and supplementation is increasing. Serum vitamin D is lower
      in obese people; it is important to understand the mechanism of this effect and
      whether it indicates clinically significant deficiency. RECENT FINDINGS: Vitamin
      D is fat soluble, and distributed into fat, muscle, liver, and serum. All of
      these compartments are increased in volume in obesity, so the lower vitamin D
      likely reflects a volumetric dilution effect and whole body stores of vitamin D
      may be adequate. Despite lower serum vitamin D, obese adults do not have higher
      bone turnover or lower bone mineral density. Patients undergoing bariatric
      surgery do have bone loss, and ensuring vitamin D sufficiency in these patients
      may help to attenuate bone loss. SUMMARY: Lower vitamin D in obese people is a
      consistent finding across age, ethnicity, and geography. This may not always
      reflect a clinical problem. Obese people need higher loading doses of vitamin D
      to achieve the same serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D as normal weight.

PMID- 28915135
TI  - Otolaryngologic management of Down syndrome patients: what is new?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The management of children with Down syndrome as it pertains
      to the otolaryngologist continues to evolve. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has
      dominated the recent literature, but other topics including hearing loss,
      swallowing, and perioperative considerations are also reported. RECENT FINDINGS:
      The prevalence of OSA in children with Down syndrome ranges from 57 to 73% in
      certain cohorts, and, whereas adentonsillectomy can decrease Apnea-Hypopnea
      Index, up to 80% may have persistent OSA. Surgical techniques involving reduction
      of the base of tongue are effective for those who fail adenotonsillectomy, and it
      is expected that drug-induced sleep endoscopy may improve outcomes. New
      technology is also on the horizon that can assist with diagnosis and treatment
      including computational modelling and upper airway stimulation. Children with
      Down syndrome may not respond to medical management of eustachian tube
      dysfunction as well as normally developing children. In addition, there is a high
      prevalence of inner ear anomalies, increasing the risk for sensorineural hearing
      loss. SUMMARY: Questions remain pertinent to the otolaryngologist regarding the
      ideal management of children with Down syndrome. Additional studies are
      necessary, to optimize understanding and treatment of this complex population, in
      particular as opportunities develop with technological advances.

PMID- 28915136
TI  - Laparoscopic Mesh-Less Cervicosacropexy for Uterovaginal Prolapse.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate surgical and clinical outcomes of
      laparoscopic mesh-less cervicosacropexy for the treatment of uterovaginal
      prolapse. METHODS: This single institutional review board-approved prospective
      cohort study enrolled 46 consecutive, sexually active symptomatic women requiring
      surgical correction of uterovaginal prolapse, from July 2013 to March 2016. After
      supracervical laparoscopic hysterectomy, the cervix was suspended to the anterior
      longitudinal ligament of the sacral promontory through a continuous suture with
      plication and shortening of the right uterosacral ligament. Pelvic organs'
      function was evaluated through validated questionnaires during preoperative and
      postoperative follow-up evaluations. The anatomical recurrences of genital
      prolapse with a Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantitative stage 2 or higher, in
      particular of central compartment (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantitative score C >=
      1), were recorded. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD age was 55.5 +/- 10.9 years. Mean +/- SD
      operating time was 97.4 +/- 25.6 (range, 60-180) minutes. Mean +/- SD
      hospitalization length was 3.6 +/- 0.9 (range, 2-6) days. No intraoperative
      complications were recorded. Median length of follow-up was 24 (range, 12-38)
      months. During the follow-up period, the objective success rates for central
      compartment prolapse and for all compartments were 93.5% and 89.1%, respectively.
      No woman presented dyspareunia at follow-up. Thirty-nine women (84.8%) reported
      very high satisfaction related to surgery and 6 (13%) a moderate satisfaction.
      Overall Female Sexual Function Index, Knowles-Eccersley-Scott Symptom, and
      Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract scores improved significantly after surgery,
      except for incontinence score domain. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic mesh-less
      cervicosacropexy represents an effective and feasible option for the surgical
      treatment of uterovaginal prolapse in sexually active women, avoiding
      postoperative complications due to the mesh use.

PMID- 28915137
TI  - Xenoislets: porcine pancreatic islets for the treatment of type I diabetes.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Porcine islets are being extensively investigated as
      alternative sources of insulin-secreting cells for transplantation in insulin
      dependent diabetic patients. The present review focuses on recent advances in
      porcine islet transplantation with particular emphasis on new transgenic pig
      models, islet encapsulation, and biosafety considerations. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Genetic modifications aimed to reduce islet cell immunogenicity, to prolong their
      survival, and to improve their secretory function have been reported. Micro- and
      macroencapsulation of porcine islets should allow their use in the clinic with no
      or minimal immunosuppression. The risk of porcine endogenous retrovirus
      transmission is being re-evaluated since no evidence for infection was found in
      several clinical and preclinical studies. SUMMARY: Pig islet xenotransplantation
      is still a serious contestant in the race for novel treatments for type I
      diabetes. Adequate pathogen screening, animal selection, and the establishment of
      microbiological, genetic, and potency release quality controls should increase
      safety and efficacy of future porcine islets transplantation clinical trials.

PMID- 28915138
TI  - The Dosimetric Demise of 97MNB.
AB  - Radionuclide differences between ICRP Publication 38 and its succeeding work,
      ICPR Publication 107, are reviewed. The specific example of the isomer Nb is
      discussed, examining how dose reporting for this nuclide can be an issue.

PMID- 28915139
TI  - Left and right ventricular morphology, function and late gadolinium enhancement
      extent and localization change with different clinical presentation of acute
      myocarditis Data from the ITAlian multicenter study on MYocarditis (ITAMY).
AB  - AIMS: Poor data exist about cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) findings in a large
      sample of acute myocarditis with different clinical presentations (heart failure,
      arrhythmias, and infarct-like presentation). METHODS: Five hundred and forty
      three in-patients with a clinical suspected of acute myocarditis confirmed by CMR
      were enrolled. The clinical indications to perform CMR were chest pain and/or
      dyspnea and/or palpitations, or effort intolerance/malaise in the last month;
      elevated troponin and/or new ventricular dysfunction, and/or new ECG
      abnormalities; and suspected inflammatory cause. CMR examination has permitted to
      identify epicardial and mid-layer distribution of late gadolinium enhancement
      (LGE) and to quantify left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) volumes,
      and ejection fraction. RESULTS: According to the main clinical pattern of
      presentation, three groups were categorized: heart failure (heart failure group;
      35 patients, 6.4%), arrhythmias (arrhythmias group; 24 patients, 4.4%), and
      infarct-like (infarct-like group, 484 patients, 89.2%).Heart failure group and
      arrhythmias group had significantly higher LV volumes and number of LGE segments
      and lower LV and RV ejection fraction than the infarct-like group.Epicardial LGE
      in the LV inferolateral wall was the most frequent LGE location in each group.
      Mid-layer LV septal LGE showed a greater prevalence in the heart failure (52%)
      and arrhythmias (47%) groups than in the infarct-like group (27%, P < 0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: In patients with CMR-detected acute myocarditis, heart failure, and
      arrhythmias have both a higher prevalence of LV and RV dysfunction, segments with
      LGE, and septal LGE with respect to the infarct-like group.

PMID- 28915140
TI  - Life-Threatening Massive Hemoptysis After Cryoablation for Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - A 59-year-old man developed massive hemoptysis, 1 month after undergoing
      cryoablation procedure for atrial fibrillation. He underwent emergent
      bronchoscopy that revealed massive, active bleeding with clots requiring repeated
      suctioning, epinephrine, and cold saline injection. The source of bleeding was
      identified in a follow-up bronchoscopy performed few days later-a 2*3 cm area of
      ulceration of the left main stem bronchus which was missed in the initial
      bronchoscopy owing to blood obscuring the field of vision. Considering the
      timeline, the ulcer most likely resulted from cryoablation-induced bronchial
      injury. Patient remained asymptomatic after stabilization and 2 months following
      discharge, another bronchoscopy was performed which showed the ulcer to be
      healing. Hemoptysis following cryoablation is quite rare with a reported
      incidence <2%. The cases of hemoptysis reported thus far have all been mild and
      self-limiting and manifesting within hours to days following the procedure. To
      our knowledge, this is the first reported case of massive hemoptysis associated
      with cryoballoon ablation, presenting 1 month after procedure.

PMID- 28915141
TI  - Clinical Success Stenting Distal Bronchi for "Lobar Salvage" in Bronchial
      Stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Airway stents are traditionally used in central airway obstructions
      to maintain airway patency. Historically, distal bronchial stenting within lobar
      and segmental bronchi has not been amenable to stenting. In addition, there are
      questionable benefits to stenting small airways. The Atrium iCast stent is a
      polytetrafluoroethylene covered stainless steel balloon deployed stent which can
      be deployed through a flexible bronchoscope under direct visualization. The
      purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, complications, and long-term
      impact of using this stent in patients with lobar bronchial stenosis either
      secondary to malignancy or benign etiologies. METHODS: All records of patients
      who had the placement of an iCast stent were reviewed over 3.5 years. For each
      patient the age, sex, location, histology, stent size, duration of stent
      placement, radiographic improvement, and complications were collected. RESULTS: A
      total of 122 iCast stents were deployed in 38 patients with lobar bronchial
      stenosis. The average age was 58 years with 50% male. The etiology included 45%
      malignant and 55% due to benign conditions. In total, 18.5% patients had stents
      placed in >1 segment. There was an average of 4 procedures per patient with a
      mean time to stent revision or removal of 85 days. All patients had symptomatic
      or radiographic improvement. Common complications included migration (10%),
      granulation tissue formation (5%), deployment malfunction (2%), stent
      dislodgement immediately after deployment (2%), mucous plugging (1%), and tumor
      occlusion (1%). CONCLUSION: Stenting small airways with lobar salvage is feasible
      and improves symptoms and radiographic outcomes.

PMID- 28915142
TI  - Probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Metastatic Pulmonary Calcification.
AB  - We report a case of metastatic pulmonary calcification in a patient with chronic
      renal failure on hemodialysis and secondary hyperparathyroidism. The diagnosis
      was made by using a probe-based confocal endomicroscopy which showed specific
      structures in the lung tissue and was proven by a transbronchial lung biopsy. To
      the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of the confocal
      endomicroscopy findings in a patient with metastatic pulmonary calcification.

PMID- 28915143
TI  - Evaluating Cultural Competency Concepts Using Program Theory-Driven Evaluation
      Framework.
AB  - Research has shown that there is no consistent method of teaching cultural
      competence or incorporating it into nursing curricula. Thus, nursing programs are
      at risk for misinterpretation or not meeting required program outcomes or
      accreditation standards. Although considered social research, program theory
      driven evaluation has been cited as an acceptable evaluation method for nursing
      programs. This research looks at program inputs and program outputs to establish
      congruency with accreditation standards and to ensure validity and reliability of
      future research on cultural competency levels of nursing graduates.

PMID- 28915144
TI  - The Development of a Clinical Peer Review Tool.
AB  - Faculty evaluation for the purpose of promotion and tenure frequently includes
      peer review as a part of the process. Faculty review by a peer may provide an
      assessment of teaching effectiveness and information related to the faculty
      member's professional development activities. This article presents an
      innovative, evidence-based approach using selected National League for Nursing
      core competencies and International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation
      and Learning clinical simulation standards in the development of a faculty peer
      review tool to gather data on clinical teaching to be used during the promotion
      and tenure process.

PMID- 28915145
TI  - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Trauma-Exposed Inpatient
      Adolescents: The Role of Emotional Nonacceptance and Anxiety Symptom Severity.
AB  - The present investigation examined the role of anxiety symptom severity in the
      relation between emotional nonacceptance and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
      symptoms in a diverse sample of trauma-exposed adolescents admitted for acute
      psychiatric care at an inpatient state hospital (N = 50; 52.0% women; 44% white;
      mean [SD] age, 15.1 [0.51] years; range, 12-17 years). Anxiety symptom severity
      partially accounted for the association between emotional nonacceptance and PTSD
      total symptoms, and fully accounted for the association between emotional
      nonacceptance and PTSD symptom cluster severity, even after controlling for
      covariates. Reverse model testing provided confidence in the direction of
      hypothesized effects. These findings add to a body of literature underscoring the
      detrimental effect of nonaccepting reactions to negative emotions in the context
      of PTSD and provide preliminary support for a possible underlying role of anxiety
      symptom severity in the association between emotional nonacceptance and PTSD
      symptoms.

PMID- 28915146
TI  - Engendered Responses to, and Interventions for, Shame in Dissociative Disorders:
      A Survey and Experimental Investigation.
AB  - This study examined shame and responses to it in adult dissociative disorder (DD;
      n = 24) and comparison psychiatric (n = 14) samples. To investigate how helpful
      different therapeutic responses are after shame disclosures in therapy,
      participants heard two vignettes from "mock" patients disclosing a) shame and b)
      surprise. Participants rated the helpfulness of five potential responses.
      Interventions covered withdrawing from the affect (withdrawal focused) to feeling
      it (feeling focused), with other interventions on cognitions (cognitive focused),
      management strategies (management focused), and previous experiences (history
      focused). The DD sample reported higher characterological and bodily shame, and
      more shame avoidance and withdrawal. There was no difference across groups for
      intervention ratings. For shame, interventions focused on feelings, cognitions,
      or previous shame experiences were deemed most helpful, but this was qualified by
      experiencing dissociation while hearing the script, where the history
      intervention was reported less helpful. Exposure to shame while monitoring
      dissociation should accompany therapy for DDs.

PMID- 28915147
TI  - Measuring thrombin activity in frozen brain tissue.
AB  - Thrombin is a coagulation factor implicated in various pathological and
      physiological processes in the brain, exerting beneficial and deleterious effects
      in a concentration-dependent manner. Measurement of thrombin activity levels in
      pathological animal models is needed and in some cases, because of technical
      considerations, only frozen samples are available. In the current study, we used
      a quantitative method to evaluate thrombin activity in fresh and frozen brain
      sections of 43 male and female adult healthy mice. We stratified data per brain
      section, brain hemisphere, and mouse sex. We found lower thrombin activity in
      frozen sections compared with fresh sections, falling within levels considered
      central nervous system protective in previous studies. The results suggest that
      fresh section thrombin activity levels in healthy mice can be extrapolated from
      frozen brain sections. In addition, we found varying thrombin activity across the
      brain sections, with maximal activity in the olfactory system and hippocampus
      containing sections. Thrombin activity did not vary between males and females, or
      between the right and the left hemispheres, in a statistically significantly
      manner.

PMID- 28915148
TI  - Adult Fmr1 knockout mice present with deficiencies in hippocampal interleukin-6
      and tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression.
AB  - Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a single
      genetic mutation in the FMR1 gene. Mutations in the FMR1 gene are the largest
      monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and thus both disorders share
      many of the same cognitive and behavioral impairments. There is increasing
      evidence suggesting that dysregulated immune responses play a role in the
      pathophysiology of ASD; however, the association between FXS and altered immunity
      requires further investigation. This study examined whether Fmr1 knockout (KO)
      and wild-type mice on a FVB/NJ background strain had altered cytokine expression
      at baseline levels in the hippocampus. Results showed Fmr1 KO mice to have
      decreased proinflammatory cytokine hippocampal mRNA expression, specifically
      interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, compared with wild-type mice.
      However, no differences were detected in the expression levels of IL-1beta, MCP
      1, interferon-gamma, or IL-10. Despite the high comorbidity between FXS and ASD,
      these results suggest that the Fmr1 KO mouse does not mimic the increased
      proinflammatory cytokine expression commonly found in ASD mouse models and
      patients. Further investigation of the immune profile of the Fmr1 KO mouse is
      critical to understand whether this deficiency of cytokines in the hippocampus is
      indicative of a broader immunologic deficit associated with FXS.

PMID- 28915149
TI  - Bulleyaconitine A preferably reduces tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium current in
      uninjured dorsal root ganglion neurons of neuropathic rats probably via
      inhibition of protein kinase C.
AB  - Oral Bulleyaconitine A (BLA) is effective for treating neuropathic pain in human
      patients, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we tested
      whether BLA blocked voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) in dorsal root ganglion
      (DRG) neurons. Compelling evidence shows that voltage-gated sodium channels are
      upregulated in uninjured DRG neurons but downregulated in injured ones following
      peripheral nerve injury. We found that BLA preferably inhibited Na currents in
      uninjured DRG neurons in neuropathic rats. Compared to sham rats, IC50 values for
      resting and inactivated Na currents were 113 and 74 times lower in injured and
      uninjured neurons of L4-6 DRGs in spared nerve injury (SNI) rats (4.55 and 0.56
      nM) and were 688 and 518 times lower in the uninjured L4 and L6 DRG neurons of L5
      spinal nerve ligation (L5-SNL) rats. The use-dependent blockage of BLA on Na
      currents was more potent in neuropathic rats compared to sham rats.
      Bulleyaconitine A facilitated the inactivation of Na channels in each group. IC50
      values for resting and inactivated tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) channels were
      1855 and 1843 times lower than those for TTX-resistant channels in the uninjured
      neurons of L5 spinal nerve ligation rats. The upregulation of protein kinase C
      was associated with the preferable effect of BLA on TTX-S Na channels in the
      uninjured DRG neurons. Local application of BLA onto L4-6 DRGs at 0.1 to 10 nM
      dose-dependently alleviated the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in
      L5 spinal nerve ligation model. Thus, preferable blockage of TTX-S Na channels in
      uninjured DRG neurons may contribute to BLA's antineuropathic pain effect.

PMID- 28915150
TI  - Tics and Tourette: a clinical, pathophysiological and etiological review.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Describe developments in the etiological understanding of
      Tourette syndrome. RECENT FINDINGS: Tourette syndrome is a complex heterogenous
      clinical syndrome, which is not a unitary entity. Pathophysiological models
      describe gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic-associated disinhibition of cortico-basal
      ganglia motor, sensory and limbic loops. MRI studies support basal ganglia volume
      loss, with additional white matter and cerebellar changes. Tourette syndrome
      cause likely involves multiple vulnerability genes and environmental factors.
      Only recently have some vulnerability gene findings been replicated, including
      histidine decarboxylase and neurexin 1, yet these rare variants only explain a
      small proportion of patients. Planned large genetic studies will improve genetic
      understanding. The role of inflammation as a contributor to disease expression is
      now supported by large epidemiological studies showing an association with
      maternal autoimmunity and childhood infection. Investigation of blood cytokines,
      blood mRNA and brain mRNA expression support the role of a persistent immune
      activation, and there are similarities with the immune literature of autistic
      spectrum disorder. Current treatment is symptomatic, although there is a better
      appreciation of factors that influence treatment response. SUMMARY: At present,
      therapeutics is focused on symptom-based treatments, yet with improved
      etiological understanding, we will move toward disease-modifying therapies in the
      future.

PMID- 28915151
TI  - Analgesic Effects of Locally Administered Ketorolac-based Analgesics After Breast
      Surgery: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Reducing postoperative pain following breast surgery is crucial for
      rapid recovery and shortening hospital stay. Ketorolac, a nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drug, has been used as a postoperative analgesic in many surgical
      procedures. We conducted a systemic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of
      locally administered ketorolac-based analgesics in managing pain after breast
      surgery. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and
      ClinicalTrials.gov registry for randomized control trials (RCTs) published up to
      September 2016. The primary outcome was pain level assessed using a visual analog
      scale (VAS) at 1 and 6 hours following breast surgery. RESULTS: We reviewed 4
      RCTs with 255 patients. For meta-analysis, VAS at 1 and 6 hours of 3 similar RCTs
      were compared. At 1 hour, VAS scores were significantly lower in patients
      administered a ketorolac solution [weighted mean difference (WMD)=-2.04; 95%
      confidence interval (CI): -3.08 to -1.00] or ketorolac-bupivacaine solution (WMD=
      2.30; 95% CI, -4.07 to -0.54) than in controls. At 6 hours, the ketorolac
      bupivacaine solution reduced VAS scores significantly (WMD=-1.40; 95% CI, -2.48
      to -0.32) compared with controls. However, at 1 hour, the ketorolac solution was
      significantly more effective than the bupivacaine solution was (WMD=-1.70; 95%
      CI, -2.81 to -0.59). DISCUSSION: The effects of ketorolac-based analgesics vary
      as per the surgery and disease type. Locally administered ketorolac-based
      analgesics decreased postoperative pain in breast surgery patients, and the
      effect of local ketorolac was better than local bupivacaine. Therefore, ketorolac
      based analgesics demonstrate considerable local infiltration during pain
      management after breast surgery.

PMID- 28915152
TI  - Predictors of Adherence to Psychological Treatment for Insomnia and Pain:
      Analysis from a Randomized Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Poor adherence to psychological treatment for insomnia is common and
      limits treatment gains. Very little is known about predictors of adherence among
      patients with chronic pain, although adherence is theorized to be more critical
      and more challenging for these patients. This secondary data analysis examines
      predictors of drop-out and therapy nonattendance in an osteoarthritis population
      receiving psychological treatment for insomnia and pain. METHODS: Data were
      analyzed from the "Lifestyles" trial, a randomized controlled trial of a 6-week
      group cognitive behavioral pain coping skills intervention (CBT-P), group
      cognitive-behavioral therapy for pain and insomnia (CBT-PI), and an education
      only attention control group (EOC). The current analysis focuses on 122
      participants randomized to CBT-PI from 6 primary care clinics. Measures of
      treatment acceptability, demographics, and symptoms were collected at baseline.
      Factor analysis was used to clarify the boundaries of these domains, and
      hierarchical regression was used to examine the incremental predictive power of
      these patient characteristics on therapy attendance. RESULTS: Ratings of
      treatment acceptability were distinct from demographic and medical variables and
      baseline symptoms. Treatment acceptability was significantly related to session
      attendance and drop-out (rs ranging from 0.24 to 0.32) and was also one of the
      strongest predictors of session attendance (beta=0.20; P<0.05). DISCUSSION:
      Perceptions of treatment acceptability early in treatment represent a potentially
      modifiable target to enhance adherence to psychological treatment for insomnia
      and pain among patients with chronic pain. This work represents an important step
      towards understanding how to best maximize sleep treatments for this patient
      population.

PMID- 28915153
TI  - Associations of Early Opioid Use With Patient-reported Outcomes and Health Care
      Utilization Among Older Adults With Low Back Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare outcomes and health care
      utilization of older patients who did versus did not fill opioid prescriptions
      within 90 days of initiating care for low back pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For
      patients >=65 years with new back pain visits, we used propensity scores to match
      those who filled no opioid prescriptions to those who filled >=2 opioid
      prescriptions within 90 days (and the first opioid prescription within 30 d) of
      the index visit. Over 24 months, we examined patient-reported outcomes, health
      care utilization, and subsequent opioid prescription fills. RESULTS: Among 1954
      patients eligible for matching, 238 (12%) filled >=2 opioid prescriptions within
      90 days; 200 of these were matched to controls. Patients with versus without
      early opioid prescriptions had similar patient-reported outcomes but were more
      likely to have filled >=1 opioid prescription 18 to 24 months after the index
      visit (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]=2.4 [1.5-3.9]) and to have had >=1
      visit to the emergency department in the subsequent 24 months (OR, 1.6; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.0-2.5). DISCUSSION: Among older patients with new back
      pain visits, filling >=2 opioid prescriptions within 90 days of the visit was
      associated with similar back pain-related outcomes but increased likelihood of
      filling opioid prescriptions 18 to 24 months later compared with matched patients
      who did not fill early opioid prescriptions.

PMID- 28915154
TI  - Risk Factors for Low Back Pain in Childhood and Adolescence: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify factors associated with low back pain (LBP) in children
      and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was conducted
      (Prospero CRD42016038186). Observational studies analyzing LBP risk factors among
      participants aged between 9 and 16 were searched for in 13 electronic databases
      and 8 specialized journals until March 31, 2016, with no language restrictions.
      In addition, references in the identified studies were manually tracked. All
      identified studies that included >=50 participants aged 9 to 16, were reviewed.
      Their methodological quality was assessed by 2 reviewers separately, using
      validated tools, which scored, from worst to best, 0 to 100 for cross-sectional
      and 0 to 12 for cohort studies. A sensitivity analysis only included studies that
      had adjusted for confounders, had >=500 participants, and had a methodological
      score of >=50%. RESULTS: A total of 5142 citations were screened and 61 studies,
      including 137,877 participants from 5 continents, were reviewed. Their mean
      (range) methodological scores were 74.56 (50 to 100) for cross-sectional studies
      and 7.36 (5 to 9) for cohort studies. The studies had assessed 35 demographic,
      clinical, biological, family, psychological, ergonomic, and lifestyle risk
      factors. The mean (range) prevalence of LBP ranged between 15.25% (3.20 to 57.00)
      for point prevalence and 38.98% (11.60 to 85.56) for lifetime prevalence. Results
      on the association between LBP and risk factors were inconsistent. In the
      sensitivity analysis, "older age" and "participation in competitive sports"
      showed a consistent association with LBP. DISCUSSION: Future studies should focus
      on muscle characteristics, the relationship between body and backpack weights,
      duration of carrying the backpack, characteristics of sport practice, and which
      are the factors associated with specifically chronic pain.

PMID- 28915155
TI  - Social Support and Pain Outcomes After Trauma Exposure Among Older Adults: A
      Multicenter Longitudinal Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Certain forms of social support have been shown to improve pain
      coping behaviors and pain outcomes in older adults with chronic pain, but little
      is known about the effect of social support on pain outcomes in older adults
      following trauma exposure. METHODS: We analyzed data from a prospective
      longitudinal study of adults aged 65 years and older presenting to an emergency
      department after a motor vehicle collision (MVC) to characterize the relationship
      between perceived social support and MVC-related pain after trauma overall and by
      subgroups based on sex, depressive symptoms, and marital status. RESULTS: In our
      sample (N=176), patients with low perceived social support had higher pain
      severity 6 weeks after MVC than patients with high perceived social support after
      adjustment for age, sex, race, and education (4.2 vs. 3.2, P=0.04). The
      protective effect of social support on pain severity at 6 weeks was more
      pronounced in men and in married individuals. Patients with low social support
      were less likely to receive an opioid prescription in the emergency department
      (15% vs. 32%, P=0.03), but there was no difference in opioid use at 6 weeks (22%
      vs. 20%, P=0.75). DISCUSSION: Among older adults experiencing trauma, low
      perceived social support was associated with higher levels of pain at 6 weeks.

PMID- 28915156
TI  - A Risk Calculator Using Preoperative Opioids for Prediction of Total Knee
      Revision Arthroplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a procedure to improve quality of
      life. However, some patients require early total knee revision (TKR). Chronic
      opioid use before TKA is associated with TKR. No risk calculator including opioid
      use or other risk factors is currently available for predicting TKR. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of Veterans Affairs
      patients who underwent TKA from January 1, 2006 to January 1, 2012. Patients were
      followed until January 1, 2013. Chronic opioid use was defined as opioid use for
      >=3 months preoperatively. A cross-validated Cox proportional hazards model was
      created to predict TKR before initial TKA. Model performance was evaluated by the
      mean absolute error at 1 and 5 years. RESULTS: Totally, 32,297 patients were
      included. A risk calculator was generated with a mean absolute error of 0.1% at 1
      year and 3.6% at 5 years. Chronic opioid use was a significant predictor of TKR
      (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.43; P<0.001). Other
      model variables were age (HR, 0.95; P<0.001), female sex (HR, 0.77; P=0.020),
      body mass index (HR, 0.99; P=0.022), diabetes (HR, 1.20; P=0.001), chronic kidney
      disease (HR, 1.48; P<0.001), and nonchronic opioid use (HR, 1.07; P=0.313).
      DISCUSSION: Preoperative chronic opioid use is a predictor of TKR. Using this
      association and others, a TKA revision risk calculator was generated at
      http://www.bit.do/tka.

PMID- 28915157
TI  - Abortion in the media.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review updates in how abortion care is depicted and
      analysed though various media outlets: news, television, film, and social media.
      RECENT FINDINGS: A surge in recent media-related abortion research has recognized
      several notable and emerging themes: abortion in the news media is often
      inappropriately sourced and politically motivated; abortion portrayal in US film
      and television is frequently misrepresented; and social media has a new and
      significant role in abortion advocacy. SUMMARY: The portrayal of abortion
      onscreen, in the news, and online through social media has a significant impact
      on cultural, personal, and political beliefs in the United States. This is an
      emerging field of research with wide spread potential impact across several
      arenas: medicine, policy, public health.

PMID- 28915158
TI  - Simulation training for family planning procedures.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the current evidence for use of simulation in family
      planning procedural training. RECENT FINDINGS: A variety of simulation models
      exist for abortion, contraception, and sterilization procedures, ranging from low
      to high fidelity. Most models for abortion and contraception are low fidelity,
      inexpensive, and provide opportunities for acquisition and practice of procedural
      skills. Hysteroscopic and laparoscopic simulation models for sterilization
      procedures are generally higher fidelity, and their use has been shown to
      increase knowledge, skill performance, and procedural comfort. SUMMARY: Existing
      evaluation of family planning simulation education shows consistently positive
      results related to improved procedural knowledge and comfort. Although some
      studies have shown increased provision of family planning services following
      simulation-training interventions, further evaluation is needed to determine the
      impact on clinical outcomes.

PMID- 28915159
TI  - Contraception in US servicewomen: emerging knowledge, considerations, and needs.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We describe current literature regarding contraceptive use
      among women serving in the military. We explore the state of contraceptive use by
      female servicewomen, gaps in knowledge, special considerations, and evidence of
      unmet needs. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data on US servicewomen show that overall
      rates of contraceptive use remain low. Data highlight disparities and suggest
      barriers to contraceptive uptake persist, with contraceptive use being lower
      around the time of deployment. Methods that do not require daily use or
      prescription refills, such as long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) -
      intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants - may be distinctly well suited
      for service and deployment. Two contemporary studies document growing popularity
      of LARC methods among female members of the military, possibly driven by a surge
      in contraceptive implant use. Nonetheless, LARC appears to remain underutilized.
      SUMMARY: Despite no-cost provision, the importance of preventing unplanned
      pregnancy, and the potential benefits of cycle control during service, emerging
      data about the US military suggest barriers to and underutilization of
      contraception, particularly LARC. Research is needed to explore preferences and
      tailor contraceptive counseling to servicewomen. Existing and future work can
      inform efforts to standardize military provider training and ensure all
      servicewomen are appropriately counseled and have timely access to any method
      they may choose.

PMID- 28915160
TI  - Current insights in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is defined as the association
      of thrombotic events and/or obstetric morbidity in patients persistently positive
      for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). In this review, we will highlight the most
      important clinical presentations of APS with a focus on the obstetric morbidity,
      the current management strategies and the outlook for the future. RECENT
      FINDINGS: The use of aspirin and heparin has improved the pregnancy outcome in
      obstetric APS and approximately 70% of pregnant women with APS have a successful
      pregnancy outcome. Unfortunately, the current standard of care does not prevent
      all pregnancy complications as the current treatment fails in 20-30% of APS
      pregnancies. This therefore highlights the need for alternative treatments to
      improve obstetrical outcome. Other treatment options are currently explored and
      retrospective studies show that pravastatin for example is beneficial in women
      with aPL-related early preeclampsia. Moreover, the immunmodulator
      hydroxychloroquine may play a beneficial role in the prevention of aPL-related
      pregnancy complications. SUMMARY: APS is among the most frequent acquired risk
      factors for a treatable cause of recurrent pregnancy loss and increases the risk
      of conditions associated with ischaemic placental dysfunction, such as fetal
      growth restriction, preeclampsia, premature birth and intrauterine death. Current
      treatment is mainly based on aspirin and heparin. Studies to inform on
      alternative treatment options are urgently needed.

PMID- 28915161
TI  - Unenhanced Dual-Energy Computed Tomography: Visualization of Brain Edema.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether dual-energy computed
      tomography (DECT) imaging is superior to conventional noncontrast computed
      tomography (CT) imaging for the detection of acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a retrospective, single-center study of 40 patients who
      presented to the emergency department (ED) of a major, acute care, teaching
      center with signs and symptoms of acute stroke. Only those patients who presented
      to the ED within 4 hours of symptom onset were included in this study. All 40
      patients received a noncontrast DECT of the head at the time of presentation.
      Each patient also received standard noncontrast CT of the head 24 hours after
      their initial presentation to the ED. "Brain edema" images were then
      reconstructed using 3-material decomposition with parameters adjusted to suppress
      gray/white matter contrast while preserving edema and increasing its conspicuity.
      The initial unenhanced, mixed images, brain edema, and 24-hour follow-up true
      noncontrast (TNC) images were reviewed and assigned Alberta Stroke Program Early
      CT scores. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and
      negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients, 28
      (70%) were diagnosed with an acute infarction. Brain edema reconstructions were
      better able to predict end infarction volume, with Alberta Stroke Program Early
      CT scores similar to the 24-hour follow-up TNC CT (7.75 vs 7.7; P > 0.05),
      whereas the mixed images routinely underestimated the extent of infarction (8.975
      vs 7.7; P < 0.001). Initial TNC images had a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and
      NPV of 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.9%-95.7%), 72.7% (95% CI, 39%-94%),
      80% (95% CI, 51.9%-95.7%), and 72.73% (95% CI, 51.91%-95.67%), respectively. The
      DECT brain edema images provided a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of
      93.33% (95% CI, 68.05%-99.83%), 100% (95% CI, 71.51%-100%), 100% (95% CI, 76.84%
      100%), and 91.67% (95% CI, 61.52%-99.79%), respectively. There was very good
      interrater reliability across all 3 imaging techniques. CONCLUSION: Brain edema
      reconstructions are able to more accurately detect edema and end-infarct volume
      as compared with initial TNC images. This provides a better assessment of the
      degree and extent of infarction and may serve to better guide therapy in the
      future.

PMID- 28915162
TI  - The Effect of Perinatal Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents on Adult Mice Behavior.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of perinatal
      exposure to gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents (GBCAs) on the behavior of
      adulthood offspring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant Balb/C mice (n = 5 per
      group) were intravenously injected with gadoterate meglumine (Magnescope,
      macrocyclic GBCA), gadodiamide (Omniscan, linear GBCA), or vehicle from pregnancy
      day 15 to 19, corresponding to embryonic day 15 to 19 of the fetus, at 2 mmol/kg
      body weight per day. Brain samples from dams and pups were collected on
      postpartum day 28. The total Gd concentration was quantified by inductively
      coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (dams, n = 3; gadoterate meglumine-treated pups
      group, n = 9; and gadodiamide-treated pups group, n = 10). Behavioral testing of
      offspring was started on postpartum day 70 (control group, n = 22; gadoterate
      meglumine-treated group, n = 23; and gadodiamide-treated group, n = 20). RESULTS:
      Higher levels of Gd retention were observed in dams and pups in the gadodiamide
      treated group. Perinatal exposure to GBCAs caused anxiety-like behavior,
      disrupted motor coordination, impaired memory function, stimulated tactile
      sensitivity, and decreased muscle strength, particularly in the gadodiamide
      treated group. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we showed that Gd was
      transferred to pups and was retained in their brain during postnatal development.
      Gadolinium retention may lead to impaired brain development. These findings
      indicate that the use of GBCAs in pregnant women should be avoided because it may
      have adverse effects on the fetus, particularly on brain development.

PMID- 28915163
TI  - Do prehospital providers and emergency nurses agree on triage assignment?: an
      efficacy study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement on triage
      level between prehospital providers and emergency department (ED) nurses in
      clinical practice when using the same triage system. The objectives were as
      follows: (a) What is the agreement of triage between prehospital providers and ED
      nurses, when using Danish Emergency Process Triage (DEPT) correctly? (b) Which
      part of the triage process yields the highest agreement regarding the final
      triage? METHODS: The study was a prospective and observational efficacy study.
      Patients transported to the ED by ambulances were included. They were triaged by
      prehospital providers while being transported by ambulance to the ED, and by ED
      nurses upon arrival. Triage was done using the DEPT - a five-level triage system
      based on vital signs and a presenting complaint algorithm. An agreement analysis
      was performed. RESULTS: DEPT was used correctly by both professions in 292
      patients. In 182 (62%) patients the prehospital providers and the ED nurses
      agreed on the same triage level. This equals to kappa=0.47 [95% confidence
      interval (CI): 0.41-0.56]. When considering the triage based on vital signs the
      agreement was 72% (kappa=0.46; 95% CI: 0.41-0.47), and based on presenting
      complaint the agreement was 46% (kappa=0.41; 95% CI: 0.37-0.44). CONCLUSION:
      There was a moderate interrater agreement on triage assignment between ED nurses
      and prehospital providers. They agreed on final triage more often if they agreed
      on triage based on vital signs rather than presenting complaints.

PMID- 28915164
TI  - Organizational and Environmental Factors Influencing Hospital Community
      Orientation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community orientation refers to hospitals' efforts to assess and meet
      the health needs of the local population. Variations in the number of community
      orientation-related activities offered by hospitals may be attributed to
      differences in organizational and environmental characteristics. Therefore,
      hospitals have to strategically respond to these internal and external
      constraints to improve community health. Understanding the facilitators and
      barriers of hospital community orientation is important to health care managers
      facing pressure from the external environment to meet the expectations of the
      community as well as Affordable Care Act guidelines. PURPOSE: The purpose of this
      study was to examine the organizational and environmental factors that promote or
      impede hospital community orientation. METHODOLOGY: A multivariate regression
      with random effects was conducted using data from the American Hospital
      Association Annual Survey from 2007 to 2010 and county level data from the Area
      Health Resource Files. FINDINGS: Not-for-profit, system-affiliated, network
      affiliated, and larger hospitals have a higher degree of community orientation.
      In addition, the percentage of the county residents under the age of 65 years
      with health insurance and hospitals in states with certificate-of-need laws were
      also positively related to the degree of community orientation. During the study
      period, it appears that organizational factors mattered more in determining the
      degree of community orientation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Overall, a better
      understanding of the factors that influence community orientation can assist
      hospital administrators and policymakers in stimulating the hospital's role in
      improving population health and its responsiveness to community health needs.
      These efforts may occur by building interorganizational relationships or by
      incentivizing those hospitals that are least likely to be community oriented.

PMID- 28915165
TI  - Employee organizational commitment and hospital performance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is widespread evidence of the purported benefits of employee
      organizational commitment (EOC) and its impact on both individual and
      organizational performance. This study contributes to this literature by
      providing a unique insight into this relationship, focusing on the
      interrelationship between EOC with hospital performance and the role of the
      provision of adequate facilities in eliciting EOC. PURPOSE: The aim of this study
      was to introduce and empirically examine a new theoretical model in which it is
      argued that the performance of hospitals with regard to the provision of adequate
      facilities (medical facilities, support facilities, and staff resources)
      influences the level of EOC, which in turn influences hospital performance with
      regard to patient care and operational effectiveness. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: To
      examine the interrelationships between the provision of adequate facilities, EOC,
      and hospital performance, the study utilizes a survey of hospital managers.
      RESULTS: The findings support the theoretical model, with the provision of
      support facilities and staff resources positively indirectly associated with both
      patient care and operational effectiveness through their impact on EOC.
      CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the importance of providing adequate
      facilities and EOC within hospitals and suggest that CEOs and general managers
      should try to enhance the provision of such resources in an attempt to elicit EOC
      within their hospitals. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that managers
      should try to enhance their provision of adequate facilities in order to elicit
      EOC and enhance hospital performance. With regard to medical facilities, they
      should consider and incorporate the latest technology and up-to-date equipment.
      They should also provide adequate staff resources, including appropriate numbers
      of beds, nurses, and doctors, to prevent "fatigue" (West, 2001, p. 41) and
      provide adequate support facilities.

PMID- 28915166
TI  - Factors associated with hospital participation in Centers for Medicare and
      Medicaid Services' Accountable Care Organization programs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
      initiated the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and Pioneer Accountable Care
      Organization (ACO) programs. Organizations in the MSSP model shared cost savings
      they generated with CMS, and those in the Pioneer program shared both savings and
      losses. It is largely unknown what hospital and environmental characteristics are
      associated with the development of CMS ACOs with one- or two-sided risk models.
      PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the organizational and environmental
      characteristics associated with hospital participation in the MSSP and Pioneer
      ACOs. METHODOLOGY: Hospitals participating in CMS ACO programs were identified
      using primary and secondary data. The ACO hospital sample was linked with the
      American Hospital Association, Health Information and Management System Society,
      and other data sets. Multinomial probit models were estimated that distinguished
      organizational and environmental factors associated with hospital participation
      in the MSSP and Pioneer ACOs. RESULTS: Hospital participation in both CMS ACO
      programs was associated with prior experience with risk-based payments and care
      management programs, advanced health information technology, and location in
      higher-income and more competitive areas. Whereas various health system types
      were associated with hospital participation in the MSSP, centralized health
      systems, higher numbers of physicians in tightly integrated physician
      organizational arrangements, and location in areas with greater supply of primary
      care physicians were associated with Pioneer ACOs. Favorable hospital
      characteristics were, in the aggregate, more important than favorable
      environmental factors for MSSP participation. CONCLUSION: MSSP ACOs may look for
      broader organizational capabilities from participating hospitals that may be
      reflective of a wide range of providers participating in diverse markets. Pioneer
      ACOs may rely on specific hospital and environmental characteristics to achieve
      quality and spending targets set for two-sided contracts. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
      Hospital and ACO leaders can use our results to identify hospitals with certain
      characteristics favorable to their participation in either one- or two-sided
      ACOs.

PMID- 28915167
TI  - The Promise of Traditional Chinese Medicine After Cardiac Arrest: An Untapped
      Resource?

PMID- 28915168
TI  - Fluid Management in Sepsis-Is There a Golden Hour (or Two)?

PMID- 28915169
TI  - Group Therapy in the ICU.

PMID- 28915170
TI  - Life on MARS?

PMID- 28915171
TI  - Determinants of Care-When Is Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation No Longer
      Appropriate and Who Decides?

PMID- 28915172
TI  - No Luck With Preadmission Anti-Inflammatory Drugs to Prevent Postcritical Illness
      Psychiatric Morbidity.

PMID- 28915173
TI  - Intracranial Hemorrhage and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Chicken or the
      Egg?

PMID- 28915174
TI  - The Importance of Clinical Context on Assessing Outcomes in Sepsis.

PMID- 28915175
TI  - When the Letter "F" Meets the Letter "D": Beneficial Impact of Open Visiting and
      Family Presence on Incidence of Delirium Among ICU Patients.

PMID- 28915176
TI  - Prognostication of Critically Ill Patients With Cancer: A Long Road Ahead.

PMID- 28915177
TI  - Bad Response or Bad Luck? A New Versus Recrudescent Sepsis Readmission.

PMID- 28915178
TI  - Expanding the Donor Pool: Organ Donation After Brain Death for Extracorporeal
      Membrane Oxygenation Patients.

PMID- 28915179
TI  - Evaluating Cognitive Deficits in Childhood After Neonatal Critical Illness With
      MRI.

PMID- 28915180
TI  - Central Venous Catheter Insertion and Bedside Ultrasound: Building a New Standard
      of Care?

PMID- 28915181
TI  - Sedating Children on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Achieving More With
      Less.

PMID- 28915183
TI  - Autonomous Resuscitation on the Horizon?

PMID- 28915182
TI  - Hyperoxia in Septic Shock: Crafty Therapeutic Weapon or Double-Edged Sword?

PMID- 28915184
TI  - Wide Disagreement Between Alternative Assessments of Premorbid Physical Activity:
      Subjective Patient and Surrogate Reports and Objective Smartphone Data.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Surrogate-decision maker and patient self-reported estimates of the
      distances walked prior to acute illness are subjective and may be imprecise. It
      may be possible to extract objective data from a patient's smartphone,
      specifically, step and global position system data, to quantify physical
      activity. The objectives were to 1) assess the agreement between surrogate
      decision maker and patient self-reported estimates of distance and time walked
      prior to resting and daily step-count and 2) determine the feasibility of
      extracting premorbid physical activity (step and global position system) data
      from critically ill patients. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING:
      Quaternary ICU. PATIENTS: Fifty consecutively admitted adult patients who owned a
      smartphone, who were ambulatory at baseline, and who remained in ICU for more
      than 48 hours participated. MEASURMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There was no agreement
      between patients and surrogates for all premorbid walking metrics (mean bias 108%
      [99% lower to 8,700% higher], 83% [97% to 2,100%], and 71% [96% to 1,080%], for
      distance, time, and steps, respectively). Step and/or global position system data
      were successfully extracted from 24 of 50 phones (48%; 95% CI, 35-62%). Surrogate
      decision makers, but not patient self-reported, estimates of steps taken per day
      correlated with smartphone data (surrogates: n = 13, rho = 0.56, p < 0.05;
      patients: n = 13, rho = 0.30, p = 0.317). CONCLUSION: There was a lack of
      agreement between surrogate-decision maker and patient self-reported subjective
      estimates of distance walked. Obtaining premorbid physical activity data from the
      current-generation smartphones was feasible in approximately 50% of patients.

PMID- 28915185
TI  - Updating Evidence for Using Therapeutic Hypothermia in Pediatric Severe Traumatic
      Brain Injury.

PMID- 28915186
TI  - The authors reply.

PMID- 28915187
TI  - Early Electroencephalography Dynamics After Cardiac Arrest.

PMID- 28915188
TI  - The authors reply.

PMID- 28915189
TI  - Interpreting Immune Mediator Dysbalance in Sepsis.

PMID- 28915190
TI  - The authors reply.

PMID- 28915191
TI  - Primary Outcomes in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Research.

PMID- 28915192
TI  - The authors reply.

PMID- 28915193
TI  - Procalcitonin Clearance and Prognosis in Sepsis: Are There Really an Optimal
      Cutoff and Time Interval?

PMID- 28915194
TI  - The authors reply.

PMID- 28915195
TI  - Hyperchloremia Is Associated With Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Aneurysmal
      Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Not Sure.

PMID- 28915196
TI  - The authors reply.

PMID- 28915197
TI  - Beneficial Effects of Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory
      Failure: Caution With Findings From Meta-Analyses.

PMID- 28915199
TI  - The Overlap Between Burnout and Depression in ICU Staff.

PMID- 28915198
TI  - The authors reply.

PMID- 28915200
TI  - Optimal Sampling Frequency of Serum Cortisol Concentrations After Cardiac
      Surgery.

PMID- 28915201
TI  - Letter to the Editor on "Effects of Antigravity Treadmill Training on Gait,
      Balance, and Fall Risk in Children With Diplegic Cerebral Palsy".

PMID- 28915202
TI  - Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Falls in Well-Functioning Older
      Adults: Findings From the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous work demonstrates the consequences of falling in older adults
      and the potential of physical activity (PA) to reduce falls, but few studies have
      used accelerometer-measured PA to compare overall and time-of-day activity
      patterns of nonfallers, fallers, or subgroups of fallers. METHODS: In 840
      participants (mean age, 66.7; s = 13.2; range, 26-97) of the Baltimore
      Longitudinal Study of Aging between 2007 and 2014, PA was measured objectively
      with Actiheart accelerometers and falling status (faller/nonfaller) was assessed
      during an in-person interview. Differences in daily PA and PA by time-of-day were
      assessed using multiple linear regression. Differences in PA (multiple linear
      regression), and functional status (chi) were further examined in subgroups of
      "risky" or "normal" fallers. RESULTS: Overall, fallers and nonfallers exhibited
      similar daily (beta = 22.6, P = 0.48) and time-specific PA; however, those who
      fell doing risky activities were more active overall (beta = 243.8, P = 0.002),
      during the morning (beta = 77.3, P = 0.004), afternoon (beta = 78.4, P = 0.001),
      and late afternoon/evening (beta = 56.3, P = 0.006) than those who fell doing
      normal activities. Risky fallers were significantly higher functioning than
      normal fallers. CONCLUSIONS: Persons who fell while engaging in normal activities
      exhibited lower PA overall and throughout most of the day, and were of lower
      functional status than persons who fell while engaging in risky or unusual
      activities, suggesting that engagement in risky or unusual PA is associated with
      higher functional ability and lower falls risk in older persons.

PMID- 28915203
TI  - Treatment of Zenker's Diverticulum With Endoscopic Stapled Esophago
      divertisculostomy (ESD): Analysis of Long-term Outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic Zenker diverticulum (ZD) treatment has become quite common
      because of the low complication rates, reduced procedure time, and shorter
      hospital stay. Many endoscopic treatments are available including the endoscopic
      stapled esophago-diverticulostomy (ESD). Many data regarding ESD are available on
      the short-term outcomes, but few on the long-term ones. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      From March 1998 to July 2016, 126 patients with ZD were candidate for ESD. Since
      2009, 2 stay sutures were routinely positioned at the lateral edges of the septum
      using Medtronic Endostitch 10 mm suturing device. Demographic and perioperative
      data, symptoms, and surgical outcomes were recorded. Long-term ESD results were
      analyzed. An extra-analysis on the surgical outcome was performed comparing
      patients treated with or without stay sutures. RESULTS: In total, 117 patients
      successfully underwent ESD. The mean age was 69.9 years with a male predominance.
      Intraoperative complications occurred in 6.8% of cases. Only 2.6% of the patients
      reported postoperative complications. For the long-term analysis, we were able to
      contact 92 patients for a mean period follow-up of 65.3 months. At 6-month
      outpatient visit 77.68% of patients were completely asymptomatic. In total, 22.3%
      of the patients needed an extratreatment due to incomplete section of the septum,
      reaching a success rate of 95.5%. The long-term resolution rate remained high
      (91.3%). The use of stay sutures did not statistically influence the operative
      time (22.8 vs. 26.7 min, P=0.070), nor intraoperative and postoperative
      complication rate, but a statistically significant higher complete resolution
      rate of symptoms with a single session of ESD was observed respect those treated
      without (87.3% vs. 65.3%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: ESD is a safe and effective
      treatment of ZD and it can control symptoms even in a long-term follow-up. In our
      experience, the use of stay sutures placed with Endostitch increases short and
      long-term results reducing the need for further treatments.

PMID- 28915204
TI  - Laparoscopy for Trauma and the Changes in its Use From 1990 to 2016: A Current
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of laparoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of stable
      abdominal trauma patients is still a matter of serious debate and only incomplete
      data are available. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review and
      meta-analysis of the literature between January 1990 and August 2016. RESULTS:
      Overall, 9817 laparoscopies were performed for abdominal trauma; only 26.2% of
      the cases were converted to a laparotomy. The incidence of therapeutic
      laparotomies showed a reduction from 69% to 47.5%, whereas the incidence of
      therapeutic laparoscopies increased from 7.2% to 22.7%.The overall perioperative
      mortality rate was significantly lower in the laparoscopy group [odds ratio (M-H,
      random); 95% confidence interval, 0.35 (0.26-0.48)]. The same group showed
      shorter length of hospital stay [odds ratio (M-H, random); 95% confidence
      interval, -3.48 (-8.91 to 1.96)]. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review shows a
      significant decrease in the use of laparoscopy in trauma patients. Most likely
      the widespread use of imaging techniques allows a more accurate selection of
      patients for diagnostic laparoscopy. Infact, a reduction in incidence of
      nontherapeutic laparotomies is evident in these selected patients undergoing
      diagnostic laparoscopy. Moreover, the literature reported an increasing trend of
      therapeutic laparoscopy, demonstrating that it is safe and effective. The small
      number and poor quality of the studies identified, the retrospective
      observational nature of the studies (low level of evidence), the high risk of
      bias, and the high heterogeneity of some outcomes make the applicability of the
      results of this meta-analysis unclear.

PMID- 28915205
TI  - Postoperative Pain After Laparoscopic Repair of Primary Umbilical Hernia:
      Titanium Tacks Versus Absorbable Tacks: A Prospective Comparative Cohort Analysis
      of 80 Patients With a Long-term Follow-up.
AB  - We investigated if a novel fixation device with absorbable tacks (Securestrap)
      causes less early and chronic postoperative pain after laparoscopic repair with a
      double-crown mesh fixation of ventral abdominal wall hernia when compared with
      the standard fixation device with nonabsorbable titanium tacks (Protack). The
      primary outcome measure was early postoperative pain at 2, 6, and 12 weeks
      postoperatively. The secondary outcome measure was chronic postoperative pain
      measured >=18 months after surgery. Pain levels were assessed using a visual
      analog scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 100 mm (excruciating pain). Early
      postoperative pain was significantly lower in group 2 (absorbable tacks) at 6 (2
      vs. 5; P=0.008) and 12 weeks (1 vs. 2; P=0.008) but not at follow-up (6 vs. 11;
      P=0.21). Given the very low visual analog scale scores in both groups, the
      clinical significance of these finding remains open to discussion.

PMID- 28915206
TI  - Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery in Patients With Previous Abdominal Surgery: A
      Single-center Experience and Literature Review.
AB  - To present the outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in colorectal cancer
      patients with a previous history of abdominal surgery. Data of a total of 121
      patients with primary colorectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic surgery were
      retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 groups as those with
      previous abdominal surgery (PAS, n=34) and those without (non-PAS, n=87). Gastric
      and colonic surgeries were the most common procedures in the major PAS group,
      whereas gynecologic and obstetric surgeries and appendectomy were the most common
      procedures in the minor PAS group. However, there were statistically significant
      differences in the overall complication rates, wound complications, and
      anastomotic leaks, although there were no significant differences in the rates of
      postoperative ileus, pneumonia, port site herniation, and postoperative bleeding
      between the groups. Our study results suggest that laparoscopic colorectal
      surgery can be safely performed in patients with colorectal cancer who underwent
      abdominal surgery previously.

PMID- 28915207
TI  - Risk Factors and Oncologic Outcomes of Anastomosis Leakage After Laparoscopic
      Right Colectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We estimated the incidence of anastomosis leakage and explore possible
      risk factors and oncologic outcomes following laparoscopic right-side colon
      resection among colon cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively
      analyzed 423 patients who were diagnosed with appendiceal, cecal, ascending, or
      hepatic flexure colon cancer who underwent laparoscopic colonic resection and
      anastomosis between September 2006 and July 2014. We compared short-term and long
      term outcomes between no-leakage and leakage groups. RESULTS: There were 16 cases
      of right-side anastomosis leakage in a total 423 colon cancer cases (3.78%). The
      risk of leakage was increased in smokers (odds ratio=6.592, P=0.007) and with a
      longer operating time (odds ratio=1.024, P<0.001). There were no significant
      differences between the groups in local recurrence (P=0.106), overall survival
      (P=0.055), or cancer-specific survival (P=0.235). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking and long
      operating time are risk factors for right-side colon anastomosis. There were no
      significant differences in oncologic outcomes.

PMID- 28915208
TI  - Appropriate Use Criteria for Cardiac Computed Tomography: Impact on Diagnostic
      Utility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) guidelines for cardiac computed
      tomography (CCT) were developed to limit testing to reasonable clinical settings.
      However, significant testing is still done for inappropriate indications. This
      study investigates the impact of AUC on evaluability of CCT to determine if
      inappropriate tests result in a greater proportion of nondiagnostic results.
      METHODS: Investigators reviewed the medical records of 2417 consecutive patients
      who underwent CCT at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. We applied the
      2010 AUC and classified them as appropriate, inappropriate, or uncertain.
      Unclassifiable tests, as well as those with uncertain appropriateness, were
      excluded from the final analysis. Cardiac computed tomography results were
      classified as diagnostic if (1) all coronary segments were visualized, evaluable,
      and without obstructive stenosis; or (2) obstructive coronary artery disease with
      greater than 50% diameter stenosis in at least 1 coronary artery. All other test
      results were considered nondiagnostic. RESULTS: Of the 1984 patients included in
      the final analysis, 1522 patients (76.7%) had indications that were appropriate,
      whereas the remaining 462 (23.3%) were inappropriate. Inappropriate tests
      resulted in a higher rate of nondiagnostic results compared with appropriate CCT
      (9.0% vs 6.2%, P = 0.034). Inappropriate tests also had significantly more
      studies with nonevaluable segments than appropriate tests (24.5% vs 16.4%, P <
      0.001) and were more likely to reveal obstructive coronary disease than
      appropriate CCT (50.5% vs 32.7%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac computed
      tomography done for inappropriate indications may be associated with lower
      diagnostic yield and could impact future downstream resource utilization and
      health care costs.

PMID- 28915209
TI  - The Expanded Use of Autoaugmentation Techniques in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autoaugmentation techniques have been applied to oncoplastic
      reductions to assist with filling larger, more remote defects, and to women with
      smaller breasts. The purpose of this report is to describe the use of
      autoaugmentation techniques in oncoplastic reduction and compare the results with
      those of traditional oncoplastic reduction. METHODS: The authors queried a
      prospectively maintained database of all women who underwent partial mastectomy
      and oncoplastic reduction between 1994 and October of 2015. The autoaugmentation
      techniques were defined as (1) extended primary nipple autoaugmentation pedicle,
      and (2) primary nipple pedicle and secondary autoaugmentation pedicle.
      Comparisons were made to a control oncoplastic group. RESULTS: There were a total
      of 333 patients, 222 patients (67.7 percent) without autoaugmentation and 111
      patients (33 percent) with autoaugmentation (51 patients with an extended
      autoaugmentation pedicle, and 60 patients with a secondary autoaugmentation
      pedicle). Biopsy weight was smallest in the extended pedicle group (136 g) and
      largest in the regular oncoplastic group (235 g; p = 0.017). Superomedial was the
      most common extended pedicle, and lateral was the most common location.
      Inferolateral was the most common secondary pedicle for lateral and upper outer
      defects. There were no significant differences in the overall complication rate:
      15.5 percent in the regular oncoplastic group, 19.6 percent in the extended
      pedicle group, and 20 percent in the secondary pedicle group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Autoaugmentation techniques have evolved to manage complex defects not amenable
      to standard oncoplastic reduction methods. They are often required for lateral
      defects, especially in smaller breasts. Autoaugmentation can be performed safely
      without an increased risk of complications, broadening the indications for breast
      conservation therapy. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 28915210
TI  - Septum-Based Nasal Tip Plasty: A Comparative Study between Septal Extension Graft
      and Double-Layered Conchal Cartilage Extension Graft.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The septal extension graft is currently the most commonly used
      primary and secondary rhinoplasty technique in Asia because it provides maximal
      tip projection and rotational controllability. The authors compared the tip
      projection amount and rotational controllability of the tip support between the
      septal extension graft based on the L-strut septum and double-layer conchal
      cartilage graft based on the full septum at the nasal tip. METHODS: Twenty-seven
      consecutive patients who underwent nasal tip plasty with the septal extension
      graft or double-layer conchal cartilage graft for purely aesthetic reasons
      between March of 2014 and July of 2016 were included. The nasal tip projection
      and columellar labial angle preoperatively (time 0), immediately postoperatively
      (time 1, an average of 2 weeks after the operation), and postoperatively (time 2,
      an average of 7 months after the operation) were analyzed with clinical
      photography. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (group A) underwent septal extension
      graft surgery and 13 (group B) underwent double-layer conchal cartilage graft
      surgery. Changes of 61 and 74 percent in tip projection ratio were immediately
      achieved and were maintained after surgery for groups A and B, respectively (time
      2 versus time 0 dividing time 1 versus time 0; p = 0.722 for groups A and B).
      Therefore, the relapse ratio of this technique was 39 and 26 percent for groups A
      and B, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This comparative study between the septal
      extension graft and double-layer conchal cartilage graft showed that both nasal
      tip plasties are similar in terms of stability. Considering the fact that the
      double-layer conchal cartilage graft could preserve septal support, this
      technique could become an effective and safe alternative option for rhinoplasty.
      CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 28915211
TI  - Minimally Invasive Laparoscopically Dissected Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery
      Perforator Flap: An Anatomical Feasibility Study and a First Clinical Case.
AB  - The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap is a workhorse of breast
      reconstruction. Risks of herniation derive from violation of the rectus abdominis
      muscle anterior rectus sheath and might be reduced by minimally invasive
      laparoscopic dissection ("MILD") of the deep inferior epigastric vessels. The
      authors performed a feasibility study on five anatomical subjects and performed a
      secondary right breast reconstruction on a 67-year-old woman. A 30-degree
      laparoscope was used with laparoscopy ports inset to preserve the flap. Blunt
      preperitoneal dissection followed by carbon dioxide insufflation allowed the deep
      inferior epigastric pedicle to be dissected and clip-sectioned. The anterior
      rectus sheath was opened around the perforating vessels, and the flap was
      anastomosed on the internal mammary vessels. The length of incision in the
      anterior rectus sheath was compared between laparoscopic and conventional
      approaches. The mean incision length in the anterior rectus sheath was 3 cm
      versus 12 cm in the classic approach. Average duration of laparoscopic flap
      harvest was 50 minutes, including a mean of 30 minutes for deep inferior
      epigastric dissection. Adhesions led to a 1-cm peritoneal laceration in our first
      anatomical subject. There were no preoperative or postoperative complications in
      the clinical case. The clinical procedure duration was 8 hours 15 minutes, with
      the anterior rectus sheath incision reduced from the conventional 12 cm to 5 cm.
      Flap ischemia lasted 50 minutes. The patient was discharged on postoperative day
      5. This anatomical study and first successful laparoscope-assisted DIEP flap
      harvest prove that reduced trauma to the anterior rectus sheath is feasible and
      promising.

PMID- 28915212
TI  - 22 Cases of BIA-ALCL: Awareness and Outcome Tracking from the Italian Ministry of
      Health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, 359 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma in women with
      breast implants (BIA-ALCL) worldwide have been reported out of more than 10
      million implanted patients but Health Care Authorities suspect this is a possible
      underestimation and the limited number of cases makes it difficult to clarify its
      etiology. The General Directorate of Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical Services
      of the Italian Ministry of Health (IMoH) has examined and studied the Italian BIA
      ALCL cases, and the aim of this study is to report on the knowledge and
      experience gained on this new emerging disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An official
      document has been diffused by the IMoH to all the Italian medical associations,
      aiming at encouraging all physicians to notify each BIA-ALCL case through the
      compilation of a specific on-line form. A retrospective study has been performed
      on the notified BIA-ALCL cases collected in the IMoH's database named
      DISPOVIGILANCE. RESULTS: Research on DISPOVIGILANCE gives back a list of 22
      Italian BIA-ALCL cases. The patients' mean age was 49.6 years (range 30 -71). The
      average time to the onset of the symptoms was 6.8 years (range 1-22). The average
      time to the diagnosis was 7.8 years (range 4 -22). The estimated incidence of the
      Italian BIA-ALCL cases related to 2015 is 2.8 per 100.000 patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      The BIA-ALCL pathogenesis remains unknown. The Italian Ministry of Health,
      together with scientific associations and other Competent Authorities worldwide,
      is working on the BIA-ALCL issue to increase awareness and knowledge of this
      disease by healthcare professionals.

PMID- 28915213
TI  - What's New in SHOCK October 2017?

PMID- 28915214
TI  - Non-Hemodynamic Effects of Catecholamines.
AB  - Circulatory shock is defined as an imbalance between tissue oxygen supply and
      demand, and mostly results from a loss of blood volume, cardiac pump failure,
      and/or reduction of vasomotor tone. The clinical hallmarks of circulatory shock
      are arterial hypotension and lactate acidosis. Since the degree and duration of
      hypotension are major determinants of outcome, vasopressor administration
      represents a cornerstone therapy to treat these patients. Current guidelines
      recommend the use of catecholamines as the drug of first choice. However, apart
      from their hemodynamic effects, which depend on the different receptor profile,
      receptor affinity, receptor density, and the relative potency of the individual
      molecule, catecholamines have numerous other biological effects as a result of
      the ubiquitous presence of their receptors. In shock states, catecholamines
      aggravate hypermetabolism by promoting hyperglycemia and hyperlactatemia, and
      further increase oxygen demands, which can contribute to further organ damage. In
      the mitochondria, catecholamines may promote mitochondrial uncoupling, and
      aggravate oxidative stress, thereby contributing to the progression of
      mitochondrial dysfunction. Immunological side effects have also gained specific
      attention. Although both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects have been described,
      current evidence strongly indicates an immunosuppressive effect, thereby making
      patients potentially vulnerable to secondary infections. Catecholamines may not
      only decrease splanchnic perfusion due to their vasoconstrictor properties, but
      can also directly impair gastrointestinal motility. This article reviews the non
      hemodynamic effects of different catecholamines, both under physiologic and
      pathophysiologic conditions, with a special focus on energy metabolism,
      mitochondrial function, immune response, and the gastrointestinal system.

PMID- 28915215
TI  - Mechanisms Involved in Secondary Cardiac Dysfunction in Animal Models of Trauma
      and Hemorrhagic Shock.
AB  - Clinical evidence reveals the existence of a trauma-induced secondary cardiac
      injury (TISCI) that is associated with poor patient outcomes. The mechanisms
      leading to TISCI in injured patients are uncertain. Conversely, animal models of
      trauma hemorrhage have repeatedly demonstrated significant cardiac dysfunction
      following injury, and highlighted mechanisms through which this might occur. The
      aim of this review was to provide an overview of the animal studies describing
      TISCI and its pathophysiology.Basic science models of trauma show evidence of
      innate immune system activation via Toll-like receptors, the exact protagonists
      of which remain unclear. Shortly following trauma and hemorrhage, cardiomyocytes
      upregulate gene regulatory protein and inflammatory molecule expression including
      nuclear factor kappa beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-6. This
      is associated with expression of membrane bound adhesion molecules and chemokines
      leading to marked myocardial leukocyte infiltration. This cell activation and
      infiltration is linked to a rise in enzymes that cause oxidative and nitrative
      stress and subsequent protein misfolding within cardiomyocytes. Such protein
      damage may lead to reduced contractility and myocyte apoptosis. Other molecules
      have been identified as cardioprotective following injury. These include p38
      mitogen-activated protein kinases and heat shock proteins.The balance between
      increasing damaging mediators and a reduction in cardio-protective molecules
      appears to define myocardial function following trauma. Exogenous therapeutics
      have been trialled in rodents with promising abilities to favorably alter this
      balance, and subsequently lead to improved cardiac function.

PMID- 28915216
TI  - Protection by Inhaled Hydrogen Therapy in a Rat Model of Acute Lung Injury can be
      Tracked in vivo Using Molecular Imaging.
AB  - Inhaled hydrogen gas (H2) provides protection in rat models of human acute lung
      injury (ALI). We previously reported that biomarker imaging can detect oxidative
      stress and endothelial cell death in vivo in a rat model of ALI. Our objective
      was to evaluate the ability of Tc-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime (HMPAO) and Tc
      duramycin to track the effectiveness of H2 therapy in vivo in the hyperoxia rat
      model of ALI. Rats were exposed to room air (normoxia), 98% O2 + 2% N2
      (hyperoxia) or 98% O2 + 2% H2 (hyperoxia+H2) for up to 60 h. In vivo scintigraphy
      images were acquired following injection of Tc-HMPAO or Tc-duramycin. For
      hyperoxia rats, Tc-HMPAO and Tc-duramycin lung uptake increased in a time
      dependent manner, reaching a maximum increase of 270% and 150% at 60 h,
      respectively. These increases were reduced to 120% and 70%, respectively, in
      hyperoxia+H2 rats. Hyperoxia exposure increased glutathione content in lung
      homogenate (36%) more than hyperoxia+H2 (21%), consistent with increases measured
      in Tc-HMPAO lung uptake. In 60-h hyperoxia rats, pleural effusion, which was
      undetectable in normoxia rats, averaged 9.3 gram/rat, and lung tissue 3
      nitrotyrosine expression increased by 790%. Increases were reduced by 69% and
      59%, respectively, in 60-h hyperoxia+H2 rats. This study detects and tracks the
      anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic properties of H2 therapy in vivo after as early
      as 24 h of hyperoxia exposure. The results suggest the potential utility of these
      SPECT biomarkers for in vivo assessment of key cellular pathways in the
      pathogenesis of ALI and for monitoring responses to therapies.

PMID- 28915217
TI  - Estradiol Modulates Local Gut Injury Induced by Intestinal Ischemia-Reperfusion
      in Male Rats.
AB  - Intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) triggers a systemic inflammatory
      response characterized by leukocyte mobilization from the bone marrow, release of
      cytokines to the circulation, and increased microvascular permeability, leading
      to high mortality. Females have shown attenuated inflammatory response to trauma
      when compared with males, indicating a role for female sex hormones in this
      process. Here, we have evaluated the effect of estradiol on the local gut injury
      induced by I/R in male rats. I/R was induced by the clamping of the superior
      mesenteric artery for 45 min, followed by 2 h of reperfusion. A group received
      17beta-estradiol (280 MUg/kg, i.v., single dose) at 30 min of ischemia.
      Morphometric analysis of the gut showed I/R induced a reduction of villous height
      that was prevented by estradiol. White blood cells, notably granulocytes, were
      mobilized from the circulation to the intestine by I/R, which was also prevented
      by estradiol treatment. Groups had the intestine wrapped in a plastic bag to
      collect intestinal fluid, where leukocytes count, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 levels
      were increased by I/R. Serum chemokines (CINC-1, MIP-1alpha, MIP-2), ICAM-1
      expression in the mesenteric tissue, and neutrophils spontaneous migration
      measured in vitro were also increased after I/R. Estradiol treatment reduced
      leukocytes numbers and TNF-alpha on intestinal fluid, serum chemokine release and
      also downregulated MIP-1alpha, MIP-2 gene expression, and spontaneous in vitro
      neutrophil migration. In conclusion, estradiol blunts intestinal injury induced
      by I/R by modulating chemokines release and leukocyte trafficking.

PMID- 28915218
TI  - Endotoxemia Results in Trapping of Transfused Red Blood Cells in Lungs with
      Associated Lung Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is associated with organ failure, in
      particular in the critically ill. We hypothesized that endotoxemia contributes to
      increased trapping of RBCs in organs. Furthermore, we hypothesized that this
      effect is more pronounced following transfusion of stored RBCs compared with
      fresh RBCs. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to receive
      injection with lipopolysaccharide from E coli or vehicle and transfusion with
      fresh or stored biotinylated RBCs. After 24 h, the amount of biotinylated RBCs in
      organs was measured by flow cytometry, as well as the 24-h post-transfusion
      recovery. Markers of organ injury and histopathology of organs were assessed.
      RESULTS: Endotoxemia resulted in systemic inflammation and organ injury.
      Following RBC transfusion, donor RBCs were recovered from the lung and kidney of
      endotoxemic recipients (1.2 [0.8-1.6]% and 2.2 [0.4-4.4]% of donor RBCs
      respectively), but not from organs of healthy recipients. Trapping of donor RBCs
      in the lung was associated with increased lung injury, but not with kidney
      injury. Stored RBCs induced organ injury in the spleen and yielded a lower 24-h
      post-transfusion recovery, but other effects of storage time were limited.
      CONCLUSION: Endotoxemia results in an increased percentage of donor RBCs
      recovered from the lung and kidney, which is associated with lung injury
      following transfusion.

PMID- 28915219
TI  - Intrabronchial Catheter Resuscitation for Respiratory and Cardiorespiratory
      Arrest.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We sought to determine whether intrabronchial oxygenation would
      provide adequate gas exchange during both anesthesia induced apneic and
      cardiopulmonary arrest and cardiac massage (CPR). METHODS: Ten pigs underwent
      general anesthesia with mechanical ventilation. Blood gases were measured in each
      animal at 4 min intervals for up to 28 min. An intrabronchial catheter (4 L/min
      O2) was inserted through an endotracheal tube after respirator cessation. Group A
      animals (6) were resuscitated with the catheter but without CPR. Group B animals
      (4) were rendered apneic and cardioplegic and resuscitated by CPR for 28 min
      using the intrabronchial device. RESULTS: All group A animals were resuscitated
      and survived after 24 min of apnea. Mean pO2 decreased from 378 mmHg (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 288-468) to 292 mmHg (95% CI, 246-339), P = 0.009; pCO2
      increased from 52 mmHg (95% CI, 43-61) to 137 mmHg (95% CI, 116-158), P < 0.0001;
      and pH decreased from 7.32 (7.29-7.36) to 6.98 (6.92-7.03), P < 0.0001. In a
      control animal bronchial catheter oxygen flow ceased at baseline and pO2
      decreased from 268 to 30 mmHg by 20 min. In group B animals mean pO2 decreased
      from 426 mmHg (95% CI, 273-579) to 130 mmHg (95% CI, 92-168) after 28 min, P <
      0.0001; pCO2 increased from 49 mmHg (95% CI, 41-58) to 73 mmHg (95% CI, 61-86), P
      = 0.03; and pH decreased from 7.34 (7.33-7.35) to 7.07 (6.98-7.16), P < 0.0001.
      In the control receiving intratracheal oxygen pO2 decreased from 324 to 88 mmHg
      after 16 minu of CPR. CONCLUSIONS: Intrabronchial oxygenation provides sustained
      hyperoxemia during complete apnea and cardiac arrest with CPR.

PMID- 28915220
TI  - Predicting the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis With Red Cell Distribution Width at
      Early Admission Stage.
AB  - Red cell distribution width (RDW) has been proposed as an early prognosis marker
      with increased mortality in variety of pathophysiological conditions. We
      hypothesized that elevated RDW could be used in judging the severity of acute
      pancreatitis (AP). We retrospectively and prospectively studied 545 and 72 AP
      patients, who were admitted to the Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji
      University, respectively. Compared with mild acute pancreatitis, significantly
      higher RDW was observed in patients with moderately severe acute pancreatitis and
      sever acute pancreatitis (14.03 +/- 1.74% vs. 13.23 +/- 1.23%, P < 0.000). RDW
      values were also found positively correlated with the patient's blood urea
      nitrogen (r = 0.120, P = 0.026), creatinine (r = 0.182, P = 0.000), age (r =
      0.099, P = 0.028), and bedside index of severity in acute pancreatitis scoring
      system (r = 0.147, P = 0.001), and were negatively correlated with the serum
      albumin (r = -0.244, P = 0.000). The area under the receiver-operating
      characteristics was as follows-RDW: 0.677 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.619
      0.735, P < 0.000); combination of RDW and albumin: 0.693 (95% CI, 0.625-0.761, P
      < 0.000); and the optimal cutoff value for RDW to predict whether patients with
      AP should be in intensive care unit (ICU) was 13.55 with a sensitivity of 54.5%
      and a specificity of 73.6%. In the validation study, AP with RDW >= 13.55% had
      significantly higher ICU admission ratio than those with RDW < 13.55% (44.4% vs.
      9.8%, P < 0.000). In conclusion, RDW is positively associated with AP severity,
      and is likely a useful predictive parameter of AP severity.

PMID- 28915221
TI  - Metformin Exerts Beneficial Effects in Hemorrhagic Shock in An AMPKalpha1
      Independent Manner.
AB  - Despite therapeutic advances in hemorrhagic shock, mortality from multiple organ
      failure remains high. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is involved in cellular
      energy homeostasis. Two catalytic subunits, alpha1 and alpha2, have been
      identified, with alpha1 subunit largely expressed in major organs. Here, we
      hypothesized that genetic deficiency of AMPKalpha1 worsens hemorrhage-induced
      multiple organ failure. We also investigated whether treatment with metformin, a
      clinically used drug for metabolic homeostasis, affords beneficial effects.
      AMPKalpha1 wild-type (WT) and knock-out mice (KO) were subjected to hemorrhagic
      shock by blood withdrawing followed by resuscitation with shed blood and Lactated
      Ringer's solution and treatment with vehicle or metformin. Mice were sacrificed
      at 3 h after resuscitation. Compared with vehicle-treated WT animals, KO animals
      exhibited a more severe hypotension, higher lung and liver injury and neutrophil
      infiltration, and higher levels of plasma inflammatory cytokines. Metformin
      treatment ameliorated organ injury and mean arterial blood pressure in both WT
      and KO mice, without affecting systemic cytokine levels. Furthermore, metformin
      treatment reduced liver lipid peroxidation and increased levels of complex II
      cosubstrate FAD and levels of ATP in WT and KO mice. Beneficial effects of
      metformin were associated with organ-specific nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling and
      activation of liver kinase B1 and AMPKalpha2. Thus, our data suggest that
      AMPKalpha1 is an important regulator of hemodynamic stability and organ metabolic
      recovery during hemorrhagic shock. Our data also suggest that metformin affords
      beneficial effects, at least in part, independently of AMPKalpha1 and secondary
      to AMPKalpha2 activation, increase of Complex II function and reduction of
      oxidative stress.

PMID- 28915222
TI  - Effect of Goal Setting Using a Visual Display on Patient Quality of Life and Self
      efficacy.

PMID- 28915223
TI  - Quality Measures: A Stakeholder Analysis.
AB  - For quality measures, confusion and discontentment have increased, as
      availability of electronic data and data collection tools has expanded. We
      examined current issues with quality measures across 4 stakeholder groups:
      developers, regulators/endorsers, data collectors, and consumer advocates. There
      are missing quality measures, issues with data quality and purpose, questionable
      usability of electronic health records, and an increased measurement burden and
      cost. Policymakers, administrators, health care professionals, and consumers need
      to collaborate on measure development and selection.

PMID- 28915224
TI  - Systolic and Diastolic Left Ventricular Mechanics during and after Resistance
      Exercise.
AB  - PURPOSE: To improve the current understanding of the impact of resistance
      exercise on the heart, by examining the acute responses of left ventricular (LV)
      strain, twist, and untwisting rate ("LV mechanics"). METHODS: LV
      echocardiographic images were recorded in systole and diastole before, during and
      immediately after (7-12 s) double-leg press exercise at two intensities (30% and
      60% of maximum strength, one-repetition maximum). Speckle tracking analysis
      generated LV strain, twist, and untwisting rate data. Additionally, beat-by-beat
      blood pressure was recorded and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and LV wall
      stress were calculated. RESULTS: Responses in both exercise trials were
      statistically similar (P > 0.05). During effort, stroke volume decreased, whereas
      SVR and LV wall stress increased (P < 0.05). Immediately after effort, stroke
      volume returned to baseline, whereas SVR and wall stress decreased (P < 0.05).
      Similarly, acute exercise was accompanied by a significant decrease in systolic
      parameters of LV muscle mechanics (P < 0.05). However, diastolic parameters,
      including LV untwisting rate, were statistically unaltered (P > 0.05).
      Immediately after exercise, systolic LV mechanics returned to baseline levels (P
      < 0.05) but LV untwisting rate increased significantly (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A
      single, acute bout of double-leg press resistance exercise transiently reduces
      systolic LV mechanics, but increases diastolic mechanics after exercise,
      suggesting that resistance exercise has a differential impact on systolic and
      diastolic heart muscle function. The findings may explain why acute resistance
      exercise has been associated with reduced stroke volume but chronic exercise
      training may result in increased LV volumes.

PMID- 28915225
TI  - Physical Activity, Not Sedentary Time, Predicts Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry
      measured Adiposity Age 5 to 19 Years.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the associations among physical activity (PA), sedentary time
      (SED), and TV viewing (TV) with fat mass (FAT) and visceral adipose tissue mass
      (VAT) from childhood through adolescence (5-19 yr). METHODS: Participants in the
      Iowa Bone Development Study (n = 230 males and 233 females) were examined at ages
      5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 yr. Accelerometers measured moderate- or vigorous
      intensity PA (MVPA; min.d), light-intensity PA (LPA; min.d), and SED (h.d).
      Parent-proxy report (5 and 8 yr) and child-report (11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 yr)
      measured TV (h.d). X-ray absorptiometry scans measured FAT (kg) and VAT (g). Sex
      specific growth models were used to create FAT and VAT growth curves for
      individual participants (level 1), and to test the effect of MVPA, LPA, SED, and
      TV (level 2) after adjusting for weight, height, linear age, nonlinear age, and
      maturity. RESULTS: Growth models indicated that low levels of MVPA were
      associated with high levels of FAT and VAT for males and high levels of FAT for
      females. TV viewing was positively associated with FAT and VAT for males and
      females. LPA was positively associated with FAT in males. Sedentary time was not
      associated with FAT or VAT for males or females (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study supports current PA guidelines focusing on MVPA rather than SED. The
      contribution of high TV, but not high SED, to high levels of adiposity suggests
      that TV's contribution to obesity is not just a function of low energy
      expenditure.

PMID- 28915227
TI  - Dietary sodium intake among US adults with hypertension, 1999-2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Excess sodium consumption has strong links with hypertension and
      cardiovascular disease with Food and Drug Association calling to limit sodium
      intake. However, little is known regarding the trends of sodium intake among
      hypertensive patients in the United States. METHODS: Data from The National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2012) were used to identify adults
      older than 20 years with self-reported hypertension. Sodium intake was measured
      through 24-h dietary recall. Linear regression was used to assess the time trends
      of sodium intake. RESULTS: Between the years of 1999 and 2012, sodium consumption
      increased 14.2% among all adults with hypertension (P = 0.012). The increase was
      seen in both sexes (by 13.3%, P = 0.023 for male, and by 12.1%, P = 0.015 for
      female). A significant increase was seen in the amount of sodium consumption
      among Hispanic (by 26.2%, P = 0.021) and African-American (by 20%, P = 0.031)
      participants, but not among non-Hispanic whites (by 2%, P = 0.096) during the
      study period. Participants with higher level of education (3487 +/- 1678 vs. 3230
      +/- 1785 mg, P = 0.002) and household income (3527 +/- 1770 vs. 3301 +/- 1726 mg,
      P = 0.009) were found to consume more sodium, which remained significant after
      adjustment for age. CONCLUSION: Sodium intake has increased over the last two
      decades among individuals with hypertension. The increase was especially marked
      for Hispanics and African-Americans. Improved population-based interventions,
      including more effective strategies and aggressive approaches to reduce the
      sodium consumption among hypertensive adults, are needed.

PMID- 28915226
TI  - Pulmonary Vascular Function and Aerobic Exercise Capacity at Moderate Altitude.
AB  - PURPOSE: There has been suggestion that a greater "pulmonary vascular reserve"
      defined by a low pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and a high lung diffusing
      capacity (DL) allow for a superior aerobic exercise capacity. How pulmonary
      vascular reserve might affect exercise capacity at moderate altitude is not
      known. METHODS: Thirty-eight healthy subjects underwent an exercise stress
      echocardiography of the pulmonary circulation, combined with measurements of DL
      for nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) and a cardiopulmonary exercise
      test at sea level and at an altitude of 2250 m. RESULTS: At rest, moderate
      altitude decreased arterial oxygen content (CaO2) from 19.1 +/- 1.6 to 18.4 +/-
      1.7 mL.dL, P < 0.001, and slightly increased PVR, DLNO, and DLCO. Exercise at
      moderate altitude was associated with decreases in maximum O2 uptake (VO2max),
      from 51 +/- 9 to 43 +/- 8 mL.kg?min, P < 0.001, and CaO2 to 16.5 +/- 1.7 mL.dL, P
      < 0.001, but no different cardiac output, PVR, and pulmonary vascular
      distensibility. DLNO was inversely correlated to the ventilatory equivalent of
      CO2 (VE/VCO2) at sea level and at moderate altitude. Independent determinants of
      VO2max as determined by a multivariable analysis were the slope of mean pulmonary
      artery pressure-cardiac output relationship, resting stroke volume, and resting
      DLNO at sea level as well as at moderate altitude. The magnitude of the decrease
      in VO2max at moderate altitude was independently predicted by more pronounced
      exercise-induced decrease in CaO2 at moderate altitude. CONCLUSION: Aerobic
      exercise capacity is similarly modulated by pulmonary vascular reserve at
      moderate altitude and at sea level. Decreased aerobic exercise capacity at
      moderate altitude is mainly explained by exercise-induced decrease in arterial
      oxygenation.

PMID- 28915228
TI  - Analysis of the genes involved in Mendelian forms of low-renin hypertension in
      Chinese early-onset hypertensive patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study aimed to analyze genes involved in Mendelian forms of low
      renin hypertension in Chinese early-onset hypertensive patients. METHODS: A panel
      of nine genes, namely SCNN1B, SCNN1G, WNK1, WNK4, KLHL3, CUL3, nuclear receptor
      subfamily 3, group C (NR3C)1, NR3C2, and HSD11B2 were screened by targeted
      resequencing in 260 Chinese early-onset hypertensive patients. Additionally, exon
      13 of both SCNN1B and SCNN1G was sequenced in an independent cohort of 506
      Chinese early-onset hypertensive patients. RESULTS: About 81 nonrare and 41 rare
      variants were, respectively, detected in 221 (85.0%) and 39 (15.0%) patients from
      the cohort of 260. Of the total 766 patients, those with rare variants in exon 13
      of either SCNN1B or SCNN1G had a significantly earlier onset of hypertension
      (24.7 +/- 7.5 vs. 29.0 +/- 7.7 years, P = 0.015) and lower serum potassium (3.57
      +/- 0.59 vs. 3.96 +/- 0.41 mmol/l, P = 0.007) than those without rare variants.
      However, other identified rare variants had no effects on clinical expression.
      Seven patients (0.91%) were diagnosed with Liddle's syndrome, and the Liddle's
      syndrome prevalence was 1.72% among the 407 patients with hypertension diagnosed
      before the age of 30. Genetic screening of the probands' relatives identified 10
      additional Liddle's syndrome patients. Treatment of Liddle's syndrome patients
      with amiloride resulted in normalization of both blood pressure and serum
      potassium. CONCLUSION: Liddle's syndrome appears to be the most common low-renin
      Mendelian hypertension in young Chinese hypertensive patients. Sequencing exon 13
      of both SCNN1B and SCNN1G is highly advisable in patients with early-onset and
      low-renin hypertension.

PMID- 28915229
TI  - The optimal night-time home blood pressure monitoring schedule: agreement with
      ambulatory blood pressure and association with organ damage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Night-time home blood pressure (HBP) monitoring has emerged as a
      feasible, reliable and low-cost alternative to ambulatory blood pressure (ABP)
      monitoring. This study evaluated the optimal schedule of night-time HBP
      monitoring in terms of agreement with night-time ABP and association with
      preclinical target-organ damage. METHODS: Untreated hypertensive adults were
      evaluated with ABP (24-h) and HBP monitoring (daytime: six days, duplicate
      morning and evening measurements; night-time: three nights, three-hourly
      automated measurements/night), and determination of left ventricular mass index,
      common carotid intima-media thickness and urinary albumin excretion. RESULTS: A
      total of 94 patients with all nine night-time HBP measurements were analysed
      [mean age 51.8 +/- 11.1 (SD) years, men 57%). By averaging an increasing number
      of night-time systolic HBP readings, there was a consistent trend towards
      stronger association of night-time HBP with night-time ABP (correlation
      coefficients r increased from 0.69 to 0.81), and with target-organ damage indices
      (for left ventricular mass index r increased from 0.13 to 0.22, carotid intima
      media thickness 0.12-0.25, urinary albumin excretion 0.33-0.41). However, no
      further improvement in the association was observed by averaging more than four
      to six night-time readings. The diagnostic agreement between HBP and ABP in
      detecting nondippers was improved by averaging more readings, with a plateau at
      four readings (single reading: agreement 81%, kappa 0.37; four readings: 88%,
      0.49; nine readings: 84%, 0.40). CONCLUSION: A two-night HBP schedule (six
      readings) appears to be the minimum requirement for a reliable assessment of
      night-time HBP, which gives reasonable agreement with ABP and association with
      preclinical organ damage.

PMID- 28915230
TI  - Albuminuria and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Non-Diabetic Chronic
      Kidney Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND Albuminuria has been associated with cardiovascular events, but
      whether such an association can be explained by endothelial dysfunction is not
      fully understood. In this study, we examined the relationship between the urine
      albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and biomarkers of endothelial function in
      patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). MATERIAL AND METHODS The cross
      sectional associations of renal dysfunction and UACR with procoagulant and
      inflammatory factors were evaluated for 151 consecutive CKD (stage 3-5) patients.
      Subjects were grouped by UACR (<=300 mg/g or >300 mg/g) and estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR) (30<= eGFR <60, 15<= eGFR <30, or eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73
      m2). RESULTS A higher UACR level was associated with an increase in von
      Willebrand factor antigen (vWF: Ag) levels, vWF activity, factor VIII,
      interleukin-2, and log (interleukin-6), even after adjustment for risk factors.
      Linear regression analysis indicated that for every 88.5 mg/g increase in UACR,
      the vWF activity and factor VIII were elevated by 8.3% and 6.3%, respectively.
      The factorial design ANOVA data showed no statistically significant interaction
      between UACR and CKD stage with procoagulant and inflammatory factors.
      CONCLUSIONS Our study shows an eGFR-independent association of higher UACR with
      elevations in markers of endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory factors in CKD
      patients.

PMID- 28915231
TI  - Postnatal polyunsaturated fatty acids associated with larger preterm brain tissue
      volumes and better outcomes.
AB  - BackgroundHuman studies investigating the link between postnatal polyunsaturated
      fatty acids and preterm brain growth are limited, despite emerging evidence of
      potential effects on outcomes.MethodsSixty preterm neonates <32 weeks gestational
      age with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning at near-birth and near-term
      age were assessed for brain tissue volumes, including cortical gray matter, white
      matter, deep gray matter, cerebellum, brainstem, and ventricular cerebrospinal
      fluid. Red blood cell fatty acid content was evaluated within 1 week of each MRI
      scan. Neurodevelopmental outcome at 30-36 months corrected age was
      assessed.ResultsAdjusting for potential confounders, higher near-birth
      docosahexaenoic acid levels are associated with larger cortical gray matter, deep
      gray matter, and brainstem volumes and higher near-term levels with larger deep
      gray matter, cerebellar, and brainstem volumes at near-term age; lower near-birth
      linoleic acid levels are correlated with larger white matter volume at near-term
      age. By 30-36 months corrected age, larger cortical and deep gray matter,
      cerebellar, and brainstem volumes by term age are associated with improved
      language scores and larger cerebellar and brainstem volumes with improved motor
      scores.ConclusionSpecific polyunsaturated fatty acid levels have differential and
      time-dependent associations with brain region growth. Larger brain volumes are
      associated with improved outcomes at preschool age.

PMID- 28915232
TI  - Effects of early nutrition and growth on brain volumes, white matter
      microstructure, and neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm newborns.
AB  - BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the effect of nutrition and growth
      during the first 4 weeks after birth on cerebral volumes and white matter
      maturation at term equivalent age (TEA) and on neurodevelopmental outcome at 2
      years' corrected age (CA), in preterm infants.MethodsOne hundred thirty-one
      infants born at a gestational age (GA) <31 weeks with magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) at TEA were studied. Cortical gray matter (CGM) volumes, basal ganglia and
      thalami (BGT) volumes, cerebellar volumes, and total brain volume (TBV) were
      computed. Fractional anisotropy (FA) in the posterior limb of internal capsule
      (PLIC) was obtained. Cognitive and motor scores were assessed at 2 years'
      CA.ResultsCumulative fat and enteral intakes were positively related to larger
      cerebellar and BGT volumes. Weight gain was associated with larger cerebellar,
      BGT, and CGM volume. Cumulative fat and caloric intake, and enteral intakes were
      positively associated with FA in the PLIC. Cumulative protein intake was
      positively associated with higher cognitive and motor scores (all
      P<0.05).ConclusionOur study demonstrated a positive association between
      nutrition, weight gain, and brain volumes. Moreover, we found a positive
      relationship between nutrition, white matter maturation at TEA, and
      neurodevelopment in infancy. These findings emphasize the importance of growth
      and nutrition with a balanced protein, fat, and caloric content for brain
      development.

PMID- 28915233
TI  - The utility of stem cells in pediatric urinary bladder regeneration.
AB  - Pediatric patients with a neurogenic urinary bladder, caused by developmental
      abnormalities including spina bifida, exhibit chronic urological problems.
      Surgical management in the form of enterocystoplasty is used to enlarge the
      bladder, but is associated with significant clinical complications. Thus,
      alternative methods to enterocystoplasty have been explored through the
      incorporation of stem cells with tissue engineering strategies. Within the
      context of this review, we will examine the use of bone marrow stem cells and
      induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as they relate to bladder regeneration at
      the anatomic and molecular levels. The use of bone marrow stem cells has
      demonstrated significant advances in bladder tissue regeneration as multiple
      aspects of bladder tissue have been recapitulated including the urothelium,
      bladder smooth muscle, vasculature, and peripheral nerves. iPSCs, on the other
      hand, have been well characterized and used in multiple tissue-regenerative
      settings, yet iPSC research is still in its infancy with regards to bladder
      tissue regeneration with recent studies describing the differentiation of iPSCs
      to the bladder urothelium. Finally, we examine the role of the Sonic Hedgehog
      signaling cascade that mediates the proliferative response during regeneration
      between bladder smooth muscle and urothelium. Taken together, this review
      provides a current, comprehensive perspective on bladder regeneration.

PMID- 28915234
TI  - Tissue regeneration using endothelial colony-forming cells: promising cells for
      vascular repair.
AB  - Repairing and rebuilding damaged tissue in diseased human subjects remains a
      daunting challenge for clinical medicine. Proper vascular formation that serves
      to deliver blood-borne nutrients and adequate levels of oxygen and to remove
      wastes is critical for successful tissue regeneration. Endothelial colony-forming
      cells (ECFC) represent a promising cell source for revascularization of damaged
      tissue. ECFCs are identified by displaying a hierarchy of clonal proliferative
      potential and by pronounced postnatal vascularization ability in vivo. In this
      review, we provide a brief overview of human ECFC isolation and characterization,
      a survey of a number of animal models of human disease in which ECFCs have been
      shown to have prominent roles in tissue repair, and a summary of current
      challenges that must be overcome before moving ECFC into human subjects as a cell
      therapy.

PMID- 28915235
TI  - Transamniotic stem cell therapy: a novel strategy for the prenatal management of
      congenital anomalies.
AB  - Transamniotic stem cell therapy, or TRASCET, is an emerging therapeutic concept
      for the management of congenital anomalies based on the augmentation of the
      biological role of select populations of stem cells that already occur in the
      amniotic fluid, for targeted therapeutic benefit. Amniotic fluid-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells (afMSCs) have a central role in the enhanced ability of
      the fetus to repair tissue damage. This germane recent finding constitutes the
      biological foundation for the use of afMSCs in TRASCET. It has been shown
      experimentally that simple intra-amniotic delivery of afMSCs in large numbers can
      either elicit the repair, or significantly mitigate the effects associated with
      major congenital anomalies by boosting the activity that these cells normally
      have. For example, TRASCET can induce partial or complete coverage of
      experimental spina bifida by promoting the local formation of host-derived skin,
      thus protecting the spinal cord from further damage. In another example, it can
      significantly alleviate the bowel damage associated with gastroschisis, one of
      the most common major abdominal wall defects. Other applications involving
      different congenital anomalies and/or other stem cells present in the amniotic
      fluid in diseased pregnancies are currently under investigation in this freshly
      evolving facet of fetal stem cell therapy.

PMID- 28915236
TI  - Modeling antibiotic treatment in hospitals: A systematic approach shows benefits
      of combination therapy over cycling, mixing, and mono-drug therapies.
AB  - Multiple treatment strategies are available for empiric antibiotic therapy in
      hospitals, but neither clinical studies nor theoretical investigations have
      yielded a clear picture when which strategy is optimal and why. Extending earlier
      work of others and us, we present a mathematical model capturing treatment
      strategies using two drugs, i.e the multi-drug therapies referred to as cycling,
      mixing, and combination therapy, as well as monotherapy with either drug. We
      randomly sample a large parameter space to determine the conditions determining
      success or failure of these strategies. We find that combination therapy tends to
      outperform the other treatment strategies. By using linear discriminant analysis
      and particle swarm optimization, we find that the most important parameters
      determining success or failure of combination therapy relative to the other
      treatment strategies are the de novo rate of emergence of double resistance in
      patients infected with sensitive bacteria and the fitness costs associated with
      double resistance. The rate at which double resistance is imported into the
      hospital via patients admitted from the outside community has little influence,
      as all treatment strategies are affected equally. The parameter sets for which
      combination therapy fails tend to fall into areas with low biological
      plausibility as they are characterised by very high rates of de novo emergence of
      resistance to both drugs compared to a single drug, and the cost of double
      resistance is considerably smaller than the sum of the costs of single
      resistance.

PMID- 28915237
TI  - DNA replication stress restricts ribosomal DNA copy number.
AB  - Ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) in budding yeast are encoded by ~100-200 repeats of a
      9.1kb sequence arranged in tandem on chromosome XII, the ribosomal DNA (rDNA)
      locus. Copy number of rDNA repeat units in eukaryotic cells is maintained far in
      excess of the requirement for ribosome biogenesis. Despite the importance of the
      repeats for both ribosomal and non-ribosomal functions, it is currently not known
      how "normal" copy number is determined or maintained. To identify essential genes
      involved in the maintenance of rDNA copy number, we developed a droplet digital
      PCR based assay to measure rDNA copy number in yeast and used it to screen a
      yeast conditional temperature-sensitive mutant collection of essential genes. Our
      screen revealed that low rDNA copy number is associated with compromised DNA
      replication. Further, subculturing yeast under two separate conditions of DNA
      replication stress selected for a contraction of the rDNA array independent of
      the replication fork blocking protein, Fob1. Interestingly, cells with a
      contracted array grew better than their counterparts with normal copy number
      under conditions of DNA replication stress. Our data indicate that DNA
      replication stresses select for a smaller rDNA array. We speculate that this
      liberates scarce replication factors for use by the rest of the genome, which in
      turn helps cells complete DNA replication and continue to propagate.
      Interestingly, tumors from mini chromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2)-deficient mice
      also show a loss of rDNA repeats. Our data suggest that a reduction in rDNA copy
      number may indicate a history of DNA replication stress, and that rDNA array size
      could serve as a diagnostic marker for replication stress. Taken together, these
      data begin to suggest the selective pressures that combine to yield a "normal"
      rDNA copy number.

PMID- 28915239
TI  - Structural basis for the high specificity of a Trypanosoma congolense immunoassay
      targeting glycosomal aldolase.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Animal African trypanosomosis (AAT) is a neglected tropical disease
      which imposes a heavy burden on the livestock industry in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its
      causative agents are Trypanosoma parasites, with T. congolense and T. vivax being
      responsible for the majority of the cases. Recently, we identified a Nanobody
      (Nb474) that was employed to develop a homologous sandwich ELISA targeting T.
      congolense fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (TcoALD). Despite the high sequence
      identity between trypanosomatid aldolases, the Nb474-based immunoassay is highly
      specific for T. congolense detection. The results presented in this paper yield
      insights into the molecular principles underlying the assay's high specificity.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The structure of the Nb474-TcoALD complex was
      determined via X-ray crystallography. Together with analytical gel filtration,
      the structure reveals that a single TcoALD tetramer contains four binding sites
      for Nb474. Through a comparison with the crystal structures of two other
      trypanosomatid aldolases, TcoALD residues Ala77 and Leu106 were identified as hot
      spots for specificity. Via ELISA and surface plasmon resonance (SPR), we
      demonstrate that mutation of these residues does not abolish TcoALD recognition
      by Nb474, but does lead to a lack of detection in the Nb474-based homologous
      sandwich immunoassay. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results show that the high
      specificity of the Nb474-based immunoassay is not determined by the initial
      recognition event between Nb474 and TcoALD, but rather by its homologous sandwich
      design. This (i) provides insights into the optimal set-up of the assay, (ii) may
      be of great significance for field applications as it could explain the potential
      detection escape of certain T. congolense strains, and (iii) may be of general
      interest to those developing similar assays.

PMID- 28915238
TI  - A high resolution atlas of gene expression in the domestic sheep (Ovis aries).
AB  - Sheep are a key source of meat, milk and fibre for the global livestock sector,
      and an important biomedical model. Global analysis of gene expression across
      multiple tissues has aided genome annotation and supported functional annotation
      of mammalian genes. We present a large-scale RNA-Seq dataset representing all the
      major organ systems from adult sheep and from several juvenile, neonatal and
      prenatal developmental time points. The Ovis aries reference genome (Oar v3.1)
      includes 27,504 genes (20,921 protein coding), of which 25,350 (19,921 protein
      coding) had detectable expression in at least one tissue in the sheep gene
      expression atlas dataset. Network-based cluster analysis of this dataset grouped
      genes according to their expression pattern. The principle of 'guilt by
      association' was used to infer the function of uncharacterised genes from their
      co-expression with genes of known function. We describe the overall
      transcriptional signatures present in the sheep gene expression atlas and assign
      those signatures, where possible, to specific cell populations or pathways. The
      findings are related to innate immunity by focusing on clusters with an immune
      signature, and to the advantages of cross-breeding by examining the patterns of
      genes exhibiting the greatest expression differences between purebred and
      crossbred animals. This high-resolution gene expression atlas for sheep is, to
      our knowledge, the largest transcriptomic dataset from any livestock species to
      date. It provides a resource to improve the annotation of the current reference
      genome for sheep, presenting a model transcriptome for ruminants and insight into
      gene, cell and tissue function at multiple developmental stages.

PMID- 28915240
TI  - Improved reliability of serological tools for the diagnosis of West Nile fever in
      horses within Europe.
AB  - West Nile Fever is a zoonotic disease caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus, WNV.
      By its clinical sensitivity to the disease, the horse is a useful sentinel of
      infection. Because of the virus' low-level, short-term viraemia in horses, the
      primary tools used to diagnose WNV are serological tests. Inter-laboratory
      proficiency tests (ILPTs) were held in 2010 and 2013 to evaluate WNV serological
      diagnostic tools suited for the European network of National Reference
      Laboratories (NRLs) for equine diseases. These ILPTs were designed to evaluate
      the laboratories' and methods' performances in detecting WNV infection in horses
      through serology. The detection of WNV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies by ELISA
      is widely used in Europe, with 17 NRLs in 2010 and 20 NRLs in 2013 using IgG WNV
      assays. Thanks to the development of new commercial IgM capture kits, WNV IgM
      capture ELISAs were rapidly implemented in NRLs between 2010 (4 NRLs) and 2013
      (13 NRLs). The use of kits allowed the quick standardisation of WNV IgG and IgM
      detection assays in NRLs with more than 95% (20/21) and 100% (13/13) of
      satisfactory results respectively in 2013. Conversely, virus neutralisation tests
      (VNTs) were implemented in 33% (7/21) of NRLs in 2013 and their low sensitivity
      was evidenced in 29% (2/7) of NRLs during this ILPT. A comparison of serological
      diagnostic methods highlighted the higher sensitivity of IgG ELISAs compared to
      WNV VNTs. They also revealed that the low specificity of IgG ELISA kits meant
      that it could detect animals infected with other flaviviruses. In contrast VNT
      and IgM ELISA assays were highly specific and did not detect antibodies against
      related flaviviruses. These results argue in favour of the need for and
      development of new, specific serological diagnostic assays that could be easily
      transferred to partner laboratories.

PMID- 28915241
TI  - The relative contribution of DNA methylation and genetic variants on protein
      biomarkers for human diseases.
AB  - Associations between epigenetic alterations and disease status have been
      identified for many diseases. However, there is no strong evidence that
      epigenetic alterations are directly causal for disease pathogenesis. In this
      study, we combined SNP and DNA methylation data with measurements of protein
      biomarkers for cancer, inflammation or cardiovascular disease, to investigate the
      relative contribution of genetic and epigenetic variation on biomarker levels. A
      total of 121 protein biomarkers were measured and analyzed in relation to DNA
      methylation at 470,000 genomic positions and to over 10 million SNPs. We
      performed epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) and genome-wide association
      study (GWAS) analyses, and integrated biomarker, DNA methylation and SNP data
      using between 698 and 1033 samples depending on data availability for the
      different analyses. We identified 124 and 45 loci (Bonferroni adjusted P < 0.05)
      with effect sizes up to 0.22 standard units' change per 1% change in DNA
      methylation levels and up to four standard units' change per copy of the
      effective allele in the EWAS and GWAS respectively. Most GWAS loci were cis
      regulatory whereas most EWAS loci were located in trans. Eleven EWAS loci were
      associated with multiple biomarkers, including one in NLRC5 associated with
      CXCL11, CXCL9, IL-12, and IL-18 levels. All EWAS signals that overlapped with a
      GWAS locus were driven by underlying genetic variants and three EWAS signals were
      confounded by smoking. While some cis-regulatory SNPs for biomarkers appeared to
      have an effect also on DNA methylation levels, cis-regulatory SNPs for DNA
      methylation were not observed to affect biomarker levels. We present associations
      between protein biomarker and DNA methylation levels at numerous loci in the
      genome. The associations are likely to reflect the underlying pattern of genetic
      variants, specific environmental exposures, or represent secondary effects to the
      pathogenesis of disease.

PMID- 28915242
TI  - A retrospective cost-analysis of additional homeopathic treatment in Germany:
      Long-term economic outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to provide a long-term cost comparison of patients
      using additional homeopathic treatment (homeopathy group) with patients using
      usual care (control group) over an observation period of 33 months. METHODS:
      Health claims data from a large statutory health insurance company were analysed
      from both the societal perspective (primary outcome) and from the statutory
      health insurance perspective (secondary outcome). To compare costs between
      patient groups, homeopathy and control patients were matched in a 1:1 ratio using
      propensity scores. Predictor variables for the propensity scores included health
      care costs and both medical and demographic variables. Health care costs were
      analysed using an analysis of covariance, adjusted for baseline costs, between
      groups both across diagnoses and for specific diagnoses over a period of 33
      months. Specific diagnoses included depression, migraine, allergic rhinitis,
      asthma, atopic dermatitis, and headache. RESULTS: Data from 21,939 patients in
      the homeopathy group (67.4% females) and 21,861 patients in the control group
      (67.2% females) were analysed. Health care costs over the 33 months were 12,414
      EUR [95% CI 12,022-12,805] in the homeopathy group and 10,428 EUR [95% CI 10,036
      10,820] in the control group (p<0.0001). The largest cost differences were
      attributed to productivity losses (homeopathy: EUR 6,289 [6,118-6,460]; control:
      EUR 5,498 [5,326-5,670], p<0.0001) and outpatient costs (homeopathy: EUR 1,794
      [1,770-1,818]; control: EUR 1,438 [1,414-1,462], p<0.0001). Although the costs of
      the two groups converged over time, cost differences remained over the full 33
      months. For all diagnoses, homeopathy patients generated higher costs than
      control patients. CONCLUSION: The analysis showed that even when following-up
      over 33 months, there were still cost differences between groups, with higher
      costs in the homeopathy group.

PMID- 28915243
TI  - Rapid, actionable diagnosis of urban epidemic leptospirosis using a pathogenic
      Leptospira lipL32-based real-time PCR assay.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With a conservatively estimated 1 million cases of leptospirosis
      worldwide and a 5-10% fatality rate, the rapid diagnosis of leptospirosis leading
      to effective clinical and public health decision making is of high importance,
      and yet remains a challenge. METHODOLOGY: Based on parallel, population-based
      studies in two leptospirosis-endemic regions in Brazil, a real-time PCR assay
      which detects lipL32, a gene specifically present in pathogenic Leptospira, was
      assessed for the diagnostic effectiveness and accuracy. Patients identified by
      active hospital-based surveillance in Salvador and Curitiba during large urban
      leptospirosis epidemics were tested. Real-time PCR reactions were performed with
      DNA-extracted samples obtained from 127 confirmed and 23 unconfirmed cases
      suspected of leptospirosis, 122 patients with an acute febrile illness other than
      leptospirosis, and 60 healthy blood donors. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The PCR assay had
      a limit of detection of 280 Leptospira genomic equivalents/mL. Sensitivity for
      confirmed cases was 61% for whole blood and 29% for serum samples. Sensitivity
      was higher (86%) for samples collected within the first 6 days after onset of
      illness compared to those collected after 7 days (34%). The real-time PCR assay
      was able to detect leptospiral DNA in blood from 56% of serological non-confirmed
      cases. The overall specificity of the assay was 99%. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      indicate that real-time PCR may be a reliable tool for early diagnosis of
      leptospirosis, which is decisive for clinical management of severe and life
      threatening cases and for public health decision making.

PMID- 28915244
TI  - Metacognitive monitoring and control in visual change detection: Implications for
      situation awareness and cognitive control.
AB  - Metacognitive monitoring and control of situation awareness (SA) are important
      for a range of safety-critical roles (e.g., air traffic control, military command
      and control). We examined the factors affecting these processes using a visual
      change detection task that included representative tactical displays. SA was
      assessed by asking novice observers to detect changes to a tactical display.
      Metacognitive monitoring was assessed by asking observers to estimate the
      probability that they would correctly detect a change, either after study of the
      display and before the change (judgement of learning; JOL) or after the change
      and detection response (judgement of performance; JOP). In Experiment 1,
      observers failed to detect some changes to the display, indicating imperfect SA,
      but JOPs were reasonably well calibrated to objective performance. Experiment 2
      examined JOLs and JOPs in two task contexts: with study-time limits imposed by
      the task or with self-pacing to meet specified performance targets. JOPs were
      well calibrated in both conditions as were JOLs for high performance targets. In
      summary, observers had limited SA, but good insight about their performance and
      learning for high performance targets and allocated study time appropriately.

PMID- 28915245
TI  - Effects of GnRH vaccination in wild and captive African Elephant bulls (Loxodonta
      africana) on reproductive organs and semen quality.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Although the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is classified as
      endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in some
      isolated habitats in southern Africa, contraception is of major interest due to
      local overpopulation. GnRH vaccination has been promoted as a non-invasive
      contraceptive measure for population management of overabundant wildlife. We
      tested the efficacy of this treatment for fertility control in elephant bulls.
      METHODS: In total, 17 male African elephants that were treated with a GnRH
      vaccine were examined in two groups. In the prospective study group 1 (n = 11
      bulls, ages: 8-36 years), semen quality, the testes, seminal vesicles, ampullae
      and prostate, which were all measured by means of transrectal ultrasound, and
      faecal androgen metabolite concentrations were monitored over a three-year
      period. Each bull in the prospective study received 5 ml of Improvac(r) (1000 MUg
      GnRH conjugate) intramuscularly after the first examination, followed by a
      booster six weeks later and thereafter every 5-7 months. In a retrospective study
      group (group 2, n = 6, ages: 19-33 years), one examination was performed on bulls
      which had been treated with GnRH vaccine for 5-11 years. RESULTS: In all bulls of
      group 1, testicular and accessory sex gland sizes decreased significantly after
      the third vaccination. In six males examined prior to vaccination and again after
      more than five vaccinations, the testis size was reduced by 57.5%. Mean
      testicular height and length decreased from 13.3 +/- 2.6 cm x 15.2 +/- 2.8 cm at
      the beginning to 7.6 +/- 2.1 cm x 10.2 +/- 1.8 cm at the end of the study. Post
      pubertal bulls (>9 years, n = 6) examined prior to vaccination produced
      ejaculates with viable spermatozoa (volume: 8-175 ml, sperm concentration: 410
      4000x106/ml, total motility: 0-90%), while after 5-8 injections, only 50% of
      these bulls produced ejaculates with a small number of immotile spermatozoa. The
      ejaculates of group 2 bulls (vaccinated >8 times) were devoid of spermatozoa.
      Faecal androgen metabolite concentrations measured in captive males decreased
      significantly after the fourth vaccination. None of the males entered musth
      during the treatment period. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed a marked decrease in
      semen quality, testicle and secondary sex gland sizes following repeated GnRH
      vaccinations. After 2-4 years of continuous treatment every 5-7 months, the
      effects were similar to surgical castration.

PMID- 28915247
TI  - Trends and correlates of cystic echinococcosis in Chile: 2001-2012.
AB  - Echinococcosis is a neglected zoonotic disease affecting over 1 million people
      worldwide at any given time. It is the leading cause of hospital admissions for
      parasitic diseases in Chile. We conducted a retrospective investigation of
      hospitalized cases to describe the epidemiological trends of echinococcosis in
      Chile. We also examined the potential environmental risk factors for
      echinococcosis hospitalization rates. Through nation-wide hospital discharge
      data, a total of 11,516 hospitalized patients with cystic echinococcosis were
      identified between January 2001 and December 2012. The mean age of
      hospitalization was 40 years, with notable gender difference in pediatric
      patients. The hospitalization rate was found to be overall steadily decreasing
      from 2001 (7.02 per 100,000) to 2012 (4.53 per 100,000) with a 5% decrease per
      year (rate ratio = 0.95 [95% CI: 0.94, 0.96]). The hospitalization rate was
      higher in the south of Chile compared to the north. Goat density and intermediate
      precipitation were found to be significantly positively associated with the
      hospitalization rate while annual average temperature was found to be
      significantly negatively associated with the hospitalization rate. Findings of
      this study indicate that echinococcosis is still an important public health
      burden in Chile related to interaction with livestock and climate. Efforts should
      be placed on targeted prevention measures for farmers and raising awareness of
      echinococcosis among health care workers.

PMID- 28915248
TI  - Invasion strategy and abiotic activity triggers for non-native gobiids of the
      River Rhine.
AB  - The 24 hour activity patterns of three non-native gobiids (round goby Neogobius
      melanostomus, Western tubenose goby Proterorhinus semilunaris and bighead goby
      Ponticola kessleri) were assessed over 46 consecutive months between 2011 and
      2014 from their occurrence in the cooling water intake of a nuclear power plant
      on the River Rhine, Germany. In total, 117717 gobiids were identified and
      classified. The occurrence of all three species varied strongly between sampling
      years, and species-specific activity triggers were identified. The activity of
      juveniles of all three gobiids species was positively temperature dependent while
      adult tubenose goby activity appeared to be negatively temperature dependent.
      Increasing fluvial discharge in the adjoining main river stimulated the activity
      of juvenile round goby but inhibited activity of adult tubenose goby. Except for
      adult bighead goby, activity was also structured by time of day, but with no
      uniform mean. Meteorological factors such as precipitation, air pressure and
      duration of sunshine hours had little or no influence on gobiid activity. On
      selected rare occasions, mainly at night, all three species exhibited pulsed
      swarming behaviour, with thousands of individuals recorded in the intake water.
      Round goby swarms exhibited both the highest intensity and the largest swarming
      individuals, suggesting a potential competitive advantage over tubenose and
      bighead goby. Electric fishing surveys in natural river stretches corroborated
      this observation. Negative effects on the native fish fauna were apparent only
      for the bullhead, Cottus gobio. The activity triggers identified offer a unique
      insight into the invasion mechanisms of these ecosystem-changing non-native
      gobiids.

PMID- 28915246
TI  - Inflammatory cytokine production in tumor cells upon chemotherapy drug exposure
      or upon selection for drug resistance.
AB  - Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) has been shown to be released by tumor
      cells in response to docetaxel, and lipopolysaccharides (LPS), the latter through
      activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). However, it is unclear whether the
      former involves TLR4 receptor activation through direct binding of the drug to
      TLR4 at the cell surface. The current study was intended to better understand
      drug-induced TNF-alpha production in tumor cells, whether from short-term drug
      exposure or in cells selected for drug resistance. ELISAs were employed to
      measure cytokine release from breast and ovarian tumor cells in response to
      several structurally distinct chemotherapy agents and/or TLR4 agonists or
      antagonists. Drug uptake and drug sensitivity studies were also performed. We
      observed that several drugs induced TNF-alpharelease from multiple tumor cell
      lines. Docetaxel-induced cytokine production was distinct from that of LPS in
      both MyD88-positive (MCF-7) and MyD88-deficient (A2780) cells. The acquisition of
      docetaxel resistance was accompanied by increased constitutive production of TNF
      alphaand CXCL1, which waned at higher levels of resistance. In docetaxel
      resistant MCF-7 and A2780 cell lines, the production of TNF-alpha could not be
      significantly augmented by docetaxel without the inhibition of P-gp, a
      transporter protein that promotes drug efflux from tumor cells. Pretreatment of
      tumor cells with LPS sensitized MyD88-positive cells (but not MyD88-deficient) to
      docetaxel cytotoxicity in both drug-naive and drug-resistant cells. Our findings
      suggest that taxane-induced inflammatory cytokine production from tumor cells
      depends on the duration of exposure, requires cellular drug-accumulation, and is
      distinct from the LPS response seen in breast tumor cells. Also, stimulation of
      the LPS-induced pathway may be an attractive target for treatment of drug
      resistant disease.

PMID- 28915249
TI  - Effect of treatment with angiopoietin-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor on
      the quality of xenografted bovine ovarian tissue in mice.
AB  - Cryopreservation and transplantation of ovarian tissue (OT) represents a method
      for fertility preservation. However, as the transplantation is performed without
      vessel anastomosis, unavoidable ischemic damage occurs. To reduce this ischemic
      damage and improve outcomes after transplantation, we used two kind of angiogenic
      factors, angiopoietin-2 (ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
      Fresh or vitrified-warmed bovine OTs were prepared for xenotransplantation (XT).
      Fresh OTs were immediately xenografted into nude mice (XT-Fresh). Vitrified
      warmed OTs were xenografted into four subgroups of mice, which were injected
      intraperitoneally before XT with saline (XT-Vitri), Ang-2 (XT-Ang-2), VEGF (XT
      VEGF), and a combination of Ang-2 and VEGF (XT-Combined). Seven or 28 days post
      grafting, grafted OTs and blood samples were collected for evaluation. Follicle
      normality was higher in the angiogenic factor-treated groups than in the XT-Vitri
      group. The XT-VEGF and the XT-Combined showed higher (P<0.05) follicular density
      than the XT-Vitri group. The highest apoptotic follicle ratio was observed in the
      XT-Vitri group on day 7; this was decreased (P<0.05) in the XT-Combined group.
      Microvessel densities were higher in the angiogenic factor-treated groups than in
      the XT-Vitri group. The largest fibrotic area was showed in the XT-Vitri group on
      day 28, and it was decreased (P<0.05) in the XT-combined group. Based on these
      results, administration of Ang-2 and VEGF to recipients prior to XT appeared to
      alleviate ischemic damage by enhancing angiogenesis, which resulted in the
      maintenance of follicle integrity and density, and reduced follicle apoptosis and
      OT fibrosis.

PMID- 28915250
TI  - Multi-layered mutation in hedgehog-related genes in Gorlin syndrome may affect
      the phenotype.
AB  - Gorlin syndrome is a genetic disorder of autosomal dominant inheritance that
      predisposes the affected individual to a variety of disorders that are attributed
      largely to heterozygous germline patched1 (PTCH1) mutations. PTCH1 is a hedgehog
      (Hh) receptor as well as a repressor, mutation of which leads to constitutive
      activation of Hh pathway. Hh pathway encompasses a wide variety of cellular
      signaling cascades, which involve several molecules; however, no associated
      genotype-phenotype correlations have been reported. Recently, mutations in
      Suppressor of fused homolog (SUFU) or PTCH2 were reported in patients with Gorlin
      syndrome. These facts suggest that multi-layered mutations in Hh pathway may
      contribute to the development of Gorlin syndrome. We demonstrated multiple
      mutations of Hh-related genes in addition to PTCH1, which possibly act in an
      additive or multiplicative manner and lead to Gorlin syndrome. High-throughput
      sequencing was performed to analyze exome sequences in four unrelated Gorlin
      syndrome patient genomes. Mutations in PTCH1 gene were detected in all four
      patients. Specific nucleotide variations or frameshift variations of PTCH1 were
      identified along with the inferred amino acid changes in all patients. We further
      filtered 84 different genes which are closely related to Hh signaling. Fifty
      three of these had enough coverage of over *30. The sequencing results were
      filtered and compared to reduce the number of sequence variants identified in
      each of the affected individuals. We discovered three genes, PTCH2, BOC, and
      WNT9b, with mutations with a predicted functional impact assessed by
      MutationTaster2 or PolyPhen-2 (Polymorphism Phenotyping v2) analysis. It is
      noticeable that PTCH2 and BOC are Hh receptor molecules. No significant mutations
      were observed in SUFU. Multi-layered mutations in Hh pathway may change the
      activation level of the Hh signals, which may explain the wide phenotypic
      variability of Gorlin syndrome.

PMID- 28915251
TI  - Computational analysis of network activity and spatial reach of sharp wave
      ripples.
AB  - Network oscillations of different frequencies, durations and amplitudes are
      hypothesized to coordinate information processing and transfer across brain
      areas. Among these oscillations, hippocampal sharp wave-ripple complexes (SPW-Rs)
      are one of the most prominent. SPW-Rs occurring in the hippocampus are suggested
      to play essential roles in memory consolidation as well as information transfer
      to the neocortex. To-date, most of the knowledge about SPW-Rs comes from
      experimental studies averaging responses from neuronal populations monitored by
      conventional microelectrodes. In this work, we investigate spatiotemporal
      characteristics of SPW-Rs and how microelectrode size and distance influence SPW
      R recordings using a biophysical model of hippocampus. We also explore
      contributions from neuronal spikes and synaptic potentials to SPW-Rs based on two
      different types of network activity. Our study suggests that neuronal spikes from
      pyramidal cells contribute significantly to ripples while high amplitude sharp
      waves mainly arise from synaptic activity. Our simulations on spatial reach of
      SPW-Rs show that the amplitudes of sharp waves and ripples exhibit a steep
      decrease with distance from the network and this effect is more prominent for
      smaller area electrodes. Furthermore, the amplitude of the signal decreases
      strongly with increasing electrode surface area as a result of averaging. The
      relative decrease is more pronounced when the recording electrode is closer to
      the source of the activity. Through simulations of field potentials across a high
      density microelectrode array, we demonstrate the importance of finding the ideal
      spatial resolution for capturing SPW-Rs with great sensitivity. Our work provides
      insights on contributions from spikes and synaptic potentials to SPW-Rs and
      describes the effect of measurement configuration on LFPs to guide experimental
      studies towards improved SPW-R recordings.

PMID- 28915252
TI  - Expression and regulation of the neutral amino acid transporter B0AT1 in rat
      small intestine.
AB  - Absorption of neutral amino acids across the luminal membrane of intestinal
      enterocytes is mediated by the broad neutral amino acid transporter B0AT1
      (SLC6A19). Its intestinal expression depends on co-expression of the membrane
      anchored peptidase angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and is additionally
      enhanced by aminopeptidase N (CD13). We investigated in this study the expression
      of B0AT1 and its auxiliary peptidases as well as its transport function along the
      rat small intestine. Additionally, we tested its possible short- and long-term
      regulation by dietary proteins and amino acids. We showed by immunofluorescence
      that B0AT1, ACE2 and CD13 co-localize on the luminal membrane of small intestinal
      villi and by Western blotting that their protein expression increases in distal
      direction. Furthermore, we observed an elevated transport activity of the neutral
      amino acid L-isoleucine during the nocturnal active phase compared to the
      inactive one. Gastric emptying was delayed by intragastric application of an
      amino acid cocktail but we observed no acute dietary regulation of B0AT1 protein
      expression and L-isoleucine transport. Investigation of the chronic dietary
      regulation of B0AT1, ACE2 and CD13 by different diets revealed an increased B0AT1
      protein expression under amino acid-supplemented diet in the proximal section but
      not in the distal one and for ACE2 protein expression a reverse localization of
      the effect. Dietary regulation for CD13 protein expression was not as distinct as
      for the two other proteins. Ring uptake experiments showed a tendency for
      increased L-isoleucine uptake under amino acid-supplemented diet and in vivo L
      isoleucine absorption was more efficient under high protein and amino acid
      supplemented diet. Additionally, plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids were
      elevated under high protein and amino acid diet. Taken together, our experiments
      did not reveal an acute amino acid-induced regulation of B0AT1 but revealed a
      chronic dietary adaptation mainly restricted to the proximal segment of the small
      intestine.

PMID- 28915253
TI  - Persistence of marine fish environmental DNA and the influence of sunlight.
AB  - Harnessing information encoded in environmental DNA (eDNA) in marine waters has
      the potential to revolutionize marine biomonitoring. Whether using organism
      specific quantitative PCR assays or metabarcoding in conjunction with amplicon
      sequencing, scientists have illustrated that realistic organism censuses can be
      inferred from eDNA. The next step is establishing ways to link information
      obtained from eDNA analyses to actual organism abundance. This is only possible
      by understanding the processes that control eDNA concentrations. The present
      study uses mesocosm experiments to study the persistence of eDNA in marine waters
      and explore the role of sunlight in modulating eDNA persistence. We seeded solute
      permeable dialysis bags with water containing indigenous eDNA and suspended them
      in a large tank containing seawater. Bags were subjected to two treatments: half
      the bags were suspended near the water surface where they received high doses of
      sunlight, and half at depth where they received lower doses of sunlight. Bags
      were destructively sampled over the course of 87 hours. eDNA was extracted from
      water samples and used as template for a Scomber japonicus qPCR assay and a
      marine fish-specific 12S rRNA PCR assay. The latter was subsequently sequenced
      using a metabarcoding approach. S. japonicus eDNA, as measured by qPCR, exhibited
      first order decay with a rate constant ~0.01 hr -1 with no difference in decay
      rate constants between the two experimental treatments. eDNA metabarcoding
      identified 190 organizational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned to varying
      taxonomic ranks. There was no difference in marine fish communities as measured
      by eDNA metabarcoding between the two experimental treatments, but there was an
      effect of time. Given the differences in UVA and UVB fluence received by the two
      experimental treatments, we conclude that sunlight is not the main driver of fish
      eDNA decay in the experiments. However, there are clearly temporal effects that
      need to be considered when interpreting information obtained using eDNA
      approaches.

PMID- 28915254
TI  - Mirror-normal difference in the late phase of mental rotation: An ERP study.
AB  - Mirror-normal letter discriminations are thought to require mental rotation in
      order to transform the rotated alphanumeric character into its canonical
      orientation. Moreover, out-of-plane rotation is likely to occur after in-plane
      rotation to fully normalize the mirror version before the final mirror-normal
      judgment. The so-called rotation-related negativity, which varies with
      orientation, is found in both ERPonset (averaged with respect to stimulus onset)
      and ERPRT (averaged with respect to response time), representing the involvement
      of mental rotation in both time windows. Additionally, the mean amplitude of
      ERPRT correlates with individual performance. We performed a comprehensive
      analysis of the mirror-normal differences in the early and late phases of mental
      rotation and deduced that out-of-plane rotation is more likely to occur in the
      late phase and interacts with both in-plane rotation and the decision-making
      process, as indicated by both behavioral and electrophysiological findings.

PMID- 28915255
TI  - Scrambled eggs: A highly sensitive molecular diagnostic workflow for Fasciola
      species specific detection from faecal samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fasciolosis, due to Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, is a re
      emerging zoonotic parasitic disease of worldwide importance. Human and animal
      infections are commonly diagnosed by the traditional sedimentation and faecal egg
      counting technique. However, this technique is time-consuming and prone to
      sensitivity errors when a large number of samples must be processed or if the
      operator lacks sufficient experience. Additionally, diagnosis can only be made
      once the 12-week pre-patent period has passed. Recently, a commercially available
      coprological antigen ELISA has enabled detection of F. hepatica prior to the
      completion of the pre-patent period, providing earlier diagnosis and increased
      throughput, although species differentiation is not possible in areas of parasite
      sympatry. Real-time PCR offers the combined benefits of highly sensitive species
      differentiation for medium to large sample sizes. However, no molecular
      diagnostic workflow currently exists for the identification of Fasciola spp. in
      faecal samples. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A new molecular diagnostic
      workflow for the highly-sensitive detection and quantification of Fasciola spp.
      in faecal samples was developed. The technique involves sedimenting and pelleting
      the samples prior to DNA isolation in order to concentrate the eggs, followed by
      disruption by bead-beating in a benchtop homogeniser to ensure access to DNA.
      Although both the new molecular workflow and the traditional sedimentation
      technique were sensitive and specific, the new molecular workflow enabled faster
      sample throughput in medium to large epidemiological studies, and provided the
      additional benefit of speciation. Further, good correlation (R2 = 0.74-0.76) was
      observed between the real-time PCR values and the faecal egg count (FEC) using
      the new molecular workflow for all herds and sampling periods. Finally, no effect
      of storage in 70% ethanol was detected on sedimentation and DNA isolation
      outcomes; enabling transport of samples from endemic to non-endemic countries
      without the requirement of a complete cold chain. The commercially-available
      ELISA displayed poorer sensitivity, even after adjustment of the positive
      threshold (65-88%), compared to the sensitivity (91-100%) of the new molecular
      diagnostic workflow. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Species-specific assays for
      sensitive detection of Fasciola spp. enable ante-mortem diagnosis in both human
      and animal settings. This includes Southeast Asia where there are potentially
      many undocumented human cases and where post-mortem examination of production
      animals can be difficult. The new molecular workflow provides a sensitive and
      quantitative diagnostic approach for the rapid testing of medium to large sample
      sizes, potentially superseding the traditional sedimentation and FEC technique
      and enabling surveillance programs in locations where animal and human health
      funding is limited.

PMID- 28915256
TI  - Optical coherence tomography angiography of the peripapillary capillaries in
      primary open-angle and normal-tension glaucoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the vascular architecture of the radial peripapillary
      capillaries (RPCs) and its relation with visual function in patients with open
      angle glaucoma (OAG) and normal-tension glaucoma using spectral-domain optical
      coherence tomography (SD-OCT) angiography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Clear OCT
      angiography images of blood vessels in the optic disc and peripapillary retina
      were obtained from 52 patients (52 eyes) aged 55.42+/-10.64 (range 28-72) years
      with primary OAG. The mean spherical equivalent was -3.19+/-2.31 diopters, and
      the mean deviation (MD) of the central 24/30-2 threshold test using the Humphrey
      Field Analyzer (HFA) was -10.47+/-7.99 dB. The correlations between the
      disappearance angle of the RPCs on OTC images, flow density (FD) and the
      circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness, the angle of
      retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) defect, the MD and pattern standard deviation
      (PSD) values of the HFA central 24/30-2 threshold test using the Swedish
      interactive thresholding algorithm, the sensitivity threshold, age, corneal
      thickness, and refractive value were analyzed. In addition, the correlation
      between FD and the cpRNFL thickness was analyzed at FD measurement points.
      RESULTS: FD was significantly correlated with cpRNFL thickness, PSD value, MD
      value, and sensitivity threshold, whereas the disappearance angle of the RPCs was
      significantly correlated with the angle of the RNFL defect (P<0.001), MD value
      (P<0.01), and sensitivity threshold (P<0.01). There was a negative correlation
      between FD and age (P<0.05). The Pearson correlation coefficient of FD and cpRNFL
      thickness in the area surrounding the optic disc revealed the most significant
      correlation in the inferior visual field (r = 0.851, P<0.001), followed by the
      superior visual field (r = 0.803, P<0.001) and then the temporal visual field (r
      = 0.653, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: SD-OCT angiography enabled thorough observation of
      the RPCs. FD and the disappearance angle of the RPCs were significantly and
      independently correlated with glaucoma-related functional and morphological
      changes in the optic nerve, suggesting that these two factors are novel
      functional and morphological indicators of visual defects due to glaucoma.

PMID- 28915257
TI  - Outbreaks of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis caused by human adenovirus type 8 in
      the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in 2016.
AB  - From April to November 2016, two outbreaks of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC)
      occurred successively at primary and middle schools in the Tibet Autonomous
      Region of China, and a total of 197 clinically diagnosed cases were reported.
      Real-time PCR analyses confirmed that human adenovirus (HAdV) infection was
      related to these outbreaks. Further studies involving sequence determination and
      phylogenetic analysis based on the penton base, hexon, and fiber genes indicated
      that human adenovirus type 8 (HAdV-8), belonging to species D, was responsible
      for the outbreaks. This is the first report of a HAdV-8 associated EKC outbreak
      in mainland of China, and the results of this study are expected to provide
      support for future research into HAdV-8 in China.

PMID- 28915258
TI  - Rapid Emergency Medicine Score: A novel prognostic tool for predicting the
      outcomes of adult patients with hepatic portal venous gas in the emergency
      department.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the performance of Rapid Emergency
      Medicine Score (REMS), Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS), and Modified Early
      Warning Score (MEWS) in ascertaining the severity of illness and predicting the
      mortality of adult hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) patients presenting to the
      emergency department (ED). This will assist emergency physicians (EPs) in risk
      stratification. METHODS: Data for 66 adult HPVG patients who visited the EDs of 2
      research hospitals between October 1999 and April 2016 were analyzed. REMS, RAPS,
      and MEWS were calculated based on data in the ED, and probability of death was
      calculated for each patient based on these scores. The ability of REMS, RAPS, and
      MEWS to predict group mortality was assessed by using receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and calibration analysis. RESULTS: The
      sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for each scoring system were 92.1%, 89.3%,
      and 90.9% for REMS, 86.8%, 82.1%, and 84.8% for RAPS, and 78.9%, 89.3%, and 83.3%
      for MEWS respectively. In the ROC curve analysis, the areas under the curve for
      REMS, RAPS, and MEWS were 0.929, 0.877, and 0.856 respectively. CONCLUSION: Our
      study is the largest series performed in a population of adult HPVG patients in
      the ED. The results from this study demonstrate that REMS is superior in
      predicting the mortality of these patients compared to RAPS and MEWS. We
      therefore recommend that REMS be used for outcome prediction and risk
      stratification of adult HPVG in the ED.

PMID- 28915259
TI  - A novel mechanism of antibody-mediated enhancement of flavivirus infection.
AB  - Antibody-dependent enhancement of viral infection is a well-described phenomenon
      that is based on the cellular uptake of infectious virus-antibody complexes
      following their interaction with Fcgamma receptors expressed on myeloid cells.
      Here we describe a novel mechanism of antibody-mediated enhancement of infection
      by a flavivirus (tick-borne encephalitis virus) in transformed and primary human
      cells, which is independent of the presence of Fcgamma receptors. Using chemical
      cross-linking and immunoassays, we demonstrate that the monoclonal antibody (mab)
      A5, recognizing an epitope at the interface of the dimeric envelope protein E,
      causes dimer dissociation and leads to the exposure of the fusion loop (FL).
      Under normal conditions of infection, this process is triggered only after virus
      uptake by the acidic pH in endosomes, resulting in the initiation of membrane
      fusion through the interaction of the FL with the endosomal membrane. Analysis of
      virus binding and cellular infection, together with inhibition by the FL-specific
      mab 4G2, indicated that the FL, exposed after mab A5- induced dimer-dissociation,
      mediated attachment of the virus to the plasma membrane also at neutral pH,
      thereby increasing viral infectivity. Since antibody-induced enhancement of
      binding was not only observed with cells but also with liposomes, it is likely
      that increased infection was due to FL-lipid interactions and not to interactions
      with cellular plasma membrane proteins. The novel mechanism of antibody-induced
      infection enhancement adds a new facet to the complexity of antibody interactions
      with flaviviruses and may have implications for yet unresolved effects of
      polyclonal antibody responses on biological properties of these viruses.

PMID- 28915260
TI  - Obesity is not associated with recurrent venous thromboembolism in elderly
      patients: Results from the prospective SWITCO65+ cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether obesity is associated with recurrent venous thromboembolism
      (VTE) in elderly patients is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association
      between two obesity measures, the body mass index (BMI) and the waist
      circumference (WC), and recurrent VTE in elderly patients. PATIENTS/METHODS: We
      studied 986 patients aged >=65 years with an acute VTE from a prospective
      multicenter cohort study (09/2009-12/2013). The BMI was determined and
      categorized as <25, 25 to <30, or >=30 kg/m2. The WC was categorized as <80 cm in
      women (w)/<94 cm in men (m), 80 to <88 cm (w)/94 to <102 cm (m), or >=88 cm
      (w)/>=102 cm (m). We examined the association between the BMI and the WC and the
      time to a first symptomatic recurrent VTE using competing risk regression,
      adjusting for known risk factors of VTE recurrence and periods of
      anticoagulation. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 28 months. The 3-year cumulative
      incidence of recurrent VTE did not vary by BMI and was 17.6% for a BMI <25 kg/m2,
      11.5% for a BMI 25 to <30 kg/m2, and 16.9% for a BMI >=30 kg/m2 (P = 0.09). The 3
      year cumulative incidence of recurrent VTE did not vary by WC. After adjustment,
      neither the BMI (sub-hazard ratio [SHR] 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI 0.98
      1.05]) nor the WC (SHR 1.01, 95% CI 0.99-1.02) was associated with recurrent VTE.
      CONCLUSIONS: Measures of body weight were not associated with recurrent VTE in
      our cohort. Obesity does not appear to be a predictor of recurrent VTE in the
      elderly.

PMID- 28915261
TI  - Simultaneous determination of 3-hydroxypropionic acid, methylmalonic acid and
      methylcitric acid in dried blood spots: Second-tier LC-MS/MS assay for newborn
      screening of propionic acidemia, methylmalonic acidemias and combined
      remethylation disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Increased propionylcarnitine levels in newborn screening are
      indicative for a group of potentially severe disorders including propionic
      acidemia (PA), methylmalonic acidemias and combined remethylation disorders
      (MMACBL). This alteration is relatively non-specific, resulting in the necessity
      of confirmation and differential diagnosis in subsequent tests. Thus, we aimed to
      develop a multiplex approach for concurrent determination of 3-hydroxypropionic
      acid, methylmalonic acid and methylcitric acid from the same dried blood spot
      (DBS) as in primary screening (second-tier test). We also set out to validate the
      method using newborn and follow-up samples of patients with confirmed PA or
      MMACBL. METHODS: The assay was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry and clinically validated with retrospective analysis of DBS samples
      from PA or MMACBL patients. RESULTS: Reliable determination of all three analytes
      in DBSs was achieved following simple and fast (<20 min) sample preparation
      without laborious derivatization or any additional pipetting steps. The method
      clearly distinguished the pathological and normal samples and differentiated
      between PA and MMACBL in all stored newborn specimens. Methylcitric acid was
      elevated in all PA samples; 3-hydroxypropionic acid was also high in most cases.
      Methylmalonic acid was increased in all MMACBL specimens; mostly together with
      methylcitric acid. CONCLUSIONS: A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
      assay allowing simultaneous determination of the biomarkers 3-hydroxypropionic
      acid, methylmalonic acid and methylcitric acid in DBSs has been developed. The
      assay can use the same specimen as in primary screening (second-tier test) which
      may reduce the need for repeated blood sampling. The presented preliminary
      findings suggest that this method can reliably differentiate patients with PA and
      MMACBL in newborn screening. The validated assay is being evaluated prospectively
      in a pilot project for extension of the German newborn screening panel ("Newborn
      screening 2020"; Newborn Screening Center, University Hospital Heidelberg).

PMID- 28915262
TI  - Associations between body mass index and mortality or cardiovascular events in a
      general Korean population.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and
      mortality remains controversial. Furthermore, the association between BMI and
      cardiovascular events (CVE) is not conclusive and may differ by ethnicity. We
      aimed to estimate the associations between the BMI and mortality or
      cardiovascular disease in a general Korean population. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This
      study was based on a sample cohort database released by the Korean National
      Health Insurance Service. We analyzed a total of 415,796 adults older than 30
      years of age who had undergone a national health examination at least once from
      2002 to 2012. Hazard ratios for death and cardiovascular events were calculated
      using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: For both men and women, BMI and
      overall mortality showed a U-shaped association, with the lowest mortality rate
      among those with a BMI of 25-27.4 kg/m2. Compared with them, subjects with a BMI
      >= 30kg/m2, men with a BMI < 25 kg/m2, and women with a BMI < 22.5 kg/m2 showed
      significantly higher overall mortality. Additionally, men with a BMI < 22.5 kg/m2
      and women with a BMI < 20 kg/m2 displayed an increased risk of cardiovascular
      mortality. Unlike the mortality trend, the CVD events trend showed a linearly
      positive association. The risk of a CVE was the lowest in men with a BMI ranging
      from 20 to 22.4 kg/m2 and in women with a BMI < 20 kg/m2. CONCLUSIONS: The BMI
      showed a U-shaped association with overall mortality, where slightly obese
      subjects showed the lowest rate of mortality. The CVE exhibited a linear
      association with the BMI, where the lowest risk was observed for normal weight
      subjects in a general Korean population.

PMID- 28915263
TI  - Universal representations of evaporation modes in sessile droplets.
AB  - In this work, we provide a simple method to represent the contact line dynamics
      of an evaporating sessile droplet. As a droplet evaporates, two distinct contact
      line dynamics are observed. They are collectively known as modes of evaporation,
      namely Constant Contact Radius (CCR) and Constant Contact Angle (CCA). Another
      intermediate mode-Stick-Slide (SS) or mixed mode is also commonly observed. In
      this article, we are able to provide a graphical representation to these modes
      (named as MOE plot), which is visually more comprehensive especially for
      comparative studies. In addition, the method facilitates quantitative estimation
      for mode of evaporation (named as MOE fraction or MOEf), which doesn't exist in
      literature. Thus, various substrates can now be compared based on mode of
      evaporation (or contact line dynamics), which are governed by fluid property and
      surface characteristics.

PMID- 28915264
TI  - Inhibition of infection spread by co-transmitted defective interfering particles.
AB  - Although virus release from host cells and tissues propels the spread of many
      infectious diseases, most virus particles are not infectious; many are defective,
      lacking essential genetic information needed for replication. When defective and
      viable particles enter the same cell, the defective particles can multiply while
      interfering with viable particle production. Defective interfering particles
      (DIPs) occur in nature, but their role in disease pathogenesis and spread is not
      known. Here, we engineered an RNA virus and its DIPs to express different
      fluorescent reporters, and we observed how DIPs impact viral gene expression and
      infection spread. Across thousands of host cells, co-infected with infectious
      virus and DIPs, gene expression was highly variable, but average levels of viral
      reporter expression fell at higher DIP doses. In cell populations spatial
      patterns of infection spread provided the first direct evidence for the co
      transmission of DIPs with infectious virus. Patterns of spread were highly
      sensitive to the behavior of initial or early co-infected cells, with slower
      overall spread stemming from higher early DIP doses. Under such conditions
      striking patterns of patchy gene expression reflected localized regions of DIP or
      virus enrichment. From a broader perspective, these results suggest DIPs
      contribute to the ecological and evolutionary persistence of viruses in nature.

PMID- 28915265
TI  - The accessory parotid gland and facial process of the parotid gland on computed
      tomography.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of an anterior extension
      of the parotid gland, such as an accessory parotid gland (APG) or facial process
      (FP) and to evaluate its characteristics on computed tomography (CT) scans. We
      reviewed CT scans of 1,600 parotid glands from 800 patients. An APG on CT was
      defined as a soft-tissue mass of the same density as the main parotid gland,
      located at the anterior part of the main parotid gland, and completely separate
      from the main parotid gland. An FP was defined as a lobe of the parotid gland
      protruding anteriorly over the anterior edge of the ramus of the mandible on CT
      and showing continuity with the main gland. The overall incidence rates and
      characteristics of APGs and FPs were evaluated according to age, sex, and side.
      The incidence rates of APGs and FPs were 10.2% (163/1,600) and 28.3% (452/1,600),
      respectively. The mean size of an APG was 15.8 mm * 5.0 mm and the mean distance
      from the main parotid gland was 10.5 mm. The FP reached anteriorly between the
      anterior edge of the mandibular ramus and the anterior border of the masseter
      muscle in 405 (89.6%) cases, while it extended over the anterior border of the
      masseter muscle in 47 (10.4%) cases. The incidence rates of APGs and FPs
      decreased and increased, respectively, with increasing age, showing significant
      linear correlations. However, the incidence of an anterior extension of the
      parotid gland (either an APG or an FP) was similar across all age groups. The
      present study showed that CT might be helpful in identifying anterior extensions
      of the parotid gland including APGs and FPs. The anatomical information gained
      from this study contributes to a better understanding of APGs and FPs and how
      their incidence changes with age.

PMID- 28915266
TI  - Evaluation of a conceptual framework for predicting navigation performance in
      virtual reality.
AB  - Previous research in spatial cognition has often relied on simple spatial tasks
      in static environments in order to draw inferences regarding navigation
      performance. These tasks are typically divided into categories (e.g., egocentric
      or allocentric) that reflect different two-systems theories. Unfortunately, this
      two-systems approach has been insufficient for reliably predicting navigation
      performance in virtual reality (VR). In the present experiment, participants were
      asked to learn and navigate towards goal locations in a virtual city and then
      perform eight simple spatial tasks in a separate environment. These eight tasks
      were organised along four orthogonal dimensions (static/dynamic,
      perceived/remembered, egocentric/allocentric, and distance/direction). We
      employed confirmatory and exploratory analyses in order to assess the
      relationship between navigation performance and performances on these simple
      tasks. We provide evidence that a dynamic task (i.e., intercepting a moving
      object) is capable of predicting navigation performance in a familiar virtual
      environment better than several categories of static tasks. These results have
      important implications for studies on navigation in VR that tend to over
      emphasise the role of spatial memory. Given that our dynamic tasks required
      efficient interaction with the human interface device (HID), they were more
      closely aligned with the perceptuomotor processes associated with locomotion than
      wayfinding. In the future, researchers should consider training participants on
      HIDs using a dynamic task prior to conducting a navigation experiment.
      Performances on dynamic tasks should also be assessed in order to avoid
      confounding skill with an HID and spatial knowledge acquisition.

PMID- 28915267
TI  - Cooling induces phase separation in membranes derived from isolated CNS myelin.
AB  - Purified myelin membranes (PMMs) are the starting material for biochemical
      analyses such as the isolation of detergent-insoluble glycosphingolipid-rich
      domains (DIGs), which are believed to be representatives of functional lipid
      rafts. The normal DIGs isolation protocol involves the extraction of lipids under
      moderate cooling. Here, we thus address the influence of cooling on the structure
      of PMMs and its sub-fractions. Thermodynamic and structural aspects of periodic,
      multilamellar PMMs are examined between 4 degrees C and 45 degrees C and in
      various biologically relevant aqueous solutions. The phase behavior is
      investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and differential scanning
      calorimetry (DSC). Complementary neutron diffraction (ND) experiments with solid
      supported myelin multilayers confirm that the phase behavior is unaffected by
      planar confinement. SAXS and ND consistently show that multilamellar PMMs in pure
      water become heterogeneous when cooled by more than 10-15 degrees C below
      physiological temperature, as during the DIGs isolation procedure. The
      heterogeneous state of PMMs is stabilized in physiological solution, where phase
      coexistence persists up to near the physiological temperature. This result
      supports the general view that membranes under physiological conditions are close
      to critical points for phase separation. In presence of elevated Ca2+
      concentrations (> 10 mM), phase coexistence is found even far above physiological
      temperatures. The relative fractions of the two phases, and thus presumably also
      their compositions, are found to vary with temperature. Depending on the
      conditions, an "expanded" phase with larger lamellar period or a "compacted"
      phase with smaller lamellar period coexists with the native phase. Both expanded
      and compacted periods are also observed in DIGs under the respective conditions.
      The observed subtle temperature-dependence of the phase behavior of PMMs suggests
      that the composition of DIGs is sensitive to the details of the isolation
      protocol.

PMID- 28915268
TI  - Large-scale cross-species chemogenomic platform proposes a new drug discovery
      strategy of veterinary drug from herbal medicines.
AB  - Veterinary Herbal Medicine (VHM) is a comprehensive, current, and informative
      discipline on the utilization of herbs in veterinary practice. Driven by
      chemistry but progressively directed by pharmacology and the clinical sciences,
      drug research has contributed more to address the needs for innovative veterinary
      medicine for curing animal diseases. However, research into veterinary medicine
      of vegetal origin in the pharmaceutical industry has reduced, owing to questions
      such as the short of compatibility of traditional natural-product extract
      libraries with high-throughput screening. Here, we present a cross-species
      chemogenomic screening platform to dissect the genetic basis of multifactorial
      diseases and to determine the most suitable points of attack for future
      veterinary medicines, thereby increasing the number of treatment options. First,
      based on critically examined pharmacology and text mining, we build a cross
      species drug-likeness evaluation approach to screen the lead compounds in
      veterinary medicines. Second, a specific cross-species target prediction model is
      developed to infer drug-target connections, with the purpose of understanding how
      drugs work on the specific targets. Third, we focus on exploring the multiple
      targets interference effects of veterinary medicines by heterogeneous network
      convergence and modularization analysis. Finally, we manually integrate a disease
      pathway to test whether the cross-species chemogenomic platform could uncover the
      active mechanism of veterinary medicine, which is exemplified by a specific
      network module. We believe the proposed cross-species chemogenomic platform
      allows for the systematization of current and traditional knowledge of veterinary
      medicine and, importantly, for the application of this emerging body of knowledge
      to the development of new drugs for animal diseases.

PMID- 28915269
TI  - The biometric antecedents to happiness.
AB  - It has been suggested that biological markers are associated with human
      happiness. We contribute to the empirical literature by examining the independent
      association between various aspects of biometric wellbeing measured in childhood
      and happiness in adulthood. Using Young Finns Study data (n = 1905) and
      nationally representative linked data we examine whether eight biomarkers
      measured in childhood (1980) are associated with happiness in adulthood (2001).
      Using linked data we account for a very rich set of confounders including age,
      sex, body size, family background, nutritional intake, physical activity, income,
      education and labour market experiences. We find that there is a negative
      relationship between triglycerides and subjective well-being but it is both
      gender- and age-specific and the relationship does not prevail using the later
      measurements (1983/1986) on triglycerides. In summary, we conclude that none of
      the eight biomarkers measured in childhood predict happiness robustly in
      adulthood.

PMID- 28915271
TI  - Extending topological surgery to natural processes and dynamical systems.
AB  - Topological surgery is a mathematical technique used for creating new manifolds
      out of known ones. We observe that it occurs in natural phenomena where a sphere
      of dimension 0 or 1 is selected, forces are applied and the manifold in which
      they occur changes type. For example, 1-dimensional surgery happens during
      chromosomal crossover, DNA recombination and when cosmic magnetic lines
      reconnect, while 2-dimensional surgery happens in the formation of tornadoes, in
      the phenomenon of Falaco solitons, in drop coalescence and in the cell mitosis.
      Inspired by such phenomena, we introduce new theoretical concepts which enhance
      topological surgery with the observed forces and dynamics. To do this, we first
      extend the formal definition to a continuous process caused by local forces.
      Next, for modeling phenomena which do not happen on arcs or surfaces but are 2
      dimensional or 3-dimensional, we fill in the interior space by defining the
      notion of solid topological surgery. We further introduce the notion of embedded
      surgery in S3 for modeling phenomena which involve more intrinsically the ambient
      space, such as the appearance of knotting in DNA and phenomena where the causes
      and effect of the process lies beyond the initial manifold, such as the formation
      of black holes. Finally, we connect these new theoretical concepts with a
      dynamical system and we present it as a model for both 2-dimensional 0-surgery
      and natural phenomena exhibiting a 'hole drilling' behavior. We hope that through
      this study, topology and dynamics of many natural phenomena, as well as
      topological surgery itself, will be better understood.

PMID- 28915270
TI  - The single cyclic nucleotide-specific phosphodiesterase of the intestinal
      parasite Giardia lamblia represents a potential drug target.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Giardiasis is an intestinal infection correlated with poverty and
      poor drinking water quality, and treatment options are limited. According to the
      Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Giardia infections afflict nearly 33%
      of people in developing countries, and 2% of the adult population in the
      developed world. This study describes the single cyclic nucleotide-specific
      phosphodiesterase (PDE) of G. lamblia and assesses PDE inhibitors as a new
      generation of anti-giardial drugs. METHODS: An extensive search of the Giardia
      genome database identified a single gene coding for a class I PDE, GlPDE. The
      predicted protein sequence was analyzed in-silico to characterize its domain
      structure and catalytic domain. Enzymatic activity of GlPDE was established by
      complementation of a PDE-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, and enzyme
      kinetics were characterized in soluble yeast lysates. The potency of known PDE
      inhibitors was tested against the activity of recombinant GlPDE expressed in
      yeast and against proliferating Giardia trophozoites. Finally, the localization
      of epitope-tagged and ectopically expressed GlPDE in Giardia cells was
      investigated. RESULTS: Giardia encodes a class I PDE. Catalytically important
      residues are fully conserved between GlPDE and human PDEs, but sequence
      differences between their catalytic domains suggest that designing Giardia
      specific inhibitors is feasible. Recombinant GlPDE hydrolyzes cAMP with a Km of
      408 MUM, and cGMP is not accepted as a substrate. A number of drugs exhibit a
      high degree of correlation between their potency against the recombinant enzyme
      and their inhibition of trophozoite proliferation in culture. Epitope-tagged
      GlPDE localizes as dots in a pattern reminiscent of mitosomes and to the
      perinuclear region in Giardia. CONCLUSIONS: Our data strongly suggest that
      inhibition of G. lamblia PDE activity leads to a profound inhibition of parasite
      proliferation and that GlPDE is a promising target for developing novel anti
      giardial drugs.

PMID- 28915272
TI  - Receptor and post-receptor abnormalities contribute to insulin resistance in
      myotonic dystrophy type 1 and type 2 skeletal muscle.
AB  - Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are autosomal dominant
      multisystemic disorders caused by expansion of microsatellite repeats. In both
      forms, the mutant transcripts accumulate in nuclear foci altering the function of
      alternative splicing regulators which are necessary for the physiological mRNA
      processing. Missplicing of insulin receptor (IR) gene (INSR) has been associated
      with insulin resistance, however, it cannot be excluded that post-receptor
      signalling abnormalities could also contribute to this feature in DM. We have
      analysed the insulin pathway in skeletal muscle biopsies and in myotube cultures
      from DM patients to assess whether downstream metabolism might be dysregulated
      and to better characterize the mechanism inducing insulin resistance. DM skeletal
      muscle exhibits alterations of basal phosphorylation levels of Akt/PKB, p70S6K,
      GSK3beta and ERK1/2, suggesting that these changes might be accompanied by a lack
      of further insulin stimulation. Alterations of insulin pathway have been
      confirmed on control and DM myotubes expressing fetal INSR isoform (INSR-A). The
      results indicate that insulin action appears to be lower in DM than in control
      myotubes in terms of protein activation and glucose uptake. Our data indicate
      that post-receptor signalling abnormalities might contribute to DM insulin
      resistance regardless the alteration of INSR splicing.

PMID- 28915273
TI  - Longitudinal co-variations between inflammatory cytokines, lung function and
      patient reported outcomes in patients with asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disorder associated with
      reduced lung function and poor quality of life. The condition is also associated
      with poor self-rated health, a major predictor of objective health trajectories.
      Of biological correlates to self-rated health, evidence suggests a role for
      inflammatory cytokines and related sickness behaviours. However, this is mainly
      based on cross-sectional data, and the relation has not been investigated in
      patients with chronic inflammatory conditions. OBJECTIVE: To investigate
      inflammatory cytokines, lung function, sickness behaviour and asthma-related
      quality of life as determinants of self-rated health in patients with asthma, and
      to investigate if these variables co-vary over time. METHODS: Plasma cytokines
      (IL-5, IL-6), lung function (FEV1), sickness behaviour, asthma-related quality of
      life and self-rated health were assessed in 181 patients with allergic asthma
      aged 18-64 years in a one-year longitudinal study. Mixed effect regression models
      and Spearman's correlation were performed to analyse the associations between
      repeated measurements. RESULTS: More sickness behaviour and poorer asthma-related
      quality of life were associated with poorer self-rated health (p's<0.001). In
      men, both low and high levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and poorer lung function were
      related with poorer self-rated health (p's<0.05). Over the year, improved asthma
      related quality of life was associated with better self-rated health (Spearman's
      rho = -0.34 women,-0.36 men, p's<0.01). Further, if sickness behaviour decreased,
      self-rated health improved, but only in women (Rho = -0.21, p<0.05). Increased
      FEV1 in men was associated with an increase in IL-6 (Rho = 0.24, p<0.05) as well
      as improved self-rated health (Rho = -0.21, p<0.05) and asthma-related quality of
      life (Rho = 0.29, p<0.01) over the year. CONCLUSION: The study highlights the
      importance of subjectively perceived sickness behaviour and asthma-related
      quality of life together with lung function as determinants of self-rated health
      in asthmatic patients. The importance of inflammatory activation for patient
      reported outcomes in chronic inflammatory conditions need further investigation.

PMID- 28915274
TI  - Prevalence of mind and body exercises (MBE) in relation to demographics, self
      rated health, and purchases of prescribed psychotropic drugs and analgesics.
AB  - : This study aims to identify any differences regarding gender, age,
      socioeconomic status (SES), self-rated health, perceived stress and the purchase
      of prescribed drugs among people who practice mind and body exercises (MBE)
      extensively compared to people who do not. METHODS: The study includes 3,913 men
      and 4,803 women aged 20-72 who participated in the Swedish Longitudinal
      Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). The respondents were divided into three
      groups depending on frequency of MBE practice (never/seldom/often). Measures
      regarding MBE practice, health behaviors, self-rated health, and illnesses were
      drawn from the SLOSH questionnaire, while more objective measures of
      socioeconomic status and education were derived from registry data. In addition,
      data on purchases of prescription drugs for all respondents were included in the
      study. These data were obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, which
      contains information about prescription drugs dispensed at Swedish pharmacies.
      Separate analyses were performed for mental MBE (mindfulness, meditation,
      relaxation techniques) and physical MBE (yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong), respectively.
      RESULTS: A high intensity MBE practice is cross-sectionally related to poor self
      assessed health (sleeping problems, pain, depressive symptoms, mental disorders),
      high levels of stress, and high levels of purchases of psychotropic drugs and
      analgesics. These cross-sectional relationships are generally stronger for mental
      MBE than for bodily-directed MBE. More women than men are practicing MBE on a
      regular basis, and physically active people participate to a greater extent in
      MBE compared with the physically inactive. CONCLUSION: Overall, the study shows
      that frequent participation in mind and body exercises is associated with high
      levels of purchases of psychotropic drugs and analgesics as well as with poor
      self-assessed health and high levels of stress. However, since this is a cross
      sectional study, it is impossible to establish cause and effect, and to further
      investigate the associations found; longitudinal studies that can account for
      temporality between covariates and MBE use are needed.

PMID- 28915276
TI  - Relationship between rectus abdominis muscle thickness and metabolic syndrome in
      middle-aged men.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Skeletal muscle has been suggested as an important
      factor in the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome. During the aging process,
      muscle mass is lost in specific body parts. However, few studies have
      investigated the relationship between site-specific muscle loss assessed using
      computed tomography (CT) and metabolic syndrome. This study was conducted to
      investigate the association between metabolic syndrome and rectus abdominis
      muscle thickness at the umbilicus level (RAM), which reflects site-specific
      muscle loss of the abdomen using CT image. METHODS: This cross-sectional study
      was conducted on 725 middle-aged Korean men. Anthropometric evaluation and
      biochemical tests were performed. The RAMs of the subjects were measured from CT
      images taken at the umbilicus level. RESULTS: The mean RAM (mean +/-SD) of
      subjects with metabolic syndrome was 2.46 +/-0.01, which was thinner than that of
      subjects without metabolic syndrome (2.52 +/-0.01, p<0.01). Moreover, RAM
      decreased as the number of metabolic syndrome components increased (p-value for
      trend<0.01). RAM was positively correlated with body mass index (r = 0.21,
      p<0.01), skeletal muscle index (r = 0.26, p<0.01), and creatinine (r = 0.12,
      p<0.01), while RAM was negatively correlated with age(r = -0.11, p<0.01),
      abdominal circumference(r = -0.22, p<0.01), fasting glucose (r = -0.10, p<0.01),
      and triglycerides(r = -0.15, p<0.01). Using a stepwise multiple logistic
      regression analysis, we found that RAM was an independent factor associated with
      metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.861, 95%CI, 0.779-0.951, p<0.01). The result was not
      different in the statistical analysis including the components of MS (OR: 0.860,
      95% CI, 0.767-0.965, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: RAM was associated with metabolic
      syndrome in middle-aged men. Moreover, site-specific muscle loss at the abdomen,
      as evaluated by RAM, also may be a predictor of metabolic syndrome like SMI.

PMID- 28915275
TI  - Long-term efficacy and safety of rituximab in IgG4-related disease: Data from a
      French nationwide study of thirty-three patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) as induction
      therapy, maintenance of remission and treatment of relapses in a cohort of IgG4
      related disease (IgG4-RD) patients. METHODS: Nationwide retrospective multicenter
      study of IgG4-RD patients treated with at least one course of RTX. Clinical,
      biological and radiological response, relapse rate and drug tolerance were
      analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted and risk factors for relapse studied
      with a Cox regression model. RESULTS: Among 156 IgG4-RD patients included in the
      French database, 33 received rituximab. Clinical response was noted in 29/31
      (93.5%) symptomatic patients. Glucocorticoids withdrawal was achieved in 17
      (51.5%) patients. During a mean follow-up of 24.8 +/-21 months, 13/31 (41.9%)
      responder patients relapsed after a mean delay of 19 +/-11 months after RTX.
      Active disease, as defined by an IgG4-RD Responder Index >9 before RTX, was
      significantly associated with relapse (HR = 3.68, 95% CI: 1.1, 12.6) (P = 0.04),
      whereas maintenance therapy with systematic (i.e. before occurrence of a relapse)
      RTX retreatment was associated with longer relapse-free survival (41 versus 21
      months; P = 0.02). Eight severe infections occurred in 4 patients during follow
      up (severe infections rate of 12.1/100 patient-years) and hypogammaglobulinemia
      <=5 g/l in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: RTX is effective for both induction therapy
      and treatment of relapses in IgG4-RD, but relapses are frequent after B-cell
      reconstitution. Maintenance therapy with systematic RTX infusions is associated
      with longer relapse-free survival and might represent a novel treatment strategy.
      Yet, the high rate of infections and the temporary effect of RTX might be
      hindrances to such strategy.

PMID- 28915278
TI  - Differential Diagnosis of Seborrheic Keratosis: Clinical and Dermoscopic
      Features.
AB  - <p>Seborrheic keratosis (SK) is a benign epidermal keratinocytic tumor that is
      extremely common, particularly in individuals over the age of 50. Most
      individuals with SK will have more than one lesion and the presence of over 10
      lesions in the same person is not uncommon. Although the clinical morphology of
      most SK with their stuck-on, symmetric, keratotic, and waxy appearance makes them
      easy to identify, many manifest a morphology resembling melanoma or squamous cell
      carcinoma. One can argue that such cases will ultimately not prove to be
      problematic since a simple biopsy will easily reveal their benign nature and
      eliminate any concerns. However, the cost and morbidity associated with the
      biopsy of benign lesions should not be underestimated. Methods to improve our in
      vivo ability to correctly identify SK will prove beneficial not only to the
      health care system in general but to the individual patient specifically. The
      issue of greater concern resides with skin cancers that mimic SK or when skin
      cancers arise in association with SK. Needless to say, in vivo methods to help
      identify malignancy and differentiate them from benign lesions would be welcomed
      by all. Fortunately, we do now have in vivo imaging methods such as dermoscopy
      that can improve the clinician's diagnostic accuracy. In this article, we
      summarize the current knowledge regarding the clinical and dermoscopic features
      of SK, and provide clues to aid in their diagnosis.</p> <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol.
      2017;16(9):835-842.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915277
TI  - A portable bioelectronic sensing system (BESSY) for environmental deployment
      incorporating differential microbial sensing in miniaturized reactors.
AB  - Current technologies are lacking in the area of deployable, in situ monitoring of
      complex chemicals in environmental applications. Microorganisms metabolize
      various chemical compounds and can be engineered to be analyte-specific making
      them naturally suited for robust chemical sensing. However, current
      electrochemical microbial biosensors use large and expensive electrochemistry
      equipment not suitable for on-site, real-time environmental analysis. Here we
      demonstrate a miniaturized, autonomous bioelectronic sensing system (BESSY)
      suitable for deployment for instantaneous and continuous sensing applications. We
      developed a 2x2 cm footprint, low power, two-channel, three-electrode
      electrochemical potentiostat which wirelessly transmits data for on-site
      microbial sensing. Furthermore, we designed a new way of fabricating self
      contained, submersible, miniaturized reactors (m-reactors) to encapsulate the
      bacteria, working, and counter electrodes. We have validated the BESSY's ability
      to specifically detect a chemical amongst environmental perturbations using
      differential current measurements. This work paves the way for in situ microbial
      sensing outside of a controlled laboratory environment.

PMID- 28915279
TI  - First Consensus on Primary Prevention and Early Intervention in Aesthetic
      Medicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Facial aging is a complex interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic
      factors leading to progressive changes in the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and
      bone. Clinical experience suggests that early aesthetic intervention may slow the
      signs of aging, but treatment in the absence of symptoms or with minimal signs of
      aging has not yet been properly addressed. OBJECTIVES: To provide treatment
      recommendations for primary prevention and early intervention in individuals with
      no or minimal signs of aging. METHODS: Fourteen specialists in aesthetic medicine
      convened over a full-day meeting under the guidance of a certified moderator.
      RESULTS: Tailored treatment recommendations have been provided for prevention and
      early intervention of fine wrinkles, static lines and folds, irregular
      pigmentation, laxity, and subcutaneous volume loss by protecting the epidermis,
      stimulating neocollagenesis, reducing hyperkinetic musculature, and reinforcing
      supporting structures. CONCLUSION: Preventive measures and early therapeutic
      interventions that may alter the course of facial aging were defined. Further
      studies are needed to support these recommendations with the best possible
      evidence. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):846-854.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915280
TI  - Communication Concepts for Prevention and Early Intervention in Aesthetic
      Medicine: Consensus and Literature Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Communication concepts relating to prevention and early intervention
      (P&E) within aesthetic medicine are poorly understood and highly underexplored.
      However, effective communication is a key criterion for successful outcomes.
      OBJECTIVES: To introduce the framework for P&E communication strategies within a
      younger population and explore the barriers that may be encountered. METHODS: A
      literature review on P&E communication strategies in aesthetic medicine and
      related topics of interest was conducted and used to construct a working
      framework that may be applied in clinical practice. RESULTS: Examination of
      existing literature revealed a need for a more structured communication framework
      for P&E encompassing up-to-date evidence-based learning and educational marketing
      that is tailored to individual needs and target populations. Message framing-the
      way in which a message is presented-is an important consideration in the
      dissemination of information to promote changes in health behaviour. A structured
      consultation is key to optimising patient engagement and ensures a tailored
      approach to understanding and catering to the specific needs of each patient.
      CONCLUSION: This is the first paper to discuss the communication concepts behind
      P&E within aesthetic medicine and paves the way for further research and focus in
      this significant field. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):859-864.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915281
TI  - Precision in Dermal Filling: A Comparison Between Needle and Cannula When Using
      Soft Tissue Fillers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Precise implantation of soft tissue fillers to treat the signs of
      aging is crucial for patient safety and the best aesthetic outcome. Injections
      are performed commonly with either needles or cannulas, but quantitative
      comparative data on precise implantation are still elusive. METHODS: Ten fresh
      frozen cephalic foreheads (9 male, 1 female) were injected with radiopaque
      material using both needles and cannulas. Needle injection relied on a
      perpendicular transcutaneous approach, whereas cannulas were moved in the supra
      periosteal plane until reaching the same location as the needle. Two-dimensional
      distribution of the material in the horizontal and in the vertical axes was
      quantified using fluoroscopic imaging. Additional CT and MR imaging was performed
      to confirm results. RESULTS: The two-dimensional extent of injected material in
      the horizontal plane was 25.6 mm+/-10.5 mm vs 13.5 mm +/- 6.5 mm (cannula vs
      needle; P=0.006) and 3.0 mm +/- 0.90 mm vs 3.99 mm +/- 0.97 mm (cannula vs
      needle; P=0.028) in the vertical plane. In 60% of injections using a needle, the
      implanted material changed its plane; this was not observed when using the
      cannula (0%; P=0.003). Retrograde backflow, however, was greater with a cannula
      (90.2%) compared to a needle (33.3%). CONCLUSIONS: If precision in filler
      injection is defined as the filler material remaining in the plane of intended
      implantation, then using cannulas resulted in a more precise injection of
      material as compared to needles. Applications with needles resulted in the
      distribution of material into more superficial layers, which was not noted for
      cannulas. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):866-872.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915282
TI  - Factors Affecting the Rheological Measurement of Hyaluronic Acid Gel Fillers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the number of available dermal fillers increasing, so is the
      demand for scientifically based comparisons, often with rheological properties in
      focus. Since analytical results are always influenced by instrument settings,
      consensus on settings is essential to make comparison of results from different
      investigators more useful. OBJECTIVE: Preferred measurement settings for
      rheological analysis of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers are suggested, and the
      reasoning behind the choices is presented by demonstrating the effect of
      different measurement settings on select commercial HA fillers. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Rheological properties of 8 HA fillers were measured in a frequency
      sweep from 10 to 0.01 Hz at 0.1% strain, using an Anton Paar MCR 301, a PP-25
      measuring system with a gap of 1 mm at 25 degrees C. A 30-min period was used for
      relaxation of the sample between loading and measuring. RESULTS: The data
      presented here, together with previously published data, demonstrate differences
      in G' from 1.6 to 7.4 times for the same product. CONCLUSION: A large part of the
      differences were concluded to be due to differences in rheometry measurement
      settings. The confusion from the many parameters involved in rheometry can be
      avoided by simply using the elastic modulus (G') to differentiate products.
      <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):876-882.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915283
TI  - Clinical Evaluation of a Multi-Modal Facial Serum That Addresses Hyaluronic Acid
      Levels in Skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyaluronic acid (HA), the major glycosaminoglycan present in the
      human skin, is a key contributor to water retention and mechanical support in
      skin. The level, size, and functionality of cutaneous HA are known to diminish
      with age. Topical treatments designed to increase the HA content of skin have
      been met with limited success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the
      tolerance and efficacy of a multi-modal facial serum containing HA, Proxylane (C
      Xyloside), purple rice extract, and dipotassium glycyrrhizate in addressing HA
      levels in skin. METHODS: A 12-week, single center, clinical study was conducted
      on 59 women with mild to moderate photodamage. Clinical grading to assess the
      efficacy and tolerability was conducted on the face at baseline and at weeks 4,
      8, and 12. Bioinstrumentation measurements were taken, including corneometer,
      tewameter, ultrasound, and standardized digital imaging. A randomized subset of
      20 subjects from the study population had 3 mm punch biopsies collected for
      quantitative RT-PCR analysis from 2 sites on the face at baseline and week 12.
      Additionally, a 4-week, single center, clinical study was conducted on the
      photodamaged forearms of 12 subjects. At both baseline and week 4, a 4 mm punch
      biopsy was obtained from the subjects' randomized forearms. Biopsy samples were
      subjected to immunohistochemical staining and analysis of HA content. RESULTS:
      Statistically-significant improvements in all facial skin attributes (weeks 4, 8,
      and 12), stratum corneum hydration (week 12), and transepidermal water loss (week
      12) were observed. Tolerability was excellent, with no increases in irritation
      parameters noted. A significant increase of HA content in skin after 4 weeks of
      treatment was observed. By PCR analysis, there was a significant increase in
      hyaluronan synthase 2, as well as a significant increase in collagen type 1a1
      after 12 weeks of application. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that this novel
      topical facial serum is capable of stimulating HA and skin extracellular matrix
      components, as well as improving skin hydration and skin quality in women with
      mild to moderate photodamage. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):884
      890.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915284
TI  - Long-term Comparison of a Large Spot Vacuum Assisted Handpiece vs the Small Spot
      Size Traditional Handpiece of the 800 nm Diode Laser.
AB  - : BACKGROUND The 800 nm long-pulsed diode laser machine is safe and effective for
      permanent hair reduction. Traditionally, most long-pulsed diode lasers used for
      hair removal had a relatively small spot size. Recently, a long-pulsed diode
      laser with a large spot size and vacuum assisted suction handpiece was
      introduced. The treatment parameters of each type of handpiece differ. Short and
      long-term clinical efficacy, treatment associated pain, and patient satisfaction
      are important factors to be considered. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to conduct a
      direct head to head comparison of both handpieces of the 800nm long-pulsed diode
      laser by evaluating long term hair reduction, treatment associated pain and
      patient satisfaction. METHODS: Thirteen subjects were enrolled in this
      prospective, self-controlled, single-center study of axillary laser hair removal.
      The study involved 4 treatments using a long pulsed diode laser with a large spot
      size HS handpiece (single pass), HS handpiece (double pass), and a small spot
      size ET handpiece according to a randomized choice. The treatment sessions were
      done at 4-8 week intervals with follow up visits taken at 6 and 12 months after
      the last treatment session. Hair clearance and thickness analysis were assessed
      using macro hair count photographs taken at baseline visit, at each treatment
      session visit and at follow up visits. Other factors including pain, treatment
      duration, and patients' preference were secondary study endpoints. RESULTS: At 6
      months follow up visits after receiving four laser treatments, there was
      statistically significant hair clearance in the three treatment arms with 66.1 %
      mean percentage hair reduction with the ET handpiece, 43.6% with the HSS (single
      pass) and 64.1 % with the HSD (double). However, at one year follow up, the
      results significantly varied from the 6 months follow up. The mean percentage
      hair reduction was 57.8% with the ET handpiece treated axillas (n=9), 16.5% with
      the HSS (single pass) handpiece treated axillas (n=7), and 46.9% with the HSD
      (double pass) handpiece treated axillas (n=6). Thus, at one year follow up, there
      was a significant hair reduction that was similar in both the ET and HSD treated
      axillae (57.8% and 46.9 %), but only minimal hair reduction (16.5%)was observed
      in the HSS treated axillae. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that compared
      the long-term efficacy of the ET and HS handpieces after four treatment sessions
      with up to 12 months follow up after the last treatment session. It is also the
      first study that provided head to head comparison between HS (double pass), HS
      (single pass), and ET handpiece taking into consideration the end hair reduction
      result, the time consumed, the pain score experienced, and the overall patient
      satisfaction. HSD had better hair clearance and patient satisfaction when
      compared to ET and HSS. The long term follow up results showed that ET was
      superior to HSS (P less than .05), but was not superior to HSD (P greater than
      0.05). However, HSD treated patients had lower pain scores with HSD than with ET.
      We conclude that ET handpiece is almost as efficacious as HSD handpiece, and the
      desired end results could be achieved with HDD with better patient satisfaction,
      less treatment duration and less pain. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):893
      898.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915285
TI  - Diluted Calcium Hydroxylapatite for Skin Tightening of the Upper Arms and
      Abdomen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The collagen-stimulating properties of Radiesse(r) (calcium
      hydroxylapatite, CaHA) can be used for skin-tightening procedures by hyper
      diluting the product with lidocaine or saline. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
      effectiveness and safety of diluted CaHA for skin tightening in two case series
      of women with skin laxity in the upper arms or abdomen. METHODS: For each case
      series, 10 female subjects were enrolled. In the upper arms, CaHA diluted 1:2
      with normal saline solution and 2% lidocaine was injected subdermally using a
      short, linear-threading technique. Skin elasticity was assessed at baseline and
      Months 1 and 3 using a cutometer. In the abdominal wall, CaHA diluted 1:4 with
      saline solution was injected subdermally using a linear-threading technique.
      Subjects underwent pre- and post-treatment (70 days) ultrasound scans to
      determine dermal thickness around the umbilicus and sides of the abdomen.
      Subjects and physicians assessed treatment outcomes using the 5-point Global
      Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS). Adverse events and tolerability were
      recorded. RESULTS: Cutometry results for upper arm skin showed an increase in
      skin elasticity from 72 U at baseline to 82 U at Month 3 (P<=0.05). Ultrasound
      measures of the abdominal wall demonstrated statistically significant increases
      in dermal thickness after injection of diluted CaHA of 0.7 mm (umbilicus) and 0.4
      mm (sides of abdomen). Diluted CaHA resulted in an overall increase in dermal
      thickness of 26.7% (P<=0.05). In both case series, 90% of subjects and physicians
      rated treatment outcomes on GAIS as much or very much improved. Treatment was
      well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Diluted CaHA improved skin elasticity and increased
      dermal thickness in the upper arms and abdomen after only a single treatment. The
      procedures were well tolerated, and subject and investigator satisfaction with
      treatment results was very high. Injection of diluted CaHA is an effective
      procedure for skin tightening in the upper arms and abdomen. <p><em>J Drugs
      Dermatol. 2017;16(9):900-906.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915286
TI  - Treatment of Rosacea With Concomitant Use of Topical Ivermectin 1% Cream and
      Brimonidine 0.33% Gel: A Randomized, Vehicle-controlled Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is currently a lack of data on the simultaneous treatment of
      different features of rosacea. Individually, ivermectin 1% (IVM) cream and
      brimonidine 0.33% (BR) gel have demonstrated efficacy on inflammatory lesions and
      persistent erythema, respectively. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety,
      patient satisfaction, and optimal timing of administration of IVM associated with
      BR (IVM+BR) versus their vehicles in rosacea (investigator global assessment
      [IGA] >=3). METHODS: Multicenter, randomized, double-blind study including
      subjects with rosacea characterized by moderate to severe persistent erythema and
      inflammatory lesions. The active treatment group included the IVM+BR/12 weeks
      subgroup (once-daily BR and once-daily IVM for 12 weeks), and the IVM+BR/8 weeks
      subgroup (once-daily BR vehicle for 4 weeks followed by once-daily BR for the
      remaining 8 weeks and once-daily IVM for 12 weeks). The vehicle group received
      once-daily BR vehicle and once-daily IVM vehicle for 12 weeks. RESULTS: The
      association showed superior efficacy (IGA success [clear/almost clear]) for
      erythema and inflammatory lesions in the total active group (combined active
      subgroups) compared to vehicle (55.8% vs. 36.8%, P=0.007) at week 12. The success
      rate increased from 32.7% to 61.2% at hour 0 and hour 3, respectively, in the
      IVM+BR/12 weeks subgroup, and from 28.3% to 50% in the IVM+BR/8 weeks subgroup.
      Reductions in erythema and inflammatory lesion counts confirmed the additive
      effect of BR to IVM treatment. Subjects reported greater improvement in the
      active subgroups than in the vehicle group, and similar rates for facial
      appearance satisfaction after the first 4 weeks of treatment in both active
      subgroups. All groups showed similar tolerability profiles. CONCLUSION:
      Concomitant administration of IVM cream with BR gel demonstrated good efficacy
      and safety, endorsing the comprehensive approach to this complex disease. Early
      introduction of BR, along with a complete daily skin care regimen may accelerate
      treatment success without impairing tolerability. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol.
      2017;16(9):909-916.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915287
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Desoximetasone 0.25% Spray in Adult Atopic Dermatitis
      Subjects: Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin
      disorder. One of the most disturbing symptoms of AD is pruritus. The first line
      treatment for AD is topical corticosteroids, topical immunomodulators, topical
      barrier creams, oral antihistamines, and systemic treatments. Desoximetasone
      0.25% spray is a superpotent topical corticosteroid delivered in a novel way and
      it may be a suitable option for the treatment of pruritus in adult atopic
      dermatitis patients. STUDY DESIGN: A single-center, open labeled pilot study was
      conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of desoximetasone 0.25% spray
      for pruritus in adult atopic dermatitis patients. RESULTS: Twice daily
      application of desoximetasone 0.25% spray to affected areas resulted in a
      significant reduction in all outcomes (IGA, pruritus, VAS assessment of pruritus)
      within 1 week of initiation of treatment. The reductions exhibited were sustained
      throughout the study period of 4 weeks. Significant improvements in quality of
      life, as measured by the DLQI, were observed. No adverse events were reported.
      CONCLUSION: Desoximetasone 0.25% spray is effective for treating pruritic
      symptoms of AD. Given its efficacy and convenience as a spray, desoximetasone
      0.25% spray should continue to be evaluated as a treatment for AD in larger
      trials. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):919-922.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915288
TI  - Successful Treatment of Keloid With Fractionated Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Laser and
      Laser-Assisted Drug Delivery of Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment in an African
      American Man.
AB  - Keloids are fibrous growths that occur as a result of abnormal response to dermal
      injury. Keloids are cosmetically disfiguring and may impair function, often
      resulting in decreased patient quality-of-life. Treatment of keloids remains
      challenging, and rate of recurrence is high. We present a case of a 39-year-old
      African-American man (Fitzpatrick VI) with a 10-year history of keloid, who was
      successfully treated with eight sessions of fractionated carbon dioxide (CO2)
      laser immediately followed by laser-assisted drug delivery (LADD) of topical
      triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) ointment and review the medical literature on
      fractionated CO2 laser treatment of keloids. To the best of our knowledge, this
      is the first report of successful treatment of a keloid using combination therapy
      of fractionated CO2 laser and LADD with topical TAC ointment in an African
      American man (Fitzpatrick VI) with excellent cosmetic results sustained at 22
      months post-treatment. We believe that this combination treatment modality may be
      safe and efficacious for keloids in skin of color (Fitzpatrick IV-VI) and other
      patients. This case highlights the ability of laser surgeons to safely use
      fractionated CO2 lasers in patients of all skin colors. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol.
      2017;16(9):925-927.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915289
TI  - Mild to Moderate Dysphagia Following Very Low-dose Abobotulinumtoxin A for
      Platysmal Bands.
AB  - Onabotulinumtoxin A (Botox) can be a safe and successful off-label treatment of
      vertical platysma bands of various severities. Due to risk of the botulinum toxin
      diffusing to the underlying anatomic structures such as the deglutition muscles,
      the larynx, and the neck flexors, a maximal dose of 100 units has been suggested
      and there have been no known reports of untoward effects with doses less than 60
      units. We present a case of mild to moderate dysphagia in a patient after very
      low doses of Abobutulinumtoxin (60 units, equivalent to 20 units of
      Onabotulinumtoxin using a 3:1 conversion ratio). We speculate that the adverse
      effects noted may be due to several possibilities, such as diffusion, injection
      technique, or intravascular injection. Thus, although botulinum toxin-A is
      generally considered a safe off-label treatment for vertical platysma bands,
      readers should still be aware of the possible side-effects even with low dose
      use, as supported by our case report of mild to moderate dysphagia with
      relatively conservative doses of Abobotulinumtoxin A. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol.
      2017;16(9):929-930.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915290
TI  - Lifting the Lower Face With an Absorbable Polydioxanone (PDO) Thread.
AB  - Traditional rejuvenation techniques include chemical peels, rhytidectomy of the
      skin, laser resurfacing, injection of dermal fillers and neurotoxins, and
      invasive surgical procedures. Patients with brow ptosis, jowl formation, and
      deepening nasolabial folds currently seek antiaging procedures with no incisions
      and minimal downtime such as thread-lifting with barbed sutures. The present
      report describes a case in which polydioxanone threads were used to lift the
      lower third of a patient's face. Fillers were used to supplement the results
      achieved by the thread lift because often, when tissue has been lifted, volume
      deficits are revealed, which can be corrected with dermal fillers. The procedure
      was performed in less than 30 minutes and was well tolerated. Mild swelling at
      the insertion points and general treatment area resolved within 7 days without
      intervention. Bruising was not observed. The patient showed remarkable
      improvement 7 months after the procedure. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):932
      934.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915291
TI  - Cosmetic Practitioners Take Huge Risks Purchasing and Administering Illegal
      Botulinum Toxin Drug Products.
AB  - In their article "Importing Injectables" in the September 2014 issue of the
      Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, Dr. Kenneth Beer and Karen Rothschild
      highlighted the possible harm to patients and practitioners from the use of
      unapproved botulinum toxin products - eg, Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, and Myobloc -
      and other cosmetic prescription drug products purchased from foreign or
      unlicensed suppliers.1 In the intervening years, the accuracy of their critique
      has been repeatedly demonstrated, as the dangers to patients' health, as well as
      to cosmetic practitioners' liberty, has only increased.

PMID- 28915292
TI  - NEWS, VIEWS, AND REVIEWS: A Tool for My Laser Practice I Simply Can't Do Without:
      Shining a Light on My Favorite Light (Source).
AB  - With laser surgery, what you see is what you get. Visualizing the target for
      treatment, be it a port-wine stain, a cluster of spider veins, a tattoo or
      freckles, or simply photodamaged skin requires seeing through surface
      reflections, dry skin, and often quite dark laser goggles. The tool that has been
      indispensable to me in my practice is the Syris v900L polarizing and magnifying
      headlamp. This indispensable tool makes laser treatment more precise, effective,
      and easier by truly shining a light on the subject of a laser treatment. Future
      uses of this dynamic, yet simple invention, should be found in all of dermatology
      and beyond, anywhere that seeing what you are looking at more clearly is
      important. <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(9):939-944.</em></p>.

PMID- 28915293
TI  - Children's Health Must Remain a Focus in the Recovery From Hurricane Harvey.

PMID- 28915294
TI  - Estimating Nonorganic Hearing Thresholds Using Binaural Auditory Stimuli.
AB  - Purpose: Minimum contralateral interference levels (MCILs) are used to estimate
      true hearing thresholds in individuals with unilateral nonorganic hearing loss.
      In this study, we determined MCILs and examined the correspondence of MCILs to
      true hearing thresholds to quantify the accuracy of this procedure. Method:
      Sixteen adults with normal hearing participated. Subjects were asked to feign a
      unilateral hearing loss at 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 kHz. MCILs were determined. Subjects
      also made lateralization judgments for simultaneously presented tones with
      varying interaural intensity differences. Results: The 90% confidence intervals,
      calculated for the distributions, indicate that the MCIL in 90% of cases would be
      expected to be very close to threshold to approximately 17-19 dB poorer than the
      true hearing threshold. How close the MCIL is to true threshold appears to be
      based on the individual's response criterion. Conclusions: Response bias
      influences the MCIL and how close an MCIL is to true hearing threshold. The
      clinician can never know a client's response bias and therefore should use a 90%
      confidence interval to predict the range for the expected true threshold. On the
      basis of this approach, a clinician may assume that true threshold is at or as
      much as 19 dB better than MCIL.

PMID- 28915295
TI  - Error Type and Lexical Frequency Effects: Error Detection in Swedish Children
      With Language Impairment.
AB  - Purpose: The first aim of this study was to investigate if Swedish-speaking
      school-age children with language impairment (LI) show specific morphosyntactic
      vulnerabilities in error detection. The second aim was to investigate the effects
      of lexical frequency on error detection, an overlooked aspect of previous error
      detection studies. Method: Error sensitivity for grammatical structures
      vulnerable in Swedish-speaking preschool children with LI (omission of the
      indefinite article in a noun phrase with a neuter/common noun, and use of the
      infinitive instead of past-tense regular and irregular verbs) was compared to a
      control error (singular noun instead of plural). Target structures involved a
      high-frequency (HF) or a low-frequency (LF) noun/verb. Grammatical and
      ungrammatical sentences were presented in headphones, and responses were
      collected through button presses. Results: Children with LI had similar
      sensitivity to the plural control error as peers with typical language
      development, but lower sensitivity to past-tense errors and noun phrase errors.
      All children showed lexical frequency effects for errors involving verbs (HF >
      LF), and noun gender effects for noun phrase errors (common > neuter).
      Conclusions: School-age children with LI may have subtle difficulties with
      morphosyntactic processing that mirror expressive difficulties in preschool
      children with LI. Lexical frequency may affect morphosyntactic processing, which
      has clinical implications for assessment of grammatical knowledge.

PMID- 28915296
TI  - Investigating the Role of Salivary Cortisol on Vocal Symptoms.
AB  - Purpose: We investigated whether participants who reported more often occurring
      vocal symptoms showed higher salivary cortisol levels and if such possible
      associations were different for men and women. Method: The participants (N = 170;
      men n = 49, women n = 121) consisted of a population-based sample of Finnish
      twins born between 1961 and 1989. The participants submitted saliva samples for
      hormone analysis and completed a web questionnaire including questions regarding
      the occurrence of 6 vocal symptoms during the past 12 months. The data were
      analyzed using the generalized estimated equations method. Results: A composite
      variable of the vocal symptoms showed a significant positive association with
      salivary cortisol levels (p < .001). Three of the 6 vocal symptoms were
      significantly associated with the level of cortisol when analyzed separately (p
      values less than .05). The results showed no gender difference regarding the
      effect of salivary cortisol on vocal symptoms. Conclusions: There was a positive
      association between the occurrence of vocal symptoms and salivary cortisol
      levels. Participants with higher cortisol levels reported more often occurring
      vocal symptoms. This could have a connection to the influence of stress on vocal
      symptoms because stress is a known risk factor of vocal symptoms and salivary
      cortisol can be seen as a biomarker for stress.

PMID- 28915297
TI  - Language Sample Analysis and Elicitation Technique Effects in Bilingual Children
      With and Without Language Impairment.
AB  - Purpose: This study examined whether the language sample elicitation technique
      (i.e., storytelling and story-retelling tasks with pictorial support) affects
      lexical diversity (D), grammaticality (grammatical errors per communication unit
      [GE/CU]), sentence length (mean length of utterance in words [MLUw]), and
      sentence complexity (subordination index [SI]), which are commonly used indices
      for diagnosing primary language impairment in Spanish-English-speaking children
      in the United States. Method: Twenty bilingual Spanish-English-speaking children
      with typical language development and 20 with primary language impairment
      participated in the study. Four analyses of variance were conducted to evaluate
      the effect of language elicitation technique and group on D, GE/CU, MLUw, and SI.
      Also, 2 discriminant analyses were conducted to assess which indices were more
      effective for story retelling and storytelling and their classification accuracy
      across elicitation techniques. Results: D, MLUw, and SI were influenced by the
      type of elicitation technique, but GE/CU was not. The classification accuracy of
      language sample analysis was greater in story retelling than in storytelling,
      with GE/CU and D being useful indicators of language abilities in story retelling
      and GE/CU and SI in storytelling. Conclusion: Two indices in language sample
      analysis may be sufficient for diagnosis in 4- to 5-year-old bilingual Spanish
      English-speaking children.

PMID- 28915298
TI  - The Effect of Stimulus Variability on Learning and Generalization of Reading in a
      Novel Script.
AB  - Purpose: The benefit of stimulus variability for generalization of acquired
      skills and knowledge has been shown in motor, perceptual, and language learning
      but has rarely been studied in reading. We studied the effect of variable
      training in a novel language on reading trained and untrained words. Method:
      Sixty typical adults received 2 sessions of training in reading an artificial
      script. Participants were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: a variable training group
      practicing a large set of 24 words, and 2 nonvariable training groups practicing
      a smaller set of 12 words, with twice the number of repetitions per word.
      Results: Variable training resulted in higher accuracy for both trained and
      untrained items composed of the same graphemes, compared to the nonvariable
      training. Moreover, performance on untrained items was correlated with phonemic
      awareness only for the nonvariable training groups. Conclusions: High stimulus
      variability increases the reliance on small unit decoding in adults reading in a
      novel script, which is beneficial for both familiar and novel words. These
      results show that the statistical properties of the input during reading
      acquisition influence the type of acquired knowledge and have theoretical and
      practical implications for planning efficient reading instruction methods.
      Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5302195.

PMID- 28915299
TI  - Home and Community Language Proficiency in Spanish-English Early Bilingual
      University Students.
AB  - Purpose: This study assessed home and community language proficiency in Spanish
      English bilingual university students to investigate whether the vocabulary gap
      reported in studies of bilingual children persists into adulthood. Method: Sixty
      five early bilinguals (mean age = 21 years) were assessed in English and Spanish
      vocabulary and verbal reasoning ability using subtests of the Woodcock-Munoz
      Language Survey-Revised (Schrank & Woodcock, 2009). Their English scores were
      compared to 74 monolinguals matched in age and level of education. Participants
      also completed a background questionnaire. Results: Bilinguals scored below the
      monolingual control group on both subtests, and the difference was larger for
      vocabulary compared to verbal reasoning. However, bilinguals were close to the
      population mean for verbal reasoning. Spanish scores were on average lower than
      English scores, but participants differed widely in their degree of balance.
      Participants with an earlier age of acquisition of English and more current
      exposure to English tended to be more dominant in English. Conclusions:
      Vocabulary tests in the home or community language may underestimate bilingual
      university students' true verbal ability and should be interpreted with caution
      in high-stakes situations. Verbal reasoning ability may be more indicative of a
      bilingual's verbal ability.

PMID- 28915300
TI  - Inflammation in Osteoarthritis.
AB  - Advances in the understanding of chondrocytes and the synovial membrane as
      targets of and participants in the inflammatory process in articular joints have
      provided insights into the role of inflammation in cartilage and subchondral bone
      injury in rheumatic diseases. Reports that describe the inflammatory cellular
      infiltration of synovial membranes in patients with osteoarthritis, studies that
      associate cartilage structural injury with synovial membrane inflammatory status,
      the development of new imaging modalities that quantitatively measure synovial
      membrane inflammation and basic science advances that explore inflammatory
      pathways in the synovial cavity all suggest that inflammation plays an important
      role in cartilage injury in osteoarthritis. As a result there is a shift in the
      notion that osteoarthritis is a disease caused merely by mechanical forces that
      increase joint loading. In response to this change in the current paradigm,
      innovative treatments involving the use of medications that modify the body's
      immune response (i.e., biologic and disease- modifying agents) are being studied.
      Implications for the population of Puerto Rico are discussed herein.

PMID- 28915301
TI  - The Work of US Public Health Service Officers in Puerto Rico, 1898-1919.
AB  - The history of the US Public Health Service (PHS) is usually presented in terms
      of diseases or discoveries; this article examines twenty years' activity in one
      location. When the United States invaded Puerto Rico in 1898, the Marine Hospital
      Service (now PHS) took responsibility for foreign quarantine, inspection of
      immigrants, and medical care for merchant seamen. Its officers evaluated the
      sanitary conditions of port cities, helped reorganize local disease surveillance
      and control, and investigated endemic diseases (e.g., hookworm-related anemia)
      and epidemics (e.g., bubonic plague). After World War I and pandemic influenza,
      and the greater self-government allowed Puerto Rico by Congress in 1917, PHS
      officers withdrew from routine local sanitary actions. A narrow geographic focus
      (Puerto Rico), to examine PHS activity over time (1898 to 1919) provides a richer
      picture of the agency's impact, and reveals how the sum of disease control
      activities affected the development of an area's health status and institutions.
      The duties and, importantly, the personal initiatives of PHS officers in Puerto
      Rico, such as WW King, produced lasting impact on scientific institutions and
      administrative, professional, and health care practices.

PMID- 28915302
TI  - Prevalence of Gingivitis in a Group of 35- to 70-Year-Olds Residing in Puerto
      Rico.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Gingivitis, an inflammation of the gingival tissues, typically
      progresses to periodontitis. The objective of this study is to estimate the
      prevalence of gingivitis in 35- to 70-year-olds residing in San Juan, Puerto
      Rico, and assess the differences in gingivitis distribution between age and
      gender groups. METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted
      with a sample of patients from a private practice and patients/employees of the
      Puerto Rico Medical Center. Participants completed a medical history
      questionnaire and received soft/hard tissue and gingival assessments based on a
      modified Loe-Silness index. Descriptive statistics were employed to estimate the
      overall gingivitis prevalence, severity (mild, moderate, severe), and mean
      gingival index (GI). Bleeding on probing (BOP) prevalence and the mean percentage
      of BOP sites were calculated by gender and age. Multinomial logistic regression
      was used to evaluate the associations between age, gender, and severity in 3
      categories; multivariate logistic regression was used for having >=40% sites with
      BOP (vs. having <40% sites with BOP as reference). Odds ratios were also
      estimated. RESULTS: All 300 participants (52% women; 48% men) had gingivitis. The
      mean GI was 1.38. Moderate gingivitis was detected in 83% of the participants,
      mild in 7.3%, and severe in 9.3%. BOP was observed in 99% of the subjects (mean %
      BOP sites = 34%). After adjusting for age, men had significantly higher odds of
      moderate (OR = 4.66) and severe gingivitis (OR =10.06), compared to women, as
      well as 1.76 times higher odds of having 40% or more sites with BOP. CONCLUSION:
      Gingivitis was observed in all participants. Men had significantly higher GI,
      compared to women. The prevalence of gingivitis was higher in Puerto Rico than in
      the US.

PMID- 28915303
TI  - Prevalence of Functional Dentition in a Group of Mexican Adult Males.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of functional dentition and associated
      periodontal variables in a sample of Mexican adult males. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study of 161 policemen in Campeche, Mexico, was carried out. A clinical
      examination using an electronic probe was used to collect variables (dental
      plaque, periodontal pockets, gingival recession, suppuration, and bleeding on
      probing) on 6 periodontal sites (a maximum of 168 sites, excluding third molars).
      Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral variables were collected through
      a self-administered survey. Functional dentition was defined as having 21 or more
      natural teeth. Data were analyzed with STATA 11.0, using logistic regression
      models. RESULTS: Mean age was 38.3 (+/-10.9) years. The prevalence of having a
      functional dentition was 83.8% in the sample. The odds of having a functional
      dentition declined with age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.93), having diabetes (OR = 0.27)
      and with having a high percentage of sites with plaque (OR = 0.77), with bleeding
      on probing (OR = 0.97), and with gingival recession (OR = 0.82). CONCLUSION:
      While a large proportion of subjects had a functional dentition in this community
      dwelling sample of adult Mexican males, the likelihood of their having a
      functional dentition decreased with age, with their having been diagnosed with
      diabetes, and with assorted negative indicators of periodontal/gingival status.

PMID- 28915304
TI  - Trends in HPV Vaccine Initiation and Completion among Girls in Texas: Behavioral
      Risk Factor Surveillance System Data, 2008-2010.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the trend of HPV vaccine
      initiation and completion among girls in Texas from 2008 to 2010. METHODS: Data
      were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) over 3
      years (2008-2010). The information regarding HPV vaccination was gathered from
      the parents of 9- to 17-year-old daughters (choosing only 1 per household) in
      randomly selected households in the sample area. RESULTS: The highest prevalence
      of vaccine initiation and completion were detected in 2010 (20.9% and 9.7%,
      respectively). Over the study period, HPV vaccine initiation statistically
      significantly increased (2008, 14.9%; 2009, 20.7%; 2010, 24.3%; p = 0.002),
      corresponding to an annual increase in coverage of 33.5% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33;
      95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-1.60). Similarly, HPV vaccination completion
      increased (2008, 6.3%; 2009, 9.6%; 2010, 11.6%; p = 0.021), corresponding to an
      annual increase in coverage of 37.1% (OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.05-1.79). Increasing
      trends in HPV vaccination initiation and completion were observed in mothers,
      white, non-Hispanic parents, parents who had attended some college or were
      college graduates, parents who were married/partnered, and parents who lived in
      urban areas. CONCLUSION: Although HPV vaccination coverage in Texas is lower than
      recommended, there have been increases in the trends of vaccine initiation and
      completion. The campaigns promoting HPV vaccination should target specific
      population groups in which HPV immunization rates did not increase over time.

PMID- 28915305
TI  - Trauma Epidemiology of Women in Puerto Rico, 2002-2011.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent literature has suggested that trauma is heterogenic and that
      physiological response to it differs between sexes. The study represented in this
      manuscript aimed to describe gender differences in the mortality rates of trauma
      patients at the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital (PRTH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      was a cross-sectional study performed at PRTH. A total of 14,874 injured patients
      admitted to the hospital from 2002 to 2011 were included in the sample and
      divided into 2 groups, based on sex. Pearson's chi-square test was employed for
      categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous ones. A logistic
      regression model was undertaken to estimate the association between gender and
      study outcomes, after adjusting for confounders. A p-value lower than 0.05 was an
      indication of statistical significance. IRB approval was received. RESULTS: The
      most common injury areas for women were the chest (32.50%), followed by the
      extremities (25.83%) and the head/neck (21.51%). Road traffic collisions (RTCs)
      (45.08%), falls (19.62%), and pedestrian accidents (16.08%) were the most common
      injury mechanisms for women. The highest frequency of RTC injuries (57.52%) among
      females occurred in patients who were from 18 to 39 years old. Females 65 years
      old and older exhibited the highest frequency of falls (39.78%) and pedestrian
      injuries (25.14%). Males 17 years and under were more likely to have an Injury
      Severity Score (ISS) of 15 or greater (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.19-2.03) than were
      their female counterparts; and, overall, males were more likely to have a Glasgow
      coma score (GCS) under 9 (AOR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.11-1.53) than females were.
      Despite these results, there were no differences between gender mortality rates
      (AOR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.86-1.25). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that there is no
      sex dimorphism conferring protection on females. Future studies should be
      conducted to assess this issue.

PMID- 28915306
TI  - Cost-Utility Study of Warfarin Genotyping in the VACHS Affiliated Anticoagulation
      Clinic of Puerto Rico.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-utility of the pharmacogenetic-guided dosing of
      warfarin (PGx), when compared to the current dosing strategy. METHODS: A Markov
      model was developed to assess the impact of the genotypingguided warfarin dosing
      in a hypothetical cohort of patients. The model was based on the percentage of
      time patients spent within the therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR)
      range (PTTR). PTTR estimates and genotype distribution were derived from a cohort
      of patients (n = 206) treated in the Veteran Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System
      (VACHS) and from results of other research study. Costs, utilities and event
      probability data were obtained from the literature. Probabilistic and one-way
      sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the range of plausible results.
      Willingness to pay was established at $50,000 per Quality Adjusted Life Year
      (QALY) gained. RESULTS: According to our model, the PGx strategy showed a QALY
      increase of 0.0021, with an increase in total cost of $272. This corresponds to
      an incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) of $127,501, ranging from $95,690 to
      $148,611. One-way sensitivity analysis revealed that the ICURs were more
      sensitive to the cost of genotyping and the effect of genotyping on the PTTR.
      CONCLUSION: Our model suggests that the warfarin PGx was not superior to the
      standard of care dosing strategy in terms of cost-utility.

PMID- 28915307
TI  - The Use of Bone Morphogenetic Protein in Spinal Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody
      Fusion: Our Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Since its introduction and FDA approval, rhBMP-2 has been adopted by
      spine surgeons as a substitute for ICBG in numerous spinal fusion techniques. As
      broad clinical use increased, reports on potential complications associated with
      rhBMP-2 also increased. We provide our experience with TLIF using rhBMP-2 or ICBG
      in an entirely Hispanic population. METHODS: This was a 2-year retrospective
      study of 67 patients, with 26 in the rhBMP-2 group and 41 in the ICBG group, who
      underwent TLIF. Pertinent information was obtained through review of the medical
      records documenting complications, intraoperative times, and EBL, among other
      things. RESULTS: There were 28 post-operative complications with 15 (53.6%) in
      the ICBG group and 13 (46.4%) in the rhBMP-2 group. The average EBL was 572.3 mL
      (SD: 411.8) in the ICBG group and 397.9 mL (SD: 312.2) in the rhBMP-2 group. The
      average intraoperative time was 243.1 minutes (SD: 79.5) in the ICBG group and
      226.5 minutes (SD: 64.7) in the rhBMP-2 group. Fifty-two patients underwent open
      TLIF and 15 patients underwent MI TLIF. The average EBL was 571.2 mL (SD: 375.3)
      in the open TLIF group and 228.3 mL (SD: 299.3) in the MI-TLIF group. The average
      intraoperative time was 241.0 minutes (SD: 76.0) for patients in the open TLIF
      group and 218.8 minutes (SD: 65.0) for those in the MI-TLIF group. There were no
      new cancer events at any of the 2-year follow-up visits. RESULTS: Our results
      suggest that the safety profile of rhBMP-2 may be inferior to that of ICBG,
      rejecting the possibility of ICBG being replaced by rhBMP-2 as the gold standard
      for spinal fusion.

PMID- 28915308
TI  - Mutilating Purpura Fulminans in an Adult with Meningococcal Sepsis.
AB  - We report a dramatic case of meningococcal sepsis manifesting as purpura
      fulminans in an elderly diabetic woman. Hemodynamic instability and severe
      bilateral cutaneous lesions involving her hands and feet developed rapidly.
      Specific antibiotic therapy and the administration of inotropic and vasopressor
      drugs were initiated. The severity and extension of the cutaneous lesions
      (attributed to purpura fulminans) worsened because of the need for
      vasoconstrictors for the treatment of septic shock. Bilateral transmetatarsal and
      metacarpal amputations were required to stabilize the patient.

PMID- 28915309
TI  - Genital Aphthous Ulcers and a Case of Suspected Chikungunya: A Short Clinical
      Case.
AB  - Genital aphthous ulcers can result from multiple conditions including febrile
      syndromes. Chikungunya infection manifests mainly as fever accompanied by
      polyarthralgia and pruritic rash. Nevertheless, healthcare providers should be
      alert to additional presentations. This is the case of a young woman presenting
      with painful genital ulcers after a three day prodome of fever and
      polyarthralgia. As a suspected case of Chikungunya infection and a clinical
      diagnosis of aphthae, treatment with oral prednisone for two weeks produced
      complete resolution of ulcers with no scarring. It is important to recognize that
      genital aphthous ulcers can develop in a febrile presentation such as that with
      Chikungunya. Although sexually transmitted diseases should be ruled out as a more
      common diagnosis in cases of genital lesions, knowledge about this unusual
      dermatological presentation would represent not only adequate prompt treatment
      but will minimize equivocal diagnosis as a sexually transmitted disease.

PMID- 28915310
TI  - Modelling the effects of lactic acid, sodium benzoate and temperature on the
      growth of Candida maltosa.
AB  - : The growth of the oxidatively imperfect yeast Candida maltosa Komagata, Nakase
      et Katsuya was studied experimentally and modelled mathematically in relation to
      sodium benzoate and lactic acid concentrations at different temperatures.
      Application of gamma models for the growth rate resulted in determination of
      cardinal temperature parameters for the growth environment containing lactic acid
      or sodium benzoate (Tmin  = 0.7/1.3 degrees C, Tmax  = 45.3/45.0 degrees C, Topt 
      = 36.1/37.0 degrees C, MUopt  = 0.88/0.96 h-1 ) as well as the maximal lactic
      acid concentration for growth (1.9%) or sodium benzoate (1397 mg kg-1 ). Based on
      the model, the times to reach the density of C. maltosa at the level of 105  CFU
      per ml can be determined at each combination of storage temperature and
      preservative concentration. The approach used in this study can broaden knowledge
      of the microbiological quality of fermented milk products during storage as well
      as the preservation efficacy of mayonnaise dressing for storage and consumption.
      SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The strain of Candida maltosaYP1 was
      originally isolated from air filters that ensured clean air overpressure in
      yoghurt fermentation tanks. Its growth in contaminated yoghurts manifested
      outwardly through surface growth, assimilation lactic acid and slight production
      of carbon dioxide. This was the opportunity to model the effects of lactic acid
      and sodium benzoate on growth and predict its behaviour in foods. The approach
      used in this study provides knowledge about microbiological quality development
      during storage of the fermented milk products as well as some preserved foods for
      storage and consumption.

PMID- 28915311
TI  - Can increased spatial resolution solve the crossing fiber problem for diffusion
      MRI?
AB  - It is now widely recognized that voxels with crossing fibers or complex
      geometrical configurations present a challenge for diffusion MRI (dMRI)
      reconstruction and fiber tracking, as well as microstructural modeling of brain
      tissues. This "crossing fiber" problem has been estimated to affect anywhere from
      30% to as many as 90% of white matter voxels, and it is often assumed that
      increasing spatial resolution will decrease the prevalence of voxels containing
      multiple fiber populations. The aim of this study is to estimate the extent of
      the crossing fiber problem as we progressively increase the spatial resolution,
      with the goal of determining whether it is possible to mitigate this problem with
      higher resolution spatial sampling. This is accomplished using ex vivo MRI data
      of the macaque brain, followed by histological analysis of the same specimen to
      validate these measurements, as well as to extend this analysis to resolutions
      not yet achievable in practice with MRI. In both dMRI and histology, we find
      unexpected results: the prevalence of crossing fibers increases as we increase
      spatial resolution. The problem of crossing fibers appears to be a fundamental
      limitation of dMRI associated with the complexity of brain tissue, rather than a
      technical problem that can be overcome with advances such as higher fields and
      stronger gradients.

PMID- 28915312
TI  - DCE- and DW-MRI as early imaging biomarkers of treatment response in a
      preclinical model of triple negative breast cancer.
AB  - This work evaluates quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance
      imaging (DCE-MRI) and diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) parameters as early
      biomarkers of response in a preclinical model of triple negative breast cancer
      (TNBC). The standard Tofts' model of DCE-MRI returns estimates of the volume
      transfer constant (Ktrans ) and the extravascular extracellular volume fraction
      (ve ). DW-MRI returns estimates of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Mice
      (n = 38) were injected subcutaneously with MDA-MB-231. Tumors were grown to
      approximately 275 mm3 and sorted into the following groups: saline controls, low
      dose Abraxane (15 mg/kg) and high-dose Abraxane (25 mg/kg). Animals were imaged
      at days zero, one and three. On day three, tumors were extracted for
      immunohistochemistry. The positive percentage change in ADC on day one was
      significantly higher in both treatment groups relative to the control group (p <
      0.05). In addition, the positive percentage change in Ktrans was significantly
      higher than controls (p < 0.05) on day one for the high-dose group and on days
      one and three for the low-dose group. The percentage change in tumor volume was
      significantly different between the high-dose and control groups on day three (p
      = 0.006). Histology confirmed differences at day three through reduced numbers of
      proliferating cells (Ki67 staining) in the high-dose group (p = 0.03) and low
      dose group (p = 0.052) compared with the control group. Co-immunofluorescent
      staining of vascular maturity [using von Willebrand Factor (vWF) and alpha-smooth
      muscle actin (alpha-SMA)] indicated significantly higher vascular maturation in
      the low-dose group compared with the controls on day three (p = 0.03), and
      trending towards significance in the high-dose group compared with controls on
      day three (p = 0.052). These results from quantitative imaging with histological
      validation indicate that ADC and Ktrans have the potential to serve as early
      biomarkers of treatment response in murine studies of TNBC.

PMID- 28915313
TI  - A Metabolomic Approach Applied to a Liquid Chromatography Coupled to High
      Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method (HPLC-ESI-HRMS/MS): Towards the
      Comprehensive Evaluation of the Chemical Composition of Cannabis Medicinal
      Extracts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cannabis sativa L. is a powerful medicinal plant and its use has
      recently increased for the treatment of several pathologies. Nonetheless, side
      effects, like dizziness and hallucinations, and long-term effects concerning
      memory and cognition, can occur. Most alarming is the lack of a standardised
      procedure to extract medicinal cannabis. Indeed, each galenical preparation has
      an unknown chemical composition in terms of cannabinoids and other active
      principles that depends on the extraction procedure. OBJECTIVE: This study aims
      to highlight the main differences in the chemical composition of Bediol(r)
      extracts when the extraction is carried out with either ethyl alcohol or olive
      oil for various times (0, 60, 120 and 180 min for ethyl alcohol, and 0, 60, 90
      and 120 min for olive oil). METHODOLOGY: Cannabis medicinal extracts (CMEs) were
      analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using an untargeted metabolomics approach. The data sets
      were processed by unsupervised multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Our results
      suggested that the main difference lies in the ratio of acid to decarboxylated
      cannabinoids, which dramatically influences the pharmacological activity of CMEs.
      Minor cannabinoids, alkaloids, and amino acids contributing to this difference
      are also discussed. The main cannabinoids were quantified in each extract
      applying a recently validated LC-MS and LC-UV method. CONCLUSIONS:
      Notwithstanding the use of a standardised starting plant material, great changes
      are caused by different extraction procedures. The metabolomics approach is a
      useful tool for the evaluation of the chemical composition of cannabis extracts.
      Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28915314
TI  - 1 H-MRS processing parameters affect metabolite quantification: The urgent need
      for uniform and transparent standardization.
AB  - Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-MRS) can be used to quantify in vivo
      metabolite levels, such as lactate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate
      (Glu). However, there are considerable analysis choices which can alter the
      accuracy or precision of 1 H-MRS metabolite quantification. It is currently
      unknown to what extent variations in the analysis pipeline used to quantify 1 H
      MRS data affect outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the
      quantification of identical 1 H-MRS scans across independent and experienced
      research groups would yield comparable results. We investigated the influence of
      model parameters and spectral quantification software on fitted metabolite
      concentration values. Sixty spectra in 30 individuals (repeated measures) were
      acquired using a 7-T MRI scanner. Data were processed by four independent
      research groups with the freedom to choose their own individualized and optimal
      parameter settings using LCModel software. Data were processed a second time in
      one group using an independent software package (NMRWizard) for an additional
      comparison with a different post-processing platform. Correlations across
      research groups of the ratio between the highest and, arguably, the most relevant
      resonances for neurotransmission [N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), N-acetyl aspartyl
      glutamate (NAAG) and Glu] over the total creatine [creatine (Cr) +
      phosphocreatine (PCr)] concentration, using Pearson's product-moment correlation
      coefficient (r), were calculated. Mean inter-group correlations using LCModel
      software were 0.87, 0.88 and 0.77 for NAA/Cr + PCr, NAA + NAAG/Cr + PCr and
      Glu/Cr + PCr, respectively. The mean correlations when comparing NMRWizard
      results with LCModel fitting results at University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU)
      were 0.87, 0.89 and 0.71 for NAA/Cr + PCr, NAA + NAAG/Cr + PCr and Glu/Cr + PCr,
      respectively. Metabolite quantification using identical 1 H-MRS data was
      influenced by processing parameters, basis sets and software choice. Locally
      preferred processing choices affected metabolite quantification, even when using
      identical software. Our results reinforce the notion that standard practices
      should be established to regularize outcomes of 1 H-MRS studies, and that basis
      sets used for processing should be made available to the scientific community.

PMID- 28915315
TI  - On the causes of trends in the seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2.
AB  - No consensus has yet been reached on the major factors driving the observed
      increase in the seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 in the northern latitudes.
      In this study, we used atmospheric CO2 records from 26 northern hemisphere
      stations with a temporal coverage longer than 15 years, and an atmospheric
      transport model prescribed with net biome productivity (NBP) from an ensemble of
      nine terrestrial ecosystem models, to attribute change in the seasonal amplitude
      of atmospheric CO2 . We found significant (p < .05) increases in seasonal peak-to
      trough CO2 amplitude (AMPP-T ) at nine stations, and in trough-to-peak amplitude
      (AMPT-P ) at eight stations over the last three decades. Most of the stations
      that recorded increasing amplitudes are in Arctic and boreal regions (>50 degrees
      N), consistent with previous observations that the amplitude increased faster at
      Barrow (Arctic) than at Mauna Loa (subtropics). The multi-model ensemble mean
      (MMEM) shows that the response of ecosystem carbon cycling to rising CO2
      concentration (eCO2 ) and climate change are dominant drivers of the increase in
      AMPP-T and AMPT-P in the high latitudes. At the Barrow station, the observed
      increase of AMPP-T and AMPT-P over the last 33 years is explained by eCO2 (39%
      and 42%) almost equally than by climate change (32% and 35%). The increased
      carbon losses during the months with a net carbon release in response to eCO2 are
      associated with higher ecosystem respiration due to the increase in carbon
      storage caused by eCO2 during carbon uptake period. Air-sea CO2 fluxes (10% for
      AMPP-T and 11% for AMPT-P ) and the impacts of land-use change (marginally
      significant 3% for AMPP-T and 4% for AMPT-P ) also contributed to the CO2
      measured at Barrow, highlighting the role of these factors in regulating seasonal
      changes in the global carbon cycle.

PMID- 28915316
TI  - Plate pattern clarification of the marine dinophyte Heterocapsa triquetra sensu
      Stein (Dinophyceae) collected at the Kiel Fjord (Germany).
AB  - One of the most common marine dinophytes is a species known as Heterocapsa
      triquetra. When Stein introduced the taxon Heterocapsa, he formally based the
      type species H. triquetra on the basionym Glenodinium triquetrum. The latter was
      described by Ehrenberg and is most likely a species of Kryptoperidinium. In
      addition to that currently unresolved nomenclatural situation, the thecal plate
      composition of H. triquetra sensu Stein (1883) was controversial in the past. To
      clarify the debate, we collected material and established the strain UTKG7 from
      the Baltic Sea off Kiel (Germany, the same locality as Stein had studied), which
      was investigated using light and electron microscopy, and whose systematic
      position was inferred using molecular phylogenetics. The small motile cells (18
      26 MUm in length) had a biconical through fusiform shape and typically were
      characterized by a short asymmetrically shaped, horn-like protuberance at the
      antapex. A large spherical nucleus was located in the episome, whereas a single
      pyrenoid laid in the lower cingular plane. The predominant plate pattern was
      identified as apical pore complex (Po, cp?, X), 4', 2a, 6'', 6c, 5s, 5''', 2''''.
      The triradiate body scales were 254-306 nm in diameter, had 6 ridges radiating
      from a central spine, 9 peripheral and 3 radiating spines, and 12 peripheral bars
      as well as a central depression in the basal plate. Our work provides a
      clarification of morphological characters and a new, validly published name for
      this important but yet formally undescribed species of Heterocapsa: H. steinii
      sp. nov.

PMID- 28915317
TI  - The theoretical reliability of PCR-based fish viral diagnostic methods is
      critically affected when they are applied to fish populations with low prevalence
      and virus loads.
AB  - AIMS: The reliability of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques is an
      important issue in viral diagnosis, and it is even crucial when they must be
      applied for detection of viruses in asymptomatic carriers. The problems will
      arise when the aim is to study wild fish populations, where the viral loads and
      prevalence values are extremely low. We have evaluated several PCR procedures
      employed by two laboratories for monitoring fish captured in several
      oceanographic campaigns performed in the Gulf of Cadiz. METHODS AND RESULTS: To
      evaluate the reliability of different diagnostics test used, we have re-analysed
      fish samples that had been previously subjected to diagnosis for a surveillance
      of viruses performed in 2010-2011 in wild fish populations. The following
      parameters were employed: the clinical sensitivity (Ss), the clinical specificity
      (Sp), the predictive positive value, the predictive negative value, and the
      positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR+ and LR- ). For viral nervous necrosis
      virus, a RT-PCR procedure supplemented by nested PCR showed the highest values
      (100%) for all the parameters. For viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus, the
      highest values were provided by RT-PCR supplemented by dot-blot hybridization. In
      the case of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus, none of the procedures yielded
      100% for any parameter. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained for viral prevalence
      indicate: (i) that the conservation of the samples at -80 degrees C did not
      affect to the capacity of detection of the virus in the tissues, and (ii) that
      the reproducibility of the diagnosis can be affected by factors including the
      staff experience and/or the materials employed. Finally, the use of a combination
      of procedures in advised to ensure the maximum reliability of the diagnosis when
      it is applied to asymptomatic fish populations. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE
      STUDY: This paper describes a strategy of combining diagnostic tests for the
      surveillance and monitoring of wild fish populations to reduce underestimation of
      the prevalence of viruses this type of populations.

PMID- 28915319
TI  - An improved model for prostate diffusion incorporating the results of Monte Carlo
      simulations of diffusion in the cellular compartment.
AB  - The purpose of this work was to refine a previously published model of prostate
      diffusion by incorporating improved estimates of cellular diffusivity obtained by
      Monte Carlo simulation. Stromal and epithelial cell size and intracellular volume
      fraction in different grades of cancer were determined from histological images.
      Diffusion in different mixtures of cells, corresponding to different tumor
      grades, was simulated and cellular apparent diffusion coefficient and kurtosis
      values determined. These values were incorporated into the previously published
      model of prostate diffusion and model predictions compared with values found in
      the literature. Stromal cell radius and intracellular volume fraction were 3.74
      +/- 0.96 MUm and 13 +/- 3% respectively in normal peripheral zone (PZ), and were
      similar in all grades of cancer. Epithelial cell radius and intracellular volume
      fraction were 3.40 +/- 0.15 MUm and 45 +/- 5% respectively in normal PZ, rising
      to 4.75 +/- 0.20 MUm and 70 +/- 8% in high grade cancer. Cellular apparent
      diffusion coefficient and kurtosis were 1.02 MUm2 ms-1 and 0.58 respectively in
      normal PZ, and 0.61 MUm2 ms-1 and 1.15 in high grade cancer (variation in
      simulation values are less than 0.1%). Agreement between model predictions and
      measurements were good, with a mean square error of 0.22 MUm2 ms-1 .
      Incorporation of cellular diffusion coefficient and kurtosis values obtained by
      Monte Carlo simulation into a model of prostate diffusion gives good agreement
      with published results.

PMID- 28915318
TI  - Applications of high-resolution magic angle spinning MRS in biomedical studies II
      Human diseases.
AB  - High-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) MRS is a powerful method for gaining
      insight into the physiological and pathological processes of cellular metabolism.
      Given its ability to obtain high-resolution spectra of non-liquid biological
      samples, while preserving tissue architecture for subsequent histopathological
      analysis, the technique has become invaluable for biochemical and biomedical
      studies. Using HRMAS MRS, alterations in measured metabolites, metabolic ratios,
      and metabolomic profiles present the possibility to improve identification and
      prognostication of various diseases and decipher the metabolomic impact of drug
      therapies. In this review, we evaluate HRMAS MRS results on human tissue
      specimens from malignancies and non-localized diseases reported in the literature
      since the inception of the technique in 1996. We present the diverse applications
      of the technique in understanding pathological processes of different anatomical
      origins, correlations with in vivo imaging, effectiveness of therapies, and
      progress in the HRMAS methodology.

PMID- 28915321
TI  - Regulation and Functions of the Renin-Angiotensin System in White and Brown
      Adipose Tissue.
AB  - The renin angiotensin system (RAS) is a major regulator of blood pressure, fluid,
      and electrolyte homeostasis. RAS precursor angiotensinogen (Agt) is cleaved into
      angiotensin I (Ang I) and II (Ang II) by renin and angiotensin converting enzyme
      (ACE), respectively. Major effects of Ang II, the main bioactive peptide of this
      system, is mediated by G protein coupled receptors, Angiotensin Type 1 (AGTR1,
      AT1R) and Type 2 (AGTR2, AT2R) receptors. Further, the discovery of additional
      RAS peptides such as Ang 1-7 generated by the action of another enzyme ACE2
      identified novel functions of this complex system. In addition to the systemic
      RAS, several local RAS exist in organs such as the brain, kidney, pancreas, and
      adipose tissue. The expression and regulation of various components of RAS in
      adipose tissue prompted extensive research into the role of adipose RAS in
      metabolic diseases. Indeed, animal studies have shown that adipose-derived Agt
      contributes to circulating RAS, kidney, and blood pressure regulation. Further,
      mice overexpressing Agt have high blood pressure and increased adiposity
      characterized by inflammation, adipocyte hypertrophy, and insulin resistance,
      which can be reversed at least in part by RAS inhibition. These findings
      highlight the importance of this system in energy homeostasis, especially in the
      context of obesity. This overview article discusses the depot-specific functions
      of adipose RAS, genetic and pharmacological manipulations of RAS, and its
      applications to adipogenesis, thermogenesis, and overall energy homeostasis. (c)
      2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1137-1150, 2017.

PMID- 28915322
TI  - Hormonal Regulation of Adipogenesis.
AB  - Adipose tissue includes multiple anatomical depots that serve as an energy
      reserve that can expand or contract to maintain metabolic homeostasis. During
      normal growth and in response to overnutrition, adipose tissue expands by
      increasing the volume of preexisting adipocytes (hypertrophy) and/or by
      generating new adipocytes (hyperplasia) via recruitment and differentiation of
      adipose progenitors. This so-called healthy expansion through hyperplasia is
      thought to be beneficial in that it protects against obesity associated metabolic
      disorders by allowing for the "safe" storage of excess energy. Remodeling adipose
      tissue to replace dysfunctional adipocytes that accumulate with obesity and age
      also requires new fat cell formation and is necessary to maintain metabolic
      health. Adipogenesis is the process by which adipose progenitors become committed
      to an adipogenic lineage and differentiate into mature adipocytes. This
      transition is regulated by complex array of transcriptional factors and numerous
      autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine signals. We will focus on hormonal factors
      that regulate adipocyte differentiation and their molecular mechanisms of actions
      on adipogenesis as studied in vitro and in vivo. Accumulating evidence indicates
      that adipose progenitors isolated from different adipose tissues exhibit
      intrinsic differences in adipogenic potential that may contribute to the depot
      and sex differences in adipose expansion and remodeling capacity. We will put
      special emphasis on the hormonal factors that are known to depot-dependently
      affect body fat accumulation and adipocyte development. (c) 2017 American
      Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1151-1195, 2017.

PMID- 28915324
TI  - Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy is a common form of muscular dystrophy
      that presents clinically with progressive weakness of the facial, scapular, and
      humeral muscles, with later involvement of the trunk and lower extremities. While
      typically inherited as autosomal dominant, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
      (FSHD) has a complex genetic and epigenetic etiology that has only recently been
      well described. The most prevalent form of the disease, FSHD1, is associated with
      the contraction of the D4Z4 microsatellite repeat array located on a permissive
      4qA chromosome. D4Z4 contraction allows epigenetic derepression of the array, and
      possibly the surrounding 4q35 region, allowing misexpression of the toxic DUX4
      transcription factor encoded within the terminal D4Z4 repeat in skeletal muscles.
      The less common form of the disease, FSHD2, results from haploinsufficiency of
      the SMCHD1 gene in individuals carrying a permissive 4qA allele, also leading to
      the derepression of DUX4, further supporting a central role for DUX4. How DUX4
      misexpression contributes to FSHD muscle pathology is a major focus of current
      investigation. Misexpression of other genes at the 4q35 locus, including FRG1 and
      FAT1, and unlinked genes, such as SMCHD1, has also been implicated as disease
      modifiers, leading to several competing disease models. In this review, we
      describe recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology of FSHD, including
      the application of MRI as a research and diagnostic tool, the genetic and
      epigenetic disruptions associated with the disease, and the molecular basis of
      FSHD. We discuss how these advances are leading to the emergence of new
      approaches to enable development of FSHD therapeutics. (c) 2017 American
      Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1229-1279, 2017.

PMID- 28915320
TI  - Adipose Tissue as a Site of Toxin Accumulation.
AB  - We examine the role of adipose tissue, typically considered an energy storage
      site, as a potential site of toxicant accumulation. Although the production of
      most persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was banned years ago, these toxicants
      persist in the environment due to their resistance to biodegradation and
      widespread distribution in various environmental forms (e.g., vapor, sediment,
      and water). As a result, human exposure to these toxicants is inevitable. Largely
      due to their lipophilicity, POPs bioaccumulate in adipose tissue, resulting in
      greater body burdens of these environmental toxicants with obesity. POPs of major
      concern include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p
      dioxins and furans (PCDDs/PCDFs), and polybrominated biphenyls and diphenyl
      ethers (PBBs/PBDEs), among other organic compounds. In this review, we (i)
      highlight the physical characteristics of toxicants that enable them to partition
      into and remain stored in adipose tissue, (ii) discuss the specific mechanisms of
      action by which these toxicants act to influence adipocyte function, and (iii)
      review associations between POP exposures and the development of obesity and
      diabetes. An area of controversy relates to the relative potential beneficial
      versus hazardous health effects of toxicant sequestration in adipose tissue. (c)
      2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1085-1135, 2017.

PMID- 28915323
TI  - Hair Cell Transduction, Tuning, and Synaptic Transmission in the Mammalian
      Cochlea.
AB  - Sound pressure fluctuations striking the ear are conveyed to the cochlea, where
      they vibrate the basilar membrane on which sit hair cells, the mechanoreceptors
      of the inner ear. Recordings of hair cell electrical responses have shown that
      they transduce sound via submicrometer deflections of their hair bundles, which
      are arrays of interconnected stereocilia containing the mechanoelectrical
      transducer (MET) channels. MET channels are activated by tension in extracellular
      tip links bridging adjacent stereocilia, and they can respond within microseconds
      to nanometer displacements of the bundle, facilitated by multiple processes of
      Ca2+-dependent adaptation. Studies of mouse mutants have produced much detail
      about the molecular organization of the stereocilia, the tip links and their
      attachment sites, and the MET channels localized to the lower end of each tip
      link. The mammalian cochlea contains two categories of hair cells. Inner hair
      cells relay acoustic information via multiple ribbon synapses that transmit
      rapidly without rundown. Outer hair cells are important for amplifying sound
      evoked vibrations. The amplification mechanism primarily involves contractions of
      the outer hair cells, which are driven by changes in membrane potential and
      mediated by prestin, a motor protein in the outer hair cell lateral membrane.
      Different sound frequencies are separated along the cochlea, with each hair cell
      being tuned to a narrow frequency range; amplification sharpens the frequency
      resolution and augments sensitivity 100-fold around the cell's characteristic
      frequency. Genetic mutations and environmental factors such as acoustic
      overstimulation cause hearing loss through irreversible damage to the hair cells
      or degeneration of inner hair cell synapses. (c) 2017 American Physiological
      Society. Compr Physiol 7:1197-1227, 2017.

PMID- 28915326
TI  - Adaptive Immunity and Metabolic Health: Harmony Becomes Dissonant in Obesity and
      Aging.
AB  - Adipose tissue (AT) is the primary energy reservoir organ, and thereby plays a
      critical role in energy homeostasis and regulation of metabolism. AT expands in
      response to chronic overnutrition or aging and becomes a major source of
      inflammation that has marked influence on systemic metabolism. The chronic,
      sterile inflammation that occurs in the AT during the development of obesity or
      in aging contributes to onset of devastating diseases such as insulin resistance,
      diabetes, and cardiovascular pathologies. Numerous studies have shown that
      inflammation in the visceral AT of humans and animals is a critical trigger for
      the development of metabolic syndrome. This work underscores the well-supported
      conclusion that the inflammatory immune response and metabolic pathways in the AT
      are tightly interwoven by multiple layers of relatively conserved mechanisms.
      During the development of diet-induced obesity or age-associated adiposity, cells
      of the innate and the adaptive immune systems infiltrate and proliferate in the
      AT. Macrophages, which dominate AT-associated immune cells in mouse models of
      obesity, but are less dominant in obese people, have been studied extensively.
      However, cells of the adaptive immune system, including T cells and B cells,
      contribute significantly to AT inflammation, perhaps more in humans than in mice.
      Lymphocytes regulate recruitment of innate immune cells into AT, and produce
      cytokines that influence the helpful-to-harmful inflammatory balance that, in
      turn, regulates organismal metabolism. This review describes inflammation, or
      more precisely, metabolic inflammation (metaflammation) with an eye toward the AT
      and the roles lymphocytes play in regulation of systemic metabolism during
      obesity and aging. (c) 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1307
      1337, 2017.

PMID- 28915328
TI  - CNS Targets of Adipokines.
AB  - Our understanding of adipose tissue as an endocrine organ has been transformed
      over the last 20 years. During this time, a number of adipocyte-derived factors
      or adipokines have been identified. This article will review evidence for how
      adipokines acting via the central nervous system (CNS) regulate normal physiology
      and disease pathology. The reported CNS-mediated effects of adipokines are varied
      and include the regulation of energy homeostasis, autonomic nervous system
      activity, the reproductive axis, neurodevelopment, cardiovascular function, and
      cognition. Due to the wealth of information available and the diversity of their
      known functions, the archetypal adipokines leptin and adiponectin will be focused
      on extensively. Other adipokines with established CNS actions will also be
      discussed. Due to the difficulties associated with studying CNS function on a
      molecular level in humans, the majority of our knowledge, and as such the studies
      described in this paper, comes from work in experimental animal models; however,
      where possible the relevant data from human studies are also highlighted. (c)
      2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1359-1406, 2017.

PMID- 28915329
TI  - Mitophagy as a Protective Mechanism against Myocardial Stress.
AB  - Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that can undergo fusion, fission, biogenesis,
      and autophagic elimination to maintain mitochondrial quality control. Since the
      heart is in constant need of high amounts of energy, mitochondria, as a central
      energy supply source, play a crucial role in maintaining optimal cardiac
      performance. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that mitochondrial dysfunction
      is associated with the pathophysiology of heart diseases. In non-dividing, post
      mitotic cells such as cardiomyocytes, elimination of dysfunctional organelles is
      essential to maintaining cellular function because non-dividing cells cannot
      dilute dysfunctional organelles through cell division. In this review, we discuss
      the recent findings regarding the physiological role of mitophagy in the heart
      and cardiomyocytes. Moreover, we discuss the functional role of mitophagy in the
      progression of cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial ischemic injury,
      diabetic cardiomyopathy, cardiac hypertrophy, and heart failure. (c) 2017
      American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1407-1424, 2017.

PMID- 28915330
TI  - Impact of Adrenal Steroids on Regulation of Adipose Tissue.
AB  - Corticosteroids are secreted by the adrenal glands and control the functions of
      adipose tissue via the activation of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and
      glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In turn, adipocytes release a large variety of
      adipokines into the bloodstream, regulating the function of several organs and
      tissues, including the adrenal glands, hereby controlling corticosteroid
      production. In adipose tissue, the activation of the MR by glucocorticoids (GC)
      and aldosterone affects important processes such as adipocyte differentiation,
      oxidative stress, autophagic flux, adipokine expression as well as local
      production of GC through upregulation of the enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid
      dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1). Notably, the proinflammatory responses
      induced by the MR are counteracted by activation of the GR, whose activity
      inhibits the expression of inflammatory adipokines. Both GR and MR are deeply
      involved in adipogenesis and adipose expansion; hence pharmacological blockade of
      these two receptors has proven effective against adipose tissue dysfunction in
      experimental models of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS), suggesting a
      potential use for MR and GR antagonists in these clinical settings. Importantly,
      obesity and Cushing's syndrome (CS) share metabolic similarities and are
      characterized by high levels of circulating corticosteroids, which in turn are
      able to deeply affect adipose tissue. In addition, pharmacological approaches
      aimed at reducing aldosterone and GC levels, by means of the inhibition of
      CYP11B2 (aldosterone synthase) or 11beta-HSD1, represent alternative strategies
      to counter the detrimental effects of excessive levels of corticosteroids, which
      are often observed in obesity and, more general, in MetS. (c) 2017 American
      Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1425-1447, 2017.

PMID- 28915331
TI  - Dual Specificity Phosphatase 5-Substrate Interaction: A Mechanistic Perspective.
AB  - The mammalian genome contains approximately 200 phosphatases that are responsible
      for catalytically removing phosphate groups from proteins. In this review, we
      discuss dual specificity phosphatase 5 (DUSP5). DUSP5 belongs to the dual
      specificity phosphatase (DUSP) family, so named after the family members'
      abilities to remove phosphate groups from serine/threonine and tyrosine residues.
      We provide a comparison of DUSP5's structure to other DUSPs and, using molecular
      modeling studies, provide an explanation for DUSP5's mechanistic interaction and
      specificity toward phospho-extracellular regulated kinase, its only known
      substrate. We also discuss new insights from molecular modeling studies that will
      influence our current thinking of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling.
      Finally, we discuss the lessons learned from identifying small molecules that
      target DUSP5, which might benefit targeting efforts for other phosphatases. (c)
      2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1449-1461, 2017.

PMID- 28915325
TI  - Brown and Beige Adipose Tissues in Health and Disease.
AB  - Brown and beige adipocytes arise from distinct developmental origins. Brown
      adipose tissue (BAT) develops embryonically from precursors that also give to
      skeletal muscle. Beige fat develops postnatally and is highly inducible. Beige
      fat recruitment is mediated by multiple mechanisms, including de novo beige
      adipogenesis and white-to-brown adipocyte transdifferentiaiton. Beige precursors
      reside around vasculatures, and proliferate and differentiate into beige
      adipocytes. PDGFRalpha+Ebf2+ precursors are restricted to beige lineage cells,
      while another PDGFRalpha+ subset gives rise to beige adipocytes, white
      adipocytes, or fibrogenic cells. White adipocytes can be reprogramed and
      transdifferentiated into beige adipocytes. Brown and beige adipocytes display
      many similar properties, including multilocular lipid droplets, dense
      mitochondria, and expression of UCP1. UCP1-mediated thermogenesis is a hallmark
      of brown/beige adipocytes, albeit UCP1-independent thermogenesis also occurs.
      Development, maintenance, and activation of BAT/beige fat are guided by genetic
      and epigenetic programs. Numerous transcriptional factors and coactivators act
      coordinately to promote BAT/beige fat thermogenesis. Epigenetic reprograming
      influences expression of brown/beige adipocyte-selective genes. BAT/beige fat is
      regulated by neuronal, hormonal, and immune mechanisms. Hypothalamic thermal
      circuits define the temperature setpoint that guides BAT/beige fat activity.
      Metabolic hormones, paracrine/autocrine factors, and various immune cells also
      play a critical role in regulating BAT/beige fat functions. BAT and beige fat
      defend temperature homeostasis, and regulate body weight and glucose and lipid
      metabolism. Obesity is associated with brown/beige fat deficiency, and
      reactivation of brown/beige fat provides metabolic health benefits in some
      patients. Pharmacological activation of BAT/beige fat may hold promise for
      combating metabolic diseases. (c) 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr
      Physiol 7:1281-1306, 2017.

PMID- 28915327
TI  - Adipose Tissue in HIV Infection.
AB  - HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment exert diverse effects on
      adipocytes and stromal-vascular fraction cells, leading to changes in adipose
      tissue quantity, distribution, and energy storage. A HIV-associated
      lipodystrophic condition was recognized early in the epidemic, characterized by
      clinically apparent changes in subcutaneous, visceral, and dorsocervical adipose
      depots. Underlying these changes is altered adipose tissue morphology and
      expression of genes central to adipocyte maturation, regulation, metabolism, and
      cytokine signaling. HIV viral proteins persist in circulation and locally within
      adipose tissue despite suppression of plasma viremia on ART, and exposure to
      these proteins impairs preadipocyte maturation and reduces adipocyte expression
      of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) and other genes
      involved in cell regulation. Several early nucleoside reverse transcriptase
      inhibitor and protease inhibitor antiretroviral drugs demonstrated substantial
      adipocyte toxicity, including reduced mitochondrial DNA content and respiratory
      chain enzymes, reduced PPAR-gamma and other regulatory gene expression, and
      increased proinflammatory cytokine production. Newer-generation agents, such as
      integrase inhibitors, appear to have fewer adverse effects. HIV infection also
      alters the balance of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in adipose tissue, with effects on
      macrophage activation and local inflammation, while the presence of latently
      infected CD4+ T cells in adipose tissue may constitute a protected viral
      reservoir. This review provides a synthesis of the literature on how HIV virus,
      ART treatment, and host characteristics interact to affect adipose tissue
      distribution, immunology, and contribution to metabolic health, and adipocyte
      maturation, cellular regulation, and energy storage. (c) 2017 American
      Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1339-1357, 2017.

PMID- 28915333
TI  - Air Pollution and Other Environmental Modulators of Cardiac Function.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in developed regions
      and a worldwide health concern. Multiple external causes of CVD are well known,
      including obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, age, and sedentary behavior. Air
      pollution has been linked with the development of CVD for decades, though the
      mechanistic characterization remains unknown. In this comprehensive review, we
      detail the background and epidemiology of the effects of air pollution and other
      environmental modulators on the heart, including both short- and long-term
      consequences. Then, we provide the experimental data and current hypotheses of
      how pollution is able to cause the CVD, and how exposure to pollutants is
      exacerbated in sensitive states. Published 2017. Compr Physiol 7:1479-1495, 2017.

PMID- 28915332
TI  - Obesity and Cardiometabolic Defects in Heart Failure Pathology.
AB  - Obesity is a major global epidemic that sets the stage for diverse multiple
      pathologies, including cardiovascular disease. The obesity-related low-grade
      chronic inflamed milieu is more pronounced in aging and responsive to cardiac
      dysfunction in heart failure pathology. Metabolic dysregulation of obesity
      integrates with immune reservoir in spleen and kidney network. Therefore, an
      integrative systems biology approach is necessary to delay progressive cardiac
      alternations. The purpose of this comprehensive review is to largely discuss the
      impact of obesity on the cardiovascular pathobiology in the context of problems
      and challenges, with major emphasis on the diversified models, and to study
      cardiac remodeling in obesity. The information in this article is immensely
      helpful in teaching advanced undergraduate, graduate, and medical students about
      the advancement and impact of obesity on cardiovascular health. (c) 2017 American
      Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1463-1477, 2017.

PMID- 28915334
TI  - Epithelial Organization: The Gut and Beyond.
AB  - Epithelial cells are essential to the survival and homeostasis of complex
      organisms. These cells cover the surfaces of all mucosae, the skin, and other
      compartmentalized structures essential to physiological function. In addition to
      maintenance of barriers that separate internal and external compartments,
      epithelia display a variety of organ-specific differentiated functions. Function
      is reflected in overall epithelial structure and organization, shape of
      individual cells, and proteins expressed by these cells. More than one epithelial
      cell type is often present within a single organ and, in many cases, individual
      cells differentiate to change their functional behaviors as part of normal
      development or in response to extracellular stimuli. This article discusses the
      diversity of epithelial structure and function in general terms and explores
      representative tissues in greater depth to highlight organ specific functions and
      their contributions to physiology and disease. (c) 2017 American Physiological
      Society. Compr Physiol 7:1497-1518, 2017.

PMID- 28915335
TI  - ECM-Related Myopathies and Muscular Dystrophies: Pros and Cons of Protein
      Therapies.
AB  - Extracellular matrix (ECM) myopathies and muscular dystrophies are a group of
      genetic diseases caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins that provide
      critical links between muscle cells and the extracellular matrix. These include
      structural proteins of the ECM, muscle cell receptors, enzymes, and intracellular
      proteins. Loss of adhesion within the myomatrix results in progressive muscle
      weakness. For many ECM muscular dystrophies, symptoms can occur any time after
      birth and often result in reduced life expectancy. There are no cures for the ECM
      related muscular dystrophies and treatment options are limited to palliative
      care. Several therapeutic approaches have been explored to treat muscular
      dystrophies including gene therapy, gene editing, exon skipping, embryonic, and
      adult stem cell therapy, targeting genetic modifiers, modulating inflammatory
      responses, or preventing muscle degeneration. Recently, protein therapies that
      replace components of the defective myomatrix or enhance muscle and/or
      extracellular matrix integrity and function have been explored. Preclinical
      studies for many of these biologics have been promising in animal models of these
      muscle diseases. This review aims to summarize the ECM muscular dystrophies for
      which protein therapies are being developed and discuss the exciting potential
      and possible limitations of this approach for treating this family of devastating
      genetic muscle diseases. (c) 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol
      7:1519-1536, 2017.

PMID- 28915336
TI  - The microbiome associated with two Synechococcus ribotypes at different levels of
      ecological interaction.
AB  - Planktonic cyanobacteria belonging to the genus Synechococcus are ubiquitously
      distributed in marine and fresh waters, substantially contributing to total
      carbon fixation on a global scale. While their ecological relevance is
      acknowledged, increasing resolution in molecular techniques allows disentangling
      cyanobacteria's role at the micro-scale, where complex microbial interactions may
      drive the overall community assembly. The interplay between phylogenetically
      different Synechococcus clades and their associated bacterial communities can
      affect their ecological fate and susceptibility to protistan predation. In this
      study, we experimentally promoted different levels of ecological interaction by
      mixing two Synechococcus ribotypes (MW101C3 and LL) and their associated
      bacteria, with and without a nanoflagellate grazer (Poterioochromonas sp.) in
      laboratory cultures. The beta-diversity of the Synechococcus-associated
      microbiome in laboratory cultures indicated that the presence of the LL ribotype
      was the main factor determining community composition changes (41% of total
      variance), and prevailed over the effect of protistan predation (18% of total
      variance). Our outcomes also showed that species coexistence and predation may
      promote microbial diversity, thus highlighting the underrated ecological
      relevance of such micro-scale factors.

PMID- 28915337
TI  - The cost and cost-effectiveness of childhood cancer treatment in El Salvador,
      Central America: A report from the Childhood Cancer 2030 Network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have examined the cost of treating
      individual childhood cancers in low-income and middle-income countries, to the
      authors' knowledge none has examined the overall cost and cost-effectiveness of
      operating a childhood cancer treatment center. Herein, the authors examined the
      cost and sources of financing of a pediatric cancer unit in Hospital Nacional de
      Ninos Benjamin Bloom in El Salvador, and make estimates of cost-effectiveness.
      METHODS: Administrative data regarding costs and volumes of inputs were obtained
      for 2016 for the pediatric cancer unit. Similar cost and volume data were
      obtained for shared medical services provided centrally (eg, blood bank). Costs
      of central nonmedical support services (eg, utilities) were obtained from
      hospital data and attributed by inpatient share. Administrative data also were
      used for sources of financing. Cost-effectiveness was estimated based on the
      number of new patients diagnosed annually and survival rates. RESULTS: The
      pediatric cancer unit cost $5.2 million to operate in 2016 (treating 90
      outpatients per day and experiencing 1385 inpatient stays per year).
      Approximately three-quarters of the cost (74.7%) was attributed to 4 items:
      personnel (21.6%), pathological diagnosis (11.5%), pharmacy (chemotherapy,
      supportive care medications, and nutrition; 31.8%), and blood products (9.8%).
      Funding sources included government (52.5%), charitable foundations (44.2%), and
      a social security contribution scheme (3.4%). Based on 181 new patients per year
      and a 5-year survival rate of 48.5%, the cost per disability-adjusted life-year
      averted was $1624, which is under the threshold considered to be very cost
      effective. CONCLUSIONS: Treating childhood cancer in a specialized unit in low
      income and middle-income countries can be done cost-effectively. Strong support
      from charitable foundations aids with affordability. Cancer 2018;124:391-7. (c)
      2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28915338
TI  - Neurocognitive, psychosocial, and quality-of-life outcomes in adult survivors of
      childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) undergo treatment with
      central nervous system-directed therapy, the potentially neurotoxic effects of
      which have not been reported in NHL survivors. METHODS: NHL survivors (n = 187)
      participating in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort who were 10 or more years from
      their diagnosis and were 18 years old or older underwent neurocognitive,
      emotional distress (Brief Symptom Inventory 18), and health-related quality of
      life (HRQOL) assessments (36-Item Short Form Health Survey). Age-adjusted z
      scores were compared with community controls (n = 181) and normative data.
      Treatment exposures were abstracted from medical records. Models adjusted for the
      age, sex, and time from diagnosis were used to calculate the risk of impairment.
      RESULTS: The mean ages at evaluation were similar for the survivors and the
      controls (35.7 +/- 8.9 vs 35.5 +/- 11.0 years; P = .86). Survivors were 25.2 +/-
      8.8 years from their diagnosis: 43 (23%) received cranial radiation, 70 (37%)
      received high-dose methotrexate, 40 (21%) received high-dose cytarabine, and 151
      (81%) received intrathecal chemotherapy. Survivors' intelligence and attention
      were within normal limits; however, their memory, executive function, processing
      speed, and academics were impaired in comparison with both population norms and
      community controls (P values < .05). Treatment-related exposures were not
      associated with neurocognitive function; however, neurocognitive impairment was
      associated with lower educational attainment, unemployment, and occupational
      status (P values < .03). Slower processing speed and worse self-reported
      executive function were associated with symptoms of depression (P values <= .003)
      and poorer HRQOL (P values < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Adult survivors of childhood NHL
      experience impaired neurocognitive function, which is associated with lower
      social attainment and poor HRQOL. Early-detection and intervention strategies are
      recommended. Cancer 2017. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 28915339
TI  - A vapour phase assay for evaluating the antimicrobial activities of essential
      oils against bovine respiratory bacterial pathogens.
AB  - : The objectives of this study were to develop a new assay for the evaluation of
      the antimicrobial activities of essential oils (EOs) in vapour phase and to
      demonstrate the antimicrobial activities of commercial EOs against BRPs. To
      achieve the first objective, a microtube cap containing 100 MUl of EO was
      embedded in an agar plate. An agar plug (diameter 13 mm) inoculated with a
      bacterial suspension containing108  CFU per ml was then placed over the cap and
      incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Subsequently, bacteria were recovered from
      the agar plug by immersion in 5 ml of broth for 10 min, followed by vortexing for
      30 s, and the broths were then plated for enumeration. To demonstrate the
      usefulness of the assay, nine commercial EOs derived from the following specific
      plants: ajowan, carrot seed, cinnamon leaf, citronella, fennel, ginger grass,
      lavender, rosemary and thyme were first evaluated for their vapour phase
      antimicrobial activities against Mannheimia haemolytica serotype 1. Selected EOs
      were further tested against Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni. The EOs
      of ajowan, thyme and cinnamon leaf completely or partially inhibited BRPs growth.
      This new assay provided reproducible results on the vapour phase antimicrobial
      activities of EOs against BRPs. These results support further study of EOs as a
      potential mitigation strategy against BRPs. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY:
      In this study, we present a new vapour phase assay for evaluating the
      antimicrobial activities of essential oils (EO) against bovine respiratory
      pathogens (BRPs). Using this assay, we identified EOs, such as ajowan, thyme and
      cinnamon leaf, that can effectively inhibit growth of the BRPs Mannheimia
      haemolytica serotype 1, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni. This is the
      first study to demonstrate the vapour phase antimicrobial activity of EOs against
      BRPs.

PMID- 28915340
TI  - Metabolic profile of visual cortex in diabetic rats measured with in vivo proton
      MRS.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to characterize the metabolic profile of the
      visual cortex in streptozotocin-induced Type 1 diabetic rats by means of in vivo
      proton MRS. Several metabolite concentration ratios in the visual cortex were
      calculated. In addition, postmortem histologic analyses for retinal ganglion cell
      (RGC) loss, optic nerve injury and visual cortex alterations were monitored. The
      results showed that diabetes induced several changes in visual cortex
      metabolites, such as reduced N-acetylaspartate, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric
      acid, taurine and choline-containing compound levels. Nevertheless, myo-inositol
      levels increased significantly as compared with controls. Remarkable RGC loss and
      optic nerve degeneration were observed by morphological analysis. Moreover, the
      results showed significant neuronal loss and glial activation in the visual
      cortex. These findings indicated that, besides vascular abnormalities, neuronal
      loss and degeneration in the visual pathway were induced due to disrupted glucose
      homeostasis in diabetes. Metabolic or functional abnormalities were induced in
      cerebral neurons of the visual cortex by diabetes.

PMID- 28915342
TI  - Transplantation of solid organ recipients shedding Epstein-Barr virus DNA pre
      transplant: A prospective study.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) poses a significant threat to patient and graft survival
      post-transplant. We hypothesized that recipients who shed EBV at transplant had
      less immunologic control of the virus and hence were more likely to have active
      EBV infection and disease post-transplant. To test this hypothesis, we conducted
      a 5-year prospective study in primary solid organ transplant recipients. We
      measured EBV DNA in oral washes and blood samples by quantitative PCR before
      transplant and periodically thereafter for up to 4 years. Pre-transplant samples
      were available from 98 subjects. EBV DNA was detected pre-transplant in 32 of 95
      (34%) and 5 of 93 subjects (5%) in oral wash and blood, respectively. Recipients
      with and without detectable pre-transplant EBV DNA were not significantly
      different demographically and had no significant difference in patient and graft
      survival (P = .6 for both comparisons) or post-transplant EBV viremia-free
      survival (P = .8). There were no cases of EBV-related disease or post-transplant
      lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in any of the patients with detectable EBV
      DNA pre-transplant. In conclusion, detectable EBV DNA pre-transplant was not
      associated with differences in patient/graft survival, post-transplant EBV
      viremia, or EBV-related diseases including PTLD.

PMID- 28915341
TI  - 31 P magnetic resonance fingerprinting for rapid quantification of creatine
      kinase reaction rate in vivo.
AB  - The purpose of this work was to develop a 31 P spectroscopic magnetic resonance
      fingerprinting (MRF) method for fast quantification of the chemical exchange rate
      between phosphocreatine (PCr) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) via creatine
      kinase (CK). A 31 P MRF sequence (CK-MRF) was developed to quantify the forward
      rate constant of ATP synthesis via CK ( kfCK), the T1 relaxation time of PCr (
      T1PCr), and the PCr-to-ATP concentration ratio ( MRPCr). The CK-MRF sequence used
      a balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP)-type excitation with ramped flip
      angles and a unique saturation scheme sensitive to the exchange between PCr and
      gammaATP. Parameter estimation was accomplished by matching the acquired signals
      to a dictionary generated using the Bloch-McConnell equation. Simulation studies
      were performed to examine the susceptibility of the CK-MRF method to several
      potential error sources. The accuracy of nonlocalized CK-MRF measurements before
      and after an ischemia-reperfusion (IR) protocol was compared with the
      magnetization transfer (MT-MRS) method in rat hindlimb at 9.4 T (n = 14). The
      reproducibility of CK-MRF was also assessed by comparing CK-MRF measurements with
      both MT-MRS (n = 17) and four angle saturation transfer (FAST) (n = 7).
      Simulation results showed that CK-MRF quantification of kfCK was robust, with
      less than 5% error in the presence of model inaccuracies including dictionary
      resolution, metabolite T2 values, inorganic phosphate metabolism, and B1
      miscalibration. Estimation of kfCK by CK-MRF (0.38 +/- 0.02 s-1 at baseline and
      0.42 +/- 0.03 s-1 post-IR) showed strong agreement with MT-MRS (0.39 +/- 0.03 s-1
      at baseline and 0.44 +/- 0.04 s-1 post-IR). kfCK estimation was also similar
      between CK-MRF and FAST (0.38 +/- 0.02 s-1 for CK-MRF and 0.38 +/- 0.11 s-1 for
      FAST). The coefficient of variation from 20 s CK-MRF quantification of kfCK was
      42% of that by 150 s MT-MRS acquisition and was 12% of that by 20 s FAST
      acquisition. This study demonstrates the potential of a 31 P spectroscopic MRF
      framework for rapid, accurate and reproducible quantification of chemical
      exchange rate of CK in vivo.

PMID- 28915344
TI  - Seeking the views of service users: From impossibility to necessity.

PMID- 28915343
TI  - Identifying preferred format and source of exercise information in persons with
      multiple sclerosis that can be delivered by health-care providers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is increasing recognition of the benefits of exercise in
      individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet the MS population does not engage
      in sufficient amounts of exercise to accrue health benefits. There has been
      little qualitative inquiry to establish the preferred format and source for
      receiving exercise information from health-care providers among persons with MS.
      OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify the desired and preferred format and source of
      exercise information for persons with MS that can be delivered through health
      care providers. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Participants were adults with MS who
      had mild or moderate disability and participated in a range of exercise levels.
      All participants lived in the Midwest of the United States. METHODS: Fifty semi
      structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis.
      RESULTS: Two themes emerged, (i) approach for receiving exercise promotion and
      (ii) ideal person for promoting exercise. Persons with MS want to receive
      exercise information through in-person consultations with health-care providers,
      print media and electronic media. Persons with MS want to receive exercise
      promotion from health-care providers with expertise in MS (ie neurologists) and
      with expertise in exercise (eg physical therapists). CONCLUSIONS: These data
      support the importance of understanding how to provide exercise information to
      persons with MS and identifying that health-care providers including neurologists
      and physical therapists should be involved in exercise promotion.

PMID- 28915345
TI  - Chemoselective and Catalyst-Free O-Borylation of Silanols: A Facile Access to
      Borasiloxanes.
AB  - This paper demonstrates the first highly chemoselective syntheses of various
      borasiloxanes from hydroboranes and silanols, achieved through catalyst-free
      dehydrogenative coupling at room temperature. This green protocol, which uses
      easily accessible reagents, allows for the obtaining of borasiloxanes under air
      atmosphere and solvent-free conditions.

PMID- 28915347
TI  - Re: SAEM Annual Meeting Abstracts.

PMID- 28915346
TI  - A review of chemical 'spot' tests: A presumptive illicit drug identification
      technique.
AB  - Chemical 'spot' tests are a presumptive illicit drug identification technique
      commonly used by law enforcement, border security personnel, and forensic
      laboratories. The simplicity, low cost, and rapid results afforded by these tests
      make them particularly attractive for presumptive identification globally. In
      this paper, we review the development of these long-established methods and
      discuss color test recommendations and guidelines. A search of the scientific
      literature revealed the chemical reactions occurring in many color tests are
      either not actively investigated or reported as unknown. Today, color tests face
      many challenges, from the appearance of new psychoactive substances to concerns
      regarding selectivity, sensitivity, and safety. Advances in technology have seen
      color test reagents used in digital image color analysis, solid sensors, and
      microfluidic devices for illicit drug detection. This summarizes current research
      and suggests the future of presumptive color testing.

PMID- 28915349
TI  - Watery Saliva Secreted by the Grain Aphid Sitobion avenae Stimulates Aphid
      Resistance in Wheat.
AB  - Infestation with Sitobion avenae induces localized defense responses in wheat; in
      this study, the role of S. avenae watery saliva in resistance induction was
      examined by infiltrating aphid saliva into wheat leaves. After feeding S. avenae
      on an artificial diet for 48 h, we first collected watery saliva from them and
      then separated the salivary proteins using one-dimensional gel electrophoresis.
      Gene expression studies showed that infiltration of S. avenae watery saliva in
      wheat leaves induced a strong salicylic acid-responsive defense but moderate
      jasmonic acid-dependent defense. Feeding on wheat leaves infiltrated with aphid
      saliva, compared with untreated leaves, significantly decreased the number of
      nymphs produced per day and the intrinsic rate of increase of the population of
      S. avenae. In a choice test against untreated wheat, saliva-infiltrated wheat had
      repellent effects on aphids. Additionally, electrical penetration graph results
      showed that the feeding behavior of S. avenae on saliva-treated wheat was
      negatively affected compared with that on untreated wheat. These findings
      provided direct evidence that salivary components of S. avenae are involved in
      the induction of wheat resistance against aphids and further demonstrated the
      important roles of watery saliva in aphid-plant interactions.

PMID- 28915348
TI  - Activation of factor XIII is accompanied by a change in oligomerization state.
AB  - : Factor XIII A (FXIIIA) is a member of the transglutaminase enzyme family that
      cross-links both intra- and extracellular protein substrates. To prevent
      undesired cross-linking, FXIIIA is expressed as an inactive zymogen and exists
      intracellularly as an A2 homodimer. In plasma, FXIII A2 is complexed with two
      protective factor XIII B subunits (A2 B2 ) that dissociate upon activation of the
      zymogen. Based on limited experimental data, activated FXIII was considered a
      dimer of two catalytically active A subunits. However, accumulating but indirect
      evidence has suggested activation may lead to a monomeric state instead. In the
      present study, we employed analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) to directly
      explore the oligomerization state of zymogen as well as active FXIIIA in
      solution. We first confirmed that the zymogen was a FXIIIA2 dimer. When we
      activated FXIIIA nonproteolytically (by high mm Ca2+ ), the protein dissociated
      to monomers. More importantly, FXIIIA incubation with its physiological partner,
      the protease thrombin, led to a monomeric state as well. AUC studies of partially
      cleaved FXIIIA further suggested that thrombin cleavage of a single activation
      peptide in a zymogen dimer is sufficient to weaken intersubunit interactions,
      initiating the transition to monomer. The enzymatic activity of the thrombin
      cleaved species was higher than nonproteolytically activated enzyme, suggesting
      that displacement of the activation peptide renders the FXIIIA more accessible to
      substrates. Thus, results provide evidence that FXIII undergoes a change in
      oligomerization state as part of the activation process, and emphasize the role
      of the activation peptide in preventing FXIIIA catalytic activity. ENZYMES:
      Factor XIIIA (EC2.3.2.13).

PMID- 28915350
TI  - Zeta Potential of Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in Contact with Aqueous
      Electrolyte-Surfactant Solutions.
AB  - The addition of surfactants can considerably impact the electrical
      characteristics of an interface, and the zeta potential measurement is the
      standard method for its characterization. In this article, a comprehensive study
      of the zeta potential of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in contact with aqueous
      solutions containing an anionic, a cationic, or a zwitterionic surfactant at
      different pH and ionic strength values is conducted. Electrophoretic mobilities
      are inferred from electrophoretic light scattering measurements of the
      particulate PMMA. These values can be converted into zeta potentials using
      permittivity and viscosity measurements of the continuous phase. Different
      behaviors are observed for each surfactant type, which can be explained with the
      various adsorption mechanisms on PMMA. For the anionic surfactant, the absolute
      zeta potential value below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) increases
      with the concentration, while it becomes rather constant around the CMC. At
      concentrations above the CMC, the absolute zeta potential increases again. We
      propose that hydrophobic-based adsorption and, at higher concentrations, the
      competing micellization process drive this behavior. The addition of cationic
      surfactant results in an isoelectric point below the CMC where the negative
      surface charge is neutralized by a layer of adsorbed cationic surfactant. At
      concentrations near the CMC, the positive zeta potential is rather constant. In
      this case, we propose that electrostatic interactions combined with hydrophobic
      adsorption are responsible for the observed behavior. The zeta potential in the
      presence of zwitterionic surfactant is influenced by the adsorption, because of
      hydrophobic interactions between the surfactant tail and the PMMA surface.
      However, there is less influence, compared to the ionic surfactants. For all
      three surfactant types, the zeta potential changes to more-negative or less
      positive values for alkaline pH values, because of hydroxide adsorption. An
      increase of the ionic strength decreases the absolute value of the zeta
      potential, because of the shielding effects.

PMID- 28915351
TI  - Relaxation Dynamics vs Crystallization Kinetics in the Amorphous State: The Case
      of Stiripentol.
AB  - With the aim of finding a correlation between the crystallization kinetics and
      the molecular dynamics of a substance that would allow prediction of its
      crystallization time as a function of temperature for a given alpha relaxation
      time, we have studied stiripentol, an anticonvulsant drug. Stiripentol has been
      characterized in its supercooled liquid, amorphous (glass), and crystalline
      states by the concurrent use of broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS),
      differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and optical microscopy. BDS
      was employed to study both the dipolar molecular dynamics and the kinetics of
      crystallization from the melt. Three different molecular relaxation dynamics were
      identified: an alpha relaxation corresponding to the collective reorientation of
      the molecules and associated with the glass transition (Tg = 246.2 +/- 0.5 K), a
      Johari Goldstein beta relaxation that can be associated with the single-molecule
      precursor of the alpha process, and a gamma relaxation arising from
      intramolecular motions. Isothermal crystallization of Stiripentol was studied by
      means of BDS well above the glass transition (between 273 and 293 K), and it was
      observed under optical microscope at ambient conditions. Stiripentol did not
      exhibit any sign of polymorphism at ambient pressure, and it recrystallized from
      the melt into its stable crystalline form. The crystallization kinetics did not
      obey the Avrami law. Stiripentol displayed a very low nucleation rate, and drops
      of liquid stiripentol were observed to crystallize completely from a single
      nucleus before the appearance of new nuclei, so that the crystallite grew
      according to the morphology of the liquid domains, a fact that might explain the
      lack of validity of the Avrami law. Possible correlations between the
      crystallization kinetics and the molecular dynamics have been analyzed, finding
      that the crystallization time has a sublinear dependence on the cooperative
      relaxation time, as is the case in other substances reported in the scientific
      literature. This could suggest a general correlation of these parameters, at
      least at temperatures above Tg. The low nucleation rate is an interesting feature
      in the quest of possible mechanisms that allow enhancing the physical stability
      of amorphous drugs.

PMID- 28915352
TI  - All-Atom Simulations Reveal Protein Charge Decoration in the Folded and Unfolded
      Ensemble Is Key in Thermophilic Adaptation.
AB  - Thermophilic proteins denature at much higher temperature compared to their
      mesophilic homologues, in spite of high structural and sequential similarity.
      Computational approaches to understand this puzzle face three major challenges:
      (i) unfolded ensembles are usually neglected, (ii) simulation studies of the
      folded states are often too short, and (iii) the majority of investigations focus
      on a few protein pairs, obscuring the prevalence of different strategies across
      multiple protein systems. We address these concerns by carrying out all-atom
      simulations to characterize physicochemical properties of both the folded and the
      disordered ensemble in multiple (12) thermophilic-mesophilic homologous protein
      pairs. We notice two clear trends in most pairs (10 out of 12). First, specific
      distribution of charges in the native basin-sampled from multimicrosecond long
      Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation trajectories-leads to more favorable
      electrostatic interaction energy in thermophiles compared to mesophiles. Next,
      thermophilic proteins have lowered electrostatic interaction in their unfolded
      state-generated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation-compared to their mesophilic
      counterparts. The net contribution of interaction energy to folding stability,
      however, remains more favorable in thermophiles compared to mesophiles. The
      overall contribution of electrostatics quantified by combining the net
      interaction energy and the solvation penalty of folding-due to differential
      charge burial in the folded and the unfolded ensemble-is also mostly favorable in
      thermophilic proteins compared to mesophiles. The systems that deviate from this
      trend provide interesting test cases to learn more about alternate design
      strategies when modification of charges is not viable due to functional reasons.
      The unequal contribution of the unfolded state to the stability in thermophiles
      and mesophiles highlights the importance of modeling the disordered ensemble to
      understand thermophilic adaptation as well as protein stability, in general. Our
      integrated approach-combining finite element analysis with MC and MD-can be
      useful in designing charge mutations to alter protein stability.

PMID- 28915353
TI  - Detection of CuAuPd Phase Boundaries Using Core Level Shifts.
AB  - A high throughput study has been conducted of the Cu 2p3/2, Au 4f7/2, and Pd
      3d3/2 X-ray photoemission spectra obtained from a continuous distribution of
      CuxAuyPd1-x-y alloy samples prepared as a single composition spread alloy film
      (CSAF). All three elements exhibit shifts of their core level binding energies
      with respect to their pure states when diluted into the alloy. The Cu 2p3/2 core
      level shift (CLS) exhibits additional shifts over the composition ranges at which
      the CuxAuyPd1-x-y alloy transitions between FCC and B2 phases. This discontinuous
      CLS has been used to map the extent of the B2 phase across the ternary CuxAuyPd1
      x-y alloy composition space. The sensitivity of core level binding energies to
      the alloy phase offers an opportunity to use XPS to study phases in alloy
      nanoparticles, ultrathin films, and other morphologies that are not amenable to
      structure determination by diffraction based methods.

PMID- 28915354
TI  - Rose Essential Oil Delayed Alzheimer's Disease-Like Symptoms by SKN-1 Pathway in
      C. elegans.
AB  - There are no effective medications for delaying the progress of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. In this
      study, our results with C. elegans showed that rose essential oil (REO)
      significantly inhibited AD-like symptoms of worm paralysis and hypersensivity to
      exogenous 5-HT in a dose-dependent manner. Its main components of beta
      citronellol and geraniol acted less effectively than the oil itself. REO
      significantly suppressed Abeta deposits and reduced the Abeta oligomers to
      alleviate the toxicity induced by Abeta overexpression. Additionally, the
      inhibitory effects of REO on worm paralysis phenotype were abrogated only after
      skn-1 RNAi but not daf-16 and hsf-1 RNAi. REO markedly activated the expression
      of gst-4 gene, which further supported SKN-1 signaling pathway was involved in
      the therapeutic effect of REO on AD C. elegans. Our results provided direct
      evidence on REO for treating AD on an organism level and relative theoretical
      foundation for reshaping medicinal products of REO in the future.

PMID- 28915355
TI  - Thiamin deficiency on fetal brain development with and without prenatal alcohol
      exposure.
AB  - Adequate thiamin levels are crucial for optimal health through maintenance of
      homeostasis and viability of metabolic enzymes, which require thiamine as a co
      factor. Thiamin deficiency occurs during pregnancy when the dietary intake is
      inadequate or excessive alcohol is consumed. Thiamin deficiency leads to brain
      dysfunction because thiamin is involved in the synthesis of myelin and
      neurotransmitters (e.g., acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate), and
      its deficiency increases oxidative stress by decreasing the production of
      reducing agents. Thiamin deficiency also leads to neural membrane dysfunction,
      because thiamin is a structural component of mitochondrial and synaptosomal
      membranes. Similarly, in-utero exposure to alcohol leads to fetal brain
      dysfunction, resulting in negative effects such as fetal alcohol spectrum
      disorder (FASD). Thiamin deficiency and prenatal exposure to alcohol could act
      synergistically to produce negative effects on fetal development; however, this
      area of research is currently under-studied. This minireview summarizes the
      evidence for the potential role of thiamin deficiency in fetal brain development,
      with or without prenatal exposure to alcohol. Such evidence may influence the
      development of new nutritional strategies for preventing or mitigating the
      symptoms of FASD.

PMID- 28915356
TI  - Real-Time Apoptosis and Viability High-Throughput Screening of 3D Multicellular
      Tumor Spheroids Using the Celigo Image Cytometer.
AB  - Three-dimensional tumor spheroid models have been increasingly used to
      investigate and characterize cancer drug compounds. Previously, the Celigo image
      cytometer has demonstrated its utility in a high-throughput screening manner for
      evaluating potential drug candidates in a 3D multicellular tumor spheroid (MCTS)
      primary screen. In addition, we have developed real-time kinetic caspase 3/7
      apoptosis and propidium iodide viability 3D MCTS assays, both of which can be
      used in a secondary screen to better characterize the hit compounds. In this
      work, we monitored the kinetic apoptotic and cytotoxic effects of 14 compounds in
      3D MCTS produced from the glioblastoma cell line U87MG in 384-well plates for 9
      days. The kinetic results allowed the categorization of the effects from 14 drug
      compounds into early and late cytotoxic, apoptotic, cytostatic, and no effects.
      The real-time apoptosis and viability screening method can serve as an improved
      secondary screen to better understand the mechanism of action of these potential
      drug candidates identified from the primary screen, allowing one to identify a
      more qualified drug candidate and streamline the drug discovery process of
      research and development.

PMID- 28915357
TI  - A yigP mutant strain is a small colony variant of E. coli and shows pleiotropic
      antibiotic resistance.
AB  - Small colony variants (SCVs) are a commonly observed subpopulation of bacteria
      that have a small colony size and distinctive biochemical characteristics. SCVs
      are more resistant than the wild type to some antibiotics and usually cause
      persistent infections in the clinic. SCV studies have been very active during the
      past 2 decades, especially Staphylococcus aureus SCVs. However, fewer studies on
      Escherichia coli SCVs exist, so we studied an E. coli SCV during an experiment
      involving the deletion of the yigP locus. PCR and DNA sequencing revealed that
      the SCV was attributable to a defect in the yigP function. Furthermore, we
      investigated the antibiotic resistance profile of the E. coli SCV and it showed
      increased erythromycin, kanamycin, and d-cycloserine resistance, but collateral
      sensitivity to ampicillin, polymyxin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, rifampin,
      and nalidixic acid. We tried to determine the association between yigP and the
      pleiotropic antibiotic resistance of the SCV by analyzing biofilm formation,
      cellular morphology, and coenzyme Q (Q8) production. Our results indicated that
      impaired Q8 biosynthesis was the primary factor that contributed to the increased
      resistance and collateral sensitivity of the SCV. This study offers a novel
      genetic basis for E. coli SCVs and an insight into the development of alternative
      antimicrobial strategies for clinical therapy.

PMID- 28915358
TI  - Remote myocardial injury: the protective role of fluoxetine.
AB  - Aortic cross-clamping-induced ischemia-reperfusion (IR) is an important factor in
      the development of postoperative acute cardiac injury following abdominal aortic
      surgery. We investigated the possible anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory effects of
      fluoxetine (FLX), which is used widely as a preoperative anxiolytic on cardiac
      injury induced by IR of the infrarenal abdominal aorta. FLX was administered to
      IR-performed (60 min of ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion) rats for 3 days,
      once daily at 20 mg/kg i.p. dosage. Results were compared to control and non-FLX
      treated IR-performed rats. Serum creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MB levels, lipid
      hydroperoxide, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and pro-oxidant/anti
      oxidant balance levels in the IR group were significantly higher whereas
      superoxide dismutase activity, glutathione, and ferric reducing/anti-oxidant
      power levels were lower than for the control. IR also increased myeloperoxidase
      activity, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 and
      decreased interleukin-10 levels. FLX decreased CK, CK-MB, lipid hydroperoxide,
      thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and pro-oxidant/anti-oxidant balance
      levels while increasing superoxide dismutase activity, glutathione, and ferric
      reducing/anti-oxidant power levels. FLX also decreased myeloperoxidase activity,
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 levels and
      increased interleukin-10 levels compared to IR. FLX attenuated the morphological
      changes associated with cardiac injury. Our study clearly demonstrates that FLX
      confers protection against aortic IR-induced cardiac injury, tissue leucocyte
      infiltration, and cellular integrity via its anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory
      effects.

PMID- 28915359
TI  - Presence of beta-Lactamase Encoding Genes in Burkholderia cepacia Complex
      Isolated from Soil.
AB  - Burkholderia cepacia complex has emerged as an important opportunistic bacteria
      group for immunocompromised patients, and it has a high level of intrinsic
      resistance for different antibiotic classes. Hydrolysis of beta-lactam
      antibiotics by beta-lactamases is the most common resistance mechanism in Gram
      negative bacteria, and the presence of such enzymes complicates the selection of
      appropriate therapy. This study aimed at investigating the antimicrobial
      resistance profile and the presence of beta-lactamase encoding genes in B.
      cepacia complex isolated from Brazilian soils. High-level ceftazidime resistance
      and several beta-lactamase encoding genes were found, including the first report
      of blaKPC genes in bacteria isolated from soil.

PMID- 28915360
TI  - Risk Factors for Reoperation and Performance-Based Outcomes After Operative
      Fixation of Foot Fractures in the Professional Athlete: A Cross-Sport Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Professional athletes are predisposed to fractures of the foot due to
      large stresses placed on the lower extremity. These players are concerned with
      efficiently returning to play at a high level. Return-to-play rates after
      operative treatment have been previously reported, yet performance outcomes after
      such treatment are generally unknown in this population. HYPOTHESIS: Overall,
      professional athletes sustaining a foot fracture would return to play at high
      rates with little impact on postoperative performance or league participation.
      However, National Football League (NFL) athletes would have a significantly
      greater decline in performance due to the high-impact nature of the sport. STUDY
      DESIGN: Case series. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. METHODS: Athletes in the
      National Basketball League (NBA), NFL, Major League Baseball (MLB), and National
      Hockey League (NHL) undergoing operative fixation of a foot fracture were
      identified through a well-established protocol confirmed by multiple sources of
      the public record. Return-to-play rate and time to return were collected for each
      sport. League participation and game performance data were collected before and
      after surgery. Statistical analysis was performed, with significance accepted as
      P <= 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 77 players undergoing 84 procedures met the
      inclusion criteria. Overall, 98.7% (76/77) of players were able to return to
      play, with a median time to return across all sports of 137 days. Players
      returned to preoperative performance levels within 1 season of surgery. Six
      players (7.8%) sustained refracture requiring reoperation, all of whom were in
      the NBA. Percentage of games started during the season after primary operative
      treatment was a predictive factor for reinjury (99% vs 40%, P = 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Athletes returned to play at a high rate after foot fracture
      fixation, with excellent postoperative performance levels, regardless of sport
      and fracture location. NBA athletes sustaining fifth metatarsal and navicular
      fractures are at greater risk of reinjury compared with other athletes. Returning
      to high levels of athletic participation soon after surgery may predispose
      athletes to refracture and subsequent reoperation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Players,
      coaches, and team physicians should be aware of the impact of foot fractures on
      career performance and longevity to best guide therapy.

PMID- 28915361
TI  - Cultural Change: The How and the Why.
AB  - More than half a century of cross-cultural research has demonstrated group-level
      differences in psychological and behavioral phenomena, from values to attention
      to neural responses. However, cultures are not static, with several specific
      changes documented for cultural products, practices, and values. How and why do
      societies change? Here we juxtapose theory and insights from cultural evolution
      and social ecology. Evolutionary approaches enable an understanding of the how of
      cultural change, suggesting transmission mechanisms by which the contents of
      culture may change. Ecological approaches provide insights into the why of
      cultural change: They identify specific environmental pressures, which evoke
      shifts in psychology and thereby enable greater precision in predictions of
      specific cultural changes based on changes in ecological conditions.
      Complementary insights from the ecological and cultural evolutionary approaches
      can jointly clarify the process by which cultures change. We end by discussing
      the relevance of cultural change research for the contemporary societal shifts
      and by highlighting several critical challenges and future directions for the
      emerging field of cross-temporal research on culture and psychology.

PMID- 28915362
TI  - Efficacy of hyperthermia in human colon adenocarcinoma cells is improved by
      auraptene.
AB  - Colon adenocarcinoma is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and resistance
      to current therapeutic modalities is a serious drawback in its treatment.
      Auraptene is a natural coumarin with considerable anticancer effects. The goal of
      this study was to introduce a novel combinatorial approach for treatment against
      colon adenocarcinoma cells. To do so, HT29 cells were pretreated with nontoxic
      auraptene and then hyperthermia was induced. Afterwards, the viability of the
      cells was assessed, changes induced in the cell cycle were analyzed, and the
      expression patterns of candidate genes were studied. Results from the MTT assay
      demonstrated significant (p < 0.01) decreases in cell viability when 20 MUg/mL
      auraptene was used for 72 h, heat shock was induced, and cells were allowed to
      recover for 24 h. Flow cytometry analysis also indicated considerable changes in
      the distribution of cells between the sub-G1/G1 and G2/M phases of cell cycle
      after the combinatorial treatment. Real-time RT-PCR studies revealed significant
      (p < 0.01) up-regulation of P21 in the cells pretreated with auraptene after heat
      shock, whereas no significant change was observed in HSP27 expression. Our
      findings not only indicate, for the first time, that the efficacy of hyperthermia
      was improved by auraptene pretreatment, but also suggest that this coumarin could
      be used in the future to achieve more effective therapeutic outcomes.

PMID- 28915363
TI  - Sample Identification Capacity of 20 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Blood
      Derived Genomic DNA Samples of Korean Individuals.

PMID- 28915364
TI  - Nosocomial, Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Isolated from
      Mexico City Produce Robust Biofilms on Abiotic Surfaces but Not on Human Lung
      Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kpn) strains are a leading cause of hospital
      acquired infections, including ventilator-associated pneumonia. Resistance to
      antibiotics, biofilm formation, and the production of certain fimbriae play an
      important role in the pathogenesis. AIM: We investigated the genetic relatedness,
      antibiotic resistance, virulence potential, and ability to form biofilms of Kpn
      strains isolated from hospital-acquired infections (n = 76). Strains were
      isolated at three major hospitals serving the largest metropolitan urban area in
      Mexico City, Mexico. RESULTS: Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus
      (ERIC)-PCR demonstrated that clonal groups predominate in each hospital. Selected
      strains chosen from clonal groups (n = 47) were multidrug resistant (MDR, 83%),
      although the majority (~70%) were susceptible to carbapenems. All strains
      produced robust biofilms on abiotic surfaces, and ~90% harbored adhesin genes
      fimH, mrkA, and ecpA. The ultrastructure of biofilms was further studied by high
      resolution confocal microscopy. The average height of Kpn biofilms on abiotic
      surfaces was ~40 MUm. We then assessed formation of biofilms on human lung cells,
      as a surrogate of lung infection. While Kpn strains formed robust biofilms on
      abiotic surfaces, studies on lung cells revealed attachment to human cells but
      scarce formation of biofilms. Gene expression studies revealed a differential
      temporal expression of an adhesin (ecpA) and a capsule (galF) gene when biofilms
      were formed on different substrates. CONCLUSIONS: Kpn strains isolated from
      nosocomial infections in Mexico City are MDR, although the majority are still
      susceptible to carbapenems and form more robust biofilms on polystyrene in
      comparison to those formed on human cells.

PMID- 28915366
TI  - Structural encoding processes contribute to individual differences in face and
      object cognition: Inferences from psychometric test performance and event-related
      brain potentials.
AB  - The enhanced N1 component in event-related potentials (ERP) to face stimuli,
      termed N170, is considered to indicate the structural encoding of faces.
      Previously, individual differences in the latency of the N170 have been related
      to face and object cognition abilities. By orthogonally manipulating content
      domain (faces vs objects) and task demands (easy/speed vs difficult/accuracy) in
      both psychometric and EEG tasks, we investigated the uniqueness of the processes
      underlying face cognition as compared with object cognition and the extent to
      which the N1/N170 component can explain individual differences in face and object
      cognition abilities. Data were recorded from N = 198 healthy young adults.
      Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that the accuracies of face
      perception (FP) and memory are specific abilities above general object cognition;
      in contrast, the speed of face processing was not differentiable from the speed
      of object cognition. Although there was considerable domain-general variance in
      the N170 shared with the N1, there was significant face-specific variance in the
      N170. The brain-behavior relationship showed that faster face-specific processes
      for structural encoding of faces are associated with higher accuracy in both
      perceiving and memorizing faces. Moreover, in difficult task conditions,
      qualitatively different processes are additionally needed for recognizing face
      and object stimuli as compared with easy tasks. The difficulty-dependent variance
      components in the N170 amplitude were related with both face and object memory
      (OM) performance. We discuss implications for understanding individual
      differences in face cognition.

PMID- 28915368
TI  - A Chromatin-Based Mechanism for Limiting Divergent Noncoding Transcription.

PMID- 28915369
TI  - Subunit Architecture and Functional Modular Rearrangements of the Transcriptional
      Mediator Complex.

PMID- 28915367
TI  - Breathlessness and the body: Neuroimaging clues for the inferential leap.
AB  - Breathlessness debilitates millions of people with chronic illness. Mismatch
      between breathlessness severity and objective disease markers is common and
      poorly understood. Traditionally, sensory perception was conceptualised as a
      stimulus-response relationship, although this cannot explain how conditioned
      symptoms may occur in the absence of physiological signals from the lungs or
      airways. A Bayesian model is now proposed, in which the brain generates
      sensations based on expectations learnt from past experiences (priors), which are
      then checked against incoming afferent signals. In this model, psychological
      factors may act as moderators. They may alter priors, change the relative
      attention towards incoming sensory information, or alter comparisons between
      priors and sensations, leading to more variable interpretation of an equivalent
      afferent input. In the present study we conducted a supplementary analysis of
      previously published data (Hayen et al., 2017). We hypothesised that individual
      differences in psychological traits (anxiety, depression, anxiety sensitivity)
      would correlate with the variability of subjective perceptions of equivalent
      breathlessness challenges. To better understand the resulting inferential leap in
      the brain, we explored where these behavioural measures correlated with
      functional brain activity across subjects. Behaviourally, anxiety sensitivity was
      found to positively correlate with each subject's variability of intensity and
      unpleasantness during mild breathlessness, and with variability of unpleasantness
      during strong breathlessness. In the brain, anxiety sensitivity was found to
      negatively correlate with precuneus activity during anticipation, positively
      correlate with anterior insula activity during mild breathlessness, and
      negatively correlate with parietal sensorimotor areas during strong
      breathlessness. Our findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity may reduce the
      robustness of this Bayesian sensory perception system, increasing the variability
      of breathlessness perception and possibly susceptibility to symptom
      misinterpretation. These preliminary findings in healthy individuals demonstrate
      how differences in psychological function influence the way we experience bodily
      sensations, which might direct us towards better understanding of symptom
      mismatch in clinical populations.

PMID- 28915370
TI  - A Differentiation Checkpoint Limits Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal in
      Response to DNA Damage.

PMID- 28915371
TI  - An IL-23R/IL-22 Circuit Regulates Epithelial Serum Amyloid A to Promote Local
      Effector Th17 Responses.

PMID- 28915372
TI  - Transcriptional Heterogeneity and Lineage Commitment in Myeloid Progenitors.

PMID- 28915373
TI  - Bioaccumulation of metals in juvenile rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) via
      dietary exposure to blue mussels.
AB  - The potential for metals to bioaccumulate in aquatic species, such as fish, via
      trophic level transfer was investigated. An in vivo experiment was set up in a
      flow-through system in which juvenile rainbow trout were fed blue mussels
      collected from a Class A pristine site and an effluent-impacted river estuary,
      over a period of 28 days. Selected elements (As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Mo,
      Ni, Se, Sn, V, Zn) were determined in the mussels and fish tissues (muscle and
      skin) collected at 0, 14 and 28 days. This study reveals the occurrence of metals
      in mussels sampled in the Irish marine environment and highlights the
      bioaccumulation potential of metals in fish tissues via trophic transfer. All 14
      monitored metals were determined in the mussels collected from both sites and
      mussels collected from the effluent-impacted site contained three times more Co,
      Mo, Sn and V than the mussels collected from the Class A site. Following a 28-day
      dietary exposure, concentrations of As and Se (fish muscle), and Pb, Se and Zn
      (fish skin), were significantly greater in fish feeding on contaminated mussels
      compared to those with a regular fish feed diet. The significance of metal
      detection and bioaccumulation in the mussel and fish tissues, highlights the
      potential for metal exposure to humans through the food chain. As fish are
      recommended as a healthy and nutritious food source, it is important to fully
      understand metal bioaccumulation in commercially important aquatic species and
      ensure the safety of human consumers.

PMID- 28915374
TI  - Enhanced degradation of chloramphenicol at alkaline conditions by S(-II) assisted
      heterogeneous Fenton-like reactions using pyrite.
AB  - The Fenton-like reactions catalyzed by pyrite can efficiently degrade organic
      contaminants by oxidation process. When chloramphenicol (CAP) was exposed to the
      pyrite-H2O2 system, the CAP removal rate rapidly reached 100% however slowed to a
      halt at alkaline conditions. Results indicated that by adding S(-II) in pyrite
      H2O2 system improved the oxidation efficiency of CAP at alkaline conditions. The
      transformation of S22- and Sn2- observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
      (XPS), confirmed that amorphous iron polysulfide (FeSn) was freshly generated on
      the pyrite surface. The availability of S(-II) promoted the generation of FeSn.
      Besides, S(-II) played a role in accelerating the Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycles. The
      potential of S(-II) activating H2O2 to generate hydroxyl radicals (OH), which was
      confirmed by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, quenching experiments,
      and trapping experiments, have supported the proposed mechanisms. This study came
      up with an efficient way of enhancing Fenton-like reactions by pyrite catalyzed
      at alkaline conditions, by adding S(-II) in the system. The new findings have
      implications for sulfide minerals, their interactions with pollutants, and the
      transformation products of sulfur in systems where Fe species are also present.

PMID- 28915375
TI  - The presence of mercury and other trace metals in surface soils in the Norwegian
      Arctic.
AB  - Svalbard is an important study area for investigating the long-range transport of
      mercury (Hg) and other trace elements to the Arctic. Few studies have focused on
      their concentrations in Arctic soils. With ongoing climate change leading to
      thawing permafrost ground the soil compartment is of increasing importance in the
      Arctic. In this study, elemental composition and soil organic matter (SOM)
      content of surface and mineral soils in Svalbard are presented. The aim is to
      provide new data on soils in the Arctic and to gain more knowledge about the role
      of the soil in the biogeochemical cycle of mercury (Hg). Concentrations are
      reported for Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, S and Zn. Samples were taken
      in Adventdalen and in the area near Ny-Alesund. We obtained a mean Hg
      concentration of 0.111 +/- 0.036 MUg/g in surface soils (range 0.041-0.254
      MUg/g). Hg levels in mineral soils (mean: 0.025 +/- 0.013 MUg/g; range: 0.004
      0.060 MUg/g) were substantially lower than in the corresponding surface soils. Hg
      strongly accumulates in the surface soil layer (upper 3 cm) and is associated
      with SOM (surface soil: 59 +/- 14%). Hg concentrations in the surface soil were
      slightly lower than those in the humus layer in mainland Norway and were
      comparable to levels in soils elsewhere in the Arctic. An inverse association of
      Hg was found with elements attributed to the mineral soil, indicating that Hg is
      predominantly derived from atmospheric deposition.

PMID- 28915376
TI  - Psychometric properties of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire and correlates of
      mother-infant bonding impairment in Italian new mothers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: impaired maternal bonding is a risk factor for problems with infant
      well-being and development. The investigation of perinatal variables related to
      disorders of the mother-infant relationship as well as the administration of
      reliable and valid screening tools to new mothers in the postpartum can help
      identify early signs of a disturbed mother-child relationship. The Postpartum
      Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) has been shown to be a valid screening instrument,
      but its dimensional structure is still controversial. An analysis of the
      literature demonstrated the need for research into the perinatal correlates of
      the quality of mother-newborn bonding as measured by the PBQ, and for information
      about the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the questionnaire.
      AIM: to (a) carry out preliminary analysis of the psychometric properties of an
      Italian version of the PBQ and (b) explore how mother-infant disturbances are
      related to relevant perinatal psychological variables. DESIGN: the research
      design consisted of a prenatal and a postnatal phase. SETTING: prenatal education
      classes delivered in public and private institutions. PARTICIPANTS: 123 pregnant
      Italian women were recruited from prenatal education classes. MEASUREMENTS: in
      the prenatal period participants completed a questionnaire measuring maternal
      fetal attachment; at the postnatal assessment (3 months postpartum) participants
      completed the Italian PBQ together with measures of mother-infant attachment, the
      couple's adjustment and maternal psychological well-being. Exploratory factor
      analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of the PBQ. Internal
      consistencies were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Nomological validity was
      assessed via Pearson correlations. FINDINGS: a three-factor model provided the
      most meaningful representation of the PBQ data, with one factor reflecting
      annoyance and anger towards the infant, another reflecting detachment and
      rejection and the third reflecting anxiety about infant care. Internal
      consistencies were good. Impaired mother-infant bonding was negatively correlated
      with prenatal and postnatal mother-infant attachment and couple adjustment, as
      well as being positively correlated with maternal depressive symptoms. KEY
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the Italian PBQ is a reliable, valid
      screening instrument and can be used for research, including transcultural
      comparisons in perinatal psychiatry. It can also be used clinically to detect
      signs of a disordered mother-child relationship. Knowledge of the variables
      generally associated with mother-infant bonding problems combined with data from
      postpartum administration of the PBQ could be used in midwifery to develop
      preventive programmes based on the specific needs of new mothers.

PMID- 28915377
TI  - Midwives' experiences of caring for pregnant women admitted to Ebola centres in
      Sierra Leone.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to explore and describe midwives' experiences of caring for pregnant
      women admitted to Ebola centres in Sierra Leone. DESIGN: a qualitative interview
      study with an exploratory and descriptive approach. SETTING: individual semi
      structured interviews with midwives who provided care for pregnant woman in eight
      different Ebola centres in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak in 2014-16.
      PARTICIPANTS: 11 midwives, Sierra Leoneans and expatriates, who worked for three
      different humanitarian organisations in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak in
      2014-2016. FINDINGS: three themes emerged as a result of the analysis. The first
      theme described how personal and public fears of Ebola infection affected the
      midwives' professional and personal lives. Secondly, motivation and support
      influenced the midwives' ability to cope with challenging midwifery care and
      finally competency, creativity and courage was described as essential for
      improving clinical guidelines and learn for the future. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: midwives who worked in Ebola centres in Sierra Leone
      have a wide range of experiences in caring for pregnant women affected by Ebola.
      Their views should therefore be sought and considered when new guidelines are
      being developed on how best to provide care for pregnant women during an outbreak
      of Ebola virus disease, or any comparable infectious disease. Balanced
      information, sufficient training, adequate equipment and access to support by
      colleagues and peers would assist the midwives in coping with the challenges they
      face.

PMID- 28915378
TI  - Revisiting murine models for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis with multipolar
      cytokine axes.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are one of the common skin diseases. Animal
      models are a powerful tool to analyze these diseases, which are complicated by
      multiple cytokine pathways. However, many discrepancies between the human
      diseases and murine models have been noticed. Therefore, investigators should be
      aware of the differences between the murine AD models and human AD when
      translating murine data to human skin diseases. This review highlights the
      differences between the inflammatory profiles between murine models and human
      diseases focusing on AD and psoriasis.

PMID- 28915379
TI  - Study on the oxygen reduction reaction catalyzed by a cold-tolerant marine strain
      phylogenetically related to Erythrobacter citreus.
AB  - As the development of marine economy, the submarine battery with the seawater
      electrolyte has obtained more and more attentions. Owing to the conventional
      electrochemical catalysts of the cathodes in seawater battery are expensive, it
      is to seek the new biological catalysts to improve the electrochemical
      performance of the cathode and reduce the cost of seawater battery. A novel
      marine bacterial strain (Strain SQ-32) phylogenetically related to the
      Erythrobactercitreus strain has been isolated from the sea-bed sludge in the
      Yellow Sea of China successfully. The electrochemical measurements, which include
      the cyclic voltammetry, potentiostatic polarization, and electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy, have been conducted in synthetic seawater. The
      electrochemical testing results show that the Strain SQ-32 is a cold-tolerant
      bacterium, which may exhibit a catalytic activity for the ORR in synthetic
      seawater at a freezing temperature. The SEM photo demonstrates that the Strain SQ
      32 displays a rod-shaped characteristic, which has a diameter of 0.4MUm and a
      length of about 1-2.5MUm. By the testing of Gram staining, the Strain SQ-32 has
      been identified as a Gram-negative bacterium. The chemical analytical result
      reveals that the bacterium cell of Strain SQ-32 contains 1.92mgg-1 (DCW) of
      coenzyme Q10, which is a possible impact factor on the electro-catalytic effect
      on the Strain SQ-32. The exploitation of Strain SQ-32 may boost the development
      of the biocathode of seawater battery at a low temperature.

PMID- 28915380
TI  - Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms exert a modulating effect on the onset age
      in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
AB  - The oxytocin receptor (OXTR) is a potential candidate in the pathophysiology of
      obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The present study investigated the
      association between common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) of the OXTR gene
      and the affected status of OCD or distinct clinical subtypes of OCD including the
      age at onset and symptom dimensions. Ten SNPs of OXTR were examined in 615
      patients with OCD and 581 healthy controls. Single-marker and haplotype-based
      association analyses were conducted. While OXTR variants were not associated with
      the affected status of OCD or its clinical symptom dimensions, rs2268493
      (p=0.00185) and rs13316193 (p=0.00461) of the OXTR gene were associated with the
      age at onset in patients with OCD. In addition, in haplotype-based association
      analyses, there was a significant association between the OXTR gene and the onset
      age in patients with OCD. In particular, the G-C-G haplotype of rs2268493
      rs2254298-rs11316193 and the T-G-A haplotype of rs237887-rs2268490-rs4686301 were
      positively associated with late-onset OCD. Our results suggest that common
      variants of OXTR may exert a modulating effect on the onset age in OCD
      pathophysiology. The potential involvement of the oxytocin system in the
      development and expression of OCD warrants further longitudinal research.

PMID- 28915381
TI  - Adult vitamin D deficiency exacerbates impairments caused by social stress in
      BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice.
AB  - Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in adults throughout the world. Epidemiological
      studies have shown significant associations between vitamin D deficiency and an
      increased risk of various neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, such
      as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment.
      However, studies based on observational epidemiology cannot address questions of
      causality; they cannot determine if vitamin D deficiency is a causal factor
      leading to the adverse health outcome. The main aim of this study was to
      determine if AVD deficiency would exacerbate the effects of a secondary exposure,
      in this case social stress, in BALB/c mice and in the more resilient C57BL/6
      mice. Ten-week old male BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were fed a control or vitamin D
      deficient diet for 10 weeks, and the mice were further separated into one of two
      groups for social treatment, either Separated (SEP) or Social Defeat (DEF). SEP
      mice were placed two per cage with a perforated Plexiglas divider, whereas the
      DEF mice underwent 10days of social defeat prior to behavioural testing. We found
      that AVD-deficient mice were more vulnerable to the effects of social stress
      using a social avoidance test, and this was dependent on strain. These results
      support the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency may exacerbate behavioural
      outcomes in mice vulnerable to stress, a finding that can help guide future
      studies. Importantly, these discoveries support the epidemiological link between
      vitamin D deficiency and neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders; and
      has provided clues that can guide future studies related to unravelling the
      mechanisms of action linking adult vitamin D deficiency and adverse brain related
      outcomes.

PMID- 28915382
TI  - Oxytocin modulates human communication by enhancing cognitive exploration.
AB  - Oxytocin is a neuropeptide known to influence how humans share material
      resources. Here we explore whether oxytocin influences how we share knowledge. We
      focus on two distinguishing features of human communication, namely the ability
      to select communicative signals that disambiguate the many-to-many mappings that
      exist between a signal's form and meaning, and adjustments of those signals to
      the presumed cognitive characteristics of the addressee ("audience design").
      Fifty-five males participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled
      experiment involving the intranasal administration of oxytocin. The participants
      produced novel non-verbal communicative signals towards two different addressees,
      an adult or a child, in an experimentally-controlled live interactive setting. We
      found that oxytocin administration drives participants to generate signals of
      higher referential quality, i.e. signals that disambiguate more communicative
      problems; and to rapidly adjust those communicative signals to what the addressee
      understands. The combined effects of oxytocin on referential quality and audience
      design fit with the notion that oxytocin administration leads participants to
      explore more pervasively behaviors that can convey their intention, and diverse
      models of the addressees. These findings suggest that, besides affecting
      prosocial drive and salience of social cues, oxytocin influences how we share
      knowledge by promoting cognitive exploration.

PMID- 28915383
TI  - Force-activatable biosensor enables single platelet force mapping directly by
      fluorescence imaging.
AB  - Integrin-transmitted cellular forces are critical for platelet adhesion,
      activation, aggregation and contraction during hemostasis and thrombosis.
      Measuring and mapping single platelet forces are desired in both research and
      clinical applications. Conventional force-to-strain based cell traction force
      microscopies have low resolution which is not ideal for cellular force mapping in
      small platelets. To enable platelet force mapping with submicron resolution, we
      developed a force-activatable biosensor named integrative tension sensor (ITS)
      which directly converts molecular tensions to fluorescent signals, therefore
      enabling cellular force mapping directly by fluorescence imaging. With ITS, we
      mapped cellular forces in single platelets at 0.4um resolution. We found that
      platelet force distribution has strong polarization which is sensitive to
      treatment with the anti-platelet drug tirofiban, suggesting that the ITS force
      map can report anti-platelet drug efficacy. The ITS also calibrated integrin
      molecular tensions in platelets and revealed two distinct tension levels: 12-54
      piconewton (nominal values) tensions generated during platelet adhesion and
      tensions above 54 piconewton generated during platelet contraction. Overall, the
      ITS is a powerful biosensor for the study of platelet mechanobiology, and holds
      great potential in antithrombotic drug development and assessing platelet
      activity in health and disease.

PMID- 28915384
TI  - Supramolecular nano-sniffers for ultrasensitive detection of formaldehyde.
AB  - Supramolecular nanoparticle hybrids for biosensing of analytes have been a major
      focus due to their tunable optical and surface properties. Quantum dots-Gold
      nanoparticle (QDs-GNP) based FRET probes involving turn on/off principles have
      gained immense interest due to their specificity and sensitivity. Recent focus is
      on applying these supramolecular hybrids for enzyme operated biosensors that can
      specifically turn-on fluorescence induced by co-factor or product formed from
      enzymatic reaction. The present study focuses on locking and unlocking the
      interaction between QD-GNP pair leading to differential fluorescent properties.
      Cationic GNPs efficiently quenched the anionic QD fluorescence by forming
      nanoparticle hybrid. Quenching interaction between QD-GNP pair was unlocked by
      NADH leading to QD fluorescence turn-on. This phenomenon was applied for the
      successful detection of formaldehyde using NAD+ dependent formaldehyde
      dehydrogenase. The proposed nano-sniffer could successfully detect formaldehyde
      from 0.001 to 100000ng/mL (R2 = 0.9339) by the turn off-turn on principle. It
      could also detect formaldehyde in fruit juice and wine samples indicating its
      stability and sensitivity in real samples. The proposed nanoprobe can have wide
      applications in developing enzyme biosensors in future.

PMID- 28915385
TI  - Photoluminescent lateral flow based on non-radiative energy transfer for protein
      detection in human serum.
AB  - A new paper-based lateral flow immunoassay configuration was engineered and
      investigated. The assay is intended for the detection of a model protein in human
      serum, that is, human immunoglobulin G, with the aim to demonstrate a virtually
      universal protein detection platform. Once the sample is added in the strip, the
      analyte is selectively captured by antibody-decorated silica beads (Ab-SiO2) onto
      the conjugate pad and the sample flows by capillarity throughout the strip until
      reaching the test line, where a sandwich-like immunocomplex takes place due to
      the presence of antibody-functionalized QDs (Ab-QDs) onto the test line.
      Eventually, GO is added as a revealing agent and the photoluminescence of those
      sites protected by the complex Ab-SiO2/Antigen/Ab-QDs will not be quenched,
      whereas those photoluminescent sites directly exposed are expected to be quenched
      by GO, including the control line, made of bare QDs, reporting that the assay
      occurred successfully. Hence, the photoluminescence of the test line is modulated
      by the formation of sandwich-like immunocomplexes. The proposed device achieves a
      limit of detection (LOD) of 1.35ngmL-1 in standard buffer, which is lower when
      compared with conventional lateral flow technology reported by gold
      nanoparticles, including other amplification strategies. Moreover, the resulting
      device was proven useful in human serum analysis, achieving a LOD of 6.30ngmL-1
      in this complex matrix. This low-cost disposable and easy-to-use device will
      prove valuable for portable and automated diagnostics applications, and can be
      easily transferred to other analytes such as clinically relevant protein
      biomarkers.

PMID- 28915386
TI  - The role of growth hormone receptor in beta cell function.
AB  - Growth hormone (GH) exerts numerous effects on tissues through binding to its
      receptor, GHR, which resides on cell membranes in many different organs and
      tissues. Endocrine pancreatic beta cells are the only source of insulin secretion
      in response to metabolic demand, thereby regulating blood glucose and maintaining
      metabolic homeostasis. beta cell dysfunction is the main composition of diabetes
      mellitus. Numerous studies have provided strong evidence that GHR signaling plays
      an independent role in beta cell function. In this review, we focus on the role
      of GHR signaling in beta cell actions and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

PMID- 28915387
TI  - Can circular inference relate the neuropathological and behavioral aspects of
      schizophrenia?
AB  - Schizophrenia is a complex and heterogeneous mental disorder, and researchers
      have only recently begun to understand its neuropathology. However, since the
      time of Kraepelin and Bleuler, much information has been accumulated regarding
      the behavioral abnormalities usually encountered in patients suffering from
      schizophrenia. Despite recent progress, how the latter are caused by the former
      is still debated. Here, we argue that circular inference, a computational
      framework proposed as a potential explanation for various schizophrenia symptoms,
      could help end this debate. Based on Marr's three levels of analysis, we discuss
      how impairments in local and more global neural circuits could generate aberrant
      beliefs, with far-ranging consequences from probabilistic decision making to high
      level visual perception in conditions of ambiguity. Interestingly, the circular
      inference framework appears to be compatible with a variety of pathophysiological
      theories of schizophrenia while simulating the behavioral symptoms.

PMID- 28915388
TI  - EPA and DHA, but not ALA, have antidepressant effects with 17beta-estradiol
      injection via regulation of a neurobiological system in ovariectomized rats.
AB  - Our previous studies found that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and
      estrogen had synergistic antidepressant-like effects. The purpose of the present
      study was to investigate the hypothesis that three major n-3 PUFAs, alpha
      linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),
      individually had antidepressant effects combined with 17beta-estradiol-3-benzoate
      (E) through a neurobiological pathway in ovariectomized rats. Rats were fed a
      modified American Institute of Nutrition-93G diet with 0% n-3 PUFAs and 1% ALA,
      EPA and DHA relative to total energy intake for 12 weeks and were injected with
      corn oil or E every 4 days during the last 3 weeks. Supplementation of EPA, DHA
      and E increased serum concentrations of serotonin and climbing behavior, and
      decreased immobility during a forced swimming test. Supplementation with EPA, DHA
      and E also decreased hippocampal expressions of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha, and increased cAMP response element binding protein, brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and estrogen receptor-alpha. Immunofluorescence
      staining consistently showed elevated expressions of BDNF. Magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy showed that E increased glucose and decreased glutamate, glutamine
      and myo-inositol concentrations regardless of n-3 PUFA supplementation. In
      addition, supplementation with EPA, DHA and E decreased levels of nitrite and
      nitrate. However, ALA had no antidepressant effect. The present study suggested
      that the antidepressant-like effects of EPA and DHA supplementation and E
      injection could be due to the regulation of serotonergic neurotransmission and
      inflammatory cytokines rather than due to the antioxidative system.
      Supplementation with n-3 PUFA and E had the additional function of modulating
      neurometabolites in the hippocampus.

PMID- 28915390
TI  - Navy and black bean supplementation primes the colonic mucosal microenvironment
      to improve gut health.
AB  - Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are enriched in non-digestible fermentable
      carbohydrates and phenolic compounds that can modulate the colonic
      microenvironment (microbiota and host epithelial barrier) to improve gut health.
      In a comprehensive assessment of the impact of two commonly consumed bean
      varieties (differing in levels and types of phenolic compounds) within the
      colonic microenvironment, C57Bl/6 mice were fed diets supplemented with 20%
      cooked navy bean (NB) or black bean (BB) flours or an isocaloric basal diet
      control (BD) for 3 weeks. NB and BB similarly altered the fecal microbiota
      community structure (16S rRNA sequencing) notably by increasing the abundance of
      carbohydrate fermenting bacteria such as Prevotella, S24-7 and Ruminococcus
      flavefaciens, which coincided with enhanced short chain fatty acid (SCFA)
      production (microbial-derived carbohydrate fermentation products) and colonic
      expression of the SCFA receptors GPR-41/-43/-109a. Both NB and BB enhanced
      multiple aspects of mucus and epithelial barrier integrity vs. BD including: (i)
      goblet cell number, crypt mucus content and mucin mRNA expression, (ii) anti
      microbial defenses (Reg3gamma), (iii) crypt length and epithelial cell
      proliferation, (iv) apical junctional complex components (occludin, JAM-A, ZO-1
      and E-cadherin) mRNA expression and (v) reduced serum endotoxin concentrations.
      Interestingly, biomarkers of colon barrier integrity (crypt height, mucus
      content, cell proliferation and goblet cell number) were enhanced in BB vs. NB
      fed mice, suggesting added benefits attributable to unique BB components (e.g.,
      phenolics). Overall, NB and BB improved baseline colonic microenvironment
      function by altering the microbial community structure and activity and promoting
      colon barrier integrity and function; effects which may prove beneficial in
      attenuating gut-associated diseases.

PMID- 28915389
TI  - Choline prevents fetal overgrowth and normalizes placental fatty acid and glucose
      metabolism in a mouse model of maternal obesity.
AB  - Maternal obesity increases placental transport of macronutrients, resulting in
      fetal overgrowth and obesity later in life. Choline participates in fatty acid
      metabolism, serves as a methyl donor and influences growth signaling, which may
      modify placental macronutrient homeostasis and affect fetal growth. Using a mouse
      model of maternal obesity, we assessed the effect of maternal choline
      supplementation on preventing fetal overgrowth and restoring placental
      macronutrient homeostasis. C57BL/6J mice were fed either a high-fat (HF, 60% kcal
      from fat) diet or a normal (NF, 10% kcal from fat) diet with a drinking supply of
      either 25 mM choline chloride or control purified water, respectively, beginning
      4 weeks prior to mating until gestational day 12.5. Fetal and placental weight,
      metabolites and gene expression were measured. HF feeding significantly (P<.05)
      increased placental and fetal weight in the HF-control (HFCO) versus NF-control
      (NFCO) animals, whereas the HF choline-supplemented (HFCS) group effectively
      normalized placental and fetal weight to the levels of the NFCO group. Compared
      to HFCO, the HFCS group had lower (P<.05) glucose transporter 1 and fatty acid
      transport protein 1 expression as well as lower accumulation of glycogen in the
      placenta. The HFCS group also had lower (P<.05) placental 4E-binding protein 1
      and ribosomal protein s6 phosphorylation, which are indicators of mechanistic
      target of rapamycin complex 1 activation favoring macronutrient anabolism. In
      summary, our results suggest that maternal choline supplementation prevented
      fetal overgrowth in obese mice at midgestation and improved biomarkers of
      placental macronutrient homeostasis.

PMID- 28915391
TI  - Hepatitis B surface antigen incorporated in dissolvable microneedle array patch
      is antigenic and thermostable.
AB  - Alternatives to syringe-based administration are considered for vaccines.
      Intradermal vaccination with dissolvable microneedle arrays (MNA) appears
      promising in this respect, as an easy-to-use and painless method. In this work,
      we have developed an MNA patch (MNAP) made of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) and
      chondroitin sulphate (CS). In swines, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
      formulated with the saponin QS-21 as adjuvant, both incorporated in HES-based
      MNAP, demonstrated the same level of immunogenicity as a commercially available
      aluminum-adjuvanted HBsAg vaccine, after two immunizations 28 days apart. MNAP
      application was associated with transient skin reactions (erythema, lump, scab),
      particularly evident when the antigen was delivered with the adjuvant. The
      thermostability of the adjuvanted antigen when incorporated in the HES-based
      matrix was also assessed by storing MNAP at 37, 45 or 50  degrees C for up to 6
      months. We could demonstrate that antigenicity was retained at 37 and 45  degrees
      C and only a 10% loss was observed after 6 months at 50  degrees C. Our results
      are supportive of MNAP as an attractive alternative to classical syringe-based
      vaccination.

PMID- 28915392
TI  - Impact of antibiotic therapy in severe community-acquired pneumonia: Data from
      the Infauci study.
AB  - Antibiotic therapy (AT) is the cornerstone of the management of severe community
      acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the best treatment strategy is far from being
      established. To evaluate the impact of different aspects of AT on the outcome of
      critically ill patients with CAP, we performed a post hoc analysis of all CAP
      patients enrolled in a prospective, observational, multicentre study. Of the 502
      patients included, 76% received combination therapy, mainly a beta-lactam with a
      macrolide (80%). AT was inappropriate in 16% of all microbiologically documented
      CAP (n=177). Hospital and 6months mortality were 34% and 35%. In adjusted
      multivariate logistic regression analysis, combination AT with a macrolide was
      independently associated with a reduction in hospital (OR 0.17, 95%CI 0.06-0.51)
      and 6months (OR 0.21, 95%CI 0.07-0.57) mortality. Prolonged AT (>7days) was
      associated with a longer ICU (14 vs. 7days; p<0.001) and hospital length of stay
      (LOS) (25 vs. 17days; p<0.001). Combination AT with a macrolide may be the most
      suitable AT strategy to improve both short and long term outcome of severe CAP
      patients. AT >7days had no survival benefit and was associated with a longer LOS.

PMID- 28915393
TI  - The comparative effectiveness of noninvasive and invasive ventilation in patients
      with pneumonia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of patients hospitalized with pneumonia treated
      with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the HealthFacts multihospital electronic medical
      record database, we included patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia
      and treated with NIV or IMV. We developed a propensity model for receipt of
      initial NIV and assessed the outcomes in a propensity-matched cohort, and in a
      covariate adjusted and propensity score weighted models. RESULTS: Among 3971
      ventilated patients, 1109 (27.9%) were initially treated with NIV. Patients
      treated with NIV were older, had lower acuity of illness score, and were more
      likely to have congestive heart failure and chronic pulmonary disease. Mortality
      was 15.8%, 29.8% and 25.9.0% among patients treated with initial NIV, initial IMV
      and among those with NIV failure. In the propensity matched analysis, the risk of
      death was lower in patients treated with NIV (relative risk: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.59
      0.85). Subgroup analysis showed that NIV was beneficial among patients with
      cardiopulmonary comorbidities (relative risk 0.59, 95% CI: 0.47-0.75) but not in
      those without (relative risk 0.96, 95% CI: 0.74-0.1.25)NIV failure was
      significantly (p=0.002) more common in patients without cardiopulmonary
      conditions (21.3%) compared to those with these conditions (13.8%). CONCLUSIONS:
      Initial NIV was associated with better survival among the subgroup of patients
      hospitalized with pneumonia who had COPD or heart failure. Patients who failed
      NIV had high in-hospital mortality, emphasizing the importance of careful patient
      selection monitoring when managing severe pneumonia with NIV.

PMID- 28915394
TI  - Overcoming the Warburg Effect: Is it the key to survival in sepsis?
AB  - Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in the U.S. and Europe. Sepsis and septic
      shock are the results of severe metabolic abnormalities following infection.
      Aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg Effect) is as much a hallmark of sepsis as it is
      of cancer. Warburg observed that cancer cells generated energy through glycolysis
      (generation of ATP through degradation of glucose, usually associated with
      anaerobic conditions) rather than through oxidative phosphorylation (generation
      of ATP through the mitochondrial inner membrane via the tricarboxylic acid cycle,
      usually associated with aerobic conditions). Although the initial pathways of
      cancer and sepsis may be different, the mechanisms which allow aerobic glycolysis
      to occur, even in the presence of oxygen, are similar. This review provides some
      evidence that reversing these steps reverses the Warburg Effect in model systems
      and some pathological consequences of this effect. Therefore, this implies that
      these steps might be modifiable in sepsis to reverse the Warburg Effect and
      possibly lead to better outcomes.

PMID- 28915395
TI  - Effects of polymyxin B hemoperfusion on hemodynamics and prognosis in septic
      shock patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We designed this study to examine the clinical effects of polymyxin B
      hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) in septic shock patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively examined the effects of PMX-HP in septic shock patients with
      intra-abdominal or gram-negative bacterial infection during October 2013-May
      2016. A one-to-one matching between the PMX-HP and conventional groups was
      performed, and 28-day mortality, and change in inotropic score, Sequential Organ
      Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health
      Evaluation II (APACHE II) score at 24h in the two groups were compared. In
      addition, multivariable regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards
      regression model were applied in all eligible patients. RESULTS: Sixty-nine
      patients were eligible, of whom fifty patients were enrolled for matched cohort
      analysis. In matched cohort analysis, change in inotropic score after 24h (-24.8
      [19.7] vs. -6.4 [20.0], p=0.002) differed significantly between the PMX-HP and
      conventional groups. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that PMX-HP was
      associated with lower 28-day mortality (odds ratio 0.18, 95% CI 0.04-0.92,
      p=0.039) and greater improvement in inotropic and APACHE II scores. CONCLUSIONS:
      PMX-HP may have potential benefits for hemodynamic and prognostic outcomes in
      septic shock patients with intra-abdominal or gram-negative bacterial infection.

PMID- 28915396
TI  - A novel biodegradation pathway of the endocrine-disruptor di(2-ethyl hexyl)
      phthalate by Pleurotus ostreatus based on quantum chemical investigation.
AB  - Di(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer that interfere with endocrine
      systems in mammals. Growth parameters for Pleurotus ostreatus grown on media
      containing glucose and different concentrations of DEHP (0, 500 and 1000mg/L)
      were evaluated. The highest biomass production was observed in medium
      supplemented with 1000mg of DEHP/L. Half-life of DEHP biodegradation,
      biodegradation constant of DEHP, and percentage of removal efficiency (%E) were
      also determined. P. ostreatus degraded 100% of DEHP after 504h. %E was 99.3% and
      98.4% for 500 and 1000mg of DEHP/L, respectively. Intermediate compounds of
      biodegraded DEHP were identified by GC-MS and a DEHP biodegradation pathway was
      proposed using quantum chemical investigation. DEHP might be metabolized through
      three pathways; a de-esterification pathway, an oxidation pathway and an
      oxidation-hydrolysis pathway, forming phthalic acid, acetic acid and butanediol,
      respectively. P. ostreatus degrades and uses (as carbon and energy source) high
      concentrations of DEHP.

PMID- 28915397
TI  - Alleviation of cadmium toxicity in Lemna minor by exogenous salicylic acid.
AB  - Cadmium (Cd) is a significant environmental pollutant in the aquatic environment.
      Salicylic acid (SA) is a ubiquitous phenolic compound. The goal of this study was
      to assess the morphological, physiological and biochemical changes in duckweed
      (L. minor) upon exposure to 10MUM CdCl2, 10MUM CdCl2 plus 50MUM SA, or 50MUM SA
      for 7 days. Reversing the effects of Cd, SA decreased Cd accumulation in plants,
      improved accumulation of minerals (Ca, Mg, Fe, B, Mo) absorption, increased
      endogenous SA concentration, and phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) activity.
      Chlorosis-associated symptoms, the reduction in chlorophyll content, and the
      overproduction of reactive oxygen species induced by Cd exposure were largely
      reversed by SA. SA significantly decreased the toxic effects of Cd on the
      activities of the superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate
      peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the fronds of L. minor. Furthermore, SA
      reversed the detrimental effects of Cd on total ascorbate, glutathione, the
      ascorbic acid/oxidized dehydroascorbate and glutathione/glutathione disulphide
      ratios, lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde concentration, lipoxygenase activity,
      and the accumulation of proline. SA induced the up-regulation of heat shock
      proteins (Hsp70) and attenuated the adverse effects of Cd on cell viability.
      These results suggest that SA confers tolerance to Cd stress in L. minor through
      different mechanisms.

PMID- 28915398
TI  - Masculinization and reproductive effects in western mosquitofish (Gambusia
      affinis) after long-term exposure to androstenedione.
AB  - Androstenedione (AED) is a naturally occurring steroid hormone. It is metabolized
      to potent androgens, which may induce androgenic effects in fish. However, little
      is known whether and how the androgens interfere with the fish gonadal
      development and reproduction. This study aimed at demonstrating the effects of
      long-term AED exposure on reproduction and development in mosquitofish (Gambusia
      affinis). The growth, development and several morphological endpoints, including
      the segment number and length of anal fin, histological changes of gonads and
      liver, were evaluated in mosquitofish during development from fertilized embryo
      to adulthood (180 days) after exposure of AED at environmentally relevant
      concentrations. We found that the growth (length, body weight and condition
      factor) of fish was negatively correlated with AED concentration in females, but
      not in males. The significant elongation of the ray and increment of segment
      numbers in the anal fin, were detected in all mosquitofish after exposure.
      Moreover, AED exposure (0.4gu/L) caused damages in gonads and reduced the number
      of pregnant females. These findings indicate that AED has adverse effects on the
      growth and development of the western mosquitofish after long-term exposure
      (180d). Long-term exposure (180d) to AED, including environmentally relevant
      concentration (0.4ug/L and 4ug/L), induced masculinization in female mosquitofish
      under the experimental conditions.

PMID- 28915399
TI  - Climate change impact of livestock CH4 emission in India: Global temperature
      change potential (GTP) and surface temperature response.
AB  - Two climate metrics, Global surface Temperature Change Potential (GTP) and the
      Absolute GTP (AGTP) are used for studying the global surface temperature impact
      of CH4 emission from livestock in India. The impact on global surface temperature
      is estimated for 20 and 100 year time frames due to CH4 emission. The results
      show that the CH4 emission from livestock, worked out to 15.3 Tg in 2012. In
      terms of climate metrics GTP of livestock-related CH4 emission in India in 2012
      were 1030 Tg CO2e (GTP20) and 62 Tg CO2e (GTP100) at the 20 and 100 year time
      horizon, respectively. The study also illustrates that livestock-related CH4
      emissions in India can cause a surface temperature increase of up to 0.7mK and
      0.036mK over the 20 and 100 year time periods, respectively. The surface
      temperature response to a year of Indian livestock emission peaks at 0.9mK in the
      year 2021 (9 years after the time of emission). The AGTP gives important
      information in terms of temperature change due to annual CH4 emissions, which is
      useful when comparing policies that address multiple gases.

PMID- 28915400
TI  - Recent advances in understanding physical health problems in personality
      disorders.
AB  - Personality disorders are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes,
      contributing to the high healthcare utilization seen in patients with these
      disorders. A growing literature supports a robust association of personality
      disorders and health problems. The primary aim of this article is to summarize
      the most recent research documenting the associations between personality
      disorders and health conditions. Extending past reviews, we discuss the
      association of personality disorders with chronic physical illnesses, sleep
      disturbances, pain conditions, and obesity. We provide recommendations for future
      research in this area.

PMID- 28915401
TI  - The modified ketogenic diet for adults with refractory epilepsy: An evaluation of
      a set up service.
AB  - PURPOSE: The ketogenic diet (KD) has been proven to be effective in children with
      refractory epilepsy and is recommended by the National Institute of Health and
      Care Excellence (NICE). There is no randomised control trial (RCT) evidence for
      the clinical or cost effectiveness of KD in adults, for whom the KD is not
      currently recommended. We assessed the feasibility of the modified ketogenic diet
      (MKD) in adults with refractory epilepsy along with the willingness of patients
      to participate in a future RCT. METHODS: The service evaluation was undertaken in
      two parts; questionnaire and diet evaluation. RESULTS: 102 patients completed a
      questionnaire, of which 51 patients were willing to try the MKD for 3 months to
      assess effect on seizures. Forty three patients were willing to participate in a
      clinical trial to investigate deliverability, efficacy and tolerability. Thirty
      seven of which would still be willing to participate if the trial were
      randomised. Of the 17 patients who commenced the diet, 9 completed the 12 week
      period, 7 of which stayed on the diet for the longer term. Constipation (n=6) and
      loose stools (n=3) were the only reported adverse effects. CONCLUSION: Our
      results indicate that there is demand for a ketogenic diet service in adults. The
      MKD is well tolerated, feasible and financially viable to deliver to adults with
      epilepsy in the NHS. There is also interest in and willingness to participate in
      a UK based RCT that would ultimately inform decisions about commissioning
      appropriate services.

PMID- 28915402
TI  - Complete immunization coverage and its determinants among children in Malaysia:
      findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2016.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The success of the Expanded Program on Immunization among children
      will greatly reduce the burden of illness and disability from vaccine preventable
      diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the complete immunization coverage
      and its determinants among children aged 12-23 months in Malaysia. STUDY DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data on immunization were extracted from the 2016
      National Health and Morbidity Survey. Complete immunization coverage was
      classified as received all recommended primary vaccine doses by the age of 12
      months and verified by vaccination cards, and incompletely immunized if they
      received partially recommended vaccine dose or not received any recommended
      vaccine dose or had no vaccination card. The multiple logistic regression
      analyses were conducted to determine the sociodemographic factors associated with
      complete immunization coverage. RESULTS: The overall complete immunization
      coverage among children (verified by cards) was 86.4% (n = 8920, 95% confidence
      interval: 85.4-87.4). Multivariable logistic regression analyses model revealed
      that factors significantly associated with complete immunization coverage were
      ethnicity, occupation of the mother, head of household's education level, and
      head of household's occupation. While sex, citizenship, household income,
      mother's age, and marital status were not significantly associated with complete
      immunization coverage. CONCLUSIONS: According to the World Health Organization
      criteria, the present study demonstrated that the immunization coverage of 86.4%
      is still unsatisfactory. Thus, the current intervention program should be
      enhanced in order to achieve the 95% coverage for all antigens in the national
      vaccination program.

PMID- 28915403
TI  - Highs and lows: Naturalistic changes in mood and everyday hassles over school and
      vacation periods in adolescents.
AB  - This study investigated changes in adolescents' mood and everyday hassles across
      school-terms and vacation periods. 146 (52.7% female) community-dwelling
      adolescents aged 16.2 +/- 1.0 years (M+/-SD) completed self-report measures on
      depression, anxiety, and everyday hassles at four time points: during a school
      vacation, and the start, middle, and end of school-terms. Latent growth modeling
      showed that the end of a school-term was associated with significantly higher
      symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hassles; these measures were lower during
      the vacation. Hassles were strongly associated with more negative mood at all
      times. Our findings suggest significant fluctuations in adolescent mood and
      everyday hassles across school-vacation cycles. These findings call for careful
      consideration and reporting of timing in mood and stress assessment in adolescent
      research, as school-vacation cycles may have strong influence on both.
      Naturalistic changes in mood over school-vacation cycles reported are also
      clinically informative for designing and delivering adolescent wellbeing
      programs.

PMID- 28915404
TI  - Dynamic phosphorylation of Ebola virus VP30 in NP-induced inclusion bodies.
AB  - Zaire Ebolavirus (EBOV) causes a severe feverish disease with high case fatality
      rates. Transcription of EBOV is dependent on the activity of the nucleocapsid
      protein VP30 which represents an essential viral transcription factor. Activity
      of VP30 is regulated via phosphorylation at six N-terminal serine residues.
      Recent data demonstrated that dynamic phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of
      serine residue 29 is essential for transcriptional support activity of VP30. To
      analyze the spatio/temporal dynamics of VP30 phosphorylation, we generated a
      peptide antibody recognizing specifically VP30 phosphorylated at serine 29. Using
      this antibody we could demonstrate that (i) the majority of VP30 molecules in
      EBOV-infected cells is dephosphorylated at the crucial position serine 29, (ii)
      both, VP30 phosphorylation and dephosphorylation take place in viral inclusion
      bodies that are induced by the nucleoprotein NP and (iii) NP influences the
      phosphorylation state of VP30.

PMID- 28915405
TI  - Hepatic immunopathology during occult hepacivirus re-infection.
AB  - Despite drug advances for Hepatitis C virus (HCV), re-infections remain prevalent
      in high-risk populations. Unfortunately, the role of preexisting viral immunity
      and how it modulates re-infection is unclear. GBV-B infection of common marmosets
      is a useful model to study tissue immune responses in hepacivirus infections, and
      in this study we re-challenged 4 animals after clearance of primary viremia.
      Although only low-to-absent viremia was observed following re-challenge, GBV-B
      viral RNA was detectable in liver, confirming re-infection. Microscopic hepatic
      lesions indicated severe-to-mild lymphocyte infiltration and fibrosis in 3 out of
      4 animals. Further, GBV-B-specific T cells were elevated in animals with moderate
      to-severe hepatopathology, and up to 3-fold increases in myeloid dendritic and
      activated natural killer cells were observed after infection. Our data indicate
      that occult hepacivirus re-infections occur and that new liver pathology is
      possible even in the presence of anti-hepacivirus T cells and in the absence of
      high viremia.

PMID- 28915406
TI  - Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus PK1 is a factor that
      regulates high-level expression of very late genes in viral infection.
AB  - The remarkable ability of baculovirus is to hyperexpress very late genes, but the
      mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report the effect of PK1, a baculovirus
      encoded serine/threonine kinase, on very late gene hyperexpression. PK1 knockout
      does not completely disrupt very late gene expression, but down regulates the
      hyperexpression. Those truncated PK1s that exhibit kinase activity in vitro
      rescue the decline of very late hyperexpression, while other truncated PK1s and a
      point mutant PK1 (D137A) without kinase activity fail to rescue the decline of
      very late hyperexpression, suggesting that PK1 regulates very late gene
      expression by its kinase activity. In addition, those PK1 mutants that can rescue
      the hyperexpression are able to interact with very late promoter containing 5'
      UTR. Based on the above data, we hypothesize that PK1 binds to very late promoter
      containing 5' UTR to regulate the hyperexpression of very late genes by its
      kinase activity.

PMID- 28915407
TI  - Differentiation and sarcomere formation in skeletal myocytes directly prepared
      from human induced pluripotent stem cells using a sphere-based culture.
AB  - Human induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a promising resource for
      propagation of myogenic progenitors. Our group recently reported a unique
      protocol for the derivation of myogenic progenitors directly (without genetic
      modification) from human pluripotent cells using free-floating spherical culture.
      Here we expand our previous efforts and attempt to determine how differentiation
      duration, culture surface coatings, and nutrient supplements in the medium
      influence progenitor differentiation and formation of skeletal myotubes
      containing sarcomeric structures. A long differentiation period (over 6 weeks)
      promoted the differentiation of iPSC-derived myogenic progenitors and subsequent
      myotube formation. These iPSC-derived myotubes contained representative
      sarcomeric structures, consisting of organized myosin and actin filaments, and
      could spontaneously contract. We also found that a bioengineering approach using
      three-dimensional (3D) artificial muscle constructs could facilitate the
      formation of elongated myotubes. Lastly, we determined how culture surface
      coating matrices and different supplements would influence terminal
      differentiation. While both Matrigel and laminin coatings showed comparable
      effects on muscle differentiation, B27 serum-free supplement in the
      differentiation medium significantly enhanced myogenesis compared to horse serum.
      Our findings support the possibility to create an in vitro model of contractile
      sarcomeric myofibrils for disease modeling and drug screening to study
      neuromuscular diseases.

PMID- 28915408
TI  - Transarterial chemoembolisation for breast cancer with liver metastasis: A
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the impact of transarterial
      chemoembolisation (TACE) on survival in patients of breast cancer with liver
      metastasis (BCLM). METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to assess TACE
      effect on BCLM patients. A search for clinical studies published since 1/1/2000
      to 1/1/2017 was performed. Survival data from all studies were extracted to
      evaluate the efficacy of TACE, including overall survival, disease free survival
      and response rate. Toxic side effects data were also extracted to assess the
      safety of TACE. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies with 519 BCLM patients were
      identified. 78.0% patients were treated with TACE, 9.9% were treated with TACE
      plus systematic chemotherapy and 12.1% were treated with systematic chemotherapy
      alone. Pooled median overall survival of patients who received TACE ranged from
      7.3 to 47.0 months, median disease free survival ranged from 2.9 to 17.0 months
      and response rates ranged from 7.0 to 73.5%. Pooled Grade 3 and 4 side effects
      (blood toxicities, liver toxicity and post-embolization syndrome) ranged from 0.0
      to 17.4%. CONCLUSIONS: TACE is one of an effective treatment for BCLM and whether
      a specific patient is appropriate to receive TACE depends on a multiple
      disciplinary team discussion.

PMID- 28915409
TI  - Androgen receptor cytosine, adenine, and guanine trinucleotide repeat
      polymorphism in Korean patients with endometriosis: A case-control study.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the androgen receptor
      (AR) cytosine, adenine, and guanine (CAG) repeat polymorphisms and endometriosis.
      STUDY DESIGN: A prospective case-control, genetic association study was performed
      on women with surgically proven endometriosis (n=421) and controls free of
      endometriosis (n=349). AR CAG repeat lengths were determined from peripheral
      blood samples. The difference in the frequency of each alleles were compared in
      patients with endometriosis and controls using Chi-square test. MAIN RESULTS: No
      significant difference in biallelic length mean between patients and controls was
      observed. Alleles containing 24 CAG repeats were significantly more frequent in
      stage I-II (mild) endometriosis than in the control samples (19.8% and 13.3%,
      respectively; OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.04-2.47). Additionally, a higher frequency of
      both alleles with 24 or more CAG repeats was observed in individuals with mild
      endometriosis, in comparison with the controls (25.6% and 15.2%, respectively; OR
      1.92, 95% CI 1.09-3.38). CONCLUSIONS: AR gene CAG repeat polymorphisms are
      associated with the increased risk of mild endometriosis.

PMID- 28915410
TI  - AIEgens for biological process monitoring and disease theranostics.
AB  - Biological processes are of great significance for the normal physiological
      functions of living organisms and closely related to the health. Monitoring of
      biological processes and diagnosis of diseases based on fluorescent techniques
      would provide comprehensive insight into mechanism of life and pathogenesis of
      diseases, precisely guiding therapeutic effect in theranostics. It largely relied
      on fluorophores with the properties of excellent photostability, large Stokes
      shift, high signal-to-noise ratio and free of aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ)
      effect. Luminogens with aggregation-induced emission characteristic (AIEgens)
      could serve as superior agents for biological process monitoring and disease
      theranostics. Herein, we review the recent results in the aspects of monitoring
      biological processes such as autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondrion-related
      dynamics, cell mitotic, long-term cellular tracing and apoptosis as well as the
      diagnosis of related diseases based on AIEgens in real time. As part of AIEgens
      and AIEgen-based nanoparticles with the functionalities of drugs,
      photosensitizers and adjuvants accompanied with imaging, they exhibit huge
      potential in theranostic systems for image-guided chemotherapy, photodynamic
      therapy, radiotherapy and so on. Collectively, these examples show the potentials
      of AIEgens for understanding disease pathogenesis, for drug development and
      evaluation, and for clinical disease diagnosis and therapy. Future research
      efforts focused on developing long-wavelength excitable and phosphorescence
      emissive AIEgens with improved depth-penetration and minimized background
      interference for fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging, will extend the
      potential applications of AIEgens in in vivo.

PMID- 28915411
TI  - Uncontrolled variables in standardized psychiatric patient methodology.

PMID- 28915412
TI  - Aspergillus section Flavi community structure in Zambia influences aflatoxin
      contamination of maize and groundnut.
AB  - Aflatoxins are cancer-causing, immuno-suppressive mycotoxins that frequently
      contaminate important staples in Zambia including maize and groundnut. Several
      species within Aspergillus section Flavi have been implicated as causal agents of
      aflatoxin contamination in Africa. However, Aspergillus populations associated
      with aflatoxin contamination in Zambia have not been adequately detailed. Most of
      Zambia's arable land is non-cultivated and Aspergillus communities in crops may
      originate in non-cultivated soil. However, relationships between Aspergillus
      populations on crops and those resident in non-cultivated soils have not been
      explored. Because characterization of similar fungal populations outside of
      Zambia have resulted in strategies to prevent aflatoxins, the current study
      sought to improve understanding of fungal communities in cultivated and non
      cultivated soils and in crops. Crops (n=412) and soils from cultivated (n=160)
      and non-cultivated land (n=60) were assayed for Aspergillus section Flavi from
      2012 to 2016. The L-strain morphotype of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus
      were dominant on maize and groundnut (60% and 42% of Aspergillus section Flavi,
      respectively). Incidences of A. flavus L-morphotype were negatively correlated
      with aflatoxin in groundnut (log y=2.4990935-0.09966x, R2=0.79, P=0.001) but not
      in maize. Incidences of A. parasiticus partially explained groundnut aflatoxin
      concentrations in all agroecologies and maize aflatoxin in agroecology III (log
      y=0.1956034+0.510379x, R2=0.57, P<0.001) supporting A. parasiticus as the
      dominant etiologic agent of aflatoxin contamination in Zambia. Communities in
      both non-cultivated and cultivated soils were dominated by A. parasiticus (69%
      and 58%, respectively). Aspergillus parasiticus from cultivated and non
      cultivated land produced statistically similar concentrations of aflatoxins.
      Aflatoxin-producers causing contamination of crops in Zambia may be native and,
      originate from non-cultivated areas, and not be introduced with non-native crops
      such as maize and groundnut. Non-cultivated land may be an important reservoir
      from which aflatoxin-producers are repeatedly introduced to cultivated areas. The
      potential of atoxigenic members of the A. flavus-L morphotype for management of
      aflatoxin in Zambia is also suggested. Characterization of the causal agents of
      aflatoxin contamination in agroecologies across Zambia gives support for
      modifying fungal community structure to reduce the aflatoxin-producing potential.

PMID- 28915413
TI  - Transmission electron microscopy studies and modeling of 3D reciprocal space of
      omega forming alloy.
AB  - Initial stage of omega phase formation and associated anomalous features that
      appear in diffraction patterns of a metastable beta transition metal alloy have
      been investigated in this study with the aid of transmission electron microscopy,
      simulation and modeling. The paper explores discrete features that emerge in
      selected area diffraction patterns of quenched Ti-15wt%Mo alloy and analyzes the
      correlation between omega reflections and diffuse arcs by considering all
      variants of omega phase as per the formation kinetics of omega phase in beta
      matrix while quenching. Superimposed simulated diffraction patterns have been
      compared with experimental counterparts and it is deduced that there is lack of
      congruence between omega reflections and diffuse arcs even after considering
      trigonal omega with varying degrees of displacement. Direct lattice imaging of
      trigonal omega in beta matrix has been demonstrated by phase contrast microscopy
      coupled with Fourier filtering techniques. By investigating the nature of omega
      reflections and diffuse arcs with the aid of electron diffraction pattern
      calculations and phase contrast microscopy, it is shown that, existing model of
      three-dimensional (3D) reciprocal space of omega forming alloy at quenched stage
      is not complete. A new model incorporating a patterned intensity distribution is
      fitted at the octahedral sites of an fcc reciprocal lattice whose planar
      intersections with Ewald's sphere show a better fit with the observed
      experimental diffraction patterns.

PMID- 28915414
TI  - Evaluation of surgical decision making and resulting outcome in patients with
      highly eloquent glioblastoma: Results of a multicenter assessment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Treatment of glioblastoma(GB) patients amenable only for a subtotal
      resection(STR) is controversial. Since outcome of patients is affected by
      surgical management, our aim was to assess surgical decision making and resulting
      outcome in patients with highly eloquent GBs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively assessed GB patients with intended sub-total resection (STR) or
      stereotactic biopsy (STX) of 3 neurooncological centers operated between 2008 and
      2013. A volumetric assessment of overall extent of resection(oEoR), presence of
      complications, new permanent neurological deficits(nPNDs) was performed. A
      central reviewer reassessed all cases blinded and gave recommendation on surgical
      management and on a potential EoR(pEoR) based on imaging data. We compared
      outcome data using Mann-Whitney-U-test and Sign-Rank-Test. Survival was assessed
      based on Kaplan-Meier-estimates. RESULTS: 97 patients were included. In 17
      patients received STX, 70 patients a STR and 10 patients a near total resection
      (NTR, EoR>95%). Median OS was significantly different from STX patients only if
      NTR was reached (16 vs. 7 months, p=0.042). The central reviewer recommended a
      more aggressive strategy(NTR or STR resp.) in 41 patients and a less aggressive
      strategy in 13 patients. Overall, management recommendation was significantly
      different to clinical treatment (p<0.001). Mean pEoR was significantly higher
      than oEoR (85.7% vs. 71.3%, p=0.001). Regarding the different OR subgroups, no
      significant differences were found in the NTR group(12/13 ties, p=1) and in STX
      group (14/17 ties, p=0.125). In STR group, a significant difference was found
      (p=0.001). In 38/69 patients a NTR and in 13/77 patients a STX was recommended.
      CONCLUSION: Surgery in GB patients with intended STR requires precise
      preoperative planning since potential EoR is mainly underestimated. Especially,
      patients with lesions amenable for a NTR should not be missed.

PMID- 28915415
TI  - Transcriptomic analysis of the hepatopancreas induced by eyestalk ablation in
      shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.
AB  - Although eyestalk ablation (ESA) is currently considered the most effective
      method to facilitate molting and maturation, its physiological responses are
      still not clearly explained in decapod crustaceans. In this study, we analyzed
      the hepatopancreatic transcriptomes of Litopenaeus vannamei after ESA using the
      Illumina Miseq platform. After screening 53,029 contigs with high cutoff values
      (fold change>|10|; P-value<0.05; RPKM>1), we were able to identify 105
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 100 were up-regulated and five
      were down-regulated. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway
      analysis showed that many DEGs were involved in the synthetic pathways for
      glycerol and trehalose, which are known to function as the major protectants
      under conditions of low temperature and osmotic stress in arthropods. Additional
      analysis of the other DEGs enabled us to classify them in four categories:
      immunity; cellular trafficking; transcriptional regulation; molting and
      maturation. Many DEGs were involved in immunity and stress responses, in
      particular the proPO activation system, which is the major immune and wound
      healing system in arthropods. In addition to immunity and stress responses, we
      were also able to identify DEGs involved in molting and maturation processes
      (e.g., group I chitinase), as well as those involved in hormone metabolism and
      trafficking. Collectively, based on the transcriptomic analysis, ESA causes not
      only stress and immune responses, but also molting and maturation in L. vannamei.
      The DEGs identified in this study could be useful markers to understand the
      physiological responses that ESA induces in shrimp, such as molting, maturation,
      and immunity.

PMID- 28915416
TI  - Methodological approaches in analysing observational data: A practical example on
      how to address clustering and selection bias.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because not every scientific question on effectiveness can be
      answered with randomised controlled trials, research methods that minimise bias
      in observational studies are required. Two major concerns influence the internal
      validity of effect estimates: selection bias and clustering. Hence, to reduce the
      bias of the effect estimates, more sophisticated statistical methods are needed.
      AIM: To introduce statistical approaches such as propensity score matching and
      mixed models into representative real-world analysis and to conduct the
      implementation in statistical software R to reproduce the results. Additionally,
      the implementation in R is presented to allow the results to be reproduced.
      METHOD: We perform a two-level analytic strategy to address the problems of bias
      and clustering: (i) generalised models with different abilities to adjust for
      dependencies are used to analyse binary data and (ii) the genetic matching and
      covariate adjustment methods are used to adjust for selection bias. Hence, we
      analyse the data from two population samples, the sample produced by the matching
      method and the full sample. RESULTS: The different analysis methods in this
      article present different results but still point in the same direction. In our
      example, the estimate of the probability of receiving a case conference is higher
      in the treatment group than in the control group. Both strategies, genetic
      matching and covariate adjustment, have their limitations but complement each
      other to provide the whole picture. CONCLUSION: The statistical approaches were
      feasible for reducing bias but were nevertheless limited by the sample used. For
      each study and obtained sample, the pros and cons of the different methods have
      to be weighted.

PMID- 28915417
TI  - LC-MS/MS quantification of 7alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (C4) in rat and
      monkey plasma.
AB  - 7alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (C4) is an oxidative enzymatic product of
      cholesterol metabolism via cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, an enzyme also known
      as cholesterol 7-alpha-monooxygenase or cytochrome P450 7A1 (CYP7A1). C4 is a
      stable intermediate in the rate limiting pathway of bile acid biosynthesis.
      Previous studies showed that plasma C4 levels correlated with CYP7A1 enzymatic
      activity and could serve as a biomarker for bile acid synthesis. Here we
      developed and qualified a simple and robust high-throughput method using liquid
      chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to quantify C4 in
      rat and monkey plasma. As C4 being an endogenous compound, this method used
      calibration standards in 50/50: acetonitrile/water (v/v). In order to mimic the
      incurred samples, quality control samples were prepared in the authentic plasma.
      Stable isotope labeled C4 (C4-d7) was used as the internal standard. The sample
      volume for analysis was 20MUL and the sample preparation method was protein
      precipitation with acetonitrile. The average endogenous C4 concentrations, from
      10 different lots of rat and monkey plasma, were 53.0+/-16.5ng/mL and 6.8+/
      5.6ng/mL, respectively. Based on these observed endogenous C4 levels, the
      calibration curve ranges were established at 1-200ng/mL and 0.5-100ng/mL for rat
      assay and monkey assay, respectively. The method was qualified with acceptable
      accuracy, precision, linearity, and specificity. Matrix effect, recovery, and
      plasma stability of bench-top, freeze-thaw, and long-term frozen storage were
      also evaluated. The method has been successfully applied to pre-clinical studies.

PMID- 28915418
TI  - Purification, identification and molecular mechanism of two dipeptidyl peptidase
      IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory peptides from Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) protein
      hydrolysate.
AB  - Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) played an important role in blood glucose
      regulation. Inhibition of DPP-IV may improve glycemic control in diabetics by
      preventing the rapid breakdown of incretin hormones and prolonging their
      physiological action. In this study, Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) protein
      was hydrolyzed using animal proteolytic enzymes. The hydrolysate was purified
      sequentially by ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography and reversed phase
      high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). DPP-IV inhibitory activity of
      the fractions achieved from Antarctic krill protein was determined by DPP-IV
      screening reagent kit. Two purified peptides were identified by Xevo G2-XS QTof
      mass spectrometer (QTOF-MS). One peptide purified was Ala-Pro (AP) with IC50
      values of 0.0530mg/mL, the other Ile-Pro-Ala (IPA) with IC50 values of
      0.0370mg/mL. They both exhibited strong DPP-IV inhibitory activity. The molecular
      docking analysis revealed that DPP-IV inhibition by AP and IPA was mainly due to
      formation of a strong interaction surface force with the 91-96 and 101-105 amino
      acids of the DPP-IV. Our results suggested that the protein hydrolysate from
      Antarctic krill can be considered as a promising natural source of DPP-IV
      inhibitory peptides in the management of diabetes.

PMID- 28915419
TI  - Sensitivity improvement of the LC-MS/MS quantification of carbidopa in human
      plasma and urine by derivatization with 2,4-pentanedione.
AB  - The reliable quantification of carbidopa in biological samples at low
      concentrations is challenging because of the polar and highly unstable nature of
      the compound. In this paper, LC-MS/MS methods are described for the determination
      of carbidopa in 50MUL of human plasma and 25MUL of human urine in the
      concentration ranges 1-1,000ng/mL and 100-50,000ng/mL, respectively. After a
      simple protein precipitation (plasma) or dilution (urine) step, carbidopa is
      derivatized at its hydrazine moiety by reaction for one hour with 2,4
      pentanedione under acidic conditions and at 40 degrees C. The product is a
      relatively non-polar molecule that is suitable for reversed-phase liquid
      chromatography (3.5min run time) with detection by tandem mass spectrometry with
      electrospray ionization. A stable-isotope labeled internal standard is used for
      response normalization. Precision, accuracy and selectivity of the methods meet
      the criteria of international guidelines for bioanalytical method validation.
      Acidification of urine to pH 1.5 and the addition of two anti-oxidants (5mg/mL
      sodium metabisulfite and 1mg/mL butylated hydroxytoluene) to plasma, in
      combination with sampling and analysis on ice and under yellow light, ensure
      sufficient stability of carbidopa. The methods were successfully used to
      determine plasma pharmacokinetics and urinary excretion of carbidopa in healthy
      volunteers after a single 37.5mg oral dose.

PMID- 28915420
TI  - Determination of eight quinolones in milk using immunoaffinity microextraction in
      a packed syringe and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.
AB  - We have established a new, highly selective, and sensitive method for the
      determination of eight quinolones (QNs) in milk: danofloxacin, enrofloxacin,
      orbifloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, lomefloxacin, fleroxacin, and
      ciprofloxacin. The method uses immunoaffinity microextraction in a packed syringe
      and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (IA-MEPS-LC-FLD).
      Traditionally, QN residues are determined by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and
      solid phase extraction (SPE) sample preparation techniques; however, these
      methods are time-consuming and require large quantities of organic solvents. We
      thus developed a novel immunoaffinity adsorbent combined with MEPS for QN residue
      analysis. The syringe was filled with 0.2g of microbeads bound with a QN
      monoclonal antibody using glutaraldehyde. The relevant parameters of the IA-MEPS
      method were optimized and discussed herein. Milk samples were extracted at a flow
      rate of 3.5mL/min, 600MUL of methanol-and phosphate-buffered saline (9:1, v/v)
      was used for elution, and 200MUL of mobile phase was used for reconstitution
      after the sample was dried with nitrogen. Then, the sample was detected by LC
      FLD. For the eight QNs, the limit of detection ranged from 0.05 to 0.1ng/g, the
      limit of quantification ranged from 0.15 to 0.3ng/g, and the intra- and inter-day
      precision were 3.2%-14.6% and 9.1%-15.8%, respectively. The advantages of the IA
      MEPS method includ simple operation, low cost and reduced organic solvent use.
      Moreover, the sample pretreatment is environmentally friendly because of the
      reduced solvent volume requirements.

PMID- 28915421
TI  - Determination of chlormequat and mepiquat residues and their dissipation rates in
      tomato cultivation matrices by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem
      mass spectrometry.
AB  - This study described the development and validation of a simple, rapid, specific
      and sensitive method for detecting chlormequat chloride (CQ) and mepiquat
      chloride (MQ) residues in tomato cultivation matrices covering soil, water,
      seedling samples. The dissipation rates of CQ and MQ in tomato cultivation
      matrices were also determined in this study. A Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid
      Chromatography (HILIC) column was used for chromatographic separation. A triple
      quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionisation source in
      positive ion mode by multiple reaction monitoring was used for detection. Soil
      samples were extracted with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and cleaned up
      with WCX phase extraction column; water samples were extracted with WCX phase
      extraction column; seedling samples were extracted with methanol-ammonium acetate
      solution. LODs and LOQs of CQ and MQ were 0.02MUg/kg and 0.1MUg/kg in soil
      samples, 0.005ng/mL and 0.02ng/mL in water samples, and 0.05MUg/kg and 1.0MUg/kg
      in seedling samples, respectively. The mean recovery rate of CQ in soil, water
      and seedling samples ranged from 76.98% to 111.60%. While the mean recovery rate
      of MQ in soil, water and seedling samples ranged from 96.90% to 105.40%. The
      fastest to the slowest metabolising rates of CQ and MQ were as follows: soil
      samples>seedling samples>water samples. In conclusion, this study provided a new
      potential method for detecting CQ and MQ in tomato cultivation matrices using
      ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PMID- 28915422
TI  - Determination of hydroxyurea in human plasma by HPLC-UV using derivatization with
      xanthydrol.
AB  - A simple and rapid high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using
      ultraviolet (UV) detection was developed to determine hydroxyurea (HU)
      concentration in plasma sample after derivatization with xanthydrol. Two hundred
      microliters samples were spiked with methylurea (MeU) as internal standard and
      proteins were precipitated by adding methanol. Derivatization of HU and MeU was
      immediately performed by adding 0.02M xanthydrol and 1.5M HCl in order to obtain
      xanthyl-derivatives of HU and MeU that can be further separated using HPLC and
      quantified using UV detection at 240nm. Separation was achieved using a C18
      column with a mobile phase composed of 20mM ammonium acetate and acetonitrile in
      gradient elution mode at a flow rate of 1mL/min. The total analysis time did not
      exceed 18min. The method was found linear from 5 to 400MUM and all validation
      parameters fulfilled the international requirements. Between- and within-run
      accuracy error ranged from -4.7% to 3.2% and precision was lower than 12.8%. This
      simple method requires small volume samples and can be easily implemented in most
      clinical laboratories to develop pharmacokinetics studies of HU and to promote
      its therapeutic monitoring.

PMID- 28915423
TI  - Premature psychotherapy termination in an outpatient treatment program for
      personality disorders: a survival analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Psychological treatment for patients with personality disorders (PD)
      is plagued with a high proportion of early dropouts, and attempts to identify
      risk factors for attrition have generated very few conclusive results. The
      purpose of the present study is to identify significant predictors of early
      treatment termination in a long-term psychotherapy program for PD. METHODS: Data
      was retrospectively retrieved from 174 files of patients who began long-term
      psychotherapy in an outpatient treatment program in Quebec City, Canada. Socio
      demographic, initial disturbance, and diagnostic variables were considered for
      prediction, along with a measure specifically designed to identify PD patients at
      risk of dropping out early from psychotherapy, the Treatment Attrition-Retention
      Scale for Personality Disorders (TARS-PD). Survival analysis using Cox
      proportional hazard regression was performed to identify significant predictors.
      RESULTS: Results using univariate Cox proportional hazards regressions revealed
      that unemployment, Global Assessment of Functioning scores, and recent hetero
      aggressive behavior were significant predictors of early dropout in the first six
      months of therapy. Adjusting for these three confounders, four of the factor
      scores from the TARS-PD (Narcissism, Secondary gains, Low distress, and Cluster A
      features) were significantly associated with dropout in univariate Cox
      proportional hazards regressions. Secondary gains and Narcissism remained
      significant predictors after entering all five TARS-PD factors in a multivariate
      Cox proportional hazards regression adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSIONS:
      Taking into consideration specific treatment prognosis variables, such as those
      measured by the TARS-PD, might be more useful for dropout prediction in PD
      patients in comparison with more general demographic and diagnostic variables.

PMID- 28915424
TI  - Emergency surgery in a newborn patient with severe congenital hypothyrodism.

PMID- 28915425
TI  - Substance abuse in the anesthesia block room by a patient.

PMID- 28915426
TI  - Intravenous dexamethasone as an adjunct to improve labor analgesia: A randomized,
      double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the role of intravenous (i.v.) dexamethasone as an analgesic
      adjunct in labor analgesia. DESIGN: Double-blinded randomized controlled trial.
      SETTING: Labor analgesia in a tertiary-care teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Eighty
      consenting ASA I-II parturients, age>18year, nulliparous, single gestation,
      cephalic presentation at >=36 wk. of gestation, in early spontaneous labor
      (cervical dilatation<=5cm) requesting epidural analgesia. INTERVENTIONS: The
      patients were randomized to two groups. The Dexa group received 8mg of
      dexamethasone i.v. in 50ml normal saline approximately 45min before the
      procedure. Placebo group patients received 50ml normal saline only. All patients
      underwent epidural labor analgesia per hospital protocol. After an initial bolus,
      they received continuous background infusion of 5ml/h of 0.1% of levobupivacaine
      with 2MUg/ml of fentanyl, with the provision of patient controlled boluses of 5ml
      of the same drug combination with a lockout interval of 12min if needed.
      MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome measure: hourly average consumption of neuraxially
      administered levobupivacaine-fentanyl combination. Secondary outcomes and
      observations: pain score, maternal satisfaction, sensory and motor block
      characteristics, hemodynamic parameters of mother, fetal heart rate, duration of
      second stage of labor, mode of delivery, Apgar scores at 1 and 5min, and adverse
      effects. MAIN RESULTS: Average hourly drug consumption was significantly lower in
      Dexa group as compared to Placebo group (10.34+/-1.79ml/h vs. 11.34+/-1.83ml/h;
      mean difference 1.007, 95% CI 0.199-1.815; P=0.015). The median number of bolus
      doses was 4 (interquartile-range [IQR] 3-5.75) and 5 (IQR 3-6) in the Dexa and
      Placebo groups, respectively (P=0.162). There was no significant difference
      between groups with regard to pain scores, maternal satisfaction and
      hemodynamics, mode of delivery, and adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: I.v.
      dexamethasone significantly decreased hourly average drug consumption of
      levobupivacaine-fentanyl combination through the epidural route, demonstrating
      the epidural drug dose sparing effect during labor analgesia.

PMID- 28915427
TI  - Breast lymphoma in a patient with B-cell Non Hodgkin Lymphoma: A case report
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Breast involvement in Non Hodgkin Lymphoma is a rare entity as it
      accounts for 2.2% of all extranodal lymphomas. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 59-year
      old woman was referred to our Breast Unit because of two nodules of the right
      breast newly discovered during her annual mammography. Moreover, during the
      physical examination, a red-brown itchy lump of the scalp was discovered. The
      punch biopsies of the scalp lesion and ultrasound-guided core biopsies of both
      nodules of the right breast, revealed the presence of diffuse large B-cell Non
      Hodgkin Lymphoma in all tissue specimen sites. DISCUSSION: Breast lymphomas
      represent an uncommon form of localized extranodal lymphomas that can be
      classified as Primary (PBL) or Secondary (SBL) breast lymphomas. CONCLUSION: The
      value of preoperative diagnosis should be underlined as the patient avoids
      unnecessary surgical intervention and has earlier initiation of chemotherapy.

PMID- 28915428
TI  - Compression neuropathy of the common peroneal nerve caused by an intraosseous
      ganglion cyst of fibula.
AB  - We present a case of a compression neuropathy of the common peroneal nerve caused
      by an intraosseous Ganglion cyst of fibula.

PMID- 28915429
TI  - Neuroendocrine tumor of the extrahepatic bile duct: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the extrahepatic bile ducts are
      extremely rare neoplasms arising from endocrine cells and have variable malignant
      potential. They most commonly occur in young females and usually present with
      painless jaundice. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Here we present the case of an
      asymptomatic 57-year-old woman with NET of the common bile duct that was
      incidentally discovered on abdominal ultrasound during a medical examination. She
      was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of hepatic hilar tumor. Computed
      tomography revealed the tumor surrounding the hepatic hilum and duodenum.
      Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed a filling defect of the
      common bile duct with morphology suggestive of external compression. Endoscopic
      ultrasound confirmed a submucosal tumor of the duodenal bulb measuring 30*20mm in
      size. The patient qualified for surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of
      submucosal tumor of the duodenal bulb. Intraoperative examination revealed that
      the tumor location involved the common bile duct and/or cystic duct with no signs
      of invasion to other organs or metastatic lymph nodes. Excision of the biliary
      ducts and tumor was followed by Roux-en-Y anastomosis. Histological results
      showed NET grade 1. DISCUSSION: Preoperative diagnosis of NETs is difficult
      because of their rarity. A definitive diagnosis is usually established
      intraoperatively or after histopathological evaluation. CONCLUSION: For these
      tumors, surgical resection is currently the only treatment modality for achieving
      a potentially curative effect and prolonged disease-free survival.

PMID- 28915430
TI  - Care interrupted: Poverty, in-migration, and primary care in rural resource
      towns.
AB  - Internationally, rural people have poorer health outcomes relative to their urban
      counterparts, and primary care providers face particular challenges in rural and
      remote regions. Drawing on ethnographic fieldnotes and 14 open-ended qualitative
      interviews with care providers and chronic pain patients in two remote resource
      communities in Northern Ontario, Canada, this article examines the challenges
      involved in providing and receiving primary care for complex chronic conditions
      in these communities. Both towns struggle with high unemployment in the aftermath
      of industry closure, and are characterized by an abundance of affordable housing.
      Many of the challenges that care providers face and that patients experience are
      well-documented in Canadian and international literature on rural and remote
      health, and health care in resource towns (e.g. lack of specialized care,
      difficulty with recruitment and retention of care providers, heavy workload for
      existing care providers). However, our study also documents the recent in
      migration of low-income, largely working-age people with complex chronic
      conditions who are drawn to the region by the low cost of housing. We discuss the
      ways in which the needs of these in-migrants compound existing challenges to
      rural primary care provision. To our knowledge, our study is the first to
      document both this migration trend, and the implications of this for primary
      care. In the interest of patient health and care provider well-being, existing
      health and social services will likely need to be expanded to meet the needs of
      these in-migrants.

PMID- 28915431
TI  - Ethical implications of location and accelerometer measurement in health research
      studies with mobile sensing devices.
AB  - Quantification of individual behaviours using mobile sensing devices, including
      physical activity and spatial location, is a rapidly growing field in both
      academic research and the corporate world. In this case study, we summarize the
      literature examining the ethical aspects of mobile sensing and argue that a
      robust discussion about the ethical implications of mobile sensing for research
      purposes has not occurred sufficiently in the literature. Based on our literature
      summary and guided by basic ethical principles set out in Canadian, US, and
      International Ethics documents we propose four areas where further discussion
      should occur: consent, privacy and confidentiality, mitigating risk, and
      consideration of vulnerable populations. We argue that ongoing consent is crucial
      for participants to be aware of the precision and volume of data that is
      collected with mobile sensing devices. Related to privacy we discuss that
      participants may not agree that anonymized data is sufficient for privacy and
      confidentiality when mobile sensing data are collected. There has been some
      discussion about mitigating risk in the literature. We highlight that the
      researchers' obligations toward mitigating risks that are not directly related to
      the study purpose are unclear and require considerable discussion. Finally, using
      mobile sensing devices to study vulnerable populations requires careful
      consideration, particularly with respect to balancing research needs with
      participant burden. Based on our discussion, we identify a broad set of
      unanswered questions about the ethics of mobile sensing that should be addressed
      by the research community.

PMID- 28915432
TI  - New uses for old complexes: The very first report on the trypanocidal activity of
      symmetric trinuclear ruthenium complexes.
AB  - This work reports on the trypanocidal activity of a series of symmetric
      triruthenium complexes combined with azanaphthalene ligands of general formula
      [Ru3O(CH3COO)6(L)3]PF6 (L=(1) quinazoline (qui), (2) 5-nitroisoquinoline (5
      nitroiq), (3) 5-bromoisoquinoline (5-briq), (4) isoquinoline (iq), (5) 5
      aminoisoquinoline (5-amiq), and (6) 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinoline (thiq)). All
      complexes within the series presented in vitro trypanocidal activity against both
      the trypomastigote and amastigote forms of T. cruzi. The IC50 values obtained for
      complexes 1-6 ranged from 1.39 to 165.9MUM for the trypomastigote form and from
      1.06 to 53.16MUM for the amastigote form. These values were lower than the values
      observed for the metallic core [Ru3O(CH3COO)6(CH3OH)3]+ itself and for the free
      ligands in all cases. Remarkably, complex 6 displayed lower IC50 values than the
      reference drug (benznidazole) for the acute (trypomastigote form) and chronic
      (amastigote form) phases of Chagas disease. These findings, combined with the low
      toxicity against healthy cells (LLK-MK2 strain) and a high SI value (Selectivity
      Index >10) make complex 6 an excellent candidate for in vivo tests.

PMID- 28915433
TI  - Trans-Golgi network/early endosome: a central sorting station for cargo proteins
      in plant immunity.
AB  - In plants, the trans-Golgi network (TGN) functionally overlaps with the early
      endosome (EE), serving as a central sorting hub to direct newly synthesized and
      endocytosed cargo to the cell surface or vacuole. Here, we focus on the emerging
      role of the TGN/EE in sorting of immune cargo proteins for effective plant
      immunity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Specific vesicle coat and
      regulatory components at the TGN/EE ensure that immune cargoes are correctly
      sorted and transported to the location of their cellular functions. Our
      understanding of the identity of immune cargoes and the underlying cellular
      mechanisms regulating their sorting are still rudimentary, but this knowledge is
      essential to understanding the physiological contribution of the TGN/EE to
      effective immune responses.

PMID- 28915434
TI  - Neutralization of viral infectivity by zebrafish c-reactive protein isoforms.
AB  - This work explores the unexpected in vivo and in vitro anti-viral functions of
      the seven c-reactive protein (crp1-7) genes of zebrafish (Danio rerio). First
      results showed heterogeneous crp1-7 transcript levels in healthy wild-type
      zebrafish tissues and organs and how those levels heterogeneously changed not
      only after bacterial but also after viral infections, including those in adaptive
      immunity-deficient rag1-/- mutants. As shown by microarray hybridization and
      proteomic techniques, crp2/CRP2 and crp5/CRP5 transcripts/proteins were among the
      most modulated during in vivo viral infection situations including the highest
      responses in the absence of adaptive immunity. In contrast crp1/CRP1/and
      crp7/CRP7 very often remained unmodulated. All evidences suggested that zebrafish
      crp2-6/CRP2-6 may have in vivo anti-viral activities in addition to their well
      known anti-bacterial and/or physiological functions in mammalians. Confirming
      those expectations, in vitro neutralization and in vivo protection against spring
      viremia carp virus (SVCV) infections were demonstrated by crp2-6/CRP2-6 using
      crp1-7 transfected and/or CRP1-7-enriched supernatant-treated fish cells and crp2
      5-injected one-cell stage embryo eggs, respectively. All these findings
      discovered a crp1-7/CRP1-7 primitive anti-viral functional diversity.These
      findings may help to study similar functions on the one-gene-coded human CRP,
      which is widely used as a clinical biomarker for bacterial infections, tissue
      inflammation and coronary heart diseases.

PMID- 28915435
TI  - An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social
      isolation and loneliness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Social isolation and loneliness have been associated with ill health
      and are common in the developed world. A clear understanding of their
      implications for morbidity and mortality is needed to gauge the extent of the
      associated public health challenge and the potential benefit of intervention.
      STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of systematic reviews (systematic overview) was
      undertaken to determine the wider consequences of social isolation and
      loneliness, identify any differences between the two, determine differences from
      findings of non-systematic reviews and to clarify the direction of causality.
      METHODS: Eight databases were searched from 1950 to 2016 for English language
      reviews covering social isolation and loneliness but not solely social support.
      Suitability for inclusion was determined by two or more reviewers, the
      methodological quality of included systematic reviews assessed using the a
      measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (AMSTAR) checklist and the quality
      of evidence within these reviews using the grading of recommendations,
      assessment, development and evaluations (GRADE) approach. Non-systematic reviews
      were sought for a comparison of findings but not included in the primary
      narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Forty systematic reviews of mainly observational
      studies were identified, largely from the developed world. Meta-analyses have
      identified a significant association between social isolation and loneliness with
      increased all-cause mortality and social isolation with cardiovascular disease.
      Narrative systematic reviews suggest associations with poorer mental health
      outcomes, with less strong evidence for behavioural and other physical health
      outcomes. No reviews were identified for wider socio-economic or developmental
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic overview highlights that there is
      consistent evidence linking social isolation and loneliness to worse
      cardiovascular and mental health outcomes. The role of social isolation and
      loneliness in other conditions and their socio-economic consequences is less
      clear. More research is needed on associations with cancer, health behaviours,
      and the impact across the life course and wider socio-economic consequences.
      Policy makers and health and local government commissioners should consider
      social isolation and loneliness as important upstream factors impacting on
      morbidity and mortality due to their effects on cardiovascular and mental health.
      Prevention strategies should therefore be developed across the public and
      voluntary sectors, using an asset-based approach.

PMID- 28915436
TI  - Radiation hazards and lifetime risk assessment of tap water using liquid
      scintillation counting and high-resolution gamma spectrometry.
AB  - In this work, two complementary techniques, viz. liquid scintillation counting
      and high-resolution gamma spectrometry are utilized to analyze radionuclides
      concentrations in tap water of Irbid governorate, Jordan, and study their
      correlation. Gross alpha and gross beta concentrations, in the tap water samples
      collected from the nine districts of Irbid governorate, ranged from <82 to 484
      mBq/L with a mean of 295 mBq/L and from <216 to 984 mBq/L with a mean of 611
      mBq/L, respectively. Furthermore, gamma spectrometry analysis, for the tap water
      samples, shows that the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K ranged
      between <19 and 302 mBq/L, 24 to 119 mBq/L, and <101 to 342 mBq/L, respectively.
      There was a weak or even no correlation among the identified natural
      radionuclides with no trace of artificial radioactivity. In addition, the results
      of both techniques show that storing tap water in drilled wells leads to higher
      levels of radioactivity concentrations beyond the international permissible
      limits. Furthermore, the average lifetime risk and annual effective dose received
      by age-grouped inhabitants due to direct and indirect tap water consumption are
      evaluated, where most of the received dose is attributed to 226Ra.

PMID- 28915437
TI  - Temporal characterization of the non-structural Adenovirus type 2 proteome and
      phosphoproteome using high-resolving mass spectrometry.
AB  - The proteome and phosphoproteome of non-structural proteins of Adenovirus type 2
      (Ad2) were time resolved using a developed mass spectrometry approach. These
      proteins are expressed by the viral genome and important for the infection
      process, but not part of the virus particle. We unambiguously confirm the
      existence of 95% of the viral proteins predicted to be encoded by the viral
      genome. Most non-structural proteins peaked in expression at late time post
      infection. We identified 27 non-redundant sites of phosphorylation on seven
      different non-structural proteins. The most heavily phosphorylated protein was
      the DNA binding protein (DBP) with 15 different sites. The phosphorylation
      occupancy rate could be calculated and monitored with time post infection for 15
      phosphorylated sites on various proteins. In the DBP, phosphorylations with time
      dependent relation were observed. The findings show the complexity of the Ad2 non
      structural proteins and opens up a discussion for potential new drug targets.

PMID- 28915438
TI  - Cell wall biomechanics: a tractable challenge in manipulating plant cell walls
      'fit for purpose'!
AB  - The complexity and recalcitrance of plant cell walls has contributed to the
      success of plants colonising land. Conversely, these attributes have also impeded
      progress in understanding the roles of walls in controlling and directing
      developmental processes during plant growth and also in unlocking their potential
      for biotechnological innovation. Recent technological advances have enabled the
      probing of how primary wall structures and molecular interactions of
      polysaccharides define their biomechanical (and hence functional) properties. The
      outputs have led to a new paradigm that places greater emphasis on understanding
      how the wall, as a biomechanical construct and cell surface sensor, modulates
      both plant growth and material properties. Armed with this knowledge, we are
      gaining the capacity to design walls 'fit for (biotechnological) purpose'!

PMID- 28915439
TI  - Alpha-Mangostin suppresses interleukin-1beta-induced apoptosis in rat
      chondrocytes by inhibiting the NF-kappaB signaling pathway and delays the
      progression of osteoarthritis in a rat model.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease that is characterized
      by progressive joint dysfunction and pain. Apoptosis and catabolism in
      chondrocytes play critical roles in the development of OA. Alpha-Mangostin (alpha
      MG), one of the main components of the mangosteen, has been reported to have anti
      apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. We investigated the
      therapeutic effects of alpha-MG on OA through experiments on rat chondrocytes in
      vitro and in a rat model of OA induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus
      (DMM). In vitro, we provided experimental evidence that alpha-MG inhibits the
      expression of MMP-13 and ADAMTs-5, and promotes the expression of SOX-9 in rat
      chondrocytes stimulated with interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). In addition, we also
      found that alpha-MG can inhibit the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins such as
      Bax, Cyto-c, and C-caspase3, and increase the expression of the anti-apoptotic
      protein Bcl-2. These changes may be related to an alpha-MG induced inhibition of
      the IL-1beta-induced activation of the NF-kB signaling pathway. In vivo, we also
      found that alpha-MG can limit the development of OA in rat models. The above
      results show that alpha-MG has a potential therapeutic effect on OA, and that
      this effect may be achieved by inhibiting the mitochondrial apoptosis of
      chondrocytes induced by an activation of the NF-kB pathway.

PMID- 28915440
TI  - Multiple beam ptychography for large field-of-view, high throughput, quantitative
      phase contrast imaging.
AB  - The ability to record large field-of-view images without a loss in spatial
      resolution is of crucial importance for imaging science. For most imaging
      techniques however, an increase in field-of-view comes at the cost of decreased
      resolution. Here we present a novel extension to ptychographic coherent
      diffractive imaging that permits simultaneous full-field imaging of multiple
      locations by illuminating the sample with spatially separated, interfering
      probes. This technique allows for large field-of-view imaging in amplitude and
      phase while maintaining diffraction-limited resolution, without an increase in
      collected data i.e. diffraction patterns acquired.

PMID- 28915441
TI  - Femtosecond mega-electron-volt electron microdiffraction.
AB  - To understand and control the basic functions of physical, chemical and
      biological processes from micron to nano-meter scale, an instrument capable of
      visualizing transient structural changes of inhomogeneous materials with atomic
      spatial and temporal resolutions, is required. One such technique is femtosecond
      electron microdiffraction, in which a short electron pulse with femtosecond-scale
      duration is focused into a micron-scale spot and used to obtain diffraction
      images to resolve ultrafast structural dynamics over a localized crystalline
      domain. In this letter, we report the experimental demonstration of time-resolved
      mega-electron-volt electron microdiffraction which achieves a 5 MUm root-mean
      square (rms) beam size on the sample and a 110 fs rms temporal resolution. Using
      pulses of 10k electrons at 4.2 MeV energy with a normalized emittance 3 nm-rad,
      we obtained high quality diffraction from a single 10 MUm paraffin (C44H90)
      crystal. The phonon softening mode in optical-pumped polycrystalline Bi was also
      time-resolved, demonstrating the temporal resolution limits of the instrument.
      This new characterization capability will open many research opportunities in
      material and biological sciences.

PMID- 28915442
TI  - Electron cryo-tomography captures macromolecular complexes in native
      environments.
AB  - Transmission electron microscopy has a long history in cellular biology. Fixed
      and stained samples have been used for cellular imaging for over 50 years, but
      suffer from sample preparation induced artifacts. Electron cryo-tomography
      (cryoET) instead uses frozen-hydrated samples, without chemical modification, to
      determine the structure of macromolecular complexes in their native environment.
      Recent developments in electron microscopes and associated technologies have
      greatly expanded our ability to visualize cellular features and determine the
      structures of macromolecular complexes in situ. This review highlights the
      technological improvements and the new areas of biology these advances have made
      accessible. We discuss the potential of cryoET to reveal novel and significant
      biological information on the nanometer or subnanometer scale, and directions for
      further work.

PMID- 28915443
TI  - Cerebral white matter hyperintensity is associated with intracranial
      atherosclerosis in a healthy population.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cerebral white matter hyperintensity (WMH) is commonly found
      in ischemic stroke patients, especially when accompanied by intracranial
      atherosclerosis (ICAS). However, the relationship between WMH and ICAS in a
      healthy population has not been evaluated. METHODS: A total of 3159 healthy
      subjects who underwent health checkups, including brain magnetic resonance
      imaging and angiography, were enrolled. ICAS was defined as an occlusion or more
      than 50% stenosis of intracranial vessels on magnetic resonance angiography.
      Volumes of WMH were quantitatively rated. RESULTS: Eighty-two (2.6%) subjects had
      ICAS. The mean age of the cohort was 56 years, and the median volume of WMH was
      1.02 [0.20-2.60] mL. In a multivariate analysis, ICAS [beta = 0.331, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 0.086 to 0.576, p = 0.008] was significantly
      associated with WMH volumes after adjusting confounders. Age (beta = 0.046, 95%
      CI = 0.042 to 0.050, p < 0.001), hypertension (beta = 0.113, 95% CI = 0.017 to
      0.210, p = 0.021), and diabetes (beta = 0.154, 95% CI = 0.043 to 0.265, p =
      0.006) were also significant, independently of ICAS. The ICAS (+) group had more
      frequent vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, and statin use,
      than the ICAS (-) group, and these tendencies increased when WMH was accompanied
      by ICAS. CONCLUSIONS: ICAS is associated with larger WMH volume in a healthy
      population. Close observation of this group and strict control of vascular risk
      factors are needed.

PMID- 28915444
TI  - Age and composite end-point events in medium follow-up of patients with carotid
      artery total occlusion using drug therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The outcome of carotid artery total occlusion (CATO) is
      unclear. The aim of this study is to report the medium incidence of composite end
      point events and risk factors (especially age), in patients with CATO, treated
      medically. METHODS: This was a single center retrospective study. Composite end
      point events included death, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack,
      hemorrhagic stroke, myocardial infarction, or angina. Logistic regression
      analysis was used to analyze risk factors of composite end-point events. RESULTS:
      A total of 94 patients with CATO were included in the study. The mean follow-up
      duration was 30 +/- 16 months. There were 16 cases who experienced composite end
      point events (17.0%); among them, there were 15 cases of death (16.0%), 8 cases
      of ischemic stroke (7 cases of fatal stroke and 1 case of non-fatal stroke)
      (8.5%), and 1 case of angina pectoris (1%) (the patient later developed ischemic
      stroke). With increased age, the incidence of composite end-point events was
      significantly increased (p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis
      showed that only age was a risk factor (OR = 3.051 (1.351-6.890), p = 0.007).
      CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of composite end-point events in patients with CATO
      was as high as 17.0% at approximately 3 years after drug therapy alone. For every
      10 years of age increase, the risk increase of composite end-point events
      doubles.

PMID- 28915445
TI  - Exploring the association of rs10490924 polymorphism with age-related macular
      degeneration: An in silico approach.
AB  - The polymorphism rs10490924 (A69S) in the age-related maculopathy susceptibility
      2 (ARMS2) gene is highly associated with age-related macular degeneration, which
      is the leading cause of blindness among the elderly population. The ARMS2 gene
      encodes a putative small (11kDa) protein, which the function and localization of
      the ARMS2 protein remain under debate. For a better understanding of functional
      impacts of the A69S mutation, we performed a detailed analysis of the ARMS2
      sequence with a broad set of bioinformatics tools. In silico analysis was
      followed to predict the tertiary structure, putative binding site regions, and
      binding site residues. Also, the effects of this mutation on protein stability,
      aggregation propensity, and homodimerization were analyzed. Next, a molecular
      dynamic simulation was carried out to understand the dynamic behavior of wild
      type, A69S, and phosphorylated A69S structures. The results showed alterations in
      the putative post-translational modification sites on the ARMS2 protein, due to
      the mutation. Furthermore, the stability of protein and putative homodimer
      conformations were affected by the mutation. Molecular dynamic simulation results
      revealed that the A69S mutation enhances the rigidity of the ARMS2 structure and
      residue serine at position 69 is buried and may not be phosphorylated; however,
      phosphorylated serine enhances the flexibility of the ARMS2 structure. In
      conclusion, our study provides new insights into the deleterious effects of the
      A69S mutation on the ARMS2 structure.

PMID- 28915446
TI  - Embracing chemical and structural diversity with UCONGA: A universal conformer
      generation and analysis program.
AB  - Molecular properties depend on molecular structure, so the first step in any
      computational chemistry investigation is to generate all thermally accessible
      conformers. Typically it is necessary to make a trade-off between the number of
      conformers to be explored and the accuracy of the method used to calculate their
      energies. Ab initio potential energy surface scans can, in principle, be applied
      to any molecule, but their conformational cost scales poorly with both molecular
      size and dimensionality of the search space. Specialized conformer generation
      techniques rely on parameterized force fields and may also use knowledge-based
      rules for generating conformers, and are typically only available for drug-like
      organic molecules. Neither approach is well-suited to generating or identifying
      chemically sensible conformers for larger non-organic molecules. The Universal
      CONformer Generation and Analysis (UCONGA) program package fills this niche. It
      requires no parameters other than built-in atomic van der Waals radii to generate
      comprehensive ensembles of sterically-allowed conformers, for molecules of
      arbitrary composition and connectivity. Analysis scripts are provided to identify
      representative structures from clusters of similar conformers, which may be
      further refined by subsequent geometry optimization. This approach is
      particularly useful for molecules not described by parameterized force fields, as
      it minimizes the number of computationally intensive ab initio calculations
      required to characterize the conformer ensemble. We anticipate that UCONGA will
      be particularly useful for computational and structural chemists studying
      flexible non-drug-like molecules.

PMID- 28915447
TI  - Oxidative stress induced modulation of platelet integrin alpha2bbeta3 expression
      and shedding may predict the risk of major bleeding in heart failure patients
      supported by continuous flow left ventricular assist devices.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress and platelet integrin alpha2bbeta3 plays important
      role in the process of hemostasis and thrombosis. We hypothesized that device
      induced patient specific oxidative stress and integrin alpha2bbeta3 shedding may
      be linked to major bleeding complication (MBC) in heart failure (HF) patients
      supported by continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 47patients implanted with CF-LVADs and 15
      healthy volunteers. Fourteen patients developed MBC (bleeder group) within one
      month after implantation while others were considered non-bleeder group (n=33).
      Oxidative stresses were evaluated by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) in
      platelets, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC)
      and oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Assessments of alpha2bbeta3 were
      carried out using flow cytometry and ELISA. RESULTS: Biomarkers of oxidative
      stress and alpha2bbeta3 shedding (decreased surface expression and higher plasma
      levels) were found to be preexisting condition in all HF patients prior to CF
      LVAD implantation compared to the healthy volunteers. Significantly elevated
      levels of ROS and oxLDL; concomitant depletion of SOD and TAC; and alpha2bbeta3
      shedding were observed in the bleeder group temporarily in comparison to the non
      bleeder group after CF-LVAD implantation. A significantly strong association
      between alpha2bbeta3 shedding and biomarkers of oxidative stress was observed;
      suggesting a potential role of oxidative stress in platelet integrin shedding
      leading to MBC after CF-LVAD implantation. Moreover, a receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that the likelihood of MBC data from
      Integrin alpha2bbeta3 shedding had a predictive power of MBC in CF-LVAD patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stress might play a potential role in accelerating
      alpha2bbeta3 shedding and platelet dysfunction, resulting in MBC in CF-LVAD
      patients. Integrin alpha2bbeta3 shedding may be used to refine bleeding risk
      stratification in CF-LVAD patients.

PMID- 28915449
TI  - Increased expression of NLRP3 inflammasome in placentas from pregnant women with
      severe preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by imbalance between pro- and
      anti-inflammatory cytokines associated with high plasma levels of uric acid and
      Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta). The inflammasome is a protein complex that
      mediates innate immune responses via caspase-1 activation promoting secretion of
      IL-1beta and IL-18 in their active forms, and also release of the high-mobility
      group box 1 protein (HMGB1). As the placenta seems to play an important role in
      the pathogenesis of PE, the present study investigated the expression of genes
      and proteins related to the inflammasome in placentas from pregnant women with
      severe preeclampsia. Placental tissue was collected from 20 normotensive pregnant
      women and 20 preeclamptic women, and inflammasome components, NLRP3 (NOD-like
      receptor family, pyrin domain-containing protein 3), caspase-1, IL-1beta and IL
      18, as well as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and HMGB1 were evaluated
      by immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and also
      quantified by reverse transcription-qPCR (RT-qPCR). Compared with normotensive
      pregnant women, placenta from women with PE showed a significant increase in
      NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and HMGB1 mRNA. Immunohistochemical
      staining of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in placental villi, as well
      as the levels of caspase-1, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and HMGB1 in placental homogenate
      were significantly higher in the preeclamptic group than in the normotensive
      group. However, mRNA expression of IL-18 and its protein concentrations were
      lower in placentas from preeclamptic women. The results suggest that placentas
      from pregnant women with preeclampsia show higher expression of NLRP3
      inflammasome, which may be involved in the exaggerated inflammatory state in
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 28915448
TI  - The composition of the vaginal microbiome in first trimester pregnant women
      influences the level of autophagy and stress in vaginal epithelial cells.
AB  - Epithelial cells lining the vagina are major components of genital tract
      immunity. The influence of the vaginal microbiome on properties of host
      epithelial cells is largely unexplored. We evaluated whether differences in the
      most abundant lactobacilli species or bacterial genera in the vagina of first
      trimester pregnant women were associated with variations in the extent of stress
      and autophagy in vaginal epithelial cells. Vaginal swabs from 154 first trimester
      pregnant women were analyzed for bacterial composition by amplification and
      sequencing of the V1-V3 region of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Vaginal epithelial
      cells were lysed and autophagy quantitated by measurement of p62. Intracellular
      levels of the inducible 70kDa heat shock protein (hsp70), an indicator of cell
      stress and an autophagy inhibitor, were determined. When Lactobacillus crispatus
      was the most abundant member of the vaginal microbiota, epithelial p62 and hsp70
      levels were lowest as compared to when other bacterial taxa were most abundant.
      The highest concentrations of p62 and hsp70 were associated with Streptococcus
      and Bifidobacterium abundance. The p62 level associated with Gardnerella
      abundance was lower than that observed when lactobacilli other than L. crispatus
      were most abundant. In conclusion, in the first trimester of pregnancy the
      abundance of different bacterial taxa is associated with variations in autophagy
      and magnitude of the stress response in vaginal epithelial cells.

PMID- 28915450
TI  - Molecular signature and functional analysis of uterine ILCs in mouse pregnancy.
AB  - In addition to natural killer cells, other innate lymphoid cells have recently
      been identified in the mouse and human uterus, but their roles in successful
      pregnancy remain poorly defined. In this study, we examined the dynamic changes
      of uterine innate lymphoid cells throughout pregnancy in mice. We found that the
      total number of uterine innate lymphoid cells markedly increased at early
      gestation. Among the three groups of uterine innate lymphoid cells, the number of
      the group 2 uterine innate lymphoid cells increased the most during pregnancy. We
      also determined that the depletion of uterine innate lymphoid cells in Rag1-/-
      mice resulted in impaired uterine spiral artery remodeling. These results suggest
      that uterine innate lymphoid cells may play an important role in mouse
      reproduction.

PMID- 28915451
TI  - Rotavirus genotype shifts among Swedish children and adults-Application of a real
      time PCR genotyping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is well known that human rotavirus group A is the most important
      cause of severe diarrhoea in infants and young children. Less is known about
      rotavirus infections in other age groups, and about how rotavirus genotypes
      change over time in different age groups. OBJECTIVES: Develop a real-time PCR to
      easily genotype rotavirus strains in order to monitor the pattern of circulating
      genotypes. STUDY DESIGN: In this study, rotavirus strains in clinical samples
      from children and adults in Western Sweden during 2010-2014 were retrospectively
      genotyped by using specific amplification of VP 4 and VP 7 genes with a new
      developed real-rime PCR. RESULTS: A genotype was identified in 97% of 775
      rotavirus strains. G1P[8] was the most common genotype representing 34.9%,
      followed by G2P[4] (28.3%), G9P[8] (11.5%), G3P[8] (8.1%), and G4P[8] (7.9%) The
      genotype distribution changed over time, from predominance of G1P[8] in 2010-2012
      to predominance of G2P[4] in 2013-2014. There were also age-related differences,
      with G1P[8] being the most common genotype in children under 2 years (47.6%), and
      G2P[4] the most common in those over 70 years of age (46.1%.). The shift to
      G2P[4] in 2013-2014 was associated with a change in the age distribution, with a
      greater number of rotavirus positive cases in elderly than in children.
      CONCLUSIONS: By using a new real-time PCR method for genotyping we found that
      genotype distribution was age related and changed over time with a decreasing
      proportion of G1P[8].

PMID- 28915452
TI  - BK virus replication in renal transplant recipients: Analysis of potential risk
      factors may contribute in reactivation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Considering the increasing problem of BK virus infection during post
      renal transplant surveillance, it is necessary to distinguish the main risk
      factors leading to reactivation of latent BK virus. Up to now, some probable risk
      factors have been investigated in some studies, but the results have been
      confusing and contradictory. OBJECTIVES: The goal of the present study was to
      determine the frequency and potential risk factors that may play a role in BK
      polyomavirus reactivation and nephropathy. STUDY DESIGN: In this cross-sectional
      study, 110 patients, who underwent consecutive transplantation between 2010 and
      2013, were enrolled without preliminary screening. Urine and blood samples were
      taken, and quantitative Real-time PCR assay was used to detect and measure the
      viral load. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients who had BK
      viremia and/or viruria were documented. RESULTS: Among 110 cases of renal
      transplant recipients, BK viruria and viremia were found in 54 (49%) and 22
      people (20%) respectively. The pre-transplant durations of dialysis among
      patients with BK viruia were found longer in comparison to BK negative patients.
      Treatment with Tacrolimus (p=0.03) was found to be a risk factor for development
      of BK viruria. In patients with viruria and viremia the median creatinine levels
      were 1.45mg/dl and 1.35mg/dl respectively, which were higher than those in the
      patients with negative results for BK viruria (p=0.002) and viremia (p=0.02).
      Also, treatment with Cyclosporine could significantly increase the incidence of
      BK virus shedding in both urine and blood among patients who received it
      (p=0.01). Significant relation between reactivation of BK virus and other factors
      such as age, sex, acute rejection and diabetes was not found. CONCLUSION: Based
      on our findings, the main potential risk factors for shedding of BK virus into
      urine in renal transplant recipients were prolonged pre-transplant dialysis and
      Tacrolimus regimen. Cyclosporine regimens could be considered as risk factor for
      both BK viruria and viremia. A significant correlation between BK virus
      replication and elevated creatinine level was seen among our patients.

PMID- 28915453
TI  - Soil organic matter in podzol horizons of the Amazon region: Humification,
      recalcitrance, and dating.
AB  - Characteristics of soil organic matter (SOM) are important, especially in the
      Amazon region, which represents one of the world's most relevant carbon
      reservoirs. In this work, the concentrations of carbon and differences in its
      composition (humification indexes) were evaluated and compared for several
      horizons (0 to 390cm) of three typical Amazonian podzol profiles. Fluorescence
      spectroscopy was used to investigate the humic acid (HA) fractions of SOM
      isolated from the different samples. Simple and labile carbon structures appeared
      to be accumulated in surface horizons, while more complex humified compounds were
      leached and accumulated in intermediate and deeper Bh horizons. The results
      suggested that the humic acids originated from lignin and its derivatives, and
      that lignin could accumulate in some Bh horizons. The HA present in deeper Bh
      horizons appeared to originate from different formation pathways, since these
      horizons showed different compositions. There were significant compositional
      changes of HA with depth, with four types of organic matter: recalcitrant,
      humified, and old dating; labile and young dating; humified and young dating; and
      little humified and old dating. Therefore, the humification process had no direct
      relation with the age of the organic matter in the Amazonian podzols.

PMID- 28915454
TI  - Assessing the potential contributions of additional retention processes to PFAS
      retardation in the subsurface.
AB  - A comprehensive understanding of the transport and fate of per- and poly
      fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the subsurface is critical for accurate risk
      assessments and design of effective remedial actions. A multi-process retention
      model is proposed to account for potential additional sources of retardation for
      PFAS transport in source zones. These include partitioning to the soil
      atmosphere, adsorption at air-water interfaces, partitioning to trapped organic
      liquids (NAPL), and adsorption at NAPL-water interfaces. An initial assessment of
      the relative magnitudes and significance of these retention processes was
      conducted for two PFAS of primary concern, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
      and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and an example precursor (fluorotelomer
      alcohol, FTOH). The illustrative evaluation was conducted using measured porous
      medium properties representative of a sandy vadose-zone soil. Data collected from
      the literature were used to determine measured or estimated values for the
      relevant distribution coefficients, which were in turn used to calculate
      retardation factors for the model system. The results showed that adsorption at
      the air-water interface was a primary source of retention for both PFOA and PFOS,
      contributing approximately 50% of total retention for the conditions employed.
      Adsorption to NAPL-water interfaces and partitioning to bulk NAPL were also shown
      to be significant sources of retention. NAPL partitioning was the predominant
      source of retention for FTOH, contributing ~98% of total retention. These results
      indicate that these additional processes may be, in some cases, significant
      sources of retention for subsurface transport of PFAS. The specific magnitudes
      and significance of the individual retention processes will depend upon the
      properties and conditions of the specific system of interest (e.g., PFAS
      constituent and concentration, porous medium, aqueous chemistry, fluid
      saturations, co-contaminants). In cases wherein these additional retention
      processes are significant, retardation of PFAS in source areas would likely be
      greater than what is typically estimated based on the standard assumption of
      solid-phase adsorption as the sole retention mechanism. This has significant
      ramifications for accurate determination of the migration potential and magnitude
      of mass flux to groundwater, as well as for calculations of contaminant mass
      residing in source zones. Both of which have critical implications for human
      health risk assessments.

PMID- 28915455
TI  - Estimation of water consumption for ecosystems based on Vegetation Interfaces
      Processes Model: A case study of the Aksu River Basin, Northwest China.
AB  - Based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) - Normalized
      Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Vegetation Interfaces Processes (VIP)
      model simulated the spatio-temporal patterns of actual evapotranspiration (ET)
      and the water consumption of different ecosystems in the Aksu River Basin,
      Northwest China between 2000 and 2015. The results revealed that: (1) the
      applicability of the VIP model was confirmed, with good agreement (R2=0.79,
      P<0.05) between the VIP-ET and water balance model (WB)-ET in the Aksu River
      Basin; (2)arable land showed the highest annual actual ET per unit pixel
      (362.4mm/pixel), followed by forest (159.6mm/pixel), and grass land
      (142.8mm/pixel); (3) water consumption for arable, forest, and grass land were
      determined as 19.45*108, 1.94*108, and 28*108m3/a, respectively; and (4) there
      was a significant trend (P<0.05) of increasing water consumption of 0.379*108m3/a
      in the artificial ecosystem, but there was no significant trend in the time
      series of the natural ecosystem. Overall, the study demonstrated that the VIP
      model is able to supply important information for water resource management at
      the catchment-scale.

PMID- 28915456
TI  - Carbon and nitrogen elemental and isotopic ratios of filter-feeding bivalves
      along the French coasts: An assessment of specific, geographic, seasonal and
      multi-decadal variations.
AB  - Primary consumers play a key role in coastal ecosystems by transferring organic
      matter from primary producers to predators. Among them, suspension-feeders, like
      bivalve molluscs are widely used in trophic web studies. The main goal of this
      study was to investigate variations of C and N elemental and isotopic ratios in
      common bivalves (M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis, and C. gigas) at large spatial
      (i.e. among three coastal regions) and different temporal (i.e. from seasonal to
      multi-decadal) scales in France, in order to identify potential general or
      specific patterns and speculate on their drivers. The observed spatial
      variability was related to the trophic status of the coastal regions
      (oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea versus meso- to eutrophic English Channel and
      Atlantic ocean), but not to ecosystem typology (estuaries, versus lagoons versus
      bays versus littoral systems). Furthermore, it highlighted local specificities in
      terms of the origin of the POM assimilated by bivalves (e.g., mainly continental
      POM vs. marine phytoplankton vs. microphytobenthic algae). Likewise, seasonal
      variability was related both to the reproduction cycle for C/N ratios of Mytilus
      spp. and to changes in trophic resources for delta13C of species located close to
      river mouth. Multi-decadal evolution exhibited shifts and trends for part of the
      30-year series with decreases in delta13C and delta15N. Specifically, shifts
      appeared in the early 2000's, likely linking bivalve isotopic ratios to a cascade
      of processes affected by local drivers.

PMID- 28915457
TI  - Tracking oil and gas wastewater-derived organic matter in a hybrid biofilter
      membrane treatment system: A multi-analytical approach.
AB  - Dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in oil and gas (O&G) produced water and
      fracturing flowback was characterized and quantified by multiple analytical
      techniques throughout a hybrid biological-physical treatment process.
      Quantitative and qualitative analysis of DOM by liquid chromatography - organic
      carbon detection (LC-OCD), liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass
      spectrometry (LC-HRMS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and 3D
      fluorescence spectroscopy, demonstrated increasing removal of all groups of DOM
      throughout the treatment train, with most removal occurring during biological
      pretreatment and some subsequent removal achieved during membrane treatment.
      Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) further validated these results and identified
      five fluorescent components, including DOM described as humic acids, fulvic
      acids, proteins, and aromatics. Tryptophan-like compounds bound by complexation
      to humics/fulvics were most difficult to remove biologically, while aromatics
      (particularly low molecular weight neutrals) were more challenging to remove with
      membranes. Strong correlation among PARAFAC, LC-OCD, LC-HRMS, and GC-MS suggests
      that PARAFAC can be a quick, affordable, and accurate tool for evaluating the
      presence or removal of specific DOM groups in O&G wastewater.

PMID- 28915459
TI  - Relationships of CO2 assimilation rates with exposure- and flux-based O3 metrics
      in three urban tree species.
AB  - The relationships of CO2 assimilation under saturated-light conditions (Asat)
      with exposure- (AOTX, Accumulated Ozone exposure over a hourly Threshold of X
      ppb) and flux-based (PODY, Phytotoxic Ozone Dose over a hourly threshold Y nmol.m
      2.s-1) O3 metrics was studied on three common urban trees, Fraxinus chinensis
      (FC), Platanus orientalis (PO) and Robinia pseudoacacia (RP). Parameterizations
      for a stomatal multiplicative model were proposed for the three species. RP was
      the species showing lower species-specific maximum stomatal conductance (gmax)
      and experiencing lower cumulative O3 uptake along the experiment, but in contrast
      it was the most sensitive to O3. PODY was slightly better than AOTX metric at
      estimating relative Asat (R-Asat)for PO and RB but not for FC. The best fittings
      obtained for the regressions between R-Asat and AOTX for FC, PO and RP were
      0.904, 0.868, and 0.876, when the thresholds of X were 60ppb, 55ppb and 30ppb,
      respectively. However, AOT40 performed also well for all of them, with R2 always
      >0.83. For PODY, the highest R2 values for FC, PO and RB were 0.863, 0.897 and
      0.911 at thresholds Y=7, 5 and 1nmolO3m-2s-1, respectively. Given the potentially
      higher O3 removal capacity of FC and PO by stomatal uptake and their lower
      sensitivity to this pollutant than RP, the former two species would be
      appropriate for urban gardens and areas where O3 levels are high.
      Parameterization and modeling of stomatal conductance for the main urban tree
      species may provide reliable estimations of the stomatal uptake of O3 and other
      gaseous pollutants by vegetation, which may support decision making on the most
      suitable species for green urban planning in polluted areas.

PMID- 28915460
TI  - Persistent and widespread long-term phosphorus declines in Boreal lakes in
      Sweden.
AB  - We present an analysis of long-term (1988-2013; 26years) total phosphorus (TP)
      concentration trends in 81 Swedish boreal lakes subject to minimal anthropogenic
      disturbance. Near universal increases in dissolved organic carbon (DOC)
      concentrations and a widespread but hitherto unexplained decline in TP were
      observed. Over 50% of the lakes (n=42) had significant declining TP trends over
      the past quarter century (Sen's slope=2.5%y-1). These declines were linked to
      catchment processes related to changes in climate, recovery from acidification,
      and catchment soil properties, but were unrelated to trends in P deposition.
      Increasing DOC concentrations appear to be masking in-lake TP declines. When the
      effect of increasing DOC was removed, the small number of positive TP trends
      (N=5) turned negative and the average decline in TP increased to 3.9%y-1. The
      greatest relative TP declines occurred in already nutrient poor, oligotrophic
      systems and TP concentrations have reached the analytical detection limit (1MUgL
      1) in some lakes. In addition, ongoing oligotrophication may be exacerbated by
      increased reliance on renewable energy from forest biomass and hydropower. It is
      a cause of significant concern that potential impairments to lake ecosystem
      functioning associated with oligotrophication are not well handled by a
      management paradigm focused exclusively on the negative consequences of
      increasing phosphorus concentrations.

PMID- 28915458
TI  - Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4:
      An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 "Level of water stress".
AB  - Target 6.4 of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deals
      with the reduction of water scarcity. To monitor progress towards this target,
      two indicators are used: Indicator 6.4.1 measuring water use efficiency and 6.4.2
      measuring the level of water stress (WS). This paper aims to identify whether the
      currently proposed indicator 6.4.2 considers the different elements that need to
      be accounted for in a WS indicator. WS indicators compare water use with water
      availability. We identify seven essential elements: 1) both gross and net water
      abstraction (or withdrawal) provide important information to understand WS; 2) WS
      indicators need to incorporate environmental flow requirements (EFR); 3) temporal
      and 4) spatial disaggregation is required in a WS assessment; 5) both renewable
      surface water and groundwater resources, including their interaction, need to be
      accounted for as renewable water availability; 6) alternative available water
      resources need to be accounted for as well, like fossil groundwater and
      desalinated water; 7) WS indicators need to account for water storage in
      reservoirs, water recycling and managed aquifer recharge. Indicator 6.4.2
      considers many of these elements, but there is need for improvement. It is
      recommended that WS is measured based on net abstraction as well, in addition to
      currently only measuring WS based on gross abstraction. It does incorporate EFR.
      Temporal and spatial disaggregation is indeed defined as a goal in more advanced
      monitoring levels, in which it is also called for a differentiation between
      surface and groundwater resources. However, regarding element 6 and 7 there are
      some shortcomings for which we provide recommendations. In addition, indicator
      6.4.2 is only one indicator, which monitors blue WS, but does not give
      information on green or green-blue water scarcity or on water quality. Within the
      SDG indicator framework, some of these topics are covered with other indicators.

PMID- 28915461
TI  - Forecasting wheat and barley crop production in arid and semi-arid regions using
      remotely sensed primary productivity and crop phenology: A case study in Iraq.
AB  - Crop production and yield estimation using remotely sensed data have been studied
      widely, but such information is generally scarce in arid and semi-arid regions.
      In these regions, inter-annual variation in climatic factors (such as rainfall)
      combined with anthropogenic factors (such as civil war) pose major risks to food
      security. Thus, an operational crop production estimation and forecasting system
      is required to help decision-makers to make early estimates of potential food
      availability. Data from NASA's MODIS with official crop statistics were combined
      to develop an empirical regression-based model to forecast winter wheat and
      barley production in Iraq. The study explores remotely sensed indices
      representing crop productivity over the crop growing season to find the optimal
      correlation with crop production. The potential of three different remotely
      sensed indices, and information related to the phenology of crops, for
      forecasting crop production at the governorate level was tested and their results
      were validated using the leave-one-year-out approach. Despite testing several
      methodological approaches, and extensive spatio-temporal analysis, this paper
      depicts the difficulty in estimating crop yield on an annual base using current
      satellite low-resolution data. However, more precise estimates of crop production
      were possible. The result of the current research implies that the date of the
      maximum vegetation index (VI) offered the most accurate forecast of crop
      production with an average R2=0.70 compared to the date of MODIS EVI (Avg
      R2=0.68) and a NPP (Avg R2=0.66). When winter wheat and barley production were
      forecasted using NDVI, EVI and NPP and compared to official statistics, the
      relative error ranged from -20 to 20%, -45 to 28% and -48 to 22%, respectively.
      The research indicated that remotely sensed indices could characterize and
      forecast crop production more accurately than simple cropping area, which was
      treated as a null model against which to evaluate the proposed approach.

PMID- 28915462
TI  - Abundance of large old trees in wood-pastures of Transylvania (Romania).
AB  - Wood-pastures are special types of agroforestry systems that integrate trees with
      livestock grazing. Wood pastures can be hotspots for large old tree abundance and
      have exceptional natural values; but they are declining all over Europe. While
      presence of large old trees in wood-pastures can provide arguments for their
      maintenance, actual data on their distribution and abundance are sparse. Our
      study is the first to survey large old trees in Eastern Europe over such a large
      area. We surveyed 97 wood-pastures in Transylvania (Romania) in order to (i)
      provide a descriptive overview of the large old tree abundance; and (ii) to
      explore the environmental determinants of the abundance and persistence of large
      old trees in wood-pastures. We identified 2520 large old trees belonging to 16
      taxonomic groups. Oak was present in 66% of the wood-pastures, followed by beech
      (33%), hornbeam (24%) and pear (22%). For each of these four species we
      constructed a generalized linear model with quasi-Poisson error distribution to
      explain individual tree abundance. Oak trees were most abundant in large wood
      pastures and in wood-pastures from the Saxon cultural region of Transylvania.
      Beech abundance related positively to elevation and to proximity of human
      settlements. Abundance of hornbeam was highest in large wood-pastures, in wood
      pastures from the Saxon cultural region, and in places with high cover of
      adjacent forest and a low human population density. Large old pear trees were
      most abundant in large wood-pastures that were close to paved roads. The
      maintenance of large old trees in production landscapes is a challenge for
      science, policy and local people, but it also can serve as an impetus for
      integrating economic, ecological and social goals within a landscape.

PMID- 28915463
TI  - Freshwater vulnerability under high end climate change. A pan-European
      assessment.
AB  - As freshwater availability is crucial for securing a sustainable, lower-carbon
      future, there is a critical connection between water management and climate
      policies. Under a rapidly changing climate, it is more important than ever to
      estimate the degree of future water security. This is a challenging task as it
      depends on many different variables: the degree of warming and its consequent
      effects on hydrological resources, the water demand by different sectors, and the
      possible ameliorations or deteriorations of the effects due to climate change
      adaptation and mitigation strategies. A simple and transparent conceptual
      framework has been developed to assess the European vulnerability to freshwater
      stress under the present hydro-climatic and socioeconomic conditions, in
      comparison to projections of future vulnerability for different degrees of global
      warming (1.5 degrees C, 2 degrees C and 4 degrees C), under the high-rate warming
      scenario (RCP8.5). Different levels of adaptation to climate change are
      considered in the framework, by employing various relevant pathways of
      socioeconomic development. A spatially detailed pan-European map of vulnerability
      to freshwater shortage has been developed at the local administrative level,
      making this approach extremely useful for supporting regional level policymaking
      and implementation and strategic planning against future freshwater stress.

PMID- 28915464
TI  - SAR studies of some acetophenone phenylhydrazone based pyrazole derivatives as
      anticathepsin agents.
AB  - Cathepsins have emerged as promising molecular targets in a number of diseases
      such as Alzeimer's, inflammation and cancer. Elevated cathepsin's levels and
      decreased cellular inhibitor concentrations have emphasized the search for novel
      inhibitors of cathepsins. The present work is focused on the design and synthesis
      of some acetophenone phenylhydrazone based pyrazole derivatives as novel non
      peptidyl inhibitors of cathepsins B, H and L. The synthesized compounds after
      characterization have been explored for their inhibitory potency against
      cathepsins B, H and L. The results show that some of the synthesized compounds
      exhibit anti-catheptic activity with Ki value of the order of 10-10M.
      Differential inhibitory effects have been observed for cathepsins B, H and L.
      Cathepsin L is inhibited more pronounced than cathepsin B and cathepsin H in that
      order.

PMID- 28915465
TI  - Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs as potential AChE inhibitors for anti
      Alzheimer's disease: A review.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting 25
      million people worldwide, and cholinergic hypothesis is considered as an
      important hypotheses in the processes of improving cognitive function and
      recognition skills in recent years. For the long-term treatment of AD,
      traditional Chinese medicine are particularly suitable for drug discovery. In
      this review, we sum up six traditional Chinese medicinal herbs concerned with
      development of AChEIs, including Herba Epimedii, Coptis Chinensis Franch, Rhizoma
      Curcumae Longae, Green tea, Ganoderma, Panax Ginseng. The listed compounds based
      on these herbs are belonging to six classes Flavonoids, Alkaloids, Ketones,
      Polyphenols, Terpenoid and Saponins, respectively. These compounds could be very
      promising agents in the search for potent anti-Alzheimer's drugs.

PMID- 28915466
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of bright green terbium coordination complex
      derived from 1,4-bis(carbonylmethyl)terephthalate: Structure and luminescence
      properties.
AB  - A photoluminescent terbium (Tb) complex involving a novel benzoic-acid compound
      with a unique coordinated structure, namely 1,4-bis(carbonylmethyl)terephthalate
      (BCMT), has been designed and synthesized. The new coordinate structure and
      energy-transfer mechanism between the ligand and Tb(III) ions were investigated
      in detail. The results demonstrated that the BCMT-Tb(III) complex shows strong
      fluorescence intensity (4*106a.u.) and long fluorescence lifetime (1.302ms),
      owing to the favorable degree of energy matching between the triplet excited
      level of the ligand and the resonant level of Tb(III) ions. Based on the analysis
      of three-dimensional luminescence spectra, the as-prepared Tb(III) complex can be
      effectively excited in the range of 250-310nm, and it shows high color purity,
      with a bright green appearance.

PMID- 28915467
TI  - The broad emission at 785nm in YAG:Ce3+,Cr3+ phosphor.
AB  - Luminescence of defects and/or impurities is important for phosphors. One broad
      emission band centered at 785nm was observed in (Y0.97Ce0.03)3(Al1-xCrx)5O12
      (x=0.005, 0.01, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09), (YAG:Ce,Cr) nano-particles synthesized by
      polymer-assisted sol-gel method in this work. In order to study the source of
      this wide emission band, the crystalline phase structure of the phosphors was
      examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). No obvious diffraction peaks due to impurity
      phase were observed even though the calcining temperature of the samples arrived
      at 1400 degrees C. The anti-site defects were excluded. No detectable signals of
      impurities were obtained by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) or inductively
      coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Based on the photo-luminescence
      results of YAG:Ce,Cr, YAG:Ce and YAG:Fe phosphors, the wide emission band is
      attributed to the 4T1(4G)->6A1(6S) transition from the trace impurity of Fe3+.
      The excitation band at 280nm is assigned to Fe3+-O2- charge transfer band.

PMID- 28915468
TI  - Spectral and computational features of the binding between riparins and human
      serum albumin.
AB  - The green Brazilian bay leaf, a spice much prized in local cuisine (Aniba
      riparia, Lauraceae), contains chemical compounds presenting benzoyl-derivatives
      named riparins, which have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anxiolytic
      properties. However, it is unclear what kind of interaction riparins perform with
      any molecular target. As a profitable target, human serum albumin (HSA) is one of
      the principal extracellular proteins, with an exceptional capacity to interact
      with several molecules, and it also plays a crucial role in the transport,
      distribution, and metabolism of a wide variety of endogenous and exogenous
      ligands. To outline the HSA-riparin interaction mechanism, spectroscopy and
      computational methods were synergistically applied. An evaluation through
      fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the emission, attributed to Trp 214, at 346
      nm decreased with titrations of riparins. A static quenching mechanism was
      observed in the binding of riparins to HSA. Fluorescence experiments performed at
      298, 308 and 318 K made it possible to conduct thermodynamic analysis indicating
      a spontaneous reaction in the complex formation (DeltaG<0). The enthalpy-entropy
      balance experiment with a molecular modeling calculation revealed that
      hydrophobic, hydrogen bond and non-specific interactions are present for riparin
      I-III with HSA. The set of results from fractional fluorescence changes obtained
      through Schatchard was inconclusive in establishing what kind of cooperativity is
      present in the interaction. To shed light upon the HSA-riparins complex, Hill's
      approach was utilized to distinguish the index of affinity and the binding
      constant. A correspondence between the molecular structures of riparins, due to
      the presence of the hydroxyl group in the B-ring, with thermodynamic parameters
      and index of affinity were observed. Riparin III performs an intramolecular
      hydrogen bond, which affects the Hill coefficient and the binding constant.
      Therefore, the presence of hydroxyl groups is capable of modulating the
      interaction between riparins and HSA. Site marker competitive experiments
      indicated Site I as being the most suitable, and the molecular modeling tools
      reinforced the experimental results detailing the participation of residues.

PMID- 28915469
TI  - Synthesis of water-soluble curcumin derivatives and their inhibition on lysozyme
      amyloid fibrillation.
AB  - The potential application of curcumin was heavily limited in biomedicine because
      of its poor solubility in pure water. To circumvent the detracting feature, two
      novel water-soluble amino acid modified curcumin derivatives (MLC and DLC) have
      been synthesized through the condensation reaction between curcumin and Nalpha
      Fmoc-Nepsilon-Boc-l-lysine. Benefiting from the enhanced solubility of 3.32*10
      2g/mL for MLC and 4.66*10-2g/mL for DLC, the inhibition effects of the as
      prepared derivatives on the amyloid fibrillation of lysozyme (HEWL) were
      investigated detaily in water solution. The obtained results showed that the
      amyloid fibrillation of HEWL was inhibited to a great extent when the
      concentrations of MLC and DLC reach to 20.139mM and 49.622mM, respectively. The
      fluorescence quenching upon the addition of curcumin to HEWL provide a support
      for static and dynamic recombination quenching process. The binding driving force
      was assigned to classical hydrophobic interaction between curcumin derivatives
      and HEWL. In addition, UV-Vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectra
      confirmed the change of the conformation of HEWL.

PMID- 28915470
TI  - Emotional and behavioural problems in children with Developmental Coordination
      Disorder: Exploring parent and teacher reports.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although characterised by motor impairments, children with
      Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) also show high rates of psychopathology
      (anxiety, depression, low self-esteem). Such findings have led to calls for the
      screening of mental health problems in this group. AIMS: To investigate patterns
      and profiles of emotional and behavioural problems in children with and without
      DCD, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). METHODS AND
      PROCEDURES: Teachers and parents completed SDQs for 30 children with DCD (7-10
      years). Teacher ratings on the SDQ were also obtained from two typically
      developing (TD) groups: 35 children matched for chronological age, and 29 younger
      children (4-7 years) matched by motor ability. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Group and
      individual analyses compared parent and teacher SDQ scores for children with DCD.
      Teacher reports showed that children with DCD displayed higher rates of emotional
      and behavioural problems (overall, and on each subscale of the SDQ) relative to
      their TD peers. No differences were observed between the two TD groups.
      Inspection of individual data points highlighted variability in the SDQ scores of
      the DCD group (across both teacher and parent ratings), with suggestions of
      elevated hyperactivity but comparably lower levels of conduct problems across
      this sample. Modest agreement was found between teacher and parent ratings of
      children with DCD on the SDQ. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: There is a need to
      monitor levels of emotional and behavioural problems in children with DCD, from
      multiple informants.

PMID- 28915471
TI  - Characterization of mechanical properties of pericardium tissue using planar
      biaxial tension and flexural deformation.
AB  - Flexure is an important mode of deformation for native and bioprosthetic heart
      valves. However, mechanical characterization of bioprosthetic leaflet materials
      has been done primarily through planar tensile testing. In this study, an
      integrated experimental and computational cantilever beam bending test was
      performed to characterize the flexural properties of glutaraldehyde-treated
      bovine and porcine pericardium of different thicknesses. A strain-invariant based
      structural constitutive model was used to model the pericardial mechanical
      behavior quantified through the bending tests of this study and the planar
      biaxial tests previously performed. The model parameters were optimized through
      an inverse finite element (FE) procedure in order to describe both sets of
      experimental data. The optimized material properties were implemented in FE
      simulations of transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) deformation. It was observed that
      porcine pericardium TAV leaflets experienced significantly more flexure than
      bovine when subjected to opening pressurization, and that the flexure may be
      overestimated using a constitutive model derived from purely planar tensile
      experimental data. Thus, modeling of a combination of flexural and biaxial
      tensile testing data may be necessary to more accurately describe the mechanical
      properties of pericardium, and to computationally investigate bioprosthetic
      leaflet function and design.

PMID- 28915472
TI  - "Assessing the methodological quality of systematic reviews in radiation
      oncology: A systematic review".
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the methodological quality
      of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in Radiation Oncology. METHODS: A
      systematic literature search was conducted for all eligible systematic reviews
      and meta-analyses in Radiation Oncology from 1966 to 2015. Methodological
      characteristics were abstracted from all works that satisfied the inclusion
      criteria and quality was assessed using the critical appraisal tool, AMSTAR.
      Regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with a higher
      score of quality. RESULTS: Following exclusion based on a priori criteria, 410
      studies (157 systematic reviews and 253 meta-analyses) satisfied the inclusion
      criteria. Meta-analyses were found to be of fair to good quality while systematic
      reviews were found to be of less than fair quality. Factors associated with
      higher scores of quality in the multivariable analysis were including primary
      studies consisting of randomized control trials, performing a meta-analysis, and
      applying a recommended guideline related to establishing a systematic review
      protocol and/or reporting. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses may
      introduce a high risk of bias if applied to inform decision-making based on
      AMSTAR. We recommend that decision-makers in Radiation Oncology scrutinize the
      methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses prior to assessing
      their utility to inform evidence-based medicine and researchers adhere to
      methodological standards outlined in validated guidelines when embarking on a
      systematic review.

PMID- 28915473
TI  - Endocrine disrupting compounds in streams in Israel and the Palestinian West
      Bank: Implications for transboundary basin management.
AB  - Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) frequently enter surface waters via
      discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), as well as from industrial
      and agricultural activities, creating environmental and health concerns. In this
      study, selected EDCs were measured in water and sediments along two transboundary
      streams flowing from the Palestinian Authority (PA) into Israel (the Zomar
      Alexander and Hebron-Beer Sheva Streams). We assessed how the complicated
      conflict situation between Israel and the PA and the absence of a coordinated
      strategy and joint stream management commission influence effective EDC control.
      Both streams receive raw Palestinian wastewater in their headwaters, which flows
      through rural areas and is treated via sediment settling facilities after
      crossing the 1949 Armistice Agreement Line. Four sampling campaigns were
      conducted over two years, with concentrations of selected EDCs measured in both
      the water and the sediments. Results show asymmetrical pollution profiles due to
      socio-economic differences and contrasting treatment capacities. No in-stream
      attenuation was observed along the stream and in the sediments within the
      Palestinian region. After sediment settling in treatment facilities at the
      Israeli border, however, significant reductions in the EDC concentrations were
      measured both in the sediments and in the water. Differences in sedimentation
      technologies had a substantial effect on EDC removal at the treatment location,
      positively affecting the streams' ability to further remove EDCs downstream. The
      prevailing approach to addressing the Israeli-Palestinian transboundary
      wastewater contamination reveals a narrow perspective among water managers who on
      occasion only take local interests into consideration, with interventions focused
      solely on improving stream water quality in isolated segments. Application of the
      "proximity principle" through the establishment of WWTPs at contamination sources
      constitutes a preferable strategy for reducing contamination by EDCs and other
      pollutants to ensure minimization of public health risks due to the pollution of
      streams and underlying potable groundwater.

PMID- 28915474
TI  - Simultaneous removal of cadmium, zinc and manganese using electrocoagulation:
      Influence of operating parameters and electrolyte nature.
AB  - In the present study, the influence of operating parameters and electrolyte
      nature on the simultaneous removal of toxic metals (cadmium, zinc and manganese)
      from synthetic smelting wastewater by batch electrocoagulation was investigated.
      This wastewater contained high concentrations of anion-cation electrolytes.
      Results indicated that the efficiency of heavy metals removal can be enhanced by
      increasing the solution pH and current density. The Fe-Fe electrode combination
      is more effective than the other combinations (Al-Al, Al-Fe and Fe-Al). The
      interaction of heavy metal ions showed that the increase of initial Zn2+
      concentration adversely affects on Cd2+ removal. In addition, the single chloride
      system exhibits the optimum removal efficiency on Mn2+. Single sulfate and binary
      anion systems exert a more positive effect on Cd2+ and Zn2+ removal because of
      the stronger charge neutralization and destabilization of iron hydroxide flocs.
      Increases of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions exert a significant negative effect on metal
      removal. However, the addition of a small amount of sodium chloride into a high
      sulfate and hardness solution can accelerate the removal of heavy metals.
      Finally, the sludge samples generated from electrocoagulation were characterized
      by XRD and SEM-EDS analyses.

PMID- 28915475
TI  - Survival of European plaice discarded from coastal otter trawl fisheries in the
      English Channel.
AB  - Species that have a high likelihood of surviving the discarding process have
      become great concern since the European Union reformed the Common Fisheries
      Policy and enacted a landing obligation prohibiting the discarding any
      individuals of species under quota. Among species presenting an elevated survival
      potential, plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) is one of the most discarded in the
      coastal otter trawl fishery in the English Channel. The objective of this study
      is to provide the most reliable estimates of plaice survival after release in
      commercial conditions, and to identify the factors that influence survival rates.
      A captivity experiment was conducted in January-February in the English fishery
      to assess the survival of discarded plaice as a function of a semi-quantitative
      index of fish vitality, which has been demonstrated to be a good proxy of fish
      survival in comparable fishing and environmental conditions. This study examined
      the potential of this index to estimate discard survival in three trials from the
      English and French fisheries and at three different seasons. The vitality index
      was then used to analyse the influence of several factors (fishing practices,
      environmental conditions and fish biological characteristics) on the discard
      survival. The survival rates for plaice were accurately estimated at 62.8% in
      January-February, 66.6% in November and 45.2% in July. While these rates remained
      substantial whatever the fishing, environmental or fish biological conditions,
      the time fish spent on the deck, the bottom and air temperatures, the tow depth
      and the fish length had a significant influence on plaice survival. In practice,
      plaice survival could be enhanced by releasing the fish early during catch
      sorting and avoiding exposure to extreme air temperatures.

PMID- 28915476
TI  - Microbial remediation of fluoride-contaminated water via a novel bacterium
      Providencia vermicola (KX926492).
AB  - The present study emphasizes on the isolation, identification and
      characterization of a fluoride-resistant bacteria from contaminated groundwater
      of a severely affected rural area. The isolate was investigated for its possible
      role towards bioremediation of fluoride. Bacterial growth was determined by
      various carbon and nitrogen sources. Influence of parameters like initial
      fluoride concentration (5-25 mg L-1), pH (3-9) and temperature (15-42  degrees C)
      on fluoride removal by Providencia sp. KX926492 were also examined. SEM, EDX and
      FTIR were performed to analyse the surface texture, elemental composition and
      functional groups of the bacterium involved in the uptake of fluoride ions. 16S
      rRNA sequencing was performed to identify the isolate. Plackett-Burman design was
      employed to optimize the various parametric conditions of fluoride removal.
      Maximum removal of 82% was achieved when the initial fluoride concentration was
      20 mgL-1 at pH 7 and 37  degrees C temperature with dextrose and nitrogen
      concentrations of 5 and 4 g per 50 mL respectively. Results suggested that
      Providencia vermicola (KX926492) could be a potential bacterium in removal of
      fluoride from contaminated water.

PMID- 28915477
TI  - Combined Homogeneous Surface Diffusion Model - Design of experiments approach to
      optimize dye adsorption considering both equilibrium and kinetic aspects.
AB  - Adsorption, a popular technique for removing azo dyes from aqueous streams, is
      influenced by several factors such as pH, initial dye concentration, temperature
      and adsorbent dosage. Any strategy that seeks to identify optimal conditions
      involving these factors, should take into account both kinetic and equilibrium
      aspects since they influence rate and extent of removal by adsorption. Hence
      rigorous kinetics and accurate equilibrium models are required. In this work, the
      experimental investigations pertaining to adsorption of acid orange 10 dye (AO10)
      on activated carbon were carried out using Central Composite Design (CCD)
      strategy. The significant factors that affected adsorption were identified to be
      solution temperature, solution pH, adsorbent dosage and initial solution
      concentration. Thermodynamic analysis showed the endothermic nature of the dye
      adsorption process. The kinetics of adsorption has been rigorously modeled using
      the Homogeneous Surface Diffusion Model (HSDM) after incorporating the non-linear
      Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Optimization was performed for kinetic parameters
      (color removal time and surface diffusion coefficient) as well as the equilibrium
      affected response viz. percentage removal. Finally, the optimum conditions
      predicted were experimentally validated.

PMID- 28915479
TI  - Effect of design and operational conditions on the performance of subsurface flow
      treatment wetlands: Emerging organic contaminants as indicators.
AB  - Six pilot-scale subsurface flow treatment wetlands loaded with primary treated
      municipal wastewater were monitored over one year for classical wastewater
      parameters and a set of emerging organic compounds (EOCs) serving as process
      indicators for biodegradation: caffeine, ibuprofen, naproxen, benzotriazole,
      diclofenac, acesulfame, and carbamazepine. The wetland technologies investigated
      included conventional horizontal flow, unsaturated vertical flow (single and two
      stage), horizontal flow with aeration, vertical flow with aeration, and
      reciprocating. Treatment efficiency for classical wastewater parameters and EOCs
      generally increased with increasing design complexity and dissolved oxygen
      concentrations. The two aerated wetlands and the two-stage vertical flow system
      showed the highest EOC removal, and the best performance in warm season and most
      robust performance in the cold season. These three systems performed better than
      the adjacent conventional WWTP with respect to EOC removal. Acesulfame was
      observed to be removed (>90%) by intensified wetland systems and with use of a
      tertiary treatment sand filter during the warm season. Elevated temperature and
      high oxygen content (aerobic conditions) proved beneficial for EOC removal. For
      EOCs of moderate to low biodegradability, the co-occurrence of aerobic conditions
      and low content of readily available carbon appears essential for efficient
      removal. Such conditions occurred in the aerated systems and with use of a
      tertiary treatment sand filter.

PMID- 28915478
TI  - Studying the interactive effects of menthol and nicotine among youth: An
      examination using e-cigarettes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tobacco products containing menthol are widely used by youth. We used
      e-cigarettes to conduct an experimental evaluation of the independent and
      interactive effects of menthol and nicotine among youth. PROCEDURES: Pilot
      chemosensory experiments with fourteen e-cigarette users identified low (barely
      perceptible, 0.5%) and high (similar to commercial e-liquid, 3.5%) menthol
      concentrations. Sixty e-cigarette users were randomized to a nicotine
      concentration (0mg/ml, 6mg/ml, 12mg/ml) and participated in 3 laboratory
      sessions. During each session, they received their assigned nicotine
      concentration, along with one of three menthol concentrations in random
      counterbalanced order across sessions (0, 0.5%, 3.5%), and participated in three
      fixed-dose, and an ad-lib, puffing period. Urinary menthol glucuronide and
      salivary nicotine levels validated menthol and nicotine exposure. We examined
      changes in e-cigarette liking/wanting and taste, coolness, stimulant effects,
      nicotine withdrawal and ad-lib use. RESULTS: Overall, the high concentration of
      menthol (3.5%) significantly increased e-cigarette liking/wanting relative to no
      menthol (p<0.001); there was marginal evidence of nicotine* menthol interactions
      (p=0.06), with an increase in liking/wanting when 3.5% menthol was combined with
      12mg/ml nicotine, but not 6mg/ml nicotine. Importantly, both 0.5% and 3.5%
      menthol concentrations significantly improved taste and increased coolness. We
      did not observe nicotine or menthol-related changes in stimulant effects,
      nicotine withdrawal symptoms or ad-lib use. CONCLUSIONS: Menthol, even at very
      low doses, alters the appeal of e-cigarettes among youth. Further, menthol
      enhances positive rewarding effects of high nicotine-containing e-cigarettes
      among youth.

PMID- 28915480
TI  - Facile fabrication of mediator-free Z-scheme photocatalyst of phosphorous-doped
      ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets and bismuth vanadate composites
      with enhanced tetracycline degradation under visible light.
AB  - To realize the sustainable employment of solar energy in contaminant degradation
      and environmental recovery, design and development of an efficient photocatalyst
      is urgently needed. Herein, a novel direct Z-scheme composite photocatalysts
      consist of phosphorous-doped ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets (PCNS) and bismuth
      vanadate (BiVO4) are developed via a one-pot impregnated precipitation method.
      The as-prepared hybrid nanocomposite was utilized for the degradation
      tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation. Among the composites with
      various PCNS/BiVO4 ratios, the prepared PCNS/BVO-400 photocatalyst presents the
      best performance, showing a TC (10mg/L) removal efficiency of 96.95% within
      60min, more than double that of pristine BiVO4 (41.45%) and higher than that of
      pure PCNS (71.78%) under the same conditions. The effects of initial TC
      concentration, catalyst dosage, pH value and different water sources have been
      studied in detail. The improved photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared
      PCNS/BiVO4 nanocomposites could be attributed to the promoted separation
      efficiency of the photogenerated electrons and the enhanced charge carrier
      lifetime (1.65ns) owing to the synergistic effect between the PCNS and BiVO4. The
      degradation intermediates and decomposition pathway of TC were also analyzed and
      proposed. Additionally, radical trapping experiments and ESR measurement
      indicated that the photogenerated holes (h+), superoxide radical (O2-) and
      hydroxyl radical (OH) all participated in the TC removal procedure in the
      reaction system. The high performance of PCNS/BVO-400 in real wastewater
      indicated the potential of the prepared composite in practical application. This
      work provides an efficient and promising approach for the formation of high
      performance Z-scheme photocatalyst and study the possibility for real wastewater
      treatment.

PMID- 28915481
TI  - General synthesis of hierarchical C/MOx@MnO2 (M=Mn, Cu, Co) composite nanofibers
      for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.
AB  - Improving the conductivity and specific surface area of electrospun carbon
      nanofibers (CNFs) is beneficial to a rapid realization of their applications in
      energy storage field. Here, a series of one-dimensional C/MOx (M=Mn, Cu, Co)
      nanostructures are first prepared by a simple two-step process consisting of
      electrospinning and thermal treatment. The presence of low-valence MOx enhances
      the porosity and conductivity of nanocomposites to some extent through expanding
      graphitic domains or mixing metallic Cu into the CNF substrates. Next, the C/MOx
      frameworks are coated with MnO2 nanosheets/nanowhiskers (C/MOx@MnO2), during
      which process the low-valence MOx can partly reduce KMnO4 so as to mitigate the
      consumption of CNFs. When used as active materials for supercapacitor electrodes,
      the obtained C/MOx@MnO2 exhibit excellent electrochemical performances in
      comparison with the common CNFs@MnO2 (CM) core-shell electrode due to the
      combination of desired functions of the individual components and the
      introduction of extra synergistic effect. It is believed that these results will
      provide an alternative way to further increase the capacitive properties of CNFs-
      or metal oxide-based nanomaterials and potentially stimulate the investigation on
      other kinds of C/MOx composite nanostructures for various applications.

PMID- 28915482
TI  - Nickel nanoparticles encapsulated in porous carbon and carbon nanotube hybrids
      from bimetallic metal-organic-frameworks for highly efficient adsorption of dyes.
AB  - Nickel nanoparticles encapsulated in porous carbon/carbon nanotube hybrids (Ni/PC
      CNT) were successfully prepared by a facile carbonization process using Ni/Zn-MOF
      as the precursor. Distinct from previous studies, Ni/Zn-MOF precursors were
      prepared via a direct precipitation method at room temperature for only 5min.
      After the carbonization, magnetic Ni nanoparticles were well embedded in the
      porous carbon and carbon nanotube. The obtained Ni/PC-CNT composites had a high
      surface area (999m2 g-1), large pore volume (0.86cm3 g-1) and well-developed
      graphitized wall. The Ni/PC-CNT composites showed excellent adsorption capacity
      for removal of malachite green (MG), congo red (CR), rhodamine B (Rh B),
      methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution. The maximum
      adsorption capacity of Ni/PC-CNT composites were about 898, 818, 395, 312 and
      271mg/g for MG, CR, RB, MB and MO dyes, respectively, which were much higher than
      most of the previously reported adsorbents. Moreover, the Ni/PC-CNT composites
      could be easily regenerated by washing it with ethanol and easy magnetic
      separation.

PMID- 28915483
TI  - Sulphur and nitrogen dual-doped mesoporous carbon hybrid coupling with graphite
      coated cobalt and cobalt sulfide nanoparticles: Rational synthesis and advanced
      multifunctional electrochemical properties.
AB  - Doping-type carbon matrixes not only play a vital role on their electrochemical
      properties, but also are capable of suppressing the crush and aggregation
      phenomenon in the electrode reaction process for pristine metallic compound.
      Herein, graphite coated cobalt and cobalt sulfide nanoparticles decorating on
      sulphur and nitrogen dual-doped mesoporous carbon (Co@Co9S8/S-N-C) was fabricated
      by a combined hydrothermal reaction with pyrolysis method. Benefited from g-C3N4
      template and original synthetic route, as-obtained Co@Co9S8/S-N-C possessed high
      specific surface area (751.7m2g-1), large pore volume (1.304cm3g-1), S and N dual
      doped component and relative integrated graphite skeleton, as results it was
      developed as decent oxygen reduction electro-catalyst and ultra-long-life Li-ion
      battery anode. Surprisingly, compared with commercial Pt/C, it displayed a higher
      half-wave potential (0.015V positive) and lower Tafel slop (66mVs-1), indicating
      its superior ORR activities. Moreover, the ultra-long-life cyclic performances
      were revealed for lithium ion battery, exhibiting the retention capacities of
      652.1mAhg-1 after 610 cycles at 0.2Ag-1, 432.1 and 405.7mAhg-1 at 5 and 10Ag-1
      after 1000 cycles, respectively. We propose that the synergistic effect of
      structure and chemical component superiorities should be responsible for the
      remarkable electrochemical behaviors of the Co@Co9S8/S-N-C.

PMID- 28915484
TI  - Spontaneous vesicle formation and vesicle-to-micelle transition of sodium 2
      ketooctanate in water.
AB  - Single-tailed short-chain alkyl keto-acids/salts, a class of fatty acid/salt
      derivatives, such as sodium 2-ketooctanate (KOCOONa), are a kind of weakly
      acid/salt type amphiphiles and plausible prebiotic molecules, and the current
      understanding of their aggregation behavior in aqueous solutions is still
      limited. Herein, the aggregation behavior of KOCOONa in aqueous solution was
      studied by changing its concentration (C), using equilibrium surface tension,
      conductivity, and fluorescence measurements. The aggregates formed were
      characterized using freeze-fracture and cryogenic transmission electron
      microscopy, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and confocal laser
      scanning microscopy. A concentration-driven stepwise aggregation was identified
      in the KOCOONa solution. Vesicles can spontaneously form from the single
      component aqueous solution, with a critical vesicle concentration (CVC) of ~15mM,
      which is obviously lower than that of octanoic acid/salt (120-200mM). With
      increasing C, a vesicle-to-micelle transition can occur, showing a critical
      micelle concentration (CMC) of ~80mM. In addition, the membrane permeability of
      the KOCOONa vesicles was examined using small-size Calcein and large-size FITC
      BSA as fluorescence probes, showing a size-selective permeability, similar to
      short-chain (C8-C11) fatty acid vesicles. For the first time, the aggregation
      behavior of single-tailed keto-acid salt surfactant is reported.

PMID- 28915485
TI  - Long-acting and broad-spectrum antimicrobial electrospun poly (epsilon
      caprolactone)/gelatin micro/nanofibers for wound dressing.
AB  - Trimethoxysilylpropyl octadecyldimethyl ammonium chloride (QAS), which forms
      facile bonds with hydroxyl groups, acts asa cationic antibacterial agent. In this
      work, QAS was introduced into a polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin hybrid in
      increasing concentrations to fabricate a long-acting and broad-spectrum
      antimicrobial micro/nanofiber membrane as a novel wound dressing. The physical
      interactions and chemical bonding between QAS/PCL and QAS/gelatin were
      demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
      (XPS. Measured water contact angle between the PCL-gelatin/QAS (PG-Q) nanofiber
      membranes suggested a hydrophobic surface, which has been shown to aid in removal
      of wound dressings. The mechanical strength of the membranes was sufficient to
      meet the clinical requirements. Furthermore, the 15% QAS (PG-Q15) and 20% QAS (PG
      Q20) formulated nanofiber membranes showed a considerable increase in their
      bacteriostatic activity towards Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) and
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram-negative) bacteria, suggesting a broad-spectrum
      bactericidal effect by the PG-Q membranes. The PG-Q membranes with various QAS
      formulations demonstrated little cytotoxicity. Therefore, the long-acting and
      broad-spectrum antimicrobial electrospun PG-Q micro/nanofibers membrane
      demonstrate potential efficacy asan antibacterial wound dressing.

PMID- 28915486
TI  - Ultrathin Beta-Nickel hydroxide nanosheets grown along multi-walled carbon
      nanotubes: A novel nanohybrid for enhancing flame retardancy and smoke toxicity
      suppression of unsaturated polyester resin.
AB  - Novel nanohybrid (beta-Ni(OH)2-CNTs) obtained by ultrathin Beta-Nickel hydroxide
      (beta-Ni(OH)2) nanosheets grown along multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was
      successfully synthesized and then incorporated into UPR to prepare UPR/beta
      Ni(OH)2-CNTs nanocomposites. Structure of beta-Ni(OH)2-CNTs nanohybrid was
      confirmed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy measurements.
      Compared with single CNTs or beta-Ni(OH)2, the dispersion of beta-Ni(OH)2-CNTs in
      UPR was improved greatly. And the UPR/beta-Ni(OH)2-CNTs nanocomposites exhibited
      significant improvements in flame retardancy, smoke suppression, and mechanical
      properties, including decreased peak heat release rate by 39.79%, decreased total
      heat release by 44.87%, decreased smoke release rate by 29.86%, and increased
      tensile strength by 12.1%. Moreover, the amount of toxic volatile from UPR
      nanocomposites decomposition was dramatically reduced, and smoke generation was
      effectively inhibited during combustion. The dramatical reduction of fire hazards
      can be ascribed to the good dispersion, the catalytic charring effect of beta
      Ni(OH)2 nanosheets and physical barrier effect of stable network structure
      consisted of beta-Ni(OH)2 and CNTs.

PMID- 28915487
TI  - Genetic backgrounds and hidden trait complexity in natural populations.
AB  - Dissecting the genetic basis of natural phenotypic variation is a major goal in
      biology. We know that most traits are strongly heritable. However, their genetic
      architecture is a long-standing question, which is unfortunately confounded by
      the lack of complete knowledge of the genetic components as well as their
      phenotypic effect in a specific genetic background. Many genetic variants are
      known to affect phenotypes but the same functional variant can have a different
      effect on the phenotype in different individuals of the same species.
      Understanding the impact of genetic background on the expressivity of a given
      phenotype is essential because this effect complicates our ability to predict
      phenotype from genotype. Here, we briefly review recent progress on the
      exploration of the effect of genetic background and we discuss how a deeper
      characterization of the inheritance, expressivity and genetic interactions hidden
      behind the phenotypic landscape of natural variation could provide a better
      understanding of the relationship between genotype and phenotype.

PMID- 28915488
TI  - Plant mating systems: self-incompatibility and evolutionary transitions to self
      fertility in the mustard family.
AB  - Flowering plants have evolved diverse mechanisms that promote outcrossing. The
      most widespread of these outbreeding devices are self-incompatibility systems,
      the highly selective prefertilization mating barriers that prevent self
      fertilization by disrupting pollen-pistil interactions. Despite the advantages of
      outcrossing, loss of self-incompatibility has occurred repeatedly in many plant
      families. In the mustard family, the highly polymorphic receptors and ligands
      that mediate the recognition and inhibition of self-pollen in self
      incompatibility have been characterized and the 3D structure of the receptor
      ligand complex has been solved. Sequence analyses and empirical studies in self
      incompatible and self-compatible species are elucidating the genetic basis of
      switches from the outcrossing to selfing modes of mating and beginning to provide
      clues to the diversification of the self recognition repertoire.

PMID- 28915489
TI  - Clinical features and surgical procedures of congenital vaginal atresia-A
      retrospective study of 67 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the characteristics of congenital vaginal atresia, further
      improve its classification, and therefore help the clinical diagnosis and
      treatment of congenital vaginal atresia. METHODS: This was a retrospective study
      of 67 patients with congenital vaginal atresia (from March 1984 to March 2015).
      Clinical and surgical characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: For lower vaginal
      atresia, 25 patients successfully underwent vaginoplasty at the lower portion of
      the vagina. For complete vagina atresia, 25 patients with type i cervical atresia
      were treated with artificial vaginoplasty+tracheloplasty, and all showed no
      dysmenorrhea within six months after surgery. Four patients with type ii cervical
      atresia and two patients with type iii cervical atresia successfully underwent
      hysterectomy+artificialvaginoplasty. Two patients with type iv cervical atresia
      underwent combined abdominoperineal artificial vaginoplasty+tracheloplasty. One
      patient with upper vaginal atresia successfully underwent hysterectomy via the
      narrow segment of the cervix. Three patients with top vaginal atresia had no
      dysmenorrhea after transvaginaltracheloplasty. CONCLUSION: This study suggests
      two new categories of vaginal atresia (upper vaginal atresia and top vaginal
      atresia), which could be used as a reference for treatment of this condition.
      Appropriate treatments were performed using a personalized approach and
      satisfactory results were achieved.

PMID- 28915490
TI  - Bioremoval of zinc and manganese by bacterial biofilm: A bioreactor-based
      approach.
AB  - Industrialization has led to the disposal of a massive amount of heavy metals
      every year, showing perilous effects on humans, marine life and agricultural
      products. There are numerous chemical and biological approaches available but
      their implementation is limited due to high cost and low efficiency. Therefore,
      the present study was focused on the biofilm- based bioremoval of heavy metals
      (zinc and manganese) using indigenous bacteria isolated from the tannery sludge
      obtained from Ranipet, Tamil Nadu. The effective isolate was capable of
      tolerating up to 2000mg/L of zinc and manganese and was further used for
      development of biofilm on the peels of Cucumis sativus. The isolate was found to
      be a close neighbour of Pseudomonas beteli by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The
      uptake efficiency of the biofilm formed on the substrate was estimated to be
      69.9% for zinc and 78.4% for manganese by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The
      scanning electron microscopy showed the biofilm formation on the substrate and
      also revealed the presence of heavy metal ions adsorbed on the biofilm. The
      adsorption kinetics of the substrate followed a heterogeneous mode of adsorption
      of the heavy metals as it showed a higher R2 value for the Freundlich isotherm
      kinetics as compared to that of Langmuir. Thus, the peels of Cucumis sativus was
      assessed to be effective for the bioremoval of zinc and manganese.

PMID- 28915491
TI  - Green synthesis of carbon dots originated from Lycii Fructus for effective
      fluorescent sensing of ferric ion and multicolor cell imaging.
AB  - Green, economical and effective method was developed for synthesis of fluorescent
      carbon dots (CDs), using one-pot hydrothermal treatment of Lycii Fructus. Optical
      and structural properties of the CDs have been extensively studied by UV-visible
      and fluorescence spectroscopic, x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM). Surface functionality
      and composition of CDs has been illustrated by Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra and elemental
      analysis. The fabricated CDs possess stable fluorescent properties. The
      fluorescent quantum yield of the CDs can reach 17.2%. The prepared CDs emitted a
      broad fluorescence between 415 and 545nm and their fluorescence was tuned by
      changing excitation wavelength. Meanwhile, the fluorescence intensity of the CDs
      could be significantly quenched by Fe3+ (turn-off). The CDs exhibit captivating
      sensitivity and selectivity toward Fe3+ with a linear range from 0 to 30MUM and a
      detection limit of 21nM. The prepared CDs were successfully applied to the
      determination of Fe3+ in the urine samples, the water samples from the from the
      Yellow River and living HeLa (Henrietta Lacks) cells. Moreover, the low-toxicity
      and excellent biocompatibility of the CDs were evaluated through MTT assay on
      HeLa cells. The CDs were also employed as fluorescent probes for multicolor
      imaging of HeLa cells successfully.

PMID- 28915492
TI  - Enhancement of 5-aminolevulinic acid phototoxicity by encapsulation in
      polysaccharides based nanocomplexes for photodynamic therapy application.
AB  - Polysaccharides based nanocomplexes have been developed for encapsulation,
      controlled delivery and to enhance the phototoxicity of the photosensitizer 5
      aminolevulinic acid for application in photodynamic therapy. The nanocomplexes
      were prepared by coacervation in a solvent free environment using chitosan as
      polycation while alginic and polygalacturonic acid as polyanions. The complexes
      showed average dimension in the range 90-120nm, good stability in simulated
      physiological media and high drug encapsulation efficiency, up to 800MUg per mg
      of carrier. Release studies demonstrate the possibility to tune the overall
      release rate and the intensity of the initial burst by changing the external pH.
      Cytotoxicity and photocytotoxicity tests confirmed the not toxicity of the used
      polysaccharides. Cell viability results confirmed the improvement of 5
      aminolevulinic acid phototoxicity when loaded into the carrier compared to the
      free form. No effect of the irradiation on the nanocomplexes structure and on the
      release kinetics of the drug was observed. The results demonstrate that the
      prepared formulations have suitable properties for future application in
      photodynamic therapy and to ameliorate the therapeutic efficacy and overcome the
      side-effects related to the use of the photosensitizer 5-aminolevulinic acid.

PMID- 28915493
TI  - In situ spectral response of the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman coastal waters to
      bio-optical properties.
AB  - Mapping of Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) over the coastal waters of the Arabian Gulf and
      the Sea of Oman using the satellite-based observations, such as MODIS (Moderate
      Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer), has shown inferior performance (Chl-a
      overestimation) than that of deep waters. Studies in the region have shown that
      this poor performance is due to three reasons: (i) water turbidity (sediments re
      suspension), and the presence of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), (ii)
      bottom reflectance and (iii) incapability of the existing atmospheric correction
      models to reduce the effect of the aerosols from the water leaving radiance.
      Therefore, this work focuses on investigating the sensitivity of the in situ
      spectral signatures of these coastal waters to the algal (chlorophyll: Chl-a),
      non-algal (sediments and CDOM) and the bottom reflectance properties, in absence
      of contributions from the atmosphere. Consequently, the collected in situ
      spectral signatures will improve our understanding of Arabian Gulf and Sea of
      Oman water properties. For this purpose, comprehensive field measurements were
      carried out between 2013 and 2016, over Abu-Dhabi (Arabian Gulf) and Fujairah
      (Sea of Oman) where unique water quality data were collected. Based on the in
      situ water spectral analysis, the bottom reflectance (water depth<20m) are found
      to degrade the performance of the conventional ocean color algorithms more than
      the sediment-laden waters where these waters increase the Rrsat the blue and red
      ranges. The increasing presence of CDOM markedly decreases the Rrsin the blue
      range, which is conflicting with the effect of Chl-a. Given the inadequate
      performance of the widely used ocean-color algorithms (OC3: ocean color 3, OC2:
      ocean color 2) in retrieving Chl-a in these very shallow coastal waters,
      therefore, a new algorithm is proposed here based on a 3-bands ratio approach
      using [Rrs (656) -1-Rrs (506) -1]*Rrs (661). The selected optimum bands (656nm,
      506nm, and 661nm) from this approach can be used to retrieve the Chl-a more
      accurately in these coastal Case II (turbid) waters which are close to the bands
      of the current missions such as Sentinel-3 OLCI (Ocean and Land Colour
      Instrument), MODIS, VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) and LandSat
      8. However, more uniformly distributed data over the Arabian Gulf is required to
      have a highly accurate regional model for Chl-a retrieval.

PMID- 28915494
TI  - Social class shapes the form and function of relationships and selves.
AB  - Social class shapes relational realities, which in turn situate and structure
      different selves and their associated psychological tendencies. We first briefly
      review how higher class contexts tend to foster independent models of self and
      lower class contexts tend to foster interdependent models of self. We then
      consider how these independent and interdependent models of self are situated in
      and adapted to different social class-driven relational realities. We review
      research demonstrating that in lower social class contexts, social networks tend
      to be small, dense, homogenous and strongly connected. Ties in these networks
      provide the bonding capital that is key for survival and that promotes the
      interdependence between self and other(s). In higher social class contexts,
      social networks tend to be large, far-reaching, diverse and loosely connected.
      Ties in these networks provide the bridging capital that is key for achieving
      personal goals and that promotes an independence of self from other. We conclude
      that understanding and addressing issues tied to social class and inequality
      requires understanding the form and function of relationships across class
      contexts.

PMID- 28915495
TI  - Impact of chemotherapy on metabolic reprogramming: Characterization of the
      metabolic profile of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells using 1H HR-MAS NMR
      spectroscopy.
AB  - Doxorubicin, cisplatin, and tamoxifen are part of many chemotherapeutic regimens.
      However, studies investigating the effect of chemotherapy on the metabolism of
      breast cancer cells are still limited. We used 1H high-resolution magic angle
      spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectroscopy to study the metabolic profile of human breast
      cancer MDA-MB-231 cells either untreated (control) or treated with tamoxifen,
      cisplatin, and doxorubicin. 1H HR-MAS NMR single pulse spectra evidenced signals
      from all mobile cell compounds, including fatty acids (membranes), water-soluble
      proteins, and metabolites. NMR spectra showed that phosphocholine (i.e., a
      biomarker of breast cancer malignant transformation) signals were stronger in
      control than in treated cells, but significantly decreased upon treatment with
      tamoxifen/cisplatin. NMR spectra acquired with Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG)
      pulse sequence were interpreted only qualitatively because signal areas were
      attenuated according to their transverse relaxation times (T2). The CPMG method
      was used to identify soluble metabolites such as organic acids, amino acids,
      choline and derivatives, taurine, guanidine acetate, tyrosine, and phenylalanine.
      The fatty acid variations observed by single pulse as well as the lactate,
      acetate, glycine, and phosphocholine variations observed through CPMG 1H HR-MAS
      NMR have potential to characterize both responder and non-responder tumors in a
      molecular level. Additionally, we emphasized that comparable tumors (i.e., with
      the same origin, in this case breast cancer) may respond totally differently to
      chemotherapy. Our observations reinforce the theory that alterations in cellular
      metabolism may contribute to the development of a malignant phenotype and cell
      resistance.

PMID- 28915496
TI  - Solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
      followed by multivariate data analysis for the identification of volatile organic
      compounds as possible biomarkers in lung cancer tissues.
AB  - Solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry followed by
      multivariate data analysis were used to analyze lung tissues from both healthy
      and carcinogenic patients. A total of 78 volatile compounds belonging to
      different chemical classes were identified, seven of which were able to
      discriminate between the two groups. Discriminant analysis allowed to correctly
      classify 98.3% of the cases. By using the leave-one-method, 100% of the cross
      validated samples belonging to the "tumor" group was correctly classified,
      whereas 2 cross-validated healthy samples out of 48 were erroneously allocated in
      the "tumor" group. Achieved results suggest the need of further investigation to
      assess the role of the seven identified compounds as lung cancer biomarkers in
      breath analysis, thus allowing the development of low-cost diagnostic devices.

PMID- 28915497
TI  - PEGylated polydopamine-coated magnetic nanoparticles for combined targeted
      chemotherapy and photothermal ablation of tumour cells.
AB  - The integration of multifunctional therapeutic capabilities into a single
      nanosystem has attracted much attention for use as an efficient cancer therapy.
      However, developing biocompatible therapeutic nano-agents with desirable safety,
      efficiency, targeting, and synergistic effects remains challenging. Herein, we
      designed a class of multifunctional PEGylated magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) with a
      core-shell structure and polydopamine (PDA) coating, which were loaded with the
      anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) for simultaneous targeted chemotherapy and
      photothermal ablation of tumour cells. This nanosystem showed strong near
      infrared absorption due to the polydopamine layer and was capable of magnetic
      field-guided drug delivery due to the superparamagnetism of the carrier. The
      resultant product exhibited excellent stability and biocompatibility in vitro due
      to the PEGylation of dopamine. Notably, the combination of chemotherapy and
      photothermal therapy had an evident synergistic effect on the ablation of tumour
      cells. This multifunctional nanoplatform has promising potential as an efficient
      therapeutic agent for multimodal cancer treatment.

PMID- 28915498
TI  - Tantalum-coated pedicle screws enhance implant integration.
AB  - Because titanium alloy (Ti) has the natural advantage of a low elastic modulus,
      it has become the most commonly used material for the manufacturing of pedicle
      screws. However, its poor shear strength and osteogenic ability are undesirable
      properties. The superior osteoinductivity demonstrated by tantalum (Ta) in oral
      and maxillofacial surgery and joint surgery leads us to assume that the tantalum
      coated pedicle screws may have better osteogenic properties and bone anchoring
      strength. To verify this hypothesis, MC3T3-E1 cells and human mesenchymal stem
      cells (hBMSCs) were seeded on the surface of Ta and Ti disks to compare the
      effects of two different metals on cell adhesion, proliferation, and
      differentiation. At the same time, we observed the inhibitory effect of Ta on
      osteoclasts. As an in vivo study, conventional Ti pedicle screws and Ta-coated
      screws were implanted in bilateral pedicles of Bama pigs. The results showed that
      compared to titanium, tantalum promoted greater cell adhesion and proliferation
      and improved the level of hBMSC mineralization, and Ta-coated screws exerted an
      inhibitory effect on osteoclasts. More importantly, we found that the effect of
      tantalum on osteogenic differentiation was mediated through the Wnt/beta-catenin
      and TGF-beta/smad signaling pathways. Ta-coated screws significantly promoted
      trabecular bone growth compared with Ti as evidenced by micro-CT, histology and
      biomechanical examination. Our study clearly indicated that tantalum was a
      superior promoter of osteogenesis and proved that tantalum coating is an
      effective improvement for titanium alloy implants.

PMID- 28915499
TI  - Linkage, charge state and layer of L-Cysteine on copper surfaces.
AB  - The control of linkage and charge state between biomolecules and metals
      represents a key issue for the architect of bioactive systems. In this paper, the
      linkage, charge state and layer of L-Cysteine (L-Cys) self-assembled films were
      handled on copper surfaces at pH=6.86. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were performed to measure the film
      quality and the details of self-assembled progress. X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS) and quantum chemical calculations of density functional theory
      (DFT) were used to characterize the linkage, charge state and layer of the L-Cys
      molecules on copper surfaces. The results indicate that, from 0s to 24h, the self
      assembled process can be classified as three steps, fast adsorption at the
      beginning, and then rearrangement to form a monolayer, and then the formation of
      double layer. And L-Cys molecules link to the copper surface through CuS bond,
      not CuN bond. The thickness of monolayer is 10.5A. Then the L-Cys molecules of
      second layer recline on the first layer. Finally, by the interaction of amine
      group and carboxylic acid group between the two layers, the second self-assembled
      film stands uprightly, and the -S- group of the second layer point outward. The
      thickness of the double layer is 19.7A. All the Cu/L-Cys films have negative
      charges because the pH (6.86) of the self-assembled solution is more than the
      isoelectric point of the L-Cys (5.05).

PMID- 28915500
TI  - Motives for simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use among young adults.
AB  - The majority of young adults who use alcohol and marijuana sometimes use the two
      substances simultaneously. Understanding why young adults engage in simultaneous
      alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use may inform interventions and help offset negative
      consequences. To date, research has not yet examined motives for SAM use. The
      current study tested a 26-item measure of motives for SAM use in a community
      sample of young adults to identify the factor structure and to evaluate
      associations of subscales of SAM motives with alcohol and marijuana motives and
      substance use. Young adults from the Seattle metropolitan area (N=286; 58%
      female, 67% White/Caucasian) were asked about their motives for using alcohol,
      marijuana, and SAM as well as their use of alcohol and marijuana and related
      consequences in the past month. Exploratory factor analysis with promax rotation
      identified four factors to characterize motives for SAM use: (1) conformity (8
      items, alpha=0.87, e.g., "to fit in with a group I like," "pressure from
      others"), (2) positive effects (6 items, alpha=0.88, e.g., "cross-faded effects
      are better," "to get a better high") (3) calm/coping (3 items, alpha=0.77, e.g.,
      "to calm me down," "to cope with anxiety"), and (4) social (5 items, alpha=0.78,
      e.g., "because it is customary on special occasions," "as a way to celebrate").
      Results revealed that alcohol, marijuana, and SAM motives were moderately
      correlated. Even after controlling for alcohol or marijuana motives, SAM motives
      were associated with SAM use and marijuana use/consequences (but not alcohol
      use/consequences).

PMID- 28915501
TI  - Is there an observational effect? An exploratory study into speed cameras and
      self-reported offending behaviour.
AB  - Fixed and mobile speed cameras are an important element of enforcement
      initiatives designed to create a strong deterrent effect and improve road safety.
      Despite the widespread use of the technology and the need to create a strong
      deterrent effect, research has yet to determine if there is a relationship
      between levels of exposure to the devices and subsequent self-reported deterrent
      effects. As a result, licensed motorists (N=536; 51% female) in Queensland
      (Australia) were recruited to complete a questionnaire that measured exposure to
      speed cameras and associated offending behaviours. Data were analyzed utilising
      descriptive, bivariate and multivariate statistics. The key findings that emerged
      were: the sample reported a higher level of exposure to fixed cameras (even
      though there are more operational mobile cameras), younger males were most likely
      to speed and be observant of speed cameras and that perceived certainty of
      apprehension was the largest reported deterrent force. However, a positive
      (rather than negative) relationship was found between perceived camera exposure
      levels and speeding behaviours, which indicates a range of additional factors
      (both legal and non-legal factors as well as driving exposure levels) influence
      speed limit non-compliance. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that
      higher levels of perceptual certainty were associated with general speed
      compliance and perceptions of the severity and swiftness of sanctions, rather
      than levels of self-reported camera exposure. This paper is the first to reveal
      that while motorists prone to speed may be more cognisant of speed camera
      operations, this in itself does not ensure appropriate behaviour modification.

PMID- 28915502
TI  - To stop or not to stop: Contrasting compliant and non-compliant driver behaviour
      at rural rail level crossings.
AB  - Many rail level crossings (RLXs) have only passive protection, such as static
      signs instructing road users to stop, yield, or look for trains. Stop signs have
      been suggested as a low-cost option to improve safety at passive RLXs, as
      requiring drivers to stop should encourage safe behaviour. However, field
      observations have noted high rates of non-compliance at stop-controlled RLXs. To
      explore this further, we conducted an on-road study to identify factors that
      influence compliance at stop-controlled RLXs. Twenty-two drivers drove a 30.5km
      route in rural Australia, encompassing three stop-controlled RLXs. In over half
      of all cases (59%) drivers stopped completely at the RLX; on 27% of crossings
      drivers executed a rolling stop, and on 14% of crossings drivers violated the
      stop controls. Rolling stops were defined as a continuous deceleration to
      <10km/h, but remaining above 0km/h, before accelerating to >10km/h. Behavioural
      patterns, including visual checks and decision-making, were similar when
      comparing drivers who made complete versus rolling stops. Non-compliant drivers
      did not differ from compliant drivers in approach speeds, but spent less time
      visually checking for trains. Post-drive interviews revealed some drivers
      wilfully disregarded the stop sign, whereas others did not notice the stop sign.
      Those who intentionally violated noted trains were infrequent and suggested sight
      distance was good enough (even though all crossings had been formally assessed as
      having inadequate sight distance). Overall the results suggest most drivers
      exhibit safe behaviour at passive RLXs, but a notable minority disregard or fail
      to notice signs. Potential avenues for redesigning passive RLXs to improve safety
      are discussed.

PMID- 28915503
TI  - Availability and consistency of health and non-health data for road traffic
      fatality: Analysis of data from 195 countries, 1985-2013.
AB  - High-quality data are critical for validly monitoring progress toward global
      initiatives related to road traffic crash prevention. We assessed the
      availability and consistency of road traffic mortality data from health and non
      health departments in national governments, plus changes in data consistency over
      time from 1985 to 2013. Using freely accessible data, we systematically assessed
      availability and consistency of health and non-health data from 1985 to 2013 in
      195 countries. Data availability was reflected by the presence of data on motor
      vehicle mortality rates in that country at any points between 1985 and 2013. The
      ratio of 'health data divided by non-health data' was calculated to measure the
      consistency of the two types of data sources. We found that 77 of the 195
      countries in the world (39%) had both health and non-health data sources
      available from 1985 to 2013. None of the 34 low-income countries had both kinds
      of data sources simultaneously available, while 41 of 55 high-income countries
      had both kinds of data sources. Of the 71 countries having both kinds of data for
      five years or more, 33 countries demonstrated high consistency between data
      sources, 25 countries showed moderate data consistency, and 13 countries
      displayed low consistency. Jamaica, Mexico, and China had the largest data
      inconsistencies. 26 of the 71 countries witnessed improved data consistency
      between 1985 and 2013, but nine experienced decreasing data consistency, in a few
      cases to a large degree. Efforts are needed to identify reasons leading to data
      quality changes, and to develop approaches to improve data quality in those
      nations where it is inadequate.

PMID- 28915504
TI  - In situ optical properties of foliar flavonoids: Implication for non-destructive
      estimation of flavonoid content.
AB  - Flavonoids are a ubiquitous multifunctional group of phenolics of paramount
      importance for the terrestrial plants involved in protection from biotic and
      abiotic stresses, color and chemical signaling and other functions. Deciphering
      of in situ absorption of foliar Flv is important but was thought to be impossible
      due to a strong overlap with other pigments, complex in situ chemistry of Flv and
      sophisticated leaf optics. We deduced in situ absorbance of foliar Flv and
      introduced a concept of specific absorbance spectrum indicative of each pigment
      group contribution to light absorption and provided a rationale for the choice of
      spectral bands for non-destructive assessment of Flv in leaves with variable
      content of other pigments including anthocyanins. Only a narrow band 400-430nm
      was suitable for Flv assessment, however the effect of other pigments remained
      substantial, so subtraction of their contribution was necessary. The devised leaf
      absorbance-based algorithm allowed estimating Flv with error below 21%.
      Absorption by Flv in plant tissues might extend into the blue and can be
      commensurate to that of chlorophylls and carotenoids. The potential capacity of
      Flv to shield the cell in situ from the visible light might be essential for
      assessments of high light stress tolerance of plants.

PMID- 28915505
TI  - Hypertension risk and clinical care in patients with bipolar disorder or
      schizophrenia; a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has been observed in
      patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) or schizophrenia, partly due to an increased
      risk of hypertension (HTN), or a less effective care of it. This systematic
      review and meta-analysis, presents a critical appraisal and summary of the
      studies addressing the risk of HTN, or the differences in its care, for those
      with schizophrenia or BPD. METHODS: Prospective studies were searched in PubMed,
      Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and the Web of Science, from database inception to June
      2017. A meta-analysis was undertaken to obtain pooled estimates of the risk of
      HTN. RESULTS: Five studies reporting the risk of HTN, and five studies presenting
      differences in its clinical care, were identified. An increased risk of HTN was
      observed for BPD patients, with an overall Incidence Rate Ratio 1.27(1.15-1.40).
      The pooled Incidence Rate Ratio of HTN for those with schizophrenia was 0.94
      (0.75 - 1.14). A poorer care of HTN (lower rates of screening, prescription, and
      adherence) was reported in four studies of schizophrenia, and two of BPD
      patients, compared to people without these conditions. LIMITATIONS: reduced
      number of studies on risk and care of HTN on patients with BPD or schizophrenia.
      CONCLUSIONS: Limited evidence suggests that patients with BPD have a higher risk
      of HTN. Patients with schizophrenia and BPD receive poor care of HTN.
      Understanding the risk of HTN, and the differences in its care, is essential for
      clinicians to reduce the cardiovascular morbidity and overall mortality of these
      patients.

PMID- 28915506
TI  - Maternal diethylhexyl phthalate exposure affects adiposity and insulin tolerance
      in offspring in a PCNA-dependent manner.
AB  - The ubiquitous plasticizer, diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), is a known endocrine
      disruptor. However, DEHP exposure effects are not well understood. Changes in
      industrial and agricultural practices have resulted in increased prevalence of
      DEHP exposure and has coincided with the heightened occurrence of metabolic
      syndrome and obesity. DEHP and its metabolites are detected in the umbilical cord
      blood of newborns; however, the prenatal and perinatal effects of DEHP exposure
      have not been intensively studied. Previously, we discovered that phosphorylation
      (p) of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) at tyrosine 114 (Y114) is
      required for adipogenesis and diet-induced obesity in mice. Here, we show the
      unique ability of DEHP to induce p-Y114 in PCNA in vitro. We also show that while
      DEHP promotes adipogenesis of wild type (WT) murine embryonic fibroblasts,
      mutation of Y114 to phenylalanine (Y114F) in PCNA blocked adipocyte
      differentiation. Given the induction of p-Y114 in PCNA by DEHP and the
      relationship to obesity, WT and Y114F PCNA mice were exposed to DEHP during
      gestation or lactation, followed by high fat diet feeding. Paradoxically, in
      utero exposure of Y114F PCNA females to DEHP led to a significant increase in
      body mass and was associated with augmented expression of PPARgamma, a critical
      regulator of obesity, compared to WT controls. In utero exposure of WT mice to
      DEHP led to insulin sensitivity while Y114F mutation ablated this phenotype,
      indicating that PCNA is an important regulator of early DEHP exposure and ensuing
      metabolic phenotypes.

PMID- 28915507
TI  - Ambient fine particulate matters induce cell death and inflammatory response by
      influencing mitochondria function in human corneal epithelial cells.
AB  - Ambient fine particulate matter (AFP) is a main risk factor for the cornea as
      ultraviolet light. However, the mechanism of corneal damage following exposure to
      AFP has been poorly understood. In this study, we first confirmed that AFP can
      penetrate the cornea of mice, considering that two-dimensional cell culture
      systems are limited in reflecting the situation in vivo. Then, we investigated
      the toxic mechanism using human corneal epithelial (HCET) cells. At 24h after
      exposure, AFP located within the autophagosome-like vacuoles, and cell
      proliferation was clearly inhibited in all the tested concentration. Production
      of ROS and NO and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines were elevated in a dose
      dependent manner. Additionally, conversion of LC3B from I-type to II-type and
      activation of caspase cascade which show autophagic- and apoptotic cell death,
      respectively, were observed in cells exposed to AFP. Furthermore, AFP decreased
      mitochondrial volume, inhibited ATP production, and altered the expression of
      metabolism-related genes. Taken together, we suggest that AFP induces cell death
      and inflammatory response by influencing mitochondrial function in HCET cells. In
      addition, we recommend that stringent air quality regulations are needed for eye
      health.

PMID- 28915508
TI  - Preoperative Intraaortic Balloon Pump Improves Early Outcomes Following High-Risk
      Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials and
      Prospective Study Design.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite widespread use, evidence to support preemptive intraaortic
      balloon pump (IABP) insertion for patients undergoing high-risk coronary artery
      bypass graft (CABG) surgery remains sparse, and in need of a well-defined
      clinical trial. To inform the design of a prospective trial, we sought to review
      outcomes in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of anticipatory IABP use vs
      control in patients undergoing high-risk CABG through meta-analysis. The primary
      endpoint was all-cause mortality within 30 days of surgery. The secondary
      endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), a composite
      of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or repeat revascularization. METHODS:
      Using Ovid MEDLINE, we systematically reviewed all RCTs comparing preoperative
      IABP with control in patients undergoing high-risk CABG, defined as: left
      ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <=40%, left main stenosis >=70%, unstable
      angina, recent myocardial infarction, or prior myocardial revascularization
      undergoing elective or emergent CABG on or off pump. RESULTS: Of 950 articles
      assessed for eligibility, 10 RCTs of 1261 subjects (mean age, 65.0 years; 21.8%
      women; mean LVEF, 35%) were included. Mortality was significantly lower in
      patients receiving IABP compared with control (relative risk [RR], 0.48; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.30-0.76; P<.01). The risk of MACCE was also lower
      with IABP (RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.54-0.84; P<.001). No significant differences in
      major bleeding events (RR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.44-3.72) or vascular complications
      (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.42-3.06) were detected. CONCLUSIONS: A strategy of routine
      prophylactic IABP use may reduce short-term mortality and MACCE in high-risk CABG
      patients. A definitive, adequately powered, prospective, randomized trial is
      warranted to confirm these results.

PMID- 28915509
TI  - Device Motion Indication: A Novel Image-Based Tool to Measure Relative Device
      Motion During Coronary Intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Movement of the stent delivery system in the coronary bed as a result
      of the cardiac cycle is a well-known clinical observation that usually is either
      underestimated or ignored. This effect may potentially jeopardize precise stent
      deployment. We used a novel technology to objectively measure the relative
      intracoronary device motion in the different coronary segments throughout the
      cardiac cycle. METHODS: A total of 193 patients undergoing coronary angiography
      were enrolled and their studies were analyzed for device movement using the
      SyncVision System (Philips Volcano). The SyncVision System is an add-on image
      processing system with unique enhancement and stabilization capabilities. A new
      feature, the device-motion indication, can precisely display the predeployment
      device movement measurement (DMM). The device movements within the three segments
      of each coronary artery were recorded. RESULTS: We identified 218 branch point
      sites. Median axial displacement was 2.97 mm at the right coronary artery (RCA),
      2.22 mm at the left circumflex, and 1.84 mm at the left anterior descending
      segments. The most movable segments were mid and distal RCA (P<.05). Both heart
      rate and cardiac contractility significantly affected DMM. CONCLUSIONS: The study
      demonstrates an innovative feature of the SyncVision System as a tool to
      precisely measure relative device displacement. We claim that the relative device
      movement is an important quality metric to consider for achieving an effective
      stent implantation process.

PMID- 28915510
TI  - Drug-Eluting vs Bare-Metal Stents in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and
      Coronary Artery Disease: Insights From a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most drug-eluting stent (DES) trials have excluded patients with
      chronic kidney disease (CKD). The efficacy of DES implantation in patients with
      CKD is therefore not known. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the outcomes with DES vs bare
      metal stent (BMS) implantation in patients with CKD. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched for studies including at least 100
      patients with CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <=60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or on
      dialysis) treated with DES or BMS and followed for at least 1 month and reporting
      outcomes of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) mortality, myocardial
      infarction (MI), target-vessel revascularization (TVR), and stent thrombosis
      (ST). Thirty-one studies (5 randomized) with 91,817 participants (49,081 DES and
      42,736 BMS) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. DES was associated with lower all
      cause mortality (relative risk [RR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71
      0.84), CV mortality (RR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.38-0.70), MI (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.86
      0.95), TVR (RR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47-0.80), and numerically lower ST (RR, 0.75; 95%
      CI, 0.55-1.01) when compared with BMS. Analysis by study type (RCTs vs non-RCTs)
      showed similar results for most outcomes (Pinteraction>.05) except all-cause
      mortality, where there was no difference between DES vs BMS in RCTs
      (Pinteraction=.04). The effects were greater with 2nd-generation DES vs BMS (for
      example, ST: RR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20-0.72). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CKD, the
      available evidence, largely from observational studies, suggests significantly
      fewer events with DES vs BMS with even a lower ST rate with 2nd-generation DES.
      These findings should be tested in large, randomized trials.

PMID- 28915511
TI  - Children's Comprehension of Object Relative Sentences: It's Extant Language
      Knowledge That Matters, Not Domain-General Working Memory.
AB  - Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether extant language (lexical)
      knowledge or domain-general working memory is the better predictor of
      comprehension of object relative sentences for children with typical development.
      We hypothesized that extant language knowledge, not domain-general working
      memory, is the better predictor. Method: Fifty-three children (ages 9-11 years)
      completed a word-level verbal working-memory task, indexing extant language
      (lexical) knowledge; an analog nonverbal working-memory task, representing domain
      general working memory; and a hybrid sentence comprehension task incorporating
      elements of both agent selection and cross-modal picture-priming paradigms.
      Images of the agent and patient were displayed at the syntactic gap in the object
      relative sentences, and the children were asked to select the agent of the
      sentence. Results: Results of general linear modeling revealed that extant
      language knowledge accounted for a unique 21.3% of variance in the children's
      object relative sentence comprehension over and above age (8.3%). Domain-general
      working memory accounted for a nonsignificant 1.6% of variance. Conclusions: We
      interpret the results to suggest that extant language knowledge and not domain
      general working memory is a critically important contributor to children's object
      relative sentence comprehension. Results support a connectionist view of the
      association between working memory and object relative sentence comprehension.
      Supplemental Materials: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5404573.

PMID- 28915512
TI  - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Predictors of Expressive-Language
      Outcomes Among Late Talkers.
AB  - Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the literature on predictors of
      outcomes among late talkers using systematic review and meta-analysis methods. We
      sought to answer the question: What factors predict preschool-age expressive
      language outcomes among late-talking toddlers? Method: We entered carefully
      selected search terms into the following electronic databases: Communication &
      Mass Media Complete, ERIC, Medline, PsycEXTRA, Psychological and Behavioral
      Sciences, and PsycINFO. We conducted a separate, random-effects model meta
      analysis for each individual predictor that was used in a minimum of 5 studies.
      We also tested potential moderators of the relationship between predictors and
      outcomes using metaregression and subgroup analysis. Last, we conducted
      publication-bias and sensitivity analyses. Results: We identified 20 samples,
      comprising 2,134 children, in a systematic review. According to the results of
      the meta-analyses, significant predictors of expressive-language outcomes
      included toddlerhood expressive-vocabulary size, receptive language, and
      socioeconomic status. Nonsignificant predictors included phrase speech, gender,
      and family history. Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the first synthesis of
      the literature on predictors of outcomes among late talkers using meta-analysis.
      Our findings clarify the contributions of several constructs to outcomes and
      highlight the importance of early receptive language to expressive-language
      development. Supplemental Materials: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5313454.

PMID- 28915513
TI  - The Influence of Executive Functions on Phonemic Processing in Children Who Do
      and Do Not Stutter.
AB  - Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate dual-task performance in
      children who stutter (CWS) and those who do not to investigate if the groups
      differed in the ability to attend and allocate cognitive resources effectively
      during task performance. Method: Participants were 24 children (12 CWS) in both
      groups matched for age and sex. For the primary task, participants performed a
      phoneme monitoring in a picture-written word interference task. For the secondary
      task, participants made pitch judgments on tones presented at varying (short,
      long) stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) from the onset of the picture. Results: The
      CWS were comparable to the children who do not stutter in performing the
      monitoring task although the SOA-based performance differences in this task were
      more variable in the CWS. The CWS were also significantly slower in making tone
      decisions at the short SOA and showed a trend for making more errors in this
      task. Conclusions: The findings are interpreted to suggest higher dual-task cost
      effects in CWS. A potential explanation for this finding requiring further
      testing and confirmation is that the CWS show reduced efficiency in attending to
      the tone stimuli while simultaneously prioritizing attention to the phoneme
      monitoring task.

PMID- 28915514
TI  - Developmental Stuttering in Children Who Are Hard of Hearing.
AB  - Purpose: A number of studies with large sample sizes have reported lower
      prevalence of stuttering in children with significant hearing loss compared to
      children without hearing loss. This study used a parent questionnaire to
      investigate the characteristics of stuttering (e.g., incidence, prevalence, and
      age of onset) in children who are hard of hearing (CHH). Method: Three hundred
      three parents of CHH who participated in the Outcomes of Children With Hearing
      Loss study (Moeller & Tomblin, 2015) were sent questionnaires asking about their
      child's history of stuttering. Results: One hundred ninety-four parents of CHH
      responded to the survey. Thirty-three CHH were reported to have stuttered at one
      point in time (an incidence of 17.01%), and 10 children were still stuttering at
      the time of survey submission (a prevalence of 5.15%). Compared to estimates in
      the general population, this sample displayed a significantly higher incidence
      and prevalence. The age of onset, recovery rate, and other characteristics were
      similar to hearing children. Conclusions: Based on this sample, mild to
      moderately severe hearing loss does not appear to be a protective factor for
      stuttering in the preschool years. In fact, the incidence and prevalence of
      stuttering may be higher in this population compared to the general population.
      Despite the significant speech and language needs that children with mild to
      moderately severe hearing loss may have, speech-language pathologists should
      appropriately prioritize stuttering treatment as they would in the hearing
      population. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5397154.

PMID- 28915516
TI  - MOG Antibodies in Pediatric Neurology.

PMID- 28915515
TI  - The Association of Decision-to-Incision Time for Cesarean Delivery with Maternal
      and Neonatal Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate whether the decision-to
      incision (DTI) time for cesarean delivery (CD) is associated with differences in
      maternal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: This analysis is of data from women at
      25 U.S. medical centers with a term, singleton, cephalic nonanomalous gestation
      and no prior CD, who underwent an intrapartum CD. Perinatal and maternal outcomes
      associated with DTI intervals of <= 15, 16 to 30, and > 30 minutes were compared.
      RESULTS: Among 3,482 eligible women, median DTI times were 46 and 27 minutes for
      arrest and fetal indications for CD, respectively (p < 0.01). Women with a fetal
      indication whose DTI interval was > 30 minutes had similar odds to the referent
      group (DTI of 16-30 minutes) for the adverse neonatal and maternal composites
      (odds ratio [OR]: 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.40-1.71 and OR: 0.89, 95%
      CI: 0.63-1.27). For arrest disorders, the odds of the adverse neonatal composite
      were lower among women with a DTI of > 30 minutes (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.08-0.77),
      and the adverse maternal composite was no different (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.81
      1.63). CONCLUSION: In this analysis, DTI times longer than 30 minutes were not
      associated with worse maternal or neonatal outcomes.

PMID- 28915517
TI  - Biallelic Mutations in SLC1A2; an Additional Mode of Inheritance for SLC1A2
      Related Epilepsy.
AB  - Recently, heterozygous de novo mutations in SCL1A2 have been reported to underlie
      severe early-onset epileptic encephalopathy. In one male presenting with
      epileptic seizures and visual impairment, we identified a novel homozygous
      splicing variant in SCL1A2 (c.1421 + 1G > C) by using exome sequencing.
      Functional studies on cDNA level confirmed a consecutive loss of function. Our
      findings suggest that not only de novo mutations but also biallelic variants in
      SLC1A2 can cause epilepsy and that there is an additional autosomal recessive
      mode of inheritance. These findings also contribute to the understanding of the
      genetic mechanism of autosomal dominant SLC1A2-related epileptic encephalopathy
      as they exclude haploinsufficiency as exclusive genetic mechanism.

PMID- 28915519
TI  - [E-Cigarettes on Everyone's Lips - Current Representative Data on Use Among
      Adolescents and Adults].
AB  - Background International data suggest an increase in e-cigarette use. However,
      there are still significant deficits in the reporting of its current prevalence.
      The present study reports representative data on e-cigarette use that make it
      possible to differentiate users both by the nicotine content of the e-cigarette
      liquids being used and by their smoking status. Methods and material The
      underlying data are taken from the National Cancer Aid Monitoring (NCAM). In its
      first wave, 3000 persons aged between 14 and 45 were interviewed by telephone.
      Point estimates, confidence intervals and determinants of use will be presented.
      Results Overall, 20 % of respondents had used an e-cigarette before, of which 80
      % used liquids containing nicotine. Men, younger persons, persons with a migrant
      background and persons with a lower education level were more likely to have used
      an e-cigarette before than their respective reference groups. Half of all ever
      users of e-cigarettes also smoked tobacco cigarettes, while roughly one third had
      never used tobacco products before. Conclusions For the first time, a
      representative study was conducted combining questions on the use of e-cigarettes
      with questions on smoking tobacco cigarettes and the nicotine content of the
      liquids being used. Target groups for future prevention measures are adolescents,
      as they had the highest prevalence of e-cigarette use, as well as non-smokers,
      since one third of e-cigarette users had never used a tobacco product before.
      Both groups also seem to be relevant target groups for which the introduction to
      e-cigarettes should be prevented.

PMID- 28915518
TI  - [Primary Care in Germany - Equal Access for Everyone?]
AB  - BACKGROUND:  Access to primary care plays an important role in medical care
      provision in Germany. Therefore, current health care planning aims at providing
      equal access for every patient in Germany no matter where they live. OBJECTIVE: 
      This study examined accessibility of primary care and compared the result with
      current primary care planning data. MATERIALS AND METHODS:  Spatial accessibility
      to primary care was measured by the integrated Floating Catchment Area method
      ("accessibility index") using a geographical information system at the level of
      square kilometers cells (hectare grid cells for major urban areas). RESULTS:  The
      analysis of 649 million generated records showed considerable geographical
      variations of accessibility: 4.7 % of the total population lived in areas with
      significantly lower primary care accessibility (z-score = -3.4), whereas 48.0 %
      of the population lived in areas with significantly higher primary care
      accessibility (z-score = 9.7). The average accessibility index was 0.14 (SD =
      0.15) and increased the more urban (r = 0.64; p < 0.001) and the less deprived (r
      = -0.37; p < 0.001) the area was. Within health care planning regions, the
      accessibility index varied by an average of Delta = 0.23 (SD = 0.19) and was not
      correlated with the degree of care provision (r = -0.04; p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: 
      With regard to primary care, there are urban-rural disparities and regional
      social inequalities in Germany. Therefore, health care planning should take
      greater account of spatial accessibility in the future.

PMID- 28915520
TI  - [Effect of the Disease Management Program on HbA1c Value in Type 2 Diabetes
      Mellitus Patients: A Retrospective Comparison between Disease Management Programs
      and Standard Care].
AB  - Background This retrospective study aims to measure the effect of the disease
      management program (DMP) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients on HbA1c
      value within Germany. Methods This study is based on patient data from the
      Disease Analyzer panel (IMS Health). An adequate control group was created using
      2:1 propensity score matching. After matching, the analysis included 14 759
      patients. Of these, 5875 participated in a DMP while 8884 received standard care.
      The DMP effect was estimated on the basis of the matched data, using an unpaired
      t-test. In addition, subgroups were considered from the perspective of
      personalized medicine. Results The reduction in HbA1c values in the DMP group
      amounted to an average of 1.0 percentage point (baseline HbA1c = 8.1 vs. final
      HbA1c = 7.1), while the SC group was able to achieve an average reduction in
      HbA1c values of 0.9 percentage point (baseline HbA1c = 8.1 vs. final HbA1c =
      7.2). The DMP group thus achieved an average reduction in HbA1c values that
      exceeded that of the SC group by only 0.1 percentage point (95 % CI: 0.04 -
      0.16). Descriptively, it also became apparent that patients from the DMP group
      received a greater average number of annual prescriptions and had more HbA1c
      measurements. The subgroup analysis identified groups of patients who benefit
      more from DMPs than others. Thus, young patients or patients who are being
      treated by diabetologists are able to benefit most from a DMP. Furthermore, the
      baseline HbA1c value has an influence on the DMP effect. Conclusion T2DM patients
      in the DMP exhibit a significantly higher reduction in HbA1c value. However, it
      is questionable whether this effect is clinically relevant. Certain groups of
      patients benefit more from DMPs than others. Nevertheless, further studies are
      needed in order to better understand the impact of the DMP on HbA1c value and the
      reasons for the subgroup effects. Such studies should be carried out using a
      randomized controlled design.

PMID- 28915521
TI  - Comparative Analysis of Gene Expression between Cartilage and Menisci in Early
      Phase Osteoarthritis of the Knee-An Animal Model Study.
AB  - Cartilage degeneration is believed to be the primary event in the development of
      osteoarthritis (OA). On the other hand, meniscal degeneration is observed with
      high prevalence, and some researchers have pointed out that pathological changes
      in menisci precede that of cartilage. The purpose of the present study is to
      investigate comprehensive gene expression pattern of cartilage and menisci in the
      initial phase of surgically induced OA and to compare them. Secondary OA was
      surgically induced in 10-week-old male Wistar rats by anterior cruciate ligament
      transection (ACLT). Articular cartilage and menisci were separately dissected
      from six ACLT- and six sham-operated rats. Each specimen was analyzed by
      microarray, histological, and immunohistochemical analysis 3 weeks after surgery.
      Of the 36,685 transcripts detectable by microarray, the number of upregulated
      transcripts in ACLT menisci was >2.5-fold compared with that in ACLT menisci in
      any given threshold. Cluster analysis using the Database for Annotation
      Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) showed genes related to OA, such
      as response to stimulus, angiogenesis, and apoptosis, which were predominantly
      found in menisci in ACLT rats. Representative proteases including Adamts2, 4,
      Mmp2, 12, 13, 14, 16, extracellular matrix genes including versican (Vcan),
      lumican (Lum), syndecan1 (Sdc1), and Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase2 (Ptgs2)
      were up-regulated in menisci, but were not up-regulated in cartilage. Our results
      indicated that the molecular changes that occurred in menisci preceded those
      occurred in cartilage in the very early phase of surgically induced OA models.

PMID- 28915522
TI  - Comparison of Platelet-Rich Plasma, Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF), or SVF with
      an Injectable PLGA Nanofiber Scaffold for the Treatment of Osteochondral Injury
      in Dogs.
AB  - Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) contains a small number of mesenchymal stem cells
      and has been used as a treatment for osteoarthritis and cartilage injury. Due to
      limited evidence of successful cartilage regeneration with injected stem cell
      therapies, there is interest in combining cellular therapies with injectable
      scaffolding materials to increase intra-articular residence times of stem cells
      and improve tissue regeneration. However, the safety of intra-articular injection
      of SVF combined with injectable scaffolds is unestablished. Also, it is unclear
      if SVF therapy is superior to more easily prepared biologics, such as platelet
      rich plasma (PRP). The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of SVF when
      combined with an injectable poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanofiber scaffold and
      to provide a comparison of SVF therapy to PRP. A total of 12 Beagles had
      osteochondral defects created in both medial femoral condyles and 4 dogs each
      were allocated to treatment groups of SVF (n = 4), SVF plus PLGA scaffolding (n =
      4), or leukoreduced PRP (n = 4). One knee in each dog received treatment, and the
      contralateral knee was sham treated with saline. Dogs were assessed over a 6
      month period, and outcome measures included functional, radiographic,
      biochemical, and histological assessments. PRP treatment resulted in improvements
      in lameness scores and objective kinetic assessments of function. There were no
      statistically significant improvements in function, cartilage biochemical
      composition, or histology for SVF-treated knees. The combination of SVF and the
      injectable PLGA scaffold had worse outcomes than other groups including sham
      treatment based upon functional, biochemical, and histological assessments,
      raising concerns over the safety of this scaffold for intra-articular injection.

PMID- 28915523
TI  - [Biologic Reconstruction of Full Sized Cartilage Defects of the Hip: A Guideline
      from the DGOU Group "Clinical Tissue Regeneration" and the Hip Committee of the
      AGA].
AB  - Background Symptomatic pre-arthritic deformities such as femoroacetabular
      impingement (FAI) or hip dysplasia often lead to localised cartilage defects and
      subsequently to osteoarthritis. The present review of the working group "Clinical
      Tissue Regeneration" of the German Society of Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU) and
      the hip committee of the AGA (German speaking Society for Arthroscopy and Joint
      Surgery) provides an overview of current knowledge of the diagnosis and surgical
      treatment of cartilage defects, in order to infer appropriate therapy
      recommendations for the hip. Methods Review of FAI and resultant cartilage damage
      in the hip as reported in published study findings in the literature and
      discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of different surgical procedures
      to preserve the joint. Results Most published studies on the surgical treatment
      of cartilage damage in the hip report defects caused by cam-type FAI at the
      acetabulum. Development of these defects can be prevented by timely elimination
      of the relevant deformities. At present, current full-thickness cartilage defects
      are mostly treated with bone marrow-stimulating techniques such as microfracture
      (MFx), with or without a biomaterial, and matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte
      transplantation (MACT). Osteochondral autologous transplantation (OAT) is not the
      treatment of choice for isolated full-thickness chondral defects at the hip,
      because of the unfavourable risk-benefit profile. Due to the relatively short
      history of cartilage repair surgery on the hip, the studies available on these
      procedures have low levels of evidence. However, it is already becoming obvious
      that the experience gained with the same procedures on the knee can be applied to
      the hip as well. For example, limited healing and regeneration of chondral
      defects after MFx can also be observed at the hip joint. Conclusions The
      cartilage surface of the acetabulum, where FAI-related chondral lesions appear,
      is considerably smaller than the weight-bearing cartilage surface of the knee
      joint. However, as in the knee joint, MACT is the therapy of choice for full
      thickness cartilage defects of more than 1.5 - 2 cm2. Minimally invasive types of
      MACT (e.g. injectable chondrocyte implants) should be preferred in the hip joint.
      In cases where a single-stage procedure is indicated or there are other
      compelling reasons for not performing a MACT, a bone marrow-stimulating technique
      in combination with a biomaterial covering is preferable to standard MFx. For
      treatment of lesions smaller than 1.5 - 2 cm2 the indication for a single-stage
      procedure is wider. As with defects in the knee, it is not possible to determine
      a definite upper age limit for joint-preserving surgery or MACT in the hip, as
      the chronological age of patients does not necessarily correlate with their
      biological age or the condition of their joints. Advanced osteoarthritis of the
      hip is a contraindication for any kind of hip-preserving surgery. Long-term
      observations and prospective randomised studies like those carried out for other
      joints are necessary.

PMID- 28915525
TI  - Infiltrating Mammary Duct Adenocarcinoma in the Right Labia Majora Along the Milk
      Line.
AB  - Introduction Breast tissue rarely arises from the vulva and malignancy might
      develop in it. Case Thirty-eight-year-old woman presented with a suspicious ulcer
      in the right labia majora discovered accidently and removed by wide local
      excision. Histopathology revealed infiltrating mammary duct adenocarcinoma along
      the milk line. Immunohistochemistry was positive for estrogen and progesterone
      receptors and equivocal overexpression for HER2 protein with a score of 2+.
      Metastatic work-up was clear. Inguinal lymph nodes were enlarged and
      lymphadenectomy done which showed positive lymph nodes on the right side and none
      on the left. She is receiving adjuvant therapy. Conclusion Mammary duct carcinoma
      along the nipple line is rare but should be considered when dealing with
      suspicious vulvar lesions.

PMID- 28915524
TI  - Risk of colorectal cancer after a negative colonoscopy in low-to-moderate risk
      individuals: impact of a 10-year colonoscopy.
AB  - Background and study aims National societies recommend colorectal cancer (CRC)
      screening 10 years after a normal ("negative") colonoscopy in low-risk
      individuals. We studied the impact of a 10-year repeat colonoscopy on the risk of
      early incident CRC. Patients and methods We used health administrative data from
      Ontario, Canada, to conduct a population-based retrospective cohort study in 50 -
      74-year-old individuals at low-to-moderate risk of CRC who had a negative
      colonoscopy between 1996 and 2001. We approximated exposure to repeat colonoscopy
      using an 8 - 12-year window. We excluded individuals who underwent lower
      endoscopy or colectomy, developed CRC, or were lost to follow-up between the
      baseline and repeat colonoscopies. We matched exposed individuals 1:1 to
      individuals who did not undergo lower endoscopy within 12 years for age, sex, and
      calendar year of baseline colonoscopy, and followed matched pairs for incident
      CRC. The primary analysis was multivariable hazards regression, adjusting for
      competing risks. Results A total of 13 350 matched pairs were observed for a
      median of 4.5 years (interquartile range 3.2 - 5.9 years). The cumulative
      probability of CRC following the matching date was 0.70 % (95 % confidence
      interval [CI] 0.42 % - 1.11 %) in individuals who underwent repeat colonoscopy
      and 0.77 % (95 %CI 0.48 % - 1.2 %) in individuals who did not undergo repeat
      colonoscopy. The adjusted hazard ratio for CRC was 0.91 (95 %CI 0.68 - 1.22).
      Conclusions We did not find an association between a second colonoscopy performed
      10 years after a negative colonoscopy and early incident CRC. Our findings
      support the need for further studies on the utility of 10-year re-screening with
      colonoscopy in this setting.

PMID- 28915526
TI  - [EXIT - A Possible Intervention for New- and Earlyborn Babies with Severe Hydrops
      Fetalis and Hydrothoraces on Both Sides].
AB  - The EXIT (ex utero intrapartum treatment) procedure is an established method of
      respiratory protection, originally used in the delivery of fetuses with
      congenital obstructive airway diseases (tumors in the throat area, hygromas, so
      called congenital high airway obstruction syndrome (CHAOS)). Meanwhile, the
      procedure is also carried out in large perinatal centers for pronounced
      diaphragmatic hernia or other special indications (EXIT to ECMO, congenital lung
      airway malformations (CCAM), pulmonary atresia). We present our experience with
      adapted EXIT procedures in 5 preterm infants with secondary generalized hydrops
      fetalis and pronounced bilateral hydrothoraces.

PMID- 28915527
TI  - Palliative Therapies for Congenital Heart Disease with Ductus Dependent Pulmonary
      Circulation.
AB  - In neonates, the management of ductus dependent pulmonary circulation is
      challenging. There have been three palliative therapies for this lesion: the
      modified Blalock-Taussig shunt, ductal stenting and prostaglandin E infusions,
      for maintaining the ductal patency before definite operations. Debates remain
      with regard to the indications and disadvantages of three palliative therapies.
      The aim of this article is to give a brief review of these three palliative
      therapies.

PMID- 28915528
TI  - [Antenatal Steroid Therapy in Threatened Premature Birth - State of the Art].
AB  - The aim of this work is to provide an overview of the recommendations in the
      current literature for the induction of lung maturation therapy. In particular,
      special attention is focused on specific situations, such as chorioamnionitis,
      intrauterine growth retardation and preeclampsia, which often lead to premature
      birth. Additionally, some aspects of antenatal steroid therapy, despite its
      widespread use, still require clarification. Among them is the repetitive
      administration of steroid therapy. On the basis of the Cochrane analysis of 2015,
      advantages and disadvantages for children and pregnant women are explained.
      Furthermore, the data on the use of antenatal steroid therapy in multiple
      pregnancies remain insufficient.

PMID- 28915529
TI  - Centralized Pediatric Surgery in the Nordic Countries: A Role Model for Europe?

PMID- 28915530
TI  - French Connection between Specialized and Routine Pediatric Surgical Care.

PMID- 28915531
TI  - Subclinical Hyperthyroidism and the Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - Thyroid hormone excess has complex metabolic effects, particularly on the
      cardiovascular system. Treatment of these conditions is universally suggested by
      international guidelines. Subclinical hyperthyroidism, defined by reduced or
      suppressed TSH levels in the presence of normal free thyroxine and free
      triiodothyronine values, is common in the general population and progressively
      increases with aging, being as high as 15.4% in subjects more than 75 years old
      and more frequent in subjects with nodular goiter. Subclinical hyperthyroidism is
      often asymptomatic and the diagnosis is incidentally made during screening exams.
      However, this form of thyroid disorder has gained attention in the last years for
      its association with cardiovascular disease, in particular with atrial
      fibrillation. Less clear are the effects of subclinical hyperthyroidism on blood
      pressure, stroke, or heart failure. The decision to treat subclinical
      hyperthyroidism is made on the clinical judge, particularly in elderly patients
      and/or in the presence of comorbidities.

PMID- 28915532
TI  - Formation mechanism of human serum albumin monolayers on positively charged
      polymer microparticles.
AB  - Human serum albumin (HSA) adsorption on positively and negatively charged
      polystyrene microparticles was studied at various pHs and NaCl concentrations.
      Thorough electrophoretic mobility measurements were carried out that enabled to
      monitor in situ the progress of protein adsorption. The maximum coverage of
      irreversibly adsorbed HSA on microparticles was determined by different
      concentration depletion methods, one of them involving AFM imaging of residual
      molecules. An anomalous adsorption of HSA on the positive microparticles was
      observed at pH 3.5 where the maximum coverage attained 1.0mgm-2 for NaCl
      concentrations of 0.05M despite that the molecules were on average positively
      charged. For comparison, the maximum coverage of HSA on negatively charged
      microparticles was equal to 1.3mgm-2 at this pH and NaCl concentration. At pH 7.4
      the maximum coverage on positive microparticles was equal to 2.1mgm-2 for 0.05M
      NaCl concentration. On the other hand, for negative microparticles, negligible
      adsorption of HSA was observed at pH 7.4 and 9.7. These experimental data were
      adequately interpreted in terms of the random sequential adsorption approach
      exploiting the bead model of the HSA molecule. Different orientations of adsorbed
      molecules, inert alia, the edge-on orientation prevailing for positively charged
      microparticles at pH 7.4, were confirmed. This was explained in terms of a
      heterogeneous charge distribution over the HSA molecule prevailing for a wide
      range of pHs.

PMID- 28915533
TI  - Long non-coding RNA MALAT1 promotes proliferation and invasion via targeting miR
      129-5p in triple-negative breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA Metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma
      transcript 1(lncRNA MALAT1) play important roles in tumor progression. In the
      present study, we determined the regulatory function of MALAT1 in triple-negative
      breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS: A total of 43 cases of TNBC tissues and paired
      adjacent non-tumor tissues were collected for the research. MALAT1 expression was
      explored by qRT-PCR. In vitro functional validation experiments were used to
      determine the effect of MALAT1 on TNBC progression. We further identified the
      downstream target miRNAs for MALAT1. RESULTS: Relative expression of MALAT1 was
      increased in TNBC tissues and cell lines. High MALAT1 expression was closely
      correlated to advance clinical features and poor overall survival in TNBC
      patients. Function assay showed that MALAT1 silencing significantly decreased
      cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Flow cytometry assay revealed that
      MALAT1 inhibition significantly induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. In
      addition, we showed that the roles of MALAT1 on TNBC cells progression was
      mediated by miR-129-5p. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that the "MALAT1-miR
      129-5p" axis might play an important role in the progression of TNBC, thereby
      might provide a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of TNBC.

PMID- 28915534
TI  - Revealing anti-inflammation mechanism of water-extract and oil of forsythiae
      fructus on carrageenan-Induced edema rats by serum metabolomics.
AB  - Forsythiae Fructus is an important Chinese medicine which shows a significant
      effect against inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the preventive anti
      inflammation mechanism of Forsythiae Fructus by serum metabolomics strategy and
      compare the difference of the metabolism pathways between Forsythia extract and
      Forsythia oil in rat. Four groups (control group, model group, Forsythia extract
      group and Forsythia oil group) were orally administered 10mL/kg 0.5% Tween 80
      solution, 10mL/kg 0.5% Tween 80 solution, 5g/kg Forsythia extract and 0.48mL/kg
      Forsythia oil respectively. 30min after drug administration, rat acute
      inflammation was induced by subcutaneous injection of carrageenan in the right
      paw in model group, Forsythia extract group and Forsythia oil group. After being
      administered Forsythia extract and Forsythia oil, the percentage of rat paw edema
      was significantly decreased (P<0.05) compared with model group. Metabolomics
      based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to analyze the collected serum sample.
      Multivariate analysis was established for metabolomics analysis. According to
      Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminate
      analysis (PLS-DA) results, four groups were clearly separated. And thirteen
      alterative biomarkers were identified in the serum, namely PC (19:0/0:0), LysoPC
      (20:0), LysoPC (20:1), LysoPC (17:0), Sphingosine, Linoleic acid, 3R-hydroxy
      butanoic acid (3-HB), 2-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid, Lactic acid, L-Threonine, L
      Leucine, Maleic acid, Adipic acid. The change of biomarkers suggested that
      Forsythia extract affected Linoleic acid metabolism, Valine, leucine and
      isoleucine biosynthesis, Sphingolipid metabolism and Glycerophospholipid
      metabolism. Forsythia oil affected Sphingolipid metabolism and
      Glycerophospholipid metabolism. It indicated that Forsythia extract and Forsythia
      oil both showed significant preventive anti-inflammatory effect through acting on
      different metabolism pathways. Moreover, efficacy mechanism of Forsythiae Fructus
      could recover metabolites disturb in the body through affecting particular drug
      targets associated with the inflammatory pathway.

PMID- 28915535
TI  - Isoquercetin ameliorated hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced H9C2 cardiomyocyte
      apoptosis via a mitochondrial-dependent pathway.
AB  - Isoquercetin exerts multiple pharmacological effects against various diseases.
      The present research sought to further investigate the role of isoquercetin in
      hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-treated cardiomyocytes and its potential mechanism
      involved. The H/R model in H9C2 cells was established to mimic myocardial I/R
      injury in vitro. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were tested using MTT assay and
      Annexin V FITC-PI staining assay, respectively. We found that isoquercetin
      protected H9C2 cells from H/R-induced injury as the evidences that isoquercetin
      administration attenuated the effects of H/R treatment on H9C2 cell viability,
      cell apoptosis and ROS generation after H/R treatment. More importantly,
      isoquercetin protects mitochondrial function and prevents cytochrome c release in
      H9C2 cells after I/R injury. In conclusion, these results revealed the potential
      cardiovascular protective effects of isoquercetin in the treatment of I/R-related
      myocardial injury.

PMID- 28915536
TI  - Protective effect of the standardized extract of ginkgo biloba (EGb761) against
      hypertension with hypercholesterolemia-induced renal injury in rats: Insights in
      the underlying mechanisms.
AB  - The potential protective role of the standardized leaf extract of ginkgo biloba
      (EGb761) on hypertension with hypercholesterolemia-induced renal injury was
      investigated in rats. Hypertension was induced by L-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl
      ester (L-NAME) and hypercholesterolemia was induced by feeding rats with a diet
      containing 1% cholesterol. In these animals repeated treatment with EGb761
      produced a progressive reduction in the systolic, diastolic and mean arterial
      blood pressure (BP). EGb761 increased the progressive reduction in the systolic,
      diastolic and mean arterial BP induced by repeated administration of losartan
      with simvastatin. EGb761 corrected the compromised serum lipid profile and
      enhanced the effect of losartan with simvastatin on lipid profile. EGb761
      protected against hypertension with hypercholesterolemia-induced renal injury as
      assessed by measurement of serum renal function markers and by histopathological
      examination. EGb761 enhanced the renoprotective effect of losartan with
      simvastatin in these rats. Concomitantly, hypertension with hypercholesterolemia
      induced elevation of renal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite levels and
      reduction of intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) level were inhibited by
      repeated treatment with EGb761. In addition, hypertension with
      hypercholesterolemia-induced increases in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) levels in renal
      tissues were inhibited by treatment with EGb761. Also, EGb761 inhibited
      hypertension with hypercholesterolemia-induced decrease in endothelial nitric
      oxide synthase (eNOS) protein expression and increase in the protein expressions
      of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta in the kidney
      tissues. Losartan with simvastatin produced similar effects on renal tissues
      oxidative stress, nitrite and inflammatory markers levels and on protein
      expressions of eNOS, iNOS, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta. EGb761 enhanced losartan
      with simvastatin effects. These results indicate that EGb761 has the ability to
      protect against hypertension with hypercholesterolemia-induced renal injury. The
      ability of EGb761 to provide this renoprotective effect may positively correlate,
      besides its antihypertensive and antihypercholesterolemic effects, to its ability
      to suppress renal oxidative stress, nitrosative stress and inflammation.

PMID- 28915537
TI  - MTA1 expression in human cancers - Clinical and pharmacological significance.
AB  - Remarkably, majority of the cancer deaths are due to metastasis, not because of
      primary tumors. Metastasis is one of the important hallmarks of cancer. During
      metastasis invasion of primary tumor cells from the site of origin to a new organ
      occurs. Metastasis associated proteins (MTAs) are a small family of
      transcriptional coregulators that are closely associated with tumor metastasis.
      These proteins are integral components of nuclear remodeling and deacetylation
      complex (NuRD). By virtue of being integral components of NuRD, these proteins
      regulate the gene expression by altering the epigenetic changes such as
      acetylation and methylation on the target gene chromatin. Among the MTA proteins,
      MTA1 expression is very closely correlated with the aggressiveness of several
      cancers that includes breast, liver, colon, pancreas, prostate, blood,
      esophageal, gastro-intestinal etc. Considering its close association with
      aggressiveness in human cancers, MTA1 may be considered as a potential
      therapeutic target for cancer treatment. The recent developments in its crystal
      structure further strengthened the idea of developing small molecule inhibitors
      for MTA1. In this review, we discuss the recent trends on the diverse functions
      of MTA1 and its role in various cancers, with the focus to consider MTA1 as a
      'druggable' target in the control of human cancers.

PMID- 28915538
TI  - Long-term T3 and T4 treatment as an alternative to aerobic exercise training in
      improving cardiac function post-myocardial infarction.
AB  - Here we aimed to compare the beneficial effects of T3 and T4 hormone treatment to
      those provided by aerobic exercise training in Wistar rats post-myocardial
      infarction (MI). Rats in one group were SHAM-operated and in the other group were
      subjected to MI surgery. One week after surgery, the MI group animals either
      received T3 and T4 hormones by gavage or underwent a low intensity aerobic
      exercise training protocol on a treadmill, and both treatments lasted until 10
      weeks after MI. Untreated SHAM-operated and MI groups were also followed for the
      same duration. The cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography and
      catheterization, followed by blood collection (to measure T3, T4, and TSH
      hormones), and euthanasia. The lung, liver, heart, and tibia were collected (to
      assess hypertrophy and congestion indices). The left ventricle homogenate
      (without a scar) was used for the analyses of calcium handling proteins. Results
      showed that enhanced cardiac function was promoted by both interventions, with
      infarct size reduction, increased ejection fraction, and diastolic posterior wall
      thickness, but no alterations in heart rate, cardiac output, or T3, T4, and TSH
      levels. There was a positive force-frequency relationship accompanied by
      increased alpha-MHC, as well as decreased HSP70 protein expression. In
      conclusion, the effects of T3 and T4 hormone treatments were similar, and in some
      parameters superior, to those provided by the aerobic exercise training. Thus,
      lower doses of thyroid hormones could be more suitable as a coadjuvant treatment
      after MI, as a plausible alternative for patients who are intolerant to aerobic
      exercise training.

PMID- 28915539
TI  - Astaxanthin alleviated acute lung injury by inhibiting oxidative/nitrative stress
      and the inflammatory response in mice.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of astaxanthin (ASX)
      treatment on the acute lung injury (ALI) induced by cecal ligation and puncture
      (CLP) in mice. Mice were randomly allocated into the following groups: (1) the
      saline control group, in which mice were given saline before sham operation; (2)
      the ASX control group, in which mice received ASX before sham operation; (3) the
      ALI group, in which mice were given saline before CLP operation; and (4) the
      ALI+ASX group, in which mice received ASX before CLP operation. ASX was dissolved
      in olive oil and administrated by oral gavage for 14days consecutively before the
      CLP or sham operation. In experiment 1, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was
      conducted for 72h after CLP. In experiment 2, blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
      (BALF) and lung tissues were collected at 24h after the CLP or sham operation to
      determine the severity of lung injury. The results showed that ASX treatment
      could significantly decrease the CLP-induced mortality rate in mice. Meanwhile,
      ASX treatment significantly attenuated CLP-induced lung histopathological injury,
      inflammatory infiltration, total protein and albumin concentration, and total
      cell and neutrophil counts in the BALF. Furthermore, ASX treatment alleviated
      oxidative/nitrative stress, inflammation levels and pulmonary apoptosis in lung
      tissues. In addition, ASX treatment markedly down-regulated the expression of
      inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS), nitrotyrosine (NT) and nuclear factor
      kappa B (NF-Kappab) P65 in the lung tissues compared with that in the ALI group.
      Astaxanthin treatment had markedly protective effect against ALI in mice, and the
      potential mechanism is associated with its ability to inhibit the inflammatory
      response, oxidative/nitrative stress, and pulmonary apoptosis, as well as down
      regulate NF-kappaB P65 expression.

PMID- 28915540
TI  - Impact of partial fuel switch on household air pollutants in sub-Sahara Africa.
AB  - Over 700 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid biomass fuel and
      use simple cookstoves in poorly ventilated kitchens, which results in high indoor
      concentrations of household air pollutants. Switching from biomass to biogas as a
      cooking fuel can reduce airborne emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and
      carbon monoxide (CO), but households often only partially convert to biogas,
      continuing to use solid biomass fuels for part of their daily cooking needs.
      There is little evidence of the benefits of partial switching to biogas. This
      study monitored real-time PM2.5 and CO concentrations in 35 households in
      Cameroon and Uganda where biogas and firewood (or charcoal) were used. The 24 h
      mean PM2.5 concentrations in households that used: (1) firewood and charcoal; (2)
      both firewood (mean 54% cooking time) and biogas (mean 46% cooking time); and (3)
      only biogas, were 449 MUg m-3, 173 MUg m-3 and 18 MUg m-3 respectively. The
      corresponding 24 h mean CO concentrations were 14.2 ppm, 2.7 ppm and 0.5 ppm.
      Concentrations of both PM2.5 and CO were high and exceeded the World Health
      Organisation guidelines when firewood and charcoal were used. Partially switching
      to biogas reduced CO exposure to below the World Health Organisation guidelines,
      but PM2.5 concentrations were only below the 24 h recommended limits when
      households fully converted to biogas fuel. These results indicate that partial
      switching from solid fuels to biogas is not sufficient and continues to produce
      concentrations of household air pollution that are likely to harm the health of
      those exposed. Programmes introducing biogas should aim to ensure that household
      energy needs can be fully achieved using biogas with no requirement to continue
      using solid fuels.

PMID- 28915541
TI  - Temporal variability in aerosol characteristics and its radiative properties over
      Patiala, northwestern part of India: Impact of agricultural biomass burning
      emissions.
AB  - A comprehensive measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD), particulate matter
      (PM) and black carbon (BC) mass concentrations have been carried out over
      Patiala, a semi-urban site in northwest India during October 2008 to September
      2010. The measured aerosol data was incorporated in an aerosol optical model to
      estimate various aerosol optical parameters, which were subsequently used for
      radiative forcing estimation. The measured AOD at 500 nm (AOD500) shows a
      significant seasonal variability, with maximum value of 0.81 during post-monsoon
      (PoM) and minimum of 0.56 during winter season. The Angstrom exponent (alpha) has
      higher values (i.e. more fine-mode fraction) during the PoM/winter periods, and
      lower (i.e. more coarse-mode fraction) during pre-monsoon (PrM). In contrast,
      turbidity coefficient (beta) exhibits an opposite trend to alpha during the study
      period. BC mass concentration varies from 2.8 to 13.9 MUg m-3 (mean: 6.5 +/- 3.2
      MUg m-3) during the entire study period, with higher concentrations during
      PoM/winter and lower during PrM/monsoon seasons. The average single scattering
      albedo (SSA at 500 nm) values are 0.70, 0.72, 0.82 and 0.75 during PoM, winter,
      PrM and monsoon seasons, respectively. However, inter-seasonal and inter-annual
      variability in measured aerosol parameters are statistically insignificant at
      Patiala. These results suggest strong changes in emission sources, aerosol
      composition, meteorological parameters as well as transport of aerosols over the
      station. Higher values of AOD, alpha and BC, along with lower SSA during PoM
      season are attributed to agriculture biomass burning emissions over and around
      the station. The estimated aerosol radiative forcing within the atmosphere is
      positive (i.e. warming) during all the seasons with higher values (~60 Wm-2)
      during PoM-08/PoM-09 and lower (~40 Wm-2) during winter-09/PrM-10. The present
      study highlights the role of BC aerosols from agricultural biomass burning
      emissions during post-monsoon season for atmospheric warming at Patiala.

PMID- 28915542
TI  - Comparative susceptibility of two Neotropical predators, Eriopis connexa and
      Chrysoperla externa, to acetamiprid and pyriproxyfen: Short and long-term effects
      after egg exposure.
AB  - Compatibility assessments between selective insecticides and the natural enemies
      of pests are essential for integrated-pest-management programs. Chrysoperla
      externa and Eriopis connexa are two principal Neotropical predators of
      agricultural pests whose conservation in agroecosystems requires a toxicity
      evaluation of pesticides to minimize the impact on those beneficial insects on
      the environment. The objective of this work was to evaluate the toxicity of the
      insecticides pyriproxyfen and acetamiprid on C. externa and E. connexa eggs
      exposed to the maximum recommended field concentrations of each along with three
      successive dilutions. The survival and the immature developmental time were
      assessed daily until adulthood and the mean survival time calculated over a 10
      day period. The cumulative survival of E. connexa was reduced at all
      concentrations of both insecticides, while that of C. externa was significantly
      decreased by >=50 mg L-1 of acetamiprid and >=37.6 mg L-1 of pyriproxyfen. In
      both species, the reductions occurred principally on the eggs and first larval
      instar. Survival curves, in general, differed from those of the controls, with
      the mean survival time of E. connexa being significantly shorter in insecticides
      treatments than that of the controls. Certain concentrations of each of the
      insecticide lengthened the egg and first-larval-instar developmental periods of
      E. connexa and C. externa, respectively. Also, pyriproxyfen reduced the first
      larval-instar period and lengthened the fourth of E. connexa. Acetamiprid was
      more toxic to E. connexa than to C. externa at the two highest concentrations.
      Conversely, at those same concentrations of pyriproxyfen, the relative toxicity
      to the two species was reversed. The present work represents the first
      investigation on the comparative susceptibility of two relevant Neotropical
      biological control agents to acetamiprid and pyriproxyfen. Also, it highlights
      the necessity of assessing long-term effects in the compatibility studies between
      natural enemies of agricultural pests and insecticides.

PMID- 28915543
TI  - Effects of diisononyl phthalate on Danio rerio reproduction.
AB  - Di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) is a high molecular weight phthalate commonly used
      as a plasticizer. It was introduced as a replacement for bis (2-ethylhexyl)
      phthalate (DEHP) which is used in the production of plasticized polyvinyl
      chloride (PVC). The purpose of this study was to investigate for the first time
      the effect of DiNP on female reproductive physiology in Danio rerio. Fish were
      exposed to five different doses of DiNP plus control (0 MUg/L; 0.42 MUg/L; 4.2
      MUg/L; 42 MUg/L; 420 MUg/L; 4200 MUg/L) for a period of 21 days. We evaluated
      fish fecundity, oocyte growth, autophagic and apoptotic processes, as well as
      changes in morphological and biochemical composition of oocytes, using, qPCR
      analysis, histology and Fourier transform infrared imaging. The results
      demonstrate a non-monotonic dose response to DiNP. Greater differences were
      observed at the lowest (0.42 MUg/L) and higher concentrations (420 MUg/L; 4200
      MUg/L) of DiNP. The findings provide evidence that exposure to DiNP adversely
      affect oocytes growth and maturation, leading to abnormal gonadal development and
      reproduction in zebrafish.

PMID- 28915544
TI  - Mobilisation of toxic trace elements under various beach nourishments.
AB  - To enhance protection and maintain wide beaches for recreation, beaches are
      replenished with sand: so-called beach nourishments. We compared four sites: two
      traditional beach nourishments, a mega beach nourishment and a reference without
      beach nourishment. Two sites contain calcareous-rich sand, whereas the other two
      sites have calcareous-poor sand. We aimed to understand hydrogeochemical
      processes to indicate factors critical for the mobility of trace elements at
      nourishments. We therefore analysed the chemical characteristics of sediment and
      pore water to ascertain the main drivers that mobilise toxic trace elements. With
      Dutch Quality Standards for soil and groundwater, the characteristics of sediment
      and pore water were compared to Target Values (the values at which there is a
      sustainable soil quality) and Intervention Values (the threshold above which the
      soil's functions are at risk). The pore water characteristics revealed that
      Target Values were regularly exceeded, especially for the nourishment sites and
      mainly for Mo (78%), Ni (24%), Cr (55%), and As (21%); Intervention Values for
      shallow groundwater were occasionally exceeded for As (2%), Cr (2%) and Zn (2%).
      The sediment characteristics did not exceed the Target Values and showed that
      trace elements were mainly present in the fine fraction of <150 MUm. The
      oxidation of sulphide minerals such as pyrite resulted into the elevated
      concentration for all nourishment sites, especially when an unsaturated zone was
      present and influence of rainwater was apparent. To prevent trace metal mobility
      at a mega beach nourishment it is important to retain seawater influences and
      limit oxidation processes. In this respect, a shoreface nourishment is
      recommended rather than a mega beach nourishment with a thick unsaturated zone.
      Consequently, we conclude that whether a site is carbonate-rich or carbonate-poor
      is unimportant, as the influence of seawater will prevent decalcification,
      creating a low risk of mobilisation of trace elements.

PMID- 28915545
TI  - Air pollution at Rochester, NY: Long-term trends and multivariate analysis of
      upwind SO2 source impacts.
AB  - There have been many changes in the air pollutant sources in the northeastern
      United States since 2001. To assess the effect of these changes, trend analyses
      of the monthly average values were performed on PM2.5 and its components
      including major ions, elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and gaseous
      pollutant concentrations measured between 2001 (in some cases 1999) and 2015 at
      the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation sites in Rochester, NY. Mann
      Kendall regression with Sen's slope was applied to estimate the trends and
      seasonality. Using piecewise regression, significant reductions in the air
      pollution of Rochester area were observed between 2008 and 2010 when a 260MW coal
      fired power plant was decommissioned, new heavy-duty diesel trucks had to be
      equipped with catalytic regenerator traps, and the economic recession that began
      in 2008 reduced traffic and other activities. The monthly average PM2.5 mass
      showed a downward trend (-5MUg/m3; -41%) in Rochester between 2001 and 2015. This
      change is largely due to reductions in particulate sulfate that showed a 65%
      decrease. The sulfate concentrations were compared to changes in SO2 emissions in
      seventeen upwind source domains, and other systematic changes by multivariate
      linear regression. Selectivity ratio obtained from target projection
      discriminated the most important source domains that are SO2 emissions from
      Georgia for winter, North Carolina for transition (spring and fall) and Ohio
      along with other influences for summer. North Carolina and Michigan were
      identified as the main sources for entire period. These observations suggest that
      any further reductions in the specified regional SO2 emissions would result in a
      proportional decrease in sulfate in Rochester.

PMID- 28915546
TI  - Emergent contaminants: Endocrine disruptors and their laccase-assisted
      degradation - A review.
AB  - Herein, an effort has been made to highlight the trends of the state-of-the-art
      of laccase-assisted degradation of emerging contaminants at large and endocrine
      disruptors in particular. Since first described in the 19th century, laccase has
      received particular interest for inter- and multidisciplinary investigations due
      to its uniqueness and remarkable biotechnological applicability. There has always
      been a paramount concern over the widespread occurrences of various pollutant
      types, around the globe. Therefore, pollution free processes are gaining ground
      all over the world. With ever increasing scientific knowledge, socioeconomic
      awareness, human health-related issues and ecological apprehensions, people are
      more concerned about the widespread environmental pollutants. In this context,
      the occurrences of newly identified pollutants so-called "emerging contaminants -
      ECs" in our main water bodies is of continued and burning concern worldwide.
      Undoubtedly, various efforts have already been made to tackle this challenging
      ECs concern though using different approaches including physical and chemical,
      however, each has considerable limitations. In this review, we present
      information on how laccase-assisted approach can change this limited tendency of
      physical and chemical based approaches. A special focus has been given to the
      laccase-assisted systems including pristine laccase, laccase-mediator catalyzed
      system and immobilized-laccase catalyzed system that promotes the endocrine
      disruptors removal. Towards the end, a list of outstanding questions and research
      gaps are given that can pave the way for future studies.

PMID- 28915547
TI  - Persistence, mobility and bioavailability of emerging organic contaminants
      discharged from sewage treatment plants.
AB  - Little is known about the impact of emissions of micropollutants from small and
      large-scale sewage treatment plants (STPs) on drinking water source areas. We
      investigated a populated catchment that drains into Lake Malaren, which is the
      drinking water source for around 2 million people including the inhabitants of
      Stockholm, Sweden. To assess the persistence, mobility, bioavailability and
      bioaccumulation of 32 structurally diverse emerging organic contaminants,
      sediment, integrated passive and grab water samples were collected along the
      catchment of the River Fyris, Sweden. The samples were complemented with STP
      effluent and fish samples from one sampling event. Contaminants identified as
      persistent, mobile, and bioavailable were 4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-1,3,4,7
      tetrahydrocyclopenta[g]isochromene (galaxolide), 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyn-4,7
      diol, tris(2-chloro-ethyl) phosphate, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, and
      tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate. Galaxolide and 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyn-4,7
      diol were additionally found to be bioaccumulative, whereas n
      butylbenzenesulfonamide was found to be only persistent and mobile. The total
      median mass flux of the persistent and mobile target analytes from Lake Ekoln
      into the drinking water source area of Lake Malaren was estimated to be 27kg per
      year. Additionally, 10 contaminants were tentatively identified by non-target
      screening using NIST library searches and manual review. Two of those were
      confirmed by reference standards and further two contaminants, propylene glycol
      and rose acetate, were discharged from STPs and travelled far from the source.
      Attenuation of mass fluxes was highest in the summer and autumn seasons,
      suggesting the importance of biological degradation and photodegradation for the
      persistence of the studied compounds.

PMID- 28915548
TI  - A spatio-temporal statistical model of maximum daily river temperatures to inform
      the management of Scotland's Atlantic salmon rivers under climate change.
AB  - The thermal suitability of riverine habitats for cold water adapted species may
      be reduced under climate change. Riparian tree planting is a practical climate
      change mitigation measure, but it is often unclear where to focus effort for
      maximum benefit. Recent developments in data collection, monitoring and
      statistical methods have facilitated the development of increasingly
      sophisticated river temperature models capable of predicting spatial variability
      at large scales appropriate to management. In parallel, improvements in temporal
      river temperature models have increased the accuracy of temperature predictions
      at individual sites. This study developed a novel large scale spatio-temporal
      model of maximum daily river temperature (Twmax) for Scotland that predicts
      variability in both river temperature and climate sensitivity. Twmax was modelled
      as a linear function of maximum daily air temperature (Tamax), with the slope and
      intercept allowed to vary as a smooth function of day of the year (DoY) and
      further modified by landscape covariates including elevation, channel orientation
      and riparian woodland. Spatial correlation in Twmax was modelled at two scales;
      (1) river network (2) regional. Temporal correlation was addressed through an
      autoregressive (AR1) error structure for observations within sites. Additional
      site level variability was modelled with random effects. The resulting model was
      used to map (1) spatial variability in predicted Twmax under current (but
      extreme) climate conditions (2) the sensitivity of rivers to climate variability
      and (3) the effects of riparian tree planting. These visualisations provide
      innovative tools for informing fisheries and land-use management under current
      and future climate.

PMID- 28915549
TI  - PRRT2, a network stability gene.

PMID- 28915550
TI  - Transglutaminase in neurological disease.

PMID- 28915551
TI  - Cancer's new Achilles' heel?

PMID- 28915552
TI  - Dicer suppresses cytoskeleton remodeling and tumorigenesis of colorectal
      epithelium by miR-324-5p mediated suppression of HMGXB3 and WASF-2.
AB  - Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs, a class of small and well-conserved
      noncoding RNAs, participate in many physiological and pathological processes.
      RNase III endonuclease DICER is one of the key enzymes for microRNA biogenesis.
      Here, we found that DICER was downregulated in tumor samples of colorectal cancer
      (CRC) patients at both mRNA and protein levels. Importantly, intestinal
      epithelial cell (IEC)-specific deletion of Dicer mice got more tumors after
      azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) administration. Interestingly, IEC
      specific deletion of Dicer led to severe chronic inflammation and epithelium
      layer remodeling in mice with or without DSS administration. Microarray analysis
      of 3 paired Dicer deletion CRC cell lines showed that miR-324-5p was one of the
      most significantly decreased miRNAs. In the intestinal epithelium of IEC-specific
      deletion of Dicer mice, miR-324-5p was also found to be markedly reduced.
      Mechanistically, miR-324-5p directly bound to the 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs)
      of HMG-box containing 3 (HMGXB3) and WAS protein family member 2 (WASF-2), two
      key proteins participated in cell motility and cytoskeleton remodeling, to
      suppress their expressions. Intraperitoneal injection of miR-324-5p AgomiR (an
      agonist of miR-324-5p) curtailed chronic inflammation and cytoskeleton remodeling
      of colorectal epithelium and restored intestinal barrier function in IEC-specific
      deletion of Dicer mice induced by DSS. Therefore, our study reveals a key role of
      a DICER/miR-324-5p/HMGXB3/WASF-2 axis in tumorigenesis of CRC by regulation of
      cytoskeleton remodeling and maintaining integrity of intestinal barriers.

PMID- 28915553
TI  - Identification of a novel p53 target, COL17A1, that inhibits breast cancer cell
      migration and invasion.
AB  - p53 mutation is a marker of poor prognosis in breast cancers. To identify
      downstream targets of p53, we screened two transcriptome datasets, including cDNA
      microarrays of MCF10A breast epithelial cells with wild-type p53 or p53-null
      background, and RNA sequence analysis of breast invasive carcinoma. Here, we
      unveil ten novel p53 target candidates that are up-regulated after the induction
      of p53 in wild-type cells. Their expressions are also high in breast invasive
      carcinoma tissues with wild-type p53. The GO analysis identified epidermis
      development and ectoderm development, which COL17A1 participates, as
      significantly up-regulated by wild-type p53. The COL17A1 expressions increased in
      a p53-dependent manner in human breast cells and mouse mammary tissues. Reporter
      assay and ChIP assay identified intronic p53-binding sequences in the COL17A1
      gene. The MDA-MB-231 cells that genetically over-express COL17A1 gene product
      exhibited reduced migration and invasion in vitro. Similarly, COL17A1 expression
      was decreased in metastatic tumors compared to primary tumors and normal tissues,
      even from the same patients. Moreover, high COL17A1 expression was associated
      with longer survival of patients with invasive breast carcinoma. In conclusion,
      we revealed that COL17A1 is a novel p53 transcriptional target in breast tissues
      that inhibits cell migration and invasion and is associated with better
      prognosis.

PMID- 28915554
TI  - Resistance to CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibition reversed through selective elimination
      of granulocytic myeloid cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: Local immunosuppression remains a critical problem that limits
      clinically meaningful response to checkpoint inhibition in patients with head and
      neck cancer. Here, we assessed the impact of MDSC elimination on responses to
      CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibition. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Murine syngeneic carcinoma
      immune infiltrates were characterized by flow cytometry. Granulocytic MDSCs
      (gMDSCs) were depleted and T-lymphocyte antigen-specific responses were measured.
      Tumor-bearing mice were treated with MDSC depletion and CTLA-4 checkpoint
      blockade. Immune signatures within the human HNSCC datasets from The Cancer
      Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed and differentially expressed genes from sorted
      human peripheral MDSCs were examined. RESULTS: gMDSCs accumulated with tumor
      progression and correlated with depletion of effector immune cells. Selective
      depletion of gMDSC restored tumor and draining lymph node antigen-specific T
      lymphocyte responses lost with tumor progression. A subset of T-cell inflamed
      tumors responded to CTLA-4 mAb alone, but the addition of gMDSC depletion induced
      CD8 T-lymphocyte-dependent rejection of established tumors in all treated mice
      that resulted in immunologic memory. MDSCs differentially expressed chemokine
      receptors. Analysis of the head and neck cancer TCGA cohort revealed high CTLA-4
      and MDSC-related chemokine and an MDSC-rich gene expression profile with a T-cell
      inflamed phenotype in > 60% of patients. CXCR2 and CSF1R expression was validated
      on sorted peripheral blood MDSCs from HNSCC patients. CONCLUSIONS: MDSCs are a
      major contributor to local immunosuppression that limits responses to checkpoint
      inhibition in head and neck cancer. Limitation of MDSC recruitment or function
      represents a rational strategy to enhance responses to CTLA-4-based checkpoint
      inhibition in these patients.

PMID- 28915555
TI  - Identification of a p53-repressed gene module in breast cancer cells.
AB  - The p53 protein is a sophisticated transcription factor that regulates dozens of
      target genes simultaneously in accordance with the cellular circumstances.
      Although considerable efforts have been made to elucidate the functions of p53
      induced genes, a holistic understanding of the orchestrated signaling network
      repressed by p53 remains elusive. Here, we performed a systematic analysis to
      identify simultaneously regulated p53-repressed genes in breast cancer cells.
      Consequently, 28 genes were designated as the p53-repressed gene module, whose
      gene components were simultaneously suppressed in breast cancer cells treated
      with Adriamycin. A ChIP-seq database showed that p53 does not preferably bind to
      the region around the transcription start site of the p53-repressed gene module
      elements compared with that of p53-induced genes. Furthermore, we demonstrated
      that p21/CDKN1A plays a pivotal role in the suppression of the p53-repressed gene
      module in breast cancer cells. Finally, we showed that appropriate suppression of
      some genes belonging to the p53-repressed gene module contributed to a better
      prognosis of breast cancer patients. Taken together, these findings disentangle
      the gene regulatory network underlying the built-in p53-mediated tumor
      suppression system.

PMID- 28915556
TI  - Critical roles of SMYD2-mediated beta-catenin methylation for nuclear
      translocation and activation of Wnt signaling.
AB  - Accumulation of beta-catenin in the nucleus is a hallmark of activation of the
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, which drives development of a large
      proportion of human cancers. However, the mechanism of beta-catenin nuclear
      translocation has not been well investigated. Here we report biological
      significance of SMYD2-mediated lysine 133 (K133) methylation of beta-catenin on
      its nuclear translocation. Knockdown of SMYD2 attenuates the nuclear localization
      of beta-catenin protein in human cancer cells. Consequently, transcriptional
      levels of well-known Wnt-signaling molecules, cMYC and CCND1, are significantly
      reduced. Substitution of lysine 133 to alanine in beta-catenin almost completely
      abolishes its nuclear localization. We also demonstrate the K133 methylation is
      critical for the interaction of beta-catenin with FOXM1. Furthermore, after
      treatment with a SMYD2 inhibitor, significant reduction of nuclear beta-catenin
      and subsequent induction of cancer cell death are observed. Accordingly, our
      results imply that beta-catenin methylation by SMYD2 promotes its nuclear
      translocation and activation of Wnt signaling.

PMID- 28915557
TI  - Loss of p16INK4A stimulates aberrant mitochondrial biogenesis through a CDK4/Rb
      independent pathway.
AB  - The tumor suppressor p16INK4A (p16) inhibits cell cycle progression through the
      CDK4/Rb pathway. We have previously shown that p16 regulates cellular oxidative
      stress, independent of its role in cell cycle control. We investigated whether
      loss of p16 had a direct impact on the mitochondria. We found that p16-null
      primary mouse fibroblasts (PMFs) displayed increased mitochondrial mass and
      expression of mitochondrial respiratory subunit proteins compared to wild-type
      (WT) PMFs. These findings in p16-null PMFs were associated with increased
      expression of the mitochondrial biogenesis transcription factors PRC and TFAM. On
      the other hand, p16-deficient PMFs demonstrated reduced mitochondrial respiration
      capacity consistent with electron microscopy findings showing that mitochondria
      in p16-deficient PMFs have abnormal morphology. Consistent with increased
      mitochondrial mass and reduced respiratory capacity, p16-deficient PMFs generated
      increased mitochondrial superoxide. One biological consequence of elevated ROS in
      p16-deficient PMFs was enhanced migration, which was reduced by the ROS scavenger
      N-acetylcysteine. Finally, p16-deficient PMFs displayed increased mitochondrial
      membrane potential, which was also required for their enhanced migration. The
      mitochondrial and migration phenotype was restored in p16-deficient PMFs by
      forced expression of p16. Similarly, over-expression of p16 in human melanocytes
      and A375 melanoma cells led to decreased expression of some mitochondrial
      respiratory proteins, enhanced respiration, and decreased migration. Inhibition
      of Rb phosphorylation in melanocytes and melanoma cells, either by addition of
      chemical CDK4 inhibitors or RNAi-mediated knockdown of CDK4, did not mimic the
      effects of p16 loss. These results suggest that p16 regulates mitochondrial
      biogenesis and function, which is independent of the canonical CDK4/Rb pathway.

PMID- 28915558
TI  - Domain analysis reveals striking functional differences between the regulatory
      subunits of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), p85alpha and p85beta.
AB  - Our understanding of isoform-specific activities of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase
      (PI3K) is still rudimentary, and yet, deep knowledge of these non-redundant
      functions in the PI3K family is essential for effective and safe control of PI3K
      in disease. The two major isoforms of the regulatory subunits of PI3K are
      p85alpha and p85beta, encoded by the genes PIK3R1 and PIK3R2, respectively. These
      isoforms show distinct functional differences that affect and control cellular
      PI3K activity and signaling [1-4]. In this study, we have further explored the
      differences between p85alpha and p85beta by genetic truncations and
      substitutions. We have discovered unexpected activities of the mutant proteins
      that reflect regulatory functions of distinct p85 domains. These results can be
      summarized as follows: Deletion of the SH3 domain increases oncogenic and PI3K
      signaling activity. Deletion of the combined SH3-RhoGAP domains abolishes these
      activities. In p85beta, deletion of the cSH2 domain reduces oncogenic and
      signaling activities. In p85alpha, such a deletion has an activating effect. The
      deletions of the combined cSH2 and iSH2 domains and also the deletion of the
      cSH2, iSH2 and nSH2 domains yield results that go in the same direction,
      generally activating in p85alpha and reducing activity in p85beta. The
      contrasting functions of the cSH2 domains are verified by domain exchanges with
      the cSH2 domain of p85beta exerting an activating effect and the cSH2 domain of
      p85alpha an inactivating effect, even in the heterologous isoform. In the cell
      systems studied, protein stability was not correlated with oncogenic and
      signaling activity. These observations significantly expand our knowledge of the
      isoform-specific activities of p85alpha and p85beta and of the functional
      significance of specific domains for regulating the catalytic subunits of class
      IA PI3K.

PMID- 28915559
TI  - Zbtb1 controls NKp46+ ROR-gamma-T+ innate lymphoid cell (ILC3) development.
AB  - Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) play a central role conferring protection at the
      mucosal frontier. In this study, we have identified a requirement of the
      transcription factor Zbtb1 for the development of RORgammat+ ILCs (ILC3s). Zbtb1
      deficient mice lacked NKp46+ ILC3 cells in the lamina propria of the small and
      large intestine. This requirement of Zbtb1 was cell intrinsic, as NKp46+ ILC3s
      were not generated from Zbtb1-deficient progenitors in bone marrow chimeras and
      Zbtb1-deficient RORgammat+ CCR6-NKp46- ILC3s didn't generate NKp46+ ILC3s in co
      cultures with OP9-DL1 stroma. In correlation with this impairment, Zbtb1
      deficient ILC3 cells failed to upregulate T-bet expression, and to acquire IFN
      gamma production characteristic of NKp46+ cells. Finally, absence of NKp46+ILC3
      cells combined with the absence of T-cells in Zbtb1-deficient mice, led to a
      transient susceptibility to C. rodentium infections. Altogether, these results
      establish that Zbtb1 is essential for the development of NKp46+ ILC3 cells.

PMID- 28915560
TI  - Pharynx mitochondrial [Ca2+] dynamics in live C. elegans worms during aging.
AB  - Progressive decline in mitochondrial function is generally considered one of the
      hallmarks of aging. We have expressed a Ca2+ sensor in the mitochondrial matrix
      of C. elegans pharynx cells and we have measured for the first time mitochondrial
      [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]M) dynamics in the pharynx of live C. elegans worms during aging.
      Our results show that worms stimulated with serotonin display a pharynx [Ca2+]M
      oscillatory kinetics that includes both high frequency oscillations (up to about
      1Hz) and very prolonged "square-wave" [Ca2+]M increases, indicative of energy
      depletion of the pharynx cells. Mitochondrial [Ca2+] is therefore able to follow
      "beat-to-beat" the fast oscillations of cytosolic [Ca2+]. The fast [Ca2+]M
      oscillations kept steady frequency values during the whole worm life, from 2 to
      12 days old, but the height and width of the peaks was progressively reduced.
      [Ca2+]M oscillations were also present with similar kinetics in respiratory chain
      complex I nuo-6 mutant worms, although with smaller height and frequency than in
      the controls, and larger width. In summary, Ca2+ fluxes in and out of the
      mitochondria are relatively well preserved during the C. elegans life, but there
      is a clear progressive decrease in their magnitude during aging. Moreover,
      mitochondrial Ca2+ fluxes were smaller in nuo-6 mutants with respect to the
      controls at every age and decreased similarly during aging.

PMID- 28915561
TI  - Differentially expressed lncRNAs and miRNAs with associated ceRNA networks in
      aged mice with postoperative cognitive dysfunction.
AB  - Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common postoperative complication
      observed in elderly patients. Using microarray analyses, we comprehensively
      compared long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), and microRNA (miRNA)
      expression profiles in hippocampal tissues from a mouse model of POCD and control
      mice. A total of 175 lncRNAs, 117 mRNAs, and 26 miRNAs were differentially
      expressed between POCD and control mice. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway
      enrichment analyses were performed to explore the principal functions of
      dysregulated genes. Correlated coding-noncoding co-expression (CNC) and competing
      endogenous RNA (ceRNA) expression networks were constructed using bioinformatics
      methods. lncRNA NONMMUT000708 correlated positively with expression of the
      inflammation-related gene Hif3a. lncRNAs NONMMUT043249 and NONMMUT028705 mediated
      gene expression by binding the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding
      protein (CREB). The constructed ceRNA network suggested lncRNA NONMMUT055714
      binds competitively with miR-7684-5p, increasing expression of its target gene,
      Sorl1. Finally, eight dysregulated lncRNAs, four miRNAs, and ten mRNAs were
      confirmed via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 10 POCD
      healthy mouse paired samples. These results suggest that lncRNAs and miRNAs are
      involved in POCD pathogenesis and progression. Our ceRNA network will improve
      understanding of lncRNA-mediated ceRNA regulatory mechanisms operating during the
      pathogenesis of POCD.

PMID- 28915562
TI  - Detecting the genetic link between Alzheimer's disease and obesity using
      bioinformatics analysis of GWAS data.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents the major form of dementia in the elderly. In
      recent years, accumulating evidence indicate that obesity may act as a risk
      factor for AD, while the genetic link between the two conditions remains unclear.
      This bioinformatics analysis aimed to detect the genetic link between AD and
      obesity on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), gene, and pathway levels based
      on genome-wide association studies data. A total of 31 SNPs were found to be
      shared by AD and obesity, which were linked to 7 genes. These genes included
      PSMC3, CELF1, MYBPC3, SPI1, APOE, MTCH2 and RAPSN. Further functional enrichment
      analysis of these genes revealed the following biological pathways, including
      proteasome, osteoclast differentiation, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated
      cardiomyopathy, Epstein-Barr virus and TLV-I infection, as well as several cancer
      associated pathways, to be common among AD and obesity. The findings deepened our
      understanding on the genetic basis linking obesity and AD and may help shape
      possible prevention and treatment strategies.

PMID- 28915563
TI  - NiaoDuQing granules relieve chronic kidney disease symptoms by decreasing renal
      fibrosis and anemia.
AB  - NiaoDuQing (NDQ) granules, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been clinically
      used in China for over fourteen years to treat chronic kidney disease (CKD). To
      elucidate the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic benefits of NDQ, we designed
      an approach incorporating chemoinformatics, bioinformatics, network biology
      methods, and cellular and molecular biology experiments. A total of 182 active
      compounds were identified in NDQ granules, and 397 putative targets associated
      with different diseases were derived through ADME modelling and target prediction
      tools. Protein-protein interaction networks of CKD-related and putative NDQ
      targets were constructed, and 219 candidate targets were identified based on
      topological features. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the candidate
      targets were mostly related to the TGF-beta, the p38MAPK, and the erythropoietin
      (EPO) receptor signaling pathways, which are known contributors to renal fibrosis
      and/or renal anemia. A rat model of CKD was established to validate the drug
      target mechanisms predicted by the systems pharmacology analysis. Experimental
      results confirmed that NDQ granules exerted therapeutic effects on CKD and its
      comorbidities, including renal anemia, mainly by modulating the TGF-beta and EPO
      signaling pathways. Thus, the pharmacological actions of NDQ on CKD symptoms
      correlated well with in silico predictions.

PMID- 28915564
TI  - Classical swine fever virus Shimen infection increases p53 signaling to promote
      cell cycle arrest in porcine alveolar macrophages.
AB  - Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) replicates in macrophages and causes
      persistent infection. Despite its role in disastrous economic losses in swine
      industries, the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis are poorly
      understood. The virus evades the neutralizing immune response, subverting the
      immune system to ensure its own survival and persistence. Our genome-wide
      analysis of porcine alveolar macrophage transcriptional responses to CSFV Shimen
      infection using the Solexa/Illumina digital gene expression system revealed that
      p53 pathway components and cell cycle molecules were differentially regulated
      during infection compared to controls. Further, we investigated the molecular
      changes in macrophages infected with CSFV Shimen, focusing on the genes involved
      in the p53 pathway. CSFV Shimen infection led to phosphorylation and accumulation
      of p53 in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, CSFV Shimen infection upregulated
      cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21) mRNA and protein. In addition, CSFV
      Shimen infection induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, as well as
      downregulation of cyclin E1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2). The expression
      of genes in the p53 pathway did not change significantly after p53 knockdown by
      pifithrin-alpha during CSFV Shimen infection. Our data suggest that CSFV Shimen
      infection increases expression of host p53 and p21, and inhibits expression of
      cyclin E1 and CDK2, leading to cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. CSFV may
      utilize this strategy to subvert the innate immune response and proliferate in
      host cells.

PMID- 28915565
TI  - PKCtheta utility in diagnosing c-KIT/DOG-1 double negative gastrointestinal
      stromal tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnosis value of an
      immunohistochemical (IHC) panel of three antibodies for the diagnosis of
      gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 80 consecutive
      GISTs without lymph node metastases, the IHC examinations were performed using
      the antibodies CD117 (c-KIT), DOG-1 and c-theta (PKCtheta) protein. The
      diagnostic value of PKCtheta in c-KIT/DOG-1 negative GISTs has been explored in
      fewer than 10 Medline-indexed papers. RESULTS: The c-KIT, PKCtheta and DOG-1
      positivity was noted in 92.50% (n = 74), 90% (n = 72) and 76.25% (n = 61) of the
      cases, respectively. All of the C-KIT negative cases (n = 6) were also DOG-1
      negative but displayed PKCtheta positivity. All of the DOG-1 positive cases (n =
      61) also expressed c-KIT. No correlation between the examined markers and
      clinicopathological parameters was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The PKCtheta sensitivity
      is similar to c-KIT and superior to DOG-1 sensitivity. All of the c-KIT/DOG-1
      negative GISTs seem to express PKCtheta. For a proper diagnosis of GIST, the c
      KIT/DOG-1/PKCtheta panel should be used, with possible therapeutic but not
      prognostic value.

PMID- 28915566
TI  - Synergistic antibiotic effect of looped antimicrobial peptide CLP-19 with
      bactericidal and bacteriostatic agents.
AB  - The treatment of drug-resistant infections is complicated and the alarming rise
      in infectious diseases poses a unique challenge for development of effective
      therapeutic strategies. Antibiotic-induced liberation of the bacterial endotoxin
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may have immediate adverse effects promoting septic
      shock in patients. In the present study, we first confirmed our previous finding
      that looped antimicrobial peptide CLP-19 exerts non-specific direct antibacterial
      activity with no toxic to mammalian cells and second revealed that CLP-19 has
      synergistic effect to enhance the antibacterial activities of other conventional
      bactericidal (ampicillin and ceftazidime) and bacteriostatic (erythromycin and
      levofloxacin) agents. Third, the underlying mechanism of antibiotic effect was
      likely associated with stimulation of hydroxyl radical generation. Lastly, CLP-19
      was shown to effectively reduce the antibiotic-induced liberation of LPS, through
      direct neutralization of the LPS. Thus, CLP-19 is a potential therapeutic agent
      for combinatorial antibiotic therapy.

PMID- 28915567
TI  - Melatonin inhibits Sirt1-dependent NAMPT and NFAT5 signaling in chondrocytes to
      attenuate osteoarthritis.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease mainly characterized by
      cartilage degradation. Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) contributes to OA
      pathogenesis by enhancing oxidative stress and inflammation. Melatonin reportedly
      elicits potent protection against OA. However, the role of melatonin and
      underlying mechanism in IL-1beta-stimulated chondrocytes remain largely unclear.
      In this study, we found that melatonin inhibited IL-1beta-induced toxicity and
      sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) enhancement in human chondrocytes. Melatonin reduced the IL
      1beta-increased nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) expression and the
      NAD+ level in chondrocytes in a Sirt1-dependent manner. In turn, the inhibitory
      effect of melatonin on Sirt1 was mediated by NAMPT. Moreover, melatonin
      suppressed IL-1beta-induced Sirt1-mediated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and
      MMP-13 production. Melatonin also decreased the Sirt1-steered nuclear factor of
      activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) expression in IL-1beta-challenged chondrocytes. NFAT5
      depletion mimicked the suppressive effects of melatonin on IL-1beta-elevated
      production of inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), IL-1beta, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and nitric oxide (NO) in chondrocytes.
      TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, PGE2, or NO decrease caused the similar reduction of MMP-3
      and MMP-13 by melatonin in IL-1beta-insulted chondrocytes. Highly consistent with
      in vitro findings, in vivo results demonstrated that melatonin repressed the
      expression of relevant genes in rat OA pathogenesis in anterior cruciate ligament
      transection model. Overall, these results indicate that melatonin effectively
      reduced IL-1beta-induced MMP production by inhibiting Sirt1-dependent NAMPT and
      NFAT5 signaling in chondrocytes, suggesting melatonin as a potential therapeutic
      alternative for chondroprotection of OA patients.

PMID- 28915568
TI  - Hyperosmotic stress stimulates autophagy via polycystin-2.
AB  - Various intracellular mechanisms are activated in response to stress, leading to
      adaptation or death. Autophagy, an intracellular process that promotes lysosomal
      degradation of proteins, is an adaptive response to several types of stress.
      Osmotic stress occurs under both physiological and pathological conditions,
      provoking mechanical stress and activating various osmoadaptive mechanisms.
      Polycystin-2 (PC2), a membrane protein of the polycystin family, is a mechanical
      sensor capable of activating the cell signaling pathways required for cell
      adaptation and survival. Here we show that hyperosmotic stress provoked by
      treatment with hyperosmolar concentrations of sorbitol or mannitol induces
      autophagy in HeLa and HCT116 cell lines. In addition, we show that mTOR and AMPK,
      two stress sensor proteins involved modulating autophagy, are downregulated and
      upregulated, respectively, when cells are subjected to hyperosmotic stress.
      Finally, our findings show that PC2 is required to promote hyperosmotic stress
      induced autophagy. Downregulation of PC2 prevents inhibition of hyperosmotic
      stress-induced mTOR pathway activation. In conclusion, our data provide new
      insight into the role of PC2 as a mechanosensor that modulates autophagy under
      hyperosmotic stress conditions.

PMID- 28915569
TI  - GABARAPL1 tumor suppressive function is independent of its conjugation to
      autophagosomes in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
AB  - The GABARAPL1 protein belongs to the ATG8 family whose members are involved in
      autophagy. Our laboratory previously demonstrated that GABARAPL1 associates with
      autophagic vesicles, regulates autophagic flux and acts as a tumor suppressor
      protein in breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to determine whether GABARAPL1
      conjugation to autophagosomes is necessary for its tumor suppressive functions
      using the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line overexpressing GABARAPL1 or a G116A
      mutant, which is unable to be lipidated and associated to autophagosomes. We show
      that the G116A mutation impaired GABARAPL1 function in autophagosome/lysosome
      fusion and inhibited lysosome activity but did not alter MTOR and ULK1 activities
      or tumor growth in vivo. Our results demonstrate for the first time that
      GABARAPL1 plays different regulatory functions during early and late stages of
      autophagy, independently or not of its conjugation to autophagosomes, but its
      tumor suppressive function appeared to be independent of its conjugation to
      autophagic vesicles.

PMID- 28915570
TI  - IL1 genes polymorphism and the risk of renal cell carcinoma in Chinese Han
      population.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is considered a cytokine-responsive tumor. However,
      with the lack of diagnostic screening biomarkers, early diagnosis of RCC is
      challenging. Our study was investigated the association of IL1 gene polymorphisms
      and RCC risk. We conducted a case-control study of 291 RCC cases and 463 controls
      to evaluation the IL1RN of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on RCC risk. We
      selection of 16 SNPs in IL1RN, IL1A, IL1B genes were analyzed. Using the chi
      squared (chi2) test and genetic model analysis, we found an association with RCC
      risk for five SNPs [rs3783550 (IL1A), rs3783546 (IL1A), rs1609682 (IL1A),
      rs3783521 (IL1A), and rs1143623 (IL1B)] and increased the risk of RCC. Stratified
      analyses show that smoking, not drinking and age>55 populations relative to
      nonsmoking, drinking and age<55 more susceptible. Our study suggested that IL1B
      and IL1A may involve in the development of RCC in Chinese Han population.

PMID- 28915571
TI  - P62 plasmid can alleviate diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunctions.
AB  - A high-calorie diet (HCD) induces two mutually exacerbating effects contributing
      to diet-induced obesity (DIO): impaired glucose metabolism and increased food
      consumption. A link between the metabolic and behavioral manifestations is not
      well understood yet. We hypothesized that chronic inflammation induced by HCD
      plays a key role in linking together the two components of diet-induced
      pathology. Based on this hypothesis, we tested if a plasmid (DNA vaccine)
      encoding p62 (SQSTM1) would alleviate DIO including its metabolic and/or food
      consumption abnormalities. Previously we reported that injections of the p62
      plasmid reduce chronic inflammation during ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis. Here
      we found that the p62 plasmid reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL
      1beta, IL-12, and INFgamma and increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL
      4, IL-10 and TGFbeta in HCD-fed animals. Due to this anti-inflammatory response,
      we further tested whether the plasmid can alleviate HCD-induced obesity and
      associated metabolic and feeding impairments. Indeed, p62 plasmid significantly
      reversed effects of HCD on the body mass index (BMI), levels of glucose, insulin
      and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Furthermore, p62 plasmid partially restored
      levels of the satiety hormone, serotonin, and tryptophan, simultaneously reducing
      activity of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the brain affected by the HCD. Finally,
      the plasmid partially reversed increased food consumption caused by HCD.
      Therefore, the administering of p62 plasmid alleviates both metabolic and
      behavioral components of HCD-induced obesity.

PMID- 28915572
TI  - Down-regulation of NTCP expression by cyclin D1 in hepatitis B virus-related
      hepatocellular carcinoma has clinical significance.
AB  - The sodium-dependent taurocholate cotransporter polypeptide (NTCP) has been
      identified as a liver specific functional receptor for the hepatitis B virus
      (HBV). Previous studies indicated that the expression of NTCP may be associated
      with the proliferation status of hepatocytes. However, the involvement of NTCP in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells proliferation remains unclear. In this
      study, we confirmed that NTCP was down-regulated in HCC tumor tissues compared
      with that in the adjacent non-tumor tissues (P < 0.0001). Clinically, lower
      expression of NTCP was correlated with poor post-surgery survival rate (P =
      0.0009) and larger tumor tissue mass (P = 0.003) of HCC patients. This was
      supported by the finding that ectopic expression of NTCP in both HepG2 and Huh-7
      cells could significantly suppress hepatocytes growth by arresting cells in G0/G1
      phase. We also discovered that cyclin D1 could transcriptionally suppress NTCP
      expression by inhibiting the activity of NTCP promoter, while arresting HCC cells
      in G0/G1 phase by serum starvation could upregulate NTCP mRNA levels. This is the
      first study to report that the transcriptional inhibition of NTCP expression
      during cell cycle progression was mediated by cyclin D1. The down-regulated NTCP
      expression was associated with poor prognosis and lower HBV cccDNA level in HCC
      patients. Therefore, NTCP expression levels might serve as a novel prognostic
      predictive marker for post-surgery survival rate of HCC patients.

PMID- 28915573
TI  - Lipid catabolism inhibition sensitizes prostate cancer cells to antiandrogen
      blockade.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy among Western men and the
      second leading-cause of cancer related deaths. For men who develop metastatic
      castration resistant PCa (mCRPC), survival is limited, making the identification
      of novel therapies for mCRPC critical. We have found that deficient lipid
      oxidation via carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT1) results in decreased growth
      and invasion, underscoring the role of lipid oxidation to fuel PCa growth. Using
      immunohistochemistry we have found that the CPT1A isoform is abundant in PCa
      compared to benign tissue (n=39, p<0.001) especially in those with high-grade
      tumors. Since lipid oxidation is stimulated by androgens, we have evaluated the
      synergistic effects of combining CPT1A inhibition and anti-androgen therapy.
      Mechanistically, we have found that decreased CPT1A expression is associated with
      decreased AKT content and activation, likely driven by a breakdown of membrane
      phospholipids and activation of the INPP5K phosphatase. This results in increased
      androgen receptor (AR) action and increased sensitivity to the anti-androgen
      enzalutamide. To better understand the clinical implications of these findings,
      we have evaluated fat oxidation inhibitors (etomoxir, ranolazine and perhexiline)
      in combination with enzalutamide in PCa cell models. We have observed a robust
      growth inhibitory effect of the combinations, including in enzalutamide-resistant
      cells and mouse TRAMPC1 cells, a more neuroendocrine PCa model. Lastly, using a
      xenograft mouse model, we have observed decreased tumor growth with a systemic
      combination treatment of enzalutamide and ranolazine. In conclusion, our results
      show that improved anti-cancer efficacy can be achieved by co-targeting the AR
      axis and fat oxidation via CPT1A, which may have clinical implications,
      especially in the mCRPC setting.

PMID- 28915574
TI  - Comparative study of whole genome amplification and next generation sequencing
      performance of single cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whole genome amplification (WGA) is required for single cell
      genotyping. Effectiveness of currently available WGA technologies in combination
      with next generation sequencing (NGS) and material preservation is still elusive.
      RESULTS: In respect to the accuracy of SNP/mutation, indel, and copy number
      aberrations (CNA) calling, the HiSeq2000 platform outperformed IonProton in all
      aspects. Furthermore, more accurate SNP/mutation and indel calling was
      demonstrated using single tumor cells obtained from EDTA-collected blood in
      respect to CellSave-preserved blood, whereas CNA analysis in our study was not
      detectably affected by fixation. Although MDA-based WGA yielded the highest DNA
      amount, DNA quality was not adequate for downstream analysis. PCR-based WGA
      demonstrates superiority over MDA-PCR combining technique for SNP and indel
      analysis in single cells. However, SNP calling performance of MDA-PCR WGA
      improves with increasing amount of input DNA, whereas CNA analysis does not. The
      performance of PCR-based WGA did not significantly improve with increase of input
      material. CNA profiles of single cells, amplified with MDA-PCR technique and
      sequenced on both HiSeq2000 and IonProton platforms, resembled unamplified DNA
      the most. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the performance of PCR-based,
      multiple-displacement amplification (MDA)-based, and MDA-PCR combining WGA
      techniques (WGA kits Ampli1, REPLI-g, and PicoPlex, respectively) on single and
      pooled tumor cells obtained from EDTA- and CellSave-preserved blood and archival
      material. Amplified DNA underwent exome-Seq with the Illumina HiSeq2000 and
      ThermoFisher IonProton platforms. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate the feasibility of
      single cell genotyping of differently preserved material, nevertheless, WGA and
      NGS approaches have to be chosen carefully depending on the study aims.

PMID- 28915575
TI  - Hexokinase 2 promotes tumor growth and metastasis by regulating lactate
      production in pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a KRAS-driven cancer with a high
      incidence of metastasis and an overall poor prognosis. Previous work in a
      genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC showed glucose metabolism to be
      important for maintaining tumor growth. Multiple glycolytic enzymes, including
      hexokinase 2 (HK2), were upregulated in primary PDAC patient tumors, supporting a
      role for glycolysis in promoting human disease. HK2 was most highly expressed in
      PDAC metastases, suggesting a link between HK2 and aggressive tumor biology. In
      support of this we found HK2 expression to be associated with shorter overall
      survival in PDAC patients undergoing curative surgery. Transient and stable
      knockdown of HK2 in primary PDAC cell lines decreased lactate production,
      anchorage independent growth (AIG) and invasion through a reconstituted matrix.
      Conversely, stable overexpression of HK2 increased lactate production, cell
      proliferation, AIG and invasion. Pharmacologic inhibition of lactate production
      reduced the HK2-driven increase in invasion while addition of extracellular
      lactate enhanced invasion, together providing a link between glycolytic activity
      and metastatic potential. Stable knockdown of HK2 decreased primary tumor growth
      in cell line xenografts and decreased incidence of lung metastasis after tail
      vein injection. Gene expression analysis of tumors with decreased HK2 expression
      showed alterations in VEGF-A signaling, a pathway important for angiogenesis and
      metastasis, consistent with a requirement of HK2 in promoting metastasis. Overall
      our data provides strong evidence for the role of HK2 in promoting PDAC disease
      progression, suggesting that direct inhibition of HK2 may be a promising approach
      in the clinic.

PMID- 28915576
TI  - Hepatic B cell leukemia-3 suppresses chemically-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in
      mice through altered MAPK and NF-kappaB activation.
AB  - The transcriptional nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB)-coactivator B cell
      leukemia-3 (Bcl-3) is a molecular regulator of cell death and proliferation. Bcl
      3 has been shown to be widely expressed in different cancer types including
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Its influence on hepatocarcinogenesis is still
      undetermined. To examine the role of Bcl-3 in hepatocarcinogenesis mice with
      hepatocyte-specific overexpression of Bcl-3 (Bcl-3Hep) were exposed to
      diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and phenobarbital (PB). Hepatic Bcl-3 overexpression
      attenuated DEN/PB-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. Bcl-3Hep mice exhibited a lower
      number and smaller tumor nodules in response to DEN/PB at 40 weeks of age.
      Reduced HCC formation was accompanied by a lower rate of cell proliferation and a
      distinct expression pattern of growth and differentiation-related genes.
      Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and especially extracellular-signal
      regulated kinase (ERK) was reduced in tumor and tumor-surrounding liver tissue of
      Bcl-3Hep mice, while p38 and NF-kappaB p65 were phosphorylated to a higher extent
      compared to the wild type. In parallel, the absolute number of intrahepatic
      macrophages, CD8+ T cells and activated B cells was reduced in DEN/PB-treated Bcl
      3Hep mice mirroring a reduction of tumor-associated inflammation. Interestingly,
      at the early time point of 7 weeks following tumor initiation, a higher rate of
      apoptotic cell death was observed in Bcl-3Hep mice. In summary, hepatocyte
      restricted Bcl-3 overexpression reduced hepatocarcinogenesis related to prolonged
      liver injury early after tumor initiation likely due to decreased survival of
      DEN/PB-damaged, premalignant cells. Therefore, Bcl-3 could become a novel player
      in the development of therapeutic and diagnostic tools for HCC.

PMID- 28915577
TI  - Vorinostat suppresses hypoxia signaling by modulating nuclear translocation of
      hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha.
AB  - Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are a potent class of tumor-suppressive
      agents traditionally believed to exert their effects through loosening tightly
      wound chromatin resulting in de-inhibition of various tumor suppressive genes.
      Recent literature however has shown altered intratumoral hypoxia signaling with
      HDACi administration not attributable to changes in chromatin structure. We
      sought to determine the precise mechanism of HDACi-mediated hypoxia signaling
      attenuation using vorinostat (SAHA), an FDA-approved class I/IIb/IV HDACi.
      Through an in-vitro and in-vivo approach utilizing cell lines for hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC), osteosarcoma (OS), and glioblastoma (GBM), we demonstrate that
      SAHA potently inhibits HIF-a nuclear translocation via direct acetylation of its
      associated chaperone, heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90). In the presence of SAHA we
      found elevated levels of acetyl-Hsp90, decreased interaction between acetyl-Hsp90
      and HIF-a, decreased nuclear/cytoplasmic HIF-alpha expression, absent HIF-alpha
      association with its nuclear karyopharyin Importin, and markedly decreased HIF-a
      transcriptional activity. These changes were associated with downregulation of
      downstream hypoxia molecules such as endothelin 1, erythropoietin, glucose
      transporter 1, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Findings were replicated
      in an in-vivo Hep3B HRE-Luc expressing xenograft, and were associated with
      significant decreases in xenograft tumor size. Altogether, this study highlights
      a novel mechanism of action of an important class of chemotherapeutic.

PMID- 28915578
TI  - Targeting hypoxic cancer stem cells (CSCs) with Doxycycline: Implications for
      optimizing anti-angiogenic therapy.
AB  - Here, we report new mechanistic insight into how chronic hypoxia increases
      'stemness' in cancer cells. Using chemical inhibitors, we provide direct
      experimental evidence that ROS production and mitochondrial biogenesis are both
      required for the hypoxia-induced propagation of CSCs. More specifically, we show
      that hypoxic CSCs can be effectively targeted with i) simple mitochondrial anti
      oxidants (Mito-TEMPO) and/or ii) inhibitors of mitochondrial biogenesis
      (Doxycycline). In this context, we discuss the idea that mitochondrial biogenesis
      itself may be a primary driver of "stemness" in hypoxic cancer cells, with
      metabolic links to fatty acid oxidation (FAO). As Doxycycline is an FDA-approved
      drug, we propose that it could be re-purposed to target hypoxic CSCs, either
      alone or in combination with chemotherapy, i.e., Paclitaxel. For example, we
      demonstrate that Doxycycline effectively targets the sub-population of hypoxia
      induced CSCs that are Paclitaxel-resistant, overcoming hypoxia-induced drug
      resistance. Finally, anti-angiogenic therapy often induces tumor hypoxia,
      allowing CSCs to survive and propagate, ultimately driving tumor progression.
      Therefore, we suggest that Doxycycline could be used in combination with anti
      angiogenic agents, to actively prevent or minimize hypoxia-induced treatment
      failure. In direct support of this assertion, Paclitaxel is already known to
      behave as an angiogenesis inhibitor.

PMID- 28915580
TI  - Molecular and functional characterization of a new 3' end KIT juxtamembrane
      deletion in a duodenal GIST treated with neoadjuvant Imatinib.
AB  - Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of
      the gastrointestinal tract. GISTs express the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT, and
      the majority of GISTs present KIT gain-of-function mutations that cluster in the
      5' end of the receptor juxtamembrane domain. On the other hand, little
      information is known about GISTs carrying mutations in the 3' end of the KIT
      juxtamembrane domain. Here we report and discuss a clinical case of localized
      duodenal GIST whose molecular characterization revealed the presence of a new 21
      nucleotide/7 amino acid deletion in the 3' end of KIT juxtamembrane domain
      (Delta574-580). The patient was treated with Imatinib at standard regimen dose
      (400 mg/day), and responded well as the original tumor mass reduced, ultimately
      allowing conservative surgery. In line with these clinical evidences computer
      simulations, biophysical techniques and in vitro experiments demonstrated that
      the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT carrying the Delta574-580 mutation displays
      constitutive phosphorylation, which can be switched-off upon Imatinib treatment.
      In addition, results from this study showed that a clinical useful procedure,
      neoadjuvant treatment, can occasionally be of value for the understanding of the
      molecular pathogenesis of GIST.

PMID- 28915579
TI  - MicroRNA profiling associated with non-small cell lung cancer: next generation
      sequencing detection, experimental validation, and prognostic value.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The average five-year survival for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      patients is approximately 15%. Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs
      (miRNAs) constitute a new class of gene regulators in humans that may play an
      important role in tumorigenesis. Hence, there is growing interest in studying
      their role as possible new biomarkers whose expression is aberrant in cancer.
      Therefore, in this study we identified dysregulated miRNAs by next generation
      sequencing (NGS) and analyzed their prognostic value. METHODS: Sequencing by
      oligo ligation detection technology was used to identify dysregulated miRNAs in a
      training cohort comprising paired tumor/normal tissue samples (N = 32). We
      validated 22 randomly selected differentially-expressed miRNAs by quantitative
      real time PCR in tumor and adjacent normal tissue samples (N = 178). Kaplan-Meier
      survival analysis and Cox regression were used in multivariate analysis to
      identify independent prognostic biomarkers. RESULTS: NGS analysis revealed that
      39 miRNAs were dysregulated in NSCLC: 28 were upregulated and 11 were
      downregulated. Twenty-two miRNAs were validated in an independent cohort.
      Interestingly, the group of patients with high expression of both miRNAs (miR
      21high and miR-188high) showed shorter relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall
      survival (OS) times. Multivariate analysis confirmed that this combined signature
      is an independent prognostic marker for RFS and OS (p = 0.001 and p < 0.0001,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: NGS technology can specifically identify dysregulated
      miRNA profiles in resectable NSCLC samples. MiR-21 or miR-188 overexpression
      correlated with a negative prognosis, and their combined signature may represent
      a new independent prognostic biomarker for RFS and OS.

PMID- 28915581
TI  - Up-regulation of LINC00161 correlates with tumor migration and invasion and poor
      prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Accumulating evidence suggested that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play
      essential roles in various biological processes, including tumorigenesis.
      Aberrant expression of LINC00161 has been reported in some cancer types, however,
      the association of LINC00161 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been
      evaluated. Here, we measured the expression of LINC00161 in HCC tissues and
      corresponding normal liver tissues using real-time PCR. The result showed that
      the expression level of LINC00161 was significantly higher in HCC tissues.
      Further analysis indicated that HCC patients with higher LINC00161 expression
      have shorter survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that LINC00161
      expression was an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival.
      Furthermore, our result indicated that knock-down of LINC00161 can significantly
      inhibit liver cancer cell migration and invasion. The present work indicated that
      LINC00161 might serve as an oncogenic gene and play a pivotal role in promoting
      tumor migration and invasion in HCC. Our work implicates the promising effect of
      LINC00161 on the prognosis of HCC.

PMID- 28915582
TI  - MicroRNA-610 suppresses osteosarcoma oncogenicity via targeting TWIST1
      expression.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary bone tumor affects adolescents and
      young adults. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding and endogenous
      RNAs that played as important roles in the initiation and progression of tumors.
      In this study, we try to explore the biological function and expression of miR
      610 in the osteosarcoma. We showed that miR-610 expression was downregulated in
      the osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. Elevated expression of miR-610
      suppressed the osteosarcoma cell proliferation, cell cycle, invasion and EMT
      program. Moreover, overexpression of miR-610 increased sensitivity of MG-63 and
      U2OS cells to cisplatin. Twist1 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-610
      in the osteosarcoma cell. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Twist1 was
      upregulated in the osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. The expression of Twist1
      was negatively associated with the expression of miR-610 expression in the
      osteosarcoma tissues. Ectopic expression of Twist1 inhibited the sensitivity of
      miR-610-overexpressing MG-63 cells to cisplatin. We also showed that
      overexpression of Twist1 increased the proliferation and invasion of miR-610
      overexpressing MG-63 cells. These data indicated that ectopic expression of miR
      610 suppressed the osteosarcoma cell proliferation, cell cylce, invasion and
      increased the sensitivity of osteosarcoma cells to cisplatin through targeting
      the Twist1 expression.

PMID- 28915583
TI  - N-Acetylcysteine breaks resistance to trastuzumab caused by MUC4 overexpression
      in human HER2 positive BC-bearing nude mice monitored by 89Zr-Trastuzumab and 18F
      FDG PET imaging.
AB  - Trastuzumab remains an important drug in the management of human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpressing breast cancer (BC). Several studies
      reported resistance mechanisms to trastuzumab, including impaired HER2
      accessibility caused by mucin 4 (MUC4). Previously, we demonstrated an increase
      of Zirconium-89-radiolabeled-trastuzumab (89Zr-Trastuzumab) accumulation when
      MUC4-overexpressing BC-cells were challenged with the mucolytic drug N
      Acetylcysteine (NAC). Hereby, using the same approach we investigated whether
      tumor exposure to NAC would also enhance trastuzumab-efficacy. Dual SKBr3
      (HER2+/MUC4-, sensitive to trastuzumab) and JIMT1 (HER2+/MUC4+, resistant to
      trastuzumab) HER2-BC-bearing-xenografts were treated with trastuzumab and NAC.
      Treatment was monitored by molecular imaging evaluating HER2
      accessibility/activity (89Zr-Trastuzumab HER2-immunoPET) and glucose metabolism
      (18F-FDG-PET/CT), as well as tumor volume and the expression of key proteins. In
      the MUC4-positive JIMT1-tumors, the NAC-trastuzumab combination resulted in
      improved tumor-growth control compared to trastuzumab alone; with smaller tumor
      volume/weight, lower 18F-FDG uptake, lower %Ki67 and pAkt-expression. NAC reduced
      MUC4-expression, but did not affect HER2-expression or the trastuzumab
      sensitivity of the MUC4-negative SKBr3-tumors. These findings suggest that
      improving HER2-accessibility by reducing MUC4-masking with the mucolytic drug
      NAC, results in a higher anti-tumor effect of trastuzumab. This provides a
      rationale for the potential benefit of this approach to possibly treat a subset
      of HER2-positive BC overexpressing MUC4.

PMID- 28915584
TI  - A phase 1 dose-escalation study of the oral histone deacetylase inhibitor
      abexinostat in combination with standard hypofractionated radiotherapy in
      advanced solid tumors.
AB  - Current treatments for advanced solid tumors tend to be only palliative. Although
      radiotherapy is administered with a curative intent, radioresistance and dose
      limiting toxicities pose limitations to treatment. Abexinostat, an oral pan
      histone deacetylase inhibitor, demonstrated enhanced sensitivity to radiation in
      various solid tumor cell lines. We conducted an exploratory, phase 1, dose
      escalation study of abexinostat in combination with standard hypofractionated
      radiotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors treated in a palliative
      setting. Among 58 treated patients, the median age was 61.5 years (range, 20-82);
      47% of the patients had M1 stage disease, and 95% had received previous
      chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy in combination with surgery and/or
      radiotherapy. The recommended phase 2 dose was determined to be 90 mg/m2 (140
      mg). Of the 51 patients evaluable for response, best overall response was 8% (1
      complete response [CR], 3 partial responses [PRs]), and best loco-regional
      response was 12% (1 CR and 5 PRs) at a median follow-up of 16 weeks. Of note,
      patients with target or non-target brain lesions showed encouraging responses,
      with 1 patient achieving a best loco-regional response of CR. Treatment-emergent
      grade >=3 adverse events (AEs) were few, with most common being thrombocytopenia
      (17%), lymphopenia (12%), and hypokalemia (7%). Six patients (10%) discontinued
      treatment due to AEs. No grade >=3 prolongation of the QTc interval was observed,
      with no treatment discontinuations due to this AE. Oral abexinostat combined with
      radiotherapy was well tolerated in patients with advanced solid tumors. The
      combination may have potential for treatment of patients with brain lesions.

PMID- 28915585
TI  - Time dependent modulation of tumor radiosensitivity by a pan HDAC inhibitor:
      abexinostat.
AB  - Despite prominent role of radiotherapy in lung cancer management, there is an
      urgent need for strategies increasing therapeutic efficacy. Reversible epigenetic
      changes are promising targets for combination strategies using HDAC inhibitors
      (HDACi). Here we evaluated on two NSCLC cell lines, the antitumor effect of
      abexinostat, a novel pan HDACi combined with irradiation in vitro in normoxia and
      hypoxia, by clonogenic assays, demonstrating that abexinostat enhances
      radiosensitivity in a time dependent way with mean SER10 between 1.6 and 2.5 for
      A549 and H460. We found, by immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry assays
      and western blotting, in abexinostat treated cells, increasing radio-induced
      caspase dependent apoptosis and persistent DNA double-strand breaks associated
      with decreased DNA damage signalling and repair. Interestingly, we demonstrated
      on nude mice xenografts that abexinostat potentiates tumor growth delay in
      combined modality treatments associating not only abexinostat and irradiation but
      also when adding cisplatin. Altogether, our data demonstrate in vitro and in vivo
      anti-tumor effect potentiation by abexinostat combined with irradiation in NSCLC.
      Moreover, our work suggests for the first time to our knowledge promising triple
      combination opportunities with HDACi, irradiation and cisplatin which deserves
      further investigations and could be of major interest in the treatment of NSCLC.

PMID- 28915587
TI  - Expression and release of glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP78) in multiple
      myeloma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell neoplasm that is mostly
      incurable due to acquired resistance during the treatment course. Thus, we
      evaluated expression and release of glucose-regulated protein 78 kDa (GRP78/BiP),
      an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) based pro-survival chaperone involved in
      immunoglobulin folding and unfolded protein responses. RESULTS: GRP78 protein
      expression in the ER and on the cell surface did not significantly differ between
      MGUS, NDMM and RRMM patients although there was a trend to higher surface
      expression in RRMM. In bone marrow plasma, the amount of released GRP78 protein
      was not significantly increased between MGUS-, NDMM- and RRMM patients. MM cells
      of the three cell lines release GRP78 as full-length protein under apoptotic, but
      not under acidotic or ER-stress conditions. In necrosis, only proteolytic
      fragments of GRP78 were detected in supernatants of MM cells. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: GRP78 protein expression and plasma levels were quantified in bone
      marrow aspirates of patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined
      significance (MGUS, n = 29), newly diagnosed MM (NDMM, n = 29) and with
      relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM, n = 15) by immunohistochemistry and sandwich ELISA.
      The human MM cell lines U266, NCI-H929 and OPM-2 were used for functional GRP78
      release- and processing studies after induction of acidosis, ER stress, apoptosis
      and necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Ectopic expression of GRP78 on cell membrane or its
      release in the microenvironment is not a suitable marker to distinguish MGUS from
      NDMM and RRMM.

PMID- 28915586
TI  - Hepatitis C virus core protein targets 4E-BP1 expression and phosphorylation and
      potentiates Myc-induced liver carcinogenesis in transgenic mice.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of liver diseases including the
      development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Particularly, core protein has
      been involved in HCV-related liver pathologies. However, the impact of HCV core
      on signaling pathways supporting the genesis of HCC remains largely elusive. To
      decipher the host cell signaling pathways involved in the oncogenic potential of
      HCV core, a global quantitative phosphoproteomic approach was carried out. This
      study shed light on novel differentially phosphorylated proteins, in particular
      several components involved in translation. Among the eukaryotic initiation
      factors that govern the translational machinery, 4E-BP1 represents a master
      regulator of protein synthesis that is associated with the development and
      progression of cancers due to its ability to increase protein expression of
      oncogenic pathways. Enhanced levels of 4E-BP1 in non-modified and phosphorylated
      forms were validated in human hepatoma cells and in mouse primary hepatocytes
      expressing HCV core, in the livers of HCV core transgenic mice as well as in HCV
      infected human primary hepatocytes. The contribution of HCV core in
      carcinogenesis and the status of 4E-BP1 expression and phosphorylation were
      studied in HCV core/Myc double transgenic mice. HCV core increased the levels of
      4E-BP1 expression and phosphorylation and significantly accelerated the onset of
      Myc-induced tumorigenesis in these double transgenic mice. These results reveal a
      novel function of HCV core in liver carcinogenesis potentiation. They position 4E
      BP1 as a tumor-specific target of HCV core and support the involvement of the 4E
      BP1/eIF4E axis in hepatocarcinogenesis.

PMID- 28915588
TI  - FoxR2 promotes glioma proliferation by suppression of the p27 pathway.
AB  - FoxR2 plays an important role in the development of many human tumors. However,
      the effects of FoxR2 on tumorigenicity of human glioma remain unclear. In this
      study, we investigated the roles of FoxR2 in cell proliferation and invasion of
      glioma. We found that overexpression of FoxR2 promoted the proliferation,
      migration and invasion of glioma cells. Knockout of FoxR2 induced G1 arrest by
      decreasing the expression levels of cyclin D1, cyclin E and p-Rb.
      Mechanistically, upregulation of FoxR2 increased the level and activity of MMP-2
      and decreased the expression of p27. Furthermore, overexpression of FoxR2
      decreased the nuclear accumulation of p27. Taken together, these results indicate
      that upregulation of FoxR2 may confer enhanced tumorigenicity in glioma cells.

PMID- 28915589
TI  - Casticin attenuates liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell activation by
      blocking TGF-beta/Smad signaling pathway.
AB  - Although many advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of liver
      fibrosis, few options are available for treatment. Casticin, one of the major
      flavonoids in Fructus Viticis extracts, has shown hepatoprotective potential, but
      its effects on liver fibrosis are not clear. In this study, we investigated the
      antifibrotic activity of casticin and its underlying mechanism in vivo and in
      vitro. Male mice were injected intraperitoneally with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)
      or underwent bile duct ligation (BDL) to induce liver fibrosis, followed by
      treatment with casticin or vehicle. In addition, transforming growth factor
      beta1(TGF-beta1)-activated LX-2 cells were used. In vivo experiments showed that
      treatment with casticin alone had no toxic effect while significantly attenuating
      CCl4-or BDL-induced liver fibrosis, as indicated by reductions in the density of
      fibrosis, hydroxyproline content, expression of alpha-SMA and collagen alpha1(I)
      mRNA. Moreover, casticin inhibited LX2 proliferation, induced apoptosis in a time
      and dose-dependent manner in vitro. The underlying molecular mechanisms for the
      effect of casticin involved inhibition of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation
      and reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, tissue
      inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 resulting from blocking TGF
      beta1/Smad signaling, as well as increased the apoptosis of HSCs. The results
      suggest that casticin has potential benefits in the attenuation and treatment of
      liver fibrosis.

PMID- 28915590
TI  - Combination of DESI2 and IP10 gene therapy significantly improves therapeutic
      efficacy against murine carcinoma.
AB  - DESI2 (also known as PNAS-4) is a novel pro-apoptotic gene activated during the
      early response to DNA damage. We previously reported that overexpression of DESI2
      induces S phase arrest and apoptosis by activating checkpoint kinases. The
      present study was designed to test whether combination of DESI2 and IP10 could
      improve the therapy efficacy in vitro and in vivo. The recombinant plasmid co
      expressing DESI2 and IP10 was encapsulated with DOTAP/Cholesterol nanoparticle.
      Immunocompetent mice bearing CT26 colon carcinoma and LL2 lung cancer were
      treated with the complex. We found that, in vitro, the combination of DESI2 and
      IP10 more efficiently inhibited proliferation of CT26, LL2, SKOV3 and A549 cancer
      cells via apoptosis. In vivo, the combined gene therapy more significantly
      inhibited tumor growth and efficiently prolonged the survival of tumor bearing
      mice. Mechanistically, the augmented antitumor activity in vivo was associated
      with induction of apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. The anti-angiogenesis
      was further mimicked by inhibiting proliferation of immortalized HUVEC cells in
      vitro. Meanwhile, the infiltration of lymphocytes also contributed to the
      enhanced antitumor effects. Depletion of CD8+ T lymphocytes significantly
      abrogated the antitumor activity, whereas depletion of CD4+ T cells or NK cells
      showed partial abrogation. Our data suggest that the combined gene therapy of
      DESI2 and IP10 can significantly enhance the antitumor activity as apoptosis
      inducer, angiogenesis inhibitor and immune response initiator. The present study
      may provide a novel and effective method for treating cancer.

PMID- 28915591
TI  - Eugenol alleviated breast precancerous lesions through HER2/PI3K-AKT pathway
      induced cell apoptosis and S-phase arrest.
AB  - Eugenol can be separated from the oil extract of clove bud, and has many
      pharmacological functions such as anticancer and transdermal absorption.
      HER2/PI3K-AKT is a key signaling pathway in the development of breast cancer. In
      this study, 80 MUM eugenol could significantly inhibit the proliferation of HER-2
      positive MCF-10AT cells and the inhibition rate was up to 32.8%, but had no
      obvious inhibitory effect on MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells with HER2 weak expression.
      Eugenol also significantly induced human breast precancerous lesion MCF-10AT cell
      apoptosis and cell cycle S-phase arrest, but the biological effects nearly
      disappeared after HER2 over-expression through transfecting pcDNA3.1-HER2. In MCF
      10AT cells treated by 180 MUM eugenol, the protein expressions of HER2, AKT,
      PDK1, p85, Bcl2, NF-kappaB, Bad and Cyclin D1 were decreased and the decreased
      rates were respectively 63.0%, 60.0%, 52.9%, 62.9%, 37.1%, 47.2%, 61.7%, 59.1%,
      while the p21, p27 and Bax expression were increased by 4.48-, 4.76- and 2.57
      fold respectively. In the rat models of breast precancerous lesion, 1 mg eugenol
      for external use significantly inhibited the progress of breast precancerous
      lesion and the occurrence rate of breast precancerous lesions and invasive
      carcinomas was decreased by about 30.5%. Furthermore eugenol for external (1 mg)
      markedly decreased the protein expressions of HER2 (62.9%), AKT (58.6%), PDK1
      (56.4%), p85 (54.3%), Bcl2 (59.3%), NF-kappaB (65.7%), Bad (64.0%), Cyclin D1
      (43.0%), while p21, p27 and Bax protein expressions were respectively increased
      1.83-, 2.52- and 2.51-fold. The results showed eugenol could significantly
      inhibit the development of breast precancerous lesions by blocking HER2/PI3K-AKT
      signaling network. So eugenol may be a promising external drug for breast
      precancerous lesions.

PMID- 28915592
TI  - Targeted alpha therapy using a novel CD70 targeted thorium-227 conjugate in in
      vitro and in vivo models of renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - The cell surface receptor CD70 has been previously reported as a promising target
      for B-cell lymphomas and several solid cancers including renal cell carcinoma. We
      describe herein the characterization and efficacy of a novel CD70 targeted
      thorium-227 conjugate (CD70-TTC) comprising the combination of the three
      components, a CD70 targeting antibody, a chelator moiety and the short-range,
      high-energy alpha-emitting radionuclide thorium-227 (227Th). In vitro analysis
      demonstrated that the CD70-TTC retained binding affinity to its target and
      displayed potent and specific cytotoxicity compared to an isotype control-TTC. A
      biodistribution study in subcutaneous tumor-bearing nude mice using the human
      renal cell carcinoma cell line 786-O demonstrated significant uptake and
      retention with 122 +/- 42% of the injected dose of 227Th per gram (% ID/g)
      remaining in the tumor seven days post dose administration compared to only 3%
      ID/g for the isotype control-TTC. Tumor accumulation correlated with a dose
      dependent and statistically significant inhibition in tumor growth compared to
      vehicle and isotype control-TTC groups at radioactivity doses as low as 50
      kBq/kg. The CD70-TTC was well tolerated as evidenced by only modest changes in
      hematology and normal gain in body weight of the mice. To our knowledge, this is
      the first report describing molecular targeting of CD70 expressing tumors using a
      targeted alpha-therapy (TAT).

PMID- 28915593
TI  - A novel EGFR-TKI inhibitor (cAMP-H3BO3complex) combined with thermal therapy is a
      promising strategy to improve lung cancer treatment outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although EGFR-TKIs (epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors) induce favorable responses as first-line non-small cell lung cancer
      treatments, drug resistance remains a serious problem. Meanwhile, thermal therapy
      also shows promise as a cancer therapy strategy. Here we combine a novel EGFR-TKI
      treatment with thermal therapy to improve lung cancer treatment outcomes.
      RESULTS: The results suggest that the cAMP-H3BO3 complex effectively inhibits
      EGFR auto-phosphorylation, while inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in
      vitro. Compared to the negative control, tumor growth was significantly
      suppressed in mice treated with oxidative phosphorylation uncoupler thyroxine
      sodium and either cAMP-H3BO3 complex or cAMP-H3BO3 complex (P < 0.05). Moreover,
      the body temperature increase induced by treatment with thyroxine sodium
      inhibited tumor growth. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that A549 cell
      apoptosis was significantly higher in the cAMP-H3BO3 complex plus thyroxine
      sodium treatment group than in the other groups. Moreover,Ca2+ content analysis
      showed that the Ca2+ content of tumor tissue was significantly higher in the cAMP
      H3BO3 complex plus thyroxine sodium treatment group than in other groups.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inhibition of EGFR auto-phosphorylation by cAMP and cAMP
      H3BO3 complex was studied using autoradiography and western blot. The antitumor
      activity of the novel EGFR inhibitor (cAMP-H3BO3 complex) with or without an
      oxidative phosphorylation uncoupler (thyroxine sodium) was investigated in vitro
      and in a nude mouse xenograft lung cancer model incorporating human A549 cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: cAMP-H3BO3 complex is a novel EGFR-TKI. Combination therapy using
      cAMP-H3BO3 with thyroxine sodium-induced thermal therapy may improve lung cancer
      treatment outcomes.

PMID- 28915594
TI  - Identification of precision treatment strategies for relapsed/refractory multiple
      myeloma by functional drug sensitivity testing.
AB  - Novel agents have increased survival of multiple myeloma (MM) patients, however
      high-risk and relapsed/refractory patients remain challenging to treat and their
      outcome is poor. To identify novel therapies and aid treatment selection for MM,
      we assessed the ex vivo sensitivity of 50 MM patient samples to 308 approved and
      investigational drugs. With the results we i) classified patients based on their
      ex vivo drug response profile; ii) identified and matched potential drug
      candidates to recurrent cytogenetic alterations; and iii) correlated ex vivo drug
      sensitivity to patient outcome. Based on their drug sensitivity profiles, MM
      patients were stratified into four distinct subgroups with varied survival
      outcomes. Patients with progressive disease and poor survival clustered in a drug
      response group exhibiting high sensitivity to signal transduction inhibitors.
      Del(17p) positive samples were resistant to most drugs tested with the exception
      of histone deacetylase and BCL2 inhibitors. Samples positive for t(4;14) were
      highly sensitive to immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors and several
      targeted drugs. Three patients treated based on the ex vivo results showed good
      response to the selected treatments. Our results demonstrate that ex vivo drug
      testing may potentially be applied to optimize treatment selection and achieve
      therapeutic benefit for relapsed/refractory MM.

PMID- 28915595
TI  - Baicalein inhibits pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion via
      suppression of NEDD9 expression and its downstream Akt and ERK signaling
      pathways.
AB  - Baicalein, a flavone ingredient of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, is a promising
      anti-cancer agent. However, its potential anti-pancreatic cancer effects and the
      underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we showed that Baicalein
      not only induced apoptosis, but also suppressed proliferation, migration and
      invasion of two pancreatic cancer cell lines BxPC-3 and PANC-1 in a dose- and
      time-dependent manner. Notably, Baicalein exhibited low toxicity to normal human
      liver or kidney cells. We further discovered that Baicalein suppressed BxPC-3 and
      PANC-1 cell proliferation and invasion through targeting the expression of NEDD9,
      a Cas scaffolding protein, to decrease Akt and ERK activities. Especially,
      Baicalein decreased Akt phosphorylation at T-308 via lowering NEDD9-dependent
      PDK1 expression. Overexpression of NEDD9 effectively rescued proliferation and
      invasion of BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells dampened by Baicalein. Taken together, our
      findings suggest that Baicalein is a potent remedy applied to pancreatic cancer
      treatment in the future.

PMID- 28915596
TI  - Androgen receptor expression identifies patient with favorable outcome in
      operable triple negative breast cancer.
AB  - In this study we sought to investigate the prevalence and prognostic value of
      androgen receptor (AR) status in operable triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)
      patients. We collected the clinical data of 360 patients with TNBC, and found a
      positivity AR expression of 31.4% with a cut-off value of 10%. Tumors expressing
      the negative CK5/6 (P=0.013) and low Ki-67 (P=0.007) are more likely to have
      positive AR. In multivariate survival analysis, AR expression is correlated with
      increased DFS (HR=0.467, 95%CI 0.271-0.805; P=0.006) and OS (HR=0.488, 95%CI
      0.267-0.894, P=0.020) independently. In addition, patients with AR+ tumors are
      more likely to have favorable outcome in patients with young, pre-menopausal,
      large tumor size, more node involvement (4+), high stage, high grade, vascular
      invasion+, P53+, CK5/6-, and higher Ki-67. Our study has indicated that the
      absence of AR might help to identify patients with relatively higher risk of
      disease relapse and death, and further clinical studies of anti-androgen agents
      are warranted to enrich the therapeutic strategy options for AR+ TNBCs.

PMID- 28915597
TI  - IL-8 promotes inflammatory mediators and stimulates activation of p38 MAPK/ERK-NF
      kappaB pathway and reduction of JNK in HNSCC.
AB  - This investigation identifies interleukin 8 (IL-8) as the main inflammatory
      mediator in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The expressions of
      chemokines of IL-8, IL-1beta and IL-6 and the cytokines of tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) were higher in HNSCC patient tissues than in non-cancerous
      matched tissues (NCMT) whereas the expression of IL-10 was lower. IL-8 is most
      highly expressed in the tissues of patients with HNSCC. Treatment of HNSCC cells
      with IL-8 increased the secretion of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha and reduced IL
      10 expression; the increase in the expression of IL-1beta was particularly
      considerable. IL-8 silencing by siRNA reduced IL-1beta expression in HNSCC cells,
      suggesting that IL-8 as a main inflammatory mediator improved IL-1beta expression
      in HNSCC. The expressions of p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and p
      extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) were higher and that of p-c-Jun-NH2
      terminal kinase (p-JNK) was lower in HNSCC patient tissues than in NCMT. IL-8
      treatment induced p-p38 MAPK and p-ERK expression, but reduced p-JNK expressions
      in HNSCC cells. IL-8 siRNA suppressed p38 MAPK and ERK but increased JNK
      expression in HNSCC cells. Exposure of SCC25 cells to IL-8, increased the
      expressions of p-IkappaB-alpha and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, suggesting that IL
      8 regulates inflammatory response by modulating the MAPK and NF-kappaB pathway in
      HNSCC cells. IL-8 promotes the migration of SCC25 cells and increases matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 expressions. These results reveal that IL-8
      is the major stimulus of inflammatory mediation in HNSCC progression and
      migration by activating the p38 MAPK/ERK-NF-kappaB pathway and reducing JNK.

PMID- 28915598
TI  - Urine miR-21-5p as a potential non-invasive biomarker for gastric cancer.
AB  - Many reports have implicated that microRNAs involve in cancer development and
      progression, such as miR-155 in breast cancers and miR-196 in gastric cancers.
      Furthermore, microRNAs are more stable than typical protein-coding gene mRNAs in
      varieties of clinical samples including body fluids. This suggests that they are
      potentially valuable biomarkers for cancer monitoring. In this study, we have
      used urine samples of gastric cancer patients to demonstrate the feasibility of
      urine microRNAs for gastric cancer detection. Urine samples of gastric cancer
      patients were extracted for total RNA, which were examined for the expression of
      miR-21-5p using quantitative stem-loop PCR. Our results demonstrated that miR-21
      5p could be detected in small amounts of urine samples with good stability, and
      the expression levels of miR-21-5p were reduced following surgical removal of
      gastric cancer tissues. These results implicate that urine miR-21-5p could be
      utilized as a novel non-invasive biomarker of gastric cancer detection and
      monitoring.

PMID- 28915599
TI  - Copy number variations of circulating, cell-free DNA in urothelial carcinoma of
      the bladder patients treated with radical cystectomy: a prospective study.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to establish a rapid profiling method using
      multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and characterize copy
      number variations (CNV) in circulating, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in 85 urothelial
      carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC).
      MLPA was tested for the use of cfDNA extracted from serum and plasma by various
      commercial extraction kits. Eighteen probes served as reference to control
      denaturation, ligation and amplification efficiency. MLPA was exclusively
      suitable for cfDNA extracted from serum. Serum from 72 patients (84.7%) could be
      analyzed. Thirty-five patients (48.6%) had presence of CNV in cfDNA. The median
      CNV count in patients with presence of CNV was 2. Predominantly, CNV were located
      in the genes CDH1, ZFHX3, RIPK2 and PTEN in 15 patients (20.8%), 12 patients
      (16.7%), 9 patients (12.5%) and 7 patients (9.7%), respectively. CNV in TSG1,
      RAD21, KIAA0196, ANXA7 and TMPRSS2 were associated with presence of variant UCB
      histology (p = 0.029, 0.029, 0.029, 0.029, 0.043, respectively). Furthermore, CNV
      in miR-15a, CDH1 and ZFHX3 were associated with presence of incidental prostate
      cancer (p = 0.023, 0.003, 0.025, respectively). Patients with CNV in KLF5, ZFHX3
      and CDH1 had reduced cancer-specific survival, compared to patients without CNV
      in these genes (pairwise p = 0.028, 0.026, 0.044, respectively). MLPA represents
      an efficient method for the detection of CNV among numerous genes on various
      chromosomal regions. CNV in specific genes seem to be associated with aggressive
      UCB biologic features and presence of incidental prostate cancer, and may have a
      negative impact on cancer-specific survival.

PMID- 28915600
TI  - Tumor vasculogenic mimicry formation as an unfavorable prognostic indicator in
      patients with breast cancer.
AB  - Vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a newly defined pattern of tumor blood perfusion,
      describes the functional plasticity of aggressive tumor cells forming de novo
      vascular networks and is associated with the cancer progression and metastasis.
      However, the VM-positive rate and the impact of VM status on breast cancer
      patients' clinicopathological parameters and prognosis remain unclear. Thus, we
      performed a meta-analysis by incorporating all available evidence to clarify
      these issues. Eight studies that involved 1,238 breast cancer patients were
      eligible for inclusion in our study. We found the VM-positive rate was 24%
      (pooled proportion was 0.24, 95% CI= 0.13-0.34), and VM was significantly
      associated with larger tumor size (>2 cm) (OR=0.49, 95% CI=0.26-0.90, P=0.02) and
      lymph node metastasis (OR=0.27, 95% CI=0.13-0.57, P=0.0005). A boardline
      correlation was also identified between VM and poorer differentiation (Grade II
      III) (OR=0.07, 95% CI=0.00-1.24, P=0.07). Nevertheless, no statistically
      significant associations were observed between VM and hormone receptor and human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status. Moreover, the results showed that
      breast cancer patients with VM-positive have a shorter overall survival than
      those with VM-negative (HR=0.23, 95% CI=0.08-0.38,P=0.003). In summary, VM was
      associated with more aggressive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis in patients
      with breast cancer. Developing strategies against the VM formation would be a
      promising therapeutic approach to breast cancer.

PMID- 28915601
TI  - MiR-148a impairs Ras/ERK signaling in B lymphocytes by targeting SOS proteins.
AB  - Although microRNAs have been recognized as central cellular regulators, there is
      an evident lack of knowledge about their targets. Here, we analyzed potential
      target genes for miR-148a functioning in Ras signaling in B cells, including SOS1
      and SOS2. A dual-luciferase reporter assay showed significantly decreased
      luciferase activity upon ectopic overexpression of miR-148a in HEK-293T cells
      that were co-transfected with the 3'UTR of either SOS1 or SOS2. Each of the
      3'UTRs of SOS1 and SOS2 contained two binding sites for miR-148a both of which
      were necessary for the decreased luciferase activity. MiR-148a overexpression in
      HEK-293T lead to significantly reduced levels of both endogenous SOS1 and SOS2
      proteins. Likewise, reduced levels of SOS proteins were found in two B cell lines
      that were transfected with miR-148a. The level of ERK1/2 phosphorylation as one
      of the most relevant downstream members of the Ras/ERK signaling pathway was also
      reduced in cells with miR-148a overexpression. The data show that miR-148a
      impairs the Ras/ERK signaling pathway via SOS1 and SOS2 proteins in B cells.

PMID- 28915602
TI  - Increased expression of calponin 2 is a positive prognostic factor in pancreatic
      ductal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Calponin 2 plays an important role in regulating actin cytoskeleton, which is
      critical for cell division and migration. Previous studies have demonstrated that
      calponin 2 inhibits prostate cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. However,
      the role of calponin 2 in pancreatic tumor growth, metastasis and patient
      survival remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the level of calponin 2 is a
      positive prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
      (PDAC). Patients with high calponin 2 expression in the tumor presented less
      lymph node metastasis and longer survival. Knockdown of calponin 2 facilitated
      pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Further experiments
      suggested that PI3K/AKT, NF-kappaB, Vimentin, Fibronectin, Snail and Slug were
      upregulated and E-cadherin was downregulated after calponin 2 was knocked down,
      implicating altered functions in PDAC proliferation and metastasis. In addition,
      we verified that calponin 2 functioned through inhibiting PI3K/AKT and NF-kappaB
      pathways. Our study suggests that the upregulation of calponin 2 in PDAC
      correlates to lower malignancy and presents a novel target for the development of
      new treatment.

PMID- 28915603
TI  - Estrogen promotes tumor metastasis via estrogen receptor beta-mediated regulation
      of matrix-metalloproteinase-2 in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), estrogen significantly promotes NSCLC cell
      growth via estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta). However, the effects by which ERbeta
      contributes to metastasis in NSCLC have not been previously reported. This study
      aims at defining whether the stimulation of ERbeta promotes NSCLC metastasis in
      vitro and in vivo. Here, Our results showed that estrogen and ERbeta agonist
      enhanced aggressiveness of two lung cancer cell lines (A549 and H1793) and
      promoted murine lung metastasis formation. ER-inhibitor Fulvestrant treatment or
      ERbeta-knockdown significantly suppressed the migration, invasion and nodule
      formation of NSCLC cells. The expression level of ERbeta protein was analyzed in
      matched samples of metastatic lymph node and primary tumor tissues from the same
      individuals, and we found significantly higher levels of ERbeta were expressed in
      lymph node compared to primary tumor tissues. Moreover, Studies on both surgical
      biopsies and on lung cancer cells revealed that the expression level of ERbeta
      and matrix-metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were associated. Furthermore, inhibition
      of ERbeta resulted in down-regulation of MMP-2 expression. Taken together, our
      results demonstrate that activation of ERbeta in lung cancer cells promotes tumor
      metastasis through increasing expression of invasiveness-associated MMP-2. These
      results also highlight the therapeutic potential of inhibition of ERbetain the
      treatment of advanced NSCLC.

PMID- 28915604
TI  - Overexpression of a functional calcium-sensing receptor dramatically increases
      osteolytic potential of MDA-MB-231 cells in a mouse model of bone metastasis
      through epiregulin-mediated osteoprotegerin downregulation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Osteolytic bone metastases are observed in advanced cases
      of breast cancer. In vitro data suggest that the activity of the calcium-sensing
      receptor (CaSR) expressed by metastatic cells could potentiate their osteolytic
      potential. This study aimed to demonstrate in vivo the involvement of the CaSR in
      breast cancer cells osteolytic potential and to identify potential targets linked
      to CaSR activity. METHODS AND RESULTS: MDA-MB-231 stably transfected with
      plasmids containing either a full-length wild-type CaSR (CaSR-WT), or a
      functionally inactive dominant negative mutant (CaSR-DN) or an empty vector (EV)
      were intratibially injected into Balb/c-Nude mice. X-ray analysis performed 19
      days after injection showed a dramatic increase of osteolytic lesions in mice
      injected with CaSR-WT-transfected cells as compared to mice injected with EV- or
      CaSR-DN-transfected cells. This was associated with decreased BV/TV ratio and
      increased tumor burden. Epiregulin, an EGF-like ligand, was identified by a DNA
      microarray as a possible candidate involved in CaSR-mediated osteolysis. Indeed,
      in vitro, CaSR overexpression increased both epiregulin expression and secretion
      as compared to EV- or CaSR-DN-transfected cells. Increased epiregulin expression
      was also detected in osteolytic bone lesions from mice injected with CaSR-WT
      transfected MDA-MB-231. In vitro, exposure of osteoblastic cells (HOB and SaOS2)
      to exogenous epiregulin significantly decreased OPG mRNA expression. Exposure of
      osteoblastic cells to conditioned media prepared from CaSR-WT-transfected cells
      also decreased OPG expression. This effect was partially blocked after addition
      of an anti-epiregulin antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of a functional CaSR
      in metastatic breast cancer cells dramatically amplifies their osteolytic
      potential through epiregulin-mediated OPG downregulation.

PMID- 28915605
TI  - HSP90 inhibitor 17-DMAG exerts anticancer effects against gastric cancer cells
      principally by altering oxidant-antioxidant balance.
AB  - Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) stabilizes numerous oncoproteins and, therefore,
      its inhibition has emerged as a promising antineoplastic strategy for diverse
      malignancies. In this study, we determined the therapeutic effects and mechanisms
      of action of a specific HSP90 inhibitor, 17-dimethylamino-ethylamino-17
      demethoxygeldanamycin (17-DMAG), in gastric cancer cell lines (AGS, SNU-1, and
      KATO-III), patient-derived tissues, and a mouse xenograft model. 17-DMAG exerted
      anticancer effects against gastric cancer cells, manifested by significantly
      decreased proliferation rates (P < 0.05) and increased expression of apoptotic
      markers. Flow cytometry using dichlorofluorescein (DCF) diacetate revealed that
      17-DMAG dose-dependently increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in
      gastric cancer cells. Inhibition of ROS by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) abrogated
      the proapoptotic effects of 17-DMAG, as demonstrated by the decreased expression
      of proapoptotic proteins. In addition, 17-DMAG dose- and time-dependently reduced
      the expression of antioxidants such as catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).
      Moreover, 17-DMAG reduced the expression of nuclear respiratory factor (NRF)-1
      and NRF-2, and prevented them from migrating from the cytoplasm to the nucleus
      dose-dependently. Finally, in a nude mouse xenograft model, the shrinkage of
      tumors was more prominent in mice treated with 17-DMAG than in control mice (P <
      0.05). Taken altogether, our results suggest that 17-DMAG exerts potent
      antineoplastic activity against gastric cancer cells primarily by promoting ROS
      generation and suppressing antioxidant enzyme activities.

PMID- 28915606
TI  - Proteolytic cleavages in the extracellular domain of receptor tyrosine kinases by
      membrane-associated serine proteases.
AB  - The epithelial extracellular membrane-associated serine proteases matriptase,
      hepsin, and prostasin are proteolytic modifying enzymes of the extracellular
      domain (ECD) of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Matriptase also
      cleaves the ECD of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and
      the angiopoietin receptor Tie2. In this study we tested the hypothesis that these
      serine proteases may cleave the ECD of additional receptor tyrosine kinases
      (RTKs). We co-expressed the proteases in an epithelial cell line with Her2, Her3,
      Her4, insulin receptor (INSR), insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-1R),
      the platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs) alpha and beta, or nerve
      growth factor receptor A (TrkA). Western blot analysis was performed to detect
      the carboxyl-terminal fragments (CTFs) of the RTKs. Matriptase and hepsin were
      found to cleave the ECD of all RTKs tested, while TMPRSS6/matriptase-2 cleaves
      the ECD of Her4, INSR, and PDGFR alpha and beta. Prostasin was able to cleave the
      ECD of Her3 and PDGFRalpha. Matriptase cleaves phosphorylated Her2 at Arg558 and
      Arg599 and the Arg599 cleavage produces a CTF not recognized by the monoclonal
      antibody trastuzumab/Herceptin. Her2 cleavages by matriptase can be inhibited by
      the hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor 1 (HAI-1) in the MDA-MB-231
      human breast cancer cells. Matriptase silencing in the Her2, matriptase, and HAI
      1 triple-positive SKBR3 human breast cancer cells enhanced Her2 protein down
      regulation induced by a sustained exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate
      (PMA), which down-regulated matriptase protein. The novel Her2 cleavage and
      expression regulation mechanisms mediated by matriptase may have potential
      impacts in Her2-targeting therapies.

PMID- 28915607
TI  - Coal tar pitch extract could induce chromosomal instability of human bronchial
      epithelial cells mediated by spindle checkpoint-related proteins.
AB  - Coal tar pitch (CTP) is a byproduct of coal tar distillation. The workers working
      with coal tar or in aluminum smelters, potrooms and carbon plants have the
      opportunities of exposing to coal tar pitch volatiles. Coal tar pitches from
      which polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) originate have been shown to
      exhibit lung carcinogenicity in humans. Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a
      mechanism in carcinogenesis, however, whether CIN is involved in coal tar pitch
      induced lung cancer remains elusive. In this present study, human bronchial
      epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were first exposed to coal tar pitch extracts (CTPE)
      to induce a malignant transformation model. Then, the occurrence of severe
      chromosomal changes detected using G band, R band and multiplex fluorescence in
      situ hybridization (M-FISH) staining were examined. It was shown that more clones
      of transformed BEAS-2B cells at passage 30 following stimulation with CTPE were
      formed in the soft agar compared with the vehicle control. Moreover, the
      expression of the spindle checkpoint-related proteins, mitotic arrest defective 2
      (Mad2), budding uninhibited in benzimidazole 1 (Bub1), and anaphase-promoting
      complex (APC), indicators of abnormal chromosomes and carcinogenesis, reduced in
      CTPE-treated BEAS-2B cells at Passage 30 compared with the vehicle control using
      real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. In summary, exposure of BEAS-2B cells to
      CTPE may induce chromosomal instability through spindle checkpoint-related
      proteins.

PMID- 28915608
TI  - A genome-wide microRNA profiling indicates miR-424-5p and miR-503-5p as
      regulators of ALK expression in neuroblastoma.
AB  - The discovery of missense mutations of ALK gene identified this receptor tyrosine
      kinase as a therapeutic target in neuroblastoma (NB). Moreover, a high level of
      ALK protein has been associated with metastatic NB cases and with a worse
      prognosis, suggesting that also ALK overexpression is involved in NB
      tumorigenesis. Since miRNAs play key roles in the regulation of gene expression
      we aimed at identifying those miRNAs that can regulate ALK in NB. We therefore
      analyzed the genome-wide expression profile of miRNAs in two sample sets of 16 NB
      cell lines and 22 NB samples by using miRNA microarrays. Both sample sets were
      then divided into two subgroups showing high (ALK+) or low/absent (ALK-)
      expression of ALK. Results showed a down-regulation of 30 and 23 miRNAs (p-value
      <0.05) in the ALK+ group in NB cell lines and samples, respectively. Validation
      analysis indicated that miR-424-5p and miR-503-5p, belonging to the same cluster,
      were differentially expressed in both NB cell lines and tumor samples. Although
      only miR-424-5p showed a direct binding to ALK 3'-UTR, both miRNAs led to a
      remarkable decreasing of ALK protein as well as to the inhibition of cell
      viability in ALK+ NB cell lines. In conclusion, our data indicate that both miR
      424-5p and miR-503-5p are involved in regulating ALK expression in NB, either by
      directly targeting ALK receptor or indirectly, and may thus serve as potential
      therapeutic tools in ALK dependent NBs.

PMID- 28915609
TI  - Polymorphisms of pri-miR-219-1 are associated with the susceptibility and
      prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer in a Northeast Chinese population.
AB  - Occurrence and development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a complex
      process affected both by gene and environment. Single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) in microRNAs' (miRNAs) biogenesis influenced the expression of mature
      miRNAs, further had an impact on risk of NSCLC. Our study focused on the
      correlation between rs213210, rs421446 or rs107822 polymorphisms in pri-miR-219-1
      and susceptibility or prognosis of NSCLC in Chinese. A case-control study of 405
      new-diagnosis patients and 405 controls was performed. Ten ml venous blood from
      each subject was collected for genotype test via using TaqMan allelic
      discrimination methodology and SPSS was performed for statistical analyses. We
      found that CC genotype in rs213210 (OR=3.462, 95%CI=2.222-5.394, P<0.001)
      compared with TT genotype and GG genotype in rs107822 (OR=3.553, 95%CI=2.329
      5.419, P<0.001) compared with AA genotype showed significantly increased risk of
      NSCLC. Haplotype analysis showed that pri-miR-219-1 haplotype
      Crs213210Crs421446Grs107822 was a dangerous haplotype for lung cancer. And
      polymorphisms in pri-miR-219-1 have showed no relationship with overall survival
      of NSCLC. Overall, these findings firstly showed that rs213210 and rs107822 could
      be meaningful as genetic markers for lung cancer risk.

PMID- 28915610
TI  - MiR-451 as a new tumor marker for gastric cancer.
AB  - Gastric cancer is the second most common malignancy in China. However, the
      prognosis for gastric cancer patients remains poor. The purpose of this study was
      to investigate whether miR-451 was a potential prognostic biomarker for gastric
      cancer. Fresh tissues were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen until use. The
      plasma was extracted and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was
      performed to detect miR-451 expression. The Student's t test analysis and
      multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to analyze expression of miR
      451. The analysis results showed that the expression level of miR-451 was
      decreased expression in gastric cancer tissue. The down-regulation of miR-451
      tended to be positively correlated with tumor stage, lymphatic metastasis and
      shorter overall survival of patients. MiR-451 may be a potential biomarker and a
      potential therapeutic target for the diagnoses and prognosis of gastric cancer.

PMID- 28915611
TI  - Metformin increases chemo-sensitivity via gene downregulation encoding DNA
      replication proteins in 5-Fu resistant colorectal cancer cells.
AB  - Metformin is most widely prescribed for type 2 diabetes. Recently, evidences have
      shown that metformin has anticancer effects on pancreatic-, colorectal-, ovarian
      , and other cancers. Because metformin has less adverse effects and is
      inexpensive, it could be a useful chemo-therapeutic agent with anticancer
      effects. In this study, we demonstrated metformin inhibited by cell
      proliferation, cell migration ability, clonogenic ability, and cancer stem cell
      population. Metformin also induced cell cycle arrest in parental-(SNU-C5), and 5
      Fu resistant-colorectal cancer cell line (SNU-C5_5FuR). Moreover, a treatment
      that combines 5-Fu and metformin was found to have a synergistic effect on the
      cell proliferation rate, especially in SNU-C5_5FuR, which was mediated by the
      activation of AMPK pathway and NF-kB pathway, well-known metformin mechanisms. In
      this study, we suggested novel anticancer mechanism of metformin that inhibited
      DNA replication machinery, such as the MCM family in SNU-C5_5FuR. In conclusion,
      we provided that how metformin acts as not only a chemo-sensitizer, but also as a
      synergistic effector of 5-Fu in the 5-Fu resistant-cell line. We speculate that
      metformin used for adjuvant therapy is effective on 5-Fu resistant cancer cells.

PMID- 28915612
TI  - The roles of ING5 in gliomas: a good marker for tumorigenesis and a potential
      target for gene therapy.
AB  - To elucidate the anti-tumor effects and molecular mechanisms of ING5 on glioma
      cells, we overexpressed it in U87 cells, and examined the phenotypes and their
      relevant molecules. It was found that ING5 overexpression suppressed
      proliferation, energy metabolism, migration, invasion, and induced G2/M arrest,
      apoptosis, dedifferentiation, senescence, mesenchymal- epithelial transition and
      chemoresistance to cisplatin, MG132, paclitaxel and SAHA in U87 cells. There
      appeared a lower expression of N-cadherin, Twist, Slug, Zeb1, Zeb2, Snail, Ac-H3,
      Ac-H4, Cdc2, Cdk4 and XIAP, but a higher expression of Claudin 1, Histones 3 and
      4, p21, p53, Bax, beta-catenin, PI3K, Akt, and p-Akt in ING5 transfectants. ING5
      overexpression suppressed tumor growth of U87 cells in nude mice by inhibiting
      proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Down-regulated ING5 expression was closely
      linked to the tumorigenesis and histogenesis of glioma. These data indicated that
      ING5 expression might be considered as a good marker for the tumorigenesis and
      histogenesis of gliomas. It might be employed as a potential target for gene
      therapy of glioma. PI3K/Akt or beta-catenin/TCF-4 activation might be positively
      linked to chemotherapeutic resistance, mediated by ING5.

PMID- 28915613
TI  - Alternative promotion and suppression of metastasis by JNK2 governed by its
      phosphorylation.
AB  - Fos-related antigen 1 (Fra1) has been proposed as a gatekeeper of the mesenchymal
      epithelial transition to epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Here, we showed that
      de-phosphorylated JNK2 increased the expression of Fra1 by promoting the
      expression of c-Jun and Jun-B. Conversely, phosphorylated JNK2 suppressed its
      expression via enhancing the ubiquitination of c-Jun and Jun-B. These data
      provided insights into the regulatory mechanism of JNK2 on the expression of
      Fra1. Our study thus demonstrated that the conversion of JNK2 from its
      phosphorylation to de-phosphorylation status promoted the switch of breast cancer
      cells from mesenchymal-epithelial transition to epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition.

PMID- 28915614
TI  - Mitochondrial protein 18 (MTP18) plays a pro-apoptotic role in chemotherapy
      induced gastric cancer cell apoptosis.
AB  - One of the severe limitations of chemotherapy is the development of drug
      resistance. However, the mechanisms underlying chemotherapy resistance remain to
      be elucidated. Mitochondrial mediated apoptosis is a form of cell death induced
      by chemotherapy. Several chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to induce
      mitochondrial fission, and finally activate the apoptosis cascade in various
      cancer cells. Here, we report that the mitochondrial membrane protein 18 (MTP18)
      induced mitochondrial fragmentation in gastric cancer cells under doxorubicin
      (DOX) exposure. Upon over-expression of MTP18, a sub-cytotoxic dose of DOX could
      sensitize a significant number of cells to undergo mitochondrial fission and
      subsequent apoptosis. These findings suggest that MTP18 can enhance the
      sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to DOX. Mechanistically, we found that MTP18
      enriched dynamic-related protein 1 (DRP1) accumulation in mitochondria and it was
      responsible for mediating DOX-induced signaling required for mitochondrial
      fission. Intriguingly, MTP18 expression was downregulated during DOX treatment.
      Thus, down-regulation of MTP18 expression could be one of the resistance factors
      interfering with DOX-induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells.

PMID- 28915615
TI  - Expression of CD38 in myeloma bone niche: A rational basis for the use of anti
      CD38 immunotherapy to inhibit osteoclast formation.
AB  - It is known that multiple myeloma (MM) cells express CD38 and that a recently
      developed human anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody Daratumumab mediates myeloma
      killing. However, the expression of CD38 and other functionally related
      ectoenzymes within the MM bone niche and the potential effects of Daratumumab on
      bone cells are still unknown. This study firstly defines by flow cytometry and
      immunohistochemistry the expression of CD38 by bone marrow cells in a cohort of
      patients with MM and indolent monoclonal gammopathies. Results indicate that only
      plasma cells expressed CD38 at high level within the bone niche. In addition, the
      flow cytometry analysis shows that CD38 was also expressed by monocytes and early
      osteoclast progenitors but not by osteoblasts and mature osteoclasts. Indeed,
      CD38 was lost during in vitro osteoclastogenesis. Consistently, we found that
      Daratumumab reacted with CD38 expressed on monocytes and its binding inhibited in
      vitro osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption activity from bone marrow total
      mononuclear cells of MM patients, targeting early osteoclast progenitors. The
      inhibitory effect was not observed from purified CD14+ cells, suggesting an
      indirect inhibitory effect of Daratumumab. Interestingly, all-trans retinoic acid
      treatment increased the inhibitory effect of Daratumumab on osteoclast formation.
      These observations provide a rationale for the use of an anti-CD38 antibody-based
      approach as treatment for multiple myeloma-induced osteoclastogenesis.

PMID- 28915616
TI  - TDP-43/HDAC6 axis promoted tumor progression and regulated nutrient deprivation
      induced autophagy in glioblastoma.
AB  - Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a lethal primary brain tumor with poor survival
      lifespan and dismal outcome. Surgical resection of GBM is greatly limited due to
      the biological significance of brain, giving rise to tumor relapse in GBM
      patients. Transactive response DNA binding protein-43 (TDP-43) is a DNA/RNA
      binding protein known for causing neurodegenerative diseases through post
      translational modification; but little is known about its involvement in cancer
      development. In this study, we found that nutrient deprivation in GBM cell lines
      elevated TDP-43 expression by a mechanism of evasion from ubiquitin-dependent
      proteolytic pathway, and subsequently activated the autophagy process. Exogenous
      overexpression of TDP-43 consistently activated autophagy and suppressed stress
      induced apoptosis. The inhibition of autophagy in TDP-43-overexpressing cells
      effectively increased the apoptotic population under nutrition shortage.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that HDAC6 was involved in the activation of
      autophagy in TDP-43-overexpressing GBM cell lines. The treatment with SAHA, a
      universal HDAC inhibitor, significantly reduced TDP-43-mediated anti-apoptotic
      effect. Additionally, the results of immunohistochemistry showed that TDP-43 and
      HDAC6 collaborated in GBM-tumor lesions and negatively correlated with the
      relapse-free survival of GBM patients. Taken together, our results suggest that
      the TDP-43-HDAC6 signaling axis functions as a stress responsive pathway in GBM
      tumorigenesis and combats nutrient deprivation stress via activating autophagy,
      while inhibition of HDAC6 overpowers the pathway and provides a novel therapeutic
      strategy against GBM.

PMID- 28915617
TI  - Predictive factors of pathologic complete response in HER2-positive and axillary
      lymph node positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant paclitaxel, carboplatin plus
      with trastuzumab.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate the proportion as well as the
      predictive factors of pathologic complete response in HER2-positive and axillary
      lymph node positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant paclitaxel, carboplatin plus
      with trastuzumab (PCH). RESULTS: The pCR rate in the breast, axilla and both was
      44.3% (39/88), 47.7% (42/88) and 34.1% (30/88), respectively. Patients with and
      without pCR were similar in term of age, BMI, menstrual status, family history,
      treatment cycles and tumor characteristics (laterality and size of tumor).
      Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that pCR was significantly
      associated with HR negativity (HR = 5.587, 95% CI 2.25-3.889, p < 0.001), high
      Ki67 index (HR = 4.130, 95% CI 1.607-10.610, p = 0.003). Further investigation
      found that patients with HR-negative/high Ki67 index had higher pCR rate,
      compared to other patients (HR = 7.583, 95% CI 2.503-22.974, p < 0.001).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 88 consecutive Chinese HER2-positive/axillary lymph node
      positive breast cancer patients with neodjuvant therapy regimen containing
      paclitaxel, carboplatin and trastuzumab were divided into two groups:
      pathological complete response (pCR) or non-pCR group. Clinico-pathological
      characteristics were compared and analyzed, and univariate and multivariate
      analyses were performed to detect the predictive factors of pCR. CONCLUSIONS:
      Preoperative PCH regimen was an effective neoadjuvant therapy in HER2 positive
      and axillary lymph node positive patients, and patients coexisting with HR
      negative and high Ki67 index may benefit more from this regimen.

PMID- 28915618
TI  - Suppression of miR-16 promotes tumor growth and metastasis through reversely
      regulating YAP1 in human cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Aberrant expression of microRNAs is associated with many
      cancers progression. Many studies have shown that miR-16 is down-regulated in
      many cancers. However, its role in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is unknown. METHODS:
      Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was developed to measure miR-16 expression
      in CCA tissues and cell lines. CCK-8, colony formation and transwell assays were
      used to reveal the role of miR-16 in CCA cell proliferation and malignant
      transformation in vitro. The loss-and-gain function was further validated by
      subcutaneous xenotransplantation and tail vein injection xenotransplantation
      model in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to validate the
      relationship of miR-16 with YAP1. RESULTS: MiR-16 was notably downregulated in
      CCA tissues, which was associated with tumor size, metastasis, and TNM stage.
      Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that miR-16 could suppress
      proliferation, invasion and metastasis throughout the progression of CCA. We
      further identified YAP1 as a direct target gene of miR-16 and found that miR-16
      could regulate CCA cell growth and invasion in a YAP1-dependent manner. In
      addition, YAP1 was markedly upregulated in CCA tissues, which was reversely
      correlated with miR-16 level in tissue samples. Besides, Down-regulation of miR
      16 was remarkably associated with tumor progression and poor survival in CCA
      patients through a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. CONCLUSIONS: miR-16, as a
      novel tumor suppressor in CCA through directly targeting YAP1, might be a
      promising therapeutic target or prognosis biomarker for CCA.

PMID- 28915619
TI  - Autosomal InDel polymorphisms for population genetic structure and
      differentiation analysis of Chinese Kazak ethnic group.
AB  - In the present study, we assessed the genetic diversities of the Chinese Kazak
      ethnic group on the basis of 30 well-chosen autosomal insertion and deletion loci
      and explored the genetic relationships between Kazak and 23 reference groups. We
      detected the level of the expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.3605 at HLD39
      locus to 0.5000 at HLD136 locus and the observed heterozygosity ranging from
      0.3548 at HLD39 locus to 0.5283 at HLD136 locus. The combined power of
      discrimination and the combined power of exclusion for all 30 loci in the studied
      Kazak group were 0.999999999999128 and 0.9945, respectively. The dataset
      generated in this study indicated the panel of 30 InDels was highly efficient in
      forensic individual identifcation but may not have enough power in paternity
      cases. The results of the interpopulation differentiations, PCA plots,
      phylogenetic trees and STRUCTURE analyses showed a close genetic affiliation
      between the Kazak and Uigur group.

PMID- 28915620
TI  - PRPF overexpression induces drug resistance through actin cytoskeleton
      rearrangement and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
AB  - Pre-mRNA processing factor (PRPF) 4B kinase belongs to the CDK-like kinase
      family, and is involved in pre-mRNA splicing, and in signal transduction. In this
      study, we observed that PRPF overexpression decreased the intracellular levels of
      reactive oxygen species, and inhibited resveratrol-induced apoptosis by
      activating the cell survival signaling proteins NFkappaB, ERK, and c-MYC in
      HCT116 human colon cancer cells. PRPF overexpression altered cellular morphology,
      and rearranged the actin cytoskeleton, by regulating the activity of Rho family
      proteins. Moreover, it decreased the activity of RhoA, but increased the
      expression of Rac1. In addition, PRPF triggered the epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT), and decreased the invasiveness of HCT116, PC3 human prostate,
      and B16-F10 melanoma cells. The loss of E-cadherin, a hallmark of EMT, was
      observed in HCT116 cells overexpressing PRPF. Taken together, these results
      indicate that PRPF blocks the apoptotic effects of resveratrol by activating cell
      survival signaling pathways, rearranging the actin cytoskeleton, and inducing
      EMT. The elucidation of the mechanisms that underlie anticancer drug resistance
      and the anti-apoptosis effect of PRPF may provide a therapeutic basis for
      inhibiting tumor growth and preventing metastasis in various cancers.

PMID- 28915621
TI  - Wip1 is associated with tumorigenity and metastasis through MMP-2 in human
      intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Wip1 has been shown to correlate with the metastasis/invasion of several tumors.
      This study was designed to investigate the clinical significance and biological
      function of Wip1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). The expression of Wip1
      was investigated in sixty human ICC biopsy samples by immunohistochemistry.
      Transient and stable knockdown of Wip1 in two human ICC cells (ICC-9810 and
      SSP25) were established using short hairpin RNA expression vector.
      Immunohistochemistry revealed that Wip1 was up-regulated in human ICC tissues
      (47/60, 78.3%). High levels of Wip1 in human ICC correlated with metastasis to
      the lymph metastasis (P=0.022). Genetic depletion of Wip1 in ICC cells resulted
      in significantly inhibited proliferation and invasion compared with controls.
      Most importantly, Wip1 down-regulation impaired tumor migration capacity of ICC
      cells in vivo. Subsequent investigations revealed that matrix metalloproteinase-2
      (MMP-2) is an important target of Wip1. Consistently, in human ICC tissues, Wip1
      level was positively correlated with MMP-2 expression. Taken together, our
      founding indicates that Wip1 may be a crucial regulator in the tumorigenicity and
      invasion of human ICC, Wip1 exerts its pro-invasion function at least in part
      through the MMP-2 signaling pathway, suggesting Wip1 as a potential therapeutic
      target for ICC.

PMID- 28915622
TI  - Genomic analysis-integrated whole-exome sequencing of neuroblastomas identifies
      genetic mutations in axon guidance pathway.
AB  - Neuroblastoma (NB) is a childhood solid malignant tumor originating from
      precursor cells of the peripheral nervous system. We have previously established
      a risk classification system based on DNA copy number profiles. To further
      explore the pathogenesis of NBs in distinct risk groups, we performed whole-exome
      sequencing analysis of 57 primary and 7 recurrent/metastatic tumors with unique
      chromosomal aberration profiles as categorized by our genomic sub-grouping
      system. Overall, a low frequency of somatic mutations was found. Besides ALK
      (4/64, 6.3%), SEMA6C, SLIT1 and NRAS, genes involved in the axon guidance
      pathway, were identified as recurrently mutated in 6 of 64 tumors (9.4%). Pathway
      enrichment analysis revealed enrichment of 25 mutated genes in the mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, 13 genes in the Wnt pathway, and 12
      genes in the axon guidance pathway. Genomic analyses demonstrated that primary
      and matched recurrent or metastatic tumors obtained from sporadic and monozygotic
      twin NBs were clonally related with variable extents of genetic heterogeneity.
      Monozygotic twin NBs displayed different evolutionary trajectories. These results
      indicate the involvement of the axon guidance, MAPK and Wnt pathways in NB and
      demonstrate genomic diversity with NB progression.

PMID- 28915623
TI  - Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activates autophagy and compensatory
      Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signalling in prostate cancer.
AB  - The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is frequently activated in advanced prostate cancer,
      due to loss of the tumour suppressor PTEN, and is an important axis for drug
      development. We have assessed the molecular and functional consequences of
      pathway blockade by inhibiting AKT and mTOR kinases either in combination or as
      individual drug treatments. In established prostate cancer cell lines, a decrease
      in cell viability and in phospho-biomarker expression was observed. Although
      apoptosis was not induced, a G1 growth arrest was observed in PTEN null LNCaP
      cells, but not in BPH1 or PC3 cells. In contrast, when the AKT inhibitor AZD7328
      was applied to patient-derived prostate cultures that retained expression of
      PTEN, activation of a compensatory Ras/MEK/ERK pathway was observed. Moreover,
      whilst autophagy was induced following treatment with AZD7328, cell viability was
      less affected in the patient-derived cultures than in cell lines. Surprisingly,
      treatment with a combination of both AZD7328 and two separate MEK1/2 inhibitors
      further enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in primary prostate cultures. However,
      it also induced irreversible growth arrest and senescence. Ex vivo treatment of a
      patient-derived xenograft (PDX) of prostate cancer with a combination of AZD7328
      and the mTOR inhibitor KU-0063794, significantly reduced tumour frequency upon re
      engraftment of tumour cells. The results demonstrate that single agent targeting
      of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway triggers activation of the Ras/MEK/ERK compensatory
      pathway in near-patient samples. Therefore, blockade of one pathway is
      insufficient to treat prostate cancer in man.

PMID- 28915624
TI  - Microwave ablation combined with EGFR-TKIs versus only EGFR-TKIs in advanced
      NSCLC patients with EGFR-sensitive mutations.
AB  - We conducted this retrospective study to investigate whether microwave ablation
      (MWA) of primary tumor sites plus epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) could improve survival in advanced non small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations. MWA was conducted at the primary tumor
      sites, followed by EGFR-TKIs in the MWA plus EGFR-TKIs group. EGFR-TKIs were
      administered until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary
      endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints were overall
      survival (OS) and objective response rate (ORR). A total of 58 patients were
      recruited, including 34 in the MWA plus EGFR-TKIs group and 24 in the EGFR-TKIs
      group. No significant difference in ORR was observed with MWA treatment (61.8%
      vs. 45.8%, p = 0.230). Patients treated with MWA plus EGFR-TKIs failed to show
      superior survival in either PFS (13.2 months vs. 11.6 months, p = 0.640) or OS
      (39.8 months vs. 20.4 months, p = 0.288). MWA was not an independent prognostic
      factor for PFS or OS. MWA of primary tumor sites plus EGFR-TKIs demonstrated no
      survival advantage compared with EGFR-TKIs alone in advanced NSCLC patients with
      EGFR sensitive mutations. MWA should not be recommended for unselected patients
      with EGFR-sensitive mutations.

PMID- 28915625
TI  - Long-term cigarette smoke exposure inhibits histone deacetylase 2 expression and
      enhances the nuclear factor-kappaB activation in skeletal muscle of mice.
AB  - Long-term cigarette smoke induces lung inflammatory injury and chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), associated with skeletal muscle
      inflammation. This study aimed at investigating how cigarette smoke promotes
      skeletal muscle inflammation and its molecular pathogenesis. Mice were exposed to
      air or cigarette smoke for 12 or 24 weeks, and C2C12 cells were stimulated with
      cigarette smoke extract (CSE). The mass and function, myotube formation,
      inflammatory cytokine production, histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) and nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) p65 expression were detected in the gastrocnemius
      muscles of mice and C2C12 cells. In comparison with the control mice, cigarette
      smoke significantly damaged the lung and reduced the gastrocnemius muscle mass
      and body weights in mice. Cigarette smoke significantly down-regulated myosin
      heavy chain (MHC)-IIbeta and HDAC2 expression, but enhanced NF-kappaBp65,
      keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha
      expression in the gastrocnemius muscles. CSE stimulation significantly inhibited
      the myotube formation, MyoD and HDAC2 expression, but enhanced NF-kappaBp65
      expression, KC and TNF-alpha production in C2C12 cells, which were enhanced by
      HDAC2 knockdown and abrogated by a NF-kappaB inhibitor. CSE significantly
      inhibited the interaction of HDAC2 with NF-kappaBp65, and increased the levels of
      acetyl-NF-kappaBp65 in C2C12 cells. These data indicated that cigarette smoke
      inhibited HDAC2 expression and its interaction with NF-kappaBp65 to stimulate
      inflammation, contributing to the pathogenesis of COPD-related skeletal muscle
      atrophy in mice.

PMID- 28915626
TI  - HDL-cholesterol concentration in pregnant Chinese Han women of late second
      trimester associated with genetic variants in CETP, ABCA1, APOC3, and GALNT2.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether HDL-C level in pregnant Chinese Han women of
      late second trimester correlated with loci in high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (HDL-C)-related genes found in genome-wide association studies
      (GWAS). METHODS: Seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3764261 in CETP,
      rs1532085 in LIPC, rs7241918 in LIPG, rs1883025 in ABCA1, rs4225 in APOC3,
      rs1059611 in LPL, and rs16851339 in GALNT2) were genotyped using the Sequenom
      MassArray system for 1,884 pregnant women. RESULTS: The following polymorphisms
      were statistically associated with HDL-C level after adjusting for age,
      gestational week, pre-pregnancy BMI and state of GDM or HOMAIR: (i) rs3764261 (b
      = -0.055 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.101 to -0.008, p = 0.021), (ii) rs1883025 (b = -0.054
      mmol/L, 95% CI -0.097 to -0.012, p = 0.013), (iii) rs4225 (b = -0.071 mmol/L, 95%
      CI -0.116 to -0.027, p = 1.79E-3) and (iv) rs16851339 (b = -0.064 mmol/L, 95% CI 
      0.120 to -0.008, p = 0.025). The more risk alleles the pregnant women have, the
      lower the plasma HDL-C levels of the subjects are. CONCLUSIONS: Several risk
      alleles found to be related to HDL-C in GWAS are also associated with HDL-C
      levels in pregnant Chinese Han women and these risk loci contribute additively to
      low HDL-C levels.

PMID- 28915627
TI  - Panobinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, suppresses leptomeningeal seeding
      in a medulloblastoma animal model.
AB  - Leptomeningeal seeding is a strong negative prognostic factor for medulloblastoma
      (MB). The mechanism of leptomeningeal seeding is unclear but may involve
      epigenetic regulation. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of a histone
      deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, panobinostat, in the suppression of MB
      leptomeningeal seeding. Panobinostat decreased the cell viability and
      proliferation, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MB cell lines. The
      migration and adhesion capabilities were significantly decreased. Panobinostat
      effectively down-regulated protein expression of CCND1 and ID3 which has been
      associated with leptomeningeal seeding of MB. After panobinostat treatment,
      neurophil-like cellular processes developed and expression of synaptophysin and
      NeuroD1 was increased, indicating neuronal differentiation. In MB leptomeningeal
      seeding in vivo model, the panobinostat-treated group showed significantly
      decreased spinal leptomeningeal seeding and a survival benefit. The findings
      demonstrate that panobinostat suppresses MB leptomeningeal seeding through the
      down-regulation of ID3 and the induction of neuronal differentiation. An HDAC
      inhibitor might be a potent treatment option for the treatment of MB patients
      with leptomeningeal seeding.

PMID- 28915628
TI  - Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of c-Met overexpression in breast
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: c-Met has been shown to promote organ development and cancer
      progression in many cancers. However, clinicopathological and prognostic value of
      c-Met in breast cancer remains elusive. METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE databases were
      searched for eligible studies. Correlation of c-Met overexpression with survival
      data and clinicopathological features was analyzed by using hazard ratio (HR) or
      odds ratio (OR) and fixed-effect or random-effect model according to
      heterogeneity. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: 32 studies with
      8281 patients were analyzed in total. The c-Met overexpression was related to
      poor OS (overall survival) (HR=1.65 (1.328, 2.051)) of 18 studies with 4751
      patients and poor RFS/DFS (relapse/disease free survival) (HR=1.53 (1.20, 1.95))
      of 12 studies with 3598 patients. Subgroup analysis according to data
      source/methods/ethnicity showed c-Met overexpression was related to worse OS and
      RFS/DFS in Given by author group, all methods group and non-Asian group
      respectively. Besides, c-Met overexpression was associated with large tumor size,
      high histologic grade and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that c-Met
      overexpression was connected with poor survival rates and malignant activities of
      cancer, including proliferation, migration and invasion, which highlighted the
      potential of c-Met as significant candidate biomarker to identify patients with
      breast cancer at high risk of tumor death.

PMID- 28915629
TI  - IER3IP1 deficiency leads to increased beta-cell death and decreased beta-cell
      proliferation.
AB  - Mutations in the gene for Immediate Early Response 3 Interacting Protein 1
      (IER3IP1) cause permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus in human. The mechanisms
      involved have not been determined and the role of IER3IP1 in beta-cell survival
      has not been characterized. In order to determine if there is a molecular link
      between IER3IP1 deficiency and beta-cell survival and proliferation, we knocked
      down Ier3ip1 gene expression in mouse MIN6 insulinoma cells. IER3IP1 suppression
      induced apoptotic cell death which was associated with an increase in Bim and a
      decrease in Bcl-xL. Knockdown of Bim reduced apoptotic cell death in MIN6 cells
      induced by IER3IP1 suppression. Overexpression of the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl
      xL prevents cell death induced by IER3IP1 suppression. Moreover, IER3IP1 also
      regulates activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). IER3IP1 suppression
      impairs the Inositol Requiring 1 (IRE1) and PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) arms of
      UPR. The cell proliferation of MIN6 cells was also decreased in IER3IP1 deficient
      cells. These results suggest that IER3IP1 suppression induces an increase in cell
      death and a decrease in cell proliferation in MIN6 cells, which may be the
      mechanism that mutations in IER3IP1 lead to diabetes.

PMID- 28915630
TI  - CASP8 -652 6N insertion/deletion polymorphism and overall cancer risk: evidence
      from 49 studies.
AB  - : The CASP8 -652 6N insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism reduces expression of
      caspase 8. We conducted a meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between this
      polymorphism and cancer risk. Eligible articles were retrieved from PubMed,
      EMBASE, CNKI, and WANFANG databases through February 2017. A total of 33 articles
      with 49 studies, including 33,494 cases and 36,397 controls, were analyzed. We
      found that the CASP8 -652 6N ins/del polymorphism was associated with decreased
      overall cancer risk in five genetic models [DD vs. II: odds ratio (OR)=0.76, 95%
      confidence interval (CI)=0.69-0.84, ID vs. II: OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.83-0.92, DD vs.
      ID/II: OR=0.82, 95% CI=0.75-0.89, ID/DD vs. II: OR=0.85, 95% CI=0.80-0.90, and D
      vs. I: OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.83-0.91]. Stratified analyses showed that the
      polymorphism was associated with decreased risk of colorectal, breast,
      esophageal, renal cell, lung, cervical, bladder, gastric, and other cancers.
      Overall cancer risk was reduced in Asian and Caucasian patients, both hospital-
      and population-based studies, and both high and low quality studies. Our results
      highlight the role of the CASP8 -652 6N ins/del polymorphism in decreasing cancer
      risk. Further studies with large-cohort populations, especially for specific
      cancer types and ethnic groups, are needed to confirm our findings.

PMID- 28915631
TI  - In vivo autophagy and biogenesis of autophagosomes within male haploid cells
      during spermiogenesis.
AB  - Autophagy is a unique catabolic pathway that is linked to several physiological
      processes. However, its role in the process of spermiogenesis is largely unknown.
      The aim of the current study was to determine the in vivo role of autophagy and
      the origin of autophagosome membrane biogenesis within male haploid cells. Our
      immunohistochemistry results demonstrated that LC3 and ATG7 localization were
      increased dramatically in round to elongated spermatids (haploid cells) towards
      the lumen of seminiferous tubules, however, poorly expressed in the early stages
      of germ cells near the basal membrane. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy
      revealed that the numbers of lysosomes and autophagosomes increased in the
      elongated spermatids as spermiogenesis progressed. However, no evidence was found
      for the presence of autophagosomes in the Sertoli cells, spermatogonia or early
      primary spermatocytes (diploid cells). Furthermore, TEM showed that many
      endoplasmic reticula were transformed into a "chrysanthemum flower center," from
      which a double-layered isolation membrane appeared to develop into an
      autophagosome. This study provides novel evidence about the formation of
      autophagosomes through the chrysanthemum flower center from the endoplasmic
      reticulum, and suggests that autophagy may have an important role in the removal
      of extra cytoplasm within male haploid cells during spermiogenesis.

PMID- 28915632
TI  - Decitabine inhibits T cell proliferation via a novel TET2-dependent mechanism and
      exerts potent protective effect in mouse auto- and allo-immunity models.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the
      dysregulated immune response including innate and adaptive immune responses.
      Increasing evidence has proven the importance of epigenetic modification in the
      progression of MS. Recent studies revealed that low-dose decitabine (Dec, 5-Aza
      2'-deoxycytidine), which incorporates into replicating DNA and inhibits DNA
      methylation, could prevent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)
      development by increasing the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here, we
      showed that higher-dose decitabine relative to previous studies could also
      distinctly protect mice from EAE and allogeneic cardiac transplantation.
      Mechanistic studies revealed decitabine suppressed innate responses in EAE mice
      through inhibiting the activation of microglia and monocyte-derived macrophages
      that contributed to reduce the severity of EAE. Furthermore, differentiation of
      naive CD4+ T cells into Th1 and Th17 cells was significantly suppressed by
      decitabine in vivo and in vitro. Though in vitro studies showed decitabine could
      induce Treg differentiation, there was no obvious change in the percentage of
      Tregs in Dec-treated EAE mice. Most importantly, we found that T cell
      proliferation was potently inhibited in vivo and in vitro by higher-dose
      decitabine through increased gene expression of the DNA dioxygenase TET2 which
      facilitated the expression of several cell cycle inhibitors. Collectively, our
      study provides novel mechanistic insights of using the epigenetic modifying
      agents in the management of both allo- and auto-immune responses.

PMID- 28915633
TI  - Selection of optimal molecular targets for tumor-specific imaging in pancreatic
      ductal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Discrimination of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) from chronic
      pancreatitis (CP) or peritumoral inflammation is challenging, both at
      preoperative imaging and during surgery, but it is crucial for proper therapy
      selection. Tumor-specific molecular imaging aims to enhance this discrimination
      and to help select and stratify patients for resection. We evaluated various
      biomarkers for the specific identification of PDAC and associated lymph node
      metastases. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), expression levels and patterns were
      investigated of integrin alphavbeta6, carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell
      adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5), Cathepsin E (Cath E), epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR), hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-MET), thymocyte
      differentiation antigen 1 (Thy1), and urokinase-type plasminogen activator
      receptor (uPAR). In a first cohort, multiple types of pancreatic tissue were
      evaluated (n=62); normal pancreatic tissue (n=8), CP (n=7), PDAC (n=9), tumor
      associated lymph nodes (n=32), and PDAC after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy
      (n=6). In a second cohort, tissues were investigated (n=55) with IHC and
      immunofluorescence (IF) for concordance of biomarker expression in all tissue
      types, obtained from an individual patient. Integrin alphavbeta6 and CEACAM5
      showed significantly higher expression levels in PDAC versus normal pancreatic
      tissue (P=0.001 and P<0.001, respectively) and CP (P=0.003 and P<0.001,
      respectively). Avbeta6 and CEACAM5 expression identified tumor-positive lymph
      nodes correctly in 84% and 68%, respectively, and in 100% of tumor-negative nodes
      for both biomarkers. In conclusion, alphavbeta6 and CEACAM5 are excellent
      biomarkers to differentiate PDAC from surrounding tissue and to identify lymph
      node metastases. Individually or combined, these biomarkers are promising targets
      for tumor-specific molecular imaging of PDAC.

PMID- 28915634
TI  - DNA methylation signature of long noncoding RNA genes during human pre
      implantation embryonic development.
AB  - DNA methylation have crucial roles in regulating the expression of developmental
      genes during mammalian pre-implantation embryonic development (PED). However, the
      DNA methylation dynamic pattern of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) genes, one type of
      epigenetic regulators, in human PED have not yet been demonstrated. Here, we
      performed a comprehensive analysis of lncRNA genes in human PED based on public
      reduced representation bisulphite sequencing (RRBS) data. We observed that both
      lncRNA and protein-coding genes complete the major demethylation wave at the 2
      cell stage, whereas the promoters of lncRNA genes show higher methylation level
      than protein-coding genes during PED. Similar methylation distribution was
      observed across the transcription start sites (TSS) of lncRNA and protein-coding
      genes, contrary to previous observations in tissues. Besides, not only the gamete
      specific differentially methylated regions (G-DMRs) but also the embryonic
      developmental-specific DMRs (D-DMRs) showed more paternal bias, especially in
      promoter regions in lncRNA genes. Moreover, coding-non-coding gene co-expression
      network analysis of genes containing D-DMRs suggested that lncRNA genes involved
      in PED are associated with gene expression regulation through several means, such
      as mRNA splicing, translational regulation and mRNA catabolic. This firstly
      provides study provides the methylation profiles of lncRNA genes in human PED and
      improves the understanding of lncRNA genes involvement in human PED.

PMID- 28915635
TI  - Dysregulation of an X-linked primate-specific epididymal microRNA cluster in
      unexplained asthenozoospermia.
AB  - Asthenoszoopermia, characterized by reduced sperm motility, is one of the primary
      forms of male infertility. Whereas most cases were diagnosed into unexplained
      asthenozoospermia (UA) because the etiology cannot be identified. In animal
      models, epigenetic dysregulation in epididymis can impair sperm maturation and
      result in asthenozoospermia. However, researches of epididymal epigenetic
      regulation on humans are impeded by the difficulty in obtaining epididymal
      tissues. We previously identified cell-free seminal microRNAs predominately
      derived from epididymis in human ejaculate. In the present study, these microRNAs
      were used to screen and validate the microRNA dysregulation in men with UA, which
      were divided into screening set and validation set. The expression of five miRNAs
      (miR-891b, miR-892b, miR-892a, miR-888 and miR-890) was found and confirmed to be
      dysregulated in men with UA. Interestingly, these five miRNAs belong to a primate
      specific miRNA cluster located on the X chromosome with epididymis specific
      expression. Moreover, obvious coherent dysregulation of these miRNAs were
      observed in 13% men with UA. Regression analysis demonstrated that levels of
      these miRNAs were significantly correlated with progressive sperm motility.
      Functions and pathways of predicted target genes of this cluster suggested its
      role in sperm maturation. Dysregulation of this miRNA cluster might be an
      epigenetic basis for some patients with UA. We also showed a noninvasive and
      feasible approach to get epigenetic information of human epididymis.

PMID- 28915636
TI  - Role of glucose metabolism related gene GLUT1 in the occurrence and prognosis of
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in males
      and the second in females worldwide. However, the functional and causal SNPs for
      CRC remain to be mined. Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), a pivotal rate-limiting
      element in the transport of glucose in malignancy cells, has been identified to
      be associated with many cancers. Here, we aim to explore the role of GLUT1 in the
      occurrence and prognosis of colorectal cancer in a Chinese population. We found
      that GLUT1 expression levels in CRC tumor tissues were significantly higher than
      those in the corresponding adjacent normal tissues, and Cox multivariate analysis
      demonstrated that the GLUT1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for
      CRC (HR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.33-3.34, P=0.001). For a functional polymorphism of
      GLUT1 (rs710218), we found that individuals with TT genotype (OR = 1.68, 95% CI =
      1.02-2.75, P = 0.041) or AT genotype (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.09-1.99, P = 0.012)
      of rs710218 had a significantly increased risk of CRC compared to those with AA
      homozygote. These findings strongly suggest that glucose metabolism related gene
      GLUT1, and its functional SNP, rs710218 might contribute to CRC susceptibility
      and prognosis, and the exact biological mechanism awaits further research.

PMID- 28915637
TI  - BTK suppresses myeloma cellular senescence through activating AKT/P27/Rb
      signaling.
AB  - We previously explored the role of BTK in maintaining multiple myeloma stem cells
      (MMSCs) self-renewal and drug-resistance. Here we investigated the elevation of
      BTK suppressing MM cellular senescence, a state of irreversible cellular growth
      arrest. We firstly discovered that an increased expression of BTK in MM samples
      compared to normal controls by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and significant
      chromosomal gain in primary samples. In addition, BTK high-expressing MM patients
      are associated with poor outcome in both Total Therapy 2 (TT2) and TT3 cohorts.
      Knockdown BTK expression by shRNA induced MM cellular senescence using beta
      galactosidase (SA-b-gal) staining, cell growth arrest by cell cycle staining and
      decreased clonogenicity while forcing BTK expression in MM cells abrogated these
      characteristics. We also validated this feature in mouse embryonic fibroblast
      cells (MEFs), which showed that elevated BTK expression was resistant to MEF
      senescence after serial cultivation in vitro. Further mechanism study revealed
      that BTK activated AKT signaling leading to down-regulation of P27 expression and
      hindered RB activity while AKT inhibitor, LY294002, overcame BTK-overexpression
      induced cellular senescence resistance. Eventually we demonstrated that BTK
      inhibitor, CGI-1746, induced MM cellular senescence, colony reduction and
      tumorigenecity inhibition in vivo. Summarily, we designate a novel mechanism of
      BTK in mediating MM growth, and BTK inhibitor is of great potential in vivo and
      in vitro suggesting BTK is a promising therapeutic target for MM.

PMID- 28915638
TI  - Oleoylethanolamide inhibits alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone-stimulated
      melanogenesis via ERK, Akt and CREB signaling pathways in B16 melanoma cells.
AB  - The present study aimed to examine the potential inhibitory activity of
      oleoylethanolamide (OEA) on alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH)
      stimulated melanogenesis and the molecular mechanism(s) involved in the process
      in B16 mouse melanoma cells. Our data demonstrated that OEA markedly inhibited
      melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity in alpha-MSH-stimulated B16 cells. In
      addition, the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins, such as melanocortin
      1 receptor (MC1R), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF),
      tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1) and tyrosinase, was suppressed in a
      concentration-dependent manner by OEA. In addition, OEA may suppress
      melanogenesis through a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha
      (PPARalpha)-independent pathway. Moreover, OEA activated ERK, Akt, p38 pathways
      and inhibits CREB pathway in alpha-MSH-stimulated B16 cells. The specific ERK
      inhibitor PD98059 partly blocked OEA-inhibited melanin synthesis and tyrosinase
      activity and partly abrogated the OEA-suppressed expression of melanogenic
      proteins. Furthermore, OEA presented remarkable inhibition on the body
      pigmentation in the zebrafish model system. Our findings demonstrated that OEA is
      an effective inhibitor of hyperpigmentation through activation of ERK, Akt and
      p38 pathways, inhibition of the CREB pathway, and subsequent down-regulation of
      MITF, TRP-1 and tyrosinase production.

PMID- 28915639
TI  - Heptamethine carbocyanine DZ-1 dye for near-infrared fluorescence imaging of
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) dyes have recently emerged as promising tools
      for non-invasive imaging of different types of cancers. Here, we explored the
      potential utility of a NIRF DZ-1 dye, with dual imaging and tumour targeting
      functions, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We showed the preferential uptake
      of DZ-1 by HCC cells in vitro and in derived subcutaneous/orthotopic tumour
      xenografts, accompanied by a minimal effect on normal cells. DZ-1 simplified
      tumour growth profiling as well, since we were able to correlate NIRF signals
      with tumour volume and/or tumour-emitting luminescence in mice. Using both
      orthotopic tumour transplantation and cirrhosis models in parallel, we
      demonstrated the ability of DZ-1 to differentiate liver tumour from cirrhosis. DZ
      1 showed superiority in HCC imaging over indocyanine green by demonstrating
      significantly enhanced tumour-targeting specificity. At the cellular level, DZ-1
      was mainly retained in mitochondria and lysosomes. Additionally, DZ-1
      fluorescence spectroscopy has been used for the intraoperative navigation of
      rabbit liver cancer, to determine surgical margins. We showed that tumor hypoxia
      and select organic anion-transporting polypeptide genes mediate NIRF dye uptake
      in HCC, which was supported by clinical evidence. All these findings represent
      the first evidence that DZ-1 is an effective molecular probe for tumour-specific
      imaging in HCC, and provide insights into the development of a new generation of
      imaging agents for intraoperative guidance of cancer surgery.

PMID- 28915640
TI  - Marsdenia tenacissima extract overcomes Axl- and Met-mediated erlotinib and
      gefitinib cross-resistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells.
AB  - Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are an effective treatment strategy for non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring mutations that result in
      constitutive activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). However,
      most patients eventually develop resistance to TKIs. This occurs due to
      additional EGFR mutations or the activation of bypass signaling pathways. In our
      previous work, we demonstrated that Marsdenia tenacissima extract (MTE) restored
      gefitinib sensitivity in resistant NSCLC cells with EGFR T790M or K-ras
      mutations. However, the potential efficacy of MTE in NSCLC cells with resistance
      mediated by Axl and c-Met, and the related molecular mechanisms need to be
      elucidated. In this study we evaluated the ability of MTE to restore
      erlotinib/gefitinib sensitivity in TKI resistant HCC827/ER cells and xenograft
      mice models. Our results demonstrate that MTE overcomes erlotinib and gefitinib
      resistance driven by Axl and c-Met in vitro and in vivo. Combination therapy
      significantly suppressed EGFR downstream molecules and the c-Met and Axl
      activated bypass signaling pathways. Moreover, we observed that MTE is more
      efficient at restoring resistance to erlotinib than gefitinib. As the Axl and c
      Met mediated bypass pathways share the same downstream signaling cascade as EGFR,
      simultaneous targeting of these pathways is a promising strategy to overcome
      acquired resistance of TKIs. Our results demonstrate that MTE treatment
      attenuates Axl phosphorylation and the associated epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition, suggesting MTE treatment may be a potential therapeutic strategy for
      overcoming erlotinib and gefitinib cross-resistance in NSCLC, especially for
      erlotinib resistance.

PMID- 28915641
TI  - Reevaluation of ATR signaling in primary resting chronic lymphocytic leukemia
      cells: evidence for pro-survival or pro-apoptotic function.
AB  - ATM, primarily activated by DNA double-strand breaks, and ATR, activated by
      single-stranded DNA, are master regulators of the cellular response to DNA
      damage. In primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, ATR signaling is
      considered to be switched off due to ATR downregulation. Here, we hypothesized
      that ATR, though expressed at low protein level, could play a role in primary
      resting CLL cells after genotoxic stress. By investigating the response of CLL
      cells to UV-C irradiation, a prototypical activator of ATR, we could detect
      phosphorylation of ATR at Thr-1989, a marker for ATR activation, and also
      observed that selective ATR inhibitors markedly decreased UV-C-induced
      phosphorylation of ATR targets, including H2AX and p53. Similar results were
      obtained with the purine analogs fludarabine and cladribine that were also shown
      to activate ATR and induce ATR-dependent phosphorylation of H2AX and p53. In
      addition, ATR inhibition was found to sensitize primary CLL cells to UV-C by
      decreasing DNA repair synthesis. Conversely, ATR inhibition rescued CLL cells
      against purine analogs by reducing expression of the pro-apoptotic genes PUMA and
      BAX. Collectively, our study indicates that ATR signaling can be activated in
      resting CLL cells and play a pro-survival or pro-apoptotic role, depending on the
      genotoxic context.

PMID- 28915643
TI  - Relationship between the TERT, TNIP1 and OBFC1 genetic polymorphisms and
      susceptibility to colorectal cancer in Chinese Han population.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common diseases worldwide, and
      telomere length has been reported correlate with CRC. This study aimed to
      investigate whether polymorphisms of telomere length related genes are associated
      with susceptibility to CRC in Chinese Han population. 11 SNPs from TERT, TNIP1
      and OBFC1 genes were selected and genotyped, in addition odds ratio (OR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate association between the SNPs and
      CRC risk in 247 patients clinically and 300 controls in a Chinese Han population.
      Our results showed that minor allele "G" of rs7708392 and minor allele "C" of
      rs10036748 in TNIP1 gene were significantly associated with an increased the CRC
      risk in genotype model, dominant model and additive model after Bonferroni's
      multiple adjusted (P<0.0011). Moreover, the two SNPs rs7708392 and rs10036748
      were in strong linkage disequilibrium. We observed that the haplotype "G-C" was
      more frequent among CRC patients and associated with a 1.58-fold increased CRC
      risk (95%CI=1.17-2.13, P=0.003). Contrarily, haplotype "C-T" was associated with
      a 0.63-fold reduced CRC risk (95%CI=0.47-0.86, P=0.003). Additionally, SNPs in
      this study except rs7708392 and rs10036748 were found a modest connection with
      CRC risk. In conclusion, our study firstly provides evidence for a novel
      association between polymorphisms of telomere length related TNIP1 gene and CRC
      susceptibility in Chinese Han population, and the results need a further
      identification in a large sample size and other populations.

PMID- 28915642
TI  - A retrospective multicentric observational study of trastuzumab emtansine in HER2
      positive metastatic breast cancer: a real-world experience.
AB  - We addressed trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) efficacy in HER2+ metastatic breast
      cancer patients treated in real-world practice, and its activity in pertuzumab
      pretreated patients. We conducted a retrospective, observational study involving
      23 cancer centres, and 250 patients. Survival data were analyzed by Kaplan Meier
      curves and log rank test. Factors testing significant in univariate analysis were
      tested in multivariate models. Median follow-up was 15 months and median T-DM1
      treatment-length 4 months. Response rate was 41.6%, clinical benefit 60.9%.
      Median progression-free and median overall survival were 6 and 20 months,
      respectively. Overall, no differences emerged by pertuzumab pretreatment, with
      median progression-free and median overall survival of 4 and 17 months in
      pertuzumab-pretreated (p=0.13), and 6 and 22 months in pertuzumab-naive patients
      (p=0.27). Patients who received second-line T-DM1 had median progression-free and
      median overall survival of 3 and 12 months (p=0.0001) if pertuzumab-pretreated,
      and 8 and 26 months if pertuzumab-naive (p=0.06). In contrast, in third-line and
      beyond, median progression-free and median overall survival were 16 and 18 months
      in pertuzumab-pretreated (p=0.05) and 6 and 17 months in pertuzumab-naive
      patients (p=0.30). In multivariate analysis, lower ECOG performance status was
      associated with progression-free survival benefit (p<0.0001), while overall
      survival was positively affected by lower ECOG PS (p<0.0001), absence of brain
      metastases (p 0.05), and clinical benefit (p<0.0001). Our results are comparable
      with those from randomized trials. Further studies are warranted to confirm and
      interpret our data on apparently lower T-DM1 efficacy when given as second-line
      treatment after pertuzumab, and on the optimal sequence order.

PMID- 28915644
TI  - Phytoagent deoxyelephantopin derivative inhibits triple negative breast cancer
      cell activity by inducing oxidative stress-mediated paraptosis-like cell death.
AB  - Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly metastatic cancer among the
      breast cancer subgroups. A thorny issue for clinical therapy of TNBC is lack of
      an efficient targeted therapeutic strategy. We previously created a novel
      sesquiterpene lactone analog (named DETD-35) derived from plant deoxyelephantopin
      (DET) which exhibits potent effects against human TNBC MDA-MB-231 tumor growth in
      a xenograft mouse model. Here we studied the mechanisms of both DET and DETD-35
      against MDA-MB-231 cells. DETD-35 (3-fold decreased in IC50) exhibited better
      anti-TNBC cell activity than DET as observed through induction of reactive oxygen
      species production (within 2 h treatment) and damage to the ER structures,
      resulting in ER-derived cytoplasmic vacuolation and ubiquitinated protein
      accumulation in the treated cells. Intriguingly, the effects of both compounds
      were blockaded by pretreatment with ROS scavengers, N-acetylcysteine and reduced
      glutathione, and protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide. Further, knockdown
      of MEK upstream regulator RAF1 and autophagosomal marker LC3, and co-treatment
      with JNK or ERK1/2 inhibitor resulted in the most significant attenuation of DETD
      35-induced morphological and molecular or biochemical changes in cancer cells,
      while the inhibitory effect of DET was not influenced by MAPK inhibitor
      treatment. Therefore, DETD-35 exerted both ER stress-mediated paraptosis and
      apoptosis, which may explain its superior activity to DET against TNBC cells.
      Although the chemotherapeutic drug paclitaxel induced vacuole-like structures in
      MDA-MB-231 cells, no paraptotic cell death features were detected. This study
      provides a strategy for combating TNBC through sesquiterpene lactone analogs by
      induction of oxidative and ER stresses that cause paraptosis-like cell death.

PMID- 28915645
TI  - SOCS1 gene promoter methylation status is associated with in-stent restenosis
      after percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammation is involved in the development of In-stent restenosis
      (ISR) after percutaneous coronary intervention. We aimed to investigate the
      association between of suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS1), a major
      negative regulator for inflammation, and the occurrence of ISR in Chinese
      patients. METHODS: We enrolled patients with coronary artery disease who
      underwent PCI with stenting. PCI procedures were performed successfully and a
      follow-up angiography was repeated 1 year later to determine ISR presence. Real
      time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and methylation
      specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used for SOCS1 methylation status
      determination. RESULTS: There are a total of 187 patients had SOCS1 methylation
      while there are 275 had no methylated SOCS1. Patients with SOCS1 methylation have
      a higher inflammatory status. Of note, patients with SOCS1 methylation had a
      significantly lower SOCS1 mRNA levels compared to those without. Patients with
      ISR tend to have a significantly higher percentage of SOCS1 gene methylation
      (P<0.001). We next conducted the Binary logistic regression analyses to determine
      the correlation of SOCS1 with ISR, using demographic and clinical
      characteristics. Our data show that SOCS1 methylation is the only factors which
      are closely associated with ISR incidence. Patients with SOCS1 methylation are 5
      times more likely to have ISR after successful PCI as opposed to those without
      SOCS1 methylation (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that blood SOCS1 gene
      promoter methylation status is closely associated with ISR occurrence, thus may
      be used as a marker to predict ISR.

PMID- 28915646
TI  - Interleukin-15 stimulates natural killer cell-mediated killing of both human
      pancreatic cancer and stellate cells.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the 4th leading cause of cancer
      related death in Western countries with a 5-year survival rate below 5%. One of
      the hallmarks of this cancer is the strong desmoplastic reaction within the tumor
      microenvironment (TME), orchestrated by activated pancreatic stellate cells
      (PSC). This results in a functional and mechanical shield which causes resistance
      to conventional therapies. Aiming to overcome this resistance by tackling the
      stromal shield, we assessed for the first time the capacity of IL-15 stimulated
      natural killer (NK) cells to kill PSC and pancreatic cancer cells (PCC). The
      potency of IL-15 to promote NK cell-mediated killing was evaluated phenotypically
      and functionally. In addition, NK cell and immune checkpoint ligands on PSC were
      charted. We demonstrate that IL-15 activated NK cells kill both PCC and PSC lines
      (range 9-35% and 20-50%, respectively) in a contact-dependent manner and
      significantly higher as compared to resting NK cells. Improved killing of these
      pancreatic cell lines is, at least partly, dependent on IL-15 induced
      upregulation of TIM-3 and NKG2D. Furthermore, we confirm significant killing of
      primary PSC by IL-15 activated NK cells in an ex vivo autologous system.
      Screening for potential targets for immunotherapeutic strategies, we demonstrate
      surface expression of both inhibitory (PD-L1, PD-L2) and activating (MICA/B,
      ULBPs and Galectin-9) ligands on primary PSC. These data underscore the
      therapeutic potential of IL-15 to promote NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity as a
      treatment of pancreatic cancer and provide promising future targets to tackle
      remaining PSC.

PMID- 28915647
TI  - Necroptosis as a potential therapeutic target in multiple organ dysfunction
      syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate how necroptosisis, i.e. programmed necrosis, is involved
      in MODS, and to examine whether Nec-1, a specific necroptosis inhibitor,
      ameliorates multiorgan injury in MODS. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A model of MODS was
      established in six-week old SD rats using fracture trauma followed by hemorrhage.
      Control animals received sham surgery. Cell death form and necrosome formation
      were measured by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and western blotting. MODS
      rats were randomly assigned to receive Nec-1 or saline with pretreatment and once
      daily. The first end-point was 72 hours survival. Organ injury and dysfunction,
      inflammatory cytokine levels, and necroptotic execution protein expression were
      also recorded. RESULTS: Organ injury and dysfunction were significantly more
      severe in the MODS group than the sham group (all p<0.01). Furthermore, MODS
      induced liver, lung and kidney tissue injury was characterized by necroptosis
      rather than apoptosis, and accompanied by necrosome formation. Compared to MODS
      group, Nec-1 administration significantly improved 72 hours survival (p<0.01).
      Nec-1 administration significantly reduced necroptosis-induced liver, lung and
      kidney injury and dysfunction, inhibited inflammatory cytokines production,
      inhibited release of necroptotic execution proteins such as high-mobility group
      box 1 and mixed-lineage kinase domain-like protein pseudokinase in MODS rats (all
      p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that necroptosis is involved the
      pathology of MODS. Further, a necroptotic inhibitor Nec-1 may be considered as an
      adjunct treatment for MODS.

PMID- 28915648
TI  - Synergistic suppression of t(8;21)-positive leukemia cell growth by combining
      oridonin and MAPK1/ERK2 inhibitors.
AB  - One of the most common chromosomal translocations in acute myeloid leukemia is
      t(8;21)(q22;q22), which results in the appearance of abnormal transcripts
      encoding for the fusion protein RUNX1-ETO. Therefore, this oncoprotein is
      considered to be a pertinent and promising target for treating t(8;21) leukemia.
      Previously, we have shown that downregulation of RUNX1-ETO leads to activation of
      intracellular signaling pathways enhancing cell survival and determined that the
      protein ERK2 can mediate activation of most of these pathways. Here we used a
      combination of oridonin (natural tetracycline diterpenoid), which has been shown
      to exhibit anti-RUNX1-ETO activity, and ERK2 kinase inhibitors. We found that
      treatment of leukemic t(8;21)-positive Kasumi-1 cells with oridonin cause
      decrease of phosphorylated ERK1/2. Treatment of these cells with ERK2 inhibitors
      makes them more sensitive to RUNX1-ETO inhibition with oridonin. Therefore we
      postulate that simultaneous inhibition of RUNX1-ETO and ERK2 cause synergistic
      effect on survival of leukemic cells.

PMID- 28915649
TI  - Digoxin-induced anemia among patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure:
      clinical data analysis and drug-gene interaction network.
AB  - Digoxin is widely used to treat various heart conditions. In order to clarify the
      association between digoxin and anemia adverse reaction, we inspected case
      reports submitted to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) between
      January 2004 and December 2015. These reports involved 75618 atrial fibrillation
      patients and 15699 heart failure patients. Compared to other therapies, digoxin
      treatment was significantly more likely to be concurrent with anemia adverse
      reaction among both atrial fibrillation patients (pooled OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.14
      1.68, P-value = 0.001) and heart failure patients (pooled OR =1.50, 95% CI 1.33
      1.59-, P =4.27*10-5). We further explored previously published evidences and
      found 821 human genes directly or indirectly interacting with digoxin. Functional
      analysis indicated that these genes were significantly enriched in the biological
      processes of iron transport, which are closely related to iron deficiency anemia.
      Taken together, our retrospective analysis demonstrated the significant
      association between digoxin treatment and anemia adverse reaction, which should
      be seriously considered in clinical practice. Functional enrichment analysis on
      digoxin-related genes warranted subsequent research on the underlying
      toxicological mechanisms.

PMID- 28915650
TI  - MicroRNA-107-5p suppresses non-small cell lung cancer by directly targeting
      oncogene epidermal growth factor receptor.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated in cancers, including human non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC). The function of MicroRNA-107-5p (miR-107-5p) in NSCLC is not
      fully elucidated. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a cancer-driven gene
      in tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that miR-107-5p was significantly
      decreased in NSCLC tissues and NSCLC cell lines. Moreover, our results indicated
      that miR-107-5p could suppress cell proliferation, inhibit metastasis, impede
      cell cycle, and promote apoptosis via directly targeting EGFR. We also
      investigated roles of miR-107-5p in vivo. The results showed that it could
      inhibit tumor growth. Therefore, our study demonstrated that miR-107-5p not only
      suppressed the progression in NSCLC cells by inhibiting the expression of EGFR,
      but also could be a promising and a new potential therapeutic target for lung
      cancer.

PMID- 28915652
TI  - PLD1 overexpression promotes invasion and migration and function as a risk factor
      for Chinese glioma patients.
AB  - Glioma is a lethal disease with few effective therapeutic options. Recently,
      insights into cancer biology had suggested that abnormal lipid metabolism was a
      risk factor for various human malignancies, including glioma. As a key enzyme
      implicated in lipid metabolism, PLD1 was overexpression in multiple human
      cancers, and it was stated to be responsible for aggressive phenotypes, such as
      angiogenesis and chemoresistance. However, there was still much to know about its
      expression and function in glioma. In the present study, we showed that PLD1 was
      overexpression in clinical samples of glioma. In addition, the correlation assay
      revealed that PLD1 overexpression was correlated with poor differentiation (p =
      0.04), and it was responsible for a poor prognosis for the patients (p = 0.009).
      Furthermore, we showed in COX regression assay that PLD1 was a risk factor for
      glioma (p = 0.018, HR = 0.461, 95% CI = 0.243-0.887). Consistently, we found that
      PLD1 was overexpression in glioma cell lines, and it could facilitate the
      proliferation and migration. Taken together, our study suggested that PLD1 was
      pro-tumoral in glioma, and that further studies were urgently needed so as to
      define whether it was a novel therapeutic target for the disease.

PMID- 28915651
TI  - Programmed differentiated natural killer cells kill leukemia cells by engaging
      SLAM family receptors.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells are important innate immune cells that can directly
      kill transformed or virus-infected cells. The adoptive transfer of NK cells has
      been used to treat hematological malignancies; however, the limited sources and
      quantities of NK cells have restricted their clinical application. Here, we
      acquired sufficient quantities of functional NK cells from CD34+ cells treated
      with a cytokine cocktail. Microarray analysis of the cultured cells revealed a
      two-stage pattern of programmed differentiation during NK cell development.
      Different transcription factors were enriched during these two stages, suggesting
      that preparation of progenitors committed to the NK cell lineage occurs in
      program 1, while NK cell transformation and maturation occur in program 2.
      Cultured NK cells highly expressed signaling lymphocytic activation molecule
      (SLAM) family receptors (SFRs), while leukemia cells expressed SFR ligands. The
      engagement of these SFRs strengthened the cytotoxicity of NK cells toward
      leukemia cells. These results demonstrate a simple method of obtaining sufficient
      NK cells for clinical application, and have categorized NK cell differentiation
      according to commitment and transformation programs. Moreover, the binding
      between SFRs on NK cells and their ligands on leukemia cells suggests a new basis
      for NK cell therapy for treatment of leukemia.

PMID- 28915653
TI  - Dual targeting of MDM2 and BCL2 as a therapeutic strategy in neuroblastoma.
AB  - Wild-type p53 tumor suppressor activity in neuroblastoma tumors is hampered by
      increased MDM2 activity, making selective MDM2 antagonists an attractive
      therapeutic strategy for this childhood malignancy. Since monotherapy in cancer
      is generally not providing long-lasting clinical responses, we here aimed to
      identify small molecule drugs that synergize with idasanutlin (RG7388). To this
      purpose we evaluated 15 targeted drugs in combination with idasanutlin in three
      p53 wild type neuroblastoma cell lines and identified the BCL2 inhibitor
      venetoclax (ABT-199) as a promising interaction partner. The
      venetoclax/idasanutlin combination was consistently found to be highly
      synergistic in a diverse panel of neuroblastoma cell lines, including cells with
      high MCL1 expression levels. A more pronounced induction of apoptosis was found
      to underlie the synergistic interaction, as evidenced by caspase-3/7 and cleaved
      PARP measurements. Mice carrying orthotopic xenografts of neuroblastoma cells
      treated with both idasanutlin and venetoclax had drastically lower tumor weights
      than mice treated with either treatment alone. In conclusion, these data strongly
      support the further evaluation of dual BCL2/MDM2 targeting as a therapeutic
      strategy in neuroblastoma.

PMID- 28915654
TI  - Daurinol blocks breast and lung cancer metastasis and development by inhibition
      of focal adhesion kinase (FAK).
AB  - FAK overexpression has been reported in diverse primary and metastatic tumor
      tissues, supporting its pro-tumorigenic and pro-metastatic roles. Therefore, we
      have developed a neo-treatment strategy using daurinol to effectively treat
      cancer metastasis. Daurinol blocked cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro
      and exhibited anti-metastatic activity in an experimental metastasis model of
      breast and lung cancer. Daurinol selectively inhibited phosphorylation of FAK at
      Tyr925, Tyr576/577, and Tyr397 sites in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
      Daurinol effectively suppressed migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 and A549
      cancer cells. These data were associated with inhibition of expression and
      secretion of invasion factors, including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, MMP9,
      and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). Consistent with these in vitro
      results, daurinol (10 mg/kg; Oral gavage) effectively inhibited breast and lung
      cancer metastasis in a mouse model. In addition, daurinol showed strong
      suppressive activity of cell survival as revealed by colony formation assays.
      Analysis of cellular phenotypes revealed that inhibition of FAK phosphorylation
      in cancer cells limited colony formation, cell migration, and invasion, thereby
      reducing the cell proliferation rate. Furthermore, daurinol significantly reduced
      tumor development in 4-(methylnitrosoamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone
      (NNK)/benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)-treated A/J mice. Our results suggest that daurinol
      suppresses lung metastasis through inhibition of migration and survival via
      blockade of FAK activity.

PMID- 28915655
TI  - Notch system is differentially expressed and activated in pituitary adenomas of
      distinct histotype, tumor cell lines and normal pituitaries.
AB  - Pituitary adenomas are among the most frequent intracranial neoplasms and
      treatment depends on tumor subtype and clinical features. Unfortunately, non
      responder cases occur, then new molecular targets are needed. Notch system
      component expression and activation data are scarce in pituitary tumorigenesis,
      we therefore aimed to characterize Notch system in pituitary tumors of different
      histotype. In human pituitary adenomas we showed NOTCH1-4 receptors, JAGGED1
      ligand and HES1 target gene expression with positive correlations between
      NOTCH1,2,4 and HES1, and NOTCH3 and JAGGED1 denoting Notch system activation in a
      subset of tumors. Importantly, NOTCH3 positive cells were higher in
      corticotropinomas and somatotropinomas compared to non functioning adenomas. In
      accordance, Notch activation was evidenced in AtT20 tumor corticotropes, with
      higher levels of NOTCH1-3 active domains, Jagged1 and Hes1 compared to normal
      pituitary. In the prolactinoma cell lines GH3 and MMQ, in vivo GH3 tumors and
      normal glands, Notch system activation was lower than in corticotropes. In MMQ
      cells only the NOTCH2 active domain was increased, whereas NOTCH1 active domain
      was higher in GH3 tumors. High levels of Jagged1 and Dll1 were found solely in
      GH3 cells, and Hes1, Hey1 and Hey2 were expressed in a model dependent pattern.
      Prolactinomas harbored by lacDrd2KO mice expressed high levels of NOTCH1 active
      domain and reduced Hes1. We show a differential expression of Notch system
      components in tumoral and normal pituitaries and specific Notch system
      involvement depending on adenoma histotype, with higher activation in
      corticotropinomas. These data suggest that targeting Notch pathway may benefit
      non responder pituitary adenomas.

PMID- 28915656
TI  - Patterns and clinical significance of cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary
      thyroid cancer patients with Delphian lymph node metastasis.
AB  - Although the roles of Delphian lymph node (DLN) metastasis in papillary thyroid
      cancer (PTC) have been previously reported, there are still limited data on
      correlations of clinicopathologic factors with DLN metastasis and unique patterns
      of cervical node subsite metastasis in PTC patients with DLN metastasis. We
      retrospectively reviewed medical records of 320 patients with a diagnosis of PTC
      who underwent primary surgery. Clinicopathologic features and DLN metastasis
      patterns were analyzed for predicting extensive cervical lymph node metastasis.
      Both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify
      independent factors for cervical lymph node metastasis. DLN metastasis was
      significantly associated with multifocality, tumor size > 1 cm, extrathyroid
      extension, BRAFV600E mutation, central neck node metastasis (CNNM), and lateral
      neck nodes metastases. Patients with DLN metastasis had more lymph node
      metastases in the central compartment. CNNM number and tumor size > 1 cm were
      independent risk factors for DLN metastasis. DLN metastasis was highly predictive
      of lateral lymph node metastasis with moderate sensitivity and high specificity.
      DLN metastasis is associated with several poor prognostic factors, including
      extensive cervical lymph node metastasis, and can serve as a predictor of
      advanced PTC. The presence of DLN metastasis should prompt surgeons to perform an
      aggressive surgery approach.

PMID- 28915657
TI  - The prevalence, subtypes and associated factors of hyperuricemia in lupus
      nephritis patients at chronic kidney disease stages 1-3.
AB  - There is a high prevalence of hyperuricemia (HUA) in the chronic kidney disease
      (CKD) population. However, there's a dearth of research on HUA's prevalence,
      subtypes, early detection, and treatment strategies of HUA in lupus nephritis
      (LN) patients. The aim of this study is to address these knowledge gaps. LN
      patients presenting to the Department of Nephrology at Shanghai Rui Jin Hospital
      from January 2011 to January 2016 were recruited. The effective sample size was
      derived using the power analysis. The demographic, clinical and laboratory
      characteristics of the LN patients with HUA were compared with those of patients
      without HUA. Two statistical models for analyzing HUA were built and compared
      using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The total
      prevalence of HUA in the cohort was 40.11%. The subtypes of HUA included urate
      underexcretion-type, overproduction-type and combined-type, which proportion
      being 67.7%, 9.7% and 22.6% respectively. The CKD stage was closely associated
      with the prevalence of HUA in patients with LN. The other significant associated
      factors were hypertension, triglycerides, serum creatinine, serum albumin,
      hemoglobin, parathyroid hormone, phosphorus, calcium, etc. The statistical
      algorithm successfully identified LN patients at risk of HUA. In conclusion,
      there was a high prevalence of HUA in LN patients at CKD stages 1-3, and renal
      underexcretion hyperuricemia was the most prevalent subtype. The occurrence of
      HUA in LN may be related to renal insufficiency, metabolic disorder and lupus
      itself. Early care coordination programs can employ risk models to improve HUA
      prevention and target interventions in LN patients.

PMID- 28915658
TI  - Oxidative stress mediates an increased formation of vascular endothelial growth
      factor in human hepatocarcinoma cells exposed to erlotinib.
AB  - The tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib targets the receptor of epidermal growth
      factor (EGFR) involved in development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although
      inefficient in established HCC, erlotinib has been recently proposed for HCC
      chemoprevention. Since Cyp3A4 and Cyp1A2 enzymes metabolize erlotinib in the
      liver, the insights into the mechanisms of erlotinib effects on liver cells with
      maintained drug metabolizing activity are needed. We applied erlotinib to both
      commercially available (SNU398, Huh7) and established in Austria HCC cell lines
      (HCC-1.2, HCC-3). Cyp3A4 and Cyp1A2, microarray gene expression, cell viability,
      LDH release, DHFC fluorescence were assessed. VEGF expression was analysed by
      real-time RT-PCR and ELISA. Higher cumulative expression of erlotinib
      metabolizing enzymes was observed in HCC-1.2 and HCC-3 cells. Gene expression
      microarray analysis showed upregulation of VEGF signalling by erlotinib. VEGF was
      increased up to 134 +/- 14% (n = 5, p = 0.002) in HCC-1.2, HCC-3 and Huh7 cells.
      Interventions by Cyp1A2 and Mek2siRNA, MEK inhibitor UO126, diphenylene iodonium,
      as well as a combination of N-acetylcysteine with selenium all inhibited VEGF
      upregulation caused by erlotinib. Thus, erlotinib increases VEGF production by
      mechanisms involving Cyp1A2, oxidative stress and MEK1/2. VEGF may favour
      angiogenesis and growth of early HCC tumours limiting the therapeutic and
      chemopreventive effects of erlotinib.

PMID- 28915659
TI  - Data-driven analysis of immune infiltrate in a large cohort of breast cancer and
      its association with disease progression, ER activity, and genomic complexity.
AB  - The tumor microenvironment is now widely recognized for its role in tumor
      progression, treatment response, and clinical outcome. The intratumoral
      immunological landscape, in particular, has been shown to exert both pro
      tumorigenic and anti-tumorigenic effects. Identifying immunologically active or
      silent tumors may be an important indication for administration of therapy, and
      detecting early infiltration patterns may uncover factors that contribute to
      early risk. Thus far, direct detailed studies of the cell composition of tumor
      infiltration have been limited; with some studies giving approximate
      quantifications using immunohistochemistry and other small studies obtaining
      detailed measurements by isolating cells from excised tumors and sorting them
      using flow cytometry. Herein we utilize a machine learning based approach to
      identify lymphocyte markers with which we can quantify the presence of B cells,
      cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, T-helper 1, and T-helper 2 cells in any gene expression
      data set and apply it to studies of breast tissue. By leveraging over 2,100
      samples from existing large scale studies, we are able to find an inherent cell
      heterogeneity in clinically characterized immune infiltrates, a strong link
      between estrogen receptor activity and infiltration in normal and tumor tissues,
      changes with genomic complexity, and identify characteristic differences in
      lymphocyte expression among molecular groupings. With our extendable methodology
      for capturing cell type specific signal we systematically studied immune
      infiltration in breast cancer, finding an inverse correlation between beneficial
      lymphocyte infiltration and estrogen receptor activity in normal breast tissue
      and reduced infiltration in estrogen receptor negative tumors with high genomic
      complexity.

PMID- 28915660
TI  - Mass spectrometry-based assay for the molecular diagnosis of glioma: concomitant
      detection of chromosome 1p/19q codeletion, and IDH1, IDH2, and TERT mutation
      status.
AB  - The World Health Organization recently revised the diagnosis of glioma, to
      integrate molecular parameters, including IDH mutations and codeletion (loss of
      heterozygosity; LOH) of chromosome arms 1p/19q, into the definitions of adult
      glioma histological subtypes. Mutations in the TERT promoter may also be useful
      for glioma diagnosis and prognosis. The integration of molecular markers into
      routine diagnosis requires their rapid and reliable assessment. We propose a
      MassARRAY (MS)-based test that can identify 1p/19q codeletion using quantitative
      SNP genotyping and, simultaneously, characterize hotspot mutations in the IDH1,
      IDH2, and TERT genes in tumor DNA. We determined the reliability of the MS
      approach testing 50 gliomas and comparing the MS results with those obtained by
      standard methods, such as short tandem repeat genotyping, array comparative
      genomic hybridization (array-CGH) and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH)
      for 1p/19q codeletion and Sanger sequencing for hotspots mutations. The results
      indicate that MS is suitable for the accurate, rapid, and cost-effective
      evaluation of chromosome deletions combined with hotspot mutation detection. This
      MS approach could be similarly exploited in evaluation of LOH in other situations
      of clinical and/or research importance.

PMID- 28915662
TI  - Cbl-b predicts postoperative survival in patients with resectable pancreatic
      ductal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Casitas B-lineage lymphoma b (Cbl-b) is a ubiquitin-protein ligase and a signal
      transducing adaptor protein involved in immune regulation, and it may be involved
      in the development and progression of cancer. We investigated the association
      between Cbl-b expression and prognosis in patients with resectable pancreatic
      ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The clinicopathological characteristics and
      survival data of 134 patients with surgery for PDAC between January 2009 and
      February 2012 were retrospectively evaluated, and Cbl-b expression was assayed by
      immunohistochemical staining. The association of Cbl-b expression with
      clinicopathological features and postoperative prognosis was analyzed. Cbl-b
      expression was strongly associated with the pathological primary tumor (pT)
      category (P = 0.005) and pathological TNM (pTNM) stage (P = 0.035), but not with
      other clinicopathological characteristics (all P > 0.05). In addition to current
      markers including pathological regional lymph nodes (pN) category, CA19-9, and
      histological differentiation, univariate and multivariate analysis found that Cbl
      b was independently associated with overall survival (OS) of patients with
      resectable PDAC. Cbl-b was predictive of OS in a subgroup of patients with serum
      CA19-9 >= 37 U/mL. Cbl-b expression combined with pN, histological
      differentiation, and CA19-9 level could be used as a novel clinical model
      predictive of OS for patients with resectable PDAC. In conclusion, Cbl-b in
      resectable PDAC was an independent predictor of adverse prognosis. Cbl-b
      expression together with pN, histological differentiation, and CA19-9 level might
      lead to improved risk stratification and prognosis for patients with resectable
      PDAC.

PMID- 28915661
TI  - Small molecular floribundiquinone B derived from medicinal plants inhibits
      acetylcholinesterase activity.
AB  - Being a neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the one of the
      most terrible diseases. And acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is considered as an
      important target for treating AD. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) are
      considered to be one of the effective drugs for the treatment of AD. The aim of
      this study is to find a novel potential AChEI as a drug for the treatment of AD.
      In this study, instead of using the synthetic compounds, we used those extracted
      from plants to investigate the interaction between floribundiquinone B (FB) and
      AChE by means of both the experimental approach such as fluorescence spectra,
      ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectrometry, circular dichroism (CD) and
      the theoretical approaches such as molecular docking. The findings reported here
      have provided many useful clues and hints for designing more effective and less
      toxic drugs against Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 28915663
TI  - MiR-223-3p inhibits angiogenesis and promotes resistance to cetuximab in head and
      neck squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRs) participate in tumor growth and dissemination by regulating
      expression of various target genes. MiR-223-3p is suspected of being involved in
      head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) growth although its precise role
      has not been elucidated. In this study, we showed that miR-223-3p is present in
      biopsies of HNSCC patients and that its presence is correlated with high
      neutrophil infiltrate. We found that overexpression of miR-223-3p slightly
      increased proliferation of the CAL27 squamous carcinoma cell line both in vitro
      and in vivo. Moreover, miR-223-3p induced CAL27 apoptosis in an orthotopic
      xenograft mouse model, counteracting the proliferative effect and resulting in no
      impact on overall tumor growth. We analyzed the effect of miR-223-3p
      overexpression on signaling pathways and showed that it induced pERK2, pAKT and
      AKT, consistent with an increase in cell proliferation. In addition, we found
      that miR-223-3p reduced the STAT3 level correlating with increased cell apoptosis
      and inhibited vasculature formation. In HNSCC tissues, miR-223-3p expression was
      inversely correlated to CD31, highlighting the relationship between miR-223 and
      vessel formation. Finally, we studied the effect of miR-223-3p on response to
      selected anticancer agents and showed that cells expressing miR-223-3p are more
      resistant to drugs, notably cetuximab. In conclusion, our study is the first to
      show the antiangiogenic properties of miR-223-3p in HNSCC patients and to
      question whether expression levels of miR-223-3p can be evaluated as an indicator
      of eligibility for non-treatment of HNSCC patients with cetuximab.

PMID- 28915664
TI  - Morusin inhibits cell proliferation and tumor growth by down-regulating c-Myc in
      human gastric cancer.
AB  - Morusin is a pure extract from the root bark of Morus australis (Moraceae). In
      recent years, morusin has been reported to exhibit anti-tumor biological activity
      in some types of human cancers through different mechanisms. Here, we attempted
      to investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanism of morusin on gastric cancer.
      Morusin markedly inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation by down-regulating
      CDKs and Cyclins, such as CDK2, CDK4, Cyclin D1 and Cyclin E1. Additionally,
      morusin suppressed tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Up-regulation of CDKs and
      Cyclins in gastric cancer cells was induced by c-Myc binding at the E-Box regions
      of CDKs and the Cyclin promoter. In addition, compared with the control group,
      the morusin-treated group showed reduced expression of c-Myc and c-Myc protein
      binding at the E-Box regions. Based on these results, we overexpressed c-Myc in
      gastric cancer cells and found that overexpressing c-Myc rescued morusin-induced
      inhibition of cell proliferation and tumor growth. These results suggest that
      morusin inhibits cell proliferation and tumor growth by down-regulating c-Myc in
      human gastric cancer.

PMID- 28915665
TI  - The ketogenic diet is not feasible as a therapy in a CD-1 nu/nu mouse model of
      renal cell carcinoma with features of Stauffer's syndrome.
AB  - The ketogenic diet (KD), a high-fat low-carbohydrate diet, has shown some
      efficacy in the treatment of certain types of tumors such as brain tumors and
      neuroblastoma. These tumors are characterized by the Warburg effect. Because
      renal cell carcinoma (RCC) presents similar energetic features as neuroblastoma,
      KD might also be effective in the treatment of RCC. To test this, we established
      xenografts with RCC 786-O cells in CD-1 nu/nu mice and then randomized them to a
      control diet or to KDs with different triglyceride contents. Although the KDs
      tended to reduce tumor growth, mouse survival was dramatically reduced due to
      massive weight loss. A possible explanation comes from observations of human RCC
      patients, who often experience secondary non-metastatic hepatic dysfunction due
      to secretion of high levels of inflammatory cytokines by the RCCs. Measurement of
      the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-6
      revealed high expression in the RCC xenografts compared to the original 786-O
      cells. The expression of TNFalpha, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein were all
      increased in the livers of tumor-bearing mice, and KD significantly boosted their
      expression. KDs did not cause weight loss or liver inflammation in healthy mice,
      suggesting that KDs are per se safe, but might be contraindicated in the
      treatment of RCC patients presenting with Stauffer's syndrome, because they
      potentially worsen the associated hepatic dysfunction.

PMID- 28915666
TI  - ARD1-mediated aurora kinase A acetylation promotes cell proliferation and
      migration.
AB  - Aurora kinase A (AuA) is a prerequisite for centrosome maturation, separation,
      and mitotic spindle assembly, thus, it is essential for cell cycle regulation.
      Overexpression of AuA is implicated in poor prognosis of many types of cancer.
      However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying the functions of AuA are still not
      fully understood. Here, we report that AuA colocalizes with arrest defective
      protein 1 (ARD1) acetyltransferase during cell division and cell migration.
      Additionally, AuA is acetylated by ARD1 at lysine residues at positions 75 and
      125. The double mutations at K75/K125 abolished the kinase activity of AuA.
      Moreover, the double mutant AuA exhibited diminished ability to promote cell
      proliferation and cell migration. Mechanistic studies revealed that AuA
      acetylation at K75/K125 promoted cell proliferation via activation of cyclin
      E/CDK2 and cyclin B1. In addition, AuA acetylation stimulated cell migration by
      activating the p38/AKT/MMP-2 pathway. Our findings indicate that ARD1-mediated
      acetylation of AuA enhances cell proliferation and migration, and probably
      contributes to cancer development.

PMID- 28915667
TI  - Assessment of near-infrared fluorophores to study the biodistribution and tumor
      targeting of an IL13 receptor alpha2 antibody by fluorescence molecular
      tomography.
AB  - Non-invasive imaging using radiolabels is a common technique used to study the
      biodistribution of biologics. Due to the limited shelf-life of radiolabels and
      the requirements of specialized labs, non-invasive optical imaging is an
      attractive alternative for preclinical studies. Previously, we demonstrated the
      utility of fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) an optical imaging modality in
      evaluating the biodistribution of antibody-drug conjugates. As FMT is a
      relatively new technology, few fluorophores have been validated for in vivo
      imaging. The goal of this study was to characterize and determine the utility of
      near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores for biodistribution studies using interleukin-13
      receptor subunit alpha-2 antibody (IL13Ralpha2-Ab). Eight fluorophores (ex/em:
      630/800 nm) with an N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) linker were evaluated for Ab
      conjugation. The resulting antibody-fluorophore (Ab-F) conjugates were evaluated
      in vitro for degree of conjugation, stability and target-binding, followed by in
      vivo/ex vivo FMT imaging to determine biodistribution in a xenograft model. The
      Ab-F conjugates (except Ab-DyLight800) showed good in vitro stability and antigen
      binding. All Ab-F conjugates (except for Ab-BOD630) resulted in a quantifiable
      signal in vivo and had similar biodistribution profiles, with peak tumor
      accumulation between 6 and 24 h post-injection. In vivo/ex vivo FMT imaging
      showed 17-34% ID/g Ab uptake by the tumor at 96 h. Overall, this is the first
      study to characterize the biodistribution of an Ab using eight NIR fluorophores.
      Our results show that 3-dimensional optical imaging is a valuable technology to
      understand biodistribution and targeting, but a careful selection of the
      fluorophore for each Ab is warranted.

PMID- 28915669
TI  - Folate metabolism genetic polymorphisms and meningioma and glioma susceptibility
      in adults.
AB  - Polymorphic variants of genes involved in folate metabolism are implicated in the
      susceptibility to meningioma and glioma, but the results from published articles
      are controversial and inconclusive. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis
      including all studies available to evaluate the relationship between folate
      metabolism genetic polymorphisms and the susceptibility to meningioma and glioma
      in adults. We searched the literature in PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Central
      Library for relevant articles published up to August 2016. The odds ratios (ORs)
      and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%Cls) were used to evaluate the
      associations of two folate metabolism genetic variants MTRR A66G (rs1801394) and
      MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131) with the risk of meningioma and glioma in adults. We
      found significant association of MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131) variant genotypes with
      increased incidence of meningioma and glioma in this study population (CA vs. AA:
      OR=1.22, P<0.001; CA+CC vs. AA: OR=1.18, P=0.002). Moreover, we found that MTRR
      A66G (rs1801394) variant genotypes was associated with increased risk of
      meningioma and glioma (G vs. A: OR=1.11, P=0.020; GG vs. AA+AG: OR=1.17, P=0.043;
      GG vs. AA: OR=1.22, P=0.023). In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggests that two
      folate metabolism genetic variants MTRR A66G (rs1801394) and MTHFR A1298C
      (rs1801131) contribute to genetic susceptibility to meningioma and glioma in
      adults.

PMID- 28915668
TI  - NSC30049 inhibits Chk1 pathway in 5-FU-resistant CRC bulk and stem cell
      populations.
AB  - The 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment induces DNA damage and stalling of DNA
      replication forks. These stalled replication forks then collapse to form one
      sided double-strand breaks, leading to apoptosis. However, colorectal cancer
      (CRC) stem cells rapidly repair the stalled/collapsed replication forks and
      overcome treatment effects. Recent evidence suggests a critical role of
      checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) in preventing the replicative stress. Therefore, Chk1
      kinase has been a target for developing mono or combination therapeutic agents.
      In the present study, we have identified a novel orphan molecule NSC30049
      (NSC49L) that is effective alone, and in combination potentiates 5-FU-mediated
      growth inhibition of CRC heterogeneous bulk and FOLFOX-resistant cell lines in
      culture with minimal effect on normal colonic epithelial cells. It also inhibits
      the sphere forming activity of CRC stem cells, and decreases the expression
      levels of mRNAs of CRC stem cell marker genes. Results showed that NSC49L induces
      5-FU-mediated S-phase cell cycle arrest due to increased load of DNA damage and
      increased gamma-H2AX staining as a mechanism of cytotoxicity. The pharmacokinetic
      analysis showed a higher bioavailability of this compound, however, with a short
      plasma half-life. The drug is highly tolerated by animals with no pathological
      aberrations. Furthermore, NSC49L showed very potent activity in a HDTX model of
      CRC stem cell tumors either alone or in combination with 5-FU. Thus, NSC49L as a
      single agent or combined with 5-FU can be developed as a therapeutic agent by
      targeting the Chk1 pathway in 5-FU-resistant CRC heterogeneous bulk and CRC stem
      cell populations.

PMID- 28915670
TI  - Prostate cancer diagnosis using epigenetic biomarkers, 3D high-content imaging
      and probabilistic cell-by-cell classifiers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) management can benefit from novel
      concepts/biomarkers for reducing the current 20-30% chance of false-negative
      diagnosis with standard histopathology of biopsied tissue. METHOD: We explored
      the potential of selected epigenetic markers in combination with validated
      histopathological markers, 3D high-content imaging, cell-by-cell analysis, and
      probabilistic classification in generating novel detailed maps of biomarker
      heterogeneity in patient tissues, and PCa diagnosis. We used consecutive
      biopsies/radical prostatectomies from five patients for building a database of
      ~140,000 analyzed cells across all tissue compartments and for model development;
      and from five patients and the two well-characterized HPrEpiC primary and LNCaP
      cancer cell types for model validation. RESULTS: Principal component analysis
      presented highest covariability for the four biomarkers 4',6-diamidino-2
      phenylindole, 5-methylcytosine, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, and alpha-methylacyl-CoA
      racemase in the epithelial tissue compartment. The panel also showed best
      performance in discriminating between normal and cancer-like cells in prostate
      tissues with a sensitivity and specificity of 85%, correctly classified 87% of
      HPrEpiC as healthy and 99% of LNCaP cells as cancer-like, identified a majority
      of aberrant cells within histopathologically benign tissues at baseline diagnosis
      of patients that were later diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. Using k-nearest
      neighbor classifier with cells from an initial patient biopsy, the biomarkers
      were able to predict cancer stage and grade of prostatic tissue that occurred at
      later prostatectomy with 79% accuracy. CONCLUSION: Our approach showed favorable
      diagnostic values to identify the portion and pathological category of aberrant
      cells in a small subset of sampled tissue cells, correlating with the degree of
      malignancy beyond baseline.

PMID- 28915671
TI  - Integration of ALV into CTDSPL and CTDSPL2 genes in B-cell lymphomas promotes
      cell immortalization, migration and survival.
AB  - Avian leukosis virus induces tumors in chickens by integrating into the genome
      and altering expression of nearby genes. Thus, ALV can be used as an insertional
      mutagenesis tool to identify novel genes involved in tumorigenesis. Deep
      sequencing analysis of viral integration sites has identified CTDSPL and CTDSPL2
      as common integration sites in ALV-induced B-cell lymphomas, suggesting a
      potential role in driving oncogenesis. We show that in tumors with integrations
      in these genes, the viral promoter is driving the expression of a truncated
      fusion transcript. Overexpression in cultured chick embryo fibroblasts reveals
      that CTDSPL and CTDSPL2 have oncogenic properties, including promoting cell
      migration. We also show that CTDSPL2 has a previously uncharacterized role in
      protecting cells from apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. Further, the
      truncated viral fusion transcripts of both CTDSPL and CTDSPL2 promote
      immortalization in primary cell culture.

PMID- 28915672
TI  - An updated meta-analysis of amantadine for treating dyskinesia in Parkinson's
      disease.
AB  - In recent years, a few of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about amantadine
      for treating dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD) were completed. Here, we
      conducted a systematic literature review about the clinical research to provide
      the updated evidence for treating dyskinesia. Electronic search of Medline,
      PubMed, Cochrane Library, and other databases up to May 2016 for relevant studies
      was performed. We selected the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale IV (UPDRS
      IV) and Dyskinesia Rating Scales (DRS) as efficacy outcomes of amantadine on
      dyskinesia. Pooled data from included studies was then used to carry out meta
      analysis. A total of eleven eligible RCTs that involved 356 PD patients with
      existing dyskinesia were included in the present study. The results of meta
      analysis showed that amantadine significantly improved UPDRS IV (P < 0.0001) and
      DRS (P < 0.00001). Meanwhile, there was a mild reduction in Unified Parkinson's
      Disease Rating Scale III after amantadine treatment in advanced PD patients with
      dyskinesia (P = 0.01) compared with placebo. High dosage of amantadine obviously
      improved existing dyskinesia in PD, yet at the expense of the increased adverse
      events. It was necessary to detect the optimal therapeutic efficacy to balance
      the incidence of adverse events when we used amantadine to treat existing
      dyskinesia in PD patients.

PMID- 28915673
TI  - Prognositic value of CD73-adenosinergic pathway in solid tumor: A meta-analysis
      and systematic review.
AB  - CD73 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored cell surface protein that
      is encoded by NT5E gene, plays multiple roles in tumor processes. Previous
      studies have presented a potential value of CD73 served as a detectable biomarker
      for prognosis of several solid tumors, but the results were more controversially.
      A comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted to precisely evaluate the prognostic
      role of CD73 in solid tumors. The included studies were searched in PubMed, Web
      of Science and EBSCO from Jan 1990 to Jan 2016. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and
      corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for overall survival (OS), disease
      free survival (DFS) were carried out using a fixed or random effects model.
      Totally, 13 studies about 12,533 patients were included. CD73-high expression was
      correlating with poor OS (pooled HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.19-1.37). In addition,
      CD73 expression had borderline association with worse DFS (pooled HR = 1.28, 95%
      CI = 1.01-1.62). Egger's tests indicated that there was no evidence of
      significant publication bias. CD73 is an efficient prognostic biomarker in solid
      tumors, and over-expression of CD73 is associated with inverse OS or DFS. But
      this predictive value and target therapy for clinical practice yet needs advanced
      research.

PMID- 28915674
TI  - Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy for glioblastoma: a meta-analysis of
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - Bevacizumab, as antibodies, were applied to inhibit tumor angiogenesis by
      preventing activation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor. We analyzed
      four clinical trials, including 607 patients, to investigate the efficacy and
      safety of bevacizumab when combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of
      glioblastomas. Results demonstrated that bevacizumab when combined with
      chemotherapy improved progression-free survival (HR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.56-0.78; p <
      0.00001) compared with bevacizumab or chemotherapy alone. Furthermore, overall
      survival showed insignificant difference between two arms (HR 0.99; 95% CI 0.8
      1.21; p = 0.92). However, we found that patients treated with bevacizumab
      containing therapy reported increased objective response rate (OR 1.85, 95% CI
      1.17-2.93; p = 0.009), but more treatment-related adverse events (OR 1.75; 95% CI
      1.09-2.83; p = 0.02).

PMID- 28915675
TI  - Association of apelin and apelin receptor with the risk of coronary artery
      disease: a meta-analysis of observational studies.
AB  - It is well established that apelin-APLNR (apelin receptor) pathway plays a
      central role in cardiovascular system. In this meta-analysis, we summarized
      published results on circulating apelin concentration in association with
      coronary artery disease (CAD), apelin and APLNR genetic polymorphism(s) in
      predisposition to CAD risk and circulating apelin changes after surgical
      treatment for CAD. The results from 15 articles were pooled. Two authors
      independently took charge of literature search, article selection and information
      collection. Overall, circulating apelin concentration was significantly lower in
      CAD patients (N=1021) than in controls (N=654) (weighted mean difference [WMD]: 
      1.285 ng/mL, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.790 to -0.780, P<0001), with
      significant heterogeneity (I2=99.3%) but without publication bias. For the
      association of APLNR gene rs9943582 polymorphism with CAD (patients/controls:
      5975/4717), the mutant T allele was associated with a 5.2% increased risk
      relative to the wild C allele (odds ratio: 1.052, 95% CI: 0.990 to 1.117,
      P=0.100), without heterogeneity (I2=0.0%) or publication bias. Circulating apelin
      was increased significantly after surgical treatment for CAD (N=202) (WMD: 2.011
      ng/mL, 95% CI: 0.541 to 3.481, P=0.007), with significant heterogeneity
      (I2=98.0%). Stratified analyses showed that circulating apelin was significantly
      reduced in studies with age- and sex-matched patients and controls (WMD: -1.881
      ng/mL, 95% CI: -2.457 to -1.304, P<0.001) and with total sample size >=125 (WMD: 
      1.657 ng/mL, 95% CI: -2.378 to -0.936, P<0.001), relative to studies without
      matching reports and with total sample size <125. In brief, our results suggested
      that circulating apelin was a prominent athero-protective marker against the
      development of CAD.

PMID- 28915676
TI  - Clinical outcomes of WBRT plus EGFR-TKIs versus WBRT or TKIs alone for the
      treatment of cerebral metastatic NSCLC patients: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Whether WBRT plus EGFR-TKIs has a greater survival benefit than EGFR-TKIs alone
      or WBRT alone remains controversial in NSCLC patients with multiple brain
      metastases. To rectify this, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis based on 9
      retrospective studies and 1 randomized controlled study published between 2012
      and 2016, comprising 1041 patients. Five studies were included in the comparison
      of WBRT plus EGFR-TKIs and EGFR-TKIs alone. The combined HR for OS of patients
      with EGFR mutation was 1.25 [95% CI 0.98-2.15; P = 0.08] and for intracranial PFS
      was 1.30 [95% CI 1.03-1.65; P = 0.03], which revealed that EGFR-TKIs alone
      produced a superior intracranial PFS than WBRT plus EGFR-TKIs. Five studies were
      included in the comparison of WBRT plus EGFR-TKIs and WBRT alone. The combined HR
      for OS, intracranial PFS and extracranial PFS were 0.52 [95% CI 0.37-0.75; P =
      0.0004], 0.36 [95% CI 0.24-0.53; P < 0.001] and 0.52 [95% CI 0.38-0.71; P <
      0.001], respectively, which revealed a significant benefit of WBRT plus EGFR-TKIs
      compared with WBRT alone. The results indicated that EGFR-TKIs alone should be
      the first option for the treatment of NSCLC patients with multiple BM, especially
      with EGFR mutation, since it provides similar OS and extracranial PFS but
      superior intracranial PFS compared with WBRT plus EGFR-TKIs.

PMID- 28915677
TI  - Docetaxel versus docetaxel plus cisplatin for non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta
      analysis of randomized clinical trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the activity, efficacy and toxicity of docetaxel versus
      docetaxel plus cisplatin in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. METHODS: A
      literature search was performed in the EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of
      Science, China National Knowledge Internet, Wan-fang databases. The trials that
      were found were then evaluated for eligibility. The Cochrane Collaboration's
      Review Manager software was used to perform the meta-analyses. RESULTS: Nine
      clinical trials including 1257 patients were included. The docetaxel plus
      cisplatin regimens had higher overall response rates compared with the docetaxel
      regimen (RR = 0.70; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.80; P < 0.00001). No statistically
      significant difference was observed between the two regimens with respect to the
      one-year survival rate (RR = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.19; P = 0.62). Patients
      treated with the DP regimen were more likely to experience anemia,
      thrombocytopenia, nausea/vomiting, nephrotoxicity, hyponatremia, mucositis and
      treatment-related deaths compared with patients treated with docetaxel alone. No
      significant difference was observed between the two regimens with respect to the
      occurrence of neurotoxicity, diarrhea, fatigue, pneumonitis, neutropenia and
      leucopenia. CONCLUSIONS: The docetaxel plus cisplatin combination regimen
      resulted in a high response rate and a high adverse effect rate compared with
      docetaxel monochemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer.

PMID- 28915678
TI  - Meta-analysis of the incidence and risks of interstitial lung disease and QTc
      prolongation in non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with ALK inhibitors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the
      overall incidence and risk of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and QTc
      prolongation associated with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (-TKIs) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. RESULTS: A
      total of 1,770 patients from 8 clinical trials were included. The incidences of
      high-grade ILD and QTc prolongation was 2.5% (95% CI 1.7-3.6%), and 2.8% (95% CI
      1.8-4.3%), respectively. Meta-analysis demonstrated that the use of ALK-TKIs in
      NSCLC patients significantly increased the risk of developing high-grade ILD
      (Peto OR, 3.27, 95%CI: 1.18-9.08, p = 0.023) and QTc prolongation (Peto OR 7.51,
      95% CI, 2.16-26.15; p = 0.002) in comparison with chemotherapy alone. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to identify related
      citations up to January 31, 2017. Data were extracted, and summary incidence
      rates, Peto odds ratios (Peto ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were
      calculated. CONCLUSIONS: The use of ALK-TKIs significantly increases the risk of
      developing high-grade ILD and QTc prolongation in lung cancer patients.
      Clinicians should pay attention to the risks of severe ILD and QTc prolongation
      with the administration of these drugs.

PMID- 28915679
TI  - Prognostic role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in gastric cancer: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with gastric cancer, the prognostic value of tumor
      infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is still controversial. A meta-analysis was
      performed to evaluate the prognostic value of TILs in gastric cancer. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We identify studies from PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library to
      assess the prognostic effect of TILs in patients with gastric cancer. Fixed
      effects models or random-effects models were used estimate the pooled hazard
      ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), which
      depend on the heterogeneity. RESULTS: A total of 31 observational studies
      including 4,185 patients were enrolled. For TILs subsets, the amount of CD8+,
      FOXP3+, CD3+, CD57+, CD20+, CD45RO+, Granzyme B+ and T-bet+ lymphocytes was
      significantly associated with improved survival (P < 0.05); moreover, the amount
      of CD3+ TILs in intra-tumoral compartment (IT) was the most significant
      prognostic marker (pooled HR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.43-0.63; P < 0.001). However,
      CD4+ TILs was not statistically associated with patients' survival. FOXP3+ TILs
      showed bidirectional prognostic roles which had positive effect in IT (pooled HR
      = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.04-2.37; P = 0.033) and negative effect in extra-tumoral
      compartment (ET) (pooled HR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.60-0.96; P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS:
      This meta-analysis suggests that some TIL subsets could serve as prognostic
      biomarkers in gastric cancer. High-quality randomized controlled trials are
      needed to decide if these TILs could serve as targets for immunotherapy in
      gastric cancer.

PMID- 28915680
TI  - Combination therapy versus pharmacotherapy, endoscopic variceal ligation, or the
      transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt alone in the secondary prevention
      of esophageal variceal bleeding: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - Patients with liver cirrhosis and variceal hemorrhage are at increased risk of
      rebleeding. We performed a meta-analysis toassess the clinical efficacy of
      combination therapy (pharmacotherapy and endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL))
      compared with pharmacotherapy, EVL, or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic
      shunt (TIPS) alone in the prevention of rebleeding and mortality. A literature
      search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, up until
      November 2016, identified relevant randomized controlled trials. Data analysis
      was performed using Stata 12.0. Regarding overall mortality, combination therapy
      was as effective as EVL, pharmacotherapy, and TIPS (relative risk (RR) = 0.62,
      95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36-1.08, RR=1.05, 95% CI: 0.68-1.63, and RR=1.39,
      95% CI: 0.92-2.09, respectively). Combination therapy was as effective as EVL and
      pharmacotherapy alone in reducing blood-related mortality (RR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.15
      1.25, and RR=0.42, 95% CI: 0.17-1.06), whereas TIPS was more effective than
      combination therapy (RR=5.66, 95% CI: 1.02-31.40). This was also the case for
      rebleeding; combination therapy was more effective than EVL and pharmacotherapy
      alone (RR=0.57, 95% CI: 0.41-0.79, and RR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.48-0.88), whereas TIPS
      was more effective than combination therapy (RR=9.42, 95% CI: 2.99-29.65).
      Finally, regarding rebleeding from esophageal varices, combination therapy was as
      effective as EVL alone (RR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.33-1.06) and was more effective than
      pharmacotherapy alone (RR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.40-0.85), although was less effective
      than TIPS (RR=2.20, 95% CI: 1.22-3.99). TIPS was recommended as the first choice
      of therapy in the secondary prevention of esophageal variceal bleeding.

PMID- 28915681
TI  - Association of P73 polymorphisms with susceptibilities of cervical carcinoma: a
      meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The relation between P73 gene polymorphism and cervical cancer has not
      been determined. At present, we utilized a meta-analysis method to elucidate the
      association between P73 and cervical cancer. RESULTS: The present study included
      635 patients with cervical cancer and 998 cancer-free control subjects. Using
      meta-analysis, we found a significant association of P73 genetic polymorphism
      with cervical cancer in a recessive model [OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84-0.98; P =
      0.02.]. However, this association was not find in a dominant model [OR = 0.76,
      95% CI (0.45-1.27); P = 0.29], in a co-dominant model [OR = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.98
      1.04, P = 0.56] or in an allelic model [OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.93-1.00; P = 0.09].
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: To further evaluate the relation between the P73 gene
      polymorphism and cervical cancer, we selected 5 case-control studies related to
      P73 gene polymorphism and cervical cancer by searching CNKI, VIP, WanFang, PubMed
      and EMbase database. We utilized Q-test and I2 test to test the heterogeneity
      between each study. The fixed effects model was utilized to calculate the odds
      ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that
      P73 gene polymorphism was associated with the risk of cervical cancer. However,
      our conclusion still requires large sample size of case-control studies or cohort
      studies to further confirm this result.

PMID- 28915682
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of breast conservation
      therapy followed by radiotherapy in four breast cancer subtypes.
AB  - The different molecular subtypes of breast cancer are associated with distinct
      outcomes. We assessed the efficacy of breast conservation therapy (BCT) followed
      by radiotherapy for patients with different breast cancer subtypes. We searched
      the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases to identify studies published
      prior to April 30, 2016 that assessed the efficacy of BCT followed by
      radiotherapy in breast cancer patients with different molecular subtypes. A meta
      analysis of seven studies that included 3,798 luminal A, 770 luminal B, 344 human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2), and 767 triple-negative breast cancer
      (TNBC) patients was performed. The pooled odds ratio [OR] for local relapse-free
      survival in luminal A compared to Her-2 patients was 0.1960 (95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 0.0440-0.8728, p = 0.0325) at 5 years and 0.2592 (95% CI: 0.1301
      0.5167, p = 0.0001) at 10 years. The pooled OR for local-regional relapse-free
      survival in luminal A compared to TNBC patients was 0.1381 (95% CI: 0.0565
      0.3374, p = 0.0000) at 5 years and 0.1221 (95% CI: 0.0182-0.8192, p = 0.0304) at
      10 years. Thus, the rate of local-regional control is higher in luminal A
      patients than in Her-2 or TNBC patients.

PMID- 28915683
TI  - Association between 8q24 rs6983267 polymorphism and cancer susceptibility: a meta
      analysis involving 170,737 subjects.
AB  - Published data on the association between 8q24 rs6983267 polymorphism and cancer
      risk are inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the
      relationship between rs6983267 polymorphism and cancer risk. We searched on
      PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)
      up to November 1, 2016 for relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of this association. We
      included 78 case-control studies with a total of 73,996 cases and 96,741 controls
      in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that rs6983267 polymorphism was
      significantly associated with increased risk of overall cancer in all genetic
      models (dominant model: OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.13-1.26; recessive model: OR =
      1.19, 95% CI = 1.14-1.25; homozygous model: OR= 1.31, 95% CI = 1.23-1.40;
      heterozygous model: OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.10-1.19; allelic model: OR = 1.14, 95%
      CI = 1.11-1.18). Stratified analyses indicated that rs6983267 significantly
      increased the risk of colorectal cancer in Caucasians, prostate cancer in
      Caucasians and Asians, thyroid cancer in Caucasians and lung cancer in Asians.
      When studies were stratified by study quality, source of controls and genotyping
      method, significant associations were especially found in the high quality
      studies, the publication-based studies, the hospital-based studies, and the PCR
      RFLP studies. Additional well-designed studies with large samples should be
      performed to validate our results.

PMID- 28915684
TI  - Lack of association between NAT2 polymorphism and prostate cancer risk: a meta
      analysis and trial sequential analysis.
AB  - Previous studies have investigated the association between NAT2 polymorphism and
      the risk of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the findings from these studies
      remained inconsistent. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to provide a more
      reliable conclusion about such associations. In the present meta-analysis, 13
      independent case-control studies were included with a total of 14,469 PCa
      patients and 10,689 controls. All relevant studies published were searched in the
      databates PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, till March 1st, 2017. We used the
      pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the
      strength of the association between NAT2*4 allele and susceptibility to PCa.
      Subgroup analysis was carried out by ethnicity, source of controls and genotyping
      method. What's more, we also performed trial sequential analysis (TSA) to reduce
      the risk of type I error and evaluate whether the evidence of the results was
      firm. Firstly, our results indicated that NAT2*4 allele was not associated with
      PCa susceptibility (OR = 1.00, 95% CI= 0.95-1.05; P = 0.100). However, after
      excluding two studies for its heterogeneity and publication bias, no significant
      relationship was also detected between NAT2*4 allele and the increased risk of
      PCa, in fixed-effect model (OR = 0.99, 95% CI= 0.94-1.04; P = 0.451). Meanwhile,
      no significant increased risk of PCa was found in the subgroup analyses by
      ethnicity, source of controls and genotyping method. Moreover, TSA demonstrated
      that such association was confirmed in the present study. Therefore, this meta
      analysis suggested that no significant association between NAT2 polymorphism and
      the risk of PCa was found.

PMID- 28915685
TI  - Prognostic significance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with
      malignant pleural mesothelioma: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Systemic inflammation responses can be reflected by peripheral blood count and
      combine index like the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR). The NLR has been reported
      to be a poor prognostic indicator in cancer recently. However, the prognostic
      effect of the NLR in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) still
      unclear yet. We conducted this meta-analysis aiming to evaluate the pooled value
      of NLR in prognosis as well as clinical characteristics in malignant pleural
      mesothelioma. A total of 11 studies with 1533 patients were included in this meta
      analysis, in which 10 studies investigated the prognosis role of NLR using hazard
      ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The elevated NLR was detected
      to be associated with a poor overall survival (OS)(HR=1.48, 95%CI=1.16-1.89, P <
      0.001). The significant prognostic roles of NLR were also indicated in subgroup
      analyses. NLR level was also associated with histology instead of gender, stage
      or performance status (PS) score. These findings suggested that the elevated NLR
      could be a potential prognostic factor for malignant pleural mesothelioma
      patients and might be associated with histology as an efficient clinical index to
      stratify patients.

PMID- 28915686
TI  - Evaluation on efficacy and safety of the addition of X-knife therapy to gefitinib
      in NSCLC patients with symptomatic brain metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a widely used therapy for brain
      metastases(BMs) in Non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). However, its role in
      symptomatic patients with EGFR mutation remains unclear. We have retrospectively
      reviewed the clinical data of patients with symptomatic BMs whom received SRS as
      a salvage approach and concurrent gifitinib therapy. METHODS: Seven patients with
      primary NSCLC, symptomatic BMs, and EGFR mutation were identified in a
      retrospective review of patients treated with SRS using X-knife at Guangdong 999
      Brain Hospital between 1 January 2012 and 31 August 2014. The median follow-up of
      these patients was 16 months. Image fusion technique was used to determine
      cumulative doses to targeted lesions, whole brain, and critical brain structures.
      Toxicities and complications were identified by clinical records. RESULTS: SRS(X
      knife) was selected to be performed on seven patients (two males and five
      females) diagnosed with NSCLC and EGFR mutation due to the presence of
      encephaledema, compression of ventricles, or other complications. Neurological
      symptoms (such as paresis, aphasia, sensory and visual disturbances) were not
      present in any patients before or after SRS treatment, and the postoperative
      Karnofsky performance status(KPS) was improved in all patients. Median overall
      survival(OS) was 16 months and median progression free survival(PFS) was 10
      months. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement of KPS and survival were reliable by SRS(X
      knife) with concurrent gifitinib therapy in NSCLC patients with symptomatic BMs,
      and EGFR mutation. Given the small sample size, further prospective studies with
      a greater number of patients are warranted to confirm our results.

PMID- 28915688
TI  - Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and neurological deterioration following acute
      cerebral hemorrhage.
AB  - Immunity plays key roles in pathophysiology of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
      The aim of the study was to determine whether the peripheral leukocyte count and
      neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicted neurological deterioration (ND)
      after ICH. We identified consecutive patients with ICH who had blood sampling
      performed within 24 hours from symptom's onset. Total white blood cells (WBC),
      absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) were
      retrieved, and the NLR computed as the ratio of the ANC to ALC values. The study
      endpoint was the occurrence of neurological deterioration (ND) within 7 days
      after ICH. One hundred ninety-two subjects were enrolled, whose 54 (28.1%)
      presented ND. At multivariate analysis, the WBC (adjusted odd ratio [adjOR] for
      1,000 leukocytes increase 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-1.50), ANC
      (adjOR for 1,000 neutrophils increase 1.61, 95% CI 1.30-1.99), ALC (adjOR for
      1,000 lymphocytes increase 0.21, 95% CI 0.09-0.49) and NLR (adjOR for 1-point
      increase 1.65, 95% CI 1.36-2.00) were independently associated with ND
      (p<=0.001). The NLR resulted the best discriminating variable for the occurrence
      of the adverse outcome (area under the curve 0.888, 95% CI 0.832-0.945; p <
      0.001). The NLR predicted ND after acute ICH and can aid in the risk
      stratification of patients.

PMID- 28915687
TI  - Features and risk factors of carotid atherosclerosis in a population with high
      stroke incidence in China.
AB  - Epidemiological studies have reported associations between traditional
      cardiovascular risk factors and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) or carotid
      plaque. However, definite risk factors at different phases of carotid
      atherosclerosis remain controversial. We aimed to explore risk factors and
      characteristics of carotid atherosclerosis at different stages in a low-income
      population with a high incidence of stroke in China. Between April 2014 and
      January 2015, we recruited 3789 stroke-free and cardiovascular disease-free
      residents aged >= 45 years. B-mode ultrasonography was performed to measure CIMT
      and the presence of carotid plaque. Traditional risk factors were compared
      between the increased CIMT group and normal CIMT group, and between those with
      and without carotid plaque. A total of 3789 participants were assessed in this
      study, with a mean age (standard deviation) of 59.92 (9.70) years. The prevalence
      of increased CIMT and carotid plaque increased with older age and higher
      education levels. Age, hypertension, diabetes, and high low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol levels were risk factors for increased CIMT and carotid plaque.
      Furthermore, compared to never smoking, passive smoking was positively associated
      with increased CIMT, with an odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.26 (1.05,
      1.53; P = 0.016); high body mass index was an obvious protective factor against
      carotid plaque, with an odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.97 (0.95, 0.99;
      P = 0.004). It is important to identify factors associated with atherosclerosis
      to prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke and reduce the burden of stroke in
      this high-risk population.

PMID- 28915689
TI  - Different long-term oncologic outcomes after radical surgical resection for
      neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the stomach.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore differences in long-term outcomes between gastric
      neuroendocrine carcinoma (GNEC) and gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). METHODS: One
      hundred GNEC patients and 3089 GAC patients were enrolled. Differences in long
      term outcomes between the groups were analyzed by 1:2 propensity score matching.
      RESULTS: Statistically significant differences between the groups were noted in
      terms of gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, tumor size, T
      stage, N stage, TNM stage and surgical approach. However, differences were not
      significant after matching. The 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates for the
      GNEC group were reduced compared with those for the GAC group, though disease
      free survival rates and mean recurrence times were similar. Notably, the mean
      post-recurrence survival of the GNEC group was significantly worse than that of
      the GAC group (5.2 vs. 14.8 months, p<0.001). A strong negative correlation was
      found between a high Ki-67 labeling index and overall survival time. Cox
      regression analysis indicated the Ki-67 labeling index to be an independent
      factor influencing patient post-recurrence survival. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term
      oncologic outcome of GNEC was worse than that of GAC, which may be relative to
      its reduced post-recurrence survival. A high Ki-67 labeling index was an
      independent factor influencing patient post-recurrence survival.

PMID- 28915690
TI  - Efficacy and safety of a reduced calcineurin inhibitor dose combined with
      mycophenolate mofetil in liver transplant patients with chronic renal
      dysfunction.
AB  - Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) are frequently given at a reduced dose in
      combination with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to avoid nephrotoxicity, but the
      optimal reduction in CNI dose has not been established. In this prospective, open
      label, multicenter study, liver transplant recipients with chronic renal
      dysfunction who were administered a CNI-based immunosuppressive regimen were
      included in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. The primary endpoint was
      declination in renal function, which was defined as a >= 20% decrease in the
      glomerular filtration rate during the year following regimen adjustment. In the
      ITT population, renal function declined after regimen adjustment in three
      patients (7%) in the MMF plus 50% CNI reduction group. Additionally, three of 40
      patients (7.5%) in the MMF plus 75% CNI reduction group experienced at least one
      clinically suspected or biopsy-proven acute rejection. There were no differences
      between the two groups. The corrected mean improvement in creatinine clearance at
      week 52 was 6.551 mL/min in the MMF plus 50% CNI reduction group and 6.442 mL/min
      in the MMF plus at least 75% CNI reduction group. Thus, a regimen of MMF combined
      with a 50% or at least 70% reduction in CNI dose could improve renal function and
      was both tolerable and safe.

PMID- 28915691
TI  - Preoperative monocyte-lymphocyte and neutrophil-lymphocyte but not platelet
      lymphocyte ratios are predictive of clinical outcomes in resected patients with
      non-metastatic Siewert type II/III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction: a
      prospective cohort study (the AMONP corhort).
AB  - AIMS: To propectively reveal the clinicopathological and prognostic significances
      of monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and
      platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in resected patients with non-metastatic Siewert
      type II/III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG). METHODS: A total of
      611 patients diagnosed with Siewert type II/III AEG and undergoing surgery
      between 2006 and 2011 were prospectively followed-up until April 2016.
      Associations between preoperative peripheral MLR, NLR, and PLR and
      clinicopathological parameters were quantified using the multivariate Logistic
      regression model with adjustment. The correlation between the 3 ratios and cancer
      specific survival (CSS) was investigated using the univariate and adjusted
      multivariate Cox regression models with stratifications. The periodical survival
      rates for the low- and high-level arms were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier
      method. RESULTS: We set the medians (0.223, 2.22, and 124.4) as the cut-off
      values of preoperative MLR, NLR, and PLR, respectively. MLR was higher in male
      patients and those > 63 years; PLR was higher in patients with type II tumors.
      The (marginally-)significantly inverse ratio-CSS association was detected in male
      patients, those <= 63 years, those with type III tumors, and those with pTNM
      stage III tumors for MLR, and in female patients, those > 63 years, those with
      type III tumors, those with vessel invasion, and those with stage III tumors for
      NLR, but was generally negative concerning PLR. The association majorly existed
      in type III and pTNM stage III tumors. CONCLUSION: MLR and NLR might be
      prognostic factors for patients with non-metastatic Siewert type II/III AEG,
      while PLR had limited significance.

PMID- 28915693
TI  - The application of IS6110-baced loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) in
      the early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis.
AB  - Here, we evaluated the potential activity of rapid Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      detection with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), for the early
      diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Patients with suspected TBM from
      January 2014 to December 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. The
      cerebrospinalfluid(CSF) was collected. Acid-fast bacillus (AFB) staining, MGIT
      960 culture, real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ
      PCR) and LAMP were performed. A total of 200 patients were included in the study.
      Of which, 172 of them were diagnosed with TBM (86.00%). The sensitivities of AFB
      staining, MGIT 960 culture, LAMP and RTFQ PCR for TBM diagnosis were 2.91%
      (5/172), 12.79% (22/172), 43.02% (74/172), and 34.30% (59/172), respectively. The
      sensitivity of LAMP for TBM was significantly higher than those of AFB staining
      and MGIT960 culture (chi2 = 75.11, P < 0.001; chi2 = 43.88, P = 0.002). LAMP's
      sensitivity was however comparable to RTFQ PCR assay (chi2 = 2.08, P = 0.130).
      The specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of LAMP
      in the diagnosis of TBM were 92.86% (26/28), 97.37% (74/76) and 20.97 % (26/124),
      respectively. The overall consistency between LAMP and RTFQ PCR in the diagnosis
      of TBM was 88.5% (177/200), with Kappa value of 0.870. The consistency between
      LAMP and MGIT960 culture was 71% (142/200), with Kappa value of 0.730. Among all
      the methods, LAMP had high sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive
      value, showing high consistency with MGIT960 culture and RTFQ PCR.

PMID- 28915692
TI  - Biomarker analysis of the phase 3 TORCH trial for first line erlotinib versus
      chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The TORCH phase III trial compared the efficacy of first-line
      erlotinib followed by chemotherapy at progression (experimental arm) with the
      reverse sequence (standard arm) in unselected advanced non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) patients. Here we report biomarker analyses. METHODS: EGFR and KRAS
      mutation, expression of EGFR family members and of cMET and PTEN and EGFR and
      ABCG2 germline polymorphisms were tested on tumor tissue or blood samples to
      either confirm previously proposed predictive role or describe it in an
      explorative setting. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary end-point,
      overall survival, response rate and side effects (diarrhoea and skin toxicity)
      were secondary end-points. Interactions between biomarkers and treatment were
      studied with multivariable models (either Cox model or logistic regression).
      Statistical analyses accounted for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: At least one
      biomarker was assessed in 324 out of 760 patients in the TORCH study. EGFR
      mutation was more common in female (P = 0.0001), East Asians (P < 0.0001) and
      never smoker (P < 0.0001) patients; low MET protein expression by IHC (H-score
      <200) was more frequent in squamous (P < 0.00009) and ABCG2 C/A or A/A
      polymorphism was more frequent among East-Asian patients (P = 0.0003). A
      significant interaction was found for EGFR mutation in PFS and response rate
      analyses while no predictive effect on OS was found for any biomarker. No
      biomarker tested was prognostic for PFS and OS. No polymorphism was significantly
      associated with skin toxicity or diarrhea. CONCLUSION: In the present study,
      beyond the known role of EGFR mutation, no other biomarker has predictive or
      prognostic role.

PMID- 28915694
TI  - Association of pre-operative depressive and anxiety symptoms with five-year
      survival of glioma and meningioma patients: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mental symptoms are common and associated with worse health status of
      brain tumor patients. We evaluated the association of pre-operative depressive
      and anxiety symptoms with 5-year mortality of glioma and meningioma patients.
      METHODS: One-hundred and fifty-two patients (mean age 56.9+/-14.7 years, 69%
      women) were evaluated for functional status (Barthel index), and depressive and
      anxiety symptom severity (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale or HADS).
      Patients were categorized as having mild, moderate or severe depressive/anxiety
      symptoms if they scored <=7, 8-10 or >=11 on the HADS, respectively. Information
      pertaining to histological diagnosis, extent of resection and adjuvant therapies
      were obtained from medical records. Follow-up continued through November, 2015.
      RESULTS: Forty-three patients were diagnosed with high-grade glioma, 20 with low
      grade glioma and 89 with meningioma. Moderate to severe depressive and anxiety
      symptoms were diagnosed in 28% and 36% of patients, respectively. In meningioma
      patients, survival was the shortest in patients with severe depressive symptoms
      (40.32+/-7.92 months) followed by patients with moderate (46.66+/-6.05 months)
      and mild (55.68+/-1.77 months) depressive symptoms (Log-Rank = 6.211, p = 0.045).
      After adjusting for patients' age, gender, functional status, extent of
      resection, history of depression, and tumor location, laterality and grade,
      severe depressive symptoms were associated with increased 5-year mortality risk
      of meningioma patients (HR = 7.083 [95%CI: 1.755-28.588], p = 0.006). Depressive
      and anxiety symptoms were not associated with mortality of glioma patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are common in glioma and meningioma
      patients. Pre-operative depressive symptoms are associated with shorter survival
      of meningioma patients independently from clinical prognostic indicators.

PMID- 28915695
TI  - Evaluation of intracavitary administration of curcumin for the treatment of
      sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
AB  - A rat model of sarcomatoid mesothelioma, mimicking some of the worst clinical
      conditions encountered, was established to evaluate the therapeutic potential of
      intracavitary curcumin administration. The M5-T1 cell line, selected from a
      collection established from F344 rats induced with asbestos, produces tumors
      within three weeks, with extended metastasis in normal tissues, after
      intraperitoneal inoculation in syngeneic rats. The optimal concentration/time
      conditions for killing M5-T1 cells with curcumin were first determined in vitro.
      Secondly, the potential of intraperitoneal curcumin administration to kill tumor
      cells in vivo was evaluated in tumor-bearing rats, in comparison with a reference
      epigenetic drug, SAHA. Both agents administered at days 21 and 26 after tumor
      challenge produced necrosis within the solid tumors at day 28. However, tumor
      tissue necrosis induced with curcumin was much more extensive than with SAHA, and
      was characterized by infiltration with mononuclear phagocytic cells. In contrast,
      tumor tissue treated with SAHA contained foci of resistant cells and was
      infiltrated by many isolated CD8+ cells. The treatment of tumor-bearing rats with
      1.5 mg/kg curcumin on days 7, 9, 11 and 14 after tumor challenge dramatically
      reduced the mean total tumor mass at day 16. Clusters of CD8+ T lymphocytes were
      observed at the periphery of small residual tumor masses in the peritoneal
      cavity, which presented a significant reduction in mitotic index, IL6 and
      vimentin expression compared with tumors in untreated rats. These data open up
      interesting new prospects for the therapy of sarcomatoid mesothelioma with
      curcumin and its derivatives.

PMID- 28915696
TI  - TOP2A, GGH, and PECAM1 are associated with hematogenous, lymph node, and
      peritoneal recurrence in stage II/III gastric cancer patients enrolled in the
      ACTS-GC study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To identify factors related to relapse sites, we carried out an
      exploratory biomarker analysis of data from the Adjuvant Chemotherapy Trial of TS
      1 for Gastric Cancer study, which is a randomized, controlled trial comparing
      postoperative adjuvant S-1 therapy with surgery alone in 1,059 patients with
      stage II/III gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Surgical specimens from 829
      patients were retrospectively examined, and 63 genes involved in a variety of
      biological processes were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Gene expression
      normalized to reference genes was categorized as lower or higher than the median,
      and association with relapse sites was analyzed based on 5-year relapse-free
      survival. RESULTS: Hematogenous, lymph node, and peritoneal recurrence developed
      in 72, 105, and 138 of the 829 patients, respectively; hazard ratios were 0.79
      (95% confidential interval: 0.54-1.16), 0.51 (0.31-0.82), and 0.60 (0.42-0.84),
      respectively. Expression of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1
      (PECAM1) and topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) was strongly correlated with
      hematogenous recurrence and peritoneal recurrence, respectively (false discovery
      rate = 7.7*10-5 and 0.002, respectively). Gamma-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH)
      expression was moderately correlated with lymph node recurrence (false discovery
      rate = 0.34). Relapse-free survival was worse in patients expressing high levels
      of PECAM1 (hazard ratio = 2.37, 1.65-3.41), TOP2A (hazard ratio = 2.35, 1.55
      3.57), or GGH (hazard ratio = 1.87, 1.13-3.08), respectively. A multivariate
      analysis revealed that these were stronger independent risk factors than tumor
      histological type. CONCLUSION: In patients with stage II/III gastric cancer,
      TOP2A, GGH, and PECAM1 levels in primary tumors are linked to high risk of
      hematogenous, lymph node, and peritoneal recurrence, respectively.

PMID- 28915697
TI  - Preoperative assessment of mitral valve abnormalities in left atrial myxoma
      patients using cardiac CT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To retrospectively evaluate mitral valve abnormality in left atrial
      myxoma patients by using cardiac computed tomography (CT). MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Cardiac CT was performed in 56 patients with left atrial myxoma and 50 controls.
      Tumor and mitral valve characteristics were analyzed. The mitral valve parameters
      differences were compared between patients with myxoma and controls, myxoma with
      or without mitral valve obstruction, different obstruction degrees, respectively.
      Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to determine the cut-off
      values of abnormal mitral valve parameters for myxoma patients. Multiple linear
      regression, logistic regression models and cox regression analysis were used to
      determine factors associated with mitral valve abnormalities, mitral obstruction,
      mitral regurgitation and postoperative recovery, respectively. RESULTS: Myxoma
      induced the dilation of mitral valve, with different results among different
      degrees of obstruction (p<0.001). Mitral valve parameters had relationship with
      myxoma parameters. The cut-off values for discriminating mitral valve
      abnormalities in myxoma patients were found. Some significant predictors for
      mitral obstruction were tumor pedicle-tumor volume and patient age (HR, 0.886
      30.811; p = 0.011-0.043). Moreover, the predictor for mitral regurgitation was
      mitral annulus diameter in diastolic phase (HR, 20.862; 95%CI,1.331-327.100; p =
      0.031). Some predictors associated with postoperative recovery of mitral
      regurgitation were age, mitral annulus area, mitral annulus diameter and mitral
      valve diameter cutoff value for diastolic phase (HR, 0.001-119.160; p = 0.012
      0.028). CONCLUSION: Cardiac CT is capable of quantitatively assessing myxoma
      characteristic and mitral valve abnormality induced by myxoma, thus providing
      guidance of operative management and postoperative evaluation.

PMID- 28915698
TI  - Risk of aortic aneurysm and dissection in patients with autosomal-dominant
      polycystic kidney disease: a nationwide population-based cohort study.
AB  - Although cardiovascular complications are the most common cause of death in
      patients with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the incidence
      and risk of aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) in ADPKD remains unclear due to
      limited data and insufficient cases. We utilized the data from Taiwan National
      Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to do a population-based cohort study
      (1997-2008). After excluding those patients with age <18 years old and initially
      concomitant diagnoses of end-stage renal disease and AAD, a total of 2076 ADPKD
      patients were selected from 1,000,000 of general population. Additionally, the
      non-ADPKD group was set up as comparison group in 1:10 ratio after matching with
      age, gender, income and urbanization (n=20760). The result showed that ADPKD
      group had higher frequency of comorbidities than non-ADPKD group. The frequency
      of AAD in ADPKD was significantly higher than in general population (0.92% v.s.
      0.11%, p<0.0001). Of them, 58% of AAD were acute aortic dissection. In addition,
      Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that cumulative incidence of AAD was
      remarkably higher in the ADPKD than non-ADPKD group (p<0.001). The mean time
      period from ADPKD diagnosis to AAD occurrence was 4.02+/-3.16 years. After
      adjusting for age, gender and comorbidities, the ADPKD patients had up to 5.49
      fold greater risk for AAD occurrence as compared to non-ADPKD counterparts (95%
      CI 2.86-10.52, p<0.0001). Particularly, those patients with co-existing ADPKD and
      hypertension had very high risk for future development of AAD. In conclusion, the
      risk of AAD significantly increases in patients with ADPKD as compared with those
      of general population.

PMID- 28915699
TI  - Biological effects and epidemiological consequences of arsenic exposure, and
      reagents that can ameliorate arsenic damage in vivo.
AB  - Through contaminated diet, water, and other forms of environmental exposure,
      arsenic affects human health. There are many U.S. and worldwide "hot spots" where
      the arsenic level in public water exceeds the maximum exposure limit. The
      biological effects of chronic arsenic exposure include generation of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress and DNA damage, epigenetic DNA
      modification, induction of genomic instability, and inflammation and
      immunomodulation, all of which can initiate carcinogenesis. High arsenic exposure
      is epidemiologically associated with skin, lung, bladder, liver, kidney and
      pancreatic cancer, and cardiovascular, neuronal, and other diseases. This review
      briefly summarizes the biological effects of arsenic exposure and epidemiological
      cancer studies worldwide, and provides an overview for emerging rodent-based
      studies of reagents that can ameliorate the effects of arsenic exposure in vivo.
      These reagents may be translated to human populations for disease prevention. We
      propose the importance of developing a biomarker-based precision prevention
      approach for the health issues associated with arsenic exposure that affects
      millions of people worldwide.

PMID- 28915701
TI  - Comparison among fertility-sparing therapies for well differentiated early-stage
      endometrial carcinoma and complex atypical hyperplasia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare fertility-sparing therapies including oral progestogens,
      hysteroscopic resection (HR), and the levonorgestrel- releasing intrauterine
      system (LNG-IUS) in achieving disease regression, recurrence and live birth rate
      in well differentiate early-stage endometrial carcinoma (eEC) and complex
      atypical hyperplasia(CAH). STUDY DESIGN: This was a meta-analysis of previous
      studies focus on the fertility-sparing therapy for well differentiate early-stage
      endometrial carcinoma (eEC) and complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH). DATE SOURCES:
      Medline, the Cochrane Library and Embase was searched with the terms and
      Synonyms: words similar to eEC and CAH with therapies associated with fertility
      sparing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of all patients accepted fertility
      sparing therapies, patients got regressed, relapsed and delivered were extracted
      from each study, and the regression, recurrence, and live birth rate of each
      study were calculated. The regression, recurrence and live birth rates between
      each two interventions were compared with the aid of meta-regression in packages
      of "meta" and "meta for" written in R. RESULTS: Fifty-four studies reported
      fertility sparing therapies in young women with eEC and CAH were included. Meta
      analysis showed that HR followed by progestogens achieved a higher pooled
      regression (98.06% vs 77.20% P < 0.0001) and live birth rate (52.57% vs 33.38%, P
      = 0.0944) and a lower recurrence rate compared with oral progestogens alone
      (4.79% vs 32.17% P = 0.0004). At the same time, the pooled live birth rate
      (52.57% vs 18.09% P =0.0399) of HR followed by progestogens are significantly
      higher than the LNG-IUS alone. Which no statistical difference in regression
      (98.06% vs 94.24%; P = 0.4098) and recurrence rates (4.79% vs 3.90% P = 0.8561)
      was seen. CONCLUSIONS: Of the available fertility-sparing therapeutic options, HR
      followed by progestogens may be a more effective one.

PMID- 28915700
TI  - The fat and the bad: Mature adipocytes, key actors in tumor progression and
      resistance.
AB  - Growing evidence has raised the important roles of adipocytes as an active player
      in the tumor microenvironment. In many tumors adipocytes are in close contact
      with cancer cells. They secrete various factors that can mediate local and
      systemic effects. The adipocyte-cancer cell crosstalk leads to phenotypical and
      functional changes of both cell types, which can further enhance tumor
      progression. Moreover, obesity, which is associated with an increase in adipose
      mass and an alteration of adipose tissue, has been established as a risk factor
      for cancer incidence and cancer-related mortality. In this review, we summarize
      the mechanisms of the adipocyte-cancer cell crosstalk in both obese and lean
      conditions as well as its impact on cancer cell growth, local invasion,
      metastatic spread and resistance to treatments. Better characterization of cancer
      associated adipocytes and the key molecular events in the adipocyte-cancer cell
      crosstalk will provide insights into tumor biology and suggest efficient
      therapeutic opportunities.

PMID- 28915702
TI  - Targeted therapies for gastric cancer: failures and hopes from clinical trials.
AB  - Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. As
      surgery is the only curative treatment strategy and conventional chemotherapy has
      shown limited efficacy -with a median overall survival of 10 months- new
      treatments are urgently needed. Trastuzumab and Ramucirumab (targeting HER2 and
      VEGFR2, respectively) are the only targeted therapies approved so far. Indeed,
      most Phase III clinical trials evaluating molecular drugs in gastric cancer
      failed. This review will retrace the relevant clinical trials with molecular
      therapies performed in gastric cancer patients, discussing the possible reasons
      for their failure and indicating new perspective for a real improvement of the
      treatment of this disease.

PMID- 28915703
TI  - Treatments of traumatic neuropathic pain: a systematic review.
AB  - Traumatic neuropathic pain caused by traumatic neuroma has long been bothering
      both doctors and patients, the mechanisms of traumatic neuropathic pain are
      widely discussed by researchers and the treatment is challenging. Clinical
      treatment of painful neuroma is unclear. Numerous treatment modalities have been
      introduced by experts in this field. However, there is still no single standard
      recognized treatment. Different forms of treatments have been tested in animals
      and humans, but pharmacotherapies (antidepressants, antiepileptics) remain the
      basis of traumatic neuropathic pain management. For intractable cases, nerve
      stump transpositions into a muscle, vein or bone are seen as traditional surgical
      procedures which provide a certain degree of efficacy. Novel surgical techniques
      have emerged in recent years, such as tube guided nerve capping, electrical
      stimulation and adipose autograft have substantially enriched the abundance of
      the treatment for traumatic neuropathic pain. Several treatments show advantages
      over the others in terms of pain relief and prevention of neuroma formation,
      making it difficult to pick out a single modality as the reference. An effective
      and standardized treatment for traumatic neuropathic pain would provide better
      choice for researchers and clinical workers. In this review, we summarized
      current knowledge on the treatment of traumatic neuropathic pain, and found a
      therapeutic strategy for this intractable pain. We tried to provide a useful
      guideline for choosing the right modality in management of traumatic neuropathic
      pain.

PMID- 28915704
TI  - Driver genes in non-small cell lung cancer: Characteristics, detection methods,
      and targeted therapies.
AB  - Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death in the
      world. The large number of lung cancer cases is non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC), which approximately accounting for 75% of lung cancer. Over the past
      years, our comprehensive knowledge about the molecular biology of NSCLC has been
      rapidly enriching, which has promoted the discovery of driver genes in NSCLC and
      directed FDA-approved targeted therapies. Of course, the targeted therapies based
      on driver genes provide a more exact option for advanced non-small cell lung
      cancer, improving the survival rate of patients. Now, we will review the
      landscape of driver genes in NSCLC including the characteristics, detection
      methods, the application of target therapy and challenges.

PMID- 28915705
TI  - Promising landscape for regulating macrophage polarization: epigenetic viewpoint.
AB  - Macrophages are critical myeloid cells with the hallmark of phenotypic
      heterogeneity and functional plasticity. Macrophages phenotypes are commonly
      described as classically-activated M1 and alternatively-activated M2 macrophages
      which play an essential role in the tissues homeostasis and diseases
      pathogenesis. Alternations of macrophage polarization and function states require
      precise regulation of target-gene expression. Emerging data demonstrate that
      epigenetic mechanisms and transcriptional factors are becoming increasingly
      appreciated in the orchestration of macrophage polarization in response to local
      environmental signals. This review is to focus on the advanced concepts of
      epigenetics changes involved with the macrophage polarization, including
      microRNAs, DNA methylation and histone modification, which are responsible for
      the altered cellular signaling and signature genes expression during M1 or M2
      polarization. Eventually, the persistent investigation and understanding of
      epigenetic mechanisms in tissue macrophage polarization and function will enhance
      the potential to develop novel therapeutic targets for various diseases.

PMID- 28915707
TI  - Augmented expression of polo-like kinase 1 indicates poor clinical outcome for
      breast patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Polo-like kinases 1 (PLK1), a key regulator of mitosis, plays an essential role
      in maintaining genomic stability. Up-regulation of PLK1 was found in
      tumorigenesis and tumor progression of diverse cancers. However, the
      clinicopathological and prognostic implications of PLK1 in breast cancer (BC)
      have yet to be unveiled. Therefore, using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and
      Chinese databases, we conducted a meta-analysis to define the potential clinical
      value of PLK1 in BC. Eleven eligible articles with 2481 patients enrolled were
      included in the present meta-analysis, of which eight studies reported on the
      relationship between PLK1 expression and clinicopathological features, and nine
      studies provided survival data in BC patients. Furthermore, the results revealed
      that high PLK1 levels were significantly associated with larger tumor size
      (OR=1.703, 95%CIs: 1.315-2.205, P<0.001), higher pathological grading (OR=6.028,
      95%CIs: 2.639-13.772, P<0.001), and lymph node metastasis (OR= 1.524, 95%CIs:
      1.192-1.950, P=0.001). Moreover, PLK1 was found to be a valuable factor for
      distinguishing lobular BC from ductal BC with the pooled OR=0.215(95%CIs: 0.083
      0.557, P=0.002). Analysis of included data showed that high PLK1 expression
      significantly indicated worse overall survival for BC patients (HR= 3.438,
      95%CIs: 2.293-5.154, P<0.001), as well as worse cancer specific survival and
      disease-free survival (HR=2.414, 95%CIs: 1.633-3.567, P<0.001 and HR= 2.261,
      95%CIs: 1.796-2.951, P<0.001, respectively). This quantitative meta-analysis
      suggests that high PLK1 expression is a credible indicator for the progression of
      BC and confirms a higher risk of a worse survival rate in patients with BC.

PMID- 28915706
TI  - The role of autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma: friend or foe.
AB  - Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosome-dependent catabolic process
      which degrades cell's components in order to recycle substrates to exert
      optimally and adapt to tough circumstances. It is a critical cellular homeostatic
      mechanism with stress resistance, immunity, antiaging, and pro-tumor or anti
      tumor effects. Among these, the role of autophagy in cancer is the most eye
      catching that is not immutable but dynamic and highly complex. Basal autophagy
      acts as a tumor suppressor by maintaining genomic stability in normal cells.
      However, once a tumor is established, unbalanced autophagy will contribute to
      carcinoma cell survival under tumor microenvironment and in turn promote tumor
      growth and development. The dynamic role of autophagy can also apply on
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is a highly malignant cancer with high
      morbidity and poor survival rate. Decline or overexpression of autophagic
      essential genes such as ATG7, ATG5 or Beclin 1 plays a key role in the occurrence
      and development of HCC but the exact mechanisms are still highly controversial.
      Signaling pathways or molecules involving in autophagy, for example PI3K/AKT/mTOR
      pathway, ERK/MAPK pathway, PERK pathway, p53, LncRNA PTENP1 (Long non-coding RNA
      PTENP1), microRNA-375 and so on, occupy an important position in the complex role
      of autophagy in HCC. Here, we discuss the dynamic role, the signaling pathways
      and the potential prognostic and therapy value of autophagy in HCC.

PMID- 28915708
TI  - Targeting metabolism and AMP-activated kinase with metformin to sensitize non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to cytotoxic therapy: translational biology and
      rationale for current clinical trials.
AB  - Lung cancer is the most fatal malignancy worldwide, in part, due to high
      resistance to cytotoxic therapy. There is need for effective chemo-radio
      sensitizers in lung cancer. In recent years, we began to understand the
      modulation of metabolism in cancer and its importance in tumor progression and
      survival after cytotoxic therapy. The activity of biosynthetic pathways, driven
      by the Growth Factor Receptor/Ras/PI3k/Akt/mTOR pathway, is balanced by the
      energy stress sensor pathway of LKB1/AMPK/p53. AMPK responds both to metabolic
      and genotoxic stress. Metformin, a well-tolerated anti-diabetic agent, which
      blocks mitochondria oxidative phosphorylation complex I, became the poster child
      agent to elicit AMPK activity and tumor suppression. Metformin sensitizes NSCLC
      models to chemotherapy and radiation. Here, we discuss the rationale for
      targeting metabolism, the evidence supporting metformin as an anti-tumor agent
      and adjunct to cytotoxic therapy in NSCLC and we review retrospective evidence
      and on-going clinical trials addressing this concept.

PMID- 28915709
TI  - The prognostic value of long noncoding RNAs in prostate cancer: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The abnormally expressed LncRNAs played irreplaceable roles in the prognosis of
      prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, we conducted this systematic review and meta
      analysis to summarize the association between the expression of LncRNAs,
      prognosis and clinicopathology of PCa. 18 eligible studies were recruited into
      our analysis, including 18 on prognosis and 9 on clinicopathological features.
      Results indicated that aberrant expression of LncRNAs was significantly
      associated with biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCR-FS) (HR = 1.55, 95%CI:
      1.01-2.37, P < 0.05), recurrence free survival (RSF) (HR = 3.07, 95%CI: 1.07
      8.86, P < 0.05) and progression free survival (PFS) (HR = 2.34, 95%CI: 1.94-2.83,
      P < 0.001) in PCa patients. LncRNAs expression level was correlated with several
      vital clinical features, like tumor size (HR = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.28-0.95, P = 0.03),
      distance metastasis (HR = 4.55, 95%CI: 2.26-9.15, P < 0.0001) and histological
      grade (HR = 6.23, 95% CI: 3.29-11.82, P < 0.00001). Besides, down-regulation of
      PCAT14 was associated with the prognosis of PCa [over survival (HR = 0.77, 95%CI:
      0.63-0.95, P = 0.01), BCR-FS (HR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.48-0.79, P = 0.0001), prostate
      cancer-specific survival (HR = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.48-0.85, P = 0.002) and metastasis
      free survival (HR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.50-0.74, P < 0.00001)]. And, the increased
      SChLAP1 expression could imply the worse BCR-FS (HR = 2.54, 95%CI: 1.82-3.56, P <
      0.00001) and correlate with Gleason score (< 7 vs >= 7) (OR = 4.11, 95% CI: 1.94
      8.70, P = 0.0002). Conclusively, our present work demonstrated that LncRNAs
      transcription level might be potential prognostic markers in PCa.

PMID- 28915710
TI  - Insights from animal models of bladder cancer: recent advances, challenges, and
      opportunities.
AB  - Bladder cancer (urothelial cancer of the bladder) is the most common malignancy
      affecting the urinary system with increasing incidence and mortality. Treatment
      of bladder cancer has not advanced in the past 30 years. Therefore, there is a
      crucial unmet need for novel therapies, especially for high grade/stage disease
      that can only be achieved by preclinical model systems that faithfully
      recapitulate the human disease. Animal models are essential elements in bladder
      cancer research to comprehensively study the multistep cascades of
      carcinogenesis, progression and metastasis. They allow for the investigation of
      premalignant phases of the disease that are not clinically encountered. They can
      be useful for identification of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for disease
      progression and for preclinical identification and validation of therapeutic
      targets/candidates, advancing translation of basic research to clinic. This
      review summarizes the latest advances in the currently available bladder cancer
      animal models, their translational potential, merits and demerits, and the
      prevalent tumor evaluation modalities. Thereby, findings from these model systems
      would provide valuable information that can help researchers and clinicians
      utilize the model that best answers their research questions.

PMID- 28915712
TI  - Formation, function, and exhaustion of notochordal cytoplasmic vacuoles within
      intervertebral disc: current understanding and speculation.
AB  - Notochord nucleus pulposus cells are characteristic of containing abundant and
      giant cytoplasmic vacuoles. This review explores the embryonic formation,
      biological function, and postnatal exhaustion of notochord vacuoles, aiming to
      characterize the signal network transforming the vacuolated nucleus pulposus
      cells into the vacuole-less chondrocytic cells. Embryonically, the cytoplasmic
      vacuoles within vertebrate notochord originate from an evolutionarily conserved
      vacuolation process during neurulation, which may continue to provide mechanical
      and signal support in constructing a mammalian intervertebral disc. For full
      vacuolation, a vacuolating specification from dorsal organizer cells,
      synchronized convergent extension, well-structured notochord sheath, and
      sufficient post-Golgi trafficking in notochord cells are required. Postnatally,
      age-related and species-specific exhaustion of vacuolated nucleus pulposus cells
      could be potentiated by Fas- and Fas ligand-induced apoptosis, intolerance to
      mechanical stress and nutrient deficiency, vacuole-mediated proliferation check,
      and gradual de-vacuolation within the avascular and compression-loaded
      intervertebral disc. These results suggest that the notochord vacuoles are active
      and versatile organelles for both embryonic notochord and postnatal nucleus
      pulposus, and may provide novel information on intervertebral disc degeneration
      to guide cell-based regeneration.

PMID- 28915714
TI  - The efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy and its comparison with EGFR-TKIs for
      advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To better understand the efficacy and safety of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy
      (atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab) in patients with previously treated
      advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The Cochrane Controlled
      Trial Register, Embase, Medline, and the Science Citation Index were searched for
      prospective published reports of atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab in
      previously treated patients with advanced NSCLC. RESULTS: Finally, we identified
      14 prospective published reports including four trials of atezolizumab covering
      542 subjects, three trials of pembrolizumab covering 1566 subjects, seven trials
      of nivolumab covering 1678 subjects. When compared to docetaxel, anti-PD-1/PD-L1
      therapy could significantly improve overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.67,
      P<0.001) and progression-free survival (HR 0.83, P=0.002) for previously treated
      patients with advanced NSCLC. Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy produced an overall
      response rate of 19% in the 2374 evaluable patients. When using docetaxel as the
      common comparator, indirect comparison of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy versus EGFR
      TKIs showed progression-free survival benefit (HR 0.62, P<0.001) and overall
      survival benefit (HR 0.60, P<0.001) for those patients with EGFR wild-type.
      Meanwhile, for those EGFR mutant patients, indirect comparison indicated that
      anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy was inferior to EGFR-TKIs therapy in terms of progression
      free survival (HR 3.20, P<0.001), but no survival difference (HR 1.30, P=0.18).
      CONCLUSION: Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy could produce progression-free survival and
      overall survival improvement over docetaxel for patients with previously treated
      NSCLC. For EGFR wild-type patients, anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy seemed to prolong
      progression-free survival and overall survival when compared to EGFR-TKIs.
      Meanwhile, for these EGFR mutant patients, anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy was inferior
      to EGFR-TKIs therapy in terms of progression-free survival.

PMID- 28915711
TI  - Vitamin K and its analogs: Potential avenues for prostate cancer management.
AB  - Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between cancer incidence
      and dietary habits. Especially intake of certain essential nutrients like
      vitamins has been shown to be beneficial in experimental studies and some
      clinical trials. Vitamin K (VK) is an essential nutrient involved in the blood
      clotting cascade, and there are considerable experimental data demonstrating its
      potential anticancer activity in several cancer types including prostate cancer.
      Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have focused mainly on anti-oxidative
      effects as the underlying anticancer mechanism of VK. However, recent studies
      reveal that VK inhibits the growth of cancer cells through other mechanisms,
      including apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, and modulation of various
      transcription factors such as Myc and Fos. In the present review, we focus on the
      anticancer effect of dietary VK and its analogs on prostate cancer, with an
      emphasis on the signaling pathways that are activated following exposure to these
      compounds. This review also highlights the potential of VK and its derivatives as
      an adjuvant treatment in combination with other vitamins or with chemotherapeutic
      drugs. Based on our recent results and a review of the existing literature, we
      present evidence that VK and its derivatives can potentially be explored as
      cancer therapy, especially for prostate cancer.

PMID- 28915713
TI  - The reverse Warburg effect is likely to be an Achilles' heel of cancer that can
      be exploited for cancer therapy.
AB  - Although survival outcomes of cancer patients have been improved dramatically via
      conventional chemotherapy and targeted therapy over the last decades, there are
      still some tough clinical challenges that badly needs to be overcome, such as
      anticancer drug resistance, inevitable recurrences, cancer progression and
      metastasis. Simultaneously, accumulated evidence demonstrates that aberrant
      glucose metabolism termed 'the Warburg effect' in cancer cell is closely
      associated with malignant phenotypes. In 2009, a novel 'two-compartment metabolic
      coupling' model, also named 'the reverse Warburg effect', was proposed and
      attracted lots of attention. Based on this new model, we consider whether this
      new viewpoint can be exploited for improving the existent anti-cancer therapeutic
      strategies. Our review focuses on the paradigm shift from 'the Warburg effect' to
      'the reverse Warburg effect', the features and molecular mechanisms of 'the
      reverse Warburg effect', and then we discuss its significance in fundamental
      researches and clinical practice.

PMID- 28915715
TI  - Epigenetic regulation during the differentiation of stem cells to germ cells.
AB  - Gametogenesis is an essential process to ensure the transfer of genetic
      information from one generation to the next. It also provides a mechanism by
      which genetic evolution can take place. Although the genome of primordial germ
      cells (PGCs) is exactly the same with somatic cells within an organism, there are
      significant differences between their developments. For example, PGCs eventually
      undergo meiosis to become functional haploid gametes, and prior to that they
      undergo epigenetic imprinting which greatly alter their genetic regulation.
      Epigenetic imprinting of PGCs involves the erasure of DNA methylation and the
      reestablishment of them during sperm and oocyte formation. These processes are
      necessary and important during gametogenesis. Also, histone modification and X
      chromosome inactivation have important roles during germ cell development.
      Recently, several studies have reported that functional sperm or oocytes can be
      derived from stem cells in vivo or in vitro. To produce functional germ cells,
      induction of germ cells from stem cells must recapitulate these processes similar
      to endogenous germ cells, such as epigenetic modifications. This review focuses
      on the epigenetic regulation during the process of germ cell development and
      discusses their importance during the differentiation from stem cells to germ
      cells.

PMID- 28915716
TI  - Implementation and utilization of the molecular tumor board to guide precision
      medicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With rapid advances in genomic medicine, the complexity of delivering
      precision medicine to oncology patients across a university health system
      demanded the creation of a Molecular Tumor Board (MTB) for patient selection and
      assessment of treatment options. The objective of this report is to analyze our
      progress to date and discuss the importance of the MTB in the implementation of
      personalized medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were reviewed in the MTB
      for appropriateness for comprehensive next generation sequencing (NGS) cancer
      gene set testing based on set criteria that were in place. Because profiling of
      stage IV lung cancer, colon cancer, and melanoma cancers were standard of care,
      these cancer types were excluded from this process. We subsequently analyzed the
      types of cases referred for testing and approved with regards to their results.
      RESULTS: 191 cases were discussed at the MTB and 132 cases were approved for
      testing. Forty-six cases (34.8%) had driver mutations that were associated with
      an active targeted therapeutic agent, including BRAF, PIK3CA, IDH1, KRAS, and
      BRCA1. An additional 56 cases (42.4%) had driver mutations previously reported in
      some type of cancer. Twenty-two cases (16.7%) did not have any clinically
      significant mutations. Eight cases did not yield adequate DNA. 15 cases were
      considered for targeted therapy, 13 of which received targeted therapy. One
      patient experienced a near complete response. Seven of 13 had stable disease or a
      partial response. CONCLUSIONS: MTB at University of Alabama-Birmingham is unique
      because it reviews the appropriateness of NGS testing for patients with recurrent
      cancer and serves as a forum to educate our physicians about the pathways of
      precision medicine. Our results suggest that our detection of actionable
      mutations may be higher due to our careful selection. The application of
      precision medicine and molecular genetic testing for cancer patients remains a
      continuous educational process for physicians.

PMID- 28915717
TI  - p53, p63 and p73 in the wonderland of S. cerevisiae.
AB  - Since its discovery in 1979, p53 has been on the forefront of cancer research. It
      is considered a master gene of cancer suppression and is found mutated in around
      50% of all human tumors. In addition, the progressive identification of p53
      related transcription factors p63 and p73 as well as their multiple isoforms have
      added further layers of complexity to an already dense network. Among the
      numerous models used to unravel the p53 family mysteries, S. cerevisiae has been
      particularly useful. This seemingly naive model allows the expression of a
      functional human p53 and thus the assessment of p53 intrinsic transcriptional
      activity. The aim of this article is to review the various contributions that the
      budding yeast has made to the understanding of p53, p63 and p73 biology and to
      envision new possible directions for yeast-based assays in the field of cancer as
      well as other p53-family-related diseases.

PMID- 28915719
TI  - Genomic analysis of exceptional responder to regorafenib in treatment-refractory
      metastatic rectal cancer: a case report and review of the literature.
AB  - We present the case of a 53-year-old male with metastatic rectal cancer who was
      treatment resistant to FOLFOX and FOLFOXIRI. Due to a Kirsten rat sarcoma viral
      oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutation, regorafenib was given in the third line
      setting. Surprisingly, the patient had a prolonged partial response that lasted
      27 months. Mutational status was extensively evaluated to identify potential
      alterations that might play a role as predictive markers for this unusual event.
      A poorly characterized but nontransforming mutation in Fms-like tyrosine kinase 4
      (FLT4) was present in the tumor. Prior to and at the time of clinical
      progression, we found amplification of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1
      (FGFR1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), loss of the FLT4 mutation,
      and gain of KIT proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) G961S suggesting
      potential roles in acquired resistance.

PMID- 28915718
TI  - The PI3K/Akt pathway: a critical player in intervertebral disc degeneration.
AB  - Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is thought to be the primary cause of low
      back pain, a severe public health problem worldwide. Current therapy for IDD aims
      to alleviate the symptoms and does not target the underlying pathological
      alternations within the disc. Activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase
      (PI3K)/Akt pathway protects against IDD, which is attributed to increase of ECM
      content, prevention of cell apoptosis, facilitation of cell proliferation,
      induction or prevention of cell autophagy, alleviation of oxidative damage, and
      adaptation of hypoxic microenvironment. In the current review, we summarize
      recent progression on activation and negative regulation of the PI3K/Akt
      signaling pathway, and highlight its impact on IDD. Targeting this pathway could
      become an attractive therapeutic strategy for IDD in the near future.

PMID- 28915720
TI  - Pseudoprogression in microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer during
      treatment with combination T cell mediated immunotherapy: a case report and
      literature review.
AB  - Evading tumor-mediated immunosuppression through antibodies to immune checkpoints
      has shown clinical benefit in patients with select solid tumors. There is a
      heterogeneity of responses in patients receiving immunotherapy, including
      pseudoprogression in which the tumor burden increases initially before decreasing
      to reach disease control. The characteristics and basis of pseudoprogression,
      however, remains poorly understood. We hereby report a case of microsatellite
      instability (MSI)-high metastatic colorectal cancer treated with combination of
      OX40 agonist and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) antagonist that demonstrated
      pseudoprogression reaching 163% increase from baseline tumor burden. Tumor
      regression was subsequently observed and patient has remained in stable disease.
      Despite the substantial radiological progression, the symptomatic improvement
      reported by the patient led us to the decision of treatment continuation based on
      the suspicion of pseudoprogression, illustrating the importance of clinical
      evaluation in medical decision making while managing patients on immunotherapy.
      Additionally, the patient's MSI-high status contributes to his good, maintained
      response to PD-L1 blockade. Our case provides a frame of reference for
      fluctuation in tumor burden associated with pseudoprogression. Here we also
      evaluate the incidence and scale of pseudoprogression across solid tumor types.

PMID- 28915721
TI  - Dramatic response of CTNNB1 and VEGFR-2 mutant temporal bone squamous cell
      carcinoma to bevacizumab in combination with pemetrexed.
AB  - High recurrence rates and poor survival rates for late stage/advanced temporal
      bone squamous cell carcinoma with the standard treatments continues to be a
      significant challenge to otolaryngologists. Targeted therapy for temporal bone
      squamous cell carcinoma after relapse has not been reported. Here we present a 58
      year-old man who was diagnosed with recurrent temporal bone squamous cell
      carcinoma and treated with a regimen developed using whole exome sequencing.
      Somatic mutations in genes encoding catenin beta 1 and vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor 2 were identified in the patient's tumor sample compared
      to the normal tissue. The patient was then treated with Bevacizumab in
      combination with pemetrexed. After two weeks of treatment, tumor volume was
      reduced by 95% measured by MRI, and the Visual Analogue Scale headache scores
      went down from 10/10 to 2/10. Our results reveal novel gene mutations of temporal
      bone squamous cell carcinoma and demonstrate, for the first time, an effective
      targeted therapy for temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma. The successful
      treatment regimen of bevacizumab and pemetrexed may provide a new treatment
      option for treating recurrent temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma that fails to
      respond to conventional tumor resection, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy.

PMID- 28915722
TI  - Correction: A novel highly potent trivalent TGF-beta receptor trap inhibits early
      stage tumorigenesis and tumor cell invasion in murine Pten-deficient prostate
      glands.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13343.].

PMID- 28915723
TI  - Correction: Increased autophagy in fibroblast-like synoviocytes leads to immune
      enhancement potential in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.14331.].

PMID- 28915724
TI  - C1orf64 is a novel androgen receptor target gene and coregulator that interacts
      with 14-3-3 protein in breast cancer.
AB  - This study investigated the network of genes that are co-expressed with androgen
      receptor (AR) to discover novel AR targets in breast cancer. Bioinformatics
      analysis of two datasets from breast cancer cell lines resulted in the
      identification of an AR-gene signature constituted of 98 genes that highly
      correlated with AR expression. Notably, C1orf64 showed the highest positive
      correlation with AR across the datasets with a correlation coefficient (CC) of
      0.737. In addition, C1orf64 closely correlated with AR expression in primary and
      metastatic breast tumors and C1orf64 expression was relatively higher in breast
      tumors with a lower grade and lobular histology. Furthermore, there is a
      functional interplay between AR and C1orf64 in breast cancer. In this process, AR
      activation directly represses C1orf64 transcription and C1orf64, in turn,
      interacts with AR as a corepressor and negatively regulates the AR-mediated
      induction of prolactin-induced protein (PIP) and AR reporter activity. Moreover,
      the corepressor effect of C1orf64 results in a reduction of AR binding to PIP
      promoter. The other aspect of this interplay involves a cross-talk between AR and
      estrogen receptor (ER) signaling in which C1orf64 silencing intensifies the AR
      mediated down-regulation of ER target gene, progesterone receptor. Therefore, the
      repression of C1orf64 by AR provides an underlying mechanism for the AR
      inhibitory effects on ER signaling. To elucidate the biochemical mechanisms of
      C1orf64 function, this study demonstrates that C1orf64 is a phosphothreonine
      protein that interacts with the chaperone protein 14-3-3. In summary, C1orf64 is
      a novel AR coregulator and a 14-3-3 binding partner in breast cancer.

PMID- 28915726
TI  - Thermodynamic Route to Efficient Prediction of Gas Diffusivity in Nanoporous
      Materials.
AB  - We report an efficient computational procedure for rapid and accurate prediction
      of the self-diffusivity of gas molecules in nanoporous materials by implementing
      the transition state theory for intercage hopping at infinite dilution with the
      string method in conjunction with the excess-entropy scaling for predicting gas
      diffusion coefficients at finite loadings. The theoretical procedure has been
      calibrated with molecular dynamics simulations for the diffusion coefficients of
      methane and hydrogen gases in representative nanoporous materials including metal
      organic frameworks and zeolites. Combined with the classical density functional
      theory for calculating the excess entropy of gas molecules in micropores, the
      theoretical procedure enables efficient computation of both thermodynamic and
      transport properties important for design and screening of nanostructured
      materials for gas storage and separation.

PMID- 28915725
TI  - Distribution of Rotavirus Genotypes Ccirculating in Ahvaz, Iran in 2016
AB  - Background: Group A rotavirus (RVA) mainly causes acute gastroenteritis,
      exclusively in young children in developing countries. The prevalence and
      determination of the molecular epidemiology of rotavirus genotypes will determine
      the dominant rotavirus genotypes in the region and provide a strategy for the
      development of appropriate vaccines. Methods: A total of 100 fecal samples were
      collected from children below five years with acute gastroenteritis who referred
      to Aboozar Children's Hospital of Ahvaz city during October 2015 to March 2016.
      All samples were screened by latex agglutination for the presence of rotavirus
      antigen. Rotavirus-positive samples were further analyzed by the semi-multiplex
      RT-PCR, and the sequencing was performed for G/P genotyping. Results: Findings
      showed that 32% of the specimens were RVA-positive. Among the 32 VP7 genotyped
      strains, the predominant G genotype was G9 (37.5%), followed by G2 (21.9%), G1
      (12.5%), G12 (9.4%), G4 (9.4%), G2G9 (6.3%), and G3 (3.1%). Among the 31 VP4
      genotyped strains, P[8] genotype was the dominant (62.5%), followed by P[4]
      (31.3%) and P[4] P[8] (3.1%). The genotypes for G and P were identified for 31
      rotaviruses (96.87%), but only one strain, G9, remained non-typeable for the P
      genotype. The most prevalent G/P combination was G9P[8] (28.5%), followed by
      G2P[4] (18.8%), G1P[8] (9.4%), G12P[8] (9.4%), G4P[8] (9.4%), G2G9P[4] (6.3%),
      G9P[4] P[8] (3.1%), G3P[8] (3.1%), G9P[4] (3.1%), G2P[8] (3.1%), and G9P[non
      typeable] (3.1%). Conclusion: A novel rotavirus strain, G12, was detected, for
      the first time, in patients from the southwest of Iran. Comprehensive
      investigations are required to evaluate the emergence of this strain.

PMID- 28915728
TI  - Atomic-Level Simulation Study of n-Hexane Pyrolysis on Silicon Carbide Surfaces.
AB  - Ethylene production plays a key role in the petrochemical industry. The severe
      operation conditions of ethylene thermal cracking, such as high-temperature and
      coke-formation, pose challenges for the development of new corrosion-resistant
      and coking-resistant materials for ethylene reactor radiant coils tubes (RCTs).
      We investigated the performance of ceramic materials such as silicon carbide
      (SiC) in severe pyrolysis conditions by using reactive force field molecular
      dynamics (ReaxFF MD) simulation method. Our results indicate that beta-SiC
      surface remains fully stable at 1500 K, whereas increased temperature results in
      melted interface. At 2500 K, fully grown cross-linked-graphene-like polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbon coking structure on SiC surfaces was observed. Such coking
      was particularly severe in the carbon-side of the surface slab. The coking
      structures were mainly derived from surface atoms at the initial 3.0 ns, as a
      result of the loss of interfacial hydroxyl layer and further hydrothermal
      corrosion. The SiC substrate surface enhances the ethylene cracking rate and also
      leads to different intermediate-state compounds. Our fundamental research will
      have significant and broad impact on both petrochemical industry and academic
      research in materials science, petrochemistry, and combustion chemistry.

PMID- 28915727
TI  - The Protein and Energy Metabolic Response of Skeletal Muscle to the Low-Protein
      Diets in Growing Pigs.
AB  - This study was conducted to determine the effect of low-protein diets on protein
      and energy metabolism in skeletal muscle, and to elucidate the underlying
      mechanism. A total of 18 growing pigs (average initial body weight = 36.47 kg)
      were individually penned and assigned to three treatments; each treatment was fed
      one of three diets containing either 18%, 15%, or 12% CP. The results showed that
      reducing dietary CP contents decreased (P < 0.05) the weight of half Longissimus
      dorsi (LD) muscle and serum concentration of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF
      1). Compared with the 18% and 15% CP treatments, the 12% CP treatment suppressed
      (P < 0.05) the components of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)
      pathway, but upregulated (P < 0.05) the mRNA levels for proteolysis-related
      genes, and concomitantly caused an increase (P < 0.05) in the percentage of
      apoptotic cells in LD muscle. Along with lower (P < 0.05) AMP/ATP ratio and
      greater (P < 0.05) energy charge value in LD muscle of the 12% CP treatment,
      there was a concurrent decrease (P < 0.05) in the proteins for AMP-activated
      protein kinase alpha (AMPKalpha) pathway. Likewise, these results were also
      observed in the Biceps femoris muscle with slightly different degree of impacts.
      These results indicate that the retardation effect of low-protein supply on
      muscle growth of growing pigs could be likely regulated by inhibiting IGF
      1/mTORC1 protein synthesis cascade, along with strong alterations in energy
      status and AMPKalpha pathway.

PMID- 28915729
TI  - Thermal Diffusion in Binary Mixtures: Transient Behavior and Transport
      Coefficients from Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Molecular Dynamics.
AB  - Equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are combined to
      compute the full set of coefficients that appear in the phenomenological
      equations describing thermal transport in a binary mixture subject to a constant
      thermal gradient. The Dynamical Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics approach (D
      NEMD) is employed to obtain the microscopic time evolution of the density and
      temperature fields, together with that of the mass and energy fluxes. D-NEMD
      enables one to study not only the steady state, but also the evolution of the
      fields during the transient that follows the onset of the thermal gradient, up to
      the establishment of the steady state. This makes it possible to ensure that the
      system has indeed reached a stationary condition, and to analyze the transient
      mechanisms and time scales of the mass and energy transport. A local time
      averaging procedure is applied to each trajectory contributing to the calculation
      to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in the estimation of the fluxes and to
      obtain a clear signal with the, relatively limited, statistics available.

PMID- 28915730
TI  - Adsorption and Diffusion of Fluids in Defective Carbon Nanotubes: Insights from
      Molecular Simulations.
AB  - Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been shown from both simulations and
      experiments to have remarkably low resistance to gas and liquid transport. This
      has been attributed to the remarkably smooth interior surface of pristine SWNTs.
      However, real SWNTs are known to have various defects that depend on the
      synthesis method and procedure used to activate the SWNTs. In this paper, we
      study adsorption and transport properties of atomic and molecular fluids in SWNTs
      having vacancy point defects. We construct models of defective nanotubes that
      have either unrelaxed defects, where the overall structure of the SWNT is not
      changed, or reconstructed defects, where the bonding topology and therefore the
      shape of the SWNT is allowed to change. Furthermore, we include partial atomic
      charges on the SWNT carbon atoms due to the reconstructed defects. We consider
      adsorption and diffusion of Ar atoms and CO2 and H2O molecules as examples of a
      noble gas, a linear quadrupolar fluid, and a polar fluid. Adsorption isotherms
      were found to be fairly insensitive to the defects, even for the case of water in
      the charged, reconstructed SWNT. We have computed both the self-diffusivities and
      corrected diffusivities (which are directly related to the transport
      diffusivities) for each of these fluids. In general, we found that at zero
      loading that defects can dramatically reduce the self- and corrected
      diffusivities. However, at high, liquidlike loadings, the self-diffusion
      coefficients for pristine and defective nanotubes are very similar, indicating
      that fluid-fluid collisions dominate the dynamics over the fluid-SWNT collisions.
      In contrast, the corrected diffusion coefficients can be more than an order of
      magnitude lower for water in defective SWNTs. This dramatic decrease in the
      transport diffusion is due to the formation of an ordered structure of water,
      which forms around a local defect site. It is therefore important to properly
      characterize the level and types of defects when accurate transport diffusivities
      are needed.

PMID- 28915731
TI  - Investigating Alkylsilane Monolayer Tribology at a Single-Asperity Contact with
      Molecular Dynamics Simulation.
AB  - Chemisorbed monolayer films are known to possess favorable characteristics for
      nanoscale lubrication of micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS).
      Prior studies have shown that the friction observed for monolayer-coated surfaces
      features a strong dependence on the geometry of contact. Specifically, tip-like
      geometries have been shown to penetrate into monolayer films, inducing defects in
      the monolayer chains and leading to plowing mechanisms during shear, which result
      in higher coefficients of friction (COF) than those observed for planar
      geometries. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations to examine the
      tribology of model silica single-asperity contacts under shear with monolayer
      coated substrates featuring various film densities. It is observed that lower
      monolayer densities lead to reduced COFs, in contrast to results for planar
      systems where COF is found to be nearly independent of monolayer density. This is
      attributed to a liquid-like response to shear, whereby fewer defects are imparted
      in monolayer chains from the asperity, and chains are easily displaced by the tip
      as a result of the higher free volume. This transition in the mechanism of
      molecular plowing suggests that liquid-like films should provide favorable
      lubrication at single-asperity contacts.

PMID- 28915732
TI  - Virial Coefficients and Equations of State for Hard Polyhedron Fluids.
AB  - Hard polyhedra are a natural extension of the hard sphere model for simple
      fluids, but there is no general scheme for predicting the effect of shape on
      thermodynamic properties, even in moderate-density fluids. Only the second virial
      coefficient is known analytically for general convex shapes, so higher-order
      equations of state have been elusive. Here we investigate high-precision state
      functions in the fluid phase of 14 representative polyhedra with different
      assembly behaviors. We discuss historic efforts in analytically approximating
      virial coefficients up to B4 and numerically evaluating them to B8. Using virial
      coefficients as inputs, we show the convergence properties for four equations of
      state for hard convex bodies. In particular, the exponential approximant of
      Barlow et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 2012, 137, 204102) is found to be useful up to the
      first ordering transition for most polyhedra. The convergence behavior we explore
      can guide choices in expending additional resources for improved estimates.
      Fluids of arbitrary hard convex bodies are too complicated to be described in a
      general way at high densities, so the high-precision state data we provide can
      serve as a reference for future work in calculating state data or as a basis for
      thermodynamic integration.

PMID- 28915733
TI  - Ab Initio Studies of the Diffusion of Intrinsic Defects and Silicon Dopants in
      Bulk InAs.
AB  - We expose the predominant diffusional pathways for In and As in InAs, as well as
      dopant Si atoms in InAs, using Nudged Elastic Band calculations in conjunction
      with accurate Density Functional Theory calculations of the energy of defective
      systems. Our results show that As is a very fast diffuser compared to In and Si
      for both vacancy-assisted and interstitially mediated mechanisms. Larger indium
      atoms, on the other hand, are very slow diffusers and strongly prefer to remain
      on the In sublattice. Silicon also prefers to stay in substitutional sites in the
      In sublattice, in agreement with the fact that Si is used to create n-doped InAs.
      We find that the mechanism by which Si diffuses within the InAs lattice is very
      unlikely to proceed via vacancy-assisted jumps, since these routes encounter
      energy barriers above 2 eV. In contrast, silicon can readily make interstitial
      jumps since they occur with energy barriers as small as 0.23 eV. This suggests
      that an interstitial diffusion mechanism is strongly preferred for Si diffusion
      in InAs which challenges the common presumption made for another similar III-V
      compound, namely GaAs, that Si diffusion takes place via a vacancy-assisted
      mechanism.

PMID- 28915734
TI  - Ce in the +4 oxidation state: Anion photoelectron spectroscopy and
      photodissociation of small CexOyHz- molecules.
AB  - The anion photoelectron (PE) spectra of a range of small mono-cerium molecular
      species, along with the Ce2O4- and Ce3O6- stoichiometric clusters, are presented
      and analyzed with the support of density functional theory calculations. A common
      attribute of all of the neutral species is that the Ce centers in both the
      molecules and clusters are in the +4 oxidation state. In bulk ceria (CeO2), an
      unoccupied, narrow 4f band lies between the conventional valence (predominantly O
      2p) and conduction (Ce 5d) bands. Within the CeO2-, CeO3H2-, and Ce(OH)4- series,
      the PE spectra and computational results suggest that the Ce 6s-based molecular
      orbital is the singly occupied HOMO in CeO2- but becomes destabilized as the Ce
      4f-local orbital becomes stabilized with increasing coordination. CeO3-, a
      hyperoxide, undergoes photodissociation with 3.49 eV photon energy to form the
      stoichiometric neutral CeO2 and O-. In the CeO2-, Ce2O4- ,and Ce3O6-
      stoichiometric cluster series, the 6s destabilization with 4f stabilization is
      associated with increasing cluster size, suggesting that a bulk-like band
      structure may be realized with fairly small cluster sizes. The destabilization of
      the 6s-based molecular orbitals can be rationalized by their diffuse size
      relative to Ce-O bond lengths in a crystal structure, suggesting that 6s bands in
      the bulk may be relegated to the surface.

PMID- 28915735
TI  - The effect of finite pore length on ion structure and charging.
AB  - Nanoporous supercapacitors play an important role in modern energy storage
      systems, and their modeling is essential to predict and optimize the charging
      behaviour. Two classes of models have been developed that consist of finite and
      infinitely long pores. Here, we show that although both types of models predict
      qualitatively consistent results, there are important differences emerging due to
      the finite pore length. In particular, we find that the ion density inside a
      finite pore is not constant, but increases linearly from the pore entrance to the
      pore end, where the ions form a strongly layered structure. This hinders a direct
      quantitative comparison between the two models. In addition, we show that
      although the ion density between the electrodes changes appreciably with the
      applied potential, this change has a minor effect on charging. Our simulations
      also reveal a complex charging behaviour, which is adsorption-driven at high
      voltages, but it is dominated either by co-ion desorption or by adsorption of
      both types of ions at low voltages, depending on the ion concentration.

PMID- 28915736
TI  - Communication: A method to compute the transport coefficient of pure fluids
      diffusing through planar interfaces from equilibrium molecular dynamics
      simulations.
AB  - The computation of diffusion coefficients in molecular systems ranks among the
      most useful applications of equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. However,
      when dealing with the problem of fluid diffusion through vanishingly thin
      interfaces, classical techniques are not applicable. This is because the volume
      of space in which molecules diffuse is ill-defined. In such conditions, non
      equilibrium techniques allow for the computation of transport coefficients per
      unit interface width, but their weak point lies in their inability to isolate the
      contribution of the different physical mechanisms prone to impact the flux of
      permeating molecules. In this work, we propose a simple and accurate method to
      compute the diffusional transport coefficient of a pure fluid through a planar
      interface from equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, in the form of a
      diffusion coefficient per unit interface width. In order to demonstrate its
      validity and accuracy, we apply our method to the case study of a dilute gas
      diffusing through a smoothly repulsive single-layer porous solid. We believe this
      complementary technique can benefit to the interpretation of the results obtained
      on single-layer membranes by means of complex non-equilibrium methods.

PMID- 28915737
TI  - Periodic layers of a dodecagonal quasicrystal and a floating hexagonal crystal in
      sedimentation-diffusion equilibria of colloids.
AB  - We investigate the behaviour of a system of colloidal particles interacting with
      a hard-core and a repulsive square shoulder potential under the influence of a
      gravitational field using event-driven Brownian dynamics simulations. We use a
      fixed square shoulder diameter equal to 1.4 times the hard-core diameter of the
      colloids, for which we have previously calculated the equilibrium phase diagram
      considering two-dimensional disks [H. Pattabhiraman et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143,
      164905 (2015) and H. Pattabhiraman and M. Dijkstra, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 20,
      094003 (2017)]. The parameters in the simulations are chosen such that the
      pressure at the bottom of the sediment facilitates the formation of phases in
      accordance with the calculated phase diagram of the two-dimensional system. It is
      surprising that we observe the formation of layers with dodecagonal, square, and
      hexagonal symmetries at the relevant pressures in the three-dimensional
      sedimentation column. In addition, we also observe a re-entrant behaviour
      exhibited by the colloidal fluid phase, engulfing a hexagonal crystal phase, in
      the sedimentation column. In other words, a floating crystal is formed between
      the colloidal fluid regions.

PMID- 28915738
TI  - Re-examination of the Cs2 ground singlet X1Sigmag+ and triplet a3Sigmau+ states.
AB  - This paper clarifies the disagreement in the depth of the potential energy curve
      of the cesium dimer singlet ground state which has lasted for nearly a decade. We
      point out that the origin of this disagreement must be a technical misprint in
      the values of the three binding energies reported by Danzl et al. [Science 321,
      1062 (2008)], while the X1Sigmag+ state potential reported by Coxon and
      Hajigeorgiou [J. Chem. Phys. 132, 094105 (2010)], based on experimental data by
      Amiot and Dulieu [J. Chem. Phys. 117, 5155 (2002)], is quite correct. We have
      recalculated the potential energy function of the triplet ground state a3Sigmau+
      by using the available experimental data spanning both the attractive and the
      repulsive branches so that the potential energy function complies asymptotically
      with the singlet ground state X1Sigmag+ potential energy function by Coxon and
      Hajigeorgiou. This is important for the simulation of the near dissociation
      properties such as Feshbach resonances, which are typically observed in modern
      experiments with ultracold atoms and molecules.

PMID- 28915739
TI  - Many-body expansion of the Fock matrix in the fragment molecular orbital method.
AB  - A many-body expansion of the Fock matrix in the fragment molecular orbital method
      is derived up to three-body terms for restricted Hartree-Fock and density
      functional theory in the atomic orbital basis and compared to the expansion in
      the basis of fragment molecular orbitals (MOs). The physical nature of many-body
      corrections is revealed in terms of charge transfer terms. An improvement of the
      fragment MO expansion is proposed by adding exchange to the embedding. The
      accuracy of all developed methods is demonstrated in comparison to unfragmented
      results for polyalanines, a water cluster, Trp-cage (PDB: 1L2Y) and crambin (PDB:
      1CRN) proteins, a zeolite cluster, a Si nano-wire, and a boron nitride ribbon.
      The physical nature of metallicity is discussed, and it is shown what kinds of
      metallic systems can be treated by fragment-based methods. The density of states
      is calculated for a fully closed and a partially open nano-ring of boron nitride
      with a diameter of 105 nm.

PMID- 28915740
TI  - Charge compensation at the interface between the polar NaCl(111) surface and a
      NaCl aqueous solution.
AB  - Periodic supercell models of electric double layers formed at the interface
      between a charged surface and an electrolyte are subject to serious finite size
      errors and require certain adjustments in the treatment of the long-range
      electrostatic interactions. In a previous publication Zhang and Sprik [Phys. Rev.
      B 94, 245309 (2016)], we have shown how this can be achieved using finite field
      methods. The test system was the familiar simple point charge model of a NaCl
      aqueous solution confined between two oppositely charged walls. Here this method
      is extended to the interface between the (111) polar surface of a NaCl crystal
      and a high concentration NaCl aqueous solution. The crystal is kept completely
      rigid and the compensating charge screening the polarization can only be provided
      by the electrolyte. We verify that the excess electrolyte ionic charge at the
      interface conforms to the Tasker 1/2 rule for compensating charge in the theory
      of polar rock salt (111) surfaces. The interface can be viewed as an electric
      double layer with a net charge. We define a generalized Helmholtz capacitance CH
      which can be computed by varying the applied electric field. We find CH=8.23 MUF
      cm-2, which should be compared to the 4.23 MUF cm-2 for the (100) non-polar
      surface of the same NaCl crystal. This is rationalized by the observation that
      compensating ions shed their first solvation shell adsorbing as contact ions
      pairs on the polar surface.

PMID- 28915741
TI  - Variation of ionic conductivity in a plastic-crystalline mixture.
AB  - Ionically conducting plastic crystals (PCs) are possible candidates for solid
      state electrolytes in energy-storage devices. Interestingly, the admixture of
      larger molecules to the most prominent molecular PC electrolyte, succinonitrile,
      was shown to drastically enhance its ionic conductivity. Therefore, binary
      mixtures seem to be a promising way to tune the conductivity of such solid-state
      electrolytes. However, to elucidate the general mechanisms of ionic charge
      transport in plastic crystals and the influence of mixing, a much broader
      database is needed. In the present work, we investigate mixtures of two well
      known plastic-crystalline systems, cyclohexanol and cyclooctanol, to which 1 mol.
      % of Li ions were added. Applying differential scanning calorimetry and
      dielectric spectroscopy, we present a thorough investigation of the phase
      behavior and the ionic and dipolar dynamics of this system. All mixtures reveal
      plastic-crystalline phases with corresponding orientational glass-transitions.
      Moreover, their conductivity seems to be dominated by the "revolving-door"
      mechanism, implying a close coupling between the ionic translational and the
      molecular reorientational dynamics of the surrounding plastic-crystalline matrix.
      In contrast to succinonitrile-based mixtures, there is no strong variation of
      this coupling with the mixing ratio.

PMID- 28915742
TI  - The Gibbs free energy of homogeneous nucleation: From atomistic nuclei to the
      planar limit.
AB  - In this paper we discuss how the information contained in atomistic simulations
      of homogeneous nucleation should be used when fitting the parameters in
      macroscopic nucleation models. We show how the number of solid and liquid atoms
      in such simulations can be determined unambiguously by using a Gibbs dividing
      surface and how the free energy as a function of the number of solid atoms in the
      nucleus can thus be extracted. We then show that the parameters (the chemical
      potential, the interfacial free energy, and a Tolman correction) of a model based
      on classical nucleation theory can be fitted using the information contained in
      these free-energy profiles but that the parameters in such models are highly
      correlated. This correlation is unfortunate as it ensures that small errors in
      the computed free energy surface can give rise to large errors in the
      extrapolated properties of the fitted model. To resolve this problem we thus
      propose a method for fitting macroscopic nucleation models that uses simulations
      of planar interfaces and simulations of three-dimensional nuclei in tandem. We
      show that when the chemical potentials and the interface energy are pinned to
      their planar-interface values, more precise estimates for the Tolman length are
      obtained. Extrapolating the free energy profile obtained from small simulation
      boxes to larger nuclei is thus more reliable.

PMID- 28915743
TI  - Electronic orbital response of regular extended and infinite periodic systems to
      magnetic fields. I. Theoretical foundations for static case.
AB  - A theoretical treatment for the orbital response of an infinite, periodic system
      to a static, homogeneous, magnetic field is presented. It is assumed that the
      system of interest has an energy gap separating occupied and unoccupied orbitals
      and a zero Chern number. In contrast to earlier studies, we do not utilize a
      perturbation expansion, although we do assume the field is sufficiently weak that
      the occurrence of Landau levels can be ignored. The theory is developed by
      analyzing results for large, finite systems and also by comparing with the
      analogous treatment of an electrostatic field. The resulting many-electron
      Hamilton operator is forced to be hermitian, but hermiticity is not preserved, in
      general, for the subsequently derived single-particle operators that determine
      the electronic orbitals. However, we demonstrate that when focusing on the
      canonical solutions to the single-particle equations, hermiticity is preserved.
      The issue of gauge-origin dependence of approximate solutions is addressed. Our
      approach is compared with several previously proposed treatments, whereby
      limitations in some of the latter are identified.

PMID- 28915744
TI  - Communication: Charge transfer dominates over proton transfer in the reaction of
      nitric acid with gas-phase hydrated electrons.
AB  - The reaction of HNO3 with hydrated electrons (H2O)n- (n = 35-65) in the gas phase
      was studied using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass
      spectrometry and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Kinetic analysis of
      the experimental data shows that OH-(H2O)m is formed primarily via a reaction of
      the hydrated electron with HNO3 inside the cluster, while proton transfer is not
      observed and NO3-(H2O)m is just a secondary product. The reaction enthalpy was
      determined using nanocalorimetry, revealing a quite exothermic charge transfer
      with -241 +/- 69 kJ mol-1. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations indicate that
      proton transfer is an allowed reaction pathway, but the overall thermochemistry
      favors charge transfer.

PMID- 28915745
TI  - Non-local effects of point mutations on the stability of a protein module.
AB  - We combine experimental and theoretical methods to assess the effect of a set of
      point mutations on c7A, a highly mechanostable type I cohesin module from
      scaffoldin CipA from Clostridium thermocellum. We propose a novel robust and
      computationally expedient theoretical method to determine the effects of point
      mutations on protein structure and stability. We use all-atom simulations to
      predict structural shifts with respect to the native protein and then analyze the
      mutants using a coarse-grained model. We examine transitions in contacts between
      residues and find that changes in the contact map usually involve a non-local
      component that can extend up to 50 A. We have identified mutations that may lead
      to a substantial increase in mechanical and thermodynamic stabilities by making
      systematic substitutions into alanine and phenylalanine in c7A. Experimental
      measurements of the mechanical stability and circular dichroism data agree
      qualitatively with the predictions provided the thermal stability is calculated
      using only the contacts within the secondary structures.

PMID- 28915746
TI  - Single, double, and triple Auger decays from 1s shake-up states of the oxygen
      molecule.
AB  - The single, double, and triple Auger decays from the 1s shake-up states of O2
      have been studied using a multi-electron coincidence method. Efficient
      populations of two-hole final states are observed in single Auger decays of the
      pi-pi* shake-up states, which is understood as a characteristic property of the
      Auger transitions from shake-up states of an open-shell molecule. The O23+
      populations formed by double Auger decays show similar profiles for both the O1s
      1 and shake-up states, which is due to the contributions from cascade double
      Auger processes. While the cascade contributions to the double Auger decays
      increase with the initial shake-up energy, the probability of direct double Auger
      processes remains unchanged between the O1s-1 and shake-up states, which implies
      a weak influence of the excited electron on the double Auger emission that
      originates from the electron correlation effect.

PMID- 28915747
TI  - Mechanisms and rates of nucleation of amyloid fibrils.
AB  - The classical nucleation theory finds the rate of nucleation proportional to the
      monomer concentration raised to the power, which is the "critical nucleus size,"
      nc. The implicit assumption, that amyloids nucleate in the same way, has been
      recently challenged by an alternative two-step mechanism, when the soluble
      monomers first form a metastable aggregate (micelle) and then undergo conversion
      into the conformation rich in beta-strands that are able to form a stable growing
      nucleus for the protofilament. Here we put together the elements of extensive
      knowledge about aggregation and nucleation kinetics, using a specific case of
      Abeta1-42 amyloidogenic peptide for illustration, to find theoretical expressions
      for the effective rate of amyloid nucleation. We find that at low monomer
      concentrations in solution and also at low interaction energy between two peptide
      conformations in the micelle, the nucleation occurs via the classical route. At
      higher monomer concentrations, and a range of other interaction parameters
      between peptides, the two-step "aggregation-conversion" mechanism of nucleation
      takes over. In this regime, the effective rate of the process can be interpreted
      as a power of monomer concentration in a certain range of parameters; however,
      the exponent is determined by a complicated interplay of interaction parameters
      and is not related to the minimum size of the growing nucleus (which we find to
      be ~7-8 for Abeta1-42).

PMID- 28915748
TI  - Magnetic two-dimensional organic topological insulator: Au-1,3,5
      triethynylbenzene framework.
AB  - Based on first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that the recently
      synthesized 2D organometallic framework consisting of Au atoms and 1,3,5
      triethynylbenzene (Au-TEB) is a magnetic 2D organic topological insulator (OTI).
      The charge transfer and covalent bonding character lead to ferromagnetism and
      half-metallicity in the framework, and the weak spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of C pz
      orbitals mediated by Au d orbitals opens modest bandgaps in the vicinity of the
      Fermi level. Moreover, using tight-binding model simulations, we further
      characterize the nonzero Chern number and edge states of Au-TEB to confirm its
      topological nontriviality that remains intact when the framework is supported on
      an insulating substrate, and applying an external strain can increase the
      magnitude of SOC gaps, leading to an enhanced topological nontriviality. Our
      results suggest that the Au-TEB organometallic framework is promising for the
      potential applications in quantum spintronics with the merits of low cost and
      easy synthesis.

PMID- 28915749
TI  - Note: Effect of a small surface defect on the Smoluchowski rate constant and
      capacitance of a spherical capacitor.

PMID- 28915750
TI  - Near-infrared spectroscopy and anharmonic theory of the H2O+Ar1,2 cation
      complexes.
AB  - Weakly bound complexes of the water radical cation with argon (H2O+Arn, n = 1,2)
      were generated by an electrical discharge/supersonic expansion and probed with
      mid- and near-infrared photodissociation spectroscopy in the 2050-4550 and 4850
      7350 cm-1 regions. To elucidate these spectra, these complexes were studied
      computationally at the CCSD(T) level including anharmonicity with the VPT2
      method. The comparison between experiment and predicted spectra demonstrates that
      the VPT2 method is adequate to capture most of the vibrational band positions and
      their intensities. In addition to the fundamentals, overtones of the symmetric
      and the asymmetric water stretches and their combination were detected.
      Additional bands were assigned to combinations of the overtone of the bound O-H
      stretch with multiple excitation levels of the intermolecular Ar-H stretch.
      H2O+Ar2 could not be dissociated in the higher frequency region (4850-7350 cm-1).

PMID- 28915751
TI  - Photobleaching of randomly rotating fluorescently decorated particles.
AB  - Randomly rotating particles that have been isotropically labeled with rigidly
      linked fluorophores will undergo non-isotropic (patchy) photobleaching under
      illumination due to the dipole coupling of fluorophores with light. For a
      rotational diffusion rate D of the particle and a photobleaching time scale tau
      of the fluorophores, the dynamics of this process are characterized by the
      dimensionless combination Dtau. We find significant interparticle fluctuations at
      intermediate Dtau. These fluctuations vanish at both large and small Dtau or at
      small or large elapsed times t. Associated with these fluctuations between
      particles, we also observe transient non-monotonicities of the brightness of
      individual particles. These non-monotonicities can be as much as 20% of the
      original brightness. We show that these novel photobleach-fluctuations dominate
      over variability of single-fluorophore orientation when there are at least 103
      fluorophores on individual particles.

PMID- 28915752
TI  - A new insight into diffusional escape from a biased cylindrical trap.
AB  - Recent experiments with single biological nanopores, as well as single-molecule
      fluorescence spectroscopy and pulling studies of protein and nucleic acid folding
      raised a number of questions that stimulated theoretical and computational
      investigations of barrier crossing dynamics. The present paper addresses a
      closely related problem focusing on trajectories of Brownian particles that
      escape from a cylindrical trap in the presence of a force F parallel to the
      cylinder axis. To gain new insights into the escape dynamics, we analyze the
      "fine structure" of these trajectories. Specifically, we divide trajectories into
      two segments: a looping segment, when a particle unsuccessfully tries to escape
      returning to the trap bottom again and again, and a direct-transit segment, when
      it finally escapes moving without touching the bottom. Analytical expressions are
      derived for the Laplace transforms of the probability densities of the durations
      of the two segments. These expressions are used to find the mean looping and
      direct-transit times as functions of the biasing force F. It turns out that the
      force-dependences of the two mean times are qualitatively different. The mean
      looping time monotonically increases as F decreases, approaching exponential F
      dependence at large negative forces pushing the particle towards the trap bottom.
      In contrast to this intuitively appealing behavior, the mean direct-transit time
      shows rather counterintuitive behavior: it decreases as the force magnitude, |F|,
      increases independently of whether the force pushes the particles to the trap
      bottom or to the exit from the trap, having a maximum at F = 0.

PMID- 28915753
TI  - Non-renewal statistics for electron transport in a molecular junction with
      electron-vibration interaction.
AB  - Quantum transport of electrons through a molecule is a series of individual
      electron tunneling events separated by stochastic waiting time intervals. We
      study the emergence of temporal correlations between successive waiting times for
      the electron transport in a vibrating molecular junction. Using the master
      equation approach, we compute the joint probability distribution for waiting
      times of two successive tunneling events. We show that the probability
      distribution is completely reset after each tunneling event if molecular
      vibrations are thermally equilibrated. If we treat vibrational dynamics exactly
      without imposing the equilibration constraint, the statistics of electron
      tunneling events become non-renewal. Non-renewal statistics between two waiting
      times tau1 and tau2 means that the density matrix of the molecule is not fully
      renewed after time tau1 and the probability of observing waiting time tau2 for
      the second electron transfer depends on the previous electron waiting time tau1.
      The strong electron-vibration coupling is required for the emergence of the non
      renewal statistics. We show that in the Franck-Condon blockade regime, extremely
      rare tunneling events become positively correlated.

PMID- 28915755
TI  - Defects and oxidation of group-III monochalcogenide monolayers.
AB  - Among various two-dimensional (2D) materials, monolayer group-III
      monochalcogenides (GaS, GaSe, InS, and InSe) stand out owing to their potential
      applications in microelectronics and optoelectronics. Devices made of these novel
      2D materials are sensitive to environmental gases, especially O2 molecules. To
      address this critical issue, here we systematically investigate the oxidization
      behaviors of perfect and defective group-III monochalcogenide monolayers by first
      principles calculations. The perfect monolayers show superior oxidation
      resistance with large barriers of 3.02-3.20 eV for the dissociation and
      chemisorption of O2 molecules. In contrast, the defective monolayers with single
      chalcogen vacancy are vulnerable to O2, showing small barriers of only 0.26-0.36
      eV for the chemisorption of an O2 molecule. Interestingly, filling an O2 molecule
      to the chalcogen vacancy of group-III monochalcogenide monolayers could preserve
      the electronic band structure of the perfect system-the bandgaps are almost
      intact and the carrier effective masses are only moderately disturbed. On the
      other hand, the defective monolayers with single vacancies of group-III atoms
      carry local magnetic moments of 1-2 MUB. These results help experimental design
      and synthesis of group-III monochalcogenides based 2D devices with high
      performance and stability.

PMID- 28915756
TI  - A thermally driven differential mutation approach for the structural optimization
      of large atomic systems.
AB  - A computational method is presented which is capable to obtain low lying energy
      structures of topological amorphous systems. The method merges a differential
      mutation genetic algorithm with simulated annealing. This is done by
      incorporating a thermal selection criterion, which makes it possible to reliably
      obtain low lying minima with just a small population size and is suitable for
      multimodal structural optimization. The method is tested on the structural
      optimization of amorphous graphene from unbiased atomic starting configurations.
      With just a population size of six systems, energetically very low structures are
      obtained. While each of the structures represents a distinctly different
      arrangement of the atoms, their properties, such as energy, distribution of
      rings, radial distribution function, coordination number, and distribution of
      bond angles, are very similar.

PMID- 28915754
TI  - Modeling the mechanism of CLN025 beta-hairpin formation.
AB  - Beta-hairpins are substructures found in proteins that can lend insight into more
      complex systems. Furthermore, the folding of beta-hairpins is a valuable test
      case for benchmarking experimental and theoretical methods. Here, we simulate the
      folding of CLN025, a miniprotein with a beta-hairpin structure, at its
      experimental melting temperature using a range of state-of-the-art protein force
      fields. We construct Markov state models in order to examine the thermodynamics,
      kinetics, mechanism, and rate-determining step of folding. Mechanistically, we
      find the folding process is rate-limited by the formation of the turn region
      hydrogen bonds, which occurs following the downhill hydrophobic collapse of the
      extended denatured protein. These results are presented in the context of
      established and contradictory theories of the beta-hairpin folding process.
      Furthermore, our analysis suggests that the AMBER-FB15 force field, at this
      temperature, best describes the characteristics of the full experimental CLN025
      conformational ensemble, while the AMBER ff99SB-ILDN and CHARMM22* force fields
      display a tendency to overstabilize the native state.

PMID- 28915757
TI  - Liquid bridging of cylindrical colloids in near-critical solvents.
AB  - Within mean field theory, we investigate the bridging transition between a pair
      of parallel cylindrical colloids immersed in a binary liquid mixture as a solvent
      that is close to its critical consolute point Tc. We determine the universal
      scaling functions of the effective potential and of the force between the
      colloids. For a solvent that is at the critical concentration and close to Tc, we
      find that the critical Casimir force is the dominant interaction at close
      separations. This agrees very well with the corresponding Derjaguin approximation
      for the effective interaction between the two cylinders, while capillary forces
      originating from the extension of the liquid bridge turn out to be more important
      at large separations. In addition, we are able to infer from the wetting
      characteristics of the individual colloids the first-order transition of the
      liquid bridge connecting two colloidal particles to the ruptured state. While
      specific to cylindrical colloids, the results presented here also provide an
      outline for identifying critical Casimir forces acting on bridged colloidal
      particles as such and for analyzing the bridging transition between them.

PMID- 28915758
TI  - Co-adsorption of water and oxygen on GaN: Effects of charge transfer and
      formation of electron depletion layer.
AB  - Species from ambient atmosphere such as water and oxygen are known to affect
      electronic and optical properties of GaN, but the underlying mechanism is not
      clearly known. In this work, we show through careful measurement of electrical
      resistivity and photoluminescence intensity under various adsorbates that the
      presence of oxygen or water vapor alone is not sufficient to induce electron
      transfer to these species. Rather, the presence of both water and oxygen is
      necessary to induce electron transfer from GaN that leads to the formation of an
      electron depletion region on the surface. Exposure to acidic gases decreases n
      type conductivity due to increased electron transfer from GaN, while basic gases
      increase n-type conductivity and PL intensity due to reduced charge transfer from
      GaN. These changes in the electrical and optical properties, as explained using a
      new electrochemical framework based on the phenomenon of surface transfer doping,
      suggest that gases interact with the semiconductor surface through
      electrochemical reactions occurring in an adsorbed water layer present on the
      surface.

PMID- 28915759
TI  - An ab initio study of hydroxylated graphane.
AB  - Graphene-based derivatives with covalent functionalization and well-defined
      stoichiometry are highly desirable in view of their application as functional
      surfaces. Here, we have evaluated by ab initio calculations the energy of
      formation and the phase diagram of hydroxylated graphane structures, i.e., fully
      functionalized graphene derivatives coordinated with -H and -OH groups. We
      compared these structures to different hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated graphene
      oxide derivatives, with high level of epoxide and hydroxyl groups
      functionalization. Based on our calculations, stable phases of hydroxylated
      graphane with low and high contents of hydrogen are demonstrated for high oxygen
      and hydrogen partial pressure, respectively. Stable phases of graphene oxide with
      a mixed carbon hybridization are also found. Notably, the synthesis of
      hydroxylated graphane has been recently reported in the literature.

PMID- 28915760
TI  - Molybdenum disulfide and water interaction parameters.
AB  - Understanding the interaction between water and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is of
      crucial importance to investigate the physics of various applications involving
      MoS2 and water interfaces. An accurate force field is required to describe water
      and MoS2 interactions. In this work, water-MoS2 force field parameters are
      derived using the high-accuracy random phase approximation (RPA) method and
      validated by comparing to experiments. The parameters obtained from the RPA
      method result in water-MoS2 interface properties (solid-liquid work of adhesion)
      in good comparison to the experimental measurements. An accurate description of
      MoS2-water interaction will facilitate the study of MoS2 in applications such as
      DNA sequencing, sea water desalination, and power generation.

PMID- 28915761
TI  - A potential model for sodium chloride solutions based on the TIP4P/2005 water
      model.
AB  - Despite considerable efforts over more than two decades, our knowledge of the
      interactions in electrolyte solutions is not yet satisfactory. Not even one of
      the most simple and important aqueous solutions, NaCl(aq), escapes this
      assertion. A requisite for the development of a force field for any water
      solution is the availability of a good model for water. Despite the fact that
      TIP4P/2005 seems to fulfill the requirement, little work has been devoted to
      build a force field based on TIP4P/2005. In this work, we try to fill this gap
      for NaCl(aq). After unsuccessful attempts to produce accurate predictions for a
      wide range of properties using unity ionic charges, we decided to follow recent
      suggestions indicating that the charges should be scaled in the ionic solution.
      In this way, we have been able to develop a satisfactory non-polarizable force
      field for NaCl(aq). We evaluate a number of thermodynamic properties of the
      solution (equation of state, maximum in density, enthalpies of solution, activity
      coefficients, radial distribution functions, solubility, surface tension,
      diffusion coefficients, and viscosity). Overall the results for the solution are
      very good. An important achievement of our model is that it also accounts for the
      dynamical properties of the solution, a test for which the force fields so far
      proposed failed. The same is true for the solubility and for the maximum in
      density where the model describes the experimental results almost quantitatively.
      The price to pay is that the model is not so good at describing NaCl in the solid
      phase, although the results for several properties (density and melting
      temperature) are still acceptable. We conclude that the scaling of the charges
      improves the overall description of NaCl aqueous solutions when the polarization
      is not included.

PMID- 28915762
TI  - On the relationship between the local segmental dynamics and the tagged monomer
      dynamics in lamellar phases of diblock copolymers.
AB  - In this brief article, we present results from coarse-grained molecular dynamics
      simulations which probed the relationship between the local segmental dynamics
      and the tagged monomer dynamics in lamellar phases of diblock copolymers. Our
      results demonstrate that monomer relaxation times do not provide directly a
      quantitatively accurate measure of the spatial variations in segmental dynamics.
      However, a convolution of the monomer density distributions with their
      corresponding relaxation times is shown to provide an approximate, but accurate,
      quantitative characterization of the average local segmental dynamics.

PMID- 28915763
TI  - Extended screened exchange functional derived from transcorrelated density
      functional theory.
AB  - We propose a new formulation of the correlation energy functional derived from
      the transcorrelated method in use in density functional theory (TC-DFT). An
      effective Hamiltonian, HTC, is introduced by a similarity transformation of a
      many-body Hamiltonian, H, with respect to a complex function F: HTC=1FHF. It is
      proved that an expectation value of HTC for a normalized single Slater
      determinant, Dn, corresponds to the total energy: E[n] =
      ?Psin|H|Psin?/?Psin|Psin? = ?Dn|HTC|Dn? under the two assumptions: (1) The
      electron density nr associated with a trial wave function Psin = DnF is v
      representable and (2) Psin and Dn give rise to the same electron density nr. This
      formulation, therefore, provides an alternative expression of the total energy
      that is useful for the development of novel correlation energy functionals. By
      substituting a specific function for F, we successfully derived a model
      correlation energy functional, which resembles the functional form of the
      screened exchange method. The proposed functional, named the extended screened
      exchange (ESX) functional, is described within two-body integrals and is
      parametrized for a numerically exact correlation energy of the homogeneous
      electron gas. The ESX functional does not contain any ingredients of (semi-)local
      functionals and thus is totally free from self-interactions. The computational
      cost for solving the self-consistent-field equation is comparable to that of the
      Hartree-Fock method. We apply the ESX functional to electronic structure
      calculations for a solid silicon, H- ion, and small atoms. The results
      demonstrate that the TC-DFT formulation is promising for the systematic
      improvement of the correlation energy functional.

PMID- 28915764
TI  - Sequence dependent aggregation of peptides and fibril formation.
AB  - Deciphering the links between amino acid sequence and amyloid fibril formation is
      key for understanding protein misfolding diseases. Here we use Monte Carlo
      simulations to study the aggregation of short peptides in a coarse-grained model
      with hydrophobic-polar (HP) amino acid sequences and correlated side chain
      orientations for hydrophobic contacts. A significant heterogeneity is observed in
      the aggregate structures and in the thermodynamics of aggregation for systems of
      different HP sequences and different numbers of peptides. Fibril-like ordered
      aggregates are found for several sequences that contain the common HPH pattern,
      while other sequences may form helix bundles or disordered aggregates. A wide
      variation of the aggregation transition temperatures among sequences, even among
      those of the same hydrophobic fraction, indicates that not all sequences undergo
      aggregation at a presumable physiological temperature. The transition is found to
      be the most cooperative for sequences forming fibril-like structures. For a
      fibril-prone sequence, it is shown that fibril formation follows the nucleation
      and growth mechanism. Interestingly, a binary mixture of peptides of an
      aggregation-prone and a non-aggregation-prone sequence shows the association and
      conversion of the latter to the fibrillar structure. Our study highlights the
      role of a sequence in selecting fibril-like aggregates and also the impact of a
      structural template on fibril formation by peptides of unrelated sequences.

PMID- 28915765
TI  - The parameter uncertainty inflation fallacy.
AB  - Statistical estimation of the prediction uncertainty of physical models is
      typically hindered by the inadequacy of these models due to various
      approximations they are built upon. The prediction errors caused by model
      inadequacy can be handled either by correcting the model's results or by adapting
      the model's parameter uncertainty to generate prediction uncertainties
      representative, in a way to be defined, of model inadequacy errors. The main
      advantage of the latter approach (thereafter called PUI, for Parameter
      Uncertainty Inflation) is its transferability to the prediction of other
      quantities of interest based on the same parameters. A critical review of
      implementations of PUI in several areas of computational chemistry shows that it
      is biased, in the sense that it does not produce prediction uncertainty bands
      conforming to model inadequacy errors.

PMID- 28915766
TI  - Should an LDL-Cholesterol Target-Based Approach Be Readopted?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review clinical trials driving the evolution of hyperlipidemic
      guidelines, discuss whether low-density lipoprotein (LDL) targets and adjunctive
      therapy on top of statins should be used, and summarize the pharmacist's role in
      helping achieve LDL goals. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE search (1/1980-5/2017) using
      terms including LDL, lipid, and statin, with forward and backward citation
      tracking. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: English-language studies and
      guidelines assessing LDL-lowering therapy were included. DATA SYNTHESIS: In 2013,
      the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC)
      hyperlipidemic guideline stepped back from LDL goals opting for statin
      monotherapy with an intensity of dosing predicated on baseline risk. This was
      driven by abundant clinical trial evidence for the statins, with adjunctive
      therapy on top of statins failing to show substantial benefit. However, recent
      evidence suggests that returning to LDL goals is warranted and adjuvant ezetimibe
      or PCSK9 inhibitor therapy may further reduce cardiovascular events. This is
      reflected in some society guidelines but not from the AHA/ACC. Pharmacists are
      well positioned to help achieve LDL goals, as they have positively affected LDL
      goal attainment across a multitude of settings. CONCLUSIONS: Statins are the
      mainstay of therapy but patients should have LDL targets, and if patients on
      maximally tolerated statin doses are not at goal, adjunctive therapy with
      ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors may improve outcomes. In the emerging LDL goal
      paradigm, the pharmacist has a critical role to play.

PMID- 28915767
TI  - Sick leave among people in paid work after age 65: A Swedish population-based
      study covering 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010.
AB  - AIMS: Extending working life into older age groups is discussed in many
      countries. However, there is no knowledge about how this affects rates of sick
      leave. The aim of this work was to investigate rates of sick leave among people
      in paid work after retirement age and if such rates have changed over time.
      METHODS: Swedish nationwide register data on people aged >65 years and living in
      Sweden in 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 were analysed. All people with a sufficiently
      high work income to be eligible for public sick leave benefits were included. The
      proportions in paid work and compensated rates of sick leave for people aged 66
      70 and >=71 were analysed by sex, educational level, country of birth, living
      area, and employment type and sector. RESULTS: The percentage of people in paid
      work at ages 66-70 years increased from <10% in 1995 to 24% in 2010 and among
      those aged >=71 years from 2.7% in 1995 to 3.5% in 2010. The rates of sick leave
      among working people aged 66-70 years were 3.3% in 1995 and 2.4% in 2010 and for
      people aged >=71 years the rates of sick leave were 2.2% in 1995 and 0.2% in
      2010. Women had higher rates of sick leave than men in 2005 and 2010, but lower
      in 1995 and 2000. In 2010, the rates of sick leave were similar between employees
      and the self-employed, and higher among employees in the public sector than among
      employees in the private sector. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of sick leave among workers
      aged >65 years were lower in 2010 than in 1995, despite much higher rates of
      labour market participation in 2010.

PMID- 28915768
TI  - Isotopic composition of bottled water in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - The 18O/16O and 2H/1H ratios of 18 water brands representing the most popular
      bottled water brands in the Saudi market were measured using a system based on
      the latest advancements in tunable off-axis integrated cavity output diode laser
      spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) in the near-infrared spectral region. Utilizing delta18O
      and the delta2H values of locally produced water samples, a meteoric water line
      (delta2H = 7.84 delta18O + 2.11) was extracted and found to be consistent with
      the slope of the global meteoric water line (GMWL) and the geographic location of
      Saudi Arabia.

PMID- 28915769
TI  - Robotic lymphadenectomy of an internal mammary lymph node metastasis.
AB  - A 58-year-old woman was diagnosed with a left-sided lone internal mammary swollen
      lymph node on a routine follow-up computer tomography, 42 months after a left
      mastectomy in the context of a ductal carcinoma grade III. The suspected
      metastasis was successfully removed in toto using a 3-port-da Vinci robotic
      procedure and the patient was discharged home without any complication on the
      third postoperative day. Robotically assisted oncological lymph node removal is
      safe, easily performed and economically affordable.

PMID- 28915770
TI  - Helmet-induced headache among Danish military personnel.
AB  - AIMS: External compression headache is defined as a headache caused by an
      external physical compression applied on the head. It affects about 4% of the
      general population; however, certain populations (e.g. construction workers and
      military personnel) with particular needs of headwear or helmet are at higher
      risk of developing this type of headache. External compression headache is poorly
      studied in relation to specific populations. This study aimed to investigate the
      prevalence and pattern of helmet-induced external compression headache among
      Danish military personnel of the Northern Jutland region in Denmark. METHODS:
      Data acquisition was based on a custom-made questionnaire delivered to volunteers
      who used helmets in the Danish military service and who agreed to participate in
      this study. The military of the Northern Jutland region of Denmark facilitated
      recruitment of the participants. The questionnaires were delivered on paper and
      the collected (anonymous) answers (total 279) were used for further analysis.
      RESULTS: About 30% of the study participants reported headache in relation to
      wearing a military helmet. Headache was defined as a pressing pain predominantly
      in the front of the head with an average intensity of 4 on a visual analogue
      scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). It was also found that
      helmets with different designs influenced both the occurrence of headache and its
      characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to demonstrate the
      prevalence and pattern of compression headache among military personnel in North
      Jutland, Denmark. The findings of this study call for further attention to helmet
      induced external compression headache and strategies to minimize the burden.

PMID- 28915771
TI  - Low Back Pain With Impact at 17 Years of Age Is Predicted by Early Adolescent
      Risk Factors From Multiple Domains: Analysis of the Western Australian Pregnancy
      Cohort (Raine) Study.
AB  - Study Design Prospective cohort study of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort
      (Raine) Study. Background Low back pain (LBP) commonly develops in adolescence
      and is a significant risk factor for adult LBP. A broad range of factors have
      been associated with the development of adolescent LBP, but prior literature has
      limitations related to characterization of LBP and the scope of risk factors
      considered. Objective This study aimed to identify potential factors contributing
      to the development of LBP, with and without impact, at 17 years of age, utilizing
      a broad range of exposures at 14 years of age. Methods Data from 1088
      participants (52.1% female) with "no LBP," "LBP with minimal impact," and "LBP
      with impact" at 17 years of age and a range of measures from multiple domains,
      including spinal pain, physical, psychological, social, and lifestyle, at 14
      years of age were collected for the study. Multivariable multinomial logistic
      regression was used to estimate the association of potential mechanistic factors
      at 14 years of age with LBP at 17 years of age. Results Female sex and back pain
      at 14 years of age were strongly associated with LBP at 17 years of age.
      Potential mechanistic factors for LBP outcomes at 17 years of age included
      exposures from the pain (neck/shoulder pain) and physical domains (standing
      posture subgroup membership, back muscle endurance, throwing distance),
      psychological domain (somatic complaints, aggressive behavior), social domain
      (socioeconomic area), and lifestyle domain (exercise out of school). Conclusion
      The findings support the multidimensional nature of adolescent LBP and highlight
      the challenge this presents for epidemiological research, clinical practice, and
      prevention initiatives in the general population. Level of Evidence Prognosis,
      level 1b. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(10):752-762.
      doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7464.

PMID- 28915772
TI  - Hypermobility in Adolescent Athletes: Pain, Functional Ability, Quality of Life,
      and Musculoskeletal Injuries.
AB  - Study Design Cross-sectional. Background Generalized joint hypermobility (GJH)
      may increase pain and likelihood of injuries and also decrease function and
      health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elite-level adolescent athletes.
      Objective To assess the prevalence of GJH in elite-level adolescent athletes, and
      to study the association of GJH with pain, function, HRQoL, and musculoskeletal
      injuries. Methods A total of 132 elite-level adolescent athletes (36 adolescent
      boys, 96 adolescent girls; mean +/- SD age, 14.0 +/- 0.9 years), including ballet
      dancers (n = 22), TeamGym gymnasts (n = 57), and team handball players (n = 53),
      participated in the study. Generalized joint hypermobility was classified by
      Beighton score as GJH4 (4/9 or greater), GJH5 (5/9 or greater), and GJH6 (6/9 or
      greater). Function of the lower extremity, musculoskeletal injuries, and HRQoL
      were assessed with self-reported questionnaires, and part of physical performance
      was assessed by 4 postural-sway tests and 2 single-legged hop-for-distance tests.
      Results Overall prevalence rates for GJH4, GJH5, and GJH6 were 27.3%, 15.9%, and
      6.8%, respectively, with a higher prevalence of GJH4 in ballet dancers (68.2%)
      and TeamGym gymnasts (24.6%) than in team handball players (13.2%). There was no
      significant difference in lower extremity function, injury prevalence and related
      factors (exacerbation, recurrence, and absence from training), HRQoL, or lengths
      of hop tests for those with and without GJH. However, the GJH group had
      significantly larger center-of-pressure path length across sway tests. Conclusion
      For ballet dancers and TeamGym gymnasts, the prevalence of GJH4 was higher than
      that of team handball players. For ballet dancers, the prevalence of GJH5 and
      GJH6 was higher than that of team handball players and the general adolescent
      population. The GJH group demonstrated larger sway in the balance tests, which,
      in the current cross-sectional study, did not have an association with injuries
      or HRQoL. However, the risk of having (ankle) injuries due to larger sway for the
      GJH group must be studied in future longitudinal studies. J Orthop Sports Phys
      Ther 2017;47(10):792-800. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7682.

PMID- 28915773
TI  - Does Motor Development in Infancy Predict Spinal Pain in Later Childhood? A
      Cohort Study.
AB  - Study Design Longitudinal cohort study. Background Spinal pain is responsible for
      a huge personal and societal burden, but its etiology remains unclear. Deficits
      in motor control have been associated with spinal pain in adults, and delayed
      motor development is associated with a range of health problems and risks in
      children. Objective To assess whether there is an independent relationship
      between the age at which infants first sit and walk without support and spinal
      pain at 11 years of age. Methods Data from the Danish National Birth Cohort were
      analyzed, using the age at which children first sat and first walked without
      support as predictors. Parents reported the predictors when the children were 6
      months and 18 months of age, and also provided information in response to a
      comprehensive list of covariates, including child sex, birth weight, and
      cognitive development; socioeconomic indicators; and parental health variables.
      Outcomes were measured at 11 years of age using the Young Spine Questionnaire,
      which assesses the presence and intensity of spinal pain. Data were analyzed
      using multivariable logistic regression models to estimate determinants of neck,
      thoracic, lumbar, and multisite pain. Results The analyses included data from
      approximately 23 000 children and their parents. There were no consistent
      independent associations between the age at first sitting or walking and spinal
      pain at the age of 11. Odds ratios were between 0.95 and 1.00 for the various
      pain sites. Conclusion The age at which a child first sits or walks without
      support does not influence the likelihood that he or she will experience spinal
      pain in later childhood. Level of Evidence Prognosis, level 4. J Orthop Sports
      Phys Ther 2017;47(10):763-768. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7484.

PMID- 28915774
TI  - Pyoderma Gangrenosum: A Current Problem as Much as an Unknown One.
AB  - Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare neutrophilic inflammatory skin disease,
      characterized by recurrent skin ulcers, which in almost 50% of cases are
      associated with systemic autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis,
      chronic hepatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, paraproteinemias and hematological
      malignancies. A systematic search of literature for PG was carried out using the
      PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases for the purpose of this review and
      2780 articles were retrieved up to February 2017. Inflammation represents the
      predominant aspect of the disease, but its pathophysiological mechanisms are not
      completely clear yet, since there are many studies showing only one or more
      isolated findings of the disease. The goal of PG treatment is to reduce
      inflammation in order to promote ulcer healing by minimizing side effects of
      therapy. Several systemic and local treatments are available, but the lack of
      large randomized double-blind studies results in an absence of a uniform
      therapeutic standard: thus, more clinical studies are required in order to make
      head-to-head comparisons between combination and single-drug therapies and to
      identify specific combination therapies for distinctive clinical patterns of PG.

PMID- 28915775
TI  - Wound Healing and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Topical Hyaluronic Acid Injection
      in Surgical-Site Infection Caused by Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Surgical-site infection (SSI) is a common postoperative complication, primarily
      caused by Staphylococcus aureus. S aureus produces hyaluronidase which degrades
      hyaluronic acid (HA). HA prevents bacterial proliferation and has anti
      inflammatory effects to promote wound healing. We evaluated the effect of HA
      injection with systemic antibiotics for prevention and treatment of SSIs caused
      by S aureus. An open wound was created on the dorsum of 40 rats. The wound bed
      was sutured with S aureus inoculated thread. The test group was injected with HA
      (HA group), and the control group received a subcutaneous injection of normal
      saline (NS group). All groups were then treated with intraperitoneal cefazolin
      injection. The sutures were removed 2 days after the procedure. Gross pathology,
      bacterial count, and wound histology were assessed at days 2, 4, 6, and 8
      postprocedure. The HA group showed a significant reduction in the wound area
      compared with the control group on gross pathology (at days 8 postprocedure,
      36.54% +/- 6.12% vs 50.59% +/- 5.50%, P < .001). The HA group showed
      significantly better wound healing than the control group on histological
      analysis, including assessment of abscess, neutrophilic infiltration, and
      necrosis (4.2 +/- 1.2 vs 11.5 +/- 2.1, P < .001). The HA group showed a lower
      bacterial count compared with the NS group, but the result was not significant
      statistically (at days 6 postprocedure, 5.11 +/- 0.31 vs 5.91 +/- 0.35 logCFU/mL,
      P = .706). In conclusion, immediate local injection of HA in wounds can reduce
      SSI occurrence and promote wound healing in an animal model.

PMID- 28915776
TI  - Sharing the Vision-Innovation, Integration, and New Horizons: Report of the Third
      Transatlantic Wound Science and Podiatric Medicine Conference 2017.

PMID- 28915777
TI  - Unmet Needs in Wound Healing.

PMID- 28915778
TI  - Prosodic Variation and Segmental Reduction and Their Roles in Cuing Turn
      Transition in Swedish.
AB  - Prosody has often been identified alongside syntax as a cue to turn hold or turn
      transition in conversational interaction. However, evidence for which prosodic
      cues are most relevant, and how strong those cues are, has been somewhat
      scattered. The current study addresses prosodic cues to turn transition in
      Swedish. A perception study looking closely at turn changes and holds in cases
      where the syntax does not lead inevitably to a particular outcome shows that
      Swedish listeners are sensitive to duration variations, even in the very short
      space of the final unstressed syllable of a turn, and that they may use pitch
      cues to a lesser extent. An investigation of production data indicates that
      duration, and to some extent segmental reduction, demonstrate consistent
      variation in relation to the types of turn boundaries they accompany, while
      fundamental frequency and glottalization do not. Taken together, these data
      suggest that duration may be the primary cue to turn transition in Swedish
      conversation, rather than fundamental frequency, as some other studies have
      suggested.

PMID- 28915779
TI  - Relative Salience of Speech Rhythm and Speech Rate on Perceived Foreign Accent in
      a Second Language.
AB  - We investigated the independent contribution of speech rate and speech rhythm to
      perceived foreign accent. To address this issue we used a resynthesis technique
      that allows neutralizing segmental and tonal idiosyncrasies between identical
      sentences produced by French learners of English at different proficiency levels
      and maintaining the idiosyncrasies pertaining to prosodic timing patterns. We
      created stimuli that (1) preserved the idiosyncrasies in speech rhythm while
      controlling for the differences in speech rate between the utterances; (2)
      preserved the idiosyncrasies in speech rate while controlling for the differences
      in speech rhythm between the utterances; and (3) preserved the idiosyncrasies
      both in speech rate and speech rhythm. All the stimuli were created in intoned
      (with imposed intonational contour) and flat (with monotonized, constant F0)
      conditions. The original and the resynthesized sentences were rated by native
      speakers of English for degree of foreign accent. We found that both speech rate
      and speech rhythm influence the degree of perceived foreign accent, but the
      effect of speech rhythm is larger than that of speech rate. We also found that
      intonation enhances the perception of fine differences in rhythmic patterns but
      reduces the perceptual salience of fine differences in speech rate.

PMID- 28915780
TI  - Cognitive Load Reduces Perceived Linguistic Convergence Between Dyads.
AB  - Speech convergence is the tendency of talkers to become more similar to someone
      they are listening or talking to, whether that person is a conversational partner
      or merely a voice heard repeating words. To elucidate the nature of the
      mechanisms underlying convergence, this study uses different levels of task
      difficulty on speech convergence within dyads collaborating on a task. Dyad
      members had to build identical LEGO(r) constructions without being able to see
      each other's construction, and with each member having half of the instructions
      required to complete the construction. Three levels of task difficulty were
      created, with five dyads at each level (30 participants total). Task difficulty
      was also measured using completion time and error rate. Listeners who heard pairs
      of utterances from each dyad judged convergence to be occurring in the Easy
      condition and to a lesser extent in the Medium condition, but not in the Hard
      condition. Amplitude envelope acoustic similarity analyses of the same utterance
      pairs showed that convergence occurred in dyads with shorter completion times and
      lower error rates. Together, these results suggest that while speech convergence
      is a highly variable behavior, it may occur more in contexts of low cognitive
      load. The relevance of these results for the current automatic and socially
      driven models of convergence is discussed.

PMID- 28915781
TI  - F2 slope as a Perceptual Cue for the Front-Back Contrast in Standard Southern
      British English.
AB  - Acoustic studies of several languages indicate that second-formant (F2) slopes in
      high vowels have opposing directions (independent of consonantal context): front
      [i?]-like vowels are produced with a rising F2 slope, whereas back [u?]-like
      vowels are produced with a falling F2 slope. The present study first reports
      acoustic measurements that confirm this pattern for the English variety of
      Standard Southern British English (SSBE), where /u?/ has shifted from the back to
      the front area of the vowel space and is now realized with higher midpoint F2
      values than several decades ago. Subsequently, we test whether the direction of
      F2 slope also serves as a reliable cue to the /i?/-/u?/ contrast in perception.
      The findings show that F2 slope direction is used as a cue (additional to
      midpoint formant values) to distinguish /i?/ from /u?/ by both young and older
      Standard Southern British English listeners: an otherwise ambiguous token is
      identified as /i?/ if it has a rising F2 slope and as /u?/ if it has a falling F2
      slope. Furthermore, our results indicate that listeners generalize their reliance
      on F2 slope to other contrasts, namely /E/-/alpha/ and /ae/-/alpha/, even though
      F2 slope is not employed to differentiate these vowels in production. This
      suggests that in Standard Southern British English, a rising F2 seems to be
      perceptually associated with an abstract feature such as [+front], whereas a
      falling F2 with an abstract feature such as [-front].

PMID- 28915782
TI  - Voicing Assimilation in Czech and Slovak Speakers of English: Interactions of
      Segmental Context, Language and Strength of Foreign Accent.
AB  - This study focuses on voicing assimilation across word boundaries in the speech
      of second language (L2) users. We compare native speakers of British English to
      speakers of two West Slavic languages, Czech and Slovak, which, despite their
      many similarities, differ with respect to voicing assimilation rules. Word-final
      voicing was analysed in 30 speakers, using the static value of voicing percentage
      and the voicing profile method. The results of linear mixed-effects modelling
      suggest an effect of first language (L1) transfer in all L2 English speaker
      groups, with the tendency to assimilate being correlated with the strength of
      foreign accent. Importantly, the two language groups differed in assimilation
      strategies before sonorant consonants, as a clear effect of L1-based phonetic
      influence.

PMID- 28915783
TI  - Prediction of Agreement and Phonetic Overlap Shape Sublexical Identification.
AB  - The mapping between the physical speech signal and our internal representations
      is rarely straightforward. When faced with uncertainty, higher-order information
      is used to parse the signal and because of this, the lexicon and some aspects of
      sentential context have been shown to modulate the identification of ambiguous
      phonetic segments. Here, using a phoneme identification task (i.e., participants
      judged whether they heard [o] or [a] at the end of an adjective in a noun
      adjective sequence), we asked whether grammatical gender cues influence phonetic
      identification and if this influence is shaped by the phonetic properties of the
      agreeing elements. In three experiments, we show that phrase-level gender
      agreement in Spanish affects the identification of ambiguous adjective-final
      vowels. Moreover, this effect is strongest when the phonetic characteristics of
      the element triggering agreement and the phonetic form of the agreeing element
      are identical. Our data are consistent with models wherein listeners generate
      specific predictions based on the interplay of underlying morphosyntactic
      knowledge and surface phonetic cues.

PMID- 28915784
TI  - The Role of Fundamental Frequency and Temporal Envelope in Processing Sentences
      with Temporary Syntactic Ambiguities.
AB  - Previous experiments have demonstrated the impact of speech prosody on syntactic
      processing. The present study was designed to examine how listeners use specific
      acoustic properties of prosody for grammatical interpretation. We investigated
      the independent contributions of two acoustic properties associated with the
      pitch and rhythmic properties of speech; the fundamental frequency and temporal
      envelope, respectively. The effect of degrading these prosodic components was
      examined by testing listeners' ability to parse early-closure garden-path
      sentences. A second aim was to investigate how effects of prosody interact with
      semantic effects of sentence plausibility. Using a task that required both a
      comprehension and a production response, we were able to determine that
      degradation of the speech envelope more consistently affects syntactic processing
      than degradation of the fundamental frequency. These effects are exacerbated in
      sentences with plausible misinterpretations, showing that prosodic degradation
      interacts with contextual cues to sentence interpretation.

PMID- 28915785
TI  - Seed maturation associated transcriptional programs and regulatory networks
      underlying genotypic difference in seed dormancy and size/weight in wheat
      (Triticum aestivum L.).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maturation forms one of the critical seed developmental phases and it
      is characterized mainly by programmed cell death, dormancy and desiccation,
      however, the transcriptional programs and regulatory networks underlying
      acquisition of dormancy and deposition of storage reserves during the maturation
      phase of seed development are poorly understood in wheat. The present study
      performed comparative spatiotemporal transcriptomic analysis of seed maturation
      in two wheat genotypes with contrasting seed weight/size and dormancy phenotype.
      RESULTS: The embryo and endosperm tissues of maturing seeds appeared to exhibit
      genotype-specific temporal shifts in gene expression profile that might
      contribute to the seed phenotypic variations. Functional annotations of gene
      clusters suggest that the two tissues exhibit distinct but genotypically
      overlapping molecular functions. Motif enrichment predicts genotypically distinct
      abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA) regulated transcriptional networks
      contribute to the contrasting seed weight/size and dormancy phenotypes between
      the two genotypes. While other ABA responsive element (ABRE) motifs are enriched
      in both genotypes, the prevalence of G-box-like motif specifically in tissues of
      the dormant genotype suggests distinct ABA mediated transcriptional mechanisms
      control the establishment of dormancy during seed maturation. In agreement with
      this, the bZIP transcription factors that co-express with ABRE enriched embryonic
      genes differ with genotype. The enrichment of SITEIIATCYTC motif specifically in
      embryo clusters of maturing seeds irrespective of genotype predicts a tissue
      specific role for the respective TCP transcription factors with no or minimal
      contribution to the variations in seed dormancy. CONCLUSION: The results of this
      study advance our understanding of the seed maturation associated molecular
      mechanisms underlying variation in dormancy and weight/size in wheat seeds, which
      is a critical step towards the designing of molecular strategies for enhancing
      seed yield and quality.

PMID- 28915786
TI  - Nutrition in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular risk in the
      continental and Mediterranean regions of Croatia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the effect of
      Mediterranean and continental nutrition on cardiovascular risk in patients with
      acute and chronic coronary heart disease in Croatia. METHODS: The study included
      1284 patients who were hospitalized in a 28-month period due to acute or chronic
      ischaemic heart disease in hospitals across Croatia. An individual questionnaire
      was prepared which enabled recording of various cardiovascular risk factors.
      RESULTS: Patients with chronic coronary artery disease have a better index of
      healthy diet than patients with acute coronary disease. Women have a better index
      of diet than men in both Croatian regions. When the prevalence of risk factors
      (impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes mellitus types I and II,
      hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and hypertension) in patients with
      Mediterranean and continental nutrition is compared, a trend is seen for patients
      who have risk factors to consume healthier food. CONCLUSION: The Mediterranean
      diet is associated with reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This
      effect is more evident in patients with known cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28915787
TI  - mmquant: how to count multi-mapping reads?
AB  - BACKGROUND: RNA-Seq is currently used routinely, and it provides accurate
      information on gene transcription. However, the method cannot accurately estimate
      duplicated genes expression. Several strategies have been previously used (drop
      duplicated genes, distribute uniformly the reads, or estimate expression), but
      all of them provide biased results. RESULTS: We provide here a tool, called
      mmquant, for computing gene expression, included duplicated genes. If a read maps
      at different positions, the tool detects that the corresponding genes are
      duplicated; it merges the genes and creates a merged gene. The counts of
      ambiguous reads is then based on the input genes and the merged genes.
      CONCLUSION: mmquant is a drop-in replacement of the widely used tools htseq-count
      and featureCounts that handles multi-mapping reads in an unabiased way.

PMID- 28915788
TI  - Morphogenesis along the animal-vegetal axis: fates of primary quartet micromere
      daughters in the gastropod Crepidula fornicata.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Spiralia are a large, morphologically diverse group of
      protostomes (e.g. molluscs, annelids, nemerteans) that share a homologous mode of
      early development called spiral cleavage. One of the most highly-conserved
      features of spiralian development is the contribution of the primary quartet
      cells, 1a-1d, to the anterior region of the embryo (including the brain, eyes,
      and the anterior ciliary band, called the prototroch). Yet, very few studies have
      analyzed the ultimate fates of primary quartet sub-lineages, or examined the
      morphogenetic events that take place in the anterior region of the embryo.
      RESULTS: This study focuses on the caenogastropod slipper snail, Crepidula
      fornicata, a model for molluscan developmental biology. Through direct lineage
      tracing of primary quartet daughter cells, and examination of these cells during
      gastrulation and organogenesis stages, we uncovered behaviors never described
      before in a spiralian. For the first time, we show that the 1a2-1d2 cells do not
      contribute to the prototroch (as they do in other species) and are ultimately
      lost before hatching. During gastrulation and anterior-posterior axial elongation
      stages, these cells cleavage-arrest and spread dramatically, contributing to a
      thin provisional epidermis on the dorsal side of the embryo. This spreading is
      coupled with the displacement of the animal pole, and other pretrochal cells,
      closer to the ventrally-positioned mouth, and the vegetal pole. CONCLUSIONS: This
      is the first study to document the behavior and fate of primary quartet sub
      lineages among molluscs. We speculate that the function of 1a2-1d2 cells (in
      addition to two cells derived from 1d12, and the 2b lineage) is to serve as a
      provisional epithelium that allows for anterior displacement of the other progeny
      of the primary quartet towards the anterior-ventral side of the embryo. These
      data support a new and novel mechanism for axial bending, distinct from canonical
      models in which axial bending is suggested to be driven primarily by differential
      proliferation of posterior dorsal cells. These data suggest also that examining
      sub-lineages in other spiralians will reveal greater variation than previously
      assumed.

PMID- 28915789
TI  - Rapid transcriptional and metabolic regulation of the deacclimation process in
      cold acclimated Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During low temperature exposure, temperate plant species increase
      their freezing tolerance in a process termed cold acclimation. This is
      accompanied by dampened oscillations of circadian clock genes and disrupted
      oscillations of output genes and metabolites. During deacclimation in response to
      warm temperatures, cold acclimated plants lose freezing tolerance and resume
      growth and development. While considerable effort has been directed toward
      understanding the molecular and metabolic basis of cold acclimation, much less
      information is available about the regulation of deacclimation. RESULTS: We
      report metabolic (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) and transcriptional
      (microarrays, quantitative RT-PCR) responses underlying deacclimation during the
      first 24 h after a shift of Arabidopsis thaliana (Columbia-0) plants cold
      acclimated at 4  degrees C back to warm temperature (20  degrees C). The data
      reveal a faster response of the transcriptome than of the metabolome and provide
      evidence for tightly regulated temporal responses at both levels. Metabolically,
      deacclimation is associated with decreasing contents of sugars, amino acids,
      glycolytic and TCA cycle intermediates, indicating an increased need for carbon
      sources and respiratory energy production for the activation of growth. The early
      phase of deacclimation also involves extensive down-regulation of protein
      synthesis and changes in the metabolism of lipids and cell wall components.
      Hormonal regulation appears particularly important during deacclimation, with
      extensive changes in the expression of genes related to auxin, gibberellin,
      brassinosteroid, jasmonate and ethylene metabolism. Members of several
      transcription factor families that control fundamental aspects of morphogenesis
      and development are significantly regulated during deacclimation, emphasizing
      that loss of freezing tolerance and growth resumption are transcriptionally
      highly interrelated processes. Expression patterns of some clock oscillator
      components resembled those under warm conditions, indicating at least partial re
      activation of the circadian clock during deacclimation. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      provides the first combined metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of the
      regulation of deacclimation in cold acclimated plants. The data indicate cascades
      of rapidly regulated genes and metabolites that underlie the developmental switch
      resulting in reduced freezing tolerance and the resumption of growth. They
      constitute a large-scale dataset of genes, metabolites and pathways that are
      crucial during the initial phase of deacclimation. The data will be an important
      reference for further analyses of this and other important but under-researched
      stress deacclimation processes.

PMID- 28915790
TI  - The process-related dynamics of microbial community during a simulated
      fermentation of Chinese strong-flavored liquor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Famous Chinese strong-flavored liquor (CSFL) is brewed by microbial
      consortia in a special fermentation pit (FT). However, the fermentation process
      was not fully understood owing to the complicate community structure and
      metabolism. In this study, the process-related dynamics of microbial communities
      and main flavor compounds during the 70-day fermentation process were
      investigated in a simulated fermentation system. RESULTS: A three-phase model was
      proposed to characterize the process of the CSFL fermentation. (i) In the early
      fermentation period (1-23 days), glucose was produced from macromolecular
      carbohydrates (e.g., starch). The prokaryotic diversity decreased significantly.
      The Lactobacillaceae gradually predominated in the prokaryotic community. In
      contrast, the eukaryotic diversity rose remarkably in this stage. Thermoascus,
      Aspergillus, Rhizopus and unidentified Saccharomycetales were dominant eukaryotic
      members. (ii) In the middle fermentation period (23-48 days), glucose
      concentration decreased while lactate acid and ethanol increased significantly.
      Prokaryotic community was almost dominated by the Lactobacillus, while eukaryotic
      community was mainly comprised of Thermoascus, Emericella and Aspergillus. (iii)
      In the later fermentation period (48-70 days), the concentrations of ethyl
      esters, especially ethyl caproate, increased remarkably. CONCLUSIONS: The CSFL
      fermentation could undergo three stages: saccharification, glycolysis and
      esterification. Saccharomycetales, Monascus, and Rhizopus were positively
      correlated to glucose concentration (P < 0.05), highlighting their important
      roles in the starch saccharification. The Lactobacillaceae, Bacilli, Botryotinia,
      Aspergillus, unidentified Pleosporales and Capnodiales contributed to the
      glycolysis and esterification, because they were positively correlated to most
      organic acids and ethyl esters (P < 0.05). Additionally, four genera, including
      Emericella, Suillus, Mortierella and Botryotinia, that likely played key roles in
      fermentation, were observed firstly. This study observed comprehensive dynamics
      of microbial communities during the CSFL fermentation, and it further revealed
      the correlations between some crucial microorganisms and flavoring chemicals
      (FCs). The results from this study help to design effective strategies to
      manipulate microbial consortia for fermentation process optimization in the CSFL
      brew practice.

PMID- 28915791
TI  - Segmentation and classification of two-channel C. elegans nucleus-labeled
      fluorescence images.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aging is characterized by a gradual breakdown of cellular structures.
      Nuclear abnormality is a hallmark of progeria in human. Analysis of age-dependent
      nuclear morphological changes in Caenorhabditis elegans is of great value to
      aging research, and this calls for an automatic image processing method that is
      suitable for both normal and abnormal structures. RESULTS: Our image processing
      method consists of nuclear segmentation, feature extraction and classification.
      First, taking up the challenges of defining individual nuclei with fuzzy
      boundaries or in a clump, we developed an accurate nuclear segmentation method
      using fused two-channel images with seed-based cluster splitting and k-means
      algorithm, and achieved a high precision against the manual segmentation results.
      Next, we extracted three groups of nuclear features, among which five features
      were selected by minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (mRMR) for classifiers.
      After comparing the classification performances of several popular techniques, we
      identified that Random Forest, which achieved a mean class accuracy (MCA) of
      98.69%, was the best classifier for our data set. Lastly, we demonstrated the
      method with two quantitative analyses of C. elegans nuclei, which led to the
      discovery of two possible longevity indicators. CONCLUSIONS: We produced an
      automatic image processing method for two-channel C. elegans nucleus-labeled
      fluorescence images. It frees biologists from segmenting and classifying the
      nuclei manually.

PMID- 28915792
TI  - Levosimendan combined with epinephrine improves rescue outcomes in a rat model of
      lipid-based resuscitation from bupivacaine-induced cardiac arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of a combination of a lipid emulsion with
      epinephrine in reversing local anesthetic-induced cardiac arrest has been
      confirmed. The combination of a lipid emulsion with levosimendan, was shown to be
      superior to administration of a lipid emulsion alone with regard to successful
      resuscitation. In this study, we compared the reversal effects of levosimendan,
      epinephrine, and a combination of the two agents in lipid-based resuscitation in
      a rat model of bupivacaine-induced cardiac arrest. METHODS: Fifty-four adult male
      Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to bupivacaine (15 mg.kg-1) -induced asystole
      and were then randomly divided into 3 groups. A lipid emulsion was used as the
      basic treatment, and administration of drug combinations varied in each group as
      follows: (1) levosimendan combined with epinephrine (LiEL); (2) epinephrine
      (LiE); and (3) levosimendan (LiL). The resuscitation outcomes were recorded and
      included the rate of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival at 40
      min, time to first heartbeat, time to ROSC, and cumulative dose of epinephrine.
      We calculated the wet-to-dry ratio of the lung, blood gas values at 40 min and
      bupivacaine concentration of cardiac tissue and plasma. RESULTS: The rates of
      ROSC in LiEL and LiE groups were higher than LiL group (P < 0.001; LiEL vs LiL, P
      = 0.001; LiE vs LiL, P = 0.007). The survival rate in LiEL group was higher than
      LiE group (P = 0.003; LiEL vs LiE, P = 0.008; LiEL vs LiL, P = 0.001). The time
      to first heart beat in LiEL group was shorter than LiE, LiL groups. (P < 0.001;
      LiE vs LiEL, P = 0.001; LiL vs LiEL, P < 0.001). The time to ROSC in LiEL group
      was shorter than LiE, LiL groups (P < 0.001; LiEL vs LiE, P < 0.001; LiEL vs LiL,
      P < 0.001). The result was similar for the bupivacaine concentration of cardiac
      tissue and plasma (cardiac tissue: P = 0.002; plasma: P = 0.011). Furthermore,
      there were significant differences in the blood-gas values at 40 min, wet-to-dry
      lung weight ratio, and ratio of damaged alveoli among groups. The LiEL group had
      the best result for all parameters (P < 0.01, P = 0.008, P < 0.001,
      respectively). Additionally, significantly less epinephrine was used in the LiEL
      group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Levosimendan combined with epinephrine may be
      superior to either drug alone for lipid-based resuscitation in a rat model of
      bupivacaine-induced cardiac arrest. The drug combination was associated with a
      higher survival rate as well as decreased epinephrine consumption and lung
      damage.

PMID- 28915793
TI  - The cacao Criollo genome v2.0: an improved version of the genome for genetic and
      functional genomic studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Theobroma cacao L., native to the Amazonian basin of South America,
      is an economically important fruit tree crop for tropical countries as a source
      of chocolate. The first draft genome of the species, from a Criollo cultivar, was
      published in 2011. Although a useful resource, some improvements are possible,
      including identifying misassemblies, reducing the number of scaffolds and gaps,
      and anchoring un-anchored sequences to the 10 chromosomes. METHODS: We used a NGS
      based approach to significantly improve the assembly of the Belizian Criollo B97
      61/B2 genome. We combined four Illumina large insert size mate paired libraries
      with 52x of Pacific Biosciences long reads to correct misassembled regions and
      reduced the number of scaffolds. We then used genotyping by sequencing (GBS)
      methods to increase the proportion of the assembly anchored to chromosomes.
      RESULTS: The scaffold number decreased from 4,792 in assembly V1 to 554 in V2
      while the scaffold N50 size has increased from 0.47 Mb in V1 to 6.5 Mb in V2. A
      total of 96.7% of the assembly was anchored to the 10 chromosomes compared to
      66.8% in the previous version. Unknown sites (Ns) were reduced from 10.8% to
      5.7%. In addition, we updated the functional annotations and performed a new
      RefSeq structural annotation based on RNAseq evidence. CONCLUSION: Theobroma
      cacao Criollo genome version 2 will be a valuable resource for the investigation
      of complex traits at the genomic level and for future comparative genomics and
      genetics studies in cacao tree. New functional tools and annotations are
      available on the Cocoa Genome Hub ( http://cocoa-genome-hub.southgreen.fr ).

PMID- 28915794
TI  - Genome sequence of the ectophytic fungus Ramichloridium luteum reveals unique
      evolutionary adaptations to plant surface niche.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ectophytic fungi occupy the waxy plant surface, an extreme
      environment characterized by prolonged desiccation, nutrient limitation, and
      exposure to solar radiation. The nature of mechanisms that facilitate adaptation
      to this environment remains unclear. In this study, we sequenced the complete
      genome of an ectophytic fungus, Ramichloridium luteum, which colonizes the
      surface of apple fruit, and carried out comparative genomic and transcriptome
      analysis. RESULTS: The R. luteum genome was 28.18 Mb and encoded 9466 genes
      containing 1.85% repetitive elements. Compared with cell-penetrating pathogens,
      genes encoding plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs), PTH11-like G protein
      coupled receptors (GPCRs) and effectors were drastically reduced. In contrast,
      genes encoding cutinases and secretory lipases were strikingly expanded, and four
      of nine secretory lipases were probably acquired by horizontal gene transfer from
      Basidiomycota. Transcriptomic analysis revealed elevated expression of genes
      involved in cuticle degradation (cutinase, secretory lipase) and stress responses
      (melanin biosynthesis, aquaporins, lysozymes and HOG pathway). CONCLUSIONS: Taken
      together, our results highlight genomic features associated with evolution of
      surface niche adaptation by the ectophytic fungus R. luteum, namely the
      contraction of PCWDEs, PTH11-like GPCRs and effectors, and the expansion of
      cuticle degradation and stress tolerance.

PMID- 28915795
TI  - Future complications of chronic hepatitis C in a low-risk area: projections from
      the hepatitis c study in Northern Norway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C (HCV) infection causes an asymptomatic chronic hepatitis
      in most affected individuals, which often remains undetected until cirrhosis and
      cirrhosis-related complications occur. Screening of high-risk subjects in
      Northern Norway has revealed a relatively low prevalence in the general
      population (0.24%). Despite this, late complications of HCV infection are
      increasing. Our object was to estimate the future prevalence and complications of
      chronic HCV infection in the period 2013-2050 in a low-risk area. METHODS: We
      have entered available data into a prognostic Markov model to project future
      complications to HCV infection. RESULTS: The model extrapolates the prevalence in
      the present cohort of HCV-infected individuals, and assumes a stable low
      incidence in the projection period. We predict an almost three-fold increase in
      the incidence of cirrhosis (68 per 100,000), of decompensated cirrhosis (21 per
      100,000) and of hepatocellular carcinoma (4 per 100,000) by 2050, as well as a
      six-fold increase in the cumulated number of deaths from HCV-related liver
      disease (170 per 100,000 inhabitants). All estimates are made assuming an
      unchanged treatment coverage of approximately 15%. The estimated numbers can be
      reduced by approximately 50% for cirrhosis, and by approximately one third for
      the other endpoints if treatment coverage is raised to 50%. CONCLUSION: These
      projections from a low-prevalence area indicate a substantial rise in HCV-related
      morbidity and mortality in the coming years. The global HCV epidemic is of great
      concern and increased treatment coverage is necessary to reduce the burden of the
      disease.

PMID- 28915796
TI  - Correlates of isoniazid preventive therapy failure in child household contacts
      with infectious tuberculosis in high burden settings in Nairobi, Kenya - a cohort
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa continues to document high pediatric tuberculosis
      (TB) burden, especially among the urban poor. One recommended preventive strategy
      involves tracking and isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) for children under 5
      years in close contact with infectious TB. However, sub-optimal effectiveness has
      been documented in diverse settings. We conducted a study to elucidate correlates
      to IPT strategy failure in children below 5 years in high burden settings.
      METHODS: A prospective longitudinal cohort study was done in informal settlings
      in Nairobi, where children under 5 years in household contact with recently
      diagnosed smear positive TB adults were enrolled. Consent was sought. Structured
      questionnaires administered sought information on index case treatment, socio
      demographics and TB knowledge. Contacts underwent baseline clinical screening
      exclude TB and/or pre-existing chronic conditions. Contacts were then put on
      daily isoniazid for 6 months and monitored for new TB disease, compliance and
      side effects. Follow-up continued for another 6 months. RESULTS: At baseline, 428
      contacts were screened, and 14(3.2%) had evidence of TB disease, hence excluded.
      Of 414 contacts put on IPT, 368 (88.8%) completed the 1 year follow-up.
      Operational challenges were reported by 258(70%) households, while 82(22%)
      reported side effects. Good compliance was documented in 89% (CI:80.2-96.2). By
      endpoint, 6(1.6%) contacts developed evidence of new TB disease and required
      definitive anti-tuberculosis therapy. The main factor associated with IPT failure
      was under-nutrition of contacts (p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Under-nutrition was
      associated with IPT failure for child contacts below 5 years in high burden,
      resource limited settings. IPT effectiveness could be optimized through nutrition
      support of contacts.

PMID- 28915797
TI  - Effectiveness of a 16-month multi-component and environmental school-based
      intervention for recovery of poor income overweight/obese children and
      adolescents: study protocol of the health multipliers program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excess of weight is a serious public health concern in almost all
      countries, afflicting people of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.
      Studies have indicated the need for developing treatment strategies that
      intervene directly in the obesogenic environment. This study aims to evaluate the
      effectiveness of a multi-component and environmental school-based intervention,
      lasting 16 months, on the recovery of the nutritional status of low-income
      children and adolescents with overweight/ obesity. METHODS/STUDY DESIGN: The
      study was conducted by the Center for Recovery and Nutritional Education (CREN)
      in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Two schools located in poor neighborhoods were selected for
      the intervention, between March 2016 and June 2017. The participants were all
      students aged 8 to 12 years from the two participating schools. At the beginning
      of the intervention, anthropometric measurements were carried out to assess the
      nutritional status of the students. For convenience, students from one of the
      schools were considered as the control group, while those from the other school
      formed the experimental group. The intervention in the experimental group (n =
      438) consists of the following weekly activities at school: psychological
      counseling in groups, theoretical/practical nutrition workshops, and supervised
      physical education classes. In addition, theoretical and practical educational
      activities are held regularly for parents, teachers, and cooks. Students with
      excess of weight (>=1 body mass index [BMI] -for-age Z score, n = 138) received
      clinical and nutritional care periodically at the outpatient care at CREN.
      Students enrolled in the control group (n = 353) participated in psychological
      counseling groups and theoretical/practical nutrition workshops for 6 months held
      in the school environment to provide motivation to entire classrooms. In the
      following 10 months, students with excess of weight from the control group (n =
      125) were invited to attend the routine outpatient care at CREN. DISCUSSION: This
      study is the first to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component and
      environmental school-based intervention for the recovery of low-income,
      overweight/obese children and adolescents. If positive, the results demonstrate
      the feasibility for the recovery of excess of weight in populations of similar
      conditions and age. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials -
      ReBEC Primary Id Number RBR-9t2jr8 . Registration Date: Nov. 30, 2016.
      Retrospectively registered. Protocol version: 3.

PMID- 28915799
TI  - Analysis of various factors affecting pupil size in patients with glaucoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pupil size is an important factor in predicting post-operative
      satisfaction. We assessed the correlation between pupil size, measured by
      Humphrey static perimetry, and various affecting factors in patients with
      glaucoma. METHODS: In total, 825 eyes of 415 patients were evaluated
      retrospectively. Pupil size was measured with Humphrey static perimetry.
      Comparisons of pupil size according to the presence of glaucoma were evaluated,
      as were correlations between pupil size and various factors, including age,
      logMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL)
      thickness, spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure, axial length, central
      corneal thickness, white-to-white, and the kappa angle. RESULTS: Pupil size was
      significantly smaller in glaucoma patients than in glaucoma suspects (p < 0.001)
      or the normal group (p < 0.001). Pupil size decreased significantly as age (p <
      0.001) and central cornea thickness (p = 0.007) increased, and increased
      significantly as logMAR BCVA (p = 0.02) became worse and spherical equivalent (p
      = 0.007) and RNFL thickness (p = 0.042) increased. In patients older than 50
      years, pupil size was significantly larger in eyes with a history of cataract
      surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Humphrey static perimetry can be useful in measuring pupil
      size. Pupil size was significantly smaller in eyes with glaucoma. Other factors
      affecting pupil size can be used in a preoperative evaluation when considering
      cataract surgery or laser refractive surgery.

PMID- 28915798
TI  - Vemurafenib plus cobimetinib in unresectable stage IIIc or stage IV melanoma:
      response monitoring and resistance prediction with positron emission tomography
      and tumor characteristics (REPOSIT): study protocol of a phase II, open-label,
      multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with BRAFV600 mutated unresectable stage IIIc or
      metastatic melanoma, molecular targeted therapy with combined BRAF/MEK-inhibitor
      vemurafenib plus cobimetinib has shown a significantly improved progression-free
      survival and overall survival compared to treatment with vemurafenib alone.
      Nevertheless, the majority of BRAFV600 mutation-positive melanoma patients will
      eventually develop resistance to treatment. Molecular imaging with 18F
      Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET has been used to monitor response to vemurafenib
      in some BRAFV600 mutated metastatic melanoma patients, showing a rapid decline of
      18F-FDG uptake within 2 weeks following treatment. Furthermore, preliminary
      results suggest that metabolic alterations might predict the development of
      resistance to treatment. 18F-Fluoro-3'-deoxy-3'L-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT), a PET
      tracer visualizing proliferation, might be more suitable to predict response or
      resistance to therapy than 18F-FDG. METHODS: This phase II, open-label,
      multicenter study evaluates whether metabolic response to treatment with
      vemurafenib plus cobimetinib in the first 7 weeks as assessed by 18F-FDG/18F-FLT
      PET can predict progression-free survival and whether early changes in 18F
      FDG/18F-FLT can be used for early detection of treatment response compared to
      standard response assessment with RECISTv1.1 ceCT at 7 weeks. Ninety patients
      with BRAFV600E/K mutated unresectable stage IIIc/IV melanoma will be included.
      Prior to and during treatment all patients will undergo 18F-FDG PET/CT and in 25
      patients additional 18F-FLT PET/CT is performed. Histopathological tumor
      characterization is assessed in a subset of 40 patients to unravel mechanisms of
      resistance. Furthermore, in all patients, blood samples are taken for
      pharmacokinetic analysis of vemurafenib/cobimetinib. Outcomes are correlated with
      PET/CT-imaging and therapy response. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will
      help in linking PET measured metabolic alterations induced by targeted therapy of
      BRAFV600 mutated melanoma to molecular changes within the tumor. We will be able
      to correlate both 18F-FDG and 18F-FLT PET to outcome and decide on the best
      modality to predict long-term remissions to combined BRAF/MEK-inhibitors. Results
      coming from this study may help in identifying responders from non-responders
      early after the initiation of therapy and reveal early development of resistance
      to vemurafenib/cobimetinib. Furthermore, we believe that the results can be
      fundamental for further optimizing individual patient treatment. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02414750. Registered 10 April
      2015, retrospectively registered.

PMID- 28915800
TI  - Association of body mass index with amnestic and non-amnestic mild cognitive
      impairment risk in elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies focused on the relationship between body mass index
      and cognitive disorder and obtained many conflicting results. This study explored
      the potential effects of body mass index on the risk of mild cognitive impairment
      (amnestic and non-amnestic) in the elderly. METHODS: The study enrolled 240
      amnestic mild cognitive impairment patients, 240 non-amnestic mild cognitive
      impairment patients and 480 normal cognitive function controls. Data on admission
      and retrospective data at baseline (6 years ago) were collected from their
      medical records. Cognitive function was evaluated using Mini-Mental State
      Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. RESULTS: Being underweight,
      overweight or obese at baseline was associated with an increased risk of amnestic
      mild cognitive impairment (OR: 2.30, 95%CI: 1.50 ~ 3.52; OR: 1.74, 95%CI: 1.36 ~
      2.20; OR: 1.71, 95%CI: 1.32 ~ 2.22, respectively). Being overweight or obese at
      baseline was also associated with an increased risk of non-amnestic mild
      cognitive impairment (OR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.20 ~ 1.92; OR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.21 ~ 1.97,
      respectively). In subjects with normal weights at baseline, an increased or
      decreased body mass index at follow-up was associated with an elevated risk of
      amnestic mild cognitive impairment (OR: 1.80, 95%CI: 1.10 ~ 3.05; OR: 3.96,
      95%CI: 2.88 ~ 5.49, respectively), but only an increased body mass index was
      associated with an elevated risk of non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (OR:
      1.71, 95%CI: 1.16 ~ 2.59). CONCLUSIONS: Unhealthy body mass index levels at
      baseline and follow-up might impact the risk of both types of mild cognitive
      impairment (amnestic and non-amnestic).

PMID- 28915802
TI  - Determinants of pre-eclampsia/Eclampsia among women attending delivery Services
      in Selected Public Hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a case control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder usually
      occurs after 20 weeks of gestation. It is one of the leading causes of maternal
      and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Ethiopia, the major direct
      obstetric complications including pre-eclampsia/eclampsia account for 85% of the
      maternal deaths. Unlike deaths due to other direct causes, pre-eclampsia/
      eclampsia related deaths appear to be increasing and linked to multiple factors,
      making prevention of the disease a continuous challenge. The aim of this study is
      to assess determinants of pre-eclampsia/eclampsiaamong women attending delivery
      services in selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: Hospital
      based unmatched case control study design was employed. The study wasconducted in
      Addis Ababa among women attending delivery services in two public hospitals from
      December, 2015 G.C. to February, 2016 G.C. with sample size of 291 (97 cases and
      194 controls). Women with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were cases and women who had
      not diagnosed for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were controls. Case-control incidence
      density sampling followed by interviewer administered was conducted using
      pretested questionnaire. The data was entered in Epi Info 7 software and exported
      to STATA 14 for cleaning and analysis. Descriptive statistics were used todisplay
      the data using tables compared between cases and controls. To compare categorical
      variables between cases and controls Chi-squared testwas used. Both bivariable
      and multivariable logistic regression analyses were computed to identify the
      determinants of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. RESULTS: Factors that were found to have
      statistically significant association with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia were
      primigravida (AOR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.38, 5.22), history of preeclampsia on prior
      pregnancy (AOR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.61, 11.43), multiple pregnancy (AOR: 8.22, 95%
      CI: 2.97, 22.78), receiving nutritional counseling during pregnancy (AOR: 0.22,
      95% CI: 0.1, 0.48) and drinking alcohol during pregnancy (AOR: 3.97, 95% CI: 1.8,
      8.75). CONCLUSIONS: The study identified protective and risk factors for pre
      eclampsia/eclampsia. To promptly diagnose and treat pre-eclampsia, health workers
      should give special attention to women with primigravida and multiple pregnancy.
      Besides, health care providers should provide nutritional counseling during ANC,
      including avoiding drinking alcohol during their pregnancy.

PMID- 28915801
TI  - Body mass index and type 2 diabetes in Thai adults: defining risk thresholds and
      population impacts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) cut-off values (>25 and >30) that predict
      diabetes risk have been well validated in Caucasian populations but less so in
      Asian populations. We aimed to determine the BMI threshold associated with
      increased type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk and to calculate the proportion of T2DM
      cases attributable to overweight and obesity in the Thai population. METHODS:
      Participants were those from the Thai Cohort Study who were diabetes-free in 2005
      and were followed-up in 2009 and 2013 (n = 39,021). We used multivariable
      logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals
      (CIs) for the BMI-T2DM association. We modelled non-linear associations using
      restricted cubic splines. We estimated population attributable fractions (PAF)
      and the number of T2DM incident cases attributed to overweight and obesity. We
      also calculated the impact of reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity
      on T2DM incidence in the Thai population. RESULTS: Non-linear modelling indicated
      that the points of inflection where the BMI-T2DM association became statistically
      significant compared to a reference of 20.00 kg/m2 were 21.60 (OR = 1.27, 95% CI
      1.00-1.61) and 20.03 (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.02-1.03) for men and women,
      respectively. Approximately two-thirds of T2DM cases in Thai adults could be
      attributed to overweight and obesity. Annually, if prevalent obesity was 5%
      lower, ~13,000 cases of T2DM might be prevented in the Thai population.
      CONCLUSIONS: A BMI cut-point of 22 kg/m2, one point lower than the current 23
      kg/m2, would be justified for defining T2DM risk in Thai adults. Lowering obesity
      prevalence would greatly reduce T2DM incidence.

PMID- 28915803
TI  - Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP/ACP5) promotes metastasis-related
      properties via TGFbeta2/TbetaR and CD44 in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP/ACP5), a metalloenzyme that
      is characteristic for its expression in activated osteoclasts and in macrophages,
      has recently gained considerable focus as a driver of metastasis and was
      associated with clinically relevant parameters of cancer progression and cancer
      aggressiveness. METHODS: MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with different TRAP
      expression levels (overexpression and knockdown) were generated and characterized
      for protein expression and activity levels. Functional cell experiments, such as
      proliferation, migration and invasion assays were performed as well as global
      phosphoproteomic and proteomic analysis was conducted to connect molecular
      perturbations to the phenotypic changes. RESULTS: We identified an association
      between metastasis-related properties of TRAP-overexpressing MDA-MB-231 breast
      cancer cells and a TRAP-dependent regulation of Transforming growth factor
      (TGFbeta) pathway proteins and Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44).
      Overexpression of TRAP increased anchorage-independent and anchorage-dependent
      cell growth and proliferation, induced a more elongated cellular morphology and
      promoted cell migration and invasion. Migration was increased in the presence of
      the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins osteopontin and fibronectin and the
      basement membrane proteins collagen IV and laminin I. TRAP-induced properties
      were reverted upon shRNA-mediated knockdown of TRAP or treatment with the small
      molecule TRAP inhibitor 5-PNA. Global phosphoproteomics and proteomics analyses
      identified possible substrates of TRAP phosphatase activity or signaling
      intermediates and outlined a TRAP-dependent regulation of proteins involved in
      cell adhesion and ECM organization. Upregulation of TGFbeta isoform 2 (TGFbeta2),
      TGFbeta receptor type 1 (TbetaR1) and Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2
      (SMAD2), as well as increased intracellular phosphorylation of CD44 were
      identified upon TRAP perturbation. Functional antibody-mediated blocking and
      chemical inhibition demonstrated that TRAP-dependent migration and proliferation
      is regulated via TGFbeta2/TbetaR, whereas proliferation beyond basal levels is
      regulated through CD44. CONCLUSION: Altogether, TRAP promotes metastasis-related
      cell properties in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells via TGFbeta2/TbetaR and CD44,
      thereby identifying a potential signaling mechanism associated to TRAP action in
      breast cancer cells.

PMID- 28915804
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of persistent pelvic girdle pain 12 years postpartum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is not always a self-limiting condition.
      Women with more pronounced persistent PGP (PPGP) report poorer health status
      compared to women with less pronounced symptoms. The knowledge concerning the
      long-term consequences of PPGP is limited, thus more knowledge in this area is
      needed. The overall aim was to study the prevalence and predictors of PPGP 12
      years after delivery. METHODS: This is a long-term follow-up study based on a
      previous cohort study that commenced in 2002. New questionnaire data 12 years
      postpartum were collected in 2014 and early 2015. The questionnaire was
      distributed to a total of 624 women from the initial cohort. RESULTS: In total,
      295 women (47.3%) responded to the questionnaire where 40.3% (n = 119) reported
      pain to a various degree and 59% (n = 174) reported no pain. Increased duration
      and/or persistency of pain, self-rated health, sciatica, neck and/or thoracic
      spinal pain, sick leave the past 12 months, treatment sought, and prescription
      and/or non-prescription drugs used were all associated with an statistically
      significant increase in the odds of reporting pain 12 years postpartum.
      Widespread pain was common and median expectation of improvement score was 5 on
      an 11-point numeric scale (interquartile range 2-7.50). More than one of five
      women (21.8%) reporting pain stated that they had been on sick leave the past 12
      months and nearly 11% had been granted disability pension due to PPGP. No
      statistically significant differences were found between respondents and non
      respondents regarding most background variables. CONCLUSIONS: This study is
      unique as it is one of few long-term follow-up studies following women with PPGP
      of more than 11 years. The results show that spontaneous recovery with no
      recurrences is an unlikely scenario for a subgroup of women with PPGP.
      Persistency and/or duration of pain symptoms as well as widespread pain appear to
      be the strongest predictors of poor long-term outcome. Moreover, widespread pain
      is commonly associated with PPGP and may thus contribute to long-term sick leave
      and disability pension. A screening tool needs to be developed for the
      identification of women at risk of developing PPGP to enable early intervention.

PMID- 28915805
TI  - Antibiotic resistance: it's bad, but why isn't it worse?
AB  - Antibiotic natural products are ancient and so is resistance. Consequently,
      environmental bacteria harbor numerous and varied antibiotic resistance elements.
      Nevertheless, despite long histories of antibiotic production and exposure,
      environmental bacteria are not resistant to all known antibiotics. This means
      that there are barriers to the acquisition of a complete resistance
      armamentarium. The sources, distribution, and movement of resistance mechanisms
      in different microbes and bacterial populations are mosaic features that act as
      barriers to slow this movement, thus moderating the emergence of bacterial pan
      resistance. This is highly relevant to understanding the emergence of resistance
      in pathogenic bacteria that can inform better antibiotic management practices and
      influence new drug discovery.

PMID- 28915807
TI  - Descemet membrane detachment in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery: a
      case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) has grown in
      popularity among ophthalmologists as a novel technique. However, descemet
      membrane detachment (DMD) began to be found as the complication after FLACS. We
      report a case of serious DMD following FLACS due to the inappropriate incision
      design. CASE PRESENTATION: An 85-year-old man with apparent cornea arcus senilis
      underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in his right eye. A
      biplanar model was chosen for the main incision. A serious descemet membrane
      detachment (DMD) occurred at the end of phacoemulsification, which was connected
      with the main incision. However, the surgeon confused it with the transient
      swelling of corneal endothelium, and did not treated DMD timely. DMD was
      confirmed by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) at the
      postoperative 1-month follow-up. Eventually DMD was resolved by intracameral
      perfluropropane (C3F8) gas injection. CONCLUSIONS: This case suggests that a
      careful incision separation and a triplanar incision design in FLACS may reduce
      the incidence of DMD in cataract surgery.

PMID- 28915806
TI  - Family-based intervention in adolescent restrictive eating disorders: early
      treatment response and low weight suppression is associated with favourable one
      year outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Family-based treatments are first-line treatments for adolescents
      with restrictive eating disorders (ED) but have to be improved since outcome is
      poor for some. We have investigated the one-year outcome of a family-based
      intervention programme with defined and decisive interventions at the start of
      treatment. METHOD: Data pertaining 201 adolescents with restrictive ED with
      features of anorexia nervosa but not fulfilling the weight criterion starting
      treatment 2010-2015, had a wide range of body mass index (BMI) and of weight loss
      at presentation, and completed a one-year follow-up was analysed. Recovery from
      the ED was defined as an Eating Disorder Examination-questionnaire (EDE-Q) score
      < 2.0 or as not fulfilling criteria for an ED at a clinical interview. RESULTS:
      By EDE-Q 130 (65%) had recovered at 1 year and by clinical interview 106 (53%).
      According to the EDE-Q criterion recovery was independently associated with lower
      EDE-Q score at presentation, higher weight gain after 3 months of treatment and
      lower weight suppression at follow-up, weight suppression being defined as the
      difference between premorbid and current BMI. Not fulfilling criteria for an ED
      was associated with the same factors and also by higher BMI at presentation.
      CONCLUSION: The observations that low weight and high ED cognitions confer a poor
      prognosis but that rapid weight gain at the start of treatment predicts a better
      prognosis are presently extended to adolescents with restrictive ED with a wide
      range of BMI at presentation. High weight suppression at follow-up is associated
      with a poor prognosis and indicates the importance of taking premorbid BMI into
      account when setting weight targets for treatment.

PMID- 28915808
TI  - Fall prevention: is the STRATIFY tool the right instrument in Italian Hospital
      inpatient? A retrospective observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although several risk assessment tools are in use, uncertainties on
      their accuracy in detecting fall risk already exist. Choosing the most accurate
      tool for hospital inpatient is still a challenge for the organizations. We aimed
      to retrospectively assess the appropriateness of a fall risk prevention program
      with the STRATIFY assessment tool in detecting acute-care inpatient fall risk.
      METHODS: Number of falls and near falls, occurred from January 2014 to March
      2015, was collected through the incident reporting web-system implemented in the
      hospital's intranet. We reported whether the fall risk was assessed with the
      STRATIFY assessment tool and, if so, which was the judgement. Primary outcome was
      the proportion of inpatients identified as high risk of fall among inpatients who
      fell (True Positive Rate), and the proportion of inpatients identified as low
      risk that experienced a fall howsoever (False Negative Rate). Characteristics of
      population and fall events were described among subgroups of low risk and high
      risk inpatients. RESULTS: We collected 365 incident reports from 40 hospital
      units, 349 (95.6%) were real falls and 16 (4.4%) were near falls. The fall risk
      assessment score at patient's admission had been reported in 289 (79%) of the
      overall incident reports. Thus, 74 (20.3%) fallers were actually not assessed
      with the STRATIFY, even though the majority of them presented risk recommended to
      be assessed. The True Positive Rate was 35.6% (n = 101, 95% CI 30% - 41.1%). The
      False Negative Rate was 64.4% (n = 183, 95% CI 58.9%-70%) of fallers,
      nevertheless they incurred in a fall. The STRATIFY mean score was 1.3 +/- 1.4;
      the median was 1 (IQQ 0-2). CONCLUSIONS: The prevention program using only the
      STRATIFY tool was found to be not adequate to screen our inpatients population.
      The incorrect identification of patients' needs leads to allocate resources to
      erroneous priorities and to untargeted interventions, decreasing healthcare
      performance and quality.

PMID- 28915809
TI  - "Maybe we should talk about it anyway": a qualitative study of understanding
      expectations and use of an established technology innovation in caring practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Technological innovations are strongly promoted to meet the demands
      posed by increased pressure on home care services and to assist ageing in place
      in western societies. Although heavily advocated as plug and play solutions,
      technologies have proven difficult and unpredictable when integrated into home
      care services. We need greater insight into what happens when technologies are
      integrated into caring practices. All technologies come with expectations as to
      their function. This study explores how actors who are involved with the social
      alarm, which is an established technology innovation, relate to, perceive and
      articulate these expectations of the technology in everyday living. METHODS: The
      article presents results from a two-case study, using a triangulation of
      qualitative methods in order to gain an in-depth understanding of technology in
      use in home care services through "thick descriptions". The study was conducted
      in Norway and data were analysed using a stepwise deductive-inductive analysis.
      RESULTS: The empirical findings demonstrate that expectations regarding the
      social alarm, even though it represents a simple and well-established technology,
      are complex and multidimensional. The notion of script and domestication provided
      relevant tools for exploring these expectations and for understanding how actors
      interpret and adapt their practices of using the technology. This enabled a more
      comprehensive understanding of how technology opens up for different
      interpretations and puts values in play. CONCLUSIONS: This article suggests
      exploring technology in use as scripted in multidimensional script, and offers a
      frame for doing so. It also reveals how technology scripts and articulation prove
      important for understanding the complex reality when integrated into home care
      practices, thus identifying how using the technology leads to the taming and
      unleashing of both technology and actors. The study offers an increased
      understanding of how and why technology is unpredictable and works differently in
      different contexts. Moreover, it stresses the importance of avoiding expectations
      of plug-and-play in a reality of complex interactions between different actors.

PMID- 28915810
TI  - Does one workshop on respecting cultural differences increase health
      professionals' confidence to improve the care of Australian Aboriginal patients
      with cancer? An evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aboriginal Australians have worse cancer survival rates than other
      Australians. Reasons include fear of a cancer diagnosis, reluctance to attend
      mainstream health services and discrimination from health professionals. Offering
      health professionals education in care focusing on Aboriginal patients' needs is
      important. The aim of this paper was to evaluate whether participating in a
      workshop improved the confidence of radiation oncology health professionals in
      their knowledge, communication and ability to offer culturally safe healthcare to
      Aboriginal Australians with cancer. METHODS: Mixed methods using pre and post
      workshop online surveys, and one delivered 2 months later, were evaluated.
      Statistical analysis determined the relative proportion of participants who
      changed from not at all/a little confident at baseline to fairly/extremely
      confident immediately and 2 months after the workshop. Factor analysis identified
      underlying dimensions in the items and nonparametric tests recorded changes in
      mean dimension scores over and between times. Qualitative data was analysed for
      emerging themes. RESULTS: Fifty-nine participants attended the workshops, 39 (66%
      response rate) completed pre-workshop surveys, 32 (82% of study participants)
      completed post-workshop surveys and 25 (64% of study participants) completed
      surveys 2 months later. A significant increase in the proportion of attendees who
      reported fair/extreme confidence within 2 days of the workshop was found in nine
      of 14 items, which was sustained for all but one item 2 months later. Two
      additional items had a significant increase in the proportion of fair/extremely
      confident attendees 2 months post workshop compared to baseline. An exploratory
      factor analysis identified three dimensions: communication; relationships; and
      awareness. All dimensions' mean scores significantly improved within 2 days (p <
      0.005) and persisted to 2 months. The workshop raised awareness about barriers
      and enablers to delivering services respectful of cultural differences, led to a
      willingness to reflect on pre-existing beliefs and assumptions about Aboriginal
      Australians that in some cases resulted in improved care. CONCLUSION: Single
      workshops co-delivered by an Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal presenter can be
      effective in building health professionals' confidence and translating into
      practice knowledge of respectful care of Aboriginal patients with cancer.
      Sustaining improvements may require integrating this approach into ongoing
      professional development.

PMID- 28915811
TI  - Strategies for the quality assessment of the health care service providers in the
      treatment of Gastric Cancer in Colombia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While, at its inception in 1993, the health care system in Colombia
      was publicized as a paradigm to be copied across the developing world, numerous
      problems in its implementation have led to, what is now, an inefficient and
      crisis-ridden health system. Furthermore, as a result of inappropriate tools to
      measure the quality of the health service providers, several corruption scandals
      have arisen in the country. This study attempts to tackle this situation by
      proposing a strategy for the quality assessment of the health service providers
      (Entidades Promotoras de Salud, EPS) in the Colombian health system. In
      particular, as a case study, the quality of the treatment of stomach cancer is
      analyzed. METHODS: The study uses two complementary techniques to address the
      problem. These techniques are applied based on data of the treatment of gastric
      cancer collected on a nation-wide scale by the Colombian Ministry of Health and
      Welfare. First, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist Index (MI) are
      used to establish the most efficient EPS's within the system, according to
      indicators such as opportunity indicators. Second, sequential clustering
      algorithm, related to process mining a field of data mining, is used to determine
      the medical history of all patients and to construct typical care pathways of the
      patients belonging to efficient and inefficient EPS's. Lastly, efforts are made
      to identify traits and differences between efficient and inefficient EPS's.
      RESULTS: Efficient and inefficient EPS were identified for the years 2010 and
      2011. Additionally, a Malmquist Index was used to calculate the relative changes
      in the efficiency of the health providers. Using these efficiency rates, the
      typical treatment path of patients with gastric cancer was found for two EPSs:
      one efficient and another inefficient. Finally, the typical traits of the care
      pathways were established. CONCLUSIONS: Combining DEA and process mining proved
      to be a powerful approach understanding the problem and gaining valuable insight
      into the inner workings of the Colombian Health System, especially in terms of
      the treatment process performed by health care providers in critical illnesses
      such as cancer. However, no sufficiently compelling results were found to
      establish the contribution of such a combination to evaluate the quality in the
      delivery of health services.

PMID- 28915812
TI  - The economic burden of advanced gastric cancer in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths
      in both sexes worldwide, especially in Eastern Asia. This study aimed to estimate
      the economic burden of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) in Taiwan. METHODS: The
      costs of AGC in 2013 were estimated using resource use data from a chart review
      study (n = 122 with AGC) and national statistics. Annual per-patient costs, where
      patients' follow-up periods were adjusted for, were estimated with 82 patients
      who had complete resource use data. The costs were composed of direct medical
      costs, direct non-medical costs (healthcare travel and caregiver costs),
      morbidity costs, and mortality costs. Relevant unit costs were retrieved mainly
      from literature and national statistics, and applied to the resource use data. A
      broad definition of morbidity and mortality costs was employed to value the
      productivity loss in patients with unpaid employment, economically inactive and
      unemployed as well as the life years after the age of retirement. Their narrow
      definitions were also used in sensitivity analyses, using age- and/or sex
      specific employment rates. Forgone future earnings/productivity loss were
      discounted at 3%. Annual per-patient costs were projected to estimate the total
      costs of AGC at the national level with an estimated number of patients with AGC
      (N = 2611) in Taiwan in 2013. RESULTS: The mean age of the 82 patients was 59.3
      (SD: 11.9) years, and 67.1% were male. Per-patient costs were US$26,431 for
      direct medical costs, US$4669 for direct non-medical costs, US$5758 for morbidity
      costs, and US$145,990 for mortality costs (per death). These per-patient costs
      were projected to incur total AGC costs of US$423 million at the national-level.
      Mortality costs accounted for 77.3% of the total costs, followed by direct
      medical costs (16.3%), morbidity costs (3.6%), and direct non-medical costs
      (2.9%). CONCLUSION: AGC was found to exert a significant economic burden in
      Taiwan, incurring US$423 million in 2013. This represents about 0.08% of the
      Taiwanese economy. Mortality costs appeared to be the single greatest contributor
      to the burden, followed by direct medical costs. Early detection and providing
      effective treatments will help to reduce its burden on patients, caregivers and
      society as a whole. A poster of this study was presented at the 2016 American
      Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San
      Francisco, CA, USA.

PMID- 28915813
TI  - The relationship between burden of childhood disease and foreign aid for child
      health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to examine the relationship between child specific health
      aid (CHA) and burden of disease. Based on existing evidence, we hypothesized that
      foreign aid for child health would not be proportional to burden of disease.
      METHODS: In order to examine CHA and burden of disease, we obtained estimates of
      these parameters from established sources. Estimates of disability adjusted life
      years (DALYs) in children (0-5 years) were obtained from the World Health
      Organization for 2000 and 2012. The 10 most burdensome disease categories in each
      continent, excluding high-income countries, were identified for study.
      Descriptions of all foreign aid commitments between 1996 and 2009 were obtained
      from AidData, and an algorithm to designate the target diseases of the
      commitments was constructed. Data were examined in scatterplots for trends.
      RESULTS: The most burdensome childhood diseases varied by continent. In all
      continents, newborn diseases, vaccine-preventable diseases (lower respiratory
      diseases, measles, meningitis, tetanus, and pertussis), and diarrheal diseases
      ranked within the four most burdensome diseases. Infectious diseases such as
      malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV were also among the ten most burdensome diseases
      in sub-Saharan Africa, and non-communicable diseases were associated with much of
      the burden in the other continents. CHA grew from $7.4 billion in 1996 to $17.7
      billion in 2009 for our study diseases. Diarrheal diseases and malnutrition
      received the most CHA as well as the most CHA per DALY. CHA directed at HIV
      increased dramatically over our study period, from $227,000 in 1996 to $3.4
      billion in 2008. Little aid was directed at injuries such as drowning, car
      accidents, and fires, as well as complex medical diseases such as leukemia and
      endocrine disorders. CONCLUSION: CHA has grown significantly over the last two
      decades. There is no clear relationship between CHA and burden of disease. This
      report provides a description of foreign aid for child health, and hopes to
      inform policy and decision-making regarding foreign aid.

PMID- 28915814
TI  - Mediation effects of medication information processing and adherence on
      association between health literacy and quality of life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To examine whether medication related information processing defined
      as reading of over-the-counter drug labels, understanding prescription
      instructions, and information seeking-and medication adherence account for the
      association between health literacy and quality of life, and whether these
      associations may be moderated by age and gender. METHODS: A sample of 305 adults
      in South Korea was recruited through a proportional quota sampling to take part
      in a cross-sectional survey on health literacy, medication-related information
      processing, medication adherence, and quality of life. Descriptive statistics and
      structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed. RESULTS: Two mediation
      pathways linking health literacy with quality of life were found. First, health
      literacy was positively associated with reading drug labels, which was
      subsequently linked to medication adherence and quality of life. Second, health
      literacy was positively associated with accurate understanding of prescription
      instructions, which was associated with quality of life. Age moderation was
      found, as the mediation by reading drug labels was significant only among young
      adults whereas the mediation by understanding of medication instruction was only
      among older adults. CONCLUSION: Reading drug labels and understanding
      prescription instructions explained the pathways by which health literacy affects
      medication adherence and quality of life. The results suggest that training
      skills for processing medication information can be effective to enhance the
      health of those with limited health literacy.

PMID- 28915815
TI  - Designing an implementation intervention with the Behaviour Change Wheel for
      health provider smoking cessation care for Australian Indigenous pregnant women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Indigenous smoking rates are up to 80% among pregnant women:
      prevalence among pregnant Australian Indigenous women was 45% in 2014,
      contributing significantly to the health gap for Indigenous Australians. We aimed
      to develop an implementation intervention to improve smoking cessation care (SCC)
      for pregnant Indigenous smokers, an outcome to be achieved by training health
      providers at Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) in a culturally competent
      approach, developed collaboratively with AMS. METHOD: The Behaviour Change Wheel
      (BCW), incorporating the COM-B model (capability, opportunity and motivation for
      behavioural interventions), provided a framework for the development of the
      Indigenous Counselling and Nicotine (ICAN) QUIT in Pregnancy implementation
      intervention at provider and patient levels. We identified evidence-practice gaps
      through (i) systematic literature reviews, (ii) a national survey of clinicians
      and (iii) a qualitative study of smoking and quitting with Aboriginal mothers. We
      followed the three stages recommended in Michie et al.'s "Behaviour Change Wheel"
      guide. RESULTS: Targets identified for health provider behaviour change included
      the following: capability (psychological capability, knowledge and skills) by
      training clinicians in pharmacotherapy to assist women to quit; motivation
      (optimism) by presenting evidence of effectiveness, and positive testimonials
      from patients and clinicians; and opportunity (environmental context and
      resources) by promoting a whole-of-service approach and structuring consultations
      using a flipchart and prompts. Education and training were selected as the main
      intervention functions. For health providers, the delivery mode was webinar, to
      accommodate time and location constraints, bringing the training to the services;
      for patients, face-to-face consultations were supported by a booklet embedded
      with videos to improve patients' capability, opportunity and motivation.
      CONCLUSIONS: The ICAN QUIT in Pregnancy was an intervention to train health
      providers at Aboriginal Medical Services in how to implement culturally competent
      evidence-based practice including counselling and nicotine replacement therapy
      for pregnant patients who smoke. The BCW aided in scientifically and
      systematically informing this targeted implementation intervention based on the
      identified gaps in SCC by health providers. Multiple factors impact at systemic,
      provider, community and individual levels. This process was therefore important
      for defining the design and intervention components, prior to a conducting a
      pilot feasibility trial, then leading on to a full clinical trial.

PMID- 28915816
TI  - CRAMP deficiency leads to a pro-inflammatory phenotype and impaired phagocytosis
      after exposure to bacterial meningitis pathogens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial peptides are important components of the host defence
      with a broad range of functions including direct antimicrobial activity and
      modulation of inflammation. Lack of cathelin-related antimicrobial peptide
      (CRAMP) was associated with higher mortality and bacterial burden and impaired
      neutrophil granulocyte infiltration in a model of pneumococcal meningitis. The
      present study was designed to characterize the effects of CRAMP deficiency on
      glial response and phagocytosis after exposure to bacterial stimuli. METHODS:
      CRAMP-knock out and wildtype glial cells were exposed to bacterial supernatants
      from Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitides or the bacterial cell
      wall components lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan. Cell viability, expression
      of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators and activation of signal transduction
      pathways, phagocytosis rate and glial cell phenotype were investigated by means
      of cell viability assays, immunohistochemistry, real-time RT-PCR and Western
      blot. RESULTS: CRAMP-deficiency was associated with stronger expression of pro
      inflammatory and weakened expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines indicating a
      higher degree of glial cell activation even under resting-state conditions.
      Furthermore, increased translocation of nuclear factor 'kappa-light-chain
      enhancer' of activated B-cells was observed and phagocytosis of S. pneumoniae was
      reduced in CRAMP-deficient microglia indicating impaired antimicrobial activity.
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the present study detected severe alterations of the
      glial immune response due to lack of CRAMP. The results indicate the importance
      of CRAMP to maintain and regulate the delicate balance between beneficial and
      harmful immune response in the brain.

PMID- 28915817
TI  - Cultural adaptation of a pediatric functional assessment for rehabilitation
      outcomes research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Significant racial and ethnic health care disparities experienced by
      Hispanic children with special health care needs (CSHCN) create barriers to
      enacting culturally competent rehabilitation services. One way to minimize the
      impact of disparities in rehabilitation is to equip practitioners with culturally
      relevant functional assessments to accurately determine service needs. Current
      approaches to culturally adapting assessments have three major limitations: use
      of inconsistent translation processes; current processes assess for some, but not
      all, elements of cultural equivalence; and limited evidence to guide decision
      making about whether to undertake cultural adaptation with and without language
      translation. The aims of this observational study are (a) to examine similarities
      and differences of culturally adapting a pediatric functional assessment with and
      without language translation, and (b) to examine the feasibility of cultural
      adaptation processes. METHODS: The Young Children's Participation and Environment
      Measure (YC-PEM), a pediatric functional assessment, underwent cultural
      adaptation (i.e., language translation and cognitive testing) to establish
      Spanish and English pilot versions for use by caregivers of young CSHCN of
      Mexican descent. Following language translation to develop a Spanish YC-PEM pilot
      version, 7 caregivers (4 Spanish-speaking; 3 English-speaking) completed
      cognitive testing to inform decisions regarding content revisions to English and
      Spanish YC-PEM versions. Participant responses were content coded to established
      cultural equivalencies. Coded data were summed to draw comparisons on the number
      of revisions needed to achieve cultural equivalence between the two versions.
      Feasibility was assessed according to process data and data quality. RESULTS:
      Results suggest more revisions are required to achieve cultural equivalence for
      the translated (Spanish) version of the YC-PEM. However, issues around how the
      participation outcome is conceptualized were identified in both versions.
      Feasibility results indicate that language translation processes require high
      resource investment, but may increase translation quality. However, use of
      questionnaires versus interview methods for cognitive testing may have limited
      data saturation. CONCLUSIONS: Results lend preliminary support to the need for
      and feasibility of cultural adaptation with and without language translation.
      Results inform decisions surrounding cultural adaptations with and without
      language translation and thereby enhance cultural competence and quality
      assessment of healthcare need within pediatric rehabilitation.

PMID- 28915819
TI  - Bacteriophage therapy to combat bacterial infections in poultry.
AB  - Infections in poultry are an economic and health problem in Europe and worldwide.
      The most common infections are associated with salmonellosis, colibacillosis,
      campylobacteriosis, and others. The prevalence of Campylobacter-positive poultry
      flocks in European countries varies from 18% to 90%. In the United States, the
      prevalence of infected flocks is nearly 90%. A similar percentage of infection
      has been noted for salmonellosis (about 75-90%) and E. coli (90-95%). The
      occurence of Clostridium perfringens is a major problem for the poultry industry,
      with some estimates suggesting colonization of as many as 95% of chickens,
      resulting in clinical or subclinical infections. In the US, annual economic
      losses due to Salmonella infections run from $1.188 billion to over $11.588
      billion, based on an estimated 1.92 million cases. Similar costs are observed in
      the case of other types of infections. In 2005 economic losses in the the poultry
      industry due to mortalities reached 1,000,000 USD.Infections caused by these
      pathogens, often through poultry products, are also a serious public health
      issue.The progressive increase in the number of multi-drug resistant bacteria and
      the complete ban on the use of antibiotics in livestock feed in the EU, as well
      as the partial ban in the US, have led to the growth of research on the use of
      bacteriophages to combat bacterial infections in humans and animals.The high
      success rate and safety of phage therapy in comparison with antibiotics are
      partly due to their specificity for selected bacteria and the ability to infect
      only one species, serotype or strain. This mechanism does not cause the
      destruction of commensal bacterial flora. Phages are currently being used with
      success in humans and animals in targeted therapies for slow-healing infections.
      They have also found application in the US in eliminating pathogens from the
      surface of foods of animal and plant origin. At a time of growing antibiotic
      resistance in bacteria and the resulting restrictions on the use of antibiotics,
      bacteriophages can provide an alternative means of eliminating pathogens.

PMID- 28915818
TI  - The impact of cardiovascular co-morbidities and duration of diabetes on the
      association between microvascular function and glycaemic control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Good glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) protects the
      microcirculation. Current guidelines suggest glycaemic targets be relaxed in
      advanced diabetes. We explored whether disease duration or pre-existing
      macrovascular complications attenuated the association between hyperglycaemia and
      microvascular function. METHODS: 743 participants with T2DM (n = 222),
      cardiovascular disease (CVD = 183), both (n = 177) or neither (controls = 161)
      from two centres in the UK, underwent standard clinical measures and endothelial
      dependent (ACh) and independent (SNP) microvascular function assessment using
      laser Doppler imaging. RESULTS: People with T2DM and CVD had attenuated ACh and
      SNP responses compared to controls. This was additive in those with both (ANOVA p
      < 0.001). In regression models, cardiovascular risk factors accounted for
      attenuated ACh and SNP responses in CVD, whereas HbA1c accounted for the effects
      of T2DM. HbA1c was associated with ACh and SNP response after adjustment for
      cardiovascular risk factors (adjusted standardised beta (beta) -0.096, p = <0.008
      and -0.135, p < 0.001, respectively). Pre-existing CVD did not modify this
      association (beta -0.099; p = 0.006 and -0.138; p < 0.001, respectively).
      Duration of diabetes accounted for the association between HbA1c and ACh (beta 
      0.043; p = 0.3), but not between HbA1c and SNP (beta -0.105; p = 0.02).
      CONCLUSIONS: In those with T2DM and CVD, good glycaemic control is still
      associated with better microvascular function, whereas in those with prolonged
      disease this association is lost. This suggests duration of diabetes may be a
      better surrogate for "advanced disease" than concomitant CVD, although this
      requires prospective validation.

PMID- 28915820
TI  - Item response modeling: a psychometric assessment of the children's fruit,
      vegetable, water, and physical activity self-efficacy scales among Chinese
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of four self
      efficacy scales (i.e., self-efficacy for fruit (FSE), vegetable (VSE), and water
      (WSE) intakes, and physical activity (PASE)) and to investigate their differences
      in item functioning across sex, age, and body weight status groups using item
      response modeling (IRM) and differential item functioning (DIF). METHODS: Four
      self-efficacy scales were administrated to 763 Hong Kong Chinese children (55.2%
      boys) aged 8-13 years. Classical test theory (CTT) was used to examine the
      reliability and factorial validity of scales. IRM was conducted and DIF analyses
      were performed to assess the characteristics of item parameter estimates on the
      basis of children's sex, age and body weight status. RESULTS: All self-efficacy
      scales demonstrated adequate to excellent internal consistency reliability
      (Cronbach's alpha: 0.79-0.91). One FSE misfit item and one PASE misfit item were
      detected. Small DIF were found for all the scale items across children's age
      groups. Items with medium to large DIF were detected in different sex and body
      weight status groups, which will require modification. A Wright map revealed that
      items covered the range of the distribution of participants' self-efficacy for
      each scale except VSE. CONCLUSIONS: Several self-efficacy scales' items
      functioned differently by children's sex and body weight status. Additional
      research is required to modify the four self-efficacy scales to minimize these
      moderating influences for application.

PMID- 28915821
TI  - Assessment of the underlying systems involved in standing balance: the additional
      value of electromyography in system identification and parameter estimation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Closed loop system identification (CLSIT) is a method to disentangle
      the contribution of underlying systems in standing balance. We investigated
      whether taking into account lower leg muscle activation in CLSIT could improve
      the reliability and accuracy of estimated parameters identifying the underlying
      systems. METHODS: Standing balance behaviour of 20 healthy young participants was
      measured using continuous rotations of the support surface (SS). The dynamic
      balance behaviour obtained with CLSIT was expressed by sensitivity functions of
      the ankle torque, body sway and muscle activation of the lower legs to the SS
      rotation. Balance control models, 1) without activation dynamics, 2) with
      activation dynamics and 3) with activation dynamics and acceleration feedback,
      were fitted on the data of all possible combinations of the 3 sensitivity
      functions. The reliability of the estimated model parameters was represented by
      the mean relative standard errors of the mean (mSEM) of the estimated parameters,
      expressed for the basic parameters, the activation dynamics parameters and the
      acceleration feedback parameter. To investigate the accuracy, a model validation
      study was performed using simulated data obtained with a comprehensive balance
      control model. The accuracy of the estimated model parameters was described by
      the mean relative difference (mDIFF) between the estimated parameters and
      original parameters. RESULTS: The experimental data showed a low mSEM of the
      basic parameters, activation dynamics parameters and acceleration feedback
      parameter by adding muscle activation in combination with activation dynamics and
      acceleration feedback to the fitted model. From the simulated data, the mDIFF of
      the basic parameters varied from 22.2-22.4% when estimated using the torque and
      body sway sensitivity functions. Adding the activation dynamics, acceleration
      feedback and muscle activation improved mDIFF to 13.1-15.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Adding
      the muscle activation in combination with the activation dynamics and
      acceleration feedback to CLSIT improves the accuracy and reliability of the
      estimated parameters and gives the possibility to separate the neural time delay,
      electromechanical delay and the intrinsic and reflexive dynamics. To diagnose
      impaired balance more specifically, it is recommended to add electromyography
      (EMG) to body sway (with or without torque) measurements in the assessment of the
      underlying systems.

PMID- 28915822
TI  - What hinders the uptake of computerized decision support systems in hospitals? A
      qualitative study and framework for implementation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advanced Computerized Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) assist
      clinicians in their decision-making process, generating recommendations based on
      up-to-date scientific evidence. Although this technology has the potential to
      improve the quality of patient care, its mere provision does not guarantee
      uptake: even where CDSSs are available, clinicians often fail to adopt their
      recommendations. This study examines the barriers and facilitators to the uptake
      of an evidence-based CDSS as perceived by diverse health professionals in
      hospitals at different stages of CDSS adoption. METHODS: Qualitative study
      conducted as part of a series of randomized controlled trials of CDSSs. The
      sample includes two hospitals using a CDSS and two hospitals that aim to adopt a
      CDSS in the future. We interviewed physicians, nurses, information technology
      staff, and members of the boards of directors (n = 30). We used a constant
      comparative approach to develop a framework for guiding implementation. RESULTS:
      We identified six clusters of experiences of, and attitudes towards CDSSs, which
      we label as "positions." The six positions represent a gradient of acquisition of
      control over CDSSs (from low to high) and are characterized by different types of
      barriers to CDSS uptake. The most severe barriers (prevalent in the first
      positions) include clinicians' perception that the CDSSs may reduce their
      professional autonomy or may be used against them in the event of medical-legal
      controversies. Moving towards the last positions, these barriers are substituted
      by technical and usability problems related to the technology interface. When all
      barriers are overcome, CDSSs are perceived as a working tool at the service of
      its users, integrating clinicians' reasoning and fostering organizational
      learning. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers and facilitators to the use of CDSSs are dynamic
      and may exist prior to their introduction in clinical contexts; providing a
      static list of obstacles and facilitators, irrespective of the specific
      implementation phase and context, may not be sufficient or useful to facilitate
      uptake. Factors such as clinicians' attitudes towards scientific evidences and
      guidelines, the quality of inter-disciplinary relationships, and an
      organizational ethos of transparency and accountability need to be considered
      when exploring the readiness of a hospital to adopt CDSSs.

PMID- 28915823
TI  - Patients with acute poisoning presenting to an urban emergency department of a
      tertiary hospital in Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poisoning is a major public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa,
      affecting patients of all age groups. Poisoned patients often present to the
      emergency department (ED) and prompt evaluation and appropriate management are
      imperative to ensure optimal outcomes. Unfortunately, little is known about the
      specific presentations of poisoned patients in East Africa. We describe the
      clinical and epidemiological features of patients presenting to the Muhimbili
      National Hospital (MNH) ED with suspected toxicological syndromes. METHODS: This
      prospective study enrolled a consecutive sample of ED patients who presented with
      a suspected toxicological syndrome from March 2013 to June 2013. Trained
      investigators completed a structured case report form (CRF) for each eligible
      patient, documenting the suspected poison, demographic information, the clinical
      presentation, and the ED outcome and disposition. The study data were analyzed
      and summarized with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of 8827 patients, who
      presented to ED-MNH, 106 (1.2%) met inclusion criteria, and all were enrolled.
      Among those enrolled, the median age was 28 years (interquartile range [IQR] 16
      years), and 81 (76.4%) were male. Overall 55 (52%) were single, and 28 (26.4%)
      had professional jobs. 60 (56.6%) patients were referred from district hospitals,
      86.8% of which were in Dar es Salaam. Only 13 (12.3%) of patients presented to
      the ED within 2 h of the toxic exposure. The etiology of poisoning included
      alcohol in 42 (50%), a mixture of different medications in 12 (14.3%), and
      snakebite in 6 (11.3%). Most exposures were intentional (63 [59.4%]) and were via
      the oral route (88 [83%]). The most common abnormal physical findings were
      altered mental status (66 [62.3%]) and tachypnoea (68 [64.2%]). One patient died
      in the ED and 98 (92.5%) required hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients
      presenting to the ED with a toxicological syndrome were adult males with
      intentional exposures. The most common toxic exposure was alcohol (ethanol)
      intoxication and the most common abnormal findings were altered mental status and
      tachypnoea. More than three-quarter of patients presented after 2 h of exposure.
      Almost all patients were admitted to the hospital.

PMID- 28915824
TI  - Fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus suppresses hepatitis B virus replication by
      enhancing extracellular signal-regulated Kinase activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious public health problem
      leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. As the clinical utility of
      current therapies is limited, the development of new therapeutic approaches for
      the prevention and treatment of HBV infection is imperative. Fucoidan is a
      natural sulfated polysaccharide that extracted from different species of brown
      seaweed, which was reported to exhibit various bioactivities. However, it remains
      unclear whether fucoidan influences HBV replication or not. METHODS: The HBV
      infected mouse model was established by hydrodynamic injection of HBV replicative
      plasmid, and the mice were treated with saline or fucoidan respectively. Besides,
      we also tested the inhibitory effect of fucoidan against HBV infection in HBV
      transfected cell lines. RESULTS: The result showed that fucoidan from Fucus
      vesiculosus decreased serum HBV DNA, HBsAg and HBeAg levels and hepatic HBcAg
      expression in HBV-infected mice. Moreover, fucoidan treatment also suppressed
      intracellular HBcAg expression and the secretion of the HBV DNA as well as HBsAg
      and HBeAg in HBV-expressing cells. Furthermore, we proved that the inhibitory
      activity by fucoidan was due to the activation of the extracellular signal
      regulated kinase (ERK) pathway and the subsequent production of type I
      interferon. Using specific inhibitor of ERK pathway abrogated the fucoidan
      mediated inhibition of HBV replication. CONCLUSION: This study highlights that
      fucoidan might be served as an alternative therapeutic approach for the treatment
      of HBV infection.

PMID- 28915825
TI  - Effect of a mobile app intervention on vegetable consumption in overweight
      adults: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile applications (apps) have been heralded as transformative tools
      to deliver behavioral health interventions at scale, but few have been tested in
      rigorous randomized controlled trials. We tested the effect of a mobile app to
      increase vegetable consumption among overweight adults attempting weight loss
      maintenance. METHODS: Overweight adults (n=135) aged 18-50 years with BMI=28-40
      kg/m2 near Stanford, CA were recruited from an ongoing 12-month weight loss trial
      (parent trial) and randomly assigned to either the stand-alone, theory-based
      Vegethon mobile app (enabling goal setting, self-monitoring, and feedback and
      using "process motivators" including fun, surprise, choice, control, social
      comparison, and competition) or a wait-listed control condition. The primary
      outcome was daily vegetables servings, measured by an adapted Harvard food
      frequency questionnaire (FFQ) 8 weeks post-randomization. Daily vegetable
      servings from 24-hour dietary recalls, administered by trained, certified, and
      blinded interviewers 5 weeks post-randomization, was included as a secondary
      outcome. All analyses were conducted according to principles of intention-to
      treat. RESULTS: Daily vegetable consumption was significantly greater in the
      intervention versus control condition for both measures (adjusted mean
      difference: 2.0 servings; 95% CI: 0.1, 3.8, p=0.04 for FFQ; and 1.0 servings; 95%
      CI: 0.2, 1.9; p=0.02 for 24-hour recalls). Baseline vegetable consumption was a
      significant moderator of intervention effects (p=0.002) in which effects
      increased as baseline consumption increased. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      demonstrate the efficacy of a mobile app to increase vegetable consumption among
      overweight adults. Theory-based mobile interventions may present a low-cost,
      scalable, and effective approach to improving dietary behaviors and preventing
      associated chronic diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01826591.
      Registered 27 March 2013.

PMID- 28915826
TI  - Acupuncture lowering blood pressure for secondary prevention of stroke: a study
      protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke is the prime cause of morbidity and mortality in the general
      population, and hypertension will increase the recurrence and mortality of
      stroke. We report a protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT)
      using blood pressure (BP)-lowering acupuncture add-on treatment to treat patients
      with hypertension and stroke. METHODS: This is a large-scale, multicenter,
      subject-, assessor- and analyst-blinded, pragmatic RCT. A total of 480 patients
      with hypertension and ischemic stroke will be randomly assigned to two groups: an
      experimental group and a control group. The experimental group will receive
      "HuoXueSanFeng" acupuncture combined with one antihypertensive medication in
      addition to routine ischemic stroke treatment. The control group will only
      receive one antihypertensive medication and basic treatments for ischemic stroke.
      HuoXueSanFeng acupuncture will be given for six sessions weekly for the first 6
      weeks and three times weekly for the next 6 weeks. A 9-month follow-up will,
      thereafter, be conducted. Antihypertensive medication will be adjusted based on
      BP levels. The primary outcome will be the recurrence of stroke. The secondary
      outcomes including 24-h ambulatory BP, the TCM syndrome score, the Short Form 36
      item Health Survey (SF-36), the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale
      (NIHSS), as well as the Barthel Index (BI) scale will be assessed at baseline, 6
      weeks and 12 weeks post initiating treatments; cardiac ultrasound, carotid artery
      ultrasound, transcranial Doppler, and lower extremity ultrasound will be
      evaluated at baseline and 12 weeks after treatment. The safety of acupuncture
      will also be assessed. DISCUSSION: We aim to determine the clinical effects of
      controlling BP for secondary prevention of stroke with acupuncture add-on
      treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02967484 . Registered
      on 13 February 2017; last updated on 27 June 2017.

PMID- 28915827
TI  - Evaluating the impact of a walking program in a disadvantaged area: using the RE
      AIM framework by mixed methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The positive health impact of physical activity (PA) is well known,
      yet a large proportion of the world's population remains sedentary. General PA
      programs are common as health promotion initiatives. However, effectiveness
      evaluations of such PA programs on individual and organizational aspects, which
      could inform the decision-making process of public health bodies are still
      lacking, particularly in the most socially disadvantaged areas, where health
      promotion schemes are particularly needed. The aim of this study was to assess
      the effectiveness of a Guided Walking Program in a high social vulnerability
      context. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, mixed methods study was conducted. The
      program had a duration of 6 months and a 6-month follow-up period after the
      intervention. Session frequency was five times a week, where sessions consisted
      of supervised PA combined with educational sessions. The Reach, Effectiveness,
      Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework was followed to
      assess the program. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and
      accelerometers were used to measure levels of PA. Focus groups were conducted to
      gain a comprehensive insight on the implementation domain. RESULTS: Most subjects
      in the intervention (IG) (n = 74) and control (CG) (n = 74) groups were female
      (IG:90.5%; CG:95.9%), aged 18-49 years (IG:44.6%; CG:43.2%), received less than 1
      minimum wage (IG:74.3%; CG:83.7%) and had 0-4 years of formal education
      (IG:52.1%; CG:46.1%). The reach of the intervention was 0.3%. The IG showed
      increased levels of PA at post-intervention and 6-month follow-up. However, the
      difference between groups was not statistically significant. Adoption data
      revealed that 89.5% of the professionals in the Primary Health Care Center
      (health center) team perceived the benefits of the program for the population.
      The program was independently promoted by the health center team for a further 4
      months post-intervention. The qualitative data revealed that the program was
      discontinued due to participants' low adherence and human resource limitations in
      the unit's operational dynamics. CONCLUSIONS: A health promotion intervention in
      a socially deprived setting faces challenges but can be effective and feasible to
      implement. The present study informs the development of future health promotion
      initiatives in this context. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02857127 . Registered: 30
      July 2016 (retrospectively registered).

PMID- 28915828
TI  - MicroRNA-488 and -920 regulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines in
      acute gouty arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gout is considered one of the most painful acute conditions caused by
      deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals within joints. Recent studies have
      shown that interleukin (IL)-1beta is a key inflammatory mediator in acute gouty
      arthritis (GA), and its level is regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the
      molecular mechanisms of the regulation remain unclear. METHODS: A miRNA
      microarray was used to analyze the miRNA expression profiles in peripheral white
      blood cells (WBCs) of patients with GA. THP-1 cells were transfected with miRNA
      mimics, stimulated by MSU crystals, and then subjected to quantitative real-time
      polymerase chain reaction or Western blot analysis. Levels of IL-1beta, IL-8, and
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in culture supernatants of THP-1 cells were
      measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A luciferase reporter assay was
      conducted to confirm the interaction of miRNA and IL-1beta 3'-untranslated
      regions (UTRs). RESULTS: Combining bioinformatics and miRNA expression profiles,
      we found five miRNAs (hsa-miR-30c-1-3p, hsa-miR-488-3p, hsa-miR-550a-3p, hsa-miR
      663a, and hsa-miR-920) that possibly target IL-1beta. Then, we demonstrated that
      miR-488 and miR-920 were significantly decreased in the WBCs of patients with GA
      and that MSU crystals could inhibit expression of miR-488 and miR-920.
      Upregulation of miR-488 and miR-920 could suppress MSU-induced IL-1beta protein
      expression in THP-1 cells, but no significant difference in IL-1beta messenger
      RNA levels was observed. Moreover, we found that miR-488 and miR-920 could
      directly target the 3'-UTR of IL-1beta. Overexpression of miR-488 and miR-920
      could significantly inhibit the gene and protein expression of IL-8 and TNF-alpha
      in MSU-induced THP-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the roles of miR
      488 and miR-920 in regulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines in the
      pathogenesis of GA. These findings suggest that miR-488 and miR-920 could serve
      as potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of GA.

PMID- 28915829
TI  - How often do mosquitoes bite humans in southern England? A standardised summer
      trial at four sites reveals spatial, temporal and site-related variation in
      biting rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This field-based study examined the abundance and species complement
      of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) attracted to humans at four sites in the
      United Kingdom (UK). The study used a systematic approach to directly measure
      feeding by mosquitoes on humans at multiple sites and using multiple volunteers.
      Quantifying how frequently humans are bitten in the field by mosquitoes is a
      fundamental parameter in assessing arthropod-borne virus transmission. METHODS:
      Human landing catches were conducted using a standardised protocol by multiple
      volunteers at four rural sites between July and August 2013. Collections
      commenced two hours prior to sunset and lasted for a total of four hours. To
      reduce bias occurring due to collection point or to the individual attractiveness
      of the volunteer to mosquitoes, each collection was divided into eight collection
      periods, with volunteers rotated by randomised Latin square design between four
      sampling points per site. While the aim was to collect mosquitoes prior to
      feeding, the source of blood meals from any engorged specimens was also
      identified by DNA barcoding. RESULTS: Three of the four sites yielded human
      biting mosquito populations for a total of 915 mosquitoes of fifteen
      species/species groups. Mosquito species composition and biting rates differed
      significantly between sites, with individual volunteers collecting between 0 and
      89 mosquitoes (over 200 per hour) of up to six species per collection period.
      Coquillettidia richiardii (Ficalbi, 1889) was responsible for the highest
      recorded biting rates at any one site, reaching 161 bites per hour, whilst
      maximum biting rates of 55 bites per hour were recorded for Culex modestus
      (Ficalbi, 1889). Human-biting by Culex pipiens (L., 1758) form pipiens was also
      observed at two sites, but at much lower rates when compared to other species.
      CONCLUSIONS: Several mosquito species are responsible for human nuisance biting
      pressure in southern England, although human exposure to biting may be largely
      limited to evening outdoor activities. This study indicates Cx. modestus can be a
      major human-biting species in the UK whilst Cx. pipiens f. pipiens may show
      greater opportunistic human-biting than indicated by earlier studies.

PMID- 28915830
TI  - Biological effects of combined resveratrol and vitamin D3 on ovarian tissue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a natural
      antioxidant polyphenol able to exert a wide range of biological effect on several
      tissues. Despite its important beneficial properties, it has a low water
      solubility, which limits its therapeutic applications in humans. Resveratrol also
      acts as a phytoestrogen that modulates estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated
      transcription. In addition, it has been shown that ovarian tissues benefit
      greatly from vitamin D3, which exerts its beneficial effects through VDR
      receptors. The aim was to evaluate the cooperative effects of resveratrol
      combined with vitamin D3 on ovarian cells and tissues and some other organs as
      well. Moreover, the modulation of specific intracellular pathways involving ER
      and VDR receptors has been studied. METHODS: The experiments were performed both
      in vitro and in vivo, to analyze cell viability, radical oxygen species
      production, signal transductions through Western Blot, and resveratrol
      quantification by HPLC. RESULTS: Cell viability, radical oxygen species
      production, and intracellular pathways have been studied on CHO-K1 cells. Also,
      the relative mechanism activated following oral intake in female Wistar rats as
      animal model was investigated, evaluating bioavailability, biodistribution and
      signal transduction in heart, kidney, liver and ovarian tissues. Both in in vitro
      and in vivo experiments, resveratrol exerts more evident effects when
      administered in combination with vitD in ovarian cells, showing a common biphasic
      cooperative effect: The role of vitamin D3 in maintaining and supporting the
      biological activity of resveratrol has been clearly observed. Moreover,
      resveratrol plus vitamin D3 blood concentrations showed a biphasic absorption
      rate. CONCLUSIONS: Such results could be used as a fundamental data for the
      development of new therapies for gynecological conditions, such as hot-flashes.

PMID- 28915831
TI  - A synoptic overview of golden jackal parasites reveals high diversity of species.
AB  - The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a species under significant and fast
      geographic expansion. Various parasites are known from golden jackals across
      their geographic range, and certain groups can be spread during their expansion,
      increasing the risk of cross-infection with other carnivores or even humans. The
      current list of the golden jackal parasites includes 194 species and was compiled
      on the basis of an extensive literature search published from historical times
      until April 2017, and is shown herein in synoptic tables followed by critical
      comments of the various findings. This large variety of parasites is related to
      the extensive geographic range, territorial mobility and a very unselective diet.
      The vast majority of these parasites are shared with domestic dogs or cats. The
      zoonotic potential is the most important aspect of species reported in the golden
      jackal, some of them, such as Echinococcus spp., hookworms, Toxocara spp., or
      Trichinella spp., having a great public health impact. Our review brings
      overwhelming evidence on the importance of Canis aureus as a wild reservoir of
      human and animal parasites.

PMID- 28915832
TI  - Dogs as victims of their own worms: Serodiagnosis of canine alveolar
      echinococcosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Besides acting as definitive hosts for Echinococcus multilocularis,
      dogs can become infected by the larval form of this parasite and thereby develop
      life-threatening alveolar echinococcosis (AE). Although AE is a zoonotic disease,
      most therapeutic and diagnostic approaches have been developed for human
      patients. In dogs, AE is typically diagnosed in the advanced stage of the disease
      when the parasitic mass has already caused abdominal distension. At that stage,
      complete resection of the parasitic mass is often impossible, leaving a guarded
      prognosis for the affected dogs. For humans, sensitive and specific diagnostic
      protocols relying on serology have been validated and are now widely used. In
      contrast, sensitive and specific laboratory diagnostic tools that would enable
      early diagnosis of canine AE are still lacking. The aim of the current study was
      to establish a serological protocol specifically adapted to dogs. METHODS: We
      tested several native and recombinant antigens (EmVF, Em2, recEm95, recEm18) in
      in-house ELISA, an in-house Western blot (WB), as well as a commercially
      available WB developed for serodiagnosing human AE (Anti-Echinococcus EUROLINE
      WB(r)), using a panel of known status dog sera. RESULTS: RecEm95-antigen was
      revealed to be the most promising antigen for use in ELISA, demonstrating 100%
      (95% CI: 72-100%) sensitivity and 100% (95% CI: 93-100%) specificity in our
      study. The in-house WB using EmVF antigen performed as well as the recEm95-ELISA.
      The commercial WB also correctly identified all infected dogs, coupled with a
      specificity of 98% (95% CI: 91-100%). CONCLUSION: The recEm95-ELISA alone or in
      combination with either the in-house WB or the Anti-Echinococcus EUROLINE-WB(r)
      (IgG) with a minor modification should be considered as the best current approach
      for the serological diagnosis of dogs infected with the larval stage of E.
      multilocularis. However, larger studies with a focus on potentially cross
      reacting sera should be undertaken to verify these findings.

PMID- 28915833
TI  - Deltopectoral flap revisited for reconstruction surgery in patients with advanced
      thyroid cancer: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We present the cases of 2 patients with invasive thyroid cancer, who
      underwent reconstructive surgery using a deltopectoral flap. Although the overall
      rate of extrathyroidal extension in patients with thyroid cancer is quite low,
      skin invasion is the most common pattern observed. Reconstructive surgery,
      involving local skin flaps, is required in these patients. The deltopectoral flap
      relies on the blood supply from intercostal perforators of the internal thoracic
      artery and usually requires skin grafting to the donor site. The internal
      thoracic artery is rarely sacrificed in these cases, even in an advanced surgery
      such as in patients with invasive thyroid cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year
      old man with a distended thyroid gland presented to our hospital. He underwent
      advanced surgery, including skin excision, because we suspected that his tumor
      was thyroid cancer. The defect was covered with an ipsilateral deltopectoral flap
      via transposition of the flap, without skin grafting. In the second case, a 67
      year-old woman with thyroid cancer that metastasized to her neck lymph nodes
      presented to our institution. Although the ipsilateral internal thoracic artery
      was sacrificed near its origin during tumor resection, the deltopectoral flap was
      raised in the usual manner without any complications. The skin defect caused by
      the tumor resection was covered with the flap. The patient had an uneventful
      clinical course for more than 2 years of follow-up. These 2 cases show the
      effectiveness of using the deltopectoral flap as a reconstructive option for
      patients with thyroid cancer who underwent radical surgery, resulting in a skin
      defect. The first case shows that this flap does not always require skin grafting
      to the donor site. To our knowledge, the second case may be the first report of a
      deltopectoral flap that was safely raised and applied with resection of the
      bifurcation of the ipsilateral internal thoracic artery. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      thyroid cancer surgery with surrounding skin excision is a rare procedure, we
      found that the deltopectoral flap was useful and should be the first choice for
      patients undergoing reconstructive surgery, whether the bifurcation of the
      ipsilateral internal thoracic artery is sacrificed.

PMID- 28915834
TI  - Skeletal muscle mechanics: questions, problems and possible solutions.
AB  - Skeletal muscle mechanics have been studied ever since people have shown an
      interest in human movement. However, our understanding of muscle contraction and
      muscle mechanical properties has changed fundamentally with the discovery of the
      sliding filament theory in 1954 and associated cross-bridge theory in 1957.
      Nevertheless, experimental evidence suggests that our knowledge of the mechanisms
      of contraction is far from complete, and muscle properties and muscle function in
      human movement remain largely unknown.In this manuscript, I am trying to identify
      some of the crucial challenges we are faced with in muscle mechanics, offer
      possible solutions to questions, and identify problems that might be worthwhile
      exploring in the future. Since it is impossible to tackle all (worthwhile)
      problems in a single manuscript, I identified three problems that are
      controversial, important, and close to my heart. They may be identified as
      follows: (i) mechanisms of muscle contraction, (ii) in vivo whole muscle
      mechanics and properties, and (iii) force-sharing among synergistic muscles.
      These topics are fundamental to our understanding of human movement and movement
      control, and they contain a series of unknowns and challenges to be explored in
      the future.It is my hope that this paper may serve as an inspiration for some,
      may challenge current beliefs in selected areas, tackle important problems in the
      area of muscle mechanics, physiology and movement control, and may guide and
      focus some of the thinking of future muscle mechanics research.

PMID- 28915835
TI  - Macular retinal and choroidal thickness in unilateral amblyopia using swept
      source optical coherence tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate macular retinal and choroidal thickness in amblyopic
      eyes compared to that in fellow and normal eyes using swept-source optical
      coherence tomography (SS-OCT). METHODS: This study examined 31 patients with
      hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia (6.9 +/- 3.8 years, mean +/- standard
      deviation), 15 patients with strabismic amblyopia without anisometropia (7.9 +/-
      4.2 years), and 24 age-matched controls (7.8 +/- 3.3 years). Retinal and
      choroidal thickness was measured by 3D scans using SS-OCT. A 6-mm area around the
      fovea was automatically analyzed using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy
      Study map. The thickness from SS-OCT was corrected for magnification error using
      individual axial length, spherical refraction, cylinder refraction, and corneal
      radius. Retinal thickness was divided into the macular retinal nerve fiber layer
      (mRNFL), ganglion cell layer + inner plexiform layer (GCL+IPL), ganglion cell
      complex (GCC), and the inner limiting membrane to the retinal pigment epithelium
      (ILM-RPE) thickness. Retinal and choroidal thickness was compared among
      amblyopic, fellow, and normal eyes. RESULTS: In both amblyopia groups, there was
      no significant difference in the mRNFL, GCL+IPL, and GCC thicknesses among the
      amblyopic, fellow, and control eyes. In the anisometropic amblyopia group,
      choroidal thickness (subfovea, center 1 mm, nasal and inferior of the inner ring,
      nasal of the outer ring, and center 6 mm) of amblyopic eyes were significantly
      greater than that of fellow and normal eyes. In contrast, none of the choroidal
      thicknesses were significantly different among the investigated eyes in the
      strabismic amblyopia group. CONCLUSIONS: We found no significant difference in
      inner retinal thickness in patients with unilateral amblyopia. Although there
      were significant differences in choroidal thickness with hyperopic anisometropic
      amblyopia, there was no significant difference for the strabismic amblyopia. The
      discrepancy in choroidal thickness between the two types of amblyopia may be due
      to both differences in ocular size and underlying mechanism.

PMID- 28915836
TI  - Changes in DNA methylation in naive T helper cells regulate the
      pathophysiological state in minimal-change nephrotic syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DNA methylation plays a crucial role in regulating transcription, and
      changes in DNA methylation affect gene expression and disease development.
      Minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) has been reported to involve
      immunological disturbances. Since the characteristic features of the disease
      include recurrent relapse and sex and age preference, the disease pathogenesis
      may be partly related to epigenetic changes. However, little is known about these
      changes. METHODS: We analyzed genome-wide DNA methylation using the microarray
      based integrated analysis of methylation by isoschizomers method. This method was
      used to evaluate methylation in monocytes (patient number; n = 6) and naive T
      helper cells (n = 4) from the peripheral blood of MCNS patients both in relapse
      and following remission and that of healthy controls (n = 5). RESULTS: In total,
      85 co-occurring genes were identified in naive T helper cells, while 4 such genes
      were identified in monocytes, which were common among the 3 following comparisons
      for changes in DNA methylation using sample pairs: (1) relapse versus remission,
      (2) relapse versus controls, and (3) remission versus controls. In 82 of 85 co
      occurring genes (96.5%) in naive T helper cells, the level of DNA methylation was
      altered according to disease activity, but was not related to disease activity in
      the 4 genes detected in monocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, in 82 co-occurring
      genes in naive T helper cells, the regulation of DNA methylation was well
      correlated with the clinical and pathophysiological state. Our genome-wide
      approach to analyze DNA methylation provides further insight into the
      pathogenesis of MCNS and indicates potential prediction and diagnostic tool for
      the disease.

PMID- 28915837
TI  - Professional groups driving change toward patient-centred care: interprofessional
      working in stroke rehabilitation in Denmark.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient-centred care based on needs has been gaining momentum in
      health policy and the workforce. This creates new demand for interprofessional
      teams and redefining roles and tasks of professionals, yet little is known on how
      to implement new health policies more effectively. Our aim was to analyse the
      role and capacity of health professions in driving organisational change in
      interprofessional working and patient-centred care. METHODS: A case study of the
      introduction of interprofessional, early discharge teams in stroke rehabilitation
      in Denmark was conducted with focus on day-to-day coordination of care tasks and
      the professional groups' interests and strategies. The study included 5 stroke
      teams and 17 interviews with different health professionals conducted in 2015.
      RESULTS: Professional groups expressed highly positive professional interest in
      reorganised stroke rehabilitation concerning patients, professional practice and
      intersectoral relations; individual professional and collective interprofessional
      interests strongly coincided. The corresponding strategies were driven by a
      shared goal of providing needs-based care for patients. Individual professionals
      worked independently and on behalf of the team. There was also a degree of skills
      transfer as individual team members screened patients on behalf of other
      professional groups. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified supportive factors and
      contexts of patient-centred care. This highlights capacity to improve health
      workforce governance through professional participation, which should be explored
      more systematically in a wider range of healthcare services.

PMID- 28915838
TI  - Gout and comorbidity: a nominal group study of people with gout.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Comorbidities are common in patients with gout, yet qualitative
      research is lacking. The study objective was to examine the impact of gout on
      comorbidities. METHODS: Nine nominal groups were conducted. Patients with gout
      discussed and rank-ordered their concerns in response to the question, "How does
      gout or its treatment affect your other conditions and their treatment?" RESULTS:
      Nine nominal groups had 45 gout patients, with mean age 61 years (standard
      deviation (SD) 10.7) and mean gout duration 14.9 years (SD 12). Of these, 62%
      were men, 45% African-American, 51% married and 63% were currently using
      allopurinol. The most frequently cited highly ranked concerns among the nine
      nominal groups were: (1) interaction of gout medication with medications for
      other medical conditions (three groups); (2) worsening of other medical
      comorbidities, including hospitalizations (seven groups); (3) worsening of
      anxiety and depression (three groups); (4) significant dietary changes for gout
      that contrasted with diet for other conditions (three groups); (5) new diseases
      diagnosed due to gout (three groups); (6) irreversible joint damage (three
      groups); (7) inability to exercise and weight gain (four groups); and (8) gout
      misdiagnosed as another health condition (three groups). Other domains ranked
      highly were: (1) impact of gout on daily life and activities, including the
      ability to work and social activities (six groups); (2) medication side effects,
      real and perceived (nine groups); (3) weight loss due to gout related to frequent
      flares (one group); and (4) cost and burden (three groups). CONCLUSIONS: Gout and
      the medications used for its treatment have a significant effect on comorbidities
      and their management. These findings provide insights into potential targets for
      improving outcomes in patients with gout.

PMID- 28915839
TI  - Risk of mortality among children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum
      disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their first-degree
      relatives: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational
      studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity
      disorder (ADHD) are childhood onset neurodevelopmental disorders that may persist
      into adulthood. ASD and ADHD tend to run in families and may have a significant
      negative impact on the health and longevity of those with the disorder and their
      relatives. The aim of this study will be to analyze the risk of mortality among
      children, adolescents, and adults with ASD or ADHD and their first-degree
      relatives. METHODS/DESIGN: We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis
      of observational studies. Searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS,
      and ISI Web of Science will be used to identify epidemiological studies. Eligible
      studies will be observational studies reporting study-specific data for all-cause
      mortality or cause-specific mortality in children, adolescents, or adults with
      ASD or ADHD and/or their first-degree relatives. Cohort studies and case-control
      studies will be included. The primary outcome will be all-cause mortality. The
      secondary outcome will be cause-specific mortality. Two reviewers will
      independently screen references identified by the literature search, as well as
      potentially relevant full-text articles. Data will be abstracted, and study risk
      of bias/methodological quality will be appraised by two reviewers independently.
      The methodological quality of epidemiological studies will be appraised using the
      Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Conflicts at all levels of screening and
      abstraction will be resolved through discussion. Random-effects meta-analyses of
      primary studies will be conducted where appropriate. Subgroup analyses for
      exploring statistical heterogeneity, if feasible, will include gender, age group,
      ethnicity, comorbidities, classification of cause of death, and relevant study
      characteristics. DISCUSSION: Our study will establish the extent of the
      epidemiological evidence underlying the risk of mortality among children,
      adolescents, and adults with ASD or ADHD and their first-degree relatives. We
      anticipate that our findings will be of interest to patients, their families,
      caregivers, healthcare professionals, scientists, and policy makers. Implications
      for future epidemiological research will be discussed. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
      REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42017059955 .

PMID- 28915840
TI  - Evolution and bad prognostic value of advanced glycation end products after acute
      heart failure: relation with body composition.
AB  - AIM: The role of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their soluble
      receptor (sRAGE) on the progression and prognosis of acute heart failure (HF) was
      analysed in relation with metabolic parameters as body composition and
      nutritional status. METHODS: A hundred and fifty consecutive patients were
      included in a prospective clinical study during hospitalization by acute HF.
      Detailed medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram
      and vein peripheral blood were taken for all patients. During the follow-up
      period [297 days (88-422 days)] blood samples for biochemical measurements were
      obtained 1 and 6 months after the inclusion. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
      analyses were performed 1 week after discharge. RESULTS: AGEs and sRAGE levels
      continuously increased, up to 6 months, after acute HF, but AGEs increase was
      mainly observed in those patients with incident HF. Both AGEs and sRAGE levels
      were related with bad renal function and clinical malnutrition (CONUT score) and
      they were negatively related with body mass index or percentage of body fat. AGEs
      levels (>=40 a.u.) 1 month after discharge and basal sRAGE levels (>1000 pg/mL)
      were related with worse prognosis in terms of patient death and HF readmission
      (Log-rank <0.05 in Kaplan-Meier survival test), independently of age, gender,
      body mass index and other risk factors. Regression models also corroborated this
      finding. CONCLUSIONS: AGEs and sRAGE are bad prognostic biomarkers for HF and
      useful markers of HF progression. Since their levels seem to be related with
      clinical malnutrition and body composition these parameters could serve to
      modulate them.

PMID- 28915842
TI  - Towards the development of a wellbeing model for aboriginal and Torres Strait
      islander peoples living with chronic disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Re-defining the way in which care is delivered, to reflect Aboriginal
      and Torres Strait Islander peoples' needs and values, is essential for improving
      the accessibility of primary healthcare. This study focused on developing a
      Framework to support the quality of care and quality of life of, as well as
      treatment for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living with chronic
      disease. METHODS: A team of researchers, including thirteen experienced
      Aboriginal healthcare professionals, came together to undertake this important
      work. Using a Participatory Action Approach, this study actively engaged people
      with local knowledge to ensure that the Framework was developed by and for
      Aboriginal people. RESULTS: The final Wellbeing Framework consists of two core
      values and four elements, each supported by four principles. Importantly, the
      Framework also includes practical examples of how the principles could be
      applied. National Reference Group members, including community representatives,
      policy makers and healthcare providers, reviewed and approved the final
      Framework. CONCLUSION: The outcome of this collaborative effort is a Framework to
      guide primary healthcare services to develop locally relevant, flexible
      approaches to care which can respond to communities' and individuals' varied
      understandings of wellbeing.

PMID- 28915841
TI  - Is there room for resilience? A scoping review and critique of substance use
      literature and its utilization of the concept of resilience.
AB  - Research in the area of illicit substance use remains preoccupied with describing
      and analyzing the risks of people who use drugs (PWUD), however more recently
      there has been a drive to use a strengths-based or resilience approach as an
      alternative to investigating drug use. This leads us to ask: what can be known
      about PWUD from the point of view of resilience? The objective of this scoping
      review is to analyze how the concept of resilience is defined, operationalized,
      and applied in substance use research. Popular health, social science,
      psychology, and inter-disciplinary databases namely: SCOPUS, PUBMED, PsycINFO,
      and Sociological Abstracts were searched. Studies were selected if they used the
      concept of resilience and if substance use was a key variable under
      investigation. A total of 77 studies were identified which provided a definition
      of resilience, or attempted to operationalize (e.g., via scales) the concept of
      resilience in some manner. Data were charted and sorted using key terms and
      fundamental aspects of resilience. The majority of studies focus on youth and
      their resistance to, or engagement in, substance use. There is also a small but
      growing area of research that examines recovery from substance addiction as a
      form of resilience. Very few studies were found that thoroughly investigated
      resilience among PWUD. Consistently throughout the literature drug use is
      presented as a 'risk factor' jeopardizing one's ability to be resilient, or drug
      use is seen as a 'maladaptive coping strategy', purporting one's lack of
      resilience. Currently, substance use research provides a substantial amount of
      information about the internal strengths that can assist in resisting future drug
      use; however there is less information about the external resources that play a
      role, especially for adults. Though popular, outcome-based conceptualizations of
      resilience are often static, concealing the potential for developing resilience
      over time or as conditions change. Studies of resilience among PWUD predominantly
      concentrate on health-related behaviours, recovery-related factors or predefined
      harm reduction strategies. Indeed, overall, current conceptualizations of
      resilience are too narrow to recognize all the potential manifestations of
      resilience practices in the daily lives of individuals who actively use drugs.

PMID- 28915843
TI  - Protective effects of GABA against metabolic and reproductive disturbances in
      letrozole induced polycystic ovarian syndrome in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: PCOs is a heterogeneous disorder with anovulation/oligo ovulation
      usually taken as oligo menorrhoea or amenorrhoea, hyperandrogenemia, hirsutism,
      acne, androgen alopecia and polycystic ovaries as the key diagnostic feathers.
      The study was undertaken to investigate the possible protective and ameliorating
      effects of GABA in Letrozole induced PCOS model in rats by targeting insulin
      resistance. METHODS: PCOs in Adult female rat was induced by the daily gastric
      administration of letrozole (1 mg/kg/day) in CMC (0.5%) for 36 days. Rats were
      given metformin (2 mg/kg), GABA (100 mg/kg/day) and GABA (500 mg/kg/day) along
      with letrozole. One group severed as vehicle control. On the 37 day, the animals
      were euthanized, and anthropometrical, biochemical (glucose, insulin, lipids,
      testosterone, Estradiol, Progesterone, oral glucose tolerance test, total protein
      content in ovary, cholesterol level, triglyceride, HDL, LDL), Antioxidants (CAT,
      POD, GSR, ROS, GSH, TBARS), and histopathological evaluation of ovaries were
      carried out. Daily colpocytological examination was also carried out until the
      termination. RESULTS: Both the doses of GABA significantly reduced body weight,
      body mass index and testosterone. While the levels of CAT, SOD, POD and Estradiol
      (E2) were significantly increased in the both doses of GABA. A favourable lipid
      profile, normal glucose tolerance, and decreased in the percentage of estrus
      smears were observed. Histopathological examination of ovary revealed a decreased
      in the number of cystic follicles, and decreased in the adipocytes respectively.
      The effects observed with GABA were comparable to that with metformin.
      CONCLUSION: The results suggest that GABA treatment has shown protective effect
      in PCOs and provide beneficial effect either by reducing insulin resistance or by
      inducing antioxidant defence mechanisms.

PMID- 28915844
TI  - Financial incentives and purchase restrictions in a food benefit program affect
      the types of foods and beverages purchased: results from a randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This research evaluated the effects of financial incentives and
      purchase restrictions on food purchasing in a food benefit program for low income
      people. METHODS: Participants (n=279) were randomized to groups: 1) Incentive-
      30% financial incentive for fruits and vegetables purchased with food benefits;
      2) Restriction- no purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages, sweet baked goods, or
      candies with food benefits; 3) Incentive plus Restriction; or 4) Control- no
      incentive or restrictions. Participants received a study-specific debit card
      where funds were added monthly for 12-weeks. Food purchase receipts were
      collected over 16 weeks. Total dollars spent on grocery purchases and by targeted
      food categories were computed from receipts. Group differences were examined
      using general linear models. RESULTS: Weekly purchases of fruit significantly
      increased in the Incentive plus Restriction ($4.8) compared to the Restriction
      ($1.7) and Control ($2.1) groups (p <.01). Sugar-sweetened beverage purchases
      significantly decreased in the Incentive plus Restriction (-$0.8 per week) and
      Restriction ($-1.4 per week) groups compared to the Control group (+$1.5; p<
      .0001). Sweet baked goods purchases significantly decreased in the Restriction (
      $0.70 per week) compared to the Control group (+$0.82 per week; p < .01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Paired financial incentives and restrictions on foods and beverages
      purchased with food program funds may support more healthful food purchases
      compared to no incentives or restrictions. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02643576 .

PMID- 28915845
TI  - Reliability and validity of a brief sleep questionnaire for children in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of sleep questionnaires with few items and
      confirmed reliability and validity that can be used for the early detection of
      sleep problems in children. The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire
      with few items and assess its reliability and validity in both children at high
      risk of sleep disorders and a community population. METHODS: Data for analysis
      were derived from two populations targeted by the Children's Sleep Habits
      Questionnaire (CSHQ): 178 children attending elementary school and 432 children
      who visited a pediatric psychiatric hospital (aged 6-12 years). The new
      questionnaire was constructed as a subset of the CSHQ. RESULTS: The newly
      developed short version of the sleep questionnaire for children (19 items) had an
      acceptable internal consistency (0.65). Using the cutoff value of the CSHQ, the
      total score of the new questionnaire was confirmed to have discriminant validity
      (27.2 +/- 3.9 vs. 22.0 +/- 2.1, p < 0.001) and yielded a sensitivity of 0.83 and
      specificity of 0.78 by receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. Total
      score of the new questionnaire was significantly correlated with total score (r =
      0.81, p < 0.001) and each subscale score (r = 0.29-0.65, p < 0.001) of the CSHQ.
      CONCLUSIONS: The new questionnaire demonstrated an adequate reliability and
      validity in both high-risk children and a community population, as well as
      similar screening ability to the CSHQ. It could thus be a convenient instrument
      to detect sleep problems in children.

PMID- 28915846
TI  - Impact of heat treatment on antigen detection in sera of Angiostrongylus vasorum
      infected dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the last decade serological tests for detection of circulating
      Angiostrongylus vasorum antigen and specific antibodies have been developed and
      adopted for individual diagnosis and epidemiological studies in dogs. Although
      confirmed positive at necropsy, antigen detection was not possible in single
      experimentally, as well as naturally infected dogs, possibly due to immune
      complex formation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat
      treatment on detection of A. vasorum antigen in sera of experimentally (n = 21,
      119 follow-up sera) and naturally (n = 18) infected animals. In addition, sera of
      dogs showing clinical signs consistent with angiostrongylosis (n = 10), of
      randomly selected dogs (n = 58) and of dogs with other parasitic infections (n =
      15) were evaluated. Sera were subjected to heat treatment at 100  degrees C after
      addition of 0.5 M EDTA (dilution 1:5) and tested with ELISAs for detection of
      circulating A. vasorum antigen before and after treatment. RESULTS: Between 5 and
      11 weeks post-inoculation (wpi) the percentage of positive untreated samples
      (experimentally infected dogs) increased over time from 33.3 to 90%. Single
      samples were still negative between 12 and 15 wpi. Overall, between 5 and 15 wpi,
      50.6% (45/89) of the available samples were seropositive. From 3 to 6 wpi
      EDTA/heat treatment caused a change in 8/34 (23.5%) of the samples, with most (n
      = 6, 17.6%) converting from positive to negative. In contrast, from 7 to 10 wpi,
      treatment induced a change in 19/52 (36.5%) samples, with all but one converting
      from negative to positive. Thirteen of 18 naturally infected dogs were antigen
      positive before and 15 after EDTA/heat treatment, respectively. Untreated samples
      of 3 dogs with suspected angiostrongylosis were antigen positive, of which only
      one remained positive after EDTA/heat treatment. One of 58 untreated random
      samples was antigen positive; this sample became negative after treatment, while
      another turned positive. One of 15 dogs infected with other parasites than A.
      vasorum was positive before but negative after treatment. CONCLUSION: Although
      heat treatment improves A. vasorum antigen detection between 7 and 10 wpi by
      immune complex disruption, we do not recommend systematic pretreating sera
      because of reduced antigen detection between 3 and 6 wpi and impairment of
      antibody detection, if performed contemporaneously.

PMID- 28915847
TI  - Absence of ultrasound inflammation in patients presenting with arthralgia rules
      out the development of arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To decrease the burden of disease of rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
      patients at risk for RA need to be identified as early as possible, preferably
      when no clinically apparent synovitis can be detected. Up to now, it has been
      fairly difficult to identify those patients with arthralgia who develop
      inflammatory arthritis (IA), but recent studies using ultrasound (US) suggest
      that earlier detection is possible. We aimed to identify patients with arthralgia
      developing IA within 1 year using US to detect subclinical synovitis at first
      consultation. METHODS: In a multi-centre cohort study, we followed patients with
      arthralgia with at least two painful joints of the hands, feet or shoulders
      without clinical synovitis over 1 year. Symptom duration was < 1 year, and
      symptoms were not explained by other conditions. At baseline and at 6 and 12
      months, data were collected for physical examinations, laboratory values and
      diagnoses. At baseline, we examined 26 joints ultrasonographically (bilateral
      metacarpophalangeal joints 2-5, proximal interphalangeal joints 2-5, wrist and
      metatarsophalangeal joints 2-5). Scoring was done semi-quantitatively on
      greyscale (GS; 0-3) and power Doppler (PD; 0-3) images. US synovitis was defined
      as GS >= 2 and/or PD >= 1. IA was defined as clinical soft tissue swelling.
      Sensitivity and specificity were used to assess the diagnostic value of US for
      the development of IA. Univariate logistic regression was used to analyse the
      association between independent variables and the incidence of IA. For
      multivariate logistic regression, the strongest variables (p < 0.157) were
      selected. Missing values for independent variables were imputed. RESULTS: A total
      of 196 patients were included, and 159 completed 12 months of follow-up. Thirty
      one (16%) patients developed IA, of whom 59% showed US synovitis at baseline. The
      sensitivity and specificity of US synovitis were 59% and 68%, respectively. If no
      joints were positive on US, negative predictive value was 89%. In the
      multivariate logistic regression, age (OR 1.1), the presence of morning stiffness
      for > 30 minutes (OR 3.3) and PD signal (OR 3.4) were associated with incident
      IA. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of PD signal, morning stiffness for > 30 minutes
      and age at baseline were independently associated with the development of IA.
      Regarding the value of US in the diagnostic workup of patients with early
      arthralgia at risk for IA, US did perform well in ruling out IA in patients who
      did not have US synovitis.

PMID- 28915848
TI  - Anemia in severe heart failure patients: does it predict prognosis?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anemia is highly prevalent in heart failure (HF) patients. However,
      the prevalence, clinical impact and prognostic factor of anemia in heart failure
      patients is widely varies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence
      of anemia in patients with HF, to compare baseline clinical characteristic and
      outcomes of severe HF patients with and without anemia admitted to Gondar
      University Referral Hospital (GURH), Gondar, Ethiopia. METHOD: A retrospective
      cohort study was conducted and we assessed medical records of heart failure
      patients who were admitted Gondar University Referral Hospital in the period
      between December 02, 2010 and November 30, 2016. Kaplan Meier curve was used to
      analyze the survival status and log rank test was used to compare the curves.
      Multivariate Cox regression was used to analyze independent predictors of
      mortality in all HF patients. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically
      significant. RESULT: Three hundred and seventy patients participated in the
      study. The prevalence of anemia in the study cohorts was 41.90% and majority of
      the participants were females (64.59%). There was a significant difference in the
      level of hemoglobin, creatinine, and sodium among anemic and non-anemic patients.
      Anemic patients with HF tend to take angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors
      (ACEI) less frequently. Kaplan Meier survival curves and Log rank test (P =
      0.042) showed a significant difference in the prognosis of HF patients with
      anemia and non - anemic. More significant difference was observed (Log rank test,
      P = 0.001) in the study participants based on hemoglobin level. Furthermore,
      multivariate Cox regression showed: advanced age, levels of lower sodium and
      higher creatinine, and absences of medications like ACEI and Spironolactone
      independently predicted overall mortality. CONCLUSION: HF patients with anemia
      tend to be older age, had lower hemoglobin and sodium level and higher creatinine
      value. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the prognosis between
      study cohorts, as anemic pateints tend to have a worse survival status . Even
      though, anemia is a significant risk marker, it is not an independent predictor
      of mortality in the current study.

PMID- 28915849
TI  - Exposure rate of VZV among women attending antenatal care clinic in Sri Lanka - a
      cross sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Varicella or chickenpox was not a notifiable disease until 2005 in
      Sri Lanka and only a few studies have been conducted on the epidemiology of VZV
      infection in the country. The anti-VZV IgG sero-prevalence among antenatal women
      is extremely limited and thus a selected group of antenatal clinic attendees were
      chosen to determine the exposure rate to VZV infection. METHODS: Women attending
      the antenatal clinic at Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka were selected
      for the study and 3 mL of venous blood was collected from 181 participants and
      the demographic data was obtained through a pre-tested questionnaire. Sera of the
      women were then tested for the presence of anti-VZV IgG using ELISA (HUMAN
      Diagnostics, Germany). Data was analysed using the SPSS statistical software for
      Windows, Version 12.0. RESULTS: Of the 181 antenatal women who took part in the
      study, 141 were positive for anti-VZV IgG giving a sero-prevalence of 77.9% for
      the past exposure to VZV. Of the 141 anti-VZV IgG positive women, 43.3% (n = 61)
      were from urban, 41.8% (n = 59) were from rural and 14.9% (n = 21) were from
      estate populations (an ethnic population living in small settlements in the tea
      estates whose ancestors were brought from India during the British colonial
      period to work in the tea plantations in Sri Lanka). Out of the 88 antenatal
      women with a positive history for varicella, 85 (96.6%) were positive for anti
      VZV IgG. The highest number of anti-VZV IgG positivity was seen in the 31-35 age
      group, which was 85.0% of the total number of antenatal women included in that
      category. An increase in the anti-VZV IgG sero-prevalence with increasing age was
      also noted in the study sample. CONCLUSION: Exposure rate of VZV infection as
      confirmed by anti-VZV IgG in the present study sample of antenatal women was
      77.9%. Age specific, population based future sero-prevalence studies should be
      conducted in Sri Lanka to understand the anti-VZV IgG status in the country.

PMID- 28915850
TI  - "Love me, parents!": impact evaluation of a national social and behavioral change
      communication campaign on maternal health outcomes in Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite marked improvements over the last few decades, maternal
      mortality in Tanzania remains among the world's highest at 454 maternal deaths
      per 100,000 live births. Many factors contribute to this disparity, such as a
      lack of attendance at antenatal care (ANC) services and low rates of delivery at
      a health facility with a skilled provider. The Wazazi Nipendeni (Love me,
      parents) social and behavioral change communication campaign was launched in
      Tanzania in 2012 to improve a range of maternal health outcomes, including
      individual birth planning, timely ANC attendance, and giving birth in a
      healthcare facility. METHODS: An evaluation to determine the impact of the
      national Wazazi Nipendeni campaign was conducted in five purposively selected
      regions of Tanzania using exit interviews with pregnant and post-natal women
      attending ANC clinics. A total of 1708 women were interviewed regarding campaign
      exposure, ANC attendance, and individual birth planning. RESULTS: Over one third
      of interviewed women (35.1%) reported exposure to the campaign in the last month.
      The more sources from which women reported hearing the Wazazi Nipendeni message,
      the more they planned for the birth of their child (beta = 0.08, p = .001).
      Greater numbers of types of exposure to the Wazazi Nipendeni message was
      associated with an increase in ANC visits (beta = 0.05, p = .004). Intervention
      exposure did not significantly predict the timing of the first ANC visit or HIV
      testing in the adjusted model, however, findings showed that exposure did predict
      whether women delivered at a health care facility (or not) and whether they
      tested for HIV with a partner in the unadjusted models. CONCLUSIONS: The Wazazi
      Nipendeni campaign shows promise that such a behavior change communication
      intervention could lead to better pregnancy and childbirth outcomes for women in
      low resource settings. For outcomes such as HIV testing, message exposure showed
      some promising effects, but demographic variables such as age and socioeconomic
      status appear to be important as well.

PMID- 28915851
TI  - Assessment of consent models as an ethical consideration in the conduct of
      prehospital ambulance randomised controlled clinical trials: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to understand the main ethical considerations when
      conducting clinical trials in the prehospital ambulance based setting. METHODS: A
      systematic review of the literature on randomised controlled trials in ambulance
      settings was undertaken. A search of eight databases identified published studies
      involving recruitment of ambulance service users. Four independent authors
      undertook abstract and full-text reviews to determine eligibility and extract
      relevant data. The data extraction concentrated on ethical considerations, with
      any discussion of ethics being included for further analysis. The resultant data
      were combined to form a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: In all, 56 papers were
      identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. Issues relating to consent were the
      most significant theme identified. Type of consent differed depending on the
      condition or intervention being studied. The country in which the research took
      place did not appear to influence the type of consent, apart from the USA where
      exception from consent appeared to be most commonly used. A wide range of terms
      were used to describe consent. CONCLUSIONS: Consent was the main ethical
      consideration in published ambulance based research. A range of consent models
      were used ranging from informed consent to exception from consent (waiver of
      consent). Many studies cited international guidelines as informing their choice
      of consent model but diverse and sometimes confused terms were used to describe
      these models. This suggests that standardisation of consent models and the
      terminology used to describe them is warranted.

PMID- 28915852
TI  - A novel frameshift GRN mutation results in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with
      a distinct clinical phenotype in two siblings: case report and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Progranulin gene (GRN) mutations are major causes of frontotemporal
      lobar degeneration. To date, 68 pathogenic GRN mutations have been identified.
      However, very few of these mutations have been reported in Asians. Moreover, some
      GRN mutations manifest with familial phenotypic heterogeneity. Here, we present a
      novel GRN mutation resulting in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with a distinct
      clinical phenotype, and we review reports of GRN mutations associated with
      familial phenotypic heterogeneity. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a
      74-year-old woman with left frontotemporal lobe atrophy who presented with
      progressive anarthria and non-fluent aphasia. Her brother had been diagnosed with
      corticobasal syndrome (CBS) with right-hand limb-kinetic apraxia, aphasia, and a
      similar pattern of brain atrophy. Laboratory blood examinations did not reveal
      abnormalities that could have caused cognitive dysfunction. In the cerebrospinal
      fluid, cell counts and protein concentrations were within normal ranges, and
      concentrations of tau protein and phosphorylated tau protein were also normal.
      Since similar familial cases due to mutation of GRN and microtubule-associated
      protein tau gene (MAPT) were reported, we performed genetic analysis. No
      pathological mutations of MAPT were identified, but we identified a novel GRN
      frameshift mutation (c.1118_1119delCCinsG: p.Pro373ArgX37) that resulted in
      progranulin haploinsufficiency. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of a GRN
      mutation associated with familial phenotypic heterogeneity in Japan. Literature
      review of GRN mutations associated with familial phenotypic heterogeneity
      revealed no tendency of mutation sites. The role of progranulin has been reported
      in this and other neurodegenerative diseases, and the analysis of GRN mutations
      may lead to the discovery of a new therapeutic target.

PMID- 28915853
TI  - Low threshold unmyelinated mechanoafferents can modulate pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human, hairy skin contains a subgroup of C-fibers, the C-low
      threshold mechanoreceptive afferents ((C-LTMR) C-tactile or C-touch (CT) fibers)
      that are linked with the signaling of affective aspects of human touch. Recent
      studies suggest an involvement of these afferents in the modulation of pain in
      healthy volunteers. Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is associated with a damage of C
      fibers. Therefore, an impairment of C-LTMRs can be assumed. We aimed to elaborate
      a possible role of CT-afferents in pain modulation by investigating healthy
      volunteers and SFN-patients. METHODS: Experiment I: 20 SFN-patients (12 women,
      median age 52.0 years) and 20 healthy controls (14 women, median age 43.0 years)
      participated in this prospective fMRI and psychophysical study. Heat-pain (HP),
      CT-targeted touch (slow brushing) and HP combined with CT-targeted touch were
      applied in randomized order to the left shank in a block design. The participants
      rated pain intensity on a visual analogue scale. Experiment II: We investigated a
      possible impact of pain intensity on CT induced pain modulation (10 healthy
      participants). The intensity of HP stimulation was chosen to induce pain
      intensity 50/100 (NRS). HP stimulation was applied with and without CT-targeted
      touch. RESULTS: Experiment I: CT-stimulation was sufficient to reduce heat pain
      in healthy participants (p = 0.016), but not in SFN-patients. HP induced pain
      intensity was significantly higher (32,2 vs 52,6) in SFN-patients. During HP,
      bold responses in pain associated areas were observed in both groups. Additional
      CT-stimulation elicited no significant difference of bold responses compared to
      HP. Experiment II: In healthy volunteers, we reproduced a significant reduction
      of HP intensity by CT-stimulation (p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: CT input seems to be
      sufficient to modulate pain, independent of intensity of the pain stimulus. As a
      prerequisite, the CT fibers have to be intact as in healthy volunteers. If CT
      fibers are impaired - as in SFN -, CT-targeted touch does not modulate pain
      intensity. The location of CT-induced pain modulation might be attributed to the
      level of the dorsal horn since the cortical activation pattern of heat pain with
      and without CT-targeted touch did not differ in healthy subjects and in SFN
      patients.

PMID- 28915854
TI  - Medical therapy following hospitalization for heart failure with reduced ejection
      fraction and association with discharge to long-term care: a cross-sectional
      analysis of the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS)
      population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Less intensive treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection
      fraction (HFrEF) may be appropriate for patients in long-term care settings
      because of limited life expectancy, frailty, comorbidities, and emphasis on
      quality of life. METHODS: We compared treatment patterns between REasons for
      Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study participants
      discharged to long-term care versus home following HFrEF hospitalizations. We
      examined medical records and Medicare pharmacy claims for 147 HFrEF
      hospitalizations among 80 participants to obtain information about discharge
      disposition and medication prescriptions and fills. RESULTS: Discharge to long
      term care followed 22 of 147 HFrEF hospitalizations (15%). Participants
      discharged to long-term care were more likely to be prescribed beta-blockers and
      less likely to be prescribed aldosterone receptor antagonists and
      hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate (96%, 14%, and 5%, respectively) compared to
      participants discharged home (81%, 22%, and 23%, respectively). The percentages
      of participants discharged to long-term care and home who had claims for filled
      prescriptions were similar for beta-blockers (68% versus 66%) and angiotensin
      converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARBs) (45%
      versus 47%) after 1 year. Smaller percentages of participants discharged to long
      term care had claims for filled prescriptions of other medications compared to
      participants discharged home (diuretics: long-term care-50%, home-72%;
      hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate: long-term care-5%, home-23%; aldosterone
      receptor antagonists: long-term care-5%, home-23%). CONCLUSIONS: Differences in
      medication prescriptions and fills among individuals with HFrEF discharged to
      long-term care versus home may reflect prioritization of some medical therapies
      over others for patients in long-term care.

PMID- 28915855
TI  - Massive parallel sequencing as a new diagnostic approach for phenylketonuria and
      tetrahydrobiopterin-deficiency in Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) can be classified into phenylketonuria
      (PKU) which is caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene,
      and BH4 deficiency caused by alterations in genes involved in tetrahydrobiopterin
      (BH4) biosynthesis pathway. Dietary restriction of phenylalanine is considered to
      be the main treatment of PKU to prevent irreversible intellectual disability.
      However, the same dietary intervention in BH4 deficiency patients is not as
      effective, as BH4 is also a cofactor in many neurotransmitter syntheses. METHOD:
      We utilized next generation sequencing (NGS) technique to investigate four
      unrelated Thai patients with hyperphenylalaninemia. RESULT: We successfully
      identified all eight mutant alleles in PKU or BH4-deficiency associated genes
      including three novel mutations, one in PAH and two in PTS, thus giving a
      definite diagnosis to these patients. Appropriate management can then be
      provided. CONCLUSION: This study identified three novel mutations in either the
      PAH or PTS gene and supported the use of NGS as an alternative molecular genetic
      approach for definite diagnosis of hyperphenylalaninemia, thus leading to proper
      management of these patients in Thailand.

PMID- 28915856
TI  - Exercise prescription for patients with multiple sclerosis; potential benefits
      and practical recommendations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) can result in significant mental and physical
      symptoms, specially muscle weakness, abnormal walking mechanics, balance
      problems, spasticity, fatigue, cognitive impairment and depression. Patients with
      MS frequently decrease physical activity due to the fear from worsening the
      symptoms and this can result in reconditioning. Physicians now believe that
      regular exercise training is a potential solution for limiting the reconditioning
      process and achieving an optimal level of patient activities, functions and many
      physical and mental symptoms without any concern about triggering the onset or
      exacerbation of disease symptoms or relapse. MAIN BODY: Appropriate exercise can
      cause noteworthy and important improvements in different areas of cardio
      respiratory fitness (Aerobic fitness), muscle strength, flexibility, balance,
      fatigue, cognition, quality of life and respiratory function in MS patients.
      Aerobic exercise training with low to moderate intensity can result in the
      improvement of aerobic fitness and reduction of fatigue in MS patients affected
      by mild or moderate disability. MS patients can positively adapt to resistance
      training which may result in improved fatigue and ambulation. Flexibility
      exercises such as stretching the muscles may diminish spasticity and prevent
      future painful contractions. Balance exercises have beneficial effects on fall
      rates and better balance. Some general guidelines exist for exercise
      recommendation in the MS population. The individualized exercise program should
      be designed to address a patient's chief complaint, improve strength, endurance,
      balance, coordination, fatigue and so on. An exercise staircase model has been
      proposed for exercise prescription and progression for a broad spectrum of MS
      patients. CONCLUSION: Exercise should be considered as a safe and effective means
      of rehabilitation in MS patients. Existing evidence shows that a supervised and
      individualized exercise program may improve fitness, functional capacity and
      quality of life as well as modifiable impairments in MS patients.

PMID- 28915858
TI  - Risk of obstetric anal sphincter injury increases with maternal age irrespective
      of parity: a population-based register study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) is a rare but serious outcome
      of vaginal birth. Based on concerns about the increasing number of women who
      commence childbearing later than previous generation, this study aimed at
      investigating age-related risk of OASI in women of different parity. METHODS: A
      population-based register study including 959,559 live singleton vaginal births
      recorded in the Swedish Medical Birth Register 1999 to 2011. In each parity group
      risks of OASI at age 25-29 years, 30-34 years, and >=35 years compared with age <
      25 years were investigated by logistic regression analyses, adjusted for year of
      birth, education, region of birth, smoking, Body Mass Index, infant birthweight
      and fetal presentation; and in parous women, history of OASI and cesarean
      section. Additional analyses also adjusted for mediating factors, such as
      epidural analgesia, episiotomy, and instrumental delivery, and maternal age
      related morbidity. RESULTS: Rates of OASI were 6.6%, 2.3% and 0.9% in first,
      second and third births respectively. Age-related risk increased from 25-29 years
      in first births (Adjusted OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.59-1.72) and second births (Adjusted
      OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.58-2.01), and from 30-34 years in third births (Adjusted OR
      1.60; 95% CI 1.00-2.56). In all parity groups the risk was doubled at age >= 35
      years, compared with the respective reference group of women under 25 years.
      Adding mediating factors and maternal age-related morbidity only marginally
      reduced these risk estimates. CONCLUSION: Maternal age is an independent risk
      factor for OASI in first, second and third births. Although age-related risks by
      parity are relatively similar, more nulliparous than parous women will be exposed
      to OASI due to the higher baseline rate.

PMID- 28915857
TI  - Validity and reproducibility of a short food frequency questionnaire among
      patients with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A balanced diet is essential to slowing the progression of chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) and managing the symptoms. Currently, no tool is available
      to easily and quickly assess energy and macronutrient intake in patients with non
      end-stage CKD. We aimed to develop and evaluate the validity and reproducibility
      of a new short 49-item food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) adapted to patients
      with CKD. METHODS: The CKD-REIN study is a prospective cohort that enrolled 3033
      patients with moderate or advanced CKD from a national sample of nephrology
      clinics. A sub-sample of 201 patients completed the SFFQ twice, at a one-year
      interval and were included in the reproducibility study. During this interval,
      127 patients also completed six 24-h recalls and were included in the validity
      study. Main nutrient and dietary intakes were computed. Validity was evaluated by
      calculating crude, energy-adjusted and de-attenuated correlation coefficients
      (CC) between FFQ and the mean of the 24-h recall results. Bland-Altman plots were
      performed and cross-classification into quintiles of consumption of each nutrient
      and food group was computed. Reproducibility between the two SFFQs was evaluated
      by intraclass CC (ICC). RESULTS: Regarding validity, CC ranged from 0.05 to 0.79
      (unadjusted CC, median: 0.40) and 0.10 to 0.59 (de-attenuated CC, median: 0.35)
      for food group and nutrient intakes, respectively. Five of the most important
      nutrients of interest in CKD, i.e. protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and
      sodium had de-attenuated CC of 0.46, 0.43, 0.39, 0.32, and 0.12, respectively.
      The median of classification into the same or adjacent quintiles was 68% and 65%
      for food and nutrient intakes, respectively, and ranged from 63% to 69% for the
      five nutrients mentioned before. Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement across
      the range of intakes. ICC ranged from 0.18 to 0.66 (median: 0.46). CONCLUSIONS:
      The CKD-REIN SFFQ showed acceptable validity and reproducibility in a sample of
      patients with CKD, notably for CKD nutrients of importance. It can now be used in
      large-scale epidemiological studies to easily assess the relations between diet
      and CKD outcomes as well as in clinical routine. It may also serve as a basis for
      the development of FFQs in international CKD cohort networks.

PMID- 28915859
TI  - The (FTO) gene polymorphism is associated with metabolic syndrome risk in
      Egyptian females: a case- control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Variations within fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene had
      crosstalk with obesity risk in European and some Asian populations. This study
      was designed to investigate FTO rs9939609 association with metabolic syndrome
      (MetS) as well as biochemical parameters as plasma glucose, serum triacylglycerol
      (TAG), total cholesterol (TC) and transaminases enzymes in Arab female population
      from Egypt. METHODS: In order to achieve that, FTO gene rs9939609 (A < T) was
      genotyped using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay in a total of 197 females which were
      enrolled in this study. Fasting levels of serum insulin, lipid profile and plasma
      glucose, in addition to liver transaminases were measured. The association
      between the genotype distribution and MetS risk was evaluated using Chi-square
      and logistic regression tests in a case-control design under different genetic
      models. RESULTS: The association of genotype distribution with MetS was
      significant (chi2 = 8.6/P = 0.014) with an increased odds ratio under dominant
      model (OR = 1.97, P = 0.029 and 95%C.I = 1.07-3.6) and recessive model (OR =
      2.95, P = 0.017 and 95%C.I = 1.22-7.22). Moreover, (AA) subjects showed
      significant lower HDL-C levels (P = 0.009) when compared to (TT) ones. In
      addition, interestingly subjects with (AA) genotype have significantly higher ALT
      levels (P = 0.02) that remained significant after correction of major confounders
      as body mass index and serum triacylglycerols but not after conservative
      Bonferroni adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows for first time that
      FTO gene rs9939609 is genetic risk factor for metabolic syndrome in Egyptian
      population which may help in understanding the biology of this complex syndrome
      and highlighted that this association may be through HDL-C component. The
      association of this genetic polymorphism with ALT levels needs to be studied in
      other populations with larger sample size.

PMID- 28915860
TI  - Anatomic mapping of molecular subtypes in diffuse glioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor location served as an important prognostic factor in glioma
      patients was considered to postulate molecular features according to cell origin
      theory. However, anatomic distribution of unique molecular subtypes was not
      widely investigated. The relationship between molecular phenotype and
      histological subgroup were also vague based on tumor location. Our group focuses
      on the study of glioma anatomic location of distinctive molecular subgroups and
      histology subtypes, and explores the possibility of their consistency based on
      clinical background. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 143 cases with both
      molecular information (IDH1/TERT/1p19q) and MRI images diagnosed as cerebral
      diffuse gliomas. The anatomic distribution was analyzed between distinctive
      molecular subgroups and its relationship with histological subtypes. The
      influence of tumor location, molecular stratification and histology diagnosis on
      survival outcome was investigated as well. RESULTS: Anatomic locations of
      cerebral diffuse glioma indicate varied clinical outcome. Based on that, it can
      be stratified into five principal molecular subgroups according to
      IDH1/TERT/1p19q status. Triple-positive (IDH1 and TERT mutation with 1p19q
      codeletion) glioma tended to be oligodendroglioma present with much better
      clinical outcome compared to TERT mutation only group who is glioblastoma
      inclined (median overall survival 39 months VS 18 months). Five molecular
      subgroups were demonstrated with distinctive locational distribution. This kind
      of anatomic feature is consistent with its corresponding histological subtypes.
      DISCUSSION: Each molecular subgroup in glioma has unique anatomic location which
      indicates distinctive clinical outcome. Molecular diagnosis can be served as
      perfect complementary tool for the precise diagnosis. Integration of
      histomolecular diagnosis will be much more helpful in routine clinical practice
      in the future.

PMID- 28915861
TI  - Informed decision-making with and for people with dementia - efficacy of the
      PRODECIDE education program for legal representatives: protocol of a randomized
      controlled trial (PRODECIDE-RCT).
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Germany, the guardianship system provides adults who are no longer
      able to handle their own affairs a court-appointed legal representative, for
      support without restriction of legal capacity. Although these representatives
      only rarely are qualified in healthcare, they nevertheless play decisive roles in
      the decision-making processes for people with dementia. Previously, we developed
      an education program (PRODECIDE) to address this shortcoming and tested it for
      feasibility. Typical, autonomy-restricting decisions in the care of people with
      dementia-namely, using percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) or physical
      restrains (PR), or the prescription of antipsychotic drugs (AP)-were the subject
      areas trained. The training course aims to enhance the competency of legal
      representatives in informed decision-making. In this study, we will evaluate the
      efficacy of the PRODECIDE education program. METHODS: A randomized controlled
      trial with a six-month follow-up will be conducted to compare the PRODECIDE
      education program with standard care, enrolling legal representatives (N = 216).
      The education program lasts 10 h and comprises four modules: A, decision-making
      processes and methods; and B, C and D, evidence-based knowledge about PEG, PR and
      AP, respectively. The primary outcome measure is knowledge, which is
      operationalized as the understanding of decision-making processes in healthcare
      affairs and in setting realistic expectations about benefits and harms of PEG, PR
      and AP in people with dementia. Secondary outcomes are sufficient and sustainable
      knowledge and percentage of persons concerned affected by PEG, FEM or AP. A
      qualitative process evaluation will be performed. Additionally, to support
      implementation, a concept for translating the educational contents into e
      learning modules will be developed. DISCUSSION: The study results will show
      whether the efficacy of the education program could justify its implementation
      into the regular training curricula for legal representatives. Additionally, it
      will determine whether an e-learning course provides a valuable backup or even
      alternative learning strategy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: TRN: ISRCTN17960111 , Date:
      01/06/2017.

PMID- 28915862
TI  - Self-detection of atrial fibrillation in an aged population: three-year follow-up
      of the LietoAF intervention study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often asymptomatic and undiagnosed until
      an ischaemic stroke occurs. An irregular pulse is a key manifestation of AF. We
      assessed whether pulse self-palpation is feasible in screening of AF. METHODS:
      Altogether 205 residents of Lieto municipality aged >=75 years were randomized in
      2012 to receive brief education on pulse palpation focusing on evaluating rhythm
      regularity. Self-detected pulse irregularity and new AF diagnoses were recorded,
      and the subjects' quality of life and use of health care services were assessed
      during a three-year follow-up. RESULTS: The subjects' median age was 78.2 [3.8]
      years, and 89 (43.4%) were men. Overall, 139 (68%) subjects had initial good
      motivation/capability for regular palpation. At four months, 112 (80.6%) subjects
      with good and 26 (39.4%) with inadequate motivation/capability palpated their
      pulse daily. At 12 months, 120 (58.5%) and at 36 months, 69 (33.7%) subjects
      palpated their pulse at least weekly. During the intervention, 67 (32.7%)
      subjects reported pulse irregularity. New AF was found in 10 (4.9%) subjects, 7
      (70%) of whom had reported pulse irregularity. Pulse irregularity independently
      predicted new AF, but only one (0.5%) subject with new AF sought undelayed
      medical attention due to pulse irregularity. Quality of life and number of
      outpatient clinic visits remained unchanged during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Pulse
      palpation can be learned also by the elderly, but it is challenging to form a
      continuing habit. The low persistence of pulse self-palpation limits its value in
      the screening of AF, and strategies to promote persistence and research on
      alternative screening methods are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01721005. The trial was registered
      retrospectively on October 26, 2012.

PMID- 28915864
TI  - Physical fitness and anthropometric characteristics among adolescents living in
      urban or rural areas of Kosovo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High physical fitness levels in childhood and adolescence are
      associated with positive health-related outcomes later in life. Albeit many
      researchers investigated rural-urban differences in physical fitness, the
      outcomes of these studies are inconsistent and data on Kosovo are widely missing.
      Thus, this study aims to examine anthropometric and physical fitness parameters
      in 14 to 15 year old Kosovan adolescents living in rural and urban areas.
      METHODS: Two schools from Pristina (mostly urban population) and two schools in
      the surrounding villages of the district of Decan (mostly rural population) were
      selected. Anthropometric and physical fitness parameters were determined from a
      total of 354 adolescents (216 urban: 14.5 +/- 0.4 years, 138 rural: age 14.5 +/-
      0.4 years) who volunteered to participate in this cross-sectional study performed
      in 2013/14. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 18.9% in girls
      and 28.2% in males and excess body fat was detected in 18.2% of the girls and
      15.9% of the boys with no differences between rural and urban adolescents. Rural
      adolescents performed slightly better in relative handgrip strength (+4.7%, p =
      0.032) and running speed (10 m: +2.2%, p = 0.012; 20 m: +1.9%, p = 0.035), but no
      other differences were detected in standing long jump, counter movement jump,
      cardiorespiratory fitness and sit and reach test. A multinomial logistic
      regression analysis revealed that being a female was associated with a lower
      relative risk for overweight (RR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.03-0.34, p < 0.001) and high
      body fat content (RR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05-0.56, p < 0.001). In addition, higher
      handgrip strength, longer sprinting time and lower aerobic fitness were
      associated with a higher relative risk for overweight and excess body fat. In
      contrast, lower handgrip strength increased the risk for experiencing thinness
      (RR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.89-0.96, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It could be shown that
      there is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, especially in 14 to 15 year
      old boys in Kosovo which does not differ between rural and urban areas. Worse
      physical performance is associated with a higher risk for overweight and obesity
      highlighting the importance for interventions in this area and for starting
      longitudinal observations of a secular trend.

PMID- 28915863
TI  - Lifestyle intervention to improve quality of life and prevent weight gain after
      renal transplantation: Design of the Active Care after Transplantation (ACT)
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low physical activity and reduced physical functioning are common
      after renal transplantation, resulting in a reduced quality of life. Another
      common post-transplantation complication is poor cardio-metabolic health, which
      plays a main role in long-term outcomes in renal transplant recipients (RTR). It
      is increasingly recognized that weight gain in the first year after
      transplantation, especially an increase in fat mass, is a highly common
      contributor to cardio-metabolic risk. The aim of this study is to compare the
      outcomes of usual care to the effects of exercise alone, and exercise combined
      with dietary counseling, on physical functioning, quality of life and post
      transplantation weight gain in RTR. METHODS: The Active Care after
      Transplantation study is a multicenter randomized controlled trial with three
      arms in which RTR from 3 Dutch hospitals are randomized within the first year
      after transplantation to usual care, to exercise intervention (3 months
      supervised exercise 2 times per week followed by 12 months active follow-up), or
      to an exercise + diet intervention, consisting of the exercise training with
      additional dietary counseling (12 sessions over 15 months by a renal dietician).
      In total, 219 participants (73 per group) will be recruited. The primary outcome
      is the subdomain physical functioning of quality of life, (SF-36 PF). Secondary
      outcomes include other evaluations of quality of life (SF-36, KDQOL-SF, EQ-5D),
      objective measures of physical functioning (aerobic capacity and muscle
      strength), level of physical activity, gain in adiposity (body fat percentage by
      bio-electrical impedance assessment, BMI, waist circumference), and
      cardiometabolic risk factors (blood pressure, lipids, glucose metabolism).
      Furthermore, data on renal function, medical history, medication, psychological
      factors (motivation, kinesiophobia, coping style), nutrition knowledge, nutrition
      intake, nutrition status, fatigue, work participation, process evaluation and
      cost-effectiveness are collected. DISCUSSION: Evidence on the effectiveness of an
      exercise intervention, or an exercise + diet intervention on physical
      functioning, weight gain and cardiometabolic health in RTR is currently lacking.
      The outcomes of the present study may help to guide future evidence-based
      lifestyle care after renal transplantation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Number:
      NCT01047410 .

PMID- 28915865
TI  - Informed consent and registry-based research - the case of the Danish
      circumcision registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research into personal health data holds great potential not only for
      improved treatment but also for economic growth. In these years many countries
      are developing policies aimed at facilitating such research often under the
      banner of 'big data'. A central point of debate is whether the secondary use of
      health data requires informed consent if the data is anonymised. In 2013 the
      Danish Minister of Health established a new register collecting data about all
      ritual male childhood circumcisions in Denmark. The main purpose of the register
      was to enable future research into the consequences of ritual circumcision.
      DISCUSSION: This article is a study into the case of the Danish Circumcision
      Registry. We show that such a registry may lead to various forms of harm such as
      1) overreaching social pressure, 2) stigmatization, 3) medicalization of a
      religious practice, 4) discrimination, and 5) polarised research, and that a
      person may therefore have a strong and legitimate interest in deciding whether or
      not such data should be collected and/or used in research. This casts doubt on
      the claim that the requirement of informed consent could and should be waived for
      all types of secondary research into registries. We finally sketch a new model of
      informed consent - Meta consent - aimed at striking a balance between the
      interests in promoting research and at the same time protecting the individual.
      Research participants may have a strong and legitimate interest in deciding
      whether or not their data should be collected and used for registry-based
      research whether or not their data is anonymised.

PMID- 28915866
TI  - Should manual detorsion be a routine part of treatment in testicular torsion?
AB  - BACKGROUND: It was aimed to investigate the efficiency and reliability of the
      manual detorsion (MD) procedure in patients diagnosed with testicular torsion
      (TT). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was made of the data of 57 patients
      diagnosed with TT, comprising 20 patients with successful MD (Group I), 28
      patients who underwent emergency orchiopexy (Group II), and 9 patients applied
      with orchiectomy (Group III). The groups were compared in respect of age, and
      duration of pain. The success rate of MD, the time of testicular fixation (TF),
      any problems encountered in follow-up, and follow-up times were analyzed in Group
      I. Data were analyzed with P-P pilot, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis and Chi
      square tests. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
      RESULTS: MD was successful and detorsion could be achieved in 20 of 26 patients.
      The groups were similar in respect of age (p = 0.217). The median duration of
      pain was 3 (1-8), 4 (1-72), and 48 (12-144) hours in Groups I, II, and III,
      respectively, and determined as similar in Groups I and II (p = 0.257), although
      a statistically significant difference was determined between the 3 groups (p <
      0.001). TF was applied to Group I after median 10 (0-45) days, and no parenchymal
      disorder was determined in the median follow-up period of 21.5 (2-40) months.
      CONCLUSION: MD that can be easily and immediately performed after the diagnosis
      of TT decreases ischemia time. This seems to be an efficient and reliable
      procedure when applied together with elective orchiopexy, as a part of the
      treatment.

PMID- 28915867
TI  - The associations between workplace bullying, salivary cortisol, and long-term
      sickness absence: a longitudinal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Workplace stressors, such as bullying, are strongly related to
      subsequent long-term sickness absence, but little is known of the possible
      physiological mechanisms linking workplace stressors and sickness absence. The
      primary aim of this study was to investigate to what extent cortisol levels were
      associated with subsequent sickness absence and if cortisol mediated the
      association between workplace bullying and sickness absence. We additionally
      investigated possible bidirectional associations between bullying, cortisol, and
      long-term sickness absence. METHODS: Participants came from two Danish cohort
      studies, the "Psychosocial RIsk factors for Stress and MEntal disease" (PRISME)
      cohort and the "Workplace Bullying and Harassment" (WBH) cohort (n = 5418).
      Information about exposure to workplace bullying and morning and evening salivary
      cortisol was collected at three time points with approximately two years in
      between. After each data collection, all participants were followed for two years
      in registers, and cases with long-term sickness absence lasting 30 or more
      consecutive days were identified. The association between cortisol levels and
      subsequent sickness absence was assessed by logistic regression, while the extent
      to which the association between bullying and sickness absence was mediated by
      cortisol was quantified through natural direct and indirect effects. RESULTS:
      High evening cortisol was associated with a decreased risk of sickness absence
      (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.68-0.99), but we did not find that high morning cortisol
      levels (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.81-1.18) or high morning-to-evening slope (OR =
      0.99, 95% CI = 0.82-1.18) were associated with subsequent sickness absence. We
      also tested for reverse causation and found that long-term sickness absence, but
      not salivary cortisol, was a strong risk factor for subsequent workplace
      bullying. There was no indication that cortisol mediated the association between
      workplace bullying and sickness absence. CONCLUSION: We found no straightforward
      and simple association between cortisol and long-term sickness absence.
      Furthermore, the association between workplace bullying and long-term sickness
      absence was not mediated by cortisol.

PMID- 28915868
TI  - The Cedar Project: Using Indigenous-specific determinants of health to predict
      substance use among young pregnant-involved Indigenous women in Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Indigenous women in Canada have been hyper-visible in research,
      policy and intervention related to substance use during pregnancy; however,
      little is known about how the social determinants of health and substance use
      prior to, during, and after pregnancy intersect. The objectives of this study
      were to describe the social contexts of pregnant-involved young Indigenous women
      who use substances and to explore if an Indigenous-Specific Determinants of
      Health Model can predict substance use among this population. METHODS: Using
      descriptive statistics and hierarchical logistic regression guided by mediation
      analysis, the social contexts of pregnant-involved young Indigenous women who use
      illicit drugs' lives were explored and the Integrated Life Course and Social
      Determinants Model of Aboriginal Health's ability to predict heavy versus light
      substance use in this group was tested (N = 291). RESULTS: Important distal
      determinants of substance use were identified including residential school
      histories, as well as protective factors, such as sex abuse reporting and
      empirical evidence for including Indigenous-specific determinants of health as
      important considerations in understanding young Indigenous women's experiences
      with pregnancy and substance use was provided. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis
      provided important insight into the social contexts of women who have experiences
      with pregnancy as well as drug and/or alcohol use and highlighted the need to
      include Indigenous-specific determinants of health when examining young
      Indigenous women's social, political and historical contexts in relation to their
      experiences with pregnancy and substance use.

PMID- 28915869
TI  - Frequency and genotypes of Chlamydia trachomatis in patients attending the
      obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Jalisco, Mexico and correlation with
      sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis is the causative agent of the most common
      bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the frequency and genotypes of C. trachomatis in patients attending
      an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Jalisco, Mexico and correlates them with
      sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological factors. METHODS: C. trachomatis
      detection was performed in endocervical samples from 662 patients by direct
      fluorescence assay (DFA) and two PCR assays that amplified the phospholipase D
      endonuclease superfamily protein (PLDESP) and OmpA genes. Positive samples were
      genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assays.
      Sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological data were collected. RESULTS: The
      mean age of the study population was 31 (range, 14-78) years. C. trachomatis
      positivity was detected by DFA in 16.7% (n = 111), PLDESP gene amplification in
      14.2% (n = 94), and OmpA gene amplification in 14.5% (n = 96) of the population.
      Eight C. trachomatis genotypes were detected: E (39.6%), F (29.2%), D (15.6%), K
      (6.3%), L2 (3.1%), G, J, and I (2.1% each). C. trachomatis infection was
      associated with age, marital status, pregnancy, and hormonal contraceptive use
      (all p = 0.01); intrauterine device use and previous premature birth (both p =
      0.03); and infection during pregnancy, previous ectopic pregnancy, pelvic
      inflammatory disease (PID), and green vaginal discharge (all p = 0.04). C.
      trachomatis genotype K was more likely to be detected in women histories of >=2
      sexual partners, genotype F was more likely in pregnant women, genotype L2 was
      more likely in women with PID, genotype D was more likely in women who had had
      infection during previous pregnancies, and genotype E was more likely in those
      with previous ectopic pregnancies and green vaginal discharge (all p = 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of C. trachomatis in our population was higher than
      previously reported worldwide, but within the range reported for Mexico. Genotype
      E was detected most frequently in the study population. Infection by C.
      trachomatis and C. trachomatis genotypes K, F, D, and E was strongly associated
      with multiple sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological factors. C.
      trachomatis genotype L2 was detected in women with PID.

PMID- 28915870
TI  - Descriptors for unprofessional behaviours of medical students: a systematic
      review and categorisation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Developing professionalism is a core task in medical education.
      Unfortunately, it has remained difficult for educators to identify medical
      students' unprofessionalism, because, among other reasons, there are no commonly
      adopted descriptors that can be used to document students' unprofessional
      behaviour. This study aimed to generate an overview of descriptors for
      unprofessional behaviour based on research evidence of real-life unprofessional
      behaviours of medical students. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted
      searching PubMed, Ebsco/ERIC, Ebsco/PsycINFO and Embase.com from inception to
      2016. Articles were reviewed for admitted or witnessed unprofessional behaviours
      of undergraduate medical students. RESULTS: The search yielded 11,963 different
      studies, 46 met all inclusion criteria. We found 205 different descriptions of
      unprofessional behaviours, which were coded into 30 different descriptors, and
      subsequently classified in four behavioural themes: failure to engage, dishonest
      behaviour, disrespectful behaviour, and poor self-awareness. CONCLUSIONS: This
      overview provides a common language to describe medical students' unprofessional
      behaviour. The framework of descriptors is proposed as a tool for educators to
      denominate students' unprofessional behaviours. The found behaviours can have
      various causes, which should be explored in a discussion with the student about
      personal, interpersonal and/or institutional circumstances in which the behaviour
      occurred. Explicitly denominating unprofessional behaviour serves two goals: [i]
      creating a culture in which unprofessional behaviour is acknowledged, [ii]
      targeting students who need extra guidance. Both are important to avoid
      unprofessional behaviour among future doctors.

PMID- 28915871
TI  - Virtual patients in the acquisition of clinical reasoning skills: does
      presentation mode matter? A quasi-randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to compare two different instructional
      methods in the curricular use of computerized virtual patients in undergraduate
      medical education. We aim to investigate whether using many short and focused
      cases - the key feature principle - is more effective for the learning of
      clinical reasoning skills than using few long and systematic cases. METHODS: We
      conducted a quasi-randomized, non-blinded, controlled parallel-group intervention
      trial in a large medical school in Southwestern Germany. During two seminar
      sessions, fourth- and fifth-year medical students (n = 56) worked on the
      differential diagnosis of the acute abdomen. The educational tool - virtual
      patients - was the same, but the instructional method differed: In one trial arm,
      students worked on multiple short cases, with the instruction being focused only
      on important elements ("key feature arm", n = 30). In the other trial arm,
      students worked on few long cases, with the instruction being comprehensive and
      systematic ("systematic arm", n = 26). The overall training time was the same in
      both arms. The students' clinical reasoning capacity was measured by a
      specifically developed instrument, a script concordance test. Their motivation
      and the perceived effectiveness of the instruction were assessed using a
      structured evaluation questionnaire. RESULTS: Upon completion of the script
      concordance test with a reference score of 80 points and a standard deviation of
      5 for experts, students in the key feature arm attained a mean of 57.4 points
      (95% confidence interval: 50.9-63.9), and in the systematic arm, 62.7 points
      (57.2-68.2), with Cohen's d at 0.337. The difference is statistically non
      significant (p = 0.214). In the evaluation survey, students in the key feature
      arm indicated that they experienced more time pressure and perceived the material
      as more difficult. CONCLUSIONS: In this study powered for a medium effect, we
      could not provide empirical evidence for the hypothesis that a key feature-based
      instruction on multiple short cases is superior to a systematic instruction on
      few long cases in the curricular implementation of virtual patients. The results
      of the evaluation survey suggest that learners should be given enough time to
      work through case examples, and that caution should be taken to prevent cognitive
      overload.

PMID- 28915872
TI  - Risk factors of chronic periodontitis on healing response: a multilevel modelling
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic periodontitis is a multifactorial polygenetic disease with an
      increasing number of associated factors that have been identified over recent
      decades. Longitudinal epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the risk
      factors were related to the progression of the disease. A traditional
      multivariate regression model was used to find risk factors associated with
      chronic periodontitis. However, the approach requirement of standard statistical
      procedures demands individual independence. Multilevel modelling (MLM) data
      analysis has widely been used in recent years, regarding thorough hierarchical
      structuring of the data, decomposing the error terms into different levels, and
      providing a new analytic method and framework for solving this problem. The
      purpose of our study is to investigate the relationship of clinical periodontal
      index and the risk factors in chronic periodontitis through MLM analysis and to
      identify high-risk individuals in the clinical setting. METHODS: Fifty-four
      patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were included. They were treated
      by means of non-surgical periodontal therapy, and then made follow-up visits
      regularly at 3, 6, and 12 months after therapy. Each patient answered a
      questionnaire survey and underwent measurement of clinical periodontal
      parameters. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, probing depth (PD) and clinical
      attachment loss (CAL) improved significantly after non-surgical periodontal
      therapy with regular follow-up visits at 3, 6, and 12 months after therapy. The
      null model and variance component models with no independent variables included
      were initially obtained to investigate the variance of the PD and CAL reductions
      across all three levels, and they showed a statistically significant difference
      (P < 0.001), thus establishing that MLM data analysis was necessary. Site-level
      had effects on PD and CAL reduction; those variables could explain 77-78% of PD
      reduction and 70-80% of CAL reduction at 3, 6, and 12 months. Other levels only
      explain 20-30% of PD and CAL reductions. Site-level had the greatest effect on PD
      and CAL reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Non-surgical periodontal therapy with regular
      follow-up visits had a remarkable curative effect. All three levels had a
      substantial influence on the reduction of PD and CAL. Site-level had the largest
      effect on PD and CAL reductions.

PMID- 28915873
TI  - A prospective cohort study on ambient air pollution and respiratory morbidities
      including childhood asthma in adolescents from the western Cape Province: study
      protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is evidence from existing literature that ambient air pollutant
      exposure in early childhood likely plays an important role in asthma exacerbation
      and other respiratory symptoms, with greater effect among asthmatic children.
      However, there is inconclusive evidence on the role of ambient air pollutant
      exposures in relation to increasing asthma prevalence as well as asthma induction
      in children. At the population level, little is known about the potential
      synergistic effects between pollen allergens and air pollutants since this type
      of association poses challenges in uncontrolled real life settings. In
      particular, data from sub-Sahara Africa is scarce and virtually absent among
      populations residing in informal residential settlements. METHODS/DESIGN: A
      prospective cohort study of 600 school children residing in four informal
      settlement areas with varying potential ambient air pollutant exposure levels in
      the Western Cape in South Africa is carried-out. The study has two follow-up
      periods of at least six-months apart including an embedded panel study in summer
      and winter. The exposure assessment component models temporal and spatial
      variability of air quality in the four study areas over the study duration using
      land-use regression modelling (LUR). Additionally, daily pollen levels (mould
      spores, tree, grass and weed pollen) in the study areas are recorded. In the
      panel study asthma symptoms and serial peak flow measurements is recorded three
      times daily to determine short-term serial airway changes in relation to varying
      ambient air quality and pollen over 10-days during winter and summer. The health
      outcome component of the cohort study include; the presence of asthma using a
      standardised ISAAC questionnaire, spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric-oxide
      (FeNO) and the presence of atopy (Phadiatop). DISCUSSION: This research applies
      state of the art exposure assessment approaches to characterize the effects of
      ambient air pollutants on childhood respiratory health, with a specific focus on
      asthma and markers of airway inflammation (FeNO) in South African informal
      settlement areas by considering also pollen counts and meteorological factors.
      The study will generate crucial data on air pollution and asthma in low income
      settings in sub-Sahara Africa that is lacking in the international literature.

PMID- 28915874
TI  - Unmet needs in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis-insights from
      patient chart review in five European countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two antifibrotic drugs, pirfenidone and nintedanib, are approved by
      the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration for the
      treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In this analysis, treatment
      patterns of European patients with IPF were investigated to understand
      antifibrotic prescribing and identify unmet needs in IPF treatment practice.
      METHODS: Between February and March 2016, respiratory physicians from France,
      Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK participated in an online questionnaire
      designed to collect information on IPF treatment patterns in patients under their
      care. Patients were categorized as treated (received approved antifibrotics) or
      untreated (did not receive approved antifibrotics, but may have received other
      unapproved therapies). Classification of IPF diagnosis (confirmed/suspected) and
      severity ('mild'/'moderate'/'severe') for each patient was based on the
      individual physician's report. Patients' perspectives were not recorded in this
      study. RESULTS: In total, 290 physicians responded to the questionnaire. Overall,
      54% of patients with IPF did not receive treatment with an approved antifibrotic.
      More patients had a confirmed IPF diagnosis in the treated (84%) versus the
      untreated (51%) population. Of patients with a confirmed diagnosis, 40% did not
      receive treatment. The treated population was younger than the untreated
      population (67 vs 70 years, respectively; p <= 0.01), with more frequent
      multidisciplinary team evaluation (83% vs 57%, respectively; p <= 0.01). A higher
      proportion of untreated patients had forced vital capacity > 80% at diagnosis
      versus treated patients. Of patients with 'mild' IPF, 71% did not receive an
      approved antifibrotic versus 41% and 60% of patients with 'moderate' and 'severe'
      IPF, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the availability of antifibrotic
      therapies, many European patients with confirmed IPF do not receive approved
      antifibrotic treatment. Importantly, there appears to be a reluctance to treat
      patients with 'mild' or 'stable' disease, and instead adopt a 'watch and wait'
      approach. More education is required to address diagnostic uncertainty, poor
      understanding of IPF and its treatments, and issues of treatment access. There is
      a need to increase physician awareness of the benefits associated with
      antifibrotic treatment across the spectrum of IPF severity.

PMID- 28915875
TI  - Plectranthus amboinicus essential oil and carvacrol bioactive against planktonic
      and biofilm of oxacillin- and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is a worldwide concern
      and in order to find an alternative to this problem, the occurrence of
      antimicrobial compounds in Plectranthus amboinicus essential oil was
      investigated. Thus, this study aims to determine susceptibility of Staphylococcus
      aureus isolated from food to antibiotics, P. amboinicus essential oil (PAEO) and
      carvacrol. METHODS: Leaves and stem of P. amboinicus were used for extraction of
      essential oil (PAEO) by hydrodistillation technique and EO chemical analysis was
      performed by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer. S. aureus strains
      (n = 35) isolated from food and S. aureus ATCC 6538 were used to evaluate the
      antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of PAEO and carvacrol. All strains (n =
      35) were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility profile by disk diffusion
      method. Determination of MIC and MBC was performed by microdilution technique and
      antibiofilm activity was determined by microtiter-plate technique with crystal
      violet assay and counting viable cells in Colony Forming Units (CFU). RESULTS:
      Carvacrol (88.17%) was the major component in the PAEO. Antibiotic resistance was
      detected in 28 S. aureus strains (80%) and 12 strains (34.3%) were oxacillin and
      vancomycin-resistant (OVRSA). From the 28 resistant strains, 7 (25%) showed
      resistance plasmid of 12,000 bp. All strains (n = 35) were sensitive to PAEO and
      carvacrol, with inhibition zones ranging from 16 to 38 mm and 23 to 42 mm,
      respectively. The lowest MIC (0.25 mg mL-1) and MBC (0.5 mg mL-1) values were
      observed when carvacrol was used against OVRSA. When a 0.5 mg mL-1 concentration
      of PAEO and carvacrol was used, no viable cells were found on S. aureus biofilm.
      CONCLUSION: The antibacterial effect of carvacrol and PAEO proves to be a
      possible alternative against planktonic forms and staphylococcal biofilm.

PMID- 28915876
TI  - Changes in trust and the use of Korean medicine in South Korea: a comparison of
      surveys in 2011 and 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Korean medicine (KM) has been widely used in Korea. This study aimed
      to assess the general perceptions of KM, to investigate the patterns of its usage
      in 2014, and to compare the results with those of an earlier survey from 2011.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1000 Korean people. The
      questionnaire included items regarding trust in KM, reasons for distrust of KM,
      and visit frequency to KM clinics. This study used methods consistent with those
      of a 2011 survey to examine changes in attitudes over 3 years. RESULTS: Despite
      high rates of trust in KM, the visit frequency decreased from 69.3% in 2011 to
      63.2% in 2014. Usage among young adults (in their 20s and 30s) was significantly
      reduced compared to all other age groups. The KM modality most commonly used by
      participants was acupuncture, whereas the use of moxibustion and cupping
      therapies has decreased since 2011. Men and women were most likely to distrust KM
      due to a "lack of scientific evidence" (59.3%) and "suspicion of KM safety"
      (47.4%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that KM use and trust
      in KM were slightly lower in 2014 than in 2011. The decreases were most notable
      among individuals in their 30s and in the use of moxibustion in KM therapy. This
      study aimed to produce practical insights by reviewing patterns of KM use and
      perceptions over time. Additional surveys must be considered to produce a more in
      depth analysis.

PMID- 28915877
TI  - Vole abundance and reindeer carcasses determine breeding activity of Arctic foxes
      in low Arctic Yamal, Russia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High latitude ecosystems are at present changing rapidly under the
      influence of climate warming, and specialized Arctic species at the southern
      margin of the Arctic may be particularly affected. The Arctic fox (Vulpes
      lagopus), a small mammalian predator endemic to northern tundra areas, is able to
      exploit different resources in the context of varying tundra ecosystems. Although
      generally widespread, it is critically endangered in subarctic Fennoscandia,
      where a fading out of the characteristic lemming cycles and competition with
      abundant red foxes have been identified as main threats. We studied an Arctic fox
      population at the Erkuta Tundra Monitoring site in low Arctic Yamal (Russia)
      during 10 years in order to determine which resources support the breeding
      activity in this population. In the study area, lemmings have been rare during
      the last 15 years and red foxes are nearly absent, creating an interesting
      contrast to the situation in Fennoscandia. RESULTS: Arctic fox was breeding in
      nine of the 10 years of the study. The number of active dens was on average 2.6
      (range 0-6) per 100 km2 and increased with small rodent abundance. It was also
      higher after winters with many reindeer carcasses, which occurred when mortality
      was unusually high due to icy pastures following rain-on-snow events. Average
      litter size was 5.2 (SD = 2.1). Scat dissection suggested that small rodents
      (mostly Microtus spp.) were the most important prey category. Prey remains
      observed at dens show that birds, notably waterfowl, were also an important
      resource in summer. CONCLUSIONS: The Arctic fox in southern Yamal, which is part
      of a species-rich low Arctic food web, seems at present able to cope with a state
      shift of the small rodent community from high amplitude cyclicity with lemming
      dominated peaks, to a vole community with low amplitude fluctuations. The
      estimated breeding parameters characterized the population as intermediate
      between the lemming fox and the coastal fox ecotype. Only continued ecosystem
      based monitoring will reveal their fate in a changing tundra ecosystem.

PMID- 28915878
TI  - The immune mechanism of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae 168 vaccine strain through
      dendritic cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) causes porcine enzootic pneumonia, a
      disease that cause major economic losses in the pig industry. Dendritic cells
      (DCs), the most effective antigen-presenting cells, are widely distributed
      beneath respiratory epithelium, DCs uptake and present antigens to T cells, to
      initiate protective immune responses in different infections. In this study, we
      investigated the role of porcine DCs in vaccine Mhp-168 exposure. RESULTS: The
      antigen presenting ability of DCs were improved by vaccine Mhp-168 exposure. DCs
      could activate T-cell proliferation by up-regulating the antigen presenting
      molecule MHCII expression and co-stimulatory molecule CD80/86. However, the up
      regulation of IL-10 and accompany with down-regulation of IFN-gamma gene level
      may account for the limitation of attenuated Mhp-168 strain use as vaccine alone.
      CONCLUSION: These findings are benefit for exploring the protection mechanisms
      and the possible limitations of this attenuated Mhp-168 vaccine.

PMID- 28915880
TI  - Increasing bladder capacity by foot stimulation in rats with spinal cord
      injuries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was to explore the possibility that foot stimulation
      increased bladder capacity(BC) in rats with neurogenic bladder secondary to T10
      spinal cord injuries. METHODS: In 20 awake rats (stimulation group) with T10
      spinal cord injuries, 5 repeat cystometrograms (CMGs) were recorded. The 1st and
      2nd CMGs were performed without stimulation. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th CMGs were done
      separately with 1 T, 2 T, and 4 T stimulation, respectively, through a pair of
      pad electrodes on the skin of the hind foot. In the control group of 20 rats, 5
      repeat CMGs were recorded without foot stimulation. The threshold (T) was the
      minimal stimulation intensity to induce an observable toe twitch. RESULTS: In the
      stimulation group, foot stimulation with 2 T significantly increased the BC an
      additional 68.9% +/- 20.82% (p < 0.05). Foot stimulation with 4 T increased the
      BC an additional 120.9% +/- 24.82% (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group,
      BC in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (1 T) CMG had no significant difference in the
      stimulation group, but the 4th (2 T) and 5th (4 T) CMGs were significantly
      increased (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Electrical stimulation of the foot was
      effective in inhibiting reflex bladder activity and increasing bladder capacity
      in spinal cord injury rats.

PMID- 28915879
TI  - The effect of sedation and/or analgesia as rescue treatment during noninvasive
      positive pressure ventilation in the patients with Interface intolerance after
      Extubation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sedation and/or analgesia can relieve the patient-ventilator
      asynchrony. However, whether sedation and/or analgesia can benefit the clinical
      outcome of the patients with interface intolerance is still unclear. METHODS: A
      retrospective study was performed on patients with interface intolerance who
      received noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) after extubation in
      seven intensive care units (ICU) of West China Hospital, Sichuan University. The
      primary outcome was rate of NIPPV failure (defined as need for reintubation and
      mechanical ventilation); Secondary outcomes were hospital mortality rate and
      length of ICU stay after extubation. RESULTS: A total of 80 patients with oral
      nasal mask (90%) and facial mask (10%) were included in the analysis. 41 out of
      80 patients received sedation and/or analgesia treatment (17 used analgesia, 11
      used sedation and 13 used both) at some time during NIPPV. They showed a decrease
      of NIPPV failure rate, (15% vs. 38%, P = 0.015; adjusted odd ratio [OR] 0.29, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.86, P = 0.025), mortality rate (7% vs. 33%, P =
      0.004; adjusted OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03-0.60, P = 0.008), and the length of ICU stay
      after extubation. CONCLUSION: This clinical study suggests that sedation and/or
      analgesia treatment can decrease the rate of NIPPV failure, hospital mortality
      rate and ICU LOS in patients with interface intolerance after extubution during
      NIPPV.

PMID- 28915882
TI  - Blind free-living kiwi offer a unique window into the ecology and evolution of
      vertebrate vision.
AB  - The first report of multiple, blind, wild birds in good health suggests vision is
      not necessary for the survival of kiwi.

PMID- 28915881
TI  - High density lipoprotein modulates osteocalcin expression in circulating
      monocytes: a potential protective mechanism for cardiovascular disease in type 1
      diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of mortality in type 1
      diabetes (T1D). A pro-calcific drift of circulating monocytes has been linked to
      vascular calcification and is marked by the surface expression of osteocalcin
      (OCN). We studied OCN+ monocytes in a unique population with >=50 years of T1D,
      the 50-Year Joslin Medalists (J50M). METHODS: CD45 bright/CD14+/OCN+ cells in the
      circulating mononuclear blood cell fraction were quantified by flow cytometry and
      reported as percentage of CD45 bright cells. Mechanisms were studied by inducing
      OCN expression in human monocytes in vitro. RESULTS: Subjects without history of
      CVD (n = 16) showed lower levels of OCN+ monocytes than subjects with CVD (n =
      14) (13.1 +/- 8.4% vs 19.9 +/- 6.4%, p = 0.02). OCN+ monocytes level was
      inversely related to total high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (r =
      -0.424, p = 0.02), large (r = -0.413, p = 0.02) and intermediate (r = -0.445, p =
      0.01) HDL sub-fractions, but not to small HDL. In vitro, incubation with OxLDL
      significantly increased the number of OCN+ monocytes (p < 0.01). This action of
      OxLDL was significantly reduced by the addition of HDL in a concentration
      dependent manner (p < 0.001). Inhibition of the scavenger receptor B1 reduced the
      effects of both OxLDL and HDL (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Low OCN+ monocytes levels
      are associated with lack of CVD in people with long duration T1D. A possible
      mechanism for the increased OCN+ monocytes could be the elevated levels of
      oxidized lipids due to diabetes which may be inhibited by HDL. These findings
      suggest that circulating OCN+ monocytes could be a marker for vascular disease in
      diabetic patients and possibly modified by HDL elevation.

PMID- 28915883
TI  - Plasma trans-fatty acids levels and mortality: a cohort study based on 1999-2000
      National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trans-fatty acids (TFAs) occur in small amounts in nature but became
      widely produced by the food industry. The hazardous effects of different TFA
      subtypes to human health are controversial. We aimed to evaluate the association
      of plasma TFAs levels (elaidic acid, vaccenic acid, palmitelaidic acid, and
      linoelaidic acid) with mortality. METHODS: Utilizing 1999-2000 Nutrition
      Examination Survey (NHANES) and linked mortality data, we performed a cohort
      study with 1456 participants and used Cox proportional hazards models and
      penalized smoothing spline plots to elucidate the relationships between TFAs and
      all-cause, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer mortality. RESULTS: During
      16,034 person-years of follow-up, a total of 221 deaths occurred. In the
      multivariate model, including mutual adjustment for the 4 TFA subtypes, elaidic
      acid associated with higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.00, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.18 to 3.40, fourth quartiles versus second
      quartiles) and CVD mortality (HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.50, per 10 units
      increase). Higher palmitelaidic acid levels were associated with increased cancer
      mortality (HR = 2.91, 95% CI = 1.09 to 7.81, fourth quartiles versus second
      quartiles). A J-shaped pattern was observed in the regression curve of elaidic
      acid and all-cause mortality, as well palmitelaidic acid and cancer mortality.
      CONCLUSIONS: Plasma elaidic acid levels are associated with higher risk of all
      cause and CVD mortality, and palmitelaidic acid levels are associated with higher
      cancer mortality in later life. Further studies are needed to investigate current
      inconsistent results in this field and the possible underlying mechanisms.

PMID- 28915884
TI  - Q&A: Morphological insights into evolution.
AB  - In this question and answer article we discuss how evolution shapes morphology
      (the shape and pattern of our bodies) but also how learning about morphology, and
      specifically how that morphology arises during development, can shed light on
      mechanisms that might allow change during evolution. For this we concentrate on
      recent findings from our lab on how the middle ear has formed in mammals.

PMID- 28915885
TI  - Erratum to: Efficacy and short-term outcomes of preoperative chemoradiotherapy
      with intermittent oral tegafur-uracil plus leucovorin in Japanese rectal cancer
      patients: a single center experience retrospective analysis.

PMID- 28915886
TI  - Prognostic factors in patients with loco-regionally advanced gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate epidemiologic and prognostic
      factors relevant to the treatment of loco-regionally advanced gastric cancer
      (GC). METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-five patients with GC were identified in
      Uppsala County between 2000 and 2009. Patient records were analyzed for loco
      regionally advanced GC defined as tumor with peritoneal involvement, excluding
      serosal invasion from the primary tumor only, at primary diagnosis or during
      follow-up. The presence or not of distant metastasis (DM), including hematogenous
      metastases (e.g., liver, lung, and bone) and/or distant lymph node metastases,
      was also analyzed. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate
      analysis of factors influencing survival. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty
      patients (47% of all patients with GC; median age 70.5 years) had loco-regionally
      advanced disease, corresponding to an incidence of 3.8 per 100,000 person-years.
      Forty-one percent of these also had DM. Median overall survival (mOS) from the
      time of the diagnosis of loco-regionally advanced disease was 4.8 months for the
      total patient cohort, 5.1 months for the subgroup of patients without DM, and 4.7
      months for the subgroup with DM. There was no significant difference in mOS
      between the subgroups with synchronous versus metachronous loco-regionally
      advanced GC: 4.8 months (range 0.0-67.4) versus 4.7 months (range 0.0-28.3).
      Using multivariate Cox analysis, positive prognostic factors for survival were
      good performance status at diagnosis and treatment with palliative chemotherapy
      and/or radiotherapy. Synchronous DM was a negative prognostic factor. The mOS did
      not differ when comparing the time period 2000-2004 (5.1 months, range 0-67.4)
      with the period 2005-2009 (4.0 months, range 0.0-28.3). CONCLUSION: Peritoneal
      involvement occurred in almost half of the patients with GC in this study and was
      associated with short life expectancy. New treatment strategies are warranted.

PMID- 28915887
TI  - Professional fulfillment and parenting work-life balance in female physicians in
      Basic Sciences and medical research: a nationwide cross-sectional survey of all
      80 medical schools in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Japan, the field of Basic Sciences encompasses clinical, academic,
      and translational research, as well as the teaching of medical sciences, with
      both an MD and PhD typically required. In this study, it was hypothesized that
      the characteristics of a Basic Sciences career path could offer the professional
      advancement and personal fulfillment that many female medical doctors would find
      advantageous. Moreover, encouraging interest in Basic Sciences could help stem
      shortages that Japan is experiencing in medical fields, as noted in the three
      principal contributing factors: premature resignation of female clinicians, an
      imbalance of female physicians engaged in research, and a shortage of medical
      doctors in the Basic Sciences. This study examines the professional and personal
      fulfillment expressed by Japanese female medical doctors who hold positions in
      Basic Sciences. Topics include career advancement, interest in medical research,
      and greater flexibility for parenting. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire
      survey was distributed at all 80 medical schools in Japan, directed to 228 female
      medical doctors whose academic rank was assistant professor or higher in
      departments of Basic Sciences in 2012. Chi-square tests and the binary logistic
      regression model were used to investigate the impact of parenthood on career
      satisfaction, academic rank, salary, etc. RESULTS: The survey response rate of
      female physicians in Basic Sciences was 54.0%. Regardless of parental status, one
      in three respondents cited research interest as their rationale for entering
      Basic Sciences, well over twice other motivations. A majority had clinical
      experience, with clinical duties maintained part-time by about half of
      respondents and particularly parents. Only one third expressed afterthoughts
      about relinquishing full-time clinical practice, with physicians who were parents
      expressing stronger regrets. Parental status had little effect on academic rank
      and income within the Basic Sciences, CONCLUSION: Scientific curiosity and a
      desire to improve community health are hallmarks of those choosing a challenging
      career in medicine. Therefore, it is unsurprising that interest in research is
      the primary motivation for a female medical doctor to choose a career in Basic
      Sciences. Additionally, as with many young professionals with families, female
      doctors seek balance in professional and private lives. Although many expressed
      afterthoughts relinquishing a full-time clinical practice, mothers generally
      benefited from greater job flexibility, with little significant effect on career
      development and income as Basic Scientists.

PMID- 28915888
TI  - Stigmatization of people who inject drugs (PWID) by pharmacists in Tajikistan:
      sociocultural context and implications for a pharmacy-based prevention approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pharmacies are an important source of sterile syringes for people who
      inject drugs (PWID) in Tajikistan who are under high risk of HIV and hepatitis C
      virus. Accessibility of sterile syringes at pharmacies without prescription may
      depend on pharmacists' attitudes towards PWID. This qualitative inquiry examines
      meanings and processes of stigmatization of PWID among pharmacists and pharmacy
      students in Tajikistan. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19
      pharmacists and 9 students (N = 28) in the cities of Dushanbe and Kulob,
      Tajikistan. The interview topics included personal attitudes towards drug use and
      PWID, encounters with PWID, awareness and beliefs related to drug dependence and
      HIV, and attitudes and practices related to providing syringes to PWID. Interview
      transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis methods. RESULTS: The main
      themes included the significance of religion in defining attitudes towards drug
      use, labelling of PWID, negative stereotypes (PWID are prone to crime, violence,
      and irrational aggression; inflict harm to families and society; are able to
      control drug use), emotions triggered by PWID (fear, sympathy) and discrimination
      against PWID (rejection, isolation, ostracism, limiting resources to PWID). The
      religious ban on drug use and pharmacists' moral and legal responsibility for the
      consequences of drug use were frequently mentioned as reasons for rejecting
      syringe sales. Still, many participants acknowledged the need for distributing
      syringes to PWID to prevent HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Stigma against PWID in Tajikistan
      plays an important role in shaping pharmacists' attitudes towards provision of
      services to this population. Local sociocultural context, in particular religious
      beliefs and social conservatism, may facilitate stigmatizing beliefs.

PMID- 28915889
TI  - Anti-fibrotic efficacy of nintedanib in pulmonary fibrosis via the inhibition of
      fibrocyte activity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nintedanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is specific for platelet
      derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptors
      (FGFR), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR), has recently
      been approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Fibrocytes are bone marrow
      derived progenitor cells that produce growth factors and contribute to
      fibrogenesis in the lungs. However, the effects of nintedanib on the functions of
      fibrocytes remain unclear. METHODS: Human monocytes were isolated from the
      peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. The expression of growth factors and
      their receptors in fibrocytes was analyzed using ELISA and Western blotting. The
      effects of nintedanib on the ability of fibrocytes to stimulate lung fibroblasts
      were examined in terms of their proliferation. The direct effects of nintedanib
      on the differentiation and migration of fibrocytes were also assessed. We
      investigated whether nintedanib affected the accumulation of fibrocytes in mouse
      lungs treated with bleomycin. RESULTS: Human fibrocytes produced PDGF, FGF2, and
      VEGF-A. Nintedanib and specific inhibitors for each growth factor receptor
      significantly inhibited the proliferation of lung fibroblasts stimulated by the
      supernatant of fibrocytes. Nintedanib inhibited the migration and differentiation
      of fibrocytes induced by growth factors in vitro. The number of fibrocytes in the
      bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis model was reduced by the administration of
      nintedanib, and this was associated with anti-fibrotic effects. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results support the role of fibrocytes as producers of and responders to
      growth factors, and suggest that the anti-fibrotic effects of nintedanib are at
      least partly mediated by suppression of fibrocyte function.

PMID- 28915890
TI  - Barriers and enablers for the development and implementation of allied health
      clinical practice guidelines in South African primary healthcare settings: a
      qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The South African allied health (AH) primary healthcare (PHC)
      workforce is challenged with the complex rehabilitation needs of escalating
      patient numbers. The application of evidence-based care using clinical practice
      guidelines (CPGs) is one way to make efficient and effective use of resources.
      Although CPGs are common for AH in high-income countries, there is limited
      understanding of how to do this in low- to middle-income countries. This paper
      describes barriers and enablers for AH CPG uptake in South African PHC. METHODS:
      Semi-structured individual interviews were undertaken with 25 South African AH
      managers, policymakers, clinicians and academics to explore perspectives on CPGs.
      Interviews were conducted by researcher dyads, one being familiar with South
      African AH PHC practice and the other with CPG expertise. Rigour and transparency
      of data collection was ensured. Interview transcripts were analysed by
      structuring content into codes, categories and themes. Exemplar quotations were
      extracted to support themes. RESULTS: CPGs were generally perceived to be
      relevant to assist AH providers to address the challenges of consistently
      providing evidence-based care in South African PHC settings. CPGs were considered
      to be tools for managing clinical, social and economic complexities of AH PHC
      practice, particularly if CPG recommendations were contextusalised. CPG uptake
      was one way to deal with increasing pressures to make efficient use of scarce
      financial resources, and to demonstrate professional legitimacy. Themes comprised
      organisational infrastructures and capacities for CPG uptake, interactions
      between AH actors and interaction with broader political structures, the nature
      of AH evidence in CPGs, and effectively implementing CPGs into practice.
      CONCLUSION: CPGs contextualised to local circumstances offer South African PHC AH
      services with an efficient vehicle for putting evidence into practice. There are
      challenges to doing this, related to local barriers such as geography, AH
      training, workforce availability, scarce resources, an escalating number of
      patients requiring complex rehabilitation, and local knowledge. Concerted
      attempts to implement locally relevant CPGs for AH primary care in South Africa
      are required to improve widespread commitment to evidence-based care, as well as
      to plan efficient and effective service delivery models.

PMID- 28915891
TI  - Inflammatory bowel disease-specific health-related quality of life instruments: a
      systematic review of measurement properties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This review aims to critically appraise and compare the measurement
      properties of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-specific health-related quality of
      life instruments. METHODS: Medline, EMBASE and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched
      from their inception to May 2016. IBD-specific instruments for patients with
      Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or IBD were enrolled. The basic
      characteristics and domains of the instruments were collected. The methodological
      quality of measurement properties and measurement properties of the instruments
      were assessed. RESULTS: Fifteen IBD-specific instruments were included, which
      included twelve instruments for adult IBD patients and three for paediatric IBD
      patients. All of the instruments were developed in North American and European
      countries. The following common domains were identified: IBD-related symptoms,
      physical, emotional and social domain. The methodological quality was
      satisfactory for content validity; fair in internal consistency, reliability,
      structural validity, hypotheses testing and criterion validity; and poor in
      measurement error, cross-cultural validity and responsiveness. For adult IBD
      patients, the IBDQ-32 and its short version (SIBDQ) had good measurement
      properties and were the most widely used worldwide. For paediatric IBD patients,
      the IMPACT-III had good measurement properties and had more translated versions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most methodological quality should be promoted, especially
      measurement error, cross-cultural validity and responsiveness. The IBDQ-32 was
      the most widely used instrument with good reliability and validity, followed by
      the SIBDQ and IMPACT-III. Further validation studies are necessary to support the
      use of other instruments.

PMID- 28915892
TI  - Modelling the impact of the long-term use of insecticide-treated bed nets on
      Anopheles mosquito biting time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence of changing in biting and resting behaviour of the main
      malaria vectors has been mounting up in recent years as a result of selective
      pressure by the widespread and long-term use of insecticide-treated bed nets
      (ITNs), and indoor residual spraying. The impact of resistance behaviour on
      malaria intervention efficacy has important implications for the epidemiology and
      malaria control programmes. In this context, a theoretical framework is presented
      to understand the mechanisms determining the evolution of feeding behaviour under
      the pressure of use of ITNs. METHODS: An agent-based stochastic model simulates
      the impact of insecticide-treated bed nets on mosquito fitness by reducing the
      biting rates, as well as increasing mortality rates. The model also incorporates
      a heritability function that provides the necessary genetic plasticity upon which
      natural selection would act to maximize the fitness under the pressure of the
      control strategy. RESULTS: The asymptotic equilibrium distribution of mosquito
      population versus biting time is shown for several daily uses of ITNs, and the
      expected disruptive selection on this mosquito trait is observed in the
      simulations. The relative fitness of strains that bite at much earlier time with
      respect to the wild strains, when a threshold of about 50% of ITNs coverage
      highlights the hypothesis of a behaviour selection. A sensitivity analysis has
      shown that the top three parameters that play a dominant role on the mosquito
      fitness are the proportion of individuals using bed nets and its effectiveness,
      the impact of bed nets on mosquito oviposition, and the mosquito genetic
      plasticity related to changing in biting time. CONCLUSION: By taking the
      evolutionary aspect into account, the model was able to show that the long-term
      use of ITNs, although representing an undisputed success in reducing malaria
      incidence and mortality in many affected areas, is not free of undesirable side
      effects. From the evolutionary point of view of the parasite virulence, it should
      be expected that plasmodium parasites would be under pressure to reduce their
      virulence. This speculative hypothesis can eventually be demonstrated in the
      medium to long-term use of ITNs.

PMID- 28915893
TI  - Dosimetric comparison of different treatment modalities for stereotactic
      radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The modalities for performing stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) on the
      brain include the cone-based linear accelerator (linac), the flattening filter
      free (FFF) volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) linac, and tomotherapy. In
      this study, the cone-based linac, FFF-VMAT linac, and tomotherapy modalities were
      evaluated by measuring the differences in doses delivered during brain SRT and
      experimentally assessing the accuracy of the output radiation doses through
      clinical measurements. METHODS: We employed a homemade acrylic dosimetry phantom
      representing the head, within which a thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) and
      radiochromic EBT3 film were installed. Using the conformity/gradient index (CGI)
      and Paddick methods, the quality of the doses delivered by the various SRT
      modalities was evaluated. The quality indicators included the uniformity,
      conformity, and gradient indices. TLDs and EBT3 films were used to experimentally
      assess the accuracy of the SRT dose output. RESULTS: The dose homogeneity indices
      of all the treatment modalities were lower than 1.25. The cone-based linac had
      the best conformity for all tumors, regardless of the tumor location and size,
      followed by the FFF-VMAT linac; tomography was the worst-performing treatment
      modality in this regard. The cone-based linac had the best gradient, regardless
      of the tumor location and size, whereas the FFF-VMAT linac had a better gradient
      than tomotherapy for a large tumor diameter (28 mm). The TLD and EBT3
      measurements of the dose at the center of tumors indicated that the average
      difference between the measurements and the calculated dose was generally less
      than 4%. When the 3% 3-mm gamma passing rate metric was used, the average passing
      rates of all three treatment modalities exceeded 98%. CONCLUSIONS: Regarding the
      dose, the cone-based linac had the best conformity and steepest dose gradient for
      tumors of different sizes and distances from the brainstem. The results of this
      study suggest that SRT should be performed using the cone-based linac on tumors
      that require treatment plans with a steep dose gradient, even as the tumor is
      slightly irregular, we should also consider using a high dose gradient of the
      cone base to treat and protect the normal tissue. If normal tissues require
      special protection exist at positions that are superior or inferior to the tumor,
      we can consider using tomotherapy or Cone base with couch at 0 degrees  for
      treatment.

PMID- 28915894
TI  - Cardiovascular risk in patients with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a rare inherited condition
      caused by mutations of the SERPINA1 gene that is associated with the development
      of a COPD like lung disease. The comorbidities in patients with AATD-related lung
      diseases are not well defined. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical
      phenotype of AATD patients within the German COPD cohort study COSYCONET ("COPD
      and SYstemic consequences-COmorbidities NETwork") cohort focusing on the
      distribution of comorbidities. METHOD AND RESULTS: The data from 2645 COSYCONET
      patients, including 139 AATD patients (110 with and 29 without augmentation
      therapy), were analyzed by descriptive statistics and regression analyses. We
      found significantly lower prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities in AATD
      patients as compared to non-AATD COPD patients. After correction for age, pack
      years, body mass index, and sex, the differences were still significant for
      coronary artery disease (p = 0.002) and the prevalence of peripheral artery
      disease as determined by an ankle-brachial-index <= 0.9 (p = 0.035). Also the
      distribution of other comorbidities such as bronchiectasis differed between AATD
      and non-deficient COPD. CONCLUSION: AATD is associated with a lower prevalence of
      cardiovascular disease, the underlying mechanisms need further investigation.

PMID- 28915895
TI  - Impact of UGT1A1 gene polymorphisms on plasma dolutegravir trough concentrations
      and neuropsychiatric adverse events in Japanese individuals infected with HIV-1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dolutegravir (DTG) is metabolized mainly by uridine diphosphate (UDP)
      glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1), and partly by cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A).
      Therefore, we focused on UGT1A1 gene polymorphisms (*6 and *28) in Japanese
      individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 to examine the
      relationship between their plasma trough concentration of DTG and gene
      polymorphisms. Recently, neuropsychiatric adverse events (NP-AEs) after the use
      of DTG have become a concern, so the association between UGT1A1 gene
      polymorphisms and selected NP-AEs was also investigated. METHODS: The study
      subjects were 107 Japanese patients with HIV-1 infections who were receiving DTG.
      Five symptoms (dizziness, headache, insomnia, restlessness, and anxiety) were
      selected as NP-AEs. The subjects were classified by their UGT1A1 gene
      polymorphisms for the group comparison of DTG trough concentration and the
      presence or absence of NP-AEs. RESULTS: The subjects consisted of eight (7%) *6
      homozygotes, three (3%) *28 homozygotes, four (4%) for *6/*28 compound
      heterozygotes, 23 (21%) *6 heterozygotes, 18 (17%) *28 heterozygotes, and 51
      (48%) patients carrying the normal allele. The plasma DTG trough concentration of
      the *6 homozygous patients was significantly higher than that of the patients
      carrying the normal allele (median, 1.43 and 0.82 MUg/mL, respectively, p =
      0.0054). The *6 and *28 heterozygous patients also showed significantly higher
      values than those shown by patients with the normal allele. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that carrying one or two UGT1A1*6 gene polymorphisms, one UGT1A1*28
      polymorphism, and age of < 40 years were independent factors associated with high
      DTG trough concentrations. The median DTG trough concentration was significantly
      higher in the patients with NP-AEs (1.31 MUg/mL) than in those without NP-AEs
      (1.01 MUg/mL). Consistent with these results, subjects carrying UGT1A1*6,
      UGT1A1*28, or both alleles showed a higher cumulative incidence of having
      selected NP-AEs than those carrying the normal alleles (p = 0.0454). CONCLUSION:
      In addition to younger age, carrying UGT1A1*6 and/or UGT1A1*28 was demonstrated
      to be a factor associated with high DTG trough concentrations. Our results also
      suggest a relationship between plasma DTG trough concentrations and NP-AEs, and
      that carrying UGT1A1*6 and/or UGT1A1*28 alleles might be a risk factor for NP
      AEs.

PMID- 28915896
TI  - Placental malaria and its effect on pregnancy outcomes in Sudanese women from
      Blue Nile State.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria infection during pregnancy can result in placental malaria
      and is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes particularly among
      primigravidae. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and risk
      factors for placental malaria and its effect on pregnancy outcomes in Blue Nile
      state, Sudan. METHODS: A cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted
      consecutively during January 2012-December 2015 in three main hospitals in Blue
      Nile State, Sudan. At delivery, peripheral and placental blood samples were
      collected from consenting women. Finger prick blood was used for preparation of
      peripheral smears and for haemoglobin measurement. Smears were stained with
      Giemsa and examined microscopically for malaria parasites. Pregnancy outcomes in
      association to placental malaria were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 1149
      mothers and their newborns were recruited. The mean (SD) of the age was 23.3
      (5.2) years. Detection of malaria parasites was confirmed in 37.8% of the
      peripheral blood films and 59.3% of the placental films with Plasmodium
      falciparum as the only species detected. In multivariate analysis, younger age
      <=23.2 years old (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.9-5.5; P < 0.001), primiparae (AOR = 3.9,
      CI 2.1-7.6; P < 0.001), secundiparae (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.5-5.1; P < 0.001, no
      antenatal care (ANC) visits (AOR = 11.9, 95% CI 7.8-18.1; P < 0.001) and not
      using bed nets (AOR = 3.5, 95% CI 1.7-6.8; P < 0.001) were risk factors for
      placental malaria. Education and residence were not associated with placental
      malaria infection. Placental malaria was significantly associated with maternal
      anaemia (AOR = 41.6, 95% CI 23.3-74.4; P < 0.001) and low birth weight (LBW) (AOR
      = 25.2, 95% CI 15.1-41.3; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: During the study, there was a
      high prevalence of placental malaria in Blue Nile State-Sudan, as the enhanced
      control activities were not practiced, leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes,
      such as maternal anaemia and LBW.

PMID- 28915897
TI  - Development of a complex intervention to promote appropriate prescribing and
      medication intensification in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus in Irish
      general practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can be seen as
      failure to meet recommended targets for management of key risk factors including
      glycaemic control, blood pressure and lipids. Poor control of risk factors is
      associated with significant morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Failure to
      intensify medications for patients with poor control of T2DM when indicated is
      called clinical inertia and is one contributory factor to poor control of T2DM.
      We aimed to develop a theory and evidence-based complex intervention to improve
      appropriate prescribing and medication intensification in poorly controlled T2DM
      in Irish general practice. METHODS: The first stage of the Medical Research
      Council Framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions was
      utilised. To identify current evidence, we performed a systematic review to
      examine the effectiveness of interventions targeting patients with poorly
      controlled T2DM in community settings. The Behaviour Change Wheel theoretical
      approach was used to identify suitable intervention functions. Workshops,
      simulation, collaborations with academic partners and observation of physicians
      were utilised to operationalise the intervention functions and design the
      elements of the complex intervention. RESULTS: Our systematic review highlighted
      that professional-based interventions, potentially through clinical decision
      support systems, could address poorly controlled T2DM. Appropriate
      intensification of anti-glycaemic and cardiovascular medications, by general
      practitioners (GPs), for adults with poorly controlled T2DM was identified as the
      key behaviour to address clinical inertia. Psychological capability was the key
      driver of the behaviour, which needed to change, suggesting five key intervention
      functions (education, training, enablement, environmental restructuring and
      incentivisation) and nine key behaviour change techniques, which were
      operationalised into a complex intervention. The intervention has three
      components: (a) a training program/academic detailing of target GPs, (b) a remote
      finder tool to help GPs identify patients with poor control of T2DM in their
      practice and (c) A web-based clinical decision support system. CONCLUSIONS: This
      paper describes a multifaceted process including an exploration of current
      evidence and a thorough theoretical understanding of the predictors of the
      behaviour resulting in the design of a complex intervention to promote the
      implementation of evidence-based guidelines, through appropriate prescribing and
      medication intensification in poorly controlled T2DM.

PMID- 28915898
TI  - Physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service has a beneficial impact on
      the incidence of prehospital hypoxia and secured airways on patients with severe
      traumatic brain injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After traumatic brain injury (TBI), hypotension, hypoxia and
      hypercapnia have been shown to result in secondary brain injury that can lead to
      increased mortality and disability. Effective prehospital assessment and
      treatment by emergency medical service (EMS) is considered essential for
      favourable outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a
      physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) in the treatment of
      TBI patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. Prehospital data
      from two periods were collected: before (EMS group) and after (HEMS group) the
      implementation of a physician-staffed HEMS. Unconscious prehospital patients due
      to severe TBI were included in the study. Unconsciousness was defined as a
      Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score <= 8 and was documented either on-scene, during
      transportation or by an on-call neurosurgeon on hospital admission. Modified
      Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) was used for assessment of six-month neurological
      outcome and good neurological outcome was defined as GOS 4-5. RESULTS: Data from
      181 patients in the EMS group and 85 patients in the HEMS group were available
      for neurological outcome analyses. The baseline characteristics and the first
      recorded vital signs of the two cohorts were similar. Good neurological outcome
      was more frequent in the HEMS group; 42% of the HEMS managed patients and 28% (p
      = 0.022) of the EMS managed patients had a good neurological recovery. The airway
      was more frequently secured in the HEMS group (p < 0.001). On arrival at the
      emergency department, the patients in the HEMS group were less often hypoxic (p =
      0.024). In univariate analysis HEMS period, lower age and secured airway were
      associated with good neurological outcome. CONCLUSION: The introduction of a
      physician-staffed HEMS unit resulted in decreased incidence of prehospital
      hypoxia and increased the number of secured airways. This may have contributed to
      the observed improved neurological outcome during the HEMS period. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT02659046. Registered January 15th, 2016.

PMID- 28915899
TI  - Association between polymorphisms of TAS2R16 and susceptibility to colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetics plays an important role in the susceptibility to sporadic
      colorectal cancer (CRC). In the last 10 years genome-wide association studies
      (GWAS) have identified over 40 independent low penetrance polymorphic variants.
      However, these loci only explain around 1-4% of CRC heritability, highlighting
      the dire need of identifying novel risk loci. In this study, we focused our
      attention on the genetic variability of the TAS2R16 gene, encoding for one of the
      bitter taste receptors that selectively binds to salicin, a natural antipyretic
      that resembles aspirin. Given the importance of inflammation in CRC, we tested
      whether polymorphic variants in this gene could affect the risk of developing
      this neoplasia hypothesizing a role of TAS2R16 in modulating chronic inflammation
      within the gut. METHODS: We performed an association study using 6 tagging SNPs,
      (rs860170, rs978739, rs1357949, rs1525489, rs6466849, rs10268496) that cover all
      TAS2R16 genetic variability. The study was carried out on 1902 CRC cases and 1532
      control individuals from four European countries. RESULTS: We did not find any
      statistically significant association between risk of developing CRC and selected
      SNPs. However, after stratification by histology (colon vs. rectum) we found that
      rs1525489 was associated with increased risk of rectal cancer with a (Ptrend of =
      0.0071). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that polymorphisms within TAS2R16 gene do
      not have a strong influence on colon cancer susceptibility, but a possible role
      in rectal cancer should be further evaluated in larger cohorts.

PMID- 28915900
TI  - A randomized phase II study to assess the effect of adjuvant immunotherapy using
      alpha-GalCer-pulsed dendritic cells in the patients with completely resected
      stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer: study protocol for a randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the toxicity associated with the alpha-GalCer-pulsed dendritic
      cell (DC) therapy could be considered to be negligible, its addition to
      postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy would be expected to greatly improve the
      therapeutic effect, and could result in prolonged survival. The aim of the
      present study is to compare the therapeutic efficacy of alpha-galactosylceramide
      pulsed DC therapy in patients who have undergone a complete resection of stage II
      IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) followed by postoperative adjuvant
      therapy with cisplatin plus vinorelbine, to that in patients who did not receive
      additional treatment (surgical resection plus postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy
      only). METHODS: Subsequent to the complete resection of NSCLC, followed by the
      administration of cisplatin plus vinorelbine dual-agent combination adjuvant
      chemotherapy, patients who satisfy the inclusion criteria will be randomly
      allocated to either the alpha-GalCer-pulsed DC immune therapy group, or the
      standard treatment group. In total, 56 patients will be included in the study.
      The primary endpoint is recurrence-free survival, and the secondary endpoints are
      natural killer T-cell-specific immune response, the frequency of toxic effects
      and safety, and overall survival. DISCUSSION: In order to determine the efficacy
      of alpha-GalCer-pulsed DC therapy, the present study compares patients with stage
      II-III NSCLC who underwent complete surgical resection followed by postoperative
      adjuvant therapy with cisplatin plus vinorelbine, to those who did not receive
      additional treatment (surgical resection plus postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy
      only). TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000010386 ( R000012145 ). Registered on 1 April
      2013. UMIN-CTR is officially recognized as a registration site which satisfies
      ICMJE criteria.

PMID- 28915902
TI  - Development and clinical application of radiomics in lung cancer.
AB  - Since the discovery of X-rays at the end of the 19th century, medical imageology
      has progressed for 100 years, and medical imaging has become an important
      auxiliary tool for clinical diagnosis. With the launch of the human genome
      project (HGP) and the development of various high-throughput detection
      techniques, disease exploration in the post-genome era has extended beyond
      investigations of structural changes to in-depth analyses of molecular
      abnormalities in tissues, organs and cells, on the basis of gene expression and
      epigenetics. These techniques have given rise to genomics, proteomics,
      metabolomics and other systems biology subspecialties, including radiogenomics.
      Radiogenomics is an important revolution in the traditional visually identifiable
      imaging technology and constitutes a new branch, radiomics. Radiomics is aimed at
      extracting quantitative imaging features automatically and developing models to
      predict lesion phenotypes in a non-invasive manner. Here, we summarize the advent
      and development of radiomics, the basic process and challenges in clinical
      practice, with a focus on applications in pulmonary nodule evaluations, including
      diagnostics, pathological and molecular classifications, treatment response
      assessments and prognostic predictions, especially in radiotherapy.

PMID- 28915901
TI  - Possible effects of an early diagnosis and treatment in patients with growth
      hormone deficiency: the state of art.
AB  - Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a relatively uncommon and heterogeneous
      endocrine disorder presenting in childhood with short stature. However, during
      the neonatal period, the metabolic effects of GHD may to require prompt
      replacement therapy to avoid possible life-threatening complications. An
      increasing amount of data suggests the importance of an early diagnosis and
      treatment of GHD because of its auxological, metabolic, and neurodevelopmental
      features with respect to the patients diagnosed and treated later in life.The
      available results show favourable auxological outcomes for patients with GHD
      diagnosed and treated with r-hGH early in life compared with those from patients
      with GHD who do not receive this early diagnosis and treatment. Because delayed
      referral for GHD diagnosis and treatment is still frequent, these results
      highlight the need for more attention in the diagnosis and treatment of
      GHD.Despite these very encouraging data regarding metabolic and
      neurodevelopmental features, further studies are needed to better characterize
      these findings. Overall, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of GHD
      needs to be addressed.

PMID- 28915903
TI  - A quantitative assessment of the evolution of cerebellar syndrome in children
      with phosphomannomutase-deficiency (PMM2-CDG).
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aim to delineate the progression of cerebellar syndrome in
      children with phosphomannomutase-deficiency (PMM2-CDG) using the International
      Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS). We sought correlation between cerebellar
      volumetry and clinical situation. We prospectively evaluated PMM2-CDG patients
      aged from 5 to 18 years through ICARS at two different time points set apart by
      at least 20 months. We reviewed available MRIs and performed volumetric analysis
      when it was possible. RESULTS: From the eligible 24, four patients were excluded
      due to severe mental disability (n = 2) and supratentorial lesions (n = 2). Two
      different ICARS evaluations separated by more than 20 months were available for
      14 patients showing an improvement in the cerebellar syndrome: ICARS1: 35.71
      versus ICARS2: 30.07 (p < 0.001). When we considered time, we saw an improvement
      of 2.64 points in the ICARS per year with an SD of 1.97 points (p < 0.001). The
      ICARS subscales results improved with time, reaching statistical significance in
      "Posture and gait" (p < 0.001), "Kinetic functions" (p = 0.04) and "Speech
      abnormalities" (p = 0.045). We found a negative correlation between the ICARS
      results and total cerebellar volume (r = -0.9, p = 0.037) in a group of five
      patients with available volumetric study, meaning that the higher the ICARS
      score, the more severe was the cerebellar atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a
      stabilization or mild improvement in the cerebellar functions of paediatric PMM2
      CDG patients despite cerebellar volume loss. ICARS is a valid scale to quantify
      the evolution of cerebellar syndrome in PMM2-CDG patients. The availability of
      ICARS and other reliable and sensitive follow-up tools may prove essential for
      the evaluation of potential therapies.

PMID- 28915905
TI  - Accounting for single center effects in systematic reviews cannot be overlooked.

PMID- 28915904
TI  - TIGA-CUB - manualised psychoanalytic child psychotherapy versus treatment as
      usual for children aged 5-11 years with treatment-resistant conduct disorders and
      their primary carers: study protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
      recommends evidence-based parenting programmes as a first-line intervention for
      conduct disorders (CD) in children aged 5-11 years. As these are not effective in
      25-33% of cases, NICE has requested research into second-line interventions.
      Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists (CAPTs) address highly complex problems
      where first-line treatments have failed and there have been small-scale studies
      of Psychoanalytic Child Psychotherapy (PCP) for CD. A feasibility trial is needed
      to determine whether a confirmatory trial of manualised PCP (mPCP) versus
      Treatment as Usual (TaU) for CD is practicable or needs refinement. The aim of
      this paper is to publish the abridged protocol of this feasibility trial. METHODS
      AND DESIGN: TIGA-CUB (Trial on improving Inter-Generational Attachment for
      Children Undergoing Behaviour problems) is a two-arm, pragmatic, parallel-group,
      multicentre, individually randomised (1:1) controlled feasibility trial (target n
      = 60) with blinded outcome assessment (at 4 and 8 months), which aims to develop
      an optimum practicable protocol for a confirmatory, pragmatic, randomised
      controlled trial (RCT) (primary outcome: child's behaviour; secondary outcomes:
      parental reflective functioning and mental health, child and parent quality of
      life), comparing mPCP and TaU as second-line treatments for children aged 5-11
      years with treatment-resistant CD and inter-generational attachment difficulties,
      and for their primary carers. Child-primary carer dyads will be recruited
      following a referral to, or re-referral within, National Health Service (NHS)
      Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) after an unsuccessful first
      line parenting intervention. PCP will be delivered by qualified CAPTs working in
      routine NHS clinical practice, using a trial-specific PCP manual (a brief version
      of established PCP clinical practice). Outcomes are: (1) feasibility of
      recruitment methods, (2) uptake and follow-up rates, (3) therapeutic delivery,
      treatment retention and attendance, intervention adherence rates, (4) follow-up
      data collection, and (5) statistical, health economics, process evaluation, and
      qualitative outcomes. DISCUSSION: TIGA-CUB will provide important information on
      the feasibility and potential challenges of undertaking a confirmatory RCT to
      evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mPCP. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Current Controlled Trials, ID: ISRCTN86725795 . Registered on 31 May 2016.

PMID- 28915906
TI  - Unusually prolonged pemetrexed cytotoxicity in a patient with a lung
      adenocarcinoma: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We describe a case of pemetrexed toxicities related to reabsorption
      by an ileal neobladder, which caused prolonged hematotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.
      CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old white man was diagnosed with metastatic wild
      type adenocarcinoma of the upper lobe of his right lung. After a first cycle of
      cisplatin and pemetrexed, he had unusually prolonged aplasia and acute kidney
      injury. The prolonged aplasia was caused by pemetrexed reabsorption by the ileal
      mucosa of the neobladder as pemetrexed was eliminated renally in an active form
      and is partly lipophilic. CONCLUSIONS: Pemetrexed may be reabsorbed by the ileal
      mucosa of the neobladder because of its hydrophobic structure and renal excretion
      in its active form. Acute urinary retention may maintain this phenomenon.
      Published data excluded a potential role for cisplatin in this toxicity;
      furthermore, we could not assess pemetrexed concentrations in the blood or urine
      as these assay techniques are not validated. Thus, care is needed when giving
      chemotherapy to patients with a neobladder.

PMID- 28915907
TI  - Effect of a mother's recorded voice on emergence from general anesthesia in
      pediatric patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emergence delirium is a behavioral disturbance after general
      anesthesia in children and may distress both the patients and the primary
      caregivers, such as parents and medical staff, looking after the patients.
      Various medical and emotional interventions have been investigated to reduce
      emergence delirium; however, none are completely effective. This trial intends to
      assess whether the mother's recorded voice can reduce this adverse post
      anesthesia event and facilitate arousal from general anesthesia. METHODS/DESIGN:
      This is a prospective, double-blind, single-center, parallel-arm, superiority,
      randomized controlled trial to be conducted in participants aged 2-8 years who
      are undergoing elective surgery requiring general anesthesia. Participants will
      be randomly assigned to one of two groups: those who are stimulated to wake up by
      listening to their mother's recorded voice (maternal group, n = 33) or a
      stranger's voice (stranger group, n = 33) during anesthetic emergence. The
      primary outcome is the initial emergence delirium score in the post-anesthesia
      care unit (PACU). The secondary outcomes are hemodynamic parameters, including
      heart rate and mean blood pressure, the duration of time between the cessation of
      anesthetics and a BIS level of 60, 70 and 80, eye-opening or purposeful movement
      time, extubation time, total consumption of analgesics, PACU stay time, emergence
      delirium and pain scores during the PACU stay. DISCUSSION: This is the first
      randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of a mother's recorded
      voice during emergence on the pediatric emergence profile after general
      anesthesia. It may provide prophylactic treatment options to decrease emergence
      delirium and enhance arousal from general anesthesia. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClicnicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02955680 . Registered on 2 November 2016.

PMID- 28915909
TI  - Differential signal sensitivities can contribute to the stability of multispecies
      bacterial communities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial species present in multispecies microbial communities often
      react to the same chemical signal but at vastly different concentrations. The
      existence of different response thresholds with respect to the same signal
      molecule has been well documented in quorum sensing which is one of the best
      studied inter-cellular signalling mechanisms in bacteria. The biological
      significance of this phenomenon is still poorly understood, and cannot be easily
      studied in nature or in laboratory models. The aim of this study is to establish
      the role of differential signal response thresholds in stabilizing microbial
      communities. RESULTS: We tested binary competition scenarios using an agent-based
      model in which competing bacteria had different response levels with respect to
      signals, cooperation factors or both, respectively. While in previous scenarios
      fitter species outcompete slower growing competitors, we found that stable
      equilibria could form if the fitter species responded to a higher chemical
      concentration level than the slower growing competitor. We also found that
      species secreting antibiotic could form a stable community with other competing
      species if antibiotic production started at higher response thresholds.
      CONCLUSIONS: Microbial communities in nature rely on the stable coexistence of
      species that necessarily differ in their fitness. We found that differential
      response thresholds provide a simple and elegant way for keeping slower growing
      species within the community. High response thresholds can be considered as self
      restraint of the fitter species that allows metabolically useful but slower
      growing species to remain within a community, and thereby the metabolic
      repertoire of the community will be maintained. REVIEWERS: This article was
      reviewed by Michael Gromiha, Sebastian Maurer-Stroh, Istvan Simon and L. Aravind.

PMID- 28915908
TI  - Advances in paediatrics in 2016: current practices and challenges in allergy,
      autoimmune diseases, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious
      diseases, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, nutrition, pulmonology.
AB  - This review reports main progresses in various pediatric issues published in
      Italian Journal of Pediatrics and in international journals in 2016. New insights
      in clinical features or complications of several disorders may be useful for our
      better understanding. They comprise severe asthma, changing features of lupus
      erythematosus from birth to adolescence, celiac disease, functional
      gastrointestinal disorders, Moebius syndrome, recurrent pneumonia. Risk factors
      for congenital heart defects, Kawasaki disease have been widely investigated. New
      diagnostic tools are available for ascertaining brucellosis, celiac disease and
      viral infections. The usefulness of aCGH as first-tier test is confirmed in
      patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. Novel information have been provided
      on the safety of milk for infants. Recent advances in the treatment of common
      disorders, including neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, hypo-glycemia in
      newborns, atopic dermatitis, constipation, cyclic vomiting syndrome, nephrotic
      syndrome, diabetes mellitus, regurgitation, short stature, secretions in children
      with cerebral palsy have been reported. Antipyretics treatment has been updated
      by national guidelines and studies have excluded side effects (e.g. asthma risk
      during acetaminophen therapy). Vaccinations are a painful event and several
      options are reported to prevent this pain. Adverse effects due to metabolic
      abnormalities are reported for second generation antipsychotic drugs.

PMID- 28915910
TI  - Colonization of the bovine uterus by Candida kefyr.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While fungal infections of the bovine uterus are well-known diseases
      in pregnant cattle, very limited knowledge exists on the presence and
      significance of fungi in the uterus of non-pregnant cows. Presence of fungi in
      the uterine lumen of postpartum (pp) cows has been reported, but little attention
      has been paid to this as most studies of the bovine pp uterus have focused on
      bacteria. CASE PRESENTATION: Microscopy of uterine lavage cytology slides of
      three cows from one herd revealed the presence of numerous yeast-like organisms,
      which were located either free in the fluid or within macrophages. Two of the
      cows were around 30 days pp, while the third was 7 months pp. None of the cows
      had been treated with antibiotics. Culturing of the flush samples was
      unsuccessful, but Sanger sequencing of DNA extracted from an endometrial biopsy
      of one of the cows revealed the presence of Candida kefyr (Kluyveromyces
      marxianus). Fluorescence in situ hybridization examination of endometrial tissue
      sections of two cows using probes targeting 18S rRNA of the K. marxianus group
      was performed and revealed the presence of yeast cells on the endometrium.
      Histology was performed and demonstrated hyphal and non-hyphal yeast-like
      organisms on the surface of endometrium and in the crypts. Tissue invasion was
      restricted to the superficial part of the epithelium and although endometrial
      inflammation was present, this was mild and considered as not being caused by the
      fungi. One of the cows became pregnant and delivered a normal calf at term, while
      the two others were not bred. CONCLUSIONS: Candida kefyr is commonly isolated
      from milk of cows with mastitis, but has not been reported in association with
      other diseases of cattle. The infection was present as a monoculture in all three
      cows, but the fungi had only colonized the uterine lumen and the endometrial
      surface. Only a mild non-suppurative endometrial inflammation was present, but
      within the uterine luminal content, many macrophages having phagocytized yeast
      cells were present. Re-examination of the cows did not reveal a persistent
      infection, so the infection probably resolved spontaneously.

PMID- 28915911
TI  - Timing rather than user traits mediates mood sampling on smartphones.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent years have seen an increasing number of studies using
      smartphones to sample participants' mood states. Moods are usually collected by
      asking participants for their current mood or for a recollection of their mood
      states over a specific period of time. The current study investigates the reasons
      to favour collecting mood through current or daily mood surveys and outlines
      design recommendations for mood sampling using smartphones based on these
      findings. These recommendations are also relevant to more general smartphone
      sampling procedures. RESULTS: N=64 participants completed a series of surveys at
      the beginning and end of the study providing information such as gender,
      personality, or smartphone addiction score. Through a smartphone application,
      they reported their current mood 3 times and daily mood once per day for 8 weeks.
      We found that none of the examined intrinsic individual qualities had an effect
      on matches of current and daily mood reports. However timing played a significant
      role: the last followed by the first reported current mood of the day were more
      likely to match the daily mood. Current mood surveys should be preferred for a
      higher sampling accuracy, while daily mood surveys are more suitable if
      compliance is more important.

PMID- 28915912
TI  - The role of self-control and cognitive functioning in educational inequalities in
      adolescent smoking and binge drinking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large differences in substance use between educational levels
      originate at a young age, but there is limited evidence explaining these
      inequalities. The aim of this study was to test whether a) smoking and binge
      drinking are associated with lower levels of self-control and cognitive
      functioning, and b) associations between educational track and smoking and binge
      drinking, respectively, are attenuated after controlling for self-control and
      cognitive functioning. METHODS: This study used cross-sectional survey data of 15
      to 20-year-olds (N = 191) from low, middle, and high educational tracks. We
      measured regular binge drinking and regular smoking (more than once a month),
      cognitive functioning (cognitive ability, reaction time and memory span), and
      self-control. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations
      between educational track and smoking and binge drinking controlled for age,
      gender and social disadvantage, and for self-control and cognitive functioning.
      RESULTS: According to models that controlled for age, gender and social
      disadvantage only, respondents in the low educational track were more likely to
      drink heavily (OR = 3.25, 95% CI = 1.48-7.17) and smoke (OR = 5.74, 95% CI = 2.31
      14.29) than adolescents in the high educational track. The association between
      educational track and binge drinking was hardly reduced after adjustment for self
      control and cognitive ability (OR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.09-7.62). Adjustment for
      self-control and cognitive functioning, especially cognitive ability, weakened
      the association between education and smoking (OR = 3.40, 95% CI = 1.11-10.37).
      However, inequalities in smoking remained significant and substantial.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study population, pre-existing variations between
      adolescents in terms of self-control and cognitive functioning played a minor
      role in educational inequalities in smoking, but not in binge drinking.

PMID- 28915913
TI  - Neurological outcomes and duration from cardiac arrest to the initiation of
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the relationship between neurological outcomes and
      duration from cardiac arrest (CA) to the initiation of extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation (ECMO) (CA-to-ECMO) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
      (OHCA) treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and
      determined the ideal time at which ECPR should be performed. METHODS: During the
      time period in which this study was conducted, 3451 patients experienced OHCA.
      This study finally included 79 patients aged 18 years or older whose OHCA had
      been witnessed and who underwent ECPR in the emergency room between January 2011
      and December 2015. Our primary endpoint was survival to hospital discharge with
      good neurological outcomes (a cerebral performance category of 1 or 2). RESULTS:
      Of the 79 patients included, 11 had good neurological outcomes. The median
      duration from CA-to-ECMO was significantly shorter in the good neurological
      outcome group (33 min, interquartile range [IQR], 27-50 vs. 46 min, IQR, 42-56: p
      = 0.03). After controlling for potential confounders, we found that the adjusted
      odds ratio of CA-to-ECMO time for a good neurological outcome was 0.92 (95%
      confidence interval: 0.87-0.98, p = 0.007). The area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve of CA-to-ECMO for predicting a good neurological outcome was
      0.71, and the optimal CA-to-ECMO cutoff time was 40 min. The dynamic probability
      of survival with good neurological outcomes based on CA-to-ECMO time showed that
      the survival rate with good neurological outcome decreased abruptly from over 30%
      to approximately 15% when the CA-to-ECMO time exceeded 40 min. DISCUSSION: In
      this study, CA-to-ECMO time was significantly shorter among patients with good
      neurological outcomes, and significantly associated with good neurological
      outcomes at hospital discharge. In addition, the probability of survival with
      good neurological outcome decreased when the CA-to-ECMO time exceeded 40 minutes.
      The indication for ECPR for patients with OHCA should include several factors.
      However, the duration of CPR before the initiation of ECMO is a key factor and an
      independent factor for good neurological outcomes in patients with OHCA treated
      with ECPR. Therefore, the upper limit of CA-to-ECMO time should be inevitably
      included in the indication for ECPR for patients with OHCA. In the present study,
      there was a large difference in the rate of survival to hospital discharge with
      good neurological outcome between the patients with a CA-to-ECMO time within 40
      minutes and those whose time was over 40 minutes. Based on the present study, the
      time limit of the duration of CPR before the initiation of ECMO might be around
      40 minutes. We should consider ECPR in patients with OHCA if they are relatively
      young, have a witness and no terminal disease, and the initiation of ECMO is
      presumed to be within this time period. CONCLUSIONS: The duration from CA-to-ECMO
      was significantly associated with good neurological outcomes. The indication for
      patients with OHCA should include a criterion for the ideal time to initiate
      ECPR.

PMID- 28915914
TI  - Paradoxical tunnel enlargement after ACL reconstruction with hamstring autografts
      when using beta-TCP containing interference screws for tibial aperture fixation-
      prospectively comparative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tibial aperture fixation with a bioabsorbable interference screw is a
      popular fixation method in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). An
      interference screw containing beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) to improve
      bony integration and biocompatibility was recently introduced. This study aims to
      compare the clinical outcomes and radiological results of tunnel enlargement
      effect between the 2 bioabsorbable fixative devices of pure poly-L-lactic acid
      (PLLA) interference screws and beta-TCP-containing screws, for tibial
      interference fixation in ACLR using hamstring autografts. METHODS: Eighty
      consecutive patients who had undergone double-bundle ACLR between 2011 to 2012
      were prospectively reviewed and randomly divided into two groups based on the
      type of tibial interference screw: 28 were assigned to the pure PLLA screw group
      (Group A), while the other 29 were assigned to the beta-TCP-containing screw
      fixation group (Group B). Clinical evaluations and radiological analyses were
      conducted in both groups with a minimum 2- year follow-up. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference in subjective or objective clinical outcome between the 2
      groups. In radiological analyses, the use of a beta-TCP-containing screw reduced
      tunnel widening in the portion of the tunnel with screw engagement compared to
      the pure PLLA screw, while the use of a beta-TCP-containing screw resulted in
      greater tunnel enlargement in the proximal portion of the tunnel without screw
      engagement than use of a pure PLLA screw. CONCLUSION: Use of a beta-TCP
      containing interference screw in tibial aperture fixation reduced tunnel
      enlargement in the vicinity of the screw, whereas greater enlargement occurred
      proximal to the screw end relative to use of a pure PLLA interference screw.
      These paradoxical enlargements in use of beta-TCP containing screws suggest that
      for reducing tunnel enlargement, the length of the interference screw should be
      as fit as possible with tunnel length in terms of using soft grafts. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: II, Prospectively comparative study. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. (NCT02754674) , Date of trial
      registration: February 10, 2016.

PMID- 28915915
TI  - Nocturnal heart rate variability in 1-year-old infants analyzed by using the
      Least Square Cosine Spectrum Method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the dynamic nature of nocturnal heart rate variability,
      RR intervals recorded with a wearable heart rate sensor were analyzed using the
      Least Square Cosine Spectrum Method. METHODS: Six 1-year-old infants participated
      in the study. A wearable heart rate sensor was placed on their chest to measure
      RR intervals and 3-axis acceleration. Heartbeat time series were analyzed for
      every 30 s using the Least Square Cosine Spectrum Method, and an original
      parameter to quantify the regularity of respiratory-related heart rate rhythm was
      extracted and referred to as "RA (RA-COSPEC: Respiratory Area obtained by
      COSPEC)." The RA value is higher when a cosine curve is fitted to the original
      data series. RESULTS: The time sequential changes of RA showed cyclic changes
      with significant rhythm during the night. The mean cycle length of RA was 70 +/-
      15 min, which is shorter than young adult's cycle in our previous study. At the
      threshold level of RA greater than 3, the HR was significantly decreased compared
      with the RA value less than 3. CONCLUSIONS: The regularity of heart rate rhythm
      showed dynamic changes during the night in 1-year-old infants. Significant
      decrease of HR at the time of higher RA suggests the increase of parasympathetic
      activity. We suspect that the higher RA reflects the regular respiratory pattern
      during the night. This analysis system may be useful for quantitative assessment
      of regularity and dynamic changes of nocturnal heart rate variability in infants.

PMID- 28915916
TI  - Effects of a "silent mentor" initiation ceremony and dissection on medical
      students' humanity and learning.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Many medical schools in Taiwan have adopted a dignified "silent
      mentor" initiation ceremony to strengthen student's medical humanity and increase
      their learning attitudes. This ceremony consists of introductions of the body
      donor's conduct and deeds, wreath-laying, and a tea party. However, few empirical
      studies have examined the influences of the ceremony and dissection on medical
      humanity. This study explored if the initiation ceremony and the course can help
      students care more about others, develop more positive attitudes toward death,
      improve learning effectiveness in the course, and decrease negative emotions the
      first time they see a cadaver. METHODS: The Attitudes Towards Death and Love and
      Care subscales of the life attitude inventory, Learning Effectiveness of Gross
      Anatomy Laboratory Scale (LEGALS), and Emotional Reactions Towards Cadavers Scale
      were adopted to examine differences before (T1) and after (T2) medical students
      attended an initiation ceremony at a university in northern Taiwan. Whether these
      effects lasted to the end of the semester (T3) was also tested. RESULTS: After
      the ceremony, students' attitudes towards death increased, negative emotions
      towards cadavers decreased, but love and care and the LEGALS did not
      significantly change. Data from T3 showed a similar pattern, but high-level
      emotions (e.g., being respected, cherished, and grateful) and the LEGALS were
      significantly higher than those at T1. DISCUSSION: The initiation ceremony, which
      showed a body donor's deeds and attitudes toward life and death when they were
      alive, could help medical students gain more mature attitudes towards death and
      decreased negative emotions. Learning between T2 and T3 might have caused
      significant changes in high-level emotions and the LEGALS at T3. Arranging
      reflective writing with guided discussion by a teacher before and after the
      ceremony is highly recommended.

PMID- 28915917
TI  - Translocation of molecular chaperones to the titin springs is common in skeletal
      myopathy patients and affects sarcomere function.
AB  - Myopathies encompass a wide variety of acquired and hereditary disorders. The
      pathomechanisms include structural and functional changes affecting, e.g.,
      myofiber metabolism and contractile properties. In this study, we observed
      increased passive tension (PT) of skinned myofibers from patients with
      myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) caused by FLNC mutations (MFM-filaminopathy) and limb
      girdle muscular dystrophy type-2A due to CAPN3 mutations (LGMD2A), compared to
      healthy control myofibers. Because the giant protein titin determines myofiber
      PT, we measured its molecular size and the titin-to-myosin ratio, but found no
      differences between myopathies and controls. All-titin phosphorylation and site
      specific phosphorylation in the PEVK region were reduced in myopathy, which would
      be predicted to lower PT. Electron microscopy revealed extensive ultrastructural
      changes in myofibers of various hereditary myopathies and also suggested massive
      binding of proteins to the sarcomeric I-band region, presumably heat shock
      proteins (HSPs), which can translocate to elastic titin under stress conditions.
      Correlative immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy showed that two
      small HSPs (HSP27 and alphaB-crystallin) and the ATP-dependent chaperone HSP90
      translocated to the titin springs in myopathy. The small HSPs, but not HSP90,
      were upregulated in myopathic versus control muscles. The titin-binding pattern
      of chaperones was regularly observed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD),
      LGMD2A, MFM-filaminopathy, MFM-myotilinopathy, titinopathy, and inclusion body
      myopathy due to mutations in valosin-containing protein, but not in acquired
      sporadic inclusion body myositis. The three HSPs also associated with elastic
      titin in mouse models of DMD and MFM-filaminopathy. Mechanical measurements on
      skinned human myofibers incubated with exogenous small HSPs suggested that the
      elevated PT seen in myopathy is caused, in part, by chaperone-binding to the
      titin springs. Whereas this interaction may be protective in that it prevents
      sarcomeric protein aggregation, it also has detrimental effects on sarcomere
      function. Thus, we identified a novel pathological phenomenon common to many
      hereditary muscle disorders, which involves sarcomeric alterations.

PMID- 28915918
TI  - A longitudinal study of serological responses to Coxiella burnetii and shedding
      at kidding among intensively-managed goats supports early use of vaccines.
AB  - Vaccination against Coxiella burnetii, the cause of Q fever, is reportedly the
      only feasible strategy of eradicating infection in ruminant herds. Preventive
      vaccination of seronegative goats is more effective in reducing shedding of C.
      burnetii than vaccinating seropositive goats. The age at which goats born on
      heavily-contaminated farms first seroconvert to C. burnetii has not yet been
      documented. In a 16-month birth cohort study, the age at which goats
      seroconverted against C. burnetii was investigated; 95 goats were bled every 2
      weeks and tested for antibodies against C. burnetii. Risk factors for
      seroconversion were explored and goats shedding C. burnetii were identified by
      testing vaginal swabs taken at the goats' first kidding using a com1 polymerase
      chain reaction assay. The first surge in the number of goats with IgM to C.
      burnetii was observed at week 9. Thus, a first vaccination not later than 8 weeks
      of age to control C. burnetii in highly contaminated environments is indicated.
      The odds of seroconversion were 2.0 times higher [95% confidence interval (CI)
      1.2, 3.5] in kids born by does with serological evidence of recent infection (IgM
      seropositive) compared to kids born by IgM seronegative does, suggesting either
      in utero transmission or peri-parturient infection. The rate of seroconversion
      was 4.5 times higher (95% CI 2.1, 9.8) during than outside the kidding season,
      highlighting the risk posed by C. burnetii shed during kidding, even to goats
      outside the kidding herd. Shedding of C. burnetii at kidding was detected in 15
      out of 41 goats infected before breeding.

PMID- 28915919
TI  - Project LifeSkills - a randomized controlled efficacy trial of a culturally
      tailored, empowerment-based, and group-delivered HIV prevention intervention for
      young transgender women: study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transgender women in the U.S. have an alarmingly high incidence rate
      of HIV infection; condomless anal and vaginal sex is the primary risk behavior
      driving transmission. Young transgender women are the subpopulation at the
      highest risk for HIV. Despite this, there are no published randomized controlled
      efficacy trials testing interventions to reduce sexual risk for HIV among this
      group. This paper describes the design of a group-based intervention trial to
      reduce sexual risk for HIV acquisition and transmission in young transgender
      women. METHODS: This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is a
      randomized controlled trial of a culturally-specific, empowerment-based, and
      group-delivered six-session HIV prevention intervention, Project LifeSkills,
      among sexually active young transgender women, ages 16-29 years in Boston and
      Chicago. Participants are randomized (2:2:1) to either the LifeSkills
      intervention, standard of care only, or a diet and nutrition time- and attention
      matched control. At enrollment, all participants receive standardized HIV pre-
      and post-test counseling and screening for HIV and urogenital gonorrhea and
      chlamydia infections. The primary outcome is difference in the rate of change in
      the number of self-reported condomless anal or vaginal sex acts during the prior
      4-months, assessed at baseline, 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow-up visits.
      DISCUSSION: Behavioral interventions to reduce sexual risk for HIV acquisition
      and transmission are sorely needed for young transgender women. This study will
      provide evidence to determine feasibility and efficacy in one of the first
      rigorously designed trials for this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01575938 , registered March 29, 2012.

PMID- 28915920
TI  - Current situation of H9N2 subtype avian influenza in China.
AB  - In China, H9N2 subtype avian influenza outbreak is firstly reported in Guangdong
      province in 1992. Subsequently, the disease spreads into vast majority regions
      nationwide and has currently become endemic there. Over vicennial genetic
      evolution, the viral pathogenicity and transmissibility have showed an increasing
      trend as year goes by, posing serious threat to poultry industry. In addition,
      H9N2 has demonstrated significance to public health as it could not only directly
      infect mankind, but also donate partial or even whole cassette of internal genes
      to generate novel human-lethal reassortants like H5N1, H7N9, H10N8 and H5N6
      viruses. In this review, we mainly focused on the epidemiological dynamics,
      biological characteristics, molecular phylogeny and vaccine strategy of H9N2
      subtype avian influenza virus in China to present an overview of the situation of
      H9N2 in China.

PMID- 28915921
TI  - Total intravenous anaesthesia in a goat undergoing craniectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral coenurosis is a disease of the central nervous system in
      sheep and goats, and is usually fatal unless surgical relief is provided.
      Information regarding neuroanaesthesia in veterinary medicine in goats is scant.
      CASE PRESENTATION: We describe anaesthetic management of an intact female goat (2
      years; 16 kg) presented for craniectomy. The goat was sedated with xylazine (0.05
      mg kg-1, i.m.) and morphine (0.05 mg kg-1, i.m.). General anaesthesia was induced
      20 min later with propofol and maintained with a constant rate infusion of
      propofol (0.2 mg kg-1 min-1). A cuffed endotracheal tube was placed and connected
      to a rebreathing (circle) system and mechanical ventilation with 100% oxygen was
      initiated. A bolus of lidocaine (1 mg kg-1), midazolam (0.25 mg kg-1) and
      fentanyl 2.5 MUg kg-1 was delivered via the intravenous route followed
      immediately by a constant rate infusion of lidocaine (50 MUg kg-1 min-1),
      midazolam (0.15 mg kg-1 h-1) and fentanyl (6 MUg kg-1 h-1) administered via the
      intravenous route throughout surgery. Craniectomy was undertaken and the goat
      recovered uneventfully. CONCLUSION: Total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol,
      lidocaine, fentanyl and midazolam could be an acceptable option for anaesthesia
      during intracranial surgery in goats.

PMID- 28915922
TI  - Recent urbanization in China is correlated with a Westernized microbiome encoding
      increased virulence and antibiotic resistance genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urbanization is associated with an increased risk for a number of
      diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer, which all also show
      associations with the microbiome. While microbial community composition has been
      shown to vary across continents and in traditional versus Westernized societies,
      few studies have examined urban-rural differences in neighboring communities
      within a single country undergoing rapid urbanization. In this study, we compared
      the gut microbiome, plasma metabolome, dietary habits, and health biomarkers of
      rural and urban people from a single Chinese province. RESULTS: We identified
      significant differences in the microbiota and microbiota-related plasma
      metabolites in rural versus recently urban subjects from the Hunan province of
      China. Microbes with higher relative abundance in Chinese urban samples have been
      associated with disease in other studies and were substantially more prevalent in
      the Human Microbiome Project cohort of American subjects. Furthermore, using
      whole metagenome sequencing, we found that urbanization was associated with a
      loss of microbial diversity and changes in the relative abundances of Viruses,
      Archaea, and Bacteria. Gene diversity, however, increased with urbanization,
      along with the proportion of reads associated with antibiotic resistance and
      virulence, which were strongly correlated with the presence of Escherichia and
      Shigella. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that urbanization has produced convergent
      evolution of the gut microbial composition in American and urban Chinese
      populations, resulting in similar compositional patterns of abundant microbes
      through similar lifestyles on different continents, including a loss of
      potentially beneficial bacteria and an increase in potentially harmful genes via
      increased relative abundance of Escherichia and Shigella.

PMID- 28915923
TI  - Season, but not symbiont state, drives microbiome structure in the temperate
      coral Astrangia poculata.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the associations among corals, their photosynthetic
      zooxanthella symbionts (Symbiodinium), and coral-associated prokaryotic
      microbiomes is critical for predicting the fidelity and strength of coral
      symbioses in the face of growing environmental threats. Most coral-microbiome
      associations are beneficial, yet the mechanisms that determine the composition of
      the coral microbiome remain largely unknown. Here, we characterized microbiome
      diversity in the temperate, facultatively symbiotic coral Astrangia poculata at
      four seasonal time points near the northernmost limit of the species range. The
      facultative nature of this system allowed us to test seasonal influence and
      symbiotic state (Symbiodinium density in the coral) on microbiome community
      composition. RESULTS: Change in season had a strong effect on A. poculata
      microbiome composition. The seasonal shift was greatest upon the winter to spring
      transition, during which time A. poculata microbiome composition became more
      similar among host individuals. Within each of the four seasons, microbiome
      composition differed significantly from that of surrounding seawater but was
      surprisingly uniform between symbiotic and aposymbiotic corals, even in summer,
      when differences in Symbiodinium density between brown and white colonies are the
      highest, indicating that the observed seasonal shifts are not likely due to
      fluctuations in Symbiodinium density. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that
      symbiotic state may not be a primary driver of coral microbial community
      organization in A. poculata, which is a surprise given the long-held assumption
      that excess photosynthate is of importance to coral-associated microbes. Rather,
      other environmental or host factors, in this case, seasonal changes in host
      physiology associated with winter quiescence, may drive microbiome diversity.
      Additional studies of A. poculata and other facultatively symbiotic corals will
      provide important comparisons to studies of reef-building tropical corals and
      therefore help to identify basic principles of coral microbiome assembly, as well
      as functional relationships among holobiont members.

PMID- 28915924
TI  - PDL1 And LDHA act as ceRNAs in triple negative breast cancer by regulating miR
      34a.
AB  - BACKGROUD: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the regulation of
      programmed death ligand 1 (PDL1), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and miR-34a in
      triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to explore the function and mechanism of
      PDL1 and LDHA as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in TNBC via regulation of
      miR-34a. METHODS: Western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were conducted to explore the expression of
      PDL1, LDHA and miR-34a in TNBC and correlations between them. MTS cell viability,
      Transwell migration, glucose consumption and lactate production assays and flow
      cytometry were performed and mouse xenograft models were constructed to explore
      the functions and regulation of the PDL1 3'UTR and LDHA 3'UTR and miR-34a in
      TNBC. RESULTS: We found that PDL1 and LDHA were synchronously upregulated in TNBC
      cell lines and tissues. Co-expression of PDL1 and LDHA was correlated with poor
      outcome in TNBC. Both PDL1 and LDHA are targets of miR-34a, and the 3'UTRs of
      PDL1 and LDHA both have binding sites for miR-34a. The functions of PDL1 and LDHA
      were inhibited by miR-34a. In addition, PDL1 and LDHA acted as ceRNAs to promote
      the expression and function of each other through regulation of miR-34a in TNBC.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a new theoretical basis for a novel TNBC
      therapeutic strategy. Simultaneously targeting PDL1 and LDHA, which would combine
      immunotherapy and metabolically targeted treatments, might shed some light on the
      treatment of breast cancer, especially TNBC.

PMID- 28915925
TI  - Biomechanical analysis of the posterior bony column of the lumbar spine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Each part of the rear bone structure can become an anchor point for
      an attachment device. The objective of this study was to evaluate the stiffness
      and strength of different parts of the rear lumbar bone structure by axial
      compression damage experiments. METHODS: Five adult male lumbar bone structures
      from L2 to L5 were exposed. The superior and inferior articular processes, upper
      and lower edges of the lamina, and upper and lower edges of the spinous process
      were observed and isolated and then divided into six groups (n = 10). The
      specimens were placed between the compaction disc and the load platform in a
      universal testing machine, which was first preloaded to 5.0 N tension to
      eliminate water on the surface and then loaded to the specimen curve decline at a
      constant tension loading rate of 0.01 mm/s, until the specimens had been
      destroyed. RESULTS: Significant differences in mechanical properties were found
      among different parts of the rear lumbar bone structure. Compared with other
      parts, the lower edge of the lamina has good mechanical properties, which have a
      high modulus of elasticity; the superior and inferior articular processes have
      greater ultimate strength, which can withstand greater compressive loads; and the
      mechanical properties of the spinous process are poor, and it is significantly
      stiffer and weaker than the lamina and articular processes. CONCLUSION: These
      data can be useful in future spinal biomechanics research leading to better
      biomechanical compatibility and provide theoretical references for spinal implant
      materials.

PMID- 28915926
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance patterns of Staphylococcus species isolated from cats
      presented at a veterinary academic hospital in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is becoming increasingly important in both
      human and veterinary medicine. This study investigated the proportion of
      antimicrobial resistant samples and resistance patterns of Staphylococcus
      isolates from cats presented at a veterinary teaching hospital in South Africa.
      Records of 216 samples from cats that were submitted to the bacteriology
      laboratory of the University of Pretoria academic veterinary hospital between
      2007 and 2012 were evaluated. Isolates were subjected to antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing against a panel of 15 drugs using the disc diffusion
      method. Chi square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess simple
      associations between antimicrobial resistance and age group, sex, breed and
      specimen type. Additionally, associations between Staphylococcus infection and
      age group, breed, sex and specimen type were assessed using logistic regression.
      RESULTS: Staphylococcus spp. isolates were identified in 17.6% (38/216) of the
      samples submitted and 4.6% (10/216) of these were unspeciated. The majority
      (61.1%,11/18) of the isolates were from skin samples, followed by otitis media
      (34.5%, 10/29). Coagulase Positive Staphylococcus (CoPS) comprised 11.1% (24/216)
      of the samples of which 7.9% (17/216) were S. intermedius group and 3.2% (7/216)
      were S. aureus. Among the Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) (1.9%, 4/216),
      S. felis and S. simulans each constituted 0.9% (2/216). There was a significant
      association between Staphylococcus spp. infection and specimen type with odds of
      infection being higher for ear canal and skin compared to urine specimens. There
      were higher proportions of samples resistant to clindamycin 34.2% (13/25),
      ampicillin 32.4% (2/26), lincospectin 31.6% (12/26) and penicillin-G 29.0%
      (11/27). Sixty three percent (24/38) of Staphylococcus spp. were resistant to one
      antimicrobial agent and 15.8% were multidrug resistant (MDR). MDR was more common
      among S. aureus 28.6% (2/7) than S. intermedius group isolates 11.8% (2/17). One
      S. intermedius group isolate was resistant to all beta-lactam antimicrobial
      agents tested. CONCLUSION: S. intermedius group was the most common cause of skin
      infections and antimicrobial resistance was not wide spread among cats presented
      at the veterinary academic hospital in South Africa. However, the presence of MDR
      Staphylococcus spp. and isolates resistant to all beta-lactams is of both public
      health and animal health concern.

PMID- 28915927
TI  - A decade of research into classical swine fever marker vaccine CP7_E2alf
      (Suvaxyn(r) CSF Marker): a review of vaccine properties.
AB  - Due to its impact on animal health and pig industry, classical swine fever (CSF)
      is still one of the most important viral diseases of pigs. To control the
      disease, safe and highly efficacious live attenuated vaccines exist for decades.
      However, until recently, the available live vaccines did not allow a serological
      marker concept that is essentially important to circumvent long-term trade
      restrictions. In 2014, a new live attenuated marker vaccine, Suvaxyn(r) CSF
      Marker (Zoetis), was licensed by the European Medicines Agency. This vaccine is
      based on pestivirus chimera "CP7_E2alf" that carries the main immunogen of CSF
      virus "Alfort/187", glycoprotein E2, in a bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1
      backbone ("CP7"). This review summarizes the available data on design, safety,
      efficacy, marker diagnostics, and its possible integration into control
      strategies.

PMID- 28915928
TI  - Comparison of arthroplasty vs. osteosynthesis for displaced femoral neck
      fractures: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis compared clinical outcomes of arthroplasty vs.
      osteosynthesis for displaced femoral neck fractures. METHODS: Meta-analysis was
      performed on the difference in revision rate and overall mortality between
      participants undergoing osteosynthesis vs. total hip arthroplasty (THA),
      osteosynthesis vs. hemiarthroplasty (HA), or THA vs. HA. RESULTS: Pooled direct
      and indirect results indicated no significant difference in mortality between THA
      and HA (pooled OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.38; P = 0.556), between THA and
      osteosynthesis (pooled OR = 1.17, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.99; P = 0.553), and between HA
      and osteosynthesis (pooled OR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.74; P = 0.304). Pooled
      direct and indirect results indicated no significant difference in revision rates
      between THA and HA (pooled OR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.26 to 3.19; P = 0.874). But, fewer
      revisions (OR = 0.19, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.34; P = 0.000) were seen in patients
      treated with THA than osteosynthesis and also in those treated with HA than
      osteosynthesis (OR = 0.12, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.20; P = 0.000). After excluding
      studies without showing normal cognition in inclusion criteria, pooled direct and
      indirect results also indicated no significant difference in mortality between
      THA, HA, and osteosynthesis. Similarly, there was no significant difference in
      revision rates between THA and HA, but HA and THA had significantly lower
      revision rates compared with osteosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS: There was no
      significant difference in overall mortality among osteosynthesis, HA, and THA.
      However, HA and THA had significantly lower revision rates compared with
      osteosynthesis. Results of the present study provide support for the use of hip
      arthroplasty to treat displaced fractures of the femoral neck.

PMID- 28915929
TI  - The combination of stem cells and tissue engineering: an advanced strategy for
      blood vessels regeneration and vascular disease treatment.
AB  - Over the past years, vascular diseases have continued to threaten human health
      and increase financial burdens worldwide. Transplantation of allogeneic and
      autologous blood vessels is the most convenient treatment. However, it could not
      be applied generally due to the scarcity of donors and the patient's condition.
      Developments in tissue engineering are contributing greatly with regard to this
      urgent need for blood vessels. Tissue engineering-derived blood vessels are
      promising alternatives for patients with aortic dissection/aneurysm. The aim of
      this review is to show the importance of advances in biomaterials development for
      the treatment of vascular disease. We also provide a comprehensive overview of
      the current status of tissue reconstruction from stem cells and transplantable
      cellular scaffold constructs, focusing on the combination of stem cells and
      tissue engineering for blood vessel regeneration and vascular disease treatment.

PMID- 28915930
TI  - Predicting activities of daily living for cancer patients using an ontology
      guided machine learning methodology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bio-ontologies are becoming increasingly important in knowledge
      representation and in the machine learning (ML) fields. This paper presents a ML
      approach that incorporates bio-ontologies and its application to the SEER-MHOS
      dataset to discover patterns of patient characteristics that impact the ability
      to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). Bio-ontologies are used to provide
      computable knowledge for ML methods to "understand" biomedical data. RESULTS:
      This retrospective study included 723 cancer patients from the SEER-MHOS dataset.
      Two ML methods were applied to create predictive models for ADL disabilities for
      the first year after a patient's cancer diagnosis. The first method is a standard
      rule learning algorithm; the second is that same algorithm additionally equipped
      with methods for reasoning with ontologies. The models showed that a patient's
      race, ethnicity, smoking preference, treatment plan and tumor characteristics
      including histology, staging, cancer site, and morphology were predictors for ADL
      performance levels one year after cancer diagnosis. The ontology-guided ML method
      was more accurate at predicting ADL performance levels (P < 0.1) than methods
      without ontologies. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that bio-ontologies can
      be harnessed to provide medical knowledge for ML algorithms. The presented method
      demonstrates that encoding specific types of hierarchical relationships to guide
      rule learning is possible, and can be extended to other types of semantic
      relationships present in biomedical ontologies. The ontology-guided ML method
      achieved better performance than the method without ontologies. The presented
      method can also be used to promote the effectiveness and efficiency of ML in
      healthcare, in which use of background knowledge and consistency with existing
      clinical expertise is critical.

PMID- 28915931
TI  - Nutrient Removal from Wastewater Using Microalgae: A Kinetic Evaluation and Lipid
      Analysis.
AB  - The objective of this study was to examine the performance of mixed microalgal
      bioreactors in treating three different types of wastewaters-kitchen wastewater
      (KWW), palm oil mill effluent (POME), and pharmaceutical wastewater (PWW) in semi
      continuous mode and to analyze the lipid content in the harvested algal biomass.
      The reactors were monitored for total nitrogen and phosphate removal at eight
      solid retention times (SRTs): 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 days. The nutrient
      uptake kinetic parameters were quantified using linearized Michaelis-Menten and
      Monod models at steady-state conditions. The nutrient removal efficiency and
      lipid production were found to be higher in KWW when compared with the other
      wastewaters. Saturated fatty acids (C16:0, C18:0, and C18:1) accounted for more
      than 60% of the algal fatty acids for all the wastewaters. The lipid is,
      therefore, considered suitable for synthesizing biodiesel.

PMID- 28915932
TI  - Evaluation of Meiofauna in the Hyporheic Zone of the Beberibe River, Pernambuco,
      Brazil.
AB  - The hyporheic environment is composed of a rich meiofauna that depends on water
      flow, organic matter, and oxygen. The concentration of meiofauna varies spatially
      (horizontal and vertical) and temporally. Several processes occur at this
      interface (groundwater and surface water), including biogeochemical processes
      involving meiofauna. A study of the hyporheic meiofauna community in the
      sediments of the Beberibe River, in Brazil, was conducted. Meiofauna attained
      peak densities of 942.8 organisms/10 cm2, with organisms distributed over six
      taxa, with 98% of them represented by rotifers, nematodes, and annelids. Density
      was higher in the dry season with an average of 653.1 organisms/10 cm2, and in
      more superficial sediments with an average of 739.6 organisms/10 cm2. Greater
      densities were found in coarser sediment with a higher percentage of organic
      matter. A river bank filtration (RBF) pilot project has been installed, with good
      results in the attenuation of contaminants and pathogens.

PMID- 28915933
TI  - miR-1290 Contributes to Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation by Targeting INPP4B.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common oncological conditions
      worldwide, to date. MicroRNA-1290 (miR-1290) has been demonstrated to regulate
      its progression. We studied the role of miR-1290 in CRC progression. The gene was
      upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. Its overexpression promoted CRC cell
      proliferation analyzed by MTT assay, colony formation assay, and soft agar growth
      assay. In addition, miR-1290 knockdown inhibited CRC cell proliferation. We also
      found that miR-1290 overexpression reduced the p27 level and increased cyclin D1
      at both the mRNA and protein levels, whereas miR-1290 knockdown increased p27 and
      reduced cyclin D1, confirming miR-1290 promoted CRC cell proliferation. Inositol
      polyphosphate 4-phosphatase B (INPP4B) was the target of miR-1290. Luciferase
      reporter assay revealed that miR-1290 directly bound to the 3'-UTR of INPP4B; the
      mutated seed sites in miR-1290 abrogated this effect. Double knockdown of INPP4B
      and miR-1290 promoted CRC cell proliferation, suggesting miR-1290 promoted CRC
      cell proliferation by targeting INPP4B.

PMID- 28915935
TI  - Secondary ion mass spectrometry: The application in the analysis of atmospheric
      particulate matter.
AB  - Currently, considerable attention has been paid to atmospheric particulate matter
      (PM) investigation due to its importance in human health and global climate
      change. Surface characterization, single particle analysis and depth profiling of
      PM is important for a better understanding of its formation processes and
      predicting its impact on the environment and human being. Secondary ion mass
      spectrometry (SIMS) is a surface technique with high surface sensitivity, high
      spatial resolution chemical imaging and unique depth profiling capabilities.
      Recent research shows that SIMS has great potential in analyzing both surface and
      bulk chemical information of PM. In this review, we give a brief introduction of
      SIMS working principle and survey recent applications of SIMS in PM
      characterization. Particularly, analyses from different types of PM sources by
      various SIMS techniques were discussed concerning their advantages and
      limitations. The future development and needs of SIMS in atmospheric aerosol
      measurement are proposed with a perspective in broader environmental sciences.

PMID- 28915934
TI  - Increased YAP Activation Is Associated With Hepatic Cyst Epithelial Cell
      Proliferation in ARPKD/CHF.
AB  - Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease/congenital hepatic fibrosis
      (ARPKD/CHF) is a rare but fatal genetic disease characterized by progressive cyst
      development in the kidneys and liver. Liver cysts arise from aberrantly
      proliferative cholangiocytes accompanied by pericystic fibrosis and inflammation.
      Yes-associated protein (YAP), the downstream effector of the Hippo signaling
      pathway, is implicated in human hepatic malignancies such as hepatocellular
      carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and hepatoblastoma, but its role in hepatic
      cystogenesis in ARPKD/CHF is unknown. We studied the role of the YAP in hepatic
      cyst development using polycystic kidney (PCK) rats, an orthologous model of
      ARPKD, and in human ARPKD/CHF patients. The liver cyst wall epithelial cells
      (CWECs) in PCK rats were highly proliferative and exhibited expression of YAP.
      There was increased expression of YAP target genes, Ccnd1 (cyclin D1) and Ctgf
      (connective tissue growth factor), in PCK rat livers. Extensive expression of YAP
      and its target genes was also detected in human ARPKD/CHF liver samples. Finally,
      pharmacological inhibition of YAP activity with verteporfin and short hairpin
      (sh) RNA-mediated knockdown of YAP expression in isolated liver CWECs
      significantly reduced their proliferation. These data indicate that increased YAP
      activity, possibly through dysregulation of the Hippo signaling pathway, is
      associated with hepatic cyst growth in ARPKD/CHF.

PMID- 28915936
TI  - High sensitivity and selectivity in quantitative analysis of drugs in biological
      samples using 4-column multidimensional micro-UHPLC-MS enabling enhanced sample
      loading capacity.
AB  - Sensitivity is often a critical parameter in quantitative bioanalyses in drug
      development. For liquid-chromatography-based methods, sensitivity can be improved
      by reducing the column diameter, but practical sensitivity gains are limited by
      the reduced sample loading capacity on small internal diameter (I.D.) columns. We
      developed a set-up that has overcome these limitations in sample loading
      capacity. The set-up uses 4 columns with gradually decreasing column diameters
      along the flow-path (2.1 -> 1 -> 0.5 -> 0.15 mm). Samples are pre-concentrated on
      line on a 2.1 mm I.D. trapping column and back flushed to a 1 mm I.D. UHPLC
      analytical column and separated. The peak(s) of interest are transferred using
      heartcutting to a second trapping column (0.5 mm I.D.), which is back-flushed to
      a 0.15 mm I.D. micro-UHPLC analytical column for orthogonal separation. The proof
      of concept of the set-up was demonstrated by the simultaneous analysis of
      midazolam and 1'-hydroxy midazolam in plasma by injection of 80 MUL of protein
      precipitated plasma. The 4-column funnel set-up proved to be robust and resulted
      in a 10-50 times better sensitivity compared to a trap-elute approach and 250-500
      fold better compared to direct micro-UHPLC analysis. A lower limit of
      quantification of 100 fg/mL in plasma was obtained for both probe compounds.

PMID- 28915937
TI  - Ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry
      procedure for analysis of monosaccharides from plant gum binders.
AB  - The ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry
      (UHPSFC/MS) procedure for analysis of native monosaccharides was developed.
      Chromatographic conditions were investigated to separate a mixture of four
      hexoses, three pentoses, two deoxyhexoses and two uronic acids. Increasing water
      content in methanol modifier to 5% and formic acid to 4% improved peak shapes of
      neutral monosaccharides and allowed complete elution of highly polar uronic acids
      in a single run. An Acquity HSS C18SB column outperformed other three tested
      stationary phases (BEH (silica), BEH 2-ethylpyridine, CSH Fluoro-Phenyl) in terms
      of separation of isomers and analysis time (4.5 min). Limits of detection were in
      the range 0.01-0.12 ng MUL-1. Owing to separation of anomers, identification of
      critical pairs (arabinose-xylose and glucose-galactose) was possible. Feasibility
      of the new method was demonstrated on plant-derived polysaccharide binders.
      Samples of watercolor paints, painted paper and three plant gums widely
      encountered in painting media (Arabic, cherry and tragacanth) were decomposed
      prior the analysis by microwave-assisted hydrolysis at 40 bar initial pressure
      using 2 mol L-1 trifluoroacetic acid. Among tested temperatures, 120  degrees C
      ensured appropriate hydrolysis efficiency for different types of gum and avoided
      excessive degradation of labile monosaccharides. Procedure recovery tested on gum
      Arabic was 101% with an RSD below 8%. Aqueous hydrolysates containing
      monosaccharides in different ratios specific to each type of plant gum were
      diluted or analyzed directly. Filtration of samples before hydrolysis reduced
      interferences from a paper support and identification of gum Arabic in watercolor
      painted paper samples was demonstrated. Successful identification of pure gum
      Arabic was confirmed for sample quantities as little as 1 MUg. Two classification
      approaches were compared and principal component analysis was superior to
      analysis based on peak area ratios of monosaccharides. The proposed procedure
      using UHPSFC/MS represents an interesting alternative which can compete with
      other chromatographic methods in the field of saccharide analysis in terms of
      speed, sensitivity and simplicity of workflow.

PMID- 28915938
TI  - A magnetic field-directed self-assembly solid contact for construction of an all
      solid-state polymeric membrane Ca2+-selective electrode.
AB  - A magnetic field-directed self-assembly solid contact has been proposed for
      developing an all-solid-state polymeric membrane Ca2+-selective electrode. The
      solid contact is prepared by physically adsorbing magnetic graphene powder on a
      magnetic gold electrode under the direction of the magnetic field. The proposed
      method for preparing solid contact avoids using the aqueous solutions and is
      simple, fast and general as compared to the multilayer drop-casting and
      electrodeposition methods. The all-solid-state Ca2+-selective electrode based on
      magnetic graphene as solid contact shows a stable potential response in the
      linear range of 1.0 * 10-6-1.0 * 10-3 M with a slope of 28.2 mV/decade, and the
      detection limit is about 4.0 * 10-7 M. Additionally, the magnetic graphene-based
      electrode shows a comparable potential stability performance to other graphene
      based all-solid-state ion-selective electrodes, such as reduced undesirable water
      layer and insensitive to the interferences of O2, CO2 and light. This work
      provides a favorable way to prepare solid contact for use in the field of all
      solid-state ion-selective electrodes.

PMID- 28915939
TI  - Porous organic polymers with different pore structures for sensitive solid-phase
      microextraction of environmental organic pollutants.
AB  - Adsorption capacity is the major sensitivity-limited factor in solid-phase
      microextraction. Due to its light-weight properties, large specific surface area
      and high porosity, especially tunable pore structures, the utilization of porous
      organic polymers as solid-phase microextraction adsorbents has attracting
      researchers' attentions. However, these works mostly concentrated on the
      utilization of specific porous organic polymers for preparing high-performance
      solid-phase microextraction coatings. The relationship between pore structures
      and adsorption performance of the porous organic polymers still remain unclear.
      Herein, three porous organic polymers with similar properties but different pore
      distributions were prepared by condensation polymerization reaction of
      phloroglucinol and terephthalaldehyde, which were fabricated as solid-phase
      microextraction coatings subsequently. The adsorption capacity of the porous
      organic polymers-coated fibers were evaluated by using benzene and its
      derivatives (i.e.,benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-xylene) and polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons as the target analytes. The results showed that the
      different adsorption performance of these porous organic polymers was mainly
      caused by their different pore volumes instead of their surface areas or pore
      sizes. Finally, the proposed method by using the mesoporous organic polymer
      coating was successfully applied to the determination of benzene and its
      derivatives in environmental water samples. As for analytical performance, high
      pre-concentration factors (74-2984), satisfactory relative recoveries (94.5 +/-
      18.5-116.9 +/- 12.5%), intraday precision (2.44-5.34%), inter-day precision (4.62
      7.02%), low limit of detections (LODs, 0.10-0.29 ng L-1) and limit of
      quantifications (LOQs, 0.33-0.96 ng L-1) were achieved under the optimal
      conditions. This study provides an important idea in the rational design of
      porous organic polymers for solid-phase microextraction or other adsorption
      applications.

PMID- 28915940
TI  - Accurate and reliable quantification of the protein surface coverage on protein
      functionalized nanoparticles.
AB  - The ability to accurately quantify the protein coverage on nanoparticles is
      critical for assessing the quality of the surface chemistry and the success of
      the functionalization process of protein-nanoparticle conjugates. Surface
      coverage determination is therefore an integral part in the quality control of
      protein-modified nanoparticles in industrial nanotechnology. In this work, a
      novel and conventional method was established for direct quantification of the
      protein surface coverage on metallic nanoparticles. Different concentrations of
      pepsin were conjugated to gold nanoparticles (GNPs) by a straightforward
      adsorptive immobilization process as a model system, and a protein quantitation
      methodology based on the amino acid analysis of the hydrolysate of the protein
      GNP conjugates was established. For this purpose, pepsin functionalized GNPs
      (pepsin-GNP bioconjugates) were processed via in situ hydrolysis with 6N HCl and
      subsequent derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate
      (AQC reagent). Direct quantitative amino acid analysis was performed based on
      measuring the intensity of AQC-glycine derivative by high-performance liquid
      chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). The method allows for
      detection of surface coverages as low as 0.1 MUg mL-1 pepsin (corresponding to
      2.89 * 10-9 mol L-1) in the colloidal solution. Method imprecision for replicated
      surface coverage determinations was <5% RSD and accuracies, as determined by %
      recoveries, were always in the 98-118% range. This method allows precise and
      accurate quantification of protein coverages, even when less than 1% of the
      protein in the reaction mixture is immobilized. It was found that the degree of
      surface coverage of adsorptively bound pepsin on GNPs correlated with the pepsin
      concentrations in the conjugation reaction mixtures. Washing with phosphate
      buffer removed weakly bound proteins, i.e. the soft protein corona. The
      adsorption behavior could be described by a Freundlich isotherm model. This
      direct and reliable method promises great potential for the accurate
      quantification of protein coverages of various protein-nanoparticle
      bioconjugates.

PMID- 28915941
TI  - Paper spray and Kendrick mass defect analysis of block and random ethylene
      oxide/propylene oxide copolymers.
AB  - Paper spray ionization coupled with a high-resolution time-of-flight mass
      spectrometer was applied to the analysis of 13 block and 2 random ethylene
      oxide/propylene oxide (EO/PO) copolymers as well as to standard samples of
      poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide) homopolymers. Paper spray mass
      spectra could be obtained rapidly and, unlike electrospray ionization, were not
      subject to contamination and sample carryover. For comparison, polyether samples
      were also measured on a MALDI/TOF system with ultrahigh mass resolving power.
      MALDI/high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry exhibited single-charge
      ions characteristic of the polymer distributions whereas the paper spray mass
      spectra exhibited charge states ranging from one to six charges. Kendrick mass
      defect plots of the multiple-charge ions in the paper spray mass spectra exhibit
      isotopic splitting of the Kendrick mass defects, facilitating visualization of
      the number of charges in each series. The slope of the KMD plots can be used to
      estimate the percentage of ethylene oxide in the copolymers. In-source
      fragmentation permitted the distinction between block and random copolymers.

PMID- 28915943
TI  - Derivatization enhanced separation and sensitivity of long chain-free fatty
      acids: Application to asthma using targeted and non-targeted liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry approach.
AB  - Long chain-free fatty acids (LCFFAs) play pivotal roles in various physiological
      functions, like inflammation, insulin resistance, hypertension, immune cell
      behavior and other biological activities. However, the detection is obstructed by
      the low contents, structural diversity, high structural similarity, and matrix
      interference. Herein, a fast cholamine-derivatization, within 1 min at room
      temperature, coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)
      approach was developed to determine LCFFAs in complex samples. After
      derivatization, the ionization and separation efficiency were significantly
      improved, which resulted in up to 2000-fold increase of sensitivity compared with
      non-derivatization method, and the limits of detection were at low femtogram
      level. As well, this approach was applied successfully in the rapid profiling or
      quantification of targeted and non-targeted LCFFAs in the sera of healthy human
      and asthma patients. The targeted metabolomics method showed that the contents of
      17 PUFAs were significantly changed in asthma patients, especially
      hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HPETEs)
      and prostaglandins (PGs). The non-targeted method resulted in the tentatively
      identification of 35 LCFFAs including 31 saturated and mono-unsaturated LCFFAs,
      and 4 bile acids, except for 27 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and the
      multivariate analysis indicated that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), ursodeoxycholic
      acid, deoxycholic acid, isodeoxycholic acid, palmitic acid, 2-lauroleic acid and
      lauric acid also have significant difference between healthy and asthma groups
      except for 17 PUFAs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on
      the relationship of asthma with 5(S)-, 15(S)-HPETE, 8(S)-, 11(S)-HETE, 15(S)
      HEPE, PGA2, PGB2, PGE1, PGF1alpha, PGJ2, and 13, 14-dehydro-15-keto PGF2alpha (DK
      PGF2alpha).

PMID- 28915942
TI  - Development of a validated LC- MS/MS method for the quantification of 19
      endogenous asthma/COPD potential urinary biomarkers.
AB  - Obstructive airways inflammatory diseases sometimes show overlapping symptoms
      that hinder their early and correct diagnosis. Current clinical tests are tedious
      and are of inadequate specificity in special population such as the elderly and
      children. Therefore, we are developing tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) methods
      for targeted analysis of urine biomarkers. Recently, proton-nuclear magnetic
      resonance (1H-NMR) analysis proposed 50 urinary metabolites as potential
      diagnostic biomarkers among asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) patients. Metabolites are divided into 3 groups based on chemical nature.
      For group 1 (amines and phenols, 19 urinary metabolites), we developed and
      validated a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC)-MS/MS method using
      differential isotope labeling (DIL) with dansyl chloride. Method development
      included the optimization of the derivatization reaction, the MS/MS conditions,
      and the chromatographic separation. Linearity varied from 2 to 4800 ng/mL and the
      use of 13C2-labeled derivatives allowed for the correction of matrix effects as
      well as the unambiguous confirmation of the identity of each metabolite in the
      presence of interfering isomers in urine. Despite the challenges associated with
      method validation, the method was fully validated as per the food and drug
      administration (FDA) and the European medicines agency (EMA) recommendations.
      Validation criteria included linearity, precision, accuracy, dilution integrity,
      selectivity, carryover, and stability. Challenges in selectivity experiments
      included the isotopic contributions of the analyte towards its internal standard
      (IS), that was addressed via the optimization of the IS concentration. In
      addition, incurred sample analysis was performed to ensure that results from
      patient samples are accurate and reliable. The method was robust and reproducible
      and is currently being applied in a cohort of asthma and COPD patient urine
      samples for biomarker discovery purposes.

PMID- 28915944
TI  - A novel substrate-inspired fluorescent probe to monitor native albumin in human
      plasma and living cells.
AB  - Human albumin (HA) displays crucial roles in maintaining health and fighting
      diseases. Accurate determination of native HA in plasma or non-plasma samples are
      of immense significance in both basic research and clinical practice. Herein, a
      novel ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe (N-butyl-4-(4-phenyl-benzoyloxy)
      1,8-naphthalimide, BPBN) has been designed and developed for highly selective and
      sensitive sensing the enzymatic activities of HA, on the basis of its unique
      pseudo-esterase feature. BPBN exhibits excellent selectivity, high sensitivity
      and good reactivity under physiological conditions. As an enzymatic activity
      based probe, BPBN can distinguish between native HA and denatured HA, while the
      currently used dye-binding method cannot. The probe has been successfully applied
      to measure native HA in plasma samples and the secreted HA in the hepatocyte
      culture supernatant. BPBN has also been used for two-photon imaging of HA
      reabsorption in living renal cells, and the results demonstrate that this probe
      exhibits good cell permeability, low cytotoxicity and high imaging resolution.
      All these findings suggest that BPBN can be reliably used for the highly
      selective and sensitive detection of native HA in complex biological samples, as
      well as for exploring HA-associated biological processes and the physiological
      functions of native HA in living cells.

PMID- 28915945
TI  - Potentiometric sensor for non invasive lactate determination in human sweat.
AB  - The present work describes a non invasive lactate sensing in sweat during
      workout. The sensing system is based on a non-equilibrium potentiometric measure
      performed using disposable, chemically modified, screen printed carbon electrodes
      (SPCEs) that can be wetted with sweat during the exercise. The potentiometric
      signal, which is proportional to lactate concentration in sweat, is produced by a
      redox reaction activated by UV radiation, as opposed to the enzymatic reaction
      employed in traditional, blood-based measuring devices. The sensing system
      exhibits chemical selectivity toward lactate with linearity from 1 mM up to 180
      mM. The dynamic linear range is suitable for measurement of lactate in sweat,
      which is more than 10 times concentrated than hematic lactate and reaches more
      than 100 mM in sweat during workout. The noninvasive measure can be repeated many
      times during exercise and during the recovery time in order to get personal
      information on the physiological and training status as well as on the physical
      performance. The device was successfully applied to several human subjects for
      the measurement of sweat lactate during prolonged cycling exercise. During the
      exercise sweat was simultaneously sampled on filter paper and extracted in water,
      and the lactate was determined by HPLC for method validation. The lactate
      concentration changes during the exercise reflected the intensity of physical
      effort. This method has perspectives in many sport disciplines as well as in
      health care and biomedical area.

PMID- 28915946
TI  - A hydrogen peroxide sensor based on TNM functionalized reduced graphene oxide
      grafted with highly monodisperse Pd nanoparticles.
AB  - Addressed herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a tert-nonyl
      mercaptan (TNM) functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported palladium
      (Pd) nanoparticles (NPs) (Pd/TNM@rGO) as electrochemical sensor. The highly
      monodisperse Pd/TNM@rGO nanocomposite was applied for electrochemical
      determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at a potential range of -0.6 to +0.8 V.
      The Pd/TNM@rGO sensor demonstrated very high activity, sensitivity, reusability
      and durability toward H2O2 sensing. The well dispersed Pd/TNM@rGO nanocomposite
      has been characterized by using several analytical techniques such as, X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM),
      electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and electrochemical impedance
      spectroscopy (EIS). The catalytic performance of prepared biosensor was also
      characterized by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA)
      methods. The proposed H2O2 biosensor showed a broad linear range up to 12 mM, and
      a very low detection limit of 0.0025 MUM, with a quick response time of less than
      10 s. Additionally, the biosensor exhibited great capability, reproducibility and
      durability for the examination of H2O2.

PMID- 28915947
TI  - Immunosensor array platforms based on self-assembled dithiols for the
      electrochemical detection of tetrodotoxins in puffer fish.
AB  - The recent detection of tetrodotoxins (TTXs) in European fish and shellfish has
      emphasized the urgent need to develop specific, selective, rapid and easy-to-use
      methods for their detection to assess the potential risk posed to human health.
      For this purpose, a dithiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-based immunoassay
      previously performed on maleimide plates (mELISA) has been adapted to gold
      electrode arrays for the development of an electrochemical immunosensor for TTX.
      The electrochemical SAM-based immunosensor designed herein, provided an oriented,
      stable and spaced sensing platform for the determination of TTX, attaining a
      limit of detection of 2.6 ng mL-1. The applicability of the biosensor array was
      demonstrated by the accurate quantifications obtained in the analysis of
      different tissues of several puffer fish species (Lagocephalus lagocephalus, L.
      sceleratus and Sphoeroides pachygaster) caught along the Mediterranean coast of
      Spain. The good agreements found between the TTX concentrations determined by the
      immunosensor array platforms and those determined by mELISA, surface Plasmon
      resonance (SPR) immunosensor and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass
      spectrometry (LC-HRMS) analysis, proved the feasibility of the approach. The
      electrochemical immunosensor enables the determination of TTXs at levels as low
      as 0.07 mg TTX equiv. kg-1 tissue, thus, well below the Japanese value of 2 mg
      TTX equiv. kg-1 tissue used as a criterion to consider puffer fish safe for
      consumption. Compared to the colorimetric SAM-based approach, the immunosensor
      array described herein shows promise towards the development of disposable,
      portable and compact analysis tools applicable in monitoring programs for the
      surveillance of fishery products.

PMID- 28915948
TI  - The Economics of Surgical Simulation.
AB  - There are massive hidden costs in the current paradigm of surgical training
      related to increased operative times for procedures with resident involvement and
      costs of medical errors. Shifting procedural training outside of the operating
      room through use of simulation has the potential to improve patient safety,
      minimize learning time to achieve competency, and increase operative efficiency.
      Investment in surgical simulation has the potential to reduce costs to health
      care systems through improved operating room efficiency and reduction of medical
      errors. This article explores the economic costs related to surgical training in
      otolaryngology and the value of investment in surgical simulation.

PMID- 28915949
TI  - Assessment of Surgical Skills and Competency.
AB  - Evaluation of surgical skills and competency are important aspects of the medical
      education process. Measurable and reproducible methods of assessment with
      objective feedback are essential components of surgical training. Objective
      Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) is widely used across the
      medical specialties and otolaryngology-specific tools have been developed and
      validated for sinus and mastoid surgery. Although assessment of surgical skills
      can be time-consuming and requires human and financial resources, new evaluation
      methods and emerging technology may alleviate these barriers while also improving
      data collection practices.

PMID- 28915950
TI  - Improving Team Performance Through Simulation-Based Learning.
AB  - American health care is facing an epidemic of medical errors. A major cause of
      these errors is poor teamwork. Crisis resource management (CRM) is a set of
      teamwork principles derived from the airline industry. Medical simulation is an
      educational tool that affords health care providers a means of improving teamwork
      by learning and practicing CRM. This article (1) discusses the case for teaching
      team training, (2) reviews the principles of medical simulation as they pertain
      to team training, (3) provides practical guidelines for using medical simulation
      in otolaryngology education, (4) discusses current evidence for the efficacy of
      medical simulation.

PMID- 28915951
TI  - Male contraception: Prospects for sound and ultrasound.
AB  - The worldwide human population growth rate, which doubled during the 20th
      century, as well as the increasing fertility rate, have contributed to an
      increasing and evolving emphasis on contraception. With respect to female
      contraceptive methods, many have been developed, marketed, and are widely
      available. In contrast, male contraception has been limited to condoms, which
      pose logistical challenges, and vasectomy, which is largely irreversible. The use
      of sound to achieve effective and safe male contraception is a promising but
      unproven hypothesis. Based on the existing and incomplete totality of evidence,
      we hypothesize that the combination of sound with a modified ultrasonic technique
      in a single system will provide a practical delivery method that merges all of
      the appropriate and prescribed frequencies to have spermicidal qualities that may
      result in effective and safe male contraception. It is also plausible that any
      experimental male contraceptive method that heats the testicles where they can no
      longer produce sperm offers the possibility of a favourable benefit to risk
      ratio. The single system combining sound with a modified ultrasonic technique
      includes an acoustically suitable pad to assure proper transmission and delivery
      without concern for injury from the ultrasound frequencies, an amplification and
      regulation module, a frequency source generator, the complementary heat created
      along with external and targeted directionality, and various transport methods,
      such as wired, wireless, or remote. This methodology also offers the ability to
      move quickly to prototype, achieve multiple patent crossovers, secure and employ
      commercially available technologies, and provide the opportunity for rapid
      regulatory approval worldwide. These concepts have been explored in basic
      research in many animal species as well as humans. To achieve an adequate
      totality of evidence, the test of this hypothesis requires further basic research
      in humans to clarify the relevant mechanisms, clinical and observational
      epidemiologic studies to further explore the hypothesis, and large-scale
      randomized trials to detect the most plausible magnitude of benefits of this
      promising but unproven technology. It is plausible that this technology will
      represent a major breakthrough to combat world population growth. It is also
      plausible, that, to paraphrase Thomas Huxley, this beautiful hypothesis will be
      slain by ugly facts.

PMID- 28915952
TI  - IgA nephropathy during treatment with TNF-alpha blockers: Could it be predicted?
AB  - Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) may sometimes be related to exposure to
      pharmacological agents, among which anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-alpha
      agents. The characteristic pathological feature is a deposition of IgA-containing
      immune complexes in vessel walls in the kidney mesangium. The link between TNF
      alpha blockers and IgAN may be hypothesized examining diseases which share
      pathologic features. In this respect, idiopathic IgAN and Henoch Schonlein
      Purpura have been the object of studies revealing a pathogenetic role of aberrant
      glycosylation of IgA1 molecules. The Authors suggest that anti-drug antibodies
      against glycan structures of TNF-alpha inhibitors may cross react against serum
      aberrant IgA1 leading to large antigen-antibody complexes. These large polymeric
      IgA complexes are then able to deposit in the mesangium and activate the
      complement cascade. Such hypothesis may be tested by measuring serum levels of
      galactose-deficient IgA1 of patients developing IgAN following introduction of
      TNF-alpha blockers. Such a test would be useful also before administration of
      anti-TNF alpha agents. The presence of aberrant IgA1 may represent a
      contraindication for treatment with TNF blockers.

PMID- 28915953
TI  - Syntrophic imbalance and the etiology of bacterial endoparasitism diseases.
AB  - This article outlines the proposed 'syntrophic imbalance hypothesis' for etiology
      of bacterial endoparasitism diseases. This hypothesis involves microbes (archaea
      and bacteria) that exist in human body biofilms in syntrophic associations, where
      bacteria ferment nutrients to produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are
      used by methanogenic archaeons to produce methane. Overgrowth of archaea on human
      tissues (e.g., in association with intestines, teeth or lungs) results in
      excessive removal of SCFAs from the biofilms and this triggers bacteria in the
      free-living biofilm state to convert to the endoparasitic state and become
      intracellular in host cells where they incite inflammation and disease. The
      proposed model provides the mechanism to explain dysbiosis etiology of several
      human diseases, including gingivitis, leaky gut syndrome, Crohn's disease,
      irritable bowel syndrome, among others.

PMID- 28915954
TI  - Do some epithelial ovarian cancers originate from a fallopian tube ciliate cell
      lineage?
AB  - There is a general agreement that a large subpopulation of serous ovarian cancers
      arise from the fallopian tube mucosal epithelium. However, there is still some
      debate as to whether the cancers originate from a secretory or ciliate cell
      lineage. One well established method for determining the origin of a cell line is
      to document the expression of genes and proteins that are cell type specific.
      Lineage or tissue specific patterns of gene expression are evidence of direct
      decent from a given cell type within a tissue. It has recently been established
      that the Tumor Protein TAp73 gene (TP73) is expressed in basal epithelial cells
      that develop into multiciliate cells. TP73 expression is therefore a marker for
      basal stem cells that are predestined to differentiate into cells with motile
      cilia and its expression is maintained in fully differentiated multiciliate
      cells. Interestingly TP73 expression has also been observed in a high percentage
      of epithelial ovarian cancers. With this in mind, it is hypothesized that a high
      percentage of epithelial ovarian cancers which express TP73 originate from a
      ciliate cell lineage.

PMID- 28915955
TI  - Implications of bisphosphonate calcium ion depletion interfering with desmosome
      epithelial seal in osseointegrated implants and pressure ulcers.
AB  - Osteoporosis (OP) is a global bone disease prevalent in aging in humans,
      especially in older women. Bisphosphonates (BPs) are commonly used as therapy for
      OP as it influences hard and soft tissues calcium metabolism. Mucosal and dermal
      ulceration with exposure of underlying bone arises from incomplete epithelial
      recovery due to reduced desmosome formation deriving from lack of available
      calcium. Pathological situations such as bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of
      the jaw have been described. This hypothesis states other situations which demand
      intact functional desmosomes such as healing skin over chronic pressure points
      leading to pressure ulcers (as well-known as bedsores, pressure sores, pressure
      injuries, decubitus ulcers), and hemidesmosomes such as epithelial seals in
      contact with titanium surfaces will have a higher prevalence of breakdown among
      patients being treated with BPs. This may be proven through the diminished
      modulation of calcium ions due to BPs, and its effect on the formation of
      intercellular gap junctions.

PMID- 28915956
TI  - Dual inhibition of P-glycoprotein and midkine may increase therapeutic effects of
      anticancer drugs.
AB  - Multidrug resistance (MDR) to chemotherapy may significantly affect the outcome
      of cancer treatment. ATP-dependent drug efflux pumps, including P-glycoprotein (P
      gp), contribute to the resistance of various chemotherapeutic agents.
      Overexpression of P-gp in tumor cells induces chemoresistance via pumping the
      anticancer drugs out of the cells. In addition to taking part in many biological
      processes such as development, reproduction and repair, midkine (MK) also plays
      important roles in the pathogenesis of malignant diseases as well as in the
      regulation of MDR. Although, the mechanisms of action of P-gp and MK are
      different, overexpression of both proteins prevents the accumulation of many
      chemotherapeutics in tumor cells, leading to decreased therapeutic effects of
      anticancer drugs. Therefore, identification of the result of dual inhibition of P
      gp and MK in overcoming chemoresistance may enhance the likelihood for a more
      efficient chemotherapy.

PMID- 28915957
TI  - Modulation of heart rate and heart rate variability by n-3 long chain
      polyunsaturated fatty acids: Speculation on mechanism(s).
AB  - Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) are valuable markers of health.
      Although the underlying mechanism(s) are controversial, it is well documented
      that n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) intake improves HR and
      HRV in various populations. Autonomic modulation and/or alterations in cardiac
      electrophysiology are commonly cited as potential mechanisms responsible for
      these effects. This article reviews existing evidence for each and explores a
      separate mechanism which has not received much attention but has scientific
      merit. Based on presented evidence, it is proposed that n-3 LCPUFAs affect HR and
      HRV directly by autonomic modulation and indirectly by altering circulating
      factors, both dependently and independently of the autonomic nervous system. The
      evidence for changes in cardiac electrophysiology as the mechanism by which n-3
      LCPUFAs affect HR and HRV needs strengthening.

PMID- 28915958
TI  - Alpha-1 Acid Glycoprotein (orosomucoid): An Overlooked Piece of Post Traumatic
      Stress Disorder Pathology?

PMID- 28915959
TI  - Measuring salivary blood: A potential in vivo assay to quantify platelet
      transfusion efficacy.
AB  - Salivary blood is known to increase in patients with intraoral mucosal bleeding.
      Mucosal bleeding is a frequent sequelae of thrombocytopenia, which is typically
      managed with platelet transfusion. Within the past few years, multiple different
      types of platelet products have become available, each with potential differences
      in efficacy. Typically, platelet transfusion efficacy is demonstrated by the
      increase in platelet count after transfusion. However this approach is
      complicated by the fact that activated platelets tend to produce lower post
      transfusion platelet counts, but may be more efficacious in a bleeding patient.
      Intraoral blood levels, measured by salivary transferrin, urine dipstick
      hemoglobin or another method, could be used as an in vivo assay to monitor a
      patient's response to platelet transfusion and compare different types of
      platelet products.

PMID- 28915960
TI  - Pleiotropic effects of metformin to rescue statin-induced muscle injury and
      insulin resistance: A proposed mechanism and potential clinical implications.
AB  - The 2013 American Heart Association Blood Cholesterol Guidelines increased the
      number of patients recommended for statin therapy in the United States to
      56million. Two common statin side effects are muscle pain, referred to as "statin
      associated muscle symptoms", and increased risk for new onset type-2-diabetes
      mellitus. Up to 25% of statin users report muscle symptoms resulting in many
      patients being switched to lower dose or lower potency statins, or refusing
      statins altogether. The most likely signaling mechanisms for statin-associated
      muscle symptoms overlaps with the proposed mechanism of statin-induced insulin
      resistance. Metformin has outstanding utility in reducing insulin resistance and
      preventing type-2-diabetes mellitus, but has not been studied for statin
      associated muscle symptom rescue or prevention. The overlapping mechanisms of
      statin-associated muscle symptoms, statin-induced insulin resistance, and
      metformin intervention offers the potential to address two common and detrimental
      side effects of statins. As statins are the single best medication class for
      preventing cardiovascular events the potential for clinical benefit is large
      given metabolic syndrome's growing prevalence in the United States. Herein we
      hypothesize that metformin will rescue and prevent patients from statin
      associated muscle symptoms. This hypothesis can benefit two patient groups: 1)
      patients at risk for diabetes who are taking a statin and experiencing muscle
      symptoms; and 2) patients with diabetes taking metformin who are to be started on
      a statin. Method to test Group 1) Symptom Rescue: randomized control trial of
      metformin versus placebo in patients with prediabetes who are already taking a
      statin, and are experiencing mild-to-moderate muscle symptoms. Method to test
      Group 2) Symptom Prevention: meta-analysis, of statin randomized control trials,
      with patient level data, comparing patients taking metformin at baseline to
      patients not taking metformin when a statin is started. An efficient method to
      simulate both symptom rescue and symptom prevention is a skeletal muscle cell
      culture model of statin-associated muscle symptom markers. These experiments
      would identify if metformin reverses (rescues) or prevents markers of statin
      associated muscle symptoms. As metformin is recommended by the American Diabetes
      Association for type-2-diabetes mellitus prevention, yet not frequently used,
      validating this hypothesis will lead towards research and practice change
      including: a) decreases in the frequency of statin-associated muscle symptoms;
      leading to subsequent increases in statin therapy compliance; b) increases in
      metformin use in prediabetes with subsequent decrease in the incidence of type-2
      diabetes mellitus; and c) decreases in complications of both cardiovascular
      disease and diabetes due to improved statin compliance and type-2-diabetes
      mellitus prevention.

PMID- 28915961
TI  - Short stem total hip arthroplasty: Potential explanations for persistent post
      surgical thigh pain.
AB  - Short stem uncemented femoral implants were developed with the aim of preserving
      proximal bone stock for future revisions, improving biomechanical reconstruction,
      aiding insertion through smaller incisions and potentially decreasing or limiting
      the incidence of thigh pain. Despite all the advantages of short stem designs, it
      remains unclear whether they are able to limit post-surgical thigh pain. In
      patients with short stem hip arthroplasty and persistent thigh pain, it is of the
      utmost importance to understand the potential etiologies of this chronic pain for
      selecting the appropriate treatment strategy. Therefore, this manuscript explores
      the hypothetical etiologies of persistent thigh pain in short stem total hip
      arthroplasty, including both peripheral factors (structural or biomechanical
      causes) and central factors (involvement of the central nervous system). First,
      intrinsic causes (e.g. aseptic femoral loosening and prosthetic joint infection)
      and extrinsic sources (e.g. muscle pathology or spinal pathology) of persistent
      thigh pain related to hip arthroplasty are explained. In addition, other specific
      peripheral causes for thigh pain related to the short stem prosthetic
      reconstruction (e.g. stem malalignment and micro-motion) are unraveled. Second,
      the etiology of persistent thigh pain after short stem hip arthroplasty is
      interpreted in a broader concept than the biomechanical approach where peripheral
      structural injury is believed to be the sole driver of persistent thigh pain.
      Over the past decades evidence has emerged of the involvement of sensitization of
      central nervous system nociceptive pathways (i.e. central sensitization) in
      several chronic pain disorders. In this manuscript it is explained that there
      might be a relevant role for altered central nociceptive processing in patients
      with persistent pain after joint arthroplasty or revision surgery. Recognition of
      a potential role for centrally-mediated changes in pain processing in total hip
      replacement surgery has important implications for treatment. Comprehensive
      treatment addressing peripheral factors as well as neurophysiological changes
      occurring in the nervous system may help to improve outcomes in patients with
      short stem hip arthroplasty and chronic thigh pain. Working within a
      biopsychosocial approach in orthopaedic surgery, specifically in relation to
      total hip arthroplasty, could be very important and may lead to more
      satisfaction. Further research is warranted.

PMID- 28915962
TI  - Horseradish and radish peroxidases eaten with fish could help explain observed
      associations between fish consumption and protection from age-related dementia.
AB  - A juxtaposition of regional cuisines and recent prospective studies of fish
      consumption in China and Japan points to fresh horseradish and/or radish (HRR) as
      possible contributors to delaying age-related dementia. The hypothesis is that
      the inverse association found sometimes between fish intake and cognitive decline
      is partially due to exposure of the oral cavity to active peroxidases from HRR
      served in conjunction with fish. This hypothesis can be tested by specifically
      looking at whether HRR is consumed with fish and whether such HRR is prepared in
      a way that preserves activity of HRR peroxidases. It is possible that by putting
      active HRR peroxidases in their mouths, elderly people supplement their age
      diminished salivary antioxidant capacity and break down additional hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2) in the oral cavity before it can migrate into the brain, thus
      decreasing the incidence of brain cell death induction by chronically-elevated
      H2O2. Intentional exposure of the oral cavity to active HRR peroxidases could be
      a prophylactic for delaying dementia. Because vegetable peroxidases are
      inactivated by gastric juices, it will be difficult to obtain benefit from HRR
      peroxidases' antioxidant effect via ingestion in encapsulated dietary
      supplements.

PMID- 28915963
TI  - Hepcidin and metallothioneins as molecular base for sex-dependent differences in
      clinical course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in chronic iron
      overload.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous
      system characterised by inflammatory and degenerative changes. It is considered
      that disease arises from the influence of environmental factors on genetically
      susceptible individuals. Recent researches, using magnetic resonance imaging,
      connected iron deposits in different brain regions with demyelinating process in
      multiple sclerosis patients. Although iron is an essential trace element
      important for many biological functions it could be harmful because iron excess
      can induce the production of reactive oxygen species, development of oxidative
      stress and lipid peroxidation which leads to demyelination. In experimental
      autoimmune encephalomyelitis model, the most common experimental animal model for
      multiple sclerosis, we recently found that chronic iron overload influences the
      clinical course of disease in Dark Agouti rats. In female rats iron overload
      accelerated the onset of disease, while in male rats it accelerated the
      progression of disease and increased mortality rate. We hypothesize that those
      differences arise on molecular level in different expression of stress response
      proteins hepcidin and metallothioneins in male and female iron overloaded rats.
      They are both upregulated by metal ions in both sexes. Hepcidin is additionally
      upregulated by estrogen in female rats and therefore causes higher degradation of
      iron exporter ferroportin and sequestration of iron in the cells, lowering the
      possibility for the development of oxidative stress. Antioxidative effect of
      metallothioneins could be increased in female rats because of their ability to
      reversibly exchange metal ions with the estrogen receptor. In case of iron excess
      metallothioneins release zinc, which is normally bound to them. Zinc binds to
      estrogen receptor and leaves metallothioneins binding domains free for iron,
      causing at least provisional cytoprotective effect. To test this hypothesis, we
      propose to determine and compare serum levels of hepcidin and estrogen using
      ELISA essay as well as expression and distribution of acute stress response
      proteins hepcidin and metallothioneins, iron and estrogen receptor in the brain
      and spinal cord tissue using immunohistochemistry in control and chronic iron
      overloaded male and female rats in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
      model. It would be also possible to perform the same immunohistochemistry in the
      brain tissue of multiple sclerosis patients post mortem. The results of
      experiments could contribute to better understanding of cytoprotective mechanisms
      in chronic iron overload that could have possible therapeutic applications in
      iron disturbances. In order to elucidate whether common measure of systemic iron
      status, like ferritin, haemoglobin concentration and transferrin saturation
      levels, may be used to distinguish physiologic from potentially harmful iron
      levels in local disease, for example multiple sclerosis and Still's disease, well
      designed clinical trials would be of great interest.

PMID- 28915964
TI  - Decreased use of spatial pattern separation in contemporary lifestyles may
      contribute to hippocampal atrophy and diminish mental health.
AB  - The spatial pattern separation process has not yet been proposed as a pivotal
      neural activity affecting hippocampal volume, a metric of mental health. The
      dentate gyrus/CA3 region is increasingly implicated in hippocampal atrophy, its
      putative role in spatial pattern separation appears to be impaired in mental
      health disorders, and performance on a task indicative of pattern separation
      correlates with dentate gyrus/CA3 volume. Spatial pattern separation is thought
      to utilize the heightened neural plasticity of newborn neurons in the dentate
      gyrus to distinguish highly similar aspects of scene so that these remain
      distinct in memory rather than lost. The level of such activity associates with
      BDNF secretion, which may affect neuroplasticity and therefore hippocampal
      volume. Distinguishing fine-grained aspects of surroundings was likely of great
      importance during hunting and gathering for survival in nature. However the need
      to make subtle environmental discriminations is much reduced in modern survival
      activity. Ancestrally, exploration and utilization of the spatial pattern
      separation process may have resulted in detection of potential food items, an
      activity that was likely followed by intensive effort-based reward (EBR) activity
      to obtain the food. EBR activity and restorative walking in nature demonstrate
      positive mental health benefits, while their lack indicates negative effects on
      mental health. Data support the hypothesis that spatial pattern separation
      activity and neural circuitry are separate from, and may precede, those of EBR as
      well as restorative walking in nature. Spatial pattern separation therefore
      represents an additional nature-related neural process whose modern decrease in
      use may negatively affect mental health. Interventions that increase spatial
      pattern separation experiences may enhance BDNF secretion, neuroplasticity,
      hippocampal volume and mental health.

PMID- 28915965
TI  - Can cerebellin and renalase measurements contribute to the elimination of false
      positive results in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma diagnoses?

PMID- 28915966
TI  - Use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture is associated with per
      capita ethanol consumption.
AB  - It has previously been demonstrated that emissions of the agricultural pollutant,
      nitrous oxide (N2O), may be a confounder to the relationship between herbicide
      use and psychiatric impairments, including ADHD. This report attempts to extend
      this hypothesis by testing whether annual use of anthropogenic nitrogen-based
      fertilizers in U.S. agriculture (thought to be the most reliable indicator of
      environmental N2O emissions) is associated with per capita ethanol consumption
      patterns, a behavior often comorbid with ADHD. State estimates of anthropogenic
      nitrogen fertilizers from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were
      obtained for the years between 1987 and 2006. Our dependent variable was annual
      per capita ethanol consumption. Ethanol consumption was categorized as beer,
      wine, spirits, and all alcoholic beverages. Least squares dummy variable method
      using two-ways fixed effects was utilized. Among states above the 50th percentile
      in farm use of anthropogenic nitrogen for all years (i.e., agricultural states),
      a one log-unit increase in farm use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers is
      associated with a 0.13 gallon increase in total per capita ethanol consumption
      (p<0.0125). No statistically significant association between farm use of
      anthropogenic nitrogen and per capita ethanol consumption was found in states
      below the 50th percentile in farm use of anthropogenic nitrogen. The new findings
      are in agreement with both behavioral human studies demonstrating a link between
      N2O preference and alcohol and drug use history as well as molecular studies
      elucidating shared mechanisms between trace N2O antinociception and alcohol
      seeking related behaviors.

PMID- 28915967
TI  - The concept of protective nerve stimulation for ultrasound guided nerve blocks.
AB  - Regional plexus and nerve blocks are a common technique in modern anesthesia.
      Since ultrasound machines are available in many departments, the role of nerve
      stimulation is highly discussed and different approaches to perform the blocks
      are taken into account. Common technique for electrical nerve stimulation is
      searching for a stimulating threshold of 0.4-0.5mA using an impulse width of
      0.1ms. We present our hypothesis of using all possible information with a new
      concept of protective nerve stimulation together with first data supporting our
      theory. In protective nerve stimulation during ultrasound guided nerve blocks a
      fixed current of 1.0mA (0.1ms) is used without any change during block
      performance. The aim is no muscular twitches before and during injection. If this
      way of neuro-axial blocking brings suitable effects, we should consider new
      currency settings to perform safer blockades with a lower risk of nerve injuries
      and a high patient comfort, especially in bad visibility block situations.

PMID- 28915968
TI  - Magnesium to counteract elastin degradation and vascular calcification in chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - Accelerated elastin degradation is an important pathogenic mechanism in chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) leading to irreversible lung function loss
      and cardiovascular comorbidities. The rate of elastin breakdown is a predictor of
      mortality in patients with COPD. Decelerating elastinolysis might be an
      attractive therapeutic target in this debilitating condition. Vascular
      calcification starts in the elastin network of the arterial wall and is enhanced
      in patients with COPD. Elastin calcification is accompanied by an upregulation of
      matrix metalloproteinase gene expression and consequently a shift in the
      elastase/anti-elastase balance towards degradation. Magnesium can be regarded as
      a natural calcium antagonist and has the proven ability to ameliorate vascular
      calcification. Furthermore, an animal study has suggested that magnesium
      deficiency promotes elastin degradation. I hypothesize that inhibiting elastin
      calcification by means of magnesium supplementation might counteract both
      vascular calcification and elastin degradation in COPD. This could potentially
      have a favorable impact on cardiovascular and respiratory related
      morbidity/mortality in patients with COPD.

PMID- 28915969
TI  - Hyperglycemia in acute ischemic stroke: Is it time to re-evaluate our
      understanding?
AB  - Among 700,000 new and recurrent ischemic stroke patients per year, forty percent
      are hyperglycemic on admission. In-vitro, hyperglycemia is toxic to neurons.
      Acute ischemic stroke patients who are hyperglycemic on admission experience
      higher morbidity and mortality. Results of multiple trials have provided no
      evidence supporting benefit in achieving normoglycemia. On the contrary, there is
      some evidence that tight glycemic control in acute brain injury is associated
      with poor outcome. Current consensus derived guidelines from the American Heart
      Association/American Stroke Association recommend an upper limit of blood glucose
      of 140-180mg/dl, as there is no evidence to support strict control. The lack of
      improved outcomes with normoglycemia in this population dictates reconsideration
      of assumptions regarding the underlying pathophysiology of hyperglycemia. Review
      of the current data suggests there are two distinct pathophysiologic entities of
      hyperglycemia in acute ischemic stroke patients: diabetic and non-diabetic. We
      propose that the lack of positive results from well-designed intention-to-treat
      trials in hyperglycemic acute ischemic stroke patients could be attributed to
      treating these distinct groups as one.

PMID- 28915970
TI  - A new proposed mechanism of action for gastric bypass surgery: Air hypothesis.
AB  - Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is one of the most effective treatments
      for obesity and type II diabetes. RYGB was originally believed to work by
      mechanically restricting caloric intake or causing macronutrient malabsorption.
      However, such mechanical effects play no role in the remarkable efficacy of
      gastric bypass. Instead, mounting evidence shows that altered neuroendocrine
      signaling is responsible for the weight reducing effects of RYGB. The exact
      mechanism of this surgical response is still a mystery. Here, we propose that
      RYGB leads to weight loss primarily by inducing a functional shift in the gut
      microbiome, manifested by a relative expansion of aerobic bacteria numbers in the
      colon. We point to compelling evidence that gastric bypass changes the function
      of the microbiome by disrupting intestinal gas homeostasis, causing excessive
      transit of swallowed air (oxygen) into the colon.

PMID- 28915971
TI  - Genotrophic effect of neurotrophins - Restart of beta-cell regeneration in
      diabetes mellitus.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an epidemic worldwide and a proved risk factor for
      cardiovascular complications. In 89% of the cases, it deals, in fact, with
      metabolic syndrome of multifactorial etiopathogenesis. This paradigm has been
      generalized by the neurotrophic theory emphasizing the role of
      hyponeurotrophinemia of key factor. Both type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic
      syndrome are characterized by insulin resistance and pancreatic beta-cell damage.
      Cyclic keeping the fast enhances plasma neurotrophin levels. Fasting induces
      prenatal-development gene expression in adult pancreas and promotes neurogenin
      (Ngn)-3 gene expression to generate insulin producing beta-cells. Probably, the
      increased plasma and tissue levels of the nerve growth factor and brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor after fasting reprogramme Ngn-3 gene expression as this
      genotrophic action enhances Ngn-3 protein synthesis. This results in regeneration
      of damaged pancreatic beta-cells and restores insulin secretion in type 1 and
      type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 28915972
TI  - Suprachoroidal injection of biological agents may have a potential role in the
      prevention of progression and complications in high myopia.
AB  - The prevalence of myopia and its severe/progressive visually impairing forms is
      increasing all over the globe. Most of the preliminary clinical research has
      focused on rehabilitation and treatment of its complications. Pharmacological
      prevention of myopic progression has shown encouraging results recently and
      currently the scleral structure is believed to be responsible for disease
      progression. In this article, we have hypothesized injecting a biological cement
      in the potential space between the choroid and the sclera to halt the progressive
      elongation of the eye ball while preventing complications related to myopia.

PMID- 28915973
TI  - Compassionomics: Hypothesis and experimental approach.
AB  - Recent reports indicate that healthcare is experiencing a compassion crisis - an
      absence of (or inconsistency in) compassionate patient care. It is currently
      unclear if, or to what extent, this exerts significant effects on health and
      healthcare. Experimental data are few, and this represents a critical knowledge
      gap for all health sciences. We hypothesize that compassionate care is beneficial
      for patients (better outcomes), healthcare systems and payers (lower costs), and
      healthcare providers (lower burnout). Compassionomics is the branch of knowledge
      and scientific study of the effects of compassionate healthcare, and herein we
      describe a framework for hypothesis testing. If the hypotheses are confirmed,
      compassionate healthcare can be established in the domain of evidence-based
      medicine.

PMID- 28915974
TI  - Rapid and accurate intraoperative pathological diagnosis by artificial
      intelligence with deep learning technology.
AB  - Frozen section is widely used for intraoperative pathological diagnosis (IOPD),
      which is essential for intraoperative decision making. However, frozen section
      suffers from some drawbacks, such as time consuming and high misdiagnosis rate.
      Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) with deep learning technology has shown
      bright future in medicine. We hypothesize that AI with deep learning technology
      could help IOPD, with a computer trained by a dataset of intraoperative lesion
      images. Evidences supporting our hypothesis included the successful use of AI
      with deep learning technology in diagnosing skin cancer, and the developed method
      of deep-learning algorithm. Large size of the training dataset is critical to
      increase the diagnostic accuracy. The performance of the trained machine could be
      tested by new images before clinical use. Real-time diagnosis, easy to use and
      potential high accuracy were the advantages of AI for IOPD. In sum, AI with deep
      learning technology is a promising method to help rapid and accurate IOPD.

PMID- 28915975
TI  - Corrigendum to "Estimation of the minimum mRNA splicing error rate in
      vertebrates" [Mutat Res. 2016;784:34-38].

PMID- 28915976
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 28915977
TI  - Corrigendum to 'Reduced nitric oxide-mediated relaxation and endothelial nitric
      oxide synthase expression in the tail arteries of streptozotocin-induced diabetic
      rats' [Eur. J. Pharmacol. 773 (2016) 78-84].

PMID- 28915978
TI  - Corrigendum to 'Conditioned flavor avoidance and conditioned gaping: Rat models
      of conditioned nausea '[European Journal of Pharmacology Volume 722, 2014, Pages
      122-133].

PMID- 28915980
TI  - America's White Supremacy Crisis.

PMID- 28915981
TI  - Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Improves the Outcomes of In Vitro
      Fertilization: A Prospective, Randomized and Controlled Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore whether transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation
      (TEAS) can improve the outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF). DESIGN: A
      prospective, randomized, and controlled study. SETTING: IVF center in a
      university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and eighty-one infertile patients
      with bilateral tubal blockage who were referred for IVF. Patients were randomized
      into four groups. INTERVENTION: TEAS was administered for 30min, respectively, at
      24h before TVOR and two hours before ET. The acupoints included SP10 (Xuehai,
      bilateral), SP8 (Diji, bilateral), LR3 (Taichong, bilateral), ST36 (Zusanli,
      bilateral), EX-CA1 (Zigong, bilateral), RN4 (Guanyuan), PC6 (Neiguan, bilateral),
      and RN12 (Zhongwan). Based on different frequencies of TEAS, patients were
      grouped into a TEAS-2Hz group, a TEAS-100Hz group and a TEAS-2/100Hz group.
      Patients in the control group only received routine IVF treatment and no TEAS was
      applied on them. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of mature
      oocytes, normally fertilized oocytes and good-quality embryos were used to
      evaluate oocyte developmental competence of the patients. Data of clinical
      pregnancy rate (CPR), implantation rate (IR), and live birth rate (LBR) were also
      obtained. The levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY), transforming growth factor alpha
      and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the follicular fluids were measured
      with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: No significant
      differences were found between the control, TEAS-2Hz, TEAS-100Hz and TEAS-2/100Hz
      groups on the numbers of metaphase II oocytes, normally fertilized zygotes, early
      cleavage embryos or good quality embryos (P > .05). However, the CPR, IR and LBR
      of the TEAS-2/100Hz group were significantly higher than those of the other
      groups, respectively (P < .05). The NPY levels in the follicular fluids of TEAS
      2/100Hz group were significantly higher than those of the other groups (P < .05).
      CONCLUSION: TEAS using a frequency of 2/100Hz could help to improve the IVF
      outcomes partly by increasing NPY levels in the follicular fluids.

PMID- 28915982
TI  - Living and Leading With Resilience.

PMID- 28915983
TI  - Single Treatment With Capsaicin 8% Patch May Reduce Pain and Sleep Interference
      up to 12 Weeks in Patients With Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

PMID- 28915984
TI  - A Global Perspective on Gender Roles and Identity.

PMID- 28915985
TI  - Why We Must Invest in Early Adolescence: Early Intervention, Lasting Impact.

PMID- 28915986
TI  - Exploration of Gender Norms and Socialization Among Early Adolescents: The Use of
      Qualitative Methods for the Global Early Adolescent Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) was launched in 2014 with the
      primary goal of understanding the factors in early adolescence that predispose
      young people to subsequent sexual risks, and conversely, those that promote
      healthy sexuality across different cultural contexts. The present article
      describes the methodology that was used for the first phase of GEAS, which
      consisted of conducting qualitative research to understand the gendered
      transitions into adolescence and the role that gender norms play within the key
      relationships of adolescents. Researchers from each of the sites that had
      completed data collection were also elicited for their feedback on the key
      strengths, challenges, and lessons learned from conducting research among 11- to
      14-year-old adolescents. The purpose of this article is to present the
      description of each of the methods that were used in GEAS, as well as the
      researchers' perspectives of using the methods among early adolescents in their
      sites. METHODS: The GEAS is being implemented through a collaboration of
      university and nongovernmental institutions from 15 cities: Assiut (Egypt)
      Baltimore (U.S.), Blantyre (Malawi), Cape Town (South Africa), Cochabomba
      (Bolivia), Cuenca (Ecuador), Edinburgh (Scotland), Ghent (Belgium), Hanoi
      (Vietnam), Ile-Ife (Nigeria), Kinshasa (DRC), Nairobi (Kenya), New Delhi (India),
      Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), and Shanghai (China). Approximately 30 in-depth
      interviews among adolescents and 30 in-depth interviews with their
      parent/guardian were conducted at each site, with adults and adolescents
      interviewed separately. To build trust and increase engagement among the
      adolescent participants, we used two different visual research methods: (1)
      timeline exercise which was small group based and (2) the Venn diagram exercise
      which was conducted individually and used at the start of the in-depth interview.
      RESULTS: The visual aspects of both the timeline and the Venn diagrams not only
      helped to produce data for the purposes of the study, but also were a successful
      way of engaging the adolescent participants across sites. While the narrative
      interviews produced extremely rich data, researchers did notice that there were a
      few challenges among the younger adolescents. Challenges were related to the
      length of the interview, comprehension of questions, as some of the questions
      were either too abstract or asked adolescents about an experience they had not
      yet had and therefore could not address or articulate. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting
      the first phase of GEAS revealed important insights for research with
      participants who are in this developmental phase of early adolescence. Methods
      that involve greater engagement and those that are visual were shown to work well
      irrespective of the cultural setting.

PMID- 28915987
TI  - Interpreting Narratives Within a Cross-National Interdisciplinary Study: A Case
      Study of a Collaborative Process.
AB  - PURPOSE: This article presents a case study of a collaborative process for the
      analysis of a young girl's narrative on becoming an adolescent in Shanghai. The
      purpose was to illuminate how interpretation of narratives can be strengthened
      with a diverse team of researchers. METHODS: Three different researchers, each
      representing a different discipline and lens for analyzing qualitative data,
      collaboratively analyzed and interpreted a 12-year-old girl's narrative from
      Shanghai as part of the Global Early Adolescent Study. Each researcher first
      analyzed the narrative separately with a written summary that was then analyzed
      for differences and similarities across the research team, along with further
      cross-checks of the translations of the recording. RESULTS: Throughout the
      analysis, we argued that the narrative was a story about gender and power: the
      gendered nature of socializing a girl, the interpersonal process of a mother, at
      the behest of a father, to press a daughter to behave in a proper, modest
      fashion, and the daughter learning the appropriate and proper way for adult woman
      to comport herself. At the same time, by bridging our interpretations together,
      we also came to agree that it was a story of a Chinese girl's loss of freedom and
      capitulation, evident in her resignation to comply with the gender norm that
      required that she refrain from displaying her body in a certain way at the dinner
      table. CONCLUSIONS: Recording our collaborative analysis process enabled us to
      illuminate how researchers who work on cross-national studies can combine forces
      of perspectives and of methods-for a compelling approach that provides a more
      comprehensive analysis of the underlying meanings behind an interview narrative.

PMID- 28915988
TI  - Learning to Be Gendered: Gender Socialization in Early Adolescence Among Urban
      Poor in Delhi, India, and Shanghai, China.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to understand the gender socialization
      process in early adolescence. METHODS: The study was located in two disadvantaged
      urban communities in Delhi, India and Shanghai, China and was part of the
      multicountry (15) Global Early Adolescent Study. Qualitative methodologies were
      used with boys and girls aged 11-13 years, including 16 group-based timeline
      exercises and 65 narrative interviews. In addition, 58 parents of participating
      adolescents were interviewed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated,
      and uploaded into Atlas.ti for coding and thematic analysis. RESULTS: Boys and
      girls growing up in the same community were directed onto different pathways
      during their transition from early to late adolescence. Adolescents and parents
      in both sites identified mothers as the primary actor, socializing adolescents
      into how to dress and behave and what gender roles to play, although fathers were
      also mentioned as influential. Opposite-sex interactions were restricted, and
      violations enforced by physical violence. In Delhi, gender roles and mobility
      were more strictly enforced for girls than boys. Restrictions on opposite-sex
      interactions were rigid for both boys and girls in Delhi and Shanghai. Sanctions,
      including beating, for violating norms about boy-girl relationships were more
      punitive than those related to dress and demeanor, especially in Delhi. Education
      and career expectations were notably more equitable in Shanghai. CONCLUSIONS:
      Parents teach their children to adhere to inequitable gender norms in both Delhi
      and Shanghai. However, education and career expectations for boys and girls in
      the two sites differed. Although gender norms varied by site according to the
      particular cultural and historical context, similar patterns of gender inequity
      reflect the underlying patriarchal system in both settings. The tendency of
      parents to pass on the norms they grew up with is evident, yet these results
      illustrate the social construction of gender through children's interaction with
      the social ecology, including evolving political and economic systems. Efforts to
      bend gender norms toward greater equality can build on these results by
      empowering children and parents to reflect critically on inequitable gender norms
      and roles and by mobilizing economic and social support at key turning points in
      adolescents' lives.

PMID- 28915989
TI  - It Begins at 10: How Gender Expectations Shape Early Adolescence Around the
      World.

PMID- 28915990
TI  - "A Boy Would Be Friends With Boys ... and a Girl ... With Girls": Gender Norms in
      Early Adolescent Friendships in Egypt and Belgium.
AB  - PURPOSE: A gender analysis was conducted to illuminate the key elements of
      friendships highlighted by early adolescent girls and boys in two sites for the
      purpose of better understanding the impact of gender norms on adolescent
      friendships in different contexts. METHODS: Narrative interviews with early
      adolescents were conducted in two sites: Assiut, Egypt (n = 37) and Ghent,
      Belgium (n = 30). The interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated into
      English, and coded using Atlas.ti for analysis. RESULTS: In both Assiut and
      Ghent, early adolescents reported some similarities in defining key
      characteristics of their same-sex friends as well as in the activities they
      share. However, differences were noticed among boys and girls within each site.
      In addition, the scope of shared activity was broader in Ghent than in Assiut. In
      both sites, few opposite-sex friendships were reported. Gender norms influenced
      choice of friends as well as the type and place of shared activities.
      CONCLUSIONS: Building on knowledge that adolescent friendships guide and
      reinforce attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that impact immediate and long-term
      health, our findings indicate that gender norms inform early adolescent
      friendships, which may impact healthy development.

PMID- 28915991
TI  - Adolescent and Parental Reactions to Puberty in Nigeria and Kenya: A Cross
      Cultural and Intergenerational Comparison.
AB  - PURPOSE: This qualitative study assesses the cross-cultural and intergenerational
      reactions of young adolescents and parents to puberty in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and
      Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS: Sixty-six boys and girls (aged 11-13 years) and their
      parents participated in narrative interviews conducted in English or local
      languages in two urban poor settings in Ile-Ife and Nairobi. All interviews were
      recorded, transcribed, translated, and uploaded into Atlas.ti software for coding
      and analysis. RESULTS: Reactions of parents and adolescents to puberty were
      similar across both sites, with few exceptions. Adolescents' reactions to bodily
      changes varied from anxiety to pride. Adolescents generally tend to desire
      greater privacy; trying to hide their developing bodies from others. Most female
      adolescents emphasized breast development as compared with menstruation as the
      mark for pubertal initiation, while males emphasized voice changes. Among some
      ethnic groups in Nairobi, parents and adolescents view male circumcision as the
      hallmark of adolescence. Parents in both sites reported that with pubertal
      changes, adolescents tend to become arrogant and engaged in sexual relationships.
      Parents' reported responses to puberty include: educating adolescents on bodily
      changes; counseling on sexual relationships; and, provision of sanitary towels to
      females. Parents' responses are generally focused more on daughters. Approaches
      used by mothers in educating adolescents varied from the provision of factual
      information to fear/scare tactics. Compared with their own generation, parents
      perceive that their own children achieve pubertal development earlier, receive
      more puberty-related education from mothers, and are more exposed to and
      influenced by media and information technologies. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents'
      responses to their pubertal bodily changes include anxiety, shame, and pride.
      Adolescents desire greater privacy. Parents' reactions were broadly supportive of
      their children's pubertal transition, but mothers' communication approaches may
      sometimes be inappropriate in terms of using fear/scare tactics.

PMID- 28915992
TI  - "Boys Should Have the Courage to Ask a Girl Out": Gender Norms in Early
      Adolescent Romantic Relationships.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to explore how gender norms emerge in
      romantic relationships among early adolescents (EAs) living in five poor urban
      areas. METHODS: Data were collected as part of the Global Early Adolescent Study.
      The current research analyzed data from interviews with 30 EAs (aged 11-13 years)
      living in five poor urban sites: Baltimore, Cuenca, Edinburgh, Ghent, and
      Nairobi. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed in English using
      Atlas.ti, focusing on how EAs experience and perceive gender norms in romantic
      relationships. RESULTS: Across the five sites, only a few respondents described
      having been in love, the majority of whom were boys. Findings indicate that
      stereotypical gender norms about romantic relationships prevail across these
      cultural settings, depicting boys as romantically/sexually active and dominant,
      and girls as innocent with less (romantic) agency. In spite of the similarities,
      Nairobi was unique in that respondents referred to how sexual behavior and
      violence can occur within EA relationships. In all countries, heterosexuality was
      perceived to be the norm. Nevertheless, there were examples of EAs accepting
      homosexuality and expressing supportive attitudes toward equality between the
      sexes. CONCLUSIONS: While EAs across five different cultural settings seem to
      endorse stereotypical gender norms in romantic relationships, a few stories also
      illustrate more gender-equal attitudes. As stereotypical gender norms have a
      demonstrated negative effect on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and
      well-being, additional research is needed to understand which factors-at the
      interpersonal and structural level-contribute to the construction of these norms
      among EAs.

PMID- 28915993
TI  - Marching to a Different Drummer: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Young Adolescents
      Who Challenge Gender Norms.
AB  - PURPOSE: Little is known about how gender norms regulate adolescents' lives
      across different cultural settings. This study aims to illustrate what is
      considered as violating gender norms for boys and girls in four urban poor sites
      as well as the consequences that follow the challenging of gender norms. METHODS:
      Data were collected as part of the Global Early Adolescent Study, a 15-country
      collaboration to explore gender norms and health in early adolescence. The
      current study analyzed narrative and in-depth interviews conducted in urban poor
      sites in two middle-income (Shanghai, China; and New Delhi, India) and two high
      income countries (Baltimore, U.S.; and Ghent, Belgium). A total of 238
      participants, 59 boys and 70 girls aged 11-13 years old and 109 of their
      parents/guardians (28 male adults and 81 female adults), were interviewed. A
      thematic analysis was conducted across sites using Atlas.Ti 7.5 software.
      RESULTS: Findings revealed that although most perceptions and expressions about
      gender were regulated by stereotypical norms, there was a growing acceptability
      for girls to wear boyish clothes and engage in stereotypical masculine activities
      such as playing soccer/football. However, there was no comparable acceptance of
      boys engaging in traditional feminine behaviors. Across all sites, challenging
      gender norms was often found to lead to verbal, physical, and/or psychological
      retribution. CONCLUSIONS: While it is sometimes acceptable for young adolescents
      to cross gender boundaries, once it becomes clear that a behavior is socially
      defined as typical for the other sex, and the adolescent will face more
      resistance. Researchers, programmers, and clinicians working in the field of
      adolescent health need not only attend to those who are facing the consequences
      of challenging prevailing gender norms, but also to address the environment that
      fosters exclusion and underscores differences.

PMID- 28915994
TI  - Implications of the Global Early Adolescent Study's Formative Research Findings
      for Action and for Research.

PMID- 28915995
TI  - Detection and molecular characterization of feline hemoplasmas in wild felid
      species in Iran in the Middle East.
AB  - Three feline hemoplasma species exist in felids: Mycoplasma haemofelis,
      'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum', and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis'. The
      aims of the study were to determine the presence of, and molecularly
      characterize, any hemoplasmas in wild felids, including the endangered Persian
      leopard in Iran, the Middle East. Blood samples were collected from 19 wild
      felids, including three Persian leopards. Using species-specific hemoplasma PCRs
      and ELISA serological testing for feline leukaemia virus and feline
      immunodeficiency virus (FIV), two Persian leopards were found to be infected with
      'Ca. M. haemominutum' and were seropositive for FIV. Partial 16S rRNA gene
      sequences were generated for these 'Ca. M. haemominutum' species and subsequent
      phylogenetic analysis revealed 97.70% to 99.45% sequence identity with those
      found in domestic cats from Iran and other countries. This study confirms the
      presence of 'Ca. M. haemominutum' and concurrent FIV antibody in wild felids in
      Iran. This represents the first report of hemoplasma in wild felids in the Middle
      East as well as the first report of infection in Persian leopards.

PMID- 28915997
TI  - Outbreak of anaplasmosis associated with novel genetic variants of Anaplasma
      marginale in a dairy cattle.
AB  - During early lactation, dairy cows may present a transient immunosuppressive
      state and develop anaplasmosis caused by Anaplasma marginale. In this study,
      clinical anaplasmosis in dairy cattle in the Thrace region of Turkey was
      investigated with respect to within-herd prevalence, vertical transmission, and
      genetic diversity. In March and September 2015, thirty lactating cows showed
      primary clinical signs of anaplasmosis, including fever, anaemia, decreased milk
      yield, anorexia, and laboured breathing. Symptoms disappeared in most cows after
      administration of long-acting oxytetracycline, but nine of them (30%) died.
      Following diagnosis based on clinical signs, microscopy and molecular findings,
      blood samples were collected from apparently healthy lactating cows (n=184),
      pregnant heifers (n=39) and newborn calves (n=24). DNA was extracted from each
      sample and analyzed for the presence of major surface proteins (MSPs) of A.
      marginale, followed by sequencing to assess diversity of isolates. Microscopic
      examination of erythrocytes revealed A. marginale inclusion bodies in symptomatic
      cows. Examination of thin blood smears showed 3.8% of the lactating, clinically
      asymptomatic, cows to be infected with A. marginale, while nPCR detected 31.0%
      positive. A. marginale infection was not detected in pregnant heifers by either
      method. Congenital infection was found in one calf by nPCR. This is the first
      report of transplacental transmission of A. marginale in Turkey. The MSP4
      sequence analyses showed high genetic diversity among the isolates, presenting
      97.6-99.6% homology at the amino acid level. The sequences of MSP1a amplicons
      revealed genetic diversity providing three new tandem repeats.

PMID- 28915996
TI  - Alternative strategy for visceral leishmaniosis control: HisAK70-Salmonella
      Choleraesuis-pulsed dendritic cells.
AB  - Here, we describe a novel approach that exploits an attenuated mutant of
      Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis as carrier to deliver a plasmid encoding
      protein HisAK70. Subsequently, dendritic cells (DCs) were pulsed with this
      vaccine vector. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the
      prepared HisAK70-S. Choleraesuis-pulsed DCs (HisAK70-SAL DCs) against visceral
      leishmaniosis (VL). In our ex vivo model of infection, the prepared formulations
      could decrease parasite growth by up to 80% by augmenting the production of IL
      12p40 and by reducing arginase activity (ARG). Also, BALB/c mice when immunised
      with this formulation showed significant reduction in parasite burden in both
      spleen (20% of reduction) and liver (75% of reduction). The balance of the immune
      ratios IFN-gamma/IL-10, TNF-alpha/IL-10, and IgG2a/IgG1 reflected the acquisition
      of an improved resistant phenotype in HisAK70-SAL DCs vaccinated mice compared to
      control mice. Our results suggest that HisAK70-SAL DCs could be a promising
      alternative approach for vaccine delivery that has the potential to fight
      Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) infection.

PMID- 28915998
TI  - Predictors of humoral response to recommended vaccines in HIV-infected adults.
AB  - Humoral response to vaccination has been found to be inadequate in individuals
      infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We retrospectively assessed
      antibody responses to three routinely recommended vaccines, against hepatitis B,
      hepatitis A and S. pneumoniae, in HIV-infected individuals. Data regarding age at
      HIV diagnosis, years of infection, sex, nationality, HIV mode of transmission,
      CD4 cell count, nadir CD4 count, plasma viral load, HIV stage, insurance status,
      educational level and treatment with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART)
      were collected. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed in order to
      detect factors associated with response to vaccination. 437 patients were
      assessed for hepatitis B, 627 patients for hepatitis A and 66 patients for S.
      pneumoniae serologic vaccine responsiveness. Regarding hepatitis B and hepatitis
      A, education level and insurance status were the only predictors of response. As
      for S. pneumoniae vaccination HAART and control of viremia were correlated with
      better response to vaccination.

PMID- 28915999
TI  - Oxidative stress in dairy cows seropositives for Neospora caninum.
AB  - Bovine neosporosis is caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum and is one of the
      major causes of abortion in cows. Cattle are intermediate hosts of this parasite
      and may have asymptomatic or symptomatic infections. Therefore, the aim of this
      study was to evaluate oxidative stress marker reactive oxygen species (ROS),
      thiobarbituric reactive acid substances (TBARS) levels, glutathione S-transferase
      (GST), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities in
      dairy cows seropositives for N. caninum (asymptomatic or symptomatic). Dairy cows
      (n=90) were tested by immunofluorescent antibody assay (IFA) for N. caninum and
      divided accordingly into three groups: the group A (seronegatives, n=30), the
      group B (seropositives and asymptomatic, n=30), and the group C (seropositives
      and symptomatic, n=30). It was observed increased levels of TBARS and reduced
      (P<0.05) BChE activity in seropositives either asymptomatic or symptomatic
      animals. ROS levels and ADA activity increased, and GST activity decreased
      (P<0.05) only in seropositives symptomatic dairy cows (the group C) compared to
      seronegatives dairy cows (the group A). Based on these results, it was observed
      that seropositive animals showed cell damage associated with oxidative stress and
      inflammation, mainly in those with symptomatic infections. Increased seric ROS
      levels and BChE activity may have influenced N. caninum pathogenesis in
      symptomatic animals due to increased cell damage and exacerbated inflammatory
      response, leading to the development of clinical signs.

PMID- 28916000
TI  - Development, phenotype, and function of non-conventional B cells.
AB  - Three populations of B cells develop in fetal life: B1, B2 and marginal zone B
      cells. B1 cells play important roles in innate immunity in contrast to B2 cells
      that perform the conventional roles in adaptive immunity. B1 cells were first
      identified in mice based on their expression of CD5 and spontaneous secretion of
      IgM. B1 cells were subsequently found to have unique developmental, phenotype,
      tissue distribution, and functional characteristics that differ from B2 cells.
      These phenotypic and functional differences allow B1 cells to play important
      roles in immunity and homeostasis, but be implicated in autoimmune disease. The
      presence of B1 cells has been examined in other species including humans,
      primates, rabbits, guinea pigs, cattle, pigs, and horses. Here we review the
      known developmental and functional differences between B1 and B2 cells, and
      discuss the evidence of the presence of homologous population of cells in
      different species.

PMID- 28916001
TI  - Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections in neonatal reindeer calves: Relation to
      the acute phase response.
AB  - This longitudinal observational study was conducted to investigate the
      spontaneous effect of Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections on acute phase
      response (APR) in reindeer calves (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Finnish
      Lapland. Serum (n=609) and faecal samples (n=366) were collected from 54 reindeer
      calves aged zero to 33days. The samples were analysed for Giardia,
      Cryptosporidium, acute phase proteins (APP) and gamma-globulins. Linear
      regression models were used to investigate associations of early Giardia
      infection (before 12days of life) with the response of APPs and acquiring of
      passive immunity. Giardia was detected in 100% and Cryptosporidium in 23% of
      calves. There was a negative association between early Giardia infection and
      gamma-globulin concentrations (p=0.032) and a positive association with serum
      amyloid A (SAA) concentrations (p=0.042). The results suggest a protective effect
      of colostrum against Giardia infection and that early infection may induce
      activation of APR.

PMID- 28916002
TI  - Characterization of immune response in Staphylococcus aureus chronically infected
      bovine mammary glands during active involution.
AB  - The aim of this study was to characterize the immune response in Staphylococcus
      aureus chronically infected bovine mammary glands during active involution.
      Twenty-one Holstein non-pregnant cows in late lactation either uninfected or with
      chronic naturally acquired S. aureus intramammary infections (IMI) were included
      in this study. Cows were slaughtered at 7, 14 and 21 d after cessation of milking
      and samples for immunohistochemical analysis were taken. Protein expression of
      toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 was significantly higher in S. aureus
      infected quarters than in uninfected controls at the three involution stages
      studied. Protein expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
      interleukin (IL)-1alpha and IL-17 was significantly affected by IMI; being higher
      in S. aureus-infected than uninfected quarters during all evaluated stages. In S.
      aureus-infected and uninfected quarters protein expression of lactoferrin
      increased from day 7-14 of involution, decreasing significantly to day 21 in
      mammary quarters with chronic infections. The number of monocytes-macrophages was
      significantly higher in S. aureus-infected than in uninfected control quarters at
      7 and 21 d of involution. The number of T lymphocytes was significantly higher in
      S. aureus-infected than in uninfected quarters at 7 and 14 d of involution while
      the number of B lymphocytes was significantly higher in S. aureus-infected than
      in uninfected quarters during all evaluated stages, showing a progressive
      increase as involution advanced. These results demonstrated a sustained and
      exacerbated innate and adaptive immune response during chronic S. aureus IMI,
      playing a critical role in the infection control during active involution.

PMID- 28916003
TI  - Genetic diversity and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolates
      from wild boars.
AB  - We here report the occurrence of S. aureus in wild boars and characterize
      isolates genotypically and phenotypically in order to get knowledge about the
      occurrence of clonal lineages and genotypes in free-living wild animals. Forty
      one S. aureus isolates obtained from 111 wild boars hunted in Lower Saxony,
      Germany, were investigated and compared to human and livestock isolates. The S.
      aureus belonged to multilocus sequence types ST1, ST7, ST30, ST133, ST425, ST804,
      ST890 and to the new ST3237, ST3238, ST3255 and ST3369. The livestock associated
      CC398-MRSA lineage, however, was not found. In addition to well-known spa types,
      the new types t14999, t15000, t15001 and t15002 were detected. Macrorestriction
      analysis revealed a variety of different SmaI fragment patterns. Most isolates
      were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested, including methicillin, and
      resistance was detected only to ampicillin, penicillin and erythromycin. PCR
      analysis confirmed the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes (seh) in all
      t127-ST1 isolates. A high degree of genetic diversity was detected with many spa
      types and clonal lineages previously reported in humans and livestock animals.

PMID- 28916004
TI  - Telemedicine for Child Collaborative or Integrated Care.
AB  - Telemedicine with child psychiatry specialists is a useful tool for collaborative
      and integrated care systems. This article reviews the workforce and care process
      rationale for using child psychiatric telemedicine for collaborative care, and
      discusses practical ways to address the technical challenges that arise when
      using telemedicine. Different systems of using telemedicine discussed include
      child psychiatry access programs, collaborative and integrated care use of
      telephone consultations, televideo consultations, and televideo care delivery.
      Telemedicine can also be used for collaboratively conducted but care review
      requested by third-party consultations with treatment providers or care teams.

PMID- 28916005
TI  - Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project 2.0: A Case Study in Child
      Psychiatry Access Program Redesign.
AB  - The Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program is a statewide public mental
      health initiative designed to provide consultation, care navigation, and
      education to assist pediatric primary care providers in addressing mental health
      problems for children and families. To improve program performance, adapt to
      changes in the environment of pediatric primary care services, and ensure the
      program's long-term sustainability, program leadership in consultation with the
      Massachusetts Department of Mental Health embarked on a process of redesign. The
      redesign process is described, moving from an initial strategic assessment of
      program and the planning of structural and functional changes, through transition
      and implementation.

PMID- 28916006
TI  - Using Effective Public Private Collaboration to Advance Integrated Care.
AB  - Integrated mental health services within health care settings have many benefits;
      however, several key barriers pose challenges to fully implemented and
      coordinated care. Collaborative, multistakeholder efforts, such as health
      networks, have the potential to overcome prevalent obstacles and to accelerate
      the dissemination of innovative clinical strategies. In addition to engaging
      clinical experts, efforts should also include the perspectives of families and
      communities, a grounding in data and evaluation, and a focus on policy and
      advocacy. This article describes how one community, Washington, DC, implemented a
      health network to improve the integration of mental health services into
      pediatric primary care.

PMID- 28916007
TI  - From Theory to Action: Children's Community Pediatrics Behavioral Health System.
AB  - Integrated health care models attempt to cross the barrier between behavioral and
      medical worlds in order to improve access to quality care that meets the needs of
      the whole patient. Unfortunately, the integration of behavioral health and
      physical health providers in one space is not enough to actually promote
      integration. There are many models for promoting integration and collaboration
      within the primary care context. This article uses the experience of the
      Children's Community Pediatrics Behavioral Health Services system to highlight
      components of collaboration that should be considered in order to successfully
      integrate behavioral health within a medical home.

PMID- 28916008
TI  - Preparing Trainees for Integrated Care: Triple Board and the Postpediatric Portal
      Program.
AB  - Training combining the disciplines of pediatrics, psychiatry, and child and
      adolescent psychiatry dates back to World War II, but formal combined programs
      began more than 3 decades ago as the Triple Board Program and 10 years ago as the
      Postpediatric Portal Program (PPPP). Triple board training was rigorously
      examined as a pilot program and ongoing surveys suggest that it provides
      successful training of physicians who can pass the required board examinations
      and contribute to clinical, academic, and administrative/advocacy endeavors. As
      evidence grows showing the value of integrated care, physicians with combined
      training will offer a unique perspective for developing systems.

PMID- 28916009
TI  - Incorporating Trainees' Development into a Multidisciplinary Training Model for
      Integrated Behavioral Health Within a Pediatric Continuity Clinic.
AB  - Integrated behavioral and mental health systems of care for children require
      multidisciplinary team members to have specific competencies and knowledge of the
      other disciplines' strengths and practice needs. Training models for
      multidisciplinary professionals should consider the developmental level of
      trainees. The authors describe a model of flexible scaffolding, increasing
      intensity, and depth of experience as trainees gain skills and knowledge.

PMID- 28916010
TI  - Competencies and Training Guidelines for Behavioral Health Providers in Pediatric
      Primary Care.
AB  - This article focuses on the cross-discipline training competencies needed for
      preparing behavioral health providers to implement integrated primary care
      services. After a review of current competencies in the disciplines of child and
      adolescent psychiatry, psychology, and social work, cross-cutting competencies
      for integrated training purposes are identified. These competencies are
      comprehensive and broad and can be modified for use in varied settings and
      training programs. An existing and successful integrated care training model,
      currently implemented at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, is described. This
      model and the training competencies are discussed in the context of
      recommendations for future work and training.

PMID- 28916011
TI  - Family-Based Integrated Care (FBIC) in a Partial Hospital Program for Complex
      Pediatric Illness: Fostering Shifts in Family Illness Beliefs and Relationships.
AB  - The heuristic model of family-based integrated care (FBIC) was developed from
      1998 to 2016 in the context of the development of the Hasbro Children's Partial
      Hospital Program (HCPHP) along with the development of a family therapy training
      program for Brown University child psychiatry and triple board residents. The
      clinical experience of the HCPHP team in treating more than 2000 patients and
      families in combination with the authors' experience in training residents for
      diverse practice settings highlights the usefulness of the FBIC paradigm for
      interdisciplinary family-based treatment for a broad range of illnesses and
      levels of care.

PMID- 28916012
TI  - Preliminary Outcomes from an Integrated Pediatric Mental Health Outpatient
      Clinic.
AB  - An estimated 1 in 5 children in the United States meet criteria for a diagnosable
      mental disorder, yet fewer than 20% receive mental health services. Unmet need
      for psychiatric treatment may contribute to patterns of increasing use of the
      emergency department. This article describes an integrated pediatric evaluation
      center designed to prevent the need for treatment in emergency settings by
      increasing access to timely and appropriate care for emergent and critical mental
      health needs. Preliminary results showed that the center provided rapid access to
      assessment and treatment services for children and adolescents presenting with a
      wide range of psychiatric concerns.

PMID- 28916014
TI  - Integrated Behavioral Health Care in Pediatric Subspecialty Clinics.
AB  - Comorbid behavioral and physical health conditions are accompanied by troubling
      symptom burden, functional impairment, and treatment complexity. Pediatric
      subspecialty care clinics offer an opportunity for the implementation of
      integrated behavioral health (BH) care models that promote resiliency. This
      article reviews integrated BH care in oncology, palliative care, pain,
      neuropsychiatry, cystic fibrosis, and transplantation. Examples include
      integrated care mandates, standards of care, research, and quality improvement by
      child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) and allied BH clinicians. The role of
      CAPs in integrated BH care in subspecialty care is explored, focusing on cost,
      resource use, financial support, and patient and provider satisfaction.

PMID- 28916013
TI  - The Emergency Department: Challenges and Opportunities for Suicide Prevention.
AB  - Emergency departments (EDs) can offer life-saving suicide prevention care. This
      article focuses on the ED and emergency services as service delivery sites for
      suicide prevention. Characteristics of EDs, models of emergency care, ED
      screening and brief intervention models, and practice guidelines and parameters
      are reviewed. A care process model for youths at risk for suicide and self-harm
      is presented, with guidance for clinicians based on the scientific evidence.
      Strengthening emergency infrastructure and integrating effective suicide
      prevention strategies derived from scientific research are critical for advancing
      suicide prevention objectives.

PMID- 28916015
TI  - Evaluating Integrated Mental Health Care Programs for Children and Youth.
AB  - Evaluations of integrated care programs share many characteristics of evaluations
      of other complex health system interventions. However, evaluating integrated care
      for child and adolescent mental health poses special challenges that stem from
      the broad range of social, emotional, and developmental problems that need to be
      addressed; the need to integrate care for other family members; and the lack of
      evidence-based interventions already adapted for primary care settings.
      Integrated care programs for children's mental health need to adapt and learn on
      the fly, so that evaluations may best be viewed through the lens of continuous
      quality improvement rather than evaluations of fixed programs.

PMID- 28916016
TI  - Comparing Two Models of Integrated Behavioral Health Programs in Pediatric
      Primary Care.
AB  - This study examined how to design, staff, and evaluate the feasibility of 2
      different models of integrated behavioral health programs in pediatric primary
      care across primary care sites in the Bronx, NY. Results suggest that the
      Behavioral Health Integration Program model of pediatric integrated care is
      feasible and that hiring behavioral health staff with specific training in
      pediatric, evidence-informed behavioral health treatments may be a critical
      variable in increasing outcomes such as referral rates, self-reported competency,
      and satisfaction.

PMID- 28916017
TI  - Payment for Integrated Care: Challenges and Opportunities.
AB  - A multidisciplinary team approach to care and robust care coordination services
      are primary components of almost all integrated care delivery systems. Given that
      these services have limited reimbursement in fee-for-service payment
      arrangements, integrating care in a fee-for-service environment is almost
      impossible. Capitated payment models hold promise for supporting integrated
      behavioral and physical health services. There are multiple national examples of
      integrated care delivery systems supported by capitated payment arrangements.

PMID- 28916018
TI  - Essential Elements of a Collaborative Mental Health Training Program for Primary
      Care.
AB  - Mental health integration in primary care is based on creating an environment
      that encourages collaboration and supports appropriate care for patients and
      families while offering a full range of services. Training programs for primary
      care practitioners should include sessions on how to build and maintain such a
      practice along with information on basic mental health competencies.

PMID- 28916019
TI  - The Basic Science of Behavior Change and Its Application to Pediatric Providers.
AB  - Pediatric primary care providers (PPCPs) are increasingly expected to know how to
      assess, diagnose, and treat a wide range of mental health problems in children
      and adolescents. For many PPCPs, this means learning and performing new practice
      behaviors that were not taught in their residency training. Typical continuing
      education approaches to engage PPCPs in new practices have not yielded the
      desired changes in provider behavior. This article summarizes behavior change
      principles identified through basic behavior science, adult education, and
      communication research, and discusses their application to a patient-centered
      pediatric primary care mental health curriculum.

PMID- 28916021
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28916020
TI  - Healthy Minds-Healthy Kids: Integrating Care.

PMID- 28916022
TI  - Oral dermatology: Part II.

PMID- 28916023
TI  - Behcet disease: New aspects.
AB  - Behcet disease is currently considered an "autoinflammatory disease" triggered by
      infection and environmental factors in genetically predisposed individuals.
      Although the disease is characterized by recurrent oral and genital aphthous
      ulcers and ocular involvement, it can affect multiple organ systems. Complex
      aphthosis is characterized by recurrent oral and/or genital aphthous ulcers. It
      is important to evaluate the patient with complex aphthosis for Behcet disease
      and related systemic disorders. We discuss the etiopathogenesis, clinical
      features, diagnostic criteria, and treatment approaches for complex aphthosis and
      Behcet disease in light of the current literature.

PMID- 28916024
TI  - Contact stomatitis.
AB  - Contact stomatitis occurs in up to 10% of the population. Mechanical or chemical
      irritation, ill-fitting dentures, and dental fillings can induce irritant contact
      stomatitis. Type I hypersensitivity and type IV hypersensitivity to dental
      products and foods are frequently responsible for the allergic types of contact
      stomatitis. We review the causal agents of contact stomatitis, the differential
      diagnoses, diagnostic testing, and potential treatment.

PMID- 28916025
TI  - Oral manifestations of nutritional disorders.
AB  - Nutritional deficiencies occur when body metabolic requirements are not matched
      by intake and absorption. Reasons for this discrepancy are numerous, but often
      social, economic, medical, and even psychiatric factors may play a role. Vitamins
      and minerals are required for appropriate rapid cell turnover of the oral mucosa.
      The oral cavity is a unique anatomic environment that may manifest early signs of
      nutritional disorders as well as other indicators of systemic disease. Knowledge
      of these oral manifestations and associated findings will allow a practitioner to
      consider a nutritional disorder when evaluating oral changes and, in turn,
      initiate appropriate therapy. A systematic approach to examination of the mouth
      and perioral skin is suggested. A detailed medical and social history complements
      the physical examination in identifying patients at risk for nutritional
      disorders and heightening the clinical suspicion to warrant additional
      nutritional screening. The rising prevalence of anorexia and bulimia, as well as
      fad diets, add to the population of patients at risk for vitamin and mineral
      deficiencies that a clinician must now consider.

PMID- 28916026
TI  - A diagnostic and therapeutic approach to primary burning mouth syndrome.
AB  - Primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an oral mucosal disorder that is
      characterized by a chronic and often debilitating intraoral burning sensation for
      which no localized or systemic cause can be found. BMS most commonly affects
      postmenopausal women. The pathophysiology of primary BMS is not well understood.
      Diagnosing BMS can prove to be challenging. BMS patients can also pose a
      therapeutic challenge to clinicians who are consulted to evaluate these patients.
      Most commonly used therapies include tricyclic antidepressants, alpha-lipoic
      acid, clonazepam, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Clinical judgment, patient
      counseling, and monitoring of pain are important. Further research is required to
      assess the effectiveness of serotonin and newer serotonin-noradrenalin reuptake
      inhibitors.

PMID- 28916027
TI  - Oral leukoplakia and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Oral leukoplakia is defined as a white oral lesion not related to another disease
      process. These lesions are largely asymptomatic, and the clinical relevance of
      oral leukoplakia is primarily tied to its association with oral cavity squamous
      cell carcinoma. Timely workup and effective management of these lesions can
      reduce the risk of malignant transformation and promote early diagnosis of
      invasive tumors. A biopsy should be performed promptly of any persistent or
      suspicious leukoplakia with subsequent management dictated by histologic
      findings. Benign lesions can be observed or treated with topical therapy, and
      dysplastic lesions should be excised. Some risk of malignant transformation
      remains even after treatment, and close follow-up is required. Oral cavity
      squamous cell carcinoma is an aggressive malignancy that can result from
      malignant conversion of oral leukoplakia or occur de novo. These tumors are
      primarily treated with surgical resection and adjuvant radiation or
      chemoradiation as dictated by histopathologic findings.

PMID- 28916028
TI  - Etiology, evaluation, and management of xerostomia.
AB  - Xerostomia is defined as the complaint of oral dryness. It is a condition that
      primarily affects older adults and can have a significant negative effect on
      one's quality of life. Patients with xerostomia often do not have objective signs
      of hyposalivation. The underlying etiology of xerostomia includes a variety of
      systemic diseases and local factors. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive review
      of the differential diagnosis, evaluation, and management of xerostomia. Prompt
      diagnosis and management can alleviate the clinical manifestations of this
      debilitating condition.

PMID- 28916029
TI  - Oral mucosa biology and salivary biomarkers.
AB  - Although the surfaces of both the skin and oral mucosa are protected by squamous
      epithelial cells and fall within the scope of dermatologic practice, the oral
      cavity contains highly specialized structures and functions distinct from other
      skin biology and pathologic conditions and are also the purview of clinicians who
      care for patients with skin and mucosal diseases. We describe the distinct
      features of the tongue, mucosa, and salivary glands. In particular, we examine
      the composition and function of the saliva, with special focus on salivary
      biomarkers. Within the oral cavity, saliva shows great promise as a noninvasive
      and sensitive marker for many systemic diseases. Biomarkers are being used as
      diagnostic or monitoring tools for a wide variety of diseases, including systemic
      lupus erythematosus, Sjogren disease, Behcet disease, and autoimmune blistering
      disorders, as well as premalignant and malignant lesions of the mouth.

PMID- 28916030
TI  - Fellowship candidate selection at the BEST Medical Center: A novel process.
AB  - Dr. Ida Lystic completed her MD degree at the prestigious Harvey Medical School
      (which has since been renamed the Harvey Provider School) and her residency in
      internal medicine and gastroenterology fellowship at the OTHER (Owen T. Henry and
      Eugene Rutherford) Medical Center. She was subsequently hired as an assistant
      professor at the BEST (Byron Edwards and Samuel Thompson) Medical Center in 2015.
      After eventually completing an extensive list of employment requirements, she was
      able to begin seeing patients. She had not anticipated a change in the electronic
      medical record systems-from the user-friendly intuitive SIMPLE (Succinct Input
      Making Patients' Lives Electronic) system to the complicated and challenging
      LEGEND (perhaps, as her colleagues had suggested, Lengthy and Excessively Graded
      Evaluation and Nomenclature for Diagnosis) system. Nor had she expected some of
      the challenges encountered in her daily clinic routine: The lack of schedulers
      for her patients (based on recommendations by the Optima Efficiency Consultant
      Group and incorporated by the BEST efficiency department) and the addition of egg
      timers on the doors along with a compliance spreadsheet and corrective action
      plan for the tardy physicians to complete to encourage punctuality (based on the
      assessment of the Wait Time Committee). She joined the LOST (Laboratory OverSight
      and Testing) Committee, because participation to support BEST Medical Center
      practices is strongly suggested for faculty seeking promotion; however, when the
      new committee chairman-who is a surgeon-was elected, the noon meetings were
      rescheduled for 6:00 am each month. At the request of her recently divorced
      department chairman, the philandering Dr. Seymore Fox, she became deputy head of
      the Gastroenterology Fellowship Selection Committee; she recently coordinated the
      selection of the physicians for next year's fellowship. The fellowship candidate
      selection process at the BEST Medical School is probably similar to that
      performed at the OTHER Medical Center; however, innovative interview techniques
      such as assessment for manual dexterity (with the "space race") and typing skills
      have been incorporated to enhance the selection of the best candidates. Dr. Ida
      Lystic, the gastroenterology department, and the medical school at "the BEST
      Medical Center" are creations of the author's imagination; yet, many of the
      anecdotes are based on actual events whose details have been modified to protect
      the guilty.

PMID- 28916031
TI  - Dermatosis papulosa nigra: a clinically and histopathologically distinct entity.
AB  - Dermatosis papulosa nigra was first described by Aldo Castellani (1874-1971) more
      than 90 years ago, and it has since been presumed to be a variant of seborrheic
      keratosis. Despite their morphologic similarities both macroscopically and
      microscopically, key differences have yet to be explained. These lesions also
      exhibit different demographics, with dermatosis papulosa nigra having a
      predilection for dark-skinned individuals and a female predominance. No studies
      to date have investigated this, but studies assessing the mechanisms of similar
      dermatologic conditions may yield significant clues. The additional impact of
      environmental factors may also be important, but much controversy exists. Further
      investigations into dermatosis papulosa nigra are necessary to determine its
      pathogenesis and whether it should be regarded as a distinct entity.

PMID- 28916032
TI  - Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) in chemical analysis - A review.
AB  - This review highlights the increasing interest in polymer inclusion membranes
      (PIMs) in analytical chemistry as they are adapted to new and novel applications.
      PIMs are polymer-based liquid membranes and were first introduced 50 years ago as
      the sensing membranes in ion-selective electrodes and optodes. More recently
      however, PIMs have been used for other applications in analytical chemistry such
      as for sample separation, sample pre-concentration, electro-driven extraction,
      and passive sampling, and have also been incorporated into on-line and automated
      analysis systems. The present review provides a general overview of the
      analytical chemistry applications of PIMs reported in the literature to date and
      illustrates their versatility for solving challenging chemical analysis problems.

PMID- 28916033
TI  - Ca2+ detection utilising AlGaN/GaN transistors with ion-selective polymer
      membranes.
AB  - We demonstrate highly selective and sensitive potentiometric ion sensors for
      calcium ion detection, operated without the use of a reference electrode. The
      sensors consist of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure-based transistor devices with
      chemical functionalisation of the gate area using poly (vinylchloride)-based
      (PVC) membranes having high selectivity towards calcium ions, Ca2+. The sensors
      exhibited stable and rapid responses when introduced to various concentrations of
      Ca2+. In both 0.01 M KCl and 0.01 M NaCl ionic strength buffer solutions, the
      sensors exhibited near Nernstian responses with detection limits of less than 10
      7 M, and a linear response range between 10-7-10-2 M. Also, detection limits of
      less than 10-6 M were achieved for the sensors in both 0.01 M MgCl2 and 0.01 M
      LiCl buffer solutions. AlGaN/GaN-based devices for Ca2+ detection demonstrate
      excellent selectivity and response range for a wide variety of applications. This
      work represents an important step towards multi-ion sensing using arrays of ion
      selective field effect transistor (ISFET) devices.

PMID- 28916034
TI  - Colorimetric biosensor based on a DNAzyme primer and its application in logic
      gate operations for DNA screening.
AB  - A colorimetric biosensor for DNA screening was designed based on the
      conformational changes of the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-mimicking DNAzyme. The
      scheme of DNA biosensing was designed based on the base pairing of DNAzyme
      sequence to inhibit the formation of HRP-mimicking hemin/G-quadruplex structures
      in the process of amplification. DNA could be amplified via the universal primer
      multiplex polymerase chain reaction (UP-M-PCR) and innovatively detected as color
      disappear in the reaction visible to the naked eye. The input of key factors and
      the output of optical characteristics in the reaction inspired the development of
      an OR logic gate operation for DNA detection. This biosensor overcomes self
      inhibition and amplification disparity with the help of UP-M-PCR, thereby
      exhibiting high specificity and high-throughput without the requirement of gel
      analysis work. This biosensing system also presented 1% sensitivity and
      approximately 180 copy numbers in triplicate. The biosensor was used to screen
      elements from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and covered more than 90% of
      all globally authorized events in the world. The designed colorimetric biosensor
      is a rapid, portable and versatile tool for nucleic acids detection and diagnosis
      in the field.

PMID- 28916035
TI  - Sensitive prostate specific antigen quantification using dihydrolipoic acid
      surface-functionalized phosphorescent quantum dots.
AB  - Herein, high-quality Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized using
      a facile approach directly in aqueous media. The surface of the obtained QDs was
      further modified by cap-exchange of the native cysteine shell with dihydrolipoic
      acid (DHLA) ligands resulting in nanocrystals with high water-stability having an
      intense phosphorescent signal. Covalent bioconjugation of the DHLA-coated
      nanoparticles with an anti-IgG antibody was then carried out. Interestingly the
      QD immunoprobe (QD-labelled antibodies) maintained an intense phosphorescence
      emission, without any significant spectral-shift (as compared to the free QDs).
      Coupling of an asymmetric flow field flow fractionation technique to an elemental
      mass spectrometry detection enabled the accurate determination of the efficiency
      of the bioconjugation reaction. The obtained nanoparticle-antibody bioconjugate
      was then applied to develop a quantitative sandwich-type phosphorescent
      immunoassay for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), and a limit of detection (LOD)
      of 17 pg mL-1 of PSA was achieved and allow to quantify such biomarker in samples
      within clinically relevant levels. Finally, the assay was validated for the
      quantification of PSA in the cellular media of prostate cancer cells. Obtained
      results proved the robustness of the proposed immunoassay based on long-lived
      phosphorescence measurements against eventual photoluminescent interferences
      significantly affecting the conventional short-lived fluorescence detection.

PMID- 28916036
TI  - Determination of methotrexate in spiked human blood serum using multi-frequency
      electrochemical immittance spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis.
AB  - This article describes an attempt to develop a sensor based on multi-frequency
      immittance spectroscopy for the determination of methotrexate (MTX) in blood
      serum using gold electrodes modified with antibodies. The attachment of
      antibodies was monitored with electrochemical immittance spectroscopy (EIS) and X
      ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The EIS measurements of MTX resulted in a
      data matrix of size 39 * 55. The data were analysed using multivariate data
      analysis and showed a concentration dependence and time dependence that could be
      separated. This allowed the calculation of a multivariate calibration model. The
      model showed good linear behavior on a logarithmic scale offering a detection
      limit of 5 * 10-12 mol L-1.

PMID- 28916037
TI  - Electrochemical aptasensor for human osteopontin detection using a DNA aptamer
      selected by SELEX.
AB  - A DNA aptamer with affinity and specificity for human osteopontin (OPN), a
      potential breast cancer biomarker, was selected using the SELEX process,
      considering its homology rate and the stability of its secondary structures. This
      aptamer exhibited a satisfactory affinity towards OPN, showing dissociation
      constants lower than 2.5 nM. It was further used to develop a simple, label-free
      electrochemical aptasensor against OPN. The aptasensor showed good sensitivity
      towards OPN in standard solutions, being the square wave voltammetry (SWV),
      compared to the cyclic voltammetry, the most sensitive technique with detection
      and quantification limits of 1.4 +/- 0.4 nM and 4.2 +/- 1.1 nM, respectively. It
      showed good reproducibility and acceptable selectivity, exhibiting low signal
      interferences from other proteins, as thrombin, with 2.6-10 times lower current
      signals-off than for OPN. The aptasensor also successfully detected OPN in spiked
      synthetic human plasma. Using SWV, detection and quantification limits (1.3 +/-
      0.1 and 3.9 +/- 0.4 nM) within the OPN plasma levels reported for patients with
      breast cancer (0.4-4.5 nM) or with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer (0.9-8.4
      nM) were found. Moreover, preliminary assays, using a sample of human plasma,
      showed that the aptasensor and the standard ELISA method quantified similar OPN
      levels (2.2 +/- 0.7 and 1.7 +/- 0.1 nM, respectively). Thus, our aptasensor
      coupled with SWV represents a promising alternative for the detection of relevant
      breast cancer biomarkers.

PMID- 28916038
TI  - A tri-metal centered metal-organic framework for solid-phase microextraction of
      environmental contaminants with enhanced extraction efficiency.
AB  - This study presents the preparation and the characterizations of six tri-metal
      centered metal-organic frameworks (tM-MOFs) as solid-phase microextraction (SPME)
      adsorbents. Possessing different proportions of Al, Ga and In atoms in their
      frameworks, the tM-MOF-based SPME coatings exhibited different extraction
      performance towards the organic pollutants. Extraction results showed that the M4
      (Al0.593Ga0.167In0.240(O2C2H4)(h2fipbb)) coating exhibited the best enrichment
      ability among six tM-MOFs. In addition, it showed better extraction efficiency
      towards the analytes than three single-metal centered MOFs coatings and a
      commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating. The adsorption process of the M4
      coating was physical adsorption and it was mainly affected by the diffusion
      process of the compound from the sample to the material, which is the same with
      the adsorption processes of the single-metal centered MOFs coatings. Under
      optimal conditions (extraction time, 3 min; NaCl concentration, 25% (w/v);
      desorption temperature, 270  degrees C; extraction temperature, 30  degrees C),
      the M4 coating achieved low detection limits (0.13-0.88 ng L-1) and good
      linearity (5-2000 and 5-5000 ng L-1) for benzene series compounds. The
      repeatabilities (n = 5) for single fiber were between 4.3 and 8.1%, while the
      reproducibilities (n = 3) of fiber-to-fiber were in the range of 7.9-12.7%.
      Finally, a M4 coated SPME fiber was successfully applied to the analysis of
      environmental water samples with satisfactory recoveries (80.8%-119.5%).

PMID- 28916039
TI  - Highly sensitive method for aldehydes detection: Application to furfurals
      analysis in raisin and bovine milk powder.
AB  - A pre-column fluorescent derivatization method based on nitrone formation has
      been applied to determine furfurals (e.g. furfural (F), 5-methyfurfural (5-MF)
      and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF)) in food samples for the first time. An N
      substituted hydroxylamine reagent 4-((hydroxyamino)butyl)-7-hydroxycoumarin
      (HAHC) was used to react with the aldehyde group of furfurals to form stable
      nitrone derivatives with high fluorescence intensities. The reactions proceeded
      under mild conditions in 30 min with high derivatization yields (>93%). A
      baseline-separation of three furfurals derivatives was subsequently achieved
      within 25 min on a reversed-phase column. The detection limits were at the low
      femtomol level (S/N = 3, 20 MUL per injection). The linear range of the
      calibration curve was 0.4-4000 nM with good correlation coefficients (R2 >=
      0.9991). The proposed method was further applied for food sample analysis, such
      as bovine milk powder and raisin. Satisfactory recoveries were obtained in the
      range of 94.7%-103.5%. Above all, this pre-column derivatization method is
      simple, fast and highly sensitive, providing an effective and promising way for
      future studies of aldehydes in different matrices.

PMID- 28916041
TI  - Polydopamine-functionalized poly(ether ether ketone) tube for capillary
      electrophoresis-mass spectrometry.
AB  - Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) is a hyphenated technique
      that combines the advantages like low sample consumption, high separation
      efficiency, short analytical time in CE and high sensitivity, powerful molecular
      structure elucidation in MS. Polyimide-coated fused silica capillary has become
      the most dominant capillary for CE, but it suffers from swelling and aminolysis
      of polyimide coating when treated with organic solvents and alkaline buffer in
      the CE-MS interface in which the polyimide coating at the end of the capillary is
      exposed to the solution, and this phenomenon can result in current instability,
      irregular electrospray and clogging at outlet after prolonged use. In this work,
      poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) capillary was explored as separation capillary
      for CE-MS. The problems like swelling and aminolysis of polyimide coating were
      solved due to the high thermal and chemical stability of PEEK material. After
      modification with polydopamine, PEEK capillary (PD-PEEK) can generate adjustable
      electroosmotic flow and provide good separation selectivity. The zwitterion
      polymer of polydopamine can provide cathodic electroosmotic flow (EOF) at high pH
      value (pH >= 5) and anodic EOF at low pH value (pH <= 4), and the EOF mobility
      can also be adjusted by controlling the modification time of polydopamine. Good
      separation performance was obtained in the analysis for several classes of
      compounds including amino acids, phenols and plant hormones at rational EOF
      direction. Repeatability of the PD-PEEK capillary was studied, with relative
      standard deviations for intra-day, inter-day runs and between tubes less than
      4.94%.

PMID- 28916040
TI  - Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry for the analysis of
      polyamines in plant micro-tissues using cucurbituril as a host molecule.
AB  - In this study, a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass
      spectrometry (MS) strategy using cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n]) as a host molecule is
      proposed for the analysis of low molecular weight (LMW) compounds in complex
      samples. As a proof-of-concept, CB[6] was selected as the host molecule, and
      endogenous polyamines in plant tissue were chosen as the target analytes. Due to
      the molecular recognition and mass shifting properties of CB[6], the ionic
      signals associated with polyamines were moved to the higher mass region (>1000
      Da) after specifically binding to CB[6], while signal interference derived from
      the conventional organic matrix and the complex sample matrix remained in the low
      mass region because of the incompatibility of their molecular size with CB[6]
      cavities. The strategy not only facilitated the analysis of LMW compounds in
      complex samples by MALDI MS, but also offered high throughput by accomplishing
      the entire analytical procedure within 10 min. The detection of polyamine
      concentration showed good linearity in the range of 0.02-10.0 ng/MUL with
      correlation coefficients (R) greater than 0.9915. The limits of detection were
      8.8-28.8 pg. The good reproducibility and reliability of the method were
      demonstrated by excellent intraday and interday precisions with relative standard
      deviations less than 7.9%, and the recovery ranged from 92.1% to 117.1%. Finally,
      the good sensitivity of the method allowed for the quantitative analysis of
      endogenous polyamine concentrations in various micro-tissues of Arabidopsis
      thaliana (20.0-740.0 MUg fresh weight for each sample).

PMID- 28916043
TI  - Nocturnal hypoglycemic alarm based on near-infrared spectroscopy: In vitro
      simulation studies.
AB  - An alarm algorithm for detecting episodes of nocturnal hypoglycemia is
      demonstrated in simulation studies that incorporate the use of a tissue phantom.
      Based on transmission spectra collected in the near-infrared combination region
      of 4000-5000 cm-1, pattern recognition methods are used to classify spectra into
      alarm and non-alarm data classes on the basis of whether or not they signify a
      glucose excursion below a user-defined hypoglycemic alarm threshold. A reference
      spectrum and corresponding glucose concentration are acquired at the start of the
      monitoring period, and absorbance values of subsequent spectra are computed
      relative to this reference. The resulting differential spectra reflect
      differential glucose concentrations that correspond to the differences in
      concentration between each spectrum and the reference. Given the alarm threshold,
      a database of calibration differential spectra are partitioned into those above
      and below the threshold. Piecewise linear discriminant analysis is then used to
      compute a classification model that can be applied to differential spectra
      collected during the monitoring period in order to identify spectra that signal
      glucose concentrations in the hypoglycemic range. This alarm algorithm is
      demonstrated in two multiple-day dynamic studies that incorporate a tissue
      phantom composed of films of keratin and collagen that approximate the
      thicknesses of the corresponding proteins found in human tissue.

PMID- 28916042
TI  - Urinary intermediates of tryptophan as indicators of the gut microbial
      metabolism.
AB  - While over 10% of the human metabolome is directly associated with the gut
      microbial metabolism, specific metabolites are largely uncharacterized.
      Therefore, methods for the identification and quantification of microbiota
      associated metabolites in biological fluids such as urine or plasma are necessary
      in order to elucidate the molecular basis of host-microbiota interaction. In this
      study, we focused on the tryptophan metabolism, employing quantitative assays by
      ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and tandem mass
      spectrometry, specifically selected reaction monitoring (SRM). Metabolite
      standards were utilized to generate SRM library for 16 intermediates of the
      tryptophan metabolism which were human endogenous as well as microbiota
      associated based on the HMDB classification. Next, the SRM assays were utilized
      for screening in maternal urine samples and in dried urine specimens from
      neonates. The approach resulted in the discovery of microbiota-associated
      metabolites (methyl indole-3-acetate and methyl indol-3-propionate) previously
      unreported in urine samples and additionally in quantification of 8 intermediates
      of the tryptophan metabolism. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents
      the first attempt to explore previously unreported microbial metabolites in urine
      by UHPLC-SRM and novel methodology for simultaneous determination of microbiota
      modulated component of Trp metabolism.

PMID- 28916044
TI  - Antibiotic-affinity strategy for bioluminescent detection of viable Gram-positive
      bacteria using daptomycin as recognition agent.
AB  - A bioluminescent method was proposed for rapid detection of viable Gram-positive
      bacteria based on a novel antibiotic-affinity strategy on a magnetic beads (MBs)
      platform. Daptomycin, a highly efficient lipopeptide antibiotic for Gram-positive
      bacteria, was used as a recognition agent to functionalize MBs. The daptomycin
      functionalized MBs showed high capture and concentration efficiency for Gram
      positive bacteria due to the strong binding between daptomycin and bacterial cell
      membrane in the presence of Ca2+ ion. The captured bacteria were lysed by
      hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide solution, followed by a bioluminescent
      detection of the released intracellular adenosine triphosphate. Four Gram
      positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans,
      Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus epidermidis, were detected as model bacteria
      by this method. Under the optimal conditions, the bacteria could be detected
      within a linear range of 1.0 * 102-3.0 * 106 CFU mL-1, with a detection limit of
      33 CFU mL-1. The whole detection procedure could be completed within 20 min. Gram
      negative bacteria and dead Gram-positive bacteria showed negligible interference
      to the detection of viable Gram-positive bacteria. The proposed method was
      successfully applied to quantify the amount of viable Gram-positive bacteria in
      cheese, milk, lake water, human urine and physiological saline injection with
      acceptable recovery values ranging from 75.0% to 120.0%. The strategy possessed
      some advantages such as high sensitivity, short assay time and simple operation,
      thus showed great promise for food hygiene, environment monitoring, clinical
      diagnosis and drug safety.

PMID- 28916045
TI  - Evaluation of fluorogenic substrates for Ni/Co LDHs peroxidase mimic and
      application for determination of inhibitory effects of antioxidant.
AB  - Nanomaterial-based peroxidase-mimetics are an emerging research field that
      promises to produce alternatives to horseradish peroxidase for a variety of
      applications. Generally, some peroxidase-mimetics substrates are used in acidic
      condition (pH <= 7). Then, it is necessary to screen some peroxidase-mimetics
      substrates suitable for basic condition because that some peroxidase-mimetics
      leached ions in acidic solution. In this paper, using Ni/Co layered double
      hydroxides (LDHs) as a nano-peroxidase mimic model, we evaluated three
      fluorogenic substrates suitable for basic condition though experimental
      conditions, reaction kinetic and glucose detection assay. And the detection of
      glucose method based on homovanillic acid (HVA) as fluorescent substrate gave
      wide linear range (0.02-20 MUM) and low detection limit (0.01 MUM). We also
      developed a novel platform that could study the inhibitory effects of ascorbic
      acid and glutathione based on the system of Ni/Co LDHs-HVA-H2O2.

PMID- 28916046
TI  - Inflammatory response and long-term behavioral assessment after neonatal CO2
      pneumothorax: study in a rodent model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carbon-dioxide (CO2)-pneumothorax during minimally invasive surgery
      induces well-known metabolic changes. However, little is known about its impact
      on the central nervous system. The aim of this work is to evaluate the acute
      impact of CO2-pneumothorax over central cytokine response and its long-term
      effect on animal behavior. METHODS: This is an experimental study where neonatal
      Sprague-Dawley rats are submitted to CO2-pneumothorax. Peripheral and central
      cytokine response was evaluated 24h after insufflation, and peripheral immune
      cell phenotyping was evaluated 24h and 4weeks post-insufflation. Progenitor cell
      survival was evaluated in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and the behavioral
      analysis was performed in adulthood to test cognition, anxious-like, and
      depressive-like behavior. RESULTS: Significantly increased IL-10 levels were
      observed in the cerebrospinal-fluid (CSF) of animals submitted to CO2
      pneumothorax, while no differences were found in serum. Regarding pro
      inflammatory cytokines, no differences were observed in the periphery or
      centrally. CO2-pneumothorax event did not alter the survival of newborn cells in
      the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and no impact on long-term behavior was observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal animals submitted to CO2-pneumothorax present acutely
      increased CSF IL-10 levels. The CO2-pneumothorax seems to result in no
      significant outcome over neurodevelopment as no functional behavioral alterations
      were observed in adulthood.

PMID- 28916047
TI  - Anorectal malformation & Hirschsprung's disease: A cross-sectional comparison of
      quality of life and bowel function to healthy controls.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with anorectal malformation (ARM) and Hirschsprung's disease
      (HD) face long-term disturbance in bowel function even after definitive surgery.
      This study evaluates the quality of life (QOL) of patients with ARM and HD, and
      compares them to healthy controls using self-report questionnaires. METHODOLOGY:
      A prospective study was performed recruiting patients with ARM or HD from
      September 2013 to December 2014 who had primary surgery done in our institution
      at least 2 years prior to participation. Age-matched and gender-matched controls
      were enrolled from our patients with minor outpatient complaints. All
      participants completed the following PedsQLTM scales (maximum score 100): 4.0
      Generic Core Scales, 3.0 General Well-Being (GWB) Scale and 2.0 Family Impact
      (FI) Module. All were also scored on bowel function (BFS), with a maximum score
      20. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed, with significance level
      <0.05. RESULTS: There were 193 participants: 87 controls, 62 ARM, 44 HD. When
      comparing Core, GWB and FI scores, there were no significant differences between
      groups although controls had best scores indicating best QOL and general
      wellbeing, with least impact of the child's health on the family. BFS was
      significantly different with controls having best and ARM worst scores. There
      were no significant differences in scores between parent and child indicating
      intradyad consistency. There was significant positive correlation between BFS and
      Core (p<0.0001), and between BFS and GWB scores (p<0.005); and significant
      negative correlation between BFS and FI scores (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Bowel
      function impacts quality of life. Those with ARM and HD can achieve good quality
      of life comparable to controls, based on patient and caregiver self-reported
      outcomes. TYPE OF STUDY: Prospective comparative study LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level
      II.

PMID- 28916048
TI  - Patency of common carotid artery and internal jugular vein after a simple vessel
      sparing cannulation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Common carotid artery and internal jugular vein are commonly
      cannulated for establishment of peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation (VA ECMO) support. We present our results of a vessel sparing
      cannulation technique for neck vessels, which helps maintain vessel patency after
      decannulation. METHODS: All patients who underwent ECMO, between January 2004 and
      January 2013 at a single center, were retrospectively reviewed. Follow up data
      for the patency of common carotid artery (CCA) and internal jugular vein (IJV)
      after decannulation were recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-four consecutive patients who
      were successfully decannulated after VA ECMO support who underwent vessel sparing
      cannulation were retrospectively reviewed. Follow up data were unavailable in 4
      and 1 patient did not survive. Amongst the remaining 19 patients the median
      duration of ECMO support in the remaining was 7 (IQR; 4-10) days. Follow up
      studies documenting vessel patency were available for IJV in 18 patients and CCA
      in 14 patients. At a median follow up of 137days (IQR; 35-7240) 15 (78%) patients
      had patent IJVs and 14 (100%) patients had patent CCAs. CONCLUSION: The simple
      vessel sparing technique is effective in allowing restoration of the patency of
      the neck vessels after ECMO decannulation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Case series with no
      comparison group (Level IV).

PMID- 28916049
TI  - Optical Imaging Paves the Way for Autophagy Research.
AB  - Autophagy is a degradation process in eukaryotic cells that recycles cellular
      components for nutrition supply under environmental stress and plays a double
      edged role in development of major human diseases. Noninvasive optical imaging
      enables us to clearly visualize various classes of structures involved in
      autophagy at macroscopic and microscopic dynamic levels. In this review, we
      discuss important trends of emerging optical imaging technologies used to explore
      autophagy and provide insights into the mechanistic investigation and structural
      study of autophagy in mammalian cells. Some exciting new prospects and future
      research directions regarding optical imaging techniques in this field are also
      highlighted.

PMID- 28916050
TI  - Reply to "Contribution of serum lipoproteins in mortality risk assessment".

PMID- 28916051
TI  - Statin regulates NLRP1 inflammasome expression through SREBP1: A novel anti
      atherosclerotic mechanism.

PMID- 28916052
TI  - Statin potential Nlrp1 inflammasome gene expression modulation via Srebp-1
      pathway in peripheral arterial disease.

PMID- 28916053
TI  - Classification of Kounis syndrome.

PMID- 28916054
TI  - New classification of Kounis Syndrome.

PMID- 28916055
TI  - Bioresorbable stent thrombosis, lactic acid release and Kounis syndrome.

PMID- 28916056
TI  - Reply to Letter to the Editor entitled: "Bioresorbable stent thrombosis, lactic
      acid release and Kounis syndrome".

PMID- 28916057
TI  - Could low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels improve the performance of
      the CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores in predicting new atrial fibrillation?

PMID- 28916058
TI  - Low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels improve the performance of the
      CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores for the prediction of new-onset atrial
      fibrillation.

PMID- 28916059
TI  - New biomarkers in risk stratification in patients with atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 28916060
TI  - Is electrical cardioversion doable in atrial fibrillation without transesophageal
      echocardiography?

PMID- 28916061
TI  - MicroRNA-93 upregulation in coronary artery disease is potentially adaptive.

PMID- 28916062
TI  - Response by Phillips KP et al. to letter regarding article 'Long term outcomes
      from catheter ablation of very longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation'.

PMID- 28916063
TI  - Is the increased risk of thromboembolic events in adult congenital heart disease
      patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias accurate?

PMID- 28916064
TI  - Highlights of methodological approaches.

PMID- 28916065
TI  - LncRNA MALAT1: A potential regulator of autophagy in myocardial ischemia
      reperfusion injury.

PMID- 28916066
TI  - Drug-eluting stent failure: A complex scenario.

PMID- 28916067
TI  - Is the new risk factor algorithm accurate to predict frequent premature
      ventricular contraction-induced cardiomyopathy?

PMID- 28916068
TI  - Kaplan-Meier curve of retrospective study: Do not misuse it!

PMID- 28916069
TI  - Sirtuin 1 activation and cardioprotective role: Thy eternal summer shall not
      fade.

PMID- 28916070
TI  - Response to Red cell distribution width and risk of cardiovascular mortality:
      Insights from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)-III.

PMID- 28916071
TI  - LncRNA UCA1 modulates cardiomyocyte apoptosis by targeting miR-143 in myocardial
      ischemia-reperfusion injury.

PMID- 28916072
TI  - Letter to "Safety and efficacy of drug eluting stents in patients with
      spontaneous coronary artery dissection" by Conrotto F et al.

PMID- 28916073
TI  - Mitochondrial dynamics regulate myocardial contractility and vice versa.

PMID- 28916074
TI  - Response by Robert et al. to the letter regarding article "Time trends in
      hospital admissions and mortality due to abdominal aortic aneurysms in France,
      2002-2013".

PMID- 28916075
TI  - Dose-dependent effects of ivabradine on heart rate during maximal efforts in a
      woman with permanent atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 28916076
TI  - Should we perform invasive coronary angiography to all patients with suspected
      stress cardiomyopathy?

PMID- 28916077
TI  - D-dimer is a predictor of cardiovascular death, and new-onset atrial fibrillation
      in patients with systolic heart failure.

PMID- 28916078
TI  - DPP-4 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy to ameliorate diabetic metabolic
      memory.

PMID- 28916079
TI  - Takotsubo syndrome: Still a benign entity?

PMID- 28916080
TI  - PEDF ameliorates macrophage inflammation via NF-kappaB suppression.

PMID- 28916081
TI  - Response to: Ibn Nafis and the early description of the role of coronary arteries
      in blood supply of the heart.

PMID- 28916082
TI  - Suramin against myostatin signaling may be considered to intervene in female
      patients with advanced heart failure.

PMID- 28916083
TI  - A negative LGE is inconclusive to exclude an early cardiac amyloidosis: it's the
      time for a T1 mapping in clinical practice.

PMID- 28916084
TI  - The importance of anatomy on viewpoint of Avicenna.

PMID- 28916085
TI  - Avicenna or Ibn Nafis; who did mention to the role of coronary arteries in blood
      supply of the heart?

PMID- 28916086
TI  - Reply to letter to the editor "suramin against myostatin signaling may be
      considered to intervene in female patients with advanced heart failure".

PMID- 28916087
TI  - Statin and ezetimibe combination therapy: New therapeutic options for lowering
      Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol.

PMID- 28916088
TI  - The impact of anatomy in Avicenna's works.

PMID- 28916089
TI  - Is NPY causing myocardial ischemia in patients with microvascular angina
      associated with its abnormal constrictor response at the microcirculation level?

PMID- 28916090
TI  - Reply to the letter from He et al. Is NPY causing myocardial ischemia in patients
      with microvascular angina associated with its abnormal constrictor response at
      the microcirculation level?

PMID- 28916091
TI  - Retraction notice to "Ivabradine as adjuvant treatment for chronic heart failure"
      [Int. J. Cardiol. 227 (2017) 43-50].

PMID- 28916092
TI  - Cardiovascular safety of canagliflozin.

PMID- 28916093
TI  - Reply to: Cardiovascular safety of canagliflozin.

PMID- 28916094
TI  - Risk assessment of mortality in middle-aged adults.

PMID- 28916095
TI  - Review: Novel sensing strategies for bacterial detection based on active and
      passive methods driven by external field.
AB  - For sustainable human life, biosensing systems for contaminants or disease
      causing bacteria are crucial for food security, environmental improvement, and
      disease prevention. With an aim of enhancing the sensitivity and detection speed,
      many researchers have developed efficient detection methods for target bacteria.
      In this review, we discuss recent topics related to active and passive bacterial
      detection methods, including (1) optical approaches with unique functional nano-
      and micro-structures, and (2) electrical approaches involving mechanical
      modulation and electrochemical reactions. Particularly, we discuss the prospects
      in the development of label-free, rapid, and highly sensitive biosensors based on
      active detection principles with light-induced dynamics, in conjunction with
      dielectrophoresis-induced selective trapping.

PMID- 28916096
TI  - The preparation of a poly (pentaerythritol tetraglycidyl ether-co-poly ethylene
      imine) organic monolithic capillary column and its application in hydrophilic
      interaction chromatography for polar molecules.
AB  - An easy single-step thermal treatment "one-pot" approach for the preparation of
      poly (pentaerythritol tetraglycidyl ether-co-poly ethylene imine) organic
      monolithic capillary columns was developed successfully. The column was prepared
      by the epoxy-amine ring-opening polymerization of pentaerythritol tetraglycidyl
      ether (PTE) with poly (ethylene imine) (PEI) using acetonitrile (ACN) and
      polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600) as the porogenic system at 60  degrees C for 12
      h. The obtained monolith was homogeneous and permeable. It achieved the high
      efficiency separation of polar molecules including amides, nucleosides, bases,
      phenols, and benzoic acids in capillary liquid chromatography (cLC). The highest
      column efficiency reached ca. 101,000 plates/m (for guanine) on monolith poly(PTE
      co-PEI) at 0.64 mm/s, and satisfactory chromatographic performance with column
      efficiencies ranged from 45,500 to 97,000 plates/m was achieved for the four
      amides. A typical hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) retention
      mechanism was observed with high organic solvent contents (>60% ACN). Also, the
      polymer-based monolithic column was successfully applied to separate the tumor
      markers. Furthermore, the poly(PTE-co-PEI) monolith could be easily modified with
      1, 2-epoxydodecane, which reacted with the amino groups presented on the surface
      of the poly(PTE-co-PEI) monolith. Hydrophobic interactions were observed during
      the separation of alkylbenzenes and anilines on the post-modified poly(PTE-co
      PEI) monolith. Together, these results confirm the feasibility of the epoxy-amine
      ring-opening polymerization reaction during the fabrication of a monolithic
      column with high efficiency for cLC applications.

PMID- 28916097
TI  - Determination of 99Tc in fresh water using TRU resin by ICP-MS.
AB  - Technetium-99 (99Tc) determination at trace level by inductively coupled plasma
      mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is challenging because there is no readily available
      appropriate Tc isotopic tracer. A new method using Re as a recovery tracer to
      determine 99Tc in fresh water samples, which does not require any evaporation
      step, was developed. Tc(VII) and Re(VII) were pre-concentrated on a small anion
      exchange resin (AER) cartridge from one litre of water sample. They were then
      efficiently eluted from the AER using a potassium permanganate (KMnO4) solution.
      After the reduction of KMnO4 in 2 M sulfuric acid solution, the sample was passed
      through a small TRU resin cartridge. Tc(VII) and Re(VII) retained on the TRU
      resin were eluted using near boiling water, which can be directly used for the
      ICP-MS measurement. The results for method optimisation, validation and
      application were reported.

PMID- 28916098
TI  - pi-Extended triptycene-based material for capillary gas chromatographic
      separations.
AB  - Triptycene-based materials feature favorable physicochemical properties and
      unique molecular recognition ability that offer good potential as stationary
      phases for capillary gas chromatography (GC). Herein, we report the investigation
      of utilizing a pi-extended triptycene material (denoted as TQPP) for GC
      separations. As a result, the TQPP capillary column exhibited high column
      efficiency of 4030 plates m-1 and high-resolution performance for a wide range of
      analytes, especially structural and positional isomers. Interestingly, the TQPP
      stationary phase showed unique shape selectivity for alkanes isomers and
      preferential retention for analytes with halogen atoms and H-bonding nature
      mainly through their halogen-bonding and H-bonding interactions. In addition, the
      TQPP column had good repeatability and reproducibility with the RSD values of
      0.02-0.34% for run-to-run, 0.09-0.80% for day-to-day and 1.4-5.2% for column-to
      column, respectively, and favorable thermal stability up to 280  degrees C. This
      work demonstrates the promising future of triptycene-based materials as a new
      class of stationary phases for GC separations.

PMID- 28916099
TI  - A modified DGT technique for the simultaneous measurement of dissolved inorganic
      nitrogen and phosphorus in freshwaters.
AB  - A modified diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique uses both a mixed
      binding layer (PrCH and A520E resins for NH4-N and NO3-N, respectively) and
      multiple binding layers (Metsorb binding layer for PO4-P overlying the mixed
      binding layer) for the simultaneous measurement of dissolved inorganic nitrogen
      (nitrate and ammonium) and phosphate in freshwater (INP-DGT). High uptake and
      elution efficiencies were determined for a mixed (PrCH/A520E) binding gel for
      dissolved inorganic nitrogen and an agarose-based Metsorb binding layer for PO4
      P. Diffusion coefficients (D) obtained from DGT time-series experiments
      (conductivity 180 MUS cm-1) for NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P agreed well with those
      measured using individual DGT techniques in previous studies, but were
      characterised over a wider range of ionic strengths here. D for NO3-N and PO4-P
      were constant over a range of ionic strengths (between 100 and 800 MUS cm-1)
      while the diffusion coefficient for NH4-N decreased with increasing ionic
      strength, as reported previously. The measurement of NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P using
      the INP-DGT was independent of pH (3.5-8.5) and quantitative over varying ionic
      strength ranges (up to 0.004 mol L-1 NaCl for NH4-N, up to 0.014 mol L-1 NaCl for
      NO3-N and over 0.1 mol L-1 NaCl for PO4-P) for a 24 h deployment time.
      Performance of INP-DGT in synthetic freshwaters with differing conductivity
      indicated the three nutrients were affected differently, with NH4-N measurements
      being most sensitive. Representative performance was determined for NO3-N (90-330
      MUS cm-1) and PO4-P (all tested conductivities) over a 72 h deployment period and
      for NH4-N (<330 MUS cm-1) over a 24 h deployment period. Field validations showed
      that the ratios of INP-DGT concentrations to the average concentrations from grab
      samples were generally between 0.80 and 1.13 over 24 and 48 h deployment periods.
      To ensure the representative performance of INP-DGT for all three nutrients, the
      conductivity should not exceed 400 MUS cm-1 and deployment times should be no
      longer than 24 h. The results of this study have demonstrated that INP-DGT could
      provide a cost-effective monitoring technique for measuring time-weighted average
      concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients in many freshwaters.

PMID- 28916100
TI  - Improving wastewater-based epidemiology to estimate cannabis use: focus on the
      initial aspects of the analytical procedure.
AB  - Wastewater-based epidemiology is a promising and complementary tool for
      estimating drug use by the general population, based on the quantitative analysis
      of specific human metabolites of illicit drugs in urban wastewater. Cannabis is
      the most commonly used illicit drug and of high interest for epidemiologists.
      However, the inclusion of its main human urinary metabolite 11-nor-9-carboxy
      Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in wastewater-based epidemiology has
      presented several challenges and concentrations seem to depend heavily on
      environmental factors, sample preparation and analyses, commonly resulting in an
      underestimation. The aim of the present study is to investigate, identify and
      diminish the source of bias when analysing THC-COOH in wastewater. Several
      experiments were performed to individually assess different aspects of THC-COOH
      determination in wastewater, such as the number of freeze-thaw cycles,
      filtration, sorption to different container materials and in-sample stability,
      and the most suitable order of preparatory steps. Results highlighted the
      filtration step and adjustment of the sample pH as the most critical parameters
      to take into account when analysing THC-COOH in wastewater. Furthermore, the
      order of these initial steps of the analytical procedure is crucial. Findings
      were translated into a recommended best-practice protocol and an inter-laboratory
      study was organized with eight laboratories that tested the performance of the
      proposed procedure. Results were found satisfactory with z-scores <= 2.

PMID- 28916101
TI  - Improved analytical techniques of sulfur isotopic composition in nanomole
      quantities by MC-ICP-MS.
AB  - We propose an improved method for precise sulfur isotopic measurements by multi
      collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) in conjunction
      with a membrane desolvation nebulization system. The problems of sulfur loss
      through the membrane desolvation apparatus are carefully quantified and resolved.
      The method overcomes low intrinsic sulfur transmission through the instrument,
      which was initially 1% when operating at a desolvation temperature of 160 
      degrees C. Sulfur loss through the membrane desolvation apparatus was resolved by
      doping with sodium. A Na/S ratio of 2 mol mol-1 produced sulfur transmissions
      with 98% recovery. Samples of 3 nmol (100 ng) sulfur achieved an external
      precision of +/-0.180/00 (2 SD) for delta34S and +/-0.100/00 (2 SD) for Delta33S
      (uppercase delta expresses the extent of mass-independent isotopic
      fractionation). Measurements made on certified reference materials and in-house
      standards demonstrate analytical accuracy and reproducibility. We applied the
      method to examine microbial-induced sulfur transformation in marine sediment pore
      waters from the sulfate-methane transition zone. The technique is quite
      versatile, and can be applied to a range of materials, including natural waters
      and minerals.

PMID- 28916102
TI  - Identification of novel non-ionic, cationic, zwitterionic, and anionic
      polyfluoroalkyl substances using UPLC-TOF-MSE high-resolution parent ion search.
AB  - Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (poly- and per-PFASs) are a large group of
      organic compounds that have become the target of investigation due to their
      widespread occurrence in the environment and biota, coupled with their known or
      suspected impacts on human health. Recent studies have shown that a significant
      portion of poly-PFASs remain unidentified. This study presents a time-of-flight
      mass spectrometry approach based on continuously interleaving scans at low and
      high collision energies (ToF-MSE) for the rapid identification and
      characterization of unknown PFASs. The MSE mode allowed for the simultaneous
      acquisition of full-spectrum accurate mass data of both parent and fragment ions
      in a single chromatographic run. Specific to PFASs, the hypothesis that PFASs can
      be selectively detected by the ToF-MSE high-resolution parent-ion search (HRPIS)
      of their characteristic fragments was confirmed with certified standards of 24
      poly- and per-PFAS. After being validated with these certified standards, the
      innovative HRPIS approach was applied to a group of commercial surfactants, which
      led to the identification of 47 new and 43 infrequently reported PFASs, including
      40 non-ionic, 30 cationic, 15 zwitterionic, and five anionic compounds. It is
      envisaged that the results, especially the identification of new non-ionic PFASs,
      may provide important insights into the historical occupational and non
      occupational exposure to PFASs from the production and application of these
      surfactants.

PMID- 28916103
TI  - Controlled, synchronized actuation of microdroplets by gravity in a
      superhydrophobic, 3D-printed device.
AB  - Droplet manipulation over open surfaces allows one to perform assays with a large
      degree of control and high throughput, making them appealing for applications in
      drug screening or (bio)analysis. However, the design, manufacturing and operation
      of these systems comes with high technical requirements. In this study we employ
      a commercial, low-friction, superhydrophobic coating, Ultra-Ever Dry(r), on a 3D
      printed microfluidic device. The device features individual droplet compartments,
      which allow the manipulation of discrete droplets (10-50 MUL) actuated by gravity
      alone. Simply by angling the device to normal in a 3D-printed holder and rocking
      in a "to and fro"-fashion, a sequence of droplets can be individually transferred
      to an electrochemical microelectrode detector and then to waste, while preserving
      the (chronological) order of samples. Multiple biological fluids (i.e. human
      saliva, urine and rat blood and serum) were successfully tested for compatibility
      with the device and actuation mechanism, demonstrating low slip angles and high
      contact angles. Biological matrix (protein) carryover was probed and effectively
      mitigated by incorporating aqueous rinse droplets as part of the analysis
      sequence. As a proof-of-concept, the enzyme-coupled, amperometric detection of
      glucose was carried out on individual rat serum droplets, enabling total analysis
      in ~30 min, including calibration. The device is readily customizable, and the
      integration of droplet generation techniques and other sensor systems for
      different analytes of interest or applications can be realized in a plug and play
      fashion.

PMID- 28916104
TI  - Highly selective and sensitive visualization and identification of glycoproteins
      using multi-functionalized soluble dendrimer.
AB  - Glycoproteins are the most important and complex group of posttranslational
      modifications known in proteins. Many clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets
      in cancer are glycoproteins. However, the isolation of glyco-specific antibodies
      and their poor stability remains a significant challenge in analytical method and
      diagnostic development. In this work, for the first time, we present a technology
      for highly efficient and selective glycosylation analysis on membrane without the
      use of glyco-specific antibodies. This approach, termed Nanopoly-BAV, which uses
      polyamidoamine dendrimers multifunctionalized with boronic acid for specific
      binding to glycoproteins and with biotin groups for glycoproteins visualization.
      The Nanopoly-BAV confers femtomolar sensitivity, exceptional glycoprotein
      specificity and selectivity with as high as 100000 folds for glycoproteins over
      nonglycoproteins. This synthetic, robust and highly selective Nanopoly-BAV has a
      great potential to measure cell signaling events by clearly distinguishing actual
      glycosylation signals from protein expression changes with superior stability.
      This technique may provide a powerful tool to monitor cellular signaling pathways
      and discovering new signaling events.

PMID- 28916106
TI  - Silver nanoclusters capped silica nanoparticles as a ratiometric
      photoluminescence nanosensor for the selective detection of I- and S2.
AB  - A novel and efficient approach has been established for the synthesis of silver
      nanoclusters capped silica nanoparticles (SiO2@AgNCs). These nanoclusters (AgNCs)
      capped silica nanoparticles were utilized as a novel ratiometric
      photoluminescence (PL) nanosensor for extremely sensitive and selective detection
      of I- and S2- ions. The AgNCs were prepared in situ on the silica nanoparticles
      through polyethyleneimine (PEI) template approach. While dual PL emissions of
      AgNCs (at 500 nm) and luminescent silica nanoparticles (at 602 nm) formed the
      basis for the ratiometric sensing. The PL emission of AgNCs was strongly quenched
      by I- (or S2-), while that of luminescent silica nanoparticles was hardly
      affected. The PL emission intensity ratio of AgNCs and the luminescent silica
      nanoparticles was defined as I500/I602. A good linear relationship between the
      I500/I602 value and the concentration of I- (or S2-) was observed, and the limit
      of detection (LOD) was estimated to be 57 nM for I- and 62 nM for S2-. In
      addition, the fluorescence images of the SiO2@AgNCs nanosensor changed from white
      to orange upon exposure to different concentrations of I- (or S2-) (0-250 MUM),
      which could be clearly distinguished by the naked eye. The SiO2@AgNCs nanosensor
      exhibited good selectivity against other analytes, and I- or S2- ions could be
      separately detected via the introduction of proper masking agents. Furthermore,
      the detection of I- and S2- in real water samples was also demonstrated.

PMID- 28916105
TI  - Selective imaging of cancer cells with a pH-activatable lysosome-targeting
      fluorescent probe.
AB  - Fluorescence imaging with tumor-specific fluorescent probe has emerged as a tool
      to aid surgeons in the identification and removal of tumor tissue. We report here
      a new lysosome-targeting fluorescent probe (NBOH) with BODIPY fluorephore to
      distinguish tumor tissue out of normal tissue based on different pH environment.
      The probe exhibited remarkable pH-dependent fluorescence behavior in a wide pH
      range from 3.0 to 11.0, especially a sensitive pH-dependent fluorescence change
      at pH range between 3.5 and 5.5, corresponding well to the acidic
      microenvironment of tumor cells, in aqueous solution. The response time of NBOH
      was extremely short and the photostability was proved to be good. Toxicity test
      and fluorescence cell imaging together with a sub-cellular localization study
      were carried out revealing its low biotoxicity and good cell membrane
      permeability. And NBOH was successfully applied to the imaging of tumor tissue in
      tumor-bearing mice suggesting potential application to surgery as a tumor
      specific probe.

PMID- 28916107
TI  - Genetically functionalized ferritin nanoparticles with a high-affinity protein
      binder for immunoassay and imaging.
AB  - Molecular detection of target molecules with high sensitivity and specificity is
      of great significance in bio and medical sciences. Here, we present genetically
      functionalized ferritin nanoparticles with a high-affinity protein binder, and
      their utility as a signal generator in a variety of immunoassays and imaging. As
      a high-affinity protein binder, human IgG-specific repebody, which is composed of
      LRR (Leucine-rich repeat) modules, was used. The repebody was genetically fused
      to the N-terminal heavy-chain ferritin, and the resulting subunits were self
      assembled to the repebody-ferritin nanoparticles composed of 24 subunits. The
      repebody-ferritin nanoparticles were shown to have a three-order of magnitude
      higher binding affinity toward human IgG than free repebody mainly owing to a
      decreased dissociation rate constant. The repebody-ferritin nanoparticles were
      conjugated with fluorescent dyes, and the resulting nanoparticles were used for
      western blotting, cell imaging, and flow cytometric analysis. The dye-labeled
      repebody-ferritin nanoparticles were shown to generate about 3-fold stronger
      fluorescent signals in immunoassays than monovalent repebody. The repebody
      functionalized ferritin nanoparticles can be effectively used for sensitive and
      specific immunoassays and imaging in many areas.

PMID- 28916108
TI  - A Eu(III) doped metal-organic framework conjugated with fluorescein-labeled
      single-stranded DNA for detection of Cu(II) and sulfide.
AB  - In this paper, Bio-MOF-1 is prepared as reported and then Eu3+ is introduced into
      it via cation exchange method. A FAM-labeled ssDNA is chosen to fabricate with
      the obtained Eu3+@Bio-MOF-1. A luminescent hybrid material is assembled, which
      can exhibit the fluorescence of Eu3+ and FAM simultaneously by adjusting the
      ratio of FAM-ssDNA and Eu3+@Bio-MOF-1. The sample is then used for the detecting
      of metal ions, results shows which has good selectively for Cu2+ (LOD = 0.14 MUM,
      0-250 MUM). The introduction of Cu2+ can quench the fluorescence of FAM while the
      luminescent intensity of Eu3+ enhancing. After the detection of Cu2+, the Cu2+
      involved hybrid system can then be further employed for the detection of S2- (LOD
      = 1.3 MUM, 0-50 MUM). Low concentration of S2- can make the luminescent intensity
      of Eu3+ decrease gradually while high concentration of S2- can further recover
      the luminescent of FAM, which is quenched by Cu2+.

PMID- 28916109
TI  - Systematic approach in Mg2+ ions analysis with a combination of tailored
      fluorophore design.
AB  - A systematic study of a series of diaza-18-crown-6 8-hydroxyquinoline (DCHQ)
      chemosensors, devoted to Mg(II) ion detection, was performed. Functionalization
      of DCHQ by peripheral substituents allowed the development of novel all-solid
      state optodes via inclusion inside PVC-based polymeric films. The influence on
      the DCHQ-based optode response of the lipophilic sites functionalization and of
      the nature of the plasticizer, was investigated. Fluorimetric studies on optodes
      sensitivity towards a number of different metal cations (Ca2+, Na+, K+, Li+,
      Co2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, Zn2+) and NH4+ were carried out. The results
      demonstrated the suitability of the DCHQ optodes to perform fast monitoring
      (<10s) of magnesium (II) ions. Emission light signal was sufficiently brilliant
      to be captured by a low-cost computer webcam. The phenyl-substituted DCHQ-Ph
      derivative showed the best performance with a wide range for Mg(II) ion
      determination between 2.7 * 10-7 and 2.2 * 10-2 mol/L. It was possible,
      therefore, to determine the concentrations of Mg(II) in commercial fertilizer
      samples by DCHQ-Ph-based optodes with acceptable results: recoveries of 96.2
      104.9% and relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 6) less than 5%. Moreover, in
      comparison to single sensors, the use of an array composed of five optodes (the
      ones showing the best performances in the preliminary tests) has allowed to
      reduce the RSD of magnesium determination in real samples (down to 3.7% with
      respect to 5.5% for single optodes) and to achieve a detection limit (estimated
      by s/n = 3 method) as low as 4.6 * 10-7 mol/L.

PMID- 28916110
TI  - A fast and accurate Langmuir-type polymer microtensiometer.
AB  - A semi-flexible polymer microtensiometer for local surface pressure measurements
      of Langmuir monolayers is presented. The current device geometry and read-out
      method via image analysis result in a theoretical accuracy of +/-0.02mN?m-1 for a
      dynamic range between 0 and 75mN?m-1. The tensiometer sensitivity and dynamic
      range are easily tunable as they are solely based on the tensiometer spring
      dimensions. Finite element simulations are used to determine the response time of
      20ms for a subphase viscosity of 1mPa?s. A poroviscomechanical model of the
      sensor is composed and the subphase viscosity is shown to dominate the transient
      behavior. The tensiometer performance is verified in a Langmuir trough by
      applying rapid local surface pressure oscillations. A Wilhelmy plate is used as
      an independent measurement tool and the results of both techniques correlate
      well.

PMID- 28916111
TI  - Icosahedral plant viral nanoparticles - bioinspired synthesis of
      nanomaterials/nanostructures.
AB  - Viral nanotechnology utilizes virus nanoparticles (VNPs) and virus-like
      nanoparticles (VLPs) of plant viruses as highly versatile platforms for materials
      synthesis and molecular entrapment that can be used in the nanotechnological
      fields, such as in next-generation nanoelectronics, nanocatalysis, biosensing and
      optics, and biomedical applications, such as for targeting, therapeutic delivery,
      and non-invasive in vivo imaging with high specificity and selectivity. In
      particular, plant virus capsids provide biotemplates for the production of novel
      nanostructured materials with organic/inorganic moieties incorporated in a very
      precise and controlled manner. Interestingly, capsid proteins of spherical plant
      viruses can self-assemble into well-organized icosahedral three-dimensional (3D)
      nanoscale multivalent architectures with high monodispersity and structural
      symmetry. Using viral genetic and protein engineering of icosahedral viruses with
      a variety of sizes, the interior, exterior and the interfaces between coat
      protein (CP) subunits can be manipulated to fabricate materials with a wide range
      of desirable properties allowing for biomineralization, encapsulation, infusion,
      controlled self-assembly, and multivalent ligand display of nanoparticles or
      molecules for varied applications. In this review, we discuss the various
      functional nanomaterials/nanostructures developed using the VNPs and VLPs of
      different icosahedral plant viruses and their nano(bio)technological and
      nanomedical applications.

PMID- 28916113
TI  - [Bilateral disc edema following a severe systemic viral illness].

PMID- 28916112
TI  - A novel mimovirus encoding ChgA10-19 peptide with PD-L1 induces T cell tolerance
      and ameliorates the severity of diabetes.
AB  - Related studies demonstrate that type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by beta-cell
      antigen specific autoreactive CD8+ T cells. ChgA has recently been identified as
      the autoantigen in NOD mice and T1D patients. Therefore, attenuating the
      activation of ChgA specific CD8+ T cells might be a promising target for T1D
      therapy. The negative co-stimulatory PD-L1 inhibits T cell mediated alloimmunity
      and induces tolerance. In this experiment, a novel mimovirus encoding ChgA10-19
      peptide with PD-L1 was constructed. The NOD.beta2m null HHD mice were
      administrated with mimovirus transduced DCs. After immunization, the activation
      and proliferation of CD8+ T cells were detected, diabetes incidence and
      pancreatic tissue destruction were also analyzed. The results demonstrated that
      transduced DCs attenuated CD8+ T cell activation and proliferation. In addition,
      transduced DCs inhibited CD8+ T response to ChgA stimulation, and ameliorated the
      severity of diabetes. These data suggested that mimovirus transduced DCs might
      provide novel clues for T1D therapy.

PMID- 28916114
TI  - [Scleritis and episcleritis].
AB  - Episcleritis is generally a benign disease with a self-limited course, while
      scleritis is a severe ocular condition due to a risk of impaired vision in one
      fifth of patients and its association with systemic diseases in one third of
      them. Infectious scleritis, representing 8 % of the etiologies, is mainly of
      herpetic origin (varicella zoster and herpes simplex viruses). A systemic
      autoimmune disease is observed in roughly 30 % of scleritis patients:
      inflammatory rheumatisms (15 %), firstly rheumatoid polyarthritis, systemic
      vasculitides (8 %), mainly granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's) and
      polychondritis, and less often inflammatory bowel disease and systemic lupus
      erythematosus. Among the different types of scleritis, a clear distinction exists
      between necrotizing forms leading to decreased vision in 50 % of the cases and
      associated with systemic diseases in the vast majority, and non-necrotizing forms
      (either diffuse or nodular), with a better prognosis. However, recent
      publications show that necrotizing forms are much less frequent nowadays (around
      5 % of the total), probably due to therapeutic innovations and progress made
      during the last 20 years. The medical management of scleritis requires
      collaboration between ophthalmologists and internists (or rheumatologists).

PMID- 28916115
TI  - [Retinal vein occlusions].
AB  - Retinal venous occlusions comprise central retinal vein occlusion, hemiretinal
      vein occlusions, and branch retinal vein occlusions. They are associated with
      arterial hypertension and glaucoma. Retinal vein occlusions occur more frequently
      in males, at a median age of 55. The pathogenesis of retinal venous occlusions
      remains obscure. The clinical presentation of the disease is variable. In most
      cases, there is a unilateral visual loss over days with a painless, white and
      quiet eye. However, retinal venous occlusions may also present as an abrupt and
      profound loss of vision, or be asymptomatic. The course of the disease may be
      chronic, often with exacerbations. The most severe complication is the onset of
      extensive capillary non-perfusion, with a high risk of neovascular glaucoma. The
      most frequent complication is macular edema due to breakdown of the blood-retinal
      barrier, which can originate from the macula itself and/or from the disc. The
      treatment is symptomatic. Retinal venous occlusions may resolve either because of
      the recanalization of the affected vein, or because of the establishment of an
      efficient collateral circulation. Intravitreal anti-VEGF antibodies or steroids
      may transiently improve vision, as well as laser photocoagulation, focused or not
      on macroaneurysms. Visual sequelae are frequent.

PMID- 28916116
TI  - Excision and topical 0.04% mitomycin C for extensive and recurrent conjunctival
      squamous cell carcinoma in an AIDS patient. A case report.

PMID- 28916117
TI  - [Corneal complications of a case of vernal keratoconjonctivitis].

PMID- 28916118
TI  - Benefit of combination chemotherapy and radiation stratified by grade of stage
      IIIC endometrial cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The optimal strategy for adjuvant therapy in stage IIIC endometrial
      cancer has not been determined. Our aim was to evaluate survival benefit of
      different treatments and to investigate if benefit varied by histologic grade.
      METHODS: We identified 199 patients with stage IIIC endometrial cancer from 2000
      to 2012 through the Siteman Cancer Center registry. All patients underwent
      surgical staging followed by no adjuvant therapy (NAT), radiation (RT),
      chemotherapy (CT) or chemoradiation (CRT). The association between adjuvant
      treatment and overall survival was explored using Kaplan-Meier plots and
      multivariable Cox regression analysis. Multivariable analysis was stratified by
      low- or high-grade to explore the interaction between grade and treatment.
      RESULTS: Most patients received CRT (50.3%) followed by CT (23.1%), RT (16.1%)
      and NAT (10.5%). Survival after CRT was superior to NAT (p<0.001), RT (p=0.010)
      and CT (p<0.001). After adjusting for covariates, treatment with RT, CT and CRT
      led to a 57% (p=0.024), 62% (p=0.003) and 83% (p<0.001) reduction in risk of
      death compared to NAT, respectively. With CRT as the reference, the adjusted
      hazard of death was higher with NAT (5.94, p<0.001), RT (2.56, p=0.009) and CT
      (2.24, p=0.004). Stratifying by grade, RT and CRT led to a 67% (p=0.039) and 85%
      (p<0.001) reduction in death, compared to NAT in low-grade patients. CT and CRT
      led to a 72% (p=0.003) and 83% (p<0.001) reduction in death, compared to NAT in
      high-grade patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that CRT should be the
      preferred adjuvant treatment strategy for patients with stage IIIC endometrial
      cancer.

PMID- 28916119
TI  - Safety and efficacy of glycerol phenylbutyrate for management of urea cycle
      disorders in patients aged 2months to 2years.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Glycerol phenylbutyrate (GPB) is approved in the US for the
      management of patients 2months of age and older with urea cycle disorders (UCDs)
      that cannot be managed with protein restriction and/or amino acid supplementation
      alone. Limited data exist on the use of nitrogen conjugation agents in very young
      patients. METHODS: Seventeen patients (15 previously on other nitrogen
      scavengers) with all types of UCDs aged 2months to 2years were switched to, or
      started, GPB. Retrospective data up to 12months pre-switch and prospective data
      during initiation of therapy were used as baseline measures. The primary efficacy
      endpoint of the integrated analysis was the successful transition to GPB with
      controlled ammonia (<100MUmol/L and no clinical symptoms). Secondary endpoints
      included glutamine and levels of other amino acids. Safety endpoints included
      adverse events, hyperammonemic crises (HACs), and growth and development.
      RESULTS: 82% and 53% of patients completed 3 and 6months of therapy, respectively
      (mean 8.85months, range 6days-18.4months). Patients transitioned to GPB
      maintained excellent control of ammonia and glutamine levels. There were 36 HACs
      in 11 patients before GPB and 11 in 7 patients while on GPB, with a reduction
      from 2.98 to 0.88 episodes per year. Adverse events occurring in at least 10% of
      patients while on GPB were neutropenia, vomiting, diarrhea, pyrexia, hypophagia,
      cough, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, rash/papule. CONCLUSION: GPB was safe and
      effective in UCD patients aged 2months to 2years. GPB use was associated with
      good short- and long-term control of ammonia and glutamine levels, and the
      annualized frequency of hyperammonemic crises was lower during the study than
      before the study. There was no evidence for any previously unknown toxicity of
      GPB.

PMID- 28916120
TI  - Does Early and Appropriate Antibiotic Administration Improve Mortality in
      Emergency Department Patients with Severe Sepsis or Septic Shock?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe sepsis and septic shock remain significant public health
      concerns. Appropriate emergency department management includes early recognition,
      hemodynamic resuscitation, source control, and prompt antibiotic administration.
      Current international guidelines strongly recommend administration of early and
      appropriate antibiotics for patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
      Interestingly, a recent Cochrane Review found insufficient evidence to provide a
      similar recommendation on antibiotic administration. The goal of this literature
      search was to systematically review the available literature on early and
      appropriate antimicrobial therapy and provide emergency physicians an evidence
      based approach to antibiotic therapy for septic patients. METHODS: Four PubMed
      searches were completed to identify abstracts of relevant interest. We limited
      studies to those completed in adult humans that were composed in English between
      2005 and 2015. Included studies were randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses,
      prospective trials, and retrospective cohort studies. These studies were
      identified by a rigorous search methodology. No review articles, case series, or
      case reports were included. Predefined criteria were used to evaluate the quality
      and appropriateness of selected articles as part of a structured review. RESULTS:
      A total of 1552 abstracts were evaluated for inclusion. After the review of these
      studies, 14 were included for formal review. The authors then systematically
      evaluated each study, which formed the basis for this clinical statement.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with severe sepsis and septic shock should receive early
      and appropriate antibiotics in the emergency department. Patients with septic
      shock who received appropriate antimicrobial therapy within 1 h of recognition
      had the greatest benefit in mortality.

PMID- 28916121
TI  - Controversies in Corticosteroid use for Sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe sepsis and septic shock are potentially deadly conditions
      managed in the emergency department (ED). Management centers on source control,
      fluid resuscitation, broad-spectrum antimicrobials, and vasopressors as needed.
      The use of corticosteroids is controversial. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evidence
      behind corticosteroid therapy in patients with septic shock. DISCUSSION: Septic
      shock is associated with severe mortality and morbidity. Cytokine release
      produces a systemic inflammatory state. Vasopressor-resistant septic shock
      warrants consideration of the disease state and other pathologies such as adrenal
      insufficiency. Many studies and meta-analyses have been conducted evaluating
      corticosteroid therapy for this population. High-dose corticosteroid therapy is
      associated with increased harm, but physiologic-dose corticosteroids may decrease
      the need for vasopressors. Mortality benefit is controversial, with much of the
      literature demonstrating no effect. The risk of superinfection is not suggested
      by the majority of studies. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign advises consideration
      of corticosteroids in patients with vasopressor and fluid-resistant septic shock.
      Patients with vasopressor-resistant septic shock with no contraindications to
      corticosteroids may benefit from hydrocortisone 100 mg intravenously (i.v.) every
      8 h or 50 mg i.v. every 6 h. Fludrocortisone is not recommended at this time.
      CONCLUSIONS: Septic shock is associated with higher mortality, specifically for
      patients with vasopressor and fluid-refractory shock. The use of physiologic-dose
      steroids can reduce vasopressor requirements and improve time of shock
      resolution. Current literature suggests corticosteroids do not improve mortality,
      but further studies are required.

PMID- 28916122
TI  - Myasthenia Gravis and Crisis: Evaluation and Management in the Emergency
      Department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an uncommon autoimmune disorder affecting
      the neuromuscular junction and manifesting as muscle weakness. A multitude of
      stressors can exacerbate MG. When symptoms are exacerbated, muscle weakness can
      be severe enough to result in respiratory failure, a condition known as
      myasthenic crisis (MC). OBJECTIVE: This review discusses risk factors, diagnosis,
      management, and iatrogenic avoidance of MC. DISCUSSION: MC can affect any age,
      ethnicity, or sex and can be precipitated with any stressor, infection being the
      most common. MC is a clinical diagnosis defined by respiratory failure caused by
      exacerbation of MG. Muscle weakness can involve any voluntary muscle. MC can be
      differentiated from other neuromuscular junction diseases by the presence of
      normal reflexes, normal sensation, lack of autonomic symptoms, lack of
      fasciculations, and worsening weakness with repetitive motion. Treatment should
      target the inciting event and airway support. All acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
      should be avoided in crisis, including edrophonium testing and corticosteroids
      initially. Respiratory support can begin with noninvasive positive-pressure
      ventilation, as this has been successful even in patients with bulbar weakness.
      If intubation is necessary, consider avoiding paralytics or use a reduced dose of
      nondepolarizing agents. CONCLUSIONS: MC should be in the differential of any
      patient with muscular weakness and respiratory compromise. Emergency department
      management of MC should focus on ruling out infection and respiratory support.
      Strong consideration should be given to beginning with noninvasive positive
      pressure ventilation for ventilatory support. Corticosteroids, depolarizing
      paralytics, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors should be avoided in patients
      with MC in the emergency department.

PMID- 28916123
TI  - Reverse Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and Cardiogenic Shock Associated With
      Methamphetamine Consumption.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reverse Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by transient
      myocardial hypokinesia affecting predominantly the basal myocardial wall. It is a
      rare variant of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy affecting younger patients. CASE REPORT:
      We report a case of a young man who having consumed methamphetamines presented
      with cardiogenic shock and severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction,
      affecting predominantly the basal segments with sparing of the apex. After
      inotropic support, the left ventricular ejection fraction improved. WHY SHOULD AN
      EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: It is important that emergency physicians
      are aware of the danger of methamphetamine consumption, and how it can lead to
      potentially fatal acute cardiac syndromes, including reverse Takotsubo
      cardiomyopathy and cardiogenic shock.

PMID- 28916124
TI  - Male With Sudden Onset Abdominal Pain.

PMID- 28916125
TI  - Inter-institutional Variation in Use of Caesarean Delivery for Labour Dystocia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish the degree of variation across hospitals in the use of
      Caesarean delivery for the indication of labour dystocia before and after
      accounting for maternal, fetal, and hospital characteristics. METHODS: This study
      was a retrospective, population-based cohort study of nulliparous women
      delivering term singletons in cephalic position following labour. Delivery visits
      were extracted from three provincial perinatal registries in the Canadian
      provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, from 2008-2012. Crude
      hospital-specific rates of Caesarean delivery for labour dystocia were reported,
      and these rates were then stabilized to account for hospitals with low delivery
      volumes. Rates were then adjusted for maternal, fetal, and hospital
      characteristics using hierarchical logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 403 205
      women delivering at 170 hospitals, the overall Caesarean delivery rate was 21.0%,
      and the rate of Caesarean delivery for labour dystocia was 12.7%, indicating that
      60% of all Caesarean deliveries were performed in part for this indication. The
      middle 95% of hospitals had Caesarean delivery rates for labour dystocia ranging
      from 4.5% to 24.7%. Differences in maternal case mix and hospital characteristics
      explained only a small proportion of this variation (95% central range 6.3%
      21.7%). CONCLUSION: Considerable inter-hospital variation in rates of Caesarean
      delivery for labour dystocia remained after accounting for differences in
      maternal and hospital factors. Reporting systems that monitor variation in inter
      institutional rates should incorporate stabilization and adjustment for case-mix
      differences and consider indication-specific rates of Caesarean delivery to more
      fairly compare hospital performance and better target interventions to reduce
      Caesarean delivery for specific indications.

PMID- 28916126
TI  - Empowerment of Women: Closing the Medical Technologies Gender Gap.

PMID- 28916127
TI  - Editor's Choice - Open Thoracic and Thoraco-abdominal Aortic Repair in Patients
      with Connective Tissue Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: The aim is to present current results of open complex
      aortic repair in patients with connective tissue disease (CTD). METHODS: This was
      a retrospective cross-border, single centre study. From February 2000 to April
      2016 72 aortic operations were performed on 65 patients with CTD (41 male, median
      age 41 years [range 19-70 years]). Fifty-six patients (86%) underwent at least
      one previous aortic repair (71 open, four endovascular), including 33 patients
      (51%) operated before at the site of the procedure reported here. The open
      procedures, counting eight emergency operations (11%), included aortic arch
      revision (n = 1; 1%), descending thoracic aortic repair (n = 11; 15%), TAAA type
      I repair (n = 12; 17%), type II repair (n = 29; 40%), type III repair (n = 12;
      17%), and type IV repair (n = 5; 7%). Simultaneous repair of the ascending aorta
      and/or the aortic arch was performed in two (3%) and eight cases (11%),
      respectively. Seven patients (10%) underwent staged procedures. Median follow-up
      was 42 months (0.5-180 months). RESULTS: The in hospital mortality was 14% (n =
      9) as a result of haemorrhage (n = 3/9), neurological (n = 3/9), cardiac (n =
      2/9), and pulmonary (n = 1/9) complications. Paraplegia and paraparesis occurred
      in one (2%) and three patients (5%), respectively. Seven patients (11%) required
      temporary dialysis; none needed permanent dialysis. Major complications were
      revision surgery for bleeding or haematoma (n = 20/65), sepsis (n = 10/65),
      myocardial infarction/severe cardiac arrhythmia (n = 2/65), stroke (n = 2/65), as
      well as multiorgan failure, abdominal compartment syndrome, mesenteric and
      peripheral ischaemia (all n = 1/65). Multivariate analysis identified an
      operating time > 7 hours (p = .006) as an independent predictor of increased
      mortality. Freedom from re-intervention was 85%, 1 year survival was 80%, and
      overall survival was 75%. CONCLUSION: Open TAA(A) repair is a durable therapy for
      patients with CTD. Often being performed as revision surgery, it can be
      associated with relevant risks and should therefore be reserved for specialised
      centres. Staged procedures and thus reducing operating time, if applicable,
      should be preferred.

PMID- 28916128
TI  - Causes of failure to achieve the low density lipoprotein cholesterol therapeutic
      target in patients with high and very high vascular risk controlled in Lipid and
      Vascular Risk Units. EROMOT study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Determination of the level of achievement of the low density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) therapeutic target in patients with high and very
      high vascular risk treated in Lipid Units, as well as the causes of non
      achievement. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Multicentre retrospective observational study
      that included patients over 18 years with high and very high vascular risk,
      according to the criteria of the 2012 European Guidelines on Cardiovascular
      Disease Prevention, referred consecutively to Lipid Units between January and
      June 2012 and with follow-up two years after the first visit. RESULTS: The study
      included a total of 243 patients from 16 lipid units. The mean age was 52.2 years
      (SD 13.7), of whom 62.6% were males, and 40.3% of them were very high risk. At
      the first visit, 86.8% (25.1% in combination) and 95.0% (47.3% in combination) in
      the second visit (P<.001) were treated with lipid-lowering treatment. The
      therapeutic target was achieved by 28% (95 CI: 22.4-34.1). As regards the causes
      of non-achievement, 24.6% were related to the medication (10.3% maximum tolerated
      dose and 10.9% due to the appearance of adverse effects), 43.4% due to the
      physician (19.4% by inertia, 13.7% considering that target already reached), and
      46.9% due to the patient, highlighting the therapeutic non-compliance (31,4%).
      CONCLUSIONS: LDL-C targets were achieved in about one-third of patients. The low
      adherence of the patient, followed by medical inertia are the most frequent
      causes that can explain these results.

PMID- 28916131
TI  - Chemical exposures in recently renovated low-income housing: Influence of
      building materials and occupant activities.
AB  - Health disparities in low-income communities may be linked to residential
      exposures to chemicals infiltrating from the outdoors and characteristics of and
      sources in the home. Indoor sources comprise those introduced by the occupant as
      well as releases from building materials. To examine the impact of renovation on
      indoor pollutants levels and to classify chemicals by predominant indoor sources,
      we collected indoor air and surface wipes from newly renovated "green" low-income
      housing units in Boston before and after occupancy. We targeted nearly 100
      semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
      including phthalates, flame retardants, fragrance chemicals, pesticides,
      antimicrobials, petroleum chemicals, chlorinated solvents, and formaldehyde, as
      well as particulate matter. All homes had indoor air concentrations that exceeded
      available risk-based screening levels for at least one chemical. We categorized
      chemicals as primarily influenced by the occupant or as having building-related
      sources. While building-related chemicals observed in this study may be specific
      to the particular housing development, occupant-related findings might be
      generalizable to similar communities. Among 58 detected chemicals, we
      distinguished 25 as primarily occupant-related, including fragrance chemicals 6
      acetyl-1,1,2,4,4,7-hexamethyltetralin (AHTN) and 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro
      4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta[g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB). The pre- to post
      occupancy patterns of the remaining chemicals suggested important contributions
      from building materials for some, including dibutyl phthalate and xylene, whereas
      others, such as diethyl phthalate and formaldehyde, appeared to have both
      building and occupant sources. Chemical classification by source informs multi
      level exposure reduction strategies in low-income housing.

PMID- 28916132
TI  - The association between elevated blood lead levels and violent behavior during
      late adolescence: The South African Birth to Twenty Plus cohort.
AB  - Epidemiological studies have shown the adverse neuro-behavioral health effects of
      lead exposure among children, in particular. However, there is lack evidence in
      this regard from developing countries. The main aim of this study was to assess
      the association between blood lead levels (BLLs) during early adolescence and
      violent behavior in late adolescence. Our study sample from the Birth to Twenty
      Plus cohort in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa included 1332 study participants
      (684 females). BLLs were measured using blood samples collected at age 13years.
      Violent behavior was evaluated using data collected at ages 15 to 16years using
      the Youth Self Report questionnaire. First, bivariate analysis was used to
      examine data for an association between lead exposure in early adolescence and
      violent behavior items during late adolescence. Principal Component Analysis
      (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction and six violent behavior components
      were derived. Data were further analyzed for an association between BLLs at age
      13years and violent behavior using PCA derived components; to determine the
      specific type(s) of violent behavior associated with lead exposure. Median whole
      BLLs were 5.6MUg/dL (p<0.001). Seventy five percent of males and 50% of females
      had BLLs>=5MUg/dL. BLLs ranging from 5 to 9.99MUg/dL were associated with
      physical violence (p=0.03) and BLLs>=10MUg/dL were associated physical violence
      and fighting (p=0.02 and p=0.01, respectively). When data were analyzed using
      continuous BLLs physical violence was associated with lead exposure (p<0.0001).
      Furthermore, males were more likely to be involved in violence using a weapon
      (p=0.01), physical violence (p<0.0001), and robbing others (p<0.05) compared to
      females. The results from this study show the severe nature of violent behavior
      in late adolescence associated with childhood lead exposure. They highlight the
      urgent need for preventive measures against lead exposure among children in low
      or middle income countries such as South Africa.

PMID- 28916130
TI  - Stress and Seizures: Space, Time and Hippocampal Circuits.
AB  - Stress is a major trigger of seizures in people with epilepsy. Exposure to stress
      results in the release of several stress mediators throughout the brain,
      including the hippocampus, a region sensitive to stress and prone to seizures.
      Stress mediators interact with their respective receptors to produce distinct
      effects on the excitability of hippocampal neurons and networks. Crucially, these
      stress mediators and their actions exhibit unique spatiotemporal profiles,
      generating a complex combinatorial output with time- and space-dependent effects
      on hippocampal network excitability and seizure generation.

PMID- 28916133
TI  - A modified deltoid splitting approach with axillary nerve bundle mobilization for
      proximal humeral fracture fixation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The deltopectoral and the deltoid splitting approach are commonly
      used for the treatment of proximal humeral fractures. While the deltopectoral
      approach requires massive soft tissue devascularization, the deltoid splitting
      approach needs an additional skipped incision to avoid axillary nerve injury. The
      purpose of this study was to describe a modified anterolateral deltoid splitting
      approach with axillary nerve bundle mobilization in the treatment of proximal
      humeral fractures and to assess its radiologic and clinical outcomes. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive patients with proximal humeral fractures were
      treated with minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis by using a modified
      anterolateral deltoid splitting approach with axillary nerve bundle mobilization.
      The patients were divided into two groups: 10 patients of Neer type 2 or 3
      fractures vs. 12 patients of Neer type 4 fractures. The mean age of the study
      population was 63.5 years (range: 30-80 years). Six patients had valgus impacted
      fractures, and nine had fractures with medial comminution. RESULTS: Fracture
      union was achieved in all cases. The mean time to union was 8.6 weeks (range: 6
      12 weeks). Major complications, such as avascular necrosis of the humeral head
      and varus collapse at the fracture site, were not observed. No patients had
      clinically detectable sensory deficits in the axillary nerve distribution or
      paralysis of the anterior deltoid muscle. The mean neck-shaft angle at the final
      follow-up was 136.9 degrees  (range, 115 degrees -159 degrees ). The mean visual
      analog score for patient satisfaction was 9.1 (range, 6-10), and the mean Neer
      scores were 93.5 (range, 84-100). There were no significant differences between
      the two groups with respect to radiologic and clinical outcomes except Neer
      scores: 95.8 (range: 86-100) in Neer type 2 or 3 fractures and 91.7 (range: 84
      99) in Neer type 4 fractures. CONCLUSION: The use of a modified anterolateral
      deltoid splitting approach with axillary nerve bundle mobilization in the
      treatment of proximal humeral fractures yielded excellent outcomes. This approach
      is a useful alternative to the deltopectoral or the deltoid splitting approaches
      in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures.

PMID- 28916134
TI  - Novel technique to accurately measure femoral diameter using a Thomas splint.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: During surgical management of femoral shaft fractures, difficulties
      arise when treating patients with narrow femoral diaphyseal canals, such as young
      patients and those with dysplastic femurs secondary to underlying pathology.
      Accurate pre-operative assessment of the femoral diaphyseal canal diameter would
      allow the surgeon to plan surgical technique and ensure appropriate equipment was
      available, such as narrow, unreamed or paediatric sized nails. TECHNIQUE: When
      secured to the patient both longitudinal rods of the main Thomas Splint component
      lie parallel with the femoral shaft and horizontal to the radiographic x-ray
      plate. The diameter of these rods are 13mm (Adult and paediatric). Using the
      calibration tool, we calibrate the diameter of the Thomas Splint to 13mm,
      accurately measuring any further detail on that radiograph, such as the
      diaphyseal canal diameter. CONCLUSION: Accurate knowledge pre-operatively of
      radiographic measurements is highly valuable to the operating surgeon. This
      technique can accurately measure femoral canal diameter using the Thomas splint,
      negates the requirement for a calibration marker, is reproducible, easy to
      perform, and is indispensible when faced with a patient with a narrow femoral
      canal in a diaphyseal femoral fracture. (181 words).

PMID- 28916136
TI  - Mathematical basis of improved protein subfamily classification by a HMM-based
      sequence filter.
AB  - Informative phylogenetic analysis is dependent on the presence of curated and
      annotated sequences. This may be complemented by the simultaneous availability of
      empirical data pertaining to their in vivo function. Confounding sequences, with
      their similarity to more than one functional cluster, can therefore, render any
      categorization ambiguous, subjective, and imprecise. Here, I analyze and discuss
      the development of a mathematical expression that can characterize a potential
      confounding protein sequence. Specifically, statistical descriptors of
      combinatorially arranged profile HMM scores are computed and evaluated. The
      resultant data is then incorporated into an index of sequence suitability. The
      sequence may then be recommended as either suitable for inclusion or be excluded
      all together. The index is independent of experimental data and, can, be computed
      from the primary structure of the protein sequence. This can be utilized to trim
      previously grouped sequences and can either finalize the composition of training
      set or reduce the search space of sequences to be tested.

PMID- 28916135
TI  - Genetic variation in cytokine genes and risk for transition to psychosis among
      individuals at ultra-high risk.

PMID- 28916137
TI  - Oxytocin induces penile erection and yawning when injected into the bed nucleus
      of the stria terminalis: Involvement of glutamic acid, dopamine, and nitric
      oxide.
AB  - Oxytocin (5-100ng), but not Arg8-vasopressin (100ng), injected unilaterally into
      the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) induces penile erection and
      yawning in a dose-dependent manner in male rats. The minimal effective dose was
      20ng for penile erection and 5ng for yawning. Oxytocin responses were abolished
      not only by the oxytocin receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)2-Orn8-vasotocin
      (1MUg), but also by (+) MK-801 (1MUg), an excitatory amino acid receptor
      antagonist of the N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) subtype, SCH 23390 (1MUg), a D1
      receptor antagonist, but not haloperidol (1MUg), a D2 receptor antagonist, and
      SMTC (40MUg), an inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase, injected into the
      BNST 15min before oxytocin. Oxytocin-induced penile erection, but not yawning,
      was also abolished by CNQX (1MUg), an excitatory amino acid receptor antagonist
      of the AMPA subtype. In contrast, oxytocin responses were not reduced by
      bicuculline (20ng), a GABAA receptor antagonist, phaclofen (5MUg), a GABAB
      receptor antagonist, CP 376395, a CRF receptor-1 antagonist (5MUg), or astressin
      2B, a CRF receptor-2 antagonist (150ng). Considering the ability of NMDA (100ng)
      to induce penile erection and yawning when injected into the BNST and the
      available evidence showing possible interaction among oxytocin, glutamic acid,
      and dopamine in the BNST, oxytocin possibly activates glutamatergic
      neurotransmission in the BNST. This in turn leads to the activation of neural
      pathways projecting back to the paraventricular nucleus, medial preoptic area,
      ventral tegmental area, and/or ventral subiculum/amygdala, thereby inducing
      penile erection and yawning.

PMID- 28916138
TI  - Peptide YY induces characteristic meal patterns of aged mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIM: Changes in eating behavior occur in the elderly due to oral and
      swallowing dysfunctions. We aimed to clarify the difference between basal meal
      patterns of young and aged mice in relation to appetite regulating hormones.
      METHODS: Thirty two of young (7-week-old) and aged (23-25-month-old) C57BL/6 male
      mice were acclimated to a single housing and then transferred to a highly
      sensitive automated feeding monitoring device. Feeding behavior was monitored
      from the onset of the dark phase after habituation to the device. Plasma peptide
      YY (PYY) levels were assessed under the several feeding status or after treatment
      of PYY. PYY and its receptor (NPY Y2 receptor, Y2R) antagonist were
      intraperitoneally administered 30min before the monitoring. RESULTS: Although the
      basal 24-h meal amounts did not differ by age, the total meal time and frequency
      of minimum feeding activity (bout) were significantly increased and the average
      bout size and time per bout were significantly decreased in aged mice. PYY
      dynamics were abnormal and the temporal reduction in food intake by exogenous PYY
      was more prominent in aged mice than in young mice. PYY administration to young
      mice induced aged-like meal patterns, and Y2R antagonist administration to aged
      mice induced young-like meal patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Aged mice exhibited
      characteristic meal patterns probably due to PYY metabolism dysfunction and/or
      enhanced PYY-Y2R signaling, suggesting a novel method for assessing eating
      difficulties in aged animals and a potential target for the remedy.

PMID- 28916139
TI  - Online Adaptive Radiation Therapy.
AB  - The current paradigm of radiation therapy has the treatment planned on a snapshot
      dataset of the patient's anatomy taken at the time of simulation. Throughout the
      course of treatment, this snapshot may vary from initial simulation. Although
      there is the ability to image patients within the treatment room with
      technologies such as cone beam computed tomography, the current state of the art
      is largely limited to rigid-body matching and not accounting for any geometric
      deformations in the patient's anatomy. A plan that was once attuned to the
      initial simulation can become suboptimal as the treatment progresses unless
      improved technologies are brought to bear. Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) is an
      evolving paradigm that seeks to address this deficiency by accounting for ongoing
      changes in the patient's anatomy and/or physiology during the course of
      treatment, affording an increasingly more accurate targeting of disease. ART
      relies on several components working in concert, namely in-room treatment image
      guidance, deformable image registration, automatic recontouring, plan evaluation
      and reoptimization, dose calculation, and quality assurance. Various studies have
      explored how a putative ART solution would improve the current state of the art
      of radiation therapy-some centers have even clinically implemented online
      adaptation. These explorations are reviewed here for a variety of sites.

PMID- 28916140
TI  - An Integrative Interdisciplinary Perspective on Social Dominance Hierarchies.
AB  - In the course of evolution, social dominance has been a strong force shaping the
      organization of social systems in many species. Individuals with a better ability
      to represent social dominance relationships and to adapt their behavior
      accordingly usually achieve better access to resources, hence providing benefits
      in terms of reproduction, health, and wellbeing. Understanding how and to what
      extent our brains are affected by social dominance requires interdisciplinary
      efforts. Here, we integrate findings from social neuroscience, evolutionary
      biology, and developmental psychology to highlight how social hierarchies are
      learned and represented in primates. We also review neuropharmacological findings
      showing how dopamine, serotonin, and testosterone influence social hierarchies
      and we emphasize their key clinical implications on vulnerabilities to
      neuropsychiatric disorders.

PMID- 28916141
TI  - In vivo multimodal tumor imaging and photodynamic therapy with novel theranostic
      agents based on the porphyrazine framework-chelated gadolinium (III) cation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A promising strategy for cancer diagnosis and therapy is the
      development of an agent for multimodal imaging and treatment. In the present
      paper we report on two novel multifunctional agents prepared on the porphyrazine
      pigment platform using a gadolinium (III) cation chelated by red-fluorescent
      tetrapyrrole macrocycles (GdPz1 and GdPz2). METHODS: Spectral and magnetic
      properties of the compounds were analyzed. Monitoring of GdPz1 and GdPz2
      accumulation in the murine colon carcinoma CT26 was performed in vivo using
      fluorescence imaging and MRI. The photobleaching of GdPz1 or GdPz2 and tumor
      growth rate after photodynamic therapy (PDT) were assessed. RESULTS: GdPz1 and
      GdPz2 demonstrated the selective accumulation in tumor that was indicated by
      higher fluorescence intensity in the tumor area in comparison with the normal
      tissues. The results of MRI in vivo showed that GdPz1 or GdPz2 provided
      significant contrast enhancement of the tumor in T1 MR images. PDT with GdPz2
      resulted in ~20% decrease in fluorescence intensity of the compound and the
      inhibition of tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: We assessed the efficiency of two
      innovative Gd(III) cation-porphyrazine chelates as bimodal MR and fluorescent
      probes and photosensitizers for PDT and showed their potentials for tumor
      diagnostics and treatment. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Water-soluble structures simple
      in preparation and administration into the body represent special interest for
      theranostics of tumors. Novel porphyrazine macrocycles chelating a central
      gadolinium cation demonstrated a good prospect as effective multimodal agents,
      representing a new approach to MRI and fluorescence imaging guided PDT.

PMID- 28916142
TI  - Effect of tranexamic acid on gross hematuria: A pilot randomized clinical trial
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Local forms of the tranexamic acid have been effective in treating
      many haemorrhagic cases. So that the aim of the current study is to assess the
      effectiveness of local tranexamic acid in controlling painless hematuria in
      patients referred to the emergency department. METHODS: This is a randomized,
      double-blind clinical trial study, which was conducted on 50 patients with
      complaints of painless lower urinary tract bleeding during June 2014 and August
      2015. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 25 people each, one
      group receiving tranexamic acid and the other given a placebo. During bladder
      irrigation, local tranexamic acid and the placebo were injected into the bladder
      via Foley catheter. Patients were examined over 24h in terms of the amount of
      normal saline serum used for irrigation, level of hemoglobin, and blood in urine.
      RESULTS: In this study it was observed that consumption of tranexamic acid
      significantly decreased the volume of used serum for bladder irrigation (P=0.041)
      and the microscopic status of urine decreased significantly in terms of the
      hematuria after 24h (P=0.026). However, the rate of packed cell transfusion and
      drop in hemoglobin levels showed no significant difference in both groups of
      patients (P?0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that tranexamic
      acid could significantly reduce the volume of required serum for bladder
      irrigation to clear urine, but it had no significant effect on the drop in serum
      hemoglobin levels.

PMID- 28916143
TI  - Violent behavior by emergency department patients with an involuntary hold
      status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Violence against health care workers has been increasing. Health care
      workers in emergency departments (EDs) are highly vulnerable because they provide
      care for patients who may have mental illness, behavioral problems, or substance
      use disorders (alone or in combination) and who are often evaluated during an
      involuntary hold. Our objective was to identify factors that may be associated
      with violent behavior in ED patients during involuntary holds. METHODS:
      Retrospective review of patients evaluated during an involuntary hold at a
      suburban acute care hospital ED from January 2014 through November 2015. RESULTS:
      Of 251 patients, 22 (9%) had violent incidents in the ED. Violent patients were
      more likely to have a urine drug screen positive for tricyclic antidepressants
      (18.2% vs 4.8%, P=0.03) and to present with substance misuse (68.2% vs 39.7%,
      P=0.01), specifically with marijuana (22.7% vs 9.6%, P=0.06) and alcohol (54.5%
      vs 24.9%, P=0.003). ED readmission rates were higher for violent patients (18.2%
      vs 3.9%, P=0.02). No significant difference was found between violent patients
      and nonviolent patients for sex, race, marital status, insurance status, medical
      or psychiatric condition, reason for involuntary hold, or length of stay.
      CONCLUSION: Violent behavior by patients evaluated during an involuntary hold in
      a suburban acute care hospital ED was associated with tricyclic antidepressant
      use, substance misuse, and higher ED readmission rates.

PMID- 28916144
TI  - Micronutrient Supplementation in Adults with HIV Infection: Cochrane Nursing Care
      Field - Cochrane Review Summary.

PMID- 28916145
TI  - Accept or Decline? Deciding Factors in a Voluntary HIV Testing Program for
      Probationers and Parolees.

PMID- 28916146
TI  - Chinese Sacbrood virus infection in Asian honey bees (Apis cerana cerana) and
      host immune responses to the virus infection.
AB  - Chinese Sacbrood virus (CSBV) is a positive-stranded RNAvirus that infects both
      the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) and the Asian honey bee (A. cerana).
      However, CSBV has much more devastating effects on Asian honey bees than on
      European honey bees, posing a serious threat to the agricultural and natural
      ecosystems that rely on A. cerana for pollination service. Using quantitative RT
      PCR method, we conducted studies to examine the CSBV infection in Asian honey bee
      colonies and immune responses of individual bees in response to CSBV infection.
      Our study showed that CSBV could cause infection in different developmental
      stages of workers including eggs, larvae, pupae, newly emerged workers, and
      foraging workers. In addition, evaluating the tissue tropism and transmission of
      CSBV in infected bees showed that CSBV was detected in the ovaries, spermatheca,
      and feces of queens as well as semen of drones of the same colonies, suggesting
      an existence of vertical transmission of CSBV in Asian honey bees. Further, the
      detection of CSBV in colony food suggests that healthy bees could pick the
      infection by the virus-contaminated food, and therefore, a possible existence of
      a food-borne transmission pathway of CSBV in Asian bee colonies. The expression
      analysis of transcripts (defensin, abaecin, apidaecin, and hymenoptaecin)
      involving innate antiviral immune pathways showed that CSBV infection could
      induce significant immune responses in infected bees. However, the immune
      responses to CSBV infection varied among different development stages with eggs
      exhibiting the lowest level of immune expression and forager workers exhibiting
      the highest level of immune gene expression. The results obtained in the study
      yield important insights into the mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis of
      CSBV infections in Asian honey bees and provide valuable information for a
      rational design of disease control measures.

PMID- 28916147
TI  - Microbial associates of the southern mole cricket (Scapteriscus borellii) are
      highly pathogenic.
AB  - We report the isolation and identification of seven bacterial strains and one
      fungal strain from dead and diseased Scapteriscus borellii mole crickets
      collected from a golf course in southern California. Using 16S and 18S rRNA gene
      sequence analysis we identified the microbes as Serratia marcescens (red), S.
      marcescens (white), S. marcescens (purple), Achromobacter xylosoxidans,
      Chryseobacterium sp., Ochrobactrum anthropi, Tsukamurella tryosinosolvens, and
      Beauveria bassiana. We performed a dose response curve for each of these cricket
      associated microbial strains (except T. tryosinosolvens) and two other strains of
      S. marcescens (DB1140 and ATCC 13880). We found that all of these microbes except
      O. anthropi were highly pathogenic to D. melanogaster compared to the other
      strains of S. marcescens. Injecting the mole cricket associated strains of
      Serratia into flies killed all infected flies in <=24h. For all other strains,
      the median time to death of injected flies varied in a dose-dependent manner. In
      vivo growth assessments of these microbes suggested that the host immune system
      was quickly overcome. We used disease tolerance curves to better understand the
      host-microbe interactions. Further studies are necessary to understand in
      mechanistic detail the virulence mechanisms of these mole cricket associated
      microbes and how this association may have influenced the evolution of mole
      cricket immunity.

PMID- 28916148
TI  - Chemokine receptor - Directed imaging and therapy.
AB  - The C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and its natural ligand CXCL12 are key
      factors in the process of cell migration, homing of hematopoietic stem cells to
      the bone marrow, and represent important mediators of angiogenesis and cell
      proliferation. The CXCR4/CXCL12 interplay can be disrupted by CXCR4 antagonists
      such as Plerixafor which are already in daily clinical use, i.e. for mobilization
      and subsequent harvesting of hematopoietic progenitor cells and stem cell
      transplantation. In a pathological condition, involvement in the process of
      metastasis and homing of cancer cells to a protective niche has been described,
      making CXCR4 an attractive target for imaging and treatment of malignant
      diseases. Recently, radiolabeled analogs of CXCR4 antagonists (e.g.,
      [68Ga]Pentixafor) have been introduced which can be used for non-invasive imaging
      of CXCR4 expression in animal models and humans using positron emission
      tomography. In addition, beta emitter-labeled antagonists (i.e.,
      [177Lu]/[90Y]Pentixather) have been used in small patient cohorts for treatment
      of hematological neoplasms such as lymphoma, multiple myeloma and acute myeloid
      leukemia. This review reports on current imaging protocols for CXCR4-directed
      positron emission tomography in preclinical models and in humans. Furthermore, a
      theranostic approach using beta emitter-labeled antagonists is highlighted.
      Molecular imaging of the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis can contribute to further understand
      the process of metastatic spread and the intra-/interindividual heterogeneity of
      tumors. In addition, CXCR4 directed imaging allows tracking of activated, CXCR4+
      immune cells. This allows for watching inflammatory processes, thus contributing
      to enlighten the role of the immune system in a variety of cardiovascular and
      neurological diseases.

PMID- 28916149
TI  - Wavelet-based tracking of bacteria in unreconstructed off-axis holograms.
AB  - We propose an automated wavelet-based method of tracking particles in
      unreconstructed off-axis holograms to provide rough estimates of the presence of
      motion and particle trajectories in digital holographic microscopy (DHM) time
      series. The wavelet transform modulus maxima segmentation method is adapted and
      tailored to extract Airy-like diffraction disks, which represent bacteria, from
      DHM time series. In this exploratory analysis, the method shows potential for
      estimating bacterial tracks in low-particle-density time series, based on a
      preliminary analysis of both living and dead Serratia marcescens, and for rapidly
      providing a single-bit answer to whether a sample chamber contains living or dead
      microbes or is empty.

PMID- 28916150
TI  - Use of cylindrical coordinates to localize prostate cancers on MRI and
      prostatectomy pathology.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe and test a quantitative system for designating prostate
      tumor location on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and prostatectomy. A system
      for describing tumor location will facilitate research correlating MRI and
      pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prostate cylindrical coordinate (PCC)
      system was developed for locating prostate tumors using 3 coordinate values. The
      3 coordinate values include the angular location centered on the urethra, the
      radial distance to the periphery and the long axis from apex to base. To evaluate
      this system, 26 tumors were identified where the prostate cancer was noted by
      both the radiologist and the pathologist. PCC values were assigned independently
      to MRI lesions and corresponding tumors. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)
      was calculated to assess agreement between PCC assigned using MRI and pathology.
      The coordinates were used to calculate the average distance between the centers
      of the same lesion measured by MRI and pathology. RESULTS: Each of the
      cylindrical coordinates assigned by MRI and pathology were compared and there was
      no significant difference. The agreement was excellent, and the ICC was 0.70
      (P<0.001) for the angular coordinate, 0.81 (P<0.001) for the radial distance, and
      0.94 (P<0.001) for the long axis. Compared to pathology, lesions on MRI were
      significantly larger (1.17 vs. 0.86cm2, P<0.001) but there was strong agreement
      between the measurements on MRI and pathology (ICC = 0.89, P<0.001). The distance
      between the centers of the lesions measured on MRI and pathology was small
      (10.13mm, s.d. = 8.70). CONCLUSIONS: The PCC system quantitatively characterizes
      lesions seen on MRI and prostatectomy pathology with good agreement.

PMID- 28916151
TI  - DNA aptamer generation by ExSELEX using genetic alphabet expansion with a mini
      hairpin DNA stabilization method.
AB  - A novel aptamer generation method to greatly augment the affinity and stability
      of DNA aptamers was developed by genetic alphabet expansion combined with mini
      hairpin DNA technology. The genetic alphabet expansion increases the
      physicochemical and structural diversities of DNA aptamers by introducing extra
      components, unnatural bases, as a fifth base, allowing for the enhancement of DNA
      aptamer affinities. Furthermore, the mini-hairpin DNA technology stabilizes DNA
      aptamers against nuclease digestion and thermal denaturation, by introducing an
      extraordinarily stable mini-hairpin DNA containing a GCGAAGC sequence. This novel
      method provides stabilized high-affinity DNA aptamers for diagnostic and
      therapeutic applications.

PMID- 28916152
TI  - Effects of inspiratory muscle training on cardiovascular autonomic control: A
      systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To carry out a systematic review to determine if inspiratory muscle
      training (IMT) promotes changes in cardiovascular autonomic responses in humans.
      METHODS: The methodology followed the PRISMA statement for reporting systematic
      review analysis. MEDLINE, PEDro, SCOPUS and PubMed electronic databases were
      searched from the inception to March 2017. The quality assessment was performed
      using a PEDro scale. The articles were included if: (1) primary objective was
      related to the effects of IMT on the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system, and
      (2) randomized clinical trials and quasi-experimental studies. Exclusion criteria
      were reviews, short communications, letters, case studies, guidelines, theses,
      dissertations, qualitative studies, scientific conference abstracts, studies on
      animals, non-English language articles and articles addressing other breathing
      techniques. Outcomes evaluated were measures of cardiovascular autonomic control,
      represented by heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV)
      indexes. RESULTS: The search identified 729 citations and a total of 6 studies
      were included. The results demonstrated that IMT performed at low intensities can
      chronically promote an increase in the parasympathetic modulation and/or
      reduction of sympathetic cardiac modulation in patients with diabetes,
      hypertension, chronic heart failure and gastroesophageal reflux, when assessed by
      HRV spectral analysis. However, there was no study which evaluated the effects of
      IMT on cardiovascular autonomic control assessed by BPV. CONCLUSIONS: IMT can
      promote benefits for cardiac autonomic control, however the heterogeneity of
      populations associated with different protocols, few studies reported in the
      literature and the lack of randomized controlled trials make the effects of IMT
      on cardiovascular autonomic control inconclusive.

PMID- 28916153
TI  - Improving Provision of Care for Long-term Survivors of Lymphoma.
AB  - The progressive improvement of lymphoma therapies has led to a significant
      prolongation of patient survival and life expectancy. However, lymphoma survivors
      are at high risk of experiencing a range of early and late adverse effects
      associated with the extent of treatment exposure. Among these, second
      malignancies and cardiopulmonary diseases can be fatal, and neurocognitive
      dysfunction, endocrinopathy, muscle atrophy, and persistent fatigue can affect
      patients' quality of life for decades after treatment. Early recognition and
      reduction of risk factors and proper monitoring and treatment of these
      complications require well-defined follow-up criteria, close coordination among
      specialists of different disciplines, and a tailored model of survivorship care.
      We have summarized the major aspects of therapy-related effects in lymphoma
      patients, reviewed the current recommendations for follow-up protocols, and
      described a new hospital-based model of survivorship care provision from a recent
      multicenter Italian experience.

PMID- 28916154
TI  - Emerging new HCV strains among intravenous drug users and their route of
      transmission in the north eastern state of Mizoram, India.

PMID- 28916155
TI  - Ancestral resurrection of anthropoid estrogen receptor beta demonstrates
      functional consequences of positive selection.
AB  - Anthropoid primates arose during the Eocene approximately 55 million years ago
      (mya), and extant anthropoids share a most recent common ancestor ~40mya.
      Paleontology has been very successful at describing the morphological phenotypes
      of extinct anthropoids. Less well understood is the molecular biology of these
      extinct species as well as the phenotypic consequences of evolutionary variation
      in their genomes. Here we resurrect the most recent common ancestral anthropoid
      estrogen receptor beta gene (ESR2) and demonstrate that the function of this
      ancestral estrogen receptor has been maintained during human descent but was
      altered during early New World monkey (NWM) evolution by becoming a more potent
      transcriptional activator. We tested hypotheses of adaptive evolution in the
      protein coding sequences of ESR2, and determined that ESR2 evolved via episodic
      positive selection on the NWM stem lineage. We separately co-transfected ESR2
      constructs for human, NWM, and the anthropoid ancestor along with reporter gene
      vectors and performed hormone binding dose response experiments that measure
      transactivation activity. We found the transactivation potentials of the
      ancestral and human sequences to be significantly lower (p<0.0001 in each
      comparison) than that of the NWM when treated with estradiol, the most prevalent
      estrogen. We conclude the difference in fold activation is due to positive
      selection in the NWM ERbeta ligand binding domain. Our study validates
      inferential methods for detecting adaptive evolution that predict functional
      consequences of nucleotide substitutions and points a way toward examining the
      functional consequences of positive Darwinian selection.

PMID- 28916156
TI  - Need to Face Liver Cirrhosis after HCV Cure with Antivirals.

PMID- 28916157
TI  - Diabetes, the TYK2 Gene and the Interferon Response: In Search for Environmental
      Causes.

PMID- 28916158
TI  - Pyrrolizines: Design, synthesis, anticancer evaluation and investigation of the
      potential mechanism of action.
AB  - A novel set of pyrrolizine-5-carboxamides has been synthesized and evaluated for
      their anticancer potential against human breast MCF-7, lung carcinoma A549 and
      hepatoma Hep3B cancer cell lines. Compound 10c was the most active against MCF-7
      with IC50 value of 4.72uM, while compound 12b was the most active against A549
      and Hep3B cell lines. Moreover, kinases/COXs inhibition and apoptosis induction
      were suggested as potential molecular mechanisms for the anticancer activity of
      the novel pyrrolizines based on their structural features. The new compounds
      significantly inhibited COX-1 and COX-2 with IC50 values in the ranges of 5.78
      11.96uM and 0.1-0.78uM, respectively with high COX-2 selectivity over COX-1.
      Interestingly, the most potent compound in MTT assay, compound 12b, exhibited
      high inhibitory activity against COX-2 with selectivity index (COX-1/COX-2)>100.
      Meanwhile, compound 12b displayed weak to moderate inhibition of six kinases with
      inhibition% (7-20%) compared to imatinib (inhibition%=1-38%). The results of cell
      cycle analysis, annexin V PI/FITC apoptosis assay and caspase-3/7 assay revealed
      that compound 12b has the ability to induce apoptosis. The docking results of
      compound 12b into the active sites of COXs, ALK1 and Aurora kinases indicated
      that it fits nicely inside their active sites. Overall, the current study
      highlighted the significant anticancer activity of the newly synthesized
      pyrrolizines with a potential multi-targeted mechanism which could serve as a
      base for future studies and further structural optimization into potential
      anticancer agents.

PMID- 28916159
TI  - [Health status of asylum seekers and their access to medical care: Design and
      pilot testing of a questionnaire].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence on the health status of asylum seekers in Germany
      and their access to health care is fragmentary. There is a lack of appropriate
      questionnaires collecting indicators of health status and health care, which
      enable a meaningful comparison with a reference population. This article presents
      experiences in designing a questionnaire and findings available from a pilot
      testing to pave the way to improve design and methods in future studies.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The questionnaire comprises 28 mainly closed questions on
      self-reported health status, access to medical care and sociodemographic
      indicators. In order to guarantee comparability with the general population in
      Germany, most questions are derived from national health surveys. The
      questionnaire was translated into seven languages. Pilot testing was conducted
      between October 2014 and February 2015 in the course of the monthly welfare
      payments to asylum seekers in three districts of the German federal state of
      Baden-Wuerttemberg. RESULTS: A total of 156 out of 614 contacted asylum seekers
      participated in the pilot study (response rate: 25.4 %). The completion rate for
      items concerning health status and health care was satisfactory (> 75 %). Several
      items regarding sociodemographic data and linguistically complex questions showed
      the lowest item response rates (< 50 %). We recommend streamlining the
      questionnaire and using precise, closed and culturally adapted items.
      CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire proved to be expedient and practicable to assess
      relevant indicators of health status and health care provision. It appears that
      there is scope for improvement regarding the shortening and cultural adaptation
      of the questionnaire and the range of available translations. After addressing
      the mentioned limitations and further development, our approach could contribute
      to measuring regional disparities, differences between asylum seekers and the
      general population and temporal changes. In order to obtain representative data,
      the sampling strategy should be optimised.

PMID- 28916160
TI  - [Sociodemographic and health-related determinants of health care utilisation and
      access to primary and specialist care: Results of a nationwide population survey
      in Germany (2006-2016)].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to identify systematic differences due to
      sociodemographic and health-related determinants in outpatient healthcare
      utilisation and access in Germany for the period from 2006 to 2016. The study
      focuses on frequent users and those reporting particularly long wait times for
      their physician appointments, and it contributes to assessing the level of health
      equity in Germany. METHODS: The investigation draws on nine population surveys
      conducted by the German National Association of Statutory Health Insurance
      Physicians (NASHIP), which interviewed 42,925 respondents aged 18 and above.
      "Frequent users" were operationalised as those respondents who reported more than
      ten consultations with outpatient general practitioners (GPs) and specialists
      (SPs) in the preceding twelve months. Respondents who experienced wait times of
      more than one month for their last doctor appointment were categorised as "very
      long wait times". Sociodemographic determinants included age, gender, educational
      and occupational status, population and region of place of residence, as well as
      type of health insurance of the respondents. Health-related factors were self
      assessed health status and reason for last medical consultation. Statistical
      analyses were conducted using bivariate and multivariate techniques (logistic
      regression). RESULTS: Utilisation: Frequent users of GPs and SPs are
      predominantly respondents in poor health, retirees and younger persons (18 to 34
      years of age). Furthermore, people with a lower educational background consult
      their GPs significantly more often than people with higher levels of education.
      Also, patients with statutory health insurance coverage visit GPs more frequently
      than those having private health insurance, whereas the opposite holds true for
      SP consultations. Access: Very long wait times for GP and SP appointments were
      most often experienced by respondents who consult GPs and SPs for preventive
      medical check-ups or health screenings, have statutory health insurance, live in
      eastern Germany and who are above 60 years of age. In addition, people with
      higher levels of education are significantly more likely to experience wait times
      for SP appointments of more than one month than people with a lower educational
      background. The proportion of frequent users as well as of those reporting very
      long wait times for SP appointments has increased in Germany over the period
      examined. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that a high frequency of GP and SP
      consultations is primarily associated with self-assessed poor health, indicating
      that prioritisation is based on clinical need. In order to ensure the same needs
      based prioritisation in the access to outpatient healthcare, regulatory measures
      are required to decrease wait times of more than one month for SP appointments,
      with a special focus on people with statutory health insurance coverage,
      residents of eastern Germany and the elderly.

PMID- 28916161
TI  - Stable association of a Drosophila-derived microbiota with its animal partner and
      the nutritional environment throughout a fly population's life cycle.
AB  - In the past years, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been extensively
      used to study the relationship between animals and their associated microbes.
      Compared to the one of wild populations, the microbiota of laboratory-reared
      flies is less diverse, and comprises fewer bacterial taxa; nevertheless, the main
      commensal bacteria found in fly microbiota always belong to the Acetobacteraceae
      and Lactobacillaceae families. The bacterial communities associated with the fly
      are environmentally acquired, and the partners engage in a perpetual re
      association process. Adult flies constantly ingest and excrete microbes from and
      onto their feeding substrate, which are then transmitted to the next generation
      developing within this shared habitat. We wanted to analyze the potential changes
      in the bacterial community during its reciprocal transfer between the two
      compartments of the niche (i.e. the fly and the diet). To address this question,
      we used a diverse, wild-derived microbial community and analyzed its relationship
      with the fly population and the nutritive substrate in a given habitat. Here we
      show that the community was overall well maintained upon transmission to a new
      niche, to a new fly population and to their progeny, illustrating the stable
      association of a Drosophila-derived microbiota with its fly partner and the
      nutritional environment. These results highlight the preponderant role of the
      nutritional substrate in the dynamics of Drosophila/microbiota interactions, and
      the need to fully integrate this variable when performing such studies.

PMID- 28916162
TI  - Fluoride concentration and amount of dentifrice influence enamel demineralization
      in situ.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effect of conventional (CD, 1100ppm F) and
      low-fluoride (LFD, 550ppm F) dentifrices, applied in different quantities, on
      enamel demineralization, and on fluoride (F) concentrations in the dental biofilm
      formed in situ. METHODS: Five combinations of dentifrices and quantities were
      tested: placebo (P-F-free) applied on all brush bristles; LFD applied by the
      transversal technique (0.3g-T1) or on all bristles (0.6g-T2); and CD applied in a
      pea-sized amount (0.15g-T3) or by the transversal technique (0.3g-T4), in order
      to produce comparable intensities (F concentration in the dentifrice*amount
      applied to the brush). Volunteers (n=13, 20-36 years old) wore palatal devices
      containing 4 bovine enamel blocks, and performed cariogenic challenges (30%
      sucrose solution) 6*/day, and brushing 3*/day, following a double-blind, cross
      over and randomized protocol. On the 8th day, biofilm was collected 5 and 60min
      after brushing. The percentage of surface hardness loss (%SH), integrated loss of
      subsurface hardness (DeltaKHN) and biofilm F concentrations (solid and fluid
      phases) were determined. Data were analyzed by repeated-measures ANOVA, Student
      Newman-Keuls test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient (p<0.05). RESULTS:
      Significantly lower DeltaKHN was observed for treatments with higher intensity
      (T2 and T4) in comparison with the lower intensity (T1 and T3). A strong
      correlation was observed between DeltaKHN and F concentrations in total biofilm
      (r=-0.71) and biofilm fluid (r=-0.72) 5min after brushing. CONCLUSIONS: The
      treatment intensity has a significant influence on the development of caries
      lesions in situ. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The intensity of treatment (amount of
      dentifrice*concentration) during brushing seems to be a more relevant parameter
      of clinical efficacy than simply observing the F concentration of the product.
      The use of a small amount of CD significantly reduced the protective effects
      against enamel demineralization.

PMID- 28916163
TI  - Effects of small-grit grinding and glazing on mechanical behaviors and ageing
      resistance of a super-translucent dental zirconia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to elucidate the effects of small-grit
      grinding on the mechanical behaviors and ageing resistance of a super-translucent
      dental zirconia and to investigate the necessity of glazing for the small-grit
      ground zirconia. METHODS: Small-grit grinding was performed using two kinds of
      silicon carbide abrasive papers. The control group received no grinding. The
      unground surfaces and the ground surfaces were glazed by an experienced dental
      technician. Finally, the zirconia materials were thermally aged in water at 134
      degrees C for 5h. After aforementioned treatments, we observed the surface
      topography and the microstructures, and measured the extent of monoclinic phase,
      the nano-hardness and nano-modulus of the possible transformed zone and the
      flexural strength. RESULTS: Small-grit grinding changed the surface topography.
      The zirconia microstructure did not change obviously after surface treatments and
      thermal ageing; however, the glaze in contact with zirconia showed cracks after
      thermal ageing. Small-grit grinding did not induce a phase transformation but
      improved the flexural strength and ageing resistance. Glazing prevented zirconia
      from thermal ageing but severely diminished the flexural strength. The nano
      hardness and nano-modulus of the surface layer were increased by ultrafine
      grinding. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that small-grit grinding is beneficial
      to the strength and ageing resistance of the super-translucent dental zirconia;
      however, glazing is not necessary and even impairs the strength for the super
      translucent dental zirconia. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study is helpful to the
      researches about dental grinding tools and maybe useful for dentists to choose
      reasonable zirconia surface treatments.

PMID- 28916164
TI  - [Analysis of clinical relevance applied to 3methods of reducing weight in
      overweight or obesity followed-up for one year].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the effect of the use/implementation of 3methods to reduce
      weight in overweight or obese patients during one year of follow up. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: The design corresponds to a double-blind, randomised, controlled
      clinical trial with 3arms, and 12 months of follow-up. Patients were randomised
      into 3intervention groups: obesity motivational intervention, with a nurse
      previously trained in motivational intervention by expert psychologists (G1;
      n=60); lower intensity consultation, non-motivational group, with digital
      platform support (G2; N=61), and a third group that received recommendations for
      weight loss and follow-up in Primary Care Clinic (G3; n=59). Anthropometric
      variables (weight, height, and abdominal-waist circumference) were measured, and
      the percentage of patients who managed to reduce their weight >=5% was considered
      as the main measurement of treatment effectiveness. RESULTS: All groups
      significantly decreased body weight at the end of the study, with a reduction in
      G1 (-5.6kg) followed by G2 (-4.3kg), and G3 (-1.7kg), with an overall mean: 
      3.9kg. The indicators of clinical relevance were in G1/G3: relative risk (RR):
      4.99 (95% CI: from 2.71 to 9.18); relative risk reduction (RRR): 399.1% (171.3 to
      818.0); Absolute risk reduction (RAR): 65.3% (from 51.5 to 79.1) and NNT: 2 (from
      2 to 2). In the G2/G3 groups: RR: 3.01 (from 1.57 to 5.76); RRR: 200.5% (from
      57.0 to 475.5); RAR: 32.8% (from 16.9 to 48.7) and NNT: 4 (from 3 to 6). In the
      G1/G2 groups: RR: 1.66 (from 1.25 to 2.20); RRR: 66.1% (from 25.3 to 120.1); RAR:
      32.5% (from 16.6 to 48.4) and NNT: 4 (from 3 to 7). CONCLUSIONS: All 3groups were
      able to reduce weight. Although the group with motivational intervention achieved
      the greatest decrease, as well as the most favourable clinical relevance
      indicators.

PMID- 28916165
TI  - Muc1 deficiency exacerbates pulmonary fibrosis in a mouse model of silicosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MUC1 (MUC in human and Muc in animals) is a membrane-tethered mucin
      expressed on the apical surface of lung epithelial cells. However, in the lungs
      of patients with interstitial lung disease, MUC1 is aberrantly expressed in
      hyperplastic alveolar type II epithelial (ATII) cells and alveolar macrophages
      (AM), and elevated levels of extracellular MUC1 are found in bronchoalveolar
      lavage (BAL) fluid and the serum of these patients. While pro-fibrotic effects of
      extracellular MUC1 have recently been described in cultured fibroblasts, the
      contribution of MUC1 to the pathobiology of pulmonary fibrosis is unknown. In
      this study, we hypothesized that MUC1 deficiency would reduce susceptibility to
      pulmonary fibrosis in a mouse model of silicosis. METHODS: We employed human MUC1
      transgenic mice, Muc1 deficient mice and wild-type mice on C57BL/6 background in
      these studies. Some mice received a one-time dose of crystalline silica instilled
      into their oropharynx in order to induce pulmonary fibrosis and assess the
      effects of Muc1 deficiency on fibrotic and inflammatory responses in the lung.
      RESULTS: As previously described in other mouse models of pulmonary fibrosis, we
      found that extracellular MUC1 levels were markedly increased in whole lung
      tissues, BALF and serum of human MUC1 transgenic mice after silica. We also
      detected an increase in total MUC1 levels in the lungs of these mice, indicating
      that production as well as release contributed to elevated levels after lung
      injury. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that increased MUC1 expression was
      mostly confined to ATII cells and AMs in areas of fibrotic remodeling,
      illustrating a pattern similar to the expression of MUC1 in human fibrotic lung
      tissues. However, contrary to our hypothesis, we found that Muc1 deficiency
      resulted in a worsening of fibrotic remodeling in the mouse lung as judged by an
      increase in number of silicotic nodules, an increase in lung collagen deposition
      and an increase in the severity of pulmonary inflammation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Altogether, our results indicate that Muc1 has anti-fibrotic properties in the
      mouse lung and suggest that elevated levels of MUC1 in patients with interstitial
      lung disease may serve a protective role, which aims to limit the severity of
      tissue remodeling in the lung.

PMID- 28916167
TI  - Structural neuroimaging in sport-related concussion.
AB  - Structural neuroimaging of athletes who have sustained a sports-related
      concussion (SRC) can be viewed as either standard clinical imaging or with
      advanced neuroimaging methods that quantitatively assess brain structure.
      Negative findings from conventional computed tomography (CT) or magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) are the norm in SRC. Nonetheless, these conventional
      measures remain the first line of neuroimaging of the athlete as they do detect
      clinically significant pathologies, when present, such as hemorrhagic
      abnormalities in the form of hematomas, contusions and mircobleeds along with
      regions of focal encephalomalacia or other signal abnormalities, with CT best
      capable of detecting skull fractures. However, advanced neuroimaging techniques
      hold particular promise in detecting subtle neuropathology in the athlete which
      standard clinical neuroimaging cannot. To best understand what conventional as
      well as quantitative neuroimaging methods are detecting in SRC, this review
      begins by covering basic neuroanatomical principles associated with mild
      traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and the brain regions most vulnerable to injury
      from SRC, as these regions define where advanced neuroimaging methods most likely
      detect abnormalities. Advanced MRI techniques incorporate quantitative metrics
      that include volume, shape, thickness along with diffusion parameters that
      provide a more fine-grained analysis of brain structure. With advancements in
      image analysis, multiple quantitative neuroimaging metrics now can be utilized in
      assessing SRC. Such multimodality approaches are particularly relevant and
      important for assessing white matter and network integrity of the brain following
      injury, including SRC. This review focuses just on the structural side of
      neuroimaging in SRC, but these techniques also are being integrated with
      functional neuroimaging, where the combination of the two approaches may provide
      superior methods in assessing the pathological effects of SRC.

PMID- 28916166
TI  - AntagomiR-613 protects neuronal cells from oxygen glucose deprivation/re
      oxygenation via increasing SphK2 expression.
AB  - Oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD)/re-oxygenation (OGDR) causes damages to neuronal
      cells. Sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2) expression could exert neuroprotective
      functions. Here, we aim to induce SphK2 expression via inhibiting the anti-SphK2
      microRNA: microRNA-613 ("miR-613"). In both SH-SY5Y neuronal cells and primary
      murine hippocampal neurons, transfection of the miR-613's specific inhibitor,
      antagomiR-613 ("antamiR-613"), induced miR-613 depletion and SphK2 expression.
      Reversely, forced over-expression of miR-613 caused SphK2 downregulation in SH
      SY5Y cells. OGDR-induced cytotoxicity in neuronal cells was largely attenuated by
      antamiR-613. SphK2 is required for antamiR-613-induced actions in neuronal cells.
      SphK2 knockdown (by targeted-shRNAs) or inhibition (by its inhibitor ABC294640)
      almost completely abolished antamiR-613-mediated neuroprotection against OGDR.
      Further studies showed that OGDR-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production, lipid peroxidation, and DNA damages in SH-SY5Y cells were largely
      attenuated by antamiR-613, but were intensified by miR-613 expression. Taken
      together, we conclude that antamiR-613 protects neuronal cells from OGDR probably
      via inducing SphK2 expression.

PMID- 28916168
TI  - Scripting a place in time.
AB  - Evidence in many experimental systems supports the idea that non-uniform
      distributions of morphogen proteins encode positional information in developing
      tissues. There is also strong evidence that morphogen dispersal is mediated by
      cytonemes and that morphogen proteins transfer from producing to receiving cells
      at morphogenetic synapses that form at sites of cytoneme contacts. This essay
      considers some implications of this mechanism and its relevance to various
      contexts including large single cells such as the pre-cellular Drosophila embryo
      and the ciliate Stentor.

PMID- 28916169
TI  - The large and small SPEN family proteins stimulate axon outgrowth during
      neurosecretory cell remodeling in Drosophila.
AB  - Split ends (SPEN) is the founding member of a well conserved family of nuclear
      proteins with critical functions in transcriptional regulation and the post
      transcriptional processing and nuclear export of transcripts. In animals, the
      SPEN proteins fall into two size classes that perform either complementary or
      antagonistic functions in different cellular contexts. Here, we show that the two
      Drosophila representatives of this family, SPEN and Spenito (NITO), regulate
      metamorphic remodeling of the CCAP/bursicon neurosecretory cells. CCAP/bursicon
      cell-targeted overexpression of SPEN had no effect on the larval morphology or
      the pruning back of the CCAP/bursicon cell axons at the onset of metamorphosis.
      During the subsequent outgrowth phase of metamorphic remodeling, overexpression
      of either SPEN or NITO strongly inhibited axon extension, axon branching,
      peripheral neuropeptide accumulation, and soma growth. Cell-targeted loss-of
      function alleles for both spen and nito caused similar reductions in axon
      outgrowth, indicating that the absolute levels of SPEN and NITO activity are
      critical to support the developmental plasticity of these neurons. Although nito
      RNAi did not affect SPEN protein levels, the phenotypes produced by SPEN
      overexpression were suppressed by nito RNAi. We propose that SPEN and NITO
      function additively or synergistically in the CCAP/bursicon neurons to regulate
      multiple aspects of neurite outgrowth during metamorphic remodeling.

PMID- 28916170
TI  - The 1h post glucose value best predicts future dysglycemia among normal glucose
      tolerance subjects.
AB  - AIM: To analyse the OGTT glycemic parameters - fasting, 1h and 2h plasma glucose
      values singly and in various combinations; with respect to their prediction of
      future dysglycemia in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). METHODS:
      Electronic medical records of individuals who underwent an OGTT between 1991 and
      2016 at a tertiary diabetes centre were analysed. NGT subjects who had at least
      one more follow up OGTT (n=1356) were selected for the study. Regarding their
      prediction of future dysglycemia, the glycemic parameters-Fasting plasma glucose
      (FPG), 1h plasma glucose (1HrPG) and 2h plasma glucose (2HrPG) were analysed
      separately and also in different combinations. HbA1c and the combined use of
      HbA1c and FPG were also compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve
      analysis was performed to assess the capability of various glycemic parameters to
      discriminate between NGT and dysglycemia. The WHO criteria were used to define
      dysglycemia as the presence of prediabetes (Impaired fasting glucose and/or
      Impaired glucose tolerance) or diabetes. RESULTS: 318(23.4%) developed
      prediabetes (median follow up 3.5years) and 134(10%) developed diabetes (median
      follow up 5.6years). The 1hrPG had a significantly higher AUC (0.684, 0.716)
      compared to FPG (0.560 and 0.593) and 2hrPG (0.644 and 0.618) for prediabetes and
      diabetes respectively. Adding the FPG or the 2hrPG to the 1HrPG did not
      significantly improve the AUC beyond 1HrPG alone. The 1HrPG also predicted
      diabetes better than HbA1c as well as the combined use of HbA1c and FPG.
      CONCLUSION: The 1HrPG value during OGTT is a good predictor of future dysglycemia
      among NGT subjects.

PMID- 28916171
TI  - Neurobehavioral assessment of mice following repeated oral exposures to domoic
      acid during prenatal development.
AB  - Domoic acid (DA) is an algal toxin which has been associated with significant
      neurotoxicity in humans, non-human primates, rodents, and marine mammals.
      Developmental exposure to DA is believed to result in neurotoxicity that may
      persist into adulthood. DA is produced by harmful algal blooms of Pseudo
      nitzschia, raising concerns about the consumption of contaminated seafood. We
      evaluated oral exposures to DA during pregnancy in mice. Doses of 0 (vehicle), 1
      or 3mg/kg/d of DA were administered by gavage to C57BL/6J mice on gestational
      days 10 to 17. The offspring were tested for persistent neurobehavioral
      consequences during early development, adolescence and adulthood. Neurobehavioral
      tests revealed both dose- and gender-related differences in several
      neurobehavioral measures, including motor coordination in the rotarod test,
      behavior in the elevated plus maze, circadian patterns of activity in Phenotyper
      cages, gait as assessed in the Catwalk, and exploratory activity in the Morris
      water maze. This study demonstrated significant gender-specific and persistent
      neurobehavioral effects of repeated prenatal oral exposures to DA at low-dose
      levels that did not induce toxicity in dams.

PMID- 28916172
TI  - Biometric verification by cross-correlation analysis of 12-lead ECG patterns:
      Ranking of the most reliable peripheral and chest leads.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electrocardiogram (ECG)-based biometrics relies on the most stable
      and unique beat patterns, i.e. those with maximal intra-subject and minimal inter
      subject waveform differences seen from different leads. We investigated
      methodology to evaluate those differences, aiming to rank the most prominent
      single and multi-lead ECG sets for biometric verification across a large
      population. METHODS: A clinical standard 12-lead resting ECG database, including
      460 pairs of remote recordings (distanced 1year apart) was used. Inter-subject
      beat waveform differences were studied by cross-correlation and amplitude
      relations of average PQRST (500ms) and QRS (100ms) patterns, using 8
      features/lead in 12-leads. Biometric verification models based on stepwise linear
      discriminant classifier were trained on the first half of records. True
      verification rate (TVR) on the remaining test data was further reported as a
      common mean of the correctly verified equal subjects (true acceptance rate) and
      correctly rejected different subjects (true rejection rate). RESULTS AND
      CONCLUSIONS: In single-lead ECG human identity applications, we found maximal TVR
      (87-89%) for the frontal plane leads (I, -aVR, II) within (0-60 degrees ) sector.
      Other leads were ranked: inferior (85%), lateral to septal (82-81%), with
      intermittent V3 drop (77.6%), suggesting anatomical landmark displacements. ECG
      pattern view from multi-lead sets improved TVR: chest (91.3%), limb (94.6%), 12
      leads (96.3%).

PMID- 28916173
TI  - A new anatomical view on the vector cardiogram: The mean temporal-spatial
      isochrones.
AB  - AIM: This proof of principle study aims to show the direct relationship between
      cardiac anatomy and the mean cardiac activation path as captured by the 12 lead
      ECG derived mean temporal-spatial isochrones (mean TSI) path. METHODS: To obtain
      the mean TSI signal a vector cardiographic (VCG) signal is constructed from the
      12 lead ECG. The construction of the VCG signal uses a model of the heart and
      torso with patient specific electrode extracted from a 3D photo. The propagation
      of the activation through the heart is captured by estimating the mean of a
      cardiac activation isochrone using this VCG signal. The mean TSI signal is
      related to the heart model in a standard view using 3 orthogonal heart views,
      instead of the standard body related orthogonal planes. RESULTS: The mean TSI was
      computed for 4 patients with the ECG containing ectopic activations like
      Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) or pacemaps, and normal His-Purkinje
      activations. For each patient, a specific model with known electrode positions
      was available. For each activation, the mean TSI was shown in relation to the
      cardiac anatomy. The region of origin of the PVC or pacemap could easily be
      localized from these views. Also the initial trans-septal activation for normal
      His-Purkinje activations could easily be detected and related to the septum.
      CONCLUSION: This proof of principle study showed that the mean path of cardiac
      activation can be derived from the ECG and related to standard orthogonal heart
      views: LAO, RAO, and 4 chambers. This new methodology might help to improve the
      diagnostic value of the ECG, as the interpretation of the mean TSI is easier to
      be related to the cardiac anatomy, also for less experienced physicians.

PMID- 28916174
TI  - Evaluation of beat-to-beat ventricular repolarization lability from standard 12
      lead ECG during acute myocardial ischemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial ischemia is a common cause of ventricular
      arrhythmias, yet recent ECG methods predicting susceptibility to ventricular
      tachyarrhythmia have not been fully evaluated during spontaneous ischemia. We
      sought to evaluate the clinical utility of alternans and non-alternans components
      of repolarization variability from the standard 10-second 12-lead ECG signals to
      risk stratify patients with acute chest pain. METHODS: We enrolled consecutive,
      non-traumatic, chest pain patients transported through Emergency Medical Services
      (EMS) to three tertiary care hospitals with cardiac catheterization lab
      capabilities in Pittsburgh, PA. ECG signals were manually annotated by an
      electrophysiologist, then automatically processed using a custom-written
      software. Both T wave alternans (TWA) and non-alternans repolarization
      variability (NARV) were calculated using the absolute RMS differences over the
      repolarization window between odd/even averaged beats and between consecutive
      averaged pairs, respectively. The primary study outcome was the presence of acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI) documented by cardiac angiography. RESULTS: After
      excluding patients with secondary repolarization changes (n=123) and those with
      excessive noise (n=90), our final sample included 537 patients (age 57+/-16years,
      56% males). Patients with AMI (n=47, 9%) had higher TWA and NARV values (p<0.01).
      Mean RR correlated with TWA, and noise measures correlated with TWA and NARV,
      after adjusting for potential confounders. There was a high collinearity between
      TWA and NARV, and each was separately predictive of AMI after controlling for
      number of analyzed beats, noise measures, and other clinical variables.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite limitations imposed by signal quality, TWA and NARV are
      higher in patients with AMI, even after correction for potential confounders. The
      clinical value of TWA and NARV derived from standard ECG using our time-domain
      RMS method is questionable due to the small number of beats and significant
      noise.

PMID- 28916175
TI  - Early sepsis detection in critical care patients using multiscale blood pressure
      and heart rate dynamics.
AB  - Sepsis remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among intensive care
      unit (ICU) patients. For each hour treatment initiation is delayed after
      diagnosis, sepsis-related mortality increases by approximately 8%. Therefore,
      maximizing effective care requires early recognition and initiation of treatment
      protocols. Antecedent signs and symptoms of sepsis can be subtle and
      unrecognizable (e.g., loss of autonomic regulation of vital signs), causing
      treatment delays and harm to the patient. In this work we investigated the
      utility of high-resolution blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) times series
      dynamics for the early prediction of sepsis in patients from an urban, academic
      hospital, meeting the third international consensus definition of sepsis (sepsis
      III) during their ICU admission. Using a multivariate modeling approach we found
      that HR and BP dynamics at multiple time-scales are independent predictors of
      sepsis, even after adjusting for commonly measured clinical values and patient
      demographics and comorbidities. Earlier recognition and diagnosis of sepsis has
      the potential to decrease sepsis-related morbidity and mortality through earlier
      initiation of treatment protocols.

PMID- 28916177
TI  - Quantifying the Impact of Noninterpretive Tasks on Radiology Report Turn-Around
      Times.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traditional radiology productivity metrics do not account for
      noninterpretive tasks (NITs). This study aimed to systematically quantify NITs
      and their impact on report turn-around time (RTAT) during solo academic
      neuroradiology overnight coverage in the emergency department. METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of 1 week of data, including phone call quantity and
      duration, clinician identification badge access to the reading room ("badge
      swipes"), suspected acute strokes, imaging examination volume, and emergency
      department patient volume, was performed. Univariate analyses were employed to
      quantify NITs. Multivariate linear regression was used to determine if NITs
      within an hour are predictive of RTAT of studies completed within that hour.
      RESULTS: Sixty-three hours of overnight neuroradiology coverage were analyzed.
      The mean number of phone calls per hour was 8.7 (SD: 5.7), and mean duration of
      phone calls per hour was 12 min (SD: 9.6 min, range 1-46). The mean number of
      badge swipes per hour was 2.1 (SD 1.6). The mean number of examinations (CT and
      MRI) performed per hour was 2.2 (SD: 1.7). Regression analyses found total
      duration of phone calls in an hour as the strongest independent predictor of RTAT
      (unstandardized beta = 4.25, P < .001). The overall multivariate model was also
      significant (P < .001, R2 = 0.596; adjusted R2 = 0.578). CONCLUSIONS: For every 1
      min increase in total duration of calls in an hour, mean RTAT increased by 4.25
      min. Standardizing capture of NITs may aid development of strategies that address
      productivity, communication, and value in radiology.

PMID- 28916176
TI  - Risk stratification of sudden cardiac death in hypertension.
AB  - In the United States, up to 450,000 people per year die suddenly; an average of 1
      sudden death every 70s. Strategies for preventing sudden cardiac death are
      urgently needed. Systemic arterial hypertension is a major risk factor for sudden
      cardiac death and the increasing burden of hypertension is a worldwide problem.
      The lifetime risk of sudden cardiac death at 30years of age is higher by 30% in
      individuals with hypertension. Each 20/10mmHg increase in systolic/diastolic
      blood pressure, is associated with a 20% additional increase in sudden cardiac
      death risk. Theoretically, antihypertensive treatment should be an effective
      strategy for sudden cardiac death prevention. However, a recent meta-analysis of
      15 randomized controlled trials showed that antihypertensive treatment does not
      reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death. This manuscript reviews ECG
      predictors of sudden cardiac death and the importance of risk stratification for
      appropriate management of hypertension.

PMID- 28916179
TI  - A comparison of inhomogeneous magnetization transfer, myelin volume fraction, and
      diffusion tensor imaging measures in healthy children.
AB  - Sensitive and specific biomarkers of myelin can help define baseline brain health
      and development, identify and monitor disease pathology, and evaluate response to
      treatment where myelin content is affected. Diffusion measures such as radial
      diffusivity (RD) are commonly used to assess myelin content, but are not specific
      to myelin. Inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) and multicomponent driven
      equilibrium single-pulse observation of T1 and T2 (mcDESPOT) offer quantitative
      parameters (qihMT and myelin volume fraction/VFm, respectively) which are
      suggested to have improved sensitivity to myelin. We compared RD, qihMT, and VFm
      in a cohort of 23 healthy children aged 8-13 years to evaluate the similarities
      and differences across these measures. All 3 measures were significantly related
      across brain voxels, but VFm and qihMT were significantly more strongly
      correlated (qihMT-VFm r = 0.89) than either measure was with RD (RD-qihMT r = 
      0.66, RD-VFm r = -0.74; all p < 0.001). Mean parameters differed in several
      regions, especially in subcortical gray matter. These differences can likely be
      explained by unique sensitivities of each measure to non-myelin factors, such as
      crossing fiber geometry, axonal packing, fiber orientation, glial density, or
      magnetization transfer effects in a voxel. We also observed an orientation
      dependence of qihMT in white matter, such that qihMT decreased as fiber
      orientation went from parallel to perpendicular to B0. All measures appear to be
      sensitive to myelin content, though qihMT and VFm appear to be more specific to
      it than RD. Scan time, noise tolerance, and resolution requirements may inform
      researchers of the appropriate measure to choose for a specific application.

PMID- 28916178
TI  - The cerebellum's contribution to beat interval discrimination.
AB  - From expert percussionists to individuals who cannot dance, there are widespread
      differences in people's abilities to perceive and synchronize with a musical
      beat. The aim of our study was to identify candidate brain regions that might be
      associated with these abilities. For this purpose, we used Voxel-Based
      Morphometry to correlate inter-individual differences in performance on the
      Harvard Beat Assessment Tests (H-BAT) with local inter-individual variations in
      gray matter volumes across the entire brain space in 60 individuals. Analysis
      revealed significant co-variations between performances on two perceptual tasks
      of the Harvard Beat Assessment Tests associated with beat interval change
      discrimination (faster, slower) and gray matter volume variations in the
      cerebellum. Participant discrimination thresholds for the Beat Finding Interval
      Test (quarter note beat) were positively associated with gray matter volume
      variation in cerebellum lobule IX in the left hemisphere and crus I bilaterally.
      Discrimination thresholds for the Beat Interval Test (simple series of tones)
      revealed the tendency for a positive association with gray matter volume
      variations in crus I/II of the left cerebellum. Our results demonstrate the
      importance of the cerebellum in beat interval discrimination skills, as measured
      by two perceptual tasks of the Harvard Beat Assessment Tests. Current findings,
      in combination with evidence from patients with cerebellar degeneration and
      expert dancers, suggest that cerebellar gray matter and overall cerebellar
      integrity are important for temporal discrimination abilities.

PMID- 28916180
TI  - Interpreting temporal fluctuations in resting-state functional connectivity MRI.
AB  - Resting-state functional connectivity is a powerful tool for studying human
      functional brain networks. Temporal fluctuations in functional connectivity,
      i.e., dynamic functional connectivity (dFC), are thought to reflect dynamic
      changes in brain organization and non-stationary switching of discrete brain
      states. However, recent studies have suggested that dFC might be attributed to
      sampling variability of static FC. Despite this controversy, a detailed
      exposition of stationarity and statistical testing of dFC is lacking in the
      literature. This article seeks an in-depth exploration of these statistical
      issues at a level appealing to both neuroscientists and statisticians. We first
      review the statistical notion of stationarity, emphasizing its reliance on
      ensemble statistics. In contrast, all FC measures depend on sample statistics. An
      important consequence is that the space of stationary signals is much broader
      than expected, e.g., encompassing hidden markov models (HMM) widely used to
      extract discrete brain states. In other words, stationarity does not imply the
      absence of brain states. We then expound the assumptions underlying the
      statistical testing of dFC. It turns out that the two popular frameworks - phase
      randomization (PR) and autoregressive randomization (ARR) - generate stationary,
      linear, Gaussian null data. Therefore, statistical rejection can be due to non
      stationarity, nonlinearity and/or non-Gaussianity. For example, the null
      hypothesis can be rejected for the stationary HMM due to nonlinearity and non
      Gaussianity. Finally, we show that a common form of ARR (bivariate ARR) is
      susceptible to false positives compared with PR and an adapted version of ARR
      (multivariate ARR). Application of PR and multivariate ARR to Human Connectome
      Project data suggests that the stationary, linear, Gaussian null hypothesis
      cannot be rejected for most participants. However, failure to reject the null
      hypothesis does not imply that static FC can fully explain dFC. We find that
      first order AR models explain temporal FC fluctuations significantly better than
      static FC models. Since first order AR models encode both static FC and one-lag
      FC, this suggests the presence of dynamical information beyond static FC.
      Furthermore, even in subjects where the null hypothesis was rejected, AR models
      explain temporal FC fluctuations significantly better than a popular HMM,
      suggesting the lack of discrete states (as measured by resting-state fMRI).
      Overall, our results suggest that AR models are not only useful as a means for
      generating null data, but may be a powerful tool for exploring the dynamical
      properties of resting-state fMRI. Finally, we discuss how apparent contradictions
      in the growing dFC literature might be reconciled.

PMID- 28916182
TI  - Erratum to "Overcoming the bottleneck of platelet lysate supply in large-scale
      clinical expansion of adipose-derived stem cells: A comparison of fresh versus
      three types of platelet lysates from outdated buffy coat-derived platelet
      concentrates" [Cytotherapy 2017;19:222-234].

PMID- 28916183
TI  - Cancer-Related Cognitive Changes.

PMID- 28916181
TI  - Replicability of time-varying connectivity patterns in large resting state fMRI
      samples.
AB  - The past few years have seen an emergence of approaches that leverage temporal
      changes in whole-brain patterns of functional connectivity (the chronnectome). In
      this chronnectome study, we investigate the replicability of the human brain's
      inter-regional coupling dynamics during rest by evaluating two different dynamic
      functional network connectivity (dFNC) analysis frameworks using 7 500 functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets. To quantify the extent to which the
      emergent functional connectivity (FC) patterns are reproducible, we characterize
      the temporal dynamics by deriving several summary measures across multiple large,
      independent age-matched samples. Reproducibility was demonstrated through the
      existence of basic connectivity patterns (FC states) amidst an ensemble of inter
      regional connections. Furthermore, application of the methods to conservatively
      configured (statistically stationary, linear and Gaussian) surrogate datasets
      revealed that some of the studied state summary measures were indeed
      statistically significant and also suggested that this class of null model did
      not explain the fMRI data fully. This extensive testing of reproducibility of
      similarity statistics also suggests that the estimated FC states are robust
      against variation in data quality, analysis, grouping, and decomposition methods.
      We conclude that future investigations probing the functional and
      neurophysiological relevance of time-varying connectivity assume critical
      importance.

PMID- 28916184
TI  - Role of the IL-12/IL-35 balance in patients with Sjogren syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An interferon signature is involved in the pathogenesis of primary
      Sjogren syndrome (pSS), but whether the signature is type 1 or type 2 remains
      controversial. Mouse models and genetic studies suggest the involvement of TH1
      and type 2 interferon pathways. Likewise, polymorphisms of the IL-12A gene
      (IL12A), which encodes for IL-12p35, have been associated with pSS. The IL-12p35
      subunit is shared by 2 heterodimers: IL-12 and IL-35. OBJECTIVE: We sought to
      confirm genetic association of the IL12A polymorphism and pSS and elucidate
      involvement of the IL-12/IL-35 balance in patients with pSS by using functional
      studies. METHODS: The genetic study involved 673 patients with pSS from 2 French
      pSS cohorts and 585 healthy French control subjects. Functional studies were
      performed on sorted monocytes, irrespective of whether they were stimulated.
      IL12A mRNA expression and IL-12 and IL-35 protein levels were assessed by using
      quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA and a multiplex kit for IL-35 and IL-12,
      respectively. RESULTS: We confirmed association of the IL12A rs485497
      polymorphism and pSS and found an increased serum protein level of IL-12p70 in
      patients with pSS carrying the risk allele (P = .016). Serum levels of IL-12p70
      were greater in patients than control subjects (P = .0001), especially in
      patients with more active disease (P = .05); conversely, IL-35 levels were
      decreased in patients (P = .0001), especially in patients with more active
      disease (P = .05). In blood cellular subsets both IL12p35 and EBV-induced gene
      protein 3 (EBI3) mRNAs were detected only in B cells, with a trend toward a lower
      level among patients with pSS. CONCLUSION: Our findings emphasize involvement of
      the IL-12/IL-35 balance in the pathogenesis of pSS. Serum IL-35 levels were
      associated with low disease activity, in contrast with serum IL-12p70 levels,
      which were associated with more active disease.

PMID- 28916185
TI  - Alveolar eosinophilia in current smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease in the SPIROMICS cohort.

PMID- 28916187
TI  - Mast cell exosomes can suppress allergic reactions by binding to IgE.

PMID- 28916186
TI  - Clinical, immunologic, and genetic spectrum of 696 patients with combined
      immunodeficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Combined immunodeficiencies (CIDs) are diseases of defective adaptive
      immunity with diverse clinical phenotypes. Although CIDs are more prevalent in
      the Middle East than Western countries, the resources for genetic diagnosis are
      limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to characterize the categories of patients
      with CIDs in Iran clinically and genetically. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory
      data were obtained from 696 patients with CIDs. Patients were subdivided into
      those with syndromic (344 patients) and nonsyndromic (352 patients) CIDs.
      Targeted DNA sequencing was performed on 243 (34.9%) patients. RESULTS: The
      overall diagnostic yield of the 243 sequenced patients was 77.8% (189 patients).
      The clinical diagnosis of hyper-IgE syndrome (P < .001), onset of disease at
      greater than 5 years (P = .02), and absence of multiple affected family members
      (P = .04) were significantly more frequent in the patients without a genetic
      diagnosis. An autosomal recessive disease was found in 62.9% of patients,
      reflecting the high rate of consanguinity in this cohort. Mutations impairing VDJ
      recombination and DNA repair were the most common underlying causes of CIDs.
      However, in patients with syndromic CIDs, autosomal recessive mutations in ataxia
      telangiectasia mutated (ATM), autosomal dominant mutations in signal transducer
      and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and microdeletions in 22q11.21 were the
      most commonly affected genomic loci. Patients with syndromic CIDs had a
      significantly lower 5-year survival rate rather than those with nonsyndromic
      CIDs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides proof of principle for the application of
      targeted next-generation sequencing panels in countries with limited diagnostic
      resources. The effect of genetic diagnosis on clinical care requires continued
      improvements in therapeutic resources for these patients.

PMID- 28916189
TI  - Phosphoinositide 5-phosphatase activities control cell motility in glioblastoma:
      Two phosphoinositides PI(4,5)P2 and PI(3,4)P2 are involved.
AB  - Inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatases or phosphoinositide 5-phosphatases (PI 5
      phosphatases) are enzymes that can act on soluble inositol phosphates and/or
      phosphoinositides (PIs). Several PI 5-phosphatases have been linked to human
      genetic diseases, in particular the Lowe protein or OCRL which is mutated in the
      Lowe syndrome. There are 10 different members of this family and 9 of them can
      use PIs as substrate. One of these substrates, PI(3,4,5)P3 binds to specific PH
      domains and recruits as effectors specific proteins to signaling complexes.
      Protein kinase B is one target protein and activation of the kinase will have a
      major impact on cell proliferation, survival and cell metabolism. Two other PIs,
      PI(4,5)P2 and PI(3,4)P2, are produced or used as substrates of PI 5-phosphatases
      (OCRL, INPP5B, SHIP1/2, SYNJ1/2, INPP5K, INPP5J, INPP5E). The inositol lipids may
      influence many aspects of cytoskeletal organization, lamellipodia formation and F
      actin polymerization. PI 5-phosphatases have been reported to control cell
      migration, adhesion, polarity and cell invasion particularly in cancer cells. In
      glioblastoma, reducing SHIP2 expression can positively or negatively affect the
      speed of cell migration depending on the glioblastoma cell type. The two PI 5
      phosphatases SHIP2 or SKIP could be localized at the plasma membrane and can
      reduce either PI(3,4,5)P3 or PI(4,5)P2 abundance. In the glioblastoma 1321 N1
      cells, SHIP2 controls plasma membrane PI(4,5)P2 thereby participating in the
      control of cell migration.

PMID- 28916188
TI  - Mast cell chymase decreases the severity of group B Streptococcus infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) or Streptococcus agalactiae are beta
      hemolytic gram-positive bacteria that colonize the lower genital tracts of women
      and are frequently associated with infections during pregnancy. Innate immune
      defenses are critical for controlling GBS dissemination and systemic infection.
      Mast cells are resident sentinel cells that come into contact with pathogens
      early during colonization and infection. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the
      contribution of chymase to systemic GBS infection and rates of preterm birth.
      METHODS: Pharmacologic and genetic approaches using mice deficient in mast cell
      protease (MCPT) 4, the mouse functional homologue of human chymase, were used.
      RESULTS: Our studies show that mast cells release a protease with chymotrypsin
      like cleavage specificity in response to GBS. Additionally, increased GBS
      systemic infection and preterm births were observed in MCPT4-deficient mice
      versus MCPT4-sufficient mice. Furthermore, we observed that proteolytic cleavage
      of the host extracellular matrix protein fibronectin by peritoneal cell-derived
      mast cell lysates diminished GBS adherence. Consistent with this observation, the
      increase in GBS dissemination and preterm births observed in MCPT4-deficient mice
      was abolished when GBS was deficient in expression of the fibronectin-binding
      protein SfbA. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggest that the
      protective effect of MCPT4 against GBS dissemination and preterm labor can be
      attributed in part to MCPT4-mediated proteolysis of fibronectin. Our studies
      reveal a novel role of mast cells in defense against bacterial infections.

PMID- 28916190
TI  - Counting the cost: Passchendaele 100.

PMID- 28916192
TI  - A consensus-based approach to evidence-based clinical practice.

PMID- 28916191
TI  - The hydro-alcoholic extracts of Sardinian wild thistles (Onopordum spp.) inhibit
      TNFalpha-induced IL-8 secretion and NF-kappaB pathway in human gastric epithelial
      AGS cells.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Thistles species (Family: Compositae) are
      traditionally used in the Mediterranean area, particularly in Sardinia. They are
      usually gathered from the wild and used for both food and therapeutic purposes,
      including gastrointestinal disorders. AIM OF THE STUDY: This work aims to
      evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of eight wild thistles from Sardinia, in
      an in vitro model of gastric inflammation, and to identify the major active
      compounds in the extracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The hydro-alcoholic extract of
      the aerial part of each species was prepared. After the induction of inflammation
      by the addition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) (10ng/mL), AGS cells
      were treated with extracts/pure compounds under study. The inhibition of
      interleukin-8 (IL-8) release, IL-8 and NF-kappaB promoter activities and NF
      kappaB nuclear translocation were evaluated. Extracts main components were
      identified by HPLC-PDA-MS/MS. RESULTS: Only Onopordum horridum Viv. and Onopordum
      illyricum L. hydro-alcoholic extracts reduced, in a concentration-dependent
      fashion, the IL-8 release and promoter activity in human gastric epithelial cells
      AGS. The effect was partially due to the NF-kappaB pathway impairment. Onopordum
      hydro-alcoholic extracts were also chemically profiled, and caffeoylquinic acid
      derivatives were the main compounds identified in the extract. Further
      investigations showed that 3,5 dicaffeoylquinic acid highly inhibited IL-8
      secretion in AGS cells (IC50 0.65MUM), thus suggesting that this compound
      contributed, at least in part, to the anti-inflammatory activity elicited by O.
      illyricum extracts. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that Onopordum species may
      exert beneficial effects against gastric inflammatory diseases. Thus, these wild
      plants deserve further investigations as preventive or co-adjuvant agents in
      gastric diseases.

PMID- 28916193
TI  - Ferulic acid promotes survival and differentiation of neural stem cells to
      prevent gentamicin-induced neuronal hearing loss.
AB  - Neural stem cells (NSCs) have exhibited promising potential in therapies against
      neuronal hearing loss. Ferulic acid (FA) has been widely reported to enhance
      neurogenic differentiation of different stem cells. We investigated the role of
      FA in promoting NSC transplant therapy to prevent gentamicin-induced neuronal
      hearing loss. NSCs were isolated from mouse cochlear tissues to establish in
      vitro culture, which were then treated with FA. The survival and differentiation
      of NSCs were evaluated. Subsequently, neurite outgrowth and excitability of the
      in vitro neuronal network were assessed. Gentamicin was used to induce neuronal
      hearing loss in mice, in the presence and absence of FA, followed by assessments
      of auditory brainstem response (ABR) and distortion product optoacoustic
      emissions (DPOAE) amplitude. FA promoted survival, neurosphere formation and
      differentiation of NSCs, as well as neurite outgrowth and excitability of in
      vitro neuronal network. Furthermore, FA restored ABR threshold shifts and DPOAE
      in gentamicin-induced neuronal hearing loss mouse model in vivo. Our data, for
      the first time, support potential therapeutic efficacy of FA in promoting
      survival and differentiation of NSCs to prevent gentamicin-induced neuronal
      hearing loss.

PMID- 28916194
TI  - Induction of cytochrome P450 mRNA in porcine primary hepatocytes cultured under
      serum free conditions: Comparison of freshly isolated cells and cryopreserved.
AB  - Primary hepatocytes are widely used in the study of dynamic events like
      regulation of gene expression, as they are superior to most cell-lines. However,
      the culturing of the hepatocytes often results in loss of phenotype, e.g. the
      expression of the cytochrome p450s (CYP). The present study investigated the
      impact of serum in the culture medium of porcine primary hepatocytes (PPH) on
      markers of dedifferentiation as well as the impact on CYP induction. The effects
      were studied in both freshly isolated primary hepatocytes as well as
      cryopreserved. The exclusion of serum in the culturing media were not introducing
      significant dedifferentiation as judged by the gene expression of alpha
      fetoprotein, albumin, glucose-6-phosphatase and the constitutive expression of
      selected transcription factors and CYP. The induction of CYP2B22 and CYP3A29 by
      phenobarbital and rifampicin, were greater in hepatocytes cultured without serum.
      The same were not observed for TCDD induced CYP1A2 expression. In conclusion, PPH
      cultured under serum free conditions results in little or no dedifferentiation,
      while being more responsive to known CYP inducers. Hence, it can be suggested
      that PPH cultured under serum free conditions provides a reliable hepatocyte
      model to investigate CYP gene regulation.

PMID- 28916195
TI  - Erratum to "N-acetyl aspartate concentration in the anterior cingulate cortex in
      patients with schizophrenia: A study of clinical and neuropsychological
      correlates and preliminary exploration of cognitive behaviour therapy effects"
      [Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 182(3) (2010) 251-260].

PMID- 28916196
TI  - Self-reported and observed feeding practices of Rhode Island Head Start teachers:
      Knowing what not to do.
AB  - PURPOSE: Through their feeding practices, adult caregivers play an important role
      in shaping children's eating behaviors. However, the feeding practices of child
      care teachers have received little attention. The purpose of this study was to
      compare child care teachers' self-reported feeding practices and observed feeding
      practices during a preschool meal. METHODS: Rhode Island Head Start teachers (n =
      85) were observed during breakfast and lunch where feeding practices were coded
      using a tool adapted from the Environmental Policy Assessment and Observation
      (EPAO) tool. Teachers completed a questionnaire adapted from the EPAO Self-Report
      to capture self-reported feeding practices. Agreement between reported and
      observed was compared by percent agreement. RESULTS: Teachers were predominantly
      White (89%) and female (98%). There was a higher level of agreement among self
      reported and observed controlling feeding practices (78.8-97.6% agreement)
      compared to healthful feeding practices (11.8-20.0% agreement). CONCLUSIONS:
      Although self-report measures are typically used to capture feeding practices,
      there are inconsistencies between self-report and observation measures. The
      inconsistencies found among healthful self-reported and observed feeding
      practices have implications for future research protocols, measurement
      refinement, and training of child care teachers.

PMID- 28916197
TI  - Invertebrate neuropeptides XVII.

PMID- 28916198
TI  - Treatment, outcome and quality of life of 1239 patients with advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer - final results from the prospective German TLK cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Real-life data on advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are
      centrally important to complement the results from clinical trials and to improve
      the standard of care. We present data on the choice of systemic first- and second
      line treatment, number of treatment lines, survival and longitudinal data on
      health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients treated by medical oncologists
      in Germany. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1239 patients with advanced NSCLC were
      recruited at start of first-line therapy into the prospective German clinical
      cohort study TLK (Tumour Registry Lung Cancer) by 107 sites between February 2010
      and December 2013 and followed-up until January 2016. HRQOL was assessed using
      the EORTC QLQ-C30 and LC13 questionnaires. RESULTS: Most patients receive
      carboplatin- or cisplatin-based doublet chemotherapy in first-line treatment. The
      choice of platinum agent did neither influence the outcome: median overall
      survival (OS) was 12.2 months for carboplatin combinations (95% confidence
      interval [CI] 10.0-13.8) and 11.9 months for cisplatin combinations (95% CI 10.2
      13.8), nor did it have a marked impact on the HRQOL. Patients receiving cisplatin
      were younger and fitter at start of therapy than patients receiving carboplatin
      or mono-chemotherapy. The longitudinal HRQOL analysis revealed the main symptoms
      that need to be addressed in follow-up care, irrespective of the platinum agent:
      fatigue, nausea, dyspnoea and pain. The patients receiving targeted therapies
      with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) had a median OS of 22.1 months (95% CI
      15.0-35.1) and considerably superior HRQOL. CONCLUSION: There was no difference
      in outcome between the platinum compounds cisplatin and carboplatin in first-line
      treatment of advanced NSCLC in routine care. This is the first report of
      longitudinal HRQOL data comparing treatments, showing no difference between
      carboplatin and cisplatin.

PMID- 28916200
TI  - Islanding detection scheme based on adaptive identifier signal estimation method.
AB  - This paper proposes a novel, passive-based anti-islanding method for both
      inverter and synchronous machine-based distributed generation (DG) units.
      Unfortunately, when the active/reactive power mismatches are near to zero,
      majority of the passive anti-islanding methods cannot detect the islanding
      situation, correctly. This study introduces a new islanding detection method
      based on exponentially damped signal estimation method. The proposed method uses
      adaptive identifier method for estimating of the frequency deviation of the point
      of common coupling (PCC) link as a target signal that can detect the islanding
      condition with near-zero active power imbalance. Main advantage of the adaptive
      identifier method over other signal estimation methods is its small sampling
      window. In this paper, the adaptive identifier based islanding detection method
      introduces a new detection index entitled decision signal by estimating of
      oscillation frequency of the PCC frequency and can detect islanding conditions,
      properly. In islanding conditions, oscillations frequency of PCC frequency reach
      to zero, thus threshold setting for decision signal is not a tedious job. The non
      islanding transient events, which can cause a significant deviation in the PCC
      frequency are considered in simulations. These events include different types of
      faults, load changes, capacitor bank switching, and motor starting. Further, for
      islanding events, the capability of the proposed islanding detection method is
      verified by near-to-zero active power mismatches.

PMID- 28916201
TI  - Targeting heparanase to the mammary epithelium enhances mammary gland development
      and promotes tumor growth and metastasis.
AB  - Heparanase is an endoglucuronidase that uniquely cleaves the heparan sulfate side
      chains of heparan sulfate proteoglycans. This activity ultimately alters the
      structural integrity of the ECM and basement membrane that becomes more prone to
      cellular invasion by metastatic cancer cells and cells of the immune system. In
      addition, enzymatically inactive heparanase was found to facilitate the
      proliferation and survival of cancer cells by activation of signaling molecules
      such as Akt, Src, signal transducer and activation of transcription (Stat), and
      epidermal growth factor receptor. This function is thought to be executed by the
      C-terminal domain of heparanase (8c), because over expression of this domain in
      cancer cells accelerated signaling cascades and tumor growth. We have used the
      regulatory elements of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) to direct the
      expression heparanase and the C-domain (8c) to the mammary gland epithelium of
      transgenic mice. Here, we report that mammary gland branching morphogenesis is
      increased in MMTV-heparanase and MMTV-8c mice, associating with increased Akt,
      Stat5 and Src phosphorylation. Furthermore, we found that the growth of tumors
      generated by mouse breast cancer cells and the resulting lung metastases are
      enhanced in MMTV-heparanase mice, thus supporting the notion that heparanase
      contributed by the tumor microenvironment (i.e., normal mammary epithelium) plays
      a decisive role in tumorigenesis. Remarkably, MMTV-8c mice develop spontaneous
      tumors in their mammary and salivary glands. Although this occurs at low rates
      and requires long latency, it demonstrates decisively the pro-tumorigenic
      capacity of heparanase signaling.

PMID- 28916202
TI  - Breast-feeding may be associated with a reduction in specific malocclusions in
      primary dentition.

PMID- 28916203
TI  - Working length determination and instrumentation at the same time reduces average
      pain 24 hours after endodontic treatment compared with separate working length
      determination and instrumentation.

PMID- 28916199
TI  - ERK and ROCK functionally interact in a signaling network that is
      compensationally upregulated in Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
AB  - Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a motoneuron disease caused by low levels of
      functional survival of motoneuron protein (SMN). Molecular disease mechanisms
      downstream of functional SMN loss are still largely unknown. Previous studies
      suggested an involvement of Rho kinase (ROCK) as well as the extracellular signal
      regulated kinases (ERK) pathways in the pathomechanism. Both pathways are bi
      directionally linked and inhibit each other. Thus, we hypothesize that both
      pathways regulate SMA pathophysiology in vivo in a combined manner rather than
      acting separately. Here, we applied the repurposed drugs, selumetinib, an ERK
      inhibitor, and the ROCK inhibitor fasudil to severe SMA mice. Thereby, separately
      applied inhibitors as well as a combination enabled us to explore the impact of
      the ROCK-ERK signaling network on SMA pathophysiology. ROCK inhibition
      specifically ameliorated the phenotype of selumetinib-treated SMA mice
      demonstrating an efficient ROCK to ERK crosstalk relevant for the SMA
      pathophysiology. However, ERK inhibition alone aggravated the condition of SMA
      mice and reduced the number of motoneurons indicating a compensatory hyper
      activation of ERK in motoneurons. Taken together, we identified a regulatory
      network acting downstream of SMN depletion and upstream of the SMA
      pathophysiology thus being a future treatment target in combination with SMN
      dependent strategies.

PMID- 28916204
TI  - Insufficient evidence to claim that a 2-arm interdental cleaning device has
      better reachability and accessibility than a 1-arm interdental cleaning device.

PMID- 28916205
TI  - Vertical ridge augmentation in the atrophic mandible may result in bone
      augmentation and implant survival and success.

PMID- 28916206
TI  - No benefits important to patients from the use of chlorhexidine rinse as an
      adjunct to scaling and root planing in patients with chronic periodontitis.

PMID- 28916207
TI  - Mobile application reminders slightly reduce plaque and gingival index in
      patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.

PMID- 28916208
TI  - Intra- and inter-session reliability of traditional and entropy-based variables
      describing stance on a wobble board.
AB  - A wobble board (WB) is a balance rehabilitation tool that is used in
      physiotherapy to improve strength and stability. The WB tested in this study
      includes a sensory module for measuring patients' tilt and rotation during
      stance. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a
      balance measurement using a WB. Thirty healthy young adults participated in this
      study. The participants stood on the WB to simultaneously record the tilt of the
      WB and the center of pressure data using a force plate. The data were recorded
      during five measurement sessions on various days, with four trials each. Sways,
      velocities and indexes of complexity (CI) were computed. For reliability
      assessment, we used intra-class correlation coefficients within and between
      sessions; for validity, we computed Spearman correlation coefficients. The
      velocities and CI showed good intra-session reliability, and the sways showed
      mostly poor intra-session reliability. The results of inter-session reliability
      showed good to excellent reliability for CI, poor reliability for sways and poor
      to good reliability for velocities. The Spearman correlation coefficient showed
      excellent agreement between the mean velocities computed from the force plate and
      the WB. Our results confirm that the WB tested is suitable for stability
      assessment in young adults.

PMID- 28916209
TI  - Towards new strategies to manage livestock reproduction using kisspeptin analogs.
AB  - The discovery of the hypothalamic neuropeptide kisspeptin and its receptor
      (KISS1R) have dramatically improved our knowledge about the central mechanisms
      controlling reproduction. Kisspeptin neurons could be considered the hub where
      internal and external information controlling reproduction converge. The
      information is here elaborated and the command dispatched to GnRH neurons, the
      final output of the brain system controlling reproduction. Several studies have
      shown that in mammals administration of kisspeptin could finely modulate many
      aspects of reproduction from puberty to ovulation. For example in ewes kisspeptin
      infusion triggered ovulation during the non-breeding season and in prepubertal
      rat repeated injections advanced puberty onset. However, especially in livestock,
      the suboptimal pharmacological properties of endogenous kisspeptin, notably it
      short half-life and consequently its poor pharmacodynamics, fetters its use to
      experimental setting. To overcome this issue synthetic KISS1R agonists, mainly
      based on kisspeptin backbone, were created. Their more favorable pharmacological
      profile, longer half-life and duration of action, allowed to perform promising
      initial experiments for controlling ovulation and puberty. Additional experiments
      and further refinement of analogs would still be necessary to exploit fully the
      potential of targeting the kisspeptin system. Nevertheless, it is already clear
      that this new strategy may represent a breakthrough in the field of reproduction
      control.

PMID- 28916210
TI  - Modelling multi-site transmission of the human papillomavirus and its impact on
      vaccination effectiveness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous HPV models have only included genital transmission, when
      evidence suggests that transmission between several anatomical sites occurs. We
      compared model predictions of population-level HPV vaccination effectiveness
      against genital HPV16 infection in women, using a 1) uni-site (genital site), and
      a 2) multi-site model (genital and one extragenital site). METHODS: We developed
      a uni-site and a multi-site deterministic HPV transmission model, assuming
      natural immunity was either site-specific or systemic. Both models were
      calibrated to genital HPV16 prevalence (5%-7.5%), whilst the multi-site model was
      calibrated to HPV16 prevalence representative of oral (0%-1%) and anal (1%-7.5%)
      sites. For each model, we identified 2500 parameter sets that fit endemic genital
      and extragenital prevalences within pre-specified target ranges. In the Base-case
      analysis, vaccination was girls-only with 40% coverage. Vaccine efficacy was 100%
      for all sites with lifetime protection. The outcome was the relative reduction in
      genital HPV16 prevalence among women at post-vaccination equilibrium (RRprev).
      RRprev was stratified by extragenital prevalence pre-vaccination. RESULTS: Under
      assumptions of site-specific immunity, RRprev with the multi-site model was
      generally greater than with the uni-site model. Differences between the uni-site
      and multi-site models were greater when transmission from the extragenital site
      to the genital site was high. Under assumptions of systemic immunity, the multi
      site and uni-site models yielded similar RRprev in the scenario without immunity
      after extragenital infection. In the scenario with systemic immunity after
      extragenital infection, the multi-site model yielded lower predictions of RRprev
      than the uni-site model. CONCLUSIONS: Modelling genital-site only transmission
      may overestimate vaccination impact if extragenital infections contribute to
      systemic natural immunity or underestimate vaccination impact if a high
      proportion of genital infections originate from extragenital infections. Under
      current understanding of heterosexual HPV transmission and immunity, a
      substantial bias from using uni-site models in predicting vaccination
      effectiveness against genital HPV infection is unlikely to occur.

PMID- 28916211
TI  - Diaphragmatic fenestration for refractory chylothorax after congenital cardiac
      surgery in infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Medically refractory chylous pleural effusion after congenital heart
      surgery is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in
      infants. We reviewed our experience with diaphragmatic fenestration procedure in
      this group of patients. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all patients who
      had diaphragmatic fenestrations for chylous effusion at our institution over a 2
      year period was performed. RESULTS: A total of 9 diaphragmatic fenestration
      procedures were performed in 8 patients who had failed medical management of
      chylous pleural effusions. All procedures except 1 were performed on the right
      side. The median age at time of procedure was 4.6 months (range, 3 weeks to 14
      months). The average time between primary congenital cardiac surgery and
      fenestration was 26 days (range, 4-53 days). Three patients had single ventricle
      repair. Average time of chest tube removal after procedure was 4 days. Average
      time to extubation was 3 days. All patients but 1 were able to advance to full
      feedings without reaccumulation of chylous effusion within 12 days. No
      complications developed in the patients. Recurrent effusion over a median follow
      up period of 19 months did not develop in the patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      Diaphragmatic fenestration is an effective and safe strategy for management of
      persistent chylous effusions after congenital cardiac surgery.

PMID- 28916212
TI  - Hybrid reconstruction of the aortic arch: A 15-year follow-up.

PMID- 28916213
TI  - Delayed surgery in patients with acute type A aortic dissection who are receiving
      novel oral anticoagulants.

PMID- 28916214
TI  - Management of acquired nonmalignant tracheoesophageal fistula: Surgical pearls.

PMID- 28916215
TI  - Chimney technique for aortic valve-on-valve replacement.

PMID- 28916216
TI  - Coronary artery bypass grafting bundled payment proposal will have significant
      financial impact on hospitals.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to institute a 5
      year trial of bundled payments for coronary artery bypass grafting through 90
      days after discharge. To investigate the impact, we reviewed actual inpatient
      costs for patients undergoing bypass surgery relative to the target price.
      METHODS: A total of 13,276 Medicare patients with estimated cost data underwent
      isolated coronary artery bypass grafting from 2008 to 2015 in 18 hospitals over 8
      Medicare-defined regions within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Actual 2015
      inpatient costs were compared with estimated target prices for each year of the
      pilot, based on the previous 3 years and stratified by Diagnosis-Related Group.
      RESULTS: The mean 2015 cost per patient was $50,394 with high variation (range,
      $27,862-$74,169). On average, hospitals would receive a refund of $17,682 in year
      1, but then owe Medicare increasing amounts up to $367,985 in year 5. If 2015
      were the final year of the pilot, 13 of the 18 hospitals (72%) would have owed
      Medicare for cost overruns averaging $614,270 (range, $67,404-$2,102,292). Costs
      were below the target price at 5 of 18 hospitals, and the Centers for Medicare
      and Medicaid Services would have paid them an extra $272,355 on average (range,
      $88,628-$567,429). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals will face immediate financial pressure
      due to average cost increases of 3.6% per year and an automatic reduction in
      payment. As regional pricing is phased in, hospitals can expect to owe Medicare
      increasing amounts. The net effect is shifting of financial risks to hospitals,
      which could restrict access to care for higher-risk patients.

PMID- 28916217
TI  - Stereotactic body radiation therapy versus video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
      in stage I lung cancer: Honesty in the face of uncertainty.

PMID- 28916218
TI  - Endoscopic resection and the T category: Baby steps toward risk stratification.

PMID- 28916219
TI  - Take a deep breath and everything will be all right....

PMID- 28916220
TI  - Thoracic dumbbell-shaped paraganglioma arising in extra-adrenal area: A case
      report and literature review.

PMID- 28916221
TI  - Reduced risk of peanut sensitization following exposure through breast-feeding
      and early peanut introduction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent trials have shown that avoiding peanuts during infancy
      increases the risk of peanut allergy; however, these studies did not address
      maternal peanut consumption. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the relationship
      between maternal peanut consumption while breast-feeding, timing of direct peanut
      introduction, and peanut sensitization at age 7 years. METHODS: Secondary
      analysis of a nested cohort within the 1995 Canadian Asthma Primary Prevention
      Study intervention study was performed. Breast-feeding and maternal and infant
      peanut consumption were captured by repeated questionnaires during infancy. Skin
      prick testing for peanut sensitization was performed at age 7 years. RESULTS:
      Overall, 58.2% of mothers consumed peanuts while breast-feeding and 22.5%
      directly introduced peanuts to their infant by 12 months. At 7 years, 9.4% of
      children were sensitized to peanuts. The lowest incidence (1.7%) was observed
      among children whose mothers consumed peanuts while breast-feeding and directly
      introduced peanuts before 12 months. Incidence was significantly higher (P < .05)
      if mothers consumed peanuts while breast-feeding but delayed introducing peanuts
      to their infant beyond 12 months (15.1%), or if mothers avoided peanuts
      themselves but directly introduced peanuts by 12 months (17.6%). Interaction
      analyses controlling for study group and maternal atopy confirmed that maternal
      peanut consumption while breast-feeding and infant peanut consumption by 12
      months were protective in combination, whereas either exposure in isolation was
      associated with an increased risk of sensitization (P interaction = .003).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this secondary analysis, maternal peanut consumption while breast
      feeding paired with direct introduction of peanuts in the first year of life was
      associated with the lowest risk of peanut sensitization, compared with all other
      combinations of maternal and infant peanut consumption.

PMID- 28916222
TI  - Estimating Vocal Effort from the Aerodynamics of Labial Fricatives: A Feasibility
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE AND HYPOTHESIS: Vocal effort in loud voice is produced with increased
      subglottal pressure during vowels and increased supraglottal pressure during
      consonants. In the paper, our main objective is to check whether it was supported
      by a parallel increase in the airflow resistance of the laryngeal articulator and
      of the supralaryngeal articulator, here the lips. STUDY DESIGN AND METHOD: For
      this comparison, our choice fell on the fricative consonants, as their production
      allows perfectly synchronous air pressure and airflow measurements. Also, the
      calculation of the real instantaneous aerodynamic resistance is possible with
      fricatives-as it is with vowels-whereas it is not possible with plosives. The
      present feasibility study on a healthy subject is based on direct subglottal and
      intraoral pressures and airflow measured for /f/ or /v/ and from the contiguous
      vowel produced in VCVCV nonsense words at different levels of intensity. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSION: The results support that the airflow resistances at the lips and
      that at the larynx are quite parallel. The airflow resistance at the lips during
      labial fricative production could provide a good picture of the laryngeal
      resistance during the production of continuous speech. This suggests clinical
      applications using both noninvasive inferred measurements of subglottal pressure
      variation and direct noninferred airflow measurements from more natural speech
      production tasks.

PMID- 28916223
TI  - BET-bromodomain inhibitors modulate epigenetic patterns at the diacylglycerol
      kinase alpha enhancer associated with radiation-induced fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fibrosis is a frequent adverse effect of radiotherapy and
      no effective treatments are currently available to prevent or reverse fibrotic
      disease. We have previously identified altered epigenetic patterns at a gene
      enhancer of the diacylglycerol kinase alpha (DGKA) locus in normal skin
      fibroblasts derived from fibrosis patients. An open chromatin pattern related to
      radiation-inducibility of DGKA is associated with onset of radiation-induced
      fibrosis. Here, we explore epigenetic modulation of DGKA as a way to mitigate
      predisposition to fibrosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied the effect of the
      BET-bromodomain inhibitors (JQ1, PFI-1) on DGKA inducibility in primary
      fibroblasts. Hence, DGKA transcription was additionally induced by the
      radiomimetic drug bleomycin, and DGKA mRNA expression, histone H3K27 acetylation
      and downstream markers of profibrotic fibroblast activation after BET-bromodomain
      inhibition were determined. RESULTS: BET-bromodomain inhibition suppressed
      induction of DGKA in bleomycin-treated fibroblasts, reduced H3K27ac at the DGKA
      enhancer and repressed collagen marker gene expression. Alterations in fibroblast
      morphology and reduction of collagen deposition were observed. CONCLUSION: For
      the DGKA enhancer, we show that BET-bromodomain inhibitors can alter the
      epigenetic landscape of fibroblasts, thus counteracting profibrotic
      transcriptional events. Interference with epigenetic patterns of fibrosis
      predisposition may provide novel preventive therapies that improve radiotherapy.

PMID- 28916224
TI  - Lack of differences in radiation-induced immunogenicity parameters between HPV
      positive and HPV-negative human HNSCC cell lines.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Clinical studies indicate that patients with HPV/p16
      associated head & neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represent a subgroup with
      a better prognosis and improved response to conventional radiotherapy.
      Involvement of immune-based factors has been hypothesized. In the present study,
      we investigated radiation-induced differences in release of damage associated
      molecular patterns (DAMPs), cytokines and activation of dendritic cells (DCs) in
      HPV-positive and negative HNSCC cancer cell lines. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Calreticulin (CRT) exposure was detected on cancer cell surface. ATP, HMGB1 and
      cytokines were measured in culture supernatants. Maturation marker CD83 surface
      exposure was determined on DCs after co-incubation with irradiated tumor cells.
      RESULTS: There was no increase in DAMPs and cytokine profiles after radiation
      treatment and no difference between HPV+ and HPV- cell lines. The HPV/p16
      positive SCC90 cells showed a trend for increased total CRT, HMGB1, and number of
      cytokines compared to all other cell lines. None of the irradiated cancer cell
      lines could affect DC maturation. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation treatment did not
      increase immunogenicity of HNSCC cell lines assessed by membrane CRT, ATP, HMGB1,
      cytokines production, and by activation of immature DCs. There was no difference
      between HPV-positive and HPV-negative cell lines.

PMID- 28916225
TI  - Stereotactic radiosurgery of early melanoma brain metastases after initiation of
      anti-CTLA-4 treatment is associated with improved intracranial control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous studies suggest that radiation can boost antitumor immune
      response by stimulating release of tumor-specific antigens. However, the optimal
      timing between radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade to achieve potentially
      synergistic benefits is unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Multi-institutional
      retrospective analysis was conducted of ninety-nine metastatic melanoma patients
      from 2007 to 2014 treated with ipilimumab who later received stereotactic
      radiosurgery (SRS) for new brain metastases that developed after starting
      immunotherapy. All patients had complete blood count acquired before SRS. Primary
      outcomes were intracranial disease control and overall survival (OS). RESULTS:
      The median follow-up time was 15.5months. In the MD Anderson cohort, patients who
      received SRS after 5.5months (n=20) of their last dose of ipilimumab had
      significantly worse intracranial control than patients who received SRS within
      5.5months (n=51) (median 3.63 vs. 8.09months; hazard ratio [HR] 2.07, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 1.03-4.16, p=0.041). OS was not different between the
      two arms. The improvement in intracranial control was confirmed in an independent
      validation cohort of 28 patients treated at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Circulating
      absolute lymphocyte count before SRS predicted for treatment response as those
      with baseline counts >1000/uL had reduced risk of intracranial recurrence
      compared with those with <=1000/uL (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.0.23-0.94, p=0.03).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this multi-institutional study, patients who received SRS for new
      brain metastases within 5.5months after ipilimumab therapy had better
      intracranial disease control than those who received SRS later. Moreover, higher
      circulating lymphocyte count was associated with improved intracranial disease
      control.

PMID- 28916226
TI  - [Accelerated atrioventricular junctional rhythm].

PMID- 28916227
TI  - Granulocyte transfusions: A concise review for practitioners.
AB  - Granulocyte transfusions (GTXs) have been used to treat and prevent infections in
      neutropenic patients for more than 40 years, despite persistent controversy
      regarding their efficacy. This narrative review attempts to complement recent
      systematic reviews by the Cochrane Collaboration and provide both historical
      context and critical assessment of the most significant clinical studies
      published over the years. The data suggest that properly collected and promptly
      infused granulocytes are active against infections, both bacterial and fungal.
      The most important question that remains unanswered is in which patients the
      administration of granulocytes will be beneficial. The preponderance of evidence
      suggests that granulocyte transfusions may be efficacious in few select cases as
      a temporizing measure to control an infection that is expected (or proven) to be
      refractory to optimal antimicrobial treatment, and that could otherwise be
      controlled by marrow recovery, which is expected to happen. In this regard, they
      are best considered a "bridge" that grants enough time for the recipient to
      develop their own response to the infection. The challenges to use GTXs
      successfully are both clinical, in terms of timely identifying the patients who
      may benefit, and logistical, in terms of optimal selection of donors and
      collection technique.

PMID- 28916228
TI  - Cellular therapy injections in today's orthopedic market: A social media
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current state of cellular therapy for musculoskeletal conditions
      is at a crossroads. Marketing efforts are often outpacing clinical evidence and
      regulatory control. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: This study was an effort to describe the
      marketing of cellular therapy in musculoskeletal medicine by evaluating the
      content in popular social media channels. Specifically, media posts were
      evaluated for the following: (1) perspective, (2) tone, (3) content and (4)
      visibility. PATIENT AND METHODS: Social media content related to cell therapy for
      musculoskeletal conditions was assessed in a search using 28 hashtags on the
      public domains of Instagram and Twitter over a 2-year period (2014-2016) that
      resulted in analysis of 698 posts. Supplemental analyses of LinkedIn and Facebook
      domains were also conducted. A categorical scoring system was used to analyze
      perspective (patient, family or friend, business or organization), tone
      (positive, negative), content (education, advertisement, research, media coverage
      or patient experience) and visibility (number of hashtags per post). Sub-analyses
      of the advertisement content from various perspectives (patients, physicians and
      businesses) were performed. RESULTS: The media perspective was most frequently
      from a business or organization (83%; n = 575). A total of 94% of the posts had a
      positive tone and only 6% had a negative tone, and the only negative posts came
      from patients (60% positive and 40% negative). The most common content of social
      media posts were advertisements, representing 68% (n = 477) of all posts; this
      was confirmed in the Facebook analysis. The mean number of hashtags was five per
      post. Sub-analyses revealed approximately half of the advertising posts
      originated from a single business that recruited physicians to market their cell
      based therapies on social media, which was confirmed in the LinkedIn analysis.
      CONCLUSION: The market messages related to cell-based therapies for
      musculoskeletal conditions available on social media are dominated by businesses
      that seem to use a network of physicians, apply several hashtags to enhance
      visibility and advertise these largely unproven modalities. The posts portray an
      almost exclusively positive tone, without providing a "fair balance" on the
      risks, benefits and limitations.

PMID- 28916229
TI  - Japanese Leigh syndrome case treated with EPI-743.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leigh syndrome is a mitochondrial disease caused by respiratory chain
      deficiency, and there are no proven effective therapies. EPI-743 is a potent
      cellular oxidative stress protectant and results of clinical trials for
      mitochondrial diseases are accumulating. CASE: At 5months, a girl presented with
      the scarce eye movement and diminished muscle tone. She was diagnosed with Leigh
      encephalopathy from blood and cerebrospinal fluid lactate elevation and MRI
      findings. Sequence analysis for mitochondrial DNA revealed a T10158C mutation in
      the mitochondrial encoded ND3 gene in complex I. RESULTS: At 8months, succinate
      was prescribed expected to restore the electron transport chain system. After
      that her condition got worse and succinate was discontinued. Subsequent
      administration of EPI-743 improved her eye movement, fine motor movements of the
      extremities, and bowel movement. She is now 5years old. Although brain atrophy
      has progressed, she has still respiratory free time. CONCLUSION: Our patient
      showed visible improvement with EPI-743 treatment and the only patient surviving
      after 4years. There is a possibility that EPI-743 is modifying the natural course
      of the syndrome.

PMID- 28916230
TI  - Fighting against congenital hypothyroidism - Old soldiers never die.

PMID- 28916231
TI  - [Malrotated kidney causing prenatal giant hydronephrosis].
AB  - We report the case of a malrotated right kidney associated with giant prenatal
      hydronephrosis due to a non vascular extrinsic ureteropelvic compression. The
      kidney presented an hyper-rotation of 180 degrees  in relation to the original
      fetal position, with the renal hilum backward looking. At neonatal surgery we
      discover that the inferior pole of the kidney pushes laterally the ureteropelvic
      junction like a violin bridge. The simple uncrossing of the ureteropelvic
      junction from the inferior renal pole relieves the extrinsic ureteral obstacle
      and the giant hydronephrosis. The authors summarize the morphogenesis of the
      upper urinary tract which allowed to understand this rare anatomical variation.

PMID- 28916232
TI  - Circulating Normal IgG as Stimulator of Regulatory T Cells: Lessons from
      Intravenous Immunoglobulin.
AB  - Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), a pooled normal IgG formulation prepared from
      thousands of healthy donors' plasma, is extensively used for the immunotherapy of
      autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Recent reports demonstrate that IVIG
      exerts anti-inflammatory actions by stimulating the activation and expansion of
      regulatory T (Treg) cells by multiple mechanisms via antigen-presenting cells
      (APCs).

PMID- 28916233
TI  - Risk of pneumonia in patients with insomnia: A nationwide population-based
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - Evidence is lacking regarding whether insomnia increases the risk of infectious
      disease. Accordingly, the present study examined the risk of pneumonia in
      patients with insomnia. This study was a population-based retrospective cohort
      study on a cohort of 8061 patients with insomnia and a control cohort of 16,112
      patients (matched by age, sex, and year of diagnosis) from the Taiwan National
      Health Insurance Research Database for the 2000-2010 period. Overall incidence of
      pneumonia was 50.6 per 1000 person-years in the insomnia cohort, which was
      significantly higher than that in the control cohort (30.9 per 1000 person
      years). Overall, the insomnia cohort exhibited a higher risk of pneumonia
      (HR=2.43; CI, 2.24-2.62). By age group, the risk of pneumonia was significantly
      higher in the insomnia cohort for those aged <=40 years (HR=3.23, CI: 1.38-7.57),
      41-65 years (HR=2.62, CI: 2.07-3.32), and >65years (CI: 2.21-2.61). Compared with
      the controls, the insomnia cohort exhibited a higher risk of pneumonia,
      particularly in young adults.

PMID- 28916234
TI  - Regulatory capture and financial crisis: Comment on "Modeling human behavior in
      economics and social science" by Marina Dolfin, Leone Leonida, and Nisrina
      Outada.

PMID- 28916235
TI  - Corrigendum to "Influence of road markings, lane widths and driver behaviour on
      proximity and speed of vehicles overtaking cyclists" [Accid. Anal. Prev. 73
      (2014) 100-108].

PMID- 28916236
TI  - Competency - Protecting rights, for good and bad.

PMID- 28916237
TI  - Ethics and palliative care in the perinatal world.
AB  - The perinatal world is unique in its dutiful consideration of two patients along
      the lines of decision-making and clinical management - the fetus and the pregnant
      woman. The potentiality of the fetus-newborn is intertwined with the absolute
      considerations for the woman as autonomous patient. From prenatal diagnostics,
      which may be quite extensive, to potential interventions prenatally, postnatal
      resuscitation, and neonatal management, the fetus and newborn may be anticipated
      to survive with or without special needs and technology, to have a questionable
      or guarded prognosis, or to live only minutes to hours. This review will address
      the ethical ramifications for prenatal diagnostics, parental values and goals
      clarification, birth plans, the fluidity of decision-making over time, and the
      potential role of prenatal and postnatal palliative care support.

PMID- 28916239
TI  - Effect of Body Mass Index on Clinical Events After Acute Coronary Syndromes.
AB  - The association between body mass index (BMI) and major clinical events after
      acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains controversial. We investigated the impact
      of BMI on major clinical events after ACS in a large individual patient data meta
      analysis. Data on 81,553 patients from 45 different countries with ACS enrolled
      in 8 large randomized clinical trials were included, followed up for a median of
      171 days. The mean age was 63.4 +/- 11.7, 70% were male, and the mean BMI was
      27.3 +/- 4.7 kg/m2. Compared with upper-normal-weight participants (BMI 21.75 to
      24.9 kg/m2, reference category), underweight participants (<18.5 kg/m2) had an
      increased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]
      1.10 to 1.66, p = 0.004). Both overweight subcategories, BMI 25 to 27.5 kg/m2 (HR
      0.81, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.89, p <0.001) and BMI 27.5 to 29.9 kg/m2 (HR 0.84, 95% CI
      0.76 to 0.92, p <0.001), and type I obesity (30 to 34.9, HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73 to
      0.89, p <0.001) had a significantly lower mortality. Type II and III obesities
      were not significantly associated with mortality. Mortality was lowest at a BMI
      of 30.9 kg/m2. Compared with normal-weight patients, overweight and obese
      categories were related with a significantly lower risk of bleeding and
      refractory ischemia. Overweight patients had a lower risk of myocardial
      infarction, heart failure hospitalizations, and heart failure-related deaths.
      There were no associations between BMI and revascularization rates or stroke. In
      conclusion, underweight and normal-weight patients were associated with an
      increased mortality risk, bleeding, ischemia, and heart failure compared with
      those with higher BMI after ACS.

PMID- 28916238
TI  - Association of midlife lipids with 20-year cognitive change: A cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Existing studies predominantly consider the association of late
      life lipid levels and subsequent cognitive change. However, midlife rather than
      late-life risk factors are often most relevant to cognitive health. METHODS: We
      quantified the association between measured serum lipids in midlife and
      subsequent 20-year change in performance on three cognitive tests in 13,997
      participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. RESULTS: Elevated
      total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were
      associated with greater 20-year decline on a test of executive function,
      sustained attention, and processing speed. Higher total cholesterol and
      triglycerides were also associated with greater 20-year decline in memory scores
      and a measure summarizing performance on all three tests. High-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol was not associated with cognitive change. Results were
      materially unchanged in sensitivity analyses addressing informative missingness.
      DISCUSSION: Elevated total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and
      triglycerides in midlife were associated with greater 20-year cognitive decline.

PMID- 28916240
TI  - Association Between Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and All-cause Mortality in
      Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Considering results among previous studies regarding the relationship
      of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and all-cause mortality in chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) patients, we aimed to perform a comprehensive meta-analysis
      to evaluate the potential association between RDW and all-cause mortality in CKD
      patients. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature using electronic
      databases (PubMed, Ovid, Embase and Web of Science) to identify the studies
      reporting the association between RDW and all-cause mortality in CKD patients. We
      searched the literatures published December 2016 or earlier. We used both fix
      effects and random-effects models to calculate the overall effect estimate. A
      sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to find the origin of
      heterogeneity. RESULTS: We retrieved 9 studies with a total of 117,047 patients.
      For every 1% increase in RDW, the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 47%
      (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.35-1.61) with no statistical heterogeneity among the studies
      (I2 = 44.5%, p = 0.094). When RDW was entered as a categorical variable,
      mortality risk was significantly increased (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.21-2.81).
      Heterogeneity among the studies was observed for all-cause mortality (I2 = 82.3%,
      p = 0.001). We also performed a predefined subgroup analyses according to study
      population. We found that for every 1% increase in RDW, the risk of all-cause
      mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients increased by 36% (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.20
      1.53). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggests that high levels of RDW probably
      increase the risk of all-cause mortality in CKD patients.

PMID- 28916241
TI  - Relationship of Echocardiographic Epicardial Fat Thickness and Epicardial Fat
      Volume by Computed Tomography with Coronary Artery Calcification: Data from the
      CAESAR Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: No study has assessed the association between
      echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and computed tomography (CT)
      based epicardial fat volume (EFV) and coronary artery calcification. The aim of
      this study is to evaluate the association between EFT and EFV and coronary artery
      calcification. METHODS: Among the 2,299 individuals enrolled in the
      CArdiometabolic risk, Epicardial fat, and Subclinical Atherosclerosis Registry
      (CAESAR) study, 2,276 (1,851 men; mean age 45 +/- 8.9 years) who underwent
      echocardiographic EFT and CT-based EFV measurements and obtained a coronary
      artery calcium score (CACS) were included in this study. RESULTS: The overall
      prevalence of CAC >0 was 19.3%. EFT was significantly correlated with EFV (r =
      0.374, p <0.001) but the k statistic showed only slight agreement (k = 0.146, p
      <0.001). Multivariate regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, body mass index,
      waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, daily alcohol intake, smoking
      status, and vigorous exercise and glucose, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, total
      cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, high-sensitivity C reactive protein, and hemoglobinA1c
      levels revealed that an increase in the absolute values of EFT and EFV was
      significantly associated with the presence of coronary artery calcium (ORs [95%
      CIs], 2.023 [1.282-3.193] and 1.785 [1.173-2.716], respectively) and CACS
      (standardized beta values = 0.082 and 0.061, p = 0.001 and 0.042, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: These results show that EFT and EFV are associated with coronary
      artery calcification in Korean adults despite the relatively weak correlation
      between EFT and EFV.

PMID- 28916242
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28916243
TI  - Feasibility and Accuracy of Automated Software for Transthoracic Three
      Dimensional Left Ventricular Volume and Function Analysis: Comparisons with Two
      Dimensional Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional Transthoracic Manual Method, and
      Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, a new automated software package (HeartModel) was developed
      to obtain three-dimensional (3D) left ventricular (LV) volumes using a model
      based algorithm (MBA) with a "one-button" simple system and user-adjustable
      slider. The aims of this study were to verify the feasibility and accuracy of the
      MBA in comparison with other commonly used imaging techniques in a large
      unselected population, to evaluate possible accuracy improvements of free
      operator border adjustments or changes of the slider's default position, and to
      identify differences in method accuracy related to specific pathologies. METHODS:
      This prospective study included consecutive 200 patients. LV volumes and ejection
      fraction were obtained using the MBA and compared with the two-dimensional
      biplane method, the 3D full-volume (3DFV) modality, and, in 90 of 200 cases,
      cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) measurements. To evaluate the optimal position
      of the slider with respect to the 3DFV and CMR modalities, a set of threefold
      cross-validation experiments was performed. Optimized and manually corrected LV
      volumes obtained using the MBA were also tested. Linear correlation and Bland
      Altman analysis were used to assess intertechnique agreement. RESULTS: Automatic
      volumes were feasible in 194 patients (94.5%), with a mean processing time of 29
      +/- 10 sec. MBA-derived volumes correlated significantly with all evaluated
      methods, with slight overestimation of two-dimensional biplane and slight
      underestimation of CMR measurements. Higher correlations were found between MBA
      and 3DFV measurements, with negligible differences both in volumes
      (overestimation) and in LV ejection fraction (underestimation), respectively.
      Optimization of the user-adjustable slider position improved the correlation and
      markedly reduced the bias between the MBA and 3DFV or CMR. The accuracy of MBA
      volumes was lower in some pathologies for incorrect definition of LV endocardium.
      CONCLUSIONS: The MBA is highly feasible, reproducible, and rapid, and it
      correlates highly with the traditional 3DFV method. It may represent a valid
      alternative to 3DFV measurement for everyday clinical use.

PMID- 28916244
TI  - [How do immigrant women access health services in the Basque Country? Perceptions
      of health professionals].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the perception of health professionals working in
      alternative health centres on the barriers and facilitators in the access by
      immigrant women to general public health services and sexual and reproductive
      health in the Basque Country. LOCATION: Basque Country. DESIGN: Analysis of
      qualitative content based on 11 individual interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Health
      professionals working in alternative health centres of Primary Care and sexual
      and reproductive health. METHOD: Data collection was performed between September
      and December 2015 in four alternative health centres. After transcription, the
      units of meaning, codes and categories were identified. RESULTS: Four categories
      emerged from the analysis, which represented how the characteristics of immigrant
      women (Tell me how you are and I will tell you how to access), the attitude of
      the administrative and health staff ("When they are already taken care of"), the
      functioning of the health system (Inflexible, passive and needs-responsive health
      system), and health policies ("If you do not meet the requirements, you do not go
      in. The law is the law") influence access to health services of immigrant women.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that there are a considerable number of barriers
      and few facilitators to the access by immigrant women to public health and sexual
      and reproductive health services in the Basque Country. The alternative health
      centres were presented as favouring the improvement of the health of the
      immigrant population and in their access.

PMID- 28916245
TI  - Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccination during pregnancy and
      reduced risk of infant acute respiratory infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To protect infants from pertussis infection, the Advisory Committee
      on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends women receive the tetanus toxoid,
      reduced diphtheria toxoid, acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine between 27 and
      36weeks of pregnancy. Here, we assessed the association between timing of
      maternal Tdap vaccination during pregnancy and acute respiratory infection (ARI)
      in infants <2months of age. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included
      99,434 infants born to active duty military women in the Department of Defense
      Birth and Infant Health Registry from 2006 through 2013. Multivariable log
      binomial regression was used to calculate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) for the association between maternal Tdap vaccination during
      pregnancy and infant ARI at <2months of age. RESULTS: Infants of mothers who
      received Tdap vaccination during pregnancy vs those who did not were 9% less
      likely to be diagnosed with an ARI at <2months of age (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84
      0.99), and the risk was 17% lower if vaccination was received between 27 and
      36weeks of pregnancy (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74-0.93). Similar results were observed
      when comparing mothers who received Tdap vaccination prior to pregnancy in
      addition to Tdap vaccination between 27 and 36weeks of pregnancy versus mothers
      who only received vaccination prior to pregnancy (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.98).
      CONCLUSIONS: Maternal Tdap vaccination between 27 and 36weeks of pregnancy was
      consistently protective against infant ARI in the first 2months of life vs no
      vaccination during pregnancy, regardless of Tdap vaccination prior to pregnancy.
      Our findings strongly support current ACIP guidelines recommending Tdap
      vaccination in late pregnancy for every pregnancy.

PMID- 28916246
TI  - Pre-clinical toxicology considerations for vaccine development.
AB  - Vaccine development requires pre-clinical toxicology studies, following good
      laboratory practice (GLP), before first in human (phase I) use. Many factors are
      critical in the final outcome of any pre-clinical toxicology study. The study
      design is one of these critical factors and should be carefully planned to avoid
      any false negative and/or false positive results. Preparation is another most
      critical factor in a successful study. Major changes in any procedure during the
      course of study should be avoided by all means. For example, if the protocol
      specified the tail as the site of blood collection and this procedure was used
      for the control group at the day of necropsy, this collection site should never
      be replaced by another site (e.g. foot, eye, or heart) in all other treatment
      groups. Food restrictions and acute restraint stress affect clinical pathology
      data and should be avoided in rodents. Institutional Animal Care and Use
      Committee (IACUC) guidelines for frequent blood collections (weekly, monthly, or
      at necropsy) in any animal species should be strictly followed. Clinical
      pathology data will be profoundly affected by any diversion from the recommended
      volumes. If CO2 is specified in the protocol for anesthesia and/or euthanasia,
      ensuring enough quantity to use for all groups at necropsy is a very important
      factor. Using two different anesthetics in any study (e.g. CO2 vs. pentobarbital)
      may result in false positive or false negative results in clinical chemistry
      parameters. Quality assurance elements (SOPs, instrument validation, lab
      certification etc.) affect the data interpretation and the final outcome of any
      toxicology study. SOPs should be up to date and written clearly. All lab
      instruments should be validated and all laboratories should be certified.

PMID- 28916247
TI  - Comparison of two control groups for estimation of oral cholera vaccine
      effectiveness using a case-control study design.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Case-control studies to quantify oral cholera vaccine effectiveness
      (VE) often rely on neighbors without diarrhea as community controls. Test
      negative controls can be easily recruited and may minimize bias due to
      differential health-seeking behavior and recall. We compared VE estimates derived
      from community and test-negative controls and conducted bias-indicator analyses
      to assess potential bias with community controls. METHODS: From October 2012
      through November 2016, patients with acute watery diarrhea were recruited from
      cholera treatment centers in rural Haiti. Cholera cases had a positive stool
      culture. Non-cholera diarrhea cases (test-negative controls and non-cholera
      diarrhea cases for bias-indicator analyses) had a negative culture and rapid
      test. Up to four community controls were matched to diarrhea cases by age group,
      time, and neighborhood. RESULTS: Primary analyses included 181 cholera cases, 157
      non-cholera diarrhea cases, 716 VE community controls and 625 bias-indicator
      community controls. VE for self-reported vaccination with two doses was
      consistent across the two control groups, with statistically significant VE
      estimates ranging from 72 to 74%. Sensitivity analyses revealed similar, though
      somewhat attenuated estimates for self-reported two dose VE. Bias-indicator
      estimates were consistently less than one, with VE estimates ranging from 19 to
      43%, some of which were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: OCV estimates
      from case-control analyses using community and test-negative controls were
      similar. While bias-indicator analyses suggested possible over-estimation of VE
      estimates using community controls, test-negative analyses suggested this bias,
      if present, was minimal. Test-negative controls can be a valid low-cost and time
      efficient alternative to community controls for OCV effectiveness estimation and
      may be especially relevant in emergency situations.

PMID- 28916248
TI  - Breast cancer vaccines delivered by dendritic cell-targeted lentivectors induce
      potent antitumor immune responses and protect mice from mammary tumor growth.
AB  - Breast cancer immunotherapy is a potent treatment option, with antibody therapies
      such as trastuzumab increasing 2-year survival rates by 50%. However, active
      immunotherapy through vaccination has generally been clinically ineffective. One
      potential means of improving vaccine therapy is by delivering breast cancer
      antigens to dendritic cells (DCs) for enhanced antigen presentation. To
      accomplish this in vivo, we pseudotyped lentiviral vector (LV) vaccines with a
      modified Sindbis Virus glycoprotein so that they could deliver genes encoding the
      breast cancer antigen alpha-lactalbumin (Lalba) or erb-b2 receptor tyrosine
      kinase 2 (ERBB2 or HER2) directly to resident DCs. We hypothesized that utilizing
      these DC-targeting lentiviral vectors asa breast cancer vaccine could lead to an
      improved immune response against self-antigens found in breast cancer tumors.
      Indeed, single injections of the vaccine vectors were able to amplify antigen
      specific CD8T cells 4-6-fold over naive mice, similar to the best published
      vaccine regimens. Immunization of these mice completely inhibited tumor growth in
      a foreign antigen environment (LV-ERBB2 in wildtype mice), and it reduced the
      rate of tumor growth in a self-antigen environment (LV-Lalba in wildtype or LV
      ERBB2 in MMTV-huHER2 transgenic). These results show that a single injection with
      targeted lentiviral vectors can be an effective immunotherapy for breast cancer.
      Furthermore, they could be combined with other immunotherapeutic regimens to
      improve outcomes for patients with breast cancer.

PMID- 28916249
TI  - Diagnostic Errors: Impact of an Educational Intervention on Pediatric Primary
      Care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of our study was to determine the impact of an
      educational program on a provider's knowledge related to diagnostic errors and
      diagnostic reasoning strategies. METHODS: A quasi-experimental interventional
      study with a multimedia approach, case study discussion, and trigger-generated
      medical record review at two time points was conducted. Measurement tools
      included a test developed by the National Patient Safety Foundation, Reducing
      Diagnostic Errors: Strategies for Solutions Quiz, additional diagnostic reasoning
      questions, and a trigger-generated process to analyze medical records. RESULTS:
      Knowledge related to diagnostic errors statistically improved from the pretest to
      posttest scores with sustained 60-day differences (p < .025). Although there was
      a decline in the proportion of patients returning with the same chief complaint
      within 14 days, this was not statistically significant (p < .15). When providers
      were confronted with an unrecognizable clinical presentation, they reported an
      increased use of a "diagnostic timeout" (p < .038). DISCUSSION: Providers
      developed an increased awareness of the presence of diagnostic errors in the
      primary care setting, the contributing risk factors for a diagnostic error, and
      possible strategies to reduce diagnostic errors. These factors had an unexpected
      impact on changing the primary care practice model to enhance the continuity of
      patient care.

PMID- 28916250
TI  - Successful Integration of Pediatrics Into State Health Care Reform Efforts.
AB  - Health care reform in Vermont promotes patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) and
      multi-disciplinary community health teams to support population health. This
      qualitative study describes the expansion of Vermont's health care reform
      efforts, initially focused on adult primary care, to pediatrics through
      interviews with project managers and facilitators, CHT members, pediatric
      practitioners and care coordinators, and community-based providers. Analyses used
      grounded theory, identifying themes confirmed by repeat occurrence across
      respondents. Respondents believed that PCMH recognition and financial and
      community supports would improve care for pediatric patients and families.
      Respondents shared three main challenges with health care reform efforts:
      achieving PCMH recognition, adapting community health teams for pediatric
      patients and families, and defining roles for care coordinators. For health care
      reform efforts to support pediatric patients and be family-centered, states may
      need additional resources to understand how pediatric and adult primary care
      differ and how best to support pediatrics during health care reform efforts.

PMID- 28916251
TI  - MK-801, but not naloxone, attenuates high-dose dextromethorphan-induced
      convulsive behavior: Possible involvement of the GluN2B receptor.
AB  - Dextromethorphan (DM) is a dextrorotatory isomer of levorphanol, a typical
      morphine-like opioid. When administered at supra-antitussive doses, DM produces
      psychotoxic and neurotoxic effects in humans. Although DM abuse has been well
      documented, few studies have examined the effects of high-dose DM. The present
      study aimed to explore the effects of a single high dose of DM on mortality and
      seizure occurrence. After intraperitoneal administration with a high dose of DM
      (80mg/kg), Sprague-Dawley rats showed increased seizure occurrence and intensity.
      Hippocampal expression levels of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunits
      (GluN1<GluN2A<GluN2B), c-Fos and pro-apoptotic factors (Bax and cleaved caspase
      3) were upregulated by DM treatment; while levels of anti-apoptotic factors (Bcl
      2 and Bcl-xL) were downregulated. Consistently, DM also induced ultrastructural
      degeneration in the hippocampus. A non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, MK
      801, attenuated these effects of high-dose DM, whereas an opioid antagonist,
      naloxone, did not affect DM-induced neurotoxicity. Moreover, pretreatment with a
      highly specific GluN2B subunit inhibitor, traxoprodil, was selectively effective
      in preventing DM-induced c-Fos expression and apoptotic changes. These results
      suggest that high-dose DM produces convulsive behaviors by activating GluN2B/NMDA
      signaling that leads to pro-apoptotic changes.

PMID- 28916252
TI  - Decreased Monoamine Oxidase A Expression and Activity in the Bladders of Rats
      With Partial Outlet Obstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in expression and activity of monoamine oxidase
      A (MAO-A) in rats with partial bladder outlet obstruction (pBOO). Previous
      studies suggested that monoamines, such as serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT])
      and noradrenaline, are involved in bladder hyperactivity secondary to pBOO.
      However, little is known about the role of MAO-A, an enzyme oxidizing 5
      hydroxytryptamine and noradrenalin, in the pathogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Female Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to sham or pBOO operations for 7 days,
      then their bladders were isolated. MAO-A protein levels in the bladder were
      examined by Western blotting. MAO-A activity was measured by the commercially
      available MAO-Glo Assay kit. In addition, MAO-A distribution in the bladder was
      examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Weights of the bladders from rats with
      pBOO were increased about 3.5-fold, compared with those from sham rats.
      Significant decreases in MAO-A protein and activity levels were observed in whole
      bladder of rats with pBOO compared with those of sham rats. By
      immunohistochemistry, it was firstly demonstrated that MAO-A was predominantly
      expressed in the detrusor layer of the sham rat bladders. The intensity of
      staining was decreased after pBOO operation. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated, for the
      first time, the distribution of MAO-A in the bladder and the pathologic changes
      in MAO-A protein and activity levels in rats with pBOO. This marked decrease in
      MAO-A potentially resulting in increased monoamine levels, especially in the
      detrusor of rat bladder, might be a key factor explaining the mechanism of
      bladder overactivity associated with pBOO.

PMID- 28916253
TI  - The Place of Transanal Endoscopic Surgery in the Treatment of Rectourethral
      Fistula.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of transanal endoscopic operation (TEO) or
      transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) in rectourethral fistulas (RUF). RUF may
      appear after radical prostatectomy. Their treatment represents a challenge; many
      therapies have been proposed, from conservative to aggressive surgical
      approaches. Transanal endoscopic surgery (TEO or TEM) is a minimally invasive
      technique to access the site of the RUF to perform repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This is an observational study with prospective data collection, conducted
      between September 2006 and December 2015. All patients were diagnosed with RUF
      following management of prostate cancer. Conservative treatment was administered
      in the form of urinary and fecal diversion with cystotomy and terminal colostomy,
      to achieve total urinary and fecal exclusion. If the fistula persisted, it was
      treated by TEO or TEM, with or without biological mesh interposition. If this
      failed, gracilis muscle was applied as salvage therapy. RESULTS: Ten patients
      were diagnosed with RUF. In 1 patient (1 of 10), the fistula healed with bladder
      catheterization alone. In another patient (1 of 9), it resolved after total
      urinary and fecal exclusion. Eight patients underwent repair by TEO or TEM, 4
      with biological mesh interposition; all 4 presented recurrence. In the other 4
      patients treated via TEO or TEM, 2 had early recurrence, whereas the others had
      healed at follow-up visits after 4-6 months (2 of 8)-a success rate of 25%. The 6
      patients who recurred were treated with gracilis muscle interposition via a
      transperineal approach. CONCLUSION: The low rate of positive results obtained by
      TEO or TEM argues against its use as technique of choice in RUF, and against the
      use of biological meshes.

PMID- 28916254
TI  - Development of a Natural Language Processing Engine to Generate Bladder Cancer
      Pathology Data for Health Services Research.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To take the first step toward assembling population-based cohorts of
      patients with bladder cancer with longitudinal pathology data, we developed and
      validated a natural language processing (NLP) engine that abstracts pathology
      data from full-text pathology reports. METHODS: Using 600 bladder pathology
      reports randomly selected from the Department of Veterans Affairs, we developed
      and validated an NLP engine to abstract data on histology, invasion (presence vs
      absence and depth), grade, the presence of muscularis propria, and the presence
      of carcinoma in situ. Our gold standard was based on an independent review of
      reports by 2 urologists, followed by adjudication. We assessed the NLP
      performance by calculating the accuracy, the positive predictive value, and the
      sensitivity. We subsequently applied the NLP engine to pathology reports from
      10,725 patients with bladder cancer. RESULTS: When comparing the NLP output to
      the gold standard, NLP achieved the highest accuracy (0.98) for the presence vs
      the absence of carcinoma in situ. Accuracy for histology, invasion (presence vs
      absence), grade, and the presence of muscularis propria ranged from 0.83 to 0.96.
      The most challenging variable was depth of invasion (accuracy 0.68), with an
      acceptable positive predictive value for lamina propria (0.82) and for muscularis
      propria (0.87) invasion. The validated engine was capable of abstracting
      pathologic characteristics for 99% of the patients with bladder cancer.
      CONCLUSION: NLP had high accuracy for 5 of 6 variables and abstracted data for
      the vast majority of the patients. This now allows for the assembly of population
      based cohorts with longitudinal pathology data.

PMID- 28916255
TI  - Impact of nonfasting triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio on
      secondary prevention in patients treated with statins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some studies have demonstrated that low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering therapy is one of the most important strategies to
      prevent coronary artery disease. Also, serum triglycerides (TG) and high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are recognized as independent risk factors of
      cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the
      nonfasting TG/HDL-C ratio could affect the incidence of cardiovascular events
      after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) even in patients treated with
      statins. METHODS AND RESULTS: One thousand one hundred seventy consecutive
      patients were enrolled, all of whom underwent successful PCI for acute coronary
      syndrome or stable angina and continued statin treatments after PCI. They were
      equally divided into three groups on the basis of a nonfasting TG/HDL-C ratio 3
      months after PCI. Among these groups, the incidence of major adverse cardiac
      events (MACE) was measured during a maximum of 5 years after PCI. MACE was
      defined as cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, revascularization due
      to new stenosis or restenosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients
      with higher TG/HDL-C ratio had a significantly higher incidence of MACE than
      other groups (p<0.001). In addition, Cox proportional hazards regression analysis
      indicated that the nonfasting TG/HDL-C ratio was significantly correlated with
      the incidence of MACE. CONCLUSION: The nonfasting TG/HDL-C ratio was a valuable
      predictor of cardiovascular events after PCI in patients treated with statins.

PMID- 28916256
TI  - [Flagellate dermatitis due to shiitake mushrooms].

PMID- 28916257
TI  - New phenolic glycosides from Curculigo orchioides and their xanthine oxidase
      inhibitory activities.
AB  - Seven new phenolic glycosides including two heterocyclic phenolic derivatives
      orcinosides I-J (1-2) and five chlorophenolic glycosides curculigines J-N (3-7),
      together with nineteen known compounds were isolated from the rhizome of
      Curculigo orchioides. Based on extensive spectroscopic analyses (UV, IR, HRESIMS,
      1D and 2D NMR), the structures of the new compounds were identified. Orcinoside I
      (1) and J (2) displayed xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities with IC50 values
      0.25 and 0.62mM respectively.

PMID- 28916258
TI  - Isoprenylated phenolic compounds with PTP1B inhibition from Morus alba.
AB  - Two new Diels-Alder adducts, albasins A and B (1 and 2), one new isoprenylated 2
      arylbenzofuran, albasin C (3), one new isoprenylated flavone, albasin D (4),
      together with sixteen known phenolic compounds, were isolated from the root bark
      of Morus alba. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic
      analysis, including NMR, MS, and ECD data. All the new compounds and most of the
      known ones showed significant inhibitory effects on PTP1B in vitro with IC50
      values ranging from 0.57 to 7.49MUM.

PMID- 28916259
TI  - What we 'see' when we read: Visualization and vividness in reading fictional
      narratives.
AB  - Visualization is defined as the production of mental images in the process of
      reading (Esrock 2005: 633). This article is concerned with varieties of
      visualization during an absorbing reading of a fictional narrative, the mental
      images that range from an indistinct and largely automatic default visualization
      to the much more vivid images that occur at significant stages in the narrative.
      Neuroscientific studies of vision have collected a large and impressively varied
      body of experimental evidence for two major processing streams - the dorsal and
      the ventral-specialized for vision-for-action and vision for-perception
      respectively. Further experiments distinguish different dispositional
      specializations: visualizers with a high spatial visualizing ability
      demonstrating a more efficient use of resources in the dorsal pathway, and those
      with a high object visualization and more efficient use of the ventral pathway
      (Kozhevnikov et al., 2010: 29). We can assume that both types of mental
      processing will be prompted in fictional narratives with differences in
      prominence depending on their authors' inclinations and the design and purpose of
      the narrative text. According to Amedeo D'Angiulli (2013: 7), who conducted
      elaborate tests of vividness in mental imagery using written descriptive passages
      as stimulus, dynamic imagery was significantly less vivid than static imagery.
      These results confirm traditional literary criticism based on introspection which
      argues that detailed description of static objects elicits an especially lively
      imagination. However, narratives can provoke even stronger visualizations by
      rendering subjective moments of seeing in which a fictional character is
      emotionally involved. In encouraging readers to shift now and then from the
      default mode of motion-oriented visualizing to a more affective and more
      conscious object visualization, literary fictions exercise their power to evoke
      imaginings that one would not generate by oneself. This may indicate that
      literary narratives can prove a training ground for expanding one's visualizing
      capacities.

PMID- 28916260
TI  - Primary facial reanimation in head and neck cancer.
AB  - Facial Paralysis (FP) profoundly impairs the life of individuals, both
      functionally and psychosocially. Surgical approaches to treat this condition are
      myriad, but the ultimate goal is to restore symmetry and movement. Ablative
      surgery for tumors of the head and neck region are amongst the most common
      etiologies causing FP and this group of patients represents unique challenges.
      Surgical defects may have multiple competing reconstructive requirements and
      addressing the FP must be considered in this context. Furthermore, extent of
      disease, patient age, duration of preceding paralysis, adjuvant treatment, as
      well as the various different type of facial nerve defects are factors that may
      influence the type of reconstructive technique selected to address the FP. The
      complexity of FP especially following head and neck ablation can lead to results
      that are inconsistent and humbling. FP defects can be broadly described as having
      the potential for facial muscle recovery versus irreversible paralysis.
      Literature that specifically focuses on primary facial reanimation procedures in
      the oncological setting is scarce. We present a comprehensive review of primary
      facial reanimation after ablative surgery including the descriptions of a wide
      array of surgical techniques such as reinnervation, dynamic muscle transposition,
      static suspension, and free tissue transfer. Understanding the advantages and
      limitations of the different options will enable the surgeon to offer treatment
      for the paralyzed face for most clinical scenarios.

PMID- 28916261
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Differential involvement of L- and T-type Ca2+ channels, store
      operated calcium channel (TRPC) and Rho-kinase signaling pathway(s) in PGF2alpha
      induced contractions in myometrium of non-pregnant and pregnant buffaloes
      (Bubalus bubalis).
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 https://www.elsevier.com/about/our
      business/policies/article-withdrawal.

PMID- 28916262
TI  - Anticancer Ru(eta6-p-cymene) complexes of 2-pyridinecarbothioamides: A structure
      activity relationship study.
AB  - Ru(II) and Os(II) complexes of 2-pyridinecarbothioamide ligands were introduced
      as orally administrable anticancer agents (S.M. Meier, M. Hanif, Z. Adhireksan,
      V. Pichler, M. Novak, E. Jirkovsky, M.A. Jakupec, V.B. Arion, C.A. Davey, B.K.
      Keppler, C.G. Hartinger, Chem. Sci., 2013, 4, 1837-1846). In order to identify
      structure-activity relationships, a series of N-phenyl substituted pyridine-2
      carbothiamides (PCAs) were obtained by systematically varying the substituents at
      the phenyl ring. The PCAs were then converted to their corresponding RuII(eta6-p
      cymene) complexes and characterized spectroscopically and by X-ray diffraction as
      well as in terms of stability in water and HCl. The cytotoxic activity of the PCA
      ligands and their respective organoruthenium compounds was evaluated in a panel
      of cell lines (HCT116, H460, SiHa and SW480). The lipophilic PCAs 1-4 showed
      cytotoxicity in the low micromolar range and 6 was the most potent compound of
      the series with an IC50 value of 1.1MUM against HCT116 colon cancer cells. These
      observations were correlated with calculated octanol/water partition coefficient
      (clogP) data and quantitative estimated druglikeness. A similar trend as for the
      PCAs was found in their Ru complexes, where the complexes with more lipophilic
      ligands proved to be more cytotoxic in all tested cell lines. In general, the
      PCAs and their organoruthenium derivatives demonstrated excellent drug-likeness
      and cytotoxicity with IC50 values in the low micromolar range, making them
      interesting candidates for further development as orally active anticancer
      agents.

PMID- 28916263
TI  - Autophagy-Dependent Generation of Free Fatty Acids Is Critical for Normal
      Neutrophil Differentiation.
AB  - Neutrophils are critical and short-lived mediators of innate immunity that
      require constant replenishment. Their differentiation in the bone marrow requires
      extensive cytoplasmic and nuclear remodeling, but the processes governing these
      energy-consuming changes are unknown. While previous studies show that autophagy
      is required for differentiation of other blood cell lineages, its function during
      granulopoiesis has remained elusive. Here, we have shown that metabolism and
      autophagy are developmentally programmed and essential for neutrophil
      differentiation in vivo. Atg7-deficient neutrophil precursors had increased
      glycolytic activity but impaired mitochondrial respiration, decreased ATP
      production, and accumulated lipid droplets. Inhibiting autophagy-mediated lipid
      degradation or fatty acid oxidation alone was sufficient to cause defective
      differentiation, while administration of fatty acids or pyruvate for
      mitochondrial respiration rescued differentiation in autophagy-deficient
      neutrophil precursors. Together, we show that autophagy-mediated lipolysis
      provides free fatty acids to support a mitochondrial respiration pathway
      essential to neutrophil differentiation.

PMID- 28916264
TI  - SIDT2 Transports Extracellular dsRNA into the Cytoplasm for Innate Immune
      Recognition.
AB  - Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a common by-product of viral infections and acts
      as a potent trigger of antiviral immunity. In the nematode C. elegans, sid-1
      encodes a dsRNA transporter that is highly conserved throughout animal evolution,
      but the physiological role of SID-1 and its orthologs remains unclear. Here, we
      show that the mammalian SID-1 ortholog, SIDT2, is required to transport
      internalized extracellular dsRNA from endocytic compartments into the cytoplasm
      for immune activation. Sidt2-deficient mice exposed to extracellular dsRNA,
      encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) show
      impaired production of antiviral cytokines and-in the case of EMCV and HSV-1
      reduced survival. Thus, SIDT2 has retained the dsRNA transport activity of its C.
      elegans ortholog, and this transport is important for antiviral immunity.

PMID- 28916266
TI  - Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) STAT3 regulates the eIF2alpha
      phosphorylation through interaction with PKR.
AB  - In mammals, STAT3 (Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) plays an
      important role in growth, multiplication, differentiation and participates in
      inflammation, tumorigenesis, metabolic disorders and immune response. STAT3 is a
      protein that shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Compared to the STAT3 in
      cell nucleus, we did not know the function of STAT3 in cytoplasm for a long time.
      Some recent studies have shown that cytoplasmic STAT3 regulates autophagy through
      the interaction with the double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR),
      which plays an important role in cellular antiviral response. Fish is a good
      target for developmental and comparative immunology. In the present study, we
      found that the expression of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) STAT3 (CiSTAT3)
      was ubiquitous and significantly up-regulated under the stimulation of poly I:C.
      To explore the potential function of fish cytoplasmic STAT3 in the antiviral
      signaling pathways, in this paper we analyzed the relationship between
      cytoplasmic CiSTAT3 and CiPKR. We demonstrated that the CiSTAT3 can combine with
      CiPKR in vivo and in vitro. The SH2 domain of CiSTAT3 and the C-terminus of CiPKR
      play an important role in this process. Moreover, the dimer of CiSTAT3 and CiPKR
      was formed under normal circumstances, however, it was dissociated under the
      induction of poly I:C. So, we guessed the binding of CiSTAT3 and CiPKR may
      regulate cell viability. It has also been shown that overexpression of CiSTAT3 in
      CIK cells can significantly reduce the level of p-eIF2alpha. On the contrary, the
      siRNA-mediated knockdown of CiSTAT3 and Stattic induction in CIK cells can up
      regulate the p-eIF2alpha level. To further understand the relationship between
      CiSTAT3 and p-eIF2alpha level, we carried out the CiPKR-knockdown experiment. The
      result indicated that CiSTAT3 regulated the level of p-eIF2alpha through binding
      to CiPKR. In addition, overexpression of CiSTAT3 in CIK cells was able to improve
      the cell viability. These results above unraveled the molecular mechanism of fish
      cytoplasmic STAT3 regulating the eIF2alpha phosphorylation and cell viability.
      Therefore, the function of fish cytoplasmic STAT3 is similar to those of mammals.

PMID- 28916267
TI  - Comparison of phagocytosis in three Caribbean Sea urchins.
AB  - In 1983 large numbers of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum unexplainably began
      showing signs of illness and dying in the Caribbean, and over the next year they
      came close to extinction, making it one of the worst mass mortality events on
      record. Present evidence suggests a water-borne pathogen as the etiological
      agent. Decades later Diadema densities remain low, and its near extinction has
      been a major factor in transforming living coral reefs in the Caribbean to barren
      algae-covered rock. In the ensuing decades, no solid explanation has been found
      to the questions: what killed Diadema; why did Diadema succumb while other
      species of urchins on the same reefs did not; and why has Diadema still not
      recovered? A recent hypothesis posited by our lab as to Diadema's vulnerability
      was directed at possible compromised immunity in Diadema, and experimental
      results found a significantly impaired humoral response to a key component of
      gram-negative bacteria. Here we use flow cytometry to examine the cellular arm of
      invertebrate immunity. We performed cytotoxicity and phagocytosis assays as a
      measure of the cellular immune responses of cells from Diadema and two other
      species of sea urchins not affected by the die-off. Despite our previous findings
      of in impaired humoral response, our study found no apparent difference in the
      cellular phagocytic response of Diadema compared to the other urchin species
      studied.

PMID- 28916265
TI  - Glycans Function as Anchors for Antibodies and Help Drive HIV Broadly
      Neutralizing Antibody Development.
AB  - Apex broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies (bnAbs) recognize glycans and protein
      surface close to the 3-fold axis of the envelope (Env) trimer and are among the
      most potent and broad Abs described. The evolution of apex bnAbs from one donor
      (CAP256) has been studied in detail and many Abs at different stages of
      maturation have been described. Using diverse engineering tools, we investigated
      the involvement of glycan recognition in the development of the CAP256.VRC26 Ab
      lineage. We found that sialic acid-bearing glycans were recognized by germline
      encoded and somatically mutated residues on the Ab heavy chain. This recognition
      provided an "anchor" for the Abs as the core protein epitope varies, prevented
      complete neutralization escape, and eventually led to broadening of the response.
      These findings illustrate how glycan-specific maturation enables a human Ab to
      cope with pathogen escape mechanisms and will aid in optimization of immunization
      strategies to induce V2 apex bnAb responses.

PMID- 28916268
TI  - Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portugal: Results from the First
      Portuguese Health Examination Survey (INSEF 2015).
AB  - Obesity is recognised as a serious public health issue, due to its associated
      morbidity and mortality. This study aimed at estimating the prevalence of
      overweight and obesity in the Portuguese population through direct measurements
      obtained by the 1st National Health Examination Survey (INSEF 2015) and to
      identify its associated sociodemographic factors. INSEF was a nationally
      representative cross-sectional prevalence study conducted on 4911 Portuguese
      adults aged 25-74 years, in 2015. Height and weight were measured according to
      the European Health Examination Survey procedures. Poisson regression was used to
      estimate the adjusted prevalence ratios of overweight and obesity according to
      age, marital status, occupational activity, education, urbanization of living
      area and smoking status. Overall prevalences of overweight and obesity were 39.1%
      and 28.6%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight was higher among men (45.5%
      vs 33.2%) while the prevalence of obesity was higher among women (32% vs 25%).
      The sociodemographic factors associated with overweight and obesity were age,
      marital status and education. Smoking status was associated with overweight and
      obesity but only in women. INSEF suggests that a high prevalences of overweight
      and obesity are found in older individuals, married, with lower education levels
      and non-smoking women. Public health interventions are urgently required for
      obesity prevention, namely throughout health literacy strategies.

PMID- 28916269
TI  - The sterile controversy on the amyloid cascade hypothesis.
AB  - In these last years, several phase III randomized controlled trials testing
      promising candidates sharing Abeta depots as target of their action have failed,
      despite showing some reductions of the brain Abeta charge. The announcements of
      the negative results have heated the discussion in the field and divided the
      scientific community between the defenders versus the opponents of the Abeta
      theory. In the present article, we discuss the limits of these drastic, opposite
      positions and we propose a novel approach to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In
      particular, a "one-fits-all" approach where a single biomarker/process is able to
      explain the clinical manifestation seems inadequate for AD (as for other
      conditions of old age). Accordingly, there is an urgent need to overcome the
      traditional paradigms of "standalone-diseases" (requiring unimodal interventions)
      in favor of more comprehensive and multidimensional approaches. Specifically,
      promoting biomarker modeling procedures based on multivariate statistical
      methodologies may have important implications and advantages in the field of AD
      and other neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 28916270
TI  - Understanding taurine CNS activity using alternative zebrafish models.
AB  - Taurine is a highly abundant "amino acid" in the brain. Despite the potential
      neuroactive role of taurine in vertebrates has long been recognized, the
      underlying molecular mechanisms related to its pleiotropic effects in the brain
      remain poorly understood. Due to the genetic tractability, rich behavioral
      repertoire, neurochemical conservation, and small size, the zebrafish (Danio
      rerio) has emerged as a powerful candidate for neuropsychopharmacology
      investigation and in vivo drug screening. Here, we summarize the main
      physiological roles of taurine in mammals, including neuromodulation,
      osmoregulation, membrane stabilization, and antioxidant action. In this context,
      we also highlight how zebrafish models of brain disorders may present interesting
      approaches to assess molecular mechanisms underlying positive effects of taurine
      in the brain. Finally, we outline recent advances in zebrafish drug screening
      that significantly improve neuropsychiatric translational researches and small
      molecule screens.

PMID- 28916271
TI  - The effects of preferred natural stimuli on humans' affective states,
      physiological stress and mental health, and the potential implications for well
      being in captive animals.
AB  - Exposure to certain natural stimuli improves people's moods, reduces stress,
      enhances stress resilience, and promotes mental and physical health. Laboratory
      studies and real estate prices also reveal that humans prefer environments
      containing a broad range of natural stimuli. Potential mediators of these
      outcomes include: 1) therapeutic effects of specific natural products; 2)
      positive affective responses to stimuli that signalled safety and resources to
      our evolutionary ancestors; 3) attraction to environments that satisfy innate
      needs to explore and understand; and 4) ease of sensory processing, due to the
      stimuli's "evolutionary familiarity" and/or their fractal, self-repeating
      properties. These processes, and the benefits humans gain from natural stimuli,
      seem to be largely innate. They thus have strong implications for other species
      (including laboratory, farm and zoo animals living in environments devoid of
      natural stimuli), suggesting that they too may have nature-related "sensory
      needs". By promoting positive affect and stress resilience, preferred natural
      stimuli (including views, sounds and odours) could therefore potentially provide
      effective and efficient ways to improve captive animal well-being.

PMID- 28916272
TI  - External Validation of the Pathologic Nodal Staging Score for Prostate Cancer: A
      Population-based Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to externally validate our pathologic nodal staging score
      (pNSS) model, which allows for quantification of the likelihood that a
      pathologically node-negative patient will not have lymph node (LN) metastasis
      after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer (PCa) in a population-based
      cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data from 50,598 patients treated with
      radical prostatectomy and pelvic LN dissection using the Surveillance,
      Epidemiology, and End Results database. We estimated the sensitivity of
      pathologic nodal staging using a beta-binomial model and developed a novel pNSS
      model, which represents the probability that a patient's PCa has been correctly
      staged as node negative as a function of the number of examined LNs. These
      findings were compared against those from the original cohort of 7135 patients.
      RESULTS: The mean and median number of LNs removed was 6.5 and 5, respectively
      (range, 1-89; interquartile range, 2-8), and 96.9% of the patients (n = 49,020)
      had stage pN0. Similar to the original cohort, the probability of missing a
      positive LN decreased with the increasing number of LNs examined. In both the
      validation and the original cohort, the number of LNs needed to correctly stage a
      patient's disease as node negative increased with more advanced tumor stage,
      higher Gleason sum, positive surgical margins, and higher preoperative prostate
      specific antigen levels. CONCLUSION: We have confirmed that the number of
      examined LNs needed for adequate nodal staging in PCa depends on the pathologic
      tumor stage, Gleason sum, surgical margins status, and preoperative prostate
      specific antigen. We externally validated our pNSS in a population-based cohort,
      which could help to refine decision-making regarding the administration of
      adjuvant therapy.

PMID- 28916273
TI  - Identification of Recurrence Sites Following Post-Prostatectomy Treatment for
      Prostate Cancer Using 11C-Choline Positron Emission Tomography and
      Multiparametric Pelvic Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: We describe anatomical sites of recurrence in patients with prostate
      cancer who had biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy and who
      received radiotherapy and/or androgen deprivation therapy postoperatively. We
      performed 11C-choline positron emission tomography/computerized tomography and
      multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After
      radiotherapy and/or androgen deprivation therapy patients who underwent radical
      prostatectomy were evaluated by 11C-choline positron emission
      tomography/computerized tomography and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging
      to determine recurrence patterns and clinicopathological features. Recurrent
      sites were described as local only (seminal vesicle bed/prostate fossa,
      vesicourethral anastomosis and bladder neck) or distant metastatic disease.
      Features associated with the identification of any distant metastatic disease
      were evaluated by multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 550
      patients were identified. Treatment included androgen deprivation therapy in 108,
      radiotherapy in 201, and androgen deprivation therapy and radiotherapy in 241.
      Median prostate specific antigen at evaluation was 3.9, 3.6 and 2.8 ng/ml in
      patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, radiotherapy and a
      combination, respectively. Recurrence developed locally in 77 patients (14%), as
      distant metastasis only in 411 (75%), and as local and distant metastatic disease
      in 62 (11%). On multivariable analysis treatment with radiotherapy (OR 7.18, 95%
      CI 2.92-17.65), and radiotherapy and hormonal therapy (OR 9.23, 95% CI 3.90
      21.87, all p <0.01) was associated with increased odds of distant failure at
      evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of 11C-choline positron emission
      tomography/computerized tomography and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging
      successfully identified patterns of recurrence after postoperative radiotherapy
      and/or androgen deprivation therapy at a median prostate specific antigen of less
      than 4 ng/ml. Half of this cohort had local only recurrence and/or a low disease
      burden limited to pelvic lymph nodes. These patients may benefit from additional
      local therapy. These data and this analysis may facilitate the evaluation of such
      patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.

PMID- 28916275
TI  - Current Resources for Evidence-Based Practice, November/December 2017.

PMID- 28916274
TI  - Do Urinary Cystine Parameters Predict Clinical Stone Activity?
AB  - PURPOSE: An accurate urinary predictor of stone recurrence would be clinically
      advantageous for patients with cystinuria. A proprietary assay (Litholink,
      Chicago, Illinois) measures cystine capacity as a potentially more reliable
      estimate of stone forming propensity. The recommended capacity level to prevent
      stone formation, which is greater than 150 mg/l, has not been directly correlated
      with clinical stone activity. We investigated the relationship between urinary
      cystine parameters and clinical stone activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      prospectively followed 48 patients with cystinuria using 24-hour urine
      collections and serial imaging, and recorded stone activity. We compared cystine
      urinary parameters at times of stone activity with those obtained during periods
      of stone quiescence. We then performed correlation and ROC analysis to evaluate
      the performance of cystine parameters to predict stone activity. RESULTS: During
      a median followup of 70.6 months (range 2.2 to 274.6) 85 stone events occurred
      which could be linked to a recent urine collection. Cystine capacity was
      significantly greater for quiescent urine than for stone event urine (mean +/- SD
      48 +/- 107 vs -38 +/- 163 mg/l, p <0.001). Cystine capacity significantly
      correlated inversely with stone activity (r = -0.29, p <0.001). Capacity also
      correlated highly negatively with supersaturation (r = -0.88, p <0.001) and
      concentration (r = -0.87, p <0.001). Using the suggested cutoff of greater than
      150 mg/l had only 8.0% sensitivity to predict stone quiescence. Decreasing the
      cutoff to 90 mg/l or greater improved sensitivity to 25.2% while maintaining
      specificity at 90.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the target for
      capacity should be lower than previously advised.

PMID- 28916276
TI  - Individual background factors associated with vaccination for seasonal influenza
      in Japanese schoolchildren.
AB  - There is little evidence about how individual background factors affect seasonal
      influenza vaccination of children. At the end of the 2014/2015 influenza season,
      a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of all elementary schoolchildren in 29
      schools in Matsumoto City, Japan, was conducted to obtain information about
      vaccine uptake activity and individual background factors. Of the 10,524 subjects
      who responded, 5063 (48.1%) had been vaccinated. Grade in school, underlying
      disease, number of siblings, and diagnosis with and vaccination for influenza
      during the previous influenza season differed significantly in vaccinated and
      unvaccinated groups. Multivariate logistic regression showed that underlying
      disease and vaccination during the previous influenza season was associated with
      a higher rate of vaccination, whereas higher grade in school and having >=3
      siblings was associated with a lower rate of vaccination. The findings may be
      useful to promote a vaccination policy recommending financial support to
      households with many children or to encourage higher uptake of vaccination in
      higher grade children.

PMID- 28916277
TI  - Circulating tumor cell as a biomarker for evaluating allogenic NK cell
      immunotherapy on stage IV non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - In this study, we determined the number of peripheral blood circulating tumor
      cells (CTCs) pre- and post-NK in patients with stage IV non- small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) as a reference for understanding the relevance of any changes to
      the efficacy of NK cells therapy. The patients were given one to three courses of
      immunotherapy. CTC numbers and CTC-related gene expression were measured in the
      peripheral blood of 31 patients with stage IV NSCLC at 1day before and 7 and 30d
      after NK cells therapy using magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) and
      fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) combined with real-time quantitative
      PCR (RT-qPCR). Throughout the research, fever was the most common reaction
      (34.6%). The number of CTCs was 18.11+/-5.813, 15.13+/-5.984 and 10.32+/-5.623,
      respectively, and this decreased significantly over time. DeltaCt values for the
      CTC-related genes CEA, MAGE-3 and CK18 increased significantly after NK cells
      infusion. The expression of CEA, CK18 and MAGE-3 decreased significantly with
      time after NK. CTC was a useful biomarker for evaluating the efficacy of NK cells
      therapy on stage IV NSCLC.

PMID- 28916278
TI  - Microbial reduction of vanadium (V) in groundwater: Interactions with coexisting
      common electron acceptors and analysis of microbial community.
AB  - Vanadium (V) pollution in groundwater has posed serious risks to the environment
      and public health. Anaerobic microbial reduction can achieve efficient and cost
      effective remediation of V(V) pollution, but its interactions with coexisting
      common electron acceptors such as NO3-, Fe3+, SO42- and CO2 in groundwater remain
      unknown. In this study, the interactions between V(V) reduction and reduction of
      common electron acceptors were examined with revealing relevant microbial
      community and identifying dominant species. The results showed that the presence
      of NO3- slowed down the removal of V(V) in the early stage of the reaction but
      eventually led to a similar reduction efficiency (90.0% +/- 0.4% in 72-h
      operation) to that in the reactor without NO3-. The addition of Fe3+, SO42-, or
      CO2 decreased the efficiency of V(V) reduction. Furthermore, the microbial
      reduction of these coexisting electron acceptors was also adversely affected by
      the presence of V(V). The addition of V(V) as well as the extra dose of Fe3+,
      SO42- and CO2 decreased microbial diversity and evenness, whereas the reactor
      supplied with NO3- showed the increased diversity. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene
      pyrosequencing analysis indicated the accumulation of Geobacter, Longilinea,
      Syntrophobacter, Spirochaeta and Anaerolinea, which might be responsible for the
      reduction of multiple electron acceptors. The findings of this study have
      demonstrated the feasibility of anaerobic bioremediation of V(V) and the possible
      influence of coexisting electron acceptors commonly found in groundwater.

PMID- 28916279
TI  - The role of IL-6 released from pulmonary epithelial cells in diesel UFP-induced
      endothelial activation.
AB  - Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) and their ultrafine fraction (UFP) are known to
      induce cardiovascular effects in exposed subjects. The mechanisms leading to
      these outcomes are still under investigation, but the activation of respiratory
      endothelium is likely to be involved. Particles translocation through the air
      blood barrier and the release of mediators from the exposed epithelium have been
      suggested to participate in the process. Here we used a conditioned media in
      vitro model to investigate the role of epithelial-released mediators in the
      endothelial cells activation. Diesel UFP were sampled from a Euro 4 vehicle run
      over a chassis dyno and lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells were exposed for 20 h (dose
      5 MUg/cm2). The exposure media were collected and used for endothelial HPMEC
      ST1.6R cells treatment for 24 h. The processes related to oxidative stress and
      inflammation were investigated in the epithelial cells, accordingly to the
      present knowledge on DEP toxicity. The release of IL-6 and VEGF was significantly
      augmented in diesel exposed cells. In endothelial cells, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1
      adhesion molecules levels were increased after exposure to the conditioned media.
      By interfering with IL-6 binding to its endothelial receptor, we demonstrate the
      role of this interleukin in inducing the endothelial response.

PMID- 28916280
TI  - Non-linear direct effects of acid rain on leaf photosynthetic rate of terrestrial
      plants.
AB  - Anthropogenic emissions of acid precursors have enhanced global occurrence of
      acid rain, especially in East Asia. Acid rain directly suppresses leaf function
      by eroding surface waxes and cuticle and leaching base cations from mesophyll
      cells, while the simultaneous foliar uptake of nitrates in rainwater may directly
      benefit leaf photosynthesis and plant growth, suggesting a non-linear direct
      effect of acid rain. By synthesizing data from literature on acid rain exposure
      experiments, we assessed the direct effects of acid rain on leaf photosynthesis
      across 49 terrestrial plants in China. Our results show a non-linear direct
      effect of acid rain on leaf photosynthetic rate, including a neutral to positive
      effect above pH 5.0 and a negative effect below that pH level. The acid rain
      sensitivity of leaf photosynthesis showed no significant difference between herbs
      and woody species below pH 5.0, but the impacts above that pH level were strongly
      different, resulting in a significant increase in leaf photosynthetic rate of
      woody species and an insignificant effect on herbs. Our analysis also indicates a
      positive effect of the molar ratio of nitric versus sulfuric acid in the acid
      solution on leaf photosynthetic rate. These findings imply that rainwater acidity
      and the composition of acids both affect the response of leaf photosynthesis and
      therefore result in a non-linear direct effect.

PMID- 28916281
TI  - Explaining the spatiotemporal variation of fine particle number concentrations
      over Beijing and surrounding areas in an air quality model with aerosol
      microphysics.
AB  - In this study, a three-dimensional air quality model with detailed aerosol
      microphysics (NAQPMS + APM) was applied to simulate the fine particle number size
      distribution and to explain the spatiotemporal variation of fine particle number
      concentrations in different size ranges over Beijing and surrounding areas in the
      haze season (Jan 15 to Feb 13 in 2006). Comparison between observations and the
      simulation indicates that the model is able to reproduce the main features of the
      particle number size distribution. The high number concentration of total
      particles, up to 26600 cm-3 in observations and 39800 cm-3 in the simulation,
      indicates the severity of pollution in Beijing. We find that primary particles
      with secondary species coating and secondary particles together control the
      particle number size distribution. Secondary particles dominate particle number
      concentration in the nucleation mode. Primary and secondary particles together
      determine the temporal evolution and spatial pattern of particle number
      concentration in the Aitken mode. Primary particles dominate particle number
      concentration in the accumulation mode. Over Beijing and surrounding areas,
      secondary particles contribute at least 80% of particle number concentration in
      the nucleation mode but only 10-20% in the accumulation mode. Nucleation mode
      particles and accumulation mode particles are anti-phased with each other.
      Nucleation or primary emissions alone could not explain the formation of the
      particle number size distribution in Beijing. Nucleation has larger effects on
      ultrafine particles while primary particles emissions are efficient in producing
      large particles in the accumulation mode. Reduction in primary particle emissions
      does not always lead to a decrease in the number concentration of ultrafine
      particles. Measures to reduce fine particle pollution in terms of particle number
      concentration may be different from those addressing particle mass concentration.

PMID- 28916282
TI  - Chlorate origin and fate in shallow groundwater below agricultural landscapes.
AB  - In agricultural lowland landscapes, intensive agricultural is accompanied by a
      wide use of agrochemical application, like pesticides and fertilizers. The latter
      often causes serious environmental threats such as N compounds leaching and
      surface water eutrophication; additionally, since perchlorate can be present as
      impurities in many fertilizers, the potential presence of perchlorates and their
      by-products like chlorates and chlorites in shallow groundwater could be a reason
      of concern. In this light, the present manuscript reports the first temporal and
      spatial variation of chlorates, chlorites and major anions concentrations in the
      shallow unconfined aquifer belonging to Ferrara province (in the Po River plain).
      The study was made in 56 different locations to obtain insight on groundwater
      chemical composition and its sediment matrix interactions. During the monitoring
      period from 2010 to 2011, in June 2011 a nonpoint pollution of chlorates was
      found in the shallow unconfined aquifer belonging to Ferrara province. Detected
      chlorates concentrations ranged between 0.01 and 38 mg/l with an average value of
      2.9 mg/l. Chlorates were found in 49 wells out of 56 and in all types of
      lithology constituting the shallow aquifer. Chlorates concentrations appeared to
      be linked to NO3-, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and oxygen reduction potential
      (ORP) variations. Chlorates behaviour was related to the biodegradation of
      perchlorates, since perchlorates are favourable electron acceptors for the
      oxidation of labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in groundwater. Further
      studies must take into consideration to monitor ClO4- in pore waters and
      groundwater to better elucidate the mass flux of ClO4- in shallow aquifers
      belonging to agricultural landscapes.

PMID- 28916283
TI  - Deuterated (d6)-dextromethorphan elicits antidepressant-like effects in mice.
AB  - The over-the-counter antitussive dextromethorphan (DM) may have rapid
      antidepressant actions based on its overlapping pharmacology with ketamine, which
      has shown fast antidepressant effects but whose widespread use remains limited by
      problematic side effects. We have previously shown that DM produces
      antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension
      test (TST) that are mediated in part through alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4
      isoxazole propionic (AMPA) and sigma-1 receptors, two protein targets associated
      with a faster onset of antidepressant efficacy. To utilize DM clinically,
      however, a major challenge that must be addressed is its rapid first-pass
      metabolism. Two strategies to inhibit metabolism of DM and maintain stable
      therapeutic blood levels are 1) chemically modifying DM and 2) adding quinidine,
      an inhibitor of the primary metabolizer of DM, the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6
      enzyme. The purpose of this study was to determine if modified DM (deuterated
      (d6)-DM) elicits antidepressant-like effects and if AMPA and sigma-1 receptors
      are involved. Furthermore, d6-DM was tested in conjunction with quinidine to
      determine if further slowing the metabolism of d6-DM affects its antidepressant
      like actions. In the FST and TST, d6-DM produced antidepressant-like effects.
      Upon further investigation in the FST, the most validated animal model for
      predicting antidepressant efficacy, d6-DM produced antidepressant-like effects
      both in the absence and presence of quinidine. However, pretreatment with neither
      an AMPA receptor antagonist (NBQX) nor sigma-1 receptor antagonists (BD1063,
      BD1047) significantly attenuated the antidepressant-like effects. The data
      suggest d6-DM has antidepressant-like effects, though it may be recruiting
      different molecular targets and/or acting through a different mix or ratio of
      metabolites from regular DM.

PMID- 28916284
TI  - Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy versus Low Dose Rate Brachytherapy for Localised
      Prostate Cancer: a Cost-Utility Analysis.
AB  - AIMS: To conduct a cost-utility analysis comparing stereotactic body radiotherapy
      (SBRT) with low dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) for localised prostate cancer
      (PCa). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A decision-analytic Markov model was developed from
      the healthcare payer perspective to simulate the history of a 66-year-old man
      with low-risk PCa. The model followed patients yearly over their remaining
      lifetimes. Health states included 'recurrence-free', 'biochemical recurrence'
      (BR), 'metastatic' and 'death'. Transition probabilities were based on a
      retrospective cohort analysis undertaken at our institution. Utilities were
      derived from the literature. Costs were assigned in 2015 Canadian dollars ($) and
      reflected Ontario's health system and departmental costs. Outcomes included
      quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs and incremental cost-effectiveness
      ratios. A willingness-to-pay threshold of $50 000/QALY was used. RESULTS: SBRT
      was the dominant strategy with 0.008LYs and 0.029QALYs gained and a reduction in
      cost of $2615. Under base case conditions, our results were sensitive to the BR
      probability associated with both strategies. LDR-BT becomes the preferred
      strategy if the BR with SBRT is 1.3*[baseline BR_SBRT] or if the BR with LDR-BT
      is 0.76*[baseline BR_LDR-BT]. When assuming the same BR for both strategies, LDR
      BT becomes marginally more effective with 0.009QALYs gained at a cost of $272
      848/QALY. CONCLUSIONS: SBRT represents an economically attractive radiation
      strategy. Further research should be carried out to provide longer-term follow-up
      and high-quality evidence.

PMID- 28916285
TI  - Profiling of bisphenol S towards nuclear receptors activities in human reporter
      cell lines.
AB  - Bisphenol S (BPS) is heat-stable structural analog of bisphenol A (BPA), a known
      endocrine disruptor. Due to the effort to replace BPA with BPS, it is essential
      to know if BPS is suitable non-toxic replacement without reported deleterious
      effects of BPA. Since most of the BPA effects are ascribed to its ability to
      activate nuclear receptors, we screened some prominent members of this family in
      order to confirm or refute some recent findings. We found that BPS
      insignificantly activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in reporter gene assay
      and no induction of AhR target gene CYP1A1 was observed in human hepatocytes
      (HH). BPS was able to act like an antagonist of pregnane X receptor (PXR) in
      reporter gene assay, but the expression of PXR target gene CYP3A4, was only
      moderately affected in HH. While BPS antagonized dexamethasone-inducible
      glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent luciferase activity in reporter gene assay
      (IC50=52MUM), it was not able to antagonize dexamethasone effects on GR-target
      genes, including GILZ, NFKBIA and IL-6. Synergistic effect of BPS (range 0.001
      100MUM) and DHT (100nM) was observed at androgen receptor (AR) activity level
      only. In conclusion, we show that BPS had only limited effect on tested nuclear
      receptors. Moreover, submicromolar concentrations of BPS affected activated AR.
      Thus, due to the low levels of exposure for humans, BPS is probably of no
      regulatory concern. However, further investigation should delineate possible
      impact on male/female development or sexual functions.

PMID- 28916286
TI  - Toxicology studies of primycin-sulphate using a three-dimensional (3D) in vitro
      human liver aggregate model.
AB  - Primycin-sulphate is a highly effective compound against Gram (G) positive
      bacteria. It has a potentially synergistic effect with vancomycin and statins
      which makes primycin-sulphate a potentially very effective preparation. Primycin
      sulphate is currently used exclusively in topical preparations. In vitro animal
      hepatocyte and neuromuscular junction studies (in mice, rats, snakes, frogs) as
      well as in in vitro human red blood cell experiments were used to test toxicity.
      During these studies, the use of primycin-sulphate resulted in reduced cellular
      membrane integrity and modified ion channel activity. Additionally, parenteral
      administration of primycin-sulphate to mice, dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs
      indicated high level of acute toxicity. The objective of this study was to reveal
      the cytotoxic and gene expression modifying effects of primycin-sulphate in a
      human system using an in vitro, three dimensional (3D) human hepatic model
      system. Within the 3D model, primycin-sulphate presented no acute cytotoxicity at
      concentrations 1MUg/ml and below. However, even at low concentrations, primycin
      sulphate affected gene expressions by up-regulating inflammatory cytokines (e.g.,
      IL6), chemokines (e.g., CXCL5) and by down-regulating molecules of the lipid
      metabolism (e.g., peroxisome proliferator receptor (PPAR) alpha, gamma, etc).
      Down-regulation of PPAR alpha cannot just disrupt lipid production but can also
      affect cytochrome P450 metabolic enzyme (CYP) 3A4 expression, highlighting the
      need for extensive drug-drug interaction (DDI) studies before human oral or
      parenteral preparations can be developed.

PMID- 28916287
TI  - Effects of anti-inflammatory compounds on sulfur mustard injured cells:
      Recommendations and caveats suggested by in vitro cell culture models.
AB  - Sulfur mustard (SM) is a vesicant agent who had its first military use 100 years
      ago, in Ypres. Since then it has been used in several conflicts like the Iran
      Iraq war in the 1980s. The use of SM in Syria 2015 indicated the still existing
      threat. Despite decades of research no causal antidote against SM intoxication is
      available, so far. A SM intoxication is accompanied by necrosis, apoptosis and
      inflammation. To counteract the SM-induced inflammation, glucocorticoids and non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds (NSAIDs) are recommended. Aim of this study
      was to evaluate the efficacy of the anti-inflammatory compounds dexamethasone,
      ibuprofen and diclofenac in vitro. For that purpose, two different cell culture
      models were used. Firstly, a monoculture of keratinocytes (HaCaT) and secondly,
      an established co-culture of keratinocytes (HaCaT) and immunocompetent cells (THP
      1) to identify the role of immune cells in the process and to mimic the dermal
      physiology more closely. Both models were challenged with different SM
      concentrations (100, 200 and 300MUM) and treated with different anti-inflammatory
      compounds one hour after the SM exposure. Analytical analysis of necrosis
      (ToxiLight), apoptosis (CDDE) and inflammation (IL-6 and -8 ELISAs) followed 24h
      thereafter. Dexamethasone provided small but consistent protective effects in the
      monoculture. For the reduction of apoptosis, 3MUM dexamethasone was sufficient.
      The most effective reduction regarding interleukin (IL) production was found with
      6MUM dexamethasone. Protective effects were less pronounced in co-culture, which
      implies, that the protective effects of dexamethasone are rather generic and not
      due to a modulation of the immune cells. Against our expectations, ibuprofen
      strongly amplified apoptosis and necrosis in SM exposed cells in the monoculture
      as well as the co-culture. Therefore, use of ibuprofen for treatment of SM
      intoxication should at least be considered most critically, if not even regarded
      as harmful. Diclofenac significantly reduced necrosis, apoptosis and inflammation
      in the co-culture in a dose-dependent manner. The greatest benefit regarding cell
      survival and reduction of the inflammation-marker IL-6 after a SM treatment was
      observed after diclofenac treatment. The protective effects of diclofenac were
      less pronounced in the monoculture which suggests, that diclofenac can modify the
      response of immune cells to SM. In conclusion, the results of our experiments,
      showing a benefit for diclofenac after SM exposure are in line with in vivo data
      of other researchers. Though, our in vitro results suggest the preferred use of
      diclofenac over ibuprofen. The benefit of dexamethasone is still equivocal, but
      low concentrations seem to have some positive effects.

PMID- 28916288
TI  - Anti-apoptotic and moderate anti-inflammatory effects of berberine in sulfur
      mustard exposed keratinocytes.
AB  - Skin affections after sulfur mustard (SM) exposure include erythema, blister
      formation and severe inflammation. An antidote or specific therapy does not
      exist. Anti-inflammatory compounds as well as substances counteracting SM-induced
      cell death are under investigation. In this study, we investigated the
      benzylisoquinoline alkaloide berberine (BER), a metabolite in plants like
      berberis vulgaris, which is used as herbal pharmaceutical in Asian countries,
      against SM toxicity using a well-established in vitro approach. Keratinocyte
      (HaCaT) mono-cultures (MoC) or HaCaT/THP-1 co-cultures (CoC) were challenged with
      100, 200 or 300mM SM for 1h. Post-exposure, both MoC and CoC were treated with
      10, 30 or 50MUM BER for 24h. At that time, supernatants were collected and
      analyzed both for interleukine (IL) 6 and 8 levels and for content of adenylate
      kinase (AK) as surrogate marker for cell necrosis. Cells were lysed and
      nucleosome formation as marker for late apoptosis was assessed. In parallel, AK
      in cells was determined for normalization purposes. BER treatment did not
      influence necrosis, but significantly decreased apoptosis. Anti-inflammatory
      effects were moderate, but also significant, primarily in CoC. Overall, BER has
      protective effects against SM toxicity in vitro. Whether this holds true should
      be evaluated in future in vivo studies.

PMID- 28916289
TI  - Breast cancer screening utilization among women from Muslim majority countries in
      Ontario, Canada.
AB  - Breast cancer screening disparities continue to prevail with immigrant women
      being at the forefront of the under screened population. There is a paucity of
      knowledge about the role of religious affiliation or cultural orientation on
      immigrant women's cancer screening uptake. This study examined differences in
      uptake of breast cancer screening among women from Muslim and non- Muslim
      majority countries in Ontario, Canada. A cohort of 1,851,834 screening-eligible
      women living in Ontario during April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2015 was created using
      linked health and social administrative databases. The study found that being
      born in a Muslim majority country was associated with lower breast cancer
      screening uptake after adjusting for region of origin, neighbourhood income, and
      primary care-related factors. However, screening uptake in Muslim majority
      countries varied by world region with the greatest differences found in Sub
      Saharan Africa and South Asia. Screening uptake was lower for women who had no
      primary care provider, were in a traditional fee-for service model of primary
      care, had a male physician, had an internationally trained physician, resided in
      a low income neighbourhood, and entered Canada under the family class of
      immigration. Religion may play a role in screening uptake, however, the variation
      in rates by regions of origin, immigration class, and access to primary care
      providers alludes to confluence of socio-demographic, cultural beliefs and
      practices, immigration trajectories and system level factors. Facilitating access
      for immigrant women to regular primary care providers, particularly female
      providers and enrollment in primary care models could enhance screening uptake.

PMID- 28916291
TI  - Re: Association of Inflammatory Cytokines With the Symptom Cluster of Pain,
      Fatigue, Depression, and Sleep Disturbance in Chinese Patients With Cancer.

PMID- 28916290
TI  - Conceptualizing a Dynamic Fall Risk Model Including Intrinsic Risks and
      Exposures.
AB  - Falls are a major cause of injury and disability in older people, leading to
      serious health and social consequences including fractures, poor quality of life,
      loss of independence, and institutionalization. To design and provide adequate
      prevention measures, accurate understanding and identification of person's
      individual fall risk is important. However, to date, the performance of fall risk
      models is weak compared with models estimating, for example, cardiovascular risk.
      This deficiency may result from 2 factors. First, current models consider risk
      factors to be stable for each person and not change over time, an assumption that
      does not reflect real-life experience. Second, current models do not consider the
      interplay of individual exposure including type of activity (eg, walking,
      undertaking transfers) and environmental risks (eg, lighting, floor conditions)
      in which activity is performed. Therefore, we posit a dynamic fall risk model
      consisting of intrinsic risk factors that vary over time and exposure (activity
      in context). eHealth sensor technology (eg, smartphones) begins to enable the
      continuous measurement of both the above factors. We illustrate our model with
      examples of real-world falls from the FARSEEING database. This dynamic framework
      for fall risk adds important aspects that may improve understanding of fall
      mechanisms, fall risk models, and the development of fall prevention
      interventions.

PMID- 28916292
TI  - Response.

PMID- 28916294
TI  - Characteristics of Older Adults in Primary Care Who May Benefit From Primary
      Palliative Care in the U.S.
AB  - CONTEXT: Older adults with advanced illness and associated symptoms may benefit
      from primary palliative care, but limited data exist to identify older adults in
      U.S. primary care to benefit from this care. OBJECTIVES: To describe U.S. primary
      care visits among adults aged 65 years and older with advanced illness. METHODS:
      Cross-sectional analysis of the National Ambulatory and Hospital Ambulatory
      Medical Care Surveys (2009-2011) was conducted using Chi-squared tests to compare
      visits without and with advanced illness with U.S. primary care defined by
      National Committee for Quality Assurance Palliative and End-of-Life Care
      Physician Performance Measurement Set International Classification of Diseases,
      Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes for end-stage illness. RESULTS: Among visits by
      older adults to primary care, 7.9% visits were related to advanced illness. A
      higher proportion of advanced illness visits was among men vs. women (8.9% vs.
      7.2%; P = 0.03) and adults aged 75 years and older, non-Hispanic whites (8.3%)
      and blacks (8.2%) vs. Hispanic (6.7%) and non-Hispanic other (2.5%) (P = 0.02),
      dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and from patient ZIP Codes with lower
      median household incomes (below $32,793). A higher percentage of visits with
      advanced illness conditions to primary care was chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease, congestive heart failure, dementia, and cancer, and symptoms reported
      with these visits were mostly pain, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia.
      CONCLUSION: In the U.S., approximately 8% primary care visits among older adults
      was related to advanced illness conditions. Advanced illness visits were most
      common among those most likely to be socioeconomically vulnerable and highlight
      the need to focus efforts for high-quality palliative care for these populations.

PMID- 28916293
TI  - Is There Ever a Role for the Unilateral Do Not Attempt Resuscitation Order in
      Pediatric Care?
AB  - Care for children as they near the end of life is difficult and very complex.
      More difficult still are the decisions regarding what interventions are and are
      not indicated during these trying times. Occasionally, families of children who
      are nearing the end of life disagree with the assessment of the medical team
      regarding these interventions. In rare cases, the medical team can be moved to
      enact a do not attempt resuscitation order against the wishes of the patient's
      parents. This article presents one such illustrative case and discusses the
      ethical issues relevant to such challenging clinical scenarios. The authors posit
      that such a unilateral do not attempt resuscitation order is only appropriate in
      very limited circumstances in pediatric care. Instead, focus should be placed on
      open discussion between parents and members of the clinical team, shared decision
      making, and maintenance of the clinician-parent relationship while simultaneously
      supporting members of the clinical team who express discomfort with parental
      decisions. The authors propose an alternative framework for approaching such a
      conflict based on clinician-parent collaboration and open communication.

PMID- 28916295
TI  - Utilization of Hospice Services in a Population of Patients With Huntington's
      Disease.
AB  - CONTEXT: Although the early and middle stages of Huntington's disease (HD) and
      its complications have been well described, less is known about the course of
      late-stage illness. In particular, little is known about the population of
      patients who enroll in hospice. OBJECTIVES: Our goal is to describe the
      characteristics of patients with HD who enrolled in hospice. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective cohort study of electronic medical record data from 12 not-for
      profit hospices in the United States from 2008 to 2012. RESULTS: Of the 164,032
      patients admitted to these hospices, 101 (0.06%) had a primary diagnosis of HD.
      Their median age was 57 (IQR 48-65) and 53 (52.5%) were women. Most patients were
      cared for by a spouse (n = 36, 36.6%) or adult child (n = 20, 19.8%). At the time
      of admission, most patients were living either at home (n = 39, 38.6%) or in a
      nursing home (n = 41, 40.6%). All were either bedbound or could ambulate only
      with assistance. The most common symptom reported during enrollment in hospice
      was pain (n = 34, 33.7%) followed by anxiety (n = 30, 29.7%), nausea (n = 18,
      17.8%), and dyspnea (n = 10, 9.9%). Patients had a median length of stay in
      hospice of 42 days, which was significantly longer than that of other hospice
      patients in the sample (17 days), P < 0.001. Of the 101 patients who were
      admitted to hospice, 73 died, 11 were still enrolled at the time of data
      analysis, and 17 left hospice either because they no longer met eligibility
      criteria (n = 14, 13.7%) or because they decided to seek treatment for other
      medical conditions (n = 3, 3.0%). Of the 73 patients who died while on hospice,
      most died either in a nursing home (n = 29; 40%) or a hospital (n = 27; 37%).
      Seventeen patients (23%) died at home. No patient that started in a facility died
      at home. CONCLUSION: Patients with HD are admitted to hospice at a younger age
      compared with other patients (57 vs. 76 years old) but have a significant symptom
      burden and limited functional status. Although hospice care emphasizes the
      importance of helping patients to remain in their homes, only a minority of these
      patients were able to die at home.

PMID- 28916296
TI  - Folate-targeted amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles incorporating a fusogenic
      peptide deliver therapeutic siRNA and inhibit the invasive capacity of 3D
      prostate cancer tumours.
AB  - The main barrier to the development of an effective RNA interference (RNAi)
      therapy is the lack of a suitable delivery vector. Modified cyclodextrins have
      emerged in recent years for the delivery of siRNA. In the present study, a folate
      targeted amphiphilic cyclodextrin was formulated using DSPE-PEG5000-folate to
      target prostate cancer cells. The fusogenic peptide GALA was included in the
      formulation to aid in the endosomal release of siRNA. Targeted nanoparticles were
      less than 200nm in size with a neutral surface charge. The complexes were able to
      bind siRNA and protect it from serum nucleases. Incubation with excess free
      folate resulted in a significant decrease in the uptake of targeted nanoparticles
      in LNCaP and PC3 cells, both of which have been reported to have differing
      pathways of folate uptake. There was a significant reduction in the therapeutic
      targets, ZEB1 and NRP1 at mRNA and protein level following treatment with
      targeted complexes. In preliminary functional assays using 3D spheroids,
      treatment of PC3 tumours with targeted complexes with ZEB1 and NRP1 siRNA
      resulted in more compact colonies relative to the untargeted controls and
      inhibited infiltration into the MatrigelTM layer.

PMID- 28916297
TI  - Neuro-cognition and social cognition elements of social functioning and social
      quality of life.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that deficits in social cognition mediate the
      association between neuro-cognition and functional outcome. Based on these
      findings, the current study presents an examination of the mediating role of
      social cognition and includes two different outcomes: social functioning assessed
      by objective observer and social quality of life assessed by subjective self
      report. Instruments measuring different aspects of social cognition, cognitive
      ability, social functioning and social quality of life were administered to 131
      participants who had a diagnosis of a serious mental illness. Results showed that
      emotion recognition and attributional bias were significant mediators such that
      cognitive assessment was positively related to both, which in turn, were
      negatively related to SQoL. While one interpretation of the data suggests that
      deficits in emotion recognition may serve as a possible defense mechanism, future
      studies should re-assess this idea.

PMID- 28916298
TI  - Childhood trauma, depression, and sleep quality and their association with
      psychotic symptoms and suicidality in schizophrenia.
AB  - This study involved the examination of the relationship between childhood trauma
      and both psychotic symptoms and suicidality in patients with schizophrenia after
      controlling for the possible confounding factors, such as clinical features,
      depression, and sleep quality. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form,
      Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Calgary Depression Scale for
      Schizophrenia (CDSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the suicidality
      subscale of Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) were
      administered to 199 patients with schizophrenia. We used sequential multiple
      stepwise regression analyses in which positive symptoms, negative symptoms,
      overall psychopathology, total symptoms of schizophrenia, and suicidality were
      dependent variables. Depressive symptomatology and childhood physical abuse
      significantly contributed to positive, negative, general psychopathology, and
      global schizophrenia symptomatology. Interestingly, general psychopathology
      scores were negatively associated with childhood physical neglect. Also,
      subjective sleep quality significantly contributed to positive schizophrenia
      symptoms. Although prior suicide attempts and depression were significant
      antecedents of suicidal ideation, no association between suicidality and both
      childhood trauma and sleep was found. Childhood physical abuse could have an
      impact on psychopathology in schizophrenia. In addition to childhood trauma,
      depression, sleep disturbances, and clinical features should be considered and
      inquired about in the course of clinical care of schizophrenia patients.

PMID- 28916299
TI  - Non-canonical Wnt mediated neurogenic differentiation of human bone marrow
      derived mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), which are characterized by
      multipotency and self-renewal, are responsible for tissue regeneration and
      repair. We have previously reported in adipose tissue-derived MSCs that only
      Wnt5a is enhanced at neurogenic differentiation, and the mechanism of
      differentiation is dependent on the Wnt5a/JNK pathway; however, the role of
      Wnt/MAPK pathway is yet to be investigated in neurogenic differentiation in BM
      MSCs. We compared the transcriptional expression of Wnt in neurogenic induced-hBM
      MSCs (NI-hBM-MSCs) with that in primary hBM-MSCs, using RT-PCR, qPCR, and western
      blotting. Although the expression of Wnt1 and Wnt2 was unchanged, the expression
      of Wnt4, Wnt5a, and Wnt11 increased after neurogenic differentiation. In
      addition, only the expression of frizzled class receptor (Fzd) 3 gene was
      increased, but not of most of the Fzds and Wnt ligands in NI-hBM-MSCs.
      Interestingly, Wnt4, Wnt5a, and Wnt11 gene expressions significantly increased in
      NI-hBM-MSCs by qPCR. In addition, the protein expression level of Wnt4 and Wnt5a,
      but not Wnt3, increased after neurogenic induction. Furthermore, the expressions
      of phosphorylated-GSK-3beta, ERK1/2, and PKC decreased; however, JNK was
      activated after neurogenic differentiation. Thus, non-canonical Wnts, i.e., Wnt4,
      Wnt5a, and Wnt11, regulate neurogenic differentiation through Fzd3 activation and
      the increase in downstream targets of JNK, which is one of the non-canonical
      pathways, in hBM-MSCs.

PMID- 28916300
TI  - Distinct neuronal populations in the basolateral and central amygdala are
      activated with acute pain, conditioned fear, and fear-conditioned analgesia.
AB  - Fear-conditioned analgesia (FCA) is modulated by brain areas involved in the
      descending inhibitory pain pathway such as the basolateral (BLA) and central
      amygdala (CEA). The BLA contains Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II
      (CaMKII) and parvalbumin (PV) neurons. CEA neurons are primarily inhibitory
      (GABAergic) that comprise enkephalin (ENK) interneurons and corticotropin
      releasing factor (CRF) - neurons that project to the periaqueductal grey. The
      purpose of our experiment was to determine the pattern of activation of CaMKII/PV
      and ENK/CRF neurons following the expression of acute pain, conditioned fear, and
      FCA. A significant reduction was observed in nociceptive behaviors in mice re
      exposed to a contextually-aversive environment. Using NeuN and cFos as markers
      for activated neurons, CaMKII, PV, ENK, or CRF were used to identify neuronal
      subtypes. We find that mice expressing conditioned fear displayed an increase in
      c-Fos/CaMKII co-localization in the lateral amygdala and BLA compared to
      controls. Additionally a significant increase in cFos/CRF co-localization was
      observed in mice expressing FCA. These results show that amygdala processing of
      conditioned contextual aversive, nociceptive, and FCA behaviors involve different
      neuronal phenotypes and neural circuits between, within, and from various
      amygdala nuclei. This information will be important in developing novel therapies
      for treating pain and emotive disorders in humans.

PMID- 28916301
TI  - Enhancing monoterpene alcohols in sweet potato shochu using the diglycoside
      specific beta-primeverosidase.
AB  - Monoterpene alcohols (MTAs) are characteristic flavour-imparting compounds in
      sweet potato shochu (Japanese distilled spirit) that are liberated following
      hydrolysis by specific enzymes during fermentation. In the present study, we
      evaluated the effect of an exogenously added diglycoside-specific beta
      glycosidase (beta-primeverosidase) on aroma formation during shochu brewing using
      various sweet potato species to address whether MTAs are predominantly present as
      diglycosidic precursors in raw materials. The results showed that the amount of
      MTAs produced from enzyme-treated mash was dramatically increased by 2- to 9-fold
      compared with untreated controls, and the increase varied with sweet potato
      species. In addition, levels of methyl salicylate, 1-octene-3-ol and ethyl
      benzoate were also elevated by enzyme treatment. These results indicate that a
      large amount of MTAs and other volatile aroma compounds are stored in the form of
      disaccharide beta-glycosides such as beta-primeverosides in sweet potato. This
      enzyme may therefore be useful for controlling aroma formation during shochu
      manufacturing, and may ultimately contribute to diversifying shochu quality.

PMID- 28916302
TI  - High-pressure tolerance of earthworm fibrinolytic and digestive enzymes.
AB  - Earthworms contain several digestive and therapeutic enzymes that are beneficial
      to our health and useful for biomass utilization. Specifically, earthworms
      contain potent fibrinolytic enzymes called lumbrokinases, which are highly stable
      even at room temperature and remain active in dried earthworm powder. However,
      the high-temperature sterilization method leads to the inactivation of enzymes.
      Therefore, we investigated the effect of high-pressure treatment (HPT) (from 0.1
      MPa to 500 MPa at 25 degrees C and 50 degrees C) on the enzymatic activity of
      lumbrokinase (LK), alpha-amylase (AMY), endoglucanase (EG), beta-glucosidase
      (BGL), and lipase (LP) of the earthworm Eisenia fetida, Waki strain, and its
      sterilization ability in producing dietary supplement. LK showed thermo- and high
      pressure tolerance. In addition, HPT may have resulted in pressure-induced
      stabilization and activation of LK. Although AMY activity was maintained up to
      400 MPa at 25 degrees C, the apparent activity decreased slightly at 50 degrees C
      with HPT. EG showed almost the same pattern as AMY. However, it is possible that
      the effects of temperature and pressure compensated each other under 100 MPa at
      50 degrees C. BGL was shown to be a pressure- and temperature-sensitive enzyme,
      and LP showed a thermo- and high-pressure tolerance. The slight decrease in
      apparent activity occurred under 200 MPa at both temperatures. Furthermore, the
      low-temperature and pressure treatment completely sterilized the samples. These
      results provide a basis for the development of a novel earthworm dietary
      supplement with fibrinolytic and digestive activity and of high-pressure-tolerant
      enzymes to be used for biomass pretreatment.

PMID- 28916303
TI  - High-throughput flow cytometry for drug discovery: principles, applications, and
      case studies.
AB  - Flow cytometry is a technology providing multiparametric analysis of single cells
      or other suspension particles. High-throughput (HT) flow cytometry has become an
      attractive screening platform for drug discovery. In this review, we highlight
      the recent HT flow cytometry applications, and then focus on HT flow cytometry
      deployment at AstraZeneca (AZ). Practical considerations for successful HT flow
      cytometry assay development and screening are provided based on experience from
      four project case studies at AZ. We provide an overview of the scientific
      rationale, explain why HT flow cytometry was chosen and how HT flow cytometry
      assays deliver new ways to support the drug discovery process.

PMID- 28916304
TI  - Rationale and Design of the ARREST Trial Investigating Mesenchymal Stem Cells in
      the Treatment of Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are a major source of morbidity and
      mortality despite continuing advances in surgical technique and care. Although
      the inciting factors for AAA development continue to be elusive, accumulating
      evidence suggests a significant periaortic inflammatory response leading to
      degradation and dilation of the aortic wall. Previous human trials have
      demonstrated safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the
      treatment of inflammation-related pathologies such as rheumatoid arthritis, graft
      versus host disease, and transplant rejection. Therefore, herein, we describe the
      Aortic Aneurysm Repression with Mesenchymal Stem Cells (ARREST) trial, a phase I
      investigation into the safety of MSC infusion for patients with small AAA and the
      cells' effects on modulation of AAA-related inflammation. METHODS: ARREST is a
      phase I, single-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT)
      investigating infusion both dilute and concentrated MSCs compared to placebo in
      36 small AAA (35-45 mm) patients. Subjects will be followed by study personnel
      for 12 months to ascertain incidence of adverse events, immune cell phenotype
      expression, peripheral cytokine profile, and periaortic inflammation. Maximum
      transverse aortic diameter will be assessed regularly for 5 years by a
      combination of computed tomography and duplex sonography. RESULTS: Four patients
      have thus far been enrolled, randomized, and treated per protocol. We anticipate
      the conclusion of the treatment phase within the next 24 months with ongoing long
      term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: ARREST will be pivotal in assessing the safety of
      MSC infusion and provide preliminary data on the ability of MSCs to favorably
      modulate the pathogenic AAA host immune response. The data gleaned from this
      phase I trial will provide the groundwork for a larger, phase III RCT which may
      provide the first pharmaceutical intervention for AAA.

PMID- 28916305
TI  - Unusual Causes of Venous Thrombosis: Bladder Distension and Uterine Mass.
AB  - Thrombosis of the inferior vena cava (IVC) continues to be a rare event, and
      there is a scarcity of evidence with regard to its etiology. One source for IVC
      thrombosis is external compression from adjacent structures. In this case series,
      we present 1 case of IVC thrombosis caused by a severely distended bladder and a
      case of external iliac thrombosis caused by external compression from an
      abnormally enlarged uterus. The treatment of each case is varied and included
      novel oral anticoagulation, catheter-directed thrombolysis in conjunction with
      mechanical thrombectomy, or a combination of these. We conclude that the choice
      of therapy should be tailored on a case-by-case basis.

PMID- 28916306
TI  - End-To-Side versus Side-To-Side Anastomosis in Upper Limb Arteriovenous Fistula
      for Dialysis Access: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the best modality for hemodialysis
      access. The end-to-side (ETS) technique has been suggested in the literature to
      produce superior results to the side-to-side (STS) approach; however, in the
      absence of a systematic review, this practice remains debatable. METHODS: Online
      search for randomized controlled trials and observational studies that compared
      the ETS versus the STS anastomosis techniques in creating an upper limb AVF. Aims
      were to systematically assess the difference between both procedures in terms of
      access maturation, patency, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Seven
      studies were included with 463 patients in the ETS group and 523 in the STS
      group. The difference between the 2 techniques was not significant in relation to
      patency rates at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months (P values: 0.28, 0.82, 0.54, and 0.21,
      respectively). There were fewer cases of postoperative hematoma in the ETS group;
      however, the difference was not significant (P = 0.09). Arterial steal syndrome
      was found to be significantly associated with the STS configuration in pooled
      analysis (pooled risk ratio = 0.11 [0.01-0.88], 95% CI, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS:
      Similar maturation rates between ETS and STS fistula configuration, however,
      arterial steal syndrome was significantly associated with the STS technique. ETS
      will likely remain as the preferred AVF configuration as it is less technically
      demanding.

PMID- 28916307
TI  - Extreme conservation of miRNA complements in opisthorchiids.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important gene regulators that are key players in animal
      development and diseases. They are excreted in extracellular vesicles and because
      they were shown to be taken up by host cells they have been proposed as mediators
      of parasite-host communication, and potential biomarkers for the detection of
      parasitic infections from host blood. Consequently, it is crucial to precisely
      know the miRNA complements of medically important agents such as the liver flukes
      of the Opisthorchiidae. Using publicly available and new datasets we curated and
      reannotated the surprisingly small and variable miRNA complements previously
      described for Opisthorchis viverrini, O. felineus and Clonorchis sinensis. We
      find three highly similar miRNA complements with 53 identical and two miRNA genes
      with species specific sequences that signify a set of potential biomarkers and
      promising candidates for further investigations.

PMID- 28916308
TI  - Transient transfection of Cryptosporidium baileyi.
AB  - Here we demonstrate the transient transfection of C. baileyi. We describe the
      transfection of this apicomplexan parasite and the cultivation in ovo. The
      functionality of heterologous sequences in C. baileyi was demonstrated by the
      expression and detection of the mCherry protein in ovo. The mCherry protein was
      expressed in parasitic stages up to the oocyst stage under the control of the
      heterologous promoter region of the C. parvum actin gene.

PMID- 28916309
TI  - Uptake of cholesterol by Tetrahymena thermophila is mainly due to phagocytosis.

PMID- 28916310
TI  - Dietary restriction delays the secretion of senescence associated secretory
      phenotype by reducing DNA damage response in the process of renal aging.
AB  - Dietary restriction (DR) has multiple and essential effects in protecting against
      DNA damage in model organisms. Persistent DNA damage plays a central role in the
      process of aging. Senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), as a product
      of cellular aging, can accelerate the process of cellular senescence as a
      feedback. In this study, we directly observed whether a DR of 30% for 6months in
      aged rats could retard SASP by delaying the progression of DNA damage and also
      found the specific mechanism. The results revealed that a 30% DR could
      significantly improve renal pathology and some metabolic characteristics. The
      biomarkers and products of DNA damage were decreased in the process of renal
      aging on a 30% DR. A series of SASP, notably cytokine, chemokine, and growth
      factor, were obviously reduced by DR during renal aging. The phosphorylation
      levels of NF-kappaB and IkappaBalpha in aged kidneys of DR group were markedly
      reduced. These findings suggest that a 30% DR for 6months can delay renal aging
      and reduce the accumulation of SASP by retarding the progression of DNA damage
      and decreasing the transcription activity of NF-kappaB, thus providing a target
      to delay renal aging.

PMID- 28916312
TI  - Lenalidomide maintenance in high risk chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: practice
      changing study or hypothesis generating approach?

PMID- 28916311
TI  - Lenalidomide maintenance after first-line therapy for high-risk chronic
      lymphocytic leukaemia (CLLM1): final results from a randomised, double-blind,
      phase 3 study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The combined use of genetic markers and detectable minimal residual
      disease identifies patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with poor outcome
      after first-line chemoimmunotherapy. We aimed to assess lenalidomide maintenance
      therapy in these high-risk patients. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind,
      phase 3 study (CLLM1; CLL Maintenance 1 of the German CLL Study Group), patients
      older than 18 years and diagnosed with immunophenotypically confirmed chronic
      lymphocytic leukaemia with active disease, who responded to chemoimmunotherapy 2
      5 months after completion of first-line therapy and who were assessed as having a
      high risk for an early progression with at least a partial response after four or
      more cycles of first-line chemoimmunotherapy, were eligible if they had high
      minimal residual disease levels or intermediate levels combined with an unmutated
      IGHV gene status or TP53 alterations. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to
      receive either lenalidomide (5 mg) or placebo. Randomisation was done with a
      fixed block size of three, and was stratified according to the minimal residual
      disease level achieved after first-line therapy. Maintenance was started with 5
      mg daily, and was escalated to the target dose of 15 mg. If tolerated, medication
      was administered until disease progression. The primary endpoint was progression
      free survival according to an independent review. The pre-planned interim
      analysis done by intention to treat was done after 20% of the calculated
      progression-free survival events. This study is registered with
      ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01556776; treatment in the lenalidomide group is
      still ongoing. FINDINGS: Between July 5, 2012, and March 15, 2016, 468 previously
      untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia were screened for the
      study; 379 (81%) were not eligible. Recruitment was closed prematurely due to
      poor accrual after 89 of 200 planned patients were randomly assigned: 60 (67%)
      enrolled patients were assigned to the lenalidomide group and 29 (33%) to the
      placebo group, of whom 56 (63%) received lenalidomide and 29 (33%) placebo, with
      a median of 11.0 (IQR 4.5-20.5) treatment cycles at data cutoff. After a median
      observation time of 17.9 months (IQR 9.1-28.1), the hazard ratio for progression
      free survival assessed by an independent review was 0.168 (95% CI 0.074-0.379).
      Median progression-free survival was 13.3 months (95% CI 9.9-19.7) in the placebo
      group and not reached (95% CI 32.3-not evaluable) in the lenalidomide group. The
      most frequent adverse events were skin disorders (35 patients [63%] in the
      lenalidomide group vs eight patients [28%] in the placebo group),
      gastrointestinal disorders (34 [61%] vs eight [28%]), infections (30 [54%] vs 19
      [66%]), haematological toxicity (28 [50%] vs five [17%]), and general disorders
      (28 [50%] vs nine [31%]). One fatal adverse event was reported in each of the
      treatment groups (one [2%] patient with fatal acute lymphocytic leukaemia in the
      lenalidomide group and one patient (3%) with fatal multifocal leukoencephalopathy
      in the placebo group). INTERPRETATION: Lenalidomide is an efficacious maintenance
      therapy reducing the relative risk of progression in first-line patients with
      chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who do not achieve minimal residual disease
      negative disease state following chemoimmunotherapy approaches. The toxicity
      seems to be acceptable considering the poor prognosis of the eligible patients.
      The trial independently confirms the clinical significance of a novel, minimal
      residual disease-based algorithm to predict short progression-free survival,
      which might be incorporated in future clinical trials to identify candidates for
      additional maintenance treatment. FUNDING: Celgene Corporation.

PMID- 28916313
TI  - Virulence of thermolable haemolysi tlh, gastroenteritis related pathogenicity tdh
      and trh of the pathogens Vibrio Parahemolyticus in Viable but Non-Culturable
      (VBNC) state.
AB  - In the Viable but Non-Culturable (VBNC) state, microorganisms may survive under
      severe external environment. In this study, the specificity and sensitivity of
      PMA-LAMP assay on the detection of Vibrio Parahemolyticus (V. parahemolyticus)
      has been developed and evaluated, with further application on a number of food
      borne V. parahemolyticus strains. Six primers were designed for recognizing 8
      distinct targeting on tlh, tdh and trh gene. Through specific penetration through
      the damaged cell membrane of dead cells and intercalating into DNA, PMA could
      prevent DNA amplification of dead bacteria from LAMP, which enabled the
      differentiation of bacteria between VBNC state and dead state. The established
      PMA-LAMP showed significant advantage in rapidity, sensitivity and specificity,
      compared with regular PCR assay. The applicability had also been verified,
      demonstrating the PMA-LAMP was capable of detection on V. parahaemolyticus.

PMID- 28916314
TI  - Immunization with recombinant GntR plasmid confers protection against Brucella
      challenge in BALB/c mice.
AB  - It is essential to improve animal vaccine for brucellosis since conventional
      vaccines are residual virulent and poor protective effect, limit their
      applications. To solve these problems, the recombinant DNA vaccines were
      appeared, which could improve protective immunity and were attenuated to animals.
      In current research, the recombinant DNA vaccine (pVGntR) based on
      transcriptional regulator GntR of Brucella abortus (B. abortus) was constructed.
      The results show that pVGntR is significantly more protective than the
      conventional RB51 vaccine. Immunization with pVGntR increases the production of
      immunoglobulin G (IgG) and elicits elevated numbers of gamma interferon (IFN
      gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). These results suggest that pVGntR is a highly
      efficacious vaccine candidate that confers protection against wild-type B.
      abortus challenge.

PMID- 28916315
TI  - The effect of immune modulation of Streptococcus constellatus SC10 strain upon
      Acinetobactor baumannii infection.
AB  - Acinetobacter baumannii is a tiny, plump and rod-shaped Gram-negative
      coccobacillus, notorious as an opportunistic pathogen, which is now being
      considered by CDC as a serious public health threat. Preventing colonization may
      be a better therapeutic choice using microbiota to protect against A. baumannii
      transmission. Human microbiota not only regulates immune homeostasis as well
      provides essential health benefits therefore discovering the interface due
      microbiota in host immune system will allow to recognise novel immuno- or microbe
      based therapies. Streptococcus constellatus frequently isolated from oral cavity
      was selected for this study to check if its guards against A. baumannii by
      improving the immune response and the immune signalling pathway. In a mouse model
      we explored various parameters which include mouse body weight, internal organ
      weight, level of sIgA and different cytokine changes to evaluate its prophylactic
      effect against A. baumannii. Administration of S. constellatus SC10 was able to
      control the weight lose induced by A. bumannii infection in both the protected
      and treated groups. Particularly resistant against infection was more in treated
      group where the different cytokine following administration of SC10 strain
      remarkably controlled the infection and induced more sIgA production. The level
      of different interleukins IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 and IFN-gamma was suppressed in
      treatment and protected group after exposure of S. constellatus. The excretion of
      sIgA following infection was many folds high in both group treated and protected
      groups Study suggests that SC10 L16 have potential immunomodulating effect which
      is able to regulate cytokines and sIgA response at the early phase of infection
      and modulate the further progress of clinical symptoms during infection.

PMID- 28916316
TI  - The Brucella melitensis M5-90DeltamanB live vaccine candidate is safer than M5-90
      and confers protection against wild-type challenge in BALB/c mice.
AB  - Brucellosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease that causes animal and
      human diseases. Although effective, the current Brucella vaccines (strain M5-90
      or others) have several drawbacks. The first is their residual virulence for
      animals and humans and the second is their inability to differentiate natural
      infection from that caused by vaccination. In the present study, Brucella
      melitensis M5-90 manB mutant (M5-90DeltamanB) was generated to overcome these
      drawbacks. M5-90DeltamanB showed significantly reduced survival in macrophages
      and mice, and induced strong protective immunity in BALB/c mice. It elicited anti
      Brucella-specific IgG1 and IgG2a subtype responses and induced the secretion of
      gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4(IL-4). Results of immune assays
      showed, M5-90DeltamanB immunization induced the secretion of IFN-gamma in goats,
      and serum samples from goats inoculated with M5-90DeltamanB were negative by
      Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Standard Tube Agglutination Test (STAT). Further,
      the ManB antigen also allows serological assays differentiate infections caused
      by wild strains from infections by vaccination. These results show that M5
      90DeltamanB is a suitable attenuated vaccine candidate against virulent Brucella
      melitensis 16 M (16 M) infection.

PMID- 28916317
TI  - Presence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) DNA sequences in patients with
      lymphoproliferative diseases and chronic blood disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma
      (KS), but it has also been associated with different hematologic malignancies,
      including plasmablastic lymphoma, Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD), primary
      effusion lymphoma (PEL) and various atypical lymphoproliferative disorders.
      Patients with underlying lymphoproliferative diseases and chronic blood disorders
      who become infected with this virus are at risk for human malignancies. This
      small study reported the frequency of human herpesvirus 8 in 81 Iranian patients
      with lymphoproliferative disorders for estimation of possible factors affecting
      malignancy. METHODS: The laboratory records of 81 patients' peripheral blood
      mononuclear cell (PBMC)samples, which were tested for detection of HHV-8 open
      reading frame (ORF) 26 DNA by nested PCR amplification during the period from
      Sept. 2014 to Sept. 2015, were reviewed retrospectively at the Firouzgar
      Hospital, Tehran, Iran. RESULTS: Of 81 subjects, 28 were non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
      (NHL), 19 were Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), 20 were acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
      (ALL), 11 were chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and 2 were multiple myeloma
      (MM). HHV-8 was detected in 16 (19.8%) of the 81 patients. Five out of the
      sixteen positive patients had CLL followed by 4 NHL, 4 HL and 3ALL. CONCLUSION:
      We conclude that HHV-8 can be considered as one of the predisposing factors of
      malignancy in patients with lymphoproliferative and chronic blood disorders.
      Furthermore, it does not rule out the possibility that other immunological
      triggers and environmental risk factors may account for their etiopathogenesis.

PMID- 28916318
TI  - Matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 in Campylobacter jejuni-induced paralytic
      neuropathy resembling Guillain-Barre syndrome in chickens.
AB  - Inflammation in Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is manifested by changes in matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP) and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. We investigated
      the expression of MMP-2, -9 and TNF-alpha and correlated it with pathological
      changes in sciatic nerve tissue from Campylobacter jejuni-induced chicken model
      for GBS. Campylobacter jejuni and placebo were fed to chickens and assessed for
      disease symptoms. Sciatic nerves were examined by histopathology and
      immunohistochemistry. Expressions of MMPs and TNF-alpha, were determined by real
      time PCR, and activities of MMPs by zymography. Diarrhea developed in 73.3%
      chickens after infection and 60.0% of them developed GBS like neuropathy.
      Pathology in sciatic nerves showed perinodal and/or patchy demyelination,
      perivascular focal lymphocytic infiltration and myelin swelling on 10th- 20th
      post infection day (PID). MMP-2, -9 and TNF-alpha were up-regulated in
      progressive phase of the disease. Enhanced MMP-2, -9 and TNF-alpha production in
      progressive phase correlated with sciatic nerve pathology in C. jejuni-induced
      GBS chicken model.

PMID- 28916319
TI  - Inhibition of growth and biofilm formation of clinical bacterial isolates by NiO
      nanoparticles synthesized from Eucalyptus globulus plants.
AB  - Nanotechnology based therapeutics has emerged as a promising approach for
      augmenting the activity of existing antimicrobials due to the unique physical and
      chemical properties of nanoparticles (NPs). Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs)
      have been suggested as prospective antibacterial and antitumor agent. In this
      study, NiO-NPs have been synthesized by a green approach using Eucalyptus
      globulus leaf extract and assessed for their bactericidal activity. The
      morphology and purity of synthesized NiO-NPs determined through various
      spectroscopic techniques like UV-Visible, FT-IR, XRD, EDX and electron microscopy
      differed considerably. The synthesized NiO-NPs were pleomorphic varying in size
      between 10 and 20 nm. The XRD analysis revealed the average size of NiO-NPs as 19
      nm. The UV-Vis spectroscopic data showed a strong SPR of NiO-NPs with a
      characteristic spectral peak at 396 nm. The FTIR data revealed various functional
      moieties like C=C, C-N, C-H and O-H which elucidate the role of leaf biomolecules
      in capping and dispersal of NiO-NPs. The bioactivity assay revealed the
      antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of NiO-NPs against ESbetaL (+) E. coli,
      P. aeruginosa, methicillin sensitive and resistant S. aureus. Growth inhibition
      assay demonstrated time and NiO-NPs concentration dependent decrease in the
      viability of treated cells. NiO-NPs induced biofilm inhibition was revealed by a
      sharp increase in characteristic red fluorescence of PI, while SEM images of NiO
      NPs treated cells were irregular shrink and distorted with obvious
      depressions/indentations. The results suggested significant antibacterial and
      antibiofilm activity of NiO-NPs which may play an important role in the
      management of infectious diseases affecting human health.

PMID- 28916320
TI  - Exosomes carring gag/env of ALV-J possess negative effect on immunocytes.
AB  - J subgroup avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) is an exogenous retrovirus of avian. A
      key feature of ALV-J infection is leading to severe immunosuppressive
      characteristic of diseases. Viral components of retrovirus were reported closely
      associated with immunosuppression, and several similarities between exosomes and
      retrovirus preparations have lead to the hypotheses of retrovirus hijacker
      exosomes pathway. In this study, we purified exosomes from DF-1 cells infected
      and uninfected by ALV-J. Electron microscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis
      showed that ALV-J not only increased the production of exosomes from ALV-J
      infected DF-1 cells (Exo-J) but also stimulated some proteins expression,
      especially ALV-J components secreted in exosomes. Immunosuppressive domain
      peptide (ISD) of envelope subunit transmembrane (TM) and gag of ALV-J were
      secreted in Exo-J. It has been reported that HIV gag was budded from endosome
      like domains of the T cell plasma membrane. But env protein was first detected in
      exosomes from retrovirus infected cells. We found that Exo-J caused negative
      effects on splenocytes in a dose-dependant manner by flow cytometric analysis.
      And low dose of Exo-J activated immune activity of splenocytes, while high dose
      possessed immunosuppressive properties. Interestingly, Exo-J has no significant
      effects on the immunosuppression induced by ALV-J, and the immunosuppressive
      effects induced by Exo-J lower than that by ALV-J. Taken together, our data
      indicated that Exo-J supplied a microenvironment for the replication and
      transformation of ALV-J.

PMID- 28916321
TI  - Analysis of resistance genes in pan-resistant Myroides odoratimimus clinical
      strain PR63039 using whole genome sequencing.
AB  - To clarify the antibiotic resistance mechanisms of Myroides odoratimimus, pan
      resistant M. odoratimimus strain PR63039 was isolated and its genome sequenced
      and analyzed. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the Kirby
      Bauer disk diffusion method, and the Phoenix-100 Automated Microbiology System
      with a NMIC/ID-4 panel including aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, polypeptides,
      quinolones, sulfonamides, chloramphenicols, and tetracyclines. Single-molecule
      real-time whole genome sequencing was conducted using the PacBio RSII system, and
      genome annotation was performed using RAST and IMG ER. To characterize the genome
      features, a number of databases and software programs, including GC-Profile, CG
      viewer, the VFDB database, ISfinder, RADB, CARD, ResFinder, and PHAST, were used.
      M. odoratimimus isolate PR63039 was resistant to almost all antibiotics tested,
      suggesting pan-drug resistance. The genome consisted of a 4,366,950-bp chromosome
      and a 90,798-bp plasmid (p63039), which contained a large number of resistance
      genes and virulence factors. The distribution of the resistance genes was
      distinctive, and a resistance region, designated MY63039-RR, was identified. RAST
      analysis indicated that 108 of the annotated genes were potentially involved in
      virulence, disease, and defense, all of which could be associated with resistance
      and pathogenicity. Prophage analysis also identified two incomplete prophages in
      the genome of M. odoratimimus PR63039. Multiple antibiotic-resistance genes were
      identified, including those associated with resistance to tetracycline (tetX),
      macrolides (ereB, cfrA, lasE), sulfonamides (sul2, sul3), beta-lactams (blaMUS-1,
      blaTUS-1, blaSFB-1, blaSLB-1, blaOXA-209, blaOXA-347), and chloramphenicol (cat).
      Further, the presence of 18 antibiotic efflux pump-encoding resistance genes,
      including acrB, acrD, acrF, adeB, adeG, adeJ, amrB, ceoB, cmeB, mdsB, mexB, mexD,
      mexF, mtrD, smeE, mdtF, macB, likely accounts for the observed quinolone
      resistance of strain PR63039. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first
      report of the presence of the blaSFB-1, blaSLB-1, blaOXA-209, blaOXA-347, and
      tetX resistance genes in M. odoratimimus.

PMID- 28916323
TI  - Responding to Crisis: Surgeons as Leaders in Disaster Response.

PMID- 28916322
TI  - Intraductal Transanastomotic Stenting in Duct-to-Duct Biliary Reconstruction
      after Living-Donor Liver Transplantation: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biliary complications continue to be the "Achilles heel" of living
      donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The use of biliary stents in LDLT to reduce
      biliary complications is a controversial issue. We performed a randomized trial
      to study the impact of intraductal biliary stents on postoperative biliary
      complications after LDLT. STUDY DESIGN: Of the 94 LDLTs that were performed
      during a period of 16 months, ABO-incompatible transplants, left lobe grafts, 3
      or more bile ducts on the graft, and those requiring bilioenteric drainage were
      excluded. Eligible patients were randomized to either a study arm (intraductal
      stent, n = 31) or a control arm (no stent, n = 33) by block randomization.
      Stratification was done, based on the number of ducts on the graft requiring
      anastomosis, into single (n = 20) or 2 ducts (n = 44). Ureteric stents of 3F to
      5F placed across the biliary anastomosis and exiting into the duodenum for later
      endoscopic removal at 3 months were used. The primary end point was postoperative
      bile leak. RESULTS: Bile leak occurred in 15 of 64 (23.4%), the incidence was
      higher in the stented group compared with the control group (35.5% vs 12.1%; p =
      0.03). Multiplicity of bile ducts and stenting were identified as risk factors
      for bile leak on multivariate analysis (p = 0.031 and p = 0.032). During a median
      follow-up of 2 years, biliary stricture developed in 9 patients (14.1%).
      Postoperative bile leak is a significant risk factor for the development of
      biliary stricture (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Intraductal transanastomotic biliary
      stenting and multiplicity of graft ducts were identified as independent risk
      factors for the development of postoperative biliary complications.

PMID- 28916324
TI  - In Vitro Investigation of the Antimicrobial Effect of Three Bisphosphonates
      Against Different Bacterial Strains.
AB  - PURPOSE: Since the first descriptions of medication-related osteonecrosis of the
      jaw (MRONJ) in 2003, the pathogenesis has remained unanswered. Recent
      histomorphometric studies have found several microorganisms, including
      Actinomyces, Bacillus, Fusobacterium, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Selenomonas,
      Treponema, and Candida albicans in necrotic bone. Polymerase chain reaction
      studies have recently confirmed the occurrence of 48 genera. Only a few studies
      have examined the antimicrobial effect of bisphosphonates (BPs). The influence of
      bacterial growth on the etiology remains unclear. The aim of the present study
      was the in vitro investigation of the antimicrobial effect of 3 BPs against
      different bacterial strains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 48 strains
      from 40 species were determined in microdilution assays against pamidronic,
      ibandronic, and zoledronic acid. RESULTS: Growth of gram-positive oral
      microbiota, which account for most microorganisms in MRONJ, was present for 2 of
      22 species; 6 of 26 gram-negative species and 9 of 13 anaerobes were inhibited.
      The MIC values were compared with the BP bone concentrations from previous
      reports. Of the 48 strains, 9 had an MIC or MBC less than the bone
      concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study have demonstrated
      that BPs have an inhibitory effect on selected bacterial species and might
      inhibit the growth of some relevant pathogens in osteonecrosis. However, most of
      the species tested were unaffected at the concentration levels assumed present in
      the human jawbone. The clinical relevance of these in vitro data will better be
      clarified with reliable data on the BP concentrations in the human jawbone. The
      present study has provided a first approach toward the assessment of the
      interaction of oral bacteria and BPs.

PMID- 28916325
TI  - What Is the Incidence of Implant Malpositioning and Revision Surgery After
      Orbital Repair?
AB  - PURPOSE: Postoperative radiographic examinations are the gold standard in
      maxillofacial surgery, except in orbital reconstruction. Therefore, the purpose
      of this study was to estimate the frequency of implant malposition and revision
      operation after orbital repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort
      study was conducted in a level I trauma center at the University Hospital in
      Bern, Switzerland. To assess the incidence of malpositioning, a qualitative
      analysis of postoperative computed tomography scans, as well as comparative
      volumetric measurements of the orbits, was conducted. Furthermore, the incidence
      of and reason for secondary revision procedures were evaluated. RESULTS: From
      September 2008 to December 2015, a total of 71 emergency patients (73 implants)
      were treated at the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery with a titanium
      mesh (48 male patients; mean age, 56 years). The implant position was rated as
      poor in 17 cases (23%) by the qualitative analysis. The volumetric assessment
      showed no significant results. Revision intervention was needed in 12 patients
      (17%) because of an unsuccessful treatment outcome causing relevant clinical
      symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with large orbital defects who require surgical
      treatment with a titanium mesh are at risk of implant malposition. Because in
      this study, poor positioning of the implant is the main reason for surgical
      revision, we postulate that a postoperative radiographic control should be
      obtained routinely. Only then can long-term sequelae due to inadequate
      reconstruction be avoided.

PMID- 28916326
TI  - Are Wireless Electronic Stethoscopes Useful for Respiratory Rate Monitoring
      During Intravenous Sedation?
AB  - PURPOSE: Wireless stethoscopes can measure respiratory rate noninvasively and
      continuously, but there are no reports of their use during dental treatment. This
      study evaluated the usefulness of wireless stethoscopes during dental procedures
      requiring intravenous sedation (IVS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a
      prospective cohort study. The study sample consisted of dental patients who
      received IVS by propofol or midazolam administration at the Nippon Dental
      University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan). The predictor was respiratory rate measured
      using the wireless stethoscope (BrRR), and the outcome variable was respiratory
      rate measured during capnography (RR). Pearson correlation coefficients and
      paired-samples t tests were used for data analysis. A P value less than .05 was
      considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 12
      patients. BrRR and RR were significantly and positively correlated (r = 0.93, P <
      .01). The mean +/- standard deviation of BrRR was 14.16 +/- 2.67 and that of RR
      was 14.32 +/- 2.77. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups (P =
      .27). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that wireless stethoscopes
      are suitable for monitoring respiratory rate during dental procedures requiring
      IVS because their use is as accurate as capnography.

PMID- 28916327
TI  - Glycogen metabolism in brain and neurons - astrocytes metabolic cooperation can
      be altered by pre- and neonatal lead (Pb) exposure.
AB  - Lead (Pb) is an environmental neurotoxin which particularly affects the
      developing brain but the molecular mechanism of its neurotoxicity still needs
      clarification. The aim of this paper was to examine whether pre- and neonatal
      exposure to Pb (concentration of Pb in rat offspring blood below the "threshold
      level") may affect the brain's energy metabolism in neurons and astrocytes via
      the amount of available glycogen. We investigated the glycogen concentration in
      the brain, as well as the expression of the key enzymes involved in glycogen
      metabolism in brain: glycogen synthase 1 (Gys1), glycogen phosphorylase (PYGM, an
      isoform active in astrocytes; and PYGB, an isoform active in neurons) and
      phosphorylase kinase beta (PHKB). Moreover, the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43)
      was evaluated to analyze whether Pb poisoning during the early phase of life may
      affect the neuron-astrocytes' metabolic cooperation. This work shows for the
      first time that exposure to Pb in early life can impair brain energy metabolism
      by reducing the amount of glycogen and decreasing the rate of its metabolism.
      This reduction in brain glycogen level was accompanied by a decrease in Gys1
      expression. We noted a reduction in the immunoreactivity and the gene expression
      of both PYGB and PYGM isoform, as well as an increase in the expression of PHKB
      in Pb-treated rats. Moreover, exposure to Pb induced decrease in connexin 43
      immunoexpression in all the brain structures analyzed, both in astrocytes as well
      as in neurons. Our data suggests that exposure to Pb in the pre- and neonatal
      periods results in a decrease in the level of brain glycogen and a reduction in
      the rate of its metabolism, thereby reducing glucose availability, which as a
      further consequence may lead to the impairment of brain energy metabolism and the
      metabolic cooperation between neurons and astrocytes.

PMID- 28916328
TI  - Primary hippocampal neuronal cell death induction after acute and repeated
      paraquat exposures mediated by AChE variants alteration and cholinergic and
      glutamatergic transmission disruption.
AB  - Paraquat (PQ) is a widely used non-selective contact herbicide shown to produce
      memory and learning deficits after acute and repeated exposure similar to those
      induced in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the complete mechanisms through
      which it induces these effects are unknown. On the other hand, cholinergic and
      glutamatergic systems, mainly in the hippocampus, are involved on learning,
      memory and cell viability regulation. An alteration of hippocampal cholinergic or
      glutamatergic transmissions or neuronal cell loss may induce these effects. In
      this regard, it has been suggested that PQ may induce cell death and affect
      cholinergic and glutamatergic transmission, which alteration could produce
      neuronal loss. According to these data, we hypothesized that PQ could induce
      hippocampal neuronal loss through cholinergic and glutamatergic transmissions
      alteration. To prove this hypothesis, we evaluated in hippocampal primary cell
      culture, the PQ toxic effects after 24h and 14 consecutive days exposure on
      neuronal viability and the cholinergic and glutamatergic mechanisms related to
      it. This study shows that PQ impaired acetylcholine levels and induced AChE
      inhibition and increased CHT expression only after 14days exposure, which
      suggests that acetylcholine levels alteration could be mediated by these actions.
      PQ also disrupted glutamate levels through induction of glutaminase activity. In
      addition, PQ induced, after 24h and 14days exposure, cell death on hippocampal
      neurons that was partially mediated by AChE variants alteration and cholinergic
      and gultamatergic transmissions disruption. Our present results provide new view
      of the mechanisms contributing to PQ neurotoxicity and may explain cognitive
      dysfunctions observed after PQ exposure.

PMID- 28916329
TI  - Ecological extension of the theory of evolution by natural selection from a
      perspective of Western and Eastern holistic philosophy.
AB  - Evolution by natural selection requires the following conditions: (1) a
      particular selective environment; (2) variation of traits in the population; (3)
      differential survival/reproduction among the types of organisms; and (4)
      heritable traits. However, the traditional (standard) model does not clearly
      explain how and why these conditions are generated or determined. What generates
      a selective environment? What generates new types? How does a certain type
      replace, or coexist with, others? In this paper, based on the holistic philosophy
      of Western and Eastern traditions, I focus on the ecosystem as a higher-level
      system and generator of conditions that induce the evolution of component
      populations; I also aim to identify the ecosystem processes that generate those
      conditions. In particular, I employ what I call the scientific principle of
      dependent-arising (SDA), which is tailored for scientific use and is based on
      Buddhism principle called "pratitya-samutpada" in Sanskrit. The SDA principle
      asserts that there exists a higher-level system, or entity, which includes a
      focal process of a system as a part within it; this determines or generates the
      conditions required for the focal process to work in a particular way. I conclude
      that the ecosystem generates (1) selective environments for component species
      through ecosystem dynamics; (2) new genetic types through lateral gene transfer,
      hybridization, and symbiogenesis among the component species of the ecosystem;
      (3) mechanistic processes of replacement of an old type with a new one. The
      results of this study indicate that the ecological extension of the theoretical
      model of adaptive evolution is required for better understanding of adaptive
      evolution.

PMID- 28916330
TI  - Brains, language and the argumentative mind in Western and Eastern societies. The
      fertile differences between Western-Eastern argumentative traditions.
AB  - The philosophical differences between Western and Eastern philosophy not only
      derive from general cultural ideas about reality, but as Nisbet writes (2003),
      are also methodological, ontological, and cognitively driven. Thus, we can see
      that strategies of thought and theory-generation are constrained and enabled by
      conceptual levels, and that the existence of differences and within these levels
      may be pragmatically combined in fruitful ways. At this point, I remark that
      there is not a single way to connect biology and culture, but at least we need to
      admit that brains allow the existence of minds and that these create languages,
      which also organize the world symbolically following a long set of (sometimes
      interconnected) heuristics. Throughout the paper we will see how fundamental,
      geographically located cultural perspectives have affected reasoning strategies
      and discourses, determining the main Western and Eastern Traditions. At the same
      time, we can conclude that different traditional perspectives allow more
      diversity for knowledge acquisition.

PMID- 28916331
TI  - Depressive-like phenotype induced by prenatal dexamethasone in mice is reversed
      by desipramine.
AB  - Exposure to prenatal insults has been associated with an increased risk for
      neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, but the mechanisms are still
      poorly understood. Persistent alterations of the HPA axis feedback mechanism as
      well as adult impaired neurogenesis are believed to play a relevant role in the
      etiology of depression. In addition, growing evidence points at epigenetic
      reprogramming as a key factor. We have previously shown that prenatal exposure to
      the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX) impairs neurogenesis and leads
      to late onset of depression-like behavior that does not respond to the SSRI
      antidepressant fluoxetine (FLX). The aims of this study were to assess the effect
      of DEX prenatal exposure on the morphology of hippocampal granule neurons and on
      the expression of genes related to plasticity; and to test whether the SNRI
      antidepressant desipramine (DMI), unlike FLX, could counteract the effect of
      prenatal-DEX. C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to DEX (0.05 mg/kg/day) in utero and
      received intra-hippocampal injection of GFP expressing retroviral vector for
      labeling of newborn granule cells at eleven months. By twelve months, DEX mice
      showed depression-like behavior associated with decreased neurogenesis and
      morphological alterations of the newborn granule cells in the dentate gyrus (DG).
      Furthermore DEX mice displayed altered expression of genes controlling
      neurogenesis and neuronal morphology, such as Cdkn1c, p16, TrkB, DISC1 and
      Reelin. Chronic treatment with DMI led to a significant decrease in immobility
      time in the forced swim test. In addition, DMI restored neurogenesis, neuronal
      morphology in the DG, as well as the expression of all related genes. Our results
      suggest that (1) prenatal DEX induces early and persistent reprogramming effects
      resulting in altered neurogenesis and neuronal morphology; and (2) DMI treatment
      reverses DEX-induced depression by restoring the expression of genes relevant to
      neuronal plasticity.

PMID- 28916332
TI  - Assessing the use of assisted reproductive technology in the United States by non
      United States residents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study cross-border reproductive care (CBRC) by assessing the
      frequency and nature of assisted reproductive technology (ART) care that non-U.S.
      residents receive in the United States. DESIGN: Retrospective study of ART cycles
      reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National ART
      Surveillance System (NASS) from 2006 to 2013. SETTING: Private and academic ART
      clinics. PATIENT(S): Patients who participated in ART cycles in the United States
      from 2006 to 2013. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Frequency and
      trend of ART use in the U.S. by non-U.S. residents, countries of residence for
      non-U.S. residents, differences by residence status for specific ART treatments
      received, and the outcomes of these ART cycles. RESULT(S): A total of 1,271,775
      ART cycles were reported to NASS from 2006 to 2013. The percentage of ART cycles
      performed for non-U.S. residents increased from 1.2% (n = 1,683) in 2006 to 2.8%
      (n = 5,381) in 2013 (P<.001), with treatment delivered to residents of 147
      countries. Compared with resident cycles, non-U.S. resident cycles had higher use
      of oocyte donation (10.6% vs. 42.6%), gestational carriers (1.6% vs. 12.4%), and
      preimplantation genetic diagnosis or screening (5.3% vs. 19.1%). U.S. resident
      and non-U.S. resident cycles had similar embryo transfer and multiple birth
      rates. CONCLUSION(S): This analysis showed that non-U.S. resident cycles
      accounted for a growing share of all U.S. ART cycles and made higher use of
      specialized treatment techniques. This study provides important baseline data on
      CBRC in the U.S. and may also prove to be useful to organizations interested in
      improving access to fertility treatments.

PMID- 28916333
TI  - Human Plasma Metabolomics Study across All Stages of Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration Identifies Potential Lipid Biomarkers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize the plasma metabolomic profile of patients with age
      related macular degeneration (AMD) using mass spectrometry (MS). DESIGN: Cross
      sectional observational study. PARTICIPANTS: We prospectively recruited
      participants with a diagnosis of AMD and a control group (>50 years of age)
      without any vitreoretinal disease. METHODS: All participants underwent color
      fundus photography, used for AMD diagnosis and staging, according to the Age
      Related Eye Disease Study classification scheme. Fasting blood samples were
      collected and plasma was analyzed by Metabolon, Inc. (Durham, NC), using
      ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and high-resolution MS.
      Metabolon's hardware and software were used to identify peaks and control
      quality. Principal component analysis and multivariate regression were performed
      to assess differences in the metabolomic profiles of AMD patients versus
      controls, while controlling for potential confounders. For biological
      interpretation, pathway enrichment analysis of significant metabolites was
      performed using MetaboAnalyst. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome
      measures were levels of plasma metabolites in participants with AMD compared with
      controls and among different AMD severity stages. RESULTS: We included 90
      participants with AMD (30 with early AMD, 30 with intermediate AMD, and 30 with
      late AMD) and 30 controls. Using UPLC and MS, 878 biochemicals were identified.
      Multivariate logistic regression identified 87 metabolites with levels that
      differed significantly between AMD patients and controls. Most of these
      metabolites (82.8%; n = 72), including the most significant metabolites, belonged
      to the lipid pathways. Analysis of variance revealed that of the 87 metabolites,
      48 (55.2%) also were significantly different across the different stages of AMD.
      A significant enrichment of the glycerophospholipids pathway was identified (P =
      4.7 * 10-9) among these metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: Participants with AMD have
      altered plasma metabolomic profiles compared with controls. Our data suggest that
      the most significant metabolites map to the glycerophospholipid pathway. These
      findings have the potential to improve our understanding of AMD pathogenesis, to
      support the development of plasma-based metabolomics biomarkers of AMD, and to
      identify novel targets for treatment of this blinding disease.

PMID- 28916335
TI  - Troxerutin abrogates mitochondrial oxidative stress and myocardial apoptosis in
      mice fed calorie-rich diet.
AB  - Mitochondrial oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of
      myocardial apoptosis in metabolic syndrome (MS) patients. In this study, we
      investigated the effect of troxerutin (TX), an antioxidant on mitochondrial
      oxidative stress and apoptotic markers in heart of mice fed fat and fructose-rich
      diet. Adult male Mus musculus mice were fed either control diet or high fat, high
      fructose diet (HFFD) for 60 days to induce MS. Mice from each dietary group were
      divided into two on the 16th day and were either treated or untreated with TX
      (150 mg/kg bw, p.o) for the next 45 days. At the end of the study, mitochondrial
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, oxidative stress markers, levels of
      intracellular calcium, cardiolipin content, cytochrome c release and apoptotic
      markers were examined in the myocardium. HFFD-feeding resulted in diminution of
      antioxidants and increased ROS production, lipid peroxidation and oxidatively
      modified adducts of 8-OHG, 4-HNE and 3-NT. Further increase in Ca2+ levels, low
      levels of calcium transporters and decrease in cardiolipin content were noted.
      Changes in the mitochondrial structure were observed by electron microscopy.
      Furthermore, cytochrome c release, increase in proapoptotic proteins (APAF-1,
      BAX, caspases-9 and-3) and decrease in antiapoptotic protein (BCL-2) in HFFD-fed
      mice suggest myocardial apoptosis. These changes were significantly restored by
      TX supplementation. TX administration effectively attenuated cardiac apoptosis
      and exerted a protective role by increasing antioxidant potential and by
      improving mitochondrial function. Thus, TX could be a promising therapeutic
      candidate for treating cardiac disease in MS patients.

PMID- 28916336
TI  - Renal tubular and adrenal medullary tumors in the 2-year rat study with
      canagliflozin confirmed to be secondary to carbohydrate (glucose) malabsorption
      in the 15-month mechanistic rat study.
AB  - During preclinical development of canagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, treatment
      related pheochromocytomas, renal tubular tumors (RTT), and testicular Leydig cell
      tumors were reported in the 2-year rat toxicology study. In a previous 6-month
      rat mechanistic study, feeding a glucose free diet prevented canagliflozin
      effects on carbohydrate malabsorption as well as the increase in cell
      proliferation in adrenal medulla and kidneys, implicating carbohydrate
      malabsorption as the mechanism for tumor formation. In this chronic study male
      Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed orally with canagliflozin at high dose-levels (65
      or 100 mg/kg/day) for 15 months and received either a standard diet or a glucose
      free diet. Canagliflozin-dosed rats on standard diet showed presence of
      basophilic renal tubular tumors (6/90) and an increased incidence of adrenal
      medullary hyperplasia (35/90), which was fully prevented by feeding a glucose
      free diet (no RTT's; adrenal medullary hyperplasia in <=5/90). These data further
      confirm that kidney and adrenal medullary tumors in the 2-year rat study were
      secondary to carbohydrate (glucose) malabsorption and were not due to a direct
      effect of canagliflozin on these target tissues.

PMID- 28916337
TI  - Angiotensin II induces calcium-mediated autophagy in podocytes through enhancing
      reactive oxygen species levels.
AB  - As well known, abnormalities of Angiotensin II (Ang II) is closely related with
      glomerular damage. This study was to investigate whether Ang II could affect
      autophagy in podocytes via oxidative stress, and whether autophagy had a positive
      role in protecting podocytes impaired by Ang II. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that Ang II induced podocyte
      death. The measurements of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 levels, and flow
      cytometry assay revealed that Ang II considerably increased reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) generation in podocytes. Meaningfully, treatment with ROS scavenger
      N-(mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (N-MPG) could inhibit podocyte death and attenuate
      accumulation of ROS induced by Ang II. The patch-clamp experiments indicated that
      Ang II increased the current of transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6).
      Moreover, measurement of Fluo-3 image showed that Ang II increased intracellular
      Ca2+ level, as N-MPG and La3+ impeded Ang II induced Ca2+ influx. Acridine orange
      staining indicated that Ang II induced accumulation of acidic vacuoles. Beclin-1
      and LC3 are essential for autophagosome formation. Furthermore, as one of the
      selective substrates for autophagy, P62 plays a key role in the formation of
      cytoplasmic proteinaceous inclusion. Western blot assay presented that Ang II
      obviously elevated LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and expression of beclin-1, and reduced
      expression of P62. Meanwhile, N-MPG expectedly down-regulated autophagy in Ang II
      treated podocytes. Rapamycin can enhance the level of autophagy by inhibiting
      mTOR, and 3-methyladenine (3-MA) can inhibit autophagosome formation through
      blocking class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. MTT assay exhibited that
      rapamycin significantly enhanced the cell viability, while 3-MA considerably
      reduced it in Ang II-treated podocytes. Consequently, this study demonstrated
      that Ang II could increase TRPC6 induced Ca2+ influx and enhance autophagy
      through increasing ROS levels in podocytes, and autophagy could protect Ang II
      treated podocytes. Improving TRPC6 channels and autophagy may become a new
      targeted therapy to relieve glomerular damage induced by Ang II.

PMID- 28916338
TI  - Structure-activity relationship study of small molecule inhibitors of the DEPTOR
      mTOR interaction.
AB  - DEPTOR is a 48kDa protein that binds to mTOR and inhibits this kinase within
      mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes. Over-expression of DEPTOR specifically occurs in the
      multiple myeloma (MM) tumor model and DEPTOR knockdown is cytotoxic to MM cells,
      suggesting it is a potential therapeutic target. Since mTORC1 paralysis protects
      MM cells against DEPTOR knockdown, it indicates that the protein-protein
      interaction between DEPTOR and mTOR is key to MM viability vs death. In a
      previous study, we used a yeast two-hybrid screen of a small inhibitor library to
      identify a compound that inhibited DEPTOR/mTOR binding in yeast. This therapeutic
      (compound B) also prevented DEPTOR/mTOR binding in MM cells and was selectively
      cytotoxic to MM cells. We now present a structure-activity relationship (SAR)
      study around this compound as a follow-up report of this previous work. This
      study has led to the discovery of five new leads - namely compounds 3g, 3k, 4d,
      4e and 4g - all of which have anti-myeloma cytotoxic properties superior to
      compound B. Due to their targeting of DEPTOR, these compounds activate mTORC1 and
      selectively induce MM cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.

PMID- 28916340
TI  - Identification of potent, nonabsorbable agonists of the calcium-sensing receptor
      for GI-specific administration.
AB  - Modulation of gastrointestinal nutrient sensing pathways provides a promising a
      new approach for the treatment of metabolic diseases including diabetes and
      obesity. The calcium-sensing receptor has been identified as a key receptor
      involved in mineral and amino acid nutrient sensing and thus is an attractive
      target for modulation in the intestine. Herein we describe the optimization of
      gastrointestinally restricted calcium-sensing receptor agonists starting from a 3
      aminopyrrolidine-containing template leading to the identification of GI
      restricted agonist 19 (GSK3004774).

PMID- 28916339
TI  - d-Amino acid mutation of PMI as potent dual peptide inhibitors of p53-MDM2/MDMX
      interactions.
AB  - According to the previously reported potent dual l-peptide PMI of p53-MDM2/MDMX
      interactions, a series of d-amino acid mutational PMI analogues, PMI-1-4, with
      enhanced proteolytic resistence and in vitro tumor cell inhibitory activities
      were reported, of which Liposome-PMI-1 showed a stronger inhibitory activity
      against the U87 cell lines than Nutlin-3. This d-amino acid mutation strategy may
      give a hand for enhancing the potential of peptide drugs.

PMID- 28916341
TI  - Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of benzamide and phenyltetrazole
      derivatives with amide and urea linkers as BCRP inhibitors.
AB  - Breast cancer resistant protein (BCRP/ABCG2), a 72kDa plasma membrane transporter
      protein is a member of ABC transporter superfamily. Increased expression of BCRP
      causes increased efflux and therefore, reduced intracellular accumulation of many
      unrelated chemotherapeutic agents leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). A series
      of 31 benzamide and phenyltetrazole derivatives with amide and urea linkers has
      been synthesized to serve as potential BCRP inhibitors in order to overcome BCRP
      mediated MDR. The target derivatives were tested for their cytotoxicity and
      reversal effects in human non-small cell lung cancer cell line H460 and
      mitoxantrone resistant cell line H460/MX20 using the MTT assay. In the benzamide
      series, compounds 6 and 7 exhibited a fold resistance of 1.51 and 1.62,
      respectively at 10uM concentration which is similar to that of FTC, a known BCRP
      inhibitor. Compounds 27 and 31 were the most potent analogues in the
      phenyltetrazole series with amide linker with a fold resistance of 1.39 and 1.32,
      respectively at 10uM concentration. For the phenyltetrazole series with urea
      linker, 38 exhibited a fold resistance of 1.51 which is similar than that of FTC
      and is the most potent compound in this series. The target compounds did not
      exhibit reversal effect in P-gp overexpressing resistant cell line SW620/Ad300
      suggesting that they are selective BCRP inhibitors.

PMID- 28916342
TI  - PP2A regulates signaling through hormonal receptors in breast cancer with
      important therapeutic implications.
AB  - The functional inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) has emerged in the
      last years as a common alteration in breast cancer that determines poor outcome
      and contributes to disease progression and aggressiveness. Furthermore,
      expression of estrogen receptor (ER) is a high relevant molecular event with key
      therapeutic implications in breast cancer, and androgen receptor (AR) signaling
      is involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer and represents a novel target
      with crescent importance in this disease. In this review, we summarize the role
      of the tumor suppressor PP2A in modulating ER and AR signaling in breast cancer,
      the molecular mechanisms involved, and its biological and therapeutic impact.

PMID- 28916343
TI  - The role of a new class of long noncoding RNAs transcribed from ultraconserved
      regions in cancer.
AB  - Ultraconserved regions (UCRs) represent a relatively new class of non-coding
      genomic sequences highly conserved between human, rat and mouse genomes. These
      regions can reside within exons of protein-coding genes, despite the vast
      majority of them localizes within introns or intergenic regions. Several studies
      have undoubtedly demonstrated that most of these regions are actively transcribed
      in normal cells/tissues, where they contribute to regulate many cellular
      processes. Interestingly, these non-coding RNAs exhibit aberrant expression
      levels in human cancer cells and their expression profiles have been used as
      prognostic factors in human malignancies, as well as to unambiguously distinguish
      among distinct cancer types. In this review, we first describe their
      identification, then we provide some updated information about their genomic
      localization and classification. More importantly, we discuss about the available
      literature describing an overview of the mechanisms through which some
      transcribed UCRs (T-UCR) contribute to cancer progression or to the metastatic
      spread. To date, the interplay between T-UCRs and microRNAs is the most
      convincing evidence linking T-UCRs and tumorigenesis. The limitations of these
      studies and the future challenges to be addressed in order to understand the
      biological role of T-UCRs are also discussed herein. We envision that future
      efforts are needed to convincingly include this class of ncRNAs in the growing
      area of cancer therapeutics.

PMID- 28916344
TI  - Image-Guided Percutaneous Omental and Mesenteric Biopsy: Assessment of Technical
      Success Rate and Diagnostic Yield.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess biopsy technique, technical success rate, and diagnostic yield
      of image-guided percutaneous biopsy of omental and mesenteric lesions. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 186 patients (89 men, 97 women;
      mean [SD] age, 63 [13.8] y) who underwent percutaneous image-guided biopsy of
      omentum and mesentery between March 2007 and August 2015. Biopsies were performed
      with computed tomography (CT) (n = 172) or ultrasound (US) (n = 14) guidance
      using coaxial technique yielding core and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens.
      Biopsy results were classified as diagnostic (neoplastic or nonneoplastic) or
      nondiagnostic based on histopathology and cytology. Technical success rate and
      diagnostic yield of omental and mesenteric lesions were calculated. RESULTS:
      There were 186 image-guided percutaneous biopsies of omental (n = 95) and
      mesenteric (n = 91) lesions performed. Technical success rate was 99.5% for all
      biopsies, 100% for omental biopsies, and 98.9% for mesenteric biopsies. Overall
      sensitivity was 95.5%, specificity was 100%, negative predictive value was 78.3%,
      and positive predictive value was 100%, which was comparable for omental and
      mesenteric biopsies. Core biopsies had higher diagnostic yields compared with
      FNA: 98.4% versus 84% overall, 99% versus 88% for omental biopsies, and 97.7%
      versus 80% for mesenteric biopsies. Spearman rank correlation showed no
      correlation between lesion size and diagnostic yield (P = .14) and lesion depth
      and diagnostic yield (P = .29) for both groups. There were 5 complications.
      CONCLUSIONS: Image-guided percutaneous omental and mesenteric biopsies have high
      technical success rates and diagnostic yield regardless of lesion size or depth
      from the skin for both omental and mesenteric specimens.

PMID- 28916345
TI  - Is a Technetium-99m Macroaggregated Albumin Scan Essential in the Workup for
      Selective Internal Radiation Therapy with Yttrium-90? An Analysis of 532
      Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if baseline patient, tumor, and pretreatment evaluation
      characteristics could help identify patients who require technetium-99m (99mTc)
      macroaggregated albumin (99mTc MAA) imaging before selective internal radiation
      therapy (SIRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, 532
      consecutive patients with primary (n = 248) or metastatic (n = 284) liver tumors
      were evaluated between 2006 and 2015. Variables were compared between patients in
      whom 99mTc MAA imaging results contraindicated/modified SIRT administration with
      yttrium-90 (90Y) resin microspheres and those who were treated as initially
      planned. The 99mTc MAA findings that contraindicated/modified SIRT were a lung
      shunt fraction (LSF) > 20%, gastrointestinal 99mTc MAA uptake, or a mismatch
      between 99mTc MAA uptake and intrahepatic tumor distribution. RESULTS: LSF > 20%
      and gastrointestinal MAA uptake were observed in 7.5% and 3.9% of patients,
      respectively, and 11% presented a mismatch. Presence of a single lesion (odds
      ratio [OR] = 2.4) and vascular invasion (OR = 5.5) predicted LSF > 20%, and GI
      MAA uptake was predicted by the presence of liver metastases (OR = 3.7) and 99mTc
      MAA injection through the common/proper hepatic artery (OR = 4.7). Vascular
      invasion (OR = 4.1) was the only predictor of LSF > 20% and/or GI MAA uptake
      (sensitivity = 49.2%, specificity = 80.3%, negative predictive value = 92.4%).
      Previous antiangiogenic treatment (OR = 2.4) and presence of a single lesion (OR
      = 2.6) predicted mismatch. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging with 99mTc MAA is essential in
      SIRT workup because baseline characteristics may not adequately predict 99mTc MAA
      results. Nevertheless, the absence of vascular invasion potentially identifies a
      group of patients at low risk of SIRT contraindication/modification in whom
      performing SIRT in a single session (ie, pretreatment evaluation and SIRT on the
      same day) should be explored.

PMID- 28916347
TI  - Boat anchoring pressure on coastal seabed: Quantification and bias estimation
      using AIS data.
AB  - Global shipping is economically important, but has many adverse environmental
      effects. Anchoring contributes greatly to this adverse impact, as it is
      responsible for mechanical disturbance of highly sensitive marine habitats.
      Recovery of these ecosystems is limited by slow regrowth. Anchoring pressure on
      coastal seabed habitats was estimated using AIS (Automatic Identification System)
      data along 1800km of Mediterranean coastline between 2010 and 2015. A comparison
      with field observations showed that these results were most consistent for large
      boats (>50m). An analysis of AIS data coupled with a seabed map showed that
      around 30% of the habitats between 0 and -80m exhibited anchoring pressure.
      Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds were the most impacted habitat in terms of
      duration. This methodology efficiently estimates spatial and temporal anchoring
      pressure principally due to large boats and should interest managers of marine
      protected areas as much as coastline managers.

PMID- 28916346
TI  - Radiofrequency Ablation of T1a Renal Cell Carcinomas within Renal Transplant
      Allografts: Oncologic Outcomes and Graft Viability.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate oncologic outcomes and graft viability after percutaneous
      radiofrequency (RF) ablation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) developing within
      renal transplant allografts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-institution,
      retrospective study reviewed all patients treated with RF ablation for RCC
      between February 2004 and May 2016. Ten patients were identified (age 49.6 y +/-
      12.6; 9 men, 1 woman) with 12 biopsy-confirmed RCC tumors within the allograft
      (all T1a, mean diameter 2.0 cm +/- 0.7). Mean time from transplant to RCC
      diagnosis was 13.2 years +/- 6.3. RF ablation was performed on an outpatient
      basis using conscious sedation. Procedural efficacy, complications, oncologic
      outcomes, and allograft function were evaluated. Statistical analysis with t
      tests and Pearson correlation compared allograft function before and after RF
      ablation and impact of proportional ablation size to allograft volume on function
      after ablation. RESULTS: Technical success rate and primary technique efficacy
      were 100% (12/12). No local or distant RCC progression was seen at mean follow-up
      of 54.3 months +/- 38.7 (range, 9-136 months). Graft failure requiring
      hemodialysis or repeat transplantation occurred in 3 patients (26, 354, and 750 d
      after RF ablation), all of whom had glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 30
      mL/min/1.73 m2 before ablation. For all patients, mean GFR 6 months after RF
      ablation (35.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 +/- 17.7) was not significantly different (P = .8)
      from preprocedure GFR (36.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 +/- 14.3). Proportional volume of
      allograft that was ablated did not correlate with immediate or long-term GFR
      changes. One patient died of unrelated comorbidities 52 months after ablation. No
      major complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: RF ablation of renal allograft RCC
      provided effective oncologic control without adverse impact on graft viability.

PMID- 28916348
TI  - Long-term variation of the macrobenthic community and its relationship with
      environmental factors in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent area.
AB  - Using data from four periods from 1959 to 2015, we report the long-term variation
      of the macrobenthic community in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent area.
      In total, 624 species were collected, and Polychaeta was the dominant group.
      Significant differences between the four periods were found. The CCA (canonical
      correspondence analysis) and RDA (redundancy analysis) results revealed that
      temperature, salinity, and depth significantly influenced the macrobenthic
      communities (89.6% of the species-environment relationship variance was explained
      by the first two axes of CCA and 94.3% was explained by RDA). The results of K
      dominance curves (the elevation increased over time), ABC (abundance/biomass
      comparison) curves (the W value changed from 0.311 to 0.167 during 1959 to 2014
      2015) and the Shannon-Wiener index (log base=2; 2.29-5.03 in 1959, 2.86-4.55 in
      2000-2001, 2.28-4.56 in 2011-2012, and 1.79-4.43 in 2014-2015) showed that the
      ecological status of the benthic study area was deteriorating.

PMID- 28916349
TI  - Offshore iron sand extraction in New Zealand: Potential trace metal exposure of
      benthic and pelagic biota.
AB  - Plans to exploit an offshore source of iron sand in South Taranaki Bight (STB),
      New Zealand, caused concerns that such exploitation may expose benthic and
      pelagic biota to elevated trace metal concentrations. We conducted dilute-acid
      extractions and standard elutriate tests to investigate the potential of this
      exploitation to (1) create a new seafloor with elevated trace metal content, (2)
      mobilise trace metals during iron sand extraction and, (3) enrich the returning
      process seawater, which feeds iron sand through mills, with trace metals. We
      found that recruits of freshly uncovered sediment may encounter higher-than
      natural concentrations of cadmium, nickel and chromium (but not of copper, lead,
      and zinc) and propose to investigate the bioavailability of these metals.
      Elutriate test with raw and milled iron sand revealed that, for nickel and
      copper, dilution of the process seawater may be required to meet the local water
      quality guideline. We argue that this dilution can be achieved by adjustment of
      the mass and seawater balance of the offshore extraction process.

PMID- 28916350
TI  - Quantification of marine macro-debris abundance around Vancouver Island, Canada,
      based on archived aerial photographs processed by projective transformation.
AB  - The abundance of marine macro-debris was quantified with high spatial resolution
      by applying an image processing technique to archived shoreline aerial
      photographs taken over Vancouver Island, Canada. The photographs taken from an
      airplane at oblique angles were processed by projective transformation for
      georeferencing, where five reference points were defined by comparing aerial
      photographs with satellite images of Google Earth. Thereafter, pixels of marine
      debris were extracted based on their color differences from the background
      beaches. The debris abundance can be evaluated by the ratio of an area covered by
      marine debris to that of the beach (percent cover). The horizontal distribution
      of percent cover of marine debris was successfully computed from 167 aerial
      photographs and was significantly related to offshore Ekman flows and winds
      (leeway drift and Stokes drift). Therefore, the estimated percent cover is useful
      information to determine priority sites for mitigating adverse impacts across
      broad areas.

PMID- 28916351
TI  - Using seagrasses to identify local and large-scale trends of metals in the
      Mediterranean Sea.
AB  - To manage trace metal pollution it is critical to determine how much temporal
      trends can be attributed to local or large-scale sources. We tracked changes in
      metal content in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, along the NW Mediterranean from
      2003 to 2010. While Cu, Cd and Ni showed a large inter-site variation, likely due
      to local factors, Fe, Mn and Pb showed little local variation and synchronous
      interannual variability across sites, most likely due to large-scale sources. Zn
      showed equal importance of local and large-scale sources of variation. Temporal
      trends of Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu remained almost stable. In contrast, Fe, Mn and Pb
      slightly increased in the last decade. These trends suggest that metals like Cu,
      Cd, Ni can be effectively managed at local scale. Whereas, elements like Fe, Mn
      and Pb have an important large-scale component that needs to be managed across
      the frontiers of national jurisdictions.

PMID- 28916352
TI  - Baseline evaluation of sediment contamination in the shallow coastal areas of
      Saudi Arabian Red Sea.
AB  - Despite the growing recognition of the importance of water and sediment quality
      there is still limited information on contamination levels in many regions
      globally including the Red Sea. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of
      three classes of contaminants (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - PAH; metals;
      plastics) in coastal sediments along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea mainly collected
      using grabs. Background concentrations are provided for metals in the region.
      Concentrations of metals and PAH were generally low in comparison to
      international guidelines. A clear relationship between the concentration of
      metals and anthropogenic sources was not always apparent and dust and vegetation
      may be relevant players in the region. Microplastic items (mainly polyethylene)
      were abundant (reaching up to 1gm-2 and 160piecesm-2) and in general associated
      with areas of high human activity. This study provides critical information for
      future monitoring and the development of national policies within the Red Sea
      region.

PMID- 28916353
TI  - Outcomes of adults with in-hospital cardiac arrest after implementation of the
      2010 resuscitation guidelines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 2015 guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are based
      on an update of the 2010 guidelines with minor revisions. It is important to
      assess the 2010 guidelines to ensure their efficacy, which may help promote
      widespread adoption of the 2015 guidelines. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective
      observational study in a single center that evaluated patients with in-hospital
      cardiac arrest (IHCA) between 2006 and 2014. Multivariable logistic regression
      analysis was used to evaluate associations between independent variables and
      outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 1525 patients were included. For patients with
      initial non-shockable rhythms, the elapsed time to first adrenaline injection was
      significantly shorter for patients who received CPR according to the 2010
      guidelines (2010-CPR) than for those who were treated according to the 2005
      guidelines (2005-CPR). During post-cardiac arrest care, the percentage of
      patients with fever was significantly lower and the implementation of critical
      interventions was significantly higher in patients who received 2010-CPR than in
      those who received 2005-CPR. After adjusting for the effects of confounding
      factors, patients who received 2010-CPR had improved neurological outcomes (odds
      ratio [OR], 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-2.93; p=0.03) and survival
      (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.06-2.12; p=0.02) at hospital discharge than patients who
      received 2005-CPR. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital adoption of the 2010 guidelines may
      improve the neurological and survival outcomes for IHCA patients. This
      improvement might result from an emphasis on the importance of high-quality CPR,
      post-cardiac arrest care, and teamwork in the 2010 guidelines.

PMID- 28916354
TI  - Abnormal sodium channel mRNA splicing in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our previous studies showed that in ischemic and nonischemic heart
      failure (HF), the voltage-gated cardiac Na+ channel alpha subunit (SCN5A) mRNA is
      abnormally spliced to produce two truncated transcript variants (E28C and D) that
      activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). We tested whether SCN5A post
      transcriptional regulation was abnormal in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Human heart tissue was obtained from HCM patients. The
      changes in relative abundances of SCN5A, its variants, splicing factors RBM25 and
      LUC7A, and PERK, a major effector of the UPR, were analyzed by real time RT-PCR
      and the expression changes were confirmed by Western Blot. RESULTS: We found
      reduced full-length transcript, increased SCN5A truncation variants and
      activation of UPR in HCM when compared to control hearts. In these patients, real
      time RT-PCR revealed that HCM patients had decreased SCN5A mRNA to 27.8+/-4.07%
      of control (P<0.01) and an increased abundance of E28C and E28D (3.4+/-0.3 and
      2.8+/-0.3-fold, respectively, P<0.05). PERK mRNA increased 8.2+/-3.1 fold
      (P<0.01) in HCM patients. Western blot confirmed a significant increase of PERK.
      CONCLUSIONS: These data suggested that the full-length SCN5A was reduced in
      patients with HCM. This reduction was accompanied by abnormal SCN5A pre-mRNA
      splicing and UPR activation. These changes may contribute to the arrhythmic risk
      in HCM.

PMID- 28916355
TI  - Grouper STAT1a is involved in antiviral immune response against iridovirus and
      nodavirus infection.
AB  - Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (STAT1) has been demonstrated
      to function as a critical mediator in multiple cell processes, such as cell
      proliferation, cell death, and innate immune response. Interestingly, two
      orthologues of human STAT1, including STAT1a and STAT1b genes have been
      identified in different fish. However, the detailed roles of fish STAT1a in virus
      replication still remained largely uncertain. Here, we cloned a STAT1a from
      orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides (EcSTAT1a) and characterized its
      roles during fish virus infection. EcSTAT1a encoded a 751-aa peptide which shared
      97% and 93% identity to STAT1 from mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) and Malabar
      grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus), respectively. Amino acid alignment analysis
      showed that EcSTAT1a contained a STAT-int domain, a STAT-alpha domain, a STAT
      bind domain (DNA binding domain), a SH2 domain and a STAT1-TAZ2 bind domain. In
      examined tissues from healthy grouper, the expression of EcSTAT1a was predominant
      in intestine, gill and liver. In grouper cells, the relative expression levels of
      EcSTAT1a was significantly increased during red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis
      virus (RGNNV) or Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) infection. Under
      fluorescence microscopy, we found that EcSTAT1a mainly localized in the
      cytoplasm. The ectopic expression of EcSTAT1a in vitro significantly delayed the
      cytopathic effect (CPE) progression evoked by RGNNV and SGIV. Further studies
      showed that the expression levels of viral genes, including SGIV major capsid
      protein (MCP), VP19, ICP-18, LITAF and RGNNV coat protein (CP), RNA-dependent RNA
      polymerase (RdRp) were all significantly reduced in EcSTAT1a overexpressing cells
      compared to the control vector transfected cells, suggested that EcSTAT1a exerted
      antiviral activity against iridovirus and nodavirus. Furthermore, overexpression
      of EcSTAT1a significantly increased the expression of interferon related
      cytokines or effectors and pro-inflammatory factors. Together, our results
      elucidated that EcSTAT1a might function as a critical antiviral factor by
      regulating the host interferon immune and inflammation response.

PMID- 28916356
TI  - Molecular characterization of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor and expression
      response to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge in Carassius auratus.
AB  - The polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) plays a pivotal role in mucosal
      immune response by transporting polymeric immunoglobulins onto the surface of
      mucosal epithelia to protect animals from invading pathogens. In this study, the
      full-length cDNA of pIgR was firstly cloned in Qihe crucian carp (Carassius
      auratus), hereafter designated as CapIgR, by using reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The molecular
      characterization and expression of CapIgR were investigated. The full-length cDNA
      sequence of CapIgR was composed of 1409 bp, which included a 112 bp 5'
      untranslated region (UTR), a 984 bp ORF, and a 313 bp 3'-UTR, with a putative
      polyadenylation signal sequence AATAAA located upstream of the poly(A) tail. The
      deduced amino acid sequence indicated that CapIgR was a single-spanning
      transmembrane protein with 327 amino acids and possessed a signal peptide, an
      extracellular region containing two immunoglobulin-like domains, a transmembrane
      region, and an intracellular region. The mRNA expression levels of CapIgR were
      detected in different tissues of healthy C. auratus by quantitative real-time
      PCR, and the highest expression level was found in the liver. After Aeromonas
      hydrophila challenge, CapIgR expression was upregulated in different tissues at
      certain time points, and temporal expression changes of CapIgR fluctuated in a
      time-dependent manner. CapIgR exhibited rapid immune response to A. hydrophila
      challenge and played an important role in the immune defense of fish. These
      findings provided insights into the structure, function, and immune defense
      mechanism of CapIgR in C. auratus. This study can serve as a basis for developing
      disease control strategies in aquaculture.

PMID- 28916357
TI  - Myeloid leukemia factor functions in anti-WSSV immune reaction of kuruma shrimp,
      Marsupenaeus japonicus.
AB  - Myeloid leukemia factor (MLF) plays an important role in development, cell cycle,
      myeloid differentiation, and regulates the RUNX transcription factors. However,
      the function of MLF in immunity is still unclear. In this study, an MLF was
      identified and characterized in kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus, and named
      as MjMLF. The full-length cDNA of MjMLF contained 1111 nucleotides, which had an
      opening reading frame of 816 bp encoding a protein of 272 amino acids with an
      MLF1-interacting protein domain. MjMLF could be ubiquitously detected in
      different tissues of shrimp at the transcriptional level. The expression pattern
      analysis showed that MjMLF could be upregulated in shrimp hemocytes and
      hepatopancreas after white spot syndrome virus challenge. The RNA interference
      and protein injection assay showed that MjMLF could inhibit WSSV replication in
      vivo. Flow cytometry assay showed that MjMLF could induce hemocytes apoptosis
      which functioned in the shrimp antiviral reaction. All the results suggested that
      MjMLF played an important role in the antiviral immune reaction of kuruma shrimp.
      The research indicated that MjMLF might function as a novel regulator to inhibit
      WSSV replication in shrimp.

PMID- 28916358
TI  - The functional characterization and comparison of two single CRD containing C
      type lectins with novel and typical key motifs from Portunus trituberculatus.
AB  - C-type lectins are a superfamily of Ca2+-dependent carbohydrate-recognition
      proteins, which play crucial roles in innate immunity including nonself
      recognition and pathogen elimination. In the present study, two single-CRD
      containing C-type lectins were identified from swimming crab Portunus
      trituberculatus (designated as PtCTL-2 and PtCTL-3). The open reading frame (ORF)
      of PtCTL-2 encoded polypeptides of 485 amino acids with a signal peptide and a
      single carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD), while PtCTL-3's ORF encoded
      polypeptides of 241 amino acids with a coiled-coil region and a single-CRD. The
      key motifs determining carbohydrate binding specificity in PtCTL-2 and PtCTL-3
      were EPR (Glu-Pro-Arg) and QPD (Gln-Pro-Asp). EPR is a motif being identified for
      the first time, whereas QPD is a typical motif in C-type lectins. Different PAMPs
      binding features of the two recombinant proteins - PtCTL-2 (rPtCTL-2) and PtCTL-3
      (rPtCTL-3) have been observed in our experiments. rPtCTL-2 could bind three
      pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) with relatively high affinity,
      including glucan, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PGN), while rPtCTL
      3 could barely bind any of them. However, rPtCTL-2 could bind seven kinds of
      microbes and rPtCTL-3 could bind six kinds in microbe binding assay. Moreover,
      rPtCTL-2 and rPtCTL-3 exhibited similar agglutination activity against Gram
      positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi in agglutination assay. All
      these results illustrated that PtCTL-2 and PtCTL-3 could function as important
      pattern-recognition receptors (PRR) with broad nonself-recognition spectrum
      involved in immune defense against invaders. In addition, the results of
      carbohydrate binding specificity showed that PtCTL-2 with novel key motif had
      broad carbohydrate binding specificity, while PtCTL-3 with typical key motif
      possessed different carbohydrate binding specificity from the classical binding
      rule. Furthermore, PtCTL-2 and PtCTL-3 could also function as opsonin to enhance
      encapsulation of hemocytes against Ni-NTA beads.

PMID- 28916359
TI  - A class B scavenger receptor from Eriocheir sinensis (EsSR-B1) restricts bacteria
      proliferation by promoting phagocytosis.
AB  - Scavenger receptors (SRs) are important pattern recognition receptors (PRRs),
      which play significant roles in host defense against pathogens by identifying
      pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). In this study, we report the
      cloning and characterization of a SR from Eriocheir sinensis (EsSR-B1) which is a
      500 amino acid protein encoded by a gene comprised of 2726 nucleotides with a
      1503 bp open reading frame. The domains of EsSR-B1 were found to be
      evolutionarily conserved. EsSR-B1 was widely detected in different tissues of E.
      sinensis and significantly up-regulated in hemocytes after stimulation by
      Staphyloccocus aureus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Recombinant EsSR-B1 protein
      could bind to bacteria and promote phagocytosis upon bacterial stimulation.
      Moreover, antimicrobial peptide expression was reduced in EsSR-B1-silenced
      hemocytes after challenge by S. aureus or V. parahaemolyticus. Thus, EsSR-B1 has
      a critical role in the binding of bacteria and subsequent promotion of hemocyte
      phagocytosis.

PMID- 28916361
TI  - Erratum to "In vivo MRI tracking of exogenous monocytes/macrophages targeting
      brain tumors in a rat model of glioma" [NeuroImage 37S1 (2007) S47-S58].

PMID- 28916360
TI  - Trancriptome profiles of Amur sturgeon spleen in response to Yersinia ruckeri
      infection.
AB  - Yersinia ruckeri (YR) is the causative agent of yersiniosis which has caused
      significant economic losses in fish culture worldwide, including in Amur sturgeon
      (Acipenser schrenckii) culture. To better understand the mechanism of the immune
      responses to YR in Amur sturgeon, the transcriptomic profiles of the spleens from
      YR-infected and non-infected groups were obtained using RNA-seq techniques. The
      de novo assemblies yielded totally 145 670 unigenes from the two libraries. The
      total numbers of transcripts in YR-infected and non-infected groups were from 110
      893 to 147 336, with the mean length varying from 560 to 631 (N50: from 882 to
      1083). GO analysis revealed that 10 038 unigenes were categorized into 26
      biological processes subcategories, 17 cellular components subcategories and 19
      molecular functions subcategories. A total of 59 487 unigenes were annotated in
      the KEGG pathway and 20 pathways were related to the immune system. 1465
      differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 377 up-regulated
      genes and 1088 down-regulated genes. 125 DEGs were found to be related to immune
      responses of Amur sturgeon and further divided into 16 immune-related KEGG
      pathways, including antigen processing and presentation, complement and
      coagulation cascades, T cell receptor signaling pathway, B cell receptor
      signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, chemokine signaling
      pathway, etc. Eight of the DEGs were further validated by qRT-PCR. Altogether,
      the results obtained in this study will provide insight into the immune response
      of Amur sturgeon against Y. ruckeri infection.

PMID- 28916362
TI  - Corrigendum to "Fingerspelling, signed language, text and picture processing in
      deaf native signers: The role of the mid-fusiform gyrus" [NeuroImage 35 (2007)
      1287-1302].

PMID- 28916363
TI  - Corrigendum to "Functional MRI with active, fully implanted, deep brain
      stimulation systems: Safety and experimental confounds" [NeuroImage 37 (2007) 508
      517].

PMID- 28916364
TI  - Erratum to "Resolving sentence ambiguity with planning and working memory
      resources: Evidence from fMRI" [NeuroImage 37 (2007) 361-378].

PMID- 28916365
TI  - Sodium phenylbutyrate abrogates African swine fever virus replication by
      disrupting the virus-induced hypoacetylation status of histone H3K9/K14.
AB  - African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a highly lethal disease in swine for
      which neither a vaccine nor treatment are available. Recently, a new class of
      drugs that inhibit histone deacetylases enzymes (HDACs) has received an
      increasing interest as antiviral agents. Considering studies by others showing
      that valproic acid, an HDAC inhibitor (HDACi), blocks the replication of
      enveloped viruses and that ASFV regulates the epigenetic status of the host cell
      by promoting heterochromatinization and recruitment of class I HDACs to viral
      cytoplasmic factories, the antiviral activity of four HDACi against ASFV was
      evaluated in this study. Results showed that the sodium phenylbutyrate fully
      abrogates the ASFV replication, whereas the valproic acid leads to a significant
      reduction of viral progeny at 48h post-infection (-73.9%, p=0.046), as the two
      pan-HDAC inhibitors tested (Trichostatin A: -82.2%, p=0.043; Vorinostat: 73.9%,
      p=0.043). Further evaluation showed that protective effects of NaPB are dose
      dependent, interfering with the expression of late viral genes and reversing the
      ASFV-induced histone H3 lysine 9 and 14 (H3K9K14) hypoacetylation status,
      compatible to an open chromatin state and possibly enabling the expression of
      host genes non-beneficial to infection progression. Additionally, a synergic
      antiviral effect was detected when NaPB is combined with an ASFV-topoisomerase II
      poison (Enrofloxacin). Altogether, our results strongly suggest that cellular
      HDACs are involved in the establishment of ASFV infection and emphasize that
      further in vivo studies are needed to better understand the antiviral activity of
      HDAC inhibitors.

PMID- 28916368
TI  - Saving an additional 100 million lives.

PMID- 28916369
TI  - Antiangiogenesis to curb urothelial cancer.

PMID- 28916367
TI  - Rucaparib maintenance treatment for recurrent ovarian carcinoma after response to
      platinum therapy (ARIEL3): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase
      3 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rucaparib, a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, has anticancer
      activity in recurrent ovarian carcinoma harbouring a BRCA mutation or high
      percentage of genome-wide loss of heterozygosity. In this trial we assessed
      rucaparib versus placebo after response to second-line or later platinum-based
      chemotherapy in patients with high-grade, recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian
      carcinoma. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3
      trial, we recruited patients from 87 hospitals and cancer centres across 11
      countries. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older, had a platinum
      sensitive, high-grade serous or endometrioid ovarian, primary peritoneal, or
      fallopian tube carcinoma, had received at least two previous platinum-based
      chemotherapy regimens, had achieved complete or partial response to their last
      platinum-based regimen, had a cancer antigen 125 concentration of less than the
      upper limit of normal, had a performance status of 0-1, and had adequate organ
      function. Patients were ineligible if they had symptomatic or untreated central
      nervous system metastases, had received anticancer therapy 14 days or fewer
      before starting the study, or had received previous treatment with a poly(ADP
      ribose) polymerase inhibitor. We randomly allocated patients 2:1 to receive oral
      rucaparib 600 mg twice daily or placebo in 28 day cycles using a computer
      generated sequence (block size of six, stratified by homologous recombination
      repair gene mutation status, progression-free interval after the penultimate
      platinum-based regimen, and best response to the most recent platinum-based
      regimen). Patients, investigators, site staff, assessors, and the funder were
      masked to assignments. The primary outcome was investigator-assessed progression
      free survival evaluated with use of an ordered step-down procedure for three
      nested cohorts: patients with BRCA mutations (carcinoma associated with
      deleterious germline or somatic BRCA mutations), patients with homologous
      recombination deficiencies (BRCA mutant or BRCA wild-type and high loss of
      heterozygosity), and the intention-to-treat population, assessed at screening and
      every 12 weeks thereafter. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov,
      number NCT01968213; enrolment is complete. FINDINGS: Between April 7, 2014, and
      July 19, 2016, we randomly allocated 564 patients: 375 (66%) to rucaparib and 189
      (34%) to placebo. Median progression-free survival in patients with a BRCA-mutant
      carcinoma was 16.6 months (95% CI 13.4-22.9; 130 [35%] patients) in the rucaparib
      group versus 5.4 months (3.4-6.7; 66 [35%] patients) in the placebo group (hazard
      ratio 0.23 [95% CI 0.16-0.34]; p<0.0001). In patients with a homologous
      recombination deficient carcinoma (236 [63%] vs 118 [62%]), it was 13.6 months
      (10.9-16.2) versus 5.4 months (5.1-5.6; 0.32 [0.24-0.42]; p<0.0001). In the
      intention-to-treat population, it was 10.8 months (8.3-11.4) versus 5.4 months
      (5.3-5.5; 0.36 [0.30-0.45]; p<0.0001). Treatment-emergent adverse events of grade
      3 or higher in the safety population (372 [99%] patients in the rucaparib group
      vs 189 [100%] in the placebo group) were reported in 209 (56%) patients in the
      rucaparib group versus 28 (15%) in the placebo group, the most common of which
      were anaemia or decreased haemoglobin concentration (70 [19%] vs one [1%]) and
      increased alanine or aspartate aminotransferase concentration (39 [10%] vs none).
      INTERPRETATION: Across all primary analysis groups, rucaparib significantly
      improved progression-free survival in patients with platinum-sensitive ovarian
      cancer who had achieved a response to platinum-based chemotherapy. ARIEL3
      provides further evidence that use of a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor in
      the maintenance treatment setting versus placebo could be considered a new
      standard of care for women with platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer following a
      complete or partial response to second-line or later platinum-based chemotherapy.
      FUNDING: Clovis Oncology.

PMID- 28916370
TI  - PARP inhibitors for targeted treatment in ovarian cancer.

PMID- 28916372
TI  - Tracking and controlling soft surface contamination in health care settings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Study objectives were to track the transfer of microbes on soft
      surfaces in health care environments and determine the efficiency of an
      Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered soft surface sanitizer in the
      health care environment. METHODS: Soft surfaces at 3 health care facilities were
      sampled for heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria, Staphylococcus spp,
      Streptococcus pyogenes, and Escherichia coli followed by a tracer study with a
      virus surrogate seeded onto volunteer hands and commonly touched surfaces. The
      occurrence of microbial contaminants was determined along with microbial
      reductions using the soft surface sanitizer. Soft surfaces were swabbed pre- and
      postintervention. RESULTS: Tracer viruses spread to 20%-64% and 13%-41% of
      surfaces in long-term health care facilities and physicians' offices,
      respectively. Only 1 pathogen, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, was
      recovered. The waiting room chairs had the highest concentration of HPC bacteria
      before disinfection (145.4 +/- 443.3 colony forming units [cfu]/cm2), and the
      privacy curtains had the lowest (39.5 +/- 84.2 cfu/cm2). Reductions of up to
      98.5% were achieved with the sanitizer in health care settings and up to 99.99%
      under controlled laboratory conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Soft surfaces are involved
      in the spread of microbes throughout health care facilities. Routine application
      of an EPA-registered sanitizer for soft surfaces can help to reduce the microbial
      load and minimize exposure risks.

PMID- 28916373
TI  - Methods for computational disease surveillance in infection prevention and
      control: Statistical process control versus Twitter's anomaly and breakout
      detection algorithms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although not all health care-associated infections (HAIs) are
      preventable, reducing HAIs through targeted intervention is key to a successful
      infection prevention program. To identify areas in need of targeted intervention,
      robust statistical methods must be used when analyzing surveillance data. The
      objective of this study was to compare and contrast statistical process control
      (SPC) charts with Twitter's anomaly and breakout detection algorithms. METHODS:
      SPC and anomaly/breakout detection (ABD) charts were created for vancomycin
      resistant Enterococcus, Acinetobacter baumannii, catheter-associated urinary
      tract infection, and central line-associated bloodstream infection data. RESULTS:
      Both SPC and ABD charts detected similar data points as anomalous/out of control
      on most charts. The vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus ABD chart detected an extra
      anomalous point that appeared to be higher than the same time period in prior
      years. Using a small subset of the central line-associated bloodstream infection
      data, the ABD chart was able to detect anomalies where the SPC chart was not.
      DISCUSSION: SPC charts and ABD charts both performed well, although ABD charts
      appeared to work better in the context of seasonal variation and autocorrelation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Because they account for common statistical issues in HAI data, ABD
      charts may be useful for practitioners for analysis of HAI surveillance data.

PMID- 28916374
TI  - AMP-activated protein kinase protects against anoxia in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - During anoxia, proper energy maintenance is essential in order to maintain neural
      operation. Starvation activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an
      evolutionarily conserved indicator of cellular energy status, in a cascade which
      modulates ATP production and consumption. We investigated the role of energetic
      status on anoxia tolerance in Drosophila and discovered that starvation or AMPK
      activation increases the speed of locomotor recovery from an anoxic coma. Using
      temporal and spatial genetic targeting we found that AMPK in the fat body
      contributes to starvation-induced fast locomotor recovery, whereas, under fed
      conditions, disrupting AMPK in oenocytes prolongs recovery. By evaluating
      spreading depolarization in the fly brain during anoxia we show that AMPK
      activation reduces the severity of ionic disruption and prolongs recovery of
      electrical activity. Further genetic targeting indicates that glial, but not
      neuronal, AMPK affects locomotor recovery. Together, these findings support a
      model in which AMPK is neuroprotective in Drosophila.

PMID- 28916375
TI  - Bacterial community in ancient permafrost alluvium at the Mammoth Mountain
      (Eastern Siberia).
AB  - Permanently frozen (approx. 3.5Ma) alluvial Neogene sediments exposed in the
      Aldan river valley at the Mammoth Mountain (Eastern Siberia) are unique, ancient,
      and poorly studied permafrost environments. So far, the structure of the
      indigenous bacterial community has remained unknown. Use of 16S metagenomic
      analysis with total DNA isolation using DNA Spin Kit for Soil (MO-Bio) and QIAamp
      DNA Stool Mini Kit (Qiagen) has revealed the major and minor bacterial lineages
      in the permafrost alluvium sediments. In sum, 61 Operational Taxonomic Units
      (OTUs) with 31,239 reads (Qiagen kit) and 15,404 reads (Mo-Bio kit) could be
      assigned to the known taxa. Only three phyla, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and
      Firmicutes, comprised >5% of the OTUs abundance and accounted for 99% of the
      total reads. OTUs pertaining to the top families (Chitinophagaceae,
      Caulobacteraceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Bradyrhizobiaceae, Halomonadaceae) held >90%
      of reads. The abundance of Actinobacteria was less (0.7%), whereas members of
      other phyla (Deinococcus-Thermus, Cyanobacteria/Chloroplast, Fusobacteria, and
      Acidobacteria) constituted a minor fraction of reads. The bacterial community in
      the studied ancient alluvium differs from other permafrost sediments, mainly by
      predominance of Bacteroidetes (>52%). The diversity of this preserved bacterial
      community has the potential to cause effects unknown if prompted to thaw and
      spread with changing climate. Therefore, this study elicits further reason to
      study how reintroduction of these ancient bacteria could affect the surrounding
      ecosystem, including current bacterial species.

PMID- 28916371
TI  - Ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel in patients with locally
      advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma after platinum-based therapy (RANGE):
      a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few treatments with a distinct mechanism of action are available for
      patients with platinum-refractory advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. We
      assessed the efficacy and safety of treatment with docetaxel plus either
      ramucirumab-a human IgG1 VEGFR-2 antagonist-or placebo in this patient
      population. METHODS: We did a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial in patients
      with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who progressed during or after
      platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were enrolled from 124 sites in 23
      countries. Previous treatment with one immune-checkpoint inhibitor was permitted.
      Patients were randomised (1:1) using an interactive web response system to
      receive intravenous docetaxel 75 mg/m2 plus either intravenous ramucirumab 10
      mg/kg or matching placebo on day 1 of repeating 21-day cycles, until disease
      progression or other discontinuation criteria were met. The primary endpoint was
      investigator-assessed progression-free survival, analysed by intention-to-treat
      in the first 437 randomised patients. This study is registered with
      ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02426125. FINDINGS: Between July, 2015, and April,
      2017, 530 patients were randomly allocated either ramucirumab plus docetaxel
      (n=263) or placebo plus docetaxel (n=267). Progression-free survival was
      prolonged significantly in patients allocated ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus
      placebo plus docetaxel (median 4.07 months [95% CI 2.96-4.47] vs 2.76 months
      [2.60-2.96]; hazard ratio [HR] 0.757, 95% CI 0.607-0.943; p=0.0118). A blinded
      independent central analysis was consistent with these results. An objective
      response was achieved by 53 (24.5%, 95% CI 18.8-30.3) of 216 patients allocated
      ramucirumab and 31 (14.0%, 9.4-18.6) of 221 assigned placebo. The most frequently
      reported treatment-emergent adverse events, regardless of causality, in either
      treatment group (any grade) were fatigue, alopecia, diarrhoea, decreased
      appetite, and nausea. These events occurred predominantly at grade 1-2 severity.
      The frequency of grade 3 or worse adverse events was similar for patients
      allocated ramucirumab and placebo (156 [60%] of 258 vs 163 [62%] of 265 had an
      adverse event), with no unexpected toxic effects. 63 (24%) of 258 patients
      allocated ramucirumab and 54 (20%) of 265 assigned placebo had a serious adverse
      event that was judged by the investigator to be related to treatment. 38 (15%) of
      258 patients allocated ramucirumab and 43 (16%) of 265 assigned placebo died on
      treatment or within 30 days of discontinuation, of which eight (3%) and five (2%)
      deaths were deemed related to treatment by the investigator. Sepsis was the most
      common adverse event leading to death on treatment (four [2%] vs none [0%]). One
      fatal event of neutropenic sepsis was reported in a patient allocated
      ramucirumab. INTERPRETATION: To the best of our knowledge, ramucirumab plus
      docetaxel is the first regimen in a phase 3 study to show superior progression
      free survival over chemotherapy in patients with platinum-refractory advanced
      urothelial carcinoma. These data validate inhibition of VEGFR-2 signalling as a
      potential new therapeutic treatment option for patients with urothelial
      carcinoma. FUNDING: Eli Lilly and Company.

PMID- 28916376
TI  - Transcriptome profiling of the Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)
      ovary reveals genes involved in oogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As a specialized organ, the insect ovary performs valuable functions
      by ensuring fecundity and population survival. Oogenesis is the complex
      physiological process resulting in the production of mature eggs, which are
      involved in epigenetic programming, germ cell behavior, cell cycle regulation,
      etc. Identification of the genes involved in ovary development and oogenesis is
      critical to better understand the reproductive biology and screening for the
      potential molecular targets in Plutella xylostella, a worldwide destructive pest
      of economically major crops. RESULTS: Based on transcriptome sequencing, a total
      of 7.88Gb clean nucleotides was obtained, with 19,934 genes and 1861 new
      transcripts being identified. Expression profiling indicated that 61.7% of the
      genes were expressed (FPKM>=1) in the P. xylostella ovary. GO annotation showed
      that the pathways of multicellular organism reproduction and multicellular
      organism reproduction process, as well as gamete generation and chorion were
      significantly enriched. Processes that were most likely relevant to reproduction
      included the spliceosome, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, endocytosis, PI3K-Akt
      signaling pathway, insulin signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway, and focal
      adhesion were identified in the top 20 'highly represented' KEGG pathways.
      Functional genes involved in oogenesis were further analyzed and validated by qRT
      PCR to show their potential predominant roles in P. xylostella reproduction.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our newly developed P. xylostella ovary transcriptome provides an
      overview of the gene expression profiling in this specialized tissue and the
      functional gene network closely related to the ovary development and oogenesis.
      This is the first genome-wide transcriptome dataset of P. xylostella ovary that
      includes a subset of functionally activated genes. This global approach will be
      the basis for further studies on molecular mechanisms of P. xylostella
      reproduction aimed at screening potential molecular targets for integrated pest
      management.

PMID- 28916377
TI  - Clinical and molecular characterization of two Chinese patients with Type 2
      congenital generalized lipodystrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL2, OMIM 269700) is a
      rare autosomal recessive disease, characterized by the generalized absence of
      adipose tissue at birth or in early infancy. Pathogenic variants in BSCL2 gene
      have been reported to be responsible for CGL2. The aim of this study is to
      analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of two Chinese patients with
      CGL2, and with particular focus on the BSCL2 gene sequence variants. METHODS:
      Medical history, clinical manifestations, physical examination, laboratory data,
      and ultrasonography findings were analyzed for the two patients with CGL2. Blood
      samples from both families were obtained for genetic testing. Next generation
      sequencing for the 2742-gene inherited disease panel were conducted. RESULTS: Two
      patients had similar physical appearances including a conspicuous generalized
      lack of body fat since birth, extreme muscularity, face with empty cheeks,
      hirsutism and skin hyperpigmentation especially around necks and armpits; both
      had intellectual disability, alone with psycho-behavioral issues including
      tantrum and aggression. One patient exhibited multiple signs of overgrowth such
      as advanced bone age and macropenis. Laboratory data revealed
      hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, and low high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol concentration. Ultrasound showed hepatomegaly in both patients and
      renal hypertrophy in patient 2. Echocardiography exams were normal. Both were
      treated with low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. Molecular testing confirmed the
      clinical diagnosis of CGL, specifically CGL2 by detecting a homozygous variant
      (c.782dupG/p.Ile262Hisfs*12) in BSCL2 gene in patient 1, and compound
      heterozygous mutations (c. 713G>A/p.Gly238Asp and c.782dupG/p.Ile262Hisfs*12) in
      patient 2. CONCLUSION: We describe two patients with classic clinical
      manifestations of CGL2 confirmed by genetic sequence analysis. A novel variant in
      BSCL2 gene was detected in one patient (c.713G>A/p.Gly238Asp).

PMID- 28916378
TI  - Clinical pharmacology of anti-angiogenic drugs in oncology.
AB  - Abnormal vasculature proliferation is one of the so-called hallmarks of cancer.
      Angiogenesis inhibitor therapies are one of the major breakthroughs in cancer
      treatment in the last two decades. Two types of anti-angiogenics have been
      approved: monoclonal antibodies and derivatives, which are injected and target
      the extracellular part of a receptor, and protein kinase inhibitors, which are
      orally taken small molecules targeting the intra-cellular Adenosine Triphosphate 
      pocket of different kinases. They have become an important part of some tumors'
      treatment, both in monotherapy or in combination. In this review, we discuss the
      key pharmacological concepts and the major pitfalls of anti-angiogenic
      prescriptions. We also review the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics profile of
      all approved anti-angiogenic protein kinase inhibitors and the potential role of
      surrogate markers and of therapeutic drug monitoring.

PMID- 28916379
TI  - Carboxymethyl fenugreek galactomannan-gellan gum-calcium silicate composite beads
      for glimepiride delivery.
AB  - Novel carboxymethyl fenugreek galactomannan (CFG)-gellan gum (GG)-calcium
      silicate (CS) composite beads were developed for controlled glimepiride (GLI)
      delivery. CFG having degree of carboxymethylation of 0.71 was synthesized and
      characterized by FTIR, DSC and XRD analyses. Subsequently, GLI-loaded hybrids
      were accomplished by ionotropic gelation technique employing Ca+2/Zn+2/Al+3 ions
      as cross-linkers. All the formulations demonstrated excellent drug encapsulation
      efficiency (DEE, 48-97%) and sustained drug release behaviour (Q8h, 62-94%).
      These quality attributes were remarkably influenced by polymer-blend (GG:CFG)
      ratios, cross-linker types and CS inclusion. The drug release profile of the
      optimized formulation (F-6) was best fitted in zero-order model with anomalous
      diffusion driven mechanism. It also conferred excellent ex vivo mucoadhesive
      property and considerable hypoglycemic effect in streptozotocin-induced diabetic
      rats. Furthermore, the beads were characterized for drug-excipients
      compatibility, drug crystallinity, thermal behaviour and surface morphology.
      Thus, the developed hybrid matrices are appropriate for controlled delivery of
      GLI for Type 2 diabetes management.

PMID- 28916366
TI  - Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the
      health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: an analysis from
      the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in the
      global ambition of "leaving no one behind". Understanding today's gains and gaps
      for the health-related SDGs is essential for decision makers as they aim to
      improve the health of populations. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases,
      Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016), we measured 37 of the 50 health
      related SDG indicators over the period 1990-2016 for 188 countries, and then on
      the basis of these past trends, we projected indicators to 2030. METHODS: We used
      standardised GBD 2016 methods to measure 37 health-related indicators from 1990
      to 2016, an increase of four indicators since GBD 2015. We substantially revised
      the universal health coverage (UHC) measure, which focuses on coverage of
      essential health services, to also represent personal health-care access and
      quality for several non-communicable diseases. We transformed each indicator on a
      scale of 0-100, with 0 as the 2.5th percentile estimated between 1990 and 2030,
      and 100 as the 97.5th percentile during that time. An index representing all 37
      health-related SDG indicators was constructed by taking the geometric mean of
      scaled indicators by target. On the basis of past trends, we produced projections
      of indicator values, using a weighted average of the indicator and country
      specific annualised rates of change from 1990 to 2016 with weights for each
      annual rate of change based on out-of-sample validity. 24 of the currently
      measured health-related SDG indicators have defined SDG targets, against which we
      assessed attainment. FINDINGS: Globally, the median health-related SDG index was
      56.7 (IQR 31.9-66.8) in 2016 and country-level performance markedly varied, with
      Singapore (86.8, 95% uncertainty interval 84.6-88.9), Iceland (86.0, 84.1-87.6),
      and Sweden (85.6, 81.8-87.8) having the highest levels in 2016 and Afghanistan
      (10.9, 9.6-11.9), the Central African Republic (11.0, 8.8-13.8), and Somalia
      (11.3, 9.5-13.1) recording the lowest. Between 2000 and 2016, notable
      improvements in the UHC index were achieved by several countries, including
      Cambodia, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Laos, Turkey, and China; however, a number
      of countries, such as Lesotho and the Central African Republic, but also high
      income countries, such as the USA, showed minimal gains. Based on projections of
      past trends, the median number of SDG targets attained in 2030 was five (IQR 2-8)
      of the 24 defined targets currently measured. Globally, projected target
      attainment considerably varied by SDG indicator, ranging from more than 60% of
      countries projected to reach targets for under-5 mortality, neonatal mortality,
      maternal mortality ratio, and malaria, to less than 5% of countries projected to
      achieve targets linked to 11 indicator targets, including those for childhood
      overweight, tuberculosis, and road injury mortality. For several of the health
      related SDGs, meeting defined targets hinges upon substantially faster progress
      than what most countries have achieved in the past. INTERPRETATION: GBD 2016
      provides an updated and expanded evidence base on where the world currently
      stands in terms of the health-related SDGs. Our improved measure of UHC offers a
      basis to monitor the expansion of health services necessary to meet the SDGs.
      Based on past rates of progress, many places are facing challenges in meeting
      defined health-related SDG targets, particularly among countries that are the
      worst off. In view of the early stages of SDG implementation, however,
      opportunity remains to take actions to accelerate progress, as shown by the
      catalytic effects of adopting the Millennium Development Goals after 2000. With
      the SDGs' broader, bolder development agenda, multisectoral commitments and
      investments are vital to make the health-related SDGs within reach of all
      populations. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

PMID- 28916380
TI  - Roles of amino acid residues H66 and D326 in the creatine kinase activity and
      structural stability.
AB  - Creatine kinase (CK) is a key enzyme for cellular energy metabolism, catalyzing
      the reversible phosphoryl transfer from phosphocreatine to ADP in vertebrates. CK
      contains a pair of highly conserved amino acids (H66 and D326) which might play
      an important role in sustaining the compact structure of CK by linking its N- and
      C- terminal domains; however the mechanism is still unclear. In this study,
      spectroscopic, structural modeling and protein folding experiments suggested that
      D326A, H66P and H66P/D326A mutations led to disruption of the hydrogen bond
      between those two amino acid residues and form the partially unfolded state which
      made it easier to be inactivated and unfolded under environmental stresses, and
      more prone to form insoluble aggregates. The formation of insoluble aggregates
      would decrease levels of active CKs which may provide clues in CK deficiency
      disease. Moreover, these results indicated that the degree of synergism had
      closely relationship to the conformational changes of CK. Thus, our results
      provided clues for understanding the mechanism of amino acid residues outside the
      active site in regulating substrate synergism.

PMID- 28916381
TI  - Perspectives on the production, structural characteristics and potential
      applications of bioplastics derived from polyhydroxyalkanoates.
AB  - Since the last two decades, the use of synthetic materials has increased and
      become more frequent in this capitalist system. Polymers used as raw materials
      are usually disposed very rapidly and considered serious damages when they return
      to the environment. Because of this behaviour, there was an increasing in the
      global awareness by minimizing the waste generated, in addition to the scientific
      community concern for technological alternatives to solve this problem.
      Alternatively, biodegradable polymers are attracting special interest due to
      their inherent properties, which are similar to the ones of the conventional
      plastics. Bioplastics covers plastics made from renewable resources, including
      plastics that biodegrade under controlled conditions at the end of their use
      phase. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters composed of hydroxy acids,
      synthesized by a variety of microorganisms as intracellular carbon and energy
      storage. These environmentally friendly biopolymers have excellent potential in
      domestic, agricultural, industrial and medical field, however their production on
      a large scale is still limited. This review considered the most recent scientific
      publications on the production of bioplastics based on PHAs, their structural
      characteristics and the exploitation of different renewable sources of raw
      materials. In addition, there were also considered the main biotechnological
      applications of these biopolymers.

PMID- 28916382
TI  - Influence of beta-lactoglobulin and calcium chloride on the molecular structure
      and interactions of casein micelles.
AB  - Targeted processing of casein micelles (CM) requires a basic understanding of
      their molecular structure as well as their interactions with each other and with
      other components. In this study, angle- and concentration-dependent static and
      dynamic light scattering is applied to investigate changes in the molecular
      weight, size, and intermolecular interactions of CM after the addition of beta
      lactoglobulin (beta-Lg) and calcium chloride. Addition of a surplus of beta-Lg
      impairs the colloidal stability of CM. In the presence of 0.5wt% beta-Lg and
      natural calcium chloride concentrations (10mM), the molecular weight of CM is
      reduced and the radius of gyration is increased. Both changes can be explained by
      the release of alphaS2-casein and kappa-casein, which were determined in higher
      concentration free in solution by High performance liquid chromatography. In
      contrast, the structure of casein micelles is not altered by the presence of beta
      Lg at elevated calcium chloride concentrations. The repulsive forces between the
      CM show no significant dependence on beta-Lg for all calcium chloride
      concentrations tested.

PMID- 28916384
TI  - Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Aging in the Era of Effective Antiretroviral
      Therapy.
AB  - Persons living with HIV (PLWH) have accentuated risks for age-associated
      comorbidities. Compared to the general population, PLWH have a 2-fold higher risk
      of cardiovascular disease, a 3-fold increased risk of fracture, and a risk of
      kidney disease that is comparable to that in diabetes. Some comorbidities may
      present at younger ages than among the general population, suggesting the
      possibility of accelerated aging with HIV infection.

PMID- 28916383
TI  - Heterologous expression and structure-function relationship of low-temperature
      and alkaline active protease from Acinetobacter sp. IHB B 5011(MN12).
AB  - The gene encoding protease from Acinetobacter sp. IHB B 5011(MN12) was cloned and
      expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The nucleotide sequence revealed 1323bp
      ORF encoding 441 amino acids protein with molecular weight 47.2kDa. The
      phylogenetic analysis showed clustering of Alp protease with subtilisin-like
      serine proteases of S8 family. The amino acid sequence was comprised of N
      terminal signal peptide 1-21 amino acids, pre-peptide 22-143 amino acids,
      peptidase S8 domain 144-434 amino acids, and pro-peptide 435-441 amino acids at C
      terminus. Three constructs with signal peptide pET-Alp, without signal peptide
      pET-Alp1 and peptidase S8 domain pET-Alp2 were prepared for expression in E. coli
      BL21(DE3). The recombinant proteins Alp1 and Alp2 expressed as inclusion bodies
      showed ~50kDa and ~40kDa bands, respectively. The pre-propeptide ~11kDa removed
      from Alp1 resulted in mature protein of ~35kDa with 1738Umg-1 specific activity.
      The recombinant protease was optimally active at 40 degrees C and pH 9, and
      stable over 10-70 degrees C and 6-12pH. The activity at low-temperature and
      alkaline pH was supported by high R/(R+K) ratio, more glycine, less proline,
      negatively charged amino acids, less salt bridges and longer loops. These
      properties suggested the suitability of Alp as additive in the laundry.

PMID- 28916385
TI  - Bacterial Pneumonia in Older Adults.
AB  - The incidence of pneumonia increases with age, and is particularly high in
      patients who reside in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Mortality rates for
      pneumonia in older adults are high and have not decreased in the last decade.
      Atypical symptoms and exacerbation of underlying illnesses should trigger
      clinical suspicion of pneumonia. Risk factors for multidrug-resistant organisms
      are more common in older adults, particularly among LTCF residents, and should be
      considered when making empiric treatment decisions. Monitoring of clinical
      stability and underlying comorbid conditions, potential drug-drug interactions,
      and drug-related adverse events are important factors in managing elderly
      patients with pneumonia.

PMID- 28916387
TI  - The PTSD Psychopharmacology Working Group: Two Suggestions.

PMID- 28916386
TI  - Molecular Mechanisms of the R61T Mutation in Apolipoprotein E4: A Dynamic Rescue.
AB  - The apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) gene is the strongest genetic risk factor for
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). With respect to the other common isoforms of this
      protein (ApoE2 and ApoE3), ApoE4 is characterized by lower stability that
      underlies the formation of a stable interaction between the protein's N- and C
      terminal domains. AD-related cellular dysfunctions have been linked to this ApoE4
      misfolded state. In this regard, it has been reported that the mutation R61T is
      able to rescue the deleterious cellular effects of ApoE4 by preventing the
      formation of the misfolded intermediate state. However, a clear description of
      the structural features at the basis of the R61T-ApoE4 mutant's protective effect
      is still missing. Recently, using extensive molecular dynamics simulations, we
      have identified a structural model of an ApoE4 misfolded intermediate state.
      Building on our previous work, here we explore the dynamical changes induced by
      the R61T mutation in the ApoE4 native and misfolded states. Notably, we do not
      observe any local changes in the domains in the R61T-ApoE4 system, rather a
      general loss of correlated movements in the entire protein structure. More
      specifically, we detect increased dynamics in the hinge region, which is
      essential for ApoE4 domain-domain interaction. Consistent with previously
      reported data on altered phospholipid and receptor binding, we hypothesize that
      mutations destabilizing the ApoE4 intermediate state change hinge region
      dynamics, which propagates to distal functional regions of the protein and
      modifies ApoE4's functional properties. This unique behavior of the ApoE4 hinge
      region provides, to our knowledge, a novel understanding of ApoE4's role in AD.

PMID- 28916388
TI  - Differential effects of FXR or TGR5 activation in cholangiocarcinoma progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive tumor type
      affecting cholangiocytes. CCAs frequently arise under certain cholestatic liver
      conditions. Intrahepatic accumulation of bile acids may facilitate cocarcinogenic
      effects by triggering an inflammatory response and cholangiocyte proliferation.
      Here, the role of bile acid receptors FXR and TGR5 in CCA progression was
      evaluated. METHODS: FXR and TGR5 expression was determined in human CCA tissues
      and cell lines. An orthotopic model of CCA was established in immunodeficient
      mice and tumor volume was monitored by magnetic resonance imaging under chronic
      administration of the specific FXR or TGR5 agonists, obeticholic acid (OCA) or
      INT-777 (0,03% in chow; Intercept Pharmaceuticals), respectively. Functional
      effects of FXR or TGR5 activation were evaluated on CCA cells in vitro. RESULTS:
      FXR was downregulated whereas TGR5 was upregulated in human CCA tissues compared
      to surrounding normal liver tissue. FXR expression correlated with tumor
      differentiation and TGR5 correlated with perineural invasion. TGR5 expression was
      higher in perihilar than in intrahepatic CCAs. In vitro, FXR was downregulated
      and TGR5 was upregulated in human CCA cells compared to normal human
      cholangiocytes. OCA halted CCA growth in vivo, whereas INT-777 showed no effect.
      In vitro, OCA inhibited CCA cell proliferation and migration which was associated
      with decreased mitochondrial energy metabolism. INT-777, by contrast, stimulated
      CCA cell proliferation and migration, linked to increased mitochondrial energy
      metabolism. CONCLUSION: Activation of FXR inhibits, whereas TGR5 activation may
      promote, CCA progression by regulating proliferation, migration and mitochondrial
      energy metabolism. Modulation of FXR or TGR5 activities may represent potential
      therapeutic strategies for CCA.

PMID- 28916389
TI  - Removal and killing of multispecies endodontic biofilms by N-acetylcysteine.
AB  - Removal of bacterial biofilm from the root canal system is essential for the
      management of endodontic disease. Here we evaluated the antibacterial effect of N
      acetylcysteine (NAC), a potent antioxidant and mucolytic agent, against mature
      multispecies endodontic biofilms consisting of Actinomyces naeslundii,
      Lactobacillus salivarius, Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis on
      sterile human dentin blocks. The biofilms were exposed to NAC (25, 50 and
      100mg/mL), saturated calcium hydroxide or 2% chlorhexidine solution for 7 days,
      then examined by scanning electron microscopy. The biofilm viability was measured
      by viable cell counts and ATP-bioluminescence assay. NAC showed greater efficacy
      in biofilm cell removal and killing than the other root canal medicaments.
      Furthermore, 100mg/mL NAC disrupted the mature multispecies endodontic biofilms
      completely. These results demonstrate the potential use of NAC in root canal
      treatment.

PMID- 28916390
TI  - IL-33 receptor ST2 deficiency attenuates renal ischaemia-reperfusion injury in
      euglycaemic, but not streptozotocin-induced hyperglycaemic mice.
AB  - AIM: Kidney hypoxia can predispose to the development of acute and chronic renal
      failure in diabetes. Ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) causes inflammation, and
      diabetes is known to exacerbate this inflammatory response in the kidney, whereas
      alarmin IL-33 could act as an innate immune mediator during kidney IRI. Thus, the
      present study examined the impact of genetic IL-33 receptor ST2 deficiency (ST2-/
      ) on renal IRI in euglycaemic and hyperglycaemic mice. METHODS: Hyperglycaemia
      was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) in adult male C57BL/6JRj wild-type (WT)
      mice and ST2-/- mice. Unilateral renal IRI was achieved 3months after STZ
      treatment by left kidney nephrectomy (non-ischaemic control kidney) and clamping
      of the right renal artery for 32min in STZ- and vehicle-treated animals. At 24h
      after reperfusion, renal function and injury were determined by levels of plasma
      creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and histological tubule scores. Also, in a
      complementary pilot clinical study, soluble ST2 concentrations were compared in
      diabetics and non-diabetics. RESULTS: Urinary albumin was significantly increased
      in STZ-induced hyperglycaemic mice, regardless of genotypic background. At 24h
      post-ischaemia, plasma creatinine, BUN and tubular injury were significantly
      reduced in ST2-/- mice compared with vehicle-treated WT mice, but this protective
      effect was lost in the STZ-induced hyperglycaemic ST2-/- animals. Plasma
      concentrations of soluble ST2 were significantly greater in type 2 diabetes
      patients vs non-diabetics. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the IL-33/ST2
      pathway exerts differential effects depending on the glucose environment, opening
      up new avenues for future research on alarmins and diabetes in ischaemia-related
      diseases.

PMID- 28916391
TI  - Zika virus structural biology and progress in vaccine development.
AB  - The growing number of zika virus (ZIKV) infections plus a 20-fold increase in
      neonatal microcephaly in newborns in Brazil have raised alarms in many countries
      regarding the threat to pregnant women. Instances of microcephaly and central
      nervous system malformations continue to increase in ZIKV outbreak regions. ZIKV
      is a small enveloped positive-strand RNA virus belonging to the Flavivirus genus
      of the Flaviviridae family. High-resolution ZIKV structures recently identified
      by cryo-electron microscopy indicate that the overall ZIKV structure is similar
      to those of other flaviviruses. With its compact surface, ZIKV is more thermally
      stable than the dengue virus (DENV). ZIKV E proteins have a characteristic
      "herringbone" structure with a single glycosylation site. The ZIKV E protein, the
      major protein involved in receptor binding and fusion, is formed as a head-to
      tail dimer on the surfaces of viral particles. The E monomer consists of three
      distinct domains: DI, DII, and DIII. The finger-like DII contains a fusion loop
      (FL) that is inserted into the host cell endosomal membrane during pH-dependent
      conformational changes that drive fusion. Quaternary E:E dimer epitopes located
      at the interaction site of prM and E dimers can be further divided into two dimer
      epitopes. To date, more than 50 ZIKV vaccine candidates are now in various stages
      of research and development. Candidate ZIKV vaccines that are currently in phase
      I/II clinical trials include inactivated whole viruses, recombinant measles viral
      vector-based vaccines, DNA and mRNA vaccines, and a mosquito salivary peptide
      vaccine. Stabilized forms of ZIKV E:E dimer proteins have been successfully
      obtained either by introducing additional inter-subunit disulfide bond(s) in DII
      or via the direct assembly of E:E dimer proteins by immobilization with monomeric
      E proteins. The VLP-based approach is another alternative method for presenting
      native E:E dimer antigens among the vaccine components. Several forms of ZIKV
      VLPs have been reported featuring the co-expression of the prM-E, prM-E-NS1, C
      prM-E, and NS2B/NS3 viral genes in human cells. To minimize the effect of the
      cross-reactive ADE-facilitating antibodies between ZIKV and DENV, several novel
      mutations have been reported either in or near the FL of DII or DIII to dampen
      the production of cross-reactive antibodies. Future ZIKV vaccine design efforts
      should be focused on eliciting improved neutralizing antibodies with a reduced
      level of cross-reactivity to confer sterilizing immunity.

PMID- 28916392
TI  - Formulation, construction and analysis of kinetic models of metabolism: A review
      of modelling frameworks.
AB  - Kinetic models are critical to predict the dynamic behaviour of metabolic
      networks. Mechanistic kinetic models for large networks remain uncommon due to
      the difficulty of fitting their parameters. Recent modelling frameworks promise
      new ways to overcome this obstacle while retaining predictive capabilities. In
      this review, we present an overview of the relevant mathematical frameworks for
      kinetic formulation, construction and analysis. Starting with kinetic formalisms,
      we next review statistical methods for parameter inference, as well as recent
      computational frameworks applied to the construction and analysis of kinetic
      models. Finally, we discuss opportunities and limitations hindering the
      development of larger kinetic reconstructions.

PMID- 28916393
TI  - Towards a chromatographic similarity index to establish localised Quantitative
      Structure-Retention Relationships for retention prediction. III Combination of
      Tanimoto similarity index, logP, and retention factor ratio to identify optimal
      analyte training sets for ion chromatography.
AB  - Retention prediction for unknown compounds based on Quantitative Structure
      Retention Relationships (QSRR) can lead to rapid "scoping" method development in
      chromatography by simplifying the selection of chromatographic parameters. The
      use of retention factor ratio (or k-ratio) as a chromatographic similarity index
      can be a potent method to cluster similar compounds into a training set to
      generate an accurate predictive QSRR model provided that its limitation - that
      the method is impractical for retention prediction for unknown compounds - is
      successfully addressed. In this work, we propose a localised QSRR modelling
      approach with the aim of compensating the critical limitation in the otherwise
      successful k-ratio filter-based QSRR modelling. The approach is to combine a k
      ratio filter with both Tanimoto similarity (TS) and a DeltalogP index (i.e., logP
      Dual filter). QSRR models for two retention parameters (a and b) in the linear
      solvent strength (LSS) model in ion chromatography (IC), logk=a - blog[eluent],
      were generated for larger organic cations (molecular mass up to 506) on a Thermo
      Fisher Scientific CS17 column. The application of the developed logP-Dual filter
      resulted in the production of successful QSRR models for 50 organic cations out
      of 87 in the dataset. The predicted a- and b-values of the models were then
      applied to the LSS model to predict the corresponding retention times. External
      validation showed that QSRR models for a-, b- and tR- values with excellent
      accuracy and predictability (Qext(F2)2 of 0.96, 0.95, and 0.96, RMSEP of 0.06,
      0.02, and 0.38min) were created successfully, and these models can be employed to
      speed up the "scoping" phase of method development in IC.

PMID- 28916394
TI  - A useful strategy based on chromatographic data combined with quality-by-design
      approach for food analysis applications. The case study of furanic derivatives in
      sugarcane honey.
AB  - Sugarcane honey (SCH) is one of the Madeira Island products par excellence and it
      is now popular worldwide. Its sui generis and peculiar sensory properties,
      explained by a variety of volatile compounds including furanic derivatives (FDs),
      arise mainly from manufacturing and storage conditions. A simple high-throughput
      approach based on semi-automatic microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS)
      combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) was developed
      and validated for identification and quantification of target FDs in sugarcane
      honey. A Quality-by-Design (QbD) approach was used as a powerful strategy to
      optimize analytical conditions for high throughput analysis of FDs in complex
      sugar-rich food matrices. The optimum point into MEPS-Method Operable Design:
      Region (MODR) was obtained with R-CX sorbent, acetonitrile (ACN) as elution
      solvent, three loading cycles and 500MUL of sample volume. The optimum point into
      UHPLC-MODR was obtained with a CORTECS column operating at a temperature of 50
      degrees C, ACN as eluent and a flow rate of 125MULmin-1. The robustness was
      demonstrated by Monte Carlo simulation and capability analysis for estimation of
      residual errors. The concentration-response relationship for all FDs were
      described by polynomial function models, being confirmed by Fisher variance (F
      test). The% recoveries were in a range of 91.9-112.1%. Good method precision was
      observed, yielding relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 4.9% for
      repeatability and 8.8% for intermediate precision. The limits of quantitation for
      the analytes ranged from 30.6 to 737.7MUgkg-1. The MEPSR-CX/UHPLCCORTECS-PDA
      method revealed an effective and potential analytical tool for SCH authenticity
      control based on target analysis of FDs allowing a strict control and
      differentiation from other similar or adulterated products.

PMID- 28916395
TI  - Pachydermoperiostosis: The value of molecular diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pachydermoperiostosis is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder
      characterized by the association of periostosis and pachydermia. To date, two
      genes involved in prostaglandin metabolism, HPGD and SLCO2A1, have been
      identified. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 7-year-old girl presented digital clubbing of
      the hands and feet, curved nails, hyperhidrosis, and pachydermia, as well as
      eczema of the trunk and limbs. The diagnosis of pachydermoperiostosis was
      confirmed by the detection of a homozygous mutation in the HPGD gene. The second
      case concerned a 41-year-old male with acral and cephalic pachydermia (cutis
      verticis gyrata), and palmoplantar keratoderma. Bone X-rays showed changes in the
      distal ends of several bones. The diagnosis of pachydermoperiostosis was
      confirmed by the detection of a homozygous mutation in the SLCO2A1 gene.
      DISCUSSION: The genotype/phenotype correlation suggests that patients with
      SLCO2A1 mutations will develop the symptoms later in life, but that these will be
      more severe, with a greater likelihood of cutis verticis gyrata and joint
      involvement compared with patients presenting HPGD mutations. In addition,
      hereditary enteropathy has recently been described in patients with SLCO2A1
      mutations, which could account for the gastrointestinal picture seen in the
      second patient. Finally, on account of cases involving myelofibrosis associated
      with mutations in the SLCO2A gene, these patients should have a hematologic
      follow-up. CONCLUSION: Given the genotype/phenotype correlations illustrated by
      these cases, it would appear useful to propose molecular diagnosis for patients
      presenting pachydermoperiostosis.

PMID- 28916396
TI  - Ultrafine particle transport and deposition in a large scale 17-generation lung
      model.
AB  - To understand how to assess optimally the risks of inhaled particles on
      respiratory health, it is necessary to comprehend the uptake of ultrafine
      particulate matter by inhalation during the complex transport process through a
      non-dichotomously bifurcating network of conduit airways. It is evident that the
      highly toxic ultrafine particles damage the respiratory epithelium in the
      terminal bronchioles. The wide range of in silico available and the limited
      realistic model for the extrathoracic region of the lung have improved
      understanding of the ultrafine particle transport and deposition (TD) in the
      upper airways. However, comprehensive ultrafine particle TD data for the real and
      entire lung model are still unavailable in the literature. Therefore, this study
      is aimed to provide an understanding of the ultrafine particle TD in the terminal
      bronchioles for the development of future therapeutics. The Euler-Lagrange (E-L)
      approach and ANSYS fluent (17.2) solver were used to investigate ultrafine
      particle TD. The physical conditions of sleeping, resting, and light activity
      were considered in this modelling study. A comprehensive pressure-drop along five
      selected path lines in different lobes was calculated. The non-linear behaviour
      of pressure-drops is observed, which could aid the health risk assessment system
      for patients with respiratory diseases. Numerical results also showed that
      ultrafine particle-deposition efficiency (DE) in different lobes is different for
      various physical activities. Moreover, the numerical results showed hot spots in
      various locations among the different lobes for different flow rates, which could
      be helpful for targeted therapeutical aerosol transport to terminal bronchioles
      and the alveolar region.

PMID- 28916397
TI  - Computational assessment of model-based wave separation using a database of
      virtual subjects.
AB  - The quantification of arterial wave reflection is an important area of interest
      in arterial pulse wave analysis. It can be achieved by wave separation analysis
      (WSA) if both the aortic pressure waveform and the aortic flow waveform are
      known. For better applicability, several mathematical models have been
      established to estimate aortic flow solely based on pressure waveforms. The aim
      of this study is to investigate and verify the model-based wave separation of the
      ARCSolver method on virtual pulse wave measurements. The study is based on an
      open access virtual database generated via simulations. Seven cardiac and
      arterial parameters were varied within physiological healthy ranges, leading to a
      total of 3325 virtual healthy subjects. For assessing the model-based ARCSolver
      method computationally, this method was used to perform WSA based on the aortic
      root pressure waveforms of the virtual patients. Asa reference, the values of WSA
      using both the pressure and flow waveforms provided by the virtual database were
      taken. The investigated parameters showed a good overall agreement between the
      model-based method and the reference. Mean differences and standard deviations
      were -0.05+/-0.02AU for characteristic impedance, -3.93+/-1.79mmHg for forward
      pressure amplitude, 1.37+/-1.56mmHg for backward pressure amplitude and 12.42+/
      4.88% for reflection magnitude. The results indicate that the mathematical blood
      flow model of the ARCSolver method is a feasible surrogate for a measured flow
      waveform and provides a reasonable way to assess arterial wave reflection non
      invasively in healthy subjects.

PMID- 28916398
TI  - In-vivo analysis of sternal angle, sternal and sternocostal kinematics in supine
      humans during breathing.
AB  - This paper aims at contributing to the understanding of the combination of in
      vivo sternum displacement, sternal angle variations and sternocostal joints (SCJ)
      kinematics of the seven first rib pairs over the inspiratory capacity (IC).
      Retrospective codified spiral-CT data obtained at total lung capacity (TLC),
      middle of inspiratory capacity (MIC) and at functional residual capacity (FRC)
      were used to compute kinematic parameters of the bones and joints of interest in
      a sample of 12 asymptomatic subjects. 3D models of rib, thoracic vertebra,
      manubrium and sternum were processed to determine anatomical landmarks (ALs) on
      each bone. These ALs were used to create local coordinate system and compute
      spatial transformation of ribs and manubrium relative to sternum, and sternum
      relative to thoracic vertebra. The rib angular displacements and associated
      orientation of rotation axes and joint pivot points (JPP), the sternal angle
      variations and the associated displacement of the sternum relative to vertebra
      were computed between each breathing pose at the three lung volumes. Results can
      be summarized as following: (1) sternum cephalic displacement ranged between 17.8
      and 19.2mm over the IC; (2) the sternal angle showed a mean variation of 4.4
      degrees +/-2.7 degrees  over the IC; (3) ranges of rib rotation relative to
      sternum decreased gradually with increasing rib level; (4) axes of rotation were
      similarly oriented at each SCJ; (5) JPP spatial displacements showed less
      variations at first SCJ compared to levels underneath; (6) linear relation was
      demonstrated between SCJ ROMs and sternum cephalic displacement over the IC.

PMID- 28916399
TI  - Comment on: Long-term weight loss in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

PMID- 28916400
TI  - Assessing Changes in the Activity Levels of Breast Cancer Patients During
      Radiation Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radiation therapy (RT) is often delivered after lumpectomy for women
      with breast cancer. A common perceived side effect of RT is fatigue, yet its
      exact effect on activity levels and sleep is unknown. In this study we analyzed
      the change in activity levels and sleep using an activity tracking device before,
      during, and after RT for women with early stage breast cancer and ductal
      carcinoma in situ who underwent adjuvant RT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: After
      institutional review board approval, activity levels were quantified before,
      during, and after RT with measurements of steps, miles walked, calories burned,
      and sleep metrics in 10 women fitted with activity trackers. All data were
      uploaded and tabulated on a secure database. Multivariable linear regressions
      were used to evaluate changes in these variables over time during the RT course.
      RESULTS: Median step count was 5047 per day (range, 2741-15,508) and distance
      traveled was 1.6 miles per day (range, 0.9-5.3). Step count, distance, and
      calories decreased by an average of 54 steps per day, 0.02 miles per day, and 3
      calories per day (median calories 1822; range, 1461-2712) during RT,
      respectively. These changes were statistically significant (P < .001), but not
      clinically relevant. There was no significant change in sleep (average 6.8 hours
      per night; range, 5.5-8.3). CONCLUSION: RT has a minimal effect on activity or
      sleep in women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Activity levels varied
      greatly between patients in a population of women undergoing hypofractionated RT.
      Because increased activity levels correlate with improved outcomes, further
      studies evaluating attempts to increase physical activity during as well as after
      treatment with radiation are warranted.

PMID- 28916401
TI  - CART: Cell-free and Concentrated Ascites Reinfusion Therapy against malignancy
      related ascites.
AB  - A standard strategy against ascites, a common symptom observed in cirrhotic and
      cancer patients, includes restriction of sodium intake and use of a diuretic.
      Paracentesis is a widely applied method against refractory ascites that do not
      react to such treatment. However, emerging fatigue and hemodynamic instability
      are possibly attributable to a loss of protein included in ascites. Cell-free and
      Concentrated Ascites Reinfusion Therapy (CART) is also applied against refractory
      ascites. CART comprises three processes. After ascites is first filtered to
      remove cell components, it is concentrated to reduce its volume. Fluid obtained
      through these processes, including useful proteins such as albumin and globulin,
      is finally reinfused intravenously. CART was reported first in the 1970s. Since
      then, it has been applied mainly against cirrhotic ascites with a thinner cell
      component. Now, its indication is expanding to include malignancy-related
      ascites. Additionally, CART can be applied safely against malignancy-related
      ascites. Its favorable effects on control of patients' symptoms are anticipated,
      especially on fatigue. Although related evidence has not been established, CART
      can be anticipated for use as a strategy against refractory ascites.

PMID- 28916402
TI  - The mechanisms of rejection in solid organ transplantation.
AB  - Organ transplantation represents the preferred treatment option for many patients
      in terminal organ failure. The half-life of transplanted organs, however, is
      still far from being satisfactory with the vast majority of the organs failing
      within the first two decades following transplantation. At this stage, it has
      become apparent that rejection (prevalently mediated by humoral events) remains
      the primary cause of graft loss after the first year. In this light, studies are
      underway to better comprehend the immune events underlying graft rejection and
      novel immunosuppressive strategies are being explored. In this context,
      therapeutic apheresis techniques, that include therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE),
      immunoadsorption (IA) and extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP), represent an
      important adjunct in the current immunosuppressive armamentarium. This article
      briefly reviews our current understanding of the immune process underlying
      rejection of a solid organ transplant and describes the principal areas of
      application of therapeutic apheresis techniques in transplantation.

PMID- 28916403
TI  - A case of severe acquired hypertriglyceridemia in a 7-year-old girl.
AB  - We report a case of severe type I hyperlipoproteinemia caused by autoimmunity
      against lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the context of presymptomatic Sjogren's
      syndrome. A 7-year-old mixed race (Caucasian/African American) girl was admitted
      to the intensive care unit at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital with acute
      pancreatitis and shock. She was previously healthy aside from asthma and history
      of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Admission triglycerides (TGs) were 2191 mg/dL but
      returned to normal during the hospital stay and in the absence of food intake. At
      discharge, she was placed on a low-fat, low-sugar diet. She did not respond to
      fibrates, prescription fish oil, metformin, or orlistat, and during the following
      2 years, she was hospitalized several times with recurrent pancreatitis. Except
      for a heterozygous mutation in the promoter region of LPL, predicted to have no
      clinical significance, she had no further mutations in genes known to affect TG
      metabolism and to cause inherited type I hyperlipoproteinemia, such as APOA5,
      APOC2, GPIHBP1, or LMF1. When her TG levels normalized after incidental use of
      prednisone, an autoimmune mechanism was suspected. Immunoblot analyses showed the
      presence of autoantibodies to LPL in the patient's plasma. Autoantibodies to LPL
      decreased by 37% while patient was on prednisone, and by 68% as she subsequently
      transitioned to hydroxychloroquine monotherapy. While on hydroxychloroquine, she
      underwent a supervised high-fat meal challenge and showed normal ability to
      metabolize TG. For the past 3 years and 6 months, she has had TG consistently
      <250 mg/dL, and no symptoms of, or readmissions for, pancreatitis.

PMID- 28916404
TI  - Diagnostic process-how to do it right? The SMART medicine initiative.

PMID- 28916405
TI  - Love Death-A Retrospective and Prospective Follow-Up Mortality Study Over 45
      Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although sexual activity can cause moderate stress, it can cause
      natural death in individuals with pre-existing illness. The aim of this study was
      to identify additional pre-existing health problems, sexual practices, and
      potential circumstances that may trigger fatal events. METHODS: This medicolegal
      postmortem, retrospective, and prospective study is based on data of autopsies
      performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine of the University hospital, Goethe
      University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany. OUTCOMES: Identification of pre-existing
      health problems, sexual practices, and potential circumstances than could trigger
      fatal events. RESULTS: From 1972 to 2016 (45 years) approximately 38,000
      medicolegal autopsies were performed, of which 99 cases of natural death were
      connected to sexual activities (0.26%). Except for eight women, men represented
      most cases. The women's mean age was 45 years (median = 45) and the men's mean
      age was 57.2 years (median = 57). Causes of death were coronary heart disease (n
      = 28), myocardial infarction (n = 21) and reinfarction (n = 17), cerebral
      hemorrhage (n = 12), rupture of aortic aneurysms (n = 8), cardiomyopathy (n = 8),
      acute heart failure (n = 2), sudden cardiac arrest (n = 1), myocarditis (n = 1),
      and a combination of post myocardial infarction and cocaine intoxication (n = 1).
      Most cases showed increased heart weights and body mass indices. Death occurred
      mainly during the summer and spring and in the home of the deceased. If sexual
      partners were identified, 34 men died during or after sexual contact with a
      female prostitute, two cases at least two female prostitutes. Nine men died
      during or after sexual intercourse with their wife, in seven cases the sexual
      partner was a mistress, and in four cases the life partner. Five men died during
      homosexual contacts. Based on the situation 30 men were found in, death occurred
      during masturbation. Of the women, five died during intercourse with the life
      partner, two died during intercourse with a lover or friend, and in one case no
      information was provided. CLINICAL TRANSLATION: Natural deaths connected with
      sexual activity appear to be associated with male sex and pre-existing
      cardiovascular disorders. Most cases recorded occurred with mistresses,
      prostitutes, or during masturbation. If death occurs, the spouse or life partner
      might need psychological support. STRENGTH AND LIMITATIONS: To our knowledge, the
      present study contains the largest collection of postmortem data on natural
      deaths connected with sexual activities. However, the cases presented were of
      forensic interest; a larger number of undetected cases especially in the marital
      or stable relationship sector must be assumed. CONCLUSION: Patients should be
      informed about the circumstances that could trigger the "love death." Lange L,
      Zedler B, Verhoff MA, Parzeller M. Love Death-A Retrospective and Prospective
      Follow-Up Mortality Study Over 45 Years. J Sex Med 2017;14:1226-1231.

PMID- 28916406
TI  - General practitioners' preferences with regard to colorectal cancer screening
      organisation Colon cancer screening medico-legal aspects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: French health authorities put general practitioners at the heart of
      the colorectal cancer screening. This position raises organisational issues and
      poses medico-legal problems for the professionals and institutions involved in
      these campaigns, related to the key concepts of medical decisions and suitability
      of standards. The objective of our study is to reveal the preferences of general
      practitioners related to colorectal cancer screening organisation with regard to
      the medico-legal risk METHODS: A discrete choice questionnaire presenting
      hypothetical screening scenarios was mailed to 2114 physicians from 20 French
      different areas. The preferences of 358 general practitioners were analysed using
      logistic regression models. RESULTS: The factors that have significant impact on
      the preferences of general practitioners are the capacity of the primary care
      professional in the procedure, the manner in which pre-screening information is
      given to patients, the manner in which screening results are given to patients,
      the number of reminders sent to patients who test positive and who do not undergo
      a colonoscopy and the remuneration of the attending physician. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results reveals that current colorectal cancer screening organisation is not
      adapted to general practitioners preferences. This work offers the public
      authorities avenues for reflection on possible developments in order to optimize
      the involvement of general practitioners in the promotion of cancer screening
      programme.

PMID- 28916407
TI  - Corrigendum to "Circumventing intratumoral heterogeneity to identify potential
      therapeutic targets in hepatocellular carcinoma" [J Hepatol 67 (2017) 293-301].

PMID- 28916408
TI  - Robot-assisted Kidney Transplantation: The European Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT) has recently been
      introduced to reduce the morbidity of open kidney transplantation (KT).
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate perioperative and early postoperative RAKT outcomes.
      DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a multicenter prospective
      observational study of 120 patients who underwent RAKT, predominantly with a
      living donor kidney, in eight European institutions between July 2015 and May
      2017, with minimum follow-up of 1 mo. The robot-assisted surgical steps were
      transperitoneal dissection of the external iliac vessels, venous/arterial
      anastomosis, graft retroperitonealization, and ureterovesical anastomosis.
      OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive analysis of surgical
      data and their correlations with functional outcomes. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS:
      The median operative and vascular suture time was 250 and 38min, respectively.
      The median estimated blood loss was 150ml. No major intraoperative complications
      occurred, although two patients needed open conversion. The median postoperative
      estimated glomerular filtration rate was 21.2, 45.0, 52.6, and 58.0ml/min on
      postoperative day 1, 3, 7, and 30, respectively. Both early and late graft
      function were not related to overall operating time or rewarming time. Five cases
      of delayed graft function (4.2%) were reported. One case (0.8%) of wound
      infection, three cases (2.5%) of ileus, and four cases of bleeding (3.3%; three
      of which required blood transfusion), managed conservatively, were observed. One
      case (0.8%) of deep venous thrombosis, one case (0.8%) of lymphocele, and three
      cases (2.5%) of transplantectomy due to massive arterial thrombosis were
      recorded. In five cases (4.2%), surgical exploration was performed for
      intraperitoneal hematoma. Limitations of the study include selection bias, the
      lack of an open control group, and failure to report on patient cosmetic
      satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: When performed by surgeons with robotic and KT
      experience, RAKT is safe and reproducible in selected cases and yields excellent
      graft function. PATIENT SUMMARY: We present the largest reported series on robot
      assisted kidney transplantation. Use of a robotic technique can yield low
      complication rates, rapid recovery, and excellent graft function. Further
      investigations need to confirm our promising data.

PMID- 28916409
TI  - Re: Cytoreductive Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma with Venous Tumor
      Thrombus.

PMID- 28916410
TI  - Kinetic stability and sequence/structure studies of urine-derived Bence-Jones
      proteins from multiple myeloma and light chain amyloidosis patients.
AB  - It is now accepted that the ability of a protein to form amyloid fibrils could be
      associated both kinetic and thermodynamic protein folding parameters. A recent
      study from our laboratory using recombinant full-length (encompassing the
      variable and constant domain) immunoglobulin light chains found a strong kinetic
      control of the protein unfolding for these proteins. In this study, we are
      extending our analysis by using urine-derived Bence Jones proteins (BJPs) from
      five patients with light chain (AL) amyloidosis and four patients with multiple
      myeloma (MM). We observed lower stability in kappa proteins compared to lambda
      proteins (for both MM and AL proteins) in agreement with previous studies. The
      kinetic component of protein stability is not a universal feature of BJPs and the
      hysteresis observed during refolding reactions could be attributed to the
      inability of the protein to refold all domains. The most stable proteins
      exhibited 3-state unfolding transitions. While these proteins do not refold
      reversibly, partial refolding shows 2-state partial refolding transitions,
      suggesting that one of the domains (possibly the variable domain) does not refold
      completely. Sequences were aligned with their respective germlines and the
      location and nature of the mutations were analyzed. The location of the mutations
      were analyzed and compared with the stability and amyloidogenic properties for
      the proteins in this study, increasing our understanding of light chain unfolding
      and amyloidogenic potential.

PMID- 28916411
TI  - 3D fusion of coronary CT angiography and CT myocardial perfusion imaging:
      Intuitive assessment of morphology and function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this work was to support three-dimensional fusion of
      coronary CT angiography (coronary CTA) and CT myocardial perfusion (CT-Perf) data
      visualizing coronary artery stenoses and corresponding stress-induced myocardial
      perfusion deficits for diagnostics of coronary artery disease. METHODS: Twelve
      patients undergoing coronary CTA/CT-Perf after heart transplantation were
      included (56 +/- 12 years, all males). CT image quality was rated. Coronary
      diameter stenoses >50% were documented for coronary CTA. Stress-induced perfusion
      deficits were noted for CT-Perf. A software was implemented facilitating 3D
      fusion imaging of coronary CTA/CT-Perf data. Coronary arteries and heart contours
      were segmented automatically. To overcome anatomical mismatch of coronary CTA/CT
      Perf image acquisition, perfusion values were projected on the left ventricle as
      visualized in coronary CTA. Three resulting datasets (coronary tree/heart
      contour/perfusion values) were fused for combined three-dimensional rendering. 3D
      fusion was compared with conventional analysis of coronary CTA/CT-Perf data and
      to results from catheter coronary angiography. RESULTS: CT image quality was
      rated good-excellent (3.5 +/- 0.5, scale 1-4). 3D fusion imaging of coronary
      CTA/CT-Perf data was feasible in 11/12 patients (92%). One patient (8%) was
      excluded from further analysis due to severe motion artifacts. 2 of 11 remaining
      patients (18%) showed both stress-induced perfusion deficits and relevant
      coronary stenoses. Using 3D fusion imaging, the ischemic region could be
      correlated to a culprit coronary lesion in one case (1/2 = 50%) and diagnostic
      findings could be rectified in the other case (1/2 = 50%). Coronary CTA was in
      full correspondence with catheter coronary angiography. CONCLUSION: A method for
      3D fusion of coronary CTA/CT-Perf is introduced correlating relevant coronary
      lesions and corresponding stress-induced myocardial perfusion deficits.

PMID- 28916412
TI  - "Predatory" journals threatening the scientific medical press.
AB  - In this report, the authors analyze the revolutions (journal indexing,
      structuring of medical writing and reviewing, impact of information technology
      and transformation of the medical press's business model) that, in a very short
      space of time, have profoundly affected the world of medical writing, which has
      now come under the fire of "predatory" journals.

PMID- 28916413
TI  - Emerging Structural Understanding of Amyloid Fibrils by Solid-State NMR.
AB  - Amyloid structures at atomic resolution have remained elusive mainly because of
      their extensive polymorphism and because their polymeric properties have hampered
      structural studies by classical approaches. Progress in sample preparation, as
      well as solid-state NMR methods, recently enabled the determination of high
      resolution 3D structures of fibrils such as the amyloid-beta fibril, which is
      involved in Alzheimer's disease. Notably, the simultaneous but independent
      structure determination of Abeta1-42, a peptide that forms fibrillar deposits in
      the brain of Alzheimer patients, by two independent laboratories, which yielded
      virtually identical results, has highlighted how structures can be obtained that
      allow further functional investigation.

PMID- 28916414
TI  - Nasal care in intensive care unit patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate nasal hygiene in intensive care
      patients and improve patient care using isotonic saline nasal spray. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: In the study group, over a period of tendays saline nasal spray was
      administered four times daily. Nasal treatment was not given to the control
      group. Each patient was examined with a flexible nasopharyngoscope before and
      after the treatment and a nasal culture was taken. RESULTS: In the study group,
      the secretion score (1- absent; 2- serosal; 3- seropurulent and 4- purulent) mean
      value improved from 1.9 to 1.4. In the control group, the secretion score mean
      value had risen from 1.7 to 3.1. At the beginning of the study, there was no
      difference in secretion scores between the groups, but on the tenth day a
      statistically significant difference was found. CONCLUSION: The use of saline
      nasal spray in this group of intensive care patients was found to be effective in
      achieving nasal hygiene.

PMID- 28916415
TI  - Home to die from the intensive care unit: A qualitative descriptive study of the
      family's experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many people would choose to die at home, and this can be an option
      for intensive care patients. However, there is limited exploration of the impact
      on the family. AIM: To gain insight into family members' experiences when an
      adult intensive care unit patient is taken home to die. METHODS: Methodology is
      qualitative description, utilising purposeful sampling, unstructured interviews
      and thematic analysis. Four participants, from two different families were
      interviewed. The setting was a tertiary level Intensive Care Unit in New Zealand.
      FINDINGS: The experience was described as a kaleidoscope of events with two main
      themes: 'value' family member's found in the patient going home, and their
      experience of the 'process'. 'Value' subthemes: going home being the patient's
      own decision, home as an end-of-life environment, and the patient's positive
      response to being at home. 'Process' subthemes: care and support received, stress
      of a family member being in intensive care, feeling that everything happened
      quickly, and concerns and uncertainties. CONCLUSION: Going home to die from the
      intensive care unit can be a positive but challenging experience for the family.
      Full collaboration between the patient, family and staff is essential, to ensure
      the family are appropriately supported.

PMID- 28916416
TI  - The central compartment - Center of controversy, confusion, and concern in
      management of differentiated thyroid cancer.

PMID- 28916418
TI  - A glimpse into a neglected population - Emerging adults.

PMID- 28916417
TI  - In-hospital clinical outcomes after upper gastrointestinal surgery: Data from an
      international observational study.
AB  - AIMS: Previous research suggests that patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal
      surgery are at high risk of poor postoperative outcomes. The aim of our study was
      to describe patient outcomes after elective upper gastrointestinal surgery at a
      global level. METHODS: Prospective analysis of data collected during an
      international seven-day cohort study of 474 hospitals in 27 countries. Patients
      undergoing elective upper gastrointestinal surgery were recruited. Outcome
      measures were in-hospital complications and mortality at 30-days. Results are
      presented as n(%) and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: 2139
      patients were included, of whom 498 (23.2%) developed one or more postoperative
      complications, with 30 deaths (1.4%). Patients with complications had longer
      median hospital stay 11 (6-18) days vs. 5 (2-10) days. Infectious complications
      were most frequent, affecting 368 (17.2%) patients. 328 (15.3%) patients were
      admitted to critical care postoperatively, of whom 161 (49.1%) developed a
      complication with 14 deaths (4.3%). In a multivariable logistic regression model
      we identified age (OR 1.02 [1.01-1.03]), American Society of Anesthesiologists
      physical status III (OR 2.12 [1.44-3.16]) and IV (OR 3.23 [1.72-6.09]), surgery
      for cancer (OR 1.63 [1.27-2.11]), open procedure (OR 1.40 [1.10-1.78]),
      intermediate surgery (OR 1.75 [1.12-2.81]) and major surgery (OR 2.65 [1.72
      4.23]) as independent risk factors for postoperative complications. Patients
      undergoing major surgery for upper gastrointestinal cancer experienced twice the
      rate of complications compared to those undergoing other procedures (224/578
      patients [38.8%] versus 274/1561 patients [17.6%]). CONCLUSIONS: Complications
      and death are common after upper gastrointestinal surgery. Patients undergoing
      major surgery for cancer are at greatest risk.

PMID- 28916419
TI  - Development of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to
      differentiate antibodies against wild-type porcine reproductive and respiratory
      syndrome from the vaccine strain TJM-F92 based on a recombinant Nsp2 protein.
AB  - An accurate ELISA method to differentiate pigs infected with wild-type porcine
      reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRSV) strains from vaccinated ones would
      help to monitor PRRSV vaccination compliance. The recombinant protein GST-d120aa
      derived from the continuous deletion of 120 amino acids in the non-structural
      protein 2 region of the modified-live vaccine strain TJM-F92 was used to develop
      an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (d120-ELISA) for differentiating
      serum antibodies against TJM-F92 from other PRRSV strains. At the optimized cut
      off value which was calculated at an S/P of 0.25, it yielded a sensitivity of
      90.7% and a specificity of 95.1%. Cross-reactivity tests suggested that the d120
      ELISA was PRRSV-specific. Coefficient of variations of the repeatability tests
      ranged between 1.41-17.02%. The results suggest that the d120-ELISA is suitable
      for differentiating animals infected with wild-type strains from those immunized
      with MLV TJM-F92.

PMID- 28916420
TI  - Sarah Tabrizi: timed to perfection.

PMID- 28916421
TI  - Arteriovenous Fistula: An Uncommon Cause of Heart Failure.

PMID- 28916422
TI  - Watchful Waiting in Aortic Stenosis: The Problem of Acute Decompensation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute decompensation with heart failure, angina, or syncope may be
      the first indication of undiagnosed aortic stenosis, but should be uncommon when
      the disorder is known and managed by watchful waiting. There is a lack of
      information on the proportion of patients with acute decompensated aortic
      stenosis with and without a prior diagnosis and their outcomes. METHODS: We
      examined the records of patients with aortic stenosis (International
      Classification of Diseases code 135.0) admitted to 3 UK hospitals between January
      2015 and January 2016. We determined the number of admissions with acute
      decompensation and the proportion in whom aortic stenosis was and was not
      previously known. The characteristics and outcomes in the 2 groups were compared.
      RESULTS: Of 684 patients with aortic stenosis, 543 (79%; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 76-82) were elective admissions and 141 (21%; 95% CI, 18-24) were
      emergencies with acute decompensation; 86 of 141 patients (61%; 95% CI, 52-69)
      with known aortic stenosis were under watchful waiting and 55 of 141 patients
      (39%; 95% CI, 31-48) did not have a prior diagnosis. In-hospital mortality was
      16% versus 13%, respectively (P = .48). There were no statistically significant
      differences in characteristics or clinical presentation between the 2 groups (P >
      .1 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 1 in 5 patients admitted to
      the hospital with aortic stenosis have life-threatening complications due to
      their disorder. More than half of such patients are actively monitored for aortic
      stenosis before admission, exposing shortcomings of the watchful waiting
      management strategy. Measures to identify symptomatic patients earlier and
      shorten the time between symptom onset and surgery have the potential to
      substantially reduce morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28916423
TI  - Potentially Reversible Rapid-Onset Weakness: Recognizing Colchicine Toxicity.

PMID- 28916424
TI  - Predictors of epinephrine dispensing and allergy follow-up after emergency
      department visit for anaphylaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: National guidelines recommend that patients with anaphylaxis be
      prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector (EAI) and referred to an
      allergy/immunology (A/I) specialist. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate guideline concordance
      and identify predictors of EAI dispensing and A/I follow-up in patients with
      anaphylaxis treated in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: We identified
      patients seen in the ED for anaphylaxis from 2010 through 2014 from an
      administrative claims database using an expanded International Classification of
      Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code algorithm.
      RESULTS: Of 7,790 patients identified, 46.5% had an EAI dispensed and 28.8% had
      A/I follow-up within 1 year after discharge. On multivariable analysis, those 65
      years or older (odds ratio [OR] 0.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.30-0.41) and
      with a medication trigger (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.21-0.28) had a lower likelihood of
      EAI dispensing. Those younger than 5 years (OR 2.67, 95% CI 2.15-3.32) and with
      food (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.24-1.59) or venom (OR 4.48, 95% CI 3.51-5.72) triggers
      had a higher likelihood of EAI dispensing. Similarly, for A/I follow-up, the
      likelihood was lower for age 65 years or older (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.39-0.54) and
      medication trigger (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.56-0.78) and higher for age younger than 5
      years (OR 3.15, 95% CI 2.63-3.77) and food trigger (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.22-1.58).
      CONCLUSION: Overall, 46.5% of patients with anaphylaxis in the ED had EAI
      dispensing and 28.8% had A/I follow-up. Patient age and triggers were associated
      with likelihood of EAI dispensing and A/I follow-up. Post-ED visit anaphylaxis
      management can be improved, with the potential to decrease future morbidity and
      mortality risk.

PMID- 28916425
TI  - p38MAPK family isoform p38alpha and activating transcription factor 2 are
      associated with the malignant phenotypes and poor prognosis of patients with
      ovarian adenocarcinoma.
AB  - This study was to identify the biomarkers for the malignancy and poor prognosis
      in patients with ovarian cancer. The protein expression of p38MAPK family isoform
      p38alpha (p38alpha) and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) was measured in
      120 ovarian serous adenocarcinomas and 34 normal fallopian tubes using
      immunohistochemistry. Stable OV-90 cells expressing p38alpha and ATF2 inhibitor
      were established using shRNA lentivirus. Cell proliferation, invasion, and
      migration were analyzed in vitro. Tumor growth and chemosensitivity were
      investigated in xenograft tumor models. The percentage of positive p38alpha and
      ATF2 expression was significantly higher in ovarian serous adenocarcinomas than
      that in normal fallopian tubes. Positive p38alpha and ATF2 expression were
      significantly associated with high clinical stage (III/IV), lymph node
      metastasis, and shorter overall survival. Silencing of p38alpha and ATF2 gene
      expression in OV-90 cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration,
      and invasion in vitro. OV-90 cells with p38alpha and ATF2 gene being silenced
      grew significantly slow and were significantly sensitive to the chemotherapy
      compared to cells with high p38alpha and ATF2 expression. p38alpha and ATF2
      expression play a crucial role in the malignant phenotypes of ovarian tumor cells
      and are a marker for the poor prognosis of patients with ovarian serous
      adenocarcinomas.

PMID- 28916427
TI  - Simultaneous detection and differentiation of three Potyviridae viruses in sweet
      potato by a multiplex TaqMan real time RT-PCR assay.
AB  - : A multiplex TaqMan real time RT-PCR was developed for detection and
      differentiation of Sweet potato virus G, Sweet potato latent virus and Sweet
      potato mild mottle virus in one tube. Amplification and detection of a
      fluorogenic cytochrome oxidase gene was included as an internal control. The
      assay was compared with a multiplex RT-PCR developed in the initial study for the
      detection and differentiation of the three viruses and host 18S rRNA. Primers
      and/or probes of the two assays were designed from conserved regions of each
      virus. The two assays were optimized for primers/probes and primer concentrations
      and thermal cycling conditions. Sensitivity and specificity of the assays were
      compared each other and with other assay. Both assays were evaluated by 74 field
      samples original from five different provinces of China. RESULTS: showed that the
      TaqMan real time RT-PCR offered rapid, sensitive, effective and reliable for the
      simultaneous detection and differentiation of the three viruses in sweet potato
      plants. The assay will be useful to quarantine and certification programs and
      virus surveys when large numbers of samples are tested.

PMID- 28916426
TI  - Prognostic relevance of tripartite motif containing 24 expression in colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies in the world.
      Tripartite motif containing 24 (TRIM24) is a member of the TRIM protein family
      and a coregulator for multiple nuclear receptors. Altered expression of TRIM24
      has been shown in a spectrum of human cancers. However, the clinical role of
      TRIM24 in colorectal cancer remains unknown. Here, gene expression data in
      colorectal cancer and normal tissues were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus
      (GEO). Western blotting analysis was conducted to compare TRIM24 expression
      between colorectal cancer and non-cancerous tissues. Immunohistochemistry
      staining were performed to assess TRIM24 expression in colorectal cancer tissues,
      and statistical analyses were employed to evaluate the associations of TRIM24
      expression with clinicopathologic features and overall survival. TRIM24 mRNA and
      protein levels were higher in colorectal cancer tissues than that in the normal
      controls. TRIM24 protein expression was positively correlated with tumor size
      (P=0.0269), clinical stage (P=0.0061), vital status (P=0.0110) and serum
      carcinoembryonic antigen levels (P=0.0176). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis
      indicated that patients with higher TRIM24 expression had shorter survival time
      than those with lower TRIM24 expression. Multivariate analyses revealed TRIM24
      expression was an independent prognostic factor (P<0.001). In conclusion, our
      study suggests that TRIM24 may play a role in colorectal carcinogens and serve as
      a potential prognostic marker of human colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28916428
TI  - Transcatheter Occlusion of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Infants Weighing
      Less Than 2 kg With the Amplatzer Duct Occluder II Additional Sizes Device.

PMID- 28916429
TI  - Incidence and predictors of reCurrent restenosis after drug-coated balloon
      Angioplasty for Restenosis of a drUg-eluting Stent: The ICARUS Cooperation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The incidence and predictors of recurrent restenosis
      after drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty for drug-eluting stent (DES)
      restenosis remain poorly studied. We sought to evaluate the incidence and
      predictors of recurrent restenosis among participants in randomized controlled
      trials receiving DCB angioplasty for DES restenosis. METHODS: The clinical and
      lesion data of individuals enrolled in 6 randomized controlled trials of DCB
      angioplasty for DES restenosis were pooled. All patients included in this report
      were assigned to receive paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty with the SeQuent
      Please DCB (B Braun, Melsungen, Germany). The current analysis focused on
      participants with available follow-up angiography at 6 to 9 months. The incidence
      of recurrent restenosis, defined as diameter restenosis >= 50% in the in-segment
      area at follow-up angiography, and its clinical and angiographic predictors were
      evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 546 patients were combined in a single dataset.
      Angiographic follow-up at 6 to 9 months was available for 484 patients (88.6%)
      with 518 treated lesions. Recurrent restenosis was detected in 101 (20.8%)
      patients. On multivariable analysis, lesion length (OR, 1.58; 95%CI, 1.10-2.26;
      P=.012 for 5mm increase) and vessel size (OR, 1.42; 95%, 1.12-1.79; P=.003 for
      0.5mm reduction) were independently associated with recurrent restenosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: In the largest cohort to date of individuals with angiographic
      surveillance after DCB angioplasty for DES restenosis, we demonstrated that
      recurrent restenosis occurs in approximately 1 out of 5 patients. Predictors of
      recurrent restenosis are increased lesion length and small vessel size.

PMID- 28916430
TI  - Therapeutic approaches to CFTR dysfunction: From discovery to drug development.
AB  - Cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations have complex effects on the cystic fibrosis
      transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. They disrupt its processing
      to and stability at the plasma membrane and function as an ATP-gated Cl- channel.
      Here, we review therapeutic strategies to overcome defective CFTR processing and
      stability. Because CF mutations have multiple impacts on the assembly of CFTR
      protein, combination therapy with several pharmacological chaperones is likely to
      be required to rescue mutant CFTR expression at the plasma membrane.
      Alternatively, proteostasis regulators, proteins which regulate the synthesis,
      intracellular transport and membrane stability of CFTR might be targeted to
      enhance the plasma membrane expression of mutant CFTR. Finally, we consider an
      innovative approach to bypass CFTR dysfunction in CF, the delivery of artificial
      anion transporters to CF epithelia to shuttle Cl- across the apical membrane. The
      identification of therapies or combinations of therapies, which rescue all CF
      mutations, is now a priority.

PMID- 28916431
TI  - Cyclosporine for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic
      Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite widely recommended usage of cyclosporine A (CsA) in chronic
      spontaneous urticaria (CSU), there is no meta-analysis concerning its efficacy
      and safety. OBJECTIVE: To meta-analyze and review the efficacy and safety of CsA
      in CSU. METHODS: Efficacy was assessed by the relative change in urticaria
      activity score at 4 weeks and response rates at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Safety was
      assessed by analyzing the number of patients with 1 or more adverse event.
      RESULTS: Eighteen studies (909 participants) including 2 randomized controlled
      trials were included, with 125, 363, and 266 patients with CSU receiving very low
      (<2 mg/kg/d), low (from 2 to< 4 mg/kg/d), and moderate (4-5 mg/kg/d) doses of
      CsA, respectively. After 4 weeks, the mean relative change in urticaria activity
      score of CsA-treated patients was -17.89, whereas that of controls was -2.3. The
      overall response rate to CsA treatment with low to moderate doses at 4, 8, and 12
      weeks was 54%, 66%, and 73%, respectively. No studies of very low-dose CsA
      evaluated response rates at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Among patients treated with very
      low, low, and moderate doses of CsA, 6%, 23%, and 57% experienced 1 or more
      adverse event, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Given the limited number and quality of
      studies, our results should be interpreted with caution. CsA is effective at low
      to moderate doses. Adverse events appear to be dose dependent and occur in more
      than half the patients treated with moderate doses of CsA. We suggest that the
      appropriate dosage of CsA for CSU may range from 1 to 5 mg/kg/d, and 3 mg/kg/d is
      a reasonable starting dose for most patients.

PMID- 28916432
TI  - Rituximab as Induction Therapy in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
      Refractory to Conventional Immunosuppressive Treatment: A 36-Month Follow-Up
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rituximab (RTX) is approved for induction therapy of granulomatosis
      with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis. In eosinophilic granulomatosis
      with polyangiitis (EGPA), organ-threatening manifestations are mainly treated
      with cyclophosphamide (CYC). RTX as treatment in EGPA has been described in small
      case series; however long-term data and the efficacy of RTX in EGPA refractory to
      CYC have not been reported yet. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy and
      safety of RTX and conventional immunosuppressive therapy with CYC in EGPA as
      induction therapy and during long-term follow-up. METHODS: Retrospective analysis
      of 28 patients with EGPA was done. Treatment response and disease activity were
      determined by Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score, C-reactive protein,
      eosinophils, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, and peripheral CD19+ B cells.
      RESULTS: Fourteen patients with EGPA treated with RTX were compared with 14 age-
      and sex-matched patients with EGPA treated with CYC for remission induction; 64%
      of the RTX-treated patients with EGPA had previously failed CYC treatment.
      Disease duration was longer and the number of previous immunosuppressants higher
      in RTX-treated patients. Five RTX-treated patients (36%) and 4 CYC-treated
      patients (29%) achieved complete remission. All other patients were in partial
      remission. There was no difference between both groups in respect to treatment
      response and partial and complete remission. In both treatment groups,
      eosinophils, C-reactive protein, and IgE levels dropped. Relapse-free survival
      within an observation period of 36 months was comparable between RTX- and CYC
      treated patients. RTX was well tolerated, but resulted in a decline in serum
      immunoglobulin levels. CONCLUSIONS: RTX was effective in inducing remission and
      during long-term follow-up in patients with EGPA, even when previously refractory
      to standard immunosuppressive therapy including CYC. RTX-treated patients should
      be monitored for hypogammaglobulinemia.

PMID- 28916433
TI  - Resilience in Families of Children With Autism and Sleep Problems Using Mixed
      Methods.
AB  - PURPOSE: About 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have sleep
      problems that may disrupt optimal family functioning. We explored the impact of
      sleep problems on families' resilience. DESIGN AND METHODS: An explanatory
      sequential mixed methods design was used to discern whether resilience differed
      between families whose children with ASD have or do not have sleep problems, to
      seek predictors for family hardiness/resilience, and to determine whether
      narrative findings support, expand, or conflict quantitative findings. RESULTS:
      Seventy complete surveys were returned from parents of children with ASD to
      compare sleep and family functioning. Fifty-seven children had sleep problems and
      six interviews regarding eight of these children were conducted. Parents of
      children with ASD and sleep problems had lower levels of resilience than those
      who slept well. Predictors of hardiness were social support, coping-coherence
      (stress management), and lower strain scores. Qualitative content analysis
      revealed a journey analogy with themes: finding the trailhead, dual pathways,
      crossing paths and choosing travel companions, forging new paths, resting along
      the way, and seeing the vistas. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative findings supported
      quantitative findings regarding the impact of sleep problems but also expanded
      them by illustrating how families' resilience and children's socialization
      improved over time. Social support predicted family hardiness. Parents revealed
      that sleep issues contributed to family strains and described their progression
      to resilience and embracing their child. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings support
      the need for community and provider advocacy and implicates a need for
      development of sleep interventions on behalf of families and children with ASD.

PMID- 28916434
TI  - Effects of ICOS+ T cell depletion via afucosylated monoclonal antibody MEDI-570
      on pregnant cynomolgus monkeys and the developing offspring.
AB  - MEDI-570 is a fully human afucosylated monoclonal antibody (MAb) against
      Inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS), highly expressed on CD4+ T follicular
      helper (TFH) cells. Effects of MEDI-570 were evaluated in an enhanced pre
      postnatal development toxicity (ePPND) study in cynomolgus monkeys.
      Administration to pregnant monkeys did not cause any abortifacient effects.
      Changes in hematology and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in maternal
      animals and infants and the attenuated infant IgG immune response to keyhole
      limpet hemocyanin (KLH) were attributed to MEDI-570 pharmacology. Adverse
      findings included aggressive fibromatosis in one dam and two infant losses in the
      high dose group with anatomic pathology findings suggestive of atypical lymphoid
      hyperplasia. The margin of safety relative to the no observed adverse effect
      level (NOAEL) for the highest planned clinical dose in the Phase 1a study was 7.
      This study suggests that women of child bearing potential employ effective
      methods of contraception while being treated with MEDI-570.

PMID- 28916435
TI  - A novel electrochemical immunosensor based on ITO modified by carboxyl-ended
      silane agent for ultrasensitive detection of MAGE-1 in human serum.
AB  - A new, low-cost electrochemical immunosensor was developed for rapid detection of
      Melanoma-associated antigen 1 (MAGE-1), a cancer biomarker. The fabrication
      procedure of immunosensor was based on the covalent immobilization of anti-MAGE
      1, biorecognition molecule, on ITO electrode by carboxyethylsilanetriol (CTES)
      monolayer. The biosensing MAGE-1 antigen was monitored by using electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. Apart from
      these techniques, single frequency impedance (SFI) was used for investigation of
      antibody-antigen interactions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) were
      utilized for characterization of the proposed biosensor. To fabricate highly
      sensitive, good stability immunosensor, some parameters were optimized. Under
      optimal conditions, the developed electrochemical immunosensor for MAGE-1
      exhibited a dynamic range of 4 fg/mL and 200 fg/mL with a low detection limit of
      1.30 fg/mL. It had acceptable repeatability (5.05%, n = 20) and good storage
      stability (3.58% loss after 10 weeks). Moreover, this electrochemical
      immunosensor has been successfully applied to the determination of MAGE-1 in
      human serum samples.

PMID- 28916436
TI  - Treating Overactive Bladder in Older Patients with a Combination of Mirabegron
      and Solifenacin: A Prespecified Analysis from the BESIDE Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The BESIDE study demonstrated that combination therapy (mirabegron
      and solifenacin 5mg) improved overactive bladder symptoms versus solifenacin 5mg
      or 10mg, and was well tolerated. OBJECTIVE: To ensure efficacy and safety is
      maintained in older patients (>65 yr), who usually experience greater symptom
      severity and comorbidities, a prespecified subanalysis stratified by age group
      was conducted. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients remaining incontinent
      (>=1 episode during 3-d diary) following 4-wk single-blind daily solifenacin 5mg
      were randomized 1:1:1 to a daily double-blind combination (solifenacin 5mg and
      mirabegron 25mg, increased to 50mg at wk 4), solifenacin 5mg or 10mg for 12 wk.
      Four cohorts stratified by age (<65 yr, >=65 yr and < 75 yr, >=75 yr) were
      investigated. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Efficacy
      assessments: change from baseline to end of treatment in average daily
      incontinence (primary) and micturition frequency (key secondary), number of
      incontinence episodes during the 3-d diary (key secondary), and change from
      baseline in average daily urgency and urgency incontinence episodes. Safety
      included treatment-emergent adverse events and vital signs. RESULTS AND
      LIMITATIONS: Full analysis set included 2110 patients: 30.9% aged >=65 yr and
      8.9% aged >=75 yr. At the end of treatment, daily, and 3-d incontinence daily
      micturitions, urgency, and urgency incontinence, were improved in each treatment
      group and age group; the largest reductions were observed with combination in
      each age cohort. There were no notable differences in vital signs or the
      incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events between treatment and age groups,
      with the exception of dry mouth, which was highest with solifenacin 10mg.
      CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy and safety in the overall population is maintained in older
      (>=65 yr) and elderly (>=75 yr) patients treated with a combination of
      solifenacin and mirabegron, or solifenacin monotherapy; irrespective of age,
      combination was associated with the greatest improvement in overactive bladder
      symptoms. PATIENT SUMMARY: This study investigated the effectiveness and safety
      of a combination of two different treatments (mirabegron 50mg and solifenacin
      5mg) or solifenacin (5mg or 10mg) alone in patients aged <65 yr or >=65 yr, and
      <75 yr or >=75 yr with overactive bladder. Symptoms of overactive bladder, such
      as the urgent need to visit the toilet, incontinence, and frequent urination,
      were improved with all treatments regardless of the patient's age, but
      combination treatment demonstrated the greatest benefit, and was well tolerated.

PMID- 28916437
TI  - Sex-specific 99th percentiles derived from the AACC Universal Sample Bank for the
      Roche Gen 5 cTnT assay: Comorbidities and statistical methods influence
      derivation of reference limits.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our purpose was to determine a) overall and sex-specific 99th
      percentile upper reference limits (URL) and b) influences of statistical methods
      and comorbidities on the URLs. METHODS: Heparin plasma from 838 normal subjects
      (423 men, 415 women) were obtained from the AACC (Universal Sample Bank). The
      cobas e602 measured cTnT (Roche Gen 5 assay); limit of detection (LoD), 3ng/L.
      Hemoglobin A1c (URL 6.5%), NT-proBNP (URL 125ng/L) and eGFR (60mL/min/1.73m2)
      were measured, along with identification of statin use, to better define
      normality. 99th percentile URLs were determined by the non-parametric (NP),
      Harrell-Davis Estimator (HDE) and Robust (R) methods. RESULTS: 355 men and 339
      women remained after exclusions. Overall<50% of subjects had measureable
      concentrations >= LoD: 45.6% no exclusion, 43.5% after exclusion; compared to
      men: 68.1% no exclusion, 65.1% post exclusion; women: 22.7% no exclusion, 20.9%
      post exclusion. The statistical method used influenced URLs as follows: pre/post
      exclusion overall, NP 16/16ng/L, HDE 17/17ng/L, R not available; men NP
      18/16ng/L, HDE 21/19ng/L, R 16/11ng/L; women NP 13/10ng/L, HDE 14/14ng/L, R not
      available. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that a) the Gen 5 cTnT assay does not
      meet the IFCC guideline for high-sensitivity assays, b) surrogate biomarkers
      significantly lowers the URLs and c) statistical methods used impact URLs. Our
      data suggest lower sex-specific cTnT 99th percentiles than reported in the FDA
      approved package insert. We emphasize the importance of detailing the criteria
      used to include and exclude subjects for defining a healthy population and the
      statistical method used to calculate 99th percentiles and identify outliers.

PMID- 28916438
TI  - Analytical sensitivity and diagnostic performance of serum protein
      electrophoresis on the HYDRAGEL 30 PROTEIN(E) beta1-beta2 Sebia Hydrasys system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) and immunofixation
      electrophoresis (IFE) are used in the diagnosis and monitoring of plasma cell
      dyscrasias. IFE is considered the most sensitive method for the detection of
      monoclonal proteins (M-proteins), but it is not quantitative. The goal of this
      study was to establish the analytical sensitivity and diagnostic performance of
      SPE on the Sebia Hydrasys using HYDRAGEL 30 PROTEIN(E) beta1-beta2. METHODOLOGY:
      Patient sera with a previously identified M-protein (IgG, IgA or IgM) were
      serially diluted with a normal serum pool and electrophoresed on the Sebia
      Hydrasys using HYDRAGEL 30 PROTEIN(E) beta1-beta2. The SPE gels were individually
      interpreted by five independent observers and IFE was performed on selected
      samples. Limit of detection was determined as the lowest concentration of M
      protein band visible on the gel. SPE diagnostic performance was evaluated against
      the "gold standard" IFE according CLSI EP12-A2 guidelines. RESULTS: Detection
      limit was comparable among all M-proteins migrating in the gamma region, IgG
      kappa (0.18+/-0.08g/L; n=6), IgG-lambda (0.36+/-0.25g/L; n=8), IgA-kappa (0.40+/
      0.13g/L; n=7), IgA-lambda (0.37+/-0.23g/L; n=4), IgM-kappa (0.47+/-0.20g/L; n=13)
      and IgM-lambda (0.29+/-0.24g/L; n=6). Percentage agreement with IFE for IgG and
      IgA in the gamma region ranged from 65% to 100%, whereas IgM migrating in the
      gamma region and immunoglobulins co-migrating with alpha or beta globulins,
      showed poor (0-38%) agreement. CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluates the analytical
      sensitivity and diagnostic performance of SPE on the Sebia Hydrasys using
      HYDRAGEL 30 PROTEIN(E) beta1-beta2. There was acceptable agreement between SPE
      and IFE for IgG-kappa/lambda and IgA-kappa/lambda migrating in the gamma region,
      suggesting that repeating IFE for samples with these isotypes, when the previous
      IFE and second SPE are both negative, may not be necessary.

PMID- 28916439
TI  - On the path to evidence-based reporting of serum protein electrophoresis patterns
      in the absence of a discernible monoclonal protein - A critical review of
      literature and practice suggestions.

PMID- 28916440
TI  - White matter microstructure within the superior longitudinal fasciculus modulates
      the degree of response conflict indexed by N2 in healthy adults.
AB  - Response conflict can be induced by priming multiple responses competing for
      control of action in trials. The N2 is one functionally-related cognitive control
      index for response conflict. And yet the underlying whiter matter neural
      substrates of inter-individual difference in conflict N2 remain unclear. So the
      aim of present study was to address the white matter microstructure of the N2
      responsible for conflict by directly relating the amplitude cost of the event
      related potential (ERP) N2 component to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices in
      healthy subjects. Thirty healthy subjects underwent DTI scanning and
      electrophysiology recording during a modified Flanker task. N2 was a stimulus
      locked negative ERP component. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was calculated based on
      DTI measures and was assumed to reflect the integrity of myelinate fiber bundles.
      Therefore, we tested the relationship between N2 amplitude and FA in brain white
      matter. Results showed that FA, an index for white matter characteristics, in the
      right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) was significantly positively
      associated with N2 amplitude cost. The N2 amplitude cost also predicted response
      time (RT) cost in the Flanker task. Higher FA was associated with larger N2
      amplitude cost, suggesting that changes in white matter integrity in the SLF may
      account for changes in efficient transmission of fronto-parietal modulatory
      conflict signals.

PMID- 28916441
TI  - Monoamine involvement in the antidepressant-like effect induced by P2 blockade.
AB  - Depression is a common mental disorder that affects millions of individuals
      worldwide. Available monoaminergic antidepressants are far from ideal since they
      show delayed onset of action and are ineffective in approximately 40% of
      patients, thus indicating the need of new and more effective drugs. ATP signaling
      through P2 receptors seems to play an important role in neuropathological
      mechanisms involved in depression, since their pharmacological or genetic
      inactivation induce antidepressant-like effects in the forced swimming test
      (FST). However, the mechanisms involved in these effects are not completely
      understood. The present work investigated monoamine involvement in the
      antidepressant-like effect induced by non-specific P2 receptor antagonist (PPADS)
      administration. First, the effects of combining sub-effective doses of PPADS with
      sub-effective doses of fluoxetine (FLX, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
      or reboxetine (RBX, selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor) were investigated
      in mice submitted to FST. Significant antidepressant-like effect was observed
      when subeffective doses of PPADS was combined with subeffective doses of either
      FLX or RBX, with no significant locomotor changes. Next, the effects of depleting
      serotonin and noradrenaline levels, by means of PCPA (p-Chlorophenylalanine) or
      DSP-4 (N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride) pretreatment,
      respectively, was investigated. Both, PCPA and DSP-4 pretreatment partially
      attenuated PPADS-induced effects in FST, without inducing relevant locomotor
      changes. Our results suggest that the antidepressant-like effect of PPADS
      involves modulation of serotonin and noradrenaline levels in the brain.

PMID- 28916442
TI  - Acute stress promotes post-injury brain regeneration in fish.
AB  - The central nervous system and the immune system, the two major players in
      homeostasis, operate in the ongoing bidirectional interaction. Stress is the
      third player that exerts strong effect on these two 'supersystems'; yet, its
      impact is studied much less. In this work employing carp model, we studied the
      influence of preliminary stress on neural and immune networks involved in post
      injury brain regeneration. The relevant in vivo models of air-exposure stress and
      precisely directed cerebellum injury have been developed. Neuronal regeneration
      was evaluated by using specific tracers of cell proliferation and
      differentiation. Involvement of immune networks was accessed by monitoring the
      expression of selected T cells markers. Contrast difference between acute and
      chronic stress manifested in the fact that chronically stressed fish did not
      survive the brain injury. Neuronal regeneration appeared as a biphasic process
      whereas involvement of immune system proceeded as a monophasic route. In stressed
      fish, immune response was fast and accompanied or even preceded neuronal
      regeneration. In unstressed subjects, immune response took place on the second
      phase of neuronal regeneration. These findings imply an intrinsic regulatory
      impact of acute stress on neuronal and immune factors involved in post-injury
      brain regeneration. Stress activates both neuronal and immune defense mechanisms
      and thus contributes to faster regeneration. In this context, paradoxically,
      acute preliminary stress might be considered a distinct asset in speeding up the
      following post-injury brain regeneration.

PMID- 28916444
TI  - Treating malaria: new drugs for a new era.

PMID- 28916443
TI  - AQ-13, an investigational antimalarial, versus artemether plus lumefantrine for
      the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria: a randomised, phase
      2, non-inferiority clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chloroquine was used for malaria treatment until resistant Plasmodium
      falciparum was identified. Because 4-aminoquinolines with modified side chains,
      such as AQ-13, are active against resistant parasites, we compared AQ-13 against
      artemether plus lumefantrine for treatment of uncomplicated P falciparum malaria.
      METHODS: We did a randomised, non-inferiority trial. We screened men (>=18 years)
      with uncomplicated malaria in Missira (northeast Mali) and Bamako (capital of
      Mali) for eligibility (>=2000 asexual P falciparum parasites per MUL of blood).
      Eligible participants were randomly assigned to either the artemether plus
      lumefantrine group or AQ-13 group by permuting blocks of four with a random
      number generator. Physicians and others caring for the participants were masked,
      except for participants who received treatment and the research pharmacist who
      implemented the randomisation and provided treatment. Participants received
      either 80 mg of oral artemether and 480 mg of oral lumefantrine twice daily for 3
      days or 638.50 mg of AQ-13 base (two oral capsules) on days 1 and 2, and 319.25
      mg base (one oral capsule) on day 3. Participants were monitored for parasite
      clearance (50 MUL blood samples twice daily at 12 h intervals until two
      consecutive negative samples were obtained) and interviewed for adverse events
      (once every day) as inpatients during week 1. During the 5-week outpatient follow
      up, participants were examined for adverse events and recurrent infection twice
      per week. All participants were included in the intention-to-treat analysis and
      per-protocol analysis, except for those who dropped out in the per-protocol
      analysis. The composite primary outcome was clearance of asexual parasites and
      fever by day 7, and absence of recrudescent infection by parasites with the same
      molecular markers from days 8 to 42 (defined as cure). Non-inferiority was
      considered established if the proportion of patients who were cured was higher
      for artemether plus lumefantrine than for AQ-13 and the upper limit of the 95% CI
      was less than the non-inferiority margin of 15%. This trial is registered at
      ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01614964. FINDINGS: Between Aug 6 and Nov 18, 2013,
      and between Sept 18 and Nov 20, 2015, 66 Malian men with uncomplicated malaria
      were enrolled. 33 participants were randomly assigned to each group. There were
      no serious adverse events (grade 2-4) and asexual parasites were cleared by day 7
      in both groups. 453 less-severe adverse events (<=grade 1) were reported: 214 in
      the combination group and 239 in the AQ-13 group. Two participants withdrew from
      the AQ-13 group after parasite clearance and three were lost to follow-up. In the
      artemether plus lumefantrine group, two participants had late treatment failures
      (same markers as original isolates). On the basis of the per-protocol analysis,
      the AQ-13 and artemether plus lumefantrine groups had similar proportions cured
      (28 [100%] of 28 vs 31 [93.9%] of 33; p=0.50) and AQ-13 was not inferior to
      artemether plus lumefantrine (difference -6.1%, 95% CI -14.7 to 2.4). Proportions
      cured were also similar between the groups in the intention-to-treat analysis (28
      of 33, 84.8% for AQ-13 vs 31 of 33, 93.9% for artemether and lumefantrine;
      p=0.43) but the upper bound of the 95% CI exceeded the 15% non-inferiority margin
      (difference 9.1%, 95% CI -5.6 to 23.8). INTERPRETATION: The per-protocol analysis
      suggested non-inferiority of AQ-13 to artemether plus lumefantrine. By contrast,
      the intention-to-treat analysis, which included two participants who withdrew and
      three who were lost to follow-up from the AQ-13 group, did not meet the criterion
      for non-inferiority of AQ-13, although there were no AQ-13 treatment failures.
      Studies with more participants (and non-immune participants) are needed to decide
      whether widespread use of modified 4-aminoquinolones should be recommended.
      FUNDING: US Food and Drug Administration Orphan Product Development, National
      Institutes of Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Burroughs
      Wellcome Fund, US State Department, and WHO.

PMID- 28916445
TI  - Preparation of intracellular proteins from a white-rot fungus surrounded by
      polysaccharide sheath and optimization of their two-dimensional electrophoresis
      for proteomic studies.
AB  - The functions and properties of fungal sheath, an extracellular polysaccharide
      produced by many white-rot fungi, have been studied. However, the strong
      adherence of the sheath to fungal hyphae had been a major impediment in preparing
      intracellular proteins from the fungi and analyzing their cellular responses. To
      overcome this issue, we developed a rapid and easy method to remove the
      polysaccharide sheath using a selective lignin degrader, Ceriporiopsis
      subvermispora, which produces large sheath amounts in the presence of a lignin
      derived aromatic compound. Using this approach, we achieved thorough removal of
      sheath and cell disruption using beads and a solution with a high protein
      solubilizing power, which enabled the efficient extraction of intracellular
      proteins from C. subvermispora surrounded by sheath. In addition, for proteomic
      analysis, we investigated whether these extracted proteins were compatible with
      two-dimensional electrophoresis. By efficiently concentrating on protein
      solubilization in the first dimension and using a stacking gel in the second
      dimension, we successfully obtained a high-resolution proteome map of C.
      subvermispora. We also used the same proteins for fluorescence two-dimensional
      difference gel electrophoresis to obtain the quantitative protein expression
      profiles. These steps demonstrated that two-dimensional electrophoresis-based
      proteomics can be used to clarify the composition of intracellular proteins from
      sheath-producing white-rot fungi.

PMID- 28916446
TI  - Cancer-derived exosomes as a delivery platform of CRISPR/Cas9 confer cancer cell
      tropism-dependent targeting.
AB  - An intracellular delivery system for CRISPR/Cas9 is crucial for its application
      as a therapeutic genome editing technology in a broad range of diseases. Current
      vehicles carrying CRISPR/Cas9 limit in vivo delivery because of low tolerance and
      immunogenicity; thus, the in vivo delivery of genome editing remains challenging.
      Here, we report that cancer-derived exosomes function as natural carriers that
      can efficiently deliver CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids to cancer. Compared to epithelial
      cell-derived exosomes, cancer-derived exosomes provide potential vehicles for
      effective in vivo delivery via selective accumulation in ovarian cancer tumors of
      SKOV3 xenograft mice, most likely because of their cell tropism. CRISPR/Cas9
      loaded exosomes can suppress expression of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP
      1), resulting in the induction of apoptosis in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, the
      inhibition of PARP-1 by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing enhances the
      chemosensitivity to cisplatin, showing synergistic cytotoxicity. Based on these
      results, tumor-derived exosomes may be very promising for cancer therapeutics in
      the future.

PMID- 28916447
TI  - Perception of Caucasian and African faces in 5- to 9-month-old Caucasian infants:
      A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.
AB  - Race is an important perceptual cue for face perception. In adults, other-race
      faces are elaborated differently and remembered less well than own-race faces.
      Moreover, they show a different pattern of activation at the neural level.
      Developmental studies demonstrated that, during the first year of life, infants
      start to show the same behavioral pattern as adults in race perception. However,
      little is known about where and how in the brain other-race perception is
      elaborated in this population. The present study is the first to investigate the
      development of different neural responses to faces of different race in infants
      using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Specifically, a group of 5
      month-old and a group of 9-month-old Caucasian infants were assessed during
      passing-viewing of Caucasian and African faces. Results showed a greater
      activation for African than for Caucasian faces for both oxy- and deoxy
      hemoglobin. Moreover, results suggested a tendency for a progressive
      specialization between 5 and 9 months of age. This is the first fNIRS study
      investigating the neural correlates of race perception in Caucasian infants
      during the first year of life.

PMID- 28916448
TI  - Molecular and synaptic mechanisms regulating drug-associated memories: Towards a
      bidirectional treatment strategy.
AB  - The successful treatment of substance use disorders is dependent on the
      establishment of a long-term abstinent state. Relapse can be suppressed by
      interfering with memories of drug use that are evoked by re-exposure to drug
      associated contexts and cues. Two strategies for accomplishing this goal are
      either to prevent drug-memory reconsolidation or to induce the formation of a
      competing, extinction memory. However, clinical attempts to prolong abstinence by
      behavioral modification of drug-related memories have had limited success. One
      approach to improve behavioral treatment strategies is to identify the molecular
      mechanisms that regulate these memory processes and then use pharmacological
      tools as supplements to improve efficacy. Still, due to the involvement of
      several overlapping signaling cascades in both reconsolidation and extinction, it
      is difficult to specifically modify one of the two processes. For example,
      attempting to elicit extinction may instead initiate reconsolidation, resulting
      in the unintentional strengthening of drug-related memories. A better approach is
      to identify diverging components of the two processes, whereby a single
      medication would simultaneously weaken reconsolidation and enhance extinction.
      This review will provide an overview of the neural substrates that are involved
      in the regulation of drug-associated memories, and will discuss emerging
      approaches to pharmacologically weaken these memories, including recent efforts
      to precisely and bidirectionally target reconsolidation and extinction.
      Ultimately, pharmacologically-enhanced memory-based approaches have the potential
      to produce more informed relapse-prevention therapies.

PMID- 28916449
TI  - Bio-scaffolds in organ-regeneration: Clinical potential and current challenges.
AB  - Cadaveric organ transplantation represents the definitive treatment option for
      end-stage disease but is restricted by the shortage of clinically-viable donor
      organs. This limitation has, in part, driven current research efforts for in
      vitro generation of transplantable tissue surrogates. Recent advances in organ
      reconstruction have been facilitated by the re-purposing of decellularized whole
      organs to serve as three-dimensional bio-scaffolds. Notably, studies in rodents
      indicate that such scaffolds retain native extracellular matrix components that
      provide appropriate biochemical, mechanical and physical stimuli for successful
      tissue/organ reconstruction. As such, they support the migration, adhesion and
      differentiation of reseeded primary and/or pluripotent cell populations, which
      mature and achieve functionality through short-term conditioning within
      specialized tissue bioreactors. Whilst these findings are encouraging,
      significant challenges remain to up-scale the present technology to accommodate
      human-sized organs and thereby further the translation of this approach towards
      clinical use. Of note, the diverse structural and cellular composition of large
      mammalian organ systems mean that a "one-size fits all" approach cannot be
      adopted either to the methods used for their decellularization or the cells
      required for subsequent re-population, to create fully functional entities. The
      present review seeks to highlight the clinical potential of decellularized organ
      bio-scaffolds as a route to further advance the field of tissue- and organ
      regeneration, and to discuss the challenges which are yet to be addressed if such
      a technology is ever to become a credible rival to conventional organ allo
      transplantation.

PMID- 28916450
TI  - Capsule switching of Neisseria meningitidis sequence type 7 serogroup A to
      serogroup X.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The bacterial pathogen Neisseria meningitidis is able to escape the
      currently available capsule-based vaccines by undergoing capsule switching. In
      this study, we investigated whether capsule switching has occurred in a recently
      emerged sequence type (ST) 7 serogroup X isolate in China, for which currently no
      vaccine is available. METHODS: To identify capsule switching breakpoints, the
      capsule locus and flanking regions of the ST-7 serogroup X isolate and three
      endemic ST-7 serogroup A isolates were sequenced and compared. To obtain further
      insight into capsule switching frequency and length of DNA fragments involved,
      capsule switching assays were performed using genomic DNA containing combinations
      of antibiotic selection markers at various locations in the capsule locus and
      flanking regions. RESULTS: Sequence analyses showed that capsule switching has
      occurred and involved a 8450 bp serogroup X DNA fragment spanning the region from
      galE to ctrC. Capsule switching assays indicate that capsule switching occurs at
      a frequency of 6.3 * 10-6 per bacterium per MUg of DNA and predominantly involved
      DNA fragments of about 8.1-9.6 kb in length. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that
      capsule switching in N. meningitidis occurs at high frequency and involves
      recombination in the flanking regions of the capsule biosynthesis genes.

PMID- 28916451
TI  - Switches in a genetic regulatory system under multiplicative non-Gaussian noise.
AB  - The non-Gaussian noise is multiplicatively introduced to model the universal
      fluctuation in the gene regulation of the bacteriophage lambda. To investigate
      the key effect of non-Gaussian noise on the genetic on/off switch dynamics from
      the viewpoint of quantitative analysis, we employ the high-order perturbation
      expansion to deduce the stationary probability density of repressor concentration
      and the mean first passage time from low concentration to high concentration and
      vice versa. The occupation probability of different concentration states can be
      estimated from the height and shape of the peaks of the stationary probability
      density, which could be used to determine the overall expression level. A further
      concern is the mean first passage time, also referred to as the mean switching
      time, which can be adopted as an important measure to characterize the
      adaptability of gene expression to the environmental variation. Through our
      investigation, it is observed that the non-Gaussian heavy-tailed noise can better
      induce the switches between distinct genetic expression states and additionally,
      it accelerates the switching process more evidently compared to the Gaussian
      noise and the bounded noise.

PMID- 28916452
TI  - Symbolic dynamics of animal interaction.
AB  - Since its introduction nearly two decades ago, transfer entropy has contributed
      to an improved understanding of cause-and-effect relationships in coupled
      dynamical systems from raw time series. In the context of animal behavior,
      transfer entropy might help explain the determinants of leadership in social
      groups and elucidate escape response to predator attacks. Despite its promise,
      the potential of transfer entropy in animal behavior is yet to be fully tested,
      and a number of technical challenges in information theory and statistics remain
      open. Here, we examine an alternative approach to the computation of transfer
      entropy based on symbolic dynamics. In this context, a symbol is associated with
      a specific locomotory bout across two or more consecutive time instants, such as
      reversing the swimming direction. Symbols encapsulate salient locomotory patterns
      and the associated permutation transfer entropy quantifies the ability to predict
      the patterns of an individual given those of another individual. We demonstrate
      this framework on an existing dataset on fish, for which we have knowledge of the
      underlying cause-and-effect relationship between the focal subject and the
      stimulus. Symbolic dynamics offers an intuitive and robust approach to study
      animal behavior, which could enable the inference of causal relationship from
      noisy experimental observations of limited duration.

PMID- 28916453
TI  - Making the Legal and Ethical Case for Universal Screening for Postpartum Mood and
      Anxiety Disorders in Pediatric Primary Care.
AB  - Postpartum depression (PPD), part of a larger spectrum of perinatal mood and
      anxiety disorders, affects up to 15% of women following the birth of an infant.
      Fathers may also be affected. PPD not only affects caregivers, but also impacts
      infants through mechanisms such as inadequate caregiver-infant interactions and
      non-adherence to safety practices. The negative impact on infants may extend
      across the life course through adulthood. This article seeks to move the needle
      toward universal screening for PPD using validated tools in pediatric primary
      care settings for new caregivers by making the legal and ethical case for this
      course of action in a manner that is both compelling and accessible for
      clinicians. Toward this end, we summarize current literature as it applies to
      provider responsibilities, liabilities and perspectives; and caregiver autonomy,
      confidentiality, and privacy. We then assess utility by balancing the benefits
      and burdens of this approach to practices, providers, and caregivers; and take
      the analysis one step further by looking across multiple populations to assess
      distributive justice. We conclude that there is a strong ethical case for
      universal screening for PPD in pediatric primary care settings using validated
      tools when informed consent can be obtained and appropriate follow-up services
      are available and accessible. Clinical considerations, practical resources, and
      areas ripe for future research are also addressed.

PMID- 28916454
TI  - Anti-Acanthamoeba activity of Tunisian Thymus capitatus essential oil and organic
      extracts.
AB  - Acanthamoeba species are free-living amoebae widely distributed in the
      environment and which cause serious human infections. The treatment of
      Acanthamoeba infections is always very difficult and not constantly effective.
      More efficient drugs against Acanthamoeba must be developed and medicinal plants
      can be useful in this case. Our research focused on the examination of the anti
      Acanthamoeba activity of the essential oil and the ethanolic-aqueous extract from
      Thymus capitatus L. The essential oil showed best activity with an IC50 of 2.73
      MUg/ml. The conducted Bio-guided fractionation of thyme extract result to the
      identification of two active compounds against the trophozoite stage of
      Acanthamoeba: thymol and 2,3-dihydroxy-p-cymene. The results have clearly shown
      that the investigated products may be successfully used against Acanthamoeba
      infections. These molecules that are found in plants may be an alternative for
      the development of new drugs.

PMID- 28916455
TI  - Essential oil composition and anti Acanthamoeba studies of Teucrium ramosissimum.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the chemical composition of the
      essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of T. ramosissimum by
      hydrodistillation and to investigate their anti-Acanthamoeba activity.
      Identification and quantification were realized by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection by
      (GC-FID). Sixty-eight compounds representing 97.78% of the essential oil were
      identified, of which delta-cadinene (18.63%), delta-cadinol (18.70%), beta
      eudesmol (12.13%), gamma-gurjunene (4.34%) and 8-cedrene (3.99%) were the main
      compounds. This essential oil contained a complex mixture consisting mainly on
      sesquiterpenes (80.62%) and monoterpene fractions (14.34%). The findings of the
      anti-Acanthamoeba assay indicate that T. ramosissimum essential oil have a good
      activity with an IC50 = 25.73 +/- 0.75 MUg/mL.

PMID- 28916456
TI  - Acanthamoebicidal activity of periglaucine A and betulinic acid from Pericampylus
      glaucus (Lam.) Merr. in vitro.
AB  - Acanthamoeba species are pathogenic protozoa which account for amoebic keratitis,
      conjunctivitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. These amoebae form cysts
      which resist drugs and more effective acanthamoebicidal agents are needed.
      Medicinal plants could be useful in improving the current treatment strategies
      for Acanthamoeba infections. In the present study, we examined the amoebicidal
      effects of Pericampylus glaucus (Lam.) Merr., a medicinal plant used for the
      treatment of conjunctivitis in Malaysia. Pathogenic Acanthamoeba triangularis
      were isolated from environmental water samples and treated with different
      concentrations of fractions obtained from Pericampylus glaucus (Lam.) Merr. as
      well as main constituents for 24-72 h. Chlorhexidine was used as a reference
      drug. Ethanol fraction of stem showed significant (p < 0.05) inhibition of
      trophozoites survival. Betulinic acid and periglaucine A from this plant at 100
      MUg/mL inhibited more than 70% survival of both cysts and trophozoites. The
      calculated therapeutic index for betulinic acid and periglaucine A was 170 and
      1.5 for trophozoites stage and 3.75 and 8.5 for cysts stage. The observed
      amoebicidal efficacies indicate the beneficial aspects of this plant in the
      treatment of Acanthamoeba infection. Periglaucine A could also be of value for
      the treatment of Acanthamoeba infection.

PMID- 28916457
TI  - In vitro activity of 1H-phenalen-1-one derivatives against Acanthamoeba
      castellanii Neff and their mechanisms of cell death.
AB  - Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic pathogen which is the causal agent of a sight
      threatening ulceration of the cornea known as Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) and,
      more rarely, an infection of the central nervous system called "granulomatous
      amoebic encephalitis" (GAE). The symptoms of AK are non-specific, and so it can
      be misdiagnosed as a viral, bacterial, or fungal keratitis. Furthermore, current
      therapeutic measures against AK are arduous, and show limited efficacy against
      the cyst stage of Acanthamoeba. 1H-Phenalen-1-one (PH) containing compounds have
      been isolated from plants and fungi, where they play a crucial role in the
      defense mechanism of plants. Natural as well as synthetic PHs exhibit a diverse
      range of biological activities against fungi, protozoan parasites or human cancer
      cells. New synthetic PHs have been tested in this study and they show a potential
      activity against this protozoa.

PMID- 28916458
TI  - Molecular identification of waterborne free living amoebae (Acanthamoeba,
      Naegleria and Vermamoeba) isolated from municipal drinking water and
      environmental sources, Semnan province, north half of Iran.
AB  - The present study tested 80 samples of municipal, geothermal and recreational
      water samples for the occurrence of waterborne free living amoebae (FLA)
      including Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia mandrillaris, Vahlkampfiids and Vermamoeba in
      Semnan province, North half of Iran. Four sets of primers including JDP1,2
      primers, ITS1,2 primers (Vahlkampfiids), 16S rRNABal primers (Balamuthia
      mandrillaris) and NA1,2 primers (Vermamoeba) were used to confirm the
      morphological identification. From the 80 water samples tested in the present
      study, 16 (20%) were positive for the outgrowth of free living amoebae based on
      the morphological page key. Out of the 34 municipal water samples, 7 (20.6%) were
      positive for outgrowth of Free living amoeba, belonging to Vermamoeba, Naegleria
      and Acanthamoeba using molecular tools. Three out of the six investigated hot
      springs were also contaminated with Naegleria spp. Sequencing of the ITS1,2
      region of the Vahlkampfiid isolates revealed the highest homology with N. gruberi
      (2 isolates), N. australiensis (1 isolate) and N. pagei (3 isolates). This is the
      first report of N. gruberi in the country. Using morphological and molecular
      analysis, Balamuthia mandrillaris was undetected in all the water samples. The
      present study further confirmed the occurrence of potentially pathogenic
      waterborne free living amoebae in habitats with high human activity. It is of
      utmost importance that more studies are conducted to evaluate the niches of B.
      mandrillaris and N. fowleri in Iran and worldwide. Such investigations regarding
      the relevance of FLA as a hazard to humans, should be brought to the notice of
      the health authorities.

PMID- 28916459
TI  - Variation in Campylobacter jejuni culturability in presence of Acanthamoeba
      castellanii Neff.
AB  - Free-living amoebae (FLA) are protozoa that are widely distributed in the
      environment mainly in water and soil related habitats. These amoebae have also
      been reported to be associated with some bacterial pathogens for humans such as
      Campylobacter spp. The species C. jejuni is the causative agent of about 90% of
      human campylobacteriosis cases worldwide and this disease may even end up in
      severe autoimmune sequelae as Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). In this study, the
      interactions between the strain Acanthamoeba castellanii Neff and Campylobacter
      jejuni was investigated. Campylobacter jejuni was coincubated with Acanthamoeba
      castellanii Neff trophozoites at different temperatures, in order to evaluate the
      C. jejuni ability to grow in presence A. castellanii culture and Acanthamoeba
      Conditioned Medium (ACM). C. jejuni was coincubated with A. castellanii axenic
      culture at different temperatures in aerobic conditions. Our results revealed
      that bacteria were still cultivable (Blood Agar medium, at 37  degrees C, in
      microaerophilic atmosphere) after a 14 days C. jejuni - A. castellanii coculture,
      comparing with C. jejuni alone, which was only cultivable for 24 h.

PMID- 28916460
TI  - The effect of viroid infection of citrus trees on the amoebicidal activity of
      'Maltese half-blood' (Citrus sinensis) against trophozoite stage of Acanthamoeba
      castellanii Neff.
AB  - In order to promote a local Tunisian product, this study was designed to examine,
      for the first time, the anti-Acanthamoeba activity (Acanthamoeba castellanii
      Neff) of the essential oils of Tunisian Citrus sinensis peels (Maltese half
      blood) and the effect of viroid plant infection on this activity. To do so, three
      samples of peels' essential oils were studied: from a healthy plant (Control), a
      plant inoculated with Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd) and one inoculated with hot
      stunt cachexia viroid (HSVd). The samples were extracted by hydrodistillation
      from dried peels and characterized by GC-MS. Limonene was the major component
      with a percentage ranging from 90.76 to 93.34% for (CEVd) sample and (Control),
      respectively. Anti-Acanthamoeba activity of the tested oils was determined by the
      Alamar Blue(r) assay. Primary results showed a strong potential anti-Acanthamoeba
      activity with an IC50 ranging from 36.6 to 54.58 MUg/ml for (HSVd) and (CEVd)
      samples, respectively. In terms of the effect of viroid infection, a strong
      positive correlation was observed between different chemical classes and anti
      Acanthamoeba activity.

PMID- 28916461
TI  - Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for the synthesis of the quadripolymer
      poly(glycolate-co-lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) from
      glucose.
AB  - Escherichia coli was metabolically engineered to effectively produce a series of
      biopolymers consisted of four types of monomers including glycolate, lactate, 3
      hydroxybutyrate and 4-hydroxybutyrate from glucose as the carbon source. The
      biosynthetic route of novel quadripolymers was achieved by the overexpression of
      a range of homologous and heterologous enzymes including isocitrate lyase,
      isocitrate dehydrogenase kinase/phosphatase, glyoxylate/hydroxypyruvate
      reductase, propionyl-CoA transferase, beta-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA
      reductase, succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, 4-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase,
      CoA transferase and PHA synthase. In shake flask cultures using Luria-Bertani
      medium supplemented with glucose, the recombinant E. coli reached 7.10g/l cell
      dry weight with 52.60wt% biopolymer content. In bioreactor study, the final cell
      dry weight was 19.61g/l, containing 14.29g/l biopolymer. The structure of the
      produced polymer was chemically characterized by proton NMR analysis. Assessment
      of thermal and mechanical properties demonstrated that the quadripolymer
      possessed decreased crystallinity and improved toughness, in comparison to poly-3
      hydroxybutyrate homopolymer. This is the first study reporting efficient
      microbial production of the quadripolymer poly(glycolate-co-lactate-co-3
      hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) from glucose.

PMID- 28916462
TI  - Causation, constructors and codes.
AB  - Relational biology relies heavily on the enriched understanding of causal
      entailment that Robert Rosen's formalisation of Aristotle's four causes has made
      possible, although to date efficient causes and the rehabilitation of final cause
      have been its main focus. Formal cause has been paid rather scant attention, but,
      as this paper demonstrates, is crucial to our understanding of many types of
      processes, not necessarily biological. The graph-theoretic relational diagram of
      a mapping has played a key role in relational biology, and the first part of the
      paper is devoted to developing an explicit representation of formal cause in the
      diagram and how it acts in combination with efficient cause to form a mapping. I
      then use these representations to show how Von Neumann's universal constructor
      can be cast into a relational diagram in a way that avoids the logical paradox
      that Rosen detected in his own representation of the constructor in terms of sets
      and mappings. One aspect that was absent from both Von Neumann's and Rosen's
      treatments was the necessity of a code to translate the description (the formal
      cause) of the automaton to be constructed into the construction process itself. A
      formal definition of codes in general, and organic codes in particular, allows
      the relational diagram to be extended so as to capture this translation of formal
      cause into process. The extended relational diagram is used to exemplify causal
      entailment in a diverse range of processes, such as enzyme action, construction
      of automata, communication through the Morse code, and ribosomal polypeptide
      synthesis through the genetic code.

PMID- 28916463
TI  - Penile Prosthesis Implantation in Priapism.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Priapism is defined as a full or partial erection lasting longer
      than 4 hours after sexual stimulation and orgasm or unrelated to sexual
      stimulation. The main goal of priapism management is to resolve the episode
      immediately to preserve erectile function and penile length. Corporal smooth
      muscle necrosis is likely to have already occurred, and medically refractory
      erectile dysfunction is expected in patients with a protracted episode. Penile
      prosthesis implantation (PPI) in the early or late phase of priapism can restore
      erectile function. AIM: To review the literature on PPI in priapism. METHODS: A
      PubMed search of all English-language articles published before 2017 was
      conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and
      Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement using the following search terms: penile
      prosthesis implantation, priapism, and corporal fibrosis. All publications
      reporting on PPI during or after priapism episodes were included for review. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Three types of priapism were reviewed for management using PPI.
      Surgical techniques, outcomes, and patient satisfaction were reported. RESULTS:
      Early implantation (during the episode) is technically easier and has lower
      complication rates compared with delayed (electively, after the erectile
      dysfunction is observed) surgery. Immediate PPI also allows preservation of
      penile length, which is related to higher satisfaction rates. CONCLUSIONS: The
      paradigm is shifting toward immediate PPI in the management of ischemic priapism.
      Patients with non-ischemic priapism or recurrent priapism, even without a major
      ischemic episode, are at high risk for erectile dysfunction and are candidates
      for PPI. Yucel OB, Pazir Y, Kadioglu A. Penile Prosthesis Implantation in
      Priapism. Sex Med Rev 2018;6:310-318.

PMID- 28916464
TI  - Adhesion procedure for CAD/CAM resin crown bonding: Reduction of bond strengths
      due to artificial saliva contamination.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study aimed to elucidate how saliva contamination affects
      microtensile bond strength of resin cement to CAD/CAM resin blocks and identify a
      decontamination method that can restore original bond strength. METHODS: The
      KATANA AVENCIA block (Kuraray Noritake Dental) was sandblasted on the adherend
      surface (P-Co group). Then, the block was contaminated with artificial saliva
      (Saliveht Aerosol, Teijin). Air dry (N-Co), sandblasting (Sb) and phosphate acid
      cleaning (AT) groups were prepared. After silane treatment, PANAVIA V5 (Kuraray
      Noritake Dental) was built up and microtensile bond strength (MUTBS) was measured
      after immersion in water (n=24 per group). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      analysis, surface roughness and contact angle measurement of each surface were
      performed. RESULTS: The P-Co group showed the highest MUTBS value, and bond
      strength was significantly lower in the N-Co group than the other groups
      (P<0.001). In all groups, decreased bond strength resulted from long-term water
      storage. In the N-Co group, a contaminated layer was observed on the surface by
      SEM and the contact angle was significantly smaller than the other groups
      (P<0.001). In Sb and AT groups, MUTBS values that were reduced by artificial
      saliva contamination significantly increased but did not recover to P-Co group
      values (P<0.001). SEM showed no morphological difference between P-Co, Sb and AT
      groups. The Sb group showed increased surface roughness. CONCLUSION: The long
      term durability of bonds between CAD/CAM resin blocks and luting agent cement was
      significantly reduced by artificial saliva contamination. However, sandblasting
      or phosphoric acid cleaning can recover bonding effectiveness by 75-85%.

PMID- 28916465
TI  - Corrosive effects of fluoride on titanium under artificial biofilm.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of sodium fluoride (NaF) on
      titanium corrosion using a biofilm model, taking environmental pH into account.
      METHODS: Streptococcus mutans cells were used as the artificial biofilm, and pH
      at the bacteria-titanium interface was monitored after the addition of 1% glucose
      with NaF (0, 225 or 900ppmF) at 37 degrees C for 90min. In an immersion test, the
      titanium samples were immersed in the NaF solution (0, 225 or 900ppm F; pH 4.2 or
      6.5) for 30 or 90min. Before and after pH monitoring or immersion test, the
      electrochemical properties of the titanium surface were measured using a
      potentiostat. The amount of titanium eluted into the biofilm or the immersion
      solution was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The
      color difference (DeltaE*ab) and gloss of the titanium surface were determined
      using a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: After incubation with biofilm, pH was
      maintained at around 6.5 in the presence of NaF. There was no significant change
      in titanium surface and elution, regardless of the concentration of NaF. After
      immersion in 900ppm NaF solution at pH 4.2, corrosive electrochemical change was
      induced on the surface, titanium elution and DeltaE*ab were increased, and gloss
      was decreased. CONCLUSIONS: NaF induces titanium corrosion in acidic environment
      in vitro, while NaF does not induce titanium corrosion under the biofilm because
      fluoride inhibits bacterial acid production. Neutral pH fluoridated agents may
      still be used to protect the remaining teeth, even when titanium-based prostheses
      are worn.

PMID- 28916467
TI  - Safety evaluation for ingredients used in baby care products: Consideration of
      diaper rash.
AB  - Diaper rash can adversely impact the barrier properties of skin, with potential
      implications for increased absorption of chemicals through the skin, and this
      should be accounted for in any exposure assessment used in the safety evaluation
      of consumer products used in the diaper ("nappy") area. In the absence of a
      quantitative evaluation of the potential impact of diaper rash, a default
      assumption of 100% dermal penetration is often made for substances applied in the
      diaper area. We consider here the extent, duration and severity of diaper rash
      and make a recommendation for conservative assumptions to incorporate into
      exposure assessments. Using a time-weighted average, the potential impact of
      diaper rash is illustrated for substances that have varying degrees of absorption
      through healthy skin. Results confirm that for assessments that already assume
      dermal absorption of 50% or higher, there is no impact on the overall exposure
      assessment. For substances that have a very low degree of dermal penetration (1%)
      through healthy skin, the impact of rash is expected to be less-than four-fold.
      This can be refined with additional data as there are many examples of poorly
      absorbed compounds for which dermal penetration is still low even for compromised
      skin.

PMID- 28916466
TI  - A multi-centered epidemiological study evaluating the validity of the treatment
      difficulty indices developed by the Japan Prosthodontic Society.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Japan Prosthodontic Society developed a multi-axis assessment
      protocol to evaluate the complex variations in patients who need prosthodontic
      care, and to classify the level of treatment difficulty. A previous report found
      the protocol to be sufficiently reliable. The purpose of this multi-center cohort
      study was to evaluate the validity of this multi-axis assessment protocol.
      METHODS: The treatment difficulty was evaluated using the multi-axis assessment
      protocol before starting prosthodontic treatment. The time required for active
      prosthodontic treatment, medical resources such as treatment cost, and changes in
      the oral health-related QOL before and after treatment, were evaluated after
      treatment completion. The construct validity of this protocol was assessed by the
      correlation between the dentist's pre-operative subjective assessment of the
      treatment difficulty, and the level of difficulty determined by this protocol.
      The predictive validity was assessed estimating the correlations between a
      "comprehensive level of treatment difficulty" based on the four axes of this
      protocol and total treatment cost, total treatment time, and changes in the oral
      health-related QOL before and after treatment. RESULTS: The construct validity of
      this protocol was well documented except for psychological assessment. Regarding
      the predictive validity, the comprehensive level of treatment difficulty assessed
      before treatment was significantly correlated with the three surrogate endpoints
      known to be related to the treatment difficulty (total treatment cost, treatment
      time, and improvement in the oral health-related QOL). To further clarify the
      validity of the protocol according to patients' oral condition, a subgroup
      analysis by defects was performed. Analyses revealed that treatment difficulty
      assessment before treatment was significantly related to one or two surrogate
      endpoints in the fully edentulous patients and the partially edentulous patients.
      No significant relationship was observed in the patients with mixture of
      full/partial edentulism and the patients with teeth problems, possibly due to the
      small sample size in these groups. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the multi
      axis assessment protocol was sufficiently valid to predict the level of treatment
      difficulty in prosthodontic care in patients with fully edentulous defects and
      with partially edentulous defects.

PMID- 28916468
TI  - Dermal absorption for pesticide health risk assessment: Harmonization of study
      design and data reporting for North American Regulatory submissions.
AB  - Although an internationally-adopted in vitro dermal absorption test guideline is
      available (OECD Test Guideline 428), the replacement of the in vivo approach in
      North America for pesticide formulations has not occurred due to concern over the
      reliability and consistency of the in vitro results. A 2012 workshop convened a
      panel of experts in the conduct of in vitro studies used for pesticide risk
      assessment, together with North American regulators, to examine techniques for in
      vitro dermal absorption testing. Discussions led to the recommended "best
      practices" for the conduct of in vitro dermal absorption studies provided herein.
      The workshop participants also developed recommendations for reporting study
      results in order to improve the quality and consistency of the data submitted to
      regulatory agencies in North America. Finally, a case study is presented that
      illustrates the use of the "triple-pack" approach; the studies, conducted for the
      registration of sulfoxaflor, follow the standardized recommendations provided at
      the workshop. In addressing the concerns of these regulators and of the regulated
      community, and providing harmonized recommendations to facilitate comparative
      data analyses, it is anticipated that wider acceptance of in vitro dermal
      absorption studies alone can be achieved for pesticide risk assessment.

PMID- 28916469
TI  - Activity changes in the left superior temporal sulcus reflect the effects of
      childcare training on young female students' perceptions of infants' negative
      facial expressions.
AB  - In many developed countries, the number of infants who experience non-parent
      childcare is increasing, and the role of preschool teachers is becoming more
      important. However, little attention has been paid to the effects of childcare
      training on students who are studying to become preschool teachers. We used
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate whether and how
      childcare training affects brain responses to infants' facial expressions among
      young females studying to become preschool teachers. Twenty-seven subjects who
      attended a childcare training session (i.e., the experimental group) and 28
      subjects who did not attend the training (i.e., the control group) participated
      in this study. The participants went through fMRI scanning twice: before and
      after the childcare training session. They were presented with happy, neutral,
      and sad infant faces one by one during fMRI scanning. The present neuroimaging
      results revealed that the activity patterns of the left superior temporal sulcus
      (STS) for sad faces were modulated by the interaction between the time point of
      the data collection and group differences. The present results are the first to
      highlight the effects of childcare training on the human brain.

PMID- 28916470
TI  - Receptive field properties of cat perigeniculate neurons correlate with
      excitatory and inhibitory connectivity to LGN relay neurons.
AB  - The cat perigeniculate nucleus (PGN) is a visual sector of the thalamic reticular
      nucleus that consists of GABAergic neurons. It receives excitatory axon
      collateral input from relay neurons of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus
      (LGN) to which it provides inhibitory input. Thus, it is usually argued that the
      PGN works as feedback inhibition to the LGN. At the single neuron level, however,
      this circuit can also provide lateral inhibition. Which inhibition dominates in
      the visual circuit of the thalamus has yet to be well characterized. In this
      study, we conducted cross-correlation analysis of single spike trains
      simultaneously recorded from PGN and LGN neurons in anesthetized cats. For 12
      pairs of functionally connected PGN and LGN neurons with overlapped receptive
      fields (RF), we quantitatively compared RF properties including the spatial
      frequency (SF) and temporal frequency (TF) tunings of each neuron. We found the
      SF and TF tunings of PGN neurons and LGN neurons were similar when there was only
      excitatory input from the LGN neuron to the PGN neuron, but different when the
      PGN neuron returned inhibitory inputs back, suggesting the circuit between PGN
      and LGN neurons works as lateral inhibition for these properties.

PMID- 28916471
TI  - The Pyk2/MCU pathway in the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model of
      ischemic stroke.
AB  - Mitochondrial dysfunction caused by Ca2+ overload plays an important role in
      ischemia-induced brain damage. Mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU), located on
      the mitochondrial inner membrane, is the major channel responsible for
      mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. Activated proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) can
      directly phosphorylate MCU, which enhances mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in
      cardiomyocytes. It has been suggested that the Pyk2/MCU pathway may be a novel
      therapeutic target in stress-induced cellular apoptosis. In this study, we
      explored the role of the Pyk2/MCU pathway in the ischemic brain following a
      stroke injury. We found that the Pyk2/MCU pathway is activated in a rat cerebral
      ischemia model, and is responsible for mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal
      apoptosis. Inhibiting the Pyk2/MCU pathway with a Pyk2 inhibitor (PF-431396)
      prevented mitochondrial Ca2+ overload, mitochondrial injury, proapoptotic protein
      release, and cell death. Interestingly, human urinary kallidinogenase (HUK)
      alleviated neuronal ischemic injury by inhibiting the Pyk2/MCU pathway,
      suggesting that the Pyk2/MCU pathway may be a protective target for ischemic
      stroke treatment.

PMID- 28916472
TI  - Characterizing thiol redox dynamics in the organogenesis stage rat embryo.
AB  - Precise control of the glutathione (GSH): glutathione disulfide (GSSG) balance is
      vital for the developing embryo, but it is not yet well understood how GSH levels
      and the GSH redox state are regulated, maintained, and modulated over the course
      of mammalian embryonic development. In this study, we characterize and connect
      thiol redox dynamics, protein synthesis, volumetric growth and net cysteine
      fluxes over the course of early organogenesis (gestational day (GD) 10-GD11.13)
      in the rat embryo. Our results show that despite a significant exponential growth
      of conceptal volumes and protein mass, the GSH: GSSG redox balance is remarkably
      stable during early organogenesis, with distinct redox potentials for the
      visceral yolk sac (VYS) (- 218mV) and the embryo proper (EMB) (- 222mV). The yolk
      sac was found to play a key role in maintaining GSH levels and the GSH: GSSG
      redox balance in the developing embryo. Based on an overall cysteine (Cys) mass
      balance, we show that until GD10.6, yolk sac supply of Cys, the rate-limiting
      precursor for GSH synthesis, is sufficient to sustain embryonic demands for its
      GSH synthesis and protein synthesis needs. After GD10.6, the EMB maintains the
      amino acid intake flux, resulting in a significant depletion of most thiols in
      the amniotic fluid and the yolk sac fluid. Cysteine, was found to be
      predominantly used for de novo protein synthesis in the developing embryo
      (approximately 90% of total Cys). Protein synthesis (rates) should thus be
      included in any quantitative assessment of GSH redox dynamics in the developing
      embryo. Our time-course dataset of thiol dynamics, developed exponential
      relationships for protein synthesis and volumetric growth, and yolk sac surface
      area-mediated protein influx, provide important quantitative insights in GSH
      redox dynamics during embryonic development and are a prerequisite to further
      develop quantitative 'systems biology' models for GSH metabolism in the
      developing embryo.

PMID- 28916474
TI  - Nox4 regulates the eNOS uncoupling process in aging endothelial cells.
AB  - ROS and its associated signaling contribute to vascular aging-associated
      endothelial disturbance. Since the non-effective endothelial nitric oxide
      synthase (eNOS) coupling status is related to vascular aging-related phenotypes,
      eNOS coupled/uncoupled system signaling was studied in human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVEC). Nitric oxide (NO) and eNOS Ser1177 were significantly
      decreased, whereas O2- (superoxide anion radical) increased with passage number.
      In aging cells, NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4), one of the main superoxide generating
      enzymes, and its associated protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) chaperone were
      highly activated, and the resultant ER redox imbalance leads to disturbance of
      protein folding capability, namely endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, ultimately
      inducing dissociation between HSP90 and IRE-1alpha or PERK, decreasing HSP90
      stability and dissociating the binding of eNOS from the HSP90 and leading to eNOS
      uncoupling. Through chemical and Nox4 siRNA approaches, Nox4 and its linked ER
      stress were shown to mainly contribute to eNOS uncoupling and its associated
      signaling, suggesting that Nox4 and its related ER stress signaling are key
      signals of the aging process in endothelial cells.

PMID- 28916473
TI  - Down-regulation of NOX2 activity in phagocytes mediated by ATM-kinase dependent
      phosphorylation.
AB  - NADPH oxidases (NOX) have many biological roles, but their regulation to control
      production of potentially toxic ROS molecules remains unclear. A previously
      identified insertion sequence of 21 residues (called NIS) influences NOX
      activity, and its predicted flexibility makes it a good candidate for providing a
      dynamic switch controlling the NOX active site. We constructed NOX2 chimeras in
      which NIS had been deleted or exchanged with those from other NOXs (NIS1, 3 and
      4). All contained functional heme and were expressed normally at the plasma
      membrane of differentiated PLB-985 cells. However, NOX2-DeltaNIS and NOX2-NIS1
      had neither NADPH-oxidase nor reductase activity and exhibited abnormal
      translocation of p47phox and p67phox to the phagosomal membrane. This suggested a
      functional role of NIS. Interestingly after activation, NOX2-NIS3 cells exhibited
      superoxide overproduction compared with wild-type cells. Paradoxically, the Vmax
      of purified unstimulated NOX2-NIS3 was only one-third of that of WT-NOX2. We
      therefore hypothesized that post-translational events regulate NOX2 activity and
      differ between NOX2-NIS3 and WT-NOX2. We demonstrated that Ser486, a
      phosphorylation target of ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase (ATM kinase)
      located in the NIS of NOX2 (NOX2-NIS), was phosphorylated in purified cytochrome
      b558 after stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). Moreover, ATM
      kinase inhibition and a NOX2 Ser486Ala mutation enhanced NOX activity whereas a
      Ser486Glu mutation inhibited it. Thus, the absence of Ser486 in NIS3 could
      explain the superoxide overproduction in the NOX2-NIS3 mutant. These results
      suggest that PMA-stimulated NOX2-NIS phosphorylation by ATM kinase causes a
      dynamic switch that deactivates NOX2 activity. We hypothesize that this
      downregulation is defective in NOX2-NIS3 mutant because of the absence of Ser486.

PMID- 28916475
TI  - Deletion of NADH oxidase in Listeria monocytogenes promotes the bacterial
      infection of brain.
AB  - NADH oxidase (NOX) plays important roles in respiration and reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) generation in cells. In this study, we explored the function of NOX
      in Listeria monocytogenes by gene deletion. From our results, nox mutant strain
      (?nox) had lower H2O2 level and showed no significant alteration in bacteria
      growth activity. But it had enhanced invasiveness during the invasion of glial
      cells and mice brain compared to wildtype strain. Furthermore, several virulence
      genes involved in invasion, such as inlA, inlB, vip and sigB, were upregulated in
      ?nox, and the alterations could be restored by complementation. To explore if nox
      was involved in the interaction of pathogen and host, we examined the generation
      of host ROS including superoxide and H2O2 during infection, and found ?nox
      invasion leading to less superoxide and H2O2 generation. Besides, the
      upregulation of pro-inflammatory factors in glial cells was restrained when
      invaded by ?nox compared to wildtype and complementary strain. In conclusion, our
      study evaluated the function of nox in L. monocytogenes and indicated that nox
      could regulate the invasion of L. monocytogenes by regulating virulence genes
      expression and the interaction of host-and- pathogens.

PMID- 28916476
TI  - Pharmacologic ascorbate induces neuroblastoma cell death by hydrogen peroxide
      mediated DNA damage and reduction in cancer cell glycolysis.
AB  - An ascorbate-mediated production of oxidative stress has been shown to retard
      tumor growth. Subsequent glycolysis inhibition has been suggested. Here, we
      further define the mechanisms relevant to this observation. Ascorbate was
      cytotoxic to human neuroblastoma cells through the production of H2O2, which led
      to ATP depletion, inhibited GAPDH, and non-apoptotic and non-autophagic cell
      death. The mechanism of cytotoxicity is different when PARP-dependent DNA repair
      machinery is active or inhibited. Ascorbate-generated H2O2 damaged DNA, activated
      PARP, depleted NAD+, and reduced glycolysis flux. NAD+ supplementation prevented
      ATP depletion and cell death, while treatment with a PARP inhibitor, olaparib,
      preserved NAD+ and ATP levels but led to increased DNA double-strand breakage and
      did not prevent ascorbate-induced cell death. These data indicate that in cells
      with an intact PARP-associated DNA repair system, ascorbate-induced cell death is
      caused by NAD+ and ATP depletion, while in the absence of PARP activation
      ascorbate-induced cell death still occurs but is a consequence of ROS-induced DNA
      damage. In a mouse xenograft model, intraperitoneal ascorbate inhibited
      neuroblastoma tumor growth and prolonged survival. Collectively, these data
      suggest that ascorbate could be effective in the treatment of glycolysis
      dependent tumors. Also, in cancers that use alternative energy metabolism
      pathways, combining a PARP inhibitor with ascorbate treatment could be useful.

PMID- 28916477
TI  - NSE serum levels in extracorporeal life support patients-Relevance for
      neurological outcome?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Good neurological outcome is a major determinant after cardiac
      resuscitation. Extracorporeal life support may rapidly stabilize the patient, but
      cerebral ischemia remains a frequent complication relevant for further therapy.
      The aim of this study was to prove the value of NSE to indicate cerebral injury
      in patients with extracorporeal support after CPR. METHODS: 159 patients with CPR
      were included. NSE 48h peak levels and trends were tested for usability as
      predictive marker of brain injury, in-hospital mortality and long-term outcome.
      RESULTS: Overall mortality in this cohort was 53.5%. Incidence of relevant brain
      injury was 34.6% with severe diffuse hypoxia in 23.2%. NSE peaks were comparable
      in patients with and without focal ischemia, but were increased in patients with
      severe diffuse hypoxic injury (p<0.0001). ROC analysis (area under the curve) of
      peak values indicating brain injury and in-hospital mortality was 0.73 (95%
      confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.82) and 0.74 (95% CI 0.66-0.81), respectively.
      NSE increased in 56.6% of patients with a sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI 0.69-0.92)
      and a specificity of 0.43 (CI 0.0.31-0.55) indicating cerebral injury.
      Sensitivity and specificity of NSE peak levels >100MUg/L was 0.6 (CI 0.49-0.72)
      and 0.74 (CI 0.63-0.84). In-hospital mortality of patients with NSE >100MUg/L was
      71.7%. 46.2% of discharged patients are in good neurological status (cerebral
      performance category scale [CPC] 1-2). Patients with NSE <100MUg/L showed an in
      hospital mortality of 36.4%, and good neurological status in 67.9%. CONCLUSION:
      NSE monitoring reliably indicates relevant cerebral injury in patients on
      extracorporeal support after cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PMID- 28916478
TI  - A retrospective study of pulseless electrical activity, bedside ultrasound
      identifies interventions during resuscitation associated with improved survival
      to hospital admission. A REASON Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether organized or disorganized
      cardiac activity is associated with increased survival in patients who present in
      pulseless electrical activity (PEA) treated with either 1) standard advanced
      cardiac life support (ACLS) medications or 2) other interventions. METHODS: This
      was a secondary analysis of a prospective, multi-center observational study
      utilizing ultrasound in out-of-hospital or inemergency department PEA arrest.
      Bedside ultrasound was performed as ACLS protocol started and during pulse
      checks. Only cases with visible cardiac activity on ultrasound were included in
      the present analysis. Cardiac activity was categorized as disorganized (agonal
      twitching) or organized (contractions with changes in ventricular dimensions).
      Patients were categorized as receiving either standard bolus ACLS medications or
      alternative medications during the resuscitation (continuous adrenergic agents,
      thrombolytics, others). The primary outcome was survival to hospital admission.
      The secondary outcome was return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Multivariate
      modeling was performed to assess association between survival to hospital
      admission in patients with intravenous adrenergic agents and cardiac activity.
      RESULTS: In our cohort of 225 patients in PEA cardiac arrest with cardiac
      activity on ultrasound, the overall survival rate was higher in patients with
      organized cardiac activity than with disorganized cardiac activity. PEA cardiac
      arrest patients with organized cardiac activity treated with standard ACLS
      interventions demonstrated improved survival to hospital admission compared to
      those with disorganized activity (37.7% (95%CI 24.8-50.2%) versus 17.9% (95%CI
      10.9-28%). PEA cardiac arrest patients with organized cardiac activity who
      received continuous adrenergic agents during the resuscitation and prior to ROSC
      demonstrated higher survival to hospital admission 45.5% (95%CI 26.9-65.4%) and
      ROSC 90.9% (95%CI 71.0-98.7%) compared to those with disorganized cardiac
      activity who received continuous adrenergic agents during the resuscitation 0%
      (95%CI 0-23.0%) and 47.1% (95%CI 26-69%). Regression analysis demonstrates an
      association between increased survival in patients receiving intravenous
      adrenergic agents and organized cardiac activity. CONCLUSION: Survival in
      patients following PEA arrest is higher in patients with organized cardiac
      activity. The initiation of continuous adrenergic agents during PEA was
      associated with improved survival to hospital admission in patients with
      organized cardiac activity on bedside ultrasound, but this improvement was not
      seen in patients in PEA with disorganized cardiac activity. Bedside ultrasound
      may identify a subset of patients that respond differently to ACLS interventions.

PMID- 28916481
TI  - Identification of 2,4-dihydroxy-5-pyrimidinyl imidothiocarbomate as a novel
      inhibitor to Y box binding protein-1 (YB-1) and its therapeutic actions against
      breast cancer.
AB  - In spite of advances in breast cancer treatment and early diagnosis, drug
      toxicity, cancer relapse, multidrug resistance and metastasis are the major
      impediment to the developments of efficient drugs. However, unique druggable
      targets of cancer cells distinct from the normal cells provide new rationale in
      cancer treatment. Previous reports clearly emphasize the differential expression
      and localization of Y box binding protein-1 (YB-1) between normal breast tissues
      and different stages of breast cancer. Y box binding protein-1 is DNA as well as
      RNA binding protein involved in transcription and translation regulation of
      various proteins involved in cancer progression, apoptosis, cell cycle,
      epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and drug resistance. Particularly,
      during doxorubicin (DOX) treatment and cancer relapse conditions, YB-1 expression
      was very high in breast cancer tissues and localized in to nucleus which further
      favours DOX efflux and metastasis. Moreover, siRNA mediated silencing of YB-1
      reduces breast cancer progression and metastasis. In this rationale, using an
      array of computational methods, 2,4-dihydroxy-5-pyrimidinyl imidothiocarbomate
      (DPI) has been screened out as a drug-likeness antagonist to the YB-1for cancer
      treatment. In this study, we determined that DPI was toxic to breast cancer cell
      lines as individual drug as well as in combination with DOX. Moreover,
      immunofluorescence and confocal studies showed that DPI decreases DOX induced YB
      1 nuclear translocation and increases DOX accumulation in breast cancer cell
      line. A G1/G0 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis was also induced by DPI.
      Moreover, DPI modulated YB-1 downstream targets such as p53, caspase-3, CDK-1
      which are involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Further, metastatic
      functional analysis revealed that DPI inhibits cell adhesion, migration, invasion
      in aggressive metastatic cell line and inhibits angiogenesis in chick embryonic
      chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. Meanwhile, DPI alters the expression of YB
      1 downstream targets which are involved in metastasis such as VEGFR, caveolin, E
      cadherin, cytokeratins, desmin and vimentin in MDA-MB-231 xenograft in chick
      embryonic CAM membrane. The results clearly demonstrated that DPI inhibited YB-1
      nuclear translocation, thereby exhibited anti-apoptotic, anti-proliferative and
      anti-metastatic activities and increases the therapeutic potential of commercial
      breast cancer drug doxorubicin.

PMID- 28916479
TI  - Dietary Nitrate Increases VO2peak and Performance but Does Not Alter Ventilation
      or Efficiency in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)
      exhibit lower efficiency, dyspnea, and diminished peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak)
      during exercise. Dietary nitrate (NO3-), a source of nitric oxide (NO), has
      improved these measures in some studies of other populations. We determined the
      effects of acute NO3- ingestion on exercise responses in 8 patients with HFrEF
      using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: Plasma NO3-, nitrite (NO2-), and breath NO were measured at multiple
      time points and respiratory gas exchange was determined during exercise after
      ingestion of beetroot juice containing or devoid of 11.2 mmol of NO3-. NO3-
      intake increased (P < .05-0.001) plasma NO3- and NO2- and breath NO by 1469 +/-
      245%, 105 +/- 34%, and 60 +/- 18%, respectively. Efficiency and ventilation
      during exercise were unchanged. However, NO3- ingestion increased (P < .05)
      VO2peak by 8 +/- 2% (ie, from 21.4 +/- 2.1 to 23.0 +/- 2.3 mL.min-1.kg-1). Time
      to fatigue improved (P < .05) by 7 +/- 3 % (ie, from 582 +/- 84 to 612 +/- 81
      seconds). CONCLUSIONS: Acute dietary NO3- intake increases VO2peak and
      performance in patients with HFrEF. These data, in conjunction with our recent
      data demonstrating that dietary NO3- also improves muscle contractile function,
      suggest that dietary NO3- supplementation may be a valuable means of enhancing
      exercise capacity in this population.

PMID- 28916480
TI  - Factors Associated With Zonular Instability During Cataract Surgery in Eyes With
      Acute Angle Closure Attack.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the demographics and ocular characteristics, including
      anterior segment optical coherence tomography images and zonular instability, in
      eyes with a history of acute angle closure (AAC) attack and subsequent cataract
      surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. METHODS: A total of 68 eyes of
      56 patients with a history of AAC attack who underwent cataract surgery were
      enrolled. Fourteen eyes were assigned to the zonular instability (+) group and 54
      were assigned to the zonular instability (-) group based on the presence of
      zonular instability during cataract surgery. The peak intraocular pressure,
      preoperative spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth
      (ACD), and lens vault (LV) were measured and compared between 2 groups. Intereye
      (intraindividual) comparison was also performed. Factors associated with zonular
      instability were assessed. RESULTS: In the zonular instability (+) group, 9 eyes
      were from male and 5 from female participants. Eyes in the zonular instability
      (+) group showed less hyperopic SE values, longer AL, shallower ACD, and higher
      LV, as compared with those in the zonular instability (-) group (all P <= .001).
      Moreover, eyes in the zonular instability (+) group had less hyperopic SE,
      shallower ACD, and higher LV than their fellow eyes. Less hyperopic SE, longer
      AL, and higher LV were significantly associated with zonular instability on
      multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should
      consider the possibility of zonular instability during cataract surgery for eyes
      with less hyperopic SE, longer AL, and higher LV among those with a history of
      AAC attack.

PMID- 28916482
TI  - Disposition of treosulfan and its active monoepoxide in a bone marrow, liver,
      lungs, brain, and muscle: Studies in a rat model with clinical relevance.
AB  - For the recent years, the application of treosulfan (TREO)-based conditioning
      prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been increasing as an
      alternative to busulfan-based therapy, especially for patients presenting high
      risk of developing hepato-, pulmo-, and neurotoxicity. So far, the penetration of
      TREO and its epoxy-derivatives into central nervous system and aqueous humor of
      the eye has been investigated. However, lacking knowledge on the compounds
      distribution into the other key tissues precludes comprehensive understanding and
      assessment of TREO clinical efficacy and toxicity. In this paper, the disposition
      of TREO and its active monoepoxide (S,S-EBDM) in a bone marrow, liver, lungs,
      brain, and quadriceps femoris was studied in an animal model. Male and female
      adult Wistar rats (n=48/48) received an intraperitoneal injection of TREO at the
      dose of 500mg/kg b.w. Concentrations of TREO and S,S-EBDM in tissues were
      determined with a validated HPLC-MS/MS method. Pharmacokinetic calculations were
      performed in WinNonlin using a noncompartmental analysis. Mean values of the
      maximal concentrations of TREO and S,S-EBDM in the organs were sex-independent
      and ranged from 61 to 1650MUM and 25-105MUM, respectively. No quantifiable levels
      of S,S-EBDM were found in the liver. Average tissue/plasma area under the curve
      (AUC) ratio for unbound TREO increased in the sequence: brain (0.10)<muscle
      (0.77)<bone marrow=lungs (0.82)<liver (0.96). The tissue/plasma AUC ratio for
      unbound S,S-EBDM changed as follows: brain (0.35)<lungs (0.50)<bone marrow
      (0.75)<muscle (1.14). Elimination half-lives of the compounds in plasma and the
      organs ranged from 0.7h to 2.1h. Scaling of the obtained AUCs of TREO and S,S
      EBDM and the literature AUCs of busulfan to concentrations of the drugs in HSCT
      patients' plasma show that TREO reaches much higher levels in the organs than
      busulfan. Nonetheless, low S,S-EBDM exposure in a liver, lungs, and brain, even
      compared with busulfan, may contribute to relatively low organ toxicity of TREO
      based conditioning regimens. Similarity of the scaled bone marrow AUCs of S,S
      EBDM and busulfan corresponds to comparable myeloablative potency of TREO- and
      busulfan-based conditioning. The biological half-lives of TREO and S,S-EBDM in
      plasma and the studied organs indicate that 48h lag time following administration
      of the last dose of TREO to HSCT patients is sufficient to protect the
      transplanted stem cells from the compounds' exposure.

PMID- 28916483
TI  - Recombinant humanized anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody
      efficiently suppresses laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in rhesus
      monkeys.
AB  - Neovascular age-related macular degeneration, characterized by abnormal choroidal
      neovascularization (CNV), is a major cause of blindness worldwide. Anti-vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies have demonstrated significant
      efficacy in improving visual acuity. TMAB001 is a new recombinant humanized
      rabbit anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody. It presents high activities in vitro
      studies. In the binding affinity assay, TMAB001 exhibited a high binding
      capability to VEGF with an affinity constant of 10-11M. In the receptor
      antagonist activity assay, IC50 of TMAB001 was 0.15MUg/ml. In a cell-based assay,
      TMAB001 inhibited VEGF165-induced HUVEC cells proliferation in a dose-dependent
      manner. Furthermore, in the rhesus monkey model of laser-induced CNV, results
      showed the growth and leakage of experimental CNV were significantly decreased
      with a single bilateral intravitreal injection of TMAB001, and the grade 4
      lesions were complete absence in TMAB001 groups. The efficacy of TMAB001 was
      maintained for at least 28days. In a mice model of oxygen-induced retinopathy,
      the retina fluorescence leakage was reduced and the vascular morphology in retina
      was normalized by TMAB001 intraperitoneal administration. In conclusion, those
      results indicate that TMAB001 might be a potential drug candidate for wet AMD.

PMID- 28916484
TI  - Blood loss at the time of dilation and evacuation at 16 to 22 weeks of gestation
      in women using low molecular weight heparin: a case series.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Describe blood loss with surgical abortion >=16weeks of gestation in
      anticoagulated patients. STUDY DESIGN: Clinicians involved in a professional
      listserv (2011-2013) reported cases of abortion >=16weeks of gestation in
      anticoagulated women. RESULTS: All 7 patients were using or had recently
      discontinued low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). One patient was reported to
      have greater than anticipated blood loss for gestational age. No patients
      required transfusion and no complications were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Our limited
      case series suggests D&E may not always be contraindicated in women with recent
      or current LMWH use.

PMID- 28916485
TI  - Moderate intravenous sedation for first trimester surgical abortion: a comparison
      of adverse outcomes between obese and normal-weight women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if obese women experience increased rates of adverse
      outcomes with moderate intravenous sedation during first trimester surgical
      abortion compared to normal weight women. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a
      retrospective cohort study of all first trimester surgical abortions with
      moderate intravenous sedation at an outpatient facility between September 2010
      and June 2015. The primary outcome was supplemental oxygen administration.
      Secondary outcomes included reversal agent administration, anesthesia-related
      adverse events, and intraoperative lowest level of consciousness (LLOC). We
      compared three obesity groups [I (Body Mass Index, BMI=30-34.9), II (BMI=35
      39.9), and III (BMI >=40)] to normal weight women (BMI <25). We exported data
      from electronic medical records and reviewed adverse outcomes individually.
      RESULTS: Of 20,381 first trimester surgical abortion procedures, 31 (0.15%)
      utilized supplemental oxygen, 24 (0.12%) utilized a reversal agent, 40 (0.20%)
      had a presumed anesthesia-related adverse event and 184 of 19,725 (0.93%) had a
      documented low intraoperative LLOC. One patient (0.005%) required hospital
      transfer or hospitalization. Supplemental oxygen administration (obesity versus
      normal weight: obese I, aOR 0.52, 95% CI 0.12-2.27; II/III, aOR 1.51, 95% CI 0.50
      4.54), low intraoperative LLOC, and anesthesia-related adverse events were not
      associated with obesity. The rate of reversal agent administration was lower
      among obese I, II and III women combined compared to normal weight women (aOR
      0.13, 95% CI 0.02-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Adverse outcomes were rare across all BMI
      categories with no detectable increased risk among obese women compared to normal
      weight women. IMPLICATIONS: With appropriate clinical screening, obese women can
      safely receive moderate intravenous sedation for first trimester surgical
      abortion in an outpatient clinical setting. Restrictions on moderate intravenous
      sedation based on BMI alone may be unnecessary.

PMID- 28916486
TI  - EMT, inflammation and metastasis.

PMID- 28916487
TI  - A novel statistical model for analyzing data of a systematic review generates
      optimal cutoff values for fractional exhaled nitric oxide for asthma diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) might
      substitute bronchial provocation for diagnosing asthma. However, optimal FENO
      thresholds for diagnosing asthma remain unclear. We reanalyzed data collected for
      a systematic review investigating the diagnostic accuracy of FENO measurement to
      exploit all available thresholds under consideration of pretest probabilities
      using a newly developed statistical model. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: One hundred
      and fifty data sets for a total of 53 different cutoffs extracted from 26 studies
      with 4,518 participants were analyzed with the multiple thresholds model. This
      model allows identifying thresholds at which the test is likely to perform best.
      RESULTS: Diagnosing asthma might only be possible in a meaningful manner when the
      pretest probability of asthma is at least 30%. In that case, FENO > 50 ppb leads
      to a positive predictive value of 0.76 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29-0.96].
      Excluding asthma might only be possible, when the pretest probability of asthma
      is 30% at maximum. Then, FENO < 20 ppb leads to a negative predictive value of
      0.86 (95% CI 0.66-0.95). CONCLUSION: The multiple thresholds model generates a
      more comprehensive and more clinically useful picture of the effects of different
      thresholds, which facilitates the determination of optimal thresholds for
      diagnosing or excluding asthma with FENO measurement.

PMID- 28916488
TI  - Decision making about healthcare-related tests and diagnostic test strategies.
      Paper 2: a review of methodological and practical challenges.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this first of a series of five articles, we provide an overview of
      how and why healthcare-related tests and diagnostic strategies are currently
      applied. We also describe how our findings can be integrated with existing
      frameworks for making decisions that guide the use of healthcare-related tests
      and diagnostic strategies. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We searched MEDLINE,
      references of identified articles, chapters in relevant textbooks, and identified
      articles citing classic literature on this topic. RESULTS: We provide updated
      frameworks for the potential roles and applications of tests with suggested
      definitions and practical examples. We also discuss study designs that are
      commonly used to assess tests' performance and the effects of tests on people's
      health. These designs include diagnostic randomized controlled trials and
      retrospective validation. We describe the utility of these and other currently
      suggested designs, which questions they can answer and which ones they cannot. In
      addition, we summarize the challenges unique to decision-making resulting from
      the use of tests. CONCLUSION: This overview highlights current challenges in the
      application of tests in decision-making in healthcare, provides clarifications,
      and informs the proposed solutions.

PMID- 28916489
TI  - Reply to: comparative effectiveness medicines research cannot assess efficacy.

PMID- 28916490
TI  - Decision making about healthcare-related tests and diagnostic test strategies.
      Paper 3: a systematic review shows limitations in most tools designed to assess
      quality and develop recommendations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify and describe critical
      appraisal tools designed for assessing the quality of evidence (QoE) and/or
      strength of recommendations (SoRs) related to health care-related tests and
      diagnostic strategies (HCTDSs). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a
      systematic review to identify tools applied in guidelines, methodological
      articles, and systematic reviews to assess HCTDS. RESULTS: We screened 5,534
      titles and abstracts, 1,004 full-text articles, and abstracted data from 330
      references. We identified 29 tools and 14 modifications of existing tools for
      assessing QoE and SoR. Twenty-three out of 29 tools acknowledge the importance of
      assessing the QoE and SoR separately, but in 8, the SoR is based solely on QoE.
      When making decisions about the use of tests, patient values and preferences and
      impact on resource utilization were considered in 6 and 8 tools, respectively.
      There is also confusion about the terminology that describes the various factors
      that influence the QoE and SoR. CONCLUSION: Although at least one approach
      includes all relevant criteria for assessing QoE and determining SoR, more
      detailed guidance about how to operationalize these assessments and make related
      judgments will be beneficial. There is a need for a better description of the
      framework for using evidence to make decisions and develop recommendations about
      HCTDS.

PMID- 28916491
TI  - Controversy and debate on clinical genomics sequencing-paper 2: clinical genome
      wide sequencing: don't throw out the baby with the bathwater!
AB  - Genome-wide (exome or whole genome) sequencing with appropriate genetic
      counseling should be considered for any patient with a suspected Mendelian
      disease that has not been identified by conventional testing. Clinical genome
      wide sequencing provides a powerful and effective means of identifying specific
      genetic causes of serious disease and improving clinical care.

PMID- 28916492
TI  - Overcoming ocular drug delivery barriers through the use of physical forces.
AB  - Overcoming the physiological barriers in the eye remains a key obstacle in the
      field of ocular drug delivery. While ocular barriers naturally have a protective
      function, they also limit drug entry into the eye. Various pharmaceutical
      strategies, such as novel formulations and physical force-based techniques, have
      been investigated to weaken these barriers and transport therapeutic agents
      effectively to both the anterior and the posterior segments of the eye. This
      review summarizes and discusses the recent research progress in the field of
      ocular drug delivery with a focus on the application of physical methods,
      including electrical fields, sonophoresis, and microneedles, which can enhance
      penetration efficiency by transiently disrupting the ocular barriers in a
      minimally or non-invasive manner.

PMID- 28916493
TI  - Cell-mediated enzyme prodrug cancer therapies.
AB  - Cell-directed gene therapy is a promising new frontier for the field of targeted
      cancer therapies. Here we discuss the current pre-clinical and clinical use of
      cell-mediated enzyme prodrug therapy (EPT) directed against solid tumors and
      avenues for further development. We also discuss some of the challenges
      encountered upon translating these therapies to clinical trials. Upon sufficient
      development, cell-mediated enzyme prodrug therapy has the potential to maximize
      the distribution of therapeutic enzymes within the tumor environment, localizing
      conversion of prodrug to active drug at the tumor sites thereby decreasing off
      target toxicities. New combinatorial possibilities are also promising. For
      example, when combined with viral gene-delivery vehicles, this may result in new
      hybrid vehicles that attain heretofore unmatched levels of therapeutic gene
      expression within the tumor.

PMID- 28916495
TI  - Enzymes as key features in therapeutic cell mimicry.
AB  - Cell mimicry is a nature inspired concept that aims to substitute for missing or
      lost (sub)cellular function. This review focuses on the latest advancements in
      the use of enzymes in cell mimicry for encapsulated catalysis and artificial
      motility in synthetic bottom-up assemblies with emphasis on the biological
      response in cell culture or more rarely in animal models. Entities across the
      length scale from nano-sized enzyme mimics, sub-micron sized artificial
      organelles and self-propelled particles (swimmers) to micron-sized artificial
      cells are discussed. Although the field remains in its infancy, the primary aim
      of this review is to illustrate the advent of nature-mimicking artificial
      molecules and assemblies on their way to become a complementary alternative to
      their role models for diverse biomedical purposes.

PMID- 28916496
TI  - Designer bacteria as intratumoural enzyme biofactories.
AB  - Bacterial-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (BDEPT) is an emerging form of
      treatment for cancer. It is a biphasic variant of gene therapy in which a
      bacterium, armed with an enzyme that can convert an inert prodrug into a
      cytotoxic compound, induces tumour cell death following tumour-specific prodrug
      activation. BDEPT combines the innate ability of bacteria to selectively
      proliferate in tumours, with the capacity of prodrugs to undergo contained,
      compartmentalised conversion into active metabolites in vivo. Although BDEPT has
      undergone clinical testing, it has received limited clinical exposure, and has
      yet to achieve regulatory approval. In this article, we review BDEPT from the
      system designer's perspective, and provide detailed commentary on how the
      designer should strategize its development de novo. We report on contemporary
      advancements in this field which aim to enhance BDEPT in terms of safety and
      efficacy. Finally, we discuss clinical and regulatory barriers facing BDEPT, and
      propose promising approaches through which these hurdles may best be tackled.

PMID- 28916494
TI  - Transflammation: Innate immune signaling in nuclear reprogramming.
AB  - Induction of pluripotency in somatic cells by retroviral overexpression of four
      transcription factors has revolutionized the field of stem cell biology and
      regenerative medicine. The efficient induction of pluripotency requires the
      activation of innate immune signaling in a process termed "transflammation" (Lee
      et al., 2012). Specifically, the stimulation of pattern recognition receptors
      (PRRs) causes global alterations in the expression and activity of epigenetic
      modifiers to favor an open chromatin configuration. Activation of toll-like
      receptors (TLR) or RIG-1-like receptors (RLR) (Sayed et al. 2017) trigger
      signaling cascades that result in NFkappaB or IRF-3 mediated changes in
      epigenetic plasticity that facilitate reprogramming. Another form of nuclear
      reprogramming is so-called direct reprogramming or transdifferentiation of one
      somatic cell to another lineage. We have shown that transdifferentiation of human
      fibroblasts to endothelial cells also involves transflammation (Sayed et al.,
      2015). Recently, we also identified reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Zhou et al.
      2016) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) (Meng et al., 2016) as mediators of
      innate immune signaling in nuclear reprogramming. Innate immune signaling plays a
      key role in nuclear reprogramming by regulating DNA accessibility (Fig. 1). Here,
      we review recent progress of innate immunity signaling in nuclear reprogramming
      and epigenetic plasticity.

PMID- 28916497
TI  - Two-step polymer- and liposome-enzyme prodrug therapies for cancer: PDEPT and
      PELT concepts and future perspectives.
AB  - Polymer-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (PDEPT) and polymer enzyme liposome
      therapy (PELT) are two-step therapies developed to provide anticancer drugs site
      selective intratumoral accumulation and release. Nanomedicines, such as polymer
      drug conjugates and liposomal drugs, accumulate in the tumor site due to
      extravasation-dependent mechanism (enhanced permeability and retention - EPR -
      effect), and further need to cross the cellular membrane and release their
      payload in the intracellular compartment. The subsequent administration of a
      polymer-enzyme conjugate able to accumulate in the tumor tissue and to trigger
      the extracellular release of the active drug showed promising preclinical
      results. The development of polymer-enzyme, polymer-drug conjugates and liposomal
      drugs had undergone a vast advancement over the past decades. Several examples of
      enzyme mimics for in vivo therapy can be found in the literature. Moreover,
      polymer therapeutics often present an enzyme-sensitive mechanism of drug release.
      These nanomedicines can thus be optimal substrates for PDEPT and this review aims
      to provide new insights and stimuli toward the future perspectives of this
      promising combination.

PMID- 28916498
TI  - Antibody Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (ADEPT): Trials and tribulations.
AB  - Antibody directed enzyme prodrug therapy has the potential to be an effective
      therapy for most common solid cancers. Clinical studies with CPG2 system have
      shown the feasibility of this approach. The key limitation has been
      immunogenicity of the enzyme. Technologies now exist to eliminate this problem.
      Non-immunogenic enzymes in combination with prodrugs that generate potent
      cytotoxic drugs can provide a powerful approach to cancer therapy. ADEPT has the
      potential to be non -toxic to normal tissue and can therefore be combined with
      other modalities including immunotherapy for greater clinical benefit.

PMID- 28916499
TI  - (Re-)programming of subtype specific cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Adult cardiomyocytes (CMs) possess a highly restricted intrinsic regenerative
      potential - a major barrier to the effective treatment of a range of chronic
      degenerative cardiac disorders characterized by cellular loss and/or irreversible
      dysfunction and which underlies the majority of deaths in developed countries.
      Both stem cell programming and direct cell reprogramming hold promise as novel,
      potentially curative approaches to address this therapeutic challenge. The advent
      of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has introduced a second pluripotent
      stem cell source besides embryonic stem cells (ESCs), enabling even autologous
      cardiomyocyte production. In addition, the recent achievement of directly
      reprogramming somatic cells into cardiomyocytes is likely to become of great
      importance. In either case, different clinical scenarios will require the
      generation of highly pure, specific cardiac cellular-subtypes. In this review, we
      discuss these themes as related to the cardiovascular stem cell and programming
      field, including a focus on the emergent topic of pacemaker cell generation for
      the development of biological pacemakers and in vitro drug testing.

PMID- 28916500
TI  - Early-Life stress modulates neural networks associated with habitual use of
      reappraisal.
AB  - Recent evidence shows that early life stress (ELS) is associated with altered
      resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between amygdala and the prefrontal
      cortex, as well as with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and negative
      mood. However, the relation between ELS and maladaptive emotion regulation is not
      deterministic. Adaptive emotion regulation strategies such as reappraisal can
      also ensue from experience and learning in adulthood and can prevent negative
      mood. The present study aims to investigate the joint influence of ELS, in
      particular early-life emotional abuse (EA), and habitual use of reappraisal on
      amygdala-centered RSFC and mood. We examined amygdala-centered RSFC using
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 28 healthy adults with varied
      exposure to early-life emotional abuse. We found that in subjects with high early
      life emotional abuse, reappraisal was predominantly associated with RSFC between
      left centromedial amygdala (CMA) and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC),
      whereas in subjects with low early-life EA reappraisal predominantly involved
      RSFC between right CMA, premotor and supplementary motor regions. For subjects
      with high EA, reappraisal use was associated with a decrease in negative mood
      whereas it was associated with an increase in positive mood for subjects with low
      EA. The general findings of the study suggest that reappraisal use might act as a
      protective factor, notably for individuals who were exposed to ELS, and that this
      is mediated by alteration of amygdala-centered RSFC.

PMID- 28916501
TI  - Awakenings in rats by ultrasounds: A new animal model for paradoxical kinesia.
AB  - Paradoxical kinesia refers to a sudden transient ability of akinetic patients to
      perform motor tasks they are otherwise unable to perform. The mechanisms
      underlying this phenomenon are unknown due a paucity of valid animal models that
      faithfully reproduce paradoxical kinesia. Here, in a first experiment, we present
      a new method to study paradoxical kinesia by "awakening" cataleptic rats through
      presenting appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV), which are typical
      for social situations with positive valence, like juvenile play or sexual
      encounters ("rat laughter"). Rats received systemic haloperidol to induce
      catalepsy, which was assessed by means of the bar test. During that test, 50-kHz
      USV, time- and amplitude-matched white noise (NOISE), or background noise
      (BACKGROUND) were played back and compared to SILENCE. Every animal was exposed
      to all four acoustic stimuli in random order, with four independent groups of
      rats being tested. Only when exposed to playback of appetitive 50-kHz USV, the
      otherwise akinetic rats rapidly started to move efficiently. The acoustic control
      stimuli, in contrast, did not release rats from catalepsy, despite eliciting the
      auditory pinna reflex and head movements towards the sound source. Moreover, in a
      second experiment, playback of aversive 22-kHz USV and relevant acoustic control
      stimuli did also not significantly affect catalepsy time. Together, our animal
      model provides a completely new approach to study mechanisms of paradoxical
      kinesia, which might help to improve behavioral therapies for Parkinson's disease
      and other disorders, where akinetic or cataleptic states occur.

PMID- 28916502
TI  - Sociability trait and regional cerebral oxidative metabolism in rats:
      Predominantly nonlinear relations.
AB  - Deficits in social behaviour are common in psychopathological conditions e.g.,
      depression, autism and schizophrenia. In rats, sociability, defined as the
      engagement of an animal in non-aggressive social contact with a conspecific in a
      neutral arena, is as a persistent trait. To elucidate the neuroanatomy of social
      behaviour in animal models, long term neuronal energy metabolism was studied in
      rats preselected for sociability levels. Rats were divided into groups with high,
      medium and low sociability levels (HS, MS and LS) according to the average score
      of three social interaction tests, and cerebral long-term energy metabolism was
      assayed with cytochrome oxidase histochemistry. In the dorsomedial caudate
      putamen oxidative metabolism was linearly dependent on sociability, with LS-rats
      having the highest levels. In median preoptic nucleus, posterior paraventricular
      thalamus and median raphe, nonlinear relations appeared, HS- and LS-rats having
      lower oxidative activity than MS-animals. In the supraoptic nucleus MS-rats
      displayed lower oxidative activity than HS- and LS-animals. Intra-individual
      variability in social interaction on different testing occasions correlated
      positively with oxidative metabolism in the prelimbic cortex, bed nucleus of
      stria terminalis and caudate putamen, and negatively in the nucleus accumbens
      core. Conclusively, rats with different sociability levels are distinguished by
      long-term energy metabolism in nuclei involved in motivational behaviour, fear
      and vigilance; the relationship between energy metabolism and sociability appears
      to be predominantly nonlinear - animals with high and low expression of
      sociability are similarly deviant from the average; and intra-individual
      variability in social interaction is related to brain areas controlling
      motivation, stress reactivity and anxiety.

PMID- 28916503
TI  - Altered serotonergic and GABAergic neurotransmission in a mice model of obsessive
      compulsive disorder.
AB  - There is ample evidence that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is based on
      reduced serotonergic function. Replicated bidirectional selection for
      thermoregulatory nest-building behavior in the laboratory house mouse (Mus
      musculus) resulted in compulsive-like, non-compulsive-like and randomly bred
      control mice that represent a non-induced animal model of OCD. The present study
      aimed at investigating the neurochemical patterns in specific brain regions of
      compulsive-like (HA) versus non-compulsive-like (LA) and normal (CA) mice. The
      neurochemical investigation of several brain regions of the corticostriato
      thalamocortical circuity, i.e., nucleus caudatus (CPU), nucleus accumbens (NAc),
      globus pallidus (GP), hippocampus (HPC), amygdala (AM), ventral tegmental area
      (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) was performed by electrochemical (serotonin and
      dopamine) and fluorescence (glutamate and GABA) HPLC detection. HA mice displayed
      significantly decreased 5-HT concentrations in the mPFC and LA mice displayed a
      significant increase in GABA concentrations in the mPFC. This supports the
      pathophysiological relevance of serotonin in the manifestation of OCD and adding
      to the construct validity of the non-induced mouse model of OCD.

PMID- 28916504
TI  - Going skin deep: A direct comparison of penetration potential of lipid-based
      nanovesicles on the isolated perfused human skin flap model.
AB  - Phospholipid-based nanocarriers are attractive drug carriers for improved local
      skin therapy. In the present study, the recently developed isolated perfused
      human skin flap (IPHSF) model was used to directly compare the skin penetration
      enhancing potential of the three commonly used nanocarriers, namely conventional
      liposomes (CLs), deformable liposomes (DLs) and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs).
      Two fluorescent markers, calcein (hydrophilic) or rhodamine (lipophilic), were
      incorporated individually in the three nanosystems. The nanocarrier size ranged
      between 200 and 300nm; the surface charge and entrapment efficiency for both
      markers were dependent on the lipid composition and the employed surfactant. Both
      carrier-associated markers could not penetrate the full thickness human skin,
      confirming their suitability for dermal drug delivery. CLs exhibited higher
      retention of both markers on the skin surface compared to DLs and SLNs,
      indicating a depo formation. DLs and SLNs enabled the deeper penetration of the
      two markers into the skin layers. In vitro and ex vivo skin penetration studies
      performed on the cellophane membrane and full thickness pig/human skin,
      respectively, confirmed the findings. In conclusion, efficient dermal drug
      delivery can be achieved by optimization of a lipid nanocarrier on the suitable
      skin-mimicking model to assure system's accumulation in the targeted skin layer.

PMID- 28916505
TI  - Nuclear organisation of cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic and
      orexinergic neurons in two relatively large-brained rodent species-The springhare
      (Pedetes capensis) and Beecroft's scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus beecrofti).
AB  - The present study describes the nuclear organization of the cholinergic,
      catecholaminergic, serotonergic and orexinergic systems in the brains of the
      springhare and Beecroft's scaly-tailed squirrel following immunohistochemical
      labelling. We aimed to investigate any differences in the nuclear organization of
      these neural systems when compared to previous data on other species of rodents,
      as these two rodent species have relatively large brains - 1.2 to 1.4 times
      larger than would be expected for mammals of their body mass and 1.7-1.9 times
      larger than would be expected for rodents of their body mass. A series of coronal
      sections were taken through two brains of each species and immunohistochemically
      labelled with antibodies against choline acetyltransferase, tyrosine hydroxylase,
      serotonin and orexin-A. Generally, the nuclear complement of these systems
      revealed extensive similarities between both species and to previously studied
      rodents. While no differences were observed in the nuclear complement of the
      serotonergic and orexinergic systems, some differences were observed in the
      nuclear complement of the cholinergic and catecholaminergic systems. These
      include the presence of cholinergic neurons in the cerebral cortex and nucleus of
      the trapezoid body in the springhare; while the Beecroft's scaly-tailed squirrel
      exhibited cholinergic neurons in the pretectal area of the midbrain. For the
      catecholaminergic system it was observed that Beecroft's scaly-tailed squirrel
      possessed immunoreactive neurons in the accessory olfactory bulb. Despite these
      four differences, most not previously observed in rodents, the remaining
      complement of cholinergic and catecholaminergic nuclei were identical to that
      observed in other rodents, including the presence of the rodent specific
      catecholaminergic rostral dorsal midline medullary (C3) nucleus in the medulla
      oblongata. Thus, even with a significant increase in relative brain size, the
      overall complement of nuclei forming these systems shows minimal changes in
      complexity within a specific mammalian order.

PMID- 28916507
TI  - Cardiac Patients' Experiences and Perceptions of Social Media: Mixed-Methods
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional in-person cardiac rehabilitation has substantial benefits
      for cardiac patients, which are offset by poor attendance. The rapid increase in
      social media use in older adults provides an opportunity to reach patients who
      are eligible for cardiac rehabilitation but unable to attend traditional face-to
      face groups. However, there is a paucity of research on cardiac patients'
      experiences and perspectives on using social media to support their health.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe cardiac rehabilitation patients'
      experiences in using social media in general and their perspective on using
      social media, particularly Facebook, to support their cardiac health and
      secondary prevention efforts. METHODS: A mixed-methods study was undertaken among
      cardiac rehabilitation patients in both urban and rural areas. First, this study
      included a survey (n=284) on social media use and capability. Second, six focus
      group interviews were conducted with current Facebook users (n=18) to elucidate
      Facebook experience and perspectives. RESULTS: Social media use was low (28.0%,
      79/282) but more common in participants who were under 70 years of age, employed,
      and had completed high school. Social media users accessed Web-based information
      on general health issues (65%, 51/79), medications (56%, 44/79), and heart health
      (43%, 34/79). Participants were motivated to invest time in using Facebook for
      "keeping in touch" with family and friends and to be informed by expert cardiac
      health professionals and fellow cardiac participants if given the opportunity. It
      appeared that participants who had a higher level of Facebook capability
      (understanding of features and the consequences of their use and efficiency in
      use) spent more time on Facebook and reported higher levels of "liking,"
      commenting, or sharing posts. Furthermore, higher Facebook capability appeared to
      increase a participants' willingness to participate in a cardiac Facebook support
      group. More capable users were more receptive to the use of Facebook for cardiac
      rehabilitation and more likely to express interest in providing peer support.
      Recommended features for a cardiac rehabilitation Facebook group included a
      closed group, expert cardiac professional involvement, provision of cardiac
      health information, and ensuring trustworthiness of the group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cardiac health professionals have an opportunity to capitalize on cardiac
      patients' motivations and social media, mostly Facebook, as well as the
      capability for supporting cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention.
      Participants' favored purposeful time spent on Facebook and their cardiac health
      provides such a purpose for a Facebook intervention. The study results will
      inform the development of a Facebook intervention for secondary prevention of
      cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28916506
TI  - Blending Face-to-Face and Internet-Based Interventions for the Treatment of
      Mental Disorders in Adults: Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have provided evidence for the effectiveness of Internet
      based stand-alone interventions for mental disorders. A newer form of
      intervention combines the strengths of face-to-face (f2f) and Internet approaches
      (blended interventions). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to provide an
      overview of (1) the different formats of blended treatments for adults, (2) the
      stage of treatment in which these are applied, (3) their objective in combining
      face-to-face and Internet-based approaches, and (4) their effectiveness. METHODS:
      Studies on blended concepts were identified through systematic searches in the
      MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and PubMed databases. Keywords included terms
      indicating face-to-face interventions ("inpatient," "outpatient," "face-to-face,"
      or "residential treatment"), which were combined with terms indicating Internet
      treatment ("internet," "online," or "web") and terms indicating mental disorders
      ("mental health," "depression," "anxiety," or "substance abuse"). We focused on
      three of the most common mental disorders (depression, anxiety, and substance
      abuse). RESULTS: We identified 64 publications describing 44 studies, 27 of which
      were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Results suggest that, compared with
      stand-alone face-to-face therapy, blended therapy may save clinician time, lead
      to lower dropout rates and greater abstinence rates of patients with substance
      abuse, or help maintain initially achieved changes within psychotherapy in the
      long-term effects of inpatient therapy. However, there is a lack of comparative
      outcome studies investigating the superiority of the outcomes of blended
      treatments in comparison with classic face-to-face or Internet-based treatments,
      as well as of studies identifying the optimal ratio of face-to-face and Internet
      sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Several studies have shown that, for common mental health
      disorders, blended interventions are feasible and can be more effective compared
      with no treatment controls. However, more RCTs on effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness of blended treatments, especially compared with nonblended
      treatments are necessary.

PMID- 28916508
TI  - Development of a Whole Slide Imaging System on Smartphones and Evaluation With
      Frozen Section Samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to develop scalable Whole Slide Imaging (sWSI), a WSI
      system based on mainstream smartphones coupled with regular optical microscopes.
      This ultra-low-cost solution should offer diagnostic-ready imaging quality on par
      with standalone scanners, supporting both oil and dry objective lenses of
      different magnifications, and reasonably high throughput. These performance
      metrics should be evaluated by expert pathologists and match those of high-end
      scanners. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to develop scalable Whole Slide Imaging (sWSI),
      a whole slide imaging system based on smartphones coupled with optical
      microscopes. This ultra-low-cost solution should offer diagnostic-ready imaging
      quality on par with standalone scanners, supporting both oil and dry object lens
      of different magnification. All performance metrics should be evaluated by expert
      pathologists and match those of high-end scanners. METHODS: In the sWSI design,
      the digitization process is split asynchronously between light-weight clients on
      smartphones and powerful cloud servers. The client apps automatically capture
      FoVs at up to 12-megapixel resolution and process them in real-time to track the
      operation of users, then give instant feedback of guidance. The servers first
      restitch each pair of FoVs, then automatically correct the unknown nonlinear
      distortion introduced by the lens of the smartphone on the fly, based on pair
      wise stitching, before finally combining all FoVs into one gigapixel VS for each
      scan. These VSs can be viewed using Internet browsers anywhere. In the evaluation
      experiment, 100 frozen section slides from patients randomly selected among in
      patients of the participating hospital were scanned by both a high-end Leica
      scanner and sWSI. All VSs were examined by senior pathologists whose diagnoses
      were compared against those made using optical microscopy as ground truth to
      evaluate the image quality. RESULTS: The sWSI system is developed for both
      Android and iPhone smartphones and is currently being offered to the public. The
      image quality is reliable and throughput is approximately 1 FoV per second,
      yielding a 15-by-15 mm slide under 20X object lens in approximately 30-35
      minutes, with little training required for the operator. The expected cost for
      setup is approximately US $100 and scanning each slide costs between US $1 and
      $10, making sWSI highly cost-effective for infrequent or low-throughput usage. In
      the clinical evaluation of sample-wise diagnostic reliability, average accuracy
      scores achieved by sWSI-scan-based diagnoses were as follows: 0.78 for breast,
      0.88 for uterine corpus, 0.68 for thyroid, and 0.50 for lung samples. The
      respective low-sensitivity rates were 0.05, 0.05, 0.13, and 0.25 while the
      respective low-specificity rates were 0.18, 0.08, 0.20, and 0.25. The
      participating pathologists agreed that the overall quality of sWSI was generally
      on par with that produced by high-end scanners, and did not affect diagnosis in
      most cases. Pathologists confirmed that sWSI is reliable enough for standard
      diagnoses of most tissue categories, while it can be used for quick screening of
      difficult cases. CONCLUSIONS: As an ultra-low-cost alternative to whole slide
      scanners, diagnosis-ready VS quality and robustness for commercial usage is
      achieved in the sWSI solution. Operated on main-stream smartphones installed on
      normal optical microscopes, sWSI readily offers affordable and reliable WSI to
      resource-limited or infrequent clinical users.

PMID- 28916509
TI  - Risk Prediction of Cervical Cancer and Precancers by Type-Specific Human
      Papillomavirus: Evidence from a Population-Based Cohort Study in China.
AB  - Risk stratification of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive women is needed to
      avoid excessive colposcopy and overtreatment in cervical cancer screening. We
      aimed to evaluate the predictive value of type-specific HPV in detecting cervical
      cancer and precancers in a Chinese population-based cohort and provide evidence
      of HPV genotyping to triage HPV-positive women. We typed all Hybrid Capture 2
      positive cytologic samples of 1,742 women in Shanxi Province Cervical Cancer
      Screening Study cohort. Cumulative risks of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
      grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) among HPV-positive women and cumulative detection rates
      of CIN2+ among general women by type-specific HPV were estimated during the
      course of 10-year follow-up. HPV 16 and HPV 52 were most prevalent types among
      the screening population. Ten-year cumulative risk of CIN2+ was 47.5% [95%
      confidence interval (CI), 31.6-62.3] for HPV 16-positive women and 46.3% (95% CI,
      15.3-75.4) for HPV 31-positive women. Ten-year cumulative risks of CIN2+ among
      HPV 58, 39, 33, 18, and 52 positive women ranged from 34.3% to 12.0% in a
      decreasing order. CIN2+ risks were found to be positively associated with
      infection times of the same genotypes of HPV 16, 31, 33, and 58 (all Ptrend <
      0.001). Cumulative detection rates of CIN2+ within 10 years were predominantly
      contributed by HPV 16, 31, and 58. Our results support the risk-based management
      of HPV-positive women using HPV genotyping and also indicate the significance of
      including HPV 31 and 58 apart from commonly acknowledged HPV 16 and HPV 18 in
      achieving better risk stratification. Cancer Prev Res; 10(12); 745-51. (c)2017
      AACR.

PMID- 28916510
TI  - Outcomes of Telemedicine Video-Conferencing Clinic Versus In-Person Clinic Follow
      Up for Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) recipients require close
      follow-up that can be difficult for patients who have to travel long distances
      for clinic follow-up. We aimed to compare clinical outcomes between ICD patients
      followed-up in a telemedicine video-conferencing clinic (TMVC) and a conventional
      in-person clinic (CIC). We hypothesized that outcomes of patients followed in the
      TMVC are noninferior to the CIC. METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective study
      compares time to first appropriate ICD therapy, time to first inappropriate ICD
      therapy, time to first shock, and overall survival in patients followed in TMVC
      compared with CIC between 2001 and 2016. Two hundred and eighty-seven patients
      were followed in the TMVC group and 236 patients in the CIC. The average age of
      the TMVC and CIC groups was 64.13+/-9.38 and 65.23+/-8.57 years, respectively
      (P=0.164). There was no difference in the modified Seattle heart failure model
      score between the 2 groups (-0.12+/-1.0 versus -0.21+/-0.99; P=0.287). The
      Charlson comorbidity index score was higher in the CIC group compared with the
      TMVC group (7.0 versus 6.0; P=0.01). Mean duration of follow-up was 4.8 years.
      Adjusted and unadjusted tests of noninferiority found TMVC was not inferior to in
      person follow-up for the prespecified outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Video-conferencing
      ICD follow-up for patients in areas where electrophysiology subspecialty care is
      not available leads to outcomes that are noninferior to CIC follow-up.

PMID- 28916511
TI  - Failure to Treat Life-Threatening Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Contemporary
      Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators: Implications for Strategic Programming.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In clinical trials, manufacturer-specific, strategic programming of
      implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), including faster detection rates,
      reduces unnecessary therapy but permits therapy for ventricular
      tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VF). Present consensus recommends a generic
      rate threshold between 185 and 200 beats per minute, which exceeds the rate
      tested in clinical trials for some manufacturers. In a case series, we sought to
      determine the relationship between programmed parameters and failure of modern
      ICDs to treat VF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We reviewed cases in which normally
      functioning ICDs failed to deliver timely therapy for VF from April 2015 to
      January 2017 at 4 institutions. Of 10 ambulatory patients, 5 died from untreated
      VF, 4 had cardiac arrests requiring external shocks, and 1 was rescued by a
      delayed ICD shock. VF did not satisfy programmed detection criteria in 9 patients
      (90%). Seven of these patients had slowest detection rates that were consistent
      with generic recommendations but not tested in a peer-reviewed trial for their
      manufacturer's ICDs. Manufacturer-specific factors interacted with fast detection
      rates to withhold therapy, including strict VF episode termination rules,
      enhancements to minimize T-wave oversensing, and features that restrict therapy
      to regular rhythms in ventricular tachycardia zones. Untreated VF despite
      recommended programming accounted for 56% of sudden deaths and 11% of all deaths
      during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Complex and unanticipated interactions
      between manufacturer-specific features and generic programming can prevent
      therapy for VF. More data are needed to assess the risks and benefits of
      translating evidence-based detection parameters from one manufacturer to another.

PMID- 28916512
TI  - Strategic Programming for Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Shock Reduction:
      Following the Greatest Happiness Principle?

PMID- 28916513
TI  - Telemedicine for Management of Implantable Defibrillators: Lessons Learned and a
      Look Toward the Future.

PMID- 28916514
TI  - The wisdom of investigating early developmental impairment.

PMID- 28916516
TI  - An uncommon manifestation of shock: Takotsubo syndrome.
AB  - : 76-year-old female presented following an episode of collapse. She was
      hypotensive with the paramedics and remained refractory despite fluid
      resuscitation. Her initial baseline tests revealed an elevated troponin; she
      subsequently underwent a coronary angiogram that showed mild coronary artery
      disease. Left ventriculogram was performed, which showed abnormal mid-wall
      ballooning and severely impaired systolic function, characteristic of Takotsubo
      syndrome. Echocardiogram confirmed the presence of diagnosis and presence of left
      ventricular outflow tract obstruction with high gradient. She was initiated on
      medical heart failure therapy and improved. Follow-up investigations after 2
      months showed complete resolution of systolic dysfunction and symptoms. LEARNING
      POINTS: Takotsubo syndrome can present similarly to ACS.Early use of
      echocardiography in the acute setting can provide vital information.Takotsubo
      syndrome can result in hemodynamic instability requiring urgent
      interventions.Other investigative modalities can be used in conjunction with
      echocardiography to confirm the diagnosis of Takotsubo syndrome.Prognosis is
      generally good in patients with Takotsubo syndrome.

PMID- 28916515
TI  - Reversing thyroid-hormone-mediated repression of a HSV-1 promoter via
      computationally guided mutagenesis.
AB  - Thyroid hormones (THs) and their DNA-binding nuclear receptors (TRs) direct
      transcriptional regulation in diverse ways depending on the host cell environment
      and specific promoter characteristics of TH-sensitive genes. This study sought to
      elucidate the impact on transcriptional repression of nucleotide sequence or
      orientation within TR binding sites - the TH response elements (TREs) of TH
      sensitive promoters - to better understand ligand-dependent transcriptional
      repression of wild-type promoters. Computational analysis of the HSV-1 thymidine
      kinase (TK) gene TRE bound by TR and retinoid X receptor (RXR) revealed a single
      TRE point mutation sufficient to reverse the TRE orientation. In vitro
      experiments showed that the TRE point mutation had distinct impacts on promoter
      activity, sufficient to reverse the TH-dependent negative regulation in
      neuroendocrine differentiated cells. This point mutation altered the promoter's
      regulatory mechanism by discrete changes in transcription factor TR occupancy and
      altered enrichment of the repressive chromatin modification of histone-3-lysine-9
      trimethyl (H3K9Me3). Insights relating to this negative TRE (nTRE) mechanism aids
      our understanding of other nTREs and TRE mutations associated with TH and herpes
      diseases.

PMID- 28916517
TI  - BMJ papers on ear growth and didgeridoo for sleep apnea win Ig Nobel awards.

PMID- 28916518
TI  - US drug maker sues to force Ireland to offer expensive Duchenne's treatment.

PMID- 28916519
TI  - Modeling pacemaker deterioration with age.
AB  - New JGP study models how sinoatrial node pacemaker activity changes in aged
      hearts.

PMID- 28916520
TI  - Rubrocerebellar Feedback Loop Isolates the Interposed Nucleus as an Independent
      Processor of Corollary Discharge Information in Mice.
AB  - Understanding cerebellar contributions to motor coordination requires deeper
      insight into how the output structures of the cerebellum, the cerebellar nuclei,
      integrate their inputs and influence downstream motor pathways. The magnocellular
      red nucleus (RNm), a brainstem premotor structure, is a major target of the
      interposed nucleus (IN), and has also been described in previous studies to send
      feedback collaterals to the cerebellum. Because such a pathway is in a key
      position to provide motor efferent information to the cerebellum, satisfying
      predictions about the use of corollary discharge in cerebellar computations, we
      studied it in mice of both sexes. Using anterograde viral tracing, we show that
      innervation of cerebellum by rubrospinal neuron collaterals is remarkably
      selective for the IN compared with the cerebellar cortex. Optogenetic activation
      of the pathway in acute mouse brain slices drove IN activity despite small
      amplitude synaptic currents, suggesting an active role in IN information
      processing. Monosynaptic transsynaptic rabies tracing indicated the pathway
      contacts multiple cell types within the IN. By contrast, IN inputs to the RNm
      targeted a region that lacked inhibitory neurons. Optogenetic drive of IN inputs
      to the RNm revealed strong, direct excitation but no inhibition of RNm neurons.
      Together, these data indicate that the cerebellar nuclei are under afferent
      control independent of the cerebellar cortex, potentially diversifying its roles
      in motor control.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The common assumption that all cerebellar
      mossy fibers uniformly collateralize to the cerebellar nuclei and cortex
      underlies classic models of convergent Purkinje influence on cerebellar output.
      Specifically, mossy fibers are thought to both directly excite nuclear neurons
      and drive polysynaptic feedforward inhibition via Purkinje neurons, setting up a
      fundamental computational unit. Here we present data that challenge this rule. A
      dedicated cerebellar nuclear afferent comprised of feedback collaterals from
      premotor rubrospinal neurons can directly modulate IN output independent of
      Purkinje cell modulation. In contrast to the IN-RNm pathway, the RNm-IN feedback
      pathway targets multiple cell types, potentially influencing both motor output
      pathways and nucleo-olivary feedback.

PMID- 28916521
TI  - Behavioral, Modeling, and Electrophysiological Evidence for Supramodality in
      Human Metacognition.
AB  - Human metacognition, or the capacity to introspect on one's own mental states,
      has been mostly characterized through confidence reports in visual tasks. A
      pressing question is to what extent results from visual studies generalize to
      other domains. Answering this question allows determining whether metacognition
      operates through shared, supramodal mechanisms or through idiosyncratic, modality
      specific mechanisms. Here, we report three new lines of evidence for decisional
      and postdecisional mechanisms arguing for the supramodality of metacognition.
      First, metacognitive efficiency correlated among auditory, tactile, visual, and
      audiovisual tasks. Second, confidence in an audiovisual task was best modeled
      using supramodal formats based on integrated representations of auditory and
      visual signals. Third, confidence in correct responses involved similar
      electrophysiological markers for visual and audiovisual tasks that are associated
      with motor preparation preceding the perceptual judgment. We conclude that the
      supramodality of metacognition relies on supramodal confidence estimates and
      decisional signals that are shared across sensory modalities.SIGNIFICANCE
      STATEMENT Metacognitive monitoring is the capacity to access, report, and
      regulate one's own mental states. In perception, this allows rating our
      confidence in what we have seen, heard, or touched. Although metacognitive
      monitoring can operate on different cognitive domains, we ignore whether it
      involves a single supramodal mechanism common to multiple cognitive domains or
      modality-specific mechanisms idiosyncratic to each domain. Here, we bring
      evidence in favor of the supramodality hypothesis by showing that participants
      with high metacognitive performance in one modality are likely to perform well in
      other modalities. Based on computational modeling and electrophysiology, we
      propose that supramodality can be explained by the existence of supramodal
      confidence estimates and by the influence of decisional cues on confidence
      estimates.

PMID- 28916523
TI  - Cutting Edge: A Critical Role of Lesional T Follicular Helper Cells in the
      Pathogenesis of IgG4-Related Disease.
AB  - IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a newly recognized systemic chronic
      fibroinflammatory disease. However, the pathogenesis of IgG4-RD remains unknown.
      To determine the pathophysiologic features of IgG4-RD, we examined T follicular
      helper (Tfh) cells in lesions and blood from patients with IgG4-RD. Patients with
      IgG4-related dacryoadenitis and sialadenitis (IgG4-DS) showed increased
      infiltration of Tfh cells highly expressing programmed death 1 and ICOS in
      submandibular glands. Tfh cells from IgG4-DS submandibular glands had higher
      expression of B cell lymphoma 6 and a greater capacity to help B cells produce
      IgG4 than did tonsillar Tfh cells. We also found that the percentage of
      programmed death 1hi circulating Tfh cells in IgG4-DS patients was higher than
      that in healthy volunteers and was well correlated with clinical parameters. Our
      findings indicate that anomalous Tfh cells in tissue lesions of IgG4-RD have
      features distinct from those in lymphoid counterparts or blood and potentially
      regulate local IgG4 production in IgG4-RD.

PMID- 28916522
TI  - Viral Infection Sensitizes Human Fetal Membranes to Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide
      by MERTK Inhibition and Inflammasome Activation.
AB  - Chorioamnionitis, premature rupture of fetal membranes (FMs), and subsequent
      preterm birth are associated with local infection and inflammation, particularly
      IL-1beta production. Although bacterial infections are commonly identified, other
      microorganisms may play a role in the pathogenesis. Because viral pandemics, such
      as influenza, Ebola, and Zika, are becoming more common, and pregnant women are
      at increased risk for associated complications, this study evaluated the impact
      that viral infection had on human FM innate immune responses. This study shows
      that a herpes viral infection of FMs sensitizes the tissue to low levels of
      bacterial LPS, giving rise to an exaggerated IL-1beta response. Using an ex vivo
      human FM explant system and an in vivo mouse model of pregnancy, we report that
      the mechanism by which this aggravated inflammation arises is through the
      inhibition of the TAM receptor, MERTK, and activation of the inflammasome. The
      TAM receptor ligand, growth arrest specific 6, re-establishes the normal FM
      response to LPS by restoring and augmenting TAM receptor and ligand expression,
      as well as by preventing the exacerbated IL-1beta processing and secretion. These
      findings indicate a novel mechanism by which viruses alter normal FM immune
      responses to bacteria, potentially giving rise to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

PMID- 28916524
TI  - New Methods To Analyze B Cell Immune Responses to Thymus-Dependent Antigen Sheep
      Red Blood Cells.
AB  - B cells contribute critically to an effective immune response by producing Ag
      specific Abs. During the immune response to so-called "thymus-dependent Ags,"
      activated B cells seek T cell help and form germinal centers. In contrast, thymus
      independent Ags generally do not induce germinal center formation. In the
      germinal center, B cells undergo somatic hypermutation, affinity-based clonal
      expansion, and differentiation to produce plasma cells and memory B cells.
      Valuable insight into these processes has been gained by using model hapten
      carrier complexes or SRBCs. SRBCs induce robust germinal center formation in
      mice. Therefore, this Ag is commonly used to study germinal center responses. In
      contrast to haptenated Ags, thus far it has been difficult to measure the titer
      of Ag-specific Abs or the expansion of Ag-specific B cells after immunization
      with SRBCs. We have developed new, simple methods to access these parameters,
      thus providing new tools to study germinal center and Ab responses.

PMID- 28916525
TI  - Role of the gastrointestinal microbiota in small animal health and disease.
AB  - There is a large and emerging interest in the role of the gastrointestinal
      microbiota in health and disease. This paper serves to review the current
      knowledge and recommendations of the gastrointestinal microbiota in health and
      gastrointestinal disease. Further, this review evaluates the current literature
      and suggests guidelines for faecal microbial transplantation, a novel therapy for
      dysbiosis in veterinary medicine.

PMID- 28916526
TI  - Monoclonal Antibodies Directed against Cadherin RGD Exhibit Therapeutic Activity
      against Melanoma and Colorectal Cancer Metastasis.
AB  - Purpose: New targets are required for the control of advanced metastatic disease.
      We investigated the use of cadherin RGD motifs, which activate the
      alpha2beta1integrin pathway, as targets for the development of therapeutic
      monoclonal antibodies (mAb).Experimental Design: Cadherin 17 (CDH17) fragments
      and peptides were prepared and used for immunization and antibody development.
      Antibodies were tested for inhibition of beta1 integrin and cell adhesion,
      proliferation, and invasion assays using cell lines from different cancer types
      (colorectal, pancreatic, melanoma, and breast cancer). Effects of the mAbs on
      cell signaling were determined by Western blot analysis. Nude mice were used for
      survival analysis after treatment with RGD-specific mAbs and metastasis
      development.Results: Antibodies against full-length CDH17 failed to block the
      binding to alpha2beta1 integrin. However, CDH17 RGD peptides generated highly
      selective RGD mAbs that blocked CDH17 and vascular-endothelial (VE)-cadherin
      mediated beta1 integrin activation in melanoma and breast, pancreatic, and
      colorectal cancer cells. Antibodies provoked a significant reduction in cell
      adhesion and proliferation of metastatic cancer cells. Treatment with mAbs
      impaired the integrin signaling pathway activation of FAK in colorectal cancer,
      of JNK and ERK kinases in colorectal and pancreatic cancers, and of JNK, ERK,
      Src, and AKT in melanoma and breast cancer. In vivo, RGD-specific mAbs increased
      mouse survival after inoculation of melanoma and colorectal cancer cell lines to
      cause lung and liver metastasis, respectively.Conclusions: Blocking the
      interaction between RGD cadherins and alpha2beta1 integrin with highly selective
      mAbs constitutes a promising therapy against advanced metastatic disease in colon
      cancer, melanoma, and, potentially, other cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 24(2); 433
      44. (c)2017 AACRSee related commentary by Marshall, p. 253.

PMID- 28916527
TI  - Demethylation Therapy as a Targeted Treatment for Human Papillomavirus-Associated
      Head and Neck Cancer.
AB  - Purpose: DNA methylation in human papillomavirus-associated (HPV+) head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) may have importance for continuous expression of
      HPV oncogenes, tumor cell proliferation, and survival. Here, we determined
      activity of a global DNA-demethylating agent, 5-azacytidine (5-aza), against HPV+
      HNSCC in preclinical models and explored it as a targeted therapy in a window
      trial enrolling patients with HPV+ HNSCC.Experimental Design: Sensitivity of
      HNSCC cells to 5-aza treatment was determined, and then 5-aza activity was tested
      in vivo using xenografted tumors in a mouse model. Finally, tumor samples from
      patients enrolled in a window clinical trial were analyzed to identify activity
      of 5-aza therapy in patients with HPV+ HNSCC.Results: Clinical trial and
      experimental data show that 5-aza induced growth inhibition and cell death in
      HPV+ HNSCC. 5-aza reduced expression of HPV genes, stabilized p53, and induced
      p53-dependent apoptosis in HNSCC cells and tumors. 5-aza repressed expression and
      activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in HPV+ HNSCC, activated IFN response
      in some HPV+ head and neck cancer cells, and inhibited the ability of HPV+
      xenografted tumors to invade mouse blood vessels.Conclusions: 5-aza may provide
      effective therapy for HPV-associated HNSCC as an alternative or complement to
      standard cytotoxic therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7276-87. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916528
TI  - The Impact of Cryoballoon Versus Radiofrequency Ablation for Paroxysmal Atrial
      Fibrillation on Healthcare Utilization and Costs: An Economic Analysis From the
      FIRE AND ICE Trial.

PMID- 28916529
TI  - A Brain Phenotype for Stressor-Evoked Blood Pressure Reactivity.

PMID- 28916530
TI  - Elucidation of the Impact of P-glycoprotein and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein
      on the Brain Distribution of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors.
AB  - P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) are clinically
      important efflux transporters that act cooperatively at the blood-brain barrier,
      limiting the entry of several drugs into the central nervous system (CNS) and
      affecting their pharmacokinetics, therapeutic efficacy, and safety. In the
      present study, the interactions of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors
      (BIA 9-1059, BIA 9-1079, entacapone, nebicapone, opicapone, and tolcapone) with P
      gp and BCRP were investigated to determine the contribution of these transporters
      in their access to the brain. In vitro cellular accumulation and bidirectional
      transport assays were conducted in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) II, MDCK
      MDR1, and MDCK-BCRP cells. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies were carried out for
      tolcapone and BIA 9-1079 in rats, with and without elacridar, a well-known P-gp
      and BCRP modulator. The results suggest that BIA 9-1079, nebicapone, and
      tolcapone inhibit BCRP in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, with net
      flux ratios higher than 2 and decreased over 50% in the presence of verapamil or
      Ko143, BIA 9-1079 was identified as a P-gp substrate while BIA 9-1059,
      entacapone, opicapone, and nebicapone were revealed to be BCRP substrates. In
      vivo, brain exposure was limited for tolcapone and BIA 9-1079, although tolcapone
      crossed the blood-brain barrier at a greater rate and to a greater extent than
      BIA 9-1079. The extent of brain distribution of both compounds was significantly
      increased in the presence of elacridar, attesting to the involvement of efflux
      transporters. These findings provide relevant information and improve the
      understanding of the mechanisms that govern the access of these COMT inhibitors
      to the CNS.

PMID- 28916531
TI  - Diabetes, Prediabetes, and Brain Volumes and Subclinical Cerebrovascular Disease
      on MRI: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations of prediabetes, diabetes, and diabetes
      severity (as assessed by HbA1c and diabetes duration) with brain volumes and
      vascular pathology on brain MRI and to assess whether the associations of
      diabetes with brain volumes are mediated by brain vascular pathology. RESEARCH
      DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 1,713 participants in the
      Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS) (mean age 75
      years, 60% female, 27% black, 30% prediabetes, and 35% diabetes) who underwent 3T
      brain MRI scans in 2011-2013. Participants were categorized by diabetes-HbA1c
      status as without diabetes (<5.7% [reference]), with prediabetes (5.7 to <6.5%),
      and with diabetes ([defined as prior diagnosis or HbA1c >=6.5%] <7.0% vs.
      >=7.0%), with further stratification by diabetes duration (<10 vs. >=10 years).
      RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, compared with participants without diabetes and
      HbA1c <5.7%, participants with prediabetes and those with diabetes and HbA1c
      <7.0% did not have significantly different brain volumes or vascular pathology
      (all P > 0.05), but those with diabetes and HbA1c >=7.0% had smaller total brain
      volume (beta -0.20 SDs, 95% CI -0.31, -0.09), smaller regional brain volumes
      (including frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes; deep gray matter;
      Alzheimer disease signature region; and hippocampus [all P < 0.05]), and
      increased burden of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) (P = 0.016). Among
      participants with diabetes, those with HbA1c >=7.0% had smaller total and
      regional brain volumes and an increased burden of WMH (all P < 0.05) compared
      with those with HbA1c <7.0%. Similarly, participants with longer duration of
      diabetes (>=10 years) had smaller brain volumes and higher burden of lacunes (all
      P < 0.05) than those with a diabetes duration <10 years. We found no evidence for
      mediation by WMH in associations of diabetes with smaller brain volumes by
      structural equation models (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: More-severe diabetes
      (defined by higher HbA1c and longer disease duration) but not prediabetes or less
      severe diabetes was associated with smaller brain volumes and an increased burden
      of brain vascular pathology. No evidence was found that associations of diabetes
      with smaller brain volumes are mediated by brain vascular pathology, suggesting
      that other mechanisms may be responsible for these associations.

PMID- 28916532
TI  - Comparison of symptomatic and asymptomatic persons with primary age-related
      tauopathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a clinicopathologic study to characterize clinical and
      neuropathologic features associated with cognitive impairment in participants
      with no neuritic amyloid plaques (primary age-related tauopathy [PART] definite)
      and sparse neuritic plaques (amyloid sparse). METHODS: Using the National
      Alzheimer's Coordinating Center database, we identified 377 individuals who were
      PART definite (n = 170) or amyloid sparse (n = 207), clinically examined within 1
      year of death, and autopsied at 1 of 26 National Institute on Aging-funded
      Alzheimer's Disease Centers. Factors associated with the odds of being
      symptomatic (global Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] score >0) were identified with
      multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: PART-definite participants less often
      had a high Braak neurofibrillary tangle stage V or VI (4%) compared to amyloid
      sparse participants (28%, p < 0.001). Of the PART-definite participants, 98 were
      symptomatic and 72 asymptomatic according to their global CDR scores. PART
      definite participants were less often symptomatic (58%) compared with amyloid
      sparse participants (80%, p < 0.001). Within the PART-definite group, independent
      predictors of symptomatic status included depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]
      4.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.15-8.19), Braak stage (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.04
      1.95), and history of stroke (aOR 8.09, 95% CI 2.63-24.82). Within the amyloid
      sparse group, independent predictors of symptomatic status included education
      (aOR 0.80, 95% CI 0.65-0.99), Braak stage (aOR 1.91, 95% CI 1.07-3.43), and
      amyloid angiopathy (aOR 2.75, 95% CI 1.14-6.64). CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      support the hypothesis that participants with PART have an amyloid-independent
      dementing Alzheimer disease-like temporal lobe tauopathy.

PMID- 28916533
TI  - Sex differences in the prevalence of genetic mutations in FTD and ALS: A meta
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a meta-analysis that investigates sex differences in the
      prevalence of mutations in the 3 most common genes that cause amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-chromosome 9 open reading frame
      72 (C9orf72), progranulin (GRN), or microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT)-in
      patients clinically diagnosed with these conditions. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      and PsycINFO databases were searched (inception to June 30, 2016). Studies of
      patients with FTD or ALS that reported the number of men and women with and
      without mutations of interest were selected. Female to male pooled risk ratios
      (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each mutation were calculated using
      random-effects models. RESULTS: Thirty-two articles reporting 12,784 patients
      with ALS (including 1,244 C9orf72 mutation carriers) revealed a higher prevalence
      of female patients with C9orf72-related ALS (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.29). Twenty
      three articles reporting 5,320 patients with FTD (including 488 C9orf72 mutation
      carriers) revealed no sex differences in C9orf72-related FTD (RR 0.95, 95% CI
      0.81-1.12). Thirty-six articles reporting 3,857 patients with FTD (including 369
      GRN mutation carriers) revealed a higher prevalence of female patients with GRN
      related FTD (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.09-1.62). Finally, 21 articles reporting 2,377
      patients with FTD (including 215 MAPT mutation carriers) revealed no sex
      difference in MAPT-related FTD (RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.95-1.55). CONCLUSIONS: Higher
      female prevalence of C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions in ALS and GRN
      mutations in FTD suggest that sex-related risk factors might moderate C9orf72 and
      GRN-mediated phenotypic expression.

PMID- 28916535
TI  - Spinal cord perfusion pressure predicts neurologic recovery in acute spinal cord
      injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP) as measured
      with a lumbar intrathecal catheter is a more predictive measure of neurologic
      outcome than the conventionally measured mean arterial pressure (MAP). METHODS: A
      total of 92 individuals with acute spinal cord injury were enrolled in this
      multicenter prospective observational clinical trial. MAP and CSF pressure (CSFP)
      were monitored during the first week postinjury. Neurologic impairment was
      assessed at baseline and at 6 months postinjury. We used logistic regression,
      systematic iterations of relative risk, and Cox proportional hazard models to
      examine hemodynamic patterns commensurate with neurologic outcome. RESULTS: We
      found that SCPP (odds ratio 1.039, p = 0.002) is independently associated with
      positive neurologic recovery. The relative risk for not recovering neurologic
      function continually increased as individuals were exposed to SCPP below 50 mm
      Hg. Individuals who improved in neurologic grade dropped below SCPP of 50 mm Hg
      fewer times than those who did not improve (p = 0.012). This effect was not
      observed for MAP or CSFP. Those who were exposed to SCPP below 50 mm Hg were less
      likely to improve from their baseline neurologic impairment grade (p = 0.0056).
      CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that maintaining SCPP above 50 mm Hg is a strong
      predictor of improved neurologic recovery following spinal cord injury. This
      suggests that SCPP (the difference between MAP and CSFP) can provide useful
      information to guide the hemodynamic management of patients with acute spinal
      cord injury.

PMID- 28916536
TI  - An improved way to predict neurologic recovery in acute spinal cord injury.

PMID- 28916534
TI  - Pretreatment behavior and subsequent medication effects in childhood absence
      epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize pretreatment behavioral problems and differential
      effects of initial therapy in children with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE).
      METHODS: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was administered at baseline, week
      16-20, and month 12 visits of a randomized double-blind trial of ethosuximide,
      lamotrigine, and valproate. Total problems score was the primary outcome measure.
      RESULTS: A total of 382 participants at baseline, 310 participants at the week 16
      20 visit, and 168 participants at the month 12 visit had CBCL data. At baseline,
      8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6%-11%) of children with CAE had elevated total
      problems scores (mean 52.9 +/- 10.91). At week 16-20, participants taking
      valproic acid had significantly higher total problems (51.7 [98.3% CI 48.6
      54.7]), externalizing problems (51.4 [98.3% CI 48.5-54.3]), attention problems
      (57.8 [98.3% CI 55.6-60.0]), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems (55.8
      [98.3% CI 54.1-57.6]) scores compared to participants taking ethosuximide (46.5
      [98.3% CI 43.4-49.6]; 45.8 [98.3% CI 42.9-48.7]; 54.6 [98.3% CI 52.4-56.9]; 53.0
      [98.3% CI 51.3-54.8]). Lack of seizure freedom and elevated week 16-20 Conner
      Continuous Performance Test confidence index were associated with worse total
      problems scores. At month 12, participants taking valproic acid had significantly
      higher attention problems scores (57.9 [98.3% CI 55.6-60.3]) compared to
      participants taking ethosuximide (54.5 [95% CI 52.1-56.9]). CONCLUSIONS:
      Pretreatment and ongoing behavioral problems exist in CAE. Valproic acid is
      associated with worse behavioral outcomes than ethosuximide or lamotrigine,
      further reinforcing ethosuximide as the preferred initial therapy for CAE.
      CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00088452. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study
      provides Class II evidence that for children with CAE, valproic acid is
      associated with worse behavioral outcomes than ethosuximide or lamotrigine.

PMID- 28916537
TI  - Reversibility of the effects of natalizumab on peripheral immune cell dynamics in
      MS patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the reversibility of natalizumab-mediated changes in
      pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)
      following therapy interruption. METHODS: Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data
      were collected in the Safety and Efficacy of Natalizumab in the Treatment of
      Multiple Sclerosis (AFFIRM) (every 12 weeks for 116 weeks) and Randomized
      Treatment Interruption of Natalizumab (RESTORE) (every 4 weeks for 28 weeks)
      studies. Serum natalizumab and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM
      1) were measured using immunoassays. Lymphocyte subsets, alpha4-integrin
      expression/saturation, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) binding
      were assessed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Blood lymphocyte counts (cells/L) in
      natalizumab-treated patients increased from 2.1 * 109 to 3.5 * 109. Starting 8
      weeks post last natalizumab dose, lymphocyte counts became significantly lower in
      patients interrupting treatment than in those continuing treatment (3.1 * 109 vs
      3.5 * 109; p = 0.031), plateauing at prenatalizumab levels from week 16 onward.
      All measured cell subpopulation, alpha4-integrin expression/saturation, and sVCAM
      changes demonstrated similar reversibility. Lymphocyte counts remained within the
      normal range. Ex vivo VCAM-1 binding to lymphocytes increased until ~16 weeks
      after the last natalizumab dose, then plateaued, suggesting reversibility of
      immune cell functionality. The temporal appearance of gadolinium-enhancing
      lesions was consistent with pharmacodynamic marker reversal. CONCLUSIONS:
      Natalizumab's effects on peripheral immune cells and pharmacodynamic markers were
      reversible, with changes starting 8 weeks post last natalizumab dose; levels
      returned to those observed/expected in untreated patients ~16 weeks post last
      dose. This reversibility differentiates natalizumab from MS treatments that
      require longer reconstitution times. Characterization of the time course of
      natalizumab's biological effects may help clinicians make treatment sequencing
      decisions. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence
      that the pharmacodynamic markers of natalizumab are reversed ~16 weeks after
      stopping natalizumab.

PMID- 28916538
TI  - Analysis of blood-based gene expression in idiopathic Parkinson disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether gene expression analysis of a large-scale Parkinson
      disease (PD) patient cohort produces a robust blood-based PD gene signature
      compared to previous studies that have used relatively small cohorts (<=220
      samples). METHODS: Whole-blood gene expression profiles were collected from a
      total of 523 individuals. After preprocessing, the data contained 486 gene
      profiles (n = 205 PD, n = 233 controls, n = 48 other neurodegenerative diseases)
      that were partitioned into training, validation, and independent test cohorts to
      identify and validate a gene signature. Batch-effect reduction and cross
      validation were performed to ensure signature reliability. Finally, functional
      and pathway enrichment analyses were applied to the signature to identify PD
      associated gene networks. RESULTS: A gene signature of 100 probes that mapped to
      87 genes, corresponding to 64 upregulated and 23 downregulated genes
      differentiating between patients with idiopathic PD and controls, was identified
      with the training cohort and successfully replicated in both an independent
      validation cohort (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.79, p = 7.13E-6) and a
      subsequent independent test cohort (AUC = 0.74, p = 4.2E-4). Network analysis of
      the signature revealed gene enrichment in pathways, including metabolism,
      oxidation, and ubiquitination/proteasomal activity, and misregulation of
      mitochondria-localized genes, including downregulation of COX4I1, ATP5A1, and
      VDAC3. CONCLUSIONS: We present a large-scale study of PD gene expression
      profiling. This work identifies a reliable blood-based PD signature and
      highlights the importance of large-scale patient cohorts in developing potential
      PD biomarkers.

PMID- 28916539
TI  - Comparative analysis of alternative polyadenylation in S. cerevisiae and S.
      pombe.
AB  - Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a widespread mechanism that generates mRNA
      isoforms with distinct properties. Here we have systematically mapped and
      compared cleavage and polyadenylation sites (PASs) in two yeast species, S.
      cerevisiae and S. pombe Although >80% of the mRNA genes in each species were
      found to display APA, S. pombe showed greater 3' UTR size differences among APA
      isoforms than did S. cerevisiae PASs in different locations of gene are
      surrounded with distinct sequences in both species and are often associated with
      motifs involved in the Nrd1-Nab3-Sen1 termination pathway. In S. pombe, strong
      motifs surrounding distal PASs lead to higher abundances of long 3' UTR isoforms
      than short ones, a feature that is opposite in S. cerevisiae Differences in PAS
      placement between convergent genes lead to starkly different antisense transcript
      landscapes between budding and fission yeasts. In both species, short 3' UTR
      isoforms are more likely to be expressed when cells are growing in nutrient-rich
      media, although different gene groups are affected in each species.
      Significantly, 3' UTR shortening in S. pombe coordinates with up-regulation of
      expression for genes involved in translation during cell proliferation. Using S.
      pombe strains deficient for Pcf11 or Pab2, we show that reduced expression of 3'
      end processing factors lengthens 3' UTR, with Pcf11 having a more potent effect
      than Pab2. Taken together, our data indicate that APA mechanisms in S. pombe and
      S. cerevisiae are largely different: S. pombe has many of the APA features of
      higher species, and Pab2 in S. pombe has a different role in APA regulation than
      its mammalian homolog, PABPN1.

PMID- 28916540
TI  - Massive reshaping of genome-nuclear lamina interactions during oncogene-induced
      senescence.
AB  - Cellular senescence is a mechanism that virtually irreversibly suppresses the
      proliferative capacity of cells in response to various stress signals. This
      includes the expression of activated oncogenes, which causes Oncogene-Induced
      Senescence (OIS). A body of evidence points to the involvement in OIS of
      chromatin reorganization, including the formation of senescence-associated
      heterochromatic foci (SAHF). The nuclear lamina (NL) is an important contributor
      to genome organization and has been implicated in cellular senescence and
      organismal aging. It interacts with multiple regions of the genome called lamina
      associated domains (LADs). Some LADs are cell-type specific, whereas others are
      conserved between cell types and are referred to as constitutive LADs (cLADs).
      Here, we used DamID to investigate the changes in genome-NL interactions in a
      model of OIS triggered by the expression of the common BRAFV600E oncogene. We
      found that OIS cells lose most of their cLADS, suggesting the loss of a specific
      mechanism that targets cLADs to the NL. In addition, multiple genes relocated to
      the NL. Unexpectedly, they were not repressed, implying the abrogation of the
      repressive activity of the NL during OIS. Finally, OIS cells displayed an
      increased association of telomeres with the NL. Our study reveals that senescent
      cells acquire a new type of LAD organization and suggests the existence of as yet
      unknown mechanisms that tether cLADs to the NL and repress gene expression at the
      NL.

PMID- 28916542
TI  - Comparative Effectiveness of Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents and Disease-modifying
      Antirheumatic Therapy in Children with Enthesitis-related Arthritis: The First
      Year after Diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the effect of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy
      compared to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs
      (csDMARD) in children with enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) over the first year
      after diagnosis. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective comparative
      effectiveness study of children diagnosed with ERA. We estimated the effect of
      anti-TNF therapy on clinical variables (active joint count, tender entheses
      count) and patient-reported pain and global assessment of disease activity over
      the first year after diagnosis using state-of-the-art comparative effectiveness
      analytic methods. RESULTS: During the study period, 217 patients newly diagnosed
      with ERA had a total of 965 clinic visits the first year after disease diagnosis.
      Children [median age 11.6 yrs, interquartile range 10-14] were treated with anti
      TNF monotherapy (n = 33, 15.2%), csDMARD monotherapy (n = 73, 33.6%), or both (n
      = 52, 23.9%) in the first year after disease diagnosis. There was a statistically
      significant improvement in the primary outcome, active joint count, over time in
      children who received an anti-TNF drug versus those who did not (p = 0.03).
      Additionally, use of anti-TNF therapy versus no anti-TNF therapy was associated
      with less patient-reported pain (p < 0.01) and improved disease activity over
      time as assessed by the clinical Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score (p <
      0.01). The magnitude of estimated effect on clinical outcomes was uniformly
      greater, with the exception of tender entheses count, in children treated with an
      anti-TNF drug versus a csDMARD. CONCLUSION: During the first year after
      diagnosis, anti-TNF exposure was associated with benefits for several clinically
      meaningful outcomes in children with enthesitis-related arthritis.

PMID- 28916541
TI  - A proteomic atlas of insulin signalling reveals tissue-specific mechanisms of
      longevity assurance.
AB  - Lowered activity of the insulin/IGF signalling (IIS) network can ameliorate the
      effects of ageing in laboratory animals and, possibly, humans. Although
      transcriptome remodelling in long-lived IIS mutants has been extensively
      documented, the causal mechanisms contributing to extended lifespan, particularly
      in specific tissues, remain unclear. We have characterized the proteomes of four
      key insulin-sensitive tissues in a long-lived Drosophila IIS mutant and control,
      and detected 44% of the predicted proteome (6,085 proteins). Expression of
      ribosome-associated proteins in the fat body was reduced in the mutant, with a
      corresponding, tissue-specific reduction in translation. Expression of
      mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins in fat body was increased,
      leading to increased respiration, which was necessary for IIS-mediated lifespan
      extension, and alone sufficient to mediate it. Proteasomal subunits showed
      altered expression in IIS mutant gut, and gut-specific over-expression of the
      RPN6 proteasomal subunit, was sufficient to increase proteasomal activity and
      extend lifespan, whilst inhibition of proteasome activity abolished IIS-mediated
      longevity. Our study thus uncovered strikingly tissue-specific responses of
      cellular processes to lowered IIS acting in concert to ameliorate ageing.

PMID- 28916543
TI  - Cryopyrin-associated Periodic Syndromes in Italian Patients: Evaluation of the
      Rate of Somatic NLRP3 Mosaicism and Phenotypic Characterization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of somatic NLRP3 mosaicism in an Italian cohort
      of mutation-negative patients with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS).
      METHODS: The study enrolled 14 patients with a clinical phenotype consistent with
      CAPS in whom Sanger sequencing of the NLRP3 gene yielded negative results.
      Patients' DNA were subjected to amplicon-based NLRP3 deep sequencing. RESULTS:
      Low-level somatic NLRP3 mosaicism has been detected in 4 patients, 3 affected
      with chronic infantile neurological cutaneous and articular syndrome and 1 with
      Muckle-Wells syndrome. Identified nucleotide substitutions encode for 4 different
      amino acid exchanges, with 2 of them being novel (p.Y563C and p.G564S). In vitro
      functional studies confirmed the deleterious behavior of the 4 somatic NLRP3
      mutations. Among the different neurological manifestations detected, 1 patient
      displayed mild loss of white matter volume on brain magnetic resonance imaging.
      CONCLUSION: The allele frequency of somatic NLRP3 mutations occurs generally
      under 15%, considered the threshold of detectability using the Sanger method of
      DNA sequencing. Consequently, routine genetic diagnostic of CAPS should be
      currently performed by next-generation techniques ensuring high coverage to
      identify also low-level mosaicism, whose actual frequency is yet unknown and
      probably underestimated.

PMID- 28916545
TI  - Serologic Evidence of Gut-driven Systemic Inflammation in Juvenile Idiopathic
      Arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence links juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to
      nonhost factors such as gut microbes. We hypothesize that children with new-onset
      JIA have increased intestinal bacterial translocation and circulating
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: We studied systemic treatment-naive patients
      with JIA [polyarticular JIA, n = 22, oligoarticular JIA, n = 31, and
      spondyloarthropathies (SpA), n = 16], patients with established inflammatory
      bowel disease-related arthritis (IBD-RA, n = 11), and 34 healthy controls. We
      determined circulating IgG reactivity against LPS, LPS-binding protein (LBP),
      alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (alpha-1AGP), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in plasma or
      serum from these patients and controls. Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score
      (JADAS-27) was calculated for patients with JIA. RESULTS: Circulating anticore
      LPS antibody concentrations in patients with polyarticular JIA (p = 0.001),
      oligoarticular JIA (p = 0.024), and SpA (p = 0.001) were significantly greater
      than in controls, but there were no significant intergroup differences.
      Circulating LBP concentrations were also significantly greater in patients with
      polyarticular JIA (p = 0.001), oligoarticular JIA (p = 0.002), and SpA (p =
      0.006) than controls, as were alpha-1AGP concentrations (p = 0.001, 0.001, and
      0.003, respectively). No differences were observed between controls and patients
      with IBD-RA in any of the assays. Circulating concentrations of LBP and alpha
      1AGP correlated strongly with CRP concentrations (r = 0.78 and r = 0.66,
      respectively). Anticore LPS antibody levels and CRP (r = 0.26), LBP (r = 0.24),
      and alpha-AGP (r = 0.22) concentrations had weaker correlations. JADAS-27 scores
      correlated with LBP (r = 0.66) and alpha-1AGP concentrations (r = 0.58).
      CONCLUSION: Children with polyarticular JIA, oligoarticular JIA, and SpA have
      evidence of increased exposure to gut bacterial products. These data reinforce
      the concept that the intestine is a source of immune stimulation in JIA.

PMID- 28916546
TI  - Approach to Membranous Lupus Nephritis: A Survey of Pediatric Nephrologists and
      Pediatric Rheumatologists.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe treatment practices for childhood pure membranous lupus
      nephritis (MLN). METHODS: Survey study of Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology
      Research Alliance and American Society of Pediatric Nephrology members. RESULTS:
      There were 117 respondents who completed the survey (60 pediatric nephrologists,
      57 pediatric rheumatologists). Steroids and nonsteroid immunosuppression (NSI)
      were routinely used by the majority for MLN. Mycophenolate mofetil was the
      favored initial NSI. Nephrologists used steroids (60% vs 93%) and NSI (53% vs
      87%) less often than did rheumatologists for MLN without nephrotic syndrome (NS).
      CONCLUSION: Pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists both recommend steroids
      and NSI for children with MLN, with or without NS.

PMID- 28916544
TI  - Muscle Deficits in Rheumatoid Arthritis Contribute to Inferior Cortical Bone
      Structure and Trabecular Bone Mineral Density.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with muscle loss,
      osteoporosis, and fracture. We examined associations between skeletal muscle
      mass, strength, and quality and trabecular and cortical bone deficits in patients
      with RA and healthy controls. METHODS: Participants, ages 18-75 years, completed
      whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed
      tomography (pQCT) of the tibia to quantify appendicular lean mass and fat mass
      indices (ALMI, FMI), muscle density at the lower leg, trabecular bone density,
      and cortical bone thickness. Age-, sex-, and race-specific Z scores were
      calculated based on distributions in controls. Associations between body
      composition and pQCT bone outcomes were assessed in patients with RA and
      controls. Linear regression analyses assessed differences in bone outcomes after
      considering differences in body mass index (BMI) and body composition. RESULTS:
      The sample consisted of 112 patients with RA (55 men) and 412 controls (194 men).
      Compared to controls, patients with RA had greater BMI Z score (p < 0.001), lower
      ALMI Z score after adjustment for FMI (p = 0.02), lower muscle strength Z score
      (p = 0.01), and lower muscle density Z score (p < 0.001). Among RA, ALMI Z scores
      were positively associated with trabecular density [beta: 0.29 (0.062-0.52); p =
      0.01] and cortical thickness [beta: 0.33 (0.13-0.53; p = 0.002]. Associations
      were similar in controls. Bone outcomes were inferior in patients with RA after
      adjusting for BMI, but similar to controls when adjusting for body composition.
      Radiographic damage and higher adiponectin levels were independently associated
      with inferior bone outcomes. CONCLUSION: Patients with RA exhibit deficits in
      cortical bone structure and trabecular density at the tibia and a preserved
      functional muscle-bone unit. A loss of mechanical loading may contribute to bone
      deficits.

PMID- 28916547
TI  - Automated Measurement of Microvascular Function Reveals Dysfunction in Systemic
      Sclerosis: A Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine whether an automated capture and
      analysis system could detect differences in structure and function of sublingual
      microvessels in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared to healthy
      controls. METHODS: Intravital microscopy of the sublingual microcirculation was
      automatically captured and analyzed in 40 patients with SSc and 10 age-matched
      healthy controls. RESULTS: Total and perfused microvascular density were lower in
      patients with SSc compared with controls (total microvascular density: 2471 +/-
      134 um/mm2 vs 3067 +/- 197 um/mm2, p = 0.020; perfused microvascular density:
      1708 +/- 92 um/mm2 vs 2192 +/- 144 um/mm2, p = 0.009). However, the relative
      percentage of perfused to total microvascular density was similar between SSc and
      controls (72 +/- 2% vs 71 +/- 2%, respectively, p = 0.429). Mean red blood cell
      (RBC) fraction, which indicates the longitudinal tube hematocrit of microvessel
      segments, was lower in patients with SSc compared with controls (69 +/- 1% vs 77
      +/- 1%, respectively, p < 0.001). Perfused boundary region (PBR), a marker of
      endothelial glycocalyx barrier properties, was higher in patients with SSc
      compared with controls (2.1 +/- 0.0 um vs 1.9 +/- 0.0 um, respectively, p =
      0.012), suggestive of a dysfunctional glycocalyx. There was an inverse
      association of PBR with perfused microvascular density (r = -0.40, p = 0.004) and
      RBC fraction (r = -0.80, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that
      automated capture and analysis of sublingual microvessel segments produces
      detailed, objective microvascular structural and functional data that have
      allowed us to distinguish patients with SSc from controls. These data suggest
      that microvascular structural and functional abnormalities present in patients
      with SSc could be at least partly due to a dysfunctional glycocalyx.

PMID- 28916548
TI  - Do Comorbidities Play a Role in Hand Osteoarthritis Disease Burden? Data from the
      Hand Osteoarthritis in Secondary Care Cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Because the association and its clinical relevance between
      comorbidities and primary hand osteoarthritis (OA) disease burden is unclear, we
      studied this in patients with hand OA from our Hand OSTeoArthritis in Secondary
      care (HOSTAS) cohort. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the HOSTAS study were
      used, including consecutive patients with primary hand OA. Nineteen comorbidities
      were assessed: 18 self-reported (modified Charlson index and osteoporosis) and
      obesity (body mass index >= 30 kg/m2). Mean differences were estimated between
      patients with versus without comorbidities, adjusted for age and sex: for general
      disease burden [health-related quality of life (HRQOL), Medical Outcomes Study
      Short Form-36 physical component scale (0-100)] and disease-specific burden [self
      reported hand function (0-36), pain (0-20; Australian/Canadian Hand OA Index),
      and tender joint count (TJC, 0-30)]. Differences above a minimal clinically
      important improvement/difference were considered clinically relevant. RESULTS:
      The study included 538 patients (mean age 61 yrs, 86% women, 88% fulfilled
      American College of Rheumatology classification criteria). Mean (SD) HRQOL,
      function, pain, and TJC were 44.7 (8), 15.6 (9), 9.3 (4), and 4.8 (5),
      respectively. Any comorbidity was present in 54% (287/531) of patients and this
      was unfavorable [adjusted mean difference presence/absence any comorbidity (95%
      CI): HRQOL -4.4 (-5.8 to -3.0), function 1.9 (0.4-3.3), pain 1.4 (0.6-2.1), TJC
      1.3 (0.4-2.2)]. Number of comorbidities and both musculoskeletal (e.g.,
      connective tissue disease) and nonmusculoskeletal comorbidities (e.g., pulmonary
      and cardiovascular disease) were associated with disease burden. Associations
      with HRQOL and function were clinically relevant. CONCLUSION: Comorbidities
      showed clinically relevant associations with disease burden. Therefore, the role
      of comorbidities in hand OA should be considered when interpreting disease
      outcomes and in patient management.

PMID- 28916549
TI  - Positron Emission Tomography/Computerized Tomography in Newly Diagnosed Patients
      with Giant Cell Arteritis Who Are Taking Glucocorticoids.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Large vessel uptake on positron emission tomography/computerized
      tomography (PET/CT) supports the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA). Its
      value, however, in patients without arteritis on temporal artery biopsy and in
      those receiving glucocorticoids remains unknown. We compared PET/CT results in
      GCA patients with positive (TAB+) and negative temporal artery biopsies (TAB-),
      and controls. METHODS: Patients with new clinically diagnosed GCA starting
      treatment with glucocorticoids underwent temporal artery biopsy and PET/CT. Using
      a visual semiquantitative approach, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake was
      scored in 8 vascular territories and summed overall to give a total score in
      patients and matched controls. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients with GCA and 28
      controls were enrolled. Eighteen patients with GCA were TAB+. Mean PET/CT scores
      after an average of 11.9 days of prednisone were higher in patients with GCA
      compared to controls, for both total uptake (10.34 +/- 2.72 vs 7.73 +/- 2.56; p =
      0.001), and in 6 of 8 specific vascular territories. PET/CT scores were similar
      between TAB+ and TAB- patients with GCA. The optimal cutoff for distinguishing
      GCA cases from controls was a total PET/CT score of >= 9, with an area under the
      receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.75, sensitivity 71.4%, and
      specificity 64.3%. Among patients with GCA, these measures correlated with
      greater total PET/CT scores: systemic symptoms (p = 0.015), lower hemoglobin (p =
      0.009), and higher platelet count (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Vascular FDG uptake
      scores were increased in most patients with GCA despite exposure to prednisone;
      however, the sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT in this setting were lower
      than those previously reported.

PMID- 28916550
TI  - Mortality and Functionality after Stroke in Patients with Systemic Lupus
      Erythematosus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate mortality and functional impairment after stroke in
      systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Using Swedish nationwide registers,
      we identified 423 individuals with SLE and 1652 people without SLE who developed
      a first-ever ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke (1998-2013) and followed them until
      all-cause death or for 1 year. HR for death after ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
      and the risk ratio of functional impairment (dependence in either transferring,
      toileting, or dressing) 3 months after ischemic stroke were estimated. RESULTS:
      One year after stroke, 22% of patients with SLE versus 16% of those without SLE
      died. After ischemic stroke, patients with SLE had an increased risk of death (HR
      1.85, 95% CI 1.39-2.45), which was attenuated after controlling for SLE-related
      comorbidities (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.04-1.91). Functional impairment at 3 months was
      increased in SLE by almost 2-fold (risk ratio 1.73, 95% CI 1.16-2.57). After
      hemorrhagic stroke, patients with SLE had an HR of 2.30 (95% CI 1.38-3.82) for
      death, which was increased even during the first month. CONCLUSION: Compared to
      subjects without SLE, mortality after ischemic stroke increases after the first
      month in individuals with SLE, and functionality is worse at 3 months. SLE is
      associated with all-cause death after hemorrhagic stroke even during the first
      month. A shift of focus to patient functionality and prevention of hemorrhagic
      strokes is required.

PMID- 28916552
TI  - "What I cannot create, I do not understand".

PMID- 28916551
TI  - Genetic Determinants of Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis in African Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The etiology of knee osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of
      arthritis, is complex and may differ by race or ethnicity. In recent years,
      genetic studies have identified many genetic variants associated with OA, but
      nearly all the studies were conducted in European whites and Asian Americans. Few
      studies have focused on the genetics of knee OA in African Americans. METHODS: We
      performed a genome-wide association study of radiographic knee OA in 1217 African
      Americans from 2 North American cohort studies: 590 subjects from the Johnston
      County Osteoarthritis Project and 627 subjects from the Osteoarthritis
      Initiative. Analyses were conducted in each cohort separately and combined in an
      inverse variance fixed effects metaanalysis, which were then included in pathway
      analyses. We additionally tested 12 single-nucleotide polymorphisms robustly
      associated with OA in European white populations for association in African
      Americans. RESULTS: We identified a genome-wide significant variant in LINC01006
      (minor allele frequency 12%; p = 4.11 * 10-9) that is less common in European
      white populations (minor allele frequency < 3%). Five other independent loci
      reached suggestive significance (p < 1 * 10-6). In pathway analyses,
      dorsal/ventral neural tube patterning and iron ion transport pathways were
      significantly associated with knee OA in African Americans (false discovery rate
      < 0.05). We found no evidence that previously reported OA susceptibility variants
      in European whites were associated with knee OA in African Americans. CONCLUSION:
      These results highlight differences in the genetic architecture of knee OA
      between African American and European whites. This finding underscores the need
      to include more diverse populations in OA genetics studies.

PMID- 28916557
TI  - Study of fall risk-increasing drugs in elderly patients before and after a bone
      fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accidental falls have a significant economic and human impact. The
      use of certain drugs is one of the modifiable risk factors associated with these
      events. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of use
      and to explore changes in treatment with fall-related drugs in patients over 65
      years of age admitted as a result of a fall-related fracture. METHODS:
      Observational and prospective study performed in a tertiary level hospital. A
      list of fall risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) was drawn up. The main study variables
      were number and type of FRIDs prescribed at admission and 1 month after the
      fracture and number, type, treating physician and place where changes in FRIDs
      were implemented. RESULTS: In total, 252 patients were included. At admission,
      91.3% were receiving at least one FRID, mean daily use was 3.1 FRIDs and the most
      frequently prescribed FRIDs were diuretics (18%), renin-angiotensin system-acting
      agents (15.8%) and antidepressants (15%). One month later, mean daily use was 3.4
      FRIDs (p=0.099) and a significant increase was detected in the use of hypnotics
      (p=0.003) and antidepressants (p=0.042). A total of 327 changes in treatment were
      recorded (1.3 changes/patient). Of the changes, 52.6% were new prescriptions,
      72.2% occurred at discharge and 56.6% were ordered by a geriatrician.
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of FRIDs among patients with a fall-related fracture is very
      high. This use rises 1 month after the fracture, significantly in the case of
      hypnotics and antidepressants.

PMID- 28916558
TI  - Potential of Rice Stubble as a Reservoir of Bradyrhizobial Inoculum in Rice
      Legume Crop Rotation.
AB  - Bradyrhizobium encompasses a variety of bacteria that can live in symbiotic and
      endophytic associations with leguminous and nonleguminous plants, such as rice.
      Therefore, it can be expected that rice endophytic bradyrhizobia can be applied
      in the rice-legume crop rotation system. Some endophytic bradyrhizobial strains
      were isolated from rice (Oryza sativa L.) tissues. The rice biomass could be
      enhanced when supplementing bradyrhizobial strain inoculation with KNO3, NH4NO3,
      or urea, especially in Bradyrhizobium sp. strain SUTN9-2. In contrast, the
      strains which suppressed rice growth were photosynthetic bradyrhizobia and were
      found to produce nitric oxide (NO) in the rice root. The expression of genes
      involved in NO production was conducted using a quantitative reverse
      transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) technique. The nirK gene expression level in
      Bradyrhizobium sp. strain SUT-PR48 with nitrate was higher than that of the norB
      gene. In contrast, the inoculation of SUTN9-2 resulted in a lower expression of
      the nirK gene than that of the norB gene. These results suggest that SUT-PR48 may
      accumulate NO more than SUTN9-2 does. Furthermore, the nifH expression of SUTN9-2
      was induced in treatment without nitrogen supplementation in an endophytic
      association with rice. The indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1-amino-cyclopropane-1
      carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase produced in planta by SUTN9-2 were also detected.
      Enumeration of rice endophytic bradyrhizobia from rice tissues revealed that
      SUTN9-2 persisted in rice tissues until rice-harvesting season. The mung bean
      (Vigna radiata) can be nodulated after rice stubbles were decomposed. Therefore,
      it is possible that rice stubbles can be used as an inoculum in the rice-legume
      crop rotation system under both low- and high-organic-matter soil
      conditions.IMPORTANCE This study shows that some rice endophytic bradyrhizobia
      could produce IAA and ACC deaminase and have a nitrogen fixation ability during
      symbiosis inside rice tissues. These characteristics may play an important role
      in rice growth promotion by endophytic bradyrhizobia. However, the NO-producing
      strains should be of concern due to a possible deleterious effect of NO on rice
      growth. In addition, this study reports the application of endophytic
      bradyrhizobia in rice stubbles, and the rice stubbles were used directly as an
      inoculum for a leguminous plant (mung bean). The degradation of rice stubbles
      leads to an increased number of SUTN9-2 in the soil and may result in increased
      mung bean nodulation. Therefore, the persistence of endophytic bradyrhizobia in
      rice tissues can be developed to use rice stubbles as an inoculum for mung bean
      in a rice-legume crop rotation system.

PMID- 28916559
TI  - Omics Analyses of Trichoderma reesei CBS999.97 and QM6a Indicate the Relevance of
      Female Fertility to Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme and Transporter Levels.
AB  - The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei is found predominantly in the tropics
      but also in more temperate regions, such as Europe, and is widely known as a
      producer of large amounts of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. We sequenced the
      genome of the sexually competent isolate CBS999.97, which is phenotypically
      different from the female sterile strain QM6a but can cross sexually with QM6a.
      Transcriptome data for growth on cellulose showed that entire carbohydrate-active
      enzyme (CAZyme) families are consistently differentially regulated between these
      strains. We evaluated backcrossed strains of both mating types, which acquired
      female fertility from CBS999.97 but maintained a mostly QM6a genetic background,
      and we could thereby distinguish between the effects of strain background and
      female fertility or mating type. We found clear regulatory differences associated
      with female fertility and female sterility, including regulation of CAZyme and
      transporter genes. Analysis of carbon source utilization, transcriptomes, and
      secondary metabolites in these strains revealed that only a few changes in gene
      regulation are consistently correlated with different mating types. Different
      strain backgrounds (QM6a versus CBS999.97) resulted in the most significant
      alterations in the transcriptomes and in carbon source utilization, with
      decreased growth of CBS999.97 on several amino acids (for example proline or
      alanine), which further correlated with the downregulation of genes involved in
      the respective pathways. In combination, our findings support a role of fertility
      associated processes in physiology and gene regulation and are of high relevance
      for the use of sexual crossing in combining the characteristics of two compatible
      strains or quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis.IMPORTANCETrichoderma reesei
      is a filamentous fungus with a high potential for secretion of plant cell wall
      degrading enzymes. We sequenced the genome of the fully fertile field isolate
      CBS999.97 and analyzed its gene regulation characteristics in comparison with the
      commonly used laboratory wild-type strain QM6a, which is not female fertile.
      Additionally, we also evaluated fully fertile strains with genotypes very close
      to that of QM6a in order to distinguish between strain-specific and fertility
      specific characteristics. We found that QM6a and CBS999.97 clearly differ in
      their growth patterns on different carbon sources, CAZyme gene regulation, and
      secondary metabolism. Importantly, we found altered regulation of 90 genes
      associated with female fertility, including CAZyme genes and transporter genes,
      but only minor mating type-dependent differences. Hence, when using sexual
      crossing in research and for strain improvement, it is important to consider
      female fertile and female sterile strains for comparison with QM6a and to achieve
      optimal performance.

PMID- 28916560
TI  - CmeABC multidrug efflux pump contributes to antibiotic resistance and promotes
      Campylobacter jejuni survival and multiplication in Acanthamoeba polyphaga.
AB  - Campylobacter jejuni is a foodborne pathogen recognized as the leading cause of
      human bacterial gastroenteritis. The wide use of antibiotics in medicine and in
      animal husbandry has led to an increased incidence of antibiotic resistance in
      Campylobacter In addition to a role in multidrug resistance, the Campylobacter
      CmeABC RND-type efflux pump, which is associated with multidrug resistance (MDR),
      may also be involved in virulence. As a vehicle of pathogenic microorganisms, the
      protozoan Acanthamoeba is a good model for the investigation of bacterial
      survival in the environment and molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity. The
      interaction between C. jejuni 81-176 and A. polyphaga was investigated in this
      study by using a modified gentamicin protection assay. In addition, a possible
      role for the CmeABC MDR pump in this interaction was explored. Here we report
      that this MDR pump is beneficial for the intracellular survival and
      multiplication of C. jejuni in A. polyphaga, but is dispensable for biofilm
      formation and motility.Importance The endosymbiotic relationship between amoebae
      and microbial pathogens may contribute to persistence and spreading of the latter
      in the environment, which has significant implications to human health. In this
      study we found that Campylobacter jejuni was able to survive and multiply inside
      Acanthamoeba. polyphaga Since these microorganisms can co-exist in the same
      environment (e.g. in poultry farms), the latter may increase the risk of
      infection with Campylobacter Our data suggests that, in addition to its role in
      antibiotic resistance, the CmeABC MDR efflux pump also plays a role in bacterial
      survival within amoebae. Furthermore, we demonstrated a synergistic effect of the
      CmeABC MDR efflux pump and TetO on bacterial resistance to tetracycline. Due to
      its role both in antibiotic resistance and virulence of C. jejuni, the CmeABC MDR
      efflux pump could be considered as a good target for the development of
      antibacterial drugs against this pathogen.

PMID- 28916561
TI  - Succinate Transport Is Not Essential for Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation by
      Sinorhizobium meliloti or Rhizobium leguminosarum.
AB  - Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) is an energetically expensive process performed
      by bacteria during endosymbiotic relationships with plants. The bacteria require
      the plant to provide a carbon source for the generation of reductant to power
      SNF. While C4-dicarboxylates (succinate, fumarate, and malate) appear to be the
      primary, if not sole, carbon source provided to the bacteria, the contribution of
      each C4-dicarboxylate is not known. We address this issue using genetic and
      systems-level analyses. Expression of a malate-specific transporter (MaeP) in
      Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm1021 dct mutants unable to transport C4-dicarboxylates
      resulted in malate import rates of up to 30% that of the wild type. This was
      sufficient to support SNF with Medicago sativa, with acetylene reduction rates of
      up to 50% those of plants inoculated with wild-type S. melilotiRhizobium
      leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841 dct mutants unable to transport C4-dicarboxylates
      but expressing the maeP transporter had strong symbiotic properties, with Pisum
      sativum plants inoculated with these strains appearing similar to plants
      inoculated with wild-type R. leguminosarum This was despite malate transport
      rates by the mutant bacteroids being 10% those of the wild type. An RNA
      sequencing analysis of the combined P. sativum-R. leguminosarum nodule
      transcriptome was performed to identify systems-level adaptations in response to
      the inability of the bacteria to import succinate or fumarate. Few
      transcriptional changes, with no obvious pattern, were detected. Overall, these
      data illustrated that succinate and fumarate are not essential for SNF and that,
      at least in specific symbioses, l-malate is likely the primary C4-dicarboxylate
      provided to the bacterium.IMPORTANCE Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) is an
      economically and ecologically important biological process that allows plants to
      grow in nitrogen-poor soils without the need to apply nitrogen-based fertilizers.
      Much research has been dedicated to this topic to understand this process and to
      eventually manipulate it for agricultural gains. The work presented in this
      article provides new insights into the metabolic integration of the plant and
      bacterial partners. It is shown that malate is the only carbon source that needs
      to be available to the bacterium to support SNF and that, at least in some
      symbioses, malate, and not other C4-dicarboxylates, is likely the primary carbon
      provided to the bacterium. This work extends our knowledge of the minimal
      metabolic capabilities the bacterium requires to successfully perform SNF and may
      be useful in further studies aiming to optimize this process through synthetic
      biology approaches. The work describes an engineering approach to investigate a
      metabolic process that occurs between a eukaryotic host and its prokaryotic
      endosymbiont.

PMID- 28916562
TI  - Impact of coil price knowledge by the operator on the cost of aneurysm coiling. A
      single center study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endovascular treatment of aneurysms with coils is among the most
      frequent treatments in interventional neuroradiology, and represents an important
      expense. Each manufacturer has created several types of coils, with prices
      varying among brands and coil types. The objective of this study was to assess
      the impact of cost awareness of the exact price of each coil by the operating
      physician on the total cost of aneurysm coiling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was
      a comparative study conducted over 1 year in a single tertiary care center. The
      reference cohort and the experimental cohort consisted of all aneurysm
      embolization procedures performed during the first 6 months and the last 6
      months, respectively. During the second period, physicians were given an
      information sheet with the prices of all available coils and were requested to
      look at the sheet during each procedure with the instruction to try to reduce the
      total cost of the coils used. Expenses related to the coiling procedures during
      each period were compared. RESULTS: 77 aneurysms (39 ruptured) in the reference
      cohort and 73 aneurysms (36 ruptured) in the experimental cohort were treated,
      respectively. There was no statistically significant difference regarding
      aneurysm location and mean size. The overall cost of the coiling procedures, the
      mean number of coils used per procedure, and the median cost of each procedure
      did not differ significantly between the two cohorts. CONCLUSION: Awareness of
      the precise price of coils by operators without any additional measure did not
      have a scientifically proven impact on the cost of aneurysm embolization.

PMID- 28916563
TI  - Incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and ROP treatment in Switzerland
      2006-2015: a population-based analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a severe complication of preterm
      birth and can lead to severe visual impairment or even blindness if untreated.
      The incidence of ROP requiring treatment is increasing in some developed
      countries in conjunction with higher survival rates at the lower end of
      gestational age (GA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The incidence of ROP and severe ROP
      (sROP) requiring treatment in Switzerland was analysed using the SwissNeoNet
      registry. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of very preterm infants
      with a GA below 32 weeks who were born between 2006 and 2015 in Switzerland.
      Patient characteristics were stratified according to GA. RESULTS: 9.3% and 1.8%
      of very preterm infants in Switzerland developed ROP of any stage and sROP,
      respectively. The incidence of ROP treatment was 1.2%. Patients with 24 and 25
      weeks GA had the highest proportion of ROP treatment at 14.5% and 7.3%,
      respectively, whereas the proportion of treated infants at or above a GA of 29
      weeks was 0.06%. Similarly, the risk of sROP declined strongly with increasing
      GA. During the observation period of 10 years, the incidence of ROP treatment
      ranged between 0.8% and 2.0%. Incidences of sROP or ROP treatment did not
      increase over time. CONCLUSION: The incidence of ROP treatment in Switzerland is
      low and was stable over the analysed period. The low incidence of sROP in
      patients with a GA of 29 weeks or more leaves room for a redefinition of ROP
      screening criteria.

PMID- 28916564
TI  - Modulation of the gut microbiome: a systematic review of the effect of bariatric
      surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bariatric surgery is recommended for patients with obesity and type 2
      diabetes. Recent evidence suggested a strong connection between gut microbiota
      and bariatric surgery. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: The PubMed and OVID
      EMBASE were used, and articles concerning bariatric surgery and gut microbiota
      were screened. The main outcome measures were alterations of gut microbiota after
      bariatric surgery and correlations between gut microbiota and host metabolism. We
      applied the system of evidence level to evaluate the alteration of microbiota.
      Modulation of short-chain fatty acid and gut genetic content was also
      investigated. RESULTS: Totally 12 animal experiments and 9 clinical studies were
      included. Based on strong evidence, 4 phyla (Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria,
      Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria) increased after surgery; within the phylum
      Firmicutes, Lactobacillales and Enterococcus increased; and within the phylum
      Proteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Enterobacteriales Enterobacteriaceae and
      several genera and species increased. Decreased microbial groups were Firmicutes,
      Clostridiales, Clostridiaceae, Blautia and Dorea. However, the change in
      microbial diversity is still under debate. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii,
      Lactobacillus and Coprococcus comes are implicated in many of the outcomes,
      including body composition and glucose homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS: There is strong
      evidence to support a considerable alteration of the gut microbiome after
      bariatric surgery. Deeper investigations are required to confirm the mechanisms
      that link the gut microbiome and metabolic alterations in human metabolism.

PMID- 28916565
TI  - Functional specialization of two paralogous TAF12 variants by their selective
      association with SAGA and TFIID transcriptional regulatory complexes.

PMID- 28916566
TI  - Perspective: Essential Study Quality Descriptors for Data from Nutritional
      Epidemiologic Research.
AB  - Pooled analysis of secondary data increases the power of research and enables
      scientific discovery in nutritional epidemiology. Information on study
      characteristics that determine data quality is needed to enable correct reuse and
      interpretation of data. This study aims to define essential quality
      characteristics for data from observational studies in nutrition. First, a
      literature review was performed to get an insight on existing instruments that
      assess the quality of cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies and
      dietary measurement. Second, 2 face-to-face workshops were organized to determine
      the study characteristics that affect data quality. Third, consensus on the data
      descriptors and controlled vocabulary was obtained. From 4884 papers retrieved,
      26 relevant instruments, containing 164 characteristics for study design and 93
      characteristics for measurements, were selected. The workshop and consensus
      process resulted in 10 descriptors allocated to "study design" and 22 to
      "measurement" domains. Data descriptors were organized as an ordinal scale of
      items to facilitate the identification, storage, and querying of nutrition data.
      Further integration of an Ontology for Nutrition Studies will facilitate
      interoperability of data repositories.

PMID- 28916568
TI  - Perspective: The Paradox in Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products Research-The
      Source of the Serum and Urinary Advanced Glycation End Products Is the
      Intestines, Not the Food.
AB  - Inconsistent research results have impeded our understanding of the degree to
      which dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) contribute to chronic
      disease. Early research suggested that Western-style fast foods, including
      grilled and broiled meats and French fries, contain high levels of
      proinflammatory advanced glycation end products (AGEs). However, recent studies
      with state-of-the-art ultraperformance LC-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS)
      found that there is no evidence that these foods have elevated levels of dAGEs
      relative to other foods. Paradoxically, observational research found that the
      intake of fruits (mainly apples), fruit juices (apple juice), vegetables, nuts,
      seeds, soy, and nonfat milk, which are foods synonymous with healthy eating, as
      well as the intake of cold breakfast cereals, whole grains (breads), and sweets,
      which are sources of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), were associated with
      elevated serum and urinary N-epsilon-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML). Ironically,
      these are the same foods found to have lower CML levels, as measured by UPLC-MS.
      One possible explanation for this paradox is that the source of the elevated CML
      is the intestines, not the food. When considered collectively, dAGE research
      results are consistent with the "fructositis" hypothesis, which states that
      intake of foods and beverages with high fructose-to-glucose ratios (HFCS
      sweetened foods and beverages, agave syrup, crystalline fructose, apple juice,
      and apple juice blends) promotes the intestinal in situ formation of readily
      absorbed, proinflammatory extracellular, newly identified, fructose-associated
      AGE, an overlooked source of immunogenic AGEs.

PMID- 28916567
TI  - Perspective: An Extension of the STROBE Statement for Observational Studies in
      Nutritional Epidemiology (STROBE-nut): Explanation and Elaboration.
AB  - Nutritional epidemiology is an inherently complex and multifaceted research area.
      Dietary intake is a complex exposure and is challenging to describe and assess,
      and links between diet, health, and disease are difficult to ascertain.
      Consequently, adequate reporting is necessary to facilitate comprehension,
      interpretation, and generalizability of results and conclusions. The
      STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)
      statement is an international and collaborative initiative aiming to enhance the
      quality of reporting of observational studies. We previously presented a
      checklist of 24 reporting recommendations for the field of nutritional
      epidemiology, called "the STROBE-nut." The STROBE-nut is an extension of the
      general STROBE statement, intended to complement the STROBE recommendations to
      improve and standardize the reporting in nutritional epidemiology. The aim of the
      present article is to explain the rationale for, and elaborate on, the STROBE-nut
      recommendations to enhance the clarity and to facilitate the understanding of the
      guidelines. Examples from the published literature are used as illustrations, and
      references are provided for further reading.

PMID- 28916569
TI  - Effects of Anthocyanins on Cardiometabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta
      Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Numerous clinical trials have examined the role of anthocyanins on
      cardiometabolic health, but their effects have not been quantitatively
      synthesized and systematically evaluated. The aim of our study was to conduct a
      systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      assessing the effects of anthocyanins on glycemic regulation and lipid profiles
      in both healthy populations and those with cardiometabolic diseases. The MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, Cochrane database, OVID EBM Reviews, and clinicaltrials.gov databases
      were searched until February 2017. RCTs with a duration of >=2 wk that evaluated
      the effects of anthocyanins on glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and lipids
      as either primary or secondary outcomes were included. The Cochrane Risk of Bias
      tool was used to assess the study quality. Standardized mean differences (SMDs)
      were determined by random-effects models. Meta-regression, sensitivity, and
      subgroup analyses were performed to explore the influence of covariates on the
      overall effects. Thirty-two RCTs (1491 participants) were eligible for meta
      analysis. Anthocyanins significantly reduced fasting glucose (SMD: -0.31; 95% CI:
      -0.59, -0.04; I2 = 80.7%), 2-h postprandial glucose (SMD: -0.82; 95% CI: -1.49, 
      0.15; I2 = 77.7), glycated hemoglobin (SMD: -0.65; 95% CI: -1.00, -0.29; I2 =
      72.7%), total cholesterol (SMD: -0.33; 95% CI: -0.62, -0.03; I2 = 86.9%), and LDL
      (SMD: -0.35; 95% CI: -0.66, -0.05; I2 = 85.2%). Sensitivity analyses showed that
      the overall effects remained similar by excluding the trials with a high or
      unclear risk of bias. The significant improvements in glycemic control and lipids
      support the benefits of anthocyanins in the prevention and management of
      cardiometabolic disease. Further well-designed RCTs are needed to evaluate the
      long-term effects of anthocyanins on metabolic profiles and to explore the
      optimal formula and dosage. The protocol for this review was registered at
      https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#index.php as CRD42016033210.

PMID- 28916571
TI  - Effect of Soy and Soy Isoflavones on Obesity-Related Anthropometric Measures: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.
AB  - Soy may be a suitable food for anti-obesity efforts because of its high protein
      and isoflavone content. We conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate potential
      effects of soy and soy isoflavones on weight, waist circumference, and fat mass.
      PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched. Twenty
      four trials with soy and 17 trials with isoflavones passed the eligibility stage.
      According to the results, soy showed no overall statistically significant effect
      on weight, waist circumference, or fat mass, but a significant increasing effect
      on weight was observed in some circumstances: for instance, in obese subjects
      [mean difference (MD): 0.80 kg; 95% CI: 0.15, 1.45 kg; P = 0.02], with ingestions
      of >=40 g soy protein/d (MD: 0.94 kg; 95% CI: 0.11, 1.77 kg; P = 0.03), with
      short-term applications (1-3 mo) (MD: 0.45 kg; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.86 kg; P = 0.03),
      and when soy was compared with meat (MD: 0.36 kg; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.64 kg; P =
      0.03) and whey protein (MD: 1.53 kg; 95% CI: 0.10, 2.96 kg; P = 0.04). In
      contrast to the effects of soy on weight, soy significantly decreased waist
      circumference in older ages (MD: -0.36 cm; 95% CI: -0.71, -0.01 cm; P = 0.04), in
      women (MD: -0.32 cm; 95% CI: -0.57, -0.08 cm; P = 0.01), and at doses of <40 g
      soy protein/d (MD: -0.31 cm; 95% CI: -0.57, -0.05 cm; P = 0.02). Isoflavone
      studies, conducted only in women, showed that isoflavones may reduce body mass
      index (BMI; in kg/m2) (MD: -0.26; 95% CI: -0.55, 0.04; P = 0.085), especially in
      dosages <100 mg/d (MD: -0.48; 95% CI: -0.90, -0.06; P = 0.02) and in intervention
      periods of 2-6 mo (MD: -0.28; 95% CI: -0.56, 0.00; P = 0.053), but no effect was
      observed in higher doses or longer intervention periods. Also, a trend for
      reduced BMI after consumption of isoflavones was observed in Caucasians (MD: 
      0.35; 95% CI: -0.74, 0.04; P = 0.08). Overall, results showed that, although soy
      is the major source of isoflavones, soy and isoflavones may have different
      impacts on weight status.

PMID- 28916570
TI  - Dietary (Poly)phenols, Brown Adipose Tissue Activation, and Energy Expenditure: A
      Narrative Review.
AB  - The incidence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions, making
      the control of body weight and its complications a primary health problem. Diet
      has long played a first-line role in preventing and managing obesity. However,
      beyond the obvious strategy of restricting caloric intake, growing evidence
      supports the specific antiobesity effects of some food-derived components,
      particularly (poly)phenolic compounds. The relatively new rediscovery of active
      brown adipose tissue in adult humans has generated interest in this tissue as a
      novel and viable target for stimulating energy expenditure and controlling body
      weight by promoting energy dissipation. This review critically discusses the
      evidence supporting the concept that the antiobesity effects ascribed to
      (poly)phenols might be dependent on their capacity to promote energy dissipation
      by activating brown adipose tissue. Although discrepancies exist in the
      literature, most in vivo studies with rodents strongly support the role of some
      (poly)phenol classes, particularly flavan-3-ols and resveratrol, in promoting
      energy expenditure. Some human data currently are available and most are
      consistent with studies in rodents. Further investigation of effects in humans is
      warranted.

PMID- 28916572
TI  - Anthropometric Indicators as Body Fat Discriminators in Children and Adolescents:
      A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - We analyzed the discriminatory capacity of anthropometric indicators for body fat
      in children and adolescents. This systematic review and meta-analysis included
      cross-sectional and clinical studies comprising children and adolescents aged 2
      19 y that tested the discriminatory value for body fat measured by anthropometric
      methods or indexes generated by anthropometric variables compared with precision
      methods in the diagnosis of body fat [dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA),
      computed tomography, air displacement plethysmography (ADP), or MRI]. Five
      studies met the eligibility criteria and presented high methodologic quality. The
      anthropometric indicators that had high discriminatory power to identify high
      body fat were body mass index (BMI) in males [area under the curve (AUC): 0.975]
      and females (AUC: 0.947), waist circumference (WC) in males (AUC: 0.975) and
      females (AUC: 0.959), and the waist-to-height ratio (WTHR) in males (AUC: 0.897)
      and females (AUC: 0.914). BMI, WC, and WTHR can be used by health professionals
      to assess body fat in children and adolescents.

PMID- 28916573
TI  - Abdominal Obesity and Risk of Hip Fracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
      of Prospective Studies.
AB  - Data on the association between general obesity and hip fracture were summarized
      in a 2013 meta-analysis; however, to our knowledge, no study has examined the
      association between abdominal obesity and the risk of hip fracture. The present
      systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies was undertaken to
      summarize the association between abdominal obesity and the risk of hip fracture.
      We searched online databases for relevant publications up to February 2017, using
      relevant keywords. In total, 14 studies were included in the systematic review
      and 9 studies, with a total sample size of 295,674 individuals (129,964 men and
      165,703 women), were included in the meta-analysis. Participants were apparently
      healthy and aged >=40 y. We found that abdominal obesity (defined by various
      waist-hip ratios) was positively associated with the risk of hip fracture
      (combined RR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.46, P = 0.01). Combining 8 effect sizes from
      6 studies, we noted a marginally significant positive association between
      abdominal obesity (defined by various waist circumferences) and the risk of hip
      fracture (combined RR: 1.36; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.89, P = 0.07). This association
      became significant in a fixed-effects model (combined effect size: 1.40, 95% CI:
      1.25, 1.58, P < 0.001). Based on 5 effect sizes, we found that a 0.1-U increase
      in the waist-hip ratio was associated with a 16% increase in the risk of hip
      fracture (combined RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.29, P = 0.007), whereas a 10-cm
      increase in waist circumference was not significantly associated with a higher
      risk of hip fracture (combined RR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.36, P = 0.19). This
      association became significant, however, when we applied a fixed-effects model
      (combined effect size: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.27, P < 0.001). We found that
      abdominal obesity was associated with a higher risk of hip fracture in 295,674
      individuals. Further studies are needed to test whether there are associations
      between abdominal obesity and fractures at other bone sites.

PMID- 28916574
TI  - Systematic Review of the Gastrointestinal Effects of A1 Compared with A2 beta
      Casein.
AB  - This is the first systematic review, to our knowledge, of published studies
      investigating the gastrointestinal effects of A1-type bovine beta-casein (A1)
      compared with A2-type bovine beta-casein (A2). The review is relevant to
      nutrition practice given the increasing availability and promotion in a range of
      countries of dairy products free of A1 for both infant and adult nutrition. In
      vitro and in vivo studies (all species) were included. In vivo studies were
      limited to oral consumption. Inclusion criteria encompassed all English-language
      primary research studies, but not reviews, involving milk, fresh-milk products,
      beta-casein, and beta-casomorphins published through 12 April 2017. Studies
      involving cheese and fermented milk products were excluded. Only studies with a
      specific gastrointestinal focus were included. However, inclusion was not
      delimited by specific gastrointestinal outcome nor by a specific mechanism.
      Inclusion criteria were satisfied by 39 studies. In vivo consumption of A1
      relative to A2 delays intestinal transit in rodents via an opioid-mediated
      mechanism. Rodent models also link consumption of A1 to the initiation of
      inflammatory response markers plus enhanced Toll-like receptor expression
      relative to both A2 and nonmilk controls. Although most rodent responses are
      confirmed as opioid-mediated, there is evidence that dipeptidyl peptidase 4
      stimulation in the jejunum of rodents is via a nonopioid mechanism. In humans,
      there is evidence from a limited number of studies that A1 consumption is also
      associated with delayed intestinal transit (1 clinical study) and looser stool
      consistency (2 clinical studies). In addition, digestive discomfort is correlated
      with inflammatory markers in humans for A1 but not A2. Further research is
      required in humans to investigate the digestive function effects of A1 relative
      to A2 in different populations and dietary settings.

PMID- 28916575
TI  - Effects of Probiotics on Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Sepsis, Intraventricular
      Hemorrhage, Mortality, Length of Hospital Stay, and Weight Gain in Very Preterm
      Infants: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Probiotics are increasingly used as a supplement to prevent adverse health
      outcomes in preterm infants. We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis, and
      subgroup analysis of findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess
      the magnitude of the effect of the probiotics on health outcomes among very-low
      birth-weight (VLBW) infants. Relevant articles from January 2003 to June 2017
      were selected from a broad range of databases, including Medline, PubMed, Scopus,
      and Embase. Studies were included if they used an RCT design, involved a VLBW
      infant (birthweight <1500 g or gestational age <32 wk) population, included a
      probiotic intervention group, measured necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) as a
      primary outcome, and measured sepsis, mortality, length of hospital stay, weight
      gain, and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) as additional outcomes. The initial
      database search yielded 132 potentially relevant articles and 32 (n = 8998
      infants) RCTs were included in the final meta-analysis. Subgroup analysis was
      used to evaluate the effects of the moderators on the outcome variables. In the
      probiotics group, it was found that NEC was reduced by 37% (95% CI: 0.51%,
      0.78%), sepsis by 37% (95% CI: 0.72%, 0.97%), mortality by 20% (95% CI: 0.67%,
      0.95%), and length of hospital stay by 3.77 d (95% CI: -5.94, -1.60 d). These
      findings were all significant when compared with the control group. There was
      inconsistent use of strain types among some of the studies. The results indicate
      that probiotic consumption can significantly reduce the risk of developing
      medical complications associated with NEC and sepsis, reduce mortality and length
      of hospital stay, and promote weight gain in VLBW infants. Probiotics are more
      effective when taken in breast milk and formula form, consumed for <6 wk,
      administered with a dosage of <109 CFU/d, and include multiple strains.
      Probiotics are not effective in reducing the incidence of IVH in VLBW infants.

PMID- 28916576
TI  - Withholding Feeds and Transfusion-Associated Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm
      Infants: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Limited evidence exists to support the withholding of feeds during packed red
      blood cell (PRBC) transfusion to reduce the incidence of transfusion-associated
      necrotizing enterocolitis (TANEC) in preterm infants. The aim of the manuscript
      was to systematically review studies reporting the effect of implementing a
      policy of withholding feeds on the incidence of TANEC in preterm infants. The
      following databases were searched for relevant studies published between the
      databases' inception and December 2016: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials, the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health
      Literature, and Pediatric Academic Societies Abstract Archive. Other relevant
      sources were also searched. There were no restrictions on study design. Studies
      reporting on the incidence of TANEC (stage >=2 necrotizing enterocolitis within
      48-72 h) after implementation of a policy of withholding feeds in the
      peritransfusion period in preterm infants were included. This meta-analysis used
      a random-effects model with assessment of quality of evidence using the Grading
      of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. There
      were no randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Pooled results from 7 non-RCTs (n =
      7492) showed that withholding feeds during PRBC transfusion significantly reduced
      the incidence of TANEC (RR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.80; P = 0.005; I2 = 11%). The
      overall quality of evidence was moderate on GRADE analysis. These findings
      suggest that withholding feeds during the peritransfusion period may reduce the
      risk of TANEC in preterm infants. Adequately powered RCTs are needed to confirm
      these findings.

PMID- 28916577
TI  - Evaluation of Nutrition Interventions in Children in Conflict Zones: A Narrative
      Review.
AB  - Food and nutrition insecurity becomes increasingly worse in areas affected by
      armed conflict. Children affected by conflict, or in war-torn settings, face a
      disproportionate burden of malnutrition and poor health outcomes. As noted by
      humanitarian response reviews, there is a need for a stronger evidence-based
      response to humanitarian crises. To achieve this, we systematically searched and
      evaluated existing nutrition interventions carried out in conflict settings that
      assessed their impact on children's nutrition status. To evaluate the impact of
      nutrition interventions on children's nutrition and growth status, we identified
      published literature through EMBASE, PubMed, and Global Health by using a
      combination of relevant text words and Medical Subject Heading terms. Studies for
      this review must have included children (aged <=18 y), been conducted in conflict
      or postconflict settings, and assessed a nutrition intervention that measured >=1
      outcome for nutrition status (i.e., stunting, wasting, or underweight). Eleven
      studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review. Five different
      nutrition interventions were identified and showed modest results in decreasing
      the prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, reduction in severe or moderate
      acute malnutrition or both, mortality, anemia, and diarrhea. Overall, nutrition
      interventions in conflict settings were associated with improved children's
      nutrition or growth status. Emergency nutrition programs should continue to
      follow recent recommendations to expand coverage and access (beyond refugee camps
      to rural areas) and ensure that aid and nutrition interventions are distributed
      equitably in all conflict-affected populations.

PMID- 28916578
TI  - Nutritional Sustainability: Aligning Priorities in Nutrition and Public Health
      with Agricultural Production.
AB  - Nutrition science-based dietary advice urges changes that may have a great impact
      on agricultural systems. For example, the 2016 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
      (DGA) recommends greatly increased fruit and vegetable consumption, but the
      present domestic production is insufficient to accommodate large-scale adoption
      of these guidelines. Increasing production to the extent needed to meet the DGA
      will necessitate changes in an already stressed agriculture and food system and
      will require nutrition and agriculture professionals to come together in open and
      collegial discourse. All involved need to understand the stress placed on the
      food system by increasing populations, changing diets, and changing environments,
      and recognize the major diet-based public health challenges. Furthermore, there
      is a need to understand the intricate interplay of the myriad parts of the food
      system and the vast amount of work necessary to make even small changes. New
      systems approaches are needed, especially at the research level, where nutrition,
      public health, agriculture, and the food industry work together to solve
      interconnected problems. Future well-being depends on a sustainable food system
      that continues to deliver optimal health with minimal impact on the environment.

PMID- 28916579
TI  - Comment on "Perspective: NutriGrade: A Scoring System to Assess and Judge the
      Meta-Evidence of Randomized Controlled Trials and Cohort Studies in Nutrition
      Research".

PMID- 28916580
TI  - Reply to JJ Meerpohl et al.

PMID- 28916581
TI  - Optimising impact and sustainability: a qualitative process evaluation of a
      complex intervention targeted at compassionate care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite concerns about the degree of compassion in contemporary
      healthcare, there is a dearth of evidence for health service managers about how
      to promote compassionate healthcare. This paper reports on the implementation of
      the Creating Learning Environments for Compassionate Care (CLECC) intervention by
      four hospital ward nursing teams. CLECC is a workplace educational intervention
      focused on developing sustainable leadership and work-team practices designed to
      support team relational capacity and compassionate care delivery. OBJECTIVES: To
      identify and explain the extent to which CLECC was implemented into existing work
      practices by nursing staff, and to inform conclusions about how such
      interventions can be optimised to support compassionate care in acute settings.
      METHODS: Process evaluation guided by normalisation process theory. Data gathered
      included staff interviews (n=47), observations (n=7 over 26 hours) and ward
      manager questionnaires on staffing (n=4). RESULTS: Frontline staff were keen to
      participate in CLECC, were able to implement many of the planned activities and
      valued the benefits to their well-being and to patient care. Nonetheless, factors
      outside of the direct influence of the ward teams mediated the impact and
      sustainability of the intervention. These factors included an organisational
      culture focused on tasks and targets that constrained opportunities for staff
      mutual support and learning. CONCLUSIONS: Relational work in caregiving
      organisations depends on individual caregiver agency and on whether or not this
      work is adequately supported by resources, norms and relationships located in the
      wider system. High cognitive participation in compassionate nursing care
      interventions such as CLECC by senior nurse managers is likely to result in
      improved impact and sustainability.

PMID- 28916582
TI  - Treating the captors: how the ingenuity of a British military doctor saved his
      camp.

PMID- 28916583
TI  - A balance and proprioception intervention programme to enhance combat performance
      in military personnel.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal functioning of the lower extremities under repeated movements
      on unstable surfaces is essential for military effectiveness. Intervention
      training to promote proprioceptive ability should be considered in order to limit
      the risk for musculoskeletal injuries. The aim of this study was to assess the
      effect of a proprioceptive intervention programme on static and dynamic postural
      balance among Israel Defense Forces combat soldiers. METHODS: Twenty-seven male
      soldiers, aged 18-20 years, from a physical fitness instructor's course, were
      randomly divided into two groups matched by age and army unit. The intervention
      group (INT) underwent 4 weeks of proprioceptive exercises for 10 min daily; the
      control group underwent 4 weeks of upper body stretching exercises for 10 min
      daily. All participants were tested pre and postintervention for both static and
      dynamic postural balance. RESULTS: Significant interaction (condition*pre-post
      test*group) was found for static postural balance, indicating that for the INT
      group, in condition 3 (on an unstable surface-BOSU), the post-test result was
      significantly better compared with the pretest result (p<0.05). Following
      intervention, the INT group showed significant correlations between static
      postural stability in condition 2 (eyes closed) and the dynamic postural
      stability (length of time walked on the beam following fatigue) (r ranged from
      0.647 to 0.822; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The proprioceptive intervention programme
      for combat soldiers improved static postural balance on unstable surfaces, and
      improved the correlation between static postural balance in the eyes closed
      condition and dynamic postural balance following fatigue. Further longitudinal
      studies are needed to verify the relationship between proprioception programmes,
      additional weight bearing and the reduction of subsequent injuries in combat
      soldiers.

PMID- 28916584
TI  - Novel insights into the clinical phenotype and pathophysiology underlying low VWF
      levels.
AB  - Critical clinical questions remain unanswered regarding diagnosis and management
      of patients with low von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels (30-50 IU/dL). To address
      these questions, the Low VWF Ireland Cohort (LoVIC) study investigated 126
      patients registered with low VWF levels. Despite marginally reduced plasma VWF
      levels, International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis Bleeding Assessment
      Tool (ISTH BAT) confirmed significant bleeding phenotypes in the majority of
      LoVIC patients. Importantly, bleeding tendency did not correlate with plasma VWF
      levels within the 30 to 50 IU/dL range. Furthermore, bleeding phenotypes could
      not be explained by concurrent hemostatic defects. Plasma factor VIII to VWF
      antigen (VWF:Ag) ratios were significantly increased in LoVIC patients compared
      with controls (P < .0001). In contrast, VWF propeptide to VWF:Ag ratios >3 were
      observed in only 6% of the LoVIC cohort. Furthermore, platelet-VWF collagen
      binding activity levels were both significantly reduced compared with controls (P
      < .05). In response to 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP), peak VWF:Ag
      levels exceeded 100 IU/dL in 88% of patients and was sustained >100 IU/dL after 4
      hours in 72% of subjects. In conclusion, our novel data suggest that low VWF
      levels can be associated with significant bleeding and are predominantly due to
      reductions in VWF synthesis and/or constitutive secretion. Although enhanced VWF
      clearance may contribute to the pathophysiology in some individuals, the absolute
      reduction in VWF plasma half-life is usually mild and not sufficient to
      significantly impact upon the duration of DDAVP-induced VWF response. This trial
      was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03167320.

PMID- 28916590
TI  - US Emergency Department Trends in Imaging for Pediatric Nontraumatic Abdominal
      Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe national emergency department (ED) trends in computed
      tomography (CT) and ultrasound imaging for the evaluation of pediatric
      nontraumatic abdominal pain from 2007 through 2014. METHODS: We used data from
      the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to measure trends in CT and
      ultrasound use among children with nontraumatic abdominal pain. We performed
      multivariable logistic regression to measure the strength of the association of
      ED type (pediatric versus general ED) with CT and ultrasound use adjusting for
      potential confounding variables. RESULTS: Of an estimated 21.1 million ED visits
      for nontraumatic abdominal pain, 14.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.2%
      16.0%) had CT imaging only, 10.9% (95% CI, 9.7%-12.1%) had ultrasound imaging
      only, and 1.9% (95% CI, 1.4%-2.4%) received both CT and ultrasound. The overall
      use of CT and ultrasound did not significantly change over the study period (P
      trend .63 and .90, respectively). CT use was lower among children treated in
      pediatric EDs compared with general EDs (adjusted odds ratio 0.34; 95% CI, 0.17
      0.69). Conversely, ultrasound use was higher among children treated in pediatric
      EDs compared with general EDs (adjusted odds ratio 2.14; 95% CI, 1.29-3.55).
      CONCLUSIONS: CT imaging for pediatric patients with nontraumatic abdominal pain
      has plateaued since 2007 after the steady increase seen in the preceding 9 years.
      Among this population, an increased likelihood of CT imaging was demonstrated in
      general EDs compared with pediatric EDs, in which there was a higher likelihood
      of ultrasound imaging. Dissemination of pediatric-focused radiology protocols to
      general EDs may help optimize radiation exposure in children.

PMID- 28916591
TI  - Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Very Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled
      Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Impaired glucose control in very preterm infants is
      associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and poor neurologic outcome.
      Strategies based on insulin titration have been unsuccessful in achieving
      euglycemia in absence of an increase in hypoglycemia and mortality. We sought to
      assess whether glucose administration guided by continuous glucose monitoring
      (CGM) is more effective than standard of care blood glucose monitoring in
      maintaining euglycemia in very preterm infants. METHODS: Fifty newborns <=32
      weeks' gestation or with birth weight <=1500 g were randomly assigned (1:1)
      within 48-hours from birth to receive computer-guided glucose infusion rate (GIR)
      with or without CGM. In the unblinded CGM group, the GIR adjustments were driven
      by CGM and rate of glucose change, whereas in the blinded CGM group the GIR was
      adjusted by using standard of care glucometer on the basis of blood glucose
      determinations. Primary outcome was percentage of time spent in euglycemic range
      (72-144 mg/dL). Secondary outcomes were percentage of time spent in mild (47-71
      mg/dL) and severe (<47 mg/dL) hypoglycemia; percentage of time in mild (145-180
      mg/dL) and severe (>180 mg/dL) hyperglycemia; and glucose variability. RESULTS:
      Neonates in the unblinded CGM group had a greater percentage of time spent in
      euglycemic range (median, 84% vs 68%, P < .001) and decreased time spent in mild
      (P = .04) and severe (P = .007) hypoglycemia and in severe hyperglycemia (P =
      .04) compared with the blinded CGM group. Use of CGM also decreased glycemic
      variability (SD: 21.6 +/- 5.4 mg/dL vs 27 +/- 7.2 mg/dL, P = .01; coefficient of
      variation: 22.8% +/- 4.2% vs 27.9% +/- 5.0%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: CGM-guided
      glucose titration can successfully increase the time spent in euglycemic range,
      reduce hypoglycemia, and minimize glycemic variability in preterm infants during
      the first week of life.

PMID- 28916592
TI  - Cytological and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Important Roles of CLE19 in Pollen
      Exine Formation.
AB  - The CLAVATA3/ESR-RELATED (CLE) peptide signals are required for cell-cell
      communication in several plant growth and developmental processes. However,
      little is known regarding the possible functions of the CLEs in the anther. Here,
      we show that a T-DNA insertional mutant, and dominant-negative (DN) and
      overexpression (OX) transgenic plants of the CLE19 gene, exhibited significantly
      reduced anther size and pollen grain number and abnormal pollen wall formation in
      Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Interestingly, the DN-CLE19 pollen grains
      showed a more extensively covered surface, but CLE19-OX pollen exine exhibited
      clearly missing connections in the network and lacked separation between areas
      that normally form the lacunae. With a combination of cell biological, genetic,
      and transcriptomic analyses on cle19, DN-CLE19, and CLE19-OX plants, we
      demonstrated that CLE19-OX plants produced highly vacuolated and swollen aborted
      microspores (ams)-like tapetal cells, lacked lipidic tapetosomes and elaioplasts,
      and had abnormal pollen primexine without obvious accumulation of sporopollenin
      precursors. Moreover, CLE19 is important for the normal expression of more than
      1,000 genes, including the transcription factor gene AMS, 280 AMS-downstream
      genes, and other genes involved in pollen coat and pollen exine formation, lipid
      metabolism, pollen germination, and hormone metabolism. In addition, the DN
      CLE19(+/+) ams(-/-) plants exhibited the ams anther phenotype and ams(+/-)
      partially suppressed the DN-CLE19 transgene-induced pollen exine defects. These
      findings demonstrate that the proper amount of CLE19 signal is essential for the
      normal expression of AMS and its downstream gene networks in the regulation of
      anther development and pollen exine formation.

PMID- 28916593
TI  - Carnosic Acid and Carnosol, Two Major Antioxidants of Rosemary, Act through
      Different Mechanisms.
AB  - Carnosic acid, a phenolic diterpene specific to the Lamiaceae family, is highly
      abundant in rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Despite numerous industrial and
      medicinal/pharmaceutical applications of its antioxidative features, this
      compound in planta and its antioxidant mechanism have received little attention,
      except a few studies of rosemary plants under natural conditions. In vitro
      analyses, using high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet and
      luminescence imaging, revealed that carnosic acid and its major oxidized
      derivative, carnosol, protect lipids from oxidation. Both compounds preserved
      linolenic acid and monogalactosyldiacylglycerol from singlet oxygen and from
      hydroxyl radical. When applied exogenously, they were both able to protect
      thylakoid membranes prepared from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaves
      against lipid peroxidation. Different levels of carnosic acid and carnosol in two
      contrasting rosemary varieties correlated with tolerance to lipid peroxidation.
      Upon reactive oxygen species (ROS) oxidation of lipids, carnosic acid was
      consumed and oxidized into various derivatives, including into carnosol, while
      carnosol resisted, suggesting that carnosic acid is a chemical quencher of ROS.
      The antioxidative function of carnosol relies on another mechanism, occurring
      directly in the lipid oxidation process. Under oxidative conditions that did not
      involve ROS generation, carnosol inhibited lipid peroxidation, contrary to
      carnosic acid. Using spin probes and electron paramagnetic resonance detection,
      we confirmed that carnosic acid, rather than carnosol, is a ROS quencher. Various
      oxidized derivatives of carnosic acid were detected in rosemary leaves in low
      light, indicating chronic oxidation of this compound, and accumulated in plants
      exposed to stress conditions, in parallel with a loss of carnosic acid,
      confirming that chemical quenching of ROS by carnosic acid takes place in planta.

PMID- 28916594
TI  - DELLA-GAF1 Complex Is a Main Component in Gibberellin Feedback Regulation of GA20
      Oxidase 2.
AB  - Gibberellins (GAs) are phytohormones that regulate many aspects of plant growth
      and development, including germination, elongation, flowering, and floral
      development. Negative feedback regulation contributes to homeostasis of the GA
      level. DELLAs are negative regulators of GA signaling and are rapidly degraded in
      the presence of GAs. DELLAs regulate many target genes, including AtGA20ox2 in
      Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), encoding the GA-biosynthetic enzyme GA 20
      oxidase. As DELLAs do not have an apparent DNA-binding motif, transcription
      factors that act in association with DELLA are necessary for regulating the
      target genes. Previous studies have identified GAI-ASSOCIATED FACTOR1 (GAF1) as
      such a DELLA interactor, with which DELLAs act as coactivators, and AtGA20ox2 was
      identified as a target gene of the DELLA-GAF1 complex. In this study,
      electrophoretic mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed
      that four GAF1-binding sites exist in the AtGA20ox2 promoter. Using transgenic
      plants, we further evaluated the contribution of the DELLA-GAF1 complex to GA
      feedback regulation. Mutations in four GAF1-binding sites abolished the negative
      feedback of AtGA20ox2 in transgenic plants. Our results showed that GAF1-binding
      sites are necessary for GA feedback regulation of AtGA20ox2, suggesting that the
      DELLA-GAF1 complex is a main component of the GA feedback regulation of
      AtGA20ox2.

PMID- 28916595
TI  - Normative data for flow cytometry immunophenotyping of benign lymph nodes sampled
      by surgical biopsy.
AB  - AIMS: To create clinically relevant normative flow cytometry data for
      understudied benign lymph nodes and characterise outliers. METHODS: Clinical,
      histological and flow cytometry data were collected and distributions summarised
      for 380 benign lymph node excisional biopsies. Outliers for kappa:lambda light
      chain ratio, CD10:CD19 coexpression, CD5:CD19 coexpression, CD4:CD8 ratios and
      CD7 loss were summarised for histological pattern, concomitant diseases and
      follow-up course. RESULTS: We generated the largest data set of benign lymph node
      immunophenotypes by an order of magnitude. B and T cell antigen outliers often
      had background immunosuppression or inflammatory disease but did not subsequently
      develop lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic immunophenotyping data from benign
      lymph nodes provide normative ranges for clinical use. Outliers raising suspicion
      for B or T cell lymphoma are not infrequent (26% of benign lymph nodes). Caution
      is indicated when interpreting outliers in the absence of excisional biopsy or
      clinical history, particularly in patients with concomitant immunosuppression or
      inflammatory disease.

PMID- 28916596
TI  - Cutaneous angiosarcoma: a current update.
AB  - Cutaneous angiosarcoma (cAS) is a rare malignant neoplasm with variable clinical
      presentation. Although a distinct vascular tumour, cAS shares many overlapping
      histopathological features with other vasoformative and epithelioid tumours or
      'mimickers'. cAS shows aggressive behaviour and carries a grave prognosis, thus
      early diagnosis is of paramount importance to achieve the best possible outcomes.
      Recently, several genetic studies were conducted leading to the identification of
      novel molecular targets in the treatment of cAS. Herein, we present a
      comprehensive review of cAS with discussion of its clinical, histopathological
      and molecular aspects, the differential diagnosis, as well as current therapies
      including ongoing clinical trials.

PMID- 28916597
TI  - Correction to: Time-Course Reduction in Patient Exposure to Radiation From
      Coronary Interventional Procedures: The Greater Paris Area Percutaneous Coronary
      Intervention Registry.

PMID- 28916598
TI  - Correction to: Impact of Timing on the Functional Recovery Achieved With Platelet
      Supplementation After Treatment With Ticagrelor.

PMID- 28916599
TI  - Directional Atherectomy Followed by a Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon to Inhibit
      Restenosis and Maintain Vessel Patency: Twelve-Month Results of the DEFINITIVE AR
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies assessing drug-coated balloons (DCB) for the treatment of
      femoropopliteal artery disease are encouraging. However, challenging lesions,
      such as severely calcified, remain difficult to treat with DCB alone. Vessel
      preparation with directional atherectomy (DA) potentially improves outcomes of
      DCB. METHODS AND RESULTS: DEFINITIVE AR study (Directional Atherectomy Followed
      by a Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon to Inhibit Restenosis and Maintain Vessel Patency
      A Pilot Study of Anti-Restenosis Treatment) was a multicenter randomized trial
      designed to estimate the effect of DA before DCB to facilitate the development of
      future end point-driven randomized studies. One hundred two patients with
      claudication or rest pain were randomly assigned 1:1 to DA+DCB (n=48) or DCB
      alone (n=54), and 19 additional patients with severely calcified lesions were
      treated with DA+DCB. Mean lesion length was 11.2+/-4.0 cm for DA+DCB and 9.7+/
      4.1 cm for DCB (P=0.05). Predilation rate was 16.7% for DA+DCB versus 74.1% for
      DCB; postdilation rate was 6.3% for DA+DCB versus 33.3% for DCB. Technical
      success was superior for DA+DCB (89.6% versus 64.2%; P=0.004). Overall bail-out
      stenting rate was 3.7%, and rate of flow-limiting dissections was 19% for DCB and
      2% for DA+DCB (P=0.01). One-year primary outcome of angiographic percent diameter
      stenosis was 33.6+/-17.7% for DA+DCB versus 36.4+/-17.6% for DCB (P=0.48), and
      clinically driven target lesion revascularization was 7.3% for DA+DCB and 8.0%
      for DCB (P=0.90). Duplex ultrasound patency was 84.6% for DA+DCB, 81.3% for DCB
      (P=0.78), and 68.8% for calcified lesions. Freedom from major adverse events at 1
      year was 89.3% for DA+DCB and 90.0% for DCB (P=0.86). CONCLUSIONS: DA+DCB
      treatment was effective and safe, but the study was not powered to show
      significant differences between the 2 methods of revascularization in 1-year
      follow-up. An adequately powered randomized trial is warranted. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT01366482.

PMID- 28916600
TI  - White Blood Cell Count and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events After Percutaneous
      Coronary Intervention in the Contemporary Era: Insights From the PARIS Study
      (Patterns of Non-Adherence to Anti-Platelet Regimens in Stented Patients
      Registry).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated white blood cell (WBC) count is associated with increased
      major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in the setting of acute coronary
      syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether similar associations
      persist in an all-comers population of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary
      intervention in the contemporary era. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the multicenter,
      prospective, observational PARIS study (Patterns of Non-Adherence to Anti
      Platelet Regimens in Stented Patients Registry), 4222 patients who underwent
      percutaneous coronary intervention in the United States and Europe between July
      1, 2009, and December 2, 2010, were evaluated. The associations between baseline
      WBC and MACE (composite of cardiac death, stent thrombosis, spontaneous
      myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularization) at 24-month follow-up
      were analyzed using multivariable Cox regression. Patients with higher WBC were
      more often younger, smokers, and with less comorbid risk factors compared with
      those with lower WBC. After adjustment for baseline and procedural
      characteristics, WBC remained independently associated with MACE (hazard ratio
      [HR] per 103 cells/MUL increase, 1.05 [95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.02-1.09];
      P=0.001), cardiac death (HR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.05-1.17]; P<0.001), and clinically
      indicated target revascularization (HR, 1.04 [95% CI, 1.00-1.09]; P=0.03) but not
      stent thrombosis (HR, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.99-1.16]; P=0.10) or spontaneous myocardial
      infarction (HR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.97-1.09]; P=0.29). The association between WBC
      and MACE was consistent in acute coronary syndrome and non-acute coronary
      syndrome presentations (interaction P=0.15). CONCLUSIONS: Increased WBC is an
      independent predictor of MACE after percutaneous coronary intervention in a
      contemporary all-comers cohort. Further studies to delineate the underlying
      pathophysiologic role of elevated WBC across a spectrum of coronary artery
      disease presentations are warranted. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00998127.

PMID- 28916601
TI  - Gait Speed Can Predict Advanced Clinical Outcomes in Patients Who Undergo
      Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Insights From a Japanese Multicenter
      Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gait speed reflects an important factor of frailty and is associated
      with an increased risk of late mortality in patients with cardiac disease. This
      study sought to assess the prognostic value of gait speed in elderly patients who
      underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      investigated the 5-m or 15-feet gait speed (m/sec) in 1256 patients who underwent
      transcatheter aortic valve implantation using data from the OCEAN-TAVI Japanese
      multicenter registry (Optimized Catheter Valvular Intervention-Transcatheter
      Aortic Valve Implantation). Baseline characteristics, procedural outcomes, and
      all-cause mortality were compared among groups defined by differential gait speed
      classification: model 1, normal (>0.83 m/sec; n=563; 44.8%), slow (0.5-0.83
      m/sec; n=429; 34.2%), slowest (<0.83 m/sec; n=205; 16.3%), unable to walk (n=48;
      3.8%); and model 2, classification and regression tree survival model indicating
      the threshold of gait speed as 0.385 m/sec (>0.385 m/sec; n=1080 versus <=0.385
      m/sec; n=117). The cumulative 1-year mortality rate showed significant
      differences in the classical gait speed groups in model 1 (7.6%, 6.6%, 18.2%, and
      40.7%, respectively; P<0.001) and survival classification and regression tree
      group in model 2 (7.7% versus 21.9%; P<0.001). The slowest walkers and those
      unable to walk demonstrated independent associations with increased midterm
      mortality after adjustment for several confounding factors (hazard ratio, 1.83,
      4.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-3.26, 2.22-8.72; P=0.039, <0.001,
      respectively). Gait speed <0.385 m/sec determined by classification and
      regression tree also independently associated with worse prognosis (hazard ratio,
      2.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.75-5.88; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Gait speed using
      both traditional and specific classification is useful as a potential marker for
      predicting vulnerable patients associated with adverse clinical outcomes after
      transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

PMID- 28916602
TI  - Validation Study of Image-Based Fractional Flow Reserve During Coronary
      Angiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR), an index of the hemodynamic severity
      of coronary stenoses, is derived from invasive measurements and requires a
      pressure-monitoring guidewire and hyperemic stimulus. Angiography-derived FFR
      measurements (FFRangio) may have several advantages. The aim of this study is to
      assess the diagnostic performance and interobserver reproducibility of FFRangio
      in patients with stable coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: FFRangio is
      a computational method based on rapid flow analysis for the assessment of FFR.
      FFRangio uses the patient's hemodynamic data and routine angiograms to generate a
      complete 3-dimensional coronary tree with color-coded FFR values at any
      epicardial location. Hyperemic flow ratio is derived from an automatic resistance
      based lumped model of the entire coronary tree. A total of 203 lesions were
      analyzed in 184 patients from 4 centers. Values derived using FFRangio ranged
      from 0.5 to 0.97 (median 0.85) and correlated closely (Spearman rho=0.90;
      P<0.001) with the invasive FFR measurements, which ranged from 0.5 to 1 (median
      0.84). In Bland-Altman analyses, the 95% limits of agreement between these
      methods ranged from -0.096 to 0.112. Using an FFR cutoff value of 0.80, the
      sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of FFRangio were 88%, 95%, and
      93%, respectively. The intraclass coefficient between 2 blinded operators was
      0.962 with a 95% confidence interval from 0.950 to 0.971, P<0.001. CONCLUSIONS:
      There is a high concordance between FFRangio and invasive FFR. The color-coded
      display of FFR values during coronary angiography facilitates the integration of
      physiology and anatomy for decision making on revascularization in patients with
      stable coronary artery disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03005028.

PMID- 28916605
TI  - Letter by Jia and Jiang Regarding Article, "Defining Prolonged Dwell Time: When
      Are Advanced Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval Techniques Necessary? An
      Analysis in 762 Procedures".

PMID- 28916604
TI  - Coronary Perforation Complicating Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients
      With a History of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: An Analysis of 309 Perforation
      Cases From the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evidence base for coronary perforation (CP) occurring during
      percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with a history of coronary artery
      bypass surgery (PCI-CABG) is limited and the long-term effects unclear. Using a
      national PCI database, the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of CP during PCI
      CABG were defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were analyzed on all PCI-CABG
      procedures performed in England and Wales between 2005 and 2013. Multivariate
      logistic regressions and propensity scores were used to identify predictors of CP
      and its association with outcomes. During the study period, 309 CPs were recorded
      during 59 644 PCI-CABG procedures with the incidence rising from 0.32% in 2005 to
      0.68% in 2013 (P<0.001 for trend). Independent associates of perforation in
      native vessels included age, chronic occlusive disease intervention, rotational
      atherectomy use, number of stents, hypertension, and female sex. In graft PCI,
      predictors of perforation were history of stroke, New York Heart Association
      class, and number of stents used. In-hospital clinical complications including Q
      wave myocardial infarction (2.9% versus 0.2%; P<0.001), major bleeding (14.0%
      versus 0.9%; P<0.001), blood transfusion (3.7% versus 0.2%; P<0.001), and death
      (10.0% versus 1.1%; P<0.001) were more frequent in patients with CP. A continued
      excess mortality occurred after perforation, with an odds ratio for 12-month
      mortality of 1.35 for perforation survivors compared with matched nonperforation
      survivors without a CP (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: CP is an infrequent event during
      PCI-CABG but is closely associated with adverse clinical outcomes. A legacy
      effect of perforation on 12-month mortality was observed.

PMID- 28916606
TI  - Letter by Czihal and Hoffmann Regarding Article, "Prevalence of Tibial Artery and
      Pedal Arch Patency by Angiography in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia and
      Noncompressible Ankle Brachial Index".

PMID- 28916603
TI  - Phase 2a Clinical Trial of Mitochondrial Protection (Elamipretide) During Stent
      Revascularization in Patients With Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis reduces renal blood flow (RBF)
      and amplifies stenotic kidney hypoxia. Revascularization with percutaneous
      transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) and stenting often fails to recover renal
      function, possibly because of ischemia/reperfusion injury developing after PTRA.
      Elamipretide is a mitochondrial-targeted peptide that binds to cardiolipin and
      stabilizes mitochondrial function. We tested the hypothesis that elamipretide
      plus PTRA would improve renal function, oxygenation, and RBF in patients with
      atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis undergoing PTRA. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Inpatient studies were performed in patients with severe atherosclerotic renal
      artery stenosis scheduled for PTRA. Patients were treated before and during PTRA
      with elamipretide (0.05 mg/kg per hour intravenous infusion, n=6) or placebo
      (n=8). Stenotic kidney cortical/medullary perfusion and RBF were measured using
      contrast-enhanced multidetector CT, and renal oxygenation by 3-T blood oxygen
      level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging before and 3 months after PTRA. Age
      and basal glomerular filtration rate did not differ between groups. Blood oxygen
      level-dependent imaging demonstrated increased fractional hypoxia 24 hours after
      angiography and stenting in placebo (+47%) versus elamipretide (-6%). These were
      reverted to baseline 3 months later. Stenotic kidney RBF rose (202+/-29-262+/-115
      mL/min; P=0.04) 3 months after PTRA in the elamipretide-treated group only. Over
      3 months, systolic blood pressure decreased, and estimated glomerular filtration
      rate increased (P=0.003) more in the elamipretide group than in the placebo group
      (P=0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive elamipretide during PTRA was associated with
      attenuated postprocedural hypoxia, increased RBF, and improved kidney function in
      this pilot trial. These data support a role for targeted mitochondrial protection
      to minimize procedure-associated ischemic injury and to improve outcomes of
      revascularization for human atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier:
      NCT01755858.

PMID- 28916607
TI  - Cauliflower-Like Appearance of Calcified Nodules Observed by Coronary Angioscopy.

PMID- 28916608
TI  - Gait Speed Assessment in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Step in the
      Right Direction.

PMID- 28916609
TI  - Response by Desai et al to Letter Regarding Article, "Defining Prolonged Dwell
      Time: When Are Advanced Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval Techniques Necessary?
      An Analysis in 762 Procedures".

PMID- 28916610
TI  - Letter by Piciche Regarding Article, "Effect of Permanent Right Internal Mammary
      Artery Closure on Coronary Collateral Function and Myocardial Ischemia".

PMID- 28916611
TI  - Mitochondrial Protective Agents for Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

PMID- 28916612
TI  - Computing Fractional Flow Reserve From Invasive Coronary Angiography: Getting
      Closer.

PMID- 28916613
TI  - Time-Intensive Transcriptomics Reveal Temporal Patterns in the Jasmonic Acid Gene
      Regulatory Network.

PMID- 28916616
TI  - AACR Cancer Progress Report 2017: Harnessing Research Discoveries to Save Lives.

PMID- 28916617
TI  - Nivolumab Exposure-Response Analyses of Efficacy and Safety in Previously Treated
      Squamous or Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Purpose: Nivolumab is a fully human IgG4 monoclonal antiprogrammed death-1
      antibody with demonstrated efficacy, including durable responses and prolonged
      survival, in patients with previously treated, advanced non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC). Exposure-response (E-R) analyses for efficacy and safety were
      conducted to inform the benefit-risk assessment of nivolumab in this patient
      population.Experimental Design: The analyses used clinical trial data from
      patients with squamous (n = 293) or nonsquamous (n = 354) NSCLC from four
      clinical trials who received nivolumab doses of 1 to 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. E-R
      efficacy analyses were performed by investigating the relationship between time
      averaged nivolumab concentration after the first dose (Cavg1) and the probability
      of overall survival by histology. E-R safety analyses examined relationships
      between nivolumab Cavg1 and hazards of adverse events leading to discontinuation
      or death (AEs-DC/D).Results: Nivolumab exposure was not associated with overall
      survival [the 95% confidence interval (CI) of effect included 1] in patients with
      squamous (HR, 0.802; 95% CI, 0.555-1.16) or nonsquamous NSCLC (HR, 0.94; 95% CI,
      0.683-1.29). Similarly, nivolumab exposure was not associated with AEs-DC/D in
      the overall population (HR, 0.917; 95% CI, 0.644-1.31). The risk of AEs-DC/D was
      similar among patients with squamous or nonsquamous histology.Conclusions:
      Nivolumab monotherapy demonstrated a wide therapeutic margin, as evidenced by
      relatively flat E-R relationships over the range of exposures produced by doses
      of 1 to 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks (Q2W), supporting the use of the initially
      approved dose of 3 mg/kg Q2W in patients with NSCLC. Clin Cancer Res; 23(18);
      5394-405. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916618
TI  - Mechanism of Action and Clinical Impact of Ribociclib-Letter.

PMID- 28916619
TI  - Mechanism of Action and Clinical Impact of Ribociclib-Response.

PMID- 28916620
TI  - The Anthracycline Metabolite Doxorubicinol Abolishes RyR2 Sensitivity to
      Physiological Changes in Luminal Ca2+ through an Interaction with Calsequestrin.
AB  - The chemotherapeutic anthracycline metabolite doxorubicinol (doxOL) has been
      shown to interact with and disrupt the function of the cardiac ryanodine receptor
      Ca2+ release channel (RyR2) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane and the
      SR Ca2+ binding protein calsequestrin 2 (CSQ2). Normal increases in RyR2 activity
      in response to increasing diastolic SR [Ca2+] are influenced by CSQ2 and are
      disrupted in arrhythmic conditions. Therefore, we explored the action of doxOL on
      RyR2's response to changes in luminal [Ca2+] seen during diastole. DoxOL
      abolished the increase in RyR2 activity when luminal Ca2+ was increased from 0.1
      to 1.5 mM. This was not due to RyR2 oxidation, but depended entirely on the
      presence of CSQ2 in the RyR2 complex. DoxOL binding to CSQ2 reduced both the Ca2+
      binding capacity of CSQ2 (by 48%-58%) and its aggregation, and lowered CSQ2
      association with the RyR2 complex by 67%-77%. Each of these effects on CSQ2, and
      the lost RyR2 response to changes in luminal [Ca2+], was duplicated by exposing
      native RyR2 channels to subphysiologic (<=1.0 uM) luminal [Ca2+]. We suggest that
      doxOL and low luminal Ca2+ both disrupt the CSQ2 polymer, and that the
      association of the monomeric protein with the RyR2 complex shifts the increase in
      RyR2 activity with increasing luminal [Ca2+] away from the physiologic [Ca2+]
      range. Subsequently, these changes may render the channel insensitive to changes
      of luminal Ca2+ that occur through the cardiac cycle. The altered interactions
      between CSQ2, triadin, and/or junctin and RyR2 may produce an arrhythmogenic
      substrate in anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity.

PMID- 28916621
TI  - 64Cu-Labeled Repebody Molecules for Imaging of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
      Expressing Tumors.
AB  - The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a member of the erbB family of
      receptors and is overexpressed in many tumor types. A repebody is a newly
      designed nonantibody protein scaffold for tumor targeting that contains leucine
      rich repeat modules. In this study, 3 64Cu-labeled anti-EGFR repebodies with
      different chelators were synthesized, and their biologic characteristics were
      assessed in cultured cells and tumor-bearing mice. Methods: Repebodies were
      synthesized with the chelators 2-(p-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane
      N,N',N,"-triacetic acid trihydrochloride ([p-SCN-Bn]-NOTA), 2,2',2"-(10-(2-(2,5
      dioxopyrrolidin-1-yloxy)-2-oxoethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triyl)
      triacetic acid (DOTA-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester), or 1-(p
      isothiocyanatobenzyl)diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid trihydrochloride ([p-SCN
      Bn]-DTPA) in 1.0 M NaHCO3 buffer (pH 9.2) for 24 h. Purified NOTA-, DOTA-, and
      DTPA-conjugated repebody were radiolabeled with 64Cu in 0.1 M NH4OAc buffer (pH
      5.5). To compare the EGFR-binding affinities of the repebodies, cellular uptake
      studies were performed with the human non-small cell lung cancer cell line H1650
      (high expression of EGFR) and the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line SW620 (low
      expression of EGFR). Biodistribution and small-animal PET imaging studies were
      performed using H1650 tumor-bearing mice. Results: Radiochemical yields of the
      64Cu-labeled repebodies were approximately 70%-80%. Cellular uptake of the NOTA-,
      DOTA-, and DTPA-repebodies was over 4-fold higher in H1650 cells than in SW620
      cells at 1 h. The 3 repebodies had accumulated specifically in H1650 tumor
      bearing nude mice by 1 h after intravenous injection and were retained for over
      24 h, as measured by the percentage injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g).
      Tumor uptake of all repebodies increased from 1 to 6 h (at 1 h, 6.28, 8.46, and
      6.91 %ID/g for NOTA-, DOTA-, and DTPA-repebody, respectively; at 6 h, 9.4, 8.28,
      and 10.1 %ID/g, respectively). H1650 tumors were clearly visible after injection
      of each repebody, with high tumor-to-background ratios (at 1 h, 3.43, 4.89, and
      2.38 for NOTA-, DOTA-, and DTPA-repebody, respectively; at 6 h, 3.05, 4.36, and
      2.08; at 24 h, 3.81, 4.58, and 2.86). Conclusion: The 3 64Cu-repebody complexes
      demonstrated specific and rapid uptake in EGFR-expressing tumors within 1 h and
      may have potential as novel EGFR imaging agents for PET.

PMID- 28916614
TI  - Dysregulated molecular pathways in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal
      dementia spectrum disorder.
AB  - Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the second most common form of dementia in people
      under 65 years of age, is characterized by progressive atrophy of the frontal
      and/or temporal lobes. FTD overlaps extensively with the motor neuron disease
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), especially at the genetic level. Both FTD
      and ALS can be caused by many mutations in the same set of genes; the most
      prevalent of these mutations is a GGGGCC repeat expansion in the first intron of
      C9ORF72 As shown by recent intensive studies, some key cellular pathways are
      dysregulated in the ALS-FTD spectrum disorder, including autophagy,
      nucleocytoplasmic transport, DNA damage repair, pre-mRNA splicing, stress granule
      dynamics, and others. These exciting advances reveal the complexity of the
      pathogenic mechanisms of FTD and ALS and suggest promising molecular targets for
      future therapeutic interventions in these devastating disorders.

PMID- 28916622
TI  - Quantification and Determination of Normal 123I-Meta Iodobenzylguanidine Heart-to
      Mediastinum Ratio (HMR) from Cardiac SPECT/CT and Correlation with Planar HMR.
AB  - Assessment of cardiac 123I-meta iodobenzylguanidine (123I-mIBG) uptake relies on
      the heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR) derived from planar images. We have
      developed novel semiautomated quantitative methodologies for assessing HMR from
      SPECT images using a dedicated cardiac multipinhole SPECT/CT system and
      determined the lower limit of normal (LLN) SPECT-derived HMR and the correlation
      to planar-derived HMR. Methods: Twenty-one healthy volunteers were injected with
      123I-mIBG and imaged using 2 different cameras. Planar images were acquired using
      a conventional SPECT camera equipped with parallel hole collimators, and hybrid
      SPECT/CT images were acquired using a dedicated cardiac SPECT system with 19
      pinhole collimators interfaced with 64-slice CT. Planar HMR was calculated as per
      standard guidelines (manual traditional method) and elliptic region-of-interest
      (Elip-ROI) and region-growing (RG-ROI) techniques. SPECT HMR was quantified using
      a new method that incorporates various cardiac and mediastinal segmentation
      schemes in which upper and lower limits of the heart were determined from CT and
      the left ventricular ROI, and mean counts were calculated using Elip-ROI and RG
      ROI techniques. Mean counts in mediastinal ROI were computed from a fixed volume
      in 3 different regions: upper mediastinum (UM), lower mediastinum (LM), and
      contralateral lung (CL). HMRs were processed by 2 observers, and reproducibility
      was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis.
      Results: Planar HMR calculated using the RG-ROI method showed highest intra- and
      interobserver levels of agreement compared with Elip-ROI and manual traditional
      methods. SPECT HMR calculated on the basis of UM, LM, and CL background regions
      showed excellent intra- and interobserver agreement. SPECT HMR with UM resulted
      in highest correlation (R = 0.91) with planar HMR compared with that with LM (R =
      0.74) and CL (R = 0.73). The LLN of SPECT HMR with UM and that of planar HMR was
      calculated as 5.5 and 1.6, respectively. The normal values of SPECT-derived HMR
      and planar-derived HMR were correlated linearly. Conclusion: We reconfirmed the
      previous planar HMR threshold and determined SPECT LLN HMR for SPECT. Planar HMR
      can be estimated from SPECT HMR via a simple linear regression equation, allowing
      use of the new cardiac-dedicated SPECT camera for 123I-mIBG imaging.

PMID- 28916623
TI  - Efficacy of Radioembolization with 166Ho-Microspheres in Salvage Patients with
      Liver Metastases: A Phase 2 Study.
AB  - Radioembolization of liver malignancies with 166Ho-microspheres has been shown to
      be safe in a phase 1 dose-escalation study. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the efficacy of 166Ho radioembolization. Methods: In this prospective
      single-arm study, 56 patients were enrolled, all with liver metastases refractory
      to systemic therapy and ineligible for surgical resection. The primary outcome
      was a response by 2 target lesions on triphasic liver CT scans 3 mo after
      therapy, as assessed using RECIST, version 1.1. Secondary outcomes included
      overall tumor response, time to imaging progression, overall survival, toxicity,
      quality of life, and quantification of the microspheres on SPECT and MRI.
      Results: Between May 2012 and March 2015, 38 eligible patients were treated, one
      of whom was not evaluable. In 27 (73%) of 37 patients, the target lesions showed
      complete response, partial response, or stable disease (disease control) at 3 mo
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 57%-85%). The median overall survival was 14.5 mo
      (95% CI, 8.6-22.8 mo). For colorectal cancer patients (n = 23), the median
      overall survival was 13.4 mo (95% CI, 8.2-15.7 mo). Grade 3 or 4 toxic events
      after treatment (according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events,
      version 4.03) included abdominal pain (in 18% of patients), nausea (8%), ascites
      (3%), fatigue (3%), gastric stenosis (3%), hepatic failure (3%), liver abscesses
      (3%), paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (3%), thoracic pain (3%), upper
      gastrointestinal hemorrhage (3%), and vomiting (3%). On SPECT, 166Ho could be
      quantified with high accuracy and precision, with a mean overestimation of 9.3%
      +/- 7.1% in the liver. Conclusion: Radioembolization with 166Ho-microspheres
      induced a tumor response with an acceptable toxicity profile in salvage patients
      with liver metastases.

PMID- 28916624
TI  - Bone Marrow and NOT Bone Metastases Is What 21st-Century Diagnostic Imaging Must
      Focus on When Looking for Skeletal Metastases.

PMID- 28916625
TI  - Transcriptional correlates of memory maintenance following long-term
      sensitization of Aplysia californica.
AB  - We characterized the transcriptional response accompanying maintenance of long
      term sensitization (LTS) memory in the pleural ganglia of Aplysia californica
      using microarray (N = 8) and qPCR (N = 11 additional samples). We found that 24 h
      after memory induction there is strong regulation of 1198 transcripts (748 up and
      450 down) in a pattern that is almost completely distinct from what is observed
      during memory encoding (1 h after training). There is widespread up-regulation of
      transcripts related to all levels of protein production, from transcription
      (e.g., subunits of transcription initiation factors) to translation (e.g.,
      subunits of eIF1, eIF2, eIF3, eIF4, eIF5, and eIF2B) to activation of components
      of the unfolded protein response (e.g., CREB3/Luman, BiP, AATF). In addition,
      there are widespread changes in transcripts related to cytoskeleton function,
      synaptic targeting, synaptic function, neurotransmitter regulation, and neuronal
      signaling. Many of the transcripts identified have previously been linked to
      memory and plasticity (e.g., Egr, menin, TOB1, IGF2 mRNA binding protein 1/ZBP
      1), though the majority are novel and/or uncharacterized. Interestingly, there is
      regulation that could contribute to metaplasticity potentially opposing or even
      eroding LTS memory (down-regulation of adenylate cyclase and a putative serotonin
      receptor, up-regulation of FMRFa and a FMRFa receptor). This study reveals that
      maintenance of a "simple" nonassociative memory is accompanied by an
      astonishingly complex transcriptional response.

PMID- 28916626
TI  - Contextual fear conditioning in zebrafish.
AB  - Zebrafish are a genetically tractable vertebrate that hold considerable promise
      for elucidating the molecular basis of behavior. Although numerous recent
      advances have been made in the ability to precisely manipulate the zebrafish
      genome, much less is known about many aspects of learning and memory in adult
      fish. Here, we describe the development of a contextual fear conditioning
      paradigm using an electric shock as the aversive stimulus. We find that
      contextual fear conditioning is modulated by shock intensity, prevented by an
      established amnestic agent (MK-801), lasts at least 14 d, and exhibits
      extinction. Furthermore, fish of various background strains (AB, Tu, and TL) are
      able to acquire fear conditioning, but differ in fear extinction rates. Taken
      together, we find that contextual fear conditioning in zebrafish shares many
      similarities with the widely used contextual fear conditioning paradigm in
      rodents. Combined with the amenability of genetic manipulation in zebrafish, we
      anticipate that our paradigm will prove to be a useful complementary system in
      which to examine the molecular basis of vertebrate learning and memory.

PMID- 28916627
TI  - Interactions between medial prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial striatum are
      necessary for odor span capacity in rats: role of GluN2B-containing NMDA
      receptors.
AB  - Working memory is involved in the maintenance and manipulation of information
      essential for complex cognition. While the neural substrates underlying working
      memory capacity have been studied in humans, considerably less is known about the
      circuitry mediating working memory capacity in rodents. Therefore, the present
      experiments tested the involvement of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and dorsal
      striatum (STR) in the odor span task (OST), a task proposed to assay working
      memory capacity in rodents. Initially, Long Evans rats were trained to dig in
      scented sand for food following a serial delayed nonmatching-to-sample rule.
      Temporary inactivation of dorsomedial (dm) STR significantly reduced span in well
      trained rats. Inactivation of mPFC or contralateral disconnection of the mPFC and
      dmSTR also reduced span. Infusing the GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor antagonist
      Ro 25-6981 into mPFC did not affect span; however, span was significantly reduced
      following bilateral Ro 25-6981 infusions into dmSTR or contralateral
      disconnection of mPFC (inactivation) and dmSTR (Ro 25-6981). These results
      suggest that span capacity in rats depends on GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor
      dependent interactions between the mPFC and the dmSTR. Therefore, interventions
      targeting this circuit may improve the working memory capacity impairments in
      patients with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 28916628
TI  - The impact of threat of shock-induced anxiety on memory encoding and retrieval.
AB  - Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders, and daily
      transient feelings of anxiety (or "stress") are ubiquitous. However, the precise
      impact of both transient and pathological anxiety on higher-order cognitive
      functions, including short- and long-term memory, is poorly understood. A clearer
      understanding of the anxiety-memory relationship is important as one of the core
      symptoms of anxiety, most prominently in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
      is intrusive reexperiencing of traumatic events in the form of vivid memories.
      This study therefore aimed to examine the impact of induced anxiety (threat of
      shock) on memory encoding and retrieval. Eighty-six healthy participants
      completed tasks assessing: visuospatial working memory, verbal recognition, face
      recognition, and associative memory. Critically, anxiety was manipulated within
      subjects: information was both encoded and retrieved under threat of shock and
      safe (no shock) conditions. Results revealed that visuospatial working memory was
      enhanced when information was encoded and subsequently retrieved under threat,
      and that threat impaired the encoding of faces regardless of the condition in
      which it was retrieved. Episodic memory and verbal short-term recognition were,
      however, unimpaired. These findings indicate that transient anxiety in healthy
      individuals has domain-specific, rather than domain-general, impacts on memory.
      Future studies would benefit from expanding these findings into anxiety disorder
      patients to delineate the differences between adaptive and maladaptive
      responding.

PMID- 28916629
TI  - Histone deacetylase inhibition induces odor preference memory extension and
      maintains enhanced AMPA receptor expression in the rat pup model.
AB  - Histone deacetylase (HDAC) plays a role in synaptic plasticity and long-term
      memory formation. We hypothesized that trichostatin-A (TSA), an HDAC inhibitor,
      would promote long-term odor preference memory and maintain enhanced GluA1
      receptor levels that have been hypothesized to support memory. We used an early
      odor preference learning model in neonate rat pups that normally produces only 24
      h memory to test behavior and examine receptor protein expression. Our behavioral
      studies showed that intrabulbar infusion of TSA, prior to pairing of the
      conditioned stimulus (peppermint odor) with the unconditioned stimulus (tactile
      stimulation), prolonged 24-h odor preference memory for at least 9 d. The
      prolonged odor preference memory was selective for the paired odor and was also
      observed using a specific HDAC6 inhibitor, tubacin, supporting a role for histone
      acetylation in associative memory. Immunoblot analysis showed that GluA1 receptor
      membrane expression in the olfactory bulbs of the TSA-treated group was
      significantly increased at 48 h unlike control rats without TSA.
      Immunohistochemistry revealed significant increase of GluA1 expression in
      olfactory bulb glomeruli 5 d after training. These results extend previous
      evidence for a close relationship between enhanced GluA1 receptor membrane
      expression and memory expression. Together, these findings provide a new single
      trial appetitive model for understanding the support and maintenance of memories
      of varying duration.

PMID- 28916630
TI  - False memories for shape activate the lateral occipital complex.
AB  - Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence has shown that false
      memories arise from higher-level conscious processing regions rather than lower
      level sensory processing regions. In the present study, we assessed whether the
      lateral occipital complex (LOC)-a lower-level conscious shape processing region
      was associated with false memories for shape. During encoding, participants
      viewed intact or scrambled colored abstract shapes. During retrieval, colored
      disks were presented and participants indicated whether the corresponding item
      was previously "intact" or "scrambled." False memories for shape
      ("intact"/scrambled > "scrambled"/scrambled) activated LOC, which indicates lower
      level sensory processing regions can support false memory.

PMID- 28916631
TI  - Experience during early adulthood shapes the learning capacities and the number
      of synaptic boutons in the mushroom bodies of honey bees (Apis mellifera).
AB  - The honey bee mushroom bodies (MBs) are brain centers required for specific
      learning tasks. Here, we show that environmental conditions experienced as young
      adults affect the maturation of MB neuropil and performance in a MB-dependent
      learning task. Specifically, olfactory reversal learning was selectively impaired
      following early exposure to an impoverished environment lacking some of the
      sensory and social interactions present in the hive. In parallel, the overall
      number of synaptic boutons increased within the MB olfactory neuropil, whose
      volume remained unaffected. This suggests that experience of the rich in-hive
      environment promotes MB maturation and the development of MB-dependent learning
      capacities.

PMID- 28916632
TI  - Tissue-, sex-, and age-specific DNA methylation of rat glucocorticoid receptor
      gene promoter and insulin-like growth factor 2 imprinting control region.
AB  - Tissue-, sex-, and age-specific epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation
      are largely unknown. Changes in DNA methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor
      gene (NR3C1) and imprinting control region (ICR) of IGF2 and H19 genes during the
      lifespan are particularly interesting since these genes are susceptible to
      epigenetic modifications by prenatal stress or malnutrition. They are important
      regulators of development and aging. Methylation changes of NR3C1 affect
      glucocorticoid receptor expression, which is associated with stress sensitivity
      and stress-related diseases predominantly occurring during aging. Methylation
      changes of IGF2/H19 affect growth trajectory and nutrient use with risk of
      metabolic syndrome. Using a locus-specific approach, we characterized DNA
      methylation patterns of different Nr3c1 promoters and Igf2/H19 ICR in seven
      tissues of rats at 3, 9, and 24 mo of age. We found a complex pattern of locus-,
      tissue-, sex-, and age-specific DNA methylation. Tissue-specific methylation was
      most prominent at the shores of the Nr3c1 CpG island (CGI). Sex-specific
      differences in methylation peaked at 9 mo. During aging, Nr3c1 predominantly
      displayed hypomethylation mainly in females and at shores, whereas
      hypermethylation occurred within the CGI. Igf2/H19 ICR exhibited age-related
      hypomethylation occurring mainly in males. Methylation patterns of Nr3c1 in the
      skin correlated with those in the cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. Skin may
      serve as proxy for methylation changes in central parts of the hypothalamic
      pituitary-adrenal axis and hence for vulnerability to stress- and age-associated
      diseases. Thus, we provide in-depth insight into the complex DNA methylation
      changes of rat Nr3c1 and Igf2/H19 during aging that are tissue and sex specific.

PMID- 28916633
TI  - Systems genetics identifies a co-regulated module of liver microRNAs associated
      with plasma LDL cholesterol in murine diet-induced dyslipidemia.
AB  - Chronically altered levels of circulating lipids, termed dyslipidemia, is a
      significant risk factor for a number of metabolic and cardiovascular morbidities.
      MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of lipid balance, have
      been implicated in dyslipidemia, and have been proposed as candidate therapeutic
      targets in lipid-related disorders including atherosclerosis. A major limitation
      of most murine studies of miRNAs in lipid metabolic disorders is that they have
      been performed in just one (or very few) inbred strains, such as C57BL/6.
      Moreover, although individual miRNAs have been associated with lipid phenotypes,
      it is well understood that miRNAs likely work together in functional modules. To
      address these limitations, we implemented a systems genetics strategy using the
      Diversity Outbred (DO) mouse population. Specifically, we performed gene and
      miRNA expression profiling in the livers from ~300 genetically distinct DO mice
      after 18 wk on either a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet or a high-protein diet.
      Large-scale correlative analysis of these data with a wide range of cardio
      metabolic end points revealed a co-regulated module of miRNAs significantly
      associated with circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.
      The hubs of this module were identified as miR-199a, miR-181b, miR-27a, miR-21_
      _1, and miR-24. In sum, we demonstrate that a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet
      robustly rewires the miRNA regulatory network, and we identify a small group of
      co-regulated miRNAs that may exert coordinated effects to control circulating LDL
      C.

PMID- 28916634
TI  - PPARgamma and retinol binding protein 7 form a regulatory hub promoting
      antioxidant properties of the endothelium.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a family of conserved
      ligand-activated nuclear receptor transcription factors heterogeneously expressed
      in mammalian tissues. PPARgamma is recognized as a master regulator of
      adipogenesis, fatty acid metabolism, and glucose homeostasis, but genetic
      evidence also supports the concept that PPARgamma regulates the cardiovascular
      system, particularly vascular function and blood pressure. There is now
      compelling evidence that the beneficial blood pressure-lowering effects of
      PPARgamma activation are due to its activity in vascular smooth muscle and
      endothelium, through its modulation of nitric oxide-dependent vasomotor function.
      Endothelial PPARgamma regulates the production and bioavailability of nitric
      oxide, while PPARgamma in the smooth muscle regulates the vasomotor response to
      nitric oxide. We recently identified retinol binding protein 7 (RBP7) as a
      PPARgamma target gene that is specifically and selectively expressed in the
      endothelium. In this review, we will discuss the evidence that RBP7 is required
      to mediate the antioxidant effects of PPARgamma and mediate PPARgamma target gene
      selectivity in the endothelium.

PMID- 28916636
TI  - Electrophysiological heterogeneity of pacemaker cells in the rabbit intercaval
      region, including the SA node: insights from recording multiple ion currents in
      each cell.
AB  - Cardiac pacemaker cells, including cells of the sinoatrial node, are
      heterogeneous in size, morphology, and electrophysiological characteristics. The
      exact extent to which these cells differ electrophysiologically is unclear yet is
      critical to understanding their functioning. We examined major ionic currents in
      individual intercaval pacemaker cells (IPCs) sampled from the paracristal,
      intercaval region (including the sinoatrial node) that were spontaneously beating
      after enzymatic isolation from rabbit hearts. The beating rate was measured at
      baseline and after inhibition of the Ca2+ pump with cyclopiazonic acid.
      Thereafter, in each cell, we consecutively measured the density of funny current
      ( If), delayed rectifier K+ current ( IK) (a surrogate of repolarization
      capacity), and L-type Ca2+ current ( ICa,L) using whole cell patch clamp. The
      ionic current densities varied to a greater extent than previously appreciated,
      with some IPCs demonstrating very small or zero If . The density of none of the
      currents was correlated with cell size, while ICa,L and If densities were related
      to baseline beating rates. If density was correlated with IK density but not with
      that of ICa,L. Inhibition of Ca2+ cycling had a greater beating rate slowing
      effect in IPCs with lower If densities. Our numerical model simulation indicated
      that 1) IPCs with small (or zero) If or small ICa,L can operate via a major
      contribution of Ca2+ clock, 2) If-Ca2+-clock interplay could be important for
      robust pacemaking function, and 3) coupled If- IK function could regulate maximum
      diastolic potential. Thus, we have demonstrated marked electrophysiological
      heterogeneity of IPCs. This heterogeneity is manifested in basal beating rate and
      response to interference of Ca2+ cycling, which is linked to If. NEW & NOTEWORTHY
      In the present study, a hitherto unrecognized range of heterogeneity of ion
      currents in pacemaker cells from the intercaval region is demonstrated.
      Relationships between basal beating rate and L-type Ca2+ current and funny
      current ( If) density are uncovered, along with a positive relationship between
      If and delayed rectifier K+ current. Links are shown between the response to Ca2+
      cycling blockade and If density.

PMID- 28916635
TI  - Genetics of hypertension: an assessment of progress in the spontaneously
      hypertensive rat.
AB  - The application of gene mapping methods to uncover the genetic basis of
      hypertension in the inbred spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) began over 25 yr
      ago. This animal provides a useful model of genetic high blood pressure, and some
      of its features are described. In particular, it appears to be a polygenic model
      of disease, and polygenes participate in human hypertension genetic risk. The SHR
      hypertension alleles were fixed rapidly by selective breeding in just a few
      generations and so are presumably common genetic variants present in the outbred
      Wistar strain from which SHR was created. This review provides a background to
      the origins and genesis of this rat line. It considers its usefulness as a model
      organism for a common cardiovascular disease. The progress and obstacles facing
      mapping are considered in depth, as are the emergence and application of other
      genome-wide genetic discovery approaches that have been applied to investigate
      this model. Candidate genes, their identification, and the evidence to support
      their potential role in blood pressure elevation are considered. The review
      assesses the progress that has arisen from this work has been limited.
      Consideration is given to some of the factors that have impeded progress, and
      prospects for advancing understanding of the genetic basis of hypertension in
      this model are discussed.

PMID- 28916637
TI  - Effect of increases in cardiac contractility on cerebral blood flow in humans.
AB  - The effect of acute increases in cardiac contractility on cerebral blood flow
      (CBF) remains unknown. We hypothesized that the external carotid artery (ECA)
      downstream vasculature modifies the direct influence of acute increases in heart
      rate and cardiac function on CBF regulation. Twelve healthy subjects received two
      infusions of dobutamine [first a low dose (5 MUg.kg-1.min-1) and then a high dose
      (15 MUg.kg-1.min-1)] for 12 min each. Cardiac output, blood flow through the
      internal carotid artery (ICA) and ECA, and echocardiographic measurements were
      performed during dobutamine infusions. Despite increases in cardiac
      contractility, cardiac output, and arterial pressure with dobutamine, ICA blood
      flow and conductance slightly decreased from resting baseline during both low-
      and high-dose infusions. In contrast, ECA blood flow and conductance increased
      appreciably during both low- and high-dose infusions. Greater ECA vascular
      conductance and corresponding increases in blood flow may protect overperfusion
      of intracranial cerebral arteries during enhanced cardiac contractility and
      associated increases in cardiac output and perfusion pressure. Importantly, these
      findings suggest that the acute increase of blood perfusion attributable to
      dobutamine administration does not cause cerebral overperfusion or an associated
      risk of cerebral vascular damage.NEW & NOTEWORTHY A dobutamine-induced increase
      in cardiac contractility did not increase internal carotid artery blood flow
      despite an increase in cardiac output and arterial blood pressure. In contrast,
      external carotid artery blood flow and conductance increased. This external
      cerebral blood flow response may assist with protecting from overperfusion of
      intracranial blood flow.

PMID- 28916638
TI  - Pharmacological and physiological assessment of serotonin formation and
      degradation in isolated preparations from mouse and human hearts.
AB  - Using transgenic (TG) mice that overexpress the human serotonin (5-HT)4a receptor
      specifically in cardiomyocytes, we wanted to know whether 5-HT can be formed and
      degraded in the mammalian heart and whether this can likewise lead to inotropic
      and chronotropic effects in this TG model. We noted that the 5-HT precursor 5
      hydroxy-tryptophan (5-HTP) can exert inotropic and chronotropic effects in
      cardiac preparations from TG mice but not from wild-type (WT) mice; similar
      results were found in human atrial preparations as well as in intact TG animals
      using echocardiography. Moreover, by immunohistochemistry we could detect 5-HT
      metabolizing enzymes and 5-HT transporters in mouse hearts as well as in human
      atria. Hence, in the presence of an inhibitor of aromatic l-amino acid
      decarboxylase, the positive inotropic effects of 5-HTP were absent in TG and
      isolated human atrial preparations, and, moreover, inhibitors of enzymes involved
      in 5-HT degradation enhanced the efficacy of 5-HT in TG atria. A releaser of
      neurotransmitters increased inotropy in the isolated TG atrium, and this effect
      could be blocked by a 5-HT4a receptor antagonist. Fluoxetine, an inhibitor of 5
      HT uptake, elevated the potency of 5-HT to increase contractility in the TG
      atrium. In addition, inhibitors of organic cation and monoamine transporters
      apparently reduced the positive inotropic potency of 5-HT in the TG atrium.
      Hence, we tentatively conclude that a local production and degradation of 5-HT in
      the mammalian heart and more specifically in mammalian myocytes probably occurs.
      Conceivably, this formation of 5-HT and possibly impaired degradation may be
      clinically relevant in cases of unexplained tachycardia and other arrhythmias.NEW
      & NOTEWORTHY The present work suggests that inotropically active serotonin (5-HT)
      can be formed in the mouse and human heart and probably by cardiomyocytes
      themselves. Moreover, active degradation of 5-HT seems to occur in the mammalian
      heart. These findings may again increase the interest of researchers for cardiac
      effects of 5-HT.

PMID- 28916639
TI  - Small RNA-seq during acute maximal exercise reveal RNAs involved in vascular
      inflammation and cardiometabolic health: brief report.
AB  - Exercise improves cardiometabolic and vascular function, although the mechanisms
      remain unclear. Our objective was to demonstrate the diversity of circulating
      extracellular RNA (ex-RNA) release during acute exercise in humans and its
      relevance to exercise-mediated benefits on vascular inflammation. We performed
      plasma small RNA sequencing in 26 individuals undergoing symptom-limited maximal
      treadmill exercise, with replication of our top candidate miRNA in a separate
      cohort of 59 individuals undergoing bicycle ergometry. We found changes in miRNAs
      and other ex-RNAs with exercise (e.g., Y RNAs and tRNAs) implicated in
      cardiovascular disease. In two independent cohorts of acute maximal exercise, we
      identified miR-181b-5p as a key ex-RNA increased in plasma after exercise, with
      validation in a separate cohort. In a mouse model of acute exercise, we found
      significant increases in miR-181b-5p expression in skeletal muscle after acute
      exercise in young (but not older) mice. Previous work revealed a strong role for
      miR-181b-5p in vascular inflammation in obesity, insulin resistance, sepsis, and
      cardiovascular disease. We conclude that circulating ex-RNAs were altered in
      plasma after acute exercise target pathways involved in inflammation, including
      miR-181b-5p. Further investigation into the role of known (e.g., miRNA) and novel
      (e.g., Y RNAs) RNAs is warranted to uncover new mechanisms of vascular
      inflammation on exercise-mediated benefits on health.NEW & NOTEWORTHY How
      exercise provides benefits to cardiometabolic health remains unclear. We
      performed RNA sequencing in plasma during exercise to identify the landscape of
      small noncoding circulating transcriptional changes. Our results suggest a link
      between inflammation and exercise, providing rich data on circulating noncoding
      RNAs for future studies by the scientific community.

PMID- 28916640
TI  - Clinical Profile and Consequences of Atrial Fibrillation in Hypertrophic
      Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia in
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), is capable of producing symptoms that impact
      quality of life and is associated with risk for embolic stroke. However, the
      influence of AF on clinical course and outcome in HCM remains incompletely
      resolved. METHODS: Records of 1558 consecutive patients followed at the Tufts
      Medical Center Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Institute for 4.8+/-3.4 years (from
      2004 to 2014) were accessed. RESULTS: Of the 1558 patients with HCM, 304 (20%)
      had episodes of AF, of which 226 (74%) were confined to symptomatic paroxysmal AF
      (average, 5+/-5; range, 1 to >20), whereas 78 (26%) developed permanent AF,
      preceded by 7+/-6 paroxysmal AF episodes. At last evaluation, 277 patients (91%)
      are alive at 62+/-13 years of age, including 89% in New York Heart Association
      class I or II. No difference was found in outcome measures for patients with AF
      and age- and sex-matched patients with HCM without AF. Four percent of patients
      with AF died of HCM-related causes (n=11), with annual mortality 0.7%; mortality
      directly attributable to AF (thromboembolism without prophylactic
      anticoagulation) was 0.1% per year (n=2 patients). Patients were treated with
      antiarrhythmic drugs (most commonly amiodarone [n=103] or sotalol [n=78]) and AF
      catheter ablation (n=49) or the Maze procedure at surgical myectomy (n=72).
      Freedom from AF recurrence at 1 year was 44% for ablation patients and 75% with
      the Maze procedure (P<0.001). Embolic events were less common with
      anticoagulation prophylaxis (4/233, 2%) than without (9/66, 14%) (P<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Transient symptomatic episodes of AF, often responsible for impaired
      quality of life, are unpredictable in frequency and timing, but amenable to
      effective contemporary treatments, and infrequently progress to permanent AF. AF
      is not a major contributor to heart failure morbidity or a cause of arrhythmic
      sudden death; when treated, it is associated with low disease-related mortality,
      no different than for patients without AF. AF is an uncommon primary cause of
      death in HCM virtually limited to embolic stroke, supporting a low threshold for
      initiating anticoagulation therapy.

PMID- 28916641
TI  - Inflammation and Atherosclerosis: The End of a Controversy.

PMID- 28916643
TI  - New NHS safety watchdog aims to promote openness and avoid "blame culture".

PMID- 28916645
TI  - Correction: Zika virus has oncolytic activity against glioblastoma stem cells.

PMID- 28916644
TI  - Subset- and tissue-defined STAT5 thresholds control homeostasis and function of
      innate lymphoid cells.
AB  - Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) patrol environmental interfaces to defend against
      infection and protect barrier integrity. Using a genetic tuning model, we
      demonstrate that the signal-dependent transcription factor (TF) STAT5 is critical
      for accumulation of all known ILC subsets in mice and reveal a hierarchy of STAT5
      dependency for populating lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. We apply
      transcriptome and genomic distribution analyses to define a STAT5 gene signature
      in natural killer (NK) cells, the prototypical ILC subset, and provide a systems
      based molecular rationale for its key functions downstream of IL-15. We also
      uncover surprising features of STAT5 behavior, most notably the wholesale
      redistribution that occurs when NK cells shift from tonic signaling to acute
      cytokine-driven signaling, and genome-wide coordination with T-bet, another key
      TF in ILC biology. Collectively, our data position STAT5 as a central node in the
      TF network that instructs ILC development, homeostasis, and function and provide
      mechanistic insights on how it works at cellular and molecular levels.

PMID- 28916646
TI  - SERAC1 deficiency causes complicated HSP: evidence from a novel splice mutation
      in a large family.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that mutations in the phosphatidylglycerol remodelling
      enzyme SERAC1 can cause juvenile-onset complicated hereditary spastic paraplegia
      (cHSP) clusters, thus adding SERAC1 to the increasing number of complex lipid
      cHSP genes. METHODS: Combined genomic and functional validation studies (whole
      exome sequencing, mRNA, cDNA and protein), biomarker investigations (3-methyl
      glutaconic acid, filipin staining and phosphatidylglycerols PG34:1/PG36:1), and
      clinical and imaging phenotyping were performed in six affected subjects from two
      different branches of a large consanguineous family. RESULTS: 5 of 6 affected
      subjects shared cHSP as a common disease phenotype. Three subjects presented with
      juvenile-onset oligosystemic cHSP, still able to walk several miles at age >10-20
      years. This benign phenotypic cluster and disease progression is strikingly
      divergent to the severe infantile phenotype of all SERAC1 cases reported so far.
      Two family members showed a more multisystemic juvenile-onset cHSP, indicating an
      intermediate phenotype between the benign oligosystemic cHSP and the classic
      infantile SERAC1 cluster. The homozygous splice mutation led to loss of the full
      length SERAC1 protein and impaired phosphatidylglycerol PG34:1/PG36:1
      remodelling. These phosphatidylglycerol changes, however, were milder than in
      classic infantile-onset SERAC1 cases, which might partially explain the milder
      SERAC1 phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add SERAC1 to the increasing list of
      complex lipid cHSP genes. At the same time they redefine the phenotypic spectrum
      of SERAC1 deficiency. It is associated not only with the severe infantile-onset
      'Methylglutaconic aciduria, Deafness, Encephalopathy, Leigh-like' syndrome
      (MEGDEL syndrome), but also with oligosystemic juvenile-onset cHSP as part of the
      now unfolding SERAC1 deficiency spectrum.

PMID- 28916647
TI  - The Effect of Common Inversion Polymorphisms In(2L)t and In(3R)Mo on Patterns of
      Transcriptional Variation in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Chromosomal inversions are a ubiquitous feature of genetic variation. Theoretical
      models describe several mechanisms by which inversions can drive adaptation and
      be maintained as polymorphisms. While inversions have been shown previously to be
      under selection, or contain genetic variation under selection, the specific
      phenotypic consequences of inversions leading to their maintenance remain
      unclear. Here we use genomic sequence and expression data from the Drosophila
      Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) to explore the effects of two cosmopolitan
      inversions, In(2L)t and In(3R)Mo, on patterns of transcriptional variation. We
      demonstrate that each inversion has a significant effect on transcript abundance
      for hundreds of genes across the genome. Inversion-affected loci (IAL) appear
      both within inversions as well as on unlinked chromosomes. Importantly, IAL do
      not appear to be influenced by the previously reported genome-wide expression
      correlation structure. We found that five genes involved with sterol uptake, four
      of which are Niemann-Pick Type 2 orthologs, are upregulated in flies with
      In(3R)Mo but do not have SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with the inversion.
      We speculate that this upregulation is driven by genetic variation in mod(mdg4)
      that is in LD with In(3R)Mo We find that there is little evidence for a regional
      or position effect of inversions on gene expression at the chromosomal level, but
      do find evidence for the distal breakpoint of In(3R)Mo interrupting one gene and
      possibly disassociating the two flanking genes from regulatory elements.

PMID- 28916648
TI  - Genome Dynamics of Hybrid Saccharomyces cerevisiae During Vegetative and Meiotic
      Divisions.
AB  - Mutation and recombination are the major sources of genetic diversity in all
      organisms. In the baker's yeast, all mutation rate estimates are in homozygous
      background. We determined the extent of genetic change through mutation and loss
      of heterozygosity (LOH) in a heterozygous Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome during
      successive vegetative and meiotic divisions. We measured genome-wide LOH and base
      mutation rates during vegetative and meiotic divisions in a hybrid (S288c/YJM789)
      S. cerevisiae strain. The S288c/YJM789 hybrid showed nearly complete reduction in
      heterozygosity within 31 generations of meioses and improved spore viability. LOH
      in the meiotic lines was driven primarily by the mating of spores within the
      tetrad. The S288c/YJM789 hybrid lines propagated vegetatively for the same
      duration as the meiotic lines, showed variable LOH (from 2 to 3% and up to 35%).
      Two of the vegetative lines with extensive LOH showed frequent and large internal
      LOH tracts that suggest a high frequency of recombination repair. These results
      suggest significant LOH can occur in the S288c/YJM789 hybrid during vegetative
      propagation presumably due to return to growth events. The average base
      substitution rates for the vegetative lines (1.82 * 10-10 per base per division)
      and the meiotic lines (1.22 * 10-10 per base per division) are the first genome
      wide mutation rate estimates for a hybrid yeast. This study therefore provides a
      novel context for the analysis of mutation rates (especially in the context of
      detecting LOH during vegetative divisions), compared to previous mutation
      accumulation studies in yeast that used homozygous backgrounds.

PMID- 28916649
TI  - Genomic Prediction Within and Across Biparental Families: Means and Variances of
      Prediction Accuracy and Usefulness of Deterministic Equations.
AB  - A major application of genomic prediction (GP) in plant breeding is the
      identification of superior inbred lines within families derived from biparental
      crosses. When models for various traits were trained within related or unrelated
      biparental families (BPFs), experimental studies found substantial variation in
      prediction accuracy (PA), but little is known about the underlying factors. We
      used SNP marker genotypes of inbred lines from either elite germplasm or
      landraces of maize (Zeamays L.) as parents to generate in silico 300 BPFs of
      doubled-haploid lines. We analyzed PA within each BPF for 50 simulated polygenic
      traits, using genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) models trained with
      individuals from either full-sib (FSF), half-sib (HSF), or unrelated families
      (URF) for various sizes ([Formula: see text]) of the training set and different
      heritabilities ([Formula: see text] In addition, we modified two deterministic
      equations for forecasting PA to account for inbreeding and genetic variance
      unexplained by the training set. Averaged across traits, PA was high within FSF
      (0.41-0.97) with large variation only for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see
      text] [Formula: see text] For HSF and URF, PA was on average ~40-60% lower and
      varied substantially among different combinations of BPFs used for model training
      and prediction as well as different traits. As exemplified by HSF results, PA of
      across-family GP can be very low if causal variants not segregating in the
      training set account for a sizeable proportion of the genetic variance among
      predicted individuals. Deterministic equations accurately forecast the PA
      expected over many traits, yet cannot capture trait-specific deviations. We
      conclude that model training within BPFs generally yields stable PA, whereas a
      high level of uncertainty is encountered in across-family GP. Our study shows the
      extent of variation in PA that must be at least reckoned with in practice and
      offers a starting point for the design of training sets composed of multiple
      BPFs.

PMID- 28916651
TI  - Escherichia coli and Neisseria gonorrhoeae UvrD helicase unwinds G4 DNA
      structures.
AB  - G-quadruplex (G4) secondary structures have been implicated in various biological
      processes, including gene expression, DNA replication and telomere maintenance.
      However, unresolved G4 structures impede replication progression which can lead
      to the generation of DNA double-strand breaks and genome instability. Helicases
      have been shown to resolve G4 structures to facilitate faithful duplication of
      the genome. Escherichia coli UvrD (EcUvrD) helicase plays a crucial role in
      nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair and in the regulation of homologous
      recombination. Here, we demonstrate a novel role of E. coli and Neisseria
      gonorrhoeae UvrD in resolving G4 tetraplexes. EcUvrD and Ngonorrhoeae UvrD were
      proficient in unwinding previously characterized tetramolecular G4 structures.
      Notably, EcUvrD was equally efficient in resolving tetramolecular and bimolecular
      G4 DNA that were derived from the potential G4-forming sequences from the genome
      of E. coli Interestingly, in addition to resolving intermolecular G4 structures,
      EcUvrD was robust in unwinding intramolecular G4 structures. These data for the
      first time provide evidence for the role of UvrD in the resolution of G4
      structures, which has implications for the in vivo role of UvrD helicase in G4
      DNA resolution and genome maintenance.

PMID- 28916650
TI  - Differential Expression of miRNAs in the Respiratory Tree of the Sea Cucumber
      Apostichopus japonicus Under Hypoxia Stress.
AB  - The sea cucumber, an important economic species, has encountered high mortality
      since 2013 in northern China because of seasonal environmental stress such as
      hypoxia, high temperature, and low salinity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important in
      regulating gene expression in marine organisms in response to environmental
      change. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate
      alterations in miRNA expression in the sea cucumber under different levels of
      dissolved oxygen (DO). Nine small RNA libraries were constructed from the sea
      cucumber respiratory trees. A total of 26 differentially expressed miRNAs,
      including 12 upregulated and 14 downregulated miRNAs, were observed in severe
      hypoxia (DO 2 mg/L) compared with mild hypoxia (DO 4 mg/L) and normoxic
      conditions (DO 8 mg/L). Twelve differentially expressed miRNAs were clustered in
      severe hypoxia. In addition, real-time PCR revealed that 14 randomly selected
      differentially expressed miRNAs showed significantly increased expressions in
      severe hypoxia and the expressions of nine miRNAs, including key miRNAs such as
      Aja-miR-1, Aja-miR-2008, and Aja-miR-184, were consistent with the sequencing
      results. Moreover, gene ontology and pathway analyses of putative target genes
      suggest that these miRNAs are important in redox, transport, transcription, and
      hydrolysis under hypoxia stress. Notably, novel-miR-1, novel-miR-2, and novel-miR
      3 were specifically clustered and upregulated in severe hypoxia, which may
      provide new insights into novel "hypoxamiR" identification. These results will
      provide a basis for future studies of miRNA regulation and molecular adaptive
      mechanisms in sea cucumbers under hypoxia stress.

PMID- 28916652
TI  - LSD1-Mediated Epigenetic Reprogramming Drives CENPE Expression and Prostate
      Cancer Progression.
AB  - Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is a key driver of prostate cancer, and androgen
      deprivation therapy (ADT) is a standard treatment for patients with advanced and
      metastatic disease. However, patients receiving ADT eventually develop incurable
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Here, we report that the chromatin
      modifier LSD1, an important regulator of AR transcriptional activity, undergoes
      epigenetic reprogramming in CRPC. LSD1 reprogramming in this setting activated a
      subset of cell-cycle genes, including CENPE, a centromere binding protein and
      mitotic kinesin. CENPE was regulated by the co-binding of LSD1 and AR to its
      promoter, which was associated with loss of RB1 in CRPC. Notably, genetic
      deletion or pharmacological inhibition of CENPE significantly decreases tumor
      growth. Our findings show how LSD1-mediated epigenetic reprogramming drives CRPC,
      and they offer a mechanistic rationale for its therapeutic targeting in this
      disease. Cancer Res; 77(20); 5479-90. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916653
TI  - YAP Suppresses Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression via Deregulation of the
      DNp63-GPX2 Axis and ROS Accumulation.
AB  - Lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), accounting for approximately 30% of non-small
      cell lung cancer, is often refractory to therapy. Screening a small-molecule
      library, we identified digitoxin as a high potency compound for suppressing human
      lung SCC growth in vitro and in vivo Mechanistic investigations revealed that
      digitoxin attenuated YAP phosphorylation and promoted YAP nuclear sequestration.
      YAP activation led to excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by
      downregulating the antioxidant enzyme GPX2 in a manner related to p63 blockade.
      In patient-derived xenograft models, digitoxin treatment efficiently inhibited
      lung SCC progression in correlation with reduced expression of YAP. Collectively,
      our results highlight a novel tumor-suppressor function of YAP via downregulation
      of GPX2 and ROS accumulation, with potential implications to improve precision
      medicine of human lung SCC. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5769-81. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916654
TI  - Biallelic Dicer1 Loss Mediated by aP2-Cre Drives Angiosarcoma.
AB  - Angiosarcoma is an aggressive vascular sarcoma with an extremely poor prognosis.
      Because of the relative rarity of this disease, its molecular drivers and optimal
      treatment strategies are obscure. DICER1 is an RNase III endoribonuclease central
      to miRNA biogenesis, and germline DICER1 mutations result in a cancer
      predisposition syndrome, associated with an increased risk of many tumor types.
      Here, we show that biallelic Dicer1 deletion with aP2-Cre drives aggressive and
      metastatic angiosarcoma independent of other genetically engineered oncogenes or
      tumor suppressor loss. Angiosarcomas in aP2-Cre;Dicer1Flox/- mice histologically
      and genetically resemble human angiosarcoma. miR-23 target genes, including the
      oncogenes Ccnd1 as well as Adam19, Plau, and Wsb1 that promote invasiveness and
      metastasis, were enriched in mouse and human angiosarcoma. These studies
      illustrate that Dicer1 can function as a traditional loss-of-function tumor
      suppressor gene, and they provide a fully penetrant animal model for the study of
      angiosarcoma development and metastasis. Cancer Res; 77(22); 6109-18. (c)2017
      AACR.

PMID- 28916656
TI  - Chemotherapy-Induced Macrophage Infiltration into Tumors Enhances Nanographene
      Based Photodynamic Therapy.
AB  - Increased recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) to tumors following
      chemotherapy promotes tumor resistance and recurrence and correlates with poor
      prognosis. TAM depletion suppresses tumor growth, but is not highly effective due
      to the effects of tumorigenic mediators from other stromal sources. Here, we
      report that adoptive macrophage transfer led to a dramatically enhanced
      photodynamic therapy (PDT) effect of 2-(1-hexyloxyethyl)-2-devinyl pyropheophor
      bide-alpha (HPPH)-coated polyethylene glycosylated nanographene oxide [GO(HPPH)
      PEG] by increasing its tumor accumulation. Moreover, tumor treatment with
      commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs induced an increase in macrophage
      infiltration into tumors, which also enhanced tumor uptake and the PDT effects of
      GO(HPPH)-PEG, resulting in tumor eradication. Macrophage recruitment to tumors
      after chemotherapy was visualized noninvasively by near-infrared fluorescence and
      single-photon emission CT imaging using F4/80-specific imaging probes. Our
      results demonstrate that chemotherapy combined with GO(HPPH)-PEG PDT is a
      promising strategy for the treatment of tumors, especially those resistant to
      chemotherapy. Furthermore, TAM-targeted molecular imaging could potentially be
      used to predict the efficacy of combination therapy and select patients who would
      most benefit from this treatment approach. Cancer Res; 77(21); 6021-32. (c)2017
      AACR.

PMID- 28916655
TI  - Tethering IL2 to Its Receptor IL2Rbeta Enhances Antitumor Activity and Expansion
      of Natural Killer NK92 Cells.
AB  - IL2 is an immunostimulatory cytokine for key immune cells including T cells and
      natural killer (NK) cells. Systemic IL2 supplementation could enhance NK-mediated
      immunity in a variety of diseases ranging from neoplasms to viral infection.
      However, its systemic use is restricted by its serious side effects and limited
      efficacy due to activation of T regulatory cells (Tregs). IL2 signaling is
      mediated through interactions with a multi-subunit receptor complex containing
      IL2Ralpha, IL2Rbeta, and IL2Rgamma. Adult natural killer (NK) cells express only
      IL2Rbeta and IL2Rgamma subunits and are therefore relatively insensitive to IL2.
      To overcome these limitations, we created a novel chimeric IL2-IL2Rbeta fusion
      protein of IL2 and its receptor IL2Rbeta joined via a peptide linker (CIRB). NK92
      cells expressing CIRB (NK92CIRB) were highly activated and expanded indefinitely
      without exogenous IL2. When compared with an IL2-secreting NK92 cell line,
      NK92CIRB were more activated, cytotoxic, and resistant to growth inhibition.
      Direct contact with cancer cells enhanced the cytotoxic character of NK92CIRB
      cells, which displayed superior in vivo antitumor effects in mice. Overall, our
      results showed how tethering IL2 to its receptor IL2Rbeta eliminates the need for
      IL2Ralpha and IL2Rbeta, offering a new tool to selectively activate and empower
      immune therapy. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5938-51. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916657
TI  - Tenascin-C and Integrin alpha9 Mediate Interactions of Prostate Cancer with the
      Bone Microenvironment.
AB  - Deposition of the extracellular matrix protein tenascin-C is part of the reactive
      stroma response, which has a critical role in prostate cancer progression. Here,
      we report that tenascin C is expressed in the bone endosteum and is associated
      with formation of prostate bone metastases. Metastatic cells cultured on osteo
      mimetic surfaces coated with tenascin C exhibited enhanced adhesion and colony
      formation as mediated by integrin alpha9beta1. In addition, metastatic cells
      preferentially migrated and colonized tenascin-C-coated trabecular bone
      xenografts in a novel system that employed chorioallantoic membranes of
      fertilized chicken eggs as host. Overall, our studies deepen knowledge about
      reactive stroma responses in the bone endosteum that accompany prostate cancer
      metastasis to trabecular bone, with potential implications to therapeutically
      target this process in patients. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5977-88. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916658
TI  - T Cells Deficient in Diacylglycerol Kinase zeta Are Resistant to PD-1 Inhibition
      and Help Create Persistent Host Immunity to Leukemia.
AB  - Efforts to improve the efficacy of adoptive T-cell therapies and immune
      checkpoint therapies in myelogenous leukemia are desired. In this study, we
      evaluated the antileukemia activity of adoptively transferred polyclonal cancer
      antigen-reactive T cells deficient in the regulator diacylglycerol kinase zeta
      (DGKzeta) with or without PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. In the C1498 mouse model of
      myeloid leukemia, we showed that leukemia was eradicated more effectively in
      DGKzeta-deficient (DGKzeta-/-) mice than wild-type mice. T cells transferred from
      DGKzeta-deficient mice to wild-type tumor-bearing recipients conferred this
      benefit. Leukemia clearance was similar to mice treated with anti-PD-L1.
      Strikingly, we found that the activity of adoptively transferred DGKzeta-/- T
      cells relied partly on induction of sustainable host T-cell immunity.
      Transferring DGKzeta-deficient T cells increased the levels of IFNgamma and other
      cytokines in recipient mice, especially with coadministration of anti-PD-L1.
      Overall, our results offered evidence that targeting DGKzeta may leverage the
      efficacy of adoptive T-cell and immune checkpoint therapies in leukemia
      treatment. Furthermore, they suggest that DGKzeta targeting might decrease risks
      of antigen escape or resistance to immune checkpoint blockade. Cancer Res;
      77(20); 5676-86. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916659
TI  - Hybrid of DNA-targeting Chlorambucil with Pt(IV) Species to Reverse Drug
      Resistance.
AB  - Two hybrids of Pt(IV) species were designed and prepared by addition of a
      chlorambucil unit to the axial positions of the Pt(IV) complexes derived from
      DN603 and DN604. In vitro studies of two hybrids against two pairs of cisplatin
      sensitive and resistant cancer cell lines indicated that compound 5 had superior
      antitumor activity to cisplatin and chlorambucil via suppressing DNA damage
      repair to reverse drug resistance. Mechanistic investigation suggested that the
      potent antitumor activity of compound 5 arose from its major suppression of CK2
      mediated MRE11-RAD50-NBS1(MRN) complex promotion of DNA double-strand break (DSB)
      repair. In nude mice with A549/CDDP xenografts, compound 5 exhibited higher
      anticancer efficacy than cisplatin and chlorambucil by reversing drug resistance,
      displayed improved effectiveness, and had no toxicity effects. Overall, compound
      5 is a promising drug candidate, which could promote the anticancer activity and
      reverse drug resistance by attenuating CK2-induced MRN-dependent DSB repair.

PMID- 28916660
TI  - People at high risk of diabetes should undergo intensive lifestyle change, says
      NICE.

PMID- 28916661
TI  - Thank you and goodbye!

PMID- 28916662
TI  - The new editor greets you.

PMID- 28916663
TI  - Erratum: How common is clinically inactive disease in a prospective cohort of
      patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis? The importance of definition.

PMID- 28916665
TI  - Integrin alpha4 Overexpression on Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhances
      Transmigration and Reduces Cerebral Embolism After Intracarotid Injection.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Very late antigen-4 (integrin alpha4beta1)/vascular cell
      adhesion molecule-1 mediates leukocyte trafficking and transendothelial migration
      after stroke. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) typically express integrin beta1 but
      insufficient ITGA4 (integrin alpha4), which limits their homing after
      intravascular transplantation. We tested whether ITGA4 overexpression on MSCs
      increases cerebral homing after intracarotid transplantation and reduces MSC
      borne cerebral embolism. METHODS: Rat MSCs were lentivirally transduced to
      overexpress ITGA4. In vitro transendothelial migration was assessed using a
      Boyden chamber assay. Male Wistar rats intracarotidly received 0.5*106 control or
      modified MSCs 24 hours after sham or stroke surgery. In vivo behavior of MSCs in
      the cerebral vasculature was observed by intravital microscopy and single-photon
      emission computed tomography for up to 72 hours. RESULTS: Transendothelial
      migration of ITGA4-overexpressing MSCs was increased in vitro. MSCs were
      passively entrapped in microvessels in vivo and occasionally formed large cell
      aggregates causing local blood flow interruptions. MSCs were rarely found in
      perivascular niches or parenchyma at 72 hours post-transplantation, but ITGA4
      overexpression significantly decreased cell aggregation and ameliorated the
      evoked cerebral embolism in stroke rats. CONCLUSIONS: ITGA4 overexpression on
      MSCs enhances transendothelial migration in vitro, but not in vivo, although it
      improves safety after intracarotid transplantation into stroke rats.

PMID- 28916664
TI  - Safety of Simultaneous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Carotid Endarterectomy
      Versus Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The optimal operative strategy in patients with severe
      carotid artery disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is
      unknown. We sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of synchronous combined
      carotid endarterectomy and CABG as compared with isolated CABG. METHODS: Patients
      with asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis >=80% according to ECST
      (European Carotid Surgery Trial) ultrasound criteria (corresponding to >=70%
      NASCET [North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial]) who required
      CABG surgery were randomly assigned to synchronous carotid endarterectomy+CABG or
      isolated CABG. To avoid unbalanced prognostic factor distributions, randomization
      was stratified by center, age, sex, and modified Rankin Scale. The primary
      composite end point was the rate of stroke or death at 30 days. RESULTS: From
      2010 to 2014, a total of 129 patients were enrolled at 17 centers in Germany and
      the Czech Republic. Because of withdrawal of funding after insufficient
      recruitment, enrolment was terminated early. At 30 days, the rate of any stroke
      or death in the intention-to-treat population was 12/65 (18.5%) in patients
      receiving synchronous carotid endarterectomy+CABG as compared with 6/62 (9.7%) in
      patients receiving isolated CABG (absolute risk reduction, 8.8%; 95% confidence
      interval, -3.2% to 20.8%; PWALD=0.12). Also for all secondary end points at 30
      days and 1 year, there was no evidence for a significant treatment-group effect
      although patients undergoing isolated CABG tended to have better outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although our results cannot rule out a treatment-group effect
      because of lack of power, a superiority of the synchronous combined carotid
      endarterectomy+CABG approach seems unlikely. Five-year follow-up of patients is
      still ongoing. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.controlled
      trials.com. Unique identifier: ISRCTN13486906.

PMID- 28916666
TI  - Regional Evaluation of the Severity-Based Stroke Triage Algorithm for Emergency
      Medical Services Using Discrete Event Simulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Severity-Based Stroke Triage Algorithm for Emergency
      Medical Services endorses routing patients with suspected large vessel occlusion
      acute ischemic strokes directly to endovascular stroke centers (ESCs). We sought
      to evaluate different specifications of this algorithm within a region. METHODS:
      We developed a discrete event simulation environment to model patients with
      suspected stroke transported according to algorithm specifications, which varied
      by stroke severity screen and permissible additional transport time for routing
      patients to ESCs. We simulated King County, Washington, and Mecklenburg County,
      North Carolina, distributing patients geographically into census tracts.
      Transport time to the nearest hospital and ESC was estimated using traffic-based
      travel times. We assessed undertriage, overtriage, transport time, and the number
      needed-to-route, defined as the number of patients enduring additional transport
      to route one large vessel occlusion patient to an ESC. RESULTS: Undertriage was
      higher and overtriage was lower in King County compared with Mecklenburg County
      for each specification. Overtriage variation was primarily driven by screen (eg,
      13%-55% in Mecklenburg County and 10%-40% in King County). Transportation time
      specifications beyond 20 minutes increased overtriage and decreased undertriage
      in King County but not Mecklenburg County. A low- versus high-specificity screen
      routed 3.7* more patients to ESCs. Emergency medical services spent nearly twice
      the time routing patients to ESCs in King County compared with Mecklenburg
      County. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate how discrete event simulation can
      facilitate informed decision making to optimize emergency medical services stroke
      severity-based triage algorithms. This is the first step toward developing a
      mature simulation to predict patient outcomes.

PMID- 28916667
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Thrombectomy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: The
      THRACE Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The benefit of mechanical thrombectomy added to
      intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke has been
      largely demonstrated. However, evidence of the economic incentive of this
      strategy is still limited, especially in the context of a randomized controlled
      trial. We aimed to analyze whether mechanical thrombectomy combined with IVT
      (IVMT) is cost-effective when compared with IVT alone. METHODS: Individual-level
      cost and outcome data were collected in the THRACE randomized controlled trial
      (Thrombectomie des Arteres Cerebrales) including patients with acute ischemic
      stroke. Patients were assigned to receive IVT or IVMT. The primary outcomes were
      modified Rankin Scale score of functional independence at 90 days (score 0-2) and
      the EuroQol-5D quality-of-life score at 1 year. RESULTS: Treating acute ischemic
      stroke with IVMT (n=200) versus IVT (n=202) increased the rate of functional
      independence by 10.9% (53.0% versus 42.1%; P=0.028), at an increased cost of
      $2116 (?1909), with no significant difference in mortality (12% versus 13%;
      P=0.70) or symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (2% versus 2%; P=0.71). The cost
      per one averted case of disability was estimated at $19 379 (?17 480). The
      incremental cost per one quality-adjusted life year gained was $14 881 (?13 423).
      On sensitivity analysis, the probability of cost-effectiveness with IVMT was
      84.1% in terms of cases of averted disability and 92.2% in terms of quality
      adjusted life years. CONCLUSIONS: Based on randomized trial data, this study
      demonstrates that IVMT used to treat acute ischemic stroke is cost-effective when
      compared with IVT alone. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01062698.

PMID- 28916668
TI  - Procedural Requirements and Certification Paradigms for Stroke Care Delivery:
      Perspective of Neurointerventional Professional Societies.

PMID- 28916669
TI  - Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis in Cardiac Surgery Patients: Is Less More?

PMID- 28916671
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation Detection: Fishing for An Irregular Heartbeat Before and
      After Stroke.

PMID- 28916670
TI  - Stratifying Stroke Risk in Atrial Fibrillation: Beyond Clinical Risk Scores.

PMID- 28916672
TI  - Effects of Statin Intensity and Adherence on the Long-Term Prognosis After Acute
      Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Statin is an established treatment for secondary
      prevention after ischemic stroke. However, the effects of statin intensity and
      adherence on the long-term prognosis after acute stroke are not well known.
      METHODS: This retrospective cohort study using a nationwide health insurance
      claim data in South Korea included patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke
      between 2002 and 2012. Statin adherence and intensity were determined from the
      prescription data for a period of 1 year after the index stroke. The primary
      outcome was a composite of recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause
      mortality. We performed multivariate Cox proportional regression analyses.
      RESULTS: We included 8001 patients with acute ischemic stroke. During the mean
      follow-up period of 4.69+/-2.72 years, 2284 patients developed a primary outcome.
      Compared with patients with no statin, adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence
      interval) were 0.74 (0.64-0.84) for good adherence, 0.93 (0.79-1.09) for
      intermediate adherence, and 1.07 (0.95-1.20) for poor adherence to statin. Among
      the 1712 patients with good adherence, risk of adverse events was lower in
      patients with high-intensity statin (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence
      interval], 0.48 [0.24-0.96]) compared with those with low-intensity statin.
      Neither good adherence nor high intensity of statin was associated with an
      increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: After acute ischemic stroke,
      high-intensity statin therapy with good adherence was significantly associated
      with a lower risk of adverse events.

PMID- 28916673
TI  - Radiographic and Clinical Brain Infarcts in Cardiac and Diagnostic Procedures: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The incidence of periprocedural brain infarcts varies
      among cardiovascular procedures. In a systematic review, we compared the ratio of
      radiographic brain infarcts (RBI) to strokes and transient ischemic attacks
      across cardiac and vascular procedures. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE and 5 other
      databases for brain infarcts in aortic valve replacement, coronary artery bypass
      grafting, cardiac catheterization, and cerebral angiogram through September 2015.
      We followed the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta
      analyses) recommendations. We defined symptomatic rate ratio (RR) as ratio of
      stroke plus transient ischemic attack rate to RBI rate. RESULTS: Twenty-nine
      studies involving 2124 subjects met the inclusion criteria. In meta-analysis of
      aortic valve replacements with 494 people, 69.4% (95% confidence interval (CI),
      57.6%-81.4%) had RBIs, whereas 3.6% (95% CI, 2.0%-5.2%) had clinical events (RR,
      0.08; 95% CI, 0.05-0.12). Coronary artery bypass grafting among 204 patients had
      27.4% (95% CI, 6.0%-48.8%) RBIs and 2.4% (95% CI, 0.3%-4.5%) clinical events (RR,
      0.11; 95% CI, 0.05-0.26). Cardiac catheterization among 833 people had 8.0% (95%
      CI, 4.1%-12.0%) RBIs, and 0.6% (95% CI, 0.1%-1.1%) had clinical events (RR, 0.16;
      95% CI, 0.08-0.31). Cerebral angiogram among 593 people had 12.8% (95% CI, 6.6
      19.0) RBIs and 0.6% (95% CI, 0%-13%) clinical events (RR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.04
      0.27). The RR of all procedures was 0.10 (95% CI, 0.07-0.13) without differences
      in the RRs across procedures (P=0.29). CONCLUSIONS: One of 10 people with
      periprocedural RBIs during cardiac surgeries and invasive vascular diagnostic
      procedures resulted in strokes or transient ischemic attacks, which may serve as
      a potential surrogate marker of procedural proficiency and perhaps as a predictor
      of risk for periprocedural strokes.

PMID- 28916674
TI  - Anticoagulation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation in the Setting of Prior
      Hemorrhage: An Ongoing Dilemma.

PMID- 28916675
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation and Microbleeds.

PMID- 28916676
TI  - Introducing Focused Updates in Cerebrovascular Disease.

PMID- 28916679
TI  - Retraction: CYP1B1 Gene Polymorphisms Have Higher Risk for Endometrial Cancer,
      and Positive Correlations with Estrogen Receptor alpha and Estrogen Receptor beta
      Expressions.

PMID- 28916680
TI  - Variation in developmental trajectories of physiological and somatic traits in a
      common songbird approaching fledging.
AB  - In avian species, little is known about the development of physiological traits
      in the days preceding fledging, a critical life history transition marked by a
      high mortality rate. Developmental trajectory during this period may be flexible
      based on ecological context or hardwired, with potential costs for variation in
      growth in the form of oxidative stress. Patterns in development are likely to
      relate to variation in life history, for which seabirds and aerial insectivores
      have been well studied, while our focal species is a grassland ground forager,
      the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). We show that changes in haematocrit,
      body mass and wing length are independent of year and brood quality, while
      changes in haemoglobin concentration are higher in low-quality broods. Moreover,
      we also identify higher oxidative stress in low-quality year and second broods, a
      potential cost for maintaining a hardwired developmental trajectory in a lower
      quality environment. Finally, we experimentally test the effects of food
      supplementation on development and maturity of chicks at fledging to show that
      although food increases body mass early in development, it does not change the
      trajectory or final maturity of chicks at fledging. Collectively this study
      demonstrates that some developmental changes prior to fledging may be hardwired,
      but may have long-term oxidative costs in low-quality environments.

PMID- 28916678
TI  - GUCY2C Signaling Opposes the Acute Radiation-Induced GI Syndrome.
AB  - High doses of ionizing radiation induce acute damage to epithelial cells of the
      gastrointestinal (GI) tract, mediating toxicities restricting the therapeutic
      efficacy of radiation in cancer and morbidity and mortality in nuclear disasters.
      No approved prophylaxis or therapy exists for these toxicities, in part
      reflecting an incomplete understanding of mechanisms contributing to the acute
      radiation-induced GI syndrome (RIGS). Guanylate cyclase C (GUCY2C) and its
      hormones guanylin and uroguanylin have recently emerged as one paracrine axis
      defending intestinal mucosal integrity against mutational, chemical, and
      inflammatory injury. Here, we reveal a role for the GUCY2C paracrine axis in
      compensatory mechanisms opposing RIGS. Eliminating GUCY2C signaling exacerbated
      RIGS, amplifying radiation-induced mortality, weight loss, mucosal bleeding,
      debilitation, and intestinal dysfunction. Durable expression of GUCY2C, guanylin,
      and uroguanylin mRNA and protein by intestinal epithelial cells was preserved
      following lethal irradiation inducing RIGS. Oral delivery of the heat-stable
      enterotoxin (ST), an exogenous GUCY2C ligand, opposed RIGS, a process requiring
      p53 activation mediated by dissociation from MDM2. In turn, p53 activation
      prevented cell death by selectively limiting mitotic catastrophe, but not
      apoptosis. These studies reveal a role for the GUCY2C paracrine hormone axis as a
      novel compensatory mechanism opposing RIGS, and they highlight the potential of
      oral GUCY2C agonists (Linzess; Trulance) to prevent and treat RIGS in cancer
      therapy and nuclear disasters. Cancer Res; 77(18); 5095-106. (c)2017 AACR.

PMID- 28916681
TI  - Circannual testis and moult cycles persist under photoperiods that disrupt
      circadian activity and clock gene cycles in spotted munia.
AB  - We investigated whether circannual rhythms underlying annual testis maturation
      and moult cycles are independent of duration and frequency of the light period
      and circadian clock control in non-photoperiodic spotted munia. Birds were
      subjected to an aberrant light-dark (LD) cycle (3.5 h L:3.5 h D; T7, where T is
      the period length of the LD cycle) and continuous light (LL, 24 h L:0 h D), with
      controls on 12 h L:12 h D (T24, 24 h LD cycle). We measured the behavioural
      activity pattern of the birds and 24 h mRNA oscillations of circadian clock genes
      (bmal1, clock, per2, cry1, cry2) in the hypothalamus, the putative site of
      seasonal timing. Diurnal munia were rhythmic in behaviour with the period of the
      activity-rest cycle matched to T7 and T24, and became behaviourally arrhythmic
      with activity scattered throughout 24 h under LL. Similarly, exposure to 3.5 h
      L:3.5 h D and LL caused arrhythmicity in 24 h clock gene expression, suggesting
      disruption of internal circadian timing at the transcriptional level; a
      significant rhythm was found under 12 h L:12 h D. During an exposure of 80 weeks,
      munia showed two to three cycles of testis maturation and wing primaries moult
      under all photoperiods, although with a longer period under 12L:12D. Thus, the
      frequency of light period under 3.5 h L:3.5 h D or LL disrupted circadian clock
      gene cycles, but did not affect the generation of circannual testis and moult
      cycles. We conclude that the prevailing light environment and hypothalamic
      circadian gene cycles do not exert direct control on the timing of the annual
      reproductive cycle in spotted munia, suggesting independent generation of the
      circadian and circannual rhythms in seasonally breeding species.

PMID- 28916683
TI  - 'Blind with hormones' red deer to begin annual rut.

PMID- 28916684
TI  - Screening dogs before breeding is 'now more important than ever'.

PMID- 28916685
TI  - Meat from non-stun slaughtered source 'must be clearly labelled' for consumers.

PMID- 28916686
TI  - Mind Matters Initiative looking to boost vet numbers in mental health campaign.

PMID- 28916688
TI  - New badger culls for England announced by Defra.

PMID- 28916690
TI  - Suspect drug interaction in gimmers.
AB  - Suspect serious adverse event associated with vaccination in gimmersMultiple
      congenital defects in a stillborn calfSuspected alpha mannosidosis in a bovine
      fetusClostridial myocarditis in a two-week-old lambOtitis media in pigs These are
      among matters discussed in the disease surveillance report for May 2017 from SAC
      Consulting: Veterinary Services (SAC C VS).

PMID- 28916691
TI  - Equine colic: putting the puzzle together.

PMID- 28916692
TI  - Does tendon firing quicken time to recovery for superficial digital flexor tendon
      injury?

PMID- 28916693
TI  - Use of antibiotics in dogs with aseptic haemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

PMID- 28916694
TI  - The challenge of teaching undergraduates evidence-based veterinary medicine.
AB  - The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons now lists 'How to evaluate evidence' as
      a day one competence for newly qualified vets. In this article, representatives
      from each of the veterinary schools in the UK discuss how the challenge of
      delivering and assessing the concepts of evidence-based veterinary medicine in a
      crowded undergraduate curriculum can be met.

PMID- 28916695
TI  - The economics of bovine viral diarrhoea eradication.

PMID- 28916696
TI  - Reclassification of sheep anthelmintic.

PMID- 28916697
TI  - Reclassification of sheep anthelmintic.

PMID- 28916698
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28916699
TI  - Hurricane Irma: urgent aid for animals required.

PMID- 28916700
TI  - A small animal vet with an interest in animal behaviour.

PMID- 28916702
TI  - The benefits of bursaries.
AB  - As a vet student, Michelle Townley benefited from a student research bursary
      awarded by MSD Animal Health. The experiences she gained through her research
      helped her in clinical practice. She now works for MSD Animal Health and, by
      coincidence, is the company's bursary coordinator.

PMID- 28916703
TI  - My career-defining moment: Adrian Pratt.
AB  - In 2001, an industry job saved my veterinary career. After six years in clinical
      practice, I had failed to find the job of my dreams. I was disengaged,
      disenchanted and looking for a way out. I was lost on my personal development
      journey.

PMID- 28916705
TI  - The effects of the exopolysaccharide and growth rate on the morphogenesis of the
      terrestrial filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme.
AB  - The terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme, which contributes to carbon
      and nitrogen supplies in arid and semi-arid regions, adopts a filamentous colony
      form. Owing to its herbal and dietary values, this species has been
      overexploited. Largely due to the lack of understanding on its morphogenesis,
      artificial cultivation has not been achieved. Additionally, it may serve as a
      useful model for recognizing the morphological adaptation of colonial
      cyanobacteria in terrestrial niches. However, it shows very slow growth in native
      habitats and is easily disintegrated under laboratory conditions. Thus, a novel
      experimental system is necessary to explore its morphogenetic mechanism. Liquid
      cultured N. flagelliforme has been well developed for exopolysaccharide (EPS)
      production, in which microscopic colonies (micro-colonies) are generally formed.
      In this study, we sought to gain some insight into the morphogenesis of N.
      flagelliforme by examining the effects of two external factors, the EPS and
      environmental stress-related growth rate, on the morphological shaping of micro
      colonies. Our findings indicate that the EPS matrix could act as a basal barrier,
      leading to the bending of trichomes during their elongation, while very slow
      growth is conducive to their straight elongation. These findings will guide
      future cultivation and application of this cyanobacterium for ecological
      improvement.

PMID- 28916706
TI  - The expression of Ldh-c in the skeletal muscle of plateau pika (Ochotona
      curzoniae) enhances adaptation to a hypoxic environment.
AB  - The plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is a species of sprint-running alpine
      animals in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is a harsh highland hypoxic
      environment. Ldh-c is expressed in the testis, sperm and somatic tissues of
      plateau pika. To reveal the role and physiological mechanisms of sperm-specific
      lactate dehydrogenase (LDH-C4), in plateau pika to adapt to hypoxic environment,
      an adenoviral line of pMultiRNAi-Ldhc was constructed and injected into the
      bilateral biceps femoris of the hind legs. The swimming times of the pikas, and
      the Ldh-c expression levels, total LDH activities and ATP levels in skeletal
      muscle, were measured after the pikas were raised in the trapped site for 5 days.
      Our results showed that after Ldh-c was silenced, the sprint-running ability
      (swimming time) of the plateau pikas was significant decreased, and the total LDH
      activities and ATP levels were reduced by 28.21% and 27.88%, respectively. Our
      results indicated that expression of Ldh-c in the skeletal muscle of plateau pika
      increased anaerobic glycolysis and enhanced adaptation to highland hypoxic
      environments.

PMID- 28916704
TI  - Delayed neutrophil apoptosis enhances NET formation in cystic fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is defined by large numbers of
      neutrophils and associated damaging products in the airway. Delayed neutrophil
      apoptosis is described in CF although it is unclear whether this is a primary
      neutrophil defect or a response to chronic inflammation. Increased levels of
      neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been measured in CF and we aimed to
      investigate the causal relationship between these phenomena and their potential
      to serve as a driver of inflammation. We hypothesised that the delay in apoptosis
      in CF is a primary defect and preferentially allows CF neutrophils to form NETs,
      contributing to inflammation. METHODS: Blood neutrophils were isolated from
      patients with CF, CF pigs and appropriate controls. Neutrophils were also
      obtained from patients with CF before and after commencing ivacaftor. Apoptosis
      was assessed by morphology and flow cytometry. NET formation was determined by
      fluorescent microscopy and DNA release assays. NET interaction with macrophages
      was examined by measuring cytokine generation with ELISA and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: CF
      neutrophils live longer due to decreased apoptosis. This was observed in both
      cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) null piglets and
      patients with CF, and furthermore was reversed by ivacaftor (CFTR potentiator) in
      patients with gating (G551D) mutations. CF neutrophils formed more NETs and this
      was reversed by cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor exposure. NETs provided a
      proinflammatory stimulus to macrophages, which was enhanced in CF. CONCLUSIONS:
      CF neutrophils have a prosurvival phenotype that is associated with an absence of
      CFTR function and allows increased NET production, which can in turn induce
      inflammation. Augmenting neutrophil apoptosis in CF may allow more appropriate
      neutrophil disposal, decreasing NET formation and thus inflammation.

PMID- 28916707
TI  - PQN-75 is expressed in the pharyngeal gland cells of Caenorhabditiselegans and is
      dispensable for germline development.
AB  - In Caenorhabditis elegans, five pharyngeal gland cells reside in the terminal
      bulb of the pharynx and extend anterior processes to five contact points in the
      pharyngeal lumen. Pharyngeal gland cells secrete mucin-like proteins thought to
      facilitate digestion, hatching, molting and assembly of the surface coat of the
      cuticle, but supporting evidence has been sparse. Here we show pharyngeal gland
      cell expression of PQN-75, a unique protein containing an N-terminal signal
      peptide, nucleoporin (Nup)-like phenylalanine/glycine (FG) repeats, and an
      extensive polyproline repeat domain with similarities to human basic salivary
      proline-rich pre-protein PRB2. Imaging of C-terminal tagged PQN-75 shows
      localization throughout pharyngeal gland cell processes but not the pharyngeal
      lumen; instead, aggregates of PQN-75 are occasionally found throughout the
      pharynx, suggesting secretion from pharyngeal gland cells into the surrounding
      pharyngeal muscle. PQN-75 does not affect fertility and brood size in C. elegans
      but confers some degree of stress resistance and thermotolerance through unknown
      mechanisms.

PMID- 28916709
TI  - CORRECTION: Surviving murine experimental sepsis affects the function and
      morphology of the inner ear.

PMID- 28916708
TI  - Architectural delineation and molecular identification of extracellular matrix in
      ascidian embryos and larvae.
AB  - The extracellular matrix (ECM) not only provides essential physical scaffolding
      for cellular constituents but also initiates crucial biochemical and
      biomechanical cues that are required for tissue morphogenesis. In this study, we
      utilized wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining to characterize the ECM
      architecture in ascidian embryos and larvae. The results showed three distinct
      populations of ECM presenting in Ciona embryogenesis: the outer layer localized
      at the surface of embryo, an inner layer of notochord sheath and the apical ECM
      secreted by the notochord. To further elucidate the precise structure of Ciona
      embryonic ECM, we employed scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and
      found that the outer membrane was relatively thick with short fibres, whereas the
      ECM layer in notochord sheath was not as thick as the outer membrane but more
      regular arranged; the lumen between notochord cells was hydrostatic and sticky.
      Then, we used the RNA sequencing data from the embryos and larvae of Ciona
      savignyi to identify ECM genes and acquire their expression patterns. We
      identified 115 unigenes as 67 ECM genes, and 77 unigenes showed dynamic
      expression changes between different stages. Our results reveal the architecture,
      molecular composition and dynamic expression profile of ECM in ascidian
      embryogenesis, and may increase understanding of the function of the ECM in
      chordate development.

PMID- 28916710
TI  - APC sets the Wnt tone necessary for cerebral cortical progenitor development.
AB  - Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) regulates the activity of beta-catenin, an
      integral component of Wnt signaling. However, the selective role of the APC-beta
      catenin pathway in cerebral cortical development is unknown. Here we genetically
      dissected the relative contributions of APC-regulated beta-catenin signaling in
      cortical progenitor development, a necessary early step in cerebral cortical
      formation. Radial progenitor-specific inactivation of the APC-beta-catenin
      pathway indicates that the maintenance of appropriate beta-catenin-mediated Wnt
      tone is necessary for the orderly differentiation of cortical progenitors and the
      resultant formation of the cerebral cortex. APC deletion deregulates beta
      catenin, leads to high Wnt tone, and disrupts Notch1 signaling and primary cilium
      maintenance necessary for radial progenitor functions. beta-Catenin deregulation
      directly disrupts cilium maintenance and signaling via Tulp3, essential for
      intraflagellar transport of ciliary signaling receptors. Surprisingly, deletion
      of beta-catenin or inhibition of beta-catenin activity in APC-null progenitors
      rescues the APC-null phenotype. These results reveal that APC-regulated beta
      catenin activity in cortical progenitors sets the appropriate Wnt tone necessary
      for normal cerebral cortical development.

PMID- 28916711
TI  - Comparative analysis of three-dimensional chromosomal architecture identifies a
      novel fetal hemoglobin regulatory element.
AB  - Chromatin structure is tightly intertwined with transcription regulation. Here we
      compared the chromosomal architectures of fetal and adult human erythroblasts and
      found that, globally, chromatin structures and compartments A/B are highly
      similar at both developmental stages. At a finer scale, we detected distinct
      folding patterns at the developmentally controlled beta-globin locus.
      Specifically, new fetal stage-specific contacts were uncovered between a region
      separating the fetal (gamma) and adult (delta and beta) globin genes
      (encompassing the HBBP1 and BGLT3 noncoding genes) and two distal chromosomal
      sites (HS5 and 3'HS1) that flank the locus. In contrast, in adult cells, the
      HBBP1-BGLT3 region contacts the embryonic epsilon-globin gene, physically
      separating the fetal globin genes from the enhancer (locus control region [LCR]).
      Deletion of the HBBP1 region in adult cells alters contact landscapes in ways
      more closely resembling those of fetal cells, including increased LCR-gamma
      globin contacts. These changes are accompanied by strong increases in gamma
      globin transcription. Notably, the effects of HBBP1 removal on chromatin
      architecture and gene expression closely mimic those of deleting the fetal globin
      repressor BCL11A, implicating BCL11A in the function of the HBBP1 region. Our
      results uncover a new critical regulatory region as a potential target for
      therapeutic genome editing for hemoglobinopathies and highlight the power of
      chromosome conformation analysis in discovering new cis control elements.

PMID- 28916713
TI  - Amount of smoking, duration of smoking cessation and their interaction with
      silica exposure in the risk of rheumatoid arthritis among males: results from the
      Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis (EIRA) study.

PMID- 28916712
TI  - Identification of new channels by systematic analysis of the mitochondrial outer
      membrane.
AB  - The mitochondrial outer membrane is essential for communication between
      mitochondria and the rest of the cell and facilitates the transport of
      metabolites, ions, and proteins. All mitochondrial outer membrane channels known
      to date are beta-barrel membrane proteins, including the abundant voltage
      dependent anion channel and the cation-preferring protein-conducting channels
      Tom40, Sam50, and Mdm10. We analyzed outer membrane fractions of yeast
      mitochondria and identified four new channel activities: two anion-preferring
      channels and two cation-preferring channels. We characterized the cation
      preferring channels at the molecular level. The mitochondrial import component
      Mim1 forms a channel that is predicted to have an alpha-helical structure for
      protein import. The short-chain dehydrogenase-related protein Ayr1 forms an NADPH
      regulated channel. We conclude that the mitochondrial outer membrane contains a
      considerably larger variety of channel-forming proteins than assumed thus far.
      These findings challenge the traditional view of the outer membrane as an
      unspecific molecular sieve and indicate a higher degree of selectivity and
      regulation of metabolite fluxes at the mitochondrial boundary.

PMID- 28916715
TI  - Response to: 'Different glucosamine sulfate products generate different outcomes
      on osteoarthritis symptoms' by Reginster et al.

PMID- 28916714
TI  - Interleukin-6 blockade raises LDL via reduced catabolism rather than via
      increased synthesis: a cytokine-specific mechanism for cholesterol changes in
      rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have reduced serum low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), which increases following therapeutic IL
      6 blockade. We aimed to define the metabolic pathways underlying these lipid
      changes. METHODS: In the KALIBRA study, lipoprotein kinetic studies were
      performed on 11 patients with severe active RA at baseline and following three
      intravenous infusions of the IL-6R blocker tocilizumab. The primary outcome
      measure was the fractional catabolic rate (FCR) of LDL. RESULTS: Serum total
      cholesterol (4.8 vs 5.7 mmol/L, p=0.003), LDL-c (2.9 vs 3.4 mmol/L, p=0.014) and
      high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.23 vs 1.52 mmol/L, p=0.006) increased
      following tocilizumab therapy. The LDL FCR fell from a state of hypercatabolism
      to a value approximating that of the normal population (0.53 vs 0.27 pools/day,
      p=0.006). Changes in FCR correlated tightly with changes in serum LDL-c and C
      reactive protein but not Clinical Disease Activity Index. CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      with RA have low serum LDL-c due to hypercatabolism of LDL particles. IL-6
      blockade normalises this catabolism in a manner associating with the acute phase
      response (and thus hepatic IL-6 signalling) but not with RA disease activity as
      measured clinically. We demonstrate that IL-6 is one of the key drivers of
      inflammation-driven dyslipidaemia.

PMID- 28916716
TI  - Deregulation of microRNA expression in purified T and B lymphocytes from patients
      with primary Sjogren's syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of
      autoimmune diseases such as primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). This study is the
      first to investigate miRNA expression patterns in purified T and B lymphocytes
      from patients with pSS using a high-throughput quantitative PCR (qPCR) approach.
      METHODS: Two independent cohorts of both patients with pSS and controls, one for
      discovery and one for replication, were included in this study. CD4+ T cells and
      CD19+ B cells were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells by magnetic
      microbeads and expression of miRNAs was profiled using the Exiqon Human miRNome
      panel I analysing 372 miRNAs. A selection of differentially expressed miRNAs was
      replicated in the second cohort using specific qPCR assays. RESULTS: A major
      difference in miRNA expression patterns was observed between the lymphocyte
      populations from patients with pSS and controls. In CD4 T lymphocytes, hsa-let-7d
      3p, hsa-miR-155-5 p, hsa-miR-222-3 p, hsa-miR-30c-5p, hsa-miR-146a-5p, hsa-miR
      378a-3p and hsa-miR-28-5 p were significantly differentially expressed in both
      the discovery and the replication cohort. In B lymphocytes, hsa-miR-378a-3p, hsa
      miR-222-3 p, hsa-miR-26a-5p, hsa-miR-30b-5p and hsa-miR-19b-3p were significantly
      differentially expressed. Potential target mRNAs were enriched in disease
      relevant pathways. Expression of B-cell activating factor (BAFF) mRNA was
      inversely correlated with the expression of hsa-miR-30b-5p in B lymphocytes from
      patients with pSS and functional experiments showed increased expression of BAFF
      after inhibiting hsa-miR-30b-5p. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates major
      miRNAs deregulation in T and B cells from patients with pSS in two independent
      cohorts, which might target genes known to be involved in the pathogenesis of
      pSS.

PMID- 28916717
TI  - NLRPs, the subcortical maternal complex and genomic imprinting.
AB  - Before activation of the embryonic genome, the oocyte provides many of the RNAs
      and proteins required for the epigenetic reprogramming and the transition to a
      totipotent state. Targeted disruption of a subset of oocyte-derived transcripts
      in mice results in early embryonic lethality and cleavage-stage embryonic arrest
      as highlighted by the members of the subcortical maternal complex (SCMC).
      Maternal-effect recessive mutations of NLRP7, KHDC3L and NLRP5 in humans are
      associated with variable reproductive outcomes, biparental hydatidiform moles
      (BiHM) and widespread multi-locus imprinting disturbances. The precise mechanism
      of action of these genes is unknown, but the maternal-effect phenomenon suggests
      a function during early pre-implantation development, while biochemical and
      genetic studies implement them as SCMC members or interacting partners. In this
      review article, we discuss the role of the NLRP family members and the SCMC
      proteins in the establishment of genomic imprints and post-zygotic methylation
      maintenance, the recent advances made in the understanding of the biology
      involved in BiHM formation and the wider roles of the SCMC in mammalian
      reproduction.

PMID- 28916718
TI  - Potential sperm contributions to the murine zygote predicted by in silico
      analysis.
AB  - Paternal contributions to the zygote are thought to extend beyond delivery of the
      genome and paternal RNAs have been linked to epigenetic transgenerational
      inheritance in different species. In addition, sperm-egg fusion activates several
      downstream processes that contribute to zygote formation, including PLC zeta
      mediated egg activation and maternal RNA clearance. Since a third of the
      preimplantation developmental period in the mouse occurs prior to the first
      cleavage stage, there is ample time for paternal RNAs or their encoded proteins
      potentially to interact and participate in early zygotic activities. To
      investigate this possibility, a bespoke next-generation RNA sequencing pipeline
      was employed for the first time to characterise and compare transcripts obtained
      from isolated murine sperm, MII eggs and pre-cleavage stage zygotes. Gene network
      analysis was then employed to identify potential interactions between paternally
      and maternally derived factors during the murine egg-to-zygote transition
      involving RNA clearance, protein clearance and post-transcriptional regulation of
      gene expression. Our in silico approach looked for factors in sperm, eggs and
      zygotes that could potentially interact co-operatively and synergistically during
      zygote formation. At least five sperm RNAs (Hdac11, Fbxo2, Map1lc3a, Pcbp4 and
      Zfp821) met these requirements for a paternal contribution, which with
      complementary maternal co-factors suggest a wider potential for extra-genomic
      paternal involvement in the developing zygote.

PMID- 28916719
TI  - KIR2DS2 recognizes conserved peptides derived from viral helicases in the context
      of HLA-C.
AB  - Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are rapidly evolving species
      specific natural killer (NK) cell receptors associated with protection against
      multiple different human viral infections. We report that the activating receptor
      KIR2DS2 directly recognizes viral peptides derived from conserved regions of
      flaviviral superfamily 2 RNA helicases in the context of major histocompatibility
      complex class I. We started by documenting that peptide LNPSVAATL from the
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) helicase binds HLA-C*0102, leading to NK cell activation
      through engagement of KIR2DS2. Although this region is highly conserved across
      HCV isolates, the sequence is not present in other flaviviral helicases.
      Embarking on a search for a conserved target of KIR2DS2, we show that HLA-C*0102
      presents a different highly conserved peptide from the helicase motif 1b region
      of related flaviviruses, including dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and Japanese
      encephalitis viruses, to KIR2DS2. In contrast to LNPSVAATL from HCV, these
      flaviviral peptides all contain an "MCHAT" motif, which is present in 61 of 63
      flaviviruses. Despite the difference in the peptide sequences, we show that
      KIR2DS2 recognizes endogenously presented helicase peptides and that KIR2DS2 is
      sufficient to inhibit HCV and dengue virus replication in the context of HLA
      C*0102. Targeting short, but highly conserved, viral peptides provide
      nonrearranging innate immune receptors with an efficient mechanism to recognize
      multiple, highly variable, pathogenic RNA viruses.

PMID- 28916720
TI  - Glucose availability controls adipogenesis in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes via up
      regulation of nicotinamide metabolism.
AB  - Expansion of adipose tissue in response to a positive energy balance underlies
      obesity and occurs through both hypertrophy of existing cells and increased
      differentiation of adipocyte precursors (hyperplasia). To better understand the
      nutrient signals that promote adipocyte differentiation, we investigated the role
      of glucose availability in regulating adipocyte differentiation and maturation.
      3T3-L1 preadipocytes were grown and differentiated in medium containing a
      standard differentiation hormone mixture and either 4 or 25 mm glucose. Adipocyte
      maturation at day 9 post-differentiation was determined by key adipocyte markers,
      including glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and adiponectin expression and Oil Red O
      staining of neutral lipids. We found that adipocyte differentiation and
      maturation required a pulse of 25 mm glucose only during the first 3 days of
      differentiation. Importantly, fatty acids were unable to substitute for the 25 mm
      glucose pulse during this period. The 25 mm glucose pulse increased adiponectin
      and GLUT4 expression and accumulation of neutral lipids via distinct mechanisms.
      Adiponectin expression and other early markers of differentiation required an
      increase in the intracellular pool of total NAD/P. In contrast, GLUT4 protein
      expression was only partially restored by increased NAD/P levels. Furthermore,
      GLUT4 mRNA expression was mediated by glucose-dependent activation of GLUT4 gene
      transcription through the cis-acting GLUT4-liver X receptor element (LXRE)
      promoter element. In summary, this study supports the conclusion that high
      glucose promotes adipocyte differentiation via distinct metabolic pathways and
      independently of fatty acids. This may partly explain the mechanism underlying
      adipocyte hyperplasia that occurs much later than adipocyte hypertrophy in the
      development of obesity.

PMID- 28916721
TI  - Loss of cardiac carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 results in rapamycin-resistant,
      acetylation-independent hypertrophy.
AB  - Cardiac hypertrophy is closely linked to impaired fatty acid oxidation, but the
      molecular basis of this link is unclear. Here, we investigated the loss of an
      obligate enzyme in mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid oxidation, carnitine
      palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2), on muscle and heart structure, function, and
      molecular signatures in a muscle- and heart-specific CPT2-deficient mouse (Cpt2M
      /-) model. CPT2 loss in heart and muscle reduced complete oxidation of long-chain
      fatty acids by 87 and 69%, respectively, without altering body weight, energy
      expenditure, respiratory quotient, or adiposity. Cpt2M-/- mice developed cardiac
      hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction, evidenced by a 5-fold greater heart mass,
      60-90% reduction in blood ejection fraction relative to control mice, and
      eventual lethality in the absence of cardiac fibrosis. The hypertrophy-inducing
      mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway was activated in Cpt2M-/
      hearts; however, daily rapamycin exposure failed to attenuate hypertrophy in
      Cpt2M-/- mice. Lysine acetylation was reduced by ~50% in Cpt2M-/- hearts, but
      trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor that improves cardiac remodeling,
      failed to attenuate Cpt2M-/- hypertrophy. Strikingly, a ketogenic diet increased
      lysine acetylation in Cpt2M-/- hearts 2.3-fold compared with littermate control
      mice fed a ketogenic diet, yet it did not improve cardiac hypertrophy. Together,
      these results suggest that a shift away from mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation
      initiates deleterious hypertrophic cardiac remodeling independent of fibrosis.
      The data also indicate that CPT2-deficient hearts are impervious to hypertrophy
      attenuators, that mitochondrial metabolism regulates cardiac acetylation, and
      that signals derived from alterations in mitochondrial metabolism are the key
      mediators of cardiac hypertrophic growth.

PMID- 28916723
TI  - Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) regulates cytoglobin expression and activation
      of human hepatic stellate cells via JNK signaling.
AB  - Cytoglobin (CYGB) belongs to the mammalian globin family and is exclusively
      expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in the liver. In addition to its gas
      binding ability, CYGB is relevant to hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer
      because of its anti-oxidative properties; however, the regulation of CYGB gene
      expression remains unknown. Here, we sought to identify factors that induce CYGB
      expression in HSCs and to clarify the molecular mechanism involved. We used the
      human HSC cell line HHSteC and primary human HSCs isolated from intact human
      liver tissues. In HHSteC cells, treatment with a culture supplement solution that
      included fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) increased CYGB expression with
      concomitant and time-dependent alpha-smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA) down
      regulation. We found that FGF2 is a key factor in inducing the alteration in both
      CYGB and alphaSMA expression in HHSteCs and primary HSCs and that FGF2 triggered
      the rapid phosphorylation of both c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and c-JUN. Both
      the JNK inhibitor PS600125 and transfection of c-JUN-targeting siRNA abrogated
      FGF2-mediated CYGB induction, and conversely, c-JUN overexpression induced CYGB
      and reduced alphaSMA expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses revealed
      that upon FGF2 stimulation, phospho-c-JUN bound to its consensus motif (5'
      TGA(C/G)TCA), located -218 to -222 bases from the transcription initiation site
      in the CYGB promoter. Of note, in bile duct-ligated mice, FGF2 administration
      ameliorated liver fibrosis and significantly reduced HSC activation. In
      conclusion, FGF2 triggers CYGB gene expression and deactivation of
      myofibroblastic human HSCs, indicating that FGF2 has therapeutic potential for
      managing liver fibrosis.

PMID- 28916722
TI  - Phosphoproteomics reveals that glycogen synthase kinase-3 phosphorylates multiple
      splicing factors and is associated with alternative splicing.
AB  - Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a constitutively active, ubiquitously
      expressed protein kinase that regulates multiple signaling pathways. In vitro
      kinase assays and genetic and pharmacological manipulations of GSK-3 have
      identified more than 100 putative GSK-3 substrates in diverse cell types. Many
      more have been predicted on the basis of a recurrent GSK-3 consensus motif
      ((pS/pT)XXX(S/T)), but this prediction has not been tested by analyzing the GSK-3
      phosphoproteome. Using stable isotope labeling of amino acids in culture (SILAC)
      and MS techniques to analyze the repertoire of GSK-3-dependent phosphorylation in
      mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), we found that ~2.4% of (pS/pT)XXX(S/T) sites
      are phosphorylated in a GSK-3-dependent manner. A comparison of WT and
      Gsk3a;Gsk3b knock-out (Gsk3 DKO) ESCs revealed prominent GSK-3-dependent
      phosphorylation of multiple splicing factors and regulators of RNA biosynthesis
      as well as proteins that regulate transcription, translation, and cell division.
      Gsk3 DKO reduced phosphorylation of the splicing factors RBM8A, SRSF9, and PSF as
      well as the nucleolar proteins NPM1 and PHF6, and recombinant GSK-3beta
      phosphorylated these proteins in vitro RNA-Seq of WT and Gsk3 DKO ESCs identified
      ~190 genes that are alternatively spliced in a GSK-3-dependent manner, supporting
      a broad role for GSK-3 in regulating alternative splicing. The MS data also
      identified posttranscriptional regulation of protein abundance by GSK-3, with ~47
      proteins (1.4%) whose levels increased and ~78 (2.4%) whose levels decreased in
      the absence of GSK-3. This study provides the first unbiased analysis of the GSK
      3 phosphoproteome and strong evidence that GSK-3 broadly regulates alternative
      splicing.

PMID- 28916724
TI  - A novel mechanism for Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II targeting to L
      type Ca2+ channels that initiates long-range signaling to the nucleus.
AB  - Neuronal excitation can induce new mRNA transcription, a phenomenon called
      excitation-transcription (E-T) coupling. Among several pathways implicated in E-T
      coupling, activation of voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs) in the plasma
      membrane can initiate a signaling pathway that ultimately increases nuclear CREB
      phosphorylation and, in most cases, expression of immediate early genes.
      Initiation of this long-range pathway has been shown to require recruitment of
      Ca2+-sensitive enzymes to a nanodomain in the immediate vicinity of the LTCC by
      an unknown mechanism. Here, we show that activated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent
      protein kinase II (CaMKII) strongly interacts with a novel binding motif in the N
      terminal domain of CaV1 LTCC alpha1 subunits that is not conserved in CaV2 or
      CaV3 voltage-gated Ca2+ channel subunits. Mutations in the CaV1.3 alpha1 subunit
      N-terminal domain or in the CaMKII catalytic domain that largely prevent the in
      vitro interaction also disrupt CaMKII association with intact LTCC complexes
      isolated by immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, these same mutations interfere with
      E-T coupling in cultured hippocampal neurons. Taken together, our findings define
      a novel molecular interaction with the neuronal LTCC that is required for the
      initiation of a long-range signal to the nucleus that is critical for learning
      and memory.

PMID- 28916725
TI  - Characterization of enhancers and the role of the transcription factor KLF7 in
      regulating corneal epithelial differentiation.
AB  - During tissue development, transcription factors bind regulatory DNA regions
      called enhancers, often located at great distances from the genes they regulate,
      to control gene expression. The enhancer landscape during embryonic stem cell
      differentiation has been well characterized. By contrast, little is known about
      the shared and unique enhancer regulatory mechanisms in different ectodermally
      derived epithelial cells. Here we use ChIP sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify
      domains enriched for the histone marks histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation,
      histone H3 lysine 4 monomethylation, and histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation
      (H3K4me3, H3K4me1, and H3K27ac) and define, for the first time, the super
      enhancers and typical enhancers active in primary human corneal epithelial cells.
      We show that regulatory regions are often shared between cell types of the
      ectodermal lineage and that corneal epithelial super enhancers are already marked
      as potential regulatory domains in embryonic stem cells. Kruppel-like factor
      (KLF) motifs were enriched in corneal epithelial enhancers, consistent with the
      important roles of KLF4 and KLF5 in promoting corneal epithelial differentiation.
      We now show that the Kruppel family member KLF7 promotes the corneal progenitor
      cell state; on many genes, KLF7 antagonized the corneal differentiation-promoting
      KLF4. Furthermore, we found that two SNPs linked previously to corneal diseases,
      astigmatism, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome fall within corneal epithelial
      enhancers and alter their activity by disrupting transcription factor motifs that
      overlap these SNPs. Taken together, our work defines regulatory enhancers in
      corneal epithelial cells, highlights global gene-regulatory relationships shared
      among different epithelial cells, identifies a role for KLF7 as a KLF4 antagonist
      in corneal epithelial cell differentiation, and explains how two SNPs may
      contribute to corneal diseases.

PMID- 28916726
TI  - The NQO1 bioactivatable drug, beta-lapachone, alters the redox state of NQO1+
      pancreatic cancer cells, causing perturbation in central carbon metabolism.
AB  - Many cancer treatments, such as those for managing recalcitrant tumors like
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, cause off-target toxicities in normal, healthy
      tissue, highlighting the need for more tumor-selective chemotherapies. beta
      Lapachone is bioactivated by NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). This enzyme
      exhibits elevated expression in most solid cancers and therefore is a potential
      cancer-specific target. beta-Lapachone's therapeutic efficacy partially stems
      from the drug's induction of a futile NQO1-mediated redox cycle that causes high
      levels of superoxide and then peroxide formation, which damages DNA and causes
      hyperactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, resulting in extensive NAD+/ATP
      depletion. However, the effects of this drug on energy metabolism due to NAD+
      depletion were never described. The futile redox cycle rapidly consumes O2,
      rendering standard assays of Krebs cycle turnover unusable. In this study, a
      multimodal analysis, including metabolic imaging using hyperpolarized pyruvate,
      points to reduced oxidative flux due to NAD+ depletion after beta-lapachone
      treatment of NQO1+ human pancreatic cancer cells. NAD+-sensitive pathways, such
      as glycolysis, flux through lactate dehydrogenase, and the citric acid cycle (as
      inferred by flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase), were down-regulated by beta
      lapachone treatment. Changes in flux through these pathways should generate
      biomarkers useful for in vivo dose responses of beta-lapachone treatment in
      humans, avoiding toxic side effects. Targeting the enzymes in these pathways for
      therapeutic treatment may have the potential to synergize with beta-lapachone
      treatment, creating unique NQO1-selective combinatorial therapies for specific
      cancers. These findings warrant future studies of intermediary metabolism in
      patients treated with beta-lapachone.

PMID- 28916728
TI  - Association between TLR-9 gene rs187084 polymorphism and knee osteoarthritis in a
      Chinese population.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease that is induced by many genetic risk
      variants and other factors. To examine the role of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9)
      in OA patients, we conducted a case-control study involving 215 knee OA (KOA)
      patients and 215 controls in a Chinese population. Genotyping with a custom-by
      design 48-Plex single nucleotide polymorphism ScanTM Kit showed the TLR-9 gene
      rs187084 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of KOA.
      Stratification analyses further validated this finding among old people (age >=
      55 years). In conclusion, TLR-9 gene rs187084 polymorphism is positively
      correlated with susceptibility to KOA, especially among old people. Nevertheless,
      this finding should be confirmed by larger size studies with more ethnic
      populations.

PMID- 28916727
TI  - Inflammatory responses induce an identity crisis of alveolar macrophages, leading
      to pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
AB  - Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a severe respiratory disease
      characterized by dyspnea caused by accumulation of surfactant protein.
      Dysfunction of alveolar macrophages (AMs), which regulate the homeostasis of
      surfactant protein, leads to the development of PAP; for example, in mice lacking
      BTB and CNC homology 2 (Bach2). However, how Bach2 helps prevent PAP is unknown,
      and the cell-specific effects of Bach2 are undefined. Using mice lacking Bach2 in
      specific cell types, we found that the PAP phenotype of Bach2-deficient mice is
      due to Bach2 deficiency in more than two types of immune cells. Depletion of
      hyperactivated T cells in Bach2-deficient mice restored normal function of AMs
      and ameliorated PAP. We also found that, in Bach2-deficient mice, hyperactivated
      T cells induced gene expression patterns that are specific to other tissue
      resident macrophages and dendritic cells. Moreover, Bach2-deficient AMs exhibited
      a reduction in cell cycle progression. IFN-gamma released from T cells induced
      Bach2 expression in AMs, in which Bach2 then bound to regulatory regions of
      inflammation-associated genes in myeloid cells. Of note, in AMs, Bach2 restricted
      aberrant responses to excessive T cell-induced inflammation, whereas, in T cells,
      Bach2 puts a brake on T cell activation. Moreover, Bach2 stimulated the
      expression of multiple histone genes in AMs, suggesting a role of Bach2 in proper
      histone expression. We conclude that Bach2 is critical for the maintenance of AM
      identity and self-renewal in inflammatory environments. Treatments targeting T
      cells may offer new therapeutic strategies for managing secondary PAP.

PMID- 28916729
TI  - Identification of differential plasma miRNA profiles in Chinese workers with
      occupational lead exposure.
AB  - Elevated lead absorptions are hazardous factors in lead-related workers. Previous
      studies have found its toxic impacts on nervous, circulatory, and metabolic
      systems. We hypothesized that alteration of miRNAs profile in plasma was closely
      associated with lead exposure. We analyzed to identify lead-related miRNAs in
      workers occupationally exposed to lead. Microarray assay was performed to detect
      plasma miRNA between workers with high and minimal lead exposure in the discovery
      stage. The following prediction of miRNAs' candidate target genes was carried out
      by using miRecords, STRING, and KEGG databases. We finally identified four miRNAs
      significantly associated with high level of blood lead. miR-520c-3p (*P=0.014),
      miR-211 (*P=0.019), and miR-148a (*P=0.031) were downexpressed in workers with
      high lead exposure and with high blood lead level (BLL), while miR-572(*P=0.027)
      displayed an opposite profile. Functional analysis of miRNAs displayed that these
      miRNAs could trigger different cellular genes and pathways. People under chronic
      lead exposure had a diverse 'fingerprint' plasma miRNA profile. Our study
      suggested that miR-520c-3p, miR-211, miR-148a, and miR-572 were the potential
      biomarkers for lead susceptibility in Chinese.

PMID- 28916731
TI  - Need for speed in accurate whole-genome data analysis: GENALICE MAP challenges
      BWA/GATK more than PEMapper/PECaller and Isaac.

PMID- 28916730
TI  - Reply to Pluss et al.: The strength of PEMapper/PECaller lies in unbiased calling
      using large sample sizes.

PMID- 28916732
TI  - IL-4-producing B cells regulate T helper cell dichotomy in type 1- and type 2
      controlled diseases.
AB  - Interleukin-4 (IL-4)-induced T helper (Th) 2 cells promote susceptibility to the
      protozoan parasite Leishmania major, while conferring immunity to the intestinal
      trematode Schistosoma mansoni Here, we report that abrogation of IL-4 receptor
      alpha (IL-4Ralpha) signaling on B cells in BALB/c mice (mb1creIL-4Ralpha-/lox)
      transformed nonhealer BALB/c to a healer phenotype with an early type 1 and
      dramatically reduced type 2 immune response and an absence of ulceration and
      necrosis during cutaneous leishmaniasis. From adoptive reconstitution and mixed
      bone-marrow chimera studies in B cell-deficient (uMT) mice, we reveal a central
      role for B cell-derived IL-4 and IL-4Ralpha in the optimal induction of the
      susceptible type 2 phenotype to L. major infection. We further demonstrate that
      the absence of IL-4Ralpha signaling on B cells exacerbated S. mansoni-induced
      mortality and pathology in BALB/c mice, due to a diminished type 2 immune
      response. In both disease models, IL-4Ralpha-responsive B cells displayed
      increased IL-4 production as early as day 1 after infection. Together, these
      results demonstrate that IL-4-producing and IL-4Ralpha-responsive B cells are
      critical in regulating and assisting early T helper dichotomy toward Th2
      responses, which are detrimental in cutaneous leishmaniasis but beneficial in
      acute schistosomiasis.

PMID- 28916734
TI  - Fishing for answers in precision cancer medicine.

PMID- 28916733
TI  - Clonal expansion and epigenetic reprogramming following deletion or amplification
      of mutant IDH1.
AB  - IDH1 mutation is the earliest genetic alteration in low-grade gliomas (LGGs), but
      its role in tumor recurrence is unclear. Mutant IDH1 drives overproduction of the
      oncometabolite d-2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) and a CpG island (CGI) hypermethylation
      phenotype (G-CIMP). To investigate the role of mutant IDH1 at recurrence, we
      performed a longitudinal analysis of 50 IDH1 mutant LGGs. We discovered six cases
      with copy number alterations (CNAs) at the IDH1 locus at recurrence. Deletion or
      amplification of IDH1 was followed by clonal expansion and recurrence at a higher
      grade. Successful cultures derived from IDH1 mutant, but not IDH1 wild type,
      gliomas systematically deleted IDH1 in vitro and in vivo, further suggestive of
      selection against the heterozygous mutant state as tumors progress. Tumors and
      cultures with IDH1 CNA had decreased 2HG, maintenance of G-CIMP, and DNA
      methylation reprogramming outside CGI. Thus, while IDH1 mutation initiates
      gliomagenesis, in some patients mutant IDH1 and 2HG are not required for later
      clonal expansions.

PMID- 28916736
TI  - Silencing of Urothelial Carcinoma Associated 1 Inhibits the Proliferation and
      Migration of Medulloblastoma Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND UCA1 is a long non-coding RNA that has been found to be aberrantly
      upregulated in various cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the
      expression level and function of UCA1 in medulloblastoma, the most common
      malignant brain tumor during childhood. MATERIAL AND METHODS Real-time PCR was
      used to detect the expression of UCA1 in medulloblastoma specimens and cell
      lines. Lentiviral-mediated expression of a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting
      UCA1 or a negative control shRNA was also achieved with the medulloblastoma cell
      line, Daoy. Cell proliferation and cell cycle progression were subsequently
      characterized with cell counting kit (CCK)-8 and flow cytometry. Cell migration
      was examined in wound healing and Transwell migration assays. RESULTS Levels of
      UCA1 mRNA were higher in the medulloblastoma specimens (p<0.05) and cell lines
      (p<0.05) compared to the corresponding nontumor adjacent tissue specimens and a
      glioblastoma cell line, respectively. For the Daoy cells with silenced UCA1,
      their proliferation was reduced by 30% compared to the Daoy cells expressing a
      negative control shRNA (p=0.017). Cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase, resulting
      in a decreased number of cells in the S phase, as well as reduced cell migration
      in both wound scratch healing (p=0.001) and Transwell migration assays (p=0.021)
      were also observed for the Daoy cells with silenced UCA1. CONCLUSIONS UCA1 was
      highly expressed in part of medulloblastoma specimens and cell lines examined. In
      addition, knockdown of UCA1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and
      migration of medulloblastoma cells in vitro.

PMID- 28916735
TI  - Functional screening in human cardiac organoids reveals a metabolic mechanism for
      cardiomyocyte cell cycle arrest.
AB  - The mammalian heart undergoes maturation during postnatal life to meet the
      increased functional requirements of an adult. However, the key drivers of this
      process remain poorly defined. We are currently unable to recapitulate postnatal
      maturation in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs),
      limiting their potential as a model system to discover regenerative therapeutics.
      Here, we provide a summary of our studies, where we developed a 96-well device
      for functional screening in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac organoids
      (hCOs). Through interrogation of >10,000 organoids, we systematically optimize
      parameters, including extracellular matrix (ECM), metabolic substrate, and growth
      factor conditions, that enhance cardiac tissue viability, function, and
      maturation. Under optimized maturation conditions, functional and molecular
      characterization revealed that a switch to fatty acid metabolism was a central
      driver of cardiac maturation. Under these conditions, hPSC-CMs were refractory to
      mitogenic stimuli, and we found that key proliferation pathways including beta
      catenin and Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) were repressed. This proliferative
      barrier imposed by fatty acid metabolism in hCOs could be rescued by simultaneous
      activation of both beta-catenin and YAP1 using genetic approaches or a small
      molecule activating both pathways. These studies highlight that human organoids
      coupled with higher-throughput screening platforms have the potential to rapidly
      expand our knowledge of human biology and potentially unlock therapeutic
      strategies.

PMID- 28916737
TI  - Determining Ribavirin's mechanism of action against Lassa virus infection.
AB  - Ribavirin is a broad spectrum antiviral which inhibits Lassa virus (LASV)
      replication in vitro but exhibits a minor effect on viremia in vivo. However,
      ribavirin significantly improves the disease outcome when administered in
      combination with sub-optimal doses of favipiravir, a strong antiviral drug. The
      mechanisms explaining these conflicting findings have not been determined, so
      far. Here, we used an interdisciplinary approach combining mathematical models
      and experimental data in LASV-infected mice that were treated with ribavirin
      alone or in combination with the drug favipiravir to explore different putative
      mechanisms of action for ribavirin. We test four different hypotheses that have
      been previously suggested for ribavirin's mode of action: (i) acting as a
      mutagen, thereby limiting the infectivity of new virions; (ii) reducing viremia
      by impairing viral production; (iii) modulating cell damage, i.e., by reducing
      inflammation, and (iv) enhancing antiviral immunity. Our analysis indicates that
      enhancement of antiviral immunity, as well as effects on viral production or
      transmission are unlikely to be ribavirin's main mechanism mediating its
      antiviral effectiveness against LASV infection. Instead, the modeled viral
      kinetics suggest that the main mode of action of ribavirin is to protect infected
      cells from dying, possibly reducing the inflammatory response.

PMID- 28916738
TI  - Cold atmospheric helium plasma causes synergistic enhancement in cell death with
      hyperthermia and an additive enhancement with radiation.
AB  - Cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) have been proposed as a novel therapeutic method
      for its anti-cancer potential. However, its biological effects in combination
      with other physical modalities remain elusive. Therefore, this study examined the
      effects of cold atmospheric helium plasma (He-CAP) in combination with
      hyperthermia (HT) 42  degrees C or radiation 5 Gy. Synergistic enhancement in the
      cell death with HT and an additive enhancement with radiation were observed
      following He-CAP treatment. The synergistic effects were accompanied by increased
      intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
      and superoxide (O2*-) generation was increased immediately after He-CAP
      treatment, but fails to initiate cell death process. Interestingly, at late
      hour's He-CAP-induced O2*- generation subsides, however the combined treatment
      showed sustained increased intracellular O2*- level, and enhanced cell death than
      either treatment alone. He-CAP caused marked induction of ROS in the aqueous
      medium, but He-CAP-induced ROS seems insufficient or not completely incorporated
      intra-cellularly to activate cell death machinery. The observed synergistic
      effects were due to the HT effects on membrane fluidity which facilitate the
      incorporation of He-CAP-induced ROS into the cells, thus results in the enhanced
      cancer cell death following combined treatment. These findings would be helpful
      when establishing a therapeutic strategy for CAP in combination with HT or
      radiation.

PMID- 28916739
TI  - A moso bamboo WRKY gene PeWRKY83 confers salinity tolerance in transgenic
      Arabidopsis plants.
AB  - The WRKY family are transcription factors, involved in plant development, and
      response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Moso bamboo is an important bamboo that
      has high ecological, economic and cultural value and is widely distributed in the
      south of China. In this study, we performed a genome-wide identification of WRKY
      members in moso bamboo and identified 89 members. By comparative analysis in six
      grass genomes, we found the WRKY gene family may have experienced or be
      experiencing purifying selection. Based on relative expression levels among WRKY
      IIc members under three abiotic stresses, PeWRKY83 functioned as a transcription
      factor and was selected for detailed analysis. The transgenic Arabidopsis of
      PeWRKY83 showed superior physiological properties compared with the WT under salt
      stress. Overexpression plants were less sensitive to ABA at both germination and
      postgermination stages and accumulated more endogenous ABA under salt stress
      conditions. Further studies demonstrated that overexpression of PeWRKY83 could
      regulate the expression of some ABA biosynthesis genes (AtAAO3, AtNCED2,
      AtNCED3), signaling genes (AtABI1, AtPP2CA) and responsive genes (AtRD29A,
      AtRD29B, AtABF1) under salt stress. Together, these results suggested that
      PeWRKY83 functions as a novel WRKY-related TF which plays a positive role in salt
      tolerance by regulating stress-induced ABA synthesis.

PMID- 28916740
TI  - MAD2B acts as a negative regulatory partner of TCF4 on proliferation in human
      dermal papilla cells.
AB  - Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are important components of hair follicles and play a
      critical role in hair follicle development. However, the mechanisms by which DPCs
      induce hair follicle development remain unclear. In the present study, we
      identified the mitotic arrest deficient protein MAD2B as a modifier of DPCs.
      Overexpression of MAD2B inhibited DPC aggregative growth and proliferation
      induced by the Wnt signaling activator T cell factor 4 (TCF4), and decreased TCF4
      induced expression and the release of hair growth-related cytokines, including
      hepatocyte growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-1, and vascular endothelial
      growth factor in DPCs. In contrast, knockdown of MAD2B promoted TCF4-induced DPC
      proliferation, but did not affect the expression and secretion of cytokines by
      TCF4-induced DPCs. These results suggest a functional antagonism between MAD2B
      and TCF4 in DPC-induced hair follicle development. Mechanistically, MAD2B
      physically interacted with TCF4 to repress TCF4 transcriptional activity via beta
      catenin mediation, leading to reduced beta-catenin/TCF4-dependent transactivation
      and Wnt signaling activity. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that
      MAD2B plays a negative role in TCF4-induced DPC growth and proliferation.

PMID- 28916741
TI  - Enhancement of water diffusion and compression performance of crosslinked
      alginate films with a minuscule amount of graphene oxide.
AB  - A series of calcium alginate composite hydrogels with several calcium chloride
      contents ranging from 3 to 18 wt.% with and without 0.1 wt.% of graphene oxide
      (GO) was prepared in order to study the effect of crosslinking and nanofilling on
      water diffusion and compression performance. Thus, for high crosslinker contents,
      these composite hydrogels exhibited ultrafast diffusion of liquid water and
      excellent compression properties as compared with control (0 wt.% GO and the same
      crosslinking). These remarkable results are produced due to calcium cations are
      able to crosslink alginate and also graphene oxide nanosheets to form large
      crosslinked GO networks inside the calcium alginate hydrogels. Besides, these
      crosslinked GO/calcium alginate networks present nanochannels, as confirmed by
      electron microscopy, able to improve significantly water diffusion. Thus, these
      composite materials are very promising for many industrial applications demanding
      low-cost hydrogels with improved mechanical and water diffusion properties.

PMID- 28916742
TI  - Haplotype of the Interleukin 17A gene is associated with osteitis after Bacillus
      Calmette-Guerin vaccination.
AB  - Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) osteitis was more common in Finland than elsewhere
      at the time when universal BCG vaccinations were given to Finnish newborns. There
      is evidence that IL-17 plays a role in the defense against tuberculosis. The aim
      of this study was to evaluate the associations of IL17A rs4711998, IL17A
      rs8193036 and IL17A rs2275913 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the
      risk of BCG osteitis after newborn vaccination. IL17A rs4711998, rs8193036 and
      rs2275913 SNPs were determined in 131 adults had presented with BCG osteitis
      after newborn BCG vaccination. We analyzed, using the HaploView and PLINK
      programs, whether allele or haplotype frequencies of these SNPs differ between
      the former BCG osteitis patients and Finnish population controls. Of the three
      IL17A SNPs studied, rs4711998 associated nominally with BCG osteitis; minor
      allele frequency was 0.215 in 130 BCG osteitis cases and 0.298 in 99 controls (p
      = 0.034). Frequency of the second common haplotype (GTA) differed significantly
      between BCG osteitis cases and controls (0.296 vs. 0.184, p = 0.040 after multi
      testing correction). The GTA haplotype of the IL17A SNPs rs4711998, rs8193036 and
      rs2275913 was associated with osteitis after BCG vaccination.

PMID- 28916743
TI  - Comparative analysis reveals regulatory motifs at the ainS/ainR pheromone
      signaling locus of Vibrio fischeri.
AB  - Vibrio fischeri uses the AinS/AinR pheromone-signaling system to control
      bioluminescence and other symbiotic colonization factors. The Ain system is
      thought to initiate cell-cell signaling at moderate cell densities and to prime
      the LuxI/LuxR signaling system. Here we compared and analyzed the ain locus from
      two V. fischeri strains and a Vibrio salmonicida strain to explore ain
      regulation. The ainS and ainR genes were predicted to constitute an operon, which
      we corroborated using RT-PCR. Comparisons between strains revealed a stark area
      of conservation across the ainS-ainR junction, including a large inverted repeat
      in ainR. We found that this inverted repeat in cis can affect accumulation of the
      AinS-generated pheromone N-octanoyl homoserine lactone, which may account for the
      previously unexplained low-signal phenotype of a ?ainR mutant, although the
      mechanism behind this regulation remains elusive. We also extended the previous
      observation of a possible "lux box" LuxR binding site upstream of ainS by showing
      the conservation of this site as well as a second putative lux box. Using a
      plasmid-based reporter we found that LuxR can mediate repression of ainS,
      providing a negative feedback mechanism in the Ain/Lux signaling cascade. Our
      results provide new insights into the regulation, expression, and evolution of
      ainSR.

PMID- 28916744
TI  - Hydrogen sulphate-based ionic liquid-assisted electro-polymerization of PEDOT
      catalyst material for high-efficiency photoelectrochemical solar cells.
AB  - This work reports the facile, one-step electro-polymerization synthesis of poly
      (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) using a 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen
      sulphate (EMIMHSO4) ionic liquid (IL) and, for the first time its utilization as
      a counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Using the IL
      doped PEDOT as CE, we effectively improve the solar cell efficiency to as high as
      8.52%, the highest efficiency reported in 150 mC/cm2 charge capacity, an
      improvement of ~52% over the control device using the bare PEDOT CE (5.63%).
      Besides exhibiting good electrocatalytic stability, the highest efficiency
      reported for the PEDOT CE-based DSSCs using hydrogen sulphate [HSO4]- anion based
      ILs is also higher than platinum-(Pt)-based reference cells (7.87%). This
      outstanding performance is attributed to the enhanced charge mobility, reduced
      contact resistance, improved catalytic stability, smoother surface and well
      adhesion. Our experimental analyses reveal that the [HSO4]- anion group of the IL
      bonds to the PEDOT, leading to higher electron mobility to balance the charge
      transport at the cathode, a better adhesion for high quality growth PEDOT CE on
      the substrates and superior catalytic stability. Consequently, the EMIMHSO4-doped
      PEDOT can successfully act as an excellent alternative green catalyst material,
      replacing expensive Pt catalysts, to improve performance of DSSCs.

PMID- 28916745
TI  - Cadmium effects on DNA and protein metabolism in oyster (Crassostrea gigas)
      revealed by proteomic analyses.
AB  - Marine molluscs, including oysters, can concentrate high levels of cadmium (Cd)
      in their soft tissues, but the molecular mechanisms of Cd toxicity remain
      speculative. In this study, Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were exposed to
      Cd for 9 days and their gills were subjected to proteomic analysis, which were
      further confirmed with transcriptomic analysis. A total of 4,964 proteins was
      quantified and 515 differentially expressed proteins were identified in response
      to Cd exposure. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed that excess Cd
      affected the DNA and protein metabolism. Specifically, Cd toxicity resulted in
      the inhibition of DNA glycosylase and gap-filling and ligation enzymes
      expressions in base excision repair pathway, which may have decreased DNA repair
      capacity. At the protein level, Cd induced the heat shock protein response,
      initiation of protein refolding as well as degradation by ubiquitin proteasome
      pathway, among other effects. Excess Cd also induced antioxidant responses,
      particularly glutathione metabolism, which play important roles in Cd chelation
      and anti-oxidation. This study provided the first molecular mechanisms of Cd
      toxicity on DNA and protein metabolism at protein levels, and identified
      molecular biomarkers for Cd toxicity in oysters.

PMID- 28916746
TI  - High-yield production of "difficult-to-express" proteins in a continuous exchange
      cell-free system based on CHO cell lysates.
AB  - Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) represents a promising technology for
      efficient protein production targeting especially so called "difficult-to
      express" proteins whose synthesis is challenging in conventional in vivo protein
      production platforms. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are one of the most
      prominent and safety approved cell lines for industrial protein production. In
      this study we demonstrated the ability to produce high yields of various protein
      types including membrane proteins and single chain variable fragments (scFv) in a
      continuous exchange cell-free (CECF) system based on CHO cell lysate that
      contains endogenous microsomal structures. We showed significant improvement of
      protein yield compared to batch formatted reactions and proved biological
      activity of synthesized proteins using various analysis technologies. Optimized
      CECF reaction conditions led to membrane protein yields up to 980 ug/ml, which is
      the highest protein yield reached in a microsome containing eukaryotic cell-free
      system presented so far.

PMID- 28916747
TI  - Hormetic potential of methylglyoxal, a side-product of glycolysis, in switching
      tumours from growth to death.
AB  - Metabolic reprogramming toward aerobic glycolysis unavoidably favours
      methylglyoxal (MG) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation in cancer
      cells. MG was initially considered a highly cytotoxic molecule with potential
      anti-cancer value. However, we have recently demonstrated that MG enhanced tumour
      growth and metastasis. In an attempt to understand this dual role, we explored MG
      mediated dicarbonyl stress status in four breast and glioblastoma cancer cell
      lines in relation with their glycolytic phenotype and MG detoxifying capacity. In
      glycolytic cancer cells cultured in high glucose, we observed a significant
      increase of the conversion of MG to D-lactate through the glyoxalase system.
      Moreover, upon exogenous MG challenge, glycolytic cells showed elevated amounts
      of intracellular MG and induced de novo GLO1 detoxifying enzyme and Nrf2
      expression. Thus, supporting the adaptive nature of glycolytic cancer cells to MG
      dicarbonyl stress when compared to non-glycolytic ones. Finally and consistent
      with the pro-tumoural role of MG, we showed that low doses of MG induced AGEs
      formation and tumour growth in vivo, both of which can be reversed using a MG
      scavenger. Our study represents the first demonstration of a hormetic effect of
      MG defined by a low-dose stimulation and a high-dose inhibition of tumour growth.

PMID- 28916748
TI  - alpha2-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition in the central amygdala blocks fear
      conditioning.
AB  - The central amygdala is critical for the acquisition and expression of fear
      memories. This region receives a dense innervation from brainstem noradrenergic
      cell groups and has a high level of alpha2-adrenoceptor expression. Using whole
      cell electrophysiological recordings from rat brain slices, we characterise the
      role of pre-synaptic alpha2-adrenoceptor in modulating discrete inhibitory and
      excitatory connections within both the lateral and medial division of the central
      amygdala. The selective alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine blocked the
      excitatory input from the pontine parabrachial neurons onto neurons of the
      lateral central amygdala. In addition, clonidine blocked inhibitory connections
      from the medial paracapsular intercalated cell mass onto both lateral and medial
      central amygdala neurons. To examine the behavioural consequence of alpha2
      adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of these inputs, we infused clonidine into the
      central amygdala prior to contextual fear-conditioning. In contrast to vehicle
      infused rats, clonidine-infused animals displayed reduced levels of freezing 24
      hours after training, despite showing no difference in freezing during the
      training session. These results reveal a role for alpha2-adrenoceptors within the
      central amygdala in the modulation of synaptic transmission and the formation of
      fear-memories. In addition, they provide further evidence for a role of the
      central amygdala in fear-memory formation.

PMID- 28916749
TI  - Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy reshapes the high-dimensional phenotypic
      heterogeneity of murine intratumoural neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells.
AB  - The analysis of neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells in tumour-bearing individuals is
      challenging due to the small pool of tumour antigen-specific T cells. Here we
      show that mass cytometry with multiplex combinatorial tetramer staining can
      identify and characterize neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells in mice bearing T3
      methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas that are susceptible to checkpoint blockade
      immunotherapy. Among 81 candidate antigens tested, we identify T cells restricted
      to two known neoantigens simultaneously in tumours, spleens and lymph nodes in
      tumour-bearing mice. High-dimensional phenotypic profiling reveals that antigen
      specific, tumour-infiltrating T cells are highly heterogeneous. We further show
      that neoantigen-specific T cells display a different phenotypic profile in mice
      treated with anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, whereas their peripheral
      counterparts are not affected by the treatments. Our results provide insights
      into the nature of neoantigen-specific T cells and the effects of checkpoint
      blockade immunotherapy.Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies can unleash
      anti-tumour T-cell responses. Here the authors show, by integrating MHC tetramer
      multiplexing, mass cytometry and high-dimensional analyses, that neoantigen
      specific, tumour-infiltrating T cells are highly heterogeneous and are subjected
      to ICB modulations.

PMID- 28916750
TI  - Comprehensive multiregional analysis of molecular heterogeneity in bladder
      cancer.
AB  - Genetic alterations identified in adjacent normal appearing tissue in bladder
      cancer patients are indicative of a field disease. Here we assessed normal
      urothelium transformation and intra-tumour heterogeneity (ITH) in four patients
      with bladder cancer. Exome sequencing identified private acquired mutations in a
      lymph node metastasis and local recurrences. Deep re-sequencing revealed presence
      of at least three and four subclones in two patients with multifocal disease,
      while no demarcation of subclones was identified in the two patients with
      unifocal disease. Analysis of adjacent normal urothelium showed low frequency
      mutations in patients with multifocal disease. Expression profiling showed intra
      tumour and intra-patient co-existence of basal- and luminal-like tumour regions,
      and patients with multifocal disease had a greater degree of genomic and
      transcriptomic ITH, as well as transformation of adjacent normal cells, compared
      to patients with unifocal disease. Analysis of the adjacent urothelium may pave
      the way for therapies targeting the field disease.

PMID- 28916751
TI  - Understanding CRY2 interactions for optical control of intracellular signaling.
AB  - Arabidopsis cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) can simultaneously undergo light-dependent CRY2
      CRY2 homo-oligomerization and CRY2-CIB1 hetero-dimerization, both of which have
      been widely used to optically control intracellular processes. Applications using
      CRY2-CIB1 interaction desire minimal CRY2 homo-oligomerization to avoid
      unintended complications, while those utilizing CRY2-CRY2 interaction prefer
      robust homo-oligomerization. However, selecting the type of CRY2 interaction has
      not been possible as the molecular mechanisms underlying CRY2 interactions  are
      unknown. Here we report CRY2-CIB1 and CRY2-CRY2 interactions are governed by well
      separated protein interfaces at the two termini of CRY2. N-terminal charges are
      critical for CRY2-CIB1 interaction. Moreover, two C-terminal charges impact CRY2
      homo-oligomerization, with positive charges facilitating oligomerization and
      negative charges inhibiting it. By engineering C-terminal charges, we develop
      CRY2high and CRY2low with elevated or suppressed oligomerization respectively,
      which we use to tune the levels of Raf/MEK/ERK signaling. These results
      contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying light-induced CRY2
      interactions and enhance the controllability of CRY2-based optogenetic
      systems.Cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) can form light-regulated CRY2-CRY2 homo-oligomers
      or CRY2-CIB1 hetero-dimers, but modulating these interactions is difficult owing
      to the lack of interaction mechanism. Here the authors identify the interactions
      facilitating homo-oligomers and introduce mutations to create low and high
      oligomerization versions.

PMID- 28916752
TI  - Direct measurement of strain-dependent solid surface stress.
AB  - Surface stress, also known as surface tension, is a fundamental material property
      of any interface. However, measurements of solid surface stress in traditional
      engineering materials, such as metals and oxides, have proven to be very
      challenging. Consequently, our understanding relies heavily on untested theories,
      especially regarding the strain dependence of this property. Here, we take
      advantage of the high compliance and large elastic deformability of a soft
      polymer gel to directly measure solid surface stress as a function of strain. As
      anticipated by theoretical work for metals, we find that the surface stress
      depends on the strain via a surface modulus. Remarkably, the surface modulus of
      our soft gels is many times larger than the zero-strain surface tension. This
      suggests that surface stresses can play a dominant role in solid mechanics at
      larger length scales than previously anticipated.Solid surface stress is a
      fundamental property of solid interfaces. Here authors measure the solid surface
      stress of a gel, and show its dependence on surface strain through a surface
      modulus.

PMID- 28916753
TI  - Automated N-Glycosylation Sequencing Of Biopharmaceuticals By Capillary
      Electrophoresis.
AB  - Comprehensive analysis of the N-linked carbohydrates of glycoproteins is gaining
      high recent interest in both the biopharmaceutical and biomedical fields. In
      addition to high resolution glycosylation profiling, sugar residue and linkage
      specific enzymes are also routinely used for exoglycosidase digestion based
      carbohydrate sequencing. This latter one, albeit introduced decades ago, still
      mostly practiced by following tedious and time consuming manual processes. In
      this paper we introduce an automated carbohydrate sequencing approach using the
      appropriate exoglycosidase enzymes in conjunction with the utilization of some of
      the features of a capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument to speed up the
      process. The enzymatic reactions were accomplished within the temperature
      controlled sample storage compartment of a capillary electrophoresis unit and the
      separation capillary was also utilized for accurate delivery of the
      exoglycosidase enzymes. CE analysis was conducted after each digestion step
      obtaining in this way the sequence information of N-glycans in 60 and 128 minutes
      using the semi- and the fully-automated methods, respectively.

PMID- 28916754
TI  - Performance-based ability emotional intelligence benefits working memory capacity
      during performance on hot tasks.
AB  - Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, use, understand, and
      regulate emotions. Higher scores on this ability measured through performance
      tests (but no through self-reports) appears to be related to better performance
      on "hot" (emotionally laden) cognitive tasks. However, there are relatively few
      studies concerning how EI may benefit the working memory capacity (WMC). Thus,
      the objective of this study is to analyse the relationship between EI (as
      measured through a performance-based ability test, a self-report mixed test, and
      a self-report ability test) and the WMC during the performance of hot and "cool"
      (i.e., non-emotionally laden) "2-back" tasks. 203 participants completed three EI
      tests as well as two 2-back tasks. The results provide evidence for better
      performance of higher EI participants (specifically in the managing branch)
      measured through the performance-based ability test, but only on the hot task.
      For the self-report mixed model, incongruent results were found, and no
      correlations were obtained using the self-report ability model. The implications
      of these findings are discussed in terms of the validity of the various EI
      models.

PMID- 28916755
TI  - Protein O-fucosylation in Plasmodium falciparum ensures efficient infection of
      mosquito and vertebrate hosts.
AB  - O-glycosylation of the Plasmodium sporozoite surface proteins CSP and TRAP was
      recently identified, but the role of this modification in the parasite life cycle
      and its relevance to vaccine design remain unclear. Here, we identify the
      Plasmodium protein O-fucosyltransferase (POFUT2) responsible for O-glycosylating
      CSP and TRAP. Genetic disruption of POFUT2 in Plasmodium falciparum results in
      ookinetes that are attenuated for colonizing the mosquito midgut, an essential
      step in malaria transmission. Some POFUT2-deficient parasites mature into
      salivary gland sporozoites although they are impaired for gliding motility, cell
      traversal, hepatocyte invasion, and production of exoerythrocytic forms in
      humanized chimeric liver mice. These defects can be attributed to destabilization
      and incorrect trafficking of proteins bearing thrombospondin repeats (TSRs).
      Therefore, POFUT2 plays a similar role in malaria parasites to that in metazoans:
      it ensures the trafficking of Plasmodium TSR proteins as part of a non-canonical
      glycosylation-dependent endoplasmic reticulum protein quality control
      mechanism.The role of O-glycosylation in the malaria life cycle is largely
      unknown. Here, the authors identify a Plasmodium protein O-fucosyltransferase and
      show that it is important for normal trafficking of a subset of surface proteins,
      particularly CSP and TRAP, and efficient infection of mosquito and vertebrate
      hosts.

PMID- 28916756
TI  - Identification of the S100 fused-type protein hornerin as a regulator of tumor
      vascularity.
AB  - Sustained angiogenesis is essential for the development of solid tumors and
      metastatic disease. Disruption of signaling pathways that govern tumor
      vascularity provide a potential avenue to thwart cancer progression. Through
      phage display-based functional proteomics, immunohistochemical analysis of human
      pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC) specimens, and in vitro validation, we reveal
      that hornerin, an S100 fused-type protein, is highly expressed on pancreatic
      tumor endothelium in a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-independent
      manner. Murine-specific hornerin knockdown in PDAC xenografts results in tumor
      vessels with decreased radii and tortuosity. Hornerin knockdown tumors have
      significantly reduced leakiness, increased oxygenation, and greater apoptosis.
      Additionally, these tumors show a significant reduction in growth, a response
      that is further heightened when therapeutic inhibition of VEGF receptor 2
      (VEGFR2) is utilized in combination with hornerin knockdown. These results
      indicate that hornerin is highly expressed in pancreatic tumor endothelium and
      alters tumor vessel parameters through a VEGF-independent mechanism.Angiogenesis
      is essential for solid tumor progression. Here, the authors interrogate the
      proteome of pancreatic cancer endothelium via phage display and identify hornerin
      as a critical protein whose expression is essential to maintain the pancreatic
      cancer vasculature through a VEGF-independent mechanism.

PMID- 28916758
TI  - Role of the venus kinase receptor in the female reproductive physiology of the
      desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria.
AB  - Venus kinase receptors (VKR) are a subfamily of invertebrate receptor tyrosine
      kinases, which have only recently been discovered. They contain an intracellular
      tyrosine kinase domain and an extracellular Venus FlyTrap domain. VKRs have been
      functionally and pharmacologically characterized in only two invertebrate
      species, namely the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni and the mosquito Aedes
      aegypti, where they play a crucial role in oogenesis. Here, we report the
      characterization of a VKR in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. We
      performed an in-depth profiling study of the SgVKR transcript levels in different
      tissues throughout the female adult stage. Using the RNA interference technique,
      the possible role of SgVKR was investigated. SgVKR knockdown had significant
      effects on ovarian ecdysteroid levels and on the size of oocytes during the
      vitellogenic stage. SgVKR is probably involved in the complex cross-talk between
      several important pathways regulating female reproductive physiology. Contrary to
      A. aegypti and S. mansoni, we cannot conclude that this receptor is essential for
      reproduction, since silencing SgVKR did not affect fecundity or fertility.
      Considering the evolutionary distance between A. aegypti and S. gregaria, as well
      as the differences in regulation of their female reproductive physiology, this
      article constitutes a valuable asset in better understanding VKRs.

PMID- 28916757
TI  - Muscle pathology from stochastic low level DUX4 expression in an FSHD mouse
      model.
AB  - Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is a slowly progressive but devastating
      myopathy caused by loss of repression of the transcription factor DUX4; however,
      DUX4 expression is very low, and protein has not been detected directly in
      patient biopsies. Efforts to model DUX4 myopathy in mice have foundered either in
      being too severe, or in lacking muscle phenotypes. Here we show that the
      endogenous facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy-specific DUX4 polyadenylation
      signal is surprisingly inefficient, and use this finding to develop an
      facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy mouse model with muscle-specific
      doxycycline-regulated DUX4 expression. Very low expression levels, resulting in
      infrequent DUX4 + myonuclei, evoke a slow progressive degenerative myopathy. The
      degenerative process involves inflammation and a remarkable expansion in the
      fibroadipogenic progenitor compartment, leading to fibrosis. These animals also
      show high frequency hearing deficits and impaired skeletal muscle regeneration
      after injury. This mouse model will facilitate in vivo testing of therapeutics,
      and suggests the involvement of fibroadipogenic progenitors in
      facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is
      a severe myopathy that is caused by abnormal activation of DUX4, and for which a
      suitable mouse model does not exist. Here, the authors generate a novel mouse
      model with titratable expression of DUX4, and show that it recapitulates several
      features of the human pathology.

PMID- 28916759
TI  - Influenza D in Italy: towards a better understanding of an emerging viral
      infection in swine.
AB  - Influenza D virus (IDV), a new member of the Orthomyxoviridae family, was first
      reported in 2011 in swine in Oklahoma, and consequently found in cattle across
      North America and Eurasia. To investigate the circulation of IDV among pigs in
      Italy, in the period between June 2015 and May 2016, biomolecular and virological
      tests were performed on 845 clinical samples collected from 448 pig farms
      affected by respiratory distress located in the Po Valley. Serological tests were
      conducted on 3698 swine sera, including archive sera collected in 2009, as well
      as samples collected in 2015 from the same region. Viral genome was detected in
      21 (2.3%) samples from 9 herds (2%), while virus was successfully isolated from 3
      samples. Genetic analysis highlighted that Italian swine IDVs are closely related
      to the D/swine/Oklahoma/1334/2011 cluster. Sera collected in 2015 showed a high
      prevalence of IDV antibody titers (11.7%), while archive sera from 2009 showed
      statistically significant lower positivity rates (0.6%). Our results indicate an
      increasing epidemiological relevance of the pathogen and the need for in-depth
      investigations towards understanding its pathogenesis, epidemiology and possible
      zoonotic potential of this emerging virus.

PMID- 28916760
TI  - Responses of LAI to rainfall explain contrasting sensitivities to carbon uptake
      between forest and non-forest ecosystems in Australia.
AB  - Non-forest ecosystems (predominant in semi-arid and arid regions) contribute
      significantly to the increasing trend and interannual variation of land carbon
      uptake over the last three decades, yet the mechanisms are poorly understood. By
      analysing the flux measurements from 23 ecosystems in Australia, we found the the
      correlation between gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Re)
      was significant for non-forest ecosystems, but was not for forests. In non-forest
      ecosystems, both GPP and Re increased with rainfall, and, consequently net
      ecosystem production (NEP) increased with rainfall. In forest ecosystems, GPP and
      Re were insensitive to rainfall. Furthermore sensitivity of GPP to rainfall was
      dominated by the rainfall-driven variation of LAI rather GPP per unit LAI in non
      forest ecosystems, which was not correctly reproduced by current land models,
      indicating that the mechanisms underlying the response of LAI to rainfall should
      be targeted for future model development.

PMID- 28916761
TI  - Chronic interfacing with the autonomic nervous system using carbon nanotube (CNT)
      yarn electrodes.
AB  - The ability to reliably and safely communicate chronically with small diameter
      (100-300 um) autonomic nerves could have a significant impact in fundamental
      biomedical research and clinical applications. However, this ability has remained
      elusive with existing neural interface technologies. Here we show a new chronic
      nerve interface using highly flexible materials with axon-like dimensions. The
      interface was implemented with carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn electrodes to
      chronically record neural activity from two separate autonomic nerves: the
      glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves. The recorded neural signals maintain a high
      signal-to-noise ratio (>10 dB) in chronic implant models. We further demonstrate
      the ability to process the neural activity to detect hypoxic and gastric
      extension events from the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves, respectively. These
      results establish a novel, chronic platform neural interfacing technique with the
      autonomic nervous system and demonstrate the possibility of regulating internal
      organ function, leading to new bioelectronic therapies and patient health
      monitoring.

PMID- 28916762
TI  - Time-resolved analysis of DNA-protein interactions in living cells by UV laser
      pulses.
AB  - Interactions between DNA and proteins are mainly studied through chemical
      procedures involving bi-functional reagents, mostly formaldehyde. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation is used to identify the binding between transcription factors
      (TFs) and chromatin, and to evaluate the occurrence and impact of histone/DNA
      modifications. The current bottleneck in probing DNA-protein interactions using
      these approaches is caused by the fact that chemical crosslinkers do not
      discriminate direct and indirect bindings or short-lived chromatin occupancy.
      Here, we describe a novel application of UV laser-induced (L-) crosslinking and
      demonstrate that a combination of chemical and L-crosslinking is able to
      distinguish between direct and indirect DNA-protein interactions in a small
      number of living cells. The spatial and temporal dynamics of TF bindings to
      chromatin and their role in gene expression regulation may thus be assessed. The
      combination of chemical and L-crosslinking offers an exciting and unprecedented
      tool for biomedical applications.

PMID- 28916763
TI  - Maternal diabetes causes developmental delay and death in early-somite mouse
      embryos.
AB  - Maternal diabetes causes congenital malformations and delays embryonic growth in
      the offspring. We investigated effects of maternal diabetes on mouse embryos
      during gastrulation and early organogenesis (ED7.5-11.5). Female mice were made
      diabetic with streptozotocin, treated with controlled-release insulin implants,
      and mated. Maternal blood glucose concentrations increased up to embryonic day
      (ED) 8.5. Maternal hyperglycemia induced severe growth retardation (approx.1 day)
      in 53% of the embryos on ED8.5, death in most of these embryos on ED9.5, and the
      termination of pregnancy on ED10.5 in litters with >20% dead embryos. Due to this
      selection, developmental delays and reduction in litter size were no longer
      observed thereafter in diabetic pregnancies. Male and female embryos were equally
      sensitive. High-throughput mRNA sequencing and pathway analysis of differentially
      expressed genes showed that retarded embryos failed to mount the adaptive
      suppression of gene expression that characterized non-retarded embryos (cell
      proliferation, cytoskeletal remodeling, oxidative phosphorylation). We conclude
      that failure of perigastrulation embryos of diabetic mothers to grow and survive
      is associated with their failure to shut down pathways that are strongly down
      regulated in otherwise similar non-retarded embryos. Embryos that survive the
      early and generalized adverse effect of maternal diabetes, therefore, appear the
      subset in which malformations become manifest.

PMID- 28916764
TI  - Rapid and reversible epigenome editing by endogenous chromatin regulators.
AB  - Understanding the causal link between epigenetic marks and gene regulation
      remains a central question in chromatin biology. To edit the epigenome we
      developed the FIRE-Cas9 system for rapid and reversible recruitment of endogenous
      chromatin regulators to specific genomic loci. We enhanced the dCas9-MS2 anchor
      for genome targeting with Fkbp/Frb dimerizing fusion proteins to allow chemical
      induced proximity of a desired chromatin regulator. We find that mSWI/SNF (BAF)
      complex recruitment is sufficient to oppose Polycomb within minutes, leading to
      activation of bivalent gene transcription in mouse embryonic stem cells.
      Furthermore, Hp1/Suv39h1 heterochromatin complex recruitment to active promoters
      deposits H3K9me3 domains, resulting in gene silencing that can be reversed upon
      washout of the chemical dimerizer. This inducible recruitment strategy provides
      precise kinetic information to model epigenetic memory and plasticity. It is
      broadly applicable to mechanistic studies of chromatin in mammalian cells and is
      particularly suited to the analysis of endogenous multi-subunit chromatin
      regulator complexes.Understanding the link between epigenetic marks and gene
      regulation requires the development of new tools to directly manipulate
      chromatin. Here the authors demonstrate a Cas9-based system to recruit chromatin
      remodelers to loci of interest, allowing rapid, reversible manipulation of
      epigenetic states.

PMID- 28916765
TI  - Radiation damage at the active site of human alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase
      reveals that the cofactor position is finely tuned during catalysis.
AB  - The alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT), a hepatocyte-specific pyridoxal-5'
      phosphate (PLP) dependent enzyme, transaminates L-alanine and glyoxylate to
      glycine and pyruvate, thus detoxifying glyoxylate and preventing pathological
      oxalate precipitation in tissues. In the widely accepted catalytic mechanism of
      the aminotransferase family, the lysine binding to PLP acts as a catalyst in the
      stepwise 1,3-proton transfer, interconverting the external aldimine to ketimine.
      This step requires protonation by a conserved aspartate of the pyridine nitrogen
      of PLP to enhance its ability to stabilize the carbanionic intermediate. The
      aspartate residue is also responsible for a significant geometrical distortion of
      the internal aldimine, crucial for catalysis. We present the structure of human
      AGT in which complete X-ray photoreduction of the Schiff base has occurred. This
      result, together with two crystal structures of the conserved aspartate
      pathogenic variant (D183N) and the molecular modeling of the transaldimination
      step, led us to propose that an interplay of opposite forces, which we named
      spring mechanism, finely tunes PLP geometry during catalysis and is essential to
      move the external aldimine in the correct position in order for the 1,3-proton
      transfer to occur.

PMID- 28916766
TI  - Stimulatory Secretions of Airway Epithelial Cells Accelerate Early Repair of
      Tracheal Epithelium.
AB  - Airway stem/progenitor epithelial cells (AECs) are notable for their
      differentiation capacities in response to lung injury. Our previous finding
      highlighted the regenerative capacity of AECs following transplantation in
      repairing tracheal injury and reducing the severity of alveolar damage associated
      acute lung injury in a rabbit model. The goal of this study is to further
      investigate the potential of AECs to re-populate the tracheal epithelium and to
      study their stimulatory effect on inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines,
      epithelial cell migration and proliferation, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT) process following tracheal injury. Two in vitro culture assays
      were applied in this study; the direct co-culture assay that involved a culture
      of decellularised tracheal epithelium explants and AECs in a rotating tube, and
      indirect co-culture assay that utilized microporous membrane-well chamber system
      to separate the partially decellularised tracheal epithelium explants and AEC
      culture. The co-culture assays provided evidence of the stimulatory behaviour of
      AECs to enhance tracheal epithelial cell proliferation and migration during early
      wound repair. Factors that were secreted by AECs also markedly suppressed the
      production of IL-1beta and IL-6 and initiated the EMT process during tracheal
      remodelling.

PMID- 28916768
TI  - Dynamics of necklace beams in nonlinear colloidal suspensions.
AB  - Recently, we have predicted that the modulation instability of optical vortex
      solitons propagating in nonlinear colloidal suspensions with exponential
      saturable nonlinearity leads to formation of necklace beams (NBs). Here, we
      investigate the dynamics of NB formation and propagation, and demonstrate a
      variety of optical beam structures emerging upon vortex beam propagation in
      engineered nonlinear colloidal medium. In particular, we show that the distance
      at which the NB is formed depends on the input power of the vortex beam.
      Moreover, we show that the NB trajectories are not necessarily tangent to the
      initial vortex ring, and that their velocities have components stemming both from
      the beam diffraction and from the beam orbital angular momentum. We also
      demonstrate the generation of elliptical rotating solitons and analyze the
      influence of losses on their propagation. Finally, we investigate the
      conservation of the orbital angular momentum in necklace and elliptical rotating
      beams. Our studies, performed in ideal lossless media and in realistic colloidal
      suspensions with losses, provide a detailed description of NB dynamics, and may
      be useful in analysis of light propagation in highly scattering colloids and
      biological samples.

PMID- 28916767
TI  - The cancer chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel (Taxol) reduces hippocampal
      neurogenesis via down-regulation of vesicular zinc.
AB  - Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) is increasingly recognized as a
      major unwanted side effect of an otherwise highly valuable life-saving
      technology. In part, this awareness is a result of increased cancer survival
      rates following chemotherapy. Altered hippocampal neurogenesis may play a role in
      mediating CICI. In particular, zinc could act as a key regulator of this process.
      To test this hypothesis, we administered paclitaxel (Px) to male C57BL/6 mice for
      set time periods and then evaluated the effects of Px treatment on hippocampal
      neurogenesis and vesicular zinc. We found that vesicular zinc levels and
      expression of zinc transporter 3 (ZnT3) were reduced in Px-treated mice, compared
      to vehicle-treated mice. Moreover, Px-treated mice demonstrated a significant
      decrease in the number of neuroblasts present. However, no difference in the
      number of progenitor cells were observed. In addition, zinc supplementation by
      treatment with ZnCl2 ameliorated the Px-induced decrease in hippocampal
      neurogenesis and cognitive impairment. These results suggest that via disruption
      of vesicular zinc stores in hippocampal mossy fiber terminals, chemotherapy may
      impinge upon one or more of the sequential stages involved in the maturation of
      new neurons derived via adult neurogenesis and thereby leads to the progressive
      cognitive decline associated with CICI.

PMID- 28916769
TI  - Therapeutic effects of the mitochondrial ROS-redox modulator KH176 in a mammalian
      model of Leigh Disease.
AB  - Leigh Disease is a progressive neurometabolic disorder for which a clinical
      effective treatment is currently still lacking. Here, we report on the
      therapeutic efficacy of KH176, a new chemical entity derivative of Trolox, in
      Ndufs4 -/- mice, a mammalian model for Leigh Disease. Using in vivo brain
      diffusion tensor imaging, we show a loss of brain microstructural coherence in
      Ndufs4 -/- mice in the cerebral cortex, external capsule and cerebral peduncle.
      These findings are in line with the white matter diffusivity changes described in
      mitochondrial disease patients. Long-term KH176 treatment retained brain
      microstructural coherence in the external capsule in Ndufs4 -/- mice and
      normalized the increased lipid peroxidation in this area and the cerebral cortex.
      Furthermore, KH176 treatment was able to significantly improve rotarod and gait
      performance and reduced the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells in Ndufs4 -/-
      mice. These in vivo findings show that further development of KH176 as a
      potential treatment for mitochondrial disorders is worthwhile to pursue. Clinical
      trial studies to explore the potency, safety and efficacy of KH176 are ongoing.

PMID- 28916770
TI  - Changes in CD73, CD39 and CD26 expression on T-lymphocytes of ANCA-associated
      vasculitis patients suggest impairment in adenosine generation and turn-over.
AB  - Extracellular adenosine, generated via the concerted action of CD39 and CD73,
      contributes to T-cell differentiation and function. Adenosine concentrations are
      furthermore influenced by adenosine deaminase binding protein CD26. Because
      aberrant T-cell phenotypes had been reported in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic auto
      antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients, an impaired expression of
      these molecules on T-cells of AAV patients was hypothesized in the present study.
      While in AAV patients (n = 29) CD26 was increased on CD4+ lymphocytes, CD39 and
      CD73 were generally reduced on patients' T-cells. In CD4+ cells significant
      differences in CD73 expression were confined to memory CD45RA- cells, while in
      CD4- lymphocytes differences were significant in both naive CD45RA+ and memory
      CD45RA- cells. The percentage of CD4-CD73+ cells correlated with micro-RNA (miR)
      31 expression, a putative regulator of factor inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor
      1 alpha (FIH-1), inversely with serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and positively
      with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). No correlation with disease
      activity, duration, and ANCA profile was found. It remains to be assessed if a
      decreased CD73 and CD39 expression underlies functional impairment of lymphocytes
      in AAV patients. Likewise, the relations between frequencies of CD4-CD73+ cells
      and serum CRP or eGFR require further functional elucidation.

PMID- 28916771
TI  - Complete fusion of a transposon and herpesvirus created the Teratorn mobile
      element in medaka fish.
AB  - Mobile genetic elements (e.g., transposable elements and viruses) display
      significant diversity with various life cycles, but how novel elements emerge
      remains obscure. Here, we report a giant (180-kb long) transposon, Teratorn,
      originally identified in the genome of medaka, Oryzias latipes. Teratorn belongs
      to the piggyBac superfamily and retains the transposition activity. Remarkably,
      Teratorn is largely derived from a herpesvirus of the Alloherpesviridae family
      that could infect fish and amphibians. Genomic survey of Teratorn-like elements
      reveals that some of them exist as a fused form between piggyBac transposon and
      herpesvirus genome in teleosts, implying the generality of transposon-herpesvirus
      fusion. We propose that Teratorn was created by a unique fusion of DNA transposon
      and herpesvirus, leading to life cycle shift. Our study supports the idea that
      recombination is the key event in generation of novel mobile genetic elements.
      Teratorn is a large mobile genetic element originally identified in the small
      teleost fish medaka. Here, the authors show that Teratorn is derived from the
      fusion of a piggyBac superfamily DNA transposon and an alloherpesvirus and that
      it is widely found across teleost fish.

PMID- 28916772
TI  - Limits of Predictability of Cascading Overload Failures in Spatially-Embedded
      Networks with Distributed Flows.
AB  - Cascading failures are a critical vulnerability of complex information or
      infrastructure networks. Here we investigate the properties of load-based
      cascading failures in real and synthetic spatially-embedded network structures,
      and propose mitigation strategies to reduce the severity of damages caused by
      such failures. We introduce a stochastic method for optimal heterogeneous
      distribution of resources (node capacities) subject to a fixed total cost.
      Additionally, we design and compare the performance of networks with N-stable and
      (N-1)-stable network-capacity allocations by triggering cascades using various
      real-world node-attack and node-failure scenarios. We show that failure
      mitigation through increased node protection can be effectively achieved against
      single-node failures. However, mitigating against multiple node failures is much
      more difficult due to the combinatorial increase in possible sets of initially
      failing nodes. We analyze the robustness of the system with increasing
      protection, and find that a critical tolerance exists at which the system
      undergoes a phase transition, and above which the network almost completely
      survives an attack. Moreover, we show that cascade-size distributions measured in
      this region exhibit a power-law decay. Finally, we find a strong correlation
      between cascade sizes induced by individual nodes and sets of nodes. We also show
      that network topology alone is a weak predictor in determining the progression of
      cascading failures.

PMID- 28916773
TI  - Functional organization of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in cells infected by
      respiratory syncytial virus.
AB  - Infection of cells by respiratory syncytial virus induces the formation of
      cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IBs) where all the components of the viral RNA
      polymerase complex are concentrated. However, the exact organization and function
      of these IBs remain unclear. In this study, we use conventional and super
      resolution imaging to dissect the internal structure of IBs. We observe that
      newly synthetized viral mRNA and the viral transcription anti-terminator M2-1
      concentrate in IB sub-compartments, which we term "IB-associated granules"
      (IBAGs). In contrast, viral genomic RNA, the nucleoprotein, the L polymerase and
      its cofactor P are excluded from IBAGs. Live imaging reveals that IBAGs are
      highly dynamic structures. Our data show that IBs are the main site of viral RNA
      synthesis. They further suggest that shortly after synthesis in IBs, viral mRNAs
      and M2-1 transiently concentrate in IBAGs before reaching the cytosol and suggest
      a novel post-transcriptional function for M2-1.Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
      induces formation of inclusion bodies (IBs) sheltering viral RNA synthesis. Here,
      Rincheval et al. identify highly dynamic IB-associated granules (IBAGs) that
      accumulate newly synthetized viral mRNA and the viral M2-1 protein but exclude
      viral genomic RNA and RNA polymerase complexes.

PMID- 28916774
TI  - The mechano-sensing role of the unique SH3 insertion in plakin domains revealed
      by Molecular Dynamics simulations.
AB  - The plakin family of proteins, important actors in cross-linking force-bearing
      structures in the cell, contain a curious SH3 domain insertion in their chain of
      spectrin repeats (SRs). While SH3 domains are known to mediate protein-protein
      interactions, here, its canonical binding site is autoinhibited by the preceding
      SR. Under force, however, this SH3 domain could be released, and possibly launch
      a signaling cascade. We performed large-scale force-probe molecular dynamics
      simulations, across two orders of magnitude of loading rates, to test this
      hypothesis, on two prominent members of the plakin family: desmoplakin and
      plectin, obligate proteins at desmosomes and hemidesmosomes, respectively. Our
      simulations show that force unravels the SRs and abolishes the autoinhibition of
      the SH3 domain, an event well separated from the unfolding of this domain. The
      SH3 domain is free and fully functional for a significant portion of the
      unfolding trajectories. The rupture forces required for the two proteins
      significantly decrease when the SH3 domain is removed, which implies that the SH3
      domain also stabilizes this junction. Our results persist across all simulations,
      and support a force-sensing as well as a stabilizing role of the unique SH3
      insertion, putting forward this protein family as a new class of mechano-sensors.

PMID- 28916775
TI  - Measuring glucose cerebral metabolism in the healthy mouse using hyperpolarized
      13C magnetic resonance.
AB  - The mammalian brain relies primarily on glucose as a fuel to meet its high
      metabolic demand. Among the various techniques used to study cerebral metabolism,
      13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows following the fate of 13C
      enriched substrates through metabolic pathways. We herein demonstrate that it is
      possible to measure cerebral glucose metabolism in vivo with sub-second time
      resolution using hyperpolarized 13C MRS. In particular, the dynamic 13C-labeling
      of pyruvate and lactate formed from 13C-glucose was observed in real time. An ad
      hoc synthesis to produce [2,3,4,6,6-2H5, 3,4-13C2]-D-glucose was developed to
      improve the 13C signal-to-noise ratio as compared to experiments performed
      following [U-2H7, U-13C]-D-glucose injections. The main advantage of only
      labeling C3 and C4 positions is the absence of 13C-13C coupling in all downstream
      metabolic products after glucose is split into 3-carbon intermediates by
      aldolase. This unique method allows direct detection of glycolysis in vivo in the
      healthy brain in a noninvasive manner.

PMID- 28916776
TI  - Nestlings reduce their predation risk by attending to predator-information
      encoded within conspecific alarm calls.
AB  - Predation is one of the main threats to altricial nestlings, with predators often
      locating nests via eavesdropping on begging signals. Nestlings may be able to
      adjust their begging based on the current level of risk by monitoring both intra-
      and interspecific alarm calls near the nest. We show that noisy miner (Manorina
      melanocephala) nestlings can differentiate between terrestrial and aerial alarm
      calls of their own species, as they suppressed begging behaviour for longer in
      response to terrestrial rather than aerial alarm calls. This differential
      response is potentially due to greater danger that terrestrial calls encode. In
      contrast, nestlings ignored alarm calls of the sympatric grey butcherbird
      (Cracticus torquatus) and continued to beg but reduced begging intensity in
      response to the non-alarm calls of a sympatric eastern rosella (Platycercus
      eximius), suggesting nestlings were likely responding based upon similarity to a
      known signal as opposed to expressing a learnt behaviour. Results show that
      nestlings respond adaptively to two different intraspecific alarm signals but
      have not learnt to respond to the alarm calls of sympatric species. These suggest
      that nestlings are able to take advantage of the complex vocal repertoire that
      adults produce, although discernment is an issue when filtering out irrelevant
      stimuli.

PMID- 28916778
TI  - Hydrogeochemical changes before and during the 2016 Amatrice-Norcia seismic
      sequence (central Italy).
AB  - Seismic precursors are an as yet unattained frontier in earthquake studies. With
      the aim of making a step towards this frontier, we present a hydrogeochemical
      dataset associated with the 2016 Amatrice-Norcia seismic sequence (central
      Apennines, Italy), developed from August 24th, with an Mw 6.0 event, and
      culminating on October 30th, with an Mw 6.5 mainshock. The seismic sequence
      occurred during a seasonal depletion of hydrostructures, and the four strongest
      earthquakes (Mw >= 5.5) generated an abrupt uplift of the water level, recorded
      up to 100 km away from the mainshock area. Monitoring a set of selected springs
      in the central Apennines, a few hydrogeochemical anomalies were observed months
      before the onset of the seismic swarm, including a variation of pH values and an
      increase of As, V, and Fe concentrations. Cr concentrations increased immediately
      after the onset of the seismic sequence. On November 2016, these elements
      recovered to their usual low concentrations. We interpret these geochemical
      anomalies as reliable seismic precursors for a dilational tectonic setting.

PMID- 28916777
TI  - The catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase delta inhibits gammaTuRC activity and
      regulates Golgi-derived microtubules.
AB  - gamma-Tubulin ring complexes (gammaTuRCs) initiate microtubule growth and mediate
      microtubule attachment at microtubule-organizing centers, such as centrosomes and
      the Golgi complex. However, the mechanisms that control gammaTuRC-mediated
      microtubule nucleation have remained mostly unknown. Here, we show that the DNA
      polymerase delta catalytic subunit (PolD1) binds directly to gammaTuRCs and
      potently inhibits gammaTuRC-mediated microtubule nucleation. Whereas PolD1
      depletion through RNA interference does not influence centrosome-based
      microtubule growth, the depletion augments microtubule nucleation at the Golgi
      complex. Conversely, PolD1 overexpression inhibits Golgi-based microtubule
      nucleation. Golgi-derived microtubules are required for the assembly and
      maintenance of the proper Golgi structure, and we found that alteration of PolD1
      levels affects Golgi structural organization. Moreover, suppression of PolD1
      expression impairs Golgi reassembly after nocodazole-induced disassembly and
      causes defects in Golgi reorientation and directional cell migration.
      Collectively, these results reveal a mechanism that controls noncentrosomal
      gammaTuRC activity and regulates the organization of Golgi-derived
      microtubules.Microtubule organization requires gamma-tubulin ring complexes
      (gammaTuRCs), but the mechanisms that control gammaTuRC-mediated microtubule
      nucleation are unclear. Here the authors show that the DNA polymerase delta
      catalytic subunit controls noncentrosomal gammaTuRC activity and regulates the
      organization of Golgi-derived microtubules.

PMID- 28916779
TI  - Statistical Modeling of the Default Mode Brain Network Reveals a Segregated
      Highway Structure.
AB  - We investigate the functional organization of the Default Mode Network (DMN) - an
      important subnetwork within the brain associated with a wide range of higher
      order cognitive functions. While past work has shown the whole-brain network of
      functional connectivity follows small-world organizational principles, subnetwork
      structure is less well understood. Current statistical tools, however, are not
      suited to quantifying the operating characteristics of functional networks as
      they often require threshold censoring of information and do not allow for
      inferential testing of the role that local processes play in determining network
      structure. Here, we develop the correlation Generalized Exponential Random Graph
      Model (cGERGM) - a statistical network model that uses local processes to capture
      the emergent structural properties of correlation networks without loss of
      information. Examining the DMN with the cGERGM, we show that, rather than
      demonstrating small-world properties, the DMN appears to be organized according
      to principles of a segregated highway - suggesting it is optimized for function
      specific coordination between brain regions as opposed to information integration
      across the DMN. We further validate our findings through assessing the power and
      accuracy of the cGERGM on a testbed of simulated networks representing various
      commonly observed brain architectures.

PMID- 28916780
TI  - Preserved immune functionality and high CMV-specific T-cell responses in HIV
      infected individuals with poor CD4+ T-cell immune recovery.
AB  - Poor CD4+ T-cell recovery after cART has been associated with skewed T-cell
      maturation, inflammation and immunosenescence; however, T-cell functionality in
      those individuals has not been fully characterized. In the present study, we
      assessed T-cell function by assessing cytokine production after polyclonal, CMV
      and HIV stimulations of T-cells from ART-suppressed HIV-infected individuals with
      CD4+ T-cell counts >350 cells/MUL (immunoconcordants) or <350 cells/MUL
      (immunodiscordants). A group of HIV-uninfected individuals were also included as
      controls. Since CMV co-infection significantly affected T-cell maturation and
      polyfunctionality, only CMV+ individuals were analyzed. Despite their reduced and
      skewed CD4+ T-cell compartment, immunodiscordant individuals showed preserved
      polyclonal and HIV-specific responses. However, CMV response in immunodiscordant
      participants was significantly different from immunoconcordant or HIV
      seronegative individuals. In immunodiscordant subjects, the magnitude of IFN
      gamma+ CD8+ and IL-2+ CD4+ T-cells in response to CMV was higher and differently
      associated with the CD4+ T-cell maturation profile., showing an increased
      frequency of naive, central memory and EMRA CMV-specific CD4+ T-cells. In
      conclusion, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell polyfunctionality was not reduced in
      immunodiscordant individuals, although heightened CMV-specific immune responses,
      likely related to subclinical CMV reactivations, may be contributing to the
      skewed T-cell maturation and the higher risk of clinical progression observed in
      those individuals.

PMID- 28916781
TI  - 6-bromo-indirubin-3'-oxime (6BIO), a Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta inhibitor,
      activates cytoprotective cellular modules and suppresses cellular senescence
      mediated biomolecular damage in human fibroblasts.
AB  - As genetic interventions or extended caloric restriction cannot be applied in
      humans, many studies have been devoted to the identification of natural products
      that can prolong healthspan. 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (6BIO), a hemi-synthetic
      derivative of indirubins found in edible mollusks and plants, is a potent
      inhibitor of Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (Gsk-3beta). This pleiotropic kinase
      has been implicated in various age-related diseases including tumorigenesis,
      neurodegeneration and diabetes. Accordingly, 6BIO has shown anti-tumor and anti
      neurodegenerative activities; nevertheless, the potential role of 6BIO in normal
      human cells senescence remains largely unknown. We report herein that treatment
      of human diploid skin fibroblasts with 6BIO reduced the oxidative load, conferred
      protection against oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage, and it also promoted the
      activation of antioxidant and proteostatic modules; these effects were largely
      phenocopied by genetic inhibition of Gsk-3. Furthermore, prolonged treatment of
      cells with 6BIO, although it decreased the rate of cell cycling, it significantly
      suppressed cellular senescence-related accumulation of biomolecular damage. Taken
      together, our presented findings suggest that 6BIO is a novel activator of
      antioxidant responses and of the proteostasis network in normal human cells;
      moreover, and given the low levels of biomolecules damage in 6BIO treated
      senescing cells, this compound likely exerts anti-tumor properties.

PMID- 28916782
TI  - Predicting clinical outcomes from large scale cancer genomic profiles with deep
      survival models.
AB  - Translating the vast data generated by genomic platforms into accurate
      predictions of clinical outcomes is a fundamental challenge in genomic medicine.
      Many prediction methods face limitations in learning from the high-dimensional
      profiles generated by these platforms, and rely on experts to hand-select a small
      number of features for training prediction models. In this paper, we demonstrate
      how deep learning and Bayesian optimization methods that have been remarkably
      successful in general high-dimensional prediction tasks can be adapted to the
      problem of predicting cancer outcomes. We perform an extensive comparison of
      Bayesian optimized deep survival models and other state of the art machine
      learning methods for survival analysis, and describe a framework for interpreting
      deep survival models using a risk backpropagation technique. Finally, we
      illustrate that deep survival models can successfully transfer information across
      diseases to improve prognostic accuracy. We provide an open-source software
      implementation of this framework called SurvivalNet that enables automatic
      training, evaluation and interpretation of deep survival models.

PMID- 28916783
TI  - Differential regulation of vaginal lipocalins (OBP, MUP) during the estrous cycle
      of the house mouse.
AB  - Female house mice produce pheromone-carrying major urinary proteins (MUPs) in a
      cycling manner, thus reaching the maximum urinary production just before
      ovulation. This is thought to occur to advertise the time of ovulation via
      deposited urine marks. This study aimed to characterize the protein content from
      the house mouse vaginal flushes to detect putative vaginal-advertising molecules
      for a direct identification of reproductive states. Here we show that the mouse
      vaginal discharge contains lipocalins including those from the odorant binding
      (OBP) and major urinary (MUP) protein families. OBPs were highly expressed but
      only slightly varied throughout the cycle, whilst several MUPs were
      differentially abundant. MUP20 or 'darcin', was thought to be expressed only by
      males. However, in females it was significantly up-regulated during estrus
      similarly as the recently duplicated central/group-B MUPs (sMUP17 and highly
      expressed sMUP9), which in the mouse urine are male biased. MUPs rise between
      proestrus and estrus, remain steady throughout metestrus, and are co-expressed
      with antimicrobial proteins. Thus, we suggest that MUPs and potentially also OBPs
      are important components of female vaginal advertising of the house mouse.

PMID- 28916784
TI  - P-body proteins regulate transcriptional rewiring to promote DNA replication
      stress resistance.
AB  - mRNA-processing (P-) bodies are cytoplasmic granules that form in eukaryotic
      cells in response to numerous stresses to serve as sites of degradation and
      storage of mRNAs. Functional P-bodies are critical for the DNA replication stress
      response in yeast, yet the repertoire of P-body targets and the mechanisms by
      which P-bodies promote replication stress resistance are unknown. In this study
      we identify the complete complement of mRNA targets of P-bodies during
      replication stress induced by hydroxyurea treatment. The key P-body protein Lsm1
      controls the abundance of HHT1, ACF4, ARL3, TMA16, RRS1 and YOX1 mRNAs to prevent
      their toxic accumulation during replication stress. Accumulation of YOX1 mRNA
      causes aberrant downregulation of a network of genes critical for DNA replication
      stress resistance and leads to toxic acetaldehyde accumulation. Our data reveal
      the scope and the targets of regulation by P-body proteins during the DNA
      replication stress response.P-bodies form in response to stress and act as sites
      of mRNA storage and degradation. Here the authors identify the mRNA targets of P
      bodies during DNA replication stress, and show that P-body proteins act to
      prevent toxic accumulation of these target transcripts.

PMID- 28916786
TI  - Early maternal mirroring predicts infant motor system activation during facial
      expression observation.
AB  - Processing facial expressions is an essential component of social interaction,
      especially for preverbal infants. In human adults and monkeys, this process
      involves the motor system, with a neural matching mechanism believed to couple
      self- and other-generated facial gestures. Here, we used electroencephalography
      to demonstrate recruitment of the human motor system during observation and
      execution of facial expressions in nine-month-old infants, implicating this
      system in facial expression processing from a very young age. Notably,
      examination of early video-recorded mother-infant interactions supported the
      common, but as yet untested, hypothesis that maternal mirroring of infant facial
      gestures is central to the development of a neural matching mechanism for these
      gestures. Specifically, the extent to which mothers mirrored infant facial
      expressions at two months postpartum predicted infant motor system activity
      during observation of the same expressions at nine months. This suggests that
      maternal mirroring strengthens mappings between visual and motor representations
      of facial gestures, which increases infant neural sensitivity to particularly
      relevant cues in the early social environment.

PMID- 28916787
TI  - Late Permian wood-borings reveal an intricate network of ecological
      relationships.
AB  - Beetles are the most diverse group of macroscopic organisms since the mid
      Mesozoic. Much of beetle speciosity is attributable to myriad life habits,
      particularly diverse-feeding strategies involving interactions with plant
      substrates, such as wood. However, the life habits and early evolution of wood
      boring beetles remain shrouded in mystery from a limited fossil record. Here we
      report new material from the upper Permian (Changhsingian Stage, ca. 254-252
      million-years ago) of China documenting a microcosm of ecological associations
      involving a polyphagan wood-borer consuming cambial and wood tissues of the
      conifer Ningxiaites specialis. This earliest evidence for a component community
      of several trophically interacting taxa is frozen in time by exceptional
      preservation. The combination of an entry tunnel through bark, a cambium mother
      gallery, and up to 11 eggs placed in lateral niches-from which emerge multi
      instar larval tunnels that consume cambium, wood and bark-is ecologically
      convergent with Early Cretaceous bark-beetle borings 120 million-years
      later.Numerous gaps remain in our knowledge of how groups of organisms interacted
      in ancient ecosystems. Here, Feng and colleagues describe a late Permian fossil
      wood-boring beetle microcosm, with the oldest known example of complex tunnel
      geometry, host tissue response, and the presence of fungi within.

PMID- 28916785
TI  - Selective degradation of PU.1 during autophagy represses the differentiation and
      antitumour activity of TH9 cells.
AB  - Autophagy, a catabolic mechanism that involves degradation of cellular
      components, is essential for cell homeostasis. Although autophagy favours the
      lineage stability of regulatory T cells, the contribution of autophagy to the
      differentiation of effector CD4 T cells remains unclear. Here we show that
      autophagy selectively represses T helper 9 (TH9) cell differentiation. CD4 T
      cells lacking Atg3 or Atg5 have increased interleukin-9 (IL-9) expression upon
      differentiation into TH9 cells relative to Atg3- or Atg5-expressing control
      cells. In addition, the TH9 cell transcription factor, PU.1, undergoes K63
      ubiquitination and degradation through p62-dependent selective autophagy.
      Finally, the blockade of autophagy enhances TH9 cell anticancer functions in
      vivo, and mice with T cell-specific deletion of Atg5 have reduced tumour
      outgrowth in an IL-9-dependent manner. Overall, our findings reveal an unexpected
      function of autophagy in the modulation of TH9 cell differentiation and
      antitumour activity, and prompt potential autophagy-dependent modulations of TH9
      activity for cancer immunotherapy.Autophagy is a cellular process for recycling
      cell constituents, and is essential for T cell activation, but its function in T
      cell polarization is still unclear. Here the authors show that autophagy induces
      the degradation of transcription factor PU.1 to negatively modulate TH9
      homeostasis and antitumour immunity.

PMID- 28916788
TI  - A V0 core neuronal circuit for inspiration.
AB  - Breathing in mammals relies on permanent rhythmic and bilaterally synchronized
      contractions of inspiratory pump muscles. These motor drives emerge from
      interactions between critical sets of brainstem neurons whose origins and
      synaptic ordered organization remain obscure. Here, we show, using a virus-based
      transsynaptic tracing strategy from the diaphragm muscle in the mouse, that the
      principal inspiratory premotor neurons share V0 identity with, and are connected
      by, neurons of the preBotzinger complex that paces inspiration. Deleting the
      commissural projections of V0s results in left-right desynchronized inspiratory
      motor commands in reduced brain preparations and breathing at birth. This work
      reveals the existence of a core inspiratory circuit in which V0 to V0 synapses
      enabling function of the rhythm generator also direct its output to secure
      bilaterally coordinated contractions of inspiratory effector muscles required for
      efficient breathing.The developmental origin and functional organization of the
      brainstem breathing circuits are poorly understood. Here using virus-based
      circuit-mapping approaches in mice, the authors reveal the lineage,
      neurotransmitter phenotype, and connectivity patterns of phrenic premotor
      neurons, which are a crucial component of the inspiratory circuit.

PMID- 28916789
TI  - Whole body and hematopoietic ADAM8 deficiency does not influence advanced
      atherosclerotic lesion development, despite its association with human plaque
      progression.
AB  - Although A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase 8 (ADAM8) is not crucial for tissue
      development and homeostasis, it has been implicated in various inflammatory
      diseases by regulating processes like immune cell recruitment and activation.
      ADAM8 expression has been associated with human atherosclerosis development and
      myocardial infarction, however a causal role of ADAM8 in atherosclerosis has not
      been investigated thus far. In this study, we examined the expression of ADAM8 in
      early and progressed human atherosclerotic lesions, in which ADAM8 was
      significantly upregulated in vulnerable lesions. In addition, ADAM8 expression
      was most prominent in the shoulder region of human atherosclerotic lesions,
      characterized by the abundance of foam cells. In mice, Adam8 was highly expressed
      in circulating neutrophils and in macrophages. Moreover, ADAM8 deficient mouse
      macrophages displayed reduced secretion of inflammatory mediators. Remarkably,
      however, neither hematopoietic nor whole-body ADAM8 deficiency in mice affected
      atherosclerotic lesion size. Additionally, except for an increase in granulocyte
      content in plaques of ADAM8 deficient mice, lesion morphology was unaffected.
      Taken together, whole body and hematopoietic ADAM8 does not contribute to
      advanced atherosclerotic plaque development, at least in female mice, although
      its expression might still be valuable as a diagnostic/prognostic biomarker to
      distinguish between stable and unstable lesions.

PMID- 28916790
TI  - Association between HOMA-IR and Lung Function in Korean Young Adults based on the
      Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome, including obesity and insulin resistance, has been reported
      to lower lung function in elderly subjects with asthma or chronic obstructive
      lung disease. This study aimed to find the association between lung function and
      insulin resistance in Korean young adults. This study used data from the Korean
      National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2013, which is a
      representative sample of the Korean population. A total of 1,922 young adults
      aged 19 to 40 were included in the analysis. The association between lung
      function test and insulin resistance was evaluated. Weighted logistic regression
      analyses showed a significant negative correlation of insulin resistance with
      FVC% predicted (correlation coefficient gamma = -0.130, P < 0.0001), FEV1%
      predicted (gamma = -0.074, P = 0.004) and FEV1/FVC ratio (gamma = -0.059, P =
      0.019) in young adults, especially in subjects without asthma (gamma for FVC%
      predicted, FEV1% predicted and FEV1/FVC ratio = -0.138, -0.092, and -0.061,
      respectively). This study demonstrates an inverse correlation between insulin
      resistance and lung function in Korean young adults. Young adults with
      preclinical insulin resistance have a higher risk of impaired lung function.

PMID- 28916792
TI  - SmartFlares fail to reflect their target transcripts levels.
AB  - SmartFlare probes have recently emerged as a promising tool for visualisation and
      quantification of specific RNAs in living cells. They are supposed to overcome
      the common drawbacks of current methods for RNA analysis: the need of cell
      fixation or lysis, or the requirements for genetic manipulations. In contrast to
      the traditional methods, SmartFlare probes are also presumed to provide
      information on RNA levels in single cells. Disappointingly, the results of our
      comprehensive study involving probes specific to five different transcripts,
      HMOX1, IL6, PTGS2, Nrg1, and ERBB4, deny the usefulness of SmartFlare probes for
      RNA analysis. We report a total lack of correlation between fluorescence
      intensities of SmartFlare probes and the levels of corresponding RNAs assessed by
      RT-qPCR. To ensure strong differences in the levels of analysed RNAs, their
      expression was modified via: (i) HMOX1-knockdown generated by CRISPR-Cas9 genome
      editing, (ii) hemin-mediated stimulation of HMOX1- and IL1beta-mediated
      stimulation of IL6- and PTGS2 transcription, (iii) lentiviral vector-mediated
      Nrg1 overexpression. Additionally, ERBB4-specific SmartFlare probe failed to
      distinguish between ERBB4-expressing and non-expressing cell lines. Finally, we
      demonstrated that fluorescence intensity of HMOX1-specific SmartFlare probe
      corresponds to the efficacy of its uptake and/or accumulation.

PMID- 28916791
TI  - Genomic structure and evolution of the mating type locus in the green seaweed
      Ulva partita.
AB  - The evolution of sex chromosomes and mating loci in organisms with UV systems of
      sex/mating type determination in haploid phases via genes on UV chromosomes is
      not well understood. We report the structure of the mating type (MT) locus and
      its evolutionary history in the green seaweed Ulva partita, which is a
      multicellular organism with an isomorphic haploid-diploid life cycle and mating
      type determination in the haploid phase. Comprehensive comparison of a total of
      12.0 and 16.6 Gb of genomic next-generation sequencing data for mt- and mt+
      strains identified highly rearranged MT loci of 1.0 and 1.5 Mb in size and
      containing 46 and 67 genes, respectively, including 23 gametologs. Molecular
      evolutionary analyses suggested that the MT loci diverged over a prolonged period
      in the individual mating types after their establishment in an ancestor. A gene
      encoding an RWP-RK domain-containing protein was found in the mt- MT locus but
      was not an ortholog of the chlorophycean mating type determination gene MID.
      Taken together, our results suggest that the genomic structure and its
      evolutionary history in the U. partita MT locus are similar to those on other UV
      chromosomes and that the MT locus genes are quite different from those of
      Chlorophyceae.

PMID- 28916793
TI  - Oligodendroglial excitability mediated by glutamatergic inputs and Nav1.2
      activation.
AB  - Oligodendrocyte (OL) maturation and axon-glial communication are required for
      proper myelination in the developing brain. However, physiological properties of
      OLs remain largely uncharacterized in different brain regions. The roles of
      oligodendroglial voltage-activated Na+ channels (Nav) and electrical excitability
      in relation to maturation to the myelinating stage are controversial, although
      oligodendroglial excitability is potentially important for promoting axon
      myelination. Here we show spiking properties of OLs and their role in axon-glial
      communication in the auditory brainstem. A subpopulation of pre-myelinating OLs
      (pre-OLs) can generate Nav1.2-driven action potentials throughout postnatal
      development to early adulthood. In addition, excitable pre-OLs receive
      glutamatergic inputs from neighboring neurons that trigger pre-OL spikes.
      Knockdown of Nav1.2 channels in pre-OLs alters their morphology, reduces axon-OL
      interactions and impairs myelination. Our results suggest that Nav1.2-driven
      spiking of pre-OLs is an integral component of axon-glial communication and is
      required for the function and maturation of OLs to promote myelination.Axon-glial
      communication is important for myelination. Here the authors show that during
      postnatal development in rats, a subpopulation of pre-myelinating
      oligodendrocytes in the auditory brainstem receive excitatory inputs and can
      generate Nav 1.2-driven action potentials, and that such process promotes
      myelination.

PMID- 28916794
TI  - Association among obesity, overweight and autism spectrum disorder: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Obesity, overweight and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain serious public
      health problems. Although lots of studies have recently explored the association
      among obesity, overweight and ASD, the findings are inconsistent. Thus, we
      conducted a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies to examine the association
      among obesity, overweight and ASD. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were
      used for literature searches to identify eligible studies published in English
      before November 15, 2016. Relevant studies estimating the association among
      obesity, overweight and ASD were included. Fifteen studies encompassing
      49,937,078 participants and 1,045,538 individuals with ASD were included in this
      study. A random effects model was chosen to synthesize the effect sizes of
      individual studies. The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in
      individuals with ASD than in controls (OR = 1.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      1.37-2.48, P < 0.001). However, the prevalence of overweight in individuals with
      ASD was not significantly different from that in controls (OR = 1.07, 95% CI:
      0.83-1.38, P = 0.62). Both sensitivity analysis and publication bias testing
      revealed that the findings were robust. The meta-analysis showed a significant
      association between obesity and ASD. However, no significant association was
      identified between overweight and ASD.

PMID- 28916795
TI  - Effect of pressure on normal and superconducting state properties of iron based
      superconductor PrFeAsO0.6F y (y = 0.12, 0.14).
AB  - The effect of high pressure (up to 8 GPa) on normal and superconducting state
      properties of PrFeAsO0.6F0.12, an 1111-type iron based superconductor close to
      optimal doped region, has been investigated by measuring the temperature
      dependence of resistivity. Initially, the superconducting transition temperature
      (T c ) is observed to increase slowly by about 1 K as pressure (P) increases from
      0 to 1.3 GPa. With further increase in pressure above 1.3 GPa, T c decreases at
      the rate of ~1.5 K/GPa. The normal-state resistivity decreases monotonically up
      to 8 GPa. We have also measured the pressure dependence of magnetization (M) on
      the same piece of PrFeAsO0.6F0.12 sample up to 1.1 GPa and observed T c as well
      as the size of the Meissner signal to increase with pressure in this low-pressure
      region. In contrast, for an over-doped PrFeAsO0.6F0.14 sample, magnetization
      measurements up to 1.06 GPa show that both T c and the Meissner signal decrease
      with pressure. The present study clearly reveals two distinct regions in the dome
      shaped (T c -P) phase diagram of PrFeAsO0.6F0.12.

PMID- 28916796
TI  - Low temperature plasma promoting fibroblast proliferation by activating the NF
      kappaB pathway and increasing cyclinD1 expression.
AB  - The potential applications of low temperature plasma (LTP) in wound healing have
      aroused the concern of many researchers. In this study, an argon atmospheric
      pressure plasma jet was applied to generate LTP for treatment of murine
      fibroblast cell (L929) cultured in vitro to investigate the effect of NF-kappaB
      pathway on fibroblast proliferation. The results showed that, compared with the
      control, L929 cells treated with plasma for less than 20 s had significant
      increases of proliferation; the productions of intracellular ROS, O2- and NO
      increased with prolongation of LTP treatment time; NF-kappaB pathway was
      activated by LTP in a proper dose range, and the expression of cyclinD1 in LTP
      treated cells increased with the same trend as cell proliferation. After RNA
      interference to block p65 expression, with the same treatment time, RNAi-treated
      cells proliferated more slowly and expressed less cyclinD1 than normal cells.
      Furthermore, pretreatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) markedly prevented the
      plasma-induced changes in cells. In conclusion, the proliferation of L929 cells
      induced by LTP was closely related to NF-kappaB signaling pathway, which might be
      activated by appropriate level of intracellular ROS. These novel findings can
      provide some theoretical reference of LTP inducing cell proliferation and
      promoting wound healing.

PMID- 28916797
TI  - Synthesis of enhanced phosphonic functional groups mesoporous silica for uranium
      selective adsorption from aqueous solutions.
AB  - Enhanced phosphonic functional group (PFG)-based mesoporous silicas (MSs) were
      synthesized by hydrothermal method for uranium [U(VI)] selective adsorption from
      aqueous solutions. Considering that PFGs are directly related to U(VI)
      adsorption, the main idea of this research was to synthesize enhanced PFG-MSs and
      consequently enhance U(VI) adsorption. We synthesized two kinds of MSs based on
      acetic and phosphoric acids at weakly acidic pH, which allows high-loading
      phosphonic functionality. The main sodium and phosphonic functionality sources
      were sodium metasilicate and diethylphosphatoethyltriethoxysilane (DPTS).
      Adsorption experiment results exhibit enhanced U(VI) adsorption capacity from
      55.75 mg/g to 207.6 mg/g for acetic and phosphoric acids, respectively. This
      finding was due to the enhancement of PFGs by phosphoric acids. The highest
      adsorption selectivity was 79.82% for U(VI) among the six different elements,
      including Pb, As, Cu, Mo, Ni, and K. Structural characterization of the samples
      was performed by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron
      microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller
      analysis methods. Element concentrations were measured by inductively coupled
      plasma optical emission spectrometry. Several parameters affecting adsorption
      capacity, including pH, contact time, initial U(VI) concentration and solution
      volume, and adsorbent concentration, were also investigated.

PMID- 28916798
TI  - Green Perovskite Distributed Feedback Lasers.
AB  - A visible perovskite distributed feedback laser is fabricated for the first time.
      Through the use of nanocrystal pinning, highly luminescent methylammonium lead
      bromide films are used to produce stable lasers emitting at 550 nm, with a low
      threshold of 6 uJcm-2. The lasers were able to support multiple polarisations,
      and could be switched between transverse magnetic and transverse electric mode
      operation through simple tuning of the distributed feedback grating period.

PMID- 28916799
TI  - Exploring the excited state behavior for 2-(phenyl)imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine in
      methanol solvent.
AB  - In this present work, we theoretically investigate the excited state mechanism
      for the 2-(phenyl)imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine (PIP-C) molecule combined with methanol
      (MeOH) solvent molecules. Three MeOH molecules should be connected with PIP-C
      forming stable PIP-C-MeOH complex in the S0 state. Upon the photo-excitation, the
      hydrogen bonded wires are strengthened in the S1 state. Particularly the
      deprotonation process of PIP-C facilitates the excited state intermolecular
      proton transfer (ESIPT) process. In our work, we do verify that the ESIPT
      reaction should occur due to the low potential energy barrier 8.785 kcal/mol in
      the S1 state. While the intersection of potential energy curves of S0 and S1
      states result in the nonradiation transition from S1 to S0 state, which
      successfully explain why the emission peak of the proton-transfer PIP-C-MeOH-PT
      form could not be reported in previous experiment. As a whole, this work not only
      put forward a new excited state mechanism for PIP-C system, but also compensates
      for the defects about mechanism in previous experiment.

PMID- 28916800
TI  - Alternative splicing complexity contributes to genetic improvement of drought
      resistance in the rice maintainer HuHan2B.
AB  - Water-saving and drought-resistantce rice (WDR) breeding practices have greatly
      increased grain yield and drought resistance. To study the genetic basis of
      adaptation to drought, transcriptome sequences from the WDR maintainer line
      HuHan2B and the recurrent parent HanFengB were analyzed for alternative splicing
      (AS) complexity. Intron retention, the dominant AS type, accounted for 42% of the
      observed AS events. Differential expression analysis revealed transcripts were
      preferentially expressed in different varieties and conditions. Based on gene
      ontology predictions, the biological functions of drought-induced transcripts
      were significantly enriched in genes involved in transcription regulation,
      chloroplast components and response to abiotic stimulus in HuHan2B, whereas
      developmental processes for reproduction were primarily enriched in HanFengB. The
      regulatory network of transcription factors was driven by cohorts of transcript
      splicing targets, resulting in more diversified regulatory relationships due to
      AS complexity than in our previous findings. Moreover, several genes were
      validated to accumulate novel splicing transcripts in a drought-induced manner.
      Together, these results suggest that HuHan2B and HanFengB share similar AS
      features but that a subset of genes with increased levels of AS involved in
      transcription regulatory networks may contribute an additional level of control
      for genetic improvement of drought resistance in rice maintainer HuHan2B through
      breeding.

PMID- 28916801
TI  - Taming active turbulence with patterned soft interfaces.
AB  - Active matter embraces systems that self-organize at different length and time
      scales, often exhibiting turbulent flows apparently deprived of spatiotemporal
      coherence. Here, we use a layer of a tubulin-based active gel to demonstrate that
      the geometry of active flows is determined by a single length scale, which we
      reveal in the exponential distribution of vortex sizes of active turbulence. Our
      experiments demonstrate that the same length scale reemerges as a cutoff for a
      scale-free power law distribution of swirling laminar flows when the material
      evolves in contact with a lattice of circular domains. The observed prevalence of
      this active length scale can be understood by considering the role of the
      topological defects that form during the spontaneous folding of microtubule
      bundles. These results demonstrate an unexpected strategy for active systems to
      adapt to external stimuli, and provide with a handle to probe the existence of
      intrinsic length and time scales.Active nematics consist of self-driven
      components that develop orientational order and turbulent flow. Here Guillamat et
      al. investigate an active nematic constrained in a quasi-2D geometrical setup and
      show that there exists an intrinsic length scale that determines the geometry in
      all forcing regimes.

PMID- 28916802
TI  - Local Juvenile Hormone activity regulates gut homeostasis and tumor growth in
      adult Drosophila.
AB  - Hormones play essential roles during development and maintaining homeostasis in
      adult organisms, regulating a plethora of biological processes. Generally,
      hormones are secreted by glands and perform a systemic action. Here we show that
      Juvenile Hormones (JHs), insect sesquiterpenoids synthesized by the corpora
      allata, are also synthesized by the adult Drosophila gut. This local, gut
      specific JH activity, is synthesized by and acts on the intestinal stem cell and
      enteroblast populations, regulating their survival and cellular growth through
      the JH receptors Gce/Met and the coactivator Tai. Furthermore, we show that this
      local JH activity is important for damage response and is necessary for
      intestinal tumor growth driven by activating mutations in Wnt and EGFR/Ras
      pathways. Together, our results identify JHs as key hormonal regulators of gut
      homeostasis and open the possibility that analogous hormones may play a similar
      role in maintaining vertebrate adult intestinal stem cell population and
      sustaining tumor growth.

PMID- 28916804
TI  - Mapping the Atomistic Structure of Graded Core/Shell Colloidal Nanocrystals.
AB  - Engineering the compositional gradient for core/shell semiconductor nanocrystals
      improves their optical properties. To date, however, the structure of graded
      core/shell nanocrystal emitters has only been qualitatively described. In this
      paper, we demonstrate an approach to quantify nanocrystal structure, selecting
      graded Ag-In-Se/ZnSe core/shell nanocrystals as a proof-of-concept material. A
      combination of multi-energy small-angle X-ray scattering and electron microscopy
      techniques enables us to establish the radial distribution of ZnSe with sub
      nanometer resolution. Using ab initio shape-retrieval analysis of X-ray
      scattering spectra, we further determine the average shape of nanocrystals. These
      results allow us to generate three-dimensional, atomistic reconstructions of
      graded core/shell nanocrystals. We use these reconstructions to calculate solid
      state Zn diffusion in the Ag-In-Se nanocrystals and the lattice mismatch between
      nanocrystal monolayers. Finally, we apply these findings to propose design rules
      for optimal shell structure and record-luminescent core/shell nanocrystals.

PMID- 28916805
TI  - An HDAC3-PROX1 corepressor module acts on HNF4alpha to control hepatic
      triglycerides.
AB  - The histone deacetylase HDAC3 is a critical mediator of hepatic lipid metabolism,
      and liver-specific deletion of HDAC3 leads to fatty liver. To elucidate the
      underlying mechanism, here we report a method of cross-linking followed by mass
      spectrometry to define a high-confidence HDAC3 interactome in vivo that includes
      the canonical NCoR-HDAC3 complex as well as Prospero-related homeobox 1 protein
      (PROX1). HDAC3 and PROX1 co-localize extensively on the mouse liver genome, and
      are co-recruited by hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha). The HDAC3-PROX1
      module controls the expression of a gene program regulating lipid homeostasis,
      and hepatic-specific ablation of either component increases triglyceride content
      in liver. These findings underscore the importance of specific combinations of
      transcription factors and coregulators in the fine tuning of organismal
      metabolism.HDAC3 is a critical mediator of hepatic lipid metabolism and its loss
      leads to fatty liver. Here, the authors characterize the liver HDAC3 interactome
      in vivo, provide evidence that HDAC3 interacts with PROX1, and show that HDAC3
      and PROX1 control expression of genes regulating lipid homeostasis.

PMID- 28916806
TI  - Rewiring of neuronal networks during synaptic silencing.
AB  - Analyzing the connectivity of neuronal networks, based on functional brain
      imaging data, has yielded new insight into brain circuitry, bringing functional
      and effective networks into the focus of interest for understanding complex
      neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the analysis of network changes,
      based on the activity of individual neurons, is hindered by the lack of suitable
      meaningful and reproducible methodologies. Here, we used calcium imaging,
      statistical spike time analysis and a powerful classification model to
      reconstruct effective networks of primary rat hippocampal neurons in vitro. This
      method enables the calculation of network parameters, such as propagation
      probability, path length, and clustering behavior through the measurement of
      synaptic activity at the single-cell level, thus providing a fuller understanding
      of how changes at single synapses translate to an entire population of neurons.
      We demonstrate that our methodology can detect the known effects of drug-induced
      neuronal inactivity and can be used to investigate the extensive rewiring
      processes affecting population-wide connectivity patterns after periods of
      induced neuronal inactivity.

PMID- 28916807
TI  - Envelope glycoprotein mobility on HIV-1 particles depends on the virus maturation
      state.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus t ype 1 (H IV-1) assembles as immature particles,
      which require the proteolytic cleavage of structural polyprotein Gag and the
      clustering of envelope glycoprotein Env for infectivity. The details of
      mechanisms underlying Env clustering remain unknown. Here, we determine molecular
      dynamics of Env on the surface of individual HIV-1 particles using scanning
      fluorescence correlation spectroscopy on a super-resolution STED microscope. We
      find that Env undergoes a maturation-induced increase in mobility, highlighting
      diffusion as one cause for Env clustering. This mobility increase is dependent on
      Gag-interacting Env tail but not on changes in viral envelope lipid order.
      Diffusion of Env and other envelope incorporated proteins in mature HIV-1 is two
      orders of magnitude slower than in the plasma membrane, indicating that HIV-1
      envelope is intrinsically a low mobility environment, mainly due to its general
      high lipid order. Our results provide insights into dynamic properties of
      proteins on the surface of individual virus particles.To become infectious, HIV-1
      particles undergo a maturation process involving the clustering of envelope
      glycoprotein Env. Here, Chojnacki et al. employ super-resolution STED-FCS
      microscopy to study dynamics of Env molecules on HIV-1 particles and show that
      Env undergoes a maturation-induced increase in mobility.

PMID- 28916808
TI  - The effects of domestication and ontogeny on cognition in dogs and wolves.
AB  - Cognition is one of the most flexible tools enabling adaptation to environmental
      variation. Living close to humans is thought to influence social as well as
      physical cognition of animals throughout domestication and ontogeny. Here, we
      investigated to what extent physical cognition and two domains of social
      cognition of dogs have been affected by domestication and ontogeny. To address
      the effects of domestication, we compared captive wolves (n = 12) and dogs (n =
      14) living in packs under the same conditions. To explore developmental effects,
      we compared these dogs to pet dogs (n = 12) living in human families. The animals
      were faced with a series of object-choice tasks, in which their response to
      communicative, behavioural and causal cues was tested. We observed that wolves
      outperformed dogs in their ability to follow causal cues, suggesting that
      domestication altered specific skills relating to this domain, whereas
      developmental effects had surprisingly no influence. All three groups performed
      similarly in the communicative and behavioural conditions, suggesting higher
      ontogenetic flexibility in the two social domains. These differences across
      cognitive domains need to be further investigated, by comparing domestic and non
      domesticated animals living in varying conditions.

PMID- 28916809
TI  - Thermoelectricity in vertical graphene-C60-graphene architectures.
AB  - Recent studies of single-molecule thermoelectricity have identified families of
      high-performance molecules. However, in order to translate this discovery into
      practical thin-film energy-harvesting devices, there is a need for an
      understanding of the fundamental issues arising when such junctions are placed in
      parallel. This is relevant because controlled scalability might be used to boost
      electrical and thermoelectric performance over the current single-junction
      paradigm. As a first step in this direction, we investigate here the properties
      of two C60 molecules placed in parallel and sandwiched between top and bottom
      graphene electrodes. In contrast with classical conductors, we find that
      increasing the number of parallel junctions from one to two can cause the
      electrical conductance to increase by more than a factor of 2. Furthermore, we
      show that the Seebeck coefficient is sensitive to the number of parallel
      molecules sandwiched between the electrodes, whereas classically it should be
      unchanged. This non-classical behaviour of the electrical conductance and Seebeck
      coefficient are due to inter-junction quantum interference, mediated by the
      electrodes, which leads to an enhanced response in these vertical molecular
      devices.

PMID- 28916810
TI  - Horizontal extent of the urban heat dome flow.
AB  - Urban heat dome flow, which is also referred to as urban heat island circulation,
      is important for urban ventilation and pollutant transport between adjacent
      cities when the background wind is weak or absent. A "dome-shaped" profile can
      form at the upper boundary of the urban heat island circulation. The horizontal
      extent of the heat dome is an important parameter for estimating the size of the
      area it influences. This study reviews the existing data on the horizontal extent
      of the urban heat dome flow, as determined by using either field measurements or
      numerical simulations. A simple energy balance model is applied to obtain the
      maximum horizontal extent of a single heat dome over the urban area, which is
      found to be approximately 1.5 to 3.5 times the diameter of the city's urban area
      at night. A linearized model is also re-analysed to calculate the horizontal
      extent of the urban heat dome flow. This analysis supports the results from the
      energy balance model. During daytime, the horizontal extent of the urban heat
      dome flow is found to be about 2.0 to 3.3 times the urban area's diameter, as
      influenced by the convective turbulent plumes in the rural area.

PMID- 28916811
TI  - An ENU-induced splice site mutation of mouse Col1a1 causing recessive
      osteogenesis imperfecta and revealing a novel splicing rescue.
AB  - GU-AG consensus sequences are used for intron recognition in the majority of
      cases of pre-mRNA splicing in eukaryotes. Mutations at splice junctions often
      cause exon skipping, short deletions, or insertions in the mature mRNA,
      underlying one common molecular mechanism of genetic diseases. Using N-ethyl-N
      nitrosourea, a novel recessive mutation named seal was produced, associated with
      fragile bones and susceptibility to fractures (spine and limbs). A single
      nucleotide transversion (T -> A) at the second position of intron 36 of the
      Col1a1 gene, encoding the type I collagen, alpha1 chain, was responsible for the
      phenotype. Col1a1 seal mRNA expression occurred at greatly reduced levels
      compared to the wild-type transcript, resulting in reduced and aberrant collagen
      fibers in tibiae of seal homozygous mice. Unexpectedly, splicing of Col1a1 seal
      mRNA followed the normal pattern despite the presence of the donor splice site
      mutation, likely due to the action of a putative intronic splicing enhancer
      present in intron 25, which appeared to function redundantly with the splice
      donor site of intron 36. Seal mice represent a model of human osteogenesis
      imperfecta, and reveal a previously unknown mechanism for splicing "rescue."

PMID- 28916812
TI  - Size-dependent electrical transport properties in Co nanocluster-assembled
      granular films.
AB  - A series of Co nanocluster-assembled films with cluster sizes ranging from 4.5 nm
      to 14.7 nm were prepared by the plasma-gas-condensation method. The size
      dependent electrical transport properties were systematically investigated. Both
      of the longitudinal resistivity ([Formula: see text]) and saturated anomalous
      Hall resistivity ([Formula: see text]) continuously increased with the decrease
      of the cluster sizes (d). The [Formula: see text] firstly increased and then
      decreased with increasing the temperature for all samples, which could be well
      described by involving the thermally fluctuation-induced tunneling (FIT) process
      and scattering. The tunneling effect was verified to result in the invalidation
      of classical anomalous Hall effect (AHE) scaling relation. After deducting the
      contribution from tunneling effect to [Formula: see text], the AHE scaling
      relation between [Formula: see text] and the scattering resistivity ([Formula:
      see text]) by varying the temperature was reconstructed. The value of scaling
      exponent gamma increased with increasing Co cluster sizes. The size dependence of
      gamma might be qualitatively interpreted by the interface and surface-induced
      spin flip scattering. We also determined the scaling relation between [Formula:
      see text] and [Formula: see text] at 5 K by changing the Co cluster sizes, and a
      large value of gamma = 3.6 was obtained which might be ascribed to the surface
      and interfacial scattering.

PMID- 28916814
TI  - Expression of brown-midrib in a spontaneous sorghum mutant is linked to a 5'-UTR
      deletion in lignin biosynthesis gene SbCAD2.
AB  - Brown midrib (bmr) mutants in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and several
      other C4 grasses are associated with reduced lignin concentration, altered lignin
      composition and improved cell wall digestibility, which are desirable properties
      in biomass development for the emerging lignocellulosic biofuel industry.
      Studying bmr mutants has considerably expanded our understanding of the molecular
      basis underlying lignin biosynthesis and perturbation in grasses. In this study,
      we performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, identified and cloned a
      novel cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase allele (SbCAD2) that has an 8-bp deletion in
      its 5'-untranslated region (UTR), conferring the spontaneous brown midrib trait
      and lignin reduction in the sorghum germplasm line PI 595743. Complementation
      test and gene expression analysis revealed that this non-coding region alteration
      is associated with the significantly reduced expression of the SbCAD2 in PI
      595743 throughout its growth stages. Moreover, a promoter-GUS fusion study with
      transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants found that SbCAD2 promoter is functionally
      conserved, driving a specific expression pattern in lignifying vascular tissues.
      Taken together, our results revealed the genetic basis of bmr occurrence in this
      spontaneous sorghum mutant and suggested the regulatory region of the SbCAD2 can
      be a target site for optimizing lignin modification in sorghum and other
      bioenergy crops.

PMID- 28916813
TI  - Genome sequencing reveals metabolic and cellular interdependence in an amoeba
      kinetoplastid symbiosis.
AB  - Endosymbiotic relationships between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are common
      in nature. Endosymbioses between two eukaryotes are also known; cyanobacterium
      derived plastids have spread horizontally when one eukaryote assimilated another.
      A unique instance of a non-photosynthetic, eukaryotic endosymbiont involves
      members of the genus Paramoeba, amoebozoans that infect marine animals such as
      farmed fish and sea urchins. Paramoeba species harbor endosymbionts belonging to
      the Kinetoplastea, a diverse group of flagellate protists including some that
      cause devastating diseases. To elucidate the nature of this eukaryote-eukaryote
      association, we sequenced the genomes and transcriptomes of Paramoeba
      pemaquidensis and its endosymbiont Perkinsela sp. The endosymbiont nuclear genome
      is ~9.5 Mbp in size, the smallest of a kinetoplastid thus far discovered. Genomic
      analyses show that Perkinsela sp. has lost the ability to make a flagellum but
      retains hallmark features of kinetoplastid biology, including polycistronic
      transcription, trans-splicing, and a glycosome-like organelle. Mosaic biochemical
      pathways suggest extensive 'cross-talk' between the two organisms, and electron
      microscopy shows that the endosymbiont ingests amoeba cytoplasm, a novel form of
      endosymbiont-host communication. Our data reveal the cell biological and
      biochemical basis of the obligate relationship between Perkinsela sp. and its
      amoeba host, and provide a foundation for understanding pathogenicity
      determinants in economically important Paramoeba.

PMID- 28916815
TI  - Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumour cell and tumour
      infiltrating lymphocytes of HER2-positive breast cancer and its prognostic value.
AB  - Immunotherapy targeting PD-1/PD-L1 axis showed benefits in cancer. Prognostic
      significance of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has been determined. We
      evaluated PD-L1 protein expression in tumour cells and TILs, PD-L1 mRNA level and
      various histopathologic factors including TILs using 167 formalin-fixed paraffin
      embedded tissues and 39 fresh tissue of HER2-positive breast cancer. TILs level
      and PD-L1 expression in tumour cells and TILs were significantly correlated one
      another. PD-L1 positivity in tumour cells was associated with high histologic
      grade and high TILs level (p < 0.001, both). High PD-L1 immunoscore in TILs and
      high total immunoscore (in tumour cells and TILs) of PD-L1 were correlated with
      high histologic grade (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), absence of
      lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.012 and p = 0.007, respectively), negative hormone
      receptor expression (p = 0.044 and p = 0.001, respectively) and high TILs level
      (p < 0.001, both). High PD-L1 mRNA expression was associated with high TILs level
      (p < 0.001, both). PD-L1 positivity in tumour cells was associated with better
      disease-free survival in HR-/HER2+ breast cancer (p = 0.039). PD-L1 expression in
      tumour cells and TILs are significantly associated with TILs level in HER2
      positive breast cancer. PD-L1 expression in tumour cells might be positive
      prognostic factor in HR-/HER2+ breast cancers.

PMID- 28916816
TI  - Striking diflubenzuron resistance in Culex pipiens, the prime vector of West Nile
      Virus.
AB  - Culex pipiens mosquitoes cause severe nuisance and transmit human diseases
      including West Nile. Vector control by insecticides is the main tool to prevent
      these diseases and diflubenzuron is one of the most effective mosquito larvicides
      used in many places. Here, high levels of resistance were identified in Cx.
      pipiens from Italy, with a Resistance Ratio of 128 fold. The phenotype was
      associated with mutations at amino acid I1043 (I1043M and I1043L) of the Chitin
      synthase gene, which showed significantly higher frequency in bioassay survivors.
      Both mutations have been introduced in the Drosophila melanogaster chitin
      synthase gene using the genome editing method CRISPR/Cas9 and validated to confer
      significant levels of resistance, although at different levels. The I->M mutation
      results in a Resistance Ratio >2,900 fold and the I->L mutation >20 fold. Two PCR
      based diagnostics were developed for monitoring of the resistant mutations in
      field populations. The findings are of major concern for public health given the
      importance of diflubenzuron in mosquito control in many places, the intensity of
      the resistance phenotype and the limited availability of alternative larvicides.

PMID- 28916817
TI  - Micro and nano hierachical structures of BiOI/activated carbon for efficient
      visible-light-photocatalytic reactions.
AB  - Constructing the heterojunctions or designing the novel nanostructures are
      thought as effective methods to improve photocatalytic activities of
      semiconductors. Herein, a one-step green route was developed to fabricate bismuth
      oxyiodide/activated carbon (BiOI/C) composite. The prepared BiOI/C exhibit
      obviously red shifts and increased absorption range of visible light. The
      presence of Bi-C bonds confirms the heterojunction, on account of which the BiOI
      nanosheets tightly grew on the surface of carbon and subsequently provided the
      hierarchical structure, sufficient interfacial interaction and high specific
      surface area. Significantly, the sufficient interracial interaction is beneficial
      to the detachment of electrons (e-)-holes (h+) pairs and the Bi-C bonds work like
      a bridge to rapidly transmit the e- from BiOI to carbon. What's more, the
      hierarchical structure of BiOI/C efficiently shortened the diffusion pathways of
      pollutants and the high SBET provided more exposed reaction sites. Benefiting
      from multiple synergistic effects, the as-prepared BiOI/C exhibited enhanced
      photocatalytic activities in degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) solution under visible
      light irradiation. The degradation rate of optimized BiOI/C reaches up to 95% in
      120 min, and the efficiency is 3.36 times higher than pure BiOI. This study
      provides a promising strategy that activated carbon can be utilized in highly
      efficiency photocatalysts.

PMID- 28916818
TI  - Identification of 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one as a specific allosteric inhibitor
      of Akt.
AB  - Akt plays a major role in tumorigenesis and the development of specific Akt
      inhibitors as effective cancer therapeutics has been challenging. Here, we report
      the identification of a highly specific allosteric inhibitor of Akt through a
      FRET-based high-throughput screening, and characterization of its inhibitory
      mechanism. Out of 373,868 compounds screened, 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one
      specifically decreased Akt phosphorylation at both T308 and S473, and inhibited
      Akt kinase activity (IC50 = 6 uM) and downstream signaling. 4-Phenylquinolin
      2(1H)-one did not alter the activity of upstream kinases including PI3K, PDK1,
      and mTORC2 as well as closely related kinases that affect cell proliferation and
      survival such as SGK1, PKA, PKC, or ERK1/2. This compound inhibited the
      proliferation of cancer cells but displayed less toxicity compared to inhibitors
      of PI3K or mTOR. Kinase profiling efforts revealed that 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)
      one does not bind to the kinase active site of over 380 human kinases including
      Akt. However, 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one interacted with the PH domain of Akt,
      apparently inducing a conformation that hinders S473 and T308 phosphorylation by
      mTORC2 and PDK1. In conclusion, we demonstrate that 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one is
      an exquisitely selective Akt inhibitor with a distinctive molecular mechanism,
      and a promising lead compound for further optimization toward the development of
      novel cancer therapeutics.

PMID- 28916819
TI  - Continuous Beam Steering Through Broadside Using Asymmetrically Modulated Goubau
      Line Leaky-Wave Antennas.
AB  - Goubau line is a single-conductor transmission line, featuring easy integration
      and low-loss transmission properties. Here, we propose a periodic leaky-wave
      antenna (LWA) based on planar Goubau transmission line on a thin dielectric
      substrate. The leaky-wave radiations are generated by introducing periodic
      modulations along the Goubau line. In this way, the surface wave, which is slow
      wave mode supported by the Goubau line, achieves an additional momentum and hence
      enters the fast-wave region for radiations. By employing the periodic
      modulations, the proposed Goubau line LWAs are able to continuously steer the
      main beam from backward to forward within the operational frequency range.
      However, the LWAs usually suffer from a low radiation efficiency at the broadside
      direction. To overcome this drawback, we explore both transversally and
      longitudinally asymmetrical modulations to the Goubau line. Theoretical analysis,
      numerical simulations and experimental results are given in comparison with the
      symmetrical LWAs. It is demonstrated that the asymmetrical modulations
      significantly improve the radiation efficiency of LWAs at the broadside.
      Furthermore, the measurement results agree well with the numerical ones, which
      experimentally validates the proposed LWA structures. These novel Goubau line
      LWAs, experimentally demonstrated and validated at microwave frequencies, show
      also great potential for millimeter-wave and terahertz systems.

PMID- 28916820
TI  - Accumulation of minor alleles and risk prediction in schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a common neuropsychiatric disorder with a lifetime risk of 1%.
      Accumulation of common polygenic variations has been found to be an important
      risk factor. Recent studies showed a role for the enrichment of minor alleles
      (MAs) of SNPs in complex diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Here we similarly
      studied the role of genome wide MAs in schizophrenia using public datasets.
      Relative to matched controls, schizophrenia cases showed higher average values in
      minor allele content (MAC) or the average amount of MAs per subject. By risk
      prediction analysis based on weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) of MAs, we
      identified an optimal MA set consisting of 23 238 variants that could be used to
      predict 3.14% of schizophrenia cases, which is comparable to using 22q11 deletion
      to detect schizophrenia cases. Pathway enrichment analysis of these SNPs
      identified 30 pathways with false discovery rate (FDR) <0.02 and of significant P
      value, most of which are known to be linked with schizophrenia and other
      neurological disorders. These results suggest that MAs accumulation may be a risk
      factor to schizophrenia and provide a method to genetically screen for this
      disease.

PMID- 28916821
TI  - Reduced basal forebrain atrophy progression in a randomized Donepezil trial in
      prodromal Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are approved drugs currently used for the
      treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Basal forebrain cholinergic
      system (BFCS) atrophy is reported to precede both entorhinal cortex atrophy and
      memory impairment in AD, challenging the traditional model of the temporal
      sequence of topographical pathology associated with AD. We studied the effect of
      one-year Donepezil treatment on the rate of BFCS atrophy in prodromal AD patients
      using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Donepezil (10
      mg/day). Reduced annual BFCS rates of atrophy were found in the Donepezil group
      compared to the Placebo treated arm. Secondary analyses on BFCS subregions
      demonstrated the largest treatment effects in the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert
      (NbM) and the medial septum/diagonal band (Ch1/2). Donepezil administered at a
      prodromal stage of AD seems to substantially reduce the rate of atrophy of the
      BFCS nuclei with highest concentration of cholinergic neurons projecting to the
      cortex (NbM), hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (Ch1/2).

PMID- 28916823
TI  - Digging into the low molecular weight peptidome with the OligoNet web server.
AB  - Bioactive peptides play critical roles in regulating many biological processes.
      Recently, natural short peptides biomarkers are drawing significant attention and
      are considered as "hidden treasure" of drug candidates. High resolution and high
      mass accuracy provided by mass spectrometry (MS)-based untargeted metabolomics
      would enable the rapid detection and wide coverage of the low-molecular-weight
      peptidome. However, translating unknown masses (<1 500 Da) into putative peptides
      is often limited due to the lack of automatic data processing tools and to the
      limit of peptide databases. The web server OligoNet responds to this challenge by
      attempting to decompose each individual mass into a combination of amino acids
      out of metabolomics datasets. It provides an additional network-based data
      interpretation named "Peptide degradation network" (PDN), which unravels
      interesting relations between annotated peptides and generates potential
      functional patterns. The ab initio PDN built from yeast metabolic profiling data
      shows a great similarity with well-known metabolic networks, and could aid
      biological interpretation. OligoNet allows also an easy evaluation and
      interpretation of annotated peptides in systems biology, and is freely accessible
      at https://daniellyz200608105.shinyapps.io/OligoNet/ .

PMID- 28916822
TI  - Ampk phosphorylation of Ulk1 is required for targeting of mitochondria to
      lysosomes in exercise-induced mitophagy.
AB  - Mitochondrial health is critical for skeletal muscle function and is improved by
      exercise training through both mitochondrial biogenesis and removal of
      damaged/dysfunctional mitochondria via mitophagy. The mechanisms underlying
      exercise-induced mitophagy have not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that
      acute treadmill running in mice causes mitochondrial oxidative stress at 3-12 h
      and mitophagy at 6 h post-exercise in skeletal muscle. These changes were
      monitored using a novel fluorescent reporter gene, pMitoTimer, that allows
      assessment of mitochondrial oxidative stress and mitophagy in vivo, and were
      preceded by increased phosphorylation of AMP activated protein kinase (Ampk) at
      tyrosine 172 and of unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (Ulk1) at serine
      555. Using mice expressing dominant negative and constitutively active Ampk in
      skeletal muscle, we demonstrate that Ulk1 activation is dependent on Ampk.
      Furthermore, exercise-induced metabolic adaptation requires Ulk1. These findings
      provide direct evidence of exercise-induced mitophagy and demonstrate the
      importance of Ampk-Ulk1 signaling in skeletal muscle.Exercise is associated with
      biogenesis and removal of dysfunctional mitochondria. Here the authors use a
      mitochondrial reporter gene to demonstrate the occurrence of mitophagy following
      exercise in mice, and show this is dependent on AMPK and ULK1 signaling.

PMID- 28916824
TI  - Grip force when reaching with target uncertainty provides evidence for motor
      optimization over averaging.
AB  - When presented with competing potential reach targets and required to launch a
      movement before knowing which one will be cued as the target, people initially
      reach in the average target direction. Although this spatial averaging could
      arise from executing a weighted average of motor plans for the potential targets,
      it could also arise from planning a single, optimal movement. To test between
      these alternatives we used a task in which participants were required to reach to
      either a single target or towards two potential targets while grasping an object.
      A robotic device applied a lateral elastic load to the object requiring large
      grip forces for reaches to targets either side of midline and a minimal grip
      force for midline movements. As expected, in trials with two targets located
      either side of midline, participants initially reached straight ahead.
      Critically, on these trials the initial grip force was minimal, appropriate for
      the midline movement, and not the average of the large grip forces required for
      movements to the individual targets. These results indicate that under conditions
      of target uncertainty, people do not execute an average of planned actions but
      rather a single movement that optimizes motor costs.

PMID- 28916825
TI  - De novo transcriptome of the cosmopolitan dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae to
      identify enzymes with biotechnological potential.
AB  - Dinoflagellates are phytoplanktonic organisms found in both freshwater and marine
      habitats. They are often studied because related to harmful algal blooms but they
      are also known to produce bioactive compounds for the treatment of human
      pathologies. The aim of this study was to sequence the full transcriptome of the
      dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae in both nitrogen-starved and -replete
      culturing conditions (1) to evaluate the response to nitrogen starvation at the
      transcriptional level, (2) to look for possible polyketide synthases (PKSs) in
      the studied clone (genes that may be involved in the synthesis of bioactive
      compounds), (3) if present, to evaluate if nutrient starvation can influence PKS
      expression, (4) to look for other possible enzymes of biotechnological interest
      and (5) to test strain cytotoxicity on human cell lines. Results showed an
      increase in nitrogen metabolism and stress response in nitrogen-starved cells and
      confirmed the presence of a type I beta-ketosynthase. In addition, L-asparaginase
      (used for the treatment of Leukemia and for acrylamide reduction in food
      industries) and cellulase (useful for biofuel production and other industrial
      applications) have been identified for the first time in this species, giving new
      insights into possible biotechnological applications of dinoflagellates.

PMID- 28916826
TI  - In Vitro and In Vivo Biocompatibility Evaluation of Polyallylamine and
      Macromolecular Heparin Conjugates Modified Alginate Microbeads.
AB  - Host reactivity to biocompatible immunoisolation devices is a major challenge for
      cellular therapies, and a human screening model would be of great value. We
      designed new types of surface modified barium alginate microspheres, and
      evaluated their inflammatory properties using human whole blood, and the
      intraperitoneal response after three weeks in Wistar rats. Microspheres were
      modified using proprietary polyallylamine (PAV) and coupled with macromolecular
      heparin conjugates (Corline Heparin Conjugate, CHC). The PAV-CHC strategy
      resulted in uniform and stable coatings with increased anti-clot activity and low
      cytotoxicity. In human whole blood, PAV coating at high dose (100 ug/ml) induced
      elevated complement, leukocyte CD11b and inflammatory mediators, and in Wistar
      rats increased fibrotic overgrowth. Coating of high dose PAV with CHC
      significantly reduced these responses. Low dose PAV (10 ug/ml) +/- CHC and
      unmodified alginate microbeads showed low responses. That the human whole blood
      inflammatory reactions paralleled the host response shows a link between
      inflammatory potential and initial fibrotic response. CHC possessed anti
      inflammatory activity, but failed to improve overall biocompatibility. We
      conclude that the human whole blood assay is an efficient first-phase screening
      model for inflammation, and a guiding tool in development of new generation
      microspheres for cell encapsulation therapy.

PMID- 28916827
TI  - Role of RKKY torque on domain wall motion in synthetic antiferromagnetic
      nanowires with opposite spin Hall angles.
AB  - We experimentally show the effect of enhanced spin-orbit and RKKY induced torques
      on the current-induced motion of a pair of domain walls (DWs), which are coupled
      antiferromagnetically in synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) nanowires. The torque
      from the spin Hall effect (SHE) rotates the Neel DWs pair into the transverse
      direction, which is due to the fact that heavy metals of opposite spin Hall
      angles are deposited at the top and the bottom ferromagnetic interfaces. The
      rotation of both DWs in non-collinear fashion largely perturbs the
      antiferromagnetic coupling, which in turn stimulates an enhanced interlayer RKKY
      exchange torque that improved the DW velocity. The interplay between the SHE
      induced torque and the RKKY exchange torque is validated via micromagnetic
      simulations. In addition, the DW velocity can be further improved by increasing
      the RKKY exchange strength.

PMID- 28916828
TI  - Invasive Andropogon gayanus (Gamba grass) alters litter decomposition and
      nitrogen fluxes in an Australian tropical savanna.
AB  - The African grass Andropogon gayanus Kunth. is invading Australian savannas,
      altering their ecological and biogeochemical function. To assess impacts on
      nitrogen (N) cycling, we quantified litter decomposition and N dynamics of grass
      litter in native grass and A. gayanus invaded savanna using destructive in situ
      grass litter harvests and litterbag incubations (soil surface and aerial
      position). Only 30% of the A. gayanus in situ litter decomposed, compared to 61%
      of the native grass litter, due to the former being largely comprised of highly
      resistant A. gayanus stem. In contrast to the stem, A. gayanus leaf decomposition
      was approximately 3- and 2-times higher than the dominant native grass,
      Alloteropsis semilata at the surface and aerial position, respectively. Lower
      initial lignin concentrations, and higher consumption by termites, accounted for
      the greater surface decomposition rate of A. gayanus. N flux estimates suggest
      the N release of A. gayanus litter is insufficient to compensate for increased N
      uptake and N loss via fire in invaded plots. Annually burnt invaded savanna may
      lose up to 8.2% of the upper soil N pool over a decade. Without additional inputs
      via biological N fixation, A. gayanus invasion is likely to diminish the N
      capital of Australia's frequently burnt savannas.

PMID- 28916829
TI  - Tricritical wings and modulated magnetic phases in LaCrGe3 under pressure.
AB  - Experimental and theoretical investigations on itinerant ferromagnetic systems
      under pressure have shown that ferromagnetic quantum criticality is avoided
      either by a change of the transition order, becoming of the first order at a
      tricritical point, or by the appearance of modulated magnetic phases. In the
      first case, the application of a magnetic field reveals a wing-structure phase
      diagram as seen in itinerant ferromagnets such as ZrZn2 and UGe2. In the second
      case, no tricritical wings have been observed so far. Here, we report on the
      discovery of wing-structure as well as the appearance of modulated magnetic
      phases in the temperature-pressure-magnetic field phase diagram of LaCrGe3. Our
      investigation of LaCrGe3 reveals a double-wing structure indicating strong
      similarities with ZrZn2 and UGe2. But, unlike these simpler systems, LaCrGe3 also
      shows modulated magnetic phases similar to CeRuPO. This finding provides an
      example of an additional possibility for the phase diagram of metallic quantum
      ferromagnets.The study of phase transitions in quantum ferromagnets has shown
      that the approach to a continuous quantum ferromagnetic transition is typically
      interrupted by either a tricritical point or a new magnetic phase. Here the
      authors show that LaCrGe3 exhibits both these features in its phase diagram.

PMID- 28916830
TI  - The effects of different enrofloxacin dosages on clinical efficacy and resistance
      development in chickens experimentally infected with Salmonella Typhimurium.
AB  - To investigate the optimal dosage which can improve clinical efficacy and
      minimize resistance, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics model of enrofloxacin was
      established. Effect of enrofloxacin treatments on clearance of Salmonella in
      experimentally infected chickens and simultaneously resistance selection in
      Salmonella and coliforms were evaluated in three treatment groups (100, PK/PD
      designed dosage of 4, 0.1 mg/kg b.w.) and a control group. Treatment duration was
      three rounds of 7-day treatment alternated with 7-day withdrawal. Results showed
      that 100 mg/kg b.w. of enrofloxacin completely eradicated Salmonella, but
      resistant coliforms (4.0-60.8%) were selected from the end of the second round's
      withdrawal period till the end of the experiment (days 28-42). PK/PD based dosage
      (4 mg/kg b.w.) effectively reduced Salmonella for the first treatment duration.
      However upon cessation of medication, Salmonella repopulated chickens and
      persisted till the end with reduced susceptibility (MICCIP = 0.03-0.25 mg/L). Low
      frequency (5-9.5%) of resistant coliforms was selected (days 39-42). Enrofloxacin
      at dosage of 0.1 mg/kg b.w. was not able to eliminate Salmonella and selected
      coliforms with slight decreased susceptibility (MICENR = 0.25 mg/L). In
      conclusion, short time treatment (7 days) of enrofloxacin at high dosage (100
      mg/kg b.w.) could be effective in treating Salmonella infection while minimizing
      resistance selection in both Salmonella and coliforms.

PMID- 28916831
TI  - The melanocortin signaling cAMP axis accelerates repair and reduces mutagenesis
      of platinum-induced DNA damage.
AB  - Using primary melanocytes and HEK293 cells, we found that cAMP signaling
      accelerates repair of bi- and mono-functional platinum-induced DNA damage.
      Elevating cAMP signaling either by the agonistic MC1R ligand melanocyte
      stimulating hormone (MSH) or by pharmacologic cAMP induction by forskolin
      enhanced clearance of intrastrand cisplatin-adducts in melanocytes or MC1R
      transfected HEK293 cells. MC1R antagonists human beta-defensin 3 and agouti
      signaling protein blocked MSH- but not forskolin-mediated enhancement of platinum
      induced DNA damage. cAMP-enhanced repair of cisplatin-induced DNA damage was
      dependent on PKA-mediated phosphorylation of ATR on S435 which promoted ATR's
      interaction with the key NER factor xeroderma pigmentosum A (XPA) and facilitated
      recruitment of an XPA-ATR-pS435 complex to sites of cisplatin DNA damage.
      Moreover, we developed an oligonucleotide retrieval immunoprecipitation (ORiP)
      assay using a novel platinated-DNA substrate to establish kinetics of ATR-pS435
      and XPA's associations with cisplatin-damaged DNA. Expression of a non
      phosphorylatable ATR-S435A construct or deletion of A kinase-anchoring protein 12
      (AKAP12) impeded platinum adduct clearance and prevented cAMP-mediated
      enhancement of ATR and XPA's associations with cisplatin-damaged DNA, indicating
      that ATR phosphorylation at S435 is necessary for cAMP-enhanced repair of
      platinum-induced damage and protection against cisplatin-induced mutagenesis.
      These data implicate cAMP signaling as a critical regulator of genomic stability
      against platinum-induced mutagenesis.

PMID- 28916832
TI  - Design of Multivalent Inhibitors for Preventing Cellular Uptake.
AB  - Cellular entry, the first crucial step of viral infection, can be inhibited by
      molecules adsorbed on the virus surface. However, apart from using stronger
      affinity, little is known about the properties of such inhibitors that could
      increase their effectiveness. Our simulations showed that multivalent inhibitors
      can be designed to be much more efficient than their monovalent counterparts. For
      example, for our particular simulation model, a single multivalent inhibitor
      spanning 5 to 6 binding sites is enough to prevent the uptake compared to the
      required 1/3 of all the receptor binding sites needed to be blocked by monovalent
      inhibitors. Interestingly, multivalent inhibitors are more efficient in
      inhibiting the uptake not only due to their increased affinity but mainly due to
      the co-localization of the inhibited receptor binding sites at the virion's
      surface. Furthermore, we show that Janus-like inhibitors do not induce virus
      aggregation. Our findings may be generalized to other uptake processes including
      bacteria and drug-delivery.

PMID- 28916833
TI  - Inhibition of Wnt/beta-Catenin pathway and Histone acetyltransferase activity by
      Rimonabant: a therapeutic target for colon cancer.
AB  - In a high percentage (>=85%) of both sporadic and familial adenomatous polyposis
      forms of colorectal cancer (CRC), the inactivation of the APC tumor suppressor
      gene initiates tumor formation and modulates the Wnt/beta-Catenin transduction
      pathways involved in the control of cell proliferation, adhesion and metastasis.
      Increasing evidence showed that the endocannabinoids control tumor growth and
      progression, both in vitro and in vivo. We evaluated the effect of Rimonabant, a
      Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CB1) inverse agonist, on the Wnt/beta-Catenin pathway in
      HCT116 and SW48 cell lines carrying the genetic profile of metastatic CRC poorly
      responsive to chemotherapies. In these models, Rimonabant inhibited the Wnt/beta
      Catenin canonical pathway and increased beta-Catenin phosphorylation; in HCT116
      cells, but not in SW48, the compound also triggered the Wnt/beta-Catenin non
      canonical pathway activation through induction of Wnt5A and activation of CaMKII.
      The Rimonabant-induced downregulation of Wnt/beta-Catenin target genes was
      partially ascribable to a direct inhibition of p300/KAT3B histone
      acetyltransferase, a coactivator of beta-Catenin dependent gene regulation.
      Finally, in HCT116 xenografts, Rimonabant significantly reduced tumor growth and
      destabilized the nuclear localization of beta-Catenin. Obtained data heavily
      supported the rationale for the use of cannabinoids in combined therapies for
      metastatic CRC harbouring activating mutations of beta-Catenin.

PMID- 28916834
TI  - Ultrastructural Characterization of the Glomerulopathy in Alport Mice by Helium
      Ion Scanning Microscopy (HIM).
AB  - The glomerulus exercises its filtration barrier function by establishing a
      complex filtration apparatus consisting of podocyte foot processes, glomerular
      basement membrane and endothelial cells. Disruption of any component of the
      glomerular filtration barrier leads to glomerular dysfunction, frequently
      manifested as proteinuria. Ultrastructural studies of the glomerulus by
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and conventional scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) have been routinely used to identify and classify various
      glomerular diseases. Here we report the application of newly developed helium ion
      scanning microscopy (HIM) to examine the glomerulopathy in a Col4a3 mutant/Alport
      syndrome mouse model. Our study revealed unprecedented details of glomerular
      abnormalities in Col4a3 mutants including distorted podocyte cell bodies and
      disorganized primary processes. Strikingly, we observed abundant filamentous
      microprojections arising from podocyte cell bodies and processes, and presence of
      unique bridging processes that connect the primary processes and foot processes
      in Alport mice. Furthermore, we detected an altered glomerular endothelium with
      disrupted sub-endothelial integrity. More importantly, we were able to clearly
      visualize the complex, three-dimensional podocyte and endothelial interface by
      HIM. Our study demonstrates that HIM provides nanometer resolution to uncover and
      rediscover critical ultrastructural characteristics of the glomerulopathy in
      Col4a3 mutant mice.

PMID- 28916836
TI  - Modeling the Deformation of the Elastin Network in the Aortic Valve.
AB  - This paper is concerned with proposing a suitable structurally motivated strain
      energy function, denoted by Weelastin network, for modeling the deformation of
      the elastin network within the aortic valve (AV) tissue. The AV elastin network
      is the main noncollagenous load-bearing component of the valve matrix, and
      therefore, in the context of continuum-based modeling of the AV, the Weelastin
      network strain energy function would essentially serve to model the contribution
      of the "isotropic matrix." To date, such a function has mainly been considered as
      either a generic neo-Hookean term or a general exponential function. In this
      paper, we take advantage of the established structural analogy between the
      network of elastin chains and the freely jointed molecular chain networks to
      customize a structurally motivated Weelastin network function on this basis. The
      ensuing stress-strain (force-stretch) relationships are thus derived and fitted
      to the experimental data points reported by (Vesely, 1998, "The Role of Elastin
      in Aortic Valve Mechanics," J. Biomech., 31, pp. 115-123) for intact AV elastin
      network specimens under uniaxial tension. The fitting results are then compared
      with those of the neo-Hookean and the general exponential models, as the
      frequently used models in the literature, as well as the "Arruda-Boyce" model as
      the gold standard of the network chain models. It is shown that our proposed
      Weelastin network function, together with the general exponential and the Arruda
      Boyce models provide excellent fits to the data, with R2 values in excess of
      0.98, while the neo-Hookean function is entirely inadequate for modeling the AV
      elastin network. However, the general exponential function may not be amenable to
      rigorous interpretation, as there is no structural meaning attached to the model.
      It is also shown that the parameters estimated by the Arruda-Boyce model are not
      mathematically and structurally valid, despite providing very good fits. We thus
      conclude that our proposed strain energy function Weelastin network is the
      preferred choice for modeling the behavior of the AV elastin network and thereby
      the isotropic matrix. This function may therefore be superimposed onto that of
      the anisotropic collagen fibers family in order to develop a structurally
      motivated continuum-based model for the AV.

PMID- 28916835
TI  - Plasmon-Coupled Whispering Gallery Modes on Nanodisk Arrays for Signal
      Enhancements.
AB  - Metallic nanostructures including single and double nanodisks are successfully
      used to enhance the localized electric field in vicinity of microcavity in
      whispering gallery mode (WGM) sensor. We demonstrate numerical calculations of
      plasmonic coupling of WGMs to single and double nanodisk arrays on a planar
      substrate. We then experimentally confirmed that the resonance wavelength of WGM
      sensor was dramatically shifted by adoption of single and double nanodisks on the
      surface of microcavity in the WGM sensor. Thus, our approach provides the tunable
      sensitivity of WGM sensor, and has a great potential to be used in numerous areas
      where the single biomolecule, protein-protein folding and biomolecular
      interactions are involved.

PMID- 28916837
TI  - Primary and Secondary Consequences of Rotator Cuff Injury on Joint Stabilizing
      Tissues in the Shoulder.
AB  - Rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are one of the primary causes of shoulder pain and
      dysfunction in the upper extremity accounting over 4.5 million physician visits
      per year with 250,000 rotator cuff repairs being performed annually in the U.S.
      While the tear is often considered an injury to a specific tendon/tendons and
      consequently treated as such, there are secondary effects of RCTs that may have
      significant consequences for shoulder function. Specifically, RCTs have been
      shown to affect the joint cartilage, bone, the ligaments, as well as the
      remaining intact tendons of the shoulder joint. Injuries associated with the
      upper extremities account for the largest percent of workplace injuries.
      Unfortunately, the variable success rate related to RCTs motivates the need for a
      better understanding of the biomechanical consequences associated with the
      shoulder injuries. Understanding the timing of the injury and the secondary
      anatomic consequences that are likely to have occurred are also of great
      importance in treatment planning because the approach to the treatment algorithm
      is influenced by the functional and anatomic state of the rotator cuff and the
      shoulder complex in general. In this review, we summarized the contribution of
      RCTs to joint stability in terms of both primary (injured tendon) and secondary
      (remaining tissues) consequences including anatomic changes in the tissues
      surrounding the affected tendon/tendons. The mechanical basis of normal shoulder
      joint function depends on the balance between active muscle forces and passive
      stabilization from the joint surfaces, capsular ligaments, and labrum. Evaluating
      the role of all tissues working together as a system for maintaining joint
      stability during function is important to understand the effects of RCT,
      specifically in the working population, and may provide insight into root causes
      of shoulder injury.

PMID- 28916838
TI  - Functionally Distinct Tendons From Elastin Haploinsufficient Mice Exhibit Mild
      Stiffening and Tendon-Specific Structural Alteration.
AB  - Elastic fibers are present in low quantities in tendon, where they are located
      both within fascicles near tenocytes and more broadly in the interfascicular
      matrix (IFM). While elastic fibers have long been known to be significant in the
      mechanics of elastin-rich tissue (i.e., vasculature, skin, lungs), recent studies
      have suggested a mechanical role for elastic fibers in tendons that is dependent
      on specific tendon function. However, the exact contribution of elastin to
      properties of different types of tendons (e.g., positional, energy-storing)
      remains unknown. Therefore, this study purposed to evaluate the role of elastin
      in the mechanical properties and collagen alignment of functionally distinct
      supraspinatus tendons (SSTs) and Achilles tendons (ATs) from elastin
      haploinsufficient (HET) and wild type (WT) mice. Despite the significant decrease
      in elastin in HET tendons, a slight increase in linear stiffness of both tendons
      was the only significant mechanical effect of elastin haploinsufficiency.
      Additionally, there were significant changes in collagen nanostructure and subtle
      alteration to collagen alignment in the AT but not the SST. Hence, elastin may
      play only a minor role in tendon mechanical properties. Alternatively, larger
      changes to tendon mechanics may have been mitigated by developmental compensation
      of HET tendons and/or the role of elastic fibers may be less prominent in smaller
      mouse tendons compared to the larger bovine and human tendons evaluated in
      previous studies. Further research will be necessary to fully elucidate the
      influence of various elastic fiber components on structure-function relationships
      in functionally distinct tendons.

PMID- 28916839
TI  - Mathematical Model for Tissue-Level Hypoxic Response in Microfluidic Environment.
AB  - Availability of essential species like oxygen is critical in shaping the dynamics
      of tumor growth. When the intracellular oxygen level falls below normal, it
      initiates major cascades in cellular dynamics leading to tumor cell survival. In
      a cellular block with cells growing away from the blood vessel, the scenario can
      be aggravated for the cells further inside the block. In this study, the dynamics
      of intracellular species inside a colony of tumor cells are investigated by
      varying the cell-block thickness and cell types in a microfluidic cell culture
      device. The oxygen transport across the cell block is modeled through diffusion,
      while ascorbate (AS) transport from the extracellular medium is addressed by a
      concentration-dependent uptake model. The extracellular and intracellular
      descriptions were coupled through the consumption and traffic of species from the
      microchannel to the cell block. Our model shows that the onset of hypoxia is
      possible in HeLa cell within minutes depending on the cell location, although the
      nutrient supply inside the channel is maintained in normoxic levels. This
      eventually leads to total oxygen deprivation inside the cell block in the extreme
      case, representing the development of a necrotic core that maintains a dynamic
      balance with growing cells and scarce supply. The numerical model reveals that
      species concentration and hypoxic response are different for HeLa and HelaS3
      cells. Results also indicate that the long-term hypoxic response from a
      microfluidic cellular block stays within 5% of the values of a tissue with the
      basal layer. The hybrid model can be very useful in designing microfluidic
      experiments to satisfactorily predict the tissue-level response in cancer
      research.

PMID- 28916840
TI  - A novel COL1A2 C-propeptide cleavage site mutation causing high bone mass
      osteogenesis imperfecta with a regional distribution pattern.
AB  - Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is typically characterized by low bone mass and
      increased bone fragility caused by heterozygous mutations in the type I
      procollagen genes (COL1A1/COL1A2). We report two cases of a 56-year-old woman and
      her 80-year-old mother who suffered from multiple vertebral and non-vertebral
      fractures with onset in early childhood. A full osteologic assessment including
      dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), high-resolution peripheral quantitative
      computed tomography (HR-pQCT), and serum analyses pointed to a high bone mineral
      density (BMD) in the hip (DXA Z-score + 3.7 and + 3.9) but low to normal bone
      mass in the spine and preserved bone microstructure in the distal tibia. Serum
      markers of bone formation and bone resorption were elevated. Using whole exome
      sequencing, we identified a novel mutation in the COL1A2 gene causing a p.
      (Asp1120Gly) substitution at the protein level and affecting the type I
      procollagen C-propeptide cleavage site. In line with previously reported cases,
      our data independently prove the existence of an unusual phenotype of high bone
      mass OI caused by a mutation in the procollagen C-propeptide cleavage with a
      clinically persistent phenotype through adulthood.

PMID- 28916842
TI  - How interindividual differences in brain anatomy shape reading accuracy.
AB  - The capacity to read develops throughout intensive academic learning and
      training. Several studies have investigated the impact of reading on the brain,
      and particularly how the anatomy of the brain changes with reading acquisition.
      In the present study, we investigated the converse issue, namely whether and how
      reading acquisition is constrained by the anatomy of the brain. Using multimodal
      MRI, we found that (a) the pattern (continuous or interrupted sulcus) of the
      posterior part of the left lateral occipito-temporal sulcus (OTS) hosting the
      visual word form area (VWFA) predicts reading skills in adults; that (b) this
      effect is modulated by the age of reading acquisition; and that (c) the length of
      the OTS sulcal interruption is associated with reading skills. Because the sulcal
      pattern is determined in utero, our findings suggest that individual difference
      in reading skills can be traced back to early stages of brain development in
      addition to the well-established socioeconomic and educational factors.

PMID- 28916841
TI  - Some Liked It Hot: A Hypothesis Regarding Establishment of the Proto
      Mitochondrial Endosymbiont During Eukaryogenesis.
AB  - Eukaryotic cells are characterized by a considerable increase in subcellular
      compartmentalization when compared to prokaryotes. Most evidence suggests that
      the earliest eukaryotes consisted of mitochondria derived from an alpha
      proteobacterial ancestor enclosed within an archaeal host cell. However, what
      benefits the archaeal host and the proto-mitochondrial endosymbiont might have
      obtained at the beginning of this endosymbiotic relationship remains unclear. In
      this work, I argue that heat generated by the proto-mitochondrion initially
      permitted an archaeon living at high temperatures to colonize a cooler
      environment, thereby removing apparent limitations on cellular complexity.
      Furthermore, heat generation by the endosymbiont would have provided phenotypic
      flexibility not available through fixed alleles selected for fitness at specific
      temperatures. Finally, a role for heat production by the proto-mitochondrion
      bridges a conceptual gap between initial endosymbiont entry to the archaeal host
      and a later role for mitochondrial ATP production in permitting increased
      cellular complexity.

PMID- 28916843
TI  - The implicit learning of metrical and non-metrical rhythms in blind and sighted
      adults.
AB  - Forming temporal expectancies plays a crucial role in our survival as it allows
      us to identify the occurrence of temporal deviants that might signal potential
      dangers. The dynamic attending theory suggests that temporal expectancies are
      formed more readily for rhythms that imply a beat (i.e., metrical rhythms)
      compared to those that do not (i.e., nonmetrical rhythms). Moreover, metrical
      frameworks can be used to detect temporal deviants. Although several studies have
      demonstrated that congenital or early blindness correlates with modality-specific
      neural changes that reflect compensatory mechanisms, few have examined whether
      blind individuals show a learning advantage for auditory rhythms and whether
      learning can occur unintentionally and without awareness, that is, implicitly. We
      compared blind to sighted controls in their ability to implicitly learn metrical
      and nonmetrical auditory rhythms. We reasoned that the loss of sight in blindness
      might lead to improved sensitivity to rhythms and predicted that the blind learn
      rhythms more readily than the sighted. We further hypothesized that metrical
      rhythms are learned more readily than nonmetrical rhythms. Results partially
      confirmed our predictions; the blind group learned nonmetrical rhythms more
      readily than the sighted group but the blind group learned metrical rhythms less
      readily than the sighted group. Only the sighted group learned metrical rhythms
      more readily than nonmetrical rhythms. The blind group demonstrated awareness of
      the nonmetrical rhythms while learning was implicit for all other conditions.
      Findings suggest that improved deviant-sensitivity might have provided the blind
      group a learning advantage for nonmetrical rhythms. Future research could explore
      the plastic changes that affect deviance-detection and stimulus-specific
      adaptation in blindness.

PMID- 28916846
TI  - Assessment of the blood supply using the indocyanine green fluorescence method
      and postoperative endoscopic evaluation of anastomosis of the gastric tube during
      esophagectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative anastomotic leakage is a severe complication after
      gastric tube reconstruction during esophagectomy. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the usefulness of postoperative endoscopic assessment of anastomosis and
      its correlation with intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence
      assessment of the gastric tube. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 72
      consecutive patients who underwent gastric tube reconstruction using the ICG
      fluorescence method during esophagectomy. Forty-six patients underwent the ICG
      line-marking method (LMM group; ICG before gastric tube creation). The other 26
      underwent the conventional procedure and comprised the control group (ICG after
      gastric tube creation). Postoperative endoscopic assessment (PEA) of anastomosis
      was performed 7 days after surgery and results were classified as follows: grade
      1 (normal or partial white coat), grade 2 (ulcer comprising less than half the
      circumference), and grade 3 (ulcer comprising more than half the circumference).
      RESULTS: Anastomotic leakage occurred in 7 of 72 patients (9.7%). The incidence
      of anastomotic leakage in the LMM group was tended to be lower than those in the
      control group (6.5% vs. 15.4%; P = 0.244). Of the 40 patients who underwent PEA,
      3 (7.5%) had leakage. PEA grading was significantly associated with anastomotic
      leakage (P < 0.001). Better intraoperative ICG assessment was significantly
      associated with better endoscopic assessment grade (P = 0.041). CONCLUSION:
      Intraoperative ICG assessment of the gastric tube was associated with PEA grading
      on anastomosis during esophagectomy.

PMID- 28916844
TI  - Left-sided breast cancer and risks of secondary lung cancer and ischemic heart
      disease : Effects of modern radiotherapy techniques.
AB  - PURPOSE: Modern breast cancer radiotherapy techniques, such as respiratory-gated
      radiotherapy in deep-inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) or volumetric-modulated arc
      radiotherapy (VMAT) have been shown to reduce the high dose exposure of the heart
      in left-sided breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to comparatively
      estimate the excess relative and absolute risks of radiation-induced secondary
      lung cancer and ischemic heart disease for different modern radiotherapy
      techniques. METHODS: Four different treatment plans were generated for ten
      computed tomography data sets of patients with left-sided breast cancer, using
      either three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) or VMAT, in free
      breathing (FB) or DIBH. Dose-volume histograms were used for organ equivalent
      dose (OED) calculations using linear, linear-exponential, and plateau models for
      the lung. A linear model was applied to estimate the long-term risk of ischemic
      heart disease as motivated by epidemiologic data. Excess relative risk (ERR) and
      10-year excess absolute risk (EAR) for radiation-induced secondary lung cancer
      and ischemic heart disease were estimated for different representative baseline
      risks. RESULTS: The DIBH maneuver resulted in a significant reduction of the ERR
      and estimated 10-year excess absolute risk for major coronary events compared to
      FB in 3D-CRT plans (p = 0.04). In VMAT plans, the mean predicted risk reduction
      through DIBH was less pronounced and not statistically significant (p = 0.44).
      The risk of radiation-induced secondary lung cancer was mainly influenced by the
      radiotherapy technique, with no beneficial effect through DIBH. VMAT plans
      correlated with an increase in 10-year EAR for radiation-induced lung cancer as
      compared to 3D-CRT plans (DIBH p = 0.007; FB p = 0.005, respectively). However,
      the EARs were affected more strongly by nonradiation-associated risk factors,
      such as smoking, as compared to the choice of treatment technique. CONCLUSION:
      The results indicate that 3D-CRT plans in DIBH pose the lowest risk for both
      major coronary events and secondary lung cancer.

PMID- 28916845
TI  - Pharmacological investigations on mast cell stabilizer and histamine receptor
      antagonists in vincristine-induced neuropathic pain.
AB  - The present study was designed to investigate the role of mast cells and mast
      cell-derived histamine in vincristine-induced neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain
      was induced by administration of vincristine (100 MUg/kg, i.p.) over a period of
      10 days, with a break of 2 days, and pain behavioural estimations including pin
      prick, hot plate and acetone spray tests were performed to assess mechanical and
      heat hyperalgesia and cold allodynia, respectively, on days 0, 14 and 28. Mast
      cell stabilizer, sodium cromoglycate, H1 receptor antagonist promethazine and H2
      receptor antagonist ranitidine were administered over a period of 12 days.
      Administration of vincristine resulted in significant development of heat and
      mechanical hyperalgesia as well as cold allodynia. Furthermore, the pain observed
      was markedly elevated on the 28th day in comparison to the 14th day.
      Administration of sodium cromoglycate, promethazine and ranitidine significantly
      reduced mechanical and heat hyperalgesia and cold allodynia. However, the pain
      attenuating effects of ranitidine were significantly less as compared to sodium
      cromoglycate and promethazine, which suggests that H1 receptors play a more
      important role than H2 receptors in vincristine-induced neuropathic pain. It may
      be concluded that vincristine may degranulate mast cells to release inflammatory
      mediators, particularly histamine which may act through H1 (primarily H1) and H2
      receptors to induce neuropathic pain.

PMID- 28916847
TI  - Endoscopic resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors originating from
      the muscularis propria layer in North America: methods and feasibility data.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common
      mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, endoscopic
      procedures such as endoscopic enucleation (EN) and endoscopic full-thickness
      resection (EFTR) have been used to resect GISTs. This study aimed to investigate
      the clinical efficacy, safety, and feasibility of endoscopic resection of GISTs
      in a North American population. METHODS: A total of 25 patients with gastric
      submucosal lesions (SML) underwent endoscopic resection from December 2014 to
      April 2016. Data from cases with histologically proven GISTs originating from the
      muscularis propria layer (MP-GIST) were collected. The main outcome measures were
      complete resection rate, operative time, postoperative complications, length of
      hospital stay, narcotic analgesic requirement, and follow-up outcomes.
      Surveillance was performed with CT abdomen, and/or EGD along with oncology follow
      up at 6- to 24-month intervals. RESULTS: Out of 25 gastric SML, there were 12
      histologically proven MP-GIST. Five endophytic MP-GIST were removed by EN, and
      seven exophytic MP-GIST were removed by EFTR. All lesions were removed en bloc
      except for one hard to localize exophytic lesion which was completely removed
      piecemeal. The mean removal time was 79.7 min (range 17-180 min). Nine out of
      twelve patients required inpatient admission for observation with a mean length
      of stay of 2.08 days (range 1-4 days). No complications were noted and no
      narcotic analgesics were required. Pathology reports showed that one GIST was
      intermediate risk but all others were low-risk lesions. No recurrence has been
      noted thus far. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic removal of MP-GIST by a trained
      endoscopist appears to be safe and feasible in North American population. Further
      studies with greater sample size are necessary to compare endoscopic versus
      surgical resection of MP-GIST. Comparison of outcomes may support wider use of
      endoscopic techniques for GIST removal.

PMID- 28916848
TI  - Interleukin-17 as a predictor of sepsis in polytrauma patients: a prospective
      cohort study.
AB  - Sepsis is one of the most serious complications after major trauma, and may be
      associated with increased mortality. We sought to determine whether there is an
      association between serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) at the time of
      admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and the development of sepsis. We
      evaluated 100 adult patients with major trauma admitted to the surgical ICU over
      a 6-month period. Serum levels of IL-17, IL-6, and TNF-alpha were determined by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The IL-17 rs1974226 genotype was
      determined by real-time PCR. In both non-adjusted and adjusted analyses, IL-17
      was the only biomarker significantly associated with sepsis [median serum IL-17
      of 72 pg/mL in sepsis versus 37 pg/mL in those without sepsis, P = 0.0001;
      adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.2, P = 0.02]. No significant association was found
      among IL-17 rs1974226 genotypes and related serum cytokine levels. These data
      suggest that elevated serum IL-17 may increase the susceptibility for septic
      complications in polytrauma patients and so could be a useful biomarker for
      trauma patient management.

PMID- 28916849
TI  - 1000 Consecutive Cases of Laser-Assisted Liposuction Utilizing the 1440 nm
      Wavelength Nd:YAG Laser: Assessing the Safety and Efficacy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liposuction remains one of the most popular aesthetic surgery
      procedures performed today, and it has undergone continuous refinements over the
      past four decades. Advancements in anesthesia, improvements in instrumentation,
      better understanding of fluid dynamics and the addition of energy to liposuction
      have led to better outcomes with improved safety and efficacy. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of this study is to review 1000 consecutive laser-assisted liposuction
      (LAL) cases utilizing the 1440 nm wavelength. Emphasis was placed on complication
      rates and the need for revision procedures. METHODS: The charts of 611 patients
      who underwent 1000 consecutive LAL operations were reviewed. All cases were
      performed either under general anesthesia or under local with sedation, and the
      cases were performed alone or in conjunction with other procedures. All patients
      went to presurgical testing and had preoperative laboratory and additional
      clearance by a specialist when indicated. Before and after medical photographs
      were obtained of all patients. All operations were done in an accredited office
      based operating room. Demographic information, tumescent volume, aspirate volume,
      surgical time, complications and other data were reviewed. RESULTS: There were
      one minor complication and no major complications such as burns, hospitalizations
      or mortalities. One patient developed a small hematoma, which was likely caused
      by the patient self-aspirating edema fluid during the immediate post-op period.
      The hematoma resolved with non-surgical management. The average laser energy
      applied was 15,756 J with an average total aspirate volume of 1256 cc. Fourteen
      anatomic areas were treated with LAL, and 59 operations were combination cases.
      CONCLUSION: Energy-assisted liposuction using the 1440 nm wavelength has been
      shown in this series to have a very low complication rate when performed alone or
      in combination with other aesthetic operations under local and general
      anesthesia. 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- 28916850
TI  - Expression of membrane-bound dehydrogenases from a mother of vinegar metagenome
      in Gluconobacter oxydans.
AB  - Acetic acid bacteria are well-known for their membrane-bound dehydrogenases
      rapidly oxidizing a variety of substrates in the periplasm. Since many acetic
      acid bacteria have not been successfully cultured in the laboratory yet, studying
      membrane-bound dehydrogenases directly from a metagenome of vinegar microbiota
      seems to be a promising way to identify novel variants of these enzymes. To this
      end, DNA from a mother of vinegar was isolated, sequenced, and screened for
      membrane-bound dehydrogenases using an in silico approach. Six metagenomic
      dehydrogenases were successfully expressed using an expression vector with native
      promoters in the acetic acid bacterium strain Gluconobacter oxydans BP.9, which
      is devoid of its major native membrane-bound dehydrogenases. Determining the
      substrates converted by these enzymes, using a whole-cell DCPIP assay, revealed
      one glucose dehydrogenase with an enlarged substrate spectrum additionally
      oxidizing aldoheptoses, D-ribose and aldotetroses, one polyol dehydrogenase with
      an extreme diminished spectrum but distinguishing cis and trans-1,2
      cyclohexandiol and a completely new secondary alcohol dehydrogenase, which
      oxidizes secondary alcohols with a hydroxyl group at position 2, as long as no
      primary hydroxyl group is present. Three further dehydrogenases were found with
      substrate spectra similar to known dehydrogenases of G. oxydans 621H.

PMID- 28916851
TI  - Commentary: Application of Human Acellular Breast Dermal Matrix (ABDM) in Implant
      Based Breast Reconstruction: An Experimental Study.

PMID- 28916853
TI  - Ironic capture: top-down expectations exacerbate distraction in visual search.
AB  - Ironic processing refers to the phenomenon where attempting to resist doing
      something results in a person doing that very thing. Here, we report three
      experiments investigating the role of ironic processing in visual search. In
      Experiment 1, we informed observers that they could predict the location of a
      salient color singleton in a visual search task and found that response times
      were slower in that condition than in a condition where the singleton's location
      was random. Experiment 2 used the same experimental design but did not inform
      participants of the color singleton's behavior. Experiment 3 showed that the cost
      in the predictable condition was not due to dual task costs or block order
      effects and participants attempting to use the strategy showed a larger cost in
      the predictable condition than those who abandoned using that location
      foreknowledge. In this case, responses in the predictable color singleton
      condition were equivalent with the random color singleton condition. This
      suggests that having more knowledge about an upcoming, salient distractor
      ironically increases its interfering influence on performance.

PMID- 28916854
TI  - [No improved survival with adjuvant chemotherapy in node negative rectal cancer
      after radiochemotherapy].

PMID- 28916852
TI  - Pediatric head trauma: an extensive review on imaging requisites and unique
      imaging findings.
AB  - The effects of trauma in children are different due to association with some
      anatomical and physiological differences compared with adults. The role of
      neuroimaging gains importance in early detection of traumatic brain injuries and
      prevention of secondary post-traumatic complications. Many algorithms are
      described for children with head trauma to decide the necessity of a computed
      tomography scan. The aims of this article are to describe differences of these
      algorithms, the mechanism of traumatic brain injury with radiological imaging
      findings in the pediatric population, and explain complications of undiagnosed
      traumatic brain lesions.

PMID- 28916855
TI  - Green approach for synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles from Andrographis
      paniculata leaf extract and evaluation of their antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and
      anti-inflammatory activities.
AB  - Bio-mediated synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was carried out by
      utilizing the reducing and capping potential of Andrographis paniculata leaf
      extract. The capped ZnO NPs were characterized using UV-Vis, XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM
      and SAED analyses. FTIR analysis suggested the role of phenolic compounds,
      terpenoids, and proteins of A. paniculata leaf extract, in nucleation and
      stability of ZnO NPs. XRD pattern compared with the standard confirmed spectrum
      of zinc oxide particles formed in the present experiments were in the form of
      nanocrystals, as evidenced by the peaks at 2theta values. SEM and TEM analysis of
      ZnO NPs reveals those spherical and hexagonal shapes and the sizes at the range
      of 96-115 and 57 +/- 0.3 nm, respectively. The synthesized nanoparticles possess
      strong biological activities regarding anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti
      inflammatory potentials which could be utilized in various biological
      applications by the cosmetic, food and biomedical industries.

PMID- 28916856
TI  - A faster and simpler way of operation for Meckel's diverticulum: basal ligation
      combined with intraoperative frozen section.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The key step in Meckel's diverticulectomy (MD) is to achieve complete
      resection of MD along with the ectopic epithelium. Currently main treatment
      methods for Meckel's diverticulum are either intestinal resection and anastomosis
      or wedge resection. Here we introduced a new method to treat MD. The goal of this
      study was to investigate the clinical effects and advantages of a new operation
      method for Meckel's diverticulum: basal ligation combined with intraoperative
      frozen section. METHODS: 262 cases of Meckel's diverticulum were resected with
      simple basal ligation operation. Intraoperative frozen pathological section was
      performed to determine surgery strategies. Based on the existence of basal
      residual ectopic mucosa, surgery was either terminated or further wedge
      intestinal resection or bowel resection was performed. RESULTS: All 262 surgeries
      were successfully completed. Additional wedge resection or bowel resection was
      performed in only 23 of them due to the presence of ectopic basal residual
      gastric mucosa. No ectopic mucosa was found for the other cases, and the
      operation ended after basal ligation. All patients had no complications such as
      intestinal fistula, bleeding for 6 months-7.6 years after surgery. CONCLUSIONS:
      Intraoperative frozen pathological examination can well determine whether ectopic
      Meckel's diverticulum mucosa locates at the basal part. Basal ligation is a safe
      and effective operation method, and it can significantly shorten the operation
      time and postoperative fasting time.

PMID- 28916857
TI  - Aesthetic Training for Plastic Surgeons: Are Residents Getting Enough?
AB  - : Plastic Surgery is one of the most competitive specialties in the field of
      medicine. However, this specialty has a unique particularity: the difficulties in
      Aesthetic Surgery training within the residency program. Despite the fact that
      the full title of the specialty is Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery
      and that Aesthetic Surgery is a part of the examination syllabus, the actual
      training in the specific area is limited. One of the solutions to this problem is
      Fellowships. The first author describes his personal experience with Aesthetic
      training and how it enhanced his knowledge in the area as well as the status of
      Fellowships in various training programs. 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- 28916858
TI  - An endoscopic mucosal grading system is predictive of leak in stapled rectal
      anastomoses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leak is a devastating postoperative complication
      following rectal anastomoses associated with significant clinical and oncological
      implications. As a result, there is a need for novel intraoperative methods that
      will help predict anastomotic leak. METHODS: From 2011 to 2014, patient
      undergoing rectal anastomoses by colorectal surgeons at our institution underwent
      prospective application of intraoperative flexible endoscopy with mucosal
      grading. Retrospective review of patient medical records was performed. After
      creation of the colorectal anastomosis, application of a three-tier endoscopic
      mucosal grading system occurred. Grade 1 was defined as circumferentially normal
      appearing peri-anastomotic mucosa. Grade 2 was defined as ischemia or congestion
      involving <30% of either the colon or rectal mucosa. Grade 3 was defined as
      ischemia or congestion involving >30% of the colon or rectal mucosa or
      ischemia/congestion involving both sides of the staple line. RESULTS: From 2011
      to 2014, a total of 106 patients were reviewed. Grade 1 anastomoses were created
      in 92 (86.7%) patients and Grade 2 anastomoses were created in 10 (9.4%)
      patients. All 4 (3.8%) Grade 3 patients underwent immediate intraoperative
      anastomosis takedown and re-creation, with subsequent re-classification as Grade
      1. Demographic and comorbidity data were similar between Grade 1 and Grade 2
      patients. Anastomotic leak rate for the entire cohort was 12.2%. Grade 1 patients
      demonstrated a leak rate of 9.4% (9/96) and Grade 2 patients demonstrated a leak
      rate of 40% (4/10). Multivariate logistic regression associated Grade 2
      classification with an increased risk of anastomotic leak (OR 4.09, 95% CI 1.21
      13.63, P = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic mucosal grading is a feasible
      intraoperative technique that has a role following creation of a rectal
      anastomosis. Identification of a Grade 2 or Grade 3 anastomosis should provoke
      strong consideration for immediate intraoperative revision.

PMID- 28916859
TI  - Near-infrared cholecystocholangiography with direct intragallbladder indocyanine
      green injection: preliminary clinical results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence cholangiography by systemic
      administration of indocyanine green (ICG) enhances the visualization of the
      biliary tree anatomy. However, the simultaneous enhancement of liver parenchyma
      can disturb the visualization of critical details. We herein proposed a new
      technique of NIR cholecystocholangiography by intragallbladder ICG injection to
      increase the safety during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: A total of 46
      patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic lithiasis (n
      = 21) or cholecystitis (n = 25) were enrolled. A fluorescence cholangiography by
      direct gallbladder injection of ICG was performed in all cases. Of them, the ICG
      was injected through a previously placed percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder
      drainage catheter (n = 18) or by intraoperative, percutaneous needle puncture of
      the gallbladder (n = 28). Visualization of biliary structures, including the
      cystic duct (CD), the common bile and hepatic ducts (CBD and CHD), the
      gallbladder neck, and the Hartmann's pouch (HP), was performed using White Light
      (served as control modality) and by NIR enhancement. RESULTS:
      Cholecystocholangiography provided a significantly higher rate of visualization
      of the CD in case of cholecystitis with mild adhesions, and an improved
      visualization of the HP, CBD, and CHD in case of severe inflammation, when
      compared to White Light observation. There were no benefits of NIR in case of non
      inflamed lithiasis. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical translation of NIR
      cholecystocholangiography has been successful with a noise-free visualization of
      biliary anatomy. It can be considered in difficult cases to increase the safety
      of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PMID- 28916861
TI  - Predictors of adherence to enhanced recovery pathway elements after laparoscopic
      colorectal surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Enhanced recovery pathways (ERP) include a bundle of evidence-based
      preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative interventions that together
      reduce morbidity and length of stay after colorectal surgery. Increased adherence
      with the bundle is associated with better postoperative outcomes, but adherence
      is lowest in the postoperative period. Identifying risk factors for lower
      adherence may help design quality improvement strategies. The aim of this study
      was to estimate the extent to which patient, procedural, and organizational
      factors predict adherence to postoperative ERP elements in laparoscopic
      colorectal surgery. METHODS: Patients in an institutional ERP registry undergoing
      elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery between 2012 and 2014 were analyzed. The
      ERP included 10 postoperative ERP elements classified into 2 groups: those
      requiring patient participation (PP, 5 elements, including nutritional intake and
      mobilization) and those provided by the clinical team (CT, 5 elements, including
      removal of catheters and type of analgesia). The impact of baseline and
      intraoperative factors on adherence was estimated using stepwise linear
      regression. RESULTS: A total of 223 patients were included (mean age 60, 48%
      male). Mean adherence was 79% to the PP bundle (range 65-93% for individual
      elements), and 82% for the CT bundle (range 68-98% for individual elements). The
      occurrence of nausea/vomiting in the first 24 h was associated with lower
      adherence to both bundles. In the PP bundle, patients who arrived at the ward
      after 6 p.m. had lower adherence. In the CT bundle, patients who had rectal
      resection had lower adherence while thoracic epidural was associated with higher
      adherence. CONCLUSIONS: With the exception of postoperative nausea and vomiting,
      predictors of adherence to ERP elements after colorectal surgery differed for
      elements requiring patient participation and those provided by the clinical team.
      Strategies to improve ERP adherence should target staff education and engagement
      of patients at risk for lower adherence.

PMID- 28916862
TI  - Monitoring the response of urothelial precancerous lesions to Bacillus Calmette
      Guerin at the proteome level in an in vivo rat model.
AB  - Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the best treatment modality for
      progression of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. We aimed to monitor changes at
      the proteome level to identify putative protein biomarkers associated with the
      response of urothelial precancerous lesions to intravesical BCG treatment. The
      rats were divided into three groups (n = 10/group): control, non-treated, and BCG
      treated groups. The non-treated and BCG-treated groups received N-methyl-N
      nitrosourea intravesically. BCG Tice-strain was instilled into bladder in BCG
      treated group. At the endpoint of experiment, all surviving rat bladders were
      collected and equally divided into two portions vertically from dome to neck.
      Half of each bladder was assessed immunohistopathologically and the other half
      was used for 2D-based comparative proteomic analysis. Differentially expressed
      proteins were validated by Western blot analysis. Precancerous lesions of bladder
      cancer were more common in non-treated group (77.8%) than in BCG-treated group
      (50%) and the control group (0%). Greater than twofold changes occurred in the
      expression of a number of proteins. Among them, Rab-GDIbeta, aldehyde
      dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and 14-3-3 zeta/delta were important since they were
      previously reported to be associated with cancer and their expression levels were
      found to be lower in BCG-treated group in comparison to the non-treated group.
      ALDH2 and 14-3-3 zeta/delta were also found to be highly expressed in the non
      treated group compared to the control group. The down-regulation of these
      proteins and Rab-GDIbeta was achieved with BCG; this result indicates that they
      may be used as putative biomarkers for monitoring changes in bladder
      carcinogenesis in response to BCG immunotherapy.

PMID- 28916860
TI  - The effect of migration on social capital and depression among older adults in
      China.
AB  - PURPOSE: An estimated 9 million elderly people accompanied their adult children
      to urban areas in China, raising concerns about their social capital and mental
      health following re-location. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of
      migration on social capital and depression among this population. METHODS:
      Multistage stratified cluster sampling was applied to recruit the migrant and
      urban elderly in Hangzhou from May to August, 2013. Data were collected from face
      to-face interviews by trained college students using a standardized
      questionnaire. Social capital measurements included cognitive (generalized trust
      and reciprocity) and structure (support from individual and social contact)
      aspects. Depression was measured by Geriatric Depression Scale-30 (GDS-30). Chi
      square tests and binary logistic regression models were used for analysis.
      RESULTS: A total of 1248 migrant elderly and 1322 urban elderly were eligible for
      analysis. After adjusting for a range of confounder factors, binary logistic
      regression models revealed that migrant elderly reported significantly lower
      levels of generalized trust [OR = 1.34, 95% CI (1.10-1.64)], reciprocity [OR =
      1.55, 95% CI (1.29-1.87)], support from individual [OR = 1.96, 95% CI (1.61
      2.38)] and social contact [OR = 3.27, 95% CI (2.70-3.97)]. In the full adjusted
      model, migrant elderly were more likely to be mentally unhealthy [OR = 1.85, 95%
      CI (1.44-2.36)] compared with urban elderly. CONCLUSIONS: Migrant elderly
      suffered from a lower mental health status and social capital than their urban
      counterparts in the emigrating city. Attention should focus on improving the
      social capital and mental health of this growing population.

PMID- 28916863
TI  - Intracerebral hemorrhage as a manifestation of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome
      after carotid revascularization: systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in the context of cerebral
      hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS) is an uncommon but potentially lethal complication
      after carotid revascularization for carotid occlusive disease. Information about
      its incidence, risk factors and fatality is scarce. Therefore, we aimed to
      perform a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on the incidence, risk
      factors and outcomes of ICH in the context of CHS after carotid
      revascularization. METHODS: We searched the PubMed and EBSCO hosts for all
      studies published in English about CHS in the context of carotid
      revascularization. Two reviewers independently assessed each study for
      eligibility based on predefined criteria. Preferred Reporting Items for
      Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and the
      PROSPERO register was made (register no. CRD42016033190), including the pre
      specified protocol. RESULTS: Forty-one studies involving 28,956 participants were
      deemed eligible and included in our analysis. The overall quality of the included
      studies was fair. The pooled frequency of ICH in the context of CHS was 38% (95%
      CI: 26% to 51%, I2 = 84%, 24 studies), and the pooled case fatality of ICH after
      CHS was 51% (95% CI: 32% to 71%, I2 = 77%, 17 studies). When comparing carotid
      angioplasty with stenting (CAS) with carotid endarterectomy (CEA), post
      procedural ICH in the context of CHS was less frequent in CEA. ICH following CHS
      occurred less often in large series and was rare in asymptomatic patients. The
      most common risk factors were periprocedural hypertension and ipsilateral severe
      stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: ICH as a manifestation of CHS is rare, more frequent after
      CAS and associated with poor prognosis. Periprocedural control of hypertension
      can reduce its occurrence.

PMID- 28916865
TI  - Erratum to: Masculinity and suicidal thinking.
AB  - In the original publication there was an error in the calculation of scores for a
      number of the CMNI subscales and consequently the overall scale score.
      Recalculating the scores did not alter the substantive finding, and largely
      resulted in only small adjustments to estimates. Tables 1 and 2 are revised to
      show the corrected values, and revisions to the text reflecting these changes are
      noted.

PMID- 28916864
TI  - SParticle, an algorithm for the analysis of filamentous microorganisms in
      submerged cultures.
AB  - Streptomycetes are filamentous bacteria that produce a plethora of bioactive
      natural products and industrial enzymes. Their mycelial lifestyle typically
      results in high heterogeneity in bioreactors, with morphologies ranging from
      fragments and open mycelial mats to dense pellets. There is a strong correlation
      between morphology and production in submerged cultures, with small and open
      mycelia favouring enzyme production, while most antibiotics are produced mainly
      in pellets. Here we describe SParticle, a Streptomyces Particle analysis method
      that combines whole slide imaging with automated image analysis to characterize
      the morphology of submerged grown Streptomyces cultures. SParticle allows the
      analysis of over a thousand particles per hour, offering a high throughput method
      for the imaging and statistical analysis of mycelial morphologies. The software
      is available as a plugin for the open source software ImageJ and allows users to
      create custom filters for other microbes. Therefore, SParticle is a widely
      applicable tool for the analysis of filamentous microorganisms in submerged
      cultures.

PMID- 28916866
TI  - Laparoscopic versus open parenchymal preserving liver resections in the
      posterosuperior segments: a case-matched study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with lesions in the posterosuperior (PS) segments of the
      liver have been considered poor candidates for laparoscopic liver resection
      (LLR). This study aims to compare short-term outcomes of LLR and open liver
      resections (OLR) in the PS segments. METHODS: This multicenter study consisted of
      all patients who underwent LLR in the PS segments and all patients who underwent
      OLR in the PS segments between October 2011 and July 2016. Laparoscopic cases
      were case-matched with those who had an identical open procedure during the same
      period based on tumor location (same segment) and the Brisbane classification of
      the resection. Demographics, comorbid factors, perioperative outcomes, short-term
      outcomes, necessity of adjuvant chemotherapy, and the interval between surgery
      and initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy were compared between the two groups.
      Data were retrieved from a prospectively maintained electronic database. RESULTS:
      Both groups were comparable for age, sex, ASA score, maximum tumor diameter, and
      number of patients with additional liver resections outside the posterior
      segments. Operative time was similar in both groups (median 140 min; p = 0.92).
      Blood loss was less in the LLR-group (median: 150 vs. 300 ml in OLR-group).
      Median hospital stay was 6 days in both groups. There was no significant
      difference in postoperative complications (OLR-group: 31.4% vs. LLR-group: 25.7%;
      p = 0.60). There was no significant difference in R0 resections (LLR: 97.2 vs.
      100% in OLR; p = 1.00). Tumor-free margins were less in the LLR group (LLR: 5 vs.
      9.5 mm in OLR; p = 0.012). Patients undergoing LLR were treated with chemotherapy
      sooner compared to those undergoing OLR (41 vs. 56 days, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION:
      This study suggests that laparoscopic parenchymal preserving liver resections in
      the PS segments can be performed with comparable short-term outcomes as similar
      OLR. The shorter interval to chemotherapy might provide long-term oncologic
      benefits in patients who underwent LLR.

PMID- 28916867
TI  - Reorganization of Motor Representations in Patients with Brain Lesions: A
      Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study.
AB  - This is an explorative study applying presurgical navigated transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (nTMS) to investigate the spatial distributions of motor sites to
      reveal tumor-induced brain plasticity in patients with brain tumors. We analyzed
      nTMS-based motor maps derived from presurgical mapping of 100 patients with motor
      eloquently located brain tumors (tumors in the frontal lobe, the precentral gyrus
      [PrG], the postcentral gyrus [PoG], the remaining parietal lobe, or the temporal
      lobe). Based on these motor maps, we systematically investigated changes in motor
      evoked potential (MEP) counts among 4 gyri (PrG, PoG, medial frontal gyrus, and
      superior frontal gyrus) between subgroups of patients according to the tumor
      location in order to depict the tumor's influence on reorganization. When
      comparing patients with different tumor locations, high MEP counts were elicited
      less frequently by stimulating the PrG in patients with tumors directly affecting
      the PrG (p < 0.05). Still, in more than 50% of these patients, the MEP counts
      elicited by stimulating the PrG were higher than average, indicating robust motor
      representations within the primary motor cortex. In contrast, patients with PoG
      and parietal tumors primarily showed high MEP counts when stimulating the PoG (p
      < 0.10). The functional reorganization is not likely to induce a shift of motor
      function from the PrG to adjacent regions but rather leads to a reorganization
      within anatomical constraints, such as of the PoG. Thus, presurgical nTMS-based
      motor mapping sensitively depicted the tumor-induced plasticity of the motor
      cortex.

PMID- 28916868
TI  - Laparoscopic liver resection using a monopolar soft-coagulation device to provide
      maximum intraoperative bleeding control for the treatment of hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The popularity of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) is spreading,
      worldwide, because the intraoperative blood loss is less than for open
      hepatectomy and it is associated with a shorter hospitalization period [1-6].
      During LLR, intraoperative hemostasis is difficult to achieve, unlike during
      laparotomy where bleeding can be stopped instantly [7-10]. Our LLR method for the
      treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) includes maximal control of
      intraoperative bleeding using a monopolar soft-coagulation device. Although we
      use a monopolar soft-coagulation device to control bleeding during LLR, while
      coagulating the thin blood vessels, we also developed a maneuver (the hepatocyte
      crush method: HeCM) to allow liver transection to progress while liver
      parenchymal cells are being crushed. METHOD: Between January 2008 and March 2016,
      we performed total LLR on 150 hepatocellular carcinoma patients (144 partial
      liver resections and six left lateral sectionectomies) using the maneuver shown
      in the video. RESULTS: The patients had Child-Pugh Scores of grade A (n = 100), B
      (42), or C (n = 8) and the localizations of tumor were segment (S) 1(n = 7), S2
      (19), S3 (23), S4 (28), S5 (17), S6 (26), S8 (17), and S8 (29). The median blood
      loss was 30 (range 0-490) g during a median surgical time of 207 (range 127-468)
      min. One patient required conversion to a laparotomy due to the presence of
      severe adhesions; none of the patients required conversion due to intraoperative
      hemorrhage. The peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level was 320 (range 57
      1964) IU/L. Although some patients showed high AST levels, none showed signs of
      hepatic failure. The median postoperative hospital stay duration was 6 (range 3
      21) days. Postoperative complications occurred in seven cases (4.7%), including
      intraabdominal abscesses (n = 2), wound infections (2), intraabdominal hemorrhage
      (1), bile duct stricture (1), and umbilical hernia (1). The mortality was zero.
      CONCLUSION: HeCM, combined with the use of a monopolar soft-coagulation device,
      is a good technique for reducing bleeding during liver resection in patients with
      HCC.

PMID- 28916870
TI  - Efficacy and immunogenicity of recombinant swinepox virus expressing the
      truncated S protein of a novel isolate of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.
AB  - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes significant loss to the swine
      industry. The emergence of novel PEDV strains in recent years has decreased the
      effectiveness of PEDV vaccines. We have developed a live recombinant vaccine, a
      swinepox virus vector that expresses a truncated S protein (rSPV-St) from a
      recent PEDV strain, SQ2014, and evaluated its immunogenicity and effectiveness in
      a swine model. Vaccination of swine with rSPV-St elicited a robust antibody
      response specific for the homologous PEDV SQ2014. Serum IgA titers in rSPV-St
      vaccinated animals were significantly higher than in those immunized with
      inactivated vaccines. The effectiveness of antibodies induced by the rSPV-St
      vaccine in protection against PEDV was tested in a passive-transfer model in
      which piglets were challenged with the homologous virus SQ2014 and the
      heterologous strain CV777. When challenged with the homologous virus, sera from
      rSPV-St vaccination provided complete protection. However, sera from rSPV-St
      vaccination did not provide any protection against the heterologous virus
      challenge. Amino acid sequence differences in the S proteins of the two viruses
      were identified within neutralizing epitopes, which might have contributed to the
      divergent clinical results. Our data suggest that rSPV-St is potentially an
      effective vaccine against infection with emerging PEDV strains.

PMID- 28916869
TI  - Protodioscin ameliorates oxidative stress, inflammation and histology outcome in
      Complete Freund's adjuvant induced arthritis rats.
AB  - Protective effect of protodioscin or methyl protodioscin against inflammation had
      been reported in various inflammation diseases. This study aimed to investigate
      the effect of protodioscin against Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced
      arthritis rats. Rats randomly divided into model groups were injected with CFA,
      companied with different dose of protodioscin (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body
      weight). The histology, changes in biochemical parameters and inflammatory
      cytokines expression were detected for anti-inflammation effect evaluation of
      protodioscin. CFA treatment induced arthritic rats with swelling paw, ankle
      inflammation, and area of lymphocyte infiltration, upregulated inflammatory
      cytokines (IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, cyclo-oxygenase 2, and IL-6 as well as
      prostaglandin E2), articular elastase, myeloperoxidase, lipid peroxidase and
      nitrite oxide levels, downregulated glutathione, catalase, and superoxide
      dismutase. In contrast, protodioscin ameliorated all the changes induced by CFA
      in rats, suggesting the anti-inflammatory effect of protodioscin. We concluded
      that protodioscin administration into CFA-induced arthritis rats protected
      against CFA-induced oxidative stress, neutrophil infiltration, and inflammation,
      suggesting the anti-inflammatory effect and the therapeutic potential of
      protodioscin for arthritis.

PMID- 28916872
TI  - Correlation of CT and Histopathology in Resorption of the Distal Long Process of
      the Incus.

PMID- 28916871
TI  - Strength and functional symmetry is associated with post-operative rehabilitation
      in patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate strength and functional symmetry during common tests in
      patients after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and its
      association with post-operative rehabilitation. METHODS: At a median 11.0 months
      post-surgery (range 10-14), 111 ACLR patients were assessed. A rehabilitation
      grading tool was employed to evaluate the duration and supervision of
      rehabilitation, as well as whether structured jumping, landing and agility
      exercises were undertaken. Patients completed the Noyes Activity Score (NSARS),
      maximal isokinetic knee extensor and flexor strength assessment, and a 4-hop test
      battery. Limb Symmetry Indices (LSIs) were calculated, presented for the entire
      group and also stratified by activity level. ANOVA evaluated differences between
      the operated and unaffected limbs across all tests. Correlations were undertaken
      to assess the relationship between post-operative rehabilitation and objective
      test LSIs. RESULTS: The unaffected limb was significantly better (p < 0.0001)
      than the operated limb for all tests. Only 52-61 patients (47-55%) demonstrated
      LSIs >= 90% for each of the hop tests. Only 34 (30.6%) and 61 (55.0%) patients
      were >= 90% LSI for peak quadriceps and hamstring strength, respectively.
      Specifically in patients actively participating in jumping, pivoting, cutting,
      twisting and/or turning sports, 21 patients (36.8%) still demonstrated an LSI <
      90% for the single hop for distance, with 37 patients (65.0%) at < 90% for peak
      knee extension strength. Rehabilitation was significantly associated with the
      LSIs for all tests. CONCLUSION: Rehabilitation was significantly correlated with
      limb symmetry, and lower limb symmetry was below recommended criterion for many
      community-level ACLR patients, including those already engaging in riskier
      activities. It is clear that many patients are not undertaking the rehabilitation
      required to address post-operative strength and functional deficits, and are
      being cleared to return to sport (or are returning on their own accord) without
      appropriate evaluation and further guidance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28916873
TI  - Effects of methotrexate on the quality of oocyte maturation in vitro.
AB  - Methotrexate (MTX), an antifolate drug, is widely used for clinical treatment of
      malignancies and ectopic pregnancy. Many studies have documented that MTX has
      strong side-effects on rapidly dividing somatic cells. However, its side-effects
      on female reproductive cells have not been widely reported. Combined with in
      vitro culture, two-photon fluorescence imaging and three-dimensional
      reconstruction, this study analyzed the effects of MTX on oocyte maturation time,
      chromosome arrangement, karyotype, spindle morphology, and the localization of
      microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs). Compared with a control group (84%), the
      rate of germinal vesical breakdown in the MTX group dropped to 73% (P < 0.05).
      The rate of the first polar body extrusion in the MTX group (53%) was also below
      the control group (63%; P < 0.05). The rate of abnormal chromosomal arrangement
      in the MTX group was 60%, but 24% in the control group (P < 0.05). The matured
      oocyte karyotypes showed 20 univalents in both control and MTX groups, while
      point-shaped DAPI signals were detected in the MTX group. The rate of abnormal
      spindle in the MTX group was 49%, but 17% in the control group (P < 0.05). MTOCs
      in oocytes with normal spindles concentrated at the poles, while MTOCs in oocytes
      with abnormal spindles were scattered around the poles or in the ooplasm. MTX
      changes the structures of chromosomes and spindles, potentially by interfering
      with DNA methylation. The above results indicate a basis for understanding
      negative effects of MTX on oocyte maturation quality, and provide information for
      the clinical application of MTX in female patients.

PMID- 28916874
TI  - Development of CACTA transposon derived SCAR markers and their use in population
      structure analysis in Zea mays.
AB  - Molecular marker technologies have proven to be an important breakthrough for
      genetic studies, construction of linkage maps and population genetics analysis.
      Transposable elements (TEs) constitute major fractions of repetitive sequences in
      plants and offer a wide range of possible areas to be explored as molecular
      markers. Sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker development
      provides us with a simple and time saving alternative approach for marker
      development. We employed the CACTA-TD to develop SCARs and then integrated them
      into linkage map and used them for population structure and genetic diversity
      analysis of corn inbred population. A total of 108 dominant SCAR markers were
      designed out of which, 32 were successfully integrated in to the linkage map of
      maize RIL population and the remaining were added to a physical map for
      references to check the distribution throughout all chromosomes. Moreover, 76
      polymorphic SCARs were used for diversity analysis of corn accessions being used
      in Korean corn breeding program. The overall average polymorphic information
      content (PIC) was 0.34, expected heterozygosity was 0.324 and Shannon's
      information index was 0.491 with a percentage of polymorphism of 98.67%. Further
      analysis by associating with desirable traits may also provide some accurate
      trait specific tagged SCAR markers. TE linked SCARs can provide an added level of
      polymorphism as well as improved discriminating ability and therefore can be
      useful in further breeding programs to develop high yielding germplasm.

PMID- 28916875
TI  - Traumatic injuries to the pregnant patient: a critical literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Trauma during pregnancy is the leading non-obstetrical cause of
      maternal death and a significant public health burden. This study reviews the
      most common causes of trauma during pregnancy, morbidity, and mortality, and the
      impact upon perinatal outcomes associated with trauma, providing a management
      approach to pregnant trauma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review
      of the current literature from January 2006 to July 2016 was performed. RESULTS:
      Fifty-one articles were identified, including a total of 95,949 patients. Motor
      vehicle crash was the most frequent cause of blunt trauma, followed by falls,
      assault both domestic and interpersonal violence, and penetrating injuries
      (gunshot and stab wounds). CONCLUSIONS: Trauma in pregnant women is associated
      with high rates of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Knowledge of the
      mechanism of injury is important to identify the potential injuries and the
      complexity of the management of these patients. As in all traumatic events,
      prevention is of paramount importance.

PMID- 28916876
TI  - Expert's comment concerning Grand Rounds case entitled "Delayed post-operative
      tension pneumocephalus and pneumorrhachis" by D. C. Kieser et al. (Eur Spine J,
      2017; DOI 10.1007/s00586-017-5268-3).

PMID- 28916877
TI  - Bile duct injury and morbidity following cholecystectomy: a need for improvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bile duct injury (BDI) remains the most dreaded complication
      following cholecystectomy with serious repercussions for the surgeon, patient and
      entire healthcare system. In the absence of registries, the true incidence of BDI
      in the United States remains unknown. We aim to identify the incidence of BDI
      requiring operative intervention and overall complications after cholecystectomy.
      METHODS: Utilizing the Truven Marketscan(r) research database, 554,806 patients
      who underwent cholecystectomy in calendar years 2011-2014 were identified using
      ICD-9 procedure and diagnosis codes. The final study population consisted of
      319,184 patients with at least 1 year of continuous enrollment and who met
      inclusion criteria. Patients were tracked for BDI and other complications.
      Hospital cost information was obtained from 2015 Premier data. RESULTS: Of the
      319,184 patients who were included in the study, there were a total of 741
      (0.23%) BDI identified requiring operative intervention. The majority of injuries
      were identified at the time of the index procedure (n = 533, 72.9%), with 102
      (13.8%) identified within 30-days of surgery and the remainder (n = 106, 14.3%)
      between 31 and 365 days. The operative cumulative complication rate within 30
      days of surgery was 9.84%. The most common complications occurring at the index
      procedure were intestinal disorders (1.2%), infectious (1%), and shock (0.8%).
      The most common complications identified within 30-days of surgery included
      infection (1.5%), intestinal disorders (0.7%) and systemic inflammatory response
      syndrome (SIRS) (0.7%) for cumulative rates of infection, intestinal disorders,
      shock, and SIRS of 2.0, 1.9, 1.0, and 0.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: BDI rate
      requiring operative intervention have plateaued and remains at 0.23% despite
      increased experience with laparoscopy. Moreover, cholecystectomy is associated
      with a 9.84% 30-day morbidity rate. A clear opportunity is identified to improve
      the quality and safety of this operation. Continued attention to educational
      programs and techniques aimed at reducing patient harm and improving surgeon
      skill are imperative.

PMID- 28916878
TI  - [Risk-based thromboembolism prophylaxis in thyroid surgeries].

PMID- 28916880
TI  - Genetic diversity and population structure of South African smallholder farmer
      sheep breeds determined using the OvineSNP50 beadchip.
AB  - A population structure study was performed in South African ovine populations
      using the OvineSNP50 beadchip. Blood samples were obtained from 295 sheep of
      which 172 had been identified as smallholder Dorpers, 4 smallholder White
      Dorpers, 46 purebred Dorpers, 26 purebred South African Mutton Merinos and 47
      purebred Namaqua Afrikaners. Blood from the latter three breeds were obtained
      from a resource flock maintained on the Nortier research farm. Genetic diversity
      was estimated using allelic richness (A r), observed heterozygosity (H o),
      expected heterozygosity (H e) and inbreeding coefficient (F). Population
      structure analysis was performed using fastSTRUCTURE to determine the breed
      composition of each genotyped individual. The Namaqua Afrikaner had the lowest H
      e of 0.280 +/- 0.18 while the H e of smallholder Dorper, Dorper and South African
      Mutton Merino did not differ and were 0.364 +/- 0.13, 0.332 +/- 0.16 and 0.329 +/
      0.17, respectively. The average inbreeding coefficient was highest for the pure
      breeds, Namaqua Afrikaner, Dorper and South African Mutton Merino compared to the
      average inbreeding coefficient for the smallholder Dorper population. The
      smallholder Dorper were introgressed with Namaqua Afrikaner, South African Mutton
      Merino and White Dorpers. Similarly, the smallholder Dorper population was more
      genetically diverse than the purebred Dorper, South African Mutton Merino and
      Namaqua Afrikaner from the research farm. The higher genetic diversity among the
      smallholder sheep may be advantageous for their fitness and can be used to
      facilitate selective breeding.

PMID- 28916879
TI  - A score combining baseline neutrophilia and primary tumor SUVpeak measured from
      FDG PET is associated with outcome in locally advanced cervical cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated whether a score combining baseline neutrophilia and a
      PET biomarker could predict outcome in patients with locally advanced cervical
      cancer (LACC). METHODS: Patients homogeneously treated with definitive
      chemoradiation plus image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT) between 2006 and
      2013 were analyzed retrospectively. We divided patients into two groups depending
      on the PET device used: a training set (TS) and a validation set (VS). Primary
      tumors were semi-automatically delineated on PET images, and 11 radiomics
      features were calculated (LIFEx software). A PET radiomic index was selected
      using the time-dependent area under the curve (td-AUC) for 3-year local control
      (LC). We defined the neutrophil SUV grade (NSG = 0, 1 or 2) score as the number
      of risk factors among (i) neutrophilia (neutrophil count >7 G/L) and (ii) high
      risk defined from the PET radiomic index. The NSG prognostic value was evaluated
      for LC and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Data from 108 patients were analyzed.
      Estimated 3-year LC was 72% in the TS (n = 69) and 65% in the VS (n = 39). In the
      TS, SUVpeak was selected as the most LC-predictive biomarker (td-AUC = 0.75), and
      was independent from neutrophilia (p = 0.119). Neutrophilia (HR = 2.6), high-risk
      SUVpeak (SUVpeak > 10, HR = 4.4) and NSG = 2 (HR = 9.2) were associated with low
      probability of LC in TS. In multivariate analysis, NSG = 2 was independently
      associated with low probability of LC (HR = 7.5, p < 0.001) and OS (HR = 5.8, p =
      0.001) in the TS. Results obtained in the VS (HR = 5.2 for OS and 3.5 for LC, p <
      0.02) were promising. CONCLUSION: This innovative scoring approach combining
      baseline neutrophilia and a PET biomarker provides an independent prognostic
      factor to consider for further clinical investigations.

PMID- 28916881
TI  - A 3D Mammometric Comparison of Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction With and
      Without Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM).
AB  - : This retrospective study utilizes 3D imaging and mammometrics to compare
      implant-based breast reconstruction with and without the use of ADM. Previous
      studies have suggested improved aesthetic outcomes with the use of ADM, but none
      have been able to quantify this difference. Images were obtained at early and
      late time points following the expander-implant exchange procedure. Measurements
      included the point of maximum projection, the superior, inferior, medial and
      lateral volumetric distribution, and the distance from the point of maximum
      projection to the inframammary fold along the breast meridian. The patients'
      demographic information, implant size, and complication rate between the two
      cohorts were similar. In the early post-operative period, the patients with ADM
      demonstrated higher medial pole volume; however, this difference did not persist
      in the late post-operative period. Patients with ADM demonstrated a small but
      statistically significant greater point of maximum projection and length of lower
      pole curvature in comparison with the non-ADM cohort. In summary, the results of
      this study demonstrate improved mammometric measurements when ADM is used in
      implant-based breast reconstruction, supporting superior aesthetic outcomes in
      early and late post-operative time points. 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- 28916882
TI  - Evaluating a Mental Health Program for Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon.
AB  - Medecins sans Frontiere, an international non-governmental organization,
      initiated a mental health program for Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon. To
      evaluate the impact of the program after its completion, focus groups were
      conducted with three target groups: (1) patients, (2) staff, and (3) local
      community stakeholders. Participants voiced overall satisfaction with the
      program. The program provided easy access, good quality care, decreased stigma,
      as perceived by participants, and revealed a sense of community contentedness. In
      addition, several short-term outcomes were achieved, such as increasing the
      numbers of patients visiting the center/ receiving mental health treatment.
      However, lack of planning for sustainability and proper procedures for hand-over
      of the program constituted a major downfall. Program discontinuation posed
      ethical dilemmas, common in provisional interventions in underprivileged refugee
      communities.

PMID- 28916883
TI  - Different post-processing conditions for 3D bioprinted alpha-tricalcium phosphate
      scaffolds.
AB  - The development of 3D printing hardware, software and materials has enabled the
      production of bone substitute scaffolds for tissue engineering. Calcium
      phosphates cements, such as those based on alpha-tricalcium phosphate (alpha
      TCP), have recognized properties of osteoinductivity, osteoconductivity and
      resorbability and can be used to 3D print scaffolds to support and induce tissue
      formation and be replaced by natural bone. At present, however, the mechanical
      properties found for 3D printed bone scaffolds are only satisfactory for non-load
      bearing applications. This study varied the post-processing conditions of the 3D
      powder printing process of alpha-TCP cement scaffolds by either immersing the
      parts into binder, Ringer's solution or phosphoric acid, or by sintering in
      temperatures ranging from 800 to 1500  degrees C. The porosity, composition
      (phase changes), morphology, shrinkage and compressive strength were evaluated.
      The mechanical strength of the post-processed 3D printed scaffolds increased
      compared to the green parts and was in the range of the trabecular bone. Although
      the mechanical properties achieved are still low, the high porosity presented by
      the scaffolds can potentially result in greater bone ingrowth. The phases present
      in the scaffolds after the post-processing treatments were calcium-deficient
      hydroxyapatite, brushite, monetite, and unreacted alpha-TCP. Due to their
      chemical composition, the 3D printed scaffolds are expected to be resorbable,
      osteoinductive, and osteoconductive.

PMID- 28916884
TI  - A Clinical Scoring System to Predict the Clinical Sequelae of Computed Tomography
      Diagnosed Intussusception.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intussusception in adults is increasingly diagnosed on cross
      sectional imaging with a lack of clear recommendations on management. The
      presence of an underlying lead point is a key to guiding management as its
      absence can predict spontaneous resolution. We studied adult patients with
      computed tomography (CT) diagnosed intussusception formulate a clinical scoring
      system to predict the risk of an underlying lead point. METHODOLOGY: We performed
      a retrospective review of all adult patients who underwent CT scans of the
      abdomen and pelvis in our institution between 2001 and 2014. Independent
      associations of an underlying lead point were derived following multivariable
      analysis, from which a clinical scoring system was developed. RESULTS: We studied
      140 patients. In multivariable analysis, six factors were found to be
      independently associated with the presence of an underlying lead point, namely
      gender, abdominal pain, CT evidence of colonic involvement, CT evidence of a lead
      point, distal diameter >=27 mm and minimum wall thickness >=3 mm. A nine-point
      clinical scoring system was developed, with a cutoff score of four or higher
      yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 0.75 and 0.81, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Our clinical scoring system provides a quantitative tool to predict
      the likelihood of an underlying lead point in CT-diagnosed intussusception in
      adults to help guide management.

PMID- 28916885
TI  - Geometric analysis and clinical outcome of two cemented stems for primary total
      hip replacement with and without modular necks.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Restoration of the physiological biomechanical principles of the
      hip is crucial in total hip replacement. The aim of this study was to compare an
      arthroplasty system with different offset options (a: Exeter(r)) with a dual
      modular stem (b: Profemur Xm(r)). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A local and an inertial
      coordinate system were used to assist the description of the components' assembly
      in the prosthesis. A resection line of the femoral head in standard position was
      added to the arthroplasties and geometric parameters were measured. The outcomes
      of 93 patients were clinically evaluated (a: n = 50, b: n = 43). Preoperative
      planning was compared to postoperative radiographs (femoral offset, leg-length),
      and clinical scores (HHS, WOMAC, total range of motion) were assessed
      preoperatively, and then 1 and 2 years after surgery. RESULTS: The Exeter(r)
      offers an offset range from 32.1 to 56.9 mm and the Profemur Xm(r) a range from
      29.3 to 55.3 mm. The leg-length variability of the Profemur Xm(r) has a range of
      25.9 mm, the Exeter(r) a range of 13.7 mm. The Profemur Xm(r) offers more
      possible combinations of offset and leg-length reconstruction. The neck-stem
      angles of the Exeter(r) range from 125.2 degrees  to 126.3 degrees , of the
      Profemur Xm(r) from 127.2 degrees  to 142.6 degrees . There was no statistically
      significant difference in clinical outcome and radiological parameters.
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that both stems offer a wide range of options for
      anatomical reconstruction of the hip resulting in similarly good clinical
      results. The Profemur Xm(r) stem has advantages for the reconstruction of hips
      that deviate from standard anatomy but has the drawback of additional corrosive
      wear at the stem/neck interface.

PMID- 28916886
TI  - Construction of fibrous bed bioreactor for enhanced succinic acid production
      using wastewater of dextran fermentation.
AB  - A new applicability of wastewater of dextran fermentation (WWDF) for biological
      production of succinic acid with A. succinogenes CCTCC M2012036 was reported in
      this work for the first time. Notably, K2CO3 was used instead of MgCO3 in the pH
      regulating process for operational feasibility and a cell immobilization
      methodology by attaching cells on cotton fibrous matrix was adopted for cell
      recycle. The initial sugar concentration as well as matrix usage was optimized by
      investigating the cell growth, succinic acid concentration and yield. A rotated
      fibrous bed bioreactor was designed and constructed in order to increase the
      total cell amount and facilitate mass transportation in the fermentation system,
      and an average succinic acid yield, concentration and productivity of 0.82 g/g,
      56.5 g/L and 1.28 g/L/h were realized in the repeated fed-batch fermentation,
      respectively. This research gave light to the optimization of succinic acid
      production towards a more cost-effective and operable direction.

PMID- 28916887
TI  - Appropriate imaging utilization in Japan: a survey of accredited radiology
      training hospitals.
AB  - PURPOSE: To survey whether imaging is being performed appropriately in Japan, and
      to survey whether radiologists intervene to ensure imaging requests are
      appropriate. METHODS: An online survey was sent to radiologists at accredited
      radiology training hospitals. The survey included the radiologists' perspectives
      on whether imaging is performed appropriately at their institutions and whether
      they intervene if the indication for imaging is inappropriate/ambiguous. RESULTS:
      The response rate was 87.3% (165/189). We observed marked variability in the
      frequencies that imaging not recommended by the guidelines was performed among
      modalities and/or body parts; the responses "very frequently/frequently
      performed" were more common for breast cancer related imaging examinations and
      for head CT/MRI. The respondents frequently reported that inappropriate/ambiguous
      indications included requests to expand the craniocaudal range or to perform
      whole-body imaging. In 80% of the hospitals (132/165), radiologists contacted the
      physicians who requested unrecommended examinations; the number of CT and MRI
      examinations that full-time radiologists need to interpret in a half-day session
      was significantly smaller at these hospitals (median 18 vs 24, P = 0.032).
      CONCLUSION: We conducted a survey to investigate appropriate imaging utilization
      in Japan. At the hospitals with numerous examinations to interpret, full-time
      radiologists may find it difficult to ensure that examinations are ordered
      appropriately.

PMID- 28916888
TI  - HIV Testing Among Foreign-Born Men and Women in the United States: Results from a
      Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Survey.
AB  - HIV disproportionately affects the foreign-born population in the United States.
      This analysis describes the prevalence of ever-testing for HIV among foreign-born
      individuals residing in the United States. Data from a national health survey of
      the civilian, non-institutionalized population was used to describe prevalence of
      ever-testing for HIV among foreign-born individuals by birth place. Multivariate
      logistic-regression procedures were used to determine factors associated with
      ever-testing for HIV among foreign-born men and women. The prevalence of ever
      testing for HIV among foreign-born individuals varied by region of birth ranging
      from 31 to 67%. Factors related to ever-testing for HIV varied by gender. Efforts
      need to continue in order to improve HIV testing rates among Asian foreign-born
      individuals, lower educated foreign-born and foreign-born gay/bisexual men.
      Health care providers can play an important role by counseling new arrivals
      regarding the importance of testing for HIV and practicing HIV risk reduction
      activities.

PMID- 28916889
TI  - Teaching peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) to surgeons in practice: an "into the
      fire" pre/post-test curriculum.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With the increasing adoption of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM)
      as a first-line therapy for achalasia as well as a growing list of other
      indications, it is apparent that there is a need for effective training methods
      for both endoscopists in training and those already in practice. We present a
      hands-on-focused with pre- and post-testing methodology to teach these skills.
      METHODS: Six POEM courses were taught by 11 experienced POEM endoscopists at two
      independent simulation laboratories. The training curriculum included a pre
      training test, lectures and discussion, mentored hands-on instruction using live
      porcine and ex-plant models, and a post-training test. The scoring sheet for the
      pre- and post-tests assessed the POEM performance with a Likert-like scale
      measuring equipment setup, mucosotomy creation, endoscope navigation,
      visualization, myotomy, and closure. Participants were stratified by their
      experience with upper-GI endoscopy (Novices <100 cases vs. Experts >=100 cases),
      and their data were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Sixty-five participants with
      varying degrees of experience in upper-GI endoscopy and laparoscopic achalasia
      cases completed the training curriculum. Participants improved knowledge scores
      from 69.7 +/- 17.1 (pre-test) to 87.7 +/- 10.8 (post-test) (p < 0.01). POEM
      performance increased from 15.1 +/- 5.1 to 25.0 +/- 5.5 (out of 30) (p < 0.01)
      with the greatest gains in mucosotomy [1.7-4.4 (out of 5), p < 0.01] and
      equipment (3.4-4.7, p < 0.01). Novices had significantly lower pre-test scores
      compared with Experts in upper-GI endoscopy (overall pre-score: 11.9 +/- 5.6 vs.
      16.3 +/- 4.6, p < 0.01). Both groups improved significantly after the course, and
      there were no differences in post-test scores (overall post-score: 23.9 +/- 6.6
      vs. 25.4 +/- 5.1, p = 0.34) between Novices and Experts. CONCLUSIONS: A
      multimodal curriculum with procedural practice was an effective curricular design
      for teaching POEM to practitioners. The curriculum was specifically helpful for
      training surgeons with less upper-GI endoscopy experience.

PMID- 28916890
TI  - Coronary calcium score influences referral for invasive coronary angiography
      after normal myocardial perfusion SPECT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with normal SPECT but persistent complaints, invasive
      angiography may exclude obstructive coronary disease. We assessed whether high
      coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores are associated with increased referral for
      invasive angiography following normal SPECT. METHODS AND RESULTS: 2286
      consecutive patients (mean age 60 +/- 12, 39% male) with normal SPECT were
      assessed. All patients underwent simultaneous CAC scoring. Patients were
      categorized into four groups based on their CAC score: CAC = 0 (n = 694), CAC 1
      to 100 (n = 891), CAC 101 to 400 (n = 368), and CAC >400 (n = 333). The decision
      to perform angiography was left to the discretion of treating physician. Follow
      up angiography was confined to the first 60 days after SPECT. Occurrence of MACE
      (late revascularization, myocardial infarction or death) was recorded. Overall,
      100 patients (4.4%) underwent early angiography with increasing rates in higher
      CAC score groups (1.0%, 2.6%, 8.4%, and 11.7%), respectively, P < .001). A CAC
      score >400 (OR 3.56, 95% CI 2.19 to 5.77, P < .001) was independently associated
      with referral to angiography. Similarly, CAC score >400 was an independent
      predictor for MACE (HR 9.26, 95% CI 5.06 to 16.93). Early angiography did not
      influence prognosis (HR 1.57, 95% CI 0.91 to 2.73). CONCLUSIONS: CAC scoring
      impacts clinical decision-making and increases referral rates for invasive
      angiography after normal SPECT.

PMID- 28916891
TI  - A prospective randomized study of loop-tip versus straight-tip guidewire in wire
      guided biliary cannulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wire-guided cannulation has been widely accepted as a useful
      technique for achieving selective biliary access because it has significantly
      increased the success rate of biliary cannulation compared with conventional
      contrast-assisted cannulation. Unlike conventional guidewires with a straight
      tip, a loop-tip guidewire (LGW) has a closed distal loop that may facilitate less
      traumatic access through the epithelial folds of the intra-duodenal biliary
      segments. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of a LGW with a
      straight-tip guidewire (SGW) in achieving successful selective biliary
      cannulation. METHODS: From December 2014 to December 2015, we performed 192 wire
      guided biliary cannulations for a naive papilla in a randomized controlled trial.
      Patients were randomly assigned to the LGW group (n = 96) or the SGW group (n =
      96). Our study protocol did not include crossover to the other guidewire arm if
      randomized wire-guided cannulation proved unsuccessful within the first 10 min.
      RESULTS: There was no significant difference in primary successful biliary
      cannulation between the two groups (LGW group: 86.5%; SGW group: 77.1%; p =
      0.134). The rate and the mean number of unintentional pancreatic duct
      cannulations during wire-guided biliary cannulation were significantly lower in
      the LGW group than in the SGW group (LGW group: 14.6%; SGW group: 28.1%; p =
      0.034; LGW group: 0.2 +/- 0.5; SGW group: 0.6 +/- 1.3; p = 0.007). Post-ERCP
      pancreatitis developed in 5.2% of patients in the LGW group and 8.3% of patients
      in the SGW group (p = 0.567). CONCLUSIONS: The biliary cannulation rate of the
      LGW was not significantly different from those of conventional guidewires. Use of
      the LGW was associated with a lower rate of unintentional pancreatic duct
      cannulation during wire-guided biliary cannulation than use of the SGW.

PMID- 28916892
TI  - Precision in robotic rectal surgery using the da Vinci Xi system and integrated
      table motion, a technical note.
AB  - Robotic rectal surgery is becoming increasingly more popular among colorectal
      surgeons. However, time spent on robotic platform docking, arm clashing and
      undocking of the platform during the procedure are factors that surgeons often
      find cumbersome and time consuming. The newest surgical platform, the da Vinci
      Xi, coupled with integrated table motion can help to overcome these problems.
      This technical note aims to describe a standardised operative technique of single
      docking robotic rectal surgery using the da Vinci Xi system and integrated table
      motion. A stepwise approach of the da Vinci docking process and surgical
      technique is described accompanied by an intra-operative video that demonstrates
      this technique. We also present data collected from a prospectively maintained
      database. 33 consecutive rectal cancer patients (24 male, 9 female) received
      robotic rectal surgery with the da Vinci Xi during the preparation of this
      technical note. 29 (88%) patients had anterior resections, and four (12%) had
      abdominoperineal excisions. There were no conversions, no anastomotic leaks and
      no mortality. Median operation time was 331 (249-372) min, blood loss 20 (20-45)
      mls and length of stay 6.5 (4-8) days. 30-day readmission rate and re-operation
      rates were 3% (n = 1). This standardised technique of single docking robotic
      rectal surgery with the da Vinci Xi is safe, feasible and reproducible. The
      technological advances of the new robotic system facilitate the totally robotic
      single docking approach.

PMID- 28916893
TI  - Safety and prognostic impact of prophylactic laparoscopic superior mesenteric
      vein (No. 14v) lymph node dissection for lower-third gastric cancer: a propensity
      score-matched case-control study.
AB  - AIM: To investigate oncologic efficacy of prophylactic laparoscopic superior
      mesenteric vein (No. 14v) lymph node (LN) dissection for lower-third gastric
      cancer (LTGC). METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from 757 patients who
      underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy for LTGC. Of these patients,
      102 underwent 14v LN dissection (14vD+ group), and the remaining 655 patients did
      not undergo 14v LN dissection (14vD- group). The outcomes were compared using a
      1:1 propensity score matching method. RESULTS: After matching, 93 patients from
      the 14vD+ group and 93 patients from the 14vD- group with similar
      clinicopathological characteristics were compared. Before matching, the overall
      survival (OS) was similar between the two groups (P = 0.742). After matching, the
      OS was greater in the 14vD+ group (P = 0.025). The status of 14v dissection was
      not a significant prognostic factor in the survival analyses, both before and
      after matching. However, a stratified analysis according to the independent
      factors in the OS showed that the OS in the 14vD+ group was higher than that in
      the 14vD- group for cT2-3 patients after matching. The forest plot of OS showed
      that after matching the 14vD+ group had a significantly higher 3-year OS rate
      than the 14vD- group in cT2-3 patients. The distribution of the therapeutic index
      demonstrated that the index of 14v LN was similar to those of Nos. 1, 7, 8a, 9,
      and 11p after matching. CONCLUSIONS: Adding laparoscopic 14v dissection for
      laparoscopic-assisted radical distal gastrectomy was safe and might improve the
      OS for clinically advanced LTGC without serosal invasion.

PMID- 28916894
TI  - Critical appraisal of the impact of individual surgeon experience on the outcomes
      of laparoscopic liver resection in the modern era: collective experience of
      multiple surgeons at a single institution with 324 consecutive cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most studies analyzing the learning experience of laparoscopic liver
      resection (LLR) focused on the experience of one or two expert pioneering
      surgeons. This study aims to critically analyze the impact of individual surgeon
      experience on the outcomes of LLR based on the contemporary collective
      experiences of multiple surgeons at single institution. METHODS: Retrospective
      review of 324 consecutive LLR from 2006 to 2016. The cases were performed by 10
      surgeons over various time periods. Four surgeons had individual experience with
      <20 cases, four surgeons with 20-30 cases, and two surgeons with >90 cases. The
      cohort was divided into two groups: comparing a surgeon's experience between the
      first 20, 30, 40, and 50 cases with patients treated thereafter. Similarly, we
      performed subset analyses for anterolateral lesions, posterosuperior lesions, and
      major hepatectomies. RESULTS: As individual surgeons gained increasing
      experience, this was significantly associated with older patients being operated,
      decreased hand-assistance, larger tumor size, increased liver resections,
      increased major resections, and increased resections of tumors located at the
      posterosuperior segments. This resulted in significantly longer operation time
      and increased use of Pringle maneuver but no difference in other outcomes.
      Analysis of LLR for tumors in the posterosuperior segments demonstrated that
      there was a significant decrease in conversion rates after a surgeon had
      experience with 20 LLR. For major hepatectomies, there was a significant decrease
      in morbidity, mortality, and length of stay after acquiring experience with 20
      LLR. CONCLUSION: LLR can be safely adopted today especially for lesions in the
      anterolateral segments. LLR for lesions in the difficult posterosuperior segments
      and major hepatectomies especially in cirrhosis should only be attempted by
      surgeons who have acquired a minimum experience with 20 LLR.

PMID- 28916895
TI  - The cost of conversion in robotic and laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conversion from minimally invasive to open colorectal surgery remains
      common and costly. Robotic colorectal surgery is associated with lower rates of
      conversion than laparoscopy, but institutions and payers remain concerned about
      equipment and implementation costs. Recognizing that reimbursement reform and
      bundled payments expand perspectives on cost to include the entire surgical
      episode, we evaluated the role of minimally invasive conversion in total
      payments. METHODS: This is an observational study from a linked data registry
      including clinical data from the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative and
      payment data from the Michigan Value Collaborative between July 2012 and April
      2015. We evaluated colorectal resections initiated with open and minimally
      invasive approaches, and compared reported risk-adjusted and price-standardized
      30-day episode payments and their components. RESULTS: We identified 1061 open,
      1604 laparoscopic, and 275 robotic colorectal resections. Adjusted episode
      payments were significantly higher for open operations than for minimally
      invasive procedures completed without conversion ($19,489 vs. $15,518, p <
      0.001). The conversion rate was significantly higher with laparoscopic than
      robotic operations (15.1 vs. 7.6%, p < 0.001). Adjusted episode payments for
      minimally invasive operations converted to open were significantly higher than
      for those completed by minimally invasive approaches ($18,098 vs. $15,518, p <
      0.001). Payments for operations completed robotically were greater than those
      completed laparoscopically ($16,949 vs. $15,250, p < 0.001), but the difference
      was substantially decreased when conversion to open cases was included ($16,939
      vs. $15,699, p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: Episode payments for open colorectal surgery
      exceed both laparoscopic and robotic minimally invasive options. Conversion to
      open surgery significantly increases the payments associated with minimally
      invasive colorectal surgery. Because conversion rates in robotic colorectal
      operations are half of those in laparoscopy, the excess expenditures attributable
      to robotics are attenuated by consideration of the cost of conversions.

PMID- 28916898
TI  - A Strengths-Based Case Management Intervention to Reduce HIV Viral Load Among
      People Who Use Drugs.
AB  - Engaging highly marginalized HIV positive people in sustained medical care is
      vital for optimized health and prevention efforts. Prior studies have found that
      strengths-based case management helps link people who use drugs to HIV care. We
      conducted a pilot to assess whether a strengths-based case management
      intervention may help people who use injection drugs (PWID) or smoke crack
      cocaine (PWSC) achieve undetectable HIV viral load. PWID and PWSC were recruited
      in Oakland, California using targeted sampling methods and referral from jails
      and were tested for HIV. HIV positive participants not receiving HIV care (n =
      19) were enrolled in a pilot strengths-based case management intervention and HIV
      positive participants already in HIV care (n = 29) were followed as comparison
      participants. The intervention was conducted by a social worker and an HIV
      physician. Special attention was given to coordinating care as participants
      cycled through jail and community settings. Surveys and HIV viral load tests were
      conducted quarterly for up to 11 visits. HIV viral load became undetectable for
      significantly more participants in the intervention than in the comparison group
      by their last follow-up (intervention participants: 32% at baseline and 74% at
      last follow-up; comparison participants: 45% at baseline and 34% at last follow
      up; p = 0.008). In repeated measures analysis, PBO intervention participants had
      higher odds of achieving undetectable viral load over time than comparison
      participants (p = 0.033). Strengths-based case management may help this highly
      vulnerable group achieve undetectable HIV viral load over time.

PMID- 28916896
TI  - Involvement of IL-17 in Secondary Brain Injury After a Traumatic Brain Injury in
      Rats.
AB  - The pro-inflammatory activity of interleukin 17, which is produced by the IL
      23/IL-17 axis, has been associated with the pathogenesis of traumatic brain
      injury (TBI). The study investigated the potential role of IL-17 in secondary
      brain injury of TBI in a rat model. Our data showed that the levels of IL-17
      increased from 6 h to 7 days and peaked at 3 days, in both the CNS and serum,
      which were consistent with the severity of secondary brain injury. The IL-23
      inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) treatment markedly decreased the
      expressions of IL-17 and apoptosis-associated proteins cleaved caspase-3 and
      increased the protein ratio of Bcl-2 (B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2)/Bax (Bcl-2
      associated X protein). Meanwhile, neuronal apoptosis was reduced, and neural
      function was improved after SAHA treatment. This study suggests that IL-17 is
      involved in secondary brain injury after TBI. Administering an IL-23 inhibitor
      and thereby blocking the IL-23/IL-17 axis may be beneficial in the treatment of
      TBI.

PMID- 28916897
TI  - Improvement of quality of life and psychological distress after inpatient cancer
      rehabilitation : Results of a longitudinal observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the growing number of cancer survivors worldwide the need for
      high quality cancer rehabilitation after primary treatment is steadily
      increasing. The aim of the present study was to investigate change of
      psychological distress and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during
      multidisciplinary inpatient cancer rehabilitation in a large sample of cancer
      survivors suffering from different cancer entities. METHODS: We analyzed data
      from routine HRQOL and distress monitoring at a cancer inpatient rehabilitation
      center. Cancer survivors completed the European Organization for Research and
      Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (EORTC QLQ-C30)
      and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before and after
      multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatment. Changes of patients' functioning and
      symptoms were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and
      effect sizes (Cohens' d). Patients' pretreatment and posttreatment scores were
      compared to reference data from the German general population. RESULTS: A total
      of 939 patients (mean age 58.6 years, SD 11.9 years; 59.9% women) who attended
      rehabilitation from January 2014 to September 2015 were included in the analysis.
      We found clinically meaningful improvement in almost all domains of the EORTC QLQ
      C30 as well as in anxiety and depression (HADS). The largest improvements were
      found for the QLQ-C30 subscales emotional functioning (d = 0.78), fatigue (d =
      0.65), and social functioning (d = 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: We found clinically
      meaningful improvements of patients' HRQOL, anxiety and depression during an
      oncological inpatient rehabilitation treatment. Our results warrant further
      prospective controlled studies to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of
      inpatient rehabilitation.

PMID- 28916899
TI  - Impact of surgical complications on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
      recurrence after hepatic resection.
AB  - Surgery-related morbidity has been identified as prognostic risk factor for tumor
      recurrence for several tumor types, but data regarding hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC) are limited and controversial. The aim of this study was to analyze the
      impact of surgical complications on the risk of HCC recurrence after hepatic
      resection (HR). A Retrospective study was conducted on a cohort of patients
      submitted to HR in a tertiary teaching hospital, between January 2006 and
      December 2015. 112 patients were submitted to HR during the study period.
      Cirrhosis was present in 84% of cases, with portal hypertension in 19.6%. The
      median MELD score was 8 (range 6-15). The median number of lesions per patient
      was 1 (range 1-5) with a mean diameter of 5.4 +/- 3.8 cm. Major HR were performed
      in 18.2% of cases. Overall post-op morbidity was 48.2% with Clavien-Dindo (CD)
      severity score >=3 in 15.2% of cases. The most frequent complications were
      infected biloma (19.6%) and liver failure (14%). HCC recurred in 48% of patients.
      At univariate analysis overall post-op complications (HR 2.313, p = 0.003), CD
      score >2 (HR 2.075, p = 0.047), post-op liver failure (HR 2.990, p = 0.007), post
      op iperbilirubinemia (HR 1.151, p = 0.049), post-op bleeding (HR 2.633, p <
      0.001) and infected biloma (HR 2.696, p = 0.001) were risk factors for HCC
      recurrence. At multivariate analysis post-op liver failure (HR 4.081, p < 0.0001)
      and infected biloma (HR 2.971, p < 0.0001) maintained statistical significance
      for HCC recurrence. Thus Major surgical complications after HR, especially post
      op liver failure and infected biloma are risk factors for HCC recurrence.

PMID- 28916900
TI  - Were all carbapenemases created equal? Treatment of NDM-producing extensively
      drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae: a case report and literature review.
AB  - PURPOSE: There is currently a paucity of published literature focused on the
      treatment of infections caused by NDM-producing organisms. METHODS: We describe a
      case of a bacteraemia caused by an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) New Delhi
      metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM)-producing Serratia marcescens and review the
      treatment options for XDR NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae. RESULTS: Infections
      caused by New Delhi beta-lactamase (NDM)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are
      becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. The presence of the enzyme results in
      multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant phenotypes which often pose a
      treatment challenge. Despite this challenge, case reports and series have
      demonstrated good clinical outcomes with numerous treatment options in comparison
      to infections due to KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae. CONCLUSIONS: Further good
      quality research focused on the treatment of NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae is
      warranted.

PMID- 28916901
TI  - Pulmonic Valve Disease: Review of Pathology and Current Treatment Options.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Our review is intended to provide readers with an overview of
      disease processes involving the pulmonic valve, highlighting recent outcome
      studies and guideline-based recommendations; with focus on the two most common
      interventions for treating pulmonic valve disease, balloon pulmonary
      valvuloplasty and pulmonic valve replacement. RECENT FINDINGS: The main long-term
      sequelae of balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty, the gold standard treatment for
      pulmonic stenosis, remain pulmonic regurgitation and valvular restenosis. The
      balloon:annulus ratio is a major contributor to both, with high ratios resulting
      in greater degrees of regurgitation, and small ratios increasing risk for
      restenosis. Recent studies suggest that a ratio of approximately 1.2 may provide
      the most optimal results. Pulmonic valve replacement is currently the procedure
      of choice for patients with severe pulmonic regurgitation and hemodynamic
      sequelae or symptoms, yet it remains uncertain how it impacts long-term survival.
      Transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement is a rapidly evolving field and recent
      outcome studies suggest short and mid-term results at least equivalent to
      surgery. The Melody valve(r) was FDA approved for failing pulmonary surgical
      conduits in 2010 and for failing bioprosthetic surgical pulmonic valves in 2017
      and has been extensively studied, whereas the Sapien XT valve(r), offering larger
      diameters, was approved for failing pulmonary conduits in 2016 and has been less
      extensively studied. Patients with pulmonic valve disease deserve lifelong
      surveillance for complications. Transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement is a
      novel and attractive therapeutic option, but is currently only FDA approved for
      patients with failing pulmonary conduits or dysfunctional surgical bioprosthetic
      valves. New advances will undoubtedly increase the utilization of this rapidly
      expanding technology.

PMID- 28916902
TI  - Time for standardization of SBRT planning through large scale clinical data and
      guideline-based approaches.

PMID- 28916904
TI  - Early assessment of response to induction therapy in acute myeloid leukemia using
      18F-FLT PET/CT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated the suitability of 18F-fluorodeoxythymidine (18F-FLT)
      positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) for assessment of the
      early response to induction therapy and its value for predicting clinical outcome
      in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Adult patients who had
      histologically confirmed AML and received induction therapy were enrolled. All
      patients underwent 18F-FLT PET/CT after completion of induction. PET/CT images
      were visually and quantitatively assessed. Cases with intensely increased bone
      marrow uptake in more than one third of the long bones and throughout the central
      skeleton were interpreted as PET-positive for resistant disease (RD). PET results
      were compared to the clinical response and outcome. RESULTS: In visual PET
      analysis of 10 eligible patients (7 male, 3 female; median age 58 years), 5
      patients were interpreted as being PET-positive and 5 as PET-negative.
      Standardized uptake values were significantly different between PET-positive and
      PET-negative groups. Eight of 10 patients achieved clinical complete remission
      (CR)/CR with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi). Five CR/CRi patients had PET
      negative findings, but 3 CR patients had PET-positive findings. Both of the RD
      patients had PET-positive findings. During follow-up, 2 CR patients with PET
      positive findings relapsed, or were strongly suspected of relapse, 4 months after
      consolidation. CONCLUSION: 18F-FLT PET/CT after induction therapy showed good
      sensitivity and negative-predictive value for evaluating RD in patients with AML.
      This preliminary study suggests that 18F-FLT PET/CT may be valuable as a
      noninvasive tool for early assessment of the response to treatment and may
      provide prognostic value for survival in patients with AML.

PMID- 28916905
TI  - Small cholangiolocellular carcinoma that was difficult to distinguish from
      cholangiocellular carcinoma: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CoCC) is thought to be derived from
      hepatic progenitor cells. Because of its origin, CoCC has diverse
      clinicopathological and imaging findings. Here, we report a case of small CoCC
      that was difficult to diagnose preoperatively. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old
      woman was confirmed with a small liver nodule in the left lobe 2 years after a
      sustained virological response of hepatitis C virus. The size of the nodule was
      11.9 * 6.1 mm, and 6 months later, the size increased to 12.5 * 7.8 mm. The
      doubling time of this tumor was 285 days. The tumor revealed peripheral early
      enhancement and delayed internal staining in dynamic computed tomography images
      and marked high intensity in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans.
      These imaging findings resembled those of cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC). The
      tumor was removed by laparoscopic lateral sectionectomy. Pathological findings
      revealed that the tumor was composed of small cuboidal cells and showed irregular
      anastomosis small grand. Immunohistochemical findings showed that the tumor cells
      were negative for Hep-par 1 and positive for cytokeratin 19. Epithelial membrane
      antigen staining was positive for the membranous side of the lumen. According to
      these pathological findings, the tumor was diagnosed as CoCC. CONCLUSION:
      Although some characteristic imaging findings are reported for CoCC, they are not
      specific because of the variety in pathological findings. Especially, small CoCCs
      might have poor characteristic imaging findings and may be difficult to
      distinguish from CCC in the images. However, slow tumor growth might be one of
      the characteristics to suspect the possibility of a CoCC.

PMID- 28916903
TI  - Merkel cell carcinoma: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy.
AB  - Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive skin cancer with a
      neuroendocrine phenotype. Incidence varies according to the geographic regions
      but is overall increasing. Different risk factors have been identified namely
      advanced age, immunosuppression, and ultraviolet light exposure. An association
      between MCC and polyomavirus infection is known. However, the exact mechanism
      that leads to carcinogenesis is yet to be fully understood. Surgery when feasible
      is the recommended treatment for localized disease, followed by adjuvant
      radiation or chemoradiation. In the metastatic setting, chemotherapy has been the
      standard treatment. However, two recently published trials with immune checkpoint
      inhibitors in first and second line showed promising results with a tolerable
      safety profile and these might become the standard therapy shortly. Somatostatin
      receptors are expressed in many MCC but such expression is not associated with
      disease severity. Presently there are no biomarkers predictive of response that
      could help to better select patients to these new therapies, and additional
      research is essential.

PMID- 28916906
TI  - Neoadjuvant versus definitive chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced esophageal
      cancer : Outcomes and patterns of failure.
AB  - PURPOSE: Randomized trials examining neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by
      surgical resection (nCRT-S) and definitive CRT (dCRT) for esophageal cancer (EC)
      patients are hampered by use of nonstandard treatment paradigms. Outcomes of nCRT
      S versus dCRT in a more common patient population are lacking. We investigated
      local control and survival, evaluated clinical factors associated with endpoints,
      and assessed patterns of failure between these cohorts. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed 130 patients with locally advanced EC receiving either
      dCRT or nCRT-S at our institution from 2000-2012. Inclusion criteria were
      curatively treated nonmetastatic EC, Karnofsky performance status >=70%, and
      receipt of concomitant CRT. Patients were excluded if receiving <41 Gy
      neoadjuvantly or <50 Gy definitively. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate
      local recurrence (LR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival
      (OS). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling addressed
      factors associated with outcomes. Patterns of failure were enumerated as local,
      regional, or distant. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 34.2 months. The 3-year LR was
      10.8% in the nCRT-S group and 21.5% in the dCRT group (p = 0.266). Median PFS
      were 15.6 and 14.9 months, respectively (p = 0.549). Median OS were 20.6 and 25.9
      months, respectively (p = 0.81). On univariate and multivariate analysis, none of
      the investigated factors was associated with outcomes, although node-positive
      disease showed a trend for worse OS and PFS. Most common failures in both groups
      were distant (dCRT 31.2% vs. nCRT-S 21.6%) followed by local in-field recurrences
      (dCRT 26.9% vs. nCRT-S 10.8%). CONCLUSIONS: In this institutional analysis, no
      significant differences regarding outcomes and patterns of failure were observed
      between nCRT-S and dCRT.

PMID- 28916908
TI  - Capsular Contracture Rate After Breast Augmentation with Periareolar Versus Other
      Two (Inframammary and Transaxillary) Incisions: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Capsular contracture has been the most common complication of
      cosmetic breast augmentation. The effect of incision pattern on capsular
      contracture is still unclear. This meta-analysis demonstrates current evidence
      with regard to the comparison of capsular contracture rate between periareolar
      and other two (transaxillary and inframammary) incisions. METHODS: PubMed,
      EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched up to January 2017. The results of
      selected studies were meta-analyzed to obtain a pooled odds ratio of the effect
      of periareolar versus other two incision patterns (transaxillary or inframammary
      incision) of breast augmentation on capsular contracture rates. In addition,
      subgroup analyses were performed on periareolar versus transaxillary groups and
      periareolar versus inframammary groups with regard to capsular contracture rate.
      RESULTS: Seven comparative studies were selected and meta-analyzed. Five of the
      seven studies reported a higher rate of capsular contracture on patients with
      periareolar incisions. The results showed a significantly higher rate of capsular
      contracture with periareolar incisions compared with other two incisions (OR,
      1.83; 95% CI, 1.06-3.15, p = 0.03). Subgroup results showed no significant
      difference of capsular contracture between periareolar incisions and
      transaxillary incisions (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.52-1.64, p = 0.79) and showed a
      significantly higher rate of capsular contracture in periareolar incisions
      compared to inframammary incisions (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.06-3.43, p = 0.03).
      CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis demonstrate the contributing
      effects of periareolar breast augmentation on the rate of capsular contracture.
      However, more studies with longer tracking periods and higher quality should be
      conducted to further verify this conclusion. 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- 28916907
TI  - Pharmacokinetic Study of Piracetam in Focal Cerebral Ischemic Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cerebral ischemia affects hepatic enzymes and brain
      permeability extensively. Piracetam was investigated up to phase III of clinical
      trials and there is lack of data on brain penetration in cerebral ischemic
      condition. Thus, knowledge of the pharmacokinetics and brain penetration of
      piracetam during ischemic condition would aid to improve pharmacotherapeutics in
      ischemic stroke. METHODS: Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by middle cerebral
      artery occlusion for 2 h in male Wistar rats followed by reperfusion. After 24 h
      of middle cerebral artery occlusion or 22 h of reperfusion, piracetam was
      administered for pharmacokinetic, brain penetration, and pharmacological
      experiments. In pharmacokinetic study, blood samples were collected at different
      time points after 200-mg/kg (oral) and 75-mg/kg (intravenous) administration of
      piracetam through right external jugular vein cannulation. In brain penetration
      study, the cerebrospinal fluid, systemic blood, portal blood, and brain samples
      were collected at pre-designated time points after 200-mg/kg oral administration
      of piracetam. In a separate experiment, the pharmacological effect of the single
      oral dose of piracetam in middle cerebral artery occlusion was assessed at a dose
      of 200 mg/kg. RESULTS: All the pharmacokinetic parameters of piracetam including
      area under curve (AUC0-24), maximum plasma concentration (C max), time to reach
      the maximum plasma concentration (t max), elimination half-life (t 1/2), volume
      of distribution (V z), total body clearance, mean residence time, and
      bioavailability were found to be similar in ischemic stroke condition except for
      brain penetration. Piracetam exposure (AUC0-2) in brain and CSF were found to be
      2.4- and 3.1-fold higher, respectively, in ischemic stroke compared to control
      rats. Piracetam significantly reduced infarct volume by 35.77% caused by middle
      cerebral artery occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: There was no change in the
      pharmacokinetic parameters of piracetam in the ischemic stroke model except for
      brain penetration. This indicates that variables influencing brain penetration
      may not be limiting factors for use of piracetam in ischemic stroke.

PMID- 28916909
TI  - [Idiopathic cranial nerve failure].
AB  - Cranial nerve lesions require a thorough diagnostic work-up and known etiologies
      have to be excluded before the term idiopathic can be considered. The focus of
      the present review is on idiopathic peripheral facial nerve paralysis (Bell's
      palsy) for which this terminology has been established. For all other cranial
      nerve lesions the typical clinical signs, established etiologies and possible
      diagnostic pitfalls are discussed.

PMID- 28916910
TI  - Encompassing ATP, DNA, insulin, and protein content for quantification and
      assessment of human pancreatic islets.
AB  - Islet transplantation has made major progress to treat patients with type 1
      diabetes. Islet mass and quality are critically important to ensure successful
      transplantation. Currently, islet status is evaluated using insulin secretion,
      oxygen consumption rate, or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measurement. These
      parameters are evaluated independently and do not effectively predict islet
      status post-transplant. Therefore, assessing human pancreatic islets by
      encompassing ATP, DNA, insulin, and protein content from a single tissue sample
      would serve as a better predictor for islet status. In this study, a single step
      procedure for extracting ATP, DNA, insulin, and protein content from human
      pancreatic islets was described and the biomolecule contents were quantified.
      Additionally, different mathematical calculations integrating total ATP, DNA,
      insulin, and protein content were randomly tested under various conditions to
      predict islet status. The results demonstrated that the ATP assay was efficient
      and the biomolecules were effectively quantified. Furthermore, the mathematical
      formula we developed could be optimized to predict islet status. In conclusion,
      our results indicate a proof-of-concept that a simple logarithmic formula can
      predict overall islet status for various conditions when total islet ATP, DNA,
      insulin, and protein content are simultaneously assessed from a single tissue
      sample.

PMID- 28916917
TI  - Update on Chinese American Childhood Obesity Prevalence in New York City.
AB  - Prevalence of overweight and obesity was measured in 12,275 Chinese American
      children and adolescents, ages 2-19, who were patients at a large federally
      qualified health center in 2015. Demographic characteristics sex, age, and
      birthplace were further stratified to explore disaggregated prevalence.
      Comparison of this 2015 cohort to an ethnically similar study cohort from the
      same health center in 2004 showed that the overall prevalence in overweight and
      obesity dropped to 21% from previously recorded 24%. US Born school-aged males
      continue to have the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity at 36%. School
      aged children have higher odds of being overweight or obese (OR 1.61, P < 0.001;
      OR 1.99, P < 0.001) compared to adolescents. Although the foreign-born females
      had the lowest prevalence of overweight and obesity (12%), they were the only
      group in 2015 to have increased prevalence in overweight and obesity since 2004
      (by 5.8%).

PMID- 28916912
TI  - Morphological changes in tibial tunnels after anatomic anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction with hamstring tendon graft.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed computed tomography (CT) is
      crucial for the reliable and accurate evaluation of tunnel enlargement after
      anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The purposes of this study were
      to evaluate the tibial tunnel enlargement at the tunnel aperture and inside the
      tunnel and to clarify the morphological change at the tunnel footprint 1 year
      after the anatomic triple-bundle (ATB) ACL reconstruction using 3D CT models.
      METHODS: Eighteen patients with unilateral ACL rupture were evaluated. The ATB
      ACL reconstruction with a semitendinosus tendon autograft was performed. 3D
      computer models of the tibia and the three tibial tunnels were reconstructed from
      CT data obtained 3 weeks and 1 year after surgery. The cross-sectional areas
      (CSAs) of the two anterior and the one posterior tunnels were measured at the
      tunnel aperture and 5 and 10 mm distal from the aperture and compared between the
      two periods. The locations of the center and the anterior, posterior, medial, and
      lateral edges of each tunnel footprint were also measured and compared between
      the two periods. RESULTS: The CSA of the posterior tunnel was significantly
      enlarged at the aperture by 40.4%, whereas that of the anterior tunnels did not
      change significantly, although the enlargement rate was 6.1%. On the other hand,
      the CSA was significantly reduced at 10 mm distal from the aperture in the
      anterior tunnels. The enlargement rate in the posterior tunnel was significantly
      greater than that in the anterior tunnels at the aperture. The center of the
      posterior tunnel footprint significantly shifted postero-laterally. The anterior
      and posterior edges of the posterior tunnel footprint demonstrated a significant
      posterior shift, while the lateral edge significantly shifted laterally. There
      was no significant shift of the center or all the edges of the anterior tunnels
      footprint. CONCLUSIONS: The posterior tibial tunnel was significantly enlarged at
      the aperture by 40% with the morphological change in the postero-lateral
      direction reflected by the ACL fiber orientation 1 year after the ATB ACL
      reconstruction. The proper tibial tunnel location in the ACL reconstruction
      should be determined considering the tunnel enlargement in postero-lateral
      direction after surgery.

PMID- 28916911
TI  - Evaluation of thirty eight cemented pegged glenoid components with variable
      backside curvature: two-year minimum follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The PERFORMTM pegged glenoid system has been used for shoulder
      arthroplasty since 2012. This system offers multiple backside curvatures per size
      to better match variable patient anatomy. As a result, less reaming is required
      and subchondral bone is preserved-a critical factor in preventing glenoid
      migration and loosening, thus enhancing implant longevity. PURPOSE: The purpose
      of this study was to analyze all radiographic modifications around this new
      glenoid implant. METHOD: Thirty-eight shoulders which received the PERFORMTM
      pegged glenoid component between June 2012 and January 2014 for primary or
      secondary osteoarthritis were reviewed at two-years minimum follow-up. There were
      13 men and 22 women with an average age of 67 years. Humeral components were an
      uncemented short stem implant in nine (23%) and a resurfacing implant in 29
      (77%). RESULTS: At 27-months average follow-up (24-41), Constant score improved
      from 30 to 65 points. Range of motion improved significantly at follow-up from
      100 degrees  to 142 degrees  for the anterior elevation, and from 15 to 40
      degrees  for the external rotation. Radiographic lucent lines (RLL) were observed
      post-operatively in eight cases (21%), and in 16 cases (42%) at the last follow
      up with an increase of the RLL score from 0.36 +/- 0.8 to 1.3 +/- 2 (p < 0.001)
      without signs of loosening (RLL > 12). One revision has been performed after
      anterior shoulder dislocation, rotator cuff tear and glenoid component migration.
      RLL score was not correlated with dominant side, sex, age, or Constant score.
      DISCUSSION-CONCLUSION: The cemented pegged glenoid component with multiple
      backside curvatures gave satisfactory results at two-years minimum follow-up for
      up to three years with a low RLL score. Long-term studies are mandatory to
      confirm these results.

PMID- 28916924
TI  - Detecting nonadherence without loss in efficiency: A simple extension of the
      crosswise model.
AB  - In surveys concerning sensitive behavior or attitudes, respondents often do not
      answer truthfully, because of social desirability bias. To elicit more honest
      responding, the randomized-response (RR) technique aims at increasing perceived
      and actual anonymity by prompting respondents to answer with a randomly modified
      and thus uninformative response. In the crosswise model, as a particularly
      promising variant of the RR, this is achieved by adding a second, nonsensitive
      question and by prompting respondents to answer both questions jointly. Despite
      increased privacy protection and empirically higher prevalence estimates of
      socially undesirable behaviors, evidence also suggests that some respondents
      might still not adhere to the instructions, in turn leading to questionable
      results. Herein we propose an extension of the crosswise model (ECWM) that makes
      it possible to detect several types of response biases with adequate power in
      realistic sample sizes. Importantly, the ECWM allows for testing the validity of
      the model's assumptions without any loss in statistical efficiency. Finally, we
      provide an empirical example supporting the usefulness of the ECWM.

PMID- 28916914
TI  - The effects of protein and fiber content on gut structure and function in
      zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - Chemical reactor theory (CRT) suggests that the digestive tract functions as a
      chemical reactor for processing food. Presumably, gut structure and function
      should match diet to ensure adequate nutrient and energy uptake to maintain
      performance. Within CRT, dietary biochemical composition is the most important
      factor affecting gut structure and function in vertebrates. We fed Danio rerio
      (zebrafish) diets ranging from high- to moderate- to low-quality (i.e., ranging
      from high-protein, low-fiber to low-protein, high-fiber), and observed how gut
      length and surface area, as well as the activity levels of digestive enzymes
      (amylase, maltase, trypsin, aminopeptidase, and lipase) shifted in response to
      these dietary changes. Fish on the low-quality diet had the longest guts with the
      largest intestinal epithelial surface area and enterocyte cellular volumes. Fish
      on the moderate-quality diet had intermediate values of most of these parameters,
      and fish on the high-quality diet, the lowest. These data largely support CRT.
      Digestive enzyme activity levels were generally elevated in fish fed the moderate
      and low-quality diets, but were highest in the fish fed the moderate-quality
      diet, suggesting that a diet with protein levels closest to that of the natural
      diet of D. rerio (they are omnivorous in nature) may elicit the best gut
      performance. However, fish fed the carnivore diet reached the largest terminal
      body size. Our results support CRT in terms of gut structure; however, our enzyme
      results do not necessarily agree with CRT and largely depend on which enzyme is
      discussed. In particular, the evidence for lipase activities being elevated in
      the fish fed the low-protein, high-fiber diet perhaps reflects a lipid-scavenging
      mechanism in fish consuming high-fiber foods rather than CRT.

PMID- 28916913
TI  - Centromeric enrichment of LINE-1 retrotransposons and its significance for the
      chromosome evolution of Phyllostomid bats.
AB  - Despite their ubiquitous incidence, little is known about the chromosomal
      distribution of long interspersed elements (LINEs) in mammalian genomes.
      Phyllostomid bats, characterized by lineages with distinct trends of chromosomal
      evolution coupled with remarkable ecological and taxonomic diversity, represent
      good models to understand how these repetitive sequences contribute to the
      evolution of genome architecture and its link to lineage diversification. To test
      the hypothesis that LINE-1 sequences were important modifiers of bat genome
      architecture, we characterized the distribution of LINE-1-derived sequences on
      genomes of 13 phyllostomid species within a phylogenetic framework. We found
      massive accumulation of LINE-1 elements in the centromeres of most species: a
      rare phenomenon on mammalian genomes. We hypothesize that expansion of these
      elements has occurred early in the radiation of phyllostomids and recurred
      episodically. LINE-1 expansions on centromeric heterochromatin probably spurred
      chromosomal change before the radiation of phyllostomids into the extant 11
      subfamilies and contributed to the high degree of karyotypic variation observed
      among different lineages. Understanding centromere architecture in a variety of
      taxa promises to explain how lineage-specific changes on centromere structure can
      contribute to karyotypic diversity while not disrupting functional constraints
      for proper cell division.

PMID- 28916916
TI  - Investigating baseline red meat slaughter operator capacity and directions for
      development in Lao PDR.
AB  - A study of operator knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) in red meat
      slaughter premise operations in northern Laos was conducted and compared with
      international best practice, to inform future industry development. The survey
      interviewed 68 (of 94 possible participants) employees from all ten commercial
      slaughter premises in six districts in three northern Laos provinces. This was
      supported by observations of slaughter premises, processes and the conduct of
      personnel. Descriptive analysis and linear regression modelling identified
      significant KAP predictor factors, and a gap analysis supported or rejected
      inferences from the generally low KAP scores for human and animal health, animal
      welfare, good manufacturing practices (GMP), work conditions and economics. The
      median proportion of correctly/desirably answered knowledge-related questions was
      35.2% (interquartile range [IQR] = 22.2-51.9%) with 27.3% (IQR = 15.9-31.8%) for
      the attitude-related questions and 21.4% (IQR = 14.3-35.7%) for the practice
      related questions. Two districts had significantly lower KAP scores than other
      districts, and staff had the lowest and meat inspectors had the highest scores.
      This study indicates that the current KAP for red meat processing falls short of
      international standards and that training programmes on disease risks and
      prevention are important in facilitating red meat industry development.

PMID- 28916919
TI  - Laparoscopic liver resection for metastatic melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stage IV metastatic melanoma carries a poor prognosis. In the case of
      melanoma liver metastasis (MLM), surgical resection may improve survival and
      represents a therapeutic option, with varying levels of success. Laparoscopic
      liver resection (LLR) for metastatic melanoma is poorly studied. The aim of this
      study was to analyze the outcomes of LLR in patients with MLM. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Between April 2000 and August 2013, 11 (1 cutaneous, 9 ocular and 1
      unknown primary) patients underwent LLR for MLM at Oslo University Hospital
      Rikshospitalet and 13 procedures in total were carried out. Perioperative and
      oncologic outcomes were analyzed. Postoperative morbidity was classified using
      the Accordion classification. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis.
      RESULTS: A total of 23 liver specimens were resected. The median operative time
      was 137 (65-470) min, while the median blood loss was less than 50 (<50-900) ml.
      No intraoperative unfavorable incidents and 30-day mortality occurred. Median
      follow-up was 33 (9-92) months. Ten patients (91%) developed recurrence within a
      median of 5 months (2-18 months) and two patients underwent repeat LLR for
      recurrent liver metastases. One-, three-, and five-year overall survival rates
      were 82, 45 and 9%, respectively. The median overall survival was 30 (9-92)
      months. CONCLUSION: Perioperative morbidity and long-term survival after LLR for
      MLM seems to be comparable to open liver resection. Thus, LLR may be preferred
      over open liver resection due to the well-known advantages of laparoscopy, such
      as reduced pain and improved possibility for repeated resections.

PMID- 28916918
TI  - Mixed Blessings? Religion/Spirituality Predicts Better and Worse Screening
      Behaviours.
AB  - Some health research suggests that religious and spiritual variables positively
      predict health-screening behaviours. However, much of the literature on this
      topic has utilized exclusively religious samples, or has sampled from populations
      without uniform access to health care. Either of these issues may have
      artificially inflated the relationship between religion/spirituality and health
      screening behaviours. The current study used data from the 2012 Canadian
      Community Health Survey to examine a general sample of women from New Brunswick
      and Manitoba (N > 1200). Results indicated that lower levels of church attendance
      were positive predictors of papanicolaou tests and mammograms, while higher
      levels of attendance were generally associated with poorer screening behaviours.
      Religiosity was a uniformly non-significant predictor of screening behaviours.
      Finally, religious affiliation was inconsistently related to screening
      behaviours, but tended to favour religious non-affiliation when it was.
      Religion/spirituality does not appear to have a uniformly positive nor linear
      effect in predicting health-screening behaviours in women.

PMID- 28916923
TI  - Single-cell analysis reveals the relevance of foot-and-mouth disease virus
      persistence to emopamil-binding protein gene expression in host cells.
AB  - Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infects host cells in either an acute or
      persistent manner. In this study, we examined the relevance of the establishment
      of FMDV persistence to the expression of the emopamil-binding protein (EBP) gene
      in 231 individual persistently infected baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells after
      passages 28, 38, and 68 (PI28, PI38, and PI68). At PI28, the stage at which
      persistent infection of FDMV becomes unstable, the percentage of cells carrying
      FMDV was 66.7%, while 80.2% of cells were EBP positive. Additionally, in 55.6% of
      the EBP-positive cells at PI28, EBP expression was upregulated approximately
      149.9% compared to uninfected BHK-21 cells. This was the highest expression level
      among all cell passages measured. Interestingly, in a parallel experiment, the
      average EBP expression level in the whole cell population at PI28 was only
      slightly higher (108.2%) than that in uninfected BHK-21 cells. At PI38, 98.7% of
      the cells were positive for FMDV 3D (an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase enzyme
      gene), and its maximum expression level observed at this passage. The expression
      level of EBP in 78.2% of the total cells, however, was reduced significantly. At
      PI68, 95.8% of the cells were 3D positive, and the expression of both the EBP and
      3D genes were at the lowest levels of all the passages. Our studies using single
      cells yielded data that are otherwise inaccessible a using whole cell population.
      These results suggest that the establishment of persistent infection by FMDV is a
      dynamic process that results from the continuous adaptation and coevolution of
      viruses and cells to reach an equilibrium.

PMID- 28916930
TI  - Tongue Image Analysis and Its Mobile App Development for Health Diagnosis.
AB  - Computer-aided diagnosis provides a medical procedure that assists physicians in
      interpretation of medical images. This work focuses on computer-aided tongue
      image analysis specifically, based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Tongue
      diagnosis is an important component of TCM. Computerized tongue diagnosis can aid
      medical practitioners in capturing quantitative features to improve reliability
      and consistency of diagnosis. Recently, researchers have started to develop
      computer-aided tongue analysis algorithms based on new advancement in digital
      photogrammetry, image analysis, and pattern recognition technologies. In this
      chapter, we will describe our recent work on tongue image analysis as well as a
      mobile app that we developed based on this technology.

PMID- 28916921
TI  - Potential Effect of Prolonged Sevoflurane Anesthesia on the Kinetics of
      [11C]Raclopride in Non-human Primates.
AB  - PURPOSE: Positron emission tomography (PET) in non-human primates (NHP) is
      commonly performed under anesthesia, with sevoflurane being a widely used inhaled
      anesthetic. PET measurement in NHP can be repeated, and a difference in
      radioligand kinetics has previously been observed between the first and second
      PET measurement on the same day using sevoflurane anesthesia. In this study, we
      evaluated the effect of prolonged sevoflurane anesthesia on kinetics and binding
      potential (BPND) of [11C]raclopride in NHP. PROCEDURES: Three cynomolgus monkeys
      underwent two to three PET measurements with [11C]raclopride under continuous
      sevoflurane anesthesia on the same day. The concentration of sevoflurane was
      adjusted according to the general conditions and safety parameters of the NHP.
      Time to peak (TTP) radioactivity in the striatum was estimated from time-activity
      curves (TACs). The BPND in the striatum was calculated by the simplified
      reference tissue model using the cerebellum as reference region. RESULTS: In each
      NHP, the TTP became shorter in the later PET measurements than in the first one.
      Across all measurements (n = 8), concentration of sevoflurane correlated with TTP
      (Spearman's rho = - 0.79, p = 0.03), but not with BPND (rho = - 0.25, p = 0.55).
      CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that sevoflurane affects the shape of TACs but
      has no evident effect on BPND in consecutive PET measurements.

PMID- 28916927
TI  - Genetic Test, Risk Prediction, and Counseling.
AB  - Advancement in technology has nurtured the new era of genetic tests for
      personalized medicine. In this chapter, we will introduce the current
      development, challenges, and the outlook of genetic test, disease risk
      prediction, and genetic counseling. In the first section, we will present the
      success cases in the areas of molecular classification of tumors,
      pharmacogenomics, and Mendelian disorders, and the challenges of genetic tests
      implementations. In the second section, common methods for genetic risk
      prediction models and evaluation measures will be introduced, as well as
      challenges in feature reliability, risk model stability, and clinical utility. In
      the final section, key components of genetic counseling will be introduced,
      covering individual communications, psychosocial concerns, risk assessments, and
      follow-ups. Current evidences have shown a promising future for genetic testing
      and risk prediction; we expect that the advancement of analytical methods,
      technology, integration of omics data, and the increasing clinical implementation
      and regulation will continue to pave the way for precision medicine in future.

PMID- 28916928
TI  - Newborn Screening in the Era of Precision Medicine.
AB  - As newborn screening success stories gained general confirmation during the past
      50 years, scientists quickly discovered diagnostic tests for a host of genetic
      disorders that could be treated at birth. Outstanding progress in sequencing
      technologies over the last two decades has made it possible to comprehensively
      profile newborn screening (NBS) and identify clinically relevant genomic
      alterations. With the rapid developments in whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and
      whole-exome sequencing (WES) recently, we can detect newborns at the genomic
      level and be able to direct the appropriate diagnosis to the different
      individuals at the appropriate time, which is also encompassed in the concept of
      precision medicine. Besides, we can develop novel interventions directed at the
      molecular characteristics of genetic diseases in newborns. The implementation of
      genomics in NBS programs would provide an effective premise for the
      identification of the majority of genetic aberrations and primarily help in
      accurate guidance in treatment and better prediction. However, there are some
      debate correlated with the widespread application of genome sequencing in NBS due
      to some major concerns such as clinical analysis, result interpretation, storage
      of sequencing data, and communication of clinically relevant mutations to
      pediatricians and parents, along with the ethical, legal, and social implications
      (so-called ELSI). This review is focused on these critical issues and concerns
      about the expanding role of genomics in NBS for precision medicine. If WGS or WES
      is to be incorporated into NBS practice, considerations about these challenges
      should be carefully regarded and tackled properly to adapt the requirement of
      genome sequencing in the era of precision medicine.

PMID- 28916920
TI  - Does delayed esophagectomy after endoscopic resection affect outcomes in patients
      with stage T1 esophageal cancer? A propensity score-based analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although endoscopic resection (ER) may be sufficient treatment for
      early-stage esophageal cancer, additional treatment is recommended when there is
      a high risk of cancer recurrence. It is unclear whether delaying esophagectomy by
      performing and assessing the success of ER affects outcomes as compared with
      immediate esophagectomy without ER. Additionally, long-term survival after
      sequential ER and esophagectomy required further investigation. METHODS: Between
      2011 and 2015, 48 patients with stage T1 esophageal cancer underwent
      esophagectomy after ER with curative intent at our institution. Two-to-one
      propensity score methods were used to identify 96 matched-control patients who
      were treated with esophagectomy only using baseline patient, tumor
      characteristics and surgical approach. Time from initial evaluation to
      esophagectomy, relapse-free survival, overall survival, and postoperative
      complications were compared between the propensity-matched groups. RESULTS: In
      the ER + esophagectomy group, the time from initial evaluation to esophagectomy
      was significantly longer than in the esophagectomy only group (114 vs. 8 days, p
      < 0.001). The incidence of dense adhesion (p = 0.347), operative time (p =
      0.867), postoperative surgical complications (p = 0.966), and postoperative
      length of hospital stay (p = 0.125) were not significantly different between the
      groups. Moreover, recurrence-free survival and overall survival were also similar
      between the two groups (p = 0.411 and p = 0.817, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      Treatment of stage T1 esophageal cancer with ER prior to esophagectomy did not
      increase the difficulty of performing esophagectomy or the incidence of
      postoperative complications and did not affect survival after esophagectomy.
      These results suggest that ER can be recommended for patients with stage T1
      cancer even if esophagectomy is warranted eventually.

PMID- 28916931
TI  - Physical Exercise Prescription in Metabolic Chronic Disease.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome as a consequence of the association to overweight,
      hypertension, and diabetes is at high risk of coronary events. Regular physical
      training has been recently promoted to reduce cardiovascular risks factors, by
      the improved lifestyle and also by the "anti-inflammatory effectiveness." A
      positive impact has been shown in case of cancer survived patients either with or
      without comorbidities and especially in those subjects where the inflammatory
      process is globally represented. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
      guidelines and more recently a new Italian model both support the role of
      "exercise as therapy" at moderate level of energy expenditure. The importance to
      establish the individual level of physical exercise, like a drug's dose, has
      induced authors in investigating this aspect in diverse diseases and in different
      clinical fields associated to an incorrect lifestyle habits. To reach this goal,
      a specific research strategy is important to spread the knowledge.

PMID- 28916932
TI  - Informatics for Nutritional Genetics and Genomics.
AB  - While traditional nutrition science is focusing on nourishing population, modern
      nutrition is aiming at benefiting individual people. The goal of modern
      nutritional research is to promote health, prevent diseases, and improve
      performance. With the development of modern technologies like bioinformatics,
      metabolomics, and molecular genetics, this goal is becoming more attainable. In
      this chapter, we will discuss the new concepts and technologies especially in
      informatics and molecular genetics and genomics, and how they have been
      implemented to change the nutrition science and lead to the emergence of new
      branches like nutrigenomics, nutrigenetics, and nutritional metabolomics.

PMID- 28916922
TI  - Evaluation of ZmCCT haplotypes for genetic improvement of maize hybrids.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: The elite ZmCCT haplotypes which have no transposable element in the
      promoter could enhance maize resistance to Gibberella stalk rot and improve yield
      related traits, while having no or mild impact on flowering time. Therefore, they
      are expected to have great value in future maize breeding programs. A CCT domain
      containing gene, ZmCCT, is involved in both photoperiod response and stalk rot
      resistance in maize. At least 15 haplotypes are present at the ZmCCT locus in
      maize germplasm, whereas only three of them are found in Chinese commercial maize
      hybrids. Here, we evaluated ZmCCT haplotypes for their potential application in
      corn breeding. Nine resistant ZmCCT haplotypes that have no CACTA-like
      transposable element in the promoter were introduced into seven elite maize
      inbred lines by marker-assisted backcrossing. The resultant 63 converted lines
      had 0.7-5.1 Mb of resistant ZmCCT donor segments with over 90% recovery rates.
      All converted lines tested exhibited enhanced resistance to maize stalk rot but
      varied in photoperiod sensitivity. There was a close correlation between the
      hybrids and their parental lines with respect to both resistance performance and
      photoperiod sensitivity. Furthermore, in a given hybrid A5302/83B28, resistant
      ZmCCT haplotype could largely improve yield-related traits, such as ear length
      and 100-kernel weight, resulting in enhanced grain yield. Of nine resistant ZmCCT
      haplotypes, haplotype H5 exhibited excellent performance for both flowering time
      and stalk rot resistance and is thus expected to have potential value in future
      maize breeding programs.

PMID- 28916926
TI  - Informatics for Precision Medicine and Healthcare.
AB  - The past decade has witnessed great advances in biomedical informatics.
      Biomedical informatics is an emerging field of healthcare that aims to translate
      the laboratory observation into clinical practice. Smart healthcare has also
      developed rapidly with ubiquitous sensor and communication technologies. It is
      able to capture the online patient-centric phenotypic variables, thus providing a
      rich information base for translational biomedical informatics. Biomedical
      informatics and smart healthcare represent two interrelated disciplines. On one
      hand, biomedical informatics translates the bench discoveries into bedside, and,
      on the other hand, it is reciprocally informed by clinical data generated from
      smart healthcare. In this chapter, we will introduce the major strategies and
      challenges in the application of biomedical informatics technology in precision
      medicine and healthcare. We highlight how the informatics technology will promote
      the precision medicine and therefore promise the improvement of healthcare.

PMID- 28916934
TI  - Cohort Research in "Omics" and Preventive Medicine.
AB  - Cohort studies are observational studies in which the investigator determines the
      exposure status of subjects and then follows them for subsequent outcomes. The
      incidence of outcomes is observed in the exposed group and compared with that in
      a nonexposed group. Recently, new epidemiologic strategies have encouraged cohort
      research information exchange and cooperation to improve the cognition of disease
      etiology, such as case-cohort design and nested case-control study, which is
      available for "omics" data. Meanwhile, large-scale cohort studies using a
      prospective multiple design and long follow-ups have explored some of the
      challenges in preventive medicine. Cohort study can bridge the gap between the
      micro and macro research.This chapter is divided into three parts: 1. Basic
      knowledge of cohort study, which included the definition of cohort study and
      different types of cohort study, how to design the cohort study, data analysis
      for the cohort study, sources of bias in cohort studies, tools and software for
      cohort studies, and strengths and limitations of cohort study 2. Cohort study for
      "omics" data analysis, which introduced three related methodologically distinct
      study designs, case-cohort design for genomic cohort study, nested case-control
      design for transcriptomics cohort data, and population-based design for
      integrative "omics" cohort 3. Perspectives on cohort study including data-driven
      medicine and cohort research, cohort research for healthcare medicine, and cohort
      research for preventive medicine.

PMID- 28916929
TI  - Trace Elements and Healthcare: A Bioinformatics Perspective.
AB  - Biological trace elements are essential for human health. Imbalance in trace
      element metabolism and homeostasis may play an important role in a variety of
      diseases and disorders. While the majority of previous researches focused on
      experimental verification of genes involved in trace element metabolism and those
      encoding trace element-dependent proteins, bioinformatics study on trace elements
      is relatively rare and still at the starting stage. This chapter offers an
      overview of recent progress in bioinformatics analyses of trace element
      utilization, metabolism, and function, especially comparative genomics of several
      important metals. The relationship between individual elements and several
      diseases based on recent large-scale systematic studies such as genome-wide
      association studies and case-control studies is discussed. Lastly, developments
      of ionomics and its recent application in human health are also introduced.

PMID- 28916939
TI  - [Gray-blue spots on the body of an infant].

PMID- 28916933
TI  - Interactions Between Genetics, Lifestyle, and Environmental Factors for
      Healthcare.
AB  - The occurrence and progression of diseases are strongly associated with a
      combination of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Understanding the
      interplay between genetic and nongenetic components provides deep insights into
      disease pathogenesis and promotes personalized strategies for people healthcare.
      Recently, the paradigm of systems medicine, which integrates biomedical data and
      knowledge at multidimensional levels, is considered to be an optimal way for
      disease management and clinical decision-making in the era of precision medicine.
      In this chapter, epigenetic-mediated genetics-lifestyle-environment interactions
      within specific diseases and different ethnic groups are systematically
      discussed, and data sources, computational models, and translational platforms
      for systems medicine research are sequentially presented. Moreover, feasible
      suggestions on precision healthcare and healthy longevity are kindly proposed
      based on the comprehensive review of current studies.

PMID- 28916935
TI  - Risk Stratification Model: Lower-Extremity Ultrasonography for Hospitalized
      Patients with Suspected Deep Vein Thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Wells score for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) has a high failure
      rate and low efficiency among inpatients. OBJECTIVE: To create and validate an
      inpatient-specific risk stratification model to help assess pre-test probability
      of DVT in hospitalized patients. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of hospitalized
      patients undergoing lower-extremity ultrasonography studies (LEUS) for suspected
      DVT. Demographics, physical findings, medical history, medications,
      hospitalization, and laboratory and imaging results were collected. Samples were
      divided into model derivation (patients undergoing LEUS 11/1/2012-12/31/2013) and
      validation cohorts (LEUS 1/1/2014-5/31/2015). A DVT prediction rule was derived
      using the recursive partitioning algorithm (decision tree-type approach) and was
      then validated. PARTICIPANTS: Adult inpatients undergoing LEUS for suspected DVT
      from November 2012 to May 2015, excluding those with DVT in the prior 3 months,
      at a 793-bed, urban academic quaternary-care hospital with ~50,000 admissions
      annually. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was the presence of proximal DVT,
      and the secondary outcome was the presence of any DVT (proximal or distal). Model
      sensitivity and specificity for predicting DVT were calculated. KEY RESULTS:
      Recursive partitioning yielded four variables (previous DVT, active cancer,
      hospitalization >= 6 days, age >= 46 years) that optimized the prediction of
      proximal DVT and yield in the derivation cohort. From this decision tree, we
      stratified a scoring system using the validation cohort, categorizing patients
      into low- and high-risk groups. The incidence rates of proximal DVT were 2.9% and
      12.0%, and of any DVT were 5.2% and 21.0%, for the low- and high-risk groups,
      respectively. The AUC for the discriminatory accuracy of the Center for Evidence
      Based Imaging (CEBI) score for risk of proximal DVT identified on LEUS was 0.73.
      Model sensitivity was 98.1% for proximal and 98.1% for any DVT. CONCLUSIONS: In
      hospitalized adults, specific factors can help clinicians predict risk of DVT,
      identifying those with low pre-test probability, in whom ultrasonography can be
      safely avoided.

PMID- 28916941
TI  - Analysis of perioperative antibiotic administration in electronic medical
      records: correlations among patients addressed by analyzing control chart data
      using the batch means method.

PMID- 28916937
TI  - The conversion of exposures due to radon into the effective dose: the
      epidemiological approach.
AB  - The risks and dose conversion coefficients for residential and occupational
      exposures due to radon were determined with applying the epidemiological risk
      models to ICRP representative populations. The dose conversion coefficient for
      residential radon was estimated with a value of 1.6 mSv year-1 per 100 Bq m-3
      (3.6 mSv per WLM), which is significantly lower than the corresponding value
      derived from the biokinetic and dosimetric models. The dose conversion
      coefficient for occupational exposures with applying the risk models for miners
      was estimated with a value of 14 mSv per WLM, which is in good accordance with
      the results of the dosimetric models. To resolve the discrepancy regarding
      residential radon, the ICRP approaches for the determination of risks and doses
      were reviewed. It could be shown that ICRP overestimates the risk for lung cancer
      caused by residential radon. This can be attributed to a wrong population
      weighting of the radon-induced risks in its epidemiological approach. With the
      approach in this work, the average risks for lung cancer were determined, taking
      into account the age-specific risk contributions of all individuals in the
      population. As a result, a lower risk coefficient for residential radon was
      obtained. The results from the ICRP biokinetic and dosimetric models for both,
      the occupationally exposed working age population and the whole population
      exposed to residential radon, can be brought in better accordance with the
      corresponding results of the epidemiological approach, if the respective relative
      radiation detriments and a radiation-weighting factor for alpha particles of
      about ten are used.

PMID- 28916944
TI  - Conflict of Interest and the CREATE-X Trial in the New England Journal of
      Medicine.
AB  - There is an increasing emphasis on clear disclosure of conflict of interest in
      medical communities, following repeated scientific frauds in clinical trials.
      However, incomplete COI statements continue to be prevalent in the medical
      community, as appears to have occurred in the Capecitabine for Residual Cancer as
      Adjuvant Therapy (CREATE-X) trial, which was recently published in the New
      England Journal of Medicine. The authors of the article did not clearly report
      the roles of the Japan Breast Cancer Research Group, a sponsor and funder of the
      study, although a majority of the Japanese authors served in important positions
      in the organization. Furthermore, the conflict of interest related to Chugai
      Pharmaceutical Company, a Japanese distributor of capecitabine, was not correctly
      disclosed. More transparent statements of conflict of interest and clarification
      of sponsors and funders' roles, as well as rigorous review by academic journals
      are required to fairly interpret the findings of clinical trials, including and
      beyond the single case of the CREATE-X trial.

PMID- 28916940
TI  - [Holistic approach for understanding and treatment of chronic pain in old age].

PMID- 28916938
TI  - ASNC imaging guidelines for nuclear cardiology procedures : Standardized
      reporting of nuclear cardiology procedures.

PMID- 28916915
TI  - Inflammatory diseases and bone fragility.
AB  - Systemic osteoporosis and increased fracture rates have been described in chronic
      inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, systemic
      lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel diseases, and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease. Most of these patients receive glucocorticoids, which have
      their own deleterious effects on bone. However, the other main determinant of
      bone fragility is the inflammation itself, as shown by the interactions between
      the inflammatory mediators, the actors of the immune system, and the bone
      remodelling. The inflammatory disease activity is thus on top of the other well
      known osteoporotic risk factors in these patients. Optimal control of
      inflammation is part of the prevention of osteoporosis, and potent anti
      inflammatory drugs have positive effects on surrogate markers of bone fragility.
      More data are needed to assess the anti-fracture efficacy of a tight control of
      inflammation in patients with a chronic inflammatory disorder. This review aimed
      at presenting different clinical aspects of inflammatory diseases which
      illustrate the relationships between inflammation and bone fragility.

PMID- 28916945
TI  - Simvastatin enhances radiation sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) for rectal cancer induces variable
      responses, and better response has been associated with improved oncologic
      outcomes. Our group has previously shown that the administration of HMG-CoA
      reductase inhibitors, commonly known as statins, is associated with improved
      response to neoadjuvant CRT in rectal cancer patients. The purpose of this study
      was to study the effects of simvastatin on colorectal cancer cells and explore
      its potential as a radiation-sensitizer in vitro. METHODS: Four colorectal cancer
      cell lines (SW480, DLD1, SW837, and HRT18) were used to test the effects of
      simvastatin alone, radiation alone, and combination therapy. Outcome measures
      included ATP-based cell viability, colony formation, and protein (immunoblot)
      assays. RESULTS: The combination of radiation and simvastatin inhibited colony
      formation and cell viability of all four CRC lines, to a greater degree than
      either treatment alone (p < 0.01). In addition, the effects of simvastatin in
      this combination therapy were dose dependent, with increased concentrations
      resulting in more potentiated inhibitory effects. The radiosensitizing effects of
      simvastatin on cell viability were negated by the presence of exogenous GGPP in
      the media. On protein analyses of irradiated cells, simvastatin treatment
      inhibited phosphorylation of ERK1/2, in a dose-dependent manner, while the total
      levels of ERK1/2 remained stable. In addition, the combined treatment resulted in
      increased levels of cleaved caspase 3, indicating greater apoptotic activity in
      the cells treated with radiation and simvastatin together. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment
      with simvastatin hindered CRC cell viability and enhanced radiation sensitivity
      in vitro. These effects were tied to the depletion of GGPP and the decreased
      phosphorylation of ERK1/2, suggesting a prominent role for the EGFR-RAS-ERK1/2
      pathway, through which statin enhances radiation sensitivity.

PMID- 28916942
TI  - Comment on "Effects of different omega-3 sources, fish oil, krill oil, and green
      lipped mussel against cytokine-mediated canine cartilage degradation" In Vitro
      Cell Dev Biol Anim. 2017 doi: 10.1007/s11626-016-0125-y.

PMID- 28916946
TI  - Association Between Placental Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHS), Oxidative
      Stress, and Preterm Delivery: A Case-Control Study.
AB  - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are known to disturb the antioxidant defense
      system, which may indirectly contribute to induction of early pregnancy in women.
      Therefore, the present investigation was designed to offer preliminary
      information about exposure to PAHs by estimating their placental levels and its
      association with oxidative stress as well as with preterm birth. Placenta tissue
      samples were drawn after delivery from 84 healthy pregnant women, recruited at a
      local nursing home of Agra, India, and levels of PAHs were quantified by gas
      chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector. To evaluate redox status
      biomarkers, malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were determined in
      placenta tissue. Significantly elevated levels of benzo(a)pyrene and MDA while
      decreasing trend of GSH was found in women with preterm delivery group (study)
      than women with a full-term delivery group (control). Results demonstrated
      higher, but statistically insignificant (p > 0.05), levels of naphthalene,
      anthracene, fluorene, pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene,
      indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, dibenzo(ah)anthracene, and benzo(ghi)perylene in the
      study group than the control group. However, higher and lower molecular weight
      PAHs showed significant correlation for the depletion trend of GSH sights upon an
      example of oxidative stress mechanism. Because of limited statistical power and
      absence of controlled confounders, this study does not provide an ample
      involvement of PAHs with preterm delivery but increased MDA and decreased GSH in
      cases than controls gives the possible contribution of PAHs to early delivery.

PMID- 28916936
TI  - Does diabetes mellitus comorbidity affect in-hospital mortality and length of
      stay? Analysis of administrative data in an Italian Academic Hospital.
AB  - AIMS: Hospitalized patients with comorbid diabetes mellitus may have worse
      outcomes than the others. We conducted a study to assess whether comorbid
      diabetes affects in-hospital mortality and length of stay. METHODS: For this
      population-based study, we analyzed the administrative databases of the Regional
      Health Information System of the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, where the Hospital
      of Udine is located. Hospital discharge data were linked at the individual
      patient level with the regional Diabetes Mellitus Registry to identify diabetic
      patients. For each 3-digit ICD-9-CM discharge diagnosis code, we assessed the
      difference in length of stay and in-hospital mortality between diabetic and non
      diabetic patients. We conducted both univariate and multivariate analyses,
      adjusted for age, sex, Charlson's comorbidity score, and urgency of
      hospitalization, through linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS: After
      adjusting for potential confounders, diabetes significantly increased the risk of
      in-hospital death among patients hospitalized for bacterial pneumonia (OR = 1.94)
      and intestinal obstruction (OR = 4.23) and length of stay among those admitted
      for several diagnoses, including acute myocardial infarction and acute renal
      failure. Admission glucose blood level was associated with in-hospital death in
      patients with pneumonia and intestinal obstruction, and increased length of stay
      for several conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with diabetes mellitus who are
      hospitalized for other health problems may have increased risk of in-hospital
      death and longer hospital stay. For this reason, diabetes should be promptly
      recognized upon admission and properly managed.

PMID- 28916950
TI  - In reply: Analysis of perioperative antibiotic administration in electronic
      medical records: correlations among patients addressed by analyzing control chart
      data using the batch means method.

PMID- 28916951
TI  - The Box Task: A tool to design experiments for assessing visuospatial working
      memory.
AB  - The present paper describes the Box Task, a paradigm for the computerized
      assessment of visuospatial working memory. In this task, hidden objects have to
      be searched by opening closed boxes that are shown at different locations on the
      computer screen. The set size (i.e., number of boxes that must be searched) can
      be varied and different error scores can be computed that measure specific
      working memory processes (i.e., the number of within-search and between-search
      errors). The Box Task also has a developer's mode in which new stimulus displays
      can be designed for use in tailored experiments. The Box Task comes with a
      standard set of stimulus displays (including practice trials, as well as stimulus
      displays with 4, 6, and 8 boxes). The raw data can be analyzed easily and the
      results of individual participants can be aggregated into one spreadsheet for
      further statistical analyses.

PMID- 28916947
TI  - Honey bees possess a polarity-sensitive magnetoreceptor.
AB  - Honey bees, Apis mellifera, exploit the geomagnetic field for orientation during
      foraging and for alignment of their combs within hives. We tested the hypothesis
      that honey bees sense the polarity of magnetic fields. We created an engineered
      magnetic anomaly in which the magnetic field generally either converged toward a
      sugar reward in a watch glass, or away from it. After bees in behavioral field
      studies had learned to associate this anomaly with a sugar water reward, we
      subjected them to two experiments performed in random order. In both experiments,
      we presented bees with two identical sugar water rewards, one of which was
      randomly marked by a magnetic field anomaly. During the control experiment, the
      polarity of the magnetic field anomaly was maintained the same as it was during
      the training session. During the treatment experiment, it was reversed. We
      predicted that bees would not respond to the altered anomaly if they were
      sensitive to the polarity of the magnetic field. Our findings that bees continued
      to respond to the magnetic anomaly when its polarity was in its unaltered state,
      but did not respond to it when its polarity was reversed, support the hypothesis
      that honey bees possess a polarity-sensitive magnetoreceptor.

PMID- 28916948
TI  - Viewer discretion advised: is YouTube a friend or foe in surgical education?
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the current era, trainees frequently use unvetted online resources
      for their own education, including viewing surgical videos on YouTube. While
      operative videos are an important resource in surgical education, YouTube content
      is not selected or organized by quality but instead is ranked by popularity and
      other factors. This creates a potential for videos that feature poor technique or
      critical safety violations to become the most viewed for a given procedure.
      METHODS: A YouTube search for "Laparoscopic cholecystectomy" was performed.
      Search results were screened to exclude animations and lectures; the top ten
      operative videos were evaluated. Three reviewers independently analyzed each of
      the 10 videos. Technical skill was rated using the GOALS score. Establishment of
      a critical view of safety (CVS) was scored according to CVS "doublet view" score,
      where a score of >=5 points (out of 6) is considered satisfactory. Videos were
      also screened for safety concerns not listed by the previous tools. RESULTS:
      Median competence score was 8 (+/-1.76) and difficulty was 2 (+/-1.8). GOALS
      score median was 18 (+/-3.4). Only one video achieved adequate critical view of
      safety; median CVS score was 2 (range 0-6). Five videos were noted to have other
      potentially dangerous safety violations, including placing hot ultrasonic shears
      on the duodenum, non-clipping of the cystic artery, blind dissection in the
      hepatocystic triangle, and damage to the liver capsule. CONCLUSIONS: Top ranked
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy videos on YouTube show suboptimal technique with
      half of videos demonstrating concerning maneuvers and only one in ten having an
      adequate critical view of safety. While observing operative videos can be an
      important learning tool, surgical educators should be aware of the low quality of
      popular videos on YouTube. Dissemination of high-quality content on video sharing
      platforms should be a priority for surgical societies.

PMID- 28916943
TI  - Emergency Neurological Life Support: Acute Non-traumatic Weakness.
AB  - Acute non-traumatic weakness may be life-threatening if it involves the
      respiratory muscles and/or is associated with autonomic dysfunction. Most
      patients presenting with acute muscle weakness have a worsening neurological
      disorder that requires a rapid, systematic evaluation and detailed neurological
      exam to localize the disorder. Urgent laboratory tests and neuroimaging are
      needed to confirm the diagnosis. Because acute weakness is a common presenting
      sign of neurological emergencies, it was chosen as an Emergency Neurological Life
      Support protocol. Causes of acute non-traumatic weakness are discussed here by
      both presenting clinical signs and anatomical location. For each diagnosis, key
      features of the history, examination, investigations, and treatment are outlined
      in the included tables or in the "Appendix".

PMID- 28916949
TI  - The Latina Birth Weight Paradox: the Role of Subjective Social Status.
AB  - The purpose of this project was to quantitatively test differences in subjective
      social status scores between non-pregnant and pregnant women to determine the
      role of subjective social status in birth weight variation between Mexico-born
      and US-born Mexican-American women. Six hundred low-income pregnant and non
      pregnant Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American women in south Texas were
      surveyed for subjective social status, depression, perceived social stress,
      parity, and pregnancy intendedness. Psychosocial health variables, parity, and
      pregnancy intendedness were included due to their significant associations with
      low birth weight. Pregnant women had higher subjective social status scores than
      non-pregnant women. The difference in scores between non-pregnant and pregnant
      women was smaller in Mexican immigrant women than Mexican-American women.
      Pregnancy intendedness did not influence subjective social status in pregnant
      women of either sample, but having children (parity) in both samples was
      associated with higher subjective social status scores. Among Mexican-American
      women, community subjective social status was correlated with levels of
      depressive symptoms and perceived social stress. Subjective social status,
      depression, and perceived social stress were not correlated among Mexican
      immigrant women. Our results suggest that incorporation into the USA influences
      maternal mental health vis-a-vis changes in how women of reproductive age think
      about themselves and their gender roles in relation to others. Theoretically, our
      work supports mixed-method approaches to document how culture change as a result
      of immigration may impact maternal and infant health. Future research should test
      whether the effect of subjective social status on birth weight occurs when
      subjective social status does not correlate with depression or stress.

PMID- 28916954
TI  - Discrimination and Mental Health in a Representative Sample of African-American
      and Afro-Caribbean Youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Racism and discrimination are psychosocial stressors that affect the
      health of minority populations. While discrimination has been associated with
      poor mental health, little is known about the relationship between discrimination
      and mental health outcomes in youth nationally. Furthermore, mental and
      behavioral health consequences of discrimination may differ in different minority
      groups. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to determine (1) how common
      perceptions of discrimination are in a nationally representative sample of
      African-American (AA) and Afro-Caribbean (AC) teens, (2) the relationship between
      discrimination and mental health conditions, and (3) whether discrimination has
      different associations with mental health in AA and AC youth. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional comparison study SETTING: National Survey of American Life-Adolescent
      Supplement, a nationwide sample of African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth
      drawn from a nationally representative household survey of AA and AC population
      PARTICIPANTS: One thousand, one hundred and seventy AA and AC youth between 13
      and 17 years EXPOSURE: Experiences with discrimination (Everyday Discrimination
      Scale) MAIN OUTCOMES: Lifetime and past 12-month major depression and anxiety
      RESULTS: Ninety percent of AA and 87% of AC youth experienced discrimination.
      Discrimination was significantly associated with lifetime and 12-month major
      depression and lifetime and 12-month anxiety. There were no differences in the
      associations between discrimination and mental health between AA and AC youth
      except for lifetime anxiety: as discrimination increased, the likelihood of
      lifetime anxiety disorder increased at a higher rate among AC youth compared to
      AA. CONCLUSIONS: Discrimination is a common psychosocial stressor in African
      American and Afro-Caribbean youth. It is associated with poor mental health
      outcomes. There was no difference in the occurrence of discrimination between
      African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth or in its mental health consequences.

PMID- 28916952
TI  - Air-electron stream interactions during magnetic resonance IGRT : Skin
      irradiation outside the treatment field during accelerated partial breast
      irradiation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate and to prevent irradiation outside the treatment field
      caused by an electron stream in the air generated by the magnetic field during
      magnetic resonance image-guided accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 20 patients who received APBI with a magnetic
      resonance image-guided radiation therapy (MR-IGRT) system were prospectively
      studied. The prescription dose was 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions of 3.85 Gy and
      delivered with a tri-cobalt system (the ViewRay system). For each patient,
      primary plans were delivered for the first five fractions and modified plans with
      different gantry angles from those of the primary plan (in-treatment plans) were
      delivered for the remaining five fractions to reduce the skin dose. A 1 cm thick
      bolus was placed in front of the patient's jaw, ipsilateral shoulder, and arm to
      shield them from the electron stream. Radiochromic EBT3 films were attached to
      the front (towards the breast) and back (towards the head) of the bolus during
      treatment. Correlations between the measured values and the tumor locations,
      treatment times, and tumor sizes were investigated. RESULTS: For a single
      fraction delivery, the average areas of the measured isodoses of 14% (0.54 Gy),
      12% (0.46 Gy), and 10% (0.39 Gy) at the front of the boluses were as large as 3,
      10.4, and 21.4 cm2, respectively, whereas no significant dose could be measured
      at the back of the boluses. Statistically significant but weak correlations were
      observed between the measured values and the treatment times. CONCLUSION: During
      radiotherapy for breast cancer with an MR-IGRT system, the patient must be
      shielded from electron streams in the air generated by the interaction of the
      magnetic field with the beams of the three-cobalt treatment unit to avoid
      unwanted irradiation of the skin outside the treatment field.

PMID- 28916955
TI  - Multicenter, randomized single-port versus multiport laparoscopic surgery
      (SIMPLE) trial in colon cancer: an interim analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) was recently introduced as an
      innovative minimally invasive surgery method. Retrospective studies have revealed
      the safety and feasibility of SPLS for colon cancer treatment. However, no
      prospective randomized trials have been performed. The multicenter, randomized
      SIMPLE (single-port versus multiport laparoscopic surgery) trial aimed to
      investigate short-term perioperative outcomes of SPLS for colon cancer treatment,
      compared with multiport laparoscopic surgery (MPLS). METHODS: Between August 2011
      and April 2014, a total of 194 patients with colon cancer were recruited from
      seven hospitals in Korea. Patients were randomly allocated into the SPLS group (n
      = 99) or MPLS group (n = 95). The primary endpoint was postoperative
      complications. Operative, postoperative, and pathologic outcomes were analyzed
      after 50% of the patient study population had been recruited. RESULTS: The
      patients' demographic characteristics, operative times, estimated blood volume
      losses, numbers of harvested lymph nodes, and lengths of both resection margins
      were not significantly different between groups. In the SPLS group, the rates of
      conversion to MPLS and open surgery were 12.9 and 2.2%, respectively.
      Postoperative complications occurred in 10.8% of the SPLS, and 12.5% of the MPLS
      patients (p = 0.714). Times to functional recovery, pain scores, and amounts of
      analgesia were similar between groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this interim
      analysis suggested that SPLS is technically safe and appropriate when used for
      radical resection of colon cancer. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01480128).

PMID- 28916953
TI  - Dexlansoprazole for Heartburn Relief in Adolescents with Symptomatic, Nonerosive
      Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitors are commonly used to treat gastro-esophageal
      reflux disease (GERD) and nonerosive GERD (NERD) in adolescents and adults.
      Despite the efficacy of available medications, many patients have persisting
      symptoms, indicating a need for more effective agents. AIMS: To assess the safety
      and efficacy of dexlansoprazole dual delayed-release capsules in adolescents for
      treatment of symptomatic NERD. METHODS: A phase 2, open-label, multicenter study
      was conducted in adolescents aged 12-17 years. After a 21-day screening period,
      adolescents with endoscopically confirmed NERD received a daily dose of 30-mg
      dexlansoprazole for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was treatment-emergent adverse
      events (TEAEs) experienced by >=5% of patients. The secondary endpoint was the
      percentage of days with neither daytime nor nighttime heartburn. Heartburn
      symptoms and severity were recorded daily in patient electronic diaries and
      independently assessed by the investigator, along with patient-reported quality
      of life, at the beginning and end of the study. RESULTS: Diarrhea and headache
      were the only TEAEs reported by >=5% of patients. Dexlansoprazole-treated
      patients (N = 104) reported a median 47.3% of days with neither daytime nor
      nighttime heartburn. Symptoms such as epigastric pain, acid regurgitation, and
      heartburn improved in severity for 73-80% of patients. Pediatric Gastroesophageal
      Symptom and Quality of Life Questionnaire-Adolescents-Short Form symptom and
      impact subscale scores (scaled 1-5) each decreased by an average of 0.7 units at
      week 4. CONCLUSIONS: Use of 30-mg dexlansoprazole in adolescent NERD was
      generally well tolerated and had beneficial effects on improving heartburn
      symptoms and quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study has the
      ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01642602.

PMID- 28916956
TI  - Transitioning to Minimal Footwear: a Systematic Review of Methods and Future
      Clinical Recommendations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent interest in barefoot running has led to the development of
      minimalist running shoes that are popular in distance runners. A careful
      transition to these shoes has been suggested and examined in the literature.
      However, no guidelines based on systematic evidence have been presented. The
      purpose of this review is to systematically examine the methods employed in the
      literature to transition to minimal footwear (MFW), as well as the outcomes to
      these studies in distance runners. In addition, MFW transition guidelines for
      future clinical practice will be presented based on observations from this
      review. METHODS: A systematic database search was employed using PubMed online as
      the primary database. Twenty papers were included in the final review. RESULTS:
      All studies implemented a prospective transition design to MFW with a detail of
      this transition provided, which increased MFW exposure up to an average of 60%
      (30-100%) at completion. Only 8/20 studies included injury prevention exercises,
      and 9/20 included gait retraining. The main outcomes of this transition included
      limited positive evidence of transitioning into MFW for running economy (n = 4
      studies) and muscle development (n = 5). The injury incidence comparing running
      during the MFW transition (17.9 injuries per 100 participants) to matched
      participants in conventional running shoes (13.4 injuries per 100) appears
      equivocal (p = 0.219; effect size phi (phi) = 0.06 [very small]). Finally,
      several important recommendations for clinical practice and future research have
      been presented. CONCLUSIONS: It is hoped that this paper will present important
      first steps in unifying the process of transitioning to MFW, both for academic
      and clinical use.

PMID- 28916958
TI  - Hailey-Hailey Disease and Reduction Mammoplasty: Surgical Treatment of a Gene
      Mutation.

PMID- 28916957
TI  - Perspectives of Women Considering Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy and their
      Peers towards a Telephone-Based Peer Support Intervention.
AB  - Prophylactic mastectomy is an effective strategy to reduce the risk of breast
      cancer for women carrying a BRCA1/2 germline mutation. This decision is complex
      and may raise various concerns. Women considering this surgery have reported
      their desire to discuss the implications of this procedure with women who have
      undergone prophylactic mastectomy. We conducted a qualitative study to describe
      the topics covered during a telephone-based peer support intervention between
      women considering prophylactic mastectomy (recipients) and women who had
      undergone this surgery (peers), and to explore their perspectives regarding the
      intervention. Thirteen dyads were formed and data from participant logbooks and
      evaluation questionnaires were analyzed using a thematic content analysis. Three
      main dimensions emerged: physical, psychological, and social. The most frequent
      topics discussed were: surgery (92%), recovery (77%), pain and physical comfort
      (69%), impacts on intimacy and sexuality (54%), cancer-related anxiety (54%),
      experience related to loss of breasts (46%). Peers and recipients report that
      sharing experiences and thoughts about prophylactic mastectomy and the sense of
      mutual support within the dyad contributed significantly to their satisfaction.
      Special attention should be paid to the similarities between personal and medical
      profiles in order to create harmonious matches.

PMID- 28916959
TI  - Potential use of membrane bioreactor to treat petroleum refinery effluent:
      comprehension of dynamic of organic matter removal, fouling characteristics and
      membrane lifetime.
AB  - This study aims to evaluate membrane bioreactor (MBR) performance in a pilot
      scale to treat petroleum refinery effluent, and has been primarily focused on (1)
      investigation of dynamics of organic matter removal; (2) characterization of
      membrane fouling under real hazardous events; (3) evaluation of the effect of
      fouling on membrane lifetime; and (4) estimate the membrane lifetime. The results
      have shown that the MBR was able to effectively reduce COD, NH3-N, turbidity,
      color, phenol and toxicity, and bring them to the levels required to meet
      disposal and non-potable water reuse standards. The FTIR results showed that
      organic matter was removed by biological oxidation and/or retained by adsorption
      in the biological sludge, or retention in the UF membrane, and that SMP was
      produced during the treatment. In terms of membrane permeability, the results
      showed that soluble fraction of mixed liquor contributed significantly to
      membrane fouling. And finally, considering the concept of lifetime based on
      permeability decline, a membrane lifetime of 7 years is expected.

PMID- 28916960
TI  - A novel approach using the enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal (eTEP) technique
      for laparoscopic retromuscular hernia repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal (eTEP) technique has been
      previously described for Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair. We present a novel
      application of the eTEP access technique for the repair of ventral and incisional
      hernias. METHODS: Retrospective review of consecutive laparoscopic retromuscular
      hernia repair cases utilizing the eTEP access approach from five hernia centers
      between August 2015 and October 2016 was conducted. Patient demographics, hernia
      characteristics, operative details, perioperative complications, and quality of
      life outcomes utilizing the Carolina's Comfort Scale (CCS) were included in our
      data analysis. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients with mean age of 54.9 years, mean
      BMI of 31.1 kg/m2, and median ASA of 2.0 were included in this analysis. Thirty
      four percent of patients had a prior ventral or incisional hernia repair. Average
      mesh area of 634.4 cm2 was used for an average defect area of 132.1 cm2. Mean
      operative time, blood loss, and length of hospital stay were 218.9 min, 52.6 mL,
      and 1.8 days, respectively. There was one conversion to intraperitoneal mesh
      placement and one conversion to open retromuscular mesh placement. Postoperative
      complications consisted of seroma (n = 2) and trocar site dehiscence (n = 1).
      Comparison of mean pre- and postoperative CCS scores found significant
      improvements in pain (68%, p < 0.007) and movement limitations (87%, p < 0.004)
      at 6-month follow-up. There were no readmissions within 30 days and one hernia
      recurrence at mean follow-up of 332 +/- 122 days. CONCLUSIONS: Our initial
      multicenter evaluation of the eTEP access technique for ventral and incisional
      hernias has found the approach feasible and effective. This novel approach offers
      flexible port set-up optimal for laparoscopic closure of defects, along with wide
      mesh coverage in the retromuscular space with minimal transfascial fixation.

PMID- 28916961
TI  - Practical computational toolkits for dendrimers and dendrons structure design.
AB  - Dendrimers and dendrons offer an excellent platform for developing novel drug
      delivery systems and medicines. The rational design and further development of
      these repetitively branched systems are restricted by difficulties in scalable
      synthesis and structural determination, which can be overcome by judicious use of
      molecular modelling and molecular simulations. A major difficulty to utilise in
      silico studies to design dendrimers lies in the laborious generation of their
      structures. Current modelling tools utilise automated assembly of simpler
      dendrimers or the inefficient manual assembly of monomer precursors to generate
      more complicated dendrimer structures. Herein we describe two novel graphical
      user interface toolkits written in Python that provide an improved degree of
      automation for rapid assembly of dendrimers and generation of their 2D and 3D
      structures. Our first toolkit uses the RDkit library, SMILES nomenclature of
      monomers and SMARTS reaction nomenclature to generate SMILES and mol files of
      dendrimers without 3D coordinates. These files are used for simple graphical
      representations and storing their structures in databases. The second toolkit
      assembles complex topology dendrimers from monomers to construct 3D dendrimer
      structures to be used as starting points for simulation using existing and widely
      available software and force fields. Both tools were validated for ease-of-use to
      prototype dendrimer structure and the second toolkit was especially relevant for
      dendrimers of high complexity and size.

PMID- 28916962
TI  - Effects of cholecystectomy on recurrent biliary complications after endoscopic
      treatment of common bile duct stone: a population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of cholecystectomy
      on mitigating recurrent biliary complications following endoscopic treatment of
      common bile duct stone. METHODS: We used the data from the Taiwan National Health
      Insurance Research Database to conduct a population-based cohort study. Among 925
      patients who received endoscopic treatment for choledocholithiasis at the first
      admission from 2005 to 2012, 422 received subsequent cholecystectomy and 503 had
      gallbladder (GB) left in situ. After propensity score matching with 1:1 ratio,
      the cumulative incidence of recurrent biliary complication and overall survival
      was analyzed with Cox's proportional hazards model. The primary endpoint of this
      study is recurrent biliary complications, which require intervention. RESULTS:
      After matching, 378 pairs of patients were identified with a median follow-up
      time of 53 (1-108) months. The recurrent rate of biliary complications was 8.20%
      in the cholecystectomy group and 24.87% in the GB in situ group (p < 0.001). In
      the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the only independent risk factor for
      recurrent biliary complications was GB left in situ (hazard ratio [HR] 3.55, 95%
      CI 2.36-5.33). CONCLUSIONS: Cholecystectomy after endoscopic treatment of common
      bile duct stone reduced the prevalence of recurrent biliary complications.

PMID- 28916963
TI  - Effects of different irrigation practices using treated wastewater on tomato
      yields, quality, water productivity, and soil and fruit mineral contents.
AB  - Wastewater use in agricultural irrigation is becoming a common practice in order
      to meet the rising water demands in arid and semi-arid regions. The study was
      conducted to determine the effects of the full (FI), deficit (DI), and partial
      root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation practices using treated municipal wastewater
      (TWW) and freshwater (FW) on tomato yield, water use, fruit quality, and soil and
      fruit heavy metal concentrations. The TWW significantly increased marketable
      yield compared to the FW, as well as decreased water consumption. Therefore,
      water use efficiency (WUE) in the TWW was significantly higher than in the FW.
      Although the DI and the PRD practices caused less yields, these practices
      significantly increased WUE values due to less irrigation water applied. The
      water-yield linear relationships were statistically significant. TWW
      significantly increased titratable acidity and vitamin C contents. Reduced
      irrigation provided significantly lower titratable acidity, vitamin C, and
      lycopene contents. TWW increased the surface soil and fruit mineral contents in
      response to FW. Greater increases were observed under FI, and mineral contents
      declined with reduction in irrigation water. Heavy metal accumulation in soils
      was within safe limits. However, Cd and Pb contents in fruits exceeded standard
      limits given by FAO/WHO. Higher metal pollution index values determined for
      fruits also indicated that TWW application, especially under FI, might cause
      health risks in long term.

PMID- 28916965
TI  - Factors affecting operative efficiency and post-operative convalescence in
      laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) adrenalectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) adrenalectomy is a novel
      challenging technique which is still under clinical evaluation. Initial reports
      have revealed its superiority in patient convalescence. In addition, it has been
      reported that some patient or anatomic factors might affect the ergonomics of
      LESS adrenalectomy. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible factors
      that might affect procedural efficiency and patient convalescence in LESS
      adrenalectomy. METHODS: Between October 2009 and July 2015, 105 consecutive adult
      patients with benign adrenal tumors, who underwent LESS retroperitoneal
      adrenalectomy were enrolled in this study. All the relevant peri-operative
      parameters were prospectively collected for later analysis. By using stepwise
      linear regression and stepwise selection of these peri-operative parameters,
      those that might affect the operative efficiency and patient convalescence were
      analyzed. RESULTS: Finally, 78 patients who completed follow-up and were eligible
      for stepwise linear regression were enrolled for final analysis. For parameters
      affecting operative efficiency, the fitted model revealed that patients with a
      pre-operative diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, a higher BMI, and an associated co
      morbidity of heart disease are associated with a longer operative time. In
      addition, the fitted model revealed that patients with a lower post-operative
      pain score, a delayed oral intake, and a diagnosis of non-functioning adrenal
      tumor were associated with a lengthier period before returning to normal
      activity. CONCLUSION: A higher BMI is the only anatomic factor that affects
      procedural efficiency in LESS adrenalectomy. In addition, post-operative pain
      score, time to oral intake, and a diagnosis of non-functioning adrenal tumor are
      the factors affecting patient convalescence.

PMID- 28916964
TI  - Presence of a [3Fe-4S] cluster in a PsaC variant as a functional component of the
      photosystem I electron transfer chain in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002.
AB  - A site-directed C14G mutation was introduced into the stromal PsaC subunit of
      Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 in vivo in order to introduce an exchangeable
      coordination site into the terminal FB [4Fe-4S] cluster of Photosystem I (PSI).
      Using an engineered PSI-less strain (psaAB deletion), psaC was deleted and
      replaced with recombinant versions controlled by a strong promoter, and the psaAB
      deletion was complemented. Modified PSI accumulated at lower levels in this
      strain and supported slower photoautotrophic growth than wild type. As-isolated
      PSI complexes containing PsaCC14G showed resonances with g values of 2.038 and
      2.007 characteristic of a [3Fe-4S]1+ cluster. When the PSI complexes were
      illuminated at 15 K, these resonances partially disappeared and two new sets of
      resonances appeared. The majority set had g values of 2.05, 1.95, and 1.85,
      characteristic of FA-, and the minority set had g values of 2.11, 1.90, and 1.88
      from FB' in the modified site. The S = 1/2 spin state of the latter implied the
      presence of a thiolate as the terminal ligand. The [3Fe-4S] clusters could be
      partially reconstituted with iron, producing a larger population of [4Fe-4S]
      clusters. Rates of flavodoxin reduction were identical in PSI complexes isolated
      from wild type and the PsaCC14G variant strain; this implied equivalent capacity
      for forward electron transfer in PSI complexes that contained [3Fe-4S] and [4Fe
      4S] clusters. The development of this cyanobacterial strain is a first step
      toward translation of in vitro PSI-based biosolar molecular wire systems in vivo
      and provides new insights into the formation of Fe/S clusters.

PMID- 28916966
TI  - Evaluation of in vitro efficacy of docetaxel-loaded calcium carbonate aragonite
      nanoparticles (DTX-CaCO3NP) on 4T1 mouse breast cancer cell line.
AB  - Cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate nanoparticles have shown promising
      potentials as slow drug-releasing compounds in cancer chemotherapy. In this
      study, we evaluated the in vitro efficacy of docetaxel (DTX)-loaded CaCO3NP on
      4T1 cell line. This was achieved by evaluating the following: cytotoxicity using
      MTT assay, fluorescence imaging, apoptosis with Annexin V assay, cell cycle
      analysis, scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scratch
      assay. Based on the results, DTX-CaCO3NP with a DTX concentration of 0.5 MUg/mL
      and above had comparable cytotoxic effects with free DTX at 24 h, while all
      concentrations had similar cytotoxic effect on 4T1 cells at 48 and 72 h.
      Fluorescence and apoptosis assay showed a higher (p < 0.05) number of apoptotic
      cells in both free DTX and DTX-CaCO3NP groups. Cell cycle analysis showed cycle
      arrest at subG0 and G2/M phases in both treatment groups. SEM showed presence of
      cellular blebbing, while TEM showed nuclear fragmentation, apoptosis, and
      vacuolation in the treatment groups. Scratch assay showed lower (p < 0.05)
      closure in both free DTX and DTX-CaCO3NP groups. The results from this study
      showed that DTX-CaCO3NP has similar anticancer effects on 4T1 cells as free DTX,
      and since it has a slow release rate, it is a more preferred substitute for free
      DTX.

PMID- 28916967
TI  - Combined analysis of the pre- and postoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio
      predicts the outcomes of patients with gastric cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a biochemical marker of the
      systemic inflammatory response and has been associated with prognosis for various
      types of cancer. This retrospective study investigates the relationship between
      the pre- and postoperative NLR and the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.
      METHODS: The subjects were 280 patients who underwent curative surgery for
      histopathologically diagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: The preoperative
      NLR was significantly correlated with tumor size, tumor depth, lymphatic
      invasion, venous invasion, and disease stage. In contrast, there was no
      correlation between the postoperative NLR and the various clinicopathological
      variables. Prognosis was significantly worse for patients with a high
      preoperative NLR than for those with a low preoperative NLR. Prognosis was also
      significantly worse for patients with a high postoperative NLR than for those
      with a low postoperative NLR. Furthermore, the prognosis was worse for gastric
      cancer patients whose pre- and postoperative NLRs were both high. Multivariate
      analysis indicated that a high pre- and postoperative NLR was an independent
      prognostic indicator. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of pre- and postoperative NLRs
      appears to be useful for predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

PMID- 28916969
TI  - Comparison of platelet-lymphocyte ratio and CA 19-9 in differentiating benign
      from malignant head masses in patients with chronic pancreatitis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic head ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and inflammatory head
      masses (IHM) related to chronic pancreatitis are often difficult to
      differentiate. PDAC produces significant inflammatory response with resultant
      lymphopenia and thrombocytosis. The prognostic role of platelet-lymphocyte ratio
      (PLR) as a tumor marker has been defined. We aimed to find the role of PLR as a
      diagnostic marker for PDAC in differentiating benign head mass comparing with
      carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9). METHODS: A prospective study of patients
      with biopsy-proven PDAC and benign IHM with underlying chronic pancreatitis from
      1st November 2014 to 30th June 2016 was performed. Total blood count including
      platelet count and CA 19-9 were recorded and statistically analyzed. RESULTS:
      There was no significant difference in total leukocyte counts (7789+/-2027 vs.
      7568+/-1289 cells/mm3) between PDAC (n = 34) and IHM (n = 27). However, the mean
      lymphocyte (2235+/-837 vs. 2701+/-631 cells/mm3) and platelet counts in mm3
      (3.36+/-0.789) * 105 vs. (2.45+/-0.598) * 105 showed difference. The median PLR
      was 161.9 (IQR = 117.5-205.6) in PDAC and 91 (IQR = 77.2-106.6) in IHM. The
      median CA 19-9 (U/mL) in PDAC and IHM was 69.3 (IQR = 22.7-427.7) and 13.9 (IQR =
      7.2-23.6), respectively. On plotting the receiver operator characteristic curve
      (ROC curve), area under the curve was maximum for PLR (88.7%) compared to CA 19-9
      (77.8%) in diagnosing PDAC (p<0.0001). Using coordinates of ROC, PLR cutoff value
      was 113.5 (sensitivity-79.4%, specificity-92.6%, positive predictive value (PPV)
      91.5%, negative predictive value (NPV)-99.7%) while CA 19-9 cutoff value was 25.3
      U/mL (sensitivity-73.5%, specificity-77.8%, PPV-78.5%, NPV-74.6%). CONCLUSION:
      PLR may be useful to differentiate PDAC from benign IHM in patients with chronic
      pancreatitis.

PMID- 28916968
TI  - HMGB proteins and arthritis.
AB  - The high-mobility group box (HMGB) family includes four members: HMGB1, 2, 3 and
      4. HMGB proteins have two functions. In the nucleus, HMGB proteins bind to DNA in
      a DNA structure-dependent but nucleotide sequence-independent manner to function
      in chromatin remodeling. Extracellularly, HMGB proteins function as alarmins,
      which are endogenous molecules released upon tissue damage to activate the immune
      system. HMGB1 acts as a late mediator of inflammation and contributes to
      prolonged and sustained systemic inflammation in subjects with rheumatoid
      arthritis. By contrast, Hmgb2 -/- mice represent a relevant model of aging
      related osteoarthritis (OA), which is associated with the suppression of HMGB2
      expression in cartilage. Hmgb2 mutant mice not only develop early-onset OA but
      also exhibit a specific phenotype in the superficial zone (SZ) of articular
      cartilage. Given the similar expression and activation patterns of HMGB2 and beta
      catenin in articular cartilage, the loss of these pathways in the SZ of articular
      cartilage may lead to altered gene expression, cell death and OA-like
      pathogenesis. Moreover, HMGB2 regulates chondrocyte hypertrophy by mediating Runt
      related transcription factor 2 expression and Wnt signaling. Therefore, one
      possible mechanism explaining the modulation of lymphoid enhancer binding factor
      1 (LEF1)-dependent transactivation by HMGB2 is that a differential interaction
      between HMGB2 and nuclear factors affects the transcription of genes containing
      LEF1-responsive elements. The multiple functions of HMGB proteins reveal the
      complex roles of these proteins as innate and endogenous regulators of
      inflammation in joints and their cooperative roles in cartilage hypertrophy as
      well as in the maintenance of joint tissue homeostasis.

PMID- 28916970
TI  - Caring for Patients' Families (or Lack of Family) in Neurocritical Care.

PMID- 28916974
TI  - Controlling Growth High Uniformity Indium Selenide (In2Se3) Nanowires via the
      Rapid Thermal Annealing Process at Low Temperature.
AB  - High uniformity Au-catalyzed indium selenide (In2Se3) nanowires are grown with
      the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) treatment via the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS)
      mechanism. The diameters of Au-catalyzed In2Se3 nanowires could be controlled
      with varied thicknesses of Au films, and the uniformity of nanowires is improved
      via a fast pre-annealing rate, 100  degrees C/s. Comparing with the slower
      heating rate, 0.1  degrees C/s, the average diameters and distributions (standard
      deviation, SD) of In2Se3 nanowires with and without the RTA process are 97.14 +/-
      22.95 nm (23.63%) and 119.06 +/- 48.75 nm (40.95%), respectively. The in situ
      annealing TEM is used to study the effect of heating rate on the formation of Au
      nanoparticles from the as-deposited Au film. The results demonstrate that the
      average diameters and distributions of Au nanoparticles with and without the RTA
      process are 19.84 +/- 5.96 nm (30.00%) and about 22.06 +/- 9.00 nm (40.80%),
      respectively. It proves that the diameter size, distribution, and uniformity of
      Au-catalyzed In2Se3 nanowires are reduced and improved via the RTA pre-treated.
      The systemic study could help to control the size distribution of other
      nanomaterials through tuning the annealing rate, temperatures of precursor, and
      growth substrate to control the size distribution of other nanomaterials.
      Graphical Abstract Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process proved that it can
      uniform the size distribution of Au nanoparticles, and then it can be used to
      grow the high uniformity Au-catalyzed In2Se3 nanowires via the vapor-liquid-solid
      (VLS) mechanism. Comparing with the general growth condition, the heating rate is
      slow, 0.1  degrees C/s, and the growth temperature is a relatively high growth
      temperature, > 650  degrees C. RTA pre-treated growth substrate can form smaller
      and uniform Au nanoparticles to react with the In2Se3 vapor and produce the high
      uniformity In2Se3 nanowires. The in situ annealing TEM is used to realize the
      effect of heating rate on Au nanoparticle formation from the as-deposited Au
      film. The byproduct of self-catalyzed In2Se3 nanoplates can be inhibited by
      lowering the precursors and growth temperatures.

PMID- 28916972
TI  - Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Clinical Depression among Community Medical
      Providers in Gujarat, India.
AB  - There is limited data on how community medical providers in India attempt to
      diagnose and treat depression, as well as on their general knowledge of and
      attitudes toward depression. A cross-sectional survey was conducted assessing
      knowledge and views of clinical depression with 80 non-psychiatric physicians and
      physician trainees recruited from community clinics and hospitals in Gujarat,
      India. Interviews were also held with 29 of the physicians to assess what they do
      in their own practices in regards to detection of and treatment of clinical
      depression. Although subjects showed a generally good basic understanding of the
      definition of clinical depression and its treatment, their responses reflected
      the presence of some negative and/or stigmatized attitudes toward clinical
      depression. Our findings raise the question of possible stigma among physicians
      themselves and underscore the importance of combatting physicians' stigma against
      and increasing awareness of how to detect and treat clinical depression.

PMID- 28916973
TI  - Myeloperoxidase can differentiate between sepsis and non-infectious SIRS and
      predicts mortality in intensive care patients with SIRS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a clinical syndrome
      following inflammation. Clinically, it is difficult to distinguish SIRS following
      an infection, i.e., sepsis, from non-infectious SIRS. Myeloperoxidase is a
      hemeprotein stored in the neutrophil azurophilic granules and is one of the main
      pillars of neutrophil attack. Therefore, we hypothesized that myeloperoxidase can
      differentiate between sepsis and non-infectious SIRS in patients with systemic
      inflammatory response syndrome in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: An
      observational single-center cohort study was conducted measuring myeloperoxidase
      in patients with SIRS in the first 48 h after admission. The outcomes were
      established using predefined definitions. Thirty-day mortality was
      retrospectively assessed. RESULTS: We found significantly higher levels of
      myeloperoxidase in patients with sepsis and septic shock compared to patients
      without sepsis (60 ng/ml versus 43 ng/ml, P = 0.002). Myeloperoxidase levels were
      related to 30-day mortality (P = 0.032), and high MPO levels on top of a high
      APACHE IV score further increased mortality risk. CONCLUSIONS: We show that
      myeloperoxidase is a potentially novel biomarker for sepsis in the ICU.
      Myeloperoxidase could eventually help in diagnosing sepsis and predicting
      mortality. However, more research is necessary to confirm our results.

PMID- 28916982
TI  - Chemical shift assignments and the secondary structure of the Est3 telomerase
      subunit in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha.
AB  - Telomerase is a multisubunit ribonucleoprotein enzyme that is essential for
      continuous cellular proliferation. A key role of telomerase in cancer and ageing
      makes it a promising target for the development of cancer therapies and
      treatments of other age-associated diseases, since telomerase allows unlimited
      proliferation potential of cells in the majority of cancer types. However, the
      structure and molecular mechanism of telomerase action are still poorly
      understood. In budding yeast, telomerase consists of the catalytic subunit, the
      telomerase reverse transcriptase or Est2 protein, telomerase RNA (TLC1) and two
      regulatory subunits, Est1 and Est3. Each of the four subunits is essential for in
      vivo telomerase function. Est3 interacts directly with Est1 and Est2, and
      stimulates Est2 catalytic activity. However, the exact role of the Est3 protein
      in telomerase function is still unknown. Determination of the structure, dynamic
      and functional properties of Est3 can bring new insights into the molecular
      mechanism of telomerase activity. Here we report nearly complete 1H, 13C and 15N
      resonance assignments of Est3 from the yeast Hansenula polymorpha. Analysis of
      the assigned chemical shifts allowed us to identify the protein's secondary
      structure and backbone dynamic properties. Structure-based sequence alignment
      revealed similarities in the structural organization of yeast Est3 and mammalian
      TPP1 proteins.

PMID- 28916980
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Panax notoginseng Saponins in Adhesive and Normal Preparation
      of Fufang Danshen.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Fufang Danshen formula, a famous Chinese patent
      medicine containing Salvia miltiorrhiza, Panax notoginseng and borneol, has been
      widely used in the treatment of coronary heart disease. The application is
      restricted by low bioavailability partly due to Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS)
      instability and low in vivo absorption. Thus, adhesive pellets were developed to
      improve bioavailability. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the
      adhesive preparation by describing PNS's plasma pharmacokinetics in vivo and
      compare adhesive micro pills with normal preparation. METHOD: LC-MS/MS method was
      established to analyze five ingredients, notoginsenoside R1 (R1), ginsenoside Rg1
      (Rg1), ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1), ginsenoside Re (Re), and ginsenoside Rd (Rd), in
      rats' plasma to describe the pharmacokinetic parameters of PNS. RESULTS: The
      pharmacokinetic parameters were significantly different after oral administration
      three formulations. The results show adhesive formulations are superior to Fufang
      Danshen tablet (FDT); there are differences between the two adhesive, but not
      obvious. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the modification with adhesive materials
      improved PNS bioavailability in Fufang Danshen formula. These findings provide a
      way for further in vivo evaluation of different formulations.

PMID- 28916971
TI  - Emergency Room Visits and Readmissions Following Implementation of an Enhanced
      Recovery After Surgery (iERAS) Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines have been widely
      promoted and supported largely due to several studies showing decreased post
      operative complications and length of stay. The objective of this study was to
      review the emergency room (ER) visits and readmission rates and reasons for both
      in patients who were part of the Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After
      Surgery (iERAS) program for colorectal surgery. METHODS: All patients having
      elective colorectal surgery at 15 academic hospitals were enrolled in the iERAS
      program. All patients were prospectively followed until 30 days post-discharge.
      Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable analysis.
      RESULTS: A total of 2876 patients (48% female; mean 60 years old) were enrolled.
      Cancer was the most frequent indication (68.2%) for surgery. Overall, the median
      length of stay (LOS) was 5 days. Post-discharge, 359 (11.6%) of patients had a
      visit to the ER not requiring admission. The most common reasons for visiting the
      ER were surgical site infections (SSI) (34.5%), other wound complications
      (10.0%), and urinary tract infections (UTI) (8.6%). In addition, a smaller
      proportion of patients, 260 (8.2%) required readmission. The most common reasons
      for readmission were ileus and nausea/vomiting (26.1%), intra-abdominal abscess
      (23.9%), and SSI (11.5%). Patient and disease factors associated with ER visits,
      on multivariable analysis, included extremes of BMI (RR 1.02, 95%CI 1.01-1.04, p
      = 0.002), rectal surgery versus colon surgery (RR 1.34, 95%CI 1.14-1.58, p <
      0.001), and open operative approach (RR 1.63, 95%CI 1.28-2.09, p < 0.001).
      Independent factors associated with hospital readmissions included rectal surgery
      (RR 1.89, 95%CI 1.34-2.77, p < 0.001), formation of a stoma (RR 1.34, 95%CI 1.04
      1.74, p = 0.026), and reoperation during first admission (RR 4.60, 95%CI 3.50
      6.05, p < 0.001). Length of stay of 5 days or less was not associated with ER
      visits or readmission (RR 0.99, 95%CI 0.72-1.35 and RR 0.91, 95%CI 0.71-1.18,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: Following colorectal surgery using an ERAS pathway,
      shortened length of stay is not associated with an increased return to the ER or
      hospital readmission. The majority of return visits to the hospital are ER visits
      not requiring readmission and the predominant reason for return are surgical site
      infections and wound complications.

PMID- 28916979
TI  - Ventral hernia repair with poly-4-hydroxybutyrate mesh.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biomaterial research has made available a biologically derived fully
      resorbable poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) mesh for use in ventral and incisional
      hernia repair (VIHR). This study evaluates outcomes of patients undergoing VIHR
      with P4HB mesh. METHODS: An IRB-approved prospective pilot study was conducted to
      assess clinical and quality of life (QOL) outcomes for patients undergoing VIHR
      with P4HB mesh. Perioperative characteristics were defined. Clinical outcomes,
      employment status, QOL using 12-item short form survey (SF-12), and pain
      assessments were followed for 24 months postoperatively. RESULTS: 31 patients
      underwent VIHR with bioresorbable mesh via a Rives-Stoppa approach with
      retrorectus mesh placement. The median patient age was 52 years, median body mass
      index was 33 kg/m2, and just over half of the patients were female. Surgical site
      occurrences occurred in 19% of patients, most of which were seroma. Hernia
      recurrence rate was 0% (median follow-up = 414 days). Patients had significantly
      improved QOL at 24 months compared to baseline for SF-12 physical component
      summary and role emotional (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ventral hernia repair with
      P4HB bioresorbable mesh results in favorable outcomes. Early hernia recurrence
      was not identified among the patient cohort. Quality of life improvements were
      noted at 24 months versus baseline for this cohort of patients with bioresorbable
      mesh. Use of P4HB mesh for ventral hernia repair was found to be feasible in this
      patient population. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01863030).

PMID- 28916978
TI  - Tumor Biology Predicts Pathologic Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
      in Patients Presenting with Locally Advanced Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is used to convert patients with
      inoperable locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) to operability, but has not
      traditionally been used to avoid mastectomy or axillary dissection in this
      subset. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the rates of
      pathologic complete response (pCR) in LABC patients, and identify factors
      predictive of pCR to determine if responding patients might be suitable for
      limited surgery. METHODS: From 2006 to 2016, 1522 patients received NAC followed
      by surgery; 321 had advanced disease in the breast (cT4) and/or in the nodes
      (cN2/N3). pCR rates were assessed by T and N stage, and receptor subtype.
      RESULTS: Of 321 LABC patients, 223 were cT4, 77 were cN2, and 82 were cN3. Forty
      three percent were hormone receptor (HR) positive/human epidermal growth factor
      receptor 2 (HER2) negative (HR+/HER2-), 23% were triple negative, and 34% were
      HER2+. The overall pCR rate was 25% and differed by receptor subtype (HR+/HER2-
      7%, triple negative 23%, HER2+ 48%; p < 0.001). Breast pCR occurred in 27% of
      patients and was similar in T4 versus non-T4 disease (29% vs. 22%; p = 0.26).
      Nodal pCR was achieved in 38% of cN+ patients and did not differ by nodal stage
      (cN1 43%, cN2 36%, cN3 32%; p = 0.23). Nodal pCR was significantly more common
      than breast pCR (p = 0.014) across all tumor subtypes. Receptor subtype was the
      only predictor of overall pCR (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In patients with LABC, pCR
      after NAC was seen in 25%, and did not differ by T or N stage. Tumor biology, but
      not extent of disease, predicted pCR. Studies assessing the feasibility of
      surgical downstaging with NAC in LABC patients are warranted.

PMID- 28916976
TI  - Preoperative risk factors for postoperative complications in endoscopic pituitary
      surgery: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability to preoperatively predict postoperative complication
      risks is valuable for individual counseling and (post)operative planning, e.g. to
      select low-risk patients eligible for short stay surgery or those with higher
      risks requiring special attention. These risks however, are not well established
      in pituitary surgery. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of associations
      between preoperative characteristics and postoperative complications of
      endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery according to the PRISMA guidelines. Risk of
      bias was assessed through the QUIPS tool. RESULTS: In total 23 articles were
      included, containing 5491 patients (96% pituitary adenoma). There was a wide
      variety regarding the nature and number of risk factors, definitions, measurement
      and statistics employed, and overall quality of mainly retrospective studies was
      low. Consistent significant associations were older age for complications in
      general, and intraventricular extension for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks.
      Associations identified in some but not all studies were younger age, increased
      BMI, female gender, and learning curve for CSF leaks; increased tumor size for
      complications in general; and Rathke's cleft cysts for diabetes insipidus.
      Mortality (incidence rate 1%) was not addressed as a risk factor. CONCLUSION:
      Based on current literature, of low to medium quality, it is not possible to
      comprehensively quantify risk factors for complications. Nevertheless, older age
      and intraventricular extension were associated with increased postoperative
      complications. Future research should aim at prospective data collection,
      reporting of outcomes, and uniformity of definitions. Only then a proper risk
      analysis can be performed for endoscopic pituitary surgery.

PMID- 28916983
TI  - Surface changes of nanotopography by carbon ion implantation to enhance the
      biocompatibility of silicone rubber: an in vitro study of the optimum ion fluence
      and adsorbed protein.
AB  - Lower cellular adhesion and dense fibrous capsule formation around silicone
      breast implants caused by lower biocompatibility is a serious clinical problem.
      Preliminary work has shown that ion implantation enhances cell adhesion. Whether
      the biocompatibility is further enhanced by higher doses of carbon ion
      implantation and the mechanism by which ion implantation enhances
      biocompatibility remain unclear. In this study, five doses of carbon ions, which
      gradually increase, were implanted on the surface of silicone rubber and then the
      surface characteristics were surveyed. Then, cell adhesion, proliferation and
      migration were investigated. Furthermore, the vitronectin (VN) protein was used
      as a model protein to investigate whether the ion implantation affected the
      adsorbed protein on the surface. The obtained results indicate that enhanced
      cytocompatibility is dose dependent when the doses of ion implantation are less
      than 1 * 1016 ions/cm2. However, when the doses of ion implantation are more than
      1 * 1016 ions/cm2, enhanced cytocompatibility is not significant. In addition,
      surface physicochemical changes by ion implantation induced a conformational
      change of the adsorbed vitronectin protein that enhanced cytocompatibility.
      Together, these results suggest that the optimum value of carbon ion implantation
      in silicone rubber to enhance biocompatibility is 1 * 1016 ions/cm2, and ion
      implantation regulates conformational changes of adsorbed ECM proteins, such as
      VN, and mediates the expression of intracellular signals that enhance the
      biocompatibility of silicone rubber. The results herein provide new insights into
      the surface modification of implant polymer materials to enhance
      biocompatibility. It has potentially broad applications in the biomedical field.

PMID- 28916981
TI  - Expression of a novel bi-directional Brassica napus promoter in soybean.
AB  - The expression profile of a natural bi-directional promoter, derived from the
      Brassica napus EPSPS-A gene, was studied in transgenic soybean (Glycine max C.V.
      Maverick) lines. Two constructs, pDAB100331 and pDAB100333, were assembled to
      test the bi-directionality of the promoter. Two reporter genes, gfp and gusA,
      were employed and they were interchangeably placed in both constructs, one on
      each end of the promoter such that both proteins expressed divergently in each
      construct. In the T0 generation, GUS expression was more uniform throughout the
      leaf of pDAB100333 transgenic plants, where the gusA gene was expressed from the
      downstream or EPSPS-A end of the bi-directional promoter. Comparatively, GUS
      expression was more localized in the midrib and veins of the leaf of pDAB100331
      transgenic plants, where the gusA gene was expressed from the upstream end of the
      bi-directional promoter. These observations indicated a unique expression pattern
      from each end of the promoter and consistently higher expression in genes
      expressed from the downstream end (e.g., EPSPS-A end) of the promoter in the
      tissues examined. The GFP expression pattern followed that of GUS when placed in
      the same position relative to the promoter. In the T1 generation, transcript
      analysis also showed higher expression of both gusA and gfp when those genes were
      located at the downstream end of the promoter. Accordingly, the pDAB100331 events
      exhibited a higher gfp/gusA transcript ratio, while pDAB100333 events produced a
      higher gusA/gfp transcript ratio consistent with the observations in T0 plants.
      These results demonstrated that the EPSPS-A gene bidirectional promoter can be
      effectively utilized to drive expression of two transgenes for the desired
      traits.

PMID- 28916985
TI  - Whole plastid transcriptomes reveal abundant RNA editing sites and differential
      editing status in Phalaenopsis aphrodite subsp. formosana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RNA editing is a process of post-transcriptional level of gene
      regulation by nucleotide modification. Previously, the chloroplast DNA of Taiwan
      endemic moth orchid, P. aphrodite subsp. formosana was determined, and 44 RNA
      editing sites were identified from 24 plastid protein-coding transcripts of leaf
      tissue via RT-PCR and then conventional Sanger sequencing. However, the RNA
      editing status of whole-plastid transcripts in leaf and other distinct tissue
      types in moth orchids has not been addressed. To sensitively and extensively
      examine the plastid RNA editing status of moth orchid, RNA-Seq was used to
      investigate the editing status of whole-plastid transcripts from leaf and floral
      tissues by mapping the sequence reads to the corresponding cpDNA template. With
      the threshold of at least 5% C-to-U or U-to-C conversion events observed in
      sequence reads considered as RNA editing sites. RESULTS: In total, 137 edits with
      126 C-to-U and 11 U-to-C conversions, including 93 newly discovered edits, were
      identified in plastid transcripts, representing an average of 0.09% of the
      nucleotides examined in moth orchid. Overall, 110 and 106 edits were present in
      leaf and floral tissues, respectively, with 79 edits in common. As well, 79 edits
      were involved in protein-coding transcripts, and the 58 nucleotide conversions
      caused the non-synonymous substitution. At least 32 edits showed significant
      (?20%) differential editing between leaf and floral tissues. Finally, RNA editing
      in trnM is required for the formation of a standard clover-leaf structure.
      CONCLUSIONS: We identified 137 edits in plastid transcripts of moth orchid, the
      highest number reported so far in monocots. The consequence of RNA editing in
      protein-coding transcripts mainly cause the amino acid change and tend to
      increase the hydrophobicity as well as conservation among plant phylogeny. RNA
      editing occurred in non-protein-coding transcripts such as tRNA, introns and
      untranslated regulatory regions could affect the formation and stability of
      secondary structure, which might play an important role in the regulation of gene
      expression. Furthermore, some unidentified tissue-specific factors might be
      required for regulating RNA editing in moth orchid.

PMID- 28916988
TI  - GestuRe and ACtion Exemplar (GRACE) video database: stimuli for research on
      manners of human locomotion and iconic gestures.
AB  - Human locomotion is a fundamental class of events, and manners of locomotion
      (e.g., how the limbs are used to achieve a change of location) are commonly
      encoded in language and gesture. To our knowledge, there is no openly accessible
      database containing normed human locomotion stimuli. Therefore, we introduce the
      GestuRe and ACtion Exemplar (GRACE) video database, which contains 676 videos of
      actors performing novel manners of human locomotion (i.e., moving from one
      location to another in an unusual manner) and videos of a female actor producing
      iconic gestures that represent these actions. The usefulness of the database was
      demonstrated across four norming experiments. First, our database contains clear
      matches and mismatches between iconic gesture videos and action videos. Second,
      the male actors and female actors whose action videos matched the gestures in the
      best possible way, perform the same actions in very similar manners and different
      actions in highly distinct manners. Third, all the actions in the database are
      distinct from each other. Fourth, adult native English speakers were unable to
      describe the 26 different actions concisely, indicating that the actions are
      unusual. This normed stimuli set is useful for experimental psychologists working
      in the language, gesture, visual perception, categorization, memory, and other
      related domains.

PMID- 28916986
TI  - Continuous Structured Population Models for Daphnia magna.
AB  - We continue our efforts in modeling Daphnia magna, a species of water flea, by
      proposing a continuously structured population model incorporating density
      dependent and density-independent fecundity and mortality rates. We collected new
      individual-level data to parameterize the individual demographics relating food
      availability and individual daphnid growth. Our model is fit to experimental data
      using the generalized least-squares framework, and we use cross-validation and
      Akaike Information Criteria to select hyper-parameters. We present our confidence
      intervals on parameter estimates.

PMID- 28916977
TI  - Tissue Transglutaminase Levels Are Not Sufficient to Diagnose Celiac Disease in
      North America Without Intestinal Biopsies: Don't Throw the Baby Out with the
      Bathwater.

PMID- 28916990
TI  - Transformation of anaerobic granules into aerobic granules and the succession of
      bacterial community.
AB  - In this study, we demonstrated that anaerobic granular sludge could be
      successfully transformed into aerobic granular sludge in a continuous up-flow
      reactor in 45 days. An aerobic microbial community successfully developed in the
      granules and high organic matter and nitrogen removal performance was achieved.
      Under an ammonia nitrogen loading rate of 0.8 kg N/(m3 day), ammonia nitrogen and
      the total nitrogen removal efficiency of the reactor reached up to 100 and 93%,
      respectively. An obvious bacterial community shift in granular sludge was
      observed during the transformation process. By comparing with the bacterial
      community in aerobic granules cultivated from floccular activated sludge, some
      bacteria (affiliated with Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Rhodocyclaceae,
      Moraxellaceae, and Nitrosomonadaceae) playing significant roles in maintaining
      the structures and functions of aerobic granules were identified. After the
      transformation, the granules could be clearly separated into the inner core and
      outer shell. 16S rRNA gene sequencing results indicated many bacterial species
      present in both the inner core and outer shell; however, their abundance differed
      significantly. Overall, this study confirms the feasibility of transforming
      anaerobic granules into aerobic granules and provides novel approaches and
      insights to understand the microbial ecology in granular sludge.

PMID- 28916989
TI  - Comparison of the Recovery Profile between Desflurane and Sevoflurane in Patients
      Undergoing Bariatric Surgery-a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Early and clear recovery from anesthesia is the crux for preventing perioperative
      complications in the obese undergoing bariatric surgery. Volatile inhalation
      agents by virtue of high lipid solubility are expected to produce residual
      anesthetic effects. Prospective randomized trials comparing desflurane and
      sevoflurane used for anesthesia maintenance (electroencephalograph guided) during
      bariatric surgery published till 1st of July 2017 were searched in the medical
      database. Comparisons were made for surrogate markers of recovery from anesthesia
      that included time to eye-opening (TEo), time to tracheal-extubation (TEx), and
      Aldrete scores on immediately shifting to recovery (Ald-I). Five trials were
      included in the final analysis. Patients receiving desflurane began to respond
      faster by opening eyes on command (five trials) by 3.80 min (95%CI being 1.83
      5.76) (random effects, P < 0.01, I2 = 78.61%), and tracheal extubation was also
      performed earlier (four trials) by 4.97 min (95%CI being 1.34-8.59). This meant a
      reduction of 37% in TEo and 33.60% in TEx over sevoflurane. Ald-I scores were
      higher/better with desflurane by 0.52 (95%CI being 0.19-0.84) (Fixed-effects, P <
      0.01, I2 = 6.67%). Publication bias is likely for TEo (Egger's Test, X-intercept
      = - 8.57, P = 0.02). No airway-related complications were reported with
      desflurane's expedited recovery. Use of desflurane compared to sevoflurane for
      maintenance of anesthesia in morbidly obese patients allows attaining verbal
      contact faster, and tracheal extubating can be performed earlier without
      compromising safety. The benefits of better recovery extend into the immediate
      postoperative phase with patients being more awake upon shifting to the recovery.

PMID- 28916987
TI  - Erratum to: The impact of disability in survivors of critical illness.
AB  - In the Results section, under the subheading "Return to work or usual
      activities", the second sentence should read.

PMID- 28916991
TI  - Higher physical activity and lower pain levels before surgery predict non
      improvement of knee pain 1 year after TKA.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of pain during the
      first year following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and evaluate pre- and
      postoperative factors associated with pain and patient satisfaction at 1 year. It
      was hypothesized that more severe preoperative pain would be associated with more
      residual pain and lower patient satisfaction 1 year after surgery. METHODS: A
      longitudinal cohort study was performed with repeated measures of pain (0-10
      numeric rating scale) and evaluation of other self-reported symptoms (Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Fatigue
      Severity Score), daily functioning (Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily
      Living Scale), quality of life (EQ-5D-3L), knee function (KSS Knee and Function
      Score), perioperative and clinical characteristics (e.g. surgery duration, brand
      of implant, comorbidities), biochemical parameters (haemoglobin, C-reactive
      protein, creatinine), and patient satisfaction (20-item scale). Post-surgical
      improvement was defined as at least a two-point decrease in the patient's rating
      of pain interference with walking from baseline to 1 year. Hundred patients (mean
      age 64 +/- 8 years and 93% female) consecutively admitted for uncomplicated
      primary TKA participated, and 79 with complete data were included in this
      analysis. RESULTS: Pain generally decreased during the first postoperative year,
      from an average rating of 6 (SD = 3) to 1 (SD = 2). However, 18 of the 79
      patients experienced no improvement in pain from baseline to 1 year. Factors
      associated with non-improvement of pain interference with walking after TKA
      included lower preoperative ratings of pain interference with walking (p < 0.001)
      and lower preoperative ratings of average pain (p = 0.004), active or very active
      levels of preoperative physical activity (p = 0.017), and higher ratings of worst
      pain on the first three postoperative days (p = 0.028). Pain at 1 year was the
      only predictor of lower patient satisfaction at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      with low preoperative pain ratings or high preoperative levels of physical
      activity are at increased risk of non-improvement in knee pain after TKA. This
      finding should be taken into consideration when selecting appropriate candidates
      for TKA surgery. Orthopaedic surgeons should pay particular attention to patients
      reporting low pain interference with walking and consider other conservative or
      surgical treatment options before TKA. Effective strategies for detection and
      treatment of TKA patients with high pain ratings at early follow-up visits also
      need to be developed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, Level II.

PMID- 28916975
TI  - Flaxseed Oil Supplementation Improve Gene Expression Levels of PPAR-gamma, LP(a),
      IL-1 and TNF-alpha in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Coronary Heart Disease.
AB  - This study was carried out to determine the effects of flaxseed oil
      administration on gene expression levels related to insulin, lipid and
      inflammation in overweight diabetic patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).
      This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among 60
      diabetic patients with CHD. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups to
      intake either 1000 mg n-3 fatty acid from flaxseed oil containing 400 mg alpha
      Linolenic acid [ALA (18:3n-3)] (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) twice a day for 12
      weeks. Gene expression related to insulin, lipid and inflammation were quantified
      in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of diabetic patients with CHD with
      RT-PCR method. Results of RT-PCR demonstrated that after the 12-week
      intervention, compared with the placebo, flaxseed oil supplementation could up
      regulate gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      (PPAR-gamma) (P = 0.02) in PBMC of diabetic patients with CHD. In addition,
      compared with the placebo, taking flaxseed oil supplements down-regulated gene
      expression levels of lipoprotein(a) [LP(a)] (P = 0.001), interleukin-1 (IL-1) (P
      = 0.001) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) (P = 0.02) in PBMC of
      diabetic patients with CHD. We did not observe any significant effect of flaxseed
      oil supplementation on gene expression levels of low-density lipoprotein receptor
      (LDLR), IL-8 and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in PBMC of diabetic
      patients with CHD. Overall, flaxseed oil supplementation for 12 weeks in diabetic
      patients with CHD significantly improved gene expression levels of PPAR-gamma,
      LP(a), IL-1 and TNF-alpha, but did not influence LDLR, IL-8 and TGF-beta.

PMID- 28916992
TI  - Longevity of daily oral vitamin D3 supplementation: differences in 25OHD and
      24,25(OH)2D observed 2 years after cessation of a 1-year randomised controlled
      trial (VICtORy RECALL).
AB  - : To determine how long vitamin D lasts after supplementation ceases, the marker
      of status was measured 2 and 3 years after a 1-year trial. Compared to placebo,
      the proportion of vitamin D-deficient women was still lower, if they had taken
      daily vitamin D3, after 2 years, indicating its longevity. INTRODUCTION: The
      purpose of this study was to determine longevity of vitamin D status following
      cessation of vitamin D3 supplementation, 2 and 3 years after a 1-year randomised,
      double-blind placebo controlled trial and to investigate possible predictive
      factors. METHODS: Caucasian non-smoking postmenopausal women randomised to
      ViCtORY (2009-2010), who had not taken vitamin D supplements since the trial
      ended, were invited to attend follow-up visits. Total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)
      and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (24,25OH2D) were measured by dual tandem mass
      spectrometry of serum samples following removal of protein and de-lipidation; the
      original randomised controlled trial (RCT) samples were re-analysed
      simultaneously. Vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) was measured by monoclonal
      immunoassay. RESULTS: In March 2012 and March 2013, 159 women (mean (SD) age 67.6
      (2.1) years) re-attended, equally distributed between the original treatment
      groups: daily vitamin D3 (400 IU, 1000 IU) and placebo. One month after the RCT
      ended (March 2010), the proportion of women in placebo, 400 IU and 1000 IU
      vitamin D3 groups, respectively, with 25OHD < 25 nmol/L was 15, 0 and 0 (chi
      square p < 0.001, n = 46, 44, 54). After 2 years (March 2012), it was 22, 4 and
      4% (p = 0.002, n = 50, 48, 57); after 3 years, it was 23, 13 and 15% (p = 0.429,
      n = 48, 45, 52). The respective proportions of women with 24,25OH2D < 2.2 nmol/L
      were 50, 2 and 2% (1 month, p < 0.001, n = 46, 44, 54); 42, 33 and 12% (2 years,
      p = 0.002, n = 50, 48, 57); and 45, 27 and 29% (3 years, p = 0.138, n = 47, 45,
      51). VDBP was a predictor of circulating 25OHD longevity (beta for VDBP in MUg/mL
      0.736; 95% CI 0.216-1.255, p = 0.006) but not 24,25OH2D. CONCLUSION: Four hundred
      international units or 1000 IU of daily vitamin D3 showed benefits over placebo 2
      years after supplementation ceased in keeping 25OHD > 25 nmol/L.

PMID- 28917001
TI  - A neural network model for familiarity and context learning during honeybee
      foraging flights.
AB  - How complex is the memory structure that honeybees use to navigate? Recently, an
      insect-inspired parsimonious spiking neural network model was proposed that
      enabled simulated ground-moving agents to follow learned routes. We adapted this
      model to flying insects and evaluate the route following performance in three
      different worlds with gradually decreasing object density. In addition, we
      propose an extension to the model to enable the model to associate sensory input
      with a behavioral context, such as foraging or homing. The spiking neural network
      model makes use of a sparse stimulus representation in the mushroom body and
      reward-based synaptic plasticity at its output synapses. In our experiments,
      simulated bees were able to navigate correctly even when panoramic cues were
      missing. The context extension we propose enabled agents to successfully
      discriminate partly overlapping routes. The structure of the visual environment,
      however, crucially determines the success rate. We find that the model fails more
      often in visually rich environments due to the overlap of features represented by
      the Kenyon cell layer. Reducing the landmark density improves the agents route
      following performance. In very sparse environments, we find that extended
      landmarks, such as roads or field edges, may help the agent stay on its route,
      but often act as strong distractors yielding poor route following performance. We
      conclude that the presented model is valid for simple route following tasks and
      may represent one component of insect navigation. Additional components might
      still be necessary for guidance and action selection while navigating along
      different memorized routes in complex natural environments.

PMID- 28916999
TI  - A simple and novel technique for regional citrate anticoagulation during
      intermittent hemodialysis may obviate the need for calcium monitoring.

PMID- 28916996
TI  - Successive Release of Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinase-1 Through Graphene
      Oxide-Based Delivery System Can Promote Skin Regeneration.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to testify the hypothesis that graphene oxide (GO)
      could act as an appropriate vehicle for the release of tissue inhibitors of
      metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) protein in the context of skin repair. GO
      characteristics were observed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force
      microscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. After TIMP-1 absorbing GO, the
      release profiles of various concentrations of TIMP-1 from GO were compared. GO
      biocompatibility with fibroblast viability was assessed by measuring cell cycle
      and apoptosis. In vivo wound healing assays were used to determine the effect of
      TIMP-1-GO on skin regeneration. The greatest intensity of GO was 1140 nm, and the
      most intensity volume was 10,674.1 nm (nanometer). TIMP-1 was shown to be
      continuously released for at least 40 days from GO. The proliferation and
      viability of rat fibroblasts cultured with TIMP-1-GO were not significantly
      different as compared with the cells grown in GO or TIMP-1 alone (p > 0.05). Skin
      defect of rats treated with TIMP-1 and TIMP-1-GO showed significant differences
      in histological and immunohistochemical scores (p < 0.05). GO can be controlled
      to release carrier materials. The combination of TIMP-1 and GO promoted the
      progression of skin tissue regeneration in skin defect.

PMID- 28916997
TI  - Coupled reactions by coupled enzymes: alcohol to lactone cascade with alcohol
      dehydrogenase-cyclohexanone monooxygenase fusions.
AB  - The combination of redox enzymes for redox-neutral cascade reactions has received
      increasing appreciation. An example is the combination of an alcohol
      dehydrogenase (ADH) with a cyclohexanone monooxygenase (CHMO). The ADH can use
      NADP+ to oxidize cyclohexanol to form cyclohexanone and NADPH. Both products are
      then used by CHMO to produce epsilon-caprolactone. In this study, these two redox
      complementary enzymes were fused, to create a self-sufficient bifunctional enzyme
      that can convert alcohols to esters or lactones. Three different ADH genes were
      fused to a gene coding for a thermostable CHMO, in both orientations (ADH-CHMO
      and CHMO-ADH). All six fusion enzymes could be produced and purified. For two of
      the three ADHs, we found a clear difference between the two orientations: one
      that showed the expected ADH activity, and one that showed low to no activity.
      The ADH activity of each fusion enzyme correlated with its oligomerization state.
      All fusions retained CHMO activity, and stability was hardly affected. The TbADH
      TmCHMO fusion was selected to perform a cascade reaction, producing epsilon
      caprolactone from cyclohexanol. By circumventing substrate and product
      inhibition, a > 99% conversion of 200 mM cyclohexanol could be achieved in 24 h,
      with > 13,000 turnovers per fusion enzyme molecule.

PMID- 28916998
TI  - Emergency Neurologic Life Support: Meningitis and Encephalitis.
AB  - Bacterial meningitis and viral encephalitis, particularly herpes simplex
      encephalitis, are severe neurological infections that, if not treated promptly
      and effectively, lead to poor neurological outcome or death. Because of the value
      of early recognition and treatment, meningitis and encephalitis was chosen as an
      Emergency Neurological Life Support protocol. This protocol provides a practical
      approach to recognition and urgent treatment of bacterial meningitis and
      encephalitis. Appropriate imaging, spinal fluid analysis, and early empiric
      treatment are discussed. Though uncommon in its full form, the typical clinical
      triad of headache, fever, and neck stiffness should alert the clinical
      practitioner to the possibility of a central nervous system infection. Early
      attention to the airway and maintaining normotension are crucial steps in the
      treatment of these patients, as is rapid treatment with anti-infectives and, in
      some cases, corticosteroids.

PMID- 28916993
TI  - Periostin in the pathogenesis of skin diseases.
AB  - Skin is an organ that is susceptible to damage by external injury, chronic
      inflammation, and autoimmunity. Tissue damage causes alterations in both the
      configuration and type of cells in lesional skin. This phenomenon, called tissue
      remodeling, is a universal biological response elicited by programmed cell death,
      inflammation, immune disorders, and tumorigenic, tumor proliferative, and
      cytoreductive activity. In this process, changes in the components of the
      extracellular matrix are required to provide an environment that facilitates
      tissue remodeling. Among these extracellular matrix components, periostin, a
      glycoprotein that is predominantly secreted from dermal fibroblasts, has
      attracted attention. Periostin localizes in the papillary dermis of normal skin,
      and is aberrantly expressed in the dermis of lesional skin in atopic dermatitis,
      scar, systemic/limited scleroderma, melanoma, cutaneous T cell lymphoma, and skin
      damage caused by allergic/autoimmune responses. Periostin induces processes that
      result in the development of dermal fibrosis, and activate or protract the immune
      response. The aim of this review was to summarize recent knowledge of the role of
      periostin in the pathogenesis of dermatoses, and to explore whether periostin is
      a potential therapeutic target for skin diseases.

PMID- 28917006
TI  - Synoptic operative reporting: assessing the completeness, accuracy, reliability,
      and efficiency of synoptic reporting for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Synoptic reporting (SR) is one solution to improve the quality of
      operative reports. However, SR has not been investigated in bariatric surgery
      despite an identified need by bariatric surgeons. SR for RYGB was developed using
      quality indicators (QIs) established by a national Delphi process. The objective
      of this study is to assess the completeness, accuracy, reliability, and
      efficiency of synoptic versus narrative operative reports (NR) in Roux-en-Y
      gastric bypass (RYGB). METHODS: A NR and SR were completed on 104 consecutive
      RYGBs. Two evaluators independently compared the reports to QIs. Completeness and
      accuracy measures were determined. Reliability was calculated using Bland-Altman
      plots and 95% limits of agreement (LOA). Time to complete SR and NR was also
      compared. RESULTS: The mean completion rate of SR was 99.8% (+/-SD 0.98%)
      compared to 64.0% (+/-SD 6.15%) for NR (t = 57.9, p < 0.001). All subsections of
      SR were >99% complete. This was significantly higher than for NR (p < 0.001)
      except for small bowel division details (p = 0.530). Accuracy was significantly
      higher for SR than NR (94.2% +/- SD 4.31% vs. 53.6% +/- SD 9.82%, respectively, p
      < 0.001). Rater agreement was excellent for both SR (0.11, 95% LOA -0.53 to 0.75)
      and NR (-0.26, 95% LOA -4.85 to 4.33) (p = 0.242), where 0 denotes perfect
      agreement. SR completion times were significantly shorter than NR (3:55 min +/-
      SD 1:26 min and 4:50 min +/- SD 0:50 min, respectively, p = 0.007). CONCLUSION:
      The RYGB SR is superior to NR for completeness and accuracy. This platform is
      also both reliable and efficient. This SR should be incorporated into clinical
      practice.

PMID- 28916994
TI  - Parity and Risk of Thyroid Cancer: a Population-Based Study in Lithuania.
AB  - An association between parity and thyroid cancer risk has been investigated in a
      number of independent studies but yielded contradictory findings. The aim of this
      study was to explore the association between parity and thyroid cancer risk. The
      population-based cohort study in Lithuanian was conducted. The study dataset
      based on the linkages between all records from the 2001 population census, all
      cancer incidence records from the Lithuanian Cancer Registry, and all death and
      emigration records from Statistics Lithuania for the period between 6 April 2001
      and 31 December 2009. Cox's proportional hazards regression models were used to
      estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) for parity, age at first birth, number of
      children, place of residence, education, and age at census. The cohort of 868,105
      women was followed for 8.6 years, and 1775 thyroid cancer cases were diagnosed
      during the study period. The significantly higher thyroid cancer risk was
      observed among parous women (HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.75) and in women with 1,
      2, and 3 children, after adjusting for the possible confounding effects of
      relevant demographic variables. The findings of this study are consistent with
      the hypothesis that parity might be associated with the risk of thyroid cancer in
      women.

PMID- 28917002
TI  - Comparison on effectiveness of trans-septal suturing versus nasal packing after
      septoplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - This systematic review applied meta-analytic procedures to evaluate the curative
      effect of trans-septal suturing versus nasal packing after septoplasty.
      Computerized search of the published literature in PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL,
      Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, WANFANG, CNKI databases. Randomized
      trials investigating trans-septal suturing versus nasal packing following
      septoplasty in patients with deviated nasal septum. Adhesion, septal hematoma,
      bleeding, septal perforation, infection, pain, headache, or residual septal
      deviation per randomized patients. 19 randomized controlled trials of 1845
      subjects were included. Meta-analysis showed that postoperative pain, headache,
      and adhesion were significantly lower in trans-septal suturing group. Nasal
      packing and trans-septal suturing technique appear to be equivalent with regard
      to postoperative bleeding, hematoma, septal perforation, infection, and residual
      septal deviation. Trans-septal suturing technology is not only associated with
      less patient pain, headache, and lower occurrence rate of adhesion after
      septoplasty but it also relates to higher patient satisfaction and an improved
      quality of life. The suturing technology can be used as a substitute for
      traditional nasal packing of the first-line treatment. More well-designed studies
      are needed to confirm the effect of trans-septal suturing following septoplasty.

PMID- 28917007
TI  - Specific properties of the SI and SII somatosensory areas and their effects on
      motor control: a system neurophysiological study.
AB  - Sensorimotor integration is essential for successful motor control and the
      somatosensory modality has been shown to have strong effects on the execution of
      motor plans. The primary (SI) and the secondary somatosensory (SII) cortices are
      known to differ in their neuroanatomical connections to prefrontal areas, as well
      as in their involvement to encode cognitive aspects of tactile processing. Here,
      we ask whether the area-specific processing architecture or the structural
      neuroanatomical connections with prefrontal areas determine the efficacy of
      sensorimotor integration processes for motor control. In a system
      neurophysiological study including EEG signal decomposition (i.e., residue
      iteration decomposition, RIDE) and source localization, we investigated this
      question using vibrotactile stimuli optimized for SI or SII processing. The
      behavioral data show that when being triggered via the SI area, inhibitory
      control of motor processes is stronger as when being triggered via the SII area.
      On a neurophysiological level, these effects were reflected in the C-cluster as a
      result of a temporal decomposition of EEG data, indicating that the sensory
      processes affecting motor inhibition modulate the response selection level. These
      modulations were associated with a stronger activation of the right inferior
      frontal gyrus extending to the right middle frontal gyrus as parts of a network
      known to be involved in inhibitory motor control when response inhibition is
      triggered over SI. In addition, areas important for sensorimotor integration like
      the postcentral gyrus and superior parietal cortex showed activation differences.
      The data suggest that connection patterns are more important for sensorimotor
      integration and control than the more restricted area-specific processing
      architecture.

PMID- 28917000
TI  - Routine use of mesh during hiatal closure is safe with no increase in adverse
      sequelae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary laparoscopic hiatal repair with fundoplication is associated
      with a high recurrence rate. We wanted to evaluate the potential risks posed by
      routine use of onlay-mesh during hiatal closure, when compared to primary repair.
      METHODS: Utilizing single-institutional database, we identified patients who
      underwent primary laparoscopic hiatal repair from January 2005 through December
      2014. Retrospective chart review was performed to determine perioperative
      morbidity and mortality. Long-term results were assessed by sending out a
      questionnaire. Results were tabulated and patients were divided into 2 groups:
      fundoplication with hiatal closure + absorbable or non-absorbable mesh and
      fundoplication with hiatal closure alone. RESULTS: A total of 505 patients
      underwent primary laparoscopic fundoplication. Mesh reinforcement was used in 270
      patients (53.5%). There was no significant difference in the 30-day perioperative
      outcomes between the 2 groups. No clinically apparent erosions were noted and no
      mesh required removal. Standard questionnaire was sent to 475 patients; 174
      (36.6%) patients responded with a median follow-up of 4.29 years. Once again, no
      difference was noted between the 2 groups in terms of dysphagia, heartburn, long
      term antacid use, or patient satisfaction. Of these, 15 patients (16.9%, 15/89)
      in the 'Mesh' cohort had symptomatic recurrence as compared to 19 patients
      (22.4%, 19/85) in the 'No Mesh' cohort (p = 0.362). A reoperation was necessary
      in 6 patients (6.7%) in the 'Mesh' cohort as compared to 3 patients (3.5%) in the
      'No Mesh' cohort (p = 0.543). CONCLUSIONS: Onlay-mesh use in laparoscopic hiatal
      repair with fundoplication is safe and has similar short and long-term results as
      primary repair.

PMID- 28917005
TI  - Outcome of pediatric acute kidney injury: a multicenter prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common problem encountered in
      critically ill children with an increasing incidence and evolving epidemiology.
      AKI carries a serious morbidity and mortality in patients requiring admission to
      a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS: We undertook a prospective
      cohort study of PICU admissions at three tertiary care hospitals in the Kingdom
      of Saudi Arabia over 2 years. The Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes
      (KDIGO) definition was used to diagnose AKI. RESULTS: A total of 1367 pediatrics
      PICU admissions were included in the study. AKI affected 511 children (37.4%),
      with 243 children (17.8%) classified as stage I (mild), 168 patients (12.3%)
      stage II (moderate), and 100 children (7.3%) were classified as stage III
      (severe). After adjustment for age, sex, and underlying diagnosis, in-hospital
      mortality was six times more likely among patients with AKI as compared to
      patients with normal renal function (adjusted OR: 6.5, 95% CI: 4.2-10). AKI was
      also a risk factor for hypertension (adjusted OR: 4.1, 95% CI: 2.8-5.9) and
      prolonged stay in the PICU and hospital, as it increased the average number of
      admission days by 10 (95% CI: 8.6-11) days in the PICU and 12 (95% CI: 10-14)
      days in the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: One-third of PICU admissions were complicated
      with AKI. AKI was associated with increased hospital mortality and the length of
      stay in both PICU and hospital.

PMID- 28917003
TI  - Effects of obesity and diabetes on rate of bone density loss.
AB  - : In this large registry-based study, women with diabetes had marginally greater
      bone mineral density (BMD) loss at the femoral neck but not at other measurement
      sites, whereas obesity was not associated with greater BMD loss. Our data do not
      support the hypothesis that rapid BMD loss explains the increased fracture risk
      associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity observed in prior studies.
      INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes and obesity are associated with higher bone mineral
      density (BMD) which may be less protective against fracture than previously
      assumed. Inconsistent data suggest that rapid BMD loss may be a contributing
      factor. METHODS: We examined the rate of BMD loss in women with diabetes and/or
      obesity in a population-based BMD registry for Manitoba, Canada. We identified
      4960 women aged >= 40 years undergoing baseline and follow-up BMD assessments
      (mean interval 4.3 years) without confounding medication use or large weight
      fluctuation. We calculated annualized rate of BMD change for the lumbar spine,
      total hip, and femoral neck in relation to diagnosed diabetes and body mass index
      (BMI) category. RESULTS: Baseline age-adjusted BMD was greater in women with
      diabetes and for increasing BMI category (all P < 0.001). In women with diabetes,
      unadjusted BMD loss was less at the lumbar spine (P = 0.017), non-significantly
      greater at the femoral neck (P = 0.085), and similar at the total hip (P =
      0.488). When adjusted for age and BMI, diabetes was associated with slightly
      greater femoral neck BMD loss (- 0.0018 g/cm2/year, P = 0.012) but not at the
      lumbar spine or total hip. There was a strong linear effect of increasing BMI on
      attenuated BMI loss at the lumbar spine with negligible effects on hip BMD.
      CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes was associated with slightly greater BMD loss at the
      femoral neck but not at other measurement sites. BMD loss at the lumbar spine was
      reduced in overweight and obese women but BMI did not significantly affect hip
      BMD loss.

PMID- 28916995
TI  - Effects of environmental enrichment on self-administration of the short-acting
      opioid remifentanil in male rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opioid abuse is a major problem around the world. Identifying
      environmental factors that contribute to opioid abuse and addiction is necessary
      for decreasing this epidemic. In rodents, environmental enrichment protects
      against the development of low dose stimulant self-administration, but studies
      examining the effect of enrichment and isolation (compared to standard housing)
      on the development of intravenous opioid self-administration have not been
      conducted. The present study investigated the role of environmental enrichment on
      self-administration of the short-acting MU-opioid remifentanil. METHODS: Rats
      were raised in an enriched condition (Enr), standard condition (Std), or isolated
      condition (Iso) beginning at 21 days of age and were trained to lever press for 1
      or 3 MUg/kg/infusion remifentanil in young adulthood. Acquisition of self
      administration and responding during increasing fixed ratio requirements were
      assessed, and a dose-response curve was generated. RESULTS: In all phases, Enr
      rats lever pressed significantly less than Std and Iso rats, with Enr rats
      pressing between 9 and 40% the amount of Iso rats. Enr rats did not acquire
      remifentanil self-administration when trained with 1 MUg/kg/infusion, did not
      increase responding over increasing FR when trained at either dose, and their
      dose-response curves were flattened compared to Std and Iso rats. When expressed
      as economic demand curves, Enr rats displayed a decrease in both essential value
      (higher alpha) and reinforcer intensity (Q 0) compared to Std and Iso rats at the
      1 MUg/kg/infusion training dose. CONCLUSION: Environmental enrichment reduced
      remifentanil intake, suggesting that social and environmental novelty may protect
      against opioid abuse.

PMID- 28917014
TI  - More insight into the interplay of response selection and visual attention in
      dual-tasks: masked visual search and response selection are performed in
      parallel.
AB  - Both response selection and visual attention are limited in capacity. According
      to the central bottleneck model, the response selection processes of two tasks in
      a dual-task situation are performed sequentially. In conjunction search, visual
      attention is required to select the items and to bind their features (e.g., color
      and form), which results in a serial search process. Search time increases as
      items are added to the search display (i.e., set size effect). When the search
      display is masked, visual attention deployment is restricted to a brief period of
      time and target detection decreases as a function of set size. Here, we
      investigated whether response selection and visual attention (i.e., feature
      binding) rely on a common or on distinct capacity limitations. In four dual-task
      experiments, participants completed an auditory Task 1 and a conjunction search
      Task 2 that were presented with an experimentally modulated temporal interval
      between them (Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, SOA). In Experiment 1, Task 1 was a two
      choice discrimination task and the conjunction search display was not masked. In
      Experiment 2, the response selection difficulty in Task 1 was increased to a four
      choice discrimination and the search task was the same as in Experiment 1. We
      applied the locus-of-slack method in both experiments to analyze conjunction
      search time, that is, we compared the set size effects across SOAs. Similar set
      size effects across SOAs (i.e., additive effects of SOA and set size) would
      indicate sequential processing of response selection and visual attention.
      However, a significantly smaller set size effect at short SOA compared to long
      SOA (i.e., underadditive interaction of SOA and set size) would indicate parallel
      processing of response selection and visual attention. In both experiments, we
      found underadditive interactions of SOA and set size. In Experiments 3 and 4, the
      conjunction search display in Task 2 was masked. Task 1 was the same as in
      Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. In both experiments, the d' analysis revealed
      that response selection did not affect target detection. Overall, Experiments 1-4
      indicated that neither the response selection difficulty in the auditory Task 1
      (i.e., two-choice vs. four-choice) nor the type of presentation of the search
      display in Task 2 (i.e., not masked vs. masked) impaired parallel processing of
      response selection and conjunction search. We concluded that in general, response
      selection and visual attention (i.e., feature binding) rely on distinct capacity
      limitations.

PMID- 28917015
TI  - Metronome LKM: An open source virtual keyboard driver to measure experiment
      software latencies.
AB  - Experiment software is often used to measure reaction times gathered with
      keyboards or other input devices. In previous studies, the accuracy and precision
      of time stamps has been assessed through several means: (a) generating accurate
      square wave signals from an external device connected to the parallel port of the
      computer running the experiment software, (b) triggering the typematic repeat
      feature of some keyboards to get an evenly separated series of keypress events,
      or (c) using a solenoid handled by a microcontroller to press the input device
      (keyboard, mouse button, touch screen) that will be used in the experimental
      setup. Despite the advantages of these approaches in some contexts, none of them
      can isolate the measurement error caused by the experiment software itself.
      Metronome LKM provides a virtual keyboard to assess an experiment's software.
      Using this open source driver, researchers can generate keypress events using
      high-resolution timers and compare the time stamps collected by the experiment
      software with those gathered by Metronome LKM (with nanosecond resolution). Our
      software is highly configurable (in terms of keys pressed, intervals, SysRq
      activation) and runs on 2.6-4.8 Linux kernels.

PMID- 28917008
TI  - Peritoneal dialysis catheter function and survival are not adversely affected by
      obesity regardless of the operative technique used.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity has been considered a relative contraindication to peritoneal
      dialysis (PD). Surprisingly, PD catheter dysfunction rates and longevity have not
      been studied in the growing obese ESRD population. The aim of this study was to
      determine the effect of patient weight on PD catheter survival in the three
      insertion technique categories of advanced laparoscopy (AL), basic laparoscopy
      (BL), and open. METHODS: We examine retrospectively collected data on 231
      consecutive PD catheter insertions at the NorthShore University HealthSystem
      between 2004 and 2014. Three cohorts were created based on the catheter insertion
      technique: open, BL using selective adhesiolysis, and AL using rectus sheath
      tunnel, selective omentopexy, and adhesiolysis. Primary outcomes included
      catheter dysfunction and catheter dysfunction-free survival for each cohort by
      BMI: normal weight (18.5-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), obese (>=30). Nominal
      variables were compared using Chi-square test, continuous variables using ANOVA
      or Kruskal-Wallis tests, and catheter survival was assessed using the Kaplan
      Meier method with log-rank test. Statistical significance was established at
      0.05. RESULTS: For the three BMI categories, there were no statistically
      significant differences in patient demographics. There were no statistically
      significant differences in catheter dysfunction or peri-operative complications
      by BMI category among all patients. This was also true in the AL cohort. Among
      all patients, similar 2-year dysfunction-free catheter survival was noted for
      normal weight, overweight, and obese patients (log-rank p = 0.79). This was also
      true across all insertion techniques: open (log-rank p = 0.87), BL (log-rank p =
      0.41), AL (log-rank p = 0.43). In the obese cohort, the 2-year dysfunction-free
      catheter survival was 91.1% in AL, 83.5% in BL, and 65.7% in open (log-rank p =
      0.58). CONCLUSION: Obesity does not increase complications or shorten dysfunction
      free PD catheter survival regardless of the operative technique used. Obesity
      should not be considered as a relative contraindication to PD catheter placement
      as it confers similar technique success to normal- and overweight individuals.

PMID- 28917010
TI  - Differences of alternative methods of measuring abdominal wall hernia defect
      size: a prospective observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of defect size, there are no standardized
      recommendations on how to measure ventral hernias. Our aims were to determine (1)
      if any significant differences existed between various methods of measuring
      ventral hernias and (2) the effect of these methods of measurement on selection
      of mesh size. METHOD: A prospective study of all patients enrolled in a
      randomized trial assessing laparoscopic ventral hernia repair at a single
      institution from 3/2015 to 7/2016 was eligible for inclusion. Abdominal wall
      hernia defect size was determined by multiplying defect length and width obtained
      separately using each of five methods: radiographic (CT), intraoperative with
      abdomen desufflated, intraoperative with abdomen insufflated to 15 mmHg (intra
      abdominal aspect), intraoperative with abdomen insufflated to 15 mmHg (extra
      abdominal aspect), and clinical. The primary outcome was intraclass correlation
      between the five different methods of measurement for each patient. Secondary
      outcome was changes in mesh selection assuming a 5 cm overlap in each direction.
      RESULTS: Fifty patients met inclusion criteria for assessment. The five different
      measurement methods had an intraclass correlation for each patient of 0.533 (95%
      CI 0.373-0.697) (weak correlation) for length; 0.737 (95% CI 0.613-0.844)
      (moderate correlation) for width; and 0.684 (95% CI 0.544-0.810) (moderate
      correlation) for area. Different types of measurements affected mesh selection in
      up to 56% of cases. CONCLUSION: Among five common methods of measuring abdominal
      wall hernia defect, sizes are only weakly to moderately correlated. Further
      studies are needed to determine which method results in optimally sized abdominal
      wall prostheses and superior ventral hernia repair.

PMID- 28917009
TI  - Preparation, Characterization and In Vitro / In Vivo Evaluation of Oral Time
      Controlled Release Etodolac Pellets.
AB  - The objective of this study was to prepare time-controlled release etodolac
      pellets to facilitate drug administration according to the body's biological
      rhythm, optimize the drug's desired effects, and minimize adverse effects. The
      preparation consisted of three laminal layers from center to outside: the core,
      the swelling layer, and the insoluble polymer membrane. Factors influenced the
      core and the coating films were investigated in this study. The core pellets
      formulated with etodolac, lactose, and sodium carboxymethyl starch (CMS-Na) were
      prepared by extrusion-spheronization and then coated by a fluidized bed coater.
      Croscarmellose sodium (CC-Na) was selected as the swelling agent, and ethyl
      cellulose (EC) as the controlled release layer. The prepared pellets were
      characterized by scanning electron microscopy and evaluated by a dissolution test
      and a pharmacokinetic study. Compared with commercial available capsules,
      pharmacokinetics studies in beagle dogs indicated that the prepared pellets
      release the drug within a short period of time, immediately after a predetermined
      lag time. A good correlation between in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption
      of the pellets was exhibited in the analysis.

PMID- 28917013
TI  - Increasing Juniperus virginiana L. pollen in the Tulsa atmosphere: long-term
      trends, variability, and influence of meteorological conditions.
AB  - In the Tulsa area, the Cupressaceae is largely represented by eastern red cedar
      (Juniperus virginiana L.). The encroachment of this species into the grasslands
      of Oklahoma has been well documented, and it is believed this trend will
      continue. The pollen is known to be allergenic and is a major component of the
      Tulsa atmosphere in February and March. This study examined airborne Cupressaceae
      pollen data from 1987 to 2016 to determine long-term trends, pollen seasonal
      variability, and influence of meteorological variables on airborne pollen
      concentrations. Pollen was collected through means of a Burkard sampler and
      analyzed with microscopy. Daily pollen concentrations and yearly pollen metrics
      showed a high degree of variability. In addition, there were significant
      increases over time in the seasonal pollen index and in peak concentrations.
      These increases parallel the increasing population of J. virginiana in the
      region. Pollen data were split into pre- and post-peak categories for statistical
      analyses, which revealed significant differences in correlations of the two
      datasets when analyzed with meteorological conditions. While temperature and dew
      point, among others were significant in both datasets, other factors, like
      relative humidity, were significant only in one dataset. Analyses using wind
      direction showed that southerly and southwestern winds contributed to increased
      pollen concentrations. This study confirms that J. virginiana pollen has become
      an increasing risk for individuals sensitive to this pollen and emphasizes the
      need for long-term aerobiological monitoring in other areas.

PMID- 28917012
TI  - Operative and short-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic versus open liver
      resection for colorectal liver metastases located in the posterosuperior liver: a
      propensity score matching analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic resection (LLR) of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM)
      located in the posterosuperior liver (segments 4a, 7, and 8) is challenging but
      has become more practical recently due to progress in operative techniques. We
      aimed to compare tumor-specific, perioperative, and short-term oncological
      outcomes after LLR and open liver resection (OLR) for CRLM. METHODS: Patients who
      underwent curative resection of CRLM with at least 1 tumor in the posterosuperior
      liver during 2012-2015 were analyzed. Tumor-specific factors associated with the
      adoption of LLR were analyzed by logistic regression model. One-to-one propensity
      score matching was used to match baseline characteristics between patients with
      LLR and OLR. RESULTS: The original cohort included 30 patients with LLR and 239
      with OLR. Median follow-up time was 23.8 months. Logistic regression analysis
      showed that multiple, diameter >=30 mm, deep location, and closeness to major
      vessels were associated with OLR. None of the 24 patients with none or one of
      these factors were converted from LLR to OLR. After matching, 29 patients with
      LLR and 29 with OLR were analyzed. The 2 groups had similar preoperative factors.
      The LLR and OLR groups did not differ with respect to operative time,
      intraoperative bleeding, incidence of blood transfusion, surgical margin
      positivity, incidence of postoperative complications, and unplanned readmission
      within 45 days. Median length of postoperative hospital stay was significantly
      shorter for LLR versus OLR (4 days [1-12] vs. 5 days [4-18]; p = 0.0003). Median
      recurrence-free survival was similar for patients who underwent LLR versus OLR
      (10.6 months for LLR vs. 13.4 months for OLR; p = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to
      OLR, LLR of posterosuperior CRLM is associated with significantly shorter
      postoperative hospital stay but otherwise similar perioperative and short-term
      oncological outcomes. Tumor-specific factors associated with safe and routine LLR
      approach despite challenging location are superficial, solitary, and small (<30
      mm) CRLM not associated with major vessels.

PMID- 28917016
TI  - Predictors of outpatient resource utilization following ventral and incisional
      hernia repair.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the predictors of increased ambulatory costs
      following open ventral and incisional hernia repair (VIHR); however,
      postoperative complications would be expected to be associated with an increased
      burden on outpatient resources. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the
      impact of perioperative factors on outpatient resource utilization following
      VIHR. METHODS: With IRB approval, the surgery scheduling system was queried to
      identify all cases of VIHR done at our institution over 3 years. Cases with other
      procedures done at time of VIHR were excluded. National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Program clinical data, physician billing data which included market
      and payor across cases, and medical record review data were combined and
      evaluated in order to quantify care and predictors of usage during the 6 months
      postoperatively. RESULTS: Data were analyzed for 308 patients. Median patient age
      was 52 years (SD = 13.3), and over half were female. The number of outpatient
      visits to the surgical office varied from 0 to 18 [median = 2; interquartile
      range (IQR) = 1-3]. CDC Wound Class >1 was associated with increase of mean 1.4
      visits (IQR: 0.5-2.3); p = 0.003. Component separation, longer duration of
      operation, and increased mesh size were also predictive of increased number of
      office visits (p < 0.01). Postoperative infected seroma/seroma requiring drainage
      added a mean 2.3 visits (IQR: 1.3-3.3), (p < 0.001); and deep wound infection
      added a mean 3.9 visits (IQR: 1.9-5.9) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative
      complications confer a significant burden for patients and to the outpatient
      surgical office. In an era in which improved quality and cost-efficiency has
      become imperative, measures to decrease risk of postoperative complications
      particularly for more complex VIHR would be expected to decrease resource
      utilization and increase value of care.

PMID- 28917018
TI  - Temporal trends in utilization and outcomes of endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography in acute cholangitis due to choledocholithiasis from
      1998 to 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Expeditious endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
      (ERCP) in acute cholangitis with biliary decompression is associated with better
      outcomes. In this study, we evaluated the temporal trends of ERCP utilization and
      healthcare outcomes among patients hospitalized with acute cholangitis due to
      choledocholithiasis (CDC) from 1998 to 2012. METHODS: We identified patients with
      a combined diagnosis of cholangitis and choledocholithiasis from the national
      inpatient sample database. The temporal trends of ERCP usage and outcomes were
      analyzed. Based on timing of the procedure, we arbitrarily divided ERCPs into
      urgent (<24 h), early(24-48 h), and delayed ERCP(>48 h) groups. In addition,
      trends in length of stay (LOS), hospital charges, and in-hospital mortality rates
      were evaluated. RESULTS: In-patient admissions for CDC increased by 105.7%.
      Overall ERCP rate also increased significantly from 66.5 +/- 2.3% in 1998 to 80.3
      +/- 0.93% in 2012, particularly after 2006-2007. There was a significant increase
      in proportion of urgent and early ERCPs. In the early ERCP group, there was a
      significant decrease in LOS (6.4 +/- 0.43 days in 1998 to 5.8 +/- 0.24 days in
      2012) and mortality rate (2.4 +/- 1.4% in 1998 to 0.33 +/- 0.33% in 2012).
      Hospital charges increased in all ERCP groups, but most significantly in delayed
      ERCP group ($20,448 +/- 1611 in 1998 to $90,566 +/- 6122 in 2012). CONCLUSION: In
      patient admissions for CDC and ERCP rates have increased significantly,
      particularly evident after 2006-2007. This may be attributed to increasing
      incidence of gallstones and wider implementation of Tokyo guidelines for the
      management of acute cholangitis. In-hospital morality and LOS reduced
      significantly in early ERCP group, whereas hospital charges increased most
      significantly in delayed ERCP group.

PMID- 28917011
TI  - Prevalence, predictors, and prognostic implications of PR interval prolongation
      in patients with heart failure.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the prevalence, incidence, predictors, and prognostic
      implications of PR interval prolongation in patients referred with suspected
      heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients referred with suspected
      heart failure were prospectively enrolled. After excluding patients with
      implantable cardiac devices and atrial fibrillation, 1420 patients with heart
      failure and reduced ejection fraction (HeFREF) [age: median 71 (interquartile
      range IQR 63-78) years; men: 71%; NT-ProBNP: 1319 (583-3378) ng/L], 1094 with
      heart failure and normal ejection fraction (HeFNEF) [age: 76 (70-82) years; men:
      47%; NT-ProBNP: 547 (321-1171) ng/L], and 1150 without heart failure [age: 68 (60
      75) years; men: 51%; NT-ProBNP: 86 (46-140) ng/L] were included. The prevalence
      of first-degree heart block [heart rate corrected PR interval (PRc) > 200 ms] was
      higher in patients with heart failure (21% HeFREF, 20% HeFNEF, 9% without heart
      failure). In patients with HeFREF or HeFNEF, longer baseline PRc was associated
      with greater age, male sex, and longer QRS duration, and, in those with HeFREF,
      treatment with amiodarone or digoxin. Patients with heart failure in the longest
      PRc quartile had worse survival compared to shorter PRc quartiles, but PRc was
      not independently associated with survival in multivariable analysis. For
      patients without heart failure, shorter baseline PRc was independently associated
      with worse survival. CONCLUSION: PRc prolongation is common in patients with
      HeFREF or HeFNEF and associated with worse survival, although not an independent
      predictor of outcome. The results of clinical trials investigating the
      therapeutic potential of shortening the PR interval by pacing are awaited.

PMID- 28917004
TI  - Critical illness-associated diaphragm weakness.
AB  - Diaphragm weakness is highly prevalent in critically ill patients. It may exist
      prior to ICU admission and may precipitate the need for mechanical ventilation
      but it also frequently develops during the ICU stay. Several risk factors for
      diaphragm weakness have been identified; among them sepsis and mechanical
      ventilation play central roles. We employ the term critical illness-associated
      diaphragm weakness to refer to the collective effects of all mechanisms of
      diaphragm injury and weakness occurring in critically ill patients. Critical
      illness-associated diaphragm weakness is consistently associated with poor
      outcomes including increased ICU mortality, difficult weaning, and prolonged
      duration of mechanical ventilation. Bedside techniques for assessing the
      respiratory muscles promise to improve detection of diaphragm weakness and enable
      preventive or curative strategies. Inspiratory muscle training and
      pharmacological interventions may improve respiratory muscle function but data on
      clinical outcomes remain limited.

PMID- 28917020
TI  - Predicting opportunities to increase utilization of laparoscopy for rectal
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite proven safety and efficacy, rates of laparoscopy for rectal
      cancer in the US are low. With reports of inferiority with laparoscopy compared
      to open surgery, and movements to develop accredited centers, investigating
      utilization and predictors of laparoscopy are warranted. Our goal was to evaluate
      current utilization and identify factors impacting use of laparoscopic surgery
      for rectal cancer. METHODS: The PremierTM Hospital Database was reviewed for
      elective inpatient rectal cancer resections (1/1/2010-6/30/2015). Patients were
      identified by ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes, and then stratified into open or
      laparoscopic approaches by ICD-9-CM procedure codes or billing charge. Logistic
      multivariable regression identified variables predictive of laparoscopy. The
      Cochran-Armitage test assessed trend analysis. The main outcome measures were
      trends in utilization and factors independently associated with use of
      laparoscopy. RESULTS: 3336 patients were included-43.8% laparoscopic (n = 1464)
      and 56.2% open (n = 1872). Use of laparoscopy increased from 37.6 to 55.3% during
      the study period (p < 0.0001). General surgeons performed the majority of all
      resections, but colorectal surgeons were more likely to approach rectal cancer
      laparoscopically (41.31 vs. 36.65%, OR 1.082, 95% CI [0.92, 1.27], p < 0.3363).
      Higher volume surgeons were more likely to use laparoscopy than low-volume
      surgeons (OR 3.72, 95% CI [2.64, 5.25], p < 0.0001). Younger patients (OR 1.49,
      95% CI [1.03, 2.17], p = 0.036) with minor (OR 2.13, 95% CI [1.45, 3.12], p <
      0.0001) or moderate illness severity (OR 1.582, 95% CI [1.08, 2.31], p < 0.0174)
      were more likely to receive a laparoscopic resection. Teaching hospitals (OR
      0.842, 95% CI [0.710, 0.997], p = 0.0463) and hospitals in the Midwest (OR 0.69,
      95% CI [0.54, 0.89], p = 0.0044) were less likely to use laparoscopy. Insurance
      status and hospital size did not impact use. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy for rectal
      cancer steadily increased over the years examined. Patient, provider, and
      regional variables exist, with hospital status, geographic location, and
      colorectal specialization impacting the likelihood. However, surgeon volume had
      the greatest influence. These results emphasize training and surgeon-specific
      outcomes to increase utilization and quality in appropriate cases.

PMID- 28917019
TI  - The trend toward minimally invasive complex abdominal wall reconstruction: is it
      worth it?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Open abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) was previously one of the
      only methods available to treat complex ventral hernias. We set out to identify
      the impact of laparoscopy and robotics on our AWR program by performing an
      economic analysis before and after the institution of minimally invasive AWR.
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed inpatient hospital costs and economic
      factors for a consecutive series of 104 AWR cases that utilized separation of
      components technique (57 open, 38 laparoscopic, 9 robotic). Patients were placed
      into two groups by date of procedure. Group 1 (Pre MIS) was July 2012-June 2015
      which included 52 open cases. Group 2 (Post MIS) was July 2015-August 2016 which
      included 52 cases (5 open, 38 laparoscopic, 9 robotic). RESULTS: A total of 104
      patients (52 G1 vs. 52 G2) with mean age (54.2 vs. 54.1 years, p = 0.960), BMI
      (34.7 vs. 32.1 kg/m2, p = 0.059), and ASA score (2.5 vs. 2.3, p = 0.232) were
      included in this review. Total length of stay (LOS) was significantly shorter for
      patients in the Post MIS group (5.3 vs. 1.4 days, p < 0.001). Although operating
      room (OR) supply costs were $1705 higher for the Post MIS group (p = 0.149),
      total hospital costs were $8628 less when compared to the Pre MIS group (p <
      0.001). Multiple linear regressions identified increased BMI (p = 0.021), longer
      OR times (p = 0.003), and LOS (p < 0.001) as predictors of higher total costs.
      Factors that were predictive of longer LOS included older patients (p = 0.003)
      and patients with larger defect areas (p = 0.004). MIS was predictive of shorter
      hospital stays (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite an increase in operating room
      supply costs, transition to performing MIS AWR in cases that were previously done
      through an open approach decreased LOS and translated into significant overall
      total cost savings.

PMID- 28917017
TI  - Physiological Ripples (+/- 100 Hz) in Spike-Free Scalp EEGs of Children With and
      Without Epilepsy.
AB  - Pathological high frequency oscillations (HFOs, >80 Hz) are considered new
      biomarkers for epilepsy. They have mostly been recorded invasively, but
      pathological ripples (80-250 Hz) can also be found in scalp EEGs with frequent
      epileptiform spikes. Physiological HFOs also exist. They have been recorded
      invasively in hippocampus and neocortex. There are no reports of spontaneously
      occurring physiological HFOs recorded with scalp EEG. We aimed to study ripples
      in spike-free scalp EEGs. We included 23 children (6 with, 17 without epilepsy)
      who had an EEG without interictal epileptiform spikes recorded during sleep. We
      differentiated true ripples from spurious ripples such as filtering effects of
      sharp artifacts and high frequency components of muscle artifacts by viewing
      ripples simultaneously in bipolar and average montage and double-checking the
      unfiltered signal. We calculated mean frequency, duration and root mean square
      amplitude of the ripples, and studied their shape and distribution. We found
      ripples in EEGs of 20 out of 23 children (4 with, 16 without epilepsy). Ripples
      had a regular shape and occurred mostly on central and midline channels. Mean
      frequency was 102 Hz, mean duration 70 ms, mean root mean square amplitude 0.95
      uV. Ripples occurring in normal EEGs of children without epilepsy were considered
      physiological; the similarity in appearance suggested that the ripples occurring
      in normal EEGs of children with epilepsy were also physiological. The finding
      that it is possible to study physiological neocortical ripples in scalp EEG paves
      the way for investigating their occurrence during brain development and their
      relation with cognitive functioning.

PMID- 28917021
TI  - Gynecologic cancer mortality in Trinidad and Tobago and comparisons of mortality
      to-incidence rate ratios across global regions.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the factors associated with gynecologic cancer mortality
      risks, to estimate the mortality-to-incidence rate ratios (MIR) in Trinidad and
      Tobago (TT), and to compare the MIRs to those of select countries. METHODS: Data
      on 3,915 incident gynecologic cancers reported to the National Cancer Registry of
      TT from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2009 were analyzed using proportional
      hazards models to determine factors associated with mortality. MIRs for cervical,
      endometrial, and ovarian cancers were calculated using cancer registry data (TT),
      GLOBOCAN 2012 incidence data, and WHO Mortality Database 2012 data (WHO regions
      and select countries). RESULTS: Among the 3,915 incident gynecologic cancers
      diagnosed in TT during the study period, 1,795 (45.8%) were cervical, 1,259
      (32.2%) were endometrial, and 861 (22.0%) were ovarian cancers. Older age,
      African ancestry, geographic residence, tumor stage, and treatment non-receipt
      were associated with increased gynecologic cancer mortality in TT. Compared to
      GLOBOCAN 2012 data, TT MIR estimates for cervical (0.49 vs. 0.53), endometrial
      (0.61 vs. 0.65), and ovarian cancers (0.32 vs. 0.48) were elevated. While the
      Caribbean region had intermediate gynecologic cancer MIRs, MIRs in TT were among
      the highest of the countries examined in the Caribbean region. CONCLUSIONS: Given
      its status as a high-income economy, the relatively high gynecologic cancer MIRs
      observed in TT are striking. These findings highlight the urgent need for
      improved cancer surveillance, screening, and treatment for these (and other)
      cancers in this Caribbean nation.

PMID- 28917027
TI  - Biophysics in Latin America.

PMID- 28917022
TI  - Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management of takotsubo syndrome.
AB  - Takotsubo syndrome is a recently recognized acute cardiac disease entity with a
      clinical presentation resembling that of an acute coronary syndrome. The typical
      takotsubo syndrome patient has a unique circumferential left (bi-) ventricular
      contraction abnormality profile that extends beyond a coronary artery supply
      territory and appears to follow the anatomical cardiac sympathetic innervation.
      The syndrome predominantly affects postmenopausal women and is often preceded by
      emotional or physical stress. Patients with predisposing factors such as
      malignancy and other chronic comorbidities are more prone to suffer from
      takotsubo syndrome. The pathogenesis of takotsubo syndrome is elusive. Several
      pathophysiological mechanisms involving myocardial ischemia (multivessel coronary
      artery spasm, microvascular dysfunction, aborted myocardial infarction), left
      ventricular outlet tract obstruction, blood-borne catecholamine myocardial
      toxicity, epinephrine-induced switch in signal trafficking, and autonomic nervous
      system dysfunction have been proposed. The syndrome is usually reversible;
      nevertheless, during the acute stage, a substantial number of patients develop
      severe complications such as arrhythmias, heart failure including pulmonary edema
      and cardiogenic shock, thromboembolism, cardiac arrest, and rupture. Treatment of
      precipitating factors, predisposing diseases, and complications is fundamental
      during the acute stage of the disease. The epidemiology, pathogenesis, and
      management of takotsubo syndrome are reviewed in this paper.

PMID- 28917032
TI  - CFS MATLAB toolbox: An experiment builder for continuous flash suppression (CFS)
      task.
AB  - CFS toolbox is an open-source collection of MATLAB functions that utilizes
      PsychToolbox-3 (PTB-3). It is designed to allow a researcher to create and run
      continuous flash suppression experiments using a variety of experimental
      parameters (i.e., stimulus types and locations, noise characteristics, and
      experiment window settings). In a CFS experiment, one of the eyes at a time is
      presented with a dynamically changing noise pattern, while the other eye is
      concurrently presented with a static target stimulus, such as a Gabor patch. Due
      to the strong interocular suppression created by the dominant noise pattern mask,
      the target stimulus is rendered invisible for an extended duration. Very little
      knowledge of MATLAB is required for using the toolbox; experiments are generated
      by modifying csv files with the required parameters, and result data are output
      to text files for further analysis. The open-source code is available on the
      project page under a Creative Commons License (
      http://www.mikkonuutinen.arkku.net/CFS_toolbox/ and
      https://bitbucket.org/mikkonuutinen/cfs_toolbox ).

PMID- 28917035
TI  - SelGenAmic: An Algorithm for Selenoprotein Gene Assembly.
AB  - Computational methods for identifying selenoproteins have been developed rapidly
      in recent years. However, it is still difficult to identify the open reading
      frame (ORF) of eukaryotic selenoprotein gene, because the TGA codon for a
      selenocysteine (Sec) residue in the active center of selenoprotein is
      traditionally a terminal signal of protein translation. A gene assembly algorithm
      SelGenAmic has been constructed and presented in this chapter for identifying
      selenoprotein genes from eukaryotic genomes. A method based on this algorithm was
      developed to build an optimal TGA-containing-ORF for each TGA in a genome,
      followed by protein similarity analysis through conserved sequence alignments to
      screen out selenoprotein genes from these ORFs. This method improved the
      sensitivity of detecting selenoproteins from a genome due to the design that all
      TGAs in the genome were investigated for its possibility of decoding as a Sec
      residue. The method based on the SelGenAmic algorithm is capable of identifying
      eukaryotic selenoprotein genes from their genomes.

PMID- 28917031
TI  - The effect of propensity to trust and perceptions of trustworthiness on trust
      behaviors in dyads.
AB  - Research on trust has burgeoned in the last few decades. Despite the growing
      interest in trust, little is known about trusting behaviors in non-dichotomous
      trust games. The current study explored propensity to trust, trustworthiness, and
      trust behaviors in a new computer-mediated trust relevant task. We used
      multivariate multilevel survival analysis (MMSA) to analyze behaviors across
      time. Results indicated propensity to trust did not influence trust behaviors.
      However, trustworthiness perceptions influenced initial trust behaviors and trust
      behaviors influenced subsequent trustworthiness perceptions. Indeed, behaviors
      fully mediated the relationship of trustworthiness perceptions over time. The
      study demonstrated the utility of MMSA and the new trust game, Checkmate, as
      viable research methods and stimuli for assessing the loci of trust.

PMID- 28917025
TI  - Cardiac rehabilitation in patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary
      intervention for acute myocardial infarction: determinants of programme
      participation and completion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospital length of stay after acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
      treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) has reduced,
      resulting in more limited patient education during admission. Therefore,
      systematic participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has become more
      essential. We aimed to identify patient-related factors that are associated with
      participation in and completion of a CR programme. METHODS: We identified 3,871
      consecutive AMI patients who underwent pPCI between 2003 and 2011. These patients
      were linked to the database of Capri CR, which provides dedicated, multi
      disciplinary CR. 'Participation' was defined as registration at Capri CR within 6
      months after pPCI. CR was 'complete' if a patient undertook the final exercise
      test. RESULTS: In total, 1,497 patients (39%) were registered at Capri CR.
      Factors independently associated with CR participation included age (<50 vs. >70
      year: odds ratio (OR) 7.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.1-9.6), gender (men vs.
      women: OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3-1.8), index diagnosis (ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction [STEMI] vs. non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI]: OR 2.4,
      95% CI 2.0-2.7) and socio-economic status (high vs. low: OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.6-2.5).
      The model based on these factors discriminated well (c-index 0.75). CR programme
      completion was 80% and was inversely related with diabetes, current smoking and
      previous MI. The discrimination of the model based on these factors was poor (c
      index 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: Only a minority of AMI/pPCI patients participated in a
      CR programme. Completion rates, however, were better. Increased physician and
      patient awareness of the benefits of CR are still needed, with focus on the
      elderly, women and patients with low socio-economic status.

PMID- 28917023
TI  - A new modification of the Duckett technique for one-stage repairing urethral
      plate transected hypospadias: Another option for severe hypospadias?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to evaluate the new modification of the Duckett
      technique in decreasing the incidence of urethral strictures for urethral plate
      transected hypospadias and also explored its clinical application. METHODS:
      Thirty-three patients (aged 7 months to 12 years, mean age 2.8 years) who
      underwent repair of primary hypospadias using the new one-stage urethroplasty
      were enrolled. Clinical data, including cosmetic and its complications, and
      uroflowmetry data were documented. Uroflowmetry data of 19 patients who underwent
      Duckett urethroplasty were used as a comparison. RESULTS: The length of the
      urethral defect ranged from 2.5 to 5.0 cm. The postoperative follow-up was 14-30
      months. Ten patients (30.3%) had fistulas; no patients had strictures or
      diverticula. All ten fistulas were small (<0.5 cm) and repaired with fistula
      repairing operation. The appearance of the penis remained satisfactory, and the
      meatus was located in the normal anatomic position. Among 17 patients who
      underwent uroflowmetry, all patients were bell-shaped or platforms, and Q max was
      7.37 +/- 2.45 ml/s. Compared with 14 of 19 patients who underwent Duckett
      urethroplasty, the urethral function achieved with new one-stage urethroplasty
      was significantly better (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of strictures was
      dramatically lowered in patients with proximal hypospadias. Small fistulas are
      common complications and can be repaired easily. Based on the uroflow pattern
      results, the quality of neourethra and function of it were better than Duckett
      urethroplasty. These preliminary results suggested that the modified procedure
      seems to be reliable and can be a suitable option for proximal hypospadias.

PMID- 28917033
TI  - SECISearch3 and Seblastian: In-Silico Tools to Predict SECIS Elements and
      Selenoproteins.
AB  - The computational identification of selenoprotein genes is complicated by the
      dual meaning of the UGA codon as stop and selenocysteine. SECIS elements are RNA
      structures essential for selenocysteine incorporation, which have been used as
      markers for selenoprotein genes in many bioinformatics studies. The most widely
      used tool for eukaryotic SECIS finding has been recently improved to its third
      generation, SECISearch3. This program is also a component of Seblastian, a
      pipeline for the identification of selenoprotein genes that employs SECIS finding
      as the first step. This chapter constitutes a practical guide to use SECISearch3
      and Seblastian, which can be run via webservers at http://seblastian.crg.eu / or
      http://gladyshevlab.org/SelenoproteinPredictionServer/ .

PMID- 28917030
TI  - The Role of Intra-Session Exercise Sequence in the Interference Effect: A
      Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a necessity for numerous sports to develop strength and
      aerobic capacity simultaneously, placing a significant demand upon the practice
      of effective concurrent training methods. Concurrent training requires the
      athlete to perform both resistance and endurance exercise within a training plan.
      This training paradigm has been associated with an 'interference effect', with
      attenuated strength adaptation in comparison to that following isolated
      resistance training. The effectiveness of the training programme rests on the
      intricacies of manipulating acute training variables, such as exercise sequence.
      The research, in the most part, does not provide a clarity of message as to
      whether intra-session exercise sequence has the potential to exacerbate or
      mitigate the interference effect associated with concurrent training methods.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess
      whether intra-session concurrent exercise sequence modifies strength-based
      outcomes associated with the interference effect. METHODS: Ten studies were
      identified from a systematic review of the literature for the outcomes of lower
      body dynamic and static strength, lower-body hypertrophy, maximal aerobic
      capacity and body fat percentage. Each study examined the effect of intra-session
      exercise sequence on the specified outcomes, across a prolonged (>=5 weeks)
      concurrent training programme in healthy adults. RESULTS: Analysis of pooled data
      indicated that resistance-endurance exercise sequence had a positive effect for
      lower-body dynamic strength, in comparison to the alternate sequence (weighted
      mean difference, 6.91% change; 95% confidence interval 1.96, 11.87 change; p =
      0.006), with no effect of exercise sequence for lower-body muscle hypertrophy
      (weighted mean difference, 1.15% change; 95% confidence interval -1.56, 3.87
      change; p = 0.40), lower-body static strength (weighted mean difference, -0.04%
      change; 95% confidence interval -3.19, 3.11 change; p = 0.98), or the remaining
      outcomes of maximal aerobic capacity and body fat percentage (p > 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the practice of concurrent training with
      a resistance followed by an endurance exercise order is beneficial for the
      outcome of lower-body dynamic strength, while alternating the order of stimuli
      offers no benefit for training outcomes associated with the interference effect.

PMID- 28917026
TI  - Venous Thromboembolism Rates in Transferred Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing a transfer during a hospitalization may be more
      likely to be diagnosed with a venous thromboembolism (VTE) than patients who are
      not transferred. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether transferred patients have an
      increased prevalence of VTE diagnosis. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study
      comparing VTE diagnosis rates between transferred patients and non-transferred
      patients. For the years 2012-2014, the University HealthSystem Consortium
      database of multiple community and academic medical centers throughout the United
      States was parsed using ICD-9 VTE diagnosis codes and patient's point of origin.
      PATIENTS: Patients were included in the analysis as transferred patients if their
      point of origin was a skilled nursing facility, another acute care facility or
      another facility. Non-transferred patients were those whose point of origin was a
      clinic or those with a non-facility point of origin. MAIN MEASURES: The primary
      comparison of VTE prevalence during hospitalization between transferred and non
      transferred patients in the years 2012-2014. Subgroup analysis looked at level I
      trauma status and case mix index (CMI) to determine whether these had an effect
      on VTE prevalence. KEY RESULTS: From 2012 to 2014, a total of 225 unique
      hospitals and 12,036,029 patients were analyzed, and the prevalence of VTE in
      transferred patients and non-transferred patients was 3.43% and 1.91% (RR 1.80;
      95% CI 1.78-1.81; P <0.001), respectively. VTE prevalence in transferred versus
      non-transferred patients at level I trauma centers was 3.42% versus 1.88% (RR =
      1.82; 95% CI 1.80-1.85; P <0.001). The 3-year average CMI of transferred versus
      non-transferred patients was 3.53 versus 2.26 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Transferred patients have a higher prevalence of VTE than non-transferred
      patients, regardless of level I trauma designation. Higher VTE rates in
      transferred versus non-transferred patients was minimally correlated with CMI.

PMID- 28917038
TI  - Specific Chemical Approaches for Studying Mammalian Ribosomes Complexed with
      Ligands Involved in Selenoprotein Synthesis.
AB  - Chemical approaches are very powerful tools for investigating the molecular
      structure and architecture of large ribonucleoprotein complexes involving
      ribosomes and other components of the translation system. Application of RNA
      nucleotide-specific and cross-linking reagents of a broad specificity range
      allows the researcher to obtain information on the sites of ligand binding to the
      ribosome and to each other as well as on the RNA rearrangements caused by the
      binding. Here, we describe specific chemical approaches including chemical
      probing and site-directed or bifunctional reagent-mediated cross-linking, which
      have been used for exploring the mechanism of selenocysteine insertion into a
      polypeptide chain by mammalian ribosomes.

PMID- 28917034
TI  - Selenoprofiles: A Computational Pipeline for Annotation of Selenoproteins.
AB  - Selenoproteins contain selenocysteine (Sec or U), the 21st amino acid, inserted
      in response to an in-frame UGA codon. UGA normally terminates translation, but in
      selenoprotein mRNAs it is recoded to specify Sec insertion. For this reason,
      standard gene prediction programs fail to predict Sec codons, and selenoproteins
      are usually misannotated in protein databases and genome projects. Selenoprofiles
      is a computational pipeline able to correctly annotate selenoprotein genes in
      genomic sequences. This program uses a SECIS-independent approach, based on
      homology searches, and employs curated built-in profile alignments for all known
      selenoprotein families. Selenoprofiles constitutes the most accurate method for
      predicting selenoprotein genes belonging to known families.

PMID- 28917039
TI  - In Vitro Translation Assays for Selenocysteine Insertion.
AB  - The molecular characterization of the protein and RNA factors that are required
      for Sec incorporation in mammals has been largely carried out using in vitro
      translation systems specifically modified for this purpose. This chapter outlines
      the various systems and modifications that have been used to decipher the
      mechanism of Sec incorporation.

PMID- 28917029
TI  - Health-related quality of life and its determinants in patients with metastatic
      renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Based on improvements of progression-free survival (PFS), new agents for
      metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have been approved. It is assumed that one
      of the benefits is a delay in health-related quality of life (HRQoL)
      deterioration as a result of a delay in progression of disease. However, little
      data are available supporting this relationship. This study aims to provide
      insight into the most important determinants of HRQoL (including progression of
      disease) of patients with mRCC. METHODS: A patient registry (PERCEPTION) was
      created to evaluate treatment of patients with (m)RCC in the Netherlands. HRQoL
      was measured, using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-5L, every 3 months in the first
      year of participation in the study, and every 6 months in the second year.
      Participation started as soon as possible following a diagnosis of (m)RCC. Random
      effects models were used to study associations between HRQoL and patient and
      disease characteristics, symptoms and treatment. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients
      with mRCC completed 304 questionnaires. The average EORTC QLQ-C30 global health
      status was 69 (SD, 19) before progression and 61 (SD, 22) after progression of
      disease. Similarly, the average EQ-5D utility was 0.75 (SD, 0.19) before
      progression and 0.66 (SD, 0.30) after progression of disease. The presence of
      fatigue, pain, dyspnoea, and the application of radiotherapy were associated with
      significantly lower EQ-5D utilities. CONCLUSIONS: Key drivers for reduced HRQoL
      in mRCC are disease symptoms. Since symptoms increase with progression of
      disease, targeted therapies that increase PFS are expected to postpone reductions
      in HRQoL in mRCC.

PMID- 28917024
TI  - Decreased percentage of peripheral naive T cells is independently associated with
      ischemic stroke in patients on hemodialysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cerebrovascular complications, including ischemic stroke, account for
      poor outcomes in patients on hemodialysis. T cell responses may be involved in
      the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. We aimed to evaluate the role of naive T
      cells in development of ischemic stroke in patients on hemodialysis. METHODS: In
      this cross-sectional study, 156 patients on hemodialysis in our blood
      purification center were included. These patients were divided into the ischemic
      stroke (IS) group (61 cases) and non-ischemic stroke (non-IS) group (95 cases)
      according to a new diagnosis after initiation of hemodialysis. After being lysed
      with red blood cell lysis solution, peripheral blood was tested by flow cytometry
      to detect the expression of CD45RO and CCR7 in CD4 T and CD8 T cells. Correlation
      analysis and logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify potential
      independent risk factors for ischemic stroke. RESULTS: The percentage of
      peripheral naive T cells was lower in the IS group [median (interquartile range
      (IQR)) 13.9% (8.6-22.9%)] compared with the non-IS group [median (IQR) 22.7%
      (15.9-32.2%), P < 0.001]. Spearman correlation analysis showed that naive T cells
      were negatively associated with ischemic stroke (r = -0.308, P < 0.001).
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CD4 naive T cells had an
      independent negative association with ischemic stroke in patients on hemodialysis
      (odds ratio 0.933, 95% CI 0.883, 0.986; P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: A decrease in
      percentage of peripheral CD4 naive T cells is a risk factor for ischemic stroke
      in patients on hemodialysis.

PMID- 28917037
TI  - Identification and Characterization of Proteins that Bind to Selenoprotein 3'
      UTRs.
AB  - This chapter explains the use of RNase-assisted RNA chromatography. RNA affinity
      chromatography is a powerful technique that is used to isolate and identify
      proteins that bind to a specific RNA ligand. The RNA of interest is attached to
      beads before protein lysates are passed over the column. In traditional RNA
      chromatography, bound proteins are eluted with high salt or harsh detergent,
      which can also release proteins that are nonspecifically bound to the beads. To
      avoid this, a new method was developed in which RNases are used to cleave RNA
      from the beads, releasing only RNA binding proteins (RBPs) and leaving behind
      proteins that are bound to the beads (Michlewski and Caceres, RNA 16(8):1673
      1678, 2010). This chapter will describe the isolation of proteins that bind
      specifically to the distal region of the Selenoprotein S 3' untranslated region
      (3' UTR).

PMID- 28917040
TI  - Studying Selenoprotein mRNA Translation Using RNA-Seq and Ribosome Profiling.
AB  - Deep sequencing of ribosome protected mRNA footprints, also called ribosome
      profiling or Ribo-Seq, is a relatively new methodology well suited to address
      questions regarding the mechanisms and efficiency of protein expression.
      Specifically, the ability of this technique to quantify ribosome abundance with
      codon resolution enables experiments aimed at studying many aspects of
      translation, including gene-specific translational efficiency, translation of
      regulatory upstream short open reading frames, sites of ribosome pausing, and
      most importantly for selenoproteins, the efficiency by which UGA codons are
      redefined to encode selenocysteine. Here, we describe a streamlined protocol that
      was developed in our lab to process mammalian tissue to produce the requisite
      matched ribosome profiling and RNA-Seq libraries for deep sequencing.

PMID- 28917028
TI  - Elastic and dynamic properties of membrane phase-field models.
AB  - Phase-field models have been extensively used to study interfacial phenomena,
      from solidification to vesicle dynamics. In this article, we analyze a phase
      field model that captures the relevant physical features that characterize
      biological membranes. We show that the Helfrich theory of elasticity of membranes
      can be applied to phase-field models, allowing to derive the expressions of the
      stress tensor, lateral stress profile and elastic moduli. We discuss the
      relevance and interpretations of these magnitudes from a phase-field perspective.
      Taking the sharp-interface limit we show that the membrane macroscopic
      equilibrium equation can be derived from the equilibrium condition of the phase
      field interface. We also study two dynamic models that describe the behaviour of
      a membrane. From the study of the relaxational behaviour of the membrane we
      characterize the relevant dynamics of each model, and discuss their applications.

PMID- 28917036
TI  - Selenocysteine tRNA[Ser]Sec, the Central Component of Selenoprotein Biosynthesis:
      Isolation, Identification, Modification, and Sequencing.
AB  - The selenocysteine (Sec) tRNA[Ser]Sec population consists of two isoforms that
      differ from each other by a single 2'-O-methylribosyl moiety at position 34
      (Um34). These two isoforms, which are encoded in a single gene, Trsp, and
      modified posttranscriptionally, are involved individually in the synthesis of two
      subclasses of selenoproteins, designated housekeeping and stress-related
      selenoproteins. Techniques used in obtaining these isoforms for their
      characterization include extraction of RNA from mammalian cells and tissues,
      purifying the tRNA[Ser]Sec population by one or more procedures, and finally
      resolving the two isoforms from each other. Since some of the older techniques
      for isolating tRNA[Ser]Sec and resolving the isoforms are used in only a few
      laboratories, these procedures will be discussed briefly and references provided
      for more detailed information, while the more recently developed procedures are
      discussed in detail. In addition, a novel technique that was developed in
      sequencing tRNA[Ser]Sec for identifying their occurrence in other organisms is
      also presented.

PMID- 28917041
TI  - Modification of Selenoprotein mRNAs by Cap Tri-methylation.
AB  - Several selenoprotein mRNAs undergo 5' cap maturation events whereby their
      classical monomethylated m7G cap becomes trimethylated (m32,2,7G) by the
      trimethylguanosine synthase 1 (Tgs1). Here, we describe immunoprecipitation
      methods for the detection of endogenous m32,2,7G-capped selenoprotein mRNAs from
      total cell extracts or after polysome fractionation of cytoplasmic extracts. We
      have also developed a method for the in vitro cap hypermethylation of
      selenoprotein mRNA transcripts using purified Tgs1 enzyme.

PMID- 28917043
TI  - Quantification of SeMet and SeCys in Biological Fluids and Tissues by Liquid
      Chromatography Coupled to Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP
      MS).
AB  - Selenium (Se) is an element readily absorbed during the intestinal tract and
      distributed in the body. In biological fluids, tissues, and animal products, Se
      is known to be present mainly in the form of a selenoamino-acid (selenomethionine
      (SeMet) or selenocysteine (SeCys)). Both amino-acids have different biological
      activities which justifies their discrimination. Here, we describe the method
      allowing the simultaneous determination of SeMet and SeCys in blood/plasma,
      animal tissues, milk, and eggs by two-dimensional Liquid Chromatography coupled
      to Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (2D HPLC-ICP MS).

PMID- 28917042
TI  - Total Selenium Quantification in Biological Samples by Inductively Coupled Plasma
      Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).
AB  - Selenium (Se) is an element readily absorbed during the intestinal tract,
      distributed in the body by means of blood and excreted mainly by urine or feces.
      Here, we describe the method allowing the determination of the total Se content
      in biological tissues and fluids by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry
      (ICP MS).

PMID- 28917046
TI  - Nonradioactive Isotopic Labeling and Tracing of Selenoproteins in Cultured Cell
      Lines.
AB  - Selenium (Se) is an essential component of genetically encoded selenoproteins, in
      the form of a rare amino acid, namely the selenocysteine (Sec). Radioactive 75Se
      has been widely used to trace selenoproteins in vitro and in vivo (cell models
      and animals). Alternatively, its unique isotopic pattern can be used to detect
      and characterize nonradioactive Se-compounds in cellular extracts using molecular
      or elemental mass spectrometry at ppm levels. However, when studying trace levels
      of Se-compounds, such as selenoproteins (ppt levels), the distribution of the
      signal between its six naturally abundant isotopes reduces its sensitivity. Here,
      we describe the use of isotopically enriched forms of Se as an alternative
      strategy to radioactive 75Se, for the labeling and tracing of selenoproteins in
      cultured cell lines.

PMID- 28917045
TI  - Radioactive 75Se Labeling and Detection of Selenoproteins.
AB  - The trace element selenium (Se) is incorporated into proteins as the amino acid
      selenocysteine (Sec), which is cotranslationally inserted into specific proteins
      in response to a UGA codon. Proteins containing Sec at these specific positions
      are called selenoproteins. Most selenoproteins function as oxidoreductases, while
      some serve other important functions. There are 25 known selenoprotein genes in
      humans and 24 in mice. The use of Sec allows selenoproteins to be detected by a
      convenient method involving metabolic labeling with 75Se. Labeling of cells and
      whole animals are used for the examination of selenoprotein expression profiles
      and the investigation of selenoprotein functions. In mammals, nonspecific 75Se
      insertion is very low, and sensitivity and specificity of selenoprotein detection
      approaches that of Western blotting. This method allows for the examination of
      selenoprotein expression and Se metabolism in model and non-model organisms.
      Herein, we describe experimental protocols for analyzing selenoproteins by
      metabolic labeling with 75Se both in vitro and in vivo. As an example, the
      procedure for metabolic labeling of HEK293T human embryonic kidney cells is
      described in detail. This approach remains a method of choice for the detection
      of selenoproteins in diverse settings.

PMID- 28917044
TI  - Simultaneous Speciation of Selenoproteins and Selenometabolites in Plasma and
      Serum.
AB  - Selenium is an essential element incorporated to different proteins with
      important biological functions in connection to antioxidant activity, cancer
      protective properties, neurodegenerative pathologies, and prevention of effects
      of diabetes, among others. In addition, selenoamino acids play a basic role in
      the global equilibrium of key selenium-biomolecules synthesis, including
      selenoprotein P, selenoalbumin, and glutathione peroxidase. Homeostasis of these
      selenium-containing biomolecules involves different organs in living organisms
      including human, and bloodstream is the connection fluid in this process.
      Therefore, it is very important to have an analytical methodology suitable for
      selenium proteins and metabolites speciation in serum and plasma samples. For
      this purpose, a simultaneous speciation method for Se-containing biomolecules in
      serum/plasma is described on the basis of in series three-dimensional
      chromatography: size exclusion, affinity, and anion exchange high performance
      liquid chromatography (3D/SE-AF-AEC-HPLC), using different columns of each type
      and hyphenation to inductively coupled plasma-(quadrupole) mass spectrometry (ICP
      MS). The method allows the quantitative simultaneous analysis of selenoprotein P
      (SeP), extracellular glutathione peroxidase (eGPx), selenoalbumin (SeAlb),
      selenite, and selenate in serum (from human and mouse) using species-unspecific
      isotope dilution (SUID). In addition, a simplified two-dimensional approach
      (2D/SE-AF-HPLC-SUID-ICP-MS) is described when selenium metabolites are globally
      analyzed. The method provides detection limits in the range 0.2-1.3 ng of Se g-1
      and avoids typical interferences in this matrix from chloride and bromide with a
      chromatographic runtime less than 35 min.

PMID- 28917047
TI  - Detection of Selenoproteins by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass
      Spectrometry (LA-ICP MS) in Immobilized pH Gradient (IPG) Strips.
AB  - In contrast to other trace elements that are cofactors of enzymes and removed
      from proteins under denaturing conditions, Se is covalently bound to proteins
      when incorporated into selenoproteins, since it is a component of selenocysteine
      aminoacid. It implies that selenoproteins can undergo several biochemical
      separation methods in stringent and chaotropic conditions and still maintain the
      presence of selenium in the primary sequence. This feature has been used to
      develop a method for the detection of trace levels of human selenoproteins in
      cell extracts without the use of radioactive isotopes. The selenoproteins are
      separated as a function of their isoelectric point (pI) using iso-electrofocusing
      (IEF) electrophoretic strips and detected by laser ablation-inductively coupled
      plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP MS). This method, therefore referred to as IEF
      LA-ICP MS, allowed the detection of several selenoproteins in human cell lines,
      including Gpx1, Gpx4, TXNRD1, TXNRD2, and SELENOF.

PMID- 28917048
TI  - Imaging of Selenium by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass
      Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) in 2-D Electrophoresis Gels and Biological Tissues.
AB  - Selenium and selenoproteins are important components of living organisms that
      play a role in different biological processes. Laser ablation inductively coupled
      plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a powerful analytical technique that has
      been employed to obtain distribution maps of selenium in biological tissues in a
      direct manner, as well as in selenoproteins, previously separated by their
      molecular masses and isoelectric points using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis (2-D PAGE). In this chapter, we present the protocols to perform
      LA-ICP-MS imaging experiments, allowing the distribution visualization and
      determination of selenium and/or selenoproteins in biological systems.

PMID- 28917049
TI  - Overexpression of Recombinant Selenoproteins in E. coli.
AB  - Expression of selenoproteins necessitates a process of decoding of a UGA codon
      from termination of translation to insertion of selenocysteine. The mechanisms of
      this process pose major challenges with regards to recombinant selenoprotein
      production in E. coli, which however can be overcome especially if the Sec
      residue is located close to the C-terminal end, as is the case for several
      naturally found selenoproteins. This chapter summarizes a method to achieve such
      a production.

PMID- 28917050
TI  - Preparation of Selenocysteine-Containing Forms of Human SELENOK and SELENOS.
AB  - Selenoprotein K (SELENOK) and Selenoprotein S (SELENOS) are the members of the
      endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) complex, which is responsible
      for translocating misfolded proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the
      cytosol for degradation. Besides its involvement in the ERAD, SELENOK was shown
      to bind and stabilize the palmitoyl transferase DHHC6, and thus contributes to
      palmitoylation. SELENOK and SELENOS reside in the ER membrane by the way of a
      single transmembrane helix. Both contain an intrinsically disordered region with
      a selenocysteine (Sec) located one or two residues away from the C-terminus.
      Here, we describe the preparation of the Sec-containing forms of SELENOS and
      SELENOK. SELENOK, which contains no native cysteines, was prepared in an E. coli
      cysteine auxotroph strain by exploiting the codon and the insertion machinery of
      Cys for the incorporation of Sec. In contrast, the preparation of SELENOS, which
      contains functionally important cysteine residues, relied on E. coli's native Sec
      incorporation mechanism.

PMID- 28917052
TI  - Monitoring of Methionine Sulfoxide Content and Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase
      Activity.
AB  - The sulfur-containing amino acid methionine (Met) plays critical roles in protein
      synthesis, methylation, and sulfur metabolism. Both in its free form and in the
      form of an amino acid residue, it can be oxidized to the R and S diastereomers of
      methionine sulfoxide (MetO). Organisms evolved methionine sulfoxide reductases
      (MSRs) to reduce MetO to Met, with the MSRs type A (MSRA) and type B (MSRB) being
      specific for the S and R forms of MetO, respectively. In mammals, the
      selenoprotein MSRB1 plays an important protein repair function, and its
      expression is tightly regulated by dietary selenium. In this chapter, we describe
      a protocol for determining the concentration of protein-based Met-R-O and its
      analysis in HEK293 cells using a genetically encoded ratiometric fluorescent
      biosensor MetROx. We also describe the procedure for quantifying MSR activities
      in cell extracts using specific substrates and a reverse phase HPLC-based method.

PMID- 28917051
TI  - Selenocysteine-Mediated Expressed Protein Ligation of SELENOM.
AB  - A sizeable fraction of the selenoproteome encodes oxidoreductases possessing a
      thioredoxin fold, a structural motif that is shared among a diverse group of
      enzymes. In these oxidoreductases, the active site is comprised of a cysteine and
      a selenocysteine separated by one to two amino acids. In a subset of these
      selenoproteins, such as human SELENOH, SELENOM, SELENOT, SELENOV, SELENOW, and
      SELENOF, this redox motif is positioned immediately after the first beta-sheet in
      a short loop, and is essential for interactions with its substrate or partners.
      Here, we describe the preparation of a representative member of this group,
      SELENOM, by selenocysteine-driven expressed protein ligation. The preparation
      employs a peptide bond formation between two protein fragments expressed
      recombinantly in E. coli. This method can be employed to prepare other
      selenoproteins.

PMID- 28917053
TI  - Selective Evaluation of Thioredoxin Reductase Enzymatic Activities.
AB  - Thioredoxin reductases are important oxidoreductases that keep the active site
      disulfide/dithiol motif of thioredoxins reduced using NADPH, thereby supporting
      many thioredoxin-dependent reductive pathways in cells. Mammalian thioredoxin
      reductases are selenoproteins that have several additional substrates beyond
      thioredoxins. This chapter first lists several different assays for measurement
      of thioredoxin reductase activities, before giving a protocol for a selective
      evaluation of these activities that can be used in either crude cell lysates as
      well as with purified enzymes. The same assay can also be easily adopted for the
      determination of thioredoxin activities.

PMID- 28917054
TI  - Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Selenoprotein Genes with Cancer
      Risk.
AB  - Genetic association studies have linked genetic variants in the Selenium (Se)
      metabolism with the development of complex diseases such as cancer and helped
      unravel novel mechanisms underlying cancer development. The chapter describes the
      specificity of genetic variants in the Se metabolism, the approaches used in
      association studies, and the limitations of such approaches.

PMID- 28917055
TI  - Identification of Genetic Disorders Causing Disruption of Selenoprotein
      Biosynthesis.
AB  - Disorders of selenoprotein biosynthesis in humans, due to mutations in three
      genes (SECISBP2, TRU-TCA1-1, and SEPSECS) involved in the selenocysteine
      insertion pathway, have been described. Patients with SECISBP2 and TRU-TCA1-1
      defects manifest a multisystem disorder with a biochemical signature of abnormal
      thyroid function tests due to the impaired activity of deiodinase selenoenzymes,
      myopathic features linked to SEPN1 deficiency and phenotypes resulting from
      increased levels of reactive oxygen species attributable to lack of antioxidant
      selenoenzymes. In patients harboring SEPSECS mutations, severe, progressive,
      cerebello-cerebral atrophy (pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 2D) dominates the
      phenotype and it is not known whether the disorder is associated with thyroid
      dysfunction.

PMID- 28917056
TI  - On the ambiguity of interaction and nonlinear main effects in a regime of
      dependent covariates.
AB  - The analysis of large experimental datasets frequently reveals significant
      interactions that are difficult to interpret within the theoretical framework
      guiding the research. Some of these interactions actually arise from the presence
      of unspecified nonlinear main effects and statistically dependent covariates in
      the statistical model. Importantly, such nonlinear main effects may be compatible
      (or, at least, not incompatible) with the current theoretical framework. In the
      present literature, this issue has only been studied in terms of correlated
      (linearly dependent) covariates. Here we generalize to nonlinear main effects
      (i.e., main effects of arbitrary shape) and dependent covariates. We propose a
      novel nonparametric method to test for ambiguous interactions where present
      parametric methods fail. We illustrate the method with a set of simulations and
      with reanalyses (a) of effects of parental education on their children's
      educational expectations and (b) of effects of word properties on fixation
      locations during reading of natural sentences, specifically of effects of length
      and morphological complexity of the word to be fixated next. The resolution of
      such ambiguities facilitates theoretical progress.

PMID- 28917057
TI  - The Fungal Tree of Life: from Molecular Systematics to Genome-Scale Phylogenies.
AB  - The kingdom Fungi is one of the more diverse clades of eukaryotes in terrestrial
      ecosystems, where they provide numerous ecological services ranging from
      decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling to beneficial and
      antagonistic associations with plants and animals. The evolutionary relationships
      of the kingdom have represented some of the more recalcitrant problems in
      systematics and phylogenetics. The advent of molecular phylogenetics, and more
      recently phylogenomics, has greatly advanced our understanding of the patterns
      and processes associated with fungal evolution, however. In this article, we
      review the major phyla, subphyla, and classes of the kingdom Fungi and provide
      brief summaries of ecologies, morphologies, and exemplar taxa. We also provide
      examples of how molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary genomics have advanced
      our understanding of fungal evolution within each of the phyla and some of the
      major classes. In the current classification we recognize 8 phyla, 12 subphyla,
      and 46 classes within the kingdom. The ancestor of fungi is inferred to be
      zoosporic, and zoosporic fungi comprise three lineages that are paraphyletic to
      the remainder of fungi. Fungi historically classified as zygomycetes do not form
      a monophyletic group and are paraphyletic to Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.
      Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are each monophyletic and collectively form the
      subkingdom Dikarya.

PMID- 28917058
TI  - Lineage tracing of genome-edited alleles reveals high fidelity axolotl limb
      regeneration.
AB  - Salamanders are unparalleled among tetrapods in their ability to regenerate many
      structures, including entire limbs, and the study of this ability may provide
      insights into human regenerative therapies. The complex structure of the limb
      poses challenges to the investigation of the cellular and molecular basis of its
      regeneration. Using CRISPR/Cas, we genetically labelled unique cell lineages
      within the developing axolotl embryo and tracked the frequency of each lineage
      within amputated and fully regenerated limbs. This allowed us, for the first
      time, to assess the contributions of multiple low frequency cell lineages to the
      regenerating limb at once. Our comparisons reveal that regenerated limbs are high
      fidelity replicas of the originals even after repeated amputations.

PMID- 28917059
TI  - Direct modulation of aberrant brain network connectivity through real-time
      NeuroFeedback.
AB  - The existence of abnormal connectivity patterns between resting state networks in
      neuropsychiatric disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), has been
      well established. Traditional treatment methods in ASD are limited, and do not
      address the aberrant network structure. Using real-time fMRI neurofeedback, we
      directly trained three brain nodes in participants with ASD, in which the
      aberrant connectivity has been shown to correlate with symptom severity. Desired
      network connectivity patterns were reinforced in real-time, without participants'
      awareness of the training taking place. This training regimen produced large,
      significant long-term changes in correlations at the network level, and whole
      brain analysis revealed that the greatest changes were focused on the areas being
      trained. These changes were not found in the control group. Moreover, changes in
      ASD resting state connectivity following the training were correlated to changes
      in behavior, suggesting that neurofeedback can be used to directly alter complex,
      clinically relevant network connectivity patterns.

PMID- 28917061
TI  - Use of lipid emulsion therapy in local anesthetic overdose.
AB  - The use of intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) therapy as antidote in systemic
      toxicity of certain agents has gained widespread support. There are increasing
      data suggesting use of ILE in reversing from local anesthetic-induced systemic
      toxicity severe, life-threatening cardiotoxicity, although findings are
      contradictory. Efficiency of ILE was demonstrated in animal studies in the
      treatment of severe impairment of cardiac functions, via a mechanism for trapping
      lipophilic drugs in an expanded plasma lipid compartment ("lipid sink"). In
      patients with hemodynamic compromise and/or cardiovascular collapse due to lipid
      soluble agents, ILE may be considered for resuscitation in the acute setting by
      emergency physicians. The most common adverse effects from standard ILE include
      hypertriglyceridemia, fat embolism, infection, vein irritation, pancreatitis,
      electrolyte disturbances and allergic reactions. The advantages of ILE include an
      apparent wide margin of safety, relatively low cost, long shelf-life, and ease of
      administration.

PMID- 28917060
TI  - Lipids and ions traverse the membrane by the same physical pathway in the
      nhTMEM16 scramblase.
AB  - From bacteria to mammals, different phospholipid species are segregated between
      the inner and outer leaflets of the plasma membrane by ATP-dependent lipid
      transporters. Disruption of this asymmetry by ATP-independent phospholipid
      scrambling is important in cellular signaling, but its mechanism remains
      incompletely understood. Using MD simulations coupled with experimental assays,
      we show that the surface hydrophilic transmembrane cavity exposed to the lipid
      bilayer on the fungal scramblase nhTMEM16 serves as the pathway for both lipid
      translocation and ion conduction across the membrane. Ca2+ binding stimulates its
      open conformation by altering the structure of transmembrane helices that line
      the cavity. We have identified key amino acids necessary for phospholipid
      scrambling and validated the idea that ions permeate TMEM16 Cl- channels via a
      structurally homologous pathway by showing that mutation of two residues in the
      pore region of the TMEM16A Ca2+-activated Cl- channel convert it into a robust
      scramblase.

PMID- 28917062
TI  - Wound infiltration with bupivacaine 0.5% with or without adrenaline does not
      decrease pain after thyroidectomy. A randomized controlled study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of local wound infiltration with and without
      adrenaline on pain perception after thyroidectomy using the visual analog score
      (VAS).  Methods: A prospective randomized controlled double-blinded study was
      conducted between May 2015 and June 2016 at The University of Jordan Hospital,
      Amman, Jordan. Eighty-nine patients undergoing planned thyroidectomy were
      included in the study. Patients were divided randomly into 3 groups: Group A,
      local wound infiltration with bupivacaine 0.5% was administered; Group B,
      bupivacaine 0.5% with adrenaline was administered; Group C (control), no
      infiltration was performed. Standardized thyroidectomies were performed in the 3
      groups. Pain perception was measured using VAS at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours after
      surgery. A comparison between the 3 groups was carried out. Results: No
      significant differences among the 3 groups were observed at all time points
      (p=0.246). Visual analog scores were significantly lower at 12 and 24 hours after
      operations.  Conclusion: Local wound infiltration with bupivacaine 0.5% does not
      decrease pain perception after thyroidectomy performed under general anesthesia,
      and adding adrenaline does not enhance its effect.

PMID- 28917063
TI  - Accuracy of preoperative fine needle aspiration in diagnosis of malignant parotid
      tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration (FNA)
      for detecting malignant parotid tumors. Methods: We conducted a retrospective
      study of all patients diagnosed with benign or malignant parotid gland tumors in
      King Abdulaziz University Hospital,  Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2004
      and May 2015. The records of 65 subjects were obtained. Histopathological
      findings and data from FNA examinations were obtained from medical records.
      Twenty-three subjects were excluded due to missing FNA, histopathology results or
      both. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive
      predictive value of FNA for detecting malignant lesions were estimated and
      compared with the gold standard, histopathology. Results: The specimens of 5
      cases were insufficient for diagnosis; therefore, 38 cases were diagnosed by FNA
      and had histopathological reports. Three cases were diagnosed positive for cancer
      using histopathology and missed by FNA, 3 were diagnosed as malignant lesions
      using both FNA and histopathology, and 32 cases were determined benign based on
      histopathology and FNA analysis. The total prevalence of parotid malignancies was
      15.8%. The sensitivity of FNA for detecting malignancy was 50%, and the
      specificity was 100%; with a positive predictive value of 100% and negative
      predictive value of 91.4%. Conclusion: Fine needle aspiration  is a highly
      specific, but only moderately sensitive test. We support the use of this method
      as an initial tool for diagnosing parotid gland malignancies, as it is a safe,
      rapid, and painless procedure, compared to histopathology.

PMID- 28917064
TI  - A novel method for improving chest tube insertion skills among medical interns.
      Using biomaterial-covered mannequin.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop a low-cost biomaterial-covered chest tube simulation model
      and assess its possible usefulness for developing the chest tube insertion skills
      among medical interns. Methods: This mannequin-based interventional study was
      performed in a University hospital setting. We included 63 physicians performing
      emergency medicine internship at the Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical
      University, Trabzon, Turkey, between January 2015 and March 2015. A dummy was
      prepared for training simulation using a display mannequin. Medical interns
      received instruction concerning pneumothorax and the chest tube procedure. A
      total of 63 medical interns participating in this interventional study were asked
      to insert a chest tube in a biomaterial-covered mannequin. A senior trainee
      scored their performance using a check list and the mean of the total scores was
      calculated (21 items; total score, 42). Results: The mean procedural score was
      40.9 +/- 1.3 of a possible 42. The maximum score of 42 was achieved by 39.7% of
      the medical interns, while another 33.3% achieved a score of 41. Of the
      participants, 85% succeeded in inserting the tube via an appropriate technique,
      achieving a score of 40 or more. Conclusion: Our results indicated that this
      model could be useful for effective training of medical interns for chest tube
      insertion, which is an important skill in emergency medicine. This biomaterial
      covered model is inexpensive and its use can potentially be widened to improve
      training methods without significant financial demand.

PMID- 28917065
TI  - Diagnosis of mesenteric panniculitis in the multi-detector computed tomography
      era. Association with malignancy and surgical history.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence and associations of mesenteric panniculitis
      (MP) using multi-detector CT (MDCT). METHODS: This retrospective study included
      4758 consecutive patients who underwent abdomino-pelvic MDCT between January 2012
      and December 2014 at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan. Radiological
      database was searched for MP diagnosis and patients with suspected MP were re
      evaluated by an experienced radiologist to confirm the diagnosis. Data on all
      patients with confirmed MP diagnosis were subsequently collected and analyzed.
      RESULTS: Computed tomography features of MP were identified in 90 patients (41
      males, 49 females), a prevalence of 1.9%. Mesenteric panniculitis was identified
      in both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. Malignancy was found in 28 MP
      patients (31%) and 44 of the MP patients (49%) had prior history of abdomino
      pelvic surgery. Mesenteric panniculitis was significantly more frequently
      associated with prior abdomino-pelvic surgery (p=0.0001) and the likelihood of
      associated malignancy in patients with MP was 2.1-fold higher than in patients
      without MP (p=0.0013). Conclusion: Mesenteric panniculitis can be reliably
      diagnosed by MDCT due to its typical CT appearance. Its identification is
      important because of its significant association with malignancy and because it
      represents one of the differential diagnoses in patients with nonspecific
      symptoms referred for abdomino-pelvic CT.

PMID- 28917066
TI  - Effectiveness of the critical congenital heart disease screening program for
      early diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities in newborn infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of critical congenital heart disease
      (CCHD) screening program for early diagnosis of cardiac anomalies in newborn
      infants.  Methods: This is a hospital-based prospective cross-sectional study
      conducted in the Pediatric and Neonatology Department, King Fahad Hospital at 
      Albaha, Saudi Arabia, between February 2016 and February 2017. Results: We
      screened 2961 (95.4%) of 3103 patients in a nursery unit; 142 (4.6%) patients
      were not screened. The test was positive in 114 (3.9%) patients and negative in
      2847 (96.1%). There were 94 (3.2%) false positives and 20 (0.7%) true positives.
      Critical cardiac defects were diagnosed in 7 (0.2%) patients of all screened
      infants, and severe pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed in 13 (0.4%) patients.
      True negative results were found in 2841(96%) patients, and no cardiac defect was
      diagnosed, whereas false negative results were seen in 6 (0.2%) patients
      diagnosed with ventricular septal defect. The sensitivity was 77%, and the
      specificity was very high at 97%, with a positive predictive value of 18%, and a
      negative predictive value of 99.8% (95% confidence interval 13.78-19.18,
      p=0.0001). Conclusion: Pulse oximetry was found to be easy, safe, sensitive, and
      highly specific for diagnosis of CCHD.

PMID- 28917067
TI  - Dengue fever. Clinical features of 567 consecutive patients admitted to a
      tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To delineate the clinical features and outcomes of dengue infection
      and to guide clinician of early diagnosis and identification of risks factors for
      dengue hemorrhagic fever. Methods: This study is a retrospective cross-sectional.
      Clinical records of 567 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of dengue infection,
      admitted to a single hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2010 and 
      June 2014 were reviewed.  Results: Dengue infection was most common in adult
      males. Sixty-eight percent of infections were in Saudi nationals. In addition to
      the diagnostic clinical features, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia were typical of
      dengue infection. Approximately 4.1% of adult patients and 7.1% of pediatric
      patients developed dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Abdominal pain and vomiting
      were more common in patients developing DHF. Mean platelet count was lower in
      adult, but not pediatric patients developing DHF. Peak alanine aminotransferase
      (ALT) was higher in adult and pediatric patients developing DHF. Three patients
      died, 2 of them developed DHF. Ninety-eight percent of adult patients and 92% of
      pediatric patients made a full recovery. Conclusions:   Dengue infection is
      common in Jeddah.  Abdominal pain and vomiting, thrombocytopenia, and elevated
      ALT are typical of severe infection, which is more likely to be associated with
      significant morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28917069
TI  - Knowledge, attitude and practice of antibiotic use and misuse among adults in
      Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of antibiotics (ABs)
      use and misuse among adults living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: In this
      cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to
      participants from  March 2016 to January 2017 in the outpatient department of
      King Khalid University Hospital and Dental Hospital, King Saud University,
      Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was divided into 4 sections. The first
      and second section inquired regarding demographic details and knowledge of ABs.
      The third section assessed practice of ABs and the fourth section assessed
      attitude of participants towards ABs use. Questionnaires were hand delivered to
      respondents using convenience sampling. Statistical analysis using frequency
      distributions and knowledge responses of AB resistance for 'yes' and 'no' were
      associated with participant characteristics using Chi-square test.  Results: A
      total of 1966 questionnaires were completed (response rate: 93.5%). Sixty-seven
      percent of the respondents were unaware of the meaning of ABs resistance. Sixty
      seven percent of respondents were unaware of ABs being harmful for children's
      teeth and 64.9% unaware of ABs that develop allergy and death.  Twenty-four
      percent believed that ABs worked on viruses, 31% on cold and 21% can cure cough.
      Almost 51% used ABs without physician prescription while 37.5% obtained ABs
      directly from pharmacists without physician's prescription. Almost 42%
      participants discontinued ABs on alleviation of symptoms. There was significant
      difference in knowledge response of AB resistance and source of AB use (p=0.026),
      reason of AB use (p=0.038) and discontinuation of ABs (p=0.041). Conclusion:
      Adults showed insufficient knowledge and understanding regarding the safe use of
      ABs consumption among the population.

PMID- 28917068
TI  - Group A Streptococcal bacteraemia. Experience at King Fahad Medical City in
      Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify clinical presentation, predisposing factors, and the
      outcome in patients with Group A Streptococcal bacteremia. Methods: This is a
      retrospective study of 33 pediatric and adult patients with Streptococcus
      pyogenes bacteremia, admitted at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of
      Saudi Arabia from 2007 to 2015. Results: Thirty-three patient records,
      documenting bacteremia with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus, were reviewed.
      Approximately 51.5% were pediatric and 48.5% were adult patients, with a male to
      female ratio of 2:1. The most frequently reported complications were renal
      impairment (45.5%) and acute respiratory distress (21.2%), followed by localized
      infection (15.2%), pleural effusion (6.1%), abscess (9.1%), necrotizing fasciitis
      (9.1%), septic arthritis, and osteomyelitis (3%). There were 10 episodes of
      shock: 6 were in pediatric and 4 were in adult patients. At the end of the study
      period, 12.1% patients died from the illness, 81.1% recovered from illness with
      no sequelae, while 6.1% recovered with sequelae. Mortality was observed in 4
      patients; of them, 3 were pediatric patients and one was an adult with co
      morbidities. Conclusions: We have noted a minimal change in the disease pattern
      over the 28 years in Saudi Arabia. The management of invasive GAS infection
      depends on an accurate and timely diagnosis with an appropriate use of
      antimicrobial therapy. The highest risks appear to be related to chronic illness.
      Invasive Group A Streptococcal infection is known to have a high mortality rate.

PMID- 28917070
TI  - Consumption and correlates of sweet foods, carbonated beverages, and energy
      drinks among primary school children in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the consumption of sweets, carbonated beverages, and energy
      drinks along with their correlates among primary school children.  Methods: A
      total of 725 children (7-12 years old) were randomly recruited from 10 elementary
      schools from Al-Baha city, Saudi Arabia in 2013, using a multi-stage stratified
      sampling technique and pre-tested validated questionnaire.  Results:
      Approximately 26.1% of children reported consuming sweets on daily basis, and
      63.4% consumed sweets occasionally during the week. Approximately 56.3%children
      were reportedly drinking carbonated beverages weekly and 17.1% in daily basis.
      Weekly consumption of energy drinks was reported in 21.9% and daily consumption
      in 4.3% of the children. Daily sweets consumption was positively associated with
      children age (odds ratio [OR]=1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.5-9.5,
      p=0.035), consuming carbonated beverages (OR=3.4, 95% CI: 2.2-5.2, p less than
      0.001), energy drinks (OR=2.5, 95% CI: 1.1-5.4, p=0.029), eating high fat food
      (OR= 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1 - 2.4, p=0.023), and inversely with children body mass
      index (BMI) (OR=0.9, 95% CI: 0.8-0.9, p less than 0.001). Consuming carbonated
      beverages on regular basis was positively associated with consuming energy drinks
      (OR=9.0, 95% CI: 4.0-21.0, p less than 0.001).  Conclusion: Unhealthy dietary
      choices were found to be prevalent at early age. Comprehensive intervention
      programs should be established to prevent unhealthy dietary choices and promote
      healthier dietary behaviors. Qualitative studies are needed for better
      understanding of children's dietary behaviors.

PMID- 28917071
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of palatal bone thickness for the placement of
      orthodontic miniscrews in adults with different facial types.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To quantitatively evaluate palatal bone thickness in adults with
      different facial types using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).  Methods: The
      CBCT volumetric data of 123 adults (mean age, 26.8 years) collected between
      August  2014 and August 2016 was retrospectively studied. The subjects were
      divided into a low-angle group (39 subjects), a normal-angle group (48 subjects)
      and a high-angle group (36 subjects) based on facial types assigned by
      cephalometric radiography. The thickness of the palatal bone was assessed at
      designated points. A repeated-measure analysis of variance (rm-ANOVA) test was
      used to test the relationship between facial types and palatal bone thickness.
      Results: Compared to the low-angle group, the high-angle group had significantly
      thinner palatal bones (p less than 0.05), except for the anterior-midline,
      anterior-medial and middle-midline areas.  Conclusion: The safest zone for the
      placement of microimplants is the anterior part of the paramedian palate.
      Clinicians should pay special attention to the probability of thinner bone plates
      and the risk of perforation in high-angle patients.

PMID- 28917072
TI  - Primary extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma arising from the iliac vein.
AB  - The iliac vein is an extremely rare site for mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, and
      patients with primary extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma arising from a
      vein always suffer a very poor prognosis. We report a case of a 45-year-old
      female who presented with a 5-month history of left leg edema in 2015. Contrast
      enhanced computed tomography showed a large mass in the left iliac vein with
      scattered calcifications. Wide-margin resection was performed, and
      histopathologic and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the presence of
      intraluminal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma with local invasion out of the vein wall.
      Due to poor patient compliance, postoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy and
      radiotherapy were not started, and a bone scan performed 16 weeks postoperatively
      showed multiple bone metastases. The patient died on the twenty-fourth
      postoperative week.

PMID- 28917073
TI  - Effects of personality traits on collaborative performance in problem-based
      learning tutorials.
AB  - [No Abstract Available].

PMID- 28917074
TI  - Editorial:Combination of Mass Spectrometry and Omics/Chemometrics Approaches to
      Unravel Bioactives in Natural Products Mixtures.

PMID- 28917075
TI  - Editorial: Structural Aspects of Protein Aggregation.

PMID- 28917076
TI  - Editorial: Impacts and Regulation of Dietary Nutrients on Gut Microbiome and
      Immunity.

PMID- 28917077
TI  - Pancreatic beta-Cells and Type 2 Diabetes Development.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by
      hyperglycemia. In particular, type 2 diabetes (T2D) represents one of the main
      causes of death in the world, and those suffering from it have a lower quality of
      life. Although there are multiple hypotheses about the pathophysiological
      mechanisms that lead to the development of T2D, the effects of this pathology on
      pancreatic beta-cells are often ignored. We now know that in addition to genetic
      defects, beta-cell organellar dysfunction participates in the earliest stages of
      the disease; other factors also contribute to this dysfunction, such as excessive
      production of reactive oxygen species and a decrease in cellular volume and mass.
      These features usually result from increased apoptosis, which is not adequately
      compensated for by the characteristic regeneration mechanisms of these cells. In
      this study, we specifically examine the genetic, epigenetic and metabolic defects
      that contribute to beta-cell dysfunction and lead to the establishment of T2D,
      particularly the dysregulated insulin synthesis and secretion in these cells.

PMID- 28917078
TI  - Editorial: Management of Diabetes in Unique Populations.

PMID- 28917079
TI  - Insulin autoimmune syndrome (Hirata's disease) in an Italian patient: a case
      report and review of the literature.
AB  - We describe the case of a 54-year-old Caucasian Italian male experiencing
      episodes of hypoglycemia, occurring mainly after meals. He had never been exposed
      to insulin and was taking ramipril, flecainide and acetylsalicylic acid. An oral
      glucose tolerance test (OGTT) showed high blood glucose levels diagnostic for
      diabetes mellitus at 120 min and hypoglycemia with inappropriately high insulin
      levels at 240 min. The 72-h fasting test, abdominal computed tomography (CT) and
      positron emission tomography-CT were normal. Insulin autoantibodies were positive
      at high titers, prompting a diagnosis of insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS). The
      patient was advised to take frequent, small meals and thus achieved a good
      control of his hypoglycemic symptoms. After 18 months of this dietary management,
      his insulin autoantibody levels decreased considerably but remained detectable.
      During an OGTT, his blood glucose levels at 120 min were now indicative of an
      impaired glucose tolerance rather than diabetes, and there was improvement in the
      glucose nadir. The patient had no other clinical or latent autoimmune diseases.
      Here we discuss the main features of IAS (also known as Hirata's disease) and
      review the cases of IAS reported in Italy to date.

PMID- 28917080
TI  - Hyperuricemia does not seem to be an independent risk factor for coronary heart
      disease.

PMID- 28917081
TI  - Evaluation of the Ecstasy influence on tramadol and its main metabolite plasma
      concentration in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tramadol is prone to be abused alone, or in combination with 3,4
      methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy). It was reported that 95% of people
      with a history of substance abuse in the United States used tramadol in 2004.
      According to the WHO report in 2016, there was a growing number of tramadol
      abusers alone or in combination with psychoactive substances such as MDMA in
      particular in some Middle East countries. Higher concentrations of tramadol in
      plasma may lead to adverse drug reactions or lethal intoxication. In this study,
      the effect of MDMA on the pharmacokinetics of tramadol was examined in male rats.
      METHODS: The effect of MDMA on Tmax, Cmax, area under the curve, elimination
      rate, and half-life of tramadol and its metabolites was examined. Two control and
      two treatment groups were designed. The treatment groups received MDMA 18 h
      before the administration of tramadol. Jugular vein blood samples were analyzed
      by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescent detector to determine
      the concentrations of tramadol and its metabolites. Independent-sample t-test was
      used to define the differences between pharmacokinetic parameters of control and
      treatment groups. RESULTS: When tramadol administered intraperitoneally, the
      absorption rate of this drug was reduced, and a lower Cmax (40%) with longer Tmax
      (eight-fold) was achieved. MDMA exerted greater inhibitory effects on cytochrome
      P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) than on cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). The M2 metabolite ratio
      was reduced by half, and because of the inhibition of M2 production, the M1
      plasma concentration slightly increased. CONCLUSIONS: According to the obtained
      data, MDMA treatment affected the absorption, distribution and metabolism phases
      of tramadol. This treatment increased the concentration of tramadol if
      administered intravenously and can latent the absorption of tramadol in oral
      route. However, MDMA was introduced as CYP2D6 inhibitor; in this study, MDMA
      inhibited CYP3A4 isoenzymes as well. This finding is important for the compounds
      that are metabolized through CYP3A4. It can be proposed that in abusers of MDMA
      who only receive tramadol for medical or nonmedical purposes in short intervals,
      the dangers of the intravenous administration of tramadol should be considered,
      and if tramadol is administered orally, the desired effect may not be achieved at
      the routine dose.

PMID- 28917082
TI  - Protective effect of salusin-alpha and salusin-beta against ethanol-induced
      gastric ulcer in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption has been found to be associated with gastric
      ulcers, including gastric mucosal lesions. Salusin-alpha and salusin-beta are
      bioactive peptides having 28 and 20 amino acids, respectively. Salusin-alpha and
      salusin-beta immunoreactivity has been detected in the stomach and in the
      intestines. It has been reported that the salusins regulate the cytokine levels
      and decrease the infarct area in the heart tissue after ischemia. In this study,
      we investigated the effects of the salusins in the gastric injury formed with
      ethanol. METHODS: Thirty-two sprague Dawley male rats were randomly divided into
      four groups, including eight rats in each group as follows: Group 1: control;
      Group 2: ethanol 5 mL/kg; Group 3: ethanol 5 mL/kg+5 nmol/kg salusin-alpha; Group
      4: ethanol 5 mL/kg+5 nmol/kg salusin-beta. RESULTS: The salusin-alpha level
      increased at a significant level in the ulcer group formed with ethanol
      (p<0.001); the change in the salusin-beta level is not significant. As for
      malondialdehyde (p<0.05) and myeloperoxidase (p<0.001), when compared with the
      control group, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (p<0.05) levels increased in the group
      to which ethanol was applied and decreased significantly with the application of
      salusins. Levels of GSH and IL-1beta did not change at a significant level. In
      addition, histopathologic analysis demonstrated that, in salusin-administered
      groups, mucosal injury and caspase-3 expressions were reduced. CONCLUSIONS: The
      suppression of salusin-alpha and salusin-beta on caspase-3 expression by means of
      their effects on oxidative injury and TNF-alpha levels shows that these two
      hormones could serve as anti-ulcerative agents.

PMID- 28917083
TI  - Effects of single or combined administration of salmon calcitonin and omega-3
      fatty acids vs. diclofenac sodium in sodium monoiodoacetate-induced knee
      osteoarthritis in male Wistar rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a continuous search for a better therapy in osteoarthritis
      (OA) management. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of salmon
      calcitonin (Sct) and/or omega-3 fatty acids (N-3) relative to diclofenac sodium
      (DF) in induced knee osteoarthritic male Wistar rats. METHODS: The 40 rats that
      were used in this study were divided into 8 groups (n=5 rats), viz: Normal
      control; OA control; OA+N-3; OA+Low dose of Sct (Sct.Lw); OA+High dose of Sct
      (Sct.Hi); OA+N-3+SCt.Lw; OA+N-3+Sct.Hi; and, OA+DF. OA was induced with 4 mg of
      sodium monoiodoacetate in 40 MUL of saline. The solution was injected into the
      left knee joint space of anaesthetised rats. Sct was administered at 2.5 and 5.0
      IU/kg b.w. (im), whereas N-3 and DF were administered at 200 and 1 mg/kg b.w.
      (p.o.), respectively. Treatments commenced 9 days after the induction of OA, and
      they lasted for 28 days. RESULTS: Sct and/or N-3 significantly reduced c
      telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX-1), collagen type 2 alpha-1 (C2M),
      malondialdehyde (MDA), uric acid (UA), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), but,
      significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) after OA induction. Both
      therapies had additive effects on C2M, MDA, SOD, and catalase (CAT), but, non
      additive actions on UA, IL-6, and CTX-1. Like the Sct and N-3, DF significantly
      reduced CTX-1, C2M, UA, and IL-6. However, it had no significant effect on SOD
      and MDA, even though it significantly reduced CAT activity. None of the therapies
      had significant effect on total alkaline phosphatase activity, except N-3+Sct.Lw.
      CONCLUSIONS: The combined, and sometimes the single administration of Sct and N-3
      proved to be better therapies in OA management than DF.

PMID- 28917084
TI  - Evaluation of neurodevelopment of children with congenital hypothyroidism by the
      Denver Developmental Screening Test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thyroid hormones are essential for growth and brain development in
      childhood. Although congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common reason for
      mental retardation, normal neurological development can be achieved through early
      and effective treatment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the
      neurological development of CH patients aged 24-56 months. METHODS: The study
      included a total of 116 healthy control subjects and 112 patients aged 24-56
      months who were diagnosed with CH during the neonatal period and were being
      followed up at the Pediatric Endocrinology Department, Kecioren Training and
      Research Hospital, between 2012 and 2015. Demographics and clinical data of
      interventions and outcomes were retrieved for each patient. Statistical analysis
      was performed using an unpaired Student's t-test to compare means and chi2
      analysis to compare proportions. RESULTS: There were no significant differences
      between the CH and control groups with respect to gestational age, birth weight,
      height standard deviation scores (HSDS) and body weight standard deviation scores
      (BWSDS) (p>0.05). When the groups were compared according to the Denver
      Developmental Screening Test (DDST), no significant differences were found in
      terms of personal-social, fine motor skills, or language development (p=0.325,
      p=0.087 and p=0.636, respectively). However, a significant difference was found
      between the two groups with respect to gross motor development and the result of
      the DDST (p=0.001). No statistical difference was found between the control and
      patient groups on the day of starting treatment but the number of patients with
      an abnormal result in the DDST starting treatment at >15 days was found to be
      significantly higher than the number of patients starting treatment <=15 days. No
      associations were found between the DDST results of the CH group and the
      following factors: initial L-thyroxine (LT4) level, initial LT4 dose and the
      onset of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicate that the
      DDST results in patients with CH are generally good. Initiating treatment
      immediately after diagnosis and during the first days of life is absolutely
      imperative. However, in contrast to timing, we could not find strong evidence for
      determining the precise optimal dosage of LT4 to initiate treatment in children
      diagnosed with CH. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the European
      Society for Pediatric Endocrinology recommend 10-15 MUg/kg/day as the initial
      dose.

PMID- 28917085
TI  - A retrospective review of initial bisphosphonate infusion in an inpatient vs.
      outpatient setting for bisphosphonate naive patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and convenience
      of initial bisphosphonate infusion therapy in inpatient and outpatient settings
      for patients with low bone mineral density. METHODS: All data were collected from
      retrospective chart reviews of heterogeneous groups of patients. Abnormal
      findings prior to the infusion and side effects during the infusion were
      documented. Patients were contacted following the infusion to discuss post
      infusion adverse events. RESULTS: The majority of both outpatients (80%, n=44)
      and inpatients (50%, n=27) did not experience any adverse events related to the
      infusion. Some patients reported minor adverse events that were expected. Only
      one of the inpatients had a severe adverse event (SAE) after the infusion.
      CONCLUSIONS: For patients at low risk for severe reactions to treatment, the
      infusion center appears to be a safe and possibly more convenient treatment
      setting for both the patient and the hospital, although more expensive for the
      patient at our institution.

PMID- 28917086
TI  - Kostchyienones A and B, new antiplasmodial and cytotoxicity of limonoids from the
      roots of Pseudocedrela kotschyi (Schweinf.) Harms.
AB  - Two new limonoids, kostchyienones A (1) and B (2), along with 12 known compounds
      3-14 were isolated from the roots of Pseudocedrela kostchyi. Compound (7) was
      isolated for the first time from a natural source. Their structures were
      elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Compounds 1-6 and 13-14 gave
      IC50 values ranging from 0.75 to 5.62 MUg/mL for antiplasmodial activity against
      chloroquine-sensitive (Pf3D7) and chloroquine-resistant (PfINDO) strains of
      Plasmodium falciparum. Compound 5 showed moderate potential cytotoxicity against
      the HEK239T cell line with an IC50 value of 22.2+/-0.89 MUg/mL. The
      antiplasmodial efficacy of the isolated compounds supports the medicinal value of
      this plant and its potential to provide novel antimalarial drugs.

PMID- 28917087
TI  - Evaluation of Four Different Restorative Materials for Restoration of the
      Periodontal Condition of Wedge-Shaped Defect: A Comparative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND This study aimed to conduct a clinical evaluation of four restorative
      materials for restoration of dental wedge-shaped defect (WSD) and their impacts
      on periodontal tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 280 maxillary premolars
      with dental WSD were selected from 106 patients; the patient cases were divided
      into eight groups according to different combinations of restorative materials
      (flowable resin composites, Dyract compomers, glass ionomer cement (GIC), light
      curing composite resin), and WSD positions (approaching gingival and subgingival
      positions). Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) volume, levels of aspartate
      aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and interleukin-1beta (IL
      1beta) in GCF were analyzed, while probing depth (PD), plaque index (PLI), and
      sulcus bleeding index (SBI) were also measured. The periodontal conditions of all
      patients were followed prior to restoration, as well as six months and 12 months
      after restoration. RESULTS After six months of restoration, the overall clinical
      success rates of flowable resin composites, Dyract compomers, and light-curing
      composite resin were greater than those of GIC. GCF volume, GCF-AST, IL-1beta
      levels, PD, PLI, and SBI of cases restored by GIC were higher than those restored
      by the other three materials. After 12 months of restoration, the overall
      clinical success rates of flowable resin composites and Dyract compomers were
      greater than those of light-curing composite resin and GIC. GCF volume, GCF-AST,
      GCF-ALP, IL-1beta levels, PD, PLI, and SBI of cases restored by GIC were higher
      than those restored by the other three materials. CONCLUSIONS Our study provided
      evidence that the clinical efficacy of flowable resin composites, Dyract
      compomers, and light-curing composite resin was greater than that of GIC for
      restoration of dental WSD.

PMID- 28917088
TI  - Depression, anxiety, PTSD and comorbidity in perinatal women in Turkey: A
      longitudinal population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: (a) to assess prevalence of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic
      stress disorder (PTSD) and their comorbidity among women during the perinatal
      period (b) to examine course of those disorders from pregnancy to 6 months
      postpartum (c) to determine the rates of new-onset cases at 4-6 weeks and 6
      months postpartum. DESIGN: A longitudinal population-based study in which
      participants completed psychosocial measures of depression, anxiety and PTSD in
      pregnancy (n = 950), 4-6 weeks (n = 858) and 6 months (n = 829) after birth.
      SETTING: A consecutive sample of pregnant women were recruited from three
      maternity hospitals in three cities of Turkey: Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
      MEASURES: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale (HADS), and Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) were used to
      assess depression, anxiety and PTSD, respectively. FINDINGS: Depression and PTSD
      peaked at 4-6 weeks postpartum and then fell at 6 months postpartum, whereas
      anxiety followed a gradually declining linear-pattern from pregnancy to 6 months
      postpartum. The prevalence of depression was 14.6% in pregnancy, 32.6% at 4-6
      weeks and 18.5% at 6 months postpartum, respectively. The prevalence of PTSD was
      5.8% in pregnancy, 11.9% at 4-6 weeks postpartum and 9.2% at 6 months postpartum.
      Anxiety was highest in pregnancy (29.6%) and then decreased to 24.6% 4-6 weeks
      after birth and to 16.2% 6 months after birth. New-onset cases were most apparent
      at 4-6 weeks postpartum: 24.6% for depression; 13.7% for anxiety and 8.9% for
      PTSD. KEY CONCLUSIONS: A relatively high prevalence of psychological disorders
      was identified during the perinatal period. Anxiety was most prevalent in
      pregnancy, and depression and PTSD were highest at 4-6 weeks postpartum.
      Depression was more common than anxiety 4-6 weeks and 6 months after birth and
      highly comorbid with anxiety throughout this period. New-onset cases were
      observed at both 4-6 weeks and 6 months postpartum. IMPLICATIONS: High rates of
      affective disorders in pregnancy and after birth highlight three main points:
      first, it is important to have effective perinatal screening to identify women
      with psychological needs; second, providing early treatment to women experiencing
      severe psychological problems is essential to ensure psychological well-being of
      those women and to prevent chronicity; and finally, psychosocial screening and
      interventions should be offered until at least 6 months after birth to catch new
      onset cases.

PMID- 28917089
TI  - The trehalose-specific transporter LpqY-SugABC is required for antimicrobial and
      anti-biofilm activity of trehalose analogues in Mycobacterium smegmatis.
AB  - Mycobacteria, including the bacterial pathogen that causes human tuberculosis,
      possess distinctive pathways for synthesizing and utilizing the non-mammalian
      disaccharide trehalose. Trehalose metabolism is essential for mycobacterial
      viability and has been linked to in vitro biofilm formation, which may bear
      relevance to in vivo drug tolerance. Previous research has shown that some
      trehalose analogues bearing modifications at the 6-position inhibit growth of
      various mycobacterial species. In this work, 2-, 5-, and 6-position-modified
      trehalose analogues were synthesized using our previously reported one-step
      chemoenzymatic method and shown to inhibit growth and biofilm formation in the
      two-to three-digit micromolar range in Mycobacterium smegmatis. The trehalose
      specific ABC transporter LpqY-SugABC was essential for antimicrobial and anti
      biofilm activity, suggesting that inhibition by monosubstituted trehalose
      analogues requires cellular uptake and does not proceed via direct action on
      extracellular targets such as antigen 85 acyltransferases or trehalose dimycolate
      hydrolase. Although the potency of the described compounds in in vitro growth and
      biofilm assays is moderate, this study reports the first trehalose-based
      mycobacterial biofilm inhibitors and reinforces the concept of exploiting unique
      sugar uptake pathways to deliver inhibitors and other chemical cargo to
      mycobacteria.

PMID- 28917090
TI  - Oleanane triterpenes with protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitory activity
      from aerial parts of Lantana camara collected in Indonesia and Japan.
AB  - During the search for new protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B inhibitors, EtOH
      extracts from the aerial parts of Lantana camara L. (lantana) collected at Manado
      (Indonesia) and two subtropical islands in Japan (Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands,
      Okinawa) exhibited potent inhibitory activities against PTP1B in an enzyme assay.
      Four previously undescribed oleanane triterpenes were isolated together with
      known triterpenes and flavones from the Indonesian lantana. The EtOH extracts of
      lantana collected in Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands exhibited different
      phytochemical profiles from each other and the Indonesian lantana. Triterpenes
      with a 24-OH group were isolated from the Indonesian lantana only. Five known
      triterpene compounds were detected in the Ishigaki lantana, and two oleanane
      triterpenes with an ether linkage between 3beta and 25 were the main components
      together with five known triterpenes as minor components in the Iriomote lantana.
      The structures of previously undescribed compounds were assigned on the basis of
      their spectroscopic data. Among the compounds obtained in this study, oleanolic
      acid exhibited the most potent activity against PTP1B, and is used as a positive
      control in studies on PTP1B.

PMID- 28917091
TI  - Recovery from diabetes insipidus and preservation of thyroid function after
      craniopharyngioma removal and pituitary stalk sectioning.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Craniopharyngioma is a slow-growing tumor, but long-term tumor
      control with maintenance of quality of life is sometimes very difficult to
      achieve, and hypothalamic disturbance should be strictly avoided in the
      treatment. However, management of the pituitary gland and/or pituitary stalk
      varies among surgeons and institutions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective
      review identified 44 patients, 24 males and 20 females with craniopharyngiomas
      who were initially treated by surgery through the extended transsphenoidal
      approach with pituitary stalk sectioning at a single institute. If the tumor bed
      involved the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, pituitary stalk, anterior
      and/or mid portion of the third ventricle floor, these structures were removed en
      bloc together with the tumor. The closest attention was paid to preserve fine
      arteries running along the surface of optic chiasm and the lateral walls of the
      third ventricle. Surgical outcome and changes in postoperative endocrinological
      status were investigated. RESULTS: Gross total removal was achieved in 40 of 44
      patients (91%), and all patients could discharge without autonomic and/or thermal
      disturbances. Tumor remnants were identified with tight adhesion to the
      perforating arteries in 2 cases, tight adhesion to mammillary bodies in 1, and
      optic chiasm in 1. Administration of anti-diuretic hormone could be discontinued
      in 23 of 44 patients (52.3%) with improved diabetes insipidus (DI), although no
      patient could discontinue glucocorticoid administration. Preservation of thyroid
      function was achieved in another 23 of 44 patients (52.3%), and recovery from DI
      was correlated with preservation of thyroid function (p=0.016). CONCLUSION:
      Pituitary dysfunction is partially reversible even with pituitary stalk
      sectioning. Regrowth of tumor in the anterior and/or mid portion of the third
      ventricle floor including pituitary stalk can possibly be prevented by aggressive
      tumor removal, and co-achievement of long-term tumor control with maintenance of
      quality of life could be possible to preserve the lateral wall of the third
      ventricle.

PMID- 28917094
TI  - Local Postsynaptic Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Activation in Dendritic Spines of
      Olfactory Bulb Granule Cells.

PMID- 28917092
TI  - Progressive halo-vest traction preceding posterior occipitocervical instrumented
      fusion for irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation and basilar invagination.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Surgical treatment of irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation (IAAD)
      with basilar invagination (BI) is associated with high rates of severe
      complications, including mortality. This retrospective study investigated the
      safety and efficacy of progressive halo-vest traction for IAAD with BI prior to
      posterior occipitocervical instrumented fusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between
      2009 and 2013, 39 patients with IAAD with BI underwent preoperative reduction by
      progressive halo-vest traction for 20.82+/-4.21days. Instrumented fusion was then
      performed through a posterior approach. Clinical outcomes were based on pain
      scale and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores. Radiographic analysis
      evaluated changes in atlantodental distance, McGregor's line violation, spinal
      canal width at the craniocervical junction, cervicomedullary angle, C2-C7
      lordosis angle, and the occiput-C2 angle. RESULTS: Follow-ups ranged from 48 to
      96 months. Both atlantodental distance and BI significantly improved in all
      patients. The rates of complete anatomical reduction were 85% for IAAD, and 95%
      for BI. Most of the patients reported satisfactory pain relief and improvement in
      daily activity; the mean JOA scores at baseline and last follow-up were 9.10 and
      15.92, respectively. Although complications occurred in 10 patients (25.64%), all
      of which healed uneventfully. The bony fusion rate was 100%. CONCLUSION:
      Progressive halo-vest traction before surgery is safe and effective for reduction
      of IAAD with BI. The technique we describe is a promising method for treatment of
      complex craniocervical junction deformity.

PMID- 28917093
TI  - Molecular cloning and functional expression of the K+ channel KV7.1 and the
      regulatory subunit KCNE1 from equine myocardium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The voltage-gated K+-channel KV7.1 and the subunit KCNE1, encoded by
      the KCNQ1 and KCNE1 genes, respectively, are responsible for termination of the
      cardiac action potential. In humans, mutations in these genes can predispose
      patients to arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). AIM: To characterize
      equine KV7.1/KCNE1 currents and compare them to human KV7.1/KCNE1 currents to
      determine whether KV7.1/KCNE1 plays a similar role in equine and human hearts.
      METHODS: mRNA encoding KV7.1 and KCNE1 was isolated from equine hearts,
      sequenced, and cloned into expression vectors. The channel subunits were
      heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes or CHO-K1 cells and
      characterized using voltage-clamp techniques. RESULTS: Equine KV7.1/KCNE1
      expressed in CHO-K1 cells exhibited electrophysiological properties that are
      overall similar to the human orthologs; however, a slower deactivation was found
      which could result in more open channels at fast rates. CONCLUSION: The results
      suggest that the equine KV7.1/KCNE1 channel may be important for cardiac
      repolarization and this could indicate that horses are susceptible to SCD caused
      by mutations in KCNQ1 and KCNE1.

PMID- 28917095
TI  - Turning movements, vehicle offsets and ageing drivers driving behaviour at
      channelized and unchannelized intersections.
AB  - Ageing drivers experience a higher risk of intersection crashes because of their
      decrease in driving efficiency, including the decline in cognitive ability, head
      and neck flexibility, and visual acuity. Although several studies have been
      conducted to examine the factors associated with ageing driver crashes at
      intersections, little research has been conducted to examine the differences in
      the factors related to ageing drivers' turning paths and intersection geometric
      features. This study aims to improve the safety of ageing drivers at
      intersections by identifying the maneuvers that are risky for them and tracking
      their turning movements at selected intersections. We find that ageing drivers
      experience more crashes at intersections than younger drivers, especially crashes
      involving turning movements. Furthermore, ageing drivers experience more crashes
      at unchannelized intersections compared to channelized intersections. In
      addition, this study finds that ageing drivers exhibit greater and more
      inconsistent offsets during turning movements compared to those of younger
      drivers at both channelized and unchannelized intersections. Ageing drivers also
      tend to make relatively sharper or tighter turns than younger drivers. Hence,
      transportation engineers and road safety professionals should consider
      appropriate countermeasures to reduce the risks of crashes involving ageing
      drivers at intersections.

PMID- 28917096
TI  - How bicycle level of traffic stress correlate with reported cyclist accidents
      injury severities: A geospatial and mixed logit analysis.
AB  - Transportation agencies need efficient methods to determine how to reduce bicycle
      accidents while promoting cycling activities and prioritizing safety improvement
      investments. Many studies have used standalone methods, such as level of traffic
      stress (LTS) and bicycle level of service (BLOS), to better understand bicycle
      mode share and network connectivity for a region. However, in most cases, other
      studies rely on crash severity models to explain what variables contribute to the
      severity of bicycle related crashes. This research uniquely correlates bicycle
      LTS with reported bicycle crash locations for four cities in New Hampshire
      through geospatial mapping. LTS measurements and crash locations are compared
      visually using a GIS framework. Next, a bicycle injury severity model, that
      incorporates LTS measurements, is created through a mixed logit modeling
      framework. Results of the visual analysis show some geospatial correlation
      between higher LTS roads and "Injury" type bicycle crashes. It was determined,
      statistically, that LTS has an effect on the severity level of bicycle crashes
      and high LTS can have varying effects on severity outcome. However, it is
      recommended that further analyses be conducted to better understand the
      statistical significance and effect of LTS on injury severity. As such, this
      research will validate the use of LTS as a proxy for safety risk regardless of
      the recorded bicycle crash history. This research will help identify the
      clustering patterns of bicycle crashes on high-risk corridors and, therefore,
      assist with bicycle route planning and policy making. This paper also suggests
      low-cost countermeasures or treatments that can be implemented to address high
      risk areas. Specifically, with the goal of providing safer routes for cyclists,
      such countermeasures or treatments have the potential to substantially reduce the
      number of fatalities and severe injuries.

PMID- 28917097
TI  - Development of motor imagery and anticipatory action planning in children with
      developmental coordination disorder - A longitudinal approach.
AB  - Children with impaired motor coordination (or Development Coordination Disorder -
      DCD) have difficulty with the predictive control of movements, evidenced by cross
      sectional studies that show impaired motor imagery and action planning abilities.
      What remains unclear is whether this deficit in predictive control reflects
      immaturity of the motor system (a developmental delay) or some deviation from
      normal development (a disorder). To advance this discussion the present study
      used a longitudinal design to examine the development of motor imagery and action
      planning in children with DCD. Thirty children were included in the DCD group
      (aged 6-11years) and age- and gender-matched to 30 controls. The DCD group had a
      mABC-2 score<=16th percentile, the control group>20th percentile. Motor imagery
      was assessed with the hand rotation task, action planning with a test for end
      state comfort. Children participated in three measurements, with one year in
      between measurements. Results showed that children with DCD were slower and less
      accurate than their typically developing peers in all subsequent years but were
      able to improve their motor imagery ability over time. Furthermore, children with
      DCD showed less planning for ESC at the start of the present study, but were able
      to catch up with their peers during two-year follow up. These results exemplify
      that improvement of motor imagery and action planning ability is possible in DCD,
      and they lend theoretical support to the use of new training techniques that
      focus on training motor imagery to improve motor skills in children with DCD.

PMID- 28917099
TI  - A versatile bio-based material for efficiently removing toxic dyes, heavy metal
      ions and emulsified oil droplets from water simultaneously.
AB  - Developing versatile materials for effective water purification is significant
      for environment and water source protection. Herein, a versatile bio-based
      material (CH-PAA-T) was reported by simple thermal cross-linking chitosan and
      polyacrylic acid which exhibits excellent performances for removing insoluble
      oil, soluble toxic dyes and heavy metal ions from water, simultaneously. The
      adsorption capacities are 990.1mgg-1 for methylene blue (MB) and 135.9mgg-1 for
      Cu2+, which are higher than most of present advanced absorbents. The adsorption
      towards organic dyes possesses high selectivity which makes CH-PAA-T be able to
      efficiently separate dye mixtures. The stable superoleophobicity under water
      endows CH-PAA-T good performance to separate toluene-in-water emulsion stabilized
      by Tween 80. Moreover, CH-PAA-T can be recycled for 10 times with negligible
      reduction of efficiency. Such versatile bio-based material is a potential
      candidate for water purification.

PMID- 28917100
TI  - Assessment of fish scales waste as a low cost and eco-friendly adsorbent for
      removal of an azo dye: Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies.
AB  - In this study, AB113 dye was successfully sequestered using a novel adsorbent
      made of mixed fish scales (MFS). The influence of adsorbent dosage, initial pH,
      temperature, initial concentration and contact time on the adsorption performance
      was investigated. The surface chemistry and morphology of the adsorbent were
      examined by FTIR, TGA and SEM. Amides, phosphate and carbonate groups were
      evidently responsible for the high affinity of MFS towards the dye. The
      adsorption equilibrium and kinetic were well described by Langmuir and pseudo
      second-order models, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacities of MFS were
      145.3-157.3mg/g at 30-50 degrees C. The adsorption of AB113 dye onto the
      adsorbent was exothermic and spontaneous as reflected by the negative enthalpy
      and Gibbs energy changes. The results support MFS asa potential adsorbent for
      AB113 dye removal.

PMID- 28917098
TI  - Can attitudes about smoking impact cigarette cravings?
AB  - Cigarette cravings, especially those in response to environmental stressors and
      other smoking-related triggers (e.g., passing by a favorite smoking spot), are
      important contributors to smoking behavior and relapse. Previous studies have
      demonstrated significant individual differences in such cravings. This study
      explores the possibility that attitudes about smoking can influence the
      experience of cigarette craving. Consistent with classical theories of the links
      between cognition and motivation, we predicted that smokers who exhibit more
      favorable attitudes towards smoking would have greater cravings. Daily smokers
      (n=103, mean age=41.8years, 33% female) were instructed to imagine smoking,
      stress, and neutral scenarios. Cravings were measured prior to and after each
      exposure. Participants also completed an abridged version of the Smoking
      Consequence Questionnaire (SCQ) that had them rate the: 1) desirability and 2)
      likelihood, for eighteen separate negative smoking consequences (e.g., "The more
      I smoke, the more I risk my health", "People will think less of me if they see me
      smoking"). Findings revealed that favorable attitudes about the consequences of
      smoking, as measured by the SCQ-desirability index, significantly predicted
      cigarette cravings. Findings suggest that individual attitudes toward smoking may
      play an important role in better understanding cigarette cravings, which may
      ultimately help identify targets for more efficient and effective
      cognitive/attitude-based interventions for smoking cessation.

PMID- 28917101
TI  - Critical evaluation of post-consumption food waste composting employing
      thermophilic bacterial consortium.
AB  - Effect of single-function (oil degrading) and multi-functional bacterial
      consortium with zeolite as additive for post-consumption food waste (PCFW)
      composting was investigated through assessing the oil content reduction in a
      computer controlled 20-L composter. Three treatments of PCFWs combined with 10%
      zeolite were developed: Treatment-2 and Treatment-3 were inoculated with multi
      functional (BC-1) and oil degrading bacterial consortium (BC-2), respectively,
      while T-1 was without bacterial inoculation and served as control. Results
      revealed that BC-2 inoculated treatment (T-3) was superior to control treatment
      and marginally better than T-2 in terms of oil degradation. The reduction of oil
      content was >97.8% in T-3 and 92.27% in T-2, while total organic matter
      degradation was marginally higher in T-2 (42.95%) than T-3 (41.67%). Other
      parameters of compost maturity including germination test indicated that T-2 was
      marginally better than T-3 and significantly enhanced the oily PCFW decomposition
      and shortened the composting period by 20days.

PMID- 28917102
TI  - Performance evaluation and microbial community shift of a sequencing batch
      reactor under silica nanoparticles stress.
AB  - The performance, microbial community and enzymatic activity of a sequencing batch
      reactor (SBR) were evaluated at different silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs)
      concentrations. SiO2 NPs concentration at 5-30mg/L had a slight inhibitory impact
      on the nitrogen and COD removals, whereas the phosphorus removal was obviously
      inhibited at 30mg/L SiO2 NPs. The rates of nitrification, nitrite reduction and
      phosphorus removal decreased with the increase of SiO2 NPs concentration. The
      nitrate reduction rate decreased at less than 5mg/L SiO2 NPs and subsequently
      showed an increase at 10-30mg/L SiO2 NPs. The organic matter, nitrogen and
      phosphorus removal rates had similar varying tendencies to the corresponding
      microbial enzymatic activities under SiO2 NPs stress. Some SiO2 NPs were firstly
      absorbed on sludge surface and subsequently entered the interior of the microbial
      cells, which could exert the biological toxicity to activated sludge. The
      microbial community showed some obvious variations under SiO2 NPs stress.

PMID- 28917103
TI  - Isolation of a 2-picolinic acid-assimilating bacterium and its proposed
      degradation pathway.
AB  - Burkholderia sp. ZD1, aerobically utilizes 2-picolinic acid as a source of
      carbon, nitrogen and energy, was isolated. ZD1 completely degraded 2-picolinic
      acid when the initial concentrations ranged from 25 to 300mg/L. Specific growth
      rate (MU) and specific consumption rate (q) increased continually in the
      concentration range of 25-100mg/L, and then declined. Based on the Haldane model
      and Andrew's model, MUmax and qmax were calculated as 3.9 and 16.5h-1,
      respectively. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR
      MS) was used to determine the main intermediates in the degradation pathway.
      Moreover, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      (ATR-FTIR) was innovatively used to deduce the ring cleavage mechanism of N
      heterocycle of 2-picolinic acid. To our knowledge, this is the first report on
      not only the utilization of 2-picolinic acid by a Burkholderia sp., but also
      applying FT-ICR-MS and ATR-FTIR for exploring the biodegradation pathway of
      organic compounds.

PMID- 28917105
TI  - Optimal conditions for flexible methane production in a demand-based operation of
      biogas plants.
AB  - The aim of the presented work was to study the methane production limits and to
      determine optimal conditions for flexible operation of an anaerobic reactor in
      order to set up an operational strategy. Punctual overloads were conducted in a
      laboratory-scale anaerobic reactor with readily biodegradable solid substrates,
      and the influences of overload intensity, baseload value and substrate used were
      investigated. A maximal daily value around 1000mL/L of reactor for methane
      production has been assessed. This value did not evolve significantly during
      experiment time, and conditioned the persistence of overloads as well as the
      flexibility margin on the reactor, which ranged from +25% to +140% on daily
      production. Results highlighted the fact that for a maximum flexibility, low
      organic loading rates are better to work with on this type of reactors.

PMID- 28917104
TI  - Bacteria and archaea communities in full-scale thermophilic and mesophilic
      anaerobic digesters treating food wastewater: Key process parameters and
      microbial indicators of process instability.
AB  - In this study, four different mesophilic and thermophilic full-scale anaerobic
      digesters treating food wastewater (FWW) were monitored for 1-2years in order to
      investigate: 1) microbial communities underpinning anaerobic digestion of FWW, 2)
      significant factors shaping microbial community structures, and 3) potential
      microbial indicators of process instability. Twenty-seven bacterial genera were
      identified as abundant bacteria underpinning the anaerobic digestion of FWW.
      Methanosaeta harundinacea, M. concilii, Methanoculleus bourgensis, M.
      thermophilus, and Methanobacterium beijingense were revealed as dominant
      methanogens. Bacterial community structures were clearly differentiated by
      digesters; archaeal community structures of each digester were dominated by one
      or two methanogen species. Temperature, ammonia, propionate, Na+, and acetate in
      the digester were significant factors shaping microbial community structures. The
      total microbial populations, microbial diversity, and specific bacteria genera
      showed potential as indicators of process instability in the anaerobic digestion
      of FWW.

PMID- 28917106
TI  - Cultivation of Scenedesmus acuminatus in different liquid digestates from
      anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper industry biosludge.
AB  - Different undiluted liquid digestates from mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic
      digesters of pulp and paper industry biosludge with and without thermal
      pretreatment were characterized and utilized for cultivating Scenedesmus
      acuminatus. Higher S. acuminatus biomass yields were obtained in thermophilic
      digestates (without and with pretreatment prior to anaerobic digestion (AD):
      10.2+/-2.2 and 10.8+/-1.2gL-1, respectively) than in pretreated mesophilic
      digestates (7.8+/-0.3gL-1), likely due to differences in concentration of
      sulfate, iron, and/or other minor nutrients. S. acuminatus removed over 97.4% of
      ammonium and 99.9% of phosphate and sulfate from the digestates. Color (74-80%)
      and soluble COD (29-39%) of the digestates were partially removed. Different AD
      processes resulted in different methane yields (18-126L CH4 kg-1VS), digestate
      compositions, and microalgal yields. These findings emphasize the importance of
      optimizing each processing step in wood-based biorefineries and provide
      information for pulp and paper industry development for enhancing value
      generation.

PMID- 28917107
TI  - Effects of coffee processing residues on anaerobic microorganisms and
      corresponding digestion performance.
AB  - The objective of this study was to delineate the effects of different coffee
      processing residues on the anaerobic microbes and corresponding digestion
      performance. The results elucidated that mucilage-rich feed enhanced the
      accumulation of methanogens, which consequently led to better digestion
      performance of biogas production. Fifty percent more methane and up to 3 times
      more net energy (heat and electricity) output were achieved by the digestion of
      the mucilage-rich feed (M3). The microbial community and statistical analyses
      further elucidated that different residues in the feed had significant impact on
      microbial distribution and correspondingly influenced the digestion performance.

PMID- 28917108
TI  - Accumulation of propionic acid during consecutive batch anaerobic digestion of
      commercial food waste.
AB  - The objective of this study was to test three different alternatives to mitigate
      the destabilizing effect of accumulation of ammonia and volatile fatty acids
      during food waste anaerobic digestion. The three options tested (low temperature,
      co-digestion with paper waste and trace elements addition) were compared using
      consecutive batch reactors. Although methane was produced efficiently (~500ml
      CH4gVS-1; 16l CH4lreactor-1), the concentrations of propionic acid increased
      gradually (up to 21.6gl-1). This caused lag phases in the methane production and
      eventually led to acidification at high substrate loads. The addition of trace
      elements improved the kinetics and allowed higher substrate loads, but could not
      avoid propionate accumulation. Here, it is shown for the first time that addition
      of activated carbon, trace elements and dilution can favor propionic acid
      consumption after its accumulation. These promising options should be optimized
      to prevent propionate accumulation.

PMID- 28917109
TI  - A beta-xylosidase hyper-production Penicillium oxalicum mutant enhanced ethanol
      production from alkali-pretreated corn stover.
AB  - beta-Xylosidase activity is deficient in most cellulase enzymes secreted by
      filamentous fungi, which limits effective enzymatic hydrolysis of hemicellulose
      in lignocellulose materials and resulted in accumulation of xylo-oligosaccharides
      that inhibit the cellulase and xylanase activitives. An endogenous beta
      xylosidase gene, xyl3A, was overexpressed using two types of promoters in
      cellulolytic P. oxalicum RE-10. The mutants RXyl, RGXyl-1 and RGXyl-2 displayed
      higher beta-xylosidase production than native strain RE-10 besides higher
      cellulase and xylanase activities, especially RGXyl-1, showing the highest beta
      xylosidase activity of 15.05+/-1.79IU/mL, about 29 folds higher than native
      strain, more than the highest level reported by literature. Enzymatic hydrolysis
      results indicated the cellulase RGXyl-1 not only increased glucose and xylose
      yields and thus resulted in high ethanol yield during the simultaneous
      saccharification and fermentation, but decreased the total enzyme loading
      compared to starting RE-10, which indicated a good prospect of industrial
      application in bioconversion of lignocellulose.

PMID- 28917110
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of potentially inappropriate prescribing of central
      nervous system and psychotropic drugs among elderly patients: A national
      population study in Korea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of potentially inappropriate
      prescribing (PIP) of central nervous system and psychotropic (CNS-PS) drugs to
      the Korean elderly population, and to identify PIP-associated factors. METHODS:
      Ambulatory care visits were identified from the 2013 National Aged Patient Sample
      (HIRA-APS-2013) data, composed of 20% random samples of all enrollees in the
      universal health security program aged >=65 years. The CNS-PS section of
      Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP)
      criteria version 2 was used to identify PIP at these visits. RESULTS: A total of
      24,427,069 prescription claims records and 1,122,080 patients were included in
      the study; 10.73% of the claims and 53.64% of the patients satisfied at least one
      STOPP criterion in the prescription of CNS-PS drugs. The highest prevalence of
      PIP was observed for the criteria of "first-generation antihistamines" (FGAH),
      followed by tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) in patients with prostatism and TCA
      in patients with dementia. The generalized estimating equation logistic
      regression analysis showed that the PIP of FGAH was significantly associated with
      polypharmacy (5-9 drugs: odds ratio (OR) 4.965, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      4.936-4.994; >=10 drugs: OR 5.704, 95% CI 5.604-5.807), less severe health
      conditions (Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI)=2: OR 0.852, 95% CI 0.842-0.862;
      CCI=1: OR 0.975, 95% CI 0.964-0.986), prescriptions from clinics (OR>1.0), and
      outpatient care by general practitioners (OR>1.0). CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate
      interventions to reduce PIP should be made, especially for the criteria that
      indicate a high PIP prevalence. Targeted strategies are necessary to modify the
      risk factors of PIP identified from this study.

PMID- 28917111
TI  - [11C]PF-3274167 as a PET radiotracer of oxytocin receptors: Radiosynthesis and
      evaluation in rat brain.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oxytocin plays a major role in the regulation of social
      interactions in mammals by interacting with the oxytocin receptor (OTR) expressed
      in the brain. Furthermore, the oxytocin system appears as a possible therapeutic
      target in autism spectrum disorders and other psychiatric troubles, justifying
      current pharmacological researches. Since no specific PET radioligand is
      currently available to image OTR in the brain, the aim of this study was to
      radiolabel the specific OTR antagonist PF-3274167 and to evaluate [11C]PF-3274167
      as a potential PET tracer for OTR in rat brains. METHODS: [11C]PF-3274167 was
      prepared via the O-methylation of its desmethyl precursor with [11C]methyl
      iodide. The lipophilicity of the radioactive compound was evaluated by measuring
      the n-octanol-buffer partition coefficient (logD). Autoradiography experiments
      were performed on rat brain tissue to evaluate the in vitro distribution of the
      [11C]PF-3274167. MicroPET experiments were conducted with and without pre
      injection of ciclosporin in order to evaluate the influence of the P-glycoprotein
      (P-gp) on the brain uptake. RESULTS: [11C]PF-3274167 was synthesized with high
      radiochemical and chemical purities (>95%) and good specific activity. The
      measured logD was 1.93. In vitro, [11C]PF-3274167 did not show any evidence of
      specific binding to OTR. PET imaging showed that [11C]PF-3274167 uptake in rat
      brain was very low in basal conditions but increased significantly after the
      administration of ciclosporin, suggesting that it is a substrate of the P-gp. In
      the ciclosporin-pre-injected rat, however, [11C]PF-3274167 distribution did not
      match with the known distribution of OTR in rats. CONCLUSION: [11C]PF-3274167 is
      not a suitable tracer for imaging of OTR in rat brain, probably because of a too
      low affinity for this receptor in addition to a poor brain penetration.

PMID- 28917112
TI  - Paraneuraxial Nerve Blocks: A well-defined novel terminology that is clinically
      essential for regional anesthesia.

PMID- 28917113
TI  - Coagulation and complement in antiphospholipid syndrome.

PMID- 28917114
TI  - Prolonged anticoagulant treatment in patients with cancer: Where do we stand?

PMID- 28917116
TI  - Thermal- and photo-induced degradation of perfluorinated carboxylic acids:
      Kinetics and mechanism.
AB  - Perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) of different carbon chain lengths are
      chemicals of concern to human health and their removal, using conventional
      remediation technologies, is challenging. The present paper pursuits thermal and
      photo-induced degradation of PFCAs (F(CF2)nCOOH, n = 1-9) under various
      concentrations of four different acids (HNO3, H2SO4, HCl, and H3PO4) covering a
      range of strong acidic to basic pH. For thermal-induced experiments, the
      temperature was set at 40  degrees C, 60  degrees C, and 80  degrees C at acid
      strengths of 0.04-18.4 M. Photo-induced experiments were conducted at pH 0.5,
      7.0, and 13.0 under a light intensity of (150 +/- 10) * 100 MUW/cm2. The
      degradation first-order rate constant (k1, h-1) as a function of [H+] was modeled
      by considering equilibrium of nondissociated (F(CF2)nCOOH, HX) and dissociated
      (F(CF2)nCOO-, X-) species of PFCAs (HX ? X- + H+, pKa = -0.1). Species-specific
      rate constants, k1HX, reasonably described the trend of thermal and photo decay
      of PFCAs, where k1HX increased with acidity of solution and the carbon chain
      length of PFCAs. Mechanism of degradation of PFCAs (e.g. perfluorooctanoic acid
      (PFOA)) involved homolytic breakage of CC bond between alkyl and carboxyl groups,
      which produced radicals and subsequently decarboxylation to perfluoroheptene-1.
      Density functional theory (DFT) calculations supported the mechanism. The
      calculations indicated that a breaking of CC bond is more feasible with
      nondissociated HX than dissociated X- species of PFCAs and also with increase in
      chain length. The potential of a combination of thermal- and photo-induced
      processes under acidic conditions to enhance degradation of PFOA in water is
      presented.

PMID- 28917115
TI  - Comparisons of depression, anxiety, well-being, and perceptions of the built
      environment amongst adults seeking social, intermediate and market-rent
      accommodation in the former London Olympic Athletes' Village.
AB  - The Examining Neighbourhood Activities in Built Living Environments in London
      (ENABLE London) study provides a unique opportunity to examine differences in
      mental health and well-being amongst adults seeking social, intermediate
      (affordable rent), and market-rent housing in a purpose built neighbourhood (East
      Village, the former London 2012 Olympic Athletes' Village), specifically designed
      to encourage positive health behaviours. Multi-level logistic regression models
      examined baseline differences in levels of depression, anxiety and well-being
      across the housing groups. Compared with the intermediate group, those seeking
      social housing were more likely to be depressed, anxious and had poorer well
      being after adjustment for demographic and health status variables. Further
      adjustments for neighbourhood perceptions suggest that compared with the
      intermediate group, perceived neighbourhood characteristics may be an important
      determinant of depression amongst those seeking social housing, and lower levels
      of happiness the previous day amongst those seeking market-rent housing. These
      findings add to the extensive literature on inequalities in health, and provide a
      strong basis for future longitudinal work that will examine change in depression,
      anxiety and well-being after moving into East Village, where those seeking social
      housing potentially have the most to gain.

PMID- 28917117
TI  - Anaerobic granular sludge for simultaneous biomethanation of synthetic wastewater
      and CO with focus on the identification of CO-converting microorganisms.
AB  - CO is a main component of syngas, which can be produced from the gasification of
      organic wastes and biomass. CO can be converted to methane by anaerobic digestion
      (AD), however, it is still challenging due to its toxicity to microorganisms and
      limited knowledge about CO converting microorganisms. In the present study,
      anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) was used for the simultaneous biomethanation of
      wastewater and CO. Batch experiments showed that AGS tolerated CO partial
      pressure as high as 0.5 atm without affecting its ability for synthetic
      wastewater degradation, which had higher tolerance of CO compared to suspended
      sludge (less than 0.25 atm) as previously reported. Continuous experiments in
      upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors showed AGS could efficiently
      convert synthetic wastewater and CO into methane by applying gas-recirculation.
      The addition of CO to UASB reactor enhanced the hydrogenotrophic CO-oxidizing
      pathway, resulted in the increase of extracellular polymeric substances, changed
      the morphology of AGS and significantly altered the microbial community
      compositions of AGS. The microbial species relating with CO conversion and their
      functions were revealed by metagenomic analysis. It showed that 23 of the 70
      reconstructed genome bins (GBs), most of which were not previously characterized
      at genomic level, were enriched and contained genes involved in CO conversion
      upon CO addition. CO-converting microorganisms might be taxonomically more
      diverse than previously known and have multi-functions in the AD process. The
      reductive tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in combination with the oxidation of the
      CO was probably crucial for CO utilization by the majority of the GBs in the
      present study.

PMID- 28917119
TI  - A mechanistic model for drug release from PLGA-based drug eluting stent: A
      computational study.
AB  - Atherosclerosis in the coronary artery is one of the leading causes of death in
      the world. The stenting as a minimally invasive technique was considered as an
      effective tool to reduce the severity of atherosclerotic stenosis. In-stent
      restenosis is the main drawback of the stenting in the coronary artery.
      Understanding the mechanism of drug release from drug-eluting stents and drug
      uptake in the arterial wall and obtaining more information about their
      functionality using mathematical modeling and numerical simulation, could be
      considered as a predictive tool to investigate in-stent restenosis growth which
      is experimentally expensive to study. In this work, the local delivery of a
      therapeutic agent from a PLGA-based bioabsorbable stent implanted in a coronary
      artery to predict the drug release as well as spatio-temporal drug distribution
      in a coronary artery with a vulnerable plaque is mathematically modeled and
      numerically simulated. The effect of copolymer ratio on drug release has been
      also investigated.

PMID- 28917118
TI  - Calibration of the comprehensive NDHA-N2O dynamics model for nitrifier-enriched
      biomass using targeted respirometric assays.
AB  - The NDHA model comprehensively describes nitrous oxide (N2O) producing pathways
      by both autotrophic ammonium oxidizing and heterotrophic bacteria. The model was
      calibrated via a set of targeted extant respirometric assays using enriched
      nitrifying biomass from a lab-scale reactor. Biomass response to ammonium,
      hydroxylamine, nitrite and N2O additions under aerobic and anaerobic conditions
      were tracked with continuous measurement of dissolved oxygen (DO) and N2O. The
      sequential addition of substrate pulses allowed the isolation of oxygen-consuming
      processes. The parameters to be estimated were determined by the information
      content of the datasets using identifiability analysis. Dynamic DO profiles were
      used to calibrate five parameters corresponding to endogenous, nitrite oxidation
      and ammonium oxidation processes. The subsequent N2O calibration was not
      significantly affected by the uncertainty propagated from the DO calibration
      because of the high accuracy of the estimates. Five parameters describing the
      individual contribution of three biological N2O pathways were estimated
      accurately (variance/mean < 10% for all estimated parameters). The NDHA model
      response was evaluated with statistical metrics (F-test, autocorrelation
      function). The 95% confidence intervals of DO and N2O predictions based on the
      uncertainty obtained during calibration are studied for the first time. The
      measured data fall within the 95% confidence interval of the predictions,
      indicating a good model description. Overall, accurate parameter estimation and
      identifiability analysis of ammonium removal significantly decreases the
      uncertainty propagated to N2O production, which is expected to benefit N2O model
      discrimination studies and reliable full scale applications.

PMID- 28917120
TI  - Automated arteriole and venule classification using deep learning for retinal
      images from the UK Biobank cohort.
AB  - The morphometric characteristics of the retinal vasculature are associated with
      future risk of many systemic and vascular diseases. However, analysis of data
      from large population based studies is needed to help resolve uncertainties in
      some of these associations. This requires automated systems that extract
      quantitative measures of vessel morphology from large numbers of retinal images.
      Associations between retinal vessel morphology and disease precursors/outcomes
      may be similar or opposing for arterioles and venules. Therefore, the accurate
      detection of the vessel type is an important element in such automated systems.
      This paper presents a deep learning approach for the automatic classification of
      arterioles and venules across the entire retinal image, including vessels located
      at the optic disc. This comprises of a convolutional neural network whose
      architecture contains six learned layers: three convolutional and three fully
      connected. Complex patterns are automatically learnt from the data, which avoids
      the use of hand crafted features. The method is developed and evaluated using
      835,914 centreline pixels derived from 100 retinal images selected from the
      135,867 retinal images obtained at the UK Biobank (large population-based cohort
      study of middle aged and older adults) baseline examination. This is a
      challenging dataset in respect to image quality and hence arteriole/venule
      classification is required to be highly robust. The method achieves a significant
      increase in accuracy of 8.1% when compared to the baseline method, resulting in
      an arteriole/venule classification accuracy of 86.97% (per pixel basis) over the
      entire retinal image.

PMID- 28917122
TI  - Structure determination based on continuous diffraction from macromolecular
      crystals.
AB  - Bright and coherent X-ray sources, such free-electron lasers, have spurred large
      activities in developing new methods to obtain the structures of biological
      macromolecules. In particular, single-molecule diffraction is highly desired, as
      it would abolish the need for crystallization. It provides considerably more
      diffraction intensity information than needed to solve a structure, unlike
      crystal diffraction, which is usually insufficient for direct phasing. To
      overcome the challenge of weak scattering signals of single molecules, the direct
      phasing approaches in coherent diffractive imaging have been combined with
      crystals in several imaginative ways. One of these, using crystals with
      translational disorder, has been used to phase continuous femtosecond X-ray
      diffraction data from photosystem II complexes, offering a paradigm shift in
      crystallography.

PMID- 28917121
TI  - A formal description of middle ear pressure-regulation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Middle ear (ME) pressure-regulation (MEPR) is a homeostatic
      mechanism that maintains the ME-environment pressure-gradient (MEEPG) within a
      range optimized for "normal" hearing. OBJECTIVE: Describe MEPR using equations
      applicable to passive, inter-compartmental gas-exchange and determine if the
      predictions of that description include the increasing ME pressure observed under
      certain conditions and interpreted by some as evidencing gas-production by the ME
      mucosa. METHODS: MEPR was modeled as the combined effect of passive gas-exchanges
      between the ME and: perilymph via the round window membrane, the ambient
      environment via the tympanic membrane, and the local blood via the ME mucosa and
      of gas flow between the ME and nasopharynx during Eustachian tube openings. The
      first 3 of these exchanges are described at the species level using the Fick's
      diffusion equation and the last as a bulk gas transfer governed by Poiseuille's
      equation. The model structure is a time-iteration of the equation:
      PMEg(t=(i+1)Deltat) = ?s(PMEs(t=iDeltat)+(1/(betaMEsVME)?P(?Ps(PCs(t=(iDeltat)
      PMEs(t=(iDeltat))). There, PMEg(t=iDeltat) and PMEs(t=iDeltat) are the ME total
      and species-pressures at the indexed times, PCs(t=iDeltat) is the species
      pressure for each exchange-compartment, betaMEsVME is the product of the ME
      species-capacitance and volume, ?Ps is the pathway species-conductance, and ?S
      and ?P are operators for summing the expression over all species or exchange
      pathways. RESULTS: When calibrated to known values, the model predicts the
      empirically measured ME species-pressures and the observed time-trajectories for
      total ME pressure and the MEEPG under a wide variety of physiologic, pathologic
      and non-physiologic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Passive inter-compartmental gas
      exchange is sole and sufficient to describe MEPR.

PMID- 28917124
TI  - Phytochemicals with NO inhibitory effects and interactions with iNOS protein from
      Trigonostemon howii.
AB  - A phytochemical investigation to obtain new NO inhibitors led to the isolation of
      nine compounds including one new guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid (1) and two new
      cleistanthane diterpenoids (2 and 3) from the stems of Trigonostemon howii. Their
      structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic
      data analysis, and the absolute configurations of new compounds 1-3 were
      established via comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular
      dichroism (ECD) spectra. Compounds 2 and 3 possess a rare 3,4-seco-cleistanthane
      diterpenoid skeleton. All of the compounds showed inhibitory effects on
      lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in murine microglial BV-2 cells. The
      further molecular docking studies indicated the strong interactions between some
      bioactive compounds with the iNOS protein, which revealed the possible and
      potential mechanism of NO inhibition of bioactive compounds.

PMID- 28917123
TI  - Identification of new potent inhibitor of aldose reductase from Ocimum basilicum.
AB  - Recent efforts to develop cure for chronic diabetic complications have led to the
      discovery of potent inhibitors against aldose reductase (AKR1B1, EC 1.1.1.21)
      whose role in diabetes is well-evident. In the present work, two new natural
      products were isolated from the ariel part of Ocimum basilicum; 7-(3
      hydroxypropyl)-3-methyl-8-beta-O-d-glucoside-2H-chromen-2-one (1) and E-4-(6'
      hydroxyhex-3'-en-1-yl)phenyl propionate (2) and confirmed their structures with
      different spectroscopic techniques including NMR spectroscopy etc. The isolated
      compounds (1, 2) were evaluated for in vitro inhibitory activity against aldose
      reductase (AKR1B1) and aldehyde reductase (AKR1A1). The natural product (1)
      showed better inhibitory activity for AKR1B1 with IC50 value of 2.095+/-0.77uM
      compare to standard sorbinil (IC50=3.14+/-0.02uM). Moreover, the compound (1)
      also showed multifolds higher activity (IC50=0.783+/-0.07uM) against AKR1A1 as
      compared to standard valproic acid (IC50=57.4+/-0.89uM). However, the natural
      product (2) showed slightly lower activity for AKR1B1 (IC50=4.324+/-1.25uM).
      Moreover, the molecular docking studies of the potent inhibitors were also
      performed to identify the putative binding modes within the active site of
      aldose/aldehyde reductases.

PMID- 28917125
TI  - What makes a face photo a 'good likeness'?
AB  - Photographs of people are commonly said to be 'good likenesses' or 'poor
      likenesses', and this is a concept that we readily understand. Despite this,
      there has been no systematic investigation of what makes an image a good
      likeness, or of which cognitive processes are involved in making such a
      judgement. In three experiments, we investigate likeness judgements for different
      types of images: natural images of film stars (Experiment 1), images of film
      stars from specific films (Experiment 2), and iconic images and face averages
      (Experiment 3). In all three experiments, participants rated images for likeness
      and completed speeded name verification tasks. We consistently show that
      participants are faster to identify images which they have previously rated asa
      good likeness compared to a poor likeness. We also consistently show that the
      more familiar we are with someone, the higher likeness rating we give to all
      images of them. A key finding is that our perception of likeness is idiosyncratic
      (Experiments 1 and 2), and can be tied to our specific experience of each
      individual (Experiment 2). We argue that likeness judgements require a comparison
      between the stimulus and our own representation of the person, and that this
      representation differs according to our prior experience with that individual.
      This has theoretical implications for our understanding of how we represent
      familiar people, and practical implications for how we go about selecting images
      for identity purposes such as photo-ID.

PMID- 28917126
TI  - Effects of a single administration of different gonadotropins on day 7 post
      insemination on pregnancy outcomes of rabbit does.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the effects of a single administration of one of
      three different gonadotropins on Day 7 post-insemination on ovarian activity,
      progesterone (P4) concentration and pregnancy outcomes of rabbit does.
      Multiparous, non-lactating, V-line does were artificially inseminated after
      synchronization and ovulation induction with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG;
      25 IU im) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH; 0.8  MUg buserelin im) 48 h
      later. On Day 7 post-inseminarion, does were randomly allocated into four groups
      (n = 40/group). Does of each group were intramuscularly injected with a single
      dose of one of physiological saline (placebo; control), GnRH (0.8  MUg
      buserelin), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; 25 IU) or eCG (25 IU).
      Concentration of serum P4 was determined on Days 6, 9, 11 and 18 post
      insemination. On Day 14 post-insemination, the ovaries and reproductive tracts of
      pregnant does were removed and weighed. Also, numbers of visible follicles,
      hemorrhagic follicles, corpora lutea of pregnancy (pCLs), new CLs (nCLs; formed
      after Day 7 post-insemination) and implantation sites were recorded. Conception
      rate, parturition rate, abortion rate, litter size/weight and litter viability
      were recorded. The highest (P < 0.05) reproductive tract and ovary weights were
      for eCG. The highest (P < 0.05) number of visible ovarian follicles was for eCG,
      whereas the lowest (P < 0.05) was for GnRH. Treatment with eCG increased (P <
      0.05) numbers of pCLs and total implantation sites compared to the other groups.
      Treatment with GnRH or hCG increased (P < 0.05) number of nCLs compared to
      control and eCG. The highest rate of fetal loss was in does treated with GnRH.
      The concentration of serum P4 decreased (P < 0.05) following the treatment with
      GnRH and continued low until Day 18. However, it remained in line for control,
      hCG and eCG groups up to Day 11, then decreased (P < 0.05) for control and hCG on
      Day 18, being lower for hCG than control, while continued to increase for eCG up
      to Day 18. Compared to control, treatment with eCG improved (P < 0.05) conception
      and parturition rates by 24 and 22%; respectively, while GnRH and hCG treatments
      decreased (P < 0.05) them by 57 and 47.6%; respectively. Litter size and litter
      weight at birth were improved by eCG, but were adversely affectd by GnRH and hCG.
      In conclusion, a single administration of eCG 7 Days post-insemination could be
      recommended for improving pregnancy outcomes in rabbits.

PMID- 28917127
TI  - Differential expression of ten candidate genes regulating prostaglandin action in
      reproductive tissues of buffalo during estrous cycle and pregnancy.
AB  - Prostaglandins (PGs) are the key mediators of several female reproductive
      functions, including luteolysis, ovulation, fertilization, implantation,
      pregnancy, and parturition. The present study was conducted in buffalo
      endometrial and luteal tissues between nonpregnant and two stages of pregnancy
      (29-38 days of pregnancy, 48-56 days of pregnancy) tissue samples. The genes
      involved from synthesis upto receptor level effect of PGs (PGF2alpha and PGE2)
      were studied for their relative mRNA expression. We have collected the
      endometrial and luteal tissues from slaughtered animals and confirmed the stages
      by external examination and crown vertebral rump length measurement of the
      foetus. The mRNA expression of COX-2 and PGFS genes revealed high significant
      rise in the transcript at pregnancy stage I as compared to the late luteal phase
      of nonpregnant. However, EP2 and EP3 genes were highly upregulated in pregnancy
      stage II. The expression of PLA2G4A and PGT genes showed difference in their
      transcripts in pregnancy, however, the difference was nonsignificant as compared
      to the nonpregnant stage. The findings emerged from this study also suggested the
      strict regulation at COX-2 mRNA level than at synthase enzyme's level. Among the
      four subtypes of EP gene, we have observed highly significant expression
      difference in EP2 followed by EP3 after implantation.

PMID- 28917128
TI  - Application of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with LTQ
      Orbitrap mass spectrometry for identification, confirmation and quantitation of
      illegal adulterated weight-loss drugs in plant dietary supplements.
AB  - In this paper, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with
      linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ
      Orbitrap HRMS) method was developed and validated for identification,
      confirmation and quantitation of illegal adulterated weight-loss drugs in plant
      dietary supplements. 13 wt-loss drugs were well separated by the gradient elution
      of 10mmol/L ammonium acetate - 0.05% formic acid H2O and acetonitrile at a flow
      rate of 0.2mL/min within 12min. The MS analysis was operated under the positive
      ion and in full MS/dd-MS2 (data-dependent MS2) mode. The full MS scan with
      resolution at 60 000 FWHM and narrow mass windows at 5ppm acquired data for
      identification and quantitation, and dd-MS2 scan with resolution at 15 000 FWHM
      obtained product ions for confirmation. The method validation showed good
      linearity with coefficients of determination (r2) higher than 0.9951 for all
      analytes. Meantime, all the LOD and LLOQ values were in the respective range of
      0.3-2 and 1-9ng/g. The accuracy, intra- and inter-day precision were in the
      ranges of -1.7 to 3.4%, 1.7-5.0% and 1.9-4.4%, respectively. The mean recoveries
      ranged from 85.4 to 107.1%, while the absolute and relative matrix effect were in
      the corresponding range of 98.2-108.6% and 2.6-8.7%. Among 120 batches of weight
      loss plant dietary supplements, sibutramine and fluoxertine or both were positive
      in 29 samples. In general, LTQ-Orbitrap HRMS technology was a powerful tool for
      the analysis of illegal ingredients in dietary supplements.

PMID- 28917129
TI  - Residential road traffic noise and general mental health in youth: The role of
      noise annoyance, neighborhood restorative quality, physical activity, and social
      cohesion as potential mediators.
AB  - Given the ubiquitous nature of both noise pollution and mental disorders, their
      alleged association has not escaped the spotlight of public health research. The
      effect of traffic noise on mental health is probably mediated by other factors,
      which have not been elucidated sufficiently. Herein, we aimed to disentangle the
      pathways linking road traffic noise to general mental health in Bulgarian youth,
      with a focus on several candidate mediators - noise annoyance, perceived
      restorative quality of the living environment, physical activity, and
      neighborhood social cohesion. A cross-sectional sample was collected in October -
      December 2016 in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It consisted of 399 students aged
      15-25years, recruited from two high schools and three universities. Road traffic
      noise exposure (Lden) was derived from the strategic noise map of Plovdiv. Mental
      health was measured with the 12-item form of the General Health Questionnaire
      (GHQ-12). Noise annoyance, perceived restorative quality of the living
      environment, commuting and leisure time physical activity, and neighborhood
      social cohesion were assessed using validated questionnaires. Analyses were based
      on linear regression mediation models and a structural equation modeling (SEM) to
      account for the hypothesized interdependencies between candidate mediators.
      Results showed that higher noise exposure was associated with worse mental health
      only indirectly. More specifically, tests of the single and parallel mediation
      models indicated independent indirect paths through noise annoyance, social
      cohesion, and physical activity. In addition, the SEM revealed that more noise
      annoyance was associated with less social cohesion, and in turn with worse mental
      health; noise annoyance was also associated with lower neighborhood restorative
      quality, thereby with less social cohesion and physical activity, and in turn
      with worse mental health. However, causality could not be established. Further
      research is warranted to expand our still limited understanding of these person
      environment interactions.

PMID- 28917130
TI  - Bending behaviors of fully covered biodegradable polydioxanone biliary stent for
      human body by finite element method.
AB  - This paper presents a study of the bending flexibility of fully covered
      biodegradable polydioxanone biliary stents (FCBPBs) developed for human body. To
      investigate the relationship between the bending load and structure parameter
      (monofilament diameter and braid-pin number), biodegradable polydioxanone biliary
      stents derived from braiding method were covered with membrane prepared via
      electrospinning method, and nine FCBPBSs were then obtained for bending test to
      evaluate the bending flexibility. In addition, by the finite element method, nine
      numerical models based on actual biliary stent were established and the bending
      load was calculated through the finite element method. Results demonstrate that
      the simulation and experimental results are in good agreement with each other,
      indicating that the simulation results can be provided a useful reference to the
      investigation of biliary stents. Furthermore, the stress distribution on FCBPBSs
      was studied, and the plastic dissipation analysis and plastic strain of FCBPBSs
      were obtained via the bending simulation.

PMID- 28917131
TI  - The development and psychometric testing of a Disaster Response Self-Efficacy
      Scale among undergraduate nursing students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disaster nurse education has received increasing importance in China.
      Knowing the abilities of disaster response in undergraduate nursing students is
      beneficial to promote teaching and learning. However, there are few valid and
      reliable tools that measure the abilities of disaster response in undergraduate
      nursing students. OBJECTIVES: To develop a self-report scale of self-efficacy in
      disaster response for Chinese undergraduate nursing students and test its
      psychometric properties. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Nursing students (N=318) from
      two medical colleges were chosen by purposive sampling. METHODS: The Disaster
      Response Self-Efficacy Scale (DRSES) was developed and psychometrically tested.
      Reliability and content validity were studied. Construct validity was tested by
      exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was tested by internal
      consistency and test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The DRSES consisted of 3
      factors and 19 items with a 5-point rating. The content validity was 0.91,
      Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.912, and the intraclass correlation
      coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.953. The construct validity was
      good (chi2/df=2.440, RMSEA=0.068, NFI=0.907, CFI=0.942, IFI=0.430, p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed DRSES has proven good reliability and validity.
      It could therefore be used as an assessment tool to evaluate self-efficacy in
      disaster response for Chinese undergraduate nursing students.

PMID- 28917132
TI  - A novel real-time RT-PCR assay for influenza C tested in Peruvian children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Influenza C virus (ICV) is associated with acute respiratory illness.
      Yet ICV remains under recognized, with most previous studies using only culture
      to identify cases. OBJECTIVES: To develop a sensitive and specific real-time RT
      PCR assay for ICV that allows for rapid and accurate detection in a clinical or
      research setting. STUDY DESIGN: Multiple ICV sequences obtained from GenBank were
      analyzed, including 141 hemagglutinin-esterase (HE), 106 matrix (M), and 97
      nucleoprotein (NP) sequences. Primers and probes were designed based on conserved
      regions. Multiple primer-probe sets were tested against multiple ICV strains.
      RESULTS: The ICV M and NP genes offered the most conserved sequence regions.
      Primers and probes based on newer sequence data offered enhanced detection of
      ICV, especially for low titer specimens. An NP-targeted assay yielded the best
      performance and was capable of detecting 10-100 RNA copies per reaction. The NP
      assay detected multiple clinical isolates of ICV collected in a field
      epidemiology study conducted in Peru. CONCLUSIONS: We report a new real-time RT
      PCR assay for ICV with high sensitivity and specificity.

PMID- 28917134
TI  - The development of the Dutch version of the Fremantle Back Awareness
      Questionnaire.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disturbed body perception may play a role in the aetiology of chronic
      low back pain (LBP). The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) is
      currently the only self-report questionnaire to assess back-specific body
      perception in individuals with LBP. OBJECTIVES: To perform a cross-cultural
      adaptation of the FreBAQ into Dutch. DESIGN: Psychometric study. METHODS: A Dutch
      version of the FreBAQ was generated through forward-backward translation, and was
      completed by 73 patients with LBP and 73 controls to assess discriminant
      validity. Structural validity was assessed by principal component analysis.
      Internal consistency was assessed by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Construct
      validity was assessed by examining the relationship with clinical measures
      (Numerical Rating Scale pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Tampa Scale for
      Kinesiophobia). Test-retest reliability was assessed in a subgroup (n = 48 with
      LBP and 48 controls) using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard
      error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC 95%) RESULTS: The
      Dutch FreBAQ showed one component with eigenvalue >2. Cronbach's alpha values
      were respectively 0.82 and 0.73 for the LBP and control group. ICC values were
      respectively 0.69 and 0.70 for the LBP and control group. In the LBP group, the
      SEM was 3.9 and the MDC (95%) was 10.8. The LBP group (ODI 22 +/- 21%) scored
      significantly higher on the Dutch FreBAQ than the control group (ODI 0%) (11 +/-
      7 vs. 3 +/- 9, p < 0.001). Within the LBP group, higher Dutch FreBAQ scores
      correlated significantly with higher ODI scores (rho = 0.30, p = 0.010), although
      not with pain (rho = 0.10, p = 0.419) or kinesiophobia (r = 0.14, p = 0.226).
      CONCLUSIONS: The Dutch version of the FreBAQ can be considered as unidimensional
      and showed adequate internal consistency, sufficient test-retest reliability and
      adequate discriminant and construct validity in individuals with and without LBP.
      It can improve our understanding on back-specific perception in the Dutch
      speaking population with LBP.

PMID- 28917136
TI  - Nursing students' socialisation into practical skills.
AB  - Socialisation is a significant factor that shapes nursing students' learning in
      clinical settings. Little is known about the ways in which students learn
      practical skills during their clinical practice and how they are socialised into
      these skills. This knowledge is important for creating an optimal environment for
      ensuring a high standard of care and patient safety. This study aims to address
      this knowledge gap. An ethnographic approach was used. Data were collected by
      participant observations during nursing students' clinical practice in an
      emergency department at a university hospital in Sweden, and during informal
      conversations with students and their preceptors. In the analysis, four themes
      emerged: A reflective approach based on a theoretical framing; Multitasking
      situations; Shifts in an active role as a nursing student; and Styles of
      supervision. Students' socialisation into practical skills was shaped by several
      factors where preceptors played a key role. Teaching and learning styles and
      interactions between the preceptor and the student shaped the learning
      situations. A dominant discrepancy regarding whether and how reflections took
      place between preceptors and students was identified. This highlights the need
      for creating continuity between the ways that experiences are organised across
      the settings of learning (university-based and clinically based learning) to
      enhance nursing students' learning and socialisation into practical skills.

PMID- 28917133
TI  - Waiting for lexical access: Cochlear implants or severely degraded input lead
      listeners to process speech less incrementally.
AB  - Spoken language unfolds over time. Consequently, there are brief periods of
      ambiguity, when incomplete input can match many possible words. Typical listeners
      solve this problem by immediately activating multiple candidates which compete
      for recognition. In two experiments using the visual world paradigm, we examined
      real-time lexical competition in prelingually deaf cochlear implant (CI) users,
      and normal hearing (NH) adults listening to severely degraded speech. In
      Experiment 1, adolescent CI users and NH controls matched spoken words to arrays
      of pictures including pictures of the target word and phonological competitors.
      Eye-movements to each referent were monitored asa measure of how strongly that
      candidate was considered over time. Relative to NH controls, CI users showed a
      large delay in fixating any object, less competition from onset competitors
      (e.g., sandwich after hearing sandal), and increased competition from rhyme
      competitors (e.g., candle after hearing sandal). Experiment 2 observed the same
      pattern with NH listeners hearing highly degraded speech. These studies suggests
      that in contrast to all prior studies of word recognition in typical listeners,
      listeners recognizing words in severely degraded conditions can exhibit a
      substantively different pattern of dynamics, waiting to begin lexical access
      until substantial information has accumulated.

PMID- 28917135
TI  - Failing to learn from negative prediction errors: Obesity is associated with
      alterations in a fundamental neural learning mechanism.
AB  - Prediction errors (PEs) encode the difference between expected and actual action
      outcomes in the brain via dopaminergic modulation. Integration of these learning
      signals ensures efficient behavioral adaptation. Obesity has recently been linked
      to altered dopaminergic fronto-striatal circuits, thus implying impairments in
      cognitive domains that rely on its integrity. 28 obese and 30 lean human
      participants performed an implicit stimulus-response learning paradigm inside an
      fMRI scanner. Computational modeling and psycho-physiological interaction (PPI)
      analysis was utilized for assessing PE-related learning and associated functional
      connectivity. We show that human obesity is associated with insufficient
      incorporation of negative PEs into behavioral adaptation even in a non-food
      context, suggesting differences in a fundamental neural learning mechanism. Obese
      subjects were less efficient in using negative PEs to improve implicit learning
      performance, despite proper coding of PEs in striatum. We further observed lower
      functional coupling between ventral striatum and supplementary motor area in
      obese subjects subsequent to negative PEs. Importantly, strength of functional
      coupling predicted task performance and negative PE utilization. These findings
      show that obesity is linked to insufficient behavioral adaptation specifically in
      response to negative PEs, and to associated alterations in function and
      connectivity within the fronto-striatal system. Recognition of neural differences
      as a central characteristic of obesity hopefully paves the way to rethink
      established intervention strategies: Differential behavioral sensitivity to
      negative and positive PEs should be considered when designing intervention
      programs. Measures relying on penalization of unwanted behavior may prove less
      effective in obese subjects than alternative approaches.

PMID- 28917137
TI  - Apparent diffusion coefficient in the analysis of prostate cancer: determination
      of optimal b-value pair to differentiate normal from malignant tissue.
AB  - PURPOSE: Determining optimal b-value pair for differentiation between normal and
      prostate cancer (PCa) tissues. METHODS: Forty-three patients with diagnosis or
      PCa symptoms were included. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was estimated
      using minimum and maximum b-values of 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 500s/mm2 and 500,
      800, 1100, 1400, 1700 and 2000s/mm2, respectively. Diagnostic performances were
      evaluated when Area-under-the-curve (AUC)>95%. RESULTS: 15 of the 35 b-values
      pair surpassed this AUC threshold. The pair (50, 2000s/mm2) provided the highest
      AUC (96%) with ADC cutoff 0.89*10-3mm2/s, sensitivity 95.5%, specificity 93.2%
      and accuracy 94.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The best b-value pair was b=50, 2000s/mm2.

PMID- 28917138
TI  - Pulmonary venous anomalies causing misdiagnosis of pulmonary arteriovenous
      malformations.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate pulmonary venous anomaly as a cause of pulmonary
      arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) misdiagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      reviewed adult patients within a 7.5-year period with CT scans initially
      diagnosed with PAVM and subsequent conventional pulmonary angiograms. RESULTS:
      Pulmonary arteriography showed no PAVM on arterial phase for 10 out of 99
      patients, comprising the misdiagnosed group. Four misdiagnosed patients had
      pulmonary venous anomalies and six had nodular lesions on CT. CONCLUSION:
      Pulmonary venous anomalies are vascular mimics of PAVMs that may lead to
      misdiagnosis. Optimal CT technique and careful imaging review are necessary to
      minimize inappropriate invasive angiography.

PMID- 28917139
TI  - A good abortion experience: A qualitative exploration of women's needs and
      preferences in clinical care.
AB  - What do women ending their pregnancies want and need to have a good clinical
      abortion experience? Since birth experiences are better studied, birth stories
      are more readily shared and many women who have had an abortion have also given
      birth, we sought to compare women's needs and preferences in abortion to those in
      birth. We conducted semi-structured intensive interviews with women who had both
      experiences in the United States and analyzed their intrapartum and abortion care
      narratives using grounded theory, identifying needs and preferences in abortion
      that were distinct from birth. Based on interviews with twenty women, three
      themes emerged: to be affirmed as moral decision-makers, to be able to determine
      their degree of awareness during the abortion, and to have care provided in a
      discreet manner to avoid being judged by others for having an abortion. These
      findings suggest that some women have distinctive emotional needs and preferences
      during abortion care, likely due to different circumstances and sociopolitical
      context of abortion. Tailoring services and responding to individual needs may
      contribute to a good abortion experience.

PMID- 28917140
TI  - Impact of medical subsidy disqualification on children's healthcare utilization:
      A difference-in-differences analysis from Japan.
AB  - Financial support for children's medical expenses has been introduced in many
      countries. Limited work has been done on price elasticity in children's
      healthcare demand, especially in countries other than the United States.
      Moreover, it remains unclear how the effects of a change in the cost sharing rate
      on healthcare demand would differ by medical condition. We investigated the
      impact of an increase in the cost sharing rate on medical service utilization
      among school children as a whole and for each of nine common conditions, applying
      a difference-in-differences approach. The study period ranged from April 1, 2012,
      to March 30, 2014. Participants were elementary school children in an urban area
      who were eligible for National Health Insurance (a community-based public
      insurance) during the study period and who were enrolled in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th
      grade in April 2013. We collected observations from 2896 persons and 69,504 (2896
      * 24 months) person-months. When elementary school children were promoted to the
      4th grade, they became disqualified for a municipal medical subsidy. The control
      group was the children promoted to the 2nd or the 3rd grade, who remained
      eligible for the subsidy. All data were obtained from health insurance claims. We
      identified the nine most common medical conditions among the subject children,
      and stratified the analyses by the condition diagnosed. We found that an increase
      in the cost sharing rate reduced outpatient service utilization as a whole. Also,
      we observed an increase in inpatient service utilization, not because of worsened
      health conditions, but rather due to substitution of inpatient service for
      outpatient service. The reductions in outpatient service were heterogeneous
      across medical conditions; declines were sharper for mild or chronic conditions.
      These findings may help to characterize how a change in cost sharing rate affects
      health outcomes in children.

PMID- 28917142
TI  - Reactions of tobacco genotypes with different antioxidant capacities to powdery
      mildew and Tobacco mosaic virus infections.
AB  - The interactions of powdery mildew (Golovinomyces orontii) and Tobacco mosaic
      virus (TMV) with tobacco lines having down or upregulated antioxidants were
      investigated. Xanthi-nc, its salicylic acid-deficient NahG mutant, a paraquat
      sensitive Samsun (PS) and its paraquat tolerant (PT) mutant were used. Cell
      membrane damage caused by H2O2 was significantly higher in NahG than Xanthi,
      whereas it was lower in PT than in PS. Leakage of ions from PT was reduced by the
      powdery mildew infection. On the other hand TMV inoculation led to a 6-fold and 2
      fold elevation of ion leakage from hypersensitive resistant NahG and Xanthi
      leaves, respectively, whereas ion leakage increased slightly from susceptible PS
      leaves. G. orontii infection induced ribonuclease (RNase) enzyme activity in
      extracts from Xanthi and NahG (about 200-250% increase) and weakly (about 20-30%
      increase) from PS and PT lines. Pre-treatment with protein kinase inhibitor
      staurosporine or protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid very strongly
      inhibited mildew development on tobacco lines. Our experiments suggest that
      protein kinases inhibited by staurosporine seem to be important factors, while
      protein phosphatases inhibited by okadaic acid play less significant role in TMV
      induced lesion development. Both powdery mildew and TMV infections up-regulated
      the expression of PR-1b, PR-1c and WRKY12 genes in all tobacco lines to various
      extents.

PMID- 28917143
TI  - Glutathione-induced alleviation of cadmium toxicity in Zea mays.
AB  - Glutathione (GSH) is known to alleviate cadmium (Cd) stress in many plant
      species. However, the comprehensive mechanisms responsible for this effect in
      maize are still need more investigation. Here, a combination of physiological and
      molecular approaches was utilized in GSH-Cd treated maize seedlings, which
      revealed that GSH reversed the adverse effects of Cd, as reflected by plant
      growth, plant hormones, vacuole, stoma development, gene expression, etc. Plant
      growth, root cell viability, photosynthetic capacity, redox equilibrium, and cell
      ultrastructure recovery following GSH treatment, coupled with the strong up
      regulation of Cd tolerance-related genes (e.g., phytochelatin synthetase-like
      protein, MYB and WRKY transcription factors, and CYP450), demonstrated the
      efficient activation of cellular defense against Cd toxicity. The addition of GSH
      significantly elevated GSH/GSSG ratio and the activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine
      synthetase in both shoots and roots and markedly reduced Cd concentration in
      shoots. Ethylene emission rate and abscisic acid (ABA) content were significantly
      reduced after GSH application in the presence of Cd, except ABA content in
      leaves. These findings highlighted the significance of GSH in alleviating Cd
      stress in maize and indicate a promising strategy for safe food production.

PMID- 28917141
TI  - The impact of Black cancer patients' race-related beliefs and attitudes on
      racially-discordant oncology interactions: A field study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Both physician and patient race-related beliefs and attitudes are
      contributors to racial healthcare disparities, but only the former have received
      substantial research attention. Using data from a study conducted in the
      Midwestern US from 2012 to 2014, we investigated whether 114 Black cancer
      patients' existing race-related beliefs and attitudes would predict how they and
      18 non-Black physicians (medical oncologists) would respond in subsequent
      clinical interactions. METHOD: At least two days before interacting with an
      oncologist for initial discussions of treatment options, patients completed
      measures of perceived past discrimination, general mistrust of physicians, and
      suspicion of healthcare systems; interactions were video-recorded. Measures from
      each interaction included patients' verbal behavior (e.g., level of verbal
      activity), patients' evaluations of physicians (e.g., trustworthiness), patients'
      perceptions of recommended treatments (e.g., confidence in treatment),
      physicians' evaluations of patient personal attributes (e.g., intelligence) and
      physicians' expectations for patient treatment success (e.g., adherence).
      RESULTS: As predicted, patients' race-related beliefs and attitudes differed in
      their associations with patient and physician responses to the interactions.
      Higher levels of perceived past discrimination predicted more patient verbal
      activity. Higher levels of mistrust also predicted less patient positive affect
      and more negative evaluations of physicians. Higher levels of suspicion predicted
      more negative evaluations of physicians and recommended treatments. Stronger
      patient race-related attitudes were directly or indirectly associated with lower
      physician perceptions of patient attributes and treatment expectations.
      CONCLUSION: Results provide new evidence for the role of Black patients' race
      related beliefs and attitudes in racial healthcare disparities and suggest the
      need to measure multiple beliefs and attitudes to identify these effects.

PMID- 28917144
TI  - Silicon improves seed germination and alleviates drought stress in lentil crops
      by regulating osmolytes, hydrolytic enzymes and antioxidant defense system.
AB  - Silicon (Si) has been widely reported to have beneficial effect on mitigating
      drought stress in plants. However, the effect of Si on seed germination under
      drought conditions is still poorly understood. This research was carried out to
      ascertain the role of Si to abate polyethylene glycol-6000 mediated drought
      stress on seed germination and seedling growth of lentil. Results showed that
      drought stress significantly decreased the seed germination traits and increased
      the concentration of osmolytes (proline, glycine betaine and soluble sugars),
      reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion) and lipid
      peroxides in lentil seedlings. The activities of hydrolytic enzymes and
      antioxidant enzymes increased significantly under osmotic stress. The application
      of Si significantly enhanced the plants ability to withstand drought stress
      conditions through increased Si content, improved antioxidants, hydrolytic
      enzymes activity, decreased concentration of osmolytes and reactive oxygen
      species. Multivariate data analysis showed statistically significant correlations
      among the drought-tolerance traits, whereas cluster analysis categorised the
      genotypes into distinct groups based on their drought-tolerance levels and
      improvements in expression of traits due to Si application. Thus, these results
      showed that Si supplementation of lentil was effective in alleviating the
      detrimental effects of drought stress on seed germination and increased seedling
      vigour.

PMID- 28917145
TI  - Cell wall pectin methyl-esterification and organic acids of root tips involve in
      aluminum tolerance in Camellia sinensis.
AB  - Tea plant (Camellia sinensis (O.) Kuntze) can survive from high levels of
      aluminum (Al) in strongly acidic soils. However, the mechanism driving its
      tolerance to Al, the predominant factor limiting plant growth in acid condition,
      is still not fully understood. Here, two-year-old rooted cuttings of C. sinensis
      cultivar 'Longjingchangye' were used for Al resistance experiments. We found that
      the tea plants grew better in the presence of 0.4 mM Al than those grew under
      lower concentration of Al treatments (0 and 0.1 mM) as well as higher levels
      treatment (2 and 4 mM), confirming that appropriate Al increased tea plant
      growth. Hematoxylin staining assay showed that the apical region was the main
      accumulator in tea plant root. Subsequently, immunolocalization of pectins in the
      root tip cell wall showed a rise in low-methyl-ester pectin levels and a
      reduction of high-methyl-ester pectin content with the increasing Al
      concentration of treatments. Furthermore, we observed the increased expressions
      of C. sinensis pectin methylesterase (CsPME) genes along with the increasing de
      esterified pectin levels during response to Al treatments. Additionally, the
      levels of organic acids increased steadily after treatment with 0.1, 0.4 or 2 mM
      Al, while they dropped after treatment with 4 mM Al. The organic acids secretion
      from root followed a similar trend. Similarly, a gradual increase in malate
      dehydrogenase (MDH), citrate synthase (CS) and glycolate oxidase (GO) enzyme
      activities and relevant metabolic genes expression were detected after the
      treatment of 0.1, 0.4 or 2 mM Al, while a sharp decrease was resulted from
      treatment with 4 mM Al. These results confirm that both pectin methylesterases
      and organic acids contribute to Al tolerance in C. sinensis.

PMID- 28917146
TI  - Construct validity and inter-rater reliability of the Gymnastic Functional
      Measurement Tool in the classification of female competitive gymnasts in Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the construct validity and the inter-rater reliability
      of the Gymnastic Functional Measurement Tool (GFMT) within the parameters of the
      Canadian classification of female competitive gymnasts. DESIGN: Validity and
      Reliability study. SETTING: The GFMT was administered by evaluators who had no
      previous knowledge of the competing level of the gymnasts. To determine the
      construct validity, a multiple linear regression analysis was carried out between
      the GFMT scores and the gymnasts' competition level to obtain the coefficient of
      determination. To estimate the inter-rater reliability, gymnasts were
      simultaneously evaluated by two evaluators. Intraclass correlation coefficient
      (ICC) analysis was carried out for the individual score of each item as well as
      for the total score of the GFMT. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety (90) female gymnasts aged
      between the ages of 8 and 18 years old. MAIN OUTCOME: GFMT total score and
      individual score of each item. RESULTS: The study demonstrated an excellent
      relationship between the total GFMT scores and the gymnasts' competition level
      (r2 = 0.97). The inter-rater reliability analysis of the GFMT total score was
      excellent with an ICC of 0.98. CONCLUSION: Construct validity and inter-rater
      reliability of the GFMT in the classification of female competitive gymnasts in
      Canada has been demonstrated.

PMID- 28917147
TI  - Combined in silico approaches for the identification of novel inhibitors of human
      islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) fibrillation.
AB  - Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) is a natively unfolded polypeptide
      hormone of glucose metabolism, which is co-secreted with insulin by the beta
      cells of the pancreas. In patients with type 2 diabetes, IAPP forms amyloid
      fibrils because of diabetes-associated beta-cells dysfunction and increasing
      fibrillation, in turn, lead to failure of secretory function of beta-cells. This
      provides a target for the discovery of small organic molecules against protein
      aggregation diseases. However, the binding mechanism of these molecules with
      monomers, oligomers and fibrils to inhibit fibrillation is still an open
      question. In this work, ligand and structure-based in silico approaches were used
      to identify novel fibrillation inhibitors and/or fibril binding compounds. The
      best pharmacophore model was used as a 3D search query for virtual screening of a
      compound database to identify novel molecules having the potential to be
      therapeutic agents against protein aggregation diseases. Docking and molecular
      dynamics simulation studies were used to explore the interaction pattern and
      mechanism of the identified novel small molecules with predicted hIAPP structure,
      its aggregation prone conformation and fibril forming segments. We show that
      catechins with galloyl group and molecules having two to three planar apolar
      rings bind to hIAPP structures and fibril forming segments with greater affinity.
      The differences in binding affinities of different compounds against several
      fibril forming segments of the peptide suggest that a mixture of active compounds
      may be required for treatment of aggregation diseases.

PMID- 28917148
TI  - Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems of myricetin: Formulation development,
      characterization, and in vitro and in vivo evaluation.
AB  - Despite various pharmacological effects, myricetin (Myr) shows low oral
      bioavailability (<10%) due to its poor solubility, which limits its applications.
      To address this problem, self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) were
      developed by investigating the solubility of Myr in various excipients,
      constructing pseudo-ternary phase diagrams, and optimizing based on droplet size
      and emulsification efficacy after drug loading. The obtained Myr-SNEDDS were F04
      (Capryol 90/Cremophor RH 40/PEG 400 4:3:3), F08 (Capryol 90/CremophorRH40/1,2
      propanediol 4:3:3), F13 (Capryol 90/Cremophor EL/Transcutol HP 4:3:3) and F15
      (Capryol 90/Cremephor RH 40/Transcutol HP 2:7:1), with droplet sizes less than
      200nm. Additional evaluations showed that these Myr-SNEDDS formulations had fast
      release properties (over 90% in 1min), low cytotoxicity, and improved
      permeability and solubility compared with the free drug. Consequently, the oral
      bioavailabilities of Myr were 5.13, 6.33, 4.69 and 2.53-fold for F04, F08, F13
      and F15, respectively, relative to Myr alone. The present study demonstrated that
      SNEDDS is a viable platform for the oral delivery of insoluble drugs such as Myr.

PMID- 28917149
TI  - A comparison study between electrospun polycaprolactone and piezoelectric poly(3
      hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
AB  - In this study, bone scaffolds composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), piezoelectric
      poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and a combination of poly(3
      hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and silicate containing hydroxyapatite
      (PHBV-SiHA) were successfully fabricated by a conventional electrospinning
      process. The morphological, chemical, wetting and biological properties of the
      scaffolds were examined. All fabricated scaffolds are composed of randomly
      oriented fibres with diameters from 800nm to 12MUm. Fibre size increased with the
      addition of SiHA to PHBV scaffolds. Moreover, fibre surface roughness in the case
      of hybrid scaffolds was also increased. XRD, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy were
      used to analyse the chemical composition of the scaffolds, and contact angle
      measurements were performed to reveal the wetting behaviour of the synthesized
      materials. To determine the influence of the piezoelectric nature of PHBV in
      combination with SiHA nanoparticles on cell attachment and proliferation, PCL
      (non-piezoelectric), pure PHBV, and PHBV-SiHA scaffolds were seeded with human
      mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). In vitro study on hMSC adhesion, viability,
      spreading and osteogenic differentiation showed that the PHBV-SiHA scaffolds had
      the largest adhesion and differentiation abilities compared with other scaffolds.
      Moreover, the piezoelectric PHBV scaffolds have demonstrated better calcium
      deposition potential compared with non-piezoelectric PCL. The results of the
      study revealed pronounced advantages of hybrid PHBV-SiHA scaffolds to be used in
      bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 28917150
TI  - Efficient delivery of signal-responsive gene carriers for disease-specific gene
      expression via bubble liposomes and sonoporation.
AB  - Sonoporation is a promising method to intracellularly deliver synthetic gene
      carriers that have lower endocytotic uptake than viral carriers. Here, we applied
      sonoporation to deliver genes via polyethylene glycol (PEG)-grafted polymeric
      carriers that specifically respond to hyperactivated protein kinase A (PKA). PEG
      grafted polymeric carrier/DNA polyplexes were not efficiently delivered into
      cells via the endocytotic pathway because of the hydrophilic PEG layer
      surrounding the polyplexes. However, the delivery of polyplexes into cells was
      significantly increased by sonoporation. The delivered polyplexes exhibited PKA
      responsive transgene expression in PKA-overexpressing cells, but not in cells
      with low PKA activation. These results show that the sonoporation-mediated
      delivery of PEG-modified PKA-responsive polyplexes is a promising approach for
      safely applying gene therapy to abnormal cells with hyperactivated PKA.

PMID- 28917151
TI  - A novel self-nanoemulsifying formulation for sunitinib: Evaluation of anticancer
      efficacy.
AB  - Breast cancer is the top cancer and a main cause of death among women. The
      incidence of this cancer is increasing in the world. Sunitinib maleate is an
      oral, small-molecule, multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that
      inhibits tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis, and has been administrated as
      an anticancer drug. Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) is an
      isotopic mixture of an oil, a surfactant and usually a co-surfactant, which can
      spontaneously form fine oil-in-water nanoemulsion in aqueous media. Here, a
      SNEDDS composed of 15% ethyl oleate (as an oil phase), 30% tween 80 (as a
      surfactant), and 55% PEG 600 (as a co-surfactant) was prepared and developed as a
      carrier for sunitinib. The average droplet size of sunitinib-loaded SNEDDS was
      29.5+/-6.3nm with a stability of more than one month. Sunitinib release from
      SNEDDS was enhanced accompanied by a controlled dissolution of the drug.
      Cytotoxicity studies on 4T1 and MCF-7 cell lines indicated a toxicity enhancement
      in sunitinib by SNEDDS. To inspect the bioavailability of the drug-loaded SNEDDS
      after oral administration with a dose of 50mgkg-1, the maximum plasma
      concentration and the mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve were
      measured. It was found that these parameters were increased 1.45- and 1.24-times
      respectively, compared to a drug suspension.

PMID- 28917152
TI  - PEGylated thermosensitive lipid-coated hollow gold nanoshells for effective
      combinational chemo-photothermal therapy of pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer has extremely poor prognosis with an 85% mortality rate that
      results from aggressive and asymptomatic growth, high metastatic potential, and
      rapid development of resistance to already ineffective chemotherapy. In this
      study, plasmonic hollow gold nanoshells (GNS) coated with PEGylated
      thermosensitive lipids were prepared as an efficient platform to ratiometrically
      co-deliver two drugs, bortezomib and gemcitabine (GNS-L/GB), for combinational
      chemotherapy and photothermal therapy of pancreatic cancer. Bortezomib was loaded
      within the lipid bilayers, while gemcitabine was loaded into the hydrophilic
      interior of the porous GNS via an ammonium sulfate-driven pH gradient method.
      Physicochemical characterizations and biological studies of GNS-L/GB were
      performed, with the latter using cytotoxicity assays, cellular uptake and
      apoptosis assays, live/dead assays, and western blot analysis of pancreatic
      cancer cell lines (MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1). The nanoshells showed remotely
      controllable drug release when exposed to near-infrared laser for site-specific
      delivery. GNS-L/GB showed synergistic cytotoxicity and improved internalization
      by cancer cells. High-powered near-infrared continuous wave laser (lambda=808nm)
      effectively killed cancer cells via the photothermal effect of GNS-L/GB,
      irrespective of cell type in a power density-, time-, and GNS dose-dependent
      manner. These results suggest that this method can provide a novel approach to
      achieve synergistic combinational chemotherapy and photothermal therapy, even
      with resistant pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 28917153
TI  - CB7 as a drug vehicle and controlled release of drug through non ionic
      surfactant: Spectroscopic technique.
AB  - A study of the comparative drug carrier properties of cucurbituril[7] (CB7) and
      beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) with a naphthalimide derivative, [2-(2-aminoethyl)-1H
      benzo[deisoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione] (NAP) and its release in aqueous solution
      using micellar environment, is the key research interest of this work. The
      profound changes in the different spectroscopic behavior have been attributed to
      the formation of a 1:1 inclusion complex for NAP:CB7 system. Several experimental
      outcomes clearly interpreted that CB7 has better drug carrier properties for NAP
      compared to beta-CD. It has been also focused on the systematic release of NAP
      molecule from CB7 by using different ionic and non ionic surfactants. Before
      releasing the drug molecules from CB7 the interaction between NAP and the three
      different types of surfactants has also been investigated separately. The
      selectivity of drug carrier and releaser has been monitored, using different
      spectroscopic techniques like absorbance, fluorescence, fluorescence decay life
      time and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Besides, a theoretical approach has been followed
      for a proper geometrical optimized structure of NAP molecule and molecular
      arrangement of NAP:CB7 inclusion complex. From Density Functional Theory (DFT) it
      has been seen that NAP molecule is oriented as a t-bone like structure in its
      optimized form.

PMID- 28917154
TI  - Neural activation in stress-related exhaustion: Cross-sectional observations and
      interventional effects.
AB  - The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the association between
      burnout and neural activation during working memory processing in patients with
      stress-related exhaustion. Additionally, we investigated the neural effects of
      cognitive training as part of stress rehabilitation. Fifty-five patients with
      clinical diagnosis of exhaustion disorder were administered the n-back task
      during fMRI scanning at baseline. Ten patients completed a 12-week cognitive
      training intervention, as an addition to stress rehabilitation. Eleven patients
      served as a treatment-as-usual control group. At baseline, burnout level was
      positively associated with neural activation in the rostral prefrontal cortex,
      the posterior parietal cortex and the striatum, primarily in the 2-back
      condition. Following stress rehabilitation, the striatal activity decreased as a
      function of improved levels of burnout. No significant association between
      burnout level and working memory performance was found, however, our findings
      indicate that frontostriatal neural responses related to working memory were
      modulated by burnout severity. We suggest that patients with high levels of
      burnout need to recruit additional cognitive resources to uphold task
      performance. Following cognitive training, increased neural activation was
      observed during 3-back in working memory-related regions, including the striatum,
      however, low sample size limits any firm conclusions.

PMID- 28917155
TI  - Crossing the gender boundaries: The gender experiences of male nursing students
      in initial nursing clinical practice in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The initial nursing clinical practice is the necessary practicum
      required for nursing students. Because of the changing learning style, many of
      them are under great pressure for environmental change and therefore their daily
      routine is severe affected. Interacting directly with patients in a female
      dominated occupation, along with the general gender stereotypes, the impact is
      especially significant to male nursing students than to female nursing students.
      PURPOSE: The purpose of this preliminary qualitative study is to explore the
      gendered experiences of male nursing students during their first initial nursing
      clinical practice. METHODS: Both focus group interviews and individual interviews
      are conducted with twenty-two sophomore nursing students from a university of
      technology in northern Taiwan, with ten male students and twelve female students.
      RESULTS: Two main themes emerge from the gendered experiences shared by the
      nursing students: Gender consciousness awakening and thus maintaining
      masculinity, and male advantage in the learning environments. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results identify the specific gendered experiences of nursing students, providing
      implications for future nursing education and counseling service. Further, this
      study may serve to promote an active yet gender-sensitive nursing education for
      training nursing professionals.

PMID- 28917156
TI  - TGFbeta1 synergizes with FLT3 ligand to induce chemoresistant quiescence in acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia with MLL gene rearrangements.
AB  - Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is highly expressed in mixed-lineage leukemia
      (MLL) gene-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia (MLL+ALL) with a dismal
      prognosis. We previously reported that FLT3 ligand (FL) stimulation induced cell
      cycle arrest in MLL+ALL cells leading to resistance against anti-leukemic agents.
      Given that FL stimulation enhanced transforming growth factor (TGF)beta1 mRNA
      levels in MLL+ALL cells, we extensively examined the effect of TGFbeta1 on the
      cell cycle progression and chemosensitivity in MLL+ALL cells, and found that
      TGFbeta1 stimulation induced MLL+ALL cells into cell cycle arrest resistant to
      arabinosyl cytosine; its effect was markedly enhanced in synergy with FL. Thus,
      it is likely that TGFbeta1 and FL, both abundantly produced by bone marrow
      stromal cells, function in a coordinated manner to render MLL+ALL cells
      chemoresistant, which should lead to the development of minimal residual disease
      (MRD) resulting in relapse. The use of inhibitors against FLT3 and TGFbeta1 may
      become a useful strategy for eradicating MRD in MLL+ALL.

PMID- 28917158
TI  - Quantitative trait locus mapping in mice identifies phospholipase Pla2g12a as
      novel atherosclerosis modifier.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In a previous work, a female-specific atherosclerosis risk
      locus on chromosome (Chr) 3 was identified in an intercross of atherosclerosis
      resistant FVB and atherosclerosis-susceptible C57BL/6 (B6) mice on the LDL
      receptor deficient (Ldlr-/-) background. It was the aim of the current study to
      identify causative genes at this locus. METHODS: We established a congenic mouse
      model, where FVB.Chr3B6/B6 mice carried an 80 Mb interval of distal Chr3 on an
      otherwise FVB.Ldlr-/- background, to validate the Chr3 locus. Candidate genes
      were identified using genome-wide expression analyses. Differentially expressed
      genes were validated using quantitative PCRs in F0 and F2 mice and their
      functions were investigated in pathophysiologically relevant cells. RESULTS: Fine
      mapping of the Chr3 locus revealed two overlapping, yet independent subloci for
      female atherosclerosis susceptibility: when transmitted by grandfathers to
      granddaughters, the B6 risk allele increased atherosclerosis and downregulated
      the expression of the secreted phospholipase Pla2g12a (2.6 and 2.2 fold,
      respectively); when inherited by grandmothers, the B6 risk allele induced
      vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (Vcam1). Down-regulation of Pla2g12a and up
      regulation of Vcam1 were validated in female FVB.Chr3B6/B6 congenic mice, which
      developed 2.5 greater atherosclerotic lesions compared to littermate controls
      (p=0.039). Pla2g12a was highly expressed in aortic endothelial cells in vivo, and
      knocking-down Pla2g12a expression by RNAi in cultured vascular endothelial cells
      or macrophages increased their adhesion to ECs in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      establish Pla2g12a as an atheroprotective candidate gene in mice, where high
      expression levels in ECs and macrophages may limit the recruitment and
      accumulation of these cells in nascent atherosclerotic lesions.

PMID- 28917157
TI  - Density of calcium in the ascending thoracic aorta and risk of incident
      cardiovascular disease events.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The volume and density of coronary artery calcium (CAC) both
      independently predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) beyond standard risk factors,
      with CAC density inversely associated with incident CVD after accounting for CAC
      volume. We tested the hypothesis that ascending thoracic aorta calcium (ATAC)
      volume and density predict incident CVD events independently of CAC. METHODS: The
      Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a prospective cohort study of
      participants without clinical CVD at baseline. ATAC and CAC were measured from
      baseline cardiac computed tomography (CT). Cox regression models were used to
      estimate the associations of ATAC volume and density with incident coronary heart
      disease (CHD) events and CVD events, after adjustment for standard CVD risk
      factors and CAC volume and density. RESULTS: Among 6811 participants, 234 (3.4%)
      had prevalent ATAC and 3395 (49.8%) had prevalent CAC. Over 10.3 years, 355 CHD
      and 562 CVD events occurred. One-standard deviation higher ATAC density was
      associated with a lower risk of CHD (HR 0.48 [95% CI 0.29-0.79], p<0.01) and CVD
      (HR 0.56 [0.37-0.84], p<0.01) after full adjustment. ATAC volume was not
      associated with outcomes after full adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: ATAC was uncommon in
      a cohort free of clinical CVD at baseline. However, ATAC density was inversely
      associated with incident CHD and CVD after adjustment for CVD risk factors and
      CAC volume and density.

PMID- 28917159
TI  - The obesity-associated risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality is
      not lower in Inuit compared to Europeans: A cohort study of Greenlandic Inuit,
      Nunavik Inuit and Danes.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inuit populations have lower levels of cardiometabolic risk
      factors for the same level of body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC)
      compared to Europeans in cross-sectional studies. We aimed to compare the
      longitudinal associations of anthropometric measures with cardiovascular disease
      (CVD) and all-cause mortality in Inuit and Europeans. METHODS: Using pooled data
      from three population-based studies in Canada, Greenland and Denmark, we
      conducted a cohort study of 10,033 adult participants (765 Nunavik Inuit, 2960
      Greenlandic Inuit and 6308 Europeans). Anthropometric measures collected at
      baseline included: BMI, WC, waist-to-hip-ratio (WHR), waist-to-height-ratio
      (WHtR) and a body shape index (ABSI). Information on CVD and death was retrieved
      from national registers or medical files. Poisson regression analyses were used
      to calculate incidence rates for CVD and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: During a
      median follow-up of 10.5 years, there were 642 CVD events and 594 deaths.
      Slightly higher absolute incidence rates of CVD for a given anthropometric
      measure were found in Nunavik Inuit compared with Greenlandic Inuit and the
      Europeans; however, no cohort interactions were observed. For all-cause
      mortality, all anthropometric measures were positively associated in the
      Europeans, but only ABSI in the two Inuit populations. In contrast, BMI and WC
      were inversely associated with mortality in the two Inuit populations.
      CONCLUSIONS: Inuit and Europeans have different absolute incidences of CVD and
      all-cause mortality, but the trends in the associations with the anthropometric
      measures only differ for all-cause mortality. Previous findings of a lower
      obesity-associated cardiometabolic risk among Inuit were not confirmed.

PMID- 28917160
TI  - Is Magnet(r) recognition associated with improved outcomes among critically ill
      children treated at freestanding children's hospitals?
AB  - PURPOSE: With increasing emphasis on high-quality care, we designed this study to
      evaluate the relationship between Magnet(r) recognition and patient outcomes in
      pediatric critical care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Post hoc analysis of data from an
      existing administrative national database. We used inverse probability of
      treatment weighting and multivariate models to compare outcomes between two study
      groups after adjusting for confounding variables. RESULTS: A total of 823,634
      pediatric patients from 41 centers were included. Of these, 454,616 patients
      (55.2%) were treated in 23 Magnet hospitals. The majority of baseline
      characteristics did not vary significantly among the two study groups. In
      adjusted models, there was no difference in mortality between the two groups
      (Magnet vs. non-Magnet; odds ratio: 0.92, 95% confidence interval: 0.77-1.11).
      When stratified by various subgroups, such as cardiac, non-cardiac, ECMO, cardiac
      arrest, respiratory failure, use of nitric oxide, genetic abnormality etc.,
      Magnet status of the hospital did not confer a survival advantage. In a
      sensitivity analysis on patients from crossover hospitals only, attainment of
      magnet status was associated with increased hospital charges. CONCLUSIONS: This
      large observational study calls into question the utility of the Magnet
      Recognition Program among children with critical illness, at least among the
      freestanding children's hospitals.

PMID- 28917161
TI  - Maternal SSRI exposure increases the risk of autistic offspring: A meta-analysis
      and systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most common
      antidepressants used to preclude maternal pregnancy depression. There is a
      growing body of literature assessing the association of prenatal exposure to
      SSRIs with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present systematic review and meta
      analysis reviewed the medical literature and pooled the results of the
      association of prenatal exposure to SSRIs with ASD. METHODS: Published
      investigations in English by June 2016 with keywords of selective serotonin
      reuptake inhibitors, SSRI, autism spectrum disorder, ASD, pregnancy, childhood,
      children, neurodevelopment were identified using databases PubMed and PMC,
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar. Cochran's Q statistic-value (Q),
      degree of freedom (df), and I2 indices (variation in odds ratio [OR] attributable
      to heterogeneity) were calculated to analyze the risk of heterogeneity of the
      within- and between-study variability. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence
      interval (CI) were reported by a Mantel-Haenszel test. RESULTS: There was a non
      significant heterogeneity for the included studies ([Q=3.61, df=6, P=0.730],
      I2=0%). The pooled results showed a significant association between prenatal SSRI
      exposure and ASD (OR=1.82, 95% CI=1.59-2.10, Z=8.49, P=0.00). CONCLUSION: The
      evidence from the present study suggests that prenatal exposure to SSRIs is
      associated with a higher risk of ASD.

PMID- 28917163
TI  - Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of pyromorphite
      vanadinite solid solutions.
AB  - Due to the great range of the application fields for apatites, there is a strong
      need to complete the data set determining the properties of these minerals. In
      this study, Raman and Infrared spectra of the phases from pyromorphite
      Pb5(PO4)3Cl - vanadinite Pb5(VO4)3Cl series were investigated. Totally, 9 samples
      (2 end-members and 7 solid solutions of the series) were synthesized at 25
      degrees C and pH=3.5, and analyzed. In the Raman and Infrared spectra of the
      studied Pb-apatites, the bands typical for the vibrations in the PO4 and the VO4
      tetrahedra appeared. The bands attributed to the stretching vibrations (nu1, nu3)
      occurred in the 1050-910cm-1 and 830-720cm-1 regions, whereas the bending
      vibrations (nu2, nu4) were visible at the 580-540cm-1, 430-380cm-1 and 370-290cm
      1 range. The position of the bands depended on the P/(P+V) ratio in the analyzed
      solid, since there are differences in the ionic radii and the atomic mass of P5+
      and V5+, which affect the bong lengths, bond forces and the banding energies of
      the substituting tetrahedra. The analysis allowed observing gradual shifts of the
      bands caused by the replacement of phosphorous with vanadium in the studied
      phases. The positions and the intensities of selected bands are proposed to serve
      as a semi-quantitative estimation of the chemical composition of the phases from
      the pyromorphite - vanadinite series.

PMID- 28917162
TI  - A highly selective and sensitive turn-on probe for aluminum(III) based on
      quinoline Schiff's base and its cell imaging.
AB  - A reversible Schiff's base fluorescence probe for Al3+, (3,5-dichloro-2-
      hydroxybenzylidene) quinoline-2-carbohydrazide (QC), based on quinoline
      derivative has been designed, synthesized and evaluated. The QC exhibited a high
      sensitivity and selectivity toward Al3+ in EtOH-H2O (v/v=1:9, pH=6) by forming a
      1:1 complex with Al3+ and the detection limit of QC for Al3+ was as low as
      0.012MUM. Furthermore, these results displayed that the binding of QCAl3+ was
      broken by F-, so this system could be used to monitor F- in the future. The
      enhancement fluorescence of the QC could be attributed to the inhibition of PET
      and ESIPT and the emergency of CHEF process induced by Al3+. More importantly, QC
      was not only successfully used for the determination of trace Al3+ in the tap
      water and the human blood serum, but was valid for fluorescence imaging of Al3+
      in the Hela cells.

PMID- 28917164
TI  - UPLC-MS/MS assay of riluzole in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF):
      Application in samples from spinal cord injured patients.
AB  - In the present study, a sensitive and robust LC-MS/MS method has been developed
      and validated for the quantification of riluzole in human plasma and
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in clinical samples from patients with spinal cord
      injury (SCI). Riluzole and its labeled internal standard (IS) were isolated from
      plasma and CSF by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. Riluzole (m/z 235
      >166) and IS (m/z 238->169) were detected by electrospray ionization (ESI) using
      multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in a positive mode. The assay was linear in
      the concentration range of 0.5 (LLOQ, signal/noise ratio>10)-800ng/ml in plasma,
      and 1.0 (LLOQ)-800ng/ml in CSF samples. The intra- and inter-day accuracy in
      plasma were 94.2-110.0% and 97.8-102.0%, respectively, and those in CSF were 87.6
      105.1% and 91.9-98.8%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision were 2.2
      7.2% and 4.0-9.1%, respectively, in plasma, and 1.4-14.1% and 2.6-11.5%,
      respectively in CSF. Matrix effect was negligible from both matrices with signal
      percentages of 97.6-100.6% in plasma and 99.4-106.4% in CSF. The recoveries were
      >75% in plasma, >84% in CSF with low protein (53.9mg/dl), and >68% in CSF with
      high protein (348.2mg/dl). This method was successfully applied to quantify
      riluzole concentrations in plasma and CSF from patients with SCI.

PMID- 28917166
TI  - OMI satellite observed formaldehyde column from 2006 to 2015 over Xishuangbanna,
      southwest China, and validation using ground based zenith-sky DOAS.
AB  - Formaldehyde (HCHO) provides a proxy to reveal the isoprene and biogenic volatile
      organic compounds emission which plays important roles in atmospheric chemical
      process and climate change. The ground-based observation with zenith-sky DOAS is
      carried out in order to validate the HCHO columns from OMI. It has a good
      correlation of 0.71678 between the HCHO columns from two sources. Then we use the
      OMI HCHO columns from January 2006 to December 2015 to indicate the interannual
      variation and spatial distribution in Xishuangbanna. The HCHO concentration peaks
      appeared in March or April for each year significantly corresponding to the
      intensive fire counts at the same time, which illustrate that the high HCHO
      columns are strongly influenced by the biomass burning in spring. Temperature and
      precipitation are also the important influence factors in the seasonal variation
      when there is nearly no biomass burning. The spatial patterns over the past ten
      years strengthen the deduction from the temporal variation and show the
      relationship with land cover and land use, elevation and population density. It
      is concluded that the biogenic activity plays a role in controlling the
      background level of HCHO in Xishuangbanna, while biomass burning is the main
      driving force of high HCHO concentration. And forests are greater contributor to
      HCHO rather than rubber trees which cover over 20% of the land in the region.
      Moreover, uncertainties from HCHO slant column retrieval and AMFs calculation are
      discussed in detail.

PMID- 28917165
TI  - Cerebellar induced differential polyglot aphasia: A neurolinguistic and fMRI
      study.
AB  - Research has shown that linguistic functions in the bilingual brain are subserved
      by similar neural circuits as in monolinguals, but with extra-activity associated
      with cognitive and attentional control. Although a role for the right cerebellum
      in multilingual language processing has recently been acknowledged, a potential
      role of the left cerebellum remains largely unexplored. This paper reports the
      clinical and fMRI findings in a strongly right-handed (late) multilingual patient
      who developed differential polyglot aphasia, ataxic dysarthria and a selective
      decrease in executive function due to an ischemic stroke in the left cerebellum.
      fMRI revealed that lexical-semantic retrieval in the unaffected L1 was
      predominantly associated with activations in the left cortical areas (left
      prefrontal area and left postcentral gyrus), while naming in two affected non
      native languages recruited a significantly larger bilateral functional network,
      including the cerebellum. It is hypothesized that the left cerebellar insult
      resulted in decreased right prefrontal hemisphere functioning due to a loss of
      cerebellar impulses through the cerebello-cerebral pathways.

PMID- 28917167
TI  - Virtual water trade patterns in relation to environmental and socioeconomic
      factors: A case study for Tunisia.
AB  - Growing water demands put increasing pressure on local water resources,
      especially in water-short countries. Virtual water trade can play a key role in
      filling the gap between local demand and supply of water-intensive commodities.
      This study aims to analyse the dynamics in virtual water trade of Tunisia in
      relation to environmental and socio-economic factors such as GDP, irrigated land,
      precipitation, population and water scarcity. The water footprint of crop
      production is estimated using AquaCrop for six crops over the period 1981-2010.
      Net virtual water import (NVWI) is quantified at yearly basis. Regression models
      are used to investigate dynamics in NVWI in relation to the selected factors. The
      results show that NVWI during the study period for the selected crops is not
      influenced by blue water scarcity. NVWI correlates in two alternative models to
      either population and precipitation (model I) or to GDP and irrigated area (model
      II). The models are better in explaining NVWI of staple crops (wheat, barley,
      potatoes) than NVWI of cash crops (dates, olives, tomatoes). Using model I, we
      are able to explain both trends and inter-annual variability for rain-fed crops.
      Model II performs better for irrigated crops and is able to explain trends
      significantly; no significant relation is found, however, with variables
      hypothesized to represent inter-annual variability.

PMID- 28917168
TI  - Occurrence and distribution of microplastics at selected coastal sites along the
      southeastern United States.
AB  - To investigate the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in the
      southeastern coastal region of the United States, we quantified the amount of
      microplastics in sand samples from multiple coastal sites and developed a
      predictive model to understand the drift of plastics via ocean currents. Sand
      samples from eighteen National Park Service (NPS) beaches in the Southeastern
      Region were collected and microplastics were isolated from each sample.
      Microplastic counts were compared among sites and local geography was used to
      make inferences about sources and modes of distribution. Samples were analyzed to
      identify the composition of particles using Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR). To predict the spatiotemporal distribution and movements of
      particles via coastal currents, a Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) was
      applied. Microplastics were detected in each of the sampled sites although
      abundance among sites was highly variable. Approximately half of the samples were
      dominated by thread-like and fibrous materials as opposed to beads and particles.
      Results of FTIR suggested that 24% consisted of polyethylene terephthalate (PET),
      while about 68% of the fibers tested were composed of man-made cellulosic
      materials such as rayon. Based on published studies examining sources of
      microplastics, the shape of the particles found here (mostly fibers) and the
      presence of PET, we infer the source of microplastics in coastal areas is mainly
      from urban areas, such as wastewater discharge, rather than breakdown of larger
      marine debris drifting in the ocean. Local geographic features, e.g., the
      nearness of sites to large rivers and urbanized areas, explain variance in amount
      of microplastics among sites. Additionally, the distribution of simulated
      particles is explained by ocean current patterns; computer simulations were
      correlated with field observations, reinforcing the idea that ocean currents can
      be a good predictor of the fate and distribution of microplastics at the sites
      sampled here.

PMID- 28917170
TI  - How do climatic and management factors affect agricultural ecosystem services? A
      case study in the agro-pastoral transitional zone of northern China.
AB  - Agricultural ecosystem management needs to ensure food production and minimize
      soil erosion and nitrogen (N) leaching under climate change and increasingly
      intensive human activity. Thus, the mechanisms through which climatic and
      management factors affect crop production, soil erosion, and N leaching must be
      understood in order to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural
      development. In this study, we adopted the GIS-based Environmental Policy
      Integrated Climate (EPIC) model to simulate crop production, soil erosion, and N
      leaching, and used a partial least squares regression model to evaluate the
      contributions of climate variables (solar radiation, precipitation, wind speed,
      relative humidity, and maximum and minimum temperature) and management factors
      (irrigation, fertilization, and crop cultivation area) on agricultural ecosystem
      services (AES) in the agro-pastoral transitional zone (APTZ) of northern China.
      The results indicated that crop production and N leaching markedly increased,
      whereas soil erosion declined from 1980 to 2010 in the APTZ. Management factors
      had larger effects on the AES than climate change. Among the climatic variables,
      daily minimum temperature was the most important contributor to the variations in
      ecosystem services of wheat, maize, and rice. Spatial changes in the cultivated
      area most affected crop production, soil erosion, and N leaching for majority of
      the cultivated areas of the three crops, except for the wheat-cultivated area,
      where the dominant factor for N leaching was fertilization. Although a tradeoff
      existed between crop production and negative environmental effects, compromises
      were possible. These findings provide new insights into the effects of climatic
      and management factors on AES, and have practical implications for improving crop
      production while minimizing negative environmental impacts.

PMID- 28917169
TI  - Short-term associations of ambient air pollution and cause-specific emergency
      department visits in Guangzhou, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence of association of ambient air pollution with cause-specific
      emergency department visits in China is still limited. This study aimed to
      investigate short-term associations between exposures to air pollutants and daily
      cause-specific emergency department visits using a large-scale multicenter
      database involving a total of 65 sentinel hospitals in Guangzhou, the most
      densely-populated city in south China, during 2013-2015. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      obtained data on 162,771 emergency department visits from 65 hospitals from the
      Emergency Medical Command Center in Guangzhou between January 1, 2013 and
      December 31, 2015. Daily air pollution data on particulate matter (PM) of
      aerodynamic diameter<10 and 2.5MUm (PM10, and PM2.5, respectively), sulfur
      dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) were collected from the
      Daily Quality Report of the Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau during the
      study period. Visits for neurologic, respiratory and circulatory diseases were
      assessed in relation to air pollutants using Poisson generalized additive models.
      RESULTS: Mean daily number of emergency department visits for neurologic,
      respiratory and circulatory diseases was 89, 24 and 35, respectively. After
      adjustment for other pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and O3), meteorological factors
      and time-varying confounders, a 7.98-MUg/m3 (interquartile range) increment in 2
      day moving average of same-day and previous-day SO2 concentrations was associated
      with the statistically significant increase of 4.89% (95% confidence interval:
      2.86, 6.95) in neurologic emergency department visits; elevation in SO2 level
      (per 7.98MUg/m3) was linked to a 5.19% (95% confidence interval: 2.03, 8.44)
      increase in circulatory emergency department visits. Most positive links were
      seen during the cold season. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study contribute to
      the evidence of the significant associations between SO2 and specific neurologic
      and circulatory conditions, and also provide insight into the planning of
      clinical services and emergency contingency response for air pollution exposures
      in Guangzhou.

PMID- 28917171
TI  - Ambient air pollution and daily hospital admissions for mental disorders in
      Shanghai, China.
AB  - Few studies have investigated the associations between ambient air pollution and
      mental disorders (MDs), especially in developing countries. We conducted a time
      series study to explore the associations between six criteria air pollutants and
      daily hospital admissions for MDs in Shanghai, China, from 2013 to 2015. The MDs
      data were derived from the Shanghai Health Insurance System. We used over
      dispersed, generalized additive models to estimate the associations after
      controlling for time trend, weather conditions, day of the week, and holidays. In
      addition, we evaluated the effect of modification by age, sex, and season. A
      total of 39,143 cases of hospital admissions for MDs were identified during the
      study period. A 10-MUg/m3 increase in 2-day, moving-average concentration of
      inhalable particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide was
      significantly associated with increments of 1.27% [95% confidence interval (CI):
      0.28%, 2.26%], 6.88% (95% CI, 2.75%, 11.00%), and 0.16% (95% CI: 0.02%, 0.30%) in
      daily hospital admissions for MDs, respectively. We observed positive but
      insignificant associations of fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and
      ozone. The estimated association of SO2 was relatively robust to the adjustment
      of simultaneous exposure to other pollutants. We found generally stronger
      associations of air pollutants with MDs in warm seasons than in cool seasons.
      There were no significant differences in the associations between different sex
      and age groups. This study suggested that short-term exposure to air pollution,
      especially to sulfur dioxide, was associated with increased risk of hospital
      admissions for MDs in Shanghai, China.

PMID- 28917172
TI  - Reconstruction of atmospheric trace metals pollution in Southwest China using
      sediments from a large and deep alpine lake: Historical trends, sources and
      sediment focusing.
AB  - Atmospheric pollution, one of the leading environmental problems in South and
      East Asia, and its impact on the terrestrial environmental quality remain poorly
      understood particularly in alpine areas where both historical and present-day
      mining and smelting operations might leave an imprint. Here, we reconstructed
      atmospheric trace metals pollution during the past century using core sediments
      from a large and deep alpine lake in Southwest China. The implication of in lake
      and/or in watershed sediment focusing in pollution quantification is discussed by
      analyzing 15 sediment cores. Factor analysis and enrichment factor indicated Cd,
      Pb and Sb as the typical pollutants. Distinct peaks of Pb and Sb pollution were
      observed around the 1920s, but little Pb pollution was detected in recent
      decades, different from other studies in similar regions. Cadmium pollution was
      observed until the mid-1980s synchronized with Sb. The distinctive variations in
      atmospheric trace metal pollution process in Southwest China highlight the
      regional and sub-regional sources of metal pollutants, which should be primarily
      attributed to non-ferrous metal smelting emissions. Both natural and
      anthropogenic metals showed wide concentration ranges though exhibited similar
      temporal trends in the 15 cores. Spatial variations of anthropogenic metals were
      influenced by the in-watershed pollutants remobilization, whereas, natural metals
      were regulated by the detrital materials in the sub-basin. In-lake sediment
      focusing had little influence on the spatial distributions of all metals,
      different from the traditional sediment focusing pattern observed in small lakes.
      Anthropogenic Cd accumulation in sediments ranged from 1.5 to 10.1mgm-2 in a
      specific core with an average of 6.5mgm-2 for the entire lake, highlighting that
      a reliable whole-lake pollutant budget requires an analysis of multiple cores.
      Our study suggests that the management of aquatic ecosystem health should take
      the remobilization of in-watershed stored pollutants into consideration
      especially under increasing human perturbation.

PMID- 28917173
TI  - Synthetic iron (hydr)oxide-glucose associations in subsurface soil: Effects on
      decomposability of mineral associated carbon.
AB  - Soils are a globally important reservoir of organic carbon. There is a growing
      understanding that interactions with soil mineral phases contribute to the
      accumulation and retention of otherwise degradable organic matter (OM) in soils
      and sediments. However, the bioavailability of organic compounds in mineral
      organic-associations (MOAs), especially under varying environmental conditions is
      not well known. To assess the impact of mineral association and warming on the
      decomposition of an easily respirable organic substrate (glucose), we conducted a
      series of laboratory incubations at different temperatures with field-collected
      soils from 10 to 20cm, 50-60cm, and 80-90cm depth. We added 13C-labeled glucose
      either directly to native soil or sorbed to one of two synthetic iron (hydr)oxide
      phases (goethite and ferrihydrite) that differ in crystallinity and affinity for
      sorbing glucose. We found that: (1) association with the Fe (hydr)oxide minerals
      reduced the decomposition rate of glucose by >99.5% relative to rate of
      decomposition for free glucose in soil; (2) the respiration rate per gram carbon
      did not differ appreciably with depth, suggesting a similar degree of
      decomposability for native C across depths and that under the incubation
      conditions total carbon availability represents the principal limitation on
      respiration under these conditions as opposed to reduced abundance of decomposers
      or moisture and oxygen limitations; (3) addition of free glucose enhanced native
      carbon respiration at all soil depths with the largest effect at 50-60cm; (4) in
      general respiration of the organo-mineral complex (glucose and iron-(hydr)oxide)
      was less temperature sensitive than was respiration of native carbon; (5) the
      addition of organic free mineral decreased the rate of soil respiration in the
      intermediate 50-60cm depth soil. The results emphasize the key role of MOAs in
      regulating the fluxes of carbon from soils to the atmosphere and in turn the
      stocks of soil carbon.

PMID- 28917174
TI  - Potential effects of changes in climate and emissions on distribution and fate of
      perfluorooctane sulfonate in the Bohai Rim, China.
AB  - Climate change and emissions rates of contaminants are expected to affect
      distribution and fate of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the environment,
      however, studies on these combined factors are rare. In this study,
      Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) is used as an example to assess how those two
      factors synthetically affect fate and disposition of POPs in the Bohai Rim of
      China by using the Berkeley-Trent-Urban-Rural (BETR-Urban-Rural) model. We set up
      three climate change scenarios and four emission scenarios to conduct the
      simulations. The results show that climate change could have significant effects
      on the transport and fate of PFOS mainly including advection, inter-compartmental
      transfer under the "worst case" emission scenario. For most grids, a remarkable
      decrease in concentrations of PFOS are predicted for fresh water and urban soil
      in the future, with precipitation and temperature being predominant factors,
      whilst for coastal water and rural soil, an increasing trend is predicted.
      Additionally, predicted sum of sources to the Bohai Sea increases greater than
      removals from the Bohai Sea in the future, adding evidence that concentrations of
      PFOS in coastal water will increase more in the future. Under scenarios of
      reduced emissions and climate change, concentrations of PFOS in each compartment
      decreased more rapidly over time. We suggest that assessment of future climate
      change impacts on fate of PFOS could take emission reductions into consideration.

PMID- 28917175
TI  - Currently and recently used pesticides in Central European arable soils.
AB  - Although large amounts of pesticides are used annually and a majority enters the
      soil to form short- or long-term residues, extensive soil surveys for currently
      used pesticides (CUPs) are scarce. To determine the status of CUPs' occurrence in
      arable land in Central Europe, 51 CUPs and 9 transformation products (TPs) were
      analysed in 75 arable soils in the Czech Republic (CR) several months after the
      last pesticide application. Moreover, two banned triazines (simazine and
      atrazine) and their TPs were analysed because of their frequent detection in CR
      waters. Multi-residue pesticide analysis on LC-MS/MS after soil QuEChERS
      extraction was used. The soils contained multiple pesticide residues frequently
      (e.g. 51% soils with >=5 pesticides). The levels were also noticeable (e.g. 36%
      soils with >=3 pesticides exceeding the threshold of 0.01mg/kg). After triazine
      herbicides (89% soils), conazole fungicides showed the second most frequent
      occurrence (73% soils) and also high levels (53% soils with total conazoles above
      0.01mg/kg). Frequent occurrence was found also for chloroacetanilide TPs (25% of
      soils), fenpropidin (20%) and diflufenican (17%). With the exception of
      triazines' negative correlation to soil pH, no clear relationships were found
      between pesticide occurrence and soil properties. Association of simazine TPs
      with terbuthylazine and its target crops proved the frequent residues of this
      banned compound originate from terbuthylazine impurities. In contrast, frequent
      atrazine-2-hydroxy residue is probably a legacy of high atrazine usage in the
      past. The occurrence and levels of compounds were closely associated with their
      solubility, hydrophobicity and half-life. The results showed links to CR water
      monitoring findings. This study represents the first extensive survey of multiple
      pesticide residues in Central European arable soils, including an insight into
      their relationships to site and pesticide properties.

PMID- 28917176
TI  - Health-based ingestion exposure guidelines for Vibrio cholerae: Technical basis
      for water reuse applications.
AB  - U.S. military and allied contingency operations are increasingly occurring in
      locations with limited, unstable or compromised fresh water supplies. Non-potable
      graywater reuse is currently under assessment as a viable means to increase
      mission sustainability while significantly reducing the resources, logistics and
      attack vulnerabilities posed by transport of fresh water. Development of health
      based (non-potable) exposure guidelines for the potential microbial components of
      graywater would provide a logical and consistent human-health basis for water
      reuse strategies. Such health-based strategies will support not only improved
      water security for contingency operations, but also sustainable military
      operations. Dose-response assessment of Vibrio cholerae based on adult human oral
      exposure data were coupled with operational water exposure scenario parameters
      common to numerous military activities, and then used to derive health risk-based
      water concentrations. The microbial risk assessment approach utilized oral human
      exposure V. cholerae dose studies in open literature. Selected studies focused on
      gastrointestinal illness associated with experimental infection by specific V.
      cholerae serogroups most often associated with epidemics and pandemics (O1 and
      O139). Nonlinear dose-response model analyses estimated V. cholerae effective
      doses (EDs) aligned with gastrointestinal illness severity categories
      characterized by diarrheal purge volume. The EDs and water exposure assumptions
      were used to derive Risk-Based Water Concentrations (CFU/100mL) for mission
      critical illness severity levels over a range of water use activities common to
      military operations. Human dose-response studies, data and analyses indicate that
      ingestion exposures at the estimated ED1 (50CFU) are unlikely to be associated
      with diarrheal illness while ingestion exposures at the lower limit (200CFU) of
      the estimated ED10 are not expected to result in a level of diarrheal illness
      associated with degraded individual capability. The current analysis indicates
      that the estimated ED20 (approximately 1000CFU) represents initiation of a more
      advanced stage of diarrheal illness associated with clinical care.

PMID- 28917177
TI  - Formation of iodinated THMs during chlorination of water and wastewater in the
      presence of different iodine sources.
AB  - The formation potential of iodinated trihalomethanes (I-THMs) during chlorination
      of different organic precursors in the presence of various iodine sources was
      studied. Organic precursors included humic acid, natural organic matter from
      river water and wastewater effluent organic matter. Inorganic iodide and two
      iodinated X-ray contrast media compounds (iopamidol and diatrizoate) were used as
      iodine sources. The formation potential of I-THMs under different experimental
      conditions (chlorination contact time, iodide and bromide concentrations) was
      investigated. The formation of I-THM species upon chlorination of river water and
      humic acids rapidly increased up to 24h and then a decreasing trend was observed.
      Wastewater, showed a rapid formation of I-THMs within the first 6h, followed by a
      lower rate with extended time. Formation of I-THMs in the presence of iopamidol
      was more favorable regarding the other two iodine sources. CHBrClI was the
      dominant specie followed by CHCl2I and CHBr2I. Increasing iodide concentrations
      result in higher I-THMs formation. The presence of bromide enhanced the I-THMs
      yields and shifted towards bromine-containing species (CHBrClI and CHBr2I).

PMID- 28917178
TI  - Adaptive management in the context of barriers in European freshwater ecosystems.
AB  - Many natural habitats have been modified to accommodate for the presence of
      humans and their needs. Infrastructures - such as hydroelectric dams, weirs,
      culverts and bridges - are now a common occurrence in streams and rivers across
      the world. As a result, freshwater ecosystems have been altered extensively,
      affecting both biological and geomorphological components of the habitats. Many
      fish species rely on these freshwater ecosystems to complete their lifecycles,
      and the presence of barriers has been shown to reduce their ability to migrate
      and sustain healthy populations. In the long run, barriers may have severe
      repercussions on population densities and dynamics of aquatic animal species.
      There is currently an urgent need to address these issues with adequate
      conservation approaches. Adaptive management provides a relevant approach to
      managing barriers in freshwater ecosystems as it addresses the uncertainties of
      dealing with natural systems, and accommodates for future unexpected events,
      though this approach may not be suitable in all instances. A literature search on
      this subject yielded virtually no output. Hence, we propose a step-by-step guide
      for implementing adaptive management, which could be used to manage freshwater
      barriers.

PMID- 28917179
TI  - Emission reduction potentials of improved cookstoves and their issues in
      adoption: An Indian outlook.
AB  - Biomass as a fuel for cooking is a common practice in rural India, and about 700
      million people use traditional stoves to meet their energy demand. However, the
      thermal and the combustion efficiencies of these stoves are very low, leading to
      an inefficient use of biomass, and also, resulting in significant indoor air
      pollution. Research development has however led to the development of some
      improved stoves viz., natural draft and forced draft for both domestic as well as
      large scale cooking applications and government is trying to promote them. Forced
      draft stoves using processed biomass fuels (pellets) have received more
      prominence due to their superior performance, however, higher initial cost and
      limited fuel distribution networks have remained the key challenges. Improved
      natural draft stoves too have gained attention for being relatively inexpensive,
      and they are more likely to hit the rural households. In this paper, we have
      examined the environmental benefits obtained by the use of improved stoves for
      two important scenarios: traditional stoves are replaced by (i)improved natural
      draft stoves and, (ii) by improved natural draft as well as forced draft stoves.
      In the best case scenario (case ii), i.e., by shifting 111 million households who
      currently use wood to the forced draft stoves, and another 45 million households
      who are dependent on dung cake and agro residues to the improved natural draft
      stoves, the emission reduction that can be achieved are as follows: particulate
      matter (PM) 875 kT, black carbon (BC) 229 kT, organic carbon (OC) 525 kT, methane
      (CH4)1178 kT and non methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) of 564 kT. With the promotion of
      only natural draft improved stoves, the total reductions would be ~12% lower than
      the combinational promotion. The CO2 equivalent reduction is estimated to be ~70
      80 MT per year.

PMID- 28917180
TI  - Learning from the operation, pathology and maintenance of a bioretention system
      to optimize urban drainage practices.
AB  - LID practices for runoff control are increasingly being used as an integrated
      solution in urban drainage, helping to achieve hydrological balance close to the
      pre-urbanized period and decrease the diffuse pollution transported to urban
      rivers. Regarding bioretention, there is already broad knowledge about the
      detention of peak flows and their treatment capacity for many pollutants.
      However, there are still few field studies in microdrainage scale, which analyze
      the actual operation of these devices and raise common problems found, especially
      in subtropical climate. Therefore, this study aims to show what was learnt from
      the field operation of a bioretention cell on a micro-drainage scale, located in
      an urban catchment of a Brazilian city, suggesting maintenance actions as
      adaptations to the pathologies found. Five rainy events were monitored during the
      dry season, in order to carry out a preliminary analysis for critical conditions
      in terms of maintenance and diffuse pollution accumulation. From the first water
      balance results, low storage and low infiltration capacity of the soil were found
      as main pathologies. They led to a great amount of runoff passing directly
      through the cell surface and at a high velocity, resulting in soil erosion and
      low water retention efficiency. To overcome these problems, some structural
      adaptations were made over the cell, highlighting the semi-direct injection. The
      maintenance and adaptations proposed were suitable to avoid the erosion process,
      increasing the storage and improving the water retention efficiency in
      bioretention. They should be considered from the very initial stages, to using
      sites with low permeability.

PMID- 28917181
TI  - 137Cs and plutonium isotopes accumulation/retention in bottom sediments and soil
      in Lithuania: A case study of the activity concentration of anthropogenic
      radionuclides and their provenance before the start of operation of the
      Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
AB  - Knowledge of the background activity concentrations of anthropogenic
      radionuclides before the start of operations of the new nuclear facilities in
      Belarus is of great value worldwide. Inland water bodies in Lithuania
      (specifically the Neris River, the Nemunas River and the Curonian Lagoon) are
      near the site of the Belarusian NPP under construction and, for this reason,
      sediments and flooded soils from these sensitive areas were analysed for
      radiocesium and plutonium isotopes (macrophytes were analysed only for 137Cs) in
      2011-2012. The 137Cs and 239+240Pu activity concentrations in bottom sediments
      from the Nemunas River, sampled in 1995-1996 and re-calculated to the year 2016,
      were compared with those of 2011-2012. The obtained activity of 137Cs in bottom
      sediments of the Nemunas River and Curonian Lagoon varied from 1 Bq/kg to 47.0
      Bq/kg. The activity of 137Cs in the tested soils ranged from 5.3 B g/kg to 32.9
      Bq/kg. The 239+240Pu activity in bottom sediments of the studied sampling sites
      varied between 0.016 and 0.34 Bq/kg and in flooded soils from 0.064 to 0.55
      Bq/kg. The 238Pu activity values were very low or lower than the detection limit.
      The activity of 137Cs in macrophytes varied from values lower than the detection
      limit to 6 Bq/kg. A strong positive linear correlation for bottom sediments was
      calculated between: 239+240Pu and total organic carbon (TOC), r = 0.86, p-value
      0.01; 239+240Pu and silt, r = 0.80, p-value 0.029; 137Cs and silt, r = 0.78, p
      value 0.04; and 137Cs and TOC, r = 0.85, p-value 0.015. The similar peculiarities
      of 137Cs and 239+240Pu accumulation in bottom sediments and flooded soil allow us
      to assume that 137Cs can be used as a tracer for 239+240Pu in the initial stage
      of searching for radionuclide accumulation zones. A remaining impact of the
      Chernobyl fallout in average comprised: in the Lower Nemunas River and Curonian
      Lagoon sediments - 51%, in the Middle Nemunas River -90% and in the floodplains
      of the Nemunas River - 59%, while the provenance of plutonium in studied bottom
      sediments and flooded soil was the global fallout.

PMID- 28917182
TI  - Analysis of functional genomes from metagenomes: Revealing the accelerated
      electron transfer in microbial fuel cell with rhamnolipid addition.
AB  - Extracellular electron transfer is the predominant electricity generation process
      in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Our pervious study have proved that the anodic
      adsorption of rhamnolipid resulted in the Frumkin effect, which enhanced anodic
      microorganism attachment and accelerated anodic electron transfer. In this study,
      an in-depth research on the influence of rhamnolipid on functional genes of
      anodic biofilms metagenomes was carried out to explain its mechanism at the gene
      level. The result showed that the composition and distribution of functional
      genes in each dominant genus were different. The category of signal transduction
      mechanisms was the dominant function category in exoelectrogens, and its relative
      abundance in the metagenome significantly increased from 4.56 to 5.86% from
      rhamnolipid addition. Additionally, the metabolic pathway and electron flow
      analysis revealed that electron flows tend to choose direct electron transfer in
      the presence of rhamnolipids, and resulting in the increase of Coulombic
      efficiency from 19.10+/-0.79% to 27.39+/-1.07%.

PMID- 28917184
TI  - Investigation of the chemical mechanisms involved in the electropulsation of
      membranes at the molecular level.
AB  - The chemical consequences of electropulsation on giant unilamellar vesicles
      (GUVs), in particular the possible oxidation of unsaturated phospholipids, have
      been investigated by mass spectrometry, flow cytometry and absorbance methods.
      Pulse application induced oxidation of the GUV phospholipids and the oxidation
      level depended on the duration of the pulse. Light and O2 increased the level of
      pulse-induced lipid peroxidation whereas the presence of antioxidants either in
      the membrane or in the solution completely suppressed peroxidation. Importantly,
      pulse application did not create additional reactive oxygen species (ROS) in GUV
      free solution. Lipid peroxidation seems to result from a facilitation of the
      lipid peroxidation by the ROS already present in the solution before pulsing, not
      from a direct pulse-induced peroxidation. The pulse would facilitate the entrance
      of ROS in the core of the membrane, allowing the contact between ROS and lipid
      chains and provoking the oxidation. Our findings demonstrate that the application
      of electric pulses on cells could induce the oxidation of the membrane
      phospholipids since cell membranes contain unsaturated lipids. The chemical
      consequences of electropulsation will therefore have to be taken into account in
      future biomedical applications of electropulsation since oxidized phospholipids
      play a key role in many signaling pathways and diseases.

PMID- 28917183
TI  - Visualisation of an nsPEF induced calcium wave using the genetically encoded
      calcium indicator GCaMP in U87 human glioblastoma cells.
AB  - Cytosolic, synthetic chemical calcium indicators are typically used to visualise
      the rapid increase in intracellular calcium ion concentration that follows
      nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) application. This study looks at the
      application of genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) to investigate the
      spatiotemporal nature of nsPEF-induced calcium signals using fluorescent live
      cell imaging. Calcium responses to 44kV/cm, 10ns pulses were observed in U87-MG
      cells expressing either a plasma membrane targeted GECI (GCaMP5-G), or one
      cytosolically expressed (GCaMP6-S), and compared to the response of cells loaded
      with cytosolic or plasma membrane targeted chemical calcium indicators.
      Application of 100 pulses, to cells containing plasma membrane targeted
      indicators, revealed a wave of calcium across the cell initiating at the cathode
      side. A similar spatial wave was not observed with cytosolic indicators with
      mobile calcium buffering properties. The speed of the wave was related to pulse
      application frequency and it was not propagated by calcium induced calcium
      release.

PMID- 28917185
TI  - Ghrelin and hypothalamic NPY/AgRP expression in mice are affected by chronic
      early-life stress exposure in a sex-specific manner.
AB  - Early-life stress (ES) is a risk factor for metabolic disorders (e.g. obesity)
      with a notoriously higher prevalence in women compared to men. However,
      mechanisms underlying these effects remain elusive. The development of the
      hypothalamic feeding and metabolic regulatory circuits occurs mostly in the early
      sensitive postnatal phase in rodents and is tightly regulated by the metabolic
      hormones leptin and ghrelin. We have previously demonstrated that chronic ES
      reduces circulating leptin and alters adipose tissue metabolism early and later
      in life similarly in both sexes. However, it is unknown whether chronic ES might
      also affect developmental ghrelin and insulin levels, and if it induces changes
      in hypothalamic feeding circuits, possibly in a sex-dependent manner. We here
      show that chronic ES, in the form of exposure to limited nesting and bedding
      material from postnatal day (P)2 to P9 in mice, affects ghrelin levels
      differently, depending on the form of ghrelin (acylated vs desacylated), on age
      (P9 vs P14) and on sex, while insulin levels were similarly increased in both
      sexes after ES at P9. Even though ghrelin levels were more strongly affected in
      ES-exposed females, hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide
      (AgRP) fiber density at P14 were similarly altered in both sexes by ES. In the
      paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, both NPY and AgRP fiber density were
      increased, while in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, NPY was increased
      and AgRP unaltered. Additionally, the hypothalamic mRNA expression of ghrelin's
      receptor (i.e. growth hormone secretagogue receptor) was not affected by ES.
      Taken together, the specific alterations found in these important regulatory
      circuits after ES might contribute to an altered energy balance and feeding
      behavior in adulthood and thereby to an increased vulnerability to develop
      metabolic disorders.

PMID- 28917186
TI  - Compounds isolated from Eriobotrya deflexa leaves protect against ultraviolet
      radiation B-induced photoaging in human fibroblasts.
AB  - Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation leads to skin photoaging because of the upregulation
      of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and downregulation of type I collagen and
      tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1. Eriobotrya deflexa (Hemsl.) Nakai
      (Rosaceae) is a flowering plant endemic to Taiwan, and its leaves have been used
      as an expectorant and in antitussive folk remedy. Our previous studies have
      demonstrated that an E. deflexa leaf extract functions as a free radical
      scavenger. The current evaluated the antiphotoaging effect of partitioned
      fractions and specific compounds from the leaves of E. deflexa by using bioguided
      isolation, compound identification, and biological activity testing with UVB
      irradiated human fibroblasts (WS-1 cells). E. deflexa leaves were extracted with
      95% ethanol and then partitioned using a sequential treatment of n-hexane, ethyl
      acetate, and n-butanol (n-BuOH). The bioactive n-BuOH fraction was used for
      isolation and purification through chromatography. The compounds were identified
      by analyzing their physical and spectroscopic properties. We identified eight
      compounds from this fraction; of these compounds, 3-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl
      (1'''->6")-beta-d-galactopyranoside (1), hyperin (2), afzelin (5), and
      cryptochlorogenic acid methyl ester (7) were isolated from E. deflexa for the
      first time, and they exhibited MMP-1 inhibition activity. The IC50 values were
      96.5, 89.5, 93.4, and 92.8MUM for 1, 2, 5, and 7, respectively. These compounds
      also enhanced the expression of procollagen type I, and TIMP-1 and hyperin (2)
      were found to be most effective with IC50 values of 56.7 and 70.3MUM,
      respectively. Hyperin (2) could reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species
      production in UVB-irradiated WS-1 cells, with the corresponding IC50 value being
      80.7MUM. Liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry was used for
      the quantitative and chemical fingerprint analysis of active compounds. Quercetin
      3-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1'''->6")-beta-d-galactopyranoside (1), hyperin (2),
      afzelin (5), and cryptochlorogenic acid methyl ester (7) constituted 24.2+/-3.9,
      5.5+/-1.0, 3.4+/-0.3, and 67.1+/-8.1mg/g of dry weight in the active n-BuOH
      fraction, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the extract and the isolated
      active compounds from E. deflexa leaves possess the potential for protection
      against skin photoaging.

PMID- 28917187
TI  - Trajectories of post-traumatic stress and externalizing psychopathology among
      maltreated foster care youth: A parallel process latent growth curve model.
AB  - Few longitudinal studies have analyzed how violence exposure (e.g. child
      maltreatment, witnessing community violence) influence both externalizing and
      Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) symptoms among children in foster care. Data from
      three waves of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (1999-2007)
      (NSCAW; National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, 2002) were analyzed to
      investigate the change trajectories of both externalizing and PTS symptomatology
      among children with a substantiated report of child maltreatment by Child
      Protective Services (CPS) between October 1999 and December 2000. This study uses
      data collected at three time points: baseline and approximately 18 (Wave 3) and
      36 (Wave 4) months post-baseline. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scale
      measured externalizing symptoms and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder section of
      a version of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) provided the
      measure of current trauma-related symptoms or distress. Analyses were conducted
      using a parallel process growth curve model with a sample of n=280 maltreated
      youth between the ages of 8 and 15 following home removal. Findings revealed that
      initial levels of externalizing and PTS symptomatology were both significantly
      and positively related and co-develop over time. Externalizing symptom severity
      remained in the borderline range during the first two years in out-of-home care.
      Both direct and indirect forms of interpersonal violence exposure were associated
      with initial level of externalizing symptom and PTS symptom severity,
      respectively. Taken together, our results suggest an underlying process that
      links early violence exposure to the co-development and cumulative impact of PTS
      on externalizing behavior above and beyond experiences of maltreatment. We
      conclude by discussing the key points of intervention that result from a more
      nuanced understanding of the longitudinal relationship between PTS and
      externalizing symptoms and the effect of complex trauma on growth in these
      symptoms over time.

PMID- 28917188
TI  - Assessing the factor structure of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and
      cumulative effect of abuse and neglect on mental health among adolescents in
      conflict-affected Burundi.
AB  - The present study aimed to examine the factor structure of the Childhood Trauma
      Questionnaire (CTQ; Bernstein & Fink, 1998), highlight rates of abuse and neglect
      among Burundian adolescents, compare these rates with those found in high-income
      nations, and examine the cumulative effect of multiple types of abuse and neglect
      on depression and PTSD symptoms. Participants were 231 adolescents and youth
      (M=14.9, SD=1.99, 58.4% female) from five provinces of Burundi, a country in
      Central Africa affected by war and political violence. Translation and back
      translation of the CTQ was carried out to obtain an adaptation of CTQ in Kirundi,
      the native language of Burundi. With the exception of one item on 'molestation'
      in the factor of sexual abuse, the five-factor structure of CTQ was obtained
      comprising latent factors, namely emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and
      emotional and physical neglect. The rate of abuse and neglect ranged from 14.7
      93.5% with more than 37% reporting 4 or more types of abuse and neglect
      experiences. Emotional abuse and neglect, and physical neglect were 2-3 times
      higher among Burundian adolescents when compared with studies from high-income
      countries using the CTQ. A cumulative effect of multiple types of abuse and
      neglect was found, such that, those with 4 or more types of maltreatment were
      higher on symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress. Findings highlight the
      need for culturally sensitive, standardized, and validated measures and norms for
      gauging childhood maltreatment in Burundi and related need for preventative
      interventions on childhood maltreatment.

PMID- 28917189
TI  - Protective factors promoting resilience in the relation between child sexual
      victimization and internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
AB  - Sexual victimization has been one of the most frequently studied forms of child
      victimization. Its effects are common and diverse; however, not all children and
      youth exposed to sexual victimization eventually develop adjustment problems. A
      total of 1105 children and youth (590 male and 515 female) aged between 12 and 17
      from northeastern Spain were assessed regarding their experiences of sexual
      victimization, symptoms of psychopathology, and protective factors. The results
      showed that all forms of sexual victimization were associated with higher levels
      of emotional and behavioral problems. However, the presence of a low Negative
      Cognition, high Social Skills and high Confidence seem to act buffering
      internalizing problems. Additionally, a significant interaction between Sexual
      Victimization and low Negative Cognition was observed (p<0.5), so that, low
      Negative Cognition was related to a lower risk of being in the clinical range for
      internalizing problems. Likewise, high scores on Empathy/Tolerance, Connectedness
      to School, Connectedness to Family and low Negative Cognition acted as promotive
      factors in relation to externalizing symptoms, in this case without any
      interaction effect. The strong relationship found with emotional and behavioral
      problems highlights the importance of continuing the research on the protective
      factors underlying resilience in the relationship between sexual victimization
      and psychopathological symptoms. The findings also support the multi-dimensional
      and specific nature of resilience and identify some of the protective factors
      that should be regarded as key intervention targets in adolescents with a history
      of sexual victimization.

PMID- 28917190
TI  - Posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation between childhood trauma and two
      different types of psychosis-like experience.
AB  - This study examined the roles of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and
      dissociation in the relationship between childhood trauma and two different types
      of psychosis-like experience, including persecutory ideation and aberrant
      experience, in non-psychotic psychiatric patients. From August 2015 to August
      2016, among psychiatric out patients seeking treatment at the Department of
      Psychiatry at a major teaching medical hospital in Seoul, Korea, 169 patients who
      had never been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, including schizophrenia
      spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, and/or depressive disorder with psychotic
      features, completed the Korean Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Korean version
      of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the modified Korean version of the
      Peritraumatic Dissociation Experiences Questionnaire, and the Korean Minnesota
      Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The RC 6 (Ideas of Persecution) and
      RC 8 (Aberrant Experiences) of the restructured scales of the MMPI-2 were used as
      a measure of persecutory ideation and aberrant experience. Structural equation
      modeling analyses confirmed a partial mediation model in which PTS symptoms
      partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and persecutory
      ideation, and dissociation partially mediated the relationship between childhood
      trauma and aberrant experience. This implies that there are distinct mechanisms
      depending on the type of psychosis-like experience in relation to childhood
      trauma.

PMID- 28917191
TI  - Enhanced Arabidopsis disease resistance against Botrytis cinerea induced by
      sulfur dioxide.
AB  - Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a common air pollutant that has complex impacts on
      plants. The effect of prior exposure to 30mgm-3 SO2 on defence against Botrytis
      cinerea (B. cinerea) in Arabidopsis thaliana and the possible mechanisms of
      action were investigated. The results indicated that pre-exposure to 30mgm-3 SO2
      resulted in significantly enhanced resistance to B. cinerea infection. SO2 pre
      treatment significantly enhanced the activities of defence-related enzymes
      including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), beta-1,3
      glucanase (BGL) and chitinase (CHI). Transcripts of the defence-related genes
      PAL, PPO, PR2, and PR3, encoding PAL, PPO, BGL and CHI, respectively, were
      markedly elevated in Arabidopsis plants pre-exposed to SO2 and subsequently
      inoculated with B. cinerea (SO2+ treatment group) compared with those that were
      only treated with SO2 (SO2) or inoculated with B. cinerea (CK+). Moreover, SO2
      pre-exposure also led to significant increases in the expression levels of
      MIR393, MIR160 and MIR167 in Arabidopsis. Meanwhile, the expression of known
      targets involved in the auxin signalling pathway, was negatively correlated with
      their corresponding miRNAs. Additionally, the transcript levels of the primary
      auxin-response genes GH3-like, BDL/IAA12, and AXR3/IAA17 were markedly repressed.
      Our findings indicate that 30mgm-3 SO2 pre-exposure enhances disease resistance
      against B. cinerea in Arabidopsis by priming defence responses through
      enhancement of defence-related gene expression and enzyme activity, and miRNA
      mediated suppression of the auxin signalling pathway.

PMID- 28917192
TI  - Mass loading and emission of thirty-seven pharmaceuticals in a typical municipal
      wastewater treatment plant in Hunan Province, Southern China.
AB  - The occurrence, fate, mass loading and environmental emission of 37
      pharmaceuticals were studied through an integrated approach involving both
      dissolved and adsorbed phase at a typical wastewater treatment plant in Hunan
      Province, Southern China. The results displayed the prevalence of 24 and 23
      compounds in dissolved phase of influent and effluent, respectively. Fourteen
      compounds were found adsorbed onto sludge with a mean concentration ranging from
      0.85 to 2900MUg/kg dry weight. Twelve compounds exhibited high adsorption
      potential onto suspended particulate matter (SPM) with a mean fraction ranging
      from 8.8% (trimethoprim) to 97% (tetracycline). Furthermore, SPM showed a diverse
      absorbability in influent and effluent water circumstance. The overall
      elimination varied from -16% for lincomycin to 99% for paracetamol, while
      macrolides were able to withstand the whole treatment process. Mass balance
      analysis indicated that degradation was the predominant removal pathway for most
      compounds, and adsorption onto sludge combined with a minor portion of
      degradation explained for the reduction of tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones,
      whereas macrolides were recalcitrant to both two processes. The total mass
      loading was estimated to be up to 2800mg/d/1000 inhabitants and most compounds
      exhibited lower or comparable level comparing to the global published data. The
      total environmental emission was estimated up to be 1000mg/d/1000 inhabitants,
      and a value of 650mg/d/1000 inhabitants was obtained when considering merely the
      dissolved phase. This work would be helpful for the better understanding of
      ultimate fate and real pollution of pharmaceuticals in the water environment.

PMID- 28917193
TI  - High C-reactive protein levels are associated with depressive symptoms in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms are frequently associated with schizophrenia
      symptoms. C - Reactive protein (CRP), a marker of chronic inflammation, had been
      found elevated in patients with schizophrenia and in patients with depressive
      symptoms. However, the association between CRP level and depressive symptoms has
      been poorly investigated in patients with schizophrenia. The only study conducted
      found an association between high CRP levels and antidepressant consumption, but
      not with depressive symptoms investigated with the Calgary Depression Rating
      Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate
      CRP levels and depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, and to
      determine whether high CRP levels are associated with depressive symptoms and/or
      antidepressant consumption, independently of potential confounding factors,
      especially tobacco-smoking and metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Three hundred and
      seven patients with schizophrenia were enrolled in this study (mean age = 35.74
      years, 69.1% male gender). Depressive symptoms was investigated with the CDSS.
      Patients were classified in two groups: normal CRP level (<= 3.0mg/L) and high
      CRP level (> 3.0mg/L). Current medication was recorded. RESULTS: 124 subjects
      (40.4%) were classified in the high CRP level group. After adjusting for
      confounding factors, these patients were found to have higher CDSS scores than
      those with normal CRP levels in multivariate analyses (p = 0.035, OR = 1.067, 95%
      CI = 1.004-1.132). No significant association between CRP levels and
      antidepressants consumption was found. LIMITATIONS: The size sample is relatively
      small. The cut-off point for high cardiovascular risk was used to define the two
      groups. CRP was the sole marker of inflammation in this study and was collected
      at only one time point. The design of this study is cross-sectional and there are
      no conclusions about the directionality of the association between depression and
      inflammation in schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: This study found an association
      between high rates of CRP levels and depressive symptoms in patients with
      schizophrenia, but no association with antidepressant consumption. Further
      studies are needed to investigate the impact of inflammation in schizophrenia.

PMID- 28917194
TI  - Selective functional dysconnectivity of the dorsal-anterior subregion of the
      precuneus in drug-naive major depressive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have shown altered
      resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the precuneus; however, it is
      unknown whether rsFC of the precuneus subregions is differentially affected in
      this disorder. METHODS: In this study, we aimed to clarify this issue by
      comparing rsFC of each precuneus subregion between patients with MDD and healthy
      controls. Forty-seven drug-naive patients with MDD and 47 sex-, age- and
      education-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI). The precuneus was divided into PCun-1 (dorsal-central
      portion; medial area 7), PCun-2 (dorsal-anterior portion; medial area 5), PCun-3
      (dorsal-posterior portion; dorsomedial parietooccipital sulcus) and PCun-4
      (ventral portion; area 31). The rsFC of each precuneus subregion was compared
      between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, patients with
      MDD exhibited increased rsFC between the left PCun-2 and the right fusiform
      gyrus, lateral prefrontal cortex, sensorimotor cortex and supramarginal gyrus. No
      significant inter-group difference was observed in the rsFC of other precuneus
      subregions. In addition, there was no difference in gray matter volume of all the
      precuneus subregions between patients with MDD and healthy controls. LIMITATIONS:
      Some of the patients had chronic MDD and relevant neuropsychological data were
      not collected. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a selective functional
      dysconnectivity of the precuneus subregions in drug-naive MDD, characterized by
      the hyperconnnectivity between the dorsal-anterior subregion and regions involved
      in visual, executive control, sensorimotor and bottom-up attention functions.

PMID- 28917195
TI  - Uric acid in major depressive and anxiety disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uric acid has neuroprotective effects, owing to its antioxidant
      properties. Lowered antioxidant capacity, causing increased oxidative stress, may
      be involved in affective disorders and might be altered by antidepressants. This
      study investigated the association of plasma uric acid, the greatest contributor
      to blood antioxidant capacity, with major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety
      disorders. METHODS: Data were from the Netherlands Study of Depression and
      Anxiety including patients with current (N = 1648), remitted (N = 609) MDD and/or
      anxiety disorders (of which N = 710 antidepressant users) and 618 controls.
      Diagnoses were established with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.
      Symptom severity was assessed with the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms-Self
      Report, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Fear Questionnaire. Uric acid was measured in
      plasma. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic, health and lifestyle
      variables. RESULTS: Plasma uric acid adjusted mean levels were lower in current
      MDD and/or anxiety disorder(s) (289MUmol/l) compared to remitted disorders
      (298MUmol/l, p < .001) and controls (299MUmol/l, p < .001; Cohen's d .10). This
      finding was independent of antidepressant use. Depressive (beta-.05, p = .0012),
      anxiety (beta-.04, p = .009) and phobic (beta-.03, p = .036) symptom severity,
      and symptom duration (beta-.04, p = .009) were negatively associated with uric
      acid. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the lack of data on dietary intake which
      could be a potential confounding factor. From these cross-sectional findings, the
      association between uric acid and psychopathology cannot be inferred to be
      causal. CONCLUSION: This large scale study finds plasma uric acid levels are
      lower in current, but not remitted, MDD and/or anxiety disorders, according to a
      dose-response gradient. This suggests the involvement of decreased antioxidant
      status in affective disorders, and points to their potential as an avenue for
      treatment.

PMID- 28917196
TI  - Possible predictors of age at illness onset and illness duration in a cohort
      study comparing younger adults and older major affective patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major affective conditions are associated with significant disability
      and psychosocial impairment. Whether specific socio-demographic and clinical
      characteristics may distinguish subgroups of patients in terms of prognosis and
      illness trajectories is a matter of debate. METHODS: The sample of this
      naturalistic cohort study included 675 currently euthymic patients with major
      affective disorders of which 428 (63.4%) were diagnosed with unipolar and 247
      (36.6%) with bipolar disorders. RESULTS: Younger adults with a longer duration of
      untreated illness and residual inter-episodic symptoms were more likely to be
      single or divorced, students, with an earlier age of first
      treatment/hospitalization, longer duration of substance abuse and duration of
      illness than older patients who were, conversely, more likely to be widowed and
      retired. Multivariate analyses showed a significant positive contribution to age
      at illness onset by marital status, nonpsychiatric medications, substance abuse,
      psychiatric diagnosis (bipolar vs. unipolar), age at first
      treatment/hospitalization, duration of illness, and current age. According to a
      further analysis, we also found a significant positive contribution to duration
      of illness by marital status, educational level, positive history of psychiatric
      conditions in family, substance abuse, psychiatric diagnosis (bipolar vs.
      unipolar), age at illness onset, age at first treatment, and certain
      cardiovascular disorders. CONCLUSIONS: There are substantial socio-demographic
      and clinical differences that may help to distinguish specific subgroups of
      patients; however, additional studies are requested to replicate these results
      and further investigate the main factors underlying our findings.

PMID- 28917197
TI  - Adolescent socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms in later life: Evidence
      from structural equation models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The complex association between socioeconomic status (SES) and
      depressive symptoms is not entirely understood and the existing literature does
      not address the relationship between early-life SES and later-life depression
      from a life-course perspective, incorporating mediating events. METHODS: Using
      data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we employed structural equation
      modeling to examine how SES measured at age 18 affects depressive symptoms at age
      54 directly and through mediating variables college graduation, marriage, and
      household income level at age 36. RESULTS: The total effect of adolescent SES on
      later-life depressive symptoms is largely mediated through college graduation.
      Our final model was driven by the effects of women. The variables contributing
      most to depressive symptoms in women were the direct effect of being raised in a
      home with a low SES and the indirect effect of low adolescent SES mediated
      through non-completion of college. LIMITATIONS: Cohort was exclusively comprised
      of white, high school graduates born in 1939 (+/- 2 years). In our analysis we
      assume that missing values are missing at random (MAR); however, attrition both
      from death (excluded from our population) and from non-response could be
      associated with depression, i.e. missing not at random (MNAR). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study demonstrates the impact of completion of college, particularly among women,
      and supports the social mobility hypothesis to explain the relationship between
      adolescent socioeconomic circumstances and late-life health.

PMID- 28917198
TI  - Dissipation behavior and residue distribution of fluazaindolizine and its seven
      metabolites in tomato ecosystem based on SAX SPE procedure using HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS
      technique.
AB  - Fluazaindolizine suspension concentrate (500gL-1 SC), as a pre-commercialized
      product, was firstly investigated under open-field conditions. A sensitive method
      for simultaneous determination of fluazaindolizine and seven metabolites (IN
      QEK31, IN-F4106, IN-A5760, IN-UJV12, IN-UNS90, IN-QZY47 and IN-TMQ01) was
      established and validated using HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS technique. The LOQs of these
      pollutants in tomato were 0.01mgkg-1, and their recoveries were 81.1%-117% with
      the relative standard deviations (RSDs <11.8%). The dissipation behaviours of
      fluazaindolizine in soil followed first-order kinetics with the half lives of 4.6
      32.4days, whilst the residues in plant were below its LOQ after 7days. The
      fluazaindolizine residues in soil were below 0.963mgkg-1, based on root
      irrigation applications (50-75mg a.i. per plant) twice and pre-harvest interval
      (PHI, 3days), while the residues of IN-QEK31, IN-F4106 and IN-A5760 were below
      3.9mgkg-1, excluding other four metabolites (<0.01mgkg-1). The residues of
      fluazaindolizine in tomato were below 0.01mgkg-1, and IN-QEK31 remained 0.135mgkg
      1. The current study could not only guide reasonable usage of the formulation,
      but also facilitate the setting of residue definition and its maximum residue
      limits (MRLs) of fluazaindolizine in tomato.

PMID- 28917200
TI  - Improved visible-light activities for degrading pollutants on TiO2/g-C3N4
      nanocomposites by decorating SPR Au nanoparticles and 2,4-dichlorophenol
      decomposition path.
AB  - It has been clearly demonstrated that the visible-light photocatalytic activities
      of g-C3N4 (CN) for degrading 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and bisphenol A (BPA)
      could be improved by fabricating nanocomposites with a proper amount of
      nanocrystalline anatase TiO2. Interestingly, the visible-light activities of the
      amount-optimized nanocomposite could be further improved after decorating Au
      nanoparticles, with 5.11- and 3.1-time improvement respectively for 2,4-DCP and
      BPA compared to that of CN, even much higher than that of P25 TiO2 under UV-vis
      irradiation. Based on the transient-state surface photovoltage responses and
      photoelectrochemical measurements, it is confirmed that the exceptional visible
      light activities of the fabricated Au-(TiO2/g-C3N4) nanocomposites are attributed
      to the extended visible-light response due to the surface plasmonic resonance
      (SPR) of decorated Au and its catalytic function, and to the enhanced charge
      separation by transferring electrons from CN and SPR Au to TiO2 in the
      nanocomposites. The highly promoted charge separation results in the effective
      availability of a large number of hydroxyl radicals (OH) participating in the
      photocatalytic oxidation process of 2,4-DCP. Furthermore, a possible mechanism of
      2,4-DCP degradation is proposed according to the detailed analyses of produced
      intermediates. This work provides new idea for designing Au assisted
      nanocomposite photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

PMID- 28917199
TI  - Enhanced phosphorus and ciprofloxacin removal in a modified BAF system by
      configuring Fe-C micro electrolysis: Investigation on pollutants removal and
      degradation mechanisms.
AB  - A modified biological aerated filter (BAF) system configured Fe-C micro
      electrolysis was applied to enhance phosphorus and ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal. A
      novel sludge ceramic and sintering ferric-carbon ceramic (SFC) were separately
      packed into a lab-scale BAF and Fe-C micro electrolysis reactor. The BAF and Fe-C
      micro electrolysis coupled system was operated about 230days. The enhancement of
      phosphorus and ciprofloxacin removals by Fe-C micro electrolysis, the degradation
      mechanisms of CIP and the variations of microbial population were investigated.
      The removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (CODcr), ammonia (NH4-N),
      total phosphorus (TP) and CIP reached about 95%, 95%, 80% and 85% in the combined
      process, respectively. Configuring Fe-C micro electrolysis significantly enhanced
      phosphorus and CIP removal, whereas had no promotion on N removal. Four main
      degradation pathways were proposed according to the LC-MS analysis. More than 12
      degradation products were detected through the treatment of Fe-C micro
      electrolysis and only 3 biodegraded products with low concentration were
      identified in BAF effluent. The high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that
      the microbial community changed a lot under CIP pressure. The relative abundance
      of Sphingomonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Bradyrhizobium, Helicobacter and
      Pseudomonas increased with CIP influent. This study provides a promising process
      in CIP wastewater treatment.

PMID- 28917201
TI  - In silico investigation of propofol binding sites in human serum albumin using
      explicit and implicit solvation models.
AB  - All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are presented on general anesthetic
      propofol bound to human serum albumin (HSA) due to the drug pharmacokinetics and
      pharmacodynamics in the circulatory system. We implemented the explicit and
      implicit solvation models to compare the binding affinity of propofol at the
      different binding sites (PR1 and PR2) in the HSA protein. Only the implicit
      solvation models provided the evidence in accordance with the experimental data
      indicating that the HSA-ligand interactions are dominanted by hydrophobic forces
      due to the higher drug affinity at the PR1 position with a DeltaGMM-PB/SA value
      of -23.44kcalmol-1. Overall, this study provides important information on the
      accuracy of explicit and implicit solvation models to characterize the propofol
      interaction with different HSA binding sites.

PMID- 28917202
TI  - Mechanisms of MAGUK-mediated cellular junctional complex organization.
AB  - Membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs) are a family of scaffold proteins
      that are enriched in cellular junctions and essential for tissue development and
      homeostasis. Mutations of MAGUKs are linked to many human diseases including
      cancers, psychiatric disorders, and intellectual disabilities. MAGUKs share a
      common PDZ-SH3-GK tandem domain organization at the C-terminal end. In this
      review, we summarize the mechanistic basis governing target recognition and
      regulations of this binding by the PDZ-SH3-GK tandem of various MAGUKs. We also
      discuss recent discoveries showing unique folding features of MAGUK PDZ-SH3-GK
      tandems that facilitate ligand-induced oligomerization of MAGUKs and phase
      transition of MAGUK-assembled synaptic signaling complexes.

PMID- 28917203
TI  - Cognitive-behavioral correlates of proxy reports on cognitive capabilities in
      pediatric patients with epilepsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To validate the Cognitive Problems in Children and Adolescents
      Questionnaire (KOPKIJ, German: Kognitive Probleme bei Kindern und Jugendlichen),
      a proxy report measure for recognizing cognitive problems in pediatric patients
      with epilepsy. METHODS: Anonymized data sets from 279 pediatric epilepsy patients
      were standardized in regard to the KOPKIJ results of 352 healthy children and
      adolescents. The KOPKIJ was related to objective routine neuropsychological
      assessment (NPY), and to two subjective measures, the Child Behavior Checklist
      questionnaire (CBCL), a proxy rating by the parents, and a questionnaire for self
      perceived health-related quality of life in children and adolescents (KINDL).
      RESULTS: Following principal component analysis of the KOPKIJ's normative data,
      three scales "basic functions", "academic skills", and a "total score" were
      differentiated, which indicated problems in 35%, 33%, and 32% of the children.
      Low IQ was evident in 23%, objective impairments in at least one major cognitive
      domain in 64% of the patients. Behavior (CBCL) and quality of life (KINDL) were
      impaired in 40% and 21% of the patients. Separate regression analyses revealed
      that objective cognitive performance (IQ, language, visual-spatial functions)
      explained ~30%, behavior (CBCL) and coping with the disease (KINDL) about ~40%,
      and clinical features (age at onset) 5-8% of the variance of the KOPKIJ scales.
      CONCLUSION: The parents' impressions of children's cognition obtained via the
      KOPKIJ only in part reflect the neuropsychological cognitive status of children
      and adolescents with epilepsy. They appear rather determined by the children's
      behavioral problems, which in real life situations indeed often co-occur with
      cognitive impairments. Aspects of the epilepsy only marginally influence the
      parents' ratings of their children's cognition.

PMID- 28917204
TI  - Murine IL-4Delta2 splice variant down-regulates IL-4 activities independently of
      IL-4Ralpha binding and STAT-6 phosphorylation.
AB  - IL-4 is a pleiotropic cytokine that is highly Th2 polarizing. The ratio of IL-4
      and its splice variant IL-4Delta2 observed in human health and disease suggests a
      role for both isoforms. In the present study, the biological function of murine
      IL-4Delta2 and the potential mechanism of action were studied. We report for the
      first time the generation of a functional, recombinant murine IL-4Delta2 form
      which is suggestive of its possible biological role in this species. Recombinant
      murine IL-4Delta2 inhibited IL-4 mediated cellular processes in macrophages and
      lymphocytes. Specifically, (i) it reversed IL-4 mediated inhibition of IFN-gamma
      induced nitric oxide release by macrophages, (ii) inhibited IL-4 mediated
      induction of T cell proliferation, and (iii) prevented IL-4 stimulation of IgE
      synthesis by B cells. However, IL-4Delta2 did not compete with IL-4 for IL
      4Ralpha binding and did not interfere with the downstream STAT-6 phosphorylation
      in T cells, suggesting an alternative mechanism for its antagonism of specific
      IL4-driven effects. These findings suggest that the mouse is a suitable
      experimental model for studies of the biology of IL-4 and its alternative splice
      variant.

PMID- 28917205
TI  - Prenatal DDT exposure and child adiposity at age 12: The CHAMACOS study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Using data from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and
      Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) birth cohort study, we assessed the association of
      in utero exposure to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and
      dichlorodiphenylethylene (DDE) with child adiposity at age 12. METHODS: We
      included 240 children with o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT, and p,p'-DDE concentrations
      measured in maternal serum collected during pregnancy (ng/g lipid) and complete
      12-year follow-up data. Age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) z-scores were
      calculated from CDC growth charts. Children with BMI z-scores >= 85th percentile
      were classified as overweight or obese. RESULTS: At 12 years, BMI z-score
      averaged 1.09 (+/-1.03) and 55.4% of children were overweight or obese. Prenatal
      DDT and DDE exposure was associated with several adiposity measures in boys but
      not girls. Among boys, 10-fold increases in prenatal DDT and DDE concentrations
      were associated with increased BMI z-score (o,p'-DDT, adj-beta=0.37, 95% CI:
      0.08, 0.65; p,p'-DDT, adj-beta = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.48; p,p'-DDE, adj-beta =
      0.31, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.59). Results for girls were nonsignificant. The difference
      by sex persisted after considering pubertal status. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      support the chemical obesogen hypothesis, that in utero exposure to DDT and DDE
      may increase risk of obesity in males later in life.

PMID- 28917206
TI  - Maternal and infant outcomes following third trimester exposure to marijuana in
      opioid dependent pregnant women maintained on buprenorphine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine whether maternal and infant outcomes are associated with
      exposure to marijuana during the third trimester in a population of opioid
      dependent pregnant women maintained on buprenorphine. METHODS: This retrospective
      cohort study of 191 maternal-infant dyads exposed to buprenorphine during
      pregnancy examines a variety of variables including gestational age, birthweight,
      method of delivery, Apgar scores at one and five minutes, duration of infant
      hospital stay, peak neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) score, duration of NAS and
      incidence of pharmacologic treatment of NAS in infants exposed to marijuana
      during the third trimester as compared to infants not exposed to marijuana during
      the third trimester. RESULTS: Analyses failed to support any significant
      relationship between marijuana use in the third trimester and a variety of
      maternal and infant outcomes. Two important variables - the likelihood of
      requiring pharmacologic treatment for NAS (27.6% in marijuana exposed infants vs.
      15.7% in non-marijuana exposed infants, p=0.066) and the duration of infant
      hospital stay (7.7days in marijuana exposed infants vs. 6.6days in non-exposed
      infants, p=0.053) trended toward significance. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results
      indicate that marijuana exposure in the third trimester does not complicate the
      pregnancy or the delivery process. However, the severity of the infant withdrawal
      syndrome in the immediate postnatal period may be impacted by marijuana exposure.
      Because previous study of prenatal marijuana exposure has yielded mixed results,
      further analysis is needed to determine whether these findings are indeed
      significant.

PMID- 28917207
TI  - Exposure to ambient air pollution and the incidence of dementia: A population
      based cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Emerging studies have implicated air pollution in the
      neurodegenerative processes. Less is known about the influence of air pollution,
      especially at the relatively low levels, on developing dementia. We conducted a
      population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada, where the concentrations of
      pollutants are among the lowest in the world, to assess whether air pollution
      exposure is associated with incident dementia. METHODS: The study population
      comprised all Ontario residents who, on 1 April 2001, were 55-85years old,
      Canadian-born, and free of physician-diagnosed dementia (~2.1 million
      individuals). Follow-up extended until 2013. We used population-based health
      administrative databases with a validated algorithm to ascertain incident
      diagnosis of dementia as well as prevalent cases. Using satellite observations,
      land-use regression model, and an optimal interpolation method, we derived long
      term average exposure to fine particulate matter (<=2.5MUm in diameter) (PM2.5),
      nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3), respectively at the subjects' historical
      residences based on a population-based registry. We used multilevel spatial
      random-effects Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for individual and
      contextual factors, such as diabetes, brain injury, and neighborhood income. We
      conducted various sensitivity analyses, such as lagging exposure up to 10years
      and considering a negative control outcome for which no (or weaker) association
      with air pollution is expected. RESULTS: We identified 257,816 incident cases of
      dementia in 2001-2013. We found a positive association between PM2.5 and dementia
      incidence, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.04 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03
      1.05) for every interquartile-range increase in exposure to PM2.5. Similarly, NO2
      was associated with increased incidence of dementia (HR=1.10; 95% CI: 1.08-1.12).
      No association was found for O3. These associations were robust to all
      sensitivity analyses examined. These estimates translate to 6.1% of dementia
      cases (or 15,813 cases) attributable to PM2.5 and NO2, based on the observed
      distribution of exposure relative to the lowest quartile in concentrations in
      this cohort. DISCUSSION: In this large cohort, exposure to air pollution, even at
      the relative low levels, was associated with higher dementia incidence.

PMID- 28917208
TI  - Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and birth outcomes in a Spanish
      birth cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prenatal perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) exposure has been associated with
      reduced birth weight but maternal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) may attenuate
      this association. Further, this association remains unclear for other
      perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS),
      perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoate (PFNA). We estimated
      associations between prenatal PFAS exposure and birth outcomes, and the influence
      of GFR, in a Spanish birth cohort. METHODS: We measured PFHxS, PFOS, PFOA, and
      PFNA in 1st-trimester maternal plasma (years: 2003-2008) in 1202 mother-child
      pairs. Continuous birth outcomes included standardized weight, length, head
      circumference, and gestational age. Binary outcomes included low birth weight
      (LBW), small-for-gestational-age, and preterm birth. We calculated maternal GFR
      from plasma-creatinine measurements in the 1st-trimester of pregnancy (n=765)
      using the Cockcroft-Gault formula. We used mixed-effects linear and logistic
      models with region of residence as random effect and adjustment for maternal age,
      parity, pre-pregnancy BMI, and fish intake during pregnancy. RESULTS: Newborns in
      this study weighted on average 3263g and had a median gestational age of
      39.8weeks. The most abundant PFAS were PFOS and PFOA (median: 6.05 and 2.35ng/mL,
      respectively). Overall, PFAS concentrations were not significantly associated to
      birth outcomes. PFOA, PFHxS, and PFNA showed weak, non-statistically significant
      associations with reduced birth weights ranging from 8.6g to 10.3g per doubling
      of exposure. Higher PFOS exposure was associated with an OR of 1.90 (95% CI:
      0.98, 3.68) for LBW (similar in births-at-term) in boys. Maternal GFR did not
      confound the associations. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, PFAS showed little
      association with birth outcomes. Higher PFHxS, PFOA, and PFNA concentrations were
      non-significantly associated with reduced birth weight. The association between
      PFOS and LBW seemed to be sex-specific. Finally, maternal GFR measured early
      during pregnancy had little influence on the estimated associations.

PMID- 28917209
TI  - Ecological risk estimation of organophosphorus pesticides in riverine ecosystems.
AB  - Pesticides are of great concern because of their existence in ecosystems at trace
      concentrations. Worldwide pesticide use and its ecological impacts (i.e., altered
      environmental distribution and toxicity of pesticides) have increased over time.
      Exposure and toxicity studies are vital for reducing the extent of pesticide
      exposure and risk to the environment and humans. Regional regulatory actions may
      be less relevant in some regions because the contamination and distribution of
      pesticides vary across regions and countries. The risk quotient (RQ) method was
      applied to assess the potential risk of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs),
      primarily focusing on riverine ecosystems. Using the available ecotoxicity data,
      aquatic risks from OPPs (diazinon and chlorpyrifos) in the surface water of the
      Langat River, Selangor, Malaysia were evaluated based on general (RQm) and worst
      case (RQex) scenarios. Since the ecotoxicity of quinalphos has not been well
      established, quinalphos was excluded from the risk assessment. The calculated RQs
      indicate medium risk (RQm = 0.17 and RQex = 0.66; 0.1 <= RQ < 1) of overall
      diazinon. The overall chlorpyrifos exposure was observed at high risk (RQ >= 1)
      based on RQm and RQex at 1.44 and 4.83, respectively. A contradictory trend of
      RQs > 1 (high risk) was observed for both the general and worst cases of
      chlorpyrifos, but only for the worst cases of diazinon at all sites from
      downstream to upstream regions. Thus, chlorpyrifos posed a higher risk than
      diazinon along the Langat River, suggesting that organisms and humans could be
      exposed to potentially high levels of OPPs.

PMID- 28917210
TI  - Single and mixture toxicity of abamectin and difenoconazole to adult zebrafish
      (Danio rerio).
AB  - Concerns have been raised in recent years on the potential risks related with
      pesticide mixtures that are likely to be present in agricultural edge-of-field
      waterbodies. Despite the high use of pesticides in tropical countries like
      Brazil, studies evaluating pesticide mixtures are especially scarce in the
      tropics. The insecticide abamectin and the fungicide difenoconazole are the main
      pesticides intensively used in Brazilian strawberry crop and are hence likely to
      occur simultaneously. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the
      toxicity of abamectin, difenoconazole and their mixture to the tropical fish
      Danio rerio. Laboratory toxicity tests with the individual pesticides indicated
      48 h-LC50 values of 59 MUg L-1 for abamectin and 1.4 mg L-1 for difenoconazole.
      Mixtures of the two pesticides revealed a synergistic deviation of the
      independent action model. Implications of study findings for the aquatic risk
      assessment of pesticide mixtures, especially in tropical countries and
      indications for future research are discussed.

PMID- 28917211
TI  - Bactericidal and catalytic performance of green nanocomposite based-on
      chitosan/carbon black fiber supported monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles.
AB  - Nanoparticles were synthesized on the surface of green nanocomposite based on
      carbon black dispersed in chitosan (CB-CS) fibres. The nanoparticles were
      monometallic Co, Ag and Cu and bimetallic Co + Cu and Co + Ag. The CB-CS fibres
      were prepared and introduced into separate metal salt solutions containing Co2+,
      Ag+ and Cu2+ and mixed Co2++Cu2+ and Co2++Ag+ ions. The metal ions immobilized on
      the surface of CB-CS were reduced using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as reducing
      agent to synthesize the corresponding zero-valent metal nanoparticles-loaded CB
      CS fibres. All the nanoparticles-loaded CB-CS samples were characterized using
      field emission-scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. When tested as catalysts, the
      nanoparticles-loaded CB-CS showed excellent catalytic ability for the reduction
      of toxic and environmentally unwanted pollutants of para-nitrophenol, congo red
      and methyl orange dyes. Afterwards, the antimicrobial activities of virgin and
      metal-loaded CB-CS fibres were tested and the metal-loaded CB-CS fibres were
      found to be effective against Escherichia coli. In addition, the catalyst can be
      recovered easily by simply removing the fibres from the reaction mixture and can
      be recycled several times while maintaining high catalytic efficiency.

PMID- 28917212
TI  - Comparative analytical and toxicological assessment of methylcyclohexanemethanol
      (MCHM) mixtures associated with the Elk River chemical spill.
AB  - On January 9, 2014, a chemical mixture containing crude methylcyclohexanemethanol
      (MCHM) contaminated the water supply of Charleston, West Virginia. Although the
      mixture was later identified as a mix of crude MCHM and stripped propylene glycol
      phenyl ethers, initial risk assessment focused on 4-MCHM, the predominant
      component of crude MCHM. The mixture's exact composition and the toxicity
      differences between 4-MCHM, crude MCHM, and the tank mixture were unknown. We
      analyzed the chemical composition of crude MCHM and the tank mixture via GC/MS
      and, based on identified spectra, found that crude MCHM and the tank mixture
      differed in chemical composition. To evaluate acute developmental toxicity,
      zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0, 1, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 parts per
      million (ppm; mg/L) of 4-MCHM, crude MCHM, or the tank mixture. The percent
      mortality and percent hatch, larval morphology alterations, and larval visual
      motor response test were used to establish toxicity profiles for each of the
      chemicals or mixtures. The acute toxicity differed between 4-MCHM, crude MCHM and
      the tank mixture with significant differences in survival, hatching, morphology,
      and locomotion at levels as low as the short-term screening level of 1 ppm,
      suggesting a need for further research into human health risks. This study is the
      first to evaluate the developmental toxicity of the tank mixture and highlights
      that studies evaluating risk should not assume the effects of 4-MCHM or crude
      MCHM are representative of the Tank 396 mixture.

PMID- 28917213
TI  - Hydraulic connectivity and evaporation control the water quality and sources of
      chromophoric dissolved organic matter in Lake Bosten in arid northwest China.
AB  - Lake Bosten is the largest oligosaline lake in arid northwestern China, and water
      from its tributaries and evaporation control the water balance of the lake. In
      this study, water quality and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM)
      absorption and fluorescence were investigated in different seasons to elucidate
      how hydraulic connectivity and evaporation may affect the water quality and
      variability of CDOM in the lake. Mean suspended solids and turbidity were
      significantly higher in the upstream tributaries than in the lake, the difference
      being notably more pronounced in the wet than in the dry season. A markedly
      higher mean first principal component (PC1) score, which was significantly
      positively related to protein-like components, and a considerably lower
      fluorescence peak integration ratio - IC:IT, indicative of the terrestrial humic
      like CDOM contribution percentage, were observed in the lake than in the upstream
      tributaries. Correspondingly, notably higher contribution percentages of
      terrestrial humic-like components were observed in the river mouth areas than in
      the remaining lake regions. Furthermore, significantly higher mean turbidity, and
      notably lower mean conductivity and salinity, were recorded in the southwestern
      Kaidu river mouth than in the remaining lake regions in the wet season. Notably
      higher mean salinity is recorded in Lake Bosten than in upstream tributaries.
      Autochthonous protein-like associated amino-acids and also PC1 scores increased
      significantly with increasing salinity. We conclude that the dynamics of water
      quality and CDOM composition in remote arid Lake Bosten are strongly driven by
      evaporation and also the hydraulic connectivity between the upstream tributaries
      and the downstream lake.

PMID- 28917214
TI  - Novel (5-nitrofurfuryl)-substituted esters of phosphonoglycine - Their synthesis
      and phyto- and ecotoxicological properties.
AB  - Since aminophosphonate-based herbicides like glyphosate are currently one of the
      most popular and widely applied active agent in agrochemistry, there is an urgent
      need for searching new compounds among this family with potential herbicidal
      activity, but exhibiting low toxicity against surrounding environment. Six new (5
      nitrofurfuryl)-derived aminophosphonates were synthesized for the first time and
      apart from the only one example of N-benzylamino(5-nitrofuryl)-methylphosphonic
      acid, it was the first time in the history, when this class of compounds was
      prepared. Their prospective and real biological properties have been followed up
      by evaluation of their preliminary ecotoxicology. They have been then
      investigated in aspect of their phytotoxicity against oat (A. sativa) and common
      radish (R. sativus) exhibiting moderate-to-severe toxicity for these plants. The
      significant selectivity towards radish (up to 3 times greater toxicity against
      radish) was observed in some cases. Title compounds were also tested in terms of
      their toxicity for freshwater crustaceans H. incongruens (ostracods) and marine
      luminescent bacteria A. fischeri. Although their harmful action on ostracods was
      not too much elevated, they were found to be highly toxic for bacteria. Various
      aspects of their ecotoxicity are discussed in this paper.

PMID- 28917215
TI  - A pilot controlled trial of a cognitive dissonance-based body dissatisfaction
      intervention with young British men.
AB  - This pilot study evaluated a body image intervention for men, Body Project M.
      Seventy-four British undergraduate men took part in two 90-min intervention
      sessions, and completed standardised assessments of body image, bulimic
      pathology, and related outcomes at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month
      follow-up. Fifty-three other men completed the questionnaires as an assessment
      only control group. Per-protocol analysis showed that Body Project M improved
      men's dissatisfaction with body fat and muscularity, body appreciation,
      muscularity enhancing behaviours, appearance comparisons, and internalization
      (ds=0.46-0.80) at post-intervention. All except dissatisfaction with muscularity
      and internalization were sustained at 3-month follow-up. No effects were found
      for bulimic pathology. Post-intervention effects for dissatisfaction with
      muscularity and internalization only were retained under intention-to-treat
      analysis. Participants were favourable towards the intervention. This study
      provides preliminary evidence for the acceptability and post-intervention
      efficacy of Body Project M. Further development of the intervention is required
      to improve and sustain effects.

PMID- 28917216
TI  - Mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus and
      bile duct tumor thrombus: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We report the first case of mass-forming intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) and bile duct
      tumor thrombus (BDTT), where the extrahepatic bile duct was preserved with
      thrombectomy. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 70-year-old male. Magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) showed the tumor extending from the hepatic hilum to the left
      hepatic duct with complete obstruction of the left hepatic duct and a defect at
      the left portal vein. We planned to perform extended left lobectomy, lymph node
      dissection, extra hepatic bile duct resection and reconstruction based on the
      diagnosis of mass-forming ICC with left portal vein and left hepatic duct
      infiltration (cT3N0M0 Stage III). Intraoperative cholangiography revealed a crab
      claw-like filling defect at the left hepatic duct, which suggested tumor
      thrombus. Accordingly, we performed thrombectomy. The margin of the left hepatic
      duct was tumor negative, so we performed extended left lobectomy, lymph node
      dissection and thrombectomy. Pathologically, the tumor was diagnosed as ICC
      (pT4N0M0 Stage IVA, vp3, b3). Tumors in the left hepatic duct and left portal
      vein proved to be tumor thrombus. The postoperative course was uneventful. He is
      doing well without recurrence. DISCUSSION: Thrombectomy is performed for
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumor thrombus. Furthermore, extrahepatic
      bile duct resection and reconstruction are recommended for ICC. In this case,
      intraoperative cholangiography was effective for precisely diagnosing.
      Thrombectomy could reduce surgical stress and prevent complications. CONCLUSIONS:
      Thrombectomy can be a valid option for ICC with tumor thrombus, as well as for
      HCC.

PMID- 28917217
TI  - Post-operative C-reactive protein profile following abdominal wall reconstruction
      with transversus abdominis posterior components separation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Abdominal wall reconstruction using posterior component separation
      with transversus abdominis release (AWTAR) produces a unique post-operative CRP
      profile, when compared to routine elective colorectal operations. Therefore, we
      aim to establish the normal post-operative C-reactive protein (poCRP) profile
      following AWRTAR and reduce the unnecessary invasive interventions in patients
      already at greater risk of septic complications. METHODS: A retrospective
      analysis of daily poCRP levels was performed both for patients who underwent
      uncomplicated AWRTAR (n=12), and a comparator group of uncomplicated open right
      hemicolectomies (RH) matched for age and sex (n=24). All operations in both
      groups were performed by a single surgeon from 2013 to 2015. RESULTS: The median
      (IQR) age was 62 (16) and 67 (16) years respectively, with a higher proportion of
      males to females in both groups (10:2 vs. 17:7). The poCRP profile follows an
      initial steep rise, peaking at day 2 followed by a gradual washout phase. The
      poCRP peak is significantly greater in the AWRTAR group compared to the RH group
      (274 [95%CI +/-25] vs. 160 [95%CI+/-27]; p=0.0001), with a positive correlation
      between day 2 CRP levels and operative length (r=0.56). CONCLUSIONS: We have
      demonstrated that uncomplicated AWRTAR provokes a significantly greater poCRP
      rise (>200) compared to that well described in the literature for uncomplicated
      open colectomy. As poCRP is an important marker of post-operative recovery with
      abnormally high levels associated with septic complications, these data should
      help clinicians interpret the post-operative clinical course after AWRTAR.

PMID- 28917218
TI  - Erythema elevatum diutinum in Crohn's disease-associated Spondyloarthritis - a
      rare vasculitis, an unusual association.
AB  - Erythema elevatum diutinum is a rare neutrophilic dermatoses with vasculitis,
      which presents as persistent, symmetrical, purple or brownish papules and
      nodules, mainly in the extensor surface of the limbs. We describe a case of
      erythema elevatum diutinum and polyarthritis as initial manifestations of Crohn's
      disease associated spondyloarthritis. A 51-year-old man, from Sao Tome e
      Principe, with previous history of treated tuberculosis and chronic hepatitis B
      infection, was admitted due to 4 months history of polyarthritis, hyperpigmented
      papules on the extensor surfaces, occasional episodes of bloody mucous diarrhea
      and significant weight loss. Histology of the skin showed neutrophilic
      granulocytes with marked fibrosis and moderate karyorrhexis, consistent with
      erythema elevatum diutinum. Colonoscopy showed erosions in sigmoid and rectum.
      Diagnosis of erythema elevatum diutinum secondary to Crohn's disease with
      associated peripheral spondyloarthritis was assumed. The patient was treated with
      prednisolone, sulphasalazine, metronidazole, azathioprine and tenofovir with good
      clinical response. As erythema elevatum diutinum can be secondary to multiple
      systemic diseases, including rheumatic diseases and inflammatory bowel disease,
      being aware and recognizing this entity can be of great importance for
      rheumatologists.

PMID- 28917219
TI  - Reuma.pt contribution to the knowledge of immune-mediated systemic rheumatic
      diseases.
AB  - : Patient registries are key instruments aimed at a better understanding of the
      natural history of diseases, at assessing the effectiveness of therapeutic
      interventions, as well as identifying rare events or outcomes that are not
      captured in clinical trials. However, the potential of registries goes far beyond
      these aspects. For example, registries promote the standardization of clinical
      practice, can also provide information on domains that are not routinely
      collected in clinical practice and can support decision-making. Being aware of
      the importance of registries, the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology developed
      the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register- Reuma.pt - which proved to be an
      innovative instrument essential to a better understanding of systemic immune
      mediated rheumatic diseases. OBJECTIVE: To describe the contribution of Reuma.pt
      to the knowledge of systemic immune-mediated rheumatic diseases. RESULTS:
      Reuma.pt is widely implemented, with 77 centres actively contributing to the
      recruitment and follow-up of patients. Reuma.pt follows in a standardized way
      patients with the following systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases: rheumatoid
      arthritis (n=6218), psoriatic arthritis (n=1498), spondyloarthritis (n=2529),
      juvenile idiopathic arthritis (n =1561), autoinflammatory syndromes (n=122),
      systemic lupus erythematosus (n =1718), systemic sclerosis (n=180) and vasculitis
      (n=221). This platform is intended for use as an electronic medical record,
      provides standardized assessment of patients and support to the clinical
      decision, thereby contributing to a better quality of care of rheumatic patients.
      The research based on Reuma.pt identified genetic determinants of susceptibility
      and response to therapy, characterized in detail systemic rheumatic diseases and
      their long-term impact, critically appraised the performance of instruments for
      monitoring the disease activity, established the effectiveness and safety of
      biologic therapies and identified predictors of response, and proactively engaged
      patients in the management of their disease. CONCLUSION: Reuma.pt is an
      innovative tool, widely established in the country that contributes to a clinical
      practice of excellence and simultaneously to increase the knowledge of systemic
      immune-mediated rheumatic diseases. Additionally, Reuma.pt fosters patients'
      participation in the management of the disease.

PMID- 28917220
TI  - Ultrasound assessment of skin thickness performed on fingers: a tool for
      estimating overall severity of skin disease in Systemic Sclerosis patients?

PMID- 28917221
TI  - Determining the predictive equation for height from ulnar length in the
      Vietnamese population.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Height is an essential measurement in clinical
      medicine. It allows the calculation of body mass index, ideal body weight, basic
      energy requirements and tidal volumes. In many patient groups, such as the
      critically ill, height cannot be measured easily and surrogate anthropometric
      measures are used. Regression equations estimating height are specific to
      ethnicity. We aimed to develop the regression equation for Vietnamese men and
      women to predict height from ulna length and so improve prescription of life
      saving treatment in the intensive care units. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A cross
      sectional survey of patients and relatives at the National Hospital for Tropical
      Diseases was undertaken. Ulna length, standing height and weight were measured.
      The first two thirds of participants' data, stratified by sex and age, were
      allocated to a model training group, the subsequent participants entered the
      validation group. Linear regression equations were calculated for the model group
      by sex, then applied to the validation group and assessed for precision. Other
      international equations were also compared. RESULTS: 498 males and 496 females
      were recruited. There was good correlation between ulna length and height in
      those aged 21-64, r=0.66, p<0.001 in males and females. The regression equations
      were: male: height = 85.61 + (3.16 x ulna length), female: height = 85.80 + (2.97
      x ulna length). Equations from other populations were less accurate. CONCLUSIONS:
      The regression equations calculated for men and women aged 21-64 showed good
      correlation and can be used to predict height in those where direct measurement
      is impossible.

PMID- 28917222
TI  - Validation of summer and winter ELISA measurements of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
      concentrations in Mongolia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Assay cost, quality, and availability pose challenges
      for vitamin D surveys in limited resource settings. This study aimed to validate
      an inexpensive vitamin D assay (ELISA) under real-world conditions in Mongolia,
      the northernmost developing country, to characterize the assay's usefulness and
      inform the design of epidemiologic studies in similar regions. METHODS AND STUDY
      DESIGN: We collected paired summer and winter serum samples from 120 men and
      women (aged 20-57 years) in urban and rural Mongolia, analyzed each sample for
      25(OH)D concentration using both Immunodiagnostic Systems ELISA and DiaSorin
      LIAISON 25(OH)D TOTAL, and compared the assays using multiple statistics. LIAISON
      was itself validated by participation in the DEQAS program. RESULTS: Correlation
      and agreement between assays were higher in summer (Pearson's correlation=0.60,
      Spearman's rank correlation=0.67, Lin's concordance correlation=0.56) than winter
      (rP=0.37, rS=0.43, rC=0.33), although ELISA less accurately assigned subjects to
      sufficiency categories in summer (percent agreement=44%) than winter (58%),
      during the latter of which most subjects were deficient ([25(OH)D] categories
      used: >75 nmol/L (optimal), 50-75 nmol/L (adequate), 25-50 nmol/L (inadequate),
      <25 nmol/L (deficient)). Compared with LIAISON, ELISA tended to indicate higher
      vitamin D status in both seasons (mean paired difference: 7.0 nmol/L (95% CI: 3.5
      10.5) in summer, 5.2 nmol/L (95% CI: 2.9-7.5) in winter). CONCLUSIONS: ELISA
      proved useful for measuring and ranking subjects' vitamin D status in Mongolia
      during summer, but levels were too low in winter to sensitively discriminate
      between subjects, and ELISA overestimated status in both seasons. These findings
      have implications for the timing and interpretation, respectively, of vitamin D
      surveys in highly deficient populations.

PMID- 28917223
TI  - Validity of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) in Australian
      hospitalized acutely unwell elderly patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study validated the Malnutrition Universal
      Screening Tool (MUST) for nutritional screening in acutely unwell elderly
      patients against a reference assessment tool - Patient-Generated Subjective
      Global Assessment (PG-SGA). METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: One hundred and thirty two
      acutely admitted general medical patients contributed data for this study. In
      addition to performance of MUST and PG-SGA the following nutritional parameters
      were measured: weight loss >5% in previous 3-6 months, handgrip strength, triceps
      skinfold thickness, Mid-arm circumference, Mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC).
      Quality of life (QoL) was determined using the EuroQoL Questionnaire (EQ-5D 5
      level). Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and concordance were
      calculated to validate MUST against PG-SGA. RESULTS: MUST when compared to PG-SGA
      gave a sensitivity of 69.7%, specificity of 75.8%, positive predictive value of
      75.4%, negative predictive value of 70.1% and kappa statistics showed 72.7%
      agreement (k=0.49) for detecting malnutrition. The MUST score had significant
      inverse correlation with body mass index, Triceps skinfold thickness and Mid-arm
      muscle circumference but not with Handgrip strength. Malnourished patients (PG
      SGA class B/C) were found to have a significantly worse QoL. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study demonstrates that MUST can be confidently administered with respect to
      validity in acutely unwell general medical elderly patients to detect
      malnutrition. In this study, significant recent weight loss also seems to have
      validity, almost comparable to MUST, for predicting the risk of malnutrition.
      Further research is needed to verify this finding, as a single item may be more
      feasible to complete than an instrument consisting of two or more items.

PMID- 28917224
TI  - Simple method to estimate daily sodium intake during measurement of dialysis
      adequacy in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Restriction of dietary sodium intake for peritoneal
      dialysis (PD) patients is recommended, but there is limited information on the
      measurement and monitoring of sodium intake. We have developed a simple method to
      estimate daily sodium intake during the measurement of dialysis adequacy in PD
      patients. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A total of 83 PD patients were enrolled in
      the study. The patients were divided into two groups based on residual renal
      function (RRF). We measured total sodium removal and estimated daily sodium
      intake using dietary recall for one day, during the assessment of dialysis
      adequacy. RESULTS: There were 39 patients in the RRF(-) group and 44 in the
      RRF(+) group. In both groups, and all patients, there were significant positive
      correlations between sodium intake and total sodium removal: RRF(-) group,
      r=0.598; RRF(+) group, r=0.577; total patients, r=0.595. There were linear
      relationships between dietary sodium intake and total sodium removal in both
      groups: RRF(-) group, sodium intake (mg/d) = 19.3 * peritoneal sodium removal
      (mEq/d) + 211;RRF(+) group, sodium intake (mg/d) = 15.4 * total sodium removal
      (mEq/d) + 609. All PD patients, sodium intake (mg/d) = 15.6 * total sodium
      removal (mEq/d) + 646. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of total sodium removal
      during the assessment of dialysis adequacy could be an effective and simple
      method to estimate dietary sodium intake in PD patients. A dietary intake of
      2,000 mg of sodium corresponds to a total sodium removal of approximately 87
      mEq/d.

PMID- 28917225
TI  - Appropriate nutritional management in patients with impaired mastication and
      those with mild dysphagia: a multicenter study of the usefulness of novel foods
      processed and softened by enzymes.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to investigate the safety of iEAT (a food
      that is softened by heat and enzyme homogeneous permeation) and iEAT-affected
      nutrition parameters, e.g., nutrition intake (calculated from the consumption
      rate in patients with impaired mastication and those with mild dysphagia).
      METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter, randomized, cross-over study of iEAT was
      conducted in 50 patients (mean age 77.0+/-11.0 years) with dysphagia due to
      Occasional aspiration (4 points on the Dysphagia Severity Scale [DSS]) or Oral
      problems (5 points) randomly assigned to the study diet (iEAT) or its opposite
      (the modified traditional [control] diet) for 1 week and then switched for 1 week
      to the opposing diet. Intake of energy, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and sodium
      were evaluated along with questionnaire-assessed levels of satisfaction. RESULTS:
      The mean intake was significantly lower for the study diet, whereas the intakes
      of energy, protein, carbohydrate on day 1, intake of protein on day 7, and body
      weight on day 7 were significantly higher for the study diet. We found no between
      group differences in hematologic and blood biochemistry parameters, no diet
      related adverse events, greater satisfaction with the appearance of the study
      diet (p<0.001), and comparable levels of satisfaction with ease of eating, ease
      of swallowing, and taste for both diets. CONCLUSIONS: iEAT was provided to
      patients with mild dysphagia as safely as a blender diet or other diets usually
      provided at each study site, and can serve as an efficient nutrition source.

PMID- 28917226
TI  - Energy intake in the first week in an emergency intensive care unit may not
      influence clinical outcomes in critically ill, overweight Japanese patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral
      Nutrition recommends hypocaloric feeding for critically ill patients with a BMI
      of >=30.0 kg/m2. However, the cut-off value of obesity in Japan is BMI >25.0
      kg/m2, due to the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and
      cardiovascular risk factors, even at a lower BMI than in Western populations.
      Thus, the optimal energy intake for critically ill, overweight Asian patients is
      unknown. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review was conducted in
      patients with BMI of >=25.0 kg/m2 in an emergency intensive care unit (EICU).
      Patients were categorized into two groups by average daily energy intake during
      the first week in the EICU, with Group A at <50% of requirement and Group B at
      >=50%. RESULTS: A total of 72 patients with a median BMI of 27.5 kg/m2 were
      included in the study. No significant differences between the groups were
      observed for all-cause mortality, ICU-free days, or length of hospital stay. The
      number of ventilator-free days (VFDs) was significantly higher in Group A than
      Group B (20.0 [15.5-24.5] vs 17.0 [2.0-21.0] days; p=0.042). On multiple adjusted
      analysis, however, we found that %energy intake/requirement was not independently
      associated with VFDs (regression coefficient=0.019; 95% confidence interval, 
      0.115-0.076). CONCLUSIONS: Energy intake in the first week in the EICU did not
      influence clinical outcomes in critically ill, overweight Japanese patients.
      Confirmation of these results in larger, randomized trials is required.

PMID- 28917227
TI  - Pharmacoeconomics of parenteral nutrition in surgical and critically ill patients
      receiving structured triglycerides in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A prior meta-analysis showed favorable metabolic
      effects of structured triglyceride (STG) lipid emulsions in surgical and
      critically ill patients compared with mixed medium-chain/long-chain triglycerides
      (MCT/LCT) emulsions. Limited data on clinical outcomes precluded pharmacoeconomic
      analysis. We performed an updated meta-analysis and developed a cost model to
      compare overall costs for STGs vs MCT/LCTs in Chinese hospitals. METHODS AND
      STUDY DESIGN: We searched Medline, Embase, Wanfang Data, the China Hospital
      Knowledge Database, and Google Scholar for clinical trials comparing STGs to
      mixed MCT/LCTs in surgical or critically ill adults published between October 10,
      2013 and September 19, 2015. Newly identified studies were pooled with the prior
      studies and an updated meta-analysis was performed. A deterministic simulation
      model was used to compare the effects of STGs and mixed MCT/LCT's on Chinese
      hospital costs. RESULTS: The literature search identified six new trials,
      resulting in a total of 27 studies in the updated meta-analysis. Statistically
      significant differences favoring STGs were observed for cumulative nitrogen
      balance, pre- albumin and albumin concentrations, plasma triglycerides, and liver
      enzymes. STGs were also associated with a significant reduction in the length of
      hospital stay (mean difference, -1.45 days; 95% confidence interval, -2.48 to 
      0.43; p=0.005) versus mixed MCT/LCTs. Cost analysis demonstrated a net cost
      benefit of Y675 compared with mixed MCT/LCTs. CONCLUSIONS: STGs are associated
      with improvements in metabolic function and reduced length of hospitalization in
      surgical and critically ill patients compared with mixed MCT/LCT emulsions. Cost
      analysis using data from Chinese hospitals showed a corresponding cost benefit.

PMID- 28917228
TI  - Parenteral nutrition combined with enteral feeding improves the outcome of cancer
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether total parenteral
      nutrition combined with enteral nutrition is associated with improved biochemical
      and clinical outcomes in cancer patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction.
      METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: From January to December 2014, the clinical data of 68
      patients in a cancer ward were retrospectively collected, and these patients were
      classified into two groups according to nutrition delivery, through parenteral
      nutrition, combined with enteral nutrition more (group A) or less (group B) than
      250 kcal/day. The following variables were analyzed: the route and percentage of
      nutritional support, total caloric intake, age, gender, body weight, body mass
      index, diagnosis at admission, complications of intestinal failure, modified
      Glasgow Prognostic Score, co-morbidities, duration of total parenteral nutrition
      support, performance status scale, and plasma nutritional markers. RESULTS: A
      significant difference was observed between the two groups in functional
      capacity, including the Karnofsky index, World Health Organization/Eastern
      Cooperative Oncology Group score, body-weight loss, and serum albumin levels.
      However, no significant difference was observed in the modified Glasgow
      Prognostic Score. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients receiving total parenteral
      nutrition who were fed enterally more than 250 kcal/d exhibited more favorable
      clinical outcomes than those who were fed enterally less than 250 kcal/d. Enteral
      nutrition should be considered for these severely ill patients.

PMID- 28917229
TI  - Peanut butter increases the bioavailability and bioconversion of kale beta
      carotene to vitamin A.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Kale is a rich source of provitamin A- beta-carotene.
      This study used intrinsically labeled kale [2H9] beta-carotene to determine the
      effect of peanut butter on the bioconversion of kale beta-carotene to vitamin A
      in preschool children. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Preschool children (n=37; age 12
      36 mo) were randomly assigned to 50 g cooked kale (1.5 mg beta-carotene content)
      with either 33 g peanut butter (PBG) or with 16 g lard (LG) and a reference dose
      of 1 mg [13C10] retinyl acetate capsule. Blood samples were processed to serum
      and analyzed by Negative Chemical Ionization-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry
      (NCI-GCMS) for the enrichments of [2H] retinol from kale [2H9] beta-carotene and
      [13C10] retinol from reference dose. RESULTS: The area under curves (AUCs) of
      molar enrichment at days 1, 2, 3, 6, 15, and 21 after the labeled doses was
      56.3+/-10.5 and 84.8+/-16.2 (nmole) for [2H] retinol from LG and PBG kale [2H9]
      beta-carotene, respectively. The AUC of [13C10] retinol from reference dose was
      432.6+/-54.9 (LG) and 560.3+/-156.7 (nmole) (PBG), respectively. The calculated
      beta-carotene conversion factors were 13.4+/-3.1 and 11.0+/-3.9 to 1 (p>0.05) by
      weight for LG and PBG, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that peanut
      butter enhances the vitamin A value of kale.

PMID- 28917230
TI  - Energy restriction combined with green coffee bean extract affects serum
      adipocytokines and the body composition in obese women.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Obesity has become a public health problem and is a
      cause of some preventable illnesses. Among several methods for treating obesity,
      the use of food supplements is highly common. A commonly used food supplement is
      green coffee bean extract. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
      efficacy of green coffee bean extract combined with an energy-restricted diet on
      the body composition and serum adipocytokines in obese women. METHODS AND STUDY
      DESIGN: In this randomised clinical trial, 64 obese women aged 20-45 years were
      selected and divided into two groups: an intervention group (receiving 400 mg
      green coffee bean extract for 8 weeks) and control group (receiving placebo). All
      participants were on an energy-restricted diet. The body composition, leptin,
      adiponectin, lipid profile, free fatty acids (FFAs), and fasting blood sugar were
      compared between the two groups. RESULTS: We observed significant reductions in
      the body weight, body mass and fat mass indices, and waist-to-hip circumference
      ratio in both groups; however, the decrease was higher in the intervention group.
      Moreover, serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, leptin, and plasma
      free fatty acids significantly decreased in the intervention group (p<0.05) after
      adjustment for energy and fibre intake. The serum adiponectin concentration
      significantly increased in the intervention group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Green
      coffee bean extract combined with an energy-restricted diet affects fat
      accumulation and lipid metabolism and is thus an inexpensive method for weight
      control in obese people.

PMID- 28917231
TI  - Portion controlled ready-to-eat meal replacement is associated with short term
      weight loss: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Strategies to prevent and treat overweight/obesity are
      urgently needed. This study assessed the effect of a short-term intake of ready
      to-eat cereal on body weight and waist circumference of overweight/obese
      individuals in comparison to a control group. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A
      randomized, controlled 2-arm trial was carried out on 101 overweight/obese (Body
      Mass Index - 29.2+/-2.4 kg/m2) females aged 18 to 44 years, at St. John's Medical
      College Hospital. The intervention group received a low fat, ready to eat cereal,
      replacing two meals/day for two weeks. The control group was provided with
      standard dietary guidelines for weight loss and energy requirements for both
      groups were calculated similarly. Anthropometric, dietary, appetite and health
      status assessments were carried out at baseline and at the end of two weeks.
      RESULTS: At the end of two weeks, the mean reductions in body weight and waist
      circumference were significantly greater in the intervention group, -0.53 kg; 95%
      CI (-0.86 to -0.19) for body weight and -1.39 cm; 95% CI (-1.78, -0.99) for waist
      circumference. The intervention group had a significantly higher increase in
      dietary intakes of certain vitamins, fiber and sugar, and significantly higher
      reductions in total and polyunsaturated fats and sodium intakes, as compared to
      the control group (p<=0.05). No significant differences were observed between the
      groups, in change of appetite, health and perception scales. CONCLUSIONS: Portion
      controlled, ready to eat cereal could be effective for short-term weight loss,
      with some improvements in the nutrient intake profile. However, studies of longer
      duration are needed.

PMID- 28917232
TI  - Compressed food with added functional oligopeptides improves performance during
      military endurance training.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oligosaccharide or oligopeptide supplementation may
      have a significant impact on endurance performance. This study evaluated the
      effects of adding maltooligosaccharides (MO) or soy oligopeptides (SO) to
      compressed food (CF) on the physical response of soldiers to daily military
      training. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Twelve soldiers were randomized to four diet
      groups: regular meals, CF, CFMO, and CFSO (crossover design). They participated
      in exercise tests including 90 minutes running at 55-65% VO2max and exhaustive
      running. Heart rates, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and blood and urine
      samples were collected during exercise and recovery. RESULTS: The recovery heart
      rates were significantly lower with the CFMO diet compared with the other diets.
      Compared with all other diets, blood glucose levels were higher, post-exercise
      blood lactate levels were lower, and lactate clearance during recovery was higher
      with the CFMO diet, followed by the CFSO diet. Post-exercise levels of
      erythrocytes and hematocrit were significantly higher with the CFSO diet. Post
      exercise urine specific gravity was lower with the CFMO diet and urine pH was
      decreased with the CFSO diet. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and uric acid (UA) were
      significantly higher with the CFSO diet than with the other diets. There was no
      significant difference in skeletal and cardiac muscle injury indices and RPE
      among diets. CONCLUSIONS: CFMO led to better heart rate recovery, improved and
      maintained blood glucose and increased removal of blood lactate. CFSO accelerated
      removal of blood lactate during recovery, maintained oxygen supply, and increased
      fluid retention.

PMID- 28917234
TI  - Association between complement component C3 and body composition: a possible
      obesity inflammatory biomarker for insulin resistance.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The C3 complement component (C3) is increasingly
      recognized as a cardiometabolic risk factor. We aimed to examine the role of C3
      in insulin resistance (IR) and its association with adiposity. METHODS AND STUDY
      DESIGN: Sixty-seven obese (18-35 years) participants were matched with normal
      weight participants from the University of Jordan. BMI, waist-hip ratio (WHpR),
      and waist-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. Body percent fat mass (%FM) was
      determined using the bioelectrical impedance analysis. C3, insulin, and glucose
      serum concentrations were measured. IR was assessed by the homeostasis model
      assessment of IR (HOMA-IR). RESULTS: Serum concentrations of C3 and IR were
      significantly higher in the obese group than that in the normal body weight,
      regardless of gender (women: 1.2+/-0.08 and men: 1.2+/-0.08 vs women: 0.88+/-0.07
      and men: 0.94+/-0.05, p<0.01; women: 3.6+/-0.34 and men: 3.9+/-0.43 vs women:
      1.7+/-0.12 and men: 2.0+/-0.24, respectively; p<0.001). After adjustment for the
      potential confounders, BMI, waist circumference, WHtR and %FM were correlated
      positively with C3 (r=0.44; 0.42; 0.47; 0.43, respectively; p<0.001), and with IR
      (r=0.67; 0.61; 0.59; 0.59, respectively; p<0.001). C3 was correlated with IR
      (r=0.35, p<0.001). In linear regression analysis, C3 was not associated with IR
      independent of BMI (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: C3 may be a marker of chronic
      inflammatory process independently underlying IR obese individuals regardless of
      gender, which may have a role in the progression of IR during obesity.

PMID- 28917233
TI  - High prevalence of vitamin B-12 insufficiency in patients with Crohn's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In Crohn's disease (CD), belonging to inflammatory
      bowel disease, the small intestine is involved in most cases. Most frequently
      affected is the distal ileum, where vitamin B-12 is specifically absorbed.
      Therefore, malabsorption of vitamin B-12 is quite likely to occur in patients
      with CD. In this study, we have studied the vitamin B-12 status in CD patients.
      METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Forty eight patients with CD were evaluated for their
      food intake, and circulating concentrations of vitamin B-12, folic acid, and
      homocysteine (Hcy) as a sensitive marker for the insufficiency of these vitamins
      and a risk factor of atherosclerosis. RESULTS: Plasma Hcy concentration was
      significantly correlated with serum vitamin B-12 concentration alone, and 60.4 %
      of the subjects had hyperhomocysteinemia. Receiver Operating Characteristics
      (ROC) analysis showed that serum concentration of vitamin B-12, but not folic
      acid, predicted hyperhomocysteinemia. Their intake of vitamin B-12 was much
      higher than the Japanese RDA, but not correlated with blood concentrations of
      vitamin B-12 or Hcy, probably due to malabsorption. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin B-12
      insufficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia were highly prevalent in CD patients.
      Recently, the significance of extra-intestinal complications of CD has been
      increasingly recognized, and our finding is likely to be of clinical importance.

PMID- 28917235
TI  - Reconfirmation of improved tolerance to a new amino acid-based formula by infants
      with cow's milk protein allergy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Reasons for intolerance to commercial amino acid-based
      formulas (cAAF) in infants diagnosed with cow's milk protein allergy (CMA) remain
      unknown. We assume that minute amounts of proteins, presenting in the glucose
      polymers derived from corn starch (cGPs), can elicit the intolerance to the cAAFs
      observed in some infants with CMA. By replacing cGPs with glucose polymers
      derived from rice starch (rGPs), a new amino acid-based (nAAF) formula has been
      shown to be better tolerated than an existing cAAF. This study was carried out to
      corroborate the superiority of nAAF over a different commercially available cAAF.
      METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Infants with CMA aged less than 4 months underwent a
      double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge. They consumed each of the 2 test
      formulas for 14 days before switching to the other one. Following the 28-day
      challenge period, infants consumed the tolerated formula for 4 weeks as an at
      home open challenge. RESULTS: Out of 36 infants who completed the study, 18 were
      intolerant to the cAAF, seven of whom (38.8%) were also intolerant to the nAAF.
      Eleven of the 18 infants who were intolerant to the cAAF tolerated the nAAF
      (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study reconfirms that substitution of rGPS for cGPs
      in the amino acid-based formula improves tolerance of young infants with CMA.

PMID- 28917237
TI  - Screening for nutritional risk in hospitalized children with liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Malnutrition is a major contributor to morbidity and
      mortality from pediatric liver disease. We investigated the prevalence of both
      malnutrition and high nutritional risk in hospitalized children with liver
      disease as well as the rate of in-hospital nutritional support. METHODS AND STUDY
      DESIGN: A total of 2,874 hospitalized children and adolescents with liver disease
      aged 1 to 17 years (inclusive) were enrolled. Malnutrition was screened by
      anthropometric measures (height-for-age, weight-for-height, weight-for-age, and
      BMI- for-age z-scores). The Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and
      Growth (STRONGkids) was used to evaluate nutritional risk status. Nutrition
      markers in blood, rate of nutritional support, length of hospital stay, and
      hospital fees were compared among nutritional risk groups. RESULTS: The overall
      prevalence of malnutrition was 38.6%. About 20.0% of children had high
      nutritional risk, and prevalence of malnutrition was markedly greater in the high
      nutritional risk group compared with the moderate risk group (67.9% vs 31.3%).
      Serum albumin and prealbumin differed significantly between high and moderate
      risk groups (p<0.001). Only 8.9% of children with high nutritional risk and 3.5%
      with moderate nutritional risk received nutrition support during hospitalization.
      Children with high nutritional risk had longer hospital stays and greater
      hospital costs (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of malnutrition is high in
      children with liver disease. High nutritional risk is also prevalent at
      admission. Albumin and prealbumin are sensitive markers for distinguishing
      nutritional risk groups. High nutritional risk prolongs length of stay and
      increases hospital costs. The nutritional support rate is still low and requires
      standardization.

PMID- 28917236
TI  - Dietary intake of heme iron and body iron status are associated with the risk of
      gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Some potential role of iron overload in the
      development of diabetes mellitus have been suggested. Our study aimed to
      systematically assess the association between the risk of gestational diabetes
      mellitus (GDM) and iron intakes/body iron status. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN:
      PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles. Relative risks
      (RR) of GDM in relation to dietary iron intakes and body iron stores were pooled
      with the random-effects model. Weighted mean differences of iron blood markers
      between GDM and non-GDM individuals were also analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-five
      studies were included in the qualitative analysis, and 23 studies with 29,378
      participants and 3,034 GDM patients were included in the quantitative analysis.
      Dietary intake of heme iron was significantly associated with GDM risk (RR=1.65,
      95% CI: 1.28 to 2.12), and the pooled RR for each 1mg/day increment of heme iron
      intake was 1.38 (95% CI: 1.19 to 1.61). No association between GDM and the
      intakes of nonheme iron, total iron, or supplemental iron was detected. Body iron
      stores, as represented by serum ferritin level, were correlated with GDM risk
      (RR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.11). Moreover, the concentrations of both serum
      ferritin and serum iron were increased in GDM patients, compared with non-GDM
      individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Increased dietary intake of heme iron and body iron
      status are positively associated with the risk of GDM development in pregnant
      women. Future studies are warranted to better understand the role of iron in GDM
      development.

PMID- 28917238
TI  - Qualitative study of eating habits in Bruneian primary school children.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Childhood obesity is a serious public health issue
      globally and poor eating habits are an important contributing factor. This study
      aimed to explore the perceptions, practices and attitudes towards healthy eating
      in Bruneian primary school children. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A qualitative
      study was conducted among 40 subjects involving 18 children (aged 9-10 years
      old), 12 parents and 10 teachers, who were recruited from two primary schools
      using convenience sampling. Five focus group discussion sessions were conducted,
      and recorded discussions were translated. The transcripts were entered into
      NVivo10 and thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: All participants had
      differing perceptions of the term 'healthy eating'. Children reported 'healthy
      eating' by identifying foods or food groups they perceived as healthy and
      unhealthy. Only a few mentioned fruits and vegetables as essential to a healthy
      diet. Parents mainly perceived 'healthy eating' as consuming 'any quality food'
      that contains 'vitamins and minerals'. Teachers described a healthy diet as
      including balanced and varied dietary practices, having breakfast and eating
      regularly at the right, set times. They also associated eating healthily with
      traditional, home-grown and home-cooked food. All participants had positive
      attitudes towards healthy eating, however most children demonstrated unhealthy
      eating habits and frequently consumed unhealthy foods. CONCLUSIONS: The Bruneian
      primary school children reported favourable knowledge despite having poor healthy
      eating habits. The factors influencing participants eating behavior included food
      preferences, familial factors (parental style and parenting knowledge), food
      accessibility and availability, time constraints, as well as convenience. These
      factors hindered them from adopting healthy eating practices.

PMID- 28917239
TI  - Screening for inadequate dietary vitamin B-12 intake in South Asian women using a
      nutrient-specific, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A high prevalence of vitamin B-12 (B-12) deficiency
      among young women of South Asian origin predisposes to significant health risks
      for these women and their future offspring. Vegetarian or low-meat based dietary
      practices contribute to B-12 deficiency. This study validated a nutrient
      specific, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (B12FFQ), developed to
      estimate dietary B-12 intake in South Asian women. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: The
      B12FFQ was developed, then tested in 60 apparently healthy South Asian women aged
      18-50 years, living in Auckland, New Zealand. Participants recalled the frequency
      and quantity of vitamin B-12-containing foods consumed in the preceding three
      months. Pearson's correlations measured the associations between dietary B-12
      intake and B-12 biomarkers (serum B-12 and holotranscobalamin [holoTC]).
      Likelihood of B12 insufficiency was calculated for vegetarian and non-vegetarian
      dietary practices. RESULTS: The B12FFQ was a valid measure of dietary B-12 intake
      - supported by moderate positive associations with serum B-12 (r=0.50, p<0.001,
      95% CI [0.28, 0.67]) and holoTC (r=0.55, p<0.001, 95% CI [0.34, 0.71]). A dietary
      B-12 intake of less than 2.4 ug/day increased the likelihood of serum B-12 (X2
      (1)=11.79, p=0.001) or holoTC (X2 (1)=6.33, p=0.012) insufficiency. A dietary B
      12 intake of less than the recommended dietary allowance (2.4 ug/day), occurred
      in 61% (n=20/33) of participants with vegetarian and 22% (n=6/27) with non-
      vegetarian dietary practices. CONCLUSIONS: The B12FFQ provides a valid estimate
      of dietary B-12 intake. This easily administered food frequency questionnaire has
      the potential to identify low dietary B-12 intake as a contributor to B-12
      depletion or deficiency.

PMID- 28917240
TI  - Snack and beverage consumption and preferences in a sample of Chinese children -
      Are they influenced by advertising?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The consumption of unhealthy snack and beverages can
      lead to childhood obesity, which has become a major concern globally. Television
      food advertisements may influence children's snack and beverages preferences.
      This article aims to explore children's snack and beverage consumption habits;
      examine the extent of television advertising for non-core (energy-dense, nutrient
      poor) snack and beverages; and assess the influence of television advertising on
      children's snack and beverages preferences in Harbin, China. METHODS AND STUDY
      DESIGN: The study consisted of two components, a recall survey on the snack and
      beverage consumption and preferences of 9-11 years old school children; and
      recording snack and beverage advertisements on three popular television channels.
      Odds Ratio (OR) was used to estimate the likelihood of children selecting
      particular snack and beverages as their top three choices according to whether
      their preferences were influenced by television advertisements. RESULTS: The
      majority of children consumed non-core snacks (100%) and beverages (80%) in the
      four weeks prior to the survey. Nearly 40% of television food advertisements were
      for non-core snacks and beverages. Non-core snacks (OR of 1.13) and non-core
      beverages (OR of 1.23) were more likely chosen as children's top three
      snack/beverage choices, particularly, "puffed food and tubers" snack and
      carbonated beverages (OR of 1.31 and 1.45, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The snack
      and beverage preferences appeared to be influenced by television advertisements
      in this sample of Chinese children, highlighting the potential health and
      nutritional value of policy to reduce advertising of non-core foods in China.

PMID- 28917241
TI  - Dietary sodium reduction in New Zealand: influence of the Tick label.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Tick programme of the National Heart Foundation
      (NHF) is the longest standing voluntary front of pack signpost nutrition logo in
      New Zealand. It provides a platform for collaboration with the food industry to
      encourage development of healthier products. This study evaluated the impact of
      the Tick programme on sodium in processed food. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Fifty
      two Tick programme products from food categories known to contribute
      substantially to sodium intake were identified. Sales volumes (kg) from January
      2011 to December 2013 were multiplied by changes in sodium content over that
      time, producing an estimate of programme impact. Five semi-structured interviews
      with industry representatives were conducted, to look at other influences for
      sodium reduction, and themes identified through methods of thematic analysis.
      RESULTS: Over the period, the Tick programme influenced food companies to remove
      approximately 16 tonnes of salt through the reformulation and formulation of 52
      Tick-approved breakfast cereals, edible oil spreads, cooking sauces and processed
      poultry products. Other factors influencing sodium reduction reported by company
      representatives included increased consumer and industry interest in healthier
      product nutrition profiles and other sodium reduction programmes targeting
      reformulation/formulation. CONCLUSIONS: The Tick remains a credible and well
      recognized brand and may provide a competitive edge for participating food
      manufacturers in the current market. The Tick programme is effective in
      influencing industry to reduce sodium in processed foods in New Zealand. The
      combined impact of the Tick and other NHF programmes has the potential to reduce
      population sodium intake and improve health outcomes.

PMID- 28917242
TI  - Comprehensive school-based intervention to control overweight and obesity in
      China: a cluster randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With prevalence of childhood obesity increasing
      rapidly, developing of effective and sustainable intervention strategies is
      becoming more and more important for the prevention of childhood obesity in
      China. A trial was developed to evaluate the effect of comprehensive school-based
      intervention on childhood obesity. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A multi-center
      cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among urban children (n=9,867)
      aged 6-13 years in 38 primary schools from six large cities. Comprehensive
      intervention, nutrition education and physical activity interventions were
      carried out among children. Nutrition education was also targeted towards
      teachers, parents and health workers in intervention schools. The program was
      implemented for 2 semesters from May 2009 to May 2010. RESULTS: The combined
      prevalence of overweight and obesity increased by 1.5 percent (22.7% vs 24.2%,
      p<0.001) in control group while 0.2 percent in comprehensive intervention group
      (23.6% vs 23.8%, p=0.954) after intervention (p=0.067). The effect was
      significantly stronger among girls than boys (-1.4% vs -0.9%, p=0.028). A
      significant intervention effect was found on BMI for -0.3 kg/m2 (95% confidence
      interval (CI): -0.4, -0.2; p<0.001), BMI z scores for -0.14 (95% CI: -0.18, 
      0.11; p<0.001),body fat for -0.8 percent (95% CI: -0.9, -0.6; p<0.001), waist
      circumference for -0.5 cm (95% CI: -0.6, -0.3; p<0.001), blood serum glucose for 
      0.20 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.24, -0.16; p<0.001) and cholesterol for -0.32 mmol/L (95%
      CI: -0.34, -0.30; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We observed moderately significant
      effects on combined prevalence of overweight and obesity, BMI, BMI z scores,
      waist circumference, percentage body fat, glucose and lipid for a comprehensive
      school-based intervention of childhood obesity in China.

PMID- 28917243
TI  - Association between rice intake and all-cause mortality among Chinese adults:
      findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The few studies that have assessed the association
      between rice intake and mortality have generated inconsistent results. We
      assessed whether rice intake was associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      mortality, cancer mortality and all-cause mortality in a prospective cohort of
      the Chinese population. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We prospectively studied 2,832
      adults aged 20 years and above with a mean follow up of 10 years. Rice intake was
      measured by a 3-day weighed food record (WFR) in 2002. Hazard ratios (HRs) and
      95% CI were calculated by competing risks regression (CVD and cancer mortality)
      and Cox proportional hazards analysis (all-cause mortality). RESULTS: We
      documented 184 deaths (including 70 CVD deaths and 63 cancer deaths) during
      27,742 person-years of follow-up. No association between rice intake and all
      cause mortality was found. After adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle
      factors as well as energy and fat intake, HRs for CVD mortality across tertiles
      of rice intake were 1.00,0.47 (95% CI 0.25-0.87), and 0.49 (95% CI 0.21-1.13) (p
      for trend 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between rice intake and
      all-cause mortality.

PMID- 28917244
TI  - Dietary patterns and sleep parameters in a cohort of community dwelling
      Australian men.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Emerging evidence suggests potential effects of
      nutrients/foods on sleep parameters. However, no studies have addressed the
      complex interactions among nutrients/foods and relate them to sleep outcomes. To
      investigate the associations between dietary patterns and sleep parameters
      (polysomnography (PSG) measured and self-reported sleep symptoms) in a large
      sample of community dwelling men in South Australia. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional analysis was conducted of participants in the Men Androgen
      Inflammation Lifestyle Environment and Stress cohort enrolled in a sleep sub
      study (n=784, age 35-80 years). Dietary intake was measured by a validated food
      frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis.
      Sleep was assessed by an overnight home PSG and self-reported questionnaires.
      RESULTS: Two factors were obtained by factor analysis: Factor 1 was characterised
      by high intakes of vegetables, fruits, and legumes and factor 2 was characterised
      by processed meat, snacks, red meat and take-away foods. Three categories of the
      dietary patterns were defined (prudent, mixed and western) through classification
      of the sample according to the actual consumption higher or lower of each factor.
      The prudent (factor 1 dominant) and mixed dietary patterns were inversely
      associated with sleep onset, compared with the western dietary pattern (factor 2
      dominant) (beta=-6.34 (95% CI-1.11, -11.57), beta=-4.34 (95% CI-8.34, -0.34)
      respectively)). The association was only significant with the prudent dietary
      pattern after multiple comparison adjustment. No associations were found with
      between dietary patterns and other sleep outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The prudent
      dietary pattern was associated with a faster sleep onset, which may provide a
      solution for sleep management.

PMID- 28917245
TI  - A single-nucleotide polymorphism in transferrin is associated with soluble
      transferrin receptor in Chinese adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Associations between genetic variants in the hepcidin
      regulation pathway and iron status have been reported in previous studies. Most
      of these studies were conducted in populations of European descent and relatively
      few studies have been conducted in Chinese populations. In this study, we
      evaluated associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the
      hepcidin regulation pathway, serum ferritin (SF) and soluble transferrin receptor
      (sTfR) in Chinese adolescents. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: In total, 692 students
      from rural boarding schools were selected from six cities in China. The
      participants were divided into case and control groups according to criteria for
      SF and sTfR. Furthermore, 33 SNPs in TMPRSS6, TF, TFR2, BMP2, BMP4, HJV, CYBRD1,
      HFE, IL6, PCSK7, HAMP, KIAA1468, and SRPRB were selected. Associations between
      the genetic variants and SF or sTfR were detected. RESULTS: For SF, rs4820268 in
      TMPRSS6 was associated with an SF <25 ng/mL status. Carriers of the G/G genotype
      of rs4820268 exhibited significantly lower SF levels than A allele carriers did
      (p=0.047). For sTfR, rs1880669 in TF, rs4901474 in BMP4, and rs7536827 in HJV
      were significantly associated with an sTfR >=4.4 mg/L status. However, in general
      linear model analysis, after adjustment for age, sex, and location, only
      rs1880669 exhibited a stable association with higher sTfR levels (p=0.032).
      CONCLUSIONS: We found rs4820268, in TMPRSS6 that was associated with a low SF
      level, as previously reported, and a new association between 1880669 in TF and
      sTfR.

PMID- 28917246
TI  - The promise of stereotactic body radiotherapy-next phase of integration into
      oncological practice.

PMID- 28917247
TI  - The optimism surrounding stereotactic body radiation therapy and
      immunomodulation.
AB  - In recent years, rapidly evolving radiation techniques have enabled the precise
      delivery of very high doses of radiation to local targets with stereotactic
      ablative body radiotherapy (SABR). In addition to its direct cytotoxicity,
      radiation and in particular SABR has powerful immunomodulatory effects resulting
      in immunogenic cell death and potentiation of the anti-tumour immune response.
      However, due to the immunosuppressive nature of non-irradiated sites of
      metastases, radiotherapy alone is seldom sufficient to induce the systemic
      response required for distant tumour rejection. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are
      a novel class of immunomodulatory agents shown to have robust efficacy against a
      number of malignancies. These drugs can augment the effects of radiotherapy by
      helping overcome tumour-induced immunosuppression at local and distant sites.
      Similarly, radiation may complement immunotherapy by priming tumours in
      preparation for the adaptive immune response, thereby leading to more prolonged
      clinical effects. This synergistic relationship has been demonstrated in
      laboratory models and has been extended to a number of early phase clinical
      studies.

PMID- 28917248
TI  - Stereotactic body radiation therapy for prostate cancer-a review.
AB  - Prostate cancer can be managed with external beam radiation therapy, delivered
      with either protons or photons, brachytherapy, surgery, or active surveillance.
      Advances in imaging and radiation therapy delivery have allowed treatment of
      prostate cancer using ultra-hypofractionated radiation therapy with a high dose
      per fraction using a technique called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).
      While no randomized trials have compared the efficacy of SBRT to conventionally
      fractionated radiation therapy (CFRT), numerous prospective trials and
      retrospective reviews have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of SBRT for
      localized prostate cancer, used either definitively or as a boost along with
      CFRT. Prostate cancer SBRT may be more cost effective than CFRT using intensity
      modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or proton based radiation therapy.

PMID- 28917249
TI  - Challenges in imaging assessment following liver stereotactic body radiotherapy:
      pitfalls to avoid in clinical practice.
AB  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is increasingly used in the management of
      unresectable liver metastases and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as it allows
      delivery of high-dose conformal radiotherapy with limited toxicities. However, it
      may be difficult to differentiate viable tumour from radiotherapy-related changes
      after SBRT. The imaging changes observed after SBRT may also differ from those
      observed following conventionally fractionated radiotherapy. Hence, we aim to
      review the imaging changes that occur within the tumour and adjacent normal liver
      after SBRT which may help to identify local relapse in clinical practice.

PMID- 28917250
TI  - Emerging technologies in stereotactic body radiotherapy.
AB  - Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) stems from the initial developments of
      intra-cranial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Despite similarity in their names
      and clinical goals of delivering a sufficiently high tumoricidal dose, maximal
      sparing of the surrounding normal tissues and a short treatment course, SBRT
      technologies have transformed from the early days of body frame-based treatments
      with X-ray verification to primarily image-guided procedures with cone-beam CT or
      stereoscopic X-ray systems and non-rigid body immo-bilization. As a result of the
      incorporation of image-guidance systems and multi-leaf col-limators into
      mainstream linac systems, and treatment planning systems that have also evolved
      to allow for routine dose calculations to permit intensity modulated radiotherapy
      and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), SBRT has disseminated rapidly in the
      community to manage many disease sites that include oligometastases, spine
      lesions, lung, prostate, liver, renal cell, pelvic tumors, and head and neck
      tumors etc. In this article, we review the physical principles and paradigms that
      led to the widespread adoption of SBRT practice as well as technical caveats
      specific to individual SBRT technologies. From the perspective of treatment
      delivery, we categorically described (I) C-arm linac-based SBRT technologies;
      (II) robotically manipulated X-band CyberKnife(r) technology; and (III) emerging
      specialized systems for SBRT that include integrated MRI-linear accelerators and
      the imaged-guided Gamma Knife Perfexion Icon system with expanded multi-isocenter
      treatments of skull-based tumors, head-and-neck and cervical-spine lesions.

PMID- 28917251
TI  - Advances in external beam stereotactic body radiotherapy: principle concerns in
      implementing a liver radiation program.
AB  - Despite significant advances in diagnosis, surgery and medical oncology, patients
      with primary and secondary liver cancer have some of the worst prognoses in
      oncology. In addition, the incidence of liver cancer is expected to increase. For
      this reason, centres are seeking new treatments and establishing specialized
      multidisciplinary teams. This article will focus on the evidence and practical
      data to assist in setting up or improving current process pathways, to provide an
      efficient and safe radiotherapy program for liver. Technical data on the primary
      safety concerns and components of a liver external beam radiation program will be
      presented.

PMID- 28917252
TI  - Stereotactic radiosurgery of the brain: a review of common indications.
AB  - Over the past half-century since Lars Leksell first utilized radiation to address
      deep and difficult to treat lesions of the central nervous system (CNS),
      intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has become an increasingly valued
      tool in the hands of neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists. Following
      developments in medical imaging and radiation technology, radiosurgery has
      evolved from its first application in movement disorders to widespread use for a
      varied range of malignant and benign conditions. SRS remains a powerful,
      minimally invasive instrument that offers additional options for intervention to
      a diverse patient population. In this review, we will touch upon the common
      indications for SRS, including its use in brain metastases, malignant gliomas,
      meningiomas, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), vestibular schwannomas,
      pituitary adenomas, and functional disorders, as well as consider the future
      possibilities of combining radiosurgery with immunotherapy.

PMID- 28917253
TI  - Re-irradiation with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).
AB  - Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a potential treatment option for
      patients who develop a relapse within or marginal to a previously irradiated
      volume, but it seems underused because of sparse knowledge on the efficacy and
      morbidity related to the treatment. Normal tissues often recover some of the
      damage caused by the primary radiotherapy with time, but the kinetics of recovery
      is not clearly described in the literature. There is a growing number of
      publications on SBRT reirradiation, but the literature consists mainly of
      retrospective cohort studies. The aim of the present paper is to review studies
      on SBRT reirradiation in various regions where some studies have been published
      such as the head and neck, lung, liver, pancreas, prostate and spine. Based on
      the retrospective nature of the literature, the guide-lines provided by this
      guideline are relatively weak. In some organ systems, some advice on constraints
      related to reirradiated volumes and doses may be given.

PMID- 28917254
TI  - Stereotactic radiotherapy in oligometastatic cancer.
AB  - Oligometastatic cancer describes a disease state somewhere between localized and
      metastatic cancer. Proposed definitions of oligometastatic disease have typically
      used a cut-off of five or fewer sites of disease. Treatment of oligometastatic
      disease should have the goal of long-term local control, and in selected cases,
      disease remission. While several retrospective cohorts argue for surgical
      excision of limited metastases (metastasectomy) as the preferred treatment option
      for several clinical indications, limited randomized data exists for treating
      oligometastases. Alternatively, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a
      radiotherapy technique that combines high radiation doses per fraction with
      precision targeting with the goal of achieving long-term local control of treated
      sites. Published cohort studies of SABR have demonstrated excellent local control
      rates of 70-90% in oligometastatic disease, with long-term survival in some
      series approaching 20-40%. A recent randomized phase 2 clinical trial by Gomez et
      al. demonstrated significantly improved progression free survival with aggressive
      consolidative therapy (surgery, radiotherapy +/- chemotherapy or SABR) in oli
      gometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As additional randomized
      controlled trials are ongoing to determine the efficacy of SABR in
      oligometastatic disease, SABR is increasingly being used within routine clinical
      practice. This review article aims to sum-marize the history and current paradigm
      of the oligometastatic state, review recently pub-lished literature of SABR in
      oligometastatic cancer and discuss ongoing trials and future directions in this
      context.

PMID- 28917255
TI  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy for primary renal cell carcinoma and adrenal
      metastases.
AB  - The incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and metastatic adrenal lesions
      continues to rise and present evolving complexities in terms of management.
      Technical challenges in treatment delivery are compounded by the setting of an
      ageing patient population with multiple medical co-morbidities. While the
      standard of care treatment for both primary RCC and oligometastatic adrenal
      lesions has typically been surgery, a number of patients may be medically or
      surgically inoperable, and for whom alternative options require consideration.
      Additionally, in metastatic disease, surgery presents an invasive option,
      sometimes with unacceptable risks of perioperative morbidity and therefore is
      considered a less desirable option to some. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT)
      is an established radiotherapy technique that is rapidly being incorporated into
      many radiotherapy departments, particu-larly with the increasing availability and
      capabilities of modern linear accelerators to deliver precise image guided
      treatment. There are considerable advantages of SBRT including its ability to
      provide a non-invasive ablative treatment with very few treatment sessions, with
      emerging evidence showing promising rates of local control (LC) and low
      associated mor-bidity. This review details the use of SBRT for primary RCC as
      well as adrenal metastases, focusing on issues including patient selection,
      technical considerations, and patient out-comes. Furthermore, this review
      explores some recent insights into the radiobiology of RCC, the immunomodulatory
      effects of SBRT, and the use of systemic agents with SBRT.

PMID- 28917256
TI  - Postoperative stereotactic body radiotherapy for spinal metastases.
AB  - Spine is a common site of metastases in cancer patients. Spine surgery is
      indicated for select patients, typically those with mechanical instability and/or
      malignant epidural spinal cord (or cauda equina) compression. Although post
      operative conventional palliative external beam radiation therapy has been the
      standard of care, technical improvements in radiation planning and image-guided
      radiotherapy have allowed for the application of stereotactic body radiotherapy
      (SBRT) to the spine. Spine SBRT is intended to ablate residual tumor and optimize
      local control by delivering several fold greater biologically effective doses.
      Early clinical experience of postoperative spinal SBRT report encouraging results
      in terms of safety and efficacy. In this review, we summarize the clinical and
      technical aspects pertinent to a safe and effective practice of postoperative
      SBRT for spinal metastases.

PMID- 28917257
TI  - Exploiting molecular genomics in precision radiation oncology: a marriage of
      biological and physical precision.
AB  - Achieving local tumour control is paramount for cure in head and neck and
      prostate cancers. With the transition to precision radiotherapy (RT) techniques,
      survival rates have improved in the majority of these cancers, but a substantial
      proportion of 30-40% still relapse following primary treatment. Recent large
      scale molecular profiling studies have revealed unique biological events that
      could explain for tumour aggression and resistance to therapies, redefining the
      molecular taxonomy of head and neck and prostate cancers. Here, we reviewed the
      key findings from these studies, highlighting those relevant for clinical
      stratification. We also proposed novel combinatorial clinicomolecular models to
      identify subsets of patients with aggressive localised tumours and limited
      metastases, and to inform on the optimal management of these patients using
      molecular targeted agents, immunotherapy, and RT.

PMID- 28917258
TI  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy for early stage lung cancer-historical
      developments and future strategies.
AB  - The application of radiosurgery dose escalation extra-cranially in a moving
      target, surrounded by critical normal tissue, presents unique dosimetric and
      clinical challenges. Building on a strong foundation of robust technological
      advancements and well-planned clinical studies, lung stereotactic body
      radiotherapy (SBRT) has firmly established its place in the management of early
      stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, favourable outcomes and
      long-term survival still evade a substantial proportion of patients, especially
      for central and larger peripheral lung tumours. In this review, we will document
      the historical developments of lung SBRT over the past decades, highlighting key
      studies, which have shaped current clinical practice. At the same time, we will
      address some of the recent advancements in radiation technology, molecular
      profiling and immunotherapy, and discuss how these important developments can
      lead to combinatorial strategies, which we hope will form the backbone of new
      clinical trials and drive better cure rates.

PMID- 28917259
TI  - Successful treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy for pneumatosis cystoides
      intestinalis as a complication of granulomatosis with polyangiitis: a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although gastrointestinal involvement in patients with granulomatosis
      with polyangiitis is uncommon, it is associated with mild to severe life
      threatening complications. We present a case of pneumatosis cystoides
      intestinalis in a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis that was treated
      successfully with hyperbaric oxygen. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old Japanese
      man with a 3-year history of granulomatosis with polyangiitis consulted our
      hospital with a complaint of severe back pain. Computed tomography showed a large
      amount of gas located in his bowel wall and mesentery. He underwent urgent
      exploratory laparotomy, which led to a diagnosis of pneumatosis cystoides
      intestinalis without intestinal perforation or necrosis. He consequently
      underwent 13 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and was discharged from our
      hospital without complications. CONCLUSIONS: Several previous reports have
      supported the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen for treating pneumatosis cystoides
      intestinalis. The present case, however, is the first in which pneumatosis
      cystoides intestinalis in a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis was
      successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen. We therefore suggest that hyperbaric
      oxygen therapy could be a candidate treatment for pneumatosis cystoides
      intestinalis in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

PMID- 28917261
TI  - Development of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2973 Vitamin D Metabolites in
      Frozen Human Serum (High Level).
AB  - The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with
      the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements and the Vitamin D
      Standardization Program, has recently issued a new serum-matrix Standard
      Reference Material (SRM): 2973 Vitamin D Metabolites in Frozen Human Serum (High
      Level). SRM 2973 was designed to provide a serum material with a total 25
      hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration near 100 nmol/L to complement the
      existing serum-based SRMs with values assigned for total 25(OH)D between 20 and
      80 nmol/L. Values were assigned for 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 [25(OH)D2], 25
      hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3], 3-epi-25(OH)D3, and total 25(OH)D [the sum of
      25(OH)D2 + 25(OH)D3] using the NIST isotope dilution LC with tandem MS (MS/MS)
      reference measurement procedure (RMP) and related methods. SRM 2973 has a
      certified value of 98.4 +/- 2.1 nmol/L for 25(OH)D3 and reference values of 1.59
      +/- 0.05 nmol/L for 25(OH)D2 and 5.23 +/- 0.20 nmol/L for 3-epi-25(OH)D3. In
      addition, a candidate RMP for 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [24R,25(OH)2D3] based on
      LC-MS/MS was used to assign values to SRM 2973 and the existing SRM 972a Vitamin
      D Metabolites in Frozen Human Serum. Reference values for 24R,25(OH)2D3 were
      assigned to SRM 2973 (7.51 +/- 0.26 nmol/L) and the four levels of SRM 972a:
      Level 1 (6.38 +/- 0.23 nmol/L), Level 2 (3.39 +/- 0.12 nmol/L), Level 3 (3.88 +/-
      0.013 nmol/L), and Level 4 (6.32 +/- 0.22 nmol/L). The development of SRM 2973
      [with a higher concentration of 25(OH)D3] and the addition of values for
      24R,25(OH)2D3 assigned to both SRM 972a and SRM 2973 provide laboratories
      involved in vitamin D measurements with improved QA tools.

PMID- 28917262
TI  - Determination of Several Element Levels in Hardaliye Beverages Using Flame Atomic
      Absorption Spectrometry After Ultrasound-Probe Extraction.
AB  - In the present study, concentrations of calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), magnesium
      (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), and zinc (Zn) in hardaliye samples produced in
      Turkey were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after ultrasound
      probe extraction (UPE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and wet extraction
      procedures. At present, there is limited work in the literature on UPE for the
      determination of trace elements in beverage samples. Our single-correlation
      analysis showed that the elements studied with the UPE method in hardaliye were
      strongly correlated with the MAE procedure. The parameters affecting the UPE
      experimental conditions-such as ultrasound amplitude, sonication time, sample
      amount, extractant type, and volume-were studied. Optimal experimental conditions
      for the extraction of the metals with the UPE procedure were as follows: 2 min of
      sonication; 30% amplitude; 3 mL sample volume; 5% HNO3 extraction solution; and 1
      mL extractant volume for Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Na, and Zn in the hardaliye samples. The
      results in the hardaliye samples in minimum-maximum mg/L with the UPE procedure
      were 33-63 for Ca, 0.10-0.27 for Cu, 3.9-14.4 for Mg, 1.0-3.2 for Mn, 32-58 for
      Na, and 0.39-1.1 for Zn. LODs were 0.0032, 0.012, 0.013, 0.009, 0.011, and 0.008
      mg/L for Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Na, and Zn, respectively. The accuracy of the method was
      verified with a recovery test (in which recoveries between 95 and 110% were
      observed) and application to a NIST 1643e certified sample (trace elements in
      water). The UPE procedure was found to be fast, accurate, and simple, with fewer
      contaminants and lower concentrated reagent consumption in comparison with
      conventional extraction procedures.

PMID- 28917263
TI  - Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrophotometry: An Ecofriendly Method for
      the Analysis of Injectable Daptomycin.
AB  - Daptomycin (DPT) is an important antimicrobial agent used in clinical practice
      because it is very active against several types of medicinally challenging Gram
      positive bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and
      vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. In addition to concerns about the quality of
      the analytical methods used in the QC of drugs, there is also concern about the
      impact of these methods on the environment. The trend toward sustainable
      consumption is increasingly evident and has forced the pharmaceutical industry to
      reduce the generation of toxic waste. In this context, IR spectrophotometry
      stands out because it does not use organic solvents and, although it is formally
      accepted for the identification of individual compounds, also allows the
      quantification of substances. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop and
      validate a green analytical method for the analysis of DPT in a lyophilized
      powder for injection by FTIR spectrophotometry. The method involved absorbance
      measurements in the spectral region of 1700-1600 cm-1. The method was properly
      validated and found to be linear, precise, accurate, selective, and robust for
      the concentration range between 0.2 and 0.6 mg/150 mg. The validated method was
      able to quantify DPT powder for injection and can be used as an environmentally
      friendly alternative for routine analysis in QC.

PMID- 28917264
TI  - Expression of kisspeptin protein in hypothalamus and LH profile of growing female
      lambs.
AB  - Kisspeptin (kp) is considered to be one of the major regulators of the induction
      of pubertal events via the activation of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-LH
      system. The aim of the present study was to analyse expression of immunoreactive
      (ir) kp in the hypothalamic neurons of female lambs from the neonatal to the
      peripubertal period (5 days to 32 weeks) in relation to the plasma LH pattern
      using immunohistochemistry and image analysis. Hypothalami were collected from
      female lambs (n=33) from the infantile, juvenile, prepubertal and peripubertal
      periods. The population of kp-ir perikarya was detected mainly in the arcuate
      nucleus and their number increased gradually from 5 to 16 weeks of age and was
      maintained at a high level up to the peripubertal stage. This was reflected by
      the significant (P<0.05) gradual increase in the percentage of hypothalamic area
      occupied by kp-ir neurons and increase in the number of kp-ir perikarya within
      the arcuate nucleus. The same pattern of kp immunoreactivity was observed in the
      median eminence. Plasma LH concentration increased from Week 5 to Weeks 12-16 and
      further increased at Week 32. LH pulse frequency increased from Week 5 to 32
      (P<0.05). Thus, changes in kp expression reflected changes in the LH pattern
      during lamb growth. The data obtained provide evidence about the participation of
      kp in the mechanisms of ontogenic development of ovine reproductive processes.

PMID- 28917260
TI  - Roles of sigma-1 receptors on mitochondrial functions relevant to
      neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - The sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R) is a chaperone that resides mainly at the
      mitochondrion-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane (called the MAMs)
      and acts as a dynamic pluripotent modulator in living systems. At the MAM, the
      Sig-1R is known to play a role in regulating the Ca2+ signaling between ER and
      mitochondria and in maintaining the structural integrity of the MAM. The MAM
      serves as bridges between ER and mitochondria regulating multiple functions such
      as Ca2+ transfer, energy exchange, lipid synthesis and transports, and protein
      folding that are pivotal to cell survival and defense. Recently, emerging
      evidences indicate that the MAM is critical in maintaining neuronal homeostasis.
      Thus, given the specific localization of the Sig-1R at the MAM, we highlight and
      propose that the direct or indirect regulations of the Sig-1R on mitochondrial
      functions may relate to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease
      (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD) and amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis (ALS). In addition, the promising use of Sig-1R ligands to rescue
      mitochondrial dysfunction-induced neurodegeneration is addressed.

PMID- 28917265
TI  - Olaratumab: PDGFR-alpha inhibition as a novel tool in the treatment of advanced
      soft tissue sarcomas.
AB  - Advanced soft tissue sarcomas are aggressive cancers with limited therapeutic
      options. Recently, inhibition of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)
      alpha by the monoclonal antibody olaratumab showed promising clinical activity.
      If confirmed, this would be one of the first examples of targeted therapy
      effective in advanced soft tissue sarcomas therapy independently of the
      histologic subtype. Here, we reviewed the biology of the PDGF/PDGFR axis,
      particularly focusing on its role in cancer, and then we discussed on the effects
      of PDGFR-alpha inhibition in the therapy of advanced soft tissue sarcomas.

PMID- 28917266
TI  - Urinary biomarkers in prostate cancer detection and monitoring progression.
AB  - Prostate cancer (CaP) is the most common cancer in men and the second leading
      cause of cancer deaths in males in Australia. Although serum prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA) has been the most widely used biomarker in CaP detection for
      decades, PSA screening has limitations such as low specificity and potential
      association with over-diagnosis. Current biomarkers used in the clinic are not
      useful for the early detection of CaP, or monitoring its progression, and have
      limited value in predicting response to treatment. Urine is an ideal body fluid
      for the detection of protein markers of CaP and is emerging as a potential source
      for biomarker discovery. Gene-based biomarkers in urine such as prostate cancer
      antigen-3 (PCA3), and genes for transmembrane protease serine-2 (TMPRSS2), and
      glutathione S-transferase P (GSTP1) have been developed and evaluated in the past
      decades. Among these biomarkers, urinary PCA3 is the only one approved by the FDA
      in the USA for clinical use. The study of urine microRNAs (miRNAs) is another
      burgeoning area for investigating biomarkers to achieve a pre-biopsy prediction
      of CaP to contribute to early detection. The development of mass spectrometry
      (MS)-based proteomic techniques has sparked new searches for novel protein
      markers for many diseases including CaP. Urinary biomarkers for CaP represent a
      promising alternative or an addition to traditional biomarkers. Future success in
      biomarker discovery will rely on collaboration between clinics and laboratories.
      In addition, research efforts need to be moved from biomarker discovery to
      validation in a large cohort or separate population of patients and translation
      of these findings to clinical practice. In this review, we discuss urine as a
      potential source for CaP biomarker discovery, summarise important genetic urine
      biomarkers in CaP and focus on MS-based proteomic approaches as well as other
      recent developments in quantitative techniques for CaP urine biomarker discovery.

PMID- 28917267
TI  - Distance-delivered physical activity interventions for childhood cancer
      survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - This review aimed to determine the feasibility of distance-delivered physical
      activity (PA) interventions in childhood cancer survivors (CCS), and assess the
      effect on PA levels, and physical, physiological and psychological outcomes. We
      searched electronic databases until May 2016, including studies following
      intensive treatment. Meta-analyses were conducted on randomized controlled
      trials. We calculated the effect of interventions on PA levels and physical,
      physiological and psychological health outcomes. Thirteen studies (n=270
      participants) were included in the systematic review and four (n=102
      participants) in the meta-analysis. Most studies used telephone to deliver
      interventions with contact (1/day-1/month), duration (2 weeks-1year) and timing
      (maintenance therapy->20years following intensive treatment) varying between
      interventions. Interventions yielded a mean recruitment rate=64%, retention
      rate=85% and adherence rate=88%. Interventions did not increase PA levels
      (p=0.092), but had a positive effect on physical function (p=0.008) and
      psychological outcomes (p=0.006). Distance-delivered PA interventions are
      feasible in CCS. Despite not increasing PA levels, participation may improve
      physical and psychological health; however, larger randomized controlled trials
      are warranted.

PMID- 28917268
TI  - Targeting androgen-independent pathways: new chances for patients with prostate
      cancer?
AB  - Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay treatment for advanced
      prostate cancer (PC). Most patients eventually progress to a condition known as
      castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), characterized by lack of response to
      ADT. Although new androgen receptor signaling (ARS) inhibitors and
      chemotherapeutic agents have been introduced to overcome resistance to ADT, many
      patients progress because of primary or acquired resistance to these agents. This
      comprehensive review aims at exploring the mechanisms of resistance and
      progression of PC, with specific focus on alterations which lead to the
      activation of androgen receptor (AR)-independent pathways of survival. Our work
      integrates available clinical and preclinical data on agents which target these
      pathways, assessing their potential clinical implication in specific settings of
      patients. Given the rising interest of the scientific community in cancer
      immunotherapy strategies, further attention is dedicated to the role of immune
      evasion in PC.

PMID- 28917270
TI  - Cancer-related fatigue in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of
      the literature.
AB  - : Adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYA) represent a specific age cohort
      dealing with the disease in a stage of life characterized by development,
      upheavals, and establishment. The aim of this study was to point out the state of
      research on how AYA are affected by cancer-related fatigue (CRF). RESULTS: Twelve
      articles were included. CRF was found to be higher in AYA than in either of the
      comparison groups, healthy peers and older cancer patients. Most included studies
      did not measure CRF with multidimensional, fatigue-specific instruments.
      CONCLUSION: We found a gap in research concerning CRF in AYA. The existing
      findings suggest that CRF is a significant issue for AYA cancer patients.
      However, less is known about the prevalence, severity, and impact of CRF in AYA,
      and their treatment. This should be considered in future research, and risk and
      prevention factors should be ascertained. Multidimensional and fatigue-specific
      measuring tools should be used to do this.

PMID- 28917269
TI  - Triplet (FOLFOXIRI) versus doublet (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI) backbone chemotherapy as
      first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: A systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - Uncertainty exists regarding the comparative effectiveness of triplet
      chemotherapy (FOLFOXIRI) as backbone first-line chemotherapy for metastatic
      colorectal cancer (mCRC). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of
      randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) comparing triplet versus doublet chemotherapy
      (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI) as first-line therapy in mCRC. Methods and reporting followed
      PRISMA and SAMPL guidelines. Eight RCTs were included, comprising 1732 patients.
      In pooled analysis, FOLFOXIRI was associated with improvements in efficacy
      outcomes, notably with a 25% survival increase (95%CI: 10-37%). FOLFOXIRI was
      also associated with increased toxicity, with a non-significant 25% increase in
      the risk of patients experiencing grade >=3 adverse events (95% CI: -3 to 61%)
      and with a 1.83 (95% CI: 1.62-2.07) increase in the rate ratio of grade >=3
      adverse events. Moderate quality evidence suggests that first-line FOLFOXIRI
      provides clinically meaningful efficacy benefits in this setting, at the expense
      of increased toxicity. Further research is warranted to better characterize
      safety and to evaluate the most beneficial combination with targeted agents.

PMID- 28917271
TI  - Cognitive impairment and chemotherapy: a brief overview.
AB  - Patients with cancer are experiencing long-term survival following chemotherapy,
      but the treatment may also be associated with short and long-term toxicity,
      including the possibility of cognitive dysfunction. A literature overview
      indicated a significant association between chemotherapy and cognitive impairment
      but prospective longitudinal research is warranted to examine the degree and
      persisting nature of this decline. Although chemotherapeutic agents are unlikely
      to cross the blood-brain barrier, it has been alleged that the occurrence of
      neurotoxicity is linked to the pro-inflammatory cytokine pathways. Moreover in
      most cases many other factors could play an ancillary and concomitant role. The
      contribution of hormone therapy as well as emotional, social, behavioural and
      genetic factors should always be considered. Especially physical activity and
      cognitive training appear promising in the management of cognitive impairment but
      additional studies are required to establish their efficacy.

PMID- 28917272
TI  - Towards personalized medicine of colorectal cancer.
AB  - Efforts in colorectal cancer (CRC) research aim to improve early detection and
      treatment for metastatic stages which could translate into better prognosis of
      this disease. One of the major challenges that hinder these efforts is the
      heterogeneous nature of CRC and involvement of diverse molecular pathways. New
      large-scale 'omics' technologies are making it possible to generate, analyze and
      interpret biological data from molecular determinants of CRC. The developments of
      sophisticated computational analyses would allow information from different omics
      platforms to be integrated, thus providing new insights into the biology of CRC.
      Together, these technological advances and an improved mechanistic understanding
      might allow CRC to be clinically managed at the level of the individual patient.
      This review provides an account of the current challenges in CRC management and
      an insight into how new technologies could allow the development of personalized
      medicine for CRC.

PMID- 28917273
TI  - Mechanisms and risk factors of thrombosis in cancer.
AB  - The close relationship between cancer and thrombosis is known since more than a
      century. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) may be the first manifestation of an occult
      malignancy in an otherwise healthy individual. Cancer patients commonly present
      with abnormalities of laboratory coagulation tests, indicating an ongoing
      subclinical hypercoagulable condition. The results of laboratory tests
      demonstrate that a process of fibrin formation and removal parallels the
      development of malignancy, which is of particular interest since fibrin and other
      clotting products are important for both thrombogenesis and tumor progression.
      Besides general clinical risk factors (i.e. age, previous VTE, immobility, etc.),
      other factors typical of cancer can increase the thrombotic risk in these
      patients, including the type of cancer, advanced disease stage, and cancer
      therapies. In addition, biological factors, including tumor cell-specific
      prothrombotic properties and the host cell inflammatory response to the tumor,
      play a central role in the pathogenesis of cancer-associated thrombosis. Cancer
      cells produce and release procoagulant and fibrinolytic proteins, as well as
      inflammatory cytokines. In addition, they are capable of directly adhering to
      host cells (i.e. endothelial cells, monocytes, platelets, and neutrophils),
      thereby stimulating additional prothrombotic properties of the host effector
      cells. Tumor-shed procoagulant microparticles also contribute to the patient
      hypercoagulable state. Finally, the changes of stromal cells of the tumor 'niche'
      induced by tissue factor (TF) highlight new interactions between hemostasis and
      cancer. Of interest, most of these mechanisms, besides activating the hemostatic
      system, also promote tumor growth and metastasis, and are regulated by oncogenic
      events. Indeed, molecular studies demonstrate that oncogenes responsible for the
      cellular neoplastic transformation drive the programs of hemostatic protein
      expression and microparticle liberation by cancer tissues. Human and animal
      experimental models demonstrate that activation of cancer-associated
      prothrombotic mechanisms parallels the development of overt thrombotic syndromes
      in vivo.

PMID- 28917274
TI  - The interventional oncologist: The fourth musketeer of cancer care.

PMID- 28917275
TI  - Historical, Current, and Future Intraoperative Imaging Modalities.
AB  - Intraoperative imaging has become widely accepted in neurosurgery in recent
      years. The possibility to objectively determine the extent of tumor removal is
      highly advantageous. If the resection is incomplete, clinicians can attempt to
      remove the residual tumor that was missed during the same operation. Furthermore,
      the positioning of implants in spinal surgery, as well as in cranial surgery, can
      be controlled and modified during the procedure. Intraoperative imaging acts as
      immediate quality control and offers improved patient safety. This article gives
      a brief overview of the different intraoperative imaging modalities and their
      potential applications in modern neurosurgery.

PMID- 28917276
TI  - Stereotactic Biopsy Platforms with Intraoperative Imaging Guidance.
AB  - The resolution and real-time navigation of intraoperative MRI (iMRI) has been
      leveraged in neurosurgery. We review frameless stereotactic biopsy platforms and
      focus on emerging technology integrating intraoperative MRI with frameless
      stereotaxy. Brain biopsy with iMRI allows for an accurate tissue sample with the
      ability to correct cannula trajectory during surgery, eliminating misdiagnosis
      secondary to faulty targeting. This technology allows for a percutaneous approach
      avoiding large incisions, obviates the need for frozen tissue evaluation, has the
      potential to reduce unnecessary specimen harvesting and operating room time, and
      optimizes safety of targeting deep brain lesions.

PMID- 28917277
TI  - Intraoperative MRI and Maximizing Extent of Resection.
AB  - Intraoperative MRI (iMRI) is a neurosurgical adjunct used to maximize the removal
      of glioma, the most common primary brain tumor. Increased extent of resection of
      gliomas has been shown to correlate with longer survival times. iMRI units are
      variable in design and magnet strength, which can affect patient selection and
      image quality. Multiple studies have shown that surgical resection of gliomas
      using iMRI results in increased extent of resection and survival time. Level II
      evidence supports the use of iMRI in the surgical treatment of glioma.

PMID- 28917278
TI  - Combining Functional Studies with Intraoperative MRI in Glioma Surgery.
AB  - Maximal safe resection is the cornerstone of treatment for low-grade and high
      grade gliomas. In addition to high-resolution anatomic MRI studies that highlight
      tumor architecture, it is important to determine the relationship of the tumor to
      the eloquent cortical and subcortical areas to avoid introducing or exacerbating
      a neurologic deficit. The goal of this review was to highlight imaging modalities
      that provide functional information and can be integrated with intraoperative MRI
      navigation to maximize the extent of resection while preserving a patient's
      neurologic function.

PMID- 28917280
TI  - A Novel Use of the Intraoperative MRI for Metastatic Spine Tumors: Laser
      Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Percutaneous Treatment of Epidural Metastatic
      Spine Disease.
AB  - Spinal laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) appears to be a promising novel
      modality for treatment of epidural metastatic spine disease in patients who are
      poor candidates for larger-scale oncologic spinal surgery and can act
      synergetically with spinal stereotactic radiosurgery to maximize local control
      and palliate pain. This technique is ideally suited for the intraoperative MRI
      suite to monitor the extent of the ablation in the epidural space. As
      percutaneous navigation, imaging, and LITT technology improve, broader
      applicability of this minimally invasive technique in spinal oncology is
      foreseen.

PMID- 28917279
TI  - iMRI During Transsphenoidal Surgery.
AB  - A variety of intraoperative MRI (iMRI) systems are in use during transsphenoidal
      surgery (TSS). The variations in iMRI systems include field strengths, magnet
      configurations, and room configurations. Most studies report that the primary
      utility of iMRI during TSS lies in detecting resectable tumor residuals following
      maximal resection with conventional technique. Stereotaxis, neuronavigation, and
      complication avoidance/detection are enhanced by iMRI use during TSS. The use of
      iMRI during TSS can lead to increased extent of resection for large tumors.
      Improved remission rates from hormone-secreting tumors have also been reported
      with iMRI use. This article discusses the history, indications, and future
      directions for iMRI during TSS.

PMID- 28917281
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Thermometry and Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Brain
      Tumors.
AB  - Recent technological advancements in intraoperative imaging are shaping the way
      for a new era in brain tumor surgery. Magnetic resonance thermometry has provided
      intraoperative real-time imaging feedback for safe and effective application of
      laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) in neuro-oncology. Thermal ablation has
      also established itself as a surgical option in epilepsy surgery and is currently
      used in spine oncology with promising results. This article reviews the
      principles and rationale as well as the clinical application of LITT for brain
      tumors. It also discusses the technical nuances of the current commercially
      available systems.

PMID- 28917282
TI  - Interventional MRI-Guided Deep Brain Stimulation Lead Implantation.
AB  - Current knowledge of the functional anatomy of the subthalamic nucleus and globus
      pallidus, discovered through microelectrode recording and postoperative imaging,
      justifies purely anatomic targeting for deep brain stimulation (DBS).
      Interventional MRI (iMRI)-DBS is more anatomically accurate than traditional
      awake procedures and has similar clinical outcomes without increased risk or
      increased operative times. iMRI lead implantation allows patients to receive DBS
      therapy who cannot tolerate or do not agree to undergo an awake procedure. This
      article describes considerations for iMRI-DBS implantation in the subthalamic
      nucleus and globus pallidus, including patient selection, technique of electrode
      placement, expected outcomes, and potential complications.

PMID- 28917283
TI  - MRI-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Epilepsy.
AB  - MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy for epilepsy (LITT-E) has become an
      established, minimally invasive alternative to traditional epilepsy surgery. LITT
      E is particularly valuable in cases in which open surgery poses unacceptably high
      morbidity or patient preference precludes craniotomy. Here we present a focused
      review of technical details and application of LITT to both focal and generalized
      epilepsy.

PMID- 28917284
TI  - Neurosurgical Applications of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound with Magnetic
      Resonance Thermometry.
AB  - Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) has potential
      noninvasive effects on targeted tissue. MRgFUS integrates MRI and focused
      ultrasound surgery (FUS) into a single platform. MRI enables visualization of the
      target tissue and monitors ultrasound-induced effects in near real-time during
      FUS treatment. MRgFUS may serve as an adjunct or replace invasive surgery and
      radiotherapy for specific conditions. Its thermal effects ablate tumors in
      locations involved in movement disorders and essential tremors. Its nonthermal
      effects increase blood-brain barrier permeability to enhance delivery of
      therapeutics and other molecules.

PMID- 28917285
TI  - Fluorescence Imaging/Agents in Tumor Resection.
AB  - Intraoperative fluorescence imaging allows real-time identification of diseased
      tissue during surgery without being influenced by brain shift and surgery
      interruption. 5-Aminolevulinic acid, useful for malignant gliomas and other
      tumors, is the most broadly explored compound approved for fluorescence-guided
      resection. Intravenous fluorescein sodium has recently received attention,
      highlighting tumor tissue based on extravasation at the blood-brain barrier
      (defective in many brain tumors). Fluorescein in perfused brain, unselective
      extravasation in brain perturbed by surgery, and propagation with edema are
      concerns. Fluorescein is not approved but targeted fluorochromes with affinity to
      brain tumor cells, in development, may offer future advantages.

PMID- 28917286
TI  - Intraoperative 3D Computed Tomography: Spine Surgery.
AB  - Spinal instrumentation often involves placing implants without direct
      visualization of their trajectory or proximity to adjacent neurovascular
      structures. Two-dimensional fluoroscopy is commonly used to navigate implant
      placement, but with the advent of computed tomography, followed by the invention
      of a mobile scanner with an open gantry, three-dimensional (3D) navigation is now
      widely used. This article critically appraises the available literature to assess
      the influence of 3D navigation on radiation exposure, accuracy of
      instrumentation, operative time, and patient outcomes. Also explored is the
      latest technological advance in 3D neuronavigation: the manufacturing of, via 3D
      printers, patient-specific templates that direct implant placement.

PMID- 28917287
TI  - Intraoperative Computed Tomography in Cranial Neurosurgery.
AB  - The challenge for treating complex lesions with the aim of minimal surgery
      related morbidity has generated an increasing demand for sophisticated
      intraoperative imaging modalities. Newest generations of intraoperative computed
      tomography (CT) scanners offer a multitude of hardware and software improvements
      resulting in higher image quality that further propagates its everyday usage in
      the interdisciplinary operative setting. This article describes workflow and
      applicability of intraoperative CT scanning in cranial neurosurgery, in
      subspecialties like skull base or vascular neurosurgery, and its advantages and
      limitations.

PMID- 28917288
TI  - Intraoperative Imaging for Vascular Lesions.
AB  - Neurovascular surgery is a broad and challenging, yet exciting field within
      neurologic surgery. The neurovascular surgeon must be meticulous; because the
      brain and spinal cord are unforgiving to ischemic insults. Along with the
      pressures of this demanding subspecialty comes the potential to help patients
      recover from potentially devastating pathology to go on and lead normal, healthy
      lives. Several intraoperative imaging modalities are available to help maximize
      treatment success while reducing risk. This article reviews each of these
      modalities, including digital subtraction angiography, fluorescence angiography,
      Doppler ultrasonography, laser Doppler, laser speckle contrast imaging,
      neuronavigation, and neuroendoscopy.

PMID- 28917289
TI  - Imaging of Convective Drug Delivery in the Nervous System.
AB  - Convection-enhanced delivery permits the direct homogeneous delivery of small-
      and large-molecular-weight putative therapeutics to the nervous system in a
      manner that bypasses the blood-nervous system barrier. The development of co
      infused surrogate imaging tracers (for computed tomography and MRI) allows for
      the real-time, noninvasive monitoring of infusate distribution during convective
      delivery. Real-time image monitoring of convective distribution of therapeutic
      agents insures that targeted structures/nervous system regions are adequately
      perfused, enhances safety, informs efficacy (or lack thereof) of putative agents,
      and provides critical information regarding the properties of convection-enhanced
      delivery in normal and various pathologic tissue states.

PMID- 28917290
TI  - Intraoperative Ultrasound for Peripheral Nerve Applications.
AB  - Offering real-time, high-resolution images via intraoperative ultrasound is
      advantageous for a variety of peripheral nerve applications. To highlight the
      advantages of ultrasound, its extraoperative uses are reviewed. The current
      intraoperative uses, including nerve localization, real-time evaluation of
      peripheral nerve tumors, and implantation of leads for peripheral nerve
      stimulation, are reviewed. Although intraoperative peripheral nerve localization
      has been performed previously using guide wires and surgical dyes, the authors'
      approach using ultrasound-guided instrument clamps helps guide surgical
      dissection to the target nerve, which could lead to more timely operations and
      shorter incisions.

PMID- 28917291
TI  - Intraoperative Raman Spectroscopy.
AB  - Surgical excision of brain tumors provides a means of cytoreduction and diagnosis
      while minimizing neurologic deficit and improving overall survival. Despite
      advances in functional and three-dimensional stereotactic navigation and
      intraoperative MRI, delineating tissue in real time with physiologic confirmation
      is challenging. Raman spectroscopy has potential to be an important modality in
      the intraoperative evaluation of tissue during surgical resection. In vitro
      experimental studies have shown that this technique can be used to differentiate
      normal brain tissue from tissue with infiltrating cancer cells and dense
      cancerous masses with high specificity, indicating the feasibility of this method
      for in vivo application.

PMID- 28917292
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 28917293
TI  - PKM2 Phosphorylates Histone H3 and Promotes Gene Transcription and Tumorigenesis.

PMID- 28917294
TI  - Crosstalk between Muscularis Macrophages and Enteric Neurons Regulates
      Gastrointestinal Motility.

PMID- 28917295
TI  - Association of spontaneous abortion with receipt of inactivated influenza vaccine
      containing H1N1pdm09 in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inactivated influenza vaccine is recommended in any stage of
      pregnancy, but evidence of safety in early pregnancy is limited, including for
      vaccines containing A/H1N1pdm2009 (pH1N1) antigen. We sought to determine if
      receipt of vaccine containing pH1N1 was associated with spontaneous abortion
      (SAB). METHODS: We conducted a case-control study over two influenza seasons
      (2010-11, 2011-12) in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Cases had SAB and controls had
      live births or stillbirths and were matched on site, date of last menstrual
      period, and age. Of 919 potential cases identified using diagnosis codes, 485
      were eligible and confirmed by medical record review. Exposure was defined as
      vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine before the SAB date; the primary
      exposure window was the 1-28days before the SAB. RESULTS: The overall adjusted
      odds ratio (aOR) was 2.0 (95% CI, 1.1-3.6) for vaccine receipt in the 28-day
      exposure window; there was no association in other exposure windows. In season
      specific analyses, the aOR in the 1-28days was 3.7 (95% CI 1.4-9.4) in 2010-11
      and 1.4 (95% CI 0.6-3.3) in 2011-12. The association was modified by influenza
      vaccination in the prior season (post hoc analysis). Among women who received
      pH1N1-containing vaccine in the previous influenza season, the aOR in the 1
      28days was 7.7 (95% CI 2.2-27.3); the aOR was 1.3 (95% CI 0.7-2.7) among women
      not vaccinated in the previous season. This effect modification was observed in
      each season. CONCLUSION: SAB was associated with influenza vaccination in the
      preceding 28days. The association was significant only among women vaccinated in
      the previous influenza season with pH1N1-containing vaccine. This study does not
      and cannot establish a causal relationship between repeated influenza vaccination
      and SAB, but further research is warranted.

PMID- 28917296
TI  - Commentary on: "Association of spontaneous abortion with receipt of inactivated
      influenza vaccine containing H1N1pdm09 in 2010-11 and 2011-12".

PMID- 28917297
TI  - Injury-Induced HDAC5 Nuclear Export Is Essential for Axon Regeneration.

PMID- 28917298
TI  - High prevalence of bovine cysticercosis found during evaluation of different post
      mortem detection techniques in Belgian slaughterhouses.
AB  - Bovine cysticercosis (BCC), caused by the helminth Taenia saginata, is currently
      diagnosed solely by official meat inspection (MI) based on macroscopic detection
      of viable cysticerci or typical lesions of degenerated larvae. MI has a known low
      sensitivity (<16%), leading to a large proportion of infected cattle carcasses
      entering the human food chain and posing a risk to public health. Prevalence in
      Belgium based on MI results is estimated at around 0.22%. Due to the low
      sensitivity of MI, alternative techniques to detect BCC should be considered.
      This study evaluates MI, MI with additional incisions in the heart, specific
      antibody detection against excretory/secretory (E/S) in the Ab-ELISA and
      circulating antigens in the B158/B60 Ag-ELISA on 715 (101 MI-positive and 614 MI
      negative) samples collected from carcasses at slaughterhouses in Belgium. Full
      dissection of the predilection sites was considered the reference test. During
      the study, mostly carcasses with (very) light infections were detected containing
      predominantly degenerated or calcified cysticerci and only few viable cysticerci.
      Dissection of the predilection sites detected 144 (23%) additional infections in
      the 614 MI-negative carcasses. When sequentially performing first the dissection
      of the predilection sites, followed by the Ag-ELISA and the Ab-ELISA, an
      additional 36% of MI-negative carcasses were found positive for BCC, resulting in
      a prevalence very much higher than the above mentioned 0.22%. The B158/B60 Ag
      ELISA showed a sensitivity of 40% for the detection of carcasses containing
      viable cysticerci and a specificity of 100%, and detected 70 positive carcasses
      of which only 14 had been identified as positive during MI. If Ag-ELISA were
      implemented as a detection technique for BCC in the slaughterhouses, many
      infected carcasses would still not be detected due to the sensitivity of 40%. But
      as sensitivity increases with increasing number of cysticerci in the carcass, the
      infected carcasses passing inspection will be the ones containing only a few
      viable cysticerci and thus posing a smaller food safety problem. Ag-ELISA is
      preferred over the ES Ab-ELISA in this study, which had a sensitivity of 13.3%
      and a specificity of 91.7% in a population with overall low infection burdens.

PMID- 28917300
TI  - Epidemiologic studies on Theileria equi infections for grazing horses in Ili of
      Xinjiang province.
AB  - In order to found the epidemiological situation of T. equi in the horse herds in
      Ili Prefecture of Xinjiang Province, 723 blood samples collected from 4 counties
      and districts were test for T. equi through microscopic detection and Polymerase
      chain Reaction (PCR). In the result, we found that the 295 of 723 blood samples
      (40.8%) were positive for T. equi infection. The results showed that the choosed
      counties have a varying degrees infection. To our knowledge, this is the first
      time that we detected T. equi infection using the molecular techniques from Ili
      in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region.

PMID- 28917299
TI  - Exploitation of chemical, herbal and nanoformulated acaricides to control the
      cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus - A review.
AB  - The tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is a key vector of bacterial and
      protozoan diseases causing heavy economic losses directly and indirectly in
      animal husbandry. In the past decades, the control of ticks faced some major
      issues, such as the rapid development of resistance in targeted vectors and non
      target effects on human health and the environment, due to the employ of
      synthetic acaricides and repellents. Eco-friendly pesticides for treating and
      controlling animal parasites such as ticks were mainly from medicinal plants and
      thus they form the richest entity for manufacturing resources for drugs. Even
      though there are efforts made to discover reliable plant-based acaricides to
      control ectoparasites in animal husbandry, the effective control of R. (B.)
      microplus ticks still represent a major challenge in current veterinary
      entomology. Recently, a wide number of promising attempts have been conducted to
      use herbal preparations and green-fabricated nanoparticles for the control of R.
      (B.) microplus. The aim of this review is to critically summarize and discuss the
      use of herbal preparations used in ethno-veterinary as well as green-fabricated
      nanoparticles as novel acaricides for the control of the cattle tick R. (B.)
      microplus.

PMID- 28917301
TI  - Cysteine protease 30 (CP30) contributes to adhesion and cytopathogenicity in
      feline Tritrichomonas foetus.
AB  - Tritrichomonas foetus (T. foetus) is a flagellated protozoan parasite that is
      recognized as a significant cause of diarrhea in domestic cats with a prevalence
      rate as high as 30%. No drugs have been shown to consistently eliminate T. foetus
      infection in all cats. Cysteine proteases (CPs) have been identified as mediators
      of T. foetus-induced adhesion-dependent cytotoxicity to the intestinal
      epithelium. These CPs represent novel targets for the treatment of feline
      trichomonosis. However, cats also produce CPs that are part of life-critical
      systems. Thus, parasitic CPs need to be selectively targeted to reduce the
      potential for host toxicity. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of
      a specific CP, CP30, in mediating bovine and human trichomonad cytopathogenicity.
      This CP has also recently been identified in feline T. foetus, although the
      function of this protease in the feline genotype remains unknown. Therefore, the
      study objectives were to characterize the presence of CP30 in feline T. foetus
      isolates and to evaluate the effect of targeted inhibition of CP30 on feline T.
      foetus-induced adhesion dependent cytotoxicity. The presence of CP30 in feline T.
      foetus isolates was identified by In gel zymography and proteomic analysis,
      indirect immunofluorescence (IF), and flow cytometry using a rabbit polyclonal
      antibody that targets bovine T. foetus CP30 (alpha-CP30). The effect of
      inhibition of CP30 activity on T. foetus adhesion and cytotoxicity was determined
      using CFSE-labeled feline T. foetus and crystal violet spectrophotometric assays
      in a previously validated co-culture model. CP30 expression was confirmed in all
      feline T. foetus isolates tested by all assays. Targeted inhibition of feline T.
      foetus CP30 resulted in decreased T. foetus adhesion to and cytotoxicity towards
      IPEC-J2 monolayers compared to rabbit IgG-treated T. foetus isolates. These
      studies establish that CP30 is expressed by feline T. foetus isolates and may be
      an important virulence factor in the cytopathogenicity of feline T. foetus. The
      results of these studies provide strong evidence-based justification for
      investigation of CP30 as a novel target for the treatment of feline
      trichomonosis.

PMID- 28917302
TI  - The global seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among wild boars: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - This systematic review and meta-analysis study was performed to evaluate the
      worldwide seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among wild boar. We searched
      PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, EBSCOhost and Google
      Scholar databases for studies reporting T. gondii seroprevalence in wild boars
      between January 1995 and March 2017. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were
      applied. We estimated the pooled seroprevalence of T. gondii in wild boars using
      a random-effects model, and evaluated overall seroprevalence in different
      geographical areas. A total of 43 articles that included 16788 wild boar from 23
      countries fulfilled our eligibility criteria. Of these, 4759 wild boar had been
      defined T. gondii seropositive and we estimated the pooled worldwide
      seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in wild boars to be 23% (95% CI: 19-27%). The
      pooled seroprevalence in North America (32%, 20-45%; odds ratio [OR] 2.09) and
      Europe (26%, 21-30%; OR 1.72), was higher than Asia (13%, 5-23%). The lowest
      seroprevalence was estimated in South America (5%, 3-8%). An increased
      seropositivity was observed with elevation in geographical latitude. In subgroup
      analyses, the pooled seroprevalence of T. gondii was higher in wild boar older
      than 12 months of age (28%, 22-35%; OR 1.57) compared to those up to 12 months of
      age (20%, 16-25%). Our findings suggest that wild boar have an important role in
      human infection and the epidemiological cycle of T. gondii infection.

PMID- 28917303
TI  - The evaluation of GM6-based ELISA and ICT as diagnostic methods on a Mongolian
      farm with an outbreak of non-tsetse transmitted horse trypanosomosis.
AB  - Trypanosoma equiperdum, which is the etiological agent of dourine, spreads
      through sexual intercourse in equines. Dourine (T. equiperdum) has been reported
      in Mongolia, where it is considered an economically important disease of horses.
      T. evansi has also been reported in Mongolian domestic animals. The objective of
      this study was to evaluate the potential application of recombinant T. evansi GM6
      (rTeGM6-4r)-based diagnostic methods on a farm with an outbreak of non-tsetse
      transmitted horse trypanosomosis. Ninety-seven percent homology was found between
      the amino acid sequences of T. equiperdum GM6 and the GM6 of another Trypanozoon,
      which also shared the same cellular localization. This finding suggests the
      utility of rTeGM6-4r-based serodiagnostic methods for epidemiological studies and
      the diagnosis of both surra and dourine in Equidae. Fifty blood samples were
      examined from a herd of horses. The diagnostic value of an rTeGM6-4r-based ELISA
      and an rTeGM6-4r-based immunochromatographic test (ICT) were measured in
      comparison to a T. evansi crude antigen-based ELISA, which is a diagnostic method
      recommended by the OIE. However, this is not a perfect diagnostic method for
      trypanosomosis. Positive serum samples were detected in 46%, 42% and 28% of the
      tested horses using an rTeGM6-4r-based ELISA, crude antigen-based ELISA and
      rTeGM6-4r-based ICT, respectively. The sensitivity of rTeGM6-based ELISA was 81%,
      the specificity was 79%, and the agreement was moderate. We conclude that rTeGM6
      4r-based ELISA and ICT represent alternative options for baseline epidemiological
      studies and the on-site diagnosis of horse trypanosomoses in the field,
      respectively.

PMID- 28917304
TI  - Prevalence of ticks and tick-borne pathogens: Babesia and Borrelia species in
      ticks infesting cats of Great Britain.
AB  - In a study of tick and tick-borne pathogen prevalence, between May and October
      2016, 278 veterinary practices in Great Britain examined 1855 cats. Six-hundred
      and one cats were found to have attached ticks. The most frequently recorded tick
      species was Ixodes ricinus (57.1%), followed by Ixodes hexagonus (41.4%) and
      Ixodes trianguliceps (1.5%). Male cats, 4-6 years of age living in rural areas
      were most likely to be carrying a tick; hair length and tick treatment history
      had no significant association with attachment. For cats that were parasitized by
      ticks in large urban areas, I. hexagonus was the most frequent species recorded.
      Molecular analysis was possible for 541 individual tick samples, others were too
      damaged for analysis; Babesia spp., and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were
      identified in 1.1% (n=6) and 1.8% (n=10) of these, respectively. Babesia spp.
      included Babesia vulpes sp. nov./Babesia microti-like (n=4) in I. hexagonus and
      Babesia venatorum (n=2) in I. ricinus. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. species included
      Borrelia garinii (n=6) and Borrelia afzelii (n=4). The majority of B. burgorferi
      s.l. cases were found in I. ricinus, with B. afzelii in one I. hexagonus nymph.
      No Borrelia or Babesia spp. were present in I. trianguliceps. To determine a true
      prevalence for ticks on cats, practices that only submitted questionnaires from
      cats with ticks and practices that submitted fewer than 5 returns per week were
      removed; amongst those considered to have adhered strictly to the collection
      protocol, feline tick prevalence amongst cats that had access to the outdoors was
      6.6%. These results show that ticks can be found on cats throughout Great
      Britain, which harbour a range of species of Babesia and B. burgdorferi s.l. and
      that cats, particularly in green spaces within urban areas, may form an important
      host for I. hexagonus, a known vector of pathogens.

PMID- 28917305
TI  - Genetic variability of cloned Cytauxzoon felis ribosomal RNA ITS1 and ITS2
      genomic regions from domestic cats with varied clinical outcomes from five
      states.
AB  - Cytauxzoon felis is a tick-borne hemoparasite that causes cytauxzoonosis in
      domestic cats in the United States. Historically, feline cytauxzoonosis was
      reported to be nearly always fatal. However, increasing evidence of cats
      surviving acute infection and/or harboring a chronic, subclinical infection has
      suggested the existence of different C. felis strains that may vary in
      pathogenicity. In this study, the intraspecific variation of the C. felis first
      and second ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1, ITS2) regions was
      assessed for any clinical outcome or geographic associations. Sequence data were
      obtained for 122C. felis ITS1 and ITS2 clones from 41 domestic cat blood samples
      from Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Seven previously reported
      ITS1 region sequences were found, and a previously undescribed 23-bp insert was
      detected in cloned ITS1 sequences from a domestic cat in Missouri and two cats in
      Oklahoma. Four previously reported ITS2 region sequences were identified, and a
      40-bp insert similar to that previously reported in C. felis of a domestic cat
      from Arkansas and pumas was detected in 18 cloned C. felis sequences from 12
      domestic cats. One clone contained both the 23-bp insert and 40-bp insert within
      the ITS1 and ITS2 regions, respectively. Combined ITS1 and ITS2 sequence
      genotypes revealed that C. felis sequences from 27 cats (72/122 clones)
      corresponded to four previously described genotypes, ITSa, ITSc, ITSd, and ITSn.
      Five clones with the novel 23-bp insert from three cat isolates represented two
      new genotypes, ITSaa and ITSbb. Genotypes ITScc, ITSdd, ITSee, ITSff, ITSgg, and
      ITShh denoted 13 clones that matched prior sequences but had no previously
      assigned genotype. Genotypes ITSii through ITStt comprised 32 clones that were
      similar to, but did not exactly match, previously described genotypes. Twenty
      five cats had C. felis infections with multiple ITS genotypes. Considerable C.
      felis genetic diversity was revealed with no significant geographic or clinical
      outcome associations.

PMID- 28917306
TI  - Evaluation of surface antigen TF1.17 in feline Tritrichomonas foetus isolates.
AB  - Tritrichomonas foetus (T. foetus) is a flagellated protozoa that infects the
      distal ileum and proximal colon of domestic cats, as well as the urogenital tract
      of cattle. Feline trichomonosis is recognized as a prevalent cause of chronic
      diarrhea in cats worldwide. The suspected route of transmission is fecal-oral,
      with cats in densely crowded environments at highest risk for infection. Thus,
      the recommended strategy for minimizing spread of infection is to identify and
      isolate T. foetus-positive cats from the general population. Rapid identification
      of infected cats can be challenging due to the inability to accurately and
      quickly detect the organism in samples at point of care facilities. Thus,
      identification of targets for use in development of a novel diagnostic test, as
      well as a vaccine or therapy for T. foetus infection is a significant area of
      research. Despite a difference in organ tropism between T. foetus genotypes,
      evidence exists for conserved virulence factors between feline and bovine T.
      foetus. The bovine T. foetus surface antigen, TF1.17, is an adhesin that is
      conserved across isolates. Vaccination with the purified antigen results in
      amelioration of cytopathogenicity and more rapid clearance of infection in
      cattle. We previously showed that three feline isolates of T. foetus were
      positive for TF1.17 antigen so we further hypothesized that TF1.17 is conserved
      across feline T. foetus isolates and that this antigen would represent an
      attractive target for development of a novel diagnostic test or therapy for
      feline trichomonosis. In these studies, we used monoclonal antibodies previously
      generated against 1.15 and 1.17 epitopes of the bovine T. foetus TF1.17 antigen,
      to evaluate for the presence and role of TF1.17 in the cytopathogenicity of
      feline T. foetus. A previously validated in vitro co-culture approach was used to
      model feline T. foetus infection. Immunoblotting, immunofluorescence assays, and
      flow cytometric analysis confirmed the presence and surface localization of
      antigen TF1.17 across all feline T. foetus isolates tested. Antigen TF1.17 was
      notably absent in the presumably nonpathogenic intestinal trichomonad,
      Pentatrichomonas hominis, a parasite that can be confused microscopically with T.
      foetus. Similar to bovine trichomoniasis, TF1.17 was found to promote T. foetus
      adhesion to the intestinal epithelium. These results support further
      characterization and development of the TF1.17 antigen as a possible target for
      the diagnosis and prevention of feline T. foetus infection.

PMID- 28917307
TI  - Evaluation of Western blot, ELISA and latex agglutination tests to detect
      Toxoplasma gondii serum antibodies in farmed red deer.
AB  - Abortion due to Toxoplasma gondii has been suspected in New Zealand farmed red
      deer. However, knowledge around the epidemiology and prevalence of T. gondii in
      farmed red deer is limited. The aim of this study was to firstly, assess the
      sensitivity and specificity of two commercially available assays, ELISA and latex
      agglutination test (LAT), for use in deer and secondly, to estimate the sero
      prevalence of T. gondii in red deer. A total of 252 sera from rising 2-year-old
      and adult hinds from 17 New Zealand red deer herds at early and late pregnancy
      scanning and from known aborted and/or non-aborted hinds were tested for the
      presence of T. gondii antibodies. Each assays' sensitivity and specificity was
      evaluated by both the Western Blot (WB) as a gold standard method and Bayesian
      latent class (BLC) analysis in the absence of a gold standard. The sensitivity
      and specificity for WB were 95.8% (95% credible interval: 89.5-99.2%) and 95.1%
      (95% credible interval: 90.6-98.1%), respectively. For the LAT at the
      manufacturer's recommended >=1:32 cut-off titre, the sensitivity (88.7%, 95%
      credible interval: 80.8-94.7%) and specificity (74.3%, 95% credible interval:
      67.5-80.5%) were lower and higher than the sensitivity (76.2%, 95% credible
      interval: 66.7-84.5%) and specificity (89.7%, 95% credible interval: 84.5-93.9%)
      at a >=1:64 cut-off, using (BLC) analysis. Sensitivity and specificity of the LAT
      at cut-off titre of 1:32 were estimated to be 84.4% (95% CI: 74.9-90.9%) and
      73.5% (95% CI: 65.8-79.9%) against WB. The LAT had better agreement with WB at
      cut-off titre of >=1:64 than >=1:32 (Kappa=0.63 vs 0.54). At optimised cut-off
      S/P of 15.5%, the sensitivity (98.8%, 95% credible interval 96.1-99.8%) and
      specificity (92.8%, 95% credible interval 88.9-95.7%) of the ELISA were higher
      and lower, respectively, than the sensitivity (85.1%, 95% credible interval 76.2
      91.9%) and specificity (98.5%, 95% credible interval 96.9-99.4%) at
      manufacturer's cut-off S/P of 30%, from BLC analysis. The sensitivity and
      specificity of ELISA at S/P cut-off of 15.5% was 91.1% (95% CI: 83.2-96.1%) and
      90.7% (95% CI: 85.2-94.7%), respectively, when assessed against WB. The sero
      prevalence from ELISA and LAT, at cut-off of S/P 15.5% and >=1:64, respectively,
      was not significantly different to that from WB (McNemar's Chi-square p=0.21 for
      ELISA and p=0.28 for LAT).

PMID- 28917308
TI  - Prevalence of Pentatrichomonas hominis infections in six farmed wildlife species
      in Jilin, China.
AB  - Pentatrichomonas hominis is an anaerobic flagellated protozoan that primarily
      parasitizes the gastrointestinal tract and is a conditional pathogen. It has an
      extensive host range and is well known as a potential causative agent of zoonotic
      disease. The objective of this study was to provide the first findings of the
      prevalence of P. hominis in six farmed wildlife species, sika deer (S.D.), Rex
      rabbits (R.R.), blue foxes (B.F.), silver foxes (S.F.), raccoon dogs (R.D.) and
      minks (M.), that are commercially important in Jilin Province, China. In this
      study, 450 faecal samples were tested for P. hominis infection by culturing and
      nested PCR assays. The average prevalence of P. hominis infections were as
      follows: S.D. 20% (26/130), R.R. 16.25% (13/80), B.F. 45% (27/60), S.F. 43.33%
      (26/60), R.D. 53.33% (32/60) and M. 48.33% (29/60). The prevalence in herbivores
      (18.57% for S.D. and R.R.) was significantly lower than that in non-herbivores
      (47.5%). PCR product sequencing indicated that infections were mainly caused by
      the P. hominis strain Changchun Canine 1, and we found a P. hominis strain with a
      mutated sequence, Changchun-RR, which had three mutations compared with the
      referenced homologous P. hominis sequences. Morphological observations of the
      Changchun-RR strain showed that it was similar to P. hominis. Our study suggests
      that P. hominis is widespread in six farmed wildlife species in Jilin Province
      and provides baseline information for the presence of this parasite in these
      animals.

PMID- 28917309
TI  - Toxic action of Acmella oleracea extract on the male reproductive system of
      Amblyomma cajennense ticks.
AB  - The present study evaluated through morphohistological and histochemical
      techniques the effects of different concentrations of crude ethanolic extract of
      A. oleracea (EEAO) (Jambu) on the male reproductive system of Amblyomma
      cajennense sensu stricto (s.s.) ticks. The toxicity of this natural chemical was
      stablished, signalizing the promising potential of the compound as a strategy to
      control ectoparasites in the near future. For the experiment, 100 males fed on
      host rabbits with homogeneous weight (p>0.05) were used. The ticks were divided
      into five groups (10 animals each): Control 1-exposed to distilled water; Control
      2-exposed to ethanol 50% and DMSO 1%; Treatment 1-3-exposed to the concentrations
      of 6.2, 12.5 and 25mg/mL of the EEAO, respectively, diluted in ethanol 50% and
      DMSO 1%, with exposure by immersion. After exposure, the males were dissected for
      the removal of the reproductive system and subjected to routine histological
      analysis with HE staining and histochemical techniques (PAS for the detection of
      neutral polysaccharides and Bromophenol blue to detect total proteins). The
      exposed individuals showed alterations in the glandular complex cells; however,
      the testes remained intact. The secretory cells of the multilobulated accessory
      glands presented intense cytoplasmic vacuolation. Additionally, the synthesis and
      secretion were reduced in the secretion granules, mainly concerning the
      polysaccharides, glyco- and lipoprotein elements, substances that will constitute
      the seminal fluid and enable the capacitation of spermatozoa in the female
      genital tract and also necessary for the formation of the spermatophore, which
      will encapsulate the mature spermatids. The alterations were dose-dependent,
      i.e., more intense and severe as the concentration of the product increased.
      .This experiment confirmed the cytotoxic potential of A. oleracea ethanolic
      extract in the concentrations of 6.2, 12.5 and 25mg/mL on the reproductive system
      of A. cajennense s.s. male ticks.

PMID- 28917310
TI  - Screening of a small, well-curated natural product-based library identifies two
      rotenoids with potent nematocidal activity against Haemonchus contortus.
AB  - The control of parasitic roundworms (nematodes) is heavily reliant on the use of
      a limited number of anthelmintic drugs. However, drug resistance is now very
      widespread and no vaccines are available, such that the discovery of new chemical
      entities is crucial. Within this context, we screened a library of pure natural
      products (n=400) against exsheathed third-stage (xL3) larvae of the parasitic
      nematode Haemonchus contortus using a whole-organism screening method. We
      identified two plant-derived rotenoids, deguelin and rotenone, with inhibitory
      activity on xL3 motility. Rotenone was not investigated further, because of its
      toxicity to some vertebrates. The dose response and cytotoxicity studies showed
      potent and selective inhibitory activity of deguelin on motility of xL3 larvae of
      H. contortus. Detailed future work needs to be conducted to explore the mode of
      action of this compound on H. contortus and related nematodes, and to assess its
      potential as an anthelmintic candidate.

PMID- 28917311
TI  - A new lyophilized tachyzoite based ELISA to diagnose Besnoitia spp. infection in
      bovids and wild ruminants improves specificity.
AB  - Recent studies have reported that routinely used whole or soluble Besnoitia
      besnoiti tachyzoite (TZ) extract-based ELISAs potentially give rise to a high
      number of false-positive results, which may compromise control and the
      epidemiological studies of bovine besnoitiosis. Thus, western blot (WB) has been
      recommended as a confirmatory test. In the present study, a new ELISA test that
      employs lyophilized tachyzoites for the first time (BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0) was
      developed and validated with cattle sera (n=606) under a worst-case scenario.
      False positive and false negative, soluble TZ extract-based BbSALUVET ELISA 1.0
      reactors were overrepresented, and WB was used as the reference test. One
      commercial test (PrioCHECK Besnoitia Ab 2.0, which employs whole TZ extract) and
      a recently developed membrane-enriched ELISA (APure-BbELISA) were also tested.
      The three ELISAs showed high AUC values (>0.9). However, the best diagnostic
      performance corresponded to the BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0 and the APure-BbELISA [(92%
      sensitivity (Se) and 98% specificity (Sp)] followed by PrioCHECK Besnoitia Ab 2.0
      (88% Se, 98% Sp, and 4.5% doubtful results). In addition, the BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0
      was validated with wild ruminant sera, and excellent performance (96% Se, 97% Sp,
      and 4% doubtful results) was obtained again. A different antigenic composition of
      the lyophilized tachyzoites, compared with whole or soluble tachyzoite extracts,
      may be responsible for the improved diagnostic performance. This study proposes
      the use of the BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0 in cattle prior to entry to herds free of the
      disease and in valuable samples prior to a selective culling without the need of
      a confirmatory Western Blot test in positive samples due to its excellent
      specificity.

PMID- 28917312
TI  - First finding of nymphal stages of Linguatula serrata in a South American
      camelid, a vicuna from Peru.
AB  - Linguatula serrata, a pentastomid, was found parasitizing the lungs of a vicuna
      (Vicugna vicugna) from Cuzco, Peru. A total of 13 larvae were found encysted in
      the parenchymal tissue of the lungs. All larvae were identified as nymphal stages
      of L. serrata by morphological methods Diagnosis was confirmed by molecular
      analysis amplifying the cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene of three nymphs. Nucleotide
      sequences from the isolates were compared to previous sequences from GenBank, and
      it showed high similarity between them (>99%). This finding constitutes the first
      detection of L. serrata in a South American camelid.

PMID- 28917313
TI  - Field evaluation of poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) native and
      recombinant prototype vaccines.
AB  - Vaccination is a desirable emerging strategy to combat poultry red mite (PRM),
      Dermanyssus gallinae. We performed trials, in laying hens in a commercial-style
      cage facility, to test the vaccine efficacy of a native preparation of soluble
      mite extract (SME) and of a recombinant antigen cocktail vaccine containing
      bacterially-expressed versions of the immunogenic SME proteins Deg-SRP-1, Deg-VIT
      1 and Deg-PUF-1. Hens (n=384 per group) were injected with either vaccine or
      adjuvant only (control group) at 12 and 17 weeks of age and then challenged with
      PRM 10days later. PRM counts were monitored and, at the termination of the
      challenge period (17 weeks post challenge), average PRM counts in cages
      containing birds vaccinated with SME were reduced by 78% (p<0.001), compared with
      those in the adjuvant-only control group. When the trial was repeated using the
      recombinant antigen cocktail vaccine, no statistically significant differences in
      mean PRM numbers were observed in cages containing vaccinated or adjuvant-only
      immunised birds. The roles of antigen-specific antibody levels and duration in
      providing vaccine-induced and exposure-related protective immunity are discussed.

PMID- 28917314
TI  - Evaluation of cardiopulmonary and inflammatory markers in dogs with heartworm
      infection treated using the slow kill method.
AB  - This study evaluated the changes in the levels of cardiac, hemostatic, and
      inflammatory biomarkers in 12 dogs with different severities of heartworm
      infection treated using the slow kill protocol, consisting of 6-10MUg/kg of
      ivermectin and 10mg/kg of doxycycline combination. The serum levels of cardiac
      troponin-I, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 were measured on the
      day of diagnosis (D0), after termination of doxycycline administration (D30),
      after termination of the slow kill treatment (D180), and 10 months after the
      initiation of therapy (D300). Heartworm antigenemia was cleared in 4/4 class I
      dogs, 3/4 class II dogs, and 1/4 class III dogs at the end of the therapy (D180),
      and in 4/4 class I, 4/4 class II, and 1/4 class III dogs at the end of the study
      (D300). The serum levels of the markers in class I dogs on the day of diagnosis
      (D0) were within the reference range, while the levels in class II and III dogs
      were above the reference range. Further, the serum levels of the markers in all
      dogs decreased significantly at the end of the study (D300), although some
      markers in class III dogs remained at pathological levels. This study revealed
      that the slow kill method should be used only as an alternative therapeutic
      protocol for dogs with low worm burden (class I and II). As the slow kill method
      alone may not effectively reduce all pathological changes in dogs with heavy worm
      burden and severe clinical signs (class III), adjuvant therapies including
      steroids and anti-thromboembolics should be used to minimize the risk of
      complications.

PMID- 28917315
TI  - Protective and risk factors associated with the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs in
      dog hair.
AB  - Toxocariasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic zoonoses in the world. The
      disease is principally caused by the nematode Toxocara canis, whose definitive
      host is the dog. The transmission of toxocariasis to humans is mainly caused by
      accidental ingestion of embryonated eggs of the parasite, present in the soil.
      Studies have shown that dog hair has the capacity to harbor eggs of the parasite
      and represents a risk for transmission of the zoonosis. The objective of the
      present study was to evaluate the frequency and factors associated with the
      contamination of dog hair by Toxocara spp. of animals attended and/or abandoned
      at a Veterinary-Teaching Hospital in Southeast Brazil. The hair samples were
      collected from the perineal region, and upper and lower tail regions. For
      analysis of the samples and recovery of Toxocara spp., the material was washed in
      Tween 20 and then filtered through sieves of 300MUm, 212MUm, and 38MUm. Hair
      samples from 165 dogs were analyzed. Of the analyzed samples, 59 (35.8%) were
      from puppies and 106 (64.2%) from adult animals. In the sample evaluation, 6.7%
      of the dogs (11/165) were contaminated, with a mean of 12.2 eggs per animal (1-70
      eggs/animal) and 57.5 eggs/gram of hair. All the recovered eggs were not
      embryonated. There was an influence of age (puppies), breed (without defined
      breed), and origin (stray) of the dogs. On the other hand, deworming was a
      protective factor. Our results show that the risk of transmission of toxocariasis
      by direct contact, mainly in well-cared dogs, is low. Thus, prophylactic
      anthelmintic treatment and correct care regarding the hygiene of animals,
      especially puppies, should be recommended to reduce any risk of transmission of
      toxocariasis.

PMID- 28917316
TI  - Humoral and cytokine response elicited during immunisation with recombinant
      Immune Mapped protein-1 (EtIMP-1) and oocysts of Eimeria tenella.
AB  - Eimeria tenella, the causative agent of caecal coccidiosis, is a pathogenic gut
      dwelling protozoan which can cause severe morbidity and mortality in farmed
      chickens. Immune mapped protein-1 (IMP-1) has been identified as an anticoccidial
      vaccine candidate; in the present study allelic polymorphism was assessed across
      the IMP-1 coding sequence in E. tenella isolates from four countries and compared
      with the UK reference Houghton strain. Nucleotide diversity was low, limited to
      expansion/contraction of a CAG triplet repeat and five substitutions, three of
      which were non-synonymous. The EtIMP-1 coding sequence from a cloned Indian E.
      tenella isolate was expressed in E. coli and purified as a His-tagged thioredoxin
      fusion protein. An in-vivo vaccination and challenge trial was conducted to test
      the vaccine potential of recombinant EtIMP-1 (rEtIMP-1) and to compare post
      vaccination immune responses of chickens to those stimulated by live oocyst
      infection. Following challenge, parasite replication measured using quantitative
      PCR was significantly reduced in chickens that had been vaccinated with rEtIMP-1
      (rIC group; 67% reduction compared to UC or unimmunised controls; 79% reduction
      compared to rTC group or recombinant thioredoxin mock-immunised controls,
      p<0.05), or the birds vaccinated by infection with oocysts (OC group, 90%
      compared to unimmunised controls). Chickens vaccinated with oocysts (OC) had
      significantly higher levels of interferon gamma in their serum post-challenge,
      compared to rEtIMP-1 vaccinated birds (rIC). Conversely rEtIMP-1 (rIC) vaccinated
      birds had significantly higher antigen specific serum IgY responses, correlating
      with higher serum IL-4 (both p<0.05).

PMID- 28917317
TI  - Hammondia heydorni: Oocyst shedding by dogs fed in vitro generated tissue cysts,
      and evaluation of cross-immunity between H. heydorni and Neospora caninum in
      mice.
AB  - Hammondia heydorni is a coccidian parasite believed to be nonpathogenic for
      naturally-infected animals, but it is biologically and genetically related to
      Neospora caninum, a worldwide cause of abortion in cattle. The major aim of the
      present work was to determine whether dogs shed H. heydorni oocysts after
      consuming in vitro generated tissue cysts of the parasite. In addition, we
      investigated cross-immunity between H. heydorni and N. caninum in mice. Two dogs
      were fed cultured cells containing tissue cysts of H. heydorni mixed with canned
      dog food, and a third dog (negative control) received only non-infected cells
      mixed with canned food. The two dogs that consumed in vitro produced tissue cysts
      shed high numbers of oocysts, which were induced to sporulate and tested positive
      for H. heydorni by a species-specific PCR. The third uninfected dog did not shed
      H. heydorni oocysts in the feces. Oocysts shed by the dogs induced the formation
      of encysted bradyzoites of H. heydorni on KH-R cells. Nineteen BALB/c mice were
      employed in the cross-immunity study. Nine mice were orally inoculated with 1*105
      sporulated oocysts of H. heydorni and challenged with N. caninum tachyzoites
      30days after infection with H. heydorni. Other ten mice, which did not receive H.
      heydorni oocysts, were infected with 2*105N. caninum tachyzoites. Thirty days
      after challenging with N. caninum, all mice were euthanized and N. caninum DNA in
      their tissues was quantified by real time PCR. No statistically significant
      difference in N. caninum DNA concentrations were observed between the two groups.
      We concluded that in vitro generated cysts of H. heydorni are biologically
      active, because they induced oocyst shedding in dogs. As no cross-protection
      occurred in mice inoculated with H. heydorni and challenged with N. caninum, it
      is suspected that these parasites do not express significant numbers of
      homologous proteins during infection, or the immune response of BALB/c mice after
      H. heydorni infection was not sufficient.

PMID- 28917318
TI  - Diversity of Spirocerca lupi in domestic dogs and black-backed jackals (Canis
      mesomelas) from South Africa.
AB  - Spirocerca lupi is a parasitic nematode that causes spirocercosis predominantly
      in domestic dogs. Spirocerca lupi nematode samples were collected from four
      regions around South Africa and analyzed to compare the genetic diversity among
      the regions. A total of 56 S. lupi nematodes were obtained by necropsy from
      domestic dogs and wild black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas). Sixteen different
      haplotypes of cox1 were identified some of which are shared between regions as
      well as with black-backed jackal. The genetic similarity between S. lupi in
      domestic dogs and black-backed jackals indicates transmission between these canid
      species and may have potential conservation implications.

PMID- 28917319
TI  - Morphological and molecular analyses of Tylodelphys spp. metacercaria (Trematoda:
      Diplostomidae) from the vitreous humour of two freshwater fish species, Channa
      gachua (Ham.) and Puntius sophore (Ham.).
AB  - Trematodes of family Diplostomatidae consists of a large and diverse group of
      parasites which have larval stages that are very important pathogens of wild and
      cultured freshwater fishes worldwide, can cause serious impacts. Our
      understanding of the diplostomids diversity, though, remains deficient and
      limited especially in India. In the present study, the morphology and molecular
      characterization of Tylodelphys spp. from the vitreous humour of eye, collected
      from two economically important food fish, dwarf snakehead Channa gachua
      (Perciformes: Channidae) and pool barb Puntius sophore (Cypriniformes:
      Cyprinidae) were described from Bijnor and Meerut, Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), India
      respectively. Tylodelphys spp. were characterized morphologically by light
      microscopy and SEM observations. Partial sequences of the ribosomal ITS1-5.8S
      ITS2 gene cluster were also used for molecular identification of the species.
      Combined morphological and molecular analyses revealed the presence of three
      species of Tylodelphys: Tylodelphys sp. CG from C. gachua and Tylodelphys sp. PS
      1, Tylodelphys sp. PS 2 from P. sophore respectively. This study demonstrated
      that molecular diversity of Tylodelphys spp. in Meerut, UP, India that may
      contribute to our knowledge of the diagnosis and taxonomy of diplostomids in
      fish.

PMID- 28917320
TI  - Vector-borne parasitic infections in dogs in the Baltic and Nordic countries: A
      questionnaire study to veterinarians on canine babesiosis and infections with
      Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens.
AB  - Canine vector-borne diseases have been spreading northwards in Europe, and canine
      babesiosis and infections with Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) and Dirofilaria
      repens have been diagnosed also in the Baltic and the Nordic countries. We used
      an online questionnaire to survey how large a proportion of veterinarians in the
      Baltic (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and the Nordic countries (Denmark,
      Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) saw canine babesiosis cases and dogs
      infected with D. immitis and D. repens in 2016. In addition, questions regarding
      transmission, zoonotic potential, clinical signs, and treatment of the infections
      were asked. The questionnaire was completed by 122 veterinarians. In 2016, 23% of
      them had seen at least one case of canine babesiosis, 15% at least one dog with
      D. immitis infection, and 9% at least one dog with D. repens infection. A
      veterinarian working in the Baltic countries had 12.2 times higher odds to have
      seen a canine babesiosis case and 9.3 times higher odds to have seen a dog with
      D. repens infection than a veterinarian working in the Nordic countries did.
      While 48% of the veterinarians knew that canine babesiosis is not considered a
      zoonosis, 26% knew that D. immitis is zoonotic and 34% knew that D. repens is
      zoonotic. The results suggested that autochthonous cases of the three vector
      borne parasitic infections were seen by veterinarians in the Baltic countries,
      whereas most cases seen by veterinarians in the Nordic countries appeared to be
      imported. A substantial proportion of the veterinarians did not know whether the
      parasites are zoonotic.

PMID- 28917321
TI  - A panel of microsatellite markers to discriminate and study interactions between
      Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei.
AB  - Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei are two closely related economically
      important parasites of ruminants. Their close morphological similarity, common
      occurrence as co-infections and ability to hybridize makes definitive diagnosis
      and epidemiological studies in field populations challenging. In this paper, we
      describe the development of a panel of microsatellite markers that can be used to
      discriminate and study the genetics of these two parasite species in co
      infections and mixed field populations. We have identified two additional
      microsatellites (Hp52 and Hp53), in addition to three previously reported
      microsatellites (Hcms3561, Hcms53265 and Hcms36) that have a discrete set of
      alleles between the two species. Multilocus genotyping of worms with this 5
      marker panel from 3 geographically diverse H. placei isolates and 4
      geographically diverse H. contortus populations allows unambiguous species
      assignment of individual worms. This panel of markers should provide a valuable
      resource in studying the biology and epidemiology of these important ruminant
      parasite species in the field.

PMID- 28917322
TI  - High genetic diversity in Toxoplasma gondii isolates from pigs at slaughterhouses
      in Paraiba state, northeastern Brazil: Circulation of new genotypes and Brazilian
      clonal lineages.
AB  - The consumption of raw or undercooked pig meat containing Toxoplasma gondii cysts
      is an important transmission route of this protozoon to animals and humans. This
      study aimed to serologically diagnose, isolate and genotype T. gondii from pigs
      slaughtered for human consumption in the state of Paraiba, northeastern Brazil.
      Blood and tissue samples (heart, tongue and brain) were collected from 120 pigs
      at slaughterhouses in the state of Paraiba. Serological examinations were
      performed with an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) with a cut-off
      point of 1:64. Tissues from positive animals were subjected to bioassays in mice
      to isolate the parasite. A total of 12.5% (15/120) of the animals were positive
      according to the IFAT, with titres ranging from 64 to 2048. Viable parasites were
      isolated in 80% (12/15) of the bioassays. The twelve T. gondii isolates obtained
      in this study and an additional 13 previously described isolates were genotyped
      by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)
      using 11 genetic markers. Additionally, microsatellite (MS) analysis was
      performed using 15 markers. Nineteen of the 25 isolates completely genotyped
      using PCR-RFLP had 12 different genotypes, six of which were newly identified.
      One isolate had a mixed infection. The same 18 non-mixed isolates had 16
      different genotypes based on the MS analysis. Genotype #13 (Caribbean 1), which
      is commonly encountered in northeastern Brazil and is probably a clonal lineage
      circulating in this region, was the most frequent genotype detected through both
      the PCR-RFLP and MS analyses. These results demonstrate that T. gondii is
      widespread among pigs slaughtered in the state of Paraiba. The results also
      confirm that this parasite has high genetic diversity in this region and that non
      archetypal genotypes commonly circulate between different hosts and across
      different regions of Brazil.

PMID- 28917323
TI  - Seroprevalence and first multilocus microsatellite genotyping of Neospora caninum
      in dairy cattle in Henan, central China.
AB  - Neospora caninum is one of the important causes of abortion in cattle worldwide,
      and losses due to neosporosis to the cattle industry are considerable. However,
      the knowledge of genetic characterization of this parasite is limited. The aim of
      the present study is to determine the prevalence and genetic characterization of
      N. caninum from dairy cows in Henan Province, central China. A total of 510 blood
      samples and 7 aborted fetuses were collected from 8 dairy farms in Henan
      Province. Serum antibodies to N. caninum were examined by ELISA using a
      recombinant tNcSRS2 protein as the coating antigen. The overall seroprevalence of
      N. caninum in dairy cows was 41.2% (210/510). The seropositivity rate of N.
      caninum in aborting cows (49.3%) was statistically significant higher than that
      (29.3%) in non-aborting cows (p<0.05) with an odds ratio of 2.44 (95% CI, 1.61
      3.41). Statistical association was also found between farm type and the
      seropositivity rate of N. caninum infection in cows (p<0.01).N. caninum DNA was
      detected from 6 of 396 blood samples (1.5%) and 4 of 7 aborted fetuses by nested
      PCR based on NC5 gene, and the 10N. caninum positive DNA samples were further
      analyzed by multilocus microsatellite (MS) genotyping for MS4, MS5, MS6A, MS7,
      MS8, MS10, and MS12. Only 2 samples were successfully genotyped at all genetic
      loci, and two unique profiles including two novel allelic patterns were
      identified. To our knowledge, this study is the first report of genetic
      characterization of N. caninum isolates from naturally infected dairy cows based
      on multilocus microsatellites (more than 2 loci) in China.

PMID- 28917324
TI  - Targeted anthelmintic treatment of parasitic gastroenteritis in first grazing
      season dairy calves using daily live weight gain as an indicator.
AB  - Control of parasitic gastroenteritis in cattle is typically based on group
      treatments with anthelmintics, complemented by grazing management, where
      feasible. However, the almost inevitable evolution of resistance in parasitic
      nematodes to anthelmintics over time necessitates a reappraisal of their use in
      order to reduce selection pressure. One such approach is targeted selective
      treatment (TST), in which only individual animals that will most benefit are
      treated, rather than whole groups of at-risk cattle. This study was designed to
      assess the feasibility of implementing TST on three commercial farms, two of
      which were organic. A total of 104 first-grazing season (FGS), weaned dairy
      calves were enrolled in the study; each was weighed at monthly intervals from the
      start of the grazing season using scales or weigh-bands. At the same time dung
      and blood samples were collected in order to measure faecal egg counts (FEC) and
      plasma pepsinogen, respectively. A pre-determined threshhold weight gain of
      0.75kg/day was used to determine those animals that would be treated; the
      anthelmintic used was eprinomectin. No individual animal received more than one
      treatment during the grazing season and all treatments were given in July or
      August; five animals were not treated at all because their growth rates
      consistently exceeded the threshold. Mean daily live weight gain over the entire
      grazing season ranged between 0.69 and 0.82kg/day on the three farms. Neither FEC
      nor pepsinogen values were significantly associated with live weight gain.
      Implementation of TST at farm level requires regular (monthly) handling of the
      animals and the use of weigh scales or tape, but can be integrated into farm
      management practices. This study has shown that acceptable growth rates can be
      achieved in FGS cattle with modest levels of treatment and correspondingly less
      exposure of their nematode populations to anthelmintics, which should mitigate
      selection pressure for resistance by increasing the size of the refugia in both
      hosts and pasture.

PMID- 28917325
TI  - Comparison of five diagnostic tests for Giardia duodenalis in fecal samples from
      young dogs.
AB  - Five diagnostic tests were compared for the diagnosis of Giardia duodenalis in
      fecal samples of young dogs. Fecal samples were collected from 136 healthy dogs
      <1year old and examined using immunofluorescence antibody microscopy (IFA) after
      sucrose gradient centrifugation, zinc sulfate centrifugal flotation technique
      (ZSCT), SNAP(r)Giardia test, and ProSpecT(r)Giardia EZ Microplate assay. In
      addition, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the 16S rRNA gene was performed.
      Kappa (kappa) statistic was calculated to assess diagnostic agreement between the
      IFA and each test. Using the IFA as the gold standard, the relative sensitivity
      and specificity of each test were determined. Subsequently, a Bayesian approach
      was used to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of each test in comparison
      to the IFA results. Giardia duodenalis was detected in 41% of the samples
      examined by IFA. The ZSCT resulted in 37% of positive samples, with a relative
      sensitivity and specificity of 86 and 98%, respectively. The SNAP(r)Giardia test
      was positive in 40% of the samples, with a relative sensitivity and specificity
      of 91 and 96%, respectively. The ProSpecT(r) test was positive in 51% of the
      samples, with a relative sensitivity and specificity of 100 and 83%,
      respectively. The relative sensitivity and specificity for PCR were 58 and 56%,
      respectively, with 55% of samples being PCR-positive. While the sensitivity and
      specificity estimates of each test in comparison to the IFA changed when using a
      Bayesian approach, the conclusions remained the same. While the ProSpecT(r) test
      was the most sensitive test in this study, it is not designed for dogs and more
      costly than the other tests. The SNAP(r)Giardia test performed similar to the
      ZSCT but may be more favorable because it is fast and easy to perform.
      Performance of the PCR was poor and the benefit of PCR may be in determining
      genotypes for evaluating zoonotic transfer between dogs and humans.

PMID- 28917326
TI  - Serum levels of cytokines in water buffaloes experimentally infected with
      Fasciola gigantica.
AB  - Fasciola gigantica infection in water buffaloes causes significant economic
      losses especially in developing countries. Although modulation of the host immune
      response by cytokine neutralization or vaccination is a promising approach to
      control infection with this parasite, our understanding of cytokine's dynamic
      during F. gigantica infection is limited. To address this, we quantified the
      levels of serum cytokines produced in water buffaloes following experimental
      infection with F. gigantica. Five buffaloes were infected via oral gavage with
      500 viable F. gigantica metacercariae and blood samples were collected from
      buffaloes one week before infection and for 13 consecutive weeks thereafter. The
      levels of 10 cytokines in serum samples were simultaneously determined using
      ELISA. F. gigantica failed to elicit the production of various pro-inflammatory
      cytokines, including interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, and IFN
      gamma. On the other hand, evidence of a Th2 type response was detected, but only
      early in the course of parasite colonization and included modest increase in the
      levels of IL-10 and IL-13. The results also revealed suppression of the immune
      responses as a feature of chronic F. gigantica infection in buffaloes. Taken
      together, F. gigantica seems to elicit a modest Th2 response at early stage of
      infection in order to downregulate harmful Th1- and Th17-type inflammatory
      responses in experimentally infected buffaloes. The full extent of anti-F.
      gigantica immune response and its relation to pathogenesis requires further
      study.

PMID- 28917327
TI  - Introduction.

PMID- 28917328
TI  - ?

PMID- 28917329
TI  - ?

PMID- 28917331
TI  - [Polypharmacy and geriatric psychiatry].
AB  - The ageing of the population is synonymous with multiple pathologies and
      polypharmacy, which increases risk factors. Francois-Tosquelles general hospital
      carried out a study into the administering of medicines within the ageing
      population in psychiatry and drew up an assessment of professional practices with
      regard to polypharmacy in geriatric psychiatry.

PMID- 28917330
TI  - [Oral administration of medicines in elderly patients and adaptation of galenic
      forms].
AB  - Physiological ageing and pathologies can have an influence on the pharmacology of
      numerous medicines, leading to serious iatrogenic accidents, polypharmacy and
      incorrect use of a medicine in elderly people. An observational study carried out
      in a short-stay geriatric unit focused on the issues surrounding the difficulties
      the elderly may encounter when taking medicines and the prevalence of the
      manipulation of galenic forms.

PMID- 28917332
TI  - [Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome in the elderly patient].
AB  - Withdrawal syndrome is a well known diagnostic entity. As the symptomatology
      related to this syndrome is extremely unspecific, care must be taken not to
      ignore withdrawal syndrome, the consequences of which, while rare, can lead to
      often long and complicated hospitalisations.

PMID- 28917333
TI  - [Nursing homes and fall in the consumption of psychotropic medications].
AB  - The consumption of psychotropic drugs in elderly people remains a concern in
      France, including in nursing homes. A comparative analysis of prescriptions for
      psychotropic medication in nursing homes in 2013 and 2015 based on the computer
      system of the French national health insurance scheme shows a significant
      reduction in the prescribing of these medications. Example of a nursing home in
      Dijon.

PMID- 28917334
TI  - [Checkpoint inhibitors, the perspectives for elderly patients].
AB  - The arrival of new immunotherapies, called checkpoint inhibitors, is radically
      changing the world of oncology. Currently, there are some twenty different
      cancers which may respond to this type of therapy. It is therefore important that
      professionals involved in the care of elderly people with cancer are already made
      aware of these new treatments. This article explains how these checkpoint
      inhibitors work and describes their efficacy and their toxicity for elderly
      patients.

PMID- 28917335
TI  - [A tool for improving the transition between hospital and community care for the
      elderly].
AB  - The hospital-community interface represents a real challenge in the care of
      elderly people. A lack of coordination and communication is the main obstacle to
      ensuring the fluidity of this pathway. On a definite territory, a new hospital
      community liaison sheet was developed as the result of a collaborative approach
      and then evaluated. This simple, useful and effective cross-professional tool, is
      the first step towards improving communication between these two universes.

PMID- 28917337
TI  - ?

PMID- 28917336
TI  - [The reconstruction of meaning in dementia].
AB  - Dementia brings about progressive cognitive deterioration, combining memory
      problems, language difficulties and thought disorders. While there is currently
      no treatment for the organic disorders causing the dementia, help can be given to
      patients to slow down the regressive processes. Psychological mediations exist to
      support patients in their efforts to make sense of their environment.

PMID- 28917338
TI  - ?

PMID- 28917341
TI  - Endoscopic submucosal dissection for Barrett's neoplasia: decade of experience,
      little progress. Is ESD thE-BEST for complex Barrett's neoplasia?

PMID- 28917340
TI  - Esophageal dilation for eosinophilic esophagitis: it's safe! Why aren't we doing
      more dilations?

PMID- 28917342
TI  - Endoscopic submucosal dissection in endotherapy for Barrett's esophagus-related
      dysplasia and neoplasia: An essential or optional technique?

PMID- 28917343
TI  - Long-term outcomes for cryotherapy in Barrett's esophagus with high-grade
      dysplasia: just cracking the ice.

PMID- 28917344
TI  - EUS-guided celiac ganglia neurolysis versus celiac plexus neurolysis: dying to
      know which is better.

PMID- 28917345
TI  - Bowel preparation for colonoscopy and hypokalemia: at the heart of the problem!

PMID- 28917346
TI  - Image-enhanced endoscopy: How far do we need to go?

PMID- 28917348
TI  - Risk of metachronous advanced neoplasia in patients with diminutive versus small
      tubular adenomas: Is the juice worth the squeeze?

PMID- 28917347
TI  - Optical diagnosis of early colorectal cancer: riding the highs and lows of the
      Japanese Narrow-Band Imaging Expert Team classification.

PMID- 28917349
TI  - Postcolonoscopy mortality: Bowel preparation to blame?

PMID- 28917350
TI  - Response.

PMID- 28917351
TI  - Do we really need a fully covered self-expanding metal stent for the treatment of
      difficult common bile duct stones?

PMID- 28917352
TI  - Techniques of ERCP with a conventional endoscope in pancreatoduodenectomy
      anatomy.

PMID- 28917353
TI  - Response.

PMID- 28917354
TI  - Endoscopic full-thickness resection with use of the over-the-scope clip: a word
      of caution!

PMID- 28917355
TI  - Response.

PMID- 28917356
TI  - SAGES rebuttal.

PMID- 28917357
TI  - Response.

PMID- 28917358
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28917359
TI  - Dance is more than therapy: Qualitative analysis on therapeutic dancing classes
      for Parkinson's.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To understand the benefits and limitations of therapeutic dancing
      classes for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and how best to design and
      implement classes. DESIGN: A stakeholder forum explored the opinions of 18 allied
      health clinicians, dance instructors, people with PD and caregivers. Data were
      thematically analysed and interpreted within a grounded theory framework.
      RESULTS: Four main themes were identified: (1) the need to consider the stage of
      disease progression when designing classes; (2) recognition that dance is more
      than just therapy; (3) the benefits of carefully selecting music to move by; (4)
      ways to design classes that are both feasible and engaging. These themes give
      rise to the theory that dancing classes can provide more than just therapeutic
      benefits. Dance affords creative expression and enables people to immerse
      themselves in the art-form, rather than focussing on the disease. The results
      highlight the benefits of enabling individuals with PD to be able to express
      themselves in a supportive environment that does not see them solely through the
      lens of Parkinson's. The feasibility of dance programs can be increased by
      educating dancing teachers about PD and the unique needs of people living with
      this condition. CONCLUSION: Well-structured dance classes can promote social
      connectedness and joy, in addition to facilitating movement to music and physical
      activity. Consumers advised that careful planning of the classes and tailoring
      them to participant needs optimizes outcomes.

PMID- 28917360
TI  - A randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating quality of life when using a
      simple acupressure protocol in women with primary dysmenorrhea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a simple acupressure protocol in LIV3 and LI4 acupoints in
      women with primary dysmenorrhea. METHODS: This paper reports a randomized, single
      blinded clinical trial. 90 young women with dysmenorrhea were recruited to three
      groups to receive 20min acupressure every day in either LIV3 or LI4, or placebo
      points. Acupressure was timed five days before menstruation for three successive
      menstrual cycles. On menstruation, each participant completed the Wong Baker
      faces pain scale, and the quality of life short form -12 (QOL SF-12). RESULTS:
      Intensity and duration of pain between the three groups in the second and third
      cycles during the intervention (p<0.05) differed significantly. Significant
      differences were seen in all domains of QOL except for mental health (p=0.4),
      general health (p=0.7) and mental subscale component (p=0.12) in the second
      cycle, and mental health (p=0.9), and mental subscale component (p=0.14) in the
      third cycle. CONCLUSION: Performing the simple acupressure protocol is an
      effective method to decrease the intensity and duration of dysmenorrhea, and
      improve the QOL. Registration ID in IRCT: IRCT2016052428038N1.

PMID- 28917361
TI  - Immediate effects of Pilates based therapeutic exercise on postural control of
      young individuals with non-specific low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Low back pain affects the person's ability to keep balance,
      especially in challenging conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine
      the immediate effects of Pilates exercises on postural sway and dynamic balance
      of young individuals with non-specific low back pain. DESIGN: Controlled
      laboratory design. SETTINGS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Forty-six participants
      with non-specific low back pain were randomized to a Pilates (n=23, 10 males;
      age: 21.8+/-3.2years) and a control group (n=23, 9 males; age: 22.8+/-3.6years).
      Postural sway was assessed with a force platform and dynamic balance with the
      Star Excursion Balance Test, before and after the intervention or rest period. To
      assess postural sway, participants stood still on an unstable surface set on the
      force plate for 90s, with eyes closed. INTERVENTION: The intervention lasted
      20min and consisted on four Pilates exercises: single leg stretch (level 1),
      pelvic press (level 1), swimming (level 1) and kneeling opposite arm and leg
      reach. RESULTS: At baseline, no differences were found between groups. The
      Pilates group improved in all the postural sway values (area of CoP: 11.5+/-3.4
      to 9.7+/-2.7cm2, p=0.002 and CoP velocity: 2.8+/-0.6 to 2.3+/-0.5cm/s, p<0.001)
      and in the Star Excursion Balance Test. Control group only improved in CoP
      velocity, however, this improvement was significantly inferior compared to the
      Pilates group. CONCLUSIONS: Pilates exercises immediately improved postural sway
      and dynamic balance in young adults with non-specific low back pain.

PMID- 28917362
TI  - A comparative study of the antacid effect of some commonly consumed foods for
      hyperacidity in an artificial stomach model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The incorporation of certain alkalinizing vegetables, fruits, milk
      and its products in the diet has been known to alleviate hyperacidity. These
      foods help to restore the natural gastric balance and function, curb acid reflux,
      aid digestion, reduce the burning sensation due to hyperacidity and soothe the
      inflamed mucosa of the stomach. The present study evaluates and compares the
      antacid effect of broccoli, kale, radish, cucumber, lemon juice, cold milk and
      curd in an artificial stomach model. DESIGN: The pH of the test samples and their
      neutralizing effect on artificial gastric acid was determined and compared with
      that of water, the active control sodium bicarbonate and a marketed antacid
      preparation ENO. A modified model of Vatier's artificial stomach was used to
      determine the duration of consistent neutralization of artificial gastric acid by
      the test samples. The neutralizing capacity of the test samples was determined in
      vitro using the classical titration method of Fordtran. RESULTS: All test samples
      except lemon showed significantly higher (p<0.05 for cucumber and p<0.001 for the
      rest) acid neutralizing effect than water. All test samples also exhibited a
      significantly (p<0.001) higher duration of consistent neutralization and higher
      antacid capacity than water. Highest antacid activity was demonstrated by cold
      milk and broccoli which was comparable with ENO and sodium bicarbonate.
      CONCLUSION: It may be concluded that the natural food ingredients used in this
      study exhibited significant antacid activity, justifying their use as essential
      dietary components to counter hyperacidity.

PMID- 28917363
TI  - Effects of music and music video interventions on sleep quality: A randomized
      controlled trial in adults with sleep disturbances.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to compare the effects of music and music
      video interventions on objective and subjective sleep quality in adults with
      sleep disturbances. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was performed on 71
      adults who were recruited from the outpatient department of a hospital with 1100
      beds and randomly assigned to the control, music, and music video groups.
      INTERVENTIONS: During the 4 test days (Days 2-5), for 30min before nocturnal
      sleep, the music group listened to Buddhist music and the music video group
      watched Buddhist music videos. They were instructed to not listen/watch to the
      music/MV on the first night (pretest, Day 1) and the final night (Day 6). The
      control group received no intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sleep was assessed
      using a one-channel electroencephalography machine in their homes and self
      reported questionnaires. RESULTS: The music and music video interventions had no
      effect on any objective sleep parameters, as measured using
      electroencephalography. However, the music group had significantly longer
      subjective total sleep time than the music video group did (Wald chi2=6.23,
      p=0.04). CONCLUSION: Our study results increase knowledge regarding music
      interventions for sleep quality in adults with sleep disturbances. This study
      suggested that more research is required to strengthen the scientific knowledge
      of the effects of music intervention on sleep quality in adults with sleep
      disturbances. (ISRCTN94971645).

PMID- 28917364
TI  - Managing childhood and adolescent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
      with exercise: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most
      common neuropsychiatric disorders affecting some 8-10% of children worldwide.
      Increasing research has shed light on the life course of the disorder, suggesting
      that majority of children with ADHD will continue to have persistent symptoms
      into adulthood. The mainstay of ADHD management has been pharmacologic and
      behavioural/psychological interventions, with little attention paid to exercise
      as a potential management strategy. A systematic review, examining both the short
      term and long-term effects of exercise on children with ADHD, is timely and
      necessary to guide further research in this area. METHODS: Using the keywords
      [exercise OR physical OR activity OR sport] AND [attention deficit hyperactivity
      disorder OR ADHD OR ADDH], a preliminary search on the PubMed and Ovid database
      yielded 613 papers published in English between 1-Jan-1980 and 1-July-2016. Full
      articles were also reviewed for references of interest. RESULTS: A total of 30
      studies were included in this systematic review. Both short-term and long-term
      studies support the clinical benefits of physical activity for individuals with
      ADHD. Cognitive, behavioural and physical symptoms of ADHD were alleviated in
      most instances, and the largest intervention effects were reported for mixed
      exercise programs. No adverse effects arising from physical exercise were
      reported in any of the studies, suggesting that exercise is a well-tolerated
      intervention. CONCLUSION: Physical activity, in particular moderate-to-intense
      aerobic exercise, is a beneficial and well-tolerated intervention for children
      and adolescents with ADHD. Future research should include more adequately-powered
      trials and investigate the ideal exercise prescription.

PMID- 28917365
TI  - A systematic review of the efficacy and safety of Rosa damascena Mill. with an
      overview on its phytopharmacological properties.
AB  - Rosa damascena Mill. is one of the most famous ornamental plants cultivated all
      over the world mostly for perfumery industries. Traditionally it has been used as
      an astringent, analgesic, cardiac and intestinal tonic.The paucity
      ofauthoritative monographs urged usto summarize its clinical effectiveness and
      safety with acomprehensive review of the literature. "PUBMED", "SCOPUS", "WEBOF
      SCIENCE" were searched up to April 30, 2017 with search terms:("Rosa damascena"
      OR "Damask Rose"). All human studies with any mono-preparation were included. In
      vitro and animal studies from "PUBMED"were also reviewed and outlined. Of "1000"
      identified publications, twelveeligibleclinical trials were retrieved.
      Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, protective neuronal,
      cardiac, gastrointestinal and hepatic effectsin 30 in vitro and 21 animal studies
      were also shown. there are promising evidences for the effectiveness and safety
      of Rosa damascena Mill in pain relief, but confirmatory studies withstandardized
      products is suggested.

PMID- 28917366
TI  - Complementary and alternative medicine self-care strategies for nausea in
      patients undergoing abdominal or pelvic irradiation for cancer: A longitudinal
      observational study of implementation in routine care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To longitudinally describe practice of Complementary and Alternative
      Medicine (CAM) self-care strategies for nausea during radiotherapy. METHODS: Two
      hundred patients daily registered nausea and practice of CAM self-care
      strategies, beside conventional antiemetic medications, for nausea during
      abdominal/pelvic irradiation (median five weeks) for gynecological (69%)
      colorectal (27%) or other tumors (4%). RESULTS: During radiotherapy, 131 (66%)
      experienced nausea, and 50 (25%) practiced self-care for nausea at least once,
      for a mean (m) of 15.9days. The six of 50 patients who stayed free from nausea
      practiced self-care more frequent (m=25.8days) than the 44 patients experiencing
      nausea (m=14.5) (p=0.013). The CAM self-care strategies were: modifying eating
      (80% of all self-care practicing patients, 80% of the nauseous patients versus
      83% of the patients free from nausea; ns) or drinking habits (38%, 41% vs 17%;
      ns), taking rests (18%, 20% vs 0%; ns), physical exercising (6%, 2% vs 33%;
      p=0.035), acupressure (4%, 5% vs 0%; ns) and self-induced vomiting (2%, 2% vs 0%;
      ns). CONCLUSION: A fourth of patients undergoing emetogenic radiotherapy
      practiced CAM self-care for nausea, mostly by modifying eating or drinking
      habits. The CAM self-care practicing patients who did not become nauseous
      practiced self-care more frequent than the nauseous patients did. To make such
      self-care evidence based, we need studies evaluating its efficacy.

PMID- 28917368
TI  - Improving vasomotor symptoms; psychological symptoms; and health-related quality
      of life in peri- or post-menopausal women through yoga: An umbrella systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), commonly reported during menopausal
      transition, negatively affect psychological health and health-related quality of
      life (HRQoL). While hormone therapy is an effective treatment, its use is limited
      by concerns about possible harms. Thus, many women with VMS seek nonhormonal,
      nonpharmacologic treatment options. However, evidence to guide clinical
      recommendations is inconclusive. This study reviewed the effectiveness of yoga,
      tai chi and qigong on vasomotor, psychological symptoms, and HRQoL in peri- or
      post-menopausal women. DESIGN: MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews,
      EMBASE, CINAHL and the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database were searched.
      Researchers identified systematic reviews (SR) or RCTs that evaluated yoga, tai
      chi, or qigong for vasomotor, psychological symptoms, and health-related quality
      of life (HRQoL) in peri- or post-menopausal women. Data were abstracted on study
      design, participants, interventions and outcomes. Risk of bias (ROB) was assessed
      and updated meta-analyses were performed. RESULTS: We identified one high-quality
      SR (5 RCTs, 582 participants) and 3 new RCTs (345 participants) published after
      the SR evaluating yoga for vasomotor, psychological symptoms, and HRQoL; no
      studies evaluated tai chi or qigong. Updated meta-analyses indicate that,
      compared to controls, yoga reduced VMS (5 trials, standardized mean difference
      (SMD) -0.27, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.05) and psychological symptoms (6 trials, SDM 
      0.32; 95% CI -0.47 to -0.17). Effects on quality of life were reported
      infrequently. Key limitations are that adverse effects were rarely reported and
      outcome measures lacked standardization. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this meta
      analysis suggest that yoga may be a useful therapy to manage bothersome vasomotor
      and psychological symptoms.

PMID- 28917367
TI  - Perceptions of hatha yoga amongst persistently depressed individuals enrolled in
      a trial of yoga for depression.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To understand depressed individuals' experiences in a 10-week hatha
      yoga program. DESIGN: In a randomized controlled trial, participants were
      assigned to either 10 weeks of hatha yoga classes or a health education control
      group. This report includes responses from participants in yoga classes. At the
      start of classes, average depression symptom severity level was moderate. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: After 10 weeks of yoga classes, we asked participants (n=50) to
      provide written responses to open-ended questions about what they liked about
      classes, what they did not like or did not find helpful, and what they learned.
      We analyzed qualitative data using thematic analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
      Elements of yoga classes that may increase acceptability for depressed
      individuals include having instructors who promote a non-competitive and non
      judgmental atmosphere, who are knowledgeable and able to provide individualized
      attention, and who are kind and warm. Including depression-related themes in
      classes, teaching mindfulness, teaching breathing exercises, and providing
      guidance for translating class into home practice may help to make yoga effective
      for targeting depression. Participants' comments reinforced the importance of
      aspects of mindfulness, such as attention to the present moment and acceptance of
      one's self and one's experience, as potential mechanisms of action. Other
      potential mechanisms include use of breathing practices in everyday life and the
      biological mechanisms that underlie the positive impact of yogic breathing. The
      most serious concern highlighted by a few participants was the concern that the
      yoga classes were too difficult given their physical abilities.

PMID- 28917369
TI  - Emesis in patients receiving acupuncture, sham acupuncture or standard care
      during chemo-radiation: A randomized controlled study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study nausea, vomiting and need for rescue antiemetics in patients
      receiving antiemetic acupuncture, sham acupuncture or standard care during
      concomitant chemotherapy during pelvic radiotherapy. METHODS: In total, 68
      patients participated (75% women, mean age 56 years, 53% had gynecological, 43%
      colorectal, and 4% other cancer types). Fifty-seven of them were blinded
      randomized to verum (n=28) or sham (n=29) acupuncture, median 10 sessions. During
      the study period of four weeks, the patients daily registered their nausea,
      vomiting and consumption of antiemetics. They were compared to a reference group
      (n=11) receiving standard care only, who delivered these data once (after
      receiving mean 27Gy radiotherapy dose). RESULTS: More patients in the sham
      acupuncture group (17 of 20; 85%, p=0.019, RR 1.81, CI 1.06-3.09) consumed
      antiemetics, compared to the verum acupuncture group (8 of 17; 47%). In the
      standard care group, 7 of 11 (63%) consumed antiemetics. The verum acupuncture
      treated patients experienced lower intensity of nausea than the other patients
      (p=0.049). There was a non-significant tendency that more patients receiving
      either sham acupuncture or standard care experienced nausea (21 of 31; 68%) than
      patients receiving verum acupuncture (9 of 17; 53%: p=0.074, RR 1.58, CI 0.91
      2.74). CONCLUSION: Patients treated with verum acupuncture needed less
      antiemetics and experienced milder nausea than other patients. Our study was
      small and many analyses lacked statistical power to detect differences; we
      welcome further sham-controlled efficacy studies and studies regarding the role
      of non-specific treatment components for experiencing antiemetic effects of
      acupuncture.

PMID- 28917370
TI  - Aromatherapies using Osmanthus fragrans oil and grapefruit oil are effective
      complementary treatments for anxious patients undergoing colonoscopy: A
      randomized controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Colonoscopy can be painful and uncomfortable. Aromatherapy
      is often used for the relief of anxiety or discomfort. Recently, it has been
      reported that olfactory stimulation induces various physiological effects. We
      investigated the effects of aromatherapy on anxiety and abdominal discomfort
      during colonoscopy. METHODS: The investigation was carried out using a randomized
      controlled study. Aromatherapy was performed by vapor diffusion, and each patient
      was given one of the following treatments: no inhalation (control group),
      essential-oil-less vapor (vehicle group), lavender oil (lavender group),
      grapefruit oil (grapefruit group), or Osmanthus fragrans oil (Osmanthus fragrans
      group). Following total colonoscopy procedures, each patient estimated their
      anxiety and abdominal discomfort using the Numeric Rating Scale. RESULTS: Total
      colonoscopy was performed on 361 patients. No complications caused by colonoscopy
      or aromatherapy were experienced. In the Osmanthus fragrans group, anxiety was
      significantly attenuated. The abdominal discomfort of patients who reported
      strong anxiety during colonoscopy was significantly attenuated in the grapefruit
      group and the Osmanthus fragrans group. CONCLUSION: Aromatherapies using
      Osmanthus fragrans oil and grapefruit oil are effective complementary treatments
      for anxious patients undergoing colonoscopy.

PMID- 28917372
TI  - Transcendental meditation for lowering blood pressure: An overview of systematic
      reviews and meta-analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcendental meditation (TM) is a stress reduction technique that
      can potentially lower blood pressure (BP) safely. The American Heart Association
      recommends that TM may be considered in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To provide
      an overview of all systematic reviews and meta-analyses of TM on BP for evidence
      informed clinical decision making. METHOD: Systematic searches of PubMed,
      EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycINFO for all
      systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      with TM as an intervention, and outcome measures include systolic BP (SBP) and
      diastolic BP (DBP). Qualitative and quantitative data were synthesized. The
      methodological quality of the selected reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR
      checklist. RESULTS: Eight systematic reviews and meta-analyses are included.
      Among them is an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report, a Cochrane
      systematic review, 4 independent reviews, and 2 reviews from a TM related
      institution. The quality of most of the included reviews is fair with a mean
      score of 5.75/11 on the AMSTAR scale. Overall, there exists a clear trend of
      increasing evidence over the years supporting the efficacy of TM in lowering BP.
      However, some conflicting findings remain across reviews and potential risk of
      bias exists in many of the RCTs included in these reviews. CONCLUSION: Practising
      TM may potentially reduce the SBP by ~4mm Hg and DBP by ~2mm Hg. Such effect is
      comparable with other lifestyle interventions such as weight-loss diet and
      exercise. Further evidence from long-term well-designed RCTs conducted by
      independent researchers is needed.

PMID- 28917371
TI  - Cannabinoids for spasticity due to multiple sclerosis or paraplegia: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Spasticity remains highly prevalent in patients with spinal cord
      injury and multiple sclerosis. To summarize the effects of cannabinoids compared
      with usual care, placebo for spasticity due to multiple sclerosis (MS) or
      paraplegia. METHODS: Searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL and LILACS to March
      2017 were performed to identify randomized controlled trials. The primary
      outcomes were spasticity and spasm frequency. The criteria were any patient with
      MS and spasticity affecting upper or lower limbs or both, and that had a
      confirmed diagnosis of MS based on validated criteria, or however defined by the
      authors of the included studies. RESULTS: 16 trials including 2597 patients were
      eligible. Moderate-certainty evidence suggested a non-statistically significant
      decrease in spasticity (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.36 [confidential
      interval (CI) 95% -0.17 to 0.88; p=0.18; I2=88%]), and spasm frequency (SMD 0.04
      [CI 95% -0.15 to 0.22]). There was an increase in adverse events such as
      dizziness (risk ratio (RR) 3.45 [CI 95% 2.71-4.4; p=0.20; I2=23%]), somnolence
      (RR 2.9 [CI 95% 1.98-4.23; p=0.77; I2=0%]), and nausea (RR 2.25 [CI 95% 1.62
      3.13; p=0.83; I2=0%]). CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate certainty evidence
      regarding the impact of cannabinoids in spasticity (average 0.36 more spasticity;
      0.17 fewer to 0.88 more) due to multiple sclerosis or paraplegia, and in adverse
      events such as dizziness (419 more dizziness/1000 over 19 weeks), somnolence (127
      more somnolence/1000 over 19 weeks), and nausea (125 more somnolence/1000 over 19
      weeks).

PMID- 28917373
TI  - Efficacy of topical Rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) oil for migraine headache: A
      randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled cross-over trial.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the effect of topical formulation of Rosa damascena Mill. (R.
      damascena) oil on migraine headache, applying syndrome diffrentiation model.
      METHODS AND MATERIALS: Forty patients with migraine headache were randomly
      assigned to 2 groups of this double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial.
      The patients were treated for the first 2 consecutive migraine headache attacks
      by topical R. damascena oil or placebo. Then, after one week of washout period,
      cross-over was done. Pain intensity of the patients' migraine headache was
      recorded at the beginnig and ten-sequence time schadule of attacks up to 24h. In
      addition, photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea and/or vomitting (N/V) of the
      patients were recorded as secondary outcomes. Finally, gathered data were
      analysed in a syndrome differentiation manner to assess the effect of R.
      damascena oil on Hot- and Cold-type migraine headache. RESULTS: Mean pain
      intensity of the patients' migraine headache in the different time-points after
      R. damascena oil or placebo use, was not significantly different. Additionally,
      regarding mean scores of N/V, photophobia, and phonophobia severity of the
      patients, no significant differences between the two groups were observed.
      Finally, applying syndrome differentiation model, the mean score of migraine
      headache pain intensity turned out to be significantly lower in patients with
      "hot" type migraine syndrome at in 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120min after R. damascena
      oil application compared to "cold" types (P values: 0.001, 0.001, <0.001, <0.001,
      and 0.02; respectively). CONCLUSION: It seems that syndrome differentiation can
      help in selection of patients who may benefit from the topical R. damascena oil
      in short-term relief of pain intensity in migraine headache. Further studies of
      longer follow-up and larger study population, however, are necessitated for more
      scientifically rigorous judgment on efficacy of R. damascena oil for patients
      with migraine headache.

PMID- 28917374
TI  - Short-term effect of add on bell pepper (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) juice with
      integrated approach of yoga therapy on blood glucose levels and cardiovascular
      functions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major global health problem.
      Though various studies have reported the beneficial effect of Yoga in patient
      with T2DM, there is a lack of study in combination with bell pepper and yoga.
      Hence, the present study aims at evaluating short-term effect of add on bell
      pepper juice with integrated approach of yoga therapy (IAYT) on blood glucose
      levels and cardiovascular variables in patients with T2DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Fifty T2DM subjects with the age varied from 34 to 69-years were recruited and
      randomly divided into either study group or control group. The study group
      received 100-ml of bell pepper juice (twice/day) along with IAYT while the
      control group received only IAYT for 4-consecutive days. Baseline and post-test
      assessments were taken before and after the intervention. Statistical analysis
      was performed using statistical package for the social sciences, version-16.
      RESULTS: Results of this study showed no significant difference in overall
      (fasting and post prandial) blood glucose level in the study group compared with
      control group. However, a significant reduction in Post prandial blood glucose
      (PPBG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulse pressure (PP), rate pressure product
      (RPP) and Double product (Do-P) was observed in the study group compared with
      control group. CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that though an addition
      of 100-ml of bell pepper juice (twice/day) along with IAYT is not more effective
      in reducing fasting blood glucose, it may be more effective in reducing PPBG,
      SBP, PP, RPP and Do-P than IAYT alone.

PMID- 28917375
TI  - Total glucosides of paeony for rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review of
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Total glucosides of paeony (TGP) is commonly used to treat rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) in China. However, clinical practice hasn't been well informed by
      evidence from appropriately conducted systematic reviews. This PRISMA-compliant
      systematic review aims at examining the effectiveness and safety of TGP for RA.
      METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing TGP with placebo, no
      treatment, or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for patients with RA
      were retrieved by searching seven databases. Primary outcomes included disease
      improvement and disease remission. Secondary outcomes included adverse effects,
      pain, health-related quality of life, C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate (ESR). Data extraction and analyses were conducted according
      to the Cochrane standards. We assessed risk of bias for each included studies and
      quality of evidence on pre-specified outcomes. RESULTS: Eight studies enrolling
      1209 patients with active RA were included in this systematic review. On the
      basis of traditional DMARD(s), TGP might be beneficial for patients with RA in
      improvement of American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 response rate, ACR 50
      response rate, ACR70 response rate, and in reduction of adverse effects, compared
      with no treatment. The overall methodological quality of included studies and the
      quality of evidence for each outcome were limited. CONCLUSIONS: Current trials
      suggested potential benefits of TGP for RA on the basis of traditional DMARD(s).
      Therefore, TGP may be a good choice for RA as an adjuvant therapy. However,
      considering the limited methodological quality and strength of evidence, high
      quality RCTs are warranted to support the use of TGP for RA.

PMID- 28917377
TI  - The effect of a beeswax, olive oil and Alkanna tinctoria (L.) Tausch mixture on
      burn injuries: An experimental study with a control group.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was planned to investigate the effect of a mixture of
      beeswax, olive oil and A. Tinctoria (L.) Tausch on burn wounds to determine the
      impact on burn healing, pain during dressing changes and duration of hospital
      stay. METHODS: The study was conducted between May 2014 and August 2015 in the
      Burn Unit of Ataturk University Research Hospital. The sample of this
      experimental study consisted of 64 patients (31 experimental group and 33 control
      group) who met its inclusion criteria. While the specially prepared dressing
      material was applied to the experimental group, the control group was
      administered the clinic's routine dressing. The injuries were photographed before
      each dressing. Each picture was uploaded to a computer for measurement with
      ImageJ software. Numbers, percentages, chi square, Independent samples t-test and
      Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess the data. RESULTS: The patients in the
      experimental and control groups had similar descriptive characteristics and burn
      injury features (p>0.05). The average age of the patients in the control group
      was 5.52+/-0.64years, and 6.68+/-1.09years in the experimental group. The
      majority of the patients were male (control: 54.5%, experimental: 58.1%). Boiling
      liquids were the most common cause of both groups' burns (control: 93.9%,
      experiment: 83.9%). The most common first aid practice used was the application
      of cold water (control: 75.0%, experimental: 43.6%). The epithelization
      initiation time average of the experimental group patients (3.00+/-0.85days) was
      found to be earlier than that of the control group patients (6.90+/-1.77days),
      and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean pain scores
      experienced by the patients in the experimental group during dressing (8.12+/
      1.38) were determined to be lower than those of the control group (9.39+/-1.05),
      and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). It was also found
      that mean hospitalization durations of the patients in the experimental group
      (8.22+/-3.05) were shorter than those of the control group (14.42+/-7.79), and
      this difference was also found to be statistically significant (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: When a beeswax, olive oil and A. tinctoria (L.) Tausch mixture was
      applied to second degree burns, this accelerated epithelization, reduced the pain
      experienced during dressing changes and shortened the hospital stay durations of
      the patients.

PMID- 28917376
TI  - Ayurvedic versus conventional dietary and lifestyle counseling for mothers with
      burnout-syndrome: A randomized controlled pilot study including a qualitative
      evaluation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Ayurveda claims to be effective in the treatment of psychosomatic
      disorders by means of lifestyle and nutritional counseling. DESIGN: In a
      randomized controlled study mothers with burnout were randomized into two groups:
      Ayurvedic nutritional counseling (according to tradition), and conventional
      nutritional counseling (following the recommendations of a family doctor).
      Patients received five counseling sessions over twelve weeks. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Outcomes included levels of burnout, quality of life, sleep, stress,
      depression/anxiety, and spirituality at three and six months. It also included a
      qualitative evaluation of the communication processes. RESULTS: We randomized
      thirty four patients; twenty three participants were included in the per protocol
      analysis. No significant differences were observed between the groups. However,
      significant and clinically relevant intra-group mean changes for the primary
      outcome burnout, and secondary outcomes sleep, stress, depression and mental
      health were only found in the Ayurveda group. The qualitative part of the study
      identified different conversational styles and counseling techniques between the
      two study groups. In conventional consultations questions tended to be category
      bound, while counseling-advice was predominantly admonitory. The Ayurvedic
      practitioner used open-ended interrogative forms, devices for displaying
      understanding, and positive re-evaluation more frequently, leading to an overall
      less asymmetrical interaction. CONCLUSIONS: We found positive effects for both
      groups, which however were more pronounced in the Ayurvedic group. The
      conversational and counseling techniques in the Ayurvedic group offered more
      opportunities for problem description by patients as well as patient-centered
      practice and resource-oriented recommendations by the physician. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: NCT01797887.

PMID- 28917378
TI  - Chinese herbal medicine Dengzhan Xixin injection for acute ischemic stroke: A
      systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal medicine
      Dengzhan Xixin (Erigeron breviscapus) injection for acute ischemic stroke.
      DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42016038413,
      http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO). METHODS: Six electronic databases were
      searched from inception to March 2016 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of
      Dengzhan Xixin (DZXX) injection for acute ischemic stroke. The methodological
      quality of RCTs was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. DATA SYNTHESIS:
      was performed using RevMan 5.3 and was presented with mean difference (MD) or
      relative risk (RR) and their 95% confidence interval (CI). A summary of finding
      table was generated by GRADEpro (version 3.6). RESULTS: Twenty-five RCTs with
      2498 participants were included and all trials adopted conventional therapy (CT)
      in both arms. Most of the studies had high risk of bias. The addition of DZXX to
      CT showed no significant benefit on death (RR 0.27, 95% CI 0.05-1.63) within the
      treatment period (14-35 d), but showed higher Barthel index score (MD 10.20, 95%
      CI 8.16-12.25), lower neurological function deficit score (MD -3.99, 95% CI -5.68
      to -2.30, by NFDS; MD -1.67, 95% CI -2.59 to -0.76, by NIHSS), and lower
      treatment failure (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.31-0.52). Thirteen trials (52%) reported the
      outcome of adverse events, but no serious adverse events were reported.
      CONCLUSION: Low quality evidence implied that DZXX injection appeared to improve
      neurological function in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, this
      potential benefit should be further studied in large, rigorous trials.

PMID- 28917379
TI  - Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson's disease:
      A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness and safety of
      acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: English,
      Chinese, and Korean electronic databases were searched up to June 2016.
      Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible. The methodological quality was
      assessed using Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using
      RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: In total, 42 studies involving 2625 participants were
      systematically reviewed. Participants treated using combined acupuncture and
      conventional medication (CM) showed significant improvements in total Unified PD
      Rating Scale (UPDRS), UPDRS I, UPDRS II, UPDRS III, and the Webster scale
      compared to those treated using CM alone. The combination of electroacupuncture
      and CM was significantly superior to CM alone in total UPDRS, UPDRS I, UPDRS II,
      and UPDRS IV. Similarly, the combination of scalp electroacupuncture,
      acupuncture, and CM was significantly more effective than CM alone in total
      UPDRS. However, our meta-analysis showed that the combination of
      electroacupuncture and CM was not significantly more effective than CM alone in
      UPDRS III, the Webster, and the Tension Assessment Scale. The results also failed
      to show that acupuncture was significantly more effective than placebo
      acupuncture in total UPDRS. Overall, the methodological quality of the RCTs was
      low. No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: We found that
      acupuncture might be a safe and useful adjunctive treatment for patients with PD.
      However, because of methodological flaws in the included studies, conclusive
      evidence is still lacking. More rigorous and well-designed placebo-controlled
      trials should be conducted.

PMID- 28917380
TI  - The neuropsychological profile of Othello syndrome in Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 28917381
TI  - Uncovering burden disparity: A comparative analysis of the impact of moderate-to
      severe psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) exhibit distinct clinical
      features, but no studies have directly compared the health-related quality of
      life (HRQoL) in patients with moderate-to-severe manifestations of these
      conditions. OBJECTIVE: To determine which disease is associated with more severe
      HRQoL impairment. METHODS: Weighted averages of each of the following baseline
      HRQoL measures were determined and compared between HS and psoriasis populations
      from 5 clinical trials: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, Total Work
      Productivity Impairment, Dermatology Life Quality Index; EuroQOL 5D VAS, and
      Short Form-36 Health Survey. RESULTS: Compared with patients with psoriasis,
      patients with HS reported higher scores for VAS-pain (54.3 vs 36.1 [P < .0001]),
      Dermatology Life Quality Index (15.3 vs 11.3 [P < .0001]), EuroQOL 5D VAS (58.8
      vs 50.8 [P < .0002]), and Total Work Productivity Impairment (35.4 vs 18.2).
      Patients with HS had lower Short Form-36 Health Survey scores than did patients
      with psoriasis (physical, 39.6 vs 49.0; mental, 41.5 vs 47.5 [both P < .0001]).
      LIMITATIONS: This analysis was performed using published summary data rather than
      patient-level data, and weighted pooled averages were compared. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients with HS have a higher HRQoL burden than patients with psoriasis. This
      study clearly documents the needs of patients with HS and the potential impact of
      medical, scientific, and societal consensus for the development of more effective
      HS treatments.

PMID- 28917382
TI  - A new evidence-based risk stratification system for cutaneous squamous cell
      carcinoma into low, intermediate, and high risk groups with implications for
      management.
AB  - Most primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas are cured with surgery. A subset,
      however, may develop local and nodal metastasis that may eventuate in disease
      specific; death. This subset has been variably termed high risk. Herein, we
      review; an emerging body of data on the risks of these outcomes and propose an
      evidence-based; risk stratification for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk tumors
      that takes into; account both tumor and patient characteristics. Finally, we
      discuss a framework for; management of these tumors on the basis of data, when
      available, and our; recommendations when data are sparse.

PMID- 28917383
TI  - Efficacy and safety of ixekizumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque
      psoriasis: Results through 108 weeks of a randomized, controlled phase 3 clinical
      trial (UNCOVER-3).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ixekizumab, a high-affinity monoclonal antibody that selectively
      targets interleukin 17A, is efficacious in treating moderate-to-severe plaque
      psoriasis through 60 weeks. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      ixekizumab through 108 weeks of treatment in UNCOVER-3. METHODS: Patients (N =
      1346) were randomized 2:2:2:1 to 80 mg ixekizumab every 2 or 4 weeks, 50 mg
      etanercept twice weekly, or placebo. At week 12, patients switched to ixekizumab
      every 4 weeks during a long-term extension (LTE) period. Efficacy data were
      summarized using as-observed, multiple imputation (MI), and modified MI (mMI)
      methods. RESULTS: For patients (N = 385) receiving the recommended dose
      (ixekizumab every 2 weeks on weeks 0-12 and every 4 weeks during LTE), the 108
      week as-observed, MI, and mMI response rates were 93.4%, 88.3%, and 83.6%,
      respectively, for patients achieving >=75% improvement from baseline in the
      Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, and the 108-week as-observed, MI, and mMI
      response rates were 82.6%, 78.3%, and 74.1%, respectively, for patients with a
      static Physician's Global Assessment score of 0 or 1. During LTE, 1077 (84.5%)
      patients reported >=1 treatment-emergent adverse event, and 85% were mild or
      moderate in severity. Discontinuation because of adverse events occurred in 6.4%
      of patients. LIMITATIONS: There was no comparison treatment group after week 12.
      CONCLUSION: Ixekizumab is well tolerated and demonstrates persistent efficacy
      through 108 weeks.

PMID- 28917385
TI  - Fragility fractures: A complex interaction of the health care system- the patient
      and the bone: Can we do better?

PMID- 28917384
TI  - Serious infections among a large cohort of subjects with systemically treated
      psoriasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biologic therapy is effective for treatment of moderate-to-severe
      psoriasis but may be associated with an increased risk for serious infection.
      OBJECTIVE: To estimate the serious infection rate among patients with psoriasis
      treated with biologic as compared with nonbiologic systemic agents within a
      community-based health care delivery setting. METHODS: We identified 5889 adult
      Kaiser Permanente Northern California health plan members with psoriasis who had
      ever been treated with systemic therapies and calculated the incidence rates and
      95% confidence intervals (CIs) for serious infections over 29,717 person-years of
      follow-up. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were calculated using Cox regression.
      RESULTS: Adjusting for age, sex, race or ethnicity, and comorbidities revealed a
      significantly increased risk for overall serious infection among patients treated
      with biologics as compared with those treated with nonbiologics (aHR, 1.31; 95%
      CI, 1.02-1.68). More specifically, there was a significantly elevated risk for
      skin and soft tissue infection (aHR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.19-2.56) and meningitis
      (aHR, 9.22; 95% CI, 1.77-48.10) during periods of active biologic use.
      LIMITATIONS: Risk associated with individual drugs was not examined. CONCLUSION:
      We found an increased rate of skin and soft tissue infections among patients with
      psoriasis treated with biologic agents. There also was a signal suggesting
      increased risk for meningitis. Clinicians should be aware of these potential
      adverse events when prescribing biologic agents.

PMID- 28917386
TI  - Re: Mediastinal injury is the strongest predictor of mortality in mounted blast
      amongst UK deployed forces: Methodological issues.

PMID- 28917387
TI  - Affective reactivity to cry sounds predicts young women's reactivity and behavior
      in a simulated caregiving task.
AB  - Different populations of adults (experienced vs. inexperienced caregivers, men
      vs. women, abusive vs. nonabusive parents, etc.) have been reported to differ in
      their affective reactions to the sounds of infant crying. These differences are
      thought to impact caregiving behavior and, in some instances, to affect long-term
      outcomes for infants. There can be great intra-group variation, however, even
      when group differences are significant; modeling developmental process will
      require a finer grained approach. We have undertaken a pair of studies intended
      to validate the Negative Affect Scale (NA) from the PANAS as a measure of
      individuals' affective reactivity to cry sounds. In Study 1, 306 young women who
      were not yet mothers listened either to infant crying or to birdsong. The results
      supported the NA as a measure of reactivity to crying. In Study 2, a new sample
      of 301 young women listened to crying in a screening task; a group of "high
      reactors" (n=21) and a group of "low reactors" (n=22) then participated in a
      simulated caregiving situation. Individuals' affective reactivity to the
      caregiving simulation mirrored their affective reactivity in the screening task,
      and rates and overall organization of caregiving behavior differed between the
      groups. Changes in negative affect, then, appear to be both a result of infant
      crying and a determinant of some aspects of caregiving behavior. Further studies
      will extend these laboratory results to real infants and their caregivers, and
      further validate the NA as a measure of individual differences in reactivity to
      cry sounds.

PMID- 28917388
TI  - Improvised Hand Injury Treatment Using Traditional Veterinary Medicine in
      Ethiopia.
AB  - In remote wilderness environments, local people with traditional knowledge of
      medicinal plants are potentially important first-line health care providers. We
      present a case of a 31-year-old man who fell off a horse while trekking through a
      remote mountain landscape in Ethiopia and sustained blunt force trauma to the
      hand. A local mountain hut keeper examined the patient's hand and used heated
      leaves of the succulent plant Kalanchoe petitiana to treat a suspected metacarpal
      fracture. As first responder in a low-resource setting, the hut keeper relied on
      his traditional knowledge of ethnoveterinary medicine to improvise a treatment
      for a human injury in a remote mountain environment. Although in this case the
      outcome of the traditional intervention was positive, our analysis shows that the
      massage component of the intervention could have led to complications.
      Conversely, reports from the use of related Kalanchoe species suggest that heated
      Kalanchoe leaves could be useful in the compression component of traditional care
      for hand injuries. Validation of traditional remedies and their therapeutic
      potential are needed if they are to complement wilderness wound care safely and
      reliably. The documentation and validation of these remedies are urgently needed,
      as many medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge of how to use these valuable
      natural resources are being lost.

PMID- 28917389
TI  - Alternative treatment strategies for catatonia: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catatonia is a commonly encountered syndrome, affecting 10-20% of
      various psychiatric populations and carrying significant medical co-morbidities.
      However, there are few established alternative treatment strategies when
      benzodiazepines are ineffective and electroconvulsive therapy is unavailable.
      OBJECTIVE: The authors systematically review evidence for alternative treatment
      strategies for catatonia using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews
      and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. METHOD: The authors conducted a search of
      PubMed database from 1983 to August 2016 to identify articles. Eligible reports
      presented cases involving treatment of catatonia using modalities other than
      benzodiazepines or electroconvulsive therapy. RESULTS: The authors identified 72
      articles, comprising 98 individual cases. N-methyl-d-aspartate-receptor
      antagonists, anti-epileptic drugs, and atypical antipsychotic agents appeared to
      have the largest number of reports supporting their effectiveness and safety in
      treating catatonia patients. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the case report literature,
      the authors propose an updated algorithm for catatonia treatment in cases where
      benzodiazepines fail and electroconvulsive therapy is not available.

PMID- 28917390
TI  - Reengagement in PTSD psychotherapy: A case-control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study sought to identify patient characteristics and care
      processes related to reengagement in VA psychotherapy. METHODS: Using national VA
      data, a retrospective cohort was constructed (N=24,492) of veterans who received
      a new PTSD diagnosis in FY08/FY09 and attended only one to five PTSD
      psychotherapy sessions. A nested case-control study was conducted comparing
      veterans who reengaged in psychotherapy (n=9649) in a 1:5 ratio with those who
      did not reengage by the end of FY12. Conditional logistic regression models were
      run to examine differences in sociodemographic, mental health, and service
      utilization factors between cases and controls. RESULTS: Among veterans in the
      study cohort, 39.4% reengaged in psychotherapy. In adjusted analyses, all
      measured types of health system encounters (primary care [OR=1.61], primary care
      mental health [OR=1.61], non-PTSD psychotherapy [OR=1.76], other non-PTSD mental
      health care [OR=1.43], other non-psychotherapy PTSD care [OR=3.31], emergency
      room [OR=1.14], and psychiatric hospitalization [OR=1.56]) were related to
      greater odds of reengagement in PTSD psychotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Veterans'
      receipt of a broad range of care services may play an important role in
      reengagement in PCT psychotherapy, suggesting providers across care settings
      should be knowledgeable in how to support a Veteran's return to psychotherapy for
      PTSD.

PMID- 28917391
TI  - The prevalence of depression and the accuracy of depression screening tools in
      migraine patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Migraine and depression are common comorbid conditions. The purpose
      of this study was to assess how well the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and
      the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) perform as depression screening
      tools in patients with migraine. METHODS: Three hundred consecutive migraine
      patients were recruited from a large headache center. The PHQ-9 and HADS were
      self-administered and validated against the Structured Clinical Interview for
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV, a gold standard for the
      diagnosis of depression. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value,
      negative predictive value and receiver-operator characteristic curves were
      calculated for the PHQ-9 and HADS. RESULTS: At the traditional cut-point of 10,
      the PHQ-9 demonstrated 82.0% sensitivity and 79.9% specificity. At a cut-point of
      8, the HADS demonstrated 86.5% sensitivity and specificity. The PHQ-9 algorithm
      performed poorly (53.8% sensitivity, 94.9% specificity). The point prevalence of
      depression in this study was 25.0% (95% CI 19.0-31.0), and 17.0% of patients had
      untreated depression. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the PHQ-9 and HADS performed
      well in migraine patients attending a headache clinic, but optimal cut-points to
      screen for depression vary depending on the goals of the assessment. Also,
      migraine patients attending a headache clinic have a high prevalence of
      depression and many are inadequately treated. Future studies are needed to
      confirm these findings and to evaluate the impact of depression screening.

PMID- 28917392
TI  - Description of a multi-university education and collaborative care child
      psychiatry access program: New York State's CAP PC.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although, child mental health problems are widespread, few get
      adequate treatment, and there is a severe shortage of child psychiatrists. To
      address this public health need many states have adopted collaborative care
      programs to assist primary care to better assess and manage pediatric mental
      health concerns. This report adds to the small literature on collaborative care
      programs and describes one large program that covers most of New York state.
      PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: CAP PC, a component program of New York State's Office of
      Mental Health (OMH) Project TEACH, has provided education and consultation
      support to primary care providers covering most of New York state since 2010. The
      program is uniquely a five medical school collaboration with hubs at each that
      share one toll free number and work together to provide education and
      consultation support services to PCPs. METHODS: The program developed a clinical
      communications record to track information about all consultations which forms
      the basis of much of this report. 2-week surveys following consultations, annual
      surveys, and pre- and post-educational program evaluations have also been used to
      measure the success of the program. RESULTS: CAP PC has grown over the 6years of
      the program and has provided 8013 phone consultations to over 1500 PCPs. The
      program synergistically provided 17,523 CME credits of educational programming to
      1200 PCPs. PCP users of the program report very high levels of satisfaction and
      self reported growth in confidence. CONCLUSIONS: CAP PC demonstrates that large
      scale collaborative consultation models for primary care are feasible to
      implement, popular with PCPs, and can be sustained. The program supports
      increased access to child mental health services in primary care and provides
      child psychiatric expertise for patients who would otherwise have none.

PMID- 28917393
TI  - Reduction in depressive symptoms in primary prevention ICD scheduled patients -
      One year prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs), have previously been
      associated with the onset of depression and anxiety. The aim of this one-year
      prospective study was to evaluate the rate of new onset psychopathological
      symptoms after elective ICD implantation. METHODS: A total of 158 consecutive
      outpatients who were scheduled for an elective ICD implantation were diagnosed
      and screened based on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI).
      Depression and anxiety were evaluated using the Hamilton Rating Scales for
      Depression (HAM-D) and Anxiety (HAM-A). Patient's attitude toward the ICD device
      was evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). RESULTS: Patients' mean age was
      64+/-12.4years; 134 (85%) were men, with the majority of patients performing the
      procedure for reasons of 'primary prevention'. According to the MINI diagnosis at
      baseline, three (2%) patients suffered from major depressive disorder and ten
      (6%) from dysthymia. Significant improvement in HAM-D mean scores was found
      between baseline, three months and one year after implantation (6.50+/-6.4;
      4.10+/-5.3 and 2.7+/-4.6, respectively F(2100)=16.42; p<0.001). There was a
      significantly more positive attitude toward the device over time based on the VAS
      score [F(2122)=53.31, p<0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: ICD implantation significantly
      contributes to the reduction of depressive symptoms, while the overall mindset
      toward the ICD device was positive and improved during the one-year follow-up.

PMID- 28917394
TI  - Childhood maltreatment severity and alcohol use in adult psychiatric inpatients:
      The mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Emotion regulation difficulties are a potentially key mechanism
      underlying the association between childhood maltreatment and alcohol use in
      adulthood. The current study examined the mediating role of emotion regulation
      difficulties in the association between childhood maltreatment severity (i.e.,
      Childhood Trauma Questionnaire total score) and past-month alcohol use severity,
      including alcohol consumption frequency and alcohol-related problems (i.e.,
      number of days of alcohol problems, ratings of "bother" caused by alcohol
      problems, ratings of treatment importance for alcohol problems). METHOD:
      Participants included 111 acute-care psychiatric inpatients (45.0% female;
      Mage=33.5, SD=10.6), who reported at least one DSM-5 posttraumatic stress
      disorder Criterion A traumatic event, indexed via the Life Events Checklist for
      DSM-5. Participants completed questionnaires regarding childhood maltreatment,
      emotion regulation difficulties, and alcohol use. RESULTS: A significant indirect
      effect of childhood maltreatment severity via emotion regulation difficulties in
      relation to alcohol use severity (beta=0.07, SE=0.04, 99% CI [0.01, 0.21]) was
      documented. Specifically, significant indirect effects were found for childhood
      maltreatment severity via emotion regulation difficulties in relation to alcohol
      problems (beta's between 0.05 and 0.12; all 99% bootstrapped CIs with 10,000
      resamples did not include 0) but not alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION: Emotion
      regulation difficulties may play a significant role in the association between
      childhood maltreatment severity and alcohol outcomes. Clinical implications are
      discussed.

PMID- 28917395
TI  - Monitoring somatic symptoms in patients with mental disorders: Sensitivity to
      change and minimal clinically important difference of the Somatic Symptom Scale -
      8 (SSS-8).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The SSS-8 is a brief questionnaire for the assessment of somatic
      symptom burden. This study examines its sensitivity to change and the minimal
      clinically important difference (MCID) in patients with mental disorders. METHOD:
      55 outpatients with mental disorders completed the SSS-8 and measures of anxiety,
      depression, and disability before and after receiving treatment. Effect sizes and
      correlations between the change scores were calculated. The MCID was estimated
      using a one standard error of measurement threshold and the change in disability
      as an external criterion. RESULTS: There was a medium decline in somatic symptom
      burden for the complete sample (n=55, dz=0.53) and a large decline in a subgroup
      with very high somatic symptom burden at baseline (n=11, dz=0.94). Decreases in
      somatic symptom burden were associated with decreases in anxiety (r=0.68,
      p<0.001), depression (r=0.62, p<0.001) and disability (r=0.51, p<0.001). The MCID
      was estimated as a 3-point decrease. CONCLUSION: The SSS-8 is sensitive to
      change. A 3-point decrease reflects a clinically important improvement. Due to
      its brevity and sound psychometric properties, the SSS-8 is useful for monitoring
      somatic symptom burden.

PMID- 28917396
TI  - Modified bean-shaped ring segments for suture fixation of the bag-in-the-lens
      intraocular implant.
AB  - We describe a surgical technique for secondary stabilization of a bag-in-the-lens
      intraocular lens (BIL IOL) using 2 modified bean-shaped ring segments in cases of
      zonular dehiscence associated with pseudophakodonesis. The first modified bean
      segment is anchored in the sulcus with a suture to the sclera in the area of
      maximum zonular dehiscence, and the second segment is implanted in the opposite
      sulcus area. Both segments are placed in the BIL IOL interhaptic groove. The
      segments stabilize and center the BIL IOL by creating an artificial zonule that
      provides the necessary extra support for the IOL.

PMID- 28917397
TI  - Evaluation of postoperative toric intraocular lens alignment with anterior
      segment optical coherence tomography.
AB  - We describe the use of a simple tool to evaluate the postoperative alignment of
      toric intraocular lenses (IOLs). The entire anterior segment is scanned using
      anterior segment optical coherence tomography and analyzed with an internal
      dedicated tool. A topographic map is displayed along with an anterior segment
      image, including a linear axis marker centered on the corneal apex. The marker
      can be rotated until it is aligned with the line connecting the IOL marking dots,
      precisely reproducing the IOL astigmatic axis, which is measured in angle
      degrees. The value of the IOL astigmatic axis is compared with the value of the
      astigmatic axis shown in real time on the same screen in the topographic map.
      Evaluating the alignment of a toric IOL axis simultaneously with the topographic
      astigmatic axis eliminates the potential errors that result from head tilting and
      strictly correlates with the astigmatic correction achieved.

PMID- 28917398
TI  - Hydrogel ocular sealant for clear corneal incisions in cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between use of a hydrogel ocular sealant
      (Resure) to secure clear corneal incisions (CCIs) in cataract surgery and surgeon
      efficiency, patient symptomatology, and postoperative results. SETTING: Duke
      University Eye Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. DESIGN: Retrospective case
      series. METHODS: A 1:1 matched cohort of hydrogel sealant exposure-discordant
      eyes of cataract surgery patients was retrospectively generated. Consecutive
      patients who had bilateral cataract surgery during the study period and in whom
      the hydrogel sealant was used to secure the CCI in only 1 of the 2 eyes were
      included in the study. The relationship between use of the hydrogel sealant and
      surgical time, 1-day postoperative foreign-body sensation, clinically noted
      corneal edema, and intraocular pressure (IOP) was evaluated. RESULTS: Ninety eyes
      of 45 patients were included in the study. One day postoperatively, no wound leak
      was found in any eye; the sealant was noted to be out of place in 2 (4.4%) of 45
      cases. No statistically significant difference was found between sealant and non
      sealant eyes in total surgical time (P = .16) or in IOP (P = .55), corneal edema
      (P = 1.00), or foreign-body sensation (P = .38) 1 day postoperatively.
      CONCLUSION: The hydrogel sealant was not observed to affect duration of surgery
      or 1-day postoperative IOP, corneal edema, or foreign-body sensation.

PMID- 28917399
TI  - Variability in angle kappa and its influence on higher-order aberrations in
      pseudophakic eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To observe the variability in angle kappa in pseudophakic patients and
      assess its correlation with optical biometry measurements and higher-order
      aberrations (HOAs). SETTING: Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria. DESIGN:
      Prospective case series. METHODS: This study included patients who had cataract
      surgery 3 months to 1 year before study recruitment. In all cases, Purkinje meter
      images were taken. In addition, partial coherence interferometry measurement
      (IOLMaster) of the axial intraocular lens (IOL) position was performed. In a
      subgroup of patients, an additional Hartmann-Shack sensor measurement was taken
      to assess HOAs (WASCA). RESULTS: This study comprised 395 eyes of 349 patients.
      The mean age of the 210 women and 139 men was 74.1 years +/- 8.6 (SD) (range 44
      to 91 years). The mean tilt (pupillary axis) and decentration were 3.9 +/- 2.3
      degrees (range 0.2 to 16.2 degrees) and 0.4 +/- 0.2 mm (range 0.0 to 1.7 mm),
      respectively. The mean angle kappa was 5.2 +/- 2.6 degrees (range 0.3 to 13.9
      degrees), and the mean orientation of this modulus was 189.5 +/- 53.2 degrees
      (range 25.3 to 339.7 degrees). CONCLUSION: The variability in the angle kappa was
      high.

PMID- 28917400
TI  - Visual quality and performance comparison between 2 refractive rotationally
      asymmetric multifocal intraocular lenses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the 12-month postoperative quality of vision and visual
      performance of 2 different refractive rotationally asymmetric multifocal
      intraocular lenses (IOLs). SETTING: Cathedral Eye Clinic, Belfast, Northern
      Ireland, United Kingdom. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Refractive
      lens exchange (RLE) patients were divided into 2 groups. Group A comprised eyes
      receiving a Lentis Mplus LS-312 MF30 IOL and Group B, eyes receiving a Lenstec
      SBL-3 IOL. Refraction, uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuities,
      uncorrected intermediate (UIVA) and near (UNVA) visual acuities, distance
      corrected intermediate and near (DCNVA) visual acuities, and quality of vision
      were evaluated preoperatively and up to 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Each
      group comprised 90 eyes. Both groups had a high level of quality of vision 12
      months postoperatively with no significant difference between the 2 groups (P =
      .919). There was no significant between-group difference in mean monocular and
      binocular UDVA, monocular UIVA, or monocular UNVA. Group B had statistically
      significantly better mean monocular DCNVA (P = .049), binocular UNVA (P = .011),
      and binocular DCNVA (P = .035). Group B had a higher percentage of complete
      spectacle independence. CONCLUSIONS: Both refractive rotationally asymmetric
      multifocal IOLs provided an excellent level of quality of vision 12 months
      postoperatively. Both IOL models restored distance, intermediate, and near visual
      function; however the IOLs in Group B provided better near visual performance.

PMID- 28917401
TI  - Pseudophakic cystoid macular edema and spectral-domain optical coherence
      tomography-detectable central macular thickness changes with perioperative
      prostaglandin analogs.
AB  - PURPOSE: To define the incidence of cystoid macular edema (CME) and spectral
      domain optical coherence tomography-detectable (SD-OCT) subclinical changes in
      central retinal thickness in patients using prostaglandin analog (PGA) eyedrops
      after phacoemulsification. SETTING: Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton, United
      Kingdom. DESIGN: Prospective case series. METHODS: A consecutive analysis of the
      incidence of postoperative CME after phacoemulsification by a single surgeon was
      performed in eyes of patients using PGA eyedrops between March 2010 and January
      2014. The presence of CME was determined using SD-OCT (Cirrus) 3 weeks and 6
      weeks postoperatively. Exclusion criteria included preexisting pathology known to
      predispose to CME and previous ophthalmic surgery. The paired Wilcoxon signed
      rank test was used to compare central retinal thickness measurements at baseline
      and 3 weeks and 6 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: All 48 patients (mean age 78.4
      years; 60 eyes) had uneventful surgery. There were no cases of clinically
      significant CME. Subclinical CME detected by SD-OCT was confirmed in 2 eyes of
      different patients (3.3% of eyes), 1 eye 3 weeks postoperatively and another eye
      at 6 weeks. Subclinical CME resolved in both cases within 8 weeks. In both cases,
      the difference in central retinal thickness at baseline and 6 weeks
      postoperatively was statistically significant (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The
      incidence of subclinical CME detectable on SD-OCT after routine
      phacoemulsification in patients using PGA eyedrops throughout the perioperative
      period was 3.3%. There were no cases of clinical CME. These findings might guide
      clinicians in their decision to use PGAs perioperatively.

PMID- 28917402
TI  - Intracameral mydriatics versus topical mydriatics in pupil dilation for
      phacoemulsification cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intracameral mydriatics
      (lidocaine 1.0% and phenylephrine 1.5%) versus topical mydriatics (phenylephrine
      2.5% and tropicamide 1.0%) in pupil dilation for phacoemulsification surgery in
      Malaysians. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Penang General Hospital,
      Georgetown Penang, Malaysia. DESIGN: Prospective comparative case series. METHOD:
      Patients with immature cataract were randomized to the topical mydriatic group
      (topical group) or intracameral mydriatic group (intracameral group). Patients
      with small pupils and complicated cataracts were excluded. Pupil diameter changes
      were measured throughout the surgery. Additional pupil dilation maneuvers and
      complications were recorded. RESULTS: The study comprised 112 patients. There was
      no difference in mean pupil dilation between the intracameral group (4.86 mm +/-
      0.74 [SD]) and the topical group (4.88 +/- 0.91 mm) (P = .86). However, the mean
      pupil size before capsulorhexis in the topical group (7.23 +/- 1.08 mm) was
      significantly larger than in the intracameral group (6.40 +/- 0.80 mm) (P = .01).
      The pupils in the intracameral group continued to dilate during surgery (0.44 +/-
      0.62 mm), while those in the topical group constricted (-0.41 +/- 1.04 mm) (P <
      .001). Three patients in the intracameral group and 6 in the topical group
      required additional maneuvers for pupil dilation (P = .49). Each group had 1
      complication (P = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Intracameral mydriatic agents dilated
      heavily pigmented pupils for phacoemulsification cataract surgery. However, in
      the early stages of surgery, pupil dilation was slower than with topical agents.

PMID- 28917403
TI  - Cataract surgery in patients with late-onset retinal degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review the outcomes in a series of patients with long anterior lens
      zonular fibers associated with late-onset retinal degeneration who had
      phacoemulsification cataract surgery. SETTING: Newcastle Eye Centre, Newcastle
      upon Tyne, United Kingdom. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Inclusion
      criteria were patients with genetically confirmed late-onset retinal degeneration
      requiring cataract surgery. Perioperative data relating to surgery were
      collected. In addition, the corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and retinal
      imaging data were recorded. Selected lens capsules were examined using
      immunohistochemistry or scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS: Eleven eyes
      of 7 patients were included. The long anterior lens zonular fibers made
      capsulorhexis challenging; however, it was completed safely in all cases. There
      were no intraoperative or postoperative issues with lens stability. The CDVA
      improved postoperatively in those cases with intact foveal photoreceptors and
      retinal pigment epithelium. Over the longer term, the CDVA slowly declined
      because of progressive atrophy of the macula. Most patients noticed a subjective
      improvement in vision, even those with advanced disease at baseline.
      Immunohistochemistry showed that the C1QTNF5 protein was expressed within the
      lens capsule epithelial cells, although SEM of the long anterior lens zonular
      fibers showed them to be smaller in diameter than normal anterior lens zonular
      fibers and to be composed of a helix of fibers. CONCLUSIONS: In this small series
      of patients with late-onset retinal degeneration, cataract surgery was
      successfully performed without long-term complications involving intraocular lens
      stability. The objective improvement in CDVA seemed to be limited to patients
      with good foveal photoreceptor architecture.

PMID- 28917404
TI  - Clinical course and outcomes in patients with Mooren ulcer who had cataract
      surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report outcomes of cataract surgery in patients with Mooren ulcer.
      SETTING: L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India. DESIGN: Retrospective case
      series. METHODS: The medical records of patients with Mooren ulcer who had
      cataract surgery between 2000 and 2015 were assessed. The main outcome measures
      were the role of preoperative immunosuppression and disease inactivity, cataract
      surgery safety, visual outcomes, and postoperative ulcer recurrence. RESULTS: Of
      22 patients (26 eyes), the mean corneal ulceration was 6.8 clock hours +/- 2.9
      (SD). Corticosteroids were the most commonly used (84.6% of the 26 eyes)
      preoperative immunosuppression agents and 38.5% of the 26 eyes were under
      maintenance immunosuppression. The median disease inactivity before surgery was 7
      months. Cataract surgery was extracapsular in 10 patients, small incision in 3
      patients, and phacoemulsification in 13 patients. Twenty-two eyes had scleral
      incisions. The median follow-up was 6 months (interquartile range, 10 months).
      The median corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) improved from 1.48 logarithm
      of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) before surgery to 0.30 and 0.35 logMAR at
      1 month and at the last follow-up after surgery, respectively (P <= .0001).
      Mooren ulcer recurred in 5 eyes between 3 months and 7 years after surgery. No
      disease activity was seen in the immediate postoperative period. No significant
      risk factors for disease recurrence were noted. CONCLUSIONS: With adequate
      immunosuppression, cataract surgery in eyes with Mooren ulcer was safe and CDVA
      improved significantly with no disease reactivation immediately after surgery. No
      proven role of maintenance immunosuppression was observed. The type of cataract
      surgery had no influence on ulcer reactivation. Patients with a disease-free
      interval of 6 months or more before surgery and those who had scleral incisions
      had favorable outcomes.

PMID- 28917405
TI  - Comparison of refractive and keratometric astigmatism after microincision
      cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure the correlation between refractive and keratometric
      astigmatism after microincision cataract surgery (MICS). SETTING: Takayanagi
      Clinic, Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS:
      This study evaluated patients having phacoemulsification and intraocular lens
      implantation through a 2.0 mm temporal clear corneal incision. Refractive
      astigmatism and keratometric astigmatism were described by Jackson cross-cylinder
      with-the-rule (J0) and oblique (J45) components and compared using linear
      regression analysis. RESULTS: The study comprised 90 eyes of 54 patients. The
      mean postoperative refractive J0 was -0.29 diopter (D) +/- 0.46 (SD), and the
      mean postoperative refractive J45 was -0.09 +/- 0.24 D. The multivariate model
      for the J0 component was postoperative J0 = 0.75 * keratometric J0 + 0.21 *
      preoperative J0 - 0.23 (R2 = 0.85, P < .001). The coefficient of determination of
      the multivariate model was higher than that of the univariate model (R2 = 0.82).
      The regression equation for the J45 component was postoperative J45 = 0.85 *
      keratometric J45 - 0.03 (R2 = 0.70, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Refractive astigmatism
      and keratometric astigmatism after MICS were strongly correlated.

PMID- 28917406
TI  - Comparison of the mechanical properties of the anterior lens capsule in senile
      cataract, senile cataract with trypan blue application, and pseudoexfoliation
      syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the elastic modulus, hardness, and mechanical properties of
      the anterior lens capsule in different types of cataract and to assess the
      correlation with age. SETTING: Baskent University Hospital, Department of
      Ophthalmology, Ankara, Turkey. DESIGN: Prospective comparative study. METHODS:
      Patients were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 comprised patients with senile
      cataract, Group 2 patients had pseudoexfoliation (PXF) syndrome, and Group 3
      patients had dye-enhanced cataract surgery. The capsules were analyzed using a
      nanoindentation device. Young's modulus of elasticity was measured by the Oliver
      Pharr method and capsule hardness by the Martens method. RESULTS: The study
      comprised 72 patients, 24 per group. The mean Young's modulus was 7.53 GPa +/-
      1.07 (SD) in Group 1, 6.01 +/- 1.25 GPa in Group 2, and 8.12 +/- 0.98 GPa in
      Group 3. The capsules in Group 2 were more elastic than in Group 1 and Group 3 (P
      < .001). The capsules in Group 3 had lower elasticity than in Group 1, although
      the difference was not significant (P = .94). The mean capsule stiffness was
      326.41 +/- 98.40 MPa in Group 1, 210.5 +/- 52.32 MPa in Group 2, and 315.54 +/-
      163.15 MPa in Group 3. The lens capsules in Group 2 were less stiff than those in
      Group 1 and Group 3 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Capsule thickness was positively
      correlated with increasing age in all groups. The anterior lens capsules of
      patients with PXF had more elasticity and less stiffness than the other groups.
      Intracameral trypan blue application had no effect on capsule elasticity and
      stiffness.

PMID- 28917407
TI  - Corneal topography and keratometry changes after glued intraocular lens
      implantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the alterations in corneal topography and keratometry (K)
      after glued transscleral-fixated intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. SETTING:
      Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Chennai, India. DESIGN: Prospective case series.
      METHODS: Eyes having glued IOL implantation for aphakia or subluxated lens (>180
      degrees) were included. Preoperative autorefractometer and corneal topography was
      performed. Intraoperative parameters, namely the type, position, and incision
      size, flap position, and number of sutures were noted. The mean corneal curvature
      in a steep meridian (maximum K), flat meridian (minimum K), simulated K,
      pachymetry, and surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) were analyzed. RESULTS: This
      study evaluated 16 eyes with aphakia and 15 eyes with a subluxated over a mean
      follow-up of 12 months +/- 6 (SD). There was a significant reduction in mean
      simulated K (P = .014) after surgery. The maximum K decreased significantly (P =
      .002), from 44.85 +/- 2.83 diopters (D) preoperatively to 44.47 +/- 2.75 D at 6
      months. The mean SIA was 1.0 +/- 0.7 D (range 0.16 to 3.6 D) and the
      postoperative astigmatism analysis by the Alpins method was negative (-1.8),
      showing relative flattening after surgery. Multiple regression analysis found no
      association between postoperative vision and preoperative maximum K,
      postoperative simulated K, incision size, and number of sutures. There was no
      correlation between the postoperative simulated K and incision position (P =
      .674), sutures (P = .881), and scleral flap position (P = .401). CONCLUSION:
      Glued transscleral fixation resulted in a reduction in mean corneal curvature in
      the steep meridian and there was significant change in corneal astigmatism.

PMID- 28917409
TI  - Methods for assessing forward and backward light scatter in patients with
      cataract.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare objective methods for assessing backward and forward light
      scatter and psychophysical tests in patients with cataracts. SETTING: Moorfields
      Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom. DESIGN: Prospective
      case series. METHODS: This study included patients scheduled for cataract
      surgery. Lens opacities were grouped into predominantly nuclear sclerotic,
      cortical, posterior subcapsular, and mixed cataracts. Backward light scatter was
      assessed using a rotating Scheimpflug imaging technique (Pentacam HR), forward
      light scatter using a straylight meter (C-Quant), and straylight using the double
      pass method (Optical Quality Analysis System, point-spread function [PSF] meter).
      The results were correlated with visual acuity under photopic conditions as well
      as photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity. RESULTS: The study comprised 56
      eyes of 56 patients. The mean age of the 23 men and 33 women was 71 years (range
      48 to 84 years). Two patients were excluded. Of the remaining, 15 patients had
      predominantly nuclear sclerotic cataracts, 13 had cortical cataracts, 11 had
      posterior subcapsular cataracts, and 15 had mixed cataracts. Correlations between
      devices were low. The highest correlation was between PSF meter measurements and
      Scheimpflug measurements (r = 0.32). The best correlation between corrected
      distance visual acuity was with the PSF meter (r = 0.45). CONCLUSIONS: Forward
      and backward light-scatter measurements cannot be used interchangeably. Scatter
      as an aspect of quality of vision was independent of acuity. Measuring forward
      light scatter with the straylight meter can be a useful additional tool in
      preoperative decision-making.

PMID- 28917408
TI  - Refractive outcome comparison between vitreomacular interface disorders after
      phacovitrectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the refractive accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power
      calculations between patients with vitreomacular interface disorders who had
      phacovitrectomy for vitreomacular traction (VMT), epiretinal membranes (ERM), and
      macular holes. SETTING: Baskent University Department of Ophthalmology, Ankara,
      Turkey. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Refraction results 8 weeks
      postoperatively were compared between phacovitrectomy (3 study groups comprising
      eyes with VMT with intrafoveal pseudocysts, ERM, or medium-to-large macular
      holes) and phacoemulsification (control group comprising eyes having
      phacoemulsification only). The IOLMaster 700 partial coherence interferometry
      (PCI) device and Haigis formula were used for all calculations. RESULTS: This
      study included 100 eyes (100 patients), 25 in each of the 4 groups. There was no
      statistically significant difference in axial length (AL) between the groups (P =
      .305). Differences in the preoperative macular thickness were statistically
      significant between all groups except between the macular hole and VMT groups.
      Most eyes (92%) in the VMT and macular hole groups and all eyes in the VMT and
      phacoemulsification groups achieved a final refraction within +/-1.00 diopter of
      the refractive aim. The mean prediction error and the mean absolute error did not
      differ significantly between the groups. In all groups, there was no significant
      correlation between prediction error and age, AL, preoperative refractive error,
      or preoperative or postoperative macular thickness (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The
      IOL power calculation with PCI yielded no difference in postoperative refraction
      errors between the vitreomacular interface disorders. There was no correlation
      with preoperative refraction, age, or preoperative or postoperative macular
      thickness.

PMID- 28917410
TI  - Influence of yellow filters on straylight measurements.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether the yellow filters often used for glare reduction
      influence retinal straylight measured in healthy eyes. SETTING: Department of
      Ophthalmology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium. DESIGN: Prospective
      case series. METHODS: For each eye, the spherical equivalent (SE) was determined
      using an autorefractometer, followed by 5 straylight measurements taken with the
      compensation-comparison method. The first measurement was taken with a colorless
      plano lens placed in front of the eye, followed by 4 other measurements with
      yellow filters with cutoff wavelengths at 450 nm, 511 nm, 527 nm, and 550 nm.
      Ametropic volunteers were corrected using an additional lens in all measurements.
      Age, sex, and eye color were listed. In addition to the basic measurements, base-
      and age-corrected and base-, age-, and SE-corrected values were calculated.
      RESULTS: The data from 56 right eyes of 56 healthy volunteers aged 28.7 years +/-
      10.3 (SD) were assessed. The straylight of the 4 yellow filters was significantly
      higher than that of the plano lens (P < .001, analysis of variance [ANOVA]). The
      straylight also increased with higher cutoff frequencies, albeit insignificantly
      (P > .05, ANOVA). No significant difference was found between sexes (P = .909) or
      between eye colors (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of yellow filters increased
      retinal straylight by a small but significant amount compared with the use of
      unfiltered light. This suggests that the visual comfort often experienced while
      wearing these filters is not associated with reduced straylight.

PMID- 28917411
TI  - Accelerated 15 mW pulsed-light crosslinking to treat progressive keratoconus: Two
      year clinical results.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the clinical and microstructural results of accelerated 15 mW
      pulsed-light corneal crosslinking (CXL) to treat progressive keratoconus.
      SETTING: Siena Crosslinking Center, Siena, Italy. DESIGN: Prospective case
      series. METHODS: After epithelium removal (with Epi-Clear) and 10 minutes stromal
      soaking with riboflavin 0.1% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose solution, all eyes had
      15 mW/cm2 pulsed-light epithelium-off accelerated CXL for 6 minutes of
      ultraviolet-A (UVA) irradiation (1 second on/1 second off), maintaining a total
      UVA exposure of 12 minutes at a fluence of 5.4 J/cm2. The 2-year follow-up
      examination included uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual
      acuities, Scheimpflug tomography, in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), and
      spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). RESULTS: The study
      comprised 132 eyes of 96 patients (mean age 23.7 years +/- 4.3 [SD]) with stage
      II keratoconus. The change in UDVA and CDVA was statistically significant, from
      0.51 +/- 0.106 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) at baseline
      to 0.309 +/- 0.074 logMAR (P = .0001) and 0.271 +/- 0.144 logMAR at baseline to
      0.135 +/- 0.100 logMAR (P = .0023), respectively. Coma values measured by
      Scheimpflug analysis showed a statistically significant improvement beginning
      with the first postoperative month (P = .0004). The IVCM scans documented basal
      epithelial healing occurring 72 hours after treatment associated with the
      presence of subepithelial nerves. The SD-OCT scans performed in the central 6.0
      mm of corneal diameter documented a demarcation line at a mean depth of 280 +/-
      32 MUm. CONCLUSION: The 15 mW/cm2 pulsed-light epithelium-off accelerated CXL was
      effective and safe, stabilizing keratoconus progression through 2 years of follow
      up.

PMID- 28917412
TI  - Efficacy of different accelerated corneal crosslinking protocols for progressive
      keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of different accelerated corneal crosslinking
      (CXL) treatment protocols in patients with progressive keratoconus. SETTING:
      Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. DESIGN: Retrospective
      case series. METHODS: Patients with progressive keratoconus had 9 mW accelerated
      CXL (10 minutes; 9 mW/cm2), 30 mW continuous-light accelerated CXL (4 minutes; 30
      mW/cm2), or 30 mW pulsed-light accelerated CXL (8 minutes [1 second on/1 second
      off]; 30 mW/cm2). RESULTS: Of 134 eyes, 34 eyes had conventional CXL, 45 had 9 mW
      accelerated CXL, 28 had 30 mW continuous-light accelerated CXL (4 minutes, 30
      mW/cm2), and 27 eyes had 30 mW pulsed-light accelerated CXL. The uncorrected
      (UDVA) (P < .001 both) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuities increased in
      with conventional CXL and 9 mW accelerated CXL (P = .001 and P = .002,
      respectively). With 30 mW continuous accelerated CXL, only CDVA improved (P =
      .019). With 30 mW pulsed accelerated CXL, UDVA and CDVA did not change
      significantly (P > .05). With conventional CXL and 9 mW accelerated CXL, all
      keratometric (K) readings (K1, K2, mean K, maximum K) improved significantly
      (conventional CXL: P = .014, P = .002, P = .008, and P < .001, respectively; 9 mW
      accelerated CXL: all P < .001). With 30 mW, no K values changed significantly
      compared with baseline (all groups P > .05). CONCLUSION: Although 30 mW
      accelerated CXL treatment modalities appeared to be effective in stabilizing
      keratoconus progression, they seemed less effective in achieving topographic
      improvement.

PMID- 28917414
TI  - Chemical and physical analysis of phaco handpiece tip surfaces before and after
      cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the surface chemical composition and roughness of different
      phaco tips before and after their use during cataract surgery. SETTING: Eye
      Clinic, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. DESIGN: Experimental study.
      METHODS: Of the 66 tips studied, 33 (15 new, 15 after single use, and 3 after
      multiple uses) were studied with X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and 33 (15 new,
      15 after single use, and 3 after multiple uses) were examined using scanning
      electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis and
      contact profilometry. All analyses were performed on the far end of the tip.
      RESULTS: Used phaco tips showed signs of wear at the end of the tip, with the
      deposition of debris. The cutting edge appeared to be rounded and irregular.
      After surgery, an increase in the surface roughness was detected. The chemical
      analyses showed modification of the superficial alloy composition and the
      biological origin of some debris deposited after surgery. The deterioration and
      wear observed were more remarkable after multiple surgical procedures.
      CONCLUSIONS: Used phaco tips showed relevant signs of deterioration and
      deposition of biological material, mostly involving the cutting edge. Reusable
      tips might release remnants of previous procedures. The adoption of single-use
      disposable phaco tips seems to be highly advisable.

PMID- 28917413
TI  - Biocompatibility of intraocular lens power adjustment using a femtosecond laser
      in a rabbit model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the biocompatibility (uveal and capsular) of intraocular
      lens (IOL) power adjustment by a femtosecond laser obtained through increased
      hydrophilicity of targeted areas within the optic, creating the ability to build
      a refractive-index shaping lens within an existing IOL. SETTING: John A. Moran
      Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. DESIGN: Experimental
      study. METHODS: Six rabbits had phacoemulsification with bilateral implantation
      of a commercially available hydrophobic acrylic IOL. The postoperative power
      adjustment was performed 2 weeks after implantation in 1 eye of each rabbit. The
      animals were followed clinically for an additional 2 weeks and then killed
      humanely. Their globes were enucleated and bisected coronally just anterior to
      the equator for gross examination from the Miyake-Apple view to assess capsular
      bag opacification. After IOL explantation for power measurements, the globes were
      sectioned and processed for standard histopathology. RESULTS: Slitlamp
      examinations performed after the laser treatments showed the formation of small
      gas bubbles behind the lenses that disappeared within a few hours. No
      postoperative inflammation or toxicity was observed in the treated eyes, and
      postoperative outcomes and histopathological examination results were similar to
      those in untreated eyes. The power measurements showed that the change in power
      obtained was consistent and within +/-0.1 diopter of the target. CONCLUSIONS:
      Consistent and precise power changes can be induced in the optic of commercially
      available IOLs in vivo by using a femtosecond laser to create a refractive-index
      shaping lens. The laser treatment of the IOLs was biocompatible.

PMID- 28917415
TI  - Bilateral corneal epithelial macrocysts following hyperopic laser in situ
      keratomileusis.
AB  - A 27-year-old woman had microkeratome-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis
      (LASIK) for moderate bilateral hyperopia. The preoperative ophthalmologic
      examination was unremarkable except for minimal lissamine green staining
      bilaterally on the nasal conjunctiva. On the first postoperative day, the
      uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was 20/20 bilaterally and the corneas
      were clear. Four days later, the patient presented with mild blur in both eyes.
      Examination showed diffuse bilateral epithelial cysts encompassing the central
      6.0 to 7.0 mm of the flaps with overlying diffuse lissamine green staining. The
      UDVA was 20/30 bilaterally. Aggressive lubrication was administered. The
      epithelial cysts coalesced into larger ones over subsequent visits and began
      regressing over several months, along with improvement in vision. At 6 months,
      the cysts had completely resolved, the corneas were clear, and the UDVA was
      20/20.

PMID- 28917416
TI  - Consistency analysis of surgically induced astigmatism.

PMID- 28917417
TI  - Subluxated intraocular lens secondary to retinitis pigmentosa-associated
      zonulopathy: August consultation #1.

PMID- 28917418
TI  - August consultation #2.

PMID- 28917419
TI  - August consultation #3.

PMID- 28917420
TI  - August consultation #4.

PMID- 28917421
TI  - August consultation #6.

PMID- 28917422
TI  - August consultation #5.

PMID- 28917423
TI  - August consultation #7.

PMID- 28917424
TI  - Editor's Comment.

PMID- 28917425
TI  - Combined microinvasive glaucoma and cataract surgery in patients with
      pseudoexfoliation glaucoma: Clinical results of a gel stent.

PMID- 28917427
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28917426
TI  - The devil is in...the methodology: Issues to be clarified.

PMID- 28917428
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28917429
TI  - Peer review: Get involved.

PMID- 28917430
TI  - Pursuing perfection in intraocular lens calculations: III. Criteria for analyzing
      outcomes.

PMID- 28917431
TI  - Results of Toccata(r) resurfacing PIP joint arthroplasty. A series of 32 cases at
      a mean follow-up of 5.9 years.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of proximal
      interphalangeal (PIP) resurfacing arthroplasty for treating osteoarthritis: the
      PIP Toccata implant(r). This was a retrospective study of 32 out of 33 PIP
      arthroplasty cases performed with a dorsolateral or a Chamay approach by two
      surgeons after a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Patients were reviewed using a
      standardized assessment of pain, function, mobility and radiological changes. The
      average follow-up was 5.9 years. The mean active range of motion was 67 degrees 
      (15-95). Radiographic analysis found osteointegration of the implant in all
      patients except one, in whom distal migration had no clinical consequence.
      Heterotopic ossifications (HO) developed in 10 of the 20 cases where the implant
      was inserted through a lateral approach. Intra-articular bone debris was
      identified in the first postoperative X-ray in most of these cases. The presence
      of HO was significantly correlated with decreased range of motion (P<0.05). Six
      patients required surgical revision and two needed implant removal and
      arthrodesis. Our results are comparable to other published studies of PIP
      resurfacing arthroplasty. It is important to remove all bone debris when using
      the dorsolateral approach. The PIP Toccata(r) implant is a reliable solution for
      treating PIP osteoarthritis but this arthroplasty procedure is demanding.

PMID- 28917432
TI  - Complications after treating Dupuytren's disease. A systematic literature review.
AB  - The objective of this study was to review the incidence of complications
      associated with different treatment options for patients with Dupuytren's
      disease. In a systematic literature review, the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane and
      Scopus databases were searched for clinical studies reporting complications after
      collagenase treatment, percutaneous needle fasciotomy (PNF), fasciectomy and
      dermofasciectomy. The incidence of complications was extracted from each study
      and stratified by procedure. From a total of 2251 references, 113 studies were
      analyzed and included with complication incidences varying from 0% to 100%. The
      highest number of nerve and vessel lesions were reported after fasciectomy,
      whereas the highest rate of edema was after collagenase injection. Accidental
      skin tears were mostly associated with collagenase and PNF treatment. Pooled
      complication incidences were 17.4% (95% CI: 11.7-23.1) for fasciectomy, 78.0%
      (95% CI: 59.6-96.4) for collagenase treatment, 18.9% (95% CI: -5.5-43.3) for PNF
      and 11.6% (95% CI: 0.0-23.2) for dermofasciectomy. Due to inconsistencies in
      reporting complications as well as the lack of a standardized definition, the
      literature does not provide evidence in favor of a specific procedure for
      Dupuytren's disease. A standardized definition of complications is required to
      improve the comparability of published results.

PMID- 28917433
TI  - Surveillance Imaging in Patients With Endometrial Cancer in First Remission.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The clinical benefit of surveillance imaging in endometrial cancer
      remains undefined. This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the
      positive predictive value (PPV) of surveillance imaging in endometrial cancer.
      METHODS: A total of 128 patients in first remission after treatment for
      endometrial cancer (uterine papillary serous, clear cell, stage III endometroid)
      who had surveillance imaging were retrospectively identified. The surveillance
      period was defined from the time of first-negative scan after treatment to the
      time when treatment was started for recurrent disease. Reports of surveillance
      scans were reviewed for the presence or absence of findings. The primary outcome
      was PPV of surveillance imaging. Cost and radiation exposure from surveillance
      imaging were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 128 patients had 707
      surveillance scans (computed tomography, positron emission tomography-computed
      tomography with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose, magnetic resonance image, and
      bone scans). Median follow-up was 54 months (range: 9-173). Of all, 47 patients
      (37%) started therapy for recurrent endometrial cancer at the discretion of the
      treating physician. PPV of all surveillance imaging was 57.7%. Per patient, the
      mean number of surveillance scans was 5.6 (range: 2-21). The mean cost of imaging
      was $4200 (range: $1200-$18,700) and mean radiation exposure was 109.6mSV (range:
      16-445mSv). CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance imaging detected a significant number of
      recurrences in patients with high-risk endometrial cancer at a reasonable cost
      related to the overall risk. Well-designed prospective imaging trials are
      warranted to assess the clinical benefit of surveillance imaging.

PMID- 28917434
TI  - Quantitative analysis of four protein biomarkers: An automated microfluidic
      cartridge-based method and its comparison to colorimetric ELISA.
AB  - Biomarker quantitation with ligand binding assays has matured greatly in recent
      years. This maturation has been partly in response to demands for more data
      points from fewer samples or less available sample volume. Multiplexing offers
      opportunities to acquire data for multiple analytes from single sample assay
      iterations, but has its own unique challenges and limitations. ProteinSimple has
      developed Simple PlexTM, an automated immunoassay platform consisting of
      microfluidic cartridge-based assays run on the Ella instrument. Ella subverts
      traditional multiplexing challenges by rapidly performing triplicate measurements
      of up to four different analytes simultaneously, each in their own respective
      assay vessels and all from a single sample. Here we describe a comparison of the
      Simple Plex platform versus colorimetric ELISA and their respective abilities to
      quantitate four common biomarkers (MCP-1/CCL2, VEGF-A, TNF-alpha, and IL-6) from
      twenty-eight healthy individual donor plasma samples. Each biomarker was tested
      on the two platforms on each of two days. Ella analysis required significantly
      reduced sample volume, manual steps, and total time. Overall, Ella was able to
      quantify results for all twenty-eight samples for each of the four biomarkers. In
      contrast, ELISA was able to measure quantifiable results within respective
      calibration curve ranges for MCP-1/CCL2 (96% of samples) and VEGFA (7% of
      samples). For TNF-alpha and IL-6, ELISA was not sensitive enough to quantify any
      samples in the assay ranges. This stark difference in quantitative results
      underscores Ella's ability to multiplex without compromising sensitivity, and has
      far reaching potential for biomarker panel measurement in support of diagnosis,
      prognosis, and monitoring of disease.

PMID- 28917435
TI  - Measurement of micronuclei and internal dose in mice demonstrates that 3
      monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) has no genotoxic potency in vivo.
AB  - In this study 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), a compound that appears as
      contaminant in refined cooking oils, has been studied with regard to genotoxicity
      in vivo (mice) with simultaneous measurement of internal dose using state-of-the
      art methodologies. Genotoxicity (chromosomal aberrations) was measured by flow
      cytometry with dual lasers as the frequency of micronuclei in erythrocytes in
      peripheral blood from BalbC mice intraperitoneally exposed to 3-MCPD (0, 50, 75,
      100, 125 mg/kg). The internal doses of 3-MCPD in the mice were calculated from N
      (2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-valine adducts to hemoglobin (Hb), quantified at very low
      levels by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Convincing evidence for absence of
      genotoxic potency in correlation to measured internal doses in the mice was
      demonstrated, despite relatively high administered doses of 3-MCPD. The results
      are discussed in relation to another food contaminant that is formed as ester in
      parallel to 3-MCPD esters in oil processing, i.e. glycidol, which has been
      studied previously by us in a similar experimental setup. Glycidol has been shown
      to be genotoxic, and in addition to have ca. 1000 times higher rate of adduct
      formation compared to that observed for 3-MCPD. The conclusion is that at
      simultaneous exposure to 3-MCPD and glycidol the concern about genotoxicity would
      be glycidol.

PMID- 28917436
TI  - Comparison of the loop technique with incision and drainage for soft tissue
      abscesses: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Skin and soft tissue infections are a common presentation to the
      emergency department. Traditional management of abscesses involves a linear
      incision through the center of the abscess with packing placed. The loop drainage
      technique (LDT) is an alternate approach that may reduce pain and scarring, as
      well as decrease the number of follow up visits needed. This systematic review
      and meta-analysis aimed to compare the efficacy of the LDT with conventional
      incision and drainage (CID) in the treatment of soft tissue abscesses. METHODS:
      PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials, and bibliographies of selected articles
      were assessed for all retrospective, prospective, or randomized controlled trials
      comparing the LDT to CID with an outcome of treatment failure, as defined by the
      individual study. Data were double extracted into a predefined worksheet and
      quality analysis was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data were
      summarized and a meta-analysis was performed with subgroup analyses by adult
      versus pediatric age groups. RESULTS: This systematic review identified four
      studies comprising 470 total patients. Overall, the CID technique failed in 25 of
      265 cases (9.43%). The LDT failed in 8 of 195 cases (4.10%). There was an odds
      ratio of 2.63 (95% CI 1.04 to 6.63) in favor of higher failures in the CID group.
      Funnel plot analysis demonstrated no evidence of publication bias. Subgroups
      analysis by age group demonstrated improved efficacy of the LDT in pediatric
      patients, but the adult subgroup did not reach statistical significance.
      DISCUSSION: The existing literature suggests that LDT is associated with a lower
      failure rate than CID. However, the data is limited by small sample sizes and
      predominantly retrospective study designs. Given the potential for less pain,
      decreased scarring, and lower associated healthcare costs, this technique should
      be considered for the treatment of skin and soft tissue abscesses in the ED
      setting, but further studies are needed.

PMID- 28917437
TI  - Effects of intravenous administration of fentanyl and lidocaine on hemodynamic
      responses following endotracheal intubation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of intravenous fentanyl and lidocaine on
      hemodynamic changes following endotracheal intubation in patients requiring Rapid
      Sequence Intubation (RSI) in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: A single
      centered, prospective, simple non-randomized, double-blind clinical trial was
      conducted on 96 patients who needed RSI in Edalatian ED. They were randomly
      divided into three groups (fentanyl group (F), lidocaine group (L), and fentanyl
      plus lidocaine (M) as our control group). M was administered with 3 MUgr/kg
      intravenous fentanyl and 1.5 MUgr/kg intravenous lidocaine, F was injected with
      3g/kg intravenous fentanyl and L received 1.5mg/kg intravenous lidocaine prior to
      endotracheal intubation. Heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were
      assessed four times with the chi-square test: before, immediately after, 5 and 10
      min after intubation. Intervention was discontinued for five people due to
      unsuccessful CPR. RESULTS: HR was notably different in F, L and M groups during
      four time courses (p<0.05). Comparison of MAP at measured points in all groups
      exhibited no significant difference (p>0.05). In fentanyl group both HR and MAP
      increased immediately after intubation, and significantly decreased 10 min after
      intubation (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the result of this study shows that
      lidocaine effectively prevents MAP and HR fluctuations following the endotracheal
      intubation. According to our findings, lidocaine or the combination of fentanyl
      and lidocaine are able to diminish hemodynamic changes and maintain the baseline
      conditions of the patient, thus could act more effectively than fentanyl alone.

PMID- 28917438
TI  - Emergency department electrocardiogram images sent through the mobile phone:
      Feasibility and accuracy.

PMID- 28917439
TI  - Sexual history documentation in adolescents with lower abdominal pain or
      genitourinary complaints.

PMID- 28917440
TI  - Neuroticism and quality of life: Multiple mediating effects of smartphone
      addiction and depression.
AB  - The purposes of this study were to investigate the mediating effect of smartphone
      addiction and depression on neuroticism and quality of life. Self-reported
      measures of neuroticism, smart-phone addiction, depression, and quality of life
      were administered to 722 Chinese university students. Results showed smartphone
      addiction and depression were both significantly affected neuroticism and quality
      of life. The direct effect of neuroticism on quality of life was significant, and
      the chain-mediating effect of smartphone addiction and depression was also
      significant. In conclusion, neuroticism, smartphone addiction, and depression are
      important variables that worsen quality of life.

PMID- 28917441
TI  - Recognition of peer emotions in children with ADHD: Evidence from an animated
      facial expressions task.
AB  - A growing body of literature suggests that ADHD is associated with emotion
      recognition impairments that may be linked to deficient interpersonal
      functioning. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these
      recognition impairments is extremely limited. Here, we used dynamic stimuli to
      investigate whether impaired emotion recognition in children with ADHD may be
      associated with impairments in perceptual sensitivity. Participants (ADHD: N =
      26; Controls: N = 26) viewed video sequences of neutral faces slowly developing
      into one of the six basic emotional expressions (angry, happy, fearful, sad,
      disgusted and surprised) and were instructed to indicate via a button press the
      precise moment at which they were able to correctly recognize the emotional
      expression. The results showed that compared to controls, children with ADHD
      exhibited lower accuracy rates across all emotional expressions while there was
      no evidence for impaired perceptual sensitivity. Thus, the study provides
      evidence for a generalized categorization impairment across all emotional
      categories and is consistent with developmental delay accounts of ADHD. Future
      studies are needed in order to further investigate the developmental course of
      social cognition deficits in ADHD.

PMID- 28917442
TI  - ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism is associated with tetrahydrocannabinol blood levels in
      heavy cannabis users.
AB  - ABCB1 polymorphisms are known to modify drug pharmacokinetics but have yet to be
      studied for their role in generating and maintaining cannabis dependence. The
      objective of this study is to determine if ABCB1 C3435T (rs1045642) polymorphism
      may modulate Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) blood levels in a sample of heavy
      cannabis users. The study sample includes 39 Caucasian individuals, recruited in
      two French addictology centres, with isolated cannabis dependence and heavy use
      (defined as >= 7 joints per week). Each underwent clinical evaluation, cannabis
      blood metabolite dosage (THC, 11-OH-THC, and THC-COOH) and genotyping of ABCB1
      C3435T polymorphism. In this population (males: 74.4%, average age 29.5 +/- 9),
      average cannabis use was 21 joints per week (median 12; range 7 - 80). T carriers
      (TT/CT) had significantly lower plasma THC levels (ng/ml) versus non T carriers
      (8 vs 15.70, significant), controlling for level of weekly use, 11-OH-THC and THC
      COOH levels. Our results show that ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism may modulate serum
      THC levels in chronic heavy cannabis users. The exact mechanisms and roles that
      this may play in cannabis dependence genesis and evolution remain to be
      elucidated. These results should be controlled in a replication study using a
      larger population.

PMID- 28917443
TI  - Alternative models of DSM-5 PTSD: Examining diagnostic implications.
AB  - The factor structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been
      extensively debated with evidence supporting the recently proposed seven-factor
      Hybrid model. However, despite myriad studies examining PTSD symptom structure
      few have assessed the diagnostic implications of these proposed models. This
      study aimed to generate PTSD prevalence estimates derived from the 7 alternative
      factor models and assess whether pre-established risk factors associated with
      PTSD (e.g., transportation accidents and sexual victimisation) produce consistent
      risk estimates. Seven alternative models were estimated within a confirmatory
      factor analytic framework using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Data were
      analysed from a Malaysian adolescent community sample (n = 481) of which 61.7%
      were female, with a mean age of 17.03 years. The results indicated that all
      models provided satisfactory model fit with statistical superiority for the
      Externalising Behaviours and seven-factor Hybrid models. The PTSD prevalence
      estimates varied substantially ranging from 21.8% for the DSM-5 model to 10.0%
      for the Hybrid model. Estimates of risk associated with PTSD were inconsistent
      across the alternative models, with substantial variation emerging for sexual
      victimisation. These findings have important implications for research and
      practice and highlight that more research attention is needed to examine the
      diagnostic implications emerging from the alternative models of PTSD.

PMID- 28917444
TI  - Developing a Hospital-Wide Fertility Preservation Service for Pediatric and Young
      Adult Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Gonadal damage is a common consequence of treatment for pediatric
      malignancies. Nononcologic conditions may also utilize treatments with potential
      impact on fertility. Models for oncology fertility preservation programs have
      emerged and demonstrate that a multidisciplinary team approach can have a
      positive impact on referral patterns, appropriate risk counseling, and access to
      fertility preservation options. Expansion of programmatic breadth is needed,
      providing improved care to nonmalignant conditions where the disease itself may
      impact reproductive health or treatment modalities. METHODS: With support from
      the Department of Pediatrics Chair's Initiative, a multidisciplinary, hospital
      wide Fertility Preservation Service was created at the Children's Hospital of
      Philadelphia. A centralized team provides fertility consults across the
      institution, allowing for risk-based counseling and facilitation of fertility
      preservation options (both standard care and experimental). RESULTS: Team
      structure, consult process, and available fertility options for prepubertal and
      pubertal males and females are described. Preinitiative and postinitiative
      referral patterns were analyzed. Postinitiative referrals from divisions outside
      oncology more than doubled (34% vs. 15% at baseline). CONCLUSIONS: A
      comprehensive model for fertility counseling provides accessible, high-value
      fertility preservation care to pediatric and young adult patients with a wide
      variety of diagnoses. A centralized point of contact ensures timely referrals and
      risk-based counseling and streamlines access to fertility preservation
      procedures.

PMID- 28917445
TI  - Margin width and local recurrence after breast conserving surgery for ductal
      carcinoma in situ.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) represents 5% of symptomatic and 20
      30% of screen detected cancers. Breast conserving surgery (BCS) +/- radiotherapy
      is performed in over 70% of women with DCIS. What constitutes an adequate margin
      for BCS remains unclear. METHODS: A single institution follow up study has been
      conducted of 466 patients with pure DCIS treated by BCS between 2000 and 2010 of
      whom 292 received whole breast radiotherapy and 167 did not. Patients were
      selected for radiotherapy based on perceived risk of in breast tumour recurrence
      (IBTR). Distance to nearest radial margin was measured; 10 patients had a margin
      width of <1 mm, 94 had widths of 1-2 mm and 362 had widths of >2 mm. There was no
      association of margin width and the use of radiotherapy. RESULTS: At a median
      follow up of 7.2 years there were 44 IBTR (27 DCIS and 17 invasive). There was no
      evidence that margin widths >2 mm resulted in a lower rate of IBTR than margin
      widths of 1-2 mm. The actuarial IBTR rates at 5 and 10 years for margins of 1-2
      mm were 9.0% (95% CI +/- 5.9%) and 9.0% (95% CI +/- 5.9%) respectively and for
      margins of >2 mm were 8.0% (95% CI +/- 3.9%) and 13.0% (95% CI +/- 3.9%)
      respectively. Odds Ratio for IBTR 1-2 mm vs >2 mm was 0.839 (95% CI 0.392-1.827)
      p = 0.846. In a multivariate analysis only DCIS size predicted for IBTR (HR 2.73
      p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: 1 mm appears a sufficient margin width for BCS in DCIS
      irrespective of whether patients receive radiotherapy.

PMID- 28917446
TI  - Amplitude modulation rate dependent topographic organization of the auditory
      steady-state response in human auditory cortex.
AB  - Periodic modulations of an acoustic feature, such as amplitude over a certain
      frequency range, leads to phase locking of neural responses to the envelope of
      the modulation. Using electrophysiological methods this neural activity pattern,
      also called the auditory steady-state response (aSSR), is visible following
      frequency transformation of the evoked response as a clear spectral peak at the
      modulation frequency. Despite several studies employing the aSSR that show, for
      example, strongest responses for ~40 Hz and an overall right-hemispheric
      dominance, it has not been investigated so far to what extent within auditory
      cortex different modulation frequencies elicit aSSRs at a homogenous source or
      whether the localization of the aSSR is topographically organized in a systematic
      manner. The latter would be suggested by previous neuroimaging works in monkeys
      and humans showing a periodotopic organization within and across distinct
      auditory fields. However, the sluggishness of the signal from these neuroimaging
      works prohibit inferences with regards to the fine-temporal features of the
      neural response. In the present study, we employed amplitude-modulated (AM)
      sounds over a range between 4 and 85 Hz to elicit aSSRs while recording brain
      activity via magnetoencephalography (MEG). Using beamforming and a fine spatially
      resolved grid restricted to auditory cortical processing regions, our study
      revealed a topographic representation of the aSSR that depends on AM rate, in
      particular in the medial-lateral (bilateral) and posterior-anterior (right
      auditory cortex) direction. In summary, our findings confirm previous studies
      that showing different AM rates to elicit maximal response in distinct neural
      populations. They extend these findings however by also showing that these
      respective neural ensembles in auditory cortex actually phase lock their activity
      over a wide modulation frequency range.

PMID- 28917448
TI  - In vitro antitumor activity of novel benzimidazole-based Cu(II) complexes.
AB  - Four benzimidazole-based Cu(II) complexes: Cu2(p-2-bmp)2Br4 (1), Cu2(p-2-bmp)2Cl4
      (2), Cu2(p-2-bmb)2(DMF)2Br4.(CHCl3) (3), and Cu(p-2-bmb)(NO3)2.(CHCl3) (4) were
      isolated and characterized, where p-2-bmp is 1-((2-(pyridine-2-yl)-1H
      benzoimidazol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-pyridine and p-2-bmb is 1-((2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1
      benzoimidazol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-benzotriazole. Complexes 1 and 2 have binuclear
      configurations, 3 has a mononuclear structure, and 4has a one-dimensional (1-D)
      chain skeleton. To evaluate their potential anticancer effects on human carcinoma
      cells, anti-proliferation, DNA binding and cleavage, and apoptosis elicitation
      were examined. Compared with complexes 2, 3, and 4, complex 1 exhibited potent in
      vitro cytotoxicity toward four cell lines (MCF7, EC109, SH-SY5Y and QBC939), with
      SH-SY5Y cells demonstrating the most sensitivity. Therefore, further in-depth
      investigations were performed using complex 1. Absorption titration experiments,
      circular dichroism spectroscopic studies, and ethidium bromide displacement
      assays suggested that complex 1 binds to DNA through intercalation, significantly
      cleaves supercoiled pBR322 DNA, and inhibits DNA transcription. Cell cycle
      analysis revealed that SH-SY5Y cells were arrested in the G2/M phase after
      treatment with complex 1. Membrane permeability analysis and nuclear staining of
      SH-SY5Y cells showed that complex 1 could induce apoptosis.

PMID- 28917447
TI  - Cell penetrating peptides to dissect host-pathogen protein-protein interactions
      in Theileria-transformed leukocytes.
AB  - One powerful application of cell penetrating peptides is the delivery into cells
      of molecules that function as specific competitors or inhibitors of protein
      protein interactions. Ablating defined protein-protein interactions is a refined
      way to explore their contribution to a particular cellular phenotype in a given
      disease context. Cell-penetrating peptides can be synthetically constrained
      through various chemical modifications that stabilize a given structural fold
      with the potential to improve competitive binding to specific targets. Theileria
      transformed leukocytes display high PKA activity, but PKA is an enzyme that plays
      key roles in multiple cellular processes; consequently genetic ablation of kinase
      activity gives rise to a myriad of confounding phenotypes. By contrast, ablation
      of a specific kinase-substrate interaction has the potential to give more refined
      information and we illustrate this here by describing how surgically ablating PKA
      interactions with BAD gives precise information on the type of glycolysis
      performed by Theileria-transformed leukocytes. In addition, we provide two other
      examples of how ablating specific protein-protein interactions in Theileria
      infected leukocytes leads to precise phenotypes and argue that constrained
      penetrating peptides have great therapeutic potential to combat infectious
      diseases in general.

PMID- 28917449
TI  - Highly potent antiobesity effect of a short-length peptide YY analog in mice.
AB  - Continuous administration of a 14-amino acid peptide YY (PYY) analog, Ac-[d
      Pro24,Pya(4)26,Cha27,36,Aib28,31,Lys30]PYY(23-36) (4), which has a high binding
      affinity and agonist activity for the neuropeptide Y2 receptor (Y2R), has
      previously shown an antiobesity effect in a 2-week diet-induced obesity (DIO)
      study in mice. However, there remained a possibility to obtain more potent
      analogs by further improving its pharmacokinetic profile. A combination of the N
      terminal 4-imidazolecarbonyl moiety and three amino acid substitutions, trans-4
      hydroxy-d-proline (d-Hyp)24, isovaline (Iva)25, and gamma-methylleucine
      (gammaMeLeu)28, not only improved the binding affinity of the peptide for Y2R but
      also increased its anorectic activity in lean mice. In a 2-week DIO study in
      mice, continuous administration of 4-imidazolecarbonyl-[d
      Hyp24,Iva25,Pya(4)26,Cha27,36,gammaMeLeu28,Lys30,Aib31]PYY(23-36) (31, PYY-1119)
      at a dose of 0.03mg/kg/day showed a highly potent antiobesity effect, with more
      than 10% body weight reduction.

PMID- 28917451
TI  - Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: A comprehensive overview: Epidemiology,
      pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and noninvasive assessment technique.
AB  - Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) commonly occurs after various endogenous
      and exogenous stimuli, especially in dark-skinned individuals. PIH is one of the
      most common complications of procedures performed using laser and other light
      sources. The severity of PIH is determined by the inherent skin color, degree and
      depth of inflammation, degree of dermoepidermal junction disruption, inflammatory
      conditions, and the stability of melanocytes, leading to epidermal and dermal
      melanin pigment deposition. The depth of melanin pigment is the key factor to
      predict prognosis and treatment outcome. Epidermal hyperpigmentation fades more
      rapidly than dermal hyperpigmentation. Various inflammatory disorders can
      eventually result in PIH. The evaluation of pigmentation using noninvasive tools
      helps define the level of pigmentation in the skin, pigmentation intensity, and
      guides therapeutic approaches. This first article in this 2-part series discusses
      the epidemiology, pathogenesis, etiology, clinical presentation, differential
      diagnoses, and investigation using noninvasive assessment techniques that
      objectively determine the details of pigmentation.

PMID- 28917450
TI  - A novel class of Plasmodial ClpP protease inhibitors as potential antimalarial
      agents.
AB  - The prokaryotic ATP-dependent ClpP protease, localized in the relict plastid of
      malaria parasite, represents a potential drug target. In the present study, we
      utilized in silico structure-based screening and medicinal chemistry approaches
      to identify a novel pyrimidine series of compounds inhibiting P. falciparum ClpP
      protease activity and evaluated their antiparasitic activities. Structure
      activity relationship indicated that morpholine moiety at C2, an aromatic
      substitution at N3 and a 4-oxo moiety on the pyrimidine are important for potent
      inhibition of ClpP enzyme along with antiparasiticidal activity. Compound 33
      exhibited potent antiparasitic activity (EC50 9.0+/-0.2MUM), a 9-fold improvement
      over the antiparasitic activity of the hit molecule 6. Treatment of blood stage
      P. falciparum cultures with compound 33 caused morphological and developmental
      abnormalities in the parasites; further, compound 33 treatment hindered
      apicoplast development indicating the targeting of apicoplast.

PMID- 28917452
TI  - Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: A comprehensive overview: Treatment options
      and prevention.
AB  - Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) occurs after various dermatoses,
      exogenous stimuli, and dermatologic procedures. The clinical course of PIH is
      chronic and unpredictable, although the probability of resolution of epidermal
      hyperpigmentation is better than those of dermal hyperpigmentation. PIH can be
      prevented or alleviated. When it does occur, the underlying inflammatory
      conditions should be sought and treated as the first step to reduce the
      progression of inflammation and PIH (which is an inflammatory consequence). If
      the inflammatory conditions subsides or there is no evidence of inflammation at
      the time of diagnosis, the treatments of PIH should be considered as the next
      step. Understanding the available treatment options helps the physician choose
      the appropriate treatment for each patient. Having a reproducible model for PIH
      is essential for the development of treatment modalities. The second article in
      this 2-part continuing medical education series on PIH specifically addresses the
      evidence that supports medical and procedural treatments of PIH and other forms
      of acquired hyperpigmentation. It also describes a PIH model and provides an
      algorithm for clinical practice along with discussion about the prevention of
      PIH.

PMID- 28917453
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between psoriasis and
      metabolic syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown a relationship between psoriasis and
      metabolic syndrome (MS), but no meta-analysis has been restricted to studies that
      adjusted for confounders. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between
      psoriasis and MS. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational
      studies on psoriasis and MS in adults was performed from MEDLINE, Scopus, SciELO,
      Google Scholar, Science Direct, and LILACS from inception to January 2016. We
      performed a random effects model meta-analysis for those studies reporting
      adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The subgroup
      analysis was related to geographic location, diagnosis criteria and risk of bias.
      RESULTS: In all, 14 papers including a total of 25,042 patients with psoriasis
      were analyzed. We found that MS was present in 31.4% of patients with psoriasis
      (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.28-1.65). Middle Eastern studies (in Israel, Turkey, and
      Lebanon) (OR, 1.76, 95% CI, 0.86-2.67) reported a greater risk for MS than
      European studies (in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Denmark)
      (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.25-1.55). LIMITATIONS: Few adjusted studies existed, and
      there was inconsistency between publications. CONCLUSION: Because of the
      increased risk for MS, clinicians should consider screening patients with
      psoriasis for metabolic risk factors.

PMID- 28917454
TI  - A phase 2a, open-label pilot study of the galectin-3 inhibitor GR-MD-02 for the
      treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

PMID- 28917455
TI  - Use of capsule endoscopy to identify lesions suggestive of Crohn's disease in
      patients with moderate to severe psoriasis.

PMID- 28917457
TI  - Potential impact of biologics and emerging therapies for psoriasis and atopic
      dermatitis on future fertility: Reassurance to patients but more data are needed.

PMID- 28917456
TI  - A cross-sectional study of psoriasis triggers among different ethno-racial
      groups.

PMID- 28917458
TI  - Adherence to over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide in patients with acne.

PMID- 28917459
TI  - Yellow facial papules associated with frontal fibrosing alopecia: A distinct
      histologic pattern and response to isotretinoin.

PMID- 28917460
TI  - Clinical and pathologic factors associated with deep transection of biopsies of
      invasive melanoma.

PMID- 28917461
TI  - A cross-sectional survey of voriconazole prescribers: Assessing current practice
      and knowledge of cutaneous side effects.

PMID- 28917462
TI  - Human papilloma virus expression in immunocompetent patients with actinic
      keratosis: A case series.

PMID- 28917463
TI  - Lack of efficacy of apremilast in 9 patients with severe alopecia areata.

PMID- 28917464
TI  - The majority of patients presenting with vitiligo have a clinical sign of
      activity.

PMID- 28917465
TI  - The impact of skin hyperpigmentation and hyperchromia on quality of life: A cross
      sectional study.

PMID- 28917466
TI  - An international study of the prevalence of substance use in patients with
      delusional infestation.

PMID- 28917467
TI  - Body mass index is negatively associated with the intensity of acute zoster
      associated pain in Taiwanese: A cross-sectional study.

PMID- 28917468
TI  - Sex and leadership in academic dermatology: A nationwide survey.

PMID- 28917469
TI  - Prior authorizations for dermatologic medications: An American Academy of
      Dermatology survey of US dermatology providers and staff.

PMID- 28917470
TI  - Medication nonadherence in dermatology: Divergent ethical implications for
      patient care.

PMID- 28917471
TI  - Beyond JAAD October 2017: Articles of interest to dermatologists from the
      nondermatologic literature.

PMID- 28917472
TI  - "Two-step phototherapy" for treatment-resistant psoriasis on the lower
      extremities.

PMID- 28917473
TI  - Recognizing and overcoming phototherapy-induced initiation burn.

PMID- 28917474
TI  - Dermabrasion in earlobe repair.

PMID- 28917475
TI  - Interdomal sutures for nasal tip refinement and reduced wound size.

PMID- 28917476
TI  - Simple technique to avoid unnecessary Burow triangles.

PMID- 28917477
TI  - Using a slit knife to facilitate Mohs micrographic surgery in irregularly shaped
      areas.

PMID- 28917478
TI  - Reply to "Clinical and pathologic factors associated with subclinical spread of
      invasive melanoma": Statistical and methodological issues.

PMID- 28917479
TI  - Reply to: "Statistical and methodological issues".

PMID- 28917480
TI  - Prognosis and management of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal
      necrolysis.

PMID- 28917481
TI  - Reply to: "Prognosis and management of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic
      epidermal necrolysis".

PMID- 28917482
TI  - Papular eruption in a woman with Down syndrome.

PMID- 28917483
TI  - Recalcitrant chronic leg ulcer: An indication for patch testing for hydrocolloid
      dressing.

PMID- 28917484
TI  - Use of Wood's lamp to diagnose progressive macular hypomelanosis.

PMID- 28917485
TI  - Self-Expandable Metal Stent Use to Palliate Malignant Esophagorespiratory
      Fistulas in 88 Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify predictors associated with clinical outcomes (initial
      clinical failure, stent patency, and survival) after self-expandable metal stent
      (SEMS) placement for malignant esophagorespiratory fistulas (ERFs). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Using logistic and Cox regression analyses, this study reviewed 88
      patients (mean age 59.4 y +/- 8.4; 84 men [95.5%] and 4 women [4.5%]) who
      underwent fluoroscopic SEMS placement for palliating malignant ERF from January
      2000 to December 2016. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in all patients.
      Initial clinical success was achieved in 78.4% (69/88; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 68.7%-85.7%). Among the 69 patients in whom initial clinical success was
      achieved, aspiration symptoms recurred in 37.7% (26/69; 95% CI, 27.2%-49.5%).
      Overall major complication rate was 25.0% (22/88; 95% CI, 17.1%-35.0%).
      Cumulative stent patency and cumulative survival rates at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months
      were 72.8%, 38.9%, 32.4%, and 21.6% and 81.4%, 51.9%, 30.5%, and 13.3%,
      respectively. Stricture of the upper esophagus was an independent predictor of
      initial clinical failure (odds ratio, 3.760; 95% CI, 1.207-11.811) and shorter
      stent patency (hazard ratio [HR], 2.036; 95% CI, 1.170-3.544). Initial clinical
      failure was an independent predictor of shorter survival (HR, 2.902; 95% CI,
      1.587-5.305). CONCLUSIONS: SEMS placement offers sufficient short-term relief
      despite considerable major complications. Stricture of the upper esophagus is an
      independent predictor of initial clinical failure and shorter stent patency.
      Initial clinical failure is an independent predictor of shorter survival.

PMID- 28917486
TI  - Effects of the potential probiotics Bacillus aerophilus KADR3 in inducing
      immunity and disease resistance in Labeo rohita.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the dietary administration of
      Bacillus aerophilus KADR3 on enhancing the immunity and disease resistance
      against Aeromonas hydrophila infection in Labeo rohita. B. aerophilus culture
      supernatant exhibited antagonistic activity against fish pathogenic bacteria in
      an agar well diffusion assay. Four fish groups were fed with either of following
      diets containing different concentrations of B. aerophilus KADR3 (cfu g-1): 0
      (control), 1 * 107 (DI), 1 * 108 (DII), and 1 * 109 (DIII) -cfu g-1. Various
      innate immune parameters were measured at - 3rd and 6th - week post-feeding. At
      the end of 6th week, fish were challenged intraperitoneally with A. hydrophila
      and survival percentage was recorded over 10 days post-challenge. Studied
      immunological parameters viz. serum lysozyme, phagocytosis, serum total protein,
      respiratory bursts, serum IgM levels, superoxide dismutase and alternative
      complement pathway activities were significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) in fish
      groups fed with B. aerophilus KADR3 supplemented diets, with the highest values
      were observed in DII (108 cfu g-1) fed group. Further, B. aerophilus
      supplementation at 108 cfu g-1 exhibited highest post-challenge survivability
      i.e. 72.83%, followed by DIII (64.19%) and DI (41.97%). Our results collectively
      suggest that B. aerophilus can potentially be used as probiotic strain in
      aquaculture to enhance the immunity and disease resistance with an optimal
      dietary supplementation of 108 cfu g-1.

PMID- 28917487
TI  - Glutamate attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative damage and mRNA
      expression changes of tight junction and defensin proteins, inflammatory and
      apoptosis response signaling molecules in the intestine of fish.
AB  - The present study explored the possible preventive effects of dietary glutamate
      (Glu) on LPS-induced oxidative damage, mRNA expression changes of tight junction
      (TJ) and defensin proteins, inflammatory and apoptosis response signaling
      molecules in fish intestine. Young Jian carp were fed five diets supplemental
      graded levels of Glu (0, 4, 8, 16 and 32 g kg-1 diet) for 63 days. The results
      indicated that Glu supplementation depressed LPS induced the production of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and severe oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation and
      protein oxidation) in fish intestine, which was partially due to the increased
      glutathione (GSH) content and antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide
      dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione-S-transferase (GST),
      and glutathione reductase (GR) (P < 0.05). Further investigations indicated that
      Glu supplementation caused elevation of those antioxidant enzyme activities are
      related to the up-regulation of corresponding antioxidant enzymes and the related
      signaling factor Nrf2 mRNA levels (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, Glu pre-treatment
      significantly suppressed LPS-induced COX-2 and inflammatory cytokines mRNA
      expression and down-regulated NF-kappaB p65 and MAPK p38 transcription.
      Furthermore, pre-treatment with Glu prevented LPS induced apoptosis-related gene
      expression (caspase 3 and 9, P < 0.05). Lastly, Glu supplementation also
      attenuated LPS induced intestinal barrier function-related gene TJ proteins (ZO
      1, occludin1, claudin2, 3, and 7), beta-defensin1 and 3 mRNA expressions
      decreasing (P < 0.05). Taken together, the present results showed Glu could
      attenuate LPS induced the oxidative damage by Nrf2 signal pathway and depress LPS
      induced inflammation response (cytokines, COX-2, NF-kappaB p65, and MAPK p38),
      apoptosis (caspase3 and 9), and barrier function (ZO-1, occludin1, claudin2, 3
      and 7, and beta-defensin 1 and 3)-related gene expression changes of fish
      intestine.

PMID- 28917488
TI  - Gene expression regulation of the TLR9 and MyD88-dependent pathways in rock bream
      against rock bream iridovirus (RBIV) infection.
AB  - Rock bream iridovirus (RBIV), which is a member of the Megalocytivirus genus,
      causes severe mass mortalities in rock bream in Korea. To date, the innate immune
      defense mechanisms of rock bream against RBIV is unclear. In this study, we
      assessed the expression levels of genes related to TLR9 and MyD88-dependent
      pathways in RBIV-infected rock bream in high, low or no mortality conditions. In
      the high mortality group (100% mortality at 15 days post infection (dpi)), high
      levels of TLR9 and MyD88 expressions (6.4- and 2.4-fold, respectively) were
      observed at 8 d and then reduced (0.6- and 0.1-fold, respectively) with heavy
      viral loads at 10 dpi (2.21 * 107/MUl). Moreover, TRAF6, IRF5, IL1beta, IL8, IL12
      and TNFalpha expression levels showed no statistical significance until 10 dpi.
      Conversely, in the low mortality group (28% expected mortality at 35 dpi), TLR9,
      MyD88 and TRAF6 expression levels were significantly higher than those in the
      control group at several sampling points until 30 dpi. Higher levels of IRF5,
      IL1beta, IL8, IL12 and TNFalpha expression were also observed, however, these
      were not significantly different from those of the control group. In the no
      mortality group (0% mortality at 40 dpi), significantly higher levels of MyD88 (2
      d, 4 d and 40 dpi), TRAF6 (2 dpi), IL1beta (4 dpi) and IL8 (2 d and 4 dpi)
      expression were observed. In summary, RBIV-infected rock bream induces innate
      immune response, which could be a major contributing factor to effective fish
      control over viral transcription. MyD88, TRAF6, IL1beta and IL8-related immune
      responses were activated in fish survivor condition (low or no mortality group).
      This is a critical factor for RBIV disease recovery; however, these immune
      responses did not efficiently respond in fish dead condition (high mortality
      group).

PMID- 28917489
TI  - The effects of single or combined administration of galactooligosaccharide and
      Pediococcus acidilactici on cutaneous mucus immune parameters, humoral immune
      responses and immune related genes expression in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
      fingerlings.
AB  - The present study was performed to investigate the effects of single or combined
      administration of galactooligosaccharide (GOS) and Pediococcus acidilactici on
      cutaneous mucus immune parameters, humoral immune responses and immune related
      genes expression in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings. Carps were fed
      experimental diets for 8 weeks as follows: non-supplemented (Control), prebiotic
      diet (10 g/kg GOS), probiotic diet (1 g/kg [0.9 * 107 CFU] lyophilized P.
      acidilactici) and synbiotic diet (10 GOS in combination with 1 g/kg [0.9 * 107
      CFU] lyophilized P. acidilactici). Unlike skin mucus, the serum lysozyme activity
      showed no significant difference between carps fed supplemented or control diets,
      however, remarkable elevation of serum ACH50 activity was noticed in carps fed
      supplemented diet (pro-, pre- and synbiotic diets) compared control group.
      Besides, feeding on pro-, pre- and synbiotic supplemented diets significantly
      increased serum and skin mucus total Ig levels. However, no significant
      difference was observed between treatments and control group in case of skin
      mucus proteases activity. There was no significant difference between expression
      levels of intestinal genes of LYZ and IL1b in fish fed on pre- and synbiotic,
      compared to the control. However, evaluation of TNF-alpha gene expression in the
      intestine of carps revealed remarkable down-regulation in treated groups (p <
      0.05). These results indicated positive effect of supplementation of carp diet
      with GOS and P. acidilactici on some mucosal or serum immune parameters.

PMID- 28917490
TI  - An After-School Cultural and Age-Sensitive Nutrition Education Intervention for
      Elementary Schoolchildren.

PMID- 28917491
TI  - Strengths and Challenges of the Alaska WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program:
      A Qualitative Study of Program Implementation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the implementation of a breastfeeding (BF) peer counselor
      (BFPC) program with Alaska Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
      Infants, and Children (WIC). METHODS: The study used focus groups, surveys, and
      interviews, with transcripts analyzed in Atlas.ti and survey data summarized in
      Microsoft Excel. RESULTS: Respondents included 33 interviewed WIC staff and
      BFPCs, 25 clients in focus groups, and 129 surveyed clients. Common themes
      included BFPCs' innovative use of texting and online support groups assisting WIC
      clients' BF success. The BFPCs' knowledge, accessibility, and relatability were
      identified as positive program elements. Challenges included BFPCs' limited
      hours, funding, and in-person contact with clients, and confusion about the
      BFPCs' role. The BFPCs and staff also described unique documentation strategies,
      BF training, and perceived supports and barriers to WIC clients' BF. CONCLUSIONS
      AND IMPLICATIONS: The implementation of a BFPC program in Alaska WIC revealed
      novel documentation and outreach strategies, including texting and online support
      groups. Findings may be translatable to other peer counseling programs.

PMID- 28917492
TI  - Aortic root fibroelastoma causing cardiac ischemia.

PMID- 28917493
TI  - Usefulness of Myocardial Annular Velocity Change During Mental Stress to Predict
      Cardiovascular Outcome in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease (From the
      Responses of Mental Stress-Induced Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment
      Trial).
AB  - Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia is common and a prognostic factor of
      adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
      The present study aimed at examining associations between mental stress-induced
      myocardial annular velocity (MAV) and cardiovascular outcome in patients with
      CAD. MAV, specifically, diastolic early (e'), diastolic late (a'), and systolic
      (s') velocities were obtained at rest and during mental stress testing in 224
      patients with clinically stable CAD. Using Cox regression models, age, sex, and
      baseline-adjusted mental stress-induced MAV measures were examined as predictors
      of a priori defined composite event term that comprised all-cause mortality
      and/or nonfatal cardiovascular events, resulting in an unplanned hospitalization
      (major adverse cardiovascular events [MACE]). Median follow-up was 4 years. The
      sample was predominantly male, Caucasian with New York Heart Association
      functional class I and a mean age of 63 +/- 10.2 years. MS-induced changes in e'
      (hazard ratio [HR] = .73) and s' (HR = .73) were significant (p <0.05) predictors
      of MACE, and the change in a' (HR = .74) was marginal (p = 0.05). The pattern of
      the relation for each MAV measure was such that patients with a greater decrease
      in e' and/or s' velocity had a higher probability of experiencing an MACE, and
      the association of the change in a' and MACE was marginal (p = 0.05), but the
      same tendency. The associations between MS-induced values of e' and a' for MACE
      were independent of resting levels. Mental stress-induced MAV changes
      independently predict an adverse cardiovascular outcome in patients with stable
      CAD.

PMID- 28917494
TI  - Early Dislodgment and Migration of a Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device.
AB  - A 68-year-old man underwent pulmonary vein isolation with cryoballoon combined
      with left atrial appendage closure using a LAmbre device. The device was
      dislodged and embolized early after implantation with no symptoms, and it was
      retrieved percutaneously. An early in-hospital check of the device position after
      implantation is important for early recognition of any possible device-related
      complication.

PMID- 28917496
TI  - Erratum in "Relation of Household Income to Incidence of Sudden Unexpected Death
      in Wake County, North Carolina".

PMID- 28917495
TI  - Complications Associated With Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators in Adults
      With Congenital Heart Disease or Left Ventricular Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy
      (From the NCDR(r) Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Registry).
AB  - Patients with childhood heart disease are living longer and entering adulthood,
      and may undergo implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation to
      reduce the risk of sudden death. We evaluated the characteristics of adult
      patients with congenital heart disease or left ventricular noncompaction
      cardiomyopathy (LVNC) in the National Cardiovascular Disease Registry ICD
      Registry and determined ICD-related in-hospital complications. Patients with LVNC
      or transposition of the great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot, Ebstein's anomaly,
      atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, or common ventricle were
      identified in the registry. In-hospital complications were compared among
      different diagnoses using the chi-square test for categorical variables and the F
      test in analyses of variance for continuous variables. A total of 3,077 patients
      were identified. The mean age was 48.0 +/- 16.0 years, and 39.9% were female.
      Single-chamber ICDs were implanted in 25.2%, dual chamber in 41.9%, and cardiac
      resynchronization in 30.8%. Intraprocedural or postprocedural complications
      occurred in 70 patients (2.3%); there were 6 in-hospital deaths (0.2%). The most
      frequent complications were acute lead dislodgments, pneumothorax, and hematomas.
      Patients with Ebstein's anomaly had the greatest complication rate (8.3%, p =
      0.03). The complication rate was 1.55% in single-chamber devices, 1.86% in dual
      chamber, and 3.5% in cardiac resynchronization (p < 0.001). For initial implants,
      the complication rate was 2.55%, 1.62% in generator replacements, and 8.77% in
      lead revisions (p = 0.001). In conclusion, in this large contemporary adult
      cohort of congenital heart disease and LVNC patients who underwent ICD implant
      procedures, periprocedural complication rates were low. Lead-related risks
      predominated.

PMID- 28917497
TI  - Comparison of Outcome of Possible Versus Definite Infective Endocarditis
      Involving Prosthetic or Bioprosthetic Heart Valves.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to describe and compare the clinical
      characteristics and outcomes of patients with definite and possible infective
      endocarditis (IE) involving prosthetic heart valve, and to identify prognostic
      factors for long-term mortality, using data from an unselected cohort of
      consecutive patients. We studied data from 133 consecutive patients with IE
      involving prosthetic heart valve seen in an academic institution between 1990 and
      2012. Patients were classified according to the modified Duke criteria for IE:
      patients with possible IE (n = 47, 35%) and patients with definite IE (n = 86,
      65%). Overall, 55 patients died over a mean +/- SD follow-up of 3.6 +/- 4.1 years
      (median 1.8, interquartile range 4.4 years). Patients with definite IE had a
      higher risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20
      to 4.17 p = 0.01). Independent predictors of long-term mortality were increasing
      age (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.08, p = 0.002), Staphylococcus aureus infection
      (HR 3.40, 95% CI 1.00 to 11.76; p = 0.05), infection with unknown microorganism
      (HR 12.50, 95% CI 2.97 to 52.63; p = 0.0006), and definite IE (HR 8.70, 95% CI
      3.55 to 21.28; p <0.0001), whereas infection on pacemaker or defibrillator (HR
      0.30, 95%CI 0.10 to 0.87; p = 0.03) was associated with a better prognosis.
      Patients with definite IE and those with possible IE who underwent surgery had a
      nonsignificantly better prognosis than their counterparts with no surgery. In
      conclusion, patients with definite IE (Duke criteria) on a prosthetic heart valve
      independently had a worse prognosis than those with possible IE.

PMID- 28917498
TI  - Personalized translational epilepsy research - Novel approaches and future
      perspectives: Part II: Experimental and translational approaches.
AB  - Despite the availability of more than 15 new "antiepileptic drugs", the
      proportion of patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy has remained constant at
      about 20-30%. Furthermore, no disease-modifying treatments shown to prevent the
      development of epilepsy following an initial precipitating brain injury or to
      reverse established epilepsy have been identified to date. This is likely in part
      due to the polyetiologic nature of epilepsy, which in turn requires personalized
      medicine approaches. Recent advances in imaging, pathology, genetics, and
      epigenetics have led to new pathophysiological concepts and the identification of
      monogenic causes of epilepsy. In the context of these advances, the First
      International Symposium on Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (1st
      ISymPTER) was held in Frankfurt on September 8, 2016, to discuss novel approaches
      and future perspectives for personalized translational research. These included
      new developments and ideas in a range of experimental and clinical areas such as
      deep phenotyping, quantitative brain imaging, EEG/MEG-based analysis of network
      dysfunction, tissue-based translational studies, innate immunity mechanisms,
      microRNA as treatment targets, functional characterization of genetic variants in
      human cell models and rodent organotypic slice cultures, personalized treatment
      approaches for monogenic epilepsies, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, therapeutic
      focal tissue modification, computational modeling for target and biomarker
      identification, and cost analysis in (monogenic) disease and its treatment. This
      report on the meeting proceedings is aimed at stimulating much needed investments
      of time and resources in personalized translational epilepsy research. This Part
      II includes the experimental and translational approaches and a discussion of the
      future perspectives, while the diagnostic methods, EEG network analysis,
      biomarkers, and personalized treatment approaches were addressed in Part I [1].

PMID- 28917499
TI  - Association of sleep with sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the association of sleep
      with sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). METHODS: We conducted a
      systematic review and meta-analysis based on literature search from databases
      PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus using keywords "SUDEP", or "sudden unexpected
      death in epilepsy", or "sudden unexplained death in epilepsy". Sudden unexpected
      death in epilepsy was considered to occur during sleep if the patient was found
      in bed, if the SUDEP cases were documented as in sleep, or if the patient was
      found at bedside on the bedroom floor. RESULTS: Circadian pattern was documented
      in 880 of the 1025 SUDEP cases in 67 studies meeting the inclusion and exclusion
      criteria. Of the 880 SUDEP cases, 69.3% occurred during sleep and 30.7% occurred
      during wakefulness. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy was significantly
      associated with sleep as compared to wakefulness (P<0.001). In the subgroup of
      272 cases in which circadian pattern and age were documented, patients 40years
      old or younger were more likely to die in sleep than those older than 40years
      (OR: 2.0; 95% CI=1.0, 3.8; P=0.05). In the subgroup of 114 cases in which both
      circadian pattern and body position at the time of death were documented, 87.6%
      (95% CI=81.1%, 94.2%) of patients who died during sleep were in the prone
      position, whereas 52.9% (95% CI=24.7%, 81.1%) of patients who died during
      wakefulness were in the prone position. Patients with nocturnal seizures were 6.3
      times more likely to die in a prone position than those with diurnal seizures
      (OR: 6.3; 95% CI=2.0, 19.5; P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong association
      of SUDEP with sleep, suggesting that sleep is a significant risk factor for
      SUDEP. Although the risks of SUDEP associated with sleep are unknown and likely
      multifactorial, the prone position might be an important contributory factor.

PMID- 28917500
TI  - Economic evaluation of childhood epilepsy in a resource-challenged setting: A
      preliminary survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Considerable disease variability exists between patients with
      epilepsy, and the societal costs for epilepsy care are overall high, because of
      high frequency in the general population especially in children from developing
      countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study where children with
      established diagnosis of epilepsy were interviewed using a semi-structured
      questionnaire. Prevalence-based costs were stratified by patients'
      sociodemographic characteristics and socioeconomic scores (SES). The 'bottom-up'
      and 'human capital' approaches were used to generate estimates on the direct and
      indirect (productivity losses) costs of epilepsy, respectively. All estimates of
      the financial burden of epilepsy were analyzed from the 'societal perspective'
      using IBM SPSS statistics software, version 20.0. RESULTS: The study had 103
      enrollees with most in the age group of 0-5years (45.6%). Majority (61.3%) belong
      to the low socioeconomic class (Ogunlesi SES class IV and V) and reside (80.6%)
      in an urban setting. The total direct and indirect costs per month were
      ?2,149,965.00 ($8497.88) and ?363,187.80 ($1435.52), respectively. The cost of
      care per patient per annum was ?292,794.50 ($1157.29), and the total cost for all
      the patients per year was ?30,157,833.60 ($119,200.92). Investigative procedures
      are the principal cost drivers (?15,861.17 or $18.15) comprising approximately
      58.7% of the total direct costs per patient. CONCLUSIONS: Cost of investigations
      contributed immensely to the total direct cost of care in our study. With the
      present economic situation in the country, out-of-pocket payments may contribute
      significantly to catastrophic expenditures and worsening of secondary treatment
      gap in children with epilepsy.

PMID- 28917502
TI  - Fluorescence and magnetic nanocomposite Fe3O4@SiO2@Au MNPs as peroxidase mimetics
      for glucose detection.
AB  - In this paper, multifunction nanoparticles (MNPs), Fe3O4@SiO2@Au MNPs, with
      properties of superparamagnetism, fluorescence and peroxidase-like catalytic
      activity were synthesized in the aqueous phase. The synthesized composites were
      characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier translation infrared
      spectrum (FT-IR) and fluorometer. The results show that the multifunctional
      nanomaterials have good magnetic and fluorescence properties. Then, the mimetic
      properties of this material were investigated. The as-synthesized Fe3O4@SiO2@Au
      MNPs exhibited the best catalytic activity for peroxidase substrate 3,3,5,5
      tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) at the reaction temperature of 70  degrees C and pH of
      3. Compared with free Fe3O4 MNPs and BSA-Au nanoclusters (NCs), the composites
      have better catalytic activity at higher temperature and lower pH, indicating
      that Fe3O4@SiO2@Au MNPs can work in more severe environment. In practical
      application, we have successfully established the colorimetric method for the
      detection of H2O2 and glucose with the detection range of 1 * 10-6 ~ 4 * 10-5 M
      and 5 * 10-6 ~ 3.5 * 10-4 M, and the detection limit of 6 * 10-7 M and 3.5 * 10-6
      M, respectively. The method was also successfully applied in the detection of
      real samples. Furthermore, since the fluorescence of Fe3O4@SiO2@Au MNPs was
      quenched by H2O2, a method for the visual detection of glucose was established.

PMID- 28917501
TI  - Personalized translational epilepsy research - Novel approaches and future
      perspectives: Part I: Clinical and network analysis approaches.
AB  - Despite the availability of more than 15 new "antiepileptic drugs", the
      proportion of patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy has remained constant at
      about 20-30%. Furthermore, no disease-modifying treatments shown to prevent the
      development of epilepsy following an initial precipitating brain injury or to
      reverse established epilepsy have been identified to date. This is likely in part
      due to the polyetiologic nature of epilepsy, which in turn requires personalized
      medicine approaches. Recent advances in imaging, pathology, genetics and
      epigenetics have led to new pathophysiological concepts and the identification of
      monogenic causes of epilepsy. In the context of these advances, the First
      International Symposium on Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (1st
      ISymPTER) was held in Frankfurt on September 8, 2016, to discuss novel approaches
      and future perspectives for personalized translational research. These included
      new developments and ideas in a range of experimental and clinical areas such as
      deep phenotyping, quantitative brain imaging, EEG/MEG-based analysis of network
      dysfunction, tissue-based translational studies, innate immunity mechanisms,
      microRNA as treatment targets, functional characterization of genetic variants in
      human cell models and rodent organotypic slice cultures, personalized treatment
      approaches for monogenic epilepsies, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, therapeutic
      focal tissue modification, computational modeling for target and biomarker
      identification, and cost analysis in (monogenic) disease and its treatment. This
      report on the meeting proceedings is aimed at stimulating much needed investments
      of time and resources in personalized translational epilepsy research. Part I
      includes the clinical phenotyping and diagnostic methods, EEG network-analysis,
      biomarkers, and personalized treatment approaches. In Part II, experimental and
      translational approaches will be discussed (Bauer et al., 2017) [1].

PMID- 28917503
TI  - Food Reluctance of Preschool Children Attending Daycare Centers Is Associated
      with a Lower Body Mass Index.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Food reluctance can present as fussiness, picky eating, slowness in
      eating, and high satiety responsiveness. It can be associated with inadequate
      weight gain during early childhood. Although a majority of preschoolers attend
      daycare centers, associations between their eating behaviors at daycare and their
      body composition have not been studied. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to develop an
      estimate of food reluctance and to assess the relationship between food
      reluctance at daycare and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference of
      preschoolers. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analyses. Food
      reluctance was estimated using weighted digital plate waste analysis. Intra
      rater, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the
      food reluctance score were tested. The food reluctance score was then compared to
      preschool children's BMI and waist circumference. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING:
      Participants included 309 children aged 3 to 5 years in 24 daycare centers across
      the Canadian province of New Brunswick. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Preschool
      children's waist circumference and age-adjusted BMI derived from objectively
      measured height and weight were analyzed. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED:
      Intraclass correlations were used to determine the reliability of the new
      estimate. Spearman correlation was used to compare the estimate with parental
      report of food reluctance. Multivariate linear regressions were used to examine
      the relationship between food reluctance and waist circumference and age-adjusted
      BMI. RESULTS: The estimated food reluctance score demonstrated excellent inter-
      and intra-rater reliability (intraclass correlation>0.97; P<0.0001) and good test
      retest reliability (intraclass correlation=0.72; P<0.0001). It also provided
      evidence of convergent validity through correlation with reluctance-related
      subscales of the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (rho=.53, P<0.0001). Greater
      demonstration of food reluctance at the daycare center was associated with a
      lower age-adjusted BMI (adjusted beta -1.41; 95% CI -.15 to -2.67), but was not
      associated with children's waist circumference (adjusted beta -.60; 95% CI -2.06
      to .86). CONCLUSIONS: Signs of food reluctance can be observed in daycare and
      relate to lower BMI among preschoolers.

PMID- 28917504
TI  - Update on the Risk of Motor Vehicle Collision or Driving Impairment with
      Dementia: A Collaborative International Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Guidelines that physicians use to assess fitness to drive for dementia are
      limited in their currency, applicability, and rigor of development. Therefore, we
      performed a systematic review to determine the risk of motor vehicle collisions
      (MVCs) or driving impairment caused by dementia, in order to update international
      guidelines on driving with dementia. Seven literature databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL,
      Embase, etc.) were searched for all research studies published after 2004
      containing participants with mild, moderate, or severe dementia. From the
      retrieved 12,860 search results, we included nine studies in this analysis,
      involving 378 participants with dementia and 416 healthy controls. Two studies
      reported on self-/informant-reported MVC risk, one revealing a four-fold increase
      in MVCs per 1,000 miles driven per week in 3 years prior, and the other showing
      no statistically significant increase over the same time span. We found medium to
      large effects of dementia on driving abilities in six of the seven recent studies
      that examined driving impairment. We also found that persons with dementia were
      much more likely to fail a road test than healthy controls (RR: 10.77, 95% CI:
      3.00-38.62, z = 3.65, p < 0.001), with no significant heterogeneity (chi2 = 1.50,
      p = 0.68, I2 = 0%) in a pooled analysis of four studies. Although the limited
      data regarding MVCs are equivocal, even mild stages of dementia place patients at
      a substantially higher risk of failing a performance-based road test and of
      demonstrating impaired driving abilities on the road.

PMID- 28917506
TI  - The plasmalogen precursor analog PPI-1011 reduces the development of L-DOPA
      induced dyskinesias in de novo MPTP monkeys.
AB  - The gold standard therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), L-3,4
      dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), induces dyskinesias in the majority of patients
      after years of treatment. Ethanolamine plasmalogens (PlsEtn) play critical roles
      in membrane structure mediated functions and as a storage depot of
      polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid. We previously showed
      that a PlsEtn precursor PPI-1011 reduced already established L-DOPA-induced
      dyskinesias (LID) in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) lesioned
      monkeys as a PD model. We hypothesize that development of LID can be prevented
      with a PPI-1011 treatment in de novo MPTP-lesioned monkeys. MPTP-lesioned monkeys
      were treated once daily for 28days with either L-DOPA or L-DOPA+PPI-1011
      (25mg/kg). The antiparkinsonian effect of L-DOPA was maintained throughout the
      treatment period in MPTP-lesioned monkeys treated with L-DOPA alone and L
      DOPA+PPI-1011. Over the 28days of treatment, the mean dyskinesia score increased
      in L-DOPA-treated monkeys whereas this increase was significantly less in the L
      DOPA+PPI-1011 group. This was followed by a washout period of 2 weeks of both
      experimental groups without treatment. Then both groups were administered once
      during week 7 and twice during week 8 with L-DOPA with behavioral measures
      recorded on treatment days. MPTP monkeys of both experimental groups administered
      L-DOPA in experimental week 7 showed reduced LID. During week 8, the L-DOPA group
      showed increased LID whereas LID remained low in the group previously treated
      with L-DOPA+PPI-1011. The present results suggest that PPI-1011 can prevent/delay
      the development of LID while maintaining the antiparkinsonian activity of L-DOPA.

PMID- 28917505
TI  - Association of Self-Reported Discrimination and Suicide Ideation in Older Chinese
      Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examines racial discrimination as a potential novel risk
      factor for suicide ideation among older Chinese Americans. DESIGN: In a cross
      sectional analysis, this study drew on data collected in the Population-based
      Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago on Chinese older adults age 60 + in the
      Greater Chicago area (N = 3,157). Thirty-day suicide ideation was a dichotomous
      variable, derived from items of the Physical Health Questionnaire and the
      Geriatric Mental State Examination-Version A. Self-reported discrimination was
      dichotomously coded, based on the Experiences of Discrimination instrument, which
      asks respondents whether they have ever experienced discrimination in nine
      situations because of their race/ethnicity/color. RESULTS: About 4.1% of the
      sample reported 30-day suicide ideation and 21.5% reported discrimination. Self
      reported discrimination was significantly associated with suicide ideation before
      and after adjusting for covariates including sociodemographic characteristics;
      neuroticism; social relationships; and physical, cognitive and mental health. In
      the fully adjusted model, those who reported discrimination had 1.9 times higher
      odds (OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.18-3.08; Wald chi2 = 6.9, df = 1, p = 0.01) of suicide
      ideation than those who did not. CONCLUSION: Chinese American seniors who
      reported discrimination had an almost twofold greater odds of 30-day suicide
      ideation compared with those who did not. Clinicians need to recognize the impact
      of discrimination on ethnic minority elders. For those who report experiencing
      discrimination, assessment of suicide risk may be necessary. Efforts to promote
      civil rights and reduce discrimination may also be a form of primary prevention
      of suicide.

PMID- 28917507
TI  - A facile gold nanoparticle-based ELISA system for detection of osteopontin in
      saliva: Towards oral cancer diagnostics.
AB  - In the current study, we emphasize that osteopontin is overexpressed in oral
      squamous cell carcinoma. Overexpression of osteopontin levels was confirmed by
      mRNA quantification studies and immunohistochemistry analysis. Based on this, a
      gold nanoparticle-based ELISA system was developed for non-invasive osteopontin
      detection. The incorporation of AuNRs (Gold nanorods) or AuNSs (Gold nanospheres)
      in the conventional ELISA improved the sensitivity of analyses. A considerably
      lowered detection limit in case of AuNR (detection limit: 0.02ngmL-1) and AuNS
      (detection limit: 0.03ngmL-1) modified assay was obtained as compared to
      commercially available OPN ELISA kit (detection limit: 0.14ngmL-1). The modified
      ELISA had a wide linear detection range (0.31-20ngmL-1), good reproducibility,
      and specificity against the tested interferents in the saliva. Finally, the
      nanoELISA was validated with osteopontin spiked in artificial and normal saliva
      samples and observed to show good recovery (95.4-97.85%), which indicates the
      application potential of the developed kit for real sample analysis.

PMID- 28917509
TI  - Transfemoral Implantation of a Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Valve in a Rigid
      Mitral Annuloplasty Ring Optimized by Post-Dilatation.

PMID- 28917510
TI  - Subacute Massive Pulmonary Thromboembolism: A Rare Delayed Complication After
      Radiofrequency Ablation.

PMID- 28917508
TI  - Insulin-dependent metabolic and inotropic responses in the heart are modulated by
      hydrogen peroxide from NADPH-oxidase isoforms NOX2 and NOX4.
AB  - RATIONALE: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a stable reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      that has long been implicated in insulin signal transduction in adipocytes.
      However, H2O2's role in mediating insulin's effects on the heart are unknown.
      OBJECTIVE: We investigated the role of H2O2 in activating insulin-dependent
      changes in cardiac myocyte metabolic and inotropic pathways. The sources of
      insulin-dependent H2O2 generation were also studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: In
      addition to the canonical role of insulin in modulating cardiac metabolic
      pathways, we found that insulin also inhibited beta adrenergic-induced increases
      in cardiac contractility. Catalase and NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibitors blunted
      activation of insulin-responsive kinases Akt and mTOR and attenuated beta
      adrenergic receptor-mediated responses. These insulin responses were lost in a
      mouse model of type 2 diabetes, suggesting a role for these H2O2-dependent
      pathways in the diabetic heart. The H2O2-sensitive fluorescent biosensor HyPer
      revealed rapid increases in cytosolic and caveolar H2O2 concentrations in
      response to insulin treatment, which were blocked by NOX inhibitors and
      attenuated in NOX2 KO and NOX4 KO mice. In NOX2 KO cardiac myocytes, insulin
      mediated phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR was blocked, while these responses were
      unaffected in cardiac myocytes from NOX4 KO mice. In contrast, insulin's effects
      on contractility were lost in cardiac myocytes from NOX4 KO animals but were
      retained in NOX2 KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: These studies identify a proximal point of
      bifurcation in cardiac insulin signaling through the simultaneous activation of
      both NOX2 and NOX4. Each NOX isoform generates H2O2 in cardiac myocytes with
      distinct time courses, with H2O2 derived from NOX2 augmenting Akt-dependent
      metabolic effects of insulin, while H2O2 from NOX4 blocks beta adrenergic
      increases in inotropy. These findings suggest that insulin resistance in the
      diabetic heart may lead to potentially deleterious potentiation of beta
      adrenergic responses.

PMID- 28917511
TI  - Successful Percutaneous Transcatheter Angioplasty of Radial Artery in
      Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger's Disease).

PMID- 28917512
TI  - Grabbing the Transcatheter Valve Skirt: Bail-Out Technique for Valve Embolization
      During Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement.

PMID- 28917513
TI  - Frail Elderly, the Ideal Patients for MitraClip.

PMID- 28917514
TI  - Routine Use of Embolic Protection During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

PMID- 28917515
TI  - Cerebral Embolic Protection During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
      Significantly Reduces Death and Stroke Compared With Unprotected Procedures.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of cerebral embolic
      protection on stroke-free survival in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic
      valve replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND: Imaging data on cerebral embolic protection
      devices have demonstrated a significant reduction in number and volume of
      cerebral lesions. METHODS: A total of 802 consecutive patients were enrolled. The
      Sentinel cerebral embolic protection device (Claret Medical Inc., Santa Rosa,
      California) was used in 34.9% (n = 280) of consecutive patients. In 65.1% (n =
      522) of patients TAVR was performed in the identical setting except without
      cerebral embolic protection. Neurological follow-up was done within 7 days post
      procedure. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality or all
      stroke according to Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria within 7 days.
      Propensity score matching was performed to account for possible confounders.
      RESULTS: Both filters of the device were successfully positioned in 280 of 305
      (91.8%) consecutive patients. With use of cerebral embolic protection rate of
      disabling and nondisabling stroke was significantly reduced from 4.6% to 1.4% (p
      = 0.03; odds ratio: 0.29, 95% confidence interval: 0.10 to 0.93) in the
      propensity-matched population (n = 560). The primary endpoint occurred
      significantly less frequently, with 2.1% (n = 6 of 280) in the protected group
      compared with 6.8% (n = 19 of 280) in the control group (p = 0.01; odds ratio:
      0.30; 95% confidence interval: 0.12 to 0.77). In multivariable analysis Society
      of Thoracic Surgeons score for mortality (p = 0.02) and TAVR without protection
      (p = 0.02) were independent predictors for the primary endpoint. CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients undergoing TAVR use of a cerebral embolic protection device demonstrated
      a significant higher rate of stroke-free survival compared with unprotected TAVR.

PMID- 28917516
TI  - Impact of Frailty on Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Mitral Valve
      Repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the impact of frailty in
      patients undergoing percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR). BACKGROUND: Frailty
      is common in elderly patients and those with comorbidities and is associated with
      adverse prognosis. METHODS: Frailty according to the Fried criteria was assessed
      in consecutive patients admitted for PMVR. Associations of frailty with 6-week
      (device success, changes in 6-min walking distance and Minnesota Living With
      Heart Failure Questionnaire and Short Form 36 physical and mental component
      scores, and improvement >=1 New York Heart Association functional class) and long
      term outcomes during a median follow-up period of 429 days were examined.
      RESULTS: Of 213 patients admitted for PMVR (median age 78 years; age range 50 to
      95 years; 57.3% men), 45.5% were classified as frail. Compared with nonfrail
      patients, frail patients had a similar device success rate (81.4% vs. 84.5%; p =
      0.56) and improvement in 6-min walking distance, New York Heart Association
      functional class, and Short Form-36 scores but a more pronounced improvement in
      Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire score (mean change -15.9 vs. 
      11.2 points; p = 0.002). Mortality at 6 weeks was significantly higher in frail
      (8.3%) compared with nonfrail (1.7%) patients (p = 0.03). Hazards of death
      (hazard ratio: 3.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.54 to 6.07; p = 0.001) and death
      or heart failure decompensation (hazard ratio: 2.03; 95% confidence interval:
      1.22 to 3.39; p = 0.007) were significantly increased in frail patients during
      long-term follow-up, which did not change relevantly after adjustment for
      European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score and N-terminal pro
      brain natriuretic peptide level. CONCLUSIONS: PMVR can be performed with equal
      efficacy and is associated with at least similar short-term functional
      improvement in frail patients. These results support the continued use of PMVR in
      frail elderly patients with the goal of palliation of heart failure symptoms and
      improvement in quality of life.

PMID- 28917517
TI  - Delayed Left Main Coronary Artery Obstruction After Radiofrequency-Induced
      Coronary Dissection and Spasm: Insights From Optical Frequency-Domain Imaging and
      Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging.

PMID- 28917518
TI  - Genome stability of programmed stem cell products.
AB  - Inherited and acquired genomic abnormalities are known to cause genetic diseases
      and contribute to cancer formation. Recent studies demonstrated a substantial
      mutational load in mouse and human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells
      (ESCs and iPSCs). Single nucleotide variants, copy number variations, and larger
      chromosomal abnormalities may influence the differentiation capacity of
      pluripotent stem cells and the functionality of their derivatives in disease
      modeling and drug screening, and are considered a serious risk for cellular
      therapies based on ESC or iPSC derivatives. This review discusses the types and
      origins of different genetic abnormalities in pluripotent stem cells, methods for
      their detection, and the mechanisms of development and enrichment during
      reprogramming and culture expansion.

PMID- 28917519
TI  - Endoscopic or arthroscopic iliopsoas tenotomy for iliopsoas impingement following
      total hip replacement. A prospective multicenter 64-case series.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Impingement between the acetabular component and the iliopsoas
      tendon is a cause of anterior pain after total hip replacement (THR). Treatment
      can be non-operative, endoscopic or arthroscopic, or by open revision of the
      acetabular component. Few studies have assessed these options. The present study
      hypothesis was that endo/arthroscopic treatment provides rapid pain relief with a
      low rate of complications. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study included 64
      endoscopic or arthroscopic tenotomies for impingement between the acetabular
      component and the iliopsoas tendon, performed in 8 centers. Mean follow-up was
      8months, with a minimum of 6months and no loss to follow-up. Oxford score,
      patient satisfaction, anterior pain and iliopsoas strength were assessed at last
      follow-up. Complications and revision procedures were collated. Forty-four
      percent of patients underwent rehabilitation. RESULTS: At last follow-up, 92% of
      patients reported pain alleviation. Oxford score, muscle strength and pain in hip
      flexion showed significant improvement. The complications rate was 3.2%, with
      complete resolution. Mean hospital stay was 0.8 nights. In 2 cases, arthroscopy
      revealed metallosis, indicating revision of the acetabular component. The only
      predictive factor was acetabular projection on oblique view. Rehabilitation
      significantly improved muscle strength. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic or arthroscopic
      tenotomy for impingement between the acetabular component and the iliopsoas
      tendon following THR significantly alleviated anterior pain in more than 92% of
      cases. The low complications rate makes this the treatment of choice in case of
      failure of non-operative management. Arthroscopy also reorients diagnosis in case
      of associated joint pathology. Projection of the acetabular component on
      preoperative oblique view is the most predictive criterion, guiding treatment.

PMID- 28917520
TI  - Short-term complications in intra- and extra-articular anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction. Comparison with the literature on isolated intra-articular
      reconstruction. A multicenter study by the French Arthroscopy Society.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lateral tenodesis (LT) is performed to limit the risk of iterative
      tear following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in at-risk
      patients. By adding an extra procedure to isolated ACL graft, LT reconstruction
      increases operating time and may complicate postoperative course. The objective
      of the present study was to evaluate the rate of early complications. The study
      hypothesis was that associating ALL reconstruction to ACL reconstruction does not
      increase the complications rate found with isolated ACL reconstruction. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: A prospective multicenter study included 392 patients: 70% male;
      mean age, 29.9 years; treated by associated ACL and LT reconstruction. All
      adverse events were inventoried. RESULTS: Mean hospital stay was 2 days, with 46%
      day-surgery. Walking was resumed at a mean 27 days, with an advantage for
      patients treated by the hamstring technique. The early postoperative
      complications rate was 12%, with 1.7% specifically implicating LT reconstruction:
      pain, hematoma, stiffness in flexion and extension, and infection. There was a 5%
      rate of surgical revision during the first year, predominantly comprising
      arthrolysis for extension deficit. The 1-year recurrence rate was 2.8%.
      DISCUSSION: The complications rate for combined intra- and extra-articular
      reconstruction was no higher than for isolated intra-articular ACL
      reconstruction, with no increase in infection or stiffness rates. The rate of
      complications specific to ALL reconstruction was low, at 1.7%, and mainly
      involved fixation error causing lateral soft-tissue impingement. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: IV, prospective multicenter study.

PMID- 28917521
TI  - Midterm results of combined intra- and extra-articular ACL reconstruction
      compared to historical ACL reconstruction data. Multicenter study of the French
      Arthroscopy Society.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: During anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction procedures,
      anterolateral reconstruction (ALR) can also be performed to improve the knee's
      rotational stability. However, the effectiveness of this supplemental technique
      and its impact on the risk of retears and on the onset of secondary degenerative
      changesare controversial. HYPOTHESIS: ALR improves control over the pivot shift,
      reduces the retear risk and delays the appearance of secondary degenerative
      lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical examination, knee laxity measurements and
      X-ray evaluations were done in 478 patients with more than 3years' follow-up
      after combined ACL and ALR from 11 participating hospitals. The mean patient age
      at the time of surgery was 28years. Eighty-eight percent of the patients
      participated in pivot sports and 45% were competitive athletes. The findings of
      this study were compared to historical isolated ACL reconstruction data. RESULTS:
      The average follow-up was 6.8years. No detectable pivot shift was found in 83% of
      patients, while 12.8% of patient had a smooth glide. The side-to-side difference
      in anteroposterior knee laxity with maximum manual force was less than 3mm in 66%
      of patients and less than 5mm in 95%. The retear rate was 5.4%, with half of
      these patients undergoing revision ACL surgery. Secondary meniscus damage
      requiring surgery occurred in 6.3% of patients; the radiological osteoarthritis
      rate was 17.5%. DISCUSSION: When compared to historical ACL reconstruction data,
      combined intra- and extra-articular reconstruction does not increase the
      complication rate. At a mean follow-up of 6.8years, it provides better control
      over the pivot shift along with a low retear rate and low occurrence of secondary
      meniscus injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, multicenter study.

PMID- 28917522
TI  - Does physical activity change following hip and knee replacement? Matched case
      control study evaluating Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly data from the
      Osteoarthritis Initiative.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether physical activity measured using the Physical
      Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), changes during the initial 24 months post
      total hip (THR) or knee replacement (TKR), and how this compares to a matched non
      arthroplasty cohort. DESIGN: Case-controlled study analysis of a prospectively
      collected dataset. SETTING: USA community-based. PARTICIPANTS: 116 people post
      THR, 105 people post-TKR compared to 663 people who had not undergone THR or TKR,
      or had hip or knee osteoarthritis. Cohorts were age-, gender- and BMI-matched.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical activity assessed using the 12-item PASE at 12
      and 24 months post operatively. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in
      total PASE score between pre-operative to 12 months (mean: 136 vs 135 points;
      p=0.860) or 24 months following THR (mean: 136 vs 132 points; p=0.950). Whilst
      there was no significant difference in total PASE score from pre-operative to 12
      months post-TKR (126 vs 121 points; p=0.930), by 24 months people following TKR
      reported significantly greater physical activity (126 vs 142 points; p=0.040).
      There was no statistically significant difference in physical activity between
      the normative matched and THR (p>=0.140) or TKR (p>=0.060) cohorts at 12 or 24
      months post joint replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity is not appreciably
      different to pre-operative levels at 12 or 24 months post-THR, but was greater at
      24 months following TKR. Health promotion strategies are needed to encourage
      greater physical activity participation following joint replacement, and
      particularly targeting those who undergo THR.

PMID- 28917523
TI  - Medium term effects of kinesio taping in patients with chronic non-specific low
      back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Kinesio taping is a commonly used intervention for patients with
      chronic low back pain. However, the medium term effects of kinesio taping in
      these patients are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of
      kinesio taping in patients with chronic low back pain after 6 months from
      randomization. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial with a 6 months
      follow up. One hundred and forty eight participants were randomly assigned to the
      experimental (kinesio taping with skin convolutions) or control (kinesio taping
      without convolutions-Sham Taping) group. Participants from both groups had the
      tape reapplied twice a week for four weeks. The outcomes were pain, disability
      and global impression of recovery after 6 months. RESULTS: One participant was
      lost to follow up in the experimental group (n=73, response rate 99%) and two in
      the control group (n=72, response rate 97%). After 6 months there were no
      statistically significant between-group differences in pain intensity (between
      group difference -0.8 points, 95% CI -1.7 to 0.2), global impression of recovery
      (0.4, -0.7 to 1.5), or disability (-1.1, -3.0 to 0.7). CONCLUSION: Four weeks of
      kinesio taping treatment was no better than sham taping for patients with chronic
      low back pain, at 6 months follow-up. Trial Registration Number
      (http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/): RBR-7ggfkv (Brazilian Registry of Clinical
      Trials).

PMID- 28917525
TI  - "Y" Not?

PMID- 28917524
TI  - Tremor dominant Kyoto (Trdk) rats carry a missense mutation in the gene encoding
      the SK2 subunit of small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel.
AB  - Tremor dominant Kyoto (Trdk) is an autosomal dominant mutation that appeared in
      F344/NSlc rats mutagenized with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). In this study, we
      characterized and genetically analyzed F344-Trdk/+ heterozygous rats. The rats
      exhibited a tremor that was especially evident around weaning but persisted
      throughout life. The tremors of F344-Trdk/+ rats were attenuated by drugs
      effective against essential tremor (ET) but not drugs used to treat Parkinson's
      disease-related tremor, indicating that the pharmacological phenotype of F344
      Trdk/+ rats was similar to human ET. Using positional candidate approach, we
      identified the Trdk mutation as a missense substitution (c. 866T>A, p. I289N) in
      Kcnn2, which encodes the SK2 subunit of the small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+
      channel. In vitro electrophysiological studies revealed that the I289N mutation
      diminished SK2 channel activity. These findings demonstrate that F344-Trdk/+ rats
      represent a novel model of ET, and strongly suggest that Kcnn2 is the causative
      gene for the tremor phenotype in F344-Trdk/+ rats.

PMID- 28917526
TI  - Who Makes the Best Martini?

PMID- 28917528
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28917527
TI  - Back to the Basics: Making the Bovine Pericardial Patch "Great" Again.

PMID- 28917529
TI  - Bronchoprotective effect of deep inspirations in cough variant asthma: A
      distinguishing feature in the spectrum of airway disease?
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the effect of deep inspirations (DIs) on airway behaviour in
      individuals with classic asthma (CA), cough variant asthma (CVA), and
      methacholine (MCh)-induced cough but normal airway sensitivity (COUGH) during
      bronchoprovocation. METHODS: Twenty-five adults (18 female; 44.8 +/- 12.3 years
      (Mean +/- SD); n = 9 CA, n = 9 CVA, and n = 7 COUGH) completed two single-dose
      MCh challenges, with and without DIs. Bronchoprotection was assessed by comparing
      changes in bronchoconstriction (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, FEF50, FEF25-75), gas
      trapping (RV, RV/TLC) and impulse oscillometry (IOS) measurements. RESULTS: The%
      changes in FEV1 with and without DIs were not significantly different within any
      group. Decreases in FEF50 and FEF25-75 were greater in CA (p = 0.041 and p =
      0.029), decreases in FVC (% predicted) and FEV1/FVC(%) were less in CVA (p =
      0.048 and p = 0.010), and increases in RV (L) and RV/TLC (% predicted) were less
      in COUGH (p = 0.007 and p = 0.028), respectively. No differences in IOS
      measurements were noted. CONCLUSIONS: DIs triggered bronchoconstriction in CA,
      bronchoprotection in CVA, and prevented gas trapping in COUGH.

PMID- 28917530
TI  - Overcoming key biological barriers to cancer drug delivery and efficacy.
AB  - Poor delivery efficiency continues to hamper the effectiveness of cancer
      therapeutics engineered to destroy solid tumors using different strategies such
      as nanocarriers, targeting agents, and matching treatments to specific genetic
      mutations. All contemporary systemic anti-cancer agents are dependent upon
      passive transvascular mechanisms for their delivery into solid tumors. The
      therapeutic efficacies of our current drug arsenal could be significantly
      improved with an active delivery strategy. Here, we discuss how drug delivery and
      therapeutic efficacy are greatly hindered by barriers presented by the vascular
      endothelial cell layer and by the aberrant nature of tumor blood vessels in
      general. We describe mechanisms by which molecules cross endothelial cell (EC)
      barriers in normal tissues and in solid tumors, including paracellular and
      transcellular pathways that enable passive or active transport. We also discuss
      specific obstacles to drug delivery that make solid tumors difficult to treat, as
      well strategies to overcome them and enhance drug penetration. Finally, we
      describe the caveolae pumping system, a promising active transport alternative to
      passive drug delivery across the endothelial cell barrier. Each strategy requires
      further testing to define its therapeutic applicability and clinical utilities.

PMID- 28917531
TI  - Hollow microneedle-mediated intradermal delivery of model vaccine antigen-loaded
      PLGA nanoparticles elicits protective T cell-mediated immunity to an
      intracellular bacterium.
AB  - The skin is an attractive organ for immunization due to the presence of a large
      number of epidermal and dermal antigen-presenting cells. Hollow microneedles
      allow for precise and non-invasive intradermal delivery of vaccines. In this
      study, ovalbumin (OVA)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles
      with and without TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) were prepared and administered
      intradermally by hollow microneedles. The capacity of the PLGA nanoparticles to
      induce a cytotoxic T cell response, contributing to protection against
      intracellular pathogens, was examined. We show that a single injection of OVA
      loaded PLGA nanoparticles, compared to soluble OVA, primed both adoptively
      transferred antigen-specific naive transgenic CD8+ and CD4+ T cells with markedly
      high efficiency. Applying a triple immunization protocol, PLGA nanoparticles
      primed also endogenous OVA-specific CD8+ T cells. Immune response, following
      immunization with in particular anionic PLGA nanoparticles co-encapsulated with
      OVA and poly(I:C), provided protection against a recombinant strain of the
      intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, secreting OVA. Taken together, we
      show that PLGA nanoparticle formulation is an excellent delivery system for
      protein antigen into the skin and that protective cellular immune responses can
      be induced using hollow microneedles for intradermal immunizations.

PMID- 28917532
TI  - Effects of tumor microenvironments on targeted delivery of glycol chitosan
      nanoparticles.
AB  - In cancer theranostics, the main strategy of nanoparticle-based targeted delivery
      system has been understood by enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect of
      macromolecules. Studies on diverse nanoparticles provide a better understanding
      of different EPR effects depending on their structure, physicochemical
      properties, and chemical modifications. Recently the tumor microenvironment has
      been considered as another important factor for determining tumor-targeted
      delivery of nanoparticles, but the correlation between EPR effects and tumor
      microenvironment has not yet been fully elucidated. Herein, ectopic subcutaneous
      tumor models presenting different tumor microenvironments were established by
      inoculation of SCC7, U87, HT29, PC3, and A549 cancer cell lines into athymic nude
      mice, respectively. In the five different types of tumor-bearing mice, tumor
      targeted delivery of self-assembled glycol chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) were
      comparatively evaluated to identify the correlation between the tumor
      microenvironments and targeted delivery of CNPs. As a result, neovascularization
      and extents of intratumoral extracellular matrix (ECM) were both important in
      determining the tumor targeted delivery of CNPs. The EPR effect was maximized in
      the tumors which include large extent of angiogenic blood vessels and low
      intratumoral ECM content. This comprehensive study provides substantial evidence
      that the EPR effects based tumor-targeted delivery of nanoparticles can be
      different depending on the tumor microenvironment in individual tumors. To
      overcome current limitations in clinical nanomedicine, the tumor microenvironment
      of the patients and EPR effects in clinical tumors should also be carefully
      studied.

PMID- 28917533
TI  - Nanoparticles of a polyaspartamide-based brush copolymer for modified release of
      sorafenib: In vitro and in vivo evaluation.
AB  - In this paper, we describe the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs)
      loaded with sorafenib for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A
      synthetic brush copolymer, named PHEA-BIB-ButMA (PBB), was synthesized by Atom
      Trasnfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) starting from the alpha-poly(N-2
      hydroxyethyl)-d,l-aspartamide (PHEA) and poly butyl methacrylate (ButMA). Empty
      and sorafenib loaded PBB NPs were, then, produced by using a dialysis method and
      showed spherical morphology, colloidal size, negative zeta potential and the
      ability to allow a sustained sorafenib release in physiological environment.
      Sorafenib loaded PBB NPs were tested in vitro on HCC cells in order to evaluate
      their cytocompatibility and anticancer efficacy if compared to free drug.
      Furthermore, the enhanced anticancer effect of sorafenib loaded PBB NPs was
      demonstrated in vivo by using a xenograft model, by first allowing Hep3B cells to
      grow subcutaneously into nude mice and then administering sorafenib as free drug
      or incorporated into NPs via intraperitoneal injection. Finally, in vivo
      biodistribution studies were performed, showing the ability of the produced drug
      delivery system to accumulate in a significant manner in the solid tumor by
      passive targeting, thanks to the enhanced permeability and retention effect.

PMID- 28917534
TI  - Modeling the modified drug release from curved shape drug delivery systems - Dome
      Matrix(r).
AB  - The controlled drug release from hydrogel-based drug delivery systems is a topic
      of large interest for research in pharmacology. The mathematical modeling of the
      behavior of these systems is a tool of emerging relevance, since the simulations
      can be of use in the design of novel systems, in particular for complex shaped
      tablets. In this work a model, previously developed, was applied to complex
      shaped oral drug delivery systems based on hydrogels (Dome Matrix(r)).
      Furthermore, the model was successfully adopted in the description of drug
      release from partially accessible Dome Matrix(r) systems (systems with some
      surfaces coated). In these simulations, the erosion rate was used asa fitting
      parameter, and its dependence upon the surface area/volume ratio and upon the
      local fluid dynamics was discussed. The model parameters were determined by
      comparison with the drug release profile from a cylindrical tablet, then the
      model was successfully used for the prediction of the drug release from a Dome
      Matrix(r) system, for simple module configuration and for module assembled (void
      and piled) configurations. It was also demonstrated that, given the same initial
      S/V ratio, the drug release is independent upon the shape of the tablets but it
      is only influenced by the S/V evolution. The model reveals itself able to
      describe the observed phenomena, and thus it can be of use for the design of oral
      drug delivery systems, even if complex shaped.

PMID- 28917535
TI  - Selective manipulation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles for product
      purification and microfluidic diagnostics.
AB  - The needs of scalable product purification as well as the demand for sensitive
      diagnostics for highly dilute entities can be addressed with the utilization of
      tailored superparamagnetic nanoparticles. Recent developments have led to more
      efficient fluidic systems at different scales with suspended nanoparticles or
      nanoparticle aggregates. However, magnetic nanoparticle systems differ widely in
      properties and their applications are characterized by very specific challenges.
      This review summarizes advances in the synthesis of superparamagnetic particles
      and displays states and trends in research making use of these particles in
      biotechnological downstream processing and in biosensing.

PMID- 28917536
TI  - Birth outcomes following immunization of pregnant women with pandemic H1N1
      influenza vaccine 2009-2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Following the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, pregnant women were
      recommended to receive both seasonal (TIV) and H1N1 influenza vaccines. This
      study presents incidence of adverse birth and pregnancy outcomes among a
      population of pregnant women immunized with TIV and H1N1 vaccines at Kaiser
      Permanente Northern California during 2009-2010. METHODS: We telephone surveyed
      pregnant Kaiser Permanente Northern California members to assess non-medically
      attended reactions following H1N1, TIV or both vaccines during 2009-2010 (n=5365)
      in a separate study. Here we assessed preterm birth (<37weeks), very preterm
      birth (<32weeks), low birth weight (<2500 g, LBW), very low birth weight
      (<1500g), small for gestational age, spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and
      congenital anomalies among this cohort by comparing incidence and 95% confidence
      intervals between the following immunization groups: TIV only, H1N1 only, H1N1
      prior to TIV immunization, TIV prior to H1N1 and both immunizations given at the
      same time. RESULTS: Results did not vary significantly between groups. Comparing
      H1N1 with TIV, incidence were similar for preterm births (6.37vs 6.28/100
      births), very preterm births (5.30vs 8.29/1000 births), LBW (4.19vs 2.90/100
      births), very LBW (4.54vs 5.52/1000 births), small for gestational age (9.99vs
      9.24/1000 births), spontaneous abortion (7.10vs 6.83/1000 pregnancies),
      stillbirths (7.10vs 4.57/1000 pregnancies), and congenital anomalies (2.66vs
      2.43/100 births). CONCLUSIONS: Although constrained by small sample size, complex
      vaccine groups, and differential vaccine availability during 2009-2010, this
      study found no difference in adverse birth outcomes between H1N1 vaccine and TIV.

PMID- 28917537
TI  - HBcAg produced in transgenic tobacco triggers Th1 and Th2 response when
      intramuscularly delivered.
AB  - Hepatitis B core Antigen (HBcAg) assembled into Capsid-Like Particles (CLPs) is
      investigated as a therapeutic vaccine in treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB)
      and in diagnostic tests or as a carrier for various epitopes. While the
      expression of HBcAg has been thoroughly clarified in E. coli and yeast, it has
      also been investigated in other expression systems. Stably transformed tobacco
      expressed HBcAg at a level of 110-250ug/g fresh weight, therefore in view of its
      large leaf biomass it offers a production platform comparable with transient
      expression systems regarding the final yield of HBcAg. Several extraction and
      purification methods were tested and finally the antigen was purified up to 43%
      using sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The purified HBcAg retained its
      antigenicity, as confirmed by ELISA and western blot, while maintaining its CLP
      structure as observed in TEM. In mice HBcAg intramuscularly delivered at 2*10ug
      triggered a significant response (serum anti-HBc titre around 150,000), being
      statistically equivalent to that induced by the reference antigen. Among anti-HBc
      IgG isotypes, IgG2a and then IgG1 were increasing during immune response. However
      IgG2b and IgG3 were also induced, especially in mice immunised with the plant
      derived antigen. Analysis of the isotype profile indicates mainly Th1
      polarisation, but completed with Th2 response. Obtained results indicate a
      considerable potential of plant-derived HBcAg as a therapeutic vaccine, since a
      mixed immune response with a stronger Th1 component is particularly required for
      treatment of CHB.

PMID- 28917538
TI  - Identification of IBV QX vaccine markers : Should vaccine acceptance by
      authorities require similar identifications for all live IBV vaccines?
AB  - IBV genotype QX causes sufficient disease in Europe for several commercial
      companies to have started developing live attenuated vaccines. Here, one of those
      vaccines (L1148) was fully consensus sequenced alongside its progenitor field
      strain (1148-A) to determine vaccine markers, thereby enabling detection on
      farms. Twenty-eight single nucleotide substitutions were associated with the 1148
      A attenuation, of which any combination can identify vaccine L1148 in the field.
      Sixteen substitutions resulted in amino acid coding changes of which half were in
      spike. One change in the 1b gene altered the normally highly conserved final 5
      nucleotides of the transcription regulatory sequence of the S gene, common to all
      IBV QX genes. No mutations can currently be associated with the attenuation
      process. Field vaccination strategies would greatly benefit by such comparative
      sequence data being mandatorily submitted to regulators prior to vaccine release
      following a successful registration process.

PMID- 28917539
TI  - Hemagglutinin-specific CD4+ T-cell responses following 2009-pH1N1 inactivated
      split-vaccine inoculation in humans.
AB  - Influenza A virus remains a major threat to public health, and the inactivated
      split-virus vaccine is the most prevalent vaccine used worldwide. However, our
      knowledge about cellular immune responses to the inactivated influenza virus
      vaccine and its correlation with humoral responses are yet limited, which has
      restricted our understanding of the vaccine's protective mechanisms. Herein, in
      two clinical trials, T-cell responses specific for both previously identified
      human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-I-restricted epitopes from influenza virus and
      hemagglutinin (HA) protein were longitudinally investigated before, during, and
      after a two-dose vaccination with the inactivated 2009 pandemic H1N1 (2009-pH1N1)
      vaccine. A robust antibody response in all of the donors after vaccination was
      observed. Though no CD8+ T-cell responses to known epitopes were detected, HA
      specific T-cell responses were primed following vaccination, and the responses
      were found to be mainly CD4+ T-cell dependent. However, HA-specific T-cells
      circulating in peripheral blood dropped to baseline levels 6weeks after
      vaccination, but humoral immune responses maintained a high level for 4months
      post-vaccination. Significant correlations between the magnitude of the HA
      specific T-cell responses and hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers were
      demonstrated, indicating a priming role of HA-specific T-cells for humoral immune
      responses. In conclusion, our study indicates that HA-specific CD4+ T-cell
      responses can be primed by the inactivated 2009-pH1N1 vaccine, which may
      coordinate with the elicitation of antibody protection. These findings would
      benefit a better understanding of the immune protective mechanisms of the widely
      used inactivated 2009-pH1N1 vaccine.

PMID- 28917540
TI  - Galba truncatula and Fasciola hepatica: Genetic costructures and interactions
      with intermediate host dispersal.
AB  - Antagonistic interactions between hosts and parasites are key structuring forces
      in natural populations. Demographic factors like extinction, migration and the
      effective population size shape host-parasite metapopulational dynamics.
      Therefore, to understand the evolution of host-parasite systems it is necessary
      to study the distribution of the genetic variation of both entities
      simultaneously. In this paper, we investigate the population genetics co
      structure of parasites and hosts within a metapopulation of the liver fluke,
      Fasciola hepatica, and two of its intermediate hosts, the main intermediate host
      in Europe, Galba truncatula, and a new intermediate host, Omphiscola glabra, in
      Central France. Our results reveal an absence of specificity of flukes as regard
      to the two alternative hosts though O. glabra shows higher prevalence of F.
      hepatica. Host and parasites displayed contrasting population genetics structure
      with very small, highly inbred (selfing) and strongly isolated G. truncatula
      populations and much bigger, panmictic and more dispersive F. hepatica. This
      could indicate a local adaptation of the parasite and a local maladaptation of
      the host. We also unveil a parasite-mediated biased population genetics structure
      suggesting that infected G. truncatula disperse more; have higher dispersal
      survival than uninfected snails or, more likely, that immigrant snails are
      infected more often than local snails (local parasites are less adapted to local
      hosts). Finally, an absence, or at least an ambiguous signature of isolation by
      distance was observed in both host and parasite population. A very weak migration
      rate for G. truncatula provides a reasonable explanation for this ambiguous
      result. Alternatively, smaller sample sizes combined with modest migration rates
      might explain the difficulties to unveil the signal in F. hepatica.

PMID- 28917541
TI  - Determinants for medication reconciliation interventions on hospital admission
      and discharge: An observational multi-centre study.

PMID- 28917542
TI  - Break point instead of ACE: acarbose, post-load glycaemic excursions, and
      cardiovascular events.

PMID- 28917543
TI  - Pioglitazone versus sulfonylureas: cardiovascular outcomes with older diabetes
      drugs.

PMID- 28917546
TI  - Parosteal Osteosarcoma of the Distal Radius Mimicking an Osteochondroma-A
      Diagnostic Misadventure.
AB  - We present a case of a parosteal osteosarcoma mimicking an osteochondroma with
      atypical clinical features, radiographic findings, and histological examination.
      This report serves to exemplify the importance of recognizing the similarities
      between these 2 entities and other peculiar features that will help to
      differentiate between sessile osteochondromas and parosteal osteosarcomas, to
      prevent misdiagnosis.

PMID- 28917547
TI  - Growth of the New Thumb Metacarpal After Pollicization for Thumb Hypoplasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the radiographic length and width of the new thumb
      metacarpal in relation to the middle finger proximal phalanx; to assess the
      incidence of premature physeal closure of the new metacarpal; and to consider
      whether there is a relationship between growth characteristics and the presence
      of union or nonunion of the new trapezium to the retained index finger metacarpal
      base. METHODS: Forty pollicizations were assessed with preoperative or immediate
      postoperative radiographs and follow-up radiographs to establish the growth
      characteristics of the new thumb metacarpal. Functional outcomes comprising grip
      strength, pinch strength, and range of motion were correlated with radiological
      findings of presence or absence of open physes and presence or absence of union
      of the new trapezium to the metacarpal base. RESULTS: The new thumb metacarpal
      physis was open in 28 pollicizations and closed in 12. In the latter group, all
      physes of the hand had closed indicating skeletal maturity. The length and width
      indices of the new thumb metacarpal in relation to the middle finger proximal
      phalanx were equivalent to or greater than the perioperative growth indices.
      There was a reduced postoperative length ratio in those patients with nonunion of
      the new trapezium to the base of the metacarpal. There was no change in strength
      and range of motion parameters with growth other than that related to normal
      improvement with age. CONCLUSIONS: We are unable to demonstrate premature physeal
      closure following routine pollicization. The growth of the metacarpal continues
      in a normal manner to skeletal maturity. A failure of union of the new trapezium
      to the metacarpal base may compromise growth. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Therapeutic IV.

PMID- 28917548
TI  - Volar Capsular Release After Distal Radius Fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: Loss of full wrist range of motion is common after treatment of distal
      radius fractures. Loss of wrist extension limiting functional activities,
      although uncommon, can occur after volar plating of distal radius fractures.
      Unlike other joints in which capsular release is a common form of treatment for
      stiffness, this has been approached with caution in the wrist owing to concerns
      for carpal instability. We tested the null hypothesis that hardware removal and
      open volar capsular release would not lead to improved upper extremity-specific
      patient-reported outcome (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand [DASH]
      questionnaire). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients
      who underwent a tenolysis of the flexor carpi radialis tendon, removal of
      hardware, and subperiosteal release of the volar capsule (extrinsic ligaments).
      The primary outcome measure was patient-reported outcome on the DASH. Secondary
      outcomes included wrist flexion, extension, pronation, and supination, visual
      analog scale for pain, and radiographs/fluoroscopy for ulnocarpal translocation.
      RESULTS: Eleven patients were treated with a mean follow-up of 4.5 years. Mean
      DASH scores improved after surgery. Mean wrist flexion, wrist extension,
      pronation, and supination improved after surgery. Mean visual analog scale scores
      did not change. The radiocarpal relationship on radiographs/fluoroscopy was
      normal. CONCLUSIONS: Open volar capsular release to regain wrist extension after
      treatment of distal radius fractures with volar locking plates is safe and
      effective. Patients regain wrist extension in addition to improved DASH scores.
      There were no radiographic/fluoroscopic or clinical signs of ulnocarpal
      translocation after release of the volar extrinsic ligaments. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

PMID- 28917550
TI  - Antidiabetic potential of methanolic and flavonoid-rich leaf extracts of
      Synsepalum dulcificum in type 2 diabetic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synsepalum dulcificum is a plant indigenous to West Africa. The fruit
      is used to modify taste of foods to sweetness. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to
      investigate the antidiabetic potentials of both methanolic and flavonoid-rich
      leaf extracts of S. dulcificum (MSD and FSD respectively) in type 2 diabetic
      Wistar albino rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty three rats were randomly
      distributed into nine groups of seven animals each with group 1 serving as the
      normal control. Groups 2 to 7 were given 10% fructose in their drinking water for
      14 days, after which 40 mg/kg of streptozotocin was administered. Group 2 animals
      served as the diabetic control, while groups 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 were treated with
      30 mg/kg MSD, 60 mg/kg MSD, 30 mg/kg FSD, 60 mg/kg FSD and 5 mg/kg glibenclamide
      respectively. Groups 8 and 9, contained healthy animals, and were treated with
      only 60 MSD, and 60 mg/kg FSD respectively. Biochemical parameters such as liver
      and kidney function tests, lipid profile, as well as lipid peroxidation and
      antioxidant enzymes were assessed in addition to histopathology. RESULTS: It was
      observed that daily oral administration of MSD and FSD for 21 days significantly
      (p < 0.05) improved the observed pathological changes as a result of type 2
      diabetes. CONCLUSION: It could be deduced from results obtained in this study
      that methanolic and flavonoid-rich leaf extracts of S.dulcificum have
      antidiabetic potential in type 2 diabetic rats.

PMID- 28917551
TI  - [Impact of the preservation of the branches of intercostobrachial nerve on the
      quality of life of patients operated for a breast cancer].
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the preservation of the
      intercostobrachial nerve on the quality of life of patients operated for breast
      cancer. METHODS: This study was ancillary to cost comparison study of axillary
      sentinel lymph node detection and axillary lymphadenectomy in early breast
      cancer. It was a prospective multicenter, observational, non-randomized study.
      The quality of life was assessed using two questionnaires: QLQ-C30 and specific
      module QLQ-BR23 Surveys have been performed before initiation of surgery, one
      week, and 1 month, 8 months and 12 months after discharge from hospitalization
      for the first surgical procedure. RESULTS: Five hundred and seventy-eight
      patients with preservation of intercostobrachial nerve without axillary lymph
      node dissection (C- P+), 85 without preservation of nerve and axillary lymph node
      dissection (C+P-) and 57 with preservation of nerve and axillary lymph node
      dissection (C+P+) have been included in the study. The changing arm symptoms
      score was significantly different during follow-up between the three groups
      (P<0.001). This difference between the two groups C- P+ and C+P+ was significant
      clinically at one week [16.9, IC95%: 11.9 to 22 (P<0.01)], and persisted for up
      to 12 months [9.9, IC95%: 3.2 a16.6 (P=0.022)]. There was no difference between
      the group C+P- and C+P+. Results for physical functioning score were similar.
      CONCLUSION: Preservation of the intercostobral nerve is not associated with
      better quality of life. Only axillary lymph node dissection has an impact on
      quality of life.

PMID- 28917545
TI  - Effects of acarbose on cardiovascular and diabetes outcomes in patients with
      coronary heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance (ACE): a randomised, double
      blind, placebo-controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose on
      cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease and impaired
      glucose tolerance is unknown. We aimed to assess whether acarbose could reduce
      the frequency of cardiovascular events in Chinese patients with established
      coronary heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance, and whether the incidence
      of type 2 diabetes could be reduced. METHODS: The Acarbose Cardiovascular
      Evaluation (ACE) trial was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase
      4 trial, with patients recruited from 176 hospital outpatient clinics in China.
      Chinese patients with coronary heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance were
      randomly assigned (1:1), in blocks by site, by a centralised computer system to
      receive oral acarbose (50 mg three times a day) or matched placebo, which was
      added to standardised cardiovascular secondary prevention therapy. All study
      staff and patients were masked to treatment group allocation. The primary outcome
      was a five-point composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial
      infarction, non-fatal stroke, hospital admission for unstable angina, and
      hospital admission for heart failure, analysed in the intention-to-treat
      population (all participants randomly assigned to treatment who provided written
      informed consent). The secondary outcomes were a three-point composite outcome
      (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke),
      death from any cause, cardiovascular death, fatal or non-fatal myocardial
      infarction, fatal or non-fatal stroke, hospital admission for unstable angina,
      hospital admission for heart failure, development of diabetes, and development of
      impaired renal function. The safety population comprised all patients who
      received at least one dose of study medication. This trial is registered with
      ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00829660, and the International Standard Randomised
      Controlled Trial Number registry, number ISRCTN91899513. FINDINGS: Between March
      20, 2009, and Oct 23, 2015, 6522 patients were randomly assigned and included in
      the intention-to-treat population, 3272 assigned to acarbose and 3250 to placebo.
      Patients were followed up for a median of 5.0 years (IQR 3.4-6.0) in both groups.
      The primary five-point composite outcome occurred in 470 (14%; 3.33 per 100
      person-years) of 3272 acarbose group participants and in 479 (15%; 3.41 per 100
      person-years) of 3250 placebo group participants (hazard ratio 0.98; 95% CI 0.86
      1.11, p=0.73). No significant differences were seen between treatment groups for
      the secondary three-point composite outcome, death from any cause, cardiovascular
      death, fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, fatal or non-fatal stroke,
      hospital admission for unstable angina, hospital admission for heart failure, or
      impaired renal function. Diabetes developed less frequently in the acarbose group
      (436 [13%] of 3272; 3.17 per 100 person-years) compared with the placebo group
      (513 [16%] of 3250; 3.84 per 100 person-years; rate ratio 0.82, 95% CI 0.71-0.94,
      p=0.005). Gastrointestinal disorders were the most common adverse event
      associated with drug discontinuation or dose changes (215 [7%] of 3263 patients
      in the acarbose group vs 150 [5%] of 3241 in the placebo group [p=0.0007]; safety
      population). Numbers of non-cardiovascular deaths (71 [2%] of 3272 vs 56 [2%] of
      3250, p=0.19) and cancer deaths (ten [<1%] of 3272 vs 12 [<1%] of 3250, p=0.08)
      did not differ between groups. INTERPRETATION: In Chinese patients with coronary
      heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance, acarbose did not reduce the risk of
      major adverse cardiovascular events, but did reduce the incidence of diabetes.
      FUNDING: Bayer AG.

PMID- 28917549
TI  - A Multicenter Randomized Trial of a Checklist for Endotracheal Intubation of
      Critically Ill Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypoxemia and hypotension are common complications during
      endotracheal intubation of critically ill adults. Verbal performance of a
      written, preintubation checklist may prevent these complications. We compared a
      written, verbally performed, preintubation checklist with usual care regarding
      lowest arterial oxygen saturation or lowest systolic BP experienced by critically
      ill adults undergoing endotracheal intubation. METHODS: A multicenter trial in
      which 262 adults undergoing endotracheal intubation were randomized to a written,
      verbally performed, preintubation checklist (checklist) or no preintubation
      checklist (usual care). The coprimary outcomes were lowest arterial oxygen
      saturation and lowest systolic BP between the time of procedural medication
      administration and 2 min after endotracheal intubation. RESULTS: The median
      lowest arterial oxygen saturation was 92% (interquartile range [IQR], 79-98) in
      the checklist group vs 93% (IQR, 84-100) with usual care (P = .34). The median
      lowest systolic BP was 112 mm Hg (IQR, 94-133) in the checklist group vs 108 mm
      Hg (IQR, 90-132) in the usual care group (P = .61). There was no difference
      between the checklist and usual care in procedure duration (120 vs 118 s; P =
      .49), number of laryngoscopy attempts (one vs one attempt; P = .42), or severe
      life-threatening procedural complications (40.8% vs 32.6%; P = .20). CONCLUSIONS:
      The verbal performance of a written, preprocedure checklist does not increase the
      lowest arterial oxygen saturation or lowest systolic BP during endotracheal
      intubation of critically ill adults compared with usual care. TRIAL REGISTRY:
      ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT02497729; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

PMID- 28917552
TI  - CRISPR correction of the PRKAG2 gene mutation in the patient's induced
      pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes eliminates electrophysiological and
      structural abnormalities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutations in the PRKAG2 gene encoding the gamma-subunit of adenosine
      monophosphate kinase (AMPK) cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and familial
      Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. Patients carrying the R302Q mutation in
      PRKAG2 present with sinus bradycardia, escape rhythms, ventricular preexcitation,
      supraventricular tachycardia, and atrioventricular block. This mutation affects
      AMPK activity and increases glycogen storage in cardiomyocytes. The link between
      glycogen storage, WPW syndrome, HCM, and arrhythmias remains unknown. OBJECTIVE:
      The purpose of this study was to investigate the pathological changes caused by
      the PRKAG2 mutation. We tested the hypothesis that patient's induced pluripotent
      stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) display clinical aspects of the
      disease. METHODS: Using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats
      (CRISPR) technology, we corrected the mutation and then generated isogenic iPSC
      CMs. Action potentials were recorded from spontaneously firing and paced
      cardiomyocytes using the patch clamp technique. Using a microelectrode array
      setup, we recorded electrograms from iPSC-CMs clusters. Transmission electron
      microscopy was used to detect ultrastructural abnormalities in the mutated iPSC
      CMs. RESULTS: PRKAG2-mutated iPSC-CMs exhibited abnormal firing patterns, delayed
      afterdepolarizations, triggered arrhythmias, and augmented beat rate variability.
      Importantly, CRISPR correction eliminated the electrophysiological abnormalities,
      the augmented glycogen, storage, and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. CONCLUSION:
      PRKAG2-mutated iPSC-CMs displayed functional and structural abnormalities, which
      were abolished by correcting the mutation in the patient's iPSCs using CRISPR
      technology.

PMID- 28917554
TI  - Founder populations with channelopathies and church records reveal all sorts of
      interesting secrets: Some are scientifically relevant.

PMID- 28917553
TI  - Absence of rotational activity detected using 2-dimensional phase mapping in the
      corresponding 3-dimensional phase maps in human persistent atrial fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current phase mapping systems for atrial fibrillation create 2
      dimensional (2D) maps. This process may affect the accurate detection of rotors.
      We developed a 3-dimensional (3D) phase mapping technique that uses the 3D
      locations of basket electrodes to project phase onto patient-specific left atrial
      3D surface anatomy. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether rotors detected in
      2D phase maps were present at the corresponding time segments and anatomical
      locations in 3D phase maps. METHODS: One-minute left atrial atrial fibrillation
      recordings were obtained in 14 patients using the basket catheter and analyzed
      off-line. Using the same phase values, 2D and 3D phase maps were created.
      Analysis involved determining the dominant propagation patterns in 2D phase maps
      and evaluating the presence of rotors detected in 2D phase maps in the
      corresponding 3D phase maps. RESULTS: Using 2D phase mapping, the dominant
      propagation pattern was single wavefront (36.6%) followed by focal activation
      (34.0%), disorganized activity (23.7%), rotors (3.3%), and multiple wavefronts
      (2.4%). Ten transient rotors were observed in 9 of 14 patients (64%). The mean
      rotor duration was 1.1 +/- 0.7 seconds. None of the 10 rotors observed in 2D
      phase maps were seen at the corresponding time segments and anatomical locations
      in 3D phase maps; 4 of 10 corresponded with single wavefronts in 3D phase maps, 2
      of 10 with 2 simultaneous wavefronts, 1 of 10 with disorganized activity, and in
      3 of 10 there was no coverage by the basket catheter at the corresponding 3D
      anatomical location. CONCLUSION: Rotors detected in 2D phase maps were not
      observed in the corresponding 3D phase maps. These findings may have implications
      for current systems that use 2D phase mapping.

PMID- 28917544
TI  - Effects on the incidence of cardiovascular events of the addition of pioglitazone
      versus sulfonylureas in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled
      with metformin (TOSCA.IT): a randomised, multicentre trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The best treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes in whom
      treatment with metformin alone fails to achieve adequate glycaemic control is
      debated. We aimed to compare the long-term effects of pioglitazone versus
      sulfonylureas, given in addition to metformin, on cardiovascular events in
      patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: TOSCA.IT was a multicentre, randomised,
      pragmatic clinical trial, in which patients aged 50-75 years with type 2 diabetes
      inadequately controlled with metformin monotherapy (2-3 g per day) were recruited
      from 57 diabetes clinics in Italy. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1), by
      permuted blocks randomisation (block size 10), stratified by site and previous
      cardiovascular events, to add-on pioglitazone (15-45 mg) or a sulfonylurea (5-15
      mg glibenclamide, 2-6 mg glimepiride, or 30-120 mg gliclazide, in accordance with
      local practice). The trial was unblinded, but event adjudicators were unaware of
      treatment assignment. The primary outcome, assessed with a Cox proportional
      hazards model, was a composite of first occurrence of all-cause death, non-fatal
      myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, or urgent coronary revascularisation,
      assessed in the modified intention-to-treat population (all randomly assigned
      participants with baseline data available and without any protocol violations in
      relation to inclusion or exclusion criteria). This study is registered with
      ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00700856. FINDINGS: Between Sept 18, 2008, and Jan
      15, 2014, 3028 patients were randomly assigned and included in the analyses. 1535
      were assigned to pioglitazone and 1493 to sulfonylureas (glibenclamide 24 [2%],
      glimepiride 723 [48%], gliclazide 745 [50%]). At baseline, 335 (11%) participants
      had a previous cardiovascular event. The study was stopped early on the basis of
      a futility analysis after a median follow-up of 57.3 months. The primary outcome
      occurred in 105 patients (1.5 per 100 person-years) who were given pioglitazone
      and 108 (1.5 per 100 person-years) who were given sulfonylureas (hazard ratio
      0.96, 95% CI 0.74-1.26, p=0.79). Fewer patients had hypoglycaemias in the
      pioglitazone group than in the sulfonylureas group (148 [10%] vs 508 [34%],
      p<0.0001). Moderate weight gain (less than 2 kg, on average) occurred in both
      groups. Rates of heart failure, bladder cancer, and fractures were not
      significantly different between treatment groups. INTERPRETATION: In this long
      term, pragmatic trial, incidence of cardiovascular events was similar with
      sulfonylureas (mostly glimepiride and gliclazide) and pioglitazone as add-on
      treatments to metformin. Both of these widely available and affordable treatments
      are suitable options with respect to efficacy and adverse events, although
      pioglitazone was associated with fewer hypoglycaemia events. FUNDING: Italian
      Medicines Agency, Diabete Ricerca, and Italian Diabetes Society.

PMID- 28917555
TI  - Incidence and significance of adhesions encountered during epicardial mapping and
      ablation of ventricular tachycardia in patients with no history of prior cardiac
      surgery or pericarditis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pericardial adhesions can prevent epicardial access and restrict
      catheter movement during mapping and ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT).
      The incidence of adhesions in patients without prior cardiac surgery or
      clinically evident pericarditis is not known. OBJECTIVE: To describe the
      incidence of pericardial adhesions and explore their impact in patients without
      prior cardiac surgery or pericarditis. METHODS: A retrospective search of our
      ablation database containing patients who underwent epicardial ablation for VT
      was undertaken. Adhesions were diagnosed with routine contrast pericardiography
      after pericardial entry. Demographics and long-term outcomes were compared
      between patients with and without adhesions. RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2016,
      successful epicardial entry was achieved in 188 of 192 attempts (98%). In 155
      first-time epicardial access attempts, pericardial adhesions were diagnosed in 13
      (8%). When comparing baseline demographics, there was no significant difference.
      However, adhesions tended to occur more frequently with severe renal impairment
      (2% of patients without adhesions vs 15% of patients with adhesions, P = .07). No
      patient with a structurally normal heart had adhesions present. Adhesions were
      associated with limited epicardial mapping (3% of patients without adhesions vs
      85% of patients with adhesions, P < .001) and lower short-term procedural success
      (68% of patients without adhesions vs 46% of patients with adhesions, P = .02),
      but complication rates were similar. The presence of adhesions did not translate
      into lower VT-free survival (P = .64) or freedom from a combined end point of VT
      recurrence, death, or transplant at 1 year (P = .93). CONCLUSION: Adhesions may
      be unexpectedly encountered in patients without prior cardiac surgery or
      pericarditis. When present, they can limit mapping and may be associated with
      lower short-term success. Larger studies are required to determine their impact
      on long-term outcomes.

PMID- 28917556
TI  - Increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest with chronic total coronary occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic total occlusion (CTO) is common in out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest (OHCA) survivors with coronary artery disease. It is unclear whether CTO
      contributes to ventricular arrhythmias in this population. OBJECTIVE: This study
      sought to evaluate the impact of unrevascularized CTOs on the occurrence of
      appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy and all-cause
      mortality in OHCA survivors with coronary artery disease. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective study that included all consecutive OHCA survivors with coronary
      artery disease who received an ICD from December 1999 until June 2015. Study end
      points were appropriate ICD therapy and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: We
      identified 217 OHCA survivors (mean age 63 +/- 10 years; 187 men (86%)) with
      coronary artery disease. Unrevascularized CTO was present in 71 of 217 patients
      (33%) at the time of ICD implantation. During a median follow-up of 61 months
      (interquartile range, 28-97 months), 57 of 217 patients (26%) experienced an
      appropriate ICD therapy. Patients with CTO had a higher incidence of appropriate
      ICD therapy in comparison to patients without CTO (log-rank, P = .002).
      Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified CTO (hazard ratio 2.07; 95%
      confidence interval 1.23-3.50; P = .007) as an independent predictor of
      appropriate ICD therapy. The presence of CTO was not associated with a higher
      mortality rate (log-rank, P = .18). CONCLUSIONS: In OHCA survivors with coronary
      artery disease receiving an ICD for secondary prevention, CTO was an independent
      predictor for the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias but not for mortality.

PMID- 28917557
TI  - Idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias originating from the right coronary sinus:
      Prevalence, electrocardiographic and electrophysiological characteristics, and
      catheter ablation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) of the right coronary cusp (RCC) are
      not fully characterized. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the electrocardiographic and
      electrophysiological characteristics, mapping and ablation of RCC-VAs. METHODS:
      Among 256 consecutive patients undergoing electrophysiological evaluation and
      ablation of VAs of ventricular outflow tract origin, data were compared among 27
      RCC-VAs, 50 VAs of the septal aspect of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT),
      including from pulmonary artery, and 9 VAs of left coronary cusp (LCC). RESULTS:
      The only electrocardiographic characteristic that differentiated VAs originating
      from the RCC and RVOT was the amplitude of the R wave in lead I. During VAs of
      the RCC, the earliest activation site (EAS) in the right ventricle was localized
      in the middle-posterior septal region of the RVOT. The distance between the His
      bundle and the EAS in the RVOT in the RCC group was shorter than that in the RVOT
      and LCC group; the distance <= 29.4 mm, which rules out an RVOT and LCC origin,
      had 92.6% sensitivity and 100% specificity for RCC-origin speculation. Double or
      complex potentials were recorded in RVOT middle-posterior septal area surrounding
      the EAS in 20 of 27 RCC-VA patients (70%). Most of the successful ablation sites
      (24/27) were located in the anterior and upper margin of the RCC, close to the
      middle-posterior septal region of the RVOT. The prepotential (P1) amplitude and
      the P1-to-QRS complex interval may be indicators of successful RCC-VA ablation
      sites. CONCLUSIONS: RCC-VAs are not uncommon and have unique electrocardiographic
      and electrophysiological characteristics that distinguish an RCC origin of VA
      from RVOT and LCC origins. Most RCC-VAs were ablated successfully in the anterior
      and upper aspects of the RCC.

PMID- 28917559
TI  - Predictors and outcomes of cardiac resynchronization therapy extended to the
      second generator.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A proportion of patients who receive cardiac resynchronization
      therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) live to receive a second generator.
      Controversy exists on whether an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
      should be offered to patients who have normalized or near-normalized left
      ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at the time of generator replacement (GR).
      OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate incidence of appropriate ICD
      therapy after CRT-D GR. METHODS: This series involved 1026 consecutive patients
      who underwent CRT-D implant between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2012.
      Echocardiography was assessed before the initial device implant and before GR.
      ICDs were monitored at our device clinic in person or remotely, or both. RESULTS:
      Of the cohort, 227 patients (22.1%) underwent CRT-D GR at our institution.
      Approximately 48% of the patients who received new CRT-D generators were no
      longer meeting the guidelines indication for ICD use at the time of GR. These
      patients received subsequent appropriate ICD therapies at a significantly lower
      rate than those with LVEF <35% (12% vs 35%; P < .001). Of these patients, 47
      (20.7%) had LVEF improvement to >=50% at the time of GR. ICD therapy for
      ventricular arrhythmia in the ischemic group was 18.2%, while no patient in the
      nonischemic group received ICD therapy from the second generator after GR.
      CONCLUSION: Improvement in LVEF after CRT-D GR is associated with significantly
      reduced incidence of appropriate ICD therapy. Ventricular arrhythmia is less
      likely to develop with normalized LVEF in nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 28917558
TI  - Cardiac sympathectomy for the management of ventricular arrhythmias refractory to
      catheter ablation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation is now a mainstay of therapy for ventricular
      arrhythmias (VAs). However, there are scenarios where either physiological or
      anatomical factors make ablation less likely to be successful. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of this study was to demonstrate that cardiac sympathetic denervation
      (CSD) may be an alternate therapy for patients with difficult-to-ablate VAs.
      METHODS: We identified all patients referred for CSD at a single center for
      indications other than long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic
      ventricular tachycardia who had failed catheter ablation. Medical records were
      reviewed for medical history, procedural details, and follow-up. RESULTS: Seven
      cases of CSD were identified in patients who had failed prior catheter ablation
      or had disease not amenable to ablation. All patients had VAs refractory to
      antiarrhythmic drugs, with a median arrhythmia burden of 1 episode of sustained
      VA per month. There were no acute complications of sympathectomy. One of 7
      patients (14%) underwent heart transplant. No patient had sustained VA after
      sympathectomy at a median follow-up of 7 months. CONCLUSION: Because of
      anatomical and physiological constraints, many VAs remain refractory to catheter
      ablation and remain a significant challenge for the electrophysiologist. While
      CSD has been described as a therapy for long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic
      polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, data regarding its use in other cardiac
      conditions are sparse. This series illustrates that CSD may be a viable treatment
      option for patients with a variety of etiologies of VAs.

PMID- 28917560
TI  - Outcomes of rescue cardiopulmonary support for periprocedural acute hemodynamic
      decompensation in patients undergoing catheter ablation of electrical storm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation
      (VT/VF) electrical storm (ES) undergoing catheter ablation (CA), hypotension due
      to refractory VT/VF, use of anesthesia, and cardiac stunning due to repeated
      implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks might precipitate acute hemodynamic
      decompensation (AHD). OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the outcomes of emergent
      cardiopulmonary support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to rescue
      AHD in patients undergoing CA of ES. METHODS: Between January 1, 2010 and
      December 31, 2016, 21 patients with ES (VT in 11 and premature ventricular
      complex-triggered VF in 10) were referred for CA and had periprocedural AHD
      requiring emergent ECMO support. RESULTS: In 14 patients, AHD occurred a mean of
      1.5 +/- 1.7 days before the procedure. In the remaining 7 patients, AHD occurred
      during or shortly after the procedure. ECMO was started successfully in all
      patients. Ablation was performed in 18 patients (9 with VF and 9 with VT). In
      patients with VF, premature ventricular complex suppression was achieved in 8 of
      9 (89%). In those with VT, noninducibility was achieved in 7 of 9 (78%). After a
      median follow-up of 10 days, 16 patients died (13 during the index admission).
      Death was due to refractory VT/VF in 4 patients, heart failure in 11, and
      noncardiac cause in 1 patient. Seven patients survived beyond 6 months
      postablation; 5 remained free of VT/VF and 3 ultimately received a destination
      therapy (heart transplantation in 2 and left ventricular [LV] assist device in
      1). CONCLUSION: In patients with ES undergoing CA, the outcomes of ECMO support
      as rescue intervention for AHD are poor. The majority of these patients die of
      refractory heart failure in the short-term. Strategies to prevent AHD including
      preemptive use of hemodynamic support may improve survival.

PMID- 28917561
TI  - Cardiac rhythm analysis during ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation using the
      Analysis During Compressions with Fast Reconfirmation technology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pauses in chest compressions (CCs) have a negative association with
      survival from cardiac arrest. Electrocardiographic (ECG) rhythm analysis and
      defibrillator charging are significant contributors to CC pauses. OBJECTIVE:
      Accuracy of the Analysis During Compressions with Fast Reconfirmation (ADC-FR)
      algorithm, which features automated rhythm analysis and charging during CCs to
      reduce CC pauses, was retrospectively determined in a large database of ECGs from
      2701 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: The ADC-FR algorithm
      generated a total of 7264 advisories, of which 3575 were randomly assigned to a
      development data set and 3689 to a test data set. With ADC-FR, a high-pass
      digital filter is used to remove CC artifacts, while the underlying ECG rhythm is
      automatically interpreted. When CCs are paused at the end of the 2-minute
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation interval, a 3-second reconfirmation analysis is
      performed using the artifact-free ECG to confirm the shock/no-shock advisory. The
      sensitivity and specificity of the ADC-FR algorithm in correctly identifying
      shockable/nonshockable rhythms during CCs were calculated. RESULTS: In both data
      sets, the accuracy of the ADC-FR algorithm for each ECG rhythm exceeded the
      recommended performance goals, which apply to a standard artifact-free ECG
      analysis. Sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 99%, respectively, for the
      development data set and 95% and 99% for the test data set. CONCLUSION: The ADC
      FR algorithm is highly accurate in discriminating shockable and nonshockable
      rhythms and can be used to reduce CC pauses.

PMID- 28917562
TI  - An updated meta-analysis of novel oral anticoagulants versus vitamin K
      antagonists for uninterrupted anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation catheter
      ablation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation is recommended as a first- or second-line rhythm
      control therapy for selected patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). There is a
      wide variability in the periprocedural management of oral anticoagulation in
      patients undergoing AF ablation. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to perform an updated meta
      analysis of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) vs vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) as
      uninterrupted anticoagulation in patients undergoing AF ablation. METHODS:
      Databases and conference abstracts were searched. Studies were excluded if oral
      anticoagulants were held at any periprocedural period. The primary outcomes were
      stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and major bleeding. RESULTS: Twelve
      studies and 4962 patients were included. Stroke or TIA was rare (NOAC, 0.08%;
      VKA, 0.16%) and not different between groups (odds ratio [OR] 0.66; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 0.19-2.30). The incidence of silent cerebral embolic
      events was also not significantly different between NOACs (8%) and VKAs (9.6%)
      (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.42-1.76). Major bleeding was significantly reduced in the NOAC
      group (0.9%) as compared with VKA-treated patients (2%) (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.30
      0.84; P < .01). This finding was confirmed in a subgroup analysis of randomized
      and cohort studies with matched controls (OR 0.45; 95% CI 0.24-0.83; P = .01).
      There was no significant difference in the outcomes of individual NOACs and VKAs,
      although these analyses may have been underpowered to detect minor differences in
      such rare outcomes. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing AF ablation, uninterrupted
      periprocedural NOACs are associated with a low incidence of stroke or TIA and a
      significant reduction in major bleeding as compared with uninterrupted VKAs.

PMID- 28917563
TI  - Ligament of Marshall arrhythmogenesis and vein of Marshall ethanol: A problem
      with a solution.

PMID- 28917564
TI  - Impact of institutional procedural volume on inhospital outcomes after cardiac
      resynchronization therapy device implantation: US national database 2003-2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between hospital volume and outcomes for cardiac
      resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantations has not been well established.
      OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine outcomes after CRT device
      implantation stratified by hospital volume using a large national inpatient
      database. METHODS: Using the National Inpatient Sample database, we identified
      all patients undergoing de novo CRT implants between 2003 and 2011. Hospitals
      were categorized according to tertiles of annual CRT procedural volume. Rates of
      inhospital adverse events including death, cardiac perforation, pneumothorax, and
      lead revision were examined. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was
      performed to compare outcomes across hospital volume categories. RESULTS: Between
      2003 and 2011, 410,104 de novo CRT implantations were performed. More than half
      (50.9%) of hospitals performed <=16 CRT implants/y. Overall complication rates
      were higher in the lower-volume centers (3.9%, 3.5%, and 3.2%; P = .001) when
      stratified by first, second, and third tertiles of CRT volume, respectively. The
      lowest tertile of CRT volume was independently associated with increased
      inhospital all-cause mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.37; 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.10-1.70; P = .005), any complication (adjusted OR 1.21, 95% CI
      1.07-1.37; P = .003), and lead revision (adjusted OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.03-1.58; P =
      .03). CONCLUSION: Lower CRT hospital volume was associated with worse outcomes,
      including inhospital death, overall complications, and lead revision.
      Establishment of standards defining minimum CRT volume thresholds to identify
      centers of excellence may result in improved outcomes.

PMID- 28917565
TI  - Reply to the Editor- Contact force-sensing catheters and increased risk of
      atrioesophageal fistula: Is the tool to blame or the workmen?

PMID- 28917566
TI  - Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation in children-A call
      to action.

PMID- 28917567
TI  - Pulmonary sinus of Valsalva arrhythmias: A new twist to an old story.

PMID- 28917568
TI  - To the Editor- Contact force-sensing catheters and increased risk of
      atrioesophageal fistula: Is the tool to blame or the workmen?

PMID- 28917569
TI  - Strain types of Staphylococcus aureus nasal isolates from persons undergoing
      joint replacement surgery.

PMID- 28917570
TI  - Detection of viable but non-culturable legionella in hospital water network
      following monochloramine disinfection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevention of legionellosis remains a critical issue in healthcare
      settings where monochloramine (MC) disinfection was recently introduced as an
      alternative to chlorine dioxide in controlling Legionella spp. contamination of
      the hospital water network. Continuous treatments with low MC doses in some
      instances have induced a viable but non-culturable state (VBNC) of Legionella
      spp. AIM: To investigate the occurrence of such dormant cells during a long
      period of continuous MC treatment. METHODS: Between November 2010 and April 2015,
      162 water and biofilm samples were collected and Legionella spp. isolated in
      accordance with standard procedures. In sampling sites where MC was <1.5mg/L,
      VBNC cells were investigated by ethidium monoazide bromide (EMA)-real-time
      polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and 'resuscitation' test into Acanthamoeba
      polyphaga CCAP 1501/18. According to the Health Protection Agency protocol, free
      living protozoa were researched in 60 five-litre water samples. FINDINGS: In all,
      136 out of 156 (87.2%) of the samples taken from sites previously positive for L.
      pneumophila ST269 were negative by culture, but only 47 (34.5%) negative by qPCR.
      Although no positive results were obtained by EMA-qPCR, four out of 22 samples
      associated with MC concentration of 1.3 +/- 0.5mg/L showed VBNC legionella
      resuscitation. The presence of the amoeba A. polyphaga in the hospital water
      network was demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first report evidencing
      the emergence of VNBC legionella during a long period of continuous MC treatment
      of a hospital water network, highlighting the importance of keeping an
      appropriate and uninterrupted MC dosage to ensure the control of legionella
      colonization in hospital water supplies.

PMID- 28917571
TI  - Academy of Dental Materials guidance-Resin composites: Part II-Technique
      sensitivity (handling, polymerization, dimensional changes).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work, commissioned by the Academy of Dental
      Materials, was to review and critically appraise test methods to characterize
      properties related to critical issues for dental resin composites, including
      technique sensitivity and handling, polymerization, and dimensional stability, in
      order to provide specific guidance to investigators planning studies of these
      properties. METHODS: The properties that relate to each of the main clinical
      issues identified were ranked in terms of their priority for testing, and the
      specific test methods within each property were ranked. An attempt was made to
      focus on the tests and methods likely to be the most useful, applicable, and
      supported by the literature, and where possible, those showing a correlation with
      clinical outcomes. Certain methods are only briefly mentioned to be all
      inclusive. When a standard test method exists, whether from dentistry or another
      field, this test has been identified. Specific examples from the literature are
      included for each test method. RESULTS: The properties for evaluating resin
      composites were ranked in the priority of measurement as follows: (1) porosity,
      radiopacity, sensitivity to ambient light, degree of conversion, polymerization
      kinetics, depth of cure, polymerization shrinkage and rate, polymerization
      stress, and hygroscopic expansion; (2) stickiness, slump resistance, and
      viscosity; and (3) thermal expansion. SIGNIFICANCE: The following guidance is
      meant to aid the researcher in choosing the most appropriate test methods when
      planning studies designed to assess certain key properties and characteristics of
      dental resin composites, specifically technique sensitivity and handling during
      placement, polymerization, and dimensional stability.

PMID- 28917572
TI  - Double filtration plasmapheresis: Determination of the optimal albumin
      concentration in the supplementation fluid.
AB  - Many kinds of technologies have been introduced and successfully developed for
      therapeutic apheresis. During the DFPP treatments, the patient's blood volume
      (BV) often decreases with time due to albumin loss induced by inadequate albumin
      infusion in a supplementation fluid. We examined the change of BV by a continuous
      hematocrit (HCT) monitor, CRIT-LINETM, during an in vivo study for nine patients.
      As a result, albumin loss was fairly occurred in some DFPP treatments. The
      decrease of patient's BV was induced by an oncotic pressure drop due to albumin
      loss and often resulted in a blood pressure drop. This is a serious problem for
      DFPP. We should avoid the patient is suffering from these adverse effects. In
      order to determine the optimal concentration CS and volume VS values of a
      supplemented albumin solution, we introduced a variable blood volume model for
      albumin transport in DFPP.

PMID- 28917573
TI  - [Still too many pregnancies with Soriatane(r)].

PMID- 28917574
TI  - [Apparent worsening of psoriasis lesions revealing methotrexate overdosage].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methotrexate (MTX) is an antimetabolite drug used in the treatment of
      cancers and autoimmune diseases and frequently in dermatology for cutaneous
      and/or arthritic psoriasis. Toxicities due to MTX overdosage are mainly
      cutaneous, hepatic and hematologic. Herein, we report a case of MTX overdosage
      presenting as an erosive and an inflammatory flare of preexisting psoriatic
      plaques and with new palmar lesions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 51-year-old male
      with a 6-year history of plaque psoriasis resistant to topical corticosteroids
      was started for the first time on MTX 20mg weekly. One week later, he presented
      with fever, general weakness and mucocutaneous ulcerations. Physical examination
      revealed inflammatory, erythematous and partially erosive annular plaques
      strictly confined to preexisting psoriatic lesions, along with keratotic
      psoriatic palmar plaques. Further questioning indicated that the patient was
      taking MTX 20mg daily. Investigations revealed neutropenia (1040/mm3) and skin
      histology showed prominent dystrophic keratinocytes and confirmed the diagnosis
      of methotrexate toxicity. Clinical and biological improvements were observed
      after cessation of MTX and treatment with folinic acid, IV hydration and urine
      alkalization. DISCUSSION: Skin lesions due to acute MTX toxicity are rare, but
      they herald later-onset pancytopenia. Identification of these cutaneous lesions
      might enable earlier treatment initiation. The predilection of MTX toxicity for
      preexisting lesions or the de novo appearance of palmoplantar pustules should not
      lead to the erroneous diagnosis of psoriasis flare.

PMID- 28917575
TI  - [A "tattoo" consultation service in a university hospital: For whom and for what
      purpose?]

PMID- 28917576
TI  - [Cancers associated with systemic sclerosis involving anti-RNA polymerase III
      antibodies].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of cancer is increased in patients with systemic
      sclerosis (SSc). Further, recent studies have also shown that the presence of
      anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies is associated with a higher incidence of
      cancer in this population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Herein we present the cases of
      two men aged 56 and 23 years presenting SSc without anti-Scl70 or anti-centromere
      antibodies but with anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies. Clinical symptoms led us
      to prescribe more laboratory exams and both patients were diagnosed with cancer
      of the nasopharyngeal area. DISCUSSION: Anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies are
      useful for SSc diagnosis in patients without anti-centromere or anti-Scl70
      antibodies. Their presence must lead physicians to screen for associated cancer,
      even in the absence of clinical signs.

PMID- 28917577
TI  - Direct Pulp Capping with Calcium Hydroxide, Mineral Trioxide Aggregate, and
      Biodentine in Permanent Young Teeth with Caries: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Direct pulp capping treatment is intended to preserve pulp
      vitality, to avoid or retard root canal treatment, and, in cases with an open
      apex, to allow continued root development. Historically, calcium hydroxide (CH)
      was the gold standard material, but nowadays calcium silicate materials (CSMs)
      are displacing CH because of their high bioactivity, biocompatibility, sealing
      ability, and mechanical properties. However, more randomized clinical trials are
      needed to confirm the appropriateness of CSMs as replacement materials for CH in
      direct pulp capping procedures. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was
      conducted that included 169 patients (mean age, 11.3 years) from the Maipo
      district (Chile). The inclusion criterion was patients with 1 carious permanent
      tooth with pulpal exposure, a candidate for a direct pulp capping procedure. The
      patients were randomly allocated to one of the experimental groups (CH,
      Biodentine, or mineral trioxide aggregate [MTA]). Clinical follow-up examinations
      were performed at 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. The Fisher exact test
      was performed. RESULTS: At the follow-up examination at 1 week, the patients
      showed 100% clinical success. At 3 months, there was 1 failure in the CH group.
      At 6 months, there were 4 new failures (1 in the CH group and 3 in the MTA
      group). At 1 year, there was another failure in the CH group. There were no
      statistically significant differences among the experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      CSMs appear to be suitable materials to replace CH. Although no significant
      differences were found among the materials studied, Biodentine and MTA offered
      some advantages over CH.

PMID- 28917578
TI  - Emerging biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy in melanoma.
AB  - The treatment and prognosis of metastatic melanoma has changed substantially
      since the advent of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), agents that enhance
      the anti-tumor immune response. Despite the success of these agents, clinically
      actionable biomarkers to aid patient and regimen selection are lacking. Herein,
      we summarize and review the evidence for candidate biomarkers of response to ICIs
      in melanoma. Many of these candidates can be examined as parts of a known
      molecular pathway of immune response, while others are clinical in nature. Due to
      the ability of ICIs to illicit dramatic and durable responses, well-validated
      biomarkers that can be effectively implemented in the clinic will require strong
      negative predictive values that do not limit patients with who may benefit from
      ICI therapy.

PMID- 28917579
TI  - Microcirculation in the murine liver: a computational fluid dynamic model based
      on 3D reconstruction from in vivo microscopy.
AB  - The liver is organized in hexagonal functional units - termed lobules -
      characterized by a rather peculiar blood microcirculation, due to the presence of
      a tangled network of capillaries - termed sinusoids. A better understanding of
      the hemodynamics that governs liver microcirculation is relevant to clinical and
      biological studies aimed at improving our management of liver diseases and
      transplantation. Herein, we built a CFD model of a 3D sinusoidal network, based
      on in vivo images of a physiological mouse liver obtained with a 2-photon
      microscope. The CFD model was developed with Fluent 16.0 (ANSYS Inc., Canonsburg,
      PA), particular care was taken in imposing the correct boundary conditions
      representing a physiological state. To account for the remaining branches of the
      sinusoids, a lumped parameter model was used to prescribe the correct pressure at
      each outlet. The effect of an adhered cell on local hemodynamics is also
      investigated for different occlusion degrees. The model here proposed accurately
      reproduces the fluid dynamics in a portion of the sinusoidal network in mouse
      liver. Mean velocities and mass flow rates are in agreement with literature
      values from in vivo measurements. Our approach provides details on local
      phenomena, hardly described by other computational studies, either focused on the
      macroscopic hepatic vasculature or based on homogeneous porous medium model.

PMID- 28917580
TI  - The influence of ligament modelling strategies on the predictive capability of
      finite element models of the human knee joint.
AB  - In finite element (FE) models knee ligaments can represented either by a group of
      one-dimensional springs, or by three-dimensional continuum elements based on
      segmentations. Continuum models closer approximate the anatomy, and facilitate
      ligament wrapping, while spring models are computationally less expensive. The
      mechanical properties of ligaments can be based on literature, or adjusted
      specifically for the subject. In the current study we investigated the effect of
      ligament modelling strategy on the predictive capability of FE models of the
      human knee joint. The effect of literature-based versus specimen-specific
      optimized material parameters was evaluated. Experiments were performed on three
      human cadaver knees, which were modelled in FE models with ligaments represented
      either using springs, or using continuum representations. In spring
      representation collateral ligaments were each modelled with three and cruciate
      ligaments with two single-element bundles. Stiffness parameters and pre-strains
      were optimized based on laxity tests for both approaches. Validation experiments
      were conducted to evaluate the outcomes of the FE models. Models (both spring and
      continuum) with subject-specific properties improved the predicted kinematics and
      contact outcome parameters. Models incorporating literature-based parameters, and
      particularly the spring models (with the representations implemented in this
      study), led to relatively high errors in kinematics and contact pressures. Using
      a continuum modelling approach resulted in more accurate contact outcome
      variables than the spring representation with two (cruciate ligaments) and three
      (collateral ligaments) single-element-bundle representations. However, when the
      prediction of joint kinematics is of main interest, spring ligament models
      provide a faster option with acceptable outcome.

PMID- 28917581
TI  - An engineering insight into the relationship of selective cytoskeletal impairment
      and biomechanics of HeLa cells.
AB  - It is widely accepted that the pathological state of cells is characterized by a
      modification of mechanical properties, affecting cellular shape and
      viscoelasticity as well as adhesion behaviour and motility. Thus, assessing these
      parameters could represent an interesting tool to monitor disease development and
      progression, but also the effects of drug treatments. Since biomechanical
      properties of cells are strongly related to cytoskeletal architecture, in this
      work we extensively studied the effects of selective impairments of actin
      microfilaments and microtubules on HeLa cells through force-deformation curves
      and stress relaxation tests with atomic force microscopy. Confocal microscopy was
      also used to display the effects of the used drugs on the cytoskeletal structure.
      In synergy with the aforementioned methods, stress relaxation data were used to
      assess the storage and loss moduli, as a complementary way to describe the
      influence of cytoskeletal components on cellular viscoelasticity. Our results
      indicate that F-actin and microtubules play a complementary role in the cell
      stiffness and viscoelasticity, and both are fundamental for the adhesion
      properties. Our data support also the application of biomechanics as a tool to
      study diseases and their treatments.

PMID- 28917582
TI  - Preterm pre-eclampsia: What every neonatologist should know.
AB  - Although pre-eclampsia affects 5-10% of pregnancies globally and is responsible
      for substantial maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, currently there
      is no cure other than delivery of the baby. Predictive screening tests based on
      clinical risk factors, with or without the addition of biomarkers and imaging,
      have been developed, but adoption into clinical practice is limited by suboptimal
      test performance. Once established pre-eclampsia is diagnosed, a woman is usually
      managed expectantly prior to 37weeks' gestation to reduce perinatal morbidity and
      mortality associated with iatrogenic prematurity until maternal or fetal triggers
      for delivery mean that risks of pregnancy prolongation outweigh the benefits.
      Associated fetal growth restriction is a common feature of pre-eclampsia,
      particularly with early-onset disease, and will influence decisions for delivery
      and subsequent neonatal course. Prematurity and fetal growth restriction both
      have potential short and long-term consequences for the infant and child.

PMID- 28917583
TI  - Digit ratio (2D:4D) and prenatal/perinatal sex hormones: A response to Manning
      and Fink (2017).

PMID- 28917584
TI  - Pneumatoceles in pediatric blunt trauma: Common and benign.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Traumatic pneumatoceles are reported to be rare in children and to
      have an uncertain clinical significance. We report a single institution series of
      traumatic pneumatoceles to better define their frequency and clinical
      significance. METHODS: After obtaining approval from the IRB, data were extracted
      from the trauma registry of a level 1 pediatric trauma center on children
      diagnosed with a pulmonary contusion (International Classification of Diseases
      9th edition diagnosis codes: 861.21 to 861.31) who presented between June, 2006
      and September, 2016. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, injury severity
      score, diagnosis and procedure codes, length of hospital stay, outcome, imaging
      techniques and findings with attention to the identification of a pneumatocele,
      were examined. RESULTS: Of the 10,229 trauma admission, 204 children were
      identified as having a pulmonary contusion, 25 of whom (12.3%) were diagnosed
      with a pneumatocele. Their mean age was 13years (3-17). Seventy-six percent (19)
      were male. The most common mechanism of injury was a motor vehicle collision
      (10), followed by falls (6), and sports (5). Sixteen children (64%) suffered a
      long bone fracture, 12 (48%) an abdominal solid organ injury and 3 (12%) a
      traumatic brain injury. The mean Injury Severity Score was 17 (9-34). Twenty
      three patients presented as transfers. There were no fatalities. The pneumatocele
      was identified on chest computerized tomography (CT) alone in 15 (60%), on chest
      CT and chest radiograph (CXR) in 3 (12%), the upper portions of an abdominal CT
      in 6 (24%) and on CXR alone in 1 (4%). Seven patients were found to have a
      solitary pneumatocele and 18 patients had 2 or more. The largest pneumatocele was
      3.7cm in diameter. Ten children (40%) were admitted to the intensive care unit, 3
      of whom required intubation. One patient (4%) had a respiratory complication:
      pneumonia. Three patients underwent chest tube placement for: pneumothorax,
      hemothorax and hemopneumothorax. No child underwent intervention specific to the
      pneumatocele. Seventeen (68%) patients were seen in follow-up in Trauma Clinic
      and the remainder by another practitioner ranging from 1week to 6months after
      injury. One child (4%) underwent a follow-up chest CT to rule out a congenital
      pulmonary malformation 6months after injury and this demonstrated complete
      resolution of the pneumatocele. CONCLUSION: The incidence of traumatic
      pneumatoceles among children with a pulmonary contusion was 12.3% in this series,
      but is probably higher given that only 24% were visible on radiographs and a
      small minority of children with pulmonary contusions underwent chest CT.
      Pneumatoceles are common in children with pulmonary contusions, but are usually
      small. The majority do not appear to be clinically significant nor require follow
      up imaging. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28917585
TI  - Total urogenital sinus mobilization for ambiguous genitalia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Genital ambiguity is a very common phenomenon in disorders of sex
      development (DSD). According to the Chicago Consensus 2006, feminizing
      genitoplasty, when indicated, should be performed in the most virilized cases
      (Prader III to V). Advances in the knowledge of genital anatomy in DSD have
      enabled the development and improvement of various surgical techniques.
      Mobilization of the urogenital sinus (MUS), first described by Pena, has become
      incorporated by most surgeons. However, the proximity of the urethral sphincter
      prompts concern over urinary incontinence, especially for full mobilization of
      the urogenital sinus. OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively evaluate the short-term
      surgical results of feminizing genitoplasty with total mobilization of the
      urogenital sinus in patients with DSD. METHODS: Review of medical records of all
      patients undergoing feminizing genitoplasty with mobilization of the urogenital
      sinus. We evaluated the rates of complications from surgery and of urinary
      incontinence, as well as cosmetic results, according to the opinion of the
      surgeon and the family. RESULTS: A total of 8 patients were included in the
      study. The mean age at surgery was 51months. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)
      was diagnosed in six patients, and gonadal dysgenesis in the other two. The
      vagina was separated from the urethra, with suitable distance in all cases. No
      patient had urinary incontinence after surgery. The mean follow-up of patients
      was. 20months (3-56months). In all cases, surgeons recorded being satisfied with
      the aesthetic result of post-surgical genitalia. The family was recorded as
      satisfied with the aesthetic result of the genitalia after surgery. In every
      case, there was no need for a second surgical procedure. CONCLUSION: The total
      mobilization of the urogenital sinus is a feasible and safe technique. The
      technique permits good cosmetic results, and urinary incontinence is absent. TYPE
      OF STUDY: Therapeutic study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

PMID- 28917586
TI  - Dosimetric comparison to the heart and cardiac substructure in a large cohort of
      esophageal cancer patients treated with proton beam therapy or Intensity
      modulated radiation therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare heart and cardiac substructure radiation exposure using
      intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) vs. proton beam therapy (PBT) for
      patients with mid- to distal esophageal cancer who received chemoradiation
      therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We identified 727 esophageal cancer patients who
      received IMRT (n=477) or PBT (n=250) from March 2004 to December 2015. All
      patients were treated to 50.4Gy with IMRT or to 50.4 cobalt Gray equivalents with
      PBT. IMRT and PBT dose-volume histograms (DVHs) of the whole heart, atria,
      ventricles, and four coronary arteries were compared. For PBT patients, passive
      scattering proton therapy (PSPT; n=237) and intensity-modulated proton therapy
      (IMPT; n=13) DVHs were compared. RESULTS: Compared with IMRT, PBT resulted in
      significantly lower mean heart dose (MHD) and heart V5, V10, V20, V30, and V40as
      well as lower radiation exposure to the four chambers and four coronary arteries.
      Compared with PSPT, IMPT resulted in significantly lower heart V20, V30, and V40
      but not MHD or heart V5 or V10. IMPT also resulted in significantly lower
      radiation doses to the left atrium, right atrium, left main coronary artery, and
      left circumflex artery, but not the left ventricle, right ventricle, left
      anterior descending artery, or right coronary artery. Factors associated with
      lower MHD included PBT (P<0.001), smaller planning target volume (PTV; P<0.001),
      and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) tumor (P<0.001). Among PBT patients, factors
      associated with lower MHD included IMPT (P=0.038), beam arrangement other than
      AP/PA (P<0.001), smaller PTV (P<0.001), and GEJ tumor (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients with mid- to distal esophageal cancer, PBT results in significantly
      lower radiation exposure to the whole heart and cardiac substructures than IMRT.
      Long-term studies are necessary to determine how this cardiac sparing effect
      impacts the development of coronary artery disease and other cardiac
      complications.

PMID- 28917587
TI  - Early or late radiotherapy following gross or subtotal resection for atypical
      meningiomas: Clinical outcomes and local control.
AB  - We report a single institution series of surgery followed by either early
      adjuvant or late radiotherapy for atypical meningiomas (AM). AM patients, by WHO
      2007 definition, underwent subtotal resection (STR) or gross total resection
      (GTR). Sixty-three of a total 115 patients then received fractionated or
      stereotactic radiation treatment, early adjuvant radiotherapy (<=4months after
      surgery) or late radiotherapy (at the time of recurrence). Kaplan Meier method
      was used for survival analysis with competing risk analysis used to assess local
      failure. Overall survival (OS) at 1, 2, and 5years for all patients was 87%, 85%,
      66%, respectively. Progression free survival (PFS) at 1, 2, and 5years for all
      patients was 65%, 30%, and 18%, respectively. OS at 1, 2, and 5years was 75%,
      72%, 55% for surgery alone, and 97%, 95%, 75% for surgery+radiotherapy (log-rank
      p-value=0.0026). PFS at 1, 2, and 5years for patients undergoing surgery without
      early adjuvant radiotherapy was 64%, 49%, and 27% versus 81%, 73%, and 59% for
      surgery+early adjuvant radiotherapy (log-rank p-value=0.0026). The cumulative
      incidence of local failure at 1, 2, and 5years for patients undergoing surgery
      without early External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) was 18.7%, 35.0%, and 52.9%,
      respectively, versus 4.2%, 13.3%, and 20.0% for surgery and early EBRT (p
      value=0.02). Adjuvant radiotherapy improves OS in patients with AM. Early
      adjuvant radiotherapy improves PFS, likely due to the improvement in local
      control seen with early adjuvant EBRT.

PMID- 28917588
TI  - Association between FSP, CVHI, inflammatory cytokines and the incidence of
      primary stroke.
AB  - This case-control study was designed to establish a new risk-prediction model for
      primary stroke using Framingham stroke profile (FSP), cerebral vascular
      hemodynamic indexes (CVHI) and plasma inflammatory cytokines including hs-CRP, IL
      6, TNF-alpha and Lp-PLA2. A total of 101 primary stroke patients admitted to
      Dongguan Houjie Hospital between August 2014 and June 2015 were assigned into the
      case group, and 156 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects from the Houjie
      Community were allocated into the control group. The prognostic values of FSP,
      CVHI and inflammatory cytokines including high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs
      CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and
      lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) were assessed by multivariate
      logistic regression analysis. Seven risk-prediction models (FSP, CVHI,
      inflammatory cytokine, FSP+CVHI, FSP+inflammatory cytokine, CVHI+inflammatory
      cytokine, CVHI+FSP+inflammatory cytokine) were successfully established and the
      prognostic values were statistically compared by ROC curve and Z test. For FSP,
      the stroke risk was significantly elevated by 2.85 times when the FSP score was
      increased by 1 level (P=0.043), increased by 3.25 times for CVHI (P=0.036), 6.53
      times for IL-6 (P=0.003), and 7.75 times for Lp-PLA2 (P=0.000). The sensitivity
      of FSP+CVHI+inflammatory cytokine and CVHI+inflammatory cytokine models was
      higher than 90%. For model specificity, the specificity of FSP+CVHI+inflammatory
      cytokine model alone exceeded 90%. FSP, CVHI, IL-6 and Lp-PLA2 are independent
      risk factors of stroke. Integrating IL-6 and Lp-PLA2 into the models can
      significantly enhance the risk prediction accuracy of primary stroke. Combined
      application of FSP+CVHI+inflammatory cytokine is of potential for risk prediction
      of primary stroke.

PMID- 28917589
TI  - A Novel RGL2-DOF6 Complex Contributes to Primary Seed Dormancy in Arabidopsis
      thaliana by Regulating a GATA Transcription Factor.
AB  - The DELLA protein RGA-LIKE2 (RGL2) is a key transcriptional repressor of
      gibberellic acid (GA) signaling that regulates seed germination. We identified
      GATA12, a gene encoding a GATA-type zinc finger transcription factor, as one of
      the downstream targets of RGL2 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our data show that
      freshly harvested (unstratified) seeds of GATA12 antisense suppression lines have
      reduced dormancy compared with the wild-type, while ectopic expression lines show
      enhanced seed dormancy. We show that GATA12 expression is negatively regulated by
      GA, and its transcript levels decline dramatically under dormancy-breaking
      conditions such as dry storage and cold stratification of seeds. GATA12 promoter
      has several GAMYB- and DOF-associated motifs that are known to be GA- and RGL2
      responsive, respectively. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that a
      protein complex containing RGL2 can bind to GATA12 promoter and thereby regulate
      its expression. RGL2 lacks a DNA binding domain and requires a transcription
      factor to induce GATA12 expression. Our data show that this RGL2-containing
      protein complex includes DNA BINDING1 ZINC FINGER6 (DOF6), which is a known
      negative regulator of germination in freshly harvested seeds. We further show
      that this novel RGL2-DOF6 complex is required for activating GATA12 expression,
      thus revealing a molecular mechanism to enforce primary seed dormancy.

PMID- 28917590
TI  - Karyotype Stability and Unbiased Fractionation in the Paleo-Allotetraploid
      Cucurbita Genomes.
AB  - The Cucurbita genus contains several economically important species in the
      Cucurbitaceae family. Here, we report high-quality genome sequences of C. maxima
      and C. moschata and provide evidence supporting an allotetraploidization event in
      Cucurbita. We are able to partition the genome into two homoeologous subgenomes
      based on different genetic distances to melon, cucumber, and watermelon in the
      Benincaseae tribe. We estimate that the two diploid progenitors successively
      diverged from Benincaseae around 31 and 26 million years ago (Mya), respectively,
      and the allotetraploidization happened at some point between 26 Mya and 3 Mya,
      the estimated date when C. maxima and C. moschata diverged. The subgenomes have
      largely maintained the chromosome structures of their diploid progenitors. Such
      long-term karyotype stability after polyploidization has not been commonly
      observed in plant polyploids. The two subgenomes have retained similar numbers of
      genes, and neither subgenome is globally dominant in gene expression. Allele
      specific expression analysis in the C. maxima * C. moschata interspecific F1
      hybrid and their two parents indicates the predominance of trans-regulatory
      effects underlying expression divergence of the parents, and detects
      transgressive gene expression changes in the hybrid correlated with heterosis in
      important agronomic traits. Our study provides insights into polyploid genome
      evolution and valuable resources for genetic improvement of cucurbit crops.

PMID- 28917591
TI  - Increased left prefrontal brain perfusion after MRI compatible tDCS attenuates
      momentary ruminative self-referential thoughts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive
      electrical stimulation technique, assumed to influence cognition and emotional
      processing. OBJECTIVE: However, it is unclear how tDCS influences spontaneous
      cognitive processes such as momentary self-referential thoughts on the neuronal
      level. METHODS: Forty healthy female volunteers participated in a single session
      sham-controlled crossover tDCS study while being in the MRI scanner. We measured
      brain perfusion (arterial spin labeling) just before and just after tDCS. Before
      and after the stimulation procedure, participants were scored on mood (visual
      analogue scales) and on the Momentary Ruminative Self-focus Inventory (MRSI). We
      performed a 1.5 mA, 20-min, anodal left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cathodal
      right supraorbital stimulation. RESULTS: One sham-controlled tDCS session did not
      result in subjective mood changes. However, as compared to before, MRSI scores
      significantly decreased only after active tDCS. Regression analysis revealed that
      this reduction in momentary ruminative self-referential thoughts was related to
      tDCS-related increases in left prefrontal cortical perfusion. tDCS decreased
      momentary self-referential thoughts, which was associated with increasing
      perfusion in the left prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSION: Our findings are in line
      with the hypothesis that tDCS of the DLPFC attenuates ruminative processes.

PMID- 28917593
TI  - Help! I Have a Patient With Diabetes Who Is Sick!

PMID- 28917592
TI  - Prefrontal versus motor cortex transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
      effects on post-surgical opioid use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain is often a complaint that precedes total knee arthroplasty
      (TKA), however the procedure itself is associated with considerable post
      operative pain lasting days to weeks which can predict longer-term surgical
      outcomes. Previously, we reported significant opioid-sparing effects of motor
      cortex transcranial direct current stimulation from a single-blind trial. In the
      present study, we used double-blind methodology to compare motor cortex tDCS and
      prefrontal cortex tDCS to both sham and active-control (active electrodes over
      non-pain modulating brain areas) tDCS. METHODS: 58 patients undergoing unilateral
      TKA were randomly assigned to receive 4 20-min sessions (a total of 80 min) of
      tDCS (2 mA) post-surgery with electrodes placed to create 4 groups: 1) MOTOR (n =
      14); anode-motor/cathode-right prefrontal, 2) PREFRONTAL (n = 16); anode-left
      prefrontal/cathode-right-sensory, 3) ACTIVE-CONTROL (n = 15); anode-left-temporal
      occipital junction/cathode-medial-anterior-premotor-area, and 4) SHAM (n = 13); 0
      mA-current stimulation using placements 1 or 2. Patient controlled analgesia
      (PCA; hydromorphone) use was tracked during the ~72-h post-surgery. RESULTS:
      Patients in the sham group and the active-control group used 15.4 mg (SD = 14.1)
      and 16.0 mg (SD = 9.7) of PCA hydromorphone respectively. There was no difference
      between the slopes of the cumulative PCA usage curves between these two groups (p
      = 0.25; ns). Patients in the prefrontal tDCS group used an average of 11.7 mg (SD
      = 5.0) of PCA hydromporhone, and the slope of the cumulative PCA usage curve was
      significantly lower than sham (p < 0.0001). However, patients in the motor tDCS
      group used an average of 19.6 mg (SD = 11.9) hydromorphone and the slope of the
      PCA use curve was significantly higher than sham (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Results from this double-blind cortical-target-optimization study suggest that
      anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left prefrontal
      cortex may be a reasonable approach to reducing post-TKA opioid requirements.
      Given the unexpected finding that motor cortex failed to produce an opioid
      sparing effect in this follow-up trial, further research in the area of post
      operative cortical stimulation is still needed.

PMID- 28917594
TI  - Key Steps in Conducting Systematic Reviews for Underpinning Clinical Practice
      Guidelines: Methodology of the European Association of Urology.
AB  - CONTEXT: The findings of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) are
      used for clinical decision making. The European Association of Urology has
      committed increasing resources into the development of high quality clinical
      guidelines based on such SRs and MAs. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we have
      summarised the process of conducting SRs for underpinning clinical practice
      guidelines under the auspices of the European Association of Urology Guidelines
      Office. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The process involves explicit methods and the
      findings should be reproducible. When conducting a SR, the essential first step
      is to formulate a clear and answerable research question. An extensive literature
      search lays the foundation for evidence synthesis. Data are extracted
      independently by two reviewers and any disagreements are resolved by discussion
      or arbitration by a third reviewer. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: In SRs, data for
      particular outcomes in individual randomised controlled trials may be combined
      statistically in a meta-analysis to increase power when the studies are similar
      enough. Biases in studies included in a SR/MA can lead to either an over
      estimation or an under estimation of true intervention effect size, resulting in
      heterogeneity in outcome between studies. A number of different tools are
      available such as Cochrane Risk of Bias assessment tool for randomised controlled
      trials. In circumstances where there is too much heterogeneity, or when a review
      has included nonrandomised comparative studies, it is more appropriate to conduct
      a narrative synthesis. The GRADE tool for assessing quality of evidence strives
      to be a structured and transparent system, which can be applied to all evidence,
      regardless of quality. A SR not only identifies, evaluates, and summarises the
      best available evidence, but also the gaps to be targeted by future studies.
      CONCLUSIONS: SRs and MAs are integral in developing sound clinical practice
      guidelines and recommendations. PATIENT SUMMARY: Clinical practice guidelines
      should be evidence based, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses are essential
      in their production. We have discussed the key steps of conducting systematic
      reviews and meta-analyses in this paper.

PMID- 28917595
TI  - Perioperative and Oncologic Outcomes of Nephrectomy and Caval Thrombectomy Using
      Extracorporeal Circulation and Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest for Renal Cell
      Carcinoma Invading the Supradiaphragmatic Inferior Vena Cava and/or Right Atrium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radical nephrectomy (RN) and caval thrombectomy (CT) for renal cell
      carcinoma, with extracorporeal circulation (ECC) and deep hypothermic circulatory
      arrest (DHCA) is a challenging surgical approach. OBJECTIVE: To assess peri
      operative and oncologic outcomes of renal cell carcinoma patients treated with RN
      and CT, using ECC and DHCA. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We retrospectively
      evaluated 46 patients who underwent RN and CT using ECC and DHCA. SURGICAL
      PROCEDURE: After retroperitoneal nodal dissection and RN, a cardiopulmonary
      bypass was placed and DHCA achieved. A combined approach through the abdomen and
      the thorax was described. MEASUREMENTS: Perioperative and long-term survival
      outcomes were reported. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Median operative time and length
      of hospital stay were 545min and 22 d. Overall, 33 patients (72%) did not require
      any additional interventional or surgical treatment. Thirty-day and 90-d
      mortality were 11% (5/46) and 15% (7/46). The 1-yr, 2-yr, and 3-yr cancer
      specific mortality (CSM)-free survival rates were 77%, 62%, and 56%,
      respectively. After stratification, according to metastatic status at diagnosis,
      CSM-free survival rates were significantly lower for cM1 patients compared with
      cM0 patients (1-yr 46% vs 93%, 2-yr 23% vs 81%, 3-yr 23% vs 73%, p<0.01). Our
      study is limited by its retrospective and uncomparative nature. CONCLUSIONS: RN
      with CT using ECC and DHCA is a challenging procedure which requires a dedicated
      multidisciplinary working team to minimise complications and maximise patients'
      outcomes. PATIENT SUMMARY: Patients with kidney cancer and a thrombus within the
      inferior vena cava, which reaches above the diaphragm, can be treated with
      surgery. However, this kind of surgical treatment is challenging and requires a
      dedicated multidisciplinary team in order to accomplish the task.

PMID- 28917596
TI  - Response Rate to Chemotherapy After Immune Checkpoint Inhibition in Metastatic
      Urothelial Cancer.
AB  - : Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are active in metastatic urothelial
      carcinoma (MUC). They have joined chemotherapy (CT) as a standard of care. Here,
      we investigate the activity of CT after progression on ICIs. Two cohorts of
      sequential patients with MUC were described (n=28). Cohort A received first-line
      ICIs followed by CT after progression. Cohort B received CT after failure of
      first-line platinum-based CT followed by ICIs. Response rate (RR) to CT was
      assessed using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST v1.1) by a
      designated radiologist. Best RR for cohort A was 64%. Two patients experienced
      clinical progression and died before the first radiographic assessment. RR for
      cohort B was 21%, which was significantly lower than that for cohort A.
      Progression of disease occurred in 43% of cohort B patients by the end of CT.
      These data suggest a lack of cross resistance between CT and ICIs in MUC.
      Therefore, the sequencing of these drugs is likely to be important to maximise
      outcomes. This is particularly true after first-line ICIs as subsequent CT has
      significant activity. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report, we studied the effect of
      chemotherapy in metastatic bladder cancer, which relapsed after immune checkpoint
      inhibitors. We found that the activity of chemotherapy was maintained despite
      previous exposure to immune therapy. This underlines the importance of sequencing
      these agents to maximise outcomes.

PMID- 28917597
TI  - Common Senses.

PMID- 28917598
TI  - Matrix-effect free quantitative liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis
      in complex matrices using nanoflow LC with integrated emitter tip and high
      dilution factors.
AB  - Matrix effects are probably the Achilles heel of most quantitative liquid
      chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods based on electrospray
      ionization. This work reports the evaluation of matrix effects in challenging
      matrices such as food extracts, human urine or wastewater at different dilution
      factors using nanoflow liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS). For this purpose, a suite of representative low-molecular weight
      compounds such as pesticides, drugs of abuse, sport drugs or environmental
      contaminants were selected. The approach is based on the use of reversed-phase
      C18 nano columns furnished with an integrated emitter tip. The nanoflow LC system
      was combined with full-scan high resolution mass spectrometry using a HRMS
      (orbitrap) instrument operated at a resolution of 70000. The sensitivity achieved
      with this configuration enables the implementation of high dilution factors (e.g.
      1:20, 1:50 or beyond). When combining nanoflow LC-MS analysis with such high
      dilution factors (e.g. 1:50), signal suppression was negligible in most cases, so
      that matrix-matched standards may eventually be skipped, simplifying laboratory
      workflows by using external calibration in demanding applications such as drug
      analysis in urine, environmental contaminants in wastewater or pesticide testing
      in food, thus, eliminating the need for standard addition, matrix-matched
      calibration or isotopically-labelled standards.

PMID- 28917599
TI  - Enantiomeric separation of some chiral analytes using amylose 3,5
      dimethylphenylcarbamate covalently immobilized on silica by nano-liquid
      chromatography and capillary electrochromatography.
AB  - A new experimental chiral stationary phase containing amylose 3,5
      dimethylphenylcarbamate immobilized onto silica gel (i-ADMPC) was packed in
      100MUm I.D. fused silica capillary and used for the chiral separation of eight
      selected flavanone derivatives in polar organic mobile phase by using different
      miniaturized techniques, such as nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC), capillary
      electrochromatography (CEC) and pressure-assisted CEC (pCEC). A comparative study
      of different elution modes in terms of chromatographic efficiency, analysis time
      and enantiomeric resolution was carried out. In pCEC mode, the highest
      chromatography performance was obtained applying +2.5kV voltage and inlet
      pressure 10bar. Under these conditions, the analysis times were shorter than
      20min, and chromatographic efficiencies were in the range 33,000-49,000 plates/m
      (first eluted peak). The solvent versatility of packed i- ADMPC capillary column
      was also investigated. In nano-LC, the CSP was stressed under the use of strong
      organic solvents such as ethyl acetate, acetone and methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE).
      After at least 40 working hours and over 50 sample injections, the CSP resulted
      to be very stable allowing to achieve good repeatability employing again the
      mobile phase containing polar organic solvent. Enantioresolutions and
      chromatographic efficiencies decreased by 1.60 and 10%, respectively as the
      result of using above mentioned strong solvents.

PMID- 28917600
TI  - ATP alters protein folding and function of Escherichia coli uridine
      phosphorylase.
AB  - Uridine phosphorylase is one of the critical enzymes in the pyrimidine salvage
      pathway. Cells regenerate uridine for nucleotide metabolism by incorporating
      uracil with ribose-1-phosphate with this enzyme. Recent studies indicate that
      Escherichia coli uridine phosphorylase is destabilized in the presence of ATP.
      However, the mechanism underlying the destabilization process and its influence
      on uridine phosphorylase function remain to be established. Here, we
      comprehensively investigated the effects of ATP on protein folding and function
      of Escherichia coli uridine phosphorylase. Our results demonstrate that ATP
      apparently decreases the stability of uridine phosphorylase in a concentration
      dependent manner. Additionally, simply increasing the level of ATP led to a
      reduction of enzymatic activity to complete inhibition. Further studies showed
      that uridine phosphorylase accumulates as a partially unfolded state in the
      presence of ATP. Moreover, ATP specifically accelerated the unfolding rate of
      uridine phosphorylase with no observable effects on the refolding process. Our
      preliminary findings suggest that ATP can alter the protein folding and function
      of enzymes via apparent destabilization. This mechanism may be significant for
      proteins functioning under conditions of high levels of ATP, such as cancer cell
      environments.

PMID- 28917601
TI  - Commentary to "Neuronal defects an etiological factor in congenital pelviureteric
      junction obstruction?"

PMID- 28917602
TI  - Comparing inpatient versus outpatient bowel preparation in children and
      adolescents undergoing appendicovesicostomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The need for mechanical inpatient bowel preparation (IBP) in
      reconstructive pediatric urology has come under scrutiny, secondary to literature
      demonstrating little benefit regarding outcomes. Starting in 2013, a majority of
      patients undergoing reconstructive procedures at our institution no longer
      underwent IBP. We hypothesized that outpatient bowel preparation (OBP) would
      reduce length of stay (LOS) without increasing postoperative complications after
      appendicovesicostomy surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An institutional database of
      patients undergoing lower urinary tract reconstruction between May 2010 and
      December 2014 was reviewed. Starting in 2013, a departmental decision was made to
      replace IBP with OBP. Patients undergoing an augmentation cystoplasty or
      continent ileovesicostomy were excluded because of insufficient numbers
      undergoing OBP. Patients undergoing IBP were admitted 1 day prior to surgery and
      received polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution. A personalized preoperative
      OBP was introduced in 2013. Cost data were obtained from the Pediatric Health
      Information System. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria,
      with 30 (44.8%) undergoing IBP. There were no differences with respect to gender,
      age, presence of ventriculoperitoneal shunt, body mass index, glomerular
      filtration rate, preoperative diagnosis, operative time, and prior or
      simultaneous associated surgeries (p >= 0.07). Patients undergoing an IBP had a
      longer median LOS (7 vs. 5 days, p = 0.0002) and a higher median cost (US$4,288,
      p = 0.01). Postoperative complications in both groups were uncommon and were
      classified as Clavien-Dindo grade 1-2, with no statistical difference (IBP 20.0%
      vs. OBP 5.4%, p = 0.13). No serious postoperative complication occurred, such as
      a dehiscence, bowel obstruction, or shunt infection. DISCUSSION: This is the
      first analysis of hospitalization costs and IBP, showing a higher median cost of
      US$4288 compared with OBP. The LOS was shorter with an OBP (figure), similar to a
      previous report. Similar complication rates between the groups add to the growing
      body of literature that avoidance of IBP is safe in pediatric lower urinary tract
      reconstruction. Being a retrospective review of a practice change, differences in
      care that influenced cost and LOS may be missing. Also, as the surgeons do not
      know if a usable appendix is initially present, our data may not extrapolate to
      all patients. Despite these potential limitations, our data support the safety of
      utilizing OBP in patients with a high likelihood of a usable appendix, including
      those undergoing a synchronous Malone antegrade continence enema via a split
      appendix technique. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing an appendicovesicostomy,
      preoperative IBP led to longer LOS and higher costs of hospitalization. OBP was
      not associated with increased risks of postoperative complications.

PMID- 28917603
TI  - Development of the Nurses' Care Coordination Competency Scale for mechanically
      ventilated patients in critical care settings in Japan: Part 1 Development of a
      measuring instrument.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop a draft scale measuring nurses' care coordination
      competency for care of mechanically ventilated patients in critical care
      settings. METHOD: The scale items and concepts were derived from semi-structured
      interviews with 28 professionals (14 nurses, eight physicians, three physical
      therapists, three clinical engineers) who are managing mechanically ventilated
      critical care patients. A grounded theory approach was used. After content
      validation by experts, two pilot tests were used to identify and correct non
      discriminating items and vague items. After expert approval, the final draft
      scale was completed. SETTING: Intensive care units of acute care hospitals in
      Japan. FINDINGS: A scale was drafted with the following six concepts including 51
      items of nurses' care coordination competency: (1) understanding care
      coordination needs (2) devising and clearly articulating the care vision (3)
      aggregating and disseminating information (4) employing resources (5) promoting
      team cohesion (6) engaging in situation-based negotiating. The interviewed
      participants argued that these competencies clearly reflect the inter
      professional activities required for well-coordinated and individualised care and
      improved patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings could be utilised to
      educate and train nursesand establish the awareness that coordinating care is the
      nurses' responsibility. Future research focusing on its validity and reliability
      are needed.

PMID- 28917604
TI  - The needs of the relatives in the adult intensive care unit: Cultural adaptation
      and psychometric properties of the Chilean-Spanish version of the Critical Care
      Family Needs Inventory.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The admission of a patient to an intensive care unit is an
      extraordinary event for their family. Although the Critical Care Family Needs
      Inventory is the most commonly used questionnaire for understanding the needs of
      relatives of critically ill patients, no Spanish-language version is available.
      The aim of this study was to culturally adapt and validate theCritical Care
      Family Needs Inventory in a sample of Chilean relatives of intensive care
      patients. METHODS: The back-translated version of the inventory was culturally
      adapted following input from 12 intensive care and family experts. Then, it was
      evaluated by 10 relatives of recently transferred ICU patients and pre-tested in
      10 relatives of patients that were in the intensive care unit. Psychometric
      properties were assessed through exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha
      in a sample of 251 relatives of critically ill patients. RESULTS: The Chilean
      Spanish version of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventoryhad minimal semantic
      modifications and no items were deleted. A two factor solution explained the 31%
      of the total instrument variance. Reliability of the scale was good (alpha=0.93),
      as were both factors (alpha=0.87; alpha=0.93). CONCLUSION: The Chilean-Spanish
      version of theCritical Care Family Needs Inventory was found valid and reliable
      for understanding the needs of relatives of patients in acute care settings.

PMID- 28917606
TI  - Argus-T Sling in 182 Male Patients: Short-term Results of a Multicenter Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short-term results with Argus-T sling in patients with
      post-prostatectomy incontinence (PPI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 182
      patients with PPI were treated with Argus-T sling at 5 urologic centers from June
      2008 to March 2013. The preoperative evaluation included medical history, pad
      count (1-2 pads: mild PPI; 3-5 pads: moderate PPI; >5 pads: severe PPI), visual
      analog scale on continence, quality of life score scale, physical examination,
      cystoscopy, and urodynamic evaluation. Postoperative evaluation was performed 6
      weeks postoperatively, and late follow-up was achieved in April 2013. We
      considered a successful result when patients were cured (0-1 pads/24 hours) and
      or improved (1-2 pads/24 hours or a reduction in pad per day usage greater than
      50%). RESULTS: Twenty-one (11.8%), 96 (52.7%), and 65 (35.7%) patients have mild,
      moderate, and severe incontinence, respectively. At the median follow-up of 22
      months, the overall success rate was 86.2%. We obtained successful results of 95%
      in mild incontinence, 78% in moderate incontinence and 70% in severe
      incontinence. In cured and improved patients, we observed a statistically
      significant amelioration of quality of life (P <.0001). Sling regulation was
      carried out in 42.9% of cases, whereas its removal occurred in 9.3% of cases.
      Postoperative complications were reported in 14.3% of patients. In patients with
      previous radiotherapy, we observed a successful result in 61.2% of cases.
      CONCLUSION: This study represents the first report that shows short-term results
      of Argus-T positioning in a large population. Argus-T seems to offer good
      outcomes in patients with mild and moderate PPI.

PMID- 28917605
TI  - Outcomes using wedge stem with full hydroxiapatite coverage with a minimum of 5
      years' follow-up.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Total Hip Arthroplsty (THA) using uncemented stems is a popular
      practice in the last decades. The implant survivorship is crtitical and a less
      than 10% revision at 10 years is been propesed for commercialization and use.
      OBJECTIVE: To analyse the clinicoradiological results of an uncemented
      hydroxiapatite covered wedge stem with a 5 years minimum follow up. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Prospective study, patients aged from 21-75years were included. All
      patients received an Element stem (Exactech) and uncemented cup with crosslink
      poly and 32 mm metal head, and posterior approach with piriformis retention was
      used. Scheduled clinical and radiographic evaluation at 3 weeks, 3-6 month, year
      and subsequent years using Harris Hip Score and Merle d'Aubigne Postel.
      Intraoperative and during follow up complications were recorded. RESULTS: One
      hundred and fourteen total hip replacements in 104 patients: 54 females and 50
      males (52%/48%). Follow-up of 5.7 years (range, 5-6.2years). Average age
      56.8years (range, 42-75years). Clinical evaluation the Merle d'Aubigne score
      improved 6.8 points and from the initianl Harris Hip Score 47.3 to 93.1 points at
      last follow up. Radiographic evaluation shows osteointegration in all stems. And
      in 6 cases (5.3% at 3 months subsidence was detected, average 1.4 mm (range 0-2.6
      mm) with no clinical manifestation, 3 cases of subsidence were associated to
      intraoperative fractures (1 greater trochanter and 2 in the calcar area, all
      resolved with wire cerclaje). Subjective evaluation: 86 cases (82.6%) excellent,
      9 patients (8.6%) good, 6 cases (5.9%) satisfactory and 3 cases (2.9%) poor. All
      poor results linked to the intraoperative complications. No patient lost during
      follow up period. No femoral pain dislocation or aseptic or loosening detected.
      All implants were in situ at last follow up. CONCLUSIONS: The radiological
      results confirm the benefits of this type of stem with good osteointegration. The
      clinical and subjective results are promising. With good surgical technical and
      without complications the risk of aseptic loosening should be absent or minimal.

PMID- 28917607
TI  - Selection of reliable reference genes for gene expression studies in Botrytis
      cinerea.
AB  - Botrytis cinerea is an important plant pathogen causing grey mold disease in a
      wide range of plant species. The aim of this study was to identify reliable
      reference genes that can be used for the analysis of relative gene expression in
      B. cinerea with quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Six
      commonly used housekeeping genes including actin (ACT), glyceraldehyde-3
      phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), ubiquitin (UBQ), ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme
      (UCE), alpha-tubulin (alpha-TUB) and beta-tubulin (beta-TUB) were selected to
      test their expression stabilities in B. cinerea treated with different
      concentration of oxalic acid (1, 5 and 10mM) and confronted with antagonistic
      Trichoderma afroharzianum. Four in silico algorithms (geNorm, BestKeeper,
      NormFinder and Comparative DeltaCt) were applied to evaluate the expression
      stabilities of these genes, and the UBQ gene was identified as the most stably
      expressed. It was used to normalize the expression levels of three genes related
      to oxalic acid production (NADPH, VEL1 and OAH) when B. cinerea was challenged by
      T. afroharzianum. The results of this study are useful for gene expression
      analysis in B. cinerea.

PMID- 28917608
TI  - Environmental enrichment in the absence of wheel running produces beneficial
      behavioural and anti-oxidative effects in rats.
AB  - The effects of early environmental enrichment (EE) when solving a simple spatial
      task in adult male rats were assessed. After weaning, rats were housed in pairs
      in enriched or standard cages (EE and control groups) for two and a half months.
      Then the rats were trained in a triangular-shaped pool to find a hidden platform
      whose location was defined in terms of two sources of information, a landmark
      outside the pool and a particular corner of the pool. As expected, enriched rats
      reached the platform faster than control animals. Enriched rats also performed
      better on a subsequent test trial without the platform with the geometry cue
      individually presented (in the absence of the landmark). Most importantly, the
      beneficial effects of the present protocol were obtained in the absence of wheel
      running. Additionally, the antioxidative effects in the hippocampus produced by
      the previous protocol are also shown.

PMID- 28917609
TI  - Contribution to Mentorship and Promoting Women in Science.

PMID- 28917610
TI  - Low-dose DHA-induced astrocyte proliferation can be attenuated by insufficient
      expression of BLBP in vitro.
AB  - Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)
      that is involved in a wide range of cellular processes in human cells. Brain
      lipid binding protein (BLBP) exhibits a high affinity for n-3 PUFAs, especially
      DHA, but the precise functional contributions of DHA and BLBP in astrocytes are
      not clear. We analyzed cell viability and the ratio of Ki67 positive cells after
      manipulating DHA and/or BLBP levels in cultured astrocytes, and found that low
      dose DHA stimulated proliferation of astrocytes, whereas this proliferative
      effect could be attenuated by downregulation of BLBP. Moreover, we found that
      astrocyte proliferation was directly regulated by BLBP independently of DHA.
      Taken together, low-dose DHA-induced astrocyte proliferation was disturbed by
      insufficient BLBP; and besides acting as a fatty acid transporter, BLBP was also
      involved in the proliferation of astrocytes directly.

PMID- 28917611
TI  - End-of-life practice patterns at U.S. adult cystic fibrosis care centers: A
      national retrospective chart review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are many challenges to providing end-of-life care (EOLC) to
      people with cystic fibrosis (CF). METHODS: Chart abstraction was used to examine
      EOLC in adults with CF who died between 2011 and 2013. RESULTS: We reviewed 248
      deaths from 71 CF care centers. Median age at death was 29years (range 18-73).
      While median FEV1 was in the severe lung disease category (FEV1<40%), 38% had
      mild or moderate lung disease in the year preceding death. The most common
      location of death was the intensive care unit (ICU, 39%), and 12% of decedents
      were listed for lung transplant. Fewer of those dying in the ICU personally
      participated in advance care planning or utilized hospice or Palliative Care
      Services (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adults dying with CF in the United States most
      commonly die in an ICU, with limited and variable use of hospice and Palliative
      Care Services. Palliative care and advance care planning are recommended as a
      routine part of CF care.

PMID- 28917613
TI  - 3D transvaginal sonography in obstetrics and gynecology.

PMID- 28917612
TI  - Thyroid-stimulating hormone, anti-thyroid antibodies, and pregnancy outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overt thyroid dysfunction has been associated with adverse obstetric
      outcomes. However, less is known regarding subclinical hypothyroidism or thyroid
      autoimmunity and their relationship to pregnancy complications. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of this study was to examine the association between prepregnancy anti
      thyroid antibodies and subclinical hypothyroidism and preterm delivery,
      gestational diabetes mellitus, and preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a
      secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of 18- to 40-year-old women with 1-2
      previous pregnancy losses (n=1193) who participated in a multicenter randomized,
      placebo-controlled trial of low-dose aspirin. Prepregnancy levels of thyroid
      stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, thyroglobulin antibody, and thyroid
      peroxidase antibody were measured. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals
      were estimated with the use of generalized linear models with adjustment for age
      and body mass index. RESULTS: Among women with an ongoing pregnancy of >20 weeks
      estimated gestational age, there was no association between prepregnancy thyroid
      stimulating hormone level (>2.5 vs <=2.5 mIU/L) and preterm delivery (adjusted
      relative risk, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-1.47), gestational diabetes
      mellitus (adjusted relative risk, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-3.04), or
      preeclampsia (adjusted relative risk, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-2.04).
      Similarly, among women with thyroid antibodies, there was no increase in the
      likelihood of preterm delivery (relative risk, 1.26; 95% confidence interval,
      0.65-2.45), gestational diabetes mellitus (relative risk, 1.33; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.51-3.49), or preeclampsia (relative risk, 1.02; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.54-1.92), compared with women without these antibodies. CONCLUSION:
      Among women with 1-2 previous pregnancy losses, subclinical hypothyroidism and
      thyroid autoimmunity were not associated with an increased risk of preterm
      delivery, gestational diabetes mellitus, or preeclampsia. These data support
      current recommendations that low-risk asymptomatic women should not be screened
      routinely for thyroid dysfunction or autoimmunity.

PMID- 28917615
TI  - Comment on: Patients' reasons for and against undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass, adjustable gastric banding, and vertical sleeve gastrectomy.

PMID- 28917614
TI  - Age and fecundability in a North American preconception cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a well-documented decline in fertility treatment success
      with increasing female age; however, there are few preconception cohort studies
      that have examined female age and natural fertility. In addition, data on male
      age and fertility are inconsistent. Given the increasing number of couples who
      are attempting conception at older ages, a more detailed characterization of age
      related fecundability in the general population is of great clinical utility.
      OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between
      female and male age with fecundability. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a web-based
      preconception cohort study of pregnancy planners from the United States and
      Canada. Participants were enrolled between June 2013 and July 2017. Eligible
      participants were 21-45 years old (female) or >=21 years old (male) and had not
      been using fertility treatments. Couples were followed until pregnancy or for up
      to 12 menstrual cycles. We analyzed data from 2962 couples who had been trying to
      conceive for <=3 cycles at study entry and reported no history of infertility. We
      used life-table methods to estimate the unadjusted cumulative pregnancy
      proportion at 6 and 12 cycles by female and male age. We used proportional
      probabilities regression models to estimate fecundability ratios, the per-cycle
      probability of conception for each age category relative to the referent (21-24
      years old), and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Among female patients, the
      unadjusted cumulative pregnancy proportion at 6 cycles of attempt time ranged
      from 62.0% (age 28-30 years) to 27.6% (age 40-45 years); the cumulative pregnancy
      proportion at 12 cycles of attempt time ranged from 79.3% (age 25-27 years old)
      to 55.5% (age 40-45 years old). Similar patterns were observed among male
      patients, although differences between age groups were smaller. After adjusting
      for potential confounders, we observed a nearly monotonic decline in
      fecundability with increasing female age, with the exception of 28-33 years, at
      which point fecundability was relatively stable. Fecundability ratios were 0.91
      (95% confidence interval, 0.74-1.11) for ages 25-27, 0.88 (95% confidence
      interval, 0.72-1.08) for ages 28-30, 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.70-1.08)
      for ages 31-33, 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.64-1.05) for ages 34-36, 0.60
      (95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.81) for ages 37-39, and 0.40 (95% confidence
      interval, 0.22-0.73) for ages 40-45, compared with the reference group (age, 21
      24 years). The association was stronger among nulligravid women. Male age was not
      associated appreciably with fecundability after adjustment for female age,
      although the number of men >45 years old was small (n=37). CONCLUSION: In this
      preconception cohort study of North American pregnancy planners, increasing
      female age was associated with an approximately linear decline in fecundability.
      Although we found little association between male age and fecundability, the
      small number of men in our study >45 years old limited our ability to draw
      conclusions on fecundability in older men.

PMID- 28917616
TI  - Opioid Use Following Total Hip Arthroplasty: Trends and Risk Factors for
      Prolonged Use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to answer the following questions: (1)
      What is the prevalence of opioid use prior to primary total hip arthroplasty
      (THA)? (2) What is the typical trend in opioid use following THA over the first
      post-operative year? (3) What are the risk factors for prolonged opioid use
      following primary THA? METHODS: Primary THA patients were identified in the
      Humana database from 2007 to 2015. Pre-operative and post-operative opioid use
      was measured by monthly prescription refill rates. Rates of opioid use were
      trended monthly for 1 year post-operatively and compared based on pre-operative
      opioid user (OU) status as well as other patient demographics and co-morbidities.
      RESULTS: In total, 37,393 THA patients were analyzed and 14,309 patients (38.2%)
      were pre-operative opioid users (OUs). Pre-operative opioid use was the strongest
      predictor for prolonged opioid use following THA, with non-opioid users filling
      significantly less opioid prescriptions than OUs at every time point analyzed.
      Younger age, female sex, and all other diagnoses analyzed were found to
      significantly increase the rate of opioid refilling following THA throughout the
      entire post-operative year. CONCLUSION: Over one-third of THA patients use
      opioids within 3 months prior to THA and this percentage has increased 6% during
      the years included in this study. Pre-operative opioid use was most predictive of
      increased refills of opioids following THA. These data provide an important
      baseline for opioid use trends following THA that can be used for future
      comparison while identifying risk factors for prolonged use that will be helpful
      to prescribers as we all work to decrease opioid use, misuse, and abuse.

PMID- 28917617
TI  - Change in Acetabular Cup Orientation From Supine to Standing Position and Its
      Effect on Wear of Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to measure acetabular cup position and
      wear of the highly crosslinked polyethylene liner in the supine and standing
      position for patients at a minimum of 10 years after the operation. METHODS: A
      total of 38 patients were recruited at a mean of 12.5 years after the operation.
      All patients received a single acetabular cup design with a highly crosslinked
      liner and a 28-mm cobalt-chromium femoral head. Patients underwent supine and
      standing radiostereometric examinations in which the X-ray sources and detectors
      were positioned to obtain an anterior-posterior and cross-table lateral
      radiograph. Acetabular cup position and the three-dimensional wear rate were
      measured from the radiographs, and outcome scores were recorded for each patient.
      RESULTS: Anteversion significantly increased (P < .0001) a mean of 12 degrees 
      from supine (15.1 degrees  +/- 10.4 degrees ) to standing (27.2 degrees  +/- 10.5
      degrees ) position. Inclination also significantly increased (P = .001) a mean of
      2 degrees  from supine (44.4 degrees  +/- 6.8 degrees ) to standing (46.3 degrees
      +/- 7.7 degrees ) position. There was no difference (P = .093) in wear rate
      between supine (0.067 +/- 0.070 mm/y) and standing (0.073 +/- 0.074 mm/y)
      positions. There were no correlations between cup orientation and wear rate in
      either position. CONCLUSION: Highly crosslinked polyethylene is a forgiving
      bearing material. Although adherence to the traditional acetabular position
      target zone is recommended, ensuring hip stability and consideration of the
      patient's functional position are also important objectives to consider for the
      acetabular position.

PMID- 28917618
TI  - Gap Balancing Sacrifices Joint-Line Maintenance to Improve Gap Symmetry: 5-Year
      Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gap balancing (GB) has been noted to sacrifice joint-line maintenance
      to improve gap symmetry. This study aims to determine whether this change affects
      function or quality of life in the midterm. METHODS: A prospective blinded
      randomized controlled trial was completed with 103 patients randomized to
      measured resection (n = 52) or GB (n = 51). Primary outcome measured was femoral
      component rotation. Secondary outcomes measured were joint-line change, gap
      symmetry, and function and quality-of-life outcomes. RESULTS: At 5 years, 83 of
      103 patients (85%) were assessed. There was no significant difference between
      groups in terms of functional or quality of life outcomes. A subgroup analysis
      revealed that there was no significant association between those with
      asymmetrical flexion and/or extension or medial and/or lateral gaps during knee
      replacement and subsequent functional outcomes. No significant difference was
      detected with those with an elevated joint line and postoperative function.
      CONCLUSION: In the midterm, the resultant change in joint-line and maintained gap
      symmetry noted with GB does not result in significant change to function or
      quality of life.

PMID- 28917619
TI  - A Chlorhexidine Solution Reduces Aerobic Organism Growth in Operative Splash
      Basins in a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite recommendations against the use of splash basins, due to the
      potential of bacterial contamination, our observation has been that they continue
      to be used in operating theaters. In hopes of decontaminating the splash basin,
      we sought to determine if the addition of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) would
      eliminate aerobic bacterial growth within the splash basin. METHODS: After
      Institutional Review Board approval, we began enrollment in a randomized
      controlled trial comparing 2 splash basin solutions. Splash basins (n = 111) were
      randomized to either the standard of care (control) solution of sterile water or
      the experimental solution containing 0.05% CHG. One 20 mL aliquot was taken from
      the basin at the end of the surgical case and delivered to an independent
      laboratory. Samples were plated on tryptic soy agar (medium) and incubated at 30
      degrees C-35 degrees C to encourage growth. After 48-72 hours, the agar plates
      were examined for growth and a standard plate count of aerobic cultures was
      performed. RESULTS: The sterile water group was found to have bacterial growth in
      9% of samples compared to no growth in the CHG group (P = .045). The organisms
      included Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus hominis, Gram-variable coccobacilli,
      and unidentifiable Gram-positive rods. CONCLUSION: Given the safety and efficacy
      of a concentration of 0.05% CHG in reducing the bacterial contamination in the
      operative splash basin, it would seem that if the practice of using a splash
      basin in the operating theater is to be continued, the addition of an antiseptic
      solution such as that studied here should be considered.

PMID- 28917620
TI  - Disappearing everyday materials: The displacement of medical resources following
      disaster in Fukushima, Japan.
AB  - This study draws upon interviews of medical staff working in the city of
      Minamisoma, Japan, following the 2011 Triple Disaster. It investigates staff
      responses to the disruption of material resources as a consequence of the
      disaster and its management. The disruption of spaces, and the loss of oxygen
      supplies, food, and medications impacted upon staff experience and the ability of
      institutions to care for patients. This resulted in a restructuring of spaces and
      materials as workers made efforts to reconfigure and reestablish healthcare
      functions. This is one of the few qualitative studies which draws upon the
      experience and perspectives of health workers in understanding material
      disruption following disaster. This is particularly important since this case did
      not involve the breakdown of lifeline infrastructure, but rather, brought to
      attention the way everyday material objects shape social experience. In
      highlighting these effects, the paper makes the case for the social scientific
      investigation of the impact of disasters on healthcare, shedding light on an area
      of research currently dominated by disaster medicine.

PMID- 28917621
TI  - Effects of Latino children on their mothers' dietary intake and dietary
      behaviors: The role of children's acculturation and the mother-child
      acculturation gap.
AB  - RATIONALE: Research shows that acculturation is important to Latinas' dietary
      intake and related behaviors. Although evidence suggests children may also play a
      role, it remains unclear whether children's acculturation is related to mothers'
      dietary intake/behaviors. OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationship between Latino
      children's acculturation and mothers' dietary intake/behaviors. We also examined
      the mother-child acculturation gap to identify dyad characteristics associated
      with mothers' diet. METHODS: Baseline surveys were collected in 2010 from 314
      Latino mother-child (7-13 years old) dyads of Mexican-origin enrolled in a family
      based dietary intervention in Southern California, USA. Mother's daily intake of
      fruits, vegetables, and sugary beverages, percent of calories from fat, weekly
      away-from-home eating, and percent of weekly grocery dollars spent on fruits and
      vegetables were assessed via self-report. Mothers' and children's bidimensional
      acculturation were examined using acculturation groups (e.g., assimilated,
      bicultural) derived from Hispanic and non-Hispanic dimensions of language. We
      also assessed the acculturation gap between mothers and children with the a)
      difference in acculturation between mothers' and children's continuous
      acculturation scores and b) mother-child acculturation gap typologies (e.g.,
      traditional mothers of assimilated children). RESULTS: Findings show that having
      an assimilated versus a bicultural child was negatively associated with mothers'
      vegetable intake and positively associated with mothers' sugary beverage intake,
      percent of calories from fat, and frequency of away-from-home eating, regardless
      of mothers' acculturation. Traditional mothers of assimilated children reported
      more sugary beverage intake, calories from fat, and more frequent away-from-home
      eating than traditional mothers of bicultural children. CONCLUSION: Results
      suggest that children's acculturation is associated with their mothers' dietary
      intake/behaviors and traditional mothers of assimilated children require more
      attention in future research.

PMID- 28917623
TI  - Correction to Lancet Glob Health 2016; 5: e970-71.

PMID- 28917622
TI  - Does gender matter? An analysis of men's and women's accounts of responding to
      symptoms of lung cancer.
AB  - Men are often portrayed - in research studies, 'common-sense' accounts and
      popular media - as reluctant users of health services. They are said to avoid
      going to the GP whenever possible, while women are portrayed, in presumed
      opposition, as consulting more readily, more frequently and with less serious
      complaints. Such stereotypes may inadvertently encourage doctors to pay greater
      heed to men's symptoms in 'routine' consultations. Although previous research has
      challenged this view with evidence, and suggested that links between gender
      identities and help-seeking are complex and fluid, gender comparative studies
      remain uncommon, and particularly few studies (either qualitative or
      quantitative) compare men and women with similar morbidity. We contribute here to
      gender comparative research on help-seeking by investigating men's and women's
      accounts of responding to symptoms later diagnosed as lung cancer. A secondary
      analysis of qualitative interviews with 27 men and 18 women attending Scottish
      cancer centres revealed striking similarities between men's and women's accounts.
      Participants were seen as negotiating a complex and delicate balance in
      constructing their moral integrity as, on the one hand, responsible service users
      who were conscious of the demands on health care professionals' time, and as
      patients who did not take undue risks with their health, in the context of an
      illness for which people are often held culpable, on the other. In accounting for
      their responses to symptoms, men and women drew equally on culturally-embedded
      moral frameworks of stoicism and responsible service use. Regardless of gender,
      the accounts portrayed participants as stoic in response to illness and
      responsible service users; and as people seeking explanations for bodily changes
      and taking appropriate and timely action. Our analysis challenges simplistic,
      'common-sense' views of gendered help-seeking and highlights that both men and
      women need support to consult their doctor for investigation of significant or
      concerning bodily changes.

PMID- 28917624
TI  - Small heat shock protein 27: An effective adjuvant for enhancement of HIV-1 Nef
      antigen-specific immunity.
AB  - Novel vaccine modalities have been designed to improve the efficiency of vaccines
      against HIV infections. In this way, the HIV-1 Nef protein has been known as an
      attractive antigenic candidate in therapeutic vaccine development. Moreover, the
      endogenous adjuvants such as heat shock proteins (HSPs) and high mobility group
      box 1 protein (HMGB1) have been suggested effectively to induce antigen-specific
      humoral and cellular immune responses. In this study, different Nef DNA and
      protein constructs were produced in eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression
      systems, and their immunostimulatory properties were evaluated using small heat
      shock protein 27 (Hsp27) and the HMGB1-derived peptide (Hp91) in a mouse model.
      Generally, our results indicated that the Hsp27-Nef fusion DNA or protein could
      significantly elicit higher humoral and cellular immune responses than Nef DNA or
      protein, respectively. Analysis of the immune responses demonstrated that the
      Hsp27-Nef fusion protein, and also the mixture of Nef and Hp91 significantly
      enhanced the Nef-specific T cell responses. Indeed, these regimens induced high
      levels of IgG2a and IFN-gamma directed toward Th1 responses and also Granzyme B
      secretion as compared to other immunization strategies. The immunostimulatory
      properties of Freund's adjuvant were significantly less than Hsp27 and Hp91
      peptide in various immunization strategies. These findings showed that the use of
      Hsp27 and Hp91 in protein strategy could improve HIV-1 Nef-specific B- and T-cell
      immune responses, and also represent a promising HIV-1 vaccine candidate in
      future.

PMID- 28917625
TI  - Reduced neuroprotective potential of the mesenchymal stromal cell secretome with
      ex vivo expansion, age and progressive multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical trials using ex vivo expansion of autologous mesenchymal
      stromal cells (MSCs) are in progress for several neurological diseases including
      multiple sclerosis (MS). Given that environment alters MSC function, we examined
      whether in vitro expansion, increasing donor age and progressive MS affect the
      neuroprotective properties of the MSC secretome. METHODS: Comparative analyses of
      neuronal survival in the presence of MSC-conditioned medium (MSCcm) isolated from
      control subjects (C-MSCcm) and those with MS (MS-MSCcm) were performed following
      (1) trophic factor withdrawal and (2) nitric oxide-induced neurotoxicity.
      RESULTS: Reduced neuronal survival following trophic factor withdrawal was seen
      in association with increasing expansion of MSCs in vitro and MSC donor age.
      Controlling for these factors, there was an independent, negative effect of
      progressive MS. In nitric oxide neurotoxicity, MSCcm-mediated neuroprotection was
      reduced when C-MSCcm was isolated from higher-passage MSCs and was negatively
      associated with increasing MSC passage number and donor age. Furthermore, the
      neuroprotective effect of MSCcm was lost when MSCs were isolated from patients
      with MS. DISCUSSION: Our findings have significant implications for MSC-based
      therapy in neurodegenerative conditions, particularly for autologous MSC therapy
      in MS. Impaired neuroprotection mediated by the MSC secretome in progressive MS
      may reflect reduced reparative potential of autologous MSC-based therapy in MS
      and it is likely that the causes must be addressed before the full potential of
      MSC-based therapy is realized. Additionally, we anticipate that understanding the
      mechanisms responsible will contribute new insights into MS pathogenesis and may
      also be of wider relevance to other neurodegenerative conditions.

PMID- 28917626
TI  - Ultrasound-assisted liposuction provides a source for functional adipose-derived
      stromal cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND AIMS: Regenerative medicine employs human mesenchymal stromal cells
      (MSCs) for their multi-lineage plasticity and their pro-regenerative cytokine
      secretome. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs) are concentrated in
      fat tissue, and the ease of harvest via liposuction makes them a particularly
      interesting cell source. However, there are various liposuction methods, and few
      have been assessed regarding their impact on ASC functionality. Here we study the
      impact of the two most popular ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL) devices
      currently in clinical use, VASER (Solta Medical) and Lysonix 3000 (Mentor) on
      ASCs. METHODS: After lipoaspirate harvest and processing, we sorted for ASCs
      using fluorescent-assisted cell sorting based on an established surface marker
      profile (CD34+CD31-CD45-). ASC yield, viability, osteogenic and adipogenic
      differentiation capacity and in vivo regenerative performance were assessed.
      RESULTS: Both UAL samples demonstrated equivalent ASC yield and viability. VASER
      UAL ASCs showed higher osteogenic and adipogenic marker expression, but a
      comparable differentiation capacity was observed. Soft tissue healing and
      neovascularization were significantly enhanced via both UAL-derived ASCs in vivo,
      and there was no significant difference between the cell therapy groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data suggest that UAL allows safe and efficient
      harvesting of the mesenchymal stromal cellular fraction of adipose tissue and
      that cells harvested via this approach are suitable for cell therapy and tissue
      engineering applications.

PMID- 28917627
TI  - Molecular and functional characterization of CD133+ stem/progenitor cells infused
      in patients with end-stage liver disease reveals their interplay with stromal
      liver cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND AIMS: Growing evidence supports the therapeutic potential of bone
      marrow (BM)-derived stem/progenitor cells for end-stage liver disease (ESLD). We
      recently demonstrated that CD133+ stem/progenitor cell (SPC) reinfusion in
      patients with ESLD is feasible and safe and improve, albeit transiently, liver
      function. However, the mechanism(s) through which BM-derived SPCs may improve
      liver function are not fully elucidated. METHODS: Here, we characterized the
      circulating SPCs compartment of patients with ESLD undergoing CD133+ cell
      therapy. Next, we set up an in vitro model mimicking SPCs/liver microenvironment
      interaction by culturing granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized
      CD133+and LX-2 hepatic stellate cells. RESULTS: We found that patients with ESLD
      show normal basal levels of circulating hematopoietic and endothelial progenitors
      with impaired clonogenic ability. After G-CSF treatment, patients with ESLD were
      capable to mobilize significant numbers of functional multipotent SPCs, and
      interestingly, this was associated with increased levels of selected cytokines
      potentially facilitating SPC function. Co-culture experiments showed, at the
      molecular and functional levels, the bi-directional cross-talk between CD133+
      SPCs and human hepatic stellate cells LX-2. Human hepatic stellate cells LX-2
      showed reduced activation and fibrotic potential. In turn, hepatic stellate cells
      enhanced the proliferation and survival of CD133+ SPCs as well as their
      endothelial and hematopoietic function while promoting an anti-inflammatory
      profile. DISCUSSION: We demonstrated that the interaction between CD133+ SPCs
      from patients with ESLD and hepatic stellate cells induces significant functional
      changes in both cellular types that may be instrumental for the improvement of
      liver function in cirrhotic patients undergoing cell therapy.

PMID- 28917628
TI  - An engineered biomarker system to monitor and modulate immune clearance of cell
      therapies.
AB  - BACKGROUND AIMS: Cell transplants offer a new opportunity to deliver therapies
      with novel and complex mechanisms of action. Understanding the pharmacology of
      cell transplants is important to deliver this new therapy effectively. Currently,
      however, there are limited techniques to easily track cells after intravenous
      administration due to the dispersion of the graft throughout the entire body.
      METHODS: We herein developed an engineered cell system that secretes a luciferase
      enzyme to sensitively detect cell transplants independent of their locale by a
      simple blood test. We specifically studied a unique feature of cell transplant
      pharmacology-namely, immune clearance-using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) as a
      proof-of-concept cell therapy. MSCs are a clinically relevant cell therapy that
      has been explored in several disease indications due to their innate properties
      of altering an immune response. RESULTS: Using this engineered reporter, we
      observed specific sensitivity of cell therapy exposure to the preparation of
      cells, cytolysis of MSCs in an allogeneic setting and a NK cell-mediated
      destruction of MSCs in an autologous setting. CONCLUSIONS: Our cellular tracking
      method has broader implications at large for assessing in vivo kinetics of
      various other cell therapies.

PMID- 28917629
TI  - Decision making about healthcare-related tests and diagnostic test strategies.
      Paper 5: a qualitative study with experts suggests that test accuracy data alone
      is rarely sufficient for decision making.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to identify the critical factors that
      determine recommendations and other decisions about healthcare-related tests and
      diagnostic strategies (HCTDS). METHODS: We used a qualitative descriptive
      approach and conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 24 international
      experts (informants) in evidence and decisions about HCTDS. RESULTS: Although
      test accuracy (TA) was the factor most commonly considered by organizations when
      developing recommendations about HCTDS, informants agreed that TA is necessary
      but rarely, if ever, sufficient and may be misleading when solely considered. The
      informants identified factors that are important for developing recommendations
      about HCTDS. Informants largely agreed that laying out the potential care
      pathways based on the test result is an essential early step but is rarely done
      in developing recommendations about HCTDS. Most informants also agreed that
      decision analysis could be useful for organizing the clinical, cost, and
      preference data relevant to the use of tests in the absence of direct evidence.
      However, they noted that using models is limited by the lack of resources and
      expertise required. CONCLUSION: Developing guidelines about HCTDS requires
      consideration of factors beyond TA, but implementing this may be challenging.
      Further development and testing of "frameworks" that can guide this process is a
      priority for decision makers.

PMID- 28917630
TI  - Decision making about healthcare-related tests and diagnostic test strategies.
      Paper 4: International guidelines show variability in their approaches.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to describe and compare current
      practices in developing guidelines about the use of healthcare-related tests and
      diagnostic strategies (HCTDS). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We sampled 37 public
      health and clinical practice guidelines about HCTDS from various sources without
      language restrictions. RESULTS: Detailed descriptions of the systems used to
      assess the quality of evidence and develop recommendations were challenging to
      find within guidelines. We observed much variability among and within
      organizations with respect to how they develop recommendations about HCTDS.
      Twenty-four percent of the guidelines did not consider health benefits and harms
      but based decisions solely on test accuracy. We did not identify guidelines that
      described the main potential care pathways involving tests for a healthcare
      problem. In addition, we did not identify guidelines that systematically
      assessed, described, and referenced the evidence that linked test accuracy and
      patient-important outcomes. CONCLUSION: There is considerable variability among
      the processes used and factors considered in developing recommendations about the
      use of tests. This variability may be the cause for the disagreement we observed
      in recommendations about testing for the same condition.

PMID- 28917631
TI  - ?

PMID- 28917632
TI  - Early Structural Valve Deterioration of the Mitroflow Aortic Bioprosthesis: Will
      the New Anticalcification Treatment Change Anything?

PMID- 28917633
TI  - Safety of MitraClip Implantation in Patients With a Left Ventricular Endocardial
      Lead for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Through the Interventricular Septum.

PMID- 28917634
TI  - Tricuspid Percutaneous Repair With the MitraClip System: First Implant in Spain.

PMID- 28917635
TI  - Evolutionary analysis of nucleosome positioning sequences based on New Symmetric
      Relative Entropy.
AB  - New Symmetric Relative Entropy (NSRE) was applied innovatively to analyze the
      nucleosome sequences in S. cerevisiae, S. pombe and Drosophila. NSRE
      distributions could well reflect the characteristic differences of nucleosome
      sequences among three organisms, and the differences indicate a concerted
      evolution in the sequence usage of nucleosome. Further analysis about the
      nucleosomes around TSS shows that the constitutive property of +1/-1 nucleosomes
      in S. cerevisiae is different from that in S. pombe and Drosophila, which
      indicates that S. cerevisiae has a different transcription regulation mechanism
      based on nucleosome. However, in either case, the nucleosome dyad region is
      conserved and always has a higher NSRE. Base composition analysis shows that this
      conservative property in nucleosome dyad region is mainly determined by base A
      and T, and the dependence degrees on base A and T are consistent in three
      organisms.

PMID- 28917636
TI  - Parallel approach on sorting of genes in search of optimal solution.
AB  - An important tool for comparing genome analysis is the rearrangement event that
      can transform one given genome into other. For finding minimum sequence of
      fission and fusion, we have proposed here an algorithm and have shown a
      transformation example for converting the source genome into the target genome.
      The proposed algorithm comprises of circular sequence i.e. "cycle graph" in place
      of mapping. The main concept of algorithm is based on optimal result of
      permutation. These sorting processes are performed in constant running time by
      showing permutation in the form of cycle. In biological instances it has been
      observed that transposition occurs half of the frequency as that of reversal. In
      this paper we are not dealing with reversal instead commencing with the
      rearrangement of fission, fusion as well as transposition.

PMID- 28917637
TI  - Diversity of copy number variation in a worldwide population of sheep.
AB  - Copy number variation (CNV) represents a major source of genomic variation. We
      investigated the diversity of CNV distribution using SNP array data collected
      from a comprehensive collection of geographically dispersed sheep breeds. We
      identified 24,558 putative CNVs, which can be merged into 619 CNV regions,
      spanning 197Mb of total length and corresponding to ~6.9% of the sheep genome.
      Our results reveal a population differentiation in CNV between different
      geographical areas, including Africa, America, Asia, Southwestern Asia, Central
      Europe, Northern Europe and Southwestern Europe. We observed clear distinctions
      in CNV prevalence between diverse groups, possibly reflecting the population
      history of different sheep breeds. We sought to determine the gene content of
      CNV, and found several important CNV-overlapping genes (BTG3, PTGS1 and PSPH)
      which were involved in fetal muscle development, prostaglandin (PG) synthesis,
      and bone color. Our study generates a comprehensive CNV map, which may contribute
      to genome annotation in sheep.

PMID- 28917638
TI  - Novel antihelmintic activity of tinidazole coordination compounds. Relevance of
      the metal ion and structural properties.
AB  - The in vitro and in vivo antihelmintic activity of cobalt(II), copper(II) and
      zinc(II) coordination compounds of tinidazole (tnz) were investigated in
      cultivated spotted rose snapper, infested with dactylogyrid monogeneans. The
      tinidazole coordination compounds [Co(tnz)2Cl2], [Co(tnz)2Br2], [Cu(tnz)2Cl2],
      [Cu(tnz)2Br2], [Zn(tnz)2Cl2] and [Zn(tnz)2Br2] were synthesized and
      spectroscopically characterized. Their molecular structures were determined by
      their single crystal X-ray diffraction. The metal ions presented distorted
      tetrahedral geometries, with an intramolecular bifurcated lone pair SO?pi, from
      the sulfone group with the imidazolic ring, which contributed to the stability of
      the compounds in solid state and in solution. Adults of dactylogyrids were
      exposed in vitro to tinidazole and its coordination compounds. The effective
      median concentrations of copper(II) coordination compounds were lower than those
      of cobalt(II) and zinc(II), tnz showed no activity. In vivo oral intubation tests
      were carried out with [Cu(tnz)2Br2], [Zn(tnz)2Br2] and tnz on snappers infected
      with dactylogyrids, where the copper(II) compound showed better activity. The
      absorption and distribution assessment for the [Cu(tnz)2Br2], showed that copper
      concentrations in liver were significantly higher than in blood and gills,
      indicating bioaccumulation in this organ. In vivo baths of [Cu(tnz)2Br2] at
      25mg/L showed an effective (95% at 8h) antihelmintic effect, while [Zn(tnz)2Br2]
      had low antihelmintic efficacy. This study indicates that [Cu(tnz)2Br2] has an
      effective antihelmintic activity towards dactylogyrids monogeneans affecting
      cultivated spotted red snapper.

PMID- 28917639
TI  - Protein oxidation involved in Cys-Tyr post-translational modification.
AB  - Some post-translationally modified tyrosines can perform reversible redox
      chemistry similar to metal cofactors. The most studied of these tyrosine
      modifications is the intramolecular thioether-crosslinked 3'-(S-cysteinyl)
      tyrosine (Cys-Tyr) in galactose oxidase. This Cu-mediated tyrosine modification
      in galactose oxidase involves direct electron transfer (inner-sphere) to the
      coordinated tyrosine. Mammalian cysteine dioxygenase enzymes also contain a Cys
      Tyr that is formed, presumably, through outer-sphere electron transfer from a non
      heme iron center ~6A away from the parent residues. An orphan protein (BF4112),
      amenable to UV spectroscopic characterization, has also been shown to form Cys
      Tyr between Tyr 52 and Cys 98 by an adjacent Cu2+ ion-loaded, mononuclear metal
      ion binding site. Native Cys-Tyr fluorescence under denaturing conditions
      provides a more robust methodology for Cys-Tyr yield determination. Cys-Tyr
      specificity, relative to 3,3'-dityrosine, was provided in this fluorescence assay
      by guanidinium chloride. Replacing Tyr 52 with Phe or the Cu2+ ion with a Zn2+
      ion abolished Cys-Tyr formation. The Cys-Tyr fluorescence-based yields were
      decreased but not completely removed by surface Tyr mutations to Phe (Y4F/Y109F,
      50%) and Cys 98 to Ser (25%). The small absorbance and fluorescence emission
      intensities for C98S BF4112 were surprising until a significantly red-shifted
      emission was observed. The red-shifted emission spectrum and monomer to dimer
      shift seen by reducing, denaturing SDS-PAGE demonstrate a surface tyrosyl radical
      product (dityrosine) when Cys 98 is replaced with Ser. These results demonstrate
      surface tyrosine oxidation in BF4112 during Cys-Tyr formation and that protein
      oxidation can be a significant side reaction in forming protein derived
      cofactors.

PMID- 28917640
TI  - Biotinylated platinum(IV) complexes designed to target cancer cells.
AB  - Three biotinylated platinum(IV) complexes (1-3) were designed and synthesized.
      The resulting platinum(IV) complexes exhibited effective cytotoxicity against the
      tested cancer cell lines, especially complex 1, which was 2.0-9.6-fold more
      potent than cisplatin. These complexes were found to be rapidly reduced to their
      activated platinum(II) counterparts by glutathione or ascorbic acid under
      biologically relevant condition. Additional molecular docking studies revealed
      that the biotin moieties of all Pt(IV) complexes can effectively bind with the
      streptavidin through the noncovalent interactions. Besides, introduction of the
      biotin group can obviously promote the cancer cell uptake of platinum when
      treated with complex 1, particularly in cisplatin-resistant SGC-7901/Cis cancer
      cells. Further mechanistic studies on complex 1 indicated that it activated the
      expression of Bax, and induced cytochrome c release from the mitochondria, and
      finally activated caspase-3.

PMID- 28917641
TI  - Changes in innervation of lumbar motoneurons and organization of premotor network
      following training of transected adult rats.
AB  - Rats with complete spinal cord transection (SCT) can recover hindlimb locomotor
      function under strategies combining exercise training and 5-HT agonist treatment.
      This recovery is expected to result from structural and functional re
      organization within the spinal cord below the lesion. To begin to understand the
      nature of this reorganization, we examined synaptic changes to identified
      gastrocnemius (GS) or tibialis anterior (TA) motoneurons (MNs) in SCT rats after
      a schedule of early exercise training and delayed 5-HT agonist treatment. In
      addition, we analyzed changes in distribution and number of lumbar interneurons
      (INs) presynaptic to GS MNs using retrograde transneuronal transport of rabies
      virus. In SCT-untrained rats, we found few changes in the density and size of
      inhibitory and excitatory inputs impinging on cell bodies of TA and GS MNs
      compared to intact rats, whereas there was a marked trend for a reduction in the
      number of premotor INs connected to GS MNs. In contrast, after training of SCT
      rats, a significant increase of the density of GABAergic and glycinergic axon
      terminals was observed on both GS and TA motoneuronal cell bodies, as well as of
      presynaptic P-boutons on VGLUT1 afferents. Despite these changes in innervation
      the number of premotor INs connected to GS MNs was similar to control values
      although some new connections to MNs were observed. These results suggest that
      adaptation of gait patterns in SCT-trained rats was accompanied by changes in the
      innervation of lumbar MNs while the distribution of the spinal premotor circuitry
      was relatively preserved.

PMID- 28917642
TI  - Efficient gene editing via non-viral delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 system using
      polymeric and hybrid microcarriers.
AB  - CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary genome-editing technology that has enormous
      potential for the treatment of genetic diseases. However, the lack of efficient
      and safe, non-viral delivery systems has hindered its clinical application. Here,
      we report on the application of polymeric and hybrid microcarriers, made of
      degradable polymers such as polypeptides and polysaccharides and modified by
      silica shell, for delivery of all CRISPR-Cas9 components. We found that these
      microcarriers mediate more efficient transfection than a commercially available
      liposome-based transfection reagent (>70% vs. <50% for mRNA, >40% vs. 20% for
      plasmid DNA). For proof-of-concept, we delivered CRISPR-Cas9 components using our
      capsules to dTomato-expressing HEK293T cells-a model, in which loss of red
      fluorescence indicates successful gene editing. Notably, transfection of
      indicator cells translated in high-level dTomato knockout in approx. 70% of
      transfected cells. In conclusion, we have provided proof-of-principle that our
      micro-sized containers represent promising non-viral platforms for efficient and
      safe gene editing.

PMID- 28917643
TI  - A novel 3-dimensional electromagnetic guidance system increases intraoperative
      microwave antenna placement accuracy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Failure to locate lesions and accurately place microwave antennas can
      lead to incomplete tumor ablation. The EmprintTM SX Ablation Platform employs
      real-time 3D-electromagnetic spatial antenna tracking to generate intraoperative
      laparoscopic antenna guidance. We sought to determine whether EmprintTM SX
      affected time/accuracy of antenna-placement in a laparoscopic training model.
      METHODS: Targets (7-10 mm) were set in agar within a laparoscopic training
      device. Novices (no surgical experience), intermediates (surgical residents), and
      experts (HPB-surgeons) were asked to locate and hit targets using a MWA antenna
      (10-ultrasound only, 10-EmprintTM SX). Time to locate target, number of attempts
      to hit the target, first-time hit rate, and time from initiating antenna advance
      to hitting the target were measured. RESULTS: Participants located 100% of
      targets using ultrasound, with experts taking significantly less time than
      novices and intermediates. Using ultrasound only, successful hit-rates were 70%
      for novices and 90% for intermediates and experts. Using EmprintTM SX, successful
      hit rates for all 3-groups were 100%, with significantly increased first-time hit
      rates and reduced time required to hit targets compared to ultrasound only.
      DISCUSSION: EmprintTM SX significantly improved accuracy and speed of antenna
      placement independent of experience, and was particularly beneficial for novice
      users.

PMID- 28917644
TI  - ALPPS as a salvage procedure after insufficient future liver remnant hypertrophy
      following portal vein occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A minimum future liver remnant (FLR) of 30% is required to avoid post
      hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). Portal vein occlusion (PVO) is the main
      strategy to induce hypertrophy of the FLR, but some patients will not reach
      sufficient FLR hypertrophy to enable resection. Recently ALPPS has emerged as a
      "Salvage Procedure" for PVO failure. The aim of this study was to report the
      short term outcomes of ALPPS following PVO failure. METHODS: A retrospective
      analysis of patients enrolled within the international ALPPS Registry between
      October 2012 and November 2015 (NCT01924741) was performed. Patients with
      documented PVO failure were included. The outcomes reported included feasibility,
      FLR growth rate and safety of ALPPS. Complications were recorded as per Clavien
      Dindo classification. RESULTS: From 510 patients enrolled in the Registry there
      were 22 patients with previous PVO failure. Two patients were excluded due to
      missing data and twenty patients were analysed. All of them completed the
      proposed ALPPS with a medium FLR increase of 88% (23-115%) between two stages and
      no 90-day mortality. CONCLUSION: In experienced centers, ALPPS following PVO
      failure is feasible and safe. The FLR hypertrophy was similar to other ALPPS
      series. ALPPS is a potential rescue strategy after PVO failure.

PMID- 28917645
TI  - Anti-fibrinolytic and anti-microbial activities of a serine protease inhibitor
      from honeybee (Apis cerana) venom.
AB  - Bee venom contains a variety of peptide constituents, including low-molecular
      weight protease inhibitors. While the putative low-molecular-weight serine
      protease inhibitor Api m 6 containing a trypsin inhibitor-like cysteine-rich
      domain was identified from honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom, no anti-fibrinolytic
      or anti-microbial roles for this inhibitor have been elucidated. In this study,
      we identified an Asiatic honeybee (A. cerana) venom serine protease inhibitor
      (AcVSPI) that was shown to act as a microbial serine protease inhibitor and
      plasmin inhibitor. AcVSPI was found to consist of a trypsin inhibitor-like domain
      that displays ten cysteine residues. Interestingly, the AcVSPI peptide sequence
      exhibited high similarity to the putative low-molecular-weight serine protease
      inhibitor Api m 6, which suggests that AcVSPI is an allergen Api m 6-like
      peptide. Recombinant AcVSPI was expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells,
      and it demonstrated inhibitory activity against trypsin, but not chymotrypsin.
      Additionally, AcVSPI has inhibitory effects against plasmin and microbial serine
      proteases; however, it does not have any detectable inhibitory effects on
      thrombin or elastase. Consistent with these inhibitory effects, AcVSPI inhibited
      the plasmin-mediated degradation of fibrin to fibrin degradation products. AcVSPI
      also bound to bacterial and fungal surfaces and exhibited anti-microbial activity
      against fungi as well as gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. These findings
      demonstrate the anti-fibrinolytic and anti-microbial roles of AcVSPI as a serine
      protease inhibitor.

PMID- 28917646
TI  - Lights Out: An Unusual Case of Amaurosis Fugax.

PMID- 28917647
TI  - A Case of a Carcinoid Tumour With Diffuse Tracheal Invasion.

PMID- 28917648
TI  - Challenges of conducting a prospective clinical trial for older patients: Lessons
      learned from NCCTG N0949 (alliance).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: While the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age,
      there are limited prospective data regarding best treatment in the older adult
      population. We launched a phase III trial to evaluate difference in treatment
      outcome for older adults (aged >=70years) with advanced colorectal cancer. Here
      we review the challenges faced and reasons for poor accrual to N0949. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We describe the conceptualization, development and limited results
      of N0949, a randomized phase III study of fluoropyrimidine/bevacizumab with or
      without oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX7 or XELOX) as first line chemotherapy for metastatic
      colorectal cancer. Fluoropyrimidine was physician choice (e.g., 5-FU/LV or
      capecitabine). RESULTS: Of the projected 380 patients, only 32 patients were
      enrolled between the study activation in January 2011 until its closure in
      September 2012. Reasons for poor accrual included eligibility criteria that were
      too stringent, discomfort with randomizing older patients to regimens of varying
      intensity without considering their physical fitness, and discomfort with the use
      of bevacizumab in the older patient population. Several efforts were mounted to
      design a rationale and age-appropriate study, consider toxicities and varying
      study practices, and be responsive to stakeholder feedback. CONCLUSIONS:
      Challenges were experienced in conducting the first prospective phase III study
      evaluating progression-free survival of older adults with advanced colorectal
      cancer receiving palliative chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine/bevacizumab with
      or without oxaliplatin in the USA. Future efforts to evaluate treatment outcomes
      in the older adult population should reflect on lessons learned in this large
      national effort.

PMID- 28917649
TI  - Evaluation of novel 111In-labeled gonadotropin-releasing hormone peptides for
      human prostate cancer imaging.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tumor targeting and imaging
      properties of novel 111In-labeled gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) peptides
      for human prostate cancer. Three new 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10
      tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-linker-d-Phe-(d-Lys6-GnRH) peptides with different
      hydrocarbon linkers were designed to evaluate their effects on GnRH receptor
      binding affinities. The Aoc (aminooctanoic acid) linker was better than betaAla
      (3-aminopropanoic acid) and Aun (aminoundecanoic acid) linkers in retaining
      strong receptor binding affinity. DOTA-Aoc-d-Phe-(d-Lys6-GnRH) exhibited 6.6+/
      0.1nM GnRH receptor binding affinity. 111In-DOTA-Aoc-d-Phe-(d-Lys6-GnRH)
      exhibited fast tumor uptake and urinary clearance in DU145 human prostate cancer
      xenografted nude mice. The DU145 tumor lesions could be clearly visualized by
      single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT using 111In-DOTA-Aoc-d-Phe
      (d-Lys6-GnRH) as an imaging probe, providing an insight into the design of new
      GnRH peptides for prostate cancer in the future.

PMID- 28917650
TI  - Dodecyl sorbitan ethers as antimicrobials against Gram-positive bacteria.
AB  - A range of amphiphilic sorbitan ethers has been synthesized in two steps from
      sorbitan following an acetalization/hydrogenolysis sequence. These sorbitan
      ethers and the acetal intermediates have been evaluated as antimicrobials against
      Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. No antimicrobial activity was observed
      for Gram-negative bacteria. However, the compounds bearing a linear dodecyl chain
      exhibit antimicrobial activity (MIC as low as 8MUg/mL) against Gram-positive
      bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus
      aureus. Encouraged by these preliminary results, dodecyl sorbitan was tested
      against a range of resistant strains and was found to be active against
      vancomycin-, methicillin- and daptomycin-resistant strains (MIC=32-64MUg/mL).

PMID- 28917651
TI  - Bacteriophages as an alternative to conventional antibiotic use for the
      prevention or treatment of Paenibacillus larvae in honeybee hives.
AB  - American Foulbrood (AFB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria,
      Paenibacillus larvae. P. larvae phages were isolated and tested to determine each
      phages' host range amongst 59 field isolate strains of P. larvae. Three phages
      were selected to create a phage cocktail for the treatment of AFB infections
      according to the combined phages' ability to lyse all tested strains of bacteria.
      Studies were performed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the phage
      cocktail treatment as a replacement for traditional antibiotics for the
      prevention of AFB and the treatment of active infections. Safety verification
      studies confirmed that the phage cocktail did not adversely affect the rate of
      bee death even when administered as an overdose. In a comparative study of
      healthy hives, traditional prophylactic antibiotic treatment experienced a 38+/
      0.7% decrease in overall hive health, which was statistically lower than hive
      health observed in control hives. Hives treated with phage cocktail decreased
      19+/-0.8%, which was not statistically different than control hives, which
      decreased by 10+/-1.0%. In a study of beehives at-risk for a natural infection,
      100+/-0.5% of phage-treated hives were protected from AFB infection, while 80+/
      0.5% of untreated controls became infected. AFB infected hives began with an
      average Hitchcock score of 2.25 out of 4 and 100+/-0.5% of the hives recovered
      completely within two weeks of treatment with phage cocktail. While the n numbers
      for the latter two studies are small, the results for both the phage protection
      rate and the phage cure rate were statistically significant (alpha=0.05). These
      studies demonstrate the powerful potential of using a phage cocktail against AFB
      and establish phage therapy as a feasible treatment.

PMID- 28917652
TI  - Tilapia adropin: the localization and regulation of growth hormone gene
      expression in pituitary cells.
AB  - The peptide hormone adropin, encoded by the energy homeostasis-associated (Enho)
      gene, plays a role in energy homeostasis and the control of vascular function.
      The aim of this study was to examine the role of adropin in growth hormone (GH)
      gene expression at the pituitary level in tilapia. As a first step, the antiserum
      for the tilapia adropin was produced, and its specificity was confirmed by
      antiserum preabsorption and immunohistochemical staining in the tilapia
      pituitary. Adropin could be detected immunocytochemically in the proximal pars
      distalis (PPD) of the tilapia pituitary. In primary cultures of tilapia pituitary
      cells, tilapia adropin was effective in increasing GH mRNA levels. However,
      removal of endogenous adropin by immunoneutralization using adropin antiserum
      inhibited GH gene expression. In parallel experiments, pituitary cells co-treated
      with ovine pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide 38 (oPACAP38) and
      adropin showed a similar increase level compared to those treated with oPACAP38
      alone, whereas insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) not only had an inhibitory
      effect on basal GH mRNA levels, but also could abolish adropin stimulation of GH
      gene expression. In pituitary cells pretreated with actinomycin D, the half-life
      of GH mRNA was enhanced by adropin. Taken together, these findings suggest that
      adropin may serve as a novel local stimulator for GH gene expression in tilapia
      pituitary.

PMID- 28917653
TI  - Human IL6 stimulates bovine satellite cell proliferation through a Signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-dependent mechanism.
AB  - Bovine satellite cell (bSC) myogenesis and skeletal muscle hypertrophy occur
      through the orchestrated actions of multiple autocrine and paracrine growth
      factors. Intimate to the bSC niche is IL6, a dual-purpose cytokine with
      proinflammatory and mitogenic properties. The objective of the experiment was to
      examine the effects of IL6 on proliferation and differentiation of bSC in vitro.
      Treatment of primary bSC cultures with recombinant bovine IL6 (bIL6) failed to
      alter myogenesis owing to the absence of intracellular signal transduction. The
      cytokine was able to stimulate phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator
      of transcription 3 tyrosine 705 (STAT3Y705) in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK)
      epithelial cells, thus demonstrating bioactivity. Media supplemented with
      recombinant human IL6 (hIL6) caused phosphorylation of STAT3Y705 in bSC and
      increased (P < 0.05) proliferation. Inclusion of a STAT3 inhibitor in the media
      blunted phosphorylation of the STAT3Y705 and suppressed (P < 0.05) hIL6-mediated
      bSC proliferation. Morphologic and biochemical measures of bSC differentiation
      remained unchanged (P > 0.05) following treatment for 48 h with hIL6. These
      results support a role for hIL6 as a bSC mitogen in vitro. The inability of bIL6
      to initiate an intracellular signal in bSC requires further investigation.

PMID- 28917654
TI  - The anticancer functions of RIG-I-like receptors, RIG-I and MDA5, and their
      applications in cancer therapy.
AB  - Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide, and its incidence and mortality
      continuously increase in China. Nowadays, cancer heavily influences our health
      and constitutes enormous burden on society and families. Although there are many
      tools for cancer treatment, but the overall therapeutic effect is poor. In
      addition, cancer cells often develop resistance to therapy due to defective cell
      death or immune escape mechanisms. Therefore, it is a promising way for cancer
      treatment to effectively activate apoptosis and conquer immunosuppression. RIG-I
      like receptors (RLRs) belong to RNA-sensing pattern recognition receptors (PRRs),
      one of the major subsets of PRRs, and play a critical role in sensing RNA viruses
      and initiate host antiviral responses such as the production of type I
      interferons (IFNs), proinflammatory cytokines, and other immune response
      molecules. Recent studies have demonstrated that tumor cells could mimic viral
      infection to activate viral recognition of immune system and the activation of
      interferon response pathway. RIG-I and MDA5, two members of RLRs family, could
      induce growth inhibition or apoptosis of multiple types of cancer cells on the
      activation by RNA ligands in IFN-dependent or IFN-independent approach. Previous
      studies have reviewed PRRs as promising immunotherapy targets for colorectal
      cancer and pancreatic cancer. However, until now, a comprehensive review on the
      role of RLRs in the development and treatment of various cancers is still
      lacking. In this article, we reviewed the latest studies on the roles as well as
      the mechanisms of RIG-I and MDA5 in the development of various cancers and
      therapeutic potentials of targeting RIG-I and MDA5 for cancer treatment.

PMID- 28917656
TI  - Is oral all-trans retinoic acid plus danazol a refinement of second-line therapy
      for primary immune thrombocytopenia in adults?

PMID- 28917655
TI  - Inactivation of TNF/LT locus alters mouse metabolic response to concentrated
      ambient PM2.5.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated
      with increased cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality. This is widely believed
      to be attributable to PM2.5 exposure-induced pulmonary and subsequent systemic
      inflammation. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), lymphotoxin alpha
      (LTalpha), and lymphotoxin beta (LTbeta) are three homologous pro-inflammatory
      cytokines, each with both unique and redundant activities in inflammation. Their
      role in PM2.5 exposure-induced inflammation and adverse cardiometabolic effects
      has to be determined. METHODS AND RESULTS: LTalpha/TNFalpha/LTbeta triple
      knockout (TNF/LT KO) and wildtype (WT) mice were exposed to concentrated ambient
      PM2.5 (CAP) for 5 months. Lung pathological analysis revealed that TNF/LT
      deficiency reduced CAP exposure-induced pulmonary inflammation. However, glucose
      homeostasis assessments showed that TNF/LT deficiency significantly aggravated
      CAP exposure-induced glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Consistent with
      glucose homeostasis assessments, CAP exposure significantly increased the body
      weight and adiposity of TNF/LT KO but not WT mice. In contrast to its body weight
      effects, CAP exposure reduced food intake of WT but not TNF/LT KO mice. On the
      other hand, CAP exposure induced marked fat droplet accumulation in brown adipose
      tissues of WT mice and significantly decreased their uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)
      expression, and these effects were markedly exacerbated in TNF/LT KO mice.
      CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that TNF/LT deficiency influences PM2.5
      exposure-induced response of energy metabolism through alterations in both food
      intake and energy expenditure.

PMID- 28917657
TI  - Oral all-trans retinoic acid plus danazol versus danazol as second-line treatment
      in adults with primary immune thrombocytopenia: a multicentre, randomised, open
      label, phase 2 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary immune thrombocytopenia is a severe bleeding disorder. About
      50-85% of patients achieve initial remission from first-line therapies, but
      optimal second-line treatment remains a challenge. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)
      has an immunomodulatory effect on haemopoiesis, making it a possible treatment
      option. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ATRA plus danazol versus
      danazol in non-splenectomised patients with corticosteroid-resistant or relapsed
      primary immune thrombocytopenia. METHODS: We did a multicentre, randomised, open
      label, phase 2 study of adult patients (>=18 years) with primary immune
      thrombocytopenia from five different tertiary medical centres in China. Those
      eligible were non-splenectomised, resistant to corticosteroid treatment or
      relapsed, and had a platelet count less than 30 * 109 per L. Masked statisticians
      used simple randomisation to assign patients (1:1) to receive oral ATRA (10 mg
      twice daily) plus oral danazol (200 mg twice daily) or oral danazol monotherapy
      (200 mg twice daily) for 16 weeks. Neither clinicians nor patients were masked to
      group assignments. All patients were assessed every week during the first 8 weeks
      of treatment, and at 2-week intervals thereafter. The primary endpoint was 12
      month sustained response defined as platelet count of 30 * 109 per L or more and
      at least a doubling of baseline platelet count (partial response), or a platelet
      count of 100 * 109 per L or more (complete response) and the absence of bleeding
      without rescue medication at the 12-month follow-up. All randomly allocated
      patients, except for those who withdrew consent, were included in the modified
      intention-to-treat population and efficacy assessment, and all patients who
      received at least one dose of the study agents were included in the safety
      analysis. Study enrolment was stopped early because the trial results crossed the
      interim analysis efficacy boundary for sustained response. This trial is
      registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01667263. FINDINGS: From June 1,
      2012, to July 1, 2016, we screened 130 patients for eligibility; 34 were excluded
      and 96 were randomly assigned. 93 patients were included in the modified
      intention-to-treat analysis: 45 in the ATRA plus danazol group and 48 in the
      danazol group. At the 12-month follow-up, sustained response was achieved more
      frequently in patients receiving ATRA plus danazol than in those receiving
      danazol monotherapy (28 [62%] of 45 vs 12 [25%] of 48; odds ratio 4.94, 95% CI
      2.03-12.02, p=0.00037). Only two grade 3 adverse events were reported: one (2%)
      patient receiving ATRA plus danazol with dry skin, and one (2%) patient receiving
      danazol monotherapy with liver injury. There was no grade 4 or worse adverse
      event or treatment-related death in either group. INTERPRETATION: Patients with
      primary immune thrombocytopenia given ATRA plus danazol had a rapid and sustained
      response compared with danazol monotherapy. This finding suggests that ATRA
      represents a promising candidate for patients with corticosteroid-resistant or
      relapsed primary immune thrombocytopenia. FUNDING: National Natural Science
      Foundation of China, Beijing Natural Science Foundation, Beijing Municipal
      Science and Technology Commission, and the National Key Research and Development
      Program of China.

PMID- 28917659
TI  - Sonification of scalp-recorded frequency-following responses (FFRs) offers
      improved response detection over conventional statistical metrics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human frequency-following response (FFR) is a neurophonic
      potential used to examine the brain's encoding of complex sounds (e.g., speech)
      and monitor neuroplastic changes in auditory processing. Given the FFR's low
      amplitude (order of nanovolts), current conventions in literature recommend
      collecting several thousand trials to obtain a robust evoked response with
      adequate signal-to-noise ratio. NEW METHOD: By exploiting the spectrotemporal
      fidelity of the response, we examined whether auditory playbacks (i.e.,
      "sonifications") of the neural FFR could be used to assess the quality of running
      recordings and provide a stopping rule for signal averaging. RESULTS AND
      COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD: In a listening task over headphones, naive
      listeners detected speech-evoked FFRs within ~500 sweeps based solely on their
      perception of the presence/absence of a tonal quality to the response. Moreover,
      response detection based on aural sonifications offered similar and in some cases
      a 2-3* improvement over objective statistical techniques proposed in the
      literature (i.e., MI, SNR, MSC, F-test, Corr). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest
      that simply listening to FFR responses (sonifications) might offer a rapid
      technique to monitor real-time EEG recordings and provide a stopping rule to
      terminate signal averaging that performs comparably or better than current
      approaches.

PMID- 28917658
TI  - Multiple events of gene manipulation via in pouch electroporation in a marsupial
      model of mammalian forebrain development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The technique of in utero electroporation has been widely used in
      eutherians, such as mice and rats, to investigate brain development by
      selectively manipulating gene expression in specific neuronal populations. A
      major challenge, however, is that surgery is required to access the embryos,
      affecting animal survival and limiting the number of times it can be performed
      within the same litter. NEW METHOD: Marsupials are born at an early stage of
      brain development as compared to eutherians. Forebrain neurogenesis occurs mostly
      postnatally, allowing electroporation to be performed while joeys develop
      attached to the teat. Here we describe the method of in pouch electroporation
      using the Australian marsupial fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata,
      Dasyuridae). RESULTS: In pouch electroporation is minimally invasive, quick,
      successful and anatomically precise. Moreover, as no surgery is required, it can
      be performed several times in the same individual, and littermates can undergo
      independent treatments. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD: As compared to in utero
      electroporation in rodents, in pouch electroporation in marsupials offers
      unprecedented opportunities to study brain development in a minimally invasive
      manner. Continuous access to developing joeys during a protracted period of
      cortical development allows multiple and independent genetic manipulations to
      study the interaction of different systems during brain development. CONCLUSIONS:
      In pouch electroporation in marsupials offers an excellent in vivo assay to study
      forebrain development and evolution. By combining developmental, functional and
      comparative approaches, this system offers new avenues to investigate questions
      of biological and medical relevance, such as the precise mechanisms of brain
      wiring and the organismic and environmental influences on neural circuit
      formation.

PMID- 28917660
TI  - Stereotaxic 18F-FDG PET and MRI templates with three-dimensional digital atlas
      for statistical parametric mapping analysis of tree shrew brain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tree shrews are proposed as an alternative animal model to nonhuman
      primates due to their close affinity to primates. Neuroimaging techniques are
      widely used to study brain functions and structures of humans and animals.
      However, tree shrews are rarely applied in neuroimaging field partly due to the
      lack of available species specific analysis methods. NEW METHOD: In this study,
      10 PET/CT and 10 MRI images of tree shrew brain were used to construct PET and
      MRI templates; based on histological atlas we reconstructed a three-dimensional
      digital atlas with 628 structures delineated; then the digital atlas and
      templates were aligned into a stereotaxic space. Finally, we integrated the
      digital atlas and templates into a toolbox for tree shrew brain spatial
      normalization, statistical analysis and results localization. RESULTS: We
      validated the feasibility of the toolbox by simulated data with lesions in
      laterodorsal thalamic nucleus (LD). The lesion volumes of simulated PET and MRI
      images were (12.97+/-3.91)mm3 and (7.04+/-0.84)mm3. Statistical results at
      p<0.005 showed the lesion volumes of PET and MRI were 13.18mm3 and 8.06mm3 in LD.
      COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S): To our knowledge, we report the first PET
      template and digital atlas of tree shrew brain. Compared to the existing MRI
      templates, our MRI template was aligned into stereotaxic space. And the toolbox
      is the first software dedicated for tree shrew brain analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The
      templates and digital atlas of tree shrew brain, as well as the toolbox,
      facilitate the use of tree shrews in neuroimaging field.

PMID- 28917661
TI  - Sequential Vacc-4x and romidepsin during combination antiretroviral therapy
      (cART): Immune responses to Vacc-4x regions on p24 and changes in HIV reservoirs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The REDUC clinical study Part B investigated Vacc-4x/rhuGM-CSF
      therapeutic vaccination prior to HIV latency reversal using romidepsin. The main
      finding was a statistically significant reduction from baseline in viral
      reservoir measurements. Here we evaluated HIV-specific functional T-cell
      responses following Vacc-4x/rhuGM-CSF immunotherapy in relation to virological
      outcomes on the HIV reservoir. METHODS: This study, conducted in Aarhus, Denmark,
      enrolled participants (n = 20) with CD4>500 cells/mm3 on cART. Six Vacc-4x (1.2
      mg) intradermal immunizations using rhuGM-CSF (60 MUg) as adjuvant were followed
      by 3 weekly intravenous infusions of romidepsin (5 mg/m2). Immune responses were
      determined by IFN-gamma ELISpot, T-cell proliferation to p24 15-mer peptides
      covering the Vacc-4x region, intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) to the entire
      HIVGag and viral inhibition. RESULTS: The frequency of participants with CD8+ T
      cell proliferation assay positivity was 8/16 (50%) at baseline, 11/15 (73%) post
      vaccination, 6/14 (43%) during romidepsin, and 9/15 (60%)post-romidepsin.
      Participants with CD8+ T-cell proliferation assay positivity post-vaccination
      showed reductions in total HIV DNA post-vaccination (p = 0.006; q = 0.183), post
      latency reversal (p = 0.005; q = 0.183), and CA-RNA reductions post-vaccination
      (p = 0.015; q = 0.254). Participants (40%) were defined as proliferation
      'Responders' having >=2-fold increase in assay positivity post-baseline. Robust
      ELISpot baseline responses were found in 87.5% participants. No significant
      changes were observed in the proportion of polyfunctional CD8+ T-cells to HIVGag
      by ICS. There was a trend towards increased viral inhibition from baseline to
      post-vaccination (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: In this 'shock and kill' approach
      supported by therapeutic vaccination, CD8+ T-cell proliferation represents a
      valuable means to monitor functional immune responses as part of the path towards
      functional HIV cure.

PMID- 28917662
TI  - Successful optic nerve regeneration in the senescent zebrafish despite age
      related decline of cell intrinsic and extrinsic response processes.
AB  - Dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS) in neurodegenerative diseases or
      after brain lesions seriously affects life quality of a growing number of
      elderly, since the adult CNS lacks the capacity to replace or repair damaged
      neurons. Despite intensive research efforts, full functional recovery after CNS
      disease and/or injury remains challenging, especially in an aging environment. As
      such, there is a rising need for an aging model in which the impact of aging on
      successful regeneration can be studied. Here, we introduce the senescent
      zebrafish retinotectal system as a valuable model to elucidate the cellular and
      molecular processes underlying age-related decline in axonal regeneration
      capacities. We found both intrinsic and extrinsic response processes to be
      altered in aged fish. Indeed, expression levels of growth-associated genes are
      reduced in naive and crushed retinas, and the injury-associated increase in
      innate immune cell density appears delayed, suggesting retinal inflammaging in
      old fish. Strikingly, however, despite a clear deceleration in regeneration onset
      and early axon outgrowth leading to an overall slowing of optic nerve
      regeneration, reinnervation of the optic tectum and recovery of visual function
      occurs successfully in the aged zebrafish retinotectal system.

PMID- 28917664
TI  - Neural correlates of durable memories across the adult lifespan: brain activity
      at encoding and retrieval.
AB  - Age-related effects on brain activity during encoding and retrieval of episodic
      memories are well documented. However, research typically tests memory only once,
      shortly after encoding. Retaining information over extended periods is critical,
      and there are reasons to expect age-related effects on the neural correlates of
      durable memories. Here, we tested whether age was associated with the activity
      elicited by durable memories. One hundred forty-three participants (22-78 years)
      underwent an episodic memory experiment where item-context relationships were
      encoded and tested twice. Participants were scanned during encoding and the first
      test. Memories retained after 90 minutes but later forgotten were classified as
      transient, whereas memories retained after 5 weeks were classified as durable.
      Durable memories were associated with greater encoding activity in inferior
      lateral parietal and posteromedial regions and greater retrieval activity in
      frontal and insular regions. Older adults exhibited lower posteromedial activity
      during encoding and higher frontal activity during retrieval, possibly reflecting
      greater involvement of control processes. This demonstrates that long-lasting
      memories are supported by specific patterns of cortical activity that are related
      to age.

PMID- 28917663
TI  - Leucine-rich alpha2-glycoprotein overexpression in the brain contributes to
      memory impairment.
AB  - We previously reported increase in leucine-rich alpha2-glycoprotein (LRG)
      concentration in cerebrospinal fluid is associated with cognitive decline in
      humans. To investigate relationship between LRG expression in the brain and
      memory impairment, we analyzed transgenic mice overexpressing LRG in the brain
      (LRG-Tg) focusing on hippocampus. Immunostaining and Western blotting revealed
      age-related increase in LRG expression in hippocampal neurons in 8-, 24-, and 48
      week-old controls and LRG-Tg. Y-maze and Morris water maze tests indicated
      retained spatial memory in 8- and 24-week-old LRG-Tg, while deteriorated in 48
      week-old LRG-Tg compared with age-matched controls. Field excitatory postsynaptic
      potentials declined with age in LRG-Tg compared with controls at 8, 24, and 48
      weeks. Paired-pulse ratio decreased with age in LRG-Tg, while increased in
      controls. As a result, long-term potentiation was retained in 8- and 24-week-old
      LRG-Tg, whereas diminished in 48-week-old LRG-Tg compared with age-matched
      controls. Electron microscopy observations revealed fewer synaptic vesicles and
      junctions in LRG-Tg compared with age-matched controls, which became significant
      with age. Hippocampal LRG overexpression contributes to synaptic dysfunction,
      which leads to memory impairment with advance of age.

PMID- 28917665
TI  - Improving mitochondrial function significantly reduces metabolic, visual, motor
      and cognitive decline in aged Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Mitochondria play a major role in aging. Over time, mutations accumulate in
      mitochondrial DNA leading to reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and
      increased production of damaging reactive oxygen species. If cells fail to cope,
      they die. Reduced ATP will result in declining cellular membrane potentials
      leading to reduced central nervous system function. However, aged mitochondrial
      function is improved by long wavelength light (670 nm) absorbed by cytochrome c
      oxidase in mitochondrial respiration. In Drosophila, lifelong 670-nm exposure
      extends lifespan and improves aged mobility. Here, we ask if improved
      mitochondrial metabolism can reduce functional senescence in metabolism, sensory,
      locomotor, and cognitive abilities in old flies exposed to 670 nm daily for 1
      week. Exposure significantly increased cytochrome c oxidase activity, whole body
      energy storage, ATP and mitochondrial DNA content, and reduced reactive oxygen
      species. Retinal function and memory were also significantly improved to levels
      found in 2-week-old flies. Mobility improved by 60%. The mode of action is likely
      related to improved energy homeostasis increasing ATP availability for ionic
      ATPases critical for maintenance of neuronal membrane potentials. 670-nm light
      exposure may be a simple route for resolving problems of aging.

PMID- 28917666
TI  - Hippocampal neurophysiology is modified by a disease-associated C-terminal
      fragment of tau protein.
AB  - The accumulation of cleaved tau fragments in the brain is associated with several
      tauopathies. For this reason, we recently developed a transgenic mouse that
      selectively accumulates a C-Terminal 35 kDa human tau fragment (Tau35). These
      animals develop progressive motor and spatial memory impairment, paralleled by
      increased hippocampal glycogen synthase kinase 3beta activity. In this
      neurophysiological study, we focused on the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus, a
      brain area involved in memory encoding. The accumulation of Tau35 results in a
      significant increase of short-term facilitation of the synaptic response in the
      theta frequency range (10 Hz), without affecting basal synaptic transmission and
      long-term synaptic plasticity. Tau35 expression also alters the intrinsic
      excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Thus, Tau35 presence is associated with
      increased and decreased excitability at hyperpolarized and depolarized
      potentials, respectively. These observations are paralleled by a
      hyperpolarization of the voltage-sensitivity of noninactivating K+ currents.
      Further investigation is needed to assess the causal link between such functional
      alterations and the cognitive and motor impairments previously observed in this
      model.

PMID- 28917667
TI  - Amyloid-beta42 clearance and neuroprotection mediated by X-box binding protein 1
      signaling decline with aging in the Drosophila brain.
AB  - The unfolded protein response (UPR) may be pathogenically related to Alzheimer's
      disease. Yet, the effects of chronic amyloid-beta42 (Abeta42) accumulation and
      UPR activation upon neurotoxicity remain unclear. Here, we show that neuronal
      Abeta42 expression in Drosophila activated the inositol-requiring protein-1/X-box
      binding protein 1 (XBP1) UPR branch before the onset of behavioral impairment and
      persisted with aging. Early upregulation of hsc3/BiP, a target of XBP1 and
      activating transcription factor 6 pathways, was also sustained in old animals.
      Downregulation of XBP1 enhanced neurotoxicity and the accumulation of Abeta42 and
      polyubiquitinated proteins. Consistently, overexpression of spliced XBP1 reduced
      Abeta42 and improved geotaxis in old flies. The activation of protein kinase RNA
      like endoplasmic reticulum (ER) kinase contributed to the age-dependent geotaxis
      deficit. Spliced XBP1 gene targets ER degradation-enhancing mannosidase-like
      protein 1, ER degradation-enhancing mannosidase-like protein 2, and HRD1 were
      elevated in 5-day-old Abeta42-expressing flies as compared to controls but not in
      18-day-old flies. Our results indicate that inositol-requiring protein-1/XBP1
      activation is neuroprotective and enhances Abeta42 clearance. They also suggest
      that such response becomes inefficient with aging.

PMID- 28917669
TI  - Knowledge-driven computational modeling in Alzheimer's disease research: Current
      state and future trends.
AB  - Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) follow a slowly
      progressing dysfunctional trajectory, with a large presymptomatic component and
      many comorbidities. Using preclinical models and large-scale omics studies
      ranging from genetics to imaging, a large number of processes that might be
      involved in AD pathology at different stages and levels have been identified. The
      sheer number of putative hypotheses makes it almost impossible to estimate their
      contribution to the clinical outcome and to develop a comprehensive view on the
      pathological processes driving the clinical phenotype. Traditionally,
      bioinformatics approaches have provided correlations and associations between
      processes and phenotypes. Focusing on causality, a new breed of advanced and more
      quantitative modeling approaches that use formalized domain expertise offer new
      opportunities to integrate these different modalities and outline possible paths
      toward new therapeutic interventions. This article reviews three different
      computational approaches and their possible complementarities. Process algebras,
      implemented using declarative programming languages such as Maude, facilitate
      simulation and analysis of complicated biological processes on a comprehensive
      but coarse-grained level. A model-driven Integration of Data and Knowledge, based
      on the OpenBEL platform and using reverse causative reasoning and network jump
      analysis, can generate mechanistic knowledge and a new, mechanism-based taxonomy
      of disease. Finally, Quantitative Systems Pharmacology is based on formalized
      implementation of domain expertise in a more fine-grained, mechanism-driven,
      quantitative, and predictive humanized computer model. We propose a strategy to
      combine the strengths of these individual approaches for developing powerful
      modeling methodologies that can provide actionable knowledge for rational
      development of preventive and therapeutic interventions. Development of these
      computational approaches is likely to be required for further progress in
      understanding and treating AD.

PMID- 28917668
TI  - Gut Microbe-Mediated Suppression of Inflammation-Associated Colon Carcinogenesis
      by Luminal Histamine Production.
AB  - Microbiome-mediated suppression of carcinogenesis may open new avenues for
      identification of therapeutic targets and prevention strategies in oncology.
      Histidine decarboxylase (HDC) deficiency has been shown to promote inflammation
      associated colorectal cancer by accumulation of CD11b+Gr-1+ immature myeloid
      cells, indicating a potential antitumorigenic effect of histamine. Here, we
      demonstrate that administration of hdc+Lactobacillus reuteri in the gut resulted
      in luminal hdc gene expression and histamine production in the intestines of Hdc
      /- mice. This histamine-producing probiotic decreased the number and size of
      colon tumors and colonic uptake of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose by positron emission
      tomography in Hdc-/- mice. Administration of L. reuteri suppressed keratinocyte
      chemoattractant (KC), Il22, Il6, Tnf, and IL1alpha gene expression in the colonic
      mucosa and reduced the amounts of proinflammatory, cancer-associated cytokines,
      keratinocyte chemoattractant, IL-22, and IL-6, in plasma. Histamine-generating L.
      reuteri also decreased the relative numbers of splenic CD11b+Gr-1+ immature
      myeloid cells. Furthermore, an isogenic HDC-deficient L. reuteri mutant that was
      unable to generate histamine did not suppress carcinogenesis, indicating a
      significant role of the cometabolite, histamine, in suppression of chronic
      intestinal inflammation and colorectal tumorigenesis. These findings link luminal
      conversion of amino acids to biogenic amines by gut microbes and probiotic
      mediated suppression of colorectal neoplasia.

PMID- 28917670
TI  - Morphological characterization and biocontrol effects of Vibrio vulnificus phages
      against Vibriosis in the shrimp aquaculture environment.
AB  - The re-emerging field of phage therapy is the potential biocontrol agents for the
      transfer of virulence factor and to kill their bacterial hosts. In this study,
      the lytic Vibrio vulnificus phages were studied to provide a better understanding
      of phage-host interactions and development of phage therapy. Four new V.
      vulnificus phages were detected from shrimp aquaculture system, named VV1, VV2,
      VV3 and VV4. All lytic V. vulnificus phages are the Tectiviruses of the family
      Tectiviridae with typical double layered elongated icosahedral head and tailless
      morphology. Lytic V. vulnificus phages which infect other Vibrio isolates were
      further characterized by long term storage, enzymes treatment, organic solvents
      treatment, detergents treatment, pH stability, temperature stability, agar
      bioassay method and one-step growth experiment. The effects of chloroform,
      acetone, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, ribonuclease (RNase), trypsin, protease,
      Triton-X100 treatments were not affected the growth of VV1, VV2, VV3 and VV4
      phages. These phages (VV1-VV4) were inactivated completely with temperature (over
      60  degrees C), pH (<3 or >12), lysozyme and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)
      treatment. One-step growth experiments indicated that the latent period was at 3
      h and burst size was at 37  degrees C. Agar bioassay method indicated that the
      percentage of inhibition was 75% (VV1) and 70% (VV2, VV3 & VV4), respectively.
      SDS-PAGE analysis of all V. vulnificus phages had similar protein patterns with
      molecular weight masses of 260, 249, 204, 148, 63, 59, 22 and 15 kDa. Hence, it
      could be concluded that V. vulnificus phage had a broad lytic spectrum and
      potential biocontrol of luminous Vibriosis in the shrimp aquaculture system.

PMID- 28917671
TI  - Scanning electron microscopy and histopathological observations of Beauveria
      bassiana infection of Colorado potato beetle larvae.
AB  - Beauveria bassiana is a potential candidate for use as an environmentally
      friendly bio-pesticide. We studied the infection process and histopathology of B.
      bassiana strain NDBJJ-BFG infection of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa
      decemlineata) using scanning electron microscopy and hematoxylin-eosin staining
      of tissue sections. The results show that the fungus penetrated the insect
      epidermis through germ tubes and appressoria after spraying the larvae with
      conidial suspensions. The conidia began to germinate after 24 h and invade the
      epidermis. After 48 h, the conidia invaded the larvae with germ tubes and began
      to enter the haemocoel. By 72 h, hyphae had covered the host surface and had
      colonized the body cavity. The dermal layer was dissolved, muscle tissues were
      ruptured and adipose tissue was removed. The mycelium had damaged the intestinal
      wall muscles, and invaded into intestinal wall and midfield cells resulting in
      cell separation and tracheal deformation. After 96 h of inoculation, the internal
      structure of the larvae was destroyed. The research shows that B. bassiana NDBJJ
      BFG surface inoculation resulted in a series of histopathological changes to the
      potato beetle larvae that proved lethal within 72 h. This indicated that this
      fungus has a high pathogenicity to Colorado potato beetle larvae.

PMID- 28917672
TI  - Corticosteroids as Co-analgesics With Opioids for Cancer-Related Pain: A
      Feasibility Study.

PMID- 28917673
TI  - B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin for Risk
      Stratification in Low-Flow, Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis: A Substudy of the TOPAS
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic value of
      combined measures of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and high-sensitivity
      cardiac troponin T (hsTnT) in patients with low-flow, low-gradient aortic
      stenosis (LF-LG AS) who had either a preserved or reduced left ventricular
      ejection fraction (LVEF). BACKGROUND: An elevated BNP level is associated with
      increased risk of mortality in patients with LF-LG AS. The incremental prognostic
      value of hsTnT in these patients is unknown. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients (74
      +/- 10 years; 75% men) with LF-LG AS (LVEF <50% and/or stroke volume index <35
      ml/m2, mean gradient <40 mm Hg, indexed aortic valve area <0.6 cm2/m2) who were
      prospectively enrolled in the TOPAS (Truly or Pseudo-Severe Aortic Stenosis)
      study were included. The cohort was divided into 3 groups according to BNP and
      hsTnT levels: group A: BNP <550 pg/ml and hsTnT <15 ng/l; group B: BNP >=550
      pg/ml or hsTnT >=15 ng/l; and group C: BNP >=550 pg/ml and hsTnT >=15 ng/l. The
      primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (27%)
      were in group A, 39 (40%) were in group B, and 32 (33%) were in group C. During a
      median follow-up of 2.8 years, 43 patients died. Two-year mortality was higher in
      group C (41 +/- 9%) than in group B (23 +/- 7%) and group A (5 +/- 4%) (p =
      0.002). In group B, there was no significant difference in 2-year mortality rates
      between the subgroup with hsTnT >=15 ng/l (n = 29) and the subgroup with BNP
      >=550 pg/ml (n = 10) (26 +/- 9% vs. 11 +/- 10%, respectively; p = 0.21). In
      multivariable analysis adjusted for age, type of treatment (aortic valve
      replacement vs. conservative therapy), coronary artery disease, and LVEF, being
      in group C remained independently associated with an increased risk of mortality
      (hazard ratio [HR]: 4.25; p = 0.023), and group B tended to have higher mortality
      (HR: 3.63; p = 0.058) compared with group A. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated
      the usefulness of combined measures of BNP and hsTnT to enhance risk
      stratification in patients with LF-LG AS. Patients with elevation of both BNP and
      hsTnT had a markedly increased risk of mortality. (Multicenter Prospective Study
      of Low-Flow Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis [TOPAS]; NCT01835028).

PMID- 28917674
TI  - Prognostic Value of Risk Factors, Calcium Score, Coronary CTA, Myocardial
      Perfusion Imaging, and Invasive Coronary Angiography in Kidney Transplantation
      Candidates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to perform a prospective head-to-head comparison of
      the predictive value of clinical risk factors and a variety of cardiac imaging
      modalities including coronary artery calcium score (CACS), coronary computed
      tomography angiography (CTA), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT),
      and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) on major adverse cardiac events (MACE)
      and all-cause mortality in kidney transplantation candidates. BACKGROUND: Current
      guidelines recommend screening for coronary artery disease in kidney
      transplantation candidates. Furthermore, noninvasive stress imaging is
      recommended in current guidelines, despite its low diagnostic accuracy and
      uncertain prognostic value. METHODS: The study prospectively evaluated 154
      patients referred for kidney transplantation. All patients underwent CACS,
      coronary CTA, SPECT, and ICA testing. The clinical endpoints were extracted from
      patients' interviews, patients' records, and registries. RESULTS: The mean follow
      up time was 3.7 years. In total, 27 (17.5%) patients experienced MACE, and 31
      (20.1%) patients died during follow-up. In a time-to-event analysis, both risk
      factors and CACS significantly predicted death, but only CACS predicted MACE.
      Combining risk factors with CACS identified a very-low-risk cohort with a MACE
      event rate of 2.1%, and a 1.0% mortality rate per year. Of the diagnostic
      modalities, coronary CTA and ICA significantly predicted MACE, but only coronary
      CTA predicted death. In contrast, SPECT predicted neither MACE nor death.
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with traditional risk factors and other cardiac imaging
      modalities, CACS and coronary CTA seem superior for risk stratification in kidney
      transplant candidates. Applying a combination of risk factors and CACS and
      subsequently coronary CTA seems to be the most appropriate strategy.
      (Angiographic CT of Renal Transplantation Candidate Study [ACToR]; NCT01344434).

PMID- 28917676
TI  - Physiological Determinants of Left Ventricular Mechanical Dispersion: A 2
      Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic Study in Healthy Volunteers.

PMID- 28917675
TI  - Regional Variation in Technetium Pyrophosphate Uptake in Transthyretin Cardiac
      Amyloidosis and Impact on Mortality.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate the regional uptake of technetium
      99m-pyrophosphate (TcPYP) in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR) and its
      association with mortality. BACKGROUND: TcPYP nuclear scintigraphy is a
      diagnostic and prognostic tool in ATTR. Echocardiography has identified a pattern
      of regional variation in longitudinal strain (LS) with a gradient of improved
      strain from base to apex in ATTR. METHODS: Consecutive patients with ATTR were
      evaluated who underwent TcPYP nuclear scintigraphy with planar and attenuation
      corrected single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Heart-to
      contralateral lung (H/CL) ratio was calculated on planar images, and left
      ventricular (LV) uptake was determined in each of the 17 segments using SPECT. A
      measure of apical-sparing of myocardial TcPYP uptake, termed the apical-sparing
      ratio (ASR), was calculated as basal + mid / apical counts. RESULTS: Overall, 54
      patients with ATTR (age 78 +/- 9 years, 76% male, 31% hereditary ATTR) were
      analyzed. There was increased TcPYP uptake in basal and mid relative to apical LV
      segments, and an apical-sparing LS pattern on echocardiography. The right
      ventricle similarly showed greater uptake in basal segments. There were 26 deaths
      over 1.8 years median follow-up. The ASR of TcPYP uptake was associated with age
      adjusted all-cause mortality (p = 0.013) with worse prognosis seen at levels
      <2.75. Global LS was also prognostic (p = 0.01), whereas H/CL ratio and total LV
      uptake indexed to blood pool were not (p = 0.772 and p = 0.850, respectively).
      The prognostic utility of the ASR persisted in multivariable modeling (p =
      0.003), whereas global LS did not. CONCLUSIONS: There is decreased TcPYP uptake
      in apical as compared to mid and basal segments in the LV, mimicking apical
      sparing LS seen on echocardiography. Regional distribution of LV TcPYP uptake is
      associated with mortality, whereas overall amount of uptake as measured by H/CL
      ratio and indexed LV SPECT uptake is not.

PMID- 28917677
TI  - Interventional Correction of Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defect and Partial
      Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage: Procedural Planning Using 3D Printed Models.

PMID- 28917678
TI  - Optical Frequency Domain Imaging Versus Intravascular Ultrasound in Percutaneous
      Coronary Intervention (OPINION Trial): Results From the OPINION Imaging Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to clarify how intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and
      optical coherence tomography affect percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with
      current-generation drug-eluting stents in a pre-specified substudy of the OPINION
      (OPtical frequency domain imaging versus INtravascular ultrasound in percutaneous
      coronary interventiON) trial, a multicenter, prospective, randomized,
      noninferiority trial comparing optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI)-guided PCI
      with IVUS-guided PCI. BACKGROUND: The impact of these 2 imaging modalities in
      guiding PCI remains unknown. METHODS: Of 829 patients enrolled in the OPINION
      trial, 106 were included in the present imaging substudy. Their PCI was guided by
      either IVUS or OFDI, but all patients were imaged by both modalities after PCI
      and by OFDI at 8 months. Angiographic, OFDI, and IVUS images were analyzed by
      independent core laboratories, and statistical analysis was done independently by
      a dedicated institution. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients underwent either OFDI
      guided (n = 54) or IVUS-guided (n = 49) PCI. Immediately after PCI, OFDI-guided
      PCI was associated with a smaller trend of minimum stent area (5.28 +/- 1.65 mm2
      vs. 6.12 +/- 2.34 mm2; p = 0.088), fewer proximal stent-edge hematomas (p =
      0.04), and fewer irregular protrusions (p = 0.014) than IVUS-guided PCI. At 8
      months, the neointima area tended to be smaller in the OFDI-guided PCI group than
      in the IVUS-guided PCI group (0.56 +/- 0.30 mm2 vs. 0.80 +/- 0.65 mm2; p =
      0.057), although the percentage of uncovered struts was significantly higher in
      the OFDI-guided PCI group than in the IVUS-guided PCI group (6.97 +/- 7.03% vs.
      4.67 +/- 6.43%; p = 0.039). The minimum lumen area was comparable in both groups
      (p = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: There were several differences in local findings between
      OFDI- and IVUS-guided PCI as expected given the different protocols for stent
      sizing in the 2 groups. The minimum lumen area at the 8-month follow-up was
      comparable, suggesting that OFDI- and IVUS-guided PCI are similarly feasible
      using the current-generation drug-eluting stents. (OPtical frequency domain
      imaging versus INtravascular ultrasound in percutaneous coronary interventiON;
      NCT01873222).

PMID- 28917679
TI  - Epidemiology of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction and Heart Failure in the
      Framingham Study: An Echocardiographic Study Over 3 Decades.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe the temporal trends in
      prevalence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in individuals without
      and with heart failure (HF) in the community over a 3-decade period of
      observation. BACKGROUND: Temporal trends in the prevalence and management of
      major risk factors may affect the epidemiology of HF. METHODS: We compared the
      frequency, correlates, and prognosis of LVSD (left ventricular ejection fraction
      [LVEF] <50%) among Framingham Study participants without and with clinical HF in
      3 decades (1985 to 1994, 1995 to 2004, and 2005 to 2014). RESULTS: Among
      participants without HF (12,857 person-observations, mean age 53 years, 56%
      women), the prevalence of LVSD on echocardiography decreased (3.38% in 1985 to
      1994 vs. 2.2% in 2005 to 2014; p < 0.0001), whereas mean LVEF increased (65% vs.
      68%; p < 0.001). The elevated risk associated with LVSD (~2- to 4-fold risk of HF
      or death) remained unchanged over time. Among participants with new-onset HF (n =
      894, mean age 75 years, 52% women), the frequency of heart failure with preserved
      ejection fraction (HFpEF) increased (preserved LVEF >=50%: 41.0% in 1985 to 1994
      vs. 56.17% in 2005 to 2014; p < 0.001) and heart failure with reduced ejection
      fraction (HFrEF) decreased (reduced LVEF <40%: 44.10% vs. 31.06%; p = 0.002),
      whereas heart failure with midrange LVEF remained unchanged (LVEF 40% to <50%:
      14.90% vs. 12.77%; p = 0.66). Cardiovascular mortality associated with HFrEF
      declined across decades (hazard ratio: 0.61; 95% confidence interval: 0.39 to
      0.97), but remained unchanged for heart failure with midrange LVEF and HFpEF.
      Approximately 47% of the observed increase in LVEF among those without HF and 75%
      of the rising proportion of HFpEF across decades was attributable to trends in
      risk factors, especially a decline in the prevalence of coronary heart disease
      among those with HF. CONCLUSIONS: The profile of HF in the community has changed
      in recent decades, with a lower prevalence of LVSD and an increased frequency of
      HFpEF, presumably due to concomitant risk factor trends.

PMID- 28917680
TI  - Effusive-Constrictive Pericarditis After Pericardiocentesis: Incidence,
      Associated Findings, and Natural History.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate the incidence, associated findings,
      and natural history of effusive-constrictive pericarditis (ECP) after
      pericardiocentesis. BACKGROUND: ECP is characterized by the coexistence of tense
      pericardial effusion and constriction of the heart by the visceral pericardium.
      Echocardiography is currently the main diagnostic tool in the assessment of
      pericardial disease, but limited data have been published on the incidence and
      prognosis of ECP diagnosed by echo-Doppler. METHODS: A total of 205 consecutive
      patients undergoing pericardiocentesis at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, were
      divided into 2 groups (ECP and non-ECP) based on the presence or absence of post
      centesis echocardiographic findings of constrictive pericarditis. Clinical,
      laboratory, and imaging characteristics were compared. RESULTS: ECP was
      subsequently diagnosed in 33 patients (16%) after pericardiocentesis. Overt
      clinical cardiac tamponade was present in 52% of ECP patients and 36% of non-ECP
      patients (p = 0.08). Post-procedure hemopericardium was more frequent in the ECP
      group (33% vs. 13%; p = 0.003), and a higher percentage of neutrophils and lower
      percentage of monocytes were noted on pericardial fluid analysis in those
      patients. Clinical and laboratory findings were otherwise similar. Baseline early
      diastolic mitral septal annular velocity was significantly higher in the ECP
      group. Before pericardiocentesis, respiratory variation of mitral inflow
      velocity, expiratory diastolic flow reversal of hepatic vein, and respirophasic
      septal shift were significantly more frequent in the ECP group. Fibrinous or
      loculated effusions were also more frequently observed in the ECP group. Four
      deaths occurred in the ECP group; all 4 patients had known malignancies. During
      median follow-up of 3.8 years (interquartile range: 0.5 to 8.3 years), only 2
      patients required pericardiectomy for persistent constrictive features and
      symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of unselected patients undergoing
      pericardiocentesis, 16% were found to have ECP. Pre-centesis echocardiographic
      findings might identify such patients. Long-term prognosis in those patients
      remains good, and pericardiectomy was rarely required.

PMID- 28917681
TI  - The Immediate Effects of Statins on Coronary Atherosclerosis: Can Phenotype
      Explain Outcome?

PMID- 28917682
TI  - The RAC Sign: Retroaortic Anomalous Coronary Artery Visualization by
      Transthoracic Echocardiography.

PMID- 28917683
TI  - Stasis Mapping Using Ultrasound: A Prospective Study in Acute Myocardial
      Infarction.

PMID- 28917684
TI  - Role of Low Endothelial Shear Stress and Plaque Characteristics in the Prediction
      of Nonculprit Major Adverse Cardiac Events: The PROSPECT Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine whether low endothelial shear stress
      (ESS) adds independent prognostication for future major adverse cardiac events
      (MACE) in coronary lesions in patients with high-risk acute coronary syndrome
      (ACS) from the United States and Europe. BACKGROUND: Low ESS is a
      proinflammatory, proatherogenic stimulus associated with coronary plaque
      development, progression, and destabilization in human-like animal models and in
      humans. Previous natural history studies including baseline ESS characterization
      investigated low-risk patients. METHODS: In the PROSPECT (Providing Regional
      Observations to Study Predictors of Events in the Coronary Tree) study, 697
      patients with ACS underwent 3-vessel intracoronary imaging. Independent
      predictors of MACE attributable to untreated nonculprit (nc) coronary lesions
      during 3.4-year follow-up were large plaque burden (PB), small minimum lumen area
      (MLA), and thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) morphology. In this analysis, baseline
      ESS of nc lesions leading to new MACE (nc-MACE lesions) and randomly selected
      control nc lesions without MACE (nc-non-MACE lesions) were calculated. A
      propensity score for ESS was constructed for each lesion, and the relationship
      between ESS and subsequent nc-MACE was examined. RESULTS: A total of 145 lesions
      were analyzed in 97 patients: 23 nc-MACE lesions (13 TCFAs, 10 thick-cap
      fibroatheromas [ThCFAs]), and 122 nc-non-MACE lesions (63 TCFAs, 59 ThCFAs). Low
      local ESS (<1.3 Pa) was strongly associated with subsequent nc-MACE compared with
      physiological/high ESS (>=1.3 Pa) (23 of 101 [22.8%]) versus (0 of 44 [0%]). In
      propensity-adjusted Cox regression, low ESS was strongly associated with MACE
      (hazard ratio: 4.34; 95% confidence interval: 1.89 to 10.00; p < 0.001).
      Categorizing plaques by anatomic risk (high risk: >=2 high-risk characteristics
      PB >=70%, MLA <=4 mm2, or TCFA), high anatomic risk, and low ESS were
      prognostically synergistic: 3-year nc-MACE rates were 52.1% versus 14.4% versus
      0.0% in high-anatomic risk/low-ESS, low-anatomic risk/low-ESS, and
      physiological/high-ESS lesions, respectively (p < 0.0001). No lesion without low
      ESS led to nc-MACE during follow-up, regardless of PB, MLA, or lesion phenotype
      at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Local low ESS provides incremental risk stratification
      of untreated coronary lesions in high-risk patients, beyond measures of PB, MLA,
      and morphology.

PMID- 28917685
TI  - Leveraging Mobile Technology to Reduce Resource-Related Health Care Disparities:
      Challenges and Opportunities.

PMID- 28917686
TI  - Pre-Renal Transplant Risk Stratification: A Perpetual Quandary.

PMID- 28917687
TI  - Clinical Significance of Right Ventricular Longitudinal Function Parameters After
      Aortic Valve Replacement.

PMID- 28917690
TI  - Apical to Base Gradient of Technetium-99m Pyrophosphate Myocardial Counts in
      Cardiac Amyloidosis: An Insight Into the Mechanism of Myocardial Strain Gradient,
      or Merely "Clouds That Mimic Land Before the Sailor's Eye?"

PMID- 28917691
TI  - The Changing Face of Heart Failure.

PMID- 28917689
TI  - Effect of Early Pitavastatin Therapy on Coronary Fibrous-Cap Thickness Assessed
      by Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: The
      ESCORT Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of early statin
      therapy on fibrous-cap thickness in coronary plaques of patients with acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) by using optical coherence tomography. BACKGROUND:
      Statins can contribute to the stabilization of coronary plaques. METHODS: This is
      a prospective, randomized, active-controlled, single-center study. Patients with
      ACS and untreated dyslipidemia were enrolled and randomly allocated (ratio 1:1)
      to either the early statin group (received pitavastatin 4 mg/day from baseline)
      or the late statin group (received pitavastatin 4 mg/day from 3 weeks after the
      baseline). Optical coherence tomography was performed at baseline, 3-week, and 36
      week follow-up to assess nonculprit coronary plaques in 53 patients. RESULTS:
      Between baseline and 3-week follow-up, fibrous-cap thickness increased in the
      early statin group (140 MUm [interquartile range (IQR):120 to 170 MUm] to 160 MUm
      [IQR: 130 to 190 MUm]; p = 0.017), but decreased in the late statin group (135
      MUm [IQR: 110 to 183 MUm] to 130 MUm [IQR: 108 to 160 MUm]; p = 0.020). The
      percentage of increase in fibrous-cap thickness between baseline and 3-week
      follow-up was significantly greater in the early statin group compared with the
      late statin group (8.3% [IQR: 0.0% to 21.4%] vs. -5.8% [IQR: -16.0% to 0.0%]; p <
      0.001). Between baseline and 36-week follow-up, fibrous-cap thickness increased
      comparably in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Early therapy with pitavastatin 4 mg/day
      for patients with ACS provided an increase in fibrous-cap thickness in coronary
      plaques during the first 3 weeks of follow-up and a further increase during 36
      weeks of follow-up. The study was registered with UMIN Clinical Trial Registry
      (Effect of PitavaStatin on Coronary Fibrous-cap Thickness-Assessment by Fourier
      Domain Optical CoheRence Tomography [ESCORT]; UMIN000002678).

PMID- 28917688
TI  - A Randomized Trial of Pocket-Echocardiography Integrated Mobile Health Device
      Assessments in Modern Structural Heart Disease Clinics.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine whether mobile health (mHealth) device
      assessments used as clinical decision support tools at the point-of-care can
      reduce the time to treatment and improve long-term outcomes among patients with
      rheumatic and structural heart diseases (SHD). BACKGROUND: Newly developed
      smartphone-connected mHealth devices represent promising methods to diagnose
      common diseases in resource-limited areas; however, the impact of technology
      based care on long-term outcomes has not been rigorously evaluated. METHODS: A
      total of 253 patients with SHD were randomized to an initial diagnostic
      assessment with wireless devices in mHealth clinics (n = 139) or to standard-care
      (n = 114) in India. mHealth clinics were equipped with point-of-care devices
      including pocket-echocardiography, smartphone-connected-electrocardiogram blood
      pressure and oxygen measurements, activity monitoring, and portable brain
      natriuretic peptide laboratory testing. All individuals underwent comprehensive
      transthoracic echocardiography to assess the severity of SHD. The primary
      endpoint was the time to referral for therapy with percutaneous valvuloplasty or
      surgical valve replacement. Secondary endpoints included the probability of a
      cardiovascular hospitalization and/or death over 1 year. RESULTS: An initial
      mHealth assessment was associated with a shorter time to referral for
      valvuloplasty and/or valve replacement (83 +/- 79 days vs. 180 +/- 101 days; p
      <0.001) and was associated with an increased probability for valvuloplasty/valve
      replacement compared to standard-care (34% vs. 32%; adjusted hazard ratio: 1.54;
      95% CI: 0.96 to 2.47; p = 0.07). Patients randomized to mHealth were associated
      with a lower risk of a hospitalization and/or death on follow-up (15% vs. 28%,
      adjusted hazard ratio: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.83; p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: An
      initial mHealth diagnostic strategy was associated with a shorter time to
      definitive therapy among patients with SHD in a resource-limited area and was
      associated with improved outcomes. (A Randomized Trial of Pocket-Echocardiography
      Integrated Mobile Health Device Assessments in Modern Structural Heart Disease
      Clinics; NCT02881398).

PMID- 28917692
TI  - The Stress of Plaque Prognostication.

PMID- 28917693
TI  - How Quickly We Forget.

PMID- 28917694
TI  - Multibiomarker Strategies in Aortic Stenosis.

PMID- 28917695
TI  - The impact of GABAergic drugs on TMS-induced brain oscillations in human motor
      cortex.
AB  - Brain responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as measured with
      electroencephalography (EEG) have so far been assessed either by TMS-evoked EEG
      potentials (TEPs), mostly reflecting phase-locked neuronal activity, or time
      frequency-representations (TFRs), reflecting oscillatory power arising from a
      mixture of both evoked (i.e., phase-locked) and induced (i.e., non-phase-locked)
      responses. Single-pulse TMS of the human primary motor cortex induces a specific
      pattern of oscillatory changes, characterized by an early (30-200 ms after TMS)
      synchronization in the alpha- and beta-bands over the stimulated sensorimotor
      cortex and adjacent lateral frontal cortex, followed by a late (200-400 ms) alpha
      and beta-desynchronization over the stimulated and contralateral sensorimotor
      cortex. As GABAergic inhibition plays an important role in shaping oscillatory
      brain activity, we sought here to understand if GABAergic inhibition contributes
      to these TMS-induced oscillations. We tested single oral doses of alprazolam,
      diazepam, zolpidem (positive modulators of the GABAA receptor), and baclofen
      (specific GABAB receptor agonist). Diazepam and zolpidem enhanced, and alprazolam
      tended to enhance while baclofen decreased the early alpha-synchronization.
      Alprazolam and baclofen enhanced the early beta-synchronization. Baclofen
      enhanced the late alpha-desynchronization, and alprazolam, diazepam and baclofen
      enhanced the late beta-desynchronization. The observed GABAergic drug effects on
      TMS-induced alpha- and beta-band oscillations were not explained by drug-induced
      changes on corticospinal excitability, muscle response size, or resting-state EEG
      power. Our results provide first insights into the pharmacological profile of TMS
      induced oscillatory responses of motor cortex.

PMID- 28917696
TI  - Brain mapping in multiple sclerosis: Lessons learned about the human brain.
AB  - The application of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      techniques in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has certainly helped to
      improve our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for clinical disability
      and cognitive impairment in this condition. The numerous studies performed in MS
      patients have also provided many lessons on the structure-function relationships
      in the human brain, which could be applied to healthy subjects and to patients
      affected by other neurological conditions. The findings have allowed a better
      understanding of the processes involved in the loss of function after central
      nervous system (CNS) damage, and clarified the substrates of specific symptoms
      (e.g., cognitive impairment and fatigue), which should aid clinical recovery and
      help in the monitoring of disease progression. In this review, important examples
      of how the application of different MRI techniques in MS might provide relevant
      information on the human brain are discussed. These include how damage to
      strategic white matter tracts can cause symptoms due to a disconnection mechanism
      and how involvement of a specific brain network, independent of the underlying
      pathological substrate, might determine certain symptoms. The role of functional
      and structural plasticity in clinical recovery (following an acute relapse or
      promoted by rehabilitation) and the mechanisms that might become the target of
      treatment aimed at function recovery are also considered. The ways in which
      network- and system-based analysis can reshape current understanding of the brain
      structure-function relationships are discussed. Finally, there is speculation
      about the relevance of inherited or acquired factors, such as age, comorbidity,
      brain reserve and cognitive reserve, which are likely to influence the relation
      between CNS damage and disease clinical manifestations.

PMID- 28917697
TI  - Trajectories of brain system maturation from childhood to older adulthood:
      Implications for lifespan cognitive functioning.
AB  - The human brain's intrinsic functional architecture reflects behavioural history
      and can help elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive
      changes. To probe this issue, we used resting state (N = 586) and behavioural (N
      = 255) data from a lifespan sample and tested the interactions among ten
      intrinsic neural systems, derived from a well-established whole-brain
      parcellation. Our results revealed three distinguishable profiles, whose
      expression strengthened with increasing age and which characterized developmental
      differences in connectivity within the ten systems, between networks thought to
      underlie cognitive control and non-control systems, and among the non-control
      networks. The within-network connectivity profile was typified by decreased
      connectivity within two external processing networks (auditory/language and
      ventral attention). The non-control-to-non-control connectivity profile was
      typified by increased separation between networks involved in external
      processing, including language (dorsal attention, auditory) and those linked to
      internally generated cognitions and category learning (default mode,
      subcortical). Finally, the third connectivity profile was characterized by
      increased coupling of the three control networks (frontoparietal, salience,
      cingulo-opercular) with one another and with the remaining systems, particularly
      the subcortical and the two networks showing declining segregation with age. All
      three profiles showed significant associations with behavior during young
      adulthood, although these effects were less discernible during early development
      (before the age of 21) and degraded during late middle age and older adulthood.
      An exception to this trend was observed with respect to the within-network
      connectivity profile, whose "precocious" expression during early development
      predicted superior cognitive functioning. These findings thus help explain
      lifespan changes in the quality of mental processes, while also pointing to
      distinguishable mechanisms, which aid behavioural performance during different
      life stages.

PMID- 28917698
TI  - Introducing axonal myelination in connectomics: A preliminary analysis of g-ratio
      distribution in healthy subjects.
AB  - Microstructural imaging and connectomics are two research areas that hold great
      potential for investigating brain structure and function. Combining these two
      approaches can lead to a better and more complete characterization of the brain
      as a network. The aim of this work is characterizing the connectome from a novel
      perspective using the myelination measure given by the g-ratio. The g-ratio is
      the ratio of the inner to the outer diameters of a myelinated axon, whose
      aggregated value can now be estimated in vivo using MRI. In two different
      datasets of healthy subjects, we reconstructed the structural connectome and then
      used the g-ratio estimated from diffusion and magnetization transfer data to
      characterize the network structure. Significant characteristics of g-ratio
      weighted graphs emerged. First, the g-ratio distribution across the edges of the
      graph did not show the power-law distribution observed using the number of
      streamlines as a weight. Second, connections involving regions related to motor
      and sensory functions were the highest in myelin content. We also observed
      significant differences in terms of the hub structure and the rich-club
      organization suggesting that connections involving hub regions present higher
      myelination than peripheral connections. Taken together, these findings offer a
      characterization of g-ratio distribution across the connectome in healthy
      subjects and lay the foundations for further investigating plasticity and
      pathology using a similar approach.

PMID- 28917699
TI  - The impact of aging on subregions of the hippocampal complex in healthy adults.
AB  - The hippocampal complex, an anatomical composite of several subregions, is known
      to decrease in size with increasing age. However, studies investigating which
      subregions are particularly prone to age-related tissue loss revealed conflicting
      findings. Possible reasons for such inconsistencies may reflect differences
      between studies in terms of the cohorts examined or techniques applied to define
      and measure hippocampal subregions. In the present study, we enhanced
      conventional MR-based information with microscopically defined cytoarchitectonic
      probabilities to investigate aging effects on the hippocampal complex in a
      carefully selected sample of 96 healthy subjects (48 males/48 females) aged 18-69
      years. We observed significant negative correlations between age and volumes of
      the cornu ammonis, fascia dentata, subiculum, and hippocampal-amygdaloid
      transition area, but not the entorhinal cortex. The estimated age-related annual
      atrophy rates were most pronounced in the left and right subiculum with -0.23%
      and -0.22%, respectively. These findings suggest age-related atrophy of the
      hippocampal complex overall, but with differential effects in its subregions. If
      confirmed in future studies, such region-specific information may prove useful
      for the assessment of diseases and disorders known to modulate age-related
      hippocampal volume loss.

PMID- 28917700
TI  - Use of molecular data in species-level taxonomy of parasites: A commentary.

PMID- 28917701
TI  - Paleoecological insights from fossil freshwater mollusks of the Kanapoi Formation
      (Omo-Turkana Basin, Kenya).
AB  - The Early Pliocene Kanapoi Formation of the Omo-Turkana Basin consists of two
      fluvial/deltaic sedimentary sequences with an intermediate lacustrine sequence
      that was deposited in Paleolake Lonyumun, the earliest large lake in the basin.
      Overall, the geology and vertebrate paleontology of the Kanapoi Formation are
      well studied, but its freshwater mollusks, despite being a major component of the
      benthic ecosystem, have not been subjected to in-depth study. Here I present the
      first treatment of these mollusks, which have been retrieved mainly from the
      lacustrine but also from the upper fluvial sediments, with a focus on
      paleoecological implications. Overall, the freshwater mollusk fauna is reasonably
      diverse and contains the gastropods Bellamya (Viviparidae), Melanoides
      (Thiaridae), Cleopatra (Paludomidae) and Gabbiella (Bithyniidae), as well as the
      unionoid bivalves Coelatura, Pseudobovaria (Unionidae), Aspatharia, Iridina
      (Iridinidae) and Etheria (Etheriidae). Material is typically recrystallized and
      lithified and its taphonomy suggests deposition in a system with intermediate
      energy, such as a beach, with post-depositional deformation and abrasion. The
      mollusk assemblage is indicative of perennial, fresh and well-oxygenated waters
      in the Kanapoi region. It suggests that Paleolake Lonyumun had largely open
      shores with limited vegetation and that swampy or ephemeral backwaters were rare.
      Overall, these findings support earlier paleoecological interpretations based on
      the fish assemblage of Paleolake Lonyumun at Kanapoi. Moreover, mollusk
      assemblages from this lake are very similar across the Omo-Turkana Basin
      (Nachukui, Usno, Mursi and Koobi Fora Formations) suggesting that the lacustrine
      paleoecological conditions found in the Kanapoi Formation existed throughout the
      basin.

PMID- 28917702
TI  - Hominin track assemblages from Okote Member deposits near Ileret, Kenya, and
      their implications for understanding fossil hominin paleobiology at 1.5 Ma.
AB  - Tracks can provide unique, direct records of behaviors of fossil organisms moving
      across their landscapes millions of years ago. While track discoveries have been
      rare in the human fossil record, over the last decade our team has uncovered
      multiple sediment surfaces within the Okote Member of the Koobi Fora Formation
      near Ileret, Kenya that contain large assemblages of ~1.5 Ma fossil hominin
      tracks. Here, we provide detailed information on the context and nature of each
      of these discoveries, and we outline the specific data that are preserved on the
      Ileret hominin track surfaces. We analyze previously unpublished data to refine
      and expand upon earlier hypotheses regarding implications for hominin anatomy and
      social behavior. While each of the track surfaces discovered at Ileret preserves
      a different amount of data that must be handled in particular ways, general
      patterns are evident. Overall, the analyses presented here support earlier
      interpretations of the ~1.5 Ma Ileret track assemblages, providing further
      evidence of large, human-like body sizes and possibly evidence of a group
      composition that could support the emergence of certain human-like patterns of
      social behavior. These data, used in concert with other forms of paleontological
      and archaeological evidence that are deposited on different temporal scales,
      offer unique windows through which we can broaden our understanding of the
      paleobiology of hominins living in East Africa at ~1.5 Ma.

PMID- 28917703
TI  - Distally Enlarged Feeding Artery Phenomenon in Intracranial Dural Arteriovenous
      Fistula: Alternative Access Route to Transarterial Intravenous Embolization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transvenous (TV) embolization is ideal for endovascular treatment of
      intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF). However, it is not always
      feasible because of various factors, and transarterial (TA) embolization could
      then be tried. We aimed to determine the incidence of distally enlarged feeding
      artery phenomenon and the major feeding artery in DAVF. If the TV approach is
      difficult and this phenomenon is observed, we could use this vessel for
      transarterial intravenous (TAIV) embolization as an endovascular treatment
      modality for DAVF. METHODS: Forty-four patients with intracranial DAVF treated by
      the endovascular procedure between 2009 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed.
      Their clinical records, angiography reports, and embolization procedure notes
      were studied, and their angiographies were chronologically classified into
      proliferative and restrictive types. RESULTS: In 14 of 44 patients (32%), we
      observed the distally enlarged feeding artery phenomenon. The most common
      enlarged artery was the middle meningeal artery. The distally enlarged feeding
      artery group was predominantly the restrictive type, and the other group was
      proliferative in nature (P < 0.001). Of the 14 patients, 7 underwent TAIV
      embolization, and the other 7 underwent TV embolization. CONCLUSIONS: Distally
      enlarged feeding artery phenomenon was observed in 32% of patients with
      intracranial DAVF. This group was predominantly the restrictive type. We conclude
      that this phenomenon might help determine a patient's eligibility for TAIV
      embolization when TV embolization is difficult or impossible.

PMID- 28917704
TI  - Accuracy of Pedicle Screw Insertion Among 3 Image-Guided Navigation Systems:
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many retrospective studies of pedicle screw placement have revealed
      that intraoperative navigation systems provide higher accuracy rates and safety
      than do free-hand techniques. The accuracy of various image-guided navigation
      systems has been studied; however, differences have not been well defined due to
      the lack of adequate evidence-based comparative studies. OBJECTIVE: A meta
      analysis was conducted to focus on the variation in pedicle screw insertion among
      3 navigation systems: a 3-dimensional fluoroscopy-based navigation system (3D
      FluoroNav), a 2-dimensional fluoroscopy-based navigation system (2D FluoroNav),
      and a conventional computed tomography navigation system (CT Nav). METHODS: We
      screened for comparative studies on different pedicle screw insertion navigation
      systems published through January 2017 using the Cochrane Library, Ovid, Web of
      Science, PubMed, and EMBASE databases. RESULTS: From 125 papers that were
      identified, 10 articles were finally chosen. The present comparative study
      included 8 retrospective clinical studies, 1 prospective clinical trial, and 1
      randomized controlled cadaveric study. The prevalence rate of pedicle violation
      in the 3D FluoroNav group was significantly lower than the rates of the 2D
      FluoroNav group (relative risk [RR] 95%, confidence interval [CI]: 0.16-0.61, P <
      0.01) and the CT Nav group (RR 95%, CI: 0.42-0.90, P = 0.01), and the rate of the
      CT Nav group was significantly lower than that of the 2D FluoroNav group (RR 95%,
      CI: 0.29-0.81, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Significant differences exist among CT Nav,
      3D FluoroNav, and 2D FluoroNav. Our review suggests that 3D FluoroNav may be
      superior to the other 2 methods in reducing pedicle violation and that clinicians
      should consider 3D FluoroNav as a better choice.

PMID- 28917706
TI  - The effects of needle damage on annulus fibrosus micromechanics.
AB  - : Needle puncture of the intervertebral disc can initiate a mechanical and
      biochemical cascade leading to disc degeneration. Puncture's mechanical effects
      have been shown near the puncture site, mechanical effects should be observed
      far, relative to needle size, from the puncture site, given the disc-wide damage
      induced by the stab. The aim of this work was to quantify these far-field
      effects, and to observe the local structural damage provoked by the needle.
      Strips of cow tail annulus fibrosus underwent two consecutive mechanical loadings
      to 5% tensile strain; fifteen samples were punctured in a radial direction with a
      randomly assigned needle between the two loadings (needle gauges between 19 and
      23). Ten samples (control group) were not punctured. During loading, the tissue
      strains were imaged using second harmonic generation microscopy in a <600*800um
      region about 4.4mm from the puncture site. After mechanical testing, the puncture
      site was imaged in 3D. Puncture had no significant effect on annulus elastic
      modulus. Imaging showed a modest change in the shearing between fibre bundles
      however, the linear strain between bundles, intra-bundle shear and linear strain
      were not significantly affected. At the puncture site, detached lumps of tissue
      were present. These results suggest that the mechanical effects observed in
      intact discs are due to the depressurization of the disc, rather than the local
      damage to the annulus. Needle profiles could be designed, aiming at separating
      fibre bundles rather than cutting through them, to avoid leaving dying tissue
      behind. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Needle puncture of the intervertebral disc can
      initiate a mechanical and biochemical cascade leading to disc degeneration, but
      the link between the local damage of the puncture and the disc-wide effects is
      not well understood. This work aimed at determining the micro-mechanical effects
      of the puncture far from its site, and to observe the damage induced by the
      puncture with high resolution imaging. Results show that the puncture had modest
      effect far from the puncture, but lumps of tissue were left by the needle,
      detached from the disc; these could cause further damage through friction and
      inflammation of the surrounding tissues. This suggests that the cascade leading
      to degeneration is probably driven by a biochemical response rather than disc
      wide mechanical effects.

PMID- 28917705
TI  - Long-term retention of ECM hydrogel after implantation into a sub-acute stroke
      cavity reduces lesion volume.
AB  - : Salvaging or functional replacement of damaged tissue caused by stroke in the
      brain remains a major therapeutic challenge. In situ gelation and retention of a
      hydrogel bioscaffold composed of 8mg/mL extracellular matrix (ECM) can induce a
      robust invasion of cells within 24h and potentially promote a structural
      remodeling to replace lost tissue. Herein, we demonstrate a long-term retention
      of ECM hydrogel within the lesion cavity. A decrease of approximately 32% of ECM
      volume is observed over 12weeks. Lesion volume, as measured by magnetic resonance
      imaging and histology, was reduced by 28%, but a battery of behavioral tests
      (bilateral asymmetry test; footfault; rotameter) did not reveal a therapeutic or
      detrimental effect of the hydrogel. Glial scarring and peri-infarct astrocytosis
      were equivalent between untreated and treated animals, potentially indicating
      that permeation into host tissue is required to exert therapeutic effects. These
      results reveal a marked difference of biodegradation of ECM hydrogel in the
      stroke-damaged brain compared to peripheral soft tissue repair. Further
      exploration of these structure-function relationships is required to achieve a
      structural remodeling of the implanted hydrogel, as seen in peripheral tissues,
      to replace lost tissue and promote behavioral recovery. STATEMENT OF
      SIGNIFICANCE: In situ gelation of ECM is essential for its retention within a
      tissue cavity. The brain is a unique environment with restricted access that
      necessitates image-guided delivery through a thin needle to access tissue
      cavities caused by stroke, as well as other conditions, such as traumatic brain
      injury or glioma resection. Knowledge about a brain tissue response to implanted
      hydrogels remains limited, especially in terms of long-term effects and potential
      impact on behavioral function. We here address the long-term retention of
      hydrogel within the brain environment, its impact on behavioral function, as well
      as its ability to reduce further tissue deformation caused by stroke. This study
      highlights considerable differences in the brain's long-term response to an ECM
      hydrogel compared to peripheral soft tissue. It underlines the importance of
      understanding the effect of the structural presence of a hydrogel within a cavity
      upon host brain tissue and behavioral function. As demonstrated herein, ECM
      hydrogel can fill a cavity long-term to reduce further progression of the cavity,
      while potentially serving as a reservoir for local drug or cell delivery.

PMID- 28917707
TI  - Amoebicidal, antimicrobial and in vitro ROS scavenging activities of Tunisian
      Rubus ulmifolius Schott, methanolic extract.
AB  - The present study aimed to evaluate the activity of methanolic extract of Rubus
      ulmifolius Schott against the Acanthamoeba castellani Neff Strain as well as its
      antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. The tested extract has a good amoebicidal
      activity with low IC50 (61.785 +/- 1.322 MUg/ml) and also has significant
      activity against both Gram-positive (S. aureus, S. agalactiae) and Gram-negative
      bacteria (E. coli, S. typhimurium) and against C. albicans. The inhibition zones
      diameters (IZD) and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were in the
      range of 22.5-50 mm and 02.29-4.76 mg ml-1, respectively. In the other hand, the
      in vitro ROS scavenging activity was evaluated, the tested extract exhibited a
      good effect on the .OH radical (89.99% at a concentration of 100 MUg/ml) when
      compared to the ascorbic acid (68.81%). Moreover, the inhibition percentage of
      superoxide generation by R. ulmifolius extract at 100 MUg/ml was greater than
      ascorbic acid (79.55; 64.79%, respectively). Also, the tested extract showed a
      high percentage of H2O2 scavenging activity (99.95% at 100 MUg/ml). Our findings
      suggest that R. ulmifolius could be a potential source of natural antioxidant in
      preventing many diseases associated with oxidative stress, amoebic and bacterial
      infections.

PMID- 28917708
TI  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus BALB/c mice are more susceptible to granulomatous
      amoebic encephalitis: Immunohistochemical study.
AB  - Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) is a chronic, difficult to resolve
      infection caused by amphizoic amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba, which in most
      cases occurs in immunosuppressed persons or with chronic diseases such as
      diabetes. In this study, we describe the early events of A. culbertsoni infection
      of GAE in diabetic mice model. Diabetes was induced in male BALB/c mice, with a
      dose of streptozotocin (130 mg/kg). Healthy and diabetic mice were inoculated via
      intranasal with 1 * 106 trophozoites of A. culbertsoni. Then were sacrificed and
      fixed by perfusion at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h post-inoculation, the brains and
      nasopharyngeal meatus were processed to immunohistochemical analysis. Invasion of
      trophozoites in diabetic mice was significantly greater with respect to
      inoculated healthy mice. Trophozoites and scarce cysts were immunolocalized in
      respiratory epithelial adjacent bone tissue, olfactory nerve packets, Schwann
      cells and the epineurium base since early 24 h post-inoculation. After 48 h,
      trophozoites were observed in the respiratory epithelium, white matter of the
      brain, subcortical central cortex and nasopharyngeal associated lymphoid tissue
      (NALT). At 72 h, cysts and trophozoites were immunolocalized in the olfactory
      bulb with the presence of a low inflammatory infiltrate characterized by
      polymorphonuclear cells. Scarce amoebae were observed in the granular layer of
      the cerebellum without evidence of inflammation or tissue damage. No amoebas were
      observed at 96 h after inoculation, suggesting penetration to other tissues at
      this time. In line with this, no inflammatory infiltrate was observed in the
      surrounding tissues where the amoebae were immunolocalized, which could
      contribute to the rapid spread of infection, particularly in diabetic mice. All
      data suggest that trophozoites invade the tissues by separating the superficial
      cells, penetrating between the junctions without causing cytolytic effect in the
      adjacent cells and subsequently reaching the CNS, importantly, diabetes increases
      the susceptibility to amoebae infection, which could favor the GAE development.

PMID- 28917709
TI  - In vitro interactions of Acanthamoeba castellanii Neff and Vibrio harveyi.
AB  - Free-living amoebae (FLA) are opportunistic protozoa widely distributed in the
      environment. They are frequently found in water and soil samples, but they have
      also been reported to be associated with bacterial human pathogens such as
      Legionella spp. Campylobacter spp or Vibrio cholerae among others. Including
      within Vibrio spp. V. harveyi (Johnson and Shunk, 1936) is a bioluminescent
      marine bacteria which has been found swimming freely in tropical marine waters,
      being part of the stomach and intestine microflora of marine animals, and as both
      a primary and opportunistic pathogen of marine animals. Our aim was to study the
      interactions between Vibrio harveyi and Acanthamoeba castellanii Neff. Firstly,
      in order to analyze changes in it cultivability, V. harveyi was coincubated with
      A. castellanii Neff axenic culture and with Acanthamoeba Conditioned Medium (ACM)
      at different temperatures in aerobic conditions. Interestingly, at 4  degrees C
      and 18-20  degrees C bacteria were still cultivable in marine agar, at 28 
      degrees C, in aerobic conditions, but there weren't significant differences
      comparing with the controls. We also noted an enhanced migration of Acanthamoeba
      toward V. harveyi on non-nutrient agar plates compared to controls with no
      bacteria.

PMID- 28917710
TI  - Molecular identification of Vermamoeba vermiformis from freshwater fish in lake
      Taal, Philippines.
AB  - Free Living Amoebae (FLA) are considered ubiquitous. FLAs may infect various
      biological organisms which act as reservoir hosts. Infected freshwater fishes can
      pose a public health concern due to possible human consumption. This study aims
      to identify possible pathogenic FLAs present in freshwater fishes. Seventy five
      (75) Oreochromis niloticus were studied for the presence of FLAs. Fish organs
      were suspended in physiologic saline pelleted and cultured in non-nutrient agar
      (NNA) lawned with Escherichia coli and were incubated in 33  degrees C for 14
      days. Eighteen (18) fish gills and nineteen (19) fish intestine samples presented
      with positive growth. Trophozoites and cystic stages of FLAs were subcultured
      until homogenous growth was achieved. Cells were harvested from cultured plates
      and DNA was extracted using Chelex resin. DNA was subjected to polymerase chain
      reaction using universal forward primer EukA and reverse primer EukB targeting
      the 18s RNA. Of the 37 plates that presented with positive amoebic growth, 9
      samples showed the presence of DNAs and were sent for further purification and
      sequencing. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) results showed that
      protists isolated from fish organs in Lake Taal include: Eocercomonas (HM536152),
      Colpoda steinii (KJ607915) and Vermamoeba vermiformis (KC161965). The results
      showed that fresh-water fishes can harbour FLAs in the gut. It is proposed that
      freshwater reservoirs utilized for aquaculture be monitored for the presence of
      FLAs and extensive study be conducted on the pathogenicity of bacterial
      endosymbionts and infecting viruses to its mammalian and non-mammalian host.

PMID- 28917711
TI  - Crocodiles and alligators: Antiamoebic and antitumor compounds of crocodiles.
AB  - Crocodiles exist in unsanitary environments, feed on rotten meat, are often
      exposed to heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, mercury,
      nickel, lead, selenium, tolerate high levels of radiation, and are amid the very
      few species to survive the catastrophic Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event,
      nonetheless they can live for up to a 100 years. Moreover, as they live in
      unhygienic conditions, they regularly come across pathogens. Logically, we
      postulate that crocodiles possess mechanisms to defend themselves from noxious
      agents as well as protecting themselves from pathogens. To test this hypothesis,
      various organ lysates and serum of Crocodylus palustris were prepared.
      Amoebicidal assays were performed using Acanthamoeba castellanii belonging to the
      T4 genotype. Cytotoxicity assays were performed using Prostate cancer cells
      culture by measuring lactate dehydrogenase release as a marker for cell death.
      Growth inhibition assays were performed to determine the growth inhibitory
      effects of various organ lysates. Serum and heart lysates of Crocodylus palustris
      exhibited powerful anti-tumor activity exhibiting more than 70% Prostate cancer
      cell death (P < 0.05). Additionally, lysates from gall bladder and bile also
      showed significant host cell cytotoxicity, however intestine, lungs and brain
      showed partial cytotoxicity. Both sera and heart lysates of Crocodylus palustris
      abolished Prostate cells growth. Moreover, serum completely abolished A.
      castellanii viability. For the first time, these findings showed that the organ
      lysates of Crocodylus palustris exhibit potent anti-amoebic and anti-tumor
      activity. The discovery of antimicrobial and antitumor activity in crocodile will
      stimulate research in finding therapeutic molecules from unusual sources, and has
      potential for the development of novel antitumor/antimicrobial compound(s) that
      may also overcome drug resistance. Nevertheless, rigorous research in the next
      few years will be necessary to realize these expectations.

PMID- 28917712
TI  - Toward classification criteria for early osteoarthritis of the knee.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To propose draft classification criteria for early stage
      osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee for use in a primary care setting. METHODS: A
      group of basic scientists, physician-scientists, rheumatologists, orthopedic
      surgeons, and physiotherapists in a workshop setting discussed potential
      classification criteria for early osteoarthritis of the knee. The workshop was
      divided into sessions around relevant topics with short state of the art
      presentations followed by breakout sessions, consensus discussions, and
      consolidation into a consensus document. RESULTS: Three classes of criteria were
      agreed: (1) Pain, symptoms/signs, self-reported function, and quality of life
      using tools such as KOOS: scoring <=85% in at least 2 out of these 4 categories;
      (2) Clinical examination: at least 1 present out of joint line tenderness or
      crepitus; (3) Knee radiographs: Kellgren & Lawrence (KL) grade of 0 or 1. MRI is
      at present not recommended as an aid to identify or define early OA in routine
      clinical practice or primary care, in light of the absence of validated consensus
      criteria and the high population prevalence of structural joint changes detected
      by this method. Biomarkers may have future utility in early OA classification,
      but no individual or set of biomarkers is yet robust enough. CONCLUSION: Based on
      our consensus proposal, draft classification criteria for early OA of the knee
      for use in clinical studies should include patient reported outcomes such as pain
      and function, together with clinical signs and KL grade 0-1 on radiographs.

PMID- 28917713
TI  - The BVAS is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events and cardiovascular
      disease-related mortality in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis: A study of
      504 cases in a single Chinese center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the major causes of death in
      antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) during
      long-term follow-up. This study investigated risk factors for cardiovascular
      events (CVE) and CVD-related mortality in Chinese AAV patients. METHODS: Five
      hundred and four AAV patients in our center were retrospectively included. The
      predictive value of variables associated with CVE- and CVD-related mortality were
      analyzed. RESULTS: During follow-up of a median duration of 38 (range 1-228)
      months, 117 out of 504 patients had CVE. Independent predictors of CVE were age
      [increase by 10 years, hazard ratio (HR) 1.436, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      1.187-1.736, p = 0.000], systolic blood pressure (increase by 10mmHg, HR = 1.171,
      95% CI: 1.038-1.321, p = 0.010), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
      (increase by 1mL/min/1.73m2, HR = 0.992, 95% CI: 0.984-0.999, p = 0.020), high
      density lipoprotein level (HR = 0.530, 95% CI: 0.303-0.926, p = 0.026) and the
      Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) (HR = 1.039, 95% CI: 1.011-1.067, p =
      0.006). Forty-one patients died from CVD. Independent predictors of CVD-related
      mortality were age (increase by 10 years; HR = 1.732, 95% CI: 1.237-2.426, p =
      0.001), eGFR (increase by 1mL/min/1.73m2, HR = 0.984, 95% CI: 0.970-0.997, p =
      0.016), pre-existing CV disease (HR = 2.872, 95% CI: 1.503-5.487, p = 0.001) and
      BVAS (HR = 1.064, 95% CI: 1.018-1.113, p = 0.006). We further analyzed CVE- and
      CVD-related mortality after 2 years since diagnosis, and found BVAS were still an
      independent predictor of CVE- and CVD-related mortality. CONCLUSION: Besides the
      traditional risk factors, BVAS at presentation was an independent predictor of
      CVE- and CVD-related mortality in patients with AAV.

PMID- 28917714
TI  - Mitochondria in the nervous system: From health to disease, Part I.
AB  - In Part I of this Special Issue on "Mitochondria in the Nervous System: From
      Health to Disease", the editors bring together contributions from experts in
      brain mitochondrial research to provide an up-to-date overview of mitochondrial
      functioning in physiology and pathology. The issue provides cutting edge reviews
      on classical areas of mitochondrial biology that include energy substrate
      utilization, calcium handling, mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum communication,
      and cell death regulation. Additional reviews and original research articles
      touch upon key mitochondrial defects seen across multiple neurodegenerative
      conditions, including fragmentation, loss of respiratory capacity, calcium
      overload, elevated reactive oxygen species generation, perturbed NAD+ metabolism,
      altered protein acetylation, and compromised mitophagy. Emerging links between
      the genetics of neurodegenerative disorders and disruption in mitochondrial
      function are discussed, and a new mouse model of Complex I deficiency is
      described. Finally, novel ways to rescue mitochondrial structure and function in
      acute and chronic brain injury are explored.

PMID- 28917715
TI  - Attentional control predicts change in bias in response to attentional bias
      modification.
AB  - Procedures that effectively modify attentional bias to negative information have
      been examined for their potential to be a source of therapeutic change in
      emotional vulnerability. However, the degree to which these procedures modify
      attentional bias is subject to individual differences. This generates the need to
      understand the mechanisms that influence attentional bias change across
      individuals. The present study investigated the association between individual
      differences in attentional control and individual differences in the magnitude of
      bias change evoked by an attentional bias modification procedure. The findings
      demonstrate that individual differences in two facets of attentional control,
      control of attentional inhibition and control of attentional selectivity, were
      positively associated with individual differences in the magnitude of attentional
      bias change. The present findings inform upon the cognitive mechanisms
      underpinning change in attentional bias, and identify a target cognitive process
      for research seeking to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of attentional bias
      modification procedures.

PMID- 28917716
TI  - 58-Year-Old Woman With Diarrhea, Weakness, and Memory Loss.

PMID- 28917717
TI  - 20-Year-Old Woman With Postprandial Nausea, Vomiting, and Abdominal Pain.

PMID- 28917718
TI  - Olfactory toxicity in rats following manganese chloride nasal instillation: A
      pilot study.
AB  - Following inhalation, manganese travels along the olfactory nerve from the
      olfactory epithelium (OE) to the olfactory bulb (OB). Occupational exposure to
      inhaled manganese is associated with changes in olfactory function. This pilot
      study evaluated two related hypotheses: (a) intranasal manganese administration
      increases OE and OB manganese concentrations; and (b) intranasal manganese
      exposure impairs performance of previously trained rats on a go-no-go olfactory
      discrimination (OD) task. Male Fischer 344 rats were trained to either lever
      press ("go") in response to a positive conditioned stimulus (CS+: vanillin) or to
      do nothing ("no go") when a negative conditioned stimulus (CS-: amyl acetate) was
      present. Following odor training, rats were randomly assigned to either a
      manganese (200mM MnCl2) or 0.9% saline treatment group (n=4-5 rats/group).
      Administration of either saline or manganese was performed on isoflurane
      anesthetized rats as 40MUL bilateral intranasal instillations. Rats were retested
      48h later using the vanillin/amyl acetate OD task, then euthanized, followed by
      collection of the OE and OB. Manganese concentrations in tissue samples were
      analyzed by ICP-MS. An additional cohort of rats (n=3-4/group) was instilled
      similarly with saline or manganese and nasal and OB pathology assessed 48h later.
      Manganese-exposed rats had increased manganese levels in both the OE and OB and
      decreased performance in the OD task when compared with control animals.
      Histopathological evaluation of the caudal nasal cavity showed moderate, acute to
      subacute suppurative inflammation of the olfactory epithelium and submucosa of
      the ethmoid turbinates and mild suppurative exudate in the nasal sinuses in
      animals given manganese. No histologic changes were evident in the OB. The nasal
      instillation and OD procedures developed in this study are useful methods to
      assess manganese - induced olfactory deficits.

PMID- 28917719
TI  - Polymorphisms in manganese transporters show developmental stage and sex specific
      associations with manganese concentrations in primary teeth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Manganese (Mn) is an essential metal that can become neurotoxic at
      elevated levels with negative consequences on neurodevelopment. We have evaluated
      the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Mn transporter genes
      SLC30A10 and SLC39A8 on Mn concentrations in dentine, a validated biomarker that
      reflects Mn tissue concentrations early in life. METHODS: The study included 195
      children with variable environmental Mn exposure. Mn concentrations in dentine
      representing fetal, early postnatal and early childhood developmental periods
      were measured using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
      SLC30A10 rs12064812 (T/C) and SLC39A8 rs13107325 (C/T) were genotyped by TaqMan
      real time PCR and SLC30A10 rs1776029 (G/A) by pyrosequencing; and SNPs were
      analyzed in association with Mn in dentine. RESULTS: SLC39A8 rs13107325 rare
      allele (T) carriers had significantly higher Mn concentrations in postnatal
      dentine (110%, p=0.008). For all SNPs we also observed non-significant
      associations with Mn concentrations in dentine in opposite directions for fetal
      and early postnatal periods. Furthermore, there were significant differences in
      the influence of SLC30A10 rs1776929 genotypes on Mn concentrations in dentine
      between sexes. DISCUSSION: The findings from this study indicate that common SNPs
      in Mn transporters influence Mn homeostasis in early development and may
      therefore be important to consider in future studies of early life Mn exposure
      and health effects. Our results also suggest that the influence of these
      transporters on Mn regulation may differ by developmental stage, as well as
      between girls and boys.

PMID- 28917720
TI  - A novel mutation in the JH4 domain of JAK3 causing severe combined
      immunodeficiency complicated by vertebral osteomyelitis.
AB  - JAK3 is a tyrosine kinase essential for signaling downstream of the common gamma
      chain subunit shared by multiple cytokine receptors. JAK3 deficiency results in T
      B+NK- severe combined immune deficiency (SCID). We report a patient with SCID due
      to a novel mutation in the JAK3 JH4 domain. The function of the JH4 domain
      remains unknown. This is the first report of a missense mutation in the JAK3 JH4
      domain, thereby demonstrating the importance of the JH4 domain of JAK3 in host
      immunity.

PMID- 28917721
TI  - Low levels of the immunoregulator Semaphorin 4D (CD100) in sera of HIV patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Semaphorin-4D (CD100), generated by CD4/CD8 T-cells and its
      receptor on B cells - CD72, play a role in immune regulation. Both have soluble
      forms - sCD100/sCD72. METHODS: sCD100 and sCD72 levels were determined by ELISA
      (MyBioSource, USA). RESULTS: 28 chronic HIV patients and 50 matched healthy
      volunteers participated in our study. Before treatment, CD4 T-cells counts were
      267 +/- 216 cells/mcl and viral load (VL) was 586,675 +/- 1897,431 copies/ml. Two
      years following HAART, CD4 T-cells counts rose to 475 +/- 264 cells/mcl and VL
      dropped to 2050 +/- 10,539 copies/ml. CD8 T-cells counts were stable. sCD72
      levels prior (4.13 +/- 2.03 ng/ml) and following HAART (3.53 +/- 2.01 ng/ml) were
      similar to control levels (4.51 +/- 2.66 ng/ml). sCD100 levels before (40.47 +/-
      31.4 ng/ml) and following HAART (37.68 +/- 29.44 ng/ml) were significantly lower
      compared to controls (99.67 +/- 36.72 ng/ml) despite the significant increase in
      CD4 T-cells counts. CONCLUSIONS: The permanent low levels of the immunoregulator
      sCD100 suggest a role for CD100 in the immune dysfunction and T cells exhaustion
      of HIV.

PMID- 28917722
TI  - Asthmatic farm children show increased CD3+CD8low T-cells compared to non
      asthmatic farm children.

PMID- 28917724
TI  - Backward genotype-transcript-phenotype association mapping.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies have discovered a large number of genetic
      variants associated with complex diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. However,
      the genetic background of such diseases is largely unknown due to the complex
      mechanisms underlying genetic effects on traits, as well as a small sample size
      (e.g., 1000) and a large number of genetic variants (e.g., 1 million).
      Fortunately, datasets that contain genotypes, transcripts, and phenotypes are
      becoming more readily available, creating new opportunities for detecting disease
      associated genetic variants. In this paper, we present a novel approach called
      "Backward Three-way Association Mapping" (BTAM) for detecting three-way
      associations among genotypes, transcripts, and phenotypes. Assuming that
      genotypes affect transcript levels, which in turn affect phenotypes, we first
      find transcripts associated with the phenotypes, and then find genotypes
      associated with the chosen transcripts. The backward ordering of association
      mappings allows us to avoid a large number of association testings between all
      genotypes and all transcripts, making it possible to identify three-way
      associations with a small computational cost. In our simulation study, we
      demonstrate that BTAM significantly improves the statistical power over "forward"
      three-way association mapping that finds genotypes associated with both
      transcripts and phenotypes and genotype-phenotype association mapping.
      Furthermore, we apply BTAM on an Alzheimer's disease dataset and report top 10
      genotype-transcript-phenotype associations.

PMID- 28917723
TI  - Increased innate type 2 immune response in house dust mite-allergic patients with
      allergic rhinitis.
AB  - Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are essential in initiating and driving
      allergic immune responses. However, there were inconsistent findings of the ILC2
      levels in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. This study investigated the ILC2
      levels in the peripheral blood of house dust mite (HDM)-sensitized AR patients
      and their ability to secrete type 2 cytokines. The levels of ILC2s with
      phenotypic ILC2 characteristics were increased in the HDM-AR patients. The AR
      patients' symptom score and IL-13 levels were positively associated with the
      ILC2s in HDM-AR patients. The epithelial cytokine stimulation induced dramatic
      production of IL-5 and IL-13 in PBMCs of AR patients. We successfully sorted
      ILC2s from AR patients and identified their ability of type 2 cytokines
      production. The number of ILC2s increased in the HDM-AR patients and ILC2s
      produced the amount of TH2 cytokines in the presence of epithelial cytokines,
      which suggested the important role of ILC2 in AR patients.

PMID- 28917725
TI  - A computational approach for phenotypic comparisons of cell populations in high
      dimensional cytometry data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytometry is an experimental technique used to measure molecules
      expressed by cells at a single cell resolution. Recently, several technological
      improvements have made possible to increase greatly the number of cell markers
      that can be simultaneously measured. Many computational methods have been
      proposed to identify clusters of cells having similar phenotypes. Nevertheless,
      only a limited number of computational methods permits to compare the phenotypes
      of the cell clusters identified by different clustering approaches. These
      phenotypic comparisons are necessary to choose the appropriate clustering methods
      and settings. Because of this lack of tools, comparisons of cell cluster
      phenotypes are often performed manually, a highly biased and time-consuming
      process. RESULTS: We designed CytoCompare, an R package that performs comparisons
      between the phenotypes of cell clusters with the purpose of identifying similar
      and different ones, based on the distribution of marker expressions. For each
      phenotype comparison of two cell clusters, CytoCompare provides a distance
      measure as well as a p-value asserting the statistical significance of the
      difference. CytoCompare can import clustering results from various algorithms
      including SPADE, viSNE/ACCENSE, and Citrus, the most current widely used
      algorithms. Additionally, CytoCompare can generate parallel coordinates, parallel
      heatmaps, multidimensional scaling or circular graph representations to visualize
      easily cell cluster phenotypes and the comparison results. CONCLUSIONS:
      CytoCompare is a flexible analysis pipeline for comparing the phenotypes of cell
      clusters identified by automatic gating algorithms in high-dimensional cytometry
      data. This R package is ideal for benchmarking different clustering algorithms
      and associated parameters. CytoCompare is freely distributed under the GPL-3
      license and is available on https://github.com/tchitchek-lab/CytoCompare.

PMID- 28917726
TI  - Ovulation and fertility responses for sows receiving once daily boar exposure
      after weaning and OvuGel(r) followed by a single fixed time post cervical
      artificial insemination.
AB  - Boar exposure is used to stimulate follicle development and estrus in sows after
      weaning and also to improve semen uptake and sperm transport with insemination.
      However, the need and value of boar exposure is uncertain when ovulation
      induction is used. These studies were designed to determine the effect of daily
      boar exposure after weaning when used with ovulation induction and fixed time
      post-cervical artificial insemination (PCAI). In experiment 1, sows were weaned
      into stalls and assigned to receive 3 min of daily fenceline boar exposure (BE, n
      = 7) or no boar exposure (NBE, n = 8). All sows received OvuGel at 96 h after
      weaning and BE or NBE 30 min prior to a single PCAI 24 h after OvuGel. Ovaries
      were assessed daily for follicle size from weaning until ovulation. Cervical
      contractions were measured 30 min following BE or NBE and before PCAI, while
      uterine contractions were measured for 1 h following PCAI. In experiment 2,
      weaned sows (n = 244) were assigned by parity to receive once daily BE for 1.5
      min each day or NBE. OvuGel, PCAI and ultrasound methods were performed similarly
      as in experiment 1. Results from experiment 1 indicated BE did not significantly
      influence follicle size or measures of fertility. However, BE did increase the
      frequency of cervical contractions (P < 0.05), but with no effect on the uterus.
      Results from experiment 2 indicated BE had no effect on catheter passage for PCAI
      but did increase the proportion of sows ovulating within 48 h after OvuGel (77.7
      vs 67.5%, P = 0.05), and tended (P = 0.10) to increase the proportion of sows
      inseminated 24 h before ovulation (70.3 vs. 61.0%). However, BE had no effect on
      adjusted farrowing rate (84.4 vs. 77.4%) or total pigs born (13.2 vs. 12.5) for
      BE and NBE, respectively. There were treatment and parity interactions for
      follicle size at time of OvuGel and at time of PCAI (P < 0.05) with BE minimizing
      parity effects on follicle size. Parity effects were also evident on farrowing
      rate and litter size when inseminations occurred >24 h from ovulation but not
      when inseminations occurred <=24 h before ovulation. The results indicate that
      boar exposure for only minutes each day after weaning had beneficial effects for
      improving follicle development, ovulation induction, and AI timing, most notably
      in parity 1 sows, but had no beneficial or detrimental effects on the ability to
      perform PCAI.

PMID- 28917727
TI  - A novel colorimetric and fluorescent probe for simultaneous detection of SO32
      /HSO3- and HSO4- by different emission channels and its bioimaging in living
      cells.
AB  - A novel fluorescent probe (E)-3-ethyl-2-(4-hydroxystyryl)-1,1-di-methyl-1H-benzo
      [e]indolium iodide (probe EDB) based on benzo[e]indolium was synthesized, which
      provided the simultaneous detection of SO32-/HSO3- and HSO4- ion with different
      emission channels. Based on the principle of ion-induced rotation-displaced H
      aggregates, when treated with NaHSO4, a fluorescence enhancement at 580nm was
      observed with the excitation wavelength at 420nm. While, in the advantage of the
      nucleophilic addition of SO32- to the vinyl group, strong fluorescence was
      obtained at 455nm when treated with Na2SO3 with the excitation wavelength at
      320nm, along with obvious color change by naked eyes. So the probe could be
      applied to sense SO32-/HSO3- and HSO4- ion via different excited and emission
      channels simultaneously. The probe was also applicable for fluorescence imagings
      of bisulfite and hydrosulfate in HeLa cells.

PMID- 28917728
TI  - Fast method for the simultaneous determination of monomethylmercury and inorganic
      mercury in rice and aquatic plants.
AB  - Recent investigations revealed that monomethylmercury (MMHg) can be absorbed and
      accumulated by plants, i.e. rice crops, thus becoming an important route of human
      exposure to MMHg through diet. The increasing concern about this fact makes that
      appropriate analytical methods for Hg speciation in these samples are urgently
      required. Therefore, the aim of this work has been the development of a fast and
      sensitive method which enables the simultaneous determination of MMHg and
      inorganic Hg in rice and aquatic plants. The proposed methodology is based on the
      extraction of Hg species by closed-vessel microwave heating, subsequent
      derivatization by ethylation and analysis by gas chromatography coupled to atomic
      fluorescence detection via pyrolysis (GC-pyro-AFS). A careful optimization of the
      extraction, using both acid (6N HNO3) and alkaline (tetramethylammonium
      hydroxide, TMAH) extractants, and derivatization conditions has been carried out.
      Spiked and unspiked aquatic plants (Typha domingensis) and CRMs certified for
      Total-Hg (BCR-60, BCR-482 and NCS ZC73027, corresponding to aquatic plant, lichen
      and rice, respectively) have been used. Under the final optimized conditions the
      simultaneous determination of MMHg and inorganic Hg can be carried out in less
      than 40min with no tedious clean-up steps. Quantitative recoveries (from 92% to
      101%) were obtained in aquatic plants (Typha domingensis) and CRMs spiked with
      known concentrations of MMHg. For unspiked BCR-60 and BCR-482, no statistically
      significant differences (p=0.05) were found in Total-Hg concentrations between
      those obtained by the sum of species and the certified values for both acid and
      alkaline extraction. For the analysis of low Hg polluted samples, an additional
      preconcentration step by evaporation under nitrogen stream was required but
      adequate blanks were only obtained for acid extraction. Detection limits in the
      low ng/g range (0.7-1.0ng/g) were consequently achieved for both Hg species in
      the case of acid extraction and the analysis of NCS ZC73027 gave satisfactory
      results without statistically significant differences between the found and
      certified values (p = 0.05).

PMID- 28917729
TI  - HPLC-APCI-MS/MS method development and validation for determination of
      tocotrienols in human breast adipose tissue.
AB  - For the last decade, significant attention has been paid to the potential role of
      tocotrienols in prevention and therapy of breast cancer. Therefore, the aim of
      this study was to develop and validate analytical method for quantitative
      determination of tocotrienols (alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-tocotrienol) in
      human breast adipose tissue with the use of high performance liquid
      chromatography coupled with APCI-MS/MS detection. Separation of target compounds
      was achieved within 10min with the use of naphthylethyl Cosmosil 2.5pi-NAP column
      with methanol/water mixture (90:10, v/v) under isocratic elution. Adipose tissue
      samples were obtained from breast cancer patients and women deceased as a result
      of accidents. Sample preparation procedure was optimized with the application of
      the Plackett-Burman design and included tissue homogenization with the use of
      isopropanol/ethanol/aqueous 0.1% FA mixture (13:3:8, v/v), centrifugation and
      solid phase extraction (SPE). The method was validated in terms of linearity,
      precision, accuracy, stability (bench top, autosampler, postpreparative, freeze
      and thaw stability), matrix effect (ME), recovery (RE) and process efficiency
      (PE). As for all four tocotrienols ME was negligible (< 15%), precision and
      accuracy tests were performed with the use of tocotrienols' standard solutions
      within the ranges of 10.0-400.0ng/g for all four tocotrienols. As the validation
      requirements were met, the validated method was applied for quantitative analysis
      of tocotrienols in breast cancer patients.

PMID- 28917730
TI  - Direct and comprehensive analysis of dyes based on integrated molecular and
      structural information via laser desorption laser postionization mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Laser desorption laser postionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDPI
      TOFMS) was employed for direct analysis and determination of typical basic dyes.
      It was also used for the analysis and comprehensive understanding of complex
      materials such as blue ballpoint pen inks. Simultaneous emergences of fragmental
      and molecular information largely simplify and facilitate unambiguous
      identification of dyes via variable energy of 266nm postionization laser. More
      specifically, by optimizing postionization laser energy with the same energy of
      desorption laser, the structurally significant results show definite differences
      in the fragmentation patterns, which offer opportunities for discrimination of
      isomeric species with identical molecular weight. Moreover, relatively high
      spectra resolution can be acquired without the expense of sensitivity. In
      contrast to laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS), LDPI-MS
      simultaneously offers valuable molecular information about dyes in traces,
      solvents and additives about inks, thereby offering direct determination and
      comprehensive understanding of blue ballpoint inks and giving a high level of
      confidence to discriminate the complicated evidentiary samples. In addition,
      direct analysis of the inks not only allows the avoidance of the tedious sample
      preparation processes, significantly shortening the overall analysis time and
      improving throughput, but allows minimized sample consumption which is important
      for rare and precious samples.

PMID- 28917731
TI  - Chain-length dependent interfacial immunoreaction kinetics on self-assembled
      monolayers revealed by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy.
AB  - Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) has been extensively applied as ideal interface
      layer for construction of biosensors. Its chain length and end functional groups
      determine the physical and chemical properties of the modified surfaces, which
      will affect the performance of constructed biosensors. Herein, we studied the
      influence of chain length of n-alkanethiols SAMs on the immunoreaction kinetics
      employing attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption
      spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS). Antibody (rabbit immunoglobulin) is assembled on
      carboxyl terminated SAMs of n-alkanethiols with different chain lengths (n = 3,
      6, 11, 16). The whole fabrication steps of the immunoassay can be monitored in
      situ by the ATR-SEIRAS. From the time-dependent SEIRA spectra, the interfacial
      immunoreaction kinetics between the immobilized antibody and antigen (goat anti
      rabbit immunoglobulin) can be evaluated. We found that the immunoreaction became
      faster with increasing the chain length of SAMs. This chain length dependent
      kinetics might be attributed to different orientations of the assembled antibody
      caused by different packing densities of SAMs. The present research offers a
      sensing platform to evaluate immunoassay kinetics and provides fundamentals for
      construction of immunoassay with high performance.

PMID- 28917732
TI  - Staying alive! Sensors used for monitoring cell health in bioreactors.
AB  - Current and next generation sensors such as pH, dissolved oxygen (dO) and
      temperature sensors that will help drive the use of single-use bioreactors in
      industry are reviewed. The current trend in bioreactor use is shifting from the
      traditional fixed bioreactors to the use of single-use bioreactors (SUBs).
      However as the shift in paradigm occurs there is now a greater need for sensor
      technology to play 'catch up' with the innovation of bioreactor technology. Many
      of the sensors still in use today rely on technology created in the 1960's such
      as the Clark-type dissolved oxygen sensor or glass pH electrodes. This is due to
      the strict requirements of sensors to monitor bioprocesses resulting in the use
      of traditional well understood methods, making it difficult to incorporate new
      sensor technology into industry. A number of advances in sensor technology have
      been achieved in recent years, a few of these advances and future research will
      also be discussed in this review.

PMID- 28917733
TI  - Stabilization of gas-phase uranyl complexes enables rapid speciation using
      electrospray ionization and ion mobility-mass spectrometry.
AB  - Significant challenges exist when characterizing f-element complexes in solution
      using traditional approaches such as electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques
      as they do not always capture information for lower abundance species. However,
      provided a metal-complex with sufficient stability, soft ionization techniques
      such as electrospray offer a means to quantify and probe the characteristics of
      such systems using mass spectrometry. Unfortunately, the gas-phase species
      observed in ESI-MS systems do not always reflect the solution phase distributions
      due to the inherent electrochemical mechanism of the electrospray process, ion
      transfer from ambient to low pressures conditions, and other factors that are
      related to droplet evaporation. Even for simple systems (e.g. hydrated cations),
      it is not always clear whether the distribution observed reflects the solution
      phase populations or whether it is simply a result of the ionization process.
      This complexity is further compounded in mixed solvent systems and when multiply
      charged species are present. Despite these challenges, the benefits of mass
      spectrometry with respect to speed, sensitivity, and the ability to resolve
      isotopes continue to drive efforts to develop techniques for the speciation of
      metal complexes. Using an electrospray ionization atmospheric pressure ion
      mobility mass spectrometer (ESI-apIMS-MS), we demonstrate an approach to
      stabilize simple uranyl complexes during the ionization process and mobility
      separation to aid speciation and isotope profile analysis. Specifically, we
      outline and demonstrate the capacity of ESI-apIMS-MS methods to measure
      mobilities of different uranyl species, in simple mixtures, by promoting stable
      gas phase conformations with the addition of sulfoxides (i.e. dimethyl sulfoxide
      (DMSO), dibutyl sulfoxide (DBSO), and methyl phenyl sulfoxide (MPSO)). Addition
      of these sulfoxides, as observed in the mass spectrum and mobility domain,
      produce stable gas-phase conformations that enable the observation of the counter
      anion pair while minimizing the range of ligand exchange events as the ionized
      complex enters the gas-phase. Other enhancements include improved data
      acquisition times by applying multiplexing approaches to the IMS Bradbury-Nielsen
      (BN) gate to realize increased ion transmission and improve ion statistics
      measured at the m/z detector. Analyte identification using this approach is based
      on a multitude of combined measured gas-phase ion metrics, which include mass
      measurements, isotope profiling, and experimentally determined reduced mobilities
      measured at the low-field limit (<2 E/N). Though geared initially towards uranyl
      complexes, this approach may find application in fields where both chemical
      speciation and isotopic profiles provide diagnostic information for a given
      metal.

PMID- 28917734
TI  - A novel benzothiazole-based fluorescent probe for cysteine detection and its
      application on test paper and in living cells.
AB  - A novel simple and readily synthesized turn-on fluorescent probe 4
      (benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-1,3-phenylene bis(2-chloroacetate) (BPBC) for cysteine
      (Cys) was reported. This probe was designed based on an excited-state
      intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) dye: benzothiazole, and two chloroacetate
      groups present in benzothiazole as the reaction sites for Cys. It shows high
      selectivity and sensitivity for Cys over other amino acids including the similar
      structured homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH). In addition, probe BPBC was
      successfully applied to bioimage intracellular Cys in living cells with low
      cytotoxicity. More importantly, a paper test strip system was developed with
      probe BPBC for Cys detection conveniently.

PMID- 28917735
TI  - Trace analysis of nitrite ions in environmental samples by using in-situ
      synthesized Zein biopolymeric nanoparticles as the novel green solid phase
      extractor.
AB  - For the first time, a novel green method using Zein biopolymeric nanoparticles as
      a green dispersive solid-phase extractor is reported for the separation and
      preconcentration of trace amount of nitrite (NO2-) ions in ppb levels. The Zein
      protein is a biodegradable hydrophobic plant protein that is obtained from corn
      and is composed of a number of hydrophobic amino acids. Zein bionanoparticles
      were synthesized in an anti-solvent process and used as a new biosorbent in the
      extraction technique. In the proposed technique, by using a standard method at
      first, a mixture of 1-naphthylamine and sulphanilic acid as selective regents was
      added to the samples, and in the presence of the nitrite ion, a red azo product
      was formed. After that, the ethanolic Zein solution (equal to 15mg) was injected
      rapidly into the sample, based on the anti-solvent process. Zein bionanoparticles
      (BNPs) were produced, the adsorbed colour product was separated by
      centrifugation, and finally samples were analysed with the spectrophotometric
      method. The influence of different variables such as pH, buffer and amount of
      buffer, amount of adsorbent and effect of time on extraction were investigated
      and Zein BNPs were characterized by TEM, SEM, and FT-IR techniques. The main
      advantages of Zein as a new solid-phase extractor are that this biopolymer is non
      toxic, stable, widely available, biodegradable, very hydrophobic, and can be
      fabricated easily. Under optimal experimental conditions, the linear correlation
      coefficient (r2) was found to be 0.9972 at the concentration range of 5.0
      1000ngmL-1. The limit of detection was 2.3ngmL-1 (0.05MUM). This method was
      applied successfully for the analysis of sea and river waters as well as
      industrial wastewater samples. Finally, this method follows the US EPA (US
      Environmental Protection Agency) and WHO (World Health Organization)
      international standards for nitrite analysis. In addition, it has several
      advantages to warrant its applicability in the near future in separation science
      as a green biosorbent in both dispersive and normal solid-phase extraction.

PMID- 28917736
TI  - Off-line microextraction by packed sorbent combined with on solid support
      derivatization and GC-MS: Application for the analysis of five pyrethroid
      metabolites in urine samples.
AB  - A novel, fast and eco-friendly analytical method using microextraction by packed
      sorbent coupled to large volume injection-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
      (MEPS-LVI-GC-MS) was developed for the determination of five pyrethroid
      metabolites (cis-2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoro-1-propenyl)
      cyclopropanecarboxylic acid, cis/trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2
      dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acids, cis-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2
      dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid) in human urine.
      MEPS was performed off-line using a manually-operated semiautomatic syringe
      (eVol), and several parameters including the sample pH, extraction sorbent,
      washing solvent, volume and type of elution solvent and number of draw-eject
      cycles were optimized. Analytes were extracted from enzymatically hydrolyzed
      urine using a C18 solid phase with subsequent simultaneous derivatization and
      elution with a mixture of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol and
      diisopropylcarbodiimide in n-hexane (on-line derivatization). The optimized
      method was validated, with linearity established from 0.05 to 25ngmL-1 and R
      values > 0.99. Obtained quantification limits were in the range of 0.06-0.08ngmL
      1, and the precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) was below 14%
      for all of the analytes. The method was cross-validated with a reference approach
      based on liquid-liquid extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LLE-GC
      MS) by analyzing 21 urine samples.

PMID- 28917737
TI  - 3,4-Diaminotoluene sensor development based on hydrothermally prepared MnCoxOy
      nanoparticles.
AB  - A facile hydrothermal process was used to prepare MnCoxOy nanoparticles (NPs) in
      alkaline medium (pH~10.5) at room temperature. The NPs were characterized by
      Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy
      (UV/vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and
      powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). A thin layer of NPs film as a chemical sensor was
      fabricated on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with the help of a conducting
      binder. The sensor was implemented successfully for the detection 3,4-DAT with
      reliable I-V approach at low potential. The sensor-features include good
      sensitivity (0.37 mAumolL-1cm-2), low detection limit (LOD=0.26+/-0.01 pmolL-1 at
      a signal to noise ratio of 3), low limit of quantification (LOQ=7.80+/-0.01 pmolL
      1), good reliability, good reproducibility, ease of integration, and long-term
      stability were investigated. The sensor response towards 3,4-DAT is linear in
      logarithmic scale over a large concentration range (1.0 pmolL-1 to 1.0 umolL-1).
      This work is introduced a route for future sensitive sensor development based on
      MnCoxOy NPs by reliable I-V method for the detection of hazardous and
      carcinogenic toxins in environmental and health care fields.

PMID- 28917738
TI  - A simple solvent based microextraction for high performance liquid
      chromatographic analysis of aflatoxins in rice samples.
AB  - This paper describes the development of a simple solvent based microextraction,
      namely vortex assisted low density solvent-microextraction (VALDS-ME), followed
      by high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD) for
      the simultaneous determination of four aflatoxins (AFs) including AFB1, AFB2,
      AFG1 and AFG2 in rice samples. In VALDS-ME, a mixture of low density solvents (1
      octanol and toluene) was used as the extraction solvent. The extraction was
      rapidly achieved with the assistance of vortex agitation and phase separation was
      easily obtained after the addition of Na2SO4. The effects of various parameters
      on the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, high
      enrichment factors (42-132), low limits of detection (LODs) in the range of
      0.0011-0.17MUgkg-1 and good precisions (RSDs lower than 6.2%) were obtained. AFB1
      and AFG1 were detected in berry rice sample at 0.26 and 2.1MUgkg-1, respectively.
      The recoveries in AFs-spiked rice samples ranged from 70% to 104%. Moreover, the
      present method was comparable to the conventional immunoaffinity chromatography
      method.

PMID- 28917739
TI  - Determination of fluorine in copper concentrate via high-resolution graphite
      furnace molecular absorption spectrometry and direct solid sample analysis -
      Comparison of three target molecules.
AB  - The chemical composition of complex inorganic materials, such as copper
      concentrate, may influence the economics of their further processing because most
      smelters, and particularly the producers of high-purity electrolyte copper, have
      strict limitations for the permissible concentration of impurities. These
      components might be harmful to the quality of the products, impair the production
      process and be hazardous to the environment. The goal of the present work is the
      development of a method for the determination of fluorine in copper concentrate
      using high-resolution graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry and
      direct solid sample analysis. The molecular absorption of the diatomic molecule
      CaF was measured at 606.440nm. The molecule CaF was generated by the addition of
      200ug Ca as the molecule-forming reagent; the optimized pyrolysis and
      vaporization temperatures were 900 degrees C and 2400 degrees C, respectively.
      The characteristic mass and limit of detection were 0.5ng and 3ng, respectively.
      Calibration curves were established using aqueous standard solutions containing
      the major components Cu, Fe, S and the minor component Ag in optimized
      concentrations. The accuracy of the method was verified using certified reference
      materials. Fourteen copper concentrate samples from Chile and Australia were
      analyzed to confirm the applicability of the method to real samples; the
      concentration of fluorine ranged from 34 to 5676mgkg-1. The samples were also
      analyzed independently at Analytik Jena by different operators, using the same
      equipment, but different target molecules, InF and GaF, and different operating
      conditions; but with a few exceptions, the results agreed quite well. The results
      obtained at Analytik Jena using the GaF molecule and our results obtained with
      CaF, with one exception, were also in agreement with the values informed by the
      supplier of the samples, which were obtained using ion selective electrode
      potentiometry after alkaline fusion. A comparison will also be made for the three
      target molecules and the three independently developed methods for the
      determination of fluorine, although all three methods used direct solid sample
      analysis.

PMID- 28917740
TI  - Switchable zipper-like thermoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymers for
      selective recognition and extraction of estradiol.
AB  - Zipper-like thermoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared
      based on interpolymer complexation via the synergy of dual functional monomers of
      acrylamide (AAm) and 2-acrylamide-2-methyl propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) for
      selective recognition and extraction of estradiol (E2) by temperature regulation.
      The resulting E2-MIPs attained controlled adsorption and release of E2 in
      response to temperature change, with higher adsorption capacity (8.78mg/g) and
      stronger selectivity (imprinting factor was 3.18) at 30 degrees C compared with
      that at 20 and 40 degrees C; the zipper-like interpolymer interaction between
      poly(AAm) and poly(AMPS) enabled switchable molecular recognition. The adsorption
      processes obeyed Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. High
      recognition selectivity of the MIPs toward E2 was achieved over its structural
      analogues, and good reusability was displayed over 86% recovery after six
      adsorption-desorption cycles. Accordingly, the E2-MIPs were empolyed as new
      adsorbents for selective dispersive solid-phase extraction of E2, and offered low
      limits of detection and quantification of 4.81 and 16.03MUg/L, respectively.
      Recoveries from goat milk samples ranged from 76.2% to 89.7% with the precisions
      (relative standard deviations, n = 3, %) of 2.8-3.7% at 30 degrees C. The
      intelligent E2-MIPs combining good adsorption, special recognition and
      temperature sensitivity proved to be a promising alternative to the selective
      identification and controlled extraction/removal of E2 in complicated samples by
      simple temperature-responsive regulation.

PMID- 28917741
TI  - Immobilization of cytochrome c and its application as electrochemical biosensors.
AB  - Cytochrome c (Cyt c) has been used as a model protein to investigate the
      characters of modified electrodes by many researchers. It has been also employed
      to construct biosensors to detect hydrogen peroxide, nitrate, superoxide, and
      etc. Cyt c immobilization techniques, including physical adsorption, entrapment
      in hydrogel or polymers, layer-by-layer assembly, Langmuir-Blodgett, and covalent
      attachment are discussed followed by various electrochemical methods applied in
      the electrode modification. The exploration of some modified protein electrodes,
      for example, screen printed, microperoxidase and engineered Cyt c are also
      presented. The preparation, characterizations and some properties of
      nanocomposites to modify electrode surface for immobilizing Cyt c are
      highlighted. This review is attempted to discuss the influences of the physical
      and chemical properties of the substrate materials, such as specific area and
      surface charge on the protein loading and electron transfer of Cyt c briefly. The
      comparative information of Cyt c-based electrochemical modified electrodes, such
      as average surface coverage, sensitivity, linear range, and detection limit of
      the analyte of interest is also summarized.

PMID- 28917742
TI  - Analysis of glutathione in the presence of acetaminophen and tyrosine via an
      amplified electrode with MgO/SWCNTs as a sensor in the hemolyzed erythrocyte.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the effect of adding MgO/SWCNTs and 2-Chloro-N'-[1
      (2,5-dihydroxyphenyl) methylidene]aniline (2-CDHPMA) to a carbon paste matrix,
      which could act as a voltammetric sensor for the analysis of glutathione. The
      electrocatalytic interaction between 2-CDHPMA and glutathione was used as a
      factor for the analysis of this biological compound in real samples. In addition,
      the presence of MgO/SWCNTs can help in increasing the sensitivity of the
      fabricated sensor and for obtaining a low limit of detection in the analysis of
      glutathione. When the carbon-paste electrode was amplified with MgO/SWCNTs and 2
      CDHPMA (CPE/MgO/SWCNTs/2-CDHPMA), it showed a good selectivity for the analysis
      of glutathione in the presence of acetaminophen and tyrosine with the separated
      peak potentials at ~ 280mV, ~ 570mV, and ~ 880mV for the first time. We detected
      a linear dynamic range between 0.05 and 700.0MUmolL-1 with the limit of detection
      set at ~ 10 +/- 0.3nmolL-1 for the analysis of glutathione by the square-wave
      voltammetric method. The CPE/MgO/SWCNTs/2-CDHPMA showed a high quality of
      detection of glutathione in the hemolyzed erythrocyte sample.

PMID- 28917743
TI  - Selection of an aptamer against Muscovy duck parvovirus for highly sensitive
      rapid visual detection by label-free aptasensor.
AB  - Muscovy duck parvovirus (MDPV) causes high mortality and morbidity in ducks. This
      study investigated a novel aptamer-based, label-free aptasensor detection of
      MDPV. In this study, we developed an ssDNA aptamer using the filtration partition
      and lambda exonuclease method with an affinity-based monitor and counter
      screening process. After 15 rounds of SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by
      exponential enrichment), the ssDNA aptamer Apt-10, which specifically bound to
      MDPV with high affinity (Kd = 467nM) was successfully screened, and the aptamer
      was also found to be good specific to MDPV. The selected Apt-10 aptamer can be
      used to distinguish MDPV and goose parvovirus (GPV). Three-dimensional structural
      analysis of the Apt-10 aptamer indicated that it folded into a compact stem-loop
      motif, which was related to its high affinity. Finally, a label-free detection
      method based on unmodified gold nanoparticles and Apt-10 aptamer was developed
      for MDPV determination. The concentration of Apt-10 aptamer at 5MUM was optimal
      for MDPV determination in the label-free aptasensor. Excellent linearity was
      acquired and the lowest detection limit was 1.5 or 3 EID50 (50% egg infection
      dose) of MDPV, respectively, depending upon spectrophotometry or the naked eye
      were used. These results show the potential of the aptamer for the rapid
      detection of MDPV and antiviral research.

PMID- 28917744
TI  - Differentiation of cumin seeds using a metal-oxide based gas sensor array in
      tandem with chemometric tools.
AB  - Cumin is a plant of the Apiaceae family (umbelliferae) which has been used since
      ancient times as a medicinal plant and as a spice. The difference in the
      percentage of aromatic compounds in cumin obtained from different locations has
      led to differentiation of some species of cumin from other species. The quality
      and price of cumin vary according to the specie and may be an incentive for the
      adulteration of high value samples with low quality cultivars. An electronic nose
      simulates the human olfactory sense by using an array of sensors to distinguish
      complex smells. This makes it an alternative for the identification and
      classification of cumin species. The data, however, may have a complex structure,
      difficult to interpret. Given this, chemometric tools can be used to manipulate
      data with two-dimensional structure (sensor responses in time) obtained by using
      electronic nose sensors. In this study, an electronic nose based on eight metal
      oxide semiconductor sensors (MOS) and 2D-LDA (two-dimensional linear discriminant
      analysis), U-PLS-DA (Partial least square discriminant analysis applied to the
      unfolded data) and PARAFAC-LDA (Parallel factor analysis with linear discriminant
      analysis) algorithms were used in order to identify and classify different
      varieties of both cultivated and wild black caraway and cumin. The proposed
      methodology presented a correct classification rate of 87.1% for PARAFAC-LDA and
      100% for 2D-LDA and U-PLS-DA, indicating a promising strategy for the
      classification different varieties of cumin, caraway and other seeds.

PMID- 28917745
TI  - Chlorine determination via MgCl molecule in environmental samples using high
      resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry.
AB  - This paper describes a method development for chlorine determination through the
      formation of MgCl molecule, applied for the first time for Cl quantification, by
      high resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption
      spectrometry (HR-CS GF MAS) in environmental samples. Pyrolysis and vaporization
      temperatures were optimized as well as the use of chemical modifier.
      Determinations were carried out at the wavelength of 377.010 and the compromise
      conditions of the graphite furnace temperature program were 500 degrees C and
      2500 degrees C for pyrolysis and vaporization, respectively, using 10ug of
      chemical modifier Pd. The concentration of reactants for the generation of MgCl
      molecule was optimized through Box-Behnken experimental design, using MgCl2
      solution as source of chlorine. The optimum values according to the surface
      response were 5gL-1 Mg, 25mgL-1 of chlorine and 2% vv-1 of HNO3, condition in
      which the amount of Mg is at least 200 times higher than that of chloride. This
      excess of the forming agent ensures the complete formation of MgCl molecular
      species, since Cl is the limiting reactant. Certified reference materials, BCR
      182 and NIST 8414, and addition and recovery tests were used to evaluate the
      accuracy of the method and good results were achieved at a 95% confidence level.
      The method was applied to direct determination of Cl in five produced water
      samples from offshore oil wellbore, high complex matrix, whose conventional
      methods require tedious treatment before the analysis.

PMID- 28917746
TI  - A highly selective and ratiometric fluorescent probe for cyanide by rationally
      altering the susceptible H-atom.
AB  - A highly selective and ratiometric fluorescent probe for cyanide was rationally
      designed and synthesized. The probe comprises a fluorophore unit of naphthalimide
      and a CN- acceptor of methylated trifluoroacetamide group. For these previous
      reported trifluoroacetamide derivative-based cyanide chemosensors, the H-atom of
      amide adjacent to trifluoroacetyl group is susceptible to be attacked by various
      anions (CN- itself, F-, AcO-, et al.) and even the solvent molecule, which
      resulted in the bewildered reaction mechanism and poor selectivity of the assay.
      In this work, the susceptible H-atom of trifluoroacetamide was artfully
      substituted by alkyl group. Thus a highly specific fluorescent probe was
      developed for cyanide sensing. Upon the nucleophilic addition of cyanide anion to
      the carbonyl of trifluoroacetamide moiety of the probe, the ICT process of the
      probe was significantly enhanced and leading to a remarkable red shift in both
      absorption and emission spectra of the probe. This fluorescent assay showed a
      linear range of 1.0-80.0uM and a LOD (limit of detection) of 0.23uM. All the
      investigated interference have no influence on the sensing behavior of the probe
      toward cyanide. Moreover, by coating on TLC plate, the probe can be utilized for
      practical detection of trace cyanide in water samples.

PMID- 28917747
TI  - Colorimetric detection of ammonia using smartphones based on localized surface
      plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles.
AB  - In this work, a rapid and straightforward method was developed for colorimetric
      determination of ammonia using smartphones. The mechanisms is based on the
      manipulation of the surface plasmon band of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via the
      formation of Ag (NH3)2+ complex. This complex decreases the amount of AgNPs in
      the solution and consequently, the color intensity of the colloidal system
      decreases. Not only the variation in color intensity of the solution can be
      tracked by a UV-vis spectrophotometer, but also a smartphone can be employed to
      monitor the color intensity variation by RGB analysis. Ammonia, in the
      concentration range of 10-1000mgL-1, was successfully measured
      spectrophotometrically (UV-vis spectrophotometer) and colorimetrically (RGB
      measurement) with the detection limit of 180 and 200mgL-1, respectively. Linear
      relationships were also developed for both methods. Also, the response time of
      the developed colorimetric sensor was around 20s. Both of the colorimetric and
      spectrophotometric methods showed a reliable performance for determination of
      ammonia in the real samples.

PMID- 28917748
TI  - Selectivity improvement of positive photoionization ion mobility spectrometry for
      rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticides by switching dopant concentration.
AB  - Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) opened a potential avenue for the rapid detection
      of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), though an improved selectivity of stand
      alone IMS was still in high demand. In this study, a stand-alone positive
      photoionization ion mobility spectrometry (PP-IMS) apparatus was constructed for
      the rapid detection of OPPs with acetone as dopant. The photoionization of
      acetone molecules was induced by the ultraviolet irradiation to produce the
      reactant ions (Ac)2H+, which were employed to ionize the OPPs including fenthion,
      imidan, phosphamidon, dursban, dimethoate and isocarbophos via the proton
      transfer reaction. Due to the difference in proton affinity, the tested OPPs
      exhibited the different dopant-dependent manners. Based on this observation, the
      switching of dopant concentration was implemented to improve the selectivity of
      PP-IMS for OPPs detection. For instance, a mixture of fenthion, dursban and
      dimethoate was tested. By switching the concentration of doped acetone from 0.07
      to 2.33 to 19.94mgL-1, the ion peaks of fenthion and dursban were inhibited in
      succession, achieving the selective detection of dimethoate at last. In addition,
      another mixture of imidan and phosphamidon was initially detected by PP-IMS with
      a dose of 0.07mgL-1 acetone, indicating that their ion peaks were severely
      overlapped; when the concentration of doped acetone was switched to 19.94mgL-1,
      the inhibition of imidan signals promised the accurate identification of
      phosphamidon in mixture. Finally, the PP-IMS in combination of switching dopant
      concentration was applied to detect the mixed fenthion, dursban and dimethoate in
      Chinese cabbage, demonstrating the applicability of proposed method to real
      samples.

PMID- 28917749
TI  - Trace determination of volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in natural
      waters by magnetic ionic liquid-based stir bar dispersive liquid microextraction.
AB  - In this work, a novel hybrid approach called stir bar dispersive liquid
      microextraction (SBDLME) that combines the advantages of stir bar sorptive
      extraction (SBSE) and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been
      employed for the accurate and sensitive determination of ten polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs) in natural water samples. The extraction is carried out using
      a neodymium stir bar magnetically coated with a magnetic ionic liquid (MIL) as
      extraction device, in such a way that the MIL is dispersed into the solution at
      high stirring rates. Once the stirring is ceased, the MIL is magnetically
      retrieved onto the stir bar, and subsequently subjected to thermal desorption
      (TD) coupled to a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system. The main
      parameters involved in TD, as well as in the extraction step affecting the
      extraction efficiency (i.e., MIL amount, extraction time and ionic strength) were
      evaluated. Under the optimized conditions, the method was successfully validated
      showing good linearity, limits of detection and quantification in the low ng L-1
      level, good intra- and inter-day repeatability (RSD < 13%) and good enrichment
      factors (18 - 717). This sensitive analytical method was applied to the
      determination of trace amounts of PAHs in three natural water samples (river, tap
      and rainwater) with satisfactory relative recovery values (84-115%), highlighting
      that the matrices under consideration do not affect the extraction process.

PMID- 28917750
TI  - Portable near infrared spectroscopy applied to fuel quality control.
AB  - Fuel quality control has gained interest in many countries owing to the potential
      damage of low-quality fuel to engines, the environment, and economy. Thus, the
      application of analytical techniques to verify quality control of fuels has
      become crucial. The portable micro-spectrometer in the near infrared region
      (microNIR) has gained credibility as a successful analytical technique in several
      quality control sectors. The possibility of real-time analysis using a
      nondestructive and reliable method is the main advantage of this methodology. In
      this work, chemometric models (PLS) were developed using microNIR data to
      determine the amount of biodiesel in diesel (LODBio = 0.5wt%; LOQBio = 1.8wt%;
      and RMSEPBio = 1.8wt%); sulfur in diesel (LODS = 2.4mgL-1; LOQS = 8.0mgL-1; and
      RMSEPS = 13.2mgL-1); gasoline, ethanol, and methanol in C-type gasoline (LODgas =
      0.55wt%; LOQgas = 1.84wt%; and RMSEPgas = 0.81wt%; LODeth = 0.75wt%; LOQeth =
      2.5wt%; and RMSEPeth = 3.81wt%; and LODmet = 0.85wt%; LOQmet = 2.84wt%; and
      RMSEPmet = 1.80wt%); and water, methanol, and ethanol in ethanol-hydrated fuel
      (EHF) (LODH2O = 0.04wt%; LOQH2O = 1.29wt%; and RMSEPH2O = 1.05wt%; LODmet =
      0.52wt%; LOQmet = 1.73wt%; and RMSEPmet = 2.78wt%; and LODeth = 1.22wt%; LOQeth =
      4.07wt%; and RMSEPeth = 4.41wt%). A total of 181 blends were prepared, with
      biodiesel and sulfur contents ranging from 0 to 100wt% and 10-500mgL-1,
      respectively. For gasoline blends, the gasoline, ethanol, and methanol contents
      ranged from 0.0 to 75.0wt%, 25.0-75.0wt%, and 0.0-50.0wt%, respectively. In the
      EHF control, the ethanol, water, and methanol contents ranged from 0.0 to
      100.0wt%, 0.0-50.0wt%, and 0.0-50.0wt%, respectively. The proposed method
      presented high precision and accuracy in all cases, and the results showed that
      the microNIR technique had excellent performance in fuel quality control.

PMID- 28917751
TI  - Structural characterization of electrochemically and in vivo generated potential
      metabolites of selected cardiovascular drugs by EC-UHPLC/ESI-MS using an
      experimental design approach.
AB  - In the last few years, a number of studies were conducted which aimed at
      understanding the mechanisms of cardiovascular drug, metabolism, and there is
      still the need to determine the metabolites of cardiac drugs for the purpose of
      metabolism control. In this study, we employ a direct combination of
      electrochemical oxidation and mass spectrometric (EC-MS) identification for
      monitoring the oxidation pathway of ten cardiovascular drugs (metoprolol,
      propranolol, propafenone, mexiletine, oxprenolol, pirbuterol, pindolol,
      cicloprolol, acebutolol and atenolol). Oxidation was accomplished in an
      electrochemical thin-layer cell coupled on-line to electrospray ionization mass
      spectrometry (EC/ESI-MS). For further characterization of electrochemical
      products, the approach involving liquid chromatography linked to tandem mass
      spectrometry was used. Appropriate conditions for oxidation and identification
      processes with such parameters as the potential value, mobile phase (type and pH)
      and working electrode were optimized. Optimization was performed with the use of
      central composite design (CCD). Besides electrochemical oxidation of analytes
      (phase I of metabolic transformation), addition of glutathione (GSH) for follow
      up reactions (phase II conjunction) was also investigated. The electrochemical
      results were compared to in-vivo experiments by analyzing plasma and urine
      samples from patients who had been administered selected cardiovascular drugs.
      These results show that electrochemistry coupled to mass spectrometry turned out
      to be an analytical tool suitable to procure a feasible analytical base for the
      envisioned in vivo experiments.

PMID- 28917752
TI  - Facilely self-assembled magnetic nanoparticles/aptamer/carbon dots nanocomposites
      for highly sensitive up-conversion fluorescence turn-on detection of
      tetrodotoxin.
AB  - In this work, magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were modified with aptamer of
      tetrodotoxin (TTX) to form Fe3O4/aptamer complex. The self-assembling of carbon
      dots (CDs) and the aptamer generated Fe3O4/aptamer/CDs nanocomposites. The
      nanocomposites exhibited down-conversion fluorescence and up-conversion
      fluorescence (UCF) emissions simultaneously. When excited at a wavelength of
      780nm, the UCF (peaked at 475nm) of nanocomposites increased regularly with the
      increase of TTX concentration [TTX]. In the [TTX] range from 0.1ngmL-1 to 0.1mgmL
      1, UCF peak intensities almost linearly increased with the increase of Log [TTX],
      with a high linear coefficient (R2) of 0.9975 and a low detection limit of TTX
      (0.06ngmL-1). The nanocomposites were developed as a novel UCF turn-on probe of
      TTX. Experimental results confirmed the highly selective and sensitive UCF
      responses of the probe on TTX, over potential interferences. In real samples, the
      probe of TTX showed superior analysis performance with high detection recoveries.
      Based upon the combined advantages from spectrofluorimetric methods, CDs and UCF,
      the novel probe of TTX would be superior especially in real biological sample
      analysis, when compared to previous methods for the detection of TTX.

PMID- 28917753
TI  - Nuclear forensics investigation of morphological signatures in the thermal
      decomposition of uranyl peroxide.
AB  - The analytical techniques typically utilized in a nuclear forensic investigation
      often provide limited information regarding the process history and production
      conditions of interdicted nuclear material. In this study, scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) analysis of the surface morphology of amorphous-UO3 samples
      calcined at 250, 300, 350, 400, and 450 degrees C from uranyl peroxide was
      performed to determine if the morphology was indicative of the synthesis route
      and thermal history for the samples. Thermogravimetic analysis-mass spectrometry
      (TGA-MS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to correlate
      transitions in the calcined material to morphological transformations. The high
      resolution SEM images were processed using the Morphological Analysis for
      Material Attribution (MAMA) software. Morphological attributes, particle area and
      circularity, indicated significant trends as a result of calcination temperature.
      The quantitative morphological analysis was able to track the process of particle
      fragmentation and subsequent sintering as calcination temperature was increased.
      At the 90% confidence interval, with 1000 segmented particles, the use of
      Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical comparisons allowed discernment between all
      calcination temperatures for the uranyl peroxide route.

PMID- 28917754
TI  - Quantification of 7-aminoflunitrazepam in human urine by polymeric monolith-based
      capillary liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Using a simple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) procedure for sample pretreatment,
      7-Aminoflunitrazepam (7-aminoFM2), a major metabolite of flunitrazepam (FM2), was
      determined in urine samples by polymeric monolith-based capillary liquid
      chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The linearity was
      found in the range of 0.1-50ngmL-1 with a method detection limit (signal-to-noise
      ratio of 3) estimated at 0.05ngmL-1. Using the proposed method, good precision
      and recovery were also found in spiked urine samples at the levels of 0.5, 5.0,
      and 50ngmL-1 (intra-day/inter-day precision: 0.6-1.8% / 0.1-0.8%; post-spiked/pre
      spiked recovery: 95.4-102.9% / 96.3-102.5%). In addition, acceptable relative
      differences (-24.2 - 0.8%) were observed by analyzing clinical urine samples
      using this monolith-based capillary LC-MS/MS method compared with the results
      obtained by the routine GC-MC method. Using the monolithic column, no noticeable
      deterioration of separation efficiency or carry-over was observed for more than
      200 injections of urine samples. The applicability of the developed monolith
      based capillary LC-MS/MS method was demonstrated by quantifying 7-aminoFM2 in
      various clinical urine samples. Based on these experimental results, the proposed
      LLE-monolith-based capillary LC-MS/MS method shows the potential for routine
      determination of drug metabolites in human urine for clinical and forensic
      applications.

PMID- 28917755
TI  - Identification of Trypanosomatids by detecting Single Nucleotide Fingerprints
      using DNA analysis by dynamic chemistry with MALDI-ToF.
AB  - Protozoan parasites of the Trypanosomatidae family can cause devastating diseases
      in humans and animals, such as Human African Trypanosomiasis or Sleeping
      Sickness, Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis. Currently, there are molecular assays
      for detecting parasitic infections and their post-treatment monitoring based on
      nucleic acid amplification, but there are still certain limitations which limit
      the development of assays that can detect and discriminate between parasite
      infections with a single test. Here, we present the development of a novel
      molecular assay for the rapid identification of Trypanosomatids, integrating DNA
      analysis by dynamic chemistry in conjunction with Matrix-Assisted Laser
      Desorption Ionization - Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-ToF).
      Differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp. is
      now possible using a single reaction tube, and enables rapid identification of
      Trypanosomatids. The test is based on a singleplex PCR, using a specific primer
      pair that amplifies a 155 base pair segment of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene, within
      a conserved homology region of Trypanosomatidae species. Amplified fragments are
      analysed by dynamic chemistry using two abasic PNA probes and the four reactive
      nucleobases - containing an aldehyde functional group - with MALDI-ToF to
      identify unique molecular patterns created by each specie due to their single
      base differences (Single Nucleotide Fingerprint 'SNF') in this highly homologous
      region. This novel assay offers the possibility to expand routine diagnostic
      testing for Trypanosomatids, and monitoring of therapeutic responses to these
      infectious diseases.

PMID- 28917756
TI  - Facile synthesis of copper(II)-decorated functional mesoporous material for
      specific adsorption of histidine-rich proteins.
AB  - The Cu2+-decorated functional mesoporous material was fabricated by thermally
      initiated free-radical polymerization of octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric
      silsesquioxane. It was used as adsorbent for highly specific separation of
      histidine (His)-rich proteins in blood and cell lysate based on immobilized metal
      affinity chromatography. The functional mesoporous material (named as PPOSS-IDA
      Cu2+) was characterized in detail and its selectivity and binding capacity were
      evaluated using a His-rich protein (bovine hemoglobin, BHb) and other proteins
      (bovine serum albumin, myoglobin, lysozyme and horseradish peroxidase) containing
      fewer surface-exposed His residues as model proteins. The results indicated that
      PPOSS-IDA-Cu2+ exhibited large specific surface area and good selective
      adsorption ability and the maximum adsorption capacity for BHb was 3150mgg-1.
      Moreover, PPOSS-IDA-Cu2+ had excellent recyclability and the adsorption capacity
      of the reused material for BHb remained almost unchanged after six cycles. In
      addition, PPOSS-IDA-Cu2+ not only showed excellent performance for the removal of
      highly abundant hemoglobin in human blood, but also can be a good adsorbent for
      the enrichment of proteins in cell lysate. It was the first time to explore the
      application of Cu2+-decorated functional material as an adsorbant for the
      separation of proteins in cell lysate. This approach can be combined with other
      techniques which can remove or deplete highly abundant proteins from real
      biological samples to obtain more comprehensive data about low abundant His-rich
      proteins in proteomic analysis.

PMID- 28917757
TI  - Innovative thin-layer chromatographic method combined with fluorescence detection
      for specific determination of Febuxostat: Application in biological fluids.
AB  - A newly developed thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) method coupled with
      fluorescence detection for specific determination of Febuxostat (FEB) was
      designed. The proposed method adopts exposure of FEB on a developed TLC plate to
      hydrochloric acid vapors, resulting in a large enhancement of its weak
      fluorescence, permitting its specific and sensitive determination in real human
      plasma and urine after excitation at 345nm on 60 F254 silica gel plates using
      toluene-ethyl acetate-methanol-glacial acetic acid; (30:10:5:0.1,v/v/v/v) as
      mobile phase. The retention factor (Rf) value for FEB was 0.33 +/- 0.03 with a
      correlation coefficient of 0.9974 in the concentration range of 2.5-50ng/band.
      Upon using polynomial regression, the correlation coefficient was greatly
      improved (0.9999), with detection and quantification limits of 0.55 and 1.67
      (ng/band), respectively. The proposed method was validated according to the
      International Conference of Harmonization and was successfully used for specific
      and selective determination of FEB in its commercial dosage form without
      excipient interference. Moreover, the proposed method was extended to efficient
      determination of the studied drug in real human plasma and urine samples in the
      presence of its metabolites without any interference, allowing clinical
      application of the proposed method for direct FEB determination in biological
      fluids as well as in pharmacokinetics studies and for quality control of the
      pharmaceutical dosage form without sample pretreatment or exhausting extraction
      steps.

PMID- 28917758
TI  - Review on investigations of antisense oligonucleotides with the use of mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Antisense oligonucleotides have been investigated as potential drugs for years.
      They inhibit target gene or protein expression. The present review summarizes
      their modifications, modes of action, and applications of liquid chromatography
      coupled with mass spectrometry for qualitative and quantitative analysis of these
      compounds. The most recent reports on a given topic were given prominence, while
      some early studies were reviewed in order to provide a theoretical background.
      The present review covers the issues of using ion-exchange chromatography, ion
      pair reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography and hydrophilic
      interaction chromatography for the separation of antisense oligonucleotides. The
      application of mass spectrometry was described with regard to the ionization type
      used for the determination of these potential therapeutics. Moreover, the current
      approaches and applications of mass spectrometry for quantitative analysis of
      antisense oligonucleotides and their metabolites as well as their impurities
      during in vitro and in vivo studies were discussed. Finally, certain conclusions
      and perspectives on the determination of therapeutic oligonucleotides in various
      samples were briefly described.

PMID- 28917759
TI  - Detection of aflatoxin B1 in food samples based on target-responsive aptamer
      cross-linked hydrogel using a handheld pH meter as readout.
AB  - Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) can cause great threat to human health, so the development of
      convenient and portable device for sensitive detection of AFB1 is highly desired.
      The portable pH meter has the characters of facile operation, low cost, and easy
      availability. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the applicability of
      utilizing a pH meter as the readout to develop a portable sensor for AFB1. The
      specific detection of AFB1 is realized via the combination of AFB1-responsive
      aptamer-cross-linked hydrogel. Upon the addition of AFB1, AFB1 binds to its
      aptamer with high affinity in lieu of aptamer/DNA complex, causing the collapse
      of hydrogel network and results in the releasing of urease into the solution. The
      released urease can catalyse the hydrolysis of urea and result in the rise of pH
      value. The change of pH value has a direct relationship to the concentration of
      AFB1 in the range of 0.2-20uM with a detection limit of 0.1uM (S/N = 3). The
      proposed portable device is successfully applied to assay AFB1 in the food
      samples with satisfied results.

PMID- 28917760
TI  - Rapid and sensitive serum glucose determination using chemical labeling coupled
      with black phosphorus-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Monitoring the concentration of blood glucose in patients is a key component of
      good medical diagnoses. Therefore, developing an accurate, rapid and sensitive
      strategy for monitoring blood glucose is of vital importance. We proposed a
      strategy for serum glucose determination combining 2-(4-boronobenzyl) isoquinolin
      2-ium bromide chemical labeling with black phosphorus assisted laser desorption
      ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (CL-BP/ALDI-TOF MS). The entire
      analytical process consisted of 1min of protein precipitation and 3min of
      chemical labeling in a microwave oven prior to the BP/ALDI-TOF MS analysis. The
      analysis can be completed in 5min with high throughput and extremely low sample
      consumption. Good linearity for glucose was obtained with a correlation
      coefficient (R) of 0.9986. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of
      quantification (LOQ) were 11.5 fmol and 37.5 fmol, respectively. Satisfied
      reproducibility and reliability were gained by evaluation of the intra- and inter
      day precisions with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 7.2% and
      relative recoveries ranging from 87.1% to 108.1%, respectively. The proposed
      strategy was also applied for the analysis of endogenous glucose in various serum
      samples and the results were consistent with those obtained using the hexokinase
      method in a clinical laboratory. Considering the results, the proposed CL-BP/ALDI
      TOF MS strategy has proven to be reliable, fast, and sensitive for quantitative
      analysis of serum glucose.

PMID- 28917761
TI  - Graphene nanoribbon/FePt bimetallic nanoparticles/uric acid as a novel magnetic
      sensing layer of screen printed electrode for sensitive determination of ampyra.
AB  - A novel electrochemical sensor for sensitive determination of ampyra (Am) based
      on graphene nanoribbons modified by iron-platinum bimetallic nanoparticles and
      uric acid (SPCE/FePtGNR/UA) dropped on the screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE)
      surface and magnetically captured onto an SPCE working electrode surface is
      reported in the present work. The modified nanocomposite and sensing layer was
      characterized by different techniques, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear
      sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS),
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      (FT-IR) and X-ray powdered diffraction (XRD). Am determination by conventional
      electrochemical methods is not possible, because of its high redox overpotential.
      Therefore, the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) signals of UA were used as a
      redox probe for indirect electrochemical determination of Am. The limit of
      detection (LOD) and linear concentration range were obtained as 0.028 and 0.08
      9.0umolL-1 (3Sb/m = 3), respectively. The feasibility of the proposed method was
      examined by the detection of Am in biological and pharmaceutical samples with
      satisfactory results. The constructed electrochemical sensor was applied for
      fast, simple and sensitive detection of Am in real environments.

PMID- 28917762
TI  - Full validation of a method for the determination of drugs of abuse in non
      mineralized dental biofilm using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
      and application to postmortem samples.
AB  - Alternative matrices play a major role in postmortem forensic toxicology,
      especially if common matrices (like body fluids or hair) are not available.
      Incorporation of illicit and medicinal drugs into non-mineralized dental biofilm
      (plaque) seems likely but has not been investigated so far. Analysis of plaque
      could therefore extend the spectrum of potentially used matrices in postmortem
      toxicology. For this reason, a rapid, simple and sensitive method for the
      extraction, determination and quantification of ten drugs of abuse from plaque
      using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and
      fully validated. Amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine
      (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDEA), 3,4
      methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), cocaine, benzoylecgonine, morphine, codeine and
      6-acetylmorphine were extracted from 2mg of dried and powdered plaque via
      ultrasonication with acetonitrile. The extracts were analyzed on a triple
      quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer in scheduled multiple reaction
      monitoring mode (sMRM). The method was fully validated and proved accurate,
      precise, selective and specific with satisfactory linearity within the calibrated
      ranges. The lower limit of quantification was 10-15pgmg-1 for all compounds
      except for MDA (100pgmg-1) and amphetamine (200pgmg-1). The method has been
      successfully applied to three authentic postmortem samples with known drug
      history. Amphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, morphine and codeine could
      be detected in these cases in concentrations ranging from 18pgmg-1 for cocaine to
      1400pgmg-1 for amphetamine.

PMID- 28917763
TI  - Expanded uncertainty associated with determination of isotope enrichment factors:
      Comparison of two point calculation and Rayleigh-plot.
AB  - The enrichment factor (epsilon) is a common way to express Isotope Effects (IEs)
      associated with a phenomenon. Many studies determine epsilon using a Rayleigh
      plot, which needs multiple data points. More recent articles describe an
      alternative method using the Rayleigh equation that allows the determination of
      epsilon using only one experimental point, but this method is often subject to
      controversy. However, a calculation method using two points (one experimental
      point and one at t0) should lead to the same results because the calculation is
      derived from the Rayleigh equation. But, it is frequently asked "what is the
      valid domain of use of this two point calculation?" The primary aim of the
      present work is a systematic comparison of results obtained with these two
      methodologies and the determination of the conditions required for the valid
      calculation of epsilon. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the two
      approaches, the expanded uncertainty (U) associated with determining epsilon has
      been calculated using experimental data from three published articles. The second
      objective of the present work is to describe how to determine the expanded
      uncertainty (U) associated with determining epsilon. Comparative methodologies
      using both Rayleigh-plot and two point calculation are detailed and it is clearly
      demonstrated that calculation of epsilon using a single data point can give the
      same result as a Rayleigh-plot provided one strict condition is respected: that
      the experimental value is measured at a small fraction of unreacted substrate (f
      < 30%). This study will help stable isotope users to present their results in a
      more rigorous expression: epsilon +/- U and therefore to define better the
      significance of an experimental results prior interpretation. Capsule: Enrichment
      factor can be determined through two different methods and the calculation of
      associated expanded uncertainty allows checking its significance.

PMID- 28917764
TI  - Coupling dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction to inductively coupled plasma
      atomic emission spectrometry: An oxymoron?
AB  - Coupling dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction (DLLME) to inductively coupled
      plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is usually troublesome due to the
      limited plasma tolerance to the organic solvents usually employed for metal
      extraction. This work explores different coupling strategies allowing the multi
      element determination by ICP-AES of the solutions obtained after DLLME
      procedures. To this end, three of the most common extractant solvents in DLLME
      procedures (1-undecanol, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate and
      chloroform) have been selected to face most of the main problems reported in
      DLLME-ICP-AES coupling (i.e., those arising from the high solvent viscosity and
      volatility). Results demonstrate that DLLME can be successfully coupled to ICP
      AES after a careful optimization of the experimental conditions. Thus, elemental
      analysis in 1-undecanol and 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate
      extracts can be achieved by ICP-AES after a simple dilution step with methanol
      (1:0.5). Chloroform can be directly introduced into the plasma with minimum
      changes in the ICP-AES configuration usually employed when operating with aqueous
      solutions. Diluted inorganic acid solutions (1% w w-1 either nitric or
      hydrochloric acids) have been successfully tested for the first time as a carrier
      for the introduction of organic extractants in ICP-AES. The coupling strategies
      proposed have been successfully applied to the multi-element analysis (Al, Cu,
      Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn) of different water samples (i.e. marine, tap and river) by
      DLLME-ICP-AES.

PMID- 28917765
TI  - Dihydropyridine-derived BODIPY probe for detecting exogenous and endogenous
      nitric oxide in mitochondria.
AB  - A mitochondria-targetable probe Mito-DHP for nitric oxide (NO) was designed and
      synthesized by introducing dihydropyridine and triphenylphosphonium (TPP)
      moieties into boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dye. Mito-DHP was able to effectively
      detect nitric oxide through the aromatization of dihydropyridine to fluorescent
      pyridine product under oxygen-free conditions. The probe Mito-DHP showed high
      selectivity to NO over a number of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) as
      well as high sensitivity (detection limit at 25nM), pH stability and bio
      compatibility. Furthermore, Mito-DHP proved to target mitochondria specifically
      and to visualize both exogenous and endogenous NO in real time.

PMID- 28917766
TI  - A novel colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent probe for visualizing SO2
      derivatives in environment and living cells.
AB  - Monitoring sulfur dioxide (SO2) derivatives in environment is of great
      significance due to their harmful effects to the environment and human health. In
      this study, a fluorescent probe (CZBT) for SO2 derivatives was prepared from 9
      ethyl-9H-carbazole-3,6-dicarboxaldehyde and 2-methyl-benzothiazolium, which
      displayed a noticeable color change from yellow to colorless along with a
      remarkable fluorescence change from yellow to blue in response to HSO3-. The
      probe could quantitatively determine the concentration of HSO3- with excellent
      selectivity, high sensitivity and low limit of detection. 1H NMR and HR-MS
      spectra demonstrated that a selective 1, 4-nucleophilic addition occurred on the
      bridge double bond in CZBT. The probe was successfully used to determine the SO2
      derivatives in several real water samples with good recovery. Furthermore, the
      probe was employed for monitoring the level of intracellular HSO3- in HeLa (human
      cervical cancer) cells by fluorescence imaging. These results indicated that CZBT
      has a good capability for monitoring SO2 derivatives in environment and living
      cells.

PMID- 28917767
TI  - Hierarchical oxygen-implanted MoS2 nanoparticle decorated graphene for the non
      enzymatic electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline media.
AB  - Owing to the extensive applications of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in biological,
      environmental and chemical engineering, it is of great importance to investigate
      sensitive and selective sensing platform towards the detection of H2O2. Herein,
      oxygen-implanted MoS2 nanoparticles decorated graphene nanocomposite is
      synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal method for the sensitive detection
      of H2O2 in alkaline media. The structure and morphology of the MoS2/graphene
      nanocomposites were systematically characterized, showing that Mo-O bonds are
      formed and oxygen is implanted into the crystal structure in the nanocomposite.
      As a result, the MoS2/graphene composite exhibited enhanced electron transfer
      kinetics and excellent electro-reduction performance towards H2O2 in alkaline
      media. Under optimum conditions, the fabricated sensor demonstrated a wide linear
      response towards H2O2 in the range of 0.25-16mM with a low detection limit of
      0.12MUM and high sensitivity of 269.7MUAmM-1cm-2. Besides, the constructed sensor
      presented a good selectivity to H2O2 with the presence of other interfering
      species. Therefore, the proposed sensor was successfully applied for the
      detection and determination of H2O2 in real sample, indicating great potential
      for the practical applications.

PMID- 28917768
TI  - Gold nanoparticle labeling with tyramide signal amplification for highly
      sensitive detection of alpha fetoprotein in human serum by ICP-MS.
AB  - In this work, we developed an immunoassay based on tyramide signal amplification
      (TSA) and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) labeling for highly sensitive detection of
      alpha fetoprotein (AFP) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
      AFP was captured by anti-AFP1 coating on the 96-well plate and labeled by anti
      AFP2-horseradish peroxidase (HRP), in which the HRP can catalyze the deposition
      of biotinylated tyramine on the nearby protein. Then the streptavidin (SA)-Au NPs
      was labeled on the deposited biotinylated tyramine as the intensive signal probe
      for ICP-MS measurement. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limit of
      detection of the developed method for AFP was 1.85pg/mL and the linear range was
      0.005-2ng/mL. The relative standard deviation for seven replicate detections of
      0.01ng/mL AFP was 5.2%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the
      detection of AFP in human serum with good recoveries. This strategy is highly
      sensitive and easy to operate, and can be extended to the sensitive detection of
      other biomolecules in human serum.

PMID- 28917769
TI  - Towards highly selective detection using metal nanoparticles: A case of silver
      triangular nanoplates and chlorine.
AB  - The article describes a novel approach towards improving selectivity of volatile
      compounds detection using metal nanoparticles. It is based on combination of
      sensitive optical detection using convenient nanoparticle-modified paper test
      strips and dynamic gas extraction improving selectivity to volatile compounds. A
      simple and inexpensive setup allowing for realization of this combination is
      described. Analytical prospects of the approach are shown by the example of
      chlorine determination in highly salted aqueous solutions using silver triangular
      nanoplates and digital colorimetry. The limit of detection is equal to 0.03mgL-1
      and the determination range is 0.1-2mgL-1. This determination can be successfully
      carried out in solutions containing at least 2.105 greater molar amounts of Na+,
      K+, Zn2+, Cl-, SO42-, and H2PO4- with no sample pretreatment. The approach seems
      to be compatible with different types of nanoparticles with respect to detection
      of various analytes, thus having good opportunities for further development.

PMID- 28917770
TI  - Applicability of the direct injection liquid chromatographic tandem mass
      spectrometric analytical approach to the sub-ngL-1 determination of perfluoro
      alkyl acids in waste, surface, ground and drinking water samples.
AB  - The applicability of a direct injection UHPLC-MS/MS method for the analysis of
      several perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in a wide range of water matrices was
      investigated. The method is based on the direct injection of 100uL of centrifuged
      water sample, without any other sample treatment. Very good method detection
      limits (0.014-0.44ngL-1) and excellent intra and inter-day precision (RSD% values
      in the range 1.8-4.4% and 2.7-5.7%, respectively) were achieved, with a total
      analysis time of 20min per sample. A high number of samples - i.e. 8 drinking
      waters (DW), 12 ground waters (GW), 13 surface waters (SW), 8 influents and 11
      effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPIN and WWTPOUT) were processed and
      the extent of matrix effect (ME) was calculated, highlighting the strong
      prevalence of |ME| < 20%. The occurrence of |ME| > 50% was occasionally observed
      only for perfluorooctanesulphonic and perfluorodecanoic acids. Linear
      discriminant analysis highlighted the great contribution of the sample origin
      (i.e. DW, GW, SW, WWTPIN and WWTPOUT) to the ME. Partial least square regression
      (PLS) and leave-one-out cross-validation were performed in order to interpret and
      predict the signal suppression or enhancement phenomena as a function of
      physicochemical parameters of water samples (i.e. conductivity, hardness and
      chemical oxygen demand) and background chromatographic area. The PLS approach
      resulted only in an approximate screening, due to the low prediction power of the
      PLS models. However, for most analytes in most samples, the fitted and cross
      validated values were such as to correctly distinguish between | ME | higher than
      20% or below this limit. PFAAs in the aforementioned water samples were
      quantified by means of the standard addition method, highlighting their
      occurrence mainly in WWTP influents and effluents, at concentrations as high as
      one hundred of ugL-1.

PMID- 28917771
TI  - Accurate and sensitive fluorescence detection of DNA based on G-quadruplex
      hairpin DNA.
AB  - A facile and cost-effective fluorescence biosensor is constructed for the
      accurate and sensitive determination of DNA. The G-quadruplex-forming sequence in
      hairpin DNA sequence (H1) is originally locked. When target DNA is present, the
      hairpin structure of H1 can be unfolded and part of H1 hybridized with the target
      DNA to form a double-stranded DNA and a G-quadruplex. The hairpin DNA sequence
      (H2) hybridizes with the unfolded H1 and displaces the target DNA. Finally, the
      displaced target DNA again hybridizes with the H1 and initiates cycle
      amplification. Thus, the numerous G-quadruplexs at the H1 ends are formed,
      resulting in the fluorescent enhancement after binding with N-methyl
      mesoporphyrin IX (NMM). Lower background signal improves the accuracy of assay.
      The enzyme-free method can detect down to 40pM and a linear range of 3 orders of
      magnitude. Moreover, this strategy has an ability to discriminate the target DNA
      from even single-base mismatched or other sequence. The proposed method has
      potential applications in DNA-based molecular diagnostics.

PMID- 28917772
TI  - Disordered photonics coupled with embedded nano-Au plasmonics inducing efficient
      photocurrent enhancement.
AB  - Spatial order used to be considered as a benefit for photonics; but recently the
      study of disorder has broken into people's horizons for its strong random
      scattering of light. In this work, disordered photonics coupled with plasmonics
      for efficiently enhanced photocurrent was first investigated using Au-ZnO
      nanowire array as a model. The embedded Au-ZnO nanowire array was facilely
      prepared using a template-free electrodeposition method. On the optimal plasmonic
      substrate, the photocurrent of disorder-enhanced Au-ZnO nanowire array is about
      20-fold that of ZnO nanowire array. Both the plasmonic effect of Au NPs such as
      localized surface plasmons, surface plasmon polarizations and the disorder
      enhanced photonics in the hybrid structure are available to improve the
      photoelectric conversion efficiency by enhancing the trapping of the simulated
      sunlight and the collection of charge carriers. Herein, disordered photonics was
      coupled with plasmonics to explain for the enhanced photocurrent. This work also
      provided a facile fabricating avenue for plasmonic noble metal embedded in
      semiconductor devices.

PMID- 28917773
TI  - Redesigning flow injection after 40 years of development: Flow programming.
AB  - Automation of reagent based assays, by means of Flow Injection (FI), is based on
      sample processing, in which a sample flows continuously towards and through a
      detector for quantification of the target analyte. The Achilles heel of this
      methodology, the legacy of Auto Analyzer(r), is continuous reagent consumption,
      and continuous generation of chemical waste. However, flow programming, assisted
      by recent advances in precise pumping, combined with the lab-on-valve technique,
      allows the FI manifold to be designed around a single confluence point through
      which sample and reagents are sequentially directed by means of a series of flow
      reversals. This approach results in sample/reagent mixing analogous to the
      traditional FI, reduces sample and reagent consumption, and uses the stop flow
      technique for enhancement of the yield of chemical reactions. The feasibility of
      programmable Flow Injection (pFI) is documented by example of commonly used
      spectrophotometric assays of, phosphate, nitrate, nitrite and glucose.
      Experimental details and additional information are available in online tutorial
      http://www.flowinjectiontutorial.com/.

PMID- 28917774
TI  - FRET on lateral flow test strip to enhance sensitivity for detecting cancer
      biomarker.
AB  - Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorescein isothiocyanate
      (FITC) and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) is introduced in the lateral flow strip to
      detect cancer biomarker CEA with the color and fluorescence dual-readout. Anti
      CEA monoclonal antibody coated Au NPs were on the conjugate pad and FITC labelled
      antibody (FITC-Ab) for CEA was coated on the test line. All the reagents were
      general in the lateral flow strip or commercially available and no new materials
      or technique were involved, which make our proposal a more universal method and
      easier to operate. With the addition of CEA on the sample pad, anti-CEA
      monoclonal antibody coated Au NPs-CEA-FITC-Ab complex formed on the test line,
      leading to a megascopic red line and simultaneous quenched fluorescence of FITC
      via FRET. The visual limit of detection (LOD) through distinguishing red color
      change was 10ng/mL and the LOD by differentiating fluorescence intensity was
      0.1ng/mL, which was two orders of magnitude lower than that without considering
      fluorescence in the strip. And the linear range changed from 10-80ng/mL to 5
      80ng/mL with the analysis of fluorescence change. Meanwhile, the feasibility of
      our method applied in real clinical samples was also confirmed.

PMID- 28917775
TI  - Fabrication of bi-monomer copolymer of pyrrole-indole for highly efficient solid
      phase microextraction of benzene derivatives.
AB  - A procedure for direct electrochemical deposition of poly(pyrrole-indole) on gold
      nanoparticles coated stainless steel wire was established, and the formation of
      copolymer was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized coating showed
      unique microstructure, excellent extraction efficiency (2-10 times of
      corresponding single-component coating), high thermal stability (up to 280
      degrees C) and good durability (could be used for more than 200 times). As a
      novel and promising extraction coating, it was used for the headspace solid phase
      microextraction-gas chromatography detection of some benzene derivatives,
      including chlorobenzene, bromobenzene, p-bromotoluene, m-nitrotoluene and p
      nitrotoluene. Under the optimized conditions, their GC peak areas were linear to
      their concentrations in the ranges of about 0.05-100MUgL-1, and the detection
      limits were 0.012-0.029MUgL-1 (S/N = 3). The run-to-run RSDs were lower than 3.9%
      (n = 4), the fiber-to-fiber RSDs were 4.3-7.8% (n = 4). The proposed method was
      successfully applied to the determination of benzene derivatives mentioned above
      in real samples with good recoveries from 88.3% to 103.7%.

PMID- 28917776
TI  - Apta-nanosensors for detection and quantitative determination of acetamiprid - A
      pesticide residue in food and environment.
AB  - In an effort to achieve high sensitive and selective detection of pesticide
      residues, numerous nanomaterial-based aptasensors are currently being developed
      for acetamiprid analysis. Recently, aptamers as a potent alternative of
      antibodies are used in biosensing platforms. There is tremendous interest in
      utilizing of nanomaterial as basic building blocks and signaling elements in
      aptasensors. The nanomaterials have the unique optical and electrical properties.
      The combination of nanomaterial and aptamer technology has opened a new window in
      pesticide residues monitoring. In this review, recent advances and applications
      of optical and electrochemical nanomaterial-based aptasensors for the detection
      and quantitative determination of acetamiprid in details have been discussed.

PMID- 28917777
TI  - Molecularly imprinted polymers for the determination of organophosphorus
      pesticides in complex samples.
AB  - Organophosphorus compounds constitute an important class of pesticides whose the
      toxicity of which arises from the inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme.
      They exhibit a wide range of physico-chemical properties, thus rendering their
      determination in complex oil samples particularly difficult. To facilitate their
      analysis at the trace level in various samples (environmental waters, soils,
      vegetables...), molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) that are synthetic polymers
      possessing specific cavities designed for a target molecule have been prepared.
      Often called synthetic antibodies, MIPs can replace antibodies in different
      application fields. Indeed, as immunosorbents, MIPs can be used as selective
      sorbents for the solid phase extraction of target analytes from complex matrices
      or as recognition elements in sensors. Their synthesis, characterization and use
      as selective sorbent for the selective recognition of organophosphorus pesticides
      have been already largely described and are summarized in this review.

PMID- 28917778
TI  - Determination of volatile organic compounds in eucalyptus fast pyrolysis bio-oil
      by full evaporation headspace gas chromatography.
AB  - This paper reports a full evaporation (FE) headspace gas chromatographic (HS-GC)
      method for the determination of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in bio-oil
      (i.e. methanol, ethanol, acetone, acetic acid and furfural). The method uses a
      4MUL sample of bio-oil in a headspace vial (ca. 20mL). Complete evaporation of
      the compounds was achieved after seven minutes at 90 degrees C. The method showed
      good precision and accuracy for methanol, ethanol, acetone and acetic acid. The
      recovery of furfural was low (74.3%). The results showed that the protocol can be
      applied for the determination of methanol, ethanol, acetone and acetic acid in
      bio-oil. Detection limits ranged from 0.13 to 0.16MUg. Acetic acid was the
      dominant analyte in the heavy bio-oil and light bio-oil analysis (113. 3 and
      85.1ugmg-1, respectively), followed by methanol, ethanol, and acetone. The
      polymerisation of furfural was suspected as the cause of its poor quantification.

PMID- 28917779
TI  - "On-off" switchable tool for food sample preparation: merging molecularly
      imprinting technology with stimuli-responsive blocks. Current status, challenges
      and highlighted applications.
AB  - Sample preparation still remains a great challenge in the analytical workflow
      representing the most time-consuming and laborious step in analytical procedures.
      Ideally, sample pre-treatment procedures must be more selective, cheap, quick and
      environmental friendly. Molecular imprinting technology is a powerful tool in the
      development of highly selective sample preparation methodologies enabling to
      preconcentrate the analytes from a complex food matrix. Actually, the design and
      development of molecularly imprinted polymers-based functional materials that
      merge an enhancement of selectivity with a controllable and switchable mode of
      action by means of specific stimulus constitutes a hot research topic in the
      field of food analysis. Thus, combining the stimuli responsive mechanism and
      imprinting technology a new generation of materials are emerging. The application
      of these smart materials in sample preparation is in early stage of development,
      nevertheless new improvements will promote a new driven in the demanding field of
      food sample preparation. The new trends in the advancement of food sample
      preparation using these smart materials will be presented in this review and
      highlighted the most relevant applications in this particular area of knowledge.

PMID- 28917780
TI  - Quantifying biodegradable organic matter in polluted water on the basis of
      coulombic yield.
AB  - Biodegradable organic matter (BOM) in polluted water plays a key role in various
      biological purification technologies. The five-day biochemical oxygen demand
      (BOD5) index is often used to determine the amount of BOM. However, standard BOD5
      assays, centering on dissolved oxygen detection, have long testing times and
      often show severe deviation (error >= 15%). In the present study, the coulombic
      yield (Q) of a bio-electrochemical degradation process was determined, and a new
      index for BOM quantification was proposed. The Q value represents the quantity of
      transferred electrons from BOM to oxygen, and the corresponding index was defined
      as BOMQ. By revealing Q-BOM stoichiometric relationship, we were able to perform
      a BOMQ assay in a microbial fuel cell involved technical platform. Experimental
      results verified that 5-500mgL-1 of BOMQ toward artificial wastewater samples
      could be directly obtained without calibration in several to dozens of hours,
      leaving less than 5% error. Moreover, the BOMQ assay remained accurate and
      precise in a wide range of optimized operational conditions. A ratio of
      approximately 1.0 between the values of BOMQ and BOD5 toward artificial and real
      wastewater samples was observed. The rapidity, accuracy, and precision of the
      measurement results are supported by a solid theoretical foundation. Thus, BOMQ
      is a promising water quality index for quantifying BOM in polluted water.

PMID- 28917781
TI  - Fluorescence self-quenching assay for the detection of target collagen sequences
      using a short probe peptide.
AB  - The development of novel assays to detect collagen fragments is of utmost
      importance for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic decisions in various
      collagen-related diseases, and one essential question is to discover probe
      peptides that can specifically recognize target collagen sequences. Herein we
      have developed the fluorescence self-quenching assay as a convenient tool to
      screen the capability of a series of fluorescent probe peptides of variable
      lengths to bind with target collagen peptides. We have revealed that the
      targeting ability of probe peptides is length-dependent, and have discovered a
      relatively short probe peptide FAM-G(POG)8 capable to identify the target
      peptide. We have further demonstrated that fluorescence self-quenching assay
      together with this short probe peptide can be applied to specifically detect the
      desired collagen fragment in complex biological media. Fluorescence self
      quenching assay provides a powerful new tool to discover effective peptides for
      the recognition of collagen biomarkers, and it may have great potential to
      identify probe peptides for various protein biomarkers involved in pathological
      conditions.

PMID- 28917782
TI  - Studies on the retention mechanism of solutes in hydrophilic interaction
      chromatography using stoichiometric displacement theory I. The linear
      relationship of lgk' vs. lg[H2O].
AB  - A stoichiometric displacement model for retention (SDM-R) of small solutes and
      proteins based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) was presented. A
      linear equation that related the logarithm of the capacity factor of the solute
      to the logarithm of the concentration of water in the mobile phase was derived.
      The stoichiometric displacement parameters, Z (the number of water molecules
      required to displace a solute from ligands) and lgI (containing a number of
      constants that relate to the affinity of solute to the ligands) could be obtained
      from the slope and the intercept of the linear plots of lgk' vs. lg[H2O]. The
      retention behaviors and retention mechanism of 15 kinds of small solutes and 6
      kinds of proteins on 5 kinds HILIC columns with different ligands were
      investigated with SDM-R in typical range of water concentration in mobile phase.
      A good linear relationship between lgk' and lg[H2O] demonstrated that the most
      rational retention mechanism of solute in HILIC was a stoichiometric displacement
      process between solute and solvent molecules with water as displacing agents,
      which was not only valid for small solutes, but also could be used to explain the
      retention mechanism of biopolymers in HILIC. Comparing with the partition and
      adsorption models in HILIC, SDM-R was superior to them.

PMID- 28917783
TI  - Intellectual modifying a bare glassy carbon electrode to fabricate a novel and
      ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor: Application to determination of
      acrylamide in food samples.
AB  - Acrylamide (AA) is a neurotoxin and carcinogen which is mainly formed in foods
      containing large quantities of starch processed at high temperatures and its
      determination is very important to control the quality of foods. In this work, a
      novel electrochemical biosensor based on hemoglobin-dimethyldioctadecylammonium
      bromide (HG-DDAB)/platinum-gold-palladium three metallic alloy nanoparticles
      (PtAuPd NPs)/chitosan-1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
      bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Ch-IL)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes-IL (MWCNTs
      IL)/glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is proposed for ultrasensitive determination of
      AA in food samples. Development of the biosensor is based on forming an adduct by
      the reaction of AA with alpha-NH2 group of N-terminal valine of HG which
      decreases the peak current of HG-Fe+3 reduction. The modifications were
      characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry
      (CV), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS) and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). Under optimized conditions, the biosensor detected AA by square
      wave voltammetry (SWV) in two linear concentration ranges of 0.03-39.0nM and 39.0
      150.0nM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01nM. The biosensor was able to
      selective detection of AA even in the presence of high concentrations of common
      interferents which confirmed that the biosensor is highly selective. Also, the
      results obtained from further studies confirmed that the proposed biosensor has a
      short response time (less than 8s), good sensitivity, long term stability,
      repeatability, and reproducibility. Finally, the proposed biosensor was
      successfully applied to determine AA in potato chips and its results were
      comparable to those obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as
      reference method.

PMID- 28917784
TI  - Green synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet (g-C3N4) and using it as a
      label-free fluorosensor for detection of metronidazole via quenching of the
      fluorescence.
AB  - In this research, g-C3N4nanosheets were facilely fabricated by thermal
      polymerization and then exfoliated into ultrathin nanosheets through
      ultrasonication in water media. Low-cost C-N nanosheets prepared by melamine
      possessed a highly pi-conjugated structure and fluorescence property. In the
      present study, the g-C3N4nanosheet was used as a switch-off fluorescence sensor
      for rapid and sensitive sensing of metronidazole in biological fluids. These
      nanosheets were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The
      fluorescence of the solution of the g-C3N4nanosheets was quenched effectively by
      metronidazole through two mechanisms: fluorescence resonance energy transfer and
      the formation of a donor-acceptor charge-transfer complex between pi-electron
      rich donors. Under optimal conditions, the detection linear range for
      metronidazole was found to be from 0.01 to 0.10MUgml-1, with a limit of detection
      (LOD) of 0.008MUgml-1 which can cover standard range of metronidazole in real
      samples. Moreover, the proposed method has offered a green, rapid, and sensitive
      probe for quantitative determination of metronidazole in drug and biological
      fluids.

PMID- 28917785
TI  - Fluorescence quenching based alkaline phosphatase activity detection.
AB  - Simple and fast detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity is of great
      importance for diagnostic and analytical applications. In this work, we report a
      turn-off approach for the real-time detection of ALP activity on the basis of the
      charge transfer induced fluorescence quenching of the Cu(BCDS)22- (BCDS =
      bathocuproine disulfonate) probe. Initially, ALP can enzymatically hydrolyze the
      substrate ascorbic acid 2-phosphate to release ascorbic acid (AA). Subsequently,
      the AA-mediated reduction of the Cu(BCDS)22- probe, which displays an intense
      photoluminescence band at the wavelength of 402nm, leads to the static quenching
      of fluorescence of the probe as a result of charge transfer. The underlying
      mechanism of the fluorescence quenching was demonstrated by quantum mechanical
      calculations. The Cu(BCDS)22- probe features a large Stokes shift (86nm) and is
      highly immune to photo bleaching. In addition, this approach is free of
      elaborately designed fluorescent probes and allows the detection of ALP activity
      in a real-time manner. Under optimal conditions, it provides a fast and sensitive
      detection of ALP activity within the dynamic range of 0-220mUmL-1, with a
      detection limit down to 0.27mUmL-1. Results demonstrate that it is highly
      selective, and applicable to the screening of ALP inhibitors in drug discovery.
      More importantly, it shows a good analytical performance for the direct detection
      of the endogenous ALP levels of undiluted human serum and even whole blood
      samples. Therefore, the proposed charge transfer based approach has great
      potential in diagnostic and analytical applications.

PMID- 28917786
TI  - Chemometric compositional analysis of phenolic compounds in fermenting samples
      and wines using different infrared spectroscopy techniques.
AB  - The wine industry requires reliable methods for the quantification of phenolic
      compounds during the winemaking process. Infrared spectroscopy appears as a
      suitable technique for process control and monitoring. The ability of Fourier
      transform near infrared (FT-NIR), attenuated total reflectance mid infrared (ATR
      MIR) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies to predict
      compositional phenolic levels during red wine fermentation and aging was
      investigated. Prediction models containing a large number of samples collected
      over two vintages from several industrial fermenting tanks as well as wine
      samples covering a varying number of vintages were validated. FT-NIR appeared as
      the most accurate technique to predict the phenolic content. Although slightly
      less accurate models were observed, ATR-MIR and FT-IR can also be used for the
      prediction of the majority of phenolic measurements. Additionally, the slope and
      intercept test indicated a systematic error for the three spectroscopies which
      seems to be slightly more pronounced for HPLC generated phenolics data than for
      the spectrophotometric parameters. However, the results also showed that the
      predictions made with the three instruments are statistically comparable. The
      robustness of the prediction models was also investigated and discussed.

PMID- 28917787
TI  - Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of urinary volatile organic
      metabolites: Optimization of the HS-SPME procedure and sample storage conditions.
AB  - Non-targeted metabolomics research of human volatile urinary metabolome can be
      used to identify potential biomarkers associated with the changes in metabolism
      related to various health disorders. To ensure reliable analysis of urinary
      volatile organic metabolites (VOMs) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC
      MS), parameters affecting the headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME)
      procedure have been evaluated and optimized. The influence of incubation and
      extraction temperatures and times, coating fibre material and salt addition on
      SPME efficiency was investigated by multivariate optimization methods using
      reduced factorial and Doehlert matrix designs. The results showed optimum values
      for temperature to be 60 degrees C, extraction time 50min, and incubation time
      35min. The proposed conditions were applied to investigate urine samples'
      stability regarding different storage conditions and freeze-thaw processes. The
      sum of peak areas of urine samples stored at 4 degrees C, -20 degrees C, and -80
      degrees C up to six months showed a time dependent decrease over time although
      storage at -80 degrees C resulted in a slight non-significant reduction comparing
      to the fresh sample. However, due to the volatile nature of the analysed
      compounds, more than two cycles of freezing/thawing of the sample stored for six
      months at -80 degrees C should be avoided whenever possible.

PMID- 28917788
TI  - Glass-polytetrafluoroethylene-glass based sandwich microdevice for continuous
      flow polymerase chain reaction and its application for fast identification of
      foodborne pathogens.
AB  - A uniquely fabricated microdevice with a glass-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
      glass (GPG) sandwich configuration was developed for the fast identification of
      foodborne pathogens by using continuous-flow polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      followed by on-site fluorescence detection of PCR products. A PTFE tube was
      simply folded into a serpentine configuration and sandwiched between two glass
      slides to maintain a 2D planar structure. By using a PTFE tube, the microchannel
      has the advantage of seamlessness without the need for photolithography methods,
      and is less expensive and less time-consuming to fabricate than alternative
      devices. The non-porous and gas-impermeable PTFE tube ensured stable sample flow
      inside the microchannel. PCR conditions were optimized and evaluated by examining
      the effects of number of cycles and initial concentration of bacteria introduced.
      On-site detection of PCR products was performed using nucleic acid dye SYBR Green
      I. Using the GPG microdevice, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp., two
      well-known foodborne pathogens, were amplified within 20min. Besides fast
      reaction, the simply fabricated microdevice demonstrated its potential as a
      portable device applicable for public healthcare diagnostics.

PMID- 28917789
TI  - Chemometric optimization of the extraction and derivatization of parabens for
      their determination in water samples by rotating-disk sorptive extraction and gas
      chromatography mass spectrometry.
AB  - A combination of rotating disk sorptive extraction (RDSE) using Oasis(r) HLB as
      the sorbent phase and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been
      performed for the determination of four of the most widely used parabens:
      methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and n-butylparaben. The extraction and
      derivatization of the analytes in water samples were optimized by using factorial
      (screening) and Doehlert designs, thus reducing the number of analyses with the
      concomitant reduction of time, reagents, waste, samples and cost. Thus, a RDSE
      method using 20mL of sample was performed. The disk was rotated at 2900rpm for
      70min at room temperature. After a desorption step and evaporation of solvent, a
      derivatization method using 5MUL of N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide
      (MSTFA) for 15min at room temperature was used previously to inject the final
      extract into GC-MS. The detection limits and precision (%RSD) were lower than
      0.05MUgL- 1 and 9.7% for the studied compounds, respectively. Recoveries were
      studied using effluent samples of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), with
      values higher than 80% being obtained. The applicability and reliability of this
      methodology were confirmed through the analysis of tap water and influents from
      Santiago, Chile, with concentration values ranging from 0.57 to 0.83MUgL- 1 in
      influents. The main advantage of the present RDSE method is that it is
      significantly faster than its counterpart by SBSE and requires a considerable
      lower volume of derivatizing agent.

PMID- 28917790
TI  - A green solvent holder in electro-mediated microextraction for the extraction of
      phenols in water.
AB  - Electro-mediated microextraction (EMM) combined with micro-high performance
      liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection was successfully developed for the
      determination of selected phenols, namely 4-chlorophenol (4CP), 2-nitrophenol
      (2NP) and 2,4-dichlorophenols (2,4 DCP) in water. A solvent-impregnated agarose
      gel disc was utilized as a solvent holder in this study. Under optimum extraction
      conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 0.1-250ugL-1, 0.3
      250ugL-1 and 0.2-500ugL-1 for 4CP, 2NP and 2,4 DCP, respectively with correlation
      coefficients of >= 0.9975, ultra-trace LODs (0.03-0.1ugL-1) and satisfactory
      relative recovery average (85.0-114.1%) for the analysis of selected phenols. The
      proposed method was rapid and eco-friendly as the solvent holder was constructed
      using minute amounts of extraction solvent immobilized within the biodegradable
      agarose gel disc. A comparative microextraction technique termed solvent
      impregnated agarose gel liquid phase microextraction (AG-LPME) was re-optimized
      and validated for the extraction of phenols in water. The method offered good
      linearity, ultra-trace LODs ranging 0.1-0.5ugL-1 and satisfactory average of
      relative recovery (86.1-114.1%). The EMM was superior in terms of sensitivity and
      time-effectiveness compared to AG-LPME. Both techniques combine extraction and
      pre-concentration in mini-scaled approaches using an eco-friendly solvent holder
      that fulfil the green chemistry concept.

PMID- 28917791
TI  - Development of salt and pH-induced solidified floating organic droplets
      homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction for extraction of ten pyrethroid
      insecticides in fresh fruits and fruit juices followed by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - A new microextraction method named salt and pH-induced homogeneous liquid-liquid
      microextraction has been developed in a home-made extraction device for the
      extraction and preconcentration of some pyrethroid insecticides from different
      fruit juice samples prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In the present
      work, an extraction device made from two parallel glass tubes with different
      lengths and diameters was used in the microextraction procedure. In this method,
      a homogeneous solution of a sample solution and an extraction solvent (pivalic
      acid) was broken by performing an acid-base reaction and the extraction solvent
      was produced in whole of the solution. The produced droplets of the extraction
      solvent went up through the solution and solidified using an ice-bath. They were
      collected without centrifugation step. Under the optimum conditions, limits of
      detection and quantification were obtained in the ranges of 0.006-0.038, and
      0.023-0.134ngmL-1, respectively. The enrichment factors and extraction recoveries
      of the selected analytes ranged from 365-460 to 73-92%, respectively. The
      relative standard deviations were lower than 9% for intra- (n = 6) and inter-day
      (n = 4) precisions at a concentration of 1ngmL-1 of each analyte. Finally, some
      fruit juice samples were effectively analyzed by the proposed method.

PMID- 28917792
TI  - ZnO nanotubes supported molecularly imprinted polymers arrays as sensing
      materials for electrochemical detection of dopamine.
AB  - In this study, ZnO nanotubes (ZNTs) were prepared onto fluorine-doped tin oxide
      (FTO) glass and used as supports for MIPs arrays fabrication. Due to the
      imprinted cavities are always located at both inner and outer surface of ZNTs,
      these ZNTs supported MIPs arrays have good accessibility towards template and can
      be used as sensing materials for chemical sensors with high sensitivity,
      excellent selectivity and fast response. Using K3[Fe(CN)6] as electron probe, the
      fabricated electrochemical sensor shows two linear dynamic ranges (0.02-5MUM and
      10-800MUM) towards dopamine. This proposed electrochemical sensor has been
      applied for dopamine determination with satisfied recoveries and precision. More
      complex human urine samples also confirmed that the proposed method has good
      accuracy for dopamine determination in real biological samples. These results
      suggest potential applicability of the proposed method and sensor in important
      molecule analysis.

PMID- 28917793
TI  - Multi-elemental Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd isotope ratio measurements by stop-flow
      isotachophoresis coupled to MC-ICPMS.
AB  - In this study, a new analytical procedure based on isotachophoresis (ITP) coupled
      to a multi collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer named Stop-Flow
      ITP-MC-ICPMS is developed for exhaustive and high-precision multi-elemental
      isotopic characterization. We demonstrate that Stop-Flow-ITP makes it possible to
      stop the analytes migration several times for a duration compatible with the
      detector configuration changes without losing the separation performance. With
      this procedure, isotope ratio measurements of four lanthanides of interest for
      nuclear applications (Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd) were obtained with a reproducibility
      better than 0.4% in a single analysis with only 20ng of each element. A
      nebulization interface between ITP and MC-ICPMS composed of a dual inlet spray
      chamber and a multiple flow stream valve made it possible to perform isotopic
      reference standard injections for on-line mass bias correction by the sample
      standard bracketing approach. The flexibility of the Stop-Flow-ITP-MC-ICPMS
      procedure opens the way to online determination of isotope ratio measurements of
      multiple analytes present in a sample in a single analysis.

PMID- 28917794
TI  - Patterned polycaprolactone-filled glass microfiber microfluidic devices for total
      protein content analysis.
AB  - Membrane based microfluidic devices have gained much popularity in recent years,
      as they make possible rapid, inexpensive analytical techniques that can be
      applied to a wide variety of areas. The ability to modify device hydrophilicity
      and hydrophobicity is critically important in fabricating membrane based
      microfluidic devices. Polar hydrophilic membranes, such as glass microfiber (GMF)
      membranes, hold great potential as they are inexpensive, chemically inert, and
      stable. Filling of these membranes with non-polar polymers such as
      polycaprolactone (PCL) converts the hydrophilic GMF into a hydrophobic medium.
      Controlled alteration of the surface chemistry of PCL/GMF substrates allows for
      the fabrication of microfluidic patterns on the surface. Using this approach, we
      have developed a simple and rapid technique for fabrication of highly adaptable
      complex multidimensional (2D and 3D) microfluidic pathways on a single membrane.
      PCL-filled GMF media were masked and selectively exposed to oxygen radicals so
      that the exposed surface became permanently superhydrophilic in its behavior. The
      desired microfluidic pattern was cut into the mask prior to assembly and
      exposure, and the mask was removed after exposure to reveal the ready-to-use
      microfluidic device. To verify and demonstrate the performance of this novel
      fabrication method, a colorimetric total protein assay was applied to the
      determination of protein concentrations in real samples.

PMID- 28917795
TI  - Portable near infrared spectroscopy applied to quality control of Brazilian
      coffee.
AB  - The use of portable micro-spectrometers such as a micro near infrared region
      (microNIR) spectrometer is a promising technique for solving analytical problems
      in several areas of science. This work evaluated the potential of microNIR in
      quality control of Arabica coffee. Arabica coffee has a high commercial value
      product, motivating the development of analytical methods with high sensitivity
      and accuracy for detection of its adulteration. Herein, microNIR was successfully
      used to determine the quality of Arabica coffee by identification and
      quantification of adulterations such as Robusta coffee (in different roasting
      levels), as well as corn, peels, and sticks. MicroNIR was combined with
      multivariate calibration by partial least squares (PLS) and principal component
      analysis (PCA). A total of 125 blends were produced, containing thirteen
      different concentrations of the adulterants (corn and peels/sticks, and the
      Robusta coffee) ranging from 1 to 100wt%. Developed PCA and PLS models were also
      applied to monitor the quality of sixteen commercial coffee samples. The results
      obtained using microNIR proved the ability of the method to be efficient and
      capable in the prediction of adulterations with minimum quantification levels
      (LOQs of 5-8wt%), being able to be applied to quality control of commercial
      coffee samples. Therefore, microNIR can reduce and simplify the time of analysis
      and sample preparation step, as well as to guarantee the efficiency of real-time
      data acquisition owing to its portability.

PMID- 28917796
TI  - Simultaneous phase-inversion and imprinting based sensor for highly sensitive and
      selective detection of bisphenol A.
AB  - A novel recognition element of molecularly imprinted films (MIFs) was synthesized
      by wet phase inversion (WPI) on the surface of Ti/TiO2 electrode for highly
      selective and sensitive electrochemical detection of bisphenol A (BPA). The
      Ti/TiO2/MIFs sensor was constructed by casting the precursor poly(acrylonitrile
      co-acrylic acid) (p(AN-co-AA)) in dimethyl sulfoxide containing template molecule
      BPA onto the electrode and then immersing into water, resulting in simultaneous
      p(AN-co-AA) precipitation and BPA imprinting via the facile WPI. The imprinted
      sites could selectively rebind BPA through hydrogen bonding and hence lead to the
      equalizing current increase in amperometric detection, by which the BPA could be
      sensed electrochemically. Accordingly, the Ti/TiO2/MIFs sensor offered a
      favorable linearity within the wide range over five orders of magnitude (4.4nM
      0.13mM), and a low detection limit down to 1.3nM. Excellent recognition
      selectivity for BPA was also attained over its analogues. Furthermore, this
      sensor was successfully applied to detect BPA in seawater and paper cup samples,
      and high recoveries were 86-110% with low relative standard deviations of 1.3
      3.2%. By using BPA as a model, the MIFs-based method may provide a facile, rapid,
      and cost-effective way for ultrasensitive electrochemical measurements of various
      targeted compounds with good applicability to WPI.

PMID- 28917797
TI  - A rapid and specific colorimetric method for free tryptophan quantification.
AB  - Tryptophan is one of the eight essential amino acids and plays an important role
      in many biological processes. For its interaction with human health, environment
      and relevant commercial interest in biotechnology-based production, rapid and
      specific quantification method for this molecule accessible to common
      laboratories is badly needed. We herein reported a simple colorimetric method for
      free tryptophan quantification with 96-well-plate-level throughput. Our protocol
      firstly converted tryptophan to indole enzymatically by purified tryptophanases
      and then used reactivity of indole with hydroxylamine to form pink product with
      absorption peak at 530nm, enabling the quantification of tryptophan with simple
      spectrometry in just two hours. We presented that this method exhibited a linear
      detection range from 100MUM to 600MUM (R2 = 0.9969) with no detection towards
      other naturally occurring tryptophan analogs or tryptophan residues in proteins.
      It was very robust in complicated biological samples, as demonstrated by
      quantifying the titer of 36 mutated tryptophan-producing strains with Pearson
      correlation coefficient of 0.93 in contrast to that measured by high performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC). Our method should be potent for routine free
      tryptophan quantification in a high-throughput manner, facilitating studies in
      medicine, microbiology, food chemistry, metabolic engineering, etc.

PMID- 28917798
TI  - Perception of olive oils sensory defects using a potentiometric taste device.
AB  - The capability of perceiving olive oils sensory defects and intensities plays a
      key role on olive oils quality grade classification since olive oils can only be
      classified as extra-virgin if no defect can be perceived by a human trained
      sensory panel. Otherwise, olive oils may be classified as virgin or lampante
      depending on the median intensity of the defect predominantly perceived and on
      the physicochemical levels. However, sensory analysis is time-consuming and
      requires an official sensory panel, which can only evaluate a low number of
      samples per day. In this work, the potential use of an electronic tongue as a
      taste sensor device to identify the defect predominantly perceived in olive oils
      was evaluated. The potentiometric profiles recorded showed that intra- and inter
      day signal drifts could be neglected (i.e., relative standard deviations lower
      than 25%), being not statistically significant the effect of the analysis day on
      the overall recorded E-tongue sensor fingerprints (P-value = 0.5715, for
      multivariate analysis of variance using Pillai's trace test), which significantly
      differ according to the olive oils' sensory defect (P-value = 0.0084, for
      multivariate analysis of variance using Pillai's trace test). Thus, a linear
      discriminant model based on 19 potentiometric signal sensors, selected by the
      simulated annealing algorithm, could be established to correctly predict the
      olive oil main sensory defect (fusty, rancid, wet-wood or winey-vinegary) with
      average sensitivity of 75 +/- 3% and specificity of 73 +/- 4% (repeated K-fold
      cross-validation variant: 4 folds*10 repeats). Similarly, a linear discriminant
      model, based on 24 selected sensors, correctly classified 92 +/- 3% of the olive
      oils as virgin or lampante, being an average specificity of 93 +/- 3% achieved.
      The overall satisfactory predictive performances strengthen the feasibility of
      the developed taste sensor device as a complementary methodology for olive oils'
      defects analysis and subsequent quality grade classification. Furthermore, the
      capability of identifying the type of sensory defect of an olive oil may allow
      establishing helpful insights regarding bad practices of olives or olive oils
      production, harvesting, transport and storage.

PMID- 28917799
TI  - A reagentless and reusable electrochemical aptamer-based sensor for rapid
      detection of ampicillin in complex samples.
AB  - We report the design and fabrication of a "signal-on" electrochemical aptamer
      based (E-AB) sensor for detection of ampicillin. The signaling of the sensor is
      based on target binding-induced changes in the conformation and flexibility of
      the methylene blue-modified aptamer probe. The sensor's response is fast; signal
      saturation can be reached in ~ 200s. Since all the sensor components are surface
      immobilized, it is regenerable and can be reused for at least three times. It has
      demonstrated good specificity and is capable of differentiating between
      ampicillin and structurally similar antibiotics such as amoxicillin. More
      importantly, it is selective enough to be employed directly in complex samples,
      including serum, saliva, and milk. Although both alternating current voltammetry
      (ACV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) are suitable sensor characterization
      techniques, our results show that ACV is better suited for target analysis. Even
      under the optimal experimental conditions, the limit of detection of the sensor
      obtained in ACV (1uM) is significantly lower than that obtained in SWV (30uM).

PMID- 28917800
TI  - beta-Cyclodextrins incorporated multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified electrode
      for the voltammetric determination of the pesticide dichlorophen.
AB  - In this work, a glassy carbon electrode modified with beta-cyclodextrins and
      multi-walled carbon nanotubes (beta-CDs/MWCNTs/GCE) was constructed and applied
      for the square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetric (SWAdSV) determination of
      the pesticide dichlorophen (Dcp). For the first time, this compound was
      electrochemically investigated. The voltammetric measurements were conducted in
      phosphate buffer (PBS) at pH 6.5 as a supporting electrolyte, and SWAdSV
      technique parameters were optimized. A linear calibration curve in the wide
      concentration range from 5.0 * 10-8molL-1 to 2.9 * 10-6molL-1 was obtained.
      Excellent analytical performance in terms of limit of detection (LOD) of 1.4 * 10
      8molL-1 was achieved. The utility of the proposed method was verified by the
      quantitative analysis of Dcp in Pilica River water samples with satisfactory
      results. The characterization of modified electrodes was conducted by means of
      atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and
      cyclic voltammetry (CV). Moreover, in this work, the dissociation constants (pKa)
      of Dcp using potentiometric pH titration were estimated. The stoichiometry of the
      Dcp-beta-CDs inclusion complex formed in solution was determined by proton
      nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, and a binding constant (beta2)
      was estimated from NMR titration studies.

PMID- 28917801
TI  - Development of a quantitative approach in blood plasma for low-dosed
      hallucinogens and opioids using LC-high resolution mass spectrometry.
AB  - The WHO annually reports an increasing abuse of new psychoactive substances
      (NPS), which are a heterogeneous group of synthetic drugs and are consumed as
      substitute for controlled drugs of abuse. In this work, we focused on highly
      potent derivatives such those of phenethylamine (2C), N-2-methoxybenzyl
      phenethylamine (NBOMes), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and fentanyl. Severe
      to fatal intoxications were described due to their high potency. Therefore, they
      have to be taken at very low doses resulting in low blood concentration in the
      low ng/mL range, which is a challenge for reliable analytical detection and
      quantification. The aim of this work was therefore to design a simple, robust,
      and fast method for simultaneous detection and quantification of multiple
      substances of the different classes in human blood plasma using liquid
      chromatography (LC) high resolution (HR) mass spectrometry (MS) with alternating
      HR full-scan (HRFS) MS and "All-ions fragmentation" (AIF) MS. The paper contains
      results of the method validation according to the EMA guideline, including intra
      /interday accuracy and precision, matrix effects, storage and benchtop analyte
      stability as well as selectivity and carryover. All validation criteria were
      fulfilled for most tested compounds except for the NBOMe derivatives, one out of
      ten 2C-derivatives and butyryl fentanyl, which failed at accuracy and/or
      precision or at the acceptance criteria for matrix effect. Reasons for this are
      discussed and solutions presented. Despite some limitations, the HRFS + AIFMS
      analysis allowed detection of most of the analytes down to 0.1ng/mL, seamless
      integration of new or unexpected analytes, identification and quantification with
      no limitations on the number of monitored compounds, and reevaluation of the
      acquired data also concerning metabolism studies using group-indicating fragment
      ions.

PMID- 28917802
TI  - On-chip microfluidic generation of monodisperse bubbles for liquid interfacial
      tension measurement.
AB  - A novel microfluidic method for measuring liquid interfacial tension using
      monodisperse microbubbles generated in situ has been proposed. Instead of bulky
      gas supply used in traditional microfluidic devices, microbubbles are efficiently
      generated via water electrolysis in the devices. Since the bubble formation
      frequency is related to the interfacial tension of liquids used, thus, precisely
      measuring the interfacial tension of liquids in microfluidics can be achieved. In
      addition, it is found that during the microbubble formation, the electrochemical
      potential fluctuates regularly at controlled electrolysis current, and the
      fluctuating period depends on the microbubble generation rate. Therefore, the
      change in electrochemical potential can be directly used to monitor the bubble
      formation process, which avoids the use of an external optical detection system.
      As demonstration, the interfacial tension of isopentanol solutions with different
      concentrations was measured, and the results show good agreement with the ones
      obtained using the maximum bubble pressure method, confirming the accuracy of the
      present method. The proposed strategy offers a simple, low cost and accurate
      solution to measure the liquid interfacial tension confined in microfluidic
      channels. The present platform is easily constructed and facilely manipulated in
      common laboratories, which is expected to be widely used in microfluidic-based
      research and application fields.

PMID- 28917803
TI  - ATP mediated rolling circle amplification and opening DNA-gate for drug delivery
      to cell.
AB  - Here, we have developed a facile fluorometric system for the detection of
      adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by a rolling circle amplification (RCA) based on
      proximity ligation mediated amplification, and simultaneously achieved the
      release of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) through the mesoporous silicon
      system. Once the ATP molecule is present, the linker DNA will be released from
      the graphene oxide (GO) surface and hybridized to the template DNA of the GO
      surface joining with ligation enzyme. RCA reaction is followed by the addition of
      the phi29 DNA polymerase. The product of RCA reaction contains a base fragment
      complementary to the signal DNA, allowing the fluorescent oligonucleotide probe
      to be released from the GO surface and fluorescence is recovered. The strong
      fluorescence signal realized the sensitive detection of ATP. Gate DNA were
      modified to the surface of the mesoporous silica (MSN) by electrostatic
      attraction to encapsulate DOX. After the above-mentioned RCA process, its result
      that long DNA chain containing a base fragment complementary to gate DNA, would
      be hybridized to the gate DNA strand on the surface of MSN, which opened the MSN
      hole and released the drug DOX into cell for HeLa cell therapy. And the
      specificity to folate receptor overexpressed on cell surface was satisfactory
      which would be beneficial for cancer therapy.

PMID- 28917804
TI  - Development and validation of a maleimide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      for the detection of tetrodotoxin in oysters and mussels.
AB  - The recent detection of tetrodotoxins (TTXs) in puffer fish and shellfish in
      Europe highlights the necessity to monitor the levels of TTXs in seafood by
      rapid, specific, sensitive and reliable methods in order to protect human
      consumers. A previous immunoassay for TTX detection in puffer fish, based on the
      use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) for the immobilization of TTX on
      maleimide plates (mELISA), has been modified and adapted to the analysis of
      oyster and mussel samples. Changing dithiol for cysteamine-based SAMs enabled
      reductions in the assay time and cost, while maintaining the sensitivity of the
      assay. The mELISA showed high selectivity for TTX since the antibody did not
      cross-react with co-occurring paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins and no
      interferences were observed from arginine (Arg). Moreover, TTX-coated maleimide
      plates stored for 3 months at -20 degrees C and 4 degrees C were stable, thus
      when pre-prepared, the time to perform the assay is reduced. When analyzing
      shellfish samples, matrix effects and toxin recovery values strongly depended on
      the shellfish type and the sample treatment. Blank oyster extracts could be
      directly analyzed without solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up, whereas blank
      mussel extracts showed strong matrix effects and SPE and subsequent solvent
      evaporation were required for removal. However, the SPE clean-up and evaporation
      resulted in toxin loss. Toxin recovery values were taken as correction factors
      (CFs) and were applied to the quantification of TTX contents in the analysis of
      naturally-contaminated shellfish samples by mELISA. The lowest effective limits
      of detection (eLODs) were about 20 and 50ug/kg for oyster extracts without and
      with SPE clean-up, respectively, and about 30ug/kg for mussel extracts with both
      protocols, all of them substantially below the eLOD attained in the previous
      mELISA for puffer fish (230ug/kg). Analysis of naturally-contaminated samples by
      mELISA and comparison with LC-MS/MS quantifications demonstrated the viability of
      the approach. This mELISA is a selective and sensitive tool for the rapid
      detection of TTX in oyster and mussel samples showing promise to be implemented
      in routine monitoring programs to protect human health.

PMID- 28917805
TI  - Hemoglobin becomes electroactive upon interaction with surface-protected Au
      nanoparticles.
AB  - In this work, we report on the electrochemical behavior of bioconjugates prepared
      with gold nanoparticles (AuNP) capped with three different molecular layers
      (citrate anions, 6-mercaptopurine and omega-mercaptoundecanoic acid) and the
      protein hemoglobin (Hb). Freshly formed bioconjugates are deposited on a glassy
      carbon electrode and assayed for electroactivity. A pair of redox peaks with
      formal potential at -0.37V is obtained, in contrast with the free Hb protein that
      is inactive on the glassy carbon substrate. The redox response is typical for
      quasi-reversible processes allowing the determination of the electron transfer
      rate constant for the three bioconjugates. Additional evidence of the structural
      integrity of protein upon forming the bioconjugate is obtained by monitoring the
      electrochemical response of the Hb heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple as a function
      of solution pH. Moreover, the Hb forming the protein corona around the AuNPs show
      good electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen.
      It has been found that only the first layer of Hb surrounding the AuNPs are
      electroactive, although some part of the second layer also contribute, pointing
      to the role of the AuNP in the electrochemical response.

PMID- 28917806
TI  - Portable and low-cost colorimetric office paper-based device for phenacetin
      detection in seized cocaine samples.
AB  - An office paper-based colorimetric device is proposed as a portable, rapid, and
      low-cost sensor for forensic applications aiming to detect phenacetin used as
      adulterant in illicit seized materials such as cocaine. The proposed method uses
      white office paper as the substrate and wax printing technology to fabricate the
      detection zones. Based on the optimum conditions, a linear analytical curve was
      obtained for phenacetin concentrations ranging from 0 to 64.52ugmL-1, and the
      straight line was in accordance with the following equation: (Magenta percentage
      color) = 1.19 + 0.458 (CPhe/ugmL-1), R2 = 0.990. The limit of detection was
      calculated as 3.5ugmL-1 (3sigma/slope). The accuracy of the proposed method was
      evaluated using real seized cocaine samples and the spike-recovery procedure.

PMID- 28917807
TI  - Simultaneous determination of designer benzodiazepines in human serum using non
      aqueous capillary electrophoresis - Tandem mass spectrometry with successive
      multiple ionic - Polymer layer coated capillary.
AB  - A novel non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis - tandem mass spectrometry method
      for the simultaneous separation, identification and quantification of nine
      designer benzodiazepines (bentazepam, etizolam, deschloroetizolam, diclazepam,
      flubromazepam, flubromazolam, nimetazepam, phenazepam, and pyrazolam) was
      developed. A non-aqueous running electrolyte consisting of 25mM ammonium acetate
      with 100mM trifluoroacetic acid in acetonitrile was used. The separation was
      carried out using a semipermanent coated capillary (successive multiple ionic
      polymer coating) with a strong anodic electroosmotic flow at a negative
      separation voltage within twelve minutes. Electrospray ionization with a triple
      quadrupole mass spectrometry was utilized for the identification and
      quantification of selected designer benzodiazepines in a positive ionization
      mode. The developed method was validated and applied on the analysis of spiked
      serum sample following a simple liquid-liquid extraction. The LODs of the
      designer benzodiazepines were between 1.5 and 15.0ngmL-1.

PMID- 28917808
TI  - Single-drop gold nanoparticles for headspace microextraction and colorimetric
      assay of mercury (II) in environmental waters.
AB  - A novel headspace colorimetric nanosensor strategy for specific detection of
      Hg(II) was developed based upon analyte induced etching and amalgamation of gold
      nanoparticles (AuNPs). The Hg(II) was first selectively reduced to its volatile
      form, Hg(0), by stannous chloride (SnCl2) through chemical cold vapor generation
      (CVG) reaction. Then, the Hg(0) was headspace extracted into 37MUL thioglycolic
      acid functionalized AuNP aqueous suspension containing 10% methanol as extractant
      and simultaneously reacted with AuNPs through the strong metallophilic Hg-Au
      interaction, resulting in a red-to-blue color change. Parameters influencing the
      chromogenic and chemical vapor generation reactions were optimized. The limit of
      detections were determined as 5nM through inspection by naked-eye and 1nM based
      on measurements by UV-Vis spectrometer, which are below the safe limit of Hg(II)
      in drinking water set by the US Environmental Protection Agency, showing
      excellent potential for monitoring ultralow levels of Hg(II) in environmental
      water samples. The assay was not interfered by the presence of other common metal
      ions even at 1000-fold excess over Hg(II) concentration. The outstanding
      selectivity results from the combined effect of selective reduction of Hg(II) by
      SnCl2, efficient separation of sample matrix through headspace extraction, and
      amalgamation process that occurs specifically between Hg and AuNPs. The method
      was successfully applied to the visual detection of Hg(II) in environmental water
      samples at a 10nM spiking level, with recoveries in the range of 86.8-99.8%. More
      importantly, compared to classical colorimetric assays for detection of Hg(II),
      this method is featured with simplicity, quite high sensitivity and excellent
      selectivity. The method is also superior to most colorimetric methods for
      detection of Hg(II) in terms of its applicability to matrix-rich real samples
      including wastewater.

PMID- 28917809
TI  - Characterization of sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium citrate dehydrate residues
      on surfaces.
AB  - Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and sodium citrate dihydrate (sodium citrate) are
      the most widely used components in detergent formulations. Here, we characterized
      these two components on glass surfaces to assess their possible exposures from
      white spots on dishwasher-washed dishes. Ultraviolet/visible near infrared
      spectroscopy (UV/Vis-NIR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the
      attenuated total reflectance mode (ATR-FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and laser
      ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) were utilized
      to design calibration models for a range of STPP and sodium citrate
      concentrations 1-8% w/w) precipitated on glass surfaces. STPP and sodium citrate
      residues on the dishwasher-washed dishes were also determined quantitatively
      using ATR-FTIR by utilizing these calibration models. In addition, cytotoxicity
      assays were performed to elucidate the influence of STPP and sodium citrate on
      human embryonic kidney cell survival. Cell viability results showed a decreasing
      trend in the number of cells cultured with increasing concentrations and exposure
      time of STPP and sodium citrate in the medium. Cell survival was minimum on day
      four when cells were exposed to 84mg/kg of body/day of STPP and sodium citrate
      separately. This is the first report about detection and quantification of STTP
      and sodium citrate and assessment of cytotoxicity. Results of this study provide
      opportunities for the quantification of detergent residues on dishes and
      assessment of their possible toxicity on live cells.

PMID- 28917810
TI  - Nano-hemoglobin film based sextet state biomemory device by cross-linked
      photosensitive hapten monomer.
AB  - In this study, a biomemory device, consisting of hemoglobin (Hb) cross-linked by
      MACys-Ru(bipyr)2-MACys) photosensitive monomer cross-linkers, which have memory
      effect through both Ru3+/2+ in hapten monomer and Fe3+/2+ in redox active center
      of Hb through multi-charge transfer mechanism, has been improved. Cyclic
      voltammetry (CV) has been used to determine the redox property of the Hb cross
      linked MACys-Ru(bipyr)2-MACys) hapten. Three memory functions, writing, reading
      and erasing of the fabricated biomemory device, have been accomplished by
      chronoamperometry (CA) and open-circuit potential amperometry (OCPA). The
      reliability and repeatability of the biodevice consisting of the p(Hb-co-MACys
      Ru(bipyr)2-MACys) sextet state bio-memory layer have been analysed. The Hb film
      based biodevice on gold electrodes has shown >= 2 months the retention time and
      switched until 106 times continuous cycling without degradation in efficiency.
      Other hand, the topography of p(Hb-co-MACys-Ru(bipyr)2-MACys) layer on the gold
      surface has investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDX data.

PMID- 28917811
TI  - Electrochemical characterization of in situ functionalized gold organosulfur self
      assembled monolayer with conducting polymer and carbon nanotubes for
      determination of rutin.
AB  - In this study, attempts were made to present a sensitive strategy for determining
      rutin. To reach the goal of the study, a poly(sulfosalicylic acid) film was
      electropolymerized on a gold electrode, which was modified by 2
      mercaptobenzothiazole self-assembled monolayer and multi-walled carbon nanotubes
      (PSSA/CNTs/MBT/Au). The proposed sensor was characterized by different techniques
      including field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The resulting sensor
      displayed electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of rutin which is
      attributed to the presence of the PSSA/MWCNTs nanocomposite. Under optimized
      conditions, the detection limit of 1.8nmolL-1 and two linear calibration ranges
      of 0.01-0.8 and 0.8-10.0umolL-1 were obtained for rutin determination at the
      PSSA/CNTs/MBT/Au electrode. The proposed modified electrode was successfully
      applied for the determination of rutin in orange, red apple, red onion,
      strawberry, oat and salvia samples. The obtained results suggest that the
      proposed electrode has several advantages, such as high stability, repeatability
      and good reproducibility and it can be used for a sensitive, selective and rapid
      determination of rutin.

PMID- 28917813
TI  - Structural impacts on the timing and amplitude of the negative BOLD response.
AB  - The positive (PBR) and negative BOLD responses (NBR) arising in task-fMRI display
      varying magnitudes and dynamics across voxels. While the effects of structure,
      particularly of veins, on the PBR have been studied, little is known of NBR
      structure relationships. Like the PBR, the NBR is often used as a surrogate
      marker of neuronal activation in both basic and clinical research and assessing
      its relationship with cortical structure may help interpret group differences. We
      therefore investigated how local structure affects BOLD amplitude and timing in
      PBR and NBR areas using multi-band fMRI during visual stimulation to obtain high
      temporal resolution (TR=0.45s) data combined with T1 imaging and susceptibility
      weighted imaging (SWI) to quantify the local densities of gray/white matter and
      veins, respectively. In both PBRs and NBRs, larger venous density was
      consistently associated with larger BOLD amplitude and delay, up to 1-2s larger
      relative to areas devoid of large veins. Both binary and sinusoidal visual
      stimulus modulation yielded similar activation maps and results, suggesting that
      underlying vasculature affects PBR and NBR temporal dynamics in the same manner.
      Accounting for structural impacts on PBR and NBR magnitude and timing could help
      enhance activation map accuracy, better assess functional connectivity, and
      better characterize neurovascular coupling.

PMID- 28917812
TI  - A minimum-phase Shinnar-Le Roux spectral-spatial excitation RF pulse for
      simultaneous water and lipid suppression in 1H-MRSI of body extremities.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a spectral-spatial (SPSP) excitation RF pulse for
      simultaneous water and lipid suppression in proton (1H) magnetic resonance
      spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of body extremities. METHODS: An SPSP excitation
      pulse is designed to excite Creatine (Cr) and Choline (Cho) metabolite signals
      while suppressing the overwhelming water and lipid signals. The SPSP pulse is
      designed using a recently proposed multidimensional Shinnar-Le Roux (SLR) RF
      pulse design method. A minimum-phase spectral selectivity profile is used to
      minimize signal loss from T2* decay. RESULTS: The performance of the SPSP pulse
      is evaluated via Bloch equation simulations and phantom experiments. The
      feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated using three-dimensional, short
      repetition-time, free induction decay-based 1H-MRSI in the thigh muscle at 3T.
      CONCLUSION: The proposed SPSP excitation pulse is useful for simultaneous water
      and lipid suppression. The proposed method enables new applications of high
      resolution 1H-MRSI in body extremities.

PMID- 28917814
TI  - Late-occurring nivolumab-induced cryptogenic organising pneumonia mimicking lung
      progression in a patient with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

PMID- 28917815
TI  - Mitigation of nitrite toxicity by increased salinity is associated with multiple
      physiological responses: A case study using an economically important model
      species, the juvenile obscure puffer (Takifugu obscurus).
AB  - Nitrite is a common pollutant in water and is highly toxic to aquatic animals. To
      reveal the mechanism of salinity in attenuating nitrite toxicity to fish, we
      measured the physiological responses of juvenile Takifugu obscurus exposed to
      nitrite concentrations (0, 10, 20, 50, and 100 mg/L) under different salinity
      levels (0, 10, and 20 ppt) for 96 h. Salinity increased the survival rates of
      juvenile T. obscurus exposed to nitrite. Changes in key hematological parameters,
      antioxidant system, malondialdehyde, Na+/K+-ATPase, and HSP70 indicated that
      nitrite induced considerable damage to juveniles; salinity mitigated the harmful
      effects. This finding reflects similar changing trends in both antioxidants and
      their gene expressions among different tissues. We applied an overall index, an
      integrated biomarker response (IBR), that increased under high-nitrite condition
      but recovered to the normal levels under salinity treatment. Analysis of the
      selected detection indices and IBR values showed that the overall mitigating
      effect of salinity on nitrite toxicity seems to be at sub-cellular level and
      associated with complicated physiological responses.

PMID- 28917816
TI  - Crystalline phase-dependent eco-toxicity of titania nanoparticles to freshwater
      biofilms.
AB  - The potential toxic impacts of different crystal phases of titania nanoparticles
      (TNPs) on freshwater biofilms, especially under ultraviolet C irradiation (UVC),
      are unknown. Here, adverse impacts of three phases (anatase, rutile, and P25, 50
      mg L-1 respectively) with UVC irradiation (An-UV, Ru-UV, and P25-UV) on
      freshwater biofilms were conducted. Characterization experiments revealed that
      rutile TNPs had a higher water environment stability than anatase and P25 TNPs,
      possessing a stronger photocatalytic activity under UVC irradiation. Phase
      dependent inhibition of cell viability and significant decreases of four- and
      five-fold in algal biomass at 12 h of exposure were observed compared with
      unexposed biofilms. Moreover, phase-dependent oxidative stress resulted in
      remarkably significant reductions (P < 0.01) of the photosynthetic yields of the
      biofilms, to 40.32% (P25-UV), 48.39% (An-UV), and 46.77% (Ru-UV) of the plateau
      value obtained in the unexposed biofilms. A shift in community composition that
      manifested as a strong reduction in diatoms, indicating cyanobacteria and green
      algae were more tolerant than diatoms when exposed to TNPs. In terms of the toxic
      mechanisms, rutile TNPs resulted in apoptosis by inducing excessive intracellular
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, whereas P25 and anatase TNPs tended to
      catalyze enormous acellular ROS lead to cell necrosis under UVC irradiation.

PMID- 28917817
TI  - Mechanistic insight into degradation of endocrine disrupting chemical by hydroxyl
      radical: An experimental and theoretical approach.
AB  - Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on formation of free radicals at
      ambient temperature and pressure are effective for treating endocrine disrupting
      chemicals (EDCs) in waters. In this study, we systematically investigated the
      degradation kinetics of bisphenol A (BPA), a representative EDC by hydroxyl
      radical (OH) with a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. The
      second-order rate constant (k) of BPA with OH was experimentally determined to be
      7.2 +/- 0.34 * 109 M-1 s-1 at pH 7.55. We also calculated the thermodynamic and
      kinetic behaviors for the bimolecular reactions by density functional theory
      (DFT) using the M05-2X method with 6-311++G** basis set and solvation model based
      on density (SMD). The results revealed that H-abstraction on the phenol group is
      the most favorable pathway for OH. The theoretical k value corrected by the
      Collins-Kimball approach was determined to be 1.03 * 1010 M-1 s-1, which is in
      reasonable agreement with the experimental observation. These results are of
      fundamental and practical importance in understanding the chemical interactions
      between OH and BPA, and aid further AOPs design in treating EDCs during
      wastewater treatment processes.

PMID- 28917818
TI  - Assessment of shipping emissions on four ports of Portugal.
AB  - In the last few years, ship emissions have attracted growing attention in the
      scientific community. The main reason is the constant increase of marine
      emissions over the last twenty years due to the intensification of port traffic.
      Thus, this study aimed to evaluate ship emissions (PM10, PM2.5, NOx, SO2, CO,
      CO2, N2O CH4, NMVOC, and HC) through the activity-based methodology in four of
      the main ports of Portugal (Leixoes, Setubal, Sines and Viana do Castelo) during
      2013 and 2014. The analysis was performed according to ship types (bulk carrier,
      container, general cargo, passenger, Ro-Ro cargo, tanker and others) and
      operational modes (manoeuvring, hotelling and during cruising). Results indicated
      that tankers were the largest emitters in two of the four analysed ports.
      Regarding cruising emissions, container ships were the largest emitters. . CO2,
      NOx and SO2 estimated emissions represented more than 95% of the cruising and in
      port emissions. Results were also compared with the total national emissions
      reported by the Portuguese Environment Agency, and if the in-port emissions
      estimated in the present study would have been taken into account to these
      totals, emissions of NOx and SO2 would increase 15% and 24% in 2013 and 16% and
      28% in 2014. Summing up ships seem to be an important source of air pollution,
      mainly regarding NOx and SO2.

PMID- 28917819
TI  - Seabirds and marine plastic debris in the northeastern Atlantic: A synthesis and
      recommendations for monitoring and research.
AB  - Marine plastic pollution is an increasing, and global, environmental issue.
      Numerous marine species are affected by plastic debris through entanglement, nest
      incorporation, and ingestion, which can lead to lethal and sub-lethal impacts.
      However, in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, an area of international importance
      for seabirds, there has been little effort to date to assess information from
      studies of wildlife and plastic to better understand the spatiotemporal variation
      of how marine plastic affects different seabird species. To improve our
      understanding of seabirds and marine plastic in this region, we completed a
      synthesis of the published and grey literature to obtain information on all known
      documented cases of plastic ingestion and nest incorporation by this group. We
      found that of 69 seabird species that commonly occur in the northeastern
      Atlantic, 25 had evidence of ingesting plastic. However, data on plastic
      ingestion was available for only 49% of all species, with 74% of investigated
      species recorded ingesting plastic. We found only three published studies on nest
      incorporation, for the Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) and Black-legged
      Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). For many species, sample sizes were small or not
      reported, and only 39% of studies were from the 21st century, whilst information
      from multiple countries and years was only available for 11 species. This
      indicates that we actually know very little about the current prevalence of
      plastic ingestion and nest incorporation for many species, several of them
      globally threatened. Furthermore, in the majority of studies, the metrics
      reported were inadequate to carry out robust comparisons among locations and
      species or perform meta-analyses. We recommend multi-jurisdictional collaboration
      to obtain a more comprehensive and current understanding of how marine plastic is
      affecting seabirds in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.

PMID- 28917820
TI  - Characterization of secondary organic aerosol from photo-oxidation of gasoline
      exhaust and specific sources of major components.
AB  - To further explore the composition and distribution of secondary organic aerosol
      (SOA) components from the photo-oxidation of light aromatic precursors (toluene,
      m-xylene, and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (1,3,5-TMB)) and idling gasoline exhaust, a
      vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometer (VUV-PIMS) was employed.
      Peaks of the molecular ions of the SOA components with minimum molecular
      fragmentation were clearly observed from the mass spectra of SOA, through the
      application of soft ionization methods in VUV-PIMS. The experiments comparing the
      exhaust-SOA and light aromatic mixture-SOA showed that the observed distributions
      of almost all the predominant cluster ions in the exhaust-SOA were similar to
      that of the mixture-SOA. Based on the characterization experiments of SOA formed
      from individual light aromatic precursors, the SOA components with molecular
      weights of 98 and 110 amu observed in the exhaust-SOA resulted from the photo
      oxidation of toluene and m-xylene; the components with a molecular weight of 124
      amu were derived mainly from m-xylene; and the components with molecular weights
      of 100, 112, 128, 138, and 156 amu were mainly derived from 1,3,5-TMB. These
      results suggest that C7-C9 light aromatic hydrocarbons are significant SOA
      precursors and that major SOA components originate from gasoline exhaust.
      Additionally, some new light aromatic hydrocarbon-SOA components were observed
      for the first time using VUV-PIMS. The corresponding reaction mechanisms were
      also proposed in this study to enrich the knowledge base of the formation
      mechanisms of light aromatic hydrocarbon-SOA compounds.

PMID- 28917821
TI  - Circulatory-cell-mediated nanotherapeutic approaches in disease targeting.
AB  - Circulating blood cells, and cell-derived microvesicles, are emerging as
      pragmatic delivery systems that can smartly complement the already existing
      nanotherapeutic platforms evaluated to treat or diagnose diseases. The valuable
      distinctive features of circulatory cells over synthetic nanocarriers encompass
      their biological origin which confers immune transparence, known
      biodegradability, high drug loading, relatively long half-life and a targeting
      capacity associated with their physiological surface functionality. Absence of
      nuclei in red blood cells and platelets provides further rationale for their use
      as cargo vehicles for nucleotoxic agents. Ongoing developments in cell-based and
      cell-inspired nanotherapies can move drug delivery into reachable frontiers and
      exhibit high potentiality for translatability into clinical use.

PMID- 28917823
TI  - On the role of visual electrophysiology in Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 28917822
TI  - CHEMGENIE: integration of chemogenomics data for applications in chemical
      biology.
AB  - Increasing amounts of biological data are accumulating in the pharmaceutical
      industry and academic institutions. However, data does not equal actionable
      information, and guidelines for appropriate data capture, harmonization,
      integration, mining, and visualization need to be established to fully harness
      its potential. Here, we describe ongoing efforts at Merck & Co. to structure data
      in the area of chemogenomics. We are integrating complementary data from both
      internal and external data sources into one chemogenomics database (Chemical
      Genetic Interaction Enterprise; CHEMGENIE). Here, we demonstrate how this well
      curated database facilitates compound set design, tool compound selection, target
      deconvolution in phenotypic screening, and predictive model building.

PMID- 28917824
TI  - Parkinson's disease susceptibility variants and severity of Lewy body pathology.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have
      established common genetic risk factors for clinical Parkinson's disease (PD);
      however, associations between these risk factors and quantitative neuropathologic
      markers of disease severity have not been well-studied. This study evaluated
      associations of nominated variants from the most recent PD GWAS meta-analysis
      with Lewy body disease (LBD) subtype (brainstem, transitional, or diffuse) and
      pathologic burden of LB pathology as measured by LB counts in five cortical
      regions in a series of LBD cases. METHODS: 547 autopsy-confirmed cases of LBD
      were included and genotyped for 29 different GWAS-nominated PD risk variants. LB
      counts were measured in middle frontal (MF), superior temporal (ST), inferior
      parietal (IP), cingulate (CG), and parahippocampal (PH) gyri. RESULTS: None of
      the variants examined were significantly associated with LB counts in any brain
      region or with LBD subtype after correcting for multiple testing. Nominally
      significant (P < 0.05) associations with LB counts where the direction of
      association was in agreement with that observed in the PD GWAS meta-analysis were
      observed for variants in BCKDK/STX1B (MF, ST, IP) and SNCA (ST). Additionally,
      MIR4697 and BCKDK/STX1B variants were nominally associated with LBD subtype.
      CONCLUSION: The lack of a significant association between PD GWAS variants and
      severity of LB pathology is consistent with the generally subtle association odds
      ratios that have been observed in disease-risk analysis. These results also
      suggest that genetic factors other than the susceptibility loci may determine
      quantitative neuropathologic outcomes in patients with LBD.

PMID- 28917825
TI  - Fugitive halocarbon emissions from working face of municipal solid waste
      landfills in China.
AB  - Halocarbons are important anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to their long
      lifetime and large characteristic factors. The present study for the first time
      assessed the global warming potential (GWP) of fugitive halocarbon emissions from
      the working face of landfills in China. The national emissions of five major
      halocarbons (CFC-11, CFC-113, CH2Cl2, CHCl3 and CCl4) from the working face of
      municipal solid waste landfills in China were provided through observation-based
      estimations. The fluxes of halocarbons from working face of landfills were
      observed much higher than covered cells in landfills hence representing the hot
      spots of landfill emissions. The annual emissions of the halocarbons from
      landfills in China were 0.02-15.6kt.y-1, and their GWPs were 128-60,948kt-CO2
      eq.y-1 based on their characteristic factors on a 100-year horizon. CFC-113 was
      the dominant species owing to its highest releasing rate (i.e. 15.4+/-19.1g.t-1)
      and largest characteristic factor, resulting in a GWP up to 4036+/-4855kt-CO2
      eq.y-1. The annual emissions of CFC-113 from landfills (i.e. 0.61kt.y-1) made up
      ~76% of the total national CFC-113 emissions. The GWPs of halocarbons were
      estimated ~14.4% of landfill methane emissions. Therefore, fugitive halocarbons
      emissions from working face are significant sources of GHGs in landfill sites in
      China, although they comprise a small fraction of total landfill gases.

PMID- 28917826
TI  - Potassic zeolites from Brazilian coal ash for use as a fertilizer in agriculture.
AB  - Brazilian coal has an ash content ranging from 30 to 50% by weight. Consequently,
      its use in coal-fired thermoelectric for power production generates a lot of
      waste. The construction sector is the largest consumer of coal ash, but it cannot
      absorb the entire amount generated. Thus, other applications for coal ash should
      be studied in aim to optimize the use of this industrial waste. This research had
      as focus to synthesize potassic zeolite from of the coal ash into on potassium
      fertilizer for the grown wheat plant. In this work, it was used a subbituminous
      coal from Mina do Leao (RS, Brazil) presenting 48.7% ash content on a dry basis.
      Concerning the synthesis of potassic zeolite, it was adopted the conventional
      method of hydrothermal treatment with potassium hydroxide. A schedule of
      experiments was conducted in order to define the optimum condition of zeolite
      synthesis that was then used an alkaline solution of 5M KOH with a reaction time
      of 24h at 150 degrees C. According to this procedure, it was obtained a zeolite
      with a single crystalline phase, identified through X-ray diffraction as
      Merlinoite. Subsequently, it was performed a set of tests using potassic zeolite
      asa fertilizer for plants in a greenhouse. The synthesized potassic zeolite
      showed a good potential for its use as fertilizer in agriculture.

PMID- 28917827
TI  - Recommendations on the use of neuromonitoring in thyroid and parathyroid surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thyroid and parathyroid surgery (TPTS) is associated with risk of
      injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, superior laryngeal nerve and voice
      changes. Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM), intermittent or continuous,
      evaluates the functional state of the laryngeal nerves and is being increasingly
      used. This means that points of consensus on the most controversial aspects are
      necessary. OBJECTIVE: To develop a support document for guidance on the use of
      IONM in TPTS. METHOD: Work group consensus through systematic review and the
      Delphi method. RESULTS: Seven sections were identified on which points of
      consensus were identified: indications, equipment, technique (programming and
      registration parameters), behaviour on loss of signal, laryngoscopy, voice and
      legal implications. CONCLUSIONS: IONM helps in the location and identification of
      the recurrent laryngeal nerve, helps during its dissection, reports on its
      functional status at the end of surgery and enables decision-making in the event
      of loss of signal in the first operated side in a scheduled bilateral
      thyroidectomy or previous contralateral paralysis. The accuracy of IONM depends
      on variables such as accomplished technique, technology and training in the
      correct execution of the technique and interpretation of the signal. This
      document is a starting point for future agreements on TPTS in each of the
      sections of consensus.

PMID- 28917828
TI  - A model of blood supply to the brain via the carotid arteries: Effects of
      obstructive vs. sclerotic changes.
AB  - The carotid artery is one of the major supply routes of blood to the brain and a
      common site of vascular disease. Obstructive and sclerotic disorders within the
      carotid artery impact local blood flow patterns as well as overall impedance and
      blood supply to the brain. A lumped parameter model and an experimental in-vitro
      flow loop were used to study the effects of local stenosis and stiffness in the
      carotid artery based on a family of phantoms with different degrees of stenosis
      and compliance. The model also allows independent examination of the effects of
      downstream resistance and compliance. Mild to moderate stenosis was found to lead
      to minimal (~1%) reduction in blood supply to the brain. Reduction in mean
      internal carotid artery (ICA) flow was statistically significant (p< 0.01) only
      above 70% stenosis. On the other hand, a three-fold increase in stiffness of the
      carotid artery, as might occur in aging, was found to lead to a modest yet
      statistically significant reduction (p< 0.01) in mean ICA flow. Effects of
      changing downstream resistance and compliance were examined. For a given pressure
      waveform, reduction in downstream compliance led to altered waveform shape and
      reduction in peak systolic flow rates where the mean flow rates were not altered.
      Increased downstream resistance resulted in drastic reduction in mean flow rates.

PMID- 28917829
TI  - A chinese boy with geleophysic dysplasia caused by compound heterozygous
      mutations in ADAMTSL2.
AB  - Geleophysic dysplasia, belonging to the group of acromelic dysplasia, is a rare
      genetic disease. Two genes, FBN1 and ADAMTSL2, were known to be linked to this
      disorder. The disorder presents as extreme short stature, short limbs, small
      hands and feet, stubby fingers and toes, joint stiffness, toe walking, skin
      thickening, progressive cardiac valvular thickening and characteristic facial
      features, including a round face with full cheeks. Here, we report the first
      Chinese case with geleophysic dysplasia type 1 based on clinical and genetic
      features. The boy was admitted because of severe physical growth retardation and
      mild motor retardation. Comprehensive medical evaluations were performed
      including metabolic studies, endocrine function examination, bone X-rays and
      echocardiography. Much delayed bone age and geleophysic dysplasia were found.
      Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to detect genetic mutations
      associated with skeletal dysplasia. Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the
      mutations in the patient. PCR amplification, cloing, and sequencing was used to
      determine the de novo mutation origin. Two compound heterozygous mutations were
      confirmed in the ADAMTSL2 gene of the patient. The c.340G > A (p.Glu114Lys)
      mutation was a de novo heterozygous mutation, and our results suggested that it
      was located on the paternal allele. While the c.234-2A > G inherited from his
      mother was a novel pathogenic heterozygous splicing mutation. Growth hormone
      deficiency had been observed in the patient. His growth velocity was improved by
      growth hormone supplementation. In conclusion, we have identified a novel
      splicing mutation of ADAMTSL2 carried by a Chinese boy with geleophysic dysplasia
      type 1. The patient was treated effectively with growth hormone supplementation.

PMID- 28917830
TI  - Al-Awadi-Raas-Rothschild syndrome with dental anomalies and a novel WNT7A
      mutation.
AB  - Al-Awadi-Raas-Rothschild syndrome (AARRS; OMIM 276820) is a very rare autosomal
      recessive limb malformation syndrome caused by WNT7A mutations. AARRS is
      characterized by various degrees of limb aplasia and hypoplasia. Normal
      intelligence and malformations of urogenital system are frequent findings.
      Complete loss of WNT7A function has been shown to cause AARRS, however, its
      partial loss leads to the milder malformation, Fuhrmann syndrome. An Indian boy
      affected with AARRS is reported. A novel homozygous base substitution mutation
      c.550A > C (p.Asn184Asp) is identified in the patient. Parents were heterozygous
      for the mutation. In addition to the typical features of AARRS, the patient had
      agenesis of the mandibular left deciduous lateral incisor. The heterozygous
      parents had microdontia of the maxillary left permanent third molar and
      taurodontism (enlarged dental pulp chamber at the expense of root) in a number of
      their permanent molars. Whole exome sequencing of the patient and his parents
      ruled out mutations in 11 known hypodontia-associated genes including WNT10A,
      MSX1, EDA, EDAR, EDARADD, PAX9, AXIN2, GREM2, NEMO, KRT17, and TFAP2B. In situ
      hybridization during tooth development showed Wnt7a expression in wild-type tooth
      epithelium at E14.5. All lines of evidence suggest that WNT7A has important role
      in tooth development and its mutation may lead to tooth agenesis, microdontia,
      and taurodontism. Oral examination of patients with AARRS and Fuhrmann syndromes
      is highly recommended.

PMID- 28917831
TI  - [GRADE Evidence to Decision (EtD) frameworks: a systematic and transparent
      approach to making well informed healthcare choices. 2: Clinical practice
      guidelines].
AB  - Clinicians do not have the time or resources to consider the underlying evidence
      for the myriad decisions they must make each day and, as a consequence, rely on
      recommendations from clinical practice guidelines. Guideline panels should
      consider all the relevant factors (criteria) that influence a decision or
      recommendation in a structured, explicit, and transparent way and provide
      clinicians with clear and actionable recommendations. In this article, we will
      describe the Evidence to Decision (EtD) frameworks for clinical practice
      recommendations. The general structure of the EtD framework for clinical
      recommendations is similar to EtD frameworks for other types of recommendations
      and decisions, and includes formulation of the question, an assessment of the
      different criteria, and conclusions. Clinical recommendations require considering
      criteria differently, depending on whether an individual patient or a population
      perspective is taken. For example, from an individual patient's perspective, out
      of-pocket costs are an important consideration, whereas, from a population
      perspective, resource use (not only out-of-pocket costs) and cost effectiveness
      are important. From a population perspective, equity, acceptability, and
      feasibility are also important considerations, whereas the importance of these
      criteria is often limited from an individual patient perspective. Specific
      subgroups for which different recommendations may be required should be clearly
      identified and considered in relation to each criterion because judgments might
      vary across subgroups. This article is a translation of the original article
      published in the British Medical Journal. The EtD frameworks are currently used
      in the Clinical Practice Guideline Programme of the Spanish National Health
      System, co-ordinated by GuiaSalud.

PMID- 28917832
TI  - Hypoxia and heart regeneration: A new paradoxical approach for cardioprotection.

PMID- 28917833
TI  - Values-based shared decision-making in the antenatal period.
AB  - Despite advances in life-saving technology for critically ill neonates,
      challenges continue to arise for infants delivered with extreme prematurity,
      congenital anomalies, and genetic conditions that exceed the limits of currently
      available interventions. In these situations, parents are forced to make
      cognitively and emotionally difficult decisions, in discussion with a
      neonatologist, regarding how aggressively to provide supportive measures at the
      time of delivery and at what point burdens of therapy outweigh benefits. Current
      guidelines recommend that parents' values should guide these decisions; however,
      little is known about the values parents hold, and how those values are employed
      in the context of complexity, uncertainty, and emotionality of these situations.
      Systematic investigation of how parents derive their values and how clinicians
      should engage with parents about those values is necessary to guide the
      development of interventions to enhance shared decision-making processes,
      ultimately improving satisfaction, coping, and resilience and minimizing the
      potential for regret.

PMID- 28917834
TI  - Hexameric assembly of membrane fusion protein YknX of the sporulation delaying
      efflux pump from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.
AB  - Membrane fusion proteins (MFPs) play an essential role in the action of the drug
      efflux pumps and protein secretion systems in bacteria. The sporulation delaying
      protein (SDP) efflux pump YknWXYZ has been identified in diverse Bacillus
      species. The MFP YknX requires the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter YknYZ
      and the Yip1 family protein YknW to form a functional complex. To date, the
      crystal structure, molecular function and mechanism of action of YknX remain
      unknown. In this study, to characterize the structural and biochemical roles of
      YknX in the functional assembly of YknWXYZ from B. amyloliquefaciens, we
      successfully obtained crystals of the YknX protein that diffracted X-rays to a
      resolution of 4.4 A. We calculated an experimentally phased map using single
      wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD), revealing that YknX forms a hexameric
      assembly similar to that of MacA from Gram-negative bacteria. The hexameric
      assembly of YknX exhibited a funnel-like structure with a central channel and a
      conical mouth. Functional studies in vitro suggest that YknX can bind directly to
      peptidoglycan. Our study provides an improved understanding of the assembly of
      the YknWXYZ efflux pump and the role of YknX in the complex.

PMID- 28917835
TI  - Antitumor activity, pharmacokinetics, tumor-homing effect, and hepatotoxicity of
      a species cross-reactive c-Met antibody.
AB  - The receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met plays critical roles in promoting tumor
      growth, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis in various types of cancer and is
      a promising therapeutic target. The development of a species cross-reactive
      therapeutic antibody could provide useful to comprehensive preclinical assessment
      in animal models. Towards this goal, we developed human/mouse cross-reactive c
      Met antibodies using an antibody phage library. IRCR201, a c-Met antibody with
      species cross-reactivity, successfully inhibited the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway
      via degradation of c-Met and disruption of the binding with its partners, and
      demonstrated strong in vivo antitumor activity. In pharmacokinetic analysis,
      IRCR201 exhibited a nonlinear pharmacokinetic profile and showed rapid serum
      clearance at low dosage. Ex vivo fluorescence imaging and immunohistochemistry
      demonstrated strong tumor accumulation of IRCR201. Hepatotoxicity analysis
      revealed that IRCR201 does not significantly affect primary human and mouse
      hepatocytes. Serum chemistry analysis demonstrated that the alanine
      aminotransferase serum level was elevated in mice treated with 30 mg/kg IRCR201
      than in PBS-treated mice, whereas the levels of aspartate aminotransferase and
      blood urea nitrogen did not significantly differ. Thus, IRCR201 is a potent
      therapeutic antibody that can disrupt the HGF/c-Met signaling axis and its
      species cross-reactivity would enable to evaluate precise biological activity in
      animal models.

PMID- 28917836
TI  - Erythromycin encapsulation in nanoemulsion-based delivery systems for treatment
      of Helicobacter pylori infection: Protection and synergy.
AB  - Poorly water-soluble and unstable compounds are difficult to develop as drug
      products using conventional formulation techniques. The aim of the present study
      was to develop and evaluate a nanoformulation prepared by a hot high-pressure
      homogenization method, which was a scalable and solvent-free process. We
      successfully prepared stable nanodispersions to protect a labile antibiotic,
      erythromycin. The mean diameter of the dispersed droplets was approximately 150
      nm, and size distribution was unimodal. Dispersion was physically stable at room
      temperature for over six months. Using erythromycin as a model compound, we
      studied its antimicrobial activity in vitro on Helicobacter pylori. Results
      showed that drug encapsulation improves API stability in an acidic environment
      and is conducive to a synergistic effect between the drug and the formulation.

PMID- 28917837
TI  - Memantine inhibits beta-amyloid aggregation and disassembles preformed beta
      amyloid aggregates.
AB  - Memantine, an uncompetitive glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor
      antagonist, is widely used as a medication for the treatment of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). We previously reported that chronic treatment of AD with memantine
      reduces the amount of insoluble beta-amyloid (Abeta) and soluble Abeta oligomers
      in animal models of AD. The mechanisms by which memantine reduces Abeta levels in
      the brain were evaluated by determining the effect of memantine on Abeta
      aggregation using thioflavin T and transmission electron microscopy. Memantine
      inhibited the formation of Abeta(1-42) aggregates in a concentration-dependent
      manner, whereas amantadine, a structurally similar compound, did not affect Abeta
      aggregation at the same concentrations. Furthermore, memantine inhibited the
      formation of different types of Abeta aggregates, including Abetas carrying
      familial AD mutations, and disaggregated preformed Abeta(1-42) fibrils. These
      results suggest that the inhibition of Abeta aggregation and induction of Abeta
      disaggregation may be involved in the mechanisms by which memantine reduces Abeta
      deposition in the brain.

PMID- 28917838
TI  - Human SMOOTHENED inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.
AB  - Human SMOOTHENED (SMO) was identified by expression cloning as a new host factor
      that inhibits HIV-1 infection. Forced expression of SMO inhibited HIV-1
      replication and infection with a single-round lentiviral vector, but not
      infection with a murine leukemia virus-based retroviral vector in human MT-4 T
      cells. Quantitative PCR analyses revealed that stable expression of SMO impaired
      formation of the integrated form of lentiviral DNA, but did not interrupt reverse
      transcription. This inhibition was evident in MT-4 and HUT102 human T cell lines
      expressing low levels of SMO mRNA, but not in SupT1 or Jurkat T cell lines
      expressing higher levels of SMO mRNA. Depletion of SMO mRNA in Jurkat cells
      facilitated HIV-1 vector infection, suggesting that endogenous SMO plays a role
      in limiting lentiviral infection. These results suggest that SMO inhibits HIV-1
      replication after completion of reverse transcription but before integration.

PMID- 28917839
TI  - M2b macrophage polarization accompanied with reduction of long noncoding RNA
      GAS5.
AB  - Macrophages (Mphi) are highly plastic and change their functional phenotypes
      depending on microenvironmental signals. Recent studies have shown that microRNAs
      are involved in the polarization of Mphi. In this study, we demonstrated that the
      phenotype of M2bMphi [CCL1(+) IL-10(+) LIGHT(+)] switches to other phenotypes
      with interchangeability attained through the increased expression of growth
      arrest-specific 5 RNA (GAS5 RNA), a long noncoding RNA. GAS5 RNA has been
      described as a silencer of the CCL1 gene. Various phenotypes of Mphi were
      prepared from bone marrow-derived Mphi (BMDMphi) after stimulation with IFNgamma
      [M(IFNgamma)/M1Mphi], IL-4 [M(IL-4)/M2aMphi], LPS and immobilized IgG [M(LPS +
      IC)/M2bMphi], and IL-10 [M(IL-10)/M2cMphi]. BMDMphi cultured with medium
      [M(no)/quiescent Mphi] were used as a control. As compared to MU(no),
      M(IFNgamma), M(IL-4) and M(IL-10), the reduced level of GAS5 RNA was shown in
      M(LPS + IC). CCL1 and LIGHT mRNAs (typical biomarkers of M2bMphi) were not
      expressed by M(LPS + IC) transduced with a GAS5 gene using lentiviral vector. The
      reduction of GAS5 RNA in M(LPS + IC) was mediated by the activation of nonsense
      mediated RNA decay (NMD) pathway. BMDMphi overexpressed with GAS5 RNA after GAS5
      gene transduction did not polarize to M2bMphi even though they were stimulated
      with LPS and IC in combination. These results indicate that the reduction of GAS5
      RNA influenced by the NMD pathway activation leads to the Mphi polarization
      stimulated with LPS and IC in combination.

PMID- 28917840
TI  - Both nitric oxide and nitrite prevent homocysteine-induced endoplasmic reticulum
      stress and subsequent apoptosis via cGMP-dependent pathway in neuronal cells.
AB  - Growing evidence indicates that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and/or ER
      stress-mediated apoptosis may play a role in the pathogenesis of
      neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. The present study
      investigated the effects of non-cytotoxic concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and
      nitrite, a metabolite of NO, on ER stress and ER stress-mediated apoptosis in
      Neuro-2a cells exposed to homocysteine (Hcy), an endogenous ER stress inducer.
      Hcy induced ER stress, as confirmed by inositol-requiring enzyme 1alpha
      (IRE1alpha) phosphorylation and X-box-binding protein-1 (Xbp1) mRNA splicing as
      well as C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) expression, and apoptosis, as verified by
      Annexin V-positive cells. Surprisingly, non-cytotoxic NO (S-nitrosoglutathione)
      and nitrite markedly reduced Hcy-induced IRE1alpha phosphorylation, Xbp1 mRNA
      splicing, CHOP expression, and Annexin V-positive cells, indicating the
      cytoprotection of NO and nitrite against Hcy-induced ER stress and apoptosis.
      Moreover, inhibition of sGC/cGMP pathway abolished the cytoprotective effects of
      NO and nitrite, whereas cellular elevation of cGMP levels mimicked the
      cytoprotective actions of NO and nitrite. These findings provide the first
      evidence showing that both NO and nitrite can reduce ER stress and subsequent
      apoptosis via NO-sGC-cGMP pathway in neuronal cells and suggesting that NO and/or
      nitrite may have therapeutic value in the treatment of ER stress-associated
      neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 28917841
TI  - Graphene-VP40 interactions and potential disruption of the Ebola virus matrix
      filaments.
AB  - Ebola virus infections cause hemorrhagic fever that often results in very high
      fatality rates. In addition to exploring vaccines, development of drugs is also
      essential for treating the disease and preventing the spread of the infection.
      The Ebola virus matrix protein VP40 exists in various conformational and
      oligomeric forms and is a potential pharmacological target for disrupting the
      virus life-cycle. Here we explored graphene-VP40 interactions using molecular
      dynamics simulations and graphene pelleting assays. We found that graphene sheets
      associate strongly with VP40 at various interfaces. We also found that the
      graphene is able to disrupt the C-terminal domain (CTD-CTD) interface of VP40
      hexamers. This VP40 hexamer-hexamer interface is crucial in forming the Ebola
      viral matrix and disruption of this interface may provide a method to use
      graphene or similar nanoparticle based solutions as a disinfectant that can
      significantly reduce the spread of the disease and prevent an Ebola epidemic.

PMID- 28917842
TI  - Multi-scale simulations of biological systems using the OPEP coarse-grained
      model.
AB  - Biomolecules are complex machines that are optimized by evolution to properly
      fulfill or contribute to a variety of biochemical tasks in the cellular
      environment. Computer simulations based on quantum mechanics and atomistic force
      fields have been proven to be a powerful microscope for obtaining valuable
      insights into many biological, physical, and chemical processes. Many interesting
      phenomena involve, however, a time scale and a number of degrees of freedom,
      notably if crowding is considered, that cannot be explored at an atomistic
      resolution. To bridge the gap between reality and simulation, many different
      advanced computational techniques and coarse-grained (CG) models have been
      developed. Here, we report some applications of the CG OPEP protein model to
      amyloid fibril formation, the response of catch-bond proteins to two types of
      fluid flow, and interactive simulations to fold peptides with well-defined 3D
      structures or with intrinsic disorder.

PMID- 28917843
TI  - Rapgef2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rap1 small GTPases, plays a
      crucial role in adherence junction (AJ) formation in radial glial cells through
      ERK-mediated upregulation of the AJ-constituent protein expression.
AB  - Rapgef2 and Rapgef6 define a subfamily of guanine nucleotide exchange factors for
      Rap1, characterized by possession of the Ras/Rap-associating domains and
      implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia. We previously found that dorsal
      telencephalon-specific Rapgef2 conditional knockout mice exhibits severe defects
      in formation of apical surface adherence junctions (AJs) and localization of
      radial glial cells (RGCs). In this study, we analyze the underlying molecular
      mechanism by using primary cultures of RGCs established from the developing
      cerebral cortex. The results show that Rapgef2-deficient RGCs exhibit a decreased
      ability of neurosphere formation, morphological changes represented by regression
      of radial glial (RG) fibers and reduced expression of AJ-constituent proteins
      such as N-cadherin, zonula occludens-1, E-cadherin and beta-catenin. Moreover,
      siRNA-mediated knockdown of Rapgef2 or Rap1A inhibits the AJ protein expression
      and RG fiber formation while overexpression of Rapgef2, Rapgef6, Rap1AG12V or
      Rap1BG12V in Rapgef2-deficient RGCs restores them. Furthermore, Rapgef2-deficient
      RGCs exhibit a reduction in phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase (ERK) leading to downregulation of the expression of c-jun, which is
      implicated in the AJ protein expression. These results indicate a crucial role of
      the Rapgef2-Rap1A-ERK-c-jun pathway in regulation of the AJ formation in RGCs.

PMID- 28917844
TI  - Comparison of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles on the performance and charge
      recombination of water-based gel electrolyte in dye sensitized solar cells.
AB  - In commercialization of liquid dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), whose leakage,
      evaporation and toxicity of organic solvents are limiting factors, replacement of
      organic solvents with water-based gel electrolyte is recommended. This work
      reports on utilizing and comparison of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticle as
      different gelling agents in preparation of water-based gel electrolyte in
      fabrication of dye sensitized solar cells. All photovoltaic parameters such as
      open circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF), short circuit current density (Jsc)
      and conversion efficiency (eta) were measured. For further characterization,
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to study the charge
      transfer at Pt/electrolyte interface and charge recombination and electron
      transport at TiO2/dye/electrolyte interface. Significant improvements in
      conversion efficiency and short circuit current density of DSSCs fabricated by
      chitosan nanoparticle were observed that can be attributed to the higher mobility
      of I3-due to the lower viscosity and smaller size of chitosan nanoparticles.

PMID- 28917845
TI  - Influence of binding mechanism on labeling efficiency and luminous properties of
      fluorescent cellulose nanocrystals.
AB  - Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have excellent properties, such as reproducibility,
      low biodegradability and a large amount of reactive hydroxyl groups on the
      surface. This study focused on the labeling efficiency and fluorescent properties
      of the fluorescent labeling of CNCs by means of electrostatic adsorption and
      covalent bonding. The CNCs in the sample were approximately 94.76% successfully
      labeled with dyes, and the number of dye molecules adsorbed by per CNC was
      approximately 208 by electrostatic adsorption. For the sample covalently linked,
      the efficiency of the fluorescent labeling was 95.51%, and the number of dye
      molecules attached to per CNC was 1038. The quenching mode of the fluorescent
      CNCs was dynamic quenching. The fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield of the
      fluorescent CNCs increased by 1-2 times compared to the free dye. A thorough
      investigation of the relation between the binding mechanism and the fluorescent
      properties in fluorescent CNCs was conducted.

PMID- 28917846
TI  - An efficient chitosan-derived carbon/silica microspheres supported Pd catalyst
      with high stability for Heck reactions.
AB  - To maintain stability and activity in Heck-coupling reaction, a novel composite
      carrier with controllable uniform size, high complex ability and mechanical
      intensity was fabricated in microchannel using natural N-doped biomolecule
      chitosan and silica as ingredients. Post carbonization increased its thermal
      stability and supported Pd@C/silica catalysts can be acquired after Pd loading.
      Only 2mg supported Pd@C/silica catalysts (0.44MUmol) can achieve high yield
      (>95%) in a typical Heck-coupling reaction and maintained activity even after 8
      times of recycling. This type of novel porous microspheres carrier can cut down
      the usage of noble Pd by avoiding the leaching as well as aggregation of Pd
      nanoparticles, and could be widely applied in similar chemical reactions.

PMID- 28917847
TI  - Release of polyphenols from starch-chitosan based films containing thyme extract.
AB  - The release kinetics of thyme extract polyphenols (TE) from chitosan (CH), pea
      starch (S) and CH:S blend films in different solvents was evaluated, as well as
      their antioxidant activity in each release media. Pure starch films showed the
      fastest delivery rate and the highest delivery ratio of polyphenols, although the
      corresponding release media exhibited the lowest antioxidant capacity. TE
      provided CH based films with remarkable antioxidant activity, despite the lower
      polyphenol release obtained in all solvents, due to the strong polyphenols
      chitosan interactions. The maximum amount of polyphenols delivered was found in
      the acetic acid solution, due to the high solubility of CH. The incorporation of
      tannic acid (TA) into CH films promoted cross-linking effect, which delays the TE
      release rate in water and ethanol aqueous solutions, except for CH:S:TA films.
      Thus, the polarity of the solvents and the polyphenols-matrix interactions
      markedly affected the polyphenol release and the antioxidant activity of the
      films.

PMID- 28917848
TI  - Development and characterization of ricinoleic acid-based sulfhydryl thiol and
      ethyl cellulose blended membranes.
AB  - Ethyl cellulose (EC) membranes can be combined with efficient plasticizers
      derived from renewable resources to form supramolecular systems. In this paper, a
      novel ricinoleic acid-based sulfhydryl triol (STRA) was first synthesized and
      used as a plasticizer for EC membranes. A supramolecular membrane of EC and STRA
      using van der Waals forces was designed. The morphology, hydrophilic performance,
      thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated.
      While pure EC is brittle, its membrane ductility and hydrophilic performance can
      be improved by integration with STRA. The highest tensile strength was found in
      EC/STRA (90/10) (8.37MPa). Impressively, the EC/STRA(60/40) and EC/STRA(50/50)
      elongation at break values were 17.4 and 20.2 times higher, respectively, than
      that of pure EC. This novel ricinoleic acid-based sulfhydryl triol can be used as
      a feedstock for hydrophobic EC membranes.

PMID- 28917849
TI  - Understanding the microstructure and absorption rate of starch-based
      superabsorbent polymers prepared under high starch concentration.
AB  - From a microstructural view, the focus of this work was on the water absorption
      rate of starch-based superabsorbent polymers (starch-SAPs) prepared under high
      starch concentration (0.27:1w/w starch:water). The effects of starch
      amylose/amylopectin ratio were disclosed. The increase in amylopectin reduced the
      amount (CPAM) of polyacrylamide (PAM) in starch-SAPs but increased the ratio of
      starch carbons grafted with PAM, which eventually decreased the average length
      (LPAM) of PAM chains. The shorter PAM chains could reduce starch-SAP chain
      flexibility, thus inducing larger mass fractal gels in swollen starch-SAPs. In
      general, the increases in CPAM and LPAM were preferable for a higher water
      absorbent capacity (WAC), whereas the denser fractal gels reduced WAC.
      Interestingly, all starch-SAPs had a dual-phase absorption process with the first
      stage showing a higher rate than the second phase (k1>k2). The shorter PAM chains
      caused increases in k1 and k2.

PMID- 28917850
TI  - Porous composite membranes based on cellulose acetate and cellulose nanocrystals
      via electrospinning and electrospraying.
AB  - Porous and non-porous cellulose acetate (CA) - cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)
      electrospun nanocomposite fibers and electrosprayed-electrospun composite
      membranes were fabricated using two different binary solvent systems. To evaluate
      the expression of CNC as the active entity in the membrane, dye adsorption
      studies were carried out using Victoria Blue. To overcome the low surface area of
      thick porous fibers, a porous electrosprayed-electrospun composite has developed
      which exhibited 98% dye removal compared to non-porous counterparts (67.9%). The
      porous membrane with CNC showed an increase of 38mV in surface zeta potential
      compared to 9mV increases in the case of the nonporous membrane and after the dye
      adsorption, it maintained the negative charge, indicating that further adsorption
      is feasible. Moreover, the mechanical properties of porous fibers were found to
      be ten-fold better than that of nonporous fibers. Creating porous CA-CNC
      composites is demonstrated as a tool for ensuring better exposure of active
      materials during the adsorption reaction.

PMID- 28917851
TI  - Corrigendum to "Enhanced permeability and antifouling performance of cellulose
      acetate ultrafiltration membrane assisted by L-DOPA functionalized halloysite
      nanotubes" [Carbohydr. Polym. 174 (2017) 688-696].

PMID- 28917852
TI  - Bio-responsive alginate-keratin composite nanogels with enhanced drug loading
      efficiency for cancer therapy.
AB  - This article presents a novel dual-stimuli responsive nanogel prepared from human
      hair keratin and alginate through simple crosslinking method. Keratin offer the
      crosslinking structure and bio-responsive ability and alginate ameliorated
      properties of nanogels including particle size, stability and drug loading
      capacity. The resultant keratin-alginate nanogels (KSA-NGs) could function as
      promising vectors for doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) with a super-high drug
      loading rate of 52.9% (w/w) and dual-stimuli responsive behavior to GSH and
      trypsin. Cellular uptake results indicated DOX loaded KSA-NGs (DOX@KSA-NGs) are
      efficiently internalized in 4T1 and B16 cells in vitro, with a fast DOX release
      into cells under intracellular GSH and trypsin levels. In vitro cytotoxicity
      results further manifested that DOX@KSA-NGs behaved equivalent inhibition effects
      on tumor cells to DOX. In vivo experiments showed that DOX@KSA-NGs had a better
      anti-tumor effect and lower side effects compared to free drugs. These bio
      responsive KSA-NGs have potential applications as nanocarriers for cancer
      therapy.

PMID- 28917853
TI  - Preparation and biological activity studies of resveratrol loaded ionically cross
      linked chitosan-TPP nanoparticles.
AB  - Nanoparticles with size range of 10-500nm can be efficiently delivered into
      cancer cells by the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect. Here, we
      prepared resveratrol (Res) loaded chitosan (CS) nanoparticles with the size of
      172-217nm by an ionic cross-linking method, with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as
      the cross-linking agent, to improve the stability, solubility and tumors
      targeting of the natural anti-cancer drug Res. The prepared Res loaded CS-TPP
      nanoparticles presented long-term storage stability and UV light stability. The
      cumulative drug release from nanoparticles in mimetic tumor tissue condition (pH
      6.5) was higher than that in physiological condition (pH 7.4). Further, Res
      loaded CS-TPP nanoparticles maintained the antioxidant activity of Res even after
      UV light irradiation. Cell viability study shows that the as prepared drug loaded
      nanoparticles had similar antiproliferative activity on hepatocellular carcinoma
      cells SMMC 7721 and lower cytotoxicity on normal hepatocyte cells L02 compared
      with free Res. Fluorescence microscopy observation revealed that the
      nanoparticles were efficiently taken in by SMMC 7721 cells. This work indicates
      the potential use of drug loaded CS-TPP nanoparticles for the efficient delivery
      of bioactive Res for chemotherapy.

PMID- 28917854
TI  - Tilia tomentosa pectins exhibit dual mode of action on phagocytes as beta
      glucuronic acid monomers are abundant in their rhamnogalacturonans I.
AB  - Silver linden flowers contain different pectins (PSI-PSIII) with immunomodulating
      properties. PSI is a low-esterified pectic polysaccharide with predominant
      homogalacturonan region, followed by rhamnogalacturonan I (RGI) with
      arabinogalactan II and RGII (traces) domains. PSII and PSIII are unusual
      glucuronidated RGI polymers. PSIII is a unique high molecular weight RGI, having
      almost completely O-3 glucuronidated GalA units with >30% O-3 acetylation at the
      Rha units. Linden pectins induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO generation
      from non-stimulated whole blood phagocytes and macrophages, resp., but suppressed
      OZP-(opsonized zymosan particles)-activated ROS generation, LPS-induced iNOS
      expression and NO production. This dual mode of action suggests their anti
      inflammatory activity, which is known for silver linden extracts. PSI expressed
      the highest complement fixation and macrophage-stimulating activities and was
      active on intestinal Peyer's patch cells. PSIII was active on non-stimulated
      neutrophils, as it induced beta2-integrin expression, revealing that acetylated
      and highly glucuronidated RGI exhibits immunomodulating properties via
      phagocytes.

PMID- 28917856
TI  - The effect of ionic and non-ionic surfactants and pH on the stability, adsorption
      and electrokinetic properties of the alginic acid/alumina system.
AB  - The influence of ionic (CTAB; SDS) and non-ionic (TX-100; TX-165 and TX-405)
      surfactants as well as pH of the solution on the stability, adsorption and
      electrokinetic properties of the alginic acid (AA)/alumina (Al2O3) suspensions
      was studied. The results obtained using the spectrophotometric method show that
      the addition of ionic surfactants is an effective way to obtain stable AA/Al2O3
      suspensions whereas the changes in pH are not sufficient. Surface tension
      measurements together with the adsorption data show that the macromolecules of
      alginic acid are able to form complexes with CTAB, however, they compete for the
      adsorption centers on the metal oxide surface with SDS. Non-ionic surfactants do
      not affect alginic acid adsorption. The electrokinetic measurements (surface
      charge density and zeta potential measurements) prove that adsorption of alginic
      acid on Al2O3 with or without surfactants changes the structure or the compact
      and diffused parts of the electric double layer. It should be emphasized that the
      alginic acid/surfactant/alumina system has not been studied before which confines
      its possible applications in the fields of functionalized materials.

PMID- 28917855
TI  - Chiroplasmonic magnetic gold nanocomposites produced by one-step aqueous method
      using kappa-carrageenan.
AB  - Novel water-soluble chiroplasmonic nanobiocomposites with directly varied gold
      content were synthesized by a one-step redox method in water using a
      biocompatible polysaccharide kappa-carrageenan (industrial product from algae) as
      both reducing and stabilizing matrix. The influence of the reactants ratio,
      temperature, and pH on the reaction was studied and the optimal reaction
      parameters were found. The structure and the properties of composite
      nanomaterials were examined in solid state and aqueous solutions by using
      complementary physical-chemical methods X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission
      electron microscopy, spectroscopy of electron paramagnetic resonance, atomic
      absorption and optical spectroscopy, polarimetry including optical rotatory
      dispersion with registration of interphase-crossbred Cotton effect of a chiral
      polysaccharide matrix on plasmonic chromophore of gold nanoparticles, dynamic and
      static light scattering. The new perspective multi-purpose nanocomposites
      demonstrate a complex of chiroplasmonic and magnetic properties, imparted by both
      nanoparticles and radicals enriched chiral polysaccharide matrix.

PMID- 28917858
TI  - A structural study of Acacia nilotica and Acacia modesta gums.
AB  - Superficially similar carbohydrate polymers from similar sources can have
      dramatically different characteristics. This work seeks to examine the molecular
      properties responsible for these differences. Protons responsible for cross
      polarization in the anomeric region of Acacia nilotica (AN) were replaced easily
      by deuterium, but not for Acacia modesta (AM). Time constants describing the
      mobility and cross-polarization transfer were both found to be lower for AM.
      Variable contact time experiments showed poorer fits and more heterogeneity for
      AN. Solution state HSQC experiments showed a lower number of environments in the
      anomeric region for AM. The relaxation time T2 of AM solutions had a lower value
      consistent with a higher viscosity. The Tg' of solutions were -14.5 degrees C AN
      and -18.5 degrees C AM. These results form a largely self-consistent picture of
      molecular differences between AN and AM, suggesting a more compact but
      heterogeneous structure for AN and more branching in the case of AM.

PMID- 28917857
TI  - The hydrolytic efficiency and synergistic action of recombinant xylan-degrading
      enzymes on xylan isolated from sugarcane bagasse.
AB  - Understanding the interaction mechanisms between xylan and xylan-degrading
      enzymes is beneficial to the efficient hydrolysis of xylan. Xylan from sugarcane
      bagasse (SB) was extracted and characterized. The effects of heat treatment and
      removal of side chains of SB xylan on the hydrolytic efficiency and synergistic
      action of endo-beta-1,4-xylanases (HoXyn11A and AnXyn10C), beta-xylosidases
      (AnXln3D), and alpha-l-arabinofuranosidases (AnAxh62A) were investigated. Results
      indicated that heat treatment of xylan can improve the hydrolytic efficiency of
      xylan-degrading enzymes, and it is essential for the efficient hydrolysis of
      xylan by HoXyn11A. The removal of arabinofuranosyl side chains of xylan by
      AnAxh62A before enzymatic hydrolysis reduced the hydrolytic efficiency of
      HoXyn11A and AnXyn10C on xylan. AnXyn10C was more efficient than HoXyn11A in
      hydrolysis of xylan, whereas HoXyn11A showed better synergistic action than
      AnXyn10C with AnAxh62A and AnXln3D in the hydrolysis of xylan. This study
      provides new insights on the enzymatic hydrolysis of SB into monosaccharides and
      xylo-oligosaccharides.

PMID- 28917859
TI  - Superhydrophilic graphene oxide@electrospun cellulose nanofiber hybrid membrane
      for high-efficiency oil/water separation.
AB  - Inspired from fishscales, membranes with special surface wettability have been
      applied widely for the treatment of oily waste water. Herein, a novel
      superhydrophilic graphene oxide (GO)@electrospun cellulose nanofiber (CNF)
      membrane was successfully fabricated. This membrane exhibited a high separation
      efficiency, excellent antifouling properties, as well as a high flux for the
      gravity-driven oil/water separation. Moreover, the GO@CNF membrane was capable to
      effectively separate oil/water mixtures in a broad pH range or with a high
      concentration of salt, suggesting that this membrane was quite promising for
      future real-world practice in oil spill cleanup and oily wastewater treatment.

PMID- 28917860
TI  - Carbon materials derived from chitosan/cellulose cryogel-supported zeolite
      imidazole frameworks for potential supercapacitor application.
AB  - In order to promote sustainable development, green and renewable clean energy
      technologies continue to be developed to meet the growing demand for energy, such
      as supercapacitor, fuel cells and lithium-ion battery. It is urgent to develop
      appropriate nanomaterials for these energy technologies to reduce the volume of
      the device, improve the efficiency of energy conversion and enlarge the energy
      storage capacity. Here, chitosan/cellulose carbon cryogel (CCS/CCL) were designed
      and synthesized. Through the introduction of zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIFs)
      into the chitosan/cellulose cryogels, the obtained materials showed a
      microstructure of ZIF-7 (a kind of ZIFs) coated chitosan/cellulose fibers
      (CS/CL). After carbonizing, the as-prepared carbonized ZIF-7@cellulose cryogel
      (NC@CCL, NC is carbonized ZIF-7) and carbonized ZIF-7@chitosan cryogel (NC@CCS)
      exhibited suitable microspore contents of 34.37% and 30%, respectively, and they
      both showed an internal resistance lower than 2Omega. Thereby, NC@CCL and NC@CCS
      exhibited a high specific capacitance of 150.4Fg-1 and 173.1Fg-1, respectively,
      which were much higher than those of the original materials. This approach offers
      a facile method for improving the strength and electronic conductivity of carbon
      cryogel derived from nature polymers, and also efficiently inhibits the
      agglomeration of cryogel during carbonization in high temperature, which opens a
      novel avenue for the development of carbon cryogel materials for application in
      energy conversion systems.

PMID- 28917861
TI  - Isolation and structural elucidation by 2D NMR of planteose, a major
      oligosaccharide in the mucilage of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds.
AB  - An oligosaccharide was isolated in high purity and excellent yield from the water
      extractable mucilage of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds using an optimized solid
      phase extraction method. LC-MS analysis showed that the compound presents a
      molecular mass of 504Da and trifluoroacetic acid hydrolysis revealed that it
      consists of galactose, glucose and fructose. Glycosidic linkage analysis showed
      that the oligosaccharide contains two non-reducing ends corresponding to terminal
      glucopyranose and terminal galactopyranose, respectively. The oligosaccharide was
      identified as planteose by the complete assignment of a series of 2D NMR spectra
      (COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, HSQC, and HMBC). The significance of the presence of
      planteose in chia seeds is discussed in the context of nutrition and food
      applications.

PMID- 28917862
TI  - Antibacterial hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose edible films containing
      nanoemulsions of Thymus daenensis essential oil for food packaging.
AB  - Edible films containing essential oils (EO) as natural antibacterial agents are
      promising systems for food preservation. In this work, nanoemulsions of Thymus
      daenensis EO (wild; F1 and cultivated; F2) were loaded in hydroxyl propyl methyl
      cellulose (HPMC) films and the effect of different parameters (polymer,
      plasticizer, and EO concentration) on the film properties were analyzed and
      optimized. Prepared HPMC films were characterized in terms of EO loading,
      morphology, mechanical properties, and the antibacterial activity. The results of
      SEM showed uniform incorporation of nanoemulsions into the edible film.
      Investigation of the mechanical properties of two edible films revealed a
      plasticizing effect of T. daenensis EO on the films. Also, edible films had
      noticeable antimicrobial activity against selected microorganisms, i.e. 47.0+/
      2.5mm and 22.6+/-0.5mm zone of inhibition against S. aureus for films containing
      F1 and F2, respectively. Incorporation of nanoemulsions into the HPMC films can
      be used for active food preservation.

PMID- 28917863
TI  - Purification, characterization and biological effect of reversing the kidney-yang
      deficiency of polysaccharides from semen cuscutae.
AB  - Semen cuscutae is a well-known Chinese medicine which has been used to nourish
      kidney. It is the first study to demonstrate that the polysaccharides from semen
      cuscutae showed significant activity of nourishing kidney-yang by increasing the
      levels of testosterone and estradiol, decreasing the level of blood urea
      nitrogen, improving immune function, possessing antioxidant effect. Three
      homogeneous polysaccharides were obtained by DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S-400
      which were named as C-7WR1, C-7WR2 and C-7WR3 with average molecular weight of
      7.59*104, 3.23*104 and 2.25*104 respectively. C-7WR1 was composed of fructose:
      mannose=0.02:1. C-7WR2 was composed of fructose: mannose: xylose:
      arabinose=0.01:1:0.14:0.33. C-7WR3 was composed of fructose: mannose: xylose:
      arabinose=0.01:1:0.10:0.47. They mainly contained mannose. Their fourier
      transform infrared features were similar. They all had no nucleic acid and
      protein.

PMID- 28917864
TI  - Bulk vs. Nano ZnO: Influence of fire retardant behavior on sisal fibre yarn.
AB  - Flame retardant functionality was imparted in sisal (leaf fibre) yarn whereas a
      strong scientific finding has been established between fire retardant efficacy of
      bulk and nano zinc oxide based formulations. Bulk and nano ZnO treated sisal
      yarns have been compared on the basis of their flame retardant efficacy, weight
      add-on% and tensile strength. Limiting oxygen index and char length of the 12%
      ZnO treated sisal was found to be well comparable with the 1% nano ZnO treated
      yarn. Further, add-on% and the tensile strength of the nano ZnO treated sample is
      70-80% lower and 20% more, respectively, compared to the 12% bulk ZnO treated
      sisal yarn. Besides, thermo-gravimetry and char morphology of the control and
      both the formulation treated sisal yarn were compared and analysed to understand
      the pyrolysis path of the sisal yarn. The possible mechanism of attachment of ZnO
      to the microstructure of sisal has also been established.

PMID- 28917865
TI  - Physicochemical and structural properties of pregelatinized starch prepared by
      improved extrusion cooking technology.
AB  - Pregelatinized starch was made from indica rice starch using a so-called
      "improved extrusion cooking technology" (IECT) under 30%-70% moisture content.
      IECT-pregelatinized starch (IPS) had higher water solubility and water
      absorbability compared to native starch at low temperature. For pasting
      properties, the breakdown and setback viscosities of IPS were significantly
      (p<0.05) lower than native starch, suggesting improved gel stability and reduced
      short-term retrogradation. The rice starch granules lost their integrity in IPS,
      and formed a honeycomb-like structure with increased moisture content in the raw
      material. These properties can be explained in terms of molecular structural
      features, particularly the large reduction in the size of molecules, but without
      significant changes in the chain-length distributions of amylopectin component,
      and no significant change in amylose fraction. These results indicate that IECT
      is suitable for preparing IPS with desirable water solubility and gel stability
      properties.

PMID- 28917866
TI  - Rapidly growing vegetables as new sources for lignocellulose nanofibre isolation:
      Physicochemical, thermal and rheological characterisation.
AB  - Rapidly growing vegetables could be an abundant and cheap sources of
      lignocellulose biomass for lignocellulose nanofibre (LCNF) production. The aim of
      this work is to study the feasibility of using Chamaecytisus proliferus and
      Leucaena leucocephala for LCNF isolation by mechanical, enzymatic and TEMPO
      mediated oxidation pre-treatments. Characterisation of the nanofibres shows that
      there are significant differences in the production of LCNF depending on the raw
      material and pre-treatment used. XRD and FTIR analysis show that homogenisation
      has a strong negative effect on the crystallinity index; however, the higher
      lignin content of tagasaste (10%) protects the fibre, causing a smaller decrease
      in crystallinity. The thermal stability of LCNF is also affected by the high
      lignin content in the case of tagasaste, which exhibited maximum degradation
      temperatures of 340-315 degrees C, that were higher than those for leucaena (330
      310 degrees C). A strong shear thinning behaviour was observed in most of the
      LCNF, which revealed a great degree of interconnectivity in the gel like-network.

PMID- 28917867
TI  - Nanocrystalline cellulose isolated from discarded cigarette filters.
AB  - We report the isolation of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) produced from
      discarded cigarette filters (DCF). The DCF were processed into cellulose via
      ethanolic extraction, hypochlorite bleaching, alkaline deacetylation, and then
      converted into NCC by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The morphological structures of
      the isolated NCC established with TEM showed that the nanocrystals were needle
      like with a mean length of 143nm. FEGSEM showed the morphological transition of
      the micro-sized DCF to self-assembled NCC while EDX revealed the presence of Ti
      (as TiO2) in DCF, which was retained in the NCC. A NCC sample was freeze-dried
      and showed a specific surface area of 7.78m2/g. The crystallinity of the NCC film
      and freeze-dried samples were 96.77% and 94.47%, respectively. Crystallite sizes
      of the freeze-dried (8.4nm) and film (7.6nm) samples correlated with the mean
      width (8.3nm) of the NCC observed under TEM.

PMID- 28917868
TI  - Anti-hyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects of alkali-extractable mycelia
      polysaccharides by Pleurotus eryngii var. tuolensis.
AB  - In this study, we noted that the Al-MPS from Pleurotus eryngii var. tuolensis
      provoked pharmacological effects on blood lipid profiles and oxidative stress.
      Animal studies demonstrated that Al-MPS showed potential effects on relieving
      hyperlipidemia and preventing oxidative stress, reflecting by decreasing the
      levels of serum enzyme activities (ALP, ALT and AST), restoring the activities of
      antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH-Px, CAT and T-AOC), down-regulating the MDA and LPO
      contents, as well as remitting the hepatic and cardiac tissues injury,
      respectively. The serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, VLDL-C, and HDL-C on mice
      treated with Al-MPS (500mg/kg bw) reached 2.48+/-0.08, 1.24+/-0.03, 0.84+/-0.02,
      0.34+/-0.02, and 1.80+/-0.03mmol/L, which were lower/higher against the
      hyperlipidemia mice. The results clearly indicated that the Al-MPS could be used
      as a beneficial health food and potentially natural candidate medicine in
      preventing the high-fat emulsion-induced hyperlipidemia.

PMID- 28917869
TI  - High aspect ratio phospho-calcified rock candy-like cellulose nanowhiskers of
      wastepaper applicable in osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs.
AB  - The aim of this study was to prepare cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) from
      wastepaper powder (WPP), as an environmentally friendly approach for obtaining
      the source material, which is a highly available and low-cost precursor for
      cellulose nanomaterial processing. Acid hydrolysis and calcification treatments
      were employed for extraction of CNWs and preparation of novel phospho-calcified
      cellulose nanowhiskers (PCCNWs). CNWs and PCCNWs were analyzed through optical
      microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transformed infrared
      spectra (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Cell behaviors in the
      presence of CNWs and PCCNWs were studied by MTT assay and live-dead staining.
      Finally, the effect of these particles on osteogenic differentiation of stem
      cells was evaluated based on alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP), calcium
      mineralization as well as von Kossa and alizarin red staining. Based on the
      results, PCCNWs had a positive effect on osteogenic differentiation of human
      mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and can be used for developing new approaches for
      bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 28917870
TI  - Ultra-high pressure modified cellulosic fibres with antimicrobial properties.
AB  - In this work bleached E. globulus kraft pulp was doped with polyhexamethylene
      biguanide (PHMB) from an aqueous solution or from a suspension of silica capsules
      (PHMB@silica) by impregnation under atmospheric or ultra-high pressure (UHP)
      conditions (500MPa). The antimicrobial properties of pulps were evaluated towards
      gram-negative E. coli and gram-positive L. innocua bacteria. PHMB loads below
      500mg per kg of pulp revealed negligible bacteriostatic properties, whereas PHMB
      loads of ca 3000-4000mg per kg demonstrated bactericidal properties of pulp
      without significant deterioration of its mechanical strength. The UHP
      impregnation allowed significant improvement of PHMB uptake. Thus, under equal
      conditions, PHMB uptake was ca 25% greater under UHP than under atmospheric
      pressure impregnation, whereas the leachable amounts of PHMB in both pulps were
      comparable. The sorption of PHMB@silica on pulp in suspension under UHP
      conditions was ca 17% greater than under atmospheric pressure with almost 70%
      increase of leachable PHMB.

PMID- 28917871
TI  - Inhibition of gelatinized rice starch retrogradation by rice bran protein
      hydrolysates.
AB  - The retrogradation of gelatinized rice starch (GRS) during the shelf life of a
      product is the biggest barrier related to starch-containing foods. The objective
      of this study was to produce rice bran protein hydrolysate (RBPH) using
      proteolytic enzymes (alcalase, flavourzyme, protamex, neutrase, bromelain, papain
      and trypsin) to suppress the retrogradation of GRS and understand the physical
      phenomena underlying the reduced retrogradation of GRS by RBPH during short- and
      long-term storage. Mixtures of GRS incorporated with Protamex-hydrolyzed rice
      bran protein at 1h (PRBPH-1) at a degree of hydrolysis of 15.1% were still fresh
      after storage at 4 degrees C for 14 d. The dynamic time sweep results obtained at
      4 degrees C for 180min showed that PRBPH-1 reduced the storage modulus to a
      greater extent, indicating that PRBPH-1 suppressed the short-term retrogradation
      of GRS. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) clearly showed that PRBPH-1
      significantly decreased the retrogradation enthalpy during the 28-d storage at 4
      degrees C, and the retrogradation kinetics were analyzed by the Avrami model. In
      addition, the recrystallization of GRS based on X-ray diffraction spectroscopy
      was reduced from 15.41% to 4.86% when the GRS: PRBPH-1mass ratio increased from
      100:0 to 100:12. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, atomic force microscopy and
      scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that PRBPH-1 dispersed between GRS
      molecules to block the formation of hydrogen bonds to inhibit the
      recrystallization of GRS. These findings suggested that PRBPH-1 inhibited the
      short- and long-term retrogradation of GRS, and can be potently employed as a
      natural alternatives for improving the quality and nutrition of starch-containing
      foods.

PMID- 28917872
TI  - Crystalline nanocellulose/lauric arginate complexes.
AB  - As a novel sustainable nanomaterial, crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) possesses
      many unique characteristics for emerging applications in coatings, emulsions,
      paints, pharmaceutical formulations, and other aqueous composite systems where
      interactions with oppositely charged surfactants are commonly employed. Herein,
      the binding interactions between sulfated CNC and a novel biologically-derived
      cationic surfactant lauric arginate (LAE) were comprehensively examined. Ionic
      strength and solution pH are two crucial factors in determining the adsorption of
      LAE to the CNC surface. Three different driving forces were identified for CNC
      LAE binding interactions. Additionally, it was found that the adsorption of LAE
      to the CNC surface could notably impact the surface potential, aggregation state,
      hydrophobicity and thermal stability of the CNC. This work provides insights on
      the binding interactions between oppositely charged CNC and surfactants, and
      highlights the significance of optimizing the concentration of surfactant
      required to ionically decorate CNC for its enhanced dispersion and
      compatibilization in non-polar polymer matrices.

PMID- 28917873
TI  - Bionanocomposites produced from cassava starch and oil palm mesocarp cellulose
      nanowhiskers.
AB  - Cassava starch films reinforced with cellulose nanowhiskers from oil palm
      mesocarp fibers were produced by casting. Nanowhiskers were obtained by sulphuric
      acid hydrolysis followed by microfluidization and incorporated in starch films at
      various loadings (1-10wt%). Morphological and mechanical characterizations showed
      that the reinforcing effect of oil palm cellulose nanowhiskers was significant at
      loadings of up to 6wt%, which was determined to be the nanowhiskers percolation
      threshold. Above this content, formation of agglomerates became more significant,
      causing a decrease in mechanical properties of starch bionanocomposites. Below
      percolation threshold, such as 2wt%, elongation at break increased by 70%,
      showing an effective reinforcing effect. Dynamic mechanical analyses revealed
      filler/matrix interactions through hydrogen bonding in bionanocomposites.

PMID- 28917874
TI  - Alginate modified with maleimide-terminated PEG as drug carriers with enhanced
      mucoadhesion.
AB  - The goal of this study was to generate a new mucoadhesive carbohydrate-based
      delivery system composed of alginate (Alg) backbone covalently attached to
      polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified with a unique functional end-group
      (maleimide). The immobilization of PEG-maleimide chains significantly improved
      the mucoadhesion properties attributed to thioether bonds creation via Michael
      type addition and hydrogen bonding with the mucus glycoproteins. Mucoadhesion
      studies using tensile and rotating cylinder assays revealed a 3.6-fold enhanced
      detachment force and a 2.8-fold enhanced retention time compared to the
      unmodified polymer, respectively. Additional indirect studies confirmed the
      presence of polymer-mucus glycoproteins interactions. Drug release experiments
      were used to evaluate the release profiles from Alg-PEG-maleimide tablets in
      comparison to Alg and Alg-SH tablets. Viability studies of normal human dermal
      fibroblasts cells depicted the non-toxic nature of Alg-PEG-maleimide. Overall,
      our studies disclose that PEG-maleimide substitutions on other biocompatible
      polymers can lead to the development of useful biomaterials for diverse
      biomedical applications.

PMID- 28917875
TI  - Collagen and hyaluronic acid hydrogel in water-in-oil microemulsion delivery
      systems.
AB  - The increase in skin related health issues has promoted interest in research on
      the efficacy of microemulsion in dermal and transdermal delivery of active
      ingredients. Here, we assessed the water-in-oil microemulsion capacity to
      incorporate two natural polymers, i.e. collagen and hyaluronic acid with low and
      high molecular weight. Systems were extensively characterized in terms of
      conductivity, phase inversion studies, droplet diameter, polydispersity index and
      rheological properties. The results of this research indicate that the structure
      and extent of water phase in microemulsions is governed by ratio and amount of
      surfactant mixture (sorbitan ester derivatives). However, results have also shown
      that collagen, depending upon the weight of the molecule and its surface
      activity, influence the droplet size of the microemulsions. While the hyaluronic
      acid, especially with high molecular weight, due to the water-binding ability and
      hydrogel formation alters the rheological properties of the microemulsion, thus
      providing viscous consistency of the formulation.

PMID- 28917877
TI  - Effects of hydrothermal-alkali and freezing-thawing pre-treatments on
      modification of corn starch with octenyl succinic anhydride.
AB  - Pre-treatments by freezing/thawing (F/T) and hydrothermal-alkali (HA) were used
      in the modification of starch with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA). In
      comparison with OSA-modified starch prepared without pre-treatment (degree of
      substitution, DS=0.0172; reaction efficiency, RE=73.9%), HA pre-treatment
      increased the DS of OSA-starch and RE of subsequent OSA modification (0.0185 and
      79.7%, respectively). In contrast, F/T pre-treatment gave the opposite results
      (0.0152 and 65.5%, respectively). OSA modification markedly increased the
      viscosities but decreased the gelatinization parameters of native starch.
      Esterification of starch by OSA was confirmed with Fourier transform infrared and
      Raman spectroscopy, which indicated markedly decreased short-range molecular
      orders of native starch. The present study showed that HA pre-treatment before
      OSA modification is an efficient way to improve the reaction efficiency of OSA
      with starch and thereby to modify the pasting properties of starch. F/T pre
      treatment did not increase the reaction efficiency of starch with OSA.

PMID- 28917876
TI  - Preparation of chitosan-hydroxyapatite composite mono-fiber using coagulation
      method and their mechanical properties.
AB  - Autograft has been carried out for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
      reconstruction surgery. However, it has negative aspect because patients lose
      their healthy ligaments from other part. We focus on a chitosan-hydroxyapatite
      (HAp) composite fiber as a scaffold of ligament regeneration. Chitosan- HAp
      composite fiber was made by using coagulation method. Chitosan-NaH2PO4 solution
      was coagulated with coagulation bath including calcium ion to get the mono-fiber
      and then treated with sodium hydroxide solution to form HAp in fiber matrix. The
      mechanical property of the fiber was improved by the stretching of the wet one
      because of the orientation of chitosan molecule and the interaction between
      chitosan and HAp. Maximum stress was improved with increasing of sodium
      dihydrogen phosphate until 0.03M. The swelling ratio of the fiber was inhibited
      by composited with HAp. Additionally, bone-bonding ability was confirmed by SBF
      soaking tests.

PMID- 28917878
TI  - Cellulose nanocrystals from passion fruit peels waste as antibiotic drug carrier.
AB  - Due to its excellent chemical and physical properties, cellulose nanocrystals
      (CNC) possess many potential advanced functional applications. In this study, CNC
      was extracted from natural product by hydrolyzing cellulose segment of
      passionfruit peels using sulphuric acid solution. The capability of CNC as drug
      carrier was tested toward tetracycline antibiotic. The drug loading processes
      were carried out at various pH (3-7) with the optimum uptake of tetracycline
      achieved at pH 3. The in vitro release of tetracycline drug was carried out in
      phosphoric buffer medium with two different pH conditions at 37 degrees C. The
      highest release of tetracycline (82.21%) was achieved at pH 7.2, while the lowest
      one (25.1%) was achieved at pH 2.1, where the release pattern follow a second
      order kinetic model. This study highlight the potential application of CNC
      derived from natural resources as drug carrier without harmful chemical
      excipients that comply with health safety, biocompatible, biodegradable.

PMID- 28917879
TI  - Laccase/TEMPO oxidation in the production of mechanically strong arabinoxylan and
      glucomannan aerogels.
AB  - New wheat arabinoxylan and konjac glucomannan hydrogels and aerogels were
      prepared by hemiacetal crosslinking induced by laccase/TEMPO (2,2,6,6
      tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) -catalysed oxidation, which selectively converts
      the primary hydroxyl groups to aldehydes. The degree of oxidation of the product
      aldehydes was ca. 10% of the total carbohydrates of the polysaccharides, and the
      determination of storage and viscous moduli of the oxidised samples showed that
      they had formed true hydrogels. Two freezing methods for the hydrogels,
      conventional freezing and ice crystal templating, were investigated for aerogel
      production, the ice crystal templated products especially were mechanically
      strong in compression test against the ice crystals' growth direction. The
      compressive moduli were ca. 1200kPa for wheat arabinoxylan aerogels and ca.
      650kPa for konjac glucomannan aerogels. A morphological study with a scanning
      electron microscope revealed the inner structure of the aerogels. Ice crystal
      templated konjac glucomannan aerogel formed round pores with a diameter of ca. 50
      100MUm. The arabinoxylan aerogel consisted of long and narrow pores with a length
      of a few hundred MUm and width of 50-100MUm, which had formed in the direction of
      the ice crystals' formation. Konjac glucomannan and wheat arabinoxylan are
      approved food-grade materials, and wheat arabinoxylan is particularly interesting
      because it can be obtained from cereal processing side streams - thus, these
      novel products have potential in various applications, including the food, food
      packaging, and pharmacological fields.

PMID- 28917880
TI  - Intercalated chitosan/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites: Promising materials for bone
      tissue engineering applications.
AB  - Preparation and characterization of chitosan/hydroxyapatite (CS/HA)
      nanocomposites displaying an intercalated structure is reported. Hydroxyapatite
      was synthesized through sol-gel process. Formic acid was introduced as a new
      solvent to obtain stable dispersions of nano-sized HA particles in polymer
      solution. CS/HA dispersions with HA contents of 5, 10 and 20% by weight were
      prepared. Self-assembling of HA nanoparticles during the drying of the solvent
      cast films led to the formation of homogeneous CS/HA nanocomposites. Composite
      films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force
      microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) analysis, Fourier transform
      infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-rays diffraction (XRD) analysis and
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM and AFM confirmed the presence of uniformly
      distributed HA nanoparticles on the chitosan matrix surface. XRD patterns and
      cross-sectional SEM images showed the formation of layered nanocomposites.
      Complete degradation of chitosan matrix in TGA experiments, led to the formation
      of nanoporous 3D scaffolds containing hydroxyapatite, beta-tricalcium phosphate
      and calcium pyrophosphate. CS/HA composites can be considered as promising
      materials for bone tissue engineering applications.

PMID- 28917881
TI  - Structural characterization and rheological properties of a galactomannan from
      Astragalus gombo Bunge seeds harvested in Algerian Sahara.
AB  - A water soluble polysaccharide (WSP) was extracted and purified from Astragalus
      gombo seeds (Fabaceae) harvested in Septentrional Sahara (Ouargla, Algeria) with
      a yield of 6.8% (w/w of the dry seed ground). It was characterized by gas
      chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometry (GC-MS), size exclusion
      chromatography with Multi-Angle Light Scattering analysis (SEC-MALLS), high
      resolution 1H and 13C NMR, and rheological measurements. The structural
      characterization indicated that this WSP fraction is a galactomannan with a
      mannose/galactose ratio of 1.7 formed by a backbone of beta-(1,4)-d
      mannopyranosyl residues (63%) substituted at O-6 position by a single alpha
      galactopyranose residue (37%). SEC-MALLS analysis revealed that this
      galactomannan has an average molecular mass (Mw) of 1.1*106g/mol, an intrinsic
      viscosity of 860mL/g and, a random coil conformation structure. Rheological
      analysis in semi diluted regimes shown pseudo-plastic and viscoelastic behaviour.

PMID- 28917883
TI  - Green cellulose-based nanocomposite catalyst: Design and facile performance in
      aqueous synthesis of pyranopyrimidines and pyrazolopyranopyrimidines.
AB  - A cellulose-based nanobiocomposite decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles was
      prepared, characterized and applied as an easily recoverable and reusable green
      nanocatalyst in the synthesis of pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives in water at
      room temperature. The characterization was performed by using a variety of
      conventional analytical instruments such as Fourier transform infrared spectra
      (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), vibrating sample
      magnetometer (VSM), thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) and inductively coupled plasma
      atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analyses. Two series of pyranopyrimidine
      and pyrazolopyranopyrimidines derivatives were synthesized by using the present
      cellulose-based nanocomposite. This protocol has valuable features like high
      yield of the products, short reaction times, mild conditions and easy work-up
      procedure. In addition, the catalyst can be prepared easily with cheap and green
      starting materials.

PMID- 28917882
TI  - A review about brown algal cell walls and fucose-containing sulfated
      polysaccharides: Cell wall context, biomedical properties and key research
      challenges.
AB  - Studies on brown algal cell walls have entered a new phase with the concomitant
      discovery of novel polysaccharides present in cell walls and the establishment of
      a comprehensive generic model for cell wall architecture. Brown algal cell walls
      are composites of structurally complex polysaccharides. In this review we discuss
      the most recent progress in the structural composition of brown algal cell walls,
      emphasizing the significance of extraction and screening techniques, and the
      biological activities of the corresponding polysaccharides, with a specific focus
      on the fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides. They include valuable marine
      molecules that exert a broad range of pharmacological properties such as
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, functions in the regulation of
      immune responses and of haemostasis, anti-infectious and anticancer actions. We
      identify the key remaining challenges in this research field.

PMID- 28917884
TI  - kappa-Carrageenan/locust bean gum as hard capsule gelling agents.
AB  - A novel gelling agent, comprising blended kappa-carrageenan (kappa-C), a seaweed
      polysaccharide and locust bean gum (LBG), was used to prepare hard capsules. The
      distinct synergism between kappa-C and LBG were verified by the textural profile
      analysis (TPA), FTIR and rheological measurement. Afterwards, films and hard
      capsules were prepared with the optimized LBG/kappa-C blend gel. And the
      mechanical properties and morphology of films and hard capsules were analyzed by
      tensile testing and SEM, respectively. The results showed that the LBG/kappa-C at
      1:3 ratio could serve as an excellent gelling agent, which endowed hard capsule
      with the promoted mechanical properties, homogenous and smooth surface
      morphology. This work suggests that a novel blended LBG/kappa-C gelling agent
      successfully prepared for hard capsules with improving physicochemical
      properties.

PMID- 28917885
TI  - Magnetic cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposites for the development of green
      functional materials.
AB  - A magnetic cellulosic material composed of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and
      cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles was developed through evaporation-induced
      self-assembly (EISA). Nanoparticles demonstrated good dispersibility within the
      cellulose nanocrystal template. The addition of glucose to CNC network allows the
      development of homogeneous crack-free CNC-based films and does no modify neither
      the morphology nor the optical properties. In contrast, the introduction of
      CoFe2O4 nanoparticles produces a marked decrease in the amount of the transmitted
      light. 20wt.% of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles inside the CNC matrix induced a maximum
      magnetization value of 12.96emug-1, increased the real part of the dielectric
      constant (permittivity) from 10 (pure CNC film) to 12 and improved the
      thermostability of the nanocomposite as evidenced by the increase of the onset
      temperature from 165.1 to 220.4 degrees C. Those features obtained in a non
      petroleum-based composite provide insight into the development of the next
      generation of functional materials from natural origin.

PMID- 28917886
TI  - Hydrogen bonds and twist in cellulose microfibrils.
AB  - There is increasing experimental and computational evidence that cellulose
      microfibrils can exist in a stable twisted form. In this study, atomistic
      molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate the importance
      of intrachain hydrogen bonds on the twist in cellulose microfibrils. We
      systematically enforce or block the formation of these intrachain hydrogen bonds
      by either constraining dihedral angles or manipulating charges. For the majority
      of simulations a consistent right handed twist is observed. The exceptions are
      two sets of simulations that block the O2-O6' intrachain hydrogen bond, where no
      consistent twist is observed in multiple independent simulations suggesting that
      the O2-O6' hydrogen bond can drive twist. However, in a further simulation where
      exocyclic group rotation is also blocked, right-handed twist still develops
      suggesting that intrachain hydrogen bonds are not necessary to drive twist in
      cellulose microfibrils.

PMID- 28917887
TI  - A visible and controllable porphyrin-poly(ethylene glycol)/alpha-cyclodextrin
      hydrogel nanocomposites system for photo response.
AB  - The real-time controlling and tracking of the evolution and status of the
      hydrogel are important challenges for accurate and precise assessments. In this
      article, a visible and controllable hydrogel nanocomposites system for photo
      response was designed and developed based on a thermosensitive porphyrin
      poly(ethylene glycol)/alpha-cyclodextrin hydrogel loaded with multi-walled carbon
      nanotubes (PPEG-MWNTs/alpha-CD). The PPEG-MWNTs/alpha-CD hydrogel was simply self
      assembled with a carbon nanotubes dispersed porphyrin-poly(ethylene glycol)
      solution and an aqueous solution of alpha-cyclodextrin by homogeneous stirring.
      The structure and the optical and photothermal abilities of the hydrogel
      nanocomposites system were characterized in vitro. Moreover, the controlled
      disassembly of the hydrogel was monitored in real time by in vivo fluorescence
      imaging after subcutaneous injection using mice as models. The results
      demonstrated that the hydrogel disassembly can be efficiently accelerated under
      laser irradiation with the loading of carbon nanotubes by fluorescence imaging
      visualization. With the advantages of the photo response, fluorescence imaging
      tracking and photothermal remote controlling were combined into the hydrogel
      nanocomposites system.

PMID- 28917888
TI  - Structure of cellulose microfibrils in mature cotton fibres.
AB  - The structure of cellulose microfibrils in mature cotton fibres from three
      varieties - Gossypium hirsutum, G. barbadense and G. arboreum - has been
      investigated by a multi-technique approach combining small angle scattering
      techniques with spectroscopy and diffraction. Cellulose microfibrils present a
      Ibeta-rich crystalline structure with limited surface disorder. Small angle
      scattering (SAXS and SANS) data have been successfully fitted using a core-shell
      model and the results obtained indicate that the cellulose microfibrils, formed
      by the association of 2-3 elementary fibrils, are composed of a ca. 2nm
      impermeable crystalline core, surrounded by a partially hydrated paracrystalline
      shell, with overall cross-sections of ca. 3.6-4.7nm. Different low levels of cell
      wall matrix components have a strong impact on the microfibril architecture and
      enable moisture penetration upon hydration. Furthermore, the higher amounts of
      non-cellulosic components in G. barbadense result in a less dense packing of
      cellulose microfibrils and increased solvent accessibility.

PMID- 28917889
TI  - Fabrication of cellulose nanocrystal from Carex meyeriana Kunth and its
      application in the adsorption of methylene blue.
AB  - Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) was extracted from Carex meyeriana Kunth (CMK) by a
      combination of TEMPO oxidation and mechanical homogenization method, and used to
      remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. After alkali-oxygen treatment,
      the aqueous biphasic system (polyethylene glycol/inorganic salt) was applied to
      further remove lignin from CMK. The characteriazation of CNC, and the effects of
      H2O2 dosage, CNC dosage, adsorption time, and initial MB concentration on the MB
      removal capacity of CNC were investigated. The results showed that the removal
      percentage of MB by CNC was raised with the increase of H2O2 and CNC dosage. The
      adsorption kinetics of prepared CNC followed the pseudo-second-order model, and
      the adsorption isotherms fitted well to the Langmuir model with a calculated
      maximum adsoption capacity of 217.4mg/g, which was higher than those of CNC
      extracted by acid hydrolysis method, indicating CNC extracted from CMK had
      promising potentials in the field of MB adsorption.

PMID- 28917890
TI  - Ultrasound assisted enzymatic hydrolysis of starch catalyzed by glucoamylase:
      Investigation on starch properties and degradation kinetics.
AB  - The present work investigates the synergistic impact of glucoamylase and
      ultrasound on starch hydrolysis. The extent of starch hydrolysis at different
      reaction parameters (ultrasonic intensity, temperature, reaction time) was
      analyzed. The hydrolysis extent increased with the reaction time and reached a
      maximum value under ultrasonic intensity of 7.20W/mL at 10min. Ultrasound did not
      alter the optimum enzymatic temperature but speeded up the thermal inactivation
      of glucoamylase. The evaluation of enzymatic kinetics and starch degradation
      kinetics indicated a promotion of the reaction rate and enzyme-substrate
      affinity. According to the thermodynamic results, sonoenzymolysis reactions
      require less energy than enzymolysis reactions. The measurement of molecular
      weight, solubility, thermal properties, and structures of the substrates revealed
      that sonoenzymolysis reaction generated greater impacts on starch properties. The
      molecular weight and radii of gyration decreased by 80.19% and 90.05%
      respectively while the starch solubility improved by 136.50%.

PMID- 28917891
TI  - Pickering emulsifiers based on hydrophobically modified small granular starches -
      Part I: Manufacturing and physico-chemical characterization.
AB  - Small granular starches from rice, quinoa and amaranth were hydrophobized by
      esterification with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) in an aqueous alkaline
      slurry to obtain series of modified starches at defined intervals (i.e. 0.6, 1.2,
      1.8, 2.4, 3.0%). The physical and the physico-chemical properties of the starch
      particles were characterized by proximate analysis including protein level,
      amylose level and dry matter. The shape and size of the starch granules were
      characterized by scanning electron microscopy and light scattering. The
      gelatinization properties were characterized by differential scanning
      calorimetry. The degree of modification was determined by titration with NaOH.
      With regard to the emulsion formulation and in order to assess the emulsifying
      capacity of the small granular starches, the effect of starch type, degree of
      modification and starch concentration on the resulting emulsion droplet size were
      evaluated by light scattering and optical microscopy. Emulsifying properties were
      found to depend on the degree of substitution, size of the granules and the
      starch to oil ratio of the formulation. Quinoa starch granules, in general, had
      the best emulsifying capacity followed by amaranth and rice. However, in higher
      starch concentrations (>400mg/mL oil) and adequate levels of OSA (3.0%) amaranth
      performed best, having the smallest size of starches studied.

PMID- 28917892
TI  - A mechanism for the synergistic gelation properties of gelatin B and xanthan gum
      aqueous mixtures.
AB  - Gelatin B and xanthan gum aqueous mixtures (GB/XG, (0.2-2%)/0.2% w/v) exhibit
      enhanced gelling properties compared to their pure component solutions at similar
      compositions. The mixed gels comprise co-localized networks of GB and XG-rich
      domains. Our results show that these domains are composed of intermolecular
      complexes and their aggregates stabilized by the neutralization effect of GB, and
      linked together by formation of GB triple helices. GB/XG mixtures display
      composition-dependent microstructural transitions: from discontinuous aggregates
      (GB/XG ratio<=1) to a continuous GB/XG network (ratio=2-6), followed by network
      fragmentation (ratio=8-10). Increasing the GB Bloom index accelerates network
      formation and results in higher elastic modulus (G'), while increasing the XG
      molecular weight causes the opposite effect due to diffusion limitations. This
      work provides a set of fundamental guidelines to design novel thickeners and/or
      gelling agents based on proteins and polysaccharides, for food or pharmaceutical
      applications.

PMID- 28917893
TI  - Carboxymethyl cyclosophoraoses as a flexible pH-responsive solubilizer for
      pindolol.
AB  - In the present study, cyclosophoraoses (CyS) (beta-1,2 linked cyclic glucans,
      with glucopyranose units ranging from 17 to 23) isolated from Rhizobium
      leguminosarum biovar viciae VF-39 were modified with carboxymethyl (CM) groups,
      and the pH-sensitive complexation of CM CyS with pindolol was investigated. The
      solubility of pindolol increased 32-fold by its complexation with 5mM CM CyS at
      pH 10, whereas it shows no significant change at pH 3. Pindolol, a beta
      adrenergic blocking agent, has a hydrophobic nature at non-ionized state, and CM
      CyS could solubilize efficiently pindolol in a high alkaline solution. The
      carboxymethylation of flexible CyS allows them to present a more suitable cavity
      for the hydrophobic pindolol at pH 10, which is differentiated from CM beta
      cyclodextrin (beta-CD). It can be interpreted as that the anionic repulsion
      effectively modulates the flexible and distorted conformation of CyS rather than
      rigid annular shape of beta-CD. Resultingly, the highly solubilized CM
      CyS/pindolol complex was characterized by UV-vis, T1 relaxation, ROESY, DOSY NMR
      spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, and molecular modeling studies. The
      antioxidant activity of pindolol was also improved 260% in the complex compared
      to free pindolol. The use of flexible host molecules with pH-responsive
      substituents would be applied in the development of smart systems for sensing or
      in biomedical fields.

PMID- 28917894
TI  - Structural, functional and pH sensitive release characteristics of water-soluble
      polysaccharide from the seeds of Albizia lebbeck L.
AB  - Plant polysaccharides, generally regarded as safe (GRAS), are gaining importance
      as excipients in drug delivery. Therefore, the current paper presents the studies
      on structural, functional and drug release study of water soluble polysaccharide
      (ALPS) from seeds of Albizia lebbeck L. High swelling, water holding capacity,
      foam stability and lower moisture content suggests its use as additive in food
      preparations. The apparent molecular weight of polysaccharide was found to be
      1.98*102kDa. Monosaccharide composition analysis indicated that ALPS consists of
      mannose (4.06%), rhamnose (22.79%), glucose (38.9%), galactose (17.84%) and
      xylose (16.42%). Micromeritic properties revealed that the polysaccharide possess
      potential for pharmaceutical applications. From the surface charge analysis, ALPS
      was found to be non-ionic polysaccharide. Morphological study reveals the
      polysaccharide with irregular particle shape and rough surface. Fourier
      transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study confirms the carbohydrate nature
      of polysaccharide. From the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data, the second
      mass loss (243-340 degrees C) attributed to polysaccharide degradation. The drug
      release profile reveals the use of polysaccharide for the preparation of pH
      sensitive pharmaceutical dosage forms.

PMID- 28917895
TI  - Ultrasound assisted adsorptive removal of hazardous dye Safranin O from aqueous
      solution using crosslinked graphene oxide-chitosan (GOCH) composite and
      optimization by response surface methodology (RSM) approach.
AB  - Chitosan (CH) was crosslinked with graphene oxide (GO) by combining solutions of
      CH and GO. Characterisations by ATR-FTIR, FE-SEM and XRD confirmed the formation
      of the GOCH composite. Removal of the dye Safranin Orange (SO) by ultrasonic
      adsorption from aqueous solution was tested by the composite. The removal of the
      cationic dye was more favourable at pH values greater than 5.2 and the optimum pH
      was found to be 6.5. The adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-first order model
      and the rate-limiting step was identified as boundary layer diffusion from the
      Intraparticle diffusion model. The sonication assisted adsorption kinetic data
      were compared with the non-sonicated one and it was found that sonication has a
      marked effect on the adsorption kinetics. The Redlich Peterson adsorption
      isotherm described the adsorption with more resemblance to the Langmuir Model
      than the Freundlich Model suggesting that monolayer adsorption predominated. From
      Response Surface Methodology it was noted that the combined effect of pH and
      initial concentration was antagonistic while that of sonication time was
      synergistic. The optimum parameters from the RSM model were found to be pH 6.82,
      initial SO concentration 425mgL-1 and sonication time 25min. This was in good
      agreement with the experimental results.

PMID- 28917896
TI  - Environmental and technical feasibility of cellulose nanocrystal manufacturing
      from sugarcane bagasse.
AB  - The environmental and technical feasibility of cellulose nanocrystal production
      from sugarcane bagasse fibers was evaluated. First, the life cycle assessment
      (LCA) is presented as a methodology to investigate the most feasible form of
      obtainment. The environmental impacts regarding climate change and water
      footprint were evaluated considering a gate-to-gate process and a functional unit
      of 1kg. The inventory data encompassed sugarcane plantation and pretreatment,
      bleaching and hydrolysis for bagasse generation. The twelve scenarios for
      extracting nanocrystals that were investigated consisted of treatment with sodium
      hydroxide or sodium chlorite followed by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. All products
      and processes were characterized by their yield and X-ray diffraction. As a
      result, all scenarios showed that the pretreatment stage was the most important
      contributor to the environmental impact. The comparison among the scenarios
      showed that nanocrystals produced by processes V - NaClO2/NaOH/H2SO4/30min/1x and
      IX - NaClO2/NaOH/HNO3/H2SO4/30min/1x presented low water consumption and minimal
      contributions to climate change. Therefore, considering the LCA, yield and
      crystallinity, the best processes were V and IX sequences. Finally, these
      cellulose nanocrystals were evaluated by their chemical composition, morphology
      and thermal stability, exhibiting hemicellulose and lignin removal, nanometric
      dimensions from 8 to 12nm, high crystallinity and low thermal stability.

PMID- 28917897
TI  - Reduction of Au(III) by a beta-cyclodextrin polymer in acid medium. A stated
      unattainable reaction.
AB  - Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be prepared from the reduction of Au(III) with
      cyclodextrins acting as both, reducing and capping agent. It has been stated that
      a basic medium (pH=9-12) is a mandatory condition to achieve such reduction. We
      demonstrated, for the first time, the reduction of Au(III) by a crosslinked beta
      cyclodextrin-epichlorohydrin polymer (betaCDP) in acid medium (pH ~3). The
      coordination of Au(III) to the betaCD in betaCDP polymer required a
      betaCD:[AuCl4]- ratio of 4:1. The same ratio was necessary to achieve a 50% of
      the reduction of Au(III) to Au0 within the first 24h of reaction. During this
      initial time, the reaction showed a concentration-dependent reduction rate while
      for longer times the reduction rate was diffusion-dependent. An overall mechanism
      to explain this dependency has been proposed. The 13C NMR spectrum identified the
      oxidation of the COH groups to carboxylic ones by recording a signal at 175.6ppm.
      Gold nanoparticles cores (AuNPs) with a diameter of 34.2+/-7.7nm, determined by
      Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), was prepared by refluxing HAuCl4 in an
      aqueous solution of betaCDP. The AuNPs core was capped by dimers of the betaCDP
      polymer as determined by Dynamic Light Scattering measurements.

PMID- 28917898
TI  - Physicochemical characterization, antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from
      Mesona chinensis Benth and their protective effect on injured NCTC-1469 cells
      induced by H2O2.
AB  - Polysaccharides MP-A, MP-U and MP-C were extracted from Mesona chinensis Benth by
      hot-alkali extraction (HAE), ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) and cellulose
      enzyme assisted extraction (CAE), respectively. The yields, physicochemical
      properties and antioxidant of polysaccharides were investigated. Results showed
      that the yields of MP-A (11.14%), MP-U (10.62%) and MP-C (9.70%) were similar,
      and they were all heteropolysaccharides with average molecular weights of
      1.9*105Da, 1.5*105Da, 1.4*105Da. Glucose, galactose, and galacturonic acid were
      the main monosaccharides in MP-A, MP-U and MP-C with molar ratios of
      1.00:1.34:0.25, 1.00:2.49:0.19 and 1.00:2.95:0.84, respectively. MP-C extracted
      by CAE exhibited higher antioxidant activities in FRAP, DPPH, hydroxyl radical
      assays and the H2O2-induced injury cell model. The three extraction methods had
      only slight effects on chemical composition, while MP-C extracted by CAE
      exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, which could potentially be used for
      an addition ingredient as it was previously shown to have good gelling property
      in food products.

PMID- 28917899
TI  - Polysaccharides from brown algae Sargassum duplicatum: the structure and
      anticancer activity in vitro.
AB  - The laminaran SdL and fucoidan SdF were isolated from brown algae Sargassum
      duplicatum. SdL was 1,3;1,6-beta-d-glucan (1,3:1,6=6:1) with a main chain,
      represented by 1,3-linked glucose residues, due to NMR spectroscopy data. Single
      glucose residues could form branches at C6. Unusual structure of fucoidan SdF was
      studied by chemical and enzymatic methods, NMR spectroscopy of desulfated and
      deacetylated polysaccharide and mass spectrometry of fucoidan fragments labeled
      with 18O. Fucoidan was sulfated (31.7%) and acetylated galactofucan (Fuc:Gal~1:1)
      with a main chain of 1,4-linked alternating alpha-l-fucose and beta-d-galactose
      residues. Side chains were represented by extensive (DP>=5) 1,3-linked 2,4
      disulfated alpha-l-fucose residues with branching points at C2. Fucose residues
      in the main chain were sulfated at C2 and less at C3, while galactose residues
      were sulfated at C2, C3, and less at C4, C6. The fucoidan SdF was effective
      against colony formation of colon cancer cells in vitro.

PMID- 28917900
TI  - Mineralized agar-based nanocomposite films: Potential food packaging materials
      with antimicrobial properties.
AB  - New mineralized, agar-based nanocomposite films (Zn-carbonate and Zn
      phosphate/agar) were produced by a combination of in situ precipitation and a
      casting method. The presence of minerals significantly influenced the morphology,
      properties and functionality of the obtained nanocomposites. Reinforcement with
      the Zn-mineral phase improved the mechanical properties of the carbonate
      mineralized films, but had a negligible effect on the phosphate-mineralized
      samples. Both nanocomposites showed improved optical and thermal properties,
      better Zn(II) release potential in a slightly acidic environment and exhibited
      antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. These results suggest that Zn
      mineralized agar nanocomposite films could be potentially used as affordable, eco
      friendly and active food packaging materials.

PMID- 28917901
TI  - Polysaccharides based injectable hydrogel compositing bio-glass for cranial bone
      repair.
AB  - Bone disease is a public health problem around the word, and it is urgent to
      develop novel tissue engineering scaffolds for the complicated cranial bone
      regeneration. The present work developed a novel triple crosslinked
      polysaccharides based injectable hydrogel to composite bio-glass (BG) for cranial
      bone repair. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed the storage modulus (G') of the
      hydrogel reached to ~4000Pa. While after compositing BG, G' exceeded 4500Pa. The
      degradation behavior of the hydrogel is influenced by hydrogel composition,
      crosslinking methods and degradation environment. Through compositing BG for rat
      cranial bone repair, excellent bone regeneration effect was achieved (chunks of
      "white" new tissue was detected in the defected site, HE histopathological
      analysis confirmed the new tissue was bone tissue). Thus, the hydrogel is
      suitable as the carrier of BG for bone repair, demonstrating the prepared triple
      crosslinked hydrogel is potential for bone tissue engineering applications.

PMID- 28917902
TI  - An unexpected reactivity during periodate oxidation of chitosan and the affinity
      of its 2, 3-di-aldehyde toward sulfa drugs.
AB  - In an attempt to determine the reactivity during the periodate oxidation of the
      vicinal amino sugar, chitosan was oxidized by KIO4 in a neutral medium. The
      reactivity was unexpectedly found to be low. The formation of di-aldehyde
      chitosan (DACT) might cause the low reactivity of chitosan oxidation. Therefore,
      density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out, which revealed
      that the greater stability of the cyclic amino iodate intermediate might retard
      the ring opening to form DACT. Furthermore, the affinity of the formation of two
      novel Schiff bases from the interaction of delivered DACT with two sulfa drugs
      [sulfanilamide and sulfathiazole] was also investigated using aldehyde content
      estimation. DACT and Schiff's bases were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X
      ray diffraction, and DTA analysis. The X-ray diffraction plane (110) of DACT at
      the high angle side was expanded more by sulfathiazole than sulfanilamide,
      indicating that sulfathiazole reacted effectively with DACT. The lowest
      interaction of DACT with sulfa drugs could be ascribed to the lowest aldehyde
      content and the intramolecular hemiacetal formation that hinders the Schiff's
      base condensation.

PMID- 28917903
TI  - Carbon dioxide capture and conversion by an environmentally friendly chitosan
      based meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin.
AB  - We have demonstrated the facile, environmentally friendly and sustainable
      preparation of chitosan based meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (CS-TPPS)
      for adsorption and catalytic conversion of carbon-dioxide (CO2). The ionic
      complexation between chitosan (CS) and meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin
      (TPPS) is confirmed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Physical properties, such as crystallinity, thermal
      stability, surface morphology and porosity were analyzed by X-ray diffraction,
      thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and BET isotherm analysis. CS-TPPS
      shows adsorption capacity of 0.9mmol CO2/g compared to the adsorption capacity of
      0.05mmol CO2/g of pure chitosan and an adsorption capacity of 0.2mmol CO2/g of
      pure TPPS. It also exhibits higher conversion of CO2 and propylene oxide into
      cyclic carbonate (66%), compared to pure chitosan (31%). The results are
      encouraging, and may open new perspectives for the use of biopolymers involving
      porphyrin based material in environmental and industrial applications.

PMID- 28917904
TI  - Metal-organic framework preparation using magnetic graphene oxide-beta
      cyclodextrin for neonicotinoid pesticide adsorption and removal.
AB  - A novel magnetic copper-based metal-organic framework (M-MOF) was prepared using
      a Fe4O3-graphene oxide (GO)-beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) nanocomposite as the
      magnetic core and support, and used for adsorption and removal of neonicotinoid
      insecticide pollutants from aqueous solution. M-MOF characterization suggested
      that 1Fe4O3-GO-beta-CD consisted of a thin single layer with anchored Fe3O4. The
      M-MOF was coated on the Fe4O3-GO-beta-CD surface. The M-MOF had a large Brunauer
      Emmett-Teller surface area (250.33m2g-1) and high super-paramagnetism with
      saturation magnetization of 10.47emug-1. Adsorption model analysis showed that
      the equilibrium data for thiacloprid fitted Langmuir monolayer adsorption and the
      other insecticides tested showed Freundlich bimolecular layer adsorption. The
      results show that M-MOF is a promising hybrid adsorbent for rapid removal of
      neonicotinoid insecticide pollutants from environmental waters.

PMID- 28917905
TI  - Characterization of a water-soluble chitosan derivative and its potential for
      submucosal injection in endoscopic techniques.
AB  - To examine the potential of chitosan-based agents for submucosal injection in
      endoscopic techniques, a chitosan derivative was prepared with lactose moieties
      linked to the amino groups of its glucosamine units (CH-LA). After dissolving CH
      LA in neutral pH solutions, including physiological saline (CH-LA-S), its
      response to different concentrations of anionic glycosaminoglycans and proteins
      in the surrounding environment was examined. The CH-LA-S form changed in the
      presence of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (heparin, chondroitin sulfate, and mucin)
      and protein (fibrinogen). High concentrations of sulfated substrates in the
      solution caused the formation of larger structures. In contrast, in the presence
      of hyaluronan, 30mg/mL CH-LA-S did not form any large structures. Submucosal
      injection of 30mg/mL CH-LA-S into extracted swine stomachs showed a strong
      lifting effect of the gastric mucosa. These results indicate the potential
      utility of CH-LA-S as a submucosal injection for endoscopic techniques such as
      endoscopic submucosal dissection and mucosal resection of tumors.

PMID- 28917906
TI  - Comments on "Solubility parameter of chitin and chitosan" Carbohydrate Polymers
      36 (1998) 121-127.
AB  - Results on the solubility parameters of chitin and chitosan presented in the
      paper DOI: 10.1016/S0144-8617(98)00020-4 were recalculated and data evaluation
      was redone. A number of misprints, erroneous calculations and data evaluations
      were found with respect to Hansen as well as total solubility parameters as
      derived according to group contribution methods by Hoftyzer-Van Krevelen and
      Hoy's system. Revised numerical data are presented.

PMID- 28917907
TI  - Microencapsulation of Eugenia uniflora L. juice by spray drying using fructans
      with different degrees of polymerisation.
AB  - The objective of this work was to microencapsulate pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.)
      juice by spray drying, using High Performance Agave Fructans (HPAF) and High
      Degree of Polymerisation Agave Fructans (HDPAF) and maltodextrin (MD),
      respectively, as the wall materials. The physicochemical and antioxidant
      properties of the capsules during storage at various temperatures were evaluated.
      The microparticles developed using fructans HPAF and HDPAF, exhibited similar
      physicochemical and flow properties to those presented by the microparticles
      prepared with MD. The highest yield and concentration of anthocyanins after
      drying and during storage were found for a 1:6 core:wall material ratio. The
      total color change was a good indicator of the microcapsule stability. This study
      showed that both fructans fraction possess similar encapsulating properties to MD
      and that the HDPAF were more efficacious than MD at protecting the antioxidants
      during drying and storage.

PMID- 28917908
TI  - Structural elucidation of the main water-soluble polysaccharide from Rubus
      anatolicus roots.
AB  - An acidic heteropolysaccharide, RAPS-1, was isolated from the roots of Rubus
      anatolicus by water extraction (70 degrees C) and purification using DEAE
      cellulose A52 and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The total sugar content
      and specific optical rotation of RAPS-1 were 96.3% and +196 degrees ,
      respectively. RAPS-1 had a molecular weight of 7900Da, and was composed of
      glucose, galactose, and glucuronic acid with a relative molar ratio of 6.2: 1.0:
      1.2. Structural features of RAPS-1 were elucidated by a combination of partial
      acid hydrolysis, periodate oxidation and Smith degradation, methylation, GC-MS,
      FTIR, and NMR (13C and 1H) analysis. The results indicated that RAPS-1 had a
      backbone of ->4)-alpha-d-Glcp-(1-> residues, with branches attached to O-6 by
      alpha-d-Galp-(1-> and by alpha-d-GlcAp-(1->.

PMID- 28917909
TI  - Development of poly (1, 8-octanediol citrate)/chitosan blend films for tissue
      engineering applications.
AB  - Blends of poly (1, 8-octanediol citrate) (POC) and chitosan (CS) were prepared
      through solution casting technique. Films with different component fractions
      (POC/CS: 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, and 0/100) were successfully prepared
      and characterized for their mechanical, thermal, structural and morphological
      properties as well as biocompatibility. The incorporation of CS to POC
      significantly increased tensile strength and elastic modulus and presented
      limited influences on pH variation which is important to the biocompatibility of
      biomaterial implants. The assessment of surface topography indicated that
      blending could enhance and control the surface roughness of the pure films.
      POC/CS blends well-supported human dermal fibroblast cells attachment and
      proliferation, and thus can be used for a range of tissue engineering
      applications.

PMID- 28917910
TI  - CotA laccase-ABTS/hydrogen peroxide system: An efficient approach to produce
      active and decolorized chitosan-genipin films.
AB  - Chitosan-genipin films present a bluish-green color due to the conjugated double
      bonds formed when monomeric or dimeric genipin residues bridge chitosan. This
      phenomenon limits their use when colorless materials are required. In this work,
      a two-step oxidation strategy was developed aiming to remove color from chitosan
      genipin films while preserving their functional properties. A combined system
      using the recombinant CotA laccase from Bacillus subtilis mediated by 2,2'
      azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) followed by a H2O2
      oxidation step was settled. ABTS boosted the laccase performance resulting in
      light brown chitosan-genipin films that were further decolorized upon immersion
      in a 5% H2O2 solution at pH 11.0 and 40 degrees C for 30min. The applied
      methodology leads to films that sustain both acidic stability and antioxidant
      capacity of the pristine films. Overall, the combined CotA laccase-ABTS/hydrogen
      peroxide developed methodology efficiently produce active and decolorized
      chitosan-genipin films with potential for application as eco-friendly transparent
      material which may have application as food packaging.

PMID- 28917911
TI  - Injectable glycosaminoglycan-protein nano-complex in semi-interpenetrating
      networks: A biphasic hydrogel for hyaline cartilage regeneration.
AB  - Articular hyaline cartilage regeneration remains challenging due to its less
      intrinsic reparability. The study develops injectable biphasic semi
      interpenetrating polymer networks (SIPN) hydrogel impregnated with chondroitin
      sulfate (ChS) nanoparticles for functional cartilage restoration. ChS loaded zein
      nanoparticles (~150nm) prepared by polyelectrolyte-protein complexation were
      interspersed into injectable SIPNs developed by blending alginate with poly(vinyl
      alcohol) and calcium crosslinking. The hydrogel exhibited interconnected porous
      microstructure (39.9+/-5.8MUm pore diameter, 57.7+/-5.9% porosity), 92%
      swellability and >350Pa elastic modulus. Primary chondrocytes compatibility,
      chondrocyte-matrix interaction with cell-cell clustering and spheroidal
      morphology was demonstrated in ChS loaded hydrogel and long-term (42days)
      proliferation was also determined. Higher fold expression of cartilage-specific
      genes sox9, aggrecan and collagen-II was observed in ChS loaded hydrogel while
      exhibiting poor expression of collagen-I. Immunoblotting of aggregan and collagen
      II demonstrate favorable positive influence of ChS on chondrocytes. Thus, the
      injectable biphasic SIPNs could be promising composition-mimetic substitute for
      cartilage restoration at irregular defects.

PMID- 28917912
TI  - A plant-based reactive ammonium phytate for use as a flame-retardant for cotton
      fabric.
AB  - A plant-based non-formaldehyde flame retardant containing high phosphorus
      ammonium phytate (APA) was synthesized for cotton fabric. The char length of
      treated cotton sample decreased to 31mm from the original 300mm. The LOI value of
      finished cotton fabric was as high as 43.2%, and after 30 laundering cycles, it
      still remained 30.5%, suggesting that APA could be used as an effective semi
      durable flame retardant. The TG analysis in air demonstrated that the thermal
      oxidation stability of treated fabric was significantly improved. Cone
      calorimetry results showed that the peak heat release rate and total heat release
      of treated sample reduced obviously comparing with that of control sample. The
      SEM morphologies suggested that the APA molecule penetrated into the inner space
      of cotton fibers. FTIR spectra implied the APA molecule grafted onto cotton
      fibers. Then, the effective flame retardant APA has significant potential in
      practical application.

PMID- 28917913
TI  - Microparticle-embedded fibroin/alginate beads for prolonged local release of
      simvastatin hydroxyacid to mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - In the present work, we propose silk fibroin/alginate (SF/Alg) beads embedding
      simvastatin-loaded biodegradable microparticles as a versatile platform capable
      of tuning SVA release and in so doing osteogenic effects. In a first part of the
      study, microparticles of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid incorporating simvastatin
      either as lactone (SVL) or as hydroxyacid form (SVA) were prepared by spray
      drying. While SVA-loaded microparticles released the drug in three days, long
      term release of SVA could be obtained from SVL-loaded microparticles. In this
      latter case, SVL was promptly transformed to the osteogenic active SVA during
      release. When tested on mesenchymal stem cells, a time- and dose-dependent effect
      of SVL-loaded microparticles on cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
      activity was found. Thereafter, SVL-loaded microparticles were embedded in SF/Alg
      beads to limit the initial simvastatin burst and to achieve easier implantation
      as well. Microparticle-embedded beads showed no cytotoxicity while ALP activity
      increased. If correctly exploited, the developed system may be suitable as
      osteogenic polymer scaffolds releasing correct amount of the drug locally for
      long time-frames.

PMID- 28917914
TI  - Structure, enzymatic transformation, anticancer activity of fucoidan and
      sulphated fucooligosaccharides from Sargassum horneri.
AB  - Structure and anticancer activity of fucoidan from Sargassum horneri and from
      products of its enzymatic transformation were investigated. A gene that encodes
      fucoidanase ffa1 in the marine bacteria F. algae was identified, cloned and the
      protein (FFA1) was produced in Escherichia coli. The mass of the gene product
      FFA1 is 111kDa. Sequence analysis has revealed that fucoidanase FFA1 belongs to
      the GH107 (CAZy) family. Recombinant fucoidanase FFA1 was used to produce
      fucooligosaccharides. Structure of 5 sulphated oligosaccharides with
      polymerization degree 4-10 was established by NMR-spectroscopy. The fucoidan
      extracted from S. horneri is almost pure fucan. The main chain of the fucoidan is
      established to consist mostly of the repeating ->3-alpha-l-Fucp(2SO3-)-1->4-alpha
      l-Fucp(2,3SO3-)-1-> fragment, with insertions of ->3-alpha-l-Fucp(2,4SO3-)-1->
      fragment. Unsulphated side chains with the alpha-l-Fucp-1->2-alpha-l-Fucp-1->
      structure connect to the main one at the C4 of monosaccharide residue.

PMID- 28917915
TI  - Synergistic effect of Chitosan-Zinc Oxide Hybrid Nanoparticles on antibiofouling
      and water disinfection of mixed matrix polyethersulfone nanocomposite membranes.
AB  - Antifouling polyethersulfone (PES) membranes for water disinfection were
      fabricated by incorporating varying concentrations of carbohydrate polymer
      chitosan and Zinc oxide hybrid nanoparticles (CS-ZnO HNPS). The CS-ZnO HNPS were
      prepared using chemical precipitation method and were characterized using SEM,
      XRD and FTIR. The membranes were then fabricated by incorporating nanoparticles
      of CS-ZnO HNPS with three different concentrations of 5%, 10% and 15% w/w in the
      casting solution of PES through phase inversion method. The influence of nano
      sized CS-ZnO HNPS on the properties of PES was characterized to study morphology,
      contact angle, water retention, surface roughness and permeability flux. The
      membranes with the maximum concentrations of 15% HNPS resulted in larger mean
      pore sizes and lowest contact angle value as compare to the pristine PES
      membrane. The prepared membranes exhibited significant water permeability,
      hydrophilicity and prevention against microbial fouling. The prepared membranes
      were observed to have significant antibacterial as well as antifungal properties
      due to the synergistic effect of chitosan and ZnO against both bacteria of the
      type of S. Aureus, B. Cereus, E. coli, and fungi such as S. typhi, A. fumigatus
      and F. solani.

PMID- 28917916
TI  - Quantitative investigations of xylose and arabinose substituents in
      hydroxypropylated and hydroxyvinylethylated arabinoxylans.
AB  - The chemical structures obtained by the modification of arabinoxylans with the
      cyclic carbonates propylene carbonate (PC) and 4-vinyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (VEC)
      with varying degrees of substitution were investigated. Therefore, a new
      analytical method was developed that is based on a microwave-assisted hydrolysis
      of the polysaccharides with trifluoroacetic acid and the reductive amination with
      2-aminobenzoic acid. The peak assignment was achieved by HPLC-MS and the
      carbohydrate derivatives were quantified by HPLC-fluorescence. The obtained
      maximum molar substitution of PC-derivatized xylan (XHP) was 1.8; the molar
      substitution of VEC-derivatized xylan (XHVE) was 2.3. Investigations of xylose
      and arabinose based mono- and disubstituted derivatives revealed a preferred
      reaction of the cyclic carbonates with arabinose. Conversion rates were up to 2.4
      times higher for monosubstitution and up to 3.0 times for disubstitution compared
      to xylose. Furthermore, the reaction with VEC was preferred due to higher
      reactivity of the newly introduced side chains.

PMID- 28917917
TI  - Characterization of structural cell wall polysaccharides in cattail (Typha
      latifolia): Evaluation as potential biofuel feedstock.
AB  - Second generation bioethanol produced from lignocellulosic biomass is attracting
      attention as an alternative energy source. In this study, a detailed knowledge of
      the composition and structure of common cattail (Typha latifolia L.) cell wall
      polysaccharides, obtained from stem or leaves, has been conducted using a wide
      set of techniques to evaluate this species as a potential bioethanol feedstock.
      Our results showed that common cattail cellulose content was high for plants in
      the order Poales and was accompanied by a small amount of cross-linked
      polysaccharides. A high degree of arabinose-substitution in xylans, a high
      syringyl/guaiacyl ratio in lignin and a low level of cell wall crystallinity
      could yield a good performance for lignocellulose saccharification. These results
      identify common cattail as a promising plant for use as potential bioethanol
      feedstock. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in-depth analysis to
      be conducted of lignocellulosic material from common cattail.

PMID- 28917918
TI  - Chitosan composite hydrogels reinforced with natural clay nanotubes.
AB  - Here, chitosan composites hydrogels were prepared by addition of halloysite
      nanotubes (HNTs) in the chitosan KOH/LiOH/urea solution. The raw chitosan and
      chitosan/HNTs composite hydrogels were obtained by heat treatment at 60 degrees C
      for 8h and then regeneration in ethanol solution. The viscosity of the composite
      solution is increased with HNTs content. The Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FT-IR) shows that the hydrogen bonds interactions exist between the
      HNTs and the chitosan. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the crystal
      structure of HNT is not changed in the composite hydrogels. The compressive
      property test and storage modulus determination show that the mechanical
      properties and anti-deformation ability of the composite hydrogel significantly
      increase owing to the reinforcing effect of HNTs. The composites hydrogel with
      66.7% HNTs can undergo 7 times compression cycles without breaking with
      compressive strength of 0.71MPa at 70% deformation, while pure chitosan hydrogel
      is broken after bearing 5 compression cycles with compressive strength of 0.14MPa
      and a maximum deformation of 59%. A porous structure with pore size of 100-500MUm
      is found in the composite hydrogels by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and
      the pore size and the swelling ratio in NaCl solution decrease by the addition of
      HNTs and the immersing of ethanol. Chitosan/HNTs composite hydrogels show low
      cytotoxicity towards MC3T3-E1 cells. Also, the composite hydrogels show a maximum
      drug entrapment efficiency of 45.7% for doxorubicin (DOX) which is much higher
      than that of pure chitosan hydrogel (27.5%). All the results illustrate that the
      chitosan/HNTs composite hydrogels show promising applications as biomaterials.

PMID- 28917919
TI  - Structural characteristics of water-soluble polysaccharides from Norway spruce
      (Picea abies).
AB  - Arabinogalactan proteins and pectic polysaccharides were isolated from greenery
      of Picea abies by water extraction. Main elements of their structure were
      determined by ion-exchange chromatography, partial acid and enzymatic hydrolysis,
      and NMR spectroscopy. It was established that the backbone of pectin
      macromolecules of greenery of P. abies is represented by segments of partially
      methyl-esterified and acetylated 1,4-alpha-d-galactopyranosyluronan, and
      partially 2-O- and/or 3-O-acetylated RG-I with side chains consisting of highly
      branched 1,5-alpha-l-arabinan segments. The carbohydrate part of AGP of greenery
      of P. abies consists of AG-II, the main chain of which is represented by 1,3-beta
      d-Galp and 1,3,6-beta-d-Galp residues. The side chains of AG-II are formed of 1,6
      and 1,3,6-beta-d-Galp, 1,3- and 1,5-alpha-l-Araf, beta-d-GlcpA and 1,4-beta-d
      GlcpA, T-alpha-l-Araf, T-alpha-l-Rhap and T-alpha-l-Fucp residues. The AGPs of P.
      abies are also characterized by the presence of an unusual 4-O-Me-alpha-l-Fucp
      monosaccharide, which, as far as we know, was not found in pectins or AGP
      earlier.

PMID- 28917920
TI  - One-step hydrothermal synthesis of fluorescent nanocrystalline cellulose/carbon
      dot hydrogels.
AB  - Fluorescent nanocrystalline cellulose/carbon dots (NCC/CDs) hydrogels were
      successfully prepared by a facile one-step green hydrothermal carbonization
      process. The properties of NCC/CDs hydrogels prepared at different temperatures
      were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy,
      nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric
      analysis. NCC/CDs hydrogels with high crystallinity, high thermal stability, and
      excellent fluorescence properties can be obtained by controlling the hydrothermal
      treatment temperature. Small rod-like NCC/CDs hydrogels with a diameter of 2-6nm,
      a length of 40-60nm, and the cellulose Iota structure were obtained when the
      hydrothermal carbonization temperature was 240 degrees C. The NCC/CDs hydrogels
      exhibited an excellent broad spectral response and high fluorescence stability at
      various pH values. Considering of the wide natural abundance of NCC and the
      biocompatibility of the NCC/CDs hydrogels, Preparation in this simple, green
      approach is attractive for future bio-medical applications.

PMID- 28917921
TI  - Effect of oxidized chitin nanocrystals isolated by ammonium persulfate method on
      the properties of carboxymethyl cellulose-based films.
AB  - Oxidized chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) were isolated from crab shell chitin using
      ammonium persulfate (APS) method. The oxidized ChNCs were in needle shape with a
      diameter of 15nm, the length of 400-500nm, and crystallinity index of 93.5%.
      Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based films reinforced with the ChNCs (0, 1, 5, and
      10wt.%) were flexible and transparent. The mechanical strength of the CMC film
      increased significantly (p<0.05) after blending with the ChNCs. The tensile
      strength (TS) and elastic modulus (EM) increased by 88% and 243% when 10wt.% of
      ChNCs were incorporated. Water vapor barrier property of the composite films
      decreased and the hydrophilicity increased compared with the neat CMC film. The
      oxidized ChNCs obtained using the APS method have a high potential for being used
      as a reinforcing filler to improve the mechanical properties of nanocomposite
      films for the application in food packaging, nano-papers, hydrogels as well as
      biomedical applications.

PMID- 28917922
TI  - The effects of lotus root amylopectin on the formation of whey protein isolate
      gels.
AB  - The effects of lotus root amylopectin (LRA) on the formation of whey protein
      isolate (WPI) gels were investigated at the concentration range from 0 to 1.0%
      (w/v) by determining the texteral, thermal and rheological properties. Results
      exhibited these properties of WPI gels could be significantly enhanced by the
      addition of LRA in a concentration-dependent manner. Compared the gel with free
      of starch, the gel strength, water holding capacity and thermal transition
      temperature of WPI gel containing 1% (w/v) amylopectin were enhanced by 12.7
      fold, 24.9% and 3.6 degrees C, respectively. According to the analysis of
      scanning electron microscopy, colorimetric reaction and Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy measurements, it was concluded that the LRA-induced
      enhancement of WPI gel properties was possibly attributed to the formation of
      stable three-dimensional gel network, increased contents of reactive sulfhydryl
      group, CN bond and/or NH bond. Results suggested that LRA might be a good gel
      modifier.

PMID- 28917923
TI  - Effect of carboxymethylation on rheological and drug release characteristics of
      Terminalia catappa gum.
AB  - The carboxymethylation of galactomannans, arabinogalactans, arbinoxylan, etc is
      known to modify solubility, swelling index, rheological behaviour, powder
      characteristics, etc. Therefore, an attempt had been made to study the effect of
      carboxymethylation on Terminalia catappa (TC) gum. For this, modified Williamson
      synthesis reaction was utilized employing Quality by Design (QbD) approach.
      Grafting of carboxymethyl group on Terminalia catappa was confirmed by ATR-FTIR,
      H1NMR and DSC analyses. The rheological attributes revealed that the
      carboxymethylation of TC lowers the viscosity, enhance thermal stability (high
      activation energy), disentanglement was near to re-entanglement, and weak gelling
      characteristic. However, the soluble fluconazole loaded gel formulation of CMTC
      showed diffusion based kinetic model indicating good reservoir for effective
      application on skin/tissue surfaces.

PMID- 28917924
TI  - Synthesis of amphoteric curdlan derivatives for delivery of therapeutic nucleic
      acids.
AB  - Cationic polymers are powerful carriers for intracellular delivery of therapeutic
      nucleic acids. However, the positively charged macromolecules have considerable
      cytotoxicity and often induce irreversible damages to the cells and tissues,
      which greatly negate the clinical application of such materials as drug delivery
      system. Herein, we report the synthesis of novel amphoteric polymers based on
      curdlan, and the evaluation of their cytotoxicity as well as the nucleic acid
      delivery efficiency. beta-(1,3)-polyglucuronic acid, a TEMPO-oxidized derivative
      of curdlan, was chemically modified by conjugation of tetraethylenepentamine. The
      resulting amphoteric polymers, denoted tetraethylenepentamine-curdlan (TEPAC)
      polymers have the degree of substitution (DS) ranging from 25% to 48%. The result
      of MTT assay indicated that TEPAC polymers have negligible cytotoxicity on HeLa
      cells and A549 cells. The novel amphoteric polymers efficiently bound with
      plasmid DNA and delivered pcDNA-eGFP plasmid to 293T cells and induced expression
      of GFP 48h after the transfection. Moreover, TEPAC polymers delivered siRNA to
      HeLa cells and HepG2 cells in high efficiency, and induced significant RNAi for
      the expression of an endogenous gene. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the
      novel curdlan-based amphoteric polymers are biocompatible and may provide a
      highly efficient system for the delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids.

PMID- 28917925
TI  - Synthesis of synthetic mannan backbone polysaccharides found on the surface of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a vaccine adjuvant and their immunological
      properties.
AB  - Surface components of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) play crucial roles in
      modulating host immune responses. Thorough understandings of immunological
      properties of the Mtb's surface components are essential for the development of
      tuberculosis treatment and prevention. Unfortunately, the accessibility to the
      molecules on the surface of Mtb is limited by the structural complexity due to
      their various macromolecular nature and the hazard of culturing Mtb. In this
      study, we reveal a practical synthesis of lipomannan (LM) backbone
      polysaccharides - the core glycans found on Mtb's surface. A rapid synthetic
      approach based on a controlled polymerization was developed for the chemical
      synthesis of mannopyranans, the core structure of LM. The size of the LM glycans
      can be controlled by using specific monomer concentrations in addition to stereo-
      and regioselectivity derived from the versatile tricyclic orthoester mannose
      monomer. The immunological properties of the synthesized mannopyranans were
      investigated and their adjuvant potential was revealed. The adjuvanticity
      mechanism of the synthetic mannopyranans appears to involve the NF-kappaB and
      inflammasome pathways.

PMID- 28917926
TI  - Bioadhesive and biocompatible films as wound dressing materials based on a novel
      dendronized chitosan loaded with ciprofloxacin.
AB  - The bioadhesive polymeric films as topical drug delivery systems are interesting
      alternatives to improve the pharmacotherapy and patient compliances. New derivate
      biomaterials based on weisocyanate- dendronized PVP- crosslinked chitosan and
      loaded with ciprofloxacin (CIP), as model drug, were used to prepare bioadhesive
      films. Relevant in vitro/in vivo attributes to define main physicochemical and
      biopharmaceutical characteristics for topical wound-healing applications were
      evaluated. A high proportion of CIP, uniformly dispersed along throughout the
      film, was loaded. An extended release of CIP and different behaviors of release
      profiles, depending on the presence of dendron, were observed. The films loaded
      with CIP were effective in inhibiting the growth of both Gram positive and Gram
      negative bacteria. In addition, biocompatibility and bioadhesion into conjuntival
      sacs of the rabbits suggests that these films have good properties to be applied
      over skin wounds for topical applications, allowing a reduction of the frequency
      of administration and improving the residence time of the films.

PMID- 28917927
TI  - Utilizing cellulose sheets as structure promoter constructing different micro
      nano titanate nanotubes networks for green water purification.
AB  - In this work, we provide a novel strategy of constructing different micro-nano
      structure (arrayed, multilevel, flower-like) titanate nanotubes (TNTs) networks
      with cellulose sheets as structure promoter. Through cellulose self-locking and
      inter-locking, several micro-nano TNTs networks with higher specific surface area
      are obtained and applied to toxic heavy metal Pb2+ cations removal. It not only
      makes abundant toxic Pb2+ ions exchange with the inter-layer Na+ ions of TNTs,
      but also allows many Pb2+ ions to be deposited onto the TNTs surface. As
      expected, heavy metal Pb2+ removal performance of the as-prepared TNTs networks
      miraculously reaches 5.24mmolg-1. Moreover, the prepared titanate network is also
      exhibited a good co-removal capacity of multi-component ions (Pb2+, Sr2+ and Cs+)
      and superior acid/alkali adaptability. Therefore, the as-fabricated TNTs network
      with cellulose sheets as structure promoter could be regarded as a promising
      water purifier.

PMID- 28917928
TI  - Cell-interactive alginate-chitosan biopolymer systems with tunable mechanics and
      antibody release rates.
AB  - This work investigates techniques to produce biocompatible hydrogels with tunable
      stiffness without the addition of crosslinking agents or altering cell binding
      sites. Alginate and water-soluble chitosan salts were used to form
      polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), where the storage and loss moduli could be
      increased by raising gelation temperatures. The largest change, a 6.5-fold
      increase in storage modulus, occurred when the crosslinking temperature was
      increased from 37 to 50 degrees C while using chitosan with chlorine counterions.
      Osteogenic MC3T3 cells were shown to have significantly higher proliferation on
      the stiffer PECs prepared at 50 degrees C compared to 37 degrees C. Gelation
      temperature showed minimal effect on antibody release, but the inclusion of CaSO4
      provided a longer overall release where the rate was nearly linear for several
      weeks. However, CaSO4 inhibited the strengthening effect of increased gelation
      temperature. PECs containing glutamate counterions demonstrated an increase in
      stiffness with decreased chitosan content.

PMID- 28917929
TI  - Development of carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan hybrid micro- and macroparticles
      for encapsulation of probiotic bacteria.
AB  - Novel carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan (CMC-Cht) hybrid micro- and macroparticles
      were successfully prepared in aqueous media either by drop-wise addition or via
      nozzle-spray methods. The systems were either physically or chemically
      crosslinked using genipin as the reticulation agent. The macroparticles (ca. 2mm)
      formed are found to be essentially of the core-shell type, while the
      microparticles (ca. 5MUm) are apparently homogeneous. The crosslinked particles
      are robust, thermally resistant and less sensitive to pH changes. On the other
      hand, the physical systems are pH sensitive presenting a remarkable swelling at
      pH 7.4, while little swelling is observed at pH 2.4. Furthermore, model probiotic
      bacteria (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) was for the first time successfully
      encapsulated in the CMC-Cht based particles with acceptable viability count.
      Overall, the systems developed are highly promising for probiotic encapsulation
      and potential delivery in the intestinal tract with the purpose of modulating gut
      microbiota and improving human health.

PMID- 28917930
TI  - Structural characterization and rheological behavior of a heteroxylan extracted
      from Plantago notata Lagasca (Plantaginaceae) seeds.
AB  - Plantago notata (Plantaginaceae) is a spontaneous plant from Septentrional
      Algerian Sahara currently used by traditional healers to treat stomach disorders,
      inflammations or wound healing. A water-soluble polysaccharide, called PSPN
      (PolySaccharide fraction from Plantago Notata), was extracted and purified from
      the seeds of this semi-arid plant. The structural features of this mucilage were
      evaluated by colorimetric assays, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT
      IR), gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and 1H/13C Nuclear
      Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. PSPN is a heteroxylan with a backbone
      composed of beta-(1,3)-d-Xylp and beta-(1,4)-d-Xylp highly branched, through (O)
      2 and (O)-3 positions of beta-(1,4)-d-Xylp by various side chains and terminal
      monosaccharides such as alpha-l-Araf-(1,3)-beta-d-Xylp, beta-d-Xylp-(1,2)-beta-d
      Xylp, terminal Xylp or terminal Araf. The physico-chemical and rheological
      analysis of this polysaccharide in dilute and semi diluted regimes showed that
      PSPN exhibites a molecular weight of 2.3*106g/mol and a pseudoplastic behavior.

PMID- 28917931
TI  - Extraction of soluble arabinoxylan from enzymatically pretreated wheat bran and
      production of short xylo-oligosaccharides and arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides from
      arabinoxylan by glycoside hydrolase family 10 and 11 endoxylanases.
AB  - The enzymatic, ecofriendly pretreatment of wheat bran with alpha-amylase from
      Bacillus amyloliquifaciens or B. licheniformis at 90 degrees C for 1.5h followed
      by Neutrase at 50 degrees C for 4h, aqueous liquefaction at 121 degrees C for 15h
      and ethanol precipitation enabled the production of soluble arabinoxylan (AX)
      with purity of 70.9% and 68.4% (w/w) respectively. Process alternatives tried, to
      simplify the process and curtail the cost resulted in AX products with different
      purities, yields and arabinose to xylose ratio (A/X). Among the two glycoside
      hydrolase (GH) family endoxylanases evaluated, GH10 family hydrolysed soluble AX
      more efficiently with xylanase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus T-6 (GsXyn10A)
      producing maximum amount of quantifiable short xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) and
      arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides (AXOS) (53% w/w) followed by the catalytic module of
      Rhodothermus marinus Xyn10A (RmXyn10A-CM) with 37% (w/w) conversion. The GH11
      family endoxylanases, from Thermomyces lanuginosus (Pentopan Mono BGTM) and
      Neocallimastix patriciarum (NpXyn11A) gave conversions of 21% and 22% (w/w) of
      the soluble AX, respectively (major AXOS products were not quantified). In
      addition to the XOS formed such as X2, X3 and X4, the AXOS products identified
      were A3X and A2XX in the case of GsXyn10A and RmXyn10A-CM while Pentopan Mono BG
      and NpXyn11A produced XA3XX as the major AXOS product.

PMID- 28917932
TI  - Rewiring neutral lipids production for the de novo synthesis of wax esters in
      Rhodococcus opacus PD630.
AB  - Rhodococcus opacus PD630 accumulates significant amounts of triacylglycerols
      (TAG), but is not able to de novo synthesize wax esters (WE) from structural
      unrelated carbon sources, such as gluconate. In this study, strain PD630 was
      engineered to produce WE by heterologous expression of maqu_2220 gene, which
      encodes a fatty acyl-CoA reductase for the production of fatty alcohols in
      Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus. Recombinant cells produced ca. 46% of WE and
      54% of TAG (of total WE+TAG) from gluconate compared with the wild type, which
      produced 100% of TAG. Cell growth was not affected by the heterologous expression
      of MAQU_2220. Several saturated and monounsaturated WE species were produced by
      cells, with C18:C16, C16:C16 and C16:C18 as main species. The fatty acid
      composition of WE fraction in PD630maqu_2220 was enriched with C16:0, C18:0,
      whereas C16:0, C18:0 and C18:1 predominated in the TAG fraction. Significant
      amounts of WE and TAG were accumulated by PD630maqu_2220 from whey, an
      inexpensive waste material from dairy industries, without affecting cell biomass
      production. This is the first report on WE synthesis by R. opacus from gluconate,
      which demonstrates that lipid metabolism of this bacterium is flexible enough to
      assimilate heterologous components for the production of new lipid derivatives
      with industrial interest.

PMID- 28917933
TI  - The complete genome sequence of the actinobacterium Streptomyces glaucescens
      GLA.O (DSM 40922) carrying gene clusters for the biosynthesis of tetracenomycin
      C, 5'-hydroxy streptomycin, and acarbose.
AB  - The secondary metabolite acarbose is used worldwide in the clinical treatment of
      diabetes mellitus type 2 patients. Acarbose is a - glucosidase inhibitor and
      supports patients to control their blood glucose as well as their serum insulin
      levels. The secondary metabolite is produced by strains of the class
      Actinobacteria, in particular from Actinoplanes sp. SE50/110, which is a
      progenitor of today's production strains. Moreover, secondary metabolite clusters
      could also be identified in Streptomyces coelicoflavus ZG0656 as well as
      Streptomyces glaucescens GLA.O. In this study, the genome S. glaucescens GLA.O
      with focus on the acarbose biosynthesis cluster (gac-cluster) was analyzed.
      First, the tetracenomycin C and the 5'-hydroxy streptomycin gene clusters could
      be described completely. Then the gac gene region in S. glaucescens GLA.O is
      compared to the other known biosynthesis gene cluster. In comparison to
      Actinoplanes sp. SE50/110 the gac-cluster showed structural variances, like the
      missing homolog of the glycosyltransferase AcbD in the whole genome of S.
      glaucescens GLA.O. Due to the lack of the glycosyltransferase, it was of
      particular interest whether additional acarviose metabolites other than acarbose
      could be formed. For detection of acarviose metabolites biosynthesis the
      supernatant of S. glaucescens GLA.O grown in starch supplemented complex media
      was harvested at 72 and 96 hours. Although a homolog of the known
      glycosyltransferase is absent, the LC-MS-supported analysis revealed that a
      spectrum of acarviose metabolites was formed.

PMID- 28917934
TI  - Congenital absence of the palmaris longus muscle: A meta-analysis comparing
      cadaveric and functional studies.
AB  - The aim of our paper was to provide comprehensive data on the prevalence of
      absence of palmaris longus muscle (PLM) and its anatomical characteristics and
      conduct two separate meta-analyses comparing cadaveric and functional studies
      while identifying variation among different ethnic groups. An extensive search
      was conducted through the major electronic databases to identify eligible
      articles. Data extracted included prevalence of absence of PLM among subjects,
      ethnicity, laterality, side, and gender. Our main findings revealed that the
      absence of PLM is more frequently reported in functional studies. Moreover,
      functional tests likely overestimated the absence of PLM and recommend future
      studies to assess the validity of functional tests and use an imaging assessment
      prior to excluding the use of a palmaris longus tendon graft in patients in whom
      a function test identified the absence of PLM.

PMID- 28917935
TI  - Trends in post-mastectomy breast reconstruction types at a breast cancer tertiary
      referral centre before and after introduction of acellular dermal matrices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reconstructive breast surgery has continued to evolve over the last
      decade with a key change being the adoption of acellular dermal matrices (ADMs)
      as an adjunct for implant-based procedures. This retrospective observational
      study assesses the effect of ADMs on post-mastectomy reconstructive practice
      performed in a single institution. METHODS: We conducted a review of all patients
      undergoing breast reconstruction at a University Teaching Hospital for an 18
      month period before and after adopting ADMs. Demographic, procedural and
      complication data for these two cohorts were compared (chi2 and Student's t
      tests). RESULTS: A total of 264 women (336 breasts), mean age 47.5 years, were
      identified: 137 before and 127 after the introduction of ADM. Implant-only
      reconstructions increased from 16% to 52% following the adoption of ADM (p <
      0.01), whereas the proportion of both latissimus dorsi and deep inferior
      epigastric perforator flap reconstructions decreased significantly (31%-11% and
      49%-34%, respectively, p < 0.01). The rate of early complications for the implant
      only procedures was not significantly different with or without ADM (26% versus
      20%, respectively, p = 0.44), despite there being no difference in the rate of
      adjuvant radiotherapy (22% versus 35%, respectively, p = 0.30). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study showed that since ADM introduction to our centre, more breast
      reconstructions have been of the implant-only type with consequent reductions in
      the more complex and expensive autologous techniques. Implant-only procedures
      that incorporated ADM use had similar complication rates to those that did not.

PMID- 28917936
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 28917937
TI  - Pyrazole-based compounds in chitosan liposomal emulsion for antimicrobial cotton
      fabrics.
AB  - The chemistry of pyrazoles has gained increasing attention due to its diverse
      pharmacological properties such as antiviral, antagonist, antimicrobial,
      anticancer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-prostate cancer, herbicidal,
      acaricidal and insecticidal activities. 1-Phenyl pyrazole-3, 5-diamine, 4-[2-(4
      methylphenyl) diazenyl] and 1H- pyrazole-3 (1), 5-diamine, 4-[2-(4-methylphenyl)
      diazenyl] (2) were synthesized, characterized and encapsulated into liposomal
      chitosan emulsions for textile finishing. The chemical modifications of cotton
      fabrics were demonstrated by infrared analysis. Retention of the fabric
      mechanical properties was investigated by reporting the tensile strength values.
      Synthesized pyrazole-based compounds were screened for cytotoxicity against skin
      fibroblast cell line and showed very limited toxicity for both compounds.
      Antimicrobial potentials of the treated cotton fabrics were tested against
      bacterial strains E. coli ATCC 8379 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923.

PMID- 28917938
TI  - The evaluation of antioxidant and antifungal properties of 6-amino-6
      deoxychitosan in vitro.
AB  - We synthesized 6-amino-6-deoxychitosan (NCS) through a series of reactions from
      chitosan (CS). The antioxidant ability of CS and NCS were investigated in vitro,
      including that of DPPH-radical and hydrogen peroxide, reducing power, chelating
      abilities and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. As expected, after the
      introduction of amino groups, antioxidant ability had improved significantly.
      Especially, scavenging effect against DPPH-radical and hydrogen peroxide of NCS
      were 97% and 92% at 1.6mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, inhibition of lipid
      peroxidation was 57% at 0.1mg/mL. And the reducing power of NCS was 0.68 at
      0.8mg/mL. Meanwhile, inhibitory effects against four fungi were also tested.
      Antifungal activity of NCS were better than those of CS and antifungal activity
      had improved more than 20% at 0.5mg/mL against these four kinds of plant
      pathogens. Based on the above results, it was reasonable to speculate that the
      obtained antioxidant ability and antifungal activity of NCS might benefit from
      amino groups on chitosan backbone. These in vitro results suggest the possibility
      that NCS as antioxidant compound could be effectively alleviate oxidative stress
      and thus inhibit the oxidative mechanisms that lead to degenerative diseases.

PMID- 28917939
TI  - Preparation and characterization of gelatin/alpha-TCP/SF biocomposite scaffold
      for bone tissue regeneration.
AB  - In this study, we suggest a new biocomposite scaffold composed of gelatin/alpha
      TCP (tricalcium phosphate)/SF (silk-fibroin) (GTS) which has enhanced mechanical
      strength and high level of cellular activity. To fabricate GTS scaffold, a
      temperature-controlled 3D printing process was used and appropriate printing
      conditions were selected based on rheological data. To show the feasibility as a
      biomedical scaffold for bone tissue regeneration, the various physical and
      biological results, using MG63 (osteoblast-like cells), of the GTS scaffold were
      compared with those of a pure gelatin (G) and gelatin/alpha-TCP (GT) composite
      scaffold. GTS scaffolds showed enhanced mechanical properties in dry and wet
      state compared to those of the G and GT scaffolds. Also, significantly high cell
      proliferation and differentiation of MG63 cells were observed in the GTS
      scaffold. Therefore, the GTS composite scaffold will be one of highly potential
      biomaterials to be used in bone regeneration.

PMID- 28917940
TI  - Natural and synthetic polymers/bioceramics/bioactive compounds-mediated cell
      signalling in bone tissue engineering.
AB  - Bone is a highly integrative and dynamic tissue of the human body. It is
      continually remodeled by bone cells such as osteoblasts, osteoclasts. When a
      fraction of a bone is damaged or deformed, stem cells and bone cells under the
      influence of several signaling pathways regulate bone regeneration at the
      particular locale. Effective therapies for bone defects can be met via bone
      tissue engineering which employs drug delivery systems with biomaterials to
      enhance cellular functions by acting on signaling pathways such as Wnt, BMP, TGF
      beta, and Notch. This review provides the current understanding of
      polymers/bioceramics/bioactive compounds as scaffolds in activation of signaling
      pathways for the formation of bone.

PMID- 28917941
TI  - Skin regeneration effect of the Glycosaminoglycans from Liparis tessellatus eggs.
AB  - A purified Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) extract from L. tessellatus eggs was enzyme
      hydrolyzed and then fractionated with DEAE-Sepharose column chromatography. The
      fractions were subsequently subjected to skin regeneration effects analysis
      against skin fibroblast (CCD-986sk) cell lines. Fraction 3 is evidently to have
      tyrosinase inhibition activity by 20.1% at concentration of 50mg/mL. DOPA
      oxidation assay, collagenase inhibition activity assay, fibroblast proliferation
      assay, and production of type I C-peptide assays were done to further proof the
      skin regeneration effect of GAGs fractions. Results revealed that fraction 3 has
      effective skin regeneration activities at a concentration of 200mg/mL.

PMID- 28917942
TI  - In vivo and in vitro testing of native alpha-conotoxins from the injected venom
      of Conus purpurascens.
AB  - alpha-Conotoxins inhibit nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and are used
      as probes to study cholinergic pathways in vertebrates. Model organisms, such as
      Drosophila melanogaster, express nAChRs in their CNS that are suitable to
      investigate the neuropharmacology of alpha-conotoxins in vivo. Here we report the
      paired nanoinjection of native alpha-conotoxin PIA and two novel alpha
      conotoxins, PIC and PIC[O7], from the injected venom of Conus purpurascens and
      electrophysiological recordings of their effects on the giant fiber system (GFS)
      of D. melanogaster and heterologously expressed nAChRs in Xenopus oocytes. alpha
      PIA caused disruption of the function of giant fiber dorsal longitudinal muscle
      (GF-DLM) pathway by inhibiting the Dalpha7 nAChR a homolog to the vertebrate
      alpha7 nAChR, whereas PIC and PIC[O7] did not. PIC and PIC[O7] reversibly
      inhibited ACh-evoked currents mediated by vertebrate rodent
      (r)alpha1beta1deltagamma, ralpha1beta1deltaepsilon and human (h)alpha3beta2, but
      not halpha7 nAChR subtypes expressed in Xenopus oocytes with the following
      selectivity: ralpha1beta1deltaepsilon > ralpha1beta1deltagamma ~ halpha3beta2 >>
      halpha7. Our study emphasizes the importance of loop size and alpha-conotoxin
      sequence specificity for receptor binding. These studies can be used for the
      evaluation of the neuropharmacology of novel alpha-conotoxins that can be
      utilized as molecular probes for diseases such as, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and
      cancer. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Venom-derived
      Peptides as Pharmacological Tools.'

PMID- 28917943
TI  - Chronic fluoride exposure exacerbates headkidney pathology and causes immune
      commotion in Clarias gariepinus.
AB  - The current study was aimed to understand the effects of chronic fluoride
      exposure on fish immune system. African sharp tooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
      were exposed to 73.45mg/L of fluoride corresponding to 1/10 96h LC50 for 30 d and
      the effects on general fish health and several immune parameters were studied.
      Chronic fluoride exposure led to significant alteration in serum biochemical
      parameters including alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate
      transaminase, triglycerides, cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen levels revealing
      the detrimental effect of fluoride on general fish health. Upregulation in
      cytochrome P450 1A expression, both at mRNA and protein level suggested that
      fluoride activates the detoxification machinery in headkidney (HK) of C.
      gariepinus. Histopathological analysis of HK from exposed fish further revealed
      fluoride-induced hypertrophy, increase in melano-macrophage centers (MMCs) and
      the development of cell-depleted regions. Fluoride reduced headkidney somatic
      index (HKSI) and the phagocytic potential of headkidney macrophages (HKM). It
      induced caspase-3-dependent headkidney leukocyte (HKL) apoptosis, elevated
      superoxide generation and production of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha
      besides suppressed T-cell proliferation in the exposed fish. We surmise the
      elevation in superoxide levels coupled with increased TNF-alpha production to be
      plausible causes of fluoride-induced HKL apoptosis. It is concluded that chronic
      fluoride exposure induces structure-function alterations in HK, the primary
      lymphoid organ in fish leading to impairment in immune responses.

PMID- 28917944
TI  - Tetrabromoethylcyclohexane affects gonadal differentiation and development in the
      frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus.
AB  - Tetrabromoethylcyclohexane (TBECH), an additive brominated flame retardant, has
      been shown to have an androgenic activity in vitro. In the present study, we
      aimed to investigate the effects of TBECH on gonadal differentiation and
      development in the frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus, an amphibian species sensitive
      to androgenic chemicals, and to assess the androgenic activity of TBECH in vivo.
      P. nigromaculatus tadpoles were exposed to TBECH (1, 10, 100nM) from Gosner stage
      24 to complete metamorphosis, and to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) as a
      positive control. We found that 1nM DHT resulted in 100% males, while the sex
      ratio in the solvent control group was close to 1:1. In all the TBECH treatment
      groups, sexually ambiguous gonads based on gross morphology and intersexualities
      with testicular and ovarian histological structures were found, but no
      abnormality occurred in the solvent control. In the 1, 10, 100nM TBECH treatment
      groups, the female percentages were 52%, 31%, 17%, with 36%, 56%, 66% for males
      and 12%, 13%, 17% for abnormal sexes, respectively. X2-test revealed significant
      differences in sex ratios between the three TBECH groups and the solvent control
      group, and the sex ratios in the two higher concentration groups were male
      biased. These observations show that TBECH has a masculinizing effect on gonadal
      differentiation and development in P. nigromaculatus, suggesting an androgenic
      activity of TBECH in vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first study
      demonstrating that TBECH could induce gonadal masculinization in an animal, which
      raises new concerns for reproductive risk of TBECH exposure.

PMID- 28917945
TI  - Toxic responses of Perna viridis hepatopancreas exposed to DDT, benzo(a)pyrene
      and their mixture uncovered by iTRAQ-based proteomics and NMR-based metabolomics.
AB  - Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) are environmental
      estrogens (EEs) that are ubiquitous in the marine environment. In the present
      study, we integrated isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)
      based proteomic and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic approaches
      to explore the toxic responses of green mussel hepatopancreas exposed to DDT
      (10MUg/L), BaP (10MUg/L) and their mixture. The metabolic responses indicated
      that BaP primarily disturbed energy metabolism and osmotic regulation in the
      hepatopancreas of the male green mussel P. viridis. Both DDT and the mixture of
      DDT and BaP perturbed the energy metabolism and osmotic regulation in P. viridis.
      The proteomic responses revealed that BaP affected the proteins involved in
      energy metabolism, material transformation, cytoskeleton, stress responses,
      reproduction and development in green mussels. DDT exposure could change the
      proteins involved in primary metabolism, stress responses, cytoskeleton and
      signal transduction. However, the mixture of DDT and BaP altered proteins
      associated with material and energy metabolism, stress responses, signal
      transduction, reproduction and development, cytoskeleton and apoptosis. This
      study showed that iTRAQ-based proteomic and NMR-based metabolomic approaches
      could effectively elucidate the essential molecular mechanism of disturbances in
      hepatopancreas function of green mussels exposed to environmental estrogens.

PMID- 28917946
TI  - Cellular uptake and intracellular localization of poly (acrylic acid)
      nanoparticles in a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gill epithelial cell line,
      RTgill-W1.
AB  - The ever-growing production of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) for use in many
      agricultural, commercial, consumer, and industrial applications will lead to
      their accidental or intentional release into the environment. Potential routes of
      environmental exposure include manufacturing or transport spills, disposal of NP
      containing products down the drain and/or in landfills, as well as direct usage
      on agricultural land. Therefore, NPs will inevitably contaminate aquatic
      environments and interact with resident organisms. However, there is limited
      information regarding the mechanisms that regulate NP transport into fish from
      the environment. Thus, our primary objective was to elucidate the mechanism(s)
      underlying cellular uptake and intracellular fate of 3-9nm poly (acrylic acid)
      NPs loaded with the fluorescent dye Nile red using a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus
      mykiss) gill epithelial cell line (RTgill-W1). In vitro measurements with NP
      treated RTgill-W1 cells were carried out using a combination of laser scanning
      confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, fluorescent biomarkers (transferrin, cholera
      toxin B subunit, and dextran), endocytosis inhibitors (chlorpromazine, genistein,
      and wortmannin), and stains (4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, Hoechst 33342,
      CellMask Deep Red, and LysoTracker Yellow). Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME),
      caveolae-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis pathways were active in RTgill
      W1 cells, and these pathways were exploited by the non-cytotoxic NPs to enter
      these cells. We have demonstrated that NP uptake by RTgill-W1 cells was impeded
      when clathrin-coated pit formation was blocked by chlorpromazine. Furthermore,
      colocalization analysis revealed a moderate positive relationship between NPs and
      LysoTracker Yellow-positive lysosomal compartments indicating that CME was the
      dominant operative mechanism involved in NP internalization by RTgill-W1 cells.
      Overall, our results clearly show that fish gill epithelial cells internalized
      NPs via energy-dependent endocytotic processes. This study enhances our
      understanding of complex NP-cell interactions and the results obtained in vitro
      imply a potential risk to aquatic organisms.

PMID- 28917947
TI  - Effect of meal glycemic load and caffeine consumption on prolonged monotonous
      driving performance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Monotonous driving involves low levels of stimulation and high levels
      of repetition and is essentially an exercise in sustained attention and
      vigilance. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of consuming a high
      or low glycemic load meal on prolonged monotonous driving performance. The effect
      of consuming caffeine with a high glycemic load meal was also examined. METHOD:
      Ten healthy, non-diabetic participants (7 males, age 51+/-7yrs, mean+/-SD)
      completed a repeated measures investigation involving 3 experimental trials. On
      separate occasions, participants were provided one of three treatments prior to
      undertaking a 90min computer-based simulated drive. The 3 treatment conditions
      involved consuming: (1) a low glycemic load meal+placebo capsules (LGL), (2) a
      high glycemic load meal+placebo capsules (HGL) and (3) a high glycemic load
      meal+caffeine capsules (3mgkg-1 body weight) (CAF). Measures of driving
      performance included lateral (standard deviation of lane position (SDLP), average
      lane position (AVLP), total number of lane crossings (LC)) and longitudinal
      (average speed (AVSP) and standard deviation of speed (SDSP)) vehicle control
      parameters. Blood glucose levels, plasma caffeine concentrations and subjective
      ratings of sleepiness, alertness, mood, hunger and simulator sickness were also
      collected throughout each trial. RESULT: No difference in either lateral or
      longitudinal vehicle control parameters or subjective ratings were observed
      between HGL and LGL treatments. A significant reduction in SDLP (0.36+/-0.20m vs
      0.41+/-0.19m, p=0.004) and LC (34.4+/-31.4 vs 56.7+/-31.5, p=0.018) was observed
      in the CAF trial compared to the HGL trial. However, no differences in AVLP, AVSP
      and SDSP or subjective ratings were detected between these two trials (p>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Altering the glycemic load of a breakfast meal had no effect on
      measures of monotonous driving performance in non-diabetic adults. Individuals
      planning to undertake a prolonged monotonous drive following consumption of a
      morning meal may consider consuming caffeine as a means of improving vehicle
      control.

PMID- 28917948
TI  - Effects of methamphetamine on alloparental behavior in male and female prairie
      voles.
AB  - Psychostimulant abuse is associated with a variety of impairments in social
      functioning, including an increased frequency of depression and aggression and
      deficits in social cognition. Psychostimulants reduce social investigation in
      rats and mice; however, it is less clear how other forms of social behavior
      (e.g., prosocial behavior) are affected. Females are also generally more
      sensitive to the effects of psychostimulants on locomotion and stereotyped
      behavior, which suggests that females might also display greater disruption of
      prosocial behavior. In order to test the hypothesis that psychostimulants reduce
      prosocial behavior and that females are more vulnerable, we treated adult male
      and female prairie voles with methamphetamine for three days (0, 0.2 or 2.0mg/kg,
      i.p.) and examined effects on locomotion and alloparental behavior. The lower
      methamphetamine dose increased activity in the open field in males and reduced
      locomotion in females. Methamphetamine-treated males took longer to enter the pup
      chamber, but both sexes displayed reduced pup contact following treatment with
      the lower methamphetamine dose. The methamphetamine-induced reduction in
      prosocial behavior was not associated with changes in pup-directed aggression in
      males or females. In order to investigate potential mechanisms underlying these
      changes in behavior, we measured adrenal weights as a proxy for activation of the
      hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The higher methamphetamine dose
      increased adrenal weights. Collectively, these data demonstrate that
      methamphetamine administration reduces alloparental behavior in both sexes and
      that females are more sensitive to some of the effects of this drug (e.g.,
      locomotion/stereotyped behavior and possibly stimulation of the HPA axis).

PMID- 28917949
TI  - Linear association between number of modifiable risk factors and multiple chronic
      conditions: Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
AB  - Multiple (>=2) chronic conditions (MCCs) are responsible for a large fraction of
      healthcare costs. Our aim was to examine possible associations between MCCs and
      composite measures of behavioral risk factors (RFs). Data were publicly available
      2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and included 483,865 non
      institutionalized US adults ages >=18years. Chronic conditions included asthma,
      arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cognitive impairment, heart
      disease, stroke, cancer, and kidney disease. RFs included obesity, current
      smoking, sedentary lifestyle, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, and
      sleeping other than 7-8h, while depression, hypertension, high cholesterol, and
      diabetes were considered in each category. Stata was used to study associations
      between 2 different MCCs and 2 composite measures of RFs in both unadjusted and
      adjusted analysis. Over 96% of respondents reported >=1 of the 9 RFs and 71.5%
      reported >=1 of the chronic conditions. For each combination there was a linear
      increase (with similar slopes) in MCC rate with more RFs and a statistically
      significant increase in adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the MCC with each
      additional RF. For the MCC based on 8 chronic conditions, ORs were 1.3 (95% CI
      1.1, 1.6) for 1 RF, 2.3 (1.9, 2.7) for 2, 3.7 (3.1, 4.4) for 3, 5.7 (4.8, 6.8)
      for 4, 9.1 (7.6, 10.8) for 5, 14.6 (12.2, 17.4) for 6, 24.0 (19.7, 29.2) for 7,
      38.1 (29.6, 48.9) for 8, and 100.0 (56.3, 177.8) for all 9, each vs. zero RFs.
      Findings highlight the need for effective integrated programs to address multiple
      RFs and chronic conditions.

PMID- 28917950
TI  - Suicide behavior and associated psychosocial factors among adolescents in
      Campeche, Mexico.
AB  - Suicide is an important public health problem that requires a preventive
      approach. The present study aimed at assessing suicidal behaviors and their
      relations with other psychosocial factors in Campeche, Mexico, in order to inform
      the design of potential preventive interventions. A multistage probability sample
      of 2386 students representative of all middle schools of the state of Campeche,
      Mexico, took a standardized, paper-and-pencil survey covering selected
      psychosocial constructs including suicide behavior, depression, drug use,
      familial relationships, locus of control, impulsivity, and self-esteem, among
      others. Latent classes were identified and multinomial logistic regression was
      used to analyze associations between class membership and psychosocial
      covariates. An estimated 8% of the middle school population in Campeche had three
      or more psychosocial problems in the past month including drug use, major
      depression episode symptoms, as well as suicidal problems like attempts and self
      inflicted injuries. Four latent classes were identified, one with lowest risk and
      three with varying characteristics in terms of binge alcohol and other drug use,
      depression, and suicide behaviors. Associations between psychosocial covariates
      and latent class were observed, as predicted based on a multi-dimensional
      theoretical framework. Heterogeneity across "High-Risk" groups and their
      potential determinants highlight the need for differentiated, specialized efforts
      ranging from universal to indicated interventions. Given the high level of risk
      factors in this population, universal preventive interventions should aim at
      building resiliency among youth by helping them develop an array of coping
      resources, as well as by creating a more nurturing psychosocial environment.

PMID- 28917951
TI  - A spatial analysis of race, local health-promoting resources and preventable
      hospitalizations.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preventable hospitalizations (PHs) for chronic conditions could
      have been avoided if treated with primary healthcare. PH rates are higher among
      African Americans, and in areas with less healthcare. Little is known about the
      effects of non-healthcare local health-promoting resources (LHPRs). The objective
      of this study is to determine associations between LHPRs and chronic PH rates in
      Maryland, and to assess spatial clustering of areas with high PH rates. METHODS:
      Hospitalizations in 2010 were obtained from the Maryland Health Services Cost
      Review Commission by zip code of residence. Negative binomial regressions were
      used to determine associations between PH rates and LHPRs by race. Clusters of
      zip codes with high PH rates were assessed using the spatial Scan Statistic.
      RESULTS: PH rates were associated with family practitioners (IRR=0.98, 95%
      CI=0.97-0.99), physicians' assistants (IRR=0.98, 95% CI=0.96-0.99), internists
      (IRR=1.02, 95% CI=1.01-1.03), teaching hospitals (IRR=1.21, 95% CI=1.04-1.40),
      and local health departments (IRR=1.19, 95% CI=1.03-1.37). No LHPRs were
      associated with PHs among whites, but African American PH rates were associated
      with family practitioners (IRR=0.97, 95% CI=0.94-0.99), nurse practitioners
      (IRR=1.03, 95% CI=1.01-1.06), teaching hospitals (IRR=1.37, 95% CI=1.08-1.75) and
      gyms/recreational centers (IRR=0.85, 95% CI=0.73-0.99). Clusters of areas with
      high PH rates varied by race. African American PH clusters had fewer family
      practitioners and more federally qualified health centers and teaching hospitals.
      CONCLUSIONS: Public health practitioners should look to LHPRs beyond physician
      supply or public clinics to address PHs, particularly among African Americans.
      Specific LHPRs could be used to target African American PH rates and clusters.

PMID- 28917952
TI  - Identification of potential allosteric communication pathways between functional
      sites of the bacterial ribosome by graph and elastic network models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accumulated evidence indicates that bacterial ribosome employs
      allostery throughout its structure for protein synthesis. The nature of the
      allosteric communication between remote functional sites remains unclear, but the
      contact topology and dynamics of residues may play role in transmission of a
      perturbation to distant sites. METHODS/RESULTS: We employ two computationally
      efficient approaches - graph and elastic network modeling to gain insights about
      the allosteric communication in ribosome. Using graph representation of the
      structure, we perform k-shortest pathways analysis between peptidyl transferase
      center-ribosomal tunnel, decoding center-peptidyl transferase center - previously
      reported functional sites having allosteric communication. Detailed analysis on
      intact structures points to common and alternative shortest pathways preferred by
      different states of translation. All shortest pathways capture drug target sites
      and allosterically important regions. Elastic network model further reveals that
      residues along all pathways have the ability of quickly establishing pair-wise
      communication and to help the propagation of a perturbation in long-ranges during
      functional motions of the complex. CONCLUSIONS: Contact topology and inherent
      dynamics of ribosome configure potential communication pathways between
      functional sites in different translation states. Inter-subunit bridges B2a, B3
      and P-tRNA come forward for their high potential in assisting allostery during
      translation. Especially B3 emerges as a potential druggable site. GENERAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: This study indicates that the ribosome topology forms a basis for
      allosteric communication, which can be disrupted by novel drugs to kill drug
      resistant bacteria. Our computationally efficient approach not only overlaps with
      experimental evidence on allosteric regulation in ribosome but also proposes new
      druggable sites.

PMID- 28917953
TI  - Migratory capacity and function of dendritic cells from mesenteric afferent lymph
      nodes after feeding a single dose of vitamin A.
AB  - Lamina propria dendritic cells (DCs) have a permanent turnover with constitutive
      migration to mesenteric lymph nodes and replenishment by progenitors. Luminal
      bacteria and dietary constituents provide key signals that endow DCs their unique
      properties in vivo. Taking into account that the intestinal immune system is
      greatly influenced by retinoids, we evaluated in B6 mice 3, 8, 16 and 24 h after
      feeding a single dose of vitamin A phenotype and function of cells present in
      mesenteric afferent lymph nodes as well as signals involved in migration. We
      studied the frequency of CD11c+MHC-II+CD103+CD86+ and RALDH+ DCs by flow
      cytometry, we determined CCL-21 and D6 levels in tissue homogenates by Western
      blot, and we co-cultured cells isolated from afferent lymphatics with sorted CD4+
      lymphocytes to assess Foxp-3 induction and homing receptor expression. Sixteen
      hours after vitamin A administration, DCs isolated from afferent lymphatics were
      able to induce homing receptors and Foxp3 expression in CD4+ lymphocytes. Our
      results show that a single dose of vitamin A generated a stream of signals and
      amplified the tolerogenic activity of DCs migrating to lymphoid tissue.

PMID- 28917954
TI  - "Striatal Toe Sign": False-Positive "Extensor Plantar Response" in Dystonia.

PMID- 28917955
TI  - Lidocaine Gel for Urethral Catheterization in Children: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of lidocaine gel vs nonanesthetic
      gel (NAG) in reducing transurethral bladder catheterization (TUBC) procedural
      pain in children. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic literature search was done using
      electronic medical databases and trial registries up to September 2016 with no
      language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the
      efficacy and safety of lidocaine gel vs NAG in reducing TUBC-associated pain in
      children were screened, identified, and appraised. Risks of bias and study
      quality of the eligible trials were assessed according to the Cochrane
      Collaboration recommendations. Various pain assessment scales from the included
      studies were extracted as mean differences and standard deviations for each
      treatment group. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were generated with 95% CIs
      for between-group difference estimation. Effect estimates were pooled using the
      inverse variance method with a random-effects model. Subgroup analysis was
      performed for different age groups. RESULTS: Five RCTs (with a total of 369
      children) were included. Overall pooled effect estimates showed that compared
      with NAG, lidocaine gel has no significant benefit in decreasing TUBC-associated
      pain in children (SMD, -0.22; 95% CI, -0.65 to 0.21). Effect estimates from 4
      studies revealed no difference in pain reduction between the lidocaine gel and
      NAG in children aged <4 years (SMD, 0.01; 95% CI, -0.22 to 0.24). No serious
      adverse events from the lidocaine gel use were reported in any of the studies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lidocaine gel does not appear to reduce TUBC pain compared with NAG,
      specifically in children aged <4 years. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      CRD42016050018.

PMID- 28917956
TI  - Bowel Dilation Diagnosed Prenatally.

PMID- 28917957
TI  - Betty Kirkwood: trailblazer in global health epidemiology.

PMID- 28917958
TI  - The path to longer and healthier lives for all Africans by 2030: the Lancet
      Commission on the future of health in sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 28917959
TI  - Ann Ashworth: pioneer in child nutrition.

PMID- 28917960
TI  - Response to an African-driven health agenda.

PMID- 28917961
TI  - Africa and health: a Commission to accelerate success.

PMID- 28917962
TI  - Longer and healthier lives for all Africans by 2030: perspectives and action of
      WHO AFRO.

PMID- 28917963
TI  - An efficient computational fluid-particle dynamics method to predict deposition
      in a simplified approximation of the deep lung.
AB  - High-fidelity simulations of the complete airway tree are still largely beyond
      current computational capabilities. Towards large-scale simulations of the human
      lung, the current study introduces a numerical methodology to predict particle
      deposition in a simplified approximation of the deep lung during a full breathing
      cycle. The geometrical model employed consists of an idealised bronchial tree
      that represents generations 10 to 19 of the conducting zone and a heterogeneous
      acinar model created using a space-filling algorithm. The computational cost of
      the coupled simulation is reduced by taking advantage of the flow similarity
      across the central conducting regions in order to decompose the bronchial tree
      into representative subunits. Topological information is used to account for the
      correct gravitational force on the particles in the representative bifurcations,
      emulating their transport characteristics in the actual bronchial tree.
      Eventually, airflow and particle transport are simulated in a single
      representative bifurcation and a single acinar model, resulting in great savings
      in computational cost. An Eulerian-Lagrangian approach has been used for solving
      the flow and particle equations during sinusoidal breathing in the decomposed
      domain. The resulting deposition estimates agree rather well with the known
      deposition trends reported in the literature, while offering additional insights.
      For 1-5MUm particles, deposition during exhalation is comparable to deposition
      upon inhalation, suggesting the use of breath-hold maneuvers to further increase
      sedimentation of these particles. Airway orientation relative to gravity was
      found to have a significant impact on deposition rates, especially for particles
      above 2MUm and to be higher in the more distal generations, due to the wider
      range of angles relative to the direction of gravity. In the acinus, particles in
      the 2-5MUm range have a quite high average deposition efficiency that reaches
      approximately 75% and shows considerable variation (12.4%) due to airway
      orientation. Finally, a simplified semi-analytical approach is introduced that
      can lead to even further reduction in computational costs, while incurring only a
      small loss in accuracy.

PMID- 28917964
TI  - Phenazopyridine-phthalimide nano-cocrystal: Release rate and oral bioavailability
      enhancement.
AB  - Both cocrystal and nanocrystal technologies have been widely used in the
      pharmaceutical development for poorly soluble drugs. However, the synergistic
      effects due to the integration of these two technologies have not been well
      investigated. The aim of this study is to develop a nano-sized cocrystal of
      phenazopyridine (PAP) with phthalimide (PI) to enhance the release rate and oral
      bioavailability of PAP. A PAP-PI nano-cocrystal with particle diameter of 21.4+/
      0.1nm was successfully prepared via a sonochemical approach and characterized by
      powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),
      scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis.
      An in vitro release study revealed a significant release rate enhancement for PAP
      PI nano-cocrystal as compared to PAP-PI cocrystal and PAP hydrochloride salt.
      Further, a comparative oral bioavailability study in rats indicated significant
      improvement in Cmax and oral bioavailability (AUC0-infinity) by 1.39- and 2.44
      fold, respectively. This study demonstrated that this novel nano-cocrystal
      technology can be a new promising option to improve release rate and absorption
      of poorly soluble compounds in the pharmaceutical industry.

PMID- 28917965
TI  - The development of a butyrylcholinesterase porous pellet for innovative detection
      of cholinesterase inhibitors.
AB  - The aim of the presented research was the preparation of an innovative carrier
      with significantly improved properties for the fast and sensitive detection of
      cholinesterase inhibitors such as nerve agents. This innovative carrier was in
      the form of spherical pellets containing different amounts of Neusilin. Neusilin
      is a synthetic and amorphous form of magnesium aluminometasilicate with a high
      specific surface area, and the immobilized enzyme butyrylcholinesterase with an
      activity of 50nkat.g-1. Pellets were prepared by the extrusion-spheronization
      method and dried in a hot air oven under two conditions - at 30 degrees C for 72h
      and at 60 degrees C for 24h. Dried pellets were consequently impregnated with a
      solution containing butyrylcholinesterase. Impregnated pellets were evaluated for
      their quality parameters, enzymatic activity and inhibition. Activity and
      inhibition were tested according to the standard Ellman's method. It was observed
      that the addition of Neusilin significantly increased the hardness,
      intraparticular porosity, sphericity and activity of the carriers as well as
      intensity of the color transition. Therefore it is shown that these carriers have
      unquestionable advantages over common carriers of their kind. Drying temperatures
      have been shown to have no effect on properties of pellets except for a change in
      their size. Results were confirmed by statistical evaluation using ANOVA and PCA.

PMID- 28917966
TI  - Shrinkage in oral squamous cell carcinoma: An analysis of tumor and margin
      measurements in vivo, post-resection, and post-formalin fixation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantify changes in tumor size and tumor-free margins following
      surgical resection and formalin fixation of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients were studied via cohort design. Between
      May and December 2011, measurements of tumor size and tumor-free margin were made
      in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Mucosal reference
      points were marked with sutures, representing tumor diameter and two separate
      resection margins. Measurements were recorded immediately before resection, after
      resection, and following fixation in formalin. RESULTS: The overall mean
      shrinkage in tumor size was 10.7% (95% CI 3.4-18.0, p=0.006). When comparing mean
      tumor measurements, most of the tumor size decrease (6.4%, 95% CI 0.4-12.4,
      p=0.039) occurred between pre- and post-excision measurements. To a lesser
      extent, tumor size decreased following formalin fixation. Comparison of tumor
      free margin measurements revealed a pre-excision to post-fixation mean decrease
      of 11.3% (95% CI 2.9-19.6%, p=0.011), with a statistically significant decrease
      of 14.9% (95% CI 8.5-21.3%, p<0.001) occurring between pre- and post-excision,
      and no significant decrease from post-excision to post-formalin fixation.
      CONCLUSION: Mucosal dimensions of both tumor and tumor-free margins in oral
      cavity squamous cell carcinoma specimens decrease between surgical resection and
      pathologic analysis. Most of this decrease occurs prior to fixation, especially
      for margins, and may be due to intrinsic tissue properties rather than formalin
      effects.

PMID- 28917967
TI  - Synthesis of a trisaccharide repeating unit of the O-antigen from Burkholderia
      cenocepacia and its dimer.
AB  - The trisaccharide repeating unit of an O-antigen derived from Burkholderia
      cenocepacia and its dimer, i.e., alpha-L-Rhap-(1 -> 3)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-(1 -> 3)
      beta-D-GalpNAc-O(CH2)3N3 (1) and alpha-L-Rhap-(1 -> 3)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-(1 -> 3)
      beta-D-GalpNAc-(1 -> 4)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1 -> 3)-alpha-D-GalpNAc-(1 -> 3)-beta-D
      GalpNAc-O(CH2)3N3 (2), respectively, were synthesized via a highly convergent
      strategy. Glycosylation of galactosaminyl acceptor 4 with galactosaminyl
      trichloroacetimidate donor 5 was followed by condensation of resulting
      disaccharide acceptor 12 with rhamnosyl imidate donor 6 to furnish
      stereoselectively trisaccharyl thioglycoside 3, which was used as a key and
      common glycosyl donor for the construction of both 1 and 2. Title molecule 1 was
      prepared by glycosylation of 3-azidopropanol with 3 and subsequently global
      deprotection, whereas coupling reaction of 3 with a trisaccharide acceptor 21
      containing an 2,3-O-position acetonide-modified rhamnose residue, followed by
      global deprotection, generated the dimer 2 in a convergent [3 + 3] manner.

PMID- 28917968
TI  - The effect of fennel essential oil in combination with antibiotics on
      Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from carriers.
AB  - An increase in the number of staphylococcal infections and carriers among medical
      staff has forced us to seek more and more effective antibacterial agents.
      Bacteria from the Staphylococcus genus possessing different mechanisms of
      resistance are the cause of nosocomial infections. The objective of our
      investigations was susceptibility of S. aureus strains isolated from nasal
      vestibule of medical students to fennel essential oil. The GC-MS analysis of
      fennel essential oil revealed eleven constituents among which a majority of trans
      anethole (80%) was found. The D-tests showed iMLSB (80%), cMLSB and MSB (10%)
      resistant phenotypes of S. aureus. The S. aureus isolates were intermediate to
      mupirocin (45%). Fennel essential oil increased the inhibition zone around
      cefoxitin, mupirocin, co-trimoxazole and ciprofloxacin with statistical
      significance. Our research showed that the fennel essential oil in combination
      with mupirocin may be considered as a natural alternative in eradication of S.
      aureus with iMLSB, cMLSB, MSB resistant phenotypes and is able to decrease the
      growth rate of antibiotic resistance.

PMID- 28917969
TI  - Hysterectomy for the Transgendered Male: Review of Perioperative Considerations
      and Surgical Techniques with Description of a Novel 2-Port Laparoscopic Approach.
AB  - Transgendered individuals can suffer a significant amount of psychological
      distress that can be alleviated through hormonal treatments and/or gender
      affirming surgery. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health
      considers a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy medically necessary
      gender-affirming procedures for the interested transgendered male. Several
      surgical approaches have been described in the literature, most of which endorse
      a laparoscopic approach. This review summarizes the available literature on
      surgical techniques in addition to reporting our institutional outcomes using a
      novel 2-port laparoscopic approach. Additional preoperative and perioperative
      considerations are needed when caring for this patient population and are
      reviewed.

PMID- 28917970
TI  - How Do Enzymes 'Meet' Nanoparticles and Nanomaterials?
AB  - Enzymes are fundamental biological catalysts responsible for biological
      regulation and metabolism. The opportunity for enzymes to 'meet' nanoparticles
      and nanomaterials is rapidly increasing due to growing demands for applications
      in nanomaterial design, environmental monitoring, biochemical engineering, and
      biomedicine. Therefore, understanding the nature of nanomaterial-enzyme
      interactions is becoming important. Since 2014, enzymes have been used to modify,
      degrade, or make nanoparticles/nanomaterials, while numerous
      nanoparticles/nanomaterials have been used as materials for enzymatic
      immobilization and biosensors and as enzyme mimicry. Among the various
      nanoparticles and nanomaterials, metal nanoparticles and carbon nanomaterials
      have received extensive attention due to their fascinating properties. This
      review provides an overview about how enzymes meet nanoparticles and
      nanomaterials.

PMID- 28917971
TI  - How Fast Is Protein-Ligand Association?
AB  - There is increasing interest in studying protein interactions and their role in
      cell biology using kinetics. However, there is confusion about the proper
      terminology in terms of the distinction between rates and rate constants. We
      recommend a more stringent use of the words speed, fast, slow, rate, and rate
      constant.

PMID- 28917972
TI  - Research on the antioxidant, wound healing, and anti-inflammatory activities and
      the phytochemical composition of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait).
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ethnobotanical investigations have shown that the
      Pinus species have been used against rheumatic pain and for wound healing in
      Turkish folk medicine. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, phytochemical
      composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing activities of
      Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) that is collected in Turkey are investigated.
      Essential oil composition and the amount of extracts (lipophilic and hydrophilic)
      of maritime pine wood and fresh cone samples had been tested. RESULTS: The
      essential oil from cones of P. pinaster revealed the highest activities, whereas
      other parts of the plant did not display any appreciable wound healing, anti
      inflammatory, or antioxidant effects. alpha-Pinene was the main constituent of
      the essential oil obtained from the cones of P. pinaster. CONCLUSION:
      Experimental studies shown that P. pinaster's remarkable anti-inflammatory and
      wound healing activities support the traditional use of the plant, and suggest it
      could have a place in modern medicine.

PMID- 28917973
TI  - Inhibitory effects of Dianthi Herba ethanolic extract on inflammatory and
      nociceptive responses in murine macrophages and mouse models of abdominal
      writhing and ear edema.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dianthi Herba is a traditional herbal medicine
      used to treat inflammatory-related diseases including acute pyelonephritis,
      cystitis, laryngopharyngitis, and urethritis. AIM OF THE STUDY: We investigated
      the effects of Dianthi Herba ethanolic extract (DH) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      mediated inflammatory responses in murine macrophages including RAW 264.7 cell
      line and mouse peritoneal macrophages as well as nociceptive and edema mouse
      models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The biological effects of DH on inflammatory
      cytokine, mediator, and related protein production were assessed using enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting, and real-time reverse
      transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR). Additionally, Western
      blotting was performed to investigate intracellular signaling pathways, and the
      anti-nociceptive activity of three doses of DH (100, 200, and 300mg/kg) against
      acetic acid-induced writhing responses and its inhibitory effects on xylene
      induced ear edema were researched in mice through oral administration. RESULTS:
      DH treatment significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) secretion and inflammatory
      cytokine production in RAW 264.7 cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages and
      induced heme oxygenase (HO)-1 expression. DH strongly inhibited the
      transcriptional activity of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB and phosphorylation of
      mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in LPS-stimulated macrophages.
      Meanwhile, DH exerted anti-nociceptive effects on writhing responses and anti
      edema effects in mice. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the anti-inflammatory activities
      and inhibitory mechanism of DH in macrophages and clarified its inhibitory
      effects in vivo. These findings illustrate the therapeutic potential of DH as a
      natural anti-inflammatory agent.

PMID- 28917974
TI  - Cross-Cultural Analysis of Medicinal Plants commonly used in Ethnoveterinary
      Practices at South Waziristan Agency and Bajaur Agency, Federally Administrated
      Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: In remote areas, medicinal plants have an
      imperative role in curing various livestock's ailments. In Pakistan, people
      residing in remote areas including South Waziristan Agency and Bajaur Agency
      depend on traditional herbal remedies for treating their domestic animals.
      Medicinal plants are an important part of the medical system in these Agencies.
      The prime goal of the current study is to explore the ethnoveterinary practices
      in the two regions and discuss cross-cultural consensus on the use of medicinal
      plants. In this study, we have given detailed description on the ethnoveterinary
      usage of certain medicinal plants and their recipes. Moreover, we have also
      elaborated the ethnoveterinary potential of certain plants in relation to their
      ethnomedicinal, pharmacological and phytochemicals reports. METHODOLOGY:
      Fieldwork comprised of two fields surveys conducted at South Waziristan Agency
      and Bajaur Agency. A total of 75 informants from South Waziristan Agency and 80
      informants from Bajaur Agency were interviewed with the help of semi-structured
      questionnaires. Use reports (URs) were recorded for all the documented taxa. Data
      were quantitatively analyzed by using informant consensus factor (Fic) index in
      order to find out information homogeneity provided by the informants. To analyze
      the cross-cultural consensus, the recorded data were tabulated as well as shown
      by Venn diagram. RESULTS: Overall, 94 medicinal plant taxa were recorded in the
      comparative analysis. Out of these, most of the plants species (72 species) were
      used at Bajaur Agency than South Waziristan Agency (37 species). Cross-cultural
      analysis showed that only 15 medicinal plants were used in common by the
      indigenous communities in both Agencies, which indicates a low interregional
      consensus with regard to the ethnoveterinary practices of medicinal plants.
      Apiaceae was the dominant family in both regions by representing maximum number
      of plant species (11 species). Gastro intestinal complexities were common in both
      regions having higher Fic values (above 90). Moreover, the current investigation
      reported new ethnoveterinary uses of medicinal plants from South Waziristan
      Agency, which were Sideroxylon mascatense, Raphanus sativus, Salix babylonica,
      Solanum nigrum, Sophora mollis, Taraxacum campylodes and Tulipa stellata. On the
      other hand from Bajaur Agency, Boerhavia erecta, Celtis australis, Chamaecyparis
      obtusa var. obtuse, Eryngium biehersteinianum, Gossypium arboreum, Narcissus
      tazetta, Opuntia littoralis, Streblus asper were reported with new
      ethnoveterinary uses. CONCLUSIONS: The current study has an important
      contribution towards the preservation of indigenous plants' based knowledge.
      Several plants are carrying important ethnoveterinary uses being practiced by the
      local people mostly against the gastrointestinal disorders in both regions.
      Importantly, the cross-cultural approach has reported some new traditional uses
      of plants against livestock's diseases. Hence, this is an opportunity to
      investigate such plants phytopharmacologically and toxicologically for the
      discovery of new drug sources.

PMID- 28917975
TI  - The memory ameliorating effects of DHP1402, an herbal mixture, on cholinergic
      blockade-induced cognitive dysfunction in mice.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The seeds of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa (Bunge)
      Hu ex H.F Chow (Rhamnaceae) and the roots of Codonopsis lanceolata (Siedbold &
      Zucc.) Benth. & Hook. f ex Trautv. (Campanulaceae), contained in the DHP1402,
      have long been used for treating dementia or hypomnesia as folk medicine. AIM OF
      THE STUDY: It has been reported that Z. jujuba var. spinosa and C. lanceolata are
      effective in improving cognitive function, but via different mechanisms.
      Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the synergistic effects of Z.
      jujuba var. spinosa and C. lanceolata on scopolamine-induced memory impairment.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Scopolamine, a cholinergic muscarinic receptor antagonist,
      was used to induce cognitive dysfunction. We employed several behavioral tasks to
      estimate the synergistic effect of the seeds of Z. jujuba var. spinosa and the
      roots of C. lanceolata. In addition, we introduced the Western blotting, the
      antagonism passive avoidance task to investigate a synergistic effect of an
      herbal formulation. RESULTS: Synergistic effects of a combination of Z. jujuba
      var. spinosa and C. lanceolata at a 5:1 ratio [(w/w), DHP1402] were observed
      against cognitive dysfunction in the passive avoidance and Y-maze tasks. DHP1402
      also ameliorated memory deficits in a dose-dependent manner in these behavioral
      tasks, as well as in the Morris water maze task. According to the Western blot
      results, the phosphorylation levels of protein kinase A (PKA), extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in
      the hippocampus were also increased in a synergistic manner after the
      administration of DHP1402. In addition, we found that the effects of DHP1402 on
      cognitive function were mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor
      signalling, based on the antagonism studies. Furthermore, we found that DHP1402
      has inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE). CONCLUSION: DHP1402
      attenuates cholinergic blockade-induced cognitive dysfunction through NMDA
      receptor modulation, PKA-ERK-CREB pathway activation, and AChE inhibition.
      Therefore, DHP1402 could be a candidate for alleviating cognitive dysfunction.

PMID- 28917976
TI  - Low molecular weight fucoidan ameliorates hindlimb ischemic injury in type 2
      diabetic rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF), extracted
      from Laminaria japonica Areschoug, is a traditional Chinese medicine, commonly
      used to alleviate edema, particularly for feet with numbness and pain. AIM OF THE
      STUDY: Diabetic mellitus (DM) patients are at high risk of developing peripheral
      arterial disease (PAD). Individuals with DM and PAD co-morbidity have a much
      higher risk of critical limb ischemia. LMWF showed several beneficial effects,
      such as anti-inflammation, anti-thrombosis, and enhancing revascularization.
      Therefore, we hypothesized that LMWF might be beneficial to diabetes-induced PAD,
      and investigated the therapeutic potential of LMWF on diabetic PAD rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats were made PAD by
      injection of sodium laurate into femoral artery. LMWF (20, 40 or 80mg/kg/day) or
      cilostazol (100mg/kg/day) were given to diabetic PAD rats for 4 weeks,
      respectively. The effects of LMWF on foot ulceration and claudication, plantar
      blood flow, collateral vessel formation, endothelium morphology, gastrocnemius
      injury, platelet aggregation, vessel vasodilation, and the expressions of
      inflammation factors, VEGF, eNOS, and nitric oxide were measured. RESULTS: We
      found that LMWF markedly ameliorated foot ulceration and claudication, and
      improved the plantar perfusion by reversing hyperreactive platelet aggregation,
      ameliorating endothelium-dependent vasodilation and revascularization on diabetic
      PAD rats. In addition, upregulation of several inflammatory factors, such as ICAM
      1 and IL-1beta in the gastrocnemius muscles of ischemic hindlimb were suppressed
      by LMWF administration. And eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177 and NO production
      were significantly enhanced in LMWF-treated diabetic PAD rats. CONCLUSIONS: Taken
      together, our findings demonstrated that LMWF exhibits therapeutic effect on
      hindlimb ischemia in type 2 diabetic rats likely through ameliorating endothelium
      eNOS dysfunction and enhancing revascularization, thus, providing a potential
      supplementary non-invasive treatment for diabetes-induced PAD.

PMID- 28917977
TI  - The role of the endocannabinoid system in the antihyperalgesic effect of Cedrus
      atlantica essential oil inhalation in a mouse model of postoperative pain.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cedar is part of the phylum of conifers, and it's
      essential oil has been used for therapeutic purposes since ancient times. In our
      previous study, we have demonstrated that the inhalation of the Cedrus atlantica
      essential oil (CaEO) induces an antihyperalgesic effect in a model of
      postoperative pain. But the mechanism that underlies this effect is not yet fully
      known. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study investigates the involvement of the
      endocannabinoid system in the antihyperalgesic effect produced by the inhalation
      of CaEO in a post operative pain model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Swiss mice
      (25-35+/-2g) were subjected to plantar incision. To assess the involvement of the
      endocannabinoid system, two different approaches were made: (1) by administering
      antagonists to the CB1 and CB2 receptors in different sites (intraperitoneal
      [i.p.], intraplantar [i.pl.] and intrathecal [i.t.]) and (2) by assessing the
      synergic effect of the inhalation of sub-effective doses of CaEO, Fatty acid
      hydrolase (FAAH) and Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), and endocannabinoid
      degradation inhibitors (URB937 and JZL184, respectively). RESULTS: The
      antihyperalgesic effect of CaEO inhalation was prevented by pretreatment with
      AM281 or AM630 given by i.p. and i.t., but not i.pl. Additionally, in mice
      pretreated with FAAH or the MAGL inhibitors, the antihyperalgesic effect of CaEO
      inhalation was significantly longer, which demonstrates the involvement of the
      endocannabinoid system in the antihyperalgesic effect of CaEO inhalation in a
      preclinical model of postoperative pain. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows
      that CaEO inhalation exerts an antihyperalgesic effect, possibly by the
      activation of the endocannabinoid system in a preclinical model of postoperative
      pain. It could be a new alternative to treat pain in a clinical environment.

PMID- 28917978
TI  - SEN1500, a novel oral amyloid-beta aggregation inhibitor, attenuates brain
      pathology in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregation is thought to be a major
      pathogenic event underlying the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The
      development of new drugs inhibiting the Abeta aggregation process is, therefore,
      important. SEN1500, an orally bioavailable and CNS-penetrant Abeta aggregation
      inhibitor, has previously been shown to reduce spatial learning and memory
      deficits in an APP transgenic mouse model. To verify that the pharmacological
      properties of SEN1500 are not unique to this model, we investigated brain Abeta
      pathology, neuroinflammation, as well as memory in a different mouse model of AD
      expressing the human amyloid precursor protein with Swedish and London mutations
      (APPSL). MATERIALS & METHODS: APPSL transgenic mice and non-transgenic
      littermates were treated with SEN1500 via food pellets from three months of age
      for four months. At the end of the treatment, animals were tested for memory
      deficits using the contextual fear conditioning test and brain tissue was
      analyzed for soluble and insoluble amyloid-beta1-38, -40, -42, beta-amyloid
      plaques, beta-sheet plaque cores, as well as for astrocytosis and activated
      microglia. RESULTS: SEN1500 treatment lowered insoluble Abeta levels and beta
      amyloid plaque load in the brain compared with control-treated APPSL mice.
      Activated microglia were significantly reduced in the cortex but not the
      hippocampus of SEN1500-treated APPSL mice. Memory deficits of APPSL mice could
      not be rescued by SEN1500. DISCUSSION: SEN1500 is not only able to reduce Abeta
      pathology and activated microglia but also to improve learning and memory as
      previously shown, making SEN1500 a potential candidate for human AD treatment.
      This Abeta aggregation inhibitor could be a promising therapeutic agent for the
      disease-modifying treatment of AD.

PMID- 28917979
TI  - Plantar reflex excitability is increased in the evening in restless legs syndrome
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate if diurnal changes in spinal excitability (plantar
      reflex) occur in restless legs syndrome (RLS) participants compared to healthy
      matched controls. METHODS: Thirteen RLS participants and 13 healthy control
      participants' plantar reflex responses were evaluated in the evening (PM) and the
      morning (AM). Plantar reflex responses were assessed electromyographically, using
      motion analysis (kinematically) and by subjective nociception (Visual Analogue
      Scale). RESULTS: RLS participants showed a circadian variation in plantar reflex
      responses whilst control participants did not. Evening ankle angle changes were
      larger and faster in RLS participants compared to morning responses. In addition
      RLS participants displayed significantly smaller change in ankle angle and
      significantly slower ankle movements in the evening and the morning as well as
      significantly lower lateral gastrocnemius maximum amplitude in the compared to
      control participants. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study support the
      theory of RLS circadian fluctuations in spinal excitability. An unexpected
      finding was decreased plantar reflex responses in RLS participants compared to
      healthy control participants. However this finding supports the theory of
      mechanical hypoesthesia in RLS. The results of this study provide further insight
      into the pathophysiology of RLS, highlighting that not all sensory processing is
      affected in the same manner.

PMID- 28917980
TI  - Absence of association of the Ala58Val (rs17571) CTSD gene variant with
      Parkinson's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a Han Chinese population.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) are neurodegenerative diseases that may share genetic risk factors.
      The exon variant Aal58Val (rs17571) in CTSD was recently associated with AD,
      leading us to examine whether it also affects risk of ALS and PD. The rs17571
      variant was genotyped using the ligase detection reaction in 569 Han Chinese
      patients with PD, 301 patients with ALS, and healthy controls age- and gender
      matched to each patient group. The frequencies of genotypes and alleles were
      similar between each disease group and its respective control group. Similar
      results were obtained when patients were stratified by gender, age at disease
      onset or type of symptoms at disease onset. These results suggest that the CTSD
      rs17571 variant may not be associated with risk of ALS or PD in Han Chinese.

PMID- 28917981
TI  - Intranasal insulin treatment alleviates methamphetamine induced anxiety-like
      behavior and neuroinflammation.
AB  - Insulin, as a peptide hormone, has recently gained attention for its pro
      cognitive, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in the central nervous
      system (CNS). Most studies have indicated anxiogenic and neuroinflammatory
      effects of methamphetamine (MA) and other psychostimulants, even after periods of
      abstinence. The present study aimed to examine whether intranasal (IN) insulin
      treatment with high CNS bioavailability and minimal systemic side effects, can
      reverse the anxiety-like behavior and neuroinflammation induced by repeated MA
      administration. In male wistar rats, escalating doses of MA (1-10mg/kg, i.p.)
      were administrated twice a day for 10 consecutive days. IN insulin treatment
      (0.5IU/day, for 7days after MA discontinuation) attenuated MA-induced anxiety
      like behavior in the elevated plus maze task, and significantly decreased the
      levels of glial cell markers (GFAP and Iba1), pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF
      alpha and IL-6) as well as COX2 and NF-kappaB players of neuroinflammation, in
      the hippocampus of MA-treated animals. These findings introduce insulin as a
      potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of MA aversive symptoms.

PMID- 28917982
TI  - Connexin hemichannels and cochlear function.
AB  - Connexins play vital roles in hearing, including promoting cochlear development
      and sustaining auditory function in the mature cochlea. Mutations in connexins
      expressed in the cochlear epithelium, Cx26 and Cx30, cause sensorineural deafness
      and in the case of Cx26, is one of the most common causes of non-syndromic,
      hereditary deafness. Connexins function as gap junction channels and as
      hemichannels, which mediate intercellular and transmembrane signaling,
      respectively. Both channel configurations can play important, but very different
      roles in the cochlea. The potential roles connexin hemichannels can play are
      discussed both in normal cochlear function and in promoting pathogenesis that can
      lead to hearing loss.

PMID- 28917983
TI  - Temperature dependence of speed of sound and attenuation of porcine left
      ventricular myocardium.
AB  - The temperature dependence of soft tissue acoustic properties is relevant for
      monitoring tissue hyperthermia. In the current work, the propagation speed and
      attenuation of healthy porcine left ventricular myocardium (N=5) was investigated
      in a frequency range relevant for clinical diagnostic imaging, i.e. 2.5-13.0MHz.
      Each tissue sample was held in a water bath at a temperature T=25 degrees C,
      heated to 45 degrees C, and allowed to cool back down to 25 degrees C. Due to
      initial tissue swelling, the data for decreasing temperatures was considered more
      reliable. In this case, the slope of the phase velocity versus temperature
      relation was measured to be 1.10+/-0.04m/s/ degrees C, and the slope of the
      attenuation was -0.11+/-0.04dB/cm/ degrees C at 10MHz, or -0.0041+/
      0.0015dB/cm/MHz1.4336/ degrees C as a function of frequency.

PMID- 28917984
TI  - Multi-objective optimization of asymmetric acoustic transmission with periodical
      structure.
AB  - Asymmetric acoustic wave propagation is important for control and manipulation of
      the acoustic wave signals in various devices. However, previous approach to find
      optimal asymmetric acoustic transmission (AAT) is through repeatedly adjusting
      the geometrical parameters, thus causing time-consuming. Here we propose a study
      on the multi-objective optimization of the AAT, aiming to achieve the widest
      working frequency range (fr) and the highest transmittance peak (eta) with regard
      to the design variables. For this purpose, the Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural
      work and finite element (FE) method are applied to obtain the valuable data in
      the procedure. Furthermore, local sensitivity analysis of design parameters on
      the fr and eta are analyzed. Ultimately, the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic
      Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is adapted for getting the Pareto-optimal solutions. The
      optimization results show great improvement for the overall performance of the
      AAT, which could be potentially significant in designing various sound devices.

PMID- 28917985
TI  - The effect of particle shape on cellular interaction and drug delivery
      applications of micro- and nanoparticles.
AB  - Encapsulation of therapeutic agents in nanoparticles offers several benefits
      including improved bioavailability, site specific delivery, reduced toxicity and
      in vivo stability of proteins and nucleotides over conventional delivery options.
      These benefits are consequence of distinct in vivo pharmacokinetic and
      biodistribution profile of nanoparticles, which is dictated by the complex
      interplay of size, surface charge and surface hydrophobicity. Recently, particle
      shape has been identified as a new physical parameter which has exerted
      tremendous impact on cellular uptake and biodistribution, thereby in vivo
      performance of nanoparticles. Improved therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents
      using non-spherical particles is the recent development in the field.
      Additionally, immunological response of nanoparticles was also altered when
      antigens were loaded in non-spherical nanovehicles. The apparent impact of
      particle shape inspired the new research in the field of drug delivery. The
      present review therefore details the research in this field. The review focuses
      on methods of fabrication of particles of non-spherical geometries and impact of
      particle shape on cellular uptake, biodistribution, tumor targeting and
      production of immunological responses.

PMID- 28917987
TI  - Development and characterisation of electrospun timolol maleate-loaded polymeric
      contact lens coatings containing various permeation enhancers.
AB  - Despite exponential growth in research relating to sustained and controlled
      ocular drug delivery, anatomical and chemical barriers of the eye still pose
      formulation challenges. Nanotechnology integration into the pharmaceutical
      industry has aided efforts in potential ocular drug device development. Here, the
      integration and in vitro effect of four different permeation enhancers (PEs) on
      the release of anti-glaucoma drug timolol maleate (TM) from polymeric nanofiber
      formulations is explored. Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) engineering, more
      specifically electrospinning, was used to engineer nanofibers (NFs) which coated
      the exterior of contact lenses. Parameters used for engineering included flow
      rates ranging from 8 to 15MUL/min and a novel EHD deposition system was used;
      capable of hosting four lenses, masked template and a ground electrode to direct
      charged atomised structures. SEM analysis of the electrospun structures confirmed
      the presence of smooth nano-fibers; whilst thermal analysis confirmed the
      stability of all formulations. In vitro release studies demonstrated a triphasic
      release; initial burst release with two subsequent sustained release phases with
      most of the drug being released after 24h (86.7%) Biological evaluation studies
      confirmed the tolerability of all formulations tested with release kinetics
      modelling results showing drug release was via quasi-Fickian or Fickian
      diffusion. There were evident differences (p<0.05) in TM release dependant on
      permeation enhancer.

PMID- 28917988
TI  - A comprehensive screening platform for aerosolizable protein formulations for
      intranasal and pulmonary drug delivery.
AB  - Aerosolized administration of biopharmaceuticals to the airways is a promising
      route for nasal and pulmonary drug delivery, but - in contrast to small molecules
      - little is known about the effects of aerosolization on safety and efficacy of
      biopharmaceuticals. Proteins are sensitive against aerosolization-associated
      shear stress. Tailored formulations can shield proteins and enhance permeation,
      but formulation development requires extensive screening approaches. Thus, the
      aim of this study was to develop a cell-based in vitro technology platform that
      includes screening of protein quality after aerosolization and transepithelial
      permeation. For efficient screening, a previously published aerosolization
      surrogate assay was used in a design of experiments approach to screen suitable
      formulations for an IgG and its antigen-binding fragment (Fab) as exemplary
      biopharmaceuticals. Efficient, dose-controlled aerosol-cell delivery was
      performed with the ALICE-CLOUD system containing RPMI 2650 epithelial cells at
      the air-liquid interface. We could demonstrate that our technology platform
      allows for rapid and efficient screening of formulations consisting of different
      excipients (here: arginine, cyclodextrin, polysorbate, sorbitol, and trehalose)
      to minimize aerosolization-induced protein aggregation and maximize permeation
      through an in vitro epithelial cell barrier. Formulations reduced aggregation of
      native Fab and IgG relative to vehicle up to 50% and enhanced transepithelial
      permeation rate up to 2.8-fold.

PMID- 28917989
TI  - Shear strength of pharmaceutical tablets: Theoretical considerations, evaluation
      and relation with the capping tendency of biconvex tablets.
AB  - Capping is a major industrial issue during pharmaceutical powder compression,
      especially in the case of biconvex tablets. Several articles proposed that
      capping was in fact a failure in shear. Shear strength should thus be interesting
      to study the capping tendency of a formulation. In this work, the ratio between
      the shear strength and the tensile strength obtained by diametral compression was
      first studied from a theoretical point of view considering different failure
      criteria. Then, a shear test usually performed on bilayer tablets was adapted to
      monolayer tablets. The shear strength obtained for 5 products, 2 of them having a
      known capping tendency, were compared with the strengths obtained during
      diametral compression test and uniaxial compression test. The results indicated
      that, for the formulations with a capping tendency, the ratio between the shear
      strength and diametral compression strength was lower than for the other
      products. Considering the mechanism of capping, the weakness in shear of these
      formulations explained their capping tendency. This was also linked with the
      mechanical anisotropy of the same formulations which was shown in the literature.
      In the cases studied in this article, the fundamental reason for the capping
      tendency was the anisotropic strength of the tablets.

PMID- 28917990
TI  - Glycerosomes: Investigation of role of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphatidycholine (DMPC) on the assembling and skin delivery performances.
AB  - Glycerosomes were formulated using 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphatidycholine (DMPC), diclofenac sodium salt and 10, 20 or 30% glycerol in
      the water phase, while corresponding liposomes were prepared with the same amount
      of DMPC and diclofenac, without glycerol. The aim of the present work was to
      evaluate the effect of the used phospholipid on vesicle features and ability to
      favour diclofenac skin deposition by comparing these results with those found in
      previous works performed using hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine (P90H) and
      dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). Liposomes and glycerosomes were
      multilamellar, liposomes being smaller (72+/-6nm). Interactions among glycerol,
      phospholipids and drug led to the formation of a non-rigid bilayer structure and
      a variation of the main transition temperature, which shifted to lower
      temperature. The addition of glycerol led to the formation of more viscous
      systems (from ~2.5mPa/s for basic liposomes to ~5mPa/s for glycerosomes), which
      improved spread ability of the formulations on the skin.Results obtained in vitro
      were promising using glycerosomes, irrespective of the amount of glycerol used:
      the amount of drug, which accumulated into and permeated through the different
      skin strata, was high and comparable with that obtained using P90H, suggesting
      that glycerosomes may represent an efficient carrier for both local effect or
      systemic absorption.

PMID- 28917991
TI  - Enhanced expression of PD-L1 and IFN-gamma on dendritic cells is associated with
      BCG-induced Th2 inhibition.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that the exposure to Mycobacterium bovis bacillus
      Calmette-Guerin (BCG) prevents the development of allergy and the airway
      dendritic cells (DCs) may be involved in this protective effect. However, studies
      to better characterize the specific interactions between BCG and DCs and their
      role in this mycobacteria-mediated Th2 cell suppression are still ongoing. This
      study aimed to evaluate the effect of the neonatal BCG vaccination in the innate
      immune response in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced airway inflammation.
      BCG treated neonatal BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with aerosolized
      OVA. Twenty-four hours after the last challenge, samples were collected for
      analysis. The intranasal BCG treatment inhibited the allergic Th2-response by
      decreasing the allergen-induced eosinophilic inflammation, EPO activity, CCL11,
      IL-25, TSLP, IL-4 and IL-5 lung levels, and serum levels of IgE. Mycobacteria
      treatment increased lung levels of IL-10 and TGF-beta, and the TLR2 and TLR4
      expressions by pulmonary CD11c+CD103+CD8alpha+ DCs. Additionally an enhanced
      expression of PD-L1 was observed besides an increased production of IFN-gamma by
      these cells. These results indicated that neonatal BCG vaccination inhibits key
      features of allergic airway inflammation, probably by promoting T regulatory
      immune response via an enhanced expression of TLR2, TLR4 and PD-L1 on DCs.

PMID- 28917986
TI  - Physicochemical properties of mucus and their impact on transmucosal drug
      delivery.
AB  - Mucus is a selective barrier to particles and molecules, preventing penetration
      to the epithelial surface of mucosal tissues. Significant advances in
      transmucosal drug delivery have recently been made and have emphasized that an
      understanding of the basic structure, viscoelastic properties, and interactions
      of mucus is of great value in the design of efficient drug delivery systems.
      Mucins, the primary non-aqueous component of mucus, are polymers carrying a
      complex and heterogeneous structure with domains that undergo a variety of
      molecular interactions, such as hydrophilic/hydrophobic, hydrogen bonds and
      electrostatic interactions. These properties are directly relevant to the
      numerous mucin-associated diseases, as well as delivering drugs across the mucus
      barrier. Therefore, in this review we discuss regional differences in mucus
      composition, mucus physicochemical properties, such as pore size,
      viscoelasticity, pH, and ionic strength. These factors are also discussed with
      respect to changes in mucus properties as a function of disease state.
      Collectively, the review seeks to provide a state of the art roadmap for
      researchers who must contend with this critical barrier to drug delivery.

PMID- 28917993
TI  - Nonsedated handheld electroretinogram as a screening test of retinal dysfunction
      in pediatric patients with nystagmus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility, sensitivity, and specificity of nonsedated
      handheld cone flicker electroretinogram (ERG) as a screening tool to detect
      retinal dysfunction in children with nystagmus. METHODS: Pediatric patients at a
      tertiary referral center from December 2015 to July 2016 were enrolled and placed
      into three age-matched groups: normal, nystagmus with a retinal dystrophy, and
      nystagmus without a retinal dystrophy. Unsedated 30 Hz cone flicker ERG responses
      were obtained using a handheld device (RETeval) from both eyes of each patient
      using skin electrode sensors after pupillary dilation. RESULTS: A total of 71
      children were enrolled; amplitudes and implicit times were successfully obtained
      in 65 (92%): 31 (mean age +/- SD, 5.6 +/- 2.7 years; range, 1-12 years) without
      nystagmus and 34 with nystagmus. Nystagmus patients were grouped by those with (n
      = 15; mean age, 8.5 +/- 4.5 [range, 2-17 years) and without (n = 19; mean age,
      4.3 +/- 3.0 [range, 6 months-10 years]) a retinal dystrophy. The patients with
      retinal dystrophies had significantly smaller amplitudes and prolonged or
      nonmeasurable implicit times than the other two groups (P < 0.001). Among
      nystagmus patients, amplitude was able to discriminate between those with and
      without retinal dystrophies with area under curve of 0.986 (SE = 0.016; P <
      0.001). An amplitude <5 MUV in combination with an implicit time of >33 ms
      warrants further evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Unsedated handheld cone flicker ERG is
      a feasible screening test that effectively detects retinal dysfunction in
      children with nystagmus. In conjunction with clinical findings, the test helps
      reduce the need for sedated ERG in children.

PMID- 28917992
TI  - Securing extraocular muscles in strabismus surgery: biomechanical analysis of
      knot-tying technique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The safe and precise reattachment of extraocular muscles requires a
      technical approach that minimizes any opportunity for the muscle to slip
      intraoperatively or postoperatively while minimizing surgical risk. Biomechanical
      testing can provide important quantitative information about the tensile
      properties of different knot configurations that may inform surgical technique.
      METHODS: A precision digital force gauge was used to assess the tensile strength
      created by different knot tying techniques and configurations in human sclera
      using 6-0 polyglactin 910 suture. RESULTS: The mean tensile strengths of the
      first knot throw formed with either one, two, or three loops, with widely
      separated scleral tunnels, were 5 g, 10 g, or 27 g, respectively. When the
      scleral tunnels are closely spaced in a "cross-swords" fashion, the mean strength
      of a first throw made with two loops increased to 385 g. If a first throw with
      two conventional loops was cinched against one of the scleral tunnels or a
      reversed first loop is used, the mean tensile strength increased to 112 g or 381
      g, respectively, even with widely spaced scleral tunnels. CONCLUSIONS: Proper
      cinching or minor modification of the first knot throw provides excellent tensile
      strength, even with short, widely spaced scleral tunnels, comparable to that
      achieved with the technically more demanding crossed swords technique.
      Conventional, noncinched first throws are prone to slip at low force when scleral
      tunnels are widely separated, though the resistance increases as the number of
      loops increases.

PMID- 28917994
TI  - Use of the Masterka for complex nasolacrimal duct obstruction in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Masterka stent has been recommended solely for treatment of
      simple distal membranous nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO). The purpose of
      this study was to evaluate the Masterka stent as a primary treatment in complex
      forms of NLDO, including bony ductal stenosis and proximal and serial membranous
      obstruction. METHODS: The medical records of patients who underwent treatment for
      congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction with the monocanalicular Masterka stent
      were reviewed retrospectively. Both simple and complex forms of NLDO were
      primarily treated with probing and irrigation, followed by placement of the
      Masterka stent. RESULTS: A total of 72 eyes (53 patients) were included: 17 cases
      were simple forms of NLDO; and 55 were complex. Success was achieved in 15 of 17
      simple cases (88%) and 39 of 55 complex cases (71%); the overall success rate was
      75%. In patients <24 months of age, success rates were 100% for simple and 78%
      for complex forms. CONCLUSIONS: The Masterka stent can be useful in a younger
      subset of patients with more complex forms of congenital NLDO. A lower success
      rate is noted in children >2 years of age and complex forms of NLDO, especially
      those with bony stenosis.

PMID- 28917995
TI  - Removal of a barbed fish hook from the cornea of an 8-year-old boy.
AB  - This video article shows the surgical removal of a three-pronged barbed fish hook
      from the cornea and anterior chamber of an 8-year-old boy. The advance-and-cut
      method is shown: the embedded barbed point of the fish hook was advanced through
      the cornea, its point was cut off, and the shank of the hook was withdrawn. This
      method was chosen due to the three-pronged configuration of the fish hook to
      minimize additional trauma to the eye. Other methods of fish hook removal are
      briefly reviewed.

PMID- 28917996
TI  - Poor efficacy of TNF inhibitors in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in
      the absence of objective signs: A bicentric retrospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare BASDAI 50 response rate to TNFi in axial spondyloarthritis
      (axSpA) depending on the presence or not of objective signs of axSpA and to look
      for predictive factors of TNFi efficacy. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with axSpA
      according to ASAS criteria "clinical arm" and treated between January 2001 and
      September 2015 with TNFi were included. First group included patients with at
      least one objective sign such as arthritis, dactylitis, enthesitis, uveitis,
      inflammatory bowel disease, elevated C-reactive protein or radiological
      sacroiliitis, and second group included non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA)
      patients without any objective sign corresponding to patients with inflammatory
      back pain and either a good response to NSAID or a SpA family history. The
      primary outcome was the TNFi efficacy, defined as an achievement of BASDAI 50 at
      3 months. The secondary outcomes were BASDAI 50 achievement over 1 year and
      analysis of predictive factors of TNFi response. RESULTS: We included 84 nr-axSpA
      patients without any objective signs and 84 axSpA patients with objective signs
      (48.2% r-axSpA and 52.8% nr-axSpA). BASDAI 50 achievement rates were
      significantly higher in patients with objective signs than in patients without,
      at 3 months (45.1% versus 13.7%, P<0.0001) and at any of the visit-time points
      over the first year (61.9% versus 21.4%, P<0.0001). In multivariate analysis,
      overweight/obesity and sacroiliitis on MRI were respectively negative and
      positive predictive factors of TNFi efficacy in the total population at 3 months
      (OR=0.32, 95%CI [0.11, 0.96], P=0.041 and OR=6.92, 95% CI (2.41, 19.8), P<0.0001,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: TNFi should be used with caution in axSpA when
      objective signs are absent as only 13.7% of these patients were BASDAI 50
      responders at 3 months.

PMID- 28917997
TI  - Lung transplantation for scleroderma: Strength in numbers.

PMID- 28917998
TI  - Clinical characteristics and outcomes in polyarticular septic arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Septic polyarthritis is rarer than septic monoarthritis, but
      associated with higher mortality. Septic polyarthritis may be difficult to
      distinguish clinically from noninfectious inflammatory arthritis. We describe one
      of the largest samples of septic polyarthritis with the aim of distinguishing
      septic monoarthritis from polyarthritis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective
      study of adults admitted to tertiary care with septic monoarthritis and
      polyarthritis. Baseline characteristics, microbial profiles, joint involvement,
      length of stay, and 60-day readmission rates were determined. RESULTS: We
      identified 464 and 42 cases of septic monoarthritis and polyarthritis,
      respectively, including 7 cases of septic polyarthritis with comorbid rheumatoid
      arthritis. Compared to those with septic monoarthritis, patients with septic
      polyarthritis were more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis (P<0.01), sepsis
      (P<0.01), and higher peripheral (P<0.001) and synovial (P<0.001) white blood cell
      counts. Operative intervention rates were similar, but mean length of stay was
      longer in polyarticular septic arthritis (P<0.001). Patients with septic
      polyarthritis with/without underlying rheumatoid arthritis were similar in terms
      of presenting features and outcomes, except for more frequent immunosuppressive
      therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of patients
      with septic arthritis, patients with septic polyarthritis were more likely to
      have systemic infection at presentation than those with septic monoarthritis.
      Despite this difference, patients with septic monoarthritis and polyarthritis
      tended to have similar outcomes. While rheumatoid arthritis was observed more
      frequently among patients with septic polyarthritis, those with/without
      underlying rheumatoid arthritis had similar presenting features and outcomes.

PMID- 28917999
TI  - The two-component response regulator VdSkn7 plays key roles in microsclerotial
      development, stress resistance and virulence of Verticillium dahliae.
AB  - The fungus Verticillium dahliae causes vascular wilt disease on various plant
      species resulting in devastating yield losses worldwide. The capacity of V.
      dahliae to colonize in host plant xylem and disseminate by microsclerotia has led
      to studies to evaluate genes associated with pathogenesis and microsclerotia
      formation. Here, we identified and characterized a V. dahliae homolog to Skn7, a
      two-component stress response regulator of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Results
      showed that melanized microsclerotia formation and conidiation were significantly
      inhibited in the VdSkn7 deletion mutants. VdSkn7-deficient mutants displayed
      severe growth defect under heat shock, cell wall perturbing agents and H2O2, and
      were significantly less virulent but were not sensitive to osmotic stresses
      compared to the wild-type strain. Finally, we demonstrated that VdSkn7 is
      required for the plant penetration. Taken together, our study thus provides new
      evidence on the functional conservation and divergence of Skn7 orthologs among
      fungal organisms and indicates that VdSkn7 contributes to microsclerotial
      development, virulence and stress response of V. dahliae.

PMID- 28918000
TI  - Nitric oxide prevents Aft1 activation and metabolic remodeling in frataxin
      deficient yeast.
AB  - Yeast frataxin homolog (Yfh1) is the orthologue of human frataxin, a
      mitochondrial protein whose deficiency causes Friedreich Ataxia. Yfh1 deficiency
      activates Aft1, a transcription factor governing iron homeostasis in yeast cells.
      Although the mechanisms causing this activation are not completely understood, it
      is assumed that it may be caused by iron-sulfur deficiency. However, several
      evidences indicate that activation of Aft1 occurs in the absence of iron-sulfur
      deficiency. Besides, Yfh1 deficiency also leads to metabolic remodeling (mainly
      consisting in a shift from respiratory to fermentative metabolism) and to
      induction of Yhb1, a nitric oxide (NO) detoxifying enzyme. In this work, we have
      used conditional Yfh1 mutant yeast strains to investigate the relationship
      between NO, Aft1 activation and metabolic remodeling. We have observed that NO
      prevents Aft1 activation caused by Yfh1 deficiency. This phenomenon is not
      observed when Aft1 is activated by iron scarcity or impaired iron-sulfur
      biogenesis. In addition, analyzing key metabolic proteins by a targeted
      proteomics approach, we have observed that NO prevents the metabolic remodeling
      caused by Yfh1 deficiency. We conclude that Aft1 activation in Yfh1-deficient
      yeasts is not caused by iron-sulfur deficiency or iron scarcity. Our hypothesis
      is that Yfh1 deficiency leads to the presence of anomalous iron species that can
      compromise iron bioavailability and activate a signaling cascade that results in
      Aft1 activation and metabolic remodeling.

PMID- 28918002
TI  - Effect of natural sagittal trunk lean on standing balance in untreated scoliotic
      girls.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Generally, scoliotic girls have a tendency to lean further back than
      a comparable group of non-scoliotic girls. To date, no study has addressed how
      standing balance in untreated scoliotic girls is affected by a natural backwardly
      or forwardly inclined trunk. METHODS: 27 able-bodied young girls and 27 young
      girls with a right thoracic curve were classified as leaning forward or backward
      according to the median of their trunk sagittal inclination. Participants stood
      upright barefoot. Trunk and pelvis orientations were calculated from 8 bony
      landmarks. Upright standing balance was assessed by 9 parameters calculated from
      the excursion of the center of pressure and the free moment. FINDINGS: In the
      anterior-posterior direction, backward scoliotic girls had a greater center of
      pressure range (P=0.036) and speed (P=0.015) by 10.4mm and 2.8mm/s respectively
      than the forward scoliotic group. Compared to their matching non-scoliotic group,
      the backward scoliotic girls stood more on their heels by 14.6mm (P=0.017) and
      display greater center of pressure speed by 2.5mm/s (P=0.028). Medio-lateral
      center of pressure range (P=0.018) and speed (P=0.008) were statistically higher
      by 8.7mm and 3.6mm/s for the backward group. Only the free moment RMS was
      significantly larger (P=0.045) for the backward scoliotic group when compared to
      the forwardly inclined scoliotic group. INTERPRETATION: Only those with a
      backward lean displayed statistically significant differences from both forward
      scoliotic girls and non-scoliotic girls. Untreated scoliotic girls with an
      exaggerated back extension could profit more from postural rehabilitation to
      improve their standing balance.

PMID- 28918001
TI  - In vitro evaluation of antimicrobial agents on Acanthamoeba sp. and evidence of a
      natural resilience to amphotericin B.
AB  - The free-living amoeba (FLA) Acanthamoeba sp. is an opportunistic pathogen that
      can cause amoebic keratitis (AK) or granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE).
      While current treatments of AK are long with some relapses, no consensus therapy
      has been developed for GAE remaining lethal in 90% of the cases. In this context,
      efficient antiacanthamoebal drugs have to be identified. In this work, 15 drugs
      used in the treatment of AK or GAE or in other parasitic diseases were evaluated
      for their in vitro activity on A. castellanii. Hexamidine, voriconazole and
      clotrimazole exhibited the highest activities with IC50 values at 0.05 MUM, 0.40
      MUM and 0.80 MUM, respectively, while rifampicin, metronidazole and cotrimoxazole
      were inactive. Among 15 drug associations evaluated, no synergistic effect was
      observed, and one antagonism was determined between hexamidine and chlorhexidine.
      Interestingly, amphotericin B was the only drug presenting an increase of IC50 as
      a function of treatment duration. The amoebae susceptibility to amphotericin B
      cultured in the presence of 250 MUM of the drug was similar to the one of a naive
      control, revealing that no resistant strain could be selected. However, the
      amoebae susceptibility always returned to an initial level at each passage. This
      natural and non-acquired adaptation to amphotericin B, qualified as resilience,
      was observed in several strains of A. castellanii and A. polyphaga. Using a
      pharmacological approach with effectors of different cellular mechanisms or
      transports, and an ultrastructural analysis of amphotericin B-treated amoebae,
      the involvement of several mitochondria-dependent pathways as well as multidrug
      resistant transporters was determined in amphotericin B resilience. Based on the
      observations from this study, the relevance of using amphotericin B in GAE
      treatments may be reconsidered, while the use of some other drugs, such as
      rifampicin or cotrimoxazole, is not relative to intrinsic antiacanthamoebal
      activity.

PMID- 28918003
TI  - Relevance of adding a triangular dynamic cushion on a traditional chair: A 3D
      analysis of seated schoolchildren.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low back pain is highly prevalent in the general population and is
      even reported as early as at primary school. A poor sitting position has been
      suggested as an etiologic factor. This study analysed, in primary schoolchildren,
      the influence of a triangular dynamic cushion that aims to help children maintain
      their physiological lumbar lordosis and to induce movement to reduce the static
      effect of the sitting position. METHODS: Thirty 8-year-old children took part in
      this study. A 3D analysis combined with electromyography was used to evaluate the
      biomechanics and the related muscle activation in two sitting positions (with and
      without a triangular cushion on a horizontal stool) during a 15-minute working
      task. In addition, the force of the feet on the ground was assessed with a force
      plate. FINDINGS: The cushion improved the trunk-thighs angle, lumbar lordosis,
      anterior pelvis tilt, and feet support on the ground (p<0.0001). In addition,
      sitting on the cushion appeared to be more dynamic (p<0.05) and induced a
      decrease of the lumbar paravertebral muscle activity (p<0.01). INTERPRETATION:
      Sitting on a dynamic triangular cushion tends to favour the "ideal" siting
      position usually described in the literature and to decrease the level of
      paravertebral muscle recruitment. Seeing that sitting position is a risk factor
      to develop low back pain, the cushion could be a solution to prevent it.

PMID- 28918004
TI  - The role of oxidative stress in influenza virus infection.
AB  - Virus-induced oxidative stress plays an important role in the regulation of the
      host immune system. In this review, we provide backgrounds of the pathogenic
      mechanism of oxidative stress induced by influenza virus and the specific oxidant
      sensitive pathways, and highlight that antioxidant is one of the effective
      strategies against influenza virus infection.

PMID- 28918005
TI  - Analysing how plants in coastal wetlands respond to varying tidal regimes
      throughout their life cycles.
AB  - Important to conserve plant species in coastal wetlands throughout their life
      cycle. All life stages in these habitats are exposed to varying tidal cycles. It
      is necessary to investigate all life stages as to how they respond to varying
      tidal regimes. We examine three wetlands containing populations of an endangered
      halophyte species, each subjected to different tidal regimes: (1). wetlands
      completely closed to tidal cycles; (2). wetlands directly exposed to tidal cycles
      (3). wetlands exposed to a partially closed tidal regime. Our results showed that
      the most threatened stage varied between wetlands subjected to these varying
      tidal regimes. We hypothesis that populations of this species have adapted to
      these different tidal regimes. Such information is useful in developing
      management options for coastal wetlands and modifying future barriers restricting
      tidal flushing.

PMID- 28918006
TI  - Factors influencing organochlorine pesticides distribution in the Brisbane River
      Estuarine sediment, Australia.
AB  - Sediment samples collected from Brisbane River were analysed for organochlorine
      pesticide residues (OCPs). The factors influencing OCPs distribution in the
      sediment were investigated using multivariate analytical tools. Thirteen OCPs
      were detected in the sediment with concentrations ranging between below detection
      to 83.9ng/g, and detection frequency >90%. With the exception of dieldrin, the
      OCP inputs appear to be historical and may cause adverse ecological impacts.
      Multi-criteria ranking of the factors influencing the OCPs (except dieldrin)
      distribution in the sediment revealed that TOC>silt>intensive urban land
      use>population>seasons. Dieldrin distribution is significantly influenced by
      season>TOC>silt>intensive urban land use>population. The study helps to
      prioritise factors required for managing OCPs contamination in sediments and
      identification of appropriate mitigation measures.

PMID- 28918007
TI  - The Effect of Visual-Spatial Ability on the Learning of Robot-Assisted Surgical
      Skills.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the correlation of visual
      spatial ability with progression along the learning curve for robotic surgical
      skills training. METHODS: A total of 21 novice participants were recruited. All
      participants completed a training program consisting of 5 training sessions of 30
      minutes of virtual reality (VR) simulation and 30 minutes of dry laboratory
      training. The VR simulation part was the subject of the present study. During VR
      simulation training, participants performed the basic skill exercises of Camera
      Targeting 1, Pick and Place, and Peg Board 1 followed by advanced skill exercises
      of Suture Sponge 1 and Thread the Rings. The visual-spatial ability was assessed
      using a mental rotation test (MRT). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to
      assess the relationship between the MRT score and simulator score for the
      aforementioned 5 tasks. Student t test was used to compare the simulator score
      between high- and low-MRT score groups. RESULTS: A median MRT score of 26/40
      (range: 13-38) was observed. Approximately 19 participants completed the full
      curriculum but 2 did not complete "Thread the Rings" during the study period. A
      significant correlation was observed between the MRT score and simulator score
      only in "Suture Sponge 1" over the first 3 attempts (first: r = 0.584, p =
      0.0054; second: r = 0.443, p = 0.0443; third: r = 0.4458, p = 0.0428). After the
      third attempt, this significant correlation was lost. Comparison of the score for
      "Suture Sponge 1" between the high-MRT and low-MRT scoring participants divided
      by a median MRT score of 26 also showed a significant difference in the score
      until the third trial. CONCLUSION: Our observations suggest that the spatial
      cognitive ability influences the initial learning of robotic suturing skills.
      Further studies are necessary to verify the usefulness of an individual's spatial
      ability to tailor the surgical training program.

PMID- 28918008
TI  - A finite element study on the mechanical response of the head-neck interface of
      hip implants under realistic forces and moments of daily activities: Part 2.
AB  - A finite element model was developed to investigate the effect of loading regimes
      caused by various daily activities on the mechanical behaviour of the head-neck
      taper junction in modular hip replacements. The activities included stair up,
      stair down, sit to stand, stand to sit, one leg standing and knee bending. To
      present the real mechanical environment of the junction, in addition to the force
      components, the frictional moments produced by the frictional sliding of the head
      and cup were applied to a CoCr/CoCr junction having a 12/14 taper with a proximal
      mismatch angle of 0.024 degrees . This study revealed that stair up with the
      highest fretting work per unit of length (1.62 * 104J/m) was the most critical
      activity, while knee bending and stand to sit with 1.96 * 103J/m were the least
      critical activities. For all the activities, the superolateral region of the neck
      was identified as the most critical region in terms of having larger values of
      fretting work per unit of area. This study showed also that the relative micro
      motions and contact stresses occurring at the head-neck interface for all the
      studied activities are mostly in the range of 0-38um and 0-350MPa, respectively.
      These ranges may be accordingly employed for conducting relevant in-vitro tests
      to more realistically represent the mechanical environment of taper junctions
      with the same materials and geometry studied in this work.

PMID- 28918009
TI  - Low temperature degradation of single layers of multilayered zirconia in
      comparison to conventional unshaded zirconia: Phase transformation and flexural
      strength.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the transformation of yttrium
      stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) to monoclinic phase and its change in
      flexural strength of the various layers of multilayered zirconia (enamel layer,
      transition layer 1, transition layer 2 and body layer) in comparison to two
      conventional zirconia ceramics. Additionally, the ball-on-three-balls test was
      compared with a conventional biaxial flexural strength test. METHODS: The
      crystallographic structure of the four layers of Katana Zirconia ML (Kuraray),
      e.max ZirCAD (Ivoclar Vivadent) and Lava Plus (3M ESPE) was investigated by x-ray
      diffraction before and after hydrothermal aging in an autoclave for 5, 10, 15 and
      20h. The biaxial flexural strength was examined with a piston-on-three-ball test
      and a ball-on-three-balls test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference of
      the ratio of transformation with respect to the tested materials, also between
      the four different layers of multilayered zirconia. After 20h of hydrothermal
      aging the mean ratio of monoclinic phase ranged from 9.9vol% (LAVA Plus) to
      44.2vol% (Katana Zirconia ML, enamel layer). However, hydrothermal aging had no
      significant influence on the flexural strength of any material. Furthermore, the
      flexural strength measured by the ball-on-three-balls test was higher than that
      measured by the piston-on-three-ball test. CONCLUSION: A ratio of 40% monoclinic
      phase at the surface did not significantly influence the biaxial flexural
      strength. Both test methods provide reliable results. However, as the ball-on
      three balls test is less dependent on surface roughness, it might be preferred
      for investigations adapted to clinical reality.

PMID- 28918010
TI  - Corrigendum to "Extending the Distributed Lag Model framework to handle chemical
      mixtures" [Environ. Res. 156 (2017) 253-264].

PMID- 28918011
TI  - Nucleic Acid Polymers with Accelerated Plasma and Tissue Clearance for Chronic
      Hepatitis B Therapy.
AB  - REP 2139 is a nucleic acid polymer (NAP) currently under clinical development for
      chronic hepatitis B (HBV) therapy. This preclinical study investigated different
      REP 2139 analogs that would display reduced accumulation in the serum and
      tissues, while retaining an antiviral effect against HBV infection. REP 2139
      analogs were evaluated in human plasma, CD-1 mice, cynomolgus monkeys, and Pekin
      ducks. Discrete ribose transformation to 2'OH in selected riboadenosines resulted
      in a slow degradation in acidified human plasma that plateaued after 48 hr. REP
      2165, a REP 2139 analog containing three unmodified riboadenosines equally spaced
      throughout the polymer, showed similar plasma clearance and tissue distribution
      as REP 2139 in mice and cynomolgus monkeys after a single dose. Interestingly,
      after repeated administration, accumulation of REP 2165 in plasma and organs was
      reduced, indicating a dramatically faster rate of clearance from organs after
      therapy was ended in both species. Both REP 2139 and REP 2165 were well tolerated
      at clinically relevant doses, with no alterations in liver, kidney, or
      hematological function. In chronic duck HBV (DHBV) infection, REP 2165 displayed
      significantly reduced liver accumulation after repeated dosing but retained
      antiviral activity similar to REP 2139. These results indicate the therapeutic
      potential of REP 2165 against chronic HBV infection in patients is similar to REP
      2139, but with significantly reduced drug accumulation and improved tissue
      clearance.

PMID- 28918012
TI  - Gene Editing with Helper-Dependent Adenovirus Can Efficiently Introduce Multiple
      Changes Simultaneously over a Large Genomic Region.
AB  - Helper-dependent adenoviral vectors (HDAds) possess long homology arms that
      mediate high-efficiency gene editing. These long homology arms may permit
      simultaneous introduction of multiple modifications into a large genomic region
      or may permit a single HDAd to correct many different individual mutations spread
      widely across a gene. We investigated this important potential using an HDAd
      bearing 13 genetic markers in the region of homology to the target CFTR locus in
      human iPSCs and found that all markers can be simultaneously introduced into the
      target locus, with the two farthest markers being 22.2 kb apart. We found that
      genetic markers closer to the HDAd's selectable marker are more efficiency
      introduced into the target locus; a marker located 208 bp from the selectable
      marker was introduced with 100% efficiency. However, even markers 11 kb from the
      selectable marker were introduced at a relatively high frequency of 21.7%. Our
      study also revealed extensive heteroduplex DNA formation of up to 10 kb with no
      bias toward vector or chromosomal repair. However, mismatches escape repair at a
      frequency of up to 15%, leading to a genetically mixed colony and emphasizing the
      need for caution, especially if the donor and target sequences are not 100%
      homologous.

PMID- 28918013
TI  - miR-135b Stimulates Osteosarcoma Recurrence and Lung Metastasis via Notch and
      Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling.
AB  - Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in osteosarcoma (OS) metastasis
      and recurrence, and both Wnt/beta-catenin and Notch signaling are essential for
      the development of the biological traits of CSCs. However, the mechanism that
      underlies the simultaneous hyperactivation of both Wnt/beta-catenin and Notch
      signaling in OS remains unclear. Here, we report that expression of miR-135b
      correlates with the overall and recurrence-free survival of OS patients, and that
      miR-135b has an activating effect on both Wnt/beta-catenin and Notch signaling.
      The overexpression of miR-135b simultaneously targets multiple negative
      regulators of the Wnt/beta-catenin and Notch signaling pathways, including
      glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3beta), casein kinase 1a (CK1alpha), and ten
      eleven translocation 3 (TET3). Therefore, upregulated miR-135b promotes CSC
      traits, lung metastasis, and tumor recurrence in OS. Notably, antagonizing miR
      135b potently inhibits OS lung metastasis, cancer cell stemness, CSC-induced
      tumor formation, and recurrence in xenograft animal models. These findings
      suggest that miR-135b mediates the constitutive activation of Wnt/beta-catenin
      and Notch signaling, and that the inhibition of miR-135b is a novel strategy to
      inhibit tumor metastasis and prevent CSC-induced recurrence in OS.

PMID- 28918014
TI  - Artificial Zinc-Finger Transcription Factor of A20 Suppresses Restenosis in
      Sprague Dawley Rats after Carotid Injury via the PPARalpha Pathway.
AB  - The inhibition of inflammation and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)
      proliferation is an ideal strategy to suppress intimal hyperplasia after
      percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). Evidence has indicated that
      overexpression of A20 suppresses neointima formation, but its low transfection
      efficiency limits its application. Hence, we upregulated A20 expression via
      transfection of rAd.ATF (recombinant adenovirus vector of artificial
      transcription factor) and rAd.A20 in rat carotid arteries after balloon
      dilatation (in vivo) and isolated VSMCs (in vitro). In vivo, we found that after
      rAd.ATF and rAd.A20 transfection, A20 expression was markedly increased, whereas
      proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and nuclear factor kappaB p65 (NF
      kappaBp65) protein levels were significantly decreased, and intimal hyperplasia
      and secretion of proinflammatory factors were significantly reduced when compared
      with empty vector and saline control groups. Most importantly, the rAd.ATF
      treated group showed more significant inhibition on intimal hyperplasia and
      expression of PCNA than the rAd.A20-treated group. In vitro, compared with the
      control group, transfection of rAd.ATF and rAd.A20 significantly increased A20
      expression, which upregulated the proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) level
      for both mRNA and protein, and reduced migration and proliferation of VSMCs and
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. Furthermore, the PPARalpha agonist
      GW6471 could partially restore the effect of A20 on VSMCs. Our findings indicate
      that the ATF of A20 inhibits neointimal hyperplasia and, therefore, constitutes a
      novel potential alternative to prevent restenosis.

PMID- 28918015
TI  - A MicroRNA124 Target Sequence Restores Astrocyte Specificity of gfaABC1D-Driven
      Transgene Expression in AAV-Mediated Gene Transfer.
AB  - Experimentally restricting transgene expression exclusively to astrocytes has
      proven difficult. Using adeno-associated-virus-mediated gene transfer, we
      assessed two commonly used glial fibrillary acidic protein promoters: the full
      length version gfa2 (2,210-bp human glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]
      promoter) and the truncated variant gfaABC1D (681-bp GFAP promoter). The capacity
      to drive efficient, but also cell-type specific, expression of the EGFP in
      astrocytes was tested both in vitro in rat primary cortical cultures as well as
      in vivo in the rat striatum. We observed an efficient, but not entirely astrocyte
      specific, gfa2-driven reporter expression. gfaABC1D exhibited a weaker activity,
      and most importantly, off-target, neuronal expression of the transgene occurred
      in a larger fraction of cells. Therefore, we explored the potential of a microRNA
      (miR)-specific target-sequence-based approach for abolishing off-target
      expression. When miR124 target sequences were incorporated into the 3' UTR,
      neuronal gene expression was effectively silenced. However, unexpectedly, the
      insertion of an additional sequence in the 3' UTR clearly diminished transgene
      expression. In conclusion, the gfaABC1D promoter on its own is not sufficient to
      specifically target transgene expression to astrocytes and is not well suited for
      AAV-based gene targeting, even if short promoter sequences are required. The
      combination with a miR de-targeting sequence represents a promising experimental
      strategy that eliminates off-target, neuronal expression.

PMID- 28918017
TI  - Efficacy and Safety Profile of Tricyclo-DNA Antisense Oligonucleotides in
      Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Mouse Model.
AB  - Antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) hold promise for therapeutic splice-switching
      correction in many genetic diseases. However, despite advances in AON chemistry
      and design, systemic use of AONs is limited due to poor tissue uptake and
      sufficient therapeutic efficacy is still difficult to achieve. A novel class of
      AONs made of tricyclo-DNA (tcDNA) is considered very promising for the treatment
      of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a neuromuscular disease typically caused by
      frameshifting deletions or nonsense mutations in the gene-encoding dystrophin and
      characterized by progressive muscle weakness, cardiomyopathy, and respiratory
      failure in addition to cognitive impairment. Herein, we report the efficacy and
      toxicology profile of a 13-mer tcDNA in mdx mice. We show that systemic delivery
      of 13-mer tcDNA allows restoration of dystrophin in skeletal muscles and to a
      lower extent in the brain, leading to muscle function improvement and correction
      of behavioral features linked to the emotional/cognitive deficiency. More
      importantly, tcDNA treatment was generally limited to minimal glomerular changes
      and few cell necroses in proximal tubules, with only slight variation in serum
      and urinary kidney toxicity biomarker levels. These results demonstrate an
      encouraging safety profile for tcDNA, albeit typical of phosphorothiate AONs, and
      confirm its therapeutic potential for the systemic treatment of DMD patients.

PMID- 28918016
TI  - Therapeutic miRNA and siRNA: Moving from Bench to Clinic as Next Generation
      Medicine.
AB  - In the past few years, therapeutic microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA
      (siRNA) are some of the most important biopharmaceuticals that are in commercial
      space as future medicines. This review summarizes the patents of miRNA- and siRNA
      based new drugs, and also provides a snapshot about significant biopharmaceutical
      companies that are investing for the therapeutic development of miRNA and siRNA
      molecules. An insightful view about individual siRNA and miRNA drugs has been
      depicted with their present status, which is gaining attention in the therapeutic
      landscape. The efforts of the biopharmaceuticals are discussed with the status of
      their preclinical and/or clinical trials. Here, some of the setbacks have been
      highlighted during the biopharmaceutical development of miRNA and siRNA as
      individual therapeutics. Finally, a snapshot is illustrated about
      pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics with absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
      excretion (ADME), which is the fundamental development process of these
      therapeutics, as well as the delivery system for miRNA- and siRNA-based drugs.

PMID- 28918018
TI  - Locked Nucleic Acid Gapmers and Conjugates Potently Silence ADAM33, an Asthma
      Associated Metalloprotease with Nuclear-Localized mRNA.
AB  - Two mechanisms dominate the clinical pipeline for oligonucleotide-based gene
      silencing, namely, the antisense approach that recruits RNase H to cleave target
      RNA and the RNAi approach that recruits the RISC complex to cleave target RNA.
      Multiple chemical designs can be used to elicit each pathway. We compare the
      silencing of the asthma susceptibility gene ADAM33 in MRC-5 lung fibroblasts
      using four classes of gene silencing agents, two that use each mechanism:
      traditional duplex small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), single-stranded small
      interfering RNAs (ss-siRNAs), locked nucleic acid (LNA) gapmer antisense
      oligonucleotides (ASOs), and novel hexadecyloxypropyl conjugates of the ASOs. Of
      these designs, the gapmer ASOs emerged as lead compounds for silencing ADAM33
      expression: several gapmer ASOs showed subnanomolar potency when transfected with
      cationic lipid and low micromolar potency with no toxicity when delivered
      gymnotically. The preferential susceptibility of ADAM33 mRNA to silencing by
      RNase H may be related to the high degree of nuclear retention observed for this
      mRNA. Dynamic light scattering data showed that the hexadecyloxypropyl ASO
      conjugates self-assemble into clusters. These conjugates showed reduced potency
      relative to unconjugated ASOs unless the lipophilic tail was conjugated to the
      ASO using a biocleavable linkage. Finally, based on the lead ASOs from (human)
      MRC-5 cells, we developed a series of homologous ASOs targeting mouse Adam33 with
      excellent activity. Our work confirms that ASO-based gene silencing of ADAM33 is
      a useful tool for asthma research and therapy.

PMID- 28918019
TI  - Dual Tumor-Targeting Nanocarrier System for siRNA Delivery Based on pRNA and
      Modified Chitosan.
AB  - Highly specific and efficient delivery of siRNA is still unsatisfactory. Herein,
      a dual tumor-targeting siRNA delivery system combining pRNA dimers with chitosan
      nanoparticles (CNPPs) was designed to improve the specificity and efficiency of
      siRNA delivery. In this dual delivery system, folate-conjugated and PEGylated
      chitosan nanoparticles encapsulating pRNA dimers were used as the first class of
      delivery system and would selectively deliver intact pRNA dimers near or into
      target cells. pRNA dimers simultaneously carrying siRNA and targeting aptamer,
      the second class of delivery system, would specifically deliver siRNA into the
      target cells via aptamer-mediated endocytosis or proper particle size. To certify
      the delivering efficiency of this dual system, CNPPs, pRNA dimers alone, chitosan
      nanoparticles containing siRNA with folate conjugation and PEGylation (CNPS), and
      chitosan nanoparticles containing pRNA dimers alone (CN) were first prepared.
      Then, we observed that treatment with CNPPs resulted in increased cellular
      uptake, higher cell apoptosis, stronger cell cytotoxicity, and more efficacious
      gene silencing compared to the other three formulations. Higher accumulation of
      siRNA in the tumor site, stronger tumor inhibition, and longer circulating time
      were also observed with CNPPs compared to other formulations. In conclusion, this
      dual nanocarrier system showed high targeting and favorable therapeutic efficacy
      both in vitro and in vivo. Thereby, a new approach is provided in this study for
      specific and efficient delivery of siRNA, which lays a foundation for the
      development of pRNA hexamers, which can simultaneously carry six different
      substances.

PMID- 28918020
TI  - Rationally Engineered AAV Capsids Improve Transduction and Volumetric Spread in
      the CNS.
AB  - Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is the most common vector for clinical gene therapy
      of the CNS. This popularity originates from a high safety record and the
      longevity of transgene expression in neurons. Nevertheless, clinical efficacy for
      CNS indications is lacking, and one reason for this is the relatively limited
      spread and transduction efficacy in large regions of the human brain. Using
      rationally designed modifications of the capsid, novel AAV capsids have been
      generated that improve intracellular processing and result in increased transgene
      expression. Here, we sought to improve AAV-mediated neuronal transduction to
      minimize the existing limitations of CNS gene therapy. We investigated the
      efficacy of CNS transduction using a variety of tyrosine and threonine capsid
      mutants based on AAV2, AAV5, and AAV8 capsids, as well as AAV2 mutants incapable
      of binding heparan sulfate (HS). We found that mutating several tyrosine residues
      on the AAV2 capsid significantly enhanced neuronal transduction in the striatum
      and hippocampus, and the ablation of HS binding also increased the volumetric
      spread of the vector. Interestingly, the analogous tyrosine substitutions on AAV5
      and AAV8 capsids did not improve the efficacy of these serotypes. Our results
      demonstrate that the efficacy of CNS gene transfer can be significantly improved
      with minor changes to the AAV capsid and that the effect is serotype specific.

PMID- 28918021
TI  - In Vitro Selection of Cell-Internalizing DNA Aptamers in a Model System of
      Inflammatory Kidney Disease.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive pathological condition marked by a
      gradual loss of kidney function. Treatment of CKD is most effective when
      diagnosed at an early stage and patients are still asymptomatic. However, current
      diagnostic biomarkers (e.g., serum creatinine and urine albumin) are insufficient
      for prediction of the pathogenesis of the disease. To address this need, we
      applied a cell-SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment)
      approach and identified a series of DNA aptamers, which exhibit high affinity and
      selectivity for cytokine-stimulated cells, resembling some aspects of a CKD
      phenotype. The cell-SELEX approach was driven toward the enrichment of aptamers
      that internalize via the endosomal pathway by isolating the endosomal fractions
      in each selection cycle. Indeed, we demonstrated co-localization of selected
      aptamers with lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP-1), a late endosomal
      and lysosomal marker protein, by fluorescence in situ hybridization. These
      findings are consistent with binding and subsequent internalization of the
      aptamers into cytokine-stimulated cells. Thus, our study sets the stage for
      applying selected DNA aptamers as theragnostic reagents for the development of
      targeted therapies to combat CKD.

PMID- 28918022
TI  - Antisense Oligonucleotides Reduce RNA Foci in Spinocerebellar Ataxia 36 Patient
      iPSCs.
AB  - Spinocerebellar ataxia type 36 is a late-onset, slowly progressive cerebellar
      syndrome with motor neuron degeneration that is caused by expansions of a
      hexanucleotide repeat (GGCCTG) in the noncoding region of NOP56 gene, with a
      histopathological feature of RNA foci formation in postmortem tissues. Here, we
      report a cellular model using the spinocerebellar ataxia type 36 patient induced
      pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We generated iPSCs from spinocerebellar ataxia
      type 36 patients and differentiated them into neurons. The number of RNA-foci
      positive cells was increased in patient iPSCs and iPSC-derived neurons. Treatment
      of the 2'-O, 4'-C-ethylene-bridged nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)
      targeting NOP56 pre-mRNA reduced RNA-foci-positive cells to ~50% in patient iPSCs
      and iPSC-derived neurons. NOP56 mRNA expression levels were lower in patient
      iPSCs and iPSC-derived neurons than in healthy control neurons. One of the ASOs
      reduced the number of RNA-foci-positive cells without altering NOP56 mRNA
      expression levels in patient iPSCs and iPSC-derived neurons. These data show that
      iPSCs from spinocerebellar ataxia type 36 patients can be useful for evaluating
      the effects of ASOs toward GGCCTG repeat expansion in spinocerebellar ataxia type
      36.

PMID- 28918023
TI  - Repression of COUP-TFI Improves Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell
      Differentiation into Insulin-Producing Cells.
AB  - Identifying molecular mechanisms that regulate insulin expression in bone marrow
      derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) can provide clues on how to stimulate the
      differentiation of bmMSCs into insulin-producing cells (IPCs), which can be used
      as a therapeutic approach against type 1 diabetes (T1D). As repression factors
      may inhibit differentiation, the efficiency of this process is insufficient for
      cell transplantation. In this study, we used the mouse insulin 2 (Ins2) promoter
      sequence and performed a DNA affinity precipitation assay combined with liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the transcription factor, chicken
      ovalbumin upstream promoter transcriptional factor I (COUP-TFI). Functionally,
      bmMSCs were reprogrammed into IPCs via COUP-TFI suppression and MafA
      overexpression. The differentiated cells expressed higher levels of genes
      specific for islet endocrine cells, and they released C-peptide and insulin in
      response to glucose stimulation. Transplantation of IPCs into streptozotocin
      induced diabetic mice caused a reduction in hyperglycemia. Mechanistically, COUP
      TFI bound to the DR1 (direct repeats with 1 spacer) element in the Ins2 promoter,
      thereby negatively regulating promoter activity. Taken together, the data provide
      a novel mechanism by which COUP-TFI acts as a negative regulator in the Ins2
      promoter. The differentiation of bmMSCs into IPCs could be improved by knockdown
      of COUP-TFI, which may provide a novel stem cell-based therapy for T1D.

PMID- 28918024
TI  - Antisense Oligonucleotide-Mediated Removal of the Polyglutamine Repeat in
      Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 Mice.
AB  - Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a currently incurable neurodegenerative
      disorder caused by a CAG triplet expansion in exon 10 of the ATXN3 gene. The
      resultant expanded polyglutamine stretch in the mutant ataxin-3 protein causes a
      gain of toxic function, which eventually leads to neurodegeneration. One
      important function of ataxin-3 is its involvement in the proteasomal protein
      degradation pathway, and long-term downregulation of the protein may therefore
      not be desirable. In the current study, we made use of antisense oligonucleotides
      to mask predicted exonic splicing signals, resulting in exon 10 skipping from
      ATXN3 pre-mRNA. This led to formation of a truncated ataxin-3 protein lacking the
      toxic polyglutamine expansion, but retaining its ubiquitin binding and cleavage
      function. Repeated intracerebroventricular injections of the antisense
      oligonucleotides in a SCA3 mouse model led to exon skipping and formation of the
      modified ataxin-3 protein throughout the mouse brain. Exon skipping was long
      lasting, with the modified protein being detectable for at least 2.5 months after
      antisense oligonucleotide injection. A reduction in insoluble ataxin-3 and
      nuclear accumulation was observed following antisense oligonucleotide treatment,
      indicating a beneficial effect on pathogenicity. Together, these data suggest
      that exon 10 skipping is a promising therapeutic approach for SCA3.

PMID- 28918025
TI  - Effect of Calcium Carbonate Encapsulation on the Activity of Orally Administered
      CpG Oligonucleotides.
AB  - Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated CpG motifs (CpG ODNs)
      stimulate immune cells via Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). Because
      oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) are susceptible to gastric degradation, clinical
      trials designed to evaluate their therapeutic utility have relied solely on
      parenteral routes of administration. A strategy to improve the activity of orally
      delivered ODNs by reducing their susceptibility to gastrointestinal (GI)
      digestion via encapsulation in calcium carbonate nanoparticles (ODNcaps) was
      recently described. This study compares the in vitro and in vivo activity of
      encapsulated (ODNcaps) versus free CpG ODNs delivered orally or parenterally.
      ODNcaps mirrored the ability of free ODNs to stimulate splenic B cells and
      macrophages in vitro. ODNcaps activated immune cells in the Peyer's patches and
      mesenteric lymph nodes after oral delivery. Their effect on GI immunity was
      evaluated in studies of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis and enteric
      infection, whereas systemic immunity was examined by monitoring their effect on
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine production and systemic pathogen
      challenge. Results indicate that orally delivered CpG ODNs predominantly induce
      GI rather than systemic immunity, and that calcium carbonate encapsulation does
      not significantly alter this behavior.

PMID- 28918026
TI  - Anti-fibrotic Effects of Synthetic Oligodeoxynucleotide for TGF-beta1 and Smad in
      an Animal Model of Liver Cirrhosis.
AB  - Liver fibrosis is characterized by changes in tissue architecture and
      extracellular matrix composition. Liver fibrosis affects not only hepatocytes but
      also the non-parenchymal cells such as hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which are
      essential for maintaining an intact liver structure and function. Transforming
      growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a multifunctional cytokine that induces liver
      fibrosis through activation of Smad signaling pathways. To improve a new
      therapeutic approach, synthetic TGF-beta1/Smad oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) was
      used to suppress both TGF-beta1 expression and Smad transcription factor using a
      combination of antisense ODN and decoy ODN. The aims of this study are to
      investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of TGF-beta1/Smad ODN on simultaneous
      suppressions of both Smad transcription factor and TGF-beta1 mRNA expression in
      the hepatic fibrosis model in vitro and in vivo. Synthetic TGF-beta1/Smad ODN
      effectively inhibits Smad binding activity and TGF-beta1 expression. TGF
      beta1/Smad ODN attenuated the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and
      activation of HSCs in TGF-beta1-induced AML12 and HSC-T6 cells. TGF-beta1/Smad
      ODN prevented the fibrogenesis and deposition of collagen in CCl4-treated mouse
      model. Synthetic TGF-beta1/Smad ODN demonstrates anti-fibrotic effects that are
      mediated by the suppression of fibrogenic protein and inflammatory cytokines.
      Therefore, synthetic TGF-beta1/Smad ODN has substantial therapeutic feasibility
      for the treatment of liver fibrotic diseases.

PMID- 28918027
TI  - Adeno-Associated Viral Vector-Mediated mTOR Inhibition by Short Hairpin RNA
      Suppresses Laser-Induced Choroidal Neovascularization.
AB  - Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the defining characteristic feature of the
      wet subtype of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and may result in
      irreversible blindness. Based on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti
      VEGF), the current therapeutic approaches to CNV are fraught with difficulties,
      and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has recently been proposed as a possible
      therapeutic target, although few studies have been conducted. Here, we show that
      a recombinant adeno-associated virus-delivered mTOR-inhibiting short hairpin RNA
      (rAAV-mTOR shRNA), which blocks the activity of both mTOR complex 1 and 2,
      represents a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of CNV. Eight-week
      old male C57/B6 mice were treated with the short hairpin RNA (shRNA) after
      generating CNV lesions in the eyes via laser photocoagulation. The recombinant
      adeno-associated virus (rAAV) delivery vehicle was able to effectively transduce
      cells in the inner retina, and significantly fewer inflammatory cells and less
      extensive CNV were observed in the animals treated with rAAV-mTOR shRNA when
      compared with control- and rAAV-scrambled shRNA-treated groups. Presumably
      related to the reduction of CNV, increased autophagy was detected in CNV lesions
      treated with rAAV-mTOR shRNA, whereas significantly fewer apoptotic cells
      detected in the outer nuclear layer around the CNV indicate that mTOR inhibition
      may also have neuroprotective effects. Taken together, these results demonstrate
      the therapeutic potential of mTOR inhibition, resulting from rAAV-mTOR shRNA
      activity, in the treatment of AMD-related CNV.

PMID- 28918028
TI  - Human DMBT1-Derived Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Intracellular siRNA Delivery.
AB  - Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a promising molecule for gene therapy, but its
      therapeutic administration remains problematic. Among the recently proposed
      vectors, cell-penetrating peptides show great promise in in vivo trials for siRNA
      delivery. Human protein DMBT1 (deleted in malignant brain tumor 1) is a pattern
      recognition molecule that interacts with polyanions and recognizes and aggregates
      bacteria. Taking advantage of these properties, we investigated whether specific
      synthetic DMBT1-derived peptides could be used to formulate nanoparticles for
      siRNA administration. Using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay and UV
      spectra, we identified two DMBT1 peptides that could encapsulate the siRNA with a
      self- and co-assembly mechanism. The complexes were stable for at least 2 hr in
      the presence of either fetal bovine serum (FBS) or RNase A, with peptide
      dependent time span protection. zeta-potential, circular dichroism, dynamic light
      scattering, and transmission electron microscopy revealed negatively charged
      nanoparticles with an average diameter of 10-800 nm, depending on the reaction
      conditions, and a spherical or rice-shaped morphology, depending on the peptide
      and beta-helix conformation. We successfully transfected human MCF7 cells with
      fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-DMBT1-peptide-Cy3-siRNA complexes. Finally,
      DMBT1 peptides encapsulating an siRNA targeting a fluorescent reporter gene
      showed efficient gene silencing in MCF7-recombinant cells. These results lay the
      foundation for a new research line to exploit DMBT1-peptide nanocomplexes for
      therapeutic siRNA delivery.

PMID- 28918029
TI  - Activation of AMPK Attenuated Cardiac Fibrosis by Inhibiting CDK2 via p21/p27 and
      miR-29 Family Pathways in Rats.
AB  - Cardiac fibrosis is pathological damage associated with nearly all forms of heart
      disease. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an evolutionary conserved energy
      sensing enzyme. Emerging evidences indicate that AMPK plays an important role in
      cardiac fibrosis and cell proliferation. However, less is known about the
      detailed mechanism of AMPK activation on cardiac fibrosis. In this study, we
      found the AMPK activation improved the impaired cardiac function of cardiac
      fibrosis rats and decreased interstitial fibrosis. Further results indicated AMPK
      activation promoted p21 and p27 and inhibited CDK2 and cyclin E protein
      expressions both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, AMPK activation repressed
      downstream transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF-4alpha)
      expression and decreased the binding of HNF-4alpha to TGF-beta1 promoters, which
      eventually resulted in TGF-beta1 downregulation and miR-29 family upregulation.
      Furthermore, miR-29, in turn, inhibited the progression of cardiac fibrosis
      through suppressing its target CDK2. Taken together, activation of AMPK, on the
      one hand, upregulated p21 and p27 expression, further inhibited CDK2 and cyclin E
      complex, and finally suppressed the progression of cardiac fibrosis, and, on the
      other hand, repressed HNF-4alpha expression, further downregulated the activity
      of TGF-beta1 promoter, promoted miR-29 expression, and finally prevented the
      development of cardiac fibrosis.

PMID- 28918030
TI  - LncRNA TRERNA1 Function as an Enhancer of SNAI1 Promotes Gastric Cancer
      Metastasis by Regulating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.
AB  - Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) has been implicated in cancer, but little is known
      about the role of lncRNAs as regulators of tumor metastasis. In the present
      study, we demonstrate that lncRNA TRERNA1 acts like an enhancer of SNAI1 to
      promote cell invasion and migration and to contribute to metastasis of gastric
      cancer (GC). TRERNA1 is significantly unregulated in GCs and GC cell lines.
      Increased TRERNA1 is positively correlated with lymph node metastasis of GCs. RNA
      immunoprecipitation (RIP) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays
      revealed that TRERNA1 functions as a scaffold to recruit EZH2 to epigenetically
      silence epithelial-mesenchymal transition marker CDH1 by H3K27me3 of its promoter
      region. TRERNA1 knockdown markedly reduced GC cell migration, invasion,
      tumorigenicity, and metastasis. Depletion of TRERNA1 reduced cell metastasis of
      GCs in vivo. Taken together, our findings indicated that TRERNA1 serves as a
      critical effector in GC progression by regulating CDH1 at the transcription
      level. It is implied that TRERNA1/CDH1 is a new potential target for GC therapy.

PMID- 28918031
TI  - Anti-adenoviral Artificial MicroRNAs Expressed from AAV9 Vectors Inhibit Human
      Adenovirus Infection in Immunosuppressed Syrian Hamsters.
AB  - Infections of immunocompromised patients with human adenoviruses (hAd) can
      develop into life-threatening conditions, whereas drugs with anti-adenoviral
      efficiency are not clinically approved and have limited efficacy. Small double
      stranded RNAs that induce RNAi represent a new class of promising anti-adenoviral
      therapeutics. However, as yet, their efficiency to treat hAd5 infections has only
      been investigated in vitro. In this study, we analyzed artificial microRNAs
      (amiRs) delivered by self-complementary adeno-associated virus (scAAV) vectors
      for treatment of hAd5 infections in immunosuppressed Syrian hamsters. In vitro
      evaluation of amiRs targeting the E1A, pTP, IVa2, and hexon genes of hAd5
      revealed that two scAAV vectors containing three copies of amiR-pTP and three
      copies of amiR-E1A, or six copies of amiR-pTP, efficiently inhibited hAd5
      replication and improved the viability of hAd5-infected cells. Prophylactic
      application of amiR-pTP/amiR-E1A- and amiR-pTP-expressing scAAV9 vectors,
      respectively, to immunosuppressed Syrian hamsters resulted in the reduction of
      hAd5 levels in the liver of up to two orders of magnitude and in reduction of
      liver damage. Concomitant application of the vectors also resulted in a decrease
      of hepatic hAd5 infection. No side effects were observed. These data demonstrate
      anti-adenoviral RNAi as a promising new approach to combat hAd5 infection.

PMID- 28918032
TI  - MicroRNA-31 Regulates Chemosensitivity in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
AB  - Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is associated with an extremely poor
      prognosis, and most patients initially are or rapidly become unresponsive to
      platinum-based chemotherapy. MicroRNA-31 (miR-31) is encoded on a genomic fragile
      site, 9p21.3, which is reportedly lost in many MPM tumors. Based on previous
      findings in a variety of other cancers, we hypothesized that miR-31 alters
      chemosensitivity and that miR-31 reconstitution may influence sensitivity to
      chemotherapeutics in MPM. Reintroduction of miR-31 into miR-31 null NCI-H2452
      cells significantly enhanced clonogenic resistance to cisplatin and carboplatin.
      Although miR-31 re-expression increased chemoresistance, paradoxically, a higher
      relative intracellular accumulation of platinum was detected. This was coupled to
      a significantly decreased intranuclear concentration of platinum. Linked with a
      downregulation of OCT1, a bipotential transcriptional regulator with multiple miR
      31 target binding sites, we subsequently identified an indirect miR-31-mediated
      upregulation of ABCB9, a transporter associated with drug accumulation in
      lysosomes, and increased uptake of platinum to lysosomes. However, when
      overexpressed directly, ABCB9 promoted cellular chemosensitivity, suggesting that
      miR-31 promotes chemoresistance largely via an ABCB9-independent mechanism.
      Overall, our data suggest that miR-31 loss from MPM tumors promotes
      chemosensitivity and may be prognostically beneficial in the context of
      therapeutic sensitivity.

PMID- 28918033
TI  - Six Highly Conserved Targets of RNAi Revealed in HIV-1-Infected Patients from
      Russia Are Also Present in Many HIV-1 Strains Worldwide.
AB  - RNAi has been suggested for use in gene therapy of HIV/AIDS, but the main problem
      is that HIV-1 is highly variable and could escape attack from the small
      interfering RNAs (siRNAs) due to even single nucleotide substitutions in the
      potential targets. To exhaustively check the variability in selected RNA targets
      of HIV-1, we used ultra-deep sequencing of six regions of HIV-1 from the plasma
      of two independent cohorts of patients from Russia. Six RNAi targets were found
      that are invariable in 82%-97% of viruses in both cohorts and are located inside
      the domains specifying reverse transcriptase (RT), integrase, vpu, gp120, and
      p17. The analysis of mutation frequencies and their characteristics inside the
      targets suggests a likely role for APOBEC3G (apolipoprotein B mRNA editing
      enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3G, A3G) in G-to-A mutations and a predominant
      effect of RT biases in the detected variability of the virus. The lowest
      frequency of mutations was detected in the central part of all six targets. We
      also discovered that the identical RNAi targets are present in many HIV-1 strains
      from many countries and from all continents. The data are important for both the
      understanding of the patterns of HIV-1 mutability and properties of RT and for
      the development of gene therapy approaches using RNAi for the treatment of
      HIV/AIDS.

PMID- 28918034
TI  - A Simple and Cost-Effective Approach for In Vitro Production of Sliced siRNAs as
      Potent Triggers for RNAi.
AB  - We have studied the molecular properties of in-vitro-transcribed sliced small
      interfering RNAs (tsli-siRNAs) as an alternative RNAi agent for chemically
      synthesized siRNA. We describe here a simple and cost-effective procedure for
      high-purity production of tsli-siRNA using bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerases. tsli
      siRNAs exhibit potent gene knockdown effects, with efficacy comparable with that
      of chemically synthesized sli-siRNAs and classical siRNAs. Furthermore, we found
      that it is very easy to prepare potent tsli-siRNAs with modified bases, such as
      2'-fluorine- or biotin-16-modified tsli-siRNAs. tsli-siRNAs can cause a mild
      innate immune response, which can be easily eliminated by alkaline phosphatase
      treatment. On the other hand, this feature, which can be useful as a trigger of
      the innate immune response, can be enhanced by polynucleotide kinase treatment.
      Because of the simplicity of preparation and purification, the procedure
      presented here could be useful for the production of RNAi or immunostimulatory
      reagents.

PMID- 28918035
TI  - lncRNA HOTAIR Contributes to 5FU Resistance through Suppressing miR-218 and
      Activating NF-kappaB/TS Signaling in Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - One major reason for the failure of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment is
      the occurrence of chemoresistance to fluoropyrimidine (FU)-based chemotherapy.
      Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR has been considered as a pro-oncogene in multiple
      cancers. However, the precise functional mechanism of HOTAIR in chemoresistance
      is not well known. In this study, we investigated the biological and clinical
      role of HOTAIR in 5FU resistance in CRC. Our results showed that HOTAIR
      negatively regulated miR-218 expression in CRC through an EZH2-targeting miR-218
      2 promoter regulatory axis. HOTAIR knockdown dramatically inhibited cell
      viability and induced G1-phase arrest by promoting miR-218 expression. VOPP1 was
      shown to be a functional target of miR-218, and the main downstream signaling, NF
      kappaB, was inactivated by HOTAIR through the suppression of miR-218 expression.
      Additionally, HOTAIR knockdown partially reversed 5FU resistance through
      promoting miR-218 and inactivating NF-kappaB signaling. Furthermore, HOTAIR
      restrained 5FU-induced cytotoxicity on CRC cells through promotion of thymidylate
      synthase expression. More importantly, high HOTAIR expression was associated with
      poor response to 5FU treatment. In conclusion, we demonstrated that HOTAIR
      contributes to 5FU resistance through suppressing miR-218 and activating NF
      kappaB signaling in CRC. Thus, HOTAIR may serve as a promising therapeutic target
      for CRC patients.

PMID- 28918036
TI  - Therapeutic Suppression of miR-4261 Attenuates Colorectal Cancer by Targeting
      MCC.
AB  - The mutated in colorectal cancer (MCC) gene is an important colorectal tumor
      suppressor gene, although few studies have reported the microRNA(s) that could
      directly target MCC in colorectal cancer. Here, we used microRNA (miRNA) target
      prediction algorithms, and previously reported microarray data in human
      colorectal cancer found that only miR-4261 was predicted by all three databases
      to directly target MCC. Based on specimens from our own cohort of colorectal
      cancer patients, we further demonstrated that miR-4261 was overexpressed in
      colorectal cancer. Interestingly, overexpression of miR-4261 could enhance cell
      proliferation and G1/S phase transition of cell cycle, and promote cell migration
      in HCT116 and HT29 cells, while inhibition of miR-4261 had opposite effects.
      Luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis confirmed MCC as a direct
      target of miR-4261. MCC small interfering RNA (siRNA) could abolish the
      suppressive effects of miR-4261 inhibitor on cell proliferation and migration in
      HCT116 and HT29 cell lines. Finally, we showed that therapeutic intervention with
      lentivirus-based miR-4261 sponge injection could effectively reduce tumor growth
      and inhibit cell proliferation in colorectal cancer xenograft. Collectively, our
      study is the first one to unravel the functional role of miR-4261, and it
      provides strong evidence that inhibition of miR-4261 through targeting of MCC
      might exert a therapeutic effect for colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28918038
TI  - Strategies for In Vivo Screening and Mitigation of Hepatotoxicity Associated with
      Antisense Drugs.
AB  - Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) gapmers downregulate gene expression by inducing
      enzyme-dependent degradation of targeted RNA and represent a promising
      therapeutic platform for addressing previously undruggable genes. Unfortunately,
      their therapeutic application, particularly that of the more potent chemistries
      (e.g., locked-nucleic-acid-containing gapmers), has been hampered by their
      frequent hepatoxicity, which could be driven by hybridization-mediated
      interactions. An early de-risking of this liability is a crucial component of
      developing safe, ASO-based drugs. To rank ASOs based on their effect on the
      liver, we have developed an acute screen in the mouse that can be applied early
      in the drug development cycle. A single-dose (3-day) screen with streamlined
      endpoints (i.e., plasma transaminase levels and liver weights) was observed to be
      predictive of ASO hepatotoxicity ranking established based on a repeat-dose (15
      day) study. Furthermore, to study the underlying mechanisms of liver toxicity, we
      applied transcriptome profiling and pathway analyses and show that adverse in
      vivo liver phenotypes correlate with the number of potent, hybridization-mediated
      off-target effects (OTEs). We propose that a combination of in silico OTE
      predictions, streamlined in vivo hepatotoxicity screening, and a transcriptome
      wide selectivity screen is a valid approach to identifying and progressing safer
      compounds.

PMID- 28918037
TI  - A Novel Pak1/ATF2/miR-132 Signaling Axis Is Involved in the Hematogenous
      Metastasis of Gastric Cancer Cells.
AB  - We, along with others, have shown previously that P21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1)
      plays a pivotal role in gastric cancer progression and metastasis. However,
      whether Pak1 controls gastric cancer metastasis by regulating microRNAs (miRNAs)
      has never been explored. Here, we report a novel mechanism of Pak1 in tumor
      metastasis. A detailed examination revealed that Pak1 interacts with and
      phosphorylates the serine 62 residue of ATF2 and then blocks its translocation
      into the nucleus. We also confirmed that ATF2 binds to the promoter of miR-132
      and tightly regulates its transcription, thus explaining the regulatory mechanism
      of miR-132 by Pak1. miR-132 also significantly reduced cell adhesion, migration,
      and invasion of gastric cancer cells in vitro and significantly prevented tumor
      metastasis in vivo. miR-132 specifically inhibited hematogenous metastasis, but
      not lymph node or implantation metastases. In order to further delineate the
      effects of the Pak1/ATF2/miR-132 cascade on gastric cancer progression, we
      identified several targets of miR-132 using a bioinformatics TargetScan
      algorithm. Notably, miR-132 reduced the expression of CD44 and fibronectin1
      (FN1), and such inhibition enabled lymphocytes to home in on gastric cancer cells
      and induce tumor apoptosis. Taken together, our studies establish a novel cell
      signaling pathway and open new possibilities for therapeutic intervention of
      gastric cancer.

PMID- 28918039
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Knockin Application in Cell Therapy: A Non-viral Procedure
      for Bystander Treatment of Glioma in Mice.
AB  - The use of non-viral procedures, together with CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing
      technology, allows the insertion of single-copy therapeutic genes at pre
      determined genomic sites, overcoming safety limitations resulting from random
      gene insertions of viral vectors with potential for genome damage. In this study,
      we demonstrate that combination of non-viral gene delivery and CRISPR/Cas9
      mediated knockin via homology-directed repair can replace the use of viral
      vectors for the generation of genetically modified therapeutic cells. We custom
      modified human adipose mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs), using electroporation as
      a transfection method and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockin for the introduction and
      stable expression of a 3 kb DNA fragment including the eGFP (selectable marker)
      and a variant of the herpes simplex virus 1 thymidine kinase genes (therapeutic
      gene), under the control of the human elongation factor 1 alpha promoter in exon
      5 of the endogenous thymidine kinase 2 gene. Using a U87 glioma model in SCID
      mice, we show that the therapeutic capacity of the new CRISPR/Cas9-engineered
      hAMSCs is equivalent to that of therapeutic hAMSCs generated by introduction of
      the same therapeutic gene by transduction with a lentiviral vector previously
      published by our group. This strategy should be of general use to other
      applications requiring genetic modification of therapeutic cells.

PMID- 28918040
TI  - Codon-Optimized P1A-Encoding DNA Vaccine: Toward a Therapeutic Vaccination
      against P815 Mastocytoma.
AB  - DNA vaccine can be modified to increase protein production and modulate immune
      response. To enhance the efficiency of a P815 mastocytoma DNA vaccine, the P1A
      gene sequence was optimized by substituting specific codons with synonymous ones
      while modulating the number of CpG motifs. The P815A murine antigen production
      was increased with codon-optimized plasmids. The number of CpG motifs within the
      P1A gene sequence modulated the immunogenicity by inducing a local increase in
      the cytokines involved in innate immunity. After prophylactic immunization with
      the optimized vaccines, tumor growth was significantly delayed and mice survival
      was improved. Consistently, a more pronounced intratumoral recruitment of CD8+ T
      cells and a memory response were observed. Therapeutic vaccination was able to
      delay tumor growth when the codon-optimized DNA vaccine containing the highest
      number of CpG motifs was used. Our data demonstrate the therapeutic potential of
      optimized P1A vaccine against P815 mastocytoma, and they show the dual role
      played by codon optimization on both protein production and innate immune
      activation.

PMID- 28918041
TI  - Gapmer Antisense Oligonucleotides Suppress the Mutant Allele of COL6A3 and
      Restore Functional Protein in Ullrich Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - Dominant-negative mutations in the genes that encode the three major alpha chains
      of collagen type VI, COL6A1, COL6A2, and COL6A3, account for more than 50% of
      Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy patients and nearly all Bethlem myopathy
      patients. Gapmer antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) are usually used for gene
      silencing by stimulating RNA cleavage through the recruitment of an endogenous
      endonuclease known as RNase H to cleave the RNA strand of a DNA-RNA duplex. In
      this study, we exploited the application of the allele-specific silencing
      approach by gapmer AON as a potential therapy for Collagen-VI-related congenital
      muscular dystrophy (COL6-CMD). A series of AONs were designed to selectively
      target an 18-nt heterozygous genomic deletion in exon 15 of COL6A3 at the mRNA
      and pre-mRNA level. We showed that gapmer AONs can selectively suppress the
      expression of mutant transcripts at both pre-mRNA and mRNA levels, and that the
      latter strategy had a far stronger efficiency than the former. More importantly,
      we found that silencing of the mutant transcripts by gapmer AONs increased the
      deposition of collagen VI protein into the extracellular matrix, thus restoring
      functional protein production. Our findings provide a clear proof of concept for
      AON allele-specific silencing as a therapeutic approach for COL6-CMD.

PMID- 28918042
TI  - Electronic Structures of LNA Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides.
AB  - Important oligonucleotides in anti-sense research have been investigated in
      silico and experimentally. This involves quantum mechanical (QM) calculations and
      chromatography experiments on locked nucleic acid (LNA) phosphorothioate (PS)
      oligonucleotides. iso-potential electrostatic surfaces are essential in this
      study and have been calculated from the wave functions derived from the QM
      calculations that provide binding information and other properties of these
      molecules. The QM calculations give details of the electronic structures in terms
      of e.g., energy and bonding, which make them distinguish or differentiate between
      the individual PS diastereoisomers determined by the position of sulfur atoms.
      Rules are derived from the electronic calculations of these molecules and include
      the effects of the phosphorothioate chirality and formation of electrostatic
      potential surfaces. Physical and electrochemical descriptors of the PS
      oligonucleotides are compared to the experiments in which chiral states on these
      molecules can be distinguished. The calculations demonstrate that electronic
      structure, electrostatic potential, and topology are highly sensitive to single
      PS configuration changes and can give a lead to understanding the activity of the
      molecules.

PMID- 28918044
TI  - Targeted Disruption of V600E-Mutant BRAF Gene by CRISPR-Cpf1.
AB  - BRAF-V600E (1799T > A) is one of the most frequently reported driver mutations in
      multiple types of cancers, and patients with such mutations could benefit from
      selectively inactivating the mutant allele. Near this mutation site, there are
      two TTTN and one NGG protospacer-adjacent motifs (PAMs) for Cpf1 and Cas9 CRISPR
      nucleases, respectively. The 1799T > A substitution also leads to the occurrence
      of a novel NGNG PAM for the EQR variant of Cas9. We examined the editing efficacy
      and selectivity of Cpf1, Cas9, and EQR variant to this mutation site. Only Cpf1
      demonstrated robust activity to induce specific disruption of only mutant BRAF,
      not wild-type sequence. Cas9 recognized and cut both normal and mutant alleles,
      and no obvious gene editing events were observed using EQR variant. Our results
      support the potential applicability of Cpf1 in precision medicine through highly
      specific inactivation of many other gain-of-function mutations.

PMID- 28918043
TI  - miR-206/133b Cluster: A Weapon against Lung Cancer?
AB  - Lung cancer is a deadly disease that ends numerous lives around the world.
      MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of non-coding RNAs involved in a variety of
      biological processes, such as cell growth, organ development, and tumorigenesis.
      The miR-206/133b cluster is located on the human chromosome 6p12.2, which is
      essential for growth and rebuilding of skeletal muscle. The miR-206/133b cluster
      has been verified to be dysregulated and plays a crucial role in lung cancer. miR
      206 and miR-133b participate in lung tumor cell apoptosis, proliferation,
      migration, invasion, angiogenesis, drug resistance, and cancer treatment. The
      mechanisms are sophisticated, involving various target genes and molecular
      pathways, such as MET, EGFR, and the STAT3/HIF-1alpha/VEGF signal pathway. Hence,
      in this review, we summarize the role and potential mechanisms of the miR
      206/133b cluster in lung cancer.

PMID- 28918045
TI  - Cationic Nanoliposomes Meet mRNA: Efficient Delivery of Modified mRNA Using
      Hemocompatible and Stable Vectors for Therapeutic Applications.
AB  - Synthetically modified mRNA is a unique bioactive agent, ideal for use in
      therapeutic applications, such as cancer vaccination or treatment of single-gene
      disorders. In order to facilitate mRNA transfections for future therapeutic
      applications, there is a need for the delivery system to achieve optimal
      transfection efficacy, perform with durable stability, and provide drug safety.
      The objective of our study was to comprehensively analyze the use of 3beta-[N
      (N',N'-dimethylaminoethane) carbamoyl](DC
      Cholesterol)/dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) liposomes as a potential
      transfection agent for modified mRNAs. Our cationic liposomes facilitated a high
      degree of mRNA encapsulation and successful cell transfection efficiencies. More
      importantly, no negative effects on cell viability or immune reactions were
      detected posttransfection. Notably, the liposomes had a long-acting transfection
      effect on cells, resulting in a prolonged protein production of alpha-1
      antitrypsin (AAT). In addition, the stability of these mRNA-loaded liposomes
      allowed storage for 80 days, without the loss of transfection efficacy. Finally,
      comprehensive analysis showed that these liposomes are fully hemocompatible with
      fresh human whole blood. In summary, we present an extensive analysis on the use
      of DC-cholesterol/DOPE liposomes as mRNA delivery vehicles. This approach
      provides the basis of a safe and efficient therapeutic strategy in the
      development of successful mRNA-based drugs.

PMID- 28918047
TI  - Long Noncoding RNA BC032913 as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Colorectal Cancer
      that Suppresses Metastasis by Upregulating TIMP3.
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play critical roles in the
      biology of various cancers. However, their expression patterns and biological
      functions in human colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely unknown. The aim of
      this study was to explore lncRNA profiles in CRC and investigate key lncRNAs
      involved in CRC tumorigenesis and progression. The microarray data of six CRC and
      matched non-cancerous tissues revealed distinct lncRNA profiles, including 899
      upregulated and 1,646 downregulated lncRNAs (p < 0.05, fold change > 2.0).
      Furthermore, we found that the lncRNA BC032913 was generally underexpressed in
      115 CRC samples compared with normal tissues. Reduced BC032913 levels were
      significantly associated with an advanced tumor, lymph nodes, distant metastasis
      (TNM) stage and a higher risk of lymph node and distant metastases. BC032913
      downregulation indicated poor overall survival in CRC patients. Moreover,
      BC032913 enhanced the mRNA and protein expression of TIMP3 and inhibited Wnt/beta
      catenin pathway activity, thus suppressing CRC metastasis in vitro and in vivo.
      Collectively, the obtained data show that BC032913 plays an inhibitory role in
      CRC aggression by upregulating TIMP3, followed by inactivation of the Wnt/beta
      catenin pathway. Our findings indicate that the novel lncRNA BC032913 could serve
      as a novel prognostic marker and effective therapeutic target for CRC.

PMID- 28918049
TI  - Silencing VDAC1 Expression by siRNA Inhibits Cancer Cell Proliferation and Tumor
      Growth In Vivo.

PMID- 28918048
TI  - miR-133a Promotes TRAIL Resistance in Glioblastoma via Suppressing Death Receptor
      5 and Activating NF-kappaB Signaling.
AB  - Recombinant tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand
      (TRAIL), as a novel cancer therapeutic, is being tested in phase II and III
      clinical trials; however, TRAIL resistance remains a big obstacle preventing its
      clinical application. Considering that TRAIL-induced apoptosis through death
      receptors DR4 and DR5, their activation may be an alternative pathway to suppress
      TRAIL resistance. In this study, a negative correlation between DR5 expression
      and TRAIL resistance was observed, and miR-133a was predicted to be the most
      promising candidate to suppress DR5 expression. Further investigation
      demonstrated that miR-133a knockdown dramatically suppressed TRAIL resistance in
      glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo. An NF-kappaB family member, phosphorylated
      IkappaBalpha (P-IkappaBalpha), was shown to be stimulated by miR-133a, leading to
      the activation of this signaling. Finally, miR-133a was found to be inversely
      correlated with DR5 expression in human clinical specimens. In conclusion, our
      data demonstrate that miR-133a promotes TRAIL resistance in glioblastoma by
      suppressing DR5 expression and activating NF-kappaB signaling.

PMID- 28918046
TI  - MicroRNA as Therapeutic Targets for Chronic Wound Healing.
AB  - Wound healing is a highly complex biological process composed of three
      overlapping phases: inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Impairments at
      any one or more of these stages can lead to compromised healing. MicroRNAs (miRs)
      are non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators of multiple
      proteins and associated pathways. Thus, identification of the appropriate miR
      involved in the different phases of wound healing could reveal an effective third
      generation genetic therapy in chronic wound care. Several miRs have been shown to
      be upregulated or downregulated during the wound healing process. This article
      examines the biological processes involved in wound healing, the miR involved at
      each stage, and how expression levels are modulated in the chronic wound
      environment. Key miRs are highlighted as possible therapeutic targets, either
      through underexpression or overexpression, and the healing benefits are
      interrogated. These are prime miR candidates that could be considered as a gene
      therapy option for patients suffering from chronic wounds. The success of miR as
      a gene therapy, however, is reliant on the development of an appropriate delivery
      system that must be designed to overcome both extracellular and intracellular
      barriers.

PMID- 28918051
TI  - LRRK2 Antisense Oligonucleotides Ameliorate alpha-Synuclein Inclusion Formation
      in a Parkinson's Disease Mouse Model.
AB  - No treatments exist to slow or halt Parkinson's disease (PD) progression;
      however, inhibition of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) activity represents
      one of the most promising therapeutic strategies. Genetic ablation and
      pharmacological LRRK2 inhibition have demonstrated promise in blocking alpha
      synuclein (alpha-syn) pathology. However, LRRK2 kinase inhibitors may reduce
      LRRK2 activity in several tissues and induce systemic phenotypes in the kidney
      and lung that are undesirable. Here, we test whether antisense oligonucleotides
      (ASOs) provide an alternative therapeutic strategy, as they can be restricted to
      the CNS and provide a stable, long-lasting reduction of protein throughout the
      brain. Administration of LRRK2 ASOs to the brain reduces LRRK2 protein levels and
      fibril-induced alpha-syn inclusions. Mice exposed to alpha-syn fibrils treated
      with LRRK2 ASOs show more tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons compared to
      control mice. Furthermore, intracerebral injection of LRRK2 ASOs avoids unwanted
      phenotypes associated with loss of LRRK2 expression in the periphery. This study
      further demonstrates that a reduction of endogenous levels of normal LRRK2
      reduces the formation of alpha-syn inclusions. Importantly, this study points
      toward LRRK2 ASOs as a potential therapeutic strategy for preventing PD
      associated pathology and phenotypes without causing potential adverse side
      effects in peripheral tissues associated with LRRK2 inhibition.

PMID- 28918050
TI  - The Function and Therapeutic Potential of Long Non-coding RNAs in Cardiovascular
      Development and Disease.
AB  - The popularization of genome-wide analyses and RNA sequencing led to the
      discovery that a large part of the human genome, while effectively transcribed,
      does not encode proteins. Long non-coding RNAs have emerged as critical
      regulators of gene expression in both normal and disease states. Studies of long
      non-coding RNAs expressed in the heart, in combination with gene association
      studies, revealed that these molecules are regulated during cardiovascular
      development and disease. Some long non-coding RNAs have been functionally
      implicated in cardiac pathophysiology and constitute potential therapeutic
      targets. Here, we review the current knowledge of the function of long non-coding
      RNAs in the cardiovascular system, with an emphasis on cardiovascular development
      and biology, focusing on hypertension, coronary artery disease, myocardial
      infarction, ischemia, and heart failure. We discuss potential therapeutic
      implications and the challenges of long non-coding RNA research, with directions
      for future research and translational focus.

PMID- 28918052
TI  - A CTLA-4 Antagonizing DNA Aptamer with Antitumor Effect.
AB  - The successful translation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) blockade
      has revolutionized the concept of cancer immunotherapy. Although monoclonal
      antibody therapeutics remain the mainstream in clinical practice, aptamers are
      synthetic oligonucleotides that encompass antibody-mimicking functions. Here, we
      report a novel high-affinity CTLA-4-antagonizing DNA aptamer (dissociation
      constant, 11.84 nM), aptCTLA-4, which was identified by cell-based SELEX and high
      throughput sequencing. aptCTLA-4 is relatively stable in serum, promotes
      lymphocyte proliferation, and inhibits tumor growth in cell and animal models.
      Our study demonstrates the developmental pipeline of a functional CTLA-4
      targeting aptamer and suggests a translational potential for aptCTLA-4.

PMID- 28918053
TI  - USH2A Gene Editing Using the CRISPR System.
AB  - Usher syndrome (USH) is a rare autosomal recessive disease and the most common
      inherited form of combined visual and hearing impairment. Up to 13 genes are
      associated with this disorder, with USH2A being the most prevalent, due partially
      to the recurrence rate of the c.2299delG mutation. Excluding hearing aids or
      cochlear implants for hearing impairment, there are no medical solutions
      available to treat USH patients. The repair of specific mutations by gene editing
      is, therefore, an interesting strategy that can be explored using the CRISPR/Cas9
      system. In this study, this method of gene editing is used to target the
      c.2299delG mutation on fibroblasts from an USH patient carrying the mutation in
      homozygosis. Successful in vitro mutation repair was demonstrated using locus
      specific RNA-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins with subsequent homologous recombination
      repair induced by an engineered template supply. Effects on predicted off-target
      sites in the CRISPR-treated cells were discarded after a targeted deep-sequencing
      screen. The proven effectiveness and specificity of these correction tools,
      applied to the c.2299delG pathogenic variant of USH2A, indicates that the CRISPR
      system should be considered to further explore a potential treatment of USH.

PMID- 28918055
TI  - The Chromatin Structure Differentially Impacts High-Specificity CRISPR-Cas9
      Nuclease Strategies.

PMID- 28918054
TI  - Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Breast Cancer Cells in Patient Blood with
      Nuclease-Activated Probe Technology.
AB  - A challenge for circulating tumor cell (CTC)-based diagnostics is the development
      of simple and inexpensive methods that reliably detect the diverse cells that
      make up CTCs. CTC-derived nucleases are one category of proteins that could be
      exploited to meet this challenge. Advantages of nucleases as CTC biomarkers
      include: (1) their elevated expression in many cancer cells, including cells
      implicated in metastasis that have undergone epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition; and (2) their enzymatic activity, which can be exploited for signal
      amplification in detection methods. Here, we describe a diagnostic assay based on
      quenched fluorescent nucleic acid probes that detect breast cancer CTCs via their
      nuclease activity. This assay exhibited robust performance in distinguishing
      breast cancer patients from healthy controls, and it is rapid, inexpensive, and
      easy to implement in most clinical labs. Given its broad applicability, this
      technology has the potential to have a substantive impact on the diagnosis and
      treatment of many cancers.

PMID- 28918056
TI  - The Therapeutic Potential of CRISPR/Cas9 Systems in Oncogene-Addicted Cancer
      Types: Virally Driven Cancers as a Model System.
AB  - The field of gene editing is undergoing unprecedented growth. The first ex vivo
      human clinical trial in China started in 2016, more than 1000 US patents have
      been filed, and there is exponential growth in publications. The ability to edit
      genes with high fidelity is promising for the development of new treatments for a
      range of diseases, particularly inherited conditions, infectious diseases, and
      cancers. For cancer, a major issue is the identification of driver mutations and
      oncogenes to target for therapeutic effect, and this requires the development of
      robust models with which to prove their efficacy. The challenge is that there is
      rarely a single critical gene. However, virally driven cancers, in which cells
      are addicted to the expression of a single viral oncogene in some cases, may
      serve as model systems for CRISPR/Cas therapies, as they did for RNAi. These
      models and systems offer an excellent opportunity to test both preclinical models
      and clinical conditions to examine the effectiveness of gene editing, and here we
      review the options and offer a way forward.

PMID- 28918057
TI  - One-Step piggyBac Transposon-Based CRISPR/Cas9 Activation of Multiple Genes.
AB  - Neural cell fate is determined by a tightly controlled transcription regulatory
      network during development. The ability to manipulate the expression of multiple
      transcription factors simultaneously is required to delineate the complex picture
      of neural cell development. Because of the limited carrying capacity of the
      commonly used viral vectors, such as lentiviral or retroviral vectors, it is
      often challenging to perform perturbation experiments on multiple transcription
      factors. Here we have developed a piggyBac (PB) transposon-based CRISPR
      activation (CRISPRa) all-in-one system, which allows for simultaneous and stable
      endogenous transactivation of multiple transcription factors and long non-coding
      RNAs. As a proof of principle, we showed that the PB-CRISPRa system could
      accelerate the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into
      neurons and astrocytes by triggering endogenous expression of different sets of
      transcription factors. The PB-CRISPRa system has the potential to become a
      convenient and robust tool in neuroscience, which can meet the needs of a variety
      of in vitro and in vivo gain-of-function applications.

PMID- 28918058
TI  - Reducible PEG-POD/DNA Nanoparticles for Gene Transfer In Vitro and In Vivo:
      Application in a Mouse Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - Non-viral gene delivery systems are being developed to address limitations of
      viral gene delivery. Many of these non-viral systems are modeled on the
      properties of viruses including cell surface binding, endocytosis, endosomal
      escape, and nuclear targeting. Most non-viral gene transfer systems exhibit
      little correlation between in vitro and in vivo efficiency, hampering a
      systematic approach to their development. Previously, we have described a 3.5 kDa
      peptide (peptide for ocular delivery [POD]) that targets cell surface sialic
      acid. When functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) via a sulfhydryl group
      on the N-terminal cysteine of POD, PEG-POD could compact plasmid DNA, forming 120
      to 180-nm homogeneous nanoparticles. PEG-POD enabled modest gene transfer and
      rescue of retinal degeneration in vivo. Systematic investigation of different
      stages of gene transfer by PEG-POD nanoparticles was hampered by their inability
      to deliver genes in vitro. Herein, we describe functionalization of POD with PEG
      using a reducible orthopyridyl disulfide bond. These reducible nanoparticles
      enabled gene transfer in vitro while retaining their in vivo gene transfer
      properties. These reducible PEG-POD nanoparticles were utilized to deliver human
      FLT1 to the retina in vivo, achieving a 50% reduction in choroidal
      neovascularization in a murine model of age-related macular degeneration.

PMID- 28918059
TI  - Regulatory Role of the MicroRNA-29b-IL-6 Signaling in the Formation of Vascular
      Mimicry.
AB  - Vascular mimicry (VM) is a critical complement for microcirculation and is
      implicated in tumor progression. We showed that IL-6 derived from tumor cells and
      stroma cells promoted tumor cells to form a VM structure, whereas blocking the IL
      6 signaling by RNA interference, IL-6-neutralizing antibody, or STAT3 inhibitor
      suppressed the VM formation of tumor cells. Mechanism investigations revealed
      that IL-6 stimulated VM formation by activating STAT3, in turn upregulating VE
      cadherin expression and MMP2 activity. Further analyses identified a positive
      association between the activation of IL-6-STAT3 signaling and the formation of
      the VM structure in human HCC tissues. However, miR-29b repressed the expression
      of STAT3 and MMP2 by directly binding to the 3' UTRs of their mRNAs.
      Consistently, both gain- and loss-of-function analyses showed that miR-29b
      suppressed tumor cells to form tube structures in vitro. The in vivo studies
      further disclosed that intratumoral injection of the miR-29b-expressing viruses
      significantly inhibited the IL-6-promoted VM formation in mouse xenografts, and
      downregulation of miR-29b was correlated with the presence of VM in human HCC
      tissues. This study elucidates a miR-29b-IL-6 signaling cascade and its role in
      VM formation, which provide potential targets for cancer therapy.

PMID- 28918060
TI  - Outcomes of Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Revision in Pediatric Glaucoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Encapsulation of the Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) plate is a common cause
      for postoperative elevation of intraocular pressure, especially in children. Many
      reports have described the outcomes of AGV revision in adults. However, the
      outcomes of AGV revision in children are poorly documented. The aim of this study
      was to determine the outcomes of AGV revision in children. DESIGN: Retrospective
      cross-sectional study. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients less
      than 15 years of age who underwent AGV revision with a minimum postoperative
      follow-up of 6 months was conducted. Outcome measures included reduction in
      intraocular pressure from baseline, survival analysis, and reduction in the
      number of antiglaucoma medications. Postoperative complications were also noted.
      Complete success was defined as an IOP of 21 mm Hg or less without medications,
      while qualified success was defined as having an IOP of 21 mm Hg or less with
      medications. RESULTS: A total of 44 eyes met the inclusion criteria. Primary
      congenital glaucoma was present in 39 eyes (88.6%), aphakic glaucoma in 4 eyes
      (9.1%), and Peters anomaly-associated glaucoma in 1 eye (2.3%). The mean number
      of previous surgeries was 1.4, and the mean age was 6.7 years (range, 1.9-13
      years) with a median follow-up of 12 months (range, 6-24 months). The IOP was
      reduced from a preoperative mean of 30.4 (+/- 10.3) to 24.9 (+/- 10.6) mm Hg at 6
      months postoperatively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the complete success
      rate at 1 month was 100% followed by a rapid decline at 6 months to 38.6%, 27.7%
      at 1 year, and 5.5% at 2 years. Qualified success rate was 100% at 1 month
      followed by a 6-month and 1-year survival rate of approximately 50% and a 2-year
      survival rate of approximately 16%. The median survival time was 14 months. No
      specific risk factors for failure were identified. Visual acuity remained
      unchanged following revision. The most common complication was recurrence of
      encapsulation with elevated IOP (15.9%). Other complications included hyphema (n
      = 3; 6.8%), endophthalmitis (n = 1; 2.3%), wound leak (n = 1; 2.3%), and
      choroidal detachment (n = 2; 4.5%). CONCLUSION: Although the short-term success
      rate of AGV revision in children is high, with longer follow-up the success rate
      decreases significantly.

PMID- 28918061
TI  - Improved fuzzy PID controller design using predictive functional control
      structure.
AB  - In conventional PID scheme, the ensemble control performance may be
      unsatisfactory due to limited degrees of freedom under various kinds of
      uncertainty. To overcome this disadvantage, a novel PID control method that
      inherits the advantages of fuzzy PID control and the predictive functional
      control (PFC) is presented and further verified on the temperature model of a
      coke furnace. Based on the framework of PFC, the prediction of the future process
      behavior is first obtained using the current process input signal. Then, the
      fuzzy PID control based on the multi-step prediction is introduced to acquire the
      optimal control law. Finally, the case study on a temperature model of a coke
      furnace shows the effectiveness of the fuzzy PID control scheme when compared
      with conventional PID control and fuzzy self-adaptive PID control.

PMID- 28918062
TI  - Detection of no-model input-output pairs in closed-loop systems.
AB  - The detection of no-model input-output (IO) pairs is important because it can
      speed up the multivariable system identification process, since all the pairs
      with null transfer functions are previously discarded and it can also improve the
      identified model quality, thus improving the performance of model based
      controllers. In the available literature, the methods focus just on the open-loop
      case, since in this case there is not the effect of the controller forcing the
      main diagonal in the transfer matrix to one and all the other terms to zero. In
      this paper, a modification of a previous method able to detect no-model IO pairs
      in open-loop systems is presented, but adapted to perform this duty in closed
      loop systems. Tests are performed by using the traditional methods and the
      proposed one to show its effectiveness.

PMID- 28918063
TI  - A PCA-Based method for determining craniofacial relationship and sexual
      dimorphism of facial shapes.
AB  - Previous studies have used principal component analysis (PCA) to investigate the
      craniofacial relationship, as well as sex determination using facial factors.
      However, few studies have investigated the extent to which the choice of
      principal components (PCs) affects the analysis of craniofacial relationship and
      sexual dimorphism. In this paper, we propose a PCA-based method for visual and
      quantitative analysis, using 140 samples of 3D heads (70 male and 70 female),
      produced from computed tomography (CT) images. There are two parts to the method.
      First, skull and facial landmarks are manually marked to guide the model's
      registration so that dense corresponding vertices occupy the same relative
      position in every sample. Statistical shape spaces of the skull and face in dense
      corresponding vertices are constructed using PCA. Variations in these vertices,
      captured in every principal component (PC), are visualized to observe shape
      variability. The correlations of skull- and face-based PC scores are analysed,
      and linear regression is used to fit the craniofacial relationship. We compute
      the PC coefficients of a face based on this craniofacial relationship and the PC
      scores of a skull, and apply the coefficients to estimate a 3D face for the
      skull. To evaluate the accuracy of the computed craniofacial relationship, the
      mean and standard deviation of every vertex between the two models are computed,
      where these models are reconstructed using real PC scores and coefficients.
      Second, each PC in facial space is analysed for sex determination, for which
      support vector machines (SVMs) are used. We examined the correlation between PCs
      and sex, and explored the extent to which the choice of PCs affects the
      expression of sexual dimorphism. Our results suggest that skull- and face-based
      PCs can be used to describe the craniofacial relationship and that the accuracy
      of the method can be improved by using an increased number of face-based PCs. The
      results show that the accuracy of the sex classification is related to the choice
      of PCs. The highest sex classification rate is 91.43% using our method.

PMID- 28918064
TI  - Synthesis and in vitro study of benzofuran hydrazone derivatives as novel alpha
      amylase inhibitor.
AB  - The alpha-amylase acts as attractive target to treat type-2 diabetes mellitus.
      Therefore in discovering a small molecule as alpha-amylase inhibitor, we have
      synthesized benzofuran carbohydrazide analogs (1-25), characterized through
      different spectroscopic techniques such as 1HNMR and EI-MS. All screened analog
      shows good alpha-amylase inhibitory potentials with IC50 value ranging between
      1.078+/-0.19 and 2.926+/-0.05uM when compared with acarbose having IC50=0.62+/
      0.22uM. Only nine analogs among the series such as analogs 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12,
      21, 23 and 24 exhibit good inhibitory potential with IC50 values 1.644+/-0.128,
      1.078+/-0.19, 1.245+/-0.25, 1.843+/-0.19, 1.350+/-0.24, 1.629+/-0.015, 1.353+/
      0.232, 1.359+/-0.119 and 1.488+/-0.07uM when compare with standard drug acarbose.
      All other analogs showed good to moderate alpha-amylase inhibitory potentials.
      The SAR study was conducted on the basis of substituent difference at the phenyl
      ring. The binding interaction between analogs and active site of enzyme was
      confirmed by docking studies.

PMID- 28918065
TI  - The role of epigenetics in lysosomal storage disorders: Uncharted territory.
AB  - The study of the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA
      methylation, histone modifications, and microRNAs, to human disease has enhanced
      our understanding of different cellular processes and diseased states, as well as
      the effect of environmental factors on phenotypic outcomes. Epigenetic studies
      may be particularly relevant in evaluating the clinical heterogeneity observed in
      monogenic disorders. The lysosomal storage disorders are Mendelian disorders
      characterized by a wide spectrum of associated phenotypes, ranging from neonatal
      presentations to symptoms that develop in late adulthood. Some lack a tight
      genotype/phenotype correlation. While epigenetics may explain some of the
      discordant phenotypes encountered in patients with the same lysosomal storage
      disorder, especially among patients sharing the same genotype, to date, few
      studies have focused on these mechanisms. We review three common epigenetic
      mechanisms, DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNAs, and highlight
      their applications to phenotypic variation and therapeutics. Three specific
      lysosomal storage diseases, Gaucher disease, Fabry disease, and Niemann-Pick type
      C disease are presented as prototypical disorders with vast clinical
      heterogeneity that may be impacted by epigenetics. Our goal is to motivate
      researchers to consider epigenetics as a mechanism to explain the complexities of
      biological functions and pathologies of these rare disorders.

PMID- 28918066
TI  - Enzymatic testing sensitivity, variability and practical diagnostic algorithm for
      pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) deficiency.
AB  - Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) deficiency is a major cause of primary
      lactic acidemia in children. Prompt and correct diagnosis of PDC deficiency and
      differentiating between specific vs generalized, or secondary deficiencies has
      important implications for clinical management and therapeutic interventions.
      Both genetic and enzymatic testing approaches are being used in the diagnosis of
      PDC deficiency. However, the diagnostic efficacy of such testing approaches for
      individuals affected with PDC deficiency has not been systematically investigated
      in this disorder. We sought to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity and
      variability of the various PDC enzyme assays in females and males at the Center
      for Inherited Disorders of Energy Metabolism (CIDEM). CIDEM data were filtered by
      lactic acidosis and functional PDC deficiency in at least one cell/tissue type
      (blood lymphocytes, cultured fibroblasts or skeletal muscle) identifying 186
      subjects (51% male and 49% female), about half were genetically resolved with 78%
      of those determined to have a pathogenic PDHA1 mutation. Assaying PDC in cultured
      fibroblasts in cases where the underlying genetic etiology is PDHA1, was highly
      sensitive irrespective of gender; 97% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 90%-100%)
      and 91% (95% CI: 82%-100%) in females and males, respectively. In contrast to the
      fibroblast-based testing, the lymphocyte- and muscle-based testing were not
      sensitive (36% [95% CI: 11%-61%, p=0.0003] and 58% [95% CI: 30%-86%, p=0.014],
      respectively) for identifying known PDC deficient females with pathogenic PDHA1
      mutations. In males with a known PDHA1 mutation, the sensitivity of the various
      cell/tissue assays (75% lymphocyte, 91% fibroblast and 88% muscle) were not
      statistically different, and the discordance frequency due to the specific
      cell/tissue used for assaying PDC was 0.15+/-0.11. Based on this data, a
      practical diagnostic algorithm is proposed accounting for current molecular
      approaches, enzyme testing sensitivity, and variability due to gender,
      cell/tissue type used for testing, and successive repeat testing.

PMID- 28918067
TI  - Corrigendum to "Malaria surveillance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
      Comparison of microscopy, PCR, and rapid diagnostic test" [Diagn Microbiol Infect
      Dis. 2016 May;85(1):16-8. doi: 10.1016/j.Diagmicrobio.2016.01.004. Epub 2016 Jan
      9].

PMID- 28918068
TI  - A simple and rapid DNA extraction method for Chlamydia trachomatis detection from
      urogenital swabs.
AB  - A highly sensitive and specific Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) diagnostic test was
      developed by combining filtration isolation of nucleic acid (FINA) extraction
      with quantitative polymerase chain reaction including an internal control to
      identify test inhibition. A pilot study of 40 clinical specimens yielded 100%
      sensitivity and specificity.

PMID- 28918069
TI  - Studies that report unexpected positive blood cultures for Lyme borrelia - are
      they valid?
AB  - Positive blood cultures for Lyme borrelia have been well documented in untreated
      patients with early Lyme disease. In this report we review the validity of three
      studies that reported the recovery of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from the
      blood of a high proportion of patients for whom no evidence was presented, and no
      claim was made, that the patients had untreated early Lyme disease. In two of the
      studies the patients had been treated extensively with antibiotics for Lyme
      disease before the cultures were obtained. Critical evaluation of the three
      reports suggests that they are invalid. Indeed, two subsequently published
      studies could not reproduce the results of one of the reports. In a published
      analysis of another of the reports, investigators from the Centers for Disease
      Control and Prevention concluded that the cultures were likely to have been
      contaminated. When the biologic plausibility of recovering borrelia from blood is
      extremely low, the level of scientific rigor required of a study that claims a
      positive result should be particularly high.

PMID- 28918070
TI  - Selective solid-phase extraction based on molecularly imprinted technology for
      the simultaneous determination of 20 triazole pesticides in cucumber samples
      using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - A selective analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 20 triazole
      fungicides and plant growth regulators in cucumber samples was developed using
      solid-phase extraction with specific molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as
      adsorbents. The MIPs were successfully prepared by precipitation polymerization
      using triadimefon as the template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional
      monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate as the crosslinker, and acetonitrile
      as the porogen. The performance and recognition mechanism for both the MIPs and
      non-molecularly imprinted polymers were evaluated using adsorption isotherms and
      adsorption kinetics. Liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry
      was used to identify and quantify the target analytes. The solid-phase extraction
      using the MIPs was rapid, convenient, and efficient for extraction and enrichment
      of the 20 triazole pesticides from cucumber samples. The recoveries obtained at
      three concentration levels (1, 2, and 10MUgL-1) ranged from 82.3% to 117.6% with
      relative standard deviations of less than 11.8% (n=5) for all analytes. The
      limits of detection for the 20 triazole pesticides were all less than 0.4MUgL-1,
      and were sufficient to meet international standards.

PMID- 28918071
TI  - The masseteric nerve: An anatomical study in Thai population with an emphasis on
      its use in facial reanimation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of the masseteric nerve has been escalated as a donor nerve
      for facial reanimation in facial palsy patient (Wang et al., 2014; Manktelow et
      al., 2006; Klebuc, 2011; Bianchi et al., 2012; Zuker et al., 2000; Bae et al.,
      2006; Terzis, Konofaos, 2013; Terzis, Olivares, 2009; Bianchi et al., 2014).
      Previous studies had been done in Euro-Caucasian cadavers (Kaya et al., 2014).
      However, difference in anatomical details does exist between Asian and Euro
      Caucasian population (Tzou et al., 2005; Farkas et al., 2005). In this study, we
      have conducted a detailed anatomical study of masseteric nerve in adult Thai
      cadavers which might elaborate better details of masseteric nerve anatomy in
      Asian population. METHODS: Twenty eight hemifaces from 14 adult Thai non
      formaldehyde preserved soft cadavers were used in this study. The anatomical
      pathway of the masseteric nerve was defined relating to four surgical landmarks
      which are auricular tragus, zygomatic arch, posterior border of the
      temporomandibular joint, and alar base. RESULTS: The suitable starting area for
      the masseteric nerve dissection is 3.7 +/- 0.4 cm anterior to the auricular
      tragus at the level of 0.8 +/- 0.2 cm inferior to the zygomatic arch. The nerve
      was found 1.1 +/- 0.2 cm deep to the superficial surface of the masseteric fascia
      and 1.7 +/- 0.2 cm anterior to the posterior border of the temporomandibular
      joint. The point where the nerve giving off its first branch as it courses
      distally is 7.3 +/- 0.7 cm from the ipsilateral alar base. The mean diameter of
      this nerve is 1.59 +/- 0.42 mm. CONCLUSION: The anatomy of the masseteric nerve
      during its course in the muscle is consistent. In our study, the details of its
      anatomy is slightly different from the previous works which were performed in the
      Euro-Caucasian cadavers.

PMID- 28918072
TI  - Development of a duplex semi-nested PCR assay for detection of classical goose
      parvovirus and novel goose parvovirus-related virus in sick or dead ducks with
      short beak and dwarfism syndrome.
AB  - Duck short beak and dwarfism syndrome (SBDS) is an emerging infectious disease
      caused by a novel goose parvovirus-related virus (NGPV) in China. Until now, it
      remains uncertain whether the Cherry Valley ducks and mule ducks with SBDS are co
      infected with classical goose parvovirus (GPV) and NGPV. In this study, a duplex
      semi-nested PCR assay with high specificity and sensitivity was developed for
      detection of the two viruses. Using the duplex PCR assay, NGPV was tested
      positive in all the 15 duck flocks with SBDS, whereas classical GPV was not
      detected in all the 133 sick and dead ducks collected from East China. A total of
      87 (91.58%) Cherry Valley ducks aged from 5 to 18days and 35 (92.11%) mule ducks
      aged from 17 to 25days were detected positive for NGPV. In the NGPV-positive
      ducks, the virus detection rates were 81.97% to 8.20% in heart, liver, spleen,
      lung, kidney, pancreas, bile, thymus, bursa of Fabricius, and brain. The results
      indicated that NGPV was prevalent in the duck flocks of East China, whereas
      classical GPV was not detected in Cherry Valley ducks and mule ducks with SBDS.
      NGPV has extensive tissue tropism in Cherry Valley duck and mule duck, which
      could invade both the central and peripheral immune organs and break through the
      blood-brain barrier of ducks.

PMID- 28918074
TI  - Rapid Adenovirus typing method for species identification.
AB  - Adenoviruses are characterized by a large variability, reflected by their
      classification in species A to G. Certain species, eg A and C, could be
      associated with increased clinical severity, both in immunocompetent and
      immunocompromised hosts suggesting that in some instances species identification
      provides clinically relevant information. Here we designed a novel "pVI rapid
      typing method" to obtain quick, simple and cost effective species assignment for
      Adenoviruses, thanks to combined fusion temperature (Tm) and amplicon size
      analysis. Rapid typing results were compared to Sanger sequencing in the hexon
      gene for 140 Adenovirus-positive clinical samples included in the Typadeno study.
      Species A and C could be identified with a 100% positive predictive value, thus
      confirming the value of this simple typing method.

PMID- 28918073
TI  - A directed evolution approach to select for novel Adeno-associated virus capsids
      on an HIV-1 producer T cell line.
AB  - A directed evolution approach was used to select for Adeno-associated virus (AAV)
      capsids that would exhibit more tropism toward an HIV-1 producer T cell line with
      the long-term goal of developing improved gene transfer vectors. A library of AAV
      variants was used to infect H9 T cells previously infected or uninfected by HIV-1
      followed by AAV amplification with wild-type adenovirus. Six rounds of biological
      selection were performed, including negative selection and diversification after
      round three. The H9 T cells were successfully infected with all three wild-type
      viruses (AAV, adenovirus, and HIV-1). Four AAV cap mutants best representing the
      small number of variants emerging after six rounds of selection were chosen for
      further study. These mutant capsids were used to package an AAV vector and
      subsequently used to infect H9 cells that were previously infected or uninfected
      by HIV-1. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay was performed to measure
      cell-associated AAV genomes. Two of the four cap mutants showed a significant
      increase in the amount of cell-associated genomes as compared to wild-type AAV2.
      This study shows that directed evolution can be performed successfully to select
      for mutants with improved tropism for a T cell line in the presence of HIV-1.

PMID- 28918075
TI  - Direct detection of Trichomonas vaginalis virus in Trichomonas vaginalis positive
      clinical samples from the Netherlands.
AB  - Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common sexually transmitted parasitical
      infection worldwide. T. vaginalis can carry a virus: Trichomonas vaginalis virus
      (TVV). To date, four TVV species have been described. Few studies have
      investigated TVV prevalence and its clinical importance. We have developed a
      nested reverse-transcriptase PCR, with novel, type specific primers to directly
      detect TVV RNA in T. vaginalis positive clinical samples. A total of 119T.
      vaginalis positive clinical samples were collected in Amsterdam and "s
      Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, from 2012 to 2016. For all samples T. vaginalis
      was genotyped using multi-locus sequence typing. The T. vaginalis positive
      samples segregated into a two-genotype population: type I (n=64) and type II
      (n=55). All were tested for TVV with the new TVV PCR. We detected 3 of the 4 TVV
      species. Sequencing of the amplified products showed high homology with published
      TVV genomes (82-100%). Half of the T. vaginalis clinical samples (n=60, 50.4%)
      were infected with one or more TVV species, with a preponderance for TVV
      infections in T. vaginalis type I (n=44, 73.3%). Clinical data was available for
      a subset of samples (n=34) and we observed an association between testing
      positive for (any) TVV and reporting urogenital symptoms (p=0.023). The nested RT
      PCR allowed for direct detection of TVV in T. vaginalis positive clinical
      samples. This may be helpful in studies and clinical settings, since T. vaginalis
      disease and/or treatment outcome may be influenced by the protozoa"s virus.

PMID- 28918076
TI  - Simultaneous detection of wheat dwarf virus, northern cereal mosaic virus, barley
      yellow striate mosaic virus and rice black-streaked dwarf virus in wheat by
      multiplex RT-PCR.
AB  - Wheat dwarf virus (WDV), barley yellow striate mosaic virus (BYSMV), rice black
      streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) and northern cereal mosaic virus (NCMV) are four
      viruses infecting wheat and causing similar symptoms. In this paper, a multiplex
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (m-RT-PCR) method has been
      developed for the simultaneous detection and discrimination of these viruses. The
      protocol uses specific primer set for each virus and produces four distinct
      fragments (273, 565, 783 and 1296bp), detecting the presence of RBSDV, BYSMV, WDV
      and NCMV, respectively. Annealing temperature, concentrations of dNTP, Taq
      polymerase and Mg2+ were optimized for the m-RT-PCR. The detection limit of the
      assay was up to 10-2 dilution. The amplification specificity of these primers was
      tested against a range of field samples from different regions of China, where
      RBSDV, BYSMV, WDV have been detected. This study fulfills the need for a rapid
      and specific wheat virus detection that also has the potential for investigating
      the epidemiology of these new viral diseases.

PMID- 28918077
TI  - Membrane electro-oxidizer: A new hybrid membrane system with electrochemical
      oxidation for enhanced organics and fouling control.
AB  - The synergistic combination of membrane filtration with advanced oxidation is of
      particular interest for next-generation wastewater treatment technologies. A
      membrane electro-oxidizer (MEO) hybridizing a submerged microfilter and an
      electrochemical cell was developed and investigated for tertiary treatment of
      secondary industrial (textile) wastewater effluent. Laboratory- and pilot-scale
      MEO systems were designed and evaluated for treatment efficiency and membrane
      fouling control. The MEO achieved substantial removal of color (50-90%),
      turbidity (>90%), and bacteria (>4 log) as well as chemical oxygen demand (13
      31%) and 1,4-dioxane (~25-53%). Fluorescence-based parallel factor analysis
      disclosed the degradation of humic-like organics with fluorophores. Size
      exclusion chromatograms with organic carbon detection confirmed the removal of
      specific organic molecules with ~100 Da. While investigating the effects of
      oxidant quenching agents, reactive chlorine species and hydrogen peroxide were
      found to be most responsible for the anodic oxidation of secondary effluent
      organics. The efficacy of membrane fouling mitigation by the MEO was greater when
      higher electric current densities were applied, but was not dependent on the
      number of electrochemical cells installed. The MEO is a promising technology for
      enhanced organics removal with simultaneous fouling control due to its
      multifunctional active oxidants.

PMID- 28918078
TI  - Assessment of environmental impacts and operational costs of the implementation
      of an innovative source-separated urine treatment.
AB  - Innovative treatment technologies and management methods are necessary to
      valorise the constituents of wastewater, in particular nutrients from urine
      (highly concentrated and can have significant impacts related to artificial
      fertilizer production). The FP7 project, ValuefromUrine, proposed a new two-step
      process (called VFU) based on struvite precipitation and microbial electrolysis
      cell (MEC) to recover ammonia, which is further transformed into ammonium
      sulphate. The environmental and economic impacts of its prospective
      implementation in the Netherlands were evaluated based on life cycle assessment
      (LCA) methodology and operational costs. In order to tackle the lack of stable
      data from the pilot plant and the complex effects on wastewater treatment plant
      (WWTP), process simulation was coupled with LCA and costs assessment using the
      Python programming language. Additionally, particular attention was given to the
      propagation and analysis of inputs uncertainties. Five scenarios of VFU
      implementation were compared to the conventional treatment of 1 m3 of wastewater.
      Inventory data were obtained from SUMO software for the WWTP operation. LCA was
      based on Brightway2 software (using ecoinvent database and ReCiPe method). The
      results, based on 500 iterations sampled from inputs distributions (foreground
      parameters, ecoinvent background data and market prices), showed a significant
      advantage of VFU technology, both at a small and decentralized scale and at a
      large and centralized scale (95% confidence intervals not including zero values).
      The benefits mainly concern the production of fertilizers, the decreased efforts
      at the WWTP, the water savings from toilets flushing, as well as the lower
      infrastructure volumes if the WWTP is redesigned (in case of significant
      reduction of nutrients load in wastewater). The modelling approach, which could
      be applied to other case studies, improves the representativeness and the
      interpretation of results (e.g. complex relationships, global sensitivity
      analysis) but requires additional efforts (computing and engineering knowledge,
      longer calculation time). Finally, the sustainability assessment should be
      refined in the future with the development of the technology at larger scale to
      update these preliminary conclusions before its commercialization.

PMID- 28918079
TI  - Clogging of an Alpine streambed by silt-sized particles - Insights from
      laboratory and field experiments.
AB  - Clogging of streambeds by suspended particles (SP) can cause environmental
      problems, as it can negatively influence, e.g., habitats for macrozoobenthos,
      fish reproduction and groundwater recharge. This especially applies in the case
      of silt-sized SP. Until now, most research has dealt with coarse SP and was
      carried out in laboratory systems. The aims of this study are to examine (1)
      whether physical clogging by silt-sized SP exhibits the same dynamics and
      patterns as by sand-sized SP, and (2) the comparability of results between
      laboratory and field experiments. We carried out vertical column experiments with
      sand-sized bed material and silt-sized SP, which are rich in mica minerals. In
      laboratory experiments, we investigated the degree of clogging quantified by the
      reduction of porosity and hydraulic conductivity and the maximum clogging depth
      as a function of size and shape of bed material, size of SP, pore water flow
      velocity, and concentration of calcium cations. The SP were collected from an
      Alpine sedimentation basin, where our field experiments were carried out. To
      investigate the clogging process in the field, we buried columns filled with sand
      sized quartz in the stream bed. We found that the maximal bed-to-grain ratio
      where clogging still occurs is larger for silt-sized SP than for sand-sized SP.
      The observed clogging depths and the reduction of flow rate through the column
      from our laboratory experiments were comparable to those from the field. However,
      our field results showed that the extent of clogging strongly depends on the
      naturally-occurring hydrological dynamics. The field location was characterized
      by a more polydisperse suspension, a strongly fluctuating water regime, and high
      SP concentrations at times, leading to more heterogeneous and more pronounced
      clogging when compared to laboratory results.

PMID- 28918080
TI  - The tail of two models: Impact of circularity and biomass non-homogeneity on UV
      disinfection of wastewater flocs.
AB  - The effects of floc structural characteristics, i.e. shape and dense biomass
      distribution, were evaluated on ultraviolet (UV) disinfection resistance,
      represented by the tailing level of the UV dose response curve (DRC). Ellipsoid
      shaped flocs of similar volume and different projected circularities were
      constructed in-silico and a mathematical model was developed to compare their UV
      DRC tailing levels (indicative of UV-resistance). It was found that floc shape
      can significantly influence tailing level, and rounder flocs (i.e. flocs with
      higher circularity) were more UV-resistant. This result was confirmed
      experimentally by obtaining UV DRCs of two 75-90 MUm floc populations with
      different percentages (20% vs. 30%) of flocs with circularities higher than 0.5.
      The population enriched in less circular flocs (i.e. 20% flocs with circularities
      >0.5) had a lower tailing level (at least by 1-log) compared to the other
      population. The second model was developed to describe variations in UV
      disinfection kinetics observed in flocs with transverse vs. radial biomass non
      homogeneity, indicative of biofilm-originated vs. suspended flocs. The varied
      density hemispheres model and shell-core model were developed to simulate
      transverse and radial non-homogeneity, respectively. The UV DRCs were
      mathematically constructed and biofilm-originated flocs showed higher UV
      resistance compared to suspended flocs. The calculated UV DRCs agreed well with
      the experimental data collected from activated sludge and trickling filter flocs
      (no fitting parameters were used). These findings provide useful information in
      terms of designing/modifying upstream processes for reducing UV disinfection
      energy demand.

PMID- 28918082
TI  - Corrections.

PMID- 28918083
TI  - Topical fluorometholone treatment and desiccating stress change inflammatory
      protein expression in tears.
AB  - PURPOSE: It was hypothesized that tear protein biomarkers could predict the
      effects of topical steroid treatment and desiccating stress in patients with dry
      eye disease (DED). To test this concept, a randomized, double-masked, controlled
      clinical trial with 41 patients was conducted. METHODS: The patients were treated
      topically with either 0.1% fluorometholone (FML) or polyvinyl alcohol (PA). Tear
      samples were collected using 1 MUl glass capillaries at recruitment into the
      study and after a 3-week treatment period, both before and after 2 h exposure to
      desiccating stress, in a controlled environment chamber. Relative quantification
      of tear proteins was conducted by NanoLC-MSTOF using sequential window
      acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra (SWATH). Ocular surface integrity
      (corneal and conjunctival staining and conjunctival hyperemia) was selected as
      the key DED-related sign and analyzed with proteomic data. Analysis of covariance
      (ANCOVA) and linear models were used to analyze the data with R. RESULTS: 758
      proteins were identified and relatively quantified from each tear sample.
      Analysis revealed 9 differentially expressed proteins between FML and PA
      treatments after 3 weeks and 7 after desiccating stress (P < 0.05). We also
      identified several differentially expressed proteins at the initial collection,
      which could be used to predict changes of conjunctival and corneal staining and
      conjunctival hyperemia after FML treatment and after desiccating stress. These
      proteins include complement C3 (C3) and calmodulin like 5 (CALML5), which could
      also differentiate the severity of DED at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The identified
      proteins could be further used as biomarkers to identify patients most benefiting
      from FML treatment.

PMID- 28918081
TI  - Developmental alcohol exposure impairs synaptic plasticity without overtly
      altering microglial function in mouse visual cortex.
AB  - Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), caused by gestational ethanol (EtOH)
      exposure, is one of the most common causes of non-heritable and life-long mental
      disability worldwide, with no standard treatment or therapy available. While EtOH
      exposure can alter the function of both neurons and glia, it is still unclear how
      EtOH influences brain development to cause deficits in sensory and cognitive
      processing later in life. Microglia play an important role in shaping synaptic
      function and plasticity during neural circuit development and have been shown to
      mount an acute immunological response to EtOH exposure in certain brain regions.
      Therefore, we hypothesized that microglial roles in the healthy brain could be
      permanently altered by early EtOH exposure leading to deficits in experience
      dependent plasticity. We used a mouse model of human third trimester high binge
      EtOH exposure, administering EtOH twice daily by subcutaneous injections from
      postnatal day 4 through postnatal day 9 (P4-:P9). Using a monocular deprivation
      model to assess ocular dominance plasticity, we found an EtOH-induced deficit in
      this type of visually driven experience-dependent plasticity. However, using a
      combination of immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and in vivo two-photon
      microscopy to assay microglial morphology and dynamics, as well as fluorescence
      activated cell sorting (FACS) and RNA-seq to examine the microglial
      transcriptome, we found no evidence of microglial dysfunction in early
      adolescence. We also found no evidence of microglial activation in visual cortex
      acutely after early ethanol exposure, possibly because we also did not observe
      EtOH-induced neuronal cell death in this brain region. We conclude that early
      EtOH exposure caused a deficit in experience-dependent synaptic plasticity in the
      visual cortex that was independent of changes in microglial phenotype or
      function. This demonstrates that neural plasticity can remain impaired by
      developmental ethanol exposure even in a brain region where microglia do not
      acutely assume nor maintain an activated phenotype.

PMID- 28918084
TI  - Uranium isotopes in tree bark as a spatial tracer of environmental contamination
      near former uranium processing facilities in southwest Ohio.
AB  - Inappropriate handling of radioactive waste at nuclear facilities can introduce
      non-natural uranium (U) into the environment via the air or groundwater, leading
      to anthropogenic increases in U concentrations. Uranium isotopic analyses of
      natural materials (e.g. soil, plants or water) provide a means to distinguish
      between natural and anthropogenic U in areas near sources of radionuclides to the
      environment. This study examines the utility of two different tree bark transects
      for resolving the areal extent of U atmospheric contamination using several
      locations in southwest Ohio that historically processed U. This study is the
      first to utilize tree bark sampling transects to assess environmental
      contamination emanating from a nuclear facility. The former Fernald Feed
      Materials Production Center (FFMPC; Ross, Ohio) produced U metal from natural U
      ores and recycled nuclear materials from 1951 to 1989. Alba Craft Laboratory
      (Oxford, Ohio) machined several hundred tons of natural U metal from the FFMPC
      between 1952 and 1957. The Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company (HHM; Hamilton, Ohio)
      intermittently fabricated slugs rolled from natural U metal stock for use in
      nuclear reactors from 1943 to 1951. We have measured U concentrations and isotope
      signatures in tree bark sampled along an ~35 km SSE-NNW transect from the former
      FFMPC to the vicinity of the former Alba Craft laboratories (transect #1) and an
      ~20 km SW- NE (prevailing local wind direction) transect from the FFMPC to the
      vicinity of the former HHM (transect #2), with a focus on old trees with thick,
      persistent bark that could potentially record a time-integrated signature of
      environmental releases of U related to anthropogenic activity. Our results
      demonstrate the presence of anthropogenic U contamination in tree bark from the
      entire study area in both transects, with U concentrations within 1 km of the
      FFMPC up to ~400 times local background levels of 0.066 ppm. Tree bark samples
      from the Alba Craft and HHM transects exhibit increasing U concentrations within
      ~5 and ~10 km, respectively of the FFMPC. The 236U/238U isotopic ratios in tree
      bark from both transects increase progressively towards the FFMPC with values as
      high as 2.00 * 10-4 at the FFMPC. Tree bark sampled within 1 km of the FFMPC
      exhibits clear evidence for both enriched and depleted uranium with 235U/238U
      values from 0.00461 to 0.00736, with 234U/238U activity ratio ranging from 0.53
      to 0.96, and 236U/238U from 6.05 * 10-5 to 1.05 * 10-4. Tree bark from transect
      #1 between 1 and 30 km from the FFMPC exhibits depleted and natural 235U/238U
      values ranging from 0.00552 to 0.00726 [234U/238U activity ratio: 0.69-1.04;
      236U/238U: 2.49 * 10-6 - 2.00 * 10-4]. Tree bark from transect #2 sampled between
      1 and ~20 km away from the FFMPC exhibits evidence of enriched and depleted U in
      the environment with 235U/238U ranging from 0.00635 to 0.00738 [234U/238U
      activity ratio: 0.83-0.98; 236U/238U: 1.43 * 10-5 - 2.00 * 10-4]. Results from
      scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry provides
      evidence for U-rich particles as the source of contamination found in tree bark
      growing within 1-3 km of the former FFMPC. Such observations are consistent with
      the previously observed 14 MUm U-rich particle identified in tree bark sampled
      within 1 km of the FFMPC (Conte et al., 2015). Overall, this study shows the
      usefulness of a tree bark sample transect to assess the areal extent of
      atmospheric contaminant U stemming from nuclear facilities.

PMID- 28918085
TI  - Positive Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy on Spasticity in Poststroke
      Patients: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spasticity is a common and serious complication following a stroke,
      and many clinical research have been conducted to evaluate the effect of
      extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on muscle spasticity in poststroke
      patients. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect on
      decreasing spasticity caused by a stroke immediately and 4 weeks after the
      application of shock wave therapy. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of
      Science, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant studies through November
      2016 using the following item: (Hypertonia OR Spasticity) and (Shock Wave or
      ESWT) and (Stroke). The outcomes were evaluated by Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS)
      grades and pooled by Stata 12.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA). RESULTS:
      Six studies consisting of 9 groups were included in this meta-analysis. The MAS
      grades immediately after ESWT were significantly improved compared with the
      baseline values (standardized mean difference [SMD], -1.57; 95% confidence
      intervals [CIs], -2.20, -.94). Similarly, the MAS grades judged at 4 weeks after
      ESWT were also showed to be significantly lower than the baseline values (SMD, 
      1.93; 95% CIs, -2.71, -1.15). CONCLUSIONS: ESWT for the spasticity of patients
      after a stroke is effective, as measured by MAS grades. Moreover, no serious side
      effects were observed in any patients after shock wave therapy. Nevertheless, our
      current study with some limitations such as the limited sample size only provided
      limited quality of evidence; confirmation from a further systematic review or
      meta-analysis with large-scale, well-designed randomized control trials is
      required.

PMID- 28918086
TI  - Confidence in the Use of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in the Acute Phase of
      Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation-Related Ischemic Stroke Over the Years: A Real
      World Single-Center Study.
AB  - BACKGROUD AND AIM: The use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with
      nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF)-related acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is
      controversial. The aims of our study were to analyze physicians' confidence in
      prescribing DOACs in NVAF-related AIS, the characteristics of patients receiving
      DOACs, and their 90-day prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical records of
      consecutive patients admitted to our wards for NVAF-related AIS over the years
      2014-2016 were reviewed. RESULTS: One hundred forty-seven patients, 72.7%
      females, mean age +/- standard deviation 83.4 +/- 8.8 years, were admitted to our
      ward for atrial fibrillation (AF)-related AIS (38 in 2014, 47 in 2015, 62 in
      2016). Of these patients, 141 had NVAF-related AIS. Median length of hospital
      stay was 8 days (interquartile range [IQR], 6-11). In-hospital mortality was
      10.8%. Ninety-eight patients (69.5%) received DOACs for secondary prevention,
      with increasing percentages from 2014 (62.5%) to 2016 (88%). In 88% of them,
      DOACs were started during hospital stay, whereas in 12% DOACs were started during
      ambulatory follow-up. The median time for starting DOACs was 5 days (IQR, 3-8).
      In patients receiving DOACs, the median National Institutes of Health Stroke
      Scale score was 6 (IQR, 3-12), and large ischemic lesions were present in 48%;
      the median modified Rankin Scale score at hospital discharge was 3 (IQR, 1-4),
      whereas the score at 90 days was 2 (IQR, 1-3). At the 90-day follow-up, in
      patients receiving DOACs, overall mortality was 3.0%, stroke recurrence was 1%,
      and no patients had major intracranial or extracranial bleedings. CONCLUSION: Our
      study suggests that physicians are becoming increasingly confident in the use of
      DOACs in NVAF-related AIS. The use of DOACs seems effective and safe even when
      started in the acute phase of stroke.

PMID- 28918087
TI  - Left Atrial Enlargement and Anticoagulation Status in Patients with Acute
      Ischemic Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite anticoagulation therapy, ischemic stroke risk in atrial
      fibrillation (AF) remains substantial. We hypothesize that left atrial
      enlargement (LAE) is more prevalent in AF patients admitted with ischemic stroke
      who are therapeutic, as opposed to nontherapeutic, on anticoagulation. METHODS:
      We included consecutive patients with AF admitted with ischemic stroke between
      April 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016. Patients were divided into two groups based
      on whether they were therapeutic (warfarin with an international normalized ratio
      >= 2.0 or non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant with uninterrupted use in the prior 2
      weeks) versus nontherapeutic on anticoagulation. Univariable and multivariable
      models were used to estimate associations between therapeutic anticoagulation and
      clinical factors, including CHADS2 score and LAE (none/mild versus
      moderate/severe). RESULTS: We identified 225 patients during the study period; 52
      (23.1%) were therapeutic on anticoagulation. Patients therapeutic on
      anticoagulation were more likely to have a larger left atrial diameter in
      millimeters (45.6 +/- 9.2 versus 42.3 +/- 8.6, P = .032) and a higher CHADS2
      score (2.9 +/- 1.1 versus 2.4 +/- 1.1, P = .03). After adjusting for the CHADS2
      score, patients who had a stroke despite therapeutic anticoagulation were more
      likely to have moderate to severe LAE (odds ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval,
      1.01-4.16). CONCLUSION: LAE is associated with anticoagulation failure in AF
      patients admitted with an ischemic stroke. This provides indirect evidence that
      LAE may portend failure of anticoagulation therapy in patients with AF; further
      studies are needed to delineate the significance of this association and improve
      stroke prevention strategies.

PMID- 28918088
TI  - Evaluation of Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Subjects with and without Obstructive
      Sleep Apnea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and altered cerebrovascular
      reactivity (CVR) are associated with increased stroke risk. Nevertheless, the
      incidence of abnormal CVR in patients with OSA is uncertain due to the high
      variability in the way CVR is measured both within and between studies. We
      hypothesized that a standardized CVR with a consistent vasoactive stimulus and
      cerebral blood flow (CBF) measure would be reduced in patients with severe OSA
      compared with healthy controls. METHODS: This was a prospective study in which
      subjects with and without OSA were administered a standardized hypercapnic
      stimulus, and CBF was monitored by blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic
      resonance signal changes, a high space and time resolved surrogate for CBF.
      RESULTS: Twenty-four subjects with OSA (mean age 45.9 years, apnea-hypopnea index
      [AHI] 26.8 per hour) and 6 control subjects (mean age 42.8 years, AHI 2.4 per
      hour) were included. Compared with controls, subjects with OSA had a
      significantly greater whole brain (.1565 versus .1094, P = .013), gray matter
      (.2077 versus .1423, P = .009), and white matter (.1109 versus .0768, P = .024)
      CVR, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to expectations, subjects with OSA had
      greater CVR compared with control subjects.

PMID- 28918089
TI  - Urinary Incontinence and Indwelling Urinary Catheters as Predictors of Death
      after New-Onset Stroke: A Report of the South London Stroke Register.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between indwelling urinary catheters
      (IUCs), urinary incontinence (UI), and death in the poststroke period and to
      determine when, after the neurological event, UI has the best ability to predict
      1-year mortality. METHODS: In a prospective observational study, 4477 patients
      were followed up for 1 year after a first-ever stroke. The impact of UI or
      urinary catheters on time to death was adjusted in a Cox model for age, sex,
      Glasgow Coma Scale, prestroke and poststroke Barthel Index, swallow test, motor
      deficit, diabetes, and year of inclusion. The predictive values of UI assessed at
      the maximal deficit or 7 days after a stroke were compared using receiver
      operating curves. RESULTS: UI at the maximal neurological deficit and urinary
      catheters within the first week after the stroke were present in 43.9% and 31.2%
      patients, respectively. They were both associated with 1-year mortality in
      unadjusted and adjusted analysis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.78, 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.46-2.19, and HR, 1.84, 95% CI 1.54-2.19). Patients with UI and
      urinary catheters had twice the mortality rate of incontinent patients without
      urinary catheters (HR, 10.24; 95% CI, 8.72-12.03 versus HR, 4.70; 95% CI, 3.88
      5.70; P < .001). UI assessed after 1 week performed better at predicting 1-year
      mortality than UI assessed at the maximal neurological deficit. CONCLUSION: IUCs
      in the poststroke period is associated with death, especially among incontinent
      patients. UI assessed at 1 week after the neurological event has the best
      predictive ability.

PMID- 28918090
TI  - Sex Differences in Outcomes after Stroke in Patients with Diabetes in Ontario,
      Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outcomes after stroke in those with diabetes are not well
      characterized, especially by sex and age. We sought to calculate the sex- and age
      specific risk of cardiovascular outcomes after ischemic stroke among those with
      diabetes. METHODS: Using population-based demographic and administrative health
      care databases in Ontario, Canada, all patients with diabetes hospitalized with
      index ischemic stroke between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2012, were followed
      for death, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI). The Kaplan-Meier survival
      analysis and Fine-Gray competing risk models estimated hazards of outcomes by sex
      and age, unadjusted and adjusted for demographics and vascular risk factors.
      RESULTS: Among 25,495 diabetic patients with index ischemic stroke, the incidence
      of death was higher in women than in men (14.08 per 100 person-years [95%
      confidence interval [CI], 13.73-14.44] versus 11.89 [11.60-12.19]) but was lower
      after adjustment for age and other risk factors (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], .95
      [.92-.99]). Recurrent stroke incidence was similar by sex, but men were more
      likely to be readmitted for MI (1.99 per 100 person-years [1.89-2.10] versus 1.58
      [1.49-1.68] among females). In multivariable models, females had a lower risk of
      readmission for any event (HR, .96 [95% CI, .93-.99]). CONCLUSIONS: In this
      large, population-based, retrospective study among diabetic patients with index
      stroke, women had a higher unadjusted death rate but lower unadjusted incidence
      of MI. In adjusted models, females had a lower death rate compared with males,
      although the increased risk of MI among males persisted. These findings confirm
      and quantify sex differences in outcomes after stroke in patients with diabetes.

PMID- 28918092
TI  - Growth-Rate Dependent Regulation of tRNA Level and Charging in Bacillus
      licheniformis.
AB  - Cellular growth crucially depends on protein synthesis and the abundance of
      translational components. Among them, aminoacyl-tRNAs play a central role in
      biosynthesis and shape the kinetics of mRNA translation, thus influencing protein
      production. Here, we used microarray-based approaches to determine the charging
      levels and tRNA abundance of Bacillus licheniformis. We observed an interesting
      cross-talk among tRNA expression, charging pattern, and growth rate. For a large
      subset of tRNAs, we found a co-regulated and augmented expression at high growth
      rate. Their tRNA aminoacylation level is kept relatively constant through
      riboswitch-regulated expression of the cognate aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetase (AARS).
      We show that AARSs with putative riboswitch-controlled expression are those
      charging tRNAs with amino acids which disfavor cell growth when individually
      added to the nutrient medium. Our results suggest that the riboswitch-regulated
      AARS expression in B. licheniformis is a powerful mechanism not only to maintain
      a constant ratio of aminoacyl-tRNA independent of the growth rate but
      concomitantly to control the intracellular level of free amino acids.

PMID- 28918091
TI  - Opposed Effects of Dityrosine Formation in Soluble and Aggregated alpha-Synuclein
      on Fibril Growth.
AB  - Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. It is
      characterized by aggregation of the protein alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) in Lewy
      bodies, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased oxidative stress in the
      substantia nigra. Oxidative stress leads to several modifications of biomolecules
      including dityrosine (DiY) crosslinking in proteins, which has recently been
      detected in alpha-syn in Lewy bodies from Parkinson's disease patients. Here we
      report that alpha-syn is highly susceptible to ultraviolet-induced DiY formation.
      We investigated DiY formation of alpha-syn and nine tyrosine-to-alanine mutants
      and monitored its effect on alpha-syn fibril formation in vitro. Ultraviolet
      irradiation of intrinsically disordered alpha-syn generates DiY-modified monomers
      and dimers, which inhibit fibril formation of unmodified alpha-syn by interfering
      with fibril elongation. The inhibition depends on both the DiY group and its
      integration into alpha-syn. When preformed alpha-syn fibrils are crosslinked by
      DiY formation, they gain increased resistance to denaturation. DiY-stabilized
      alpha-syn fibrils retain their high seeding efficiency even after being exposed
      to denaturant concentrations that completely depolymerize non-crosslinked seeds.
      Oxidative stress-associated DiY crosslinking of alpha-syn therefore entails two
      opposing effects: (i) inhibition of aggregation by DiY-modified monomers and
      dimers, and (ii) stabilization of fibrillar aggregates against potential
      degradation mechanisms, which can lead to promotion of aggregation, especially in
      the presence of secondary nucleation.

PMID- 28918093
TI  - Topological Structure Determination of RNA Using Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering.
AB  - Knowledge of RNA three-dimensional topological structures provides important
      insight into the relationship between RNA structural components and function. It
      is often likely that near-complete sets of biochemical and biophysical data
      containing structural restraints are not available, but one still wants to obtain
      knowledge about approximate topological folding of RNA. In this regard, general
      methods for determining such topological structures with minimum readily
      available restraints are lacking. Naked RNAs are difficult to crystallize and NMR
      spectroscopy is generally limited to small RNA fragments. By nature, sequence
      determines structure and all interactions that drive folding are self-contained
      within sequence. Nevertheless, there is little apparent correlation between
      primary sequences and three-dimensional folding unless supplemented with
      experimental or phylogenetic data. Thus, there is an acute need for a robust high
      throughput method that can rapidly determine topological structures of RNAs
      guided by some experimental data. We present here a novel method (RS3D) that can
      assimilate the RNA secondary structure information, small-angle X-ray scattering
      data, and any readily available tertiary contact information to determine the
      topological fold of RNA. Conformations are firstly sampled at glob level where
      each glob represents a nucleotide. Best-ranked glob models can be further refined
      against solvent accessibility data, if available, and then converted to explicit
      all-atom coordinates for refinement against SAXS data using the Xplor-NIH
      program. RS3D is widely applicable to a variety of RNA folding architectures
      currently present in the structure database. Furthermore, we demonstrate
      applicability and feasibility of the program to derive low-resolution topological
      structures of relatively large multi-domain RNAs.

PMID- 28918094
TI  - Post-acute care for children with special health care needs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Almost all studies of post-acute care (PAC) focus on older persons,
      frequently those suffering from chronic health problems. Some research is
      available on PAC for the pediatric population in general. However, very few
      studies focus on PAC services for children with special health care needs (SHCN).
      OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors affecting the provision of PAC to children with
      SHCN. METHODS: Pooled cross-sectional data from Texas Department of State Health
      Services hospital discharge database from 2011-2014 were analyzed. Publicly
      available algorithms identified chronic conditions, complex chronic conditions,
      and the principal problem leading to hospitalization. Analysis involved
      estimating two logistic regressions, with clustered robust standard errors,
      concerning the likelihood of receiving PAC and where that PAC was delivered.
      Models included patient characteristics and conditions, as well as hospital
      characteristics and location. RESULTS: Only 5.8 percent of discharges for
      children with SHCN resulted in the provision of PAC. Two-thirds of PAC was
      provided in a health care facility (HCF). Severity of illness and the number of
      complex chronic conditions, though not the number of chronic problems, made PAC
      more likely. Patient demographics had no effect on PAC decisions. Hospital type
      and location also affected PAC decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: PAC was provided to
      relatively few children with SHCN, which raises questions concerning the
      potential underutilization of PAC for children with SHCN. Also, the provision of
      most PAC in a HCF (66%) seems at odds with professional judgment and family
      preferences indicating that health care for children with SHCN is best provided
      in the home.

PMID- 28918095
TI  - Accessibility and usability of parks and playgrounds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Public parks and playgrounds are an environment for leisure activity,
      which all generations can enjoy at low or no financial cost. Evaluating the
      accessibility and usability of parks and playgrounds is crucial because their
      design, environment (natural and built) and safety could restrict participation
      of persons with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accessibility and
      usability of 21 public parks and playgrounds in three metropolitan cities of New
      Zealand. Secondary aims were to compare the accessibility and usability by park
      type (destination or neighborhood) and deprivation level (high and low). METHODS:
      Twenty-one parks were evaluated. A stratified random sampling was used to select
      18 parks (six from each city). Three additional parks were purposely selected
      (one from each city) at the request of each respective city council. The parks
      and playgrounds were evaluated using a customized tool. Data were analyzed using
      descriptive statistics. RESULTS: None of the parks we evaluated met the national
      standards and/or international guidelines for park and playground design. We
      identified potential accessibility and usability issues with car parking spaces,
      path surfaces and play equipment as well as lack of lighting and fencing. The
      presence of amenities (e.g. toilets and drinking fountains) was more common in
      destination parks. Fewer parks in areas of higher deprivation had accessible car
      parking spaces and main paths wider than 1.5 m. CONCLUSION: Our evaluation
      identified potential design, environmental and safety barriers to park and
      playground based participation for persons with disabilities across the lifespan.
      A larger, more comprehensive evaluation of parks and playgrounds is required.

PMID- 28918096
TI  - A comprehensive review on Aurora kinase: Small molecule inhibitors and clinical
      trial studies.
AB  - Aurora kinase belongs to serine/threonine kinase family which controls cell
      division. Therapeutic inhibition of Aurora kinase showed great promise as
      probable anticancer regime because of its important role during cell division.
      Here, in this review, we have carried out exhaustive study of various synthetic
      molecules reported as Aurora kinase inhibitors and developed as lead molecule at
      various stages of clinical trials from its discovery in 1995 to till date. We
      reported details of small molecules, specifically inhibiting all 3 types of
      Aurora kinases, which includes extensive literature search in various database
      like various scientific journals, patents, scifinder and PubMed database,
      internet resources, books, etc. IC50 values of tumor growth inhibition, in-vitro
      and in-vivo activity along with clinical trial data. Here, we took efforts to
      describe essence of Aurora kinase and its inhibition which could be used to
      develop anti-mitotic drug for the treatment of cancer. In conclusion, we also
      discuss future perspectives for development of novel inhibitors and their scope
      in drug development process.

PMID- 28918097
TI  - Synthesis and bioevaluation of 1-phenyl-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid derivatives as
      potent xanthine oxidoreductase inhibitors.
AB  - A diverse library of 1-phenyl-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid derivatives were
      synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory potency against xanthine
      oxidoreductase (XOR) in vitro and vivo, and the structure-activity relationship
      (SAR) analyses were also presented. Approximately half of the target compounds
      exhibited the inhibitory potency for XOR at the nanomolar level. Compounds 16c,
      16d, and 16f emerged as the most potent xanthine oxidoreductase inhibitors with
      IC50 values of 5.7, 5.7 and 4.2 nM, respectively, in comparison to febuxostat
      (IC50 of 5.4 nM). Steady-state kinetics measurements indicated that 16c is a
      mixed-type inhibitor. A computer molecular docking study of 16c bound to XOR was
      performed to gain an insight into its bind mode and SAR for the series. A
      potassium oxonate-hypoxanthine-induced hyperuricemia model in mice was chosen to
      further confirm the hypouricemic effects of 16c and 16f, and the results
      demonstrated that 16c exhibits similar hypouricemic potency to febuxostat.

PMID- 28918098
TI  - Identifying novel factor XIIa inhibitors with PCA-GA-SVM developed vHTS models.
AB  - There currently is renewed interest in blood clotting Factor XII as a potential
      target for thrombosis inhibition. Historically untargeted, there is little drug
      information with which to start drug candidate searches. Typical high-throughput
      screening can identify potential drug candidates, but is inefficient. Virtual
      high-throughput screening can be used to raise efficiency by focusing
      experimental efforts on compounds predicted to be active and is applied here to
      identify new Factor XIIa inhibitors. We combine principal component analysis,
      genetic algorithm and support vector machine to create the models used in the
      virtual high-throughput screening. In this work, experimental data from a PubChem
      Bioassay was used to train predictive models of Factor XIIa inhibition activity.
      The models created were then used to virtually screen the entire 72 million
      PubChem Compound database. Experimental validation of select candidates
      identified by this process resulted in a 42.9% hit-rate in the first-pass and
      100% hit-rate in the second-pass, suggesting the effectiveness of the approach.

PMID- 28918099
TI  - Role of HPV DNA testing in modern gynaecological practice.
AB  - The identification of some types of human papillomavirus (HPV) as necessary, but
      not sufficient, cause of cervical cancer has suggested the use of HPV testing in
      cervical cancer prevention. A large number of studies has provided evidence
      supporting its application (1) as primary screening test, (2) for triaging
      borderline cytology, (3) for follow-up after positive primary test but no
      abnormal histology and (4) as a test of cure. They also allowed a reasonably good
      definition of the appropriate policies and protocols, leading to the delivery of
      evidence-based guidelines resulting from a systematic review of the literature.
      In this chapter, we present a critical analysis of the recommendations of the
      main European and North American guidelines relative to industrialised countries.

PMID- 28918100
TI  - Transcriptomic and epigenomic biomarkers of antidepressant response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antidepressant treatment is associated with a high rate of poor
      response, and thus, biomarker development is warranted. METHODS: We aimed to
      synthesize studies investigating gene expression, small RNAs, and epigenomic
      biomarkers of antidepressant response. We conducted a narrative review of the
      literature. RESULTS: Firstly, we detailed the challenges involved, in terms of
      biological tissues, relevant study time frames, and mandatory statistical tools.
      Secondly we synthesized results obtained in gene expression studies, focusing
      mainly on genome-wide studies, particularly small non-coding RNA, including micro
      RNA and other small RNA species. In addition, we reviewed the potential
      biomarkers of antidepressant response arising from studies investigating DNA
      methylation variation and histone modifications. LIMITATIONS: We did not conduct
      a meta-analysis due to the heterogeneity of the study. CONCLUSION: Although
      promising, the field of gene expression and epigenomic biomarkers of
      antidepressant response is still in its infancy, and needs further development to
      define useful biomarkers in clinical practice.

PMID- 28918101
TI  - Silver diamine fluoride remineralized artificial incipient caries in permanent
      teeth after bacterial pH-cycling in-vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the remineralizing effect of 38% silver diamine
      fluoride (SDF) application on enamel artificial caries in adjunct to 1000ppm
      fluoride toothpaste compared with fluoride toothpaste alone by analyzing the
      mineral density, depth of remineralization, and remineralization percentage of
      the lesions. METHODS: Eighteen artificial caries slabs were created from the
      proximal surfaces of nine chemically demineralized premolars. The slabs were
      scanned by Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) to determine the baseline mineral
      density of the initial lesions and randomly allocated into 2 groups. The test
      group was applied with 38% SDF in adjunct to fluoride toothpaste and the control
      group was treated with fluoride toothpaste alone. The specimens underwent
      bacterial pH-cycling for 5 d and were re-evaluated using Micro-CT. The pre
      treatment and post-treatment mineral densities were plotted and the areas under
      the curves were used to calculate the remineralization percentage of both groups.
      RESULTS: Mineral density significantly increased in both groups after pH-cycling
      (p<0.05) although to different depths (control group=260MUm, test group=300MUm).
      The test group demonstrated a significantly higher mineral density to a depth of
      120MUm and higher remineralization percentage (p<0.05) compared with the control
      group. CONCLUSION: The adjunctive use of 38% SDF enhances the remineralization of
      initial carious lesions based on mineral density, depth, and remineralization
      percentage compared with the use of 1000ppm fluoride toothpaste alone. SDF might
      be used as an adjunct to fluoride toothpaste to remineralize incipient caries
      lesions on smooth tooth surfaces. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In non-compliant
      patients, the application of 38% SDF might be used as an adjunct to fluoride
      toothpaste, to remineralize incipient caries lesions of permanent teeth where
      esthetics is not a concern.

PMID- 28918102
TI  - Minimal Clinically Important Difference for the Rasch Neuropsychiatric Inventory
      Irritability and Aggression Scale for Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for a
      Rasch measure derived from the Irritability/Lability and Agitation/Aggression
      subscales of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)-the Rasch NPI Irritability and
      Aggression Scale for Traumatic Brain Injury (NPI-TBI-IA). DESIGN: Distribution
      based statistical methods were applied to retrospective data to determine
      candidates for the MCID. These candidates were evaluated by anchoring the NPI-TBI
      IA to Global Impression of Change (GIC) ratings by participants, significant
      others, and a supervising physician. SETTING: Postacute rehabilitation outpatient
      clinic. PARTICIPANTS: 274 cases with observer ratings; 232 cases with self
      ratings by participants with moderate-severe TBI at least 6 months postinjury.
      INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: NPI-TBI-IA. RESULTS: For
      observer ratings on the NPI-TBI-IA, anchored comparisons found an improvement of
      0.5 SD was associated with at least minimal general improvement on GIC by a
      significant majority (69%-80%); 0.5 SD improvement on participant NPI-TBI-IA self
      ratings was also associated with at least minimal improvement on the GIC by a
      substantial majority (77%-83%). The percentage indicating significant global
      improvement did not increase markedly on most ratings at higher levels of
      improvement on the NPI-TBI-IA. CONCLUSIONS: A 0.5 SD improvement on the NPI-TBI
      IA indicates the MCID for both observer and participant ratings on this measure.

PMID- 28918103
TI  - Rasch Analysis, Dimensionality, and Scoring of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory
      Irritability and Aggression Subscales in Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop, for versions completed by individuals with traumatic
      brain injury (TBI) and an observer, a more precise metric for the
      Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Irritability and Aggression subscales using all
      behavioral item ratings for use with individuals with TBI and to address the
      dimensionality of the represented behavioral domains. DESIGN: Rasch and
      confirmatory factor analyses of retrospective baseline NPI data from 3 treatment
      studies. SETTING: Postacute rehabilitation clinic. PARTICIPANTS: NPI records (N =
      525) consisting of observer ratings (n = 287) and self-ratings (n = 238) by
      participants with complicated mild, moderate, or severe TBI at least 6 months
      postinjury. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency and
      severity ratings from NPI Irritability/Lability and Agitation/Aggression
      subscales. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses of both observer and participant
      ratings showed good fit for either a 1-factor or a 2-factor solution. Consistent
      with this, the Rasch model also fit the data well with aggression items
      indicating the more severe end of the construct and irritability items populating
      the milder end. CONCLUSIONS: Irritability and aggression appear to represent
      different levels of severity of a single construct. The derived Rasch metric
      offers a measure of this construct based on responses to all specific items that
      is appropriate for parametric statistical analysis and may be useful in research
      and clinical assessments of individuals with TBI.

PMID- 28918104
TI  - Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio at Relapse Predicts Outcome for
      Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma in the
      Rituximab Era.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
      (DLBCL) have a poor prognosis, even in the rituximab era. Several studies have
      reported the clinical importance of the peripheral blood lymphocyte-to-monocyte
      ratio (LMR) in various malignancies, including lymphoma. However, the prognostic
      value of the LMR in relapsed/refractory DLBCL has not been well evaluated. The
      purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the LMR at relapse can
      predict clinical outcomes for relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients treated with
      rituximab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data on 74 patients with
      relapsed/refractory DLBCL, who were initially treated with R-CHOP (rituximab and
      cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) or an R-CHOP-like
      regimen. RESULTS: There was a significant association between a low LMR (<= 2.6)
      and shorter overall survival (OS; P < .001) and progression-free survival (PFS; P
      < .001) compared with the high LMR group (> 2.6). Multivariate analysis showed
      that LMR was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P < .001) and PFS (P <
      .001), as was the international prognostic index (IPI) at relapse for OS. In
      addition, the LMR had an incremental value for OS and PFS compared with the IPI
      at relapse. CONCLUSION: The LMR predicts OS and PFS outcomes in
      relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients treated with rituximab, and might facilitate
      better stratification among patients in low- and intermediate-risk IPI groups.

PMID- 28918105
TI  - Factors influencing women's decision making in hysterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore factors influencing how well-informed women felt about
      hysterectomy, influences on their decision making, and on them receiving a less
      invasive alternative to open surgery. METHODS: Online questionnaire, conducted in
      2015-2016, of women who had received a hysterectomy in Australia, in the
      preceding two years. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 2319/6000 women
      (39% response). Most women (n=2225; 96%) felt well-informed about hysterectomy.
      Women were more aware of the open abdominal approach (n=1798; 77%), than of less
      invasive vaginal (n=1552; 67%), laparoscopic (n=1540; 66%), laparoscopic-assisted
      (n=1303; 56%), and robotic approaches (n=289; 12%). Most women (n=1435; 62%)
      reported their gynaecologist was the most influential information source. Women
      who received information about hysterectomy from a GP (OR=1.47; 95% CI 1.15
      1.90), or from a gynaecologist (OR=1.3; 95% CI 1.06-1.58), were more likely to
      feel better informed (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: This study is important because it
      helps clinicians, researchers and health policy makers to understand why many
      women still receive an open abdominal approach despite many learned societies
      recommending to avoid it if possible. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Additional
      information, or education about avoiding open abdominal approach where possible
      may lead to a greater number of women receiving less-invasive types of
      hysterectomy in the future.

PMID- 28918106
TI  - Patients experiences of patient education on psychiatric inpatient wards; a
      systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the evidence on how patients with serious mental
      disorders perceived patient education on psychiatric wards and to learn more
      about the patient perceived benefits and limitations related to patient education
      and how well patient education meets the perceived needs of inpatients. METHODS:
      Quantitative and qualitative data were categorized and synthesized. A systematic
      literature search was conducted. Articles were validated using validated critical
      appraisal tools. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS:
      Five articles met the inclusion criteria. The results concerned the specific
      population with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Two explanatory syntheses were
      aggregated: (I) Benefits and perceived barriers to receiving education and (II)
      Educational needs of mental health patients. Patients reported mechanical
      information dissemination and lack of individual and corporative discussions.
      Patients preferred patient education from different educational sources with
      respect to individual needs. CONCLUSION: Patient education were most useful when
      it could be tailored to an individuals specific needs and match patient
      preference for how to receive it. The findings did not provide evidence to
      support any educational methods of preference. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The
      findings may contribute to the development of educational interventions that are
      perceived more helpful for in-patients suffering from serious mental disorders.

PMID- 28918108
TI  - Heart Failure With Recovered Ejection Fraction in African Americans: Results From
      the African-American Heart Failure Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have described the entity of heart failure with
      recovered ejection fraction (HFrecEF), but population-specific studies remain
      lacking. The aim of this study was to characterize patients enrolled in the
      African-American Heart Failure Trial (A-HeFT) who had significant improvement in
      their ejection fraction (EF) during the 1st 6 months of follow-up. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Subjects with HFrecEF (improvement in EF from <35% to >40% in 6 months;
      n = 59) were compared with 259 subjects with heart failure and persistently
      reduced EF (HFrEF), defined as EF <=40% at 6-month follow-up. The effects of
      improvement in EF on all-cause mortality and 1st and all hospitalizations were
      analyzed. Compared with HFrEF, subjects with HFrecEF had a nonsignificant trend
      toward lower mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02
      1.15; P = .068), fewer 1st HF hospitalizations (HR 0.22, 95% CI 0.07-0.71; P =
      .011), fewer recurrent HF hospitalizations (HR 0.13, 95% CI 0.05-0.37; P <.001),
      similar 1st all-cause hospitalizations (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.39-1.15; P = .150), and
      fewer recurrent all-cause hospitalizations (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24-0.68; P <.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm that, as in other populations, a small subgroup
      of black patients receiving standard care improve their EF with favorable
      outcomes. Further studies are required to determine whether myocardial recovery
      is permanent and the best management strategies in such patients.

PMID- 28918109
TI  - Precision based guidelines for sub-maximal normalisation task selection for trunk
      extensor EMG.
AB  - AIM: The object of this study was to quantify the contribution of sub-maximal
      normalisation to the overall variance of exposure parameters describing erector
      spinae (ES) activity, and to provide guidelines for task selection which minimize
      methodological variance. METHODS: ES EMG was measured from three locations (T9,
      L1 and L5 levels) on fifteen men performing a manual materials handling task in
      the laboratory on three separate days. Four repeats of each of eleven sub-maximal
      normalisation tasks (eight static, three dynamic) were collected, work data were
      normalised to each task and repeat, and exposure parameters calculated. The
      unique contribution of normalisation to the overall variance was determined for
      each task and exposure parameter using variance component analyses. Normalisation
      tasks were scored according to their relative contributions to the overall
      variance and coefficients of variation. RESULTS: A prone task, similar to the
      Biering-Sorensen test posture, was the most repeatable for all electrode
      locations and across all exposure parameters. Thoracic level normalisation
      typically showed poorer repeatability than lumbar normalisation. DISCUSSION: To
      maximize measurement precision, we recommend that future ES EMG studies employing
      sub-maximal normalisation utilise said prone task. An alternate normalisation
      task specific to thoracic level ES muscles may be warranted.

PMID- 28918110
TI  - Emergent behaviors in RBCs flows in micro-channels using digital particle image
      velocimetry.
AB  - The key points in the design of microfluidic Lab-On-a-Chips for blood tests are
      the simplicity of the microfluidic chip geometry, the portability of the
      monitoring system and the ease on-chip integration of the data analysis
      procedure. The majority of those, recently designed, have been used for blood
      separation, however their introduction, also, for pathological conditions
      diagnosis would be important in different biomedical contexts. To overcome this
      lack is necessary to establish the relation between the RBCs flow and blood
      viscosity changes in micro-vessels. For that, the development of methods to
      analyze the dynamics of the RBCs flows in networks of micro-channels becomes
      essential in the study of RBCs flows in micro-vascular networks. A simplification
      in the experimental set-up and in the approach for the data collection and
      analysis could contribute significantly to understand the relation between the
      blood non-Newtonian properties and the emergent behaviors in collective RBCs
      flows. In this paper, we have investigated the collective behaviors of RBCs in a
      micro-channel in unsteady conditions, using a simplified monitoring set-up and
      implementing a 2D image processing procedure based on the digital particle image
      velocimetry. Our experimental study consisted in the analysis of RBCs motions
      freely in the micro-channel and driven by an external pressure. Despite the
      equipment minimal complexity, the advanced signal processing method implemented
      has allowed a significant qualitative and quantitative classification of the RBCs
      behaviors and the dynamical characterization of the particles velocities along
      both the horizontal and vertical directions. The concurrent causes for the
      particles displacement as the base solution-particles interaction, particle
      particle interaction, and the external force due to pressure gradient were
      accounted in the results interpretation. The method implemented and the results
      obtained represent a proof of concept toward the realization of a general-purpose
      microfluidic LOC device for in-vitro flow analysis of RBCs collective behaviors.

PMID- 28918107
TI  - Depression, evening salivary cortisol and inflammation in chronic fatigue
      syndrome: A psychoneuroendocrinological structural regression model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a poorly understood illness that
      is characterized by diverse somatic symptoms, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal
      (HPA) axis dysfunction and heightened inflammatory indicators. These symptoms are
      often exacerbated and accompanied by psychological distress states and
      depression. Since depression is known to be associated with HPA axis dysfunction
      and greater inflammation, a psychoneuroendocrinological (PNE) model of
      inflammation was examined in persons diagnosed with CFS in order to uncover
      underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms in this poorly understood chronic illness.
      METHODS: Baseline data were drawn from two randomized controlled trials testing
      the efficacy of different forms of psychosocial intervention, and included
      psychological questionnaires, di-urnal salivary cortisol, and blood samples. Data
      were analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). RESULTS: The sample
      (N=265) was mostly middle-aged (Mage=49.36+/-10.9, range=20-73years), Caucasian
      (67.7%), female (81.7%), highly educated (85.5% completed some college, college,
      or graduate program), and depressed (CES-D M=23.87+/-12.02, range 2-57). The SEM
      supporting a psychoneuroendocrinological model of immune dysregulation in CFS fit
      the data chi2 (12)=17.725, p=0.1243, RMSEA=0.043, CFI=0.935, SRMR=0.036.
      Depression was directly related to evening salivary cortisol and inflammation,
      such that higher evening cortisol predicted greater depressive symptoms
      (beta=0.215, p<0.01) and higher pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-2 [IL-2],
      IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha] levels (beta=0.185, p<0.05),
      when controlling for covariates. DISCUSSION: Results highlight the role of
      depression, cortisol and inflammation in possible biological mechanisms involved
      in the pathophysiology of CFS. Time-lagged, longitudinal analyses are needed to
      fully explore these relationships.

PMID- 28918111
TI  - The timing of retears after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the time dependence of the failure rate of
      surgically repaired rotator cuffs. Retears are significant, as they are common
      and may lead to less satisfactory outcomes and additional operations. Their
      timing is critical foundational information for understanding failure mechanisms.
      However, this remains unclear. Currently, there exist a number of studies that
      have reported retear rates at specific time points. Combining data from these
      publications can reveal when cuffs retear, which will help inform expectations
      and guidelines for progression of activity after surgery. METHODS: PubMed,
      Medline, and Embase were searched for studies relating to rotator cuff repair.
      Abstracts and articles were evaluated on the basis of predefined inclusion and
      exclusion criteria. Data were extracted from those publications that satisfied
      all requirements, and regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: Thirteen
      articles were included in the final meta-analysis. Retear rates for medium tears
      increased for approximately 15 months and leveled off at approximately 20%.
      Retear rates for large tears progressed steadily for about 12 months and
      approached an upper limit of approximately 40%. Retear rates for massive tears
      ranged from 20% to 60%, but the distribution of retear rate over time for these
      cuff tears is not clear from these data. CONCLUSION: Retear rates for medium and
      large tears generally increase until at least 10-15 months after surgery, after
      which they are likely to level off. Retear rates for massive tears are variable
      and may follow a time course different from that of other tear sizes. Retear
      rates depend on size of the original tear.

PMID- 28918112
TI  - Radiographic and clinical comparison of pegged and keeled glenoid components
      using modern cementing techniques: midterm results of a prospective randomized
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glenoid component loosening remains a significant issue after
      anatomic shoulder arthroplasty. Pegged glenoid components have shown better
      lucency rates than keeled components in the short term; however, midterm to long
      term results have not fully been determined. We previously reported early
      outcomes of the current randomized controlled group of patients, with higher
      glenoid lucency rates in those with a keeled glenoid. The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate the radiographic and clinical outcomes of these components at
      minimum 5-year follow-up. METHODS: Fifty-nine total shoulder arthroplasties were
      performed in patients with primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis. Patients were
      randomized to receive either a pegged or keeled glenoid component. Three raters
      graded radiographic glenoid lucencies. Clinical outcome scores and active
      mobility outcomes were collected preoperatively and at yearly postoperative
      appointments. RESULTS: Of the 46 shoulders meeting the inclusion criteria, 38
      (82.6%) were available for minimum 5-year radiographic follow-up. After an
      average of 7.9 years, radiographic lucency was present in 100% of pegged and 91%
      of keeled components (P = .617). Grade 4 or 5 lucency was present in 44% of
      pegged and 36% of keeled components (P = .743). There were no differences in
      clinical outcome scores or active mobility outcomes between shoulders with pegged
      and keeled components at last follow-up. Within the initial cohort, 20% of the
      keeled shoulders (6 of 30) and 7% of the pegged shoulders (2 of 29) underwent
      revision surgery (P = .263). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant
      difference in survival rates between groups (P = .560). CONCLUSION: At an average
      7.9-year follow-up, non-ingrowth, all-polyethylene pegged glenoid implants are
      equivalent to keeled implants with respect to radiolucency, clinical outcomes,
      and need for revision surgery.

PMID- 28918115
TI  - The interplay of endocrine therapy, steroid pathways and therapeutic resistance:
      Importance of androgen in breast carcinoma.
AB  - A great majority of breast carcinomas expresses estrogen receptor (ER) and
      estrogens have crucial roles in the progress of breast carcinomas. Endocrine
      therapy targeting ER and/or intratumoral estrogen production significantly
      improved clinical outcomes of the patients with ER-positive breast carcinomas.
      However, resistance to endocrine therapy is often observed and significant number
      of patients will recur after the treatment. In addition, treatment for the
      patients with triple-negative breast carcinomas (negative for all ER,
      progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2) are limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy and
      novel therapeutic targets need to be identified. In breast carcinoma tissues, not
      only ER but androgen receptor (AR) is frequently expressed, suggesting pivotal
      roles of androgens in the progress of breast carcinomas. Growing interest on
      androgen action as possible therapeutic target has been taken, but androgen
      action seems quite complicated in breast carcinomas and inconsistent findings has
      been also proposed. In this review, we will summarize recent studies regarding
      intratumoral androgen production and its regulation as well as distinct subset of
      breast carcinomas characterized by activated AR signaling and recent clinical
      trial targeting AR in the patients with either ER-positive and ER-negative breast
      carcinomas.

PMID- 28918116
TI  - Atherosclerotic Disease and its Relationship to Lumbar Degenerative Disk Disease,
      Facet Arthritis, and Stenosis With Computed Tomography Angiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The intervertebral disk is the largest avascular structure in the
      body. It relies on passive diffusion from arteries at the periphery of the disk
      for nutrition. Previous studies have suggested a correlation between vascular
      disease and lumbar degenerative disk disease (DDD), but the association with
      facet arthritis and stenosis has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
      degree of lumbar artery stenosis, aortic atherosclerosis on computed tomography
      angiography, and its relationship to lumbar DDD, facet arthritis, and spinal
      canal stenosis. DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: Academic tertiary
      care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. METHODS: A total of 300 lumbar
      arteries (150 lumbar artery pairs of the first to fifth lumbar arteries) were
      evaluated on consecutive computed tomography angiography scans. Severity of
      vascular disease of lumbar arteries was documented as normal, mild, moderate,
      severe, or occluded. Aortic vascular disease was documented along the posterior
      wall where the lumbar arteries originate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The
      relationship between vascular disease with DDD, facet arthritis, and spinal canal
      stenosis was examined and further evaluated controlling for age. RESULTS: Lumbar
      artery and aortic atherosclerosis had a positive relationship with DDD, facet
      arthritis, and spinal stenosis that was statistically significant (P < .05) even
      after controlling for age. The correlation coefficient was greatest in the
      younger age group when looking at lumbar artery vascular disease with DDD (0.73,
      confidence interval 0.50-0.96, P < .0001) and aortic vascular disease with DDD
      (0.72, confidence interval 0.49-0.94, P < .0001). The correlation of vascular
      disease with facet arthritis and stenosis was not strong in the older age group.
      CONCLUSION: Atherosclerotic disease of the lumbar arteries and aorta correlated
      with lumbar DDD, facet arthritis, and spinal canal stenosis after we adjusted for
      age, although the correlation with facet arthritis and spinal canal stenosis was
      not as strong in the older age group. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28918114
TI  - Netrins & Semaphorins: Novel regulators of the immune response.
AB  - Netrins and semaphorins, members of the neuronal guidance cue family, exhibit a
      rich biology with significant roles that extend beyond chemotactic guidance of
      the axons to build the neuronal patterns of the body. Screening of adult tissues
      and specific cellular subsets have illuminated that these proteins are also
      abundantly expressed under both steady state and pathological scenarios. This
      observation suggests that, in addition to their role in the development of the
      axonal tree, these proteins possess additional novel functions in adult
      physiopathology. Notably, a series of striking evidence has emerged in the
      literature describing their roles as potent regulators of both innate and
      adaptive immunity, providing extra dimension to our knowledge of neuronal
      guidance cues. In this review, we summarize the key complex roles of netrins and
      semaphorins outside the central nervous system (CNS) with focus on their
      immunomodulatory functions that impact pathophysiological conditions.

PMID- 28918117
TI  - Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in a High School Football Player With Familial
      Hemiplegic Migraine: A Case Report.
AB  - : Mild traumatic brain injury is a major concern in young athletes, with an
      estimated 1.6-3.8 million reported concussions in the United States annually.
      Familial hemiplegic migraine is a rare autosomal-dominant condition characterized
      by sporadic episodes of transient unilateral motor weakness that may begin at any
      age. We present a case of a 17-year-old boy with a history of familial hemiplegic
      migraine who suffered prolonged symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury
      during sports participation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.

PMID- 28918113
TI  - Regulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics by the non-canonical roles of
      mitochondrial dynamics proteins in the heart.
AB  - Recent advancement in mitochondrial research has significantly extended our
      knowledge on the role and regulation of mitochondria in health and disease. One
      important breakthrough is the delineation of how mitochondrial morphological
      changes, termed mitochondrial dynamics, are coupled to the bioenergetics and
      signaling functions of mitochondria. In general, it is believed that fusion leads
      to an increased mitochondrial respiration efficiency and resistance to stress
      induced dysfunction while fission does the contrary. This concept seems not
      applicable to adult cardiomyocytes. The mitochondria in adult cardiomyocytes
      exhibit fragmented morphology (tilted towards fission) and show less networking
      and movement as compared to other cell types. However, being the most energy
      demanding cells, cardiomyocytes in the adult heart possess vast number of
      mitochondria, high level of energy flow, and abundant mitochondrial dynamics
      proteins. This apparent discrepancy could be explained by recently identified new
      functions of the mitochondrial dynamics proteins. These "non-canonical" roles of
      mitochondrial dynamics proteins range from controlling inter-organelle
      communication to regulating cell viability and survival under metabolic stresses.
      Here, we summarize the newly identified non-canonical roles of mitochondrial
      dynamics proteins. We focus on how these fission and fusion independent roles of
      dynamics proteins regulate mitochondrial bioenergetics. We also discuss potential
      molecular mechanisms, unique intracellular location, and the cardiovascular
      disease relevance of these non-canonical roles of the dynamics proteins. We
      propose that future studies are warranted to differentiate the canonical and non
      canonical roles of dynamics proteins and to identify new approaches for the
      treatment of heart diseases. This article is part of a Special issue entitled
      Cardiac adaptations to obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance, edited by
      Professors Jan F.C. Glatz, Jason R.B. Dyck and Christine Des Rosiers.

PMID- 28918118
TI  - Case Report: Aquatic Therapy and End-Stage Dementia.
AB  - : A 54-year-old woman, retired due to progressive cognitive decline, was
      diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer dementia. Conventional medication therapy
      for dementia had proven futile. Initial evaluation revealed a nonverbal female
      seated in a wheelchair, dependent on 2-person assist for all transfers and
      activities of daily living. She had been either nonresponsive or actively
      resistive for both activities of daily living and transfers in the 6 months
      before assessment. After a total of 17 1-hour therapy sessions over 19 weeks in a
      warm water therapy pool, she achieved the ability to tread water for 15 minutes,
      transfers improved to moderate-to-maximum assist from seated, and ambulation
      improved to 1000 feet with minimum-to-moderate assist of 2 persons. Communication
      increased to appropriate "yes," "no," and "okay" appropriate responses, and an
      occasional "thank you" and "very nice." The authors propose that her clinical
      progress may be related to her aquatic therapy intervention. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      IV.

PMID- 28918119
TI  - Corrigendum to "Prenylflavonoids isolated from Artocarpus champeden with TRAIL
      resistance overcoming activity" [Phytochemistry 96 (2013) 299-304].

PMID- 28918120
TI  - Moment-by-Moment in Women's Recovery: Randomized controlled trial protocol to
      test the efficacy of a mindfulness-based intervention on treatment retention and
      relapse prevention among women in residential treatment for substance use
      disorder.
AB  - Although therapeutic treatments exist for substance use disorder (SUD), about
      half of individuals who enter treatment leave early and relapse to substance use.
      Early dropout from residential treatment places individuals at risk of relapse,
      and women in SUD residential treatment represent a vulnerable population.
      Evidence gaps persist for the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) among
      racially and ethnically diverse women with SUDs, especially regarding the
      efficacy of MBIs adapted to prevent residential dropout and relapse. We
      previously developed and pilot tested an MBI, Moment-by-Moment in Women's
      Recovery (MMWR), adapted to support women with SUD during residential treatment.
      The 12-session MMWR program tested in the present study integrates relapse
      prevention, addresses literacy level and trauma experiences and mental health
      problems, and is relevant to issues surrounding treatment- and relapse-related
      stressors among women. The primary objective of the current Phase II randomized
      controlled trial is to adequately test the efficacy of MMWR on residential
      treatment retention and substance use relapse and determine psychosocial and
      neural mechanisms of action underlying MMWR. Participants are women in
      residential SUD treatment from a community-based residential site that serves
      mainly women who are low-income and racially and ethnically diverse. A subgroup
      of participants from each treatment group also completes functional and
      structural neuroimaging assessments before and after the intervention to explore
      possible structural and functional brain correlates of change associated with
      participation in the MMWR program. Findings are expected to inform the utility of
      adapting MBIs to improve treatment success among vulnerable women in SUD
      residential treatment.

PMID- 28918121
TI  - Conserved rules in embryonic development of cortical interneurons.
AB  - This review will focus on early aspects of cortical interneurons (cIN)
      development from specification to migration and final positioning in the human
      cerebral cortex. These mechanisms have been largely studied in the mouse model,
      which provides unique possibilities of genetic analysis, essential to dissect the
      molecular and cellular events involved in cortical development. An important goal
      here is to discuss the conservation and the potential divergence of these
      mechanisms, with a particular interest for the situation in the human embryo. We
      will thus cover recent works, but also revisit older studies in the light of
      recent data to better understand the developmental mechanisms underlying cIN
      differentiation in human. Because cIN are implicated in severe developmental
      disorders, understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling their
      differentiation might clarify some causes and potential therapeutic approaches to
      these important clinical conditions.

PMID- 28918122
TI  - Pre-harvest UV-C irradiation triggers VOCs accumulation with alteration of
      antioxidant enzymes and phytohormones in strawberry leaves.
AB  - Recent studies have highlighted the biological and physiological effects of pre
      harvest ultraviolet (UV)-C treatment on growing plants. However, little is known
      about the involvement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their response to
      this treatment. In this study, strawberry plants were exposed to three different
      doses of UV-C radiation for seven weeks (a low dose: 9.6kJm-2; a medium dose:
      15kJm-2; and a high-dose: 29.4kJm-2). Changes in VOC profiles were investigated
      and an attempt was made to identify factors that may be involved in the
      regulation of these alterations. Principle compounds analysis revealed that VOC
      profiles of UV-C treated samples were significantly altered with 26 VOCs being
      the major contributors to segregation. Among them, 18 fatty acid-derived VOCs
      accumulated in plants that received high and medium dose of UV-C treatments with
      higher lipoxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase activities. In treated samples, the
      activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and peroxidase was inhibited,
      resulting in a reduced antioxidant capacity and higher lipid peroxidation.
      Simultaneously, jasmonic acid level was 74% higher in the high-dose group while
      abscisic acid content was more than 12% lower in both the medium and high-dose UV
      C treated samples. These results indicated that pre-harvest UV-C treatment
      stimulated the biosynthesis of fatty acid-derived VOCs in strawberry leaf tissue
      by upregulating the activity of enzymes of the LOX biosynthetic pathway and
      downregulating antioxidant enzyme activities. It is further suggested that the
      mechanisms underlying fatty acid-derived VOCs biosynthesis in UV-C treated
      strawberry leaves are associated with UV-C-induced changes in phytohormone
      profiles.

PMID- 28918123
TI  - Carnosic acid induces apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via ROS
      mediated mitochondrial pathway.
AB  - Carnosic acid (CA), an important bioactive phenolic diterpene mainly found in
      labiate plants, exerts various biological functions, including antioxidant, anti
      inflammatory, antitumor, and neuroprotective activities. In the present study, we
      proved the deleterious effects of CA against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in
      both in vitro and in vivo models. In vitro, CA significantly decreased cell
      viability, inhibited cell proliferation and migration, enhanced apoptosis, and
      increased caspase-3, -8, and -9 activities in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells.
      Specifically, CA led to a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and
      increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and apoptosis
      related protein expression. Pre-incubation of HCC cells with N-Acetyl-l-cysteine
      (NAC), a ROS inhibitor, strongly suppressed CA-induced apoptotic phenomena,
      including reduced cell viability, excessive ROS levels, MMP decreases, and
      abnormal protein expression, suggesting an association of CA-induced apoptosis
      with oxidative stress-mediated mitochondrial pathways. In HepG2-and SMMC-7721
      xenograft tumor mouse models, treatment with CA inhibited tumor growth and
      modulated apoptosis-related protein expression, confirming the anti-HCC effects
      of this chemical. Moreover, the CA-mediated anti-HCC effects associated with
      oxidative stress provide experimental evidence to support the potential use of CA
      as a drug therapy for HCC.

PMID- 28918124
TI  - Polyphenols reported to shift APAP-induced changes in MAPK signaling and toxicity
      outcomes.
AB  - Due to its widespread availability, acetaminophen (APAP) is the leading cause for
      drug-induced liver injury in many countries including United States and United
      Kingdom. When used as recommended, APAP is relatively safe. However, in overdose
      cases, increased metabolism of APAP to N-acetyl-para-benzoquinoneimine (NAPQI), a
      reactive metabolite, leads to glutathione (GSH) depletion, oxidative stress, and
      cellular injury. Throughout this process, a variety of factors play important
      roles in propagating toxicity, including c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), a member
      of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. Because of its involvement
      in multiple cellular processes, biomarkers associated with MAPK signaling have
      generated interest as a mechanistic target for protecting against APAP-induced
      liver injury and hepatocellular injury, in general. This review summarizes
      mechanistic details by which natural products, specifically those containing
      polyphenolic moieties, are capable of attenuating APAP-induced toxicity, at least
      in part through an ability to modulate MAPKs. These compounds include carnosic
      acid, chlorogenic acid, davallialactone, extracts from Hibiscus sabdariffa,
      quercetin-based compounds, and resveratrol. Despite variations in the
      experimental designs across these studies, common pathways and biomarkers were
      implicated in cytoprotection when polyphenolic compounds were given with APAP,
      such as enhanced antioxidant gene expression and reversal of APAP-induced changes
      in oxidative stress markers and MAPK signaling. Overall, an emphasis should be
      placed on method standardization for future studies if we are to gain a more in
      depth understanding of how polyphenolic moieties contribute to cytoprotection
      during an APAP overdose event.

PMID- 28918125
TI  - Iodinated chlorin p6 copper complex induces anti-proliferative effect in oral
      cancer cells through elevation of intracellular reactive oxygen species.
AB  - We investigated the anticancer chemotoxicity of previously reported iodinated
      chlorin p6 copper complex (ICp6-Cu), a novel chlorophyll derivative in which
      copper is attached to the side chain carboxylate groups via coordination. Human
      oral carcinoma cells NT8e, 4451 and the non-cancerous keratinocyte HaCaT cells
      were treated with ICp6-Cu for 48 h in dark and cell viability, proliferation and
      morphological alterations were examined. ICp6-Cu showed pronounced cytotoxicity
      in cancer cells with IC50 ~40 MUM, whereas, the viability of HaCaT cells was not
      affected. Cell proliferation assay revealed that ICp6-Cu at IC50 concentration
      led to complete inhibition of cell proliferation in both the cell lines. Cell
      morphology studied by confocal microscopy showed absence of cell death via
      necrosis or apoptosis. Instead, the treated cells displayed distinct features of
      non-apoptotic death such as highly vacuolated cytoplasm, lysosomal membrane
      permeabilization and damage to cytoskeleton F-actin filaments. In addition, ICp6
      Cu treatment led to time dependent increase in the intracellular level of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the cytotoxicity of ICp6-Cu was significantly
      inhibited by pre-treatment of cells with antioxidants (glutathione and trolox).
      These findings revealed that ICp6-Cu is a potent chemotoxic agent which can
      induce cytotoxic effect in cancer cells through elevation of intracellular ROS.
      It is suggested that ICp6-Cu may provide tumor selective chemotoxicity by
      exploiting difference of redox environment in normal and cancer cells.

PMID- 28918126
TI  - High CMV IgG antibody levels are associated to a lower CD4+ RESPONSE to
      antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Virtually all HIV-infected women in sub-Saharan Africa have evidence
      of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and levels of specific anti-CMV IgG have been
      suggested to represent more intense reactivation of subclinical infection.
      Studies have also shown direct influence of CMV on lymphocytes. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to determine if levels of anti-CMV specific antibodies
      could impact on the immunological response to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in
      HIV-infected pregnant women. STUDY DESIGN: CMV-specific IgG were measured in HIV
      infected pregnant women at 26 weeks of gestation (before ART initiation). Women
      received ART until 6 months postpartum or indefinitely according to local
      guidelines at the time of the study. Immunological and virological responses were
      assessed 6 months and 24 months after delivery. RESULTS: A total of 81 women were
      studied. At baseline high levels (above the median) of specific IgG were
      associated to a low CD4+ cell count (P<0.001), a high viral load (P=0.003), and
      to an older age (P=0.051). In a multivariate model adjusting for baseline CD4+
      count, baseline viral load and age, the presence of low levels of CMV IgG was the
      only independent predictor of a a CD4+ count above 500/mm3 24 months after
      delivery among women on continuous therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, levels
      of CVM IgG had a significant influence on the immunological response to ART,
      adding information to the known impact of CMV infection in the HIV-positive
      population, and underlining the need of new strategies to contain the infection.

PMID- 28918127
TI  - Clinical, laboratory and virological data from suspected ZIKV patients in an
      endemic arbovirus area.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) presents new challenges to both
      clinicians and public health authorities. Overlapping clinical features between
      the diseases caused by ZIKV, dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) and the lack
      of validated serological assays for ZIKV make accurate diagnosis difficult.
      Brazilian authorities largely rely on clinical and epidemiological data for the
      epidemiological and clinical classifications of most ZIKV cases. OBJECTIVE: To
      report the laboratory and clinical profiles of patients diagnosed with Zika fever
      based only on clinical and epidemiological data. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed 433
      suspected cases of ZIKV identified by the attending physician based on proposed
      clinical criteria. The samples were also screened for ZIKV, DENV and CHIKV using
      PCR. RESULTS: Of the 433 patients analyzed, 168 (38.8%) were laboratory-confirmed
      for arboviruses: 96 were positive for ZIKV, 67 were positive for DENV (56 for
      DENV-2, 9 for DENV-1, and 2 for DENV-4), four were positive for co-infection with
      ZIKV/DENV-2, and one was positive for CHIKV. The most common signs or symptoms in
      the patients with laboratory-confirmed ZIKV were rash (100%), arthralgia (77.1%),
      fever (74.0%), myalgia (74.0%) and non-purulent conjunctivitis (69.8%). In
      patients with laboratory-confirmed DENV infections, the most frequently observed
      symptoms were rash (100%), fever (79.1%), myalgia (74.6%), headache (73.1%) and
      arthralgia (70.1%). The measure of association between clinical manifestations
      and laboratory manifestations among patients with ZIKV and DENV detected a
      statistically significant difference only in abdominal pain (p=0.04), leukopenia
      (p=0.003), and thrombocytopenia (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our data suggests that
      clinical and epidemiological criteria alone are not a good tool for ZIKV and DENV
      differentiation, and that laboratory diagnosis should be mandatory.

PMID- 28918128
TI  - Whole network, temporal and parietal lobe contributions to the earliest phases of
      language production.
AB  - We investigated whether it is possible to study the network dynamics and the
      anatomical regions involved in the earliest moments of picture naming by using
      invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) traces to predict naming errors. Four right
      handed participants with focal epilepsy explored with extensive stereotactic
      implant montages that recorded temporal, parietal and occipital regions -in two
      patients of both hemispheres-named a total of 228 black and white pictures in
      three different sessions recorded in different days. The subjects made errors
      that involved anomia and semantic dysphasia, which related to word frequency and
      not to visual complexity. Using different modalities of spectrum analysis and
      classification with a support vector machine (SVM) we could predict errors with
      rates that ranged from slightly above chance level to 100%, even in the
      preconscious phase, i.e., 100 msec after stimulus presentation. The highest rates
      were obtained using the gamma bands of all contact spectra without averaging,
      which implies a fine modulation of the neuronal activity at a network level.
      Despite no subset of nodes could match the whole set, rates close to the best
      prediction scores were obtained through the spectra of the temporal-parietal and
      temporal-occipital junction along with the temporal pole and hippocampus. When
      both hemispheres were explored nodes from the left side dominated in the best
      subsets. We argue that posterior temporal regions, especially of the dominant
      side, are involved very early, even in the preconscious phase (100 msec), in
      language production.

PMID- 28918129
TI  - Where do substrates of diacylglycerol kinases come from? Diacylglycerol kinases
      utilize diacylglycerol species supplied from phosphatidylinositol turnover
      independent pathways.
AB  - Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) phosphorylates diacylglycerol (DG) to produce
      phosphatidic acid (PA). Mammalian DGK comprises ten isozymes (alpha-kappa) and
      regulates a wide variety of physiological and pathological events, such as
      cancer, type II diabetes, neuronal disorders and immune responses. DG and PA
      consist of various molecular species that have different acyl chains at the sn-1
      and sn-2 positions, and consequently, mammalian cells contain at least 50
      structurally distinct DG/PA species. Because DGK is one of the components of
      phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover, the generally accepted dogma is that all DGK
      isozymes utilize 18:0/20:4-DG derived from PI turnover. We recently established a
      specific liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method to analyze which PA
      species were generated by DGK isozymes in a cell stimulation-dependent manner.
      Interestingly, we determined that DGKdelta, which is closely related to the
      pathogenesis of type II diabetes, preferentially utilized 14:0/16:0-, 14:0/16:1-,
      16:0/16:0-, 16:0/16:1-, 16:0/18:0- and 16:0/18:1-DG species (X:Y = the total
      number of carbon atoms: the total number of double bonds) supplied from the
      phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C pathway, but not 18:0/20:4-DG, in
      high glucose-stimulated C2C12 myoblasts. Moreover, DGKalpha mainly consumed
      14:0/16:0-, 16:0/18:1-, 18:0/18:1- and 18:1/18:1-DG species during cell
      proliferation in AKI melanoma cells. Furthermore, we found that 16:0/16:0-PA was
      specifically produced by DGKzeta in Neuro-2a cells during retinoic acid- and
      serum starvation-induced neuronal differentiation. These results indicate that
      DGK isozymes utilize a variety of DG molecular species derived from PI turnover
      independent pathways as substrates in different stimuli and cells. DGK isozymes
      phosphorylate various DG species to generate various PA species. It was revealed
      that the modes of activation of conventional and novel protein kinase isoforms by
      DG molecular species varied considerably. However, PA species-selective binding
      proteins have not been found to date. Therefore, we next attempted to identify PA
      species-selective binding proteins from the mouse brain and identified alpha
      synuclein, which has causal links to Parkinson's disease. Intriguingly, we
      determined that among phospholipids, including several PA species (16:0/16:0-PA,
      16:0/18:1-PA, 18:1/18:1-PA, 18:0/18:0-PA and 18:0/20:4-PA); 18:1/18:1-PA was the
      most strongly bound PA to alpha-synuclein. Moreover, 18:1/18:1-PA strongly
      enhanced secondary structural changes from the random coil form to the alpha
      helix form and generated a multimeric and proteinase K-resistant alpha-synuclein
      protein. In contrast with the dogma described above, our recent studies strongly
      suggest that PI turnover-derived DG species and also various DG species derived
      from PI turnover-independent pathways are utilized by DGK isozymes. DG species
      supplied from distinct pathways may be utilized by DGK isozymes based on
      different stimuli present in different types of cells, and individual PA
      molecular species would have specific targets and exert their own physiological
      functions.

PMID- 28918130
TI  - Reply to: "Treatment failure after interferon-free treatment of hepatitis C as a
      clue of a yet undetected hepatocellular carcinoma".

PMID- 28918131
TI  - Cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension-related bleeding and an indication
      for early-TIPS: a large multicentre audit with real-life results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Baveno VI consensus meeting concluded that an early TIPS must be
      considered in high-risk cirrhotic patients presenting with variceal bleeding (VB)
      (Child B + active bleeding at endoscopy or Child C10-13 patients). Whether this
      therapeutic approach is feasible in a real-life setting remains unclear. AIMS: To
      determine (1) the proportion of patients eligible for early-TIPS among cirrhotic
      patients with VB, (2) the proportion of these patients who underwent early-TIPS
      placement and the main reasons for discarding TIPS, and (3) the outcomes of
      patients who experienced early-TIPS placement in a large, national, prospective,
      multicentre audit including academic and non-academic centres. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: All French centres recruiting gastrointestinal bleeding were invited to
      participate. All consecutive patients with cirrhosis and PHT-related bleeding
      were included. RESULTS: 964 patients were included (58 centres: 26 academic, 32
      non-academic; patient characteristics: male sex, 77%; age, 59.6 +/- 12.1 years;
      aetiologies of cirrhosis (alcoholic,viral/other, 67%/15%/18%); source of bleeding
      (EV/GV/other, 80/11/9%); active bleeding at endoscopy 34%; Child A 21%/B 44%/C
      35%. Overall, 35% of the patients were eligible for early-TIPS, but only 6.8%,
      displaying less severe cirrhosis underwent early-TIPS placement. The main reason
      for discarding TIPS was a lack of availability. The actuarial probability of
      survival at one year was significantly increased in early-TIPS patients (85.7+/
      0.07% vs 58.9+/-0.03%, p=0.04). The severity of liver disease was the only
      parameter independently associated with improved one-year survival. CONCLUSION:
      In this real-life study, one-third of the cirrhotic patients admitted for VB
      fulfilled the criteria for early-TIPS placement, whereas only 7% had access to
      TIPS. TIPS was restricted to patients displaying less severe cirrhosis. The
      severity of liver disease was the only parameter that influenced survival.

PMID- 28918132
TI  - Assessing precision, bias and sigma-metrics of 53 measurands of the Alinity ci
      system.
AB  - : Assay performance is dependent on the accuracy and precision of a given method.
      These attributes can be combined into an analytical Sigma-metric, providing a
      simple value for laboratorians to use in evaluating a test method's capability to
      meet its analytical quality requirements. Sigma-metrics were determined for 37
      clinical chemistry assays, 13 immunoassays, and 3 ICT methods on the Alinity ci
      system. METHODS: Analytical Performance Specifications were defined for the
      assays, following a rationale of using CLIA goals first, then Ricos Desirable
      goals when CLIA did not regulate the method, and then other sources if the Ricos
      Desirable goal was unrealistic. A precision study was conducted at Abbott on each
      assay using the Alinity ci system following the CLSI EP05-A2 protocol. Bias was
      estimated following the CLSI EP09-A3 protocol using samples with concentrations
      spanning the assay's measuring interval tested in duplicate on the Alinity ci
      system and ARCHITECT c8000 and i2000SR systems, where testing was also performed
      at Abbott. Using the regression model, the %bias was estimated at an important
      medical decisions point. Then the Sigma-metric was estimated for each assay and
      was plotted on a method decision chart. The Sigma-metric was calculated using the
      equation: Sigma-metric=(%TEa-|%bias|)/%CV. RESULTS: The Sigma-metrics and
      Normalized Method Decision charts demonstrate that a majority of the Alinity
      assays perform at least at five Sigma or higher, at or near critical medical
      decision levels. CONCLUSION: More than 90% of the assays performed at Five and
      Six Sigma. None performed below Three Sigma. Sigma-metrics plotted on Normalized
      Method Decision charts provide useful evaluations of performance. The majority of
      Alinity ci system assays had sigma values >5 and thus laboratories can expect
      excellent or world class performance. Laboratorians can use these tools as aids
      in choosing high-quality products, further contributing to the delivery of
      excellent quality healthcare for patients.

PMID- 28918133
TI  - Short communication: Short-term intravenous amino acid infusions as a method to
      detect limiting amino acids in dairy cattle diets.
AB  - We hypothesized that the addition of limiting AA increases dry matter intake
      (DMI) by reducing anaplerosis and hepatic oxidation. Accordingly, the objective
      of this work was to examine the effects of short-term intravenous infusions of
      Met, Lys, and His (which are considered the most limiting AA) on DMI as a method
      to detect whether specific AA are limiting in dairy cow diets. We conducted 4
      experiments using Holstein cows in the immediate postpartum period to address
      this objective. The first experiment used 4 cows 6 to 10 d postpartum (PP) in a 4
      * 4 Latin square design with 1-d periods including 12 h for infusions and 12 h
      for recovery. Treatments were continuous infusions of 5 (low), 10 (medium), or
      15% (high) of the calculated requirement of metabolizable Met, Lys, and His or
      0.9% saline (control, CONT). In the second and third experiments, 8 cows (4-12 d
      PP) were divided into 2 groups of 4 cows, and each group received a different
      diet formulated to either be low in Lys (experiment 2) or Met (experiment 3).
      Each experiment was a crossover design with two 1-d periods with 12-h infusions
      (continuous) and 12 h for recovery. Treatments were 15% of the calculated
      requirement of metabolizable Met, Lys, and His (high), or 0.9% saline (CONT). In
      the fourth experiment, 5 cows (4-14 d PP) were used in a 5 * 5 Latin square
      design. Periods were 2 d in which treatments were continuously infused for the
      first 46 h. Treatments were 0.9% saline (CONT), all (Lys, Met, and His), LM (Lys
      and Met), LH (Lys and His), and MH (Met and His); dosages were equal to the
      estimated shortage in each specific AA. In each experiment, feed intake was
      recorded by a computerized data acquisition system, milk yield was recorded, and
      milk composition was analyzed for fat, protein, lactose, and milk urea nitrogen
      (MUN) concentrations. Treatments did not affect DMI or yield of milk or milk
      components in the first experiment. In the second experiment, AA treatment
      increased protein percentage and reduced lactose percentage but had no effect on
      protein and lactose yields or DMI. In the third experiment, the AA treatment
      tended to increase yields of milk, lactose, and protein as well as MUN
      concentration but did not affect DMI. In the fourth experiment, no effects were
      detected for DMI and milk yield, whereas the all, LH, and LM treatments reduced
      milk lactose concentration compared with CONT, and MH increased MUN concentration
      compared with CONT and other treatments. These results failed to provide support
      for our hypothesis that short-term addition of these potentially limiting AA will
      increase DMI. This may be due to our hypothesis being inaccurate or to other
      factors; other limiting AA could have prevented the effects of Lys, Met, and His
      infusions or the infusion periods could have been too short to induce a response
      in DMI. Accordingly, short-term infusion of AA is probably not a sensitive method
      to detect limiting AA in dairy cow diets.

PMID- 28918134
TI  - Crystallization and demineralization phenomena in washed-rind cheese.
AB  - This report documents an observational study of a high-moisture washed-rind
      cheese. Three batches of cheese were sampled on a weekly basis for 6 wk and again
      at wk 10. Center, under-rind, rind, and smear samples were tested for pH,
      moisture, and selected mineral elements. Powder x-ray diffractometry and
      petrographic microscopy were applied to identify and image the crystal phases.
      The pH of the rind increased by over 2 pH units by wk 10. The pH of the under
      rind increased but remained below the rind pH, whereas the center pH decreased
      for most of aging and only began to rise after wk 5. Diffractograms of smear
      material revealed the presence of 4 crystal phases: brushite, calcite, ikaite,
      and struvite. The phases nucleated in succession over the course of aging, with
      calcite and ikaite appearing around the same time. A very small amount of
      brushite appeared sporadically in center and under-rind samples, but otherwise no
      other crystallization was observed beneath the rind. Micrographs revealed that
      crystals in the smear grew to over 250 MUm in length by wk 10, and at least 2
      different crystal phases, probably ikaite and struvite, could be differentiated
      by their different optical properties. The surface crystallization was
      accompanied by a mineral diffusion phenomenon that resulted, on average, in a
      217, 95.7, and 149% increase in calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, respectively,
      in the rind by wk 10. The diffusion phenomenon caused calcium, phosphorus, and
      magnesium to decrease, on average, by 55.0, 21.5, and 36.3%, respectively, in the
      center by wk 10. The present study represents the first observation of
      crystallization and demineralization phenomena in washed-rind cheese.

PMID- 28918135
TI  - Effects of addition of malic or citric acids on fermentation quality and chemical
      characteristics of alfalfa silage.
AB  - We studied the effects on alfalfa preservation and chemical composition of the
      addition of different levels of malic acid and citric acid at ensiling as well as
      the utilization efficiency of these 2 organic acids after fermentation. Alfalfa
      was harvested at early bloom stage. After wilting to a dry matter content of
      approximately 40%, the alfalfa was chopped into 1- to 2-cm pieces for ensiling.
      Four levels (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1% of fresh weight) of malic acid or citric acid
      were applied to chopped alfalfa at ensiling with 4 replicates for each treatment,
      and the treated alfalfa forages were ensiled for 60 d in vacuum-sealed
      polyethylene bags (dimensions: 200 mm * 300 mm) packed with 200 to 230 g of fresh
      alfalfa per mini silo and an initial density of 0.534 g/cm3. The application of
      malic or citric acids at ensiling for 60 d led to lower silage pH than was
      observed in the control silage (0% of malic or citric acids). Application of the
      2 organic acids led to higher lactic acid concentration in alfalfa silage than in
      the control silage except with the application rate of 1% of fresh weight.
      Silages treated with both organic acids had lower nonprotein nitrogen
      concentrations than the control silages, and the nonprotein nitrogen
      concentrations in ensiled forages decreased with the increase in malic or citric
      acid application rates. The application of the 2 organic acid additives led to
      lower saturated fatty acid proportions and higher polyunsaturated fatty acid
      proportions in ensiled alfalfa than in the control silage. The amount of malic
      and citric acids degraded during ensiling of alfalfa was 1.45 and 0.63 g,
      respectively. At the application rate of 0.5% of fresh weight, residues of malic
      acid and citric acid in alfalfa silage were 11.1 and 13.6 g/kg of dry matter.
      These results indicate that including malic or citric acids at the ensiling of
      alfalfa effectively improved silage fermentation quality, limited proteolysis,
      improved fatty acid composition of the ensiled forage, and could provide animals
      with additional feed additives proven to promote animal performance. However,
      when the application rate of both organic acids reached 1%, the concentration of
      lactic acid in silages decreased notably. Additionally, 0.5 and 1% application
      rates also increased the yeast count in ensiled alfalfa.

PMID- 28918136
TI  - Short communication: Cow- and quarter-level milking indicators and their
      associations with clinical mastitis in an automatic milking system.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess associations of cow-, udder-, and quarter
      level factors with the risk of clinical mastitis (CM) in cows managed using an
      automatic milking system. The primary hypothesis was that quarter peak milk flow
      rate (QPMF) is associated with increased risk of CM. A retrospective, case
      control study was undertaken using data from a 1,549 cow farm using 20 automatic
      milking system units. All data from cows milked during March to December 2015 was
      available for analysis. Cases (n = 82) were defined as cows diagnosed with their
      first case of CM between 24 and 300 d in milk in the current lactation. Healthy
      control cows (n = 6/case) were randomly matched based on identical parity,
      existence of milk records during the day in milk period corresponding to the 15-d
      window before case diagnosis, average conductivity of <5.5 mS/cm in that window,
      and no history of CM in the current lactation. Logistic regression was used to
      estimate effects of parity, quarter position, day in milk at diagnosis of CM,
      average of QPMF 15 d before CM diagnosis, udder milk yield, and milking interval
      on the probability of CM. Of the 6 predictor variables included in the model,
      only milking interval was significantly associated with the increased risk of
      quarter CM. We concluded that in a high-production, freestall-housed North
      American herd using automatic milking system, milking interval, but not QPMF, was
      associated with risk of CM.

PMID- 28918137
TI  - Reticulo-rumen mass, epithelium gene expression, and systemic biomarkers of
      metabolism and inflammation in Holstein dairy cows fed a high-energy diet.
AB  - Feeding a higher-energy diet by increasing cereal grains at the expense of forage
      during the last 3 to 4 wk prepartum is a traditional approach to help the rumen
      "adapt" to the traditional diets fed at the onset of lactation. Increasing
      grain/concentrate in the diet changes ruminal fermentation and in sheep and goats
      elicits marked changes in mRNA expression of immune-related genes in ruminal
      epithelium. Whether such changes at the epithelial and systemic levels occur in
      dairy cows when the dietary energy content increases at a fixed level of
      concentrate is unknown. Fourteen nonpregnant, nonlactating Holstein cows were fed
      a control lower-energy (CON, 1.30 Mcal/kg of dry matter) diet to meet 100% of
      estimated nutrient requirements for 3 wk, after which half of the cows were
      assigned to a higher-energy diet (OVE, 1.60 Mcal/kg of dry matter) and half of
      the cows continued on CON for 6 wk. Levels of forage and concentrate for CON and
      OVE were 80 and 79% and 20 and 21%, respectively. Plasma samples were collected 1
      d before slaughter to examine biomarkers of metabolism, liver function,
      inflammation, and oxidative stress. The reticulo-rumen mass was recorded at
      slaughter, and samples of epithelium were harvested from all cows. The expression
      of 29 genes associated with tight junctions, immune function, and nutrient
      transport (volatile fatty acids, urea, and trace minerals) was examined.
      Overfeeding energy led to consistently greater dry matter intake over time, and
      lowered plasma concentrations of haptoglobin, paraoxonase, bilirubin, fatty
      acids, and myeloperoxidase (secreted by neutrophils). In contrast, OVE resulted
      in greater hydroxybutyrate and cholesterol concentrations. A greater reticulo
      rumen mass in cows fed OVE did not alter genes associated with tight junctions
      (CDLN1, CDNL4, OCLN, TJP1), immune function (IL1B, IL10, NFKB1, TLR2, TLR4, TNF),
      oxidative stress (SOD1, SOD2), or most nutrient transporters. However, feeding
      OVE upregulated the acute-phase protein SAA3 by 3.5-fold and downregulated a
      volatile fatty acid transporter (SLC16A1) and a Fe and Cu transporter (SLC11A2).
      The lack of effect on mRNA expression along with lower plasma concentrations of
      inflammation biomarkers indicates that long-term intake of a higher-energy diet
      ad libitum was not detrimental to ruminal epithelium integrity. In that context,
      a protective function of SAA3 could be envisioned with a role in opsonizing gram
      negative bacteria that produce endotoxins. The long-term control of volatile
      fatty acid absorption and trace minerals from the rumen in cows overfed energy
      does not seem to be controlled at the gene transcription level. The relevance of
      these findings to the nutritional management of pregnant dry cows merits further
      research.

PMID- 28918138
TI  - Characterizing effects of feed restriction and glucagon-like peptide 2
      administration on biomarkers of inflammation and intestinal morphology.
AB  - Inadequate feed consumption reduces intestinal barrier function in both ruminants
      and monogastrics. Objectives were to characterize how progressive feed
      restriction (FR) affects inflammation, metabolism, and intestinal morphology, and
      to investigate if glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP2) administration influences the
      aforementioned responses. Twenty-eight Holstein cows (157 +/- 9 d in milk) were
      enrolled in 2 experimental periods. Period 1 [5 d of ad libitum (AL) feed intake]
      served as baseline for period 2 (5 d), during which cows received 1 of 6
      treatments: (1) 100% of AL feed intake (AL100; n = 3), (2) 80% of AL feed intake
      (n = 5), (3) 60% of AL feed intake (n = 5), (4) 40% of AL feed intake (AL40; n =
      5), (5) 40% of AL feed intake + GLP2 administration (AL40G; 75 ug/kg of BW s.c.
      2*/d; n = 5), or (6) 20% of AL feed intake (n = 5). As the magnitude of FR
      increased, body weight and milk yield decreased linearly. Blood urea nitrogen and
      insulin decreased, whereas nonesterified fatty acids and liver triglyceride
      content increased linearly with progressive FR. Circulating endotoxin,
      lipopolysaccharide binding protein, haptoglobin, serum amyloid A, and lymphocytes
      increased or tended to increase linearly with advancing FR. Circulating
      haptoglobin decreased (76%) and serum amyloid A tended to decrease (57%) in AL40G
      relative to AL40 cows. Cows in AL100, AL40, and AL40G treatments were euthanized
      to evaluate intestinal histology. Jejunum villus width, crypt depth, and goblet
      cell area, as well as ileum villus height, crypt depth, and goblet cell area,
      were reduced (36, 14, 52, 22, 28, and 25%, respectively) in AL40 cows compared
      with AL100 controls. Ileum cellular proliferation tended to be decreased (14%) in
      AL40 versus AL100 cows. Relative to AL40, AL40G cows had improved jejunum and
      ileum morphology, including increased villus height (46 and 51%), villus height
      to crypt depth ratio (38 and 35%), mucosal surface area (30 and 27%), cellular
      proliferation (43 and 36%), and goblet cell area (59 and 41%). Colon goblet cell
      area was also increased (48%) in AL40G relative to AL40 cows. In summary,
      progressive FR increased circulating markers of inflammation, which we speculate
      is due to increased intestinal permeability as demonstrated by changes in
      intestinal architecture. Furthermore, GLP2 improved intestinal morphology and
      ameliorated circulating markers of inflammation. Consequently, FR is a viable
      model to study consequences of intestinal barrier dysfunction and administering
      GLP2 appears to be an effective mitigation strategy to improve gut health.

PMID- 28918140
TI  - Technical note: Feasibility of near infrared transmittance spectroscopy to
      predict cheese ripeness.
AB  - The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of near infrared (NIR)
      transmittance spectroscopy to predict cheese ripeness using the ratio of water
      soluble nitrogen (WSN) to total nitrogen (TN) as an index of cheese maturity
      (WSN/TN). Fifty-two Protected Designation of Origin cow milk cheeses of 5
      varieties (Asiago, Grana Padano, Montasio, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Piave) and
      different ripening times were available for laboratory and chemometric analyses.
      Reference measures of WSN and TN were matched with cheese spectral information
      obtained from ground samples by a NIR instrument that operated in transmittance
      mode for wavelengths from 850 to 1,050 nm. Prediction equations for WSN and TN
      were developed using (1) cross-validation on the whole data set and (2) external
      validation on a subset of the entire data. The WSN/TN was calculated as ratio of
      predicted WSN to predicted TN in cross-validation. The coefficients of
      determination for WSN and TN were >0.85 both in cross- and external validation.
      The high accuracy of the prediction equations for WSN and TN could facilitate
      implementation of NIR transmittance spectroscopy in the dairy industry to
      objectively, rapidly, and accurately monitor the ripeness of cheese through
      WSN/TN.

PMID- 28918139
TI  - Comparison of milk protein composition and rennet coagulation properties in
      native Swedish dairy cow breeds and high-yielding Swedish Red cows.
AB  - Recent studies have reported a very high frequency of noncoagulating milk in
      Swedish Red cows. The underlying factors are not fully understood. In this study,
      we explored rennet-induced coagulation properties and relative protein profiles
      in milk from native Swedish Mountain and Swedish Red Polled cows and compared
      them with a subset of noncoagulating (NC) and well-coagulating (WC) milk samples
      from modern Swedish Red cows. The native breeds displayed a very low prevalence
      of NC milk and superior milk coagulation properties compared with Swedish Red
      cows. The predominant variants in both native breeds were alphaS1-casein (alphaS1
      CN) B, beta-CN A2 and beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) B. For kappa-CN, the B variant
      was predominant in the Swedish Mountain cows, whereas the A variant was the most
      frequent in the Swedish Red Polled. The native breeds displayed similar protein
      composition, but varied in content of alphaS1-CN with 9 phosphorylated serines
      (9P) form. Within the Swedish Mountain cows, we observed a strong inverse
      correlation between the relative concentration of kappa-CN and micelle size and a
      positive correlation between ionic calcium and gel firmness. For comparison, we
      investigated a subset of 29 NC and 28 WC milk samples, representing the extremes
      with regard to coagulation properties based on an initial screening of 395
      Swedish Red cows. In Swedish Red, NC milk properties were found to be related to
      higher frequencies of beta-CN A2, kappa-CN E and A variants, as well as beta-LG
      B, and the predominant composite genotype of beta- and kappa-CN in the NC group
      was A2A2/AA. Generally, the A2A2/AA composite genotype was related to lower
      relative concentrations of kappa-CN isoforms and higher relative concentrations
      of alphaS1-, alphaS2-, and beta-CN. Compared with the group of WC milk samples,
      NC milk contained a higher fraction of alphaS2-CN and alpha-lactalbumin (alpha
      LA) but a lower fraction of alphaS1-CN 9P. In conclusion, milk from native
      Swedish breeds has good characteristics for cheese milk, which could be exploited
      in niche dairy products. In milk from Swedish Mountain cows, levels of ionic
      calcium seemed to be more important for rennet-induced gel firmness than
      variation in the relative protein profile. In Swedish Red, lower protein content
      as well as higher fraction of alphaS2-CN and lower fraction of alphaS1-CN 9P were
      related to NC milk. Further, a decrease in the frequency of the composite beta
      kappa-CN genotype A2A2/AA through selective breeding could have a positive effect
      on milk coagulation properties.

PMID- 28918141
TI  - Validation of commercial luminometry swabs for total bacteria and coliform counts
      in colostrum-feeding equipment.
AB  - A sufficient quantity and quality of colostrum must be fed quickly to the newborn
      calf while minimizing bacterial contamination. Adenosine triphosphate
      bioluminescence swabs offer a potential rapid on-farm alternative to assess
      bacterial contamination of colostrum. The objective of this study was to validate
      the Hygiena (Camarillo, CA) AquaSnap Total (AS), SuperSnap (SS), PRO-Clean (PC),
      and MicroSnap Coliform (MS) swabs as well as visual hygiene assessment for
      detection of elevated bacterial counts in or on colostrum-feeding equipment. From
      April to October 2016, 18 esophageal tube feeders, 49 nipple bottles, and 6 pails
      from 52 dairy farms in Ontario were evaluated for cleanliness. Following visual
      hygiene assessment, sterile physiological saline (15 mL) was poured into each
      piece of equipment, mixed for 2 min to ensure total surface coverage, and poured
      into a sterile collection container through the feeding end. The fluid was split
      into equal aliquots, with one being evaluated by conventional culture and the
      other evaluated using the luminometry swabs. Nonparametric receiver operator
      curves were used to compare the test performance of the luminescence reading
      (relative light units; RLU) from each type of swab to conventional bacterial
      culture. The area under the curve comparing the AS swab to total bacterial count
      (cut point >100,000 cfu/mL) was 0.89, and using a cut point of 631 RLU correctly
      classified 84% of samples with a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 77%. The
      area under the curve comparing the MS swab to total coliform count (cut point
      >10,000 cfu/mL) was 0.85, and using a cut point of 44 RLU correctly classified
      89% of samples with a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 90%. Visual hygiene
      assessment, PC and SS swabs were not reliable indicators for feeding equipment
      cleanliness. The results suggest that the AS and MS swabs can be used as an
      alternative to traditional laboratory bacterial counts to evaluate cleanliness of
      colostrum-feeding equipment.

PMID- 28918142
TI  - Mortality and health treatment rates of dairy calves in automated milk feeding
      systems in the Upper Midwest of the United States.
AB  - Automated calf feeding systems are increasing in use across the United States,
      yet information regarding health and mortality outcomes of animals in these
      systems is limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the
      relationship between farm management practices, housing, and environmental
      factors with mortality and health treatment rates of preweaned dairy calves
      housed in groups with automated feeding systems. Farm records were collected for
      health treatments and mortality on 26 farms in the Upper Midwest of the United
      States. Relationships between factors of interest and mortality or treatment rate
      were calculated using a correlation analysis. Overall median annual mortality
      rate was 2.6 (interquartile range = 3.6; range = 0.24-13.4%), and 57% of farms
      reported mortality rates below 3%/yr. Farms that disinfected the navels of
      newborn calves had lower mortality rate (mean = 3.0%; standard error = 0.8; 78%
      of farms) than farms that did not disinfect (mean = 7.3%; standard error = 1.6;
      22% of farms). Farm size (number of cows on site) was negatively associated
      [correlation coefficient (r) = -0.53], whereas the age range in calf groups was
      positively associated (r = 0.58) with mortality rate. Average serum total protein
      concentration tended to be negatively associated with annual mortality rate (r = 
      0.39; median = 5.4; range = 5.0-6.4 g/dL). Health treatment rate was positively
      associated with coliform bacterial count in feeder tube milk samples [r = 0.45;
      mean +/- standard deviation (SD) = 6.45 +/- 4.50 ln(cfu/mL)] and the age of
      calves at grouping (r = 0.50; mean +/- SD = 5.1 +/- 3.6 d). A positive trend was
      detected for coliform bacterial count of feeder mixing tank milk samples [r =
      0.37; mean +/- SD = 3.2 +/- 6.4 ln(cfu/mL)] and calf age at weaning (r = 0.37,
      mean +/- SD = 57.4 +/- 9.6 d). Seasonal patterns indicated that winter was the
      season of highest treatment rate. Taken together, these results indicate that,
      although automated feeding systems can achieve mortality rates below the US
      average, improvements are needed in fundamental calf care practices, such as
      colostrum management and preventing bacterial contamination of the liquid diet
      and the calf environment.

PMID- 28918143
TI  - Short communication: Estimating lactation curves for highly inhomogeneous milk
      yield data of an F2 population (Charolais * German Holstein).
AB  - Fitting of lactation curves is a common tool to obtain the entire milk yield as
      well as to estimate the main curve characteristic (such as day of peak milk
      yield) for a lactation. These models are primarily designed for dairy cattle, but
      have been applied to nondairy cattle breeds and also for other species. In this
      study we considered milk yield data of 197 F2 crossbred cows of Charolais and
      German Holstein (founder breeds) for the first and the beginning of the second
      lactation. The F2 cows showed a high variability regarding the length of
      lactation, which varied between 7 and 406 d in milk for the first lactation.
      Thus, the data also show high variation regarding the daily and overall milk
      yield. To obtain complete lactation curves, we evaluated the lactation models of
      Ali-Schaeffer and Wilmink. To compare the 2 lactation models, we evaluated the
      goodness of fit using 6 evaluation criteria. The results show that the model of
      Ali-Schaeffer performs better on these highly inhomogeneous data, in contrast to
      the model of Wilmink. We discuss our findings from a statistical point of view
      and present possible biological reasons for the high variability regarding milk
      yield within the F2 population. Hence our findings may be helpful when milk yield
      data of crosses between dairy and beef cows (dual purpose) are investigated,
      whose lactation curves may not show the typical characteristics of dairy cattle.

PMID- 28918144
TI  - Short communication: Molecular epidemiology of Streptococcus agalactiae differs
      between countries.
AB  - Group B Streptococcus or Streptococcus agalactiae continue to be challenging for
      milk quality programs in countries with emerging dairy industries, such as
      Colombia, where high prevalence has been reported. Molecular typing of isolates
      is needed to understand the variability and epidemiology of this pathogen and to
      develop effective control and eradication programs. We characterized the
      molecular profile of Strep. agalactiae isolated from cows with subclinical
      mastitis in 21 Colombian dairy herds and measured diversity within and between
      herds using multilocus sequence typing. Isolates belonged to sequence type 248
      [clonal complex (CC) 103; n = 30), ST1 (CC1; n = 6) or ST22 (CC22; n = 4)],
      whereas members of CC67/61, the dominant type in North America, were not
      detected. Presence of multiple clonally unrelated sequence type within a herd was
      common, which contrasts with the situation in European countries and suggests
      introduction from multiple sources. Our results demonstrate that conclusions from
      molecular epidemiological studies in 1 region cannot necessarily be extrapolated
      to other regions, and no single bovine-adapted CC of Strep. agalactiae exists in
      Colombia. Improvements in internal and external biosecurity will be needed to
      reduce Strep. agalactiae prevalence in Colombian dairy herds.

PMID- 28918145
TI  - Short communication: Relationship between methods for measurement of serum
      electrolytes and the relationship between ionized and total calcium and
      neutrophil oxidative burst activity in early postpartum dairy cows.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to (1) compare a test for serum measurement of
      total Ca (tCa), Mg, and P (VetTest Chemistry Analyzer, IDEXX Laboratories Inc.,
      Westbrook, ME) to reference methods (spectrophotometric assays on a Beckman
      Coulter 640e automated clinical chemistry analyzer; Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA),
      (2) determine the relationship between ionized Ca (iCa) and reference method tCa
      in the immediate postpartum period, and (3) assess the relative value of these
      blood Ca indices as predictors of neutrophil oxidative burst activity. Samples
      were collected from multiparous Holstein cows (n = 33) over the first 5 d in
      milk. A total of 183 samples for objective 1 and 181 samples for objective 2 were
      available. Neutrophil oxidative burst activity was assessed once between 2 and 5
      d in milk (n = 29). Linear regression demonstrated strong relationships between
      serum tCa, Mg, and P concentrations measured by the VetTest compared with the
      reference method. Bland Altman analysis indicated that the VetTest values were
      higher than the reference method by 0.22 mmol/L for tCa, 0.12 mmol/L for Mg, and
      0.16 mmol/L for P. Compared with hypocalcemia categorized at <=2.0 or <=2.125
      mmol/L with the reference method tCa, thresholds for the VetTest measured tCa of
      <=2.23 mmol/L (sensitivity = 87%, specificity = 89%) or <=2.30 mmol/L
      (sensitivity = 86%, specificity = 96%) could be used. The relationship between
      whole-blood iCa and reference method serum tCa differed by sampling time point
      after calving. Compared with identification of hypocalcemia with serum tCa
      measurements from the reference method (thresholds of <=2.0 and 2.125 mmol/L), a
      whole-blood iCa threshold of <=1.17 mmol/L resulted in the highest combined
      sensitivities (94 and 82%) and specificities (80 and 94%) at either threshold.
      Ionized Ca measurements were more consistently related to outcomes of neutrophil
      oxidative burst activity measured in vitro. The VetTest measurements of serum tCa
      reliably identified hypocalcemia when thresholds were adjusted to account for the
      bias of the test. The variation in the relationship between iCa and reference
      method tCa in the days following parturition suggest that these measures cannot
      be used interchangeably as indicators of Ca status. The more consistent
      associations between iCa and in vitro measures of neutrophil function, compared
      with tCa, indicated that this may be a more sensitive predictor of functional
      outcomes associated with postpartum Ca status.

PMID- 28918146
TI  - Short communication: Automated detection of behavioral changes from respiratory
      disease in pre-weaned calves.
AB  - Group housing of calves can pose a challenge in identifying respiratory disease;
      therefore, it is necessary to develop tools that can identify these disease
      events. In this experiment, pre-weaned calves (n = 30) were housed in groups with
      an automatic calf feeder and were fitted with an accelerometer. Step activity,
      lying behaviors, and feeding behaviors were recorded to determine the effect of
      respiratory disease. All calves were health scored twice daily, and calves with
      respiratory scores >=5 were diagnosed with respiratory disease (n = 10). Each
      diseased calf was match paired with a healthy control based on the date of
      disease diagnosis, breed, and age. Control calves were determined to be healthy
      if they had respiratory scores <=4, as well as fecal, navel, and joint scores of
      0 or 1. Diseased calves were less active before, on the day of, and after
      respiratory disease diagnosis. Furthermore, diseased calves had reduced lying
      frequencies starting 2 d before diagnosis, as well as after diagnosis. Last,
      diseased calves consumed less milk on the day of diagnosis when compared with
      healthy controls. Step activity, lying bouts, and milk intake may prove to be a
      useful tool in identifying respiratory disease under practical farming, but this
      requires further research.

PMID- 28918147
TI  - Invited review: Effects of heat stress on dairy cattle welfare.
AB  - The effects of high ambient temperatures on production animals, once thought to
      be limited to tropical areas, has extended into northern latitudes in response to
      the increasing global temperature. The number of days where the temperature
      humidity index (THI) exceeds the comfort threshold (>72) is increasing in the
      northern United States, Canada, and Europe. Compounded by the increasing number
      of dairy animals and the intensification of production, heat stress has become
      one of the most important challenges facing the dairy industry today. The
      objectives of this review were to present an overview of the effects of heat
      stress on dairy cattle welfare and highlight important research gaps in the
      literature. We will also briefly discuss current heat abatement strategies, as
      well as the sustainability of future heat stress management. Heat stress has
      negative effects on the health and biological functioning of dairy cows through
      depressed milk production and reduced reproductive performance. Heat stress can
      also compromise the affective state of dairy cows by inducing feelings of hunger
      and thirst, and we have highlighted the need for research efforts to examine the
      potential relationship between heat stress, frustration, aggression, and pain.
      Little work has examined how heat stress affects an animal's natural coping
      behaviors, as well as how the animal's evolutionary adaptations for
      thermoregulation are managed in modern dairy systems. More research is needed to
      identify improved comprehensive cow-side measurements that can indicate real-time
      responses to elevated ambient temperatures and that could be incorporated into
      heat abatement management decisions.

PMID- 28918148
TI  - Mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and ubiquitin proteasome-related gene
      expression in 3 different skeletal muscles of colostrum- versus formula-fed
      calves.
AB  - The rates of protein turnover are higher during the neonatal period than at any
      other time in postnatal life. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the
      ubiquitin-proteasome system are key pathways regulating cellular protein
      turnover. The objectives of this study were (1) to elucidate the effect of
      feeding colostrum versus milk-based formula on the mRNA abundance of key
      components of the mTOR pathway and of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in skeletal
      muscle of neonatal calves and (2) to compare different muscles. German Holstein
      calves were fed either colostrum (COL; n = 7) or milk-based formula (FOR; n = 7)
      up to 4 d of life. The nutrient content in formula and colostrum was similar, but
      formula had lower concentrations of free branched-chain AA (BCAA) and free total
      AA, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I than colostrum. Blood samples
      were taken from d 1 to 4 before morning feeding and before and 2 h after the last
      feeding on d 4. Muscle samples from M. longissimus dorsi (MLD), M. semitendinosus
      (MST), and M. masseter (MM) were collected after slaughter on d 4 at 2 h after
      feeding. The preprandial concentrations of free total AA and BCAA, insulin, and
      IGF-I in plasma changed over time but did not differ between groups. Plasma free
      total AA and BCAA concentrations decreased in COL, whereas they increased in FOR
      after feeding, resulting in higher postprandial plasma total AA and BCAA
      concentrations in FOR than in COL. Plasma insulin concentrations increased after
      feeding in both groups but were higher in COL than in FOR. Plasma IGF-I
      concentrations decreased in COL, whereas they remained unchanged in FOR after
      feeding. The mRNA abundance of mTOR and ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) in 3
      different skeletal muscles was greater in COL than in FOR, whereas that of
      eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4EBP1) was
      unaffected by diet. The mRNA abundance of ubiquitin activating enzyme (UBA1) and
      ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 1 (UBE2G1) enzymes was not affected by diet, whereas
      that of ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 2 (UBE2G2) was greater (MLD) or tended to be
      greater (MM) in COL than in FOR. The mRNA abundance of atrogin-1 in MLD and MST
      was lower in COL than in FOR, whereas that of muscle ring finger protein-1
      (MuRF1) was greater (MST) or tended to be greater (MLD). The abundance of MuRF1
      mRNA was highest in MST, followed by MLD, and was lowest in MM. The results
      indicate that colostrum feeding may stimulate protein turnover that may result in
      a high rate of protein deposition in a muscle type-specific manner. Such effects
      seem to be mediated by the postprandial increase in plasma insulin.

PMID- 28918149
TI  - Predicting methane emissions of lactating Danish Holstein cows using Fourier
      transform mid-infrared spectroscopy of milk.
AB  - Enteric methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, is among the main targets of
      mitigation practices for the dairy industry. A measurement technique that is
      rapid, inexpensive, easy to use, and applicable at the population level is
      desired to estimate CH4 emission from dairy cows. In the present study,
      feasibility of milk Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-IR) spectral profiles as a
      predictor for CH4:CO2 ratio and CH4 production (L/d) is explained. The partial
      least squares regression method was used to develop the prediction models. The
      models were validated using different random test sets, which are independent
      from the training set by leaving out records of 20% cows for validation and
      keeping records of 80% of cows for training the model. The data set consisted of
      3,623 records from 500 Danish Holstein cows from both experimental and commercial
      farms. For both CH4:CO2 ratio and CH4 production, low prediction accuracies were
      found when models were obtained using FT-IR spectra. Validated coefficient of
      determination (R2Val) = 0.21 with validated model error root mean squared error
      of prediction (RMSEP) = 0.0114 L/d for CH4:CO2 ratio, and R2Val = 0.13 with RMSEP
      = 111 L/d for CH4 production. The important spectral wavenumbers selected using
      the recursive partial least squares method represented major milk components fat,
      protein, and lactose regions of the spectra. When fat and protein predicted by FT
      IR were used instead of full spectra, a low R2Val of 0.07 was obtained for both
      CH4:CO2 ratio and CH4 production prediction. Other spectral wavenumbers related
      to lactose (carbohydrate) or additional wavenumbers related to fat or protein
      (amide II) are providing additional variation when using the full spectral
      profile. For CH4:CO2 ratio prediction, integration of FT-IR with other factors
      such as milk yield, herd, and lactation stage showed improvement in the
      prediction accuracy. However, overall prediction accuracy remained modest; R2Val
      increased to 0.31 with RMSEP = 0.0105. For prediction of CH4 production, the
      added value of FT-IR along with the aforementioned traits was marginal. These
      results indicated that for CH4 production prediction, FT-IR profiles reflect
      primarily information related to milk yield, herd, and lactation stage rather
      than individual milk fatty acids related to CH4 emission. Thus, it is not
      feasible to predict CH4 emission based on FT-IR spectra alone.

PMID- 28918150
TI  - Short communication: Effects of lysolecithin on milk fat synthesis and milk fatty
      acid profile of cows fed diets differing in fiber and unsaturated fatty acid
      concentration.
AB  - Thirteen multiparous Holstein cows were used in a crossover design that tested
      the effect of lysolecithin in diets differing in neutral detergent fiber (NDF)
      and unsaturated fatty acid (FA) concentrations. Experimental periods were 20 d in
      length and included two 10-d phases. A standard fiber and lower fat diet was fed
      the first 10 d (30.5% NDF, no added oil, lower-risk phase) and a lower NDF and
      higher oil diet was fed during the second 10 d (29.0% NDF and 2% oil from whole
      soybeans and soybean oil, high-risk phase). Treatments were control and 10 g/d of
      lysolecithin (LYSO) extended in a ground corn carrier. Milk was sampled on d 0,
      5, and 10 of each phase for determination of fat and protein concentration and FA
      profile. We found no effect of treatment or treatment by time interaction for dry
      matter intake, milk yield, or milk protein concentration. A treatment by time
      interaction was observed for milk fat concentration and yield. Milk fat
      concentration was higher in LYSO on d 5 of the lower-risk phase, but decreased
      progressively in both treatments during the high-risk phase. Milk fat yield was
      not different among treatments during the lower-risk phase, but was lower in LYSO
      on d 15 and tended to be lower on d 20 during the high-risk phase. Concentrations
      of milk de novo FA decreased and preformed FA increased during the high-risk
      phase, but we found no effect of treatment or treatment by time interactions. We
      noted an effect of time, but no treatment or treatment by time interactions for
      milk trans FA isomers. Briefly, trans-11 C18:1 and cis-9,trans-11 conjugated
      linoleic acid progressively decreased as trans-10 C18:1 and trans-10,cis-12
      conjugated linoleic acid progressively increased during the high-risk phase. The
      LYSO increased milk fat concentration when feeding a higher fiber and lower
      unsaturated FA diet, but decreased milk fat yield when feeding a lower fiber and
      higher unsaturated FA diet, although biohydrogenation pathways and capacity did
      not appear to be modified. The effect of lysolecithin on rumen fermentation
      warrants further investigation, but is not recommended when feeding lower fiber
      and higher unsaturated fat diets.

PMID- 28918151
TI  - Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing reveals considerable fungal
      diversity in dairy products.
AB  - Fungi are important spoilage organisms in dairy products. However, little is
      known about the diversity of naturally occurring spoilage fungi in raw milk and
      processed dairy products, due at least in part to the fact that classical fungal
      identification methods require considerable expertise. To gain further insight
      into the fungal diversity in the dairy system, we isolated fungi from raw milk,
      raw and pasteurized milk cheese, and yogurt using the selective dichloran rose
      bengal chloramphenicol agar. In total, 361 fungal isolates were obtained and
      further characterized by DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)
      region and the nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene if needed. We
      conducted BLAST (https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi) searches of the ITS
      region sequences against the UNITE Database (https://unite.ut.ee/analysis.php),
      and selected other databases if needed, which allowed identification to the
      species level of 183 isolates and to the genus level of 107 of the 346 isolates
      that were successfully ITS sequenced. The isolates characterized represented 3
      phyla and 19 genera; the most common genera isolated were Penicillium (25% of
      isolates), Debaryomyces (18%), and Candida (9%). This study not only provides, by
      using modern molecular tools, a baseline understanding of the types of fungi in
      dairy products, but also confirms that ITS sequencing is a useful approach for
      identification of fungal organisms found in the dairy food chain.

PMID- 28918152
TI  - Short communication: Influence of various proteolytic sources during fermentation
      of reconstituted corn grain silages.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of corn kernel
      enzymes, bacteria, fungi, and fermentation end-products (main acids and ethanol)
      to protein solubilization during fermentation of reconstituted corn grain silage.
      Flint corn kernels were ground (5-mm sieve), rehydrated to 32% of moisture, and
      treated with no additives (control), gamma irradiation (32 kGy), gamma
      irradiation + fermentation end-products (1% of lactic acid, 0.3% of acetic acid,
      and 0.7% of ethanol, as fed), and natamycin (1% as fed). Treated grains were
      ensiled in nylon-polyethylene bags and stored for 90 d. Protein solubilization
      was calculated for each treatment and the contributions of proteolytic sources
      were determined. Bacterial activity was the main contributor to proteolysis (60%)
      followed by corn kernel enzymes (30%), whereas fungi and fermentation end
      products had only minor contributions (~5% each).

PMID- 28918153
TI  - Linseed oil and DGAT1 K232A polymorphism: Effects on methane emission, energy and
      nitrogen metabolism, lactation performance, ruminal fermentation, and rumen
      microbial composition of Holstein-Friesian cows.
AB  - Complex interactions between rumen microbiota, cow genetics, and diet composition
      may exist. Therefore, the effect of linseed oil, DGAT1 K232A polymorphism
      (DGAT1), and the interaction between linseed oil and DGAT1 on CH4 and H2
      emission, energy and N metabolism, lactation performance, ruminal fermentation,
      and rumen bacterial and archaeal composition was investigated. Twenty-four
      lactating Holstein-Friesian cows (i.e., 12 with DGAT1 KK genotype and 12 with
      DGAT1 AA genotype) were fed 2 diets in a crossover design: a control diet and a
      linseed oil diet (LSO) with a difference of 22 g/kg of dry matter (DM) in fat
      content between the 2 diets. Both diets consisted of 40% corn silage, 30% grass
      silage, and 30% concentrates (DM basis). Apparent digestibility, lactation
      performance, N and energy balance, and CH4 emission were measured in climate
      respiration chambers, and rumen fluid samples were collected using the oral
      stomach tube technique. No linseed oil by DGAT1 interactions were observed for
      digestibility, milk production and composition, energy and N balance, CH4 and H2
      emissions, and rumen volatile fatty acid concentrations. The DGAT1 KK genotype
      was associated with a lower proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk
      fat, and with a higher milk fat and protein content, and proportion of saturated
      fatty acids in milk fat compared with the DGAT1 AA genotype, whereas the fat- and
      protein-corrected milk yield was unaffected by DGAT1. Also, DGAT1 did not affect
      nutrient digestibility, CH4 or H2 emission, ruminal fermentation or ruminal
      archaeal and bacterial concentrations. Rumen bacterial and archaeal composition
      was also unaffected in terms of the whole community, whereas at the genus level
      the relative abundances of some bacterial genera were found to be affected by
      DGAT1. The DGAT1 KK genotype was associated with a lower metabolizability (i.e.,
      ratio of metabolizable to gross energy intake), and with a tendency for a lower
      milk N efficiency compared with the DGAT1 AA genotype. The LSO diet tended to
      decrease CH4 production (g/d) by 8%, and significantly decreased CH4 yield (g/kg
      of DM intake) by 6% and CH4 intensity (g/kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk)
      by 11%, but did not affect H2 emission. The LSO diet also decreased ruminal
      acetate molar proportion, the acetate to propionate ratio, and the archaea to
      bacteria ratio, whereas ruminal propionate molar proportion and milk N efficiency
      increased. Ruminal bacterial and archaeal composition tended to be affected by
      diet in terms of the whole community, with several bacterial genera found to be
      significantly affected by diet. These results indicate that DGAT1 does not affect
      enteric CH4 emission and production pathways, but that it does affect traits
      other than lactation characteristics, including metabolizability, N efficiency,
      and the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium. Additionally, linseed oil reduces
      CH4 emission independent of DGAT1 and affects the rumen microbiota and its
      fermentative activity.

PMID- 28918154
TI  - Hot topic: Geographical distribution and strain diversity of Lactobacillus
      wasatchensis isolated from cheese with unwanted gas formation.
AB  - Lactobacillus wasatchensis, an obligate heterofermentative nonstarter lactic acid
      bacteria (NSLAB) implicated in causing gas defects in aged cheeses, was
      originally isolated from an aged Cheddar produced in Logan, Utah. To determine
      the geographical distribution of this organism, we isolated slow-growing NSLAB
      from cheeses collected in different regions of the United States, Australia, New
      Zealand, and Ireland. Seven of the cheeses showed significant gas defects and 12
      did not. Nonstarter lactic acid bacteria were isolated from these cheeses on de
      Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe medium supplemented with ribose, a preferred substrate
      for Lb. wasatchensis. Identification was confirmed with 16S rRNA gene sequencing
      and the API50CH (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) carbohydrate panel. Isolates
      were also compared with one another by using repetitive element sequence-based
      PCR (rep-PCR). Lactobacillus wasatchensis was isolated only from cheeses
      demonstrating late-gas development and was found in samples from 6 of the 7
      cheeses. This supports laboratory evidence that this organism is a causative
      agent of late gas production defects. The rep-PCR analysis produced distinct
      genetic fingerprints for isolates from each cheese, indicating that Lb.
      wasatchensis is found in several regions across the United States and is not a
      local phenomenon.

PMID- 28918155
TI  - The binding of orally dosed hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredients to
      casein micelles in milk.
AB  - Casein proteins (alphaS1-, alphaS2-, beta- and kappa-casein) account for 80% of
      the total protein content in bovine milk and form casein micelles (average
      diameter = 130 nm, approximately 1015 micelles/mL). The affinity of native casein
      micelles with the 3 hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredients (API),
      meloxicam [351.4 g/mol; log P = 3.43; acid dissociation constant (pKa) = 4.08],
      flunixin (296.2 g/mol; log P = 4.1; pKa = 5.82), and thiabendazole (201.2 g/mol;
      log P = 2.92; pKa = 4.64), was evaluated in bovine milk collected from dosed
      Holstein cows. Native casein micelles were separated from raw bovine milk by mild
      techniques such as ultracentrifugation, diafiltration, isoelectric point
      precipitation (pH 4.6), and size exclusion chromatography. Acetonitrile
      extraction of hydrophobic API was then done, followed by quantification using
      HPLC-UV. For the API or metabolites meloxicam, 5-hyroxy flunixin and 5-hydroxy
      thiabendazole, 31 +/- 3.90, 31 +/- 1.3, and 28 +/- 0.5% of the content in milk
      was associated with casein micelles, respectively. Less than ~5.0% of the
      recovered hydrophobic API were found in the milk fat fraction, and the remaining
      ~65% were associated with the whey/serum fraction. A separate in vitro study
      showed that 66 +/- 6.4% of meloxicam, 29 +/- 0.58% of flunixin, 34 +/- 0.21% of
      the metabolite 5-hyroxy flunixin, 50 +/- 4.5% of thiabendazole, and 33 +/- 3.8%
      of metabolite 5-hydroxy thiabendazole was found partitioned into casein micelles.
      Our study supports the hypothesis that casein micelles are native carriers for
      hydrophobic compounds in bovine milk.

PMID- 28918156
TI  - Exploration of the bovine colostrum proteome and effects of heat treatment time
      on colostrum protein profile.
AB  - Heat treatment of colostrum is performed on modern dairy farms to reduce
      pathogenic contamination before hand-feeding the colostrum to newborn calves;
      however, limited data are available concerning effects of heat treatment on
      biologically active proteins in colostrum. The objective of this exploratory
      study was to investigate effects of heat treatment and length of heat treatment
      on colostrum protein profile. Colostrum samples were collected from Holstein cows
      within 12 h after parturition and assigned to the following groups: heat
      treatment at 60 degrees C for 0 (untreated control), 30, 60, or 90 min. Samples
      were fractionated using acid precipitation, followed by ultracentrifugation and
      ProteoMiner (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA) treatment, and tandem-mass
      tagging was used to comparatively assess the low abundance protein profile. A
      total of 162 proteins were identified with more than 2 peptides in the low
      abundance protein enriched fraction. Of these, 62 differed in abundance by more
      than 2-fold in heat-treated samples compared with the unheated control. The
      majority of proteins affected by heat treatment were involved in immunity, enzyme
      function, and transport-related processes; affected proteins included
      lactadherin, chitinase-3-like protein 1, and complement component C9. These
      results provide a foundation for further research to determine optimum heat
      treatment practices to ensure newborn calves are fed colostrum-containing
      proteins with the highest nutritional and biological value.

PMID- 28918157
TI  - Differential proteomic profiling of endometrium and plasma indicate the
      importance of hydrolysis in bovine endometritis.
AB  - Endometritis is an important disease of dairy cows that leads to significant
      economic losses in the dairy cattle industry. To investigate the alteration of
      proteins associated with endometritis in the dairy cow, the isobaric tags for
      relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technique was applied to
      quantitatively identify differentially expressed proteins (DEP) in the
      endometrium and peripheral plasma of Chinese Holstein cows with endometritis.
      Compared with the normal (control) group, 159 DEP in the endometrium and 137 DEP
      in the plasma were identified in cows with endometritis. Gene ontology analysis
      demonstrated that the predominant endometrial DEP were primarily involved in
      responses to stimulus and stress processes and mainly played a role in hydrolysis
      in the extracellular region. The predominant plasma DEP were mainly components of
      the cytosol and non-membrane-bound organelles, and they were involved in the
      response to stress and regulation of enzyme activity. Protein-protein interaction
      of tissue DEP revealed that some core seed proteins, such as RAC2, ITGB2, and
      CDH1 in the same network as CD14, MMP3, and MMP9, had important functions in the
      cross-talk of pathways related to extracellular proteolysis. In summary,
      significant enzymatic hydrolase activity in the extracellular region is proposed
      as a molecular mechanism by which altered proteins may promote inflammation and
      hence endometritis.

PMID- 28918158
TI  - Recombinant expression and characterization of Lucilia cuprina CYP6G3: Activity
      and binding properties toward multiple pesticides.
AB  - The Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, is a primary cause of sheep
      flystrike and a major agricultural pest. Cytochrome P450 enzymes have been
      implicated in the resistance of L. cuprina to several classes of insecticides. In
      particular, CYP6G3 is a L. cuprina homologue of Drosophila melanogaster CYP6G1, a
      P450 known to confer multi-pesticide resistance. To investigate the basis of
      resistance, a bicistronic Escherichia coli expression system was developed to co
      express active L. cuprina CYP6G3 and house fly (Musca domestica) P450 reductase.
      Recombinant CYP6G3 showed activity towards the high-throughput screening
      substrates, 7-ethoxycoumarin and p-nitroanisole, but not towards p-nitrophenol,
      coumarin, 7-benzyloxyresorufin, or seven different luciferin derivatives (P450
      GloTM substrates). The addition of house fly cytochrome b5 enhanced the kcat for
      p-nitroanisole dealkylation approximately two fold (17.8 +/- 0.5 vs 9.6 +/- 0.2
      min-1) with little effect on KM (13 +/- 1 vs 10 +/- 1 MUM). Inhibition studies
      and difference spectroscopy revealed that the organochlorine compounds, DDT and
      endosulfan, and the organophosphate pesticides, malathion and chlorfenvinphos,
      bind to the active site of CYP6G3. All four pesticides showed type I binding
      spectra with spectral dissociation constants in the micromolar range suggesting
      that they may be substrates of CYP6G3. While no significant inhibition was seen
      with the organophosphate, diazinon, or the neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, diazinon
      showed weak binding in spectral assays, with a Kd value of 23 +/- 3 MUM CYP6G3
      metabolised diazinon to the diazoxon and hydroxydiazinon metabolites and
      imidacloprid to the 5-hydroxy and olefin metabolites, consistent with a proposed
      role of CYP6G enzymes in metabolism of phosphorothioate and neonicotinoid
      insecticides in other species.

PMID- 28918159
TI  - Identification of circular RNA in the Bombyx mori silk gland.
AB  - Bombyx mori is an economically important holometabolous lepidopteran insect. In
      B. mori endogenous noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and Piwi-interacting
      RNAs play crucial biological functions in metamorphosis and sex determination. In
      addition, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been recently identified as noncoding
      RNAs in most common model organisms and show potential as gene regulators.
      However, to date, there have been few studies on the circRNAs present in the B.
      mori genome conducted to date. Here, we identified 3916 circRNAs by deep circular
      transcriptome sequencing using the silk gland of B. mori. 3155 circRNAs were
      found to be derived from 1727 parental genes. The circRNAs displayed tissue
      specific expression between the middle silk gland (MSG) and posterior silk gland
      (PSG), with 2532 and 880 being upregulated circRNAs in the MSG and PSG,
      respectively. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway
      analyses showed that the parental genes from the MSG and PSG were generally
      annotated to similar categories and pathways. The interaction network of circRNAs
      and miRNAs showed that circRNAs might act as miRNA sponges or interact with
      miRNAs in some other way. Overall, the results revealed the complicated patterns
      of circRNAs in the B. mori silk gland providing a new angle from which to explore
      the mechanisms of complex gene regulation and efficient silk protein synthesis.

PMID- 28918160
TI  - Shopping for food with children: A strategy for directing their choices toward
      novel foods containing vegetables.
AB  - Involving children in the different steps of meal preparation has been suggested
      as a strategy for enhancing dietary habits in childhood. It has previously been
      shown that involving children in cooking can increase their willingness to taste
      novel foods and direct their food choices towards foods containing vegetables.
      The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of involving children
      in food purchasing on food choices, intake, liking and appetite. A between
      subject experiment was conducted with 86 children (from 8 to 10 years old). Forty
      three children (PURCHASE group) participated in a workshop dedicated to
      purchasing the necessary ingredients online for the preparation of three
      unfamiliar foods containing vegetables: apple and beetroot juice, zucchini
      tortilla sandwich and spinach cookies. Forty-three children (CONTROL group)
      participated instead in a creativity workshop. Afterwards, all the children were
      invited to choose, for an afternoon snack, between three familiar vs. unfamiliar
      foods: orange vs. apple and beetroot juice, potatoes vs. zucchini tortilla
      sandwich and chocolate vs. spinach cookie. The mean number of unfamiliar foods
      chosen per child was higher in the PURCHASE (0.70 +/- 0.14) vs. CONTROL (0.19 +/-
      0.07) group (P = 0.003). The liking for 1 of the 3 unfamiliar foods was higher in
      the PURCHASE group (P < 0.05). We did not find any difference between the two
      groups in food intake estimation and in the levels of subjective appetite. This
      study demonstrates that involving children in purchasing food can help in
      directing their food choices towards unfamiliar foods containing vegetables. It
      highlights the importance of involving children in the different steps of meal
      preparation for decreasing food neophobia.

PMID- 28918161
TI  - Clinical and pathological significance of cutaneous manifestations in ANCA
      associated vasculitides.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cutaneous manifestations (CM) in ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV)
      are frequent, but data on clinical significance and clinical-pathological
      correlations are lacking. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective
      study including 1553 AAV patients. Clinical, biological and pathological features
      have been analyzed, and tissue samples from 46 biopsies were reviewed in a blind
      manner. RESULTS: CM were more frequent in EGPA (53.0%) and MPA (51.9%) than in
      GPA (36.7%). Lesions more frequently associated with GPA were oral ulcers (4.6%
      vs. 2.5% in EGPA and 0.3% in MPA), while pyoderma gangrenosum and palpebral
      xanthoma were specific to GPA. Lesions associated with MPA were segmentary edema
      (19.5% vs. 12.7% in EGPA and 4.3% in GPA) and livedo (12.4% vs. 0.5% and 2.6%,
      respectively), whereas those associated with EGPA were urticarial lesions (11.5%
      vs. 1.9% in GPA and 3.5% in MPA) and nodules (12,2% vs. 8.9% in GPA and 4.7% in
      MPA). In GPA, CM patients had more frequent vasculitis than granulomatous
      phenotype, and poorer relapse-free and overall survival. Pathological analysis
      showed vasculitis and/or granulomatous infiltrates in 87.5% of GPA, in 61.1% of
      EGPA and in all MPA. Vasculitis was more frequently observed in purpura and
      nodules, while granulomas were differently located and organized within vessels
      or interstitium according to the type of lesions. CONCLUSION: Each AAV seemed to
      be associated with a peculiar pattern of cutaneous lesions. CM are associated
      with poorer prognosis in GPA. Clinical-pathological correlations showed no
      specific feature of each AAV, whereas granulomatous infiltrates differ according
      to the type of lesions.

PMID- 28918162
TI  - How high level of anxiety in Panic Disorder can interfere in working memory? A
      computer simulation and electrophysiological investigation.
AB  - Panic disorder (PD) is characterized by repeated and unexpected attacks of
      intense anxiety, which are not restricted to a determined situation or
      circumstance. The coherence function has been used to investigate the
      communication among brain structures through the quantitative EEG (qEEG). The
      objective of this study is to analyze if there is a difference in frontoparietal
      gamma coherence (GC) between panic disorder patients (PDP) and healthy controls
      (HC) during the Visual oddball paradigm; and verify if high levels of anxiety
      (produced by a computer simulation) affect PDP's working memory. Nine PDP (9
      female with average age of 48.8, SD: 11.16) and ten HC (1 male and 9 female with
      average age of 38.2, SD: 13.69) were enrolled in this study. The subjects
      performed the visual oddball paradigm simultaneously to the EEG record before and
      after the presentation of computer simulation (CS). A two-way ANOVA was applied
      to analyze the factors Group and the Moment for each pair of electrodes
      separately, and another one to analyze the reaction time variable. We verified a
      F3-P3 GC increased after the CS movie, demonstrating the left hemisphere
      participation during the anxiety processing. The greater GC in HC observed in the
      frontal and parietal areas (P3-Pz, F4-F8 and Fp2-F4) points to the participation
      of these areas with the expected behavior. The greater GC in PDP for F7-F3 and F4
      P4 pairs of electrodes assumes that it produces a prejudicial "noise" during
      information processing, and can be associated to interference on the
      communication between frontal and parietal areas. This "noise" during information
      processing is related to PD symptoms, which should be better known in order to
      develop effective treatment strategies.

PMID- 28918163
TI  - The EU ShockOmics Project International Workshop at ICCAI'17.

PMID- 28918164
TI  - Telepsychiatry Consultation for Medical and Surgical Inpatient Units.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Telepsychiatry is becoming more commonplace in the provision of
      psychiatric care. Most commonly used in the outpatient setting, there is little
      information available in the literature as to the use of telepsychiatry for
      inpatient medical/surgical consultation. OBJECTIVE: We review the University of
      Pittsburgh Medical Center's telepsychiatry consultation program that provides
      consultation to an outlying community-based rural hospital. METHODS: This article
      examines the 69 telepsychiatry consultations that were performed from November
      2014 through February 2016, looking at the patients served, common consultation
      questions, and patterns of diagnoses and recommendations. RESULTS: The median age
      of individuals undergoing telepsychiatry evaluations was 67 years, and the most
      common reason for consultation was for delirium. Over half of the patients
      consulted had a primary diagnosis of delirium, dementia, or a cognitive disorder
      not otherwise specified, using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
      Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision) diagnoses. In most patients, additional
      laboratory studies or imaging or both were requested and medication changes
      recommended (initiation, dose changes, and discontinuation). CONCLUSION: This
      report provides one of the first detailed views of the use of telepsychiatry in a
      remote inpatient medical setting. Findings will guide education to primary teams
      and will shape the development of future telepsychiatry interventions.

PMID- 28918165
TI  - Delirium Following Topical Application of Compounded Creams Containing Multiple
      Analgesic Medications in Geriatric Patients: Two New Cases.

PMID- 28918167
TI  - Different nutritional assessment tools as predictors of postoperative
      complications in patients undergoing colorectal cancer resection.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer contributes to
      increased postoperative complications. The aim of the study was to evaluate the
      prognostic value of several nutritional assessment parameters: body mass index
      versus percentage of weight loss grading system (BMI/%WL); Patient-Generated
      Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA); standardized phase angle (SPA) by BIA;
      muscle strength by handgrip strength; muscle mass by computerized tomography; and
      the combination of muscle mass and strength in patients undergoing resection
      surgery. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with cancer of the colon or rectum, who were
      over 18 years old and were scheduled to undergo surgical treatment were invited
      to participate. Postoperative complications were assessed from the first day post
      surgery until discharge. Complications classified as Grade II or above according
      to the Clavien-Dindo classification were considered. Chi-square test or Fisher's
      exact test, bivariate analysis, Poisson regression and receiver operator
      characteristic (ROC) curve were utilized and p < 0.05 was considered significant.
      RESULTS: 84 patients were evaluated, with 28 (33.3%) presenting with Grade II
      postoperative complications. SPA showed no association with postoperative
      complications (p = 0.199). In multivariate analysis, low skeletal muscle mass
      showed a relative risk (RR) of 1.80 (CI: 1.02-3.17), BMI/%WL equal or higher than
      grade 3 had a RR of 1.90 (95% CI: 1.22-3.39). PG-SGA classified as malnutrition
      showed a RR of 2.08 (95% CI: 1.06-4.06); and low muscle mass plus low muscle
      strength showed a RR 2.13 (95% CI: 1.23-3.69). Low strength alone was not
      associated with postoperative complications after controlling for confounding
      factors (p = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.83-2.77). Low muscle mass in combination with low
      strength showed the highest predictive power for postoperative complications
      (AUC: 0.68; CI: 0.56-0.80). CONCLUSIONS: BMI/%WL > grade 3, PG-SGA defined
      malnutrition, low muscle mass and low muscle mass plus low strength were
      independent risk factors for complications controlling for confounding factors.
      However, low muscle mass in combination with low muscle strength were the
      strongest variables associated with complications. CLINICAL TRIALS IDENTIFICATION
      NUMBER: NCT02901132 (www.clinicaltrials.gov).

PMID- 28918166
TI  - High expression of CXC chemokine receptor 6 associates with poor prognosis in
      patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Accumulating evidence indicates that CXC chemokine receptor 6 (CXCR6)
      has a crucial role in cancer development and progression, however, its role in
      clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains obscure. The aim of this study is
      to investigate the prognostic value of CXCR6 expression in patients with ccRCC
      following surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively included 239
      patients with ccRCC who underwent nephrectomy and had paraffin tissue available
      at a single center. CXCR6 expression in tumor tissue was evaluated by
      immunohistochemistry and its associations with overall survival (OS) and
      recurrence-free survival (RFS) were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 47.3%
      tumors were considered as high expression of CXCR6, which was significantly
      associated with the male sex (P = 0.003) and high Fuhrman grade (P<0.001). A high
      expression of CXCR6 indicated a reduced OS (P<0.001) and RFS (P = 0.007).
      Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CXCR6 expression was an independent
      prognostic factor of OS (hazard ratio = 2.604; 95% CI: 1.338-5.068; P = 0.005)
      and RFS (hazard ratio = 1.957; 95% CI: 1.065-3.595; P = 0.031). Subgroup analysis
      found that CXCR6 expression could differentiate survival risks among patients
      with high-risk disease. Moreover, a nomogram integrating CXCR6 expression and
      traditional clinical and pathologic features was established and predicted
      postsurgical recurrence-risk well at 3- and 5-year. CONCLUSIONS: The expression
      of CXCR6 in tumor tissue may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker to refine
      clinical prognosis prediction combined with traditional clinical and pathological
      analysis for patients with ccRCC after surgery.

PMID- 28918169
TI  - What is clinical nutrition?

PMID- 28918168
TI  - Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with lower incidence of frailty:
      A longitudinal cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: There is a paucity of data investigating the relationship
      between the Mediterranean diet and frailty, with no data among North American
      people. We aimed to investigate if adherence to a Mediterranean diet is
      associated with a lower incidence of frailty in a large cohort of North American
      people. METHODS: This study included subjects at higher risk or having knee
      osteoarthritis. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated using a
      validated Mediterranean diet score (aMED) as proposed by Panagiotakos and
      classified into five categories. Frailty was defined using the Study of
      Osteoporotic Fracture (SOF) index as the presence of >=2 out of: (i) weight loss
      >=5% between baseline and the subsequent follow-up visit; (ii) inability to do
      five chair stands; (iii) low energy level. RESULTS: During the 8 years follow-up,
      of the 4421 participants initially included (mean age: 61.2 years, % of females =
      58.0), the incidence of frailty was approximately half in those with a higher
      adherence to the Mediterranean diet (8 for 1000 person years) vs. those with a
      lower adherence (15 for 1000 persons-years). After adjusting for 10 potential
      confounders (age, sex, race, body mass index, education, smoking habits, yearly
      income, physical activity level, Charlson co-morbidity index and daily energy
      intake), participants with the highest aMED scores were found to have a
      significant reduction in incident frailty (hazard ratio = 0.71; 95% CIs: 0.50
      0.99, p = 0.047) with respect to those in a lower category. Regarding individual
      components of the Mediterranean diet, low consumption of poultry was found to be
      associated with higher risk of frailty. CONCLUSIONS: A higher adherence to a
      Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower incidence of frailty over an 8
      year follow-up period, even after adjusting for potential confounders.

PMID- 28918170
TI  - Lifestyle predictors of obese and non-obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty
      liver disease: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Most people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are
      obese, and they usually eat more while being less physically active as compared
      to healthy individuals. However, little is known about the lifestyle patterns of
      non-obese or obese patients with NAFLD. The aim of this study was to investigate
      nutrition components and behavioral differences between non-obese and obese
      patients with NAFLD. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study comprising of 209
      patients. Nutritional components and physical activity status were compared in
      obese and non-obese subjects with NAFLD against healthy controls. Dietary intake
      was assessed using the 5-day food diary. Physical activity was measured using the
      protocol of Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Total and regional
      body composition analysis was conducted using anthropometry and tetrapolar multi
      frequency bio-impedance. Visceral adipose tissue, total abdominal adipose tissue,
      abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue as well as liver fat were measured using
      abdomen tomography. RESULTS: Non-obese subjects with NAFLD had higher levels of
      ALT, AST, GGT, triglyceride, fasting glucose; higher carbohydrate energy ratio;
      higher visceral fat area, subcutaneous area, body muscle mass, fat free mass and
      body fat compared to subjects without NAFLD. Subjects with obesity and NAFLD had
      higher ALT, AST, visceral fat, fasting glucose and HOMA-IR (homeostatic model
      assessment-insulin resistance), and less moderate-level physical activity
      compared to those with obesity who do not have NAFLD. Obese subjects with NAFLD
      also had higher blood pressure, visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area, body
      fat, body fat percent and GGT compared to non-obese subjects with NAFLD. In
      multivariate analysis, carbohydrate energy ratio and physical activity less than
      moderate-level (<2 h/week) were predictors of NAFLD in non-obese subjects
      independent of the visceral fat, body muscle index, total energy intake, age and
      sex. Physical activity less than moderate-level was a predictor of NAFLD in obese
      subjects with NAFLD, independent of the HOMA-IR, visceral fat, total energy
      intake, fat energy percent, age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Percentage of carbohydrate
      intake percent and physical activity, less than moderate-level were independent
      predictors of NAFLD in non-obese subjects. Meanwhile, physical activity, less
      than moderate-level, was an independent predictor in obese subjects.

PMID- 28918172
TI  - Melatonin and periodontal tissues: Molecular and clinical perspectives.
AB  - Periodontal disease is a frequent chronic inflammatory pathology that implies the
      destruction of the tissues supporting the teeth, which represents a high sanitary
      cost. It usually appears associated with other systemic conditions such as
      diabetes, metabolic syndrome, depression and Alzheimer disease among others. The
      presence of melatonin and its receptors in the oral cavity supports the
      hypothesis that this hormone could play a role in homeostasis of periodontal
      tissues. In the present review we will discuss the potential role of melatonin, a
      circadian synchronizing hormone, with proved antiinflammatory and antioxidant
      profile, in the pathogenesis and treatment of periodontitis. Particular emphasis
      will be placed on the role of the indolamine in the treatment of periodontal
      disease when this oral condition is comorbid with other pathologies that would
      also benefit from the therapeutic potential of melatonin and its analogs through
      diverse mechanisms.

PMID- 28918171
TI  - The association between delirium and sarcopenia in older adult patients admitted
      to acute geriatrics units: Results from the GLISTEN multicenter observational
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: To date, studies assessing the relationship between sarcopenia
      and delirium, two of the most common geriatric syndromes, are lacking. We sought
      to explore this association by investigating the co-occurrence of these two
      conditions and the independent association between them in a population of
      hospitalized older adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional multicenter analysis of older
      adults consecutively admitted to 12 acute geriatric units (AGUs). Sarcopenia was
      assessed upon admission by evaluating the presence of low skeletal mass index
      (kg/m2), and either low handgrip strength or low walking speed (European Working
      Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, EWGSOP criteria). Skeletal muscle mass was
      estimated using bioimpedance analysis. Participants underwent a comprehensive
      geriatric assessment upon admission; information concerning demographics,
      cognition (Short Portable Status Mental Questionnaire, SPMSQ) functional
      (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, IADL and Basic-Activities of Daily
      Living, BADL), and health status (Charlson Index and specific diseases) was
      evaluated. The presence of delirium upon admission was ascertained as an explicit
      clinical diagnosis recorded by the researcher of each centre on the data form.
      All association estimates were reported as Prevalence Ratios (PRs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs), using a Cox hazard proportional regression model with
      robust variance and constant time. RESULTS: Of the 588 analyzed patients (mean
      age = 80.9 +/- 6.8, 53.2% females), 199 (33.8%) had sarcopenia upon admission to
      the AGU. According to a multivariable Cox regression, delirium upon admission (PR
      1.66, 95% CI: 1.12-2.45), IADL total score (PR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87-0.98), Body
      Mass Index values (BMI) ranging from 18.5 to 25.0 (PR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.33-2.18),
      BMI values >18.5 (PR 2.53, 95% CI: 1.81-3.53), previous stroke (PR 1.51, 95% CI:
      1.10-2.07) and chronic heart failure (CHF) (PR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.02-1.68) were
      significantly and independently associated with sarcopenia upon admission to the
      AGU. CONCLUSION: The study, carried out in a population of hospitalized older
      patients, shows that a diagnosis of delirium upon admission to the AGU was more
      frequent in those with sarcopenia than in others. Furthermore, the study found
      that delirium was independently associated with the risk of being sarcopenic upon
      admission to the AGU. Future studies are needed to confirm this association.

PMID- 28918173
TI  - Edited course of biomedical research: leaping forward with CRISPR.
AB  - Within the short few years since the report of its application in precise genome
      editing, CRISPR technology has become the method of choice to modify and modulate
      gene expression in biomedical research and therapeutic development. Subsequently,
      a variety of research, diagnostic, and therapeutic tools have been developed
      based upon CRISPR's mechanism of action. Such tools have helped to deepen the
      understanding of fundamental biology and broaden the horizon in the search for
      treatments for diseases that have been considered hard or impossible to cure. As
      CRISPR technology advances closer to clinical applications, its short comings are
      becoming more apparent, thus creating opportunities to improve the technology's
      efficacy, specificity, and safety profile in this setting. We will summarize the
      current status of CRISPR technology and discuss its future impact in this review.

PMID- 28918174
TI  - 14-3-3 adaptor protein-protein interactions as therapeutic targets for CNS
      diseases.
AB  - 14-3-3s are a family of ubiquitously expressed adaptor proteins that regulate
      hundreds of functionally diverse 'client proteins.' In humans, there are seven
      isoforms with conserved structure and function. 14-3-3s typically bind to client
      proteins at phosphorylated serine/threonine motifs via a linear binding groove.
      Binding can have a variety of effects on the stability, activity and/or
      localization of the client protein. 14-3-3s are generating significant interest
      as potential drug targets for their involvement in cellular homeostasis and
      disease. They are especially abundant in the central nervous system (CNS) and are
      implicated in numerous CNS diseases, often through specific interactions with
      disease-relevant client proteins. Several tool compounds that can modulate 14-3-3
      interactions with client proteins to elicit therapeutic effects have recently
      been described. Here we offer a perspective on the functions of 14-3-3s in
      neurons and the potential development of drugs to therapeutically target 14-3-3
      PPIs for CNS diseases.

PMID- 28918175
TI  - Characterization of Patients With Poor-Risk Metastatic Renal-Cell Carcinoma:
      Results From a Pooled Clinical Trials Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor-risk patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma remain poorly
      characterized in prospective clinical trials. Therefore, we sought to provide a
      comprehensive analysis of this patient population, defined by 3 widely used
      prognostic models, treated with targeted therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      conducted a pooled retrospective analysis of 4736 metastatic renal-cell carcinoma
      patients treated on phase 2 and 3 clinical trials. Poor-risk patients were
      defined according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC),
      International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC), and
      Hudes risk models. Baseline characteristics, overall survival, progression-free
      survival, objective response rate, and adverse events were reported in poor-risk
      patients defined by each of the 3 models. The concordance (C)-index was used to
      assess the prognostic performance of the models. A subset of poor-risk patients
      who continued to receive treatment for > 12 months was characterized. RESULTS:
      Overall, we identified 1145 (24%), 904 (19%), and 1901 (40%) poor-risk patients
      by the IMDC, MSKCC, and Hudes models, respectively. Median overall survival was
      8.5 months, 7.5 months, and 10.6 months; and median progression-free survival was
      3.7 months, 3.5 months, and 4.2 months in the IMDC, MSKCC, and Hudes models,
      respectively. The objective response rate ranged between 10% and 14%.
      Additionally, 9% to 14% of poor-risk patients continued to receive treatment for
      > 12 months. Most importantly, the C-index was 0.826, 0.830, and 0.825 in the
      IMDC, MSKCC, and Hudes risk models, respectively. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that
      poor-risk patients continue to have dismal outcomes and warrant alternative
      treatment strategies to help improve outcomes. A subset of patients experienced
      prolonged clinical benefit and should be further explored.

PMID- 28918176
TI  - Ninety Day Mortality After Radical Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer.
AB  - AIMS: Treatment for head and neck cancers using definitive radiotherapy, with or
      without chemotherapy, is associated with significant acute toxicity. Our aim was
      to assess 90 day mortality after radical radiotherapy. A further aim was to
      identify patient, tumour or treatment factors associated with early death after
      treatment and whether these could be used to predict outcomes. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In total, 1116 patients with squamous cell pharyngeal and larynx cancer
      between January 2011 and December 2015 were included. Patients with T1 larynx
      cancer were excluded. Patients were treated using radical radiotherapy, with or
      without chemotherapy. Ninety day mortality was calculated using survival of less
      than 135 days from the planned start date for radical radiotherapy, to include
      early deaths during and up to 90 days after treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 90 day
      mortality was 4.7%. Among the subgroup of patients treated with concurrent
      platinum chemotherapy, the 90 day mortality rate was 0.4%. Overall survival at 1,
      3 and 5 years was 84%, 62% and 53%, respectively. Factors associated with a
      higher risk of early death included performance status > 1, haemoglobin <100 g/l,
      weight < 60 kg, age > 80 years and presence of multiple comorbidities.
      CONCLUSION: We report excellent crude overall survival rates among our radically
      treated cohort of head and neck cancer patients. Several factors were associated
      with an increased risk of death within 90 days of completion of radical head and
      neck radiotherapy. Given the potential severe acute effects and the impact on
      patient quality of life associated with radical head and neck radiotherapy, this
      information is helpful to inform treatment-related discussions with patients.

PMID- 28918177
TI  - Photodynamic therapy in oral potentially malignant disorders-Critical literature
      review of existing protocols.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral cancer is a serious public health issue. Apart from its high
      rate of prevalence, incidence and mortality, it can often result in more complex
      and expensive treatment when diagnosed late. Potentially malignant disorders
      (PMDs) can precede oral cancer, and are usually treated by surgical excision.
      However, in many cases patients are elderly and multiple interventions may be
      required. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a simple alternative, which has been
      successfully used in the treatment of oral PMDs. OBJECTIVE: Due to the lack of
      standardization regarding photosensitizers (PTSs), types of irradiation, and
      methods of application, the objective of this study was to analyze existing PDT
      protocols in an attempt to identify the one that demonstrates greater efficiency,
      reliability and feasibility in the treatment of oral PMDs for both researchers
      and clinicians. METHODS: Original clinical studies published only in English
      between 1993 and 2016 were searched in Pubmed/Medline database using the
      following keywords: photodynamic therapy; oral potentially malignant disorder;
      oral premalignant lesions. Review articles; experimental studies; case-reports;
      commentaries; and letters to the Editor were excluded from the selection. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSION: Based on the 16 studies selected, the topical 5-ALA-20% PTS,
      associated to a LED light applied for 15min with a 7-day interval between
      sessions emerged as the most frequently used PDT protocol, with satisfactory
      results. Due to its low rate of side effects, this PDT protocol presents good
      potential for the treatment of oral PMDs. Further clinical studies are required
      to ascertain its long-term validity in preventing oral cancer.

PMID- 28918178
TI  - Using Imaging to Predict Treatment Response in Genitourinary Malignancies.
AB  - CONTEXT: Over the previous2 decades, there have been numerous advancements in the
      diagnostic evaluation, therapeutic management, and postoperative assessment of
      genitourinary malignancies. OBJECTIVE: To present a review of current and novel
      imaging modalities and their utility in the assessment of therapeutic response in
      the systemic management of renal, testicular, and prostate cancers. EVIDENCE
      ACQUISITION: A PubMed/Medline search of the current published literature
      inclusive of prospective and retrospective original research, systematic reviews,
      and meta-analyses was conducted evaluating imaging modalities for renal cell
      carcinoma, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. All relevant literature was
      individually reviewed and summarized to provide a concise description of the
      currently available imaging modalities and their efficacy in assessing treatment
      response of the genitourinary malignancies targeted in this review. EVIDENCE
      SYNTHESIS: Conventional imaging techniques play a pivotal role in predicting the
      treatment response of genitourinary malignancies and have, therefore, been
      incorporated into clinical guidelines. Advancements in imaging technology have
      led to increased utilization for prognostication of a genitourinary cancer's
      response to therapy. CONCLUSIONS: A good understanding of current recommended
      imaging techniques to evaluate treatment response in genitourinary malignancies
      is of paramount importance for today's clinician, who faces increasing treatment
      modalities. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this review, we summarize available imaging
      modalities in the evaluation of treatment response in kidney, prostate, or
      testicular tumors. We believe that a good understanding of current imaging
      modalities is of paramount importance for healthcare providers treating these
      cancers.

PMID- 28918179
TI  - [Analysis of quality of life in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
      Disorder (COPD) who give up smoking].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the impact in COPD patients' quality of life who stop
      smoking. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied a group of COPD patients who received
      smoking cessation treatment. All patients were treated with bronchodilators
      according to the severity of their disorder. This treatment was not changed
      during the process of smoking cessation. Patients received a smoking cessation
      programme that consisted of a combination of pharmacological treatment plus
      cognitive-behavioural treatment. All subjects fill in CAT questionnaire before
      starting smoking cessation programme and after 6 months of abstinence. All
      subjects included had stop smoking. RESULTS: The study included 59 patients, with
      27 (45.8%) males, and a mean age of 61.8 (7.5) years. Mean CAT score before
      quitting was 18.9 (7.3) points, and after 6 months of abstinence was 8.1 (6.1)
      points, P=.038. Multiple regression analysis showed: a) the higher the baseline
      CAT score the greater is the difference after quitting, at 6 months, at same age,
      gender, and grade of severity of COPD, and b) the older the age, the lower is the
      difference between baseline CAT score and the 6 months CAT score. CONCLUSIONS:
      Smoking cessation is associated with improvement in the quality of life in COPD
      patients. Those with worse quality of life get the biggest benefit from quitting,
      although this difference can be diminished in ageing patients.

PMID- 28918180
TI  - [Reason for consultation: Weight loss].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Unintentional weight loss is frequent reason to visit a
      doctor and it has multiple diagnostic possibilities. The objective of this study
      is to examine the background of the patients who seek consultation for weight
      loss and to establish the relationship between weight loss and neoplasia. METHOD:
      An analysis was performed on the demographic data, quantified weight loss,
      accompanying symptomatology, and diagnosis of patients who sought medical advice
      for unintentional weight loss during the year 2015. RESULTS: A total of 226
      patients were included, of whom 44.2% of them had an intentional weight loss >=
      5% in 6 months. The most frequent diagnosis in this group was a neoplasia,
      whereas in the rest of patients the most common diagnosis was a gastrointestinal
      disease. In light of this study we can conclude that there is a relationship
      between unintentional weight loss>=5% and the presence of neoplasia. CONCLUSION:
      An unintentional weight loss greater than 5% in the previous 6 months is
      associated with the presence of neoplastic diseases, and therefore requires
      further diagnostic study.

PMID- 28918181
TI  - Flared sign of flail mandible on computed tomography: an unstable fracture
      associated with a compromised airway.
AB  - A mandibular fracture alone rarely causes a life-threatening injury. The aim of
      this paper was to emphasise the importance of prompt identification of the
      radiological signs of a flail mandible in a patient with maxillofacial trauma who
      eventually needed definitive management of her airway.

PMID- 28918182
TI  - UK temporomandibular joint replacement database: a report on one-year outcomes.
AB  - Alloplastic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) replacements are increasingly
      subspecialised, and supraregional centres that treat sufficient numbers to ensure
      high standards are emerging. Having recently reported the introduction of a
      national TMJ joint replacement database that is endorsed by the British
      Association of TMJ Surgeons (BATS), we now present the first-year outcomes. This
      was a review of all data in the BATS National Case Registration of TMJ
      Replacement as of June 2014. A total of 252 one-year outcome records were
      available. Key outcomes were median (IQR) improvements in interincisal distance
      of 9 (4-15) mm (p<0.001) and worst-sided pain score of 6 (4-8) (p<0.001). Pain
      scores improved or remained static at one year in all but 3 (2%) patients. There
      was a significant improvement in the proportion of patients who reported a good,
      very good, or outstanding quality of life at one year (38% at baseline to 87% at
      one year; p<0.001). While outcome reports from single centres for alloplastic TMJ
      replacements have already been published in the United Kingdom, this is the first
      dedicated national database in this country that will yield valuable longitudinal
      follow-up data. Outcomes were comparable with smaller published series and showed
      improvements in pain, dietary intake, quality of life, and function, with few
      outliers. The database has recently moved to a new software system and we hope to
      publish three-year and five-year outcomes in due course.

PMID- 28918183
TI  - Survival after surgery for oral cancer: a 30-year experience.
AB  - Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common intraoral malignancy, for which
      we advocate radical primary resection with adjuvant treatment where indicated.
      The main aims of this paper are to identify the overall survival of a consecutive
      series of patients and to relate survival to clinical and pathological factors.
      Kaplan-Meier curves were produced for site, sex, TNM status, and use of
      postoperative radiotherapy. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics for
      Windows and probabilities of less than 0.05 were accepted as significant. A total
      of 921 patients were recorded in the database with a diagnosis of oral squamous
      cell carcinoma out of a total of 1958 with salivary gland conditions or other
      cancers of the head and neck (43.1%). The earliest date of diagnosis was 1973,
      and the data were censored at 31 March 2016. The database comprised 340 women
      (36.9%) and 581 men (63.1%). A total of 339 patients died (34.5%): 117 women
      (33.7%) and 222 men (65.5%). The mean (range) age at death was 73.4 (31.4-97.5)
      years for women and 68.7 (33.3-95.5) years for men (t (337)=3.28, p=0.001). Our
      overall survival was somewhat better than the 56% five-year survival reported for
      oral cancer in England in 2010, which may be a reflection of the treatment. This
      work supports the view that aggressive management may improve overall survival.

PMID- 28918184
TI  - Removal of recurrent intraorbital tumour using a system of augmented reality.
AB  - The most crucial step in the management of pleomorphic adenoma of the lacrimal
      gland is choosing the optimal approach for excision. We report the successful
      removal of a recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the lacrimal gland in a 42-year-old
      woman using a specific microscope-based system of augmented reality.

PMID- 28918185
TI  - Isolated limb perfusion for locally advanced angiosarcoma in extremities: A multi
      centre study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Angiosarcomas are rare and aggressive soft-tissue sarcomas. The only
      potential curative treatment is complete surgical excision. This study reports
      the outcome of isolated limb perfusion (ILP) with high-dose melphalan and tumour
      necrosis factor alpha for locally advanced angiosarcoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      All patients who underwent an ILP for angiosarcomas between 1991 and 2016 in
      three tertiary referral centres were identified from prospectively maintained
      databases. RESULTS: A total of 39 patients were included, with a median follow-up
      of 18 months (interquartile range 6.1-60.8). Of these patients, 23 (58.9%)
      patients had a complete response (CR) after ILP, 10 (25.6%) had a partial
      response, 4 (10.3%) had stable disease and 2 (5.1%) patients had progressive
      disease immediately after ILP. A total of 22 patients developed local progression
      (56.4%), whereas nine (23.1%) developed distant metastases. The patients with CR
      had a significantly prolonged median local progression-free survival (PFS) (15.4
      versus 7.3 months, p = 0.015) when compared with non-CR patients, and a trend
      towards better median overall survival (81.2 versus 14.5 months, p = 0.054). Six
      patients underwent multiple ILPs, whereby the CR rate of the first, second and
      third ILPs were 60%, 80% and 67%, respectively. Thirteen (33.3%) patients needed
      further surgical intervention, consisting of resection in eight patients (20.5%)
      and amputation in five patients (12.8%). CONCLUSION: ILP is an effective
      treatment option for patients with locally advanced angiosarcoma in the
      extremities, resulting in a high number of CRs, a high limb salvage rate and
      prolonged local PFS.

PMID- 28918186
TI  - Health-related quality of life in melanoma patients: Impact of melanoma-related
      limb lymphoedema.
AB  - AIM: To explore health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in recurrence-free
      melanoma patients, with a focus on the association between melanoma-related limb
      lymphoedema and HRQoL. METHODS: HRQoL was evaluated using the European
      Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire
      (EORTC QLQ-C30), the breast cancer module (EORTC QLQ-BR23) subscales body image
      and future perspective, the Functional Assessment for Cancer Therapy-General
      subscale social/family well-being and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
      Data were analysed using linear and ordinal logistic regression adjusting for age
      and gender. RESULTS: A total of 431 melanoma patients who had undergone wide
      local excision and axillary or inguinal sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and/or
      complete lymph node dissection (CLND) participated. No patients had had
      recurrence of the disease or had received adjuvant radiotherapy. The HRQoL scores
      improved with time after surgery. Melanoma-related limb lymphoedema was present
      in 109 patients (25%). Patients with lymphoedema had significantly worse HRQoL
      scores in the EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales global health status/quality of life, role
      and social functioning, fatigue, pain and financial difficulties, as well as in
      the QLQ-BR23 body image subscale. No associations were found between the limb
      affected (upper or lower limb), clinical stage of lymphoedema, duration of
      lymphoedema or type of surgery (SLNB or CLND) and HRQoL. We found an interaction
      with age and gender in the associations between lymphoedema and HRQoL: younger
      patients and women with lymphoedema had worse social functioning and women had
      significantly more impaired body image. CONCLUSIONS: The negative impact of
      melanoma-related limb lymphoedema on HRQoL emphasises the importance of
      developing strategies for increasing awareness and improving prevention and
      treatment of lymphoedema.

PMID- 28918187
TI  - Surface modification of titanium substrates for enhanced osteogenetic and
      antibacterial properties.
AB  - The insufficient osseointegration and bacterial infection of titanium and its
      alloys remain the key challenges in their clinic applications, which may result
      in failure implantation. To improve osteogenetic and antibacterial properties,
      TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated on titanium substrates for loading of
      antibacterial drug. Then, TiO2 nanotube arrays were covered with chitosan/sodium
      alginate multilayer films. The successful construction of this system was
      verified via scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurement. The
      cytocompatibility evaluation in vitro, including cytoskeleton observation, cell
      viability measurement, and alkaline phosphatase activity assay, confirmed that
      the present system was capable of accelerating the growth of osteoblasts. In
      addition, bacterial adhesion and viability assay verified that treated Ti
      substrates were capable of reducing the adhesion of bacteria. This study may
      provide an alternative to develop titanium-based implants for enhanced bone
      osseointegration and reduced bacterial infection.

PMID- 28918188
TI  - The effect of thiolated phospholipids on formation of supported lipid bilayers on
      gold substrates investigated by surface-sensitive methods.
AB  - Most of the model lipid membrane studies on gold involve the usage of various
      surface-modification strategies to rupture liposomes and induce lipid bilayer
      formation since liposomes with polar surfaces do not interact with bare,
      hydrophobic gold. In this study, a thiol-modified phospholipid, 1,2-Dipalmitoyl
      sn-Glycero-3-Phosphothioethanol (DPPTE) was incorporated into phosphatidylcholine
      (PC) based liposomes to form supported lipid bilayer (SLB) on gold surfaces
      without further modification. The binding kinetics of liposomes with different
      DPPTE ratio (0.01 to 100%mol/mol) and diameters were monitored by Quartz Crystal
      Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D). The dissipation change per frequency
      change, i.e. acoustic ratio, which is evaluated as a degree of the
      viscoelasticity, considerably decreased with the presence of DPPTE (from 162.3GHz
      1 for flattened PC liposomes to ca. 89.5GHz-1 for 100% DPPTE liposomes) when
      compared to the results of two reference rigid monolayers and two viscoelastic
      layers. To assess the quality of SLB platform, the interpretation of QCM-D data
      was also complemented with Surface Plasmon Resonance. The optimum thiolated-lipid
      ratio (1%, lower thiol ratio and higher rigidity) was then used to determine the
      dry-lipid mass deposition, the water content and the thickness values of the SLB
      via viscoelastic modelling. Further surface characterization studies were
      performed by Atomic Force Microscopy with high spatial resolution. The results
      suggested that model membrane was almost continuous with minimum defects but
      showed more dissipative/soft nature compared to an ideal bilayer due to partially
      fused liposomes/overlapped lipid bilayers/multilayer islands. These local
      elevations distorted the planarity and led the increase of overall membrane
      thickness to ~7.0nm.

PMID- 28918189
TI  - Effects of temperature and PEG grafting density on the translocation of PEGylated
      nanoparticles across asymmetric lipid membrane.
AB  - Plasma membrane internalization of nanoparticles (NPs) is important for their
      biomedical applications such as drug-delivery carriers. On one hand, in order to
      improve their half-life in circulation, PEGylation has been widely used. However,
      it may hinder the NPs' membrane internalization ability. On the other hand,
      higher temperature could enhance the membrane permeability and may affect the
      NPs' ability to enter into or exit from cells. To make full use of their
      advantages, we systematically investigated the effects of temperature and PEG
      density on the translocation of PEGylated nanoparticles across the plasma
      asymmetric membrane of eukaryotic cells, using near-atom level coarse-grained
      molecular dynamics simulations. Our results showed that higher temperature could
      accelerate the translocation of NPs across membranes by making lipids more
      disorder and faster diffusion. On the contrary, steric hindrance effects of PEG
      would inhibit NPs' translocation process and promote lipids flip-flops. The PEG
      chains could rearrange themselves to minimize the contacts between PEG and lipid
      tails during the translocation, which was similar to 'snorkeling effect'.
      Moreover, lipid flip-flops were affected by PEGylated density as well as NPs'
      translocation direction. Higher PEG grafting density could promote lipid flip
      flops, but inhibit lipid extraction from bilayers. The consequence of lipid flip
      flop and extraction was that the membranes got more symmetric.

PMID- 28918190
TI  - Autophagy, Inflammation, and Immune Dysfunction in the Pathogenesis of
      Pancreatitis.
AB  - Pancreatitis is a common disorder with significant morbidity and mortality, yet
      little is known about its pathogenesis, and there is no specific or effective
      treatment. Its development involves dysregulated autophagy and unresolved
      inflammation, demonstrated by studies in genetic and experimental mouse models.
      Disease severity depends on whether the inflammatory response resolves or
      amplifies, leading to multi-organ failure. Dysregulated autophagy might promote
      the inflammatory response in the pancreas. We discuss the roles of autophagy and
      inflammation in pancreatitis, mechanisms of deregulation, and connections among
      disordered pathways. We identify gaps in our knowledge and delineate perspective
      directions for research. Elucidation of pathogenic mechanisms could lead to new
      targets for treating or reducing the severity of pancreatitis.

PMID- 28918191
TI  - Development and Validation of a Chronic Pancreatitis Prognosis Score in 2
      Independent Cohorts.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The clinical course of chronic pancreatitis is unpredictable.
      There is no model to assess disease severity or progression or predict patient
      outcomes. METHODS: We performed a prospective study of 91 patients with chronic
      pancreatitis; data were collected from patients seen at academic centers in
      Europe from January 2011 through April 2014. We analyzed correlations between
      clinical, laboratory, and imaging data with number of hospital readmissions and
      in-hospital days over the next 12 months; the parameters with the highest degree
      of correlation were used to develop a 3-stage chronic pancreatitis prognosis
      score (COPPS). The predictive strength was validated in 129 independent subjects
      identified from 2 prospective databases. RESULTS: The mean number of hospital
      admissions was 1.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-2.44) and 15.2 for
      hospital days (95% CI, 10.76-19.71) for the development cohort and 10.9 for the
      validation cohort (95% CI, 7.54-14.30) (P = .08). Based on bivariate
      correlations, pain (numeric rating scale), level of glycated hemoglobin A1c,
      level of C-reactive protein, body mass index, and platelet count were used to
      develop the COPPS system. The patients' median COPPS was 8.9 points (range, 5
      14). The system accurately discriminated stages of disease severity (low to
      high): A (5-6 points), B (7-9), and C (10-15). In Pearson correlation analysis of
      the development cohort, the COPPS correlated with hospital admissions (0.39; P <
      .01) and number of hospital days (0.33; P < .01). The correlation was validated
      in the validation set (Pearson correlation values of 0.36 and 0.44; P < .01).
      COPPS did not correlate with results from the Cambridge classification system.
      CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated an easy to use dynamic multivariate
      scoring system, similar to the Child-Pugh-Score for liver cirrhosis. The COPPS
      allows objective monitoring of patients with chronic pancreatitis, determining
      risk for readmission to hospital and potential length of hospital stay.

PMID- 28918192
TI  - Dielectric properties of isolated adrenal chromaffin cells determined by
      microfluidic impedance spectroscopy.
AB  - Knowledge of the dielectric properties of biological cells plays an important
      role in numerical models aimed at understanding how high intensity ultrashort
      nanosecond electric pulses affect the plasma membrane and the membranes of
      intracellular organelles. To this end, using electrical impedance spectroscopy,
      the dielectric properties of isolated, neuroendocrine adrenal chromaffin cells
      were obtained. Measured impedance data of the cell suspension, acquired between
      1kHz and 20MHz, were fit into a combination of constant phase element and Cole
      Cole models from which the effect of electrode polarization was extracted. The
      dielectric spectrum of each cell suspension was fit into a Maxwell-Wagner mixture
      model and the Clausius-Mossotti factor was obtained. Lastly, to extract the
      cellular dielectric parameters, the cell dielectric data were fit into a granular
      cell model representative of a chromaffin cell, which was based on the inclusion
      of secretory granules in the cytoplasm. Chromaffin cell parameters determined
      from this study were the cell and secretory granule membrane specific capacitance
      (1.22 and 7.10MUF/cm2, respectively), the cytoplasmic conductivity, which
      excludes and includes the effect of intracellular membranous structures (1.14 and
      0.49S/m, respectively), and the secretory granule milieu conductivity (0.35S/m).
      These measurements will be crucial for incorporating into numerical models aimed
      at understanding the differential poration effect of nanosecond electric pulses
      on chromaffin cell membranes.

PMID- 28918193
TI  - Psychedelic pleasures: An affective understanding of the joys of tripping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper considers the pleasures of psychedelic drugs and proposes
      a Deleuzian understanding of drugged pleasures as affects. In spite of a large
      body of work on psychedelics, not least on their therapeutic potentials, the
      literature is almost completely devoid of discussions of the recreational
      practices and pleasures of entheogenic drugs. Yet, most people do not use
      psychedelics because of their curative powers, but because they are fun and
      enjoyable ways to alter the experience of reality. METHODS: In the analytical
      part of the paper, I examine 100 trip reports from an internet forum in order to
      explore the pleasures of tripping. RESULTS: The analyses map out how drugs such
      as LSD and mushrooms - in combination with contextual factors such as other
      people, music and nature - give rise to a set of affective modifications of the
      drug user's capacities to feel, sense and act. CONCLUSION: In conclusion it is
      argued that taking seriously the large group of recreational users of
      hallucinogens is important not only because it broadens our understanding of how
      entheogenic drugs work in different bodies and settings, but also because it may
      enable a more productive and harm reductive transmission of knowledge between the
      scientific and recreational psychedelic communities.

PMID- 28918194
TI  - Cleaning and asthma: A systematic review and approach for effective safety
      assessment.
AB  - Research indicates a correlative relationship between asthma and use of consumer
      cleaning products. We conduct a systematic review of epidemiological literature
      on persons who use or are exposed to cleaning products, both in occupational and
      domestic settings, and risk of asthma or asthma-like symptoms to improve
      understanding of the causal relationship between exposure and asthma. A scoring
      method for assessing study reliability is presented. Although research indicates
      an association between asthma and the use of cleaning products, no study robustly
      investigates exposure to cleaning products or ingredients along with asthma risk.
      This limits determination of causal relationships between asthma and specific
      products or ingredients in chemical safety assessment. These limitations, and a
      lack of robust animal models for toxicological assessment of asthma, create the
      need for a weight-of-evidence (WoE) approach to examine an ingredient or
      product's asthmatic potential. This proposed WoE method organizes diverse lines
      of data (i.e., asthma, sensitization, and irritation information) through a
      systematic, hierarchical framework that provides qualitatively categorized
      conclusions using hazard bands to predict a specific product or ingredient's
      potential for asthma induction. This work provides a method for prioritizing
      chemicals as a first step for quantitative and scenario-specific safety
      assessments based on their potential for inducing asthmatic effects. Acetic acid
      is used as a case study to test this framework.

PMID- 28918195
TI  - Impact of body mass index and metabolic phenotypes on coronary artery disease
      according to glucose tolerance status.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the impact of obesity, as defined by body
      mass index (BMI), and a metabolically unhealthy phenotype on the development of
      coronary artery disease (CAD) according to glucose tolerance status. METHODS:
      This population-based retrospective cohort study included 123,746 Japanese men
      aged 18-72years (normal glucose tolerance: 72,047; prediabetes: 39,633; diabetes:
      12,066). Obesity was defined as a BMI>=25kg/m2. Metabolically unhealthy
      individuals were defined as those with one or more of the following conditions:
      hypertension, hypertriglyceridaemia and/or low HDL cholesterol. A Cox
      proportional hazards regression model identified variables related to CAD
      incidence. RESULTS: The prevalences of obese subjects with normal glucose
      tolerance, prediabetes and diabetes were 21%, 34% and 53%, whereas those for
      metabolically unhealthy people were 43%, 60% and 79%, respectively. Multivariate
      analysis showed that a metabolically unhealthy phenotype increases hazard ratios
      (HRs) for CAD compared with a metabolically healthy phenotype, regardless of
      glucose tolerance status (normal glucose tolerance: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.32-2.95;
      prediabetes: 2.91, 95% CI: 1.85-4.55; diabetes: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.18-3.06). HRs for
      CAD among metabolically unhealthy non-obese diabetes patients and obese diabetes
      patients with a metabolically unhealthy status were 6.14 (95% CI: 3.94-9.56) and
      7.86 (95% CI: 5.21-11.9), respectively, compared with non-obese subjects with
      normal glucose tolerance and without a metabolically unhealthy status.
      CONCLUSION: A metabolically unhealthy state can associate with CAD independently
      of obesity across all glucose tolerance stages. Clinicians may need to consider
      those with at least one or more conditions indicating a metabolically unhealthy
      state as being at high risk for CAD regardless of glucose tolerance status.

PMID- 28918197
TI  - Heterologous expression of Trametes versicolor laccase in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae.
AB  - Laccase is used in various industrial fields, and it has been the subject of
      numerous studies. Trametes versicolor laccase has one of the highest redox
      potentials among the various forms of this enzyme. In this study, we optimized
      the expression of laccase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Optimizing the culture
      conditions resulted in an improvement in the expression level, and approximately
      45 U/L of laccase was functionally secreted in the culture. The recombinant
      laccase was found to be a heavily hypermannosylated glycoprotein, and the
      molecular weight of the carbohydrate chain was approximately 60 kDa. These
      hypermannosylated glycans lowered the substrate affinity, but the optimum pH and
      thermo-stability were not changed by these hypermannosylated glycans. This
      functional expression system described here will aid in molecular evolutionary
      studies conducted to generate new variants of laccase.

PMID- 28918196
TI  - Expression and purification of human and Saccharomyces cerevisiae equilibrative
      nucleoside transporters.
AB  - Nucleosides play an essential role in the physiology of eukaryotes by acting as
      metabolic precursors in de novo nucleic acid synthesis and energy metabolism.
      Nucleosides also act as ligands for purinergic receptors. Equilibrative
      nucleoside transporters (ENTs) are polytopic integral membrane proteins that aid
      in regulating plasmalemmal flux of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and
      nucleobases. ENTs exhibit broad substrate selectivity across different isoforms
      and utilize diverse mechanisms to drive substrate flux across membranes. However,
      the molecular mechanisms and chemical determinants of ENT-mediated substrate
      recognition, binding, inhibition, and transport are poorly understood. To
      determine how ENT-mediated transport occurs at the molecular level, greater
      chemical insight and assays employing purified protein are essential. This
      article focuses on the expression and purification of human ENT1, human ENT2, and
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae ScENT1 using novel expression and purification
      strategies to isolate recombinant ENTs. ScENT1, hENT1, and hENT2 were expressed
      in W303 Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and detergent solubilized from the
      membrane. After detergent extraction, these ENTs were further purified using
      immobilized metal affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. This
      effort resulted in obtaining quantities of purified protein sufficient for future
      biophysical analysis.

PMID- 28918198
TI  - Are we missing hypoglycaemia? Elderly patients with insulin-treated diabetes
      present to primary care frequently with non-specific symptoms associated with
      hypoglycaemia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We assessed if patients with known hypoglycaemia present on other
      occasions with non-specific symptoms associated with (but not diagnosed as)
      hypoglycaemia, potentially representing missed hypoglycaemia. METHODS: 335
      primary care records (5/2/12-4/2/13) from patients aged >65 (79 on insulin, 85 on
      sulphonylureas, 121 on metformin only, 50 without diabetes) were assessed for
      hypoglycaemia episodes and consultations with non-specific symptoms, "hypo
      clues". RESULTS: 27/79(34%) insulin-treated patients had >1 documented
      hypoglycaemia episode, compared to 4/85(5%) sulphonylurea-treated patients,
      2/121(2%) metformin-only treated patients, and none without diabetes, p<0.001.
      "Hypo clue" consultations were common: 1.37 consultations/patient/year in insulin
      treated patients, 0.98/patient/year in sulphonylurea-treated, 0.97/patient/year
      in metformin only-treated, and 0.78/patient/year in non-diabetic patients,
      p=0.34. In insulin-treated patients with documented hypoglycaemia, 20/27(74%)
      attended on another occasion with a "hypo clue" symptom, compared to 21/52(40%)
      of those without hypoglycaemia, p=0.008. No significant difference in the other
      treatment groups. Nausea, falls and unsteadiness were the most discriminatory
      symptoms: 7/33(21%) with hypoglycaemia attended on another occasion with nausea
      compared to 14/302(5%) without hypoglycaemia, p=0.002; 10/33(30%) vs 36/302(12%)
      with falls, p=0.007; and 5/33(15%) vs 13/302(4%) with unsteadiness, p=0.023.
      CONCLUSIONS: Non-specific symptoms are common in those >65 years. In insulin
      treated patients at high hypoglycaemia risk, nausea, falls and unsteadiness
      should prompt consideration of hypoglycaemia.

PMID- 28918199
TI  - Psychosocial barriers to healthcare use among individuals with diabetes mellitus:
      A systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To conduct a systematic review regarding psychosocial barriers to
      healthcare use in individuals with diabetes mellitus, using a well-established
      model of health-service use as a theoretical framework. METHODS: We used database
      specific controlled vocabularies and additional free text terms, and conducted
      searches via MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, OVID Journals.
      Included studies were rated according to the UK National Institute for Health and
      Care Excellence (NICE) criteria. A narrative data synthesis was conducted, using
      the Andersen model and developing categories from the included studies. PRINCIPAL
      RESULTS: In total, 2923 studies were identified, and 15 finally included. We
      identified barriers according to the main categories "population
      characteristics", "norms and values", and "healthcare services" on a contextual
      and individual level, as well as "health status". Frequently reported barriers
      were "socioeconomic status", and "physician characteristics". Ethnic minorities
      were frequently analysed and may have specific barriers, e.g. "cultural beliefs"
      and "language". MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: We identified a broad range of barriers to
      healthcare use in individuals with diabetes mellitus. However, the number of
      studies is low. Further research is needed to analyse barriers in more detail
      considering special subgroups.

PMID- 28918200
TI  - Profiling the short, linear, non-disulfide bond-containing peptidome from the
      venom of the scorpion Tityus obscurus.
AB  - : Many scorpion accidents occur in the Brazilian Amazonian region and are
      frequently caused by Tityus obscurus. Approximately 5% of the crude venom of this
      species is composed of short linear, non-disulfide-bridged peptides, which have
      not been intensively investigated. As a consequence, only a few of these peptides
      have been structurally and functionally characterized to date. In the present
      paper, the peptide fraction of the venom was subjected to peptide profiling using
      an LCMS-IT-TOF/MS and MSn system. The analysis detected 320 non-disulfide bond
      containing peptides (NDBPs), of which twenty-seven had their sequences assigned;
      among them, thirteen peptides were characterized, constituting novel toxins in T.
      obscurus venom. Some of the novel peptides showed similarities to hypotensin-like
      toxins, while other peptides appear to be natural fragments of neurotoxins. The
      novel peptides were submitted to a series of bioassays, revealing that many are
      multifunctional toxins that cause, for example, pain, edema formation and
      hemolysis to potentiate strong inflammatory processes and alterations in the
      locomotion and lifting activities in the victims of stinging. Knowledge of the
      complex matrix of peptides composing the venom of T. obscurus will contribute to
      better understanding of the complex mechanism of envenoming caused by stinging
      accidents. SIGNIFICANCE: The scorpion Tityus obscurus causes many envenoming
      accidents of medical importance in Brazilian Amazon region; despite to this, very
      few is known about the toxinology of this animal. The knowledge about the venom
      composition and mechanisms of action is very important to understand the
      physiopathology processes related to the envenoming caused by this animal. The
      proteopeptidomic investigations of scorpion venoms in general have focused mainly
      the neurotoxins (which are disulfide bonds containing peptides) and large
      proteins. The short, linear, non-disulfide bonds containing peptides (NDBPs)
      represent up to 5% of scorpion venom compositions; however, they have been few
      investigated in comparison with the neurotoxins. The present study used a mass
      spectrometric approach to detect 320 NDBPs and to sequence 27 of them;
      pharmacological assays permitted to characterize 13 NDBPs as novel toxins
      involved with inflammation, pain and edema formation.

PMID- 28918201
TI  - Clinical management of pressure control ventilation: An algorithmic method of
      patient ventilatory management to address "forgotten but important variables".
AB  - Pressure controlled ventilation is a common mode of ventilation used to manage
      both adult and pediatric populations. However, there is very little evidence that
      distinguishes the efficacy of pressure controlled ventilation over that of volume
      controlled ventilation in the adult population. This gap in the literature may be
      due to the absence of a consistent and systematic algorithm for managing pressure
      controlled ventilation. This article provides a brief overview of the
      applications of both pressure controlled ventilation and volume controlled
      ventilation and proposes an algorithmic approach to the management of patients
      receiving pressure controlled ventilation. This algorithmic approach highlights
      the need for clinicians to have a comprehensive conceptual understanding of
      mechanical ventilation, pulmonary physiology, and interpretation of ventilator
      graphics in order to best care for patients receiving pressure controlled
      ventilation. The objective of identifying a systematic approach to managing
      pressure controlled ventilation is to provide a more generalizable and equitable
      approach to management of the ICU patient. Ideally, a consistent approach to
      managing pressure controlled ventilation in the adult population will glean more
      reliable information regarding actual patient outcomes, as well as the efficacy
      of pressure controlled ventilation when compared to volume controlled
      ventilation.

PMID- 28918202
TI  - Implementation of a risk-stratified opioid weaning protocol in a pediatric
      intensive care unit.
AB  - PURPOSE: Opioids are important in the care of critically ill children. However,
      their use is associated with complications including delirium, dependence,
      withdrawal, and bowel dysfunction. Our aim was to implement a risk-stratified
      opioid weaning protocol to reduce the duration of opioids without increasing the
      incidence of withdrawal. METHODS: A pre- and post-interventional prospective
      study was undertaken in a large children's hospital pediatric ICU where we
      implemented a risk-stratified opioid weaning protocol. Patients were included if
      exposed to >=7days of scheduled opioids. The primary outcome was duration of
      opioids and secondary outcome was hospital LOS. RESULTS: One hundred seven
      critically ill children met the inclusion criteria (68 pre-, 39 post
      intervention). Demographics, risk factors, and confounders did not differ between
      groups. Patients in the post-intervention group had shorter duration of opioids
      (17 vs. 22.5days, p=0.01) and opioid wean (12 vs. 18days, p=0.01). Despite the
      shorter duration of opioid wean, there was no increase in withdrawal incidence.
      There was no difference in the LOS (29 vs. 33days, p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: We
      implemented a risk-stratified opioid weaning protocol for critically ill children
      that resulted in reduction in opioid exposure without an increase in withdrawal.
      There was no difference in the LOS.

PMID- 28918203
TI  - Short-term effects of preoperative beta-blocker use for isolated coronary artery
      bypass grafting: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The use of preoperative beta-blockers has been used as a quality
      standard for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However,
      the benefits of beta-blockers use before CABG remain controversial. We performed
      a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the short-term effects of
      preoperative beta-blocker use for patients undergoing isolated CABG. METHODS: We
      searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for English articles published
      from inception to August 16, 2016. Observational studies comparing preoperative
      beta-blockers therapy or non-beta-blockers therapy were considered eligible for
      the current study. RESULTS: Six observational studies with 1,231,850 patients
      were included. The pooled analyses of unadjusted outcome (odds ratio [OR], 0.82;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71-0.95; P = .007) or risk-adjusted outcome (OR,
      0.95; 95% CI, 0.92-0.97; P = .000) showed slight reduction in operative
      mortality, whereas an insignificant difference in mortality rate was observed in
      pooling postoperative data from propensity score analysis (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.94
      1.00; P = .088). Removing one study that used propensity-score covariate
      adjustment, subgroup analysis of propensity-matched patients (313,417 in each
      group) still generated a statistically nonsignificant benefit for preoperative
      beta-blocker use (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.94-1.00; P = .093). Furthermore, the
      preoperative use of beta-blockers did not reduce the incidence of major
      postoperative complications, such as postoperative myocardial infarction, stroke,
      atrial fibrillation, reoperation, renal failure, prolonged ventilation, and
      sternal wound infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the use of
      preoperative beta-blockers did not reduce either operative mortality or the
      incidence of postoperative complications in patients undergoing CABG.

PMID- 28918204
TI  - Serum glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor levels and postoperative
      cognitive dysfunction after surgery for rheumatic heart disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is an important complication of
      cardiac surgery with poor outcomes. Serum glial cell line-derived neurotrophic
      factor levels are decreased in patients with Alzheimer's disease, but the
      association between glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor levels and
      postoperative cognitive dysfunction is poorly understood. The present study aimed
      to investigate the prognostic value of postoperative serum glial cell line
      derived neurotrophic factor levels to predict postoperative cognitive dysfunction
      in patients with rheumatic heart disease undergoing heart valve replacement.
      METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of 80 patients undergoing
      elective heart valve replacement surgery from June 2015 to June 2016 at the
      Affiliated Hospital of Southeast Medical University. Cognitive functions were
      assessed 1 day before and 7 days after surgery. Serum glial cell line-derived
      neurotrophic factor levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      before (T1) and 1 (T2), 2 (T3), and 7 (T4) days after surgery. Perioperative
      parameters were evaluated to assess the relationship between glial cell line
      derived neurotrophic factors and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. RESULTS:
      Postoperative cognitive dysfunction was identified in 38 patients (47.5%) 7 days
      after surgery. Average glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor levels at 2
      and 7 days after surgery in the postoperative cognitive dysfunction group were
      lower than in the nonpostoperative cognitive dysfunction group at the same time
      points (P < .001). DeltaGlial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (T1-T3) and
      Deltaglial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (T1-T4) were identified as good
      predictors of postoperative cognitive dysfunction with threshold for
      postoperative cognitive dysfunction detection of 49.10 and 60.90, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: The perioperative glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor levels
      in patients with postoperative cognitive dysfunction were lower than in patients
      without postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic
      factor could be an effective predictor for the occurrence of postoperative
      cognitive dysfunction. The results reveal a potentially important role of
      decreased glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor levels in postoperative
      cognitive dysfunction, with possible treatment targets.

PMID- 28918205
TI  - Direct closure of ventricular septal defect for left ventricular outflow tract
      obstruction in interrupted aortic arch.

PMID- 28918206
TI  - Lung cancer randomized controlled trials should compare stereotactic body
      radiation therapy with observation, NOT surgery.

PMID- 28918208
TI  - Black is the new black.

PMID- 28918207
TI  - The association between cardiac physiology, acquired brain injury, and postnatal
      brain growth in critical congenital heart disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the trajectory of perioperative brain growth in relationship
      to cardiac diagnosis and acquired brain injuries. METHODS: This was a cohort
      study of term neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and d
      transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA). Subjects underwent magnetic
      resonance imaging of the brain pre- and postoperatively to determine the severity
      of brain injury and total and regional brain volumes by the use of automated
      morphometry. Comparisons were made by cardiac lesion and injury status. RESULTS:
      A total of 79 subjects were included (49, d-TGA; 30, HLHS). Subjects with HLHS
      had more postoperative brain injury (55.6% vs 30.4%, P = .03) and more severe
      brain injury (moderate-to-severe white matter [WM] injury, P = .01). Total and
      regional perioperative brain growth was not different by brain injury status
      (either pre- or postoperative). However, subjects with moderate-to-severe WM
      injury had a slower rate of brain growth in WM and gray matter compared with
      those with no injury. Subjects with HLHS had a slower rate of growth globally and
      in WM and deep gray matter as compared with d-TGA (total brain volume: 12 cm3/wk
      vs 7 cm3; WM: 2.1 cm3/wk vs 0.6 cm3; deep gray matter: 1.5 cm3/wk vs 0.7 cm3; P <
      .001), after we adjusted for gestational age at scan and the presence of brain
      injury. This difference remained after excluding subjects with moderate-to-severe
      WM injury. CONCLUSIONS: Neonates with HLHS have a slower rate of global and
      regional brain growth compared with d-TGA, likely related to inherent physiologic
      differences postoperatively. These findings demonstrate the complex interplay
      between cardiac lesion, brain injury, and brain growth.

PMID- 28918209
TI  - Treatment of postoperative distal anastomotic endoleak with the Amplatzer
      Vascular Plug II in chronic aortic arch dissection: A case report.

PMID- 28918210
TI  - The costs of operating under a veil of secrecy.

PMID- 28918211
TI  - With age comes...a missed opportunity?

PMID- 28918212
TI  - An alpha-glucosidase inhibitor could reduce T-wave alternans in type 2 diabetes
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor (alpha
      GI), miglitol, is effective in protecting the cardiovascular system in type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: We studied 19 hospitalized heart disease
      patients with T2DM in whom we performed continuous glucose monitoring, Holter
      electrocardiogram, and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring simultaneously
      for 48h. The alpha-GI miglitol was administered for half of the study period by a
      cross-over fashion. T-wave alternans (TWA), a marker of future fatal arrhythmic
      events, was also analyzed by Holter ECG. RESULTS: Of the 19 patients, the
      measures of glucose variability were significantly lower during miglitol therapy
      than in control period. BP variability was similar with/without miglitol.
      However, TWA was significantly lower during the miglitol period compared to
      control period (63+/-4.8 vs. 75.8+/-5.1MUV, p=0.032). CONCLUSION: An alpha-GI,
      miglitol, can reduce TWA by reducing the fluctuation of glucose in heart disease
      patients with T2DM.

PMID- 28918213
TI  - Myocardium at risk assessed by electrocardiographic scores and cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance - a MITOCARE substudy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The myocardium at risk (MaR) represents the quantitative ischemic
      area destined to myocardial infarction (MI) if no reperfusion therapy is
      initiated. Different ECG scores for MaR have been developed, but there is no
      consensus as to which should be preferred. OBJECTIVE: Comparisons of ECG scores
      and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) for determining MaR. METHODS: MaR was
      determined by 3 different ECG scores, and by CMR in ST-segment elevation MI
      (STEMI) patients from the MITOCARE cardioprotection trial. The Aldrich score (AL)
      is based on the number of leads with ST-elevation for anterior MI and the sum of
      ST-segment elevation for inferior MI on the admission ECG. The van Hellemond
      score (VH) considers both the ischemic and infarcted component of the MaR by
      adding the AL and the QRS score, which is an estimate of final infarct size. The
      Hasche score is based on the maximal possible infarct size determined from the
      QRS score on the baseline ECG. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients (85% male, mean age
      61years) met STEMI criteria on their admission ECG and underwent CMR within 3
      5days after STEMI. Mean MaR by CMR was 41.2+/-10.2 and 30.3+/-7.2 for anterior
      and inferior infarcts, respectively. For both anterior and inferior infarcts the
      Aldrich (18.2+/-5.1 and 18.6+/-6.0) and Hasche (25.3+/-9.8 and 26.4+/-8.8) scores
      significantly underestimated MaR compared to MaR measured by CMR. In contrast,
      MaR by the van Hellemond score (37.0+/-14.2 and 31.7+/-12.8) was comparable to
      CMR. CONCLUSION: We tested the performance of the electrocardiographic estimation
      of myocardium area at risk by Aldrich, Hasche and van Hellemond ECG scores in
      comparison to MaR measured by CMR in STEMI patients. MaR by the van Hellemond
      score and CMR were comparable, while Aldrich and Hasche underestimated MaR.

PMID- 28918214
TI  - Efficient noise-tolerant estimation of heart rate variability using single
      channel photoplethysmography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The feasibility of using photoplethysmography (PPG) for estimating
      heart rate variability (HRV) has been the subject of many recent studies with
      contradicting results. Accurate measurement of cardiac cycles is more challenging
      in PPG than ECG due to its inherent characteristics. METHODS: We developed a PPG
      only algorithm by computing a robust set of medians of the interbeat intervals
      between adjacent peaks, upslopes, and troughs. Abnormal intervals are detected
      and excluded by applying our criteria. RESULTS: We tested our algorithm on a
      large database from high-risk ICU patients containing arrhythmias and significant
      amounts of artifact. The average difference between PPG-based and ECG-based
      parameters is <1% for pNN50, <1bpm for meanHR, <1ms for SDNN, <3ms for meanNN,
      and <4ms for SDSD and RMSSD. CONCLUSIONS: Our performance testing shows that the
      pulse rate variability (PRV) parameters are comparable to the HRV parameters from
      simultaneous ECG recordings.

PMID- 28918215
TI  - Words matter in aging.

PMID- 28918216
TI  - An aspirin a day...Does that make sense?

PMID- 28918217
TI  - Digging deeper into dignity.

PMID- 28918218
TI  - [Progression of eyelid abnormalities in a collodion baby type newborn with
      congenital ichthyosis].

PMID- 28918219
TI  - A highly selective fluorescent chemosensor for CN- based on a novel bis(salamo)
      type tetraoxime ligand.
AB  - The optical properties of a novel chemosensor for cyanide anions based on a
      symmetric bis(salamo)-type ligand (H3L) were investigated by UV-Vis and
      fluorescence spectroscopy in MeOH/H2O (1:1 v/v) solution. Sensor H3L can
      selectively sense CN- based on prominent color changes among other anions. The
      chemosensor exhibits an apparent fluorescence enhancement at 482nm to CN- which
      because cyanide ions interact with CN bonds. Combining the corrected Benesi
      Hildebrand formula, the binding constant of the formed host-guest complex was
      calculated as 2.42*105M-1. Meanwhile, the detection limit of the sensor toward CN
      was 8.91*10-7M. It is worth noting that the designed sensor can be used for
      rapid detection of cyanide anions in basic pH range, and has great practical
      value.

PMID- 28918220
TI  - Synthesis and application of a highly selective copper ions fluorescent probe
      based on the coumarin group.
AB  - A highly selective copper ions fluorescent probe based on the coumarin-type
      Schiff base derivative 1 (probe) was produced by condensation reaction between
      coumarin carbohydrazide and 1H-indazole-3-carbaldehyde. The UV-vis spectroscopy
      showed that the maximum absorption peak of compound 1 appeared at 439nm. In the
      presence of Cu2+ ions, the maximum peak decreased remarkably compared with other
      physiological important metal ions and a new absorption peak at 500nm appeared.
      The job's plot experiments showed that complexes of 1:2 binding mode were formed
      in CH3CN:HEPES (3:2, v/v) solution. Compound 1 exhibited a strong blue
      fluorescence. Upon addition of copper ions, the fluorescence gradually decreased
      and reached a plateau with the fluorescence quenching rate up to 98.73%. The
      detection limit for Cu2+ ions was estimated to 0.384ppm. Fluorescent microscopy
      experiments demonstrated that probe 1 had potential to be used to investigate
      biological processes involving Cu2+ ions within living cells.

PMID- 28918221
TI  - A 10-minute measure of global cognition: Validation of the Brief Cognitive
      Assessment Tool for Schizophrenia (B-CATS).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Schizophrenia is marked by a global cognitive impairment that
      contributes significantly to chronic disability and unemployment. As new
      treatments are developed for cognition in schizophrenia, clinicians require
      easily administered instruments to assess cognition. We previously developed a
      very brief cognitive battery (Bell et al., 2005). The Brief Cognitive Assessment
      Tool for Schizophrenia (B-CATS) was developed specifically to provide clinicians
      with a way to assess cognition in their patients with schizophrenia. Here, we
      report the results of a validity study comparing B-CATS to a larger
      neurocognitive battery, the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve
      Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) battery. METHODS: Outpatients with
      schizophrenia (N=91) were administered the B-CATS and the non-overlapping tests
      of the MATRICS battery at two time points separated by 1month. They were also
      administered the UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment-Brief (UPSA-B), a
      measure of functional capacity. RESULT: The B-CATS has an administration time of
      approximately 10min. It demonstrates good test-retest reliability and internal
      consistency. It correlates 0.76 (p<0.01) with the MATRICS battery. The shorter B
      CATS and the MATRICS battery correlate with the UPSA-B at 0.50 and 0.58
      respectively. CONCLUSION: A 10-minute version of the B-CATS correlates highly
      with the "gold standard" neurocognitive battery that has an administration time
      of over 60min. Both measures correlate moderately with a measure of functional
      capacity. This brief battery was designed to allow clinicians to monitor
      cognitive change and better inform treatment decisions.

PMID- 28918223
TI  - An ecological model to factors associated with booster seat use: A population
      based study.
AB  - Belt-positioning booster seat use (BPB) is an effective technology to prevent
      severe child injury in cases of car crash. However, in many countries, age
      appropriate car restraint use for children aged 4-7 years old remains the lowest
      among all age groups. The aim of this study was to identify the main determinants
      of BPB use through a comprehensive approach. An ecological model was used to
      analyze individual, parent-child relationships, and neighborhood characteristics.
      Parents of children enrolled in the first and second grades completed a self
      reported questionnaire (n=745). The data were subjected to multilevel modeling.
      The first level examined individual and parent-child relationship variables; in
      addition the second level tested between neighborhood variance. According to
      parental self- reports, 56.6% of their children had used a BPB on each car trip
      during the previous month. The results indicated that the determinants positively
      related to BPB use were individual and parental; namely, the number of children
      in the family, the parents' car seat belt use, parental knowledge of children's
      car safety principles, and a highly authoritative parenting style. Children's
      temperaments and parental supervision were not associated with BPB use. At the
      neighborhood level, a small difference was found between neighborhoods for BPB
      users compared to non-users.

PMID- 28918222
TI  - Vision Assessments and Interventions for Infants 0-2 Years at High Risk for
      Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review.
AB  - We performed a systematic review and evaluated the level of evidence of vision
      interventions and assessments for infants at high risk for or with a diagnosis of
      cerebral palsy from zero to two years of age. Articles were evaluated based on
      the level of methodologic quality, evidence, and clinical utilization. Thirty
      publications with vision assessments and five with vision interventions met
      criteria for inclusion. Assessments included standard care neuroimaging,
      electrophysiology, and neuro-ophthalmologic examination techniques that are
      utilized clinically with any preverbal or nonverbal pediatric patient. The
      overall level of evidence of interventions was strong for neuroprotective
      interventions such as caffeine and hypothermia but weak for surgery, visual
      training, or developmental programs. There are few evidence-based interventions
      and assessments that address cerebral/cortical visual impairment-related needs of
      infants and toddlers at high risk for or with cerebral palsy. Recommendation
      guidelines include the use of three types of standard care methodologies and two
      types of protective interventions.

PMID- 28918224
TI  - Driving on urban roads: How we come to expect the 'correct' speed.
AB  - The subjective categories that drivers use to distinguish between different road
      types have been shown to influence the speeds they choose to drive but as yet we
      do not understand the road features that drivers use to make their
      discriminations. To better understand how drivers describe and categorise the
      roads they drive, 55 participants were recruited to drive a video of familiar
      urban roads in a driving simulator at the speed they would drive these roads in
      their own cars (using the accelerator and brake pedal in the driving simulator to
      adjust their speed). The participants were then asked to sort photos of the roads
      they had just driven into piles so that their driving would be the same on all
      roads in one pile but different to the other piles. Finally, they answered a
      series of questions about each road to indicate what speed they would drive, the
      safe speed for the road, their speed limit belief as well as providing ratings of
      comfort, difficulty and familiarity. Overall, drivers' categorisation of roads
      was informed by a number of factors including speed limit belief, road features
      and markings (including medians), road width, and presence of houses, driveways
      and footpaths. The participants' categories were congruent with what they thought
      the speed limits were, but not necessarily the actual speed limits. Mismatches
      between actual speed limits and speed limit beliefs appeared to result from
      category-level expectations about speed limits that took precedence over recent
      experience in the simulator. Roads that historically had a 50km/h speed limit but
      had been reduced to 40km/h were still regarded as 50km/h roads by the
      participants, underscoring the point that simply posting a sign with a lower
      speed limit is not enough to overcome drivers' expectations and habits associated
      with the visual appearance of a road. The findings provided insights into how
      drivers view and categorise roads, and identify specific areas that could be used
      to improve speed limit credibility.

PMID- 28918225
TI  - On the relationship between executive functions of working memory and components
      derived from fluid intelligence measures.
AB  - The aim of the current study is to provide new insights into the relationship
      between executive functions and intelligence measures in considering the item
      position effect observed in intelligence items. Raven's Advanced Progressive
      Matrices (APM) and Horn's LPS reasoning test were used to assess fluid
      intelligence which served as criterion in investigating the relationship between
      intelligence and executive functions. A battery of six experimental tasks
      measured the updating, shifting, and inhibition processes of executive functions.
      Data were collected from 205 university students. Fluid intelligence showed
      substantial correlations with the updating and inhibition processes and no
      correlation with the shifting process without considering the item-position
      effect. Next, the fixed-link model was applied to APM and LPS data separately to
      decompose them into an ability component and an item-position component. The
      results of relating the components to executive functions showed that the
      updating and shifting processes mainly contributed to the item-position component
      whereas the inhibition process was mainly associated with the ability component
      of each fluid intelligence test. These findings suggest that improvements in the
      efficiency of updating and shifting processes are likely to occur during the
      course of completing intelligence measures and inhibition is important for
      intelligence in general.

PMID- 28918226
TI  - Chronic central oxytocin infusion impairs sociability in mandarin voles.
AB  - Oxytocin (OT) has been reported to increase social contact, however some studies
      have related OT to reduced social contact, particularly with unfamiliar
      individuals. The underlying mechanisms of OT on social contact remain unclear. In
      this study, male mandarin vole (Microtus mandarinus), a socially monogamous
      rodent, was used as an animal model in which osmotic minipumps were used to
      intracerebroventricularly administer two dosages of OT or saline for 12
      consecutive days. We examined the effect of long-term OT treatment on social
      behavior, anxiety levels, and levels of oxytocin, vasopressin (AVP) and dopamine
      (DA) receptors mRNA expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and medial
      amygdala (MeA). The data showed that chronic central OT infusion decreased social
      preference behavior (a reduction of preference for interacting with novel social
      stimulus relative to a novel object) concomitant to a reduction of OT receptors
      in the NAcc and MeA. We also found alterations in AVP and DA receptor levels in
      the NAcc and MeA after treatment with OT. Moreover, chronic central OT treatment
      did not affect levels of anxiety-related behavior in male voles. In conclusion,
      these results indicated that chronic OT treatment may differ from the treatment
      effects predicted in short-term studies, and significant dosage effects were
      observed.

PMID- 28918227
TI  - Bone Remodeling of the Distal Femur After Uncemented Total Knee Arthroplasty-A 2
      Year Prospective DXA Study.
AB  - Loss of bone stock as a response to the bone trauma, immobilization, and stress
      shielding related to joint replacement surgery increases the risk of fracture of
      the distal femur after total knee arthroplasty. Previous studies of uncemented
      femoral components have reported very high levels of bone loss in the distal
      femur. This study investigates the adaptive bone remodeling of the distal femur
      after uncemented total knee arthroplasty. We performed a 2-year follow-up of 53
      patients (mean age 61.5 [38-70] years, F/M = 27/26, body mass index 29.5) who
      because of osteoarthritis received an uncemented total knee arthroplasty. All
      patients received a NexGen CR-Flex Porous Femoral Component. Measurements of bone
      mineral density of the distal femur using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were
      performed postoperatively and after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Bone mineral density
      (g/cm2) was measured in 3 regions of interest in the periprosthetic bone of the
      distal femur. Repeated measures analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test for
      bone mineral density changed over time (p < 0.05 were considered significant). In
      the distal femur, significant changes in bone mineral density were seen after 24
      months of follow-up, and bone mineral density decreased by 23.6% in the anterior
      region behind the anterior flange of the prosthesis (p < 0.001), 10.1% in the
      posterior region (p < 0.001), and 5.5% in the most proximal region (p < 0.001).
      We found highly significant bone mineral change in the distal femur after
      uncemented total knee arthroplasty, most pronounced in the anterior region, where
      a decrease in bone mineral density of almost 25%, was seen. Taking the expected
      age-related decay in bone mineral density in this age group into consideration,
      the decrease was substantial and must be considered to predispose to
      periprosthetic fractures.

PMID- 28918228
TI  - Primary photosensitization and contact dermatitis caused by Malachra fasciata
      Jacq. N.V. (Malvaceae) in sheep.
AB  - Farmers from Paraiba state, Northeast Brazil, claim that Malachra fasciata causes
      cutaneous lesions in sheep. To test its toxicity the plant was harvested daily
      and fed ad libitum for 21 days to 3 sheep as the sole food source (# 1-3). An
      additional sheep (# 4) was maintained as a control. Cutaneous lesions of
      photosensitization initiated after 7 days and increased continuously over the
      next 21 days. The dose ingested varied between 129 g/kg to 175 g/kg. Alopecia,
      hyperemia and crusting were observed in the animals. On day 22, sheep 3 was
      euthanized. At necropsy, no gross or microscopic alterations were observed in the
      liver. Skin biopsies were performed in the remaining animals Histopathology of
      skin of the three sheep included acanthosis, orthokeratosis, and multifocal
      infiltration by lymphocytes, eosinophils and plasma cells around blood vessels
      and appendages in the dermis. The Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon was observed in
      the dermis of sheep 2, due probably by contact dermatitis. After the end of
      administration Sheep 1 and 2 were protected from sunlight and the lesions
      regressed within two weeks. This experiment indicates that M. fasciata causes
      primary photosensitization and contact dermatitis in sheep.

PMID- 28918229
TI  - Design of modified botulinum neurotoxin A1 variants with a shorter persistence of
      paralysis and duration of action.
AB  - Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are classified by their antigenic properties into
      seven serotypes (A-G) and in addition by their corresponding subtypes. They are
      further characterized by divergent onset and duration of effect. Injections of
      low doses of botulinum neurotoxins cause localized muscle paralysis that is
      beneficial for the treatment of several medical disorders and aesthetic
      indications. Optimizing the therapeutic properties could offer new treatment
      opportunities. This report describes a rational design approach to modify the
      pharmacological properties by mutations in the C-terminus of BoNT/A1 light chain
      (LC). Toxins with C-terminal modified LC's displayed an altered onset and
      duration of the paralytic effect in vivo. The level of effect was dependent on
      the kind of the mutation in the sequence of the C-terminus. A mutant with three
      mutations (T420E F423M Y426F) revealed a faster onset and a shorter duration than
      BoNT/A1 wild type (WT). It could be shown that the C-terminus of BoNT/A1-Lc
      controls both onset and duration of effect. Thus, it is possible to create a
      mutated BoNT/A1 with different pharmacological properties which might be useful
      in the therapy of new indications. This strategy opens the way to design BoNT
      variants with novel and useful properties.

PMID- 28918230
TI  - Biosensing methods for determination of triglycerides: A review.
AB  - Triglycerides (TGs) are the major transporters of dietary fats throughout the
      bloodstream. Besides transporting fat, TGs also act as stored fat in adipose
      tissue, which is utilized during insufficient carbohydrates supply. TG level is
      below 150mg/dL in healthy persons. Elevated TGs level in blood over 500mg/dL is a
      biomarker for cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer disease, pancreatitis and
      diabetes. Numerous methods are accessible for recognition of TGs, among them,
      most are cumbersome, time-consuming, require sample pre-treatment, high cost
      instrumental set-up and experienced personnel to operate. Biosensing approach
      overcomes these disadvantages, as these are highly specific, fast, easy, cost
      effective, and highly sensitive. This review article describes the
      classification, operating principles, merits and demerits of TG biosensors,
      specifically nanomaterials based biosensors. TG biosensors work ideally within
      2.5-2700s, in pH range, 6.0-11.0, temperature 25-39.5 degrees C and TG
      concentration range, 0.001-100mM, the detection limits being in the range, 0.1nM
      to 0.56mM, with working potential - 0.02 to 1.2V. These biosensors measured TG
      level in fruit juices, beverages, sera and urine samples and reused upto 200
      times over a period of 7-240 days, while stored dry at 4 degrees C. Future
      perspective for further improvement and commercialization of TG biosensors are
      discussed.

PMID- 28918231
TI  - Highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance biosensor for the detection of HIV
      related DNA based on dynamic and structural DNA nanodevices.
AB  - Early detection, diagnosis and treatment of human immune deficiency virus (HIV)
      infection is the key to reduce acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
      mortality. In our research, an innovative surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
      biosensing strategy has been developed for highly sensitive detection of HIV
      related DNA based on entropy-driven strand displacement reactions (ESDRs) and
      double-layer DNA tetrahedrons (DDTs). ESDRs as enzyme-free and label-free signal
      amplification circuit can be specifically triggered by target DNA, leading to the
      cyclic utilization of target DNA and the formation of plentiful double-stranded
      DNA (dsDNA) products. Subsequently, the dsDNA products bind to the immobilized
      hairpin capture probes and further combine with DDTs nanostructures. Due to the
      high efficiency of ESDRs and large molecular weight of DDTs, the SPR response
      signal was enhanced dramatically. The proposed SPR biosensor could detect target
      DNA sensitively and specifically in a linear range from 1pM to 150nM with a
      detection limit of 48fM. In addition, the whole detecting process can be
      accomplished in 60min with high accuracy and duplicability. In particular, the
      developed SPR biosensor was successfully used to analyze target DNA in complex
      biological sample, indicating that the developed strategy is promising for rapid
      and early clinical diagnosis of HIV infection.

PMID- 28918232
TI  - Childhood maltreatment and adolescent sexual risk behaviors: Unique, cumulative
      and interactive effects.
AB  - Child maltreatment has been associated with sexual risk behaviors. Previous
      investigators have typically studied only one form of maltreatment, preventing
      them from exploring interrelations between forms of maltreatment and their impact
      on sexual risk behaviors. Thus, this study aims to examine the unique,
      cumulative, and interactive effects of four maltreatment forms (sexual abuse,
      physical abuse, neglect, and witnessing interparental violence) on sexual risk
      behaviors. The sample comprised 1940 sexually active adolescents (Mage=15.6;
      60.8% girls) attending Quebec (Canada) high schools. Regression results showed
      that all maltreatment forms were associated with having a higher number of sexual
      partners, casual sexual behavior, and a younger age at first consensual
      intercourse. Physical abuse and witnessing interparental violence were associated
      with inconsistent condom use, and physical abuse was associated with sexually
      transmitted infections. After controlling for all forms of maltreatment (unique
      effects), analyses showed that sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect or
      witnessing interparental violence remained statistically associated depending on
      the sexual risk behavior. A greater number of forms of maltreatment was
      associated with more sexual risk behaviors (cumulative effect). When sexual abuse
      was not experienced, neglect was associated with a higher number of sexual
      partners (interactive effects). In general, associations between maltreatment and
      sexual risk behaviors were similar for both genders. The magnitude of the
      relationship between a specific form of child maltreatment and sexual risk
      behaviors may be inaccurately estimated when not controlling for other forms of
      maltreatment.

PMID- 28918233
TI  - The role of callous/unemotional traits in mediating the association between
      animal abuse exposure and behavior problems among children exposed to intimate
      partner violence.
AB  - Children exposed to intimate partner violence are at increased risk for
      concomitant exposure to maltreatment of companion animals. There is emerging
      evidence that childhood exposure to maltreatment of companion animals is
      associated with psychopathology in childhood and adulthood. However, few studies
      have explored developmental factors that might help to explain pathways from
      animal maltreatment exposure to children's maladjustment. The present study
      addresses this gap in the literature by examining relations between children's
      exposure to animal maltreatment, callous/unemotional traits (i.e., callousness,
      uncaring traits, and unemotional traits), and externalizing and internalizing
      behavior problems. A sample of 291 ethnically diverse children (55% Latino or
      Hispanic) between the ages of 7 and 12 was recruited from community-based
      domestic violence services. A meditational path model indicated that child
      exposure to animal maltreatment was associated with callousness (beta=0.14),
      which in turn was associated with greater internalizing (beta=0.32) and
      externalizing problems (beta=0.47). The effect of animal maltreatment exposure on
      externalizing problems was mediated through callousness. Results suggest that
      callous/unemotional traits are a potential mechanism through which childhood
      exposure to animal maltreatment influences subsequent behavior problems. Future
      research is needed to evaluate the extent to which exposure to animal
      maltreatment affects children's adjustment over time in the context of other co
      occurring adverse childhood experiences.

PMID- 28918234
TI  - A fatal review: Exploring how children's deaths are reported in the United
      States.
AB  - Child death reports are the leading data source used to orchestrate child
      fatality prevention policy. Therefore, the way in which child death is reported
      is crucial to how we sustain life. We sought to assess the systematic ways in
      which death is reported for children. Based on a qualitative analysis of medico
      legal investigation reports collected from a medical examiner's office and a
      coroner's office, we examined several indicators of data completeness, quality,
      site organizational structure, and consistency. We found stark differences
      between the two sites, as well as issues regarding death diagnosis certainty, and
      a general lack in consistency in the reports' content, as well as procedures
      performed post-mortem. We conclude that there are some flaws in our death
      reporting system for child populations, which have the potential to hinder
      reliability and accuracy of these death reports, as well as thwart their overall
      usefulness in prevention policies.

PMID- 28918235
TI  - Identification of bluetongue virus serotypes 1, 4, and 17 co-infections in sheep
      flocks during outbreaks in Brazil.
AB  - Bluetongue (BT) is a vector-borne viral disease caused by the Bluetongue virus
      (BTV), an Orbivirus from the Reoviridae family, affecting domestic and wild
      ruminants. BTV circulation in Brazil was first reported in 1978, and several
      serological surveys indicate that the virus is widespread, although with varied
      prevalence. In 2014, BT outbreaks affected sheep flocks in Rio Grande do Sul
      state, causing significant mortality (18.4%; 91/495) in BTV-infected sheep. In
      total, seven farms were monitored, and one or two sheep from each farm that died
      due to clinical signs of BT were necropsied. Apathy, pyrexia, anorexia,
      tachycardia, respiratory, and digestive disorders were noted. Additionally, an
      abortion was recorded in one of the monitored farms. The main gross lesions
      observed were pulmonary edema, anterior-ventral pulmonary consolidation, muscular
      necrosis in the esophagus and in the ventral serratus muscle, and hemorrhagic
      lesions in the heart. The blood and tissue samples were tested for BTV RNA
      detection by RT-qPCR targeting the segment 10. Positive samples were used for
      viral isolation. The isolated BTVs were typed by conventional RT-PCR targeting
      the segment 2 of the 26 BTV serotypes, followed by sequencing analysis. BTV-1,
      BTV-4 and BTV-17 were identified in the analyzed samples. Double or triple BTV co
      infections with these serotypes were detected. We report the occurrence of BT
      outbreaks related to BTV-1, BTV-4 and BTV-17 infections and co-infections causing
      clinical signs in sheep flocks in Southern Brazil, with significant mortality and
      lethality rates.

PMID- 28918236
TI  - Gene expression profiles of cell adhesion molecules, matrix metalloproteinases
      and their tissue inhibitors in canine oral tumors.
AB  - Perturbation of cell adhesion can be essential for tumor cell invasion and
      metastasis, but the current knowledge on the gene expression of molecules that
      mediate cell adhesion in canine oral tumors is limited. The present study aimed
      to investigate changes in the gene expression of cell adhesion molecules (E
      cadherin or CDH1, syndecan 1 or SDC1, NECTIN2 and NECTIN4), matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs), in canine oral
      tumors, including benign tumors, oral melanoma (OM) and non-tonsillar oral
      squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), by quantitative real-time reverse transcription
      PCR. When compared with the normal gingival controls, decreased CDH1, SDC1 and
      NECTIN4 expression levels were observed in OSCC and OM, reflecting a possible
      role as cell adhesion molecules and tumor suppressors in canine oral cancers in
      contrast to the upregulation of MMP2 expression. Downregulated MMP7 was
      specifically revealed in the OM group. In the late-stage OM, the positive
      correlation of MMP7 and CDH1 expression was noticed as well as that of SDC1 and
      NECTIN4. Enhanced TIMP1 expression was shown in all tumor groups with prominent
      expression in the benign tumors and the early-stage OM. MMP14 expression was
      notable in the early-stage OM. Higher MMP9 and TIMP1 expression was observed in
      the acanthomatous ameloblastoma. In conclusion, this study revealed that the
      altered expression of cell adhesion molecules, MMP7 and MMP2 was correlated with
      clinicopathologic features in canine oral cancers whereas TIMP1 and MMP14
      expression was probably associated with early-stage tumors; therefore, these
      genes might serve as molecular markers for canine oral tumors.

PMID- 28918237
TI  - Preface to the special issue on Gaucher disease 2017.

PMID- 28918238
TI  - Recent advances and future challenges in Gaucher disease.

PMID- 28918240
TI  - Contingency management treatment in cocaine using methadone maintained patients
      with and without legal problems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Legal difficulties and cocaine use are prevalent in methadone
      maintenance patients, and they are related to one another, as well as to poor
      response to methadone treatment. Contingency management (CM) is efficacious for
      decreasing cocaine use, but the relation of CM treatment to criminal activities
      has rarely been studied. METHODS: This study evaluated whether baseline legal
      problems are related to subsequent substance use and illegal activities for
      cocaine using methadone maintained patients and whether CM differentially
      improves outcomes depending on baseline legal problems. Using data from four
      randomized CM trials (N=323), we compared methadone maintained patients with
      legal problems at the start of study participation to those without initial legal
      problems. RESULTS: Overall, the addition of CM to standard methadone care
      improved substance use outcomes regardless of initial legal problems. Endorsement
      of legal problems within 30days of study initiation was associated with reduced
      proportion of negative samples submitted during the 12-week treatment period. A
      significant interaction effect of baseline legal problems and treatment condition
      was present for subsequent self-reports of illegal activities. Those with
      baseline legal problems who were assigned to CM had reduced self-reports of
      reengagement in illegal activity throughout a six month follow-up compared to
      their counterparts randomized to standard care. CONCLUSIONS: Adding CM to
      methadone treatment improves substance use outcomes and reduces subsequent
      illegal activity in cocaine-using methadone patients with legal problems.

PMID- 28918239
TI  - Cigarette smoking quit rates among adults with and without alcohol use disorders
      and heavy alcohol use, 2002-2015: A representative sample of the United States
      population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While the overall smoking quit rate has increased over time, it is
      not known whether the quit rate has also increased among persons with alcohol use
      disorders (AUDs) or heavy alcohol use (HAU). The current study examined quit
      rates among adults with and without AUDs and HAU over a 12-year period in a
      representative sample of US adults. METHODS: Data were drawn from the National
      Household Survey on Drug Use, an annual cross-sectional study of US persons. Quit
      rate (i.e., the rate of former smokers to ever smokers) was calculated annually
      from 2002 to 2014 (for HAU) and 2015 (for AUD). Time trends in quit rates by
      AUD/HAU status were tested using linear regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      past-month cigarette smoking was much higher for persons with, compared to
      without, AUDs (38% vs. 18%) and HAU (49% vs. 19%). In the most recent data year,
      the quit rate for persons with AUDs was approximately half that of persons
      without AUDs (26% versus 49%) and for persons with HAU was less than half that of
      persons without HAU (22% versus 48%). Over time, the smoking quit rate increased
      for persons with and without AUDs/HAU and the rate of increase was greater for
      persons with AUDs/HAU. Yet, quit rates for persons with AUDs and HAU remained
      much lower than persons without AUDs and HAU. CONCLUSIONS: It may be beneficial
      for public health and clinical efforts to incorporate screenings and treatment
      for tobacco use into programs for adults with AUDs and HAU.

PMID- 28918242
TI  - Predictive value of Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen activation for Streptococcus
      pneumoniae infection and severity in pediatric lobar pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most cases of complicated pneumonia in children are caused by
      pneumococcal infections. Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (TA) is present on
      erythrocytes, platelets and glomeruli, and it can be activated during
      pneumococcal infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive
      value of TA activation for pneumococcal infection and association with the
      severity of complicated pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with lobar
      pneumonia were routinely tested for TA at the Department of Pediatrics, Mackay
      Memorial Hospital from January 2010 to December 2015. We retrospectively reviewed
      and analyzed their charts and data including age, sex, etiology of infection,
      chest tube insertion or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, length of hospital
      stay, TA activation, white blood cell count and level of C reactive protein.
      RESULTS: A total of 142 children with lobar pneumonia were enrolled, including 35
      with empyema, 31 with effusion, 11 with necrotizing pneumonia and four with lung
      abscess. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most commonly identified pathogen.
      Twenty-two patients (15.4%) had activated TA, all of whom were infected with S.
      pneumoniae. TA activation had 100% specificity and 100% positive predictive value
      for pneumococcal infection. In the multivariate analysis in lobar pneumonia, TA
      activation (OR, 15.8; 95% CI, 3.0-83.5; p = 0.001), duration of fever before
      admission (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5; p = 0.013) and initial CRP level (OR, 1.1;
      95% CI, 1.0-1.1; p = 0.004) were independent predictors of empyema. CONCLUSIONS:
      TA activation is a specific marker for pneumococcal pneumonia and might indicate
      higher risk for complicated pneumonia.

PMID- 28918241
TI  - Stigma experienced by patients with severe mental disorders: A nationwide
      multicentric study from India.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the stigma and its correlates among patients with
      severe mental disorders. Patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia (N = 707),
      bipolar disorder (N = 344) and recurrent depressive disorder (N = 352) currently
      in clinical remission from 14 participating centres were assessed on Internalized
      Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS). Patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia
      experienced higher level of alienation, sterotype endorsement, discrimination
      experience and total stigma when compared to patients with bipolar disorder and
      recurrent depressive disorder. Patients with bipolar disorder experienced higher
      stigma than those with recurrent depressive disorder in the domain of stigma
      resistance only. Overall compared to affective disorder groups, higher proportion
      of patients with schizophrenia reported stigma in all the domains of ISMIS. In
      general in all the 3 diagnostic groups' stigma was associated with shorter
      duration of illness, shorter duration of treatment and younger age of onset. To
      conclude, this study suggests that compared to affective disorder, patients with
      schizophrenia experience higher self stigma. Higher level of stigma is
      experienced during the early phase of illness. Stigma intervention programs must
      focus on patients during the initial phase of illness in order to reduce the
      negative consequences of stigma.

PMID- 28918244
TI  - Determinants and Regulation of Protein Turnover in Yeast.
AB  - Protein turnover maintains the recycling needs of the proteome, and its
      malfunction has been linked to aging and age-related diseases. However, not all
      proteins turnover equally, and the factors that contribute to accelerate or slow
      down turnover are mostly unknown. We measured turnover rates for 3,160 proteins
      in exponentially growing yeast and analyzed their dependence on physical,
      functional, and genetic properties. We found that functional characteristics,
      including protein localization, complex membership, and connectivity, have
      greater effect on turnover than sequence elements. We also found that protein
      turnover and mRNA turnover are correlated. Analysis under nutrient perturbation
      and osmotic stress revealed that protein turnover highly depends on cellular
      state and is faster when proteins are being actively used. Finally, stress
      induced changes in protein and transcript abundance correlated with changes in
      protein turnover. This study provides a resource of protein turnover rates and
      principles to understand the recycling needs of the proteome under basal
      conditions and perturbation.

PMID- 28918243
TI  - Homeostatic systems, biocybernetics, and autonomic neuroscience.
AB  - In this review we describe a series of major concepts introduced during the past
      150years that have contributed to our current understanding about how
      physiological processes required for well-being and survival are regulated. One
      can theorize that hierarchical networks involving input-output relationships
      continuously orchestrate and learn adaptive patterns of observable behaviors,
      cognition, memory, mood, and autonomic systems. Taken together, these networks
      function as "good regulators" determining levels of internal variables and act as
      if there were homeostatic comparators ("homeostats"). The consequences of models
      with vs. without homeostats remain the same in terms of allostatic load and the
      eventual switch from stabilizing negative feedback loops to destabilizing,
      pathogenic positive feedback loops. Understanding this switch seems important for
      comprehending senescence-related, neurodegenerative disorders that involve the
      autonomic nervous system. Our general proposal is that disintegration of
      homeostatic systems causes disorders of regulation in degenerative diseases and
      that medical cybernetics can inspire and rationalize new approaches to treatment
      and prevention.

PMID- 28918245
TI  - Biodiesel production from lipid of carbon dioxide sequestrating bacterium and
      lipase of psychrotolerant Pseudomonas sp. ISTPL3 immobilized on biochar.
AB  - An extracellular lipase was purified and characterized from psychrotolerant
      bacterium Pseudomonas sp. ISTPL3 isolated from Pangong lake. Lipase was purified
      by sequential methods of ammonium sulphate precipitation, dialysis, DEAE
      cellulose ion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration
      chromatography, resulting in a purification fold of 6.53 and yield of 5.45%. The
      molecular weight was approximately 31kDa. The purified lipase was used for
      transesterification of lipids produced by oleaginous chemolithotrophic bacterium
      Serratia sp. ISTD04 for production of biodiesel. Upon biochemical
      characterization, lipase was found to be alkalophilc, thermostable, active in
      organic polar solvents and sensitive to detergents. Further, lipase was
      immobilized on activated biochar to assess its transesterification efficiency
      during biodiesel production. Immobilized lipase gave the highest yield of fatty
      acid methyl esters (FAMEs) (92.23%)>unimmobilized lipase>NaOH. The immobilized
      lipase was assessed for its reusability and retained 75.11% of its activity after
      3 cycles of biodiesel production.

PMID- 28918246
TI  - Synthesis of novel magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4)/biochar magnetic composites and
      its adsorption behavior for phosphate in aqueous solutions.
AB  - In this work, magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4)/biochar magnetic composites (MFB-MCs)
      were prepared and utilized to remove phosphate from aqueous solutions. MFB-MCs
      were synthesized via co-precipitation of Fe and Mg ions onto a precursor,
      followed by pyrolysis. Characterization results confirmed that MgFe2O4
      nanoparticles with a cubic spinel structure were successfully embedded in the
      biochar matrix, and this offered magnetic separability with superparamagnetic
      behavior and enabled higher phosphate adsorption performance than that of
      pristine biochar and sole MgFe2O4 nanoparticles. Batch experiments indicated that
      phosphate adsorption on the MFB-MCs is highly dependent on the pH, initial
      phosphate concentration, and temperature, while it was less affected by ionic
      strength. Analysis of activation and thermodynamic parameters as well as the
      isosteric heat of adsorption demonstrated that the phosphate adsorption is an
      endothermic and physisorption process. Lastly, highly efficient recyclability of
      the MFB-MCs suggested that they are a promising adsorbent for phosphate removal
      from wastewater.

PMID- 28918247
TI  - Erato polymnioides - A novel Hg hyperaccumulator plant in ecuadorian rainforest
      acid soils with potential of microbe-associated phytoremediation.
AB  - Mercury (Hg) accumulation capacity was assessed in three plant species (Axonopus
      compressus, Erato polymnioides, and Miconia zamorensis) that grow on soils
      polluted by artisanal small-scale gold mines in the Ecuadorian rainforest.
      Individuals of three species were collected at two sampling zones: i) an
      intensive zone (IZ, 4.8 mg Hg kg-1 of soil) where gold extraction continues to
      occur, and ii) a natural zone (NZ, 0.19 mg Hg kg-1 of soil). In addition, the
      percentage of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization was determined in
      plant roots and seven fungal morphotypes isolated from rhizospheric soil. Results
      suggest a facilitation role of native and pollution adapted AMF on Hg
      phytoaccumulation. E.g., E. polymnioides increased Hg accumulation when growing
      with greater AMF colonization. We concluded that E. polymnioides is a good
      candidate for the design of microbe-assisted strategies for Hg remediation at
      gold mining areas. The consortia between E. polymnioides and the AMF isolated in
      this study could be instrumental to get a deeper understanding of the AMF role in
      Hg phytoaccumulation.

PMID- 28918248
TI  - Total nitrogen removal, products and molecular characteristics of 14 N-containing
      compounds in supercritical water oxidation.
AB  - Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) process of 14 N-containing compounds was
      investigated with residence time of 150 s, at a stable pressure of 24 MPa,
      temperatures of 350-500  degrees C and 500% excess oxygen, resulted in total
      nitrogen (TN) removal from 41 to 96%. The products of N-containing species were
      mainly N2, nitrate, ammonium, as well as hardly nitrite or NOX. The yield
      distributions of nitrate and ammonium were different: the main nitrate
      concentrations were obtained from the compounds containing nitro-group and
      diazonium, like nitrobenzene, 2-nitrophenol and eriochrome blue black R (EBBR);
      the predominant ammonium yields were achieved from amino-group and N-heterocyclic
      compounds, such as aniline, 5-chloro-2-methylaniline, 3,4-dichloroaniline, 1
      methylimidazole, 1,10-phenanthroline, cyanuric acid, indole and 2,3
      indolinedione. It is interesting that 2-nitroaniline, possessing both nitro- and
      amino-group, would dominantly decompose into N2. To explore the relationship
      between TN removal and molecular structural characteristics, density functional
      theory (DFT) method was used to calculate molecular descriptors of all 14 N
      containing compounds. The correlation results showed that among all the fifteen
      molecular descriptors, q(C)-, q(C-H)+ and F(0)x greatly affects temperature
      behavior of TN removal.

PMID- 28918249
TI  - Perinatal depression and DNA methylation of oxytocin-related genes: a study of
      mothers and their children.
AB  - The present study investigated the association of perinatal depression (PD) with
      differential methylation of 3 genomic regions among mother and child dyads: exon
      3 within the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and 2 intergenic regions (IGR) between
      the oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP) genes. Maternal PD was assessed at 5
      time-points during pregnancy and postpartum. Four groups were established based
      on Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) cut-off scores: no PD, prenatal or
      postpartum depressive symptoms only and persistent PD (depressive symptoms both
      prenatally and postpartum). Salivary DNA was collected from mothers and children
      at the final time-point, 2.9years postpartum. Mothers with persistent PD had
      significantly higher overall OXTR methylation than the other groups and this
      pattern extended to 16/22 individual CpG sites. For the IGR, only the region
      closer to the AVP gene (AVP IGR) showed significant differential methylation,
      with the persistent PD group displaying the lowest levels of methylation overall,
      but not for individual CpG sites. These results suggest that transient episodes
      of depression may not be associated with OXTR hypermethylation. Validation
      studies need to confirm the downstream biological effects of AVP IGR
      hypomethylation as it relates to persistent PD. Differential methylation of the
      OXTR and IGR regions was not observed among children exposed to maternal PD. The
      consequences of OXTR hypermethylation and AVP IGR hypomethylation found in
      mothers with persistent PDS may not only impact the OXT system, but may also
      compromise maternal behavior, potentially resulting in negative outcomes for the
      developing child.

PMID- 28918250
TI  - Associations of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene variants with
      predisposition to age-related macular degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of the genotypes of single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene encoding cholesteryl ester transfer protein
      (CETP) and their associations with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the
      Lithuanian population. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 1264 subjects were examined: 251
      patients with early AMD, 206 patients with exudative AMD, and 807 healthy
      controls. METHODS: The genotyping of CETP (rs5882, rs708272, rs3764261,
      rs1800775, rs2303790) was carried out using the RT-PCR. RESULTS: Binomial
      logistic regression analysis revealed that each copy of rs5882 allele A was
      associated with a 1.3-fold increased risk of exudative AMD (p=0.046). The G/A and
      A/A genotypes of the rs708272 polymorphism were associated with 1.5-fold and 1.7
      fold increased risks of exudative AMD (p=0.049 and p=0.021, respectively).
      Combination of two genotypes (G/A+A/A) under the dominant model were associated
      with a 1.5-fold increased risk of exudative AMD (p=0.021). Analysis of rs708272
      revealed that the G/A and A/A genotypes under the co-dominant model were
      associated with 1.5-fold and 1.7-fold increased risks of exudative AMD,
      respectively (OR=1.450, 95% CI=1.002-2.098; p=0.049 and OR=1.710, 95% CI=1.064
      2.156; p=0.021, respectively). Both genotypes (G/A+A/A) under the dominant model
      were associated with the 1.5-fold increased risk of exudative AMD, as well
      (OR=1.514, 95% CI=1.064-2.156; p=0.021) and each additional copy A allele was
      associated with a 1.3-fold increased risk of exudative AMD (OR=1.316, 95%
      CI=1.051-1.646; p=0.016). The rs3764261 polymorphism was identified to be
      protective: the C/A genotype and the combination of two genotypes (C/A+A/A) were
      associated with 1.8-fold and 1.5-fold decreased risks of exudative AMD (p=0.001
      and p=0.015, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our study identified two polymorphisms
      with a higher risk of AMD development (rs5882 and rs708272) and a protective
      polymorphism for AMD (rs3764261).

PMID- 28918251
TI  - HMG-box factor SoxD/Sox15 and homeodomain-containing factor Xanf1/Hesx1 directly
      interact and regulate the expression of Xanf1/Hesx1 during early forebrain
      development in Xenopus laevis.
AB  - The homeodomain-containing transcription factor Anf (also known as Rpx/Hesx1 in
      mammals) plays an important role during the forebrain development in vertebrates.
      Here we demonstrate the ability of the Xenopus laevis Anf, Xanf1/Hesx1, to
      directly bind SRY-related HMG-box-containing transcription factor SoxD/Sox15 and
      to cooperate with the latter during regulating of the expression of Xanf1/Hesx1
      own gene. As we have shown by GST pull-down, EMSA and the luciferase reporter
      assays, Xanf1/Hesx1 and SoxD/Sox15 bind the Xanf1/Hesx1 promoter region
      counteracting the inhibitory effect of Xanf1/Hesx1 alone. This finding explains
      how Xanf1/Hesx1 could escape the repressive activity of its own protein during
      early patterning of the forebrain rudiment.

PMID- 28918252
TI  - A PDGF/VEGF homologue provides new insights into the nucleus grafting operation
      and immune response in the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata.
AB  - The platelet-derived growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (PDGF/VEGF,
      PVF) family of proteins have been implicated in a wide range of biological
      functions in vertebrates, including cell proliferation, cell differentiation,
      cell migration, neural development and especially angiogenesis/vasculogenesis. In
      this study, a PVF gene, belonging to the PDGF/VEGF family, was cloned and
      characterized from Pinctada fucata. It contained an ORF of 1110bp encoding a
      putative protein of 369 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence presented
      the typical structural features of PDGF family members and the N-terminal signal
      peptide for secretion. Comparative phylogenetic analysis revealed that PfPVF
      shows relatively high identity with other invertebrate PVF homologues.
      Furthermore, gene expression analysis revealed that PfPVF is involved in not only
      the nucleus grafting operation and but also the response to immune stimulation.
      The study may help to increase understanding of the functions of molluscan PVF.

PMID- 28918253
TI  - Deep brain stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle elevates striatal dopamine
      concentration without affecting spontaneous or reward-induced phasic release.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) induces rapid
      improvement of depressive symptoms in patients suffering from treatment
      refractory major depressive disorder (MDD). It has been hypothesized that
      activation of the dopamine (DA) system contributes to this effect. To investigate
      whether DBS in the MFB affects DA release in the striatum, we combined DBS with
      fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in freely moving rats. Animals were implanted
      with a stimulating electrode at the border of the MFB and the ventral tegmental
      area, and a FSCV microelectrode in the ventromedial striatum to monitor
      extracellular DA during the acute onset of DBS and subsequent continued
      stimulation. DBS onset induced a significant increase in extracellular DA
      concentration in the ventromedial striatum that was sustained for at least 40s.
      However, continued DBS did not affect amplitude or frequency of so-called
      spontaneous phasic DA transients, nor phasic DA release in response to the
      delivery of unexpected food pellets. These findings suggest that effects of DBS
      in the MFB are mediated by an acute change in extracellular DA concentration, but
      more research is needed to further explore the potentially sustained duration of
      this effect. Together, our results provide both support and refinement of the
      hypothesis that MFB DBS activates the DA system: DBS induces an increase in
      overall ambient concentration of DA, but spontaneous or reward-associated more
      rapid, phasic DA dynamics are not enhanced. This knowledge improves our
      understanding of how DBS affects brain function and may help improve future
      therapies for depressive symptoms.

PMID- 28918254
TI  - Permissive role for mGlu1 metabotropic glutamate receptors in excitotoxic retinal
      degeneration.
AB  - Neuroprotection is an unmet need in eye disorders characterized by retinal
      ganglion cell (RGC) death, such as prematurity-induced retinal degeneration,
      glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. In all these disorders
      excitotoxicity is a prominent component of neuronal damage, but clinical data
      discourage the development of NMDA receptor antagonists as neuroprotectants.
      Here, we show that activation of mGlu1 metabotropic glutamate receptors largely
      contributes to excitotoxic degeneration of RGCs. Mice at postnatal day 9 were
      challenged with a toxic dose of monosodium glutamate (MSG, 3g/kg), which caused
      the death of >70% of Brn-3a+ RGCs. Systemic administration of the mGlu1 receptor
      negative allosteric modulator (NAM), JNJ16259685 (2.5mg/kg, s.c.), was largely
      protective against MSG-induced RGC death. This treatment did not cause changes in
      motor behavior in the pups. We also injected MSG to crv4 mice, which lack mGlu1
      receptors because of a recessive mutation of the gene encoding the mGlu1
      receptor. MSG did not cause retinal degeneration in crv4 mice, whereas it
      retained its toxic activity in their wild-type littermates. These findings
      demonstrate that mGlu1 receptors play a key role in excitotoxic degeneration of
      RGCs, and encourage the study of mGlu1 receptor NAMs in models of retinal
      neurodegeneration.

PMID- 28918255
TI  - Microglia-mediated BAFF-BAFFR ligation promotes neuronal survival in brain
      ischemia injury.
AB  - The innate immune responses of brain to vascular occlusion are primarily
      orchestrated by activated microglia. However, the roles of microglia in
      inflammatory responses to brain ischemic injuries are controversial. Here, we
      report a new mechanism by which microglia confer protective effects on ischemic
      neuronal cells. We found that under ischemic condition, the B-cell-activating
      factor (BAFF) was vastly upregulated in microglia and this upregulation could at
      least be attributed to JAK-STAT signaling pathway activated by IFN-gamma and IL
      10, which were spatio-temporally enriched in I/R-injured brain as well.
      Meanwhile, the expression of BAFFR, one member of BAFF receptors, was also
      upregulated on neurons after I/R injury. More importantly, recombinant BAFF
      treatment not only promoted neuronal survival under ischemic stresses in vitro
      but also attenuated infarct volume and neural deficit caused by middle cerebral
      artery occlusion (MCAO) in vivo. Furthermore, blocking BAFF-BAFFR ligation with
      TACI-Ig abrogated these therapeutic benefits. Taken together, these results
      indicate that the BAFF-BAFFR ligation bridged between microglia and neurons could
      play a critical neuroprotective role in I/R injury. Thus, augmenting BAFF-BAFFR
      signaling might represent a potential target for clinical stroke therapy.

PMID- 28918256
TI  - Transgene is specifically and functionally expressed in retinal inhibitory
      interneurons in the VGAT-ChR2-EYFP mouse.
AB  - Ectopic transgene expression in the retina has been reported in various
      transgenic mice, indicating the importance of characterizing retinal phenotypes.
      We examined transgene expression in the VGAT-ChR2-EYFP mouse retina by
      fluorescent immunohistochemistry and electrophysiology, with special emphasis on
      enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) localization in retinal neuronal
      subtypes identified by specific markers. Strong EYFP signals were detected in
      both the inner and outer plexiform layers. In addition, the ChR2-EYFP fusion
      protein was also expressed in somata of the great majority of inhibitory
      interneurons, including horizontal cells and GABAergic and glycinergic amacrine
      cells. However, a small population of amacrine cells residing in the ganglion
      cell layer were not labeled by EYFP, and a part of them were cholinergic ones. In
      contrast, no EYFP signal was detected in the somata of retinal excitatory
      neurons: photoreceptors, bipolar and ganglion cells, as well as Muller glial
      cells. When glutamatergic transmission was blocked, bright blue light stimulation
      elicited inward photocurrents from amacrine cells, as well as post-synaptic
      inhibitory currents from ganglion cells, suggesting a functional ChR2 expression.
      The VGAT-ChR2-EYFP mouse therefore could be a useful animal model for dissecting
      retinal microcircuits when targeted labeling and/or optogenetic manipulation of
      retinal inhibitory neurons are required.

PMID- 28918257
TI  - Pathways of the inferior frontal occipital fasciculus in overt speech and
      reading.
AB  - In this study, we examined the relationship between tractography-based measures
      of white matter integrity (ex. fractional anisotropy [FA]) from diffusion tensor
      imaging (DTI) and five reading-related tasks, including rapid automatized naming
      (RAN) of letters, digits, and objects, and reading of real words and nonwords.
      Twenty university students with no reported history of reading difficulties were
      tested on all five tasks and their performance was correlated with diffusion
      measures extracted through DTI tractography. A secondary analysis using whole
      brain Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) was also used to find clusters
      showing significant negative correlations between reaction time and FA. Results
      showed a significant relationship between the left inferior fronto-occipital
      fasciculus FA and performance on the RAN of objects task, as well as a strong
      relationship to nonword reading, which suggests a role for this tract in slower,
      non-automatic and/or resource-demanding speech tasks. There were no significant
      relationships between FA and the faster, more automatic speech tasks (RAN of
      letters and digits, and real word reading). These findings provide evidence for
      the role of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus in tasks that are highly
      demanding of orthography-phonology translation (e.g., nonword reading) and
      semantic processing (e.g., RAN object). This demonstrates the importance of the
      inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus in basic naming and suggests that this tract
      may be a sensitive predictor of rapid naming performance within the typical
      population. We discuss the findings in the context of current models of reading
      and speech production to further characterize the white matter pathways
      associated with basic reading processes.

PMID- 28918258
TI  - Olfactory function in an excitotoxic model for secondary neuronal degeneration:
      Role of dopaminergic interneurons.
AB  - Secondary neuronal degeneration (SND) occurring in Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
      consists in downstream destructive events affecting cells that were not or only
      marginally affected by the initial wound, further increasing the effects of the
      primary injury. Glutamate excitotoxicity is hypothesized to play an important
      role in SND. TBI is a common cause of olfactory dysfunction that may be
      spontaneous and partially recovered. The role of the glutamate excitotoxicity in
      the TBI-induced olfactory dysfunction is still unknown. We investigated the
      effects of excitotoxicity induced by bilateral N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) OB
      administration in the olfactory function, OB volumes, and subventricular zone
      (SVZ) and OB neurogenesis in rats. NMDA OB administration induced a decrease in
      the number of correct choices in the olfactory discrimination tests one week
      after lesions (p<0.01), and a spontaneous recovery of the olfactory deficit two
      weeks after lesions (p<0.05). A lack of correlation between OB volumes and
      olfactory function was observed. An increase in SVZ neurogenesis (Ki67+ cells,
      PSANCAM+ cells (p<0.01) associated with an increase in OB glomerular dopaminergic
      immunostaining (p<0.05) were related to olfactory function recovery. The present
      results show that changes in OB volumes cannot explain the recovery of the
      olfactory function and suggest a relevant role for dopaminergic OB interneurons
      in the pathophysiology of recovery of loss of smell in TBI.

PMID- 28918259
TI  - Disrupted structural and functional connectivity networks in ischemic stroke
      patients.
AB  - Local lesions caused by stroke may result in extensive structural and functional
      reorganization in the brain. Previous studies of this phenomenon have focused on
      specific brain networks. Here, we aimed to discover abnormalities in whole-brain
      networks and to explore the decoupling between structural and functional
      connectivity in patients with stroke. Fifteen ischemic stroke patients and 23
      normal controls (NCs) were recruited in this study. A graph theoretical analysis
      was employed to investigate the abnormal topological properties of structural and
      functional brain networks in patients with stroke. Both patients with stroke and
      NCs exhibited small-world organization in brain networks. However, compared to
      NCs, patients with stroke exhibited abnormal global properties characterized by a
      higher characteristic path length and lower global efficiency. Furthermore,
      patients with stroke showed altered nodal characteristics, primarily in certain
      motor- and cognition-related regions. Positive correlations between the nodal
      degree of the inferior parietal lobule and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) score
      and between the nodal betweenness centrality of the posterior cingulate gyrus
      (PCG) and immediate recall were observed in patients with stroke. Most
      importantly, the strength of the structural-functional connectivity network
      coupling was decreased, and the coupling degree was related to the FMA score of
      patients, suggesting that decoupling may provide a novel biomarker for the
      assessment of motor impairment in patients with stroke. Thus, the topological
      organization of brain networks is altered in patients with stroke, and our
      results provide insights into the structural and functional organization of the
      brain after stroke from the viewpoint of network topology.

PMID- 28918261
TI  - Rat motor neurons caudal to a rubrospinal tract (RST) transection remain viable.
AB  - In the rat, the rubrospinal tract (RST) is a descending motor pathway involved in
      the production of skilled reaching movement. The RST originates in the red
      nucleus in the midbrain and runs down the spinal cord in the lateral most aspect
      of the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF). The RST makes monosynaptic contact with
      interneurons within the intermediate laminae of the cord, however a contingent of
      RST axons constitutes direct supraspinal input for spinal cord motor neurons. The
      current study investigated the effects of unilateral RST transection at cervical
      levels C3-4 on the population of motor neurons in both spinal segments C5-6 and
      L2-3. The total number of large, medium and small motor neurons in these segments
      was estimated with stereological techniques in both ventral horns at 1, 3, 7 and
      14days post-injury. In both spinal cord segments under investigation, no change
      was detected in mean number of motor neurons over time, in either ventral horn.
      That the loss of direct supraspinal input resulting from the RST transection does
      not affect the viability of motor neurons caudal to the injury indicates that
      these neurons have the potential to be re-innervated, should the RST injury be
      repaired.

PMID- 28918263
TI  - DNA nanotechnology-based composite-type gold nanoparticle-immunostimulatory DNA
      hydrogel for tumor photothermal immunotherapy.
AB  - Success of tumor photothermal immunotherapy requires a system that induces heat
      stress in cancer cells and enhances strong anti-tumor immune responses. Here, we
      designed a composite-type immunostimulatory DNA hydrogel consisting of a hexapod
      like structured DNA (hexapodna) with CpG sequences and gold nanoparticles. Mixing
      of the properly designed hexapodna and oligodeoxynucleotide-modified gold
      nanoparticles resulted in the formation of composite-type gold nanoparticle-DNA
      hydrogels. Laser irradiation of the hydrogel resulted in the release of
      hexapodna, which efficiently stimulated immune cells to release proinflammatory
      cytokines. Then, EG7-OVA tumor-bearing mice received an intratumoral injection of
      a gold nanoparticle-DNA hydrogel, followed by laser irradiation at 780 nm. This
      treatment increased the local temperature and the mRNA expression of heat shock
      protein 70 in the tumor tissue, increased tumor-associated antigen-specific IgG
      levels in the serum, and induced tumor-associated antigen-specific interferon
      gamma production from splenocytes. Moreover, the treatment significantly retarded
      the tumor growth and extended the survival of the tumor-bearing mice.

PMID- 28918260
TI  - Organization of sensory feature selectivity in the whisker system.
AB  - Our sensory receptors are faced with an onslaught of different environmental
      inputs. Each sensory event or encounter with an object involves a distinct
      combination of physical energy sources impinging upon receptors. In the rodent
      whisker system, each primary afferent neuron located in the trigeminal ganglion
      innervates and responds to a single whisker and encodes a distinct set of
      physical stimulus properties - features - corresponding to changes in whisker
      angle and shape and the consequent forces acting on the whisker follicle. Here we
      review the nature of the features encoded by successive stages of processing
      along the whisker pathway. At each stage different neurons respond to distinct
      features, such that the population as a whole represents diverse properties.
      Different neuronal types also have distinct feature selectivity. Thus, neurons at
      the same stage of processing and responding to the same whisker nevertheless play
      different roles in representing objects contacted by the whisker. This diversity,
      combined with the precise timing and high reliability of responses, enables
      populations at each stage to represent a wide range of stimuli. Cortical neurons
      respond to more complex stimulus properties - such as correlated motion across
      whiskers - than those at early subcortical stages. Temporal integration along the
      pathway is comparatively weak: neurons up to barrel cortex (BC) are sensitive
      mainly to fast (tens of milliseconds) fluctuations in whisker motion. The
      topographic organization of whisker sensitivity is paralleled by systematic
      organization of neuronal selectivity to certain other physical features, but
      selectivity to touch and to dynamic stimulus properties is distributed in "salt
      and-pepper" fashion.

PMID- 28918264
TI  - Past matrix stiffness primes epithelial cells and regulates their future
      collective migration through a mechanical memory.
AB  - During morphogenesis and cancer metastasis, grouped cells migrate through tissues
      of dissimilar stiffness. Although the influence of matrix stiffness on cellular
      mechanosensitivity and motility are well-recognized, it remains unknown whether
      these matrix-dependent cellular features persist after cells move to a new
      microenvironment. Here, we interrogate whether priming of epithelial cells by a
      given matrix stiffness influences their future collective migration on a
      different matrix - a property we refer to as the 'mechanical memory' of migratory
      cells. To prime cells on a defined matrix and track their collective migration
      onto an adjoining secondary matrix of dissimilar stiffness, we develop a modular
      polyacrylamide substrate through step-by-step polymerization of different PA
      compositions. We report that epithelial cells primed on a stiff matrix migrate
      faster, display higher actomyosin expression, form larger focal adhesions, and
      retain nuclear YAP even after arriving onto a soft secondary matrix, as compared
      to their control behavior on a homogeneously soft matrix. Priming on a soft ECM
      causes a reverse effect. The depletion of YAP dramatically reduces this memory
      dependent migration. Our results present a previously unidentified regulation of
      mechanosensitive collective cell migration by past matrix stiffness, in which
      mechanical memory depends on YAP activity.

PMID- 28918262
TI  - Circuit changes in motor cortex during motor skill learning.
AB  - Motor cortex is important for motor skill learning, particularly the dexterous
      skills necessary for our favorite sports and careers. We are especially
      interested in understanding how plasticity in motor cortex contributes to skill
      learning. Although human studies have been helpful in understanding the
      importance of motor cortex in learning skilled tasks, animal models are necessary
      for achieving a detailed understanding of the circuitry underlying these
      behaviors and the changes that occur during training. We review data from these
      models to try to identify sites of plasticity in motor cortex, focusing on
      rodents asa model system. Rodent neocortex contains well-differentiated motor and
      sensory regions, as well as neurons expressing similar genetic markers to many of
      the same circuit components in human cortex. Furthermore, rodents have circuit
      mapping tools for labeling, targeting, and manipulating these cell types as
      circuit nodes. Crucially, the projection from rodent primary somatosensory cortex
      to primary motor cortex is a well-studied corticocortical projection and a model
      of sensorimotor integration. We first summarize some of the descending pathways
      involved in making dexterous movements, including reaching. We then describe
      local and long-range circuitry in mouse motor cortex, summarizing structural and
      functional changes associated with motor skill acquisition. We then address which
      specific connections might be responsible for plasticity. For insight into the
      range of plasticity mechanisms employed by cortex, we review plasticity in
      sensory systems. The similarities and differences between motor cortex plasticity
      and critical periods of plasticity in sensory systems are discussed.

PMID- 28918265
TI  - Amorphous liquid metal electrodes enabled conformable electrochemical therapy of
      tumors.
AB  - Electrochemical treatment of tumors (EChT) has recently been identified as a very
      effective way for local tumor therapy. However, hindered by the limited effective
      area of a single rigid electrode, multiple electrodes are often recruited when
      tackling large tumors, where too many electrodes not only complicate the clinical
      procedures but also aggravate patients' pain. Here we present a new conceptual
      electric stimulation tumor therapy through introducing the injectable liquid
      metal electrodes, which can adapt to complex tumor shapes so as to achieve
      desired therapeutic performance. This approach can offer evident merits for
      dealing with the complex physiological situations, especially for those irregular
      body cavities like stomach, colon, rectum or even blood vessel etc., which are
      hard to tackle otherwise. As it was disclosed from the conceptual experiments
      that, Unlike traditional rigid and uncomfortable electrodes, liquid metal
      possesses high flexibility to attach to any crooked biological position to
      deliver and adjust targeted electric field to fulfill anticipated tumor
      destruction. And such amorphous electrodes exhibit rather enhanced treatment
      effect of tumors. Further, we also demonstrate that EChT with liquid metal
      electrodes produced more electrochemical products during electrolysis.
      Transformations with the shapes of liquid metal provided an easily regulatable
      strategy to improve EChT efficiency, which can conveniently aid to achieve better
      output compared to multiple electrodes. In vivo EChT of tumors further clarified
      the effect of liquid metal electrodes in retarding tumor growth and increasing
      life spans.

PMID- 28918267
TI  - Compulsivity in opioid dependence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between compulsivity
      versus impulsivity and structural MRI abnormalities in opioid dependence. METHOD:
      We recruited 146 participants: i) patients with a history of opioid dependence
      due to chronic heroin use (n=24), ii) heroin users stabilised on methadone
      maintenance treatment (n=48), iii) abstinent participants with a history of
      opioid dependence due to heroin use (n=24) and iv) healthy controls (n=50).
      Compulsivity was measured using Intra/Extra-Dimensional (IED) Task and
      impulsivity was measured using the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT). Structural
      Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data were also obtained. RESULTS: As
      hypothesised, compulsivity was negatively associated with impulsivity (p<0.02).
      Testing for the neural substrates of compulsivity versus impulsivity, we found a
      higher compulsivity/impulsivity ratio associated with significantly decreased
      white matter adjacent to the nucleus accumbens, bed nucleus of stria terminalis
      and rostral cingulate in the abstinent group, compared to the other opioid
      dependent groups. In addition, self-reported duration of opioid exposure
      correlated negatively with bilateral globus pallidus grey matter reductions.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings are consistent with Volkow & Koob's addiction models and
      underline the important role of compulsivity versus impulsivity in opioid
      dependence. Our results have implications for the treatment of opioid dependence
      supporting the assertion of different behavioural and biological phenotypes in
      the opioid dependence and abstinence syndromes.

PMID- 28918268
TI  - A structural MRI study of excoriation (skin-picking) disorder and its
      relationship to clinical severity.
AB  - Excoriation (skin-picking) disorder (SPD) shares symptomology with other
      obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Few studies, however, have examined
      the neurological profile of patients with SPD. This study examined differences in
      cortical thickness and basal ganglia structural volumes between 20 individuals
      with SPD and 16 healthy controls using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There
      were no significant differences in demographic variables (age, gender, education
      and race) between groups. All subjects completed a structural MRI scan and
      completed a battery of clinical assessments focusing on SPD symptom severity,
      depression and anxiety symptoms, and quality of life. No statistically
      significant differences in basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, and nucleus
      accumbens) structural volumes were found between groups. In individuals with SPD,
      increasing impulsiveness correlated positively with increased cortical thickness
      in the left insula, and skin picking severity correlated negatively with cortical
      thickness in the left supramarginal gyrus and a region encompassing the right
      inferior parietal, right temporal and right supramarginal gyrus. This study
      suggests similarities and differences exist in symptomology between SPD and the
      other obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Additional neuroimaging
      research is needed to better delineate the underlying neurobiology of SPD.

PMID- 28918269
TI  - Excess social media use in normal populations is associated with amygdala
      striatal but not with prefrontal morphology.
AB  - This study aims to investigate the gray matter volume (GMV) of key neural systems
      possibly associated with Excess Social Media Use (ESMU) in the general user
      population. It employs a sex-balanced case (relatively high ESMU scores) -
      control (relatively low ESMU scores) design with 50 random university students
      who have reported varying levels of ESMU. The case and control groups included 25
      subjects each. Brain volumes were calculated with Voxel-Based Morphometry
      techniques applied to structural MRI scans. Results based on voxel-wise and
      region-of-interest (ROI) analyses showed that the case group had reduced GMV in
      the bilateral amygdala and right ventral striatum. The GMV of the bilateral
      amygdala and right ventral striatum negatively correlated with ESMU scores in the
      voxel-wise analysis. No differences or correlations in relation to prefrontal
      regions were observed. Using the ROI analysis, the bilateral amygdala volumes
      correlated with ESMU scores, and insufficient evidence regarding the ventral
      striatum and ESMU was obtained. It is concluded that excess social media use in
      the general population is associated in part with GMV reduction in the bilateral
      amygdala, and possibly the striatum, but not in volumetric differences in
      prefrontal regions.

PMID- 28918266
TI  - Nanomedicine for safe healing of bone trauma: Opportunities and challenges.
AB  - Historically, high-energy extremity injuries resulting in significant soft-tissue
      trauma and bone loss were often deemed unsalvageable and treated with primary
      amputation. With improved soft-tissue coverage and nerve repair techniques, these
      injuries now present new challenges in limb-salvage surgery. High-energy
      extremity trauma is pre-disposed to delayed or unpredictable bony healing and
      high rates of infection, depending on the integrity of the soft-tissue envelope.
      Furthermore, orthopedic trauma surgeons are often faced with the challenge of
      stabilizing and repairing large bony defects while promoting an optimal
      environment to prevent infection and aid bony healing. During the last decade,
      nanomedicine has demonstrated substantial potential in addressing the two major
      issues intrinsic to orthopedic traumas (i.e., high infection risk and low bony
      reconstruction) through combatting bacterial infection and
      accelerating/increasing the effectiveness of the bone-healing process. This
      review presents an overview and discusses recent challenges and opportunities to
      address major orthopedic trauma through nanomedical approaches.

PMID- 28918270
TI  - Corrigendum to "Simulating soil organic carbon stock as affected by land cover
      change and climate change, Hyrcanian forests (northern Iran)" [Sci. Total
      Environ. 599-600 (2017) 1646-1657].

PMID- 28918271
TI  - The role of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes in the coupling of element
      biogeochemical cycling.
AB  - Sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) represent a diverse group of heterotrophic and
      autotrophic microorganisms that are ubiquitous in anoxic habitats. In addition to
      their important role in both sulfur and carbon cycles, SRP are important biotic
      and abiotic regulators of a variety of sulfur-driven coupled biogeochemical
      cycling of elements, including: oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, bromine, iodine and
      metal(loid)s. SRP gain energy form most of the coupling of element
      transformation. Once sulfate-reducing conditions are established, sulfide
      precipitation becomes the predominant abiotic mechanism of metal(loid)s
      transformation, followed by co-precipitation between metal(loid)s. Anthropogenic
      contamination, since the industrial revolution, has dramatically disturbed sulfur
      driven biogeochemical cycling; making sulfur coupled elements transformation
      complicated and unpredictable. We hypothesise that sulfur might be detoxication
      agent for the organic and inorganic toxic compounds, through the metabolic
      activity of SRP. This review synthesizes the recent advances in the role of SRP
      in coupled biogeochemical cycling of diverse elements.

PMID- 28918272
TI  - Impact of reduced mass of light commercial vehicles on fuel consumption, CO2
      emissions, air quality, and socio-economic costs.
AB  - This study presents a modelling system to evaluate the impact of weight reduction
      in light commercial vehicles with diesel engines on air quality and greenhouse
      gas emissions. The PROPS model assesses the emissions of one vehicle in the
      aforementioned category and its corresponding reduced-weight version. The results
      serve as an input to the RIAT+ tool, an air quality integrated assessment
      modelling system. This paper applies the tools in a case study in the Lombardy
      region (Italy) and discusses the input data pre-processing, the PROPS-RIAT+
      modelling system runs, and the results.

PMID- 28918273
TI  - Volatile and semivolatile emissions from the pyrolysis of almond shell loaded
      with heavy metals.
AB  - Heavy metal-loaded almond shell was subjected to pyrolysis to understand the
      effect of the presence of different heavy metals on its thermal degradation.
      Pyrolysis behavior of native and metal-loaded samples was studied by
      thermogravimetric analysis. Similar shapes of thermogravimetric curves indicate
      that the presence of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and
      lead (Pb) did not change the main degradation pathways of almond shell. However,
      the temperature at which the decomposition in each stage takes place at a higher
      rate and char yield was considerably modified by the presence of Cr and Ni. Then,
      pyrolysis tests of the almond shell samples were performed in a moving tubular
      reactor at 700 degrees C. Gases and volatile organic compounds were collected
      using Tedlar bags and semivolatile organic compounds were collected using a resin
      as adsorbent. Significant changes were obtained in the composition of the gaseous
      fraction as a result of the metal impregnation. The main changes in the
      composition of the gas were observed for Ni-loaded sample, which presented the
      highest H2 and CO yields. Also, the yields of most of the light hydrocarbons
      decrease in the presence of metal, while the rest remain quite similar. The total
      PAH yields reached 103MUg/g for nickel-loaded sample (NiAS), 164MUg/g for copper
      loaded sample (CuAS), 172MUg/g for lead-loaded sample (PbAS), 245MUg/g for native
      sample (AS), 248MUg/g for cadmium-loaded sample (CdAS) and 283MUg/g for chromium
      loaded sample (CrAS). Nickel is the most effective in the higher aromatic tar
      reduction, followed by Cu and Pb, whereas the presence of Cd does not affect the
      total emissions of PAHs. Finally, the carcinogenic potency of the samples was
      calculated. Native sample and the sample loaded with Cr presented slightly higher
      values associated to the presence of small amounts of benzo(a)pyrene.

PMID- 28918274
TI  - Distribution comparison and risk assessment of free-floating and particle
      attached bacterial pathogens in urban recreational water: Implications for water
      quality management.
AB  - The risk of pathogen exposure in recreational water is a concern worldwide.
      Moreover, suspended particles, as ideal shelters for pathogens, in these waters
      also need attention. However, the risk caused by the pathogen-particle attachment
      is largely unknown. Accordingly, water samples in three recreational lakes in
      Beijing were collected and separated into free-floating (FL, 0.22-5MUm) and
      particle-attached (PA, >5MUm) fractions. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was
      employed to determine the diversity of genera containing pathogens, and
      quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to assess the presence of genes from Escherichia
      coli (uidA), Salmonella enterica (invA), Aeromonas spp. (aerA), Mycobacterium
      avium (16S) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (oaa). The NGS results showed stable
      pathogen genera composition distinctions between the PA and FL fractions. Some
      genera, such as Aeromonas and Mycobacterium, exhibited higher abundances in the
      PA fractions. qPCR revealed that most of the gene concentrations were higher
      within particles than were FL fractions. Some gene levels showed correlations
      with the particle concentrations and lake nutrient levels. Further quantitative
      microbial risk assessment (QMRA) of selected strains (S. enterica and M. avium)
      indicated a higher health risk during secondary contact activities in lakes with
      more nutrients and particles. We concluded that suspended particles (mainly
      composed of algae) in urban recreational water might influence the pathogen
      distribution and could serve as reservoirs for pathogen contamination, with
      important management implications.

PMID- 28918275
TI  - The association between ambient temperature and the risk of preterm birth in
      China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the gradual increase of global warming, the impact of extreme
      temperatures on health has become a focus of attention, however, its relationship
      with preterm birth remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association
      between exposure to extreme temperatures and preterm birth. METHODS: Temperature
      exposures and birth outcomes of 1,020,471 pregnant women from 132 cities in China
      were investigated. The pregnancy process was divided into different pregnancy
      periods. Study areas were divided into three categories (cold, medium, and hot
      areas) according to the local average temperature by cluster analysis. Average
      temperature data for each province used in the cluster analysis came from the
      China Statistical Yearbook 2013. Logistic regression was used to compare the
      effects of exposure to hot and cold conditions on the outcomes of pregnancy in
      different periods and regions. RESULTS: A total of 1,020,471 singleton births
      were included, of which 73,240(7.2%) were preterm births. Compared with moderate
      temperatures (5th to 95th percentile), heat exposure (>95th percentile) in
      different periods of pregnancy increased the risk of preterm birth in hot areas.
      The most obvious increase was during the 3 months before pregnancy (odds ratio
      (OR)=1.229, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.166-1.295). In contrast to heat
      exposure, cold exposure (<5th percentile) in hot areas reduced the risk of
      preterm birth; the protective effect was most pronounced in the 3 months before
      pregnancy (OR=0.784, 95% CI: 0.734-0.832). In medium and cold areas cold exposure
      also reduced the risk of preterm birth. The effect of exposure to extreme ambient
      temperatures throughout the entire pregnancy on preterm birth was similar to
      those of the periods above. CONCLUSIONS: Acute and chronic exposure to extreme
      temperatures may affect the risk of preterm birth. Extreme heat is a risk factor
      for preterm birth and extreme cold is a protective factor.

PMID- 28918276
TI  - Phytoremediation of soil co-contaminated with Cd and BDE-209 using
      hyperaccumulator enhanced by AM fungi and surfactant.
AB  - Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the uptake and translocation of
      both Cd and decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in Solanum nigrum, under the
      treatments of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi [AMF, Funneliformis mosseae (FM)
      and Rhizophagus intraradices (RI)] and surfactant beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD).
      Results showed that S. nigrum treated with either FM or beta-CD significantly
      elevated shoot biomass and Cd concentrations and contents in shoots. The
      concentrations of BDE-209 in shoots and the dissipation and debromination
      efficiencies of BDE-209 in soil were significantly enhanced in S. nigrum treated
      with beta-CD, inoculated with or without AMF. Moreover, significant positive
      correlations were found between the BDE-209 dissipation efficiency, the BDE-209
      concentrations and contents in roots, and the soil enzymatic activities
      (polyphenol oxidase or dehydrogenase activities) and between the Cd and BDE-209
      contents in shoots or roots. Higher concentrations of lower-brominated products
      and total PBDEs were detected in shoots than in roots suggesting that BDE-209
      might be initially absorbed by roots, then translocated to shoots, and then
      degraded into lower brominated products in shoots. Considering the plant uptake
      of Cd and BDE-209 and the efficient removal of those chemicals in soils, the
      combination of S. nigrum and beta-CD inoculated with or without AMF may be viable
      alternatives for phytoremediation of the co-contaminated soil.

PMID- 28918277
TI  - Lead isotopic fingerprint in human scalp hair: The case study of Iglesias mining
      district (Sardinia, Italy).
AB  - The Sulcis-Iglesiente district (SW Sardinia, Italy) has been, until recently, one
      of the most important Italian polymetallic mining areas for the extraction of
      lead. Epidemiological studies conducted over several decades have indicated this
      site at high risk of environmental crisis with possible adverse effects on the
      public health. In the present paper we discuss Pb isotope signatures in human
      scalp hair and road dust collected from the Sulcis-Iglesiente area in order to
      trace the exposure of populations to potential Pb sources. A total of 23
      determinations (20 on hair samples and 3 on road dust samples) of lead isotope
      ratios (206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/206Pb) were carried out. The obtained results were
      integrate with literature data regarding the total content of Pb in hair samples
      from the same study area. Hair from children living in Sant'Antioco exhibited
      lead isotope ratios in the ranges 1.152-1.165 for 206Pb/207Pb and 2.101-2.108 for
      208Pb/206Pb, while hair samples from Iglesias resulted less radiogenic:
      206Pb/207Pb~1.147-1.154 and 208Pb/206Pb~2.106-2.118. These values pointed to a
      multi-source mixing between the less radiogenic sources, corresponding to the Pb
      ore deposits, and the more radiogenic sources identified in local background.

PMID- 28918278
TI  - Heavy metals (As, Hg and V) and stable isotope ratios (delta13C and delta15N) in
      fish from Yellow River Estuary, China.
AB  - The Yellow River Estuary is a significant fishery, but at present there are few
      studies about the concentrations of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and vanadium (V)
      in fish from this area, which might cause potential health risk to fish
      consumers. The aim of this study was to research on the accumulation and
      potential sources of heavy metals in the fish of the Yellow River Estuary.
      Arsenic, Hg, V and stable isotope ratios (delta15N and delta13C) in 11 species of
      129 fish were analyzed. Results showed that the concentrations of As and Hg were
      all lower than the guideline levels established by international organizations
      and legal limits by several countries. The mean concentrations of V in samples in
      this study were significantly higher than the results of previous studies on
      other regions. Arsenic, Hg and V significantly differed across species (P<0.05),
      which might be due to the different foraging habitats and dietary habits of the
      studied fish. Values of delta15N and delta13C in fish from the study area ranged
      from 5.10/00 to 14.60/00 and from -27.60/00 to -14.50/00, indicating a wide range
      of trophic positions and energy sources. There was evidence of bioaccumulation of
      Hg, which could be explained by the positive correlation between Hg
      concentrations and delta15N in fish. Through estimation of daily intake of
      inorganic As (iAs), Hg and V via fish consumption, the heavy metal contamination
      level of fish samples fell in an acceptable range, indicating no potentially
      hazardous for human health.

PMID- 28918279
TI  - Seasonal variation of chloro-s-triazines in the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment,
      South Africa.
AB  - Seasonal variation of eight chloro-s-triazine herbicides and seven major atrazine
      and terbuthylazine degradation products was monitored in the Hartbeespoort Dam
      catchment using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Lake, river and groundwater were
      sampled from the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment over four seasons and the downstream
      Jukskei River was monitored during the winter season. Triazine herbicide
      concentrations in the Hartbeespoort Dam were in the order
      atrazine>simazine>propazine>ametryn>prometryn throughout the four seasons
      sampled. Triazine herbicide concentrations in the Hartbeespoort Dam surface water
      were highest in summer and gradually decreased in successive seasons of autumn,
      winter and spring. Terbuthylazine was the only triazine herbicide detected at all
      sampling sites in the Jukskei River, though atrazine recorded much higher
      concentrations for the N14 and Kyalami sites, with concentrations of 923 and
      210ngL-1 respectively, compared to 134 and 74ngL-1 for terbuthylazine. Analytical
      results in conjunction with river flow data indicate that the Jukskei and
      Crocodile Rivers contribute the greatest triazine herbicide loads into the
      Hartbeespoort Dam. No triazine herbicides were detected in the fish muscle
      tested, showing that bioaccumulation of triazine herbicides is negligible.
      Atrazine and terbuthylazine metabolites were detected in the fish muscle with
      deethylatrazine (DEA) being detected in both catfish and carp muscle at low
      concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3ngg-1, respectively. Desethylterbuthylazine (DET)
      was detected only in catfish at a concentration of 0.3ngg-1. With atrazine
      herbicide groundwater concentrations being >130ngL-1 for all seasons and
      groundwater ?triazine herbicide concentrations ranging between 527 and 367ngL-1,
      triazine compounds in the Hartbeespoort Dam catchment may pose a risk to humans
      and wildlife in light findings of endocrine and immune disrupting atrazine
      effects by various researchers.

PMID- 28918280
TI  - From sport hunting to breeding success: Patterns of lead ammunition ingestion and
      its effects on an endangered raptor.
AB  - Lead is highly toxic for wildlife, with pernicious consequences especially in
      long-lived predators. The causes of lead ammunition ingestion in Bonelli's eagle
      (Aquila fasciata) and its effects on breeding success were studied in one of the
      most important populations of this endangered species in Europe. Regurgitated
      pellets belonging to different pairs from 2004 to 2014 were analyzed, both in the
      breeding (1363 pellets from 12 territories) and non-breeding (172 pellets from 9
      territories) seasons. From these territories, 57 molted feathers to study lead
      contamination were analyzed, and breeding success was monitored for 41 breeding
      attempts. The occurrence of lead shots in pellets was detected using X-ray
      photographs. Pellets were also used to describe eagle diet. Lead shots in pellets
      were present in 83.3% of the territories. The frequency of occurrence of lead
      shots in pellets (2.81% in spring and 1.31% in autumn) was primarily related to
      the consumption of red-legged partridge in the breeding season (when partridges
      are hunted from blinds using calling lures), and secondarily to rabbit
      consumption in the non-breeding season (coinciding with the main hunting season).
      Thus, our results indicate that injured small-game were the main source of lead
      contamination in the Bonelli's eagle. For the first time for a raptor species, a
      positive relationship between the frequency of occurrence of lead shots in
      pellets and lead concentration in eagles' feathers has been documented. Lead
      concentration in feathers (mean+/-SD: 816+/-426MUgkg-1, with no sex-related
      differences) was high for a species that rarely eats carrion or aquatic birds
      (the main prey-related lead source for raptors). This had negative effects on
      breeding success, which could jeopardize Bonelli's eagles in other European
      populations that are sustained by juvenile dispersal from the study population.
      Our work shows that some game modalities pose a potential threat to endangered
      raptors.

PMID- 28918281
TI  - Distribution of VOCs in urban and rural atmospheres of subtropical India:
      Temporal variation, source attribution, ratios, OFP and risk assessment.
AB  - This paper reports the first study which comprises the seasonal, diurnal
      variability, source characterization, ozone forming potential and risk assessment
      of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at three sites (two urban and one rural) in
      the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India. The study was performed during
      three seasons of the year 2013-14 and two different categories of VOCs (aromatics
      and halogenated) have been selected. The study used the sampling and analytical
      procedures of NIOSH methods. Results showed that the mean concentration of sum of
      VOCs (?VOC) is significantly higher at urban sites (110.0 and 137.4MUg/m3 for JN
      and CP, respectively) as compared to the rural site, DP (56.5MUg/m3). The
      contribution of individual to total VOC concentrations is noticed to be very
      similar at all the three sites. Most of the VOCs are observed to be significantly
      higher in winter followed by summer and autumn. Diurnal cycles of aromatic VOCs
      are highly influenced by the vehicular traffic and photochemical oxidations which
      showed higher and lower levels during morning/evening and daytime, respectively.
      Diagnostic ratios of the toluene/benzene (ranged from 0.65 to 13.9) infers the
      vehicular traffic might be the main contributing source in the urban sites while
      xylene/benzene ratio (ranged from 0.7 to 2.8) confirms the VOCs are transported
      to rural site from the nearby urban areas. Correlation and factor analysis
      suggested the sources are group of different species (traffic emissions, solvent
      usage and industrial) rather than single gas. The analysis of reactivity in terms
      of Prop-Equiv concentrations and ozone forming potential indicated that m/p
      xylene and toluene are the main VOC contributing to the total ozone formation in
      urban and rural sites, respectively. Hazard ratios and lifetime cancer risk
      values exceeded the permissible standards established by USEPA and WHO suggests
      that the people are at significant risk.

PMID- 28918282
TI  - Coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 28918283
TI  - Cardio-oncology: Novel concepts and directions.

PMID- 28918285
TI  - Controlling cell volume for efficient PHB production by Halomonas.
AB  - Bacterial morphology is decided by cytoskeleton protein MreB and cell division
      protein FtsZ encoded by essential genes mreB and ftsZ, respectively. Inactivating
      mreB and ftsZ lead to increasing cell sizes and cell lengths, respectively, yet
      seriously reduce cell growth ability. Here we develop a temperature-responsible
      plasmid expression system for compensated expression of relevant gene(s) in mreB
      or ftsZ disrupted recombinants H. campaniensis LS21, allowing mreB or ftsZ
      disrupted recombinants to grow normally at 30 degrees C in a bioreactor for 12h
      so that a certain cell density can be reached, followed by 36h cell size
      expansions or cell shape elongations at elevated 37 degrees C at which the mreB
      and ftsZ encoded plasmid pTKmf failed to replicate in the recombinants and thus
      lost themselves. Finally, 80% PHB yield increase was achieved via controllable
      morphology manipulated H. campaniensis LS21. It is concluded that controllable
      expanding cell volumes (widths or lengths) provides more spaces for accumulating
      more inclusion body polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and the resulting cell gravity
      precipitation benefits the final separation of cells and product during
      downstream.

PMID- 28918284
TI  - New insights into human female reproductive tract development.
AB  - We present a detailed review of the embryonic and fetal development of the human
      female reproductive tract utilizing specimens from the 5th through the 22nd
      gestational week. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) as well as immunohistochemical
      stains were used to study the development of the human uterine tube, endometrium,
      myometrium, uterine cervix and vagina. Our study revisits and updates the
      classical reports of Koff (1933) and Bulmer (1957) and presents new data on
      development of human vaginal epithelium. Koff proposed that the upper 4/5ths of
      the vagina is derived from Mullerian epithelium and the lower 1/5th derived from
      urogenital sinus epithelium, while Bulmer proposed that vaginal epithelium
      derives solely from urogenital sinus epithelium. These conclusions were based
      entirely upon H&E stained sections. A central player in human vaginal epithelial
      development is the solid vaginal plate, which arises from the uterovaginal canal
      (fused Mullerian ducts) cranially and squamous epithelium of urogenital sinus
      caudally. Since Mullerian and urogenital sinus epithelium cannot be unequivocally
      identified in H&E stained sections, we used immunostaining for PAX2 (reactive
      with Mullerian epithelium) and FOXA1 (reactive with urogenital sinus epithelium).
      By this technique, the PAX2/FOXA1 boundary was located at the extreme caudal
      aspect of the vaginal plate at 12 weeks. During the ensuing weeks, the PAX2/FOXA1
      boundary progressively extended cranially such that by 21 weeks the entire
      vaginal epithelium was FOXA1-reactive and PAX2-negative. This observation
      supports Bulmer's proposal that human vaginal epithelium derives solely from
      urogenital sinus epithelium. Clearly, the development of the human vagina is far
      more complex than previously envisioned and appears to be distinctly different in
      many respects from mouse vaginal development.

PMID- 28918286
TI  - Identifying combinatorial biomarkers by association rule mining in the CAMD
      Alzheimer's database.
AB  - The concept of combinatorial biomarkers was conceived when it was noticed that
      simple biomarkers are often inadequate for recognizing and characterizing complex
      diseases. Here we present an algorithmic search method for complex biomarkers
      which may predict or indicate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other kinds of
      dementia. We show that our method is universal since it can describe any Boolean
      function for biomarker discovery. We applied data mining techniques that are
      capable to uncover implication-like logical schemes with detailed quality
      scoring. The new SCARF program was applied for the Tucson, Arizona based Critical
      Path Institute's CAMD database, containing laboratory and cognitive test data for
      5821 patients from the placebo arm of clinical trials of large pharmaceutical
      companies, and consequently, the data is much more reliable than numerous other
      databases for dementia. The results of our study on this larger than 5800-patient
      cohort suggest beneficial effects of high B12 vitamin level, negative effects of
      high sodium levels or high AST (aspartate aminotransferase) liver enzyme levels
      to cognition. As an example for a more complex and quite surprising rule: Low or
      normal blood glucose level with either low cholesterol or high serum sodium would
      also increase the probability of bad cognition with a 3.7 multiplier. The source
      code of the new SCARF program is publicly available at
      http://pitgroup.org/static/scarf.zip.

PMID- 28918287
TI  - Steroid hormones and persistent organic pollutants in plasma from North-eastern
      Atlantic pilot whales.
AB  - Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are known to have endocrine disruptive
      effects, interfering with endogenous steroid hormones. The present study examined
      nine steroid hormones and their relationships with the concentrations of selected
      POPs in pilot whales (Globicephala melas) from the Faroe Islands, NE Atlantic.
      The different steroids were detected in 15 to all of the 26 individuals. High
      concentrations of progesterone (83.3-211.7pmol/g) and pregnenolone (PRE; 4.68
      5.69pmol/g) were found in three adult females indicating that they were pregnant
      or ovulating. High androgen concentrations in two of the males reflected that one
      was adult and that one (possibly) had reached puberty. In males a significant
      positive and strong correlation between body length and testosterone (TS) levels
      was identified. Furthermore, positive and significant correlations were found
      between 4-OH-CB107/4'-OH-CB108 and 17beta-estradiol in males. In adult females
      significant positive correlations were identified between PRE and CB149 and t
      nonachlor, between estrone and CB138, -149, -187 and p,p'-DDE, between
      androstenedione and CB187, and between TS and CB-99 and -153. Although
      relationships between the POPs and the steroid hormones reported herein are not
      evidence of cause-effect relationships, the positive correlations between
      steroids and POPs, particularly in females, suggest that POPs may have some
      endocrine disrupting effects on the steroid homeostasis in this species.

PMID- 28918288
TI  - Th9 cells promote antitumor immunity via IL-9 and IL-21 and demonstrate atypical
      cytokine expression in breast cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related death in women. Antitumor T cell
      responses play critical therapeutic roles, including direct cytotoxicity mediated
      by CD8+ T cells and immunomodulatory roles mediated by CD4+ T cells. The IL-9
      expressing Th9 cells are recently found to present antitumor immunity in melanoma
      and lung adenocarcinoma. In this study, we found that IL-9 expression in the
      serum and in circulating CD4+ T cells were significantly upregulated in breast
      cancer patients compared to healthy controls. The IL-9-expressing Th9 cells were
      enriched in the CCR4-CCR6-CXCR3- subset. Upon TCR stimulation, this subset also
      presented potent IL-10 and IL-21 expression in addition to IL-9 expression. CCR4
      CCR6-CXCR3- CD4+ T cells also assisted in the killing of autologous tumor cells
      by CD8+ T cells, but did not initiate cytotoxicity by themselves. This
      enhancement in CD8+ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity was dependent on IL-9 as well as
      on IL-21. Interestingly, the tumor-infiltrating Th9 cells presented comparable IL
      9, reduced IL-10, and elevated IL-21 expression compared with their counterparts
      in the peripheral blood. Together, these results demonstrated that IL-9
      expressing Th9 cells were upregulated in breast cancer patients and potentially
      possessed antitumor roles by enhancing CD8+ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

PMID- 28918289
TI  - Effective removal of trace thallium from surface water by nanosized manganese
      dioxide enhanced quartz sand filtration.
AB  - Thallium (Tl) has drawn wide concern due to its high toxicity even at extremely
      low concentrations, as well as its tendency for significant accumulation in the
      human body and other organisms. The need to develop effective strategies for
      trace Tl removal from drinking water is urgent. In this study, the removal of
      trace Tl (0.5 MUg L-1) by conventional quartz sand filtration enhanced by
      nanosized manganese dioxide (nMnO2) has been investigated using typical surface
      water obtained from northeast China. The results indicate that nMnO2 enhanced
      quartz sand filtration could remove trace Tl(I) and Tl(III) efficiently through
      the adsorption of Tl onto nMnO2 added to a water matrix and onto nMnO2 attached
      on quartz sand surfaces. Tl(III)-HA complexes might be responsible for higher
      residual Tl(III) in the effluent compared to residual Tl(I). Competitive Ca2+
      cations inhibit Tl removal to a certain extent because the Ca2+ ions will occupy
      the Tl adsorption site on nMnO2. Moreover, high concentrations of HA (10 mgTOC L
      1), which notably complexes with and dissolves nMnO2 (more than 78%), resulted in
      higher residual Tl(I) and Tl(III). Tl(III)-HA complexes might also enhance
      Tl(III) penetration to a certain extent. Additionally, a higher pH level could
      enhance the removal of trace Tl from surface water. Finally, a slight increase of
      residual Tl was observed after backwash, followed by the reduction of the Tl
      concentration in the effluent to a "steady" state again. The knowledge obtained
      here may provide a potential strategy for drinking water treatment plants
      threatened by trace Tl.

PMID- 28918290
TI  - In situ arsenic oxidation and sorption by a Fe-Mn binary oxide waste in soil.
AB  - The ability of a Fe-Mn binary oxide waste to adsorb arsenic (As) in a
      historically contaminated soil was investigated. Initial laboratory sorption
      experiments indicated that arsenite [As(III)] was oxidized to arsenate [As(V)] by
      the Mn oxide component, with concurrent As(V) sorption to the Fe oxide. The
      binary oxide waste had As(III) and As(V) adsorption capacities of 70mgg-1 and
      32mgg-1 respectively. X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure and Extended X-ray
      Absorption Fine Structure at the As K-edge confirmed that all binary oxide waste
      surface complexes were As(V) sorbed by mononuclear bidentate corner-sharing, with
      2 Fe at ~3.27A. The ability of the waste to perform this coupled oxidation
      sorption reaction in real soils was investigated with a 10% by weight addition of
      the waste to an industrially As contaminated soil. Electron probe microanalysis
      showed As accumulation onto the Fe oxide component of the binary oxide waste,
      which had no As innately. The bioaccessibility of As was also significantly
      reduced by 7.80% (p<0.01) with binary oxide waste addition. The results indicate
      that Fe-Mn binary oxide wastes could provide a potential in situ remediation
      strategy for As and Pb immobilization in contaminated soils.

PMID- 28918291
TI  - Distinguished Cr(VI) capture with rapid and superior capability using
      polydopamine microsphere: Behavior and mechanism.
AB  - Toxic heavy metal containing Cr(VI) species is a serious threat for ecological
      environment and human beings. In this work, a new mussel-inspired polydopamine
      microsphere (PDA-sphere) is prepared through in situ oxidative polymerization at
      air condition with controllable sizes. The adsorption of Cr(VI) ions onto PDA
      sphere is highly pH dependent with the optimal pH ranging from 2.5 to 3.8. A
      rapid Cr(VI) removal can approach in 8min for equilibrium. More importantly, the
      prepared materials exhibit a remarkable sorption selectivity, coexisting SO42-,
      NO3- and Cl- ions at high levels; The applicability model further proves its
      effective performances with treated capacity of 42,000kg/kg sorbent, and the
      effluent can be reduced from 2000ppb to below 50ppb, which meets the drinking
      water criterions recommended by WHO. 1kg sorbent can also purify approximately
      100t Cr(VI) contaminated wastewaters basing on the wastewater discharges of
      China. Such capacity for application ranks the top level for Cr(VI) removal.
      Additionally, the exhausted materials can be well regenerated by binary alkaline
      and salts mixtures. Such efficient adsorption can be ascribed to the well
      dispersed morphology as well as the strong affinity between Cr(VI) and catechol
      or amine groups by XPS investigation. All the results suggest that polydopamine
      microspheres may be ideal materials for Cr(VI) treatment in waters.

PMID- 28918292
TI  - Nanoscaled gold and silver: Simultaneous removal and transformation to functional
      materials.
AB  - Based on an "acid-assisted cool welding" technology which was realized by virtue
      of the freezing process in the presence of acid, nanoscaled gold (Au) and silver
      (Ag) from wastewater could be removed very facilely and efficiently. The
      technology was independence of the freezing temperature, size as well as shape of
      those nanoscaled units. Besides, some functional materials like porous
      nanostructures with highly and stably catalytic activity could be also obtained
      during the removal. Our research not only provided a new method to remove
      nanoscaled Ag or Au from wastewater, but also built up a unique route to
      transform those nano-units into functional materials simultaneously.

PMID- 28918293
TI  - Insight into the H2S selective catalytic oxidation performance on well-mixed Ce
      containing rare earth catalysts derived from MgAlCe layered double hydroxides.
AB  - A series of well-mixed Ce-containing MgAlCe rare earth catalysts derived from
      layered double hydroxides were synthesized and tested for H2S selective catalytic
      oxidation. Particularly, no chemisorption O-vacancies but intrinsic defect sites
      were present on catalyst surface. Significantly, the catalysts exhibited
      excellent catalytic activity, reasonable durability, and outstanding sulfur
      selectivity (100%) at relatively low temperatures. Furthermore, the catalyst
      followed a step-wise mechanism, and the catalyst deactivation was due mainly to
      the slower oxidation rate of Ce3+ to Ce4+ by O2 as compared to the reduction rate
      of Ce4+ to Ce3+ by H2S. Particularly, the added water, a Lewis base, can compete
      with inefficient S8 catalyst for the occupation of Lewis acid sites and active
      sites. Meanwhile, it can change the characteristics of catalyst surface,
      resulting in sulfur existing form transforming from inefficient S8 catalyst to
      inactive S3. Thus, lead to a decrease of deposited inefficient S8 catalyst
      content. Consequently, decrease the catalytic activity.

PMID- 28918294
TI  - Potassium channels modulate the action but not the synthesis of hydrogen sulfide
      in rat corpus cavernosum.
AB  - AIM: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a newly-introduced gasotransmitter in penile
      tissues. However, its exact mechanism of action in mediating penile erection is
      not fully elucidated. The major aim of this study was to examine the role of
      different K+ channels in mediating the responses to H2S in the corpus cavernosum.
      MAIN METHODS: Tension studies using isolated rat corpus cavernosum strips were
      conducted. Endogenous H2S production was measured using polarographic technique.
      Results are expressed as mean+/-SEM. KEY FINDINGS: l-Cysteine (10-2M) stimulated
      rat corpus cavernosum to produce H2S. Blockade of CSE by BCA (10-3M) reduced the
      concentration of H2S produced from rat corpus cavernosum significantly. Addition
      of TEA (10-2M) or 4-AP (10-3M) didn't have a significant effect on the
      concentration of H2S produced. l-Cysteine (10-6-10-2M) elicited a concentration
      dependent relaxation response which was significantly reduced by blockade of CSE
      using BCA (10-3M). TEA (10-2M), 4-AP (10-3M) and TEA (10-4M) attenuated l
      cysteine-induced relaxation significantly. At 10-4M, l-cysteine resulted in
      percentage relaxation of 1.55+/-0.63, 10.94+/-1.93 and 1.93+/-0.80 in presence of
      TEA (10-2M), 4-AP (10-3M) and TEA (10-4M) respectively compared to 23.78+/-2.71
      as control. Both glibenclamide (10-5M) and BaCl2 (3*10-5M) failed to reduce these
      relaxations significantly. SIGNIFICANCE: H2S-induced relaxation of rat corpus
      cavernosum may be mediated - at least in part - through BKca and KV channels not
      by KATP and Kir channels. It also seems that K+-channels do not contribute to the
      synthesis of H2S.

PMID- 28918295
TI  - Case report: Primary aortosigmoid fistula - A rare cause of lower
      gastrointestinal bleeding.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A primary aortoenteric fistula (PAEF) is a communication between
      aorta and the gastrointestinal tract. It is a rare condition that is difficult to
      diagnose and therefore associated with a high mortality. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We
      report a rare case of a 66-year old man with an unstable bleeding PAEF. A salvage
      procedure was performed with a covered stent. Later, a sigmoidectomy was
      performed with resection of the fistula. Postoperatively, the patient suffered an
      infection that was treated well with antibiotics and he was discharged two weeks
      later with complete resolution of the fistula. DISCUSSION: Aortoenteric fistulas
      are more common secondary to previous vascular surgery of aorta, however, PAEF's
      involve the sigmoid in 2%. Seldom, fistulization can be due to diverticulitis
      that can be difficult to diagnose. CONCLUSION: Retroperitoneal bleeding from the
      left iliac artery is more common due to a ruptured aneurysm. This case, however,
      demonstrates a special PAEF formation as a very rare complication of
      diverticulitis. The pathophysiology of the PAEF is very unique along with the
      anatomic localization in the sigmoid colon and left external iliac artery.

PMID- 28918296
TI  - Trichobezoar with and without Rapunzel syndrome in paediatric population: A case
      series from a tertiary care centre of Northern India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Trichobezoars are concretions formed by accumulation of hair in
      stomach. Usually, trichobezoar is confined to the stomach, but rarely it may
      extend from the stomach to the small intestine and even colon. This is an unusual
      form called Rapunzel syndrome. Our experience with this rare entity of Rapunzel
      syndrome and interesting entity of trichobezoar is being presented with review of
      literature. PRESENTATION OF CASES: We, at our institute, encountered four cases
      of trichobezoar in last five years, out of which two were found to be of Rapunzel
      syndrome. All of these cases were managed successfully by open surgical
      intervention in view of the very large size of the mass in all the cases.
      DISCUSSION: The clinical presentation is highly variable ranging from
      asymptomatic cases diagnosed incidently to serious gastrointestinal symptoms and
      complications. Cases of trichobezoar have been reported in literature very
      infrequently but Rapunzel syndrome is extremely rare and less than 50 cases have
      been reported in medical literature till date. CONCLUSION: Trichobezoar leading
      to Rapunzel syndrome is an extremely rare entity. The clinical presentation is
      usually vague and non-specific. Treatment is mainly surgical because of delayed
      presentation in majority of the cases. Psychiatric illness is the usual
      association.

PMID- 28918297
TI  - A rare case of spontaneous rupture of an aneurysm of the right gastric artery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visceral artery aneurysms at the origin of the gastric and
      gastroepiploic artery are uncommon. Raptured visceral aneurysms cause high
      mortality and require urgent and adequate intervention and treatment.
      PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 65-year-old woman was transferred to the emergency
      department with sudden abdominal and back pain. Radiographically, we diagnosed
      intra-abdominal bleeding due to a ruptured aneurysm of the right gastric artery.
      Although her vital signs were relatively stable, transcatheter arterial
      embolization (TAE) could not be performed due to thrombotic occlusion of her
      abdominal aorta, and bilateral axillary arteries. She underwent an emergency
      laparotomy with ligation of the root of the right gastric artery and resection of
      the aneurysm, following which she showed good recovery. Histologically, the right
      gastric artery showed atherosclerosis with an organizing mural thrombus.
      DISCUSSION: Ruptured visceral aneurysms cause high mortality; therefore, rapid
      and adequate treatment is necessary. Achieving adequate transcatheter access
      might be difficult in some cases. In our case, we performed an emergency
      laparotomy and had good recovery. CONCLUSION: We report and discuss the
      literature review for a rare case of intra-abdominal bleeding from a ruptured
      aneurysm of the right gastric artery which was difficult to be approache by TAE.
      In patients with unstable vital signs or in whom it is not possible to obtain a
      good laparoscopic view and clear operative field, we should not hesitate to
      convert the procedure into an open one, and perform an emergency laparotomy.

PMID- 28918298
TI  - In Search of an Answer.

PMID- 28918299
TI  - The prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with a lateral postsurgical defect
      using a 2-piece magnet-retained facial prosthesis: A clinical report.
AB  - Nonsurgical prosthetic interventions are often proposed after repeated grafts
      have failed to restore irradiated facial defects. This report describes a facial
      prosthetic reconstruction following ablative surgery for a sizable facial tumor
      by using a novel custom-made magnet-bearing substructure, which connected with an
      exposed part of the mandibular reconstruction plate. The defect involved the
      entire left lower part of the face and angle of the mentum. This reconstructive
      technique, together with an added surface texture with hair-like silicone
      strands, effectively addressed the cosmetic needs of the patient. Magnetic
      anchorage to an exposed reconstruction plate could be considered an option for
      retaining facial prostheses. The biomechanical aspects of loading and retention
      should be addressed before considering this prosthetic option.

PMID- 28918300
TI  - Dynamical properties of LFPs from mice with unilateral injection of TeNT.
AB  - Local field potential (LFP) recordings were performed from the visual cortex (V1)
      of a focal epilepsy mouse model. Epilepsy was induced by a unilateral injection
      of the synaptic blocker tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT). LFP signals were
      simultaneously recorded from V1 of both hemispheres of each animal under acute
      and chronic conditions (i.e. during and after the period of TeNT action). All
      data were analysed by using nonlinear time series methods. Suitable values of the
      lag time and embedding dimension for phase space reconstruction were estimated by
      employing well-known methods. The results showed that lag times are sensitive to
      the presence of TeNT. Interestingly, TeNT promoted an increase in the level of
      linear and nonlinear correlation of LFP signals. The values of the embedding
      dimension failed to show any dependence on the presence of the neurotoxin.
      However, a local nonlinear prediction method showed that the presence of TeNT
      increases the predictability, quantified by the normalized prediction error, of
      the neural recordings. From a neurophysiological point of view, the above results
      suggest that TeNT injected in one hemisphere strongly impacts the local
      electrical activity of the neural populations in the opposite hemisphere. We
      hypothesize that this could arise from a qualitative and quantitative alteration
      of the transmission properties of the callosal fibers.

PMID- 28918301
TI  - Mathematical fundamentals for the noise immunity of the genetic code.
AB  - : Symmetry is one of the essential and most visible patterns that can be seen in
      nature. Starting from the left-right symmetry of the human body, all types of
      symmetry can be found in crystals, plants, animals and nature as a whole.
      Similarly, principals of symmetry are also some of the fundamental and most
      useful tools in modern mathematical natural science that play a major role in
      theory and applications. As a consequence, it is not surprising that the desire
      to understand the origin of life, based on the genetic code, forces us to involve
      symmetry as a mathematical concept. The genetic code can be seen as a key to
      biological self-organisation. All living organisms have the same molecular bases 
      an alphabet consisting of four letters (nitrogenous bases): adenine, cytosine,
      guanine, and thymine. Linearly ordered sequences of these bases contain the
      genetic information for synthesis of proteins in all forms of life. Thus, one of
      the most fascinating riddles of nature is to explain why the genetic code is as
      it is. Genetic coding possesses noise immunity which is the fundamental feature
      that allows to pass on the genetic information from parents to their descendants.
      Hence, since the time of the discovery of the genetic code, scientists have tried
      to explain the noise immunity of the genetic information. In this chapter we will
      discuss recent results in mathematical modelling of the genetic code with respect
      to noise immunity, in particular error-detection and error-correction. We will
      focus on two central properties: Degeneracy and frameshift correction.
      DEGENERACY: Different amino acids are encoded by different quantities of codons
      and a connection between this degeneracy and the noise immunity of genetic
      information is a long standing hypothesis. Biological implications of the
      degeneracy have been intensively studied and whether the natural code is a frozen
      accident or a highly optimised product of evolution is still controversially
      discussed. Symmetries in the structure of degeneracy of the genetic code are
      essential and give evidence of substantial advantages of the natural code over
      other possible ones. In the present chapter we will present a recent approach to
      explain the degeneracy of the genetic code by algorithmic methods from
      bioinformatics, and discuss its biological consequences. FRAMESHIFT CORRECTION:
      The biologists recognised this problem immediately after the detection of the non
      overlapping structure of the genetic code, i.e., coding sequences are to be read
      in a unique way determined by their reading frame. But how does the reading head
      of the ribosome recognises an error in the grouping of codons, caused by e.g.
      insertion or deletion of a base, that can be fatal during the translation process
      and may result in nonfunctional proteins? In this chapter we will discuss
      possible solutions to the frameshift problem with a focus on the theory of so
      called circular codes that were discovered in large gene populations of
      prokaryotes and eukaryotes in the early 90s. Circular codes allow to detect a
      frameshift of one or two positions and recently a beautiful theory of such codes
      has been developed using statistics, group theory and graph theory.

PMID- 28918302
TI  - A practical guide to systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses in infection
      prevention: Planning, challenges, and execution.
AB  - Systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses are important research designs
      used to summarize and derive conclusions about the collective evidence on a
      focused research question in a structured, reproducible manner. The goal of this
      Methodology Minute is to describe how to conduct a systematic literature review
      and meta-analysis using a step-by-step approach to help infection preventionists
      (IPs) and others in the field perform their own systematic literature review and
      meta-analysis, and to critically evaluate published systematic literature reviews
      and meta-analyses.

PMID- 28918303
TI  - Decoding noises in HIV computational genotyping.
AB  - Lack of a consistent and reliable genotyping system can critically impede HIV
      genomic research on pathogenesis, fitness, virulence, drug resistance, and
      genomic-based healthcare and treatment. At present, mis-genotyping, i.e.,
      background noises in molecular genotyping, and its impact on epidemic
      surveillance is unknown. For the first time, we present a comprehensive
      assessment of HIV genotyping quality. HIV sequence data were retrieved from
      worldwide published records, and subjected to a systematic genotyping assessment
      pipeline. Results showed that mis-genotyped cases occurred at 4.6% globally, with
      some regional and high-risk population heterogeneities. Results also revealed a
      consistent mis-genotyping pattern in gp120 in all studied populations except the
      group of men who have sex with men. Our study also suggests novel virus
      diversities in the mis-genotyped cases. Finally, this study reemphasizes the
      importance of implementing a standardized genotyping pipeline to avoid genotyping
      disparity and to advance our understanding of virus evolution in various
      epidemiological settings.

PMID- 28918304
TI  - Haploidentical Transplantation for Older Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and
      Myelodysplastic Syndrome.
AB  - Allogeneic stem cell transplantation with HLA-matched donors is increasingly used
      for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome
      (MDS). It remains unclear if haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haploSCT)
      is a suitable option for older patients with this disease. We analyzed 43
      patients with AML/MDS (median age, 61 years) who underwent a haploSCT at our
      institution. All patients received a fludarabine-melphalan-based reduced
      intensity conditioning regimen and post-transplant cyclophosphamide-based graft
      versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. Except for 1 patient who had early death,
      the remaining 42 patients (98%) engrafted donor cells. The cumulative incidences
      of grades II to IV and III to IV acute GVHD at 6 months were 35% and 5%,
      respectively, and chronic GVHD at 2 years was 9%. After a median follow-up of 19
      months, 2-year overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and relapse
      incidence were 42%, 42%, and 24%, respectively. Best PFS (74% at 2 years) was
      seen in patients with intermediate-/good-risk cytogenetics, in first or second
      remission (hazard ratio, .4; P = .05), and with a younger donor (<=40 years;
      hazard ratio, .2; P = .01). In conclusion, these data suggest that haploidentical
      transplantation is safe and effective for older AML/MDS patients. Disease status,
      cytogenetics, and younger donor age are predictors for improved survival in older
      patients receiving a haploidentical transplant.

PMID- 28918305
TI  - Single-center experience with percutaneous lead extraction of cardiac implantable
      electric devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The estimated incidence of infected cardiac implantable electric
      devices (CIED) has recently increased to 1-2% in Japan. Extraction of long-term
      implanted devices is generally difficult. There are few reports about lead
      extraction in Japan. We describe our experience with and outcomes of lead
      extraction using excimer lasers, mechanical sheaths, and manual extraction.
      METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics, types of devices, and
      indications for extraction in 29 patients with 67 leads who required CIED lead
      extraction at Shinshu University Hospital between April 2014 and October 2016.
      Mean patient age was 71 years and 25 patients were male. The indications for
      device extraction were infections (n=25) and non-functioning leads (n=4).
      RESULTS: A total of 67 leads (active fixation lead, n=28; passive fixation lead,
      n=39) had been implanted for a median duration of 6.3+/-5.6 years. Extractions
      were performed using an excimer laser sheath (n=26), laser with mechanical sheath
      (n=7), only mechanical sheath (Cook Vascular Inc., Leechburg, PA, USA) (n=1), and
      manually (n=1). The procedure was successful in all patients. There were no major
      or minor complications during extraction. There was no recurrence of infection
      after infected device extraction. Two patients were implanted with subcutaneous
      implantable defibrillators after extraction of the implantable cardioverter
      defibrillator (ICD). CONCLUSIONS: CIED lead extraction, especially of those that
      are adherent to the subclavian vein, can be successfully performed in Japanese
      subjects using an excimer laser and mechanical sheath, without complications.

PMID- 28918306
TI  - Smoking and risk of atrial fibrillation.
AB  - Ahmed et al. showed that atrial fibrillation (AF) was identified in 9.5% in
      smokers vs 7.8% in non-smokers (p<0.001) and smoking was associated with a 15%
      increased risk of AF during 10 years follow up in 11,047 participants. However,
      heterogeneities in the association were observed among subgroups; the association
      was stronger in young compared to older participants and in those with prior
      cardiovascular disease compared to without cardiovascular disease, also the
      association was significant in blacks but not in whites [1]. In this editorial,
      the relationship between smoking and the incidence of atrial fibrillation is
      reviewed.

PMID- 28918307
TI  - An application of Bandura's 'Four Sources of Self-Efficacy' to the self
      management of type 2 diabetes in people with intellectual disability: An
      inductive and deductive thematic analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the successful experiences and positive
      perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) self-managing Type 2
      Diabetes (T2D). This study sought to address this gap using Bandura's (1977)
      'Four Sources of Self-Efficacy' as a framework of enquiry. METHOD: Semi
      structured interviews were conducted with 10 adults with ID. Interviews were
      recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive and deductive
      thematic analysis RESULTS: Nine sub-themes were identified following analysis of
      the data: 1) Mastery through knowledge; 2) Mastery through tools and strategies;
      3) Mastery through autonomy; 4) Influence of social setting; 5) Positive social
      comparisons; 6) Positive and negative self-statements; 7) Feedback from
      caregivers; 8) Adjustment experiences; 9) Symptom awareness. These were mapped
      onto Bandura's (1977) Four Sources of efficacy enhancement model and were
      consistent with its proposed mechanisms. CONCLUSION: The Four Sources model
      serves as a useful mode of enquiry for exploring people with ID's experiences and
      perceptions of self-managing diabetes. It also confirms the appropriateness of
      Self-efficacy as a potential intervention component for this population. However,
      additional support may be required for people with ID to reflect meaningfully on
      their experiences and thus have a sense of self-efficacy. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS:
      This paper builds upon the limited existing literature on people with ID self
      managing type 2 diabetes and provides a robust, qualitative account of the
      participants' experiences, whilst confirming some of the existing challenges,
      both for people with ID and their supporters. To self-manage with autonomy and
      overcome the difficulties of adjustment, further strategies such as training and
      education needs are highlighted. In addition, the meaning and relevance of the
      Self-efficacy construct is evaluated in the context of people with ID self
      managing T2D. This provides useful information in terms of tailoring existing
      mainstream T2D interventions to meet the needs of people with ID, as such
      programs are commonly theoretically guided by Self-efficacy. Furthermore, this
      evaluation provides rationale for the exploration of people with IDs' Self
      efficacy in relation to other chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease,
      cancer symptoms and gastrointestinal disorders.

PMID- 28918308
TI  - Appropriateness of different pedagogical approaches to road safety education for
      children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2016, 29% of pedestrians killed or seriously injured on the roads
      in Great Britain were under 15 years of age. Children with Developmental
      Coordination Disorder (DCD), a chronic disorder affecting the acquisition and
      execution of motor skills, may be more vulnerable at the roadside than typically
      developing (TD) children. Current methods used to teach road safety are typically
      knowledge-based and do not necessarily improve behaviour in real traffic
      situations. Virtual reality road crossing tasks may be a viable alternative.
      AIMS/METHODS: The present study aimed to test the road crossing accuracy of
      children with and without DCD in virtual reality tasks that varied the viewpoint
      to simulate the teaching methods currently used in road safety educational
      programmes. Twenty-one children with DCD and twenty-one age and gender matched TD
      peers were required to locate the safest road crossing sites in two conditions:
      allocentric (aerial viewpoint) and egocentric (first-person viewpoint).
      PROCEDURES/OUTCOMES: All children completed both conditions and were required to
      navigate either themselves or an avatar across the road using the safest crossing
      route. The primary outcome was accuracy defined as the number of trials, out of
      10, on which the child successfully identified and used the safest crossing
      route. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Children with DCD performed equally poorly in both
      conditions, while TD children were significantly more accurate in the egocentric
      condition. This difference cannot be explained by self-reported prior road
      crossing education, practice or confidence. IMPLICATIONS: While TD children may
      benefit from the development of an egocentric virtual reality road crossing task,
      multimodal methods may be needed to effectively teach road safety to children
      with DCD.

PMID- 28918309
TI  - Health and wellbeing during transition to adulthood for young people with
      intellectual disabilities: A qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transition to adulthood may have negative consequences for health and
      wellbeing in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), but this aspect of
      transition has received little investigation. This qualitative study aimed to
      explore the transition experiences of individuals with ID from their own
      perspectives, and from that of their parents, in order to identify health or
      wellbeing implications of transition. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were
      conducted with 17 young people with mild, moderate and severe ID aged 16-27 years
      and with 23 parents of young people with mild, moderate, severe and profound ID
      aged 16-26 years. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, deploying
      both emic and etic coding categories. RESULTS: This study provides direct
      insights into the issues on health and wellbeing that young people with ID and
      their parents find important during transition. The primary health implication of
      transition centred on mental health and wellbeing; young people experienced
      heightened anxiety during transition, and themes identified as contributing to
      anxiety included: a lack of meaningful activity following school exit; inadequate
      support during transition; and difficulties associated with 'growing up'. Problem
      behaviours and obesity were also implicated. CONCLUSION: The transition from
      school needs to be better supported in order to ease anxiety for young people
      during this difficult period.

PMID- 28918310
TI  - Effect of eplerenone on markers of bone turnover in patients with primary
      hyperparathyroidism - The randomized, placebo-controlled EPATH trial.
AB  - Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonism may affect bone turnover via direct
      and indirect pathways involving parathyroid hormone, but randomized controlled
      trials are lacking. In a pre-specified analysis of the "Eplerenone in primary
      hyperparathyroidism" placebo-controlled, randomized trial (ISRCTN 33941607),
      effects of eight weeks MR-blockade with eplerenone on bone turnover markers in 97
      patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were tested. Mean age was 67.5+/
      9.5years, and 76 (78.4%) were females. In analysis of covariance with adjustment
      for baseline values, eplerenone had no significant effect on isoform 5b of the
      tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), beta-crosslaps, N-terminal propeptide
      of procollagen type 1 (P1NP), osteocalcin and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase.
      There was no significant cross-sectional correlation between plasma aldosterone
      concentration or the aldosterone-to-renin ratio and markers of bone turnover in
      multivariate linear regression models at baseline. These data provide first
      evidence from a randomized and placebo-controlled trial that short-term MR
      antagonism may not affect bone turnover, at least in patients with primary
      hyperparathyroidism.

PMID- 28918311
TI  - Structural basis for the potent and selective binding of LDN-212854 to the BMP
      receptor kinase ALK2.
AB  - Individuals with the rare developmental disorder fibrodysplasia ossificans
      progressiva (FOP) experience disabling heterotopic ossification caused by a gain
      of function mutation in the intracellular region of the BMP type I receptor
      kinase ALK2, encoded by the gene ACVR1. Small molecule BMP type I receptor
      inhibitors that block this ossification in FOP mouse models have been derived
      from the pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine scaffold of dorsomorphin. While the first
      derivative LDN-193189 exhibited pan inhibition of BMP receptors, the more recent
      compound LDN-212854 has shown increased selectivity for ALK2. Here we solved the
      crystal structure of ALK2 in complex with LDN-212854 to define how its binding
      interactions compare to previously reported BMP and TGFbeta receptor inhibitors.
      LDN-212854 bound to the kinase hinge region as a typical type I ATP-competitive
      inhibitor with a single hydrogen bond to ALK2 His286. Specificity arising from
      the 5-quinoline moiety was associated with a distinct pattern of water-mediated
      hydrogen bonds involving Lys235 and Glu248 in the inactive conformation favoured
      by ALK2. The structure of this complex provides a template for the design of
      future ALK2 inhibitors under development for the treatment of FOP and other
      related conditions of heterotopic ossification.

PMID- 28918312
TI  - (Reinforcement?) Learning to forage optimally.
AB  - Foraging effectively is critical to the survival of all animals and this
      imperative is thought to have profoundly shaped brain evolution. Decisions made
      by foraging animals often approximate optimal strategies, but the learning and
      decision mechanisms generating these choices remain poorly understood. Recent
      work with laboratory foraging tasks in humans suggest their behaviour is poorly
      explained by model-free reinforcement learning, with simple heuristic strategies
      better describing behaviour in some tasks, and in others evidence of prospective
      prediction of the future state of the environment. We suggest that model-based
      average reward reinforcement learning may provide a common framework for
      understanding these apparently divergent foraging strategies.

PMID- 28918313
TI  - Learning with three factors: modulating Hebbian plasticity with errors.
AB  - Synaptic plasticity is a central theme in neuroscience. A framework of three
      factor learning rules provides a powerful abstraction, helping to navigate
      through the abundance of models of synaptic plasticity. It is well-known that the
      dopamine modulation of learning is related to reward, but theoretical models
      predict other functional roles of the modulatory third factor; it may encode
      errors for supervised learning, summary statistics of the population activity for
      unsupervised learning or attentional feedback. Specialized structures may be
      needed in order to generate and propagate third factors in the neural network.

PMID- 28918314
TI  - Empirical research evaluating the effects of non-traditional approaches to
      enhancing sleep in typical and clinical children and young people.
AB  - This paper examines the effects of non-traditional (non-behavioural and non
      prescription pharmaceutical) approaches to sleep in children and young people (0
      18 y). A systematic search identified 79 studies that met inclusion criteria.
      Seventeen percent of the studies were rated as having a conclusive level of
      evidence, forty-two percent with preponderant evidence and forty-one percent with
      only suggestive evidence. There were promising indications, with certain
      populations only, for aromatherapy, ketogenic diets, an elimination diet (few
      foods diet), elimination of cow's milk, avoidance of caffeine, tryptophan with
      adenosine and uridine, omega-3 and omega-6, valerian, music, osteopathic
      manipulation and white noise. Bright light therapy and massage returned some
      positive results. All of these interventions warrant further, more rigorous
      research. There was limited or no evidence to support acupressure or acupuncture,
      other diets or dietary supplements, exercise or weighted blankets. Caution is
      needed in interpreting some studies because poorer quality studies were more
      likely to return positive results. Suggestions are made for the improvement of
      large and smaller scale research, especially conceptualization around multiple
      physiological measures of sleep and the adoption of research methods which are of
      use in clinical settings.

PMID- 28918315
TI  - Does cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia improve cognitive performance? A
      systematic review and narrative synthesis.
AB  - Individuals with insomnia report difficulties pertaining to their cognitive
      functioning. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is associated
      with robust, long-term improvements in sleep parameters, however less is known
      about the impact of CBT-I on the daytime correlates of the disorder. A systematic
      review and narrative synthesis was conducted in order to summarise and evaluate
      the evidence regarding the impact of CBT-I on cognitive functioning. Reference
      databases were searched and studies were included if they assessed cognitive
      performance as an outcome of CBT-I, using either self-report questionnaires or
      cognitive tests. Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria, comprising 923
      individuals with insomnia symptoms. The standardised mean difference was
      calculated at post-intervention and follow-up. We found preliminary evidence for
      small to moderate effects of CBT-I on subjective measures of cognitive
      functioning. Few of the effects were statistically significant, likely due to
      small sample sizes and limited statistical power. There is a lack of evidence
      with regards to the impact of CBT-I on objective cognitive performance, primarily
      due to the small number of studies that administered an objective measure (n =
      4). We conclude that adequately powered randomised controlled trials, utilising
      both subjective and objective measures of cognitive functioning are required.

PMID- 28918316
TI  - MR-guided joint reconstruction of activity and attenuation in brain PET-MR.
AB  - With the advent of time-of-flight (TOF) PET scanners, joint maximum-likelihood
      reconstruction of activity and attenuation (MLAA) maps has recently regained
      attention for the estimation of PET attenuation maps from emission data. However,
      the estimated attenuation and activity maps are scaled by unknown scaling
      factors. We recently demonstrated that in hybrid PET-MR, the scaling issue of
      this algorithm can be effectively addressed by imposing MR spatial constraints on
      the estimation of attenuation maps using a penalized MLAA (P-MLAA+) algorithm.
      With the advent of simultaneous PET-MR systems, MRI-guided PET image
      reconstruction has also gained attention for improving the quantitative accuracy
      of PET images, usually degraded by noise and partial volume effects. The aim of
      this study is therefore to increase the benefits of MRI information for improving
      the quantitative accuracy of PET images by exploiting MRI-based anatomical
      penalty functions to guide the reconstruction of both activity and attenuation
      maps during their joint estimation. We employed an anato-functional joint entropy
      penalty function for the reconstruction of activity and an anatomical quadratic
      penalty function for the reconstruction of attenuation. The resulting algorithm
      was referred to as P-MLAA++ since it exploits both activity and attenuation
      penalty functions. The performance of the P-MLAA algorithms were compared with
      MLAA and the widely used activity reconstruction algorithms such as maximum
      likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) and penalized MLEM (P-MLEM) both
      corrected for attenuation using a conventional MRI segmentation-based attenuation
      correction (MRAC) method. The studied methods were evaluated using simulations
      and clinical studies taking the PET image reconstructed using reference CT-based
      attenuation maps as a reference. The simulation results showed that the proposed
      method can notably improve the visual quality of the PET images by reducing noise
      while preserving structural boundaries and at the same time improving the
      quantitative accuracy of the PET images. Our clinical reconstruction results
      showed that the MLEM-MRAC, P-MLEM-MRAC, MLAA, P-MLAA+ and P-MLAA++ algorithms
      result in, on average, quantification errors of -13.5 +/- 3.1%, -13.4 +/- 3.1%, 
      2.0 +/- 6.5%, -3.0 +/- 3.5% and -4.2 +/- 3.6%, respectively, in different regions
      of the brain. In conclusion, whilst the P-MLAA+ algorithm showed the best overall
      quantification performance, the proposed P-MLAA++ algorithm provided simultaneous
      partial volume and attenuation corrections with only a minor compromise of PET
      quantification.

PMID- 28918317
TI  - Bithionol residue analysis in animal-derived food products by an effective and
      rugged extraction method coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Herein, we developed a simple analytical procedure for the quantitation of
      bithionol residues in animal-derived food products such as porcine muscle, eggs,
      milk, eel, flatfish, and shrimp using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective,
      rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction method coupled with liquid chromatography
      electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI+/MS-MS). Samples were
      extracted with 0.1% solution of formic acid in acetonitrile and the extract was
      purified using a C18 sorbent. Separation was performed on a Waters XBridgeTM C18
      reversed-phase analytical column using 0.1% solution of formic acid/acetonitrile
      as the mobile phase. Six-point matrix-matched calibration indicated good
      linearity, with the calculated coefficients of determination (R2) being>=0.9813.
      Intra- and inter-day recoveries (determined at spiking levels equivalent to 1*and
      2*the limit of quantitation (0.25MUg/kg)) ranged between 80.0 and 94.0%, with the
      corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) being<=8.2%. The developed
      experimental protocol was applied to different samples purchased from local
      markets in Seoul, which were tested negative for bithionol residues. In
      conclusion, the proposed method proved to be versatile and precise, being ideally
      suited for the routine detection of bithionol residues in animal-derived food
      products with various protein and fat contents.

PMID- 28918318
TI  - High sensitivity method validated to quantify estradiol in human plasma by LC
      MS/MS.
AB  - 17beta-Estradiol (E2) is an endogenous steroid in the human body. Its measurement
      is important for health and human biology understanding. However, E2
      concentration in human plasma is in the range of pg/mL, which makes it difficult
      to detect. In this way, LC-MS/MS has been shown the most sensitive tool, although
      E2 is a weakly ionizable molecule. In this work, we validated a more sensitive
      and accurate method for E2 quantification in human plasma. Our extraction step
      ensured a cleaner chromatography, resulting in a precise measurement and highly
      reproducible method in the range of 2-150pg/mL. Moreover, we proved a long
      stability for E2 in several conditions. All results indicate that our developed
      method is robust and sensitive enough to apply in bioequivalence studies for E2
      measurement in human plasma, even at very low concentrations.

PMID- 28918319
TI  - Determination of chlorogenic acids and caffeine in homemade brewed coffee
      prepared under various conditions.
AB  - Coffee, a complex mixture of more than 800 volatile compounds, is one of the most
      valuable commodity in the world, whereas caffeine and chlorogenic acids (CGAs)
      are the most common compounds. CGAs are mainly composed of caffeoylquinic acids
      (CQAs), dicaffeoylquinic acids (diCQAs), and feruloylquinic acids (FQAs). The
      major CGAs in coffee are neochlorogenic acid (3-CQA), cryptochlorogenic acid (4
      CQA), and chlorogenic acid (5-CQA). Many studies have shown that it is possible
      to separate the isomers of FQAs by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
      However, some authors have shown that it is not possible to separate 4
      feruloylquinic acid (4-FQA) and 5-feruloylquinic acid (5-FQA) by HPLC. Therefore,
      the present study was designated to investigate the chromatographic problems in
      the determination of CGAs (seven isomers) and caffeine using HPLC-DAD. The values
      of determination coefficient (R2) calculated from external-standard calibration
      curves were >0.998. The recovery rates conducted at 3 spiking levels ranged from
      99.4% to 106.5% for the CGAs and from 98.8% to 107.1% for the caffeine. The
      precision values (expressed as relative standard deviations (RSDs)) were <7% and
      <3% for intra and interday variability, respectively. The tested procedure proved
      to be robust. The seven CGAs isomers except 4-FQA and 5-FQA were well
      distinguished and all gave good peak shapes. We have found that 4-FQA and 5-FQA
      could not be separated using HPLC. The method was extended to investigate the
      effects of different brewing conditions such as the roasting degree of green
      coffee bean, coffee-ground size, and numbers of boiling-water pours, on the
      concentration of CGAs and caffeine in homemade brewed coffee, using nine green
      coffee bean samples of different origins. It was reported that medium-roasted,
      fine-ground coffees brewed using three pours of boiling water were the healthiest
      coffee with fluent CGAs.

PMID- 28918321
TI  - Extending donor size in D-A-pi-A organic dye for dye sensitized solar cells: Anti
      aggregation and improving electron injection.
AB  - We have theoretically designed two D-A-pi-A dyes 3 and 4 based on the efficient
      references 1 and 2 by introducing an extra electron donor unit (D2). Via
      calculating the electronic structures of isolated dyes, we obtain that dyes 3 and
      4 possess stronger light-harvesting efficiency imparted by the fluorescence
      energy transfer of D2 part, maintain comparable lifetime of excited states, and
      shorten the electron injection time significantly with regard to 1 and 2.
      Meanwhile, dye 3 positively shifts the edge of virtual states of TiO2 in a larger
      extent compared to its counterparts. Then after considering the alignment
      morphology of multiple dyes adsorbed on TiO2 surface, we find that dyes 3 and 4
      manifest the capability of anti-aggregation obviously, which is evidenced by the
      smaller quantity of intermolecular electronic coupling compared to that of dyes 1
      and 2, definitively illustrating the prominent performance of novel dyes with the
      bulky D2 moiety. Finally, dye 3 is screened out as the potential candidate for
      future application.

PMID- 28918320
TI  - In silico interaction analysis of cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1b
      (CRIP1b) - CB1 cannabinoid receptor.
AB  - Cannabinoid Receptor Interacting Protein isoform 1b (CRIP1b) is known to interact
      with the CB1 receptor. Alternative splicing of the CNRIP1 gene produces CRIP1a
      and CRIP1b with a difference in the third exon only. Exons 1 and 2 encode for a
      functional domain in both proteins. CRIP1a is involved in regulating CB1 receptor
      internalization, but the function of CRIP1b is not very well characterized. Since
      there are significant identities in functional domains of these proteins, CRIP1b
      is a potential target for drug discovery. We report here predicted structure of
      CRIP1b followed by its interaction analysis with CB1 receptor by in-silico
      methods A number of complementary computational techniques, including, homology
      modeling, ab-initio and protein threading, were applied to generate three
      dimensional molecular models for CRIP1b. The computed model of CRIP1b was
      refined, followed by docking with C terminus of CB1 receptor to generate a model
      for the CRIP1b- CB1 receptor interaction. The structure of CRIP1b obtained by
      homology modelling using RHO_GDI-2 as template is a sandwich fold structure
      having beta sheets connected by loops, similar to predicted CRIP1a structure. The
      best scoring refined model of CRIP1b in complex with the CB1 receptor C terminus
      peptide showed favourable polar interactions. The overall binding pocket of
      CRIP1b was found to be overlapping to that of CRIP1a. The Arg82 and Cys126 of
      CRIP1b are involved in the majority of hydrogen bond interactions with the CB1
      receptor and are possible key residues required for interactions between the CB1
      receptor and CRIP1b.

PMID- 28918322
TI  - Time for TIGER to ROAR! Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform.
AB  - Information Technology (IT) continues to evolve and develop with electronic
      devices and systems becoming integral to healthcare in every country. This has
      led to an urgent need for all professions working in healthcare to be
      knowledgeable and skilled in informatics. The Technology Informatics Guiding
      Education Reform (TIGER) Initiative was established in 2006 in the United States
      to develop key areas of informatics in nursing. One of these was to integrate
      informatics competencies into nursing curricula and life-long learning. In 2009,
      TIGER developed an informatics competency framework which outlines numerous IT
      competencies required for professional practice and this work helped increase the
      emphasis of informatics in nursing education standards in the United States. In
      2012, TIGER expanded to the international community to help synthesise
      informatics competencies for nurses and pool educational resources in health IT.
      This transition led to a new interprofessional, interdisciplinary approach, as
      health informatics education needs to expand to other clinical fields and beyond.
      In tandem, a European Union (EU) - United States (US) Collaboration on eHealth
      began a strand of work which focuses on developing the IT skills of the health
      workforce to ensure technology can be adopted and applied in healthcare. One
      initiative within this is the EU*US eHealth Work Project, which started in 2016
      and is mapping the current structure and gaps in health IT skills and training
      needs globally. It aims to increase educational opportunities by developing a
      model for open and scalable access to eHealth training programmes. With this
      renewed initiative to incorporate informatics into the education and training of
      nurses and other health professionals globally, it is time for educators,
      researchers, practitioners and policy makers to join in and ROAR with TIGER.

PMID- 28918323
TI  - Quantitative determination of carfilzomib in mouse plasma by liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and its application to a pharmacokinetic
      study.
AB  - A highly sensitive and rapid LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated to
      determine the levels of carfilzomib in mice plasma by using chlorpropamide as an
      internal standard. Carfilzomib and chlorpropamide were extracted from 5 MUL of
      plasma after protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation
      was performed on Phenomenex Luna C18 column (50*2.0mm id, 3MUm). The mobile phase
      consisted of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile -0.1% formic acid in water (1:1v/v)
      and the flow rate was 0.3mL/min. The total chromatographic run time was 2.5min.
      Detection was performed on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with
      positive-ion electrospray ionization by selected reaction monitoring of the
      transitions at m/z 720.20>100.15 (for carfilzomib) and m/z 277.05>111.05 (for the
      internal standard). The lower limit of quantification was 0.075ng/mL and the
      linear range was 0.075-1250ng/mL (r>=0.9974). All validation data, including
      selectivity, precision, accuracy, matrix effect, recovery, dilution integrity,
      stability, and incurred sample reanalysis, were well within acceptance limits.
      This newly developed bioanalytical method was simple, highly sensitive, required
      only a small volume of plasma, and was suitable for application in
      pharmacokinetic studies in mice that used serial blood sampling.

PMID- 28918324
TI  - Simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetic study of twelve bioactive
      compounds in rat plasma after intravenous administration of Xuebijing injection
      by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS.
AB  - Xuebijing injection (XBJ) is a traditional Chinese herbal prescription widely
      used in the treatment of sepsis. Extensive studies revealed that the major
      bioactive constituents of XBJ injection, including phenolic acids, flavonoids,
      monoterpene glycosides, lactones and organic acids, play an important role in the
      treatment. In this study, a rapid, sensitive and accurate ultra high performance
      liquid chromatography - Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole - orbitrap high-resolution
      accurate mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) method was developed for
      simultaneous determination of twelve bioactive compounds in rat plasma after
      intravenous administration of XBJ injection. A gradient elution for separation
      was achieved on a waters ACQUITY UHPLC(r) BEH C18 column (2.1mm*50mm, 1.7MUm)
      column with acetonitrile-water (containing 0.1% formic acid) as mobile phase at a
      flow rate of 0.2mL/min. All compounds and IS were monitored by parallel reaction
      monitoring assay both in positive and negative ion mode. The developed method was
      validated for intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision whose values fell in
      the acceptable limits. Extraction recoveries at three levels of QC concentrations
      were all more than 80% for all compounds and IS, and matrix effects were found in
      the range of 80.0-120.0%. Stability results showed that all analytes were stable
      at the investigated conditions. The validated method was successfully applied to
      a pharmacokinetic study of Xuebijing injection following intravenous
      administration of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0mL/kg to rats respectively. And the result
      indicated that the pharmacokinetic behavior of XBJ injection is positively
      related to dosage at the range of 2.5-10mg/kg. This study will provide a
      meaningful basis for evaluating the rationality of XBJ injection for clinical
      application.

PMID- 28918325
TI  - A novel LC-MS/MS method for the quantitative measurement of the acetate content
      in pharmaceutical peptides.
AB  - Most pharmaceutical peptides are supplied as acetate salts and the relative
      amount of acetate to peptide in the final product is one quality criterion
      required by regulatory agencies to approve the product for clinical use. The
      objective of the present study was to develop a validated LC-MS/MS method that
      allows the quantitative determination of the acetate content in pharmaceutical
      peptide preparations and simultaneous monitoring and collection of qualitative
      and quantitative information on the peptide during manufacture and in the final
      product. The method uses reversed phase C18-chromatography to elute the acetate
      ions under acidic conditions, pH 3, followed by post-column infusion of ammonium
      hydroxide 0.6M, methanolic solution (30:70) at a rate of 0.5mL/hr. The acetate
      ions were monitored in negative polarity mass spectrometry by pseudo multiple
      reaction monitoring (pseudo MRM) against 1, 2- 13C labelled acetate, the internal
      standard used in the method. The method was linear for acetate concentrations
      between 0.4 and 25MUg/mL with a coefficient of determination (r2) equal to
      0.9999. The minimum level of detection and minimum level of quantification were
      at 0.06MUg/mL and 0.18MUg/mL respectively. Accuracy of the method was judged by
      determining the acetate content in a commercial product of the peptide
      pharmaceutical tetracosactide (TCS) and parallel comparison to the amounts
      determined by a reversed phase HPLC method with detection at a wavelength of
      210nm. The amounts determined by the two methods were in agreement with a RSD
      that was less than 2%. Additional confirmation of method accuracy was determined
      by spiking the pharmaceutical peptide with varying amounts of acetate. The
      recoveries ranged on average between 101 and 102% for the spiked amounts.
      Accuracy was also determined by calculating the percentage relative error of the
      predicted to actual acetate concentration in quality controls and was determined
      to be less than 5%. The LC-MS/MS method was precise with an intra- and inter-day
      RSD of less than 5%. The standard solutions were stable for at least one month
      when kept frozen at -80 degrees C with no loss in response and an inter-day RSD
      of less than 5%. The method was applied to quantify the acetate content in the
      clinically available product of TCS and to simultaneously evaluate the average
      peptide molecular weight and detect known impurities by switching from negative
      polarity MRM analysis to positive polarity MS analysis following the elution of
      the acetate peak. The method reported herein should corroborate quantitative
      determinations of the acetate content in pharmaceuticals by the traditional
      compendial HPLC method.

PMID- 28918326
TI  - A surrogate analyte-based liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method
      for the determination of endogenous cyclic nucleotides in rat brain.
AB  - A robust high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC
      MS/MS) assay was developed and qualified for the measurement of cyclic
      nucleotides (cNTs) in rat brain tissue. Stable isotopically labeled 3',5'-cyclic
      adenosine-13C5 monophosphate (13C5-cAMP) and 3',5'-cyclic guanosine-13C,15N2
      monophosphate (13C15N2-cGMP) were used as surrogate analytes to measure
      endogenous 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and 3',5'-cyclic guanosine
      monophosphate (cGMP). Pre-weighed frozen rat brain samples were rapidly
      homogenized in 0.4M perchloric acid at a ratio of 1:4 (w/v). Following internal
      standard addition and dilution, the resulting extracts were analyzed using
      negative ion mode electrospray ionization LC-MS/MS. The calibration curves for
      both analytes ranged from 5 to 2000ng/g and showed excellent linearity
      (r2>0.996). Relative surrogate analyte-to-analyte LC-MS/MS responses were
      determined to correct concentrations derived from the surrogate curves. The intra
      run precision (CV%) for 13C5-cAMP and 13C15N2-cGMP was below 6.6% and 7.4%,
      respectively, while the inter-run precision (CV%) was 8.5% and 5.8%,
      respectively. The intra-run accuracy (Dev%) for 13C5-cAMP and 13C15N2-cGMP was
      <11.9% and 10.3%, respectively, and the inter-run Dev% was <6.8% and 5.5%,
      respectively. Qualification experiments demonstrated high analyte recoveries,
      minimal matrix effects and low autosampler carryover. Acceptable frozen storage,
      freeze/thaw, benchtop, processed sample and autosampler stability were shown in
      brain sample homogenates as well as post-processed samples. The method was found
      to be suitable for the analysis of rat brain tissue cAMP and cGMP levels in
      preclinical biomarker development studies.

PMID- 28918327
TI  - Determination of ketamine and its main metabolites by liquid chromatography
      coupled to tandem mass spectrometry in pig plasma: Comparison of extraction
      methods.
AB  - A rapid, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass
      spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous quantification pig plasma
      of ketamine and its two principal metabolites, norketamine and
      dehydronorketamine. Three extraction procoles were assessed including
      acetonitrile precipitation, OaseTM microplate extraction, and liquid-liquid
      extraction. OaseTM microplate extraction induced no significant matrix effect,
      important signal/noise ratio and good recoveries, ranging from 82 to 87% for the
      considered compounds. Using this extraction procedure, the assay was linear in
      the dynamic range 10-3000ng/mL (R2>0.99) regardless of the analytes. Intra- and
      inter-day accuracies were less than 12% for all compounds and intra- and inter
      day precisions expressed as RSD were within <9.9%. Samples were stable in
      different storage conditions. High ketamine, norketamine and dehydronorketamine
      concentrations up to 15,000ng/mL can be determined with good precision using
      appropriate sample dilution. The assay was successfully applied to pig plasma
      samples to determine the pharmacokinetics of ketamine and the consecutive
      metabolites after buccal administration of a 4mg/kg ketamine base solutions.

PMID- 28918328
TI  - Semiautomated determination of neonicotinoids and characteristic metabolite in
      urine samples using TurboFlowTM coupled to ultra high performance liquid
      chromatography coupled to Orbitrap analyzer.
AB  - A semiautomated method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography
      (UHPLC) coupled to Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry has been developed
      for the determination of neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, acetamiprid, clothianidin,
      dinotefuran, nitenpyram, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam) and the metabolite
      acetamiprid-n-desmethyl in urine samples. Two automated methods were tested
      (solid-phase extraction "SPE" and turbulent flow chromatography "TurboFlowTM"),
      obtaining the best results when TurboFlowTM was applied. The total analysis time
      for the developed method was 14min. The optimized method was validated, obtaining
      suitable results for all validation parameters. Recoveries ranged from 78% to
      116% meanwhile repeatability and reproducibility were evaluated obtaining values
      lower than 10% and 20% respectively (except for dinotefuran and nitenpyram at
      0.2MUgL-1). The limit of quantification (LOQ) for all compounds was established
      at 0.2MUgL-1. The proposed analytical methodology was applied to analyze the
      target compounds in thirty six urine samples from pregnant women living in
      agricultural areas of Almeria (Spain). Imidacloprid, acetamiprid and acetamiprid
      n-desmethyl were detected in some of the samples at concentrations ranging from
      0.23 to 1.57MUgL-1. Furthermore, dinotefuran was identified in two samples at
      trace levels.

PMID- 28918329
TI  - An integrated strategy for rapid discovery and identification of the sequential
      piperine metabolites in rats using ultra high-performance liquid
      chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometery.
AB  - Piperine, one of the major bioactive constituents isolated from natural
      flavorings and medicinal-culinary herbs, possesses various biological activities.
      In the present study, an integrated strategy based on ultra high-performance
      liquid chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry was established to reveal
      piperine metabolism in rats. First of all, post-acquisition data-mining methods,
      including high resolution extracted ion chromatograms (HREICs) and multiple mass
      defect filtering (MMDF), were used to screen piperine metabolite candidates in a
      full-scan HRMS1 level. Then, parent ion list-dynamic exclusion coupled with data
      dependent data-acquisition method was utilized to acquire MSn datasets. In
      addition, the established reverse molecular assembly (RMA) approach based on
      paired diagnostic product ions (pDPIs) coupled with neutral loss fragments (NLFs)
      was used to ascertain and identify the major-to-trace piperine metabolites
      efficiently. And then, the calculated ClogP values were utilized to distinguish
      the positional isomers. As a result, a total of 148 piperine metabolites were
      detected and characterized tentatively. The results demonstrated that piperine
      mainly underwent hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, hydroxylation, glucuronide
      conjugation, sulfate conjugation, ring-cleavage, and their composite reactions.
      Our results not only provided novel and useful data to better understand the
      safety, toxicity and efficacy of this potential therapeutic agent, but also
      indicated that the proposed strategy was reliable for a rapid discovery and
      identification drug-related constituents in vivo.

PMID- 28918331
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 28918330
TI  - Thick target total bremsstrahlung spectra of lead compounds in the photon energy
      region 1-10keV by 90Sr beta particles.
AB  - Total bremsstrahlung spectral photon distribution generated in thick targets of
      lead compounds Pb(CH3COO)2.3H2O, Pb(NO3)2 and PbCl2 by 90Sr beta particles has
      been investigated theoretically and experimentally in the photon energy region 1
      10keV. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical models
      describing ordinary bremsstrahlung and the theoretical model which includes
      polarization bremsstrahlung into ordinary bremsstrahlung, in stripped
      approximation. It is observed that the experimental results show better agreement
      with the model which describes bremsstrahlung in stripped approximation in the
      energy range 3-10keV. However, the results show positive deviation in the photon
      energy region of 1-3keV. Further, it has been found that there is a continuous
      decrease of polarization bremsstrahlung contribution into ordinary bremsstrahlung
      in the formation of total bremsstrahlung spectra with increase in photon energy.
      The suppression of polarization bremsstrahlung has been observed due to the
      presence of large fraction of low Z elements in the compounds. The results
      clearly indicate that polarization bremsstrahlung plays an important role in the
      formation of total bremsstrahlung spectra in compounds in the studied energy
      region.

PMID- 28918332
TI  - Control of absence epilepsy seizures in specific relay nuclei of thalamus.
AB  - In this paper, we used a classic basal ganglia-corticothalamic model(BGCT) to
      study the onset and control mechanism of absence epilepsy in specific relay
      nuclei (SRN) of thalamus. It was found that the seizure state may appear in SRN
      by turning the coupling strength -vsr and signal transmission delay tau on the
      route "Thalamic reticular nuclei (TRN) of thalamus ? SRN". With increasing of 
      vsr, the seizure state appeared two times, and its onset mechanism has not been
      discussed in previous studies. The seizure activity can be well controlled by
      adjusting the activation level of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) in
      basal ganglia, which is a main output tissue to the corticothalamic system
      through two direct inhibitory pathways "SNr ? SRN" and "SNr ? TRN" in our model.
      We found that the interesting bidirectional regulation phenomenon appeared as
      considering the single pathway "SNr ? SRN" and "SNr ? TRN", or when they
      coexisted in one network, the mechanism of which is also different from some
      previous theoretical studies. At last, we pointed out that the mechanism obtained
      above can also explain the onset and control of the poly-spikes slow wave
      appeared in SRN by turning tau to large enough. Therefore, the results in the
      paper will further deepen our understanding of the generation and control
      mechanism of epilepsy disease.

PMID- 28918333
TI  - The relationship between coherence and the phase-locking value.

PMID- 28918334
TI  - Inner mechanism of protection of mitochondrial electron-transfer proteins against
      oxidative damage. Focus on hydrogen peroxide decomposition.
AB  - It is generally recognized that the mitochondria are the major source of reactive
      oxygen species including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Although the local
      concentration of H2O2 near the electron-transfer chain is potentially quite high,
      the chain's components are rarely found to be significantly damaged by H2O2. Our
      experimental data, as well as the data published by others, suggest that
      mitochondrial electron-transfer proteins, which are in the first line to be
      harmed by ROS, are well prepared to defend themselves. One of such protection
      mechanism involves peroxidase/catalase-like activity of all major mitochondrial
      respiration chain players, which catalyze the decomposition of H2O2.
      Understanding the molecular mechanisms, by which mitochondrial electron-transfer
      proteins might defend themselves against an oxidative stress and therefore being
      a part of the mitochondrial antioxidant system, can help to clarify many
      controversial experimental data.

PMID- 28918335
TI  - Modern diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) should be suspected in
      patients presenting persistent dyspnea three months after a pulmonary embolism or
      in patients presenting with acute pulmonary embolism and suggestive images on the
      CT-scan. For these patients, a specific diagnostic work-up should be performed.
      First step consists of the ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scan which is a good
      screening test due to its high sensitivity and high negative predictive value.
      Pulmonary angiography remains the gold standard approach for the confirmation of
      the diagnosis and pre-surgical evaluation of CTEPH. New emerging technologies
      such as Dual-Energy Computed Tomography angiography (DECT) and Computed
      Tomography angiography (CTA) are developing and broadly available. These non
      invasive methods provide diagnostic information similar to conventional pulmonary
      angiography and surgical operability information. They are to be considered as an
      alternative in the diagnostic approach of patients with CTEPH as presented in the
      ESC/ERS guidelines. Haemodynamic measurement whiles exercising during right heart
      catheterization may improve diagnostic sensitivity of CTEPH and could therefore
      be used as a diagnostic test in patient with normal haemodynamic at rest.

PMID- 28918336
TI  - Total and cytosolic concentrations of twenty metals/metalloids in the liver of
      brown trout Salmo trutta (Linnaeus, 1758) from the karstic Croatian river Krka.
AB  - Total and cytosolic concentrations of twenty metals/metalloids in the liver of
      brown trout Salmo trutta (Linnaeus, 1758) were studied in the period from April
      2015 to May 2016 at two sampling sites on Croatian river Krka, to establish if
      river water contamination with metals/metalloids downstream of Knin town has
      influenced metal bioaccumulation in S. trutta liver. Differences were observed
      between two sites, with higher concentrations of several elements (Ag, As, Ca,
      Co, Na, Se, Sr, V) found downstream of Knin town, whereas few others (Cd, Cs, Mo,
      Tl) were, unexpectedly, increased at the Krka River spring. However, total
      metal/metalloid concentrations in the liver of S. trutta from both sites of the
      Krka River were still mainly below previously reported levels for pristine
      freshwaters worldwide. The analysis of seasonal changes of metal/metalloid
      concentrations in S. trutta liver and their association with fish sex and size
      mostly indicated their independence of fish physiology, making them good
      indicators of water contamination and exposure level. Metal/metalloid
      concentrations in the metabolically available hepatic cytosolic fractions
      reported in this study are the first data of that kind for S. trutta liver, and
      the majority of analyzed elements were present in the cytosol in the quantity
      higher than 50% of their total concentrations, thus indicating their possible
      availability for toxic effects. However, the special attention should be directed
      to As, Cd, Cs, and Tl, which under the conditions of increased exposure tended to
      accumulate more within the cytosol. Although metal/metalloid concentrations in S.
      trutta liver were still rather low, monitoring of the Krka River water quality
      and of the health status of its biota is essential due to a trend of higher
      metal/metalloid bioaccumulation downstream of Knin town, especially taking into
      consideration the proximity of National Park Krka and the need for its
      conservation.

PMID- 28918337
TI  - Ecotoxicological and microbiological assessment of sewage sludge associated with
      sugarcane bagasse.
AB  - Sewage sludge (SS) obtained after sewage treatment process may contain several
      toxic substances. Bioremediation can decrease the toxicity of the sludge, mainly
      when it is associated with stimulant agents, such as sugarcane bagasse (B).
      Samples of pure SS (SSP); SS+B; SS+Soil; and SS+B+Soil were bioremediated for 1,
      3, and 6 months (T1, T2, and T3, respectively). After each period, the cytotoxic,
      genotoxic, and mutagenic potentials of the solid samples and their respective
      aqueous extracts (aqueous eluate and percolate water) were evaluated by the
      Allium cepa test. A microbiological analysis of the samples was also performed
      after each period tested. All solid samples of SS+B (in T1, T2, and T3) and the
      solid sample of SSP (treatment T3) showed a significant decrease of cell division
      (cytotoxic effects). The aqueous eluate extracts of SS+B (T1 and T3) and SSP (T2
      and T3) induced cytotoxic effect. The solid sample of SS+B (T2 and T3) and
      aqueous extracts of SSP (T1) were genotoxic, indicating a harmful effect of SS on
      A. cepa, even after 6 months of bioremediation. There was an alternation in the
      microbial community both in diversity and in abundance, with the predominance of
      nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli. The tested bioremediation periods were not
      sufficient for the complete detoxification of SS, and the use of B did not seem
      to contribute to the degradation of the pollutants to inert compounds. These data
      emphasize that a specific relationship should exist between the sludge
      characteristic and the biostimulating agent used to promote a more efficient
      bioremediation. These results suggest the necessity to study longer periods of
      biodegradation and the use of other decomposing agents for greater safety and
      sustainability for the agricultural use of this residue.

PMID- 28918338
TI  - A short-term swimming speed alteration test with nauplii of Artemia franciscana.
AB  - The presence of toxicant needs to be assessed within short time in order to
      effectively protect the aquatic environment from serious threat. Based on the
      observation that at high temperatures aquatic organisms become more vulnerable to
      stressors than those maintained at room temperature, a new test was developed.
      The proposed bioassay consisted in the evaluation of the swimming speed
      alteration (SSA) of nauplii of Artemia franciscana incubated at 39 degrees C (+/-
      1) for 6h, using a Swimming Behavior Recorder system (SBR). A comparative
      ecotoxicological study between the 6h SSA test and the 24h mortality test was
      carried out in order to validate the new method in terms of sensitivity by means
      of EC50 values. The bioassay was applied to screen different toxicants: K2Cr2O7,
      Cu(SO4)2, NaClO, SDS and Sertraline hydrochloride. The EC50s calculated for the
      short-term SSA test and those of the mortality test showed comparable values. For
      all toxicants, the 6h SSA test was proved to be as sensitive as the 24h mortality
      test. The method developed in this study is the first temperature-based toxicity
      test with nauplii of Artemia franciscana and it represents an attractive assay in
      ecotoxicology because of its convenience in terms of time and costs, feasibility
      and sensitivity.

PMID- 28918339
TI  - Interference of dibutylphthalate on human prostate cell viability.
AB  - Dibutylphthalate (DBP) is an environmental pollutant widely used as plasticizer
      in a variety of industrial applications worldwide. This agent can be found in
      personal-care products, children's toy, pharmaceuticals, food products. Exposure
      to DBP can occur via ingestion and inhalation as well as intravenous or skin
      contact. DBP belongs to the family of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and
      its effects on reproductive system were demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro.
      In the present study we evaluated the effects of DBP on human prostate
      adenocarcinoma epithelial cells (LNCaP) in order to highlight xenoestrogens
      influence on human prostate. Moreover, we have compared DBP effects with 17beta
      estradiol action in order to investigate possible mimetical behaviour. We have
      assessed the effects of both compounds on the cell viability. After then, we have
      evaluated the expression of genes and proteins involved in cell cycle regulation.
      Furthermore, we have observed the expression and the cell localization of
      estrogen (ERs) and androgen (AR) receptors. In conclusion, we have demonstrated
      that DBP interacts with estrogen hormonal receptor pathway but differently from
      E2. DBP alters the normal gland physiology and it is involved in the deregulation
      of prostate cell cycle.

PMID- 28918340
TI  - [Cervical lift: An update].
AB  - The neck is an aesthetic unit for which a rejuvenation request is sometimes very
      targeted or ore often encompassed in a global surgical project of face-lift. To
      obtain a long lasting outcome, the plastic surgeon has to make a full, detailed,
      and exhaustive analysis of the neck in order to choose the best indication within
      the multiple surgical tools. A full clinical examination is the key point, every
      aspects are outlined. The numerous surgical choices are described, illustrated,
      and sometimes revisited in the light of targeted anatomical studies. A didactic
      and graduated way is used to explain the recent evolutions of the surgical tools
      of the cervical lifting. Complications and insufficiencies in outcomes must be
      identified and explained. Finally, we illustrate this development by clinical
      cases. The surgical improvement of the cervical region is, for us, centered on
      the reconstruction of a cervical retaining structure: the Cervico-Mandibular
      Angle Suspensor (CMAS) ligament. This element makes it possible to understand and
      integrate the large number of technical proposals for cervical lifting.

PMID- 28918341
TI  - Is first-trimester HbA1c useful in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes?
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the usefulness and efficacy of first-trimester HbA1c in the
      diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM). METHODS: Prospective observational of
      consecutive pregnant women. All women had a first-trimester HbA1c determination
      and GDM screening at 24-28weeks of pregnancy using a two-step approach. A ROC
      curve was drawn to determine the sensitivity and specificity of HbA1c in
      detecting GDM and a rule-in rule-out diagnostic algorithm was proposed. The cost
      of the proposed algorithm was calculated. RESULTS: 152 (13.1%) of 1195 women were
      diagnosed of GDM. The area under the ROC curve for HbA1c to detect GDM was 0.679
      (95%CI 0.631-0.727). A rule-out threshold for HbA1c of 4.8% (29mmol/mol) had
      96.7% sensitivity (95%CI 93.9-99.5), 10.1% specificity (95%CI 8.3-12.0) and a
      negative predictive value of 95.3% (95%CI 91.3-99.3). A rule-in value of 5.6%
      (38mmol/mol) had a positive predictive value of 31.6% (95%CI 24.4-38.9), 89.3%
      specificity (95%CI 87.4-91.2) and 32.9% sensitivity (95%CI 25.4-40.4). The low
      positive predictive value of the rule-in threshold precludes its use for GDM
      diagnosis, but could be used to identify women at high risk of GDM in whom the
      diagnosis can be established using a one-step approach. The overall saving of the
      proposed algorithm would be 6.5% of the total cost with the standard strategy.
      CONCLUSIONS: A first-trimester HbA1c does not have sufficient sensitivity or
      specificity to diagnose GDM, although the use of a higher and lower threshold
      could simplify the diagnostic process by reducing the number of oral glucose
      tolerance test, associated costs and patient inconvenience.

PMID- 28918342
TI  - The potential effect of ultra-long insulin degludec on glycemic variability.
AB  - Despite the therapeutic advances in the treatment of diabetes, metabolic control
      instability due to glycemic variability (GV) is frequently observed in patients
      with diabetes on intensive insulin therapy and is associated with hyperglycemic
      peaks and hypoglycemic episodes. Hyperglycemia associated with GV has been
      implicated in the development of chronic complications due to its pro-oxidative
      consequences. On the other hand, hypoglycemia can be associated with increased
      cardiovascular risk secondarily to adrenergic activation. The ultra-long-acting
      insulin analogue, insulin degludec (IDeg), presents a flat and stable glucose
      lowering effect both in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients. In pharmacodynamic
      studies, IDeg has been associated with a lower variability in its insulin action
      than other alternatives for basal insulin, which might have clinical advantages
      for the stability of the glycemic control. The main objective of this review is
      to present pharmacological and clinical data regarding the efficacy and safety of
      IDeg for the treatment of diabetes focusing on its effects on GV and on
      hypoglycemia frequency.

PMID- 28918343
TI  - Emotion and self in psychotic disorders: Behavioral evidence from an emotional
      evaluation task using verbal stimuli varying in emotional valence and self
      reference.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Psychotic disorders are accompanied by changes in
      emotional and self-referential processing. This behavioral study investigates the
      link between emotional and self-referential processing in 21 psychotic patients
      with and without symptoms of disordered self-processing and 21 healthy age
      matched controls during emotional evaluation of words varying in emotional
      valence and self-reference. METHODS: Emotional and neutral words related to the
      self of the reader (e.g., "my fear", "my happiness", "my books"), to the self of
      another person, unknown to the reader (e.g., "his fear", "his happiness", "his
      books") or without person reference (e.g., "the fear", "the happiness", "the
      books") had to be judged in reference to one's own feelings as positive, negative
      or neutral. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls (HC) psychotic patients with
      symptoms of self-disorders (PwSD) showed significantly reduced valence congruent
      judgments in response to self-related (particularly positive and negative) words
      and no difference between self-, other-, and personally unreferenced positive
      words. These differences between PwSD and HC were also reflected in post
      experimental ratings of subjective experience. Additionally, no reaction time or
      memory advantage for self-related or emotional words could be found in psychotic
      patients irrespective of the presence of self-disorders. LIMITATIONS: The results
      may be preliminary due to the small sample sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together,
      the results argue in favor of a differentiated view regarding changes in
      emotional experience in psychotic disorders. They provide preliminary evidence
      that in psychotic disorders changes in emotion and self-processing may be related
      to the severity of self-disorders thought to underlie disordered thinking and
      feeling in psychotic patients.

PMID- 28918344
TI  - Accesses for alcohol intoxication to the emergency department and the risk of re
      hospitalization: An observational retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are a frequent cause of admission to
      emergency departments (EDs) for acute alcohol intoxication (AAI). Patients with
      AUD present a higher risk of readmission to EDs for AAI than the general
      population, however, the distinction between sporadic AAI and AAI in the context
      of AUD in the ED setting is difficult. AIMS: To analyze the epidemiological
      characteristics of patients admitted to EDs because of AAI and to identify
      factors associated with repeated admissions in order to develop a risk
      stratification system for patients with AUD based on objective data that can be
      easily applied in an ED setting. METHODS: An observational retrospective study
      was performed. All patients with diagnosis of AAI at admission in 2014 were
      enrolled. RESULTS: Five hundred and sixty-five patients were enrolled, of which
      92 (16%) were admitted more than once to the ED. At multivariate analysis,
      factors associated with readmission were past episodes of alcohol abuse, social
      discomfort, previous traumas and psychiatric disorders. Basing on this parameter,
      a risk-score for re-hospitalization was developed. This score has a high
      predictive power for the risk of readmission to the ED (AROC 0.837, 95%CI 0.808
      0.866), moreover, the cumulative probability of readmission within one year,
      increased in parallel with score value, being highest in patients presenting 3 or
      more risk factors. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that several risk
      factors stratify the risk of re-hospitalization in patients admitted to EDs for
      AAI, allowing the identification of those presenting more severe conditions and
      who would likely benefit from multidisciplinary intervention.

PMID- 28918345
TI  - Meta-Analysis on the Impact of the Acute Care Surgery Model of Disease- and
      Patient-Specific Outcomes in Appendicitis and Biliary Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The acute care surgery (ACS) model was developed to acknowledge the
      complexity of a traditionally fractured emergency general surgery patient
      population, however, there are variations in the design of ACS service models.
      This meta-analysis analyzes the impact of implementation of different ACS models
      on the outcomes for appendicitis and biliary disease. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic,
      English-language search of major databases was conducted. From 1,827 papers, 2
      independent reviewers identified 25 studies that reported on outcomes for
      patients with appendicitis (n = 13), biliary disease (n = 7), or both (n = 5),
      before and after implementation of an ACS service. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was
      used to score quality. Outcomes were analyzed using random effect methodology and
      sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Significant heterogeneity existed
      between studies and ACS designs. The overall study quality rating was fair to
      poor with a moderate risk of bias. After implementation of an ACS service, there
      was an overall reduction in length of stay by 0.51 days (95% CI -0.81 to -0.20
      days) and 0.73 days (95% CI 0.09 to 1.36 days) for appendicitis and biliary
      disease, respectively. Complication rates were lower after implementing ACS (odds
      ratio 0.65; 95% CI 0.49 to 0.86 and odds ratio 0.46; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.61). There
      was no difference in after-hours operating for either appendicitis or biliary
      disease, except when considering ACS models with dedicated theater time, which
      favors an ACS model (odds ratio 0.49; 95% CI 0.33 to 0.73) in appendicitis.
      CONCLUSIONS: The ACS model has been shown to benefit acute care surgery patients
      with improved access to care, fewer complications, and decreased length of stay
      for 2 common disease processes. The design and implementation of an ACS service
      can impact the magnitude of effect.

PMID- 28918346
TI  - Anaerobic digestion for bioenergy production: Global status, environmental and
      techno-economic implications, and government policies.
AB  - Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a mature technology that can transform organic matter
      into a bioenergy source - biogas (composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide),
      while stabilizing waste. AD implementation around the world varies significantly,
      from small-scale household digesters in developing countries to large farm-scale
      or centralized digesters in developed countries. These differences in the
      implementation of AD technology are due to a complex set of conditions, including
      economic and environmental implications of the AD technology, and stimulus
      provided by a variety of polices and incentives related to agricultural systems,
      waste management, and renewable energy production. This review explores the
      current status of the AD technology worldwide and some of the environmental,
      economic and policy-related drivers that have shaped the implementation of this
      technology. The findings show that the regulations and incentives have been the
      primary factor influencing the steady growth of this technology, in both
      developing and developed countries.

PMID- 28918347
TI  - Anaerobic digestion of Brewery Spent Grains: Trace elements addition requirement.
AB  - The current study evaluates and compares the stability of anaerobic digestion of
      Brewery Spent Grains (BSG) with and without addition of nutrients. Based on the
      composition of the BSG two levels of nutrients addition were defined. Control
      reactor, without addition of nutrients, showed signs of instability after 3months
      of operation and collapsed. On the contrary, supplemented reactors led to a COD
      removal rate of 60% and a methane production of 280NLCH4.kg-1 VSadded. According
      to these results, it was possible to define an additive solution adapted to BSG
      degradation.

PMID- 28918348
TI  - Enhancing protein to extremely high content in photosynthetic bacteria during
      biogas slurry treatment.
AB  - This work proposed a novel approach to achieve an extremely high protein content
      in photosynthetic bacteria (PSB) using biogas slurry as a culturing medium. The
      results showed the protein content of PSB could be enhanced strongly to 90% in
      the biogas slurry, which was much higher than reported microbial protein
      contents. The slurry was partially purified at the same time. Dark-aerobic was
      more beneficial than light-anaerobic condition for protein accumulation. High
      salinity and high ammonia of the biogas slurry were the main causes for protein
      enhancement. In addition, the biogas slurry provided a good buffer system for PSB
      to grow. The biosynthesis mechanism of protein in PSB was explored according to
      theoretical analysis. During biogas slurry treatment, the activities of glutamate
      synthase and glutamine synthetase were increased by 26.55%, 46.95% respectively.

PMID- 28918349
TI  - Inhibition of anaerobic digestion processes: Applications of molecular tools.
AB  - Inhibition of anaerobic digestion (AD) due to perturbation caused by substrate
      composition and/or operating conditions can significantly reduce performance.
      Such perturbations could be limited by elucidating microbial community response
      to inhibitors and devising strategies to increase community resilience. To this
      end, advanced molecular methods are increasingly being applied to study the AD
      microbiome, a diverse community of microbial populations with complex
      interactions. This literature review of AD inhibition studies indicates that
      inhibitory concentrations are highly variable, likely stemming from differences
      in community structure or activity profile and previous exposure to inhibitors.
      More recent molecular methods such as 'omics' tools, substrate mapping, and real
      time sequencing are helping to unravel the complexity of AD inhibition by
      elucidating physiological and ecological significance of key microbial
      populations. The AD community must strive towards developing predictive abilities
      to avoid system failure (e.g., real-time tracking of an indicator species) to
      improve resilience of AD systems.

PMID- 28918350
TI  - Expression and Functional Characterization of the BNIP3 Protein in Renal Cell
      Carcinomas.
AB  - BNIP3 (Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19-kDa interacting protein 3) is a BH3-only protein
      that regulates apoptosis and autophagy. BNIP3 plays also an important role in
      hypoxia-induced cell response and is regulated by HIF1. Here, we studied a
      possible association of BNIP3 expression and the prognosis of patients with renal
      cell carcinomas (RCCs) and examined the functional relevance of BNIP3 in the
      regulation of cell survival and apoptosis of renal carcinoma cells. BNIP3
      expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in RCC tumor tissue samples of
      569 patients using a tissue microarray. Functional characterization of BNIP3 in
      renal carcinoma cells indicates prosurvival effects. In human RCC tumor samples,
      high cytoplasmic BNIP3 expression was associated with high-grade RCCs and
      regional lymph node metastasis. BNIP3 expression correlated negatively with
      disease-specific survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis retained BNIP3
      expression as an independent prognostic factor in patients without distant
      metastasis. Together, our studies imply that BNIP3 regulates cell survival in
      RCCs and its expression is an independent prognostic marker in patients with
      localized RCCs.

PMID- 28918351
TI  - Susceptibility profiles of bacteria causing urinary tract infections in Southern
      Tunisia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological profile
      and antibiotic resistance of bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections
      (UTIs) diagnosed in the Department of Microbiology of the Hospital Regional
      Houcine Bouzaiene (Gafsa) in southwest Tunisia. METHODS: All cytobacteriological
      urine samples analysed from 1 January 2015 to 30 June 2016 were included in the
      study. The criteria used to define UTI were leukocyturia >104 cells/mL and
      bacteriuria >105 CFU/mL. RESULTS: Among 12678 urine samples, 2093 (16.5%) met the
      criteria of UTI. The majority of infections were in outpatients (92.1%). Gram
      negative bacteria were the main identified organisms (1980/2093; 94.6%), whilst
      Gram-positive bacteria represented only 5.4% (113/2093). The most frequently
      identified organisms were Enterobacteriaceae (1938/2093; 92.6%), including 1404
      (67.1%) Escherichia coli and 268 (12.8%) Klebsiella pneumoniae. Extended-spectrum
      beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) were identified and
      represented 3.6% (70/1938) of the total Enterobacteriaceae. The proportion of
      community ESBL-E was 3.4% (61/1787). The resistance rate of E. coli and K.
      pneumoniae to amoxicillin and ticarcillin was elevated; however, monobactams and
      especially carbapenems (imipenem), colistin and amikacin retained good activity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Excessive use of antibiotics in hospitals and the community is
      responsible for the appearance of new resistance profiles; thus, routine
      monitoring of antibiotic resistance of uropathogenic bacteria must be performed
      in hospitals as well as in private laboratories in order to prescribe appropriate
      antibiotics.

PMID- 28918352
TI  - Report of the 19th Annual Meeting of the International Scientific Working Group
      on Tick-Borne Encephalitis (ISW-TBE) - TBE in a changing world.
AB  - The 19th meeting of the International Scientific Working Group on Tick-Borne
      Encephalitis (ISW-TBE) - a group of neurologists, general practitioners,
      clinicians, travel physicians, virologists, pediatricians and epidemiologists-was
      held under the title "TBE in a changing world". Key topics within virology,
      current epidemiological developments and investigations, expansion of risk areas,
      clinical aspects and cases, traveling and mobility, vaccination rates, and latest
      news on vaccination were presented and extensively discussed. Over the past four
      decades, TBE has become a growing public health challenge in Europe and parts of
      Asia. It may be considered a complex eco-epidemiological system, characterized by
      an intricate interplay between the virus, ticks and tick hosts on the one hand
      and human exposure strongly influenced by socioeconomic conditions on the other
      hand. Although the facts are simple - vaccination is the best prevention - the
      socioeconomic conditions keep changing, and with them the ability or willingness
      of people to get vaccinated.

PMID- 28918353
TI  - Antitumor platinum(IV) derivatives of carboplatin and the histone deacetylase
      inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid.
AB  - Five new platinum(IV) derivatives of carboplatin each incorporating the histone
      deacetylase inhibitor 4-phenylbutyrate in axial position were synthesized and
      characterized by 1H and 195Pt NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass
      spectrometry and elemental analysis, namely cis,trans-[Pt(CBDCA)(NH3)2(PBA)(OH)]
      (1), cis,trans-[Pt(CBDCA)(NH3)2(PBA)2] (2), cis,trans-[Pt(CBDCA)(NH3)2(PBA)(bz)]
      (3), cis,trans-[Pt(CBDCA)(NH3)2(PBA)(suc)] (4) and cis,trans
      [Pt(CBDCA)(NH3)2)(PBA)(ac)] (5) (PBA=4-phenylbutyrate, CBDCA=1,1-cyclobutane
      dicarboxylate, bz=benzoate, suc=succinate and ac=acetate). The reduction behavior
      in the presence of ascorbic acid was studied by high performance liquid
      chromatography. The cytotoxicity against a panel of human tumor cell lines,
      histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitory activity, cellular accumulation and the
      ability to induce apoptosis were evaluated. The most effective complex, compound
      3, was found to be up to ten times more effective than carboplatin and to
      decrease cellular basal HDAC activity by approximately 18% in A431 human cervical
      cancer cells.

PMID- 28918354
TI  - Indium (III) induces isolated mitochondrial permeability transition by inhibiting
      proton influx and triggering oxidative stress.
AB  - While Indium's toxicity to organs is realized, its effects on mitochondria are
      still under investigation. Mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) is widely
      accepted in mitochondrial dysfunction approaches and its importance in metal
      induced mitochondrial degradation has been proposed. Since mitochondria are
      respiratory organelles, their interaction with free In3+ is analyzed to access
      structural and functional changes. Spectral methods and multimode plate reader
      was used to detect mitochondrial swelling, membrane potential, membrane fluidity,
      and inner membrane permeability. Flow cytometry was employed to detect
      mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and transmission electron
      microscopy to image mitochondria. And oxygen electrode was used to measure
      respiratory rate, microcalorimetry to monitor long-term real-time mitochondrial
      metabolism. In3+ at a concentration up to 1mM induces mitochondrial swelling,
      membrane depolarization and inhibits the protons transportation. In3+-induced
      mitochondrial swelling and membrane depolarization is protected by MPT inhibitors
      and -SH protectors, but the influence on protons transportation is not protected.
      In addition, In3+ is able to accelerate the ROS production and inhibit the
      electron transition and respiratory chain while it stimulates long-term
      metabolism. Our findings show that In3+ induces MPT by inhibiting the proton
      channels located in the inner mitochondrial membrane and by stimulating
      mitochondrial oxidative stress.

PMID- 28918355
TI  - Gallium(III) chelates of mixed phosphonate-carboxylate triazamacrocyclic ligands
      relevant to nuclear medicine: Structural, stability and in vivo studies.
AB  - Three triaza macrocyclic ligands, H6NOTP (1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N"
      trimethylene phosphonic acid), H4NO2AP (1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N
      methylenephosphonic acid-N',N"-dimethylenecarboxylic acid), and H5NOA2P (1,4,7
      triazacyclononane-N,N'-bis(methylenephosphonic acid)-N"-methylene carboxylic
      acid), and their gallium(III) chelates were studied in view of their potential
      interest as scintigraphic and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging agents.
      A 1H, 31P and 71Ga multinuclear NMR study gave an insight on the structure,
      internal dynamics and stability of the chelates in aqueous solution. In
      particular, the analysis of 71Ga NMR spectra gave information on the symmetry of
      the Ga3+ coordination sphere and the stability of the chelates towards
      hydrolysis. The 31P NMR spectra afforded information on the protonation of the
      non-coordinated oxygen atoms from the pendant phosphonate groups and on the
      number of species in solution. The 1H NMR spectra allowed the analysis of the
      structure and the number of species in solution. 31P and 1H NMR titrations
      combined with potentiometry afforded the measurement of the protonation constants
      (log KHi) and the microscopic protonation scheme of the triaza macrocyclic
      ligands. The remarkably high thermodynamic stability constant (log KGaL=34.44
      (0.04) and stepwise protonation constants of Ga(NOA2P)2- were determined by
      potentiometry and 69Ga and 31P NMR titrations. Biodistribution and gamma imaging
      studies have been performed on Wistar rats using the radiolabeled 67Ga(NO2AP)-
      and 67Ga(NOA2P)2-chelates, having both demonstrated to have renal excretion. The
      correlation of the molecular properties of the chelates with their
      pharmacokinetic properties has been analysed.

PMID- 28918356
TI  - What is the price for the Duchenne gait pattern in patients with cerebral palsy?
AB  - Duchenne gait is characterized by trunk lean towards the affected stance limb
      with the pelvis stable or elevated on the swinging limb side during single limb
      stance phase. We assessed the relationship between hip abduction moments and
      trunk kinetics in patients with cerebral palsy showing excessive lateral trunk
      motion. Data of 18 subjects with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and 20
      aged matched typically developing subjects (TD) were collected retrospectively.
      Criteria for patient selection were barefoot walking without aid presenting with
      excessive lateral trunk motion. Subjects had been monitored by conventional 3D
      gait analysis of the lower extremity including four markers for monitoring trunk
      motion. Post-hoc, a generic musculoskeletal full body model (OpenSim 3.3)
      assuming a rigid trunk articulated to the pelvis by a single ball joint was
      applied for analyzing joint kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb joints
      including this spine joint. Joint angle ranges of motion, maximum joint moments
      and powers in the frontal plane as well as mechanical work were calculated and
      averaged within groups showing prominent differences between groups in all
      parameters. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work explicitly
      looking into the kinetics of Duchenne gait in patients with CP, clinically known
      as compensation for unloading hip abductor muscles. The results show that
      excessive lateral trunk motion may indeed be an extremely effective compensation
      mechanism to unload the hip abductors in single limb stance but for the price of
      a drastic increase in demand on trunk muscle effort and work.

PMID- 28918357
TI  - Long-term follow-up after tibialis anterior tendon shortening in combination with
      Achilles tendon lengthening in spastic equinus in cerebral palsy.
AB  - Using Tibialis Anterior Shortening (TATS) in combination with Achilles Tendon
      Lengthening (TAL) to treat spastic equinus in children with cerebral palsy (CP)
      was described in 2011. Short-term results have indicated a good outcome,
      especially an improvement of the drop foot in swing phase and the correction of
      equinus in stance phase. The aim of this study was to analyse the results of the
      long-term follow-up and to determine the relapse rate of TATS and TAL. The
      kinematics of the sagittal, frontal and transversal planes were measured by using
      instrumented 3D gait analysis at three defined time points and then described
      using the Gait Profile Score (GPS) and Movement Analysis Profile (MAP). The data
      was exported into Gaitabase and then the preoperative (T0), short- term (T1) and
      long-term (T2) follow-up data was statistically compared. 23 patients (mean age
      at index-surgery=14.9years) were included, there was a mean follow-up time of 5.8
      years. 3 children (13%) have shown a relapse. The data of 12 children with
      spastic hemiplegia (12 legs), as well as 8 children with spastic diplegia (10
      legs) has been analysed. There has been a significant (p<0.05) improvement in GPS
      and MAP for ankle dorsiflexion (describes equinus and drop foot) of the operated
      legs versus not operated legs. TATS in combination with TAL shows a satisfactory
      long-term result after 5.8 years in the correction of fixed equinus and drop foot
      in children with CP. Postoperatively all subjects were able to walk without an
      AFO.

PMID- 28918358
TI  - The role of central and medial amygdala in normal and abnormal aggression: A
      review of classical approaches.
AB  - The involvement of the amygdala in aggression is supported by overwhelming
      evidence. Frequently, however, the amygdala is studied as a whole, despite its
      complex internal organization. To reveal the role of various subdivisions, here
      we review the involvement of the central and medial amygdala in male rivalry
      aggression, maternal aggression, predatory aggression, and models of abnormal
      aggression where violent behavior is associated with increased or decreased
      arousal. We conclude that: (1) rivalry aggression is controlled by the medial
      amygdala; (2) predatory aggression is controlled by the central amygdala; (3)
      hypoarousal-associated violent aggression recruits both nuclei, (4) a specific
      upregulation of the medial amygdala was observed in hyperarousal-driven
      aggression. These patterns of amygdala activation were used to build four
      alternative models of the aggression circuitry, each being specific to particular
      forms of aggression. The separate study of the roles of amygdala subdivisions may
      not only improve our understanding of aggressive behavior, but also the
      differential control of aggression and violent behaviors of various types,
      including those associated with various psychopathologies.

PMID- 28918359
TI  - Major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders from the glial perspective:
      Etiological mechanisms, intervention and monitoring.
AB  - Despite intense ongoing research efforts, the etiology of psychiatric disorders
      remains incompletely understood. Among biological factors playing a role in Major
      Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Anxiety Disorders (ANX), emerging evidence points
      to the relevance of different types of glia cells and efficient neuron-glia
      interactions. Here, we review recent findings highlighting the involvement of
      central nervous system (CNS) glia in MDD and ANX etiology and treatment response.
      Additionally, several relatively underexplored topics will be discussed: (1)
      glial response to non-pharmacological therapies, (2) impact of early life
      adversity on glia, (3) influence of lifestyle factors on glia in the context of
      MDD and ANX, and (4) monitoring glial functions in patients. It can be concluded
      that despite the sequence of events is still unclear, alterations in glial cell
      types are common and somewhat overlapping in ANX, MDD and corresponding animal
      models. Furthermore, glia are responsive to a variety of treatment and lifestyle
      options. Looking forward, new research developments can lead to novel types of
      therapeutic or symptom-relieving approaches targeting glia.

PMID- 28918360
TI  - Do bacteria shape our development? Crosstalk between intestinal microbiota and
      HPA axis.
AB  - The human body contains as many bacteria in the intestine as the total number of
      human body cells. These bacteria have a central position in human health and
      disease, and would also play a role in the regulation of emotions, behavior, and
      even higher cognitive functions. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA
      axis) is a major physiological stress system that produces cortisol. This hormone
      is involved in responding to environmental stress and also shapes many aspects of
      brain development. Both the HPA axis and the intestinal microbiota show rapid and
      profound developmental changes during the first years of life. Early
      environmental disturbances can affect the development of both systems. Early
      adversity, for example, is known to lead to later unbalances in both, as well as
      to psychopathological behavior and emotions. The goal of this theoretical review
      is to summarize current knowledge on the developmental crosstalk between the
      intestinal microbiota and the HPA axis, providing a basis for understanding the
      development and bidirectional communication between these two essential systems
      in human functioning.

PMID- 28918361
TI  - Daytime sleepiness and related factors in nursing students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the frequency and causes of daytime sleepiness in
      nursing students because it is an important factor in improving the health status
      of the students, controlling sleep problems, improving students' academic
      achievements, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. AIM: The aim of this study was
      to determine the prevalence of daytime sleepiness in nursing students and the
      factors associated with it. DESIGN: A cross-sectional research design was used in
      this study. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing students (n=382). METHOD: Data were collected
      using a questionnaire prepared by the authors to assess socio-demographic
      characteristics, sleep habits, and problems of nursing students and the Epworth
      Sleepiness Scale (ESS), which assesses daytime sleepiness. Descriptive statistics
      included numbers, percentages, mean, median, and standard deviation. Mann-Whitney
      U test (Z) and Kruskal-Wallis (KW) analysis of variance were used for evaluating
      the relationship between ESS scores and independent variables. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of daytime sleepiness in the students was found to be 10.5%. Those in
      the 2nd grade, who were married, who did not consume coffee or tea, lived alone,
      regarded their own academic achievement as poor, and used the Internet during
      morning hours experienced increased daytime sleepiness. Moreover, students who
      talk in their sleep, grind their teeth, feel restless before sleep, experience
      problems in falling asleep, and wake up at night were found to experience
      increased daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Daytime sleepiness is a considerably
      common health problem in nursing students. This study found that daytime
      sleepiness is associated with individual characteristics, lifestyle and
      consumption habits, and sleep habits.

PMID- 28918362
TI  - There are no no-responders to low or high resistance training volumes among older
      women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of non-responders to different tests and to
      compare the effects of different resistance training (RT) volumes on muscle
      strength, anthropometric and functional performance of older women. METHODS:
      Three hundred seventy six women performed 12weeks of RT with either low or high
      volume (LV, 71.29+/-5.77years and HV 69.73+/-5.88years, respectively). Both
      groups performed the same exercises, and all parameters were held constant except
      for the number of sets performed per week. LV performed 8-12 for upper and 4-6
      for lower body, while HV performed 16-20 and 8-10, respectively. Before and after
      the training period, the participants were tested for bench press and leg press
      1RM, 30-s chair stand, 30-s arm curl, six-minute walk test, sit and reach, body
      weight and waist circumference. RESULTS: Both groups significantly improved in
      all strength and functional tests and reduced their body weight and waist
      circumference. ANOVA revealed higher gains in the leg press 1RM, 30-s arm curls
      and 6-min walk test for the HV group and higher increases in the results of the
      sit and reach test for the LV group. However, the differences were negligible and
      may be attributable to a type I error due to the large sample size. Non
      responsiveness was not apparent in any subject, as a positive response on at
      least one outcome was present in every participant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest that RT, even at low volume, improves waist circumference, muscle
      strength and physical function in the older population, with no evidence of non
      responsiveness. Therefore, we should not be restrictive in prescribing this type
      of exercise to this population.

PMID- 28918363
TI  - Changes in Zn homeostasis during long term culture of primary endothelial cells
      and effects of Zn on endothelial cell senescence.
AB  - Endothelial cell senescence and Zn nutritional status influence cardiovascular
      disease. The influence of Zn appears dichotomous, hence it is imperative to
      understand the relationship with cellular senescence to improve knowledge about
      the molecular and cellular basis of the disease. Here we aimed to determine: 1)
      the impact of chronic exposure to a moderately high dose of Zn on senescence of
      endothelial cells; 2) the changes in Zn homeostasis during the lifespan of
      primary cultured endothelial cells; and 3) the susceptibility of proliferating
      and senescent endothelial cells to cell death after short term exposure to
      increasing doses of Zn and of the Zn chelator TPEN. Chronic exposure to Zn
      accelerated senescence and untreated cells at later passages, where doubling time
      had increased, displayed relocation of labile Zn and altered expression of genes
      involved in the response to Zn toxicity, including SLC30A1, SLC39A6, SLC30A5,
      SLC30A10 and metallothioneins, indicating that senescent cells have altered zinc
      homeostasis. Most Zn-dependent genes that were expressed differently between
      early and late passages were correlated with changes in the expression of anti
      apoptotic genes. Short-term treatment with a high dose of Zn leads to cell death,
      but only in the population of cells at both earlier and later passages that had
      already entered senescence. In contrast, Zn depletion led to death of cells at
      earlier but not later passages, which suggests that there are sub-populations of
      senescent cells that are resistant to Zn depletion. This resistant senescent cell
      population may accumulate under conditions of Zn deficiency and contribute to
      vascular pathology.

PMID- 28918364
TI  - Volumetric changes in the aging rat brain and its impact on cognitive and
      locomotor functions.
AB  - Impairments in cognitive and locomotor functions usually occur with advanced age,
      as do changes in brain volume. This study was conducted to assess changes in
      brain volume, cognitive and locomotor functions, and oxidative stress levels in
      middle- to late-aged rats. Forty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into
      four groups: 14, 18, 23, and 27months of age. 1H magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      was performed using a 7.0-Tesla MR scanner system. The volumes of the lateral
      ventricles, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampus, striatum, cerebellum,
      and whole brain were measured. Open field, object recognition, and Morris water
      maze tests were conducted to assess cognitive and locomotor functions. Blood was
      taken for measurements of malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl content, and
      antioxidant enzyme activity. The lateral ventricle volumes were larger, whereas
      the mPFC, hippocampus, and striatum volumes were smaller in 27-month-old rats
      than in 14-month-old rats. In behavioral tasks, the 27-month-old rats showed less
      exploratory activity and poorer spatial learning and memory than did the 14-month
      old rats. Biochemical measurements likewise showed increased MDA and lower
      glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the 27-month-old rats. In conclusion,
      age-related increases in oxidative stress, impairment in cognitive and locomotor
      functions, and changes in brain volume were observed, with the most marked
      impairments observed in later age.

PMID- 28918365
TI  - Review of breast augmentation and reconstruction for the radiologist with
      emphasis on MRI.
AB  - It is imperative to continue screening for breast cancer and/or detect tumor
      recurrence in patients after they have undergone breast augmentation or
      reconstruction. As there is an increasing role for both screening and diagnostic
      imaging of the post-operative breast, it is important for the radiologist to be
      familiar with the commonly performed surgical techniques in breast augmentation
      and reconstruction. Imaging of the augmented and reconstructed breast, as well as
      complications, will be reviewed with a focus on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

PMID- 28918366
TI  - A progressive reduction in autophagic capacity contributes to induction of
      replicative senescence in Hs68 cells.
AB  - Autophagy has been implicated in delayed aging and extended longevity. Here, we
      aimed to study the possible effects of autophagy during the progression of
      replicative senescence, which is one of the major features of aging. Human
      foreskin fibroblasts, Hs68 cells, at an initial passage of 15 were serially
      cultured for several months until they reached cellular senescence. A decrease in
      cell proliferation was observed during the progression of senescence. Induction
      of replicative senescence in aged cells (at passage 40) was confirmed by
      senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) activity that represents a
      sensitive and reliable marker for quantifying senescent cells. We detected a
      significantly increased percentage (%) of SA-beta-gal-positive cells at passage
      40 (63%) when compared with the younger SA-beta-gal-positive cells at passage 15
      (0.5%). Notably, the gradual decrease in basal autophagy coincided with
      replicative senescence induction. However, despite decreased basal autophagic
      activity in senescent cells, autophagy inducers could induce autophagy in
      senescent cells. RT-PCR analysis of 11 autophagy-related genes revealed that the
      decreased basal autophagy in senescent cells might be due to the downregulation
      of autophagy-regulatory proteins, but not autophagy machinery components.
      Moreover, the senescence phenotype was not induced in the cells in which
      rapamycin was added to the culture to continuously induce autophagy from passage
      29 until passage 40. Together, our findings suggest that reduced basal autophagy
      levels due to downregulation of autophagy-regulatory proteins may be the
      mechanism underlying replicative senescence in Hs68 cells.

PMID- 28918367
TI  - 25-Hydroxycholesterol and inflammation in Lovastatin-deregulated mevalonate
      pathway.
AB  - Mevalonate pathway deregulation has been observed in several diseases, including
      Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD). MKD is a hereditary auto-inflammatory
      disorder, due to mutations at mevalonate kinase gene (MVK), encoding mevalonate
      kinase (MK) enzyme. MVK mutations have been reported as associated with
      impairment of mevalonate pathway with consequent decrease of protein prenylation
      levels, defective autophagy and increase of IL-1beta secretion, followed by cell
      death. Since 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC), a metabolite of cholesterol, can
      suppress IL-1beta production, thus reducing inflammation, we evaluated the effect
      of 25-HC in an in vitro model of mevalonate pathway alteration, obtained using
      Lovastatin. Human glioblastoma cell line (U87-MG) was chosen to mimic, at least
      in part, the central nervous system impairment observed in MKD; 25-HC effects
      were evaluated aimed at disclosing if this compound could be considered as novel
      potential drug for MKD. Our results showed that 25-HC is able to reduce
      inflammation but it is ineffective to restore autophagy flux and to decrease
      apoptosis levels, both caused by lower protein prenylation; so, in spite of its
      anti-inflammatory action it is not useful to rescue defective
      prenylation/autophagy impairment-driven apoptosis in Lovastatin impaired
      mevalonate pathway. We hypothesize the presence in the mevalonate pathway of
      alternative mechanisms acting between inflammation and apoptotic autophagy
      impairment.

PMID- 28918368
TI  - GNPTAB missense mutations cause loss of GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase activity in
      mucolipidosis type II through distinct mechanisms.
AB  - Mucolipidoses (ML) II and III alpha/beta are lysosomal storage diseases caused by
      pathogenic mutations in GNPTAB encoding the alpha/beta-subunit precursor of
      GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase. To determine genotype-phenotype correlation and
      functional analysis of mutant GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase, 13 Brazilian patients
      clinically and biochemical diagnosed for MLII or III alpha/beta were studied. By
      sequencing of genomic GNPTAB of the MLII and MLIII alpha/beta patients we
      identified six novel mutations: p.D76G, p.S385L, p.Q278Kfs*3, p.H588Qfs*27,
      p.N642Lfs*10 and p.Y1111*. Expression analysis by western blotting and
      immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the mutant alpha/beta-subunit
      precursor p.D76G is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum whereas the mutant
      p.S385L is correctly transported to the cis-Golgi apparatus and proteolytically
      processed. Both mutations lead to complete loss of GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase
      activity, consistent with the severe clinical MLII phenotype of the patients. Our
      study expands the genotypic spectrum of MLII and provides novel insights into
      structural requirements to ensure GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase activity.

PMID- 28918369
TI  - The development of biodiversity conservation measures in China's hydro projects:
      A review.
AB  - The hydropower capacity of China ranks first in the world and accounts for
      approximately 20% of the total energy production in the country. While hydropower
      has substantially contributed to meeting China's renewable energy targets and
      providing clean energy to rural areas, the development of hydropower in China has
      been met with significant controversy. Ecologically, hydro projects alter the
      landscape, with potential impacts to the country's aquatic biodiversity. Over the
      past four decades in China, various mainstream opinions and misunderstandings
      have been presented concerning how to alleviate the negative impacts of hydro
      projects on aquatic ecosystems. This article reviews research concerning
      potential mitigation measures to enhance aquatic biodiversity conservation in
      hydro projects in China. Based on the academic attention such research has
      attracted, three technical measures for aquatic biodiversity conservation are
      considered: (1) fish passages, (2) restocking efforts and (3) river and lake
      renovations. This article provides a historical comparison of these three
      practices in China to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each
      method. The article also reviews the relevant legislation, regulations and
      technical guidelines concerning China's hydro projects dating back to 1979. The
      dynamics in research, publications, and patents concerning these three mitigation
      measures are summarized to demonstrate their technological developments in the
      context of legislative and policy advances. Data were gathered through the China
      Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and the State Intellectual Property Office
      of the People's Republic of China. Based on the analysis provided, the article
      recommends an expansion of China's environmental certification system for hydro
      projects, more robust regional legislation to bolster the national framework, the
      cooperation between upstream and downstream conservation mechanisms, and better
      monitoring to determine the efficacy of mitigation measures.

PMID- 28918370
TI  - A metric study of insole foot impressions in footwear of identical twins.
AB  - Foot impressions are of utmost importance in crime scene investigations. Foot
      impressions are available in the form of barefoot prints, sock-clad footprints,
      and as impressions within footwear. Sometimes suspects leave their footwear at
      the crime scene, and the insole of this footwear may contain the foot impression
      of the suspect which may be important evidence linking him or her to the crime.
      The task of identification based on the analysis of footprints can be challenging
      when the footprints belonging to one of the identical twin is available for
      examination. The present study is based on the quantitative measures of the foot
      impressions in the footwear of adult identical twins. The study was conducted on
      four sets of female monozygotic twins from the United States of America. A total
      of 17 length and breadth measurements were taken on each foot impression. A
      combination of Reel Method and Extended Gunn Method was utilized to produce the
      measurements. The measurements of the foot impressions were compared among the
      twins on the right and the left side. Differences were found in the various
      footprint measurements among the twins. The study's sample size was not large
      enough to apply robust statistical tests, but the study is significant in that it
      presents the first detailed comparative analysis of a large number of
      measurements of insole foot impressions of adult twins. The observations derived
      from the study are likely to assist forensic investigations in cases involving
      the foot impressions of the twins.

PMID- 28918371
TI  - Willems method of dental age estimation in children: A systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Age estimation from dental developmental stages is considered
      comparatively more accurate, reliable and precise than other methods used in
      forensic sciences. Willems method is the revised version of Demirjian method,
      based on modified dental maturity scores to estimate age of children in years for
      both the sexes. AIMS: To test the applicability and accuracy level of Willems
      method of dental age estimation in diverse population samples by quantifying the
      variations between the chronological and estimated ages of an individual.
      METHODOLOGY: A systematic search of online databases (Pubmed, Scopus, Embase,
      Medline, Trip and Web of Science) was performed for identifying the articles
      utilizing Willems dental maturity scaling method for age estimation in children.
      All the research articles published in peer-reviewed English language journals
      between 2001 and January 2017 were included for present systematic review and
      meta-analysis. RESULTS: Out of the total 973 selected articles; thirty one
      studies were recruited for qualitative analysis and out of them, 15 studies were
      selected/identified for quantitative and meta-analysis. It was found that Willems
      method overestimates the age of children to a comparatively lesser extent (-0.04
      and -0.02 years) than the Demirjian method (around six months). CONCLUSION:
      Willems method of dental age estimation gives comparatively lesser
      overestimations of age than other methods reported in the available literature
      and is thus, accurate and reliable enough to be utilized for forensic purposes.

PMID- 28918372
TI  - Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic nitrogen fixation over semicrystalline
      graphitic carbon nitride: Oxygen and sulfur co-doping for crystal and electronic
      structure modulation.
AB  - Oxygen and sulfur co-doped semicrystalline graphitic carbon nitride (HGCNOS) was
      synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method and applied in visible-light
      photocatalytic nitrogen fixation. Remarkably, HGCNOS exhibited a higher
      photocatalytic activity than pristine graphitic carbon nitride (GCN). Oxygen
      doping caused semicrystalline structure, making exciton dissociated at the order
      disorder interfaces of HGCNOS and releasing more electrons and holes.
      Furthermore, the conduction band position of HGCNOS was elevated by sulfur
      doping, promoting the reduction ability of HGCNOS. Thus, the special electronic
      and physicochemical structure of HGCNOS contributed to the enhanced
      photocatalytic activity, facilitating its application on nitrogen photofixation.

PMID- 28918373
TI  - Defect-free surface modification methods for solubility-tunable carbon nanotubes.
AB  - Although carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have outstanding physical properties, there are
      still challenging issues such as poor dispersibility and miscibility between
      organic polymers and CNTs for polymer nanocomposites. Chemical modifications
      (e.g., strong acid based oxidation, carboxylation, etc.) can improve dispersion
      properties and compatibility, but such surface modification methods often lead to
      damage to the pristine CNT structure and also deteriorate the mechanical
      properties of CNTs. Here we demonstrate a simple, defect-free and scalable method
      for well-dispersed CNTs in common organic solvents, using dopamine and amine
      terminated polyethylene glycol derivatives. This method makes it possible to
      prepare solubility-tunable CNTs without any severe structural deformation. As
      modified CNTs were successfully characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis
      (TGA), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscope (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron
      microscope (TEM). The surface modified-CNTs were well-dispersed in polar and/or
      non-polar common solvents. The well-dispersed CNTs can be used in a nanofiller in
      commercial polymers such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) polymer. The CNT/TPU
      composite showed improved tensile strength without sacrificing elongation at
      break relative to those of pristine TPU.

PMID- 28918374
TI  - A general strategy to fabricate photonic crystal heterostructure with Programmed
      photonic stopband.
AB  - In this paper, we present a general fabrication strategy to achieve the structure
      control and the flexible photonic stop band regulation of (2+1) D photonic
      crystal heterostructures (PCHs) by layer-by-layer depositing the annealed
      colloidal crystal monolayers of different sphere size. The optical properties of
      the resulting (2+1) DPCHs with different lattice constants were systematically
      studied and a universal photonic stopband variation rule was proposed, which
      makes it possible to program any kind of stopband structure as required, such as
      dual- or multi-stopbands PCH and ultra-wide stopband PCH. Furthermore, PCH with
      dual-stopbands overlapping the excitation wavelength (E) and emission
      wavelength(F) of Ru complex was fabricated by finely manipulating the spheres'
      diameter of colloidal monolayers. And an additional 2-fold fluorescence
      enhancement in comparison to that on the single stopband sample was achieved.
      This strategy affords new opportunities for delicate engineering the photonic
      behaviour of PCH, and also is of great significance for the practical application
      based on their bandgap property.

PMID- 28918375
TI  - Synthesis of fluorescent dendrimers with aggregation-induced emission features
      through a one-pot multi-component reaction and their utilization for biological
      imaging.
AB  - Hyperbranched polymers have attracted wide research attention owing to their
      unique topological structure, physicochemical properties and great potential for
      applications such asadditives, drug delivery, catalysts and nanotechnology. Among
      these, the polyamidoamine(PAMAM) dendrimers are some of the most important
      dendrimers. However, the synthesis and biomedical applications of fluorescent
      PAMAM dendrimers have received only limited attention. In this work, we present a
      rather effective and convenient approach for synthesis of fluorescent PAMAM
      dendrimers with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties through a one-pot
      catalyst-free Mannich reaction under rather mild experimental conditions (e.g.,
      low reaction temperature, air atmosphere in the presence of water). The obtained
      AIE-active amphiphiles (PhE-PAD) could self-assemble into fluorescent organic
      nanoparticles (FONs). The obtained AIE-active FONs (PhE-PAD FONs) were fully
      characterized, and their successful construction was confirmed by 1H NMR
      spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.
      Fluorescence and UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy results demonstrated that the
      final PhE-PAD FONs showed strong yellow fluorescence, desirable photostability
      and good water dispersity. The cell viability evaluation and confocal laser
      scanning microscope imaging results suggested that PhE-PAD FONs possessed low
      cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility. Taken together, these results
      demonstrate that we have developed a facile and efficient strategy for the
      fabrication of AIE-active FONs, which possess many desirable features for
      biomedical applications.

PMID- 28918376
TI  - Effect of precursors on the structure and activity of CuO-CoOx/gamma-Al2O3
      catalysts for NO reduction by CO.
AB  - Catalytic reduction of NO by CO was studied over a series of CuO-CoOx/gamma-Al2O3
      catalysts prepared by co-impregnation with different copper and cobalt precursors
      (acetate and nitrate) to evaluate the structure-activity relationship. The
      obtained samples were characterized in detail by means of XRD, LRS, XPS, H2-TPR
      and in situ FT-IR technologies. Results indicate that copper oxide is
      agglomerated while cobalt oxide is dispersed on gamma-Al2O3 for the catalyst
      prepared from copper acetate and cobalt acetate precursors (CuACoA); CuxCo3-xO4
      spinel is formed and agglomerated on the catalyst prepared from copper nitrate
      and cobalt nitrate precursors (CuNCoN); while both copper oxide and cobalt oxide
      could be homogeneously dispersed for the catalyst prepared from copper nitrate
      and cobalt acetate precursors (CuNCoA), which exhibits the best activity for NO
      reduction by CO. Probably the synergistic effect between dispersed copper oxide
      and cobalt oxide is propitious to the oxygen transfer, which could be the reason
      for its high activities. Finally, a possible reaction mechanism was tentatively
      proposed to explore the different catalytic performances in NO reduction by CO
      model reaction.

PMID- 28918377
TI  - Stable Janus superhydrophilic/hydrophobic nickel foam for directional water
      transport.
AB  - Janus superhydrophilic/hydrophobic macroporous nickel foam for directional water
      transport has been demonstrated via a simple floating strategy. Water can
      transport from hydrophobic to superhydrophilic layer through Janus nickel foam,
      but cannot transfer from superhydrophilic to hydrophobic layer. This "3D water
      diode" Janus nickel foam shows extremely high transport rate and outstanding
      stability. After damaged by abrasion, its directional water transport property
      retains well.

PMID- 28918378
TI  - Enhanced fluoride removal by La-doped Li/Al layered double hydroxides.
AB  - In this study La intercalated Li/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) was developed
      for efficient water defluoridation. The La-modified material, i.e., La doped
      Li/Al-LDH, exhibits more preferable fluoride adsorption than Li/Al-LDH in a broad
      pH range of 5-9, with the working capacity twice of the latter and seven times of
      magnitude higher than activated alumina. The fluoride removal kinetics is well
      fitted by pseudo-second order model, and the adsorption isotherm is well
      described by Freundlich model. Effect of pH and competing ions was examined
      during fluoride sequestration. The underlying mechanism for such enhanced
      adsorption of fluoride by La doped Li/Al-LDH was further revealed based on XPS
      and FTIR analysis. The presence of La and Al was found to be responsible for the
      satisfactory defluoridation of La doped Li/Al-LDH, and chloride replacement with
      fluoride occurred from both LDHs during fluoride adsorption. Also, the capacity
      of La doped Li/Al-LDH could be refreshed by alkaline solution (pH = 12) for
      cyclic runs. All the results implied that La doped Li/Al-LDH could serve asa
      potential adsorbent for efficient fluoride removal from water.

PMID- 28918380
TI  - It is not enough to grieve; we must learn from Gorakhpur.

PMID- 28918379
TI  - Infanrix hexa and sudden death: a review of the periodic safety update reports
      submitted to the European Medicines Agency.
AB  - There have been a number of spontaneous reports of sudden unexpected death soon
      after the administration of Infanrix hexa (combined diphtheria, tetanus,
      acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliomyelitis and Haemophilus
      influenza type B vaccine). The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), submits
      confidential periodic safety update reports (PSURs) on Infanrix hexa to the
      European Medicines Agency (EMA). The latest is the PSUR 19. Each PSUR contains an
      analysis of observed/expected sudden deaths, which shows that the number of
      observed deaths soon after immunisation is lower than that expected by chance.
      This commentary focuses on that aspect of the PSUR which has a bearing on policy
      decisions. We analysed the data provided in the PSURs. It is apparent that the
      deaths acknowledged in the PSUR 16 were deleted from the PSUR 19. The number of
      observed deaths soon after vaccination among children older than one year was
      significantly higher than that expected by chance once the deleted deaths were
      restored and included in the analysis. The manufacturer must explain the figures
      that have been submitted to the regulatory authorities. The procedures undertaken
      by the EMA to evaluate the manufacturer's claims in the PSUR need to be reviewed.
      The Drugs Controller General of India nearly automatically accepts drugs and
      vaccines approved by the EMA. There is a need to reappraise the reliance on due
      diligence by the EMA.

PMID- 28918381
TI  - Assessing decisional capacity for research participation in psychiatric patients
      and their relatives.
AB  - A cross-sectional study among adult inpatients with non-organic psychiatric
      disorders, and among their key relatives, assessed their comprehension and recall
      of key information in consent forms. It also assessed their capacity to consent
      to participate in two hypothetical randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with
      different potential risks and burdens, using structured questionnaires and
      recorded interviews. Of the 24 participants (12 patient-key relative dyads),
      seven patients (58%) and three key relatives (25%) were clinically judged to lack
      the capacity to consent. Of the remaining 14 participants s, less than half the
      patients (2/5; 40%) or relatives (3/9; 33%) accurately recalled 50% of the key
      information on both trials. Among the eight participants (3 patients, 5
      relatives) independently assessed on the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for
      Clinical Research, the proportions judged competent for each trial varied with
      the criteria for defining competence. No one fulfilled the stringent competence
      criteria for both trials. Routine assessments of the capacity of psychiatric
      research participants, and of relatives providing proxy consent, appear to be
      warranted. However, neither suboptimal understanding of consent forms, nor
      incompetence determined by the use of formal assessment tools, necessarily denote
      an incapacity to consent to research if detailed clinical assessments indicate
      otherwise. Research into incorporating participants' health literacy and clinical
      status in formal assessments may help determine the optimal standards for
      defining competence.

PMID- 28918382
TI  - Prevalence of and risk factors for FIV and FeLV infection in two shelters in the
      United Kingdom (2011-2012).
AB  - The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of feline leukaemia virus
      (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infections in cats presented to
      two RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) animal
      rehoming centres and to identify risk factors for infection. All cats presented
      at each centre between August 2011 and August 2012 were subjected to a patient
      side test for FeLV/FIV on entry. Kittens under three months and cats euthanased
      within a short time of presentation were excluded from the study. Univariable and
      multivariable logistic regression were used to separately determine risk factors
      for FeLV and FIV infections. At shelter A, the prevalence of FIV infection was
      11.4 per cent (54/474) and FeLV infection was 3 per cent (14/473), with two
      FIV/FeLV coinfections identified. At shelter B, the prevalence of FIV infection
      was 3 per cent (4/135) and FeLV infection was 0 per cent (0/135). Cats at shelter
      A were significantly more likely than those at shelter B to test positive for FIV
      (p=0.0024) and FeLV (p=0.048). Male cats were more likely to be infected with FIV
      (odds ratio 27.1, p=0.001), and thin body condition and musculoskeletal disease
      were associated with risk of FeLV. Overall, FIV-positive and FeLV-positive cats
      were significantly older (median ages 5.1 and 4.75 years, respectively) than the
      uninfected populations (median ages 3.4 and 3.5 years, respectively). This study
      shows that the prevalence of these diseases varies between shelter populations.
      Local knowledge combined with the risk factors identified may be useful in
      focusing resources for population testing strategies.

PMID- 28918383
TI  - Liver transplantation in children: state of the art and future perspectives.
AB  - In this review, we provide a state of the art of liver transplantation in
      children, as the procedure is now carried out for more than 30 years and most of
      our paediatric colleagues are managing these patients jointly with liver
      transplant centres. Our goal for this article is to enhance the understanding of
      the liver transplant process that a child and his family goes through while
      explaining the surgical advances and the associated complications that could
      happen in the immediate or long-term follow-up. We have deliberately introduced
      the theme that 'liver transplant is a disease' and 'not a cure', to emphasise the
      need for adherence with immunosuppression, a healthy lifestyle and lifelong
      medical follow-up.

PMID- 28918384
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of effectiveness of preoperative embolization
      in surgery for metastatic spine disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preoperative embolization (PE) may decrease intraoperative blood loss
      (IBL) in decompressive surgery of hypervascular spinal metastases. However, no
      consensus has been found in other metastases and no meta-analysis which reviewed
      the benefit of PE in spinal metastases has been conducted. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      IBL in spinal metastases surgery in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and
      cohort studies comparing PE and a control group of non-embolized patients.
      METHODS: A systematic search of relevant publications in PubMed and EMBASE was
      undertaken. Inclusion criteria were RCTs and observational studies in patients
      with spinal metastases who underwent spine surgery and reported IBL. Meta
      analysis was performed using standardized mean difference (SMD) and mean
      difference (MD) of IBL. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic.
      RESULTS: A total of 265 abstracts (126 from PubMed and 139 from Embase) were
      identified through database searching. The reviewers selected six studies for
      qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis. The pooled SMD of the included studies
      was 0.58 (95% CI -0.10 to 1.25, p=0.09). Sensitivity analysis revealed that, if
      the study by Rehak et al was omitted, the pooled SMD was significantly changed to
      0.88 (95% CI 0.39 to 1.36, p<0.001) and PE reduced the IBL significantly. The
      pooled MD was 708.3 mL (95% CI -224.4 to 1640.9 mL, p=0.14). If the results of
      the Rehak et al study were omitted, the pooled MD was significantly changed to
      1226.9 mL (95% CI 345.8 to 2108.1 mL, p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: PE can be effective
      in reducing IBL in spinal metastases surgery in both renal cell carcinoma and
      mixed primary tumor groups.

PMID- 28918385
TI  - Wall enhancement ratio and partial wall enhancement on MRI associated with the
      rupture of intracranial aneurysms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk factors for rupture of intracranial aneurysms
      (IAs) using high resolution MRI (HRMRI). METHODS: 91 consecutive patients with
      106 IAs were reviewed from February 2016 to April 2017. Patients and IAs were
      divided into ruptured and unruptured groups. In addition to the clinical
      characteristics of the patients, the features of IAs (eg, shape) were evaluated
      by CT angiography, whereas wall thickness, enhanced patterns, and enhancement
      ratio (ER) were evaluated by MRI. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used
      to identify independent risk factors associated with the rupture of IAs. Receiver
      operating characteristic curve analysis was performed on the final model, and the
      optimal thresholds were obtained. RESULTS: ER (OR 6.638) and partial wall
      enhancement (PWE) (OR 6.710) were not markers of aneurysms more prone to rupture,
      but simply were more commonly found in the ruptured aneurysm cohort. The
      threshold value for ER was 61.5%. CONCLUSIONS: ER (>=61.5%) and IAs with PWE are
      better predictors of rupture. Increased attentions should be paid to these
      factors during assessment of IA rupture.

PMID- 28918387
TI  - Prospective comparative effectiveness cohort study comparing two models of
      advance care planning provision for Australian community aged care clients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Conduct a prospective comparative effectiveness cohort study
      comparing two models of advance care planning (ACP) provision in community aged
      care: ACP conducted by the client's case manager (CM) ('Facilitator') and ACP
      conducted by an external ACP service ('Referral') over a 6-month period. METHODS:
      This Australian study involved CMs and their clients. Eligible CM were English
      speaking, >=18 years, had expected availability for the trial and worked >=3 days
      per week. CMs were recruited via their organisations, sequentially allocated to a
      group and received education based on the group allocation. They were expected to
      initiate ACP with all clients and to facilitate ACP or refer for ACP. Outcomes
      were quantity of new ACP conversations and quantity and quality of new advance
      care directives (ACDs). RESULTS: 30 CMs (16 Facilitator, 14 Referral) completed
      the study; all 784 client's files (427 Facilitator, 357 Referral) were audited.
      ACP was initiated with 508 (65%) clients (293 Facilitator, 215 Referral; p<0.05);
      89 (18%) of these (53 Facilitator, 36 Referral) and 41 (46%) (13 Facilitator, 28
      Referral; p<0.005) completed ACDs. Most ACDs (71%) were of poor quality/not
      valid. A further 167 clients (facilitator 124; referral 43; p<0.005) reported ACP
      was in progress at study completion. CONCLUSIONS: While there were some
      differences, overall, models achieved similar outcomes. ACP was initiated with
      65% of clients. However, fewer clients completed ACP, there was low numbers of
      ACDs and document quality was generally poor. The findings raise questions for
      future implementation and research into community ACP provision.

PMID- 28918386
TI  - Evaluation of previously embolized intracranial aneurysms: inter-and intra-rater
      reliability among neurosurgeons and interventional neuroradiologists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The angiographic evaluation of previously coiled aneurysms can be
      difficult yet remains critical for determining re-treatment. OBJECTIVE: The main
      objective of this study was to determine the inter-rater reliability for both the
      Raymond Scale and per cent embolization among a group of neurointerventionalists
      evaluating previously embolized aneurysms. METHODS: A panel of 15
      neurointerventionalists examined 92 distinct cases of immediate post-coil
      embolization and 1 year post-embolization angiographs. Each case was presented
      four times throughout the study, along with alterations in demographics in order
      to evaluate intra-rater reliability. All respondents were asked to provide the
      per cent embolization (0-100%) and Raymond Scale grade (1-3) for each aneurysm.
      Inter-rater reliability was evaluated by computing weighted kappa values (for the
      Raymond Scale) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for per cent
      embolization. RESULTS: 10 neurosurgeons and 5 interventional neuroradiologists
      evaluated 368 simulated cases. The agreement among all readers employing the
      Raymond Scale was fair (kappa=0.35) while concordance in per cent embolization
      was good (ICC=0.64). Clinicians with fewer than 10 years of experience
      demonstrated a significantly greater level of agreement than the group with
      greater than 10 years (kappa=0.39 and ICC=0.70 vs kappa=0.28 and ICC=0.58). When
      the same aneurysm was presented multiple times, clinicians demonstrated excellent
      consistency when assessing per cent embolization (ICC=0.82), but moderate
      agreement when employing the Raymond classification (kappa=0.58). CONCLUSIONS:
      Identifying the per cent embolization in previously coiled aneurysms resulted in
      good inter- and intra-rater agreement, regardless of years of experience. The
      strong agreement among providers employing per cent embolization may make it a
      valuable tool for embolization assessment in this patient population.

PMID- 28918388
TI  - Association of the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010) with depression,
      stress and anxiety among Iranian military personnel.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Psychological disorders have a major role in the incidence of
      chronic diseases and may result in reductions in the cost-effectiveness of the
      Armed Forces. Previous civilian studies have shown a protective association
      between healthy eating guidelines and mental disorders, but evidence to support
      this for a military population is limited. The aim of this study was to examine
      the association of Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010) with depression,
      stress and anxiety among Iranian military personnel. METHOD: A cross-sectional
      study was conducted on 246 male Army soldiers. Stress, anxiety, depression and
      dietary intakes were assessed. The association between variables was determined
      using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression,
      stress and anxiety in study participants was 15.9%, 10.6% and 27.2% respectively.
      Participants with the highest adherence to the AHEI-2010 had an 80% lower odds of
      depression than those with the lowest adherence (OR: 0.20; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.78).
      Such an association was also found between adherences to the AHEI-2010 and
      anxiety (OR: 0.28; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.95). No significant association between
      adherence to the AHEI-2010 and stress was found. CONCLUSION: An inverse
      association between adherence to the AHEI-2010 and odds of depression and anxiety
      was found. Further studies are required to clarify this relationship.

PMID- 28918389
TI  - Glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists for the management of obesity and non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease: a novel therapeutic option.
AB  - Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM), and is associated with a cluster of metabolic factors that lead to poor
      cardiovascular outcomes. In non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fat
      (triglyceride) accumulation closely mirrors adipose tissue dysfunction and
      insulin resistance in obesity and T2DM. It is now recognized as the most common
      chronic liver disease in Westernized societies, often progressing to more severe
      forms of the disease such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), or cirrhosis
      and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, NAFLD remains largely overlooked by
      healthcare providers although it affects about two-thirds of patients with
      obesity and it promotes the development of T2DM. NAFLD mirrors adipose tissue and
      systemic insulin resistance, the liver being a 'barometer' of metabolic health.
      Although pioglitazone is emerging as the treatment of choice for NASH in patients
      with insulin-resistance, or those with T2DM, many other options are being tested.
      Due to their overall safety and efficacy, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor
      agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are becoming one of the cornerstones for the management of
      both obesity and T2DM, and a novel alternative for the treatment of NAFLD. In
      this review, we will briefly summarize the status of GLP-1RA for the treatment of
      obesity and NAFLD.

PMID- 28918390
TI  - A glossary for big data in population and public health: discussion and
      commentary on terminology and research methods.
AB  - The volume and velocity of data are growing rapidly and big data analytics are
      being applied to these data in many fields. Population and public health
      researchers may be unfamiliar with the terminology and statistical methods used
      in big data. This creates a barrier to the application of big data analytics. The
      purpose of this glossary is to define terms used in big data and big data
      analytics and to contextualise these terms. We define the five Vs of big data and
      provide definitions and distinctions for data mining, machine learning and deep
      learning, among other terms. We provide key distinctions between big data and
      statistical analysis methods applied to big data. We contextualise the glossary
      by providing examples where big data analysis methods have been applied to
      population and public health research problems and provide brief guidance on how
      to learn big data analysis methods.

PMID- 28918391
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms associated with the risk of concussion in 1056 college
      athletes: a multicentre prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: To evaluate the association of genetic polymorphisms APOE, APOE G
      219T promoter, microtubule associated protein(MAPT)/tau exon 6 Ser53Pro, MAPT/tau
      Hist47Tyr, IL-6572 G/C and IL-6RAsp358Ala with the risk of concussion in college
      athletes. METHODS: A 23-centre prospective cohort study of 1056 college athletes
      with genotyping was completed between August 2003 and December 2012. All athletes
      completed baseline medical and concussion questionnaires, and post-concussion
      data were collected for athletes with a documented concussion. RESULTS: The study
      cohort consisted of 1056 athletes of mean+/-SD age 19.7+/-1.5 years, 89.3% male,
      59.4% Caucasian, 35.0% African-American, 5.6% other race. The athletes
      participated in American football, soccer, basketball, softball, men's wrestling
      and club rugby. A total of 133 (12.1% prevalence) concussions occurred during an
      average surveillance of 3 years per athlete. We observed a significant positive
      association between IL-6R CC (p=0.001) and a negative association between APOE4
      (p=0.03) and the risk of concussion. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression
      analysis showed a significant association between IL-6R CC and concussion (OR
      3.48; 95% CI 1.58 to 7.65; p=0.002) and between the APOE4 allele and concussion
      (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.96; p=0.04), which persisted after adjustment for
      confounders. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6R CC was associated with a three times greater
      concussion risk and APOE4 with a 40% lower risk.

PMID- 28918392
TI  - CNVs affecting cancer predisposing genes (CPGs) detected as incidental findings
      in routine germline diagnostic chromosomal microarray (CMA) testing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identification of CNVs through chromosomal microarray (CMA) testing
      is the first-line investigation in individuals with learning
      difficulties/congenital abnormalities. Although recognised that CMA testing may
      identify CNVs encompassing a cancer predisposition gene (CPG), limited
      information is available on the frequency and nature of such results. METHODS: We
      investigated CNV gains and losses affecting 39 CPGs in 3366 pilot index case
      individuals undergoing CMA testing, and then studied an extended cohort (n=10
      454) for CNV losses at 105 CPGs and CNV gains at 9 proto-oncogenes implicated in
      inherited cancer susceptibility. RESULTS: In the pilot cohort, 31/3366 (0.92%)
      individuals had a CNV involving one or more of 16/39 CPGs. 30/31 CNVs involved a
      tumour suppressor gene (TSG), and 1/30 a proto-oncogene (gain of MET). BMPR1A,
      TSC2 and TMEM127 were affected in multiple cases. In the second stage analysis,
      49/10 454 (0.47%) individuals in the extended cohort had 50 CNVs involving 24/105
      CPGs. 43/50 CNVs involved a TSG and 7/50 a proto-oncogene (4 gains, 3 deletions).
      The most frequently involved genes, FLCN (n=10) and SDHA (n=7), map to the Smith
      Magenis and cri-du-chat regions, respectively. CONCLUSION: Incidental
      identification of a CNV involving a CPG is not rare and poses challenges for
      future cancer risk estimation. Prospective data collection from CPG-CNV cohorts
      ascertained incidentally and through syndromic presentations is required to
      determine the risks posed by specific CNVs. In particular, ascertainment and
      investigation of adults with CPG-CNVs and adults with learning disability and
      cancer, could provide important information to guide clinical management and
      surveillance.

PMID- 28918393
TI  - Improving membrane protein expression by optimizing integration efficiency.
AB  - The heterologous overexpression of integral membrane proteins in Escherichia coli
      often yields insufficient quantities of purifiable protein for applications of
      interest. The current study leverages a recently demonstrated link between co
      translational membrane integration efficiency and protein expression levels to
      predict protein sequence modifications that improve expression. Membrane
      integration efficiencies, obtained using a coarse-grained simulation approach,
      robustly predicted effects on expression of the integral membrane protein TatC
      for a set of 140 sequence modifications, including loop-swap chimeras and single
      residue mutations distributed throughout the protein sequence. Mutations that
      improve simulated integration efficiency were 4-fold enriched with respect to
      improved experimentally observed expression levels. Furthermore, the effects of
      double mutations on both simulated integration efficiency and experimentally
      observed expression levels were cumulative and largely independent, suggesting
      that multiple mutations can be introduced to yield higher levels of purifiable
      protein. This work provides a foundation for a general method for the rational
      overexpression of integral membrane proteins based on computationally simulated
      membrane integration efficiencies.

PMID- 28918394
TI  - Apolipoprotein L1 confers pH-switchable ion permeability to phospholipid
      vesicles.
AB  - Apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1) is a human serum protein conferring resistance to
      African trypanosomes, and certain ApoL1 variants increase susceptibility to some
      progressive kidney diseases. ApoL1 has been hypothesized to function like a pore
      forming colicin and has been reported to have permeability effects on both
      intracellular and plasma membranes. Here, to gain insight into how ApoL1 may
      function in vivo, we used vesicle-based ion permeability, direct membrane
      association, and intrinsic fluorescence to study the activities of purified
      recombinant ApoL1. We found that ApoL1 confers chloride-selective permeability to
      preformed phospholipid vesicles and that this selectivity is strongly pH
      sensitive, with maximal activity at pH 5 and little activity above pH 7. When
      ApoL1 and lipid were allowed to interact at low pH and were then brought to
      neutral pH, chloride permeability was suppressed, and potassium permeability was
      activated. Both chloride and potassium permeability linearly correlated with the
      mass of ApoL1 in the reaction mixture, and both exhibited lipid selectivity,
      requiring the presence of negatively charged lipids for activity. Potassium, but
      not chloride, permease activity required the presence of calcium ions in both the
      association and activation steps. Direct assessment of ApoL1-lipid associations
      confirmed that ApoL1 stably associates with phospholipid vesicles, requiring low
      pH and the presence of negatively charged phospholipids for maximal binding.
      Intrinsic fluorescence of ApoL1 supported the presence of a significant
      structural transition when ApoL1 is mixed with lipids at low pH. This pH
      switchable ion-selective permeability may explain the different effects of ApoL1
      reported in intracellular and plasma membrane environments.

PMID- 28918395
TI  - Non-invasive high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in preterm infants: a
      randomised controlled cross-over trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Non-invasive high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (nHFOV) has
      recently been described as a novel mode of respiratory support for premature
      infants. This study was designed to determine whether nHFOV decreases CO2 partial
      pressure (pCO2) in premature infants more effectively than non-invasive
      continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP). DESIGN: Non-blinded prospective
      randomised controlled cross-over study. SETTING: University Medical Center
      tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. PATIENTS: 26 premature infants of 27+/-2
      weeks of gestational age after extubation or non-invasive surfactant treatment.
      INTERVENTIONS: Infants were treated with 4 hours of nHFOV and 4 hours of nCPAP in
      a cross-over design. The sequence of the ventilation mode was randomly allocated.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was pCO2 of arterial or
      arterialised blood 4 hours after commencing the respective mode of respiratory
      support. Secondary outcome criteria included events of apnoea and bradycardia,
      respiratory rate, heart rate, pain and/or discomfort, mean airway pressure,
      fraction of inspired oxygen and failure of non-invasive respiratory support.
      RESULTS: pCO2 after 4 hours of nHFOV was similar compared with 4 hours of nCPAP
      (p=0.33). pCO2 was 54.8 (14.6) vs 52.7 (9.3) mm Hg mean (SD) for the nHFOV-nCPAP
      period (n=13) and 49.0 (8.1) vs 47.7 (9.5) mm Hg for the nCPAP-nHFOV period
      (n=13). There was no difference in any of the secondary outcome measures. nHFOV
      was terminated prematurely in five cases for predefined failure criteria
      (p=0.051). CONCLUSIONS: We could not demonstrate an increased carbon dioxide
      clearance applying nHFOV compared with nCPAP in this cohort of preterm infants.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00007171, results.

PMID- 28918396
TI  - Trochlear nerve palsy.

PMID- 28918397
TI  - Correction: Community-based exercise interventions during pregnancy are perceived
      as a satisfactory and motivating form of exercise engagement.

PMID- 28918398
TI  - Nursing and midwifery council registration for overseas children's nurses: a
      perfect storm?

PMID- 28918399
TI  - Inactivated influenza vaccination in first trimester does not appear to increase
      risk of birth defects.

PMID- 28918400
TI  - Healthcare resource use and costs of severe, uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma in
      the UK general population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the prevalence of severe, uncontrolled
      eosinophilic asthma (SUEA) and associated costs. AIMS: We sought to determine the
      prevalence of SUEA and compare asthma-related healthcare resource use (HCRU) and
      associated costs with overall means for a general asthma population. METHODS:
      This cohort study evaluated anonymised medical record data (December 1989 through
      June 2015) from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and the Optimum Patient
      Care Research Database to study UK patients with active asthma (diagnostic code
      and one or more drug prescriptions in the baseline year), aged 5 years and older,
      without concomitant COPD, and with recorded eosinophil count. SUEA was defined as
      two or more asthma attacks during 1 baseline year preceding a high blood
      eosinophil count (>=0.3*109/L) for patients prescribed long-acting beta2-agonist
      (LABA) and high-dosage inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) during baseline plus 1
      follow-up year. We compared asthma-related HCRU and associated direct costs (2015
      pounds sterling, L) during the follow-up year for SUEA versus the general asthma
      population. RESULTS: Of 363 558 patients with active asthma and recorded
      eosinophil count, 64% were women, mean (SD) age was 49 (21) years; 43% had high
      eosinophil counts, 7% had two or more attacks in the baseline year and 10% were
      prescribed high-dosage ICS/LABA for 2 study years. Overall, 2940 (0.81%; 95% CI
      0.78% to 0.84%) patients had SUEA. Total mean per-patient HCRU and associated
      costs were four times greater for SUEA versus all patients (HCRU and cost ratios
      3.9; 95% CI 3.7 to 4.1). CONCLUSIONS: Less than 1% of patients in a general
      asthma population had SUEA. These patients accounted for substantially greater
      asthma-related HCRU and costs than average patients with asthma.

PMID- 28918401
TI  - Return to work and lost earnings after acute respiratory distress syndrome: a 5
      year prospective, longitudinal study of long-term survivors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delayed return to work is common after acute respiratory distress
      syndrome (ARDS), but has undergone little detailed evaluation. We examined
      factors associated with the timing of return to work after ARDS, along with lost
      earnings and shifts in healthcare coverage. METHODS: Five-year, multisite
      prospective, longitudinal cohort study of 138 2-year ARDS survivors hospitalised
      between 2004 and 2007. Employment and healthcare coverage were collected via
      structured interview. Predictors of time to return to work were evaluated using
      Fine and Grey regression analysis. Lost earnings were estimated using Bureau of
      Labor Statistics data. RESULTS: Sixty-seven (49%) of the 138 2-year survivors
      were employed prior to ARDS. Among 64 5-year survivors, 20 (31%) never returned
      to work across 5-year follow-up. Predictors of delayed return to work (HR (95%
      CI)) included baseline Charlson Comorbidity Index (0.77 (0.59 to 0.99) per point;
      p=0.04), mechanical ventilation duration (0.67 (0.55 to 0.82) per day up to 5
      days; p<0.001) and discharge to a healthcare facility (0.49 (0.26 to 0.93);
      p=0.03). Forty-nine of 64 (77%) 5-year survivors incurred lost earnings, with
      average (SD) losses ranging from US$38 354 (21,533) to US$43 510 (25,753) per
      person per year. Jobless, non-retired survivors experienced a 33% decrease in
      private health insurance and concomitant 37% rise in government-funded coverage.
      CONCLUSIONS: Across 5-year follow-up, nearly one-third of previously employed
      ARDS survivors never returned to work. Delayed return to work was associated with
      patient-related and intensive care unit/hospital-related factors, substantial
      lost earnings and a marked rise in government-funded healthcare coverage. These
      important consequences emphasise the need to design and evaluate vocation-based
      interventions to assist ARDS survivors return to work.

PMID- 28918402
TI  - Rare case of primary leiomyosarcoma of sigmoid mesocolon.
AB  - We experienced a rare case of primary leiomyosarcoma of sigmoid mesentery. A 45
      year-old woman was presented to us with left iliac fossa mass and discomfort for
      4-month duration. CT scan of abdomen and pelvis revealed a huge mass 14 cm*14
      cm*16 cm occupying left iliac fossa mimicked having a large left ovarian
      carcinoma. She was subsequently planned for elective total abdominal hysterectomy
      and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy by gynaecology team. During laparotomy, a
      huge mass was revealed arising from sigmoid mesentery invaded to the left lower
      ureter. Curative resection was done and pathological findings show the tumour
      being leiomyosarcoma with immunohistochemistry tests on caldesmon, desmin, smooth
      muscle actin and CD34 reagent all positive. Clinicopathological and literature
      review of this rare primary leiomyosarcoma of mesocolon was discussed in our case
      presentation.

PMID- 28918403
TI  - Successful twice interrupted therapy of HCV infection in patients with cirrhosis
      with hepatocellular carcinoma before and after liver transplantation.
AB  - We are presenting the case study of the patient diagnosed at the age of 37 with
      liver cirrhosis due to genotype 1b hepatitis C virus infection. At the age of 46,
      he was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma with subsequent resection of the
      tumour in May 2015. In December 2015, the treatment was started with ombitasvir,
      paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir (3D) with ribavirin (RBV) 1000 mg per day.
      After 24 days of this treatment, the patient received a deceased donor liver
      transplantation, followed by 18-day interruption of 3D therapy. Due to the
      anaemia, RBV dose was reduced to 600 mg per day for the rest of the treatment. At
      the 11th week of 3D+RBV treatment, there was another 8-day long discontinuation
      of therapy due to the postoperative wound infection. In total, the patient
      received 24 weeks of 3D+RBV treatment, achieving sustained virological response
      at week 24 post-treatment.

PMID- 28918404
TI  - Combined caesarean with splenectomy in pregnancy with portal hypertension:
      defining plausibility.
AB  - 24-year-old woman at 28 weeks gestation was referred from peripheral hospital
      with diagnosis of pregnancy with portal hypertension. She had received multiple
      transfusion for pancytopaenia in the past and had undergone endoscopic
      sclerotherapy for oesophageal varices. Initially, she was admitted in our
      hospital at 28 weeks gestation for blood transfusion and was evaluated by
      multispecialty team of doctors. She was advised splenectomy for transfusion
      dependent pancytopaenia secondary to hypersplenism in non-cirrhotic portal
      hypertension. She was readmitted at 36 weeks gestation. A decision for caesarean
      was taken owing to failed induction of labour at 38 weeks gestation. She
      underwent combined caesarean with splenectomy. Mother and child had an uneventful
      postoperative recovery and were discharged on ninth postoperative day.
      Preconceptional counselling, treatment of oesophageal varices and multispecialty
      approach was paramount in the management. Combined caesarean with splenectomy is
      feasible and cost-effective treatment associated with improved quality of life.
      Prospective clinical trials are essential to prove safety and efficacy of
      treatment.

PMID- 28918405
TI  - Renal cell carcinoma with isolated metastasis to sigmoid mesentery: a rare
      resectable combination.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma accounts for 2%-3% of all malignancies in adults. It spreads
      via direct extension, lymphatic route as well as haematogenous route. Lymph
      nodes, lungs, bone, liver and brain are the usual sites for its metastatic
      spread. In the presence of limited metastatic disease with potentially resectable
      metastases, surgery offers the best chances of cure. In the present case, we
      describe a case of renal cell carcinoma with a solitary metastasis to the sigmoid
      mesentery in a patient with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. There was no
      retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy or tumour thrombus in the renal vein. The patient
      was managed with laparoscopic radical nephrectomy and excision of the sigmoid
      mesentery mass. At 6 months of follow-up, there is no evidence of recurrent
      disease.

PMID- 28918406
TI  - Rare cause of colonic intussusception in an adult.
AB  - Colonic intussusception is an uncommon phenomenon in adults. Advanced imaging has
      facilitated the increase in awareness of this rare disease. When present, the
      lead point is most often secondary to a malignancy with primary adenocarcinoma
      being the most frequent cause. Current surgical management involves oncologic
      resections for this reason. This is a report of the third ever-reported case of
      colonic intussusception secondary to an angiolipoma and the first in the western
      hemisphere. We also demonstrate that these masses are amenable to minimally
      invasive resection for definitive management.

PMID- 28918407
TI  - Burden of non-adherence to latent tuberculosis infection drug therapy and the
      potential cost-effectiveness of adherence interventions in Canada: a simulation
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pharmaceutical treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI)
      reduces the risk of progression to active tuberculosis (TB); however, poor
      adherence tempers the protective effect. We aimed to estimate the health burden
      of non-adherence, the maximum allowable cost of hypothetical new adherence
      interventions to be cost-effective and the potential value of existing adherence
      interventions for patients with low-risk LTBI in Canada. DESIGN: A
      microsimulation model of LTBI progression over 25 years. SETTING: General
      practice in Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with LTBI who are initiating drug
      therapy. INTERVENTIONS: A hypothetical intervention with a range of effectiveness
      was evaluated. Existing drug adherence interventions including peer support, two
      way text messaging support, enhanced adherence counselling and adherence
      incentives were also evaluated. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Simulation outcomes included healthcare costs, TB incidence, TB deaths and
      quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Base case results were interpreted against a
      willingness-to-pay threshold of $C50 000/QALY. RESULTS: Compared with current
      adherence levels, full adherence to LTBI drug therapy could reduce new TB cases
      from 90.3 cases per 100 000 person-years to 35.9 cases per 100 000 person-years
      and reduce TB-related deaths from 7.9 deaths per 100 000 person-years to 3.1
      deaths per 100 000 person-years. An intervention that increases relative
      adherence by 40% would bring the population near full adherence to drug therapy
      and could have a maximum allowable annual cost of approximately $C450 per person
      to be cost-effective. Based on estimates of effect sizes and costs of existing
      adherence interventions, we found that they yielded between 900 and 2400
      additional QALYs per million people, reduced TB deaths by 5%-25% and were likely
      to be cost-effective over 25 years. CONCLUSION: Full adherence could reduce the
      number of future TB cases by nearly 60%, offsetting TB-related costs and health
      burden. Several existing interventions are could be cost-effective to help
      achieve this goal.

PMID- 28918408
TI  - Effectiveness, cost-utility and implementation of a decision aid for patients
      with localised prostate cancer and their partners: study protocol of a stepped
      wedge cluster randomised controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patient decision aids (PDAs) have been developed to help patients
      make an informed choice for a treatment option. Despite proven benefits,
      structural implementation falls short of expectations. The present study aims to
      assess the effectiveness and cost-utility of the PDA among newly diagnosed
      patients with localised prostate cancer and their partners, alongside
      implementation of the PDA in routine care. METHODS/ANALYSIS: A stepped-wedge
      cluster randomised trial will be conducted. The PDA will be sequentially
      implemented in 18 hospitals in the Netherlands, over a period of 24 months. Every
      3 or 6 months, a new cluster of hospitals will switch from usual care to care
      including a PDA.The primary outcome measure is decisional conflict experienced by
      the patient. Secondary outcomes comprise the patient's quality of life, treatment
      preferences, role in the decision making, expectations of treatment, knowledge,
      need for supportive care and decision regret. Furthermore, societal cost-utility
      will be valued. Other outcome measures considered are the partner's treatment
      preferences, experienced participation to decision making, quality of life,
      communication between patient, partner and health care professional, and the
      effect of prostate cancer on the relationship, social contacts and their role as
      caregiver. Patients and partners receiving the PDA will also be asked about their
      satisfaction with the PDA.Baseline assessment takes place after the treatment
      choice and before the start of a treatment, with follow-up assessments at 3, 6
      and 12 months following the end of treatment or the day after deciding on active
      surveillance. Outcome measures on implementation include the implementation rate
      (defined as the proportion of all eligible patients who will receive a PDA) and a
      questionnaire for health care professionals on determinants of implementing an
      innovation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will be conducted in accordance
      with local laws and regulations of the Medical Ethics Committee of VU University
      Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The results from this stepped-wedge
      trial will be presented at scientific meetings and published in peer-reviewed
      journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Nederlands Trial Register NTR TC5177, registration
      date: May 28th 2015.Pre-results.

PMID- 28918409
TI  - Qualitative interview study of parents' perspectives, concerns and experiences of
      the management of lower respiratory tract infections in children in primary care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore parents' perspectives, concerns and experiences of the
      management of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children in primary
      care. DESIGN: Qualitative semistructured interview study. SETTING: UK primary
      care. PARTICIPANTS: 23 parents of children aged 6 months to 10 years presenting
      with LRTI in primary care. METHOD: Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews
      (either in person or by telephone) conducted with parents to explore their
      experiences and views on their children being prescribed antibiotics for LRTI.
      RESULTS: Four major themes were identified and these are perspectives on: (1)
      infection, (2) antibiotic use, (3) the general practitioner (GP) appointment and
      (4) decision making around prescribing. Symptomatic relief was a key concern: the
      most troublesome symptoms were cough, breathing difficulty, fever and malaise.
      Many parents were reluctant to use self-care medication, tended to support
      antibiotic use and believed they are effective for symptoms, illness duration and
      for preventing complications. However, parental expectations varied from a desire
      for reassurance and advice to an explicit preference for an antibiotic
      prescription. These preferences were shaped by: (1) the age of the child, with
      younger children perceived as more vulnerable because of their greater difficulty
      in communicating, and concerns about rapid deterioration; (2) the perceived
      severity of the illness; and (3) disruption to daily routine. When there was
      disagreement with the GP, parents described feeling dismissed, and they were
      critical of inconsistent prescribing when they reconsult. When agreement between
      the parent and the doctor featured, parents described a feeling of relief and
      legitimation for consulting, feeling reassured that the illness did indeed
      warrant a doctor's attention. CONCLUSION: Symptomatic relief is a major concern
      for parents. Careful exploration of expectations, and eliciting worries about key
      symptoms and impact on daily life will be needed to help parents understand when
      a no antibiotic recommendation or delayed antibiotic recommendation is made.

PMID- 28918410
TI  - 'Just like a normal pain', what do people with diabetes mellitus experience when
      having a myocardial infarction: a qualitative study recruited from UK hospitals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the symptoms people with
      diabetes experience when having a myocardial infarction (MI), their illness
      narrative and how they present their symptoms to the health service. SETTING:
      Three London (UK) hospitals (coronary care units and medical wards).
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients were recruited with diabetes mellitus (DM) (types 1 and 2)
      with a clinical presentation of MI (ST elevated MI (STEMI), non-ST elevated MI
      (NSTEMI), acute MI unspecified and cardiac arrest). A total of 43 participants
      were recruited, and 39 interviews met the study criteria and were analysed. They
      were predominantly male (n=30), aged 40-90 years and white British (18/39), and
      just over a half were from other ethnic groups. The majority had type 2 DM
      (n=35), 24 had an NSTEMI, 10 had an STEMI and five had other cardiac events.
      DEFINITIONS OF SELECTION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA: A diagnosis of MI and DM and the
      ability to communicate enough English to complete the interview. Ward staff made
      a clinical judgement that the participant was post-treatment, clinically stable
      and well enough to participate. METHODS: A qualitative study using taped and
      transcribed interviews analysed using a thematic analysis. RESULTS: While most
      participants did experience chest pain, it was often not their most striking
      symptom. As their chest pain did not match their expectations of what a 'heart
      attack' should be, participants developed narratives to explain these symptoms,
      including the symptoms being effects of their DM ('hypos'), side effects of
      medication (oral hypoglycaemics) or symptoms (such as breathlessness and
      indigestion) related to other comorbidities, often leading to delays in seeking
      care. CONCLUSIONS: While truly absent chest pain during MI among people with DM
      was rare in this study, patients' attenuated symptoms often led to delay in
      seeking attention, and this may result in delays in receiving treatment.

PMID- 28918411
TI  - Combining CD4 recovery and CD4: CD8 ratio restoration as an indicator for
      evaluating the outcome of continued antiretroviral therapy: an observational
      cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Immune recovery following highly active antiretroviral therapy
      (HAART) is commonly assessed by the degree of CD4 reconstitution alone. In this
      study, we aimed to assess immune recovery by incorporating both CD4 count and
      CD4:CD8 ratio. DESIGN: Observational cohort study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Clinical data from Chinese HIV-positive patients attending the largest HIV
      service in Hong Kong and who had been on HAART for >=4 years were accessed. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Optimal immune outcome was defined as a combination of a CD4
      count >=500/MUL and a CD4:CD8 ratio >=0.8. RESULTS: A total of 718 patients were
      included for analysis (6353 person-years). At the end of year 4, 318 out of 715
      patients achieved CD4 >=500/MUL, of which only 33% (105 out of 318) concurrently
      achieved CD4:CD8 ratio >=0.8. Patients with a pre-HAART CD8 <=800/MUL (428 out of
      704) were more likely to be optimal immune outcome achievers with CD4 >=500/MUL
      and CD4:CD8 ratio >=0.8, the association of which was stronger after adjusting
      for pre-HAART CD4 counts. In a multivariable logistic model, optimal immune
      outcome was positively associated with male gender, younger pre-HAART age and
      higher pre-HAART CD4 count, longer duration of HAART and pre-HAART CD8 <=800/MUL.
      Treatment regimen and cumulative viral loads played no significant role in the
      pattern of immune recovery. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of CD4 count and CD4:CD8
      ratio could be a useful approach for the characterisation of treatment outcome
      over time, on top of monitoring CD4 count alone.

PMID- 28918412
TI  - Prediction of early unplanned intensive care unit readmission in a UK tertiary
      care hospital: a cross-sectional machine learning approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Unplanned readmissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) are highly
      undesirable, increasing variance in care, making resource planning difficult and
      potentially increasing length of stay and mortality in some settings. Identifying
      patients who are likely to suffer unplanned ICU readmission could reduce the
      frequency of this adverse event. SETTING: A single academic, tertiary care
      hospital in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: A set of 3326 ICU episodes collected between
      October 2014 and August 2016. All records were of patients who visited an ICU at
      some point during their stay. We excluded patients who were <=16 years of age;
      visited ICUs other than the general and neurosciences ICU; were missing crucial
      electronic patient record measurements; or had indeterminate ICU discharge
      outcomes or very early or extremely late discharge times. After exclusion, 2018
      outcome-labelled episodes remained. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for prediction of
      unplanned ICU readmission or in-hospital death within 48 hours of first ICU
      discharge. RESULTS: In 10-fold cross-validation, an ensemble predictor was
      trained on data from both the target hospital and the Medical Information Mart
      for Intensive Care (MIMIC-III) database and tested on the target hospital's data.
      This predictor discriminated between patients with the unplanned ICU readmission
      or death outcome and those without this outcome, attaining mean AUROC of 0.7095
      (SE 0.0260), superior to the purpose-built Stability and Workload Index for
      Transfer (SWIFT) score (AUROC=0.6082, SE 0.0249; p=0.014, pairwise t-test).
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite the inherent difficulties, we demonstrate that a novel
      machine learning algorithm based on transfer learning could achieve good
      discrimination, over and above that of the treating clinicians or the value added
      by the SWIFT score. Accurate prediction of unplanned readmission could be used to
      target resources more efficiently.

PMID- 28918413
TI  - Post-traumatic growth and its relationship to quality of life up to 9 years after
      liver transplantation: a cross-sectional study in Spain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known concerning post-traumatic growth (PTG) after liver
      transplantation. Against this backdrop the current study analysed the
      relationship between PTG and time since transplantation on quality of life.
      Furthermore, it compared PTG between liver transplant recipients and their
      caregivers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional case-control study. SETTING: University
      Hospital in Spain. PARTICIPANTS: 240 adult liver transplant recipients who had
      undergone only one transplantation, with no severe mental disease, were the
      participants of the study. Specific additional analyses were conducted on the
      subset of 216 participants for whom caregiver data were available. Moreover,
      results were compared with a previously recruited general population sample.
      OUTCOME MEASURES: All participants completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory,
      and recipients also filled in the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Relevant
      sociodemographic and clinical parameters were also assessed. RESULTS: In the
      sample of 240 recipients, longer time since transplantation (>9 years) was
      associated with more pain symptoms (p=0.026). Regardless of duration, recipients
      showed lower scores on most quality of life dimensions than the general
      population. However, high PTG was associated with a significantly higher score on
      the vitality quality of life dimension (p=0.021). In recipients with high PTG,
      specific quality of life dimensions, such as bodily pain (p=0.307), vitality
      (p=0.890) and mental health (p=0.353), even equalled scores in the general
      population, whereas scores on general health surpassed them (p=0.006).
      Furthermore, liver transplant recipients (n=216) compared with their caregivers
      showed higher total PTG (p<0.001) and higher scores on the subscales relating to
      others (p<0.001), new possibilities (p<0.001) and appreciation of life (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the protective role of PTG in the long-term
      outcome of liver transplant recipients. Future studies should analyse and develop
      psychosocial interventions to strengthen PTG in transplant recipients and their
      caregivers.

PMID- 28918414
TI  - A protocol of a cross-sectional study evaluating an online tool for early career
      peer reviewers assessing reports of randomised controlled trials.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Systematic reviews evaluating the impact of interventions to
      improve the quality of peer review for biomedical publications highlighted that
      interventions were limited and have little impact. This study aims to compare the
      accuracy of early career peer reviewers who use an innovative online tool to the
      usual peer reviewer process in evaluating the completeness of reporting and
      switched primary outcomes in completed reports. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a
      cross-sectional study of individual two-arm parallel-group randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) published in the BioMed Central series medical journals, BMJ, BMJ
      Open and Annals of Emergency Medicine and indexed with the publication type
      'Randomised Controlled Trial'. First, we will develop an online tool and training
      module based (a) on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010
      checklist and the Explanation and Elaboration document that would be dedicated to
      junior peer reviewers for assessing the completeness of reporting of key items
      and (b) the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Outcome Monitoring Project process
      used to identify switched outcomes in completed reports of the primary results of
      RCTs when initially submitted. Then, we will compare the performance of early
      career peer reviewers who use the online tool to the usual peer review process in
      identifying inadequate reporting and switched outcomes in completed reports of
      RCTs at initial journal submission. The primary outcome will be the mean number
      of items accurately classified per manuscript. The secondary outcomes will be the
      mean number of items accurately classified per manuscript for the CONSORT items
      and the sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratio to detect the item as
      adequately reported and to identify a switch in outcomes. We aim to include 120
      RCTs and 120 early career peer reviewers. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The research
      protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the INSERM Institutional Review
      Board (21 January 2016). The study is based on voluntary participation and
      informed written consent. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03119376.

PMID- 28918415
TI  - Treatment options and barriers to case management of neonatal pneumonia in India:
      a protocol for a scoping review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: India contributes to the highest neonatal deaths globally. Case
      management is said to be the cornerstone of pneumonia control. Much of the
      published evidence focuses on children aged 1 to 59 months. This scoping review,
      thus, aims to identify the treatment options for and barriers to case management
      of neonatal pneumonia in India. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This protocol is part of a
      series of three reviews on neonatal pneumonia in India. Studies addressing
      treatment of or barriers to case management of neonatal pneumonia in Indian
      context, published in English in peer-reviewed and indexed journals will be
      eligible for inclusion. Electronic search will be conducted on nine databases.
      Hand searching and snowballing will be done for published and grey literature.
      Selection of studies will be done in title, abstract and full-text stages. A
      narrative summary will be performed to summarise the details of evidence. ETHICS
      AND DISSEMINATION: As this is a review involving analysis of secondary data which
      is available in the public domain and does not involve human participants,
      ethical approval was not required. The findings of the study will be shared with
      all stakeholders of this research. Knowledge dissemination workshops will be
      conducted with relevant stakeholders to ultimately transfer the evidence tailored
      to the stakeholder (eg, policy briefs, publications, information booklets and so
      on). PROSPERO 2016: CRD42016045449.

PMID- 28918416
TI  - [The methodology and sample description of the National Survey on Addiction
      Problems in Hungary 2015 (NSAPH 2015)].
AB  - This paper introduces the methods and methodological findings of the National
      Survey on Addiction Problems in Hungary (NSAPH 2015). Use patterns of smoking,
      alcohol use and other psychoactive substances were measured as well as that of
      certain behavioural addictions (problematic gambling - PGSI, DSM-V, eating
      disorders - SCOFF, problematic internet use - PIUQ, problematic on-line gaming -
      POGO, problematic social media use - FAS, exercise addictions - EAI-HU, work
      addiction - BWAS, compulsive buying - CBS). The paper describes the applied
      measurement techniques, sample selection, recruitment of respondents and the data
      collection strategy as well. Methodological results of the survey including
      reliability and validity of the measures are reported. The NSAPH 2015 research
      was carried out on a nationally representative sample of the Hungarian adult
      population aged 16-64 yrs (gross sample 2477, net sample 2274 persons) with the
      age group of 18-34 being overrepresented. Statistical analysis of the weight
      distribution suggests that weighting did not create any artificial distortion in
      the database leaving the representativeness of the sample unaffected. The size of
      the weighted sample of the 18-64 years old adult population is 1490 persons. The
      extent of the theoretical margin of error in the weighted sample is +/-2,5%, at a
      reliability level of 95% which is in line with the original data collection
      plans. Based on the analysis of reliability and the extent of errors beyond
      sampling within the context of the database we conclude that inconsistencies
      create relatively minor distortions in cumulative prevalence rates; consequently
      the database makes possible the reliable estimation of risk factors related to
      different substance use behaviours. The reliability indexes of measurements used
      for prevalence estimates of behavioural addictions proved to be appropriate,
      though the psychometric features in some cases suggest the presence of redundant
      items. The comparison of parameters of errors beyond sample selection in the
      current and previous data collections indicates that trend estimates and their
      interpretation requires outstanding attention and in some cases even correction
      procedures might become necessary.

PMID- 28918417
TI  - [Clinical features of psychotic and non-psychotic bipolar patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychotic symptoms are common in the case of manic, depressive and
      mixed episodes of bipolar disorder; however, the assessment of delusions and
      hallucinations is frequently improper, thus the patients presenting also
      psychotic symptoms are treated based on their diagnosis of schizophrenia,
      schizoaffective disorder or paranoia. Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder
      result less favourable outcomes and course of illness. METHODS: 365 patients (106
      males, 259 females) were hospitalized in or institution from January 1st 2015 to
      September 30th 2016, who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder according to the
      ICD-10 criteria. The number of patients presenting psychotic symptoms was 89
      (24%); 55 of whom (62%) belonged to the bipolar I, and 34 (38%) belonged to the
      bipolar II group. As a control group of the psychotic bipolar patients, we chose
      80 bipolar patients hospitalized in the above mentioned period, who did not
      present psychotic symptoms either at the current or their previous
      hospitalizations. RESULTS: We found psychotic mania in the case of 24 patients
      (27%, 12 males, 12 females); and the delusions were of grandiose, religious and
      paranoid content. The number of depressive patients presenting psychotic symptoms
      was 39 (44%, 30 females, 9 males); their delusions were dominantly characterized
      by feelings of guilt, hypochondria and impoverishment. We treated 26 patients
      (29%, 18 females, 8 males) with mixed episodes accompanied by psychotic symptoms;
      they were characterized by depressive delusions. Compared to the non-psychotic
      bipolar patients, in the case of psychotic bipolar patients manic and depressive
      episodes, bipolar I diagnosis, early onset of the disease (under the age of 20),
      previous suicide attempts and comorbid personality disorder were significantly
      more frequent at the time of hospitalization, whereas mixed affective episodes
      and bipolar II diagnosis dominated in the non-psychotic group. Similarly, the
      residual symptoms were more common in the psychotic group (64 patients 72% vs 34
      patients 43%) and previous hospitalizations was higher in the psychotic group
      (males 10.6, females 12.5 vs. males 7.8, females 8.6). With regard to psychotic
      symptoms, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of positive
      family history, comorbid anxiety disorder or alcohol dependency. CONCLUSIONS:
      Early onset of the disease, bipolar I diagnosis and comorbid personality disorder
      were typical of psychotic bipolar patients; in addition, suicide attempts and
      residual symptoms were more common compared to the non-psychotic group.
      LIMITATIONS: The relatively lower number of patients (89 and 80 patients) and the
      fact that the data were processed retrospectively limit the generalizability of
      our results.

PMID- 28918418
TI  - New aspects in the pathomechanism of diseases of civilization, particularly
      psychosomatic disorders. Part 1. Theoretical background of a hypothesis.
AB  - The stress defence-cascade is mostly not biphasic as Cannon thought, the
      sympathicotonic stress response is preceded by a vagotonic phase called freeze
      response. Alteration of the carbon dioxide level plays an important role during
      defence-cascade as its changes interfere with stress hormones, e.g. with
      catecholamines, thus affecting the degree of arousal. In case of humans, learned
      behaviour dominates instead of instinctive, so the fight-or-flight often lags;
      the consequence can be persistent hypocapnia or hypercapnia. The hypoventilation
      or hyperventilation may continue even after a stressful situation, as tissular
      and renal compensation stabilizes and makes the pathological breathing patterns
      chronic. The organism tries to restore the original milieu interieur (sec. Claude
      Bernard), but this cannot succeed without restoring pCO2. The regulation operates
      the preservation of intracellular and extracellular pH as a priority, while
      neurohumoral compensations change the ionic milieu in the body's cells. Present
      hypothesis specifies the permanent lack or excess of carbon dioxide which can
      cause allostatic load by psychosomatic pathomechanism. Carbon dioxide is
      equivalent to stress hormones; its alterations become a means of somatization,
      resulting in ion-pattern changes in intracellular and extracellular spaces,
      consequently causing disintegration of the body's function. (See also: network
      theory, ripple effect, metabolic remodeling.) Intracellular ion-pattern
      alterations emerge new genetic phenotypes to the surface. The variety of
      phenotypes explains the diversity of induced diseases. The theory appreciates the
      role of ions by considering the instantaneous ion pattern of the cytoplasm (all
      the ions together) as a decisive second messenger.

PMID- 28918419
TI  - [About the association between antipsychotic medication and cardiovascular
      morbidity: epidemiology and possible background mechanisms].
AB  - The history of antipsychotics began with the discovery of chlorpromazine in the
      1950s. Since then this group of medications has become one of the most important
      element of the armamentarium of psychopharmacology. While initially these
      pharmacons were used in the treatment of psychotic states (including psychotic
      mania) in the last approximately 10-15 years new indications - such as treatment
      of depressive, manic and mixed states and also mood-stabilization in bipolar
      disorder and also the treatment of major depressive disorder - for several second
      generation antipsychotic (SGA) agents have been introduced. Taking this fact into
      consideration it is not surprising that the market of SGAs has been broadened in
      several countries. At the same time, safety issues have been raised related to
      some SGAs, mainly because of their adverse cardiometabolic effects (e.g. weight
      gain; dyslipidemia; disturbances of glucose metabolism). Related to this, it is
      worthy of note that the lifespan of patients with serious mental illness (SMIs,
      such as schizophrenia; bipolar disorder; major depression) is shorter than their
      healthy counterparts and that somatic comorbidities (mainly cardiovascular
      disorders) of these patients are primarily responsible for this fact. In this
      paper, firstly we briefly discuss the history and features of APs then we present
      data on the shorter than expected lifespan of patients with SMIs and also the
      possible background mechanisms of it (including the supposed role of AP
      treatment). Then we provide a short discussion on endothelial progenitor cells
      (EPC), their role in cardiovascular system and related clinical relevance.
      Eventually, we also discuss our pilot study with the aim to reveal whether there
      is any effect of AP therapy on the number of CD34/KDR double-positive EPCs.

PMID- 28918420
TI  - Computer Analysis of Glioma Transcriptome Profiling: Alternative Splicing Events.
AB  - Here we present the analysis of alternative splicing events on an example of
      glioblastoma cell culture samples using a set of computer tools in combination
      with database integration. The gene expression profiles of glioblastoma were
      obtained from cell culture samples of primary glioblastoma which were isolated
      and processed for RNA extraction. Transcriptome profiling of normal brain samples
      and glioblastoma were done by Illumina sequencing. The significant differentially
      expressed exon-level probes and their corresponding genes were identified using a
      combination of the splicing index method. Previous studies indicated that tumor
      specific alternative splicing is important in the regulation of gene expression
      and corresponding protein functions during cancer development. Multiple
      alternative splicing transcripts have been identified as progression markers,
      including generalized splicing abnormalities and tumor- and stage-specific
      events. We used a set of computer tools which were recently applied to analysis
      of gene expression in laboratory animals to study differential splicing events.
      We found 69 transcripts that are differentially alternatively spliced. Three
      cancer-associated genes were considered in detail, in particular: APP (amyloid
      beta precursor protein), CASC4 (cancer susceptibility candidate 4) and TP53. Such
      alternative splicing opens new perspectives for cancer research.

PMID- 28918421
TI  - Macrophage activation syndrome at the onset of glucocorticoid-resistant systemic
      lupus erythematosus: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a life-threatening
      hyperinflammatory state mediated by uncontrolled cytokine storm and
      haemophagocytosis. Although rarely reported, MAS might occur in systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE), notably as an inaugural manifestation. Glucocorticoids (GCs)
      are the cornerstone of SLE therapy. However, in some cases high doses of GCs are
      required to achieve remission (i.e. glucocorticoid-resistance), leading to
      significant side effects. CASE REPORT: A 28-year-old Romani male was admitted to
      our hospital for polyarthralgia, polyserositis and fatigability. The patient had
      high-grade fever, jaundice and generalized lymphadenopathy. Laboratory tests
      revealed severe mixed hemolytic autoimmune anemia, leukopenia, hepatocytolysis,
      coagulation abnormalities, hypertriglyceridemia, biological inflammatory
      syndrome, hyperferritinemia and persistent proteinuria of nephritic pattern.
      Imaging studies showed pleuropericardial effusion, hepatosplenomegaly and
      polysynovitis. Additional blood tests revealed hypocomplementemia and positive
      ANA, anti-dsDNA and anti-Sm antibodies. Haemophagocytosis was not identified
      either on bone marrow or axillary lymph node biopsy specimens. However, SLE
      associated MAS seemed to fit this set-up. High-dose corticotherapy (6.5 g
      methylprednisolone followed by prednisone, 1.5 mg/kg/day after discharge) and
      intravenous cyclophosphamide were necessary to induce and sustain remission.
      CONCLUSION: MAS is a potentially severe manifestation that should be considered
      at SLE onset whenever high fever and elevated serum levels of aspartate
      aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, ferritin and
      procalcitonin are noted. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment lead to remission
      in two thirds of cases. Glucocorticoid-resistance leads to the use of high-dose
      corticotherapy or immunosuppressive agents that could elicit serious side
      effects. New insights into the molecular mechanisms of glucocorticoid-resistance
      are needed in order to conceive more adequate GC-therapies.

PMID- 28918422
TI  - The Modern Art of Reading Computed Tomography Images of the Lungs: Quantitative
      CT.
AB  - Lung diseases are increasing in prevalence and overall burden worldwide. To stem
      the tide, more and more national and international guidelines are recommending
      the use of various diagnostic algorithms that are disease specific. There is
      growing consensus among the respiratory community that although patient histories
      and lung function testing are the minimum required for clinical examinations,
      these tests alone are not sufficient for disease characterization. Therefore, the
      use of computed tomography (CT) imaging is increasing used in clinical decision
      making for lung diseases. Lung diseases affect various components of lung,
      including the small airways, lung parenchyma, the interstitial space and the
      pulmonary vasculature. Quantitative CT (QCT) methods are emerging and are
      increasingly available using commercial software to quantify the underlying
      disease components, and a growing body of evidence suggests that QCT is an
      important tool in the clinical setting to help accurately and reproducibly detect
      where the disease is located in the lung, and to quantify the extent and overall
      severity for several lung diseases. Furthermore, this growing body of evidence
      has promoted the use of thoracic QCT to the point that it is now considered by
      many as an indispensable technology for longitudinal analysis and intervention
      trials. Many QCT imaging measurements are available to the respiratory physician,
      and the aim of this review is to introduce and describe pulmonary QCT imaging
      measurements and methodologies.

PMID- 28918423
TI  - Non-Discriminant Relationships between Leg Muscle Strength, Mass and Gait
      Performance in Healthy Young and Old Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gait speed declines with increasing age, but it is unclear if gait
      speed preferentially correlates with leg muscle strength or mass. OBJECTIVE: We
      determined the relationship between gait speed and (1) leg muscle strength
      measured at 3 lower extremity joints and (2) leg lean tissue mass (LTM) in
      healthy young (age: 25 years, n = 20) and old (age: 70 years, n = 20) adults.
      METHODS: Subjects were tested for maximal isokinetic hip, knee, and ankle
      extension torque, leg LTM by bioimpedance, and gait performance (i.e., gait
      speed, stride length) at preferred and maximal gait speeds. RESULTS: We found no
      evidence for a preferential relationship between gait performance and leg muscle
      strength compared with gait performance and leg LTM in healthy young and old
      adults. In old adults, hip extensor strength only predicted habitual gait speed
      (R2 = 0.29, p = 0.015), whereas ankle plantarflexion strength only predicted
      maximal gait speed and stride length (both R2 = 0.40, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS:
      Gait speed did not preferentially correlate with leg muscle strength or leg LTM,
      favoring neither outcome for predicting mobility. Thus, we recommend that both
      leg muscle strength and leg LTM should be tested and trained complementarily.
      Further, hip and ankle extension torque predicted gait performance, and thus we
      recommend to test and train healthy old adults by functional integrated
      multiarticular rather than monoarticular lower extremity strength exercises.

PMID- 28918424
TI  - Systemic Inflammatory Response Is a Prognostic Marker in HIV-Infected Patients
      with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasingly prevalent in people
      living with HIV. Systemic inflammation is a prognostic factor requiring
      validation in HIV-associated HCC. AIMS: Using a multi-centre database of
      consecutive HCC cases, we investigated the prognostic role of a panel of
      inflammatory markers, including neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), using
      univariate and multivariate survival analyses. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients with
      HIV-associated HCC secondary to hepatitis C (69%) or B virus infection (32%) were
      identified. The median survival was 22 months. A raised NLR independently
      predicted patients' survival and was correlated with advanced Barcelona Clinic
      Liver Cancer stage (p = 0.003) and poor performance status (p < 0.001) but not
      with HIV RNA or CD4 counts. CONCLUSION: Systemic inflammation, as measured by
      NLR, is a prognostic determinant associated with adverse pathological features of
      malignancy, but not coexisting HIV infection, suggesting a tumour-promoting role
      of the innate immune response that warrants further investigation in mechanistic
      studies.

PMID- 28918425
TI  - Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Anal Carcinoma: Long-Term Results Based on
      Consistent Time-to-Event Endpoints.
AB  - AIM: To report the long-term results after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for
      anal carcinoma, using consistent time-to-event endpoints. METHODS AND MATERIALS:
      Anal carcinoma patient charts were reviewed. All patients received definitive
      CRT. Overall survival (OS), local failure-free survival (LFFS), locoregional
      failure-free survival (LRFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and anal
      dysfunction-free survival (ADFS) were estimated. RESULTS: In total, 65 patients
      were included. CRT was well tolerated, with only 24.6% grade >=3 acute toxicity.
      Overall, the 5-year OS, LFFS, LRFFS, and DMFS were 75.3, 60.2, 74.2, and 66.2%,
      respectively. Early complete clinical response and tumor stage at diagnosis were
      the strongest predictors of OS (p = 0.04) and local failure (p = 0.03),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment of anal cancers, excellent ADFS and
      OS, and valid LFFS, LRFFS, and DMFS can be achieved with definitive CRT. Adequacy
      of time-to-event endpoints is paramount.

PMID- 28918426
TI  - Aortic Isthmus Flow Recording Predicts the Outcome of the Recipient Twin after
      Laser Coagulation in Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective was to assess the prognostic value of the systolic
      flow through the aortic isthmus in monochorionic pregnancies complicated by twin
      twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) treated by placental laser ablation. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Fetal echocardiography and outcome data of 105 cases of TTTS treated
      by laser photocoagulation of placental anastomoses were reviewed. Hemodynamic
      parameters were collected before and after treatment. The isthmic systolic index
      (ISI) was calculated as the peak systolic velocity/systolic nadir ratio. RESULTS:
      A total of 105 laser coagulations were studied. Fetal echocardiography pre- and
      post-laser were available in 68 cases, including 55 with data on aortic isthmic
      Doppler. Survival rates were 17, 22, and 61% for 0, 1, or 2 twins, respectively.
      At least 1 twin was delivered alive in 83% of the pregnancies. The mean
      gestational age at surgery was 21 weeks (range 16-26). Median ISI values were
      similar for donor and recipient twins, before and after laser ablation (all p >
      0.05). A lower recipient ISI before laser was related to early recipient demise
      within 24 h (p = 0.04). DISCUSSION: A lower ISI before placental laser ablation
      for TTTS is associated with postoperative demise of the recipient twin.

PMID- 28918427
TI  - Safety of Monitored Anesthesia Care Using Propofol-Based Sedation for
      Pleuroscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal approach to sedation for pleuroscopy remains undefined.
      Propofol is the favored sedative-hypnotic for many proceduralists but has a
      narrow therapeutic window and the risk for oversedation is high. Propofol-based
      sedation administered by anesthesiologists and the routine use of end-tidal
      capnography and bispectral index (BIS) monitoring may attenuate risks of
      complications. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the safety
      and efficacy of monitored anesthesia care for pleuroscopy. METHODS: We conducted
      a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent pleuroscopy. The primary
      outcome of interest was the incidence of anesthesia complications in patients
      undergoing pleuroscopy. Hypoxia was defined as oxygen saturation of less than 90%
      for 2 min and hypotension was defined as the need for vasopressors. RESULTS: Of
      199 enrolled patients, there were no significant complications attributed
      directly to anesthesia. Minor complications included hypoxia in 9 patients
      (4.5%), hypotension in 76 patients (38.2%), and insertion of a nasopharyngeal
      tube airway in 2 patients (1.0%). There was no significant difference in
      anesthesia-related complications between those with BIS monitoring and those
      without. Lower mean oxygen saturations (p = 0.028) and hypoxia (p = 0.021) were
      found in patients receiving the combination of propofol plus narcotics plus
      sedatives compared to those receiving propofol only, propofol plus narcotics or
      propofol plus sedatives. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that pleuroscopy
      using propofol with end-tidal capnography monitoring, with or without BIS
      monitoring, is safe and effective. The combination of propofol with narcotics and
      sedatives is associated with more hypoxia and lower mean oxygen saturation
      compared with propofol alone, propofol plus narcotics or propofol plus sedatives.

PMID- 28918428
TI  - Modification of cardiovascular pharmacotherapy in palliative care patients with
      cancer: a narrative review.
AB  - Palliative care patients with cancer are treated with many drugs, especially at
      the end of life. Limiting polypharmacy decreases the risk of associated adverse
      effects, medical errors, and harmful drug interactions. The time lag to benefit
      from the use of many medications used for cardiovascular diseases or their risk
      factors, such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, is frequently longer than
      the life expectancy of palliative care patients with cancer. It is ethically
      appropriate to modify, and even to discontinue, cardiovascular pharmacotherapy
      when there is no prospect of benefit. The decision to discontinue lipid-lowering
      drugs and antihypertensive drugs is rather straightforward. Antithrombotic
      therapy may be stopped in low-risk primary prevention but not in high-risk group.
      Discontinuation of drugs for heart failure may provoke exacerbation of symptoms
      and should be considered only in the last weeks of life.

PMID- 28918429
TI  - Synergy of Dendritic Cell Vaccines and Avasimibe in Treatment of Head and Neck
      Cancer in Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND The main purpose of this study was to explore the antitumor effect and
      mechanisms of ACAT1 inhibitor combined with CSCs-DC vaccine. MATERIAL AND METHODS
      We isolated HNSCC CSCs and gained CSCs antigens, then used CSCs antigens to load
      dendritic cells (DC) and generated a CSCs-DC vaccine. We treated mice after
      surgical excision of established SCC7 tumors with CSCs-DC vaccine and/or ACAT1
      inhibitor, and recorded local tumor relapse and host survival. T cells and B
      cells were harvested from mice treated with CSCs-DC vaccine and/or ACAT1
      inhibitor. We tested antibody production and the death rate of CSCs killed by T
      cells. RESULTS The tumors in the combined treatment group were smaller than in
      all other groups (P<0.01). The average survival time of the combined treatment
      group was 82 days and was the longest of all groups. Analysis of IgG levels
      secreted by B cell and CTL activity in spleens of mice found that results of the
      combined treatment group were the highest, and the results of the CSCs-DC group
      were lower than in the combined treatment group. The ACAT1 inhibitor group
      results were lower than in the CSCs-DC group and the combined treatment group
      results, but higher than in the PBS group, and the difference was statistically
      significant. CONCLUSIONS ACAT1 inhibitor enhanced the therapeutic effect of CSCs
      DC vaccine in the treatment of the mouse HNSCC postoperative recurrence model.
      ACAT1 may play an important role in cancer immunotherapy.

PMID- 28918430
TI  - Distribution of Chlamydia Trachomatis Genotypes in Infective Diseases of the
      Female Lower Genital Tract.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of Chlamydia
      trachomatis (CT) genotypes in infective diseases of the female lower genital
      tract, especially in cervical diseases. This study included 128 CT-positive
      women. DNA was extracted from cervical swabs. Omp1 gene PCR-RFLP and sequencing
      were used to confirm the subtypes of CT. The association of subtypes with age,
      clinical symptoms, cervical cytology, and biopsy results was further analyzed.
      Omp1 gene PCR-RFLP and sequencing showed that the order of prevalent CT genotypes
      in the female lower genital tract was D (n=38, 29.69%), followed by E (n=28,
      21.88%), G (n=21, 16.41%), and F (n=16,12.50%). Genotypes J, H, and K were
      comparatively rare. Genotype I was not identified in our samples. Further
      analysis showed that patients with genotype G were more frequently co-infected
      with other bacteria. Genotype G was also associated with mucopurulent cervicitis
      (MPC) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Patients with genotype E were
      commonly co-infected with HR-HPV. Although genotype D was the most prevalent, it
      was a relatively low-risk type. These results provide information on distribution
      of CT genotypes in infective diseases of the female lower genital tract, which is
      instrumental to developing a vaccine for CT.

PMID- 28918431
TI  - The effect of hydrazine derivatives of 3-formylchromones on angiogenic basic
      fibroblast growth factor and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 in human
      melanoma cell line WM-115.
AB  - The hydrazine derivatives of benzopyrones remain an unexplored group of chemical
      compounds. This preliminary study investigates the influence of A-5, CH-3 and K-2
      derivatives at concentrations of 1, 10, 100 nM and 1 MUM on selected biochemical
      factors of a melanoma cell line WM-115, with regard to their potential angiogenic
      properties. The studied compounds were found to influence cell proliferation, as
      well as total protein, bFGF and FGFR1 concentration.

PMID- 28918432
TI  - Reply to the letter to the editor: comment on "No superior treatment for primary
      osteochondral defects of the talus".

PMID- 28918433
TI  - Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as early markers of postoperative intra
      abdominal infection in patients operated on colorectal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of serum
      procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for early diagnosis of
      postoperative intra-abdominal infections (PIAI) after elective surgery for
      colorectal cancer. METHODS: Prospective observational study including patients
      operated on for colorectal cancer between January and December of 2015 was
      performed. Serum PCT and CRP levels were measured before surgery and daily until
      postoperative day 3. RESULTS: One hundred twenty patients were included. Seven
      patients (5.8%) had PIAI. PCT levels were significantly higher in patients with
      PIAI on postoperative days 1 and 3, whereas CRP levels only were significantly
      more elevated on postoperative day 3. The ratio between CRP levels on
      postoperative day 3 and CRP levels on postoperative days 2 (CRP D3/CRP D2) and 1
      (CRP D3/CRP D1) was significantly higher in patients with PIAI. PCT on
      postoperative day 3, for a cutoff of 0.45 ng/mL, had the best sensitivity (100%)
      with a specificity of 73.8%. The ratio CRP D3/CRP D1 yielded the higher
      specificity and positive predictive value (90.9 and 27.3%, respectively, for a
      cutoff of 1.8). The higher negative predictive value was obtained for PCT on
      postoperative days 1 and 3 (100%, with cutoff of 0.76 and 0.45 ng/mL,
      respectively) and for CRP on postoperative day 3 (100% with cutoff of 10 mg/dL).
      CONCLUSION: PCT and CRP serum levels are associated with the appearance of PIAI
      after colorectal cancer surgery, although the positive predictive values were low
      for both PCT and CRP. However, the negative predictive values were high.

PMID- 28918434
TI  - Improved DNA purification with quality assurance for evaluation of the microbial
      genetic content of constructed wetlands.
AB  - Efficient isolation of target DNA is a crucial first step of DNA-based
      metagenomic analyses of environmental samples. Insufficient quantity and purity
      of DNA isolated using commercial kits result in missing genetic information,
      especially for large-diameter substrates in constructed wetlands (CWs). Here, we
      addressed this problem by devising a cost-effective calcium chloride lysozyme
      sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) method (CCLS), with key improvements in the steps of
      humic acid removal and cell lysis. The buffer comprising Tris, EDTA, Na2O2P7 and
      PVPP (TENP), and skim milk, could reduce adsorption between microorganisms and
      substrates, and calcium chloride precipitated and removed over 94% of humic acid.
      This humic acid removal step, when compared to the PowerSoil DNA kit (MO BIO
      Laboratories Inc.) (MBKIT), significantly enhanced the DNA purity (A260/230) from
      0.68 to 1.63 (p < 0.01). When gentle and extended cell lysis in CCLS replaced the
      short but violent bead-beating in the MBKIT, DNA yield and the amount of lysed
      bacteria detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on
      average increased by 2 and 4 folds, respectively, compared to that obtained using
      the MBKIT (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the full-length bacterial 16S rRNA gene and
      nirK gene from denitrifying microorganisms were successfully amplified from CCLS
      generated DNA. Additionally, bacterial diversity indices of richness, Shannon,
      and evenness examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) increased
      by 75, 30, and 7%, respectively, by CCLS compared to that using the MBKIT. Hence,
      the CCLS method enables improved evaluation of microbial density and diversity in
      CW systems.

PMID- 28918435
TI  - Infant avoidance training alters cellular activation patterns in prefronto-limbic
      circuits during adult avoidance learning: II. Cellular imaging of neurons
      expressing the activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1).
AB  - Positive and negative feedback learning is essential to optimize behavioral
      performance. We used the two-way active avoidance (TWA) task as an experimental
      paradigm for negative feedback learning with the aim to test the hypothesis that
      neuronal ensembles activate the activity-regulated cytoskeletal (Arc/Arg3.1)
      protein during different phases of avoidance learning and during retrieval. A
      variety of studies in humans and other animals revealed that the ability of
      aversive feedback learning emerges postnatally. Our previous findings
      demonstrated that rats, which as infants are not capable to learn an active
      avoidance strategy, show improved avoidance learning as adults. Based on these
      findings, we further tested the hypothesis that specific neuronal ensembles are
      "tagged" during infant TWA training and then reactivated during adult re-exposure
      to the same learning task. Using cellular imaging by immunocytochemical detection
      of Arc/Arg3.1, we observed that, compared to the untrained control group, (1)
      only in the dentate gyrus the density of Arc/Arg3.1-expressing neurons was
      elevated during the acquisition phase of TWA learning, and (2) this increase in
      Arc/Arg3.1-expressing neurons was not specific for the TWA learning task. With
      respect to the effects of infant TWA training we found that compared to the naive
      non-pretrained group (a) the infant pretraining group displayed a higher density
      of Arc/Arg3.1-expressing neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex during
      acquisition on training day 1, and (b) the infant pretraining group displayed
      elevated density of Arc/Arg3.1-expressing neurons in the dentate gyrus during
      retrieval on test day 5. Correlation analysis for the acquisition phase revealed
      for the ACd that the animals which showed the highest number of avoidances and
      the fastest escape latencies displayed the highest density of Arc/Arg3.1
      expressing neurons. Taken together, we are the first to use the synaptic
      plasticity protein Arc/Arg3.1 to label neuronal ensembles which are involved in
      different phases of active avoidance learning and whose activity patterns are
      changing in response to previous learning experience during infancy. Our results
      indicate (1) that, despite the inability to learn an active avoidance response in
      infancy, lasting memory traces are formed encoding the subtasks that are learned
      in infancy (e.g., the association of the CS and UCS, escape strategy), which are
      encoded in the infant brain by neuronal ensembles, which alter their synaptic
      connectivity via activation of specific synaptic plasticity proteins such as
      Arc/Arg3.1 and Egr1, and (2) that during adult training these memories can be
      retrieved by reactivating these neuronal ensembles and their synaptic circuits
      and thereby accelerate learning.

PMID- 28918436
TI  - Through the looking-glass challenge.

PMID- 28918437
TI  - Solution to measurement uncertainty challenge.

PMID- 28918438
TI  - No difference in outcome for open versus arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a
      prospective comparative trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Arthroscopic techniques tend to become the gold standard in rotator cuff
      repair. However, little data are reported in the literature regarding the
      improvement of postoperative outcomes and re-tear rate relative to conventional
      open surgery. The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes and cuff
      integrity after arthroscopic versus open cuff repair. METHODS: We prospectively
      assessed clinical outcomes and cuff integrity after an arthroscopic or open
      rotator cuff repair with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Clinical evaluation
      was based on Constant score, Simple Shoulder Value (SSV) and American Shoulder
      and Elbow Score (ASES). Rotator cuff healing was explored with ultrasound.
      RESULTS: 44 patients in arthroscopic group A (mean age 56-year-old) and 43 in
      open group O (mean age 61-year-old) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Tendons
      were repaired with a single row technique associated with biceps tenodesis and
      subacromial decompression. All objective clinical scores significantly improved
      postoperatively in both groups. No statistical difference was identified between
      group A and O regarding, respectively, Constant score (72 vs 75 points; p = 0.3),
      ASES score (88 vs 91 points; p = 0.3), and SSV (81 vs 85%). The overall rate of
      re-tear (Sugaya type IV or V) reached 7 and 9%, respectively, in group A and O (p
      = 0.8). CONCLUSION: This study did not prove any difference of arthroscopic over
      open surgery in case of rotator cuff repair regarding clinical outcome and cuff
      integrity at 1-year follow-up. LEVEL II: Prospective comparative study.

PMID- 28918439
TI  - The Gulf oil spill, miscarriage, and infertility: the GROWH study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine whether reported exposure to the Gulf oil spill (2010) was
      related to reproductive reported miscarriage or infertility. METHODS: 1524 women
      aged 18-45 recruited through prenatal and Women, Infant, and Children (WIC)
      clinics, and community events were interviewed about their experience of the oil
      spill and reproductive history. 1434 women had information on outcomes of at
      least one pregnancy, and 633 on a pregnancy both before and after the spill.
      Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship between
      contact with oil and economic and social consequences of the spill with
      postponement of pregnancy, miscarriage, and infertility (time to pregnancy >12
      months or reported fertility issues), with adjustment for age, race, BMI,
      smoking, and socioeconomic status. Results were compared for pregnancies
      occurring prior to and after the oil spill. RESULTS: 77 (5.1%) women reported
      postponing pregnancy due to the oil spill, which was more common in those with
      high contact with oil or overall high exposure (aOR 2.92, 95% CI 1.31-6.51). An
      increased risk of miscarriage was found with any exposure to the oil spill (aOR,
      1.54, 95% CI 1.17-2.02). Fertility issues were more common in the overall most
      highly exposed women (aOR 1.88, 1.19-2.95), when the data were limited to those
      with pregnancies before and after. However, no particular aspect of oil spill
      exposure was strongly associated with the outcomes, and effects were almost as
      strong for pregnancies prior to the oil spill. CONCLUSIONS: The oil spill appears
      to have affected reproductive decision-making. The evidence is not strong that
      exposure to the oil spill was associated with miscarriage or infertility.

PMID- 28918440
TI  - Interpersonal sensitivity and persistent attenuated psychotic symptoms in
      adolescence.
AB  - Interpersonal sensitivity defines feelings of inner-fragility in the presence of
      others due to the expectation of criticism or rejection. Interpersonal
      sensitivity was found to be related to attenuated positive psychotic symptom
      during the prodromal phase of psychosis. The aims of this study were to examine
      if high level of interpersonal sensitivity at baseline are associated with the
      persistence of attenuated positive psychotic symptoms and general psychopathology
      at 18-month follow-up. A sample of 85 help-seeking individuals (mean age = 16.6,
      SD = 5.05) referred an Italian early detection project, completed the
      interpersonal sensitivity measure and the structured interview for prodromal
      symptoms (SIPS) at baseline and were assessed at 18-month follow-up using the
      SIPS. Results showed that individuals with high level of interpersonal
      sensitivity at baseline reported high level of attenuated positive psychotic
      symptoms (i.e., unusual thought content) and general symptoms (i.e., depression,
      irritability and low tolerance to daily stress) at follow-up. This study suggests
      that being "hypersensitive" to interpersonal interactions is a psychological
      feature associated with attenuated positive psychotic symptoms and general
      symptoms, such as depression and irritability, at 18-month follow-up. Assessing
      and treating inner-self fragilities may be an important step of early detection
      program to avoid the persistence of subtle but very distressing long-terms
      symptoms.

PMID- 28918441
TI  - Long-lasting subjective effects of LSD in normal subjects.
AB  - RATIONALE: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and other serotonergic hallucinogens
      can induce profound alterations of consciousness and mystical-type experiences,
      with reportedly long-lasting effects on subjective well-being and personality.
      METHODS: We investigated the lasting effects of a single dose of LSD (200 MUg)
      that was administered in a laboratory setting in 16 healthy participants. The
      following outcome measures were assessed before and 1 and 12 months after LSD
      administration: Persisting Effects Questionnaire (PEQ), Mysticism Scale (MS),
      Death Transcendence Scale (DTS), NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and State
      Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). RESULTS: On the PEQ, positive attitudes about
      life and/or self, positive mood changes, altruistic/positive social effects,
      positive behavioral changes, and well-being/life satisfaction significantly
      increased at 1 and 12 months and were subjectively attributed by the subjects to
      the LSD experience. Five-Dimensions of Altered States of Consciousness (5D-ASC)
      total scores, reflecting acutely induced alterations in consciousness, and
      Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) total scores correlated with changes in
      well-being/life satisfaction 12 months after LSD administration. No changes in
      negative attitudes, negative mood, antisocial/negative social effects, or
      negative behavior were attributed to the LSD experience. After 12 months, 10 of
      14 participants rated their LSD experience as among the top 10 most meaningful
      experiences in their lives. Five participants rated the LSD experience among the
      five most spiritually meaningful experiences in their lives. On the MS and DTS,
      ratings of mystical experiences significantly increased 1 and 12 months after LSD
      administration compared with the pre-LSD screening. No relevant changes in
      personality measures were found. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy research subjects, the
      administration of a single dose of LSD (200 MUg) in a safe setting was
      subjectively considered a personally meaningful experience that had long-lasting
      subjective positive effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registration identification
      number: NCT01878942.

PMID- 28918443
TI  - Brief Report: Personality Mediates the Relationship between Autism Quotient and
      Well-Being: A Conceptual Replication using Self-Report.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts well-being across the lifespan.
      Individuals with ASD evidence differences in personality traits and self-concept
      clarity that are predictors of well-being in typically-developing individuals.
      The current research replicates a growing body of evidence demonstrating
      differences in well-being and personality between individuals low in ASD
      characteristics (n = 207) and individuals high in ASD characteristics (n = 46)
      collected from the general population using an online survey. Results were
      consistent in a subsample of demographically matched pairs (n = 39 per group) and
      relative to norms. Further, the current research provides the first evidence that
      openness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and self-concept clarity
      mediate the relationship between ASD characteristics and well-being.

PMID- 28918442
TI  - The role of periostin in lung fibrosis and airway remodeling.
AB  - Periostin is a protein that plays a key role in development and repair within the
      biological matrix of the lung. As a matricellular protein that does not
      contribute to extracellular matrix structure, periostin interacts with other
      extracellular matrix proteins to regulate the composition of the matrix in the
      lung and other organs. In this review, we discuss the studies exploring the role
      of periostin to date in chronic respiratory diseases, namely asthma and
      idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Asthma is a major health problem globally
      affecting millions of people worldwide with significant associated morbidity and
      mortality. Periostin is highly expressed in the lungs of asthmatic patients,
      contributes to mucus secretion, airway fibrosis and remodeling and is recognized
      as a biomarker of Th2 high inflammation. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal
      interstitial lung disease characterized by progressive aberrant fibrosis of the
      lung matrix and respiratory failure. It predominantly affects adults over 50
      years of age and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Periostin is also highly
      expressed in the lungs of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. Serum levels of
      periostin may predict clinical progression in this disease and periostin promotes
      myofibroblast differentiation and type 1 collagen production to contribute to
      aberrant lung fibrosis. Studies to date suggest that periostin is a key player in
      several pathogenic mechanisms within the lung and may provide us with a useful
      biomarker of clinical progression in both asthma and idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28918444
TI  - Left atrial volume computed by 3D rotational angiography best predicts atrial
      fibrillation recurrence after circumferential pulmonary vein isolation.
AB  - Left atrium (LA) size is a well-studied predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF)
      recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Yet, there is still little
      agreement on the best imaging technique to size the LA, and on the most
      appropriate sizing parameter. Volumetric assessment of LA with three-dimensional
      rotational angiography (3DRA LA volume index) might be a valid alternative to the
      commonly used transthoracic echocardiography (TTE LA volume index). The aim of
      our study was to investigate whether LA volume by 3DRA at the time of PVI is able
      to predict the risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence. We analysed 352
      consecutive patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent atrial
      fibrillation referred for PVI to our Institution. In all patients, LA volume
      index (LAVI) was assessed by TTE and by 3DRA. Sinus rhythm was restored after PVI
      in 348 patients (99%). Average TTE-LAVI and 3DRA-LAVI were 37 +/- 12 and 83 +/-
      18 ml/m2, respectively. At a median follow-up of 19 (12, 24) months, 27% of
      patients had AF recurrence after the first PVI. At the univariate analysis,
      persistent AF (p < 0.01), use of anti-arrhythmic drugs (AAD) (p < 0.05) and 3DRA
      LAVI (p < 0.01) were significantly associated with AF recurrence. In contrast,
      none of the echocardiographic parameters considered, including TTE-LAVI, was
      associated with AF recurrence (p = 0.29). At the multivariate analysis, 3DRA-LAVI
      was the only independent predictor for AF recurrence (HR 1.01 [1.00-1.03], p =
      0.017). Left atrial volume measured with 3DRA is superior to TTE assessment and
      to AF history in predicting atrial fibrillation recurrence after PVI.

PMID- 28918446
TI  - Favorable surgical outcomes of aldosterone-producing adenoma based on
      lateralization by CT imaging and hypokalemia: a non-AVS-based strategy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To test the efficacy of a strategy based on CT imaging and clinical
      characteristics on lateralizing origin of excess aldosterone secretion in primary
      aldosteronism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients with diagnosed primary
      hyperaldosteronism from June 2006 to July 2012 in our center underwent adrenal
      surgeries without pre-operational adrenal venous sampling (AVS) if all the three
      criteria were met: (1) round- or oval-shaped occupational lesion of low density
      after contrast enhancement with diameter >1 cm on CT scan was located in one
      adrenal gland; (2) unequivocally normal contralateral adrenal gland; (3) serum
      potassium level lower than 3.5 mmol/L. Subjects who had received operation were
      taken into analysis and follow-ups. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-five patients
      fulfilled the criteria and were recruited into our research. One hundred and
      twenty-two operated patients (97.6%) experienced complete resolution of
      hypokalemia as well as resolution or improvement in hypertension with reduction
      in antihypertensive medication, while 3 patients (2.4%) failed to obtain normal
      kalemia and continued on spironolactone therapy. At a median of 65-month (range
      21-93) follow-up of these 122 subjects, 27 patients dropped out (22.1%). The 95
      responding patients reported no episodes of paralysis or confirmed hypokalemia or
      any supplementation of potassium. Multivariate linear correlation analysis showed
      that plasma potassium level was correlated inversely with tumor diameter (r = 
      0.258, 95% CI -0.076, -0.514, p = 0.037) and basal plasma aldosterone level (r = 
      0.251, 95% CI -0.040, -0.464, p = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with typical
      unilateral adrenal macroadenomas, normal contralateral glands and hypokalemia
      could attain favorable surgical therapeutic outcomes without pre-operational AVS
      lateralization.

PMID- 28918445
TI  - Pre-emptive Intestinal Transplant: The Surgeon's Point of View.
AB  - Pre-emptive transplantation is a well-established practice for certain types of
      end-organ failure such as in the use of kidney transplantation. For irreversible
      intestinal failure, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) remains the gold standard,
      due to the suboptimal long-term results of intestinal transplantation. As such,
      the only role for pre-emptive transplantation, if at all, will be for patients
      identified to be at high risk of complications and mortality while on definitive
      long-term TPN. In these patients, the timing of early listing and transplantation
      could become life-saving, taking into account that mortality on the waiting list
      is still the highest for intestinal candidates. The development of simulation
      models or pre-transplant scoring systems could help in selecting patients based
      on potential outcome on TPN or with transplantation, and recent reports from high
      volume centers identify few underlying pathologic conditions and some TPN
      complications as at higher risk of increased morbidity and mortality. A pre
      emptive transplant could be used as a rehabilitative procedure in a well-selected
      case-by-case scenario, among TPN patients at risk of liver failure, repeated
      central line infections, mesenteric infarction, short bowel syndrome (SBS) <50 cm
      or with end stoma, congenital mucosal disease, desmoid tumors: These conditions
      must be carefully evaluated, not to underestimate the clinical stage nor to over
      estimate the impact of a temporary situation. At the present time, diseases with
      a variable and unpredictable course, such as intestinal dysmotility disorders, or
      quality of life and financial issues are still far from being considered as
      indications for a pre-emptive transplant.

PMID- 28918447
TI  - An improved crystal structure of C-phycoerythrin from the marine cyanobacterium
      Phormidium sp. A09DM.
AB  - C-Phycoerythrin (PE) from Phormidium sp. A09DM has been crystallized using
      different conditions and its structure determined to atomic resolution (1.14 A).
      In order for the pigment present, phycoerythrobilin (PEB), to function as an
      efficient light-harvesting molecule it must be held rigidly (Kupka and Scheer in
      Biochim Biophys Acta 1777:94-103, 2008) and, moreover, the different PEB
      molecules in PE must be arranged, relative to each other, so as to promote
      efficient energy transfer between them. This improved structure has allowed us to
      define in great detail the structure of the PEBs and their binding sites. These
      precise structural details will facilitate theoretical calculations of each PEB's
      spectroscopic properties. It was possible, however, to suggest a model for which
      chromophores contribute to the different regions of absorption spectrum and
      propose a tentative scheme for energy transfer. We show that some subtle
      differences in one of these PEB binding sites in two of the 12 subunits are
      caused by crystal contacts between neighboring hexamers in the crystal lattice.
      This explains some of the differences seen in previous lower resolution
      structures determined at two different pH values (Kumar et al. in Photosyn Res
      129:17-28, 2016).

PMID- 28918449
TI  - Immunochemical Study of the Effect of F2Glc on Glycogen Synthase Translocation
      and Glycogen Synthesis in Isolated Rat Hepatocytes.
AB  - The compound 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride (F2Glc), which is a
      nonmetabolized superior glucose analogue, is a potent inhibitor of glycogen
      phosphorylase and pharmacological properties are reported. Glycogen phosphorylase
      (GP) and glycogen synthase (GS) are responsible of the degradation and synthesis,
      respectively, of glycogen which is a polymer of glucose units that provides a
      readily available source of energy in mammals. GP and GS are two key enzymes that
      modulate cellular glucose and glycogen levels; therefore, these proteins are
      suggested as potential targets for the treatment of diseases related to glycogen
      metabolism disorders. We studied by Western Blot technique that F2Glc decreased
      GP activity, and we also showed that F2Glc did not affect GS activity and its
      translocation from a uniform cytosolic distribution to the hepatocyte periphery,
      which is crucial for glycogen synthesis, using immunoblotting and
      immunofluorescence labeling techniques. F2Glc specifically inhibits
      glycogenolysis pathway and permits a greater deposition of glycogen. These
      observations open up the possibility of further develop drugs that act
      specifically on GP. The ability to selectively inhibit GP, which is a key enzyme
      for the release of glucose from the hepatic glycogen reserve, may represent a new
      approach for the treatment of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 28918448
TI  - A systematic review of cost-effectiveness analysis of screening interventions for
      assessing the risk of venous thromboembolism in women considering combined oral
      contraceptives.
AB  - Use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) by women increases the risk of venous
      thromboembolism (VTE), which can have a major impact on an individuals' quality
      of life. VTE is also associated with an increase in healthcare costs. Our aim was
      to systematically review cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) considering any
      screening for risk of VTE in women using COCs. The quality of reporting in each
      study was assessed, a summary of results was prepared, and the key drivers of
      cost effectiveness in each of the eligible CEAs were identified. A search
      strategy using MeSH terms was performed in MEDLINE, Embase, the Centre for Review
      and Dissemination (CRD) database including the Economic Evaluation Database from
      the UK National Health Service, and Cochrane reviews. Two reviewers independently
      screened and determined the final articles, and a third reviewer resolved any
      discrepancies. Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards was
      used to assess the quality of reporting in terms of perspective, effectiveness
      measures, model structure, cost, time-horizon and discounting. Four publications
      (three from Europe, one from the United States) were eligible for inclusion in
      the review. According to current criteria, relevant elements were sometimes not
      captured and the sources of epidemiological and effectiveness data used in the
      CEAs were of limited quality. The studies varied in terms of type of costs
      assessed, country settings, model assumptions and uncertainty around input
      parameters. Key drivers of CEAs were sensitivity and specificity of the test,
      incidence rate of VTE, relative risk of prophylaxis, and costs of the test. The
      reviewed studies were too dissimilar to draw a firm conclusion on cost
      effectiveness analysis about universal and selective screening in high-risk
      groups. The new emerging diagnostic tools for identifying women at risk of
      developing VTE, that are more predictive and less costly, highlight the need for
      more studies that apply the latest evidence and utilize robust methods for cost
      effectiveness analysis. This information is required to improve decision making
      for this pertinent issue within personalized medicine.

PMID- 28918450
TI  - Clinical utility of the ASDAS index in comparison with BASDAI in patients with
      ankylosing spondylitis (Axis Study).
AB  - The objective of the study was to study the clinical utility of the Ankylosing
      Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) for the assessment of disease activity
      in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, compared to the Bath Ankylosing
      Spondylitis Activity Index (BASDAI). This was a prospective longitudinal
      observational study in patients with AS (NY-modified criteria) from 23 Spanish
      centers. Physical and analytical data; global, lumbar, and nocturnal pain; ASDAS,
      BASDAI and minimally acceptable clinical status (PASS) were collected.
      Psychometric characteristics of both indexes were analyzed: construct validity
      (convergent and divergent), discriminant capacity, criterion validity (global
      physician and patient assessment), and sensitivity to change. The study involved
      127 patients (19.7% attrition). Both BASDAI and ASDAS showed a higher correlation
      with patient's global assessment (r = 0.76 and 0.70, respectively) than with
      physician's global assessment (r = 0.67 and 0.57). Both scores allowed
      discriminating patients with an acceptable clinical status, although BASDAI to a
      greater extent than ASDAS (Cohen delta 1.72 vs 0.88 for the medical PASS). Both
      scores showed sensitivity to change in patients who changed from an unacceptable
      symptomatic state to acceptable according to PASS criteria (physician and
      patient) and by BASDAI 50 response criteria (Cohen delta > 0.80). BASDAI showed
      better criterion validity than ASDAS, both for the patient PASS (AUC 0.85 vs
      0.79) and for the physician's (AUC 0.90 vs 0.79). ASDAS shows adequate
      performance for disease activity in patients with AS; however, in this study, its
      psychometric properties do not present advantages over BASDAI in terms of
      criterion validity, sensitivity to change or discriminative capacity; replacement
      of BASDAI by ASDAS is not supported by the data.

PMID- 28918451
TI  - Quantitative 18F-DOPA PET/CT in pheochromocytoma: the relationship between tumor
      secretion and its biochemical phenotype.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: 18F-FDOPA illustrates the properties of uptake and storage of
      catecholamines in pheochromocytomas (PHEOs). Until now, the relationship between
      18F-FDOPA quantitative parameters and a PHEO secretory profile has not been
      specifically evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six patients (56% females,
      median age: 47.5 yrs) with non-metastatic PHEO, evaluated by 18F-FDOPA PET/CT,
      were included in this retrospective study. Forty-five patients had negative
      genetic testing (80.4%); five patients (8.9%) had RET, two patients (3.6%) had
      SDHB, two had SDHD (3.6%), one patient (1.8%) had NF1, and one patient had a VHL
      (1.8%) mutation. Correlation between 18F-FDOPA metabolic parameters (tumor
      SUVmax, tumor SUVmean, tumor SUVmax/liver SUVmax, MTV 42%, total lesion uptake),
      urinary metanephrines (MNs), and plasma chromogranin A (CgA) were evaluated.
      RESULTS: All patients had positive 18F-FDOPA PET/CT. On univariate analysis,
      there was a strong correlation between all metabolic parameters and urinary MNs
      and plasma chromogranin A (CgA). The highest correlations were observed between
      total lesion (TL) uptake and the value of urinary MNs regardless of their nature
      (p = 8.10-15 and r = 0.80) and between MTV 42% and plasma CgA levels (p = 2.10-9,
      r = 0.74). On multivariate analysis, the correlation of uptake parameters and CgA
      levels did not persist further due to the relation of CgA and tumor diameter. A
      correlation between TL uptake and the normetanephrine/metanephrine ratio (NMN/MN)
      was also found, a finding that was in accordance with in vitro studies, which
      were found to have a higher catecholamine content in epinephrine producing PHEOs.
      CONCLUSION: This retrospective study shows a correlation between 18F-FDOPA
      uptake, especially using TL uptake, urinary MNs, and a PHEO biochemical
      phenotype. This illustrates that beyond its localization value, 18F-FDOPA PET
      further enables PHEO characterization at a specific metabolic level.

PMID- 28918452
TI  - Pro-oxidant status and Nrf2 levels in psoriasis vulgaris skin tissues and
      dimethyl fumarate-treated HaCaT cells.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to pathogenesis of many inflammatory
      skin diseases, including psoriasis. The aim of this study is to compare
      antioxidant protein expression in psoriasis vulgaris (PV) skin tissues with that
      in normal skin tissues in vivo and to evaluate the effects of dimethyl fumarate
      (DMF), used for the treatment of psoriasis, on ROS generation and apoptosis in a
      human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. Compared with normal skin tissues, PV skin
      tissues showed increased protein oxidation as well as down-regulation of Nrf2 and
      its regulatory proteins such as HO-1 and AKR1C3. Using HaCaT cells to model DMF
      induced pro-oxidant effects in the skin cells, we found that DMF treatment
      induced increased ROS levels and apoptotic cell death, as signified by increased
      proportion of cells with Annexin V-PE(+) staining and a sub-G0/G1 peak in the
      cell cycle. Preceding these changes, DMF treatment resulted in up-regulation of
      Nrf2, HO-1, and AKR1C3 proteins in these cells. Collectively, increased oxidative
      stress and impaired cellular anti-oxidant enzyme systems may participate in the
      pathogenesis of PV. DMF may exert an additive therapeutic efficacy in PV by
      attenuating the redox burden and subsequent oxidative damage to normal
      keratinocytes through activation of Nrf2 pathway relative to PV.

PMID- 28918453
TI  - Furan induced ovarian damage in non-diabetic and diabetic rats and cellular
      protective role of lycopene.
AB  - PURPOSE: In our work, furan, lycopene, and furan + lycopene treatments were
      applied to non-diabetic and diabetic female rats via gavage. METHODS: Ovarian
      tissue alterations with histopathology, immunohistochemistry, malondialdehyde
      levels, oxidative stress parameters such as superoxide dismutase, catalase,
      glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase and harmful effect on ovarian
      tissue DNA were evaluated in all groups for 28 days. RESULTS: Furan caused the
      changes histological, ovarian cell's DNA structure, malondialdehyde levels,
      antioxidant enzymes activities as in a statistically significant manner in each
      group. Useful effect of lycopene was determined both in non-diabetic and diabetic
      treatment groups against furan according to the used experimental parameters.
      Although some histopathological alterations were seen in diabetic and non
      diabetic/diabetic plus furan-treated group's ovarians, lycopene restored these
      variations near to normal levels in furan + lycopene treated groups for in 28
      days. Additionally, the results of our immunohistochemical analysis and
      alterations of the oxidative stress parameters results also supported these
      findings. CONCLUSIONS: Our result confirms that lycopene has protective effect
      and significantly altered diabetes and furan-induced toxicity in the rat ovarian
      tissue.

PMID- 28918454
TI  - Assessment of thermotactile and vibrotactile thresholds for detecting
      sensorineural components of the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thermotactile thresholds and vibrotactile thresholds are measured to
      assist the diagnosis of the sensorineural component of the hand-arm vibration
      syndrome (HAVS). OBJECTIVES: This study investigates whether thermotactile and
      vibrotactile thresholds distinguish between fingers with and without numbness and
      tingling. METHODS: In 60 males reporting symptoms of the hand-arm vibration
      syndrome, thermotactile thresholds for detecting hot and cold temperatures and
      vibrotactile thresholds at 31.5 and 125 Hz were measured on the index and little
      fingers of both hands. RESULTS: In fingers reported to suffer numbness or
      tingling, hot thresholds increased, cold thresholds decreased, and vibrotactile
      thresholds at both 31.5 and 125 Hz increased. With sensorineural symptoms on all
      three phalanges (i.e. numbness or tingling scores of 6), both thermotactile
      thresholds and both vibrotactile thresholds had sensitivities greater than 80%
      and specificities around 90%, with areas under the receiver operating
      characteristic curves around 0.9. There were correlations between all four
      thresholds, but cold thresholds had greater sensitivity and greater specificity
      on fingers with numbness or tingling on only the distal phalanx (i.e. numbness or
      tingling scores of 1) suggesting cold thresholds provide better indications of
      early sensorineural disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Thermotactile thresholds and
      vibrotactile thresholds can provide useful indications of sensorineural function
      in patients reporting symptoms of the sensorineural component of HAVS.

PMID- 28918455
TI  - In-hospital outcomes of acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock caused
      by right coronary artery occlusion vs. left coronary artery occlusion.
AB  - In-hospital outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with cardiogenic shock
      (CS) were still not satisfactory even in the primary percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI) era. The aim of this study was to compare in-hospital outcomes
      of AMI with CS caused by right coronary artery (RCA) occlusion vs. left coronary
      artery (LCA) occlusion. Consecutive 894 AMI patients from January 2010 to March
      2015 were screened for inclusion. A total of 114 AMI patients with CS were
      included as the final study population, and were divided into the RCA group (n =
      56) and LCA group (n = 58). The patient characteristics were compared between the
      two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to show
      whether the RCA group was associated with better outcomes even after controlling
      confounding factors. In-hospital mortality was significantly lower in the RCA
      group (8.9%) than in the LCA group (46.6%) (P < 0.001). The RCA group (vs. the
      LCA group) was inversely associated with in-hospital death (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.02
      0.21, P < 0.001) after controlling covariates. Aspartate transaminase value (per
      50 U/L incremental: OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.45, P = 0.02), aging (per 10-year-old
      incremental: OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.26-3.63, P = 0.01) and using VA-ECMO (OR 22.13,
      95% CI 5.22-93.90, P < 0.001) were also significantly associated with in-hospital
      death. In conclusion, among AMI patients with CS, IRA of RCA was significantly
      associated with the better in-hospital outcome.

PMID- 28918456
TI  - Testing a mobile mindful eating intervention targeting craving-related eating:
      feasibility and proof of concept.
AB  - Theoretically driven smartphone-delivered behavioral interventions that target
      mechanisms underlying eating behavior are lacking. In this study, we administered
      a 28-day self-paced smartphone-delivered intervention rooted in an operant
      conditioning theoretical framework that targets craving-related eating using
      mindful eating practices. At pre-intervention and 1-month post-intervention, we
      assessed food cravings among adult overweight or obese women (N = 104; M age =
      46.2 +/- 14.1 years; M BMI = 31.5 +/- 4.5) using ecological momentary assessment
      via text message (SMS), self-reported eating behavior (e.g., trait food craving),
      and in-person weight. Seventy-eight participants (75.0%) completed the
      intervention within 7 months ('all completers'), and of these, 64 completed the
      intervention within 3 months ('timely completers'). Participants experienced
      significant reductions in craving-related eating (40.21% reduction; p < .001) and
      self-reported overeating behavior (trait food craving, p < .001; other measures
      ps < .01). Reductions in trait food craving were significantly correlated with
      weight loss for timely completers (r = .30, p = .020), this pattern of results
      was also evident in all completers (r = .22, p = .065). Taken together, results
      suggest that smartphone-delivered mindful eating training targeting craving
      related eating may (1) target behavior that impacts a relative metabolic pathway,
      and (2) represent a low-burden and highly disseminable method to reduce
      problematic overeating among overweight individuals. ClinicalTrials.gov
      registration: NCT02694731.

PMID- 28918458
TI  - Cadmium losses in overland flow from an agricultural soil.
AB  - Cadmium (Cd) transport in overland flow from agricultural soils is potentially
      important when trying to predict future soil Cd concentrations, but at present
      there is little information on the magnitude of loss from this pathway. This
      study measured Cd concentrations and fluxes in overland flow from a catchment
      where cattle winter-grazed a forage crop (kale) (Brassica oleracea) in year one
      and measurements continued in year two when the catchment was returned to pasture
      and grazed by sheep. Flow-weighted mean concentrations (FWMC) of total,
      particulate and dissolved Cd in overland flow events from the forage crop were
      0.49, 0.41 and 0.08 MUg L-1, respectively. In contrast, no dissolved Cd was
      detected in overland flow from pasture, with a FWMC of total Cd of 0.09 MUg L-1.
      In line with the Cd concentrations, total Cd fluxes were greater from the forage
      crop (0.06 g Cd ha-1 year-1) than from pasture (0.04 g Cd ha-1 year-1). Cadmium
      losses in overland flow were relatively minor compared with those reported for
      other pathways such as plant uptake or subsurface flow. Further, compared to the
      amount of Cd that is currently added to soil in a maintenance application of
      phosphate fertiliser (30 kg P ha-1 year-1) which is on average 5.5 g Cd ha-1, Cd
      losses in overland flow represented < 1% of inputs. Measurement of Cd losses in
      overland flow should be undertaken at other sites to confirm the low Cd losses
      found in this study, along with the distribution between dissolved and
      particulate fractions.

PMID- 28918457
TI  - Effects of menthol and its interaction with nicotine-conditioned cue on nicotine
      seeking behavior in rats.
AB  - RATIONALE: Increasing clinical evidence suggests that menthol, a significant
      flavoring additive in tobacco products, may contribute to smoking and nicotine
      dependence. Relapse to smoking behavior presents a formidable challenge for the
      treatment of tobacco addiction. An unresolved issue is whether the mentholation
      of tobacco products precipitates relapse to tobacco use in abstinent smokers.
      OBJECTIVES: The present study examined the effects of menthol on the perseverance
      and relapse of nicotine-seeking behavior in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley
      rats were trained to press a lever for intravenous nicotine self-administration
      (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) under a fixed-ratio five schedule of reinforcement. Each
      nicotine infusion was signaled by the presentation of a sensory stimulus that was
      established as a discrete nicotine-conditioned cue. Five minutes prior to the
      sessions, the rats received an intraperitoneal injection of menthol (0.1 mg/kg)
      or vehicle. In the subsequent extinction test sessions, nicotine was unavailable
      with or without menthol and/or the nicotine-conditioned cue. The reinstatement
      tests were performed the following day after the extinction criterion was met.
      Menthol was also tested on food-seeking responses. In a subset of nicotine
      trained rats, a transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) antagonist RQ
      00203078 was given prior to menthol administration. RESULTS: Continued
      administration of menthol sustained responses on the previously active and
      nicotine-reinforced lever in the extinction tests. The readministration of
      menthol after extinction reinstated active lever responses. In both the
      extinction and the reinstatement tests, a combination of pre-session menthol
      administration and cue representation during the session produced a more robust
      behavioral effect than either menthol or the cue alone. No such effects of
      menthol was observed in food trained rats. RQ-00203078 did not change menthol
      effect on nicotine seeking. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrated that menthol
      specifically sustained and reinstated nicotine-seeking behavior, and this effect
      was independent of TRPM8 activity. These findings suggest that menthol in most
      tobacco products, even not menthol labeled, may contribute to the perseverance of
      and relapse to tobacco-seeking behavior.

PMID- 28918459
TI  - HLA class I expression predicts prognosis and therapeutic benefits from tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors in metastatic renal-cell carcinoma patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Classical HLA class I antigen is highly involved in antigen presentation
      and adaptive immune response against tumor. In this study, we explored its
      predictive value for treatment response and survival in metastatic renal-cell
      carcinoma (mRCC) patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A TKI cohort of 111 mRCC patients
      treated with sunitinib or sorafenib and a non-TKI cohort of 160 mRCC patients
      treated with interleukin-2 or interferon-alpha-based immunotherapy at a single
      institution were retrospectively enrolled. HLA class I expression and cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte (CTL) density was assessed by immunohistochemistry on tissue
      microarrays. Association between HLA class I and CTL was also assessed in the
      TCGA KIRC cohort. RESULTS: In the TKI cohort, down-regulated HLA class I was
      associated with lower objective response rate of TKI therapy (P = 0.004), shorter
      overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001), and shorter progression free survival (PFS) (P
      < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression model defined HLA expression as an
      independent prognostic factor for both OS [hazard ratio 1.687 (95% CI 1.045
      2.724), P = 0.032] and PFS [hazard ratio 2.139 (95% CI 1.376-3.326), P = 0.001].
      In the non-TKI cohort, HLA class I was not significantly associated with
      survival. HLA class I expression was associated with CTL infiltration and
      function, and its prognostic value was more predominant in CTL high-density
      tumors (P < 0.001) rather than CTL low-density tumors (P = 0.294). CONCLUSIONS:
      Classical HLA class I expression can serve as a potential predictive biomarker
      for TKI therapy in mRCC patients. Its predictive value was restricted in CTL high
      density tumors. However, further external validations and functional
      investigations are still required.

PMID- 28918460
TI  - Effects of Cadmium Exposure on Metal Accumulation and Energy Metabolism of Silver
      Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).
AB  - Effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure on metal accumulation and energy metabolism of
      silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) were studied during 14 days. The
      results showed that Cd accumulated in tissues of silver carp significantly with
      time and Cd concentration, as the order: liver > kidney > gill > muscle. The
      levels of muscle glycogen, triglyceride, and plasma triglyceride decreased
      significantly (p < 0.05). The levels of muscle protein, plasma glucose and
      lactate significantly increased during the first 8 days, and then all
      significantly decreased (p < 0.05). No significant alternations were observed in
      muscle cortisol, ATP and plasma protein (p > 0.05). The results indicate that the
      tissues' Cd concentrations and energy metabolism were altered by the presence of
      waterborne Cd, and silver carp mobilizes the muscle energy stores to cope with
      the increased energy demands for detoxication and repair mechanism induced by the
      exposure to waterborne Cd.

PMID- 28918461
TI  - Ethnic differences in maternal near miss.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between ethnic differences and the
      occurrence of maternal near miss (MNM) in the Amazon and Northeast regions of
      Brazil. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a national cross-sectional study
      focused on the assessment of care to pregnancy, childbirth, and infants under 1
      year of age. Ethnicity was classified as white, black or indigenous. Ethnic
      distribution by state and region, the proportion of severe maternal complications
      and related procedures, and the prevalence of MNM and its criteria were
      calculated for the ethnic groups. Risks for MNM were estimated per
      sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare received by ethnic group, using
      prevalence ratios adjusted by all predictors and by the sampling method. RESULTS:
      76% of the 16.783 women were black, 20% white and 3.5% indigenous. Around 36%
      reported any complication related to pregnancy and the most frequent were
      hemorrhage (27-31%), and infection (7.1-9.0%). The MNM ratio was higher among
      indigenous (53.1) and black (28.4) than in white women (25.7). For black women,
      the risks of MNM were lower for private prenatal care and hospital admission for
      conditions other than hypertension, while higher for cesarean section and
      peregrination. For indigenous, the risks of MNM were lower for private prenatal
      care, and higher for a longer time to reach the hospital. For white women, only
      the low number of prenatal visits increased the risk of MNM. CONCLUSIONS: The
      occurrence of MNM was higher for indigenous and black than for white women.

PMID- 28918462
TI  - Development of a new scoring system to predict 5-year incident diabetes risk in
      middle-aged and older Chinese.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to develop a new risk score system to predict 5
      year incident diabetes risk among middle-aged and older Chinese population.
      METHODS: This prospective study included 17,690 individuals derived from the
      Dongfeng-Tongji cohort. Participants were recruited in 2008 and were followed
      until October 2013. Incident diabetes was defined as self-reported clinician
      diagnosed diabetes, fasting glucose >=7.0 mmol/l, or the use of insulin or oral
      hypoglycemic agent. A total of 1390 incident diabetic cases were diagnosed during
      the follow-up period. beta-Coefficients were derived from Cox proportional hazard
      regression model and were used to calculate the risk score. RESULTS: The diabetes
      risk score includes BMI, fasting glucose, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, current
      smoking status, and family history of diabetes. The beta-coefficients of these
      variables ranged from 0.139 to 1.914, and the optimal cutoff value was 1.5. The
      diabetes risk score was calculated by multiplying the beta-coefficients of the
      significant variables by 10 and rounding to the nearest integer. The score ranges
      from 0 to 36. The area under the receiver operating curve of the score was 0.751.
      At the optimal cutoff value of 15, the sensitivity and specificity were 65.6 and
      72.9%, respectively. Based upon these risk factors, this model had the highest
      discrimination compared with several commonly used diabetes prediction models.
      CONCLUSIONS: The newly established diabetes risk score with six parameters
      appears to be a reliable screening tool to predict 5-year risk of incident
      diabetes in a middle-aged and older Chinese population.

PMID- 28918463
TI  - Apoptotic mechanisms after repeated noise trauma in the mouse medial geniculate
      body and primary auditory cortex.
AB  - A correlation between noise-induced apoptosis and cell loss has previously been
      shown after a single noise exposure in the cochlear nucleus, inferior colliculus,
      medial geniculate body (MGB) and primary auditory cortex (AI). However, repeated
      noise exposure is the most common situation in humans and a major risk factor for
      the induction of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). The present investigation
      measured cell death pathways using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP
      nick end labeling (TUNEL) in the dorsal, medial and ventral MGB (dMGB, mMGB and
      vMGB) and six layers of the AI (AI-1 to AI-6) in mice (NMRI strain) after a
      second noise exposure (double-exposure group). Therefore, a single noise exposure
      group has been investigated 7 (7-day-group-single) or 14 days (14-day-group
      single) after noise exposure (3 h, 5-20 kHz, 115 dB SPL peak-to-peak). The double
      exposure group received the same noise trauma for a second time 7 days after the
      initial exposure and was either TUNEL-stained immediately (7-day-group-double) or
      1 week later (14-day-group-double) and data were compared to the corresponding
      single-trauma group as well as to an unexposed control group. It was shown that
      TUNEL increased immediately after the second noise exposure in AI-3 and stayed
      upregulated in the 14-day-group-double. A significant increase in TUNEL was also
      seen in the 14-day-group-double in vMGB, mMGB and AI-1. The present results show
      for the first time the influence of a repeated noise trauma on cell death
      mechanisms in thalamic and cortical structures and might contribute to the
      understanding of pathophysiological findings and psychoacoustic phenomena
      accompanying NIHL.

PMID- 28918464
TI  - What's Next in Complex Networks? Capturing the Concept of Attacking Play in
      Invasive Team Sports.
AB  - The evolution of performance analysis within sports sciences is tied to
      technology development and practitioner demands. However, how individual and
      collective patterns self-organize and interact in invasive team sports remains
      elusive. Social network analysis has been recently proposed to resolve some
      aspects of this problem, and has proven successful in capturing collective
      features resulting from the interactions between team members as well as a
      powerful communication tool. Despite these advances, some fundamental team sports
      concepts such as an attacking play have not been properly captured by the more
      common applications of social network analysis to team sports performance. In
      this article, we propose a novel approach to team sports performance centered on
      sport concepts, namely that of an attacking play. Network theory and tools
      including temporal and bipartite or multilayered networks were used to capture
      this concept. We put forward eight questions directly related to team performance
      to discuss how common pitfalls in the use of network tools for capturing sports
      concepts can be avoided. Some answers are advanced in an attempt to be more
      precise in the description of team dynamics and to uncover other metrics directly
      applied to sport concepts, such as the structure and dynamics of attacking plays.
      Finally, we propose that, at this stage of knowledge, it may be advantageous to
      build up from fundamental sport concepts toward complex network theory and tools,
      and not the other way around.

PMID- 28918465
TI  - Congenital lumbar kyphosis with skin ulceration and osteomyelitis in a
      myelomeningocele child: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Kyphosis is a frequent problem in children with spina bifida, and
      this deformity may cause different complications as respiratory insufficiency,
      bowel dysfunction, and skin ulcers. CASE REPORT: We report on a 13-year-old
      myelomeningocele male with a lumbar kyphoscoliosis associated to a septic skin
      ulceration that resulted in an acute sepsis. An X-ray revealed a kyphosis of 110
      degrees  and a scoliosis of 25 degrees  between T9 and L5. The wound and blood
      cultures showed Staphylococcus aureus colonization, and an appropriate antibiotic
      therapy was started. An MRI showed a wedged vertebra at T12, a laminae defects
      from T8 to the sacrum, and a spondylitis at T12-L1. Ulcer resection and
      kyphectomy from T12 to L3 were performed "en bloc," and the spine was
      instrumented fromT7 to S1. After the surgery, the kyphosis was corrected to 10
      degrees , and the scoliosis was corrected to 0 degrees . At an 18-month follow
      up, a solid bony fusion was obtained, and no recurrence of skin ulcer was
      reported. CONCLUSION: Antibiotherapy associated to one-step "en-bloc" surgical
      debridement and kyphectomy should be considered as a valid option to eradicate
      the infection and to correct the spine deformity in kyphosis due to
      myelomeningocele associated to septic skin ulcer and spondylitis.

PMID- 28918467
TI  - Anisodamine inhibits endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated TXNIP/NLRP3
      inflammasome activation in rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury.
AB  - Anisodamine protects against free radical-induced cellular damage. This study
      aimed to investigate the protective effect of anisodamine on rhabdomyolysis
      induced acute kidney injury (RIAKI). C57BL/6 J mice, TXNIP-/- and NLRP3 -/- (both
      were C57BL/6 J background) mice were used to construct RIAKI model. Anisodamine
      administration was performed on RIAKI mice only. Mice were divided into control,
      TXNIP-KD (knock down), LNPR3-KD, and anisodamine group (n = 15 in each group).
      The renal injury, renal function, renal tubular cells apoptosis and expression of
      Caspase-1, ASC, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers IRE-1alpha, CHOP, and
      ATF4, and interleukin (IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-18) were detected. The knock
      down of TXNIP or NLRP3 expression in mice showed protective effect against RIAKI
      pathogenesis, as compared with the RIAKI mice. The expression of Caspase-1, ASC,
      and interleukins, renal injury, renal tubular cells apoptosis in TXNIP-KD and
      LNPR3-KD mice were significantly inhibited in comparison with the RIAKI mice.
      Moreover, anisodamine treatment reduced expression of ER stress markers IRE
      1alpha, CHOP, and ATF4, TXNIP and NLRP3, as well as ACS, Caspase-1, IL-1alpha, IL
      1beta, and IL-18, showing moderate protective effect on the changes of above
      factors comparing with TXNIP or NLRP3 knock down. This study declared that
      anisodamine showed protective effect on RIAKI model may by inhibiting ER stress
      associated TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome.

PMID- 28918468
TI  - Constraints affecting dairy goats milk production in Kenya.
AB  - In Kenya, the population of dairy goats is about 200,000 and 80% of these are
      reared in Mount Kenya region. They provide a quick source of milk for consumption
      or sale, which has an immense value especially to poor households. The small land
      sizes required for their rearing are especially useful in these highly populated
      areas. Although much research has been done on problems faced by dairy cattle
      farmers, limited information is available on problems faced by dairy goat
      farmers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the constraints
      affecting dairy goat production in Mount Kenya region. In a cross-sectional
      survey, 157 farmers were interviewed on major constraints using a semi-structured
      questionnaire. The results from the questionnaires showed that the main problems
      experienced by these farmers were as follows: lack of market of milk and goats
      45% (71/157), diseases 33% (52/157), high cost of concentrates 25% (38/157), lack
      of feed 19% (30/157), problems of unreliable buck rotation program 16.5%
      (26/157), and insecurity 1.8% (3/157). The study revealed that dairy goat farmers
      in the region faced by a number of challenges and therefore, our recommendation
      is there is a need for farmers to be trained on innovative ways of value chain
      addition and other strategies to market their milk. Additionally, the government
      should put resources to salvage the milk plant and association members should put
      firm measures to improve management. Creation of farmer awareness, treatment, and
      disease control measures should be instituted to improve productivity.

PMID- 28918469
TI  - Aversive and non-aversive memory impairment in the mucopolysaccharidosis II mouse
      model.
AB  - Hunter syndrome (MPS II, OMIM 309900) is a lysosomal storage disorder due to
      deficient iduronate sulphatase activity. Patients present multiple cognitive
      alterations, and the aim of this work was to verify if MPS II mice also present
      some progressive cognitive alterations. For that, MPS II mice from 2 to 6 months
      of age were submitted to repeated open field and inhibitory avoidance tests to
      evaluate memory parameters. MPS II mice presented impaired memory at 6 months
      evaluated by open field test. They also performed poorly in the inhibitory
      avoidance test from 4 months. We conclude that MPS II mice develop cognitive
      alterations as the disease progresses. These tests can be used in the future to
      study the efficacy of therapeutic approaches in the central nervous system.

PMID- 28918466
TI  - Mutations in context: implications of BRCA testing in diverse populations.
AB  - Cancer is a common non-communicable disease worldwide, although it exhibits
      differential population trends in incidence and mortality rates. The differences
      relate to population structure, environmental risk factors as well as health
      system organization. This article discusses the potential impact of genetic
      testing on population health, focusing in particular on the mutational spectrum
      of breast cancer susceptibility genes in diverse populations. We identify the
      need for improved access to, and increased investment in, comprehensive cancer
      risk assessment and genetic testing as well as cancer control measures that take
      into account lifestyle, environmental, and social factors in understudied
      minority groups.

PMID- 28918470
TI  - Assessment of glucose regulation in pregnancy after gastric bypass surgery.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is characterised by
      glycaemic variability. Prospective studies of glucose metabolism in pregnancy
      after RYGB are not available, therefore this study aimed to evaluate
      physiological alterations in glucose metabolism in pregnancy following RYGB.
      METHODS: Sixty-three pregnant women (25 who underwent RYGB, 19 non-operated obese
      control women and 19 normal weight control women) were included. Frequently
      sampled 3 h OGTTs and 1 h IVGTTs were performed between 24 and 28 weeks of
      gestation and, in a subgroup, were repeated at 3-6 months after delivery.
      RESULTS: We observed major alterations in glucose kinetics during the OGTT,
      including an early increase in plasma glucose followed by hypoglycaemia in 90% of
      women who had previously undergone RYGB. The higher degree of glycaemic
      variability in this group was accompanied by increased insulin, C-peptide and
      glucagon concentrations after oral glucose load, whereas no differences in
      insulin response were observed after parenteral glucose administration (RYGB vs
      normal weight). IVGTT data suggested improved insulin sensitivity (mean
      difference 0.226 * 10-4 min-1 [pmol/l]-1 [95% CI 0.104, 0.348]; p < 0.001) and
      disposition index in pregnancies after RYGB when compared with obese control
      women. However, subtle alterations in insulin action and beta cell function were
      still observed when comparing women who had undergone RYGB with the normal-weight
      control group. Moreover, we observed that fetal growth was associated with
      maternal glucose nadir levels and insulin secretion in offspring of those who had
      previously undergone RYGB. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Pregnancies after RYGB are
      affected by altered postprandial glucose, insulin and C-peptide dynamics. Insulin
      sensitivity is improved by RYGB, although subtle alterations in beta cell
      function are observed. Longitudinal studies are needed to assess potential
      consequences for fetal development and pregnancy outcomes.

PMID- 28918471
TI  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation versus cardiopulmonary bypass during lung
      transplantation: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We reviewed the available literature on patients undergoing lung
      transplantation supported by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation (ECMO). METHODS: A systematic literature search was
      performed in three databases, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Meta
      analyses were used to compare the outcomes of ECMO and CPB procedures. RESULTS:
      Seven observational studies met the inclusion criteria incorporating 785
      patients. ECMO support showed lower rate of primary graft dysfunction, bleeding,
      renal failure requiring dialysis, tracheostomy, intraoperative transfusions,
      intubation time, and hospital stay. Total support time was greater for the ECMO
      supported group. No difference was reported between operative and ischemic time.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that the intraoperative use of ECMO is
      associated with increased efficacy and safety, regarding short-term outcomes,
      compared to CPB. Well-designed, randomized studies, comparing ECMO to CPB, are
      necessary to assess their clinical outcomes further.

PMID- 28918472
TI  - A reliable protocol for colorimetric determination of iron oxide nanoparticle
      uptake by cells.
AB  - Size, shape, and surface properties of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles
      (SPIONs) can influence their interaction with biological systems, particularly
      the incorporation by tumor cells and consequently the biological activity and
      efficiency in biomedical applications. Several strategies have been used to
      evaluate cellular uptake of SPIONs. While qualitative methods are generally based
      on microscopy techniques, quantitative assays are carried out by techniques such
      as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and flow cytometry. However,
      inexpensive colorimetric methods based on equipments commonly found in chemistry
      and biochemistry laboratories are preferred for routine measurements.
      Nevertheless, colorimetric assays must be used judiciously, particularly when
      nanoparticles are involved, since their interaction with biological constituents
      tends to lead to quite underestimated results. Thus, herein described is a
      colorimetric protocol using 2,2'-bipyridine as chromogenic ligand, where each
      step was optimized and validated by total reflection X-ray fluorescence
      spectroscopy, realizing a highly reproducible and reliable method for
      determination of iron content in cells incubated with SPIONs. The limit of blank
      and limit of detection were determined to be as low as 0.076 and 0.143 MUg Fe/mL,
      using sample volumes as small as 190 MUL and a number of cells as low as 2.0 *
      105. Furthermore, three different types of surface-functionalized nanoparticles
      were incorporated in cells and evaluated through this protocol, enabling to
      monitor the additive effect of o-phosphorylethanolamine (PEA) and folic acid (FA)
      conjugation on iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION-PEA and SPION-PEA/FA), that
      enhanced the uptake by HeLa cells, respectively, by four and ten times when
      compared to SPIONs conjugated with nonbioactive molecules. Graphical abstract
      Colorimetric determination of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs)
      incorporated by cells.

PMID- 28918473
TI  - Complete genome sequences of two insect-specific flaviviruses.
AB  - We determined the complete genomic sequences of two previously discovered insect
      specific flaviviruses, Marisma mosquito virus (MMV) and Nanay virus (NANV), using
      a combination of high-throughput sequencing, reverse transcription-polymerase
      chain reaction, 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends and Sanger sequencing.
      Complete polyprotein amino acid sequence alignments revealed that the closest
      known relatives of MMV and NANV are Donggang virus (89% identity, 95% similarity)
      and Nounane virus (53% identity, 70% similarity), respectively. Phylogenetic
      inference is in agreement with these findings. Potential programmed -1 ribosomal
      frameshifting sites were bioinformatically identified in the genomes of both
      viruses.

PMID- 28918474
TI  - Induction of Immunogenic Cell Death in Lymphoma Cells by Wharton's Jelly
      Mesenchymal Stem Cell Conditioned Medium.
AB  - Strategies that induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) or downregulate CD47 or PD-L1
      expression have resulted in successful therapeutic options for tumor eradication.
      Several groups have reported the tumoricidal effects of human umbilical cord
      Wharton's jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) or its conditioned medium (hWJSC-CM) on
      certain cancers but the mechanisms have not been elucidated. Since hWJSCs possess
      immunomodulatory properties, we investigated whether one of the tumoricidal
      mechanisms was via ICD. We first concentrated hWJSC-CM into a 3 kDa concentrate
      and then exposed various concentrations of this concentrate to human lymphoma
      cells to find out which concentration had the greatest tumoricidal effect. We
      observed that a 500 ug/ml concentration of the concentrate had the greatest
      inhibitory effect. Thereafter, lymphoma cells were exposed to 500 ug/ml of the
      hWJSC-CM-3 kDa concentrate and then subjected to analysis for morphology,
      viability, apoptosis, mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum stress, danger
      associated molecular patterns (DAMP), extracellular HMGB1, CD47 and PD-L1 markers
      and dendritic cell phenotype. Extensive nuclear chromatin and mitochondrial
      changes with significantly decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis were
      observed in the treated lymphoma cells compared to controls. There were also
      significant increases in the release of DAMPs, extracellular HMGB1 and dendritic
      cell activation and maturation, with concomitant decreases in CD47 and PD-L1
      expression in the treated cells compared to controls. In other ongoing studies we
      observed increased expression of specific tumor-suppressor molecules (miRNA-146a
      and miRNA-126, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12) in hWJSC-CM suggesting that one or
      more of these molecules may be the modulators of the ICD.

PMID- 28918475
TI  - Octopaminergic innervation and a neurohaemal release site in the antennal heart
      of the locust Schistocerca gregaria.
AB  - A detailed account is given by the octopaminergic innervation of the antennal
      heart in Schistocerca gregaria using various immunohistochemical methods.
      Anterograde axonal filling illustrates the unilateral innervation on the medial
      ventral surface of the pumping muscle of the antennal heart via the paired
      corpora cardiaca nerve III. In addition, antibody staining revealed that
      ascending axons of this nerve terminate at the ampullae of the antennal heart
      forming synaptoid structures and extensive neurohaemal release sites. Due to the
      innervation by two dorsal unpaired median neurons, the presence of the biogenic
      amines octopamine and tyramine could be visualized by immunocytochemistry in an
      insect antennal heart for the first time. The data suggest that tyramine acts as
      a precursor and not purely as an independent transmitter. While the
      octopaminergic fibers innervating the pumping muscle of the antennal heart
      indicate a cardioregulatory role, we conclude that octopamine released from the
      neurohaemal area is pumped into the antennae and an involvement in the modulation
      of the antennal sensory sensitivity is discussed.

PMID- 28918476
TI  - Effects of stocking density on lipid deposition and expression of lipid-related
      genes in Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii).
AB  - To investigate the correlation between lipid deposition variation and stocking
      density in Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) and the possible physiological
      mechanism, fish were conducted in different stocking densities (LSD 5.5 kg/m3,
      MSD 8.0 kg/m3, and HSD 11.0 kg/m3) for 70 days and then the growth index, lipid
      content, lipase activities, and the mRNA expressions of lipid-related genes were
      examined. Results showed that fish subjected to higher stocking density presented
      lower final body weights (FBW), specific growth ratio (SGR), and gonad adipose
      tissue index (GAI) (P < 0.05). Lower lipid content was observed in the liver,
      gonad adipose tissue and muscle in sturgeons held in HSD group (P < 0.05). The
      serum concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased significantly with increasing
      stocking density, while no significant change was observed for low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Furthermore, the cDNAs encoding lipoprotein
      lipase (LPL) and hepatic lipase (HL) were isolated in Amur sturgeon,
      respectively. The full-length LPL cDNA was composed of 1757 bp with an open
      reading frame of 501 amino acids, while the complete nucleotide sequences of HL
      covered 1747 bp encoding 499 amino acids. In the liver, the activities and mRNA
      levels of LPL were markedly lower in HSD group, which were consistent with the
      variation tendency of HL. Fish reared in HSD group also presented lower levels of
      activities and mRNA expression of LPL in the muscle and gonad. Moreover, the
      expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) in
      both the liver and skeletal muscle were significantly upregulated in HSD group.
      Overall, the results indicated that high stocking density negatively affects
      growth performance and lipid deposition of Amur sturgeon to a certain extent. The
      downregulation of LPL and HL and the upregulation of PPARalpha may be responsible
      for the lower lipid distribution of Amur sturgeon in higher stocking density.

PMID- 28918477
TI  - In vitro inhibition of HIV-1 replication in autologous CD4+ T cells indicates
      viral containment by multifactorial mechanisms.
AB  - HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs)
      are present during chronic infection, but the relative contributions of these
      effector mechanisms to viral containment remain unclear. Here, using an in vitro
      model involving autologous CD4+ T cells, primary HIV-1 isolates, HIV-1-specific
      CTLs, and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, we show that b12, a potent and
      broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody to HIV-1, was able to block viral
      infection when preincubated with virus prior to infection, but was much less
      effective than CTLs at limiting virus replication when added to infected cell
      cultures. However, the same neutralizing antibody was able to contain viruses by
      antibody-dependent cell-mediated virus inhibition in vitro, which was mediated by
      natural killer cells (NKs) and dependent on an Fc-Fc receptor interaction.
      Meanwhile, bulk CTLs from HIV-1 controllers were more effective in suppression of
      virus replication than those from progressors. These findings indicate that
      control of HIV-1 replication in activated CD4+ T cells is ineffectively mediated
      by neutralizing antibodies alone, but that both CTLs and antibody-dependent NK
      mediated immune mechanisms contribute to viral containment. Our study
      systemically compared three major players in controlling HIV-1 infection, CTLs,
      NAbs, and NKs, in an autologous system and highlighted the multifactorial
      mechanisms for viral containment and vaccine success.

PMID- 28918479
TI  - Rebuttal comments.

PMID- 28918478
TI  - An Ibero-American inter-laboratory trial to evaluate serological tests for the
      detection of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in cattle.
AB  - We carried out an inter-laboratory trial to compare the serological tests
      commonly used for the detection of specific Neospora caninum antibodies in cattle
      in Ibero-American countries. A total of eight laboratories participated from the
      following countries: Argentina (n = 4), Brazil (n = 1), Peru (n = 1), Mexico (n =
      1), and Spain (n = 1). A blind panel of well-characterized cattle sera (n = 143)
      and sera representative of the target population (n = 351) was tested by seven in
      house indirect fluorescent antibody tests (IFATs 1-7) and three enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assays (ELISAs 1-3; two in-house and one commercial). Diagnostic
      performance of the serological tests was calculated and compared according to the
      following criteria: (1) the "Pre-test information," which uses previous
      epidemiological and serological data; (2) the "Majority of tests," which
      classifies a serum as positive or negative according to the results obtained by
      most tests evaluated. Unexpectedly, six tests showed either sensitivity (Se) or
      specificity (Sp) values lower than 90%. In contrast, the best tests in terms of
      Se, Sp, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) values were IFAT 1 and optimized ELISA
      1 and ELISA 2. We evaluated a high number of IFATs, which are the most widely
      used tests in Ibero-America. The significant discordances observed among the
      tests regardless of the criteria employed hinder control programs and urge the
      use of a common test or with similar performances to either the optimized IFAT 1
      and ELISAs 1 and 2.

PMID- 28918480
TI  - Sgs1 helicase is required for efficient PCNA monoubiquitination and translesion
      DNA synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - DNA-damage tolerance (DDT) is employed by eukaryotes to deal with replication
      blocks on the template strand, and is divided into two parallel pathways that are
      activated by sequential ubiquitination of proliferating cell nuclear antigen
      (PCNA) at the Lys164 residue. Rad6-Rad18-mediated PCNA monoubiquitination
      promotes translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) and the monoubiquitinated PCNA can be
      further polyubiquitinated by an Mms2-Ubc13-Rad5 complex, leading to error-free
      lesion bypass. We previously reported that the DNA helicase Sgs1 is required for
      error-free lesion bypass, probably through the double-Holliday junction migration
      and subsequent resolution. Surprisingly, a synthetic genetic array (SGA) screen
      using rev1 and rev3 as baits did not reveal an anticipated synthetic effect with
      sgs1, indicating a possible involvement of Sgs1 in TLS. Here, we report detailed
      genetic analyses demonstrating that Sgs1 plays a key role in efficient TLS and
      that it is probably required for the signaling of DNA damage leading to PCNA
      monoubiquitination. These studies collectively illustrate that Sgs1 participates
      in both branches of DDT and possibly plays a role in pathway choice.

PMID- 28918482
TI  - In memoriam Prof. Dr. Jurgen Kiefer.

PMID- 28918481
TI  - Fibrinolysis in trauma: a review.
AB  - : Fibrinolytic dysregulation is an important mechanism in traumatic coagulopathy.
      It is an incompletely understood process that consists of a spectrum ranging from
      excessive breakdown (hyperfibrinolysis) and the shutdown of fibrinolysis. Both
      hyperfibrinolysis and shutdown are associated with excess mortality and post
      traumatic organ failure. The pathophysiology appears to relate to endothelial
      injury and hypoperfusion, with several molecular markers identified in playing a
      role. Although there are no universally accepted diagnostic tests, viscoelastic
      studies appear to offer the greatest potential for timely identification of
      patients presenting with fibrinolytic dysregulation. Treatment is multimodal,
      involving prompt hemorrhage control and resuscitation, with controversy
      surrounding the use of antifibrinolytic drug therapy. This review presents the
      current evidence on the pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, as well as the
      management of this hemostatic dysfunction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

PMID- 28918483
TI  - Effects of multidisciplinary teams and an integrated follow-up electronic system
      on clinical pharmacist interventions in a cancer hospital.
AB  - Background The aim of drug therapy is to attain distinct therapeutic effects that
      not only improve patient's quality of life but also reduce the inherent risks
      associated with the therapeutic use of drugs. Pharmacists play a key role in
      reducing these risks by developing appropriate interventions. Whether to accept
      or reject the intervention made by the pharmacist is a relevant consultant's
      decision. Objective To evaluate the impact of electronic prompts and follow-up of
      rejected pharmacy interventions by clinical pharmacists in an in-patient setting.
      Setting Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital & Research Center, Lahore, Pakistan.
      Method The study was conducted in two phases. Data for 3 months were collected
      for each phase of the study. Systematic and quantifiable consensus validity was
      developed for rejected interventions in phase 1, based on patient outcome
      analyses. Severity rating was assigned to assess the significance of
      interventions. Electronic prompts for follow-on interventions in phase 2 were
      then developed and implemented, including daily review via a multidisciplinary
      team (MDT) approach. Main outcome measure Validity of rejected interventions,
      acceptance of follow-on interventions before and after re-engineering the
      pharmacy processes, rejection rate and severity rating of follow-on
      interventions. Result Of a total of 2649 and 3064 interventions that were
      implemented during phase 1 and phase 2, 238 (9%) and 307 (10%) were rejected,
      respectively. Additionally, 133 (56%) were inappropriate rejections during phase
      1. The estimated reliability between pharmacists regarding rejected interventions
      was 0.74 (95% CI of 0.69, 0.79, p 0.000). Prospective data were analysed after
      implementing electronic alerts and an MDT approach. The acceptance rate of follow
      on interventions in phase 2 was 60% (184). Conclusion Electronic prompts for
      follow-on interventions together with an MDT approach enhance the optimization of
      pharmacotherapy, increase drug rationality and improve patient care.

PMID- 28918486
TI  - Elastic and inelastic light scattering spectroscopy and its possible use for
      label-free brain tumor typing.
AB  - This paper presents an approach for label-free brain tumor tissue typing. For
      this application, our dual modality microspectroscopy system combines inelastic
      Raman scattering spectroscopy and Mie elastic light scattering spectroscopy. The
      system enables marker-free biomedical diagnostics and records both the chemical
      and morphologic changes of tissues on a cellular and subcellular level. The
      system setup is described and the suitability for measuring morphologic features
      is investigated. Graphical Abstract Bimodal approach for label-free brain tumor
      typing. Elastic and inelastic light scattering spectra are collected laterally
      resolved in one measurement setup. The spectra are investigated by multivariate
      data analysis for assigning the tissues to specific WHO grades according to their
      malignancy.

PMID- 28918484
TI  - Drug-Herb Interactions in the Elderly Patient with IBD: a Growing Concern.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes conditions
      such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is becoming more prevalent with
      the elderly being the fastest growing group. Parallel to this, there is an
      increasing interest in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
      Nearly half of patients with IBD have used CAM at one time. The elderly patients,
      however, are burdened by comorbid conditions, polypharmacy, and altered
      functional status. With increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine
      in our elderly patients with IBD, it is vital for the provider to provide counsel
      on drug-herb potential interactions. CAM includes herbal products, diet, dietary
      supplements, acupuncture, and prayer. In this paper, we will review common CAM,
      specifically herbs, that are used in patients with IBD including the herb
      background, suggested use, evidence in IBD, and most importantly, potential
      interactions with IBD medications used in elderly patients. Most important
      evidence-based adverse events and drug-herb interactions are summarized. The
      herbs discussed include Triticum aestivum (wheat grass), Andrographis paniculata
      (chiretta), Boswellia serrata, tormentil, bilberry, curcumin (turmeric), Plantago
      ovata (blond psyllium), Oenothera biennis (evening primrose oil), germinated
      barley foodstuff, an herbal preparation of myrrh, chamomile and coffee extract,
      chios mastic gum, wormwood (absinthe, thujone), Cannabis sativa (marijuana, THC),
      tripterygium wilfordii (thunder god vine), Ulmus rubra (slippery elm bark),
      trigonella foenugraecum (fenugreek), Dioscorea mexicana (wild yam), Harpagophytum
      procumbens (devil's claw), ginger, cinnamon, licorice, and peppermint.

PMID- 28918485
TI  - The 5-oxoprolinase is required for conidiation, sexual reproduction, virulence
      and deoxynivalenol production of Fusarium graminearum.
AB  - In eukaryotic organisms, the 5-oxoprolinase is one of the six key enzymes in the
      gamma-glutamyl cycle that is involved in the biosynthetic pathway of glutathione
      (GSH, an antioxidative tripeptide counteracting the oxidative stress). To date,
      little is known about the biological functions of the 5-oxoprolinase in
      filamentous phytopathogenic fungi. In this study, we investigated the 5
      oxoprolinase in Fusarium graminearum for the first time. In F. graminearum, two
      paralogous genes (FgOXP1 and FgOXP2) were identified to encode the 5-oxoprolinase
      while only one homologous gene encoding the 5-oxoprolinase could be found in
      other filamentous phytopathogenic fungi or Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion of
      FgOXP1 or FgOXP2 in F. graminearum led to significant defects in its virulence on
      wheat. This is likely caused by an observed decreased deoxynivalenol (DON, a
      mycotoxin) production in the gene deletion mutant strains as DON is one of the
      best characterized virulence factors of F. graminearum. The FgOXP2 deletion
      mutant strains were also defective in conidiation and sexual reproduction while
      the FgOXP1 deletion mutant strains were normal for those phenotypes. Double
      deletion of FgOXP1 and FgOXP2 led to more severe defects in conidiation, DON
      production and virulence on plants, suggesting that both FgOXP1 and FgOXP2 play a
      role in fungal development and plant colonization. Although transformation of
      MoOXP1into DeltaFgoxp1 was able to complement DeltaFgoxp1, transformation of
      MoOXP1 into DeltaFgoxp2 failed to restore its defects in sexual development, DON
      production and pathogenicity. Taken together, these results suggest that FgOXP1
      and FgOXP2 are likely to have been functionally diversified and play significant
      roles in fungal development and full virulence in F. graminearum.

PMID- 28918487
TI  - Clinical risk stratification of paediatric renal transplant recipients using C1q
      and C3d fixing of de novo donor-specific antibodies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We have previously shown that children who developed de novo donor
      specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (DSA) had greater decline in
      allograft function. We hypothesised that patients with complement-activating DSA
      would have poorer renal allograft outcomes. METHODS: A total of 75 children
      developed DSA in the original study. The first positive DSA sample was
      subsequently tested for C1q and C3d fixing. The primary event was defined as 50%
      reduction from baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate and was analysed
      using the Kaplan-Meier estimator. RESULTS: Of 65 patients tested, 32 (49%) and 23
      (35%) tested positive for C1q and C3d fixing, respectively. Of the 32 C1q
      positive (c1q+) patients, 13 (41%) did not show concomitant C3d fixing. The mean
      fluorescence intensity values of the original immunoglobulin G DSA correlated
      poorly with complement-fixing positivity (C1q: adjusted R 2 0.072; C3d: adjusted
      R 2 0.11; p < 0.05). C1q+ antibodies were associated with acute tubulitis [0.75
      +/- 0.18 (C1q+) vs. 0.25 +/- 0.08 (C1q-) episodes per patient (mean +/- standard
      error of the mean; p < 0.05] but not with worse long-term renal allograft
      dysfunction (median time to primary event 5.9 (C1q+) vs. 6.4 (C1q-) years; hazard
      ratio (HR) 0.74; 95% confidence ratio (CI) 0.30-1.81; p = 0.58]. C3d-positive
      (C3d+) antibodies were associated with positive C4d histological staining [47%
      (C3d+) vs. 20% (C3d-); p = 0.04] and with significantly worse long-term allograft
      dysfunction [median time to primary event: 5.6 (C3d+) vs. 6.5 (C3d-) years; HR
      0.38; 95% CI 0.15-0.97; p = 0.04]. CONCLUSION: Assessment of C3d fixing as part
      of prospective HLA monitoring can potentially aid stratification of patients at
      the highest risk of long-term renal allograft dysfunction.

PMID- 28918488
TI  - Petrobasilar, petroclival, or petrosphenoidal canal of the abducens nerve.

PMID- 28918489
TI  - Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A: a possible new trigger of reactive arthritis.
AB  - Yersinia enterocolitica (YE) biotype 1A is generally considered non-pathogenic,
      and the role of it in causing reactive musculoskeletal complications is unclear.
      We evaluated the capability of YE biotype 1A to induce reactive arthritis (ReA)
      and other reactive musculoskeletal symptoms. Analysis of self-reported
      musculoskeletal symptoms was supplemented with a telephone interview (with a
      permission to acquire copies of patient files from a local physician or hospital)
      and/or clinical examination of subjects with recent musculoskeletal symptoms
      after a positive stool culture for YE. The diagnoses of ReA and reactive
      tendinitis and enthesitis (ReTe) were defined as "definite" when based on
      clinical examination and/or on interview by phone and "probable" when based
      solely on the questionnaire. Of 120 subjects, who reported musculoskeletal
      symptoms, 100 were included in the final analysis. Among these 100 patients, 68%
      had YE biotype 1A, 16% YE bio/serotype 4, and 1% biotype 2 infection; the
      remaining 15% had different YE-like strains or a non-biotypable strain. Of the 21
      patients with ReA and of the 14 patients with ReTe, the diagnosis was definite in
      9 and 7 patients and probable in 12 and 7 patients, respectively. The clinical
      picture of ReA caused by YE biotype 1A was similar with other bio/serotypes of
      YE. The definite ReA due to YE biotype 1A occurred in middle-aged adults (5 men,
      4 women) with the most frequently affected joints being the knees and ankles. We
      suggest that YE biotype 1A should be taken into account as a new trigger of ReA.

PMID- 28918491
TI  - Dynamics of allosteric modulation of lymphocyte function associated antigen-1
      closure-open switch: unveiling the structural mechanisms associated with outside
      in signaling activation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To provide insight into the dynamics of the shape-shifting
      mechanistic events associated with the opening (activation) of Lymphocyte
      Function Associated Antigen-1 upon allosteric modulation by an activator, ICAM
      Binding Enhancer-667 (IBE-667), using molecular dynamics simulation. RESULTS:
      Various parameters were used to appropriately describe and understand the
      sequence of events that characterized its activation across the simulation period
      such as residual distances, TriCalpha angles; as well as the dihedral angle. Our
      findings revealed a significant residual fluctuation and stability difference
      between both systems. Also, there was a synergistic coordination of the active
      MIDAS site by the downward pull of the alpha7 helix upon ligand binding, which
      appeared to be directly proportional to each other. CONCLUSION: Allosteric
      binding of IBE-667, activated LFA-1 integrin as evidenced by residual motion at
      the MIDAS region which appears to be synergistically coordinated by the downward
      pull of the alpha7 helix.

PMID- 28918490
TI  - Notch signaling pathway networks in cancer metastasis: a new target for cancer
      therapy.
AB  - Notch signaling pathway is evolutionarily conserved in mammals, which plays an
      important role in cell development and differentiation. In recent years,
      increasing evidence has shown that aberrant activation of Notch is associated
      with tumor process. Aberrant activation of Notch signaling pathway has been found
      in many different solid tumors can induce cell proliferation, metastasis and
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Notch receptor and its ligand are both single
      transmembrane protein, and Notch is activated when it binds to the Notch ligand
      of neighbor cells. The signal transduction of Notch signaling pathway is only
      between cells that are in contact with each other, which is independent of second
      messengers. Thus, Notch needs to cross talk with other signaling pathways,
      including PI3K/AKT, NF-kappaB, integrin and miRNAs, to precisely regulate cell
      fate. In this review, we summarize the roles of Notch signaling pathway in tumor
      metastasis and its regulatory mechanisms and discuss the current treatment
      strategies targeting Notch signal pathway.

PMID- 28918492
TI  - Decreased plasma neuregulin 4 concentration is associated with increased high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus
      patients: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - AIMS: Inflammation has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of
      atherosclerosis. This principal objective of this study was to investigate if the
      secretion of neuregulin 4 (Nrg4), a soluble protein associated with metabolic
      syndrome and subclinical cardiovascular disease, is correlated with the
      inflammation marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with
      newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (nT2DM). METHODS: A study group of 311
      nT2DM patients was divided into three subgroups based on hs-CRP tertiles.
      Multiple linear regression was conducted to explore the association between
      plasma Nrg4 and hs-CRP levels. RESULTS: The nT2DM patients with the highest hs
      CRP levels (>2.46 mg/L) exhibited higher atherogenic coefficients and atherogenic
      index of plasma (AIP) levels, but lower levels of plasma Nrg4, as compared to
      those with the lowest hs-CRP levels (<0.63 mg/L). Plasma Nrg4 levels were
      inversely associated with white blood cell count, hs-CRP, and AIP and positively
      associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), before and after
      adjustment for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage (P <
      0.01 or P < 0.05). hs-CRP was the factor most strongly associated with plasma
      Nrg4 levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that lower plasma Nrg4 levels
      may be associated with elevated hs-CRP in nT2DM patients. It generates the
      hypothesis that decreased levels of Nrg4 may trigger the development of
      atherosclerosis through its proinflammatory effects. These findings need to be
      confirmed by further prospective studies.

PMID- 28918493
TI  - Study of lesions of the lumbar endplate based on the stage of maturation of the
      lumbar vertebral body: the relationship between skeletal maturity and
      chronological age.
AB  - The lesion of the lumbar endplate is sometimes identified in the vertebrae of
      children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to compare between
      skeletal maturity and chronological age. The second purpose of this study is to
      clarify the lesions of the lumbar endplate based on the maturation of the lumbar
      vertebral body. Six hundred and thirty-two (485 men and 147 women) consecutive
      patients were included. The mean age at the first medical examination was 13.8
      years. Their skeletal maturity was evaluated based on the appearances of the
      secondary ossification center of L3. The area of the endplate lesions was
      classified into five types. The apophyseal stage was observed from 10 years old
      to 18 years old, and the apophyseal stage was shown the peak at 14 years old. The
      appearance of the apophyseal ring was observed earlier in female patients than in
      male patients. For the concave type, the lesion at upper level vertebra was more
      prevalent. The anterior and middle type of the lesion at upper level vertebra was
      more prevalent. For the posterior type, the lesion of the inferior rim of L4 and
      the lesion of the rim of L5 were more prevalent. This study emerged after
      comparing skeletal maturity based on the maturation of the lumbar vertebral body
      with the chronological age of a large number of patients and examining the
      lesions of the lumbar endplate based on the stage of maturation of the lumbar
      vertebral body.

PMID- 28918494
TI  - Betaine in the Brain: Characterization of Betaine Uptake, its Influence on Other
      Osmolytes and its Potential Role in Neuroprotection from Osmotic Stress.
AB  - Betaine (N-trimethylglycine), a common osmolyte, has received attention because
      of the number of clinical reports associating betaine supplementation with
      improved cognition, neuroprotection and exercise physiology. However, tissue
      analyses report little accumulation of betaine in brain tissue despite the
      presence of betaine/GABA transporters (BGT1) at the blood brain barrier and in
      nervous tissue, calling into question whether betaine influences neuronal
      function directly or indirectly. Therefore, the focus of this study was to
      determine what capacity nervous tissue has to accumulate betaine, specifically in
      the hippocampus, a region of the brain associated with learning and memory and
      one that is particularly susceptible to damage (e.g., seizure activity). Here we
      report that hippocampal slices actively accumulate betaine in a time, dose and
      osmolality dependent manner, resulting in peak intracellular concentrations four
      times extracellular concentrations within 8 h. Our data also indicate that
      betaine uptake differentially influences the accumulation of other osmolytes.
      Under isosmotic conditions, betaine uptake minimally impacted some osmolytes
      (e.g., glycerylphosphorylcholine and glutamate) while significantly reducing
      others (taurine, creatine, and myo-inositol). Under osmotic stress (hyperosmotic)
      conditions, we observed dramatic changes in osmolytes like glycine and glutamine
      key players in inhibitory neurotransmission-and little change in osmolytes such
      as taurine, creatine and myo-inositol when betaine was available. These data
      suggest that betaine may influence pathways of inhibitory neurotransmitter
      production/recycling in addition to serving as an osmolyte and metabolic
      intermediate. In sum, our data provide detailed characterization of betaine
      uptake in the hippocampus that implicates betaine in the modulation of
      hippocampal neurophysiology and neuroprotection.

PMID- 28918495
TI  - The Stingless Bee Melipona solani Deposits a Signature Mixture and Methyl Oleate
      to Mark Valuable Food Sources.
AB  - Stingless bees foraging for food improve recruitment by depositing chemical cues
      on valuable food sites or pheromone marks on vegetation. Using gas
      chromatography/mass spectrometry and bioassays, we showed that Melipona solani
      foragers leave a mixture composed mostly of long chain hydrocarbons from their
      abdominal cuticle plus methyl oleate from the labial gland as a scent mark on
      rich food sites. The composition of hydrocarbons was highly variable among
      individuals and varied in proportions, depending on the body part. A wide ratio
      of compounds present in different body parts of the bees elicited
      electroantennogram responses from foragers and these responses were dose
      dependent. Generally, in bioassays, these bees prefer to visit previously visited
      feeders and feeders marked with extracts from any body part of conspecifics. The
      mean number of visits to a feeder was enhanced when synthetic methyl oleate was
      added. We propose that this could be a case of multi-source odor marking, in
      which hydrocarbons, found in large abundance, act as a signature mixture with
      attraction enhanced through deposition of methyl oleate, which may indicate a
      rich food source.

PMID- 28918496
TI  - Recurrent papillary craniopharyngioma with BRAFV600E mutation treated with
      neoadjuvant-targeted therapy.
AB  - Craniopharyngiomas are histologically benign but locally aggressive tumors in the
      sellar region that may cause devastating neurological and endocrine deficits.
      They tend to recur following surgery with high morbidity; hence, postoperative
      radiotherapy is recommended following sub-total resection. BRAFV600E mutation is
      the principal oncogenic driver in the papillary variant of craniopharyngiomas.
      Recently, a dramatic tumor reduction has been reported in a patient with
      BRAFV600E mutated, multiply recurrent papillary craniopharyngioma using a
      combination therapy of BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib and MEK inhibitor trametinib.
      Here, we report on near-radical reduction of a growing residual BRAFV600E
      craniopharyngioma using the same neoadjuvant therapy.

PMID- 28918497
TI  - Antennal and behavioral responses of Mythimna separata (Walker) to three plant
      volatiles.
AB  - The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata, is distributed widely in eastern Asia
      and Australia. The response of M.separata to 27 compounds identified from plant
      volatiles was determined from electroantennography (EAG) and wind tunnel results,
      which allowed an evaluation of the possible plant volatile compounds. The highest
      EAG values of males were elicited by trans-2,cis-6-nonadienal, and virgin females
      by benzyl alcohol. The amplitude in EAG dose-response was in the range of 0.24 to
      2.87 mV. In the wind tunnel bioassays, significantly more females showed
      behavioral responses to wilting leaves and headspace collection of Pterocarya
      stenoptera rather than control. In addition, significantly more females flew
      upwind with beta-ocimene compared with the control. The number of females that
      landed at the source with cis-3-hexen-1-ol, phenylethyl alcohol, trans-2-nonenal,
      and 2-pentylfuran was significantly different from the number that moved towards
      control.

PMID- 28918498
TI  - Modeling the Decision of Mental Health Providers to Implement Evidence-Based
      Children's Mental Health Services: A Discrete Choice Conjoint Experiment.
AB  - Using an online, cross sectional discrete choice experiment, we modeled the
      influence of 14 implementation attributes on the intention of 563 providers to
      adopt hypothetical evidence-based children's mental health practices (EBPs).
      Latent class analysis identified two segments. Segment 1 (12%) would complete
      100% of initial training online, devote more time to training, make greater
      changes to their practices, and introduce only minor modifications to EBPs.
      Segment 2 (88%) preferred fewer changes, more modifications, less training, but
      more follow-up. Simulations suggest that enhanced supervisor support would
      increase the percentage of participants choosing the intensive training required
      to implement EBPs. The dissemination of EBPs needs to consider the views of
      segments of service providers with differing preferences regarding EBPs and
      implementation process design.

PMID- 28918499
TI  - The Levels of Circulating Proangiogenic Factors in Migraineurs.
AB  - Migraine has been reported as a risk factor for ischemic stroke or cardiovascular
      events, and dysfunction of endothelial cells has been evidenced in migraine
      patients. Proangiogenic factors are potential endothelial stimulators, and their
      disturbances can link abnormalities of endothelium with increased risk of
      vascular disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of
      circulating proangiogenic factors in sera of migraineurs during interictal
      period. Fifty-two patients aged 37.9 +/- 9.6 years, fulfilling International
      Headache Society criteria for migraine, were included in this observational case
      control study. The control group included 39 healthy volunteers, matched
      according to age and gender. All subjects underwent full neurological examination
      and clinimetric evaluation with the use of: MIDAS, MIGSEV, QVM, VAS and VRS
      scales. Serum concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF),
      angiogenin, angiopoietin-2, thrombopoietin and Tie-2 were estimated in
      migraineurs and in the control group with the use of ELISA. In migraineurs during
      interictal period, we have found decreased serum VEGF and angiogenin
      concentrations compared with controls. Age of migraine onset correlated with
      VEGF, angiopoietin-2 and thrombopoietin concentrations. Furthermore, angiopoietin
      2 level correlated with QVM score and Tie-2 with pain intensity evaluated using
      MIGSEV scale. In migraine patients during interictal period, depletion of VEGF
      and angiogenin, two cooperating proangiogenic factors, can be responsible for
      endothelial dysfunction and increased risk for vascular disorders.

PMID- 28918500
TI  - Current evidence advocates use of a new pathologic tibial tubercle-posterior
      cruciate ligament distance threshold in patients with patellar instability.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine (1) whether a correlation exists between tibial tubercle
      posterior cruciate ligament (TT-PCL) and tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG)
      distances in patellar instability patients; (2) reliability when measuring TT-PCL
      distance; (3) whether TT-PCL distances measured on MRI are equivalent to those on
      CT; and (4) whether a correlation exists between TT-PCL distance and number of
      instability events or recurrence of instability following stabilization surgery.
      METHODS: A systematic review was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Clinical
      studies investigating the relationships of TT-PCL with TT-TG on CT and/or MRI in
      patellar instability patients were sought. English language studies with Levels
      of evidence I-IV were eligible for inclusion. RESULTS: Four studies (285 subjects
      [300 knees] with patellar instability [74.2% female; mean age 26.1 +/- 8.2
      years]; 114 controls [144 knees; 77% female; mean age 23.1 years]) were included.
      Mean TT-PCL of instability and control groups was 21.1 +/- 4.1 and 18.8 +/- 4.0
      mm (p < 0.0001), respectively. Two studies reported significant positive (strong
      and moderate) correlations between TT-PCL and TT-TG MRI measurements in
      instability patients. All four investigations reported excellent interobserver
      and intraobserver reliability in MRI measurement of TT-PCL distance. No study
      compared TT-PCL distances on MRI and CT. No study assessed correlation between TT
      PCL distance and number of instability events or recurrence of instability after
      surgery. CONCLUSION: A moderate-to-strong positive correlation exists between TT
      PCL and TT-TG measurements taken from MRIs of patellar instability patients.
      There is excellent interobserver and intraobserver reliability when taking TT-PCL
      measurements using MRI. This review advocates use of a new pathologic TT-PCL
      threshold of 21 mm. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, systematic review of Level II
      III studies.

PMID- 28918503
TI  - CoQ0-induced mitochondrial PTP opening triggers apoptosis via ROS-mediated VDAC1
      upregulation in HL-60 leukemia cells and suppresses tumor growth in athymic nude
      mice/xenografted nude mice.
AB  - Coenzyme Q (CoQ) analogs with variable numbers of isoprenoid units have been
      demonstrated as anticancer and antioxidant/pro-oxidant molecules. This study
      examined the in vitro and in vivo antitumor and apoptosis activities of CoQ0 (2,3
      dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, zero isoprenoid side-chains) through
      upregulation of the Voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) signaling pathway
      on human promyelocytic leukemia. CoQ0 (0-40 MUg/mL) treatment significantly
      reduced HL-60 cell viability, and up-regulated mitochondrial VDAC1 expression.
      CoQ0 treatment triggers intracellular ROS generation, calcium release, DeltaPsim
      collapse and PTP opening in HL-60 cells. CoQ0 treatment induced apoptosis, which
      was associated with DNA fragmentation, cytochrome c release, caspase-3 and PARP
      activation, and Bax/Bcl-2 dysregulation. Annexin V-PI staining indicated that
      CoQ0 promotes late apoptosis. Furthermore, the blockade of CoQ0-induced ROS
      production by antioxidant NAC pretreatment substantially attenuated CoQ0-induced
      apoptosis. The activation of p-GSK3beta expression, cyclophilin D inhibition, and
      p53 activation through ROS are involved in CoQ0-induced HL-60 apoptotic cell
      death. Notably, ROS-independent p38 activation is involved in CoQ0-mediated
      apoptosis in HL-60 cells. In addition, the silencing of VDAC1 also prevented CoQ0
      induced mitochondrial translocation of Bax, activation of caspase-3, and
      reduction in Bcl-2. Intriguingly, VDAC1 silencing did not prevent ROS production
      induced by CoQ0, which in turn indicates that CoQ0 induced ROS-mediated VDAC1 and
      then mitochondrial apoptosis in HL-60 cells. In vivo results revealed that CoQ0
      is effective in delaying tumor incidence and reducing the tumor burden in HL-60
      xenografted nude mice. Taken together, CoQ0 could be a promising anticancer agent
      for the treatment of human promyelocytic leukemia through upregulation of VDAC1
      signaling pathways.

PMID- 28918502
TI  - The REFINEMENT Glossary of Terms: An International Terminology for Mental Health
      Systems Assessment.
AB  - Comparing mental health systems across countries is difficult because of the lack
      of an agreed upon terminology covering services and related financing issues.
      Within the European Union project REFINEMENT, international mental health care
      experts applied an innovative mixed "top-down" and "bottom-up" approach following
      a multistep design thinking strategy to compile a glossary on mental health
      systems, using local services as pilots. The final REFINEMENT glossary consisted
      of 432 terms related to service provision, service utilisation, quality of care
      and financing. The aim of this study was to describe the iterative process and
      methodology of developing this glossary.

PMID- 28918504
TI  - Autism spectrum disorders and disease modeling using stem cells.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent a variety of disorders characterized as
      complex lifelong neurodevelopment disabilities, which may affect the ability of
      communication and socialization, including typical comportments like repetitive
      and stereotyped behavior. Other comorbidities are usually present, such as
      echolalia, hypotonia, intellectual disability and difficulties in processing
      figured speech. Furthermore, some ASD individuals may present certain abilities,
      such as eidetic memory, outstanding musical or painting talents and special
      mathematical skills, among others. Considering the variability of the clinical
      symptoms, one autistic individual can be severely affected in communication while
      others can speak perfectly, sometimes having a vocabulary above average in early
      childhood. The same variability can be seen in other clinical symptoms, thus the
      "spectrum" can vary from severe to mild. Induced pluripotent stem cell technology
      has been used to model several neurological diseases, including syndromic and non
      syndromic autism. We discuss how modeling the central nervous system cells in a
      dish may help to reach a better understanding of ASD pathology and variability,
      as well as personalize their treatment.

PMID- 28918505
TI  - Purification and characterization of skeletal muscle pyruvate kinase from the
      hibernating ground squirrel, Urocitellus richardsonii: potential regulation by
      posttranslational modification during torpor.
AB  - Ground squirrel torpor during winter hibernation is characterized by numerous
      physiological and biochemical changes, including alterations to fuel metabolism.
      During torpor, many tissues switch from carbohydrate to lipid catabolism, often
      by regulating key enzymes within glycolytic and lipolytic pathways. This study
      investigates the potential regulation of pyruvate kinase (PK), a key member of
      the glycolytic pathway, within the skeletal muscle of hibernating ground
      squirrels. PK was purified from the skeletal muscle of control and torpid
      Richardson's ground squirrels, and PK kinetics, structural stability, and
      posttranslational modifications were subsequently assessed. Torpid PK displayed a
      nearly threefold increase in K m PEP as compared to control PK when assayed at 5 
      degrees C. ProQ Diamond phosphoprotein staining as well as phospho-specific
      western blots indicated that torpid PK was significantly more phosphorylated than
      the euthermic control. PK from the torpid condition was also shown to possess
      nearly twofold acetyl content as compared to control PK. In conclusion, skeletal
      muscle PK from the Richardson's ground squirrel may be regulated
      posttranslationally between the euthermic and torpid states, and this may inhibit
      PK functioning during torpor in accordance with the decrease in glycolytic rate
      during dormancy.

PMID- 28918506
TI  - Young athletes after ACL reconstruction with quadriceps strength asymmetry at the
      time of return-to-sport demonstrate decreased knee function 1 year later.
AB  - PURPOSE: Quadriceps femoris (QF) strength deficits at return-to-sport (RTS) after
      ACL reconstruction (ACLR) contribute to decreased knee function at the same time
      point. However, the impact of QF strength at RTS on longitudinal function has not
      been examined. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that young
      athletes after ACLR with QF strength asymmetry at RTS would demonstrate decreased
      knee-related function and lower proportions of functional recovery at 1 year post
      RTS compared to young athletes following ACLR with nearly symmetric QF strength
      at RTS. METHODS: Participants included 76 young athletes (74% female; mean age at
      RTS = 17.3 years) after primary, unilateral ACLR, cleared to RTS, and followed
      for 1 year after RTS. At the time of RTS, QF strength was quantified on an
      isokinetic dynamometer and a Limb Symmetry Index (LSI) was calculated
      [(involved/uninvolved) * 100%]. The cohort was subdivided into two groups based
      on RTS QF LSI: high quadriceps (HQ; LSI >= 90%; n = 36) and low quadriceps (LQ;
      LSI < 85%; n = 36). The cohort was followed for 1 year post-RTS, and knee-related
      function was assessed using the International Knee Documentation Committee
      subjective form (IKDC), the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS),
      and LSI of single-leg hop tests. Functional recovery at 1 year post-RTS was
      defined as KOOS scores above literature-reported cut-offs. RESULTS: While the HQ
      group demonstrated higher symmetry on all 1 year post-RTS hop tests, only the
      triple-hop test (p = 0.020) was found to be statistically different. Similarly,
      while the HQ group scored higher on all 1 year post-RTS self-reported knee
      function measures, only differences on the KOOS-Sport/Rec score (p = 0.039) and
      IKDC score (p = 0.011) were statistically different. Additionally, the HQ group
      demonstrated higher proportions of functional recovery at 1 year post-RTS than
      the LQ group on the KOOS-Symptoms (HQ: 88.9%, LQ: 69.4%; p = 0.040) and KOOS
      Sport/Rec (HQ: 91.7%, LQ: 69.4%; p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Young athletes after
      ACLR with QF strength asymmetry at RTS demonstrated decreased knee-related
      function and lower proportions of functional recovery at 1 year post-RTS.
      However, group differences did not exceed reported minimal clinically important
      difference values. Further study is warranted to understand factors that
      contribute to longitudinal knee function after ACLR. Clinicians should focus on
      restoring symmetric QF strength at RTS after ACLR, which may promote higher
      longitudinal knee function. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, Prospective cohort
      study.

PMID- 28918507
TI  - The muscle regulatory transcription factor MyoD participates with p53 to directly
      increase the expression of the pro-apoptotic Bcl2 family member PUMA.
AB  - The muscle regulatory transcription factor MyoD is a master regulator of skeletal
      myoblast differentiation. We have previously reported that MyoD is also necessary
      for the elevated expression of the pro-apoptotic Bcl2 family member PUMA, and the
      ensuing apoptosis, that occurs in a subset of myoblasts induced to differentiate.
      Herein, we report the identification of a functional MyoD binding site within the
      extended PUMA promoter. In silico analysis of the murine PUMA extended promoter
      revealed three potential MyoD binding sites within 2 kb of the transcription
      start site. Expression from a luciferase reporter construct containing this 2 kb
      fragment was enhanced by activation of MyoD in both myoblasts and fibroblasts and
      diminished by silencing of MyoD in myoblasts. Experiments utilizing truncated
      versions of this promoter region revealed that the potential binding site at
      position - 857 was necessary for expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
      analysis confirmed binding of MyoD to the DNA region encompassing position - 857.
      The increase in MyoD binding to the PUMA promoter as a consequence of culture in
      differentiation media (DM) was comparable to the increase in MyoD binding at the
      myogenin promoter and was diminished in myoblasts silenced for MyoD expression.
      Finally, ChIP analysis using an antibody specific for the transcription factor
      p53 demonstrated that, in myoblasts silenced for MyoD expression, p53 binding to
      the PUMA promoter was diminished in response to culture in DM. These data
      indicate that MyoD plays a direct role in regulating PUMA expression and reveal
      functional consequences of MyoD expression on p53 mediated transcription of PUMA.

PMID- 28918508
TI  - Metabolic engineering of Schizosaccharomyces pombe to produce punicic acid, a
      conjugated fatty acid with nutraceutic properties.
AB  - Punicic acid (PuA) is a conjugated linolenic acid (C18:3Delta9c,11t,13c) with a
      wide range of nutraceutic effects with the potential to reduce the incidence of a
      number of health disorders including diabetes, obesity, and cancer. It is the
      main component of seed oil from Punica granatum and Trichosanthes kirilowii.
      Previously, production of relatively high levels of this unusual fatty acid in
      the seed oil of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plant was accomplished by the use
      of A. thaliana fad3/fae1 mutant high in linoleic acid (18:2?9c,12c) and by co
      expression of P. granatum FATTY ACID CONJUGASE (PgFADX) with Delta12-DESATURASE
      (FAD2). In the current study, P. granatum cDNAs governing PuA production were
      introduced into the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Expression of PgFADX alone
      resulted in production of PuA at the level of 19.6% of total fatty acids. Co
      expression PgFADX with PgFAD2, however, further enhanced PuA content to 25.1% of
      total fatty acids, the highest level reported to date for heterologous
      expression. Therefore, microbial systems can be considered as a potential
      alternative to plant sources for a source of PuA for nutraceutic applications.

PMID- 28918509
TI  - Effects of tetramethylpyrazine phosphate on pancreatic islet microcirculation in
      SD rats.
AB  - PURPOSES: Abnormal islet microcirculation impetus the insulin production and
      accelerates progression of Type 1 and 2 diabetes. In this study, we investigated
      whether tetramethylpyrazine phosphate (TMPP), a vasoactive substance, could
      regulate the islet microcirculation and insulin concentration and improve
      glycaemia in SD rats. METHODS: SD rats were randomly divided into two groups, the
      control and TMPP groups. Each group was further divided into three subgroups
      according to the intravenous injection of either saline, 15 or 30% glucose. The
      non-radioactive microsphere technique was adopted to measure the organ blood
      flow. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) blocker L-NAME was used to address whether NO
      was involved in mediating the vasoactive effects of TMPP. RESULTS: In the TMPP
      group, TMPP increased the PBF (pancreatic blood flow), IBF (islet blood flow),
      and fIBF (fraction of islet blood flow out of pancreatic blood flow) by 57, 76
      and 47%, respectively, after 30% glucose infusion, compared with the control,
      indicating that TMPP could regulate islet microcirculation. Furthermore, TMPP
      induced a 66% elevation of IBF and 37% of fIBF in the 30% glucose subgroups than
      the 15% ones. In 30% glucose-treated subgroups, TMPP improved the blood glucose
      concentration by 10%, compared with the control (19.3 +/- 0.64 vs 17.32 +/- 0.56
      mmol/l, P < 0.05), without influencing the insulin secretion. Blocking NO
      formation prevented the enhanced PBF and IBF, evoking by TMPP with 30% glucose.
      CONCLUSIONS: TMPP can regulate the pancreatic islet microcirculation and possess
      a hypoglycemia effect after glucose infusion through affecting the islet
      microcirculation.

PMID- 28918510
TI  - Acquired hepatocerebral degeneration (AHD): a peculiar neurological impairment in
      advanced chronic liver disease.
AB  - We discuss the case of a rare and often unrecognized neurologic syndrome, called
      Acquired Hepatocerebral Degeneration (AHD), observed in patients with advanced
      liver disease and portosystemic shunts. The clinical manifestations can be very
      heterogeneous and in our case included a combination of cerebellar and
      extrapyramidal signs, arisen in a period of few days. Brain Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging (MRI) showed, in T1-weighted images, diffuse bilateral hyper intensities
      in basal ganglia and biemispheric brain and cerebellar cortices, resembling
      paramagnetic deposits. No other neurological impairments, like stroke, infection
      or neoplasia, were found. It was excluded an episode of acute hepatic
      encephalopathy. We also ruled out Wilsonian degeneration, iron overload and
      autoimmune encephalitis and we lastly found high manganese levels as the possible
      cause of the brain paramagnetic deposits. Even though either serum Mn
      determination or its accumulation in the brain are not specific for AHD, however
      the chronic and progressively worsening of the neurological manifestations
      advocated a degenerative condition, possibly AHD. We finally opted for the early
      restoration of liver function by OLT, and we observed complete clinical symptoms'
      resolution and partial MRI reversal after a follow up of 6 months.

PMID- 28918511
TI  - The role of major virulence factors of AIEC involved in inflammatory bowl disease
      a mini-review.
AB  - Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) has recently attracted more attention
      because it is closely related to the pathogenicity of human inflammatory bowel
      disease (IBD). AIEC possesses a multitude of virulence factors. Considering these
      virulence factors belonging to various virulence groups, including adhesins,
      invasins, toxins, protectins, and siderophore-mediated iron acquisition, this
      review summarizes the current knowledge of how the major virulence factors
      assisting in AIEC survive in, adhere to, and invade host cells. A comprehensive
      understanding of the interaction of virulence factors with host cells will
      provide us a new therapeutic strategy for IBD prevention and treatment.

PMID- 28918512
TI  - Letter to the Editor for the Manuscript the Complex Interplay of Physical
      Fitness, Protein Intake and Vitamin D Supplementation After Bariatric Surgery.

PMID- 28918513
TI  - Imaging findings of primary immunoglobulin G4-related cervical lymphadenopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to assess imaging findings of
      primary immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related cervical lymphadenopathy. METHODS: Five
      consecutive patients with clinically, serologically, and histopathologically
      confirmed primary IgG4-related cervical lymphadenopathy without any other organ
      involvement were included. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced computed
      tomography (CT), and four underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron
      emission tomography (PET)/CT. We retrospectively reviewed the images and assessed
      the number, size, location, central necrosis, perinodal infiltration, penetrating
      vessels, and maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) of the enlarged cervical
      nodes. RESULTS: Thirteen enlarged cervical nodes measuring larger than 10 mm in
      minimum diameter were identified. The maximum and minimum diameter of enlarged
      nodes ranged from 1.2 to 3.2 cm (median, 1.8 cm) and from 1.0 to 1.9 cm (median,
      1.2 cm), respectively. Lymphadenopathy was unilateral in all patients, and eight
      enlarged nodes were located at level IB (62%), one at level II (8%), three at
      level IV (23%), and one at level V (8%). Central necrosis was not seen in any
      nodes. Perinodal infiltration was seen in only one node (8%), and penetrating
      vessels were seen in seven nodes (54%). The median SUVmax of nine nodes was 4.45
      (range, 2.08-12.44). CONCLUSION: Eight enlarged nodes (62%) were located in the
      submandibular region. Central necrosis was not observed in any nodes and
      perinodal infiltration was observed in one node (8%).

PMID- 28918514
TI  - Staging surgery for ulcerative colitis: more than meets the eye.

PMID- 28918516
TI  - Valve-sparing aortic root surgery. CON: remodeling.
AB  - The two major valve-sparing root replacement procedures, aortic valve
      reimplantation (reimplantation) and aortic root remodeling (remodeling), have
      advantages and disadvantages, which are reviewed herein. The main advantage of
      reimplantation is the resulting annular support, and the disadvantages are the
      unfavorable hemodynamics and relatively long procedure time. The main advantages
      of remodeling are the physiological hemodynamics and decreased procedure time,
      and the disadvantage is the lack of annular support. With technical advances and
      modifications, however, the differences between these two procedures have
      narrowed. Application of a graft with sinuses for reimplantation improves the
      hemodynamics, and addition of annuloplasty to remodeling provides the necessary
      annular support. Nevertheless, remodeling has some advantages because less root
      dissection is required and the procedure time is shorter and hemodynamically
      favorable. Thus, remodeling may be the procedure of choice for high-risk patients
      (such as those with acute aortic dissection, of advanced age, with reduced
      ventricular function, or undergoing a concomitant operation). Remodeling may also
      be best for young athletes because of the hemodynamic advantage. Regardless of
      the advantages and disadvantages, both procedures provide excellent clinical
      results in terms of late valve durability. Surgeons should be familiar with both
      techniques and properly match patients to the appropriate treatment.

PMID- 28918515
TI  - Oligodendrocyte-Neuron Interactions: Impact on Myelination and Brain Function.
AB  - In the past, glial cells were considered to be 'glue' cells whose primary role
      was thought to be merely filling gaps in neural circuits. However, a growing
      number of reports have indicated the role of glial cells in higher brain function
      through their interaction with neurons. Myelin was originally thought to be just
      a sheath structure surrounding neuronal axons, but recently it has been shown
      that myelin exerts effects on the conduction velocity of neuronal axons even
      after myelin formation. Therefore, the investigation of glial cell properties and
      the neuron-glial interactions is important for understanding higher brain
      function. Moreover, since there are many neurological disorders caused by glial
      abnormalities, further understanding of glial cell-related diseases and the
      development of effective therapeutic strategies are warranted. In this review, we
      focused on oligodendrocyte-neuron interactions, with particular attention on (1)
      axonal signals underlying oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination, (2)
      neuronal activity-dependent myelination and (3) the effects of myelination on
      higher brain function.

PMID- 28918517
TI  - Detecting cam-type deformities on plain radiographs: what is the optimal lateral
      view?
AB  - PURPOSE: Radial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most accurate diagnostic
      tool in assessing cam-type femoroacetabular impingement. Plain radiographs,
      however, are useful for the initial diagnosis in the daily practice and there is
      still debate regarding the optimal lateral view. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the reliability of detecting cam deformities using the frog-leg view
      or the 45 degrees  Dunn view by comparison with radial MRI. MATERIAL: 66
      consecutive hips with plain radiographs (36 with AP and frog-leg views, 30 with
      AP and 45 degrees  Dunn views) and radial MRI were assessed. Alpha angle
      measurements were obtained both for radiographs and for radial MRI reformats by
      two investigators. Statistics included frequency analysis, bivariate linear
      correlation analyses, and cross-table analyses testing the sensitivity and
      specificity of the radiographic projections for detecting an alpha angle larger
      than 55 degrees . RESULTS: The intra-class correlation revealed excellent
      agreement between the two raters [ICC = 0.959, CI (0.943; 0.972)]. 50% (33/66)
      had the maximum alpha angle in the superior-anterior aspect of the femoral head
      neck junction. Cam deformity was found in 40/66 cases (61%) in radial MRI.
      Pearson correlation demonstrated that the 45 degrees  Dunn view was most accurate
      for the superior-anterior aspect (0.730, p < 0.05). The frog-leg view was best
      suited for the anterior aspect (0.703, p < 0.05). The sensitivity for detecting
      cam deformities in the 45 degrees  Dunn view was 84 vs 62% in the frog-leg view.
      CONCLUSION: The frog-leg lateral radiograph does not provide reliable
      measurements of the alpha angle. This study highlights the importance of the 45
      degrees  Dunn view for early detection of femoroacetabular cam-type impingement.

PMID- 28918518
TI  - Micro-RNA Profiling of Exosomes from Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in
      Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Implications in Leukemogenesis.
AB  - Gene regulatory networks in AML may be influenced by microRNAs (miRs) contained
      in exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). We
      sequenced miRs from exosomes isolated from marrow-derived MSCs from patients with
      AML (n = 3) and from healthy controls (n = 3; not age-matched). Known targets of
      mIRs that were significantly different in AML-derived MSC exosomes compared to
      controls were identified. Of the five candidate miRs identified by differential
      packaging in exosomes, only miR-26a-5p and miR-101-3p were significantly
      increased in AML-derived samples while miR-23b-5p, miR-339-3p and miR-425-5p were
      significantly decreased. Validation of the predicted change in gene expression of
      the potential targets was investigated by interrogating gene expression levels
      from public datasets of marrow-derived CD34-selected cells from patients with AML
      (n = 69) and healthy donors (n = 40). Two molecules with decreased gene
      expression in AML (EZH2 and GSK3beta) were predicted by the miR profiling and
      have been previously implicated in AML while three molecules were increased in
      AML-derived cells and have not been previously associated with leukemogenesis
      (KRBA2, RRBP1 and HIST2H 2BE). In summary, profiling miRs in exosomes from AML
      derived MSCs allowed us to identify candidate miRs with potential relevance in
      AML that could yield new insights regarding leukemogenesis or new treatment
      strategies.

PMID- 28918519
TI  - Antenatally diagnosed pre-pontine arachnoid cysts with significant post-natal
      supratentorial progression: report of two cases.

PMID- 28918520
TI  - Derivation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Lines and Mechanism of
      Pluripotency: Historical Perspective and Recent Advances.
AB  - Derivation of human embryonic stem cell (hES) lines in 1998 was not only a major
      technological breakthrough in the field of regenerative medicine; it also
      triggered a passionate debate about the ethical issues associated with the
      utilization of human embryos for derivation of hESC lines. Successful derivation
      of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) lines from human somatic cells with
      defined reprogramming factors by Shinya Yamanaka's group in 2007 was another
      breakthrough that generated enormous excitement and hope for the development of
      donor-specific personalized cell replacement therapies (CRT) without the ethical
      dilemma associated with it. As we approach twentieth anniversary of derivation of
      hESC lines and the tenth anniversary of isolation of donor-specific iPSC lines,
      this manuscript summarizes the key advances in pluripotent stem cell (PSC)
      research field that led to derivation of human iPSC lines, different
      methodologies for derivation iPSC lines and characterization of the mechanism of
      reprogramming. We will also review progress towards generating donor-specific
      somatic cell lineages from iPSC lines, especially the functional immune cell
      lineages, and progress towards advancing these findings to the clinic. Finally,
      we will discuss the challenges, such as genome instability and inherent
      immunogenicity of hPSC lines that need to be addressed to develop safe and
      effective iPSC-based CRT.

PMID- 28918522
TI  - Simulations and experimental investigations of the competitive adsorption of CH4
      and CO2 on low-rank coal vitrinite.
AB  - The mechanism for the competitive adsorption of CH4 and CO2 on coal vitrinite (DV
      8, maximum vitrinite reflectance R o,max = 0.58%) was revealed through simulation
      and experimental methods. A saturated state was reached after absorbing 17 CH4 or
      22 CO2 molecules per DV-8 molecule. The functional groups (FGs) on the surface of
      the vitrinite can be ranked in order of decreasing CH4 and CO2 adsorption ability
      as follows: [-CH3] > [-C=O] > [-C-O-C-] > [-COOH] and [-C-O-C-] > [-C=O] > [-CH3]
      > [-COOH]. CH4 and CO2 distributed as aggregations and they were both adsorbed at
      the same sites on vitrinite, indicating that CO2 can replace CH4 by occupying the
      main adsorption sites for CH4-vitrinite. High temperatures are not conducive to
      the adsorption of CH4 and CO2 on vitrinite. According to the results of density
      functional theory (DFT) and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) calculations,
      vitrinite has a higher adsorption capacity for CO2 than for CH4, regardless of
      whether a single-component or binary adsorbate is considered. The equivalent
      adsorption heat (EAH) of CO2-vitrinite (23.02-23.17) is higher than that of CH4
      vitrinite (9.04-9.40 kJ/mol). The EAH of CO2-vitrinite decreases more rapidly
      with increasing temperature than the EAH of CH4-vitrinite does, indicating in
      turn that the CO2-vitrinite bond weakens more quickly with increasing temperature
      than the CH4-vitrinite bond does. Simulation data were found to be in good accord
      with the corresponding experimental results.

PMID- 28918521
TI  - Relation of parent knowledge to glycemic control among emerging adults with type
      1 diabetes: a mediational model.
AB  - The study goal was to examine the links of parent knowledge of children's
      behavior to diabetes outcomes and to test a mediational model that focused on
      psychological distress and self-care behavior. We recruited 132 adolescents
      (average age 12) and followed them to average age 23. At age 23 (n = 107), we
      conducted in-person interviews with these emerging adults to measure parent
      knowledge, psychological distress, self-care behavior and glycemic control. We
      used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses with these cross
      sectional data. Higher levels of parent knowledge were linked to better glycemic
      control, and this path was mediated by reduced psychological distress and
      enhanced self-care behavior. Parents remain an important influence in the lives
      of emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. When emerging adults have a relationship
      with their parents in which they share general information, psychological
      distress may be reduced which then facilitates self-care and, ultimately,
      glycemic control.

PMID- 28918523
TI  - Focal metallic inlay resurfacing prosthesis for the treatment of localized
      cartilage defects of the femoral condyles: a systematic review of clinical
      studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: To systematically review the results of focal metallic inlay resurfacing
      prosthesis for the treatment of isolated cartilage defects of the femoral
      condyles. METHODS: A systematic electronic search of the PubMed database and the
      Cochrane Library was performed in April 2017 to identify studies that reported
      clinical or radiographic outcome of focal metallic inlay resurfacing prosthesis
      for the treatment of isolated cartilage defects of the femoral condyles. Included
      studies were abstracted regarding study characteristics, patient demographics,
      prosthetic device and location, indications and contraindications, and outcome
      measures. Outcome of interest included functional outcome scores, radiographic
      measures, complications, re-operations, and conversion to arthroplasty. The
      methodologic quality of the included studies was assessed with the Coleman
      Methodology Score. RESULTS: Six studies with a total of 186 patients met the
      inclusion criteria. Five studies were level IV evidence, and one was level III.
      The methodologic quality of the included studies was good, with a mean Coleman
      Methodology Score of 78. Two different implants were used: the HemiCAP(r) (five
      studies; 66% of study group) and UniCAP(r) (one study; 34%) implant. The mean age
      was 46-54 years, and the mean follow-up was 24 months to 7 years. Pre- and post
      operative outcome scores were compared in all six studies, and five studies
      reported significant improvements at the final follow-up for all scores
      (objective und functional KSS, KOOS, WOMAC, Tegner, HSS Knee and Function score,
      SF-36 and SF-12 physical component score) except for the SF-36 and SF-12 mental
      component score. Progression of osteoarthritis was analysed using the Kellgren
      Lawrence grading in three studies (30% of study group), with two studies
      reporting significant progression. The OARSI grading system was analysed in one
      study with no significant progression. The overall conversion rate to
      arthroplasty was 22% with considerable differences between the two implants: 9%
      for HemiCAP(r) and 47% for UniCAP(r). CONCLUSIONS: Focal metallic inlay
      resurfacing prosthesis seems to be a viable option for a carefully selected group
      of patients. Significant improvement in knee function and pain was observed in
      most patients. Uncertainty remains with regard to progression of osteoarthritis
      because of conflicting results and inconsistent reporting. One out of five
      patients has to be converted to arthroplasty after an average of 4 years.
      However, compared to the UniCAP(r) implant, considerable lower conversion rates
      were reported for the smaller HemiCAP(r) implant. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Systematic
      review of level III and IV studies, Level IV.

PMID- 28918524
TI  - Use of biological mesh in trans-anal treatment for recurrent recto-urethral
      fistula.

PMID- 28918525
TI  - Increasing participant motivation reduces rates of intentional and unintentional
      mind wandering.
AB  - We explored the possibility that increasing participants' motivation to perform
      well on a focal task can reduce mind wandering. Participants completed a
      sustained-attention task either with standard instructions (normal motivation),
      or with instructions informing them that they could be excused from the
      experiment early if they achieved a certain level of performance (higher
      motivation). Throughout the task, we assessed rates of mind wandering (both
      intentional and unintentional types) via thought probes. Results showed that the
      motivation manipulation led to significant reductions in both intentional and
      unintentional mind wandering as well as improvements in task performance. Most
      critically, we found that our simple motivation manipulation led to a dramatic
      reduction in probe-caught mind-wandering rates (49%) compared to a control
      condition (67%), which suggests the utility of motivation-based methods to reduce
      people's propensity to mind-wander.

PMID- 28918526
TI  - Coupling population dynamics with earth system models: the POPEM model.
AB  - Precise modeling of CO2 emissions is important for environmental research. This
      paper presents a new model of human population dynamics that can be embedded into
      ESMs (Earth System Models) to improve climate modeling. Through a system dynamics
      approach, we develop a cohort-component model that successfully simulates
      historical population dynamics with fine spatial resolution (about 1 degrees *1
      degrees ). The population projections are used to improve the estimates of CO2
      emissions, thus transcending the bulk approach of existing models and allowing
      more realistic non-linear effects to feature in the simulations. The module,
      dubbed POPEM (from Population Parameterization for Earth Models), is compared
      with current emission inventories and validated against UN aggregated data.
      Finally, it is shown that the module can be used to advance toward fully coupling
      the social and natural components of the Earth system, an emerging research path
      for environmental science and pollution research.

PMID- 28918527
TI  - Alterations in epididymal proteomics and antioxidant activity of mice exposed to
      fluoride.
AB  - It is well known that high fluoride results in low fertility. Epididymis is the
      important place for spermatozoa maturation, which is essential for successful
      fertilization. In the previous studies, fluoride was reported to damage the
      epididymal structure of mouse and rabbit. However, the mechanism underlying
      sodium fluoride (NaF)-induced epididymal toxicity has not yet been well
      elucidated. The aim of this study is to explore the global protein alterations in
      epididymis of mice exposed to NaF using the iTRAQ technique. Results showed that
      211 proteins were differentially expressed in both 25 and 100 mg/L NaF groups.
      Some of them have been proved to be important for reproduction, such as low
      density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2 (Lrp2), cytochrome c, testis
      specific (Cyct), sorbitol dehydrogenase (Sord), glutathione S-transferases
      (GSTs), acrosin, beta-defensin 126, cysteine-rich secretory protein (Crisp) 1,
      and Crisp2. Gene ontology (GO) analysis suggested cellular process, organelle and
      catalytic activity account for high percent and number of differentially
      expressed proteins. 171 pathways were found after the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes
      and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, among which the representative maps, such as
      ribosome, focal adhesion, and phagosome, were involved. Different functional
      categories post-translational modification, protein turnover, chaperones;
      translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis; cytoskeleton; energy production
      and conversion are implicated in the Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG) of
      proteins analysis. Subsequently, the effect of NaF on the antioxidant activity in
      epididymis, especially glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes, was
      evaluated. Results exhibited high fluoride caused low total antioxidant capacity
      (T-AOC), high methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA), decreased reduced glutathione
      (GSH), and the glutathione-related enzymes [GSH peroxidase (GPx), GSH reductase
      (GR), and GSH S-transferase (GST)] changes in activity, protein, and mRNA
      expressions. In summary, NaF decreased the antioxidant activity of epididymis,
      especially glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes, as well as iTRAQ results,
      providing new explanations for the low sperm quality induced by fluoride.

PMID- 28918528
TI  - Signaling of the Complement Cleavage Product Anaphylatoxin C5a Through C5aR
      (CD88) Contributes to Pharmacological Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization.
AB  - Several mechanisms have been postulated for orchestrating the mobilization of
      hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), and we previously proposed that
      activation of the complement cascade plays a crucial role in the initiation and
      execution of the egress of HSPCs from bone marrow (BM) into peripheral blood
      (PB). In support of this notion, we demonstrated that mice deficient in the
      mannan-binding lectin (MBL) pathway, which activates the proximal part of the
      complement cascade, as well as mice deficient in the fifth component of the
      complement cascade (C5), which is part of the distal part of the complement
      cascade, are poor mobilizers. To further narrow down on the exact mechanisms and
      the molecules involved, we performed studies in mice that do not express the
      receptor C5aR, which binds the C5 cleavage fragments, C5a and C5adesArg. We also
      employed the plasma stable nucleic acid aptamer AON-D21 that binds and
      neutralizes C5a and C5adesArg. We present evidence that mice deficient in C5aR or
      treated with AON-D21 are poor HSPC mobilizers, thereby establishing a critical
      role for the C5a/C5adesArg-C5aR axis in the mobilization process. While enhancing
      mobilization is of clinical importance for poor mobilizers, inhibition of the
      complement cascade could be of therapeutic importance in patients suffering from
      paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) or acquired hemolytic syndrome (aHUS).

PMID- 28918530
TI  - Exogenous and endogenous increase in fungal GGPP increased fungal Taxol
      production.
AB  - Taxol is an anticancer identified in both endophytic fungus and its host plant.
      Plant Taxol is a diterpenoid with geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) mediates the
      biosynthesis of its terpenoid moiety. Previous report has suggested that fungal
      Taxol may require terpenoid pathway for its biosynthesis. Here in this study,
      feeding a Taxol-producing endophytic fungus (Paraconiothyrium SSM001) with
      terpenoid precursors including isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP, isoprene) and GGPP
      enhanced Taxol production threefold and fivefold, respectively, compared to the
      control. Thus, we assumed that increasing the terpenoid pool size in particular
      GGPP by introducing a new copy number of GGPPS particularly from a Taxol
      producing plant might increase the production level of fungal Taxol.
      Agrobacterium-mediated integration of Taxus canadensis geranylgeranyl diphosphate
      synthase (GGPPS) gene into the Paraconiothyrium SSM001 genome was successful and
      increased the terpenoid pool size indicated by an increase in carotenoid level
      and orange to red coloration of some GGPPS-transformed SSM001 colonies.
      Furthermore, the integration improved the level of Taxol production threefold.
      Feeding a GGPPS-transformed SSM001 fungus with a GGPP precursor increased the
      expression level of GGPPS transcript and Taxol production. The successful
      increase in both terpenoid and Taxol production levels due to GGPPS gene
      integration into the fungal genome might be a step forward in manipulating Taxol
      producing endophytic fungi. Future control of the transformation time and the
      manipulation of the phenolic pathway could maximize the production level.

PMID- 28918529
TI  - Anatomic Repair of Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries:
      Single-Center Intermediate-Term Experience.
AB  - We present our experience for patients who have undergone an anatomic repair (AR)
      for congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) at the
      Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. A retrospective chart review of patients who
      underwent AR for CCTGA from 2001 to 2015 was performed. The cohort consisted of
      15 patients (74% male). Median age of anatomic repair was 15 months (range 4.5
      45.6 months). Four patients had a bidirectional Glenn (BDG) prior to AR. At the
      time of AR,-9 (60%) underwent Senning/Rastelli procedure, 4 (26.6%) had double
      switch operation, and 2 (13.3%) underwent only Senning with VSD closure. Median
      duration of follow-up was 5.5 years (0.05-14 years). Reoperations prior to
      discharge included BDG, revision of pulmonary venous baffle, closure of residual
      VSD, and pacemaker placement. Late reoperations included left ventricular outflow
      tract obstruction repair, conduit replacement, melody valve placement, and
      pacemaker implantation. At their most recent follow-up, no patient had heart
      failure symptoms and only 1 had severely diminished function that improved with
      cardiac resynchronization therapy. Moderate mitral regurgitation was noted in 15%
      (2/13), and severe in 7% (1/13). Moderate tricuspid regurgitation was noted in
      15% (2/13). One patient, 7% (1/13), developed moderate aortic insufficiency.
      There was a 100% survival at the time of the most recent follow-up. Patients with
      CCTGA who have undergone AR have excellent functional status and mid-term
      survival but reinterventions are common. Longer term studies are needed to
      determine both the extent and spectrum of reinterventions as well as long term
      survival.

PMID- 28918531
TI  - Penetrating orbital trauma leading to trans-orbital brain herniation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Development of a posttraumatic herniation of brain parenchyma
      through the orbit is a rare complication of orbital roof fracture. Mostly, the
      injury is due to a direct impact to the frontal region resulting in orbital roof
      fracture with dural defect and herniation of cerebrospinal fluid or brain
      parenchyma. These patients present with acute or gradually progressive proptosis
      with impending risk of loss of vision and mandate surgical decompression of optic
      nerve with watertight closure of the dural defect. Bony reconstruction may be
      required to achieve normal contour of the orbit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      encountered an interesting pediatric patient who presented to us with altered
      sensorium and progressive proptosis 3 days after a penetrating trauma to his left
      orbit by falling on the handle of a bicycle. The plain computerized tomography of
      the head (NCCT) showed a left orbital roof defect with herniation of brain matter
      into the orbit displacing the globe inferolaterally. A craniotomy was performed
      and watertight closure of the dural rent was achieved with use of autologous bone
      to cover the defect. CONCLUSIONS: The child improved gradually, and at 6 months
      follow-up, he had good cosmetic outcome with improvement of vision.

PMID- 28918532
TI  - An Evaluation of Specialist Mentoring for University Students with Autism
      Spectrum Disorders and Mental Health Conditions.
AB  - Mentoring is often recommended to universities as a way of supporting students
      with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and/or mental health conditions (MHC), but
      there is little literature on optimising this support. We used mixed-methods to
      evaluate mentees' and mentors' experiences of a specialist mentoring programme.
      Mentees experienced academic, social and emotional support, although subtle group
      differences emerged between students with ASD and MHC. The quality of the mentee
      mentor relationship was especially important. Mentors also reported benefits.
      Thematic analysis identified that effective mentoring requires a tailored
      partnership, which involves a personal relationship, empowerment, and building
      bridges into the university experience. Mentoring can effectively support
      students with ASD and/or MHC, but this is highly dependent on the development of
      tailored mentee-mentor partnerships.

PMID- 28918533
TI  - The associations between dietary patterns and bone health, according to the TGF
      beta1 T869->C polymorphism, in postmenopausal Iranian women.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have shown that dietary variants and genetic
      variants play a decisive role in the risk of developing osteoporosis. Therefore,
      the objective of the present study was to examine associations between dietary
      pattern and bone health, according to the TGF-beta1 T869->C polymorphism, in
      postmenopausal Iranian women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 264
      postmenopausal women aged from 46 to 78 years were examined. Body composition was
      measured by a body composition analyzer and physical activity by the short-form
      physical activity questionnaire. Bone mineral density was measured by the DEXA
      method. Dietary patterns were determined using factor analysis on 27 foods
      groups, employing a valid, reliable 147-item semi-quantitative food frequency
      questionnaire. The dietary patterns were analyzed by the factor analysis method.
      Blood samples were taken for measuring blood parameters. DNA samples from
      participants were genotyped using the RFLP-PCR method. RESULTS: Three dietary
      patterns were identified, namely: mediterranean diet, traditional diet, and
      unhealthy diet-one of which was associated with bone health. Postmenopausal women
      following a Mediterranean diet had lower weight and central obesity (0.05 > P).
      Higher adherence to a Mediterranean pattern was positively associated with Z
      score L2_L4 lumbar spine (0.05 > P). TGF-beta1 T869->C genotypes, after
      adjustment, were not directly correlated with bone mineral density and body
      composition (0.05 < P). Moreover, these findings demonstrated that in
      participants adhering to a Traditional dietary pattern, the C allele carrier
      group (TC and CC genotypes) had a lower L2_L4 Z-score (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: It
      seems that the mediterranean diet can be a beneficial dietary pattern in the
      prevention of osteoporosis and obesity in postmenopausal women. Furthermore
      (probably in the C allele carrier group), lower vitamin D intake, coupled with
      adherence to a traditional dietary pattern, reduces the deposition of TGF-beta
      and increases the risk of lumbar spine osteoporosis.

PMID- 28918534
TI  - Do surgical helmet systems affect intraoperative wound contamination? A
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deep infection following arthroplasty remains a devastating
      complication. Some registry data suggests that modern positive-pressure surgical
      helmet systems (SHS) are associated with a paradoxical increase in infection
      rates, and as such their role in arthroplasty remains unclear. The aim of this
      study was to investigate whether SHS increase wound contamination in total knee
      arthroplasty (TKA) and if this contamination can be reduced by placing tape
      around the gown/glove interface. METHODS: Seventy-five patients were randomised
      into three groups: scrubbed theatre staff wore standard surgical gowns (SG), SHS
      without tape at the gown/glove interface, or SHS with tape. All TKA operations
      were carried out by the same surgeon. Wound contamination was assessed using a
      wound culture technique. Blinded laboratory analysis was performed. RESULTS:
      There were 5/50 culture positive cases when a SHS was used compared to 0/25 when
      a SG was used; but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.16).
      There were 4/24 culture positive cases when SHS with tape was used compared to
      1/26 when SHS without tape was used; but this difference was not statistical
      significant p = 0.18. CONCLUSION: We found no difference in wound contamination
      between SG and SHS. Addition of tape at the gown/glove interface did not alter
      the contamination rate. The choice of surgical gown should take into account
      cost, comfort and personal protection; as this study found no evidence that wound
      contamination rates will be altered.

PMID- 28918535
TI  - Bioprospecting of Novel and Bioactive Compounds from Marine Actinomycetes
      Isolated from South China Sea Sediments.
AB  - Marine actinomycetes are less investigated compared to terrestrial strains as
      potential sources of natural products. To date, few investigations have been
      performed on culturable actinomycetes associated with South China Sea sediments.
      In the present study, twenty-eight actinomycetes were recovered from South China
      Sea sediments after dereplication by traditional culture-dependent method. The
      16S rRNA gene sequences analyses revealed that these strains related to five
      families and seven genera. Twelve representative strains possessed at least one
      of the biosynthetic genes coding for polyketide synthase I, II, and nonribosomal
      peptide synthetase. Four strains had anti-Mycobacterium phlei activities and five
      strains had activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. 10 L
      scale fermentation of strains Salinispora sp. NHF45, Nocardiopsis sp. NHF48, and
      Streptomyces sp. NHF86 were carried out for novel and bioactive compounds
      discovery. Finally, we obtained a novel alpha-pyrone compound from marine
      Nocardiopsis sp. NHF48, an analogue of paulomenol from marine Streptomyces sp.
      NHF86 and a new source of rifamycin B, produced by Salinispora sp. NHF45. The
      present study concluded that marine actinomycetes, which we isolated from South
      China Sea sediments, will be a suitable source for the development of novel and
      bioactive compounds.

PMID- 28918536
TI  - A comparative study of inorganic elements in the blood of male and female Caspian
      pond turtles (Mauremys caspica) from the southern basin of the Caspian Sea.
AB  - Due to their bioaccumulation and biomagnification pathways, inorganic elements
      can accumulate in high-level aquatic organisms in the food web. Then, this
      species can be used to monitor the quality of the environment. Blood
      concentration of nine inorganic elements, including possible toxic metals (An,
      Cu, Mn, Se, As, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Hg), in 20 males and 20 females from eight
      different locations with high industry and agriculture activities in Iran were
      evaluated in this work. Additionally, size, sex, condition index, and locations
      were also included and analyzed. Among the essential elements, Zn and Se
      presented very high concentrations (56.14 +/- 2.66 and 8.44 +/- 0.77 MUg/g ww,
      respectively) in all locations. Regarding possible toxic elements, Pb and Cd
      presented concerning concentrations as well (0.52 and 0.58 MUg/g ww); this is
      especially true for Pb, an element found in very high concentrations in tissues
      of turtles from the same area in a previous study. The sex and the size of the
      individuals also had significant differences in concentration of Pb, Cd, As, and
      Hg.

PMID- 28918537
TI  - Reverse Genetics of Filoviruses.
AB  - Reverse genetics systems are used for the generation of recombinant viruses. For
      filoviruses, this technology has been available for more than 15 years and has
      been used to investigate questions regarding the molecular biology,
      pathogenicity, and host adaptation determinants of these viruses. Further,
      reporter-expressing, recombinant viruses are increasingly used as tools for
      screening for and characterization of candidate medical countermeasures. Thus,
      reverse genetics systems represent powerful research tools. Here we provide an
      overview of available reverse genetics systems for the generation of recombinant
      filoviruses, potential applications, and the achievements that have been made
      using these systems.

PMID- 28918539
TI  - Accelerating Vaccine Development During the 2013-2016 West African Ebola Virus
      Disease Outbreak.
AB  - The Ebola virus disease outbreak that began in Western Africa in December 2013
      was unprecedented in both scope and spread, and the global response was slower
      and less coherent than was optimal given the scale and pace of the epidemic. Past
      experience with limited localized outbreaks, lack of licensed medical
      countermeasures, reluctance by first responders to direct scarce resources to
      clinical research, community resistance to outside interventions, and lack of
      local infrastructure were among the factors delaying clinical research during the
      outbreak. Despite these hurdles, the global health community succeeded in
      accelerating Ebola virus vaccine development, in a 5-month interval initiating
      phase I trials in humans in September 2014 and initiating phase II/III trails in
      February 2015. Each of the three Ebola virus disease-affected countries, Sierra
      Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, conducted a phase II/III Ebola virus vaccine trial.
      Only one of these trials evaluating recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus
      expressing Ebola virus glycoprotein demonstrated vaccine efficacy using an
      innovative mobile ring vaccination trial design based on a ring vaccination
      strategy responsible for eradicating smallpox that reached areas of new
      outbreaks. Thoughtful and intensive community engagement in each country enabled
      the critical community partnership and acceptance of the phase II/III in each
      country. Due to the delayed clinical trial initiation, relative to the
      epidemiologic peak of the outbreak in the three countries, vaccine interventions
      may or may not have played a major role in bringing the epidemic under control.
      Having demonstrated that clinical trials can be performed during a large
      outbreak, the global research community can now build on the experience to
      implement trials more rapidly and efficiently in future outbreaks. Incorporating
      clinical research needs into planning for future health emergencies and
      understanding what kind of trial designs is needed for reliable results in an
      epidemic of limited duration should improve global response to future infectious
      disease outbreaks.

PMID- 28918538
TI  - Genetic Manipulation of Borrelia Spp.
AB  - The spirochetes Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi and Borrelia hermsii, the
      etiologic agents of Lyme disease and relapsing fever, respectively, cycle in
      nature between an arthropod vector and a vertebrate host. They have
      extraordinarily unusual genomes that are highly segmented and predominantly
      linear. The genetic analyses of Lyme disease spirochetes have become increasingly
      more sophisticated, while the age of genetic investigation in the relapsing fever
      spirochetes is just dawning. Molecular tools available for B. burgdorferi and
      related species range from simple selectable markers and gene reporters to state
      of-the-art inducible gene expression systems that function in the animal model
      and high-throughput mutagenesis methodologies, despite nearly overwhelming
      experimental obstacles. This armamentarium has empowered borreliologists to build
      a formidable genetic understanding of the cellular physiology of the spirochete
      and the molecular pathogenesis of Lyme disease.

PMID- 28918540
TI  - A Mixed-Method Assessment of a Pilot Peer Advocate Intervention for Rural Gender
      and Sexual Minorities.
AB  - Mental health disparities affect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer
      (LGBTQ) people in rural America. There are few empirically-based mental health
      interventions for this population. This exploratory study uses a mixed-method
      approach to assess implementation issues related to the feasibility,
      acceptability, appropriateness, and preliminary impacts of a novel peer-based
      intervention designed to enhance support and treatment engagement among rural
      LGBTQ people with mental distress and/or addiction issues. Quantitative and
      qualitative results illuminate intervention strengths and areas for improvement.
      Strengths centered on enhancing social support, advocacy behaviors, and
      engagement in treatment. Implementation challenges and recommendations to advance
      the intervention model are discussed.

PMID- 28918541
TI  - Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Black Liquor Xylan by a Novel Xylose-Tolerant,
      Thermostable beta-Xylosidase from a Tropical Strain of Aureobasidium pullulans
      CBS 135684.
AB  - From three cell-associated beta-xylosidases produced by Aureobasidium pullulans
      CBS 135684, the principal enzyme was enriched to apparent homogeneity and found
      to be active at high temperatures (60-70  degrees C) over a pH range of 5-9 with
      a specific activity of 163.3 units (U) mg-1. The enzyme was thermostable,
      retaining over 80% of its initial activity after a 12-h incubation at 60  degrees
      C, with half-lives of 38, 22, and 10 h at 60, 65, and 70  degrees C,
      respectively. Moreover, it was tolerant to xylose inhibition with a K i value of
      18 mM. The K m and V max values against p-nitrophenyl-beta-d-xylopyranoside were
      5.57 +/- 0.27 mM and 137.0 +/- 4.8 MUmol min-1 mg-1 protein, respectively. When
      combining this beta-xylosidase with xylanase from the same A. pullulans strain,
      the rate of black liquor xylan hydrolysis was significantly improved by up to 1.6
      fold. The maximum xylose yield (0.812 +/- 0.015 g g-1 dry weight) was obtained
      from a reaction mixture containing 10% (w/v) black liquor xylan, 6 U g-1 beta
      xylosidase and 16 U g-1 xylanase after incubation for 4 h at 70  degrees C and pH
      6.0.

PMID- 28918542
TI  - Current chemotherapeutic regimens for brain metastases treatment.
AB  - Brain metastasis is a common complication in advanced systemic cancer, with an
      increasing incidence. The diagnosis of brain metastasis historically portended a
      dismal prognosis. The successful development of effective treatments for patients
      with brain metastasis is complicated by the differences among cancer subtypes,
      the limited understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of BM, the impact of
      the blood-brain barrier, and other factors. There is now renewed interest in
      treating this often devastating complication of cancer, and in understanding the
      underlying mechanisms of disease in this "sanctuary" site. Promising treatment
      strategies include brain-penetrant targeted therapies and immunotherapy, and
      strategies for enhanced delivery of therapy. This review highlights a selection
      of these approaches.

PMID- 28918543
TI  - Dietary docosahexaenoic acid decreased lipid accumulation via inducing adipocytes
      apoptosis of grass carp, Ctenopharygodon idella.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism of by which
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) inhibit the accumulation of adipose tissue lipid in
      grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). We therefore designed two semi-purified
      diets, namely DHA-free (control) and DHA-supplemented, and fed them to grass carp
      (22.19 +/- 1.76 g) for 3 and 6 weeks. DHA supplementation led to a significantly
      lower intraperitoneal fat index (IPFI) than that in the control group by reducing
      the number of adipocytes but significantly higher adipocyte size (P < 0.05). In
      the intraperitoneal adipose tissue, the DHA-fed group showed significantly higher
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma, CCAAT enhancer-binding
      protein (C/EBP)alpha, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)1c
      mRNA expression levels at both 3 and 6 weeks (P < 0.05). However, the ratio of
      the expression levels of B cell leukemia 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein
      (Bax) was significantly lower in the DHA-fed group than in the control group (P <
      0.05), and the protein expression levels of the apoptosis-related proteins
      caspase 3, caspase 8, and caspase 9 were also significantly higher (P < 0.05).
      Overall, although DHA promotes lipid synthesis, it is more likely that DHA could
      suppress the lipid accumulation in adipocytes of grass carp by inducing adipocyte
      apoptosis.

PMID- 28918544
TI  - Tumor regression grading of gastrointestinal cancers after neoadjuvant therapy.
AB  - Neoadjuvant therapy has been successfully introduced in the treatment of locally
      advanced gastrointestinal malignancies, particularly esophageal, gastric, and
      rectal cancers. The effects of preoperative chemo- or radiochemotherapy can be
      determined by histopathological investigation of the resection specimen following
      this treatment. Frequent histological findings after neoadjuvant therapy include
      various amounts of residual tumor, inflammation, resorptive changes with
      infiltrates of foamy histiocytes, foreign body reactions, and scarry fibrosis.
      Several tumor regression grading (TRG) systems, which aim to categorize the
      amount of regressive changes after cytotoxic treatment in primary tumor sites,
      have been proposed for gastroesophageal and rectal carcinomas. These systems
      primarily refer to the amount of therapy-induced fibrosis in relation to the
      residual tumor (e.g., the Mandard, Dworak, or AJCC systems) or the estimated
      percentage of residual tumor in relation to the previous tumor site (e.g., the
      Becker, Rodel, or Rectal Cancer Regression Grading systems). TRGs provide
      valuable prognostic information, as in most cases, complete or subtotal tumor
      regression after neoadjuvant treatment is associated with better patient
      outcomes. This review describes the typical histopathological findings after
      neoadjuvant treatment, discusses the most commonly used TRG systems for
      gastroesophageal and rectal carcinomas, addresses the limitations and critical
      issues of tumor regression grading in these tumors, and describes the clinical
      impact of TRG.

PMID- 28918545
TI  - Increased Postharvest Life of TomLox B Silenced Mutants of Tomato (Solanum
      lycopersicum) Var. TA234.
AB  - A healthy lifestyle includes fruits and vegetables consumption. Tomato is one of
      the most consumed vegetables, although it is susceptible to physical damage
      through postharvest handling, thus leading to important losses. Softening is an
      important variable during tomato ripening; excessive softening is undesirable and
      leads to postharvest losses. TomloxB plays an important role in ripening, mainly
      in the loss of cellular integrity caused by fatty acids released from the lipid
      matrix of membranes that initiate oxidative deterioration, which is in turn
      carried into senescence. In order to increase postharvest life, we produced
      transgenic tomato plants via Rhizobium radiobacter with tomato lipoxygenase B
      (TomloxB) antisense constructs under control of the cauliflower mosaic virus
      (CaMV) 35S promoter. Lipoxygenase activity and firmness were measured in tomato
      fruit and the fatty acids profile was determined. Transgenic fruits were
      maintained for 40 days at room temperature in optimal conditions, whereas wild
      type fruits remained in similar conditions for only six days. Firmness in pink
      and red stages was significantly lower in wild type fruits than in two transgenic
      lines. Linolenic acid was the most important fatty acid consumed by lipoxygenase
      in both turning and pink stages of ripening. Lipoxygenase activity was smaller in
      transformed fruits in comparison with the wild type. These results suggest that
      silencing the TomloxB gene promoted significant changes in the physiology of
      transformed tomatoes, being the increase in postharvest life the most important.

PMID- 28918546
TI  - Systemic Effects of Repeated Intraocular Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant in
      Diabetic Patients: A Retrospective Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of
      repeated intraocular dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex) injections on metabolic
      control in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Retrospective study of 165 type 2
      diabetic patients starting Ozurdex treatment who received no less than three
      consecutive injections. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum creatinine, total
      cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein
      (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TGs) were evaluated during 15 months of
      follow-up after Ozurdex treatment onset. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients met
      inclusion criteria. Mean baseline values for HbA1c, creatinine, total
      cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and TGs before treatment (7.1%, 1.3, 176.7, 51.1,
      and 125.6 mg/dl, respectively) were similar to mean values after Ozurdex onset
      (Wilcoxon test p values were 0.68, 0.41, 0.06, 0.87, and 0.33, respectively) and
      remained stable during the follow-up period. Mean LDL cholesterol levels
      increased slightly after Ozurdex treatment onset (90.1 vs 88.2 mg/dl, p = 0.04)
      but after 15 months of follow-up they had returned to baseline values. Transient
      increase in LDL cholesterol was remarkable in the group of 24 bilaterally treated
      patients (96.8 vs 88.4 mg/dl, p = 0.03). A third of these patients increased
      their baseline LDL values by more than 20%. Even with continuous injections of
      Ozurdex, LDL cholesterol levels also declined back to baseline by month 15.
      CONCLUSION: Ozurdex injections had no influence on HbA1c or renal function. Lipid
      profile changes were mild and transient. However, a significant temporary
      increase has been found in LDL cholesterol levels in patients receiving
      simultaneous bilateral injections. Lipid levels should be monitored in patients
      starting with bilateral Ozurdex injections especially in those with recent
      history of acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 28918547
TI  - Adaptive step goals and rewards: a longitudinal growth model of daily steps for a
      smartphone-based walking intervention.
AB  - Adaptive interventions are an emerging class of behavioral interventions that
      allow for individualized tailoring of intervention components over time to a
      person's evolving needs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an adaptive
      step goal + reward intervention, grounded in Social Cognitive Theory delivered
      via a smartphone application (Just Walk), using a mixed modeling approach.
      Participants (N = 20) were overweight (mean BMI = 33.8 +/- 6.82 kg/m2), sedentary
      adults (90% female) interested in participating in a 14-week walking
      intervention. All participants received a Fitbit Zip that automatically synced
      with Just Walk to track daily steps. Step goals and expected points were
      delivered through the app every morning and were designed using a pseudo-random
      multisine algorithm that was a function of each participant's median baseline
      steps. Self-report measures were also collected each morning and evening via
      daily surveys administered through the app. The linear mixed effects model showed
      that, on average, participants significantly increased their daily steps by 2650
      (t = 8.25, p < 0.01) from baseline to intervention completion. A non-linear model
      with a quadratic time variable indicated an inflection point for increasing steps
      near the midpoint of the intervention and this effect was significant (t2 = -247,
      t = -5.01, p < 0.001). An adaptive step goal + rewards intervention using a
      smartphone app appears to be a feasible approach for increasing walking behavior
      in overweight adults. App satisfaction was high and participants enjoyed
      receiving variable goals each day. Future mHealth studies should consider the use
      of adaptive step goals + rewards in conjunction with other intervention
      components for increasing physical activity.

PMID- 28918548
TI  - Tumor and serum DNA methylation in women receiving preoperative chemotherapy with
      or without vorinostat in TBCRC008.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methylated gene markers have shown promise in predicting breast
      cancer outcomes and treatment response. We evaluated whether baseline and changes
      in tissue and serum methylation levels would predict pathological complete
      response (pCR) in patients with HER2-negative early breast cancer undergoing
      preoperative chemotherapy. METHODS: The TBCRC008 trial investigated pCR following
      12 weeks of preoperative carboplatin and albumin-bound paclitaxel +
      vorinostat/placebo (n = 62). We measured methylation of a 10-gene panel by
      quantitative multiplex methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and
      expressed results as cumulative methylation index (CMI). We evaluated association
      between CMI level [baseline, day 15 (D15), and change] and pCR using univariate
      and multivariable logistic regression models controlling for treatment and
      hormone receptor (HR) status, and performed exploratory subgroup analyses.
      RESULTS: In univariate analysis, one log unit increase in tissue CMI levels at
      D15 was associated with 40% lower chance of obtaining pCR (odds ratio, OR 0.60,
      95% CI 0.37-0.97; p = 0.037). Subgroup analyses suggested a significant
      association between tissue D15 CMI levels and pCR in vorinostat-treated [OR 0.44
      (0.20, 0.93), p = 0.03], but not placebo-treated patients. CONCLUSION: In this
      study investigating the predictive roles of tissue and serum CMI levels in
      patients with early breast cancer for the first time, we demonstrate that high
      D15 tissue CMI levels may predict poor response. Larger studies and improved
      analytical procedures to detect methylated gene markers in early stage breast
      cancer are needed. TBCRC008 is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00616967).

PMID- 28918549
TI  - Loss of LHCI system affects LHCII re-distribution between thylakoid domains upon
      state transitions.
AB  - LHCI, the peripheral antenna system of Photosystem I, includes four light
      harvesting proteins (Lhca1-Lhca4) in higher plants, all of which are devoid in
      the Arabidopsis thaliana knock-out mutant DeltaLhca. PSI absorption cross-section
      was reduced in the mutant, thus affecting the redox balance of the photosynthetic
      electron chain and resulting in a more reduced PQ with respect to the wild type.
      DeltaLhca plants developed compensatory response by enhancing LHCII binding to
      PSI. However, the amplitude of state transitions, as measured from changes of
      chlorophyll fluorescence in vivo, was unexpectedly low than the high level of PSI
      LHCII supercomplex established. In order to elucidate the reasons for
      discrepancy, we further analyzed state transition in DeltaLhca plants. The STN7
      kinase was fully active in the mutant as judged from up-regulation of LHCII
      phosphorylation in state II. Instead, the lateral heterogeneity of thylakoids was
      affected by lack of LHCI, with LHCII being enriched in stroma membranes with
      respect to the wild type. Re-distribution of this complex affected the overall
      fluorescence yield of thylakoids already in state I and minimized changes in RT
      fluorescence yield when LHCII did connect to PSI reaction center. We conclude
      that interpretation of chlorophyll fluorescence analysis of state transitions
      becomes problematic when applied to mutants whose thylakoid architecture is
      significantly modified with respect to the wild type.

PMID- 28918550
TI  - Advance care planning: challenges at the emergency department of a cancer care
      center.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Code status discussions form an important part of advance care
      planning (ACP) as it enables physicians to respect the patient's wishes for end
      of-life care. However, in some cases, code status discussions can be challenging
      causing the physician to go against the patient's wishes and the code of medical
      ethics. This is especially true in an emergency setting. In this paper, we will
      discuss three cases of advanced cancer patients, where code status discussions
      posed challenges to healthcare providers. CASE REPORTS: In the first case, the
      patient was a 26-year-old male diagnosed with advanced osteosarcoma. Code status
      was discussed with him, while he was still functional, wherein he agreed to a do
      not-resuscitate (DNR) order. However, at the time of end-of-life care, despite of
      previous code status agreement, the patient's mother insisted on full code. As a
      result, the DNR order was reverted and the patient was intubated. The second case
      discusses an 83-year-old female patient with metastatic gastric cancer. Code
      status was extensively discussed with the patient and her son who agreed to sign
      a DNR order. This case posed a challenge because when the patient's condition
      deteriorated, her son demanded cardioversion and other aggressive treatment
      measures without any chest compressions or intubation. In the third case, the
      patient was a 40-year-old woman with advanced metastatic adenocarcinoma with
      neuroendocrine features of the parotid. On admission to the ED, as per the
      patient's wishes expressed by her husband, a DNR/DNI order was placed. However,
      this order had to be reverted when the patient's aunt and sister opposed
      vehemently to the DNR/DNI order. CONCLUSION: The three cases demonstrate the
      challenges that can arise in the implementation of code status order in the ED as
      it pertains for end-of-life care. In any scenario, respecting the patient's
      wishes and adherence to the code of medical ethics take precedence over any
      familial objections arising difficulties with coping.

PMID- 28918551
TI  - Bio-economic evaluation of a reduced phosphorus supplementation strategy for a
      cow-calf system in Brazil: a case study.
AB  - Fertility, weight of calves at weaning, and the economic aspects of a breeding
      herd receiving mineral supplements containing 75 or 12.5 g of phosphorus (P)/kg
      were measured from 2013 to 2016. No differences in reproduction parameters or
      weight at weaning were found before and after the adoption of the new scheme of
      mineral supplementation. Before the study, the annual cost with the formula
      containing more P was equivalent to 29.3 weaned beef calves; after the P
      reduction, the annual cost was equivalent to 2.2 to 6.8 weaned calves. After 3
      years of supplementation with 12.5 g P/kg no signs of P deficiency were observed.
      The clinical-nutritional diagnosis of the herd indicated no cause-effect of P
      content of mineral supplements upon fertility or performance of healthy cows,
      demonstranting that the adequate forage allowance was enough to meet most P
      required by the cows.

PMID- 28918552
TI  - Long-term quality of life profile in oncology: a comparison between cancer
      survivors and the general population.
AB  - PURPOSE: Understanding the quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors is relevant
      to both clinical practice and health care policy. The current study compared the
      QoL profile in this specific population with that of a normative sample for the
      general population, as well as with those of both healthy and oncological
      patients normative sub-samples. In addition, associations between the obtained
      QoL profile and the main socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the
      sample were examined. METHODS: Three hundred and ninety-two adult long-term
      cancer survivors (i.e., people 5 + years from their cancer diagnosis who were
      free from it and its treatments) were enrolled during follow-up visits and
      compiled the Short Form 36 Health Survey. RESULTS: In comparison with the
      normative data for the adult general population, the present sample showed lower
      scores in Physical functioning, Role-physical limitation, and Role-emotional
      limitations (all differences were both statistically and clinically significant);
      the difference in Vitality was only statistically significant. In all eight SF-36
      scales, scores of the present sample were clinically and statistically lower than
      those of the normative healthy subsample, whereas they were statistically and
      clinically higher than those of normative subsample which had experienced cancer,
      except for Role-physical limitation. The QoL profile was associated with gender
      (p = 0.002), age (p = 0.001), education (p < 0.001), occupational status (p <
      0.001), and the presence of other health issues (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These
      data support the utility of rehabilitative programs which integrate both
      healthcare and social interventions. In addition, they encourage the monitoring
      of the health status of this specific population, within a broad frame which
      simultaneously takes into consideration health and QoL.

PMID- 28918553
TI  - Characteristic of microplastics in the atmospheric fallout from Dongguan city,
      China: preliminary research and first evidence.
AB  - Microplastic pollution has exhibited a global distribution, including seas,
      lakes, rivers, and terrestrial environment in recent years. However, little
      attention was paid on the atmospheric environment, though the fact that plastic
      debris can escape as wind-blown debris was previously reported. Thus,
      characteristics of microplastics in the atmospheric fallout from Dongguan city
      were preliminarily studied. Microplastics of three different polymers, i.e., PE,
      PP, and PS, were identified. Diverse shapes of microplastics including fiber,
      foam, fragment, and film were found, and fiber was the dominant shape of the
      microplastics. SEM images illustrated that adhering particles, grooves, pits,
      fractures, and flakes were the common patterns of degradation. The concentrations
      of non-fibrous microplastics and fibers ranged from 175 to 313 particles/m2/day
      in the atmospheric fallout. Thus, dust emission and deposition between
      atmosphere, land surface, and aquatic environment were associated with the
      transportation of microplastics.

PMID- 28918554
TI  - Genome-wide identification, classification, evolutionary analysis and gene
      expression patterns of the protein kinase gene family in wheat and Aegilops
      tauschii.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: In this study we systematically identified and classified PKs in
      Triticum aestivum, Triticum urartu and Aegilops tauschii. Domain distribution and
      exon-intron structure analyses of PKs were performed, and we found conserved exon
      intron structures within the exon phases in the kinase domain. Collinearity
      events were determined, and we identified various T. aestivum PKs from
      polyploidizations and tandem duplication events. Global expression pattern
      analysis of T. aestivum PKs revealed that some PKs might participate in the
      signaling pathways of stress response and developmental processes. QRT-PCR of 15
      selected PKs were performed under drought treatment and with infection of
      Fusarium graminearum to validate the prediction of microarray. The protein kinase
      (PK) gene superfamily is one of the largest families in plants and participates
      in various plant processes, including growth, development, and stress response.
      To better understand wheat PKs, we conducted genome-wide identification,
      classification, evolutionary analysis and expression profiles of wheat and Ae.
      tauschii PKs. We identified 3269, 1213 and 1448 typical PK genes in T. aestivum,
      T. urartu and Ae. tauschii, respectively, and classified them into major groups
      and subfamilies. Domain distributions and gene structures were analyzed and
      visualized. Some conserved intron-exon structures within the conserved kinase
      domain were found in T. aestivum, T. urartu and Ae. tauschii, as well as the
      primitive land plants Selaginella moellendorffii and Physcomitrella patens,
      revealing the important roles and conserved evolutionary history of these PKs. We
      analyzed the collinearity events of T. aestivum PKs and identified PKs from
      polyploidizations and tandem duplication events. Global expression pattern
      analysis of T. aestivum PKs revealed tissue-specific and stress-specific
      expression profiles, hinting that some wheat PKs may regulate abiotic and biotic
      stress response signaling pathways. QRT-PCR of 15 selected PKs were performed
      under drought treatment and with infection of F. graminearum to validate the
      prediction of microarray. Our results will provide the foundational information
      for further studies on the molecular functions of wheat PKs.

PMID- 28918555
TI  - Prognostic factors for mortality in middle-aged and older hemodialysis patients:
      a 5-year observational study.
AB  - Clinical guidelines for hemodialysis therapy have been described in an evidence
      based manner with most evidence from randomized control trials or retrospective
      studies in which all generations of the hemodialysis patients were enrolled.
      Therefore, the question still remains whether these guidelines can be applied to
      increasing older patients. This study is an observational study, including 735
      patients who received maintenance hemodialysis in April 2006. At baseline, the
      participants' age was 62.1 +/- 12.8 years (mean +/- SD). Hemodialysis duration
      was 103.7 +/- 89.3 months. In a 5-year observation period (actual follow-up
      period: 1551 +/- 499 days), 175 patients died. Prognostic factors were
      investigated by multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazard model. Next,
      we stratified the patients according to their age. 363 patients were included in
      the middle-aged patient's category between 40 and 64 years, and 314 were involved
      in the older patient's category between 65 and 84 years old. As a subanalysis,
      significant predictors of 5-year survival were examined in the age-stratified
      cohort. Then, Kt/V, serum beta2-microglobulin and calcium concentration were
      significant predictors in our entire cohort, as well as body mass index,
      neutrophil count, and serum sodium concentration even after adjustment for age,
      gender, diabetic status and hemodialysis duration. However, Kt/V, serum beta2
      microglobulin and calcium concentration controlled by hemodialysis prescriptions
      were independent risk factors especially in older patients, not in middle-aged
      patients. In conclusion, hemodialysis prescriptions for lowering uremic toxins
      and managing mineral-bone disorder are important to decrease the risk of death
      even in older hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 28918556
TI  - Effects of pregabalin on postoperative pain after hysterectomy under spinal
      anesthesia with intrathecal morphine: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if preoperative pregabalin could decrease 24-h
      postoperative morphine consumption after spinal anesthesia with intrathecal
      morphine compared with placebo. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, controlled
      trial was performed in the tertiary care center. Patients aged between 18 and 65
      years who were American Society of Anesthesiologists class I-II and scheduled for
      abdominal hysterectomy with or without salpingo-oophorectomy were randomly
      allocated to a placebo or a pregabalin group. Patients received pregabalin 150 mg
      or placebo 1 h prior to anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia was achieved with 0.5%
      hyperbaric bupivacaine with morphine 0.2 mg. Intravenous patient-controlled
      analgesia morphine was provided postoperatively. Postoperative morphine
      consumption at 6, 12, and 24 h, time to first analgesic rescue, pain scores,
      adverse effects, and patient satisfaction were evaluated at 24 h after the
      operation. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-five patients were recruited and 119
      patients (placebo N = 58, pregabalin N = 61) were included in the analysis. Forty
      seven (81.0%) patients in the placebo group and 53 (86.9%) patients in the
      pregabalin group required morphine in the first 24 h. Median [IQR] 24-h morphine
      consumption was 4.0 [1.8, 10.0] mg in the placebo group and 5.0 [2.0, 11.0] mg in
      the prebagalin group, p = 0.60. There were no differences in cumulative morphine
      consumption at 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively. The two groups also did not
      differ in time to first analgesic rescue, pain scores at rest and on movement,
      and side effects. CONCLUSION: A single preoperative dose of pregabalin 150 mg did
      not reduce 24-h postoperative morphine consumption or pain scores or prolong the
      time to first analgesic rescue in spinal anesthesia with intrathecal morphine.

PMID- 28918558
TI  - Colorimetric Detection of Unamplified Rift Valley Fever Virus Genetic Material
      Using Unmodified Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is considered an enzootic virus in Africa. RVFV
      has caused several outbreaks in Egypt, sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian
      Peninsula and is responsible for high mortality in ruminants and haemorrhagic
      fever in severe human cases. Although there are several molecular and serological
      diagnostic techniques used to detect this arthropod-borne virus with high
      sensitivity and efficiency, there is a need for a fast and reliable field
      screening test for rapid outbreak recording and containment. In this study, we
      developed a prototype point-of-care diagnostic test specific for RVFV detection
      using unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that change colour in the presence of
      RVFV RNA, resulting in a simple but sensitive assay. The nanogold assay provides
      qualitative results showing the presence of the RVFV RNA in different sample
      types. The assay showed high accuracy and specificity, with a detection limit of
      10 RNA copies/reaction, comparable with quantitative reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction. The assay result could be determined within 30 min
      with no need for specific detection instruments. To our knowledge, this is the
      first field test prototype to directly detect the RNA of RVFV without
      amplification using AuNPs.

PMID- 28918557
TI  - Biomarker levels in gingival crevicular fluid of generalized aggressive
      periodontitis patients after non-surgical periodontal treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of non-surgical
      periodontal treatment on gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) cytokines in patients
      with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP), in relation to clinical
      parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were obtained from 16 GAgP patients and
      15 periodontally healthy controls. Periodontal parameters and GCF biomarker
      levels were evaluated at baseline and repeated 3 and 6 months after treatment for
      GAgP subjects. Moderate and deep pocket sites were analyzed separately. The
      amount of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-9, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha,
      platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-bb), and vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) were measured using a highly specific and sensitive multiplex bead
      immunoassay. RESULTS: At baseline, cytokine levels in the moderate and deep
      pocket sites of GAgP patients were higher than those of the healthy control
      sites. In GAgP group, periodontal treatment led to improvement in all examined
      clinical parameters and resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the
      total amounts of IL-1beta, VEGF, and TNF-alpha, in comparison to baseline,
      already 3 months after therapy in both moderate and deep pocket sites and of PDGF
      bb in deep sites (p < 0.01). At the concentration level, only IL-1beta and VEGF
      were affected. CONCLUSION: Non-surgical treatment of GAgP provided significant
      clinical benefits leading to a marked decrease in the GCF levels of some pro
      inflammatory and pro-angiogenic cytokines, but not of IL-9 and PDGF-bb. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Although the periodontal therapy successfully decreased clinical signs
      of inflammation, the GCF levels of some inflammatory cytokines were still
      elevated.

PMID- 28918559
TI  - Prostate cancer screening by prostate-specific antigen (PSA); a relevant approach
      for the small population of the Cayman Islands.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The common tool for diagnosing prostate cancer is prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA), but the high sensitivity and low specificity of PSA testing are
      the problems in clinical practice. There are no proper guidelines to investigate
      the suspected prostate cancer in the Cayman Islands. We correlated PSA levels
      with the incidence of prostate cancers by tissue diagnosis and proposed logical
      protocol for prostate screening by using PSA test in this small population.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 165 Afro Caribbean individuals who had prostate
      biopsy done after the investigations for PSA levels from year 2005 to 2015 were
      studied retrospectively. The patients were divided into subgroups by baseline PSA
      levels as follows: <4, 4.1-10, 10.1-20, 20.1-50, 50.1-100, and >100 ng/mL and
      were correlated to the age and presence of cancer. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Benign
      lesions had lower PSA levels compared to cancer which generally had higher
      values. Only three cases that had less than 4 ng/mg were turned out to be
      malignant. When PSA value was more than 100 ng/mL, all the cases were malignant.
      Between PSA values of 4-100 ng/mL, the probability of cancer diagnosis was 56.71%
      (76 cancers out of 134 in this range). Limitation of PSA testing has the risk of
      over diagnosis and the resultant negative biopsies owing to poor specificity.
      Whereas the cutoff limit for cancer diagnosis still remains 4 ng/mL from our
      study, most of the patients can be assured of benign lesion below this level and
      thus morbidity associated with the biopsy can be prevented. When the PSA value is
      greater than 100 ng, biopsy procedure was mandatory as there were 100% cancers
      above this level. On the background of vast literature linking PSA to prostate
      cancer and its difficulty in implementing in clinical practice, we studied
      literature of this conflicting and complex topic and tried to bring relevant
      protocols to the small population of Cayman Islands for the screening of prostate
      cancer. In this study, a total of 165 Afro Caribbean individuals who had prostate
      biopsy done after the investigations for PSA levels from year 2005 to 2015 were
      studied retrospectively. As a result of this research work, it can be concluded
      that a benign diagnosis can be given with a fair certainty when the PSA was below
      4 ng/mL and a level of 100 ng/mL can be very unfavorable for the patients. This
      study helped to solidify the cancer screening protocols in Cayman Islands.
      CONCLUSION: The PSA level can reassure and educate the patients towards the
      diagnosis of cancer of prostate in Cayman Islands. Benign diagnosis can be given
      with a fair certainty when the PSA was below 4 ng/mL and a level of 100 ng/mL can
      be very unfavorable for the patients. This study helped to solidify the cancer
      screening protocols in Cayman.

PMID- 28918560
TI  - Margin-free excision of small solid breast carcinomas using the Intact Breast
      Lesion Excision System(r): is it feasible?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Breast Lesion Excision System(r) (BLES(r)) is a stereotactic
      vacuum-assisted breast biopsy device that utilizes radiofrequency in order to
      excise non-palpable mammographic lesions for pathologic diagnosis. The purpose of
      this study was to evaluate the efficacy of BLES(r) in performing complete, margin
      free excisions of small solid carcinomas. METHODS: Our retrospective study of
      prospectively enrolled patients included 50 cases of non-palpable, BIRADS >= 4,
      solid by means of mammography and sonography, lesions. All these patients
      underwent a BLES(r) breast biopsy procedure from June 2010 to June 2014 and had a
      malignant diagnosis. According to each patient's pathologic diagnosis,
      appropriate surgical treatment was recommended. Postoperatively, surgical
      specimens were histologically analyzed, aiming to determine whether residual
      malignant disease was present in the specimen cavity formatted by BLES(r).
      RESULTS: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) was diagnosed in 5 patients and invasive
      carcinoma (IC) in 45 patients, at primary BLES(r) pathology report. Tumor-free
      resection margins (< 0.5 and < 1 mm) were accomplished in only 8/24 subcentimeter
      cases (33.3%). Absence of residual disease upon surgical excision was confirmed
      in 23/24 subcentimeter cases (95.8%) and 2/26 of the cases measuring > 1 cm
      (7.69%). Statistical analysis revealed that mammographic size was the only
      significant prognostic factor for complete excision (i.e., with no residual
      disease in the biopsy cavity) of a malignant lesion. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      indicate that it is possible, when using the BLES(r) device, to completely excise
      small (<= 10 mm) breast carcinomas that appear radiologically as solid lesions.
      This subset of patients should be investigated regarding the therapeutic
      potential of this method.

PMID- 28918561
TI  - Marine polysaccharides: therapeutic efficacy and biomedical applications.
AB  - The ocean contains numerous marine organisms, including algae, animals, and
      plants, from which diverse marine polysaccharides with useful physicochemical and
      biological properties can be extracted. In particular, fucoidan, carrageenan,
      alginate, and chitosan have been extensively investigated in pharmaceutical and
      biomedical fields owing to their desirable characteristics, such as
      biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioactivity. Various therapeutic
      efficacies of marine polysaccharides have been elucidated, including the
      inhibition of cancer, inflammation, and viral infection. The therapeutic
      activities of these polysaccharides have been demonstrated in various settings,
      from in vitro laboratory-scale experiments to clinical trials. In addition,
      marine polysaccharides have been exploited for tissue engineering, the
      immobilization of biomolecules, and stent coating. Their ability to detect and
      respond to external stimuli, such as pH, temperature, and electric fields, has
      enabled their use in the design of novel drug delivery systems. Thus, along with
      the promising characteristics of marine polysaccharides, this review will
      comprehensively detail their various therapeutic, biomedical, and miscellaneous
      applications.

PMID- 28918562
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in wheat.
AB  - Genome editing has been a long-term challenge for molecular biology research,
      particularly for plants possess complex genome. The recently discovered Clustered
      Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated
      protein 9 (Cas9) system is a versatile tool for genome editing which enables
      editing of multiple genes based on the guidance of small RNAs. Even though the
      efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 system has been shown with several studies from diploid
      plants, its application remains a challenge for plants with polyploid and complex
      genome. Here, we applied CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system in wheat protoplast to
      conduct the targeted editing of stress-responsive transcription factor genes,
      wheat dehydration responsive element binding protein 2 (TaDREB2) and wheat
      ethylene responsive factor 3 (TaERF3). Targeted genome editing of TaDREB2 and
      TaERF3 was achieved with transient expression of small guide RNA and Cas9 protein
      in wheat protoplast.  The effectiveness of mutagenesis in wheat protoplast was
      confirmed with restriction enzyme digestion assay, T7 endonuclease assay, and
      sequencing. Furthermore, several off-target regions for designed sgRNAs were
      analyzed, and the specificity of genome editing was confirmed with amplicon
      sequencing. Overall results suggested that CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system can
      easily be established on wheat protoplast and it has a huge potentiality for
      targeted manipulation of wheat genome for crop improvement purposes.

PMID- 28918564
TI  - MRI combined with PET-CT of different tracers to improve the accuracy of glioma
      diagnosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Based on studies focusing on positron emission tomography (PET)-computed
      tomography (CT) combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis
      of glioma, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the pros
      and cons and the accuracy of different examinations. PubMed and Cochrane Library
      were searched. The search was conducted until April 2017. Two reviewers
      independently conducted the literature search according to the criteria set
      initially. Based on the exclusion criteria, 15 articles are included in this
      study. Of all studies that used MRI examination, there are five involving 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose-PET, five involving 11C-methionine-PET, five involving 18F
      fluoro-ethyl-tyrosine-PET, and three involving 18F-fluorothymidine-PET. Due to
      the limitations such as lack of data, small sample size, and unrepresentative
      studies, we use a non-quantitative methodology. MRI examination can provide the
      anatomy information of glioma more clearly. PET-CT examinations based on tumor
      metabolism using different tracers have more advantages in determining the degree
      of glioma malignancy and boundaries. However, information provided by PET-CT of
      different tracers is not the same. With respect to the novel hybrid MRI/PET
      examination equipment proposed in recent years, the combination of MRI and PET-CT
      can definitively improve the diagnostic accuracy of glioma.

PMID- 28918563
TI  - Development and validation of immortalized bovine mammary epithelial cell line as
      an in vitro model for the study of mammary gland functions.
AB  - This study aimed to develop a bovine mammary epithelial (BME) cell line model,
      which provides a possibility to determine functional properties of the bovine
      mammary gland. The primary cell culture was derived from bovine mammary gland
      tissues and processed enzymatically to obtain cell colonies with epithelial-like
      morphology. The cultures of BME cells were purified and optimally cultured at 37 
      degrees C in DMEM/F12 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. The BME
      cells were identified as epithelial cell line by the evaluating the expression of
      keratin-18 using immunofluorescence staining. A novel gene expression system
      strongly enhances the expression of telomerase, has been used to immortalize BME
      cell line termed hTBME cell line. Interestingly, telomerase remained active even
      after over 60 passages of hTBME cell line, required for immortalization of BME
      cells. In addition, the hTBME cell line was continuously subcultured with a
      spontaneous epithelial-like morphology, with a great proliferation activity, and
      without evidence of apoptotic and necrotic effects. Further characterization
      showed that hTBME cell line can be continuously propagated in culture with
      constant chromosomal features and without tumorigenic properties. Finally,
      established hTBME cell line was evaluated for mammary gland specific functions.
      Our results demonstrated that the hTBME cell line was able to retain functional
      morphological structure, and functional differentiation by expression of beta
      (beta)-casein as in the bovine mammary gland in vivo. Taken together, our
      findings suggest that the established hTBME cell line can serve as a valuable
      tool for the study of bovine mammary gland functions.

PMID- 28918565
TI  - Forward genetic screens identify a role for the mitochondrial HER2 in E-2-hexenal
      responsiveness.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: This work adds a new player, HER2, downstream of the perception of E
      2-hexenal, a green leaf volatile, and shows that E-2-hexenal specifically changes
      the redox status of the mitochondria. It is widely accepted that plants produce
      and respond to green leaf volatiles (GLVs), but the molecular components involved
      in transducing their perception are largely unknown. The GLV E-2-hexenal inhibits
      root elongation in seedlings and, using this phenotype, we isolated E-2-hexenal
      response (her) Arabidopsis thaliana mutants. Using map-based cloning we
      positioned the her2 mutation to the At5g63620 locus, resulting in a phenylalanine
      instead of serine on position 223. Knockdown and overexpression lines of HER2
      confirmed the role of HER2, which encodes an oxidoreductase, in the
      responsiveness to E-2-hexenal. Since E-2-hexenal is a reactive electrophile
      species, which are known to influence the redox status of cells, we utilized
      redox sensitive GFP2 (roGFP2) to determine the redox status of E-2-hexenal
      treated root cells. Since the signal peptide of HER2 directed mCherry to the
      mitochondria, we targeted the expression of roGFP2 to this organelle besides the
      cytosol. E-2-hexenal specifically induced a change in the redox status in the
      mitochondria. We did not see a difference in the redox status in her2 compared to
      wild-type Arabidopsis. Still, the mitochondrial redox status did not change with
      Z-3-hexenol, another abundant GLV. These results indicate that HER2 is involved
      in transducing the perception of E-2-hexenal, which changes the redox status of
      the mitochondria.

PMID- 28918567
TI  - Expansion of Parents' Undetermined Experience in Socioeducational Programs:
      Extending the Dialogical Self Theory.
AB  - The Dialogic Self Theory (DST-Hermans et al. Integrative Psychology and
      Behavioral Sciences, 51(4), 1-31, 2017) is extended here in its dynamic aspects
      through focusing on the notions of indeterminacy, emptiness and movement. Linking
      with Husserl, I propose moving the dialogical self (DS) from a clear position in
      the "repertory of the Self" to an undetermined horizon. This makes it possible to
      introduce "holes" (emptiness) into the schematic representation of the "repertory
      of the Self". Yet Husserl's concept of horizon seems to focus too much on making
      the indeterminable determinate. To overcome this limit, I incorporate Bergson's
      concept of empty form into the DST. This enables conceptualising the extension
      and emergence of horizon. Extending Bergson's concept of organisation, it is
      possible to see how the expansion of the horizon in a movement of globalisation
      does not necessarily entail the disorganisation of the DS but rather to its
      further organisation. Extending the system of DS by Hermans et al. Integrative
      Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 51(4), 1-31, (2017), I open by suggesting
      that movements are both horizontal (between people) and vertical (between the
      person, the institutions and the norms) connectors. My conceptual propositions
      are illustrated by parents' and educators' discourses in two Canadian socio
      educational programs.

PMID- 28918568
TI  - Brief Report: An Evaluation of an Instructional Package for Teaching Sentence
      Construction to Students with ASD.
AB  - In the current study, we investigated the effects of an instructional package on
      the construction of sentences writing by four children ages 6-9, with autism
      spectrum disorder (ASD). We employed a multiple probe across behaviors design to
      evaluate the efficacy of the intervention package and also conducted probes to
      assess generalization and increases in the use of spoken sentences. Data
      indicated that the package was effective and produced variable levels of
      maintenance and generalized responding across three of the participants. Further,
      changes in vocal responding were observed in one of the participants.

PMID- 28918566
TI  - Understanding the Science of Resistance Training: An Evolutionary Perspective.
AB  - The history of resistance training research began with anecdotal ideas and a slow
      growth of research from the late 1890s through the 1970s. The mid-1970s were a
      nexus point when resistance training studies evolved from just strength
      assessments to importance in physiological systems, physical health, and physical
      performance capabilities for individuals interested in physical fitness through
      to those seeking elite athletic performances. The pursuit of understanding
      program design and what mediated successful programs continues today as new
      findings, replication of old concepts, and new visions with the latest
      technologies fuel both our understanding and interest in this modality. This
      brief review highlights some of the important scientific contributions to the
      evolution of our scientific study of resistance training and provides a
      literature base analysis for greater quantification of the origins and expanse of
      such investigations.

PMID- 28918570
TI  - Mathematical description of drug-target interactions: application to biologics
      that bind to targets with two binding sites.
AB  - The emerging discipline of mathematical pharmacology occupies the space between
      advanced pharmacometrics and systems biology. A characteristic feature of the
      approach is application of advance mathematical methods to study the behavior of
      biological systems as described by mathematical (most often differential)
      equations. One of the early application of mathematical pharmacology (that was
      not called this name at the time) was formulation and investigation of the target
      mediated drug disposition (TMDD) model and its approximations. The model was
      shown to be remarkably successful, not only in describing the observed data for
      drug-target interactions, but also in advancing the qualitative and quantitative
      understanding of those interactions and their role in pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic properties of biologics. The TMDD model in its original
      formulation describes the interaction of the drug that has one binding site with
      the target that also has only one binding site. Following the framework developed
      earlier for drugs with one-to-one binding, this work aims to describe a rigorous
      approach for working with similar systems and to apply it to drugs that bind to
      targets with two binding sites. The quasi-steady-state, quasi-equilibrium,
      irreversible binding, and Michaelis-Menten approximations of the model are also
      derived. These equations can be used, in particular, to predict concentrations of
      the partially bound target (RC). This could be clinically important if RC remains
      active and has slow internalization rate. In this case, introduction of the drug
      aimed to suppress target activity may lead to the opposite effect due to RC
      accumulation.

PMID- 28918569
TI  - Highlights from the Ninth International Symposium of Thrombosis and
      Anticoagulation (ISTA IX), October 15, 2016, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
AB  - To discuss and share knowledge about advances in the care of patients with
      thrombotic disorders, the Ninth International Symposium of Thrombosis and
      Anticoagulation was held in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, on October 15, 2016. This
      scientific program was developed by clinicians for clinicians and was promoted by
      two major clinical research institutes-the Brazilian Clinical Research Institute
      and the Duke Clinical Research Institute of the Duke University School of
      Medicine. Comprising academic presentations and open discussion, the symposium
      had as its primary goal to educate, motivate, and inspire internists,
      cardiologists, hematologists, and other physicians by convening national and
      international visionaries, thought-leaders, and dedicated clinician-scientists.
      This paper summarizes the symposium proceedings.

PMID- 28918571
TI  - The effect of communication skills training on patient-pharmacist communication
      in pharmacy education: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Communication skills in pharmacy education and practice are increasingly regarded
      as a crucial component. However, thus far, estimating of the overall
      communication skills training (CST) effects in a variety of outcomes is lacking.
      The aim of this study was to synthesize the effects of CST in pharmacy education
      by performing a meta-analysis of CST studies. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC,
      CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Communication and Mass Media
      Complete (CMMC), key journals, and bibliographic databases. The effect sizes
      (ESs) were extracted and pooled in random effects meta-analyses. We assessed the
      quality of the study using the Medical Education Research Study Quality
      Instrument (MERSQI). From 34,737 articles, 9 studies were included in this meta
      analysis. The overall effect size for CST was 0.611 (95% CI 0.327-0.895), and it
      was statistically significant (p = 0.000). We found based on the subgroup
      analyses that CST has a large effect size when it used stand-alone courses,
      lecture-lab based courses, video recordings, feedback, training for 2 or more
      semesters, hours per week >=5 h and external assessments. For the CST effect, the
      effect sizes were ranked in order of confidence, knowledge, skills, and
      attitudes. The result of the meta-regression is that the total number of
      attendees is significantly negatively correlated with the effect sizes of the
      CST. The findings of the present meta-analysis provide evidence that CST in
      pharmacy education may act as an efficient way to improve the communication
      competency of students, and it may serve as a guide for pharmacy educators.

PMID- 28918572
TI  - Spot light on skeletal muscles: optogenetic stimulation to understand and restore
      skeletal muscle function.
AB  - Damage of peripheral nerves results in paralysis of skeletal muscle. Currently,
      the only treatment option to restore proper function is electrical stimulation of
      the innervating nerve or of the skeletal muscles directly. However this approach
      has low spatial and temporal precision leading to co-activation of antagonistic
      muscles and lacks cell-type selectivity resulting in pain or discomfort by
      stimulation of sensible nerves. In contrast to electrical stimulation,
      optogenetic methods enable spatially confined and cell-type selective stimulation
      of cells expressing the light sensitive channel Channelrhodopsin-2 with precise
      temporal control over the membrane potential. Herein we summarize the current
      knowledge about the use of this technology to control skeletal muscle function
      with the focus on the direct, non-neuronal stimulation of muscle fibers. The high
      temporal flexibility of using light pulses allows new stimulation patterns to
      investigate skeletal muscle physiology. Furthermore, the high spatial precision
      of focused illumination was shown to be beneficial for selective stimulation of
      distinct nearby muscle groups. Finally, the cell-type specific expression of the
      light-sensitive effector proteins in muscle fibers will allow pain-free
      stimulation and open new options for clinical treatments. Therefore, we believe
      that direct optogenetic stimulation of skeletal muscles is a very potent method
      for basic scientists that also harbors several distinct advantages over
      electrical stimulation to be considered for clinical use in the future.

PMID- 28918574
TI  - Fecal sludge management in developing urban centers: a review on the collection,
      treatment, and composting.
AB  - The problems posed by fecal sludge (FS) are multidimensional because most cities
      rapidly urbanize, which results in the increase in population, urban settlement,
      and waste generation. Issues concerning health and waste treatment have continued
      to create alarming situations. These issues had indeed interfered with the proper
      steps in managing FS, which contaminates the environment. FS can be used in
      agriculture as fertilizer because it is an excellent source of nutrients. The
      recent decline in crop production due to loss of soil organic component, erosion,
      and nutrient runoff has generated interest in the recycling of FS into soil
      nutrients through stabilization and composting. However, human feces are
      considerably liable to spread microorganisms to other persons. Thus, sanitation,
      stabilization, and composting should be the main objectives of FS treatment to
      minimize the risk to public and environmental health. This review presents an
      improved FS management (FSM) and technology option for soil amendment that is
      grouped into three headings, namely, (1) collection, (2) treatment, and (3)
      composting. On the basis of the literature review, the main problems associated
      with the collection and treatment of FS, such as inadequate tools and improper
      treatment processes, are summarized, and the trends and challenges that concern
      the applicability of each of the technologies in developing urban centers are
      critically reviewed. Stabilization during pretreatment before composting is
      suggested as the best method to reduce pathogens in FS. Results are precisely
      intended to be used as a support for decisions on policies and strategies for FSM
      and investments for improved treatment facilities.

PMID- 28918573
TI  - Anti-inflammatory effects of Ginkgo biloba extract against trimethyltin-induced
      hippocampal neuronal injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the immense neuromodulatory potentials of Ginkgo biloba
      extract as a memory enhancer, its underlying mechanism seems inadequate
      particularly with regard to its anti-inflammatory properties. AIM: The objective
      of the present study is to investigate the protective potentials of Ginkgo biloba
      extract (GBE) against hippocampal neuronal injury induced by trimethyltin (TMT),
      a potent neurotoxicant. METHODS: Male SD rats were administered trimethyltin (8.5
      mg kg-1 b.wt) single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, followed by Ginkgo biloba
      extract (100 mg kg-1 b.wt i.p) for 21 days. RESULTS: The co-administration of GBE
      with TMT showed marked improvement in cognitive functions. Concomitantly, there
      was a significant decrease in oxidative stress as evident by reduction in MDA and
      total ROS levels. In addition, there was a marked suppression of astrocyte
      activation (GFAP), transcription factor NFkappaB and proinflammatory cytokines
      (TNF-alpha, IL-1alpha, 1L-6), which were found to be elevated by TMT
      administration. Histopathological observations showed remarkable improvement in
      hippocampal neuronal injury in the conjunctive group. CONCLUSION: Therefore, it
      is suggested that Ginkgo biloba extract is an effective agent against
      trimethyltin-induced hippocampal neuronal loss owing to its antioxidative as well
      as anti-inflammatory properties.

PMID- 28918575
TI  - Optimum spacing between electrodes in an air-cathode single chamber microbial
      fuel cell with a low-cost polypropylene separator.
AB  - The performance of a single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) with a low-cost
      polypropylene separator was investigated at various electrode interspaces in a
      separator electrode assembly (SEA). The lag period was shortened (3.74-0.17 days)
      and voltage generation was enhanced (0.2-0.5 V) as electrode spacing was
      increased from 0 to 9 mm. Power density was increased from 220 to 370 mW/m2 with
      increased spacing. The highest power density of 488 mW/m2 was obtained in
      polarization analysis with 6 mm. The oxygen mass transfer coefficients with 0 mm
      (K o = 3.69 * 10-5 cm/s) electrode spacing were 3.8 times higher than with 9 mm
      (K o = 0.96 * 10-5 cm/s) spacing. Columbic efficiency (CE) was increased from 5
      to 32% due to less oxygen diffusion with increase in electrode spacing, but on
      contrary the ohmic resistance (R oh) was increased from 2 to 4 Omega. In a long
      term operation (200 days), a gradual decrease in cathode potentials was observed
      in all electrode spacing as the main limiting factor of stable MFC performance.

PMID- 28918576
TI  - Effect of heat stress on rumen temperature of three breeds of cattle.
AB  - Thirty-six steers (12 of each Angus, Charolais, and Brahman) with an initial BW
      of 318.5 +/- 6.7 kg were used in a 130-day study. Two treatments were imposed: un
      shaded and shaded (3 m2/animal; 90% solar block shade cloth). On day 1, steers
      were administered with rumen temperature boluses. Rumen temperatures (T RUM) were
      obtained at 10 min intervals over the duration of the study to determine
      differences in T RUM between Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle. Six feedlot pens
      (162 m2) were used with six steers (2/breed) per pen with three pens/treatment.
      Ambient dry bulb temperature (T A;  degrees C), relative humidity (RH; %), wind
      speed (WS; m/s) and direction, and solar radiation (SR; W/m2) were recorded at 10
      min intervals. Rainfall (mm) was collected daily at 0900 h. From these data,
      black globe temperature (BGT;  degrees C), temperature humidity index (THI), heat
      load index (HLI), and accumulated heat load (AHL) were calculated. Individual T
      RUM were converted to an hourly average and then mean hourly T RUM were converted
      to a mean within hour T RUM across the 130 days. Rumen temperatures were analyzed
      using an autoregressive repeated measures model. The model analyzed the effect of
      breed (P < 0.0002), treatment (P = 0.3543), time of day (hour, h; P < 0.0001),
      breed * treatment (P < 0.3683), breed * h (P < 0.0001), treatment * h (P <
      0.0001), breed * treatment * h (P = 0.0029), pen within treatment (P = 0.0195),
      and animal * breed * treatment within pen (P = 0.1041). Furthermore, there were
      breed * treatment * hour differences in T RUM (P = 0.0036), indicating that Bos
      indicus and Bos taurus regulate T RUM differently.

PMID- 28918578
TI  - Bringing together raptor collections in Europe for contaminant research and
      monitoring in relation to chemicals regulations.
AB  - Raptors are good sentinels of environmental contamination and there is good
      capability for raptor biomonitoring in Europe. Raptor biomonitoring can benefit
      from natural history museums (NHMs), environmental specimen banks (ESBs) and
      other collections (e.g. specialist raptor specimen collections). Europe's NHMs,
      ESBs and other collections hold large numbers of raptor specimens and samples,
      covering long periods of time. These collections are potentially a valuable
      resource for contaminant studies over time and space. There are strong needs to
      monitor contaminants in the environment to support EU and national chemical
      management. However, data on raptor specimens in NHMs, ESBs and other collections
      are dispersed, few are digitised, and they are thus not easy to access. Specimen
      coverage is patchy in terms of species, space and time. Contaminant research with
      raptors would be facilitated by creating a framework to link relevant
      collections, digitising all collections, developing a searchable meta-database
      covering all existing collections, making them more visible and accessible for
      contaminant research. This would also help identify gaps in coverage and
      stimulate specimen collection to fill gaps in support of prioritised contaminant
      monitoring. Collections can further support raptor biomonitoring by making
      samples available for analysis on request.

PMID- 28918577
TI  - Microarray-based SNP genotyping to identify genetic risk factors of triple
      negative breast cancer (TNBC) in South Indian population.
AB  - In the view of aggressive nature of Triple-Negative Breast cancer (TNBC) due to
      the lack of receptors (ER, PR, HER2) and high incidence of drug resistance
      associated with it, a case-control association study was conducted to identify
      the contributing genetic risk factors for Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). A
      total of 30 TNBC patients and 50 age and gender-matched controls of Indian origin
      were screened for 9,00,000 SNP markers using microarray-based SNP genotyping
      approach. The initial PLINK association analysis (p < 0.01, MAF 0.14-0.44, OR 10
      24) identified 28 non-synonymous SNPs and one stop gain mutation in the exonic
      region as possible determinants of TNBC risk. All the 29 SNPs were annotated
      using ANNOVAR. The interactions between these markers were evaluated using
      Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis. The interactions were in the
      following order: exm408776 > exm1278309 > rs316389 > rs1651654 > rs635538 >
      exm1292477. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was performed to construct
      decision tree useful in predicting TNBC risk. As shown in this analysis,
      rs1651654 and exm585172 SNPs are found to be determinants of TNBC risk.
      Artificial neural network model was used to generate the Receiver operating
      characteristic curves (ROC), which showed high sensitivity and specificity (AUC
      0.94) of these markers. To conclude, among the 9,00,000 SNPs tested, CCDC42
      exm1292477, ANXA3 exm408776, SASH1 exm585172 are found to be the most significant
      genetic predicting factors for TNBC. The interactions among exm408776,
      exm1278309, rs316389, rs1651654, rs635538, exm1292477 SNPs inflate the risk for
      TNBC further. Targeted analysis of these SNPs and genes alone also will have
      similar clinical utility in predicting TNBC.

PMID- 28918580
TI  - Apropos use of biological mesh in trans-anal treatment for recurrent recto
      urethral fistula.

PMID- 28918579
TI  - Analysis of Undesirable Sequelae of Sentinel Node Surgery in Breast Cancer
      Patients - a Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - Use of sentinel lymph node biopsy limits the frequency and severity of sequelae
      of surgical treatment. However, the procedure itself may not be completely free
      of complications. The goal of this work was to analyze prospectively the
      occurrence of undesirable sequelae in patients undergoing sentinel lymph node
      biopsy as an isolated intervention in the axillary fossa. This prospective
      observational study was conducted on a group of 104 women. Patients were examined
      on five occasions: one day before the procedure, one day after the procedure, one
      month, three months, and six months after the procedure. At every stage of the
      study they were assessed for tactile sensation, range of motion in the shoulder
      joint, upper limb circumference, sensation abnormalities, winged scapula sign,
      and pain severity according to Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). In the study group we
      observed statistically significant differences, such as limited mobility in the
      shoulder joint (p <= 0.01), gradual increase in limb circumference on the
      operated side (p < 0.01) and pain (p <= 0.01). Despite relatively low
      invasiveness of the procedure, sentinel lymph node biopsy is not entirely devoid
      of the risk of undesirable sequelae.

PMID- 28918581
TI  - Concurrent Improvement in Both Binge Eating and Depressive Symptoms with
      Naltrexone/Bupropion Therapy in Overweight or Obese Subjects with Major
      Depressive Disorder in an Open-Label, Uncontrolled Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Binge eating disorder (BED) is associated with obesity and major
      depressive disorder (MDD). Naltrexone extended-release (ER)/bupropion ER (NB) is
      approved as an adjunct to diet and physical activity for chronic weight
      management. In a prospectively designed 24-week open-label, single-arm, single
      site trial of 25 women with MDD and overweight/obesity, NB reduced weight and
      depressive symptoms. METHODS: This post hoc analysis investigated the
      relationship between change in self-reported binge eating behavior (evaluated
      with the Binge Eating Scale [BES]) and changes in weight, control of eating, and
      depressive symptoms. RESULTS: At baseline, 91% of subjects had moderate or severe
      BES scores, suggesting BED. BES scores were significantly improved from week 4,
      and by week 24, 83% reported "little or no problem." Improvement in BES scores
      correlated with improvement in depressive symptoms and control of eating.
      CONCLUSION: NB may be effective in reducing binge eating symptoms associated with
      MDD and overweight/obesity. Evaluation of NB in BED appears warranted. FUNDING:
      Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc.

PMID- 28918582
TI  - Removal of endrin and dieldrin isomeric pesticides through stereoselective
      adsorption behavior on the graphene oxide-magnetic nanoparticles.
AB  - A novel stereoselective removal behavior of isomeric endrin and dieldrin
      pesticides from sample solution is demonstrated using nanocomposite of graphene
      oxide (GO) and iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The removal
      efficiency of endrin and dieldrin was found higher when GO-MNPs was used as a
      separating probe than the individual use of GO and MNPs. The removal efficiency
      of both the pesticides was found to be more favorable when the dosage amount of
      GO-MNPs was 30 mg for 30-min contact time with pH 4.0 at room temperature. The
      good correlation of determination (R 2) with 0.975 and 0.973 values obtained for
      endrin and dieldrin, respectively demonstrated a well fitting of Langmuir
      adsorption isotherm model. The higher removal percentage (86.0%) and higher slope
      value of Langmuir adsorption isotherm were estimated for endrin compared to
      dieldrin (74.0%). The reason for higher adsorption percentage of endrin is due to
      the endo-position of oxygen atom in molecule favors more interaction of molecules
      with GO-MNPs compared to the exo-position of oxygen present in dieldrin. In
      addition, the higher value of R 2 for endrin and dieldrin demonstrated better
      suitability of pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models,
      respectively. The advantages of the present method are use of simple UV-vis
      spectrophotometry for monitoring and low-cost use of GO-MNPs nanomaterial for the
      removal of pesticides from sample solution.

PMID- 28918583
TI  - Evidence for contrasting accumulation pattern of cadmium in relation to other
      elements in Senilia senilis and Tagelus adansoni from the Bijagos archipelago,
      Guinea-Bissau.
AB  - Shellfish harvesting in intertidal areas is a widespread and economically
      important activity in many countries across West Africa. However, in some areas,
      there is virtually no information concerning the levels of contaminants (and
      other elements related to nutritional aspects) in the harvested species. We
      collected sediments and several individuals of the West African bloody cockle
      Senilia senilis and of the razor clam Tagelus adansoni during the dry season of
      2015 nearby three islands in the Bijagos archipelago, Guinea-Bissau. Aluminium,
      Ca, Fe, Mg, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in sediments
      and whole soft tissues of the two bivalves. Sediments showed uniformly low trace
      element concentrations, pointing to an ecosystem with low levels of trace element
      contamination. T. adansoni presented higher concentrations of most elements than
      S. senilis, with the exception of Cd that showed up to 40 times higher values in
      S. senilis than in T. adansoni from the same sites. Furthermore, Cd
      concentrations (25+/-8.7 mg kg-1, dw) in S. senilis are clearly above the maximum
      level established for human consumption. Future studies should clarify whether
      biological factors are the major responsible for this unusual situation.

PMID- 28918584
TI  - Fed-Batch Strategies for Production of PHA Using a Native Isolate of Halomonas
      venusta KT832796 Strain.
AB  - In this study, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) accumulation by Halomonas venusta
      KT832796, a moderate halophilic bacteria isolated from marine source was studied.
      Both nutritional requirements and process parameters for submerged cultivation of
      the organism in bioreactor have been standardized. From the shake flask studies,
      glucose and ammonium citrate as carbon and nitrogen source produced maximum PHA
      at a ratio 20 with 3.52 g/L of dry cell weight and 70.56% of PHA content.
      However, ammonium sulfate as the nitrogen source was found to be more suitable
      for fed-batch cultivation. Several feeding strategies including pH-based fed
      batch and variants of pulse feeding were studied to improve the PHA levels. pH
      based feeding, although improved PHA level to 26 g/L, most of the carbon flux was
      diverted towards biomass formation; hence, the percent PHA was only 39.15% of the
      dry cell weight. Maximum PHA of 33.4 g/L, which corresponded to 88.12% of the dry
      cell, was obtained from high concentration single pulse method. There was a net
      8.65-fold increase in PHA using this feeding strategy when compared to batch
      studies. According to our knowledge, this is the highest amount of PHA reported
      for a Halomonas venusta strain.

PMID- 28918586
TI  - Characterization of Truncated dsz Operon Responsible for Dibenzothiophene
      Biodesulfurization in Rhodococcus sp. FUM94.
AB  - Numerous desulfurizing bacteria from the Rhodococcus genus harbor conserved dsz
      genes responsible for the degradation of sulfur compounds through 4S pathway.
      This study describes a newly identified desulfurizing bacterium, Rhodococcus sp.
      FUM94, which unlike previously identified strains encodes a truncated dsz operon.
      DNA sequencing revealed a frameshift mutation in the dszA gene, which led to an
      alteration of 66 amino acids and deletion of other C-terminal 66 amino acids. The
      resulting DszA polypeptide was shorter than DszA in Rhodococcus sp. IGTS8
      reference strain. Despite the truncation, desulfurizing activity of the operon
      was observed and attributed to the removal of an overlap of dszA and dszB genes,
      and lack of active site in the altered region. Desulfurization experiments
      resulted in specific production rate of 6.3 mmol 2-hydroxy biphenyl (kgDCW)-1 h-1
      at 2 g l-1 biocatalyst concentration and 68.8% biodesulfurization yield at 20 g l
      1 biocatalyst concentration, both at 271 MUM dibenzothiophene concentration which
      is comparable to similar wild-type biocatalysts.

PMID- 28918585
TI  - Prevalence and risk factors for intestinal carriage of CTX-M-type ESBLs in
      Enterobacteriaceae from a Thai community.
AB  - The incidence of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae
      in Thailand is increasing and human intestinal flora is an important reservoir
      for these organisms. This study was carried out to determine the intestinal
      carriage of bla CTX-M extended spectrum beta-lactamase-positive
      Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL + E) and AmpC-positive Enterobacteriaceae in a community
      setting in Northern Thailand, and to identify potential risk factors for
      carriage. A total of 307 fecal samples were collected from healthy volunteers in
      Phitsanulok province, and cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CtxRE) were
      isolated using selective media. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to
      detect ESBL and AmpC genes. Risk factors were analyzed using multiple logistic
      regression. Genotyping was performed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST)
      analysis. Two hundred ninety-one CtxRE isolates were obtained and Escherichia
      coli was the predominant organism (66.3%). The intestinal carriage rates of bla
      CTX-M ESBL + E and AmpC-positive Enterobacteriaceae were 52.1% and 6.2%,
      respectively. Comparative levels of bla CTX-M group 1 and bla CTX-M group 9 were
      found while bla CMY-2 was the predominant genotype among AmpC genes. Co-existence
      of two beta-lactamase genes in a single isolate was found in 6.5% of isolates.
      Consumption of undercooked meat was strongly associated with intestinal carriage
      of bla CTX-M ESBL + E (p = 0.003, OR = 2.133, 95% CI = 1.289-3.530). Phylogenetic
      grouping and MLST analysis of E. coli isolates revealed the presence of E. coli
      B2-ST131 (n = 8). Of these, seven carried bla CTX-M-group 9 and 1 carried bla CMY
      2. Our results suggest that residents in Thailand are at high risk for developing
      endogenous infections caused by antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

PMID- 28918587
TI  - Genome-wide association studies of albuminuria: towards genetic stratification in
      diabetes?
AB  - Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been very successful in unraveling
      the polygenic structure of several complex diseases and traits. In the case of
      albuminuria, despite the large sample size achieved by some studies, results look
      sparse with a limited number of loci reported so far. This review searched for
      GWAS studies of albumin excretion, albuminuria, and proteinuria. The resulting
      picture sets elements of uniqueness for albuminuria GWAS with respect to other
      complex traits. So far, very few loci associated with albuminuria have been
      validated by means of genome-wide significant evidence or formal replication.
      With rare exceptions, the validated loci are ethnicity specific. Within a given
      ethnicity, variants are common and have relatively large effects, especially in
      the presence of diabetes. In most cases, the identified variants were functional
      and a biological involvement of the target genes in renal damage was established.
      Recently reported variants associated with albuminuria in diabetes may be
      potentially combined into a genetic risk score, making it possible to rank
      diabetic patients by increasing risk of albuminuria. Validation of this model is
      required. To expand the understanding of the biological basis of albumin
      excretion regulation, future initiatives should achieve larger sample sizes and
      favor a transethnic study design.

PMID- 28918588
TI  - A Practical Approach to Managing Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Women with
      Diabetes.
AB  - Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is highly prevalent in women with diabetes
      mellitus (DM), yet it remains unaddressed, undiagnosed, and untreated. Hypoactive
      sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the most common complaint among women with FSD,
      but there is a paucity of research into its multifactorial etiology. Flibanserin
      is the only therapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treating
      acquired, generalized HSDD in premenopausal women. Women with DM diagnosed with
      HSDD may require a multidisciplinary approach for optimal management.

PMID- 28918589
TI  - Isolated pancreas rejections do not have an adverse impact on kidney graft
      survival whereas kidney rejections are associated with adverse pancreas graft
      survival in simultaneous pancreas kidney transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Diabetic Kidney Disease is associated with excessive
      mortality and morbidity. Simultaneous pancreas kidney transplantation (SPK)
      significantly improves quality of life and increases life expectancy of uremic
      diabetic patients. It is not known whether pancreas and kidney rejections in
      these transplant patients is concordant or discordant. DESIGN, SETTING,
      PARTICIPANTS, AND MEASUREMENTS: We analyzed clinical data on all SPK transplants
      performed between 2003 and 2014 at Indiana University to assess the impact of
      isolated or combined pancreas and kidney rejections on patient and allograft
      outcomes. The primary outcome of interest was kidney graft rejection within 1
      year of pancreatic rejection and kidney survival in SPK patients with and without
      pancreatic rejection. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 44 +/- 9 years; 61.9%
      were males; 88% were Caucasians. A total of 23.8% of cases had rejection [8.7%
      pancreatic rejection alone (PA), 4.4% had concordant pancreas and kidney (PK)
      rejection, and 10.7% had kidney rejection alone(KA)]. PK had a worse effect on
      kidney graft survival than PA (p = 0.019). Neither pancreas rejection nor kidney
      rejection had an adverse effect on patient survival. However, both pancreas graft
      failure and kidney graft failure adversely affected patient survival. Tacrolimus
      levels were not significantly different in all groups over a 10 year period (p =
      0.4584). CONCLUSIONS: Concordant pancreas kidney rejection is synergistically
      deleterious to kidney graft survival. Graft failure, not graft rejection, is
      adversely associated with patient survival.

PMID- 28918590
TI  - The Role of Diet in Shaping the Chemical Signal Design of Lacertid Lizards.
AB  - Lizards communicate with others via chemical signals, the composition of which
      may vary among species. Although the selective pressures and constraints
      affecting chemical signal diversity at the species level remain poorly
      understood, the possible role of diet has been largely neglected. The chemical
      signals of many lizards originate from the femoral glands that exude a mixture of
      semiochemicals, and may be used in a variety of contexts. We analyzed the
      lipophilic fraction of the glandular secretions of 45 species of lacertid lizard
      species by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The proportions of nine major
      chemical classes (alcohols, aldehydes, fatty acids, furanones, ketones, steroids,
      terpenoids, tocopherols and waxy esters), the relative contributions of these
      different classes ('chemical diversity'), and the total number of different
      lipophilic compounds ('chemical richness') varied greatly among species. We
      examined whether interspecific differences in these chemical variables could be
      coupled to interspecific variation in diet using data from the literature. In
      addition, we compared chemical signal composition among species that almost
      never, occasionally, or often eat plant material. We found little support for the
      hypothesis that the chemical profile of a given species' secretion depends on the
      type of food consumed. Diet breadth did not correlate with chemical diversity or
      richness. The amount of plants or ants consumed did not affect the relative
      contribution of any of the nine major chemical classes to the secretion. Chemical
      diversity did not differ among lizards with different levels of plant
      consumption; however, chemical richness was low in species with an exclusive
      arthropod diet, suggesting that incorporating plants in the diet enables lizards
      to increase the number of compounds allocated to secretions, likely because a
      (partly) herbivorous diet allows them to include compounds of plant origin that
      are unavailable in animal prey. Still, overall, diet appears a relatively poor
      predictor of interspecific differences in the broad chemical profiles of
      secretions of lacertid lizards.

PMID- 28918592
TI  - Internal phosphorus load in a Mexican reservoir through sediment speciation
      analysis.
AB  - Since the sequential extraction of phosphorus (P) in sediment makes it possible
      to determine the P potentially available for release, in this paper, we evaluate
      the fractions of P in sediment profiles from Valle de Bravo reservoir, a
      eutrophic lake in central Mexico to determine the contributions of each fraction
      to the internal P load (IPL). The P fractionation scheme employs sequential
      extractions of sediment with O2-free water (MilliQ), bicarbonate-dithionite (BD),
      sodium hydroxide (NaOH), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and potassium persulfate
      (K2S2O8-) to obtain five P fractions. A monitoring of redox potential (Eh), pH,
      and total phosphorus (TP) in the bottom water of the reservoir indicated
      variations of these parameters during the year, observing that as Eh decreased,
      the P concentration increased, it was also observed that when increasing pH, P
      concentration also increased. Analyzing the behavior of fractions of P in
      sediment profiles, we found that the dominant fractions are those bound to iron
      and aluminum oxides, corresponding to approximately 50% of total P since P
      concentrations of these fractions were twice as high in the top 5 cm of the
      sediment profiles and decreased with increasing depth. Considering the variations
      of Eh and pH in the bottom water of the reservoir and that these parameters are
      factors that control the release of P with the fractions of P bound to Fe/Mn and
      Al/Fe oxides, we concluded that these fractions contribute most to P potentially
      available for release in the reservoir, representing a possible IPL of 23.5 +/-
      1.4 t/year.

PMID- 28918591
TI  - Platform model describing pharmacokinetic properties of vc-MMAE antibody-drug
      conjugates.
AB  - Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) developed using the valine-citrulline-MMAE (vc
      MMAE) platform, consist of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) covalently bound with a
      potent anti-mitotic toxin (MMAE) through a protease-labile vc linker. Recently,
      clinical data for a variety of vc-MMAE ADCs has become available. The goal of
      this analysis was to develop a platform model that simultaneously described
      antibody-conjugated MMAE (acMMAE) pharmacokinetic (PK) data from eight vc-MMAE
      ADCs, against different targets and tumor indications; and to assess differences
      and similarities of model parameters and model predictions, between different
      compounds. Clinical PK data of eight vc-MMAE ADCs from eight Phase I studies were
      pooled. A population PK platform model for the eight ADCs was developed, where
      the inter-compound variability (ICV) was described explicitly, using the third
      random effect level (ICV), and implemented using LEVEL option of NONMEM 7.3. The
      PK was described by a two-compartment model with time dependent clearance.
      Clearance and volume of distribution increased with body weight; volume was
      higher for males, and clearance mildly decreased with the nominal dose. Michaelis
      Menten elimination had only minor effect on PK and was not included in the model.
      Time-dependence of clearance had no effect beyond the first dosing cycle.
      Clearance and central volume were similar among ADCs, with ICV of 15 and 5%,
      respectively. Thus, PK of acMMAE was largely comparable across different vc-MMAE
      ADCs. The model may be applied to predict PK-profiles of vc-MMAE ADCs under
      development, estimate individual exposure for the subsequent PK-pharmacodynamics
      (PD) analysis, and project optimal dose regimens and PK sampling times.

PMID- 28918593
TI  - Decline patterns and risk assessment of 10 multi-class pesticides in young sprout
      amaranth (Amaranthus mangostanus) under greenhouse growing conditions.
AB  - The present study was designed to investigate the residual decline pattern and
      the risk assessment of 10 different class pesticides, namely azoxystrobin,
      boscalid, diazinon, diethofencarb, difenoconazole, etofenprox, flubendiamide,
      paclobutrazol, and pyraclostrobin in young vegetative amaranth (Amaranthus
      mangostanus) sprayed once or twice under greenhouse growing conditions. Field
      incurred samples, collected at 3, 7, or 10 days after application of both
      treatments, were extracted and purified with the quick, easy, cheap, effective,
      rugged, and safe "QuEChERS" citrate-buffered method and analyzed with liquid
      chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in
      positive ion mode. The linearity was satisfactory with determination coefficients
      (R 2) falling between 0.9817 and 0.9999 and limits of detection (LOD) and
      quantification (LOQ) values of 0.0007 and 0.002 mg/kg, respectively. The mean
      recovery rate at four spiking levels (equivalent to 5, 10, 50, and 100 * LOQ)
      ranged from 78.1 to 131.6% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of < 11%.
      Substantial differences in the initial deposit between the tested analytes were
      observed and clearly indicated that the structure, as well as the initial
      concentration of applied products, greatly affected the residue deposit. From the
      obtained residual data, the provisional marginal maximum residue limits (MRLs)
      and the pre-harvest intervals (PHI) were proposed. Risk assessment was evaluated
      by comparing the theoretical maximum daily intake (TMDI) with the acceptable
      daily intake (ADI). Herein, the TMDI was lower than the ADI (TMDI/ADI ratio <=
      80% set by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) except for difenoconazole
      (80.92%, marginally higher), indicating that the vegetative amaranth is not
      hazardous and can be consumed safely by Korean consumers.

PMID- 28918594
TI  - The association of knee structural pathology with pain at the knee is modified by
      pain at other sites in those with knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the associations of knee
      structural abnormalities with different patterns of pain. A total of 891
      participants (average age 63 years; range 50 to 80 years) participated in this
      study. Presence of pain at the neck, back, hands, shoulders, hips, knees, and
      feet was assessed by questionnaire. Participants were categorized as having no
      pain at any site (no pain), pain only at the knee (KP), pain at other sites but
      not the knee (OP), and pain at the knee and other sites (KOP). T1-weighted or T2
      weighted MRI of the right knee was performed to measure cartilage defects, bone
      marrow lesions (BMLs), and effusion-synovitis. Osteophytes and joint space
      narrowing were assessed by X-ray. KP, KOP, and OP were, respectively, present in
      3, 43, and 42% of the participants. In multivariable analyses, KOP was associated
      with the presence of cartilage defects, BMLs, and osteophytes (OR 3.57 (95% CI
      1.78 to 7.14), 2.37 (1.27 to 4.43), and 2.87 (1.10 to 7.51), respectively) in
      those with radiographic knee OA. KP was also associated with presence of these
      structural abnormalities as well as effusion-synovitis, and these associations
      were much stronger. The associations between structural abnormalities and KOP
      were weaker than those with KP in those with radiographic knee OA. This suggests
      that mechanisms mediating the association between structural pathology,
      localized, and generalized pain may be different, and central sensitization is
      possibly involved in generalized pain. Pain at other sites needs to be considered
      in the management and treatment of OA-related pain.

PMID- 28918595
TI  - Successful pregnancy in a CKD patient on a low-protein, supplemented diet: an
      opportunity to reflect on CKD and pregnancy in Mexico, an emerging country.
AB  - Pregnancy is probably the most important challenge in young women with chronic
      kidney disease (CKD). The challenge is greater in developing countries, in which
      access to dialysis is uneven, and prenatal care for CKD patients is not uniformly
      available. This case report summarizes some of the challenges faced by pregnant
      CKD women in a developing country. A 35-year-old woman, affected by an
      undiagnosed kidney disease, experienced preeclampsia at 24 years of age, and
      started dialysis in emergency at age 31 in the context of severe preeclampsia in
      her second pregnancy. Following slow recovery of kidney function, after 18 months
      of dialysis she started a moderately restricted, supplemented, low-protein diet,
      which allowed her to discontinue dialysis. A few months after dialysis
      discontinuation, she started a new pregnancy in the presence of severely reduced
      kidney function (serum creatinine 4.6 mg/dl at the last pre-pregnancy control).
      Interestingly, she discontinued nephrology and nutritional follow-up, mainly
      because she was worried that she would be discouraged from continuing the
      pregnancy, but also because she continued to feel well. She self-managed her diet
      in pregnancy and delivered a healthy baby, with normal intrauterine growth, at
      term; while the last laboratory data confirmed the presence of severe kidney
      function impairment, she is still dialysis-free at the time of the present
      report. Her story, with its happy ending, underlines the importance of dedicated
      programs for CKD pregnancies in developing countries and confirms the safety of
      moderately protein-restricted diets in pregnancy.

PMID- 28918596
TI  - CD5+ B lymphocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: relation to disease
      activity.
AB  - B cells are essential players in the pathogenic mechanisms of systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE). Although CD5+ B cells have been considered to play a
      paradoxical role in preventing, rather than inducing autoimmunity, there is no
      consensus agreement about the proportions of CD5+ B cells population in SLE
      patients. So, the aim of the present study was to assess blood concentration of
      CD5+ B cells in patients with SLE and to evaluate their relationship with disease
      activity and organ damage. We recruited 100 SLE patients and 100 healthy control
      subjects. Based on SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), patients were divided
      into two groups: active SLE (n = 50) and inactive SLE (n = 50). SLE was active
      when SLEDAI was >= 4. The expression of CD5+ B cells was evaluated using flow
      cytometry to measure the proportions and absolute numbers of the cells. The
      proportions of CD5+ B cells of total lymphocytes were significantly lower in SLE
      patients versus controls (4.1 +/- 3.9 vs 10.8 +/- 5.2%, P = <0.001). CD5+ B cells
      were significantly decreased in active SLE patients (3.1 +/- 2.7%) in comparison
      to inactive patients (5.2 +/- 3.7%) (P = 0.013). CD5+ B cells correlated
      positively with C3 (r = 0.328, P = 0.020) and C4 (r = 0.355, P = 0.011). CD5+ B
      cells were significantly decreased in SLE patients compared to healthy controls
      and they were significantly decreased in active SLE patients in comparison to
      inactive ones.

PMID- 28918597
TI  - Effect of vibration on postural control and gait of elderly subjects: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gait and balance disorders are common in the elderly
      populations, and their prevalence increases with age. This systematic review was
      performed to summarize the current evidence for subthreshold vibration
      interventions on postural control and gait in elderly. METHOD: A review of
      intervention studies including the following words in the title/abstract: insole,
      foot and ankle appliances, vibration, noise and elderly related to balance and
      gait. Databases searched included PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Ovid, Scopus, and
      Google Scholar. Fifteen articles were selected for final evaluation. The
      procedure was followed using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews
      and meta-analysis method. RESULTS: There was reduction in center of pressure
      velocity and displacement especially with eyes closed using vibration in healthy
      elderly subjects and this effect was greater in elderly faller and patients with
      more balance deficiency. Vibration programme training increased speed of walking,
      cadence, step time and length in stroke subjects. The vibratory insoles
      significantly improved performance on the Timed Up and Go and Functional Reach
      tests in older people. CONCLUSION: Vibration was effective on balance improvement
      in elderly subject especially elderly with more balance deficiency and it can
      improve gait parameters in patients with greater baseline variability.

PMID- 28918598
TI  - Triacsin C reduces lipid droplet formation and induces mitochondrial biogenesis
      in primary rat hepatocytes.
AB  - Intracellular long-chain acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSL) activate fatty acids to
      produce acyl-CoA, which undergoes beta-oxidation and participates in the
      synthesis of esterified lipids such as triacylglycerol (TAG). Imbalances in these
      metabolic routes are closely associated with the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic
      fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Triacsin C is one of the few compounds that inhibit
      TAG accumulation into lipid droplets (LD) by suppressing ACSL activity. Here we
      report that treatment of primary rat hepatocytes with triacsin C at
      concentrations lower than the IC50 (4.1 MUM) for LD formation: (i) diminished LD
      number in a concentration-dependent manner; (ii) increased mitochondrial amount;
      (iii) markedly improved mitochondrial metabolism by enhancing the beta-oxidation
      efficiency, electron transport chain capacity, and degree of coupling - treatment
      of isolated rat liver mitochondria with the same triacsin C concentrations did
      not affect the last two parameters; (iv) decreased the GSH/GSSG ratio and
      elevated the protein carbonyl level, which suggested an increased reactive oxygen
      species production, as observed in isolated mitochondria. The hepatocyte
      mitochondrial improvements were not related to either the transcriptional levels
      of PGC-1alpha or the content of mTOR and phosphorylated AMPK. Triacsin C at 10
      MUM induced hepatocyte death by necrosis and/or apoptosis through mechanisms
      associated with mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening, as
      demonstrated by experiments using isolated mitochondria. Therefore, triacsin C at
      sub-IC50 concentrations modulates the lipid imbalance by shifting hepatocytes to
      a more oxidative state and enhancing the fatty acid consumption, which can in
      turn accelerate lipid oxidation and reverse NAFLD in long-term therapies.

PMID- 28918599
TI  - Optimal affinity ranking for automated virtual screening validated in prospective
      D3R grand challenges.
AB  - The goal of virtual screening is to generate a substantially reduced and enriched
      subset of compounds from a large virtual chemistry space. Critical in these
      efforts are methods to properly rank the binding affinity of compounds.
      Prospective evaluations of ranking strategies in the D3R grand challenges show
      that for targets with deep pockets the best correlations (Spearman rho ~ 0.5)
      were obtained by our submissions that docked compounds to the holo-receptors with
      the most chemically similar ligand. On the other hand, for targets with open
      pockets using multiple receptor structures is not a good strategy. Instead,
      docking to a single optimal receptor led to the best correlations (Spearman rho ~
      0.5), and overall performs better than any other method. Yet, choosing a
      suboptimal receptor for crossdocking can significantly undermine the affinity
      rankings. Our submissions that evaluated the free energy of congeneric compounds
      were also among the best in the community experiment. Error bars of around 1
      kcal/mol are still too large to significantly improve the overall rankings.
      Collectively, our top of the line predictions show that automated virtual
      screening with rigid receptors perform better than flexible docking and other
      more complex methods.

PMID- 28918600
TI  - Morphology and size of blood cells of Rhinella arenarum (Hensel, 1867) as
      environmental health assessment in disturbed aquatic ecosystem from central
      Argentina.
AB  - Four populations of Rhinella arenarum from aquatic environments with different
      degrees of disturbance in central Argentina were compared to assess the ability
      of cytomorphology and cytomorphometry of blood cells as a hematological
      biomarker. A total of 93 specimens of R. arenarum (adults sexually mature) were
      captured during the spring. From the analysis of cell, no variations were found
      in terms of morphology, whereas in nuclear and cell areas and Price-Jones curves,
      we observed a smaller size in erythrocytes of individuals inhabiting the site
      most altered, "Villa Dalcar," as well as for leukocytes, lymphocytes,
      neutrophils, and eosinophils for the same site. This could be caused by presence
      of different pollutants in the lake. Furthermore, this was confirmed by the high
      levels of environmental variables (conductivity, total dissolved solids, and
      salinity) show that Villa Dalcar is the site most affected by human activities.

PMID- 28918601
TI  - Effects of phoxim-induced hepatotoxicity on SD rats and the protection of vitamin
      E.
AB  - Currently, public pay more attention to the adverse effect of organophosphate
      pesticides on human and animal health and on the environment in developing
      nations. Vitamin E may protect the hepatocyte and increase the function of liver.
      The study was to investigate the effects of phoxim-induced hepatotoxicity on
      Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and the protection of vitamin E. SD rats received by
      gavage 180 mg kg-1 (per body weight) of phoxim, 200 mg kg-1 (per body weight) of
      vitamin E, and phoxim + vitamin E. The results showed that exposure to phoxim
      elevated liver coefficient; glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), aspartate
      aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, total bile acid, and
      alanine aminotransferase in the serum; ROS in the liver; and the expression of
      p53, Bax, CYP2E1, ROS, caspase-9, caspase-8, and caspase-3, while phoxim caused a
      reduction of total protein, albumin, and cholinesterase in the serum;
      acetylcholinesterase, total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase, and
      glutathione in the liver; and the expression of Bcl-2. Vitamin E modified the
      phoxim-induced hepatotoxicity by reducing the GGT in the serum, malondialdehyde
      in the liver, and the expression of CYP2E1 significantly. There were no
      significant changes of globulin in the serum, the activity of catalase in the
      liver, as well as expression levels of Fas and Bad in the liver. Overall,
      subacute exposure to phoxim induced hepatic injury, oxidative stress damage, and
      cell apoptosis. Vitamin E modified phoxim-induced hepatotoxicity slightly. And,
      vitamin E minimized oxidative stress damage and ultrastructural changes in rat
      hepatocytes notably.

PMID- 28918602
TI  - Population Pharmacokinetics and Optimal Sampling Strategy for Model-Based
      Precision Dosing of Melphalan in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell
      Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-dose melphalan is an important component of conditioning
      regimens for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The
      current dosing strategy based on body surface area results in a high incidence of
      oral mucositis and gastrointestinal and liver toxicity. Pharmacokinetically
      guided dosing will individualize exposure and help minimize overexposure-related
      toxicity. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a population
      pharmacokinetic model and optimal sampling strategy. METHODS: A population
      pharmacokinetic model was developed with NONMEM using 98 observations collected
      from 15 adult patients given the standard dose of 140 or 200 mg/m2 by intravenous
      infusion. The determinant-optimal sampling strategy was explored with PopED
      software. Individual area under the curve estimates were generated by Bayesian
      estimation using full and the proposed sparse sampling data. The predictive
      performance of the optimal sampling strategy was evaluated based on bias and
      precision estimates. The feasibility of the optimal sampling strategy was tested
      using pharmacokinetic data from five pediatric patients. RESULTS: A two
      compartment model best described the data. The final model included body weight
      and creatinine clearance as predictors of clearance. The determinant-optimal
      sampling strategies (and windows) were identified at 0.08 (0.08-0.19), 0.61 (0.33
      0.90), 2.0 (1.3-2.7), and 4.0 (3.6-4.0) h post-infusion. An excellent correlation
      was observed between area under the curve estimates obtained with the full and
      the proposed four-sample strategy (R 2 = 0.98; p < 0.01) with a mean bias of 
      2.2% and precision of 9.4%. A similar relationship was observed in children (R 2
      = 0.99; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The developed pharmacokinetic model-based sparse
      sampling strategy promises to achieve the target area under the curve as part of
      precision dosing.

PMID- 28918603
TI  - Tumor markers of uterine cervical cancer: a new scenario to guide surgical
      practice?
AB  - Since the introduction of Pap smear screening, the incidence and mortality of
      cervical cancer (CC) have been reduced drastically in USA and in other western
      states. Nevertheless, CC still remains the main cause of death from gynecological
      cancer in developing countries where screening programs are scant or inexistent.
      This evidence highlights the efficacy of screening, and the wide use of Human
      Papilloma Viruses (HPV) vaccines in developed countries. More and more people
      are, consequentially, undergoing a screening procedure, usually combined with HPV
      DNA test, increasing the early diagnosis of intraepithelial HPV-related lesions.
      The long transit time from early cervical lesion to invasive cancer provides an
      opportunity to identify pre-cancerous lesions where treatment result is maximum.
      In fact, when an invasive CC occurs, the overall survival rate strictly depends
      on stage of disease with an average survival of 70% at 5 years. Under the
      pressure of this reality, researches have made efforts to individuate cancer
      markers as indicator of specific cancer events. Some markers were showed to be
      able to detect those intraepithelial lesions have more chance to evolve to
      invasive forms (p16ink4a, p16, E-cadherin, Ki67, pRb, p53). Markers such as CEA,
      SCC-Ag, CD44, have been developed to detect invasive forms. Although cancer
      markers actually are not used only for early diagnosis, they may be useful in
      others fields of application such as evaluation and monitoring of treatments to
      improve diagnosis and treatment of CC.

PMID- 28918604
TI  - Symptom experience of multiple myeloma (syMMex) patients treated with autologous
      stem cell transplantation following high-dose melphalan: a descriptive
      longitudinal study.
AB  - PURPOSE: High-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) are
      associated with high symptom burden. This study aimed to explore multiple myeloma
      (MM) patients' experience of symptom frequency, intensity, and distress during
      therapy. METHODS: This descriptive longitudinal study enrolled 29 MM patients who
      completed the 43-item PROVIVO questionnaire, measuring symptom experience across
      the dimensions of frequency, intensity, and distress at four assessment points:
      hospital admission (T0), leucocyte nadir (T1), discharge (T2), and 30 days post
      discharge (T3). Symptom assessment covered five categories: (1) physical, (2)
      emotional, (3) cognitive, (4) male/female urogenital symptoms, and (5) follow-up
      care planning (e.g., financial problems). Results were displayed as heat maps and
      bubble graphs for each patient, differences between T0 and T4 individually
      assessed, and intensity (IMS) and mean distress scores (DMS) calculated on a
      scale from 0 to 4. RESULTS: The most frequent, intense, and distressing physical
      symptoms were fatigue, diarrhea, and decreased appetite. As expected, peak
      symptom intensity (decreased appetite 2.79) and distress (diarrhea 2.11) were
      reported during high-dose melphalan and the leucocyte nadir (T1). Thereafter,
      most symptoms' intensity and distress improved. Items on urogenital symptoms
      remained predominantly unanswered or patients were sexually inactive.
      CONCLUSIONS: PROVIVO enabled exploration of various dimensions of MM patients'
      symptom experiences, which differed substantially before and after ASCT. Our
      results suggest that high-dose melphalan, ASCT, and other intensive novel agent
      therapies warrant targeted symptom management programs that include focused
      patient support.

PMID- 28918605
TI  - Food or threat? Wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) as both predators and
      prey of snakes.
AB  - Snakes present a hazard to primates, both as active predators and by defensive
      envenomation. This risk might have been a selective pressure on the evolution of
      primate visual and cognitive systems, leading to several behavioral traits
      present in human and non-human primates, such as the ability to quickly learn to
      fear snakes. Primates seldom prey on snakes, and humans are one of the few
      primate species that do. We report here another case, the wild capuchin monkey
      (Sapajus libidinosus), which preys on snakes. We hypothesized that capuchin
      monkeys, due to their behavioral plasticity, and cognitive and visual skills,
      would be capable of discriminating dangerous and non-dangerous snakes and behave
      accordingly. We recorded the behavioral patterns exhibited toward snakes in two
      populations of S. libidinosus living 320 km apart in Piaui, Brazil. As expected,
      capuchins have a fear reaction to dangerous snakes (usually venomous or
      constricting snakes), presenting mobbing behavior toward them. In contrast, they
      hunt and consume non-dangerous snakes without presenting the fear response. Our
      findings support the tested hypothesis that S. libidinosus are capable of
      differentiating snakes by level of danger: on the one hand they protect
      themselves from dangerous snakes, on the other hand they take opportunities to
      prey on non-dangerous snakes. Since capuchins and humans are both predators and
      prey of snakes, further studies of this complex relationship may shed light on
      the evolution of these traits in the human lineage.

PMID- 28918607
TI  - Modeling the pH and temperature dependence of aqueousphase hydroxyl radical
      reaction rate constants of organic micropollutants using QSPR approach.
AB  - Designing of advanced oxidation process (AOP) requires knowledge of the aqueous
      phase hydroxyl radical (?OH) reactions rate constants (k OH), which are strictly
      dependent upon the pH and temperature of the medium. In this study, pH- and
      temperature-dependent quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models
      based on the decision tree boost (DTB) approach were developed for the prediction
      of k OH of diverse organic contaminants following the OECD guidelines.
      Experimental datasets (n = 958) pertaining to the k OH values of aqueous phase
      reactions at different pH (n = 470; 1.4 * 106 to 3.8 * 1010 M-1 s-1) and
      temperature (n = 171; 1.0 * 107 to 2.6 * 1010 M-1 s-1) were considered and
      molecular descriptors of the compounds were derived. The Sanderson scale
      electronegativity, topological polar surface area, number of double bonds, and
      halogen atoms in the molecule, in addition to the pH and temperature, were found
      to be the relevant predictors. The models were validated and their external
      predictivity was evaluated in terms of most stringent criteria parameters derived
      on the test data. High values of the coefficient of determination (R 2) and small
      root mean squared error (RMSE) in respective training (> 0.972, <= 0.12) and test
      (>= 0.936, <= 0.16) sets indicated high generalization and predictivity of the
      developed QSPR model. Other statistical parameters derived from the training and
      test data also supported the robustness of the models and their suitability for
      screening new chemicals within the defined chemical space. The developed QSPR
      models provide a valuable tool for predicting the ?OH reaction rate constants of
      emerging new water contaminants for their susceptibility to AOPs.

PMID- 28918606
TI  - Kinetic coupling of phosphate release, force generation and rate-limiting steps
      in the cross-bridge cycle.
AB  - A basic goal in muscle research is to understand how the cyclic ATPase activity
      of cross-bridges is converted into mechanical force. A direct approach to study
      the chemo-mechanical coupling between Pi release and the force-generating step is
      provided by the kinetics of force response induced by a rapid change in [Pi].
      Classical studies on fibres using caged-Pi discovered that rapid increases in
      [Pi] induce fast force decays dependent on final [Pi] whose kinetics were
      interpreted to probe a fast force-generating step prior to Pi release. However,
      this hypothesis was called into question by studies on skeletal and cardiac
      myofibrils subjected to Pi jumps in both directions (increases and decreases in
      [Pi]) which revealed that rapid decreases in [Pi] trigger force rises with slow
      kinetics, similar to those of calcium-induced force development and mechanically
      induced force redevelopment at the same [Pi]. A possible explanation for this
      discrepancy came from imaging of individual sarcomeres in cardiac myofibrils,
      showing that the fast force decay upon increase in [Pi] results from so-called
      sarcomere 'give'. The slow force rise upon decrease in [Pi] was found to better
      reflect overall sarcomeres cross-bridge kinetics and its [Pi] dependence,
      suggesting that the force generation coupled to Pi release cannot be separated
      from the rate-limiting transition. The reasons for the different conclusions
      achieved in fibre and myofibril studies are re-examined as the recent findings on
      cardiac myofibrils have fundamental consequences for the coupling between Pi
      release, rate-limiting steps and force generation. The implications from Pi
      induced force kinetics of myofibrils are discussed in combination with historical
      and recent models of the cross-bridge cycle.

PMID- 28918608
TI  - Unorthodox right parasternal imaging saves the day.

PMID- 28918610
TI  - The Role of TNF-alpha in Aflatoxin B-1 Induced Hepatic Toxicity in Isolated
      Perfused Rat Liver Model.
AB  - Aflatoxin B-1 (AFB1) is one of the major mycotoxins causing food contamination.
      Previous studies have shown that AFB1 can induce carcinogenicity and toxic
      effects in the isolated perfused rat liver and these effects are associated with
      its metabolites and peroxidation activity. Here we surveyed whether these
      pathogenic effects of AFB1 are associated with TNF-alpha as an inflammatory
      cytokine in general liver damages. In this study, we used twenty male Wistar rats
      (250-300 g). Rats were divided into four groups. Control group was pre-treated
      with LPS and then perfused with KHBB. The second group was pretreated with PTX
      and LPS and then perfused with KHB. The third group was pre-treated with LPS and
      then perfused with AFB-1 and KHB. The last group was pretreated with LPS and PTX
      and then perfused with AFB1 and KHB. Results revealed that aflatoxin B1
      significantly increased the enzyme activity of aminotransferase and levels of
      lipid peroxidation. Also, the levels of Glutathione decreased in the aflatoxin
      group significantly. TNF-alpha released in perfusate and increased in aflatoxin
      B1 group significantly and decreased in AFB-1+PTX. Exposure to Aflatoxin B1 may
      induce reactive oxygen species, so these species may induce overproduction of
      proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and may cause more damage to hepatic
      cells.

PMID- 28918611
TI  - Anti-Melanogenic Activity and Cytotoxicity of Pistacia vera Hull on Human
      Melanoma SKMEL-3 Cells.
AB  - Pistacia vera seed is a common food and medicinal seed in Iran. It's hull (outer
      skin) as a significant byproduct of pistachio, is traditionally used as tonic,
      sedative and antidiarrheal and has been shown to be a rich source of
      antioxidants. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the anti-melanogenic
      activity of the pistachio hulls in order to discover a new alternative herbal
      agent to treat skin hyperpigmentation disorders. In this work, antioxidant and
      anti-tyrosinase activity of MeOH extract from Pistacia vera hull (MPH) were
      evaluated in vitro, respectively, by DPPH radical scavenging and mushroom
      tyrosinase activity assays. Then the effect of MPH on the melanin content,
      cellular tyrosinase activity and cytotoxicity (MTT assay) on human melanoma SKMEL
      3 cell were determined followed by 72 h incubation. The results indicated that
      MPH had valuable DPPH radical scavenging effect and weak anti-tyrosinase activity
      when compared to the well-known antioxidant (BHT) and tyrosinase inhibitor (kojic
      acid), respectively. MPH, at a high dose (0.5 mg/mL), showed significant
      cytotoxic activity (~63%) and strong anti-melanogenic effect (~57%) on SKMEL-3
      cells. The effect of MPH in the reduction of melanin content may be related to
      its cytotoxicity. The results obtained suggest that MPH can be used as an
      effective agent in the treatment of some skin hyperpigmentation disorders such as
      melanoma.

PMID- 28918609
TI  - Associations among Gastric Juice pH, Atrophic Gastritis, Intestinal Metaplasia
      and Helicobacter pylori Infection.
AB  - Background/Aims: Gastric juice plays a crucial role in the physiology of the
      stomach. The aim of this study is to evaluate associations among the pH of
      gastric juice, atrophic gastritis (AG), intestinal metaplasia (IM), pepsinogen,
      and Helicobacter pylori infection. Methods: Gastric biopsies and juice were
      collected from 46 subjects who underwent endoscopies at Seoul National University
      Bundang Hospital between November 2011 and March 2013. H. pylori, AG and IM were
      evaluated, and pepsinogen I or II, I/II ratio, and interleukin (IL)-1beta levels
      were measured. Results: The mean pH of gastric juice was higher in the H. pylori
      positive group (n=17) than that in the H. pylori-negative group (n=29) (4.54 vs
      2.46, p=0.002). When patients were divided into pH <3 (n=28) and pH >=3 (n=18)
      groups, H. pylori was lower in the pH <3 group (21.4%) than in the pH >=3 group
      (61.1%) (p=0.007). The pH >=3 group demonstrated AG and IM more frequently than
      the pH <3 group in the body (p=0.047 and p=0.051, respectively) but not in the
      antrum. There were no differences in pepsinogen I or II, I/II ratio, and IL-1beta
      levels between the two groups. Conclusions: There is a relationship between
      chronic H. pylori infection and gastric juice pH >=3, which may originate from AG
      and IM in the body.

PMID- 28918612
TI  - Increase Concentration of Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-beta) in Breast
      Milk of Mothers With Psychological Disorders.
AB  - Several studies have shown an imbalance between proinflammatory and anti
      inflammatory cytokines in depression and anxiety disorders. However, less
      attention has been paid to the role of cytokines in psychological disorder in
      mothers who breastfeed. This study looks at whether concentration levels of TGF
      beta2 are altered in anxious and depressive breastfeeding mothers. This study
      checked the concentration level of TGF-B2 in relation with psychological symptoms
      on 110 breastfeeding mothers; based on random sampling method with using of Beck
      Depression Inventory (BDI), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Spielberger
      Stress Scale (STAI) in 2015 also TGF-beta2 was measured in breast milk using
      ELISA. We used of Pearson Correlation Method, independent t-test and one-way
      analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze the data. Psychological symptoms (Anxiety
      and depression) showed positive correlation with TGF-Beta level in which
      relationships were significant (P=0.01). Psychological problems may be uniquely
      associated with the level of TGF-beta in breast milk. More attention should be
      paid to the mental health of mothers during breastfeeding, and more research
      needs to be done in this subject to clarify the relationship between
      psychological variables with the level of TGF-beta in breast milk.

PMID- 28918613
TI  - Predicting Time to Reflux of Children With Antenatal Hydronephrosis: A Competing
      Risks Approach.
AB  - The aim of this study was describing methodological aspects and applying a
      trivariate Weibull survival model using the competing risks concept to predict
      time to occurrence different types of reflux (unilateral (left, right) or
      bilateral) in children with antenatal hydronephrosis. Data from 333 children in
      Pediatric Urology Research Center of Children's Hospital Medical Center,
      affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences was used. The effect of
      some demographic and clinical factors on child's reflux was studied. The
      assumption of independent between times of different types of reflux was
      evaluated. Of infants 80.5% were boy. The percentage of children experienced
      right, left and bilateral reflux or have been censored are 15.3%, 14.1%, 60.4%
      and 10.2% respectively. For the time of left reflux, variables, Week of diagnosis
      ANH, UC, UA, HUN, HN, APD_Right, Direction of ANH, CA19-9 baby, Urethra were
      significant. For the time of right reflux, variables, constipation, UC, UA, HUN,
      APD_Right, Direction and Severity of ANH, Bladder, and finally for the time of
      bilateral reflux, variables, Week of diagnosis ANH, Gender, UA, HUN, HN,
      APD_Left, Urethra, and Bladder were significant P<0.05. In the presence of
      competing risks, it is inappropriate to use the Kaplan-Meier method and standard
      Cox model which do not take competing risks into account. Trivariate Weibull
      survival model using competing risks not only is able to calculate the hazard
      rate of variables with different type of events but also it will be able to
      compare the hazard rate within the same type of event with different covariates.

PMID- 28918614
TI  - Modifiable Co-Morbidities Trends During Hospital Admissions for Obesity in France
      (2009-2014).
AB  - Obesity is a growing public health problem in France, but modifiable co
      morbidities in obese patients during their hospital admissions excluding
      bariatric surgery are lacking. Data were extracted from the French national
      hospital discharge database. Data on patient admissions, age, gender, and length
      of stay were extracted by selecting any stay coded primary as obesity. Obesity
      was defined as body mass index (BMI) between 30-39 kg/m2, and morbid obesity as
      BMI>=40 kg/m2. Only modifiable co-morbidities frequently diagnosed during the 6
      year period with a rate>=3% were chosen. The admission rate for obesity decreased
      by 27.2% (P<0.001) with more females than males (71.9% vs. 28.1 %; P<0.001). The
      main modifiable co-morbidities were hypertension (22.72%), sleep apnea (13.64%),
      diabetes (12.34%), vitamin D deficiency (7.09%), hyperlipidemia (6.9%),
      hypercholesterolemia (4.98%), and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (4.94%).
      Significant decreases were observed for hypertension (14.5%), diabetes (20%),
      hypercholesterolemia (30%) with steeper increase for vitamin D deficiency
      (830.7%) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (165.2%). Considering obesity class,
      admission for obesity (BMI: 30-40 kg/m2) and morbid obesity (BMI>=40 kg/m2)
      increased (P<0.001) by 6% and 7% respectively. Taking into account severity in
      proportion, stay>3 days significantly increased by 29.2% (P<0.001). The increase
      in the proportion of morbid obesity, vitamin D deficiency, and nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis adds further evidence on the likely adverse health consequences
      of modifiable obesity-related comorbidities. There is a need for Health
      Authorities to promoting healthy lifestyle.

PMID- 28918615
TI  - Predicting Difficult Laryngoscopy and Intubation With Laryngoscopic Exam Test: A
      New Method.
AB  - Airway assessment is fundamental skill for anesthesiologists and failure to
      maintain a patient's airway is the tremendous cause of anesthesia-related
      morbidity and mortality. None of the tests which have recommended for predicting
      difficult intubation stands out to be the best clinical test or have high
      diagnostic accuracy. Our study aimed to determine the utility of a new test as
      "laryngoscopic exam test (LET)" in predicting difficult intubation. Three hundred
      and eleven patients aged 16-60 years participated and completed the study. Airway
      assessment was carried out with modified Mallampati test, upper lip bit test and
      LET preoperatively, and Cormack and Lehane's grading of laryngoscopy were
      assessed during intubation as a gold standard, and difficult laryngoscopy was
      considered as Cormack and Lehane's grade IotaIotaIota or IotaV of laryngoscopic
      view. The incidence of difficult intubation was 6.1%. The LET showed higher
      sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (P<0.05), without revealing significant
      differences among three tests (P=0.375). The LET is a simple bedside test and an
      alternative method for predicting difficult intubation.

PMID- 28918616
TI  - Trainee-Associated Factors and Proficiency at Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.
AB  - Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) is a complicated procedure for urology
      trainees. This study was designed to investigate the effect of trainees' ages and
      previous experience, as well as the number of operated cases, on proficiency at
      PNL by using patient outcomes. A cross sectional observational study was designed
      during a five-year period. Trainees in PNL fellowship programs were included. At
      the end of the program, the trainees' performance in PNL was assessed regarding
      five competencies and scored 1-5. If the overall score was 4 or above, the
      trainee was considered as proficient. The trainees' age at the beginning of the
      program and the years passed from their residency graduation were asked and
      recorded. Also, the number of PNL cases operated by each trainee was obtained via
      their logbooks. The age, years passed from graduation, and number of operated
      cases were compared between two groups of proficient and non-proficient trainees.
      Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was applied to
      estimate the effect of aforementioned variables on the occurrence of the
      proficiency. Forty-two trainees were included in the study. The mean and standard
      deviation for the overall score were 3.40 (out of 5) and 0.67, respectively.
      Eleven trainees (26.2%) recognized as proficient in performing PNL. Univariate
      regression analysis indicated that each of three variables (age, years passed
      from graduation and number of operated cases) had statistically significant
      effect on proficiency. However, the multivariate regression analysis revealed
      that just the number of cases had significant effect on achieving proficiency.
      Although it might be assumed that trainees' age negatively correlates with their
      scores, in fact, it is their amount of practice that makes a difference. A
      certain number of cases is required to be operated by a trainee in order to reach
      the desired competency in PNL.

PMID- 28918617
TI  - Right Ventricular Thrombosis Combined With Fetal Death and Acrocyanosis in
      Pregnancy.
AB  - Prepartum or postpartum right ventricular thrombosis (RVT) is an exceedingly rare
      and potentially lethal phenomenon in pregnancy. We here report a case of a
      pregnant patient with near term pregnancy admitted for dyspnea, amniotic fluids
      discharge and labor pain in a gynecology center that an eight-month dead fetus
      was diagnosed and delivered vaginally by induction. A post delivery period was
      complicated by aggravation of her dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain that she
      referred for further evaluation in our cardiac center. Physical exam revealed
      normal head and neck exam, and history taking revealed that her fetus had intra
      uterine growth failure as reported by her gynecologist. Chest exam except to left
      lung crackle was normal. Lower and upper left extremities were normal. However,
      acrocyanosis was found in tips of 4 and 5th right-hand digits. Chest x-ray
      revealed some linear consolidation in left lower lung lobes, and the precordial
      exam was normal. ECG was normal. Post delivery transthoracic echocardiography
      (TEE) showed a 1.5*1.5 cm mobile right ventricular clot. C-T angiography revealed
      obstruction of left upper lung pulmonary artery branches. Complete thrombophilia
      assay showed the presence of high titer of antiphospholipid, anticardiolipin
      antibody, and beta1 glycoprotein antibody. However, others test were normal. The
      patient was scheduled for cardiac surgery, and her hemodynamic was monitored by
      left radial artery line and central pressure venous line, and thrombus was
      removed from the right ventricle (RV), and subsequent anticoagulation therapy
      constituted. Six-month follow-up revealed no recurrence of thrombus and recovery
      of patient's symptoms.

PMID- 28918618
TI  - Concurrent Oncocytoma and Two Angiomyolipomas in a Diabetic Kidney: A Very Rare
      Condition.
AB  - Angiomyolipoma (AML) and oncocytoma are uncommon benign neoplasms of the kidney
      which their simultaneous occurrence in the same kidney is extremely rare. This
      study reports a 60-year-old diabetic woman with the rare simultaneous occurrence
      of three renal masses. Histologic evaluation revealed two angiomyolipomas and one
      oncocytoma within the same kidney, in a background of histologic features of
      diabetic nephropathy. Renal angiomyolipoma and oncocytoma are uncommon neoplasms,
      and their simultaneous occurrence in the same kidney is extremely rare.

PMID- 28918619
TI  - Discoid Lupus Erythematosus Presenting as Upper Eyelid Edema and Erythema.
AB  - Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) is an autoimmune disorder that usually occurs
      on sun exposed areas of head and neck. Infrequently it could be presented by
      palpebral involvement and rarely unilateral upper eye lid edema and erythema have
      been reported as the sole manifestation of DLE. We describe a 38-year-old woman
      with chronic left upper eye lid edema and erythema from one year ago which was
      induced by steroid injection for left eyebrow alopecia. Histopathologic and
      direct immunofluorescent studies were made on palpebral skin tissue and confirmed
      DLE diagnosis. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer was 1/160 with speckled pattern.
      She was treated by oral hydroxychloroquine (400 mg daily) with moderate
      improvement after three months. We should think about DLE in cases with chronic
      upper eye lid edema and erythema. The aim of this case report is to emphasize
      that ophthalmologist and dermatologists should be aware of different
      presentations of DLE in the periorbital area to prevent misdiagnosis.

PMID- 28918620
TI  - Conservative Management of Colonoscopic Perforation: A Case Report.
AB  - Colonoscopy is widely used for the diagnosis, treatment and a follow up of
      colorectal diseases. Perforation of the large bowel during elective colonoscopy
      is rare but serious life threatening complication. We report a 51-year-old woman
      who experienced recto sigmoid perforation during diagnostic colonoscopy. During 8
      days of total hospitalization, she spent 3 days in ICU with gastrointestinal
      rest. The patient was hydrated and took intravenous antibiotics. In take-output
      and temperature were closely monitored. Serial abdominal examinations were
      performed to rule out peritonitis. After transferring to surgery ward in the day
      4, liquid diet started slowly, and she was ambulated. At the day 8, she was
      discharged with the good clinical condition. Conservative management of the
      patients with early diagnosis of perforation and no signs and symptoms of
      peritonitis or sepsis could be the modality of choice.

PMID- 28918621
TI  - Parameters Contributing to Aging: Avicenna's Viewpoints.

PMID- 28918622
TI  - Emission Changes Dwarf the Influence of Feeding Habits on Temporal Trends of Per-
      and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Two Arctic Top Predators.
AB  - We monitored concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in
      relation to climate-associated changes in feeding habits and food availability in
      polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) (192 plasma and
      113 liver samples, respectively) sampled from Svalbard, Norway, during 1997-2014.
      PFASs concentrations became greater with increasing dietary trophic level, as
      bears and foxes consumed more marine as opposed to terrestrial food, and as the
      availability of sea ice habitat increased. Long-chained perfluoroalkyl
      carboxylates (PFCAs) in arctic foxes decreased with availability of reindeer
      carcasses. The ~9-14% yearly decline of C6-8 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs)
      following the cease in C6-8 PFSA precursor production in 2001 indicates that the
      peak exposure was mainly a result of atmospheric transport of the volatile
      precursors. However, the stable PFSA concentrations since 2009-2010 suggest that
      Svalbard biota is still exposed to ocean-transported PFSAs. Long-chain ocean
      transported PFCAs increased 2-4% per year and the increase in C12-14 PFCAs in
      polar bears tended to level off since ~2009. Emerging short-chain PFASs showed no
      temporal changes. Climate-related changes in feeding habits and food availability
      moderately affected PFAS trends. Our results indicate that PFAS concentrations in
      polar bears and arctic foxes are mainly affected by emissions.

PMID- 28918623
TI  - Intermolecular Radical Addition to Carbonyls Enabled by Visible Light Photoredox
      Initiated Hole Catalysis.
AB  - Herein, we present a novel strategy for the utilization of simple carbonyl
      compounds, aldehydes and ketones, as intermolecular radical acceptors. The
      reaction is enabled by visible light photoredox initiated hole catalysis and the
      in situ Bronsted acid activation of the carbonyl compound. This regioselective
      alkyl radical addition reaction does not require metals, ligands or additives and
      proceeds with a high degree of atom economy under mild conditions. The proposed
      mechanism is supported by both experimental and theoretical studies.

PMID- 28918624
TI  - Synthesis of Oligodiacetylene Derivatives from Flexible Porous Coordination
      Frameworks.
AB  - Oligodiacetylenes (ODAs) with alternating ene-yne conjugated structure are
      significant materials for optical and electronic properties. Due to the low
      solubility of ODAs in common solvents, the synthetic approaches are limited. Here
      we disclose a new synthetic approach of ODAs without a side alkyl chain using a
      porous coordination polymer (PCP) as a sacrificial template. 1,2-Bis(4
      pyridyl)butadiyne, which works as a monomer, was embedded in the flexible
      framework of the PCP, and ODAs were synthesized via utilization of the
      anisotropic thermal expansion of the PCP crystal. The oligomeric state of ODAs
      depends on the metal ion and coligand of the precursor.

PMID- 28918625
TI  - On the Negative Surface Tension of Solutions and on Spontaneous Emulsification.
AB  - The condition of negative surface tension of a binary regular solution is
      discussed in this paper using the recently reconfirmed Butler equation (Langmuir
      2015, 31, 5796-5804). It is shown that the surface tension becomes negative only
      for solutions with strong repulsion between the components. This repulsion for
      negative surface tension should be so strong that this phenomenon appears only
      within a miscibility gap, that is, in a two-phase region of macroscopic liquid
      solutions. Thus, for a macroscopic solution, the negative surface tension is
      possible only in a nonequilibrium state. However, for a nano-solution, negative
      surface tension is also possible in equilibrium state. It is also shown that nano
      and microemulsions can be thermodynamically stable against both coalescence and
      phase separation. Further, the thermodynamic theory of emulsion stability is
      developed for a three-component (A-B-C) system with A-rich droplets dispersed in
      a C-rich matrix, separated by the segregated B-rich layer (the solubility of B is
      limited in both A and C while the mutual solubility of A and C is neglected). It
      is shown that when a critical droplet size is achieved by forced emulsification,
      it is replaced by spontaneous emulsification and the droplet size is reduced
      further to its equilibrium value. The existence of maximum temperature of
      emulsion stability is shown. Using low-energy emulsification below this maximum
      temperature, spontaneous emulsification can appear, which is enhanced with
      further decrease of temperature. This finding can be applied to interpret the
      experimental observations on spontaneous emulsification or for the design of
      stable micro- and nanoemulsions.

PMID- 28918626
TI  - Catalytic Carbonylative Rearrangement of Norbornadiene via Dinuclear Carbon
      Carbon Oxidative Addition.
AB  - Single bonds between carbon atoms are inherently challenging to activate using
      transition metals; however, ring-strain release can provide the necessary
      thermodynamic driving force to make such processes favorable. In this report, we
      describe a strain-induced C-C oxidative addition of norbornadiene. The reaction
      is mediated by a dinuclear Ni complex, which also serves as a catalyst for the
      carbonylative rearrangement of norbornadiene to form a bicyclo[3.3.0] product.

PMID- 28918627
TI  - In Situ Neutron Depth Profiling of Lithium Metal-Garnet Interfaces for Solid
      State Batteries.
AB  - The garnet-based solid state electrolyte (SSE) is considered a promising
      candidate to realize all solid state lithium (Li) metal batteries. However,
      critical issues require additional investigation before practical applications
      become possible, among which high interfacial impedance and low interfacial
      stability remain the most challenging. In this work, neutron depth profiling
      (NDP), a nondestructive and uniquely Li-sensitive technique, has been used to
      reveal the interfacial behavior of garnet SSE in contact with metallic Li through
      in situ monitoring of Li plating-stripping processes. The NDP measurement
      demonstrates predictive capabilities for diagnosing short-circuits in solid state
      batteries. Two types of cells, symmetric Li/garnet/Li (LGL) cells and asymmetric
      Li/garnet/carbon-nanotubes (LGC), are fabricated to emulate the behavior of Li
      metal and Li-free Li metal anodes, respectively. The data imply the limitation of
      Li-free Li metal anode in forming reliable interfacial contacts, and strategies
      of excessive Li and better interfacial engineering need to be investigated.

PMID- 28918628
TI  - Breaking Benzene Aromaticity-Computational Insights into the Mechanism of the
      Tungsten-Containing Benzoyl-CoA Reductase.
AB  - Aromatic compounds are environmental pollutants with toxic and carcinogenic
      properties. Despite the stability of aromatic rings, bacteria are able to degrade
      the aromatic compounds into simple metabolites and use them as growth substrates
      under oxic or even under anoxic conditions. In anaerobic microorganisms, most
      monocyclic aromatic growth substrates are converted to the central intermediate
      benzoyl-coenzyme A, which is enzymatically reduced to cyclohexa-1,5-dienoyl-CoA.
      The strictly anaerobic bacterium Geobacter metallireducens uses the class II
      benzoyl-CoA reductase complex for this reaction. The catalytic BamB subunit of
      this complex harbors an active site tungsten-bis-pyranopterin cofactor with the
      metal being coordinated by five protein/cofactor-derived sulfur atoms and a
      sixth, so far unknown, ligand. Although BamB has been biochemically and
      structurally characterized, its mechanism still remains elusive. Here we use
      continuum electrostatic and QM/MM calculations to model benzoyl-CoA reduction by
      BamB. We aim to elucidate the identity of the sixth ligand of the active-site
      tungsten ion together with the interplay of the electron and proton transfer
      events during the aromatic ring reduction. On the basis of our calculations, we
      propose that benzoyl-CoA reduction is initiated by a hydrogen atom transfer from
      a W(IV) species with an aqua ligand, yielding W(V)-[OH-] and a substrate radical
      intermediate. In the next step, a proton-assisted second electron transfer takes
      place with a conserved active-site histidine serving as the second proton donor.
      Interestingly, our calculations suggest that the electron for the second
      reduction step is taken from the pyranopterin cofactors rather than from the
      tungsten ion. The resulting cationic radical, which is distributed over both
      pyranopterins, is stabilized by conserved anionic amino acid residues. The
      stepwise mechanism of the reduction shows similarities to the Birch reduction
      known from organic chemistry. However, the strict coupling of protons and
      electrons allows the reaction to proceed under milder conditions.

PMID- 28918629
TI  - Dosimetric Quantification of Coating-Related Uptake of Silver Nanoparticles.
AB  - The elucidation of mechanisms underlying the cellular uptake of nanoparticles
      (NPs) is an important topic in nanotoxicological research. Most studies dealing
      with silver NP uptake provide only qualitative data about internalization
      efficiency and do not consider NP-specific dosimetry. Therefore, we performed a
      comprehensive comparison of the cellular uptake of differently coated silver NPs
      of comparable size in different human intestinal Caco-2 cell-derived models to
      cover also the influence of the intestinal mucus barrier and uptake-specialized M
      cells. We used a combination of the Transwell system, transmission electron
      microscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and ion beam microscopy techniques.
      The computational in vitro sedimentation, diffusion, and dosimetry (ISDD) model
      was used to determine the effective dose of the particles in vitro based on their
      individual physicochemical characteristics. Data indicate that silver NPs with a
      similar size and shape show coating-dependent differences in their uptake into
      Caco-2 cells. The internalization of silver NPs was enhanced in uptake
      specialized M-cells while the mucus did not provide a substantial barrier for NP
      internalization. ISDD modeling revealed a fivefold underestimation of dose
      response relationships of NPs in in vitro assays. In summary, the present study
      provides dosimetry-adjusted quantitative data about the influence of NP coating
      materials in cellular uptake into human intestinal cells. Underestimation of
      particle effects in vitro might be prevented by using dosimetry models and by
      considering cell models with greater proximity to the in vivo situation, such as
      the M-cell model.

PMID- 28918630
TI  - Assessing the Reliability of Material Flow Analysis Results: The Cases of
      Rhenium, Gallium, and Germanium in the United States Economy.
AB  - Decision-makers traditionally expect "hard facts" from scientific inquiry, an
      expectation that the results of material flow analyses (MFAs) can hardly meet.
      MFA limitations are attributable to incompleteness of flowcharts, limited data
      quality, and model assumptions. Moreover, MFA results are, for the most part,
      based less on empirical observation but rather on social knowledge construction
      processes. Developing, applying, and improving the means of evaluating and
      communicating the reliability of MFA results is imperative. We apply two recently
      proposed approaches for making quantitative statements on MFA reliability to
      national minor metals systems: rhenium, gallium, and germanium in the United
      States in 2012. We discuss the reliability of results in policy and management
      contexts. The first approach consists of assessing data quality based on
      systematic characterization of MFA data and the associated meta-information and
      quantifying the "information content" of MFAs. The second is a quantification of
      data inconsistencies indicated by the "degree of data reconciliation" between the
      data and the model. A high information content and a low degree of reconciliation
      indicate reliable or certain MFA results. This article contributes to reliability
      and uncertainty discourses in MFA, exemplifying the usefulness of the approaches
      in policy and management, and to raw material supply discussions by providing
      country-level information on three important minor metals often considered
      critical.

PMID- 28918632
TI  - Analysis and Sensory Evaluation of the Stereoisomers of a Homologous Series (C5
      C10) of 4-Mercapto-2-alkanols.
AB  - A homologous series of 4-mercapto-2-alkanols (C5-C10) was used to investigate the
      impact of the stereochemistry on the sensory properties of a class of naturally
      occurring polyfunctional thiols having a 1,3-oxygen-sulfur functionality.
      Stereoisomers were obtained via syntheses of racemic mixtures and subsequent
      lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolutions. Analytical separations of the stereoisomers
      were achieved by capillary gas chromatography (GC) using chiral stationary
      phases. The absolute configurations were assigned via NMR analysis. Sensory
      evaluations by means of GC/olfactometry revealed odor threshold minima for the
      medium-chain homologues (C7-C9) of the 4-mercapto-2-alkanol stereoisomers. Except
      for the C5 homologue, the lowest odor thresholds were determined for the (2R,4R)
      configured stereoisomers. The variability in odor qualities was mainly determined
      by the chain length. None of the 4-mercapto-2-alkanol stereoisomers showed
      consistent odor qualities for all homologues.

PMID- 28918631
TI  - Sequential Ruthenium Catalysis for Olefin Isomerization and Oxidation:
      Application to the Synthesis of Unusual Amino Acids.
AB  - How can you use a ruthenium isomerization catalyst twice? A ruthenium-catalyzed
      sequence for the formal two-carbon scission of allyl groups to carboxylic acids
      has been developed. The reaction includes an initial isomerization step using
      commercially available ruthenium catalysts followed by in situ transformation of
      the complex to a metal-oxo species, which is capable of catalyzing subsequent
      oxidation reactions. The method enables enantioselective syntheses of challenging
      alpha-tri- and tetrasubstituted alpha-amino acids including an expedient total
      synthesis of the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam.

PMID- 28918633
TI  - Axisymmetric and Nonaxisymmetric Oscillations of Sessile Compound Droplets in an
      Open Digital Microfluidic Platform.
AB  - Manipulating droplets of biological fluids in an electrowetting on dielectric
      (EWOD)-based digital microfluidic platform is a significant challenge because of
      biofouling and surface contamination. This problem is often addressed by
      operating in an oil environment. We study an alternate configuration of sessile
      compound droplets having an aqueous core surrounded by a smaller oil shell. In
      contrast to the conventional EWOD platform, an open digital microfluidic platform
      enabled by the core-shell configuration will allow electrical, mechanical, or
      optical probes to get unrestricted access to the droplet, thus enabling highly
      flexible and dynamically reconfigurable lab-on-chip systems. Understanding
      droplet oscillations is essential as they are known to enhance mixing. To our
      knowledge, this is the first study of axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric
      oscillations of compound droplets actuated using EWOD platforms. Mode shapes for
      both axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric oscillations were studied and explained.
      Enhancement in the axisymmetric oscillation of the core by decreasing the shell
      volume was obtained experimentally and modeled theoretically. Smaller shell
      volumes reduce the damping losses, allowing the appearance of nonaxisymmetric
      modes over a larger range of operating parameters. The oscillation frequency
      regime for obtaining prominent nonaxisymmetric oscillations for different shell
      volumes was identified. Compound droplets provide a mechanism to reduce
      biofouling, sample contamination, and evaporation. We demonstrate axisymmetric
      and nonaxisymmetric oscillations of compound droplets with the biological core of
      red blood cells, providing crucial first steps for promoting applications such as
      rapid efficient assays, mixing of biological fluids, and fluidic photonics on
      hysteresis-free surfaces.

PMID- 28918635
TI  - Optimization of the Determination Method for Dissolved Cyanobacterial Toxin BMAA
      in Natural Water.
AB  - There is a serious dispute on the existence of beta-N-methylamino-l-alanine
      (BMAA) in water, which is a neurotoxin that may cause amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis/Parkinson's disease (ALS/PDC) and Alzheimer' disease. It is believed
      that a reliable and sensitive analytical method for the determination of BMAA is
      urgently required to resolve this dispute. In the present study, the solid phase
      extraction (SPE) procedure and the analytical method for dissolved BMAA in water
      were investigated and optimized. The results showed both derivatized and
      underivatized methods were qualified for the measurement of BMAA and its isomer
      in natural water, and the limit of detection and the precision of the two methods
      were comparable. Cartridge characteristics and SPE conditions could greatly
      affect the SPE performance, and the competition of natural organic matter is the
      primary factor causing the low recovery of BMAA, which was reduced from
      approximately 90% in pure water to 38.11% in natural water. The optimized SPE
      method for BMAA was a combination of rinsed SPE cartridges, controlled
      loading/elution rates and elution solution, evaporation at 55  degrees C,
      reconstitution of a solution mixture, and filtration by polyvinylidene fluoride
      membrane. This optimized method achieved > 88% recovery of BMAA in both algal
      solution and river water. The developed method can provide an efficient way to
      evaluate the actual concentration levels of BMAA in actual water environments and
      drinking water systems.

PMID- 28918634
TI  - Engineered Probiotic for the Inhibition of Salmonella via Tetrathionate-Induced
      Production of Microcin H47.
AB  - Complications arising from antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming one of the
      key issues in modern medicine. Members of drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae spp.
      include opportunistic pathogens (e.g., Salmonella spp.) that are among the
      leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Overgrowth of these bacteria
      is considered a hallmark of intestinal dysbiosis. Microcins (small antimicrobial
      peptides) produced by some gut commensals can potentially cure these conditions
      by inhibiting these pathogens and have been proposed as a viable alternative to
      antibiotic treatment. In this proof-of-concept work, we leverage this idea to
      develop a genetically engineered prototype probiotic to inhibit Salmonella spp.
      upon exposure to tetrathionate, a molecule produced in the inflamed gut during
      the course of Salmonella infection. We developed a plasmid-based system capable
      of conferring the ability to detect and utilize tetrathionate, while at the same
      time producing microcin H47. We transferred this plasmid-based system to
      Escherichia coli and demonstrated the ability of the engineered strain to inhibit
      growth of Salmonella in anaerobic conditions while in the presence of
      tetrathionate, with no detectable inhibition in the absence of tetrathionate. In
      direct competition assays between the engineered E. coli and Salmonella, the
      engineered E. coli had a considerable increase in fitness advantage in the
      presence of 1 mM tetrathionate as compared to the absence of tetrathionate. In
      this work, we have demonstrated the ability to engineer a strain of E. coli
      capable of using an environmental signal indicative of intestinal inflammation as
      an inducing molecule, resulting in production of a microcin capable of inhibiting
      the organism responsible for the inflammation.

PMID- 28918636
TI  - Soluble Protein and Amino Acid Content Affects the Foam Quality of Sparkling
      Wine.
AB  - Proteins and amino acids are known to influence the foam characteristics of
      sparkling wines. However, it is unclear to what extent they promote foam
      formation and/or stability. This study aimed to investigate the effect of protein
      content and amino acid composition, measured via the bicinchoninic acid assay and
      high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively, on the foaming properties
      of 28 sparkling white wines, made by different production methods. Foam volume
      and stability were determined using a robotic pourer and computer vision
      algorithms. Modifications were applied to the protein determination method
      involving the use of yeast invertase as a standard in order to improve
      quantification accuracy. The protein content was found to be significantly
      correlated to parameters representative of foam stability, as were the amino
      acids arginine, asparagine, histidine, and tyrosine. Additionally, the production
      method was found to influence the foam collar height, which favored foaming in
      Methode Traditionnelle wines over other those made by production methods.
      Understanding the contributions of key wine constituents to the visual and
      mouthfeel parameters of sparkling wine will enable more efficient production of
      high-quality wines.

PMID- 28918637
TI  - Branched-Selective Intermolecular Ketone alpha-Alkylation with Unactivated
      Alkenes via an Enamide Directing Strategy.
AB  - We describe a strategy for intermolecular branched-selective alpha-alkylation of
      ketones using simple alkenes as the alkylating agents. Enamides derived from
      isoindolin-1-one provide an excellent directing template for catalytic activation
      of ketone alpha-positions. High branched selectivity is obtained for both
      aliphatic and aromatic alkenes using a cationic iridium catalyst. Preliminary
      mechanistic study favors an Ir-C migratory insertion pathway.

PMID- 28918638
TI  - A Rapid Blood Test To Determine the Active Status and Duration of Acute Viral
      Infection.
AB  - The ability to rapidly detect and diagnose acute viral infections is crucial for
      infectious disease control and management. Serology testing for the presence of
      virus-elicited antibodies in blood is one of the methods used commonly for
      clinical diagnosis of viral infections. However, standard serology-based tests
      have a significant limitation: they cannot easily distinguish active from past,
      historical infections. As a result, it is difficult to determine whether a
      patient is currently infected with a virus or not, and on an optimal course of
      action, based off of positive serology testing responses. Here, we report a
      nanoparticle-enabled blood test that can help overcome this major challenge. The
      new test is based on the analysis of virus-elicited immunoglobulin G (IgG)
      antibody present in the protein corona of a gold nanoparticle surface upon mixing
      the gold nanoparticles with blood sera. Studies conducted on mouse models of
      influenza A virus infection show that the test gives positive responses only in
      the presence of a recent acute viral infection, approximately between day 14 and
      day 21 following the infection, and becomes negative thereafter. When used
      together with the traditional serology testing, the nanoparticle test can
      determine clearly whether a positive serology response is due to a recent or
      historical viral infection. This new blood test can provide critical clinical
      information needed to optimize further treatment and/or to determine if further
      quarantining should be continued.

PMID- 28918640
TI  - Supramolecular Interaction-Assisted Fluorescence and Tunable Stimuli
      Responsiveness of l-Phenylalanine-Based Polymers.
AB  - Supramolecular host-guest interactions between randomly methylated beta
      cyclodextrin (RM beta-CD) and side-chain phenylalanine (Phe) and Phe-Phe
      dipeptide-based homopolymers have been employed for the amplification of
      fluorescence emission of otherwise weakly fluorescent amino acid Phe. The host
      guest complex has been characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, two
      dimensional rotating-frame overhauser spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared
      spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. To gain
      insights into the origin of fluorescence in homopolymers, density functional
      theory calculations were performed where phenyl moieties inside the less polar
      core of beta-CD were observed to form a pi-pi coupled complex resulting in an
      enhanced emission. Furthermore, the complex-forming ability of Phe, the guest
      molecule, has been employed in tuning the cloud point temperature (TCP) of
      statistical copolymers derived from side-chain Phe/Phe-Phe-based methacrylate
      monomers and N-isopropylacrylamide. By varying the co-monomer feed ratios in the
      statistical copolymer and hence the concentration of RM beta-CD throughout the
      polymer chain, host-guest interaction-assisted broad tunability in TCP of the
      supramolecular polymeric complex has been achieved.

PMID- 28918639
TI  - Identification of Novel Hydrogen-Substituted Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Sulfonates in
      Environmental Matrices near Metal-Plating Facilities.
AB  - Environmental occurrence and behaviors of 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether
      sulfonate (Cl-6:2 PFESA, with trade name F-53B) have been receiving increased
      attention recently. Nevertheless, its potential fates under diversified
      conditions remain concealed. In this study, susceptibility of Cl-6:2 PFESA to
      reductive dehalogenation was tested in an anaerobic super-reduced cyanocobalamin
      assay. A rapid transformation of dosed Cl-6:2 PFESA was observed, with a hydrogen
      substituted polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate (1H-6:2 PFESA) identified as the
      predominant product by a nontarget screening workflow. With the aid of laboratory
      purified standards, hydrogen-substituted PFESA analogues (i.e., 1H-6:2 and 1H-8:2
      PFESA) were further found in river water and sediment samples collected from two
      separate regions near metal-plating facilities. Geometric mean concentrations of
      560 pg/L (river water) and 11.1 pg/g (sediment) for 1H-6:2 PFESA and 11.0 pg/L
      (river water) and 7.69 pg/g (sediment) for 1H-8:2 PFESA were measured, and both
      analytes consisted average compositions of 1% and 0.1% among the 18 monitored per
      and polyfluoroalkyl sulfonate and carboxylate pollutants, respectively. To our
      knowledge, this is the first to report existence of polyfluoroalkyl sulfonates
      with both hydrogen and ether functional group in the environment.

PMID- 28918642
TI  - Effect of an oral healthcare program on gingival health status in rural areas of
      South Korea.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of an oral
      health care program administered at rural public health subcenters on oral
      hygiene status and bleeding on probing (BOP) scores among Korean rural residents
      older than 40 years. METHODS: Residents older than 40 years living in two rural
      areas were allocated randomly by order of visit into an intervention group
      (<i>n=</i>23) and control group (<i>n=</i>23). Changes in plaque and BOP score
      were analyzed between the groups using repeated-measures ANOVA. Hierarchical
      multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify factors affecting changes
      in BOP score. RESULTS: The BoP score decreased by 22.87 in the intervention group
      and 0.27 in the control group between baseline and the eighth week
      (<i>p</i><0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that the change in BoP
      score (&#916;BoP score) increased significantly with an increase in the reduction
      of the plaque (PHP) index (&#916;PHP index) (<i>t</i>=-2.174, <i>p</i><0.05) and
      increased significantly more in the intervention group than in the control group
      (<i>t</i>=2.143, <i>p</i><0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Professional care and continuous
      oral health education for 8 weeks prior to scaling among adults older than 40
      years living in rural environments resulted in a change in oral health behaviors
      and a substantial reduction in gingival bleeding.

PMID- 28918643
TI  - Speech-language pathology telehealth in rural and remote schools: the experience
      of school executive and therapy assistants.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Difficulties in accessing allied health services, especially in
      rural and remote areas, appear to be driving the use of telehealth services to
      children in schools. The objectives of this study were to investigate the
      experiences and views of school executive staff and therapy assistants regarding
      the feasibility and acceptability of a speech-language pathology telehealth
      program for children attending schools in rural and remote New South Wales,
      Australia. The program, called Come N See, provided therapy interventions
      remotely via low-bandwidth videoconferencing, with email follow-up. Over a 12
      week period, children were offered therapy blocks of six fortnightly sessions,
      each lasting a maximum of 30 minutes. METHODS: School executives (<i>n</i>=5) and
      therapy assistants (<i>n</i>=6) described factors that promoted or threatened the
      program's feasibility and acceptability, during semistructured interviews.
      Thematic content analysis with constant comparison was applied to the transcribed
      interviews to identify relationships in the data. RESULTS: Emergent themes
      related to (a) unmet speech pathology needs, (b) building relationships, (c)
      telehealth's advantages, (d) telehealth's disadvantages, (e) anxiety replaced by
      joy and confidence in growing skills, and (f) supports. CONCLUSIONS: School
      executive staff and therapy assistants verified that the delivery of the school
      based telehealth service was feasible and acceptable. However, the participants
      saw significant opportunities to enhance this acceptability through building into
      the program stronger working relationships and supports for stakeholders. These
      findings are important for the future development of allied health telehealth
      programs that are sustainable as well as effective and fit the needs of all
      crucial stakeholders. The results have significant implications for speech
      pathology clinical practice relating to technology, program planning and teamwork
      within telehealth programs.

PMID- 28918644
TI  - Anti-IgE and Anti-IL5 Biologic Therapy in the Treatment of Nasal Polyposis: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of biologic therapy on sinonasal symptoms and
      objective outcomes in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP).
      METHODS: PubMed, OVID MEDLINE, and Cochrane Central were reviewed from 2000 to
      2015. Inclusion criteria included English-language studies containing original
      data on biologic therapy in CRSwNP patients with reported outcome measures. Two
      investigators independently reviewed all manuscripts and performed quality
      assessment and quantitative meta-analysis using validated tools. RESULTS: Of 495
      abstracts identified, 7 studies fulfilled eligibility: 4 randomized control
      trials (RCT), 1 case-control, and 2 case series. Outcome measures included nasal
      polyp score (NPS,6), computer tomography score (5), and symptom scores (5). Meta
      analysis was performed on 5 studies: Anti-IL5 therapy (mepolizumab/reslizumab)
      and anti-IgE therapy (omalizumab) demonstrated a standard mean difference of NPS
      improvement of -0.66 (95% CI, -1.24 to -0.08) and -0.75 (95% CI, -1.93 to 0.44),
      respectively, between biologic therapy and placebo. Quality assessment indicated
      a low to moderate risk of bias for the RCTs. CONCLUSION: Biologic therapies may
      prove beneficial in the treatment of recalcitrant nasal polyposis in select
      populations. In meta-analysis, anti-IL5 therapy demonstrates a reduction in nasal
      polyp score. Anti-IgE therapy reduces nasal polyp score in patients with severe
      comorbid asthma. Additional high-level evidence is needed to assess clinical
      efficacy.

PMID- 28918645
TI  - Increasing Availability of Exposure Therapy Through Intensive Group Treatment for
      Childhood Anxiety and OCD.
AB  - Archival data were used to examine the feasibility of a 5-day, clinic-based,
      intensive exposure-based cognitive-behavioral group therapy for childhood anxiety
      disorders (CADs) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Participants were 143
      children (82 girls) aged 6 to 19 years ( M = 13.93 years, SD = 2.9 years) with
      CADs or OCD (or both) in 28 consecutive groups. Repeated-measures ANOVA in the
      subsample ( n = 57) with complete treatment data indicated positive change on all
      variables from pretreatment to posttreatment with few differences between CADs
      and OCD patients. Effect sizes were moderate to large for anxiety symptoms
      (parent reported = 0.74, child reported = 0.65) and impairment (parent reported =
      1.02, child reported = 0.69). The intensive group protocol required fewer
      sessions and 36% fewer therapist-hours per patient than the individually
      administered protocol. The program increased treatment availability for families
      from diverse geographic areas ( M distance traveled to clinic = 407 miles, SD =
      786.4 miles). These findings support further, well-controlled examination of the
      5-day intensive group treatment protocol's efficacy and potential to increase
      availability of evidence-based exposure therapy.

PMID- 28918647
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28918648
TI  - Anticipatory Traumatic Reaction: Outcomes Arising From Secondary Exposure to
      Disasters and Large-Scale Threats.
AB  - Two studies, with a total of 707 participants, developed and examined the
      reliability and validity of a measure for anticipatory traumatic reaction (ATR),
      a novel construct describing a form of distress that may occur in response to
      threat-related media reports and discussions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor
      analysis resulted in a scale comprising three subscales: feelings related to
      future threat; preparatory thoughts and actions; and disruption to daily
      activities. Internal consistency was .93 for the overall ATR scale. The ATR scale
      demonstrated convergent validity through associations with negative affect,
      depression, anxiety, stress, neuroticism, and repetitive negative thinking. The
      scale showed discriminant validity in relationships to Big Five characteristics.
      The ATR scale had some overlap with a measure of posttraumatic stress disorder,
      but also showed substantial separate variance. This research provides preliminary
      evidence for the novel construct of ATR as well as a measure of the construct.
      The ATR scale will allow researchers to further investigate anticipatory
      traumatic reaction in the fields of trauma, clinical practice, and social
      psychology.

PMID- 28918646
TI  - Depletion of Gut-Resident CCR5+ Cells for HIV Cure Strategies.
AB  - The HIV reservoir forming at the earliest stages of infection is likely composed
      of CCR5+ cells, because these cells are the targets of transmissible virus.
      Restriction of the CCR5+ reservoir, particularly in the gut, may be needed for
      subsequent cure attempts. Strategies for killing or depleting CCR5+ cells have
      been described, but none have been tested in vivo in nonhuman primates, and the
      extent of achievable depletion from tissues is not known. In this study we
      investigate the efficacy of two novel cytotoxic treatments for targeting and
      eliminating CCR5+ cells in young rhesus macaques. The first, an immunotoxin
      consisting of the endogenous CCR5 ligand RANTES fused with Pseudomonas exotoxin
      (RANTES-PE38), killed CCR5+ lamina propria lymphocytes (LPLs) ex vivo, but had no
      detectable effect on CCR5+ LPLs in vivo. The second, a primatized bispecific
      antibody for CCR5 and CD3, depleted all CCR5+ cells from blood and the vast
      majority of such cells from the colonic mucosa (up to 96% of CD4+CCR5+). Absence
      of CCR5-expressing cells from blood endured for at least 1 week, while CCR5+
      cells in colon were substantially replenished over the same time span. These data
      open an avenue to investigation of combined early ART treatment and CCR5+
      reservoir depletion for cure of HIV-infected infants.

PMID- 28918649
TI  - Characterizing Verified Head Impacts in High School Girls' Lacrosse.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Girls' high school lacrosse players have higher rates of head and
      facial injuries than boys. Research indicates that these injuries are caused by
      stick, player, and ball contacts. Yet, no studies have characterized head impacts
      in girls' high school lacrosse. PURPOSE: To characterize girls' high school
      lacrosse game-related impacts by frequency, magnitude, mechanism, player
      position, and game situation. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study.
      METHODS: Thirty-five female participants (mean age, 16.2 +/- 1.2 years; mean
      height, 1.66 +/- 0.05 m; mean weight, 61.2 +/- 6.4 kg) volunteered during 28
      games in the 2014 and 2015 lacrosse seasons. Participants wore impact sensors
      affixed to the right mastoid process before each game. All game-related impacts
      recorded by the sensors were verified using game video. Data were summarized for
      all verified impacts in terms of frequency, peak linear acceleration (PLA), and
      peak rotational acceleration (PRA). Descriptive statistics and impact rates were
      calculated. RESULTS: Fifty-eight verified game-related impacts >=20 g were
      recorded (median PLA, 33.8 g; median PRA, 6151.1 rad/s2) during 467 player-games.
      The impact rate for all game-related verified impacts was 0.12 per athlete
      exposure (AE) (95% CI, 0.09-0.16), equivalent to 2.1 impacts per team game,
      indicating that each athlete suffered fewer than 2 head impacts per season >=20
      g. Of these impacts, 28 (48.3%) were confirmed to directly strike the head,
      corresponding with an impact rate of 0.05 per AE (95% CI, 0.00-0.10). Overall,
      midfielders (n = 28, 48.3%) sustained the most impacts, followed by defenders (n
      = 12, 20.7%), attackers (n = 11, 19.0%), and goalies (n = 7, 12.1%). Goalies
      demonstrated the highest median PLA and PRA (38.8 g and 8535.0 rad/s2,
      respectively). The most common impact mechanisms were contact with a stick (n =
      25, 43.1%) and a player (n = 17, 29.3%), followed by the ball (n = 7, 12.1%) and
      the ground (n = 7, 12.1%). One hundred percent of ball impacts occurred to
      goalies. Most impacts occurred to field players within the attack area of the
      field (n = 32, 55.2%) or the midfield (n = 18, 31.0%). Most (95%) impacts did not
      result in a penalty. CONCLUSION: The incidence of verified head impacts in girls'
      high school lacrosse was quite low. Ball to head impacts were associated with the
      highest impact magnitudes. While stick and body contacts are illegal in girls'
      high school lacrosse, rarely did such impacts to the head result in a penalty.
      The verification of impact mechanisms using video review is critical to collect
      impact sensor data.

PMID- 28918650
TI  - May the Z-Tracking Technique to Prevent Any Leakage in Insulin Injection Be an
      Alternative to the 10-Second Waiting Technique?

PMID- 28918651
TI  - A Pilot Observational Study of Hypoglycemia: Patient Reporting Using a Web-Based
      Portal Compared to Paper Surveys.

PMID- 28918652
TI  - Investigation of Pump Compatibility of Fast-Acting Insulin Aspart in Subjects
      With Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ultra-fast-acting insulins, such as fast-acting insulin aspart
      (faster aspart), have pharmacokinetic properties that may be advantageous for
      patients using continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), provided that
      they are compatible with and safe to use in CSII. METHODS: Randomized, double
      blind, parallel-group, actively controlled trial evaluating compatibility,
      efficacy, and safety of faster aspart in adults with type 1 diabetes using their
      own MiniMed Paradigm pump with Quick-Set or Silhouette infusion sets. Following
      run-in, subjects were randomized (2:1) to faster aspart (n = 25) or insulin
      aspart (n = 12) for 6 weeks. Primary endpoint was the number of microscopically
      confirmed episodes of infusion-set occlusions. RESULTS: No microscopically
      confirmed episodes of infusion-set occlusions were observed in either arm. Seven
      possible infusion-set occlusions were reported by five subjects (all faster
      aspart); none were prompted by a plug observed by the subject (prompted by
      unexplained hyperglycemia [n = 6] or leakage [n = 1]) and none were confirmed.
      Macroscopic and microscopic evaluation showed no color change or particle/crystal
      formation in the infusion sets. Premature infusion-set changes were reported in
      44% and 16.7% of subjects in the faster aspart and insulin aspart groups,
      respectively. A nonsignificant trend toward better efficacy was observed with
      faster aspart (estimated treatment difference [ETD] [95% CI] in HbA1c change: 
      0.14% [-0.40, 0.11]). No new safety issues were found in either treatment group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Over 6 weeks of treatment, no microscopically confirmed infusion-set
      occlusions were observed for faster aspart or insulin aspart, indicating similar
      compatibility with CSII use.

PMID- 28918653
TI  - Setting Expectations for Successful Artificial Pancreas/Hybrid Closed
      Loop/Automated Insulin Delivery Adoption.

PMID- 28918654
TI  - Stakeholders' Perceptions Sought to Inform the Development of a Low-Cost Mobile
      Robot for Older Adults: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.
AB  - Creative solutions are needed to support community-dwelling older adults residing
      in a variety of settings including their house, apartment, or Supportive
      Apartment Living (SAL) to promote independence and reduce the risk of nursing
      home replacement. The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of
      older adults' needs for physical, mental, and social activities to support the
      design and functionality of a low-cost mobile assistive robot. A qualitative
      descriptive study was designed which included three stakeholder focus groups
      (caregivers, clinicians, and older adults). We held three focus groups with a
      total of 19 participants: one with paid caregivers ( n = 6), one with
      interdisciplinary clinicians ( n = 8), and one with older adults residing in SAL
      ( n = 5). Conventional content analysis was the analytical technique. Four themes
      emerged: (a) Accomplishing Everyday Tasks: activities of daily living (ADLs) and
      instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) were important from the
      perspectives of all three groups for the older adults to accomplish daily, as
      well as the "use it or lose it" attitude of the older adults; (b) Personal
      Connections and Meaningful Activities: for the older adults, it was important for
      them to engage in socialization and leisure activities, and for the caregivers
      and clinicians, they work to build personal relationships with the older adults;
      (c) Cognitive Interventions: the clinicians provided cognitive tools (including
      reminders, routine and designing interventions) to older adults so they can
      remain as safe and independent as possible in the SAL; and (d) Safety Measures:
      encompassed clinicians addressing safety and injury prevention and the caregivers
      checking in on the older adults in their SAL apartments. This work contributed to
      the design and functionality specifications for an autonomous low-cost mobile
      robot for deployment to increase the independence of older adults.

PMID- 28918655
TI  - What not to do in acute otitis media: the top five recommendations proposed by
      the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With the aim to reduce inappropriate procedures and antibiotic
      therapy in the management of acute otitis media (AOM) in children, the Italian
      Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics (SIPPS) proposed a top five list of
      recommendations for clinical practice. Areas covered: AOM is one of the most
      frequent reasons for antibiotic prescription in pediatric age. The over
      estimation of AOM is associated with inappropriate treatment, increased costs,
      adverse events and spread of antibiotic resistance. Thus, the most recent
      guidelines provided stringent diagnostic criteria and considered the 'watchful
      waiting' approach, limiting the immediate antibiotic therapy to a well
      characterized subgroup of children. Expert commentary: The five recommendations
      proposed are: 1) Do not diagnose AOM without having documented the presence of
      middle ear effusion 2) Do not diagnose AOM without examining the entire tympanic
      membrane; 3) Do not treat immediately all cases of AOM with antibiotics; 4) Do
      not administer ear analgesic drops until examining the whole tympanic membrane 5)
      Do not use macrolides in the AOM therapy. This list of top five recommendations
      could be a novel tool to spread the key messages on the guidelines and to promote
      the correct diagnostic procedures as well as a rational use of antibiotics in
      children.

PMID- 28918656
TI  - Diagnosing Kingella kingae infections in infants and young children.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Kingella kingae is currently recognized as the prime etiology of
      skeletal system infections in children aged 6-48 months. The organism is
      notoriously fastidious, its growth is inhibited by synovial fluid and bone
      exudates, and its presence in clinical specimens is commonly missed by
      traditional culture methods. Areas covered: The present review discusses the use
      of improved laboratory methods to detect the organism in normally sterile body
      fluids, exudates, and upper respiratory tract specimens. Expert commentary: While
      inoculation of joint and bone exudates into blood culture vials dilutes the
      concentration of detrimental factors and significantly improves the isolation of
      the organism, novel PCR-based assays have enhanced sensitivity, shortened the
      time-to-detection of K. kingae from 3-4 days to <24 h, and enabled the
      bacteriological diagnosis in patients being administered antibiotic therapy. PCR
      based assays that amplify the 16S rRNA gene results in a 200% improvement in the
      diagnosis of the organism compared to culture, whereas the use of real-time PCR
      tests that target K. kingae-specific DNA sequences increases the detection rate
      by a five-fold factor and reduces the fraction of culture-negative septic
      arthritis and osteomyelitis in infants and young children.

PMID- 28918657
TI  - Direct Oral Anticoagulant Use in Atypical Thrombosis-Related Conditions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the published literature for evidence of the efficacy and
      safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) when used in the management of
      atypical thrombosis-related conditions. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive MEDLINE
      database search (1948 to July 2017) and EMBASE search (1980 to July 2017) were
      conducted using the search terms direct oral anticoagulant in combination with
      acute coronary syndrome (ACS), antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APLAS), and
      cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT). STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: The
      literature search was limited to studies that were conducted in humans and
      published in English. Clinical trials, observational studies, and case series
      were selected. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 20 published studies were selected from
      the literature. Only 1 randomized controlled study showed a significant reduction
      in cardiovascular outcomes on DOAC use in ACS patients but at the expense of
      increased bleeding. For the use of DOACs in APLAS, the evidence from case series
      seems to suggest low incidence of thromboembolic events or recurrent thrombosis
      in low-risk patients. Finally, in cancer patients, DOACs were comparable to
      warfarin in preventing CAT in 8 studies of different designs. Major bleeding with
      DOACs was not significantly lower than in patients who received an
      enoxaparin/warfarin regimen. CONCLUSIONS: Until more evidence from the ongoing
      clinical trials is available, DOACs may not be favorable add-on therapy in ACS
      patients receiving standard antiplatelet therapy but may be alternative to
      warfarin in preventing or treating thrombosis in low-risk APLAS patients as well
      as in cases of CAT in which patients have to be managed with warfarin.

PMID- 28918658
TI  - The role of upper airway pathology as a co-morbidity in severe asthma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Severe asthma is a complex heterogeneous disease that is refractory
      to standard treatment and is complicated by multiple co-morbidities and risk
      factors. Several co-morbidities may contribute to worsen asthma control and
      complicate diagnostic and therapeutic management of severe asthmatic patients.
      Areas covered: A prevalent cluster of chronic upper airway co-morbid diseases is
      recognized in severe asthma. Evaluation for these disorders should always be
      considered in clinical practice. The aim of this review is to provide an updated
      overview of the prevalence, the pathogenetic mechanisms, the clinical impact and
      the therapeutic options for upper airway pathology in severe asthma, focusing on
      chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis. Expert commentary: In the context
      of severe asthma, the clinical significance of upper airway co-morbidities is
      based on mutual interactions complicating diagnosis and management. A better
      analysis and understanding of phenotypes and endotypes of both upper and lower
      airway diseases are crucial to further develop targeted treatment.

PMID- 28918659
TI  - Ureaplasma-associated prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal morbidities.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ureaplasma species (spp.) have been acknowledged as major causative
      pathogens in chorioamnionitis and prematurity, but may also contribute to key
      morbidities in preterm infants. Several epidemiological and experimental data
      indicate an association of neonatal Ureaplasma colonization and/or infection with
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Furthermore, a potential causal relation with other
      inflammation-induced morbidities, such as intraventricular hemorrhage, white
      matter injury, necrotizing enterocolitis, and retinopathy of prematurity, has
      been debated. Areas covered: This review will summarize current knowledge on the
      role of Ureaplasma spp. in prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal morbidities, while
      furthermore examining mutual underlying mechanisms. We try to elaborate who is at
      particular risk of Ureaplasma-induced inflammation and subsequent secondary
      morbidities. Expert commentary: Most likely by complex interactions with
      immunological processes, Ureaplasma spp. can induce pro-inflammation, but may
      also downregulate the immune system. Tissue damage, possibly causing the above
      mentioned complications, is likely to result from both ways: either directly
      cytokine-associated, or due to a higher host vulnerability to secondary impact
      factors. These events are very likely to begin in prenatal stages, with the most
      immature preterm infants being most susceptible and at highest risk.

PMID- 28918660
TI  - Factors Associated With Radiographic Trapeziometacarpal Arthrosis in Patients Not
      Seeking Care for This Condition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A common adage among hand surgeons is that the symptoms of
      trapeziometacarpal (TMC) arthrosis vary among patients independent of the
      radiographic severity. We studied factors associated with radiographic severity
      of TMC arthrosis, thumb pain, thumb-specific disability, pinch strength, and grip
      strength in patients not seeking care for TMC arthrosis. Our primary null
      hypothesis was that there are no factors independently associated with
      radiographic severity of TMC arthrosis according to the Eaton classification
      among patients not seeking care for TMC arthrosis. METHODS: We enrolled 59 adult
      patients not seeking care for TMC arthrosis. We graded patients' radiographic TMC
      arthrosis and asked all patients to complete a set of questionnaires: demographic
      survey, pain scale, TMC joint arthrosis-related symptoms and disability
      questionnaire (TASD), and a depression questionnaire. Metacarpophalangeal
      hyperextension and pinch and grip strength were measured, and the grind test and
      shoulder sign were performed. RESULTS: Older age was the only factor associated
      with more advanced radiographic pathophysiology of TMC arthrosis. One in 5
      patients not seeking care for TMC arthrosis experienced thumb pain; no factors
      were independently associated with having pain or limitations related to TMC
      arthrosis. Youth and male sex were associated with stronger pinch and grip
      strength. CONCLUSIONS: There are a large number of patients with relatively
      asymptomatic TMC arthrosis. Metacarpophalangeal hyperextension and female sex may
      have a relationship with symptoms, but further study is needed. Our data support
      the concept that TMC arthrosis does not correlate with radiographic arthrosis.

PMID- 28918662
TI  - Utility of the iPhone 4 Gyroscope Application in the Measurement of Wrist Motion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Measurement of wrist range of motion (ROM) is important to all
      aspects of treatment and rehabilitation of upper extremity conditions. Recently,
      gyroscopes have been used to measure ROM and may be more precise than manual
      evaluations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of the iPhone
      gyroscope application and compare it with use of a goniometer, specifically
      evaluating its accuracy and ease of use. METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      evaluated adult Caucasian participants, with no evidence of wrist pathology.
      Wrist ROM measurements in 306 wrists using the 2 methods were compared.
      Demographic information was collected including age, sex, and occupation.
      Analysis included mixed models and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: Wrist motion was
      similar between the 2 methods. Technical difficulties were encountered with
      gyroscope use. Age was an independent predictor of ROM. CONCLUSIONS: Correct
      measurement of ROM is critical to guide, compare, and evaluate treatment and
      rehabilitation of the upper extremity. Inaccurate measurements could mislead the
      surgeon and harm patient adherence with therapy or surgeon instruction. An
      application used by the patient could improve adherence but needs to be reliable
      and easy to use. Evaluation is necessary before utilization of such an
      application. This study supports revision of the application on the iPhone to
      improve ease of use.

PMID- 28918661
TI  - Comparable Postoperative Pain Levels Using 2 Different Nerve Blocks in the
      Operative Treatment of Displaced Intra-articular Calcaneal Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the postoperative pain levels in
      patients undergoing osteosynthesis of the calcaneus with either a popliteal nerve
      block or an ankle block. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all consecutive
      patients undergoing operative fixation of a calcaneal fracture via a sinus tarsi
      approach between August 2012 and April 2017 in a single foot/ankle specialized
      center was performed. Single-shot popliteal blocks were placed using ultrasound
      guidance by an anesthesiologist while ankle blocks were placed by a foot/ankle
      specialized surgeon. Pain levels were measured through the numerical rating scale
      (NRS). In total, 83 patients were included in this study; 33 received a popliteal
      block, and 50 received an ankle block. No statistically significant differences
      were present in baseline characteristics between the 2 groups. RESULTS:
      Comparable postoperative pain levels were observed in both groups. There was no
      statistically significant difference in amount of morphine used between the 2
      groups. CONCLUSION: No differences were found in postoperative pain levels
      between patients receiving a single-shot popliteal block and patients who
      received a single-shot ankle block following calcaneal fracture surgery. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: III, comparative series.

PMID- 28918663
TI  - Biosynthesis of gold and silver chloride nanoparticles mediated by Crataegus
      pinnatifida fruit extract: in vitro study of anti-inflammatory activities.
AB  - This research article investigates the one-pot synthesis of gold and silver
      chloride nanoparticles functionalized by fruit extract of Crataegus pinnatifida
      as reducing and stabilizing agents and their possible roles as novel anti
      inflammatory agents. Hawthorn (C. pinnatifida) fruits are increasingly popular as
      raw materials for functional foods and anti-inflammatory potential agents because
      of abundant flavonoids. The reduction of auric chloride and silver nitrate by the
      aqueous fruit extract led to the formation of gold and silver chloride
      nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were further characterized by field emission
      transmission electron microscopy indicated that CP-AuNps and CP-AgClNps were
      hexagonal and cubic shape, respectively. According to X-ray diffraction results,
      the average crystallite sizes of CP-AuNps and CP-AgClNps were 14.20 nm and 24.80
      nm. The biosynthesized CP-AgClNps served as efficient antimicrobial agents
      against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, CP-AuNps and CP
      AgClNps enhanced the DPPH radical scavenging activity of the fruit extract.
      Lastly, MTT assay of nanoparticles demonstrated low toxicity in murine macrophage
      (RAW264.7). Biosynthesized nanoparticles also reduced the production of the
      inflammatory cytokines including nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 in
      lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells. Altogether, these findings suggest
      that CP-AuNps and CP-AgClNps can be used as novel drug carriers or biosensors
      with intrinsic anti-inflammatory activity.

PMID- 28918664
TI  - Outcomes of Surface Replacement Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Arthroplasty Using
      the Self Locking Finger Joint Implant: Minimum Two Years Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Self Locking Finger Joint (SLFJ) implant is a new type of surface
      replacement implant. The purpose of this study was to evaluate midterm clinical
      outcomes of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) arthroplasty with the SLFJ
      implant. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 26 PIP joint arthroplasties using
      the SLFJ implant in 17 patients with osteoarthritis or posttraumatic
      osteoarthritis. Preoperative and postoperative range of motion, grip strength and
      key pinch, radiographic findings, and complications were evaluated. The
      Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score, visual analog scale
      (VAS) score, course of pain, and patient satisfaction were obtained. RESULTS: The
      mean follow-up time was 44 months (range, 24-76 months). The average active PIP
      joint arc of motion improved from 36 degrees  before surgery to 44 degrees  after
      surgery. Grip strength and key pinch showed no statistical difference between
      preoperative and postoperative assessments. The average DASH score and VAS score
      improved from 40 to 15 and from 5 to 1, respectively. Overall patient
      satisfaction was 94%. Ninety percent of implants showed osteointegration, and
      there were no radiographic signs of migration and loosening. Three joints (12%)
      showed abnormal heterotopic bone formation. Four joints (15%) had secondary
      surgery-1 joint needing joint head and socket replacement and 3 joints needing
      contracture release. CONCLUSIONS: Our minimum 2 years of follow-up evaluation of
      the SLFJ implant PIP joint arthroplasty demonstrated good pain relief and good
      overall patient satisfaction while maintaining joint range of motion. The SLFJ
      implant showed good osteointegration. Further longer-term prospective studies
      with various types of currently available implants are needed.

PMID- 28918665
TI  - Considerations in establishing bioequivalence of inhaled compounds.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Generic inhalers are often perceived as inferior to their branded
      counterparts; however, they are safe and effective if they can meet the
      regulatory requirements. The approach to assess bioequivalence (BE) in oral
      dosage form products is not sufficient to address the complexities of
      inhalational products (e.g., patient-device interface); hence, more
      considerations are needed and caution should be applied in determining BE of
      inhaled compounds. Areas covered: This review outlines the evaluation process for
      generic inhalers, explores the regulatory approaches in BE assessment, and
      highlights the considerations and challenges in the current in vitro and in vivo
      approaches (lung deposition, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic/clinical studies,
      and patient-device interface) for establishing BE of inhaled compounds. Expert
      opinion: The ultimate goals in this field are to establish uniformity in the
      regulatory approaches to speed the drug submission process in different regions,
      clear physicians' misconception of generic inhalers, and have meaningful clinical
      endpoints such as improvement in patient quality of life when compared to placebo
      and brand name drugs. As inhalational drugs become more common for other
      indications such as antibiotics, the technologies developed for inhaled compounds
      in the treatment of chronic pulmonary diseases may be extrapolated to these other
      agents.

PMID- 28918666
TI  - Treatment options for severe traumatic brain injuries in children: current
      therapies, challenges, and future prospects.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) afflicts many children and
      adults worldwide, resulting in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Recent
      therapeutic advances have focused on both surgical and medical treatment options,
      but none have been proven to reduce overall morbidity and mortality in this
      population. Areas covered: Several emerging therapies are addressed that focus on
      treating related secondary injuries and other clinical sequelae post-TBI during
      the acute injury phase (defined by authors as up to four weeks post-injury).
      Information and data were obtained from a PubMed search of recent literature and
      through reputable websites (e.g. Centers for Disease Control,
      ClinicalTrials.gov). Peer-reviewed original articles, review articles, and
      clinical guidelines were included. Expert commentary: The ongoing challenges
      related to conducting rigorous clinical trials in TBI have led to largely
      inconclusive findings regarding emerging beneficial therapies.

PMID- 28918667
TI  - Poor outcomes among elderly patients hospitalized for influenza-like illness.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network is a
      worldwide initiative that aims to document the burden of influenza infections
      among acute admissions and vaccine effectiveness in particular countries. As a
      partner of this platform, we aimed to determine the frequency of influenza
      infections among acute admissions with influenza-like illness and the outcomes of
      enrolled patients during the 2015-2016 influenza season in selected hospitals in
      Turkey. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The investigators screened the hospital admission
      registries, chart review or available records, and screened all patients
      hospitalized in the previous 24-48 hours or overnight in the predefined wards or
      emergency room. A total of 1351 patients were screened for enrollment in five
      tertiary care referral hospitals in Ankara and 774 patients (57.3% of the initial
      screened population) were eligible for swabbing. All of the eligible patients who
      consented were swabbed and tested for influenza with real-time polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) based methods. RESULTS: Overall, influenza positivity was detected
      in 142 patients (18.4%). The predominant influenza strain was A H1N1pdm09.
      Outcomes were worse among elderly patients, regardless of the presence of the
      influenza virus. Half of the patients over 65 years of age were admitted to the
      intensive care unit, while one third required any mode of mechanical ventilation
      and one fourth died in the hospital in that particular episode. CONCLUSION: These
      findings can guide hospitals to plan and prepare for the influenza season.
      Effective influenza vaccination strategies, particularly aimed at the elderly and
      adults with chronic diseases, can provide an opportunity for prevention of deaths
      due to influenza-like illness.

PMID- 28918668
TI  - Current status and future prospects for the development of substance abuse
      vaccines.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Substance use disorders (SUD) are a significant threat to both
      individual and public health. To date, SUD pharmacotherapy has focused primarily
      on agonist medications (i.e. nicotine replacement therapy for tobacco use
      disorder; methadone and buprenorphine for opioid use disorder), antagonist
      medications (i.e. naltrexone for opioid use disorder), and aversive therapy (i.e.
      disulfiram for alcohol use disorder). Pharmacotherapeutic approaches utilizing an
      immunological framework for medication development represent an important focus
      of study for treatment of these illnesses. Areas covered: This review discusses
      vaccines for treatment of substance use disorders. Using PubMed (
      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ ), we searched both preclinical and human
      clinical trials of vaccines for treatment of nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine,
      and opioid use disorders. In addition, we searched for recently developed
      strategies for enhancement of the immunologic response through alteration of
      conjugate molecules and adjuvants. Expert commentary: Despite challenges in human
      clinical trials of SUD vaccines, a number of strategies have been introduced
      which may ultimately improve efficacy. These challenges, as well as their
      implications for vaccine development, are discussed. Additionally, the optimal
      conditions for research study and treatment are considered.

PMID- 28918669
TI  - Unexpected Effects of a System-Distributed Mobile Application in Maternity Care:
      A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As pregnant mothers increasingly engage in shared decision making
      regarding prenatal decisions, such as induction of labor, the patient's level of
      activation may influence pregnancy outcomes. One potential tool to increase
      patient activation in the clinical setting is mobile applications. However,
      research is limited in comparing mobile apps with other modalities of patient
      education and engagement tools. AIM: This study was designed to test the
      effectiveness of a mobile app as a replacement for a spiral notebook guide as a
      patient education and engagement tool in the prenatal clinical setting. METHOD:
      This randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Women's Health Clinic and
      Family Health Clinic of three hospitals. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance
      was used to test intervention effects in the study sample of 205 patients.
      RESULTS: Mothers used a mobile app interface to more frequently record
      information about their pregnancy; however, across time, mothers using a mobile
      app reported a significant decrease in patient activation. DISCUSSION: The
      unexpected negative effects in the group of patients randomized to the mobile app
      prompt these authors to recommend that health systems pause before distributing
      their own version of mobile apps that may decrease patient activation.
      CONCLUSION: Mobile apps can be inherently empowering and engaging, but how a
      system encourages their use may ultimately determine their adoption and success.

PMID- 28918670
TI  - pH-sensitive metal-phenolic network capsules for targeted photodynamic therapy
      against cancer cells.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective and promising method for cancer
      treatment, which is proposed for more than one century. However, the specific
      delivery of photosensitizer to target carcinoma cells to reduce the side effect
      is still a great challenge. This work provides a strategy to deliver
      photosensitizers to cancer cells by utilizing pH-sensitive polyethylene glycol
      metal-phenolic network (PEG-MPN) capsules to encapsulate haematoporphyrin
      monomethyl ether (HMME). With the assistance of folic acid (FA), HMME-doped PEG
      MPN capsules (MPN@HMMEs) accumulate in carcinoma cells selectively followed by
      releasing HMME in the lysosomes because of the physiologically relevant acidic pH
      environment. From the fluorescent ratiometric sensing and reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) regionality distribution of MPN@HMMEs, we demonstrated the encapsulated
      photosensitizers are diffused from lysosomes to cytoplasm. Under irradiation at
      638 nm laser, ROS generated from the photosensitizers induced cancer cells
      undergoing apoptosis while normal cells survive. Therefore, MPN@HMME could be
      applied as a new strategy for targeted PDT against cancer and PEG-MPN capsules
      are expected to be general carries for drug delivering.

PMID- 28918672
TI  - Protein complexes, big data, machine learning and integrative proteomics: lessons
      learned over a decade of systematic analysis of protein interaction networks.
AB  - OVERVIEW: Elucidation of the networks of physical (functional) interactions
      present in cells and tissues is fundamental for understanding the molecular
      organization of biological systems, the mechanistic basis of essential and
      disease-related processes, and for functional annotation of previously
      uncharacterized proteins (via guilt-by-association or -correlation). After a
      decade in the field, we felt it timely to document our own experiences in the
      systematic analysis of protein interaction networks. Areas covered: Researchers
      worldwide have contributed innovative experimental and computational approaches
      that have driven the rapidly evolving field of 'functional proteomics'. These
      include mass spectrometry-based methods to characterize macromolecular complexes
      on a global-scale and sophisticated data analysis tools - most notably machine
      learning - that allow for the generation of high-quality protein association
      maps. Expert commentary: Here, we recount some key lessons learned, with an
      emphasis on successful workflows, and challenges, arising from our own and other
      groups' ongoing efforts to generate, interpret and report proteome-scale
      interaction networks in increasingly diverse biological contexts.

PMID- 28918671
TI  - Long term outcomes of severe combined immunodeficiency: therapy implications.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Newborn screening has led to a better understanding of the
      prevalence of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) overall and in terms of
      specific genotypes. Survival has improved following hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HCT) with the best outcomes seen following use of a matched
      sibling donor. However, questions remain regarding the optimal alternative donor
      source, appropriate use of conditioning and the impact of these decisions on
      immune reconstitution and other late morbidities. Areas covered: The currently
      available literature reporting late effects after HCT for SCID and use of
      alternative therapies including enzyme replacement, alternative donors and gene
      therapy are reviewed. A literature search was performed on Pubmed and
      ClinicalTrials.gov using key words 'Severe Combined Immunodeficiency', 'SCID',
      'hematopoietic stem cell transplant', 'conditioning', 'gene therapy', 'SCID
      newborn screening', 'TREC' and 'late effects'. Expert commentary: Newborn
      screening has dramatically changed the clinical presentation of newborn SCID.
      While the majority of patients with SCID survive HCT, data regarding late effects
      in these patients is limited and additional studies focused on genotype specific
      late effects are needed. Prospective studies aimed at minimizing the use of
      alkylating agents and reducing late effects beyond survival are needed. Gene
      therapy is being developed and will likely become a more commonly used treatment
      that will require separate consideration of survival and late effects.

PMID- 28918673
TI  - Suppression of TGF-beta1 enhances chemosensitivity of cisplatin-resistant lung
      cancer cells through the inhibition of drug-resistant proteins.
AB  - Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC), but drug resistance occurs in most patients, leading to treatment
      failure. Recent studies have shown that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      is associated with drug resistance. However, the underlying mechanism is not
      entirely clear. In this study, first we showed significant positive correlation
      between the expression of ERCCl and vimentin, and significant negative
      correlation between the ERCCl and E-cadherin in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      group and the simple surgery group. Second, we showed that cisplatin-resistant
      A549 cells (A549/DDP) acquire EMT phenotype with high expression of drug
      resistant proteins, P-gp and ERCC1. Knockdown of TGF-beta1 may reverse EMT and
      significantly reduce the expression of P-gp and ERCC1. Moreover, A549/DDP cells
      become more sensitive to cisplatin. In summary, our results globally confirm a
      molecular and phenotypic association between chemoresistance and EMT of resistant
      tumour cells under a histological and cellular level. More importantly, silence
      of TGF-beta1 may enhance sensitivity to cisplatin of A549/DDP through inducing
      the reversal of EMT and inhibiting the expression of resistance-associated
      proteins. Hence, inhibition of TGF-beta1 could be considered as an effective
      strategy for eliminating resistant lung cancer.

PMID- 28918674
TI  - Consumption of Fruitflow(r) lowers blood pressure in pre-hypertensive males: a
      randomised, placebo controlled, double blind, cross-over study.
AB  - In order to investigate whether the angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitory
      tomato extract Fruitflow(r) would lower blood pressure after consumption, we
      conducted a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled human intervention
      study, involving 12 pre-hypertensive people in a crossover design. Consuming a
      single dose of 150 mg Fruitflow(r) resulted in a significant reduction in 24-hour
      average blood pressure as well as average wake-period and sleep-period SBP,
      compared to placebo. Other parameters related to blood pressure, such as 24-hour
      average mean arterial pressure, pulse pressure, heart rate, central aortic
      systolic pressure and radial augmentation index were also reduced. In addition,
      the platelet aggregation response to ADP, measured 24 hours after consuming
      Fruitflow(r), fell significantly compared to baseline, and compared to placebo.
      This pilot study clearly shows the beneficial effects of Fruitflow(r) on two
      important cardiovascular risk factors, high blood pressure and platelet
      hyperactivity.

PMID- 28918675
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28918676
TI  - Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Chinese tinnitus
      functional index.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the
      Chinese version of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI-CH) in measuring tinnitus
      severity in Hong Kong Chinese population. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional
      psychometric validation study. STUDY SAMPLE: Subjects were 124 adult Chinese who
      attended the audiology clinics in a hospital setting for tinnitus treatment.
      RESULTS: The TFI-CH showed good internal consistency reliability (alpha = 0.94)
      and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.84). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed
      that the TFI-CH has eight factors which are exactly the same as the original
      version. The TFI-CH has good convergent and divergent validity as supported by
      the strong correlation of the overall scale with other tinnitus-related distress
      measures (r = 0.86, p < 0.01) and weaker correlation with the general health
      status measures. Moderate to strong effect sizes obtained 3 months after initial
      visit indicated that the TFI-CH is responsive in detecting change in tinnitus
      suffering. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that the TFI-CH is
      a reliable and valid measure which should be useful in both clinical and research
      settings for intake assessment and for measuring treatment-related changes in
      tinnitus.

PMID- 28918677
TI  - Prevalence of anal incontinence in a working population within a healthcare
      environment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Anal incontinence is a devastating affliction with several
      considerations that make it difficult to define in terms of epidemiology with
      good precision. The aim of the present work is to study the prevalence of an
      important disorder such as anal incontinence in a healthy working population
      within a sanitary environment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cluster of easy
      understanding and filling inquiry forms are distributed to 910 apparently healthy
      individuals at our hospital. This questionnaires include filiation data, passed
      medical history, presence or not of Incontinence and other symptoms such as
      urgency. The Cleveland Clinic Incontinence Score is also registered. RESULTS:
      Anal incontinence is present in a 21.2% of subjects when considered in any of it
      forms (flatus, liquid or solid faeces). A Clevleand Clinic Incontinence Score
      higher than 6 was obtained in a 7.3% of the sample and higher than 10 in 1.2%. No
      gender predominance has been identified. A slightly higher severity is recognised
      with increasing age. Obstetric and anal surgical background are the only related
      factors identified in the studied sample. CONCLUSIONS: Faecal incontinence is a
      high prevalent affliction, even among apparently healthy population. Considering
      the aetiologic factors that have been established, prevention during obstetric
      and anal surgical procedures is absolutely mandatory.

PMID- 28918678
TI  - The Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions and Personal Finance.
AB  - Using a novel data set from a major credit bureau, we examine the early effects
      of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions on personal finance. We analyze
      less common events such as personal bankruptcy, and more common occurrences such
      as medical collection balances, and change in credit scores. We estimate triple
      difference models that compare individual outcomes across counties that expanded
      Medicaid versus counties that did not, and across expansion counties that had
      more uninsured residents versus those with fewer. Results demonstrate financial
      improvements in states that expanded their Medicaid programs as measured by
      improved credit scores, reduced balances past due as a percent of total debt,
      reduced probability of a medical collection balance of $1,000 or more, reduced
      probability of having one or more recent medical bills go to collections,
      reduction in the probability of experiencing a new derogatory balance of any
      type, reduced probability of incurring a new derogatory balance equal to $1,000
      or more, and a reduction in the probability of a new bankruptcy filing.

PMID- 28918679
TI  - Relating the proton relative biological effectiveness to tumor control and normal
      tissue complication probabilities assuming interpatient variability in
      alpha/beta.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proton therapy uses a constant relative biological effectiveness
      (RBE) of 1.1. The use of variable RBE values has been suggested but is currently
      not feasible due to uncertainties. The impact of variable RBE has solely been
      studied using dosimetric indices. This work elucidates the impact of RBE
      variations on tumor control and normal tissue complication probabilities
      (TCP/NTCP). METHODS: Models to estimate TCP and NTCP were used in combination
      with an empirical proton RBE model. Variations in outcome as a function of linear
      quadratic model parameters for cellular radiosensitivity were determined for TCP
      in prostate and ependymoma. In addition, NTCP analysis was done for brainstem
      necrosis. RESULTS: Considering a variable proton RBE as a dose-modifying factor
      for prescription doses and dose constraints is misleading, as TCP/NTCP do not
      simply scale with RBE. The dependency of RBE on alpha/beta cannot be interpreted
      independent of TCP/NTCP because variations in radiosensitivity affect both photon
      and proton treatments. Assuming interpatient variability in radiosensitivity
      results in lower TCP for patients with low alpha/beta. In proton therapy, the
      magnitude of TCP variations is reduced due to an RBE increase as alpha/beta
      decreases. The TCP in proton therapy is less affected by interpatient variability
      in alpha/beta. On the other hand, patients with a lower alpha/beta would have a
      lower complication probability, which is counteracted by an increase in RBE as
      alpha/beta decreases. Toxicities in proton therapy would be more affected by
      alpha/beta variations compared to photon therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of
      variable RBE in proton therapy should be based on TCP and NTCP. Potential
      interpatient variability in radiosensitivity causes a smaller variance in TCP but
      a larger variance in NTCP for proton patients. The relative TCP as a function of
      alpha/beta was found to be higher than the RBE, whereas the relative NTCP was
      lower than a calculated RBE.

PMID- 28918680
TI  - Transcranial direct current stimulation in disorders of consciousness: a review.
AB  - It is a challenge to evaluate and treat the patients with disorders of
      consciousness (DOC) in the clinic. Due to the huge costs of prolonged intensive
      care, the management of these patients raises great financial strain on families
      and important ethical questions. To date, several studies have attempted to
      specifically detect pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic effectiveness, and until
      now, there are no evidence-based guidelines about the treatment of patients with
      DOC. Recently, because of ethical and procedural limitations on the use of
      invasive stimulation techniques, non-invasive brain stimulation, such as the
      transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), has been investigated for
      improving the level of consciousness in patients with DOC. This paper briefly
      reviewed the key clinical investigations using tDCS with the aim of better
      understanding the pathophysiological mechanism of DOC or improving the level of
      consciousness in patients with DOC. In conclusion, some beneficial results of
      tDCS protocols have been shown in patients with DOC, especially targeting the
      left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in minimally conscious state. However, these
      investigations must be continued in larger controlled, randomized, blinded and
      prospective studies in order to transpose these preliminary data to clinical
      effects. Furthermore, an encouraging perspective for the future is the
      combination of neurophysiological or functional neuroimaging techniques with non
      invasive brain stimulation to evaluate neuro-modulatory effects of stimulation in
      patients with DOC.

PMID- 28918681
TI  - Neonate auditory brainstem response repeatability with controlled force gauge
      bone-conducted stimulus delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The feasibility and repeatability of neonate auditory brainstem
      responses (ABRs) with a controlled hand-held applied force gauge for bone
      conducted stimulus delivery was examined. DESIGN: A repeated measures test-retest
      design was employed. STUDY SAMPLE: Participants were 27 healthy neonates. A 4000
      Hz bone-conducted CE-Chirp octave band stimulus evoked the ABRs. Intra- and
      intertester conditions were employed with a prototype hand-held applied force
      gauge (Etymotic Research) attached to the superior aspect of the bone vibrator.
      The bone vibrator was placed in a superoposterior auricular position and held
      manually. The force gauge displayed a desired coupling force via an LED light
      indicator. RESULTS: Three sets of replicated ABRs were recorded from all
      neonates: initial test and retest with one tester (i.e. intratester 1 and 2) and
      final test with a second tester (i.e. intertester). No significant differences in
      intra- or intertester ABR wave V latencies or amplitudes were found (p > 0.05).
      Coefficients of reliability (Cronbach's alpha) were .95 and .43 for wave V
      latencies and amplitudes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A hand-held applied force
      gauge may be a reliable means of delivering controlled bone-conducted stimuli in
      ABR assessments in neonates and infants.

PMID- 28918682
TI  - Efficacy of technology-based interventions to increase the use of hearing
      protections among adolescent farmworkers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Adolescent farmworkers are exposed to loud noise during farm
      activities. We present a prospective study that evaluated the efficacy of low
      cost, technology-based intervention approaches in high schools to enhance the use
      of hearing protection among adolescent farmworkers. DESIGN: Six high schools in
      Iowa that agreed to participate in the study were divided into three equal groups
      through cluster-randomisation with each group receiving one of the three formats
      of hearing protection intervention: (a) classroom training, (b) classroom
      training coupled with smartphone app training and (c) computer training.
      Participants completed baseline (pre-training) and six-week post-intervention
      surveys for assessing hearing protection knowledge, attitudes and behaviour.
      STUDY SAMPLE: Seventy participants from six schools were initially enrolled but
      50 completed both pre- and post-intervention surveys. RESULTS: In most cases, all
      three groups showed significant improvement in hearing protection knowledge,
      attitude and frequency of use from pre- to post-intervention. However, changes
      between groups were statistically non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: Although all
      three formats led to improvements on hearing protection knowledge, attitude and
      behaviour, the findings of the study, perhaps due to the small sample size, did
      not allow us to detect whether technology-based hearing protection interventions
      were more effective than the traditional face-to-face training for adolescent
      farmworkers.

PMID- 28918683
TI  - I-Through-We: How Supportive Social Relationships Facilitate Personal Growth.
AB  - Personal growth is usually considered an outcome of intrapersonal processes
      personal resources residing within the person. Comparatively, little research has
      examined the interpersonal processes underlying personal growth. We investigated
      how one interpersonal factor-people's relationships with others-influences
      personal growth. Study 1 showed that brief reminders of a supportive (vs.
      nonsupportive) other led people to choose a job that promoted personal growth
      over one that offered a higher salary. Moreover, feelings of self-confidence from
      thinking about a supportive (vs. nonsupportive) other mediated personal growth.
      Extending these results, Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated that people's perceptions
      of how supportive their close others are predicted personal growth in two
      distinct cultures with varying emphasis on individual (vs. collective) growth.
      Consistent with Study 1's findings, the results were also mediated by feelings of
      self-confidence. These findings suggest that the link between supportive
      relationships and personal growth may reflect a general process.

PMID- 28918684
TI  - Differential induction of c-Fos and phosphorylated ERK by a noxious stimulus
      after peripheral nerve injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this study, we compared induction of c-Fos and phosphorylated
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) in the spinal dorsal horn after
      peripheral nerve injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the spinal dorsal
      horn for noxious heat-induced c-Fos and p-ERK protein-like immunoreactive (c-Fos-
      and p-ERK-IR) neuron profiles after tibial nerve injury. The effect of
      administration of a MEK 1/2 inhibitor (PD98059) on noxious heat-induced c-Fos
      expression was also examined after tibial nerve injury. RESULTS: A large number
      of c-Fos- and p-ERK-IR neuron profiles were induced by noxious heat stimulation
      to the hindpaw in sham-operated animals. A marked reduction in the number of c
      Fos- and p-ERK-IR neuron profiles was observed in the medial 1/3 (tibial
      territory) of the dorsal horn at 3 and 7 days after nerve injury. Although c-Fos
      IR neuron profiles had reappeared by 14 days after injury, the number of p-ERK-IR
      neuron profiles remained decreased in the tibial territory of the superficial
      dorsal horn. Double immunofluorescence labeling for c-Fos and p-ERK induced by
      noxious heat stimulation to the hindpaw at different time points revealed that a
      large number of c-Fos-IR, but not p-ERK-IR, neuron profiles were distributed in
      the tibial territory after injury. Although administration of a MEK 1/2 inhibitor
      to the spinal cord suppressed noxious heat-induced c-Fos expression in the
      peroneal territory, this treatment did not alter c-Fos induction in the tibial
      territory after nerve injury. CONCLUSIONS: ERK phosphorylation may be involved in
      c-Fos induction in normal nociceptive responses, but not in exaggerated c-Fos
      induction after nerve injury.

PMID- 28918685
TI  - Executive Functions and Attachment Relationships in Children With ADHD: Links to
      Externalizing/Internalizing Problems, Social Skills, and Negative Mood
      Regulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Theoretical models suggest multiple underlying pathways for ADHD and
      multiple risk factors' co-occurrence as impairing this population's affective,
      interpersonal, and behavioral adjustment. After comparing groups' executive
      functioning (EF) difficulties and attachment security with each parent, this
      study primarily aimed to examine four risk factors (ADHD, child-father
      attachment, child-mother attachment, EF) as possibly explaining children's
      socioemotional/behavioral measures (externalizing/internalizing behavior, social
      skills, negative mood regulation). METHOD: Participants were 100 children in
      Grades 5-6 (ages 11-12 years; M=11.45 years, SD=.50): 50 with formally diagnosed
      ADHD, and 50 with typical development (TD). Instruments were children's self
      report measures and teachers' evaluation. RESULTS: Significant group differences
      emerged on all EF measures and attachment relationships, and most
      socioemotional/behavioral measures. Findings demonstrated the significant
      contribution of children's ADHD, parental attachments, and, partially, EF
      difficulties in explaining children's socioemotional/behavioral adjustment.
      CONCLUSION: Children with ADHD, compared to children with TD, reported
      significantly larger EF deficits and a significantly higher incidence of insecure
      attachment to the father as well as a lower sense of trust and closeness to the
      mother. Outcomes highlighted the role of children's four risk factors (ADHD,
      child-father attachment, child-mother attachment, EF) in explaining their
      socioemotional/behavioral adjustment. The EF deficits contributed only to
      intrapersonal maladjustment.

PMID- 28918686
TI  - Sensitivity of post treatment positron emission tomography/computed tomography to
      detect inter-fractional range variations in scanned ion beam therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ion therapy, especially with modern scanning beam delivery, offers
      very sharp dose gradients for highly conformal cancer treatment. However, it is
      very sensitive to uncertainties of tissue stopping properties as well as to
      anatomical changes and setup errors, making range verification highly desirable.
      To this end, positron emission tomography (PET) can be used to measure decay
      products of beta+-emitters created in interactions inside the patient. This work
      investigates the sensitivity of post treatment PET/CT (computed tomography) to
      detect inter-fractional range variations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourteen patients
      of different indication underwent PET/CT monitoring after selected treatment
      fractions with scanned proton or carbon ion beams. In addition to PET/CT
      measurements, PET and dose distributions were simulated on different co
      registered CT data. Pairs of PET data were then analyzed in terms of longitudinal
      shifts along the beam path, as surrogate of inter-fractional range deviations.
      These findings were compared to changes of dose-volume-histogram indexes and
      corresponding dose as well as CT shifts to disentangle the origin of possible PET
      shifts. RESULTS: Biological washout modeling (PET simulations) and low (<55
      Bq/ml) activity concentrations (offline PET measurements, especially for 12C
      ions) were the main limitations for clinical treatment verification. For two
      selected cases, the benefit of improved washout modeling based on organ
      segmentation could be demonstrated. Overall, inter-fractional range shifts up to
      +/-3 mm could be deduced from both PET measurements and simulations, and found
      well correlated (typically within 1.8 mm) to anatomical changes derived from CT
      scans, in agreement with dose data. CONCLUSIONS: Despite known limitations of
      post treatment PET/CT imaging, this work indicates its potential for assessing
      inter-fractional changes and points to future developments for improved PET-based
      treatment verification.

PMID- 28918687
TI  - Comments on: Utero-placental perfusion Doppler indices in growth restricted
      fetuses: effect of sildenafil citrate.

PMID- 28918688
TI  - Role and regulation of microRNAs targeting BTK in acute myelogenous leukemia.

PMID- 28918689
TI  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is becoming more complex: how to define complex
      karyotype?

PMID- 28918690
TI  - Hyoscine butylbromide and progress of labor in primigravidae: methodological
      concerns.

PMID- 28918691
TI  - Measuring Musculoskeletal Pain in Infants, Children, and Adolescents.
AB  - Synopsis Accurate, reliable, and timely assessment of pain is critical for
      effective management of musculoskeletal pain conditions. The assessment of pain
      in infants, children, and adolescents with and without cognitive impairment can
      be particularly challenging to clinicians for a number of reasons, including
      factors related to the consultation (eg, heterogeneous patient population, time
      constraints), the clinician (eg, awareness/knowledge of available pain scales),
      standardized assessment scales (eg, availability, psychometric properties, and
      application of each scale), the patient (eg, developmental stage, ability to
      communicate), and the context in which the interaction took place (eg,
      familiarity with the setting and physiological and psychological state). As a
      result, pain is frequently not assessed or measured during the consultation and,
      in many instances, underestimated and undertreated in this population. The
      purpose of this article is to provide clinicians with an overview of scales that
      may be used to measure pain in infants, children, and adolescents. Specifically,
      the paper reviews the various approaches to measure pain intensity; identifies
      factors that can influence the pain experience, expression, and assessment in
      infants, children, and adolescents; provides age-appropriate suggestions for
      measuring pain intensity in patients with and without cognitive impairment; and
      identifies ways to assess the impact of pain using multidimensional pain scales.
      J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(10):712-730. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7469.

PMID- 28918692
TI  - The cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor, abemaciclib, exerts dose-dependent
      cytostatic and cytocidal effects and induces autophagy in multiple myeloma cells.
AB  - The D-type cyclin (CCND)-cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) complex has been
      implicated in multiple myeloma development. We investigated the biological
      activity of CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib on cell growth and survival in three
      myeloma cell lines, KMS-12-PE, RPMI 8226, and IM-9. Abemaciclib inhibited myeloma
      cell growth in a dose-dependent manner in all cell lines, with significant
      differences seen at a concentration of 320 nM. Treatment with 1 MUM abemaciclib
      increased the fraction of cells in the G0/G1 phase and decreased the fraction in
      the S-G2/M phases. Further, treatment with abemaciclib at a concentration of 3.2
      MUM or more showed apparent cytocidal activity accompanied with cytoplasmic
      vacuolization against myeloma cells. Importantly, abemaciclib induced autophagy
      in a dose-dependent manner in all three cell lines. These results indicate that
      the CCND-CDK4/6 complex is closely tied to myeloma cell growth and survival.

PMID- 28918693
TI  - Cognitive control networks in OCD: A resting-state connectivity study in
      unmedicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their unaffected
      relatives.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Executive network deficits are putative neurocognitive endophenotypes
      for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet, unlike alterations in fronto
      striatal and limbic connectivity, connectivity in the fronto-parietal (FPN) and
      cingulo-opercular (CON) networks involved in cognitive control has received
      little attention. METHODS: The coherence of FPN, CON and fronto-limbic networks
      was investigated in 39 unmedicated OCD patients, 16 of their unaffected siblings
      and 36 healthy controls using resting-state functional-connectivity MRI and a
      seed-based analysis approach. RESULTS: FPN and CON connectivity was similar for
      patients and controls. Siblings showed higher connectivity than patients within
      the CON, and between the CON and FPN compared to patients and controls (trend
      level). In OCD patients, but not in siblings, fronto-limbic hyperconnectivity was
      present compared to controls. In contrast to our expectations, no group
      differences in resting-state connectivity of the cognitive control networks were
      observed between OCD patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: The increased within-
      and between-network connectivity in siblings, but not in patients, could indicate
      a mechanism of increased cognitive control that may act as a protective
      mechanism. None of the observed network alterations can be considered an
      endophenotype for OCD since differences were present in either patients or
      siblings, but not in both groups.

PMID- 28918694
TI  - Brain metabolic correlates of fatigue in Parkinson's disease: a PET study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The neural bases of fatigue in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain
      uncertain. We aimed to assess the brain metabolic correlates of fatigue in
      patients with PD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven PD patients without
      clinically relevant depression (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)
      score >= 14), apathy (Apathy Scale (AS) score >= 14) and excessive daytime
      somnolence (Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score >= 10) were evaluated with
      Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Each patient had an F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose
      positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan. Motor symptoms were measured with
      the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor part. Levodopa equivalent
      daily dose for each patient was also calculated. The PET images were analyzed
      using statistical parametric mapping software. We introduced the age, educational
      level, HAMD scores, AS scores and ESS scores as covariates. RESULTS: High FSS
      scores were associated with brain hypermetabolism in areas including the right
      middle temporal gyrus (Brodmann area (BA) 37) and left middle occipital gyrus (BA
      19). Increased FSS scores correlated with hypometabolism in regions such as the
      right precuneus (BA 23), left inferior frontal gyrus (BA 45) and left superior
      frontal gyrus (orbital part, BA 11). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that
      brain areas including frontal, temporal and parietal regions indicative of
      emotion, motivation and cognitive functions are involved in fatigue in PD
      patients.

PMID- 28918695
TI  - Large animal models of traumatic brain injury.
AB  - : Purpose/Aim: Animal models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) provide powerful
      tools to study TBI in a controlled, rigorous and cost-efficient manner. The
      mostly used animals in TBI studies so far are rodents. However, compared with
      rodents, large animals (e.g. swine, rabbit, sheep, ferret, etc.) show great
      advantages in modeling TBI due to the similarity of their brains to human brain.
      The aim of our review was to summarize the development and progress of common
      large animal TBI models in past 30 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mixed published
      articles and books associated with large animal models of TBI were researched and
      summarized. RESULTS: We majorly sumed up current common large animal models of
      TBI, including discussion on the available research methodologies in previous
      studies, several potential therapies in large animal trials of TBI as well as
      advantages and disadvantages of these models. CONCLUSIONS: Large animal models of
      TBI play crucial role in determining the underlying mechanisms and screening
      putative therapeutic targets of TBI.

PMID- 28918696
TI  - Nature of Injury and Risk of Multiple Claims Among Workers in Manitoba Health
      Care.
AB  - In industrial societies, work-related musculoskeletal disorders are common among
      workers, frequently resulting in recurrent injuries, work disability, and
      multiple compensation claims. The risk of idiopathic musculoskeletal injuries is
      thought to be more than twice the risk of any other health problem among workers
      in the health care sector. This risk is highly prevalent particularly among
      workers whose job involves frequent physical tasks, such as patient lifting and
      transfer. Workers with recurrent occupational injuries are likely to submit
      multiple work disability claims and progress to long-term disability. The
      objective of this study was to explore the influence of injury type and worker
      characteristics on multiple compensation claims, using workers' compensation
      claims data. This retrospective study analyzed 11 years of secondary claims data
      for health care workers. Workers' occupational groups were classified based on
      the nature of physical tasks associated with their jobs, and the nature of work
      injuries was categorized into non-musculoskeletal, and traumatic and idiopathic
      musculoskeletal injuries. The result shows that risk of multiple injury claims
      increased with age, and the odds were highest for older workers aged 55 to 64
      (odds ratio [OR] = 3.5). A large proportion of those who made an injury claim
      made multiple claims that resulted in more lost time than single injury claims.
      The study conclusion is that the nature of injury and work tasks are probably
      more significant risk factors for multiple claims than worker characteristics.

PMID- 28918698
TI  - Integrating a hip belt with body armour reduces the magnitude and changes the
      location of shoulder pressure and perceived discomfort in soldiers.
AB  - Soldiers carry heavy loads that may cause general discomfort, shoulder pain and
      injury. This study assessed if new body armour designs that incorporated a hip
      belt reduced shoulder pressures and improved comfort. Twenty-one Australian
      soldiers completed treadmill walking trials wearing six different body armours
      with two different loads (15 and 30 kg). Contact pressures applied to the
      shoulders were measured using pressure pads, and qualitative assessment of
      comfort and usability were acquired from questionnaires administered after
      walking trials. Walking with hip belt compared to no hip belt armour resulted in
      decreased mean and maximum shoulder pressures (p < 0.005), and 30% fewer
      participants experiencing shoulder discomfort (p < 0.005) in best designs,
      although hip discomfort did increase. Laterally concentrated shoulder pressures
      were associated with 1.34-times greater likelihood of discomfort (p = 0.026).
      Results indicate body armour and backpack designs should integrate a hip belt and
      distribute load closer to shoulder midline to reduce load carriage discomfort
      and, potentially, injury risk. Practitioner Summary: Soldiers carry heavy loads
      that increase their risk of discomfort and injury. New body armour designs are
      thought to ease this burden by transferring the load to the hips. This study
      demonstrated that designs incorporating a hip belt reduced shoulder pressure and
      shoulder discomfort compared to the current armour design.

PMID- 28918699
TI  - Effects of Weapons on Aggressive Thoughts, Angry Feelings, Hostile Appraisals,
      and Aggressive Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Weapons Effect Literature.
AB  - A landmark 1967 study showed that simply seeing a gun can increase aggression
      called the "weapons effect." Since 1967, many other studies have attempted to
      replicate and explain the weapons effect. This meta-analysis integrates the
      findings of weapons effect studies conducted from 1967 to 2017 and uses the
      General Aggression Model (GAM) to explain the weapons effect. It includes 151
      effect-size estimates from 78 independent studies involving 7,668 participants.
      As predicted by the GAM, our naive meta-analytic results indicate that the mere
      presence of weapons increased aggressive thoughts, hostile appraisals, and
      aggression, suggesting a cognitive route from weapons to aggression. Weapons did
      not significantly increase angry feelings. Yet, a comprehensive sensitivity
      analysis indicated that not all naive mean estimates were robust to the presence
      of publication bias. In general, these results suggest that the published
      literature tends to overestimate the weapons effect for some outcomes and
      moderators.

PMID- 28918700
TI  - Dementia and Migration: Family Care Patterns Merging With Public Care Services.
AB  - This article focuses on cognitive impairment and dementia in the context of
      transnational migration. Based on data from focus group discussions and
      interviews, we conclude that to adjust to the needs of care within ethnic
      minority communities, it is important to consider not only the availability of
      household and kin members but also the present understanding of obligation and
      reciprocity underlying the perception of care. Another important issue to realize
      is that caregivers, women in particular, might feel obliged to conform to a
      traditional caregiver role, but without the support from a wider extended family,
      and in the context of other pressing roles and duties. Consequently, health
      personnel should be wary of stereotyping and generalizing groups through
      "othering" ideologies and rather try to explore, understand, and adjust to the
      present and often fluctuating set of needs, as well as be aware of how and by
      whom these needs are articulated.

PMID- 28918701
TI  - Supporting Family Involvement in Long-Term Residential Care: Promising Practices
      for Relational Care.
AB  - Family members and friends provide significant support for older relatives in
      long-term residential care (LTRC). Yet, they occupy ambiguous positions in these
      settings, and their relationships with LTRC staff can involve conflicts and
      challenges. Based on an ethnographic project carried out in North America and
      Europe, this article identifies practices that promote meaningful family
      participation in care home life. We consider instances of rewarding family
      involvement upon admission to LTRC, throughout the time a relative is living in a
      care home, and during the final stages of life. Furthermore, we identify working
      conditions needed to support the well-being of family/friend carers as well as
      residents and staff. These include greater appreciation of relational care work,
      time for effective communication, teamwork, and appropriate, inclusive physical
      spaces. Findings make visible the importance of relational care and have
      implications for improving living and working conditions in LTRC.

PMID- 28918702
TI  - Anterior thalamic nuclei deep brain stimulation reduces disruption of the blood
      brain barrier, albumin extravasation, inflammation and apoptosis in kainic acid
      induced epileptic rats.
AB  - Objective The therapeutic efficacy of anterior thalamic nuclei deep brain
      stimulation (ATN-DBS) against seizures has been largely accepted; however, the
      effects of ATN-DBS on disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), albumin
      extravasation, inflammation and apoptosis still remain unclear. Methods Rats were
      distributed into four treatment groups: physiological saline (PS, N = 12), kainic
      acid (KA, N = 12), KA-sham-DBS (N = 12) and KA-DBS (N = 12). Seizures were
      monitored using video-electroencephalogram (EEG). One day after surgery, all rats
      were sacrificed. Then, samples were prepared for quantitative real-time PCR
      (qPCR), western blot, immunofluorescence (IF) staining, and transmission electron
      microscopy to evaluate the disruption of the BBB, albumin extravasation,
      inflammation, and apoptosis. Result Because of the KA injection, the disruption
      of the BBB, albumin extravasation, inflammation and apoptosis were more severe in
      the KA and the KA-sham-DBS groups compared to the PS group (all Ps < 0.05 or <
      0.01). The ideal outcomes were observed in the KA-DBS group. ATN-DBS produced a
      46.3% reduction in seizure frequency and alleviated the disruption of the BBB,
      albumin extravasation, inflammatory reaction and apoptosis in comparison to the
      KA-sham-DBS group (all Ps < 0.05 or < 0.01). Conclusion (1) Seizures can be
      reduced using ATN-DBS in the epileptogenic stage. (2) ATN-DBS can reduce the
      disruption of the BBB and albumin extravasation. (3) ATN-DBS has an anti
      inflammatory effect in epileptic models.

PMID- 28918703
TI  - A Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial of RPH With the Simplified Milligan
      Morgan Hemorrhoidectomy in the Treatment of Mixed Hemorrhoids.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the safety and efficacy of Ruiyun procedure for hemorrhoids
      (RPH) or RPH with the simplified Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy (sMMH) in the
      treatment of mixed hemorrhoids. METHODS: This is a randomized, controlled,
      balanced, multicenter study of 3000 patients with mixed hemorrhoids. The outcomes
      and postoperative complications were compared between 5 types of surgeries.
      RESULTS: The efficacy rate was the highest in patients who received RPH+sMMH and
      decreased in the following order: patients who received RPH alone, MMH alone,
      procedure for prolapse and hemorrhoids (PPH) alone, and PPH+sMMH ( P < .05). The
      operation time was the shortest in patients who received RPH alone and increased
      in the following order: patients who received RPH+sMMH, PPH alone, MMH alone, and
      PPH+sMMH ( P < .01). The duration of postoperative hospitalization stay was the
      shortest in patients who received RPH alone and increased in the following order:
      PPH alone, RPH+sMMH, PPH+sMMH, and MMH alone ( P < .01). The incidence of
      postoperative hemorrhage, uroschesis, anal fissure, crissum hematoma or
      thrombosis, and anorectal stenosis was significantly lower in patients who
      received RPH+sMMH than in patients who received the other 4 types of surgical
      treatments ( P < .05, P < .01). No significant differences in postoperative
      rectovaginal fistula and anal incontinence were observed between the 5 groups of
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: RPH with or without simplified MMH can reduce the
      incidence of postoperative complications and improve the curative efficacy in the
      treatment of patients with mixed hemorrhoids.

PMID- 28918704
TI  - Professionalism among multicultural medical students in the United Arab Emirates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Moral competencies and ethical practices of medical professionals are
      among the desired outcomes of academic training. Unfortunately, academic
      dishonesty and misconduct are reported from medical colleges across the world.
      This study investigates the level of academic dishonesty/misconduct among
      multicultural medical students. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to
      investigate the level of academic dishonesty/misconduct among multicultural
      medical students. DESIGN: Validated and customized version of Dundee
      Polyprofessionalism Inventory-1 detailing lapses of professionalism in
      undergraduate health professions education was used to determine the perceived
      prevalence and self-reported lapses of academic integrity in this study. RESULTS:
      This study shows that the majority (458/554, 83%) of medical students have
      admitted to acts of academic dishonesty mentioned in the questionnaire.
      Approximately 42% (231/554) of the students have given proxy for attendance and
      71% of them considered this as an offense. Similarly, 12% (66/554) have copied
      from the record books of others, and 86% (477/554) have considered it unethical.
      In addition, 5% (28/554) of the students revealed forging a teacher's signature
      in their record or logbooks, with 16% (91/554) of them reporting that they have
      seen others forge signatures. CONCLUSION: This is the first multi-center, multi
      cultural and multi-ethnic study involving a large number of participants that
      addresses academic professionalism among medical students in the Middle East.
      Certainly, the paucity of data limits definitive conclusions about the best
      approach to prevent academic misconduct in the UAE medical schools. Yet, the
      results of our study are anticipated not only to benefit the UAE but also to find
      application in the Arab world, with similar medical school programs, values,
      culture and tradition.

PMID- 28918706
TI  - Speech intelligibility benefits of frequency-lowering algorithms in adult hearing
      aid users: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of two frequency
      lowering schemes, non-linear frequency compression and frequency transposition,
      at improving speech intelligibility for adult hearing-impaired populations.
      DESIGN: A systematic search of 10 electronic databases was carried out using pre
      defined inclusion criteria. Accepted articles were then critically appraised
      using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Critical Appraisal
      Tool. Outcome results were further synthesised where possible using random
      effects meta-analysis to provide overall combined estimates of the treatment
      differences along with 95% confidence intervals. STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 20
      articles were accepted for final review. RESULTS: Overall, study quality was of
      moderate strength. Meta-analysis found a statistically significant benefit in
      favour of frequency-lowering for consonant recognition testing in quiet across
      145 participants with both algorithms providing comparable gains. Equivalent
      results were found between frequency-lowering and conventional processing on all
      other speech measures. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the available data, frequency
      lowering does seem to provide some improvement in an individual's speech
      intelligibility dependant on the stimulus type, although the benefits were
      modest. This improvement was not seen across all measures, however those who do
      not benefit from the technology will also not be harmed by trialling it.

PMID- 28918705
TI  - The learning space-interpersonal interactions between nursing students, patients,
      and supervisors at developing and learning care units.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous research shows that the learning space is significant for
      students' learning in pairs in clinical practice but does not explain the meaning
      of the phenomenon. The aim of this study is thus to explain and understand the
      learning space that occurs in the interaction between the patients, the pairs of
      nursing students, and the supervisors on a developing and learning care unit in
      Sweden. METHOD: The study has been carried out with a Reflective Lifeworld
      Research (RLR) approach founded on hermeneutics. A total of 39 informants,
      consisting of 16 patients, five pairs of students (10 students), and 13
      supervisors, were observed and interviewed. RESULTS: The results reveal that an
      interpersonal linkage between the patients, the students, and the supervisors is
      created within the learning space. A learning space, based on respect towards
      each other, creates the prerequisite for beneficial and supportive interactions
      that contribute to a deeper relationship. CONCLUSION: The phenomenon is complex
      due to its expandable nature and due to the fact that the learning space cannot
      be isolated from the surrounding environment. In order to exploit the potential
      of the learning space it is of importance to understand and consider the learning
      space as a whole.

PMID- 28918707
TI  - WDNfinder: A method for minimum driver node set detection and analysis in
      directed and weighted biological network.
AB  - Structural controllability is the generalization of traditional controllability
      for dynamical systems. During the last decade, interesting biological discoveries
      have been inferred by applied structural controllability analysis to biological
      networks. However, false positive/negative information (i.e. nodes and edges)
      widely exists in biological networks that documented in public data sources,
      which can hinder accurate analysis of structural controllability. In this study,
      we propose WDNfinder, a comprehensive analysis package that provides structural
      controllability with consideration of node connection strength in biological
      networks. When applied to the human cancer signaling network and p53-mediate DNA
      damage response network, WDNfinder shows high accuracy on essential nodes
      prediction in these networks. Compared to existing methods, WDNfinder can
      significantly narrow down the set of minimum driver node set (MDS) under the
      restriction of domain knowledge. When using p53-mediate DNA damage response
      network as illustration, we find more meaningful MDSs by WDNfinder. The source
      code is implemented in python and publicly available together with relevant data
      on GitHub: https://github.com/dustincys/WDNfinder .

PMID- 28918708
TI  - Removal of sulfadiazine and tetracycline in membrane bioreactors: linking pathway
      to microbial community shift.
AB  - In this study, the removal pathway of sulfadiazine (SDZ) and tetracycline (TC)
      and their roles in shaping microbial community were separately explored in two
      lab-scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) operating in parallel with one control MBR.
      Results show that the MBR system eliminated more than 90% of TC in the feed,
      whereas removal efficiency of SDZ decreased from 100% to 40% with increasing SDZ
      concentrations (1-1000 MUg/L). Based on batch tests, biodegradation and
      adsorption was the main removal route for SDZ and TC, following pseudo-first
      order kinetic and pseudo-second-order kinetic model with a rate constant of 1.21
      L/(g MLSS.d) and 1.91 h-1, respectively, in the acclimated sludge. As expected,
      the acclimated sludge possessed a higher removal potential for the antibiotics
      compared with unacclimated sludge. Notably, high-throughput sequencing revealed
      that the most abundant phylum Proteobacteria was resistant to TC (1-1000 MUg/L),
      but was suppressed by SDZ (100-1000 MUg/L). Members of the phylum TM7 were likely
      responsible for SDZ degradation. Overall, TC exhibited a stronger inhibitory
      effect on bacterial species and significantly reduced the biodiversity compared
      with SDZ, which could be strongly related to the persistent toxicity of TC to
      microbes resulting from its high adsorption potential on activated sludge.

PMID- 28918709
TI  - Prognosis and outcome of severe lithium poisoning.

PMID- 28918710
TI  - Trametinib for the treatment of IGHV4-34, MAP2K1-mutant variant hairy cell
      leukemia.

PMID- 28918711
TI  - In Defense of Tradition: Religiosity, Conservatism, and Opposition to Same-Sex
      Marriage in North America.
AB  - Arguments opposing same-sex marriage are often made on religious grounds. In five
      studies conducted in the United States and Canada (combined N = 1,673), we
      observed that religious opposition to same-sex marriage was explained, at least
      in part, by conservative ideology and linked to sexual prejudice. In Studies 1
      and 2, we discovered that the relationship between religiosity and opposition to
      same-sex marriage was mediated by explicit sexual prejudice. In Study 3, we saw
      that the mediating effect of sexual prejudice was linked to political
      conservatism. Finally, in Studies 4a and 4b we examined the ideological
      underpinnings of religious opposition to same-sex marriage in more detail by
      taking into account two distinct aspects of conservative ideology. Results
      revealed that resistance to change was more important than opposition to equality
      in explaining religious opposition to same-sex marriage.

PMID- 28918712
TI  - Anger Promotes Economic Conservatism.
AB  - Research suggests that certain facets of people's political ideals can be
      motivated by different goals. Although it is widely accepted that emotions
      motivate goal-directed behavior, less is known about how emotion-specific goals
      may influence different facets of ideology. In this research, we examine how
      anger affects political ideology and through what mechanisms such effects occur.
      Drawing on the dual-process motivational model of ideology and the functionalist
      perspective of emotion, we propose that anger leads people to support
      conservative economic ideals, which promote economic independence and discourage
      societal resource sharing. Four studies support our hypothesis that anger can
      enhance support for an election candidate espousing conservative economic ideals.
      We find that anger shifts people toward economic conservatism by orienting them
      toward competition for resources. Implications and future research on the
      relationship between emotions and political ideology are discussed.

PMID- 28918713
TI  - When Size Matters: Sensitivity to Missed Opportunity Size Increases With Stronger
      Assessment.
AB  - This research shows that the strength of assessment orientation, defined as the
      "aspect of self-regulation concerned with critically evaluating entities or
      states," increases a person's sensitivity to the size of a missed opportunity.
      Study 1 revealed that the experimental induction of an assessment orientation
      reduced the likelihood to act on a present offer after missing out on a large
      opportunity. Following a small missed opportunity, on the contrary, seizing the
      present offer was more likely. Studies 2 and 3 generalized this effect to chronic
      assessment orientations. In Study 4, the findings were replicated in a field
      study, which also demonstrated that differential value judgments explain
      assessors' sensitivity to the size of a missed opportunity.

PMID- 28918714
TI  - Is There a Dark Side to Mindfulness? Relation of Mindfulness to Criminogenic
      Cognitions.
AB  - In recent years, mindfulness-based interventions have been modified for use with
      inmate populations, but how this might relate to specific criminogenic cognitions
      has not been examined empirically. Theoretically, characteristics of mindfulness
      should be incompatible with distorted patterns of criminal thinking, but is this
      in fact the case? Among both 259 male jail inmates and 516 undergraduates,
      mindfulness was inversely related to the Criminogenic Cognitions Scale (CCS)
      through a latent variable of emotion regulation. However, in the jail sample,
      this mediational model also showed a direct, positive path from mindfulness to
      CCS, with an analogous, but nonsignificant trend in the college sample. Post hoc
      analyses indicate that the Nonjudgment of Self scale derived from the Mindfulness
      Inventory: Nine Dimensions (MI:ND) largely accounts for this apparently
      iatrogenic effect in both samples. Some degree of self-judgment is perhaps
      necessary and useful, especially among individuals involved in the criminal
      justice system.

PMID- 28918715
TI  - Bracing Later and Coping Better: Benefits of Mindfulness During a Stressful
      Waiting Period.
AB  - People frequently await uncertain news, yet research reveals that the strategies
      people naturally use to cope with uncertainty are largely ineffective. We tested
      the role of mindfulness for improving the experience of a stressful waiting
      period. Law graduates awaiting their bar exam results either reported their trait
      mindfulness (Study 1; N = 150) or were instructed to practice mindfulness
      meditation (Study 2; N = 90). As hypothesized, participants who were naturally
      more mindful or who practiced mindfulness managed their expectations more
      effectively by bracing for the worst later in the waiting period and perceived
      themselves as coping better. Additionally, participants who were low in
      dispositional optimism and high in intolerance of uncertainty benefited most from
      mindfulness (relative to control) meditation. These findings point to a simple
      and effective way to wait better, particularly for those most vulnerable to
      distress.

PMID- 28918716
TI  - The Existential Underpinnings of Intergroup Helping: When Normative and Defensive
      Motivations Collide.
AB  - Five studies examined defensive intergroup helping-when responsibility for an out
      group victim's injury decreases helping, whereas lack of responsibility increases
      helping when death is salient. In Study 1 ( N = 350), implicit death primes
      increased petition signings to allow a Palestinian child to receive medical
      treatment in Israel, when the child was a victim of Palestinian fire. When the
      child was a victim of Israeli fire, however, death primes decreased petition
      signings. Study 2 ( N = 200) partially replicated these effects on commitment to
      donate blood to an injured Palestinian child. Study 3 ( N = 162) found that moral
      affirmation primes moderate defensive helping effects. Study 4 ( N = 372)
      replicated defensive helping, but failed to replicate the moral affirmation
      effect found in Study 3. Study 5 ( N = 243) partially replicated defensive
      helping and found that different framings of existential threat moderate the
      effect. Overall, results indicate that self-protective concerns underlie
      prosocial responses to out-group members in need.

PMID- 28918717
TI  - Ecological Origins of Freedom: Pathogens, Heat Stress, and Frontier Topography
      Predict More Vertical but Less Horizontal Governmental Restriction.
AB  - What kinds of physical environments make for free societies? The present research
      investigates the effect of three different types of ecological stressors (climate
      stress, pathogen stress, and frontier topography) on two measurements of
      governmental restriction: Vertical restriction involves select persons imposing
      asymmetrical laws on others, while horizontal restriction involves laws that
      restrict most members of a society equally. Investigation 1 validates our
      measurements of vertical and horizontal restriction. Investigation 2 demonstrates
      that, across both U.S. states and a sample of nations, ecological stressors tend
      to cause more vertically restrictive societies but less horizontally restrictive
      societies. Investigation 3 demonstrates that assortative sociality partially
      mediates ecological stress->restriction relationships across nations, but not in
      U.S. states. Although some stressor-specific effects emerged (most notably, cold
      stress consistently showed effects in the opposite direction), these results in
      the main suggest that ecological stress simultaneously creates opposing pressures
      that push freedom in two different directions.

PMID- 28918718
TI  - Who Gets Social Support, Who Gives It, and How It's Related to Recipient's Mood.
AB  - We sought to identify personal characteristics associated with receiving and
      perceiving social support, and characteristics of support providers who give the
      most support and are perceived as the most available. In samples of students ( n
      = 755) and community adults ( n = 430), we found that people who were younger,
      female, more extraverted, more conscientious, and more open received and
      perceived more support. Female providers and romantic partners were associated
      with more support whereas coworkers were associated with less. In many cases,
      social support mediated associations between these characteristics and recipient
      mood. For instance, recipients reported they experience more positive mood and
      less negative mood when interacting with female providers. These associations
      were partly explained by increased received and perceived support from female
      providers. Notable differences emerged between received support and perceived
      support, and between the student and community samples. Implications for
      increasing support for poorly supported individuals are discussed.

PMID- 28918719
TI  - Is the prevalence of mental illness increasing in Australia? Evidence from
      national health surveys and administrative data, 2001-2014.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess changes in the prevalence rates of probable common mental
      disorders (CMDs) and in rates of disability support pensions (DSPs) for people
      with psychiatric disorders in Australia between 2001 and 2014. DESIGN, SETTING
      AND PARTICIPANTS: Secondary analysis of data from five successive Australian
      national health surveys of representative samples of the working age population
      (18-65 years of age) and national data on DSP recipients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Prevalence of probable CMDs with very high symptom level (defined by a Kessler
      Psychological Distress Scale [K10] score of 30 or more) or with high symptom
      level (K10 score of 22 or more); the proportion of working age Australians
      receiving DSPs for psychiatric conditions. RESULTS: There was no change in the
      prevalence rate of probable CMDs with very high symptom levels between 2001 and
      2014, but a slight decrease in the prevalence of probable CMDs with high symptoms
      levels, particularly among those under 45 years of age. Over the same period, the
      proportion of working age individuals receiving DSPs for psychiatric conditions
      increased by 51% (for trend, P < 0.001), equivalent to one additional DSP for
      every 182 working age Australians. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to popular belief, the
      prevalence of probable CMDs in Australia was stable between 2001 and 2014.
      However, the proportion of the working age population receiving DSPs for
      psychiatric conditions increased dramatically over the same period. This
      conundrum is a major public health problem that should be further examined.

PMID- 28918720
TI  - The disparity between changes in the prevalence of mental illness and disability
      support rates in Australia.

PMID- 28918722
TI  - Psilocybin-assisted therapy for anxiety and depression: implications for
      euthanasia.

PMID- 28918723
TI  - Ultrasound as a treatment modality for neurological diseases.

PMID- 28918724
TI  - Why medically unexplained symptoms and health anxiety don't need to make your
      heart sink.

PMID- 28918725
TI  - High-pressure injection injury: benign appearance belies potentially devastating
      consequences.

PMID- 28918726
TI  - A day in the life: social media for clinical practice and medical education.

PMID- 28918727
TI  - Deconfounding confounding part 2: using directed acyclic graphs (DAGs).

PMID- 28918728
TI  - A rash diagnosis.

PMID- 28918729
TI  - The medical coalface of the heroin epidemic.

PMID- 28918730
TI  - Psychiatry training: survive and thrive.

PMID- 28918731
TI  - Broken promises and missing steps in mental health reform.

PMID- 28918732
TI  - Acupuncture for analgesia in the emergency department: a multicentre, randomised,
      equivalence and non-inferiority trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess analgesia provided by acupuncture, alone
      or in combination with pharmacotherapy, to patients presenting to emergency
      departments with acute low back pain, migraine or ankle sprain. DESIGN: A
      pragmatic, multicentre, randomised, assessor-blinded, equivalence and non
      inferiority trial of analgesia, comparing acupuncture alone, acupuncture plus
      pharmacotherapy, and pharmacotherapy alone for alleviating pain in the emergency
      department. Setting, participants: Patients presenting to emergency departments
      in one of four tertiary hospitals in Melbourne with acute low back pain,
      migraine, or ankle sprain, and with a pain score on a 10-point verbal numerical
      rating scale (VNRS) of at least 4. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome
      measure was pain at one hour (T1). Clinically relevant pain relief was defined as
      achieving a VNRS score below 4, and statistically relevant pain relief as a
      reduction in VNRS score of greater than 2 units. RESULTS: 1964 patients were
      assessed between January 2010 and December 2011; 528 patients with acute low back
      pain (270 patients), migraine (92) or ankle sprain (166) were randomised to
      acupuncture alone (177 patients), acupuncture plus pharmacotherapy (178) or
      pharmacotherapy alone (173). Equivalence and non-inferiority of treatment groups
      was found overall and for the low back pain and ankle sprain groups in both
      intention-to-treat and per protocol (PP) analyses, except in the PP equivalence
      testing of the ankle sprain group. 15.6% of patients had clinically relevant pain
      relief and 36.9% had statistically relevant pain relief at T1; there were no
      between-group differences. CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of acupuncture in
      providing acute analgesia for patients with back pain and ankle sprain was
      comparable with that of pharmacotherapy. Acupuncture is a safe and acceptable
      form of analgesia, but none of the examined therapies provided optimal acute
      analgesia. More effective options are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New
      Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12609000989246.

PMID- 28918733
TI  - Cupping: the risk of burns.

PMID- 28918734
TI  - The 2016 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists guidelines for
      the management of schizophrenia and related disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
      (RANZCP) clinical practice guidelines for the management of schizophrenia and
      related disorders provide evidence-based recommendations for optimising treatment
      and prognosis. This update to the 2005 RANZCP guidelines has a greater emphasis
      on psychosocial treatments, physical health comorbidities and vocational
      rehabilitation. Main recommendations: The guidelines advise a clinical staging
      approach and deliver specific recommendations for:*comprehensive treatment using
      second generation antipsychotic agents continuously for 2-5 years;*early
      treatment of comorbid substance use;*community treatment after initial contact,
      during crises and after discharge from hospital;*physical health monitoring and
      management of comorbidities, particularly metabolic health;*interventions to
      optimise recovery of social function and return to study or work; and*management
      of schizophrenia in specific populations and circumstances. Changes in management
      as a result of the guidelines: The guidelines provide benchmarks against which
      the performance of services and clinical teams can be assessed. Measuring
      treatment response and clinical outcome is essential. General practitioners have
      an important role, particularly in monitoring and reducing the high
      cardiovascular risk in this population. Clinical services focusing on early
      detection, treatment and recovery need continuous funding to be proactive in
      implementing the guidelines and closing the gap between what is possible and what
      actually occurs.

PMID- 28918735
TI  - Suicide by health professionals: a retrospective mortality study in Australia,
      2001-2012.

PMID- 28918736
TI  - Suicide by health professionals: a retrospective mortality study in Australia,
      2001-2012.

PMID- 28918738
TI  - Nurturing rural doctors.

PMID- 28918737
TI  - Suicide by health professionals: a retrospective mortality study in Australia,
      2001-2012.

PMID- 28918740
TI  - Methylglyoxal and Small Heat Shock Proteins.
AB  - Methylglyoxal is a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound formed during glucose
      metabolism and able to modify phospholipids, nucleic acids, and proteins
      belonging to the so-called dicarbonyl proteome. Small heat shock proteins
      participating in protection of the cell against different unfavorable conditions
      can be modified by methylglyoxal. The probability of methylglyoxal modification
      is increased in the case of distortion of glucose metabolism (diabetes), in the
      case of utilization of glycolysis as the main source of energy (malignancy),
      and/or at low rate of modified protein turnover. We have analyzed data on
      modification of small heat shock protein HspB1 in different tumors and under
      distortion of carbohydrate metabolism. Data on the effect of methylglyoxal
      modification on stability, chaperone-like activity, and antiapoptotic activity of
      HspB1 were analyzed. We discuss data on methylglyoxal modifications of lens alpha
      crystallins. The mutual dependence and mutual effects of methylglyoxal
      modification and other posttranslational modifications of lens crystallins are
      analyzed. We conclude that although there is no doubt that the small heat shock
      proteins undergo methylglyoxal modification, the physiological significance of
      this process remains enigmatic, and new experimental approaches should be
      developed for understanding how this type of modification affects functioning of
      small heat shock proteins in the cell.

PMID- 28918741
TI  - Design, Synthesis, and Some Aspects of the Biological Activity of Mitochondria
      Targeted Antioxidants.
AB  - This review summarizes for the first time data on the design and synthesis of
      biologically active compounds of a new generation - mitochondria-targeted
      antioxidants, which are natural (or synthetic) p-benzoquinones conjugated via a
      lipophilic linker with (triphenyl)phosphonium or ammonium cations with
      delocalized charge. It also describes the synthesis of mitochondria-targeted
      antioxidants - uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation - based on fluorescent
      dyes.

PMID- 28918742
TI  - A New Concept of Action of Hemostatic Proteases on Inflammation, Neurotoxicity,
      and Tissue Regeneration.
AB  - Key hemostatic serine proteases such as thrombin and activated protein C (APC)
      are signaling molecules controlling blood coagulation and inflammation, tissue
      regeneration, neurodegeneration, and some other processes. By interacting with
      protease-activated receptors (PARs), these enzymes cleave a receptor exodomain
      and liberate new amino acid sequence known as a tethered ligand, which then
      activates the initial receptor and induces multiple signaling pathways and cell
      responses. Among four PAR family members, APC and thrombin mainly act via PAR1,
      and they trigger divergent effects. APC is an anticoagulant with antiinflammatory
      and cytoprotective activity, whereas thrombin is a protease with procoagulant and
      proinflammatory effects. Hallmark features of APC-induced effects result from
      acting via different pathways: limited proteolysis of PAR1 localized in membrane
      caveolae with coreceptor (endothelial protein C receptor) as well as its targeted
      proteolytic action at a receptor exodomain site differing from the canonical
      thrombin cleavage site. Hence, a new noncanonical tethered PAR1 agonist peptide
      (PAR1-AP) is formed, whose effects are poorly investigated in inflammation,
      tissue regeneration, and neurotoxicity. In this review, a concept about a role of
      biased agonism in effects exerted by APC and PAR1-AP via PAR1 on cells involved
      in inflammation and related processes is developed. New evidence showing a role
      for a biased agonism in activating PAR1 both by APC and PAR1-AP as well as
      induction of antiinflammatory and cytoprotective cellular responses in
      experimental inflammation, wound healing, and excitotoxicity is presented. It
      seems that synthetic PAR1 peptide-agonists may compete with APC in controlling
      some inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 28918743
TI  - EB-Family Proteins: Functions and Microtubule Interaction Mechanisms.
AB  - Microtubules are polymers of tubulin protein, one of the key components of
      cytoskeleton. They are polar filaments whose plus-ends usually oriented toward
      the cell periphery are more dynamic than their minus-ends, which face the center
      of the cell. In cells, microtubules are organized into a network that is being
      constantly rebuilt and renovated due to stochastic switching of its individual
      filaments from growth to shrinkage and back. Because of these dynamics and their
      mechanical properties, microtubules take part in various essential processes,
      from intracellular transport to search and capture of chromosomes during mitosis.
      Microtubule dynamics are regulated by many proteins that are located on the plus
      ends of these filaments. One of the most important and abundant groups of plus
      end-interacting proteins are EB-family proteins, which autonomously recognize
      structures of the microtubule growing plus-ends, modulate their dynamics, and
      recruit multiple partner proteins with diverse functions onto the microtubule
      plus-ends. In this review, we summarize the published data about the properties
      and functions of EB-proteins, focusing on analysis of their mechanism of
      interaction with the microtubule growing ends.

PMID- 28918744
TI  - Intracellular Cargo Transport by Kinesin-3 Motors.
AB  - Intracellular transport along microtubules enables cellular cargoes to
      efficiently reach the extremities of large, eukaryotic cells. While it would take
      more than 200 years for a small vesicle to diffuse from the cell body to the
      growing tip of a one-meter long axon, transport by a kinesin allows delivery in
      one week. It is clear from this example that the evolution of intracellular
      transport was tightly linked to the development of complex and macroscopic life
      forms. The human genome encodes 45 kinesins, 8 of those belonging to the family
      of kinesin-3 organelle transporters that are known to transport a variety of
      cargoes towards the plus end of microtubules. However, their mode of action,
      their tertiary structure, and regulation are controversial. In this review, we
      summarize the latest developments in our understanding of these fascinating
      molecular motors.

PMID- 28918745
TI  - Coupling of Translation Initiation and Termination Does Not Depend on the Mode of
      Initiation.
AB  - Recently we described a novel phenomenon observed during eukaryotic translation
      in a cell-free system: the coupling of initiation and termination on different
      mRNA molecules. Here we show that the phenomenon does not depend on a special
      mode of initiation. The mRNAs with certain leader sequences known to require
      different determinants for successful initiation were examined. Even in a case of
      using the intergenic internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of cricket paralysis
      virus RNA as the leader sequence, while no initiation factors are required, the
      effect of coupling is well expressed, including trials in the presence of
      hippuristanol as an inhibitor of eIF4A. Thus, the effect persists in the absence
      of scanning and does not depend on initiator tRNA and eIF2. The results suggest
      that the initiation factors are not involved in the coupling mechanism.

PMID- 28918746
TI  - Escherichia coli Signal Peptidase Recognizes and Cleaves Archaeal Signal
      Sequence.
AB  - Tk1884, an open reading frame encoding alpha-amylase in Thermococcus
      kodakarensis, was cloned with the native signal sequence and expressed in
      Escherichia coli. Heterologous gene expression resulted in secretion of the
      recombinant protein to the extracellular culture medium. Extracellular alpha
      amylase activity gradually increased after induction. Tk1884 was purified from
      the extracellular medium, and its molecular mass determined by electrospray
      ionization mass spectrometry indicated the cleavage of a few amino acids. The N
      terminal amino acid sequence of the purified Tk1884 was determined, which
      revealed that the signal peptide was cleaved between Ala26 and Ala27 by E. coli
      signal peptidase. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report
      describing an archaeal signal sequence recognized and cleaved by E. coli signal
      peptidase.

PMID- 28918747
TI  - Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic
      Acid Enhance Dexamethasone Sensitivity in Multiple Myeloma Cells by the p53/miR
      34a/Bcl-2 Axis.
AB  - Dexamethasone is widely used in multiple myeloma (MM) for its cytotoxic effects
      on lymphoid cells. However, many MM patients are resistant to dexamethasone,
      although some can benefit from dexamethasone treatment. In this study, we noted
      that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) enhanced the dexamethasone
      sensitivity of MM cells by inducing cell apoptosis. q-PCR analysis revealed that
      miR-34a could be significantly induced by PUFAs in U266 and primary MM cells.
      Transfection with miR-34a antagonist or miR-34a agomir could restore or suppress
      the dexamethasone sensitivity in U266 cells. Both luciferase reporter assay and
      Western blot showed that Bcl-2 is the direct target of miR-34a in MM cells. In
      addition, we observed that PUFAs induced p53 protein expression in MM cells under
      dexamethasone administration. Furthermore, suppressing p53 by its inhibitor,
      Pifithrin-alpha, regulated the miR-34a expression and modulated the sensitivity
      to dexamethasone in U266 cells. In summary, these results suggest that PUFAs
      enhance dexamethasone sensitivity to MM cells through the p53/miR-34a axis with a
      likely contribution of Bcl-2 suppression.

PMID- 28918748
TI  - New Data on Programmed Risks of Death in Normal Mice and Mutants with Growth
      Delay.
AB  - Study of the lifespans of normal (non mutant) mice and growth delay mutants has
      shown that mortality rates for both kinds of animals exhibit reproducible
      fluctuations. In the case of the mutant mice, the positions of peaks on the
      differential mortality curves (mortality rate plotted against lifespan) coincided
      in different-sex groups of animals and in same-sex subgroups of animals.
      Differential mortality curves of the mutant mice also had a peak at 1 month of
      age that was absent from the differential mortality curves of the normal mice. In
      the case of normal animals, positions of most peaks were the same in the studied
      independent subgroups of males, and to a lesser extent - independent subgroups of
      females, which might be explained by a shift in mortality peak positions due to
      the reproductive activity of females. Similar positions of mortality rate peaks
      in the differential mortality curves for animals from independent groups and
      subgroups indicate the existence of increased risks of death at specific ages.
      The observed pattern could be due to the programming in the genome of both the
      periods of increased risk of death and the intermitting intervals of stable
      development.

PMID- 28918749
TI  - Effect of Low Temperature on Globin Expression, Respiratory Metabolic Enzyme
      Activities, and Gill Structure of Litopenaeus vannamei.
AB  - Low temperature frequently influences growth, development, and even survival of
      aquatic animals. In the present study, physiological and molecular responses to
      low temperature in Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated. The cDNA sequences of
      two oxygen-carrying proteins, cytoglobin (Cygb) and neuroglobin (Ngb), were
      isolated. Protein structure analysis revealed that both proteins share a globin
      superfamily domain. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that Cygb and Ngb mRNA
      levels gradually increased during decrease in temperatures from 25 to 15 degrees
      C and then decreased at 10 degrees C in muscle, brain, stomach, and heart, except
      for a continuing increase in gills, whereas they showed a different expression
      trend in the hepatopancreas. Hemocyanin concentration gradually reduced as the
      temperature decreased. Moreover, the activities of respiratory metabolic enzymes
      including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) were
      measured, and it was found that LDH activity gradually increased while SDH
      activity decreased after low-temperature treatment. Finally, damage to gill
      structure at low temperature was also observed, and this intensified with further
      decrease in temperature. Taken together, these results show that low temperature
      has an adverse influence in L. vannamei, which contributes to systematic
      understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of shrimp at low temperature.

PMID- 28918750
TI  - Expression, Purification, and Activity of ActhiS, a Thiazole Biosynthesis Enzyme
      from Acremonium chrysogenum.
AB  - Thiamine pyrophosphate is an essential coenzyme in all organisms. Its
      biosynthesis involves independent syntheses of the precursors, pyrimidine and
      thiazole, which are then coupled. In our previous study with overexpressed and
      silent mutants of ActhiS (thiazole biosynthesis enzyme from Acremonium
      chrysogenum), we found that the enzyme level correlated with intracellular
      thiamine content in A. chrysogenum. However, the exact structure and function of
      ActhiS remain unclear. In this study, the enzyme-bound ligand was characterized
      as the ADP adduct of 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazole-2-carboxylic acid (ADT)
      using HPLC and 1H NMR. The ligand-free ActhiS expressed in M9 minimal medium
      catalyzed conversion of NAD+ and glycine to ADT in the presence of iron.
      Furthermore, the C217 residue was identified as the sulfur donor for the thiazole
      moiety. These observations confirm that ActhiS is a thiazole biosynthesis enzyme
      in A. chrysogenum, and it serves as a sulfur source for the thiazole moiety.

PMID- 28918751
TI  - Editorial: Stay in Excellence.

PMID- 28918753
TI  - Neonatal intestinal obstruction associated with situs inversus totalis: two case
      reports and a review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association of neonatal intestinal obstruction with situs
      inversus totalis is extremely rare with only few cases reported in the literature
      to date. This association poses dilemmas in management. We present two such cases
      (of Indian origin), and briefly discuss the pertinent literature and measures to
      prevent unfavorable outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1: a 1-month-old preterm
      (1300 g) male neonate belonging to Hindu (Indian) ethnicity presented with
      recurrent bile-stained vomiting, non-passage of stools and epigastric fullness. A
      babygram and upper gastrointestinal contrast studies revealed situs inversus and
      suggested proximal jejunal obstruction with midgut volvulus. Exploration
      confirmed situs inversus totalis along with reverse rotation and midgut volvulus.
      There was a small gangrenous area in the proximal jejunal loop. A Ladd's
      procedure, resection of the gangrenous jejunal loop, and jejunojejunal
      anastomosis was performed. Note was made of the unusual appearance of the
      intestines suggestive either of fibrous or fatty infiltration. Postoperatively,
      our patient developed septicemia and died. Case 2: a 4-day-old female neonate
      belonging to Hindu (Indian) ethnicity, small (1320 g) for gestation, presented
      with history of non-passage of meconium since birth, refusal to accept feeds, and
      episodes of recurrent bilious vomiting with abdominal distension. A plain
      radiogram revealed situs inversus and proximal jejunal obstruction.
      Ultrasonography of her abdomen revealed renal dysplastic changes in both her
      kidneys. Laparotomy confirmed multiple jejunoileal atresias with situs inversus
      totalis. Resection anastomoses was performed for multiple atresias. Our patient
      passed a few pellets of meconium stools postoperatively; feeds were started
      gradually on the sixth day. Our patient gradually developed oliguria and renal
      failure, followed by respiratory distress and generalized edema requiring
      ventilatory support. She died later due to multiorgan failure. CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinicians should have high index of suspicion for malrotation with midgut
      volvulus or intestinal atresias in neonates of situs inversus presenting with
      bilious vomiting. The surgical treatment should follow the same surgical
      principles. In situs inversus, because of transposition of viscera, midgut
      volvulus may occur in an anticlockwise direction, hence derotation is performed
      clockwise. Prognosis was poor in our series because of low birth weight, late
      presentation, presence of gangrenous locus in the small bowel and development of
      septicemia in our first case and multiorgan fibrosis/dysplasia in our second
      case. Early diagnosis and timely referral is paramount for favorable outcome.

PMID- 28918752
TI  - Correlation of CSF flow using phase-contrast MRI with ventriculomegaly and CSF
      opening pressure in mucopolysaccharidoses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Very little is known about the incidence and prevalence of
      hydrocephalus in patients with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS). The biggest challenge
      is to distinguish communicating hydrocephalus from ventricular dilatation
      secondary to brain atrophy, because both conditions share common clinical and
      neuroradiological features. The main purpose of this study is to assess the
      relationship between ventriculomegaly, brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      volumes, aqueductal and cervical CSF flows, and CSF opening pressure in MPS
      patients, and to provide potential biomarkers for abnormal CSF circulation.
      METHODS: Forty-three MPS patients (12 MPS I, 15 MPS II, 5 MPS III, 9 MPS IV A and
      2 MPS VI) performed clinical and developmental tests, and T1, T2, FLAIR and phase
      contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) followed by a lumbar puncture with the
      CSF opening pressure assessment. For the analysis of MRI variables, we measured
      the brain and CSF volumes, white matter (WM) lesion load, Evans' index, third
      ventricle width, callosal angle, dilated perivascular spaces (PVS),
      craniocervical junction stenosis, aqueductal and cervical CSF stroke volumes, and
      CSF glycosaminoglycans concentration. RESULTS: All the scores used to assess the
      supratentorial ventricles enlargement and the ventricular CSF volume presented a
      moderate correlation with the aqueductal CSF stroke volume (ACSV). The CSF
      opening pressure did not correlate either with the three measures of
      ventriculomegaly, or the ventricular CSF volume, or with the ACSV. Dilated PVS
      showed a significant association with the ventriculomegaly, ventricular CSF
      volume and elevated ACSV. CONCLUSIONS: In MPS patients ventriculomegaly is
      associated with a severe phenotype, increased cognitive decline, WM lesion
      severity and enlarged PVS. The authors have shown that there are associations
      between CSF flow measurements and measurements related to CSF volumetrics. There
      was also an association of volumetric measurements with the degree of dilated
      PVS.

PMID- 28918755
TI  - Mosaic Decisionmaking and Reemergent Agency after Severe Brain Injury.
AB  - Neuroethics Now welcomes articles addressing the ethical application of
      neuroscience in research and patient care, as well as its impact on society.

PMID- 28918754
TI  - Macrophage activation-like syndrome: an immunological entity associated with
      rapid progression to death in sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A subanalysis of a randomized clinical trial indicated sepsis
      survival benefit from interleukin (IL)-1 blockade in patients with features of
      the macrophage activation-like syndrome (MALS). This study aimed to investigate
      the frequency of MALS and to develop a biomarker of diagnosis and prognosis.
      METHODS: Patients with infections and systemic inflammatory response syndrome
      were assigned to one test cohort (n = 3417) and a validation cohort (n = 1704).
      MALS was diagnosed for patients scoring positive either for the hemophagocytic
      syndrome score and/or having both hepatobiliary dysfunction and disseminated
      intravascular coagulation. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the
      predictive value of MALS for 10-day mortality in both cohorts. Ferritin, sCD163,
      IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor alpha
      (TNF-alpha) were measured in the blood the first 24 h; ferritin measurements were
      repeated in 747 patients on day 3. RESULTS: The frequency of MALS was 3.7% and
      4.3% in the test and the validation cohort, respectively. In both cohorts, MALS
      was an independent risk factor for 10-day mortality. A ferritin level above 4420
      ng/ml was accompanied by 66.7% and 66% mortality after 28 days, respectively.
      Ferritin levels above 4420 ng/ml were associated with an increase of IL-6, IL-18,
      INF-gamma, and sCD163 and a decreased IL-10/TNF-alpha ratio, indicating
      predominance of pro-inflammatory phenomena. Any less than 15% decrease of
      ferritin on day 3 was associated with more than 90% sensitivity for unfavorable
      outcome after 10 days. This high mortality risk was also validated in an
      independent Swedish cohort (n = 109). CONCLUSIONS: MALS is an independent life
      threatening entity in sepsis. Ferritin measurements can provide early diagnosis
      of MALS and may allow for specific treatment.

PMID- 28918756
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28918758
TI  - MEDICAL DEVICE RECALLS IN CANADA FROM 2005 TO 2015.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Medical devices are ubiquitous in modern medical care. However,
      little is known about the epidemiology of medical devices in the healthcare
      marketplace, including the rate at which medical devices are subject to recalls
      or other advisories. We sought to study the epidemiology of medical devices in
      Canada, focusing on device recalls. In Canada, a recall may signify a variety of
      events, ranging from relatively minor field safety notifications, to removal of a
      product from the marketplace. METHODS: We used data from Health Canada to study
      medical device recalls in Canada from 2005 to 2015. We analyzed the risks of
      medical device recalls according to the risk class of the device (I lowest; IV
      highest) and the hazard priority of the recall (Type I highest potential harm;
      Type III lowest potential harm). RESULTS: During a 10-year period, there were
      7,226 medical device recalls. Most recalls were for intermediate risk class
      (Class II, 40.1 percent; Class III, 38.7 percent) medical devices. Among recalled
      devices, 5.0 percent were judged to have a reasonable probability of serious
      adverse health consequences or death (Type I recall Hazard Priority
      classification). While the number of medical devices marketed in Canada is not
      known, over a similar 10-year period, 24,849 new Class II, II, and IV medical
      device licenses were issued by Health Canada. CONCLUSIONS: Several hundred
      medical device recalls occur in Canada each year. Further research is needed to
      characterize the nature of medical device recalls, and to explore how consumers
      use information about recalls.

PMID- 28918759
TI  - Ultrasonic bone aspirator use in endoscopic ear surgery: feasibility and safety
      assessed using cadaveric temporal bones.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the feasibility and assess the safety of using an
      ultrasonic bone aspirator in endoscopic ear surgery. METHODS: Five temporal bones
      were dissected via endoscopic ear surgery using a Sonopet ultrasonic bone
      aspirator. Atticoantrostomy was undertaken. Another four bones were dissected
      using routine endoscopic equipment and standard bone curettes in a similar
      manner. Feasibility and safety were assessed in terms of: dissection time,
      atticoantrostomy adequacy, tympanomeatal flap damage, chorda tympani nerve
      injury, ossicular injury, ossicular chain disruption, facial nerve exposure and
      dural injury. RESULTS: The time taken to perform atticoantrostomy was
      significantly less with the use of the ultrasonic bone aspirator as compared to
      conventional bone curettes. CONCLUSION: The ultrasonic bone aspirator is a
      feasible option in endoscopic ear surgery. It enables easy bone removal, with no
      additional complications and greater efficacy than traditional bone curettes. It
      should be a part of the armamentarium for transcanal endoscopic ear surgery.

PMID- 28918757
TI  - Relationship between Cognitive Performance and Measures of Neurodegeneration
      among Hispanic and White Non-Hispanic Individuals with Normal Cognition, Mild
      Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the presence and severity of
      potential cultural and language bias in widely used cognitive and other
      assessment instruments, using structural MRI measures of neurodegeneration as
      biomarkers of disease stage and severity. METHODS: Hispanic (n=75) and White non
      Hispanic (WNH) (n=90) subjects were classified as cognitively normal (CN),
      amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild dementia. Performance on the
      culture-fair and educationally fair Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME) and
      Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) between Hispanics and WNHs was equivalent,
      in each diagnostic group. Volumetric and visually rated measures of the
      hippocampus entorhinal cortex, and inferior lateral ventricles (ILV) were
      measured on structural MRI scans for all subjects. A series of analyses of
      covariance, controlling for age, depression, and education, were conducted to
      compare the level of neurodegeneration on these MRI measures between Hispanics
      and WNHs in each diagnostic group. RESULTS: Among both Hispanics and WNH groups
      there was a progressive decrease in volume of the hippocampus and entorhinal
      cortex, and an increase in volume of the ILV (indicating increasing atrophy in
      the regions surrounding the ILV) from CN to aMCI to mild dementia. For equivalent
      levels of performance on the FOME and CDR, WNHs had greater levels of
      neurodegeneration than did Hispanic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Atrophy in medial
      temporal regions was found to be greater among WNH than Hispanic diagnostic
      groups, despite the lack of statistical differences in cognitive performance
      between these two ethnic groups. Presumably, unmeasured factors result in better
      cognitive performance among WNH than Hispanics for a given level of
      neurodegeneration. (JINS, 2018, 24, 176-187).

PMID- 28918761
TI  - Quality of life in bipolar disorder: towards a dynamic understanding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although quality of life (QoL) is receiving increasing attention in
      bipolar disorder (BD) research and practice, little is known about its
      naturalistic trajectory. The dual aims of this study were to prospectively
      investigate: (a) the trajectory of QoL under guideline-driven treatment and (b)
      the dynamic relationship between mood symptoms and QoL. METHODS: In total, 362
      patients with BD receiving guideline-driven treatment were prospectively followed
      at 3-month intervals for up to 5 years. Mental (Mental Component Score - MCS) and
      physical (Physical Component Score - PCS) QoL were measured using the self-report
      SF-36. Clinician-rated symptom data were recorded for mania and depression.
      Multilevel modelling was used to analyse MCS and PCS over time, QoL trajectories
      predicted by time-lagged symptoms, and symptom trajectories predicted by time
      lagged QoL. RESULTS: MCS exhibited a positive trajectory, while PCS worsened over
      time. Investigation of temporal relationships between QoL and symptoms suggested
      bidirectional effects: earlier depressive symptoms were negatively associated
      with mental QoL, and earlier manic symptoms were negatively associated with
      physical QoL. Importantly, earlier MCS and PCS were both negatively associated
      with downstream symptoms of mania and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The present
      investigation illustrates real-world outcomes for QoL under guideline-driven BD
      treatment: improvements in mental QoL and decrements in physical QoL were
      observed. The data permitted investigation of dynamic interactions between QoL
      and symptoms, generating novel evidence for bidirectional effects and encouraging
      further research into this important interplay. Investigation of relevant time
      varying covariates (e.g. medications) was beyond scope. Future research should
      investigate possible determinants of QoL and the interplay between symptoms and
      wellbeing/satisfaction-centric measures of QoL.

PMID- 28918760
TI  - Effects of a school readiness intervention on hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis
      functioning and school adjustment for children in foster care.
AB  - Maltreated children in foster care are at high risk for dysregulated hypothalamus
      pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning and educational difficulties. The
      present study examined the effects of a short-term school readiness intervention
      on HPA axis functioning in response to the start of kindergarten, a critical
      transition marking entry to formal schooling, and whether altered HPA axis
      functioning influenced children's school adjustment. Compared to a foster care
      comparison group, children in the intervention group showed a steeper diurnal
      cortisol slope on the first day of school, a pattern previously observed among
      nonmaltreated children. A steeper first day of school diurnal cortisol slope
      predicted teacher ratings of better school adjustment (i.e., academic
      performance, appropriate classroom behaviors, and engagement in learning) in the
      fall of kindergarten. Furthermore, the children's HPA axis response to the start
      of school mediated the effect of the intervention on school adjustment. These
      findings support the potential for ameliorative effects of interventions
      targeting critical transitional periods, such as the transition of formal
      schooling. This school readiness intervention appears to influence stress
      neurobiology, which in turn facilitates positive engagement with the school
      environment and better school adjustment in children who have experienced
      significant early adversity.

PMID- 28918763
TI  - Identifying Factors That May Influence Decision-Making Related to the
      Distribution of Patients During a Mass Casualty Incident.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify and seek agreement on factors that may influence
      decision-making related to the distribution of patients during a mass casualty
      incident. METHODS: A qualitative thematic analysis of a literature review
      identified 56 unique factors related to the distribution of patients in a mass
      casualty incident. A modified Delphi study was conducted and used purposive
      sampling to identify peer reviewers that had either (1) a peer-reviewed
      publication within the area of disaster management or (2) disaster management
      experience. In round one, peer reviewers ranked the 56 factors and identified an
      additional 8 factors that resulted in 64 factors being ranked during the two
      round Delphi study. The criteria for agreement were defined as a median score
      greater than or equal to 7 (on a 9-point Likert scale) and a percentage
      distribution of 75% or greater of ratings being in the highest tertile. RESULTS:
      Fifty-four disaster management peer reviewers, with hospital and prehospital
      practice settings most represented, assessed a total of 64 factors, of which 29
      factors (45%) met the criteria for agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Agreement from this
      formative study suggests that certain factors are influential to decision-making
      related to the distribution of patients during a mass casualty incident.
      (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:101-108).

PMID- 28918762
TI  - Standard comparison of local mental health care systems in eight European
      countries.
AB  - AIMS: There is a need of more quantitative standardised data to compare local
      Mental Health Systems (MHSs) across international jurisdictions. Problems related
      to terminological variability and commensurability in the evaluation of services
      hamper like-with-like comparisons and hinder the development of work in this
      area. This study was aimed to provide standard assessment and comparison of MHS
      in selected local areas in Europe, contributing to a better understanding of MHS
      and related allocation of resources at local level and to lessen the scarcity in
      standard service comparison in Europe. This study is part of the Seventh
      Framework programme REFINEMENT (Research on Financing Systems' Effect on the
      Quality of Mental Health Care in Europe) project. METHODS: A total of eight study
      areas from European countries with different systems of care (Austria, England,
      Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Romania, Spain) were analysed using a standard
      open-access classification system (Description and Evaluation of Services for
      Long Term Care in Europe, DESDE-LTC). All publicly funded services universally
      accessible to adults (>=18 years) with a psychiatric disorder were coded. Care
      availability, diversity and capacity were compared across these eight local MHS.
      RESULTS: The comparison of MHS revealed more community-oriented delivery systems
      in the areas of England (Hampshire) and Southern European countries (Verona -
      Italy and Girona - Spain). Community-oriented systems with a higher proportion of
      hospital care were identified in Austria (Industrieviertel) and Scandinavian
      countries (Sor-Trondelag in Norway and Helsinki-Uusimaa in Finland), while Loiret
      (France) was considered as a predominantly hospital-based system. The MHS in
      Suceava (Romania) was still in transition to community care. CONCLUSIONS: There
      is a significant variation in care availability and capacity across MHS of local
      areas in Europe. This information is relevant for understanding the process of
      implementation of community-oriented mental health care in local areas. Standard
      comparison of care provision in local areas is important for context analysis and
      policy planning.

PMID- 28918764
TI  - FRAGILE ENVIRONMENT, SEASONALITY AND MATERNAL AND CHILDHOOD UNDERNUTRITION IN
      BANGLADESH.
AB  - SummaryThis study assessed whether agricultural and household incomes were the
      same across different agro-ecological environments in Bangladesh. An in-depth
      analysis of the effect of unfavourable ecologies on maternal and child
      malnutrition was carried out. Data were from a longitudinal data set comprising a
      nationally representative data sample collected in 2014 and the Food Security
      Nutrition Surveillance Project (FSNSP) conducted in 2011 and 2012. Anthropometric
      indices were used to assess the nutritional status of mothers and under-five
      children. The key variables of interest were food seasonality and geographical
      location. Data were analysed using the General Linear Model and multinomial and
      binary logistic regression analysis. Panel data analysis showed that household
      income was not equal across agro-ecological zones, indicating that the fragility
      of the environment affects a household's ability to access food, and thus the
      nutritional status of mothers and children. Coastal areas of Bangladesh were
      found to be less dependent on agriculture, particularly cultivation, which had
      diminished during last few decades. Per capita income has been increasing in
      coastal areas of Bangladesh, led by remittance (money sent home by migrant
      workers) growing at 8% per year against 6% in other areas. Regression analysis
      showed that a household in a coastal zone earned 19% less than one in more
      favourable zones. Although the income from farm practices was found to be lower
      in unfavourable areas, the deficiency was compensated by increased non-farm
      incomes. The results from the FSNSP data showed that overall the rates of
      stunting and wasting among under-five children were 37% and 11.7%, respectively,
      and nearly 28% of mothers suffered from undernutrition. A highly significant
      regional heterogeneity in undernutrition was found, with alarmingly high levels
      in the Haor Basin and coastal belt areas. There were significantly higher rates
      of underweight and wasting in the monsoon season compared with the two harvest
      seasons among children under the age of five. The findings stress the importance
      of bringing geographical location and seasonality thinking into debates on hunger
      and nutrition in Bangladesh.

PMID- 28918765
TI  - Three-Dimensional (3D) Nanometrology Based on Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
      Stereophotogrammetry.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a sample surface from scanning electron
      microscope (SEM) images taken at two perspectives has been known for decades.
      Nowadays, there exist several commercially available stereophotogrammetry
      software packages. For testing these software packages, in this study we used
      Monte Carlo simulated SEM images of virtual samples. A virtual sample is a model
      in a computer, and its true dimensions are known exactly, which is impossible for
      real SEM samples due to measurement uncertainty. The simulated SEM images can be
      used for algorithm testing, development, and validation. We tested two
      stereophotogrammetry software packages and compared their reconstructed 3D models
      with the known geometry of the virtual samples used to create the simulated SEM
      images. Both packages performed relatively well with simulated SEM images of a
      sample with a rough surface. However, in a sample containing nearly uniform and
      therefore low-contrast zones, the height reconstruction error was ~46%. The
      present stereophotogrammetry software packages need further improvement before
      they can be used reliably with SEM images with uniform zones.

PMID- 28918766
TI  - Measuring and Comparing Hospital Accessibility for Palm Beach County's Elderly
      and Nonelderly Populations During a Hurricane.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether, during a hurricane, geographic accessibility to
      hospitals with emergency care is compromised disproportionately for the elderly
      than for the nonelderly. METHODS: The locations of hospitals with emergency
      health care and a subset of those hospitals functional during a hurricane were
      compared with the distribution of the elderly population at the block group level
      in Palm Beach County, Florida. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) proximity
      analysis (minimum distance to closest hospital) and cumulative distribution
      functions were used to measure and compare hospital accessibility during normal
      and hurricane conditions for the elderly and nonelderly populations. RESULTS:
      Accessibility to closest functional hospital during a hurricane was compromised
      disproportionately for the elderly. CONCLUSION: Geographic accessibility to
      emergency health care is compromised disproportionately for the elderly in Palm
      Beach County. Compounding the risk is the likelihood of the elderly experiencing
      a greater health care need during a hurricane. This poses a community public
      health crisis and calls for effective and collaborative planning between health
      professionals and disaster planners to address the health care needs of the
      elderly. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 296-300).

PMID- 28918767
TI  - Refractive Index Imaging of Cells with Variable-Angle Near-Total Internal
      Reflection (TIR) Microscopy.
AB  - The refractive index in the interior of single cells affects the evanescent field
      depth in quantitative studies using total internal reflection (TIR) fluorescence,
      but often that index is not well known. We here present method to measure and
      spatially map the absolute index of refraction in a microscopic sample, by
      imaging a collimated light beam reflected from the substrate/buffer/cell
      interference at variable angles of incidence. Above the TIR critical angle (which
      is a strong function of refractive index), the reflection is 100%, but in the
      immediate sub-critical angle zone, the reflection intensity is a very strong
      ascending function of incidence angle. By analyzing the angular position of that
      edge at each location in the field of view, the local refractive index can be
      estimated. In addition, by analyzing the steepness of the edge, the distance-to
      substrate can be determined. We apply the technique to liquid calibration
      samples, silica beads, cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells, and primary culture
      chromaffin cells. The optical technique suffers from decremented lateral
      resolution, scattering, and interference artifacts. However, it still provides
      reasonable results for both refractive index (~1.38) and for distance-to
      substrate (~150 nm) for the cells, as well as a lateral resolution to about 1 um.

PMID- 28918768
TI  - Postnatal Developmental Changes in Fractal Complexity of Giemsa-Stained Chromatin
      in Mice Spleen Follicular Cells.
AB  - Although there are numerous recent works focusing on fractal properties of DNA
      and chromatin, many issues regarding changes in chromatin fractality during
      physiological aging remain unclear. In this study, we present results indicating
      that in mice, there is an age-related reduction of chromatin fractal complexity
      in a population of spleen follicular cells (SFCs). Spleen tissue was obtained
      from 16 mice and fixated in Carnoy solution. The youngest animal was newborn, and
      each animal was exactly 1 month older than the previous. We performed fractal
      analysis of SFC chromatin structure, stained using Giemsa technique. Fractal
      analysis was done in a plugin algorithm of ImageJ software. We also performed
      gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) analysis of all chromatin structures with
      the calculation of parameters such as angular second moment and inverse
      difference moment. Giemsa-stained SFC chromatin exhibited an age-dependent
      reduction of fractal dimension with statistically significant (p<0.01) linear
      trend. Moreover, there was a statistically significant increase of SFC chromatin
      lacunarity. The chromatin GLCM parameters did not significantly change. To our
      knowledge, this is the first study to perform fractal and GLCM analyses of SFC
      chromatin and to investigate potential changes of fractal parameters during
      postnatal development.

PMID- 28918769
TI  - Emergency physicians' attitudes and perceived barriers to the implementation of
      take-home naloxone programs in Canadian emergency departments.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rates of opioid-related deaths have reached the level of national
      public health crisis in Canada. Community-based opioid overdose education and
      naloxone distribution (OEND) programs distribute naloxone to people at risk, and
      the emergency department (ED) may be an underutilized setting to deliver naloxone
      to these people. The goal of this study was to identify Canadian emergency
      physicians' attitudes and perceived barriers to the implementation of take-home
      naloxone programs. METHODS: This was an anonymous Web-based survey of members of
      the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. Survey questions were developed
      by the research team and piloted for face validity and clarity. Two reminder
      emails were sent to non-responders at 2-week intervals. Respondent demographics
      were collected, and Likert scales were used to assess attitudes and barriers to
      the prescription of naloxone from the ED. RESULTS: A total of 459 physicians
      responded. The majority of respondents were male (64%), worked in urban tertiary
      centres (58.3%), and lived in Ontario (50.6%). Overall, attitudes to OEND were
      strongly positive; 86% identified a willingness to prescribe naloxone from the
      ED. Perceived barriers included support for patient education (57%), access to
      follow-up (44%), and inadequate time (37%). In addition to people at risk of
      overdose, 77% of respondents identified that friends and family members may also
      benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Canadian emergency physicians are willing to distribute
      take-home naloxone, but thoughtful systems are required to facilitate opioid OEND
      implementation. These data will inform the development of these programs, with
      emphasis on multidisciplinary training and education.

PMID- 28918770
TI  - The Forgotten Need of Disaster Relief.
AB  - Disasters in countries with limited resources can put the emergency preparedness
      of the country to the test. The first major task after a disaster is to take care
      of the wounded. In countries where the epidemiological transition has occurred,
      chronic disease can place a major strain on public health preparedness after a
      disaster. The purpose of this field report is to alert public health
      practitioners of an infrequently reported public health problem: the impact of
      natural disasters on adherence to chronic medications. In our experience, the
      most common complaint in the weeks that followed the 2016 earthquake was not
      having access to their chronic medications. (Disaster Med Public Health
      Preparedness. 2018; 12: 291-295).

PMID- 28918771
TI  - Falls in hospitalized geriatric psychiatry patients: high incidence, but only a
      few fractures.
AB  - Fall rates from 3.2 to 17.1 falls per 1,000 hospital days in geriatric psychiatry
      facilities have been reported to date. Up to 5% of the falls result in severe
      injuries, but data concerning medical consequences are scare. This brief report
      presents a retrospective analysis of one year fall protocols from a geriatric
      psychiatry department focusing on consequences of falls. Fall-induced injuries
      were rated in four categories: no injuries, mild injuries (contusions, hematomas,
      abrasions), moderate injuries (lacerations, dislocations), and severe injuries
      (fractures, cerebral hemorrhages). In total, 510 falls were registered during the
      study period, indicating a fall rate of 17.7 falls per 1,000 hospital days.
      Overall, 375 falls (73.5%) resulted in no injuries, 67 (13.1%) resulted in mild
      injuries, 59 (11.6%) resulted in moderate injuries, and only 9 (1.8%) falls led
      to severe injuries (fractures and cerebral hemorrhages). These results indicate a
      quite high fall rate in our sample of hospitalized geriatric psychiatry patients
      with only a relatively small number of severe injuries resulting from the falls.
      These results raise the question about the use of physical restraints and the use
      of bedrails in geriatric patients to prevent falls as the medical implications of
      falls may be less problematic than previously thought.

PMID- 28918773
TI  - Contribution of Prior, Multiple-, and Repetitive Surgeries to the Risk of
      Surgical Site Infections in the Netherlands.
AB  - OBJECTIVE Surveillance is an important strategy to reduce the incidence of
      surgical site infections (SSIs). We investigated whether prior, multiple-, or
      repetitive surgeries are risk factors for SSI and whether they should be
      preserved in the protocol of the Dutch national SSI surveillance network. METHODS
      Dutch national SSI surveillance data 2012-2015 were selected, including 34
      commonly performed procedures from 8 major surgical specialties. Definitions of
      SSIs followed international standardized criteria. We used multivariable
      multilevel logistic regression techniques to evaluate whether prior, multiple-,
      or repetitive procedure(s) are risk factors for SSIs. We considered surgeries
      clustered within partnerships of medical specialists and within hospitals (random
      effects) and different baseline risks between surgical specialties (fixed
      effects). Several patient and surgical characteristics were considered possible
      confounders and were included where necessary. We performed analyses for
      superficial and deep SSIs combined as well as separately. RESULTS In total,
      115,943 surgeries were reported by 85 hospitals; among them, 2,960 (2.6%)
      resulted in SSIs (49.3% deep SSIs). The odds ratio (OR) for having prior surgery
      was 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-1.20); the OR for repetitive surgery
      was 2.39 (95% CI, 2.06-2.77); and the OR for multiple surgeries was1.27 (95% CI,
      1.07-1.51). The latter effect was mainly caused by prolonged duration of surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS Multiple- and repetitive surgeries significantly increased the risk
      of an SSI, whereas prior surgery did not. Therefore, prior surgery is not an
      essential data item to include in the national SSI surveillance network. The
      increased risk of SSIs for multiple surgeries was mainly caused by prolonged
      duration of surgery, therefore, it may be sufficient to report only duration of
      surgery to the surveillance network, instead of both (the variables duration of
      surgery and multiple surgeries). Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1298-1305.

PMID- 28918772
TI  - Incidence and risk factors for Dengue virus (DENV) infection in the first 2 years
      of life in a Brazilian prospective birth cohort.
AB  - This study assessed the incidence and risk factors for dengue virus (DENV)
      infection among children in a prospective birth cohort conducted in the city of
      Recife, a hyperendemic dengue area in Northeast Brazil. Healthy pregnant women (n
      = 415) residing in Recife who agreed to have their children followed were
      enrolled. Children were followed during their first 24 months of age (May/2011
      June/2014), before the 2015 Zika virus outbreak. DENV infection was detected by
      reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and/or serology (anti-DENV
      IgM/IgG). The incidence rates per 1000 person-years (py) and its association with
      risk factors by age bands (0-12, >12-30 months) were estimated through Poisson
      regression models. Forty-nine dengue infections were detected; none progressed to
      severe forms. The incidence rates were 107.6/1000py (95% CI 76.8-150.6) and
      93.3/1000py (95% CI 56.1-154.4) in the first and second years of age,
      respectively. Male children (risk ratios (RR) = 2.33; 95% CI 1.09-4.98) and those
      born to DENV-naive mothers (RR = 2.42; 95% CI 1.01-5.80) were at greater risk of
      infection in the first year of age. In the second year, children born to
      Caucasian/Asian descent skin colour mothers had a threefold higher risk of
      infection (RR = 3.34; 95% CI: 1.08-10.33). These data show the high exposure of
      children to DENV infection in our setting and highlight the role of biological
      factors in this population's susceptibility to infection.

PMID- 28918774
TI  - Dietary patterns and depressive symptoms in a UK cohort of men and women: a
      longitudinal study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is evidence to suggest that individual components of dietary
      intake are associated with depressive symptoms. Studying the whole diet, through
      dietary patterns, has become popular as a way of overcoming intercorrelations
      between individual dietary components; however, there are conflicting results
      regarding associations between dietary patterns and depressive symptoms. We
      examined the associations between dietary patterns extracted using principal
      component analysis and depressive symptoms, taking account of potential temporal
      relationships. DESIGN: Depressive symptoms in parents were assessed using the
      Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) when the study child was 3 and 5
      years of age. Scores >12 were considered indicative of the presence of clinical
      depressive symptoms. Diet was assessed via FFQ when the study child was 4 years
      of age. SETTING: Longitudinal population-based birth cohort. SUBJECTS: Mothers
      and fathers taking part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
      when their study child was 3-5 years old. RESULTS: Unadjusted results suggested
      that increased scores on the 'processed' and 'vegetarian' patterns in women and
      the 'semi-vegetarian' pattern in men were associated with having EPDS scores
      >=13. However, after adjustment for confounders all results were attenuated. This
      was the case for all those with available data and when considering a sub-sample
      who were 'disease free' at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: We found no association between
      dietary patterns and depressive symptoms after taking account of potential
      confounding factors and the potential temporal relationship between them. This
      suggests that previous studies reporting positive associations may have suffered
      from reverse causality and/or residual confounding.

PMID- 28918776
TI  - [Prophylactic antibiotic therapy for hernia repair].
AB  - This article aims at outlining and recommending use of prophylactic antibiotic
      therapy for hernia repair according to literature and newly released guidelines.
      We do not recommend prophylaxis for elective repair of inguinal and ventral
      hernias in a low infection risk environment as Denmark except in patients with
      incisional hernia > 10 cm or presumed increased risk for wound infection, e.g.
      diabetes or immunosuppression. Antibiotic prophylaxis should always be used in
      emergent hernia repair. We recommend a prophylactic regimen of second-generation
      cephalosporin given as a single dose perioperatively.

PMID- 28918775
TI  - Frankia asymbiotica sp. nov., a non-infective actinobacterium isolated from
      Morella californica root nodule.
AB  - The taxonomic status of strain M16386T, a nitrogen-fixing but non-nodulating
      isolate from Morella californica, was established on the basis of a polyphasic
      approach. The strain grows as branched hyphae, with vesicles and non-motile
      productive multilocular sporangia. It metabolizes short fatty acids, TCA cycle
      intermediates and carbohydrates as carbon sources, and fixes nitrogen in the
      absence of combined nitrogen source in the growth media. Chemotaxonomic traits of
      strain M16386T are consistent with its affiliation to the genus Frankia. The
      characteristic diamino acid in the cell wall is meso-diaminopimelic acid. Strain
      M16386T contains phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol,
      diphosphatidylglycerol, glycophospholipid and phospholipid as polar lipids; MK
      9(H4) and MK-9(H6) as the predominant menaquinones; iso-C16 : 0 and C17 :
      1omega8c as major fatty acids; and galactose, glucose, mannose, rhamnose and
      ribose as whole-cell sugars. Strain M16386T showed 98.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarity with its closest phylogenetic neighbour, Frankia inefficaxDSM 45817T.
      Based on these results, strain M16386T (=DSM 100626T=CECT 9040T) is designated
      the type strain of a novel species of the genus Frankia,for which the name
      Frankia asymbiotica sp. nov. is proposed.

PMID- 28918777
TI  - [Classic psychedelic drugs and their potential therapeutic effect].
AB  - Over the past decade we have witnessed a renewed scientific interest in the
      classic hallucinogens (psychedelic drugs). These are substances which exert their
      effects by an agonist action on the 5-HT2A receptors. The purpose of this paper
      is to provide a short review and discussion of the psychedelic drugs, their
      safety profile and their potential antidepressive, anxiolytic and antiaddictive
      effects. The article primarily focusses on the most recent clinical trials.

PMID- 28918778
TI  - [Monilethrix is a hereditary hair shaft disorder].
AB  - Monilethrix is a rare genodermatosis with high penetrance and variable
      expressivity. This is a case report of a Danish family with varying phenotypical
      presentations. The family members were diagnosed using dermatoscopy and
      microscopy, which were subsequently supported by gene sequence analysis. No cure
      of monilethrix exists, but a single case report shows promising results using low
      dosage of oral minoxidil. Reducing hair dressing trauma to diminish weathering
      remains the best prophylaxis.

PMID- 28918780
TI  - [Martorells sar].

PMID- 28918779
TI  - [Acutely induced diabetes mellitus in a 63-year-old female after treatment with
      ipilimumab for metastatic melanoma].
AB  - Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved survival rate in patients with
      advanced melanoma, but also have the potential to induce several adverse events.
      We report on a 63-year-old woman who had advanced melanoma and was admitted with
      diabetic ketoacidosis, which had occurred upon treatment with ipilimumab. On
      admission, the C-peptide level was low, and the HbA1c concentration was 50 mmol/l
      indicating a rapid onset of the disease. The patient had also been diagnosed with
      thyroiditis. Diabetes mellitus is a rare and serious side effect of treatment
      with ipilimumab, and we recommend being aware of this due to the rapid course.

PMID- 28918781
TI  - ?

PMID- 28918782
TI  - ?

PMID- 28918783
TI  - [Treatment of patellofemoral pain includes more than knee rehabiliation].
AB  - Patellofemoral pain is a debilitating condition which affects one in 14
      adolescents and a similar number of adults. It is characterized by peri- or
      retropatellar pain during loaded bending of the knee. The purpose of this review
      is to provide a short, up-to-date review of the diagnostics, differential
      diagnostics and evidence-based treatment for both adolescents and adults with
      patellofemoral pain. The key message is that treatments of patellofemoral pain
      should include a combination of patient education to support self-management and
      exercises to strengthen the hip and knee muscles.

PMID- 28918784
TI  - [Treatment of patellar instability].
AB  - First-time patellar luxation appears typically in teenagers and young adults
      below the age of 16 years, with a prevalence of 45/100,000/year. This luxation is
      treated with brief limited mobility in a bandage, and with a complementary
      physiotherapy if the mobility is influenced afterwards. Risk factors for patellar
      instability are patellofemoral dysplasia, hyperlaxity, patella alta and valgus
      malalignment in the knee joint. In case of repeated luxation the treatment is
      surgical, i.e. reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament recreating
      the medial patella-stabilizing structures. If the dysplasia is severe,
      tuberositas tibiae-osteotomy and trochlea plastic can correct a lateral tracking
      of the knee joint. Generally, patella-stabilizing surgery is successful with a
      reluxation rate of only a few per cent.

PMID- 28918785
TI  - [Algorithm for workup of acute swollen knee without previous trauma].
AB  - Acute non-traumatic swelling of the knee is a common clinical challenge. The
      reason for the swelling has to be explored in order to give the correct
      treatment. This article gives an overview of possible diagnoses and suggests an
      algorithm for an approach to non-traumatic knee arthritis. Fundamental in the
      examination is a thorough patient anamnesis, which will help to differentiate
      between inflammatory and non-inflammatory arthritis. If there is not an obvious
      degenerative reason for the knee effusion, a joint aspiration followed by
      synovial fluid white cell count (WCC), microscopy and/or culture will add
      valuable information. Also, a normal C-reactive protein value together with
      synovial fluid WCC below 2,000 per cubic mm will make a septic arthritis
      diagnosis unlikely.

PMID- 28918786
TI  - [Treatment of meniscal pathology].
AB  - The menisci play a major role in knee function regarding joint movement,
      stability, load distribution and load transmission. Injuries to the menisci cause
      pain, and meniscal tears are a common reason for patient referral. In Denmark,
      partial meniscectomy increased significantly until 2010, and several studies have
      questioned the long-term effect of meniscectomy as an overall procedure. A Danish
      national clinical guideline on knee meniscal pathology was published in May 2016,
      and this article is a short summary of updated knowledge on meniscal pathology
      and relevant conclusions from the guideline.

PMID- 28918787
TI  - [Running and causes of running-related injuries].
AB  - Running is one of the most popular sports among the adult Danish population.
      Overuse injuries of the knee, such as runners knee, jumpers knee, patello-femoral
      pain syndrome and patello-femoral pre-arthrosis, are common and cause reduction
      of the health beneficial physical activity. Treatment should primarily focus on
      adjustment of training habits and physiotherapeutic guided rehabilitation. Other
      treatment options include changing landing pattern during running, corticosteroid
      injections, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and ultimately surgery.

PMID- 28918788
TI  - [Fast-track total knee arthroplasty].
AB  - Fast-track total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a well-established concept including
      optimized logistics and evidence-based treatment, focusing on minimizing surgical
      stress and improved post-operative recovery, thus leading to lower mortality and
      morbidity as well as high patient satisfaction. All patients are eligible for
      fast-track TKA, and hence the fast-track concept should be standard at all joint
      replacement facilities. Future challenges of fast-track TKA include safe
      introduction of outpatient protocols, acute and chronic pain after surgery and
      optimal utilization of post-operative physiotherapy.

PMID- 28918789
TI  - [Treatment of anterior cruciate ligament ruptures].
AB  - Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are typically seen in cutting sports.
      Rehabilitation can be tried in athletes in non-cutting sports and in recreational
      athletes. If knee instability is experienced, the cessation of risk activities or
      reduction in activity level are recommended. With recurrent episodes of
      instability ACL-reconstruction is recommended. 65% return to sports at preinjury
      level after ACL-reconstruction, 18% after non-operated partial rupture and 7%
      after non-operated total rupture.

PMID- 28918790
TI  - [Bandages for knee problems].
AB  - The use of knee braces is common, and there is an abundance of different brace
      types available both "over the counter" and as "prescription devices". The braces
      are used for a range of knee problems ranging from minor knee discomfort to post
      surgical rehabilitation. The available evidence is generally in favour of brace
      applications although the amount and quality of evidence is moderate to low with
      a positive benefit-harm balance. However, braces should generally not be used as
      a stand-alone or primary treatment strategy, but can be used as a potentially
      beneficial supplement to patients with knee disorders if needed.

PMID- 28918791
TI  - [Periostal avulsion of m. vastus medialis in a triathlete during competition].
AB  - Periostal avulsion of m. vastus medialis is a very rare injury. To our knowledge,
      it has not previously been described, and there is no treatment algorithm. A 32
      year-old male professional triathlete experienced this type of injury during a
      final sprint in a competition. He achieved a good functional result after
      treatment with an optimal rehabilitation regimen, and approximately four months
      after the injury he won a medal in a major international event.

PMID- 28918792
TI  - [Dural arteriovenous fistula is a rare, but treatable cause of transverse
      myelitis].
AB  - This is a case report of a 60-year-old male admitted on suspicion of relapse of
      idiopathic transverse myelitis (TM), who after further diagnostic workup
      underwent successful closure of a dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF). Magnetic
      resonance imaging in DAVF usually shows longitudinal TM, which, unlike DAVF, is
      also seen with the more common inflammatory or infectious causes usually showing
      inflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid. The natural history of DAVF is
      progressive. Since curable options exist, timely diagnosis is most important.

PMID- 28918793
TI  - [Workup and treatment of gastroparesis].
AB  - Gastroparesis is defined as impaired gastric emptying without mechanical
      obstruction and cardinal symptoms including vomiting, nausea, early satiety, and
      upper abdominal pain. Most cases of gastroparesis are diabetic, idiopathic or
      post-operative. The correlation between symptoms and objective measures of
      gastroparesis is poor. Basic treatment includes dietary advices and prokinetics.
      Selected patients not responding to basic treatment can be offered gastric
      electrical stimulation. In many cases, gastroparesis is present in combination
      with other motility disorders, especially constipation.

PMID- 28918794
TI  - [Airplane travels can induce headache].
AB  - Airplane headache is a common problem with 100 million passengers annually
      suffering from the condition. It has been suggested that the changes in the cabin
      pressure during take-off and landing may cause inflammation in sinus tissues.
      This can lead to elevated levels of prostaglandin E2 and vasodilation of cerebral
      arteries resulting in airplane headache. Current evidence suggests opportunities
      to develop a treatment plan by examining future potential drugs for reducing the
      prostaglandin E2 level or preventing the vasodilation of the cerebral arteries.

PMID- 28918795
TI  - [Acute-on-chronic liver failure].
AB  - Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by
      acute decompensation of liver cirrhosis, organ failure and high short-term
      mortality (20-80% at one month). The main precipitants are infections and
      excessive alcohol intake, and the mechanistic features include a high level of
      systemic inflammation, macrophage activation and liver injury. The severity of
      ACLF is graded according to the number and extent of organ failures. Prognostic
      scores help predict mortality and support decisions on intensive treatment or
      futility.

PMID- 28918796
TI  - Erratum to "Recommendations for the multidisciplinary management of tuberous
      sclerosis complex" [MedClin(Barc)147(5) (2016) 211-216].

PMID- 28918797
TI  - The Early History of Interventional Endoscopic Ultrasound.
AB  - Technological advances in the field of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) have emerged,
      especially in the past decade, that have rapidly expanded the therapeutic
      potential of EUS, largely through the innovations of accessory technology that
      could not have happened without innovative changes to echoendoscopes. As
      interventional EUS continues to evolve, further expansion into previously
      uncharted areas will most certainly happen.

PMID- 28918798
TI  - New Imaging Techniques: Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Elastography.
AB  - Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a major imaging method in the management of
      several diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and surrounding structures.
      Elastography is a novel technique providing additional information to standard B
      mode imaging on the tissue stiffness. Elastography can be performed under EUS
      guidance. This method has proven to be an accurate and additional tool in the
      evaluation of pancreatic diseases and lymph nodes analysis. Possible uses include
      the study of liver lesions, subepithelial masses, and many more. This article
      reviews current knowledge and future perspectives.

PMID- 28918799
TI  - New Imaging Techniques for Endoscopic Ultrasonography: Contrast-Enhanced
      Endoscopic Ultrasonography.
AB  - Conventional endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has limitations in the diagnosis of
      solid masses. Because most are depicted as a hypoechoic mass, without cytology or
      biopsy, it can be difficult to distinguish inflammatory masses from malignancy.
      Recently developed, contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS (CH-EUS) has improved
      characterization of digestive lesions by depicting microvessels and parenchymal
      perfusion, particularly for differentiating pancreatic cancer from other
      pancreatic solid lesions, identifying mural nodules in intraductal papillary
      mucinous neoplasms, and estimating malignant potential of gastrointestinal
      stromal tumors. CH-EUS is complementary to EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration for
      diagnosing pancreatic lesions, staging, and predicting chemotherapy response.

PMID- 28918800
TI  - New Developments in Endoscopic Ultrasound Tissue Acquisition.
AB  - Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided tissue acquisition has greatly evolved since
      the first EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration was reported nearly 25 years ago. EUS
      guided tissue acquisition has become the procedure of choice for sampling of the
      pancreas, subepithelial lesions, and other structures adjacent to the
      gastrointestinal tract. This review focuses on recent developments in procedural
      techniques and needle technologies for EUS-guided tissue acquisition.

PMID- 28918801
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasonography with Fine-needle Aspiration: New Techniques for
      Interpretation of Endoscopic Ultrasonography Cytology and Histology Specimens.
AB  - Significant advances have been made in the last few years in the technologies for
      sampling pancreatic masses, and in the understanding of the biology of pancreatic
      cancer. Better and more targeted treatments are likely to become available.
      Because most pancreatic cancers are likely to remain unresectable at diagnosis,
      high-quality, high-cellularity specimens are essential. A tailored approach that
      considers indication, location, and treatment possibilities needs to be taken
      before embarking on a pancreatic biopsy. Because the demand from oncologists and
      patients for increasingly personalized therapy is likely to grow, optimal
      sampling beyond diagnostic accuracy is likely to become increasingly critical.

PMID- 28918802
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasound Imaging for Diagnosing and Treating Pancreatic Cysts.
AB  - Cystic pancreatic lesions are increasingly diagnosed owing to the abundant use of
      cross-sectional imaging. Given their malignant potential, true pancreatic cysts
      should be considered for resection or periodic follow-up. Cystic lesions of the
      pancreas (CLPs) require further evaluation and management. Therefore, it is
      important to establish a solid diagnosis at the time of detection. Endoscopic
      ultrasound examination is the imaging modality of choice. Fine needle aspiration
      provides fluid for cytologic, biochemical, and molecular assays to classify
      lesions and predict biological behavior. This review provides an overview of the
      diagnosis and management of various types of commonly encountered true CLPs.

PMID- 28918803
TI  - The Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Autoimmune Pancreatitis.
AB  - Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is increasingly being recognized due to improved
      understanding of the disease and its criteria for diagnosis. The classic type 1
      AIP can be diagnosed on clinical data, but type 2 AIP requires histologic
      confirmation. Current criteria incorporate cross-sectional imaging and endoscopic
      retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the diagnosis of AIP. However, endoscopic
      ultrasound (EUS) will likely have an increasing role in the diagnosis through its
      characteristic imaging, image-enhancing techniques, and its ability to acquire
      tissue through either fine needle aspiration or biopsy. This article will review
      the diagnostic challenges of AIP and the current role of EUS.

PMID- 28918804
TI  - Recent Advances in Therapeutic Endosonography for Cancer Treatment.
AB  - Therapeutic endosonography (EUS) may play an important role in the management of
      cancers. EUS-guided fiducial placement has a high success rate and can aid in
      stereotactic radiotherapy. EUS-guided tumor ablation therapies can help in
      palliation of locally advanced tumors. EUS-guided antitumor injection seems to be
      feasible and safe in animals; initial human studies suffer from small sample size
      and lack of controls. Randomized, controlled trials have not shown benefit over
      conventional therapy. EUS celiac plexus neurolysis has gained popularity and is
      performed by interventional endosonographers. Large trials are needed to
      determine the most appropriate indications and overall usefulness of these
      therapies.

PMID- 28918805
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Guided Techniques for Accessing and Draining the
      Biliary System and the Pancreatic Duct.
AB  - When endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) fails to decompress
      the biliary system or the pancreatic duct, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)
      guided biliary or pancreatic access and drainage can be used. Data show a high
      success rate and acceptable adverse event rate for EUS-guided biliary drainage.
      The outcomes of EUS-guided biliary drainage seem equivalent to percutaneous
      drainage and ERCP, whereas only retrospective studies are available for
      pancreatic duct drainage. In this article, revision of the technical and clinical
      status and the current evidence of interventional EUS-guided biliary and
      pancreatic duct access and drainage are presented.

PMID- 28918806
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Gastrojejunostomy.
AB  - Gastric outlet obstruction is a common complication of advanced upper
      gastrointestinal and pancreatic malignancies. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided
      gastrojejunostomy is a new option that may provide a more durable solution than
      enteral stenting with shorter recovery time and less cost than surgical
      gastrojejunostomy. Techniques to perform this procedure include direct EUS-guided
      puncture and balloon-assisted and free-hand methods. Use of cautery-tipped lumen
      apposing metal stent results in higher rates of technical success and shorter
      procedure times. Prospective studies are needed to compare EUS-gastrojejunostomy
      with enteral stenting and surgical gastrojejusntomy, and to clarify indications,
      optimal patient selection, and most appropriate method of technically performing
      this procedure.

PMID- 28918807
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasonography-guided Drainage of Pancreatic Collections, Including
      the Role of Necrosectomy.
AB  - In recent years, the management of symptoms of pancreatic fluid collections has
      shifted from surgical and percutaneous interventions to endoscopic techniques.
      Available data show that endoscopic drainage can be achieved with minimal
      morbidity and procedural-related mortality, a high degree of technical and
      clinical success, and acceptable risk of adverse events. Although endoscopic
      management of walled-off necrosis provides a durable, minimally invasive
      treatment option, it is still generally performed only in tertiary care medical
      centers because of the overall complexity of this clinical scenario.

PMID- 28918808
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Drainage of Pelvic Fluid Collections.
AB  - Pelvic fluid collections can be challenging and often inaccessible because of
      their location and close proximity to adjacent organs and spine. This causes an
      increased risk for morbidity and poor outcomes. Recent advances in endoscopic
      ultrasound and therapeutic devices provide an effective, safe, and minimally
      invasive option to surgery or interventional radiology. These devices offer a
      relatively pain-free method that has shown good outcomes with minimal risk in
      recent case series, and has increasingly become the first-line treatment of
      choice. This article summarizes the current literature and the technique and
      considerations for successful drainage of these collections.

PMID- 28918809
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Guided Hemostasis Techniques.
AB  - Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided hemostasis is an evolving technique that
      has the potential to improve the care of patients with refractory variceal and
      nonvariceal gastrointestinal bleeding. EUS-guided treatment of fundal varices
      with coil and/or cyanoacrylate seems to be highly effective in active bleeding,
      as well as for primary and secondary bleeding prophylaxis. Reports of EUS-guided
      treatment of refractory nonvariceal sources of bleeding are more scarce, but show
      high success rates. The procedures involve a medium to high technical difficulty
      level, and this has been replicated worldwide.

PMID- 28918810
TI  - Progress in Endoscopic Ultrasonography: Training in Therapeutic or Interventional
      Endoscopic Ultrasonography.
AB  - Therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound is a rapidly expanding field, requiring
      training beyond the 3-year gastroenterology fellowship and at least an additional
      year in a structured advanced endoscopy fellowship program with mentorship from
      an expert at a sufficiently high-volume center. Simulation models can provide
      initial instruction on technique and increase familiarity with the rapidly
      changing devices. Trainees must also be given a graduated level of independence
      to perform each step and, eventually, be able to practice on a variety of
      endoscopic targets. With structured competency markers, trainees can learn
      methods to maximize success and minimize the risk of complications.

PMID- 28918811
TI  - Future Directions for Endoscopic Ultrasound: Where Are We Heading?
AB  - Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) plays an important role as a diagnostic and
      therapeutic modality in gastroenterology. New developments have emerged,
      especially in the last decade, and are being introduced to endoscopists. The
      ability to readily visualize and access organs in the gastrointestinal tract has
      allowed endoscopists to perform new interventional procedures. EUS procedures
      have taken the place of conventional approaches for the treatment of various
      gastrointestinal diseases, including pancreatic cystic lesions. This article
      focuses on the advances and future of diagnostic and therapeutic EUS.

PMID- 28918812
TI  - Endoscopic Ultrasound Becomes a Major Interventional Tool.

PMID- 28918813
TI  - Progress in Endoscopic Ultrasonography.

PMID- 28918814
TI  - Peptide & protein ligation.

PMID- 28918815
TI  - Corrigendum to "Protocol for quality control in metabolic profiling of biological
      fluids by U(H)PLC-MS" [J. Chromatogr. B 1008 (2016) 15-25].

PMID- 28918817
TI  - Unfinalisability and the authorship of life - Narratives of young-old women from
      Taiwan.
AB  - This study investigates and presents the narratives of Taiwanese women who have
      reached the young-old stage. The narrative interview method was used for data
      collection from 12 Taiwanese women. After analysing the recurring themes emerging
      from the women's life histories, it is found that the meanings of these Taiwanese
      women's narratives could not be finalised according to traditional Confucian
      norms. These women rebelled, resisted, and resumed authorship to make changes to
      their lives in a patriarchal society. The women were reflexive, and had constant
      struggles. The findings also reveal a prominent characteristic of Taiwanese
      culture that emphasises relationships. The women were able to pursue their dreams
      to involve themselves in self-care, leisure, aesthetic activities, and classes
      for their personal growth and pleasure.

PMID- 28918816
TI  - "They are different now" - Biographical continuity and disruption in nursing home
      settings.

PMID- 28918818
TI  - The dementias - A review and a call for a disaggregated approach.

PMID- 28918819
TI  - The promise of documentary theatre to counter ageism in age-friendly communities.
AB  - This paper discusses an innovative theatre-arts collaboration that was created to
      provoke public discourse about aging in a community located in the Southeastern
      United States in which more than one-half of residents are age 50 or older. The
      development and execution of the documentary theatre production are explicated
      and the post-performance talk-backs with the audience are shared to illustrate
      how it facilitated insight and dialogue among its largely older audiences.
      Experience with this production suggests that academics can collaborate with
      professional artists to promote the subjective experience of aging as a positive
      appreciation of self. Consequently, the play holds promise to counter deeply
      ingrained negative self-beliefs about aging and foster greater acceptance about
      the experience of others. In addition, the play represents a unique community
      based effort to enhance respect and social inclusion, a core domain of livability
      in the age-friendly community movement.

PMID- 28918820
TI  - On gray dancing: Constructions of age-normality through choreography and temporal
      codes.
AB  - Against the background of population aging, older peoples dance has attracted
      attention in research and its health promoting effects and social meanings have
      been brought to the fore. In this article we focus on the context and power
      dimensions of dance with an emphasis on the organizing of dance among older
      adults in terms of social discourses and age relationships. On the basis of
      qualitative interviews with 33 older dancers and 11 dance providers in Sweden,
      the study illustrates how dance is organized through social discourses on
      healthism and on the increasing group of older people as a powerful consumer
      group. The study highlights that older people and their social dance contexts are
      marked and subordinated in relation to younger age groups through non-verbal
      practices such as choreography and temporal codes. In short, dancing among older
      adults is not only a common health promoting and social activity, but also an
      arena in which age and age normality are negotiated and constructed.

PMID- 28918821
TI  - Explaining the continuum of social participation among older adults in Singapore:
      from 'closed doors' to active ageing in multi-ethnic community settings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify and explain the continuum in which older
      people in Singapore participate in community and social life, highlighting the
      influence of culture and policy context on social participation. METHODS: Using
      an ethnographic approach in a neighbourhood (n=109), we conducted focus groups
      with older adults of different ethnicities, exploring experiences of social
      participation. Next, participants took 50 photographs relating to 'lives of
      elders', showcasing the socio-ecological context that influenced social
      participation. Lastly, go-along interviews were conducted in various precincts
      with community leaders. RESULTS: A continuum of social participation emerged
      among older adults, ranging from (1) marginalization and exclusion, to (2)
      'comfort-zoning' alone (3) seeking consistent social interactions, (4) expansion
      of social network, and (5) giving back to society. Seeking consistent social
      interactions was shaped by a preference for cultural grouping and ethnic values,
      but also a desire for emotional safety. Attitudes about expanding one's social
      network depended on the psychosocial adjustment of the older person to the
      prospect of gossip and 'trouble' of managing social relations. Despite the
      societal desirability of an active ageing lifestyle, cultural scripts emphasizing
      family meant older adults organized participation in social and community life,
      around family responsibilities. Institutionalizing family reliance in Singapore's
      welfare approach penalized lower-income older adults with little family support
      from accessing subsidies, and left some living on the margins. DISCUSSION: To
      promote inclusiveness, ageing programs should address preferences for social
      participation, overcoming barriers at the individual, ethnic culture and policy
      level.

PMID- 28918822
TI  - A theoretical model to explain the smart technology adoption behaviors of elder
      consumers (Elderadopt).
AB  - A growing global population of older adults is potential consumers of a category
      of products referred to as smart technologies, but also known as telehealth,
      telecare, information and communication technologies, robotics, and
      gerontechnology. This paper constructs a theoretical model to explain whether
      older people will adopt smart technology options to cope with their discrepant
      individual or environmental circumstances, thereby enabling them to age in place.
      Its proposed constructs and relationships are drawn from multiple academic
      disciplines and professional specialties, and an extensive literature focused on
      the factors influencing the acceptance of these smart technologies. It
      specifically examines whether older adults will substitute these new technologies
      for traditional coping solutions that rely on informal and formal care assistance
      and low technology related products. The model argues that older people will more
      positively evaluate smart technology alternatives when they feel more stressed
      because of their unmet needs, have greater resilience (stronger perceptions of
      self-efficacy and greater openness to new information), and are more strongly
      persuaded by their sources of outside messaging (external information) and their
      past experiences (internal information). It proposes that older people
      distinguish three attributes of these coping options when they appraise them:
      perceived efficaciousness, perceived usability, and perceived collateral damages.
      The more positively older people evaluate these attributes, the more likely that
      they will adopt these smart technology products.

PMID- 28918823
TI  - Impacts of organizational ties for senior centers: Findings from a collective
      case study in Portland, Oregon.

PMID- 28918824
TI  - New perspectives on healthy aging.

PMID- 28918825
TI  - Potassium Is Nearly Everywhere.

PMID- 28918826
TI  - Islamic Medicine in the Middle Ages.
AB  - The Islamic culture flourished between the 9th and 13th centuries. Scholars from
      this era made significant contributions in mathematics, science and medicine.
      Caliphs and physicians built hospitals that provided universal care and the
      foundation for medical education. Physician-scientists made significant advances
      in medical care, surgery and pharmacology. Notable authorities include al-Razi
      (865-925 CE) who wrote the Kitab al-Hawi fi al-tibb (The Comprehensive Book on
      Medicine), a 23-volume textbook that provided the main medical curriculum for
      European schools into the 14th century. Ibn Sina (980-1037 CE), an extraordinary
      Persian polymath, wrote al Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine), an
      encyclopedic treatment of medicine that combined his own observations with
      medical information from Galen and philosophy from Aristotle. Mansur (1380-1422
      CE) wrote the first color illustrated book on anatomy. Other important physicians
      compiled information on the use of medication from plants, advanced surgical
      techniques, including cataract extraction and studied physiology, including the
      pulmonary circulation. These books and ideas provided the basis for medical care
      in Europe during its recovery from the Dark Ages.

PMID- 28918827
TI  - Indwelling Pleural Catheters for Nonmalignant Effusions: Evidence-Based Answers
      to Clinical Concerns.
AB  - Pleural effusions occur in 1.5 million patients yearly and are a common cause of
      dyspnea. For nonmalignant effusions, initial treatment is directed at the
      underlying cause, but when effusions become refractory to medical therapy,
      palliative options are limited. Tunneled pleural catheters (TPCs) are commonly
      used for palliation of malignant effusions, but many clinicians are reluctant to
      recommend these devices for palliation of nonmalignant effusions, citing concerns
      of infection, renal failure, electrolyte disturbances and protein-loss
      malnutrition. Based on the published experience to date, TPCs relieve dyspnea and
      can result in spontaneous pleurodesis in patients with nonmalignant effusions.
      The infection rate compares favorably to that for malignant effusions with
      possible increased risk in patients with hepatic hydrothorax and posttransplant
      patients. Renal failure, electrolyte disturbance and protein-loss malnutrition
      have not been observed. TPCs are a reasonable option in select patients to
      palliate nonmalignant effusions refractory to maximal medical therapy.

PMID- 28918828
TI  - Crescentic Glomerulonephritis With Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease.
AB  - Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is an uncommon autoimmune disease that
      affects multiple organ systems. Renal involvement typically presents as
      tubulointerstitial nephritis and less commonly as membranous glomerulonephritis.
      In this case report, we discuss a 68-year-old patient who presented with rapidly
      progressive glomerulonephritis. His renal biopsy revealed a membranoproliferative
      pattern of injury with fibrocellular crescents and extensive infiltration of the
      tubulointerstitium with IgG4-positive plasma cells. We treated the patient with
      both corticosteroids and rituximab because of the aggressive nature of crescentic
      glomerulonephritis. The patient demonstrated a partial improvement in kidney
      function after 2 cycles of rituximab with a decrease in serum creatinine levels
      from 6.9-4.7mg/dL after 6 months from presentation. This case illustrates the
      importance of considering IgG4-related disease in cases of rapidly progressive
      glomerulonephritis and the need for effective treatments for more aggressive
      forms of this recently recognized disease entity.

PMID- 28918829
TI  - Awareness of Individual Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Self-Perception of
      Cardiovascular Risk in Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) self-perception by women may be
      inaccurate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was completed anonymously
      Online by women who self-reported their personal CVRF levels including age,
      weight, contraceptive use, menopausal status, smoking, diet and physical
      activities. Self-perceived risk was matched to actual cardiovascular risk
      according to the Framingham score. RESULTS: Among 5,240 young and middle-aged
      women with a high educational level, knowledge of personal CVRFs increased with
      age, from 51-90% for blood pressure (BP), 22-45% for blood glucose and 15-47% for
      blood cholesterol levels, between 30 and 65 years, respectively. This knowledge
      was lower for smoking compared with nonsmoking women: 62.5% vs. 74.5% for BP (P <
      0.001), 22.7% vs. 33.8% for blood glucose (P < 0.001), 21.9% vs. 32.0% for
      cholesterol levels (P < 0.001). Knowledge of BP level was reduced among women
      using an estrogen-progestogen contraception (56.8% vs. 62.1%, P = 0.0031) and
      even more reduced among smokers (52.2%, P < 0.001). Conversely, women with
      leisure-time physical or sportive activity (60.5%), were less overweight or obese
      (22.4% vs. 34.2%, P < 0.001). They reported better knowledge of BP (72.4% vs.
      68.3%, P < 0.001), blood cholesterol (31.1% vs. 26.4%, P < 0.001) and glucose
      levels (32.7% vs. 27.8%, P < 0.001). Self-perceived cardiovascular risk was rated
      low by 1,279 (20.4%), moderate by 3,710 (63.3%) and high by 893 (16.3%) women.
      Among 3,386 women tested using the Framingham score, 40.8% were at low, 25.2% at
      moderate and 33.8% at high risk. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of CVRFs and self
      perception of individual risk are inaccurate in women. Educational interventions
      should be emphasized.

PMID- 28918830
TI  - Metformin Has Positive Therapeutic Effects in Colon Cancer and Lung Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metformin (MF), a diabetic drug, has antineoplastic activity as
      adjuvant therapy for breast cancer and prostate cancer. MF is thought to work via
      inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin and activation of p53 and liver
      kinase B1 via adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase. We
      investigated survival, recurrences and metastasis in patients with type 2
      diabetes mellitus (DM2) along with colorectal cancer (CC) or lung cancer (LC)
      taking MF using the electronic medical record in Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical
      Center (colon, n = 202; lung, n = 180). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with CC
      or LC and DM2 on MF were compared to controls taking any medication except MF.
      Recurrences, metastases, secondary cancers, survival and carcinoembryonic antigen
      levels were compared using t test and chi-squared test. Inclusion criteria were
      based on MF use, CC or LC diagnosis and DM2. RESULTS: For CC, the MF group noted
      fewer deaths (48% versus 76%, P < 0.001), recurrences (4% versus 19%, P = 0.002),
      metastases (23% versus 46%, P = 0.001), better 5-year survival rates (57% versus
      37%, P = 0.004), overall survival years (5.7 versus 4.1, P = 0.007) and greater
      carcinoembryonic antigen decrease (72% versus 47%, P = 0.015). MF was associated
      with improved 5-year survival rates (29% versus 15%, P = 0.023) and overall
      survival years (3.4 versus 1.8, P < 0.001) in LC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows
      that MF therapy is associated with significantly better prognosis in patients
      with CC and improved survival in LC. Patients with CC on MF had fewer recurrences
      and metastases. Differences in metabolic pathways between CC and LC likely
      account for the differences in the effect of MF.

PMID- 28918831
TI  - A Comparative Analysis of Serum IgG4 Levels in Patients With IgG4-Related Disease
      and Other Disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Elevated serum IgG4 levels are an important hallmark for diagnosing
      IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) but can also be found and reported in other
      diseases. The present study intended to compare the serum IgG4 levels in both
      IgG4-RD and non-IgG4-RD and determine the serum IgG4 levels in patients with IgG4
      RD before and after glucocorticoid therapy. METHODS: The study included 323
      patients from Anhui Medical University Affiliated Provincial Hospital (China) and
      was conducted from July 2014-January 2016. A total of 25 patients were eventually
      diagnosed as having IgG4-RD, according to the IgG4-RD diagnostic criteria. Our
      study also included 108 patients with connective tissue disease, 94 patients with
      pancreatic lesions, 66 patients with bile duct lesions, 13 patients with
      carcinoma of the duodenal papilla and 20 control participants. The assay for
      serum IgG4 detection was peformed using the nephelometric method. RESULTS:
      Elevated levels of serum IgG4 (>1.35g/L) were detected in all patients with IgG4
      RD, and reduced levels of serum IgG4 (<1.35g/L) were found in all patients with
      non-IgG4-RD. The serum IgG4 level in patients with IgG4-RD after glucocorticoid
      therapy was significantly lower than that before glucocorticoid therapy (t =
      2.426, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: High levels of IgG4 were observed in IgG4-RD.
      However, a diagnosis of IgG4 disease can not only be dependent on the detection
      of elevated serum IgG4 levels but also may need clinical manifestations,
      serology, histopathology and other comprehensive information for verification.

PMID- 28918832
TI  - Streptococcus anginosus Group Bacterial Infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) causes a variety of
      infections in adults. To better understand the burden of SAG infections and their
      associated morbidity and mortality, we conducted a retrospective analysis of
      these infections in adults at a tertiary care center. METHODS: A retrospective
      review of all cultures positive for SAG in adults and a corresponding review of
      the patients' medical records were conducted at a tertiary care facility in
      central New York. Patients with these cultures during the period of January 2007
      December 2011 were included. Demographic data, area of residence, clinical
      features and underlying illnesses, site of infection, length of hospital stay,
      antibiotic susceptibility and antibiotic therapy were recorded and analyzed.
      RESULTS: There were 332 SAG cases; most patients were males (59%), mean age of 47
      years and 84% lived in urban areas. Overall mortality was 3% with underlying
      conditions common such as diabetes (25%), hypertension (31%) and immunodeficiency
      (22%). Most of the infections were related to skin and soft tissue (72%) and
      polymicrobial (70%) with gram-negative anaerobes and Enterobacteriaceae commonly
      isolated with SAG. CONCLUSIONS: We present the largest study, thus far, reviewing
      the clinical presentation, management and outcome of infections due to the SAG of
      organisms. Notable findings from our study are the low mortality associated with
      SAG infection, and the propensity to present as a skin and tissue and
      polymicrobial infection. Our findings will assist clinicians in managing patients
      with SAG infections and recognizing that S anginosus may be one of several
      organisms responsible for infection.

PMID- 28918833
TI  - Recurrence of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage A Hepatocellular Carcinoma
      After Hepatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is widely
      used to classify hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was performed to
      investigate the prognostic factors for patients with BCLC stage A HCC after R0
      hepatectomy. METHODS: A total of 592 patients with BCLC stage A HCC following R0
      hepatectomy from 1997-2012 were enrolled in this study. Kaplan-Meier analysis and
      Cox regression were used to analyze the risk factors associated with recurrence.
      Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to establish a new scoring
      system to evaluate the independent risk factors for recurrence. Furthermore,
      subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate surgical margins on tumor recurrence
      between the anatomic and nonanatomic resection group. RESULTS: Independent risk
      factors for BCLC stage A HCC recurrence were preoperative alanine transaminase
      >40U/L, liver cirrhosis, surgical margin <5mm, nonanatomic resection and maximum
      tumor diameter >5cm. Based on these 5 risk factors, we established a new scoring
      system, named "HCC recurrence scoring system." Patients with a high score (>=3
      points, 1 point for each factor) composed the high recurrence risk group.
      Moreover, the subgroup analyses demonstrated that different surgical margins had
      no significant effect on tumor recurrence in the anatomic resection group (P =
      0.408), while it had a significant effect in the nonanatomic resection group (P =
      0.000). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with BCLC stage A with scores >=3 points, close
      postoperative follow-up and positive measures to prevent recurrence are
      particularly important. Anatomic resection is preferred for patients with BCLC
      stage A. Adequate surgical margins are necessary for patients with poor liver
      function.

PMID- 28918834
TI  - Elevated Admission Potassium Levels and 1-Year and 10-Year Mortality Among
      Patients With Heart Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited, contradictory data exist regarding the effect of
      hyperkalemia on both short- and long-term all-cause mortality among hospitalized
      patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: We analyzed 4,031 patients who were
      enrolled in the Heart Failure Survey in Israel. The study patients were grouped
      into 3 different potassium (K) categories. Multivariate analysis was used to
      determine the association of potassium levels as well as 1- and 10-year all-cause
      mortality. RESULTS: A total of 3,349 patients (83%) had K < 5mEq/L, whereas 461
      patients (11%) had serum K >= 5mEq/L but<= 5.5mEq/L and 221 patients (6%) had K >
      5.5mEq/L. Survival analysis showed that 1-year mortality rates were significantly
      higher among patients with K > 5.5mEq/L (40%) and those with serum K >= 5mEq/L
      but <= 5.5mEq/L (34%) compared to those with K < 5mEq/L (27%); (all log rank P <
      0.01). Similarly, 10-year mortality rates among those with K > 5.5mEq/L were 92%,
      whereas among those with serum K >= 5mEq/L but <= 5.5mEq/L rates were 88%, and in
      those with K < 5mEq/L rates were 82%; (all log rank P < 0.001). Consistently,
      multivariate analysis showed that compared to patients with K < 5mEq/L, patients
      with K > 5.5mEq/L had an independently 51% and 31% higher mortality risk at 1
      year and 10 years, respectively (1-year hazard ratio = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.04-2.2; 10
      years hazard ratio = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.035-1.66), whereas patients with serum K >=
      5mEq/L but <= 5.5mEq/L had comparable adjusted mortality risk to patients with K
      < 5mEq/L at 1 and 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Among hospitalized patients with HF,
      admission K > 5.5mEq/L was independently associated with increased short- and
      long-term mortality, whereas serum K >= 5mEq/L but <= 5.5mEq/L was not
      independently associated with worse outcomes.

PMID- 28918835
TI  - Left Ventricular False Tendons are Associated With Left Ventricular Dilation and
      Impaired Systolic and Diastolic Function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left ventricular false tendons (LVFTs) are chord-like structures that
      traverse the LV cavity and are generally considered to be benign. However, they
      have been associated with arrhythmias, LV hypertrophy and LV dilation in some
      small studies. We hypothesize that LVFTs are associated with LV structural and
      functional changes assessed by echocardiography. METHODS: We retrospectively
      evaluated echocardiographic and clinical parameters of 126 patients identified as
      having LVFTs within the past 2 years and compared them to 85 age-matched controls
      without LVFTs. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age (52 +/- 18
      versus 54 +/- 18 years, P = 0.37), sex (55% versus 59% men, P = 0.49), race (36%
      versus 23% white, P = 0.07), systolic blood pressure (131 +/- 22 versus 132 +/-
      23mmHg, P = 0.76) or body mass index (BMI, 31 +/- 8 versus 29 +/- 10kg/m2, P =
      0.07) between controls and patients with LVFTs, respectively. Patients with LVFTs
      had more prevalent heart failure (43% versus 21%, P = 0.001). Patients with LVFTs
      had more LV dilation, were 2.5 times more likely to have moderate-to-severe
      mitral regurgitation, had more severe diastolic dysfunction and reduced LV
      systolic function (18% lower) compared with controls (all P < 0.05). After
      adjustment for covariates, basal and middle LVFT locations were associated with
      reduced LV systolic function (P < 0.01), and middle LVFTs were associated with LV
      dilation (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that LVFTs may not be
      benign variants, and basal and middle LVFTs may have more deleterious effects.
      Further prospective studies should be performed to determine their
      pathophysiological significance and whether they play a causal role in LV
      dysfunction.

PMID- 28918836
TI  - Role of Microalbuminuria in Predicting Cardiovascular Mortality in Individuals
      With Subclinical Hypothyroidism.
AB  - PURPOSE: Studies suggest that subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is related to
      cardiovascular mortality (CVM). We explored the role of microalbuminuria (MIA) as
      a predictor of long-term CVM in population with and without SCH with normal
      kidney function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the National Health and
      Nutrition Education Survey - III database (n = 6,812). Individuals younger than
      40 years, thyroid-stimulating hormone levels >=20 and <=0.35mIU/L, estimated
      glomerular filtration rate <60mL/minute/1.73m2 and urine albumin-to-creatinine
      ratio of >250mg/g in men and >355mg/g in women were excluded. SCH was defined as
      thyroid-stimulating hormone levels between 5 and 19.99mIU/L and serum T4 levels
      between 5 and 12ug/dL. MIA was defined as urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio of 17
      250mg/g in men and 25-355mg/g in women. Patients were categorized into the
      following 4 groups: (1) no SCH or MIA, (2) MIA, but no SCH, (3) SCH, but no MIA
      and (4) both SCH and MIA. RESULTS: Prevalence of MIA in the subclinical
      hypothyroid cohort was 21% compared to 16.4% in those without SCH (P = 0.03). SCH
      was a significant independent predictor of MIA (n = 6,812), after adjusting for
      traditional risk factors (unadjusted odds ratio = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.24-2.48; P =
      0.002 and adjusted odds ratio = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.2-2.79; P = 0.006). MIA was a
      significant independent predictor of long-term all-cause (adjusted hazard ratio =
      1.7, 95% CI: 1.24-2.33) and CVM (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.07-2.76)
      in subclinical hypothyroid individuals. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of subclinical
      hypothyroid individuals, the presence of MIA predicts increased risk of CVM as
      compared to nonmicroalbuminurics with SCH. Further randomized trials are needed
      to assess the benefits of treating microalbuminuric subclinical hypothyroid
      individuals and impact on CVM.

PMID- 28918837
TI  - Diagnostic Value of Noninvasive Computed Tomography Perfusion Imaging and
      Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography for Assessing Hemodynamically
      Significant Native Coronary Artery Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to determine the diagnostic
      performance of computed tomography perfusion (CTP) with and without computed
      tomography angiography (CTA) in assessment of hemodynamically significant
      coronary artery lesions in comparison to invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed and Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials
      from January 2010 searched through December 2014. Nine original studies were
      selected evaluating the diagnostic performance of CTP with and without CTA to
      invasive coronary angiography in evaluation of hemodynamic significance of
      coronary lesions (n = 951). RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, LR+ and LR-
      and DOR of CTA+CTP were 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI: 0.79-0.89)] 0.94 (CI:
      0.91-0.97), 15.8 (CI: 7.99-31.39), 0.146 (CI: 0.08-0.26), and 147.2 (CI: 69.77
      310.66). Summary Receiver Operating Characteristics (SROC) results showed area
      under the curve (AUC) of 0.97 indicating that CTA+CTP may detect hemodynamically
      significant coronary artery lesions with high accuracy. The sensitivity,
      specificity, LR+ and LR- and DOR of CTP were 0.83 (CI: 0.78-0.87), 0.84 (CI: 0.80
      0.87) 5.26 (CI: 2.93-9.43), 0.209 (CI: 0.12-0.36), and 31.97 (CI: 11.59-88.20).
      CONCLUSIONS: This result suggests that CTP with CTA significantly improves
      diagnostic performance of coronary artery lesions compared to CTA alone and
      closely comparable with invasive FFR.

PMID- 28918838
TI  - Inhibition of Midkine Suppresses Prostate Cancer CD133+ Stem Cell Growth and
      Migration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Midkine (MDK) is a tumor-promoting factor that is often overexpressed
      in various human carcinomas, and the role of MDK has not yet been fully
      investigated in prostate cancer stem cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prostate
      cancer CD133+ stem cells (PCSCs) were isolated from human castration-resistant
      PC3 cells. PCSCs were treated with different concentrations of MDK inhibitor,
      iMDK, for 24-72 hours. The IC50 values were determined by the MTT test.
      Endogenous MDK messenger RNA expression was knocked down by small interfering
      RNA. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot
      analyses and image-based cytometry were used to investigate apoptosis and cell
      cycle progression as well as their underlying molecular mechanisms. Cell
      migration was evaluated by the wound healing test. RESULTS: iMDK caused dose- and
      time-dependent inhibition of PCSC survival. Similar growth inhibition was also
      obtained by small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of endogenous MDK
      expression. iMDK was shown to preferentially induce cell cycle arrest at the S
      and G2/M phases. Suppressed PCSC growth was also accompanied by increases in p53
      and the cell cycle inhibitor p21 genes. Combinatorial treatment of iMDK with
      docetaxel significantly inhibited cell proliferation versus either of the agents
      used alone. Inhibition of MDK expression strongly suppressed the migration of
      PCSCs compared to untreated and docetaxel-treated cells. iMDK and the knockdown
      of MDK decreased p-Akt and significantly upregulated the expression of
      PI3K/phosphatase/tensin homolog. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that MDK plays a
      crucial role in controlling PCSC proliferation and migration. Therefore,
      suppression of endogenous expression of MDK would, in combination with
      traditional chemotherapy drugs, be a potential treatment for PCSCs.

PMID- 28918840
TI  - Neuroprotective Effects of Eexenatide in a Rotenone-Induced Rat Model of
      Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKROUND: Several studies suggest an association between Parkinson's disease
      (PD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus; these 2 diseases are both known to affect the
      common molecular pathways. As a synthetic agonist for the glucagon-like peptide 1
      receptor, exenatide has been evaluated as a neuroprotective agent in multiple
      animal models. Rotenone models of PD have great potential for the investigation
      of PD pathology and motor and nonmotor symptoms, as well as the role of gene
      environment interactions in PD causation and pathogenesis. Therefore, in this
      study, the neurochemical, behavioral and histologic effects of exenatide on a
      rotenone-induced rat model of PD were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen
      adult male rats were randomly divided into the following 3 groups (n = 6): 1
      group received stereotaxical infusion of dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle, group 1)
      and the others received stereotaxical infusion of rotenone (groups 2 and 3).
      Apomorphine-induced rotation test was applied to the rats after 10 days.
      Thereafter, group 2 was administered isotonic saline, whereas group 3 was
      administered exenatide for 28 days. RESULTS: Malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis
      factor alpha levels increased in the rats with PD induced by rotenone, whereas
      malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels markedly decreased in the
      rats treated with exenatide. The apomorphine-induced rotation test scores of
      exenatide-treated rats were determined to be lower compared with the untreated
      group. Additionally, treatment with exenatide significantly reduced the loss of
      dopaminergic neurons in striatum. CONCLUSIONS: These results have shown that
      exenatide has neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in a
      rotenone-induced rat model of PD.

PMID- 28918839
TI  - Prostaglandin E2 Induces Prorenin-Dependent Activation of (Pro)renin Receptor and
      Upregulation of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Collecting Duct Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) regulates renin expression in renal
      juxtaglomerular cells. PGE2 acts through E-prostanoid (EP) receptors in the renal
      collecting duct (CD) to regulate sodium and water balance. CD cells express EP1
      and EP4, which are linked to protein kinase C (PKC) and PKA downstream pathways,
      respectively. Previous studies showed that the presence of renin in the CD, and
      that of PKC and PKA pathways, activate its expression. The (pro)renin receptor
      (PRR) is also expressed in CD cells, and its activation enhances cyclooxygenase-2
      (COX-2) through extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). We hypothesized that
      PGE2 stimulates prorenin and renin synthesis leading to subsequent activation of
      PRR and upregulation of COX-2. METHODS: We used a mouse M-1 CD cell line that
      expresses EP1, EP3 and EP4 but not EP2. RESULTS: PGE2 (10-6M) treatment increased
      prorenin and renin protein levels at 4 and 8 hours. No differences were found at
      12-hour after PGE2 treatment. Phospho-ERK was significantly augmented after 12
      hours. COX-2 expression was decreased after 4 hours of PGE2 treatment, but
      increased after 12 hours. Interestingly, the full-length form of the PRR was
      upregulated only at 12 hours. PGE2-mediated phospho-ERK and COX-2 upregulation
      was suppressed by PRR silencing. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that PGE2
      induces biphasic regulation of COX-2 through renin-dependent PRR activation via
      EP1 and EP4 receptors. PRR-mediated increases in COX-2 expression may enhance
      PGE2 synthesis in CD cells serving as a buffer mechanism in conditions of
      activated renin-angiotensin system.

PMID- 28918841
TI  - Epidural Abscess in Lemierre's Syndrome.

PMID- 28918842
TI  - Anorectal Malignant Melanoma Presenting as Acute Pancreatitis.

PMID- 28918844
TI  - Purtscher-like Retinopathy.

PMID- 28918843
TI  - Necrobiotic Pulmonary Nodules of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

PMID- 28918845
TI  - Caregivers for the Elderly: Caveat Emptor.

PMID- 28918846
TI  - Aggressive Multiple Cystic Changes in Lung Adenocarcinoma: An Unusual
      Presentation.

PMID- 28918847
TI  - Engineering approaches to study cancer metabolism.

PMID- 28918848
TI  - A multi-institutional analysis of intraoperative radiotherapy for early breast
      cancer: Does age matter?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-session intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) minimizes
      treatment demands associated with traditional whole breast radiation therapy
      (WBRT) but outcomes on local disease control and morbidity among the elderly is
      limited. METHODS: A multi-institutional retrospective registry was established
      from 19 centers utilizing IORT from 2007 to 2013. Patient, tumor, and treatment
      variables were analyzed for ages <70 and >=70. RESULTS: We evaluated 686 patients
      (<70 = 424; >=70 = 262) who were margin and lymph node negative. Patients <70
      were more likely to have longer operative time, oncoplastic closure, higher rates
      of IORT used as planned boost, and receive chemotherapy and post-operative WBRT.
      Wound complication rates were low and not significantly different between age
      groups. Median follow-up was 1.06 (range 0.51-1.9) years for < 70 and 1.01 (range
      0.5-1.68) years for >= 70. There were 5 (0.73%) breast recurrences (4 in <70 and
      1 >= 70, p = 0.65) and no axillary recurrences during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:
      IORT was associated with a low rate of wound complication and local recurrence on
      short-term follow-up in this cohort.

PMID- 28918850
TI  - Are we ready to get in the eye of the storm?

PMID- 28918849
TI  - Are we catching women in the safety net? Colorectal cancer outcomes by gender at
      a safety net hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our goal was to evaluate presentation and outcomes for colorectal
      cancer across gender in a safety net hospital (SNH). METHODS: An institutional
      Tumor Registry was reviewed for colorectal cancer resections 12/2009-2/2016.
      Patients were stratified into male and female cohorts. The main outcome measures
      were stage at presentation and oncologic outcomes across gender. RESULTS: 170
      women (48.6%) and 180 men (51.4%) were evaluated; 129 (84.1%) females and 143
      (79.4%) males underwent curative resection. There were no significant differences
      in prior colorectal cancer screening. On presentation, there were similar rates
      of stage IV disease across genders (p = 0.3). After median follow-up of 26.5
      months (female) and 29.9 months (male), there were no significant differences in
      overall survival, survival by stage, or disease-free survival by gender (all p =
      0.7). The local (1.4% females vs. 2.6% males, p = 0.7) and distant recurrence
      (16.6% females vs. 14.9% males, p = 0.7) were similar across gender. CONCLUSION:
      With equal access to treatment, there were no significant differences in overall
      survival, survival by stage, or local or distant recurrence rates by gender.
      These findings stress the importance of the SNH system, and need for continued
      support.

PMID- 28918851
TI  - Using evidence in clinical practice: A dream coming true in idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28918853
TI  - Hormone-related cancers and endocrine disruptors: New aspects of an old question.

PMID- 28918852
TI  - Erectile dysfunction and COPD - Cause or association.

PMID- 28918854
TI  - Erratum to "Extramammary Paget's disease of the oral mucosa and perioral skin"
      [Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2017; 124 (2):e157-e163.].

PMID- 28918856
TI  - Determination of molar masses of macromolecules by size exclusion chromatography
      light scattering not requiring knowledge of refractive index increments.
AB  - A new approach for the calibration of SEC-light scattering (SEC-LS) setups is
      proposed, which requires solely the molar mass of a reference polymer. Neither
      the specific refractive index increment of the calibrant nor of the analyte is
      required. Comparison of the molar masses derived in different solvents for a
      large number of chemically different polymers shows that the new approach yields
      the same molar masses as if molar masses were derived using dn/dc to calibrate
      the light scattering setup. The approach therefore allows easier determination of
      molar masses by SEC-LS.

PMID- 28918855
TI  - Ion-pair in-tube solid phase microextraction for the simultaneous determination
      of phthalates and their degradation products in atmospheric particulate matter.
AB  - An in-tube solid phase microextraction, coupled with high-performance liquid
      chromatography with diode array detection (IT-SPME-HPLC-DAD) method, has been
      developed for the simultaneous determination of 13 diesters (from dimethyl to
      dioctylphthalate plus diisobutyl, benzylbutyl, di-2-ethylhexyl, diisononyl and
      diisodecylphthalate) and 2 monoesters of phthalic acid (mono-butyl and mono-(2
      ethylhexyl) phthalate) in particulate matter (PM10). Triethylamine at pH=3 was
      used as an ion-pair reagent with a double function, of regulating the
      chromatographic retention of the monoesters and the most hydrophilic diesters on
      a monolithic silica column, and of improving their extraction on a porous polymer
      with divinylbenzene-4-vinylpyridine capillary. The chromatographic separation was
      achieved in 13min. A previous ultrasound-assisted extraction from PM10filters was
      also optimized using methanol as solvent. The method detection limits were 0.09
      0.52ngm-3, the inter-day precision at concentration of 20ngmL-1 was between 4.2%
      and 12.7% (n=15), and the average recovery was 87.3%. The average absolute IT
      SPME recovery was 26.2% and the linear range reached up to 109ngm-3 for most
      analytes. The method was applied to PM10 samples from different environments
      collected in Galicia (Spain). DiBP was the major phthalate, followed by its
      isomer DnBP in urban sites and by DEP in the suburban area. In all samples, DEHP
      quantified correlates with the isomers of dibutylphthalate. Total PAE
      concentration was between 14.5 and 245.5ngm-3. To the best of our knowledge, this
      is the first time that a method allows the simultaneous determination of 13
      phthalates and their degradation products in particulate matter.

PMID- 28918857
TI  - Developing nursing competence: Future proofing nurses for the changing practice
      requirements of 21st century healthcare.

PMID- 28918858
TI  - Coronary CT angiography features of ruptured and high-risk atherosclerotic
      plaques: Correlation with intra-vascular ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Features of ruptured and high-risk plaque have been described on
      coronary computed tomography angiography (coronary CTA), but not systematically
      assessed against intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). We examined the ability of
      coronary CTA to identify IVUS defined ruptured plaque and Virtual Histology
      Intravascular Ultrasound (VH-IVUS) defined thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA).
      METHODS: Sixty-three patients (32 with acute coronary syndrome and 31 with stable
      angina) underwent coronary CTA, IVUS and VH-IVUS. Plaque rupture on CTA was
      defined as intra-plaque contrast and its frequency compared with IVUS-defined
      plaque rupture. We then examined the relationship of conventional coronary CTA
      high-risk features (low attenuation plaque, positive remodeling, spotty
      calcification and the Napkin-Ring sign) in VH-IVUS-defined TCFA. We compared
      these with a novel index based on quantifying the ratio of necrotic core to
      fibrous plaque using x-ray attenuation cut-offs derived from the relationship of
      plaque to luminal contrast attenuation. RESULTS: Of the 71 plaques interrogated
      with IVUS, 39 were ruptured. Coronary CTA correctly detected 13-ruptured plaques
      with 3 false positives giving high specificity (91%) but low sensitivity (33%).
      None of the conventional coronary CTA high-risk features were significantly more
      frequent in the higher-risk (VH-IVUS defined thin-cap) compared with thick-cap
      fibroatheroma. However, the new index (necrotic core/fibrous plaque ratio) was
      higher in thin-cap (mean 0.90) vs. thick-cap fibroatheroma (mean 0.59), p < 0.05.
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with intravascular ultrasound, coronary CTA identifies
      ruptured plaque with good specificity but poor sensitivity. We have identified a
      novel high-risk feature on coronary CTA (necrotic core/fibrous plaque ratio that
      is associated with VH-IVUS defined-TCFA.

PMID- 28918860
TI  - Prevalence of work-related common psychiatric disorders in primary care: The
      French Heracles study.
AB  - General practitioners (GP), on the frontline for individuals with mental health
      problems, often deal with work-related common psychiatric disorders. We aimed to
      determine the prevalence of work-related common psychiatric disorders in general
      practice and associated patients' and GPs' characteristics. HERACLES, a cross
      sectional study among 2019 working patients of 121 GPs in the Nord - Pas-de
      Calais region in France. Common psychiatric disorders were assessed using the
      MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, patient-perceived psychological
      distress and GP-diagnosed psychiatric disorders. The work-relatedness of common
      psychiatric disorders was ascertained by the GP and/or the patient. Prevalence
      rates adjusted on age were calculated by sex and associated characteristics were
      ascertained using multilevel Poisson regression models. The prevalence of work
      related common psychiatric disorders ascertained using the MINI was estimated at
      25.6% [23.7-27.5], 24.5% [22.6-26.4] for self-reported psychological distress and
      25.8% [23.9-27.7] for GP-diagnosed psychiatric disorders. Age, history of
      psychiatric disorders, consultation for psychological purpose and GP's
      characteristics were associated with MINI-identified psychiatric disorders. The
      prevalence of work-related common psychiatric disorders among working adults seen
      in general practice is high but further studies are needed to support this
      results.

PMID- 28918859
TI  - A preliminary study of bipolar disorder type I by mass spectrometry-based serum
      lipidomics.
AB  - The present study aimed at investigating possible alterations in the serum lipid
      profile of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder type I (BD) compared to
      healthy controls (HC). Thirty-five individuals from both genders were recruited,
      with 14 diagnosed and treated as BD patients (BD group) and 21 healthy subjects
      (HC group). Clinical assessment was based on the Structured Clinical Interview
      for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and 17
      items of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17) data, which were used to
      confirm diagnosis, to verify psychiatric comorbidities, and to estimate the
      severity of manic and depressive symptoms. Ultra-high performance liquid
      chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was
      applied to analyze the lipids extracted from all serum samples from both studied
      groups. In this pioneer and exploratory study, we observed different serum lipid
      profiles for BD and HC groups, especially regarding glycerophospholipid,
      glycerolipid, and sphingolipid distribution. Multivariate statistical analyses
      indicated that 121 lipids were significantly different between BD and HC.
      Phosphatidylinositols were identified as the most altered lipids in BD patient
      sera. The results of this preliminary study reinforce the role of lipid
      abnormalities in BD and offer additional methodological possibilities for
      investigation in the field.

PMID- 28918861
TI  - Exercise self-efficacy correlates in people with psychosis.
AB  - Despite the recognition of the importance of exercise self-efficacy in exercise
      adoption and maintenance, previous investigations on exercise self-efficacy in
      people with psychosis is scarce. The present study aimed to (1) explore if
      exercise self-efficacy differed between stages of behavior change in Ugandan
      outpatients with psychosis, and (2) assess sociodemographic, clinical and
      motivational correlates of exercise self-efficacy. In total, 48 patients (24
      women) completed the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES), the Patient-centered
      Assessment and Counseling for Exercise questionnaire, the Brief Symptoms
      Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and questions pertaining to intrinsic motivation in the
      Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2. Additionally, participants
      were asked about their exercise behavior in the past 7 days and screened for
      cardio-metabolic risk factors. Higher ESES-scores were observed in those in the
      maintenance (n = 17) versus those in the pre-action stage (n = 17) of behavior
      change. Higher ESES-scores were also significantly associated with lower BSI-18
      somatization and higher intrinsic motivation scores. Our data indicated that
      health care professionals should assist patients with psychosis in interpreting
      physiological states during exercise. Future research should explore whether
      bolstering such sources of information might directly or indirectly effect
      exercise self-efficacy.

PMID- 28918862
TI  - Meta-analysis of sensorimotor gating in patients with autism spectrum disorders.
AB  - Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle response is a well-established
      neurophysiological marker of sensorimotor gating ability in psychiatric patients
      including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). PPI has been utilized as an
      indicator of the central inhibitory function and is potentially linked to the
      clinical features of this disease. However, it remains inconclusive whether ASD
      patients exhibit PPI deficits compared with healthy controls. The present meta
      analysis aimed to explore the pooled effect sizes of PPI in ASD patients. We
      searched major electronic databases from 1990 to January 2017. Seven studies,
      consisting of 21 individual investigations with 135 healthy controls and 99 ASD
      patients, were obtained. The effect size, calculated as Hedges's g and 95%
      confidence interval, were estimated. Overall, we found ASD patients exhibited an
      impaired PPI compared with healthy controls (p = 0.008). Specifically,
      significant PPI deficits were observed among ASD children/adolescents, compared
      with their healthy counterparts (p = 0.019). However, differences in PPI
      responses were not observed among adults. Conclusively, our results reconciled
      the previous studies and showed that ASD children/adolescents, but not adults,
      exhibit reduced sensorimotor gating function compared to healthy controls. We
      also suggest that the parameters of PPI are particularly important and the
      results should be interpreted with cautions.

PMID- 28918863
TI  - More haste less speed: A meta-analysis of thinking latencies during planning in
      people with psychosis.
AB  - Cognitive impairment is a core feature of psychosis, with slowed processing speed
      thought to be a prominent impairment in schizophrenia and first-episode
      psychosis. However, findings from the Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) planning task
      suggest changes in processing speed associated with the illness may include
      faster responses in early stages of planning, though findings are inconsistent.
      This review uses meta-analytic methods to assess thinking times in psychosis
      across the available literature. Studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web
      of Science and Google Scholar. Eligibility criteria: 1) included a sample of
      people with non-affective psychosis according to DSM III, DSM IV, DSM V or ICD-10
      criteria; 2) employed the SOC task; 3) included a healthy control group; and 4)
      published in English. We identified 11 studies that employed the SOC task.
      Results show that people with psychosis have significantly faster initial
      thinking times than non-clinical participants, but significantly slower
      subsequent thinking times during problem execution. These findings indicate that
      differences in processing speed are not limited to slower responses in people
      with psychosis but may reflect a preference for step-by-step processing rather
      than planning before task execution. We suggest this style of responding is
      adopted to compensate for working memory impairment.

PMID- 28918864
TI  - Tuberculous Tracheoesophageal Fistula: A Rare Entity.

PMID- 28918865
TI  - The Need for Palliative Care in Chronic Respiratory Patients With Non-Malignant
      Disease.

PMID- 28918866
TI  - Diagnosis of Pulmonary Infarction by Thoracic Ultrasonography.

PMID- 28918867
TI  - Telomere Shortening in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

PMID- 28918868
TI  - Does the Exacerbator Phenotype in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Really
      Exist?

PMID- 28918869
TI  - Clinical Guidelines in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: How
      Useful Are They in Clinical Practice?

PMID- 28918870
TI  - Explaining the differences in household food waste collection and treatment
      provisions between local authorities in England and Wales.
AB  - Separate household food waste collection for anaerobic digestion is one method
      used in the sustainable management of biodegradable municipal solid waste (MSW).
      Recycling of food waste contributes to the UK's reuse, recycling and composting
      targets and can help local authorities boost plateauing rates whilst encouraging
      landfill diversion. This study explored the reasons for differences in the
      provision of food waste collections, using two comparable local authorities, one
      with a collection in Wales (Cardiff), and the other absent of such service in
      England (Southampton). A PESTLE analysis investigated the political, economic,
      social, technological, legal and environmental impacts of separate food waste
      collections. The greenhouse gas impacts of the collection and treatment systems
      of MSW in both cities were estimated for 2012/13. Results showed significant
      policy and legislative differences between devolved governments, that separate
      food waste collections can save local authorities significant sums of money and
      substantially reduce greenhouse gas impacts. A survey of one hundred respondents
      in each city aimed to understand attitudes and behaviours towards recycling, food
      waste segregation, cooking and purchasing habits. The number of frequent
      recyclers and levels of satisfaction were higher in the authority which provided
      a separate food waste collection. In the area which lacked a separate collection
      service, over three-quarters of respondents would participate in such a scheme if
      it were available.

PMID- 28918871
TI  - [Indications and limits of ablative therapies in prostate cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To perform a state of the art about indications and limits of ablative
      therapies for localized prostate cancer. METHODS: A review of the scientific
      literature was performed in Medline database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and
      Embase (http://www.embase.com) using different associations of keywords.
      Publications obtained were selected based on methodology, language and relevance.
      After selection, 107 articles were analysed. RESULTS: The objective to combine
      reduction of side effects and oncological control has induced recent development
      of several ablative therapies. Beyond this heterogeneity, some preferential
      indications appear: unilateral cancer of low risk (but with significant volume,
      excluding active surveillance) or intermediate risk (excluding majority of grade
      4); treatment targeted the index lesion, by quarter or hemi-ablation, based on
      biopsy and mpMRI. In addition, indications must considered specific limits of
      each energy, such as gland volume and tumor localization. CONCLUSION: Based on
      new imaging and biopsy, ablative therapies will probably increased its role in
      the future in management of localize prostate cancer. The multiple ongoing trials
      will certainly be helpful to better define their indications and limits.

PMID- 28918872
TI  - [Management of ablative therapies in prostate cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the specific modalities of ablative therapies management
      in prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of the scientific literature
      was performed in Medline database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and Embase
      (http://www.embase.com) using different associations of keywords. Publications
      obtained were selected based on methodology, language and relevance. After
      selection, 61 articles were analysed. RESULTS: Development of innovations such as
      ablative therapies in prostate cancer induces specific modalities in their
      management, during pre-, per- and post-procedure. More than for classical and
      well-known treatments, the decision to propose an ablative therapy requires
      analysis and consensus of medical staff and patient's agreement. Patient's
      specificities and economical aspects must also be considered. Procedures and
      follow-up must be realized by referents actors. CONCLUSION: Indication, procedure
      and follow-up of ablative therapies in prostate cancer require specific
      modalities. They must be respected in order to optimize the results and to obtain
      a precise and objective evaluation for defining future indications.

PMID- 28918873
TI  - Use of Ganga Hospital Open Injury Severity Scoring for determination of salvage
      versus amputation in open type IIIB injuries of lower limbs in children-An
      analysis of 52 type IIIB open fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Open injuries in children are rare compared to adults. In
      children with major open injuries, there is no specific scoring system to guide
      when to amputate or salvage the limb. The use of available adult scoring systems
      may lead to errors in management. The role of Ganga Hospital Open Injury Severity
      Scoring (GHOISS) for open injuries in adults is well established and its
      applicability for pediatric open injuries has not been studied. This study was
      done to analyse the usefulness of GHOISS in pediatric open injuries and to
      compare it with MESS(Mangled Extremity Severity Score). METHODS: All children (0
      18 years) who were admitted with Open type IIIB injuries of lower limbs between
      January 2008 and March 2015 were included. MESS and GHOISS were calculated for
      all the patients. There were 50 children with 52 type IIIB Open injuries of which
      39 had open tibial fractures and 13 had open femur fractures. RESULTS: Out of 52
      type IIIB open injuries, 48 were salvaged and 4 were amputated. A MESS score of 7
      and above had sensitivity of 25% for amputation while GHOISS of 17 and above was
      found to be more accurate for determining amputation with sensitivity of 75% and
      specificity of 93.75%. CONCLUSION: GHOISS is a reliable predictor of injury
      severity in type IIIB open fractures in children and can be used as a guide for
      decision-making. The use of MESS score in children has a lower predictive value
      compared to GHOISS in deciding amputation versus salvage. A GHOISS of 17 or more
      has the highest sensitivity and specificity to predict amputation.

PMID- 28918874
TI  - The outcome of intracapsular hip fracture fixation using the Targon Femoral Neck
      (TFN) locking plate system or cannulated cancellous screws: A comparative study
      involving 2004 patients.
AB  - AIM: This study compares the outcome of intracapsular hip fracture fixation using
      the Targon Femoral Neck (TFN) locking plate system with the standard fixation
      using cannulated cancellous screws (CCS). PATIENTS AND METHOD: Analyses of a
      prospectively collected data of all patients treated for intracapsular hip
      fractures using the TFN system and CCS at our department over a period of 28
      years. Baseline characteristics and specific outcome measures where compared. The
      primary outcome measure was fracture revision during the 1st year. Secondary
      outcome measures were fracture complications, any revision surgery, mortality and
      mobility status at one year after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 2004 fractures
      were included, a third (n=725, 36.2%) were treated using the TFN system. There
      were higher rates of non-union (19.5% vs 9.5%) and revision surgery (19% vs 9%)
      during the first year in the CCS cohort. Revision surgery was also higher in the
      same group during the whole of the follow-up period (22.2% vs 14.9%). The first
      year's mortality rate was higher in the CCS cohort (21.1% vs 17.5%) but the
      reduction in mobility and mobility scores was the same in both cohorts.
      CONCLUSION: This study includes the largest cohort of cases treated for
      intracapsular hip fractures using the TFN system. It demonstrated that the TFN
      system was associated with lower rates of non-union, revisions and re-operations
      for any cause.

PMID- 28918875
TI  - Corrigendum to "Imaging techniques for the assessment of fracture repair"[Injury
      45 (Supplement (2)) (2014) S16-S22].

PMID- 28918876
TI  - Evaluation of potential substrates for restenosis and thrombosis in overlapped
      versus edge-to-edge juxtaposed bioabsorbable scaffolds: Insights from a computed
      fluid dynamic study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Multiple BRSs and specifically the Absorb scaffold (BVS)
      (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA USA) have been often used to treat long diffuse
      coronary artery lesions. We evaluate by a computational fluid dynamic(CFD) study
      the impact on the intravascular fluid rheology on multiple bioabsorbable
      scaffolds (BRS) by standard overlapping versus edge-to-edge technique.
      METHODS/MATERIALS: We simulated the treatment of a real long significant coronary
      lesion (>70% luminal narrowing) involving the left anterior descending artery
      (LAD) treated with a standard or edge-to-edge technique, respectively.
      Simulations were performed after BVS implantations in two different conditions:
      1) Edge-to-edge technique, where the scaffolds are kissed but not overlapped
      resulting in a luminal encroachment of 0.015cm (150MUm); 2) Standard overlapping,
      where the scaffolds are overlapped resulting in a luminal encroachment of 0.030cm
      (300MUm). After positioning the BVS across the long lesion, the implantation
      procedure was performed in-silico following all the usual procedural steps.
      RESULTS: Analysis of the wall shear stress (WSS) suggested that at the vessel
      wall level the WSS were lower in the overlapping zones overlapping compared to
      the edge-to-edge zone (?=0.061Pa, p=0.01). At the struts level the difference
      between the two WSS was more striking (?=1.065e-004 p=0.01) favouring the edge-to
      edge zone. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that at both vessel wall and scaffold
      struts levels, there was lowering WSS when multiple BVS were implanted with the
      standard overlapping technique compared to the "edge-to-edge" technique. This
      lower WSS might represent a substrate for restenosis, early and late BVS
      thrombosis, potentially explaining at least in part the recent evidences of
      devices poor performance.

PMID- 28918878
TI  - Raltegravir becomes a once daily antiretroviral.

PMID- 28918880
TI  - Iliac Subperiosteal Hematoma with Ossification in a 15-Year-Old Boy.

PMID- 28918879
TI  - Axitinib-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.
AB  - Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are oral chemotherapy drugs used primarily to
      treat leukemias, renal cell carcinomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and
      neuroendocrine tumors. Within this group, a number of drugs have already been
      implicated in jaw necrosis. Axitinib (Inlyta) is a novel TKI currently licensed
      for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. We report the first case, to our
      knowledge, of jaw necrosis solely related to this medication and review the
      literature surrounding TKIs and their implication in osteonecrosis of the jaw.

PMID- 28918881
TI  - Clinical Detection of Hemodynamically Significant Isolated Secundum Atrial Septal
      Defect.
AB  - The diagnosis of secundum atrial septal defect often is delayed. For 310 patients
      with hemodynamically significant secundum atrial septal defect undergoing closure
      over a 5-year period at a single medical center, this study reviews the symptoms
      prompting referral, limitations of physical examination and electrocardiography,
      and basis for initially missing the diagnosis.

PMID- 28918877
TI  - Raltegravir 1200 mg once daily versus raltegravir 400 mg twice daily, with
      tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine, for previously untreated HIV-1
      infection: a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, phase 3, non-inferiority
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Once daily regimens are preferred for HIV-1 treatment, to facilitate
      adherence and improve quality of life. We compared a new once daily formulation
      of raltegravir to the currently marketed twice daily formulation. METHODS: In
      this randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, phase 3, non-inferiority study, we
      enrolled participants aged 18 years or older with HIV-1 RNA of 1000 or more
      copies per mL and no previous antiretroviral treatment at 139 sites worldwide. We
      randomly assigned participants (2:1) via an interactive voice and web response
      system to raltegravir 1200 mg (two 600 mg tablets) orally once daily or
      raltegravir 400 mg (one tablet) orally twice daily, each with tenofovir
      disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine orally once daily, for up to 96 weeks. A
      computer-generated allocation schedule stratified randomisation by screening HIV
      1 RNA value and co-infection with hepatitis B or C. Participants, sponsor
      personnel, investigators, and study site personnel involved in the treatment or
      evaluation of the participants were unaware of the treatment group assignments.
      The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants with HIV-1 RNA less than
      40 copies per mL at week 48 assessed with the US Food and Drug Administration
      Snapshot algorithm. Non-inferiority was concluded if the lower bound of the two
      sided 95% CI was greater than -10%. We assessed efficacy and safety in all
      participants who received one dose or more of study treatment. This study is
      registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02131233. FINDINGS: Between May 26,
      2014, and Dec 5, 2014, 802 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned, 533
      to once daily treatment and 269 to twice daily; 797 received study therapy, 531
      once daily and 266 twice daily. At week 48, 472 (89%) of 531 once daily
      recipients and 235 (88%) of 266 twice daily recipients achieved HIV-1 RNA less
      than 40 copies per mL (treatment difference 0.5%, 95% CI -4.2 to 5.2). Drug
      related adverse events occurred in 130 (24%) of 531 participants in the once
      daily group (one of which was serious; none led to treatment discontinuation) and
      68 (26%) of 266 participants in the twice daily group (two of which were serious;
      two led to treatment discontinuation). The most common drug-related adverse
      events were nausea (39 [7%] vs 18 [7%]), headache (16 [3%] vs 12 [5%]), and
      dizziness (12 [2%] vs eight [3%]). No treatment-related deaths were reported.
      INTERPRETATION: A once daily raltegravir 1200 mg regimen was non-inferior
      compared with raltegravir 400 mg twice daily for initial treatment of HIV-1
      infection. These results support the use of raltegravir 1200 mg once daily for
      first-line therapy. FUNDING: Merck & Co, Inc.

PMID- 28918883
TI  - Pseudoparalysis of Parrot: A Diagnostic Aid in Congenital Syphilis.

PMID- 28918884
TI  - [Could you draw me a picture of chronic kidney disease, please?]

PMID- 28918882
TI  - Genome-Wide Associations Related to Hepatic Histology in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver
      Disease in Hispanic Boys.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify genetic loci associated with features of histologic
      severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a cohort of Hispanic boys. STUDY
      DESIGN: There were 234 eligible Hispanic boys age 2-17 years with clinical,
      laboratory, and histologic data enrolled in the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
      Clinical Research Network included in the analysis of 624 297 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs). After the elimination of 4 outliers and 22 boys with
      cryptic relatedness, association analyses were performed on 208 DNA samples with
      corresponding liver histology. Logistic regression analyses were carried out for
      qualitative traits and linear regression analyses were applied for quantitative
      traits. RESULTS: The median age and body mass index z-score were 12.0 years (IQR,
      11.0-14.0) and 2.4 (IQR, 2.1-2.6), respectively. The nonalcoholic fatty liver
      disease activity score (scores 1-4 vs 5-8) was associated with SNP rs11166927 on
      chromosome 8 in the TRAPPC9 region (P = 8.7-07). Fibrosis stage was associated
      with SNP rs6128907 on chromosome 20, near actin related protein 5 homolog (p =
      9.9-07). In comparing our results in Hispanic boys with those of previously
      reported SNPs in adult nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, 2 of 26 susceptibility loci
      were associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score and 2 were
      associated with fibrosis stage. CONCLUSIONS: In this discovery genome-wide
      association study, we found significant novel gene effects on histologic traits
      associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score and fibrosis that
      are distinct from those previously recognized by adult nonalcoholic fatty liver
      disease genome-wide association studies.

PMID- 28918885
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 28918886
TI  - Harmful algal blooms and public health.
AB  - The five most commonly recognized Harmful Algal Bloom-related illnesses are
      ciguatera poisoning, paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish
      poisoning (NSP), amnesic shellfish poisoning, and diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.
      Although these exposures result from exposure to different toxins or toxin
      congeners, these clinical syndromes have much in common. Exposure occurs through
      the consumption of fish, shellfish, or through exposure to aerosolized NSP
      toxins. Routine clinical tests are not available for the diagnosis of harmful
      algal bloom related illnesses, there is no known antidote for exposure, and the
      risk of these illnesses can negatively impact local fishing and tourism
      industries. The absence of exposure risk or diagnostic certainty can also
      precipitate a chain of events that results in considerable psychological distress
      for coastal populations. Thus, illness prevention is of paramount importance to
      minimize human and public health risks. To accomplish this, further
      transdisciplinary research, close communication and collaboration are needed
      among HAB scientists, public health researchers, and local, state and tribal
      health departments at academic, community outreach, and policy levels.

PMID- 28918887
TI  - The association between razor clam consumption and memory in the CoASTAL cohort.
AB  - This study represents a preliminary effort to examine the potential impacts of
      chronic, low level domoic acid (DA) exposure on memory in the CoASTAL cohort over
      the first four years of data collection (Wave 1). Five hundred and thirteen adult
      men and women representing three Native American Tribes were studied annually
      with standard measures of cognition and razor clam consumption (a known vector of
      DA exposure) over a four-year period. In addition, a pilot metric of DA
      concentration exposure was used which took into consideration average DA
      concentration levels in source beaches, as well as the amount consumed. Based
      upon generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis, controlling for age, sex,
      race, year, education level, tribe, and employment status, findings indicated
      that high razor clam consumers (15 or more per month) had isolated decrements on
      some measures of memory (p=0.02-0.03), with other cognitive functions unaffected.
      The relatively lower memory scores were still within normal limits, and were thus
      not clinically significant. The pilot DA exposure metric had no association with
      any other aspect of cognition or behavior. There is a possible association
      between long-term, low-level exposure to DA through heavy razor clam consumption
      and memory functioning.

PMID- 28918888
TI  - Assessment of sodium channel mutations in Makah tribal members of the U.S.
      Pacific Northwest as a potential mechanism of resistance to paralytic shellfish
      poisoning.
AB  - The Makah Tribe of Neah Bay, Washington, has historically relied on the
      subsistence harvest of coastal seafood, including shellfish, which remains an
      important cultural and ceremonial resource. Tribal legend describes visitors from
      other tribes that died from eating shellfish collected on Makah lands. These
      deaths were believed to be caused by paralytic shellfish poisoning, a human
      illness caused by ingestion of shellfish contaminated with saxitoxins, which are
      produced by toxin-producing marine dinoflagellates on which the shellfish feed.
      These paralytic shellfish toxins include saxitoxin, a potent Na+ channel
      antagonist that binds to the pore region of voltage gated Na+ channels. Amino
      acid mutations in the Na+ channel pore have been demonstrated to confer
      resistance to saxitoxin in softshell clam populations exposed to paralytic
      shellfish toxins present in their environment. Because of the notion of
      resistance to paralytic shellfish toxins, the study aimed to determine if a
      resistance strategy was possible in humans with historical exposure to toxins in
      shellfish. We collected, extracted and purified DNA from buccal swabs of 83
      volunteer Makah tribal members and sequenced the skeletal muscle Na+ channel
      (Nav1.4) at nine loci to characterize potential mutations in the relevant
      saxitoxin binding regions. No mutations of these specific regions were identified
      after comparison to a reference sequence. This study suggests that any resistance
      of Makah tribal members to saxitoxin, if present, is not a function of Nav1.4
      modification, but may be due to mutations in neuronal or cardiac sodium channels,
      or some other mechanism unrelated to sodium channel function.

PMID- 28918889
TI  - Gene expression patterns in peripheral blood leukocytes in patients with
      recurrent ciguatera fish poisoning: Preliminary studies.
AB  - Ciguatera fish poisoning (ciguatera) is a common clinical syndrome in areas where
      there is dependence on tropical reef fish for food. A subset of patients develops
      recurrent and, in some instances, chronic symptoms, which may result in
      substantial disability. To identify possible biomarkers for recurrent/chronic
      disease, and to explore correlations with immune gene expression, peripheral
      blood leukocyte gene expression in 10 ciguatera patients (7 recurrent and 3
      acute) from the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 5 unexposed Florida controls were
      evaluated. Significant differences in gene expression were noted when comparing
      ciguatera patients and controls; however, it was not possible to differentiate
      between patients with acute and recurrent disease, possibly due to the small
      sample sizes involved.

PMID- 28918890
TI  - Perception of risk for domoic acid related health problems: A cross-cultural
      study.
AB  - Risk perception is a complex process that refers to the way people approach,
      think about, and interpret risks in their environment. An important element of
      risk perception is that it is culturally situated. Since HABs can present a
      health risk in many places around the world, looking at cultural parameters for
      understanding and interpreting risks is important. This study examined how two
      different groups of people perceive the potential health risks of low-level
      exposure to domoic acid (DA) through razor clam consumption. The risk perceptions
      of Washington State, USA coastal dwelling Native American nations (NA) were
      compared to that of a community sample of recreational razor clam harvesters
      (CRH). Overall, the findings support the hypothesis that cultural and community
      specific contexts impact the perception of risk of a DA related illness.
      Specifically, the NA sample was distinguished from the CRH group in particular,
      by their worries about ocean pollution, attribution of DA risks to climate
      change, concerns about the potential impact of DA on future generations, and
      feeling of being better informed than the CRH group. The CRH group was more
      likely to attribute the DA problem to anthropogenic or industrial causes and view
      the risk of health problems from DA as lower than those associated with smoking,
      high cholesterol, anxiety or depression, alcoholism, high blood pressure or
      obesity. The CRH group was also more likely to turn to the media for DA-related
      information. Both groups trusted the decisions of state and tribe health and
      natural resources officials, and demonstrated a complex pattern of findings that
      involved gender. In summary, risk communication and outreach activities should be
      designed to take into consideration the specific factors that are unique to each
      cultural community.

PMID- 28918892
TI  - Dietary assessment of domoic acid exposure: What can be learned from traditional
      methods and new applications for a technology assisted device.
AB  - Three Tribal Nations in the Pacific Northwest United States comprise the members
      of the CoASTAL cohort. These populations may be at risk for neurobehavioral
      impairment, i.e., amnesic shellfish poisoning, from shellfish consumption
      resulting in repeated, low-level domoic acid (DA) exposure. Previous work with
      this cohort confirmed a high proportion of clam consumers with varying levels of
      potential exposure over time. Since clams are an episodically consumed food,
      traditional dietary records do not fully capture exposure. Frequency
      questionnaires can capture accumulated doses over time and this data can be used
      to examine dose-response relationships with periodic studies of memory and
      learning. However, frequency questionnaires cannot be used to assess consumption
      and memory response in real time. To address this shortcoming, a modified
      technology assisted dietary assessment (TADA) iPod application was developed to
      capture images of the clam meal, sourcing data, and associated memory functioning
      within 24h and seven days after consumption. This methodology was piloted with
      razor clam meals consumed by members from the CoASTAL cohort. Preliminary
      findings suggest that the TADA iPod application is potentially useful in
      collecting real-time data with respect to razor clam consumption, as well as one
      day and seven day memory outcome data. This technology holds promise for
      addressing the challenges of other HAB related dietary exposure outcome studies.

PMID- 28918891
TI  - Case diagnosis and characterization of suspected paralytic shellfish poisoning in
      Alaska.
AB  - Clinical cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) are common in Alaska, and
      result from human consumption of shellfish contaminated with saxitoxin (STX) and
      its analogues. Diagnosis of PSP is presumptive and based on recent ingestion of
      shellfish and presence of manifestations consistent with symptoms of PSP;
      diagnosis is confirmed by detection of paralytic shellfish toxins in a clinical
      specimen or food sample. A clinical diagnostic analytical method using high
      performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used
      to evaluate the diagnosis of saxitoxin-induced PSP (STX-PSP) in 11 Alaskan
      patients using urine specimens collected between June 2010 and November 2011.
      Concentrations of urinary STX were corrected for creatinine concentrations to
      account for dilution or concentration of urine from water intake or restriction,
      respectively. Of the 11 patients with suspected PSP, four patients were confirmed
      to have STX-PSP by urine testing (24-364ng STX/g creatinine). Five patients had
      clinical manifestations of PSP though no STX was detected in their urine. Two
      patients were ruled out for STX-PSP based on non-detected urinary STX and the
      absence of clinical findings. Results revealed that dysphagia and dysarthria may
      be stronger indicators of PSP than paresthesia and nausea, which are commonly
      used to clinically diagnose patients with PSP. PSP can also occur from exposure
      to a number of STX congeners, such as gonyautoxins, however their presence in
      urine was not assessed in this investigation. In addition, meal remnants obtained
      from six presumptive PSP cases were analyzed using the Association of Official
      Analytical Chemists' mouse bioassay. All six samples tested positive for PSP
      toxins. In the future, the clinical diagnostic method can be used in conjunction
      with the mouse bioassay or HPLC-MS/MS to assess the extent of STX-PSP in Alaska
      where it has been suggested that PSP is underreported.

PMID- 28918893
TI  - Communities advancing the studies of Tribal nations across their lifespan:
      Design, methods, and baseline of the CoASTAL cohort.
AB  - The CoASTAL cohort represents the first community cohort assembled to study a HAB
      related illness. It is comprised of three Native American tribes in the Pacific
      NW for the purpose of studying the health impacts of chronic, low level domoic
      acid (DA) exposure through razor clam consumption. This cohort is at risk of DA
      toxicity by virtue of their geographic location (access to beaches with a history
      of elevated DA levels in razor clams) and the cultural and traditional
      significance of razor clams in their diet. In this prospective, longitudinal
      study, Wave 1 of the cohort was comprised of 678 members across the human
      lifespan, with both sexes represented within child, adult, and geriatric age
      groups. All participants were followed annually with standard measures of medical
      and social history; neuropsychological functions, psychological status, and
      dietary exposure. DA concentrations were measured at both public and reservation
      beaches where razor clams are acquired. Multiple metrics were piloted to further
      determine exposure. Baseline data indicated that all cognitive and psychological
      functions were within normal limits. In addition, there was considerable
      variability in razor clam exposure. Therefore, the CoASTAL cohort offers a unique
      opportunity to investigate the potential health effects of chronic, low level
      exposure to DA over time.

PMID- 28918894
TI  - Effect of Pneumoperitoneum and Patient Positioning on Intracranial Pressures
      during Laparoscopy: A Prospective Comparative Study.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of pneumoperitoneum and head position
      during laparoscopic surgery on intracranial pressures (ICPs) using sonographic
      measurements of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). DESIGN: Prospective
      observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-1). SETTING: A
      tertiary-level hospital. PATIENTS: Sixty-one women aged 15 to 50 years with
      American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1 risk and body mass index <= 29
      kg/m2 were admitted to the hospital between November 2015 and October 2016 for
      elective laparoscopic surgery and were included in this study. INTERVENTION:
      Patients were placed in the Trendelenburg position with head down (group I; n =
      33) and reverse Trendelenburg position with head up (group II; n = 28).
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: ONSD was measured via sonography at 4 time points:
      at baseline before pneumoperitoneum, after pneumoperitoneum, after patient was
      placed in respective position, and once pneumoperitoneum was released. Patient
      demographics were comparable in all respects. ICP as indicated by ONSD showed a
      significant increase after pneumoperitoneum (p = .0001 in group I and p = .0011
      in group II). When patients were placed in either head position, ONSD showed a
      further increase in ICP. This increase was more pronounced in patients assuming
      the head-down Trendelenburg position compared with patients in reverse
      Trendelenburg (head-up) position. Baseline and preoperative ONSD measurements
      were not reached even after 5 minutes of desufflation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Pneumoperitoneum causes an increase in ICP. The patient position, either head up
      or head down as in gynecologic laparoscopic procedures, further worsens ICP. ONSD
      does not revert back to baseline until 5 minutes after desufflation.

PMID- 28918895
TI  - A method for determining exercise oscillatory ventilation in heart failure:
      Prognostic value and practical implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV) has been shown to be a
      powerful prognostic marker in chronic heart failure (CHF). However, EOV is poorly
      defined, its measurement lacks standardization and it is underutilized in
      clinical practice. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the
      prognostic value of a modified definition of EOV in patients with CHF. METHODS:
      Eighty-nine CHF patients (56.5+/-8.4years) (64% NYHA class III-IV) underwent
      cardiopulmonary exercise testing. EOV was defined as meeting all the following
      criteria: (1) >=3 consecutive cyclic fluctuations of ventilation during exercise;
      (2) average amplitude over 3 ventilatory oscillations >=5L; and (3) an average
      length of three oscillatory cycles 40s to 140s. Adverse cardiac events were
      tracked during 28+/-19months follow up. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used
      to determine the association between cardiac events and EOV. RESULTS: Forty-eight
      patients (54%) met all three criteria and were determined to have EOV. These
      patients exhibited significantly increased risk for adverse cardiac events
      [hazard ratio=2.2, 95% CI (1.2 to 4.1), p=0.011] compared to patients without
      EOV. After adjusting for age and established prognostic covariates (peak VO2 and
      VE/VCO2 slope), the modified EOV definition was the only significant variable in
      the multivariate model [hazard ratio=2.0, 95% CI (1.1 to 3.7), p=0.035].
      CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method for determining EOV was independently associated
      with increased risk for adverse cardiac events in CHF patients. While larger
      prospective studies are needed, this definition provides a relatively simple and
      more objective characterization of EOV, suggesting its potential application in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 28918896
TI  - Role of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in the reparative mechanisms of
      stable ischemic myocardium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into circulation
      from bone marrow in patients with acute myocardial infarction has strong
      scientific evidence; less is known about EPC mobilization in patients with stable
      coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to investigate the
      association of stable ischemic heart disease with EPC levels in tissue and blood.
      METHODS: Fifty-five consecutive patients admitted to a single treatment center
      for valve or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgeries were included in
      the study. Blood samples were collected in the morning before surgery and
      analyzed by flow-cytometry to determine peripheral EPC levels (EPC/ml). Tissue
      EPC (CD34+VEGFR2+) levels were assessed on a right atrial appendage segment.
      RESULTS: Mean age was 76+/-5years, 48% were men, and 53% had CAD The number of
      CD34+ VEGFR2+ cells in the tissue of patients with CAD was significantly higher
      (p<0.005) and circulating EPC showed a tendency to be reduced by approximately
      20% in peripheral blood of patients with CAD when compared to those without CAD.
      CONCLUSION: Patients with stable CAD had higher EPC density values (EPC/mm2) and
      were more likely to have lower EPC blood levels when compare with normal
      controls.

PMID- 28918897
TI  - Colchicine for primary prevention of atrial fibrillation after open-heart
      surgery: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation occurs frequently after open-heart surgery. It is
      associated with increased morbidity and mortality, longer hospital stays, and
      increased healthcare costs. Prophylactic administration of colchicine may
      mitigate post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF). METHODS: We searched PubMed,
      ClinicalTrials.gov and CENTRAL databases to identify randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) that; (1) compared prophylactic use of colchicine to placebo, or usual
      care, in patients with sinus rhythm who underwent elective open-heart surgery and
      (2) reported POAF-incidence. We excluded trials focused on incidence of atrial
      fibrillation after percutaneous interventions or colchicine treatment of
      diagnosed pericarditis or post-pericardiotomy-syndrome. A random-effects model
      was used to pool data for POAF-incidence as the primary outcome and for drug
      related adverse effects, major adverse events (death and stroke), and hospital
      length-of-stay as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: We included five RCTs (1412
      patients). Colchicine treatment reduced POAF-events by 30% versus placebo or
      usual care (18% vs. 27%, risk ratio (RR) 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57
      to 0.84, p=0.0002). Adverse drug-related effects, especially gastrointestinal
      intolerance, increased with colchicine; (21% vs. 8.2%, RR 2.52, 95% CI 1.62 to
      3.93, p<0.0001). However, major adverse events were unchanged (3.2% vs. 3.2%, RR
      0.96, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.95, p=0.92). Length-of-stay decreased by 1.2days with
      colchicine (95% CI -1.89 to -0.44, p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Colchicine demonstrated
      superior efficacy versus usual care for prevention of atrial fibrillation after
      cardiac surgery. Moreover, colchicine treatment was associated with shorter
      hospital stays. These benefits outweigh increased risk of adverse drug-related
      effects; although further work is needed to minimize gastrointestinal effects.

PMID- 28918899
TI  - Stem-Loop Structures within mRNA Coding Sequences Activate Translation Initiation
      and Mediate Control by Small Regulatory RNAs.
AB  - Initiation is the rate-limiting step of translation, and in bacteria, mRNA
      secondary structure has been extensively reported as limiting the efficiency of
      translation by occluding the ribosome-binding site. In striking contrast with
      this inhibitory effect, we report here that stem-loop structures located within
      coding sequences instead activate translation initiation of the Escherichia coli
      fepA and bamA mRNAs involved in iron acquisition and outer membrane proteins
      assembly, respectively. Both structures promote ribosome binding in vitro,
      independently of their nucleotide sequence. Moreover, two small regulatory RNAs,
      OmrA and OmrB, base pair to and most likely disrupt the fepA stem-loop structure,
      thereby repressing FepA synthesis. By expanding our understanding of how mRNA cis
      acting elements regulate translation, these data challenge the widespread view of
      mRNA secondary structures as translation inhibitors and show that translation
      activating elements embedded in coding sequences can be targeted by small RNAs to
      inhibit gene expression.

PMID- 28918898
TI  - Endoplasmic Reticulum Transport of Glutathione by Sec61 Is Regulated by Ero1 and
      Bip.
AB  - In the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Ero1 catalyzes disulfide bond formation and
      promotes glutathione (GSH) oxidation to GSSG. Since GSSG cannot be reduced in the
      ER, maintenance of the ER glutathione redox state and levels likely depends on ER
      glutathione import and GSSG export. We used quantitative GSH and GSSG biosensors
      to monitor glutathione import into the ER of yeast cells. We found that
      glutathione enters the ER by facilitated diffusion through the Sec61 protein
      conducting channel, while oxidized Bip (Kar2) inhibits transport. Increased ER
      glutathione import triggers H2O2-dependent Bip oxidation through Ero1 reductive
      activation, which inhibits glutathione import in a negative regulatory loop.
      During ER stress, transport is activated by UPR-dependent Ero1 induction, and
      cytosolic glutathione levels increase. Thus, the ER redox poise is tuned by
      reciprocal control of glutathione import and Ero1 activation. The ER protein
      conducting channel is permeable to small molecules, provided the driving force of
      a concentration gradient.

PMID- 28918901
TI  - mTOR Inhibition Restores Amino Acid Balance in Cells Dependent on Catabolism of
      Extracellular Protein.
AB  - Scavenging of extracellular protein via macropinocytosis is an alternative to
      monomeric amino acid uptake. In pancreatic cancer, macropinocytosis is driven by
      oncogenic Ras signaling and contributes substantially to amino acid supply. While
      Ras signaling promotes scavenging, mTOR signaling suppresses it. Here, we present
      an integrated experimental-computational method that enables quantitative
      comparison of protein scavenging rates across cell lines and conditions. Using
      it, we find that, independently of mTORC1, amino acid scarcity induces protein
      scavenging and that under such conditions the impact of mTOR signaling on protein
      scavenging rate is minimal. Nevertheless, mTOR inhibition promotes growth of
      cells reliant on eating extracellular protein. This growth enhancement depends on
      mTORC1's canonical function in controlling translation rate: mTOR inhibition
      slows translation, thereby matching protein synthesis to the limited amino acid
      supply. Thus, paradoxically, in amino acid-poor conditions the pro-anabolic
      effects of mTORC1 are functionally opposed to growth.

PMID- 28918900
TI  - Transcription of Nearly All Yeast RNA Polymerase II-Transcribed Genes Is
      Dependent on Transcription Factor TFIID.
AB  - Previous studies suggested that expression of most yeast mRNAs is dominated by
      either transcription factor TFIID or SAGA. We re-examined the role of TFIID by
      rapid depletion of S. cerevisiae TFIID subunits and measurement of changes in
      nascent transcription. We find that transcription of nearly all mRNAs is strongly
      dependent on TFIID function. Degron-dependent depletion of Taf1, Taf2, Taf7,
      Taf11, and Taf13 showed similar transcription decreases for genes in the Taf1
      depleted, Taf1-enriched, TATA-containing, and TATA-less gene classes. The
      magnitude of TFIID dependence varies with growth conditions, although this
      variation is similar genome-wide. Many studies have suggested differences in gene
      regulatory mechanisms between TATA and TATA-less genes, and these differences
      have been attributed in part to differential dependence on SAGA or TFIID. Our
      work indicates that TFIID participates in expression of nearly all yeast mRNAs
      and that differences in regulation between these two gene categories is due to
      other properties.

PMID- 28918902
TI  - mTOR Controls Mitochondrial Dynamics and Cell Survival via MTFP1.
AB  - The mechanisms that link environmental and intracellular stimuli to mitochondrial
      functions, including fission/fusion, ATP production, metabolite biogenesis, and
      apoptosis, are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that the nutrient
      sensing mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) stimulates
      translation of mitochondrial fission process 1 (MTFP1) to control mitochondrial
      fission and apoptosis. Expression of MTFP1 is coupled to pro-fission
      phosphorylation and mitochondrial recruitment of the fission GTPase dynamin
      related protein 1 (DRP1). Potent active-site mTOR inhibitors engender
      mitochondrial hyperfusion due to the diminished translation of MTFP1, which is
      mediated by translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)-binding proteins (4E-BPs).
      Uncoupling MTFP1 levels from the mTORC1/4E-BP pathway upon mTOR inhibition blocks
      the hyperfusion response and leads to apoptosis by converting mTOR inhibitor
      action from cytostatic to cytotoxic. These data provide direct evidence for cell
      survival upon mTOR inhibition through mitochondrial hyperfusion employing MTFP1
      as a critical effector of mTORC1 to govern cell fate decisions.

PMID- 28918904
TI  - Comparison of Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) and clinical assessment in
      differentiating between superficial and deep partial thickness burn wounds.
AB  - PURPOSE OF PRESENTATION/STUDY: To compare the accuracy of Laser Doppler Imaging
      (LDI) and clinical assessment in differentiating between superficial and deep
      partial thickness burns to decide whether early tangential excision and grafting
      or conservative management should be employed to optimize burn and patient
      management. STUDY PERIOD: March 2015 to November 2016. METHODS/PROCEDURE DETAILS:
      Ninety two wounds in 34 patients reporting within 5days of less than 40% burn
      surface area were included. Unstable patients, pregnant females and those who
      expired were excluded. The wounds were clinically assessed and LDI done
      concomitantly Plastic Surgeons blinded to each other's findings. Wound
      appearance, color, blanching, pain, hair follicle dislodgement were the clinical
      parameters that distinguished between superficial and deep partial thickness
      burns. On day 21, the wounds were again assessed for the presence of healing by
      the same plastic surgeons. The findings were correlated with the initial findings
      on LDI and clinical assessment and the results statistically analyzed.
      RESULTS/OUTCOME: The data of 92 burn wounds was analyzed using SPSS (ver. 17).
      Clinical assessment correctly identified the depth of 75 and LDI 83 wounds,
      giving diagnostic accuracies of 81.52% and 90.21% respectively. The sensitivity
      of clinical assessment was 81% and of LDI 92.75%, whereas the specificity was 82%
      for both. The positive predictive value was 93% for clinical assessment and 94%
      for LDI while the negative predictive value was 59% and 79% respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Predictive accuracy of LDI was found to be better than clinical
      assessment in the prediction of wound healing, the gold standard for wound
      healing being 21 days. As such it can prove to be a reliable and viable cost
      effective alternative per se to clinical assessment.

PMID- 28918903
TI  - SAGA Is a General Cofactor for RNA Polymerase II Transcription.
AB  - Prior studies suggested that SAGA and TFIID are alternative factors that promote
      RNA polymerase II transcription, with about 10% of genes in S. cerevisiae
      dependent on SAGA. We reassessed the role of SAGA by mapping its genome-wide
      location and role in global transcription in budding yeast. We find that SAGA
      maps to the UAS elements of most genes, overlapping with Mediator binding and
      irrespective of previous designations of SAGA- or TFIID-dominated genes.
      Disruption of SAGA through mutation or rapid subunit depletion reduces
      transcription from nearly all genes, measured by newly synthesized RNA. We also
      find that the acetyltransferase Gcn5 synergizes with Spt3 to promote global
      transcription and that Spt3 functions to stimulate TBP recruitment at all tested
      genes. Our data demonstrate that SAGA acts as a general cofactor required for
      essentially all RNA polymerase II transcription and is not consistent with the
      previous classification of SAGA- and TFIID-dominated genes.

PMID- 28918905
TI  - Raising suspicion of maltreatment from burns: Derivation and validation of the
      BuRN-Tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 10-25% of childhood burns arise from maltreatment. AIM: To derive and
      validate a clinical prediction tool to assist the recognition of suspected
      maltreatment. METHODS: Prospectively collected data from 1327 children with burns
      were analyzed using logistic regression. Regression coefficients for variables
      associated with 'referral for child maltreatment investigation' (112 cases) in
      multivariable analyses were converted to integers to derive the BuRN-Tool,
      scoring each child on a continuous scale. A cut-off score for referral was
      established from receiver operating curve analysis and optimal sensitivity and
      specificity values. We validated the BuRN-Tool on 787 prospectively collected
      novel cases. RESULTS: Variables associated with referral were: age <5years, known
      to social care, concerning explanation, full thickness burn, uncommon body
      location, bilateral pattern and supervision concern. We established 3 as cut-off
      score, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity for scalds of 87.5% (95%
      CI:61.7-98.4) and 81.5% (95% CI:77.1-85.4) respectively and for non-scalds
      sensitivity was 82.4% (95%CI:65.5-93.2) and specificity 78.7% (95% CI:73.9-82.9)
      when applied to validation data. Area under the curve was 0.87 (95% CI:0.83-0.90)
      for scalds and 0.85 (95% CI:0.81-0.88) for non-scalds. CONCLUSION: The BuRN-Tool
      is a potential adjunct to clinical decision-making, predicting which children
      warrant investigation for child maltreatment. The score is simple and easy to
      complete in an emergency department setting.

PMID- 28918906
TI  - Radiotherapy and the tumor microenvironment: The "macro" picture.
AB  - In this issue of the Biomedical Journal, we explore the inner workings of tumor
      associated macrophages and seek to understand how these cells can boost or limit
      the efficacy of radiotherapy, depending on the context. We also highlight a study
      revealing that staffing patterns in the intensive care unit may affect the
      outcome of patients with severe sepsis. Finally, we learn how an advanced imaging
      technique can improve endodontic treatment planning.

PMID- 28918907
TI  - Thioredoxin promotes survival signaling events under nitrosative/oxidative stress
      associated with cancer development.
AB  - Accumulating mutations may drive cells into the acquisition of abnormal
      phenotypes that are characteristic of cancer cells. Cancer cells feature profound
      alterations in proliferation programs that result in a new population of cells
      that overrides normal tissue construction and maintenance programs. To achieve
      this goal, cancer cells are endowed with up regulated survival signaling
      pathways. They also must counteract the cytotoxic effects of high levels of
      nitric oxide (NO) and of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are by products of
      cancer cell growth. Accumulating experimental evidence associates cancer cell
      survival with their capacity to up-regulate antioxidant systems. Elevated
      expression of the antioxidant protein thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) has been correlated
      with cancer development. Trx1 has been characterized as a multifunctional
      protein, playing different roles in different cell compartments. Trx1 migrates to
      the nucleus in cells exposed to nitrosative/oxidative stress conditions. Trx1
      nuclear migration has been related to the activation of transcription factors
      associated with cell survival and cell proliferation. There is a direct
      association between the p21Ras-ERK1/2 MAP Kinases survival signaling pathway and
      Trx1 nuclear migration under nitrosative stress. The expression of the
      cytoplasmic protein, the thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip), determines the
      change in Trx1 cellular compartmentalization. The anti-apoptotic actions of Trx1
      and its denitrosylase activity occur in the cytoplasm and serve as important
      regulators of cell survival. Within this context, this review focuses on the
      participation of Trx1 in cells under nitrosative/oxidative stress in survival
      signaling pathways associated with cancer development.

PMID- 28918909
TI  - Progesterone analogues reduce plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA load and improve pain
      control in recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients under
      supportive care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Progesterone analogues, such as megestrol acetate (MA) and
      medroxyprogesterone (MPA), have been used for the palliative care of cancer
      cachexia for decades and have proven to increase body weight and improve quality
      of life and performance status. The objective of this study was to determine the
      effect of progesterone analogue use on quality of life in terms of pain control,
      performance status, body weight gain, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA load in
      recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. METHODS: We
      retrospectively enrolled 41 patients with locally recurrent or metastatic NPC who
      received MA or MPA for cachexia management between January 2007 and February
      2014. Patients who underwent aggressive treatment with intravenous chemotherapy
      were excluded. Body weight, performance status, pain score, and plasma EBV DNA
      load were used to assess quality of life before and after MA/MPA treatment.
      RESULTS: Of the 41 patients, 33 patients (80.5%) experienced body weight gain
      after progesterone analogue intervention. A significant reduction in plasma EBV
      DNA load was noted after progesterone analogue use (p < 0.001). In addition,
      median pain and Karnofsky performance scores were also significantly improved in
      progesterone analogue responders compared with non-responders (4 vs. 1 and 70 vs.
      80, respectively; p = 0.004 and p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Progesterone analogues improve quality of life in terms of performance status,
      pain control, and plasma EBV DNA load in patients with locally
      recurrent/metastatic NPC under palliative care.

PMID- 28918910
TI  - PET and MRI image fusion based on combination of 2-D Hilbert transform and IHS
      method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The process of medical image fusion is combining two or more medical
      images such as Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography
      (PET) and mapping them to a single image as fused image. So purpose of our study
      is assisting physicians to diagnose and treat the diseases in the least of the
      time. METHODS: We used Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) and Positron Emission
      Tomography (PET) as input images, so fused them based on combination of two
      dimensional Hilbert transform (2-D HT) and Intensity Hue Saturation (IHS) method.
      Evaluation metrics that we apply are Discrepancy (Dk) as an assessing spectral
      features and Average Gradient (AGk) as an evaluating spatial features and also
      Overall Performance (O.P) to verify properly of the proposed method. RESULTS: In
      this paper we used three common evaluation metrics like Average Gradient (AGk)
      and the lowest Discrepancy (Dk) and Overall Performance (O.P) to evaluate the
      performance of our method. Simulated and numerical results represent the desired
      performance of proposed method. CONCLUSIONS: Since that the main purpose of
      medical image fusion is preserving both spatial and spectral features of input
      images, so based on numerical results of evaluation metrics such as Average
      Gradient (AGk), Discrepancy (Dk) and Overall Performance (O.P) and also desired
      simulated results, it can be concluded that our proposed method can preserve both
      spatial and spectral features of input images.

PMID- 28918908
TI  - Macrophage biology plays a central role during ionizing radiation-elicited tumor
      response.
AB  - Radiation therapy is one of the major therapeutic modalities for most solid
      tumors. The anti-tumor effect of radiation therapy consists of the direct tumor
      cell killing, as well as the modulation of tumor microenvironment and the
      activation of immune response against tumors. Radiation therapy has been shown to
      promote immunogenic cells death, activate dendritic cells and enhance tumor
      antigen presentation and anti-tumor T cell activation. Radiation therapy also
      programs innate immune cells such as macrophages that leads to either
      radiosensitization or radioresistance, according to different tumors and
      different radiation regimen studied. The mechanisms underlying radiation-induced
      macrophage activation remain largely elusive. Various molecular players such as
      NF-kappaB, MAPKs, p53, reactive oxygen species, inflammasomes have been involved
      in these processes. The skewing to a pro-inflammatory phenotype thus results in
      the activation of anti-tumor immune response and enhanced radiotherapy effect.
      Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of radiation-induced
      macrophage activation and its role in tumor response to radiation therapy is
      crucial for the development of new therapeutic strategies to enhance radiation
      therapy efficacy.

PMID- 28918911
TI  - Mortality of severe septic patients between physician's high and low care
      volumes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with severe sepsis frequently require intensive care unit
      (ICU) admission and different ICU care models may influence their outcomes. The
      mortality of severe septic patients between physician's high and low care volume
      remains unclear. METHODS: We analyzed the data from a three-year prospective
      observation study, which was performed in an adult medical ICU of Chung Gung
      Memorial Hospital, Keelung. The data included initial bundle therapies based on
      the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines for patients with severe sepsis.
      RESULTS: Clinical data of total 484 patients with severe sepsis were recorded.
      Cox regression model showed that physician's care volume was an independent
      factor for lowering mortality in ICU patients with severe sepsis (hazard ratio
      0.708; 95% confidence interval 0.514-0.974; p = 0.034). Patients treated by high
      care volume physician had four out of nine bundle therapies that were
      significantly higher in percentage following the SSC guidelines. These four
      therapies were renal replacement therapy, administration of low-dose steroids for
      septic shock, prophylaxis of gastro-intestinal bleeding, and control of
      hyperglycemia. CONCLUSION: High care volume physician may decrease mortality in
      ICU patients with severe sepsis through fitting bundle therapies for sepsis.

PMID- 28918912
TI  - Evaluation of the root and canal systems of maxillary molars in Taiwanese
      patients: A cone beam computed tomography study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study evaluated variations in root canal configuration in the
      maxillary permanent molars of Taiwanese patients by analyzing patients' cone beam
      computed tomography (CBCT) images. Comparisons were made among these
      configurations and those previously reported. This information may serve as a
      basis for improving the success rate of endodontic treatment. METHODS: The root
      canal systems of 114 Taiwanese patients with bilateral maxillary first or second
      molars were examined using CBCT images. The number of roots, canals per root, and
      additional mesiobuccal (MB) canals, as well as the canal configuration were
      enumerated and recorded. RESULTS: Of the 196 maxillary first molars examined,
      three (1.5%) had a single root, two (1.0%) had two roots, and 191 (97.5%) had
      three separate roots. Out of all first molar roots examined, 44% of mesiobuccal
      (MB) roots had a single canal and the remainder had a second MB (MB2) canal. Of
      the 212 maxillary second molars examined, 16 (7.1%) had a single root, 51 (24.2%)
      had two roots, 143 (67.8%) had three roots, and two (0.9%) had four separate
      roots. For the MB roots, 92.3% of three-rooted maxillary second molars had a
      single canal and the remainder had an MB2 canal. In all three-rooted maxillary
      first and second molars, each of the distal and palatal roots had one canal.
      CONCLUSIONS: The root canal configurations of the MB roots of maxillary molars
      were more varied than those of the distobuccal and palatal roots, and the root
      canal configurations of maxillary second molars were more varied than those of
      the first molars. These findings demonstrate CBCT as a useful clinical tool for
      endodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.

PMID- 28918913
TI  - Understanding the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde nature of apoptosis-inducing factor:
      future perspectives.
AB  - Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) is emerging as a key protein in regulation of
      basic physiological processes including phagocytosis, mitophagy and regulation of
      the redox state. Recent evidences suggest that the enzymatic activity of AIF may
      play an active role in tumor progression controlling energy metabolism and redox
      balance. The present manuscript briefly describes the story of this protein from
      its initial discovery as caspase-independent apoptotic protein, throughout its
      role in oxidative phosphorylation and lately involvement in tumor progression.
      Understanding the dualistic nature of AIF is a critical starting point to clarify
      its contribution in tumor metabolic balance and to develop new AIF-specific
      therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28918915
TI  - A Life-Threatening Cause of Colitis.

PMID- 28918916
TI  - Olfactory deficits decrease the time resolution for trigeminal lateralization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To date the temporal resolution of the detection of almost
      simultaneously applied intranasal trigeminal stimuli is unknown. The aim of our
      study was to examine this temporal resolution in an/hyposmic subjects, who are
      known to have reduced trigeminal sensitivity and compare it with healthy
      controls. METHODS: Participants were 20 posttraumatic an/hyposmic patients, and
      23 healthy controls (matched with regard to sex and age). Olfactory function was
      tested psychophysically using the Sniffin' Sticks test battery. Bilateral
      trigeminal stimulation was carried out using a birhinal high-precision
      olfactometer. The trigeminal stimulus used was CO2 60% v/v, the interstimulus
      interval ranged from 28 to 32s, stimulus duration was 200ms. Time-lags tested
      between right and left side of stimulation were at 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200ms.
      Subjects raised their left or right hand to indicate the side on which the
      stimulus had been perceived first. RESULTS: In both groups the accuracy in the
      trigeminal lateralization task increased with the time-lag but normosmic subjects
      significantly outperformed an/hyposmics in the 200ms time-lag condition.
      Normosmics significantly exceeded 50% chance level at the time-lag of 80ms,
      whereas an/hyposmics were only able to score above chance starting from 120ms
      time-lag. Lateralization scores significantly decreased with age. CONCLUSIONS: At
      a time lag of 200ms intranasal trigeminal stimuli can be lateralized. The reduced
      trigeminal sensitivity in patients with anosmia or hyposmia leads to an increased
      time lag required for correct perception of intranasal, almost simultaneously,
      applied stimuli.

PMID- 28918917
TI  - Leukocytapheresis in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - In this article, we discussed leukocytapheresis (LCAP) for rheumatoid arthritis
      (RA). Recently, a simple and practical on-line continuous LACP system has been
      developed. It is equipped with a direct hemoperfusion column (Cellsorba(r),
      Asahikasei Medical Co., Ltd.) packed with fine-diameter polyester fibers, which
      are commonly used to adsorb white blood cells to prevent a graft-versus-host
      reaction during blood transfusion. Clinical trials revealed that LCAP is a
      effective and safe therapy for patients with drug-resistant RA or RA complicated
      with vasculitis. Because the procedure is simple and requires no plasma
      substitutes and the volume needed for extracorporeal circulation is less than
      that for other plasmapheresis, LCAP might be accepted as an optional therapeutic
      modality for active RA that was refractory to conventional drug therapy including
      biological agents. The mechanism of the efficiency of LCAP on RA is unclear. LCAP
      may cause a reduction of activated T cells from affected joints, down-regulation
      of Pgp on helper T cells and restoration of Treg function, and that may modify
      the abnormal cytokine balance. These findings may explain some of the mechanisms
      by which the articular symptoms are improved by LCAP.

PMID- 28918918
TI  - Thoracic endovascular aortic repair in type A aortic dissection: Exciting results
      with unsolved problems.

PMID- 28918914
TI  - Analysis of Genomes and Transcriptomes of Hepatocellular Carcinomas Identifies
      Mutations and Gene Expression Changes in the Transforming Growth Factor-beta
      Pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated
      with alterations in the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling
      pathway, which regulates liver inflammation and can have tumor suppressor or
      promoter activities. Little is known about the roles of specific members of this
      pathway at specific of HCC development. We took an integrated approach to
      identify and validate the effects of changes in this pathway in HCC and identify
      therapeutic targets. METHODS: We performed transcriptome analyses for a total of
      488 HCCs that include data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We also screened 301
      HCCs reported in the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer and 202 from Cancer
      Genome Atlas for mutations in genome sequences. We expressed mutant forms of
      spectrin beta, non-erythrocytic 1 (SPTBN1) in HepG2, SNU398, and SNU475 cells and
      measured phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and transcriptional activity of
      SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3). RESULTS: We found somatic mutations in at least 1
      gene whose product is a member of TGF-beta signaling pathway in 38% of HCC
      samples. SPTBN1 was mutated in the largest proportion of samples (12 of 202, 6%).
      Unsupervised clustering of transcriptome data identified a group of HCCs with
      activation of the TGF-beta signaling pathway (increased transcription of genes in
      the pathway) and a group of HCCs with inactivation of TGF-beta signaling (reduced
      expression of genes in this pathway). Patients with tumors with inactivation of
      TGF-beta signaling had shorter survival times than patients with tumors with
      activation of TGF-beta signaling (P = .0129). Patterns of TGF-beta signaling
      correlated with activation of the DNA damage response and sirtuin signaling
      pathways. HepG2, SNU398, and SNU475 cells that expressed the D1089Y mutant or
      with knockdown of SPTBN1 had increased sensitivity to DNA crosslinking agents and
      reduced survival compared with cells that expressed normal SPTBN1 (controls).
      CONCLUSIONS: In genome and transcriptome analyses of HCC samples, we found
      mutations in genes in the TGF-beta signaling pathway in almost 40% of samples.
      These correlated with changes in expression of genes in the pathways; up
      regulation of genes in this pathway would contribute to inflammation and
      fibrosis, whereas down-regulation would indicate loss of TGF-beta tumor
      suppressor activity. Our findings indicate that therapeutic agents for HCCs can
      be effective, based on genetic features of the TGF-beta pathway; agents that
      block TGF-beta should be used only in patients with specific types of HCCs.

PMID- 28918919
TI  - Patient selection and device development are crucial for thoracic endovascular
      aortic repair in type A aortic dissection.

PMID- 28918920
TI  - Thoracic endovascular aortic repair in type a aortic dissection: Inching toward
      an endovascular solution.

PMID- 28918921
TI  - Saphenous vein graft harvesting and patency: No-touch harvesting is the answer.

PMID- 28918922
TI  - When meat allergy meets cardiac surgery: A driver for humanized bioprosthesis.

PMID- 28918923
TI  - Mammalian meat allergy and advances in bioprosthetic valve technology.

PMID- 28918924
TI  - Challenge accepted: Social media as a stereotype change agent.

PMID- 28918925
TI  - Transatlantic editorial: Thoracic surgeons need recognition of competence in
      thoracic oncology.

PMID- 28918926
TI  - Subspecialty certification in thoracic oncology: Toward your next diploma.

PMID- 28918927
TI  - Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma: At the Gates of Mordor.

PMID- 28918928
TI  - Biology is king and continues to rule.

PMID- 28918929
TI  - Vitamin D receptor-targeted treatment to prevent pathological dedifferentiation
      of pancreatic beta cells under hyperglycaemic stress.
AB  - Dedifferentiation has been identified as one of the causes of beta-cell failure
      resulting in type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study tested whether increasing vitamin
      D receptor (VDR) expression prevents dedifferentiation of beta cells in a high
      glucose state in vitro. Culturing a mouse insulinoma cell line (MIN6) in a high
      glucose environment decreased VDR expression. However, increased VDR following
      vitamin D3 (VD3) treatment improved insulin release of early-passage MIN6 and
      insulin index of db/- (heterozygous) islets to levels seen in normal functional
      islets. Treatment with VD3, its analogues and derivatives also increased the
      expression of essential transcription factors, such as Pdx1, MafA and VDR itself,
      ultimately increasing expression of Ins1 and Ins2, which might protect beta cells
      against dedifferentiation. VD3 agonist lithocholic acid (LCA) propionate was the
      most potent candidate molecule for protecting against dedifferentiation, and an e
      pharmacophore mapping model confirmed that LCA propionate exhibits a stabilizing
      conformation within the VDR binding site. This study concluded that treating db/+
      islets with a VD3 analogue and/or derivatives can increase VDR activity,
      preventing the pathological dedifferentiation of beta cells and the onset of T2D.

PMID- 28918930
TI  - A parenteral docetaxel-loaded lipid microsphere with decreased 7-epidocetaxel
      conversion in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to develop a parenteral docetaxel lipid microsphere
      to inhibit its 7-epidocetaxel conversion in vitro and in vivo. 7-epidocetaxel
      conversion as the main indicator was investigated to optimize the formulation and
      process. 10% medium-chain triglyceride/long-chain triglyceride (3:1) as the oil
      phase, egg lecithin E80 as the emulsifier and 0.02% NaHSO3 as the acidity
      regulator were selected to prepare docetaxel lipid microsphere. This study found
      that pH and temperature were dominant factors on the epimerization of docetaxel
      in lipid microsphere, and that optimum conditions were a pH of 5.3 and thermal
      sterilization conditions of 121 degrees Cautoclaving for 8min. According to the
      degradation kinetics, docetaxel lipid microsphere had a wider pH range where 7
      epidocetaxel(%) stayed at low levels than Docetaxel for Injection, and might
      improve the docetaxel stability by loading drug in lecithin layer instead of
      altering the degradation mechanism. Docetaxel lipid microsphere decreased
      epimerization in plasma in vitro obviously. Pharmacokinetics of docetaxel and 7
      epidocetaxel were investigated to quantify the 7-epidocetaxel conversion in vivo.
      The resulrs indicated that there was less conversion of docetaxel in lipid
      microspheres than in Docetaxel for Injection. The convert ratios were 0.61% and
      3.04% respectively. In conclusion, lipid microsphere is a promising delivery
      system for intravenous administration of docetaxel with decreased 7-epidocetaxel
      conversion.

PMID- 28918931
TI  - Managing status dystonicus outside the intensive care setting: Time to think
      clonidine?

PMID- 28918932
TI  - Building and verifying a severity prediction model of acute pancreatitis (AP)
      based on BISAP, MEWS and routine test indexes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To discuss the value of the Bedside Index for Severity in Acute
      Pancreatitis (BISAP), Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), serum Ca2+, similarly
      hereinafter, and red cell distribution width (RDW) for predicting the severity
      grade of acute pancreatitis and to develop and verify a more accurate scoring
      system to predict the severity of AP. METHODS: In 302 patients with AP, we
      calculated BISAP and MEWS scores and conducted regression analyses on the
      relationships of BISAP scoring, RDW, MEWS, and serum Ca2+ with the severity of AP
      using single-factor logistics. The variables with statistical significance in the
      single-factor logistic regression were used in a multi-factor logistic regression
      model; forward stepwise regression was used to screen variables and build a multi
      factor prediction model. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve)
      was constructed, and the significance of multi- and single-factor prediction
      models in predicting the severity of AP using the area under the ROC curve (AUC)
      was evaluated. The internal validity of the model was verified through
      bootstrapping. RESULTS: Among 302 patients with AP, 209 had mild acute
      pancreatitis (MAP) and 93 had severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). According to
      single-factor logistic regression analysis, we found that BISAP, MEWS and serum
      Ca2+ are prediction indexes of the severity of AP (P-value<0.001), whereas RDW is
      not a prediction index of AP severity (P-value>0.05). The multi-factor logistic
      regression analysis showed that BISAP and serum Ca2+ are independent prediction
      indexes of AP severity (P-value<0.001), and MEWS is not an independent prediction
      index of AP severity (P-value>0.05); BISAP is negatively related to serum Ca2+
      (r=-0.330, P-value<0.001). The constructed model is as follows:
      ln()=7.306+1.151*BISAP-4.516*serum Ca2+. The predictive ability of each model for
      SAP follows the order of the combined BISAP and serum Ca2+ prediction
      model>Ca2+>BISAP. There is no statistical significance for the predictive ability
      of BISAP and serum Ca2+ (P-value>0.05); however, there is remarkable statistical
      significance for the predictive ability using the newly built prediction model as
      well as BISAP and serum Ca2+ individually (P-value<0.01). Verification of the
      internal validity of the models by bootstrapping is favorable. CONCLUSION: BISAP
      and serum Ca2+ have high predictive value for the severity of AP. However, the
      model built by combining BISAP and serum Ca2+ is remarkably superior to those of
      BISAP and serum Ca2+ individually. Furthermore, this model is simple, practical
      and appropriate for clinical use.

PMID- 28918933
TI  - Structural proteomics: Topology and relative accessibility of plant lipid droplet
      associated proteins.
AB  - : Lipid droplets are the major stock of lipids in oleaginous plant seeds. Despite
      their economic importance for oil production and biotechnological issues
      (biofuels, lubricants and plasticizers), numerous questions about their
      formation, structure and regulation are still unresolved. To determine water
      accessible domains of protein coating at lipid droplets surface, a structural
      proteomic approach has been performed. This technique relies on the millisecond
      timescale production of hydroxyl radicals by the radiolysis of water using
      Synchrotron X-ray white beam. Thanks to the evolution of mass spectrometry
      analysis techniques this approach allows the creation of a map of the solvent
      accessibility for proteins difficult to study by other means. Using these
      results, a S3 oleosin water accessibility map is proposed. This is the first time
      that such a map on an oleosin co-purified with plant lipid droplets and other
      associated protein is presented. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Lipid droplet
      associated proteins function is linked to stability, structure and probably
      formation and lipid mobilization of droplets. Structure of these proteins in
      their native environment, at the interface between bulk water and the lipidic
      core of these organelles is only based on hydrophobicity plot. Using hydroxyl
      radical footprinting and proteomics approaches we studied water accessibility of
      one major protein in these droplets: S3 oleosin of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds.

PMID- 28918934
TI  - Reconstructive microsurgical approach for the treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare type of autoimmune disease that
      results in progressive ulcers with or without previous trauma. However, PG is not
      well understood to date, and its treatment therefore remains a challenge. Because
      of the disease's systemic characteristic and the unpredictability of the clinical
      course, no gold standard treatment is available, especially concerning the
      surgical procedures to treat pyodermic lesions. Often, PG is not recognized
      during routine clinical practice, and standard ulcer treatment (conservative
      wound care, debridement, skin grafting, and local flap coverage) is initiated;
      this induces an autoinflammatory response, resulting in disastrous ulcers,
      thereby making free flap coverage necessary. The purpose of this study was to
      assess the outcome of microvascular free-tissue transfer as a treatment option
      for extended soft-tissue defects resulting from PG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively evaluated 8 cases in 5 patients suffering from PG of the lower
      extremity who received defect closure with a microvascular free-tissue transfer
      under immunosuppressive and corticosteroid therapy. RESULTS: The average patient
      age was 60 years; three were male, and two were female. Seven defects were
      covered with free gracilis muscle flap. One patient received an anterolateral
      thigh flap. The average defect size was 93 cm2. No flap loss was observed during
      follow-up. All patients received broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment and
      corticosteroids. Two patients also received infliximab. DISCUSSION AND
      CONCLUSION: PG once diagnosed is not a contraindication for microvascular free
      tissue transfer. Multidisciplinary evaluation of each case is fundamental. All
      surgical treatments should be performed only with sufficient protective
      immunosuppression therapy. If the defect requires free flap coverage, it should
      be considered as a surgical option despite the potential risk of a pathergic
      response in PG and was a safe treatment option in all our cases. In conclusion,
      we share our experience regarding preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative
      care of patients with PG receiving free flap surgery.

PMID- 28918935
TI  - Dense Intra-adipose Sympathetic Arborizations Are Essential for Cold-Induced
      Beiging of Mouse White Adipose Tissue.
AB  - Efferent signals from the central nervous system represent a key layer of
      regulation of white adipose tissue (WAT). However, the mechanism by which
      efferent neural signals control WAT metabolism remains to be better understood.
      Here, we exploit the volume fluorescence-imaging technique to visualize the
      neural arborizations in mouse inguinal WAT at single-fiber resolution. The
      imaging reveals a dense network of sympathetic arborizations that had been
      previously undetected by conventional methods, with sympathetic fibers being in
      close apposition to > 90% of adipocytes. We demonstrate that these sympathetic
      fibers originate from the celiac ganglia, which are activated by cold challenge.
      Sympathetic-specific deletion of TrkA receptor or pharmacologic ablation by 6
      hydroxydopamine abolishes these intra-adipose arborizations and, as a result,
      cold-induced beiging of inguinal WAT. Furthermore, we find that local sympathetic
      arborizations function through beta-adrenergic receptors in this beiging process.
      These findings uncover an essential link connecting efferent neural signals with
      metabolism of individual adipocytes.

PMID- 28918936
TI  - Intermittent Fasting Promotes White Adipose Browning and Decreases Obesity by
      Shaping the Gut Microbiota.
AB  - While activation of beige thermogenesis is a promising approach for treatment of
      obesity-associated diseases, there are currently no known pharmacological means
      of inducing beiging in humans. Intermittent fasting is an effective and natural
      strategy for weight control, but the mechanism for its efficacy is poorly
      understood. Here, we show that an every-other-day fasting (EODF) regimen
      selectively stimulates beige fat development within white adipose tissue and
      dramatically ameliorates obesity, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis. EODF
      treatment results in a shift in the gut microbiota composition leading to
      elevation of the fermentation products acetate and lactate and to the selective
      upregulation of monocarboxylate transporter 1 expression in beige cells.
      Microbiota-depleted mice are resistance to EODF-induced beiging, while
      transplantation of the microbiota from EODF-treated mice to microbiota-depleted
      mice activates beiging and improves metabolic homeostasis. These findings provide
      a new gut-microbiota-driven mechanism for activating adipose tissue browning and
      treating metabolic diseases.

PMID- 28918938
TI  - Social dynamics with space structure: Comment on "Modeling human behavior in
      economics and social science" by Marina Dolfin, Leone Leonida and Nisrine Outada.

PMID- 28918937
TI  - A Predictive Model for Selective Targeting of the Warburg Effect through GAPDH
      Inhibition with a Natural Product.
AB  - Targeted cancer therapies that use genetics are successful, but principles for
      selectively targeting tumor metabolism that is also dependent on the environment
      remain unknown. We now show that differences in rate-controlling enzymes during
      the Warburg effect (WE), the most prominent hallmark of cancer cell metabolism,
      can be used to predict a response to targeting glucose metabolism. We establish a
      natural product, koningic acid (KA), to be a selective inhibitor of GAPDH, an
      enzyme we characterize to have differential control properties over metabolism
      during the WE. With machine learning and integrated pharmacogenomics and
      metabolomics, we demonstrate that KA efficacy is not determined by the status of
      individual genes, but by the quantitative extent of the WE, leading to a
      therapeutic window in vivo. Thus, the basis of targeting the WE can be encoded by
      molecular principles that extend beyond the status of individual genes.

PMID- 28918940
TI  - Biological Psychiatry: A New Approach to Reviews.

PMID- 28918939
TI  - Corrigendum to "New vaccination strategies in liver cancer" [Cytokine Growth
      Factor Rev. 36 (2017) 125-129].

PMID- 28918941
TI  - Modulation of gamma- and beta-Secretases as Early Prevention Against Alzheimer's
      Disease.
AB  - The genetic evidence implicating amyloid-beta in the initial stage of Alzheimer's
      disease is unequivocal. However, the long biochemical and cellular prodromal
      phases of the disease suggest that dementia is the result of a series of
      molecular and cellular cascades whose nature and connections remain unknown.
      Therefore, it is unlikely that treatments directed at amyloid-beta will have
      major clinical effects in the later stages of the disease. We discuss the two
      major candidate therapeutic targets to lower amyloid-beta in a preventive mode,
      i.e., gamma- and beta-secretase; the rationale behind these two targets; and the
      current state of the field.

PMID- 28918942
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Relation of Mean Platelet Volume-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Contrast
      Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing
      Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
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 https://www.elsevier.com/about/our
      business/policies/article-withdrawal.

PMID- 28918944
TI  - Optimization of epidural cortical stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.

PMID- 28918943
TI  - Vagus nerve stimulation improves locomotion and neuronal populations in a model
      of Parkinson's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder
      with no disease-modifying therapies, and symptomatic treatments are often limited
      by debilitating side effects. In PD, locus coeruleus noradrenergic (LC-NE)
      neurons degenerate prior to substantia nigra dopaminergic (SN-DA) neurons. Vagus
      nerve stimulation (VNS) activates LC neurons, and decreases pro-inflammatory
      markers, allowing improvement of LC targets, making it a potential PD
      therapeutic. OBJECTIVE: To assess therapeutic potential of VNS in a PD model.
      METHODS: To mimic the progression of PD degeneration, rats received a systemic
      injection of noradrenergic neurotoxin DSP-4, followed one week later by bilateral
      intrastriatal injection of dopaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine. At this
      time, a subset of rats also had vagus cuffs implanted. After eleven days, rats
      received a precise VNS regimen twice a day for ten days, and locomotion was
      measured during each afternoon session. Immediately following final stimulation,
      rats were euthanized, and left dorsal striatum, bilateral SN and LC were
      sectioned for immunohistochemical detection of monoaminergic neurons (tyrosine
      hydroxylase, TH), alpha-synuclein, astrocytes (GFAP) and microglia (Iba-1).
      RESULTS: VNS significantly increased locomotion of lesioned rats. VNS also
      resulted in increased expression of TH in striatum, SN, and LC; decreased SN
      alpha-synuclein expression; and decreased expression of glial markers in the SN
      and LC of lesioned rats. Additionally, saline-treated rats after VNS, had higher
      LC TH and lower SN Iba-1. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings of increased locomotion,
      beneficial effects on LC-NE and SN-DA neurons, decreased alpha-synuclein density
      in SN TH-positive neurons, and neuroinflammation suggest VNS has potential as a
      novel PD therapeutic.

PMID- 28918945
TI  - Hof1 and Chs4 Interact via F-BAR Domain and Sel1-like Repeats to Control
      Extracellular Matrix Deposition during Cytokinesis.
AB  - Localized extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is thought to stabilize the
      cleavage furrow and maintain cell shape during cytokinesis [1-14]. This
      remodeling is spatiotemporally coordinated with a cytoskeletal structure
      pertaining to a kingdom of life, for example the FtsZ ring in bacteria [15], the
      phragmoplast in plants [16], and the actomyosin ring in fungi and animals [17,
      18]. Although the cytoskeletal structures have been analyzed extensively, the
      mechanisms of ECM remodeling remain poorly understood. In the budding yeast
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ECM remodeling refers to sequential formations of the
      primary and secondary septa that are catalyzed by chitin synthase-II (Chs2) and
      chitin synthase-III (the catalytic subunit Chs3 and its activator Chs4),
      respectively [18, 19]. Surprisingly, both Chs2 and Chs3 are delivered to the
      division site at the onset of cytokinesis [6, 20]. What keeps Chs3 inactive until
      secondary septum formation remains unknown. Here, we show that Hof1 binds to the
      Sel1-like repeats (SLRs) of Chs4 via its F-BAR domain and inhibits Chs3-mediated
      chitin synthesis during cytokinesis. In addition, Hof1 is required for rapid
      accumulation as well as efficient removal of Chs4 at the division site. This
      study uncovers a mechanism by which Hof1 controls timely activation of Chs3
      during cytokinesis and defines a novel interaction and function for the conserved
      F-BAR domain and SLR that are otherwise known for their abilities to bind
      membrane lipids [21, 22] and scaffold protein complex formation [23].

PMID- 28918946
TI  - Cooperative Behavior Emerges among Drosophila Larvae.
AB  - Spectacular examples of cooperative behavior emerge among a variety of animals
      and may serve critical roles in fitness [1, 2]. However, the rules governing such
      behavior have been difficult to elucidate [2]. Drosophila larvae are known to
      socially aggregate [3, 4] and use vision, mechanosensation, and gustation to
      recognize each other [5-8]. We describe here a model experimental system of
      cooperative behavior involving Drosophila larvae. While foraging in liquid food,
      larvae are observed to align themselves and coordinate their movements in order
      to drag a common air cavity and dig deeper. Large-scale cooperation is required
      to maintain contiguous air contact across the posterior breathing spiracles. On
      the basis of a directed genetic screen we find that vision plays a key role in
      cluster dynamics. Our experiments show that blind larvae form fewer clusters and
      dig less efficiently than wild-type and that socially isolated larvae behave as
      if they were blind. Furthermore, we observed that blind and socially isolated
      larvae do not integrate effectively into wild-type clusters. Behavioral data
      indicate that vision and social experience are required to coordinate precise
      movements between pairs of larvae, therefore increasing the degree of
      cooperativity within a cluster. Hence, we hypothesize that vision and social
      experience allow Drosophila larvae to assemble cooperative digging groups leading
      to more effective feeding and potential evasion of predators. Most importantly,
      these results indicate that control over membership of such a cooperative group
      can be regulated.

PMID- 28918947
TI  - Hormonal Signaling Cascade during an Early-Adult Critical Period Required for
      Courtship Memory Retention in Drosophila.
AB  - Formation and expression of memories are critical for context-dependent decision
      making. In Drosophila, a courting male rejected by a mated female subsequently
      courts less avidly when paired with a virgin female, a behavioral modification
      attributed to "courtship memory." Here we show the critical role of hormonal
      state for maintenance of courtship memory. Ecdysis-triggering hormone (ETH) is
      essential for courtship memory through regulation of juvenile hormone (JH) levels
      in adult males. Reduction of JH levels via silencing of ETH signaling genes
      impairs short-term courtship memory, a phenotype rescuable by the JH analog
      methoprene. JH-deficit-induced memory impairment involves rapid decay rather than
      failure of memory acquisition. A critical period governs memory performance
      during the first 3 days of adulthood. Using sex-peptide-expressing "pseudo-mated"
      trainers, we find that robust courtship memory elicited in the absence of
      aversive chemical mating cues also is dependent on ETH-JH signaling. Finally, we
      find that JH acts through dopaminergic neurons and conclude that an ETH-JH
      dopamine signaling cascade is required during a critical period for promotion of
      social-context-dependent memory.

PMID- 28918949
TI  - Old-Growth Fishes Become Scarce under Fishing.
AB  - Researchers have long recognized the importance of ecological differences at the
      species level in structuring natural communities yet until recently have often
      overlooked the influence of intraspecific trait variation, which can profoundly
      alter community dynamics [1]. Human extraction of living resources can reduce
      intraspecific trait variation by, for example, causing truncation of age and size
      structure of populations, where numbers of older individuals decline far more
      with exploitation than younger individuals. Age truncation can negatively affect
      population and community stability, increasing variability in population and
      community biomass [2-6], reducing productivity [7-10] and life-history diversity
      in traits such as the spatial and temporal pattern of reproduction and migration
      [4, 11-16]. Here, we quantified the extent of age truncation in 63 fished
      populations across five ocean regions, as measured by how much the proportions of
      fish in the oldest age groups declined over time. The proportion of individuals
      in the oldest age classes decreased significantly in 79% to 97% of populations
      (compared to historical or unfished values, respectively), and the magnitude of
      decline was greater than 90% in 32% to 41% of populations. The pervasiveness and
      intensity of age truncation indicates that fishing is likely reducing the
      stability of many marine communities. Our findings suggest that more emphasis
      should be given to management measures that reduce the impact of fishing on age
      truncation, including no-take areas, slot limits that prohibit fishing on all
      except a narrow range of fish sizes, and rotational harvesting.

PMID- 28918948
TI  - Firing of Replication Origins Frees Dbf4-Cdc7 to Target Eco1 for Destruction.
AB  - Robust progression through the cell-division cycle depends on the precisely
      ordered phosphorylation of hundreds of different proteins by cyclin-dependent
      kinases (CDKs) and other kinases. The order of CDK substrate phosphorylation
      depends on rising CDK activity, coupled with variations in substrate affinities
      for different CDK-cyclin complexes and the opposing phosphatases [1-4]. Here, we
      address the ordering of substrate phosphorylation by a second major cell-cycle
      kinase, Cdc7-Dbf4 or Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK). The primary function of DDK is
      to initiate DNA replication by phosphorylating the Mcm2-7 replicative helicase [5
      7]. DDK also phosphorylates the cohesin acetyltransferase Eco1 [8]. Sequential
      phosphorylations of Eco1 by CDK, DDK, and Mck1 create a phosphodegron that is
      recognized by the ubiquitin ligase SCFCdc4. DDK, despite being activated in early
      S phase, does not phosphorylate Eco1 to trigger its degradation until late S
      phase [8]. DDK associates with docking sites on loaded Mcm double hexamers at
      unfired replication origins [9, 10]. We hypothesized that these docking
      interactions sequester limiting amounts of DDK, delaying Eco1 phosphorylation by
      DDK until replication is complete. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that
      overproduction of DDK leads to premature Eco1 degradation. Eco1 degradation also
      occurs prematurely if Mcm complex loading at origins is prevented by depletion of
      Cdc6, and Eco1 is stabilized if loaded Mcm complexes are prevented from firing by
      a Cdc45 mutant. We propose that the timing of Eco1 phosphorylation, and
      potentially that of other DDK substrates, is determined in part by sequestration
      of DDK at unfired replication origins during S phase.

PMID- 28918950
TI  - Power Transfer to a Human during an Electric Eel's Shocking Leap.
AB  - Electric eels have been the subject of investigation and curiosity for centuries
      [1]. They use high voltage to track [2] and control [3] prey, as well as to
      exhaust prey by causing involuntary fatigue through remote activation of prey
      muscles [4]. But their most astonishing behavior is the leaping attack, during
      which eels emerge from the water to directly electrify a threat [5, 6]. This
      unique defense has reportedly been used against both horses [7] and humans [8].
      Yet the dynamics of the circuit that develops when a living animal is contacted
      and the electrical power transmitted to the target have not been directly
      investigated. In this study, the electromotive force and circuit resistances that
      develop during an eel's leaping behavior were determined. Next, the current that
      passed through a human subject during the attack was measured. The results
      allowed each variable in the equivalent circuit to be estimated. Findings can be
      extrapolated to a range of different eel sizes that might be encountered in the
      wild. Despite the comparatively small size of the eel used in this study,
      electrical currents in the target peaked at 40-50 mA, greatly exceeding
      thresholds for nociceptor activation reported for both humans [9] and horses [10,
      11]. No subjective sensation of involuntary tetanus was reported, and aversive
      sensations were restricted to the affected limb. Results suggest that the main
      purpose of the leaping attack is to strongly deter potential eel predators by
      briefly causing intense pain. Apparently a strong offense is the eel's best
      defense.

PMID- 28918951
TI  - Collective Force Regulation in Anti-parallel Microtubule Gliding by Dimeric Kif15
      Kinesin Motors.
AB  - During cell division, the mitotic kinesin-5 Eg5 generates most of the force
      required to separate centrosomes during spindle assembly. However, Kif15, another
      mitotic kinesin, can replace Eg5 function, permitting mammalian cells to acquire
      resistance to Eg5 poisons. Unlike Eg5, the mechanism by which Kif15 generates
      centrosome separation forces is unknown. Here we investigated the mechanical
      properties and force generation capacity of Kif15 at the single-molecule level
      using optical tweezers. We found that the non-motor microtubule-binding tail
      domain interacts with the microtubule's E-hook tail with a rupture force higher
      than the stall force of the motor. This allows Kif15 dimers to productively and
      efficiently generate forces that could potentially slide microtubules apart.
      Using an in vitro optical trapping and fluorescence assay, we found that Kif15
      slides anti-parallel microtubules apart with gradual force buildup while parallel
      microtubule bundles remain stationary with a small amount of antagonizing force
      generated. A stochastic simulation shows the essential role of Kif15's tail
      domain for load storage within the Kif15-microtubule system. These results
      suggest a mechanism for how Kif15 rescues bipolar spindle assembly.

PMID- 28918953
TI  - [Superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm: 2 cases].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery causes tumefaction
      in the temporal region. Herein, we report two cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Case 1
      : a 32-year-old man presented with a slightly pulsatile nodular formation
      measuring 2 cm in the right temporal region that had appeared nine months after
      traumatic injury. A diagnosis of superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm was
      considered. Excision was performed with ligation of the afferent and efferent
      artery. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology. Case 2 : a 24
      year-old man presented with a nonpulsatile subcutaneous tumefaction on his left
      temple. Surgery was proposed based on a supposed epidermal cyst. However, the
      perioperative aspect suggested a lesion of arterial origin and excision was
      performed following ligation of the afferent and efferent artery. CONCLUSION:
      Pseudoaneurysm of the superficial temporal artery must be considered for all
      temporal cutaneous formations, particularly when there is a history of trauma.
      The clinical diagnosis may be confirmed by Doppler ultrasound. Surgery is the
      treatment of reference.

PMID- 28918952
TI  - A Dual Function for Prickle in Regulating Frizzled Stability during Feedback
      Dependent Amplification of Planar Polarity.
AB  - The core planar polarity pathway coordinates epithelial cell polarity during
      animal development, and loss of its activity gives rise to a range of defects,
      from aberrant morphogenetic cell movements to failure to correctly orient
      structures, such as hairs and cilia. The core pathway functions via a mechanism
      involving segregation of its protein components to opposite cells ends, where
      they form asymmetric intracellular complexes that couple cell-cell polarity. This
      segregation is a self-organizing process driven by feedback interactions between
      the core proteins themselves. Despite intense efforts, the molecular pathways
      underlying feedback have proven difficult to elucidate using conventional genetic
      approaches. Here we investigate core protein function during planar polarization
      of the Drosophila wing by combining quantitative measurements of protein dynamics
      with loss-of-function genetics, mosaic analysis, and temporal control of gene
      expression. Focusing on the key core protein Frizzled, we show that its stable
      junctional localization is promoted by the core proteins Strabismus, Dishevelled,
      Prickle, and Diego. In particular, we show that the stabilizing function of
      Prickle on Frizzled requires Prickle activity in neighboring cells. Conversely,
      Prickle in the same cell has a destabilizing effect on Frizzled. This
      destabilizing activity is dependent on the presence of Dishevelled and blocked in
      the absence of Dynamin and Rab5 activity, suggesting an endocytic mechanism.
      Overall, our approach reveals for the first time essential in vivo stabilizing
      and destabilizing interactions of the core proteins required for self
      organization of planar polarity.

PMID- 28918954
TI  - Contemporary Management of Vesicoureteral Reflux.
AB  - CONTEXT: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) remains the most interesting topic of
      pediatric urology due to the dynamic nature of recent controversial publications.
      Starting from the need for a diagnosis to the necessity and effectiveness of
      treatment in preventing scars, VUR remains in the mist. Although recent strong
      evidence helped as fog lights in this blurriness, more data are required for
      achieving crystal clearance. This article aims to summarize and discuss the
      current state of the evidence regarding VUR management. OBJECTIVE: To provide a
      comprehensive synthesis of the main evidence in the literature on the current and
      contemporary management of VUR in children; to discuss conservative management
      with continuous antibiotic prophylaxis (CAP), especially its effectiveness and
      safety; and to review the current evidence regarding contemporary surgical
      techniques. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We conducted a nonsystematic review of the
      literature using the recent guidelines and PubMed database regarding
      surveillance, CAP, endoscopic, open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted ureteral
      surgical treatment. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Despite the striking results of previous
      studies revealing the ineffectiveness of CAP, more recent studies and their two
      fresh meta-analyses revealed a positive role for CAP in the contemporary
      management of VUR. One of the most interesting findings is the redundant rising
      of endoscopic correction and its final settlement to real indicated cases.
      Patient individualization in the contemporary management of VUR seems to be the
      keyword. The evidence in the literature showed a safe and effective use of
      laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic reimplantations. CONCLUSIONS: The
      goal of VUR treatment is to prevent the occurrence of febrile urinary tract
      infections and formation of scars in the renal parenchyma. The approach should be
      risk adapted and individualized according to current knowledge. Individual risk
      is influenced by the presentation age, sex, history of pyelonephritis and renal
      damage, grade of reflux, bladder bowel dysfunction, and circumcision status.
      PATIENT SUMMARY: Vesicoureteral reflux is a nonphysiological reflux of urine from
      the bladder through the ureters to the kidney. Treatment depends on the
      presentation of the vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Therapeutic options range from
      watchful waiting to open surgery. This article aims to summarize and discuss the
      current state of the evidence regarding VUR management.

PMID- 28918955
TI  - Shifts in the relationship between motor unit recruitment thresholds versus
      derecruitment thresholds during fatigue.
AB  - Muscle fatigue is associated with diminished twitch force amplitude. We examined
      changes in the motor unit recruitment versus derecruitment threshold relationship
      during fatigue. Nine men (mean age = 26 years) performed repeated isometric
      contractions at 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) knee extensor force until
      exhaustion. Surface electromyographic signals were detected from the vastus
      lateralis, and were decomposed into their constituent motor unit action potential
      trains. Motor unit recruitment and derecruitment thresholds and firing rates at
      recruitment and derecruitment were evaluated at the beginning, middle, and end of
      the protocol. On average, 15 motor units were studied per contraction. For the
      initial contraction, three subjects showed greater recruitment thresholds than
      derecruitment thresholds for all motor units. Five subjects showed greater
      recruitment thresholds than derecruitment thresholds for only low-threshold motor
      units at the beginning, with a mean cross-over of 31.6% MVC. As the muscle
      fatigued, many motor units were derecruited at progressively higher forces. In
      turn, decreased slopes and increased y-intercepts were observed. These shifts
      were complemented by increased firing rates at derecruitment relative to
      recruitment. As the vastus lateralis fatigued, the central nervous system's
      compensatory adjustments resulted in a shift of the regression line of the
      recruitment versus derecruitment threshold relationship.

PMID- 28918957
TI  - Introduction to the 2017 Founders' Lecture of the Association for Academic
      Surgery.
AB  - This year's Founders' Lecture will focus on the founding and history of the
      Association for Academic Surgery (AAS), as presented by five past presidents. The
      lecture will give the readers a unique and condensed perspective on the
      remarkable history of the AAS. The AAS was founded in 1967 by Dr George Zuidema
      with the mission to offer young academic surgeons an inclusive forum for
      discussion about surgical research and the opportunity for professional growth.1
      Since its establishment in 1966, with a membership of only 33 people,1the
      organization has grown into a diverse international organization with over 2800
      members. Today, the AAS embraces five core values to promote the careers of young
      academic surgeons: inclusion, leadership, innovation, scholarship, and
      mentorship. In this introduction to the brief history of the AAS, we review how
      this organization emerged from these principles.

PMID- 28918956
TI  - Healthcare utilization and expenditures for United States Medicare beneficiaries
      with systemic vasculitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Medicare federal insurance program is the most common United
      States insurer of patients with systemic vasculitis (SV). We compared healthcare
      utilization and expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries with versus without SV.
      METHODS: This national, retrospective study used 2010 claims and enrollment data
      for a 100% cohort of Medicare Part A and B beneficiaries with >=1 claim including
      a diagnosis for a form of SV (n = 176,498), and a randomly selected group of non
      SV beneficiaries (n = 46,561). Outcomes included annual counts of events in 16
      categories of medical services (e.g., inpatient stays, physician visits, tests,
      and imaging events), and total annual Medicare and patient medical expenditures.
      We used linear regression with bootstrapped standard errors to compare
      utilization and expenditures by SV status, before and after matching on age and
      sex. Prescription drug fills and expenditures for SV (n = 95,157) and non-SV (n =
      24,992) beneficiaries with Part D drug benefits were also compared. RESULTS:
      After matching, Medicare spent $11,004 more per patient in 2010 for medical
      services, and $773 more on prescription drugs, for SV versus non-SV
      beneficiaries. SV beneficiaries spent $1547 more for medical services and $211
      more for prescription drugs. Except for hospice, SV beneficiaries had greater
      utilization of all services, including two-to-three times more dialysis events,
      hospital readmissions, inpatient stays, skilled nursing facility stays, and
      medical tests. CONCLUSIONS: The average Medicare beneficiary with SV incurs about
      double the annual healthcare expenditures compared to their non-SV counterparts,
      attributable to increased utilization of almost all categories of care.

PMID- 28918958
TI  - The Association for Academic Surgery 2011-present: standing on the shoulders of
      giants.
AB  - The Association for Academic Surgery (AAS), which is a society dedicated to
      inspiring and developing young academic surgeons, recently celebrated its 50th
      anniversary. Each decade since its inception has seen incredible growth. This
      most recent decade, from 2011 to present, has been characterized by: (1)
      reevaluation and clarification of the society's vision, mission, core values and
      organizational structure; (2) diversification of the membership and leadership;
      (3) support for international outreach and global surgery research; (4) expansion
      of its impact through social media; and (5) adaptability to a changing political
      climate.

PMID- 28918959
TI  - The Association for Academic Surgery: Its first decade.

PMID- 28918960
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28918961
TI  - Remembrances from an early follower and leader of the Association for Academic
      Surgery.
AB  - This reflection retraces the evolution of early followers and leaders. Social
      change and early contributions set the stage for the current Association for
      Academic Surgery. Perhaps the most important contribution was Dr. George
      Zuidema's theme of inclusiveness. AAS was a decade ahead of its time in that
      regard.

PMID- 28918962
TI  - The 1990s and the Association for Academic Surgery.
AB  - This lecture reviews the progress of the Association for Academic Surgery during
      the 1990s, a decade of sweeping innovations in technology, communication, and
      biomedical sciences; a well as a decade of transition in the demographics of
      surgical trainees; and a decade of new and previously unimagined possibilities
      for new directions in academic surgical careers.

PMID- 28918964
TI  - Intersphincteric fistula without external opening and to re-enter the rectum.

PMID- 28918963
TI  - Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy: a surgical alternative to reduce
      complications in complex cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a common procedure in general
      surgery, and in complex cases it is important for the surgeon to know all the
      alternatives with low associated morbidity. Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy
      should be considered as an option when a critical view of safety cannot be
      obtained, because it has a low complication rate and gives the advantages of
      minimally invasive surgery. METHODS: Retrospective study of laparoscopic subtotal
      cholecystectomies in an eight years period. RESULTS: A total of 1,059
      laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed; 22 were subtotal
      cholecystectomies, without conversion. Biliary fistula (9%) and intraabdominal
      collections (4.5%) were the most common complications described. No iatrogenic
      bile duct injuries or deaths were reported. Our follow-up period was 32months, no
      recurrences were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy is
      a safe and effective procedure. It should be considered as an option in complex
      cases.

PMID- 28918965
TI  - Surgical treatment for esophageal cancer: Are the questions finished or are the
      surgeons who are finished by the questions?

PMID- 28918966
TI  - Reactive oxygen species and associated reactivity of peroxymonosulfate activated
      by soluble iron species.
AB  - The activation of peroxymonosulfate by iron (II), iron (III), and iron (III)-EDTA
      for in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) was compared using nitrobenzene as a
      hydroxyl radical probe, anisole as a hydroxyl radical+sulfate radical probe, and
      hexachloroethane as a reductant+nucleophile probe. In addition, activated
      peroxymonosulfate was investigated for the treatment of the model groundwater
      contaminants perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE). The relative
      activities of hydroxyl radical and sulfate radical in the degradation of the
      probe compounds and PCE and TCE were isolated using the radical scavengers tert
      butanol and isopropanol. Iron (II), iron (III), and iron (III)-EDTA effectively
      activated peroxymonosulfate to generate hydroxyl radical and sulfate radical, but
      only a minimal flux of reductants or nucleophiles. Iron (III)-EDTA was a more
      effective activator than iron (II) and iron (III), and also provided a non
      hydroxyl radical, non-sulfate radical degradation pathway. The contribution of
      sulfate radical relative to hydroxyl radical followed the order of
      anisole>>TCE>PCE >>nitrobenzene; i.e., sulfate radical was less dominant in the
      oxidation of more oxidized target compounds. Sulfate radical is often assumed to
      be the primary oxidant in activated peroxymonosulfate and persulfate systems, but
      the results of this research demonstrate that the reactivity of sulfate radical
      with the target compound must be considered before drawing such a conclusion.

PMID- 28918967
TI  - Accuracy of bedside point of care testing in critical emergency department
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) testing reduces laboratory turn-around having the
      potential to improve timely diagnosis and management. We compared the accuracy of
      nurse performed POC and core laboratory testing and determined whether deviations
      between the two were clinically meaningful. METHODS: We performed a prospective,
      observational study on a convenience sample of 50 critical care ED patients in
      whom a POC chemistry and hematocrit was ordered. Blood samples were divided into
      2 aliquots; one sample was tested by the treating nurse using a handheld POC
      device and the other sample was tested in the core laboratory. Paired comparisons
      of test results were performed using Pearson's correlation coefficients, Lin
      concordance coefficients, and Bland Altman plots. RESULTS: Mean patient age was
      67, 50% were male, 82% were admitted. Pearson's correlation and Lin concordance
      coefficients were excellent (0.84-1.00) for all 8 analytes. Mean (95%CI) paired
      differences between POC and core laboratory measurements were Na+ 0.30 (-0.22 to
      0.82) mmol/L, K+-0.12 (-0.14 to - 0.09) mmol/L, Cl- 2.10 (1.41 to 2.78) mmol/L,
      TCO2-1.68 (-2.06 to -1.30) mmol/L, glucose 2.46 (1.46 to 3.46) mg/dL, BUN, 1.69
      (0.95 to 2.42) mg/dL, creatinine 0.13 (0.08 to 0.17) mg/dL, and hematocrit -0.39
      (-0.93 to 0.15) %. In 3 of 400 measurements, the difference between POC and core
      lab exceeded the maximal clinically acceptable deviation based on physician
      surveys. CONCLUSIONS: Bedside POC by ED nurses is reliable and accurate and does
      not deviate significantly from core laboratory testing by trained technicians.

PMID- 28918968
TI  - Optimizing recruitment and retention of adolescents in ED research: Findings from
      concussion biomarker pilot study.

PMID- 28918969
TI  - A pitfall in magnetic stimulation for measuring central motor conduction time.

PMID- 28918970
TI  - Corrections.

PMID- 28918971
TI  - [Pulmonary nocardiosis with cerebral abscesses mimicking metastatic lung cancer:
      Three cases and a review of literature].
AB  - Nocardiosis is an infectious disease with wide range of clinical features, which
      can eventually lead to death. The agent responsible belongs to the genus Nocardia
      that includes about fifty different species. Nocardiosis occurs mainly in
      immunocompromised hosts. We report here three cases of disseminated nocardiosis
      misdiagnosed initially as cerebral metastatic lung cancer. These patients,
      including two immunocompetent hosts, presented with both pulmonary and cerebral
      lesions. In all three patients, the diagnosis was based on magnetic resonance
      imaging with diffusion sequence, apparent diffusion coefficient reconstruction
      and neurosurgical cerebral biopsies. Treatment with an appropriate antibiotic
      regimen was prolonged for several months. Progress was favorable with full
      resolution of the neurological symptoms and the radiological abnormalities. These
      three cases emphasize the diagnostic challenge of nocardiosis, especially in
      disseminated disease.

PMID- 28918972
TI  - [Mycological and parasitological examinations in the management of lung
      infections].
AB  - Pulmonary parasitic diseases are rare whereas pulmonary fungal infections are
      increasing. The diversity of clinical presentations requires laboratory tests to
      confirm the diagnosis. Direct examination of lung samples and antibody detection
      are the basis of parasitological diagnosis. With regard to mycoses, the range of
      biological tests is broader. The conventional mycological examination allows
      identification of any type of fungus except Pneumocystis jirovecii. Its
      specificity is excellent but it lacks sensitivity. Detection of antibodies,
      antigens or nucleic acid complements the diagnostic tools. With regard to
      aspergillosis, there is a broad nosological set with variable prognosis. The
      choice of appropriate laboratory procedures depends on the clinical presentation
      and patient risk factors. The search for galactomannan antigen is effective and a
      new technique, "Lateral Flow Device", seems very promising. The detection of
      antibodies is also informative but various techniques are used. A good knowledge
      of the performance and limitations of these techniques allows targeted
      prescription. The use of PCR for the diagnosis of pulmonary fungal infections has
      limited indications. Biological and clinical co-operation is essential for the
      choice and interpretation of laboratory tests for parasitic or fungal pulmonary
      disease.

PMID- 28918973
TI  - Atypical features and systemic associations in extensive cases of Grover disease:
      A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Grover disease is an acantholytic disorder that typically occurs on
      the trunk of older individuals, primarily white men, in association with heat and
      xerosis. Cases with extensive and/or atypical distributions have been reported.
      OBJECTIVE: To review the literature characterizing the population, morphology,
      associations, and disease course of extensive or atypical eruptions of Grover
      disease. METHODS: A systematic literature review identified 50 articles with 69
      cases. RESULTS: Patient age ranged from 14 to 83 years (mean age, 56 +/- 15),
      with 71% of patients being male and 29% female. Areas of involvement included the
      trunk (90%), upper and lower extremities (63% and 61%, respectively), face/scalp
      (28%), neck (21%), groin (11%), buttocks (8%), and axillae (6%). The most common
      associations included a history of malignancy (61%), recent chemotherapy (38%),
      and recent transplant (20%). LIMITATIONS: Extensive cases with typical clinical
      morphology may not have been examined by biopsy or reported; thus, this review
      may have publication bias toward more severe or atypical presentations.
      CONCLUSIONS: Greater variability exists among patients affected by extensive or
      atypical Grover disease than among those with typical disease. Malignancy is a
      common association, and there may be a role for immunosuppression in the
      pathogenesis of extensive or atypical Grover disease.

PMID- 28918975
TI  - Activity determination of 67Ga using 4pibeta-gamma coincidence counting.
AB  - The activity of a 67Ga solution was measured by means of the 4pibeta-gamma
      coincidence counting technique. A setup with a proportional counter and non
      extending dead-time modules in the two detector channels was used. The influence
      of the delayed state affecting the measured count rates was taken into account by
      using appropriate correction formulae. The analysis requires a variation of the
      dead time and a subsequent extrapolation to infinite dead time. An uncertainty of
      about 0.5% was obtained and the result was used to make an intercomparison with
      the SIR of the BIPM.

PMID- 28918976
TI  - Validation of a Portuguese version of the health-related quality of life measure
      for active chronic otitis media (COMQ-12).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Measuring the impact on quality of life, especially after the
      beginning of the treatment, is becoming increasingly important in healthcare.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to translate the Chronic Otitis Media
      Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) into Portuguese language and validate this version in
      a group of patients with chronic otitis media. METHODS: The Portuguese version of
      COMQ-12 was obtained by translation and back translation. Portuguese speaking
      patients with a history of active chronic otitis media were asked to complete the
      COMQ-12 Portuguese version. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated for an
      estimation of the internal consistency of the questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of
      100 patients were included in the study; 49 women and 51 men, with a mean age of
      39 years (range 12-77 years, median 40 years). The average COMQ-12 score was 29,
      out of a maximum score of 60. Cronbach's alpha result for the Portuguese version
      of the COMQ-12 was 0.85, indicating a high internal consistency. The participants
      presented with different forms of chronic otitis media, and almost all domains of
      the COMQ-12 questionnaire were able to differentiate between patients with healed
      chronic otitis media and patients with cholesteatoma or wet tympanic membrane
      perforation. Showing that patients with healed chronic otitis media have a better
      quality of life, measured by the COMQ-12, is a first step to guarantee the
      questionnaire's validity. The next step will consist on routinely using the
      questionnaire in patients undergoing surgery for chronic otitis media in order to
      evaluate their quality of life after treatment. CONCLUSION: The COMQ-12
      Portuguese version showed high reliability, and may be used as an assessment of
      quality of life in patients with chronic otitis media.

PMID- 28918974
TI  - Pigmentary changes in patients treated with targeted anticancer agents: A
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The discovery of signaling networks that drive oncogenic processes
      has led to the development of targeted anticancer agents. The burden of
      pigmentary adverse events from these drugs is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a
      systematic review and meta-analysis of published clinical trials and determine
      the incidence and risk of development of targeted therapy-induced pigmentary
      changes. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted to identify studies
      reporting targeted therapy-induced pigmentary changes. The incidence and relative
      risk were calculated. Case reports and series were reviewed to understand
      clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 8052 patients from 36 clinical
      trials were included. The calculated overall incidences of targeted cancer
      therapy-induced all-grade pigmentary changes in the skin and hair were 17.7% (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 11.9-25.4) and 21.5% (95% CI, 14.9-30.1), respectively.
      The relative risk of all-grade pigmentary changes of skin and hair were 93.7 (95%
      CI, 5.86-1497.164) and 20.1 (95% CI, 8.35-48.248). Across 53 case reports/series
      (N = 75 patients), epidermal growth factor receptor and breakpoint cluster region
      abelson inhibitors were the most common offending agents. LIMITATIONS: Potential
      under-reporting and variability in oncologists reporting these events.
      CONCLUSION: There is a significant risk of development of pigmentary changes
      during treatment with targeted anticancer therapies. Appropriate counseling and
      management are critical to minimize psychosocial impairment and deterioration in
      quality of life.

PMID- 28918977
TI  - Huge buccal angiomyolipoma: a rare entity.

PMID- 28918978
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28918979
TI  - CON: Factor Concentrates Should Not Have an Expanded Role in the Routine
      Management of the Bleeding Cardiac Surgical Patient.

PMID- 28918980
TI  - Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacement According to Surgical Approach in
      Intermediate and Low Risk Patients: A Propensity Score Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous trials have shown that, among high-risk patients with aortic
      stenosis, survival rates are similar for transcatheter aortic-valve implantation
      (TAVI) and surgical aortic valve replacement. The study aimed to compare the
      outcomes of aortic valve replacement according to the adopted surgical approach
      in intermediate and low risk patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective,
      observational, cohort study of prospectively collected data from 421 patients
      undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement between 2011 and 2015. A multinomial
      logit propensity score model based on preoperative risk factors was used to match
      patients 1:1:1 between conventional replacement (CAVR), minimally invasive
      (MIAVR) and TAVI groups, resulting in 50 matched three cohorts. RESULTS: After
      multinomial logit propensity score, the three groups were comparable in terms of
      preoperative characteristics. Mean age and Logistic EuroSCORE I of CAVR, MIAVR
      and TAVI groups were (84.2+/-5.1 vs. 82.3+/-4.8 vs. 85.6+/-4.9 years; p=0.002)
      and (11.4+/-3.6% vs. 8.3+/-3.4% vs. 15.8+/-5.4%; p<0.001) respectively. Overall
      mortality rates were similar for the three patient cohorts at one year. There
      were no significant differences related to stroke to 30 days. In the TAVI cohort,
      pacemaker implantation for new-onset total atrioventricular block became
      necessary in 30% of patients (p<0.001) and 16% of patients had some degree of
      paravalvular aortic regurgitation, which was more than mild (p<0.001). Total
      length of stay was shorter in the TAVI group when compared with surgical groups
      (11.5+/-5.3 vs. 10.1+/-6.9 vs 8.5+/-3.7 days; p=0.023). After discharge, the
      survival rate follow-up (average follow up: 46.7 months) was 70%, 84% and 72% for
      three cohorts (log Rank x2=2.40, p=0.3). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the
      three aortic valve replacement approaches offer very good results. Differences in
      the rate of complications were found between groups. Depending on patient's
      characteristics the Heart-Team group must offer the best surgical approach for
      each patient.

PMID- 28918981
TI  - Potential impacts of shipping noise on marine mammals in the western Canadian
      Arctic.
AB  - As the Arctic warms and sea ice decreases, increased shipping will lead to higher
      ambient noise levels in the Arctic Ocean. Arctic marine mammals are vulnerable to
      increased noise because they use sound to survive and likely evolved in a
      relatively quiet soundscape. We model vessel noise propagation in the proposed
      western Canadian Arctic shipping corridor in order to examine impacts on marine
      mammals and marine protected areas (MPAs). Our model predicts that loud vessels
      are audible underwater when >100km away, could affect marine mammal behaviour
      when within 2km for icebreakers vessels, and as far as 52km for tankers. This
      vessel noise could have substantial impacts on marine mammals during migration
      and in MPAs. We suggest that locating the corridor farther north, use of marine
      mammal observers on vessels, and the reduction of vessel speed would help to
      reduce this impact.

PMID- 28918982
TI  - Characteristics of meso-sized plastic marine debris on 20 beaches in Korea.
AB  - We surveyed the abundance and accumulation patterns of mesoplastic marine debris
      (5-25mm) on 20 beaches in Korea. The mean abundance of it was 13.2items/m2, and
      the mean weight was 1.5g/m2. Hard plastic and Styrofoam were the dominant types.
      The proportions of hard plastic and Styrofoam were highly variable among the
      beaches, each accounting for 0-100% of the total debris on a given beach with 32%
      and 48.5% (by number) on average, respectively. Relatively lower abundances of
      mesoplastic marine debris compared with our previous studies were likely due by
      differences of the sampling areas within the beach. The samples of this research
      were selected from backshore, middle line, and water edge whereas they were
      selected from high strandline and backshore in our previous studies. It should be
      considered when discussing the level of mesoplastic marine debris.

PMID- 28918984
TI  - Corrigendum to "The relevance effect and conditionals" [Cognition 150 (2016) 26
      36].

PMID- 28918983
TI  - Distribution of organic contamination of sediments from Ichkeul Lake and Bizerte
      Lagoon, Tunisia.
AB  - Analyses of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and butyl tins (BuSn) were conducted on
      sediments from Ichkeul Lake-Bizerte Lagoon watershed (Tunisia). A total of 59
      compounds (16 PAHs, 12 PCBs, 22 OCPs and 9 BuSn) were measured in 40 surface
      sediment samples collected during two campaigns. High concentrations of total
      PAHs were identified in the lagoon ranging from 122 to 19600ng.g-1. Several OCPs,
      including endrin, dieldrin, and lindane (Hexachlorocyclohexane or HCH or BHC)
      were found in high concentrations in Ichkeul Lake, ranging from 28 to 2012ngg-1.
      PAHs and OCPs varied seasonally, in response to the complex hydrology of the
      watershed. The concentrations of total PCBs ranged between 0.04 and 10.653ngg-1
      and suggests low total PCBs sediment contamination, when compared to most
      international criteria. Total BuSn concentrations range between 67 and 526ng.g-1,
      which are relatively low when compared to most international criteria and
      ecological risk assessments. This is the first study of organic contamination in
      Ichkeul Lake (RAMSAR and UNESCO World Heritage site).

PMID- 28918985
TI  - Infections worsen prognosis of patients with cirrhosis irrespective of the liver
      disease stage.

PMID- 28918986
TI  - Multiparametric assessment of "fluid status" in heart failure.

PMID- 28918987
TI  - Diagnosing and treating Enquiry Based Learning fatigue in Graduate Entry Nursing
      students.
AB  - The use of student directed study approaches such as Enquiry Based Learning (EBL)
      in the design and implementation of Graduate Entry Nursing Circular is well
      established. The rational relates to the maximisation of graduate attributes such
      as motivation to learn, the ability to identify, search and assimilate relevant
      literature and the desire to take ownership of the direction and pace of
      learning. Existing alongside this however, is the observation that students
      remain under confident in the application of knowledge to a clinical context and
      frustrated with learning approaches which do not appear directly related to
      improving their competence in this area. We suggest the result of this is a
      gradual disengagement and dissatisfaction the learning forum amongst students and
      faculty, which we have defined as EBL fatigue. The symptoms and consequences of
      EBL fatigue amongst students and faculty are discussed alongside strategies which
      we suggest may act as preventative measures in reducing the risk of a local
      epidemic.

PMID- 28918988
TI  - At the advancing front of Chikungunya fever in Asia: Two imported cases in Hong
      Kong with novel amino acid changes.

PMID- 28918989
TI  - Improper positioning of the elevator lever of duodenoscopes may lead to
      sequestered bacteria that survive disinfection by automated endoscope
      reprocessors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some outbreaks associated with contaminated duodenoscopes have been
      attributed to biofilm formation. The objective of this study was to determine
      whether bacteria within an organic matrix could survive if the elevator lever was
      improperly positioned in the automated endoscope reprocessor (AER) after 1 round
      of reprocessing. METHODS: Duodenoscope lever cavities with an open or sealed
      elevator wire channel were inoculated with 6-7 Log10 of both Escherichia coli and
      Enterococcus faecalis in ATS2015 (Healthmark Industries, Fraser, MI) and dried
      for 2 hours. The duodenoscopes with the lever in the horizontal position were
      processed through 2 makes of AERs. The cavity was sampled using a flush-brush
      flush method to determine the quantity of surviving bacteria. RESULTS: E faecalis
      (range, 21-6 Log10 CFU) and E coli (range, 0-3 Log10 CFU) survived disinfection
      of sealed or unsealed elevator wire channel duodenoscopes in 2 different AERs
      with and without cleaning cycles. CONCLUSION: If bacteria in organic residue are
      under the improperly positioned lever, then just 1 round of use is sufficient for
      bacteria to survive both liquid chemical sterilization and liquid chemical HLD
      regardless of whether or not the AER had a cleaning cycle.

PMID- 28918990
TI  - Long-term metabolic persistence of gram-positive bacteria on health care-relevant
      plastic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health care-associated opportunistic pathogens Staphylococcus aureus
      and Enterococcus faecium persist on dry environments and can contribute to
      organism transmission through contact. These organisms can be monitored on
      surfaces by culture, molecular methods, or metabolic assays. This study was
      designed to determine the kinetics of bacterial persistence on acrylonitrile
      butadiene styrene, a plastic commonly used in the manufacture of bedrails.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction for genomic DNA was used to
      confirm the presence of bacteria cells on this plastic irrespective of viability.
      Bacterial viability was measured by culture, ATP quantification, and a metabolic
      assay at time points up to and longer than 1 year. RESULTS: Polymerase chain
      reaction confirmed the presence of bacteria on the plastic for the entire time
      period studied. However, S aureus culturability was reduced after 3 and 7 weeks;
      neither organism was culturable after 1 year. At 7 weeks, ATP levels were reduced
      for both organisms, paralleling S aureus culturability but indicating that ATP
      quantification did not predict E faecium culturability. S aureus-reducing
      potential was reduced after 7 weeks, whereas E faecium-reducing potential reached
      the level of fresh inoculum after 12 hours in broth culture. Low but significant
      levels of metabolic activity were detected for each organism after 1 year.
      CONCLUSIONS: S aureus and E faecium cells may retain viability on plastic for
      longer than 1 year.

PMID- 28918991
TI  - Comment on: determinants associated with the correction of glomerular
      hyperfiltration one year after bariatric surgery.

PMID- 28918992
TI  - Anti-factor Xa levels in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: 2
      different dosing regimens of enoxaparin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery are at risk for
      developing venous thromboembolic events. Data regarding the appropriate dosing
      strategy in this special population is limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate 2
      different dosing regimens of enoxaparin in a prospective cohort of patients
      undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. SETTING: University hospital, Israel
      METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 54 patients divided into 2 groups. Group I
      received 40 mg enoxaparin every 24 hours, and group II received 60 mg enoxaparin
      every 24 hours. Anti-factor Xa (FXa) levels from each patient were obtained 3 to
      4 hours after administration of the third dose of enoxaparin. Levels between .2
      and 0.5 U/mL were considered appropriate. Five additional patients were selected
      as controls. RESULTS: There were 31 patients in group I and 23 patients in group
      II. There was a statistically significant difference between anti-FXa levels
      achieved in each group: .247 U/mL in group I (range, .15-.39) versus .346 U/mL
      (range, .24-.8) in group II. Both groups achieved mean anti-FXa levels in the
      range designated appropriate with a high proportion of patients achieving
      appropriate levels (group I: 80.6%; group II: 91.3%). Univariate analyses found
      that total weight and sex were significantly correlated with anti-FXa levels.
      However, a multivariate analysis including enoxaparin dose found that only
      enoxaparin dose remained significantly correlated with anti-FXa levels.
      CONCLUSION: In the absence of sufficient data regarding clinical efficacy and
      safety of different dosing regimens both dosing regimens studied are reasonable
      choices for venous thromboembolic events prophylaxis after bariatric surgery.

PMID- 28918993
TI  - Arabidopsis thaliana cold-regulated 47 gene 5'-untranslated region enables stable
      high-level expression of transgenes.
AB  - Transgene expression is regulated through several steps, this study focuses on
      the mRNA translation step. The expression level of transgenes can be increased by
      5'-untranslated region (5'UTR) sequences in certain genes which act as
      translational enhancers. On the other hand, translation in most mRNA species is
      repressed by growth, development, and stress events. There is a possibility that
      transgene mRNA is also repressed in these conditions, despite the use of a
      translational enhancer. Therefore, a consistently efficient translational
      enhancer is needed to develop a reliable transgene expression system. Herein we
      searched for mRNAs translated stably under different growth, development and
      environmental conditions using data sets of polysome fraction assays and
      microarray analysis. Correct 5'UTR sequences of candidate genes were determined
      by cap analysis of gene expression and we tested translational ability of the
      candidate 5'UTRs by reporter assays. We found the 5'UTR of cold-regulated 47 gene
      to be an effective translational enhancer, contributing to stable high-level
      expression under various conditions.

PMID- 28918994
TI  - Meaningful Methods for Increasing Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Rates: An
      Integrative Literature Review.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in
      the United States and is a well-known cause of oropharyngeal, cervical, vaginal,
      vulvar, penile, and anal cancers. Despite the proven efficacy of the HPV vaccine,
      vaccination rates remain persistently low. Much literature has focused on
      attitudes toward the HPV vaccine; however, researchers have also investigated
      strategies clinicians can use to improve vaccination attitudes and acceptance.
      Such strategies include provider education, vaccine reminder/recall, and chart
      audit and feedback. The purpose of this integrative review is to uncover the best
      evidence-based practice interventions, with the aim of improving HPV knowledge,
      patient-provider conversations, and immunization uptake. This integrative review
      concludes that multicomponent interventions have a synergistic effect, resulting
      in increased provider vaccine support, improved patient/parental attitudes toward
      HPV vaccination, and increased immunization uptake. Such strategies hold much
      promise for today's pediatric providers as they work to combat current
      vaccination disparities.

PMID- 28918995
TI  - Cutaneous Adverse Events of Targeted Therapies for Hematolymphoid Malignancies.
AB  - The identification of oncogenic drivers of liquid tumors has led to the rapid
      development of targeted agents with distinct cutaneous adverse event (AE)
      profiles. The diagnosis and management of these skin toxicities has motivated a
      novel partnership between dermatologists and oncologists in developing supportive
      oncodermatology clinics. In this article we review the current state of knowledge
      of clinical presentation, mechanisms, and management of the most common and
      significant cutaneous AEs observed during treatment with targeted therapies for
      hematologic and lymphoid malignancies. We systematically review according to drug
      targeting pathway the cutaneous AE profiles of these drugs, and offer insight
      when possible into whether pharmacologic target versus immunologic modulation
      primarily underlie presentation. We include discussion of tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib, ponatinib), blinatumomab,
      ibrutinib, idelalisib, anti-B cell antibodies (rituximab, ibritumomab,
      obinutuzumab, ofatumumab, tositumomab), immune checkpoint inhibitors (nivolumab,
      pembrolizumab), alemtuzumab, brentuximab, and proteasome inhibitors (bortezomib,
      carfilzomib, ixazomib). We highlight skin reactions seen with antiliquid but not
      solid tumor agents, draw attention to serious cutaneous AEs that might require
      therapy modification or cessation, and offer management strategies to permit
      treatment tolerability. We emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and
      treatment to minimize disruptions to care, optimize prognosis and quality of
      life, and promptly address life-threatening skin or infectious events. This
      evolving partnership between oncologists and dermatologists in the iterative
      characterization and management of skin toxicities will contribute to a better
      understanding of these drugs' cutaneous targets and improved patient care.

PMID- 28918996
TI  - Delayed erythematous skin reaction with SERI(R)-assisted direct to implant breast
      reconstruction.

PMID- 28918997
TI  - Tolerance of latissimus dorsi in immediate breast reconstruction without implant
      to radiotherapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) improves the quality of life
      of patients who undergo mastectomy. The latissimus dorsi flap (LDF) method
      provides particularly good aesthetic results, but its tolerance to subsequent
      radiotherapy remains unclear. We thus sought to assess tolerance and esthetic
      results and satisfaction, as reported by patients who underwent IBR by LDF with
      or without subsequent radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective case-control study in a population of women who were diagnosed with
      breast cancer between January 1999 and January 2014 and who had mastectomies with
      IBR by LDF without prostheses. We paired 29 patients who needed postoperative
      radiotherapy to 58 control patients who did not. These patients responded to a
      questionnaire to evaluate tolerance and their satisfaction with the aesthetic
      results of the reconstruction. RESULTS: In total, 86.2% of all patients reported
      "very good" or "good" overall aesthetic satisfaction. Consistency was judged as
      "very good" or "good" by 82.7% of control patients and by 93.1% of case patients.
      No statistically significant differences were identified between the two groups
      with regard to reconstruction results. The number of surgical procedures needed
      did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In our study,
      IBR by LDF appeared to have excellent tolerance to subsequent radiotherapy, the
      latter having no impact on patient aesthetic satisfaction. Our results suggest
      that the possibility of postoperative radiotherapy should not prevent physicians
      from proposing this method to women who are candidates for it.

PMID- 28918998
TI  - Convex bone deformity after closed reduction of nasal bone fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasal fracture is the most common type of facial fracture treated by
      plastic surgeons. Here, we clarify the postoperative deformities that frequently
      remain after closed reduction of fresh nasal bone fracture by three-dimensional
      computed tomography (3D-CT). METHODS: Hundred consecutive cases of fresh nasal
      bone fracture in patients treated between May 2010 and January 2016 were
      examined. After closed reduction, the overall appearance of the arch formed by
      the nasal bone and maxillary process was evaluated as 'Excellent', 'Good' or
      'Fair'. Patients were also asked about their overall satisfaction with the
      operation, and the responses were classified as 'Satisfied', 'Neutral' or
      'Dissatisfied'. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients underwent 3D-CT examination both at
      the time of the initial consultation and 3 months after the operation. The
      results were 'Excellent' in 69 patients and 'Good' in 17 patients, with none of
      the patients having only 'Fair' results. Convex bone deformities on one side were
      seen in all six bilateral type fractures evaluated as 'Good'. All patients
      classified as 'Excellent' reported being 'Satisfied' with the results, but some
      patients classified as 'Good' gave a 'Neutral' evaluation regarding their
      satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The residual deformities seen in bilateral type
      fractures were most notable, and they were all convex bone deformities on one
      side. Plastic surgeons should use ultrasonography or other reliable new methods
      in addition to visual inspection during the operation to successfully treat the
      region of the convex fracture.

PMID- 28918999
TI  - Diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after a first shoulder dislocation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shoulder dislocation is often the first symptom of Ehlers-Danlos
      syndrome (EDS). Whether it occurs in early-onset EDS is unknown. In most cases,
      surgical failure leads to the diagnosis. We aimed to determine whether clinical
      symptoms can signal the presence of EDS at a first dislocation. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this retrospective study, we analyzed clinical and radiologic data
      for 27 patients with EDS and shoulder instability and a control population of 40
      consecutive non-EDS patients undergoing surgery for an unstable shoulder. Data
      were collected on gender, age, single or bilateral disease, general hyperlaxity,
      shoulder hyperlaxity, number of dislocations or subluxations, nontraumatic onset,
      and pain specificity. Nerve and vascular injuries, joint disorders, and family
      history were recorded, and radiologic data were reported. RESULTS: Age <14 years,
      female sex, bilateral disorder, and general hyperlaxity were significantly more
      frequent in patients with EDS and a first dislocation than in those without EDS.
      Painless dislocation with pain after dislocation and concomitant nerve injury
      were more frequent in affected patients, as were hemostasis disorders and a
      family history of joint hyperlaxity. Bone lesions were not seen on radiographs.
      Only the hyperlaxity sign (external rotation >85 degrees ) did not differ between
      the groups. CONCLUSION: After a first dislocation in a young girl with global
      hyperlaxity but not necessarily shoulder hyperlaxity, painless atraumatic
      dislocation with pain after reduction can suggest EDS.

PMID- 28919000
TI  - Intraobserver and interobserver reliability of the Copeland-Levy classification
      for arthroscopic evaluation of subacromial impingement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Defining a simple and reliable classification for acromial and bursal
      impingement lesions is necessary to standardize terminology, to improve
      communication, and to allow better evaluation of the proper treatment of
      impingement lesions and rotator cuff tears. The purpose of this study was to
      assess orthopedic surgeons' intraobserver and interobserver reliability of the
      Copeland-Levy classification. METHODS: Six fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons
      reviewed shoulder arthroscopy videos of 69 consecutive patients who underwent
      shoulder arthroscopy for rotator cuff tear repair or subacromial decompression.
      The surgeons were asked to classify impingement lesions according to the Copeland
      Levy classification. One month afterward, the surgeons were requested to repeat
      the evaluation of the same impingement lesions. Intraobserver reliability was
      calculated using Cohen's weighted kappa. Interobserver reliability was calculated
      using Kendall's W. RESULTS: Overall intraobserver reliability for acromial and
      bursal lesions was kappa = 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.9) and kappa =
      0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.95-0.98), respectively. Interobserver
      reliability for acromial and bursal lesions was W = 0.87 and W = 0.92,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Intraobserver and interobserver reliability of the
      Copeland-Levy classification among senior orthopedic surgeons is excellent.
      Hence, we suggest the Copeland-Levy classification be used to standardize
      terminology of the subacromial impingement lesion.

PMID- 28919001
TI  - Pharmacological inhibition of ALDH1A enzymes suppresses weight gain in a mouse
      model of diet-induced obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retinoic acid (RA) is known to play a role in weight regulation.
      Because mice without ALDH1A1, a major RA synthesizing enzyme, are resistant to
      diet-induced obesity, we tested a hypothesis that pharmacological inhibition of
      RA synthesis can suppress weight gain in a murine model of diet-induced obesity.
      METHODS: C57BL/6J male mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks to induce
      obesity and then randomized to a HFD with or without WIN 18,446, an RA synthesis
      inhibitor, for an additional 9 weeks. Body weight, body composition, energy
      expenditure, activity, and food intake were measured. Levels of retinoids,
      lipids, and genes involved in the metabolism of retinoid and lipids were also
      determined. RESULT: s Mice treated with WIN 18,446 gained significantly less
      weight and had decreased adipose tissue weight, adipocyte size, and macrophage
      infiltration in adipose tissue. In addition, we observed higher UCP1 expression
      in adipose tissues and decreased expression of RA responsive genes and genes
      involved in fatty acid synthesis in the livers and lungs of mice treated with WIN
      18,446. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacological suppression of RA synthesis via inhibition
      of ALDH1A1 may be a potential target for treatment of obesity.

PMID- 28919002
TI  - X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy in a chimpanzee due to an ABCD1 mutation reported
      in multiple unrelated humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a genetic disorder leading
      to the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) due to a mutation in
      the ABCD1 gene. ABCD1 mutations lead to a variety of phenotypes, including
      cerebral X-ALD and adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) in affected males and 80% of
      carrier females. There is no definite genotype-phenotype correlation with
      intrafamilial variability. Cerebral X-ALD typically presents in childhood, but
      can also present in juveniles and adults. The most affected tissues are the white
      matter of the brain and adrenal cortex. MRI demonstrates a characteristic imaging
      appearance in cerebral X-ALD that is used as a diagnostic tool. OBJECTIVES: We
      aim to correlate a mutation in the ABCD1 gene in a chimpanzee to the human
      disease X-ALD based on MRI features, neurologic symptoms, and plasma levels of
      VLCFA. METHODS: Diagnosis of X-ALD made using MRI, blood lipid profiling, and DNA
      sequencing. RESULTS: An 11-year-old chimpanzee showed remarkably similar features
      to juvenile onset cerebral X-ALD in humans including demyelination of frontal
      lobes and corpus callosum on MRI, elevated plasma levels of C24:0 and C26:0, and
      identification of the c.1661G>A ABCD1 variant. CONCLUSIONS: This case study
      presents the first reported case of a leukodystrophy in a great ape, and
      underscores the fidelity of MRI pattern recognition in this disorder across
      species.

PMID- 28919003
TI  - Inter-observer agreement in GTV delineation of bone metastases on CT and impact
      of MR imaging: A multicenter study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for bone
      metastases is increasing rapidly. Therefore, knowledge of the inter-observer
      differences in tumor volume delineation is essential to guarantee precise dose
      delivery. The aim of this study is to compare inter-observer agreement in bone
      metastases delineated on different imaging modalities. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Twenty consecutive patients with bone metastases treated with SBRT were selected.
      All patients received CT and MR imaging in treatment position prior to SBRT. Five
      observers from three institutions independently delineated gross tumor volume
      (GTV) on CT alone, CT with co-registered MRI and MRI alone. Four contours per
      imaging modality per patient were available, as one set of contours was shared by
      2 observers. Inter-observer agreement, expressed in generalized conformity index
      [CIgen], volumes of contours and contours center of mass (COM) were calculated
      per patient and imaging modality. RESULTS: Mean GTV delineated on MR (45.9+/
      52.0cm3) was significantly larger compared to CT-MR (40.2+/-49.4cm3) and CT
      (34.8+/-41.8cm3). A considerable variation in CIgen was found on CT (mean 0.46,
      range 0.15-0.75) and CT-MRI (mean 0.54, range 0.17-0.71). The highest agreement
      was found on MRI (mean 0.56, range 0.20-0.77). The largest variations of COM were
      found in anterior-posterior direction for all imaging modalities. CONCLUSIONS:
      Large inter-observer variation in GTV delineation exists for CT, CT-MRI and MRI.
      MRI-based GTV delineation resulted in larger volumes and highest consistency
      between observers.

PMID- 28919004
TI  - Stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung cancer patients with idiopathic
      interstitial pneumonias.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare toxicity and survival after stereotactic body radiotherapy
      (SBRT) between lung cancer patients with or without idiopathic interstitial
      pneumonias (IIPs), and to investigate the potential value of SBRT for the
      patients. METHODS: Among lung cancer patients receiving SBRT between 2005 and
      2016, we evaluated those treated with a total dose of 40-60Gy in five fractions
      with curative intent who either were staged as cT1-4N0M0 or experienced
      postoperative isolated local recurrence. We analyzed the incidence of radiation
      pneumonitis (RP) in all patients and local recurrence and overall survival (OS)
      in T1a-2a patients. RESULTS: A total of 508 patients were eligible, including 42
      with IIPs. The median follow-up was 32.3 (6.0-120.9) months. Significantly more
      patients with IIPs had grade >=3RP than did those without IIPs (12% vs. 3%,
      p=0.009). The 2-year local recurrence rate was low in both groups (3.4% vs. 5.6%,
      p=0.38). The 2-year OS rate was significantly lower in the patients with IIPs
      (42.2% vs. 80.9%, p<0.001), although death from lung cancer was comparable
      (p=0.74). CONCLUSION: SBRT achieved excellent local control with acceptable
      pulmonary toxicity in lung cancer patients with IIPs. SBRT can be a reasonable
      option for early lung cancer patients with IIPs.

PMID- 28919005
TI  - Ex vivo gammaH2AX radiation sensitivity assay in prostate cancer: Inter-patient
      and intra-patient heterogeneity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study is to assess inter-patient and intra-patient
      heterogeneity in tumour cell radiosensitivity using the ex vivo gammaH2AX assay
      in prostate cancer specimens. METHODS: Excised specimens from untreated prostate
      cancer patients were cultivated 24h in media, irradiated ex vivo and fixed after
      24h. Residual gammaH2AX foci were counted and the slope of the dose response was
      calculated. Intra-patient heterogeneity was studied from three to seven different
      biopsies. RESULTS: In pathology-confirmed tumour samples from 21 patients the
      slope of residual gammaH2AX foci and radiation dose showed a substantial
      heterogeneity ranging from 0.82 to 3.17 foci/Gy. No correlation was observed
      between the slope values and the Gleason score (p=0.37), prostate specific
      antigen (p=0.48) and tumour stage (p=0.89). ANOVA indicated that only in 1 out of
      9 patients, biopsies from different tumour locations yielded statistically
      significant differences. Variance component analysis indicated higher inter
      patient than intra-patient variability. Bootstrap simulation study demonstrated
      that one biopsy is sufficient to estimate the mean value of residual gammaH2AX
      per dose level and account for intra-patient heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: In
      prostate cancer inter-patient heterogeneity in tumour cell radiation sensitivity
      is pronounced and higher than intra-patient heterogeneity supporting the further
      development of the gammaH2AX ex vivo assay as a biomarker for individualized
      treatment.

PMID- 28919006
TI  - Histology of non-small cell lung cancer predicts the response to stereotactic
      body radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic impact of different
      histological subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on outcome following
      stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for NSCLC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We analyzed 126 consecutive patients with early-stage adenocarcinoma or squamous
      cell carcinoma treated with SBRT from 2004 to 2016. Adenocarcinoma patients were
      further sub-classified as high-risk or low-risk tumors. RESULTS: With a median
      follow-up time of 22months, 2-year overall survival (OS), local (LC), and distant
      control (DC) were 68%, 90% and 79%, respectively. For LC, histologic subtype was
      identified as major independent prognostic factor (p=0.033): while LC was 81% for
      squamous cell carcinoma patients, LC was significantly improved for high-risk and
      even more non-high-risk adenocarcinoma patients with 96% and 100%, respectively
      (p=0.026). The negative prognostic impact of the histologic subtype "squamous
      cell carcinoma" was not evident when patients received SBRT with higher total
      doses in EQD2 (2Gy equivalent dose): if patients were treated with a total dose
      in EQD2>=150Gy, no significant difference in LC for histologic subtypes was
      detected anymore (p=0.355). CONCLUSION: In the current study, histologic subtypes
      of NSCLC predicted local control probabilities following SBRT. Prospective, multi
      center studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic impact of histology and
      consecutively the need for SBRT dose adaptation.

PMID- 28919007
TI  - On the importance of protein diffusion in biological systems: The example of the
      Bicoid morphogen gradient.
AB  - Morphogens are proteins that form concentration gradients in embryos and
      developing tissues, where they act as postal codes, providing cells with
      positional information and allowing them to behave accordingly. Bicoid was the
      first discovered morphogen, and remains one of the most studied. It regulates
      segmentation in flies, forming a striking exponential gradient along the anterior
      posterior axis of early Drosophila embryos, and activating the transcription of
      multiple target genes in a concentration-dependent manner. In this review, the
      work done by us and by others to characterize the mobility of Bicoid in D.
      melanogaster embryos is presented. The central role played by the diffusion of
      Bicoid in both the establishment of the gradient and the activation of target
      genes is discussed, and placed in the context of the need for these processes to
      be all at once rapid, precise and robust. The Bicoid system, and morphogen
      gradients in general, remain amongst the most amazing examples of the
      coexistence, often observed in living systems, of small-scale disorder and large
      scale spatial order. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biophysics
      in Canada, edited by Lewis Kay, John Baenziger, Albert Berghuis and Peter
      Tieleman.

PMID- 28919008
TI  - Immunoadsorption in neurological disorders.
AB  - In recent years, immunoadsorption has been increasingly recognized as an
      alternative to therapeutic plasma exchange and used for the treatment of
      neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory
      demyelinating polyneuropathy, myasthenia gravis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum
      disorders, and multiple sclerosis, as well as autoimmune encephalitis. Unlike
      therapeutic plasma exchange, which requires fluid replacement with a blood
      solution such as fresh frozen plasma or albumin, immunoadsorption is a blood
      purification technique that enables the selective removal of humoral factors from
      separated plasma through a high-affinity adsorbent with tryptophan or
      phenylalanine. Although the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of
      immunoadsorption treatment remain to be fully elucidated, they are based on the
      removal of pathogenic humoral factors from circulating blood, such as disease
      specific autoantibodies, complement, and inflammatory cytokines. The American
      Society for Apheresis has published evidence-based guidelines on the use of
      therapeutic apheresis in clinical practice, with specific instructions on 16
      neurological disorders. However, the modality recommended in the guidelines for
      most of these disorders is therapeutic plasma exchange. This part of our review
      focuses on the clinical aspects of immunoadsorption. We also describe the
      efficacy of immunoadsorption and the evidence obtained by previous studies of the
      treatment of neurological disorders. Immunoadsorption could greatly improve the
      treatment of patients with autoimmune neurological disorders but further evidence
      is needed to confirm the efficacy of immunoadsorption in clinical practice.

PMID- 28919009
TI  - Distinct patterns of response to transfusion therapy for different chronic
      complications of sickle cell disease: A useful insight.
AB  - Two main sub-phenotypes have been described in sickle cell disease: one with
      higher baseline haemoglobin and a higher rate of painful crises and one with
      lower baseline haemoglobin, increased markers of haemolysis and a higher
      incidence of pulmonary hypertension, priapism and leg ulcers. We compared the
      patterns of response to regular automated red cell exchange transfusion over a
      five-year period of 21 patients with recurrent painful crises from the first
      group and 3 patients with pulmonary hypertension and 5 with recurrent severe
      stuttering priapism form the second and found them to be distinctly different.
      Response for pain is slow and increases gradually over years. The most pronounced
      clinical benefit and the one that appears first is a reduction in the severity
      rather than the frequency of painful crises. In contrast to the slow and gradual
      response we see for pain, response of patients with pulmonary hypertension and
      priapism is immediate with significant clinical improvement even after the first
      transfusion. The response appears to be directly correlated to the HbS level as
      the symptoms of both conditions invariably recur rapidly when transfusions are
      delayed or discontinued but resolve again once they are re-instituted.

PMID- 28919010
TI  - Germ cell proliferation and apoptosis during testicular regression in a seasonal
      breeding fish kept in captivity.
AB  - Cell proliferation and apoptosis regulate germ cells stock and sperm production,
      eliminate anomalous gametes, and are essential parameters to consider in fish
      farming. Herein, spermatogenic activity as well as germ cell proliferation and
      apoptosis were assessed in Leporinus taeniatus, a seasonal breeding species from
      the Sao Francisco River basin, Brazil. Testes of 24 adult fishes from a farming
      station were sampled between December and July and processed for light and
      transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry for PCNA and TUNEL
      assay. The gonadosomatic index and seminiferous tubule diameters presented higher
      values during the breeding season (December/January and February/March), and then
      significantly reduced during the regression and resting stages (April/May and
      June/July). Phagocytosis of spermatozoa by Sertoli cells was evident during
      gonadal regression, but a significant number (up to 30%) remained at the tubular
      lumen during the resting stage. A higher PCNA/TUNEL ratio occurred in the
      breeding period, leading to an elevated proportion (%) of spermatogonia (GA and
      GB) in resting. Moreover, a higher TUNEL/PCNA ratio indicates the contribution of
      apoptosis to the reduction of germ cells during testicular regression. Together,
      these results indicate a shift in the balance between cell proliferation and
      apoptosis that contributes to the regulation of the spermatogenic cycle and germ
      cells pool of L. taeniatus kept in captivity.

PMID- 28919012
TI  - BRAFV600E and BRAF-inactivating mutations in NSCLC.

PMID- 28919011
TI  - Dabrafenib plus trametinib in patients with previously untreated BRAFV600E-mutant
      metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: an open-label, phase 2 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: BRAFV600E mutation occurs in 1-2% of lung adenocarcinomas and acts as
      an oncogenic driver. Dabrafenib, alone or combined with trametinib, has shown
      substantial antitumour activity in patients with previously treated BRAFV600E
      mutant metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to assess the
      activity and safety of dabrafenib plus trametinib treatment in previously
      untreated patients with BRAFV600E-mutant metastatic NSCLC. METHODS: In this phase
      2, sequentially enrolled, multicohort, multicentre, non-randomised, open-label
      study, adults (>=18 years of age) with previously untreated metastatic BRAFV600E
      mutant NSCLC were enrolled into cohort C from 19 centres in eight countries
      within North America, Europe, and Asia. Patients received oral dabrafenib 150 mg
      twice per day plus oral trametinib 2 mg once per day until disease progression,
      unacceptable adverse events, consent withdrawal, or death. The primary endpoint
      was investigator-assessed overall response, defined as the percentage of patients
      who achieved a confirmed complete response or partial response per Response
      Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors version 1.1. The primary and safety analyses
      were by intention to treat in the protocol-defined population (previously
      untreated patients). The study is ongoing, but no longer recruiting patients.
      This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01336634. FINDINGS:
      Between April 16, 2014, and Dec 28, 2015, 36 patients were enrolled and treated
      with first-line dabrafenib plus trametinib. Median follow-up was 15.9 months (IQR
      7.8-22.0) at the data cutoff (April 28, 2017). The proportion of patients with
      investigator-assessed confirmed overall response was 23 (64%, 95% CI 46-79), with
      two (6%) patients achieving a complete response and 21 (58%) a partial response.
      All patients had one or more adverse event of any grade, and 25 (69%) had one or
      more grade 3 or 4 event. The most common (occurring in more than two patients)
      grade 3 or 4 adverse events were pyrexia (four [11%]), alanine aminotransferase
      increase (four [11%]), hypertension (four [11%]), and vomiting (three [8%]).
      Serious adverse events occurring in more than two patients included alanine
      aminotransferase increase (five [14%]), pyrexia (four [11%]), aspartate
      aminotransferase increase (three [8%]), and ejection fraction decrease (three
      [8%]). One fatal serious adverse event deemed unrelated to study treatment was
      reported (cardiorespiratory arrest). INTERPRETATION: Dabrafenib plus trametinib
      represents a new therapy with clinically meaningful antitumour activity and a
      manageable safety profile in patients with previously untreated BRAFV600E-mutant
      NSCLC. FUNDING: Novartis.

PMID- 28919013
TI  - Esophageal perforation and dissection due to echocardiography: Endoscopic
      treatment using an Over-the-Scope clip.

PMID- 28919014
TI  - Regulation and function of endothelial glycocalyx layer in vascular diseases.
AB  - In the vascular system, the endothelial surface layer (ESL) as the inner surface
      of blood vessels affects mechanotransduction, vascular permeability, rheology,
      thrombogenesis, and leukocyte adhesion. It creates barriers between endothelial
      cells and blood and neighbouring cells. The glycocalyx, composed of
      glycoconjugates and proteoglycans, is an integral component of the ESL and a key
      element in inter- and intracellular communication and tissue homeostasis. In
      pathophysiological conditions (atherosclerosis, infection, ischemia/reperfusion
      injury, diabetes, trauma and acute lung injury) glycocalyx-degrading factors,
      i.e. reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, matrix metalloproteinases, heparanase
      and sialidases, damage the ESL, thereby impairing endothelial functions. This
      leads to increased capillary permeability, leucocyte-endothelium interactions,
      thrombosis and vascular inflammation, the latter further driving glycocalyx
      destruction. The present review highlights current knowledge on the
      vasculoprotective role of the ESL, with specific emphasis on its remodelling in
      inflammatory vascular diseases and discusses its potential as a novel therapeutic
      target to treat vascular pathologies.

PMID- 28919015
TI  - Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ie2, Cry2Ac7, Vip3Aa11 and Cry7Ab3
      proteins against Anticarsia gemmatalis, Chrysodeixis includens and Ceratoma
      trifurcata.
AB  - Transgenic soybean producing the Cry1Ac insecticidal protein from the bacterium
      Bacillus thuringiensis is used to control larvae of the velvetbean caterpillar
      (Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner) and the soybean looper [Chrysodeixis includens
      (Walker)]. The main threat to the sustainability of this technology is the
      development of resistance, which could be delayed by using pyramiding of diverse
      Bt insecticidal genes. We report high activity of Cry2Ac7 and Vip3Aa11 but not
      Cry1Ie2 against larvae of A. gemmatalis and C. includens. In addition, we also
      report anti-feeding activity of Cry1Ie2 and Cry7Ab3 in adults of the bean leaf
      beetle [Ceratoma trifurcata (Foster)], an alternative pest of soybean.

PMID- 28919016
TI  - Metarhizium brunneum - An enzootic wireworm disease and evidence for its
      suppression by bacterial symbionts.
AB  - Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are serious agricultural pests, with soil
      dwelling larvae attacking subterranean tissues of crop plants and their fruit
      when in contact with the soil surface. Researchers collect wireworms for
      laboratory experiments to study their behaviour and test pest control agents but
      frequently lose them to Metarhizium Petch (Ascomycota: Hypocreales:
      Clavicipitaceae) infection. We found latent M. brunneum infection in 13-100% of
      live, asymptomatic Agriotes obscurus and A. lineatus wireworms acquired from
      agricultural fields and in wireworms maintained indoors, indicating its enzootic
      presence. M. brunneum DNA in the wireworms maintained indoors sometimes exceeded
      250pg/ug total DNA (0.025% of whole-sample DNA mass). Expressed as copies of M.
      brunneum DNA/g, unadulterated soil levels of M. brunneum ranged from 4037 in
      agricultural field soil to 721,538 in soil harbouring a wireworm collection
      indoors, with the prevalence of latently-infected live wireworm specimens being
      directly related to soil levels. M. brunneum levels in live wireworms, when
      regressed against relative levels of 394 bacteria species in the microbiome, were
      proportionally related to only four: Pantoea agglomerans, Pandoraea pnomenusa,
      Nocardia pseudovaccinii, and Mycobacterium frederiksbergense. All four of these
      bacteria have previously been reported to express antimicrobial mechanisms.
      Consistent with occurrences of disease immunity reported for other pathogen
      insect pairs, symbiotic bacteria may be suppressing M. brunneum-induced wireworm
      mortality. This would help explain why wireworms commonly succumb to infection
      after being brought into sterilized conditions, as well as the sometimes limited
      efficacy of M. brunneum when using it as a pest control agent in the field.

PMID- 28919017
TI  - Molecular characterization of lower vaginal swabs for Human papilloma virus in
      association with Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Cameroonian Women.
AB  - Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is an etiological factor for cervical
      cancer development and Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is considered as a cofactor.
      Understanding the dynamics of HPV and Ct infection could help to explain the
      incidence of early onset of cervical cancer (CC) observed in Cameroon. Lower
      vaginal swabs and sera from sexually active women were analyzed for HPV and Ct
      infection in association with risk factors. Questionnaires were used to document
      patients' lifestyle and risk factors. A total of 206 women participated in the
      study average 28.1+/-8years (16-50 years). HPV prevalence was 23.3% with subtypes
      16 and 18 at respectively 2.9% and 1%. Ct infection totalised 40.8%, of which
      23.8% were HPV- Ct co-infections. HPV infection was inversely associated with age
      (p=0.028). We found a positive association between Ct infection and the number of
      sex partners (p=0.012) and a negative association with parity (p=0.032). There
      was no significant association between HPV and Ct infections. High rates of HPV
      and Ct infections could be an indicator of cervical cancer risk in the near
      future. There is therefore an urgent need for sensitization as well as
      implementation of appropriate preventive measures.

PMID- 28919018
TI  - De novo transcriptome assembly of the calanoid copepod Neocalanus flemingeri: A
      new resource for emergence from diapause.
AB  - Copepods, small planktonic crustaceans, are key links between primary producers
      and upper trophic levels, including many economically important fishes. In the
      subarctic North Pacific, the life cycle of copepods like Neocalanus flemingeri
      includes an ontogenetic migration to depth followed by a period of diapause (a
      type of dormancy) characterized by arrested development and low metabolic
      activity. The end of diapause is marked by the production of the first brood of
      eggs. Recent temperature anomalies in the North Pacific have raised concerns
      about potential negative effects on N. flemingeri. Since diapause is a
      developmental program, its progress can be tracked using through global gene
      expression. Thus, a reference transcriptome was developed as a first step towards
      physiological profiling of diapausing females using high-throughput Illumina
      sequencing. The de novo transcriptome, the first for this species was designed to
      investigate the diapause period. RNA-Seq reads were obtained for dormant to
      reproductive N. flemingeri females. A high quality de novo transcriptome was
      obtained by first assembling reads from each individual using Trinity software
      followed by clustering with CAP3 Assembly Program. This assembly consisted of
      140,841transcripts (contigs). Bench-marking universal single-copy orthologs
      analysis identified 85% of core eukaryotic genes, with 79% predicted to be
      complete. Comparison with other calanoid transcriptomes confirmed its quality and
      degree of completeness. Trinity assembly of reads originating from multiple
      individuals led to fragmentation. Thus, the workflow applied here differed from
      the one recommended by Trinity, but was required to obtain a good assembly.

PMID- 28919019
TI  - Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition: Epigenetic Reprogramming Driving Cellular
      Plasticity.
AB  - Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process in which epithelial cells
      lose their junctions and polarity to gain a motile mesenchymal phenotype. EMT is
      essential during embryogenesis and adult physiological processes like wound
      healing, but is aberrantly activated in pathological conditions like fibrosis and
      cancer. A series of transcription factors (EMT-inducing transcription factor; EMT
      TF) regulate the induction of EMT by repressing the transcription of epithelial
      genes while activating mesenchymal genes through mechanisms still debated. The
      nuclear interaction of EMT-TFs with larger protein complexes involved in
      epigenetic genome modulation has attracted recent attention to explain functions
      of EMT-TFs during reprogramming and cellular differentiation. In this review, we
      discuss recent advances in understanding the interplay between epigenetic
      regulators and EMT transcription factors and how these findings could be used to
      establish new therapeutic approaches to tackle EMT-related diseases.

PMID- 28919020
TI  - Understanding the association between pressure ulcers and sitting in adults what
      does it mean for me and my carers? Seating guidelines for people, carers and
      health & social care professionals.
AB  - The aim of the publication was to develop a practical guide for people, carers
      and health and social care professionals on how the research and evidence base on
      pressure ulcer prevention and management can be applied to those who remain
      seated for extended periods of time. This publication was developed at the
      request of the Tissue Viability Society in order to revise the original seating
      guidelines from 2008 as evidence and subsequent care has moved forward in
      relation to this area. Since 2008, the costs for the prevention and management of
      pressure ulcers have increased significantly and there is limited published
      advice from health and social care organisations on seating and preventing
      pressure ulcers. These guidelines have been written for: Who live or work in
      primary, secondary, and tertiary settings.

PMID- 28919021
TI  - Developing the tissue viability seating guidelines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Costs for the prevention and management of pressure ulcers have
      increased significantly with limited published advice from health and social care
      organisations on seating and preventing pressure ulcers. At the request of the UK
      Tissue Viability Society the aim of the publication was to develop a practical
      guide for people, carers and health and social care professionals on how the
      research and evidence base on pressure ulcer prevention and management can be
      applied to those who remain seated for extended periods of time. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: The evidence base informing the guidelines was obtained by applying a
      triangulation of methods: a literature review, listening event and stakeholder
      group consultation. The purpose was to engage users and carers, academics,
      clinicians, inspectorate and charities, with an interest in seating, positioning
      and pressure management to: gather views, feedback, stories, and evidence of the
      current practices in the field to create a greater awareness of the issue.
      CONCLUSION: The new guidelines are inclusive of all people with short and long
      term mobility issues to include all population groups. The document includes
      evidence on where pressure ulcers develop when seated, risk factors, best
      possible seated position and what seat adjustments are required, the ideal
      seating assessment, interventions, self-help suggestions and key seating
      outcomes. The updated TVS CPGs have been informed by the best available evidence,
      the insights and wisdom of experts, stakeholders and people who spend extended
      periods of time sitting.

PMID- 28919022
TI  - A prospective comparison of younger and older patients' preferences for breast
      conserving surgery versus mastectomy in early breast cancer.

PMID- 28919023
TI  - The Many Shades of Dyspnea.

PMID- 28919024
TI  - Out of Place: Gallstone Ileus.

PMID- 28919025
TI  - Resident Research Experiences in Internal Medicine Residency Programs-A
      Nationwide Survey.

PMID- 28919026
TI  - A novel FAPalpha-based Z-Gly-Pro epirubicin prodrug for improving tumor-targeting
      chemotherapy.
AB  - Fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAPalpha) is a serine protease of the post
      prolyl peptidase family that is specifically expressed in the majority of human
      epithelial tumors, but not in normal tissues. In this study, we demonstrated the
      anti-tumor activity of a novel targeting drug formed by conjugating epirubicin
      (EPI) with an FAPalpha-specific dipeptide (Z-Gly-Pro) and named it Z-GP-EPI.
      Consistent with this tumor-targeting delivery strategy, the results illustrated
      that Z-GP-EPI could release EPI efficiently after incubating with FAPalpha and
      could exhibit similar antitumor effects as EPI in vitro in FAPalpha over
      expressed tumor cells (4T1/FAPalpha+). Furthermore, the evaluation of antitumor
      activity of Z-GP-EPI in vivo was implemented in a 4T1/FAPalpha+ tumor-bearing
      mice xenograft model. Our results illustrated that Z-GP-EPI had similar antitumor
      effects in 4T1/FAPalpha+ tumor-bearing mice and showed no visible cardiotoxicity
      side effects compared with free EPI. Thus, our study indicated that this FAPalpha
      activated prodrug targeting strategy may provide a new mechanism for the targeted
      delivery of antitumor agents and improve their safety levels.

PMID- 28919027
TI  - Macrolactin F inhibits RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis by suppressing Akt, MAPK
      and NFATc1 pathways and promotes osteoblastogenesis through a BMP
      2/smad/Akt/Runx2 signaling pathway.
AB  - The balance between bone formation and bone resorption is maintained by
      osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In the current study, macrolactin F (MF) was
      investigated for novel biological activity on the receptor activator of nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis in primary
      bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). We found that RANKL-induced osteoclast
      formation and differentiation from BMMs was significantly inhibited by MF in a
      dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. RANKL-induced F-actin ring formation
      and bone resorption activity in BMMs which was attenuated by MF. In addition, MF
      suppressed the expression of osteoclast-related genes, including c-myc, RANK,
      tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), nuclear factor of activated T cells
      c1 (NFATc1), cathepsin K and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9). Furthermore, the
      protein expression NFATc1, c-Fos, MMP9, cathepsin K and phosphorylation of Jun N
      terminal kinase (JNK), p38 and Akt were also down-regulated by MF treatment.
      Interestingly, MF promoted pre-osteoblast cell differentiation on Alizarin Red
      mineralization activity, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and the expression
      of osteoblastogenic markers including Runx2, Osterix, Smad4, ALP, type I collagen
      alpha 1 (Col1alpha), osteopontin (OPN), and osteocalcin (OCN) via activation of
      the BMP-2/smad/Akt/Runx2 pathway on MC3T3-E1. Taken together, these results
      indicate that MF may be useful as a therapeutic agent to enhance bone health and
      treat osteoporosis.

PMID- 28919030
TI  - Investigating the familiarity effect in texture segmentation by means of event
      related brain potentials.
AB  - The familiarity effect (FE) refers to the phenomenon that it is easier to find an
      unfamiliar element on a background of familiar elements than vice versa. In this
      study, we examined the FE in texture segmentation while recording event-related
      brain potentials with the aim to find out which processing stages were influenced
      by familiarity. In two experiments, with different levels of texture homogeneity,
      the N1, the N2p, and the P3 components were investigated. It was found that the
      FE in texture segmentation is associated with a modulation of the early N1 and of
      the intermediate N2p component for homogeneous textures. For inhomogeneous
      (jittered) textures, the FE was found for the intermediate N2p and for the late
      P3 components, but not for the N1 component. Our findings suggest that increasing
      texture inhomogeneity shifts the FE occurrence to later processing stages.

PMID- 28919031
TI  - A pilot study to assess near infrared laparoscopy with indocyanine green (ICG)
      for intraoperative sentinel lymph node mapping in early colon cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous attempts at sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in colon
      cancer have been compromised by ineffective tracers and the inclusion of advanced
      disease. This study evaluated the feasibility of fluorescence detection of SLNs
      with indocyanine green (ICG) for lymphatic mapping in T1/T2 clinically staged
      colonic malignancy. METHODS: Consecutive patients with clinical T1/T2 stage colon
      cancer underwent endoscopic peritumoral submucosal injection of indocyanine green
      (ICG) for fluorescence detection of SLN using a near-infrared (NIR) camera. All
      patients underwent laparoscopic complete mesocolic excision surgery. Detection
      rate and sensitivity of the NIR-ICG technique were the study endpoints. RESULTS:
      Thirty patients mean age = 68 years [range = 38-80], mean BMI = 26.2 (IQR = 24.7
      28.6) were studied. Mesocolic sentinel nodes (median = 3/patient) were detected
      by fluorescence within the standard resection field in 27/30 patients. Overall,
      ten patients had lymph node metastases, with one of these patients having a
      failed SLN procedure. Of the 27 patients with completed SLN mapping, nine
      patients had histologically positive lymph nodes containing malignancy. 3/9 had
      positive SLNs with 6 false negatives. In five of these false negative patients,
      tumours were larger than 35 mm with four also being T3/T4. CONCLUSION: ICG
      mapping with NIR fluorescence allowed mesenteric detection of SLNs in clinical
      T1/T2 stage colonic cancer. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: ID: NCT01662752.

PMID- 28919032
TI  - The role of preoperative axillary ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration cytology
      in identifying patients with extensive axillary lymph node involvement.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the recent past, both clinically node-positive and node-negative
      but sentinel node-positive patients underwent axillary lymph node dissection
      (ALND), although the two groups seem to have substantially different degree of
      nodal involvement. METHODS: Data on consecutive primary breast cancer patients
      with documented axillary ultrasound (AXUS) results who underwent ALND between
      January 2003 and December 2015 either because of AXUS-guided fine needle
      aspiration (A-FNAC) results or because of a positive sentinel lymph node were
      retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: After exclusions, 316 patients staged by SNB
      and ALND with negative AXUS or A-FNAC (group A) were compared with 159 patients
      having positive A-FNAC results (group B). Tumour size and the proportion of
      mastectomies were greater, histological grade higher and lymphovascular invasion
      more frequent in Group B, where palpable lymph nodes were also more common. The
      proportion of cases with extensive nodal involvement (pN2 and pN3 cases) was
      about 3 times as much in Group B (63%) than in Group A (18%). Removal of the 50
      patients with palpable lymph nodes from the analysis did not greatly influence
      these proportions: 60% and 19% extensive nodal involvements were noted,
      respectively. In this series, patients with suspicious AXUS and negative A-FNAC
      had more often extensive nodal involvement (25%) than AXUS negative patients
      (17%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients in whom axillary metastases are detected by
      ultrasound-guided biopsy have significantly more involved nodes than SLNB
      positive patients, and therefore are likely to benefit from axillary treatment.

PMID- 28919029
TI  - Recent advances of controlled drug delivery using microfluidic platforms.
AB  - Conventional systematically-administered drugs distribute evenly throughout the
      body, get degraded and excreted rapidly while crossing many biological barriers,
      leaving minimum amounts of the drugs at pathological sites. Controlled drug
      delivery aims to deliver drugs to the target sites at desired rates and time,
      thus enhancing the drug efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and bioavailability while
      maintaining minimal side effects. Due to a number of unique advantages of the
      recent microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technology, microfluidic lab-on-a-chip has
      provided unprecedented opportunities for controlled drug delivery. Drugs can be
      efficiently delivered to the target sites at desired rates in a well-controlled
      manner by microfluidic platforms via integration, implantation, localization,
      automation, and precise control of various microdevice parameters. These features
      accordingly make reproducible, on-demand, and tunable drug delivery become
      feasible. On-demand self-tuning dynamic drug delivery systems have shown great
      potential for personalized drug delivery. This review presents an overview of
      recent advances in controlled drug delivery using microfluidic platforms. The
      review first briefly introduces microfabrication techniques of microfluidic
      platforms, followed by detailed descriptions of numerous microfluidic drug
      delivery systems that have significantly advanced the field of controlled drug
      delivery. Those microfluidic systems can be separated into four major categories,
      namely drug carrier-free micro-reservoir-based drug delivery systems, highly
      integrated carrier-free microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems, drug carrier
      integrated microfluidic systems, and microneedles. Microneedles can be further
      categorized into five different types, i.e. solid, porous, hollow, coated, and
      biodegradable microneedles, for controlled transdermal drug delivery. At the end,
      we discuss current limitations and future prospects of microfluidic platforms for
      controlled drug delivery.

PMID- 28919033
TI  - Non-26S Proteasome Endomembrane Trafficking Pathways in ABA Signaling.
AB  - The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is a vital endogenous messenger that
      regulates diverse physiological processes in plants. The regulation of ABA
      signaling has been well studied at both the transcriptional and translational
      levels. Post-translational modification of key regulators in ABA signaling by the
      26S ubiquitin proteasome pathway is well known. Recently, increasing evidence
      demonstrates that atypical turnover of key regulators by the endocytic
      trafficking pathway and autophagy also play vital roles in ABA perception,
      signaling, and action. We summarize and synthesize here recent findings in the
      field of ABA signaling.

PMID- 28919034
TI  - A sensitive and specific lateral flow assay for rapid detection of antibodies
      against glycoprotein B of Aujeszky's disease virus.
AB  - A direct double antibody lateral flow assay (DDA-gB-LFA) for the detection of
      antibodies against the glycoprotein B (gB) of Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) in
      swine sera was developed. A native ADV gB was used for the preparation of a
      conjugate with colloidal gold particles and the immobilization on the strip
      membrane. The gB purified from ADV virions by immunoaffinity chromatography
      retained its native epitope structure after adsorption on the nitrocellulose
      membrane and the surface of colloidal gold particles. The diagnostic specificity
      and sensitivity of the DDA-gB-LFA were evaluated using 236 field swine sera. The
      diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of the DDA-gB-LFA compared to a
      commercially available gB-based ELISA were 98.0% and 98.6%, respectively, when
      determined with the use of the reader-detection mode, and 98.0% and 93.5%,
      respectively, when determined using visual detection. The DDA-gB-LFA provides a
      rapid, sensitive, and specific determination of ADV gB-directed antibodies in
      sera and can be used for the detection of ADV-exposed swine.

PMID- 28919035
TI  - Development of a fast and efficient method for hepatitis A virus concentration
      from green onion.
AB  - Hepatitis A virus (HAV) can cause serious liver disease and even death. HAV
      outbreaks are associated with the consumption of raw or minimally processed
      produce, making it a major public health concern. Infections have occurred
      despite the fact that effective HAV vaccine has been available. Development of a
      rapid and sensitive HAV detection method is necessary for an investigation of an
      HAV outbreak. Detection of HAV is complicated by the lack of a reliable culture
      method. In addition, due to the low infectious dose of HAV, these methods must be
      very sensitive. Current methods rely on efficient sample preparation and
      concentration steps followed by sensitive molecular detection techniques. Using
      green onions which was involved in most recent HAV outbreaks as a representative
      produce, a method of capturing virus particles was developed using carboxyl
      derivatized magnetic beads in this study. Carboxyl beads, like antibody-coated
      beads or cationic beads, detect HAV at a level as low as 100 pfu/25g of green
      onions. RNA from virus concentrated in this manner can be released by heat-shock
      (98 degrees C 5min) for molecular detection without sacrificing sensitivity.
      Bypassing the RNA extraction procedure saves time and removes multiple
      manipulation steps, which makes large scale HAV screening possible. In addition,
      the inclusion of beef extract and pectinase rather than NP40 in the elution
      buffer improved the HAV liberation from the food matrix over current methods by
      nearly 10 fold. The method proposed in this study provides a promising tool to
      improve food risk assessment and protect public health.

PMID- 28919036
TI  - Blends of Non-caloric Sweeteners Saccharin and Cyclamate Show Reduced Off-Taste
      due to TAS2R Bitter Receptor Inhibition.
AB  - Non-caloric sweeteners are widely used for the formulation of calorie-reduced
      beverages for health-conscious consumers. However, disadvantages such as
      undesired off-tastes limit the use of non-nutritive sweeteners. Therefore, the
      food industry is constantly searching for novel sweeteners and frequently resorts
      to using blends combining non-caloric sweeteners in a single formulation. The
      earliest blend allowing higher sweetness levels with reduced bitter off-taste
      combined saccharin with cyclamate. However, the mechanism by which sweetener
      blends become superior to single compounds remained obscure. By functional
      expression of human bitter taste receptors, we found the explanation for the
      phenomenon observed ~60 years ago. We demonstrate that cyclamate potently blocks
      the receptors responsible for saccharin's bitter off-taste. This effect occurs at
      concentrations where cyclamate itself does not elicit a side taste. Intriguingly,
      also saccharin inhibits cyclamate-activated bitter receptors. Our experiments
      demonstrate that heterologous assays are useful for understanding perceptual
      phenomena and the development of novel tastant formulations.

PMID- 28919037
TI  - A Link between Linearmycin Biosynthesis and Extracellular Vesicle Genesis
      Connects Specialized Metabolism and Bacterial Membrane Physiology.
AB  - Specialized metabolites support bacterial competitive fitness as antibiotics,
      signals, pigments, and metal scavengers. Little is known about how specialized
      metabolites are processed and trafficked for their diverse competitive functions.
      Linearmycins A and B are linear polyketides with antifungal and antibacterial
      activity but are colony-localized in imaging mass spectrometry of Streptomyces
      sp. Mg1 (S. sp. Mg1). To decipher a connection between colony localization and
      antibiotic activity, we identified the linearmycin gene cluster and investigated
      linearmycin production and distribution by S. sp. Mg1. Our results uncover a
      large family of variant linearmycins with limited solubility in aqueous solution.
      We hypothesized that extracellular vesicles may traffic the lipid-like
      linearmycins. We found that vesicles isolated from culture supernatants contained
      linearmycins. Surprisingly, abolishing production of linearmycins in S. sp. Mg1
      also diminished extracellular vesicle production. Our results reveal integration
      of linearmycin biosynthesis with production of extracellular vesicles, suggesting
      a deep connection between specialized metabolism and bacterial membrane
      physiology.

PMID- 28919038
TI  - Covalent Ligand Discovery against Druggable Hotspots Targeted by Anti-cancer
      Natural Products.
AB  - Many natural products that show therapeutic activities are often difficult to
      synthesize or isolate and have unknown targets, hindering their development as
      drugs. Identifying druggable hotspots targeted by covalently acting anti-cancer
      natural products can enable pharmacological interrogation of these sites with
      more synthetically tractable compounds. Here, we used chemoproteomic platforms to
      discover that the anti-cancer natural product withaferin A targets C377 on the
      regulatory subunit PPP2R1A of the tumor-suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)
      complex leading to activation of PP2A activity, inactivation of AKT, and impaired
      breast cancer cell proliferation. We developed a more synthetically tractable
      cysteine-reactive covalent ligand, JNS 1-40, that selectively targets C377 of
      PPP2R1A to impair breast cancer signaling, proliferation, and in vivo tumor
      growth. Our study highlights the utility of using chemoproteomics to map
      druggable hotspots targeted by complex natural products and subsequently
      interrogating these sites with more synthetically tractable covalent ligands for
      cancer therapy.

PMID- 28919039
TI  - A Linear Diubiquitin-Based Probe for Efficient and Selective Detection of the
      Deubiquitinating Enzyme OTULIN.
AB  - The methionine 1 (M1)-specific deubiquitinase (DUB) OTULIN acts as a negative
      regulator of nuclear factor kappaB signaling and immune homeostasis. By replacing
      Gly76 in distal ubiquitin (Ub) by dehydroalanine we designed the diubiquitin
      (diUb) activity-based probe UbG76Dha-Ub (OTULIN activity-based probe [ABP]) that
      couples to the catalytic site of OTULIN and thereby captures OTULIN in its active
      conformation. The OTULIN ABP displays high selectivity for OTULIN and does not
      label other M1-cleaving DUBs, including CYLD. The only detectable cross
      reactivities were the labeling of USP5 (Isopeptidase T) and an ATP-dependent
      assembly of polyOTULIN ABP chains via Ub-activating E1 enzymes. Both cross
      reactivities were abolished by the removal of the C-terminal Gly in the ABP's
      proximal Ub, yielding the specific OTULIN probe UbG76Dha-UbDeltaG76 (OTULIN
      ABPDeltaG76). Pull-downs demonstrate that substrate-bound OTULIN associates with
      the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC). Thus, we present a highly
      selective ABP for OTULIN that will facilitate studying the cellular function of
      this essential DUB.

PMID- 28919042
TI  - New tools for the visualization of biological pathways.
AB  - This paper presents several geometrically motivated techniques for the
      visualization of high-dimensional biological data sets. The Grassmann manifold
      provides a robust framework for measuring data similarity in a subspace context.
      Sparse radial basis function classification as a visualization technique
      leverages recent advances in radial basis function learning via convex
      optimization. In the spirit of deep belief networks, supervised centroid-encoding
      is proposed as a way to exploit class label information. These methods are
      compared to linear and nonlinear principal component analysis (autoencoders) in
      the context of data visualization; these approaches may perform poorly for
      visualization when the variance of the data is spread across more than three
      dimensions. In contrast, the proposed methods are shown to capture significant
      data structure in two or three dimensions, even when the information in the data
      lives in higher dimensional subspaces. To illustrate these ideas, the
      visualization techniques are applied to gene expression data sets that capture
      the host immune system's response to infection by the Ebola virus in non-human
      primate and collaborative cross mouse.

PMID- 28919041
TI  - A Split-Abl Kinase for Direct Activation in Cells.
AB  - To dissect the cellular roles of individual kinases, it is useful to design tools
      for their selective activation. We describe the engineering of a split-cAbl
      kinase (sKin-Abl) that is rapidly activated in cells with rapamycin and allows
      temporal, dose, and compartmentalization control. Our design strategy involves an
      empirical screen in mammalian cells and identification of split site in the N
      lobe. This split site leads to complete loss of activity, which can be restored
      upon small-molecule-induced dimerization in cells. Remarkably, the split site is
      transportable to the related Src Tyr kinase and the distantly related Ser/Thr
      kinase, AKT, suggesting broader applications to kinases. To quantify the fold
      induction of phosphotyrosine (pTyr) modification, we employed quantitative
      proteomics, NeuCode SILAC. We identified a number of known Abl substrates,
      including autophosphorylation sites and novel pTyr targets, 432 pTyr sites in
      total. We believe that this split-kinase technology will be useful for direct
      activation of protein kinases in cells.

PMID- 28919040
TI  - Heme Binding Biguanides Target Cytochrome P450-Dependent Cancer Cell
      Mitochondria.
AB  - The mechanisms by which cancer cell-intrinsic CYP monooxygenases promote tumor
      progression are largely unknown. CYP3A4 was unexpectedly associated with breast
      cancer mitochondria and synthesized arachidonic acid (AA)-derived
      epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which promoted the electron transport
      chain/respiration and inhibited AMPKalpha. CYP3A4 knockdown activated AMPKalpha,
      promoted autophagy, and prevented mammary tumor formation. The diabetes drug
      metformin inhibited CYP3A4-mediated EET biosynthesis and depleted cancer cell
      intrinsic EETs. Metformin bound to the active-site heme of CYP3A4 in a co-crystal
      structure, establishing CYP3A4 as a biguanide target. Structure-based design led
      to discovery of N1-hexyl-N5-benzyl-biguanide (HBB), which bound to the CYP3A4
      heme with higher affinity than metformin. HBB potently and specifically inhibited
      CYP3A4 AA epoxygenase activity. HBB also inhibited growth of established ER+
      mammary tumors and suppressed intratumoral mTOR. CYP3A4 AA epoxygenase inhibition
      by biguanides thus demonstrates convergence between eicosanoid activity in
      mitochondria and biguanide action in cancer, opening a new avenue for cancer drug
      discovery.

PMID- 28919044
TI  - Susceptibility of colistin-resistant pathogens to predatory bacteria.
AB  - The increase in multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections has forced
      the reintroduction of antibiotics such as colistin. However, the spread of the
      plasmid-borne mcr-1 colistin resistance gene have moved us closer to an era of
      untreatable Gram-negative infections. To evaluate whether predatory bacteria
      could be used as a potential therapeutic to treat this upcoming threat, the
      ability of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and Micavibrio aeruginosavorus to prey on
      several clinically relevant mcr-1-positive, colistin-resistant isolates was
      evaluated. No change in the ability of the predators to prey on free swimming and
      biofilms of prey cells harboring mcr-1 was measured, as compared to their mcr-1
      negative strain.

PMID- 28919045
TI  - Cover Story Enhanced intrapericardial drug delivery by PLGA nanoparticles.

PMID- 28919043
TI  - Neocortical dynamics during whisker-based sensory discrimination in head
      restrained mice.
AB  - A fundamental task frequently encountered by brains is to rapidly and reliably
      discriminate between sensory stimuli of the same modality, be it distinct
      auditory sounds, odors, visual patterns, or tactile textures. A key mammalian
      brain structure involved in discrimination behavior is the neocortex. Sensory
      processing not only involves the respective primary sensory area, which is
      crucial for perceptual detection, but additionally relies on cortico-cortical
      communication among several regions including higher-order sensory areas as well
      as frontal cortical areas. It remains elusive how these regions exchange
      information to process neural representations of distinct stimuli to bring about
      a decision and initiate appropriate behavioral responses. Likewise, it is poorly
      understood how these neural computations are conjured during task learning. In
      this review, we discuss recent studies investigating cortical dynamics during
      discrimination behaviors that utilize head-fixed behavioral tasks in combination
      with in vivo electrophysiology, two-photon calcium imaging, and cell-type
      specific targeting. We particularly focus on information flow in distinct cortico
      cortical pathways when mice use their whiskers to discriminate between different
      objects or different locations. Within the primary and secondary somatosensory
      cortices (S1 and S2, respectively) as well as vibrissae motor cortex (M1),
      intermingled functional representations of touch, whisking, and licking were
      found, which partially re-organized during discrimination learning. These
      findings provide first glimpses of cortico-cortical communication but emphasize
      that for understanding the complete process of discrimination it will be crucial
      to elucidate the details of how neural processing is coordinated across brain
      wide neuronal networks including the S1-S2-M1 triangle and cortical areas beyond.

PMID- 28919046
TI  - FGF23 activates injury-primed renal fibroblasts via FGFR4-dependent signalling
      and enhancement of TGF-beta autoinduction.
AB  - Bone-derived fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is an important endocrine
      regulator of mineral homeostasis with effects transduced by cognate FGF receptor
      (FGFR)1-alpha-Klotho complexes. Circulating FGF23 levels rise precipitously in
      patients with kidney disease and portend worse renal and cardiovascular outcomes.
      De novo expression of FGF23 has been found in the heart and kidney following
      injury but its significance remains unclear. Studies showing that exposure to
      chronically high FGF23 concentrations activates hypertrophic gene programs in the
      cardiomyocyte has spawned intense interest in other pathological off-target
      effects of FGF23 excess. In the kidney, observational evidence points to a
      concordance of ectopic renal FGF23 expression and the activation of local
      transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta signalling. Although we have previously
      shown that FGF23 activates injury-primed renal fibroblasts in vitro, our
      understanding of the mechanism underpinning these effects was incomplete. Here we
      show that in the absence of alpha-Klotho, FGF23 augments pro-fibrotic signalling
      cascades in injury-primed renal fibroblasts via activation of FGFR4 and
      upregulation of the calcium transporter, transient receptor potential cation
      channel 6. The resultant rise in intracellular calcium and production of
      mitochondrial reactive oxygen species induced expression of NFAT responsive-genes
      and enhanced TGF-beta1 autoinduction through non-canonical JNK-dependent
      pathways. Reconstitution with transmembrane alpha-Klotho, or its soluble
      ectodomain, restored classical Egr signalling and antagonised FGF23-driven
      myofibroblast differentiation. Thus, renal FGF23 may amplify local myofibroblast
      activation in injury and perpetuate pro-fibrotic signalling. These findings
      strengthen the rationale for exploring therapeutic inhibition of FGFR4 or
      restoration of alpha-Klotho as upstream regulators of off-target FGF23 effects.

PMID- 28919047
TI  - Long non-coding RNA 657 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth by acting
      as a molecular sponge of miR-106a-5p to regulate PTEN expression.
AB  - Previous study has identified the aberrant expression of LINC00657, a long non
      coding RNA (lncRNA), in human breast cancer. However, the expression pattern,
      biological function and underlying mechanism of LINC00657 in human hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) remain obscure. The expression levels of LINC00657 in HCC tissues
      and cell lines were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. CCK-8 assay, cell
      colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis, Transwell assay were performed to
      determine whether LINC00657 could affect HCC progression. Luciferase reporter
      assay was used to assess the target of LINC00657. Expressions of the relevant
      proteins were analyzed by Western blot. Herein, we found that LINC00657 was
      downregulated in HCC tissue specimens as well as in malignant HCC cell lines.
      LINC00657 overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of
      HCC cells, while LINC00657 depletion promoted both cell viability and cell
      invasion in vitro. We also found that LINC00657 could inhibit tumor growth in
      vivo. Further experiments demonstrated that down-regulated LINC00657 increased
      the expression of miR-106a-5p. miR-106a-5p decreased the abundances of PTEN
      protein, while had no impact on PTEN mRNA. Moreover, we identified that both
      LINC00657 and PTEN mRNA were targets of miR-106a-5p by using dual-luciferase
      reporter assay. Our results provide the new evidence supporting the tumor
      suppressive role of LINC00657 in HCC, suggesting that LINC00657 might play a role
      in HCC and can be a novel therapeutic target for treating HCC.

PMID- 28919049
TI  - Perioperative outcomes of syndromic paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma resection
      in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2,
      or neurofibromatosis type 1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pheochromocytoma and/or paraganglioma associated with
      neurofibromatosis type 1, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A, and von Hippel
      Lindau disease have different catecholamine biochemical phenotypes. We examined
      perioperative outcomes of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma resection in 3 syndromic
      forms. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients undergoing resection of
      syndromic pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma from 2000 through 2016. RESULTS: Eighty
      one patients underwent pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma resection (multiple
      endocrine neoplasia type 2A, n = 36; neurofibromatosis type 1, n = 26; von Hippel
      Lindau disease, n = 19). Tumor size differed across groups; patients with
      neurofibromatosis type 1 and von Hippel-Lindau disease had the largest tumors (P
      = .017). Larger tumor volumes correlated with higher urine 24-hour total
      metanephrine (r = 0.94, P < .001; r = 0.67, P = .033; and r = 0.89, P < .001 for
      multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A, von Hippel-Lindau disease, and
      neurofibromatosis type 1, respectively). High adrenergic secretion (24-hour urine
      metanepinephrine) was found in neurofibromatosis type 1 (median, 861 MUg/24 h),
      similar to that found in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (median, 809 MUg/24
      h). The highest noradrenergic secretion (24-hour urine normetanephrine) occurred
      with von Hippel-Lindau disease (median, 4,598 MUg/24 h), followed by
      neurofibromatosis type 1 and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (median, 1,607
      and 923 MUg/24 h, respectively). The highest graded complications occurred among
      patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (P = .036). However, when comparing
      postoperative outcomes across 3 groups in those who had laparoscopic resection,
      there was no significant difference (P = .955). CONCLUSION: Patients with
      neurofibromatosis type 1 had the most volatile intraoperative hemodynamic course
      and more severe postoperative complications. These complications are related to
      large tumors associated with abundant catecholamine secretion and the fact that a
      high proportion underwent open resection. Among only patients who underwent
      laparoscopic procedures, there were no differences in postoperative outcomes
      across syndromic groups.

PMID- 28919048
TI  - Control of Immune Cell Homeostasis and Function by lncRNAs.
AB  - The immune system is composed of diverse cell types that coordinate responses to
      infection and maintain tissue homeostasis. In each of these cells, extracellular
      cues determine highly specific epigenetic landscapes and transcriptional profiles
      to promote immunity while maintaining homeostasis. New evidence indicates that
      long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in epigenetic and
      transcriptional regulation in mammals. Thus, lncRNAs have emerged as key
      regulatory molecules of immune cell gene expression programs in response to
      microbial and tissue-derived cues. We review here how lncRNAs control the
      function and homeostasis of cell populations during immune responses, emphasizing
      the diverse molecular mechanisms by which lncRNAs tune highly contextualized
      transcriptional programs. In addition, we discuss the new challenges faced in
      interrogating lncRNA mechanisms and function in the immune system.

PMID- 28919050
TI  - Disease and treatment factors associated with lower quality of life scores in
      adults with multiple endocrine neoplasia type I.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical and psychosocial morbidity of multiple endocrine neoplasia
      type-1 is ill-defined. How disease and treatment-related factors relate to
      patient-reported outcomes including health-related quality of life is unknown. We
      hypothesized that disease and treatment burden negatively impacts health-related
      quality of life in adults with multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1. METHODS:
      Adults (>=18 years) with multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1 completed an online
      survey of demographics, disease features, treatments, and Patient-Reported
      Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item profile measure, and scores were
      compared with normative US data. Multivariable modeling was performed to evaluate
      factors associated with decreased health-related quality of life. RESULTS:
      Multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1 patients (n = 207) reported worse health
      related quality of life compared with US normative data in all health-related
      quality of life domains (P < .001). Persistent hypercalcemia after parathyroid
      surgery was associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and
      decreased social functioning (P < .05). Patients <45 years of age at diagnosis
      reported worse physical and social functioning (P < .01). Traveling >50 miles for
      doctor appointments and >=20 doctor appointments/year (P < .05) were associated
      with worse health-related quality of life. History of pancreatic neuroendocrine
      tumors was not associated with worse health-related quality of life. CONCLUSION:
      This is the largest study to assess clinical and treatment factors associated
      with health-related quality of life in multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1.
      Persistent hyperparathyroidism, increased travel distance and frequency of doctor
      appointments were all associated with worse health-related quality of life.

PMID- 28919051
TI  - Incidence and predictors of portal and splenic vein thrombosis after pure
      laparoscopic splenectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal modalities for diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of
      portal or splenic vein thrombosis have not yet been defined. The present
      retrospective study aimed to investigate the role of computed tomography
      performed systematically before and after laparoscopic splenectomy to assess the
      incidence of portal or splenic vein thrombosis, predictors, and outcomes.
      METHODS: Computed tomography scans were obtained from 170 patients undergoing
      elective laparoscopic splenectomy between 2005 and 2015. Pre- and postoperative
      splenic vein diameter was measured at the splenoportal junction and at a distance
      of 2, 4, 6 cm from it. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify
      portal or splenic vein thrombosis risk factors and predictors of treatment
      outcome. RESULTS: Overall, 68.2% of patients had benign hematologic diseases;
      64.1% showed splenomegaly. Portal or splenic vein thrombosis occurred in 53.5% of
      patients (91/170), of whom 49.5% were asymptomatic. Preoperative splenic vein
      diameter measurements at 2, 4, and 6 cm from the splenoportal junction were
      significantly greater in portal or splenic vein thrombosis patients than in no
      portal or splenic vein thrombosis patients. Patients with splenic vein diameter
      >=8 mm at all measured sites had a greater risk of developing portal or splenic
      vein thrombosis (P = .009; odds ratio, 2.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-5.23).
      The majority of thromboses involved the distal splenic vein (45.1%, 41/91), and
      41.7% of patients had thromboses located in multiple sites. Fully 71.4% showed
      complete resolution of portal or splenic vein thrombosis. Thrombus location at a
      single site predicted a favorable treatment outcome (P < .0001). CONCLUSION:
      Portal or splenic vein thrombosis is a frequent complication of splenectomy that
      occurs asymptomatically in half of cases. Computed tomography could have an
      important role in identifying patients at risk of developing portal or splenic
      vein thrombosis as well as in predicting portal or splenic vein thrombosis
      resolution.

PMID- 28919052
TI  - Lung cancer with retrograde extension into the right main pulmonary artery:
      Positron emission tomography/computed tomography findings.

PMID- 28919053
TI  - Metastasis to the corpus spongiosum of the penis in a patient with lung cancer
      causing acute urine retention.

PMID- 28919054
TI  - The little old lady's hernia.

PMID- 28919055
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance in women with urinary tract infection in primary care:
      No relation with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - AIMS: To determine if type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with the
      spectrum of uropathogens and antimicrobial resistance in urinary tract infections
      (UTI) in primary care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study in female outpatients
      >=30 years with positive urine cultures. T2DM patients were 1:1 matched to
      controls by age group and general practitioner (GP). GPs were sent questionnaires
      for additional data. Uropathogens and resistance patterns were compared between
      patients with and without T2DM. Multivariable regression analysis was performed
      to assess the independent association between T2DM and resistance to first line
      treatments, defined as resistance to nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim, fosfomycin,
      ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and/or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.
      RESULTS: In 566 urine cultures, 680 uropathogens were found. Resistance to first
      line treatment antibiotics was present in 62.5% of patients. Frequencies and
      resistance rates of uropathogens did not differ between both groups of patients.
      Previous UTI and previous hospital admission were independent risk factors for
      resistance, but T2DM was not. CONCLUSIONS: In this study T2DM was not an
      independent risk factor for antimicrobial resistance in UTI in primary care.
      Previous UTI and hospitalisation are drivers of resistance and should be included
      in the decision to perform a urine culture to target first line UTI treatment.

PMID- 28919056
TI  - An exploration of person-centred concepts in human services: A thematic analysis
      of the literature.
AB  - Being 'person-centred' in the delivery of health and human services has become
      synonymous with quality care, and it is a core feature of policy reform in
      Australia and other Western countries. This research aimed to identify the uses,
      definitions and characteristics of the term 'person-centred' in the ageing,
      mental health and disability literature. A thematic analysis identified seven
      common core themes of person-centredness: honouring the person, being in
      relationship, facilitating participation and engagement, social
      inclusion/citizenship, experiencing compassionate love, being strengths/capacity
      focussed, and organisational characteristics. These suggest a set of higher-order
      experiences for people that are translated differently in different human
      services. There is no common definition of what it means to be person-centred,
      despite being a core feature of contemporary health and human service policy, and
      this suggests that its inclusion facilitates further misunderstanding and
      misinterpretation. A common understanding and policy conceptualisation of person
      centredness is likely to support quality outcomes in service delivery especially
      where organisations work across human service groups. Further research into the
      application and service expressions of being 'person-centred' in context is
      necessary.

PMID- 28919057
TI  - ADP-dependent phosphofructokinases from the archaeal order Methanosarcinales
      display redundant glucokinase activity.
AB  - The genome of Methanosarcinales organisms presents both ADP-dependent glucokinase
      and phosphofructokinase genes. However, Methanococcoides burtonii has a truncate
      glucokinase gene with a large deletion at the C-terminal, where the catalytic
      GXGD motif is located. Characterization of its phosphofructokinase annotated
      protein shows that is a bifunctional enzyme able to supply the absence of the
      glucokinase activity. Moreover, kinetic analyses of the phosphofructokinase
      annotated enzyme from, Methanohalobium evestigatum demonstrated that this enzyme
      is also bifunctional. The high conservation of the active site residues of all
      the enzymes from the order Methanosarcinales suggest that they should be
      bifunctional, as was previously reported for the ADP-dependent kinases from
      Methanococcales, highlighting the redundancy of the glucokinase activity in this
      archaeal group. The presence of active glycolytic enzymes would be important when
      glycogen storage of these organisms needs to be degraded to be used as energy
      source. Kinetic and structural information allows us to establish a substrate
      specificity signature that identifies specific GK or PFK, and bifunctional
      enzymes in this family.

PMID- 28919058
TI  - Fair hearing outcomes of patients recommended discharge from methadone
      maintenance.
AB  - A system known as fair hearings is a due process opportunity for patients who are
      involuntarily discharged from methadone maintenance treatment to challenge the
      discharge recommendation. We know very little about the processes and outcomes of
      fair hearings. For this study, we used a mixed methods approach to
      retrospectively analyze 73 fair hearing reports that were documented from a
      California methadone maintenance treatment program between 2000 and 2014. The
      aims of the study were to identify the reasons for involuntary discharge
      recommendation from methadone maintenance, describe the factors involved when
      fair hearing outcomes decided in favor of the clinic, and describe the factors
      involved when fair hearing outcomes decided in favor of the patient. We found
      that patient attendance at the fair hearing meeting was significantly related to
      the outcome ruling in favor of the patient. We organized the reasons for
      discharge recommendations into five categories: 1) suspected diversion, 2)
      behavioral/interpersonal, 3) repeated, unexcused absences, 4) co-occurring
      substance use, and 5) multiple sources of opioids. For each category, we use
      excerpts from fair hearing reports to provide context to the circumstances
      involved in an outcome favoring the patient or the clinic.

PMID- 28919060
TI  - SGLT2 inhibitors in type 1 diabetes: knocked down, but up again?

PMID- 28919059
TI  - Rates of hippocampal atrophy and presence of post-mortem TDP-43 in patients with
      Alzheimer's disease: a longitudinal retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-mortem studies have not identified an association between beta
      amyloid or tau and rates of hippocampal atrophy in patients with Alzheimer's
      disease. TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is another protein linked to
      Alzheimer's disease. We aimed to investigate whether hippocampal TDP-43 is
      associated with increased rates of hippocampal atrophy. METHODS: In this
      longitudinal retrospective study, we analysed post-mortem brain tissue of all
      individuals with an Alzheimer's disease spectrum pathological diagnosis who had
      antemortem head MRI scans between Jan 1, 1999, and Dec 31, 2012, and who had been
      recruited into the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Mayo Clinic
      Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry, or the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. We did
      TDP-43 immunohistochemistry and classified individuals as follows: no TDP-43 in
      the amygdala or hippocampus; TDP-43 restricted to the amygdala; and TDP-43
      spreading into the hippocampus. Each individual was also assigned a
      neurofibrillary tangle stage (B1-B3), relating to the likelihood of having
      Alzheimer's disease. We used longitudinal FreeSurfer software and tensor-based
      morphometry with symmetric normalisation to calculate hippocampal volume on all
      serial MRI scans and used linear mixed-effects regression models to estimate
      associations between TDP-43 and rate of hippocampal atrophy and to assess the
      trajectory of TDP-43-associated atrophy. FINDINGS: We identified 298 individuals
      meeting the inclusion criteria, with 816 usable MRI scans (spanning 1.0-11.2
      years of the disease) available for analysis. 141 individuals showed no TDP-43 in
      the amygdala or hippocampus, 33 had TDP-43 restricted to the amygdala, and 124
      had TDP-43 in the hippocampus. Among individuals with a high likelihood of having
      Alzheimer's disease (neurofibrillary tangle stage B3; n=205), those with
      hippocampal TDP-43 had faster rates of hippocampal atrophy (n=103, annual volume
      change -4.39%, 95% CI -4.82 to -3.95; p<0.0001) than did those with amygdala-only
      TDP-43 (n=20, -3.29%, -4.11 to -2.46; p<0.0001; difference -1.10%, 95% CI -2.02
      to -0.19; p=0.02) and those without TDP-43 (n=82, -3.11%, -3.54 to -2.68;
      p<0.0001; difference -1.28%, -1.88 to -0.67; p<0.0001). Among individuals with an
      intermediate likelihood of having Alzheimer's disease (neurofibrillary tangle
      stage B2; n=56), those with hippocampal TDP-43 had faster rates of hippocampal
      atrophy (n=17, annual volume change -4.05%, 95% CI -5.09 to -2.99; p<0.0001) than
      did those with amygdala-only TDP-43 (n=6, -1.78%, -3.04 to -0.55; p=0.004;
      difference -2.27%, 95% CI -3.79 to -0.67; p=0.006) and those without TDP-43
      (n=33, -1.63%, -2.43 to -0.83; p=0.0002; difference -2.43%, -3.66 to -1.18;
      p=0.0002). Hippocampal TDP-43 was not associated with the rate of hippocampal
      atrophy in individuals with a low likelihood of having Alzheimer's disease
      (neurofibrillary tangle stage B1; n=37). The trajectory analysis suggested that
      increased rates of TDP-43-associated hippocampal atrophy might occur at least 10
      years before death. Results were similar for FreeSurfer and tensor-based
      morphometry. INTERPRETATION: TDP-43 should be considered as a potential factor
      related to increased rates of hippocampal atrophy in patients with Alzheimer's
      disease. Given the importance of hippocampal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease, it
      is imperative that techniques are developed for detection of TDP-43 in vivo.
      FUNDING: US National Institute on Aging (National Institutes of Health).

PMID- 28919062
TI  - Progress and challenges in anti-obesity pharmacotherapy.
AB  - Obesity is a serious and growing worldwide health challenge. Healthy lifestyle
      choices are the foundation of obesity treatment. However, weight loss can lead to
      physiological adaptations that promote weight regain. As a result, lifestyle
      treatment alone typically produces only modest weight loss that is difficult to
      sustain. In other metabolic diseases, pharmacotherapy is an accepted adjunct to
      lifestyle. Several anti-obesity drugs have been approved in the USA, European
      Union, Australia, and Japan including sympathomimetics, pancreatic lipase
      inhibitors, GABAA receptor activators, a serotonin 2C receptor agonist, opioid
      antagonist, dopamine-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, and glucagon-like peptide
      1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. These drugs vary in their efficacy and side-effect
      profiles but all provide greater weight loss than do lifestyle changes alone.
      Even though obesity is widespread and associated with adverse health
      consequences, and anti-obesity drugs can help people to lose weight, very few
      patients use these drugs partly because of concerns about safety and efficacy,
      but also because of inadequate health insurance coverage. Despite great advances
      in our understanding of the biology of weight regulation, many clinicians still
      believe that patients with obesity should have the willpower to eat less. The
      tendency to hold the patient with obesity responsible for their condition can be
      a barrier to greater acceptance of anti-obesity drugs as appropriate options for
      treatment. Physicians should be comfortable discussing the risks and benefits of
      these drugs, and health insurance companies should provide reasonable coverage
      for their use in patients who are most likely to benefit. Although few promising
      anti-obesity medications are in the drug-development pipeline, the most promising
      drugs are novel molecules that are co-agonists for multiple gut hormones
      including GLP-1, glucagon, and gastric inhibitory peptide.

PMID- 28919063
TI  - Precision medicine: diagnosis and management of obesity.

PMID- 28919064
TI  - Genetics of obesity: what genetic association studies have taught us about the
      biology of obesity and its complications.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and other
      adiposity traits have identified more than 300 single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs). Although there is reason to hope that these discoveries will eventually
      lead to new preventive and therapeutic agents for obesity, this will take time
      because such developments require detailed mechanistic understanding of how an
      SNP influences phenotype (and this information is largely unavailable).
      Fortunately, absence of functional information has not prevented GWAS findings
      from providing insights into the biology of obesity. Genes near loci regulating
      total body mass are enriched for expression in the CNS, whereas genes for fat
      distribution are enriched in adipose tissue itself. Gene by environment and
      lifestyle interaction analyses have revealed that our increasingly obesogenic
      environment might be amplifying genetic risk for obesity, yet those at highest
      risk could mitigate this risk by increasing physical activity and possibly by
      avoiding specific dietary components. GWAS findings have also been used in
      mendelian randomisation analyses probing the causal association between obesity
      and its many putative complications. In supporting a causal association of
      obesity with diabetes, coronary heart disease, specific cancers, and other
      conditions, these analyses have clinical relevance in identifying which outcomes
      could be preventable through weight loss interventions.

PMID- 28919065
TI  - Metabolically healthy obesity: the low-hanging fruit in obesity treatment?
AB  - Obesity increases the risk of several other chronic diseases and, because of its
      epidemic proportions, has become a major public health problem worldwide.
      Alarmingly, a lower proportion of adults have tried to lose weight during the
      past decade than during the mid-1980s to 1990s. The first-line treatment option
      for obesity is lifestyle intervention. Although this approach can decrease fat
      mass in the short term, these beneficial effects typically do not persist. If a
      large amount of weight loss is not an easily achievable goal, other goals that
      might motivate people with obesity to adopt a healthy lifestyle should be
      considered. In this setting, the concept of metabolically healthy obesity is
      useful. Accumulating evidence suggests that, although the risk of all-cause
      mortality and cardiovascular events might be higher in people with metabolically
      healthy obesity compared with metabolically healthy people of a normal weight,
      the risk is substantially lower than in individuals with metabolically unhealthy
      obesity. Therefore, every person with obesity should be motivated to achieve a
      normal weight in the long term, but more moderate weight loss sufficient for the
      transition from metabolically unhealthy obesity to metabolically healthy obesity
      might also lower the risk of adverse outcomes. However, how much weight needs to
      be lost for this transition to occur is under debate. This transition might be
      supported by lifestyle factors-such as the Mediterranean diet-that affect
      cardiovascular risk, independent of body fat. In this Series paper, we summarise
      available information about the concept of metabolically healthy obesity,
      highlight gaps in research, and discuss how this concept can be implemented in
      clinical care.

PMID- 28919061
TI  - Efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin in patients with inadequately controlled
      type 1 diabetes (DEPICT-1): 24 week results from a multicentre, double-blind,
      phase 3, randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dapagliflozin is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor approved
      for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety
      of dapagliflozin as an add-on to adjustable insulin in patients with inadequately
      controlled type 1 diabetes. METHODS: DEPICT-1 was a double-blind, randomised,
      parallel-controlled, three-arm, phase 3, multicentre study done at 143 sites in
      17 countries. Eligible patients were aged 18-75 years and had inadequately
      controlled type 1 diabetes (HbA1c between >=7.7% and <=11.0% [>=61.0 mmol/mol and
      <=97.0 mmol/mol]) and had been prescribed insulin for at least 12 months before
      enrolment. After an 8 week lead-in period to optimise diabetes management,
      patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) using an interactive voice response
      system to dapagliflozin 5 mg or 10 mg once daily, given orally, or matched
      placebo. Randomisation was stratified by current use of continuous glucose
      monitoring, method of insulin administration, and baseline HbA1c. The primary
      efficacy outcome was the change from baseline in HbA1c after 24 weeks of
      treatment in the full analysis set, which consisted of all randomly assigned
      patients who received at least one dose of study drug. An additional 55 patients
      who were incorrectly and non-randomly allocated to only dapagliflozin treatment
      groups were included in the safety analysis set. This study was registered with
      ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02268214; data collection for the present analysis
      was completed on Jan 4, 2017, and a 28 week extension phase is ongoing. FINDINGS:
      Between Nov 11, 2014, and April 16, 2016, 833 patients were assigned to treatment
      groups and included in safety analyses (dapagliflozin 5 mg [n=277] vs
      dapagliflozin 10 mg [n=296] vs placebo [n=260]; 778 of these patients were
      randomly assigned and included in the full analysis set for efficacy analyses
      (259 vs 259 vs 260; difference due to randomisation error affecting 55 patients).
      Mean baseline HbA1c was 8.53% (70 mmol/mol; SD 0.67% [7.3 mmol/mol]). At week 24,
      both doses of dapagliflozin significantly reduced HbA1c compared with placebo
      (mean difference from baseline to week 24 for dapagliflozin 5 mg vs placebo was 
      0.42% [95% CI -0.56 to -0.28; p<0.0001] and for dapagliflozin 10 mg vs placebo
      was -0.45% [-0.58 to -0.31; p<0.0001]). Among patients in the dapagliflozin 5 mg
      (n=277), dapagliflozin 10 mg (n=296), and placebo (n=260) groups, the most common
      adverse events were nasopharyngitis (38 [14%] vs 36 [12%] vs 39 [15%]), urinary
      tract infection (19 [7%] vs 11 [4%] vs 13 [5%]), upper respiratory tract
      infection (15 [5%] vs 15 [5%] vs 11 [4%]), and headache (12 [4%] vs 17 [6%] vs 11
      [4%]). Hypoglycaemia occurred in 220 (79%), 235 (79%), and 207 (80%) patients in
      the dapagliflozin 5 mg, dapagliflozin 10 mg, and placebo groups, respectively;
      severe hypoglycaemia occurred in 21 (8%), 19 (6%), and 19 (7%) patients,
      respectively. Adjudicated definite diabetic ketoacidosis occurred in four (1%)
      patients in the dapagliflozin 5 mg group, five (2%) in the dapagliflozin 10 mg
      group, and three (1%) in the placebo group. INTERPRETATION: Our results suggest
      that dapagliflozin is a promising adjunct treatment to insulin to improve
      glycaemic control in patients with inadequately controlled type 1 diabetes.
      FUNDING: AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PMID- 28919066
TI  - Clinical efficacy of CT-guided percutaneous huge ilio-psoas abscesses drainage
      combined with posterior approach surgery for the management of dorsal and lumbar
      spinal tuberculosis in adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of CT-guided percutaneous huge ilio
      psoas abscesses drainage combined with posterior approach surgery for the
      management of dorsal and lumbar spinal tuberculosis in 16 adult cases. METHODS:
      Between January 2006 and June 2013, a total of 16 dorsal and lumbar spinal
      tuberculosis patients with huge ilio-psoas abscesses underwent two-stage CT
      guided percutaneous abscesses drainage and posterior debridement, decompression,
      intervertebral fusion and instrumentation. Standard quadruple antituberculous
      chemotherapy was performed both before and after surgery. RESULT: The average
      follow-up period was 26.7 months (range: 18-38 months). There is no severe
      complication and relapse of spinal tuberculosis. The blood loss was 921.0+/
      141.3mL, operation time was 174.8+/-15.7minutes. Kyphotic angle improved from
      36.6+/-10.0 degrees  preoperatively to 8.1+/-1.8 degrees  postoperatively with
      2.2+/-1.5 degrees  loss of correction at final follow-up. The solid bone fusion
      was achieved in all cases at average 6.6+/-2.2 months after surgery. Neurologic
      deficits were recovered in varying degrees except 4 cases remained the same. The
      postoperative quality of life significantly improved. The Oswestry Disability
      Index (ODI) decreased from 32.8+/-10.6 preoperatively to 14.4+/-7.9 at the final
      follow-up. CONCLUSION: CT-guided percutaneous drainage combined with posterior
      approach surgery was proved to be safe and effective for the management of dorsal
      and lumbar spinal tuberculosis with huge ilio-psoas abscesses in adults. LEVEL OF
      STUDY: Level IV, retrospective.

PMID- 28919068
TI  - Intubation and extubation of the ICU patient.

PMID- 28919069
TI  - Impact of Discontinuation of Antiplatelet Therapy Prior to Isolated Valve and
      Combined Coronary Artery Bypass Graft and Valve Procedures on Short and
      Intermediate Term Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A change in cardiac surgery practice over the past decade has seen an
      increase in urgent or inpatient referrals for surgery, with antiplatelet therapy
      often continued up until surgery. This study aims to identify the optimal timing
      for administration of aspirin to minimise risk of perioperative morbidity and
      mortality. METHODS: From a prospectively compiled database collected by the
      Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons, we
      identified 8294 patients undertaking combined CABG and valve or isolated valve
      procedures while discontinuing aspirin. Time points for cessation of antiplatelet
      therapy were categorised as follows: <2 days, 3-7 days or >7 days preoperatively.
      We evaluated the association of adverse in-hospital events and intermediate term
      survival in each time category. RESULTS: Discontinuing aspirin 3 to 7 days from
      surgery decreased rates of perioperative MI (HR=0.300, p=0.027), return to
      theatre (HR=0.560, p=0.002) reduced drain output (HR=0.757, p=0.000) and red
      blood cell and platelet transfusions (HR=0.719, p=0.000 and HR=0.604, p=0.000
      respectively) compared to patients continuing aspirin until <2 days from the
      procedure. Stopping aspirin <2 days from the date of surgery increased risk of
      perioperative MI (HR=5.919, p=0.000), reoperation for bleeding (HR=2.076,
      p=0.001), returning to theatre (HR=1.781, p=0.000), ICC drain losses (HR=1.337,
      p=0.000) and transfusion demands for red blood cells (HR=1.381, p=0.000) and
      platelets (HR=1.450, p=0.000) when compared to those discontinuing aspirin >7
      days from surgery. CONCLUSION: Late discontinuation of aspirin before combined
      coronary artery bypass graft and valve procedures results in greater rates of
      bleeding and transfusion requirements. Earlier discontinuation of aspirin results
      in no benefit in intermediate term survival.

PMID- 28919067
TI  - Impact of iron deficiency diagnosis using hepcidin mass spectrometry dosage
      methods on hospital stay and costs after a prolonged ICU stay: Study protocol for
      a multicentre, randomised, single-blinded medico-economic trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency (ID) is frequent but difficult to diagnose in
      critically ill patients. ID may be responsible for prolonged post-ICU hospital
      stays, since it results in fatigue, muscle weakness and anaemia. Hepcidin, the
      key iron metabolism hormone, may be a good marker of ID in these patients. The
      aim of this study is to determine whether using mass spectrometry hepcidin
      determination to diagnose (and treat) ID after prolonged ICU stays may reduce
      patients' subsequent hospital stays and costs in comparison with conventional
      (ferritin) methods. METHODS: This is a randomised, controlled, single-blinded,
      multicentre medico-economic study. Hepcidin quantification will be performed in
      anaemic (WHO criteria) critically ill adults about to be discharged, after a stay
      >=5days. In the intervention arm (hepcidin) results will be given to the ICU
      physicians, and not in the control arm. ID Treatment will be recommended in
      intervention arm: IV iron when hepcidin is <20MUg/L; IV iron+erythropoietin when
      hepcidin is between 20-41MUg/L; in the control arm: IV iron when ferritin
      <300MUg/L and Transferrin saturation <20%. The primary endpoint will be the
      number of days spent in hospital 90 days after ICU discharge and the direct
      hospital costs. Secondary endpoints will be anaemia and iron deficiency on D15,
      fatigue and the proportion of patients alive and at home on D30 and D90.
      DISCUSSION: The results of this study will show whether diagnosing iron
      deficiency using MS hepcidin determination methods is liable to reduce patients'
      post-ICU hospital stay and costs, as well as their anaemia and fatigue.

PMID- 28919070
TI  - Gender Debate on the Early Warning Signs of Acute Coronary Syndromes.

PMID- 28919071
TI  - Validation of the RETRIEVE (REverse TRIage EVEnts) Criteria for Same Day Return
      of Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients to Referring Non-PCI
      Centres.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are continuing bed constraints in percutaneous coronary
      intervention centres (PCI) so efficient patient triage from referral hospitals is
      pivotal. To evaluate a strategy of PCI centre (PCIC) bed-sparing we examined
      return of patients to referral hospitals screened by the RETRIEVE (REverse TRIage
      EVEnts) criteria and validated its use as a tool for screening suitability for
      same day transfer of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) patients
      post PCI to their referring non-PCI centre (NPCIC). METHODS: From May 2008 to May
      2011, 433 NSTEACS patients were prospectively screened for suitability for same
      day transfer back to the referring hospital at the completion of PCI. Of these
      patients, 212 were excluded from same day transfer using the RETRIEVE criteria
      and 221 patients met the RETRIEVE criteria and were transferred back to their
      NPCIC. RESULTS: Over the study period, 218 patients (98.6%) had no major adverse
      events. The primary endpoint (death, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, major
      bleeding event, cerebrovascular accident, major vascular site complication, or
      requirement for return to the PCIC) was seen in only three transferred patients
      (1.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The RETRIEVE criteria can be used successfully to identify
      NSTEACS patients suitable for transfer back to NPCIC following PCI. Same day
      transfer to a NPCIC using the RETRIEVE criteria was associated with very low
      rates of major complications or repeat transfer and appears to be as safe as
      routine overnight observation in a PCIC.

PMID- 28919073
TI  - Multiple metastases to bone from squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx:
      unusual findings on positron emission tomography-computed tomography.

PMID- 28919072
TI  - Assessment of nicotine withdrawal-induced changes in sucrose preference in mice.
AB  - Anhedonia, induced by nicotine withdrawal, may serve as an important affective
      sign that reinforces tobacco use and smoking relapse rates in humans. Animal
      models provide a way to investigate the underlying neurobiological factors
      involved in the decrease in responding for positive affective stimuli during
      nicotine withdrawal and may aid in drug development for nicotine dependence.
      Thus, we explored the use of the sucrose preference test to measure nicotine
      withdrawal-induced reduction in response for positive affective stimuli in mice.
      C57BL/6J and knockout (KO) mice were chronically exposed to different doses of
      nicotine through surgically implanted subcutaneous osmotic minipumps for 14days
      and underwent spontaneous nicotine withdrawal on day 15. A sucrose preference
      time course was performed and the results were compared to another well
      established affective sign of nicotine withdrawal, the reduction in time spent in
      light side, using the Light Dark Box test. Subsequently, our results demonstrated
      a time-dependent and dose-related reduction in sucrose preference in nicotine
      withdrawn male C57BL/6J mice, indicative of a decrease in responding for positive
      affective stimuli. Furthermore, the sucrose preference reduction during nicotine
      withdrawal was consistent with decrease in time spent in the light side of the
      Light Dark Box test. We also found the reduction for positive affective stimuli
      and time spent in the light side was not present in nicotine withdrawn beta2 and
      alpha6 KO mice, suggesting that these nicotinic subunits are involved in the
      affective signs of nicotine withdrawal. Thus, this report highlights the
      potential utility of the sucrose preference test as a useful measure of the
      decrease in responding for positive affective stimuli during spontaneous nicotine
      withdrawal.

PMID- 28919074
TI  - Preoperative screening for sickle cell disease and guidance from the National
      Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

PMID- 28919075
TI  - Dermoid cyst of the submandibular gland: case report.

PMID- 28919077
TI  - Engineering Quantitative Trait Variation for Crop Improvement by Genome Editing.
AB  - Major advances in crop yields are needed in the coming decades. However, plant
      breeding is currently limited by incremental improvements in quantitative traits
      that often rely on laborious selection of rare naturally occurring mutations in
      gene-regulatory regions. Here, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of
      promoters generates diverse cis-regulatory alleles that provide beneficial
      quantitative variation for breeding. We devised a simple genetic scheme, which
      exploits trans-generational heritability of Cas9 activity in heterozygous loss-of
      function mutant backgrounds, to rapidly evaluate the phenotypic impact of
      numerous promoter variants for genes regulating three major productivity traits
      in tomato: fruit size, inflorescence branching, and plant architecture. Our
      approach allows immediate selection and fixation of novel alleles in transgene
      free plants and fine manipulation of yield components. Beyond a platform to
      enhance variation for diverse agricultural traits, our findings provide a
      foundation for dissecting complex relationships between gene-regulatory changes
      and control of quantitative traits.

PMID- 28919076
TI  - Mitochondrial Priming by CD28.
AB  - T cell receptor (TCR) signaling without CD28 can elicit primary effector T cells,
      but memory T cells generated during this process are anergic, failing to respond
      to secondary antigen exposure. We show that, upon T cell activation, CD28
      transiently promotes expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (Cpt1a), an
      enzyme that facilitates mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO), before the
      first cell division, coinciding with mitochondrial elongation and enhanced spare
      respiratory capacity (SRC). microRNA-33 (miR33), a target of thioredoxin
      interacting protein (TXNIP), attenuates Cpt1a expression in the absence of CD28,
      resulting in cells that thereafter are metabolically compromised during
      reactivation or periods of increased bioenergetic demand. Early CD28-dependent
      mitochondrial engagement is needed for T cells to remodel cristae, develop SRC,
      and rapidly produce cytokines upon restimulation-cardinal features of protective
      memory T cells. Our data show that initial CD28 signals during T cell activation
      prime mitochondria with latent metabolic capacity that is essential for future T
      cell responses.

PMID- 28919078
TI  - Slp1-Emp65: A Guardian Factor that Protects Folding Polypeptides from Promiscuous
      Degradation.
AB  - Newly synthesized proteins engage molecular chaperones that assist folding. Their
      progress is monitored by quality control systems that target folding errors for
      degradation. Paradoxically, chaperones that promote folding also direct unfolded
      polypeptides for degradation. Hence, a mechanism was previously hypothesized that
      prevents the degradation of actively folding polypeptides. In this study, we show
      that a conserved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein complex, consisting
      of Slp1 and Emp65 proteins, performs this function in the ER lumen. The complex
      binds unfolded proteins and protects them from degradation during folding. In its
      absence, approximately 20%-30% of newly synthesized proteins that could otherwise
      fold are degraded. Although the Slp1-Emp65 complex hosts a broad range of
      clients, it is specific for soluble proteins. Taken together, these studies
      demonstrate the vulnerability of newly translated, actively folding polypeptides
      and the discovery of a new proteostasis functional class we term "guardian" that
      protects them from degradation.

PMID- 28919079
TI  - Structure of an Intron Lariat Spliceosome from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - The disassembly of the intron lariat spliceosome (ILS) marks the end of a
      splicing cycle. Here we report a cryoelectron microscopy structure of the ILS
      complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at an average resolution of 3.5 A. The
      intron lariat remains bound in the spliceosome whereas the ligated exon is
      already dissociated. The step II splicing factors Prp17 and Prp18, along with
      Cwc21 and Cwc22 that stabilize the 5' exon binding to loop I of U5 small nuclear
      RNA (snRNA), have been released from the active site assembly. The DEAH family
      ATPase/helicase Prp43 binds Syf1 at the periphery of the spliceosome, with its
      RNA-binding site close to the 3' end of U6 snRNA. The C-terminal domain of
      Ntr1/Spp382 associates with the GTPase Snu114, and Ntr2 is anchored to Prp8 while
      interacting with the superhelical domain of Ntr1. These structural features
      suggest a plausible mechanism for the disassembly of the ILS complex.

PMID- 28919080
TI  - Regulation of glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) gene expression by cocaine self
      administration and withdrawal.
AB  - Downregulation of the astroglial glutamate transporter GLT-1 is observed in the
      nucleus accumbens (NAc) following administration of multiple drugs of abuse. The
      decrease in GLT-1 protein expression following cocaine self-administration is
      dependent on both the amount of cocaine self-administered and the length of
      withdrawal, with longer access to cocaine and longer withdrawal periods leading
      to greater decreases in GLT-1 protein. However, the mechanism(s) by which cocaine
      downregulates GLT-1 protein remains unknown. We used qRT-PCR to examine gene
      expression of GLT-1 splice isoforms (GLT-1A, GLT-1B) in the NAc, prelimbic cortex
      (PL) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) of rats, following two widely used models of
      cocaine self-administration: short-access (ShA) self-administration, and the long
      access (LgA) self-administration/incubation model. While downregulation of GLT-1
      protein is observed following ShA cocaine self-administration and extinction,
      this model did not lead to a change in GLT-1A or GLT-1B gene expression in any
      brain region examined. Forced abstinence following ShA cocaine self
      administration also was without effect. In contrast, LgA cocaine self
      administration and prolonged abstinence significantly decreased GLT-1A gene
      expression in the NAc and BLA, and significantly decreased GLT-1B gene expression
      in the PL. No change was observed in NAc GLT-1A gene expression one day after LgA
      cocaine self-administration, indicating withdrawal-induced decreases in GLT-1A
      mRNA. In addition, LgA cocaine self-administration and withdrawal induced
      hypermethylation of the GLT-1 gene in the NAc. These results indicate that a
      decrease in NAc GLT-1 mRNA is only observed after extended access to cocaine
      combined with protracted abstinence, and that epigenetic mechanisms likely
      contribute to this effect.

PMID- 28919081
TI  - Body Weight and Body Mass Index in Patients with End-Stage Cystic Fibrosis
      Stabilize After the Start of Enteral Tube Feeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enteral tube feeding (ETF) is widely used in patients with cystic
      fibrosis (CF) and end-stage lung disease, but previous studies have been limited
      to investigating whether ETF improves outcomes in patients with moderately or
      mildly impaired pulmonary function. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated body
      weight, body mass index (BMI; calculated as kg/m2), pulmonary function, and the
      presence of CF-related diabetes before and after the start of ETF. DESIGN: This
      was a retrospective observational study. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Data from 26 adult
      patients in an outpatient setting who had end-stage CF (19 women) and had been
      using ETF for at least 6 months between 2000 and 2014 were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Body weight, BMI, pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1
      second as percent of predicted) and incidence of CF-related diabetes from 6
      months before to 6 months after starting ETF. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED:
      Time effects were tested with one-way analysis of variance for data that were
      normally distributed and the Friedman test for non-parametric data. Correlations
      were tested with Pearson's r or Spearman's rho, depending on the distribution of
      the data. RESULTS: Mean body weight increased by 3.5 kg (95% CI 2.2 to 4.8 kg)
      after patients started ETF. In women, mean BMI decreased by 0.7 in the 6 months
      before the start of ETF (P<0.05) and increased by 1.4 in the 6 months thereafter
      (P<0.05). In men, BMI changes were similar (-0.8 and +1.1), but not statistically
      significant. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second as percent of predicted
      significantly decreased in time from a median of 28% to 26% at the start of ETF
      to 25% after 6 months (P=0.0013), with similar trends in women and men. There was
      no correlation between changes in weight and lung function. CF-related diabetes
      was already present in 12 patients and developed in 1 more patient after the
      start of ETF. CONCLUSIONS: ETF improved body weight and BMI but not pulmonary
      function in 26 patients with end-stage CF. Clinical outcomes were similar in
      women and men, but the sample size of men was too small to determine statistical
      significance.

PMID- 28919083
TI  - Immune response boosted in metastatic colorectal cancer.

PMID- 28919084
TI  - ESMO 2017 Congress.

PMID- 28919085
TI  - Blood transfusion strategies in elderly patients.

PMID- 28919082
TI  - Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity as Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the deadliest types of cancer.
      The worldwide estimates of its incidence and mortality in the general population
      are eight cases per 100,000 person-years and seven deaths per 100,000 person
      years, and they are significantly higher in the United States than in the rest of
      the world. The incidence of this disease in the United States is more than 50,000
      new cases in 2017. Indeed, total deaths due to PDAC are projected to increase
      dramatically to become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths before
      2030. Considering the failure to date to efficiently treat existing PDAC,
      increased effort should be undertaken to prevent this disease. A better
      understanding of the risk factors leading to PDAC development is of utmost
      importance to identify and formulate preventive strategies. Large epidemiologic
      and cohort studies have identified risk factors for the development of PDAC,
      including obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This review highlights the
      current knowledge of obesity and type 2 diabetes as risk factors for PDAC
      development and progression, their interplay and underlying mechanisms, and the
      relation to diet. Research gaps and opportunities to address this deadly disease
      are also outlined.

PMID- 28919086
TI  - Authors' reply to comment Blood transfusion strategies in elderly patients.

PMID- 28919087
TI  - Outcomes of restrictive versus liberal transfusion strategies in older adults
      from nine randomised controlled trials: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guidelines for patient blood management recommend restrictive
      transfusion practice for most adult patients. These guidelines are supported by
      evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs); however, one of the patient
      groups not explicitly examined in these studies is the geriatric population. We
      examined RCTs relevant to transfusion outcomes in older patients. Our aim was to
      determine whether special guidelines are warranted for geriatric patients,
      recognising the different pathophysiological characteristics of this group.
      METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed,
      Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases from their inception to May 5, 2017,
      for evidence relating to transfusion outcomes in adults aged 65 years and older.
      This criterion was widened to include RCTs where a substantial proportion of the
      study population was older than 65 years. We also included study populations of
      all clinical settings, and did not limit the search by date, language, or study
      type. For articles not in English, only available translations of the abstracts
      were reviewed. Studies were excluded if they did not specify age. Observational
      studies and duplicate patient and outcome data from studies that generated
      multiple publications were also excluded. We screened bibliographies of retrieved
      articles for additional publications. We analysed data extracted from published
      RCTs comparing restrictive and liberal transfusion strategies in older adults. We
      generated fixed effects risk ratios (RR) for pooled study data using the Mantel
      Haenszel method. Primary outcomes were 30-day and 90-day mortality events for
      patients enrolled in restrictive and liberal transfusion study groups. We
      included intention-to-treat outcome data in the meta-analysis when available,
      otherwise we used per-protocol outcome data. FINDINGS: 686 articles were
      identified by the search, and a further 37 by the snowball approach. Of these
      articles, 13 eligible papers described findings from nine RCTs (five trials
      investigating orthopaedic surgery, three cardiac surgery, and one oncology
      surgery; including 5780 patients). The risk of 30-day mortality was higher in
      older patients who followed a restrictive transfusion strategy than in those who
      followed a liberal transfusion strategy (risk ratio [RR] 1.36, 95% CI 1.05-1.74;
      p=0.017). The risk of 90-day mortality was also higher in those who followed a
      restrictive transfusion strategy than in those who followed a liberal transfusion
      strategy (RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.05-1.98; p=0.022). INTERPRETATION: Liberal
      transfusion strategies might produce better outcomes in geriatric patients than
      restrictive transfusion strategies. This outcome contradicts current restrictive
      transfusion approaches. Population ageing will challenge resources globally, and
      this finding has implications for blood supply and demand, and optimal care of
      older adults. Further research is needed to formulate evidence-based transfusion
      practice across clinical specialties specific to the geriatric population, and to
      examine resource effects. FUNDING: Australia's National Blood Authority.

PMID- 28919089
TI  - Response to the letter: Inspiring surgeons of the future: A school outreach event
      and possible solution to the imminent recruitment crisis.

PMID- 28919088
TI  - Resilience in mathematics after early brain injury: The roles of parental input
      and early plasticity.
AB  - Children with early focal unilateral brain injury show remarkable plasticity in
      language development. However, little is known about how early brain injury
      influences mathematical learning. Here, we examine early number understanding,
      comparing cardinal number knowledge of typically developing children (TD) and
      children with pre- and perinatal lesions (BI) between 42 and 50 months of age. We
      also examine how this knowledge relates to the number words children hear from
      their primary caregivers early in life. We find that children with BI, are, on
      average, slightly behind TD children in both cardinal number knowledge and later
      mathematical performance, and show slightly slower learning rates than TD
      children in cardinal number knowledge during the preschool years. We also find
      that parents' "number talk" to their toddlers predicts later mathematical ability
      for both TD children and children with BI. These findings suggest a relatively
      optimistic story in which neural plasticity is at play in children's mathematical
      development following early brain injury. Further, the effects of early number
      input suggest that intervening to enrich the number talk that children with BI
      hear during the preschool years could narrow the math achievement gap.

PMID- 28919090
TI  - 3D-printing for engineering the next generation of artificial trabecular bone
      structures.

PMID- 28919091
TI  - Intravenous acetaminophen as an adjunct to multimodal analgesia after total knee
      and hip arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis aimed to perform a meta-analysis to investigate
      the impact of additional intravenous acetaminophen for pain management after
      total joint arthroplasty (TJA). METHODS: We conducted electronic searches of
      Medline (1966-2017.07), PubMed (1966-2017.07), Embase (1980-2017.07),
      ScienceDirect (1985-2017.07) and the Cochrane Library. Randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs were included. The quality assessments were performed
      according to the Cochrane systematic review method. The primary outcomes were
      postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption. Meta-analysis was performed
      using Stata 11.0 software. RESULTS: A total of four studies were retrieved
      involving 865 participants. The present meta-analysis indicated that there were
      significant differences between groups in terms of pain scores at POD 1 (WMD = 
      0.954, 95% CI: -1.204 to -0.703, P = 0.000), POD 2 (WMD = -1.072, 95% CI: -2.072
      to -0.073, P = 0.000), and POD 3 (WMD = -0.883, 95% CI: -1.142 to -0.624, P =
      0.000). Significant differences were found regarding opioid consumption at POD 1
      (WMD = -3.144, 95% CI: -4.142 to -2.146, P = 0.000), POD 2 (WMD = -5.665, 95% CI:
      -7.383 to -3.947, P = 0.000), and POD 3 (WMD = -3.563, 95% CI: -6.136 to -0.991,
      P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Additional intravenous acetaminophen to multimodal
      analgesia could significantly reduce pain and opioid consumption after total
      joint arthroplasty with fewer adverse effects. Higher quality RCTs are required
      for further research.

PMID- 28919092
TI  - Cervical soft tissue recurrence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma after
      thyroidectomy indicates a poor prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated cervical soft tissue recurrence of differentiated
      thyroid carcinoma (DTC) after thyroidectomy, and these lesions exhibited no
      evidence that they were lymph nodes (LNs). METHODS: Between January 2012 and
      April 2016, consecutive 6308 patients underwent thyroid surgery for DTC at our
      center. Among them, we encountered 21 patients with recurrent cervical soft
      tissue lesions, none of whom had previously undergone fine needle aspiration
      biopsy (FNAB). RESULTS: The 21 patients accounted for 0.33% of all 6308 patients,
      including twenty cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma and one case of follicular
      thyroid cancer. Approximately half (52.3%) of the recurrence were first detected
      by ultrasound (US). Eighteen lesions underwent complete preoperative US, but 6
      lesions were misdiagnosed as metastatic LNs by US. Therefore, 54 age- and gender
      matched recurrent or persistent LNs derived from DTC were randomly selected from
      the same database. The soft tissue lesions (mean size, 2.30 cm) were larger than
      the LNs. Fewer hyperechogenic hila and punctuations were found in the group of
      soft tissue recurrence (P < 0.05). During follow-up, distant metastasis was
      detected in 38.1% of patients in the soft tissue recurrence group. The distant
      metastasis rates showed that local soft tissue recurrence led to a poorer
      prognosis than cervical LN persistence or recurrence (P = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS:
      Although the incidence of DTC recurrence in cervical soft tissue was low, it may
      be a predictor for distant recurrence. To minimize the risk, a long-term
      postoperative evaluation, preferably with US, should be performed.

PMID- 28919093
TI  - Clip closure and division instead of stapling for the last small gastric bridge
      between gastric pouch and remnant stomach in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Here, a modification during gastric pouch forming was implemented
      in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). We aimed to examine the
      feasibility of metallic clip closure for the remaining small stomach bridges (<1
      cm) between the pouch and the remnant stomach. METHODS: During pouch creation,
      after the last stapler firing, the remaining small bridge was closed with clips
      and divided instead of using a new stapler. Metallic clips for this aim were used
      in 41 of 520 LRYGP between September 2010 and January 2017. Preoperative mean
      body mass index (BMI) was 47.3 +/- 5.3 kg/m2 (male/female: 6/35, mean age 37.8 +/
      9.1 years). RESULTS: Gastric bridges in 41 patients were successfully closed
      with metallic clips and divided. In one patient, intraoperative methylene blue
      test was positive from the anastomosis (not from the clipped place) and repaired
      by intracorporeal sutures. Abdominal drain was used selectively (32%). No
      postoperative leakage or other complications were seen. Mean length of hospital
      stay was 3.8 +/- 1.1 days. Mean BMI was 30.3 +/- 6.1 kg/m2 after mean 17.6 +/-
      11.3 months follow-up. CONCLUSION: In LRYGB metallic clip closure for a stomach
      bridge (<1 cm) between the pouch and the remnant stomach is an easy, safe and
      reliable method.

PMID- 28919094
TI  - Minimal-invasive oncosurgery in endometrial cancer: Minimal-access techniques
      with individualized maximal-invasiveness in lymph node extirpation.

PMID- 28919096
TI  - Comparison of oral and intravenous tranexamic acid in total knee and hip
      arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PMID- 28919095
TI  - Laparoscopic near-infrared fluorescent imaging as an alternative option for
      sentinel lymph node mapping in endometrial cancer: A prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate feasibility of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping by using
      near-infrared fluorescent imaging and indocyanine green (NIR/ICG) integrated
      laparoscopic system in clinically uterine-confined endometrial cancer. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Patients with clinically early-stage endometrial cancer were
      included in this prospective study. ICG was injected to the uterine cervix and
      NIR/ICG integrated laparoscopic system (Spies Full HD D-Light P ICG technology,
      Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) was used during the operations. SLN and/or
      suspicious lymph nodes were resected. Side specific lymphadenectomy was performed
      when mapping was unsuccessful. Systematic lymphadenectomy was completed following
      SLN algorithm steps. RESULTS: Seventy-one eligible patients were analyzed. The
      overall, unilateral and bilateral SLN detection rates were 95.7%, 18.3%, 77.4%,
      respectively. There were 8 (11.2%) patients with lymph node metastasis. One of
      them was isolated para-aortic node metastasis. Negative predictive value,
      sensitivity and false negative rate for detecting lymphatic spread were 98.4%,
      87.5% and 1.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Sentinel lymph node mapping can easily
      be performed with high accuracy by using NIR/ICG integrated conventional
      laparoscopic system in endometrial cancer and almost all lymphatic spread can be
      detected.

PMID- 28919097
TI  - J-pouch vs. side-to-end anastomosis after hand-assisted laparoscopic low anterior
      resection for rectal cancer: A prospective randomized trial on short and long
      term outcomes including life quality and functional results.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the outcomes of j-pouch and side-to-end anastomosis in rectal
      cancer patients treated with laparoscopic hand-assisted low anterior resection.
      METHODS: Prospective trial on cases randomized to have a colonic j-pouch or a
      side-to-end anastomosis after low anterior resection. Demographics,
      characteristics of disease and treatment, perioperative results, and functional
      outcomes and life quality were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Seventy four
      patients were randomized. Reservoir creation was withdrawn in 17 (23%) patients,
      mostly related to reach problem (n = 11, 64.7%). Anastomotic leakage rate was
      significantly higher in j-pouch group (8 [27.6%] vs. 0, p = 0.004). Stoma closure
      could not be achieved in 16 (28.1%) patients. Life quality and functional
      outcomes, measured 4, 8 and 12 months after the stoma reversal, were similar.
      CONCLUSIONS: Colonic j-pouch and side-to-end anastomosis are similar regarding
      perioperative measures including operation time, rates of postoperative
      complications, reoperation and 30-day mortality, and hospitalization period
      except anastomotic leak rate, which is higher in j-pouch group. Postoperative
      aspects are not different in patients receiving either technique including
      functional outcomes and life quality for the first year after stoma closure. In
      our opinion, both techniques may be preferred during the daily practice while
      performing laparoscopic surgery; but surgeons may be aware of a possibly higher
      anastomotic leak rate in case of a j-pouch.

PMID- 28919098
TI  - Temporal regulation of sigmaB by partner-switching mechanism at a distinct growth
      stage in Bacillus cereus.
AB  - The alternative transcription factor sigmaB in Bacillus cereus governs the
      transcription of a number of genes that confer protection against general stress.
      This transcription factor is regulated by protein-protein interactions among
      RsbV, RsbW, sigmaB, RsbY, RsbM and RsbK, all encoded in the sigB cluster. Among
      these regulatory proteins, RsbV, RsbW and sigmaB comprise a partner-switching
      mechanism. Under normal conditions, sigmaB remains inactive by associating with
      anti-sigma factor RsbW, which prevents sigmaB from binding to the core RNA
      polymerase. During environmental stress, RsbK activates RsbY to hydrolyze
      phosphorylated RsbV, and the dephosphorylated RsbV then sequesters RsbW to
      liberate sigmaB from RsbW. Although the sigmaB partner-switching module is
      thought to be the core mechanism for sigmaB regulation, the actual protein
      protein interactions among these three proteins in the cell remain to be
      investigated. In the current study, we show that RsbW and RsbV form a long-lived
      complex under transient stress treatment, resulting in high persistent expression
      of RsbV, RsbW and sigmaB from mid-log phase to stationary phase. Full
      sequestration of RsbW by excess RsbV and increased RsbW:RsbV complex stability
      afforded by cellular ADP contribute to the prolonged activation of sigmaB.
      Interestingly, the high expression levels of RsbV, RsbW and sigmaB were
      dramatically decreased beginning from the transition stage to the stationary
      phase. Thus, protein interactions among sigmaB partner-switching components are
      required for the continued induction of sigmaB during environmental stress in the
      log phase and significant down-regulation of sigmaB is observed in the stationary
      phase. Our data show that sigmaB is temporally regulated in B. cereus.

PMID- 28919100
TI  - Where do we come from and where are we going in the treatment of premature
      ejaculation?

PMID- 28919099
TI  - Development of an abiraterone acetate formulation with improved oral
      bioavailability guided by absorption modeling based on in vitro dissolution and
      permeability measurements.
AB  - Particle size reduction of drug crystals in the presence of surfactants (often
      called "top-down" production methods) is a standard approach used in the
      pharmaceutical industry to improve bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. Based
      on the mathematical model used to predict the fraction dose absorbed this
      formulation approach is successful when dissolution rate is the main rate
      limiting factor of oral absorption. In case compound solubility is also a major
      factor this approach might not result in an adequate improvement in
      bioavailability. Abiraterone acetate is poorly water soluble which is believed to
      be responsible for its very low bioavailability in the fasted state and its
      significant positive food effect. In this work, we have successfully used in
      vitro dissolution, solubility and permeability measurements in biorelevant media
      to describe the dissolution characteristics of different abiraterone acetate
      formulations. Mathematical modeling of fraction dose absorbed indicated that
      reducing the particle size of the drug cannot be expected to result in
      significant improvement in bioavailability in the fasted state. In the fed state,
      the same formulation approach can result in a nearly complete absorption of the
      dose; thereby, further increasing the food effect. Using a "bottom-up"
      formulation method we improved both the dissolution rate and the apparent
      solubility of the compound. In beagle dog studies, this resulted in a ?>10-fold
      increase in bioavailability in the fasted state when compared to the marketed
      drug and the elimination of the food effect. Calculated values of fraction dose
      absorbed were in agreement with the observed relative bioavailability values in
      beagle dogs.

PMID- 28919101
TI  - 3+4 = 6? Implications of the stratification of localised Gleason 7 prostate
      cancer by number and percentage of positive biopsy cores in selecting patients
      for active surveillance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the number and percentage of positive biopsy
      cores identify a Gleason 3+4 prostate cancer (PC) subgroup of similar biologic
      behaviour to Gleason 3+3. MATERIAL AND METHOD: An observational post-radical
      prostatectomy study was conducted of a cohort of 799 patients with localised low
      risk (n=582, Gleason 6, PSA <10ng/ml and cT1c-2a) and favourable intermediate PC
      (n=217, Gleason 3+4, PSA <=10 ng/ml and pT2abc). The Gleason 3+4 tumours were
      stratified by number (<=3 vs.>3) and by percentage of positive cores (<=33% vs.
      >33%). We analysed the tumours' association with the biochemical recurrence risk
      (BRR) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM). We conducted various predictive models
      using Cox regression and estimated (C-index) and compared their predictive
      capacity. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 71 months, the BRR and CSM of the
      patient group with Gleason 3+4 tumours and a low number (<=3) and percentage
      (<=33%) of positive cores were not significantly different from those of the
      patients with Gleason 6 tumours. At 5 and 10 years, there were no significant
      differences in the number of biochemical recurrences, the probability of
      remaining free of biochemical recurrences, the number of deaths by PC or the
      probability of death by PC between the 2 groups. In contrast, the patients with
      Gleason 3+4 tumours and more than 33% of positive cores presented more deaths by
      PC than the patients with Gleason 6 tumours. At 10 years, the probability of CSM
      was significantly greater. This subgroup of tumours showed a significantly
      greater BRR (RR, 1.6; P=.02) and CSM (RR, 5.8, P<=.01) compared with the Gleason
      6 tumours. The model with Gleason 3+4 stratified by the percentage of positive
      cores significantly improved the predictive capacity of BRR and CSM. CONCLUSIONS:
      Fewer than 3 cores and a percentage <33% of positive cores identifies a subgroup
      of Gleason 3+4 tumours with biological behaviour similar to Gleason 6 tumours. At
      10 years, there were no differences in BRR and CSM between the 2 groups. These
      results provide evidence supporting active surveillance as an alternative for
      Gleason 3+4 tumours and low tumour extension in biopsy.

PMID- 28919102
TI  - Don't kill passive oxygenation with continuous oxygen insufflation too fast in
      cardiac arrest ventilation.

PMID- 28919103
TI  - Alterations of musculoskeletal models for a more accurate estimation of lower
      limb joint contact forces during normal gait: A systematic review.
AB  - Musculoskeletal modelling is a methodology used to investigate joint contact
      forces during a movement. High accuracy in the estimation of the hip or knee
      joint contact forces can be obtained with subject-specific models. However,
      construction of subject-specific models remains time consuming and expensive. The
      purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to identify what
      alterations can be made on generic (i.e. literature-based, without any subject
      specific measurement other than body size and weight) musculoskeletal models to
      obtain a better estimation of the joint contact forces. The impact of these
      alterations on the accuracy of the estimated joint contact forces were appraised.
      The systematic search yielded to 141 articles and 24 papers were included in the
      review. Different strategies of alterations were found: skeletal and joint model
      (e.g. number of degrees of freedom, knee alignment), muscle model (e.g. Hill-type
      muscle parameters, level of muscular redundancy), and optimisation problem (e.g.
      objective function, design variables, constraints). All these alterations had an
      impact on joint contact force accuracy, so demonstrating the potential for
      improving the model predictions without necessarily involving costly and time
      consuming medical images. However, due to discrepancies in the reported evidence
      about this impact and despite a high quality of the reviewed studies, it was not
      possible to highlight any trend defining which alteration had the largest impact.

PMID- 28919104
TI  - Elevated urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels in children with
      Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) has been proved
      as a potential urinary biomarker in nephropathies. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels and
      clinical significance in Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) children with and without
      nephritis and determine the association of MCP-1 with proteinuria. METHODS: A
      total of 261 HSP children-with or without nephritis-and 84 healthy control
      children were enrolled in this study. Of these, 126 HSP nephritis (HSPN) children
      were subdivided into three groups according to total urine protein in 24 h (TUP):
      Group A, mild proteinuria group with TUP <25 mg/kg; Group B, moderate proteinuria
      group with TUP >=25 mg/kg and <50 mg/kg; Group C, severe proteinuria group with
      TUP >=50 mg/kg. Urinary MCP-1 levels were determined by ELISA. Levels of serum
      creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urinary alpha1-micro globulin (alpha1
      MG), micro-albumin (mAlb), immunoglobulin G (IgG), transferrin (TRF) and TUP were
      performed to determine their associations with MCP-1. RESULTS: Urinary MCP-1 was
      significantly higher in HSPN group in comparison with HSP group and controls (P <
      0.05), but no significant difference was found between the HSP group and the
      healthy group (P > 0.05). The levels of urinary MCP-1 increased in parallel to
      the enhancement of total urine protein in 24 h in HSPN patients. There were
      statistically significant differences among these three groups of HSPN children
      (p < 0.05). Urinary MCP-1 correlated positively with urinary alpha1-MG, mAlb,
      IgG, TRF and TUP in HSPN, whereas no correlation was observed with serum Cr and
      BUN. CONCLUSIONS: MCP-1 was elevated in children with HSPN and correlated with
      proteinuria. Urinary MCP-1 could be used as a suitable, non-invasive biomarker to
      provide valuable information not only for the diagnosis of HSPN, but also for
      evaluation of severity of renal damage.

PMID- 28919105
TI  - Airflow Error Measurement Due to Pneumotachograph Mask Rim Leaks.
AB  - Airflow during speech production is recorded using a pneumotachograph system
      wherein typically a mask is placed upon the face. Accurate measures of airflow
      require mask calibration and a complete seal of the mask rim to the face.
      Literature frequently cites mask rim leaks as causing flow measurement
      inaccuracies, but quantitative studies of the inaccuracies are needed. The
      purpose of this study was to determine the degree of inaccuracy of flow
      measurement using a Glottal Enterprises aerodynamic system for a variety of mask
      rim leak conditions. Air was pushed and pulled through the Glottal Enterprises
      mask system over a wide range of airflow with leaks simulated by small metal
      tubes of various cross-sectional areas placed between the mask rim and a face
      like calibration mold. Two leak locations, single versus multiple leaks, and two
      different leak tube geometries were used. Results suggest that (1) as leak area
      increases, the amount of leak flow increases; (2) the amount of flow leak is
      relatively independent of location; (3) given equivalent leak areas, multiple
      leak locations provide less leak flow; and (4) quasi-elliptical tubes were more
      resistive to airflow than rectangular tubes. A general empirical equation was
      obtained that relates the leak flow between the mask rim and the face, the size
      of the leak region, and the amount of the upstream airflow toward the mask:
      Leak(cm3/s) = 0.33 * Area(cm2) * Flow(cm3/s) for the range of +/-2000 cm3/s. This
      equation may provide researchers and clinicians with a tool for generalizing
      airflow leak effects.

PMID- 28919106
TI  - Selecting relevant features from the electronic health record for clinical code
      prediction.
AB  - A multitude of information sources is present in the electronic health record
      (EHR), each of which can contain clues to automatically assign diagnosis and
      procedure codes. These sources however show information overlap and quality
      differences, which complicates the retrieval of these clues. Through feature
      selection, a denser representation with a consistent quality and less information
      overlap can be obtained. We introduce and compare coverage-based feature
      selection methods, based on confidence and information gain. These approaches
      were evaluated over a range of medical specialties, with seven different medical
      specialties for ICD-9-CM code prediction (six at the Antwerp University Hospital
      and one in the MIMIC-III dataset) and two different medical specialties for ICD
      10-CM code prediction. Using confidence coverage to integrate all sources in an
      EHR shows a consistent improvement in F-measure (49.83% for diagnosis codes on
      average), both compared with the baseline (44.25% for diagnosis codes on average)
      and with using the best standalone source (44.41% for diagnosis codes on
      average). Confidence coverage creates a concise patient stay representation
      independent of a rigid framework such as UMLS, and contains easily interpretable
      features. Confidence coverage has several advantages to a baseline setup. In our
      baseline setup, feature selection was limited to a filter removing features with
      less than five total occurrences in the trainingset. Prediction results improved
      consistently when using multiple heterogeneous sources to predict clinical codes,
      while reducing the number of features and the processing time.

PMID- 28919107
TI  - Combination of Abeta Suppression and Innate Immune Activation in the Brain
      Significantly Attenuates Amyloid Plaque Deposition.
AB  - Anti-Abeta clinical trials are currently under way to determine whether
      preventing amyloid deposition will be beneficial in arresting progression of
      Alzheimer disease. Both clinical and preclinical studies suggest that antiamyloid
      strategies are only effective if started at early stages of the disease process
      in a primary prevention strategy. Because this approach will be difficult to
      deploy, strategies for secondary prevention aimed at later stages of disease are
      also needed. In this study, we asked whether combining innate immune activation
      in the brain with concurrent Abeta suppression could enhance plaque clearance and
      could improve pathologic outcomes in mice with moderate amyloid pathologic
      disorder. Starting at 5 months of age, tet-off amyloid precursor protein
      transgenic mice were treated with doxycycline (dox) to suppress further amyloid
      precursor protein/Abeta production, and at the same time mice were intracranially
      injected with adeno-associated virus 1 expressing murine IL-6 (AAV1-mIL-6). Three
      months later, mice treated with the combination of Abeta suppression and AAV1-mIL
      6 showed significantly less plaque pathologic disorder than dox or AAV1-mIL-6
      only groups. The combination of AAV1-mIL-6 + dox treatment lowered total plaque
      burden by >60% versus untreated controls. Treatment with either dox or AAV1-mIL-6
      alone was less effective than the combination. Our results suggest a synergistic
      mechanism by which the up-regulation of mIL-6 was able to improve plaque
      clearance in the setting of Abeta suppression.

PMID- 28919108
TI  - The Renin-Angiotensin System Regulates Neurodegeneration in a Mouse Model of
      Optic Neuritis.
AB  - The major role of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), including that of
      angiotensin II (Ang II), the principal effector molecule, in the cardiovascular
      system is well known. Increasing evidence suggests that the RAS also plays a role
      in the development of autoimmune diseases. Optic neuritis (ie, inflammation of
      the optic nerve, with retinal ganglion cell loss) is strongly associated with
      multiple sclerosis. We investigated the effects of candesartan, an Ang II
      receptor antagonist, on optic neuritis in experimental autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. The Ang II
      concentration was increased in the early phase of EAE. Oral administration of
      candesartan markedly attenuated demyelination of the optic nerve and spinal cord
      and reduced retinal ganglion cell loss and visual impairment in mice with EAE. In
      vitro analyses revealed that Ang II up-regulated the expression of Toll-like
      receptor (TLR)-4 in astrocytes via the NF-kappaB pathway. In addition, Ang II
      treatment enhanced lipopolysaccharide-induced production of monocyte
      chemoattractant protein 1 in astrocytes, and pretreatment with candesartan or
      SN50, an NF-kappaB inhibitor, suppressed the effects of Ang II. The novel pathway
      of RAS-NF-kappaB-TLR4 in glial cells identified in the present study may be a
      valid therapeutic target for neurodegeneration in neuroinflammatory diseases.

PMID- 28919109
TI  - Long-Term Measurements of Human Inflammatory Cytokines Reveal Complex Baseline
      Variations between Individuals.
AB  - Comprehensive characterization of the healthy human proteome baseline is
      essential for personalized medicine. Baseline data are necessary to understand
      the variation between individuals, as well as longitudinal variation within
      individuals. Many important protein biomarkers, such as cytokines, exist at
      extremely low or undetectable levels in the healthy state. This paper describes
      results from a 14-week study of healthy human subjects using ultrasensitive
      single-molecule array (Simoa) assays to measure both intra and intersubject
      variation of 15 cytokines. The results show a wide variation in the ranges of
      some cytokines between individuals and demonstrate that individual baseline
      values will be essential for predicting disease presence and progression.
      Although all of the studied cytokines demonstrated high temporal stability (or
      low intrasubject variation) over the entire study period, there were two distinct
      groups of cytokines that demonstrated either high (IL-8, IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-6,
      and IL-1beta) or low (IL-15, TNF-alpha, IL-12 p70, IL-17A, GM-CSF, IL-12 p40, IL
      10, IL-7, IL-1alpha, and IL-5) subject-to-subject variation. This work
      demonstrates that ultrasensitive assays are essential for characterizing human
      cytokines in healthy subjects. The results show that some cytokines vary by more
      than two orders of magnitude between individuals, making it an imperative to
      obtain individual baseline measurements if they are to play a role in health and
      disease diagnosis.

PMID- 28919110
TI  - This Month in AJP.
AB  - The following highlights summarize research articles that are published in the
      current issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

PMID- 28919111
TI  - Promethazine Hydrochloride Inhibits Ectopic Fat Cell Formation in Skeletal
      Muscle.
AB  - Fatty degeneration of skeletal muscle leads to muscle weakness and loss of
      function. Preventing fatty degeneration in skeletal muscle is important, but no
      drug has been used clinically. In this study, we performed drug repositioning
      using human platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha)-positive
      mesenchymal progenitors that have been proved to be an origin of ectopic
      adipocytes in skeletal muscle. We found that promethazine hydrochloride (PH)
      inhibits adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner without cell toxicity. PH
      inhibited expression of adipogenic markers and also suppressed phosphorylation of
      cAMP response-element binding protein, which was reported to be a primary
      regulator of adipogenesis. We established a mouse model of tendon rupture with
      intramuscular fat deposition and confirmed that emerged ectopic adipocytes are
      derived from PDGFRalpha+ cells using lineage tracing mice. When these injured
      mice were treated with PH, formation of ectopic adipocytes was suppressed
      significantly. Our results show that PH inhibits PDGFRalpha+ mesenchymal
      progenitor-dependent ectopic adipogenesis in skeletal muscle and suggest that
      treatment with PH can be a promising approach to prevent fatty degeneration of
      skeletal muscle.

PMID- 28919112
TI  - Disuse Atrophy Accompanied by Intramuscular Ectopic Adipogenesis in Vastus
      Medialis Muscle of Advanced Osteoarthritis Patients.
AB  - Muscle dysfunction is the most important modifiable mediating factor in primary
      osteoarthritis (OA) because properly contracting muscles are a key absorber of
      forces acting on a joint. However, the pathological features of disuse muscle
      atrophy in OA patients have been rarely studied. Vastus medialis muscles of 14
      female patients with OA (age range, 69 to 86 years), largely immobile for 1 or
      more years, were obtained during arthroplastic surgery and analyzed
      histologically. These were compared with female patients without arthritis, two
      with patellar fracture and two with patellar subluxation. Areas occupied by
      myofibers and adipose tissue were quantified. Large numbers of myofibers were
      lost in the vastus medialis of OA patients. The loss of myofibers was a possible
      cause of the reduction in muscle strength of the operated on knee. These changes
      were significantly correlated with an increase in intramuscular ectopic adipose
      tissue, and not observed in knees of nonarthritic patients. Resident platelet
      derived growth factor receptor alpha-positive mesenchymal progenitor cells
      contributed to ectopic adipogenesis in vastus medialis muscles of OA patients.
      The present study suggests that significant loss of myofibers and ectopic
      adipogenesis in vastus medialis muscles are common pathological features of
      advanced knee OA patients with long-term loss of mobility. These changes may be
      related to the loss of joint function in patients with knee OA.

PMID- 28919114
TI  - Life, death, and disability in 2016.

PMID- 28919113
TI  - Hepatic Tmem30a Deficiency Causes Intrahepatic Cholestasis by Impairing
      Expression and Localization of Bile Salt Transporters.
AB  - Mutations in ATP8B1 or ATP11C (members of P4-type ATPases) cause progressive
      familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 1 in human or intrahepatic cholestasis in
      mice. Transmembrane protein 30A (TMEM30A), a beta-subunit, is essential for the
      function of ATP8B1 and ATP11C. However, its role in the etiology of cholestasis
      remains poorly understood. To investigate the function of TMEM30A in bile salt
      (BS) homeostasis, we developed Tmem30a liver-specific knockout (LKO) mice.
      Tmem30a LKO mice experienced hyperbilirubinemia, hypercholanemia, inflammatory
      infiltration, ductular proliferation, and liver fibrosis. The expression and
      membrane localization of ATP8B1 and ATP11C were significantly reduced in Tmem30a
      LKO mice, which correlated with the impaired expression and localization of BS
      transporters, such as OATP1A4, OATP1B2, NTCP, BSEP, and MRP2. The proteasome
      inhibitor bortezomib partially restored total protein levels of BS transporters
      but not the localization of BS transporters in the membrane. Furthermore, the
      expression of nuclear receptors, including FXRalpha, RXRalpha, HNF4alpha, LRH-1,
      and SHP, was also down-regulated. A cholic acid-supplemented diet exacerbated the
      liver damage in Tmem30a LKO mice. TMEM30A deficiency led to intrahepatic
      cholestasis in mice by impairing the expression and localization of BS
      transporters and the expression of related nuclear receptors. Therefore, TMEM30A
      may be a novel genetic determinant of intrahepatic cholestasis.

PMID- 28919120
TI  - Measuring global health: motivation and evolution of the Global Burden of Disease
      Study.

PMID- 28919121
TI  - The utility of instrumented dual-task gait and tablet-based neurocognitive
      measurements after concussion.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Quantitative and non-invasive measurements acquired by neurocognitive
      or gait evaluations are useful concussion management components. Emerging
      technology has allowed for the development of portable and objective tests which
      may be potentially useful across many settings where evaluations take place. Our
      aim was to examine the association between instrumented dual-task gait and tablet
      based neurocognitive outcome variables with an acute concussion. DESIGN: A total
      of 59 collegiate athletes were identified and tested within 5days of concussion
      (n=18, 50% female, 20+/-1years of age) or as a part of a baseline examination
      (n=41, 29% female, 19+/-1years of age). METHODS: Participants completed an
      instrumented dual-task gait evaluation and a tablet-based neurocognitive
      evaluation. Outcome variables were compared with t-tests, and a multivariable
      logistic regression model was constructed to identify the association between the
      presence of a concussion and test performance. RESULTS: Compared with controls,
      participants with concussion reported significantly more severe symptoms
      (PCSS=19.1+/-15.2 vs. 4.1+/-6.3; p<0.001), walked significantly slower during
      dual-task conditions (87.7+/-10.4cm/s vs. 98.1+/-15.4cm/s; p=0.01), and responded
      with significantly slower simple reaction times (305.2+/-32.4ms vs. 275.4+/
      22.1ms; p<0.001). After adjusting for the effect of potential confounding
      variables, these three variables (more severe symptoms, slower walking speed, and
      slower reaction time) remained independently associated with concussion (adjusted
      odds ratios=1.181, 0.916, and 1.043, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Relatively
      simple quantitative measurements of dual-task gait and reaction time may be
      useful and portable clinical tests in the multifaceted assessment of concussion.

PMID- 28919116
TI  - Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of
      death, 1980-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study
      2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Monitoring levels and trends in premature mortality is crucial to
      understanding how societies can address prominent sources of early death. The
      Global Burden of Disease 2016 Study (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive
      assessment of cause-specific mortality for 264 causes in 195 locations from 1980
      to 2016. This assessment includes evaluation of the expected epidemiological
      transition with changes in development and where local patterns deviate from
      these trends. METHODS: We estimated cause-specific deaths and years of life lost
      (YLLs) by age, sex, geography, and year. YLLs were calculated from the sum of
      each death multiplied by the standard life expectancy at each age. We used the
      GBD cause of death database composed of: vital registration (VR) data corrected
      for under-registration and garbage coding; national and subnational verbal
      autopsy (VA) studies corrected for garbage coding; and other sources including
      surveys and surveillance systems for specific causes such as maternal mortality.
      To facilitate assessment of quality, we reported on the fraction of deaths
      assigned to GBD Level 1 or Level 2 causes that cannot be underlying causes of
      death (major garbage codes) by location and year. Based on completeness, garbage
      coding, cause list detail, and time periods covered, we provided an overall data
      quality rating for each location with scores ranging from 0 stars (worst) to 5
      stars (best). We used robust statistical methods including the Cause of Death
      Ensemble model (CODEm) to generate estimates for each location, year, age, and
      sex. We assessed observed and expected levels and trends of cause-specific deaths
      in relation to the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary indicator derived
      from measures of average income per capita, educational attainment, and total
      fertility, with locations grouped into quintiles by SDI. Relative to GBD 2015, we
      expanded the GBD cause hierarchy by 18 causes of death for GBD 2016. FINDINGS:
      The quality of available data varied by location. Data quality in 25 countries
      rated in the highest category (5 stars), while 48, 30, 21, and 44 countries were
      rated at each of the succeeding data quality levels. Vital registration or verbal
      autopsy data were not available in 27 countries, resulting in the assignment of a
      zero value for data quality. Deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
      represented 72.3% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 71.2-73.2) of deaths in 2016
      with 19.3% (18.5-20.4) of deaths in that year occurring from communicable,
      maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) diseases and a further 8.43% (8.00
      8.67) from injuries. Although age-standardised rates of death from NCDs decreased
      globally between 2006 and 2016, total numbers of these deaths increased; both
      numbers and age-standardised rates of death from CMNN causes decreased in the
      decade 2006-16-age-standardised rates of deaths from injuries decreased but total
      numbers varied little. In 2016, the three leading global causes of death in
      children under-5 were lower respiratory infections, neonatal preterm birth
      complications, and neonatal encephalopathy due to birth asphyxia and trauma,
      combined resulting in 1.80 million deaths (95% UI 1.59 million to 1.89 million).
      Between 1990 and 2016, a profound shift toward deaths at older ages occurred with
      a 178% (95% UI 176-181) increase in deaths in ages 90-94 years and a 210% (208
      212) increase in deaths older than age 95 years. The ten leading causes by rates
      of age-standardised YLL significantly decreased from 2006 to 2016 (median
      annualised rate of change was a decrease of 2.89%); the median annualised rate of
      change for all other causes was lower (a decrease of 1.59%) during the same
      interval. Globally, the five leading causes of total YLLs in 2016 were
      cardiovascular diseases; diarrhoea, lower respiratory infections, and other
      common infectious diseases; neoplasms; neonatal disorders; and HIV/AIDS and
      tuberculosis. At a finer level of disaggregation within cause groupings, the ten
      leading causes of total YLLs in 2016 were ischaemic heart disease,
      cerebrovascular disease, lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, road
      injuries, malaria, neonatal preterm birth complications, HIV/AIDS, chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease, and neonatal encephalopathy due to birth asphyxia
      and trauma. Ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of total YLLs in 113
      countries for men and 97 countries for women. Comparisons of observed levels of
      YLLs by countries, relative to the level of YLLs expected on the basis of SDI
      alone, highlighted distinct regional patterns including the greater than expected
      level of YLLs from malaria and from HIV/AIDS across sub-Saharan Africa; diabetes
      mellitus, especially in Oceania; interpersonal violence, notably within Latin
      America and the Caribbean; and cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, particularly in
      eastern and central Europe. The level of YLLs from ischaemic heart disease was
      less than expected in 117 of 195 locations. Other leading causes of YLLs for
      which YLLs were notably lower than expected included neonatal preterm birth
      complications in many locations in both south Asia and southeast Asia, and
      cerebrovascular disease in western Europe. INTERPRETATION: The past 37 years have
      featured declining rates of communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional
      diseases across all quintiles of SDI, with faster than expected gains for many
      locations relative to their SDI. A global shift towards deaths at older ages
      suggests success in reducing many causes of early death. YLLs have increased
      globally for causes such as diabetes mellitus or some neoplasms, and in some
      locations for causes such as drug use disorders, and conflict and terrorism.
      Increasing levels of YLLs might reflect outcomes from conditions that required
      high levels of care but for which effective treatments remain elusive,
      potentially increasing costs to health systems. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates
      Foundation.

PMID- 28919122
TI  - Functional Movement Screen: Pain versus composite score and injury risk.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Functional Movement Screen (FMSTM) has been used as a screening
      tool to determine musculoskeletal injury risk using composite scores based on
      movement quality and/or pain. However, no direct comparisons between movement
      quality and pain have been quantified. DESIGN: Retrospective injury data
      analysis. METHODS: Male Soldiers (n=2154, 25.0+/-1.3years; 26.2+/-.7kg/m2)
      completed the FMS (scored from 0 points (pain) to 3 points (no pain and perfect
      movement quality)) with injury data over the following six months. The FMS is
      seven movements. Injury data were collected six months after FMS completion.
      Sensitivity, specificity, receiver operator characteristics and positive and
      negative predictive values were calculated for pain occurrence and low (<=14
      points) composite score. Risk, risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals were
      calculated for injury risk. RESULTS: Pain was associated with slightly higher
      injury risk (RR=1.62) than a composite score of <=14 points (RR=1.58). When
      comparing injury risk between those who scored a 1, 2 or 3 on each individual
      movement, no differences were found (except deep squat). However, Soldiers who
      experienced pain on any movement had a greater injury risk than those who scored
      3 points for that movement (p<0.05). A progressive increase in the relative risk
      occurred as the number of movements in which pain occurrence increased, so did
      injury risk (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pain occurrence may be a stronger indicator of
      injury risk than a low composite score and provides a simpler method of
      evaluating injury risk compared to the full FMS.

PMID- 28919123
TI  - Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, facilitates osteogenic
      proliferation and differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells through phosphoinositide 3
      kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT), extracellular signal-related kinase
      (ERK)1/2, and cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathways involving beta
      catenin.
AB  - Previous studies have proven that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and its
      receptor agonist exert favorable anabolic effects on skeletal metabolism.
      However, whether GLP-1 could directly impact osteoblast-mediated bone formation
      is still controversial, and the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be
      elucidated. Thus in this paper, we investigated the effects of liraglutide, a
      glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, on murine MC3T3-E1
      preosteoblasts proliferation and differentiation and explored the potential
      cellular basis. Our study confirmed the presence of GLP-1R in MC3T3-E1, and
      demonstrated that liraglutide promotes osteoblasts proliferation at an
      intermediate concentration (100nM) and time (48h), upregulated the expression of
      osteoblastogenic biomarkers at various stages, and stimulated osteoblastic
      mineralization. Liraglutide also elevated the intracellular cAMP level and
      phosphorylation of AKT, ERK and beta-catenin simultaneously with increased
      nuclear beta-catenin content and transcriptional activity. Pretreatment of cells
      with the inhibitors LY294002, PD98059, H89 and GLP-1R and beta-catenin siRNA
      partially blocked the liraglutide-induced signaling activation and attenuated the
      facilitating effect of liraglutide on MC3T3-E1 cells. Collectively, liraglutide
      was capable of acting upon osteoblasts directly through GLP-1R by activating
      PI3K/AKT, ERK1/2, cAMP/PKA/beta-cat-Ser675 signaling to promote bone formation
      via GLP-1R. Thus, GLP-1 analogues may be potential therapeutic strategy for the
      treatment of osteoporosis in diabetics.

PMID- 28919124
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 28919125
TI  - Multi-Institution Analysis of Infection Control Practices Identifies the Subset
      Associated with Best Surgical Site Infection Performance: A Texas Alliance for
      Surgical Quality Collaborative Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In an effort to reduce surgical site infection (SSI) rates, a large
      number of infection control practices (ICPs), including operating room attire
      policies, have been recommended. However, few have proven benefits and many are
      costly, time-consuming, and detrimental to provider morale. The goal of this
      multi-institution study was to determine which ICPs are associated with lower
      postoperative SSI rates. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty American College of Surgeons NSQIP
      and Texas Alliance for Surgical Quality-affiliated hospitals completed this
      Quality Improvement Assessment Board-approved study. Surgeon champions at each
      hospital ranked current surgery, anesthesia, and nursing adherence to 38 separate
      ICPs in 6 categories (attire, preoperative, intraoperative, preoperative,
      intraoperative, antibiotics, postoperative, and reporting) on 4-point scales for
      general surgery cases. These data were compared with the risk-adjusted general
      surgery SSI odds ratios contained in the July 2016 American College of Surgeons
      NSQIP hospital-level, risk-adjusted reports. Compliance rates were compared
      between the 7 best (median SSI odds ratio, 0.64; range, 0.56 to 0.70) and 7 worst
      (median SSI odds ratio, 1.16; range, 0.94 to 1.65) performers using ANOVA.
      RESULTS: Nearly all hospitals reported maximal adherence to hair removal with
      clippers (Surgical Care Improvement Project measure Inf-6) and to best-practice
      prophylactic antibiotic metrics (Surgical Care Improvement Project measure Inf-1
      3). Variable adherence was identified across many ICPs and more frequent
      compliance with 8 ICPs correlated with lower SSI odds ratios, including
      preoperative shower; skin preparation technique; using clean instruments, gowns,
      and gloves for wound closure and dressing changes; and transparent internal
      reporting of SSI data. Operating room attire ICPs, including coverage of
      nonscrubbed provider head and arm hair, did not correlate with SSI rates.
      CONCLUSIONS: This analysis suggests that the subset of ICPs that focus on
      perioperative patient skin and wound hygiene and transparent display of SSI data,
      not operating room attire policies, correlated with SSI rates. Implementation of
      this subset of evidence-based ICPs may improve SSI rates at lower-performing
      hospitals.

PMID- 28919115
TI  - Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific
      mortality, and life expectancy, 1970-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global
      Burden of Disease Study 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detailed assessments of mortality patterns, particularly age-specific
      mortality, represent a crucial input that enables health systems to target
      interventions to specific populations. Understanding how all-cause mortality has
      changed with respect to development status can identify exemplars for best
      practice. To accomplish this, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk
      Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) estimated age-specific and sex-specific all-cause
      mortality between 1970 and 2016 for 195 countries and territories and at the
      subnational level for the five countries with a population greater than 200
      million in 2016. METHODS: We have evaluated how well civil registration systems
      captured deaths using a set of demographic methods called death distribution
      methods for adults and from consideration of survey and census data for children
      younger than 5 years. We generated an overall assessment of completeness of
      registration of deaths by dividing registered deaths in each location-year by our
      estimate of all-age deaths generated from our overall estimation process. For 163
      locations, including subnational units in countries with a population greater
      than 200 million with complete vital registration (VR) systems, our estimates
      were largely driven by the observed data, with corrections for small fluctuations
      in numbers and estimation for recent years where there were lags in data
      reporting (lags were variable by location, generally between 1 year and 6 years).
      For other locations, we took advantage of different data sources available to
      measure under-5 mortality rates (U5MR) using complete birth histories, summary
      birth histories, and incomplete VR with adjustments; we measured adult mortality
      rate (the probability of death in individuals aged 15-60 years) using adjusted
      incomplete VR, sibling histories, and household death recall. We used the U5MR
      and adult mortality rate, together with crude death rate due to HIV in the GBD
      model life table system, to estimate age-specific and sex-specific death rates
      for each location-year. Using various international databases, we identified
      fatal discontinuities, which we defined as increases in the death rate of more
      than one death per million, resulting from conflict and terrorism, natural
      disasters, major transport or technological accidents, and a subset of epidemic
      infectious diseases; these were added to estimates in the relevant years. In 47
      countries with an identified peak adult prevalence for HIV/AIDS of more than 0.5%
      and where VR systems were less than 65% complete, we informed our estimates of
      age-sex-specific mortality using the Estimation and Projection Package (EPP)
      Spectrum model fitted to national HIV/AIDS prevalence surveys and antenatal
      clinic serosurveillance systems. We estimated stillbirths, early neonatal, late
      neonatal, and childhood mortality using both survey and VR data in spatiotemporal
      Gaussian process regression models. We estimated abridged life tables for all
      location-years using age-specific death rates. We grouped locations into
      development quintiles based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and analysed
      mortality trends by quintile. Using spline regression, we estimated the expected
      mortality rate for each age-sex group as a function of SDI. We identified
      countries with higher life expectancy than expected by comparing observed life
      expectancy to anticipated life expectancy on the basis of development status
      alone. FINDINGS: Completeness in the registration of deaths increased from 28% in
      1970 to a peak of 45% in 2013; completeness was lower after 2013 because of lags
      in reporting. Total deaths in children younger than 5 years decreased from 1970
      to 2016, and slower decreases occurred at ages 5-24 years. By contrast, numbers
      of adult deaths increased in each 5-year age bracket above the age of 25 years.
      The distribution of annualised rates of change in age-specific mortality rate
      differed over the period 2000 to 2016 compared with earlier decades: increasing
      annualised rates of change were less frequent, although rising annualised rates
      of change still occurred in some locations, particularly for adolescent and
      younger adult age groups. Rates of stillbirths and under-5 mortality both
      decreased globally from 1970. Evidence for global convergence of death rates was
      mixed; although the absolute difference between age-standardised death rates
      narrowed between countries at the lowest and highest levels of SDI, the ratio of
      these death rates-a measure of relative inequality-increased slightly. There was
      a strong shift between 1970 and 2016 toward higher life expectancy, most
      noticeably at higher levels of SDI. Among countries with populations greater than
      1 million in 2016, life expectancy at birth was highest for women in Japan, at
      86.9 years (95% UI 86.7-87.2), and for men in Singapore, at 81.3 years (78.8
      83.7) in 2016. Male life expectancy was generally lower than female life
      expectancy between 1970 and 2016, and the gap between male and female life
      expectancy increased with progression to higher levels of SDI. Some countries
      with exceptional health performance in 1990 in terms of the difference in
      observed to expected life expectancy at birth had slower progress on the same
      measure in 2016. INTERPRETATION: Globally, mortality rates have decreased across
      all age groups over the past five decades, with the largest improvements
      occurring among children younger than 5 years. However, at the national level,
      considerable heterogeneity remains in terms of both level and rate of changes in
      age-specific mortality; increases in mortality for certain age groups occurred in
      some locations. We found evidence that the absolute gap between countries in age
      specific death rates has declined, although the relative gap for some age-sex
      groups increased. Countries that now lead in terms of having higher observed life
      expectancy than that expected on the basis of development alone, or locations
      that have either increased this advantage or rapidly decreased the deficit from
      expected levels, could provide insight into the means to accelerate progress in
      nations where progress has stalled. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and
      the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Mental Health of
      the National Institutes of Health.

PMID- 28919127
TI  - Acute appendicitis: implementing low-dose CT in clinical practice.

PMID- 28919129
TI  - Dissecting the catatonia phenotype in psychotic and mood disorders on the basis
      of familial-genetic factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examines the familial aggregation (familiality) of
      different phenotypic definitions of catatonia in a sample of multiplex families
      with psychotic and mood disorders. METHODS: Participants were probands with a
      lifetime diagnosis of a DSM-IV functional psychotic disorder, their parents and
      at least one first-degree relative with a psychotic disorder. The study sample
      included 441 families comprising 2703 subjects, of whom 1094 were affected and
      1609 unaffected. Familiality (h2) was estimated by linear mixed models using
      family membership as a random effect, with h2 indicating the portion of
      phenotypic variance accounted for by family membership. RESULTS: Familiality
      estimates highly varied for individual catatonia signs (h2=0.17-0.65), principal
      component analysis-derived factors (h2=0.29-0.49), number of catatonia signs
      present (h2=0.03-0.43) and severity of the catatonia syndrome (h2=0.25-0.59).
      Phenotypes maximizing familiality estimates included individual signs (mutism and
      rigidity, both h2=0.65), presence of >=5 catatonia signs (h2=0.43), a classical
      catatonia factor (h2=0.49), a DSM-IV catatonia syndrome at a severity level of
      moderate or higher (h2=0.59) and the diagnostic construct of psychosis with
      prominent catatonia features (h2=0.56). Familiality estimates of a DSM-IV
      catatonia syndrome did not significantly differ across the diagnostic categories
      of psychotic and mood disorders (h2=0.40-0.47). CONCLUSIONS: The way in which
      catatonia is defined has a strong impact on familiality estimates with some
      catatonia phenotypes exhibiting substantial familial aggregation, which may
      inform about the most adequate phenotypes for molecular studies. From a familial
      genetic perspective, the catatonia phenotype in psychotic and mood disorders has
      a transdiagnostic character.

PMID- 28919128
TI  - Pregabalin for anxiety in patients with schizophrenia - A randomized, double
      blind placebo-controlled study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anxiety is frequent in patients with schizophrenia and poses a
      major impact on patients perceived quality of life, daily functioning and risk of
      suicide. Pregabalin has shown effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety
      disorder and has been suggested for the treatment of anxiety in patients with
      schizophrenia. As evidence is sparse regarding treatment of anxiety in this
      patient group, we aimed to investigate the use of pregabalin for anxiety in
      patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind placebo
      controlled study was used. Patients were randomized to either placebo or
      pregabalin (<=600mg/d) as add-on treatment. Primary analyses were intention-to
      treat based with change in Hamilton Anxiety Scale after 4 and 8weeks of treatment
      as primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were change in psychopathology, quality-of
      life, cognitive functioning and sleep. The study used centralized raters to
      increase accuracy and minimize baseline inflation. RESULTS: A total of 54
      patients were included with 46 completing the study. Pregabalin reduced the HAM
      A6 score significantly compared to placebo and with a medium effect size 0.72
      (p=0.01). No significant between-group difference was found for the overall HAM
      A14. Most common side-effects were weight gain, dizziness, sedation and increased
      duration of sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Although no effect was found on overall HAM-A14,
      pregabalin might be effective in the treatment of psychic anxiety symptoms in
      patients with schizophrenia with a medium effect size.

PMID- 28919130
TI  - The nuts and bolts of Cognitive Remediation: Exploring how different training
      components relate to cognitive and functional gains.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive Remediation (CR) is an evidence based treatment targeting
      cognitive and functional difficulties in people with psychosis. Despite the large
      number of effectiveness studies, only limited evidence exists for the active
      ingredients of this therapy. This study begins to fill this gap by exploring the
      relationship between CR ingredients, including alliance with a therapist, and
      therapy outcomes. METHOD: This is a secondary analysis based on data from a
      published randomised controlled trial comparing CR+treatment-as-usual (TAU) to
      TAU alone. We considered the association between CR active ingredients including
      errorless learning, massed practice, strategy use and therapeutic alliance on the
      cognitive, functioning and symptom outcomes that significantly improved following
      therapy. RESULTS: Forty-six of the 96 participants were randomised to CR. After
      therapy the CR group showed significant improvement in non-verbal memory,
      functioning and approaching significance, improvements in executive functions.
      All therapy ingredients were inter-related but strategy use alone was associated
      therapeutic alliance. Cognitive improvements were associated with massed
      practice, number of useful strategies and therapeutic alliance, but improvements
      in functioning were associated only with therapeutic alliance. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings build the evidence base for the usefulness of specific therapy
      components. As for other psychological therapies it appears that therapeutic
      alliance may be an important factor in driving change for key CR outcomes,
      particularly functioning, in people with psychosis.

PMID- 28919117
TI  - Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with
      disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: a
      systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and
      populations age, non-fatal outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a
      larger component of the global burden of disease. The Global Burden of Diseases,
      Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive
      assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for
      328 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016. METHODS: We
      estimated prevalence and incidence for 328 diseases and injuries and 2982
      sequelae, their non-fatal consequences. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta
      regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between
      incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death rates for each condition.
      For some causes, we used alternative modelling strategies if incidence or
      prevalence needed to be derived from other data. YLDs were estimated as the
      product of prevalence and a disability weight for all mutually exclusive
      sequelae, corrected for comorbidity and aggregated to cause level. We updated the
      Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary indicator of income per capita, years of
      schooling, and total fertility rate. GBD 2016 complies with the Guidelines for
      Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER). FINDINGS: Globally,
      low back pain, migraine, age-related and other hearing loss, iron-deficiency
      anaemia, and major depressive disorder were the five leading causes of YLDs in
      2016, contributing 57.6 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 40.8-75.9 million
      [7.2%, 6.0-8.3]), 45.1 million (29.0-62.8 million [5.6%, 4.0-7.2]), 36.3 million
      (25.3-50.9 million [4.5%, 3.8-5.3]), 34.7 million (23.0-49.6 million [4.3%, 3.5
      5.2]), and 34.1 million (23.5-46.0 million [4.2%, 3.2-5.3]) of total YLDs,
      respectively. Age-standardised rates of YLDs for all causes combined decreased
      between 1990 and 2016 by 2.7% (95% UI 2.3-3.1). Despite mostly stagnant age
      standardised rates, the absolute number of YLDs from non-communicable diseases
      has been growing rapidly across all SDI quintiles, partly because of population
      growth, but also the ageing of populations. The largest absolute increases in
      total numbers of YLDs globally were between the ages of 40 and 69 years. Age
      standardised YLD rates for all conditions combined were 10.4% (95% UI 9.0-11.8)
      higher in women than in men. Iron-deficiency anaemia, migraine, Alzheimer's
      disease and other dementias, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and all
      musculoskeletal disorders apart from gout were the main conditions contributing
      to higher YLD rates in women. Men had higher age-standardised rates of substance
      use disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and all injuries apart
      from sexual violence. Globally, we noted much less geographical variation in
      disability than has been documented for premature mortality. In 2016, there was a
      less than two times difference in age-standardised YLD rates for all causes
      between the location with the lowest rate (China, 9201 YLDs per 100 000, 95% UI
      6862-11943) and highest rate (Yemen, 14 774 YLDs per 100 000, 11 018-19 228).
      INTERPRETATION: The decrease in death rates since 1990 for most causes has not
      been matched by a similar decline in age-standardised YLD rates. For many large
      causes, YLD rates have either been stagnant or have increased for some causes,
      such as diabetes. As populations are ageing, and the prevalence of disabling
      disease generally increases steeply with age, health systems will face increasing
      demand for services that are generally costlier than the interventions that have
      led to declines in mortality in childhood or for the major causes of mortality in
      adults. Up-to-date information about the trends of disease and how this varies
      between countries is essential to plan for an adequate health-system response.
      FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Institute on Aging and
      the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.

PMID- 28919126
TI  - Low-dose CT for the diagnosis of appendicitis in adolescents and young adults
      (LOCAT): a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CT radiation is arguably carcinogenic. Results from single-centre
      studies, mostly retrospective, have advocated lowering the CT radiation dose for
      the diagnosis of appendicitis. However, adoption of low-dose CT has been slow. We
      aimed to assess the effectiveness of low-dose CT compared with standard-dose CT
      in the diagnosis of appendicitis in adolescents and young adults. METHODS: We did
      this pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial at 20
      South Korean teaching hospitals with little experience with low-dose CT. Patients
      aged 15-44 years with suspected appendicitis were randomly assigned (1:1), via
      computer-generated random assignments (permuted block sizes of two, four, six,
      and eight) concealed in sequentially numbered envelopes, to receive low-dose CT
      (2 mSv) or standard-dose CT (<=8 mSv). Randomisation was stratified by site.
      Group allocation was concealed from patients, outcome assessors, and adverse
      event adjudicators; care providers, site pathologists, and data collectors were
      aware of allocation. The primary endpoint was the negative (unnecessary)
      appendectomy rate among all appendectomies, with a non-interiority margin of 4.5%
      for low-dose versus standard-dose CT. Primary analysis was by modified intention
      to treat, which included all patients who received an appendectomy in the group
      to which they were assigned. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov,
      number NCT01925014. FINDINGS: Between Dec 4, 2013, and Aug 18, 2016, we assigned
      1535 patients to the low-dose CT group and 1539 patients to the standard-dose CT
      group. 22 (3.9%) of 559 patients had a negative appendectomy in the low-dose
      group versus 16 (2.7%) of 601 patients in the standard-dose group (difference
      1.3%, 95% CI -0.8 to 3.3; p=0.0022 for the non-inferiority test). We recorded 43
      adverse events in 43 (2.8%) of 1535 patients in the low-dose group and 41 adverse
      events in 40 (2.6%) of 1539 patients in the standard-dose group. One life
      threatening adverse event of anaphylaxis caused by an iodinated contrast material
      occurred in the low-dose group. INTERPRETATION: Radiation dose of appendiceal CT
      for adolescents and young adults can be reduced to 2 mSv without impairing
      clinical outcomes. In view of the vast number of appendiceal CT examinations done
      worldwide, use of low-dose CT could prevent a sizeable number of radiation
      associated cancers in the future. FUNDING: Korea Health Industry Development
      Institute, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Dasol Life Science, and
      Bracco Imaging Korea.

PMID- 28919131
TI  - Optogenetic targeting of cardiac myocytes and non-myocytes: Tools, challenges and
      utility.
AB  - In optogenetics, light-activated proteins are used to monitor and modulate
      cellular behaviour with light. Combining genetic targeting of distinct cellular
      populations with defined patterns of optical stimulation enables one to study
      specific cell classes in complex biological tissues. In the current study we
      attempted to investigate the functional relevance of heterocellular electrotonic
      coupling in cardiac tissue in situ. In order to do that, we used a Cre-Lox
      approach to express the light-gated cation channel Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2)
      specifically in either cardiac myocytes or non-myocytes. Despite high specificity
      when using the same Cre driver lines in a previous study in combination with a
      different optogenetic probe, we found patchy off-target ChR2 expression in cryo
      sections and extended z-stack imaging through the ventricular wall of hearts
      cleared using CLARITY. Based on immunohistochemical analysis, single-cell
      electrophysiological recordings and whole-genome sequencing, we reason that non
      specificity is caused on the Cre recombination level. Our study highlights the
      importance of careful design and validation of the Cre recombination targets for
      reliable cell class specific expression of optogenetic tools.

PMID- 28919132
TI  - The East, the West and the universal machine.
AB  - After reviewing the basic of theology of Universal Numbers/Machines, as detailed
      in Marchal (2007), I illustrate how that body of thought might be used to shed
      some light upon the apparent dichotomy in Eastern/Western spirituality. This
      paper relies entirely on my previous interdisciplinary work in mathematical
      logic, computer science and machine's theology, where "theology" is used here in
      the sense of Plato: it is the truth, or the "truth-theory" (in the sense of
      logicians) about a machine that the machine can either deduce from some of its
      primitive beliefs, or can be intuited in some sense that eventually is made clear
      through the modal logic of machine self-reference. Such a theology appears to be
      testable, because it has been shown that physics has to be necessarily retrieved
      from it when we assume the mechanist hypothesis in the cognitive sciences, and
      this in a unique precise (introspective) way, so that we only need to compare the
      physics of the introspective machine with the physics inferred from the human
      observation; and up to now, it is the only theory known to fit both the existence
      of personal "consciousness" (undoubtable yet unjustifiable truth) and quanta and
      quantum relationships (Marchal, 1998; Marchal, 2004; Marchal, 2013; Marchal,
      2015).

PMID- 28919133
TI  - Transfer parameters for ICRP's Reference Animals and Plants in a terrestrial
      Mediterranean ecosystem.
AB  - A system for the radiological protection of the environment (or wildlife) based
      on Reference Animals and Plants (RAPs) has been suggested by the International
      Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). To assess whole-body activity
      concentrations for RAPs and the resultant internal dose rates, transfer
      parameters are required. However, transfer values specifically for the taxonomic
      families defined for the RAPs are often sparse and furthermore can be extremely
      site dependent. There is also a considerable geographical bias within available
      transfer data, with few data for Mediterranean ecosystems. In the present work,
      stable element concentrations (I, Li, Be, B, Na, Mg, Al, P, S, K. Ca, Ti, V, Cr,
      Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb and U) in
      terrestrial RAPs, and the corresponding whole-body concentration ratios, CRwo,
      were determined in two different Mediterranean ecosystems: a Pinewood and a
      Dehesa (grassland with disperse tree cover). The RAPs considered in the Pinewood
      ecosystem were Pine Tree and Wild Grass; whereas in the Dehesa ecosystem those
      considered were Deer, Rat, Earthworm, Bee, Frog, Duck and Wild Grass. The CRwo
      values estimated from these data are compared to those reported in international
      compilations and databases.

PMID- 28919134
TI  - [The eyelid-cheek junction].
AB  - The eyelid-cheek junction is a key area which generates many comments: from
      looking tired to looking good or rested, without forgetting charm, beauty, and a
      youthful appearance. In spite of many interesting medical and surgical
      procedures, treating this area is sometimes difficult and results are not always
      up to our expectations. Standardized blepharoplasty, which has often been
      improperly used, has shown its limits. Since the latest refinements,
      lipostructure has revolutionised blepharoplasty and serving as a reference, it
      has become an established technique. Subperiostal mediofacial lift allows
      outstanding results at the cost of a certain technical aggressiveness. Aesthetic
      medicine proposes worthy alternative and/or appropriate complementary solutions.
      Different procedures we dispose of have been reviewed together with their assets
      and their limits. A codification of therapeutic indications is proposed. The
      positioning of the eyelid-cheek clinical junction in relation with the low
      orbital bone rim influences our strategy in choosing the appropriate technique.

PMID- 28919137
TI  - Pseudoaneurysm complicating right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit surgery:
      Incidence and risk factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Although pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon complication after right
      ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit placement, it has the potential to cause
      significant morbidity and mortality. METHODS: We performed a review of patients
      with pseudoaneurysms diagnosed at our institution in a 20-year period (from 1995
      through 2015) and compared their clinical characteristics with a group of age-
      and sex-matched control patients. RESULTS: We found that younger age, smaller
      size, the diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot, the use of a pulmonary homograft
      conduit, the presence of an unrestrictive ventricular septal defect after conduit
      placement, and having at least systemic right ventricular pressure were all more
      common in patients who had pseudoaneurysms develop. CONCLUSIONS: This study is
      unique in identifying both patient and surgical factors that may predispose to
      pseudoaneurysm development and can help inform optimal strategies to monitor and
      evaluate this patient population.

PMID- 28919136
TI  - Pilocytic astrocytoma mimicking cavernous angioma: Imaging features and
      histological characteristics.
AB  - Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) commonly occurs during the first two decades of life.
      Typical locations include cerebellum, optic nerve, optic chiasm/hypothalamus and
      brainstem. PA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with
      brain tumors manifesting with hemorrhagic onset. We report a case of a
      hemorrhagic onset of cerebellar PA in a young adult with imaging findings
      mimicking cavernous angioma. We also discuss imaging features and histological
      characteristics with a focus on the etiology of the hemorrhagic onset.

PMID- 28919135
TI  - Are Experiences of Discrimination Related to Poorer Dietary Intakes Among South
      Asians in the MASALA Study?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between self-reported discrimination and
      dietary intakes among South Asian (SA) people. METHODS: Data from the Mediators
      of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America study were used to analyze
      the relationship between self-reported discrimination and dietary behaviors (n =
      866). Self-reported discrimination was measured with the 9-item continuous
      Everyday Discrimination Scale. Diet was measured with a culturally tailored,
      validated, 163-item food frequency questionnaire for SA individuals. Dietary
      variables examined in these analyses included weekly consumption of fruits and
      vegetables and sweets. The researchers employed multiple logistic and linear
      regression models. RESULTS: Self-reported discrimination was unrelated to fruit
      and vegetable intake but was positively associated with consumption of sweets per
      week (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Increased consumption of sweets
      may be a mechanism for SA individuals to cope with stressful experiences of
      discrimination. Further research examining discrimination and health behavior
      related coping strategies among SA people is needed.

PMID- 28919138
TI  - Keep pumping for life....

PMID- 28919139
TI  - Is there light at the end of the tunnel for patients with severe compensatory
      hyperhidrosis?

PMID- 28919140
TI  - Minimally invasive Columbus egg.

PMID- 28919141
TI  - MicroRNA-30a-lysyl oxidase axis in aortic dissection pathogenesis.

PMID- 28919119
TI  - Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural,
      environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990
      2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016
      (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of risk factor exposure and
      attributable burden of disease. By providing estimates over a long time series,
      this study can monitor risk exposure trends critical to health surveillance and
      inform policy debates on the importance of addressing risks in context. METHODS:
      We used the comparative risk assessment framework developed for previous
      iterations of GBD to estimate levels and trends in exposure, attributable deaths,
      and attributable disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age group, sex, year,
      and location for 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic
      risks or clusters of risks from 1990 to 2016. This study included 481 risk
      outcome pairs that met the GBD study criteria for convincing or probable evidence
      of causation. We extracted relative risk (RR) and exposure estimates from 22 717
      randomised controlled trials, cohorts, pooled cohorts, household surveys, census
      data, satellite data, and other sources, according to the GBD 2016 source
      counting methods. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk
      exposure level (TMREL), we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could
      be attributed to a given risk. Finally, we explored four drivers of trends in
      attributable burden: population growth, population ageing, trends in risk
      exposure, and all other factors combined. FINDINGS: Since 1990, exposure
      increased significantly for 30 risks, did not change significantly for four
      risks, and decreased significantly for 31 risks. Among risks that are leading
      causes of burden of disease, child growth failure and household air pollution
      showed the most significant declines, while metabolic risks, such as body-mass
      index and high fasting plasma glucose, showed significant increases. In 2016, at
      Level 3 of the hierarchy, the three leading risk factors in terms of attributable
      DALYs at the global level for men were smoking (124.1 million DALYs [95% UI 111.2
      million to 137.0 million]), high systolic blood pressure (122.2 million DALYs
      [110.3 million to 133.3 million], and low birthweight and short gestation (83.0
      million DALYs [78.3 million to 87.7 million]), and for women, were high systolic
      blood pressure (89.9 million DALYs [80.9 million to 98.2 million]), high body
      mass index (64.8 million DALYs [44.4 million to 87.6 million]), and high fasting
      plasma glucose (63.8 million DALYs [53.2 million to 76.3 million]). In 2016 in
      113 countries, the leading risk factor in terms of attributable DALYs was a
      metabolic risk factor. Smoking remained among the leading five risk factors for
      DALYs for 109 countries, while low birthweight and short gestation was the
      leading risk factor for DALYs in 38 countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa
      and South Asia. In terms of important drivers of change in trends of burden
      attributable to risk factors, between 2006 and 2016 exposure to risks explains an
      9.3% (6.9-11.6) decline in deaths and a 10.8% (8.3-13.1) decrease in DALYs at the
      global level, while population ageing accounts for 14.9% (12.7-17.5) of deaths
      and 6.2% (3.9-8.7) of DALYs, and population growth for 12.4% (10.1-14.9) of
      deaths and 12.4% (10.1-14.9) of DALYs. The largest contribution of trends in risk
      exposure to disease burden is seen between ages 1 year and 4 years, where a
      decline of 27.3% (24.9-29.7) of the change in DALYs between 2006 and 2016 can be
      attributed to declines in exposure to risks. INTERPRETATION: Increasingly
      detailed understanding of the trends in risk exposure and the RRs for each risk
      outcome pair provide insights into both the magnitude of health loss attributable
      to risks and how modification of risk exposure has contributed to health trends.
      Metabolic risks warrant particular policy attention, due to their large
      contribution to global disease burden, increasing trends, and variable patterns
      across countries at the same level of development. GBD 2016 findings show that,
      while it has huge potential to improve health, risk modification has played a
      relatively small part in the past decade. FUNDING: The Bill & Melinda Gates
      Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies.

PMID- 28919142
TI  - Innovation in cardiothoracic surgical training.

PMID- 28919144
TI  - Beyond L-DOPA: hope for Parkinson's treatment and diagnosis.

PMID- 28919145
TI  - Outcomes of Therapy for Vulvar Manifestation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in
      Adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vulvar manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are
      variable in presentation and challenging to treat. We describe vulvar
      manifestations and treatment response in female adolescents with IBD. CASES: We
      identified 6 patients with vulvar manifestations of IBD and documented treatments
      using retrospective chart review. Vulvar symptoms occurred without
      gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in 1 patient. For the remaining 5 patients, 2 had
      GI symptoms before the onset of vulvar symptoms (mean time difference, 4.5
      years); 3 patients had vulvar symptoms precede the onset of GI symptoms (mean
      time difference, 3.3 years). Vulvar IBD manifestations included pain, 100% (n =
      6); enlargement, "fullness" or "edema" of the labia minora or majora, 66% (n =
      4); ulcers, 50% (n = 3); and abscess, 50% (n = 3). Gynecologic procedures
      included biopsies, incision and drainages, and partial vulvectomies. All patients
      were treated with multiple systemic therapies. None of the patients responded to
      surgical or medical treatment alone; all had recalcitrant vulvar symptoms.
      SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: Vulvar manifestations of IBD might precede GI symptoms in
      adolescents with IBD. Treatment is challenging and in this series, systemic
      therapies were the most successful in achieving symptomatic improvement.

PMID- 28919143
TI  - Long-term safety of glycopyrrolate/eFlow(r) CS in moderate-to-very-severe COPD:
      Results from the Glycopyrrolate for Obstructive Lung Disease via Electronic
      Nebulizer (GOLDEN) 5 randomized study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of long-acting bronchodilators is an essential component of
      the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The GOLDEN 5
      Phase III, randomized, active-controlled, open-label study was conducted to
      evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of a nebulized glycopyrrolate
      formulation (SUN-101) delivered via the investigational eFlow(r) Closed System
      (eFlow(r) CS) nebulizer in subjects with moderate-to-very-severe COPD. METHODS:
      Subjects were randomized in a 4:3 ratio to nebulized glycopyrrolate 50 MUg twice
      daily (BID) or tiotropium 18 MUg once daily (OD) and treated for 48 weeks.
      Subjects represented the general COPD population with real-world characteristics
      including severe disease, presence of comorbidities, and receiving background
      COPD therapy. Primary endpoints were the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse
      events (TEAEs), serious TEAEs, and discontinuations due to TEAEs. Secondary
      endpoints included the number of subjects with major adverse cardiovascular
      events (MACE); change from baseline in trough forced expiratory volume in 1 s
      (FEV1), and assessment of patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: 1086 subjects
      received at least one dose of study drug. The overall incidence of TEAEs was
      comparable for subjects treated with glycopyrrolate (69.4%) or tiotropium
      (67.0%). Serious TEAEs occurred at similar rates in both treatment groups
      (glycopyrrolate, 12.3%; tiotropium, 10.5%). The most frequent TEAEs were COPD
      exacerbation/worsening and cough. Discontinuation due to TEAEs was higher in the
      glycopyrrolate group (10.0%) than the tiotropium group (2.8%) and related, in
      part, to the open-label study design, prior use of long-acting muscarinic
      antagonists and aerosol-airway interactions. Fewer subjects in the glycopyrrolate
      group experienced MACE (glycopyrrolate, n = 3 [0.5%]; tiotropium, n = 8 [1.7%]).
      Nebulized glycopyrrolate treatment resulted in improvements in trough FEV1 that
      were maintained over 48 weeks. Patient-reported health outcomes showed
      improvements, supporting the increases in trough FEV1. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment
      with nebulized glycopyrrolate was well tolerated over 48 weeks with the most
      common adverse events being COPD worsening and cough. The overall and cardiac
      safety and tolerability profile and improvements in pulmonary function and
      patient-reported health outcomes support the use of nebulized glycopyrrolate as a
      maintenance treatment for moderate-to-very-severe COPD. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02276222.

PMID- 28919118
TI  - Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333
      diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and
      territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease
      Study 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Measurement of changes in health across locations is useful to
      compare and contrast changing epidemiological patterns against health system
      performance and identify specific needs for resource allocation in research,
      policy development, and programme decision making. Using the Global Burden of
      Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we drew from two widely used
      summary measures to monitor such changes in population health: disability
      adjusted life-years (DALYs) and healthy life expectancy (HALE). We used these
      measures to track trends and benchmark progress compared with expected trends on
      the basis of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). METHODS: We used results from the
      Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 for all-cause
      mortality, cause-specific mortality, and non-fatal disease burden to derive HALE
      and DALYs by sex for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016. We
      calculated DALYs by summing years of life lost and years of life lived with
      disability for each location, age group, sex, and year. We estimated HALE using
      age-specific death rates and years of life lived with disability per capita. We
      explored how DALYs and HALE differed from expected trends when compared with the
      SDI: the geometric mean of income per person, educational attainment in the
      population older than age 15 years, and total fertility rate. FINDINGS: The
      highest globally observed HALE at birth for both women and men was in Singapore,
      at 75.2 years (95% uncertainty interval 71.9-78.6) for females and 72.0 years
      (68.8-75.1) for males. The lowest for females was in the Central African Republic
      (45.6 years [42.0-49.5]) and for males was in Lesotho (41.5 years [39.0-44.0]).
      From 1990 to 2016, global HALE increased by an average of 6.24 years (5.97-6.48)
      for both sexes combined. Global HALE increased by 6.04 years (5.74-6.27) for
      males and 6.49 years (6.08-6.77) for females, whereas HALE at age 65 years
      increased by 1.78 years (1.61-1.93) for males and 1.96 years (1.69-2.13) for
      females. Total global DALYs remained largely unchanged from 1990 to 2016 (-2.3% [
      5.9 to 0.9]), with decreases in communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional
      (CMNN) disease DALYs offset by increased DALYs due to non-communicable diseases
      (NCDs). The exemplars, calculated as the five lowest ratios of observed to
      expected age-standardised DALY rates in 2016, were Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the
      Maldives, Peru, and Israel. The leading three causes of DALYs globally were
      ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and lower respiratory
      infections, comprising 16.1% of all DALYs. Total DALYs and age-standardised DALY
      rates due to most CMNN causes decreased from 1990 to 2016. Conversely, the total
      DALY burden rose for most NCDs; however, age-standardised DALY rates due to NCDs
      declined globally. INTERPRETATION: At a global level, DALYs and HALE continue to
      show improvements. At the same time, we observe that many populations are facing
      growing functional health loss. Rising SDI was associated with increases in
      cumulative years of life lived with disability and decreases in CMNN DALYs offset
      by increased NCD DALYs. Relative compression of morbidity highlights the
      importance of continued health interventions, which has changed in most locations
      in pace with the gross domestic product per person, education, and family
      planning. The analysis of DALYs and HALE and their relationship to SDI represents
      a robust framework with which to benchmark location-specific health performance.
      Country-specific drivers of disease burden, particularly for causes with higher
      than-expected DALYs, should inform health policies, health system improvement
      initiatives, targeted prevention efforts, and development assistance for health,
      including financial and research investments for all countries, regardless of
      their level of sociodemographic development. The presence of countries that
      substantially outperform others suggests the need for increased scrutiny for
      proven examples of best practices, which can help to extend gains, whereas the
      presence of underperforming countries suggests the need for devotion of extra
      attention to health systems that need more robust support. FUNDING: Bill &
      Melinda Gates Foundation.

PMID- 28919146
TI  - Mullerian Agenesis in Cat Eye Syndrome and 22q11 Chromosome Abnormalities: A Case
      Report and Literature Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although Mullerian agenesis is the second most common cause of
      primary amenorrhea the underlying etiology in most cases is unknown. Mullerian
      agenesis has been reported as a rare finding associated with chromosomal
      aberrations of the 22q11 chromosomal region including at least 1 individual with
      cat eye syndrome (CES) and 10 individuals with deletions or duplications of the
      22q11.2 region. However, a potential link between 22q11 abnormalities and uterine
      malformations has been difficult to adequately ascertain because of the limited
      case reports in the literature. CASE: We report a second case of Mullerian
      agenesis in a girl with CES. A 16-year-old girl presented with bilateral
      colobomata, primary amenorrhea, and absence of the uterus and upper vagina on
      pelvic magnetic resonance imaging. Microarray analysis showed tetrasomy of the
      pericentromeric region of chromosome 22 diagnostic of CES. SUMMARY AND
      CONCLUSION: Mullerian aplasia/hypoplasia might represent a rare feature in CES
      and should be considered in the investigation of young girls with this syndrome.
      An increasing number of cases with 22q11 chromosome abnormalities and Mullerian
      agenesis further highlights the possibility of a gene within the 22q11 region
      that might mediate normal Mullerian development in girls.

PMID- 28919147
TI  - Pediatric Resident Training in Prepubertal Vulvar Conditions.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess pediatric resident training in diagnosing and managing
      prepubertal gynecologic conditions. DESIGN: Voluntary 32-question survey e-mailed
      to participants. SETTING: E-mail contact through the American Academy of
      Pediatrics listserv. PARTICIPANTS: Seven thousand seventy-five US pediatrics and
      combined internal medicine-pediatric residents. INTERVENTIONS: Descriptive
      analysis including chi2 tests was performed on survey results. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Residents' training experiences and comfort, confidence, and knowledge
      in evaluating pediatric gynecologic concerns. RESULTS: In the 866 of 7075 (12%)
      completed surveys, a greater proportion of residents reported they were "very" or
      "extremely" comfortable talking to parents about general pediatric topics
      compared with gynecologic topics (88.5% vs 30.4%; P < .001). Similarly, they
      reported being "very" or "extremely" confident diagnosing general pediatric
      conditions compared with prepubertal gynecologic conditions (87.6% vs 32.8%; P <
      .001). These differences were also observed according to residency year (comfort:
      first year, 10.2% vs third/fourth year, 39.9%; P < .001; confidence: first year,
      22.5% vs third/fourth year, 37.6%; P < .001). Residents learned about
      vulvovaginal concerns from attendings in clinic (79.8%), residency-specific
      didactics (34.7%), and conferences, meetings, and workshops (24.1%). Confidence
      examining, diagnosing, and treating vulvovaginitis was associated with
      participation in any learning activity and exposure to more than 5 patients with
      this concern. Additional education or training in prepubertal vulvovaginal
      conditions was requested by 97% of residents. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest
      that pediatric residents are lacking in comfort, confidence, and knowledge of
      prepubertal vulvovaginal conditions, especially compared with general pediatric
      topics. Although this improves during training, it remains low, and more
      education is indicated and desired by residents.

PMID- 28919149
TI  - Response to: On the role of visual electrophysiology in parkinson's disease.

PMID- 28919148
TI  - Creation and Dissemination of a Multispecialty Graduate Medical Education
      Curriculum in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology: The North American Society for
      Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Resident Education Committee Experiences.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: The goal was to develop a multispecialty committee to address
      deficiencies in pediatric and adolescent gynecology (PAG) resident education
      through curricular development under the auspices of the North American Society
      for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS,
      INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A multispecialty North American
      committee was organized to develop short as well as long curricula in PAG through
      a combination of conference calls and face-to-face meetings. Content was guided
      by objectives of national accrediting organizations. The curricula used print as
      well as interactive electronic resources. RESULTS: After publication of the short
      and long curricula, a dissemination strategy was developed to present the
      information at national meetings. A curricular study was performed after
      introduction of the curriculum to evaluate its efficacy. Long-term plans for
      further curricular components and expansion of educational tools are ongoing.
      CONCLUSION: We gathered a diverse multispecialty group of doctors to collaborate
      on a unified educational goal. This committee developed and disseminated resident
      PAG curricula using a variety of learning tools. This curricular development and
      implementation can occur with a minimal financial burden.

PMID- 28919150
TI  - In vitro anti-tuberculosis activity of azole drugs against Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis clinical isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Latent tuberculosis has been associated with the persistence of
      dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the organism of infected individuals, who
      are reservoirs of the bacilli and the source for spreading the disease in the
      community. New active anti-TB drugs exerting their metabolic action at different
      stages and on latent/dormant bacilli are urgently required to avoid endogenous
      reactivations and to be part of treatments of multi- and extensively-drug
      resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB). It was previously reported that azole drugs
      are active against M. tuberculosis. For that reason, the aims of this study were
      to determine the in vitro activity of azole drugs, imidazole (clotrimazole, CLO
      and econazole, ECO) and nitroimidazole (metronidazole, MZ and ipronidazole, IPZ),
      against a collection of MDR M. tuberculosis clinical isolates; and to analyze
      their potential use in both the LTB and the active forms of M/XDR-TB treatments.
      METHODS: A total of 55 MDR M. tuberculosis isolates and H37Rv were included. MZ
      and IPZ activity against M. tuberculosis isolates were tested using anaerobic
      culture conditions. The activity of ECO and CLO was measured by the minimal
      inhibitory concentration (MIC) using a microdilution colorimetric method.
      RESULTS: MZ and IPZ showed bacteriostatic activity against M. tuberculosis
      strains. MIC50 and MIC90 to ECO was 4.0MUg/ml, while MIC50 to CLO was 4.0MUg/ml
      and MIC90 was 8.0MUg/ml respectively. CONCLUSION: All azole compounds tested in
      the study showed inhibitory activity against MDR M. tuberculosis clinical
      isolates.

PMID- 28919151
TI  - The combined effects of ocean warming and acidification on shallow-water
      meiofaunal assemblages.
AB  - Climate change due to increased anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere is causing an
      increase in seawater temperatures referred to as ocean warming and a decrease in
      seawater pH, referred to as ocean acidification. The meiofauna play an important
      role in the ecology of marine ecosystems and the functions they provide. Using
      microcosms, meiofaunal assemblages were exposed to two temperatures (15 and 19 
      degrees C) and two pHs (pCO2 of 400 and 1000 ppm), both individually and in
      combination, for a period of 90 days. The hypothesis that increased temperature
      will increase meiofaunal abundance was not supported. The hypothesis that a
      reduced pH will reduce meiofaunal abundance and species richness was supported.
      The combination of future conditions of temperature and pH (19  degrees C and
      pCO2 of 1000 ppm) did not affect overall abundance but the structure of the
      nematode assemblage changed becoming dominated by a few opportunistic species.

PMID- 28919152
TI  - Erector spinae plane (ESP) block in the management of post thoracotomy pain
      syndrome: A case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Post thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) remains a common
      complication of thoracic surgery with significant impact on patients' quality of
      life. Management usually involves a multidisciplinary approach that includes oral
      and topical analgesics, performing appropriate interventional techniques, and
      coordinating additional care such as physiotherapy, psychotherapy and
      rehabilitation. A variety of interventional procedures have been described to
      treat PTPS that is inadequately managed with systemic or topical analgesics. Most
      of these procedures are technically complex and are associated with risks and
      complications due to the proximity of the targets to neuraxial structures and
      pleura. The ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane (ESP) block is a novel
      technique for thoracic analgesia that promises to be a relatively simple and safe
      alternative to more complex and invasive techniques of neural blockade. We have
      explored the application of the ESP block in the management of PTPS and report
      our preliminary experience to illustrate its therapeutic potential. METHODS: The
      ESP block was performed in a pain clinic setting in a cohort of 7 patients with
      PTPS following thoracic surgery with lobectomy or pneumonectomy for lung cancer.
      The blocks were performed with ultrasound guidance by injecting 20-30mL of
      ropivacaine, with or without steroid, into a fascial plane between the deep
      surface of erector spinae muscle and the transverse processes of the thoracic
      vertebrae. This paraspinal tissue plane is distant from the pleura and the
      neuraxis, thus minimizing the risk of complications associated with injury to
      these structures. The patients were followed up by telephone one week after each
      block and reviewed in the clinic 4-6 weeks later to evaluate the analgesic
      response as well as the need for further injections and modification to the
      overall analgesic plan. RESULTS: All the patients had excellent immediate pain
      relief following each ESP block, and 4 out of the 7 patients experienced
      prolonged analgesic benefit lasting 2 weeks or more. The ESP blocks were combined
      with optimization of multimodal analgesia, resulting in significant improvement
      in the pain experience in all patients. No complications related to the blocks
      were seen. CONCLUSION: The results observed in this case series indicate that the
      ESP block may be a valuable therapeutic option in the management of PTPS. Its
      immediate analgesic efficacy provides patients with temporary symptomatic relief
      while other aspects of chronic pain management are optimized, and it may also
      often confer prolonged analgesia. IMPLICATIONS: The relative simplicity and
      safety of the ESP block offer advantages over other interventional procedures for
      thoracic pain; there are few contraindications, the risk of serious complications
      (apart from local anesthetic systemic toxicity) is minimal, and it can be
      performed in an outpatient clinic setting. This, combined with the immediate and
      profound analgesia that follows the block, makes it an attractive option in the
      management of intractable chronic thoracic pain. The ESP block may also be
      applied to management of acute pain management following thoracotomy or thoracic
      trauma (e.g. rib fractures), with similar analgesic benefits expected. Further
      studies to validate our observations are warranted.

PMID- 28919153
TI  - Importance for patients of feeling accepted and understood by physicians before
      and after multimodal pain rehabilitation.

PMID- 28919154
TI  - Is the search for a "pain personality" of added value to the Fear-Avoidance-Model
      (FAM) of chronic pain?

PMID- 28919155
TI  - Context sensitive regulation of pain and emotion: Development and initial
      validation of a scale for context insensitive avoidance.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Context insensitivity has been put forward as a potential
      mechanism explaining the high co-occurrence of pain and emotional distress. In
      the pain literature, the concept has only been introduced at a theoretical level
      and an assessment tool for exploring its impact is lacking. In an interpersonal
      setting, a core aspect of context sensitivity and insensitivity concerns when to
      disclose and when to avoid expressing pain and related distress. Both context
      insensitive disclosure and context insensitive avoidance may hamper interpersonal
      support and fuel the problem. This exploratory study describes an attempt to
      develop a self-report instrument to assess tendencies to disclose vs. avoid
      expressions of pain and related distress, as well as self-perceived adjustment of
      disclosure vs. avoidance to the context. METHODS: A pool of items was
      systematically developed to assess different aspects of context insensitivity,
      including disclosure vs. avoidance of expression. 105 participants with
      persistent pain were recruited at pain rehabilitation clinics (80% of the sample)
      and in a university setting (20% of the sample). The participants responded to
      the pool of items as well as to a number of validated self-report instruments
      covering pain, pain-related disability, pain catastrophizing, emotion regulation
      tendencies, self-compassion and pain acceptance. The analyses explored the
      factorial structure of the initial instrument, as well as the criterion and
      construct validity. RESULTS: The analyses confirmed a stable underlying structure
      of the initial scale, with four distinct factors explaining 64.4% of the total
      variance. However, the criterion and construct validity could only be confirmed
      for one of the factors, which contained items reflecting context insensitive
      avoidance of expression. Consequently, only this factor, demonstrating very good
      internal consistency, was kept in the final version of the instrument which was
      named context insensitive avoidance (CIA). CONCLUSIONS: We found support for the
      final version of our instrument, capturing one prominent aspect of context
      insensitivity. Avoidance of expression was related to higher ratings of pain,
      disability, catastrophizing and suppression as well as to lower levels of self
      compassion. We encourage further studies to explore the impact of context
      insensitive avoidance for regulating pain and associated negative emotions. Yet,
      more research is needed that goes beyond self-report and includes other aspects
      of context. It is urgent to develop systematic ways for assessing context
      insensitivity, as it will enhance our understanding of regulatory strategies as
      potential transdiagnostic mechanisms in pain and emotion. IMPLICATIONS: This tool
      for assessing contextually insensitive avoidance of expression could potentially
      be used both clinically and in future research to advance our understanding of
      comorbid problems with pain and emotional distress. Further research is needed to
      develop methods for assessing other aspects of context insensitivity to fully
      understand its impact in patients suffering from pain.

PMID- 28919156
TI  - Chronic low back pain and the transdiagnostic process: How do cognitive and
      emotional dysregulations contribute to the intensity of risk factors and pain?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Based on a transdiagnostic approach, this study assesses the
      impact of cognitive and emotional processes (difficulties in emotional
      regulation, impulsiveness, rumination and somatosensory amplification) on the
      psychological risk factors of chronic low-back pain. METHODS: The study was
      carried out with 256 patients with chronic low-back pain. All the variables were
      assessed through a booklet of 10 validated questionnaires. Multiple regression
      analysis and moderation analysis were performed. RESULTS: Predictors included in
      multiple regression models explain 3%-42% (adjusted R2) of the variance in
      psychological risk factors. Moreover, analyses reveal a significant moderator
      effect of somatosensory amplification on the link between fear-avoidance beliefs
      linked to work and pain intensity (F(3;250)=12.33; p=.00), of somatosensory
      amplification and brooding on the link between depression and functional
      repercussions (FR) on everyday life (F(3;252)=13.36; p=.000; F(1;252)=12.42;
      p=.00), of the reflection dimension of rumination on the link between the
      helplessness dimension of catastrophizing and FRs on sociability (F(3;252)=37.02;
      p=.00). There is also a moderation analysis with a significant trend concerning
      the lack of emotional awareness and the difficulties in controlling impulsive
      behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate an important role of some
      dimensions of difficulties in emotional regulation, somatosensory amplification
      and rumination in the increase in negative affects and dysfunctional beliefs, and
      in the links between those psychological risk factors and pain/disability.
      IMPLICATIONS: This study identifies some cognitive and emotional dysregulations
      substantially involved in work-related chronic pain. This contribute to put in
      place psychotherapeutic protocols to tackle these deficits and dysregulations in
      a relevant way.

PMID- 28919157
TI  - Ethyl-acetate fraction of Trichilia catigua restores long-term retrograde memory
      and reduces oxidative stress and inflammation after global cerebral ischemia in
      rats.
AB  - We originally reported that an ethyl-acetate fraction (EAF) of Trichilia catigua
      prevented the impairment of water maze learning and hippocampal neurodegeneration
      after transient global cerebral (TGCI) in mice. We extended that previous study
      by evaluating whether T. catigua (i) prevents the loss of long-term retrograde
      memory assessed in the aversive radial maze (AvRM), (ii) confers hippocampal and
      cortical neuroprotection, and (iii) mitigates oxidative stress and
      neuroinflammation in rats that are subjected to the four vessel occlusion (4-VO)
      model of TGCI. In the first experiment, naive rats were trained in the AvRM and
      then subjected to TGCI. The EAF was administered orally 30min before and 1h after
      TGCI, and administration continued once per day for 7days post-ischemia. In the
      second experiment, the EAF was administered 30min before and 1h after TGCI, and
      protein carbonylation and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were assayed 24h and
      5days later, respectively. Retrograde memory performance was assessed 8, 15, and
      21days post-ischemia. Ischemia caused persistent retrograde amnesia, and this
      effect was prevented by T. catigua. This memory protection (or preservation)
      persisted even after the treatment was discontinued, despite the absence of
      histological neuroprotection. Protein carbonyl group content and MPO activity
      increased around 43% and 100%, respectively, after TGCI, which were abolished by
      the EAF of T. catigua. The administration of EAF did not coincide with the days
      of memory testing. The data indicate that antioxidant and/or antiinflammatory
      actions in the early phase of ischemia/reperfusion contribute to the long-term
      antiamnesic effect of T. catigua.

PMID- 28919158
TI  - A role for nucleus accumbens glutamate in the expression but not the induction of
      behavioural sensitization to ethanol.
AB  - Mechanisms underlying differential sensitivity to behavioural sensitization to
      ethanol (EtOH) remain poorly understood, although accumulating evidence suggests
      a role for glutamatergic processes in the ventral striatum. Efforts to address
      this issue can benefit from the well-documented fact that in any given cohort,
      some of the mice (High sensitized; HS) show robust sensitization, while others
      (Low sensitized; LS) show little, if any, sensitization. Here, we examined
      whether this variability might be differentially associated with nucleus
      accumbens (NAc) glutamate processes. Male DBA mice received 5 EtOH (2.2g/kg) or
      saline injections twice a week and were challenged with EtOH (1.8g/kg) 2 weeks
      after injection 5. When an EtOH challenge was administered 2 weeks following the
      induction of sensitization, HS, but not LS, mice showed a robust increase in
      glutamate levels (67%, P<0.01) as measured by in vivo microdialysis. In a
      separate cohort, the mGlu2/3 agonist LY354740 (10mg/kg), given prior to the EtOH
      challenge, abolished the expression of sensitization. To ascertain whether
      enhanced release could also be observed during the induction of sensitization,
      glutamate levels were measured after the 1st and 5th EtOH injection and were
      found to be unchanged in HS mice, although briefly elevated in LS mice at
      injection 5. To further assess possible glutamate involvement during the
      induction of sensitization, sensitizing EtOH injections were co-administered with
      NMDAR antagonists. At the doses used, MK-801 (0.25mg/kg) and CGS 19755 (10mg/kg)
      blocked the expression of sensitization, but did not significantly interfere with
      the development of EtOH sensitization. Within the limitations of the present
      design, the results suggest an important role for EtOH-induced glutamate release
      in the NAc when sensitization is well established, but not necessarily during the
      development of sensitization.

PMID- 28919159
TI  - Host control of human papillomavirus infection and disease.
AB  - Most human papillomaviruses cause inapparent infections, subtly affecting
      epithelial homeostasis, to ensure genome persistence in the epithelial basal
      layer. As with conspicuous papillomas, these self-limiting lesions shed viral
      particles to ensure population level maintenance and depend on a balance between
      viral gene expression, immune cell stimulation and immune surveillance for
      persistence. The complex immune evasion strategies, characteristic of high-risk
      HPV types, also allow the deregulated viral gene expression that underlies
      neoplasia. Neoplasia occurs at particular epithelial sites where vulnerable cells
      such as the reserve or cuboidal cells of the cervical transformation zone are
      found. Beta papillomavirus infection can also predispose an individual with
      immune deficiencies to the development of cancers. The host control of HPV
      infections thus involves local interactions between keratinocytes and the
      adaptive immune response. Effective immune detection and surveillance limits
      overt disease, leading to HPV persistence as productive microlesions or in a true
      latent state.

PMID- 28919160
TI  - Polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescents.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) typically manifests with a combination of
      menstrual dysfunction and evidence of hyperandrogenism in the adolescent
      population. No single cause has been identified; however, evidence suggests a
      complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Polycystic ovary
      syndrome presents a particular diagnostic challenge in adolescents as normal
      pubertal changes can present with a similar phenotype. Management of PCOS in the
      adolescent population should focus on a multi-modal approach with lifestyle
      modification and pharmacologic treatment to address bothersome symptoms. This
      chapter outlines the pathogenesis of PCOS, including the effects of obesity,
      insulin resistance, genetic, and environmental factors. The evolution of the
      diagnostic criteria of PCOS as well as specific challenges of diagnosis in the
      adolescent population are reviewed. Finally, evidence for lifestyle modification
      and pharmacologic treatments are discussed.

PMID- 28919161
TI  - Magnetic resonance elastography of the brain: A comparison between pigs and
      humans.
AB  - Magnetic resonance elastography holds promise as a non-invasive, easy-to-use, in
      vivo biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases. Throughout the past decade, pigs
      have gained increased popularity as large animal models for human
      neurodegeneration. However, the volume of a pig brain is an order of magnitude
      smaller than the human brain, its skull is 40% thicker, and its head is about
      twice as big. This raises the question to which extent established vibration
      devices, actuation frequencies, and analysis tools for humans translate to large
      animal studies in pigs. Here we explored the feasibility of using human brain
      magnetic resonance elastography to characterize the dynamic properties of the
      porcine brain. In contrast to humans, where vibration devices induce an anterior
      posterior displacement recorded in transverse sections, the porcine anatomy
      requires a dorsal-ventral displacement recorded in coronal sections. Within these
      settings, we applied a wide range of actuation frequencies, from 40Hz to 90Hz,
      and recorded the storage and loss moduli for human and porcine brains.
      Strikingly, we found that optimal actuation frequencies for humans translate one
      to-one to pigs and reliably generate shear waves for elastographic post
      processing. In a direct comparison, human and porcine storage and loss moduli
      followed similar trends and increased with increasing frequency. When translating
      these frequency-dependent storage and loss moduli into the frequency-independent
      stiffnesses and viscosities of a standard linear solid model, we found human
      values of MU1=1.3kPa, MU2=2.1kPa, and eta=0.025kPas and porcine values of
      MU1=2.0kPa, MU2=4.9kPa, and eta=0.046kPas. These results suggest that living
      human brain is softer and less viscous than dead porcine brain. Our study
      compares, for the first time, magnetic resonance elastography in human and
      porcine brains, and paves the way towards systematic interspecies comparison
      studies and ex vivo validation of magnetic resonance elastography as a whole.

PMID- 28919162
TI  - miR-101-1 expression pattern in Qinchuan cattle and its role in the regulation of
      cell differentiation.
AB  - MiRNAs have emerged as key regulators of skeletal muscle development, but the
      knowledge of miRNAs in the molecular network of muscle development remains poorly
      understood. In this study, we designed to examine the biological function of
      bovine-miR-101-1. The bovine miR-101-1 was detected in the skeletal muscle of
      fetal, calf and adult cattle. Its abundance was significantly higher in the
      skeletal muscle of calf cattle than that in fetal and adult cattle. In the course
      of C2C12 myoblast differentiation, the expression of miR-101-1 gradually
      increased. Transfected the exogenous miR-101-1 into the C2C12 myoblast could
      decrease myotube formation, and the mRNA expression levels of the myogenic marker
      genes MyOD, MyOG and MyHC were up-regulated. The protein level of MyOD, MyOG and
      MyHC were also up-regulated. Through TargetScan to predict the target gene of
      bovine miR-101-1, and the dual luciferase system was used for target gene
      verification. The results show that amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the target
      gene of miR-101-1. Therefore, our results shed light on miR-101-1 in the
      regulation of the skeletal muscle development.

PMID- 28919163
TI  - Multiplex PCR and NGS-based identification of mRNA splicing variants: Analysis of
      BRCA1 splicing pattern as a model.
AB  - Alternative pre-mRNA splicing increases transcriptome plasticity by forming
      naturally-occurring alternative splicing variants (ASVs). Alterations of splicing
      processes, caused by DNA mutations, result in aberrant splicing and the formation
      of aberrant mRNA isoforms. Analyses of hereditary cancer predisposition genes
      reveal many DNA variants with unknown clinical significance (VUS) that
      potentially affect pre-mRNA splicing. Therefore, a comprehensive description of
      ASVs is an essential prerequisite for the interpretation of germline VUS in high
      risk individuals. To identify ASVs in a gene of interest, we have proposed an
      approach based on multiplex PCR (mPCR) amplification of all theoretically
      possible exon-exon junctions and subsequent characterization of size-selected and
      pooled mPCR products by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The efficiency of this
      method is illustrated by a comprehensive analysis of BRCA1 ASVs in human
      leukocytes, normal mammary, and adipose tissues and stable cell lines. We
      revealed 94 BRCA1 ASVs, including 29 variants present in all tested samples.
      While differences in the qualitative expression of BRCA1 ASVs among the analyzed
      human tissues were minor, larger differences were detected between tissue and
      cell line samples. Compared with other ASV analysis methods, this approach
      represents a highly sensitive and rapid alternative for the identification of
      ASVs in any gene of interest.

PMID- 28919164
TI  - Integrated analysis of microRNA and gene expression profiles reveals a functional
      regulatory module associated with liver fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis, characterized with the excessive accumulation of
      extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, represents the final common pathway of
      chronic liver inflammation. Ever-increasing evidence indicates microRNAs (miRNAs)
      dysregulation has important implications in the different stages of liver
      fibrosis. However, our knowledge of miRNA-gene regulation details pertaining to
      such disease remains unclear. METHODS: The publicly available Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) datasets of patients suffered from cirrhosis were extracted for
      integrated analysis. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and genes (DEGs) were
      identified using GEO2R web tool. Putative target gene prediction of DEMs was
      carried out using the intersection of five major algorithms: DIANA-microT,
      TargetScan, miRanda, PICTAR5 and miRWalk. Functional miRNA-gene regulatory
      network (FMGRN) was constructed based on the computational target predictions at
      the sequence level and the inverse expression relationships between DEMs and
      DEGs. DAVID web server was selected to perform KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.
      Functional miRNA-gene regulatory module was generated based on the biological
      interpretation. Internal connections among genes in liver fibrosis-related module
      were determined using String database. MiRNA-gene regulatory modules related to
      liver fibrosis were experimentally verified in recombinant human TGFbeta1
      stimulated and specific miRNA inhibitor treated LX-2 cells. RESULTS: We totally
      identified 85 and 923 dysregulated miRNAs and genes in liver cirrhosis biopsy
      samples compared to their normal controls. All evident miRNA-gene pairs were
      identified and assembled into FMGRN which consisted of 990 regulations between 51
      miRNAs and 275 genes, forming two big sub-networks that were defined as down
      network and up-network, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed
      that up-network was prominently involved in several KEGG pathways, in which
      "Focal adhesion", "PI3K-Akt signaling pathway" and "ECM-receptor interaction"
      were remarked significant (adjusted p<0.001). Genes enriched in these pathways
      coupled with their regulatory miRNAs formed a functional miRNA-gene regulatory
      module that contains 7 miRNAs, 22 genes and 42 miRNA-gene connections. Gene
      interaction analysis based on String database revealed that 8 out of 22 genes
      were highly clustered. Finally, we experimentally confirmed a functional
      regulatory module containing 5 miRNAs (miR-130b-3p, miR-148a-3p, miR-345-5p, miR
      378a-3p, and miR-422a) and 6 genes (COL6A1, COL6A2, COL6A3, PIK3R3, COL1A1,
      CCND2) associated with liver fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our integrated analysis of
      miRNA and gene expression profiles highlighted a functional miRNA-gene regulatory
      module associated with liver fibrosis, which, to some extent, may provide
      important clues to better understand the underlying pathogenesis of liver
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28919165
TI  - Validation of the Vectra H1 portable three-dimensional photogrammetry system for
      facial imaging.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging using stereophotogrammetry has become
      increasingly popular in clinical settings, offering advantages for surgical
      planning and outcome evaluation. The handheld Vectra H1 is a low-cost, highly
      portable system that offers several advantages over larger stationary cameras,
      but independent technical validation is currently lacking. In this study, 3D
      facial images of 26 adult participants were captured with the Vectra H1 system
      and the previously validated 3dMDface system. Using error magnitude statistics,
      136 linear distances were compared between cameras. In addition, 3D facial
      surfaces from each system were registered, heat maps generated, and global root
      mean square (RMS) error calculated. The 136 distances were highly comparable
      across the two cameras, with an average technical error of measurement (TEM)
      value of 0.84mm (range 0.19-1.54mm). The average RMS value of the 26 surface-to
      surface comparisons was 0.43mm (range 0.33-0.59mm). In each case, the vast
      majority of the facial surface differences were within a +/-1mm threshold. Areas
      exceeding +/-1mm were generally limited to facial regions containing hair or
      subject to facial microexpressions. These results indicate that 3D facial surface
      images acquired with the Vectra H1 system are sufficiently accurate for most
      clinical applications.

PMID- 28919166
TI  - Kinetic analysis of oxygen dynamics under a variable work rate.
AB  - Measurements of oxygen uptake are central to methods for the assessment of
      physical fitness and endurance capabilities in athletes. Two important parameters
      extracted from such data of incremental exercise tests are the maximal oxygen
      uptake and the critical power. A commonly accepted model of the dynamics of
      oxygen uptake during exercise at a constant work rate comprises a constant
      baseline oxygen uptake, an exponential fast component, and another exponential
      slow component for heavy and severe work rates. We have generalized this model to
      variable load protocols with differential equations that naturally correspond to
      the standard model for a constant work rate. This provides the means for
      predicting the oxygen uptake response to variable load profiles including phases
      of recovery. The model parameters have been fitted for individual subjects from a
      cycle ergometer test, including the maximal oxygen uptake and critical power. The
      model predictions have been validated by data collected in separate tests. Our
      findings indicate that the oxygen kinetics for a variable exercise load can be
      predicted using the generalized mathematical standard model. Such models can be
      applied in the field where the constant work rate assumption generally is not
      valid.

PMID- 28919167
TI  - Back off! The effect of emotion on backward step initiation.
AB  - The distance regulation (DR) hypothesis states that actors are inclined to
      increase their distance from an unpleasant stimulus. The current study
      investigated the relation between emotion and its effect on the control of
      backward step initiation, which constitutes an avoidance-like behavior.
      Participants stepped backward on a force plate in response to neutral, high
      arousing pleasant and high-arousing unpleasant visual emotional stimuli. Gait
      initiation parameters and the results of an exploratory analysis of postural sway
      were compared across the emotion categories using significance testing and
      Bayesian statistics. Evidence was found that gait initiation parameters were
      largely unaffected by emotional conditions. In contrast, the exploratory analysis
      of postural immobility showed a significant effect: highly arousing stimuli
      (pleasant and unpleasant) resulted in more postural sway immediately preceding
      gait initiation compared to neutral stimuli. This suggests that arousal, rather
      than valence, affects pre-step sway. These results contradict the DR hypothesis,
      since avoidance gait-initiation in response to unpleasant stimuli was no
      different compared to pleasant stimuli.

PMID- 28919168
TI  - Contribution of interaction torques during dart throwing: Differences between
      novices and experts.
AB  - We examined if experts and novices show different utilization of the torque
      components impulses during dart throwing. Participants threw darts continuously
      at a dartboard aiming for the centre (target bull's eye). The upper-limb joint
      torque impulses were obtained through inverse dynamics with anthropometric and
      motion capture data as input. Depending on the joint degree of freedom (DOF) and
      movement phase (acceleration and follow-through), three main strategies of net
      torque (NET) impulse generation through joint muscle (MUS) and interaction (INT)
      torque impulses were highlighted. Firstly, our results showed that the elbow
      flexion-extension DOF leads the movement according to the joint leading
      hypothesis. Then, considering the acceleration phase, the analysis revealed
      differences in torque impulse decomposition between expert and novices. For the
      glenohumeral (GH) joint abduction-adduction and for wrist flexion, the INT torque
      impulse contributed positively to NET joint torque impulse in the group of
      experts unlike novices. This allowed to lower the necessary MUS torque impulse at
      these DOFs. Also, GH axial rotation was actively controlled by muscle torque
      impulse in the group of experts. During the follow-through, the experts used the
      INT torque impulse more proficiently than novices to break the elbow extension.
      The comparison between experts and novices through inverse dynamics document the
      link between the exploitation of interaction torques impulses and expertise in
      dart throwing for which the main objective is precision rather than velocity.

PMID- 28919169
TI  - Persistent left superior vena cava: An unusual cause of curable pulmonary
      hypertension.

PMID- 28919170
TI  - Importation of travel-related infectious diseases is increasing in South Korea:
      An analysis of salmonellosis, shigellosis, malaria, and dengue surveillance data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: International travel has an important role in transmission of
      emerging infectious diseases. We described the imported infectious diseases in
      Korea from 2003 to 2012, and to analyze association of travels with the change in
      the incidences. METHODS: We used National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System
      to investigate the incidence of salmonellosis, shigellosis, malaria, and dengue.
      Data from Korea Tourism Organization was used to describe the inbound and
      outbound travelers by their age group, gender, and purpose of travel. We assessed
      association between international travel and the incidence of the infectious
      diseases, and seasonal variability. RESULTS: Among 1849 imported cases, dengue
      comprised the largest number with 631 cases. The proportion of imported cases
      among total cases gradually increased from 4.1% in 2003 to 30.3% in 2012 (P <
      0.001). There was a positive correlation between the number of travelers and the
      number of imported cases of shigellosis, dengue (P < 0.001), but not for malaria.
      Seasonal variability was observed for importation of salmonellosis, shigellosis
      and dengue fever (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: International travel was associated
      with the incidence of imported infectious diseases in Korea. Pre-travel
      consultation for international travelers planned to visit endemic area should be
      recommended strongly.

PMID- 28919171
TI  - Immunomodulatory mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells and their therapeutic
      applications.
AB  - In the recent years, many studies have shown that MSCs must be stimulated by pro
      inflammatory cytokines or other immune mediators before they can modulate immune
      cells in inflamed and damaged tissues. MSCs appear to be involved in inducing
      several regulatory immune cells, such as Tregs, Bregs, and regulatory NK cells.
      This new immune milieu created by MSCs may establish a tolerogenic environment
      that leads to an optimal condition for the treatment of immune diseases. The
      mechanisms of MSC action to treat immune disorders need to be further
      investigated in more detail. Since there have been some contradictory outcomes of
      clinical trials, it is necessary to perform large-scale and randomized clinical
      studies, such as a phase 3 placebo-controlled double-blind study of a third party
      MSCs to optimize MSC administration and to prove safety and efficacy of MSC
      treatment. MSCs offer great therapeutic promise, especially for the treatment of
      difficult-to-treat immune diseases.

PMID- 28919172
TI  - Comments on the USPSTF draft recommendation statement on menopausal hormone
      therapy: Primary prevention of chronic conditions.

PMID- 28919173
TI  - Trigeminal system in Parkinson's disease: A potential avenue to detect Parkinson
      specific olfactory dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is very frequent in Parkinson's disease
      (PD) and observed years before diagnosis. The trigeminal system, a chemosensory
      system allowing for the perception of spiciness, freshness, etc., is intimately
      connected to the olfactory system and although usually reduced in OD the
      trigeminal system is not well characterized in PD. We hypothesize that measuring
      trigeminal sensitivity potentially allows to discriminate between OD due to PD
      and OD due to other causes to potentially help the development of an early
      diagnostic tool. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate olfactory and trigeminal sensitivity and
      perception in PD patients and compare them to participants with non-parkinsonian
      OD (NPOD) and to healthy controls. METHODS: We assessed olfactory function using
      "Sniffin' Sticks test" and trigeminal function with the localization task in 28
      PD patients, 27 healthy controls and 21 patients with OD unrelated to PD.
      RESULTS: PD patients exhibited significantly higher trigeminal sensitivity than
      NPOD patients (p = 0.002) and performed similar to healthy controls. In contrast,
      PD and NPOD patients had both similar olfactory scores, significantly below
      healthy controls. CONCLUSION: The trigeminal system seems not to be impaired in
      PD patients even in the presence of OD. Measuring trigeminal sensitivity may
      therefore allow to differentiate PD-related OD from other forms of OD.

PMID- 28919174
TI  - New NIH Regulations Say Most Basic Human Brain Research Is a Clinical Trial.
AB  - New NIH definitions classify virtually all human brain and behavioral research as
      clinical trials. The new definitions will change regulatory, reporting, and
      funding schemes for noninvasive studies such as neuroimaging. Resulting burdens
      threaten the viability of basic biobehavioral science research.

PMID- 28919175
TI  - Slow AMPAR Synaptic Transmission Is Determined by Stargazin and Glutamate
      Transporters.
AB  - AMPARs mediate the briefest synaptic currents in the brain by virtue of their
      rapid gating kinetics. However, at the mossy fiber-to-unipolar brush cell synapse
      in the cerebellum, AMPAR-mediated EPSCs last for hundreds of milliseconds, and it
      has been proposed that this time course reflects slow diffusion from a complex
      synaptic space. We show that upon release of glutamate, synaptic AMPARs were
      desensitized by transmitter by >90%. As glutamate levels subsequently fell,
      recovery of transmission occurred due to the presence of the AMPAR accessory
      protein stargazin that enhances the AMPAR response to low levels of transmitter.
      This gradual increase in receptor activity following desensitization accounted
      for the majority of synaptic transmission at this synapse. Moreover, the
      amplitude, duration, and shape of the synaptic response was tightly controlled by
      plasma membrane glutamate transporters, indicating that clearance of synaptic
      glutamate during the slow EPSC is dictated by an uptake process.

PMID- 28919176
TI  - Different approaches to establish infertile rooster.
AB  - Several methods have been developed to suppress spermatogenesis in recipient
      males before spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) transplantation. The aim of this
      study was to compare two different methods of depleting endogenous
      spermatogenesis in recipient ROSS 308 strain adult roosters. Gamma-radiation and
      alkylating agent busulfan were utilized to infertilize adult roosters (ROSS 308
      strain). Two radiation therapy regimes (based on 60co isotope) were conducted
      locally to testes using 40Gy (5*8Gy with three-day intervals) and 30Gy (3*10Gy
      with three-day intervals). And two different levels of busulfan 60mg(40+20) and
      50mg(30+20) with 10-day intervals were injected intraperitoneally. The results
      showed that both radiation therapy regimes and both busulfan levels reduced sperm
      motility and sperm concentration significantly compared with control group.
      Moreover, there were no significant differences between gamma radiation and
      busulfan treatments in progressive and total motility of sperm reduction. Sperm
      concentration reached to zero at the end of the 4th week of experiment in all
      treatment groups. Also histological examinations revealed that both treatments
      could significantly reduce the diameter of seminiferous tubules and thickness of
      epithelium. None of the treatments had significant effect on body weight in
      comparison with control group and the health status of experimental roosters
      remained good throughout the study. Given that, the risk probability of high
      doses of radiation exposure and busulfan, it can be concluded that the 30Gy
      (3*10Gy) and 50mg (30+20) are appropriate for suppression of endogenous
      spermatogenesis in mature roosters.

PMID- 28919177
TI  - Effects of GnRHR polymorphisms on sperm quality in Chinese water buffalo.
AB  - Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) plays a critical physiological
      role in animal reproduction and is a potential marker for improving sperm
      quality. In the present study, eight SNPs (g.539T>C, g.640A>G, g.655T>C,
      g.707T>C, g.812A>G, g.18951A>T g.16867T>C and g.18953Indel GGCAAAGTAA) were
      detected in the GnRHR gene from one-hundred-sixty-five water buffalo by direct
      sequencing and identification of overlapping peaks. All SNPs were associated
      significantly with the ejaculate volume and two genes (g.655T>C and g.707T>C)
      were correlated with sperm abnormalities. Furthermore, three haplotypes (H1:TAI,
      H2:CT-, and H3:TT-) were identified by linkage disequilibrium analysis and were
      composed of four combined genotypes. Notably, buffalo with the combined genotypes
      H1H2 and H1H3 had the higher ejaculate volume compared to the other combined
      genotypes. Among the eight SNPs and four combined genotypes, the deletion of
      GGCAAAGTAA at position 18953bp in GnRHR was associated significantly with a
      higher ejaculate volume. Moreover, the GGCAAAGTAA deletion may lead to the
      miR8661 binding failure and subsequent changes in GnRHR gene expression. In the
      present study, we demonstrate that there is a significant association between
      SNPs in the GnRHR gene and the sperm ejaculate volume of Chinese water buffalo.
      To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to address the association
      between the SNPs in the GnRHR gene and the sperm quality of Chinese buffalo.

PMID- 28919178
TI  - The presence of abalone egg-laying hormone-like peptide in the central nervous
      system and ovary of the Spotted Babylon, Babylonia areolata.
AB  - Recently, the neuronal classification of the ivory shell Spotted Babylon,
      Babylonia areolata, was readily demonstrated. Regarding its importance as marine
      economic molluscan species, the attempt to understand the neuroendocrine
      regulation is necessary. This study firstly demonstrated the neurosecretory cells
      as well as the existence and distribution of the egg-laying hormone (ELH)-like
      peptide in the central nervous system (CNS) and ovary of the B. areolata. The
      neurosecretory cell was characterized by the cytoplasmic purple dot-like
      structure as stained by the Gomori's paraldehyde fuchsin. Using the anti-abalone
      (a) ELH, we detected the aELH-like-peptide in neurons (Nr) and neurosecretory
      cells (Ns) of all ganglia including the cerebral, pleural, parietal, pedal and
      buccal ganglia. The aELH-like peptide was also present in the neuropil of each.
      It was noted that not all Ns presented the aELH-like peptide. In the ovary, the
      aELH-like peptide was slightly detected in early developing oocytes and strongly
      detected in late developing oocytes and follicular cells. This study firstly
      reported the evidence of ELH-like peptide in the CNS and ovary of the B.
      areolata. The molecular cloning as well as to investigate the function of ELH in
      this species is needed as it will be beneficial for future applications in
      aquaculture.

PMID- 28919179
TI  - Effects of nest-deprivation on hypothalamic mesotocin in incubating native Thai
      hens (Gallus domesticus).
AB  - Avian mesotocin (MT) is homologous to oxytocin in mammals. Native Thai chickens
      (Gallus domesticus) strongly express maternal behaviors including incubation and
      rearing. However, the role of MT during incubation behavior has never been
      studied. The objective of this study was to determine the physiological
      function(s) of the MTergic system in incubation behavior in native Thai chickens.
      The brains were collected from incubating (INC) and nest-deprived (ND) hens at
      different time points (days 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, and 21; n=6).
      Immunohistochemistry technique was used to compare the numbers of MT
      immunoreactive (-ir) neurons between the INC and ND hens within the Nucleus
      supraopticus, pars ventralis (SOv), Nucleus preopticus medialis (POM), and
      Nucleus paraventricularis magnocellularis (PVN). The results revealed that the
      numbers of MT-ir neurons within the SOv, POM, and PVN remained high during the
      incubating stage. The number of MT-ir neurons in the SOv was lower than that of
      the POM and PVN. Disruption of incubation behavior by nest deprivation caused the
      numbers of MT-ir neurons within the SOv, POM, and PVN to decrease throughout the
      observation periods. For the first time, this study demonstrates that the MTergic
      system within the SOv, POM, and PVN may be involved with incubation behavior. In
      addition, these results further suggest that the MTergic neurons in these nuclei
      are not only regulated by rearing behavior but also might have a role in the
      initiation and maintenance of incubation behavior in this tropical species.

PMID- 28919181
TI  - Lymphadenectomy in Gleason 7 prostate cancer: Adherence to guidelines and effect
      on clinical outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To examine usage trends, guideline adherence, and survival data for
      patients undergoing lymphadenectomy (LND) at the time of radical prostatectomy
      (RP) for Gleason 7 prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: The SEER database was queried
      for all patients with nonmetastatic biopsy Gleason 7 PCa from 2004 to 2013.
      Distribution and trends of LND were analyzed. The Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer
      Center nomogram was applied to stratify patients based on risk of nodal disease
      at time of RP (<5% risk or >=5% risk). Analyses were performed to determine
      covariates associated with LND receipt at time of RP and cancer-specific
      mortality (CSM). RESULTS: A total of 78,641 patients with either G34 or G43 PCa
      underwent RP (59,194 and 19,447, respectively). Of these patients, 61.2% of G34
      and 73.5% of G43 patients underwent LND. During this 10-year period, the
      proportion of G43 patients undergoing LND remained relatively stable, whereas the
      proportion of G34 patients undergoing LND ranged between 55.9% and 67.9%.
      Regional differences were a predictor of LND receipt regardless of risk
      stratification, but did not translate to higher risk of CSM. Receipt of LND was
      not predictive of improved CSM in any of the cohorts analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The
      role of LND for Gleason 7 prostate adenocarcinoma is not yet standardized, as
      indicated by the variability of LND dissection rates. Receipt of LND did not
      improve CSM, and in G43 patients, it predicted higher CSM. As the effect of LND
      on CSM is uncertain, further evaluation of oncologic benefit in this patient
      population is warranted.

PMID- 28919182
TI  - Population-based study of the incidence and survival for intraductal carcinoma of
      the prostate.
AB  - PURPOSE: The degree to which intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P)
      affects clinical course remains poorly understood owing to small sample sizes
      from single-center studies. We sought to determine prognostic factors and
      outcomes associated with IDC-P in radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of RP during 2004 to 2013 using
      Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results to compare IDC-P with non-IDC-P. The
      effect of IDC-P on overall and disease-specific survival was assessed using Cox
      regression with a median follow-up of 4.8 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.6
      7.0y; P = 0.01). Median prostate-specific antigen at diagnosis in IDC-P vs. non
      IDC-P was similar (P = 0.23) at 6.2 (IQR: 4.6-13.0) vs. 6.1ng/ml (IQR: 4.6-9.8).
      RESULTS: We identified 159,777 RP from 2004 to 2013, and 242 (0.002%) had IDC-P
      pathologic features. IDC-P was associated with a greater likelihood of
      extraprostatic stage, pT3/T4, 45.9% vs. 21.6% (P<0.001), higher grade, GS>= 7,
      79.3% vs. 62.7% (P<0.001), lymph node metastases, 5.8% vs. 2.4% (P<0.001), and
      positive surgical margins, 25.6% vs. 19.5% (P = 0.02). IDC-P was associated with
      a 3-fold increase in prostate cancer-specific mortality relative to non-IDC-P
      (hazard ratio = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.5-5.7; P<0.01). Limitations include retrospective
      design and potential underreporting of IDC-P that leads to underestimation of the
      true effect size. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of IDC-P features has been
      recently recognized by the World Health Organization and it is associated with
      high-grade, extraprostatic features, and worse prostate cancer-specific
      mortality. Understanding its prognostic significance better guides adjuvant
      therapies and clinical trials.

PMID- 28919180
TI  - Development of a cyclosporin A derivative with excellent anti-hepatitis C virus
      potency.
AB  - Synthetic modification of cyclosporin A at P3-P4 positions led to the discovery
      of NIM258, a next generation cyclophilin inhibitor with excellent anti-hepatitis
      C virus potency, with decreased transporter inhibition, and pharmacokinetics
      suitable for coadministration with other drugs. Herein is disclosed the evolution
      of the synthetic strategy to from the original medicinal chemistry route,
      designed for late diversification, to a convergent and robust development
      synthesis. The chiral centers in the P4 fragment were constructed by an
      asymmetric chelated Claisen rearrangement in the presence of quinidine as the
      chiral ligand. Identification of advanced crystalline intermediates enabled
      practical supply of key intermediates. Finally, macrocyclization was carried out
      at 10% weight concentration by a general and unconventional "slow release"
      concept.

PMID- 28919183
TI  - Impact of oral vitamin D supplementation on the ocular surface in people with dry
      eye and/or low serum vitamin D.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the possible association between serum vitamin D levels and
      dry eye symptoms, and the impact of an oral vitamin D supplement. METHODS: Three
      linked studies were performed. (i) 29 older adult participants, (ii) 29 dry eyed
      participants, and (iii) 2-month vitamin D supplementation for 32 dry eyed/low
      serum vitamin D levelled participants. All participants were assessed by the
      Ocular Surface Diseases Index (OSDI) to determine dry eye symptoms, and the
      phenol red thread test (PRT) and/or Schirmer's tear test, tear meniscus height,
      non-invasive tear break up time, grading ocular surface redness and fluorescein
      staining of the cornea to detect the tear quality and ocular surface conditions.
      Blood samples were collected for serum vitamin D analysis and interleukin-6 (IL
      6) levels. RESULTS: Among older adult participants, vitamin D levels were
      negatively correlated with dry eye symptoms, the severity of dry eye, and
      associated with tired eye symptom. Vitamin D levels of people with dry eye
      diagnosis were not correlated with OSDI scores and IL-6 levels; while IL-6 levels
      showed correlation with tear production. In supplement study, vitamin D levels
      increased by 29mol/l, while dry eye symptoms and grading of corneal staining
      appeared significant reductions. No significant changes in IL-6 levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: Low vitamin D levels (<50nmol/l) were associated with dry eye
      symptoms in older individuals but not those diagnosed with dry eye. Vitamin D
      supplement increased the vitamin D levels, and improved dry eye symptoms, the
      tear quality and ocular surface conditions.

PMID- 28919185
TI  - Epidemiology of Cervical Spine Injuries in High School Athletes Over a Ten-Year
      Period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More than 7 million athletes participate in high school sports
      annually, with both the benefits of physical activity and risks of injury.
      Although catastrophic cervical spine injuries have been studied, limited data are
      available that characterize less-severe cervical spine injuries in high school
      athletes. OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare cervical spine injury rates and
      patterns among U.S. high school athletes across 24 sports over a 10-year period.
      DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. SETTING: National sample of high schools
      participating in the High School Reporting Information Online injury surveillance
      system. PARTICIPANTS: Athletes from participating schools injured in a school
      sanctioned practice, competition, or performance during the 2005-2006 through
      2014-2015 academic years. METHODS: Cervical spine injury data captured by the
      High School Reporting Information Online system during the 10-year study period
      were examined. Cervical spine injury was defined as any injury to the cervical
      spinal cord, bones, nerves, or supporting structures of the cervical spine
      including muscles, ligaments, and tendons. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Cervical
      spine injury rates, diagnoses, mechanisms, and severities. RESULTS: During the
      study period, 1080 cervical spine injuries were reported during 35,581,036
      athlete exposures for an injury rate of 3.04 per 100,000 athlete exposures.
      Injury rates were highest in football (10.10), wrestling (7.42), and girls'
      gymnastics (4.95). Muscle injuries were most common (63.1%), followed by nerve
      injuries (20.5%). A larger proportion of football injuries were nerve injuries
      compared with all other sports (injury proportion ratio 3.31; confidence interval
      2.33-4.72), whereas in boys' ice hockey fractures represented a greater
      proportion of injuries compared with all other sports (injury proportion ratio
      7.64; confidence interval 2.10-27.83). Overall, the most common mechanisms of
      injury were contact with another player (70.7%) and contact with playing surface
      (16.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical spine injury rates and patterns vary by sport and
      gender. Characterizing these differences is the first step in developing
      effective, evidence-based prevention guidelines. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28919184
TI  - Clinical significance of failure to lose weight 10 years after roux-en-y gastric
      bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) induces short-term weight
      loss and co-morbidity amelioration, long-term data suggest that a subset of
      patients return to their preoperative body mass index (BMI). OBJECTIVES: To
      identify the clinical implications of 10-year weight loss failure after RYGB.
      SETTING: An academic teaching hospital. METHODS: Adults undergoing RYGB (1985
      2004) were included in this study (n = 1087). Absolute weight loss failure was
      defined as <=0% reduction in excess BMI 10 years after surgery. Univariate
      analyses compared co-morbidity rates and resolution by weight loss
      classification. Multivariable regression modeling analyzed preoperative
      predictors of 10-year percent reduction in excess BMI and weight loss failure.
      RESULTS: Complete follow-up was available for 617 (57%) patients with a 10-year
      median percent reduction in excess BMI of 57.1%; 10.2% of patients had weight
      loss failure. Prevalence of all co-morbidities decreased, even in patients with
      weight loss failure (all P<.05). Compared with patients with successful weight
      loss, patients with weight loss failure had similar rates of resolution of pre
      existing co-morbidities, except for reduced resolution of apnea and cardiac co
      morbidities (both P<.05). Risk factors for weight loss failure included lower
      BMI, nongovernmental insurance, longer travel time to hospital, and year of
      surgery. Nongovernmental insurance (odds ratio 2.03, P = .036) conferred the
      highest adjusted odds of weight loss failure. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of
      patients experience dramatic health improvement 10 years after RYGB, even though
      some patients fail to maintain their weight loss. Renewed focus should be placed
      on prevention and treatment of chronic disease, with further investigation of
      weight loss independent mechanisms of health improvement.

PMID- 28919186
TI  - Nonsurgical Treatment of Delayed-Onset Brachial Plexopathy Due to Hypertrophic
      Clavicular Callus: A Case Report.
AB  - : Clavicular fractures are common injuries that traditionally are managed
      nonsurgically without clinically significant sequelae. However, they may develop
      hypertrophic callus formation that compresses the brachial plexus. These cases
      may present months to years after initial injury with varying degrees of pain,
      paresthesia, and weakness on the affected side and usually are treated by
      surgical resection of the hypertrophic callus. We present a case of brachial
      plexopathy due to hypertrophic clavicular callus causing weakness and
      paresthesia. The plexopathy was confirmed with imaging and electrodiagnostic
      studies. This case was unusual in that resolution of symptoms was achieved
      nonsurgically. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.

PMID- 28919187
TI  - [Wolfram syndrome and juvenile glaucoma: Case report].

PMID- 28919188
TI  - [Contribution of multimodal imaging in the various stages of Stargardt disease].
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the contribution of multimodal imaging in the various stages
      of Stargardt disease (STGD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 46
      eyes of 23 STGD patients with identified ABCA4 mutations. All patients underwent
      a complete ophthalmic examination, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography
      (SD-OCT), fundus autofluorescence (FAF), fluorescein angiography (FA) and
      Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA). RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 25.5
      years (range 8-56). Fundus examination was normal in 2 patients (subclinical
      stage), where SD-OCT showed localized retrofoveolar retinal pigment epithelium
      (RPE) thickening. FAF was normal in 1 eye and showed mild heterogeneous hyper-FAF
      in 3 eyes. Twelve eyes had mild salt and pepper changes in the macula (early
      stage) with diffuse retinal atrophy on SD-OCT and mixed hyper and
      hypoautofluorescence on FAF. Nine patients showed central atrophy with white
      yellow flecks distributed in the posterior pole and mid-periphery. This phenotype
      showed total foveal atrophy on SD-OCT and normal peripapillary area on FAF.
      Twelve eyes had a large demarcated area of RPE atrophy, pigment clumping and
      migration extending to the peripheral retina associated with peripapillary
      atrophy. These eyes showed diffuse retinochoroidal atrophy on OCT with diffuse
      alterations reaching the peripapillary area on FAF. On FA, it was difficult to
      analyze the choroidal silence sign in patients with advanced stages of the
      disease. A hyperfluorescent window defect pattern was also found in patients with
      white-yellow flecks and did not correspond exactly to them, or to the areas of
      peripheral autofluorescent lesions. ICGA showed hypocyanescent areas seen at
      intermediate and late phases with multiple cyanescent points adjacent to them. On
      ICGA, hypocyanescent areas were more extensive than lesions observed on FAF.
      CONCLUSIONS: Multimodal imaging is helpful for the diagnosis of early stages of
      STGD disease and to better understand its pathophysiology. FAF and mostly SD-OCT
      have supplanted FA in the early, especially subclinical, stages. Over all, ICGA
      shows more extensive damage, making this tool useful for better understanding
      STGD and suggesting possible direct damage to the choriocapillaris associated
      with RPE lesions. In advanced stages, only DNA testing can confirm the diagnosis
      of STGD.

PMID- 28919189
TI  - [Limbal conjunctival autograft in pterygium surgery: Suture versus fibrin glue in
      30 cases].

PMID- 28919190
TI  - ROS1-rearranged Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers With Concomitant Oncogenic Driver
      Alterations: About Some Rare Therapeutic Dilemmas.

PMID- 28919191
TI  - Benefits of the Restorative Exercise and Strength Training for Operational
      Resilience and Excellence Yoga Program for Chronic Low Back Pain in Service
      Members: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of an
      individualized yoga program. DESIGN: Pilot randomized controlled trial. SETTING:
      Military medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=68) with chronic low back
      pain. INTERVENTIONS: Restorative Exercise and Strength Training for Operational
      Resilience and Excellence (RESTORE) program (9-12 individual yoga sessions) or
      treatment as usual (control) for an 8-week period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The
      primary outcome was past 24-hour pain (Defense & Veterans Pain Rating Scale 2.0).
      Secondary outcomes included disability (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire)
      and physical functioning and symptom burden (Patient-Reported Outcomes
      Measurement Information System-29 subscales). Assessment occurred at baseline,
      week 4, week 8, 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up. Exploratory outcomes
      included the proportion of participants in each group reporting clinically
      meaningful changes at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Generalized linear
      mixed models with sequential Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise significance tests and
      chi-square analyses examined longitudinal outcomes. Secondary outcome
      significance tests were Bonferroni adjusted for multiple outcomes. The RESTORE
      group reported improved pain compared with the control group. Secondary outcomes
      did not retain significance after Bonferroni adjustments for multiple outcomes,
      although a higher proportion of RESTORE participants reported clinically
      meaningfully changes in all outcomes at 3-month follow-up and in symptom burden
      at 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORE may be a viable nonpharmacological
      treatment for low back pain with minimal side effects, and research efforts are
      needed to compare the effectiveness of RESTORE delivery formats (eg, group vs
      individual) with that of other treatment modalities.

PMID- 28919192
TI  - Magnetic resonance index of activity (MaRIA) and Clermont score are highly and
      equally effective MRI indices in detecting mucosal healing in Crohn's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance index of activity (MaRIA) and Clermont score are
      currently the two main MRI indices that have been validated compared to endoscopy
      in Crohn's disease (CD). AIMS: To compare the accuracy of MaRIA and Clermont
      score in assessing CD mucosal healing. METHODS: Fourty-four CD patients underwent
      prospectively and consecutively MRI and colonoscopy. RESULTS: Considering 207
      segments, MaRIA>7 and Clermont score>8.4 demonstrated substantial accuracy to
      detect endoscopic ulcerations (73.9% and 74.0%, respectively) and presented with
      high specificity (82.1% and 81.3%) and high negative predictive value (NPV)
      (82.1% and 82.4%) for MaRIA and Clermont score, respectively. The sensitivity for
      detecting deep ulcerations was 90.9% for both MaRIA>11 and Clermont score>12.5,
      with a specificity of 82.0% and 80.0%, respectively. Among 44 patients, deep MRI
      remission predicted mucosal healing with specificity=85.3% and NPV=85.3%
      according to Barcelona criteria (no segmental MaRIA>7), and specificity=88.2% and
      NPV=85.7% according to Clermont criteria (no segmental Clermont score>8.4). In
      addition, MRI remission predicted mucosal healing with specificity=76.5% and
      NPV=86.7% according to Barcelona criteria (no segmental MaRIA>11), and
      specificity=79.4% and NPV=84.4% according to Clermont criteria (no segmental
      Clermont score>12.5). CONCLUSION: MaRIA and Clermont score are equally effective
      in detecting CD endoscopic ulcerations supporting their use as therapeutic
      endpoints.

PMID- 28919193
TI  - Association analysis of genetic variants with metabolic syndrome components in
      the Moroccan population.
AB  - This study aimed to analyze the association between UBE2E2, G6PC2, PROX1, DUSP9,
      ADCY5 and APOC3 polymorphisms and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in
      Moroccan patients. The study was applied on 316 unrelated individuals from
      Morocco, 177 MetS patients and 139 controls. The metabolic syndrome was diagnosed
      according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. All subjects
      were genotyped for the following polymorphisms: rs7612463 (UBE2E2), rs560887
      (G6PC2), rs340874 (PROX1), rs5945326 (DUSP9), rs11708067 (ADCY5) and rs5128
      (APOC3) using TaqMan allelic discrimination assay and PCR-RFLP. The rs5128
      (APOC3) and rs340874 (PROX1) polymorphisms were found to be significantly
      associated with susceptibility to MetS (P=0.003 and P=0.033, respectively), with
      odds ratios (ORs) of 4.39 (95% CI=1.66-11.56) and 2.81 (95% CI=1.09-7.27),
      respectively. Two variants presented a tendency to be protector factors against
      MetS risk: rs5945326 in DUSP9 gene (OR=0.32; 95% CI=0.17-0.62; =0.001) and
      rs11708067 in ADCY5 gene (OR=0.51; 95% CI=0.28-0.95; P=0.034). No association was
      detected between rs7612463 (UBE2E2) and rs560887 (G6PC2) SNPs and MetS increased
      risk. This study suggests a potential role of rs5128, rs340874, rs5945326 and
      rs11708067 variants in MetS susceptibility in the Moroccan population.

PMID- 28919194
TI  - Discovery and characterisation of an escherichia coli ST206 strain producing NDM
      5 and MCR-1 from a patient with acute diarrhoea in China.

PMID- 28919195
TI  - Combination therapy vs. monotherapy for Gram-negative bloodstream infection:
      matching by predicted prognosis.
AB  - The utility of empirical combination antimicrobial therapy for Gram-negative
      bloodstream infection (BSI) remains unclear. This retrospective, quasi
      experimental matched cohort study examined the impact of empirical combination
      therapy on mortality in patients with Gram-negative BSI. Hospitalized adults with
      Gram-negative BSI from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013 at Palmetto Health
      Hospitals in Columbia, SC, USA were identified. Patients receiving combination
      therapy or beta-lactam monotherapy were matched 1:1 based on age, sex and
      Bloodstream Infection Mortality Risk Score (BSIMRS). Multivariate Cox
      proportional hazards regression with propensity score adjustment was used to
      examine overall 28-day mortality and within predefined BSIMRS categories (<5 and
      >=5). A total of 380 patients receiving combination therapy or monotherapy for
      Gram-negative BSI were included in the study. Median age was 66 years and 204
      (54%) were female. Overall, 28-day mortality in patients who received combination
      therapy and monotherapy was 13% and 15%, respectively (P = 0.51). After
      stratification by BSIMRS, mortality in both combination therapy and monotherapy
      groups was 1.1% in patients with BSIMRS <5 (P = 0.98) and 27% and 32%,
      respectively, in patients with BSIMRS >=5 (P = 0.47). After adjusting for
      propensity to receive combination therapy, risk of mortality was not
      significantly different for combination therapy compared to monotherapy (hazard
      ratio [HR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51-1.60). This finding persisted
      for both subgroups of BSIMRS <5 (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.04-24.28) and BSIMRS >=5 (HR
      0.83, 95% CI 0.46-1.48). There is no survival benefit from empirical combination
      therapy over monotherapy in patients with Gram-negative BSI, regardless of
      predicted prognosis at initial presentation.

PMID- 28919196
TI  - IncA/C plasmids conferring high azithromycin resistance in vibrio cholerae.
AB  - Azithromycin (AZM) is a clinically important antibiotic against Vibrio cholerae,
      especially for inhibiting V. cholerae colonisation of the intestine and for the
      treatment of severe cholera in children and pregnant women. An IncA/C plasmid was
      isolated from two high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) AZM-resistant V.
      cholerae strains of the two mainly pathogenic serogroups (O1 and O139) isolated
      in China. In the 172 predicted open reading frames (ORFs), 16 genes were related
      to antibiotic resistance, of which 5 were well-defined genes associated with
      macrolide resistance. The five macrolide resistance genes distributed in two
      clusters, mphR-mrx-mph(K) and mel-mph2, flanked by insertion sequence elements
      and involving two kinds of resistance mechanism. Deletion of the complete region
      of the two clusters deceased the AZM MIC from >=64 ug/mL to <=0.5 ug/mL. This
      IncA/C plasmid shows great ability to accumulate antibiotic resistance genes. In
      addition to 11 resistance genes to other antibiotics, 5 macrolide resistance
      genes with different function were gathered repeatedly through transposition on
      one plasmid. This genotype could not be simply explained by antibiotic stress
      applied on the host from the environment or treatment. These phosphorylases and
      transmembrane transporters might be involved in the transport and metabolism of
      other non-antibiotic substances, enabling this kind of plasmid to propagate
      better in the host.

PMID- 28919197
TI  - Imported poultry meat as a source of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant
      CMY-2-producing Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Minnesota in the European
      Union, 2014-2015.
AB  - Extended-spectrum cephalosporin (ESC)-resistant Salmonella have been described at
      a low level in the EU, nevertheless the increasing importation of poultry meat
      could be an important source of epidemic strains carrying ESC resistance genes.
      This study evaluated ESC resistance and its genetic platform among Salmonella
      isolates from poultry meat products imported into Portugal as well as clonal
      relatedness of the isolates. All Salmonella isolates recovered from samples of
      fresh meat destined for import into the EU in the scope of Portuguese official
      border control (2014-2015) were studied. Antibiotic susceptibility and beta
      lactamase production was determined by disk diffusion/microdilution. Molecular
      studies included detection of genes encoding acquired AmpC and extended-spectrum
      beta-lactamases, plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance and other antibiotic
      resistance genes by PCR/sequencing, and clonality by MLST and XbaI-PFGE. Plasmid
      characterisation was assessed by conjugation assays, replicon typing (PCR
      PBRT/pMLST) and hybridisation experiments (I-CeuI/S1-PFGE nuclease). Isolates
      belonged to Salmonella Heidelberg (n = 6; ST15/eBG26) and Salmonella Minnesota (n
      = 1; ST548/eBG77) and presented multidrug-resistant profiles, including to ESCs
      and/or fluoroquinolones. All but one carried blaCMY-2, located on two epidemic
      plasmids, IncA/C (ST2, n = 5) or transferable IncI1 (ST12, n = 1). Salmonella
      Heidelberg was associated with five PFGE types, including one similar to an
      American epidemic clone. This study reveals imported poultry products as a source
      of uncommon and/or invasive ESC-resistant Salmonella strains in the EU. The
      increase of clinically relevant poultry-related serotypes in Europe must be taken
      into account in the current monitoring of antibiotic resistance trends and in re
      evaluation of food regulations.

PMID- 28919198
TI  - Macitentan for treatment of CTEPH: why MERIT merits attention.

PMID- 28919199
TI  - Increasing confidence in the therapeutic relevance of eosinophils in severe
      asthma.

PMID- 28919200
TI  - Predictors of enhanced response with benralizumab for patients with severe
      asthma: pooled analysis of the SIROCCO and CALIMA studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benralizumab is an anti-eosinophilic, anti-interleukin-5 receptor
      alpha monoclonal antibody that has been shown to significantly reduce asthma
      exacerbations and improve lung function for patients with severe, uncontrolled
      asthma. We further explored the efficacy of benralizumab for patients with
      different baseline blood eosinophil thresholds and exacerbation histories.
      METHODS: This study is a pooled analysis of the results from the randomised,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled SIROCCO (NCT01928771) and CALIMA (NCT01914757)
      phase 3 studies. In these studies, patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma were
      randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive subcutaneous benralizumab 30 mg, either
      every 4 weeks or every 8 weeks (with first three doses given every 4 weeks), or
      placebo every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was annual exacerbation rate (AER)
      ratio versus placebo, analysed by baseline eosinophil counts (>=0, >=150, >=300,
      or >=450 cells per MUL) and by number of exacerbations (two vs three or more)
      during the year before enrolment. The analyses were done in accordance with the
      intention-to-treat principle. FINDINGS: Of 2295 patients, 756 received
      benralizumab every 4 weeks, 762 received benralizumab every 8 weeks, and 777
      patients received placebo. AER among patients with baseline blood eosinophil
      counts of at least 0 cells per MUL was 1.16 (95% CI 1.05-1.28) in patients who
      received placebo versus 0.75 (0.66-0.84) in patients who received benralizumab
      every 8 weeks (rate ratio 0.64, 0.55-0.75; p<0.0001). In patients who received
      benralizumab every 4 weeks who had eosinophil counts of 0 or more cells per MUL,
      AER was 0.73 (0.65-0.82); rate ratio versus placebo was 0.63 (0.54-0.74;
      p<0.0001). The extent to which exacerbation rates were reduced increased with
      increasing blood eosinophil thresholds and with greater exacerbation history in
      patients in the 4-weekly and 8-weekly benralizumab groups. Greater improvements
      in AER were seen with benralizumab compared with placebo for patients with a
      combination of high blood eosinophil thresholds and a history of more frequent
      exacerbations. INTERPRETATION: These results will help to guide clinicians when
      they are deciding whether to use benralizumab to treat patients with severe,
      uncontrolled, eosinophilic asthma. FUNDING: AstraZeneca.

PMID- 28919202
TI  - Parenting practices and overweight status of junior high school students in
      China: A nationally representative study of 19,487 students from 112 schools.
AB  - The study aimed to examine the level of parental responsiveness and demandingness
      for junior high students in China and its association with child weight status;
      assess if it differs by student socio-demographic characteristics; and to test
      the association between parenting and child physical activity. Nationally
      representative survey data collected from 19,487 students in 112 middle schools
      across China in 2013-2014 academic year were analyzed in 2016. Children's
      anthropometrics and perceptions of parenting practices were accessed by self
      administered questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression models were fit to
      test the association controlling for child age, sex, school region, and parental
      education. The majority of adolescents reported their parents were highly
      responsive in terms of emotional support and involvement (high: 64.1% vs. low:
      9.2%), although more parents were not perceived as highly demanding (high: 21.4%
      vs. low: 35.5%). Children were more likely to be overweight or obese if their
      parents were highly responsive (OR=1.4 [95%CI: 1.2,1.6]) and demanding (OR=1.1
      [95%CI: 1.0,1.3]) compared to those with medium parenting scores. Older children,
      boys, children with highly educated parents, or in urban schools had greater odds
      of being overweight or obese by receiving highly responsive parenting compared to
      their counterparts. Children with highly demanding or responsive parenting had
      longer physical activity duration and higher physical activity participation
      rates than their counterparts. High responsiveness and demandingness among
      Chinese parents were associated with the risk of child overweight and obesity.
      Further research is needed to examine the causal relationship between parenting
      practices and childhood obesity in China.

PMID- 28919201
TI  - Macitentan for the treatment of inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary
      hypertension (MERIT-1): results from the multicentre, phase 2, randomised, double
      blind, placebo-controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Macitentan is beneficial for long-term treatment of pulmonary
      arterial hypertension. The microvasculopathy of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary
      hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension are similar. METHODS:
      The phase 2, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled MERIT-1 trial assessed
      macitentan in 80 patients with CTEPH adjudicated as inoperable. Patients
      identified as WHO functional class II-IV with a pulmonary vascular resistance
      (PVR) of at least 400 dyn.s/cm5 and a walk distance of 150-450 m in 6 min were
      randomly assigned (1:1), via an interactive voice/web response system, to receive
      oral macitentan (10 mg once a day) or placebo. Treatment with phosphodiesterase
      type-5 inhibitors and oral or inhaled prostanoids was permitted for WHO
      functional class III/IV patients. The primary endpoint was resting PVR at week
      16, expressed as percentage of PVR measured at baseline. Analyses were done in
      all patients who were randomly assigned to treatment; safety analyses were done
      in all patients who received at least one dose of the study drug. This study is
      registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02021292. FINDINGS: Between April
      3, 2014, and March 17, 2016, we screened 186 patients for eligibility at 48
      hospitals across 20 countries. Of these, 80 patients in 36 hospitals were
      randomly assigned to treatment (40 patients to macitentan, 40 patients to
      placebo). At week 16, geometric mean PVR decreased to 73.0% of baseline in the
      macitentan group and to 87.2% in the placebo group (geometric means ratio 0.84,
      95% CI 0.70-0.99, p=0.041). The most common adverse events in the macitentan
      group were peripheral oedema (9 [23%] of 40 patients) and decreased haemoglobin
      (6 [15%]). INTERPRETATION: In MERIT-1, macitentan significantly improved PVR in
      patients with inoperable CTEPH and was well tolerated. FUNDING: Actelion
      Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

PMID- 28919203
TI  - Process, Mechanism, and Modeling in Macroecology.
AB  - Macroecology has traditionally relied on descriptive characterization of large
      scale ecological patterns to offer narrative explanations for the origin and
      maintenance of those patterns. Only recently have macroecologists begun to employ
      models termed 'process-based' and 'mechanistic', in contrast to other areas of
      ecology, where such models have a longer history. Here, we define and
      differentiate between process-based and mechanistic features of models, and we
      identify and discuss important advantages of working with models possessing such
      features. We describe some of the risks associated with process-based and
      mechanistic model-centered research programs, and we propose ways to mitigate
      these risks. Giving process-based and mechanistic models a more central role in
      research programs can reinvigorate macroecology by strengthening the link between
      theory and data.

PMID- 28919204
TI  - Understanding the Processes Underpinning Patterns of Phylogenetic
      Regionalization.
AB  - A key step in understanding the distribution of biodiversity is the grouping of
      regions based on their shared elements. Historically, regionalization schemes
      have been largely species centric. Recently, there has been interest in
      incorporating phylogenetic information into regionalization schemes. Phylogenetic
      regionalization can provide novel insights into the mechanisms that generate,
      distribute, and maintain biodiversity. We argue that four processes (dispersal
      limitation, extinction, speciation, and niche conservatism) underlie the
      formation of species assemblages into phylogenetically distinct biogeographic
      units. We outline how it can be possible to distinguish among these processes,
      and identify centers of evolutionary radiation, museums of diversity, and
      extinction hotspots. We suggest that phylogenetic regionalization provides a
      rigorous and objective classification of regional diversity and enhances our
      knowledge of biodiversity patterns.

PMID- 28919206
TI  - Pluripotency Surveillance by Myc-Driven Competitive Elimination of
      Differentiating Cells.
AB  - The mammalian epiblast is formed by pluripotent cells able to differentiate into
      all tissues of the new individual. In their progression to differentiation,
      epiblast cells and their in vitro counterparts, embryonic stem cells (ESCs),
      transit from naive pluripotency through a differentiation-primed pluripotent
      state. During these events, epiblast cells and ESCs are prone to death, driven by
      competition between Myc-high cells (winners) and Myc-low cells (losers). Using
      live tracking of Myc levels, we show that Myc-high ESCs approach the naive
      pluripotency state, whereas Myc-low ESCs are closer to the differentiation-primed
      state. In ESC colonies, naive cells eliminate differentiating cells by cell
      competition, which is determined by a limitation in the time losers are able to
      survive persistent contact with winners. In the mouse embryo, cell competition
      promotes pluripotency maintenance by elimination of primed lineages before
      gastrulation. The mechanism described here is relevant to mammalian embryo
      development and induced pluripotency.

PMID- 28919205
TI  - Adaptive Evolution Leads to Cross-Species Incompatibility in the piRNA Transposon
      Silencing Machinery.
AB  - Reproductive isolation defines species divergence and is linked to adaptive
      evolution of hybrid incompatibility genes. Hybrids between Drosophila
      melanogaster and Drosophila simulans are sterile, and phenocopy mutations in the
      PIWI interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway, which silences transposons and shows
      pervasive adaptive evolution, and Drosophila rhino and deadlock encode rapidly
      evolving components of a complex that binds to piRNA clusters. We show that Rhino
      and Deadlock interact and co-localize in simulans and melanogaster, but simulans
      Rhino does not bind melanogaster Deadlock, due to substitutions in the rapidly
      evolving Shadow domain. Significantly, a chimera expressing the simulans Shadow
      domain in a melanogaster Rhino backbone fails to support piRNA production,
      disrupts binding to piRNA clusters, and leads to ectopic localization to bulk
      heterochromatin. Fusing melanogaster Deadlock to simulans Rhino, by contrast,
      restores localization to clusters. Deadlock binding thus directs Rhino to piRNA
      clusters, and Rhino-Deadlock co-evolution has produced cross-species
      incompatibilities, which may contribute to reproductive isolation.

PMID- 28919208
TI  - Genetics of clubfoot; recent progress and future perspectives.
AB  - Clubfoot or talipes equinovarus (TEV) is an inborn three-dimensional deformity of
      leg, ankle and foot. It results from structural defects of several tissues of
      foot and lower leg leading to abnormal positioning of foot and ankle joints. TEV
      can lead to long-lasting functional disability, malformation and discomfort if
      left untreated. Substantial progress has been achieved in the management and
      diagnosis of limb defects; however, not much is known about the molecular players
      and signalling pathways underlying TEV disorder. The homeostasis and development
      of the limb depends on the complex interactions between the lateral plate
      mesoderm cells and outer ectoderm. These complex interactions include HOX
      signalling and PITX1-TBX4 pathways. The susceptibility to develop TEV is
      determined by a number of environmental and genetic factors, although the nature
      and level of interplay between them remains unclear. Familial occurrence and
      inter and intra phenotypic variability of TEV is well documented. Variants in
      genes that code for contractile proteins of skeletal myofibers might play a role
      in the aetiology of TEV but, to date, no strong candidate genes conferring
      increased risk have emerged, although variants in TBX4, PITX1, HOXA, HOXC and
      HOXD clusters genes, NAT2 and others have been shown to be associated with TEV.
      The mechanisms by which variants in these genes confer risk and the nature of the
      physical and genetic interaction between them remains to be determined.
      Elucidation of genetic players and cellular pathways underlying TEV will
      certainly increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of this deformity.

PMID- 28919209
TI  - New classification of histiocytosis.

PMID- 28919207
TI  - Phospho-Regulation of Soma-to-Axon Transcytosis of Neurotrophin Receptors.
AB  - Axonal targeting of signaling receptors is essential for neuronal responses to
      extracellular cues. Here, we report that retrograde signaling by target-derived
      nerve growth factor (NGF) is necessary for soma-to-axon transcytosis of TrkA
      receptors in sympathetic neurons, and we define the molecular underpinnings of
      this positive feedback regulation that enhances neuronal sensitivity to trophic
      factors. Activated TrkA receptors are retrogradely transported in signaling
      endosomes from distal axons to cell bodies, where they are inserted on soma
      surfaces and promote phosphorylation of resident naive receptors, resulting in
      their internalization. Endocytosed TrkA receptors are then dephosphorylated by
      PTP1B, an ER-resident protein tyrosine phosphatase, prior to axonal transport.
      PTP1B inactivation prevents TrkA exit from soma and causes receptor degradation,
      suggesting a "gatekeeper" mechanism that ensures targeting of inactive receptors
      to axons to engage with ligand. In mice, PTP1B deletion reduces axonal TrkA
      levels and attenuates neuron survival and target innervation under limiting NGF
      (NGF+/-) conditions.

PMID- 28919210
TI  - Acute heart failure by senil systemic amyloidosis: Case report.

PMID- 28919211
TI  - Asymptomatic portal vein thrombosis associated to acute cytomegalovirus infection
      in an immunocompetent patient.

PMID- 28919212
TI  - Idiopathic relapsing acute pericarditis: Report of one case with favorable
      response to anakinra.

PMID- 28919213
TI  - Treatment and complications in acquired hemophilia A. Experience from a single
      center.

PMID- 28919214
TI  - Schmallenberg disease: Can it involve human beings?

PMID- 28919215
TI  - Thermo-responsive in-situ forming hydrogels as barriers to prevent post-operative
      peritendinous adhesion.
AB  - : In this study, we aimed to assess whether thermo-responsive in-situ forming
      hydrogels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) could prevent post
      operative peritendinous adhesion. The clinical advantages of the thermo
      responsive hydrogels are acting as barrier material to block penetration of
      fibroblasts, providing mobility and flexibility during application and enabling
      injection through a small opening to fill spaces of any shape after surgery. The
      thermo-responsiveness of hydrogels was determined to ensure their clinic uses. By
      grafting hydrophilic biopolymers chitosan (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) to
      PNIPAM, the copolymer hydrogels show enhanced water retention and lubrication,
      while reduced volume shrinkage during phase transition. In cell culture
      experiments, the thermo-responsive hydrogel has good biocompatibility and reduces
      fibroblast penetration. In animal experiments, the effectiveness of preventing
      post-operative peritendinous adhesion was studied in a rabbit deep flexor tendon
      model. From gross examination, histology, bending angles of joints, tendon
      gliding excursion and pull-out force, HA-CS-PNIPAM (HACPN) was confirmed to be
      the best barrier material to prevent post-operative peritendinous adhesion
      compared to PNIPAM and CS-PNIPAM (CPN) hydrogels and a commercial barrier film
      Seprafilm(r). There was no significant difference in the breaking strength of
      HACPN-treated tendons and spontaneously healed ones, indicating HACPN hydrogel
      application did not interfere with normal tendon healing. We conclude that HACPN
      hydrogel can provide the best functional outcomes to significantly prevent post
      operative tendon adhesion in vivo. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We prepared thermo
      responsive in-situ forming hydrogels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)
      (PNIPAM) to prevent post-operative peritendinous adhesion. The injectable barrier
      hydrogel could have better anti-adhesive properties than current commercial
      products by acting as barrier material to block penetration of fibroblasts,
      providing mobility and flexibility during application and enabling injection
      through a small opening to fill spaces of any shape after surgery. The
      effectiveness of preventing post-operative peritendinous adhesion was studied in
      a rabbit deep flexor tendon model. From gross examination, histology, bending
      angles of joints, tendon gliding excursion and pull-out force, HA-CS-PNIPAM
      (HACPN) was confirmed to be the best barrier material to prevent post-operative
      peritendinous adhesion compared to PNIPAM and CS-PNIPAM (CPN) hydrogels and a
      commercial barrier film Seprafilm(r).

PMID- 28919216
TI  - Transient left septal and anterior fascicular block associated with type 1
      electrocardiographic Brugada pattern.
AB  - The left septal fascicular block (LSFB) or blockage of the middle fibers of the
      left bundle branch is probably caused mainly by - in the developed world - the
      proximal obstruction of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) before its
      first anterior septal perforator branch (S1). The association of transient LSFB
      and left anterior fascicular block (LAFB) - left bifascicular block - and the
      electrocardiographic type 1 Brugada pattern (BrP) has not been described in the
      literature yet.

PMID- 28919217
TI  - Population-based beat-to-beat QT analysis from Holter recordings in the long QT
      syndrome.
AB  - The increasing dissemination of wearable ECG recorders (e.g. Holter, patches, and
      strap sensors) enables the acquisition of large amounts of data during long
      periods of time. However, the clinical value of these long-term continuous
      recordings is hindered by the lack of automatic tools to extract clinically
      relevant information (other than non-sinus and life-threatening rhythms) from
      such long-term data, particularly when targeting population-based research. In
      this work, we propose and test a new tool for analyzing beat-to-beat interval
      measurements and extracting features from Holter ECGs. Specifically, we assess
      the adaptation of the QT interval following sudden changes in heart rate in the
      primary long QT types (1 & 2). We find that in long QT syndrome type 2, certain
      QT adaptation patterns can indicate a higher risk for cardiac events.

PMID- 28919218
TI  - Cardiologist's point of view: Novel ECG biomarkers and in silico models for
      proarrhythmic risk prediction: Are we ready?
AB  - The CiPA initiative is well underway, but in its early stages. Are we ready for
      it? There are several issues that bear on the success of this multidisciplinary
      effort related to (1) the final testing paradigm that will result, (2) the way in
      which discrepancies in test methods will be handled, (3) commercialization of the
      testing methods, (4) quantitative understanding of arrhythmia risk of the 6 non
      hERG channels being tested, (5) validity of the CiPA drug list, and (6) ultimate
      clinical validation.

PMID- 28919219
TI  - Maria Carolina Elias: Parasites with Dynamic Genomes.

PMID- 28919220
TI  - Peucedanum japonicum extract attenuates allergic airway inflammation by
      inhibiting Th2 cell activation and production of pro-inflammatory mediators.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The root of Peucedanum japonicum Thunberg is
      traditionally used to treat coughs, colds, headache and inflammatory diseases in
      Korea and Japan. Its effects on allergic lung inflammation have not been
      investigated. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the anti-asthmatic effects of
      Peucedanum japonicum extract (PJE) using a murine model of asthma and a
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Mice underwent two rounds of sensitization with ovalbumin 1 week apart followed
      by four intranasal ovalbumin challenges on days 13-16. The control group received
      saline only. Two ovalbumin-sensitized groups were orally administered vehicle or
      PJE (200mg/kg) 5 days a week starting 1 week before the first ovalbumin
      sensitization. The third group was orally administered the asthma medication
      Montelukast (10mg/kg) on days 12-16. All animals were sacrificed on day 17. The
      lungs were assessed for histological features, inflammatory cell infiltration,
      Th2 cell activation and GATA-binding protein-3 (GATA-3) expression. The
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was assessed for type 2 cytokine levels. The
      effect of PJE on the in vitro Th2 polarization of naive CD4+ splenocytes and the
      production of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines by LPS-stimulated RAW
      264.7 cells was evaluated. RESULTS: PJE treatment inhibited OVA-induced
      inflammatory cell infiltration, eosinophilia, Th2 activation, and GATA-3
      expression in the lung, reduced the interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-13 levels in BALF,
      down-regulated Th2 activation in vitro, and inhibited the macrophage production
      of inducible nitric oxide, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and IL
      6. CONCLUSION: PJE attenuated allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting Th2 cell
      activation and macrophage production of inflammatory mediators. Peucedanum
      japonicum may be candidate therapy for allergic lung inflammation.

PMID- 28919221
TI  - Ten Year Projections for US Residency Positions: Will There be Enough Positions
      to Accommodate the Growing Number of U.S. Medical School Graduates?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recently, a multitude of new U.S. medical schools have been
      established and existing medical schools have expanded their enrollments. The
      National Residency Match Program (NRMP) reports that in 2016 there were 23,339
      categorical residency positions offered in the match and 26,836 overall
      applicants with 17,789 (66.29%) of the total candidates being U.S. allopathic
      graduates. In view of the rapid growth of medical school graduates, the aim of
      this study is to determine if current trends suggest a shortage of residency
      positions within the next ten years. DESIGN: The total number of graduates from
      U.S. medical schools was obtained from the Association of American Medical
      Colleges (AAMC) for 2005-2014 academic years and was trended linearly for a 10
      year prediction for the number of graduates. The yearly number of categorical
      positions filled by U.S. graduates for calendar years 2006-2015 was obtained from
      the NRMP and was trended longitudinally 10 years into the future. Analysis of
      subspecialty data focused on the comparison of differences in growth rates and
      potential foreseeable deficits in available categorical positions in U.S.
      residency programs. RESULTS: According to trended data from AAMC, the total
      number of graduates from U.S. medical schools has increased 1.52 percent annually
      (15,927 in 2005 to 18,705 in 2014); with a forecast of 22,280 U.S. medical school
      graduates in 2026. The growth rate of all categorical positions available in U.S.
      residency programs was 2.55 percent annually, predicting 29,880 positions
      available in 2026. In view of these results, an analysis of specific residencies
      was done to determine potential shortages in specific residencies. With 17.4
      percent of all U.S. graduates matching into internal medicine and a 3.17 percent
      growth rate in residency positions, in 2026 the number of internal medicine
      residency positions will be 9,026 with 3,874 U.S. graduates predicted to match
      into these positions. In general surgery, residency positions note a growth rate
      of 1.55 percent. Of all U.S. graduates, 5.6 percent match into general surgery.
      Overall this projects 1,445 general surgery residency positions in 2026 with
      1,257 U.S. graduates matching. In orthopedics with a growth rate of 1.35 percent
      and a match rate of 3.75 percent, there are projected to be 827 positions
      available with 836 U.S. graduates projected to match. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the
      increasing number of medical school graduates, our model suggests the rate of
      growth of residency positions continues to be higher than the rate of growth of
      U.S. medical school graduates. While there is no apparent shortage of categorical
      positions overall, highly competitive subspecialties like orthopedics may develop
      a shortage within the next ten years.

PMID- 28919222
TI  - Understanding active sampling strategies: Empirical approaches and implications
      for attention and decision research.
AB  - In natural behavior we actively gather information using attention and active
      sensing behaviors (such as shifts of gaze) to sample relevant cues. However,
      while attention and decision making are naturally coordinated, in the laboratory
      they have been dissociated. Attention is studied independently of the actions it
      serves. Conversely, decision theories make the simplifying assumption that the
      relevant information is given, and do not attempt to describe how the decision
      maker may learn and implement active sampling policies. In this paper I review
      recent studies that address questions of attentional learning, cue validity and
      information seeking in humans and non-human primates. These studies suggest that
      learning a sampling policy involves large scale interactions between networks of
      attention and valuation, which implement these policies based on reward
      maximization, uncertainty reduction and the intrinsic utility of cognitive
      states. I discuss the importance of using such paradigms for formalizing the role
      of attention, as well as devising more realistic theories of decision making that
      capture a broader range of empirical observations.

PMID- 28919223
TI  - Assumptions behind scoring source and item memory impact on conclusions about
      memory: A reply to Kellen and Singmann's comment (2017).

PMID- 28919224
TI  - Clinical factors associated with the yield of routine outpatient scalp
      electroencephalograms: A retrospective analysis from a tertiary hospital.
AB  - The routine outpatient electroencephalogram (EEG) is most often used in the
      diagnosis and classification of epilepsy. The diagnostic yield of outpatient EEGs
      is low and the clinical factors contributing to the EEG outcome have not been
      well established. In this study, we sought to determine the yield and the factors
      predicting the EEG outcome. We retrospectively analyzed 1092 routine adult EEGs
      that were performed in a tertiary referral center over a period of 1year. Patient
      demographics, sources of referral, and indications for EEG were recorded. The
      majority of the referrals were from neurologists (54.7%), followed by the
      emergency department (15.4%). The indications for requesting an EEG included
      patients with a provisional or established diagnosis of epilepsy (56.3%), first
      seizure (10.7%), and seizure mimickers (29.1%). The majority (66.7%) of the EEGs
      were normal, whereas 13.2% demonstrated epileptiform discharges. At the time of
      recording, epileptic seizures occurred in 0.6% of the cases. With logistic
      regression analysis, three factors were found to be significantly associated with
      an abnormal (epileptiform) EEG: no antiepileptic drug therapy, the age of the
      patient, and indication for EEG (pre-test provisional diagnosis). Patients who
      are not on antiepileptic drug therapy and with a diagnosis of epilepsy or
      seizures are more likely to have epileptiform abnormalities in EEGs. Our findings
      suggest that careful selection of patients is likely to improve the diagnostic
      yield and cost-effectiveness of routine outpatient EEG.

PMID- 28919225
TI  - A comparative cost analysis of the Vaccination Program for US-bound Refugees.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaccination Program for US-bound Refugees (VPR) currently provides
      one or two doses of some age-specific Advisory Committee on Immunization
      Practices (ACIP)-recommended vaccines to US-bound refugees prior to departure.
      METHODS: We quantified and compared the full vaccination costs for refugees using
      two scenarios: (1) the baseline of no VPR and (2) the current situation with VPR.
      Under the first scenario, refugees would be fully vaccinated after arrival in the
      United States. For the second scenario, refugees would receive one or two doses
      of selected vaccines before departure and complete the recommended vaccination
      schedule after arrival in the United States. We evaluated costs for the full
      vaccination schedule and for the subset of vaccines provided by VPR by four age
      stratified groups; all costs were reported in 2015 US dollars. We performed one
      way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses and break-even analyses to evaluate
      the robustness of results. RESULTS: Vaccination costs with the VPR scenario were
      lower than costs of the scenario without the VPR for refugees in all examined age
      groups. Net cost savings per person associated with the VPR were ranged from
      $225.93 with estimated Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) or Medicaid payments for
      domestic costs to $498.42 with estimated private sector payments. Limiting the
      analyses to only the vaccines included in VPR, the average costs per person were
      56% less for the VPR scenario with RMA/Medicaid payments. Net cost savings with
      the VPR scenario were sensitive to inputs for vaccination costs, domestic vaccine
      coverage rates, and revaccination rates, but the VPR scenario was cost savings
      across a range of plausible parameter estimates. CONCLUSIONS: VPR is a cost
      saving program that would also reduce the risk of refugees arriving while
      infected with a vaccine preventable disease.

PMID- 28919226
TI  - Validation of HAV biomarker 2A for differential diagnostic of hepatitis A
      infected and vaccinated individuals using multiplex serology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Worldwide about 1.5 million clinical cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV)
      infections occur every year and increasingly countries are introducing HAV
      vaccination into the childhood immunization schedule with a single dose instead
      of the originally licenced two dose regimen. Diagnosis of acute HAV infection is
      determined serologically by anti-HAV-IgM detection using ELISA. Additionally anti
      HAV-IgG can become positive during the early phase of symptoms, but remains
      detectable after infection and also after vaccination against HAV. Currently no
      serological marker allows the differentiation of HAV vaccinated individuals and
      those with a past infection with HAV. Such differentiation would greatly improve
      evaluation of vaccination campaigns and risk assessment of HAV outbreaks. Here we
      tested the HAV non-structural protein 2A, important for the capsid assembly, as a
      biomarker for the differentiation of the immune status in previously infected and
      vaccinated individuals. METHODS: HAV antigens were recombinantly expressed as
      glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins. Using glutathione tagged,
      magnetic fluorescent beads (Luminex(r)), the proteins were affinity purified and
      used in a multiplex serological assay. The multiplex HAV assay was validated
      using 381 reference sera in which the immune status HAV negative, vaccinated or
      infected was established using the Abbott ARCHITECT(r) HAVAb-IgM or IgG, the
      commercial HAV ELISA from Abnova and documentation in vaccination cards. RESULTS:
      HAV multiplex serology showed a sensitivity of 99% and specificity of 95% to
      detect anti-HAV IgG/IgM positive individuals. HAV biomarker 2A allowed the
      differentiation between previously infected and vaccinated individuals. HAV
      vaccinated individuals and previously infected individuals could be identified
      with 92% accuracy. CONCLUSION: HAV biomarker 2A can be used to differentiate
      between previously HAV-vaccinated and naturally infected individuals. Within a
      multiplex serological approach this assay can provide valuable novel information
      in the context of outbreak investigations, longitudinal population based studies
      and evaluations of immunization campaigns.

PMID- 28919227
TI  - Asymptomatic Ischemic Risks in Microsurgical Clipping for Unruptured Intracranial
      Aneurysms in Anterior Circulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ischemic risk in prophylactic treatments of unruptured
      intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) is a serious health concern. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to elucidate the incidence and characteristics of ischemic events
      in microsurgical clipping of anterior circulation UIAs. METHODS: Ischemic events
      were prospectively evaluated before and after surgery between April 2011 and
      March 2017. The location, volume, minimum value of apparent diffusion coefficient
      in high-intensity spots (HIS) on 3-T magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted
      imaging (DWI), and radiographic outcomes were analyzed. The relationships between
      DWI positivity and patient demographics, surgical procedures, and intraoperative
      vessel features were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 78 consecutive patients
      including 29 men and 49 women (median age, 62 years; range, 24-77 years) with 99
      UIAs were analyzed. A total of 10 in 78 craniotomies (13%) detected HIS on DWI,
      which were all asymptomatic. Seventeen HIS were shown, 5 of which were located in
      the basal ganglia, 6 in the white matter, and 6 in the cortex. The volume and
      minimum value of apparent diffusion coefficient were 180.4 +/- 31.2 mm3 and 0.56
      +/- 0.03 * 10-3 mm2/second, respectively. Radiographic outcomes at follow-up
      showed that 71% of HIS on DWI led to irreversible brain ischemia. The maximum
      diameter of aneurysms, atherosclerotic features of the aneurysm wall, and
      procedure-related factors were associated with DWI positivity. CONCLUSIONS: The
      asymptomatic ischemic risk associated with microsurgical clipping was not low and
      most lesions were irreversible. Although the mechanism could be various, the use
      of clips for atherosclerosis of the aneurysm and/or parental vessels requires
      much attention.

PMID- 28919228
TI  - Stereoscopic Three-Dimensional Neuroanatomy Lectures Enhance Neurosurgical
      Training: Prospective Comparison with Traditional Teaching.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Stereoscopic three-dimensional (3D) imaging is increasingly used in
      the teaching of neuroanatomy and although this is mainly aimed at undergraduate
      medical students, it has enormous potential for enhancing the training of
      neurosurgeons. This study aims to assess whether 3D lecturing is an effective
      method of enhancing the knowledge and confidence of neurosurgeons and how it
      compares with traditional two-dimensional (2D) lecturing and cadaveric training.
      METHODS: Three separate teaching sessions for neurosurgical trainees were
      organized: 1) 2D course (2D lecture + cadaveric session), 2) 3D lecture alone,
      and 3) 3D course (3D lecture + cadaveric session). Before and after each session,
      delegates were asked to complete questionnaires containing questions relating to
      surgical experience, anatomic knowledge, confidence in performing procedures, and
      perceived value of 3D, 2D, and cadaveric teaching. RESULTS: Although both 2D and
      3D lectures and courses were similarly effective at improving self-rated
      knowledge and understanding, the 3D lecture and course were associated with
      significantly greater gains in confidence reported by the delegates for
      performing a subfrontal approach and sylvian fissure dissection. CONCLUSIONS:
      Stereoscopic 3D lectures provide neurosurgical trainees with greater confidence
      for performing standard operative approaches and enhances the benefit of
      subsequent practical experience in developing technical skills in cadaveric
      dissection.

PMID- 28919229
TI  - Early Outcomes of Endoscopic Contralateral Foraminal and Lateral Recess
      Decompression via an Interlaminar Approach in Patients with Unilateral
      Radiculopathy from Unilateral Foraminal Stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous endoscopic contralateral interlaminar lumbar foraminotomy
      (PECILF) for lumbar degenerative spinal stenosis is an established procedure.
      Better preservation of contralateral facet joint compared with that of the
      approach side has been shown with uniportal bilateral decompression. The aim of
      this retrospective case series was to analyze the early clinical and radiologic
      outcomes of stand-alone contralateral foraminotomy and lateral recess
      decompression using PECILF. METHODS: Twenty-six consecutive patients with
      unilateral lower limb radiculopathy underwent contralateral foraminotomy and
      lateral recess decompression using PECILF. Their clinical outcomes were evaluated
      with visual analog scale leg pain score, Oswestry Disability Index, and the
      MacNab criteria. Completeness of decompression was documented with a
      postoperative magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Mean age for the study group
      was 62.9 +/- 9.2 years and the male/female ratio was 4:9. A total of 30 levels
      were decompressed, with 18 patients (60%) undergoing decompression at L4-L5, 9 at
      L5-S1 (30%), 2 at L3-L4 (6.7%), and 1 at L2-L3 (3.3%). Mean estimated blood loss
      was 27 +/- 15 mL per level. Mean operative duration was 48 +/- 12 minutes/level.
      Visual analog scale leg score improved from 7.7 +/- 1 to 1.8 +/- 0.8 (P <
      0.0001). Oswestry Disability Index improved from 64.4 +/- 5.8 to 21 +/- 4.5 (P <
      0.0001). Mean follow-up of the study was 13.7 +/- 2.7 months. According to the
      MacNab criteria, 10 patients (38.5%) had good results, 14 patients (53.8%) had
      excellent results, and 2 patients (7.7%) had fair results. One patient required
      revision surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Facet-preserving contralateral foraminotomy and
      lateral recess decompression with PECILF is effective for treatment of lateral
      recess and foraminal stenosis. Thorough decompression with acceptable early
      clinical outcomes and minimal perioperative morbidity can be obtained with the
      contralateral endoscopic approach.

PMID- 28919230
TI  - Morbidity and Mortality of Meningioma Resection Increases in Octogenarians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of meningioma has increased drastically recently,
      particularly in older adults. Surgical intervention has the potential to reduce
      neurologic symptoms and achieve favorable, long-term outcomes. There is
      considerable variability in the literature examining the relationship between age
      and outcomes after meningioma surgery. The objective of this study was to
      identify the relationship between age and postoperative complications after
      craniotomy for resection of meningioma. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons
      National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify
      patients undergoing craniotomy for meningioma resection between 2005 and 2012.
      Multivariate analysis was used to identify associations between age and
      postoperative complications. RESULTS: Age >80 years is an independent risk factor
      for any complication (odds ratio [OR], 2.374; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3
      4.4; P = 0.015), death within 30 days of surgery (OR, 15.7; 95% CI, 3.0-81.0; P <
      0.001), and length of stay >5 days (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.8-5.6; P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age, particularly >80 years, is an independent predictor of
      morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing craniotomy for resection of
      meningioma. As such, it should be considered in preoperative optimization and
      risk stratification.

PMID- 28919231
TI  - A Tortuous Process of Surgical Treatment for a Large Calcified Chronic Subdural
      Hematoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calcified chronic subdural hematoma (CCSDH) is a rare disease for
      which no standard approach to treatment has been established. Reports covering
      both burr hole trepanation and craniotomy for CCSDH are rare. Furthermore,
      infection of CCSDH after the burr hole trepanation has not been reported in the
      literature. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 61-year-old man presented with left
      frontotemporoparietal CCSDH demonstrated on computed tomography (CT) scan. The
      patient underwent 2 separate burr hole trepanations with intraoperative
      irrigation and postoperative drainage. These procedures led to infection of the
      CCSDH. The patient eventually underwent an open craniotomy to provide complete
      removal of the hematoma. CONCLUSIONS: Owing to the complex contents of a CCSDH,
      burr hole trepanation cannot adequately drain the hematoma or relieve the mass
      effect. Craniotomy is a much more reliable approach for achieving complete
      resection of a CCSDH.

PMID- 28919232
TI  - Accuracy of Shape Irregularity and Density Heterogeneity on Noncontrast Computed
      Tomography for Predicting Hematoma Expansion in Spontaneous Intracerebral
      Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to evaluate the
      predictive values of shape irregularity and density heterogeneity of hematoma on
      noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) for hematoma expansion (HE). METHODS: A
      literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and
      Cochrane Library. Studies about predictive values of shape regularity or density
      heterogeneity of hematoma on NCCT for HE in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
      were included. Meta-analysis was performed to pool the data. Publication bias
      assessment, subgroup analysis, and univariate meta-regression were conducted.
      RESULTS: A total of 7 studies with 2294 patients were included. The pooled
      sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood
      ratio of shape irregularity were 67%, 47%, 1.30, and 0.71, respectively. In
      contrast, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and
      negative likelihood ratio of density irregularity were 52%, 69%, 1.70, and 0.69,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the relatively low sensitivity and
      specificity, the predictive values of shape irregularity and density
      heterogeneity of hematoma for HE are limited. Further studies are still needed to
      find optimal NCCT predictors for HE in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
      patients.

PMID- 28919233
TI  - Craniospinal Germinomas in Patient with Down Syndrome Successfully Treated with
      Standard-Dose Chemotherapy and Craniospinal Irradiation: Case Report and
      Literature Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with Down syndrome (DS) are more likely to develop
      chemotherapy-related complications. The standard treatment for these patients
      with cancer has not yet been established, and the risks of standard chemotherapy
      are unclear. In this paper, a rare case of multiple craniospinal germinomas in a
      patient with DS, which was successfully treated with standard-dose chemotherapy
      combined with craniospinal irradiation, is reported. CASE DESCRIPTION: The
      authors report a case of multiple craniospinal germinomas in a DS patient who
      presented with bilateral oculomotor and facial nerve palsy and hearing loss. The
      patient underwent 3 courses of combination chemotherapy using a standard dose of
      carboplatin and etoposide and 23.4 Gy of concurrent craniospinal irradiation.
      Posttreatment magnetic resonance imaging showed reduction of the tumors. Both
      fluorodeoxyglucose- and methionine-positron emission tomography demonstrated no
      uptake in the residual tumors. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging and positron
      emission tomography did not reveal tumor recurrence for 18 months. CONCLUSIONS:
      As far as we know, this is the first case of multiple craniospinal germinomas in
      a patient with DS who achieved a successful treatment result without fatal
      adverse events. The literature review indicated that disseminated germinomas may
      need intensive treatment to reduce recurrence risk. However, intensive
      chemotherapy using a combination of 3 or more anticancer drugs can increase the
      rate of treatment-related death during the early stage. Our case indicated that
      multiple craniospinal germinoma of DS patients could be treated with a standard
      dose of carboplatin and etoposide regimen with concurrent craniospinal
      irradiation along with appropriate supportive therapy and careful observation.

PMID- 28919235
TI  - Alzheimer's Disease-like Paired Helical Filament Assembly from Truncated Tau
      Protein Is Independent of Disulfide Crosslinking.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the self-assembly of tau and amyloid beta
      proteins into oligomers and fibrils. Tau protein assembles into paired helical
      filaments (PHFs) that constitute the neurofibrillary tangles observed in neuronal
      cell bodies in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. The mechanism of initiation
      of tau assembly into PHFs is not well understood. Here we report that a truncated
      95-amino-acid tau fragment (corresponding to residues 297-391 of full-length tau)
      assembles into PHF-like fibrils in vitro without the need for other additives to
      initiate or template the process. Using electron microscopy, circular dichroism
      and X-ray fiber diffraction, we have characterized the structure of the fibrils
      formed from truncated tau for the first time. To explore the contribution of
      disulfide formation to fibril formation, we have compared the assembly of tau(297
      391) under reduced and non-reducing conditions and for truncated tau carrying a
      C322A substitution. We show that disulfide bond formation inhibits filament
      assembly and that the C322A variant rapidly forms long and highly ordered PHFs.

PMID- 28919234
TI  - Effects of Periplasmic Chaperones and Membrane Thickness on BamA-Catalyzed Outer
      Membrane Protein Folding.
AB  - The biogenesis of outer-membrane proteins (OMPs) in gram-negative bacteria
      involves delivery by periplasmic chaperones to the beta-barrel assembly machinery
      (BAM), which catalyzes OMP insertion into the outer membrane. Here, we examine
      the effects of membrane thickness, the Escherichia coli periplasmic chaperones
      Skp and SurA, and BamA, the central subunit of the BAM complex, on the folding
      kinetics of a model OMP (tOmpA) using fluorescence spectroscopy, native mass
      spectrometry, and molecular dynamics simulations. We show that prefolded BamA
      promotes the release of tOmpA from Skp despite the nM affinity of the Skp:tOmpA
      complex. This activity is located in the BamA beta-barrel domain, but is greater
      when full-length BamA is present, indicating that both the beta-barrel and
      polypeptide transport-associated (POTRA) domains are required for maximal
      activity. By contrast, SurA is unable to release tOmpA from Skp, providing direct
      evidence against a sequential chaperone model. By varying lipid acyl chain length
      in synthetic liposomes we show that BamA has a greater catalytic effect on tOmpA
      folding in thicker bilayers, suggesting that BAM catalysis involves lowering of
      the kinetic barrier imposed by the hydrophobic thickness of the membrane.
      Consistent with this, molecular dynamics simulations reveal that increases in
      membrane thinning/disorder by the transmembrane domain of BamA is greatest in
      thicker bilayers. Finally, we demonstrate that cross-linking of the BamA barrel
      does not affect tOmpA folding kinetics in 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine (DMPC) liposomes, suggesting that lateral gating of the BamA
      barrel and/or hybrid barrel formation is not required, at least for the assembly
      of a small 8-stranded OMP in vitro.

PMID- 28919236
TI  - Biomarkers for diagnosis of Pediatric Acute Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) -
      Sensitivity and specificity of the Cunningham Panel.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pediatric Acute Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and pediatric
      autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections
      (PANDAS) are conditions marked by sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder
      (OCD), tics, or avoidant/restrictive food intake in combination with multiple
      psychiatric symptoms. A diagnosis of PANS or PANDAS may be supported by the
      Cunningham Panel, a commercially available set of immunologic assays currently in
      clinical use. However, the relationship between Cunningham Panel results and
      patient symptoms remains unclear. This study was done to assess the diagnostic
      accuracy of the Cunningham Panel in patients with suspected PANS or PANDAS.
      METHOD: All Swedish patients who had taken the Cunningham Panel prior to June
      2014 (n=154) were invited and 53 patients participated in the study. Based on
      comprehensive psychiatric assessment (the reference standard of diagnosis),
      subjects were classified as PANS, PANDAS, or neither. Prior Cunningham Panel test
      results were collected from patient records, and new blood samples were similarly
      analyzed within the scope of this study. In addition, results were compared to
      healthy controls (n=21) and a test-retest reliability analysis was performed.
      RESULTS: Sensitivities of individual biomarkers in the Cunningham Panel ranged
      from 15 to 60%, and specificities from 28 to 92%. Positive predictive values
      ranged from 17 to 40%, and negative predictive values from 44 to 74%. A majority
      of the healthy controls had pathological Cunningham Panel results and test-retest
      reliability proved insufficient. CONCLUSION: Clinical use of the Cunningham Panel
      in diagnosing PANS or PANDAS is not supported by this study.

PMID- 28919237
TI  - Inflammatory responses in Multiple Sclerosis normal-appearing white matter and in
      non-immune mediated neurological conditions with wallerian axonal degeneration: A
      comparative study.
AB  - Inflammatory-like changes in the white matter (WM) are commonly observed in
      conditions of axonal degeneration by different etiologies. This study is a
      systematic comparison of the principal features of the inflammatory-like changes
      in the WM in different pathological conditions characterized by axonal
      damage/degeneration, focusing in particular on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) normal
      appearing white matter (NAWM) compared to non immune-mediated disorders. The
      study was performed on sections of NAWM from 15 MS cases, 11 cases of non immune
      mediated disorders with wallerian axonal degeneration (stroke, trauma,
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), 3 cases of viral encephalitis, 6 control cases.
      Common features of the inflammatory-like changes observed in all of the
      conditions of WM pathology were diffuse endothelial expression of VCAM-1,
      microglial activation with expression of M2 markers, increased expression of
      sphingosine receptors. Inflammation in MS NAWM was characterized, compared to non
      immune-mediated conditions, by higher VCAM-1 expression, higher density of
      perivascular lymphocytes, focal perivascular inflammation with microglial
      expression of M1 markers, ongoing acute axonal damage correlating with VCAM-1
      expression but not with microglia activation. Inflammatory changes in MS NAWM
      share all the main features observed in the WM in non immune-mediated conditions
      with wallerian axonal degeneration (with differences to a large extent more
      quantitative than qualitative), but with superimposition of disease-specific
      perivascular inflammation and ongoing acute axonal damage.

PMID- 28919238
TI  - Post-blink tear film dynamics in healthy and dry eyes during spontaneous
      blinking.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim was to investigate the dynamics of post-blink tear film leveling
      in natural blinking conditions (NBC) for healthy subjects and those diagnosed
      with dry eye syndrome (DES) and to relate this phase to the tear film surface
      quality (TFSQ) before the following blink. METHODS: The study included 19 healthy
      persons and 10 with dry eye, grouped according to symptoms and signs observed
      during examination. Lateral shearing interferometry was used to examine TFSQ.
      Post-blink tear film dynamics was modeled by an exponential function,
      characterized by the decay parameter b, and a constant, describing the level of
      the stabilized TFSQ. Pre-next-natural-blink TFSQ dynamics was modeled with a
      linear trend, described by a parameter A. RESULTS: The post-blink tear film
      dynamics reached its plateau at a significantly (P = 0.006) lower level in the
      normal tear film group than in the dry eye group. The median exponential decay
      parameter b was statistically significantly higher for the control group than for
      the DES group, P = 0.026. The parameter b calculated for each interblink interval
      was significantly correlated with the corresponding parameter A (Spearman's R =
      0.35; P < 0.001). Correlation between the median b and tear film fluorescein
      break-up time for each subject was also found (R = 0.41, P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS:
      Significantly faster leveling of post-natural-blink tear film was observed in the
      group with DES than in healthy eyes. This dynamic was correlated with the pre
      next-natural-blink TFSQ and tear film stability. The results of this pilot study
      support previous works that advocate the importance of polar lipids in the
      mechanism of tear film lipid spreading.

PMID- 28919239
TI  - Effect of micronutrient supplementation on IVF outcomes: a systematic review of
      the literature.
AB  - There is accumulating evidence on the importance of micronutrients in improving
      fertility in couples undergoing IVF therapy. Despite this, studies reporting the
      relevant clinical outcomes of IVF, such as pregnancy and live birth rates, are
      very scarce. This review aimed to systematically summarize clinical evidence on
      the effect of micronutrients on primary outcome parameters of IVF treatment. The
      literature was searched up to February 2017 through Embase and PubMed databases
      for relevant studies. The quality of eligible studies was assessed with the Downs
      and Black checklist. A total of five studies qualified for inclusion. These
      studies reported outcomes on 467 participants administered micronutrient
      supplements alone or combined with other nutrients as part of IVF therapy. There
      was significant heterogeneity among the interventions and study designs. However,
      all the studies reported a positive impact of micronutrient supplementation on
      clinical outcomes of IVF therapy in terms of pregnancy rate and/or live birth
      rate. Within the limits of this review, micronutrients appear to influence
      positive outcomes in couples undergoing fertility treatment. Larger clinical
      studies are needed to strengthen these findings so that the benefit of
      micronutrients can be extended to subjects undergoing IVF therapy.

PMID- 28919241
TI  - Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Patients With Heart Failure and a Preserved
      Ejection Fraction: Filling the Prognostic Knowledge Gap.

PMID- 28919240
TI  - Single Nucleotide Variants Associated With Polygenic Hypercholesterolemia in
      Families Diagnosed Clinically With Familial Hypercholesterolemia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Approximately 20% to 40% of clinically defined
      familial hypercholesterolemia cases do not show a causative mutation in candidate
      genes, and some of them may have a polygenic origin. A cholesterol gene risk
      score for the diagnosis of polygenic hypercholesterolemia has been demonstrated
      to be valuable to differentiate polygenic and monogenic hypercholesterolemia. The
      aim of this study was to determine the contribution to low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL-C) of the single nucleotide variants associated with polygenic
      hypercholesterolemia in probands with genetic hypercholesterolemia without
      mutations in candidate genes (nonfamilial hypercholesterolemia genetic
      hypercholesterolemia) and the genetic score in cascade screening in their family
      members. METHODS: We recruited 49 nonfamilial hypercholesterolemia genetic
      hypercholesterolemia families (294 participants) and calculated cholesterol gene
      scores, derived from single nucleotide variants in SORT1, APOB, ABCG8, APOE and
      LDLR and lipoprotein(a) plasma concentration. RESULTS: Risk alleles in SORT1,
      ABCG8, APOE, and LDLR showed a statistically significantly higher frequency in
      blood relatives than in the 1000 Genomes Project. However, there were no
      differences between affected and nonaffected members. The contribution of the
      cholesterol gene score to LDL-C was significantly higher in affected than in
      nonaffected participants (P = .048). The percentage of the LDL-C variation
      explained by the score was 3.1%, and this percentage increased to 6.9% in those
      families with the highest genetic score in the proband. CONCLUSIONS: Nonfamilial
      hypercholesterolemia genetic hypercholesterolemia families concentrate risk
      alleles for high LDL-C. Their contribution varies greatly among families,
      indicating the complexity and heterogeneity of these forms of
      hypercholesterolemias. The gene score explains a small percentage of LDL-C, which
      limits its use in diagnosis.

PMID- 28919242
TI  - Uncovering novel repositioning opportunities using the Open Targets platform.
AB  - The recently developed Open Targets platform consolidates a wide range of
      comprehensive evidence associating known and potential drug targets with human
      diseases. We have harnessed the integrated data from this platform for novel drug
      repositioning opportunities. Our computational workflow systematically mines data
      from various evidence categories and presents potential repositioning
      opportunities for drugs that are marketed or being investigated in ongoing human
      clinical trials, based on evidence strength on target-disease pairing. We
      classified these novel target-disease opportunities in several ways: (i) number
      of independent counts of evidence; (ii) broad therapy area of origin; and (iii)
      repositioning within or across therapy areas. Finally, we elaborate on one
      example that was identified by this approach.

PMID- 28919243
TI  - Drugs - Do we need them? Applications of non-pharmaceutical therapy in anterior
      eye disease: A review.
AB  - Natural products have been in use long before the introduction of modern drug
      therapies and are still used in various communities worldwide for the treatment
      of anterior eye disease. The aim of this review is to look at the current non
      pharmaceutical modalities that have been tried and assess the body of existing
      evidence behind them. This includes alternative medicine, existing non
      pharmaceutical therapy and more recent low and high tech solutions. A detailed
      search of all available databases including MEDLINE, Pubmed and Google was made
      to look for English-language studies for complementary and alternative treatment
      modalities (CAM), natural therapies and new modalities for anterior eye disease
      such as blepharitis, dry eye and microbial keratitis. We have included a broad
      discussion ranging from traditional treatments like honey and aloe vera which
      have been used for centuries, to the more recent technological advances like
      Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), LipiFlow and photoactivated chromophore for corneal
      cross linking in infectious keratitis (PACK-CXL). Alternative management
      strategies may have a role in anterior eye diseases and have a potential in
      changing the way we currently approach them. Some of the available CAM could play
      a role if incorporated in to current management practices of not only chronic
      diseases like blepharitis and dry eye, but also acute conditions with significant
      morbidity like microbial keratitis. Further large-scale randomized control trials
      stratified by disease severity are required to improve our understanding and to
      evaluate the use of non-pharmaceutical therapy against current practice.

PMID- 28919244
TI  - Does synaesthesia age? Changes in the quality and consistency of synaesthetic
      associations.
AB  - Developmental grapheme-colour synaesthesia is a rare condition in which colours
      become automatically paired with letters or digits in the minds of certain
      individuals during childhood, and remain paired into adulthood. Although
      synaesthesia is well understood in younger adults almost nothing is known about
      synaesthesia in aging. We present the first evidence that aging desaturates
      synaesthetic colours in the minds of older synaesthetes, and we show for the
      first time that aging affects the key diagnostic measure of synaesthesia
      (consistency of colours over time). We screened ~ 4000 members of the general
      population to identify grapheme-colour synaesthetes, targeting both younger and
      older adults. We found proportionally fewer older than younger synaesthetes, not
      only because fewer older people self-reported the condition, but because fewer
      also passed the objective diagnostic test. We examined the roots of this apparent
      decline in grapheme-colour synaesthesia, finding that the internal mental colours
      of synaesthetes become less saturated in older subjects, and importantly, that
      low-saturated colours are linked with test-failure. We discuss what these
      findings mean for a novel field of aging and synaesthesia research, in terms of
      the lifespan development of synaesthesia and how best to diagnose synaesthesia in
      later life.

PMID- 28919245
TI  - N1 responses to images of hands in occipito-temporal event-related potentials.
AB  - Hands, much like faces, convey social information, instructions and intentions to
      an observer. While the neural processes of face perception have been widely
      studied, it was only recently that fMRI identified occipito-temporal areas
      sensitive to static images of hands as body parts. To complement these studies
      with fine-grained timing information, we measured event-related EEG potentials
      (ERPs) from 33 subjects who were presented with static images of hands versus
      faces, whole bodies, and inanimate objects as controls. Already at N1 latency, ~
      170ms, hand-related ERP patterns were manifest in two results: (1) significant
      differences in amplitudes for images of hands versus bodies in occipito-temporal
      N1 responses; (2) left lateralization of responses to images of hands, and also
      of the difference waveforms (hands minus bodies), quantifying hand-related
      responses. In line with fMRI studies of hand-sensitive areas distinct from
      extrastriate body area (EBA), the current findings provide electrophysiological
      evidence for hand-sensitive brain activation, occurring at a similarly early
      latency as N1 responses to faces.

PMID- 28919246
TI  - Filtered sunlight, solar powered phototherapy and other strategies for managing
      neonatal jaundice in low-resource settings.
AB  - Challenges in treating severe neonatal jaundice in low and middle-income country
      settings still exist at many levels. These include: a lack of awareness of causes
      and prevention by families, communities and even sometimes health care
      professionals; insufficient, ineffective, high quality affordable diagnostic and
      therapeutic options; limited availability of rehabilitation provision for
      kernicterus. Collectively these challenges lead to an unacceptably high global
      morbidity and mortality from severe neonatal jaundice. In the past decade, there
      has been an explosion of innovations addressing some of these issues and these
      are increasingly available for scale up. Scientists, healthcare providers, and
      communities are joining hands to explore educational tools, low cost screening
      and diagnostic options including at point-of-care and treatment modalities
      including filtered sunlight and solar powered phototherapy. For the first time,
      the possibility of eliminating the tragedy of preventable morbidity and mortality
      from severe NNJ is on the horizon, for all.

PMID- 28919247
TI  - The effect of directed photic stimulation of the pineal on experimental
      Parkinson's disease.
AB  - The role of the circadian system in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a topic of
      increasing scientific interest. This has emerged from recent studies
      demonstrating an altered response of PD patients to treatment in relation to the
      phase of the light/dark cycle and from other work defining the functional
      significance of melanocytes in PD: a cell type that the nigro-striatal dopamine
      (NSD) system and circadian system both contain. The present study was undertaken
      to determine the sensitivity of the pineal, as the final common pathway of the
      circadian system, to light delivered directly to the pineal via surgical
      implantation of LEDs. Direct photic stimulation of the pineal altered the course
      of experimental PD while anatomical controls receiving stimulation of the frontal
      cortex exhibited a negative impact on the course of recovery of these animals.
      These effects were closely linked to the phase of the light/dark cycle. The
      present results suggest that while pineal photoreceptors are regarded as
      vestigial, functional photo-reactivity of the pineal remains. It is inferred that
      melanocytes are the active cells responsible for the observed effect since they
      remain functionally intact in mammalian pineal even though pineal photoreceptors
      are functionally inert. Although the stimuli applied in the present study may be
      regarded as artificial this study demonstrates that brain parenchyma remains
      differentially reactive to direct light exposure and presents a novel mechanism
      in circadian structures that needs to be explored.

PMID- 28919248
TI  - Safety of differential radiation dosing in lymph node positive necks treated with
      IMRT.
AB  - PURPOSE: When treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with
      intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), it is common to use several dose
      levels for a lymph node positive neck: full dose (66-70 Gy) to gross cancer,
      intermediate dose (59-63 Gy) to higher risk neck regions, and standard dose (50
      54 Gy) to lower risk neck regions. There is no consensus regarding how much of
      the neck should receive intermediate versus standard dose, however. METHODS AND
      MATERIALS: HNSCC patients treated with IMRT were identified from 2 academic
      medical centers between 2004 and 2016. Intermediate dose was restricted to a
      region of the neck 2 cm above and below the most superior and inferior involved
      lymph nodes; standard dose was delivered to more distal neck regions. Descriptive
      statistics were calculated for demographics and clinical characteristics as well
      as proportions for failures 2 years after treatment. Failure outside the
      intermediate dose region was determined by calculating confidence intervals from
      a modification of the Poisson distribution. RESULTS: Of the 57 necks included in
      this study, 17.5% experienced disease recurrence in the neck within 2 years of
      completing treatment. All failures were within the 2-cm margin above or below the
      most superior and inferior involved nodes; there were no failures outside this 2
      cm margin (95% confidence interval, 0-7.7). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this
      study support the feasibility of treating only the neck adjacent to gross neck
      disease to an intermediate dose, and treating the remainder of the neck to a
      lower, standard dose. Although these results are encouraging, additional study of
      this treatment paradigm is warranted.

PMID- 28919249
TI  - Dosimetric predictors for acute esophagitis during radiation therapy for lung
      cancer: Results of a large statewide observational study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify dosimetric variables that best
      predict for acute esophagitis in patients treated for locally advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer in a prospectively accrued statewide consortium. METHODS AND
      MATERIALS: Patients receiving definitive radiation therapy for stage II-III non
      small cell lung cancer within the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium
      were included in the analysis. Dose-volume histogram data were analyzed to
      determine absolute volumes (cc) receiving doses from 10 to 60 Gy (V10, V20, V30,
      V40, V50, and V60), as well as maximum dose to 2 cc (D2cc), mean dose (MD), and
      generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD). Logistic regression models were used
      to characterize the risk of toxicity as a function of dose and other covariates.
      The ability of each variable to predict esophagitis, individually or in a
      multivariate model, was quantified by receiver operating characteristic analysis.
      RESULTS: There were 533 patients who met study criteria and were included; 437
      (81.9%) developed any grade of esophagitis. Significant variables on univariate
      analysis for grade >=2 esophagitis were concurrent chemotherapy, V20, V30, V40,
      V50, V60, MD, D2cc, and gEUD. For grade >=3 esophagitis, the predictive variables
      were: V30, V40, V50, V60, MD, D2cc, and gEUD. In multivariable modeling, gEUD was
      the most significant predictor of both grade >=2 and grade >=3 esophagitis. When
      gEUD was excluded from the model, D2cc was selected as the most predictive
      variable for grade >=3 esophagitis. For an estimated risk of grade >=3
      esophagitis of 5%, the threshold values for gEUD and D2cc were 59.3 Gy and 68 Gy,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we report the novel finding that gEUD
      and D2cc, rather than MD, were the most predictive dose metrics for severe
      esophagitis. To limit the estimated risk of grade >=3 esophagitis to <5%,
      thresholds of 59.3 Gy and 68 Gy were identified for gEUD and D2cc, respectively.

PMID- 28919250
TI  - Purification and characterization of a cellulase-free, thermostable endo-xylanase
      from Streptomyces griseorubens LH-3 and its use in biobleaching on eucalyptus
      kraft pulp.
AB  - Xylanase is an important enzyme involved in degrading xylan. In this study, an
      extracellular cellulase-free, thermostable endo-xylanase which was produced by
      Streptomyces griseorubens LH-3 with bagasse semi-cellulose as a carbon source was
      purified and characterized. The xylanase was purified 4-fold with a recovery
      yield of 21.6% by precipitation with 25-55% (NH4)2SO4, Mono Q ion exchange
      chromatography and sephacryl S-200 HR gel filtration chromatography. It appeared
      as a monomeric protein on SDS-PAGE gel and had an apparent molecular weight of
      45.5 kDa with specific activity of 434 IU/mg. Using birchwood xylan as substrate,
      the maximum velocity (Vmax) and Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) were found to be
      1.44 mg/ml and 2.05 MUmol/min mg, respectively. The purified xylanase was active
      at pH 4.0-8.0 with an optimum pH of 5.0. It was stable at temperatures between 30
      degrees C and 50 degrees C, exhibiting maximum activity at 60 degrees C. Hg2+ and
      Al3+ inhibited the enzyme activity significantly. Enzymatic product analysis
      indicated that the enzyme was an endo-xylanase, whose hydrolysis products were
      mainly a series of short-chain xylooligosaccharides. Furthermore, it was used for
      biobleaching of eucalyptus kraft pulp, and results showed that this purified
      xylanase increased the brightness of the pulp by 14.5% and reduced the kappa
      number by 24.5%. All these industrially relevant characteristics made it had
      potential application in the pulp and paper industry as a biobleaching agent.

PMID- 28919251
TI  - Inhibition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth by simultaneous uptake of glucose
      and maltose.
AB  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae expresses alpha-glucoside transporters, such as MalX1p
      (X=1(Agt1p), 2, 3, 4, and 6), which are proton symporters. These transporters are
      regulated at transcriptional and posttranslational levels in the presence of
      glucose. Malt wort contains glucose, maltose, and maltotriose, and the
      assimilation of maltose is delayed as a function of glucose concentration. With
      the objective of increasing beer fermentation rates, we characterized alpha
      glucoside transporters and bred laboratory yeasts that expressed various alpha
      glucoside transporters for the simultaneous uptake of different sugars. Mal21p
      was found to be the most resistant transporter to glucose-induced degradation,
      and strain (HD17) expressing MAL21 grew on a medium containing glucose or
      maltose, but not on a medium containing both sugars (YPDM). This unexpected
      growth defect was observed on a medium containing glucose and >0.1% maltose but
      was not exhibited by a strain that constitutively expressed maltase. The defect
      depended on intracellular maltose concentration. Although maltose accumulation
      caused a surge in turgor pressure, addition of sorbitol to YPDM did not increase
      growth. When strain HD17 was cultivated in a medium containing only maltose,
      protein synthesis was inhibited at early times but subsequently resumed with
      reduction in accumulated maltose, but not if the medium was exchanged for YPDM.
      We conclude that protein synthesis was terminated under the accumulation of
      maltose, regardless of extracellular osmolarity, and HD17 could not resume
      growth, because the intracellular concentration of maltose did not decrease due
      to insufficient synthesis of maltase. Yeast should incorporate maltose after
      expressing adequate maltase in beer brewing.

PMID- 28919252
TI  - Mutation in the peroxin-coding gene PEX22 contributing to high malate production
      in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae produces organic acids such as succinate, acetate, and
      malate during alcoholic fermentation. Since malate contributes to the pleasant
      taste of sake (a Japanese alcoholic beverage), various methods for breeding high
      malate-producing yeast strains have been developed. Here, a high-malate-producing
      yeast strain F-701H was isolated. This mutant was sensitive to dimethyl succinate
      (DMS) and harbored a nonsense mutation in the peroxin gene PEX22, which was
      identified as the cause of high malate production by comparative genome analysis.
      This mutation, which appeared to cause Pex22p dysfunction, was sufficient to
      confer increased malate productivity and DMS sensitivity to yeast cells. Next, we
      investigated the mechanism by which this mutation led to high malate production
      in yeast cells. Peroxins, such as Pex22p, maintain peroxisomal biogenesis.
      Analysis of 29 PEX disruptants revealed an increased malate production by
      deletion of the genes encoding peroxins responsible for importing proteins
      (containing peroxisomal targeting signal 1, PTS1) into the peroxisomal matrix,
      and those responsible for the assembly of peroxins themselves in the peroxisomal
      membrane. A defect in peroxisomal malate dehydrogenase (Mdh3p), harboring
      endogenous PTS1, inhibited the high malate-producing phenotype in the PEX22
      mutant. Moreover, Mdh3p, which was normally sorted to the peroxisomal matrix, was
      potentially mislocalized to the cytosol in the PEX22 mutant. This suggested that
      an increase in malate production resulted from the mislocalization of Mdh3p from
      the peroxisome to the cytoplasm due to the loss of peroxin-mediated
      transportation. Thus, the present study revealed a novel mechanism for organic
      acid productions in yeast during sake brewing.

PMID- 28919253
TI  - The influence of acidic media on the effect of beta-amyloid peptide on the
      function of glycine receptor in hippocampal neurons.
AB  - We have previously shown that application of beta-amyloid peptide 1-42 (Abeta) at
      picomolar/nanomolar concentrations caused a decrease in the peak amplitude and
      acceleration of desensitization of the glycine-activated chloride current (IGly)
      in hippocampal pyramidal neurons (Bukanova et al., 2016). The aim of this work
      was to study the effect of Abeta on IGly in an acidified medium. The relevance of
      this work is determined by the fact that the pathogenic effects of Abeta in
      Alzheimer's disease are usually accompanied by inflammatory processes and
      acidosis. The IGly was induced by 600 ms application of 100 MUM (nearly EC50) or
      500 MUM (nearly saturating) glycine on isolated rat hippocampal neurons. The
      solution of glycine was neutral (pH 7.4) or acidic over a pH range of 5.0-7.0. It
      was found that 600 ms application of protons rapidly, reversibly and in dose
      dependent manner decreased the peak amplitude and accelerated the desensitization
      of IGly. The effect of H+ on IGly desensitization did not depend on glycine
      concentration and may be considered noncompetitive, while the effect on IGly peak
      disappeared at saturating glycine concentration and can be regarded as a
      competitive. These characteristics of the proton effects on IGly coincide with
      the characteristics of the Abeta effects on IGly. Experiments with joint
      application of Abeta and H+ showed interdependence of their effects. Addition of
      Abeta to perfusing solution reduced H+ effects on IGly while long pretreatment of
      Abeta with acid solution prevented the effects of the peptide on IGly. Our
      results suggest the existence of common sites for Abeta and H+ on the GlyR and
      indicate a mutual weakening of the inhibitory action of these molecules on IGly.

PMID- 28919254
TI  - Palmitic acid stimulates energy metabolism and inhibits insulin/PI3K/AKT
      signaling in differentiated human neuroblastoma cells: The role of mTOR
      activation and mitochondrial ROS production.
AB  - The high consumption of saturated lipids has been largely associated with the
      increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases. In particular, saturated fatty acids
      such as palmitic acid (PA) have been implicated in the development of insulin
      resistance in peripheral tissues. However, how neurons develop insulin resistance
      in response to lipid overload is not fully understood. Here, we used cultured rat
      cortical neurons and differentiated human neuroblastoma cells to demonstrate that
      PA blocks insulin-induced metabolic activation, inhibits the activation of the
      insulin/PI3K/Akt pathway and activates mTOR kinase downstream of Akt. Despite the
      fact that fatty acids are not normally used as a significant source of fuel by
      neural cells, we also found that short-term neuronal exposure to PA reduces the
      NAD+/NADH ratio, indicating that PA modifies the neuronal energy balance.
      Finally, inhibiting mitochondrial ROS production with mitoTEMPO prevented the
      deleterious effect of PA on insulin signaling. This work provides novel evidence
      of the mechanisms behind saturated fatty acid-induced insulin resistance and its
      metabolic consequences on neuronal cells.

PMID- 28919255
TI  - SUMO proteins: Guardians of immune system.
AB  - Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins belong to the ubiquitin-like family
      and act to change the function of target proteins through post-translational
      modifications. Through their interactions with innate immune pathways, SUMOs
      promote an efficient immune response to pathogenic challenge avoiding, at the
      same time, an excess of immune response that could lead to the development of
      autoimmune diseases. This report discusses the general functions of SUMO
      proteins; highlights SUMO involvement in the innate immune response through their
      role in NF-kappaB and interferon pathways; the involvement of SUMO proteins in
      autoimmune diseases; and reviews bacterial, viral, and parasitic interactions
      with SUMO pathways. In conclusion, we speculate that targeting SUMOs could
      represent a new therapeutic strategy against infections and autoimmunity.

PMID- 28919257
TI  - Seizures by the clock: Temporal patterns of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.
AB  - We hypothesized that (1) the occurrence of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
      (PNES) is modulated by the interaction between the 24-hour clock and the sleep
      wake cycle and (2) the pattern of modulation in PNES differs from epileptic
      seizures (ES). We sought to test our hypotheses in a cohort of patients diagnosed
      with PNES or ES in the setting of an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU). We
      retrospectively reviewed consecutive video-EEG (VEEG) recordings of patients who
      underwent monitoring at the EMU of a tertiary hospital. The seizure type (PNES vs
      ES), onset time, and the state (sleep vs awake) were tabulated. The relationship
      between the onset time, the state of arousal, and the occurrence of PNES was
      determined using logistic regression analysis. To determine if the nature of the
      relationship between the state of arousal and PNES differed according to the
      onset time, an interaction between the onset time and the state of arousal was
      also fitted to the model. We studied a total of 754 seizures (ES, 437; PNES, 317)
      from 135 patients consisting of 71 (52.6%) females and 64 (47.4%) males with the
      median age of 39years (range, 18-91). We found a significant association between
      the state of arousal and PNES with the odds of being PNES four times higher when
      patients were awake (OR: 4.27, 95% CI: 2.44-7.48; p<0.0001) compared with when
      they were asleep. The analysis further revealed a significant interaction between
      the onset time and the state of arousal (p=0.004). The odds of being PNES were
      significantly higher if the seizure occurred when the patient was awake at night.
      These patterns possibly indicate the complex interaction between the sleep-wake
      cycle and the 24-hour time cycle in the generation of PNES.

PMID- 28919256
TI  - Metabolic Links between Plasma Cell Survival, Secretion, and Stress.
AB  - Humoral immunity is generated and maintained by antigen-specific antibodies that
      counter infectious pathogens. Plasma cells are the major producers of antibodies
      during and after infections, and each plasma cell produces some thousands of
      antibody molecules per second. This magnitude of secretion requires enormous
      quantities of amino acids and glycosylation sugars to properly build and fold
      antibodies, biosynthetic substrates to fuel endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      biogenesis, and additional carbon sources to generate energy. Many of these
      processes are likely to be linked, thereby affording possibilities to improve
      vaccine design and to develop new therapies for autoimmunity. We review here
      aspects of plasma cell biology with an emphasis on recent studies and the
      relationships between intermediary metabolism, antibody production, and lifespan.

PMID- 28919258
TI  - Examining the time course of genital and subjective sexual responses in women and
      men with concurrent plethysmography and thermography.
AB  - Sexual response is a dynamic process, though there is limited knowledge of the
      time course and relationships among its psychological and physiological
      components. To address this gap, we concurrently assessed self-reported sexual
      arousal, genital temperature (with thermography), and genital vasocongestion
      (with vaginal photoplethysmography [VPP] or penile plethysmography [PPG]) during
      sexual and nonsexual films in 28 androphilic women (attracted to men) and 27
      gynephilic men (attracted to women). Men and women had similarly strong agreement
      between subjective and genital responses (sexual concordance) with thermography,
      but this agreement was stronger in men than women with PPG/VPP. The time course
      of changes in self-reported arousal was most similar to changes in genital
      temperature (i.e., time to onset and peak response). Time-lagged correlations and
      multilevel modeling revealed changes in the strength of relationships between
      aspects of sexual response over time. Results highlight the dynamic nature of
      sexual response and drawbacks of relying on zero-order correlations to
      characterize sexual concordance.

PMID- 28919259
TI  - Ontogenic Identification and Analysis of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Populations
      during Mouse Limb and Long Bone Development.
AB  - Bone-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) differentiate into multiple
      lineages including chondro- and osteogenic fates and function in establishing the
      hematopoietic compartment of the bone marrow. Here, we analyze the emergence of
      different MSC types during mouse limb and long bone development. In particular,
      PDGFRalphaposSCA-1pos (PalphaS) cells and mouse skeletal stem cells (mSSCs) are
      detected within the PDGFRalphaposCD51pos (PalphaCD51) mesenchymal progenitors,
      which are the most abundant progenitors in early limb buds and developing long
      bones until birth. Long-bone-derived PalphaS cells and mSSCs are most prevalent
      in newborn mice, and molecular analysis shows that they constitute distinct
      progenitor populations from the earliest stages onward. Differential expression
      of CD90 and CD73 identifies four PalphaS subpopulations that display distinct
      chondro- and osteogenic differentiation potentials. Finally, we show that
      cartilage constructs generated from CD90pos PalphaS cells are remodeled into bone
      organoids encompassing functional endothelial and hematopoietic compartments,
      which makes these cells suited for bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 28919260
TI  - Blockage of the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Is Required for Embryonic
      Stem Cell Derivation.
AB  - Pluripotent cells emanate from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst and
      when cultivated under optimal conditions immortalize as embryonic stem cells
      (ESCs). The fundamental mechanism underlying ESC derivation has, however,
      remained elusive. Recently, we have devised a highly efficient approach for
      establishing ESCs, through inhibition of the MEK and TGF-beta pathways. This
      regimen provides a platform for dissecting the molecular mechanism of ESC
      derivation. Via temporal gene expression analysis, we reveal key genes involved
      in the ICM to ESC transition. We found that DNA methyltransferases play a pivotal
      role in efficient ESC generation. We further observed a tight correlation between
      ESCs and preimplantation epiblast cell-related genes and noticed that fundamental
      events such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition blockage play a key role in
      launching the ESC self-renewal program. Our study provides a time course
      transcriptional resource highlighting the dynamics of the gene regulatory network
      during the ICM to ESC transition.

PMID- 28919261
TI  - Top-Down Inhibition of BMP Signaling Enables Robust Induction of hPSCs Into
      Neural Crest in Fully Defined, Xeno-free Conditions.
AB  - Defects in neural crest development have been implicated in many human disorders,
      but information about human neural crest formation mostly depends on
      extrapolation from model organisms. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can be
      differentiated into in vitro counterparts of the neural crest, and some of the
      signals known to induce neural crest formation in vivo are required during this
      process. However, the protocols in current use tend to produce variable results,
      and there is no consensus as to the precise signals required for optimal neural
      crest differentiation. Using a fully defined culture system, we have now found
      that the efficient differentiation of hPSCs to neural crest depends on precise
      levels of BMP signaling, which are vulnerable to fluctuations in endogenous BMP
      production. We present a method that controls for this phenomenon and could be
      applied to other systems where endogenous signaling can also affect the outcome
      of differentiation protocols.

PMID- 28919262
TI  - PDGFRA Is Not Essential for the Derivation and Maintenance of Mouse
      Extraembryonic Endoderm Stem Cell Lines.
AB  - Extraembryonic endoderm stem (XEN) cell lines can be derived and maintained in
      vitro and reflect the primitive endoderm lineage. Platelet-derived growth factor
      receptor alpha (PDGFRA) is thought to be essential for the derivation and
      maintenance of mouse XEN cell lines. Here, we have re-evaluated this requirement
      for PDGFRA. We derived multiple PDGFRA-deficient XEN cell lines from
      postimplantation and preimplantation embryos of a PDGFRA-GFP knockout strain. We
      also converted PDGFRA-deficient embryonic stem cell lines into XEN cell lines
      chemically by transient culturing with retinoic acid and Activin A. We confirmed
      the XEN profile of our 12 PDGFRA-deficient cell lines by immunofluorescence with
      various markers, by NanoString gene expression analyses, and by their
      contribution to the extraembryonic endoderm of chimeric embryos produced by
      injecting these cells into blastocysts. Thus, PDGFRA is not essential for the
      derivation and maintenance of XEN cell lines.

PMID- 28919263
TI  - Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis of a Human ESC Model of Pancreatic Endocrine
      Development Reveals Different Paths to beta-Cell Differentiation.
AB  - The production of insulin-producing beta cells from human embryonic stem cells
      (hESCs) in vitro represents a promising strategy for a cell-based therapy for
      type 1 diabetes mellitus. To explore the cellular heterogeneity and temporal
      progression of endocrine progenitors and their progeny, we performed single-cell
      qPCR on more than 500 cells across several stages of in vitro differentiation of
      hESCs and compared them with human islets. We reveal distinct subpopulations
      along the endocrine differentiation path and an early lineage bifurcation toward
      either polyhormonal cells or beta-like cells. We uncover several similarities and
      differences with mouse development and reveal that cells can take multiple paths
      to the same differentiation state, a principle that could be relevant to other
      systems. Notably, activation of the key beta-cell transcription factor NKX6.1 can
      be initiated before or after endocrine commitment. The single-cell temporal
      resolution we provide can be used to improve the production of functional beta
      cells.

PMID- 28919265
TI  - Pretherapeutic staging of locally advanced cervical cancer: Inframesenteric
      paraaortic lymphadenectomy accuracy to detect paraaortic metastases in comparison
      with infrarenal paraaortic lymphadenectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extended-field chemoradiation therapy is usually performed in
      patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) and paraaortic (PA) node
      metastases. Considering the very low rate of skip metastases above inferior
      mesenteric artery, ilio-inframesenteric paraaortic lymph node dissection (IM
      PALND) seems to be an adequate pattern of PALND. Our objective was to assess the
      accuracy of this management to determine PA nodal status in comparison with
      infrarenal paraaortic lymphadenectomy (IR-PALND) in case of squamous or glandular
      cervical cancer. METHODS: All patients with LACC and negative MRI and PET/CT
      imaging at paraaortic level had laparoscopic staging (followed, if negative, by
      extraperitoneal paraaortic lymphadenectomy). From January 2011 to September 2015,
      patients who had IM-PALND were included and were compared to a previous
      historical series of IR-PALND patients. The two groups differed only at the upper
      level of dissection. Characteristics of nodal involvement at paraaortic level
      depending on level of dissection, PET/CT imaging and histology were studied.
      RESULTS: 119 women were included in our study, with 56 patients in the IM-PALND
      group and 63 in the IR-PALND group. In the IM-PALND group, fewer nodes were
      resected (p<0.001). There was no difference between the two groups regarding
      nodal status at paraaortic level (p=0.77). Patterns of nodal involvement were
      similar whichever the histological subtype of cervical cancer (squamous or
      glandular). CONCLUSION: IM-PALND appears to be equally effective to assess
      paraaortic nodal involvement in LACC for both histological subtypes - glandular
      and squamous carcinomas - and to select patients for extended-field
      chemoradiation therapy.

PMID- 28919266
TI  - Rock bream iridovirus (RBIV) replication in rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus)
      exposed for different time periods to susceptible water temperatures.
AB  - Rock bream iridovirus (RBIV) is a member of the Megalocytivirus genus that causes
      severe mortality to rock bream. Water temperature is known to affect the immune
      system and susceptibility of fish to RBIV infection. In this study, we evaluated
      the time dependent virus replication pattern and time required to completely
      eliminate virus from the rock bream body against RBIV infection at different
      water temperature conditions. The rock bream was exposed to the virus and held at
      7 (group A1), 4 (group A2) and 2 days (group A3) at 23  degrees C before the
      water temperature was reduced to 17  degrees C. A total of 28% mortality was
      observed 24-35 days post infection (dpi) in only the 7 day exposure group at 23 
      degrees C. In all 23  degrees C exposure groups, virus replication peaked at 20
      to 22 dpi (106-107/MUl). In recovery stages (30-100 dpi), the virus copy number
      was gradually reduced, from 106 to 101 with faster decreases in the shorter
      exposure period group at 23  degrees C. When the water temperature was increased
      in surviving fish from 17 to 26  degrees C at 70 dpi, they did not show any
      mortality or signs of disease and had low virus copy numbers (below 102/MUl).
      Thus, fish need at least 50 days from peaked RBIV levels (approximately 20-25
      dpi) to inhibit the virus. This indicates that maintaining the fish at low water
      temperature (17  degrees C) for 70 days is sufficient to eradicate RBIV from fish
      body. Thus, RBIV could be eliminated slowly from the fish body and the virus may
      be completely eliminated under the threshold of causing mortality.

PMID- 28919267
TI  - Post-carotid Endarterectomy Hypertension. Part 2: Association with Peri-operative
      Clinical, Anaesthetic, and Transcranial Doppler Derived Parameters.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: The first paper in this series observed that pre-operative
      baroreceptor dysfunction and poorly controlled hypertension were independently
      predictive for identifying patients who went on to require treatment for post
      endarterectomy hypertension (PEH). The second paper examines the influence of
      intra-operative patient, transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound, and anaesthetic
      variables on the incidence of PEH. METHODS: In total, 106 patients underwent
      carotid endarterectomy (CEA) under general anaesthesia. Systolic blood pressure
      (SBP) changes, anaesthetic and vasoactive agents, analgesia, and post-operative
      pain scores, as well as TCD derived changes in middle cerebral artery (MCA)
      velocity during surgery were recorded. Patients who met pre-existing unit
      criteria for treating PEH after CEA (SBP > 170 mmHg without symptoms or SBP > 160
      mmHg with headache/seizure/neurological deficit) were treated according to an
      established and validated protocol. RESULTS: In total, 40/106 patients (38%)
      required treatment for PEH following CEA (26 in theatre recovery [25%], 27 back
      on the vascular surgery ward [25%]), whereas seven (7%) had SBP surges > 200 mmHg
      on the ward. Patients requiring treatment for PEH had significantly higher pre
      induction SBP (174 +/- 21 mmHg vs. 153 +/- 21 mmHg; p < .001), the greatest
      decreases in SBP after induction of anaesthesia (median decrease 100 +/- 32 mmHg
      vs. 83 +/- 24 mmHg; p = .01) and were significantly more likely to experience
      moderate/severe pain scores post-operatively (p = .003). Logistic regression
      analysis of the pre- and intra-operative data revealed that higher pre-induction
      mean SBP and lower pre-operative (impaired) BRS were the only independent
      predictors of PEH. CONCLUSION: This analysis of intra-operative variables has
      demonstrated that patients with poorly controlled and/or labile hypertension at
      induction of general anaesthesia were those at greatest risk of requiring
      treatment for PEH in the post-operative period after CEA. No other variables,
      including use of vasopressors, treatment of hypotension, anaesthetic agents, or
      changes in MCA velocity after clamp release and restoration of flow were able to
      predict who might go on to require treatment for PEH. Identification of at-risk
      individuals and aggressive blood pressure control in the post-operative period
      remains the mainstay of treatment.

PMID- 28919268
TI  - Depression and sports-related concussion: A systematic review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Head injuries are risk factors for chronic depressive disorders, but
      this association remains poorly explored with regards to concussion. OBJECTIVES:
      The objective of this review was to evaluate the incidence of depressive symptoms
      and depression after sports-related concussion. We also endeavored to identify
      the response elements regarding the pathophysiology of these symptoms. METHODS: A
      systematic search of PubMed and Embase was conducted focusing on papers published
      until 1st December, 2016, according to PRISMA criteria The following MESH terms
      were used: (concussion or traumatic brain injury) and sport and (depression or
      depressive disorder). RESULTS: A depressive disorder can appear immediately after
      a concussion: depressive symptoms seem to be associated with the symptoms of the
      concussion itself. A depressive disorder can also appear later, and is often
      linked to the frequency and number of concussions. Furthermore, the existence of
      a mood disorder prior to a concussion can contribute to the onset of a depressive
      disorder after a concussion. LIMITS: There is an overall limit concerning the
      definition of a depressive disorder. In addition, when these studies had
      controls, they were often compared to high-level athletes; yet, practicing sport
      regularly is a protective factor against mood pathologies. CONCLUSIONS:
      Depressive symptoms after a concussion seem to be associated with postconcussion
      symptoms. Repeat concussions can contribute to later-onset major depressive
      disorders. However, playing sports can protect against major depressive
      disorders: thus, it is essential to evaluate concussions as accurately as
      possible.

PMID- 28919264
TI  - Prolactin Alters the Mammary Epithelial Hierarchy, Increasing Progenitors and
      Facilitating Ovarian Steroid Action.
AB  - Hormones drive mammary development and function and play critical roles in breast
      cancer. Epidemiologic studies link prolactin (PRL) to increased risk for
      aggressive cancers that express estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha). However, in
      contrast to ovarian steroids, PRL actions on the mammary gland outside of
      pregnancy are poorly understood. We employed the transgenic NRL-PRL model to
      examine the effects of PRL alone and with defined estrogen/progesterone exposure
      on stem/progenitor activity and regulatory networks that drive epithelial
      differentiation. PRL increased progenitors and modulated transcriptional
      programs, even without ovarian steroids, and with steroids further raised stem
      cell activity associated with elevated canonical Wnt signaling. However, despite
      facilitating some steroid actions, PRL opposed steroid-driven luminal maturation
      and increased CD61+ luminal cells. Our findings demonstrate that PRL can
      powerfully influence the epithelial hierarchy alone and temper the actions of
      ovarian steroids, which may underlie its role in the development of breast
      cancer.

PMID- 28919269
TI  - [A rare cause of abdominal pain].

PMID- 28919270
TI  - [Clinical integration programs for complex situations: Functional support and
      normative challenge].

PMID- 28919271
TI  - [Autoimmune hepatitis: Immunological diagnosis].
AB  - Autoimmune hepatopathies (AIHT) including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary
      biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune
      cholangitis (AIC), represent an impressive entities in clinical practice. Their
      pathogenesis is not perfectly elucidated. Several factors are involved in the
      initiation of hepatic autoimmune and inflammatory phenomena such as genetic
      predisposition, molecular mimicry and/or abnormalities of T-regulatory
      lymphocytes. AIHT have a wide spectrum of presentation, ranging from asymptomatic
      forms to severe acute liver failure. The diagnosis of AIHT is based on the
      presence of hyperglobulinemia, cytolysis, cholestasis, typical even specific
      circulating auto-antibodies, distinctive of AIH or PBC, and histological
      abnormalities as well as necrosis and inflammation. Anti-F actin, anti-LKM1, anti
      LC1 antibodies permit to distinguish between AIH type 1 and AIH type 2. Anti
      SLA/LP antibodies are rather associated to more severe hepatitis, and
      particularly useful for the diagnosis of seronegative AIH for other the
      antibodies. Due to the relevant diagnostic value of anti-M2, anti-Sp100, and anti
      gp210 antibodies, the diagnosis of PBC is more affordable than that of PSC and
      AIC. Based on clinical data, the immunological diagnosis of AIHT takes advantage
      of the various specialized laboratory techniques including immunofluorescence,
      immunodot or blot, and the Elisa systems, provided of a closer collaboration
      between the biologist and the physician.

PMID- 28919272
TI  - Cutaneous granulomas caused by subcutaneous injections of leuprorelin acetate.

PMID- 28919273
TI  - [Reflex sympathetic dystrophy involving the ankle and the foot in a particular
      pathological pregnancy: Exceptional association].

PMID- 28919274
TI  - [Mobile applications for French medical students: Work in progress].

PMID- 28919275
TI  - [Open haemorrhoidectomy as an ambulatory procedure, is it reasonable?]

PMID- 28919276
TI  - [Focus on Achalasia].
AB  - The pathophysiology of achalasia is largely unknown, and involves the destruction
      of ganglion cell in the esophageal myenteric plexus. High-resolution esophageal
      manometry is the key investigation. Endoscopic pneumodilatation and laparoscopic
      Heller myotomy have comparable short-term success rates, around 90%. The main
      complication after pneumodilatation is esophageal perforation, occurring in about
      1% of cases. Peroral endoscopic myotomy is a promising treatment modality,
      however with frequent post-procedural gastroesophageal reflux.

PMID- 28919277
TI  - [Accomplices under influence, teachers-lovers, "Incestigators" or pimps... Who
      are females child abusers?]
AB  - According to victimization surveys, the percentage of females among child abusers
      is much higher than 2 or 5% as usually reported in the devoted literature. The
      under-estimated percentage of child sexual abuses committed by females would
      result from the dissimulation of sexual acts within nursing care, a gender bias
      in favor of women among child protection system professionals and low
      disclosures. Sexual abuses committed by females are often more harmful for
      children than sexual abuses committed by males. Although a few female child
      abusers suffers from psychiatric disorders, most of them are psychologically and
      emotionally dependent from a man or have psychopathic, manipulative and sometimes
      sadistic personality traits. Female child abusers are a heterogeneous population
      either acting under the influence of a man or initiating actively the offending
      for pedophile or financial motivations. Deconstructing the persistent myths about
      female child abusers is necessary to better identify these women, treat them and
      prevent relapse.

PMID- 28919278
TI  - A rare tumour of the masseter muscle.

PMID- 28919279
TI  - Data sharing to serve ethics, transparency and reproducibility of medical
      science.

PMID- 28919281
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28919282
TI  - Impact of pancreaticoduodenal arcade dilation on postoperative outcomes after
      pancreaticoduodenectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of
      pancreaticoduodenal arcade (PDA) dilation on postoperative outcomes after
      pancreaticoduodenectomy. METHODS: Consecutive patients submitted to
      pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2008 and 2016 underwent preoperative multi
      detector computed tomography, the images of which were re-reviewed. The patients
      were categorized according to the grade of PDA dilation into 3 groups (remarkably
      dilated, slightly-dilated, and non-dilated). RESULTS: Among the 443 patients, 25
      patients (5.6%) were categorized as remarkably-dilated PDA and 24 patients (5.4%)
      as having slightly-dilated PDA. The patients with remarkably-dilated PDA had
      undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy with additional surgical maneuvers to restore
      celiac arterial flow as needed, and had an uneventful postoperative recovery
      relative to those with non-dilated PDA. In contrast, patients with slightly
      dilated PDA underwent only pancreaticoduodenectomy without additional surgical
      maneuvers, and developed clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula
      (POPF) more frequently than those with non-dilated PDA (42% vs. 21%, P = 0.021).
      Moreover, slightly-dilated PDA was shown to be an independent risk factor for
      clinically relevant POPF (odds ratio = 2.719, P = 0.042). DISCUSSION: For
      patients with PDA dilation requiring pancreaticoduodenectomy, a preoperative
      evaluation of the vascular anatomy, intraoperative assessment of the celiac
      arterial flow, and additional surgical maneuvers might be necessary to reduce the
      risk of postoperative complications.

PMID- 28919283
TI  - Clinical manifestations, risk factors and prognosis of patients with Morganella
      morganii sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are few studies of Morganella bacteremia. We evaluated risk
      factors and outcome of patients with Morganella bacteremia. METHODS: Medical
      records of patients with Morganella bacteremia were reviewed (1997-2014). Control
      group patients with Escherichiacoli sepsis were matched by year of diagnosis and
      infection acquisition site. RESULTS: The study group included 136 adult patients.
      Mean age and gender of study and control groups were similar. Complicated soft
      tissue infection was more prevalent in the study group (30% versus 3.2%, p <
      0.05). The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was higher in the study group (4.3 +/
      2.5 versus 3.4 +/- 2.8, p < 0.05). Only 78 (62%) of the study patients versus
      101 (83%) of the control group (p < 0.05), received appropriate empirical
      antibiotic treatment. A significantly higher in-hospital mortality rate (42%
      versus 25%, p < 0.05) as well as longer length of stay (25 +/- 22 versus 14 +/-
      16 days, p < 0.05) was observed in the study group. Multivariate analysis
      revealed that a debilitative state, a CCI > 4, septic shock and a clinical
      syndrome other than UTI were all significant risk factors for mortality (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with Morganellamorganii sepsis had more co
      morbidities and a worse degree of sepsis. There is an increased risk of
      inappropriate empirical treatment, longer hospitalization and higher death rate.

PMID- 28919280
TI  - Soluble Gamma-secretase Modulators Attenuate Alzheimer's beta-amyloid Pathology
      and Induce Conformational Changes in Presenilin 1.
AB  - A central pathogenic event of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the accumulation of the
      Abeta42 peptide, which is generated from amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) via
      cleavages by beta- and gamma-secretase. We have developed a class of soluble 2
      aminothiazole gamma-secretase modulators (SGSMs) that preferentially decreases
      Abeta42 levels. However, the effects of SGSMs in AD animals and cells expressing
      familial AD mutations, as well as the mechanism of gamma-secretase modulation
      remain largely unknown. Here, a representative of this SGSM scaffold, SGSM-36,
      was investigated using animals and cells expressing FAD mutations. SGSM-36
      preferentially reduced Abeta42 levels without affecting either alpha- and beta
      secretase processing of APP nor Notch processing. Furthermore, an allosteric site
      was identified within the gamma-secretase complex that allowed access of SGSM-36
      using cell-based, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy analysis.
      Collectively, these studies provide mechanistic insights regarding SGSMs of this
      class and reinforce their therapeutic potential in AD.

PMID- 28919284
TI  - MMP-8 and TIMP-1 are associated to periodontal inflammation in patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis under methotrexate immunosuppression - First results of a
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aim of this cross-sectional study was the investigation of
      associations between different rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related blood parameters
      and periodontal condition as well as selected periodontal pathogenic bacteria in
      RA patients under methotrexate (MTX) immunosuppression. METHODS: Periodontal
      probing depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP) and clinical attachment loss (CAL)
      were assessed. Periodontal condition was classified into: no/mild and moderate or
      severe periodontitis (P). Prevalence of selected periodontal pathogenic bacteria
      and concentration of matrix metalloproteinase 8 (MMP-8) was assessed from the
      gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) using PCR and ELISA, respectively. Blood samples
      were analyzed for the concentration of selected rheumatoid parameters.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: t-test, Mann-Whitney-U-Test, exact Fisher tests or chi
      square test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Fifty-six patients (mean age 55.07 years, 34 P,
      22 no P) were included. While prevalence of periodontal pathogenic bacteria was
      higher in P patients, no substantial association of bacteria with blood
      parameters was found. In periodontal diseased participants, MMP-8 concentration
      in GCF (6.22 +/- 7.01 vs. 15.99 +/- 13.49; p < 0.01) and blood (2.60 +/- 3.57 vs.
      5.52 +/- 5.92; p < 0.01) was increased, while no correlation between GCF and
      blood was found (Spearman's rho: 0.175; p = 0.23). Furthermore, higher blood
      concentrations of MMP-8 and tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP-1) were detected in
      patients with increased periodontal inflammation (BOP positive, p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Periodontal inflammation appears associated to MMP-8 and TIMP-1 in
      blood. Thereby, clinical interaction between periodontal conditions, periodontal
      pathogenic bacteria and RA-related cytokines remain unclear.

PMID- 28919285
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28919286
TI  - A novel optimized hybrid fuzzy logic intelligent PID controller for an
      interconnected multi-area power system with physical constraints and boiler
      dynamics.
AB  - In the fast developing world nowadays, load frequency control (LFC) is considered
      to be a most significant role for providing the power supply with good quality in
      the power system. To deliver a reliable power, LFC system requires highly
      competent and intelligent control technique. Hence, in this article, a novel
      hybrid fuzzy logic intelligent proportional-integral-derivative (FLiPID)
      controller has been proposed for LFC of interconnected multi-area power systems.
      A four-area interconnected thermal power system incorporated with physical
      constraints and boiler dynamics is considered and the adjustable parameters of
      the FLiPID controller are optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO)
      scheme employing an integral square error (ISE) criterion. The proposed method
      has been established to enhance the power system performances as well as to
      reduce the oscillations of uncertainties due to variations in the system
      parameters and load perturbations. The supremacy of the suggested method is
      demonstrated by comparing the simulation results with some recently reported
      heuristic methods such as fuzzy logic proportional-integral (FLPI) and
      intelligent proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers for the same
      electrical power system. the investigations showed that the FLiPID controller
      provides a better dynamic performance and outperform compared to the other
      approaches in terms of the settling time, and minimum undershoots of the
      frequency as well as tie-line power flow deviations following a perturbation, in
      addition to perform appropriate settlement of integral absolute error (IAE).
      Finally, the sensitivity analysis of the plant is inspected by varying the system
      parameters and operating load conditions from their nominal values. It is
      observed that the suggested controller based optimization algorithm is robust and
      perform satisfactorily with the variations in operating load condition, system
      parameters and load pattern.

PMID- 28919287
TI  - Active fault tolerant control based on interval type-2 fuzzy sliding mode
      controller and non linear adaptive observer for 3-DOF laboratory helicopter.
AB  - In this paper, a robust controller for a three degree of freedom (3 DOF)
      helicopter control is proposed in presence of actuator and sensor faults. For
      this purpose, Interval type-2 fuzzy logic control approach (IT2FLC) and sliding
      mode control (SMC) technique are used to design a controller, named active fault
      tolerant interval type-2 Fuzzy Sliding mode controller (AFTIT2FSMC) based on non
      linear adaptive observer to estimate and detect the system faults for each
      subsystem of the 3-DOF helicopter. The proposed control scheme allows avoiding
      difficult modeling, attenuating the chattering effect of the SMC, reducing the
      rules number of the fuzzy controller. Exponential stability of the closed loop is
      guaranteed by using the Lyapunov method. The simulation results show that the
      AFTIT2FSMC can greatly alleviate the chattering effect, providing good tracking
      performance, even in presence of actuator and sensor faults.

PMID- 28919288
TI  - Control of unstable processes with time delays via ADRC.
AB  - Active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) treats the external disturbance and
      internal uncertainties as a general disturbance, and uses an extended state
      observer (ESO) to estimate it in real-time and feeds it back in the control loop,
      thus can achieve good disturbance rejection performance. However, ADRC is not
      quite suitable for unstable delayed processes due to its inherent structure. In
      this paper, a two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) control structure is proposed for
      unstable time- delayed systems. Set-point tracking and disturbance rejection are
      separated in this structure and ADRC is solely responsible for disturbance
      rejection. A method to tune the ADRC parameters using all the information of the
      system is proposed, and robustness and performance of the proposed method are
      analyzed. Simulation examples show that 2DOF-ADRC can achieve good tracking and
      disturbance rejection performance.

PMID- 28919289
TI  - A solid criterion based on strict LMI without invoking equality constraint for
      stabilization of continuous singular systems.
AB  - The paper considers the stabilization issue of linear continuous singular systems
      by dealing with strict linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) without invoking
      equality constraint and proposes a complete and effective solved LMIs
      formulation. The criterion is necessary and sufficient condition and can be
      directly solved the feasible solutions with LMI toolbox and is much more
      tractable and reliable in numerical simulation than existing results, which
      involve positive semi-definite LMIs with equality constraints. The most important
      property of the criterion proposed in the paper is that it can overcome the
      drawbacks of the invalidity caused by the singularity of Omega=PET+SQ for
      stabilization of singular systems. Two counterexamples are presented to avoid the
      disadvantages of the existing condition of stabilization of continuous singular
      systems.

PMID- 28919290
TI  - Utility and limitations of long-term monitoring of atrial fibrillation using an
      implantable loop recorder.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia diagnosed and
      treated in the world. The treatment of patients' symptoms as well as the
      prevention of stroke and heart failure is dependent on accurate detection and
      characterization of AF. A variety of electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring
      techniques are being used for these purposes. However, these intermittent ECG
      monitoring techniques have been shown to underdiagnose AF events while having
      limited ability to characterize AF burden and density. Continuous long-term
      implantable loop recorder (ILR)-based ECG monitoring has been designed to
      overcome these limitations. This technology is being increasingly used to
      diagnose episodes of AF in high-risk patients and to improve characterization of
      AF episodes in patients with known AF. This review aims to review the potential
      clinical utility of ILR-based ECG monitoring while highlighting some inherent
      limitations of the current technology. An understanding of these limitations is
      important when considering the use of ILR-based ECG monitoring and clinical
      decision making based on the information being stored within these devices.

PMID- 28919291
TI  - Towards program theory validation: Crowdsourcing the qualitative analysis of
      participant experiences.
AB  - This exploratory study examines a novel tool for validating program theory
      through crowdsourced qualitative analysis. It combines a quantitative pattern
      matching framework traditionally used in theory-driven evaluation with
      crowdsourcing to analyze qualitative interview data. A sample of crowdsourced
      participants are asked to read an interview transcript and identify whether
      program theory components (Activities and Outcomes) are discussed and to
      highlight the most relevant passage about that component. The findings indicate
      that using crowdsourcing to analyze qualitative data can differentiate between
      program theory components that are supported by a participant's experience and
      those that are not. This approach expands the range of tools available to
      validate program theory using qualitative data, thus strengthening the theory
      driven approach.

PMID- 28919292
TI  - Treatment Patterns, Health Care Resource Utilization, and Spending in Medicaid
      Beneficiaries Initiating Second-generation Long-acting Injectable Agents Versus
      Oral Atypical Antipsychotics.
AB  - PURPOSE: Second-generation long-acting injectable therapies (SGA-LAIs) may reduce
      health care resource utilization (HRU) and health care costs compared with daily
      oral atypical antipsychotics (OAAs) in patients with schizophrenia due to reduced
      dosing frequency, delivery/monitoring by a health care provider, and improved
      adherence. The aim of the present study was to compare treatment patterns, HRU,
      and Medicaid spending in patients with schizophrenia initiated on SGA-LAIs
      (overall and according to agent) versus OAAs. METHODS: Medicaid claims data (2010
      2015) from 6 states were used to identify adult schizophrenia patients initiated
      on SGA-LAIs or OAAs. Treatment patterns (proportion of days covered [PDC] >=80%
      and persistence [no gap >=30, 60, or 90 days] to index treatment), HRU, and costs
      were evaluated over 12 months and compared by using multivariable logistic,
      Poisson, and ordinary least squares regression models, respectively. P values for
      HRU and cost outcomes were obtained from a nonparametric bootstrap procedure.
      Costs (2015 US dollars) reflect the Medicaid payer's perspective before any
      rebate. FINDINGS: Overall, 3307 and 21,355 patients initiated SGA-LAIs and OAAs,
      respectively (paliperidone palmitate LAI [PP-LAI; n = 2182], risperidone LAI [n =
      968], aripiprazole LAI [n = 108], and olanzapine LAI [n = 49]). During follow-up
      and compared with OAA patients, SGA-LAI patients were more likely to reach PDC
      >=80% (odds ratio [OR], 1.28; P < 0.001) and be persistent (eg, no gap >=60 days;
      OR, 1.45; P < 0.001) to the index treatment. Relative to OAA patients, SGA-LAI
      patients had fewer long-term care days (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.75; P <
      0.001) and home care visits (IRR, 0.75; P < 0.001) but more mental health
      institute (IRR, 1.16; P < 0.001) and 1-day mental health institute (IRR, 1.16; P
      < 0.001) admissions. Moreover, PP-LAI patients had fewer inpatient days (IRR,
      0.78; P = 0.004) versus OAA patients. SGA-LAI patients had lower medical costs
      (mean monthly cost difference [MMCD], -$168; P < 0.001) than OAA patients,
      offsetting more than one half of the higher pharmacy costs (MMCD, $271; P <
      0.001). Compared with OAAs, only PP-LAI was associated with significant medical
      cost savings (MMCD, -$225; P < 0.001). IMPLICATIONS: Medicaid beneficiaries with
      schizophrenia initiated on SGA-LAIs had better adherence and persistence to
      therapy over 12 months than patients initiated on OAAs. SGA-LAIs, particularly PP
      LAI, were associated with lower medical costs that successfully offset more than
      one half of the higher pharmacy costs relative to OAA.

PMID- 28919293
TI  - Correlation between histological and ultrasonographic findings of soft tissue
      tumors: To verify the possibility of cell-like resolution in ultrasonography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to test the possibility of obtained cell
      like resolution in soft tissue tumors on the basis of ultrasound echotexture.
      METHODS: This is a prospective study consisting of 57 patients (29 females and 28
      males, age range: 9-83 years, average age: 44.5 years) with palpable soft tissue
      mass, referred from the Departments of Orthopedics and Oncology for ultrasound
      (US)-guided biopsy. The study was approved by the institutional review board
      (IRB) of our hospital. Ultrasonographic images were recorded by still imaging in
      the biopsy tract in each biopsy session. Equipment included curvilinear and
      linear array probes. After biopsy, a radiologist and a pathologist correlated the
      US image and the observations regarding the histology of the tissue specimen in
      low-power (40 * magnification) and high-power (100-400 * magnification) fields.
      RESULTS: The histologic results included 22 benign and 35 malignant lesions. The
      echotexture of the soft tissue tumors correlated well with the cellular
      distribution and arrangement: the greater the number of cells and the more
      regular their arrangement as seen histologically, the greater is the
      hypoechogenicity on the ultrasound. The echogenicity of the soft tissue tumor
      also correlated well with the presence of fat cells, hemorrhage, cartilage, and
      osteoid tissue, all of which cause an increase in echogenicity. CONCLUSION: This
      study showed that the echotexture of soft tissue tumors can predict some details
      of cellular histology.

PMID- 28919294
TI  - Studying the efficacy of escalated dose conformal radiation therapy in prostate
      carcinoma - Pakistan experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our objective in this study was to evaluate the role and benefits in
      terms of local toxicity and biochemical disease-free survival (bDFS) following
      escalated-dose conformal radiation therapy in prostate adenocarcinoma. METHODS:
      The study population was composed of 53 patients with histologically proven T1b
      T4, NO, MO prostate adenocarcinoma, having any Gleason score with prostate
      specific antigen (PSA) of less than 50 ng/mL at diagnosis, given escalated dose
      EBRT (74 Gy) during the period between January 2011 and December 2013,
      retrospectively and evaluated for a period of 2 years post-radiation. Patients
      were followed up for a period of 2 years, beginning after completion of escalated
      dose external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for biochemical failure as defined in
      ASTRO consensus committee guidelines 1996 and investigated for gastrointestinal,
      genitourinary skin toxicity. RESULTS: Out of 53 patients, 35 showed no
      biochemical failure at the end of 2 years following the completion of definitive
      escalated dose conformal radiotherapy while 18 were observed to have biochemical
      relapse. Acute gastrointestinal grade 1 toxicity was found in 26 patients, grade
      2 in 24, and grade 3 only in 3 patients. Late gastrointestinal grade 0 toxicity
      was found in 16 patients, grade 1 in 28, grade 2 in 7 and grade 3 only in 2
      patients. Grade 1 acute genitourinary toxicity was the highest in frequency
      observed in 28 of the total population followed by grade 2 in 21, grade 0 and
      grade 3 each, only in 2 patients. Late genitourinary Grade 0 toxicity was
      observed in 32 patients, grade 1 in 19, grade 2 and 3 only in 1 patient of the
      total population, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our data were comparable to
      international studies of dose escalation using 3D and beneficial as compared to
      conventional radiation therapy delivered by 2D in terms of biochemical failure
      rate and treatment related toxicity.

PMID- 28919295
TI  - Outcomes of resection surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma: Does size matter?

PMID- 28919296
TI  - Ocular findings on follow-up in children who received phototherapy for neonatal
      jaundice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the ocular findings in children between 3 and 5 years of
      age who had received phototherapy in the neonatal period and to investigate
      whether they had phototherapy-related permanent ocular damage clinically.
      METHODS: The phototherapy group (n = 57) consisted of children who had undergone
      phototherapy for at least 24 h, and the control group (n = 43) comprised children
      who had not received phototherapy. Ophthalmic examinations consisted of
      assessment of visual acuity, convergence near point, ocular movements, ocular
      alignment, dynamic retinoscopy, cycloplegic refraction and biomicroscopic
      examination of anterior segment and posterior segment (using a 90 D lens in the
      latest). RESULTS: All children were orthophoric and had normal eye movements. A
      significant difference was found between the phototherapy group and control group
      regarding convergence near point 3.0 (2.0-5.0) vs 3.0 (2.0-5.0) (p = 0.018),
      right cycloplegic spherical equivalent 1.0 (0.0-3.0) vs 0.75 (0.0-4.75) (p =
      0.011) and left cycloplegic spherical equivalent 1.0 (0.075-3.0) vs 0.75 (0.0
      5.25) (p = 0.006).The study groups were similar according to cycloplegic
      spherical and cylindrical refractions. However, no significant difference was
      found between the groups regarding the need for eye glasses. CONCLUSION: Although
      there were significant differences between the phototherapy and the control
      groups according to the convergence near point and right and the left eye
      cycloplegic spherical equivalent, the similarity between the groups regarding the
      need for eyeglasses suggested that difference was clinically insignificant.

PMID- 28919297
TI  - Androgens and endometrium: New insights and new targets.
AB  - Androgens are synthesised in both the ovary and adrenals in women and play an
      important role in the regulation of female fertility, as well as in the aetiology
      of disorders such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and endometrial
      cancer. The endometrium is an androgen target tissue and the impact of AR
      mediated effects has been studied using human endometrial tissue samples and
      rodent models. In this review we highlight recent evidence that endometrial
      androgen biosynthesis and intracrine action is important in preparation of a
      tissue microenvironment that can support implantation and establishment of
      pregnancy. The impact of androgens on endometrial cell proliferation, in repair
      of the endometrial wound at the time of menstruation and in endometrial disorders
      is discussed. Future directions for research focused on AR function as a
      therapeutic target are considered.

PMID- 28919298
TI  - MXRA5 is decreased in preeclampsia and affects trophoblast cell invasion through
      the MAPK pathway.
AB  - Preeclampsia causes gestational failure in a significant number of women
      annually. Insufficient trophoblast cell invasion plays an essential role in
      preeclampsia pathogenesis. Matrix-remodeling associated 5 (MXRA5) is a
      proteoglycan involved in adhesion and matrix remodeling. This study sought to
      explore the role of MXRA5 in trophoblast cell invasion. Preeclamptic villi were
      obtained for the delineation of MXRA5 expression. Specific MXRA5 siRNA and
      pcDNA3.1/MXRA5 were used to manipulate MXRA5 expression in HTR-8/SVneo. Cell
      viability was determined by MTT and apoptosis by flow cytometry. Cell invasion
      was evaluated using Matrigel invasion assay. MXRA5 expression was lower in
      preeclamptic villi and cytotrophoblasts. Silencing MXRA5 expression in HTR
      8/SVneo decreased cell viability and invasion, which were augmented by MXRA5
      overexpression. Furthermore, MXRA5 modulated N-cadherin, E-cadherin, MMP-2, and
      MMP-9 expression through p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 signaling transduction. In addition,
      the expression of MXRA5 was influenced by exogenous TNF-alpha but not by IFN
      gamma. Overexpression of MXRA5 attenuated HTR-8/SVneo apoptosis induced by TNF
      alpha. MXRA5 is downregulated in preeclamptic cytotrophoblasts and can regulate
      trophoblast cell invasion via the MAPK pathway.

PMID- 28919299
TI  - The retrotransposon gag domain containing protein Rgag4 is an Ikaros target in
      the pituitary.
AB  - Previous studies have established the common and critical involvement of the zinc
      finger protein Ikaros in lymphoid and pituitary cell development and expansion.
      Key to the assembly of several transcriptional networks, we have demonstrated up
      regulation of Ikaros and its interacting partner the C-terminal Binding Protein
      (CtBP) in response to hypoxia. This prompted us to explore common transcriptional
      targets using a chromatin immunoprecipitate (ChIP) screen of DNA from pituitary
      corticotroph cells. This strategy yielded a finite list of targets common to both
      transcription factors that included the metalloprotease ADAMTS10. In this report,
      we focus on validation of a second candidate target, the retrotransposon gag
      domain containing protein Rgag4. We identified the ability of Ikaros to bind the
      Rgag4 promoter, influence its transcriptional activity, and induce endogenous
      gene expression. Robust expression of Rgag4 was noted in the anterior lobe of the
      pituitary gland which was diminished in Ikaros knockout mice. Down-regulation of
      Rgag4 resulted in profound reduction of hormone gene expression with diminished
      ACTH secretion, recapitulating the effect of Ikaros deficiency in knockout mice.
      The results introduce Rgag4 to the repertoire of effectors serving to couple the
      chromatin remodeler Ikaros with the hormonal stress response.

PMID- 28919301
TI  - Prostaglandins in teleost ovulation: A review of the roles with a view to
      comparison with prostaglandins in mammalian ovulation.
AB  - Prostaglandins are well known to be central regulators of vertebrate ovulation.
      Studies addressing the role of prostaglandins in mammalian ovulation have
      established that they are involved in the processes of oocyte maturation and
      cumulus oocyte complex expansion. In contrast, despite the first indication of
      the role of prostaglandins in teleost ovulation appearing 40 years ago, the
      mechanistic background of their role has long been unknown. However, studies
      conducted on medaka over the past decade have provided valuable information.
      Emerging evidence indicates an indispensable role of prostaglandin E2 and its
      receptor subtype Ptger4b in the process of follicle rupture. In this review, we
      summarize studies addressing the role of prostaglandins in teleost ovulation and
      describe recent advances. To help understand differences from and similarities to
      ovulation in mammalian species, the findings on the roles of prostaglandins in
      mammalian ovulation are discussed in parallel.

PMID- 28919300
TI  - The significance of cholesterol and its metabolite, 27-hydroxycholesterol in
      breast cancer.
AB  - Although significant advances in the treatment of breast cancer have been made,
      in particular in the use of endocrine therapy, de novo and aquired resistance to
      therapy, and metastatic recurrence continue to be major clinical problems. Given
      the high prevalence of breast cancer, new life-style or chemotherapeutic
      approaches are required. In this regard, cholesterol has emerged as a risk factor
      for the onset of breast cancer, and elevated cholesterol is associated with a
      poor prognosis. While treatment with cholesterol lowering medication is not
      associated with breast cancer risk, it does appear to be protective against
      recurrence. Importantly, the cholesterol axis represents a potential target for
      both life-style and pharmacological intervention. This review will outline the
      clinical and preclinical data supporting a role for cholesterol in breast cancer
      pathophysiology. Specific focus is given to 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC;
      (3beta,25R)-Cholest-5-ene-3,26-diol)), a primary metabolite of cholesterol that
      has recently been defined as an endogenous Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator.
      Future perspectives and directions are discussed.

PMID- 28919302
TI  - Obesity and breast cancer - Role of estrogens and the molecular underpinnings of
      aromatase regulation in breast adipose tissue.
AB  - One in eight women will develop breast cancer over their lifetime making it the
      most common female cancer. The cause of breast cancer is multifactorial and
      includes hormonal, genetic and environmental cues. Obesity is now an accepted
      risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, particularly for the
      hormone-dependent subtype of breast cancer. Obesity, which is characterized by an
      excess accumulation of body fat, is at the origin of chronic inflammation of
      white adipose tissue and is associated with dramatic changes in the biology of
      adipocytes leading to their dysfunction. Inflammatory factors found in the breast
      of obese women considerably impact estrogen signaling, mainly by driving changes
      in aromatase expression the enzyme responsible for estrogen production, and
      therefore promote tumor formation and progression. There is thus a strong link
      between adipose inflammation and estrogen biosynthesis and their signaling
      pathways converge in obese patients. This review describes how obesity-related
      factors can affect the risk of hormone-dependent breast cancer, highlighting the
      different molecular mechanisms and metabolic pathways involved in aromatase
      regulation, estrogen production and breast malignancy in the context of obesity.

PMID- 28919304
TI  - Safety of novel liposomal drugs for cancer treatment: Advances and prospects.
AB  - Liposome is a kind of prospective abiotic drug delivery system for cancer
      treatment. Novel liposomes modified with PEG, cationic lipids and highly
      selective molecules achieve better stability, half-life and selectivity as well
      as less severe side effects. However, novel liposomes are still not nontoxic. PEG
      on the surface of liposomes interfere the combination of cancer cells and drugs.
      Cationic liposomes can induce oxidative damage and cytotoxicity to normal
      tissues. To further improve the safety of liposomal drugs, liposomal drugs must
      be highly selective to cancer tissues and cancer cells, at the same time, induce
      minimum damage to normal cells. It is necessary to gather several advantages of
      novel liposomes. The ideal targeted drug delivery system is like a multistage
      rocket. Firstly, the liposomal drugs should be sensitive to the specific
      environment of cancer tissues and accumulate in there. Secondly, the liposomes
      could selectively combine with cancer cells by surface modification. Lastly, in
      cancer cells, drugs release from the carriers rapidly. What's more, form the
      records of clinical researches, the side effects induced by liposomal drugs, such
      as acute infusion reaction and hand-foot syndrome(HFS), are also unignorable.
      More attention should be paid to these safety problems in new liposomal drugs
      research and development.

PMID- 28919303
TI  - Acquisition of wild-type HIV-1 infection in a patient on pre-exposure prophylaxis
      with high intracellular concentrations of tenofovir diphosphate: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with emtricitabine and tenofovir
      disoproxil fumarate is highly effective against acquisition of HIV infection, and
      only two cases of infection with a multidrug-resistant virus have been reported
      under adequate long-term adherence, as evidenced by tenofovir diphosphate
      concentrations in dried blood spots. We report a case of wild-type HIV-1
      infection despite consistent use of emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil
      fumarate. METHODS: The patient participated in the Amsterdam PrEP project, a
      demonstration project of daily and event-driven PrEP. We did extensive testing
      for HIV, including plasma HIV RNA and nested PCR on bulk peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and sigmoid biopsies after seroconversion. FINDINGS: A
      50-year-old man who has sex with men and had been on daily emtricitabine and
      tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for 8 months presented with fever, urinary tract
      infection caused by Escherichia coli, anal lymphogranuloma venereum infection,
      and a positive fourth-generation HIV test. We found an atypical seroconversion
      pattern, with initially only gp160 antibodies detected in the western blot. HIV
      RNA could not be detected in plasma, and nested PCR for HIV RNA and DNA on bulk
      PBMCs and sigmoid biopsies were negative. PrEP was discontinued; 3 weeks later
      HIV RNA was detected in plasma. No drug-resistant mutations were detected.
      Tenofovir diphosphate concentrations in dried blood spots were stable and high.
      INTERPRETATION: To our knowledge, this is the first detailed case report
      suggesting wild-type HIV-1 infection despite good adherence, evidenced by
      repeatedly high concentrations of tenofovir diphosphate in dried blood spots.
      PrEP providers need to be aware that infection can occur despite good adherence.
      Regular HIV testing and awareness of atypical patterns of seroconversion is
      highly recommended. FUNDING: ZonMw, National Institute for Public Health and the
      Environment, Internal GGD research funds, Aidsfonds, Stichting AmsterdamDiner
      Foundation, Gilead Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceutica, M A C AIDS Fund, and ViiV
      Healthcare.

PMID- 28919305
TI  - Magnolol protects pancreatic beta-cells against methylglyoxal-induced cellular
      dysfunction.
AB  - Chronic hyperglycemia aggravates insulin resistance, in part due to increased
      formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Methylglyoxal (MG), a major
      precursor of AGEs, accumulates abnormally in various tissues and organs and
      participates in oxidative damage. We investigated the insulinotropic benefits of
      magnolol, a hydroxylated biphenyl compound isolated from Magnolia officinalis, in
      pancreatic beta-cells exposed to MG in vitro. When exposed to cytotoxic levels of
      MG for 48 h, RIN-m5F beta-cells exhibited a significant loss of viability and
      impaired insulin secretion, whereas pretreatment with magnolol protected against
      MG-induced cell death and decreased insulin secretion. Moreover, magnolol
      increased the expression of genes involved in beta-cell survival and function,
      including Ins2 and PDX1. Furthermore, magnolol increased the levels of AMPK
      phosphorylation, SIRT1, and PGC1alpha in RIN-5F beta-cells. In addition, magnolol
      increased the activity of glyoxalase I and decreased the levels of MG-modified
      protein adducts, which suggests that magnolol protects against MG-induced protein
      glycation. Taken together, the results indicate the potential application of
      magnolol as an intervention against MG-induced hyperglycemia.

PMID- 28919306
TI  - Comments on:"In vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetics and toxicity evaluation of
      curcumin incorporated titanium dioxide nanoparticles for biomedical
      applications".

PMID- 28919307
TI  - A journey between high altitude hypoxia and critical patient hypoxia: What can it
      teach us about compression and the management of critical disease?
AB  - High altitude sickness (hypobaric hypoxia) is a form of cellular hypoxia similar
      to that suffered by critically ill patients. The study of mountaineers exposed to
      extreme hypoxia offers the advantage of involving a relatively homogeneous and
      healthy population compared to those typically found in Intensive Care Units
      (ICUs), which are heterogeneous and generally less healthy. Knowledge of altitude
      physiology and pathology allows us to understanding how hypoxia affects critical
      patients. Comparable changes in mitochondrial biogenesis between both groups may
      reflect similar adaptive responses and suggest therapeutic interventions based on
      the protection or stimulation of such mitochondrial biogenesis. Predominance of
      the homozygous insertion (II) allele of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene is
      present in both individuals who perform successful ascensions without oxygen
      above 8000 m and in critical patients who overcome certain disease conditions.

PMID- 28919308
TI  - Alternative splicing in cancers: From aberrant regulation to new therapeutics.
AB  - Alternative splicing is one of the most common mechanisms for gene regulation in
      humans, and plays a vital role to increase the complexity of functional proteins.
      In this article, we seek to provide a general review on the relationships between
      alternative splicing and tumorigenesis. We briefly introduce the basic rules for
      regulation of alternative splicing, and discuss recent advances on dynamic
      regulation of alternative splicing in cancers by highlighting the roles of a
      variety of RNA splicing factors in tumorigenesis. We further discuss several
      important questions regarding the splicing of long noncoding RNAs and back
      splicing of circular RNAs in cancers. Finally, we discuss the current
      technologies that can be used to manipulate alternative splicing and serve as
      potential cancer treatment.

PMID- 28919309
TI  - The heterogeneity of human Cajal-Retzius neurons.
AB  - The definition of a Cajal-Retzius neuron (CRN) is still controversial, in part
      possibly due to species differences. We review the developmental history of CRN
      in human neocortex and focus on two main CRN family members, transient (t) and
      persisting (p) CRN. They share the expression of Reelin andTbr1, complemented by
      p73, calretinin, CXCR4 and NOS, but differ in their moment of appearance, fate
      and morphology. The distinctive feature of tCRN is the axon plexus in the lower
      third of the marginal zone, which innervates the apical dendritic tufts of
      pyramidal cells and may serve as a migration substrate and waiting compartment
      for interneurons descending from the subpial granular layer (SGL) into the
      cortical plate. Around midgestation, the SGL also gives rise to a transient
      interneuron type, the miniature neuron, that provides the GABAergic innervation
      of tCRN, which eventually, through diverse signaling pathways involving p73,
      contribute to the demise of tCRN and the breakdown of their plexus. The pCRN
      appear in the last trimester of gestation and may derive from committed CRN
      progenitors which migrate with the SGL from the periolfactory forebrain. They
      lack the horizontal CR plexus, and may be implicated in cortical folding,
      distribution of blood vessels, and plasticity of microcircuits in the molecular
      layer.

PMID- 28919310
TI  - Cadherin-11 promotes neural crest cell spreading by reducing intracellular
      tension-Mapping adhesion and mechanics in neural crest explants by atomic force
      microscopy.
AB  - During development cranial neural crest cells (NCCs) display a striking
      transition from collective to single-cell migration, but the mechanisms enabling
      individual NCCs to separate from the neural crest tissue are still incompletely
      understood. In this study we have employed atomic force microscopy (AFM) to
      investigate potential adhesive and mechanical changes associated with the
      dissociation of individual cells from cohesive Xenopus NCC explants at early
      stages of migration. AFM-based single-cell force spectroscopy (SCFS) revealed a
      uniform distribution of cell-cell adhesion forces within NCC explants, including
      semi-detached leader cells in the process of delaminating from the explant edge.
      This suggested that dissociation from the cell sheet may not require prior
      weakening of cell-cell contacts. However, mapping NCC sheet elasticity by AFM
      microbead indentation demonstrated strongly reduced cell stiffness in semi
      detached leader cells compared to neighbouring cells in the NCC sheet periphery.
      Reduced leader cell stiffness coincided with enhanced cell spreading and high
      substrate traction, indicating a possible mechano-regulation of leader cell
      delamination. In support, AFM elasticity measurements of individual NCCs in
      optical side view mode demonstrated that reducing cell tension by inhibiting
      actomyosin contractility induces rapid spreading, possibly maximizing cell
      substrate interactions as a result. Depletion of cadherin-11, a classical
      cadherin with an essential role in NCC migration and substrate adhesion,
      prevented the tension reduction necessary for NCC spreading, both in individual
      cells and at the edge of explanted sheets. In contrast, overexpression of
      cadherin-11 accelerated spreading of both individual cells and delaminating
      leader cells. As cadherin-11 expression increases strongly during NCC migration,
      this suggests an important role of cadherin-11 in regulating NCC elasticity and
      spreading at later stages of NCC migration. We therefore propose a model in which
      high tension at the NCC sheet periphery prevents premature NCC spreading and
      delamination during early stages of migration, while a cadherin-11-dependent
      local decrease in cell tension promotes leader cell spreading and delamination at
      later stages of migration.

PMID- 28919311
TI  - Sensing and transport of nutrients in plants.

PMID- 28919312
TI  - The Combined Effects of Adaptive Control and Virtual Reality on Robot-Assisted
      Fine Hand Motion Rehabilitation in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Case Study.
AB  - Robot-assisted therapy is regarded as an effective and reliable method for the
      delivery of highly repetitive training that is needed to trigger neuroplasticity
      following a stroke. However, the lack of fully adaptive assist-as-needed control
      of the robotic devices and an inadequate immersive virtual environment that can
      promote active participation during training are obstacles hindering the
      achievement of better training results with fewer training sessions required.
      This study thus focuses on these research gaps by combining these 2 key
      components into a rehabilitation system, with special attention on the
      rehabilitation of fine hand motion skills. The effectiveness of the proposed
      system is tested by conducting clinical trials on a chronic stroke patient and
      verified through clinical evaluation methods by measuring the key kinematic
      features such as active range of motion (ROM), finger strength, and velocity. By
      comparing the pretraining and post-training results, the study demonstrates that
      the proposed method can further enhance the effectiveness of fine hand motion
      rehabilitation training by improving finger ROM, strength, and coordination.

PMID- 28919313
TI  - Periprocedural Outcomes of Carotid Artery Stenting in Elderly Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carotid artery stenting has emerged as an alternative to carotid
      endarterectomy especially in patients with high risk of carotid endarterectomy.
      Older age (>=80 years old) was recognized as one of the high risk factors of
      carotid endarterectomy. However, the association between older age and increased
      risk of adverse events for carotid artery stenting has been reported. The purpose
      of this study was to evaluate the association between age and periprocedural
      outcomes after carotid artery stenting. METHODS: A total of 126 symptomatic and
      asymptomatic cases of carotid artery stenosis were treated with tailored carotid
      artery stenting. The type of stents and embolic protection devices were chosen
      according to clinical and morphologic characteristics of the patients.
      Procedural, imaging, and clinical outcomes were retrospectively assessed and
      compared between the elderly patients group (>=80 years old) and the non-elderly
      patients group (<80 years old). RESULTS: Clinical and morphologic characteristics
      except for dyslipidemia were not significantly different between the 2 groups.
      Periprocedural neurologic complications were not significantly different between
      the 2 groups (P = .095). Minor stroke occurred more frequently in the elderly
      patients group (P = .021). However, the frequency of major stroke was not
      significantly different between the 2 groups (P = 1). Presence of new ischemic
      lesions on postprocedural examination was not significantly different between the
      2 groups (P = .84). Myocardial infarction and death did not occur in either
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid artery stenting can be performed safely in elderly
      patients, comparable with non-elderly patients.

PMID- 28919314
TI  - 24-Hour Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score Assessment in Post-Stroke
      Spasticity Development in Patients with a First Documented Anterior Circulation
      Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuroanatomic substrates responsible for development of post-stroke
      spasticity are still poorly understood. The study is focused on identification of
      brain regions within the territory of the middle cerebral artery associated with
      spasticity development. METHODS: This is a single-center prospective cohort study
      of first documented anterior circulation ischemic strokes with a neurologic
      deficit lasting >7 days (from March 2014 to September 2016, all patients are
      involved in a registry). Ischemic cerebral lesions within the territory of middle
      cerebral artery were evaluated using the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score
      (ASPECTS) on control 24-hour computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
      Spasticity was assessed with modified Ashworth scale. RESULTS: Seventy-six
      patients (mean age 72 years, 45% females; 30% treated with IV tissue plasminogen
      activator, 6.5% mechanical thrombectomy) fulfilled the study inclusion criteria.
      Forty-nine (64%) developed early elbow or wrist flexor spasticity defined as
      modified Ashworth scale >1 (at day 7-10), in 44 (58%) the spasticity remained
      present at 6 months. There were no differences between the patients who developed
      spasticity and those who did not when comparing admission stroke severity
      (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 5 [interquartile range {IQR} 4-8]
      versus 6 [IQR 4-10]) and vascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus,
      dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease). Nor was there a
      difference in 24-hour ASPECTS score (9 [IQR 8-10] versus 9 [IQR 7-10]). No
      differences were found between the groups with and without the early upper limb
      flexor spasticity of particular regions (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, lentiform,
      insula, caudate, internal capsule) and precentral-postcentral gyrus, premotor
      cortex, supplementary motor area, posterior limb of internal capsule, and
      thalamus were compared. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find any middle cerebral artery
      territory associated with post-stroke spasticity development by detailed
      evaluation of ASPECTS.

PMID- 28919315
TI  - The Ongoing Challenge of Urinary Incontinence after Radical Prostatectomy.

PMID- 28919316
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 28919317
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 28919318
TI  - Corrigendum to "Assessment of a multi-modal intervention for the prevention of
      catheter-associated urinary tract infections" [J Hosp Infect. 2016 Oct;94(2):175
      81].

PMID- 28919319
TI  - A population-based description of familial clustering of Hirschsprung disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Familial recurrence of Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is well
      documented, and risk estimates for relatives have been reported from various
      populations. We describe the familial clustering of HSCR cases using well
      established unbiased familial aggregation techniques within the context of a
      population genealogy. METHODS: Patients included 264 HSCR cases identified using
      ICD-9 diagnosis coding from the two largest healthcare providers in Utah who also
      had linked genealogy data. The GIF statistic was used to identify excess familial
      clustering by comparing average relatedness of cases to matched controls. In
      addition, relative risks (RRs) of HSCR in relatives of cases were estimated using
      age-, sex- and birthplace-matched disease rates, and for several diseases
      frequently associated with HSCR (Down syndrome, multiple endocrine neoplasia IIa,
      central hypoventilation syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, ventricular and atrial
      septal defect). RESULTS: Significant excess relatedness was observed for all
      HSCRs (p<1e-3). Significant RRs for HSCR were observed for first-, second-, and
      fourth-degree relatives of cases (RR=12.0, 10.0, and 4.6, respectively).
      Significant elevated risks of Down syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, and atrial
      and ventricular septal defects were observed for HSCR cases. CONCLUSION: This
      population-based survey of HSCR provides confirmation of a genetic contribution
      to HSCR disease and presents unbiased risk estimates that may have clinical value
      in predicting recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE RATING: Prognosis study, level II.

PMID- 28919320
TI  - Is selective echocardiography in duodenal atresia the future standard of care?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Duodenal atresia (DA) is associated with cardiac defects that may
      have perioperative care implications. Standard preoperative care includes
      echocardiography to identify such cardiac defects, but this dogma has been
      challenged. We aimed to assess selective and selective strategies for
      preoperative echocardiography in DA patients. METHODS: Single-center
      retrospective review of neonates with DA over a 16-year period was performed.
      Data included preoperative cardiovascular and respiratory examination, chest x
      ray, and echocardiography. We compared the current nonselective versus selective
      strategies, limiting preoperative echocardiogram to those in whom: (1) cardiac or
      respiratory or chest x-ray examination was abnormal, or (2) cardiac or
      respiratory examination was abnormal. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and
      negative predictive values were compared with chi-square tests. RESULTS: Seventy
      one of 109 (65%) consecutive neonates with DA underwent preoperative
      echocardiography according to a nonselective, physician-determined strategy.
      Forty of 71 (56%) patients had cardiac defects, including 16/40 (27%) major
      defects. Sixteen additional postoperative echocardiograms revealed 2 missed major
      defects. In the same cohort, selective strategies would have performed 17-24%
      fewer echocardiograms without significant detriment in performance. CONCLUSIONS:
      All strategies considered missed some major cardiac defects. A selective
      strategy, determining DA patients not requiring preoperative echocardiogram,
      could reduce the number of echocardiograms performed without compromising patient
      safety. TYPE OF STUDY: Retrospective study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

PMID- 28919321
TI  - Clinicopathological pattern and outcome of pediatric malignant ovarian germ cell
      tumors: South Egypt Cancer Institute experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCTs) are rare and represent 1
      1.5% of all cancers in children and adolescents. The aim of this study is to
      analyze the clinicopathological pattern at presentation and management and
      outcome of MOGCTs in children and adolescents. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Retrospective study included all girls diagnosed with MOGCTs between January 2005
      and January 2015 in Pediatric and Surgical Oncology Departments at South Egypt
      Cancer Institute, Assiut University. Data were collected from patients' records
      including initial presentation, diagnosis (tumor markers and imaging), surgical
      staging and pathologic types. Management (surgical and chemotherapy details) and
      outcomes were also analyzed. RESULTS: Forty girls aged between 4 to 17years (mean
      age of 9.5years) with diagnosis of MOGCTs during study period were included. The
      most common presenting symptoms and signs were abdominal swelling, abdominal
      pain, and pelvic mass. Precocious puberty was noted in two patients. Surgical
      interventions in most patients were unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (n=20).
      Early stages I and II were reported in 15 and 12 patients respectively, while 10
      patients had stage-III disease and 3 patients had stage IV. Yolk sac tumors were
      reported in 27.5% of patients. All patients were treated with platinum based
      chemotherapy. The 7-year overall survival was higher for patients with early
      stages (I and II) compared with advanced stages (III and IV) (100% versus 30.8%
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Early presentation with appropriate management using
      fertility sparing surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy provides excellent
      survival with fertility preservation in children and adolescents. Based on the
      lower survival of patients with advanced disease, efforts should focus on
      increasing the awareness in the community of the importance of early diagnosis of
      ovarian tumors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II (retrospective study).

PMID- 28919322
TI  - Changes in vasodilation following myocardial ischemia/reperfusion in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blockage of a coronary artery, usually caused by arteriosclerosis,
      can lead to life threatening acute myocardial infarction. Opening with PCI
      (percutaneous coronary intervention), may be lifesaving, but reperfusion might
      exacerbate the cellular damage, and changes in the endothelium are believed to be
      involved in this worsened outcome. AIM: The aim of the present study was to
      compare endothelial dependent and independent vasodilatory effect after
      experimental myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). METHODS: A well-established
      rat model of myocardial ischemia with 24 h of reperfusion was applied, followed
      by a study in a wire myograph. RESULTS: Endothelial NO dependent relaxation in
      response to carbachol, was sensitive to arterial depolarization, and was
      unaffected by I/R. In contrast, endothelial NO dependent ADPbetaS signalling,
      which was not sensitive to arterial depolarization, was significantly reduced
      after I/R. Following I/R, an H2O2 dependent EDH induced dilation appears in
      response to both of the above agonists. In addition, calcitonin gene-related
      peptide (CGRP) induced vasodilation was reduced. CONCLUSION: These data show that
      NO dependent ADPbetaS induced dilation is reduced after I/R. However, there is
      some compensation by released H2O2 causing an EDH. Combined with a loss of
      maximal dilation in response to CGRP, the reduced vasodilation could be an
      important factor in understanding the exacerbated damage after I/R.

PMID- 28919323
TI  - A systematic review of person-centered approaches to investigating patterns of
      trauma exposure.
AB  - Recent research has found that exposure to traumatic events may occur in certain
      patterns, rather than randomly. Person-centered analyses, and specifically latent
      class analysis, is becoming increasingly popular in examining patterns, or
      'classes' of trauma exposure. This review aimed to identify whether there are
      consistent homogeneous subgroups of trauma-exposed individuals, and the
      relationship between these trauma classes and psychiatric diagnosis. A systematic
      review of the literature was completed using the databases EMBASE, MEDLINE
      (PubMed) and PsycINFO. From an initial yield of 189, 17 studies met inclusion
      criteria. All studies identified a group of individuals who had a higher
      likelihood of exposure to a wide range of traumas types, and this group
      consistently exhibited worse psychiatric outcomes than other groups. Studies
      differed in the nature of the other groups identified although there was often a
      class with high levels of sexual interpersonal trauma exposure, and a class with
      high levels of non-sexual interpersonal trauma. There was some evidence that risk
      for psychiatric disorder differed across these classes. Person-centered
      approaches to understanding the relationship between trauma exposure and mental
      health may offer ways to improve our understanding of the role trauma exposure
      plays in increasing vulnerability to psychiatric disorder.

PMID- 28919324
TI  - Pretreatment of skin using an abrasive skin preparation pad, a microneedling
      device or iontophoresis improves absorption of methyl aminolevulinate in ex vivo
      human skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pretreatment of skin to remove scales/crusts and roughen the surface
      is essential to enhance the penetration of topically applied methyl
      aminolevulinate (MAL) prior to photodynamic therapy and to permit daylight to
      access all parts of the skin lesions. Numerous procedures of skin preparation are
      currently available. This study compared the in vitro penetration of MAL into ex
      vivo human skin pretreated with skin preparation pad abrasion or a microneedling
      device, and evaluated the effectiveness of an iontophoretic device in delivering
      MAL into ex vivo human skin. METHODS: Human skin samples, obtained from aesthetic
      surgeries, were used in this study. The thickness of the skin samples ranged
      between 1.44-2.87mm. Pretreatment of samples was performed with 10 passages of
      the Ambu(r) UnilectTM 2121M (Ambu A/S, Denmark) skin preparation pad, 8 rolling
      repetitions using the microneedling device Dermaroller(r) HC 902 (Dermaroller
      GmbH, Germany), or by an iontophoresis device (Feeligreen SA, France) for 1.5h.
      The effect of these pretreatment procedures on the penetration of MAL into the
      skin was assessed. RESULTS: Penetration in the total skin, liquid receptor and
      total penetration was most increased by skin preparation pad treatment, followed
      by microneedling and iontophoresis. Overall, MAL total penetration was increased
      up to 103-fold by skin preparation pad treatment, 4-fold by microneedling and 1.8
      fold by iontophoresis. CONCLUSIONS: Abrasion with skin preparation pad was shown
      to be superior to microneedling and iontophoresis for increasing MAL penetration
      in ex vivo human skin.

PMID- 28919325
TI  - The influence of lifestyle on airborne particle surface area doses received by
      different Western populations.
AB  - In the present study, the daily dose in terms of particle surface area received
      by citizens living in five cities in Western countries, characterized by
      different lifestyle, culture, climate and built-up environment, was evaluated and
      compared. For this purpose, the exposure to sub-micron particle concentration
      levels of the population living in Barcelona (Spain), Cassino (Italy), Guilford
      (United Kingdom), Lund (Sweden), and Brisbane (Australia) was measured through a
      direct exposure assessment approach. In particular, measurements of the exposure
      at a personal scale were performed by volunteers (15 per each population) that
      used a personal particle counter for different days in order to obtain exposure
      data in microenvironments/activities they resided/performed. Non-smoking
      volunteers performing non-industrial jobs were considered in the study. Particle
      concentration data allowed obtaining the exposure of the population living in
      each city. Such data were combined in a Monte Carlo method with the time activity
      pattern data characteristics of each population and inhalation rate to obtain the
      most probable daily dose in term of particle surface area as a function of the
      population gender, age, and nationality. The highest daily dose was estimated for
      citizens living in Cassino and Guilford (>1000 mm2), whereas the lowest value was
      recognized for Lund citizens (around 100 mm2). Indoor air quality, and in
      particular cooking and eating activities, was recognized as the main influencing
      factor in terms of exposure (and thus dose) of the population: then confirming
      that lifestyle (e.g. time spent in cooking activities) strongly affect the daily
      dose of the population. On the contrary, a minor or negligible contribution of
      the outdoor microenvironments was documented.

PMID- 28919327
TI  - Endothelial microparticle-promoted inhibition of vascular remodeling is abrogated
      under hyperglycaemic conditions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endothelial microparticles (EMPs) inhibit vascular remodeling by
      transferring functional microRNA (miRNA) into target vascular smooth muscle cells
      (VSMCs). Because EMPs are increased in diabetic patients and potentially linked
      to vascular complications in diabetes mellitus, we sought to determine whether
      effects of EMPs generated under high glucose concentration on vascular remodeling
      might differ from EMPs derived from untreated cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: EMPs
      were generated from human coronary endothelial cells (HCAEC) exposed to high
      glucose concentrations in order to mimic diabetic conditions. These EMPs were
      defined as 'hyperglycaemic' EMPs (hgEMPs) and their miRNA transfer capacity and
      functional effects were compared with EMPs generated from 'healthy' untreated
      HCAECs. In vitro, the intercellular transfer of antiproliferative miRNA-126-3p
      from ECs to VSMCs via EMPs was significantly reduced under hyperglycaemic
      conditions. Additionally, EMP-mediated inhibition of the miRNA-126-3p target LRP6
      and of VSMC migration and proliferation was abrogated, when hgEMPs were used. In
      vivo, the inhibitory effect of EMPs on neointima formation, VSMC proliferation
      and macrophage infiltration was abolished in mice treated with hgEMPs.
      CONCLUSION: Pathological hyperglycaemic conditions weaken potentially protective
      intercellular communication mechanisms by affecting EMP content and function.

PMID- 28919326
TI  - Characterization of a PKR inhibitor from the pathogenic ranavirus, Ambystoma
      tigrinum virus, using a heterologous vaccinia virus system.
AB  - Ambystoma tigrinum virus (ATV) (family Iridoviridae, genus Ranavirus) was
      isolated from diseased tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi) from the
      San Rafael Valley in southern Arizona, USA in 1996. Genomic sequencing of ATV, as
      well as other members of the genus, identified an open reading frame that has
      homology to the eukaryotic translation initiation factor, eIF2alpha (ATV
      eIF2alpha homologue, vIF2alphaH). Therefore, we asked if the ATV vIF2alphaH could
      also inhibit PKR. To test this hypothesis, the ATV vIF2alphaH was cloned into
      vaccinia virus (VACV) in place of the well-characterized VACV PKR inhibitor, E3L.
      Recombinant VACV expressing ATV vIF2alphaH partially rescued deletion of the VACV
      E3L gene. Rescue coincided with rapid degradation of PKR in infected cells. These
      data suggest that the salamander virus, ATV, contains a novel gene that may
      counteract host defenses, and this gene product may be involved in the
      presentation of disease caused by this environmentally important pathogen.

PMID- 28919328
TI  - C-peptide levels and the risk of diabetes and pre-diabetes among Chinese women
      with gestational diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: To examine the association of connecting peptide (C-peptide) and the risks
      of postpartum diabetes and pre-diabetes among women with prior gestational
      diabetes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 1263 women with prior gestational
      diabetes was carried out at 1-5years after delivery in Tianjin, China. Logistic
      regression was used to assess the associations of C-peptide and the risks of
      diabetes and pre-diabetes. RESULTS: The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios based
      on different levels of C-peptide (0-33%, 34-66%, 67-90%, and >90% as C-peptide
      cutpoints) were 1.00, 1.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85-4.39), 2.49 (95% CI
      1.06-5.87), and 3.88 (95% CI 1.35-11.1) for diabetes (P for trend <0.0001), and
      1.00, 1.66 (95% CI 1.18-2.36), 2.38 (95% CI 1.56-3.62) and 2.35 (95% CI 1.27
      4.37) for pre-diabetes (P for trend <0.0001), respectively. Restricted cubic
      splines models showed a positive linear association of C-peptide as a continuous
      variable with the risks of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. The positive
      association was significant when stratified by healthy weight and overweight
      participants. CONCLUSIONS: We found a positive association between serum C
      peptide levels and the risks of diabetes and pre-diabetes among Chinese women
      with prior gestational diabetes. Our finding suggested that elevated C-peptide
      levels may be a predictor of diabetes and pre-diabetes.

PMID- 28919329
TI  - Phospholipase Cbeta interacts with cytosolic partners to regulate cell
      proliferation.
AB  - Phospholipase Cbeta (PLCbeta) is the main effector of the Galphaq signaling
      pathway relaying different extracellular sensory information to generate
      intracellular calcium signals. Besides this classic function, we have found that
      PLCbeta plays an important but unknown role in regulating PC12 cell
      differentiation by interacting with components in the RNA-induced silencing
      machinery. In trying to understand the role of PLCbeta in PC12 cell
      differentiation, we find that over-expressing PLCbeta reduces PC12 cell
      proliferation while down-regulating PLCbeta increases the rate of cell
      proliferation. However, this behavior is not seen in other cancerous cell lines.
      To determine the underlying mechanism, we carried out mass spectrometry analysis
      of PLCbeta complexes in PC12 cells. We find that in unsynchronized cells, PLCbeta
      primarily binds cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)16 whose activity plays a key role
      in cell proliferation. In vitro studies show a direct association between the two
      proteins that result in loss in CDK16 activity. When cells are arrested in the
      G2/M phase, a large population of PLCbeta is bound to Ago2 in a complex that
      contains C3PO and proteins commonly found in stress granules. Additionally,
      another population of PLCbeta complexes with CDK18 and cyclin B1. Fluorescence
      lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) confirms cell cycle dependent associations
      between PLCbeta and these other protein binding partners. Taken together, our
      studies suggest that PLCbeta may play an active role in mediating interactions
      required to move through the cell cycle.

PMID- 28919330
TI  - Limbic encephalitis with LGI1 antibodies in a 14-year-old boy.
AB  - Limbic encephalitis (LE) with antibodies against leucine-rich glioma inactivated
      protein 1 (LGI1) is an auto-antibody mediated disorder with characteristic
      symptoms as dysfunction of memory, faciobrachial dystonic seizures and
      neuropsychiatric symptoms as emotional lability. Limbic encephalitis with LGI1
      antibodies has been known so far as a disease of adults. We describe the case of
      a 14-year-old boy presenting with typical dysfunction of memory and LGI1
      antibodies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the youngest patient with LGI1
      antibody mediated limbic encephalitis described so far. Improved knowledge of
      this autoimmune syndrome in children and adolescents permit rapid
      immunomodulatory treatment, which could help to prevent irreversible lesions,
      such as hippocampal atrophy.

PMID- 28919331
TI  - Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against cathepsin B and
      cathepsin B-Like proteins of Naegleria fowleri.
AB  - Naegleria fowleri causes fatal primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in
      humans and experimental animals. In previous studies, cathepsin B (nfcpb) and
      cathepsin B-like (nfcpb-L) genes of N. fowleri were cloned, and it was suggested
      that refolding rNfCPB and rNfCPB-L proteins could play important roles in host
      tissue invasion, immune response evasion and nutrient uptake. In this study, we
      produced anti-NfCPB and anti-NfCPB-L monoclonal antibodies (McAb) using a cell
      fusion technique, and observed their immunological characteristics. Seven
      hybridoma cells secreting rNfCPB McAbs and three hybridoma cells secreting rNfCPB
      L McAbs were produced. Among these, 2C9 (monoclone for rNfCPB) and 1C8 (monoclone
      for rNfCPB-L) McAb showed high antibody titres and were finally selected for use.
      As determined by western blotting, 2C9 McAb bound to N. fowleri lysates,
      specifically the rNfCPB protein, which had bands of 28 kDa and 38.4 kDa. 1C8 McAb
      reacted with N. fowleri lysates, specifically the rNfCPB-L protein, which had
      bands of 24 kDa and 34 kDa. 2C9 and 1C8 monoclonal antibodies did not bind to
      lysates of other amoebae, such as N. gruberi, Acanthamoeba castellanii and A.
      polyphaga in western blot analyses. Immuno-cytochemistry analysis detected NfCPB
      and NfCPB-L proteins in the cytoplasm of N. fowleri trophozoites, particularly in
      the pseudopodia and food-cup. These results suggest that monoclonal antibodies
      produced against rNfCPB and rNfCPB-L proteins may be useful for further
      immunological study of PAM.

PMID- 28919332
TI  - Correlation of radical-scavenging capacity and amoebicidal activity of Matricaria
      recutita L. (Asteraceae).
AB  - Some Acanthamoeba strains are able to cause Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis
      (GAE) and Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) worldwide because of their pathogenicity.
      The treatment of Acanthamoeba infections is complicated due to the existence of a
      highly resistant cyst stage in their life cycle. Therefore, the elucidation of
      novel sources of anti-Acanthamoeba agents is an urgent need. In the present
      study, an evaluation of the antioxidant and anti-Acanthamoeba activity of
      compounds in flower extracts of Tunisian chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) was
      carried out. Chamomile methanol extract was the most active showing an IC50 of
      66.235 +/- 0.390 MUg/ml, low toxicity levels when checked in murine macrophage
      toxicity model and presented also antioxidant properties. Moreover, a bio-guided
      fractionation of this extract was developed and led to the identification of a
      mixture of coumarins as the most active fraction. These results suggest a novel
      source of anti-Acanthamoeba compounds for the development of novel therapeutic
      agents against Acanthamoeba infections.

PMID- 28919333
TI  - Status of the effectiveness of contact lens disinfectants in Malaysia against
      keratitis-causing pathogens.
AB  - The aim of this study was (i) to assess the antimicrobial effects of contact lens
      disinfecting solutions marketed in Malaysia against common bacterial eye
      pathogens and as well as eye parasite, Acanthamoeba castellanii, and (ii) to
      determine whether targeting cyst wall would improve the efficacy of contact lens
      disinfectants. Using ISO 14729 Stand-Alone Test for disinfecting solutions,
      bactericidal and amoebicidal assays of six different contact lens solutions
      including Oxysept(r), AO SEPT PLUS, OPTI-FREE(r) pure moist(r), Renu(r) freshTM,
      FreshKon(r) CLEAR and COMPLETE RevitaLensTM were performed using Manufacturers
      Minimum recommended disinfection time (MRDT). The efficacy of contact lens
      solutions was determined against keratitis-causing microbes, namely: Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes,
      Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Acanthamoeba castellanii. In addition, using
      chlorhexidine as an antiamoebic compound and cellulase enzyme to disrupt cyst
      wall structure, we determined whether combination of both agents can enhance
      efficacy of marketed contact lens disinfectants against A. castellanii
      trophozoites and cysts, in vitro. The results revealed that all contact lens
      disinfectants tested showed potent bactericidal effects exhibiting 100% kill
      against all bacterial species tested. In contrast, none of the contact lens
      disinfectants had potent effects against Acanthamoeba cysts viability. When
      tested against trophozoites, two disinfectants, Oxysept Multipurpose and AO-sept
      Multipurpose showed partial amoebicidal effects. Using chlorhexidine as an
      antiamoebic compound and cellulase enzyme to disrupt cyst wall structure, the
      findings revealed that combination of both agents in contact lens disinfectants
      abolished viability of A. castellanii cysts and trophozoites. Given the
      inefficacy of contact lens disinfectants tested in this study, these findings
      present a significant concern to public health. These findings revealed that
      targeting cyst wall by using cyst wall degrading molecules in contact lens
      disinfecting solutions will enhance their efficacy against this devastating eye
      infection.

PMID- 28919334
TI  - Failure of molecular diagnostics of a keratitis-inducing Acanthamoeba strain.
AB  - An otherwise healthy 49-year-old female patient presented at the local hospital
      with severe keratitis in both inflamed eyes. She was a contact lens wearer and
      had no history of a corneal trauma. In our laboratory for medical parasitology
      Acanthamoebae were detected microscopically from the cornea scraping and from the
      fluid of the contact lens storage case after xenical culture and showed the
      typical cyst morphology of Acanthamoebae group II. The diagnosis of "Acanthamoeba
      keratitis" was established and successful therapy was provided. While the
      morphological microscopic method led to the correct diagnosis in this case, an in
      house multiplex qPCR and a commercial qPCR showed false negative results
      regarding Acanthamoeba sp. The subsequent sequencing revealed the Acanthamoeba
      genotype T4. In the present case report, the inability to detect Acanthamoebae
      using qPCR only is presented. Therefore, we recommend the utilization of combined
      different assays for optimal diagnostic purposes.

PMID- 28919335
TI  - The effect of resistance exercise on sleep: A systematic review of randomized
      controlled trials.
AB  - Impaired sleep quality and quantity are associated with future morbidity and
      mortality. Exercise may be an effective non-pharmacological intervention to
      improve sleep, however, little is known on the effect of resistance exercise.
      Thus, we performed a systematic review of the literature to determine the acute
      and chronic effects of resistance exercise on sleep quantity and quality.
      Thirteen studies were included. Chronic resistance exercise improves all aspects
      of sleep, with the greatest benefit for sleep quality. These benefits of isolated
      resistance exercise are attenuated when resistance exercise is combined with
      aerobic exercise and compared to aerobic exercise alone. However, the acute
      effects of resistance exercise on sleep remain poorly studied and inconsistent.
      In addition to the sleep benefits, resistance exercise training improves anxiety
      and depression. These results suggest that resistance exercise may be an
      effective intervention to improve sleep quality. Further research is needed to
      better understand the effects of acute resistance exercise on sleep, the
      physiological mechanisms underlying changes in sleep, the changes in sleep
      architecture with chronic resistance exercise, as well its efficacy in clinical
      cohorts who commonly experience sleep disturbance. Future studies should also
      examine time-of-day and dose-response effects to determine the optimal exercise
      prescription for sleep benefits.

PMID- 28919336
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus dry-surface biofilms are more resistant to heat treatment
      than traditional hydrated biofilms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The importance of biofilms to clinical practice is being increasingly
      realized. Biofilm tolerance to antibiotics is well described but limited work has
      been conducted on the efficacy of heat disinfection and sterilization against
      biofilms. AIM: To test the susceptibility of planktonic, hydrated biofilm and dry
      surface biofilm forms of Staphylococcus aureus, to dry-heat and wet-heat
      treatments. METHODS: S. aureus was grown as both hydrated biofilm and dry-surface
      biofilm in the CDC biofilm generator. Biofilm was subjected to a range of
      temperatures in a hot-air oven (dry heat), water bath or autoclave (wet heat).
      FINDINGS: Dry-surface biofilms remained culture positive even when treated with
      the harshest dry-heat condition of 100 degrees C for 60min. Following autoclaving
      samples were culture negative but 62-74% of bacteria in dry-surface biofilms
      remained alive as demonstrated by live/dead staining and confocal microscopy. Dry
      surface biofilms subjected to autoclaving at 121 degrees C for up to 30min
      recovered and released planktonic cells. Recovery did not occur following
      autoclaving for longer or at 134 degrees C, at least during the time-period
      tested. Hydrated biofilm recovered following dry-heat treatment up to 100 degrees
      C for 10min but failed to recover following autoclaving despite the presence of
      43-60% live cells as demonstrated by live/dead staining. CONCLUSION: S. aureus
      dry-surface biofilms are less susceptible to killing by dry heat and steam
      autoclaving than hydrated biofilms, which are less susceptible to heat treatment
      than planktonic suspensions.

PMID- 28919337
TI  - Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra: a gamechanger for tuberculous meningitis?

PMID- 28919338
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for tuberculous meningitis in HIV
      infected adults: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: WHO recommends Xpert MTB/RIF as initial diagnostic testing for
      tuberculous meningitis. However, diagnosis remains difficult, with Xpert
      sensitivity of about 50-70% and culture sensitivity of about 60%. We evaluated
      the diagnostic performance of the new Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) for
      tuberculous meningitis. METHODS: We prospectively obtained diagnostic
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens during screening for a trial on the treatment
      of HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis in Mbarara, Uganda. HIV-infected adults
      with suspected meningitis (eg, headache, nuchal rigidity, altered mental status)
      were screened consecutively at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. We centrifuged
      CSF, resuspended the pellet in 2 mL of CSF, and tested 0.5 mL with mycobacteria
      growth indicator tube culture, 1 mL with Xpert, and cryopreserved 0.5 mL, later
      tested with Xpert Ultra. We assessed diagnostic performance against uniform
      clinical case definition or a composite reference standard of any positive CSF
      tuberculous test. FINDINGS: From Feb 27, 2015, to Nov 7, 2016, we prospectively
      evaluated 129 HIV-infected adults with suspected meningitis for tuberculosis. 23
      participants were classified as probable or definite tuberculous meningitis by
      uniform case definition, excluding Xpert Ultra results. Xpert Ultra sensitivity
      was 70% (95% CI 47-87; 16 of 23 cases) for probable or definite tuberculous
      meningitis compared with 43% (23-66; 10/23) for Xpert and 43% (23-66; 10/23) for
      culture. With composite standard, we detected tuberculous meningitis in 22 (17%)
      of 129 participants. Xpert Ultra had 95% sensitivity (95% CI 77-99; 21 of 22
      cases) for tuberculous meningitis, which was higher than either Xpert (45% [24
      68]; 10/22; p=0.0010) or culture (45% [24-68]; 10/22; p=0.0034). Of 21
      participants positive by Xpert Ultra, 13 were positive by culture, Xpert, or
      both, and eight were only positive by Xpert Ultra. Of those eight, three were
      categorised as probable tuberculous meningitis, three as possible tuberculous
      meningitis, and two as not tuberculous meningitis. Testing 6 mL or more of CSF
      was associated with more frequent detection of tuberculosis than with less than 6
      mL (26% vs 7%; p=0.014). INTERPRETATION: Xpert Ultra detected significantly more
      tuberculous meningitis than did either Xpert or culture. WHO now recommends the
      use of Xpert Ultra as the initial diagnostic test for suspected tuberculous
      meningitis. FUNDING: National Institute of Neurologic Diseases and Stroke,
      Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
      Disease, UK Medical Research Council/DfID/Wellcome Trust Global Health Trials,
      Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

PMID- 28919339
TI  - Novel xanthone-polyamine conjugates as catalytic inhibitors of human
      topoisomerase IIalpha.
AB  - It has been proposed that xanthone derivatives with anticancer potential act as
      topoisomerase II inhibitors because they interfere with the ability of the enzyme
      to bind its ATP cofactor. In order to further characterize xanthone mechanism and
      generate compounds with potential as anticancer drugs, we synthesized a series of
      derivatives in which position 3 was substituted with different polyamine chains.
      As determined by DNA relaxation and decatenation assays, the resulting compounds
      are potent topoisomerase IIalpha inhibitors. Although xanthone derivatives
      inhibit topoisomerase IIalpha-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis, mechanistic studies
      indicate that they do not act at the ATPase site. Rather, they appear to function
      by blocking the ability of DNA to stimulate ATP hydrolysis. On the basis of
      activity, competition, and modeling studies, we propose that xanthones interact
      with the DNA cleavage/ligation active site of topoisomerase IIalpha and inhibit
      the catalytic activity of the enzyme by interfering with the DNA strand passage
      step.

PMID- 28919340
TI  - Design and synthesis of pregnenolone/2-cyanoacryloyl conjugates with dual NF
      kappaB inhibitory and anti-proliferative activities.
AB  - Twenty-five novel pregnenolone/2-cyanoacryloyl conjugates (6-30) were designed
      and prepared, with the aim of developing novel anticancer drugs with dual NF
      kappaB inhibitory and anti-proliferative activities. Compounds 22 and 27-30
      showed inhibition against TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappaB activation in luciferase
      assay, which was confirmed by Western blotting. Among them, compound 30 showed
      potent NF-kappaB inhibitory activity (IC50=2.5MUM) and anti-proliferative against
      MCF-7, A549, H157, and HL-60 cell lines (IC50=6.5-36.2MUM). The present study
      indicated that pregnenolone/2-cyanoacryloyl conjugate I can server asa novel
      scaffold for developing NF-kappaB inhibitors and anti-proliferative agents in
      cancer chemotherapy.

PMID- 28919342
TI  - Mothers' Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Young Children's Development.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study examined how mothers' Adverse Childhood Experiences
      (ACEs) relate to their children's developmental risk and assessed how the
      association is mediated through mothers' depressive symptoms and fair/poor
      health. METHODS: Mothers of children aged between 4 months and 4 years were
      recruited from the emergency department of a children's hospital between March
      2012 and June 2015 and interviewed about ACEs, mothers' depressive symptoms and
      health status, and children's developmental risk (screened via Parents'
      Evaluations of Developmental Status [PEDS]). Between August and November 2016 a
      Cochran-Armitage test assessed trend of PEDS by ACEs. Multinomial regression
      models examined differences in PEDS by ACEs severity. Mediation by mothers'
      depressive symptoms and self-rated health was also assessed. RESULTS: Of 1,293
      mothers, 56.7% reported one or more ACEs. Mothers also reported developmental
      risk (20.4% overall): 120 (9.2%) reported one concern and 144 (11.2%) reported
      two or more concerns on the PEDS. Mothers who reported household substance use,
      mental illness, or an incarcerated household member during childhood were more
      likely to report at least one child developmental concern on the PEDS. After
      controlling for covariates, odds of one PEDS concern were 1.86 (95% CI=1.16,
      3.00) for ACEs, one to three versus none, and 2.21 (95% CI=1.26, 3.87) for ACEs
      four or more versus none. Adjusted odds of two or more concerns were 1.70 (95%
      CI=1.07, 2.72) for ACEs, one to three versus none, and 1.76 (95% CI=1.02, 3.05)
      for ACEs, four or more versus none. Mothers' depressive symptoms and self-rated
      health were potential mediators. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers' ACEs are significantly
      associated with their children's developmental risk. If replicated, findings
      suggest that addressing intergenerational trauma through focus on childhood
      adversity among young children's caregivers may promote child development.

PMID- 28919343
TI  - Characterizing pathology in erythrocytes using morphological and biophysical
      membrane properties: Relation to impaired hemorheology and cardiovascular
      function in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - The inflammatory burden of the complex rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease affects
      several organ-systems, including rheological properties of blood and its formed
      elements. Red blood cells (RBCs) are constantly exposed to circulating
      dysregulated inflammatory molecules that are co-transported within the
      vasculature; and their membranes may be particularly vulnerable to the
      accompanying oxidative stress. In the current study, we investigate biophysical
      and ultrastructural characteristics of RBCs obtained from a cohort of patients
      using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and
      confocal microscopy (CM). Statistical analyses of AFM data showed that RA RBCs
      possessed significantly reduced membrane elasticity relative to that of RBCs from
      healthy individuals (P-value <0.0001). SEM imaging of RA RBCs revealed increased
      anisocytes and poikilocytes. Poikilocytes included knizocytes, stomatocytes,
      dacryocytes, irregularly contracted cells, and knot cells. CM imaging of several
      RA RBCs, spectrin, and band 3 protein networks portrayed the similar
      morphological profiles. Analyses of CM images confirmed changes to distribution
      of band-3 skeletal protein, a protein critical for gaseous exchange functions of
      the RBC and preventing membrane surface loss. Decreased membrane deformability
      impairs the RBC's capacity to adequately adapt its shape to navigate blood
      vessels, especially microvasculature, and this decrease is also reflected in the
      cell's morphology. Changes to morphology and deformability may also indicate loss
      of functional domains and/or pathological protein and lipid associations. These
      findings suggest that RA disease and/or its concomitant factors impact on the RBC
      and its membrane integrity with potential for exacerbating pathological cellular
      function, hemorheology, and cardiovascular function.

PMID- 28919344
TI  - Fluorophore labeling of a cell-penetrating peptide induces differential effects
      on its cellular distribution and affects cell viability.
AB  - Cell-penetrating peptides constitute efficient delivery vectors, and studies of
      their uptake and mechanism of translocation typically involve fluorophore-labeled
      conjugates. In the present study, the influence of a number of specific
      fluorophores on the physico-chemical properties and uptake-related
      characteristics of penetratin were studied. An array of seven fluorophores
      belonging to distinct structural classes was examined, and the impact of
      fluorophore labeling on intracellular distribution and cytotoxicity was
      correlated to the physico-chemical properties of the conjugates. Exposure of
      several mammalian cell types to fluorophore-penetratin conjugates revealed a
      strong structure-dependent reduction in viability (1.5- to 20-fold lower IC50
      values as compared to those of non-labeled penetratin). Also, the degree of less
      severe effects on membrane integrity, as well as intracellular distribution
      patterns differed among the conjugates. Overall, neutral hydrophobic fluorophores
      or negatively charged fluorophores conferred less cytotoxicity as compared to the
      effect exerted by positively charged, hydrophobic fluorophores. The latter
      conjugates, however, exhibited less membrane association and more clearly defined
      intracellular distribution patterns. Thus, selection of the appropriate
      flurophore is critical.

PMID- 28919345
TI  - Cost effectiveness of screening for dengue infection in a UK teaching hospital.

PMID- 28919346
TI  - Clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with cellulitis treated with oral
      clindamycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole: The role of weight-based dosing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) and clindamycin are
      frequently prescribed to treat cellulitis. The primary objective was to determine
      if weight-based dosing of these antibiotics is associated with better outcomes in
      cellulitis. The secondary objective was to assess variables associated with
      clinical failure among hospitalized patients with cellulitis with or without
      cutaneous abscess. METHODS: This multi-center retrospective cohort study was
      conducted from January 1, 2010 to September 4, 2014. Adult patients admitted for
      cellulitis who received a minimum of seven days of therapy and discharged on oral
      clindamycin or TMP/SMX were included. Binary univariate and multivariate logistic
      regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for clinical failure,
      including the impact of dose adequacy of clindamycin and TMP/SMX on clinical
      outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 208 cases met inclusion criteria. Of these cases,
      120 (57.7%) received inadequate dosing of clindamycin (<10 mg/kg/day) or TMP/SMX
      (<5 mg TMP/kg per day) while 88 (42.3%) received adequate dosing. Clinical
      failure occurred in 36/120 (30%) and 15/88 (17%) of patients receiving inadequate
      and adequate doses, respectively (p = 0.032). Upon univariate analysis length of
      stay >= 7 days (OR = 2.96, p = 0.046) and inadequate dosing (OR = 2.09, p =
      0.034) were associated with clinical failure. Upon multivariate analysis,
      inadequate dosing was independently associated with clinical failure (OR = 2.01,
      p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: Inadequate dosing of clindamycin and TMP/SMX is
      independently associated with clinical failure in patients hospitalized with
      cellulitis. Further prospective studies evaluating weight-based dosing of
      clindamycin and TMP/SMX in the setting of cellulitis are warranted.

PMID- 28919341
TI  - Metabolic programming of the epigenome: host and gut microbial metabolite
      interactions with host chromatin.
AB  - The mammalian gut microbiota has been linked to host developmental, immunologic,
      and metabolic outcomes. This collection of trillions of microbes inhabits the gut
      and produces a myriad of metabolites, which are measurable in host circulation
      and contribute to the pathogenesis of human diseases. The link between endogenous
      metabolite availability and chromatin regulation is a well-established and active
      area of investigation; however, whether microbial metabolites can elicit similar
      effects is less understood. In this review, we focus on seminal and recent
      research that establishes chromatin regulatory roles for both endogenous and
      microbial metabolites. We also highlight key physiologic and disease settings
      where microbial metabolite-host chromatin interactions have been established
      and/or may be pertinent.

PMID- 28919347
TI  - Invasive mold infections of the central nervous system in patients with
      hematologic cancer or stem cell transplantation (2000-2016): Uncommon, with
      improved survival but still deadly often.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Historically considered to have very poor outcome, there is paucity
      of recent data regarding invasive mold infections (IMIs) of the central nervous
      system (CNS) in patients with hematologic cancer (HC) or stem cell
      transplantation (SCT). METHODS: We reviewed the records of HC patients and/or SCT
      recipients who were diagnosed with CNS IMIs (EORTC/MSG criteria) at MD Anderson
      Cancer Center (1/1/2000-6/31/2016). Risk factors for survival at day (d) 42 post
      diagnosis were assessed. RESULTS: We identified 40 such patients (16 with proven
      infection). The incidence density was 3.8 cases/100000 patient days and mortality
      remained stable throughout the study period. Most patients had active HC and
      neutropenia at diagnosis (95% and 53% respectively). Of the 25 patients with a
      microbiological diagnosis, Aspergillus spp and Mucorales accounted for 85% of
      cases. CNS IMIs were deemed to be secondary to hematogenous spread in 31 (77%),
      mostly (90%) fungal pneumonia. CNS lesions typically presented as solitary ring
      enhancing abscesses in MRI (26; 65%). Most patients (34; 85%) received lipid AMB
      and were treated with combination therapy (33; 83%); Mortality 42d was 48%. In
      univariate analysis, lack of surgical drainage (p = 0.01), absence of giant cells
      (p = 0.01) and granulomas (p = 0.03) were associated with increased 42d
      mortality. In multivariate analysis, co-infection was associated with increased
      (p = 0.005), while steroid tapering was associated with decreased mortality (p =
      0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Although less lethal, improved outcome in these uncommon
      infections was related only to immune response in histopathology, steroid
      tapering and possibly surgical drainage. In a contemporary 16-year cohort of 40
      patients with hematologic cancer and mold infections of Central Nervous System,
      42-day mortality was 48%. Improved survival was related to immune response in
      histopathology, absence of co-infections, corticosteroid tapering and possibly
      surgical drainage.

PMID- 28919348
TI  - Prevalence of colistin resistance in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae: A
      four-year cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to determine the prevalence of colistin
      resistance in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae, and to gain knowledge on
      the epidemiological and clinical features of the patients. METHODS: All colistin
      resistant Enterobacteriaceae consecutively isolated from clinical samples in our
      institution from 2012 to 2015, were included in this cross-sectional study.
      Intrinsic-resistant species were excluded. Minimum inhibitory concentration was
      performed by gradient diffusion. Detection of plasmid-encoded colistin resistance
      genes mcr-1 and mcr-2 was performed by amplification. Epidemiological and
      clinical features were reviewed. RESULTS: Of 13579 Enterobacteriaceae isolates,
      91 were colistin-resistant. The overall prevalence of colistin resistance was
      0.67%. The rates were higher in Enterobacter cloacae (4.2%) than Escherichia coli
      (0.5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (0.4%). One third of the isolates were multi
      drug resistant (MDR). While mcr-2 was not detected, mcr-1 was detected only in E.
      coli. Regarding these infections, 23% were community-acquired. 89% of the
      patients had not received colistin previously. There were no significant
      differences between infections caused by mcr-1 and non-mcr-1-carrying isolates.
      CONCLUSIONS: Colistin resistance was not restricted to MDR isolates and to
      clinical settings. Most patients had no record of previous administration of
      colistin.

PMID- 28919349
TI  - Prevalence of HLA-B*5701 in a Kenyan population with HIV infection.

PMID- 28919350
TI  - Crystal structure of inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate 2-kinase from
      Cryptococcus neoformans.
AB  - The fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is a causative agent of
      meningoencephalitis in humans. For its pathogenicity, the inositol polyphosphate
      biosynthetic pathway plays critical roles. Recently, Ipk1 from C. neoformans
      (CnIpk1) was identified as an inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate 2-kinase that
      catalyzes the phosphorylation of IP5 to form IP6, a substrate for subsequent
      reaction to produce inositol pyrophosphates, such as PP-IP5/IP7. Furthermore, it
      was shown that deletion of IPK1 significantly reduces the virulence of C.
      neoformans, indicating that Ipk1 is a major virulence contributor. In this study,
      we determined a crystal structure of the apo-form of CnIpk1 at 2.35A resolution,
      the first structure for a fungal Ipk1, using a single-wavelength anomalous
      dispersion method. Even with a low sequence similarity of 26-28%, its overall
      structure resembles two other Ipk1 orthologs from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtIpk1)
      and Mus musculus (MmIpk1), and the most crucial residues in the active site are
      conserved. Unlike AtIpk1 and MmIpk1, however, metal-binding sites for structural
      stabilization and conformational variations are absent in CnIpk1. The binding
      environments for substrate IP5 could be inferred by the two different binding
      sites for sulfate ion in CnIpk1. Taken together, these observations suggest
      structural similarities and discrepancies for fungal Ipk1 among members of the
      Ipk1 family and provide structural information for the possible development of
      drug design for treatment of cryptococcosis.

PMID- 28919351
TI  - Suspension state increases reattachment of breast cancer cells by up-regulating
      lamin A/C.
AB  - Extravasation is a rate-limiting step of tumor metastasis, for which adhesion to
      endothelium of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is the prerequisite. The suspension
      state of CTCs undergoing detachment from primary tumor is a persistent
      biomechanical cue, which potentially regulates the biophysical characteristics
      and cellular behaviors of tumor cells. In this study, breast tumor cells MDA-MB
      231 in suspension culture condition were used to investigate the effect of
      suspension state on reattachment of CTCs. Our study demonstrated that suspension
      state significantly increased the adhesion ability of breast tumor cells. In
      addition, suspension state markedly promoted the formation of stress fibers and
      focal adhesions and reduced the motility in reattached breast cancer cells.
      Moreover, lamin A/C was reversibly accumulated at posttranscriptional level under
      suspension state, improving the cell stiffness of reattached breast cancer cells.
      Disruption of actin cytoskeleton by cytochalasin D caused lamin A/C accumulation.
      Conversely, decreasing actomyosin contraction by ROCK inhibitor Y27632 reduced
      lamin A/C level. Knocking down lamin A/C weakened the suspension-induced increase
      of adhesion, and also abolished the suspension-induced decrease of motility and
      increase of stress fibers and focal adhesion in reattaching tumor cells,
      suggesting a crucial role of lamin A/C. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that
      suspension state promoted the reattachment of breast tumor cells by up-regulating
      lamin A/C via cytoskeleton disruption. These findings highlight the important
      role of suspension state for tumor cells in tumor metastasis.

PMID- 28919352
TI  - Salvage brachytherapy for radiorecurrent prostate cancer: Searching for safety
      and success.

PMID- 28919353
TI  - Presepsin: A new marker of catheter related blood stream infections in pediatric
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catheter related blood stream infections (CRBSI) are mostly
      preventable hospital-acquired conditions. We aimed to investigate the value of
      presepsin in detection of CRBSI in hospitalized children. METHODS: Hospitalized
      pediatric patients who had clinical suspicion of CRBSI were followed. Results of
      peripheral blood cultures and blood cultures from central venous catheters,
      procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), total white blood cell (WBC)
      counts were recorded. Serum samples for presepsin were studied at the same time
      with the samples of healthy controls. The patients with positive blood cultures
      were defined as proven CRBSI and with negative cultures as suspected CRBSI.
      RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients and 80 healthy controls were included in the study.
      Proven CRBSI group consisted of 36 patients (62%) with positive blood cultures
      and compared with the suspected CRBSI group (n = 22, 36%) with negative culture
      results. There was no difference between proven and suspected CRBSI groups
      concerning WBC, PCT, CRP and presepsin. Presepsin was significantly higher in
      patient groups when compared with healthy controls. The receiver operating
      characteristic curve area under the curve was 0.98 (%95 CI: 0.97-1) and best cut
      off value was 990 pg/ml. CONCLUSION: In hospitalized pediatric patients with
      CRBSI, presepsin may be a helpful rapid marker in early diagnosis.

PMID- 28919354
TI  - CT angiography for planning of percutaneous closure of a sinus venosus atrial
      septal defect using a covered stent.

PMID- 28919355
TI  - Letter to the Editor: regarding "Air pollution and cardiovascular events with
      special reference to labor and delivery".

PMID- 28919356
TI  - Reply: "Air pollution and cardiovascular events with special reference to labor
      and delivery".

PMID- 28919357
TI  - Predictors of outcome in neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy after
      therapeutic hypothermia.

PMID- 28919358
TI  - Perfused human hepatocyte microtissues identify reactive metabolite-forming and
      mitochondria-perturbing hepatotoxins.
AB  - Hepatotoxins cause liver damage via many mechanisms but the formation of reactive
      metabolites and/or damage to liver mitochondria are commonly implicated. We
      assess 3D human primary hepatocyte microtissues as a platform for hepatotoxicity
      studies with reactive metabolite-forming and mitochondria-perturbing compounds.
      We show that microtissues formed from cryopreserved human hepatocytes had bile
      canaliculi, transcribed mRNA from genes associated with xenobiotic metabolism and
      expressed functional cytochrome P450 enzymes. Hierarchical clustering was used to
      distinguish dose-dependent hepatotoxicity elicited by clozapine, fialuridine and
      acetaminophen (APAP) from control cultures and less liver-damaging compounds,
      olanzapine and entecavir. The regio-isomer of acetaminophen, N-acetyl-meta
      aminophenol (AMAP) clustered with the hepatotoxic compounds. The principal
      metabolites of APAP were formed and dose-dependent changes in metabolite profile
      similar to those seen in patient overdose was observed. The toxicological profile
      of APAP was indistinguishable from that of AMAP, confirming AMAP as a human
      hepatotoxin. Tissue oxygen consumption rate was significantly decreased within 2h
      of exposure to APAP or AMAP, concomitant with glutathione depletion. These data
      highlight the potential utility of perfused metabolically functional human liver
      microtissues in drug development and mechanistic toxicology.

PMID- 28919359
TI  - Human intestine and liver microsomal metabolic differences between C19-diester
      and monoester diterpenoid alkaloids from the roots of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx.
AB  - The roots of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. show excellent effects against
      rheumatism and cardiovascular diseases, but the effective compounds, C19-diester
      and monoester diterpenoid alkaloids (DDAs and MDAs) are toxic for their narrow
      therapeutic windows. It is noteworthy to investigate intestinal metabolism of
      these toxic compounds mainly by oral administration, because gut also express
      drug-metabolizing enzymes as well as liver. This study initially focused on phase
      I and phase II metabolism of DDAs (including aconitine, mesaconitine and
      hypaconitine) and MDAs (including benzoylaconine, benzoylmesaconine and
      benzoylhypaconine) in human intestine microsomes (HIM), with comparison of
      metabolism in human liver microsomes (HLM). CYP3A in HIM mainly catalyzed phase I
      metabolism of DDAs and MDAs, with polarity increased. The intestinal metabolic
      profiles of DDAs were more various than MDAs. No glucuronide metabolites were
      detected, which was in agreement with HLM metabolism. The results showed that gut
      played an important role in detoxification of DDAs and MDAs by oral
      administration. Moreover, eight new metabolites from DDAs were identified in
      microsomes incubations by UPLC-Q-TOF-HRMS/MS. Our findings provided reference to
      the detoxification of DDAs and MDAs in the intestine in vivo and supplemented the
      phase I metabolic pathways for DDAs.

PMID- 28919360
TI  - The roles of antimicrobial peptide, rip-thanatin, in the midgut of Riptortus
      pedestris.
AB  - Recently, we have reported the structural determination of antimicrobial peptides
      (AMPs), such as riptocin, rip-defensin, and rip-thanatin, from Riptortus
      pedestris. However, the biological roles of AMPs in the host midgut remain
      elusive. Here, we compared the expression levels of AMP genes in apo-symbiotic
      insects with those of symbiotic insects. Interestingly, the expression level of
      rip-thanatin was only significantly increased in the posterior midgut region of
      symbiotic insects. To further determine the role of rip-thanatin, we checked
      antimicrobial activity in vitro. Rip-thanatin showed high antimicrobial activity
      and had the same structural characteristics as other reported thanatins. To find
      the novel function of rip-thanatin, rip-thanatin was silenced by RNA
      interference, and the population of gut symbionts was measured. When rip-thanatin
      was silenced, the symbionts' titer was increased upon bacterial infection. These
      results suggest that rip-thanatin functions not only as an antimicrobial peptide
      but also in controlling the symbionts' titer in the host midgut.

PMID- 28919361
TI  - Molecular characterisation, ontogeny and expression analysis of melanoma
      differentiation-associated factor 5 (MDA5) from Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer.
AB  - MDA5 is the pivotal member of the retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like
      receptors (RLRs) and is reported to play a crucial role in type I IFN-mediated
      responses against pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), especially
      nucleic acids. In this study, we have identified and cloned the full-length cDNA
      sequence of MDA5, which comprises 3398 nucleotides and encodes for a putative
      protein of 978 AA length, in Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer. From the putative
      amino acid sequence of AsMDA5, four different conserved domains could be
      predicted: two N-terminal CARD domains, a DExDc domain, a HELICc domain and a C
      terminal RIG-1_C-RD domain. The mRNA transcript of AsMDA5 could be detected in
      all the 11 tissues tested in healthy animals with the highest expression in heart
      followed by gill and skin. The ontogenetic expression profile showed constitutive
      expression in developmental stages starting from unfertilized eggs, which implies
      the possibility of maternally acquired immunity of RLRs in offspring. The viral
      analogue poly I:C could modulate the AsMDA5 expression both in vivo and in vitro.
      In all the tissues, AsMDA5 expression was found to be highly regulated following
      injection with poly I:C with the highest expression observed in kidney. The
      expression level of AsMDA5 was found to be modulated at different time-points
      following challenge with Gram-negative bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus, and Gram
      positive bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus. Similarly, noticeable change in AsMDA5
      expression was detected in SISK cell line induced with either LPS or PGN. The
      observations made in this study suggest that in euryhaline marine teleosts like
      Asian seabass, MDA5 gene serves as one of the pivotal receptor for the detection
      of viral and bacterial PAMP, and might play an important antimicrobial role
      during early embryonic development.

PMID- 28919362
TI  - A homozygote TREX1 mutation in two siblings with different phenotypes: Chilblains
      and cerebral vasculitis.
AB  - Three prime repair exonuclease 1 degrades single and double stranded DNA with 3'
      5' nuclease activity and its mutations are related to type 1 IFN mediated
      autoinflammation due to accumulated intracellular nucleic acids. To date, several
      cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome, familial
      chilblain lupus, retinal vasculopathy-cerebral leukodystrophy have been reported
      with TREX1 mutations. Chilblain lupus is a skin disease characterized by blue
      reddish coloring, swelling or ulcers on acral regions of body such as fingertips,
      heels, nose and auricles. Central nervous system vasculitis is a prominent cause
      of childhood strokes. 10 families with familial chilblain lupus related to TREX1
      mutations were reported previously in the literature, in which homozygote D18N
      variant in TREX1 gene was related to chilblains with cerebral vasculitis. In this
      report, whole-exome-sequencing revealed a homozygote R114C mutation in TREX1 gene
      was shown in two siblings with recurrent chilblains whom one of them was the
      second case accompanied by cerebral vasculitis in the literature. As a result,
      the approach of WES in clinical use revealed a novel mutation in clinically
      heterogenous patients to provide genetic counseling.

PMID- 28919363
TI  - Thoracic spinal cord and cervical vagosympathetic neuromodulation obtund nodose
      sensory transduction of myocardial ischemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autonomic regulation therapy involving either vagus nerve stimulation
      (VNS) or spinal cord stimulation (SCS) represents emerging bioelectronic
      therapies for heart disease. The objective of this study was to determine if VNS
      and/or SCS modulate primary cardiac afferent sensory transduction of the ischemic
      myocardium. METHODS: Using extracellular recordings in 19 anesthetized canines,
      of 88 neurons evaluated, 36 ventricular-related nodose ganglia sensory neurons
      were identified by their functional activity responses to epicardial touch,
      chemical activation of their sensory neurites (epicardial veratridine) and great
      vessel (descending aorta or inferior vena cava) occlusion. Neural responses to
      1min left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion (CAO) were then
      evaluated. These interventions were then studied following either: i) SCS [T1-T3
      spinal level; 50Hz, 90% motor threshold] or ii) cervical VNS [15-20Hz; 1.2*
      threshold]. RESULTS: LAD occlusion activated 66% of identified nodose ventricular
      sensory neurons (0.33+/-0.08-0.79+/-0.20Hz; baseline to CAO; p<0.002). Basal
      activity of cardiac-related nodose neurons was differentially reduced by VNS
      (0.31+/-0.11 to 0.05+/-0.02Hz; p<0.05) as compared to SCS (0.36+/-0.12 to 0.28+/
      0.14, p=0.59), with their activity response to transient LAD CAO being suppressed
      by either SCS (0.85+/-0.39-0.11+/-0.04Hz; p<0.03) or VNS (0.75+/-0.27-0.12+/
      0.05Hz; p<0.04). VNS did not alter evoked neural responses of cardiac-related
      nodose neurons to great vessel occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: Both VNS and SCS obtund
      ventricular ischemia induced enhancement of nodose afferent neuronal inputs to
      the medulla.

PMID- 28919364
TI  - Forward and reverse genetics approaches to uncover metabolic aging pathways in
      Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - The biological mechanisms of aging have been studied in depth and prominent
      findings in this field promote the development of new therapies for age
      associated disorders. Various model organisms are used for research on aging;
      among these, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been widely used and has
      provided valuable knowledge in determining the regulatory mechanisms driving the
      aging process. Many genes involved in lifespan regulation are associated with
      metabolic pathways and are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. In
      line with this, C. elegans provides a promising platform to study such gene by
      environment interactions, in either a reverse or forward genetics approach. In
      this review, we discuss longevity mechanisms related to metabolic networks that
      have been discovered in C. elegans. We also highlight the use of wild populations
      to study the complex genetic basis of natural variation for quantitative traits
      that mediate longevity.

PMID- 28919365
TI  - Hepatic stellate cell-specific deletion of SIRT1 exacerbates liver fibrosis in
      mice.
AB  - Liver fibrosis is widely perceived as a host defense mechanism that aids tissue
      repair following liver injury. Excessive fibrogenesis, however, serves to disrupt
      normal liver structure and precedes such irrevocable human pathologies as
      cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Activation of hepatic stellate cells
      (HSCs) is a hallmark event during liver fibrosis. In the present study we
      investigated the mechanism by which the lysine deacetylase SIRT1 regulates HSC
      activation. We report here that SIRT1 levels were decreased in the liver in
      different mouse models and in cultured HSCs undergoing activation. SIRT1 down
      regulation paralleled HDAC4 up-regulation. HDAC4 was recruited to the SIRT1
      promoter during HSC activation and removed acetylated histones H3 and H4 from the
      SIRT1 promoter leading to SIRT1 trans-repression. HDAC4 silencing restored SIRT1
      expression and attenuated HSC activation in SIRT1-dependent manner. More
      important, selective deletion of SIRT1 in HSCs exacerbated CCl4-induced liver
      fibrosis in mice. Mechanistically, SIRT1 deacetylated PPARgamma to block HSC
      activation. Together, our data reveal an HDAC4-SIRT1-PPARgamma axis that
      contributes to the regulation of HSC activation and liver fibrosis.

PMID- 28919367
TI  - Nup153 Interacts with Sox2 to Enable Bimodal Gene Regulation and Maintenance of
      Neural Progenitor Cells.
AB  - Neural progenitor cells (NeuPCs) possess a unique nuclear architecture that
      changes during differentiation. Nucleoporins are linked with cell-type-specific
      gene regulation, coupling physical changes in nuclear structure to
      transcriptional output; but, whether and how they coordinate with key fate
      determining transcription factors is unclear. Here we show that the nucleoporin
      Nup153 interacts with Sox2 in adult NeuPCs, where it is indispensable for their
      maintenance and controls neuronal differentiation. Genome-wide analyses show that
      Nup153 and Sox2 bind and co-regulate hundreds of genes. Binding of Nup153 to gene
      promoters or transcriptional end sites correlates with increased or decreased
      gene expression, respectively, and inhibiting Nup153 expression alters open
      chromatin configurations at its target genes, disrupts genomic localization of
      Sox2, and promotes differentiation in vitro and a gliogenic fate switch in vivo.
      Together, these findings reveal that nuclear structural proteins may exert
      bimodal transcriptional effects to control cell fate.

PMID- 28919368
TI  - A Comparison of Clinical Follow-Up of Different Total Temporomandibular Joint
      Replacement Prostheses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: There are different total temporomandibular joint (TMJ) prostheses on
      the market but no comparison of their efficacy. The purpose of this meta-analysis
      was to evaluate the effectiveness of different TMJ replacement (TJR) systems.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using
      the PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Library search engines in May 2017 to
      identify qualified studies. Outcome measurements were changes in maximal incisal
      opening (MIO), pain, dietary limitations, and functional deficiencies from before
      to after TJR. Analyses of heterogeneity, sensitivity, and publication bias were
      performed. A fixed-effects model was used for the meta-analysis of pooled
      weighted mean differences in pre- versus postoperative MIO, pain, diet, and
      function. RESULTS: Twenty studies with 1,262 patients were included in the meta
      analysis. Comparison of the TJR systems showed no real difference for pre- versus
      postoperative MIO, pain, diet, and function. MIO and functional efficiency
      decreased gradually over time, but effective pain relief and improvements in
      dietary limitations were stable with no relevant differences during follow-up.
      Comparison of the custom and stock devices showed similar results for pre- and
      postoperative MIO, pain, function, and diet. CONCLUSION: This analysis showed no
      relevant difference in treatment outcomes among the TJR systems.

PMID- 28919366
TI  - Prevalence and risk factors for fragility fracture in systemic mastocytosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is characterized by the accumulation of
      mast cells in tissues other than the skin. Bone involvement although frequent has
      not been thoroughly evaluated. Primary objective was to determine risk factors
      associated with fragility fractures (FF) in SM. Secondary objectives were to
      evaluate the ability of bone marrow tryptase (BMT) level to identify patients
      with FF, and to describe bone involvement in SM. METHODS: We analyzed
      retrospectively all consecutive patients seen in our expert center, with a
      diagnosis of SM according to the 2001 WHO criteria, and with complete bone
      assessment. We collected data about lifetime fractures, types of cutaneous
      manifestations, degranulation symptoms, blood and BMT levels, bone mineral
      density assessed by densitometry and KIT mutation. We performed a univariate
      analysis investigating the factors associated with FF and then a logistic
      multivariable regression analysis. We assessed the ability of bone marrow
      tryptase to identify patients with FF. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients with SM were
      included. Thirty-six patients (40.4%) suffered from osteoporosis and twenty-five
      (28.1%) experienced lifetime FF. Univariate analysis identified age at diagnosis
      and disease onset, presence of telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans,
      digestive symptoms, mast cells activation symptoms, elevated BMT, low femoral and
      lumbar BMD, as associated with FF. Multivariate analysis identified elevated BMT,
      low femoral T score and older age at diagnosis as independently associated with
      FF. CONCLUSIONS: Low femoral T-score, BMT level, and older age at diagnosis are
      markers associated with FF in SM. BMT may represent an important biomarker to
      predict FF in SM patients.

PMID- 28919369
TI  - Effect of airway remodeling and hyperresponsiveness on complexity of breathing
      pattern in rat.
AB  - The complexity of respiratory dynamics is decreased, in association with disease
      severity, in patients with asthma. However, the pathophysiological basis of
      decreased complexity of breathing pattern in asthma is not clear. In the present
      study, we investigated the effect of airway remodeling and hyperresponsiveness
      induced by repeated bronchoconstriction (using methacholine) on breathing pattern
      in rats with or without allergen-induced sensitization. Entropy analysis of
      respiratory variability showed decreased irregularity (less complexity) of
      respiratory rhythm in this rat model of asthma. Airway remodeling and
      hyperresponsiveness induced by repeated bronchoconstriction also led to increased
      regularity of respiratory dynamics in sensitized rats. However, these airway
      alterations had no significant effect on the complexity of breathing pattern in
      non-sensitized rats. Our results indicate that mechanical respiratory alterations
      cannot per se attenuate the complexity of respiratory dynamics, unless there is
      an underlying inflammation. We suggest further studies on underlying mechanisms
      of breathing variability with focus on respiratory control alterations due to
      airway inflammation.

PMID- 28919370
TI  - With age a lower individual breathing reserve is associated with a higher maximal
      heart rate.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maximal heart rate (HRmax) is linearly declining with increasing
      age. Regular exercise training is supposed to partly prevent this decline,
      whereas sex and habitual physical activity do not. High exercise capacity is
      associated with a high cardiac output (HR x stroke volume) and high ventilatory
      requirements. Due to the close cardiorespiratory coupling, we hypothesized that
      the individual ventilatory response to maximal exercise might be associated with
      the age-related HRmax. METHODS: Retrospective analyses have been conducted on the
      results of 129 consecutively performed routine cardiopulmonary exercise tests.
      The study sample comprised healthy subjects of both sexes of a broad range of age
      (20-86 years). Maximal values of power output, minute ventilation, oxygen uptake
      and heart rate were assessed by the use of incremental cycle spiroergometry.
      RESULTS: Linear multivariate regression analysis revealed that in addition to age
      the individual breathing reserve at maximal exercise was independently predictive
      for HRmax. A lower breathing reserve due to a high ventilatory demand and/or a
      low ventilatory capacity, which is more pronounced at a higher age, was
      associated with higher HRmax. Age explained the observed variance in HRmax by 72%
      and was improved to 83% when the variable "breathing reserve" was entered.
      DISCUSSION: The presented findings indicate an independent association between
      the breathing reserve at maximal exercise and maximal heart rate, i.e. a low
      individual breathing reserve is associated with a higher age-related HRmax. A
      deeper understanding of this association has to be investigated in a more
      physiological scenario.

PMID- 28919371
TI  - Perinatal deficiency in dietary omega-3 fatty acids potentiates sucrose reward
      and diet-induced obesity in mice.
AB  - Insufficient dietary intake of essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (N
      3), especially during critical stages of development, is well-associated with
      negative neurological and metabolic consequences. The increased availability and
      intake of foods rich in saturated fat coincides with reduced N-3 consumption, yet
      how N-3 dietary deficiency during perinatal development modulates motivation for
      palatable food and interacts with a high-fat diet to affect body weight and
      emotional states is not clear. Pregnant C57Bl6 mice and pups were subjected to
      diets either deficient or adequate (control) in N-3 until postnatal day 21. Adult
      male N-3 deficient or control offspring were tested in a progressive ratio
      operant task for sucrose motivated behavior or given prolonged access to a
      saturated high-fat diet or chow followed by measures of energy balance and
      anxiety-like behavior in the elevated-plus maze and open field test. Brain fatty
      acid profiles were measured via gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Perinatal
      dietary N-3 deficiency lowered brain N-3 levels, augmented the rewarding effects
      of sucrose, heightened diet-induced weight gain and fat mass accumulation and
      diminished spontaneous physical activity. Finally, perinatal N-3 deficiency
      increased anxiety-like behaviour independent of diet in the open field but not in
      the elevated-plus maze test. Insufficient dietary N-3 during critical periods of
      developmental can amplify the obesogenic effects of saturated fat intake, enhance
      motivated behaviour for palatable foods and may elicit negative emotional states
      that can perpetuate overeating and obesity.

PMID- 28919372
TI  - Biological applications of kinetics of wetting and spreading.
AB  - Wetting and spreading kinetics of biological fluids has gained a substantial
      interest recently. The importance of these fluids in our lives has driven the
      pace of publications. Globally scientists have ever growing interest in
      understanding wetting phenomena due to its vast applications in biological
      fluids. It is impractical to review extremely large number of publications in the
      field of kinetics of complex biological fluids and cosmetic solutions on diverse
      surfaces. Therefore, biological and cosmetic applications of wetting and
      spreading dynamics are considered in the following areas: (i) Spreading of
      Newtonian liquids in the case of non-porous and porous substrates. It is shown
      that the spreading kinetics of a Newtonian droplet on non-porous and porous
      substrate can be defined through theoretical relations for droplet base radius on
      time, which agree well with the experimental results; (ii) Spreading of blood
      over porous substrates. It is shown that blood, which has a complex non-Newtonian
      rheology, can be successfully modelled with the help of simple power-law model
      for shear-thinning non-Newtonian liquids; (iii) Simultaneous spreading and
      evaporation kinetics of blood. This part enlightens different underlying
      mechanisms present in the wetting, spreading, evaporation and dried pattern
      formation of the blood droplets on solid substrates; (iv) Spreading over hair. In
      this part the wetting of hair tresses by aqueous solutions of two widely used by
      industry commercially available polymers, AculynTM 22 and AculynTM 33, are
      discussed. The influence of non-Newtonian rheology of these polymer solutions on
      the drainage of foams produced from these solutions is also briefly discussed.

PMID- 28919373
TI  - Treatment of chronic granulomatous disease-associated fistulising colitis with
      vedolizumab.

PMID- 28919374
TI  - Effect of Ca2+ concentration on Scenedesmus sp. growth in heterotrophic and
      photoautotrophic cultivation.
AB  - The influence of Ca2+ concentration on the growth of the microalga Scenedesmus
      sp. in heterotrophic and photoautotrophic cultivations was investigated.
      Heterotrophic growth was induced by the addition of olive mill wastewaters (9%
      v.v-1) to the culture. Variations in the calcium concentration affected
      differently biomass production depending on whether microalgae were cultivated
      under heterotrophic or photoautotrophic regime. In photoautotrophic regime,
      increasing the calcium concentration from 20 to 230mg?L-1 decreased maximum cell
      concentration and growth rate. In heterotrophic cultivation, cell concentration
      and growth rate decreased with Ca2+ concentration increasing from 20 to 80mg?L-1
      but then increased with Ca2+ concentration increasing to 230mg?L-1. Increasing
      calcium concentration invariably promoted cell aggregation. The precipitation of
      calcium phosphates can explain the decreasing growth rate and cell concentration
      attained with increasing calcium concentration, while the influence of Ca2+
      concentration on the adsorption of phenols on suspended solids can explain the
      enhanced growth attained at large Ca2+ concentration under heterotrophic regime.
      Implications of the illustrated results for industrial scale application of
      microalgae are thoroughly discussed.

PMID- 28919375
TI  - The Association Between Leukotriene-Modifying Agents and Suicidality: A Review of
      Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2008 Food and Drug Administration issued a warning regarding a
      possible association between leukotriene-modifying agents and suicidality.
      OBJECTIVE: The warning remains controversial and this review of literature is an
      attempt to examine the evidence on the matter. METHODS: Literature search on
      PubMed. RESULTS: The data supporting a relationship between leukotriene-modifying
      agents and suicidality comes primarily from reviews of individual safety reports
      in adverse event databases; it is subject to considerable reporting bias and does
      not control for confounding factors. Case-control and cohort studies as well as
      data from clinical trials do not support an association between leukotriene
      modifying agents and suicidality. The data from ecological studies offers strong
      evidence of a lack of positive association between leukotriene-modifying agents
      and suicide outcomes (attempts and deaths) at the population level. Furthermore,
      there is no pharmacological mechanism that would explain an association between
      the two. CONCLUSION: Overall, the weight of higher quality evidence casts doubt
      on the association (especially at population level), but is not enough to
      conclusively disprove the association at an individual level.

PMID- 28919376
TI  - MicroRNA-218-5p as a Potential Target for the Treatment of Human Osteoarthritis.
AB  - Emerging evidence suggests that dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) play a pivotal
      role in osteoarthritis (OA), but the role of specific miRNAs remains unclear.
      Accordingly, we identified OA-associated miRNAs and functional validation of
      results. Here, we demonstrate that miR-218-5p is significantly upregulated in
      moderate and severe OA and correlates with scores on a modified Mankin scale.
      Through gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies, miR-218-5p was shown to
      significantly affect matrix synthesis gene expression and chondrocyte
      proliferation and apoptosis. Using SW1353 and C28/I2 cells, PIK3C2A mRNA was
      identified as a target of miR-218-5p. Downregulation of miR-218-5p dramatically
      promoted expression of PIK3C2A and its downstream target proteins, such as Akt,
      mTOR, S6, and 4EBP1. More importantly, OA mice exposed to a miR-218-5p inhibitor
      were protected from cartilage degradation and had reduced proteoglycan loss and
      reduced loss of articular chondrocyte cellularity compared with control mice. miR
      218-5p is a novel inducer of cartilage destruction via modulation of
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling. Inhibition of endogenous miR-218-5p expression/activity
      appears to be an attractive approach to OA treatment.

PMID- 28919378
TI  - Sudden death mechanisms in nonischemic cardiomyopathies: Insights gleaned from
      clinical implantable cardioverter-defibrillator trials.
AB  - Sudden cardiac death (SCD) represents a major cause of death among patients with
      heart failure. Although scar-based, macroreentrant ventricular
      tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation is the primary etiology for SCD among
      patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, a more diverse set of mechanisms and
      substrates is likely at play for the diverse group of patients characterized by
      nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NICM). These causes may include scar-based
      reentry, but also neurohormonal stimulation (sympathetic, parasympathetic, renin
      angiotensin-aldosterone), inflammation, and nonarrhythmic processes occurring in
      the context of a genetic predisposition. In addition to basic and translational
      science, observations from large randomized clinical trials of implantable
      cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) can also offer insight and support for
      specific mechanisms of SCD in these patients. This review will discuss the
      background of SCD in NICM, its potential mechanisms based on experimental and
      theoretical models, and the evidence for these mechanisms that can be derived
      from clinical trials of ICD therapy.

PMID- 28919377
TI  - Combination Cancer Therapy Using Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Engineered Natural
      Killer Cells as Drug Carriers.
AB  - The therapeutic limitations of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs include chemo
      resistance, tumor recurrence, and metastasis. Numerous nanoparticle-based active
      targeting approaches have emerged to enhance the intracellular concentration of
      drugs in tumor cells; however, efficient delivery of these systems to the tumor
      site while sparing healthy tissue remains elusive. Recently, much attention has
      been given to human immune-cell-directed nanoparticle drug delivery, because
      immune cells can traffic to the tumor and inflammatory sites. Natural killer
      cells are a subset of cytotoxic lymphocytes that play critical roles in cancer
      immunosurveillance. Engineering of the human natural killer cell line, NK92, to
      express chimeric antigen receptors to redirect their antitumor specificity has
      shown significant promise. We demonstrate that the efficacy of chemotherapy can
      be enhanced in vitro and in vivo while reducing off-target toxicity by using
      chimeric antigen receptor-engineered NK92 cells as carriers to direct drug-loaded
      nanoparticles to the target site.

PMID- 28919379
TI  - 2017 HRS expert consensus statement on cardiovascular implantable electronic
      device lead management and extraction.

PMID- 28919380
TI  - Establishing a hospital based fracture liaison service to prevent secondary
      insufficiency fractures.
AB  - In the aging population worldwide, osteoporosis is a relatively common condition
      and a major cause of long-term morbidity. Initial fragility fractures can lead to
      subsequent fractures. After a vertebral fracture, the risk of any another
      fracture increases 200% and that of a subsequent hip fracture increases 300%. For
      starting a hospital based Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) program, the nucleus is
      based on a physician champion, a FLS coordinator, and a nurse manager. A Fracture
      Liaison Service (FLS) is a multidisciplinary system approach to reducing
      subsequent fracture risk in patients with a recent fragility fracture due to
      compromised bone health by identifying them at or close to the time when they are
      treated at the hospital for fracture and providing them with easy access to
      osteoporosis care. It has been shown that when compared to other models such as
      referral letters to primary care physicians or endocrinologists, the FLS model
      results in a higher rate of diagnosis and treatment with less attrition in the
      posffracture phase. Insufficiency fracture care requires more than surgery to
      stabilize a fractured bone. The FLS program provides an opportunity to treat
      osteoporosis from a public health perspective rather than leaving this to the
      whims of individual physicians. This is achieved by providing a seamless
      integration of care by health care providers, nursing staff and administration.
      The FLS can be adapted to any model of care including academic health systems.
      FLS provides a holistic approach to identify patients as well as to provide
      evidence-based interventions to prevent subsequent fractures. The long term goal
      is that internationally FLS will result in in decreased fracture-related
      morbidity, mortality and overall health care expenditure.

PMID- 28919381
TI  - Correction to Lancet Glob Health 2017; 5: e924-35.

PMID- 28919382
TI  - Overweight and obesity in New Caledonian adults: Results from measured and
      adjusted self-reported anthropometric data.
AB  - AIMS: To estimate the overweight (OW) and obesity (Ob) prevalence and associated
      socio-demographic risk factors in New Caledonian adults aged 18-67years. METHODS:
      From a randomly selected cross-sectional population survey, self-reported
      (n=2513) and measured (n=736) height and weight data were collected. Separate
      linear regression analyses for measured weight and height were performed, using
      cases with both self-reported weight and height and socio-demographic variables.
      The final weight and height assigned to each case was either measured or
      predicted from the regression (n=2075). OW prevalence was defined as: Body Mass
      Index (BMI) >=25 and <30kg/m-2; and Ob: BMI >=30kg/m-2. Samples were weighted to
      the general adult population. Prevalence and Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by
      gender, and adjusted for socio-demographic variables, to assess differentials in
      OW, Ob and OW-Ob, using multinomial and logistic regressions. RESULTS: Male (M)
      OW was 35% (95% CI: 31-38), Ob 29% (95% CI: 26-32) and OW-Ob 64% (95% CI: 60-67);
      female (F) OW was 26% (95% CI: 23-28), Ob 34% (95% CI: 31-37) and OW-Ob 60% (95%
      CI: 57-63). Compared to Melanesians (OR=1.0) for male/female: Polynesians had the
      highest prevalence of OW (1.7/1.5), Ob (4.7/3.5), and OW-Ob (3.0/2.5); New
      Caledonian-born Europeans had greater OW, Ob and OW-Ob (0.3/0.4) than immigrant
      Europeans (0.2/0.2). CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute to obesity comparisons with
      other Pacific Islands, and they establish trends in New Caledonia for targeting
      policies and strategies of prevention.

PMID- 28919383
TI  - Prediction of Air Entrapment in Tableting: An Approximate Solution.
AB  - An approximate solution is presented for the prediction of air entrapment during
      tableting. Assuming weak coupling of the deformation of the solid phase, the flow
      of interstitial air and a set of reasonable additional geometric assumptions, the
      general problem is reduced to 1 dimension. Experimental values of air
      permeability through tablet specimens of commonly used pharmaceutical excipients
      were obtained using a 3D printed test cell outfitted to a powder rheometer. Using
      these values, combined with a numerical solution of the governing partial
      differential equation, parametric studies are presented that demonstrate the
      importance of permeability, compaction speed, tablet size, and punch-die
      tolerance on air entrapment. In addition, a first-order approximation of the role
      of entrapped air on the measured radial tensile strength of formed tablets is
      presented.

PMID- 28919384
TI  - The Combination of GIS and Biphasic to Better Predict In Vivo Dissolution of BCS
      Class IIb Drugs, Ketoconazole and Raloxifene.
AB  - The formulation developments and the in vivo assessment of Biopharmaceutical
      Classification System (BCS) class II drugs are challenging due to their low
      solubility and high permeability in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Since
      the GI environment influences the drug dissolution of BCS class II drugs, the
      human GI characteristics should be incorporated into the in vitro dissolution
      system to predict bioperformance of BCS class II drugs. An absorptive compartment
      may be important in dissolution apparatus for BCS class II drugs, especially for
      bases (BCS IIb) because of high permeability, precipitation, and supersaturation.
      Thus, the in vitro dissolution system with an absorptive compartment may help
      predicting the in vivo phenomena of BCS class II drugs better than compendial
      dissolution apparatuses. In this study, an absorptive compartment (a biphasic
      device) was introduced to a gastrointestinal simulator. This addition was
      evaluated if this in vitro system could improve the prediction of in vivo
      dissolution for BCS class IIb drugs, ketoconazole and raloxifene, and subsequent
      absorption. The gastrointestinal simulator is a practical in vivo predictive tool
      and exhibited an improved in vivo prediction utilizing the biphasic format and
      thus a better tool for evaluating the bioperformance of BCS class IIb drugs than
      compendial apparatuses.

PMID- 28919385
TI  - Influences of ammonium and phosphate stimulation on metalworking fluid biofilm
      reactor development and performance.
AB  - In this study, the effects of common wastewater stimulants, namely NH4Cl and
      KH2PO4, on the development and performance of metalworking fluid biofilm
      bioreactors are presented. It is shown that biofilms flourished only when one of
      these components was present in limiting quantities. Biofilm yields significantly
      declined when both of the components were withheld from the bioreactors or when
      both components were provided in excess. Stimulations to the reactors using NH4Cl
      significantly reduced the total carbon removal performance, while stimulations
      using KH2PO4 resulted in significant increases in performance. Chromatographic
      analyses showed that the NH4Cl stimulation enhanced the removal of saturated
      fatty amides and diethylene glycol butyl ether from the metalworking fluid, but
      inhibited the removal of diisoproponolamine. Furthermore, NH4Cl additions
      inhibited the oil/water separation carbon removal mechanism and resulted in the
      re-dispersion of recalcitrant organic material. The results from this study show
      that metalworking fluid practitioners should take care in choosing the nutrients
      used for stimulating bioreactor performance and microbe development. Incorrect
      stimulations with NH4Cl may result in negative treatment performances due to the
      inhibition of amine utilisation and enhancing emulsion stability.

PMID- 28919386
TI  - Comparison of lacosamide versus sodium valproate in status epilepticus: A pilot
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of
      lacosamide (LCM) and sodium valproate (SVA) in lorazepam (LOR)-resistant SE.
      METHODS: Patients with LOR-resistant SE were randomized to intravenous LCM 400mg
      at the rate of 60mg/kg/min or SVA 30mg/kg at the rate of 100mg/min. The SE
      severity score (STESS), duration of SE and its etiology, and MRI findings were
      noted. Primary outcome was seizure cessation for 1h, and secondary outcomes were
      24h seizure remission, in-hospital death, and severe adverse events (SAE).
      RESULTS: Sixty-six patients were included, and their median age was 40 (range 18
      90) years. Thirty-three patients each received LCM and SVA. Their demographic,
      clinical, STESS, etiology, and MRI findings were not significantly different. One
      hour seizure remission was not significantly different between LCM and SVA groups
      (66.7% vs 69.7%; P=0.79). Twenty-four-hour seizure freedom was insignificantly
      higher in SVA (20, 66.6%) compared with LCM group (15, 45.5%). Death (10 vs 12)
      and composite side effects (4 vs 6) were also not significantly different in LCM
      and SVA groups. LCM was associated with hypotension and bradycardia (1 patient),
      and SVA with liver dysfunction (6). CONCLUSION: In patients with LOR-resistant
      SE, both LCM and SVA have comparable efficacy and safety.

PMID- 28919387
TI  - Health-related quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy in Montenegro.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to establish potential risk factors
      for poor health-related quality of life among adolescents with epilepsy in
      Montenegro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A sample of 104 adolescents with epilepsy (age:
      11-19years) at a tertiary referral center in Podgorica, Montenegro, completed the
      validated Serbian version of the QOLIE-AD-48 questionnaire. They were divided
      into two groups: a group with active epilepsy (60 adolescents) and a group with
      inactive epilepsy (44 adolescents). Demographic and clinical data were collected.
      RESULTS: Adolescents with active epilepsy had low quality of life and felt the
      negative impact of the disease. They also had more cognitive impairments, felt
      more stigmatized, and had considerably more distorted perception of their health
      than adolescents with inactive epilepsy (p<0.05). Females reported better social
      support than males (p<0.05). Older males had lower grades at school (p<0.05) than
      the younger ones. As expected, adolescents with the highest number of seizures in
      the past two years had the lowest quality of life (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In our
      study, the quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy was determined by
      severity of the disease, age, and gender.

PMID- 28919388
TI  - Altered brain functional connectivity induced by physical exercise may improve
      neuropsychological functions in patients with benign epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to elucidate alteration in functional
      connectivity (FC) in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes
      (BECTS) as induced by physical exercise therapy and their correlation to the
      neuropsychological (NP) functions. METHODS: We analyzed 115 artifact- and spike
      free 2-second epochs extracted from resting state EEG recordings before and after
      5weeks of physical exercise in eight patients with BECTS. The exact Low
      Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (eLORETA) was used for source
      reconstruction. We evaluated the cortical current source density (CSD) power
      across five different frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma).
      Altered FC between 34 regions of interests (ROIs) was then examined using lagged
      phase synchronization (LPS) method. We further investigated the correlation
      between the altered FC measures and the changes in NP test scores. RESULTS: We
      observed changes in CSD power following the exercise for all frequency bands and
      statistically significant increases in the right temporal region for the alpha
      band. There were a number of altered FC between the cortical ROIs in all
      frequency bands of interest. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed
      between FC measures and NP test scores at theta and alpha bands. CONCLUSION: The
      increased localization power at alpha band may be an indication of the positive
      impact of exercise in patients with BECTS. Frequency band-specific alterations in
      FC among cortical regions were associated with the modulation of cognitive and NP
      functions. The significant correlation between FC and NP tests suggests that
      physical exercise may mitigate the severity of BECTS, thereby enhancing NP
      function.

PMID- 28919389
TI  - [Hepatic mucormycosis due to Rhizopus microsporus: A case report].

PMID- 28919391
TI  - The added value of the 90-day repeated dose oral toxicity test for industrial
      chemicals with a low (sub)acute toxicity profile in a high quality dataset: An
      update.
AB  - A previous retrospective analysis of substances in the ECHA CHEM database
      concluded that, for industrial chemicals with a 'low (sub)acute toxicity
      profile', further testing in the 90-day study is unlikely to change this profile
      (Taylor et al., 2014). We have further tested this hypothesis by assessing the
      outcome of substances with testing proposals for which a prediction was made in
      that paper that the NOAEL based on the 90-day study would be 1000 mg/kg bw/d.
      Indeed, for seven out of ten substances for which data was available, the profile
      was shown to be held. For three substances, the reduced NOAEL was explained by
      renal effects in the rats, two of which had been seen in the 28-day study but had
      been dismissed by the study submitter. We conclude that the low toxicity profile
      will be even more protective if the NOEL is used from the 28-day study and an
      independent expert view is taken of the human relevance of any effects reported
      in the 28-day study.

PMID- 28919390
TI  - [Histoplasma capsulatum bone and joint infection].

PMID- 28919392
TI  - Oral mucosal irritation study in hamster to evaluate a therapeutic apparatus
      using hydrogen peroxide photolysis for periodontitis treatment.
AB  - We conducted an oral mucosal irritation study in hamsters to evaluate a
      therapeutic apparatus using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) photolysis for periodontitis
      treatment (ISO 10993-Part 10, Annex B.3). The cheek pouches in 15 male hamsters
      were allocated to one of six groups. Group 1 received pure water treatment
      (control group). Group 2 received laser irradiation at 80 mW. Group 3 received 3%
      H2O2. Groups 4-6 received laser irradiation of 3% H2O2 at 80, 40, and 20 mW,
      respectively. The total treatment time was set at 7 min and treatment was
      repeated three times at approximately 1-h intervals. Macroscopic and microscopic
      histologic observations of the treated sites were performed immediately after
      each treatment and/or 24 h after the last treatment. The mean scores in
      macroscopic and histologic examinations in all six groups were 0. Accordingly,
      irritation indices calculated by subtracting the mean score in each experimental
      group from that in the control group (Group 1) were 0. Our results suggest that
      treatment with the apparatus has no mucosal irritation potential in hamster cheek
      pouches under test conditions simulating clinical conditions.

PMID- 28919393
TI  - Pseudoprogression Associated with Clinical Deterioration and Worsening Quality of
      Life in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

PMID- 28919394
TI  - Concomitant Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy with SBRT Boost for Unresectable Stage
      III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Phase I Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is now the standard of
      care in medically inoperable stage I NSCLC, yielding high rates of local control.
      It is unknown whether SBRT can be safely utilized in the locally advanced NSCLC
      setting. This multi-institution phase I study evaluated the safety of 44 Gy of
      conventionally fractionated thoracic radiation with concurrent chemotherapy plus
      dose-escalated SBRT boost to both the primary tumor and involved mediastinal
      lymph nodes. The primary end point of this study was to establish the maximum
      tolerated dose (MTD) of the SBRT boost. METHODS: Inclusion criteria included
      unresectable stage IIIA or IIIB disease, primary tumor 8 cm or smaller, and N1 or
      N2 lymph nodes 5 cm or smaller. Tumors were staged with positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (CT), and four-dimensional CT simulation was used
      for radiation planning. The treatment schema was 44 Gy of thoracic radiation (2
      Gy/d) with weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy. A second CT simulation
      was obtained after 40 Gy had been delivered, and a SBRT boost was planned to the
      remaining gross disease at the primary site and involved mediastinal lymph nodes.
      Consolidation chemotherapy was given at the discretion of the treating medical
      oncologist. Four SBRT boost dose cohorts were tested: cohort 1 (9 Gy * 2), cohort
      2 (10 Gy * 5), cohort 3 (6 Gy * 5), and cohort 4 (7 Gy * 5). Patients were
      treated in cohorts of three patients, and the Bayesian escalation with overdose
      control method was used to determine the MTD of the SBRT boost. Dose-limiting
      toxicities (DLTs) were defined as any grade 3 or higher toxicities within 30 days
      of treatment attributed to treatment, not including hematologic toxicity, or any
      grade 5 toxicity attributed to treatment. RESULTS: The study enrolled 19 patients
      from November 2012 to December 2016. There were four screen failures, and 15
      patients were treated on study. There were no DLTs in dose cohort 1 (n = 3) and 2
      (n = 6). DLT developed in one patient in dose cohort 3 (n = 3) and in 2 patients
      in dose cohort 4 (n = 3). The calculated MTD was 6 Gy * 5. The DLT observed at
      this dose level was a tracheoesophageal fistula; given this substantial toxicity,
      there was investigator reluctance to enroll further patients at this dose level.
      Thus, the calculated MTD was 6 Gy * 5; however, 10 Gy * 2 is thought to be a
      reasonable dose as well, given that no grade 5 toxicities occurred with that
      dose. CONCLUSIONS: The MTD of a SBRT boost combined with 44 Gy of thoracic
      chemoradiation was 6 Gy * 5. A SBRT boost dose of 10 Gy * 2 could be considered
      safer, with no grade 3 or higher toxicities observed at this dose level during
      the follow-up period in this study.

PMID- 28919395
TI  - Gastroprotective effect of aucubin against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury
      in mice.
AB  - AIMS: Aucubin, an iridoid glycoside, was isolated from seeds of Eucommia ulmoides
      Oliver. This study was aimed to evaluate the protective effect of aucubin against
      ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice were
      orally administrated with aucubin (20, 40 and 80mg/kg) for 3 consecutive days. On
      the 3rd day, the mice of gastric mucosal injury were induced with 70% ethanol
      after the last administration of aucubin. Gastric tissue of mice were submitted
      for evaluating the severity of gastric mucosal injury. The protective effect of
      aucubin was evaluated by the gastric ulcer index and histological examinations
      and determining the levels of inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress and some
      gastric mucosal protection factors. KEY FINDINGS: Prophylactic oral
      administration of aucubin decreased gastric ulcer indexes and histological
      scores. A significant decrease of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and the levels
      of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin
      6 (IL-6) were observed in aucubin administrated groups. In addition, mice
      administrated with aucubin increased glutathione (GSH) and heat shock protein-70
      (HSP-70) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, as well as normalized
      the levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) in gastric tissue of mice. SIGNIFICANCE: The
      findings of this study demonstrated that aucubin shows protective effect against
      ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury through its anti-inflammatory and
      anti-oxidant effects. Furthermore, aucubin enhanced gastric mucosal protection by
      up-regulation of HSP-70 level and normalization of EGF, VEGF and COX-1 levels.

PMID- 28919396
TI  - Protective effect of chlorogenic acid on the inflammatory damage of pancreas and
      lung in mice with l-arginine-induced pancreatitis.
AB  - AIMS: Pancreatitis is characterized by inflammatory disease with severe tissue
      injury in pancreas, and the incidence of pancreatitis has been recently
      increasing. Although several treatments of acute pancreatitis have been
      developed, some patients have been resistant to current therapy. Chlorogenic acid
      (CGA) is one of the polyphenols, and is known to have an anti-inflammatory
      effect. In this study, we investigated the effects of CGA on experimental
      pancreatitis in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pancreatitis was induced by twice
      injection of l-arginine (5g/kg body weight). Mice were intraperitoneally injected
      with CGA (20mg/kg or 40mg/kg) 1h before administration of l-arginine. KEY
      FINDINGS: Administration of 40mg/kg of CGA decreased the histological severity of
      pancreatitis and pancreatitis-associated lung injury. Moreover, administration of
      CGA inhibited the levels of pancreatic enzyme activity. Interestingly, CGA
      reduced the serum and pancreatic levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor
      (MIF) in mice with l-arginine-induced pancreatitis. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results
      suggest that CGA has an anti-inflammatory effect on l-arginine-induced
      pancreatitis and pancreatitis-associated lung injury.

PMID- 28919397
TI  - Inferring within-host bottleneck size: A Bayesian approach.
AB  - Recent technical developments in microbiology have led to new discoveries on the
      within-host dynamics of bacterial infections in laboratory animals. In
      particular, they have highlighted the importance of stochastic bottlenecks at the
      onset of invasive disease. A number of approaches exist for bottleneck-size
      estimation with respect to within-host bacterial infections; however, some are
      more appropriate than others under certain circumstances. A Bayesian comparison
      of several approaches is made in terms of the availability of isogenic multitype
      bacteria (e.g., WITS), knowledge of post-bottleneck dynamics, and the suitability
      of dilution with monotype bacteria. A sampling approach to bottleneck-size
      estimation is also introduced. The results are summarised by a guiding flowchart,
      which we hope will promote the use of quantitative models in microbiology to
      refine the analysis of animal experiment data.

PMID- 28919398
TI  - Controlling bovine paratuberculosis at a regional scale: Towards a decision
      modelling tool.
AB  - Johne's disease (paratuberculosis), a worldwide enzootic disease of cattle caused
      by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), mainly introduced into
      farms by purchasing infected animals, has a large economic impact for dairy
      producers. Since diagnostic tests used in routine are poorly sensitive, observing
      Map spread in the field is hardly possible, whereas there is a need for
      evaluating control strategies. Our objective was to provide a modelling framework
      to compare the efficacy of regional control strategies combining internal
      biosecurity measures and testing of traded animals, against Map spread in a
      metapopulation of dairy cattle herds. We represented 12,857 dairy herds located
      in Brittany (France), based on data from 2005 to 2013, used to calibrate herd
      sizes and demographic rates and to define trade events in a multiscale model of
      Map infection dynamics. By clustering and categorical descriptive analysis of
      intensive simulations of this model, based on a numerical experimental design, a
      large panel of control measures was explored. Their efficacy was assessed on
      model outputs such as the prevalence and probability of extinction at the
      metapopulation level. In addition, we proposed a scoring for the effort required
      to implement control measures and prioritized control strategies based on their
      theoretical epidemiological efficacy. Our results clearly indicate that
      eradication cannot be achieved on the mid term using available control measures.
      However, we identified relevant combinations of measures that lead to the control
      of Map spread with realistic level of implementation and coverage. The study
      highlights the challenge of controlling paratuberculosis in an endemically
      infected region as related to the poor test characteristics and frequent trade
      movements. Our model lays the foundations for a flexible and efficient tool to
      help collective animal health managers in defining relevant control strategies at
      a regional scale, accounting for local specificities in terms of contact network
      and farms' characteristics.

PMID- 28919399
TI  - A numerical model suggests the interplay between nuclear plasticity and stiffness
      during a perfusion assay.
AB  - Cell deformability is a necessary condition for a cell to be able to migrate, an
      ability that is vital both for healthy and diseased organisms. The nucleus being
      the largest and stiffest organelle, it often is a barrier to cell migration. It
      is thus essential to characterize its mechanical behaviour. First, we numerically
      investigate the visco-elasto-plastic properties of the isolated nucleus during a
      compression test. This simulation highlights the impact of the mechanical
      behaviour of the nuclear lamina and the nucleoplasm on the overall plasticity.
      Second, a whole cell model is developed to simulate a perfusion experiment to
      study the possible interactions between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. We analyze
      and discuss the role of the lamina for a wild-type cell model, and a lamin
      deficient one, in which the Young's modulus of the lamina is set to 1% of its
      nominal value. This simulation suggests an interplay between the cytoplasm and
      the nucleoplasm, especially in the lamin-deficient cell, showing the need of a
      stiffer nucleoplasm to maintain nuclear plasticity.

PMID- 28919400
TI  - Condom use and incident sexually transmitted infection after initiation of long
      acting reversible contraception.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Use of more effective contraception may lead to less condom use and
      increased incidence of sexually transmitted infection. OBJECTIVE: The objective
      of this study was to compare changes in condom use and incidence of sexually
      transmitted infection acquisition among new initiators of long-acting reversible
      contraceptives to those initiating non-long-acting reversible contraceptive
      methods. STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of the Contraceptive CHOICE
      Project. We included 2 sample populations of 12-month continuous contraceptive
      users. The first included users with complete condom data (baseline, and 3, 6,
      and 12 months) (long-acting reversible contraceptive users: N = 2371; other
      methods: N = 575). The second included users with 12-month sexually transmitted
      infection data (long-acting reversible contraceptive users: N = 2102; other
      methods: N = 592). Self-reported condom use was assessed at baseline and at 3, 6,
      and 12 months following enrollment. Changes in condom use and incident sexually
      transmitted infection rates were compared using chi2 tests. Risk factors for
      sexually transmitted infection acquisition were identified using multivariable
      logistic regression. RESULTS: Few participants in either group reported
      consistent condom use across all survey time points and with all partners (long
      acting reversible contraceptive users: 5.2%; other methods: 11.3%; P < .001).
      There was no difference in change of condom use at 3, 6, and 12 months compared
      to baseline condom use regardless of method type (P = .65). A total of 94
      incident sexually transmitted infections were documented, with long-acting
      reversible contraceptive users accounting for a higher proportion (3.9% vs 2.0%;
      P = .03). Initiation of a long-acting reversible contraceptive method was
      associated with increased sexually transmitted infection incidence (odds ratio,
      2.0; 95% confidence ratio, 1.07-3.72). CONCLUSION: Long-acting reversible
      contraceptive initiators reported lower rates of consistent condom use, but did
      not demonstrate a change in condom use when compared to preinitiation behaviors.
      Long-acting reversible contraceptive users were more likely to acquire a sexually
      transmitted infection in the 12 months following initiation.

PMID- 28919401
TI  - Comment on: Predicting the difficulty of operative vaginal delivery by ultrasound
      measurements of the fetal head station.

PMID- 28919402
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28919403
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28919404
TI  - Emergency in the clinic: a simulation curriculum to improve outpatient safety.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emergency response skills are essential when events such as seizure,
      anaphylaxis, or hemorrhage occur in the outpatient setting. As services and
      procedures increasingly move outside the hospital, training to manage
      complications may improve outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to
      evaluate a simulation-based curriculum in outpatient emergency management skills
      with the outcome measures of graded objective performance and learner self
      efficacy. STUDY DESIGN: This pre- and postcurriculum study enrolled residents and
      fellows in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Family Medicine in a simulation-based,
      outpatient emergency management curriculum. Learners completed self-efficacy
      questionnaires and were videotaped managing 3 medical emergency scenarios
      (seizure, over-sedation/cardiopulmonary arrest, and hemorrhage) in the simulation
      laboratory both before and after completion of the curriculum. Evaluators who
      were blinded to training level scored the simulation performance videotapes using
      a graded rubric with critical action checklists. Scenario scores were assigned in
      5 domains and globally. Paired t-tests were used to determine differences pre-
      and postcurriculum. RESULTS: Thirty residents completed the curriculum and pre-
      and postcurriculum testing. Subjects' objective performance scores improved in
      all 5 domains (P<.05) in all scenarios. When scores were stratified by level of
      training, all participants demonstrated global improvement. When scores were
      stratified by previous outpatient simulation experience, subjects with previous
      experience improved in all but management of excess sedation. Pre- and
      postcurriculum self-efficacy evaluations demonstrated improvement in all 7
      measured areas: confidence, use of appropriate resources, communication skills,
      complex airway management, bag mask ventilation, resuscitation, and hemorrhage
      management. Self-efficacy assessment showed improvement in confidence managing
      outpatient emergencies (P=.001) and ability to communicate well in emergency
      situations (P<.001). CONCLUSION: A simulation-based curriculum improved both self
      efficacy and objectively rated performance scores in management of outpatient
      medical emergencies. Simulation-based curricula should be incorporated into
      residency education.

PMID- 28919405
TI  - Exploration of stable isotope analysis for tick host identification.
AB  - Due to the problem of tick-borne diseases, there is a need to better understand
      the importance of different host species in maintaining enzootic disease cycles.
      We explored the utility of stable isotope analysis to identify the larval hosts
      of questing ixodid ticks. In laboratory experiments, we used Ixodes scapularis
      and two host species that are important in the Lyme disease system in eastern
      North America. First, we tested how effectively a short-term dietary tracer (13C
      in corn) was reflected in molted ticks. Second, we attempted to identify the host
      species (either white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) or eastern chipmunk
      (Tamias striatus)), based on the isotopic signature of the ticks that had fed on
      them. The corn isotopic signal was easily detectable in the ticks that fed on
      corn-diet hosts despite the brief feeding period (96h). However, we were not able
      to differentiate between flat Ixodes scapularis nymphs that had fed as larvae on
      mice vs. those fed on chipmunks. Isotopic signatures of fur from mice and
      chipmunks were also indistinguishable, probably due to the similar diets of these
      two species in the wild. We conclude that, while stable isotope analysis of ticks
      may not be able to distinguish between ecologically similar host species, it may
      be useful in sorting ticks to the level of feeding guild of the host.

PMID- 28919406
TI  - Endoscopic management for congenital pyriform sinus fistula.

PMID- 28919407
TI  - How to target inter-regional phase synchronization with dual-site Transcranial
      Alternating Current Stimulation.
AB  - Large-scale synchronization of neural oscillations is a key mechanism for
      functional information exchange among brain areas. Dual-site Transcranial
      Alternating Current Stimulation (ds-TACS) has been recently introduced as non
      invasive technique to manipulate the temporal phase relationship of local
      oscillations in two connected cortical areas. While the frequency of ds-TACS is
      matched, the phase of stimulation is either identical (in-phase stimulation) or
      opposite (anti-phase stimulation) in the two cortical target areas. In-phase
      stimulation is thought to synchronize the endogenous oscillations and hereby to
      improve behavioral performance. Conversely, anti-phase stimulation is thought to
      desynchronize neural oscillations in the two areas, which is expected to decrease
      performance. Critically, in- and anti-phase ds-TACS should only differ with
      respect to temporal phase, while all other stimulation parameters such as
      focality and stimulation intensity should be matched to enable an unambiguous
      interpretation of the behavioral effects. Using electric field simulations based
      on a realistic head geometry, we tested how well this goal has been met in
      studies, which have employed ds-TACS up to now. Separating the induced electrical
      fields in their spatial and temporal components, we investigated how the chosen
      electrode montages determined the spatial field distribution and the generation
      of phase variations in the injected electric fields. Considering the basic
      physical mechanisms, we derived recommendations for an optimized stimulation
      montage. The latter allows for a principled design of in- and anti-phase ds-TACS
      conditions with matched spatial distributions of the electric field. This
      knowledge will help cognitive neuroscientists to design optimal ds-TACS
      configurations, which are suited to probe unambiguously the causal contribution
      of phase coupling to specific cognitive processes in the human brain.

PMID- 28919408
TI  - Neural oscillations reflect latent learning states underlying dual-context
      sensorimotor adaptation.
AB  - Recent studies have suggested that individuals can form multiple motor memories
      when simultaneously adapting to multiple, but oppositely-oriented perturbations.
      These findings predict that individuals detect the change in learning context,
      allowing the selective initialization and update of motor memories. However,
      previous electrophysiological studies of sensorimotor adaptation have not
      identified a neural mechanism supporting the detection of a context switch and
      adaptation to separate contexts. Here, we tested the hypothesis that such a
      mechanism is identifiable through neural oscillations measured through EEG. Human
      participants learned to manipulate an object in two opposite contexts (mass
      distribution). This task was designed based on previous work showing that people
      can adapt to both contexts. We found that sensorimotor alpha and beta, and medial
      frontal theta frequency bands all exhibited different response patterns with
      respect to the error in each context. To determine whether any frequency's
      responses to error were distinctly related to a switch in context, we predicted
      single-trial EEG data from a computational learning model that can adapt to
      multiple contexts simultaneously based on a switching mechanism. This analysis
      revealed that only medial frontal theta was predicted by a component of the model
      state that adapts to errors based on a context switch. In contrast, alpha and
      beta were predicted by a model state that was updated from performance errors
      independent of the context. These findings provide novel evidence showing that
      sensorimotor and medial frontal oscillations are predicted by different
      adaptation processes, and that changes in medial frontal activity may indicate
      the formation of motor memories by responding to changes in learning context.

PMID- 28919409
TI  - Solasodine-3-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside is hydrolyzed by a membrane glucosidase
      into active molecule solasodine against Candida albicans.
AB  - Antifungal activity of some natural molecules can be abated or blocked by efflux
      pumps in Candida albicans, which restricts the discovery of potential antifungal
      agents. Here we found that the steroidal alkaloid solasodine is active against C.
      albicans efflux pump-deficient strains but inert towards the wild type. However,
      the glucosylated solasodine-3-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside exhibits antifungal
      activity towards the wild type strain. Further investigation revealed that the
      entry of solasodine into C. albicans cells is blocked by efflux pumps.
      Glucosylation provides an alternative access not disturbed by efflux pumps. Once
      inside cells, the carried glucosylated solasodine is cleaved into the active
      molecule solasodine by the glucosidase, which is located in cytoplasm membrane
      and exhibits selective activity against hydrolyzing glucosyl natural products but
      not against other monosaccharide-substituted products. This glucosidase is not
      encoded by orf19.4031, considered homologous to steryl-beta-glucosidase encoded
      by the gene EGH1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our study reveals that
      glucosylation is an alternative approach for introducing potential antifungal
      activity into C. albicans cells and overcoming the drug-resistance resulting from
      hyperactivation of efflux pumps.

PMID- 28919410
TI  - Tetrabromobisphenol A disturbs zinc homeostasis in cultured cerebellar granule
      cells: A dual role in neurotoxicity.
AB  - The brominated flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) has recognized
      neurotoxic properties mediated by intracellular Ca2+ imbalance and oxidative
      stress. Although these factors are known to trigger the release of Zn2+ from
      intracellular stores, the effects of TBBPA on Zn2+ homeostasis in neurons and the
      role of Zn2+in TBBPA neurotoxicity have not yet been studied. Therefore, we
      investigated zinc transients in primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells
      and assessed their involvement in TBBPA neurotoxicity. The results demonstrate
      that TBBPA releases Zn2+ from the intracellular stores and increases its
      intracellular concentration, followed by Zn2+ displacement from the cells. TBBPA
      evoked Zn2+ transients are partially mediated by Ca2+ and ROS. Application of
      TPEN, Zn2+ chelator, potentiates TBBPA- and glutamate-induced 45Ca uptake,
      enhances TBBPA-induced ROS production and potentiates decreases in the DeltaPsim
      in cells treated with 25 MUM TBBPA, revealing the potential neuroprotective
      capacity of endogenous Zn2+. However, the administration of TPEN does not
      aggravate TBBPA neurotoxicity, and even slightly decreases neuronal death induced
      by 25 MUM TBBPA. In summary, it was shown for the first time that TBBPA
      interferes with the cellular Zn2+ homeostasis in neuronal cultures, and we
      revealed complex roles for endogenous Zn2+ in cytoprotection and TBBPA toxicity
      in cultured neurons.

PMID- 28919411
TI  - Homocysteine upregulates interleukin-17A expression via NSun2-mediated RNA
      methylation in T lymphocytes.
AB  - Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) has been proven to participate in the process of various
      autoimmune diseases. The elevation of plasma homocysteine (Hcy), known as
      hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), is related to various chronic inflammatory diseases.
      Though HHcy-induced upregulation of IL-17A expression in T lymphocytes has been
      examined, the way in which IL-17A is regulated remains unclear. In this study,
      western blotting assays showed that Hcy (100 MUM) upregulated NOP2/Sun domain
      family, member 2 (NSun2) expression in rat T lymphocytes. HHcy-induced
      upregulation of IL-17A observed in plasma of wild-type rats was markedly
      decreased in NSun2-/- rats in vivo. Mechanistically, by using in vitro
      methylation assays and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrum (HPLC
      MS) analysis, we showed that the tRNA methyltransferase NSun2 methylated the IL
      17A mRNA in an m5C pattern. The results from bisulfite sequencing indicated that
      NSun2 methylated IL-17A mRNA at cytosine C466 in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore,
      we analyzed the activity of pGL3-derived reporters bearing IL-17A mRNA fragments
      and found that methylation by NSun2 promoted the translation of IL-17A. In
      conclusion, NSun2 mediates HHcy-induced upregulation of IL-17A expression by
      methylating IL-17A mRNA and promoting its translation in T lymphocytes.

PMID- 28919412
TI  - The conformation change and tumor suppressor role of Merlin are both independent
      of Serine 518 phosphorylation.
AB  - Merlin functions as a tumor suppressor and suppresses malignant activity of
      cancer cells through multiple mechanisms. However, whether Serine 518
      phosphorylation regulates the conformation of Merlin as well as the open-closed
      conformational changes affect Merlin's tumor inhibitory activity remain
      controversial. In this study, we used different mutants to mimic related
      conformational states of Merlin and investigated its physiological functions. Our
      results showed that the phosphorylation at Serine 518 has no influence on
      Merlin's conformation, subcellular localization, or cell proliferation inhibitory
      activity. As a fully closed conformational state, the A585W mutant loses the
      ability to recruit Lats2 to the cell membrane, but it does not affect its
      subcellular distribution or cell proliferation inhibitory activity. As a fully
      open conformational state, mimicking the conformation of Merlin isoform II, the
      DeltaEL mutant has the same physiological function as the wild type Merlin
      isoform I. Collectively, we provide for the first time in vivo evidence that the
      function of Merlin, as a tumor suppressor is independent of its conformational
      change.

PMID- 28919413
TI  - Apolipoprotein A-I attenuates LL-37-induced endothelial cell cytotoxicity.
AB  - The human cathelicidin peptide LL-37 has antimicrobial and anti-biofilm
      functions, but LL-37 may also damage the host by triggering inflammation and
      exerting a cytotoxic effect, thereby reducing host cell viability. Human plasma
      mitigates LL-37-induced host cell cytotoxicity but the underlying mechanisms are
      not completely understood. Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) is a plasma protein
      endowed with atheroprotective effects. Here, we investigate the interaction
      between ApoA-I and LL-37 by biochemical techniques, and furthermore assess if
      ApoA-I protects against LL-37-evoked cytotoxicity in human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVEC). Our results demonstrated that ApoA-I effectively binds
      LL-37. The binding of ApoA-I to LL-37 resulted in a structural rearrangement of
      the protein, but this interaction did not cause lower ApoA-I stability.
      Recombinant ApoA-I protected against LL-37-induced cytotoxicity in HUVEC and
      endogenous ApoA-I knockdown in HepG2 cells made the cells more sensitive to LL-37
      evoked cytotoxicity. We conclude that ApoA-I physically interacts with LL-37 and
      antagonizes LL-37-induced down-regulation of endothelial cell viability
      suggesting that this mechanism counteracts endothelial cell dysfunction.

PMID- 28919414
TI  - Changes in related circular RNAs following ERbeta knockdown and the relationship
      to rBMSC osteogenesis.
AB  - Recently, several studies have indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play
      significant roles in various disease; however, little is known about the
      chronology of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) deficiency and altered circRNA
      expression, or their relationship with osteogenesis. Herein, we show through
      western-blot and quantitative real-time PCR assays, that when ERbeta is silenced,
      the expression of osteogenesis-related proteins and mRNAs were down-regulated. We
      then performed RNA-Seq to analyze differential circRNA expression between the
      control and ERbeta knockdown group. This analysis revealed that, 146 circRNAs
      were differentially expressed by fold-change>=2.0, p <= 0.05, and, among this
      group, 68 circRNAs were down-regulated, while 78 were up-regulated. Gene ontology
      (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and PANTHER pathway analyses
      were performed to predict the function of these differentially expressed
      circRNAs. Finally, co-expressed targets gene, and circRNA-microRNA network were
      constructed for predicted miRNA sponges. This research suggested that ERbeta may
      through 2:27713879|27755789/2:240822115|240867796-miR-328-5p-mRNA axis to
      regulate osteogenic differentiation.

PMID- 28919415
TI  - Biophysical characterization of the interaction between heme and proteins
      responsible for heme transfer in Streptococcus pyogenes.
AB  - Streptococcus pyogenes, an important pathogen that causes a wide range of
      diseases, possesses the sia gene cluster, which encodes proteins involved in the
      heme acquisition system. Although this system was previously described, the
      molecular mechanism of effective heme transfer remains to be elucidated. Here, we
      have characterized the interactions between heme and each domain of Streptococcal
      hemoprotein receptor (Shr) and Streptococcal heme-binding protein (Shp). Our
      kinetic and thermodynamic analyses suggested that effective heme transfer within
      this system is achieved not only by affinity-based transfer but also by the
      difference of the binding driving force. The biophysical characterization of the
      above-mentioned interaction will lead to an indication for the selection of the
      target for a chemical screening of inhibitors as novel antibacterial agents based
      on biophysical approaches.

PMID- 28919416
TI  - Identification of eukaryotic UDP-galactopyranose mutase inhibitors using the
      ThermoFAD assay.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus is a human pathogen responsible for deadly infections in
      immune-compromised patients. A potential strategy for treating A. fumigatus
      infections is by targeting the biosynthesis of cell wall components, such as
      galactofuranase, which is absent in humans. Galactofuranose biosynthesis is
      initiated by the flavoenzyme UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UGM), which converts UDP
      galactopyranose (UDP-Galp) to UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf). UGM requires the
      reduced form of the flavin for activity, which is obtained by reacting with
      NADPH. We aimed to identify inhibitors of UGM by screening a kinase inhibitor
      library using ThermoFAD, a flavin fluorescence thermal shift assay. The screening
      assay identified flavopiridol as a compound that increased the melting
      temperature of A. fumigatus UGM. Further characterization showed that
      flavopiridol is a non-competitive inhibitor of UGM and docking studies suggest
      that it binds in the active site. This compound does not inhibit the prokaryotic
      UGM from Mycobacteria tuberculosis.

PMID- 28919417
TI  - ACAP3, the GTPase-activating protein specific to the small GTPase Arf6, regulates
      neuronal migration in the developing cerebral cortex.
AB  - The GTPase-activating protein (GAP) specific to the small GTPase Arf6, ACAP3, is
      known to regulate morphogenesis of neurons in vitro. However, physiological
      significance of ACAP3 in the brain development in vivo remains unclear. Here, we
      show that ACAP3 is involved in neuronal migration in the developing cerebral
      cortex of mice. Knockdown of ACAP3 in the developing cortical neurons of mice in
      utero significantly abrogated neuronal migration in the cortical layer, which was
      restored by ectopic expression of wild type of ACAP3, but not by its GAP-inactive
      mutant. Furthermore, morphological changes of neurons during migration in the
      cortical layer were impeded in ACAP3-knocked-down cortical neurons. These results
      provide evidence that ACAP3 plays a crucial role in migration of cortical neurons
      by regulating their morphological change during development of cerebral cortex.

PMID- 28919418
TI  - The NAMPT/E2F2/SIRT1 axis promotes proliferation and inhibits p53-dependent
      apoptosis in human melanoma cells.
AB  - Melanoma is the most common primary malignant neoplasm in adults, causing more
      deaths than any other skin cancer, necessitating the development of new target
      based approaches. Current evidence suggests SIRT1, the mammalian nicotinamide
      adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent protein deacetylase, and nicotinamide
      phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting NAD+ biosynthetic enzyme,
      together comprise a novel systemic regulatory network to play a pivotal role in
      cell proliferation and apoptosis. Nevertheless, how the regulation of this
      cofactor interfaces with signal transduction network remains poorly understood in
      melanoma. Here, we report NAMPT is highly expressed in melanomaassociated with
      poor overall survival in patients. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of
      NAMPT decreased NAD+ levels and melanoma cell proliferation capacity, and NAMPT
      knockdown induced apoptosis through the activity of the tumor suppressor p53.
      Next, we demonstrate NAMPT regulates the transcription factor E2F family member 2
      (E2F2) in the apoptosis process. Downstream, E2F2 control the mRNA and protein
      levels of SIRT1. Finally, we find NAMPT mediates the apoptosis resistance of
      melanoma cells through NAMPT-E2F2-SIRT1 axis, more than NAD+-driven
      transcriptional program. Accordingly, our results demonstrated that NAMPT is a
      prognostic marker in melanoma, and the identificationofNAMPT-E2F2-SIRT1 pathway
      establishes another link between NAMPT and apoptosis events in melanoma, with
      therapeutic implications for this deadly cancer.

PMID- 28919419
TI  - Binding mode of metal ions to the bacterial iron import protein EfeO.
AB  - The tripartite EfeUOB system functions as a low pH iron importer in Gram-negative
      bacteria. In the alginate-assimilating bacterium Sphingomonas sp. strain A1, an
      additional EfeO-like protein (Algp7) is encoded downstream of the efeUOB operon.
      Here we show the metal binding mode of Algp7, which carries a M_75
      metallopeptidase motif. The Algp7 protein was purified from recombinant E. coli
      cells and was subsequently characterized using differential scanning fluorimetry,
      fluorescence spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray
      crystallography. The fluorescence of a dye, SYPRO Orange, bound to denatured
      Algp7 in the absence and presence of metal ions was measured during heat
      treatment. The fluorescence profile of Algp7 in the presence of metals such as
      ferric, ferrous, and zinc ions, shifted to a higher temperature, suggesting that
      Algp7 binds these metal ions and that metal ion-bound Algp7 is more thermally
      stable than the ligand-free form. Algp7 was directly demonstrated to show an
      ability to bind copper ion by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Crystal structure
      of metal ion-bound Algp7 revealed that the metal ion is bound to the cleft
      surrounded by several acidic residues. Four residues, Glu79, Glu82, Asp96, and
      Glu178, distinct from the M_75 motif (His115xxGlu118), are coordinated to the
      metal ion. This is the first report to provide structural insights into metal
      binding by the bacterial EfeO element.

PMID- 28919420
TI  - Cationization increases brain distribution of an amyloid-beta protofibril
      selective F(ab')2 fragment.
AB  - Antibodies and fragments thereof are, because of high selectivity for their
      targets, considered as potential therapeutics and biomarkers for several
      neurological disorders. However, due to their large molecular size,
      antibodies/fragments do not easily penetrate into the brain. The aim of the
      present study was to improve the brain distribution via adsorptive-mediated
      transcytosis of an amyloid-beta (Abeta) protofibril selective F(ab')2 fragment
      (F(ab')2-h158). F(ab')2-h158 was cationized to different extents and the specific
      and unspecific binding was studied in vitro. Next, cationized F(ab')2-h158 was
      labelled with iodine-125 and its brain distribution and pharmacokinetics was
      studied in mice. Cationization did not alter the in vitro affinity to Abeta
      protofibrils, but increased the unspecific binding somewhat. Ex vivo experiments
      revealed a doubling of brain concentrations compared with unmodified F(ab')2-h158
      and in vivo imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
      showed that the cationized F(ab')2-h158, but not the unmodified F(ab')2-h158
      could be visualized in the brain. To conclude, cationization is a means to
      increase brain concentrations of therapeutic antibodies or fragments and may
      facilitate the use of antibodies/fragments as imaging biomarkers in the brain.

PMID- 28919421
TI  - Exosomes derived from human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells
      stimulates rejuvenation of human skin.
AB  - Human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSCs) play an
      important role in cutaneous wound healing, and recent studies suggested that MSC
      derived exosomes activate several signaling pathways, which are conducive in
      wound healing and cell growth. In this study, we investigated the roles of
      exosomes that are derived from USC-CM (USC-CM Exos) in cutaneous collagen
      synthesis and permeation. We found that USC-CM has various growth factors
      associated with skin rejuvenation. Our in vitro results showed that USC-CM Exos
      integrate in Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDFs) and consequently promote cell
      migration and collagen synthesis of HDFs. Moreover, we evaluated skin permeation
      of USC-CM Exos by using human skin tissues. Results showed that Exo-Green labeled
      USC-CM Exos approached the outermost layer of the epidermis after 3 h and
      gradually approached the epidermis after 18 h. Moreover, increased expressions of
      Collagen I and Elastin were found after 3 days of treatment on human skin. The
      results showed that USC-CM Exos is absorbed into human skin, it promotes Collagen
      I and Elastin synthesis in the skin, which are essential to skin rejuvenation and
      shows the potential of USC-CM integration with the cosmetics or therapeutics.

PMID- 28919422
TI  - Over-expression of PPARalpha in obese mice adipose tissue improves insulin
      sensitivity.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is important in the
      regulation of lipid metabolism and expressed at high levels in the liver.
      Although PPARalpha is also expressed in adipose tissue, little is known about the
      relationship between its activation and the regulation of glucose metabolism. In
      this study, we developed adipose tissue specific PPARalpha over-expression (OE)
      mice. Metabolomics and insulin tolerance tests showed that OE induces branched
      chain amino acid (BCAA) profile and improvement of insulin sensitivity.
      Furthermore, LC-MS and PCR analyses revealed that OE changes free fatty acid
      (FFA) profile and reduces obesity-induced inflammation. These findings suggested
      that PPARalpha activation in adipose tissue contributes to the improvement of
      glucose metabolism disorders via the enhancement of BCAA and FFA metabolism.

PMID- 28919423
TI  - COPS5 inhibition arrests the proliferation and growth of serous ovarian cancer
      cells via the elevation of p27 level.
AB  - The fifth component of the COP9 signalosome complex (COPS5), which plays an
      essential role in ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, has been found as a
      prognostic biomarker for multiple cancers, however, the role of COPS5 in serous
      ovarian cancer (SOC) remain to be clarified. In this study, we found that COPS5
      expression was significantly increased in SOC cells and tissues compared with
      those controls. Mechanistically, COPS5 and p27was proved to interact with each
      other, with COPS5 acts as a negative regulator of p27. SOC cells with COPS5
      depletion were arrested in G1/G0-phase and exhibited a reduced proliferation
      ability and an increased cytoplasmic p27 expression. Whereas, the cells were
      stuck at S-phase accompanied with an elevation of nucleus p27 expression after
      knocking down COPS6 or blocking COPS5 by CSN5i-3. Furthermore, inhibition of
      COPS5 resulted in an elevation of Akt expression and sensitized SOC cells to Akt
      inhibitor MK2206. Suppression of COPS5 and Akt offers a potential strategy for
      the treatment of SOC.

PMID- 28919424
TI  - Adiponectin modulates the function of endothelial progenitor cells via AMPK/eNOS
      signaling pathway.
AB  - Endothelial progenitor cells have been shown to differentiate into endothelial
      cells and to play a pivotal role in vascular homeostasis. Adiponectin has anti
      atherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties via directly acting on vascular
      cells. The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of adiponectin on
      major functions involved in survival, migration, and tube formation of
      endothelial progenitor cells and to explore the underlying mechanism. In this
      study, we transferred adiponectin gene into endothelial progenitor cells via
      lentiviral vectors and investigated the proliferation, migration and tube
      formation of these transfected cells. We found that adiponectin is highly
      expressed in endothelial progenitor cells and promotes their proliferation,
      migration and tube formation. Western blot data showed that the former two
      processes were mediated through the AMPK/Akt/eNOS pathway, the latter via the
      AMPK/eNOS pathway. Use of the AMPK inhibitor (Compound C) or Akt inhibitor (MK
      2206) reduced eNOS phosphorylation and attenuated adiponectin-induced endothelial
      progenitor cell proliferation, migration and tube formation compared to the
      controls (p < 0.05). Taken together, these data indicated that adiponectin
      promotes endothelial progenitor cell proliferation and migration via
      AMPK/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway and promotes tube formation through AMPK/eNOS,
      suggesting that adiponectin-transduced endothelial progenitor cell
      transplantation is a potential therapeutic target for vascular disease.

PMID- 28919425
TI  - Detection of oligonucleotides by PNA-peptide conjugates recognizing the
      biarsenical fluorescein complex FlAsH-EDT2.
AB  - We report the application of the arsenical complex FlAsH-EDT2 for the
      identification of oligonucleotide sequences. We designed PNA sequences conjugated
      to either a tetracysteine motif and to split tetracysteine sequences, that are
      recognized by FlAsH. The effect of conjugation of the PNA to the tetracysteine
      peptide and RNA hybridization on the fluorescence of the arsenical complex has
      been investigated. The reconstitution of the tetracysteine motif, starting from
      15-mer PNAs conjugated to split tetracysteine sequences and hybridized to a
      complementary oligonucleotide was also explored.

PMID- 28919426
TI  - Improving glycemic control in model mice with type 2 diabetes by increasing
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity using silk fibroin hydrolysate (SFH).
AB  - Islet cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes is primarily attributed to the
      increased apoptosis of pancreatic beta cells. Silk fibroin hydrolysate (SFH) has
      an effect on blood in type 2 diabetes model mice (C57BL/KsJ-db/db). However, its
      exact mechanism is unknown. The type 2 diabetes model mice were randomly divided
      into non-diabetic mice (ND), diabetic mice (DB), and diabetic mice treated with
      silk fibroin hydrolysate (DB-SFH). The results showed that SFH significantly
      decreased fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The oral glucose
      tolerance and insulin tolerance were significantly improved in the DB-SFH group.
      The DB-SFH group exhibited increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the
      plasma, as well as increased Mn-SOD and CuZn-SOD activities in the pancreatic
      islets. Furthermore, the pancreatic islet cells' death was decreased in the DB
      SFH group. In the DB-SFH group, the protein expression of caspase-3 was
      significantly decreased compared with the DB group. The expression of the Nkx6.1
      and Pdx1 proteins were increased in the DB-SFH group. The results suggest that
      SFH prevents the degeneration of pancreatic islets via increasing SOD while
      hyperglycemia is alleviated by maintaining beta cell mass in type 2 diabetes
      model mice.

PMID- 28919428
TI  - Metal-mediated oxidation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in water: A review on
      kinetics, transformation products, and toxicity assessment.
AB  - Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are among the most potent antimicrobial agents, which have
      seen their increasing use as human and veterinary medicines to control bacterial
      infections. FQs have been extensively found in surface water and municipal
      wastewaters, which has raised great concerns due to their negative impacts to
      humans and ecological health. It is of utmost importance that FQs are treated
      before their release into the environment. This paper reviews oxidative removal
      of FQs using reactive oxygen (O3 and OH), sulfate radicals (SO4-), and high
      valent transition metal (MnVII and FeVI) species. The role of metals in enhancing
      the performance of reactive oxygen and sulfur species is presented. The catalysts
      can significantly enhance the production of OH and/or SO4- radicals. At neutral
      pH, the second-order rate constants (k, M-1s-1) of the reactions between FQs and
      oxidants follow the order as k(OH)>k(O3)>k(FeVI)>k(MnVII). Moieties involved to
      transform target FQs to oxidized products and participation of the catalysts in
      the reaction pathways are discussed. Generally, the piperazinyl ring of FQs was
      found as the preferential attack site by each oxidant. Meanwhile, evaluation of
      aquatic ecotoxicity of the transformation products of FQs by these treatments is
      summarized.

PMID- 28919429
TI  - Electrochemical synthesis of ferrate(VI) using sponge iron anode and oxidative
      transformations of antibiotic and pesticide.
AB  - Passivation of anode is a main challenge in the electrochemical synthesis of
      ferrate(VI) (FeVIO42-, Fe(VI)). A series of electrochemical approaches were
      employed including polarization curve, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to analyze the physicochemical processes involved in
      electrochemical synthesis of Fe(VI) using sponge iron and cast iron anodes. The
      results demonstrate that the sponge iron anode achieved higher yield of Fe(VI)
      compared to grey cast iron anode. The optimum condition to generate Fe(VI) using
      sponge iron was 35-50 degrees C and 30mA/cm2. Significantly, the sponge iron
      anode could generate Fe(VI) for a long duration (>10h) under these conditions;
      possibly suitable for large scale synthesis of Fe(VI). The prepared Fe(VI)
      solution was used to treat antibiotic (sulfamethoxazole (SMX)) and pesticide
      (atrazine (ATZ)) in water. At a molar ratio of Fe(VI) to SMX as 20:1 in the pH
      range from 5.0 to 9.0, almost complete oxidative transformation of SMX could be
      obtained. Comparatively, oxidative transformation of ATZ was incomplete (~70%)
      even when [Fe(VI)]:[ATZ]=87 at pH 5.0-9.0. Fluorescence spectra and cytotoxicity
      studies suggest that the oxidative transformation products of both SMX and ATZ
      possess lower toxicity than the parent antibiotic and pesticide, respectively.

PMID- 28919427
TI  - Age-dependent atrial arrhythmic phenotype secondary to mitochondrial dysfunction
      in Pgc-1beta deficient murine hearts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ageing and several age-related chronic conditions including
      obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension are associated with mitochondrial
      dysfunction and represent independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Atrial arrhythmogenesis was investigated in Langendorff
      perfused young (3-4 month) and aged (>12 month), wild type (WT) and peroxisome
      proliferator activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1beta deficient (Pgc-1beta-/-)
      murine hearts modeling age-dependent chronic mitochondrial dysfunction during
      regular pacing and programmed electrical stimulation (PES). RESULTS AND
      DISCUSSION: The Pgc-1beta-/- genotype was associated with a pro-arrhythmic
      phenotype progressing with age. Young and aged Pgc-1beta-/- hearts showed
      compromised maximum action potential (AP) depolarization rates, (dV/dt)max,
      prolonged AP latencies reflecting slowed action potential (AP) conduction,
      similar effective refractory periods and baseline action potential durations
      (APD90) but shortened APD90 in APs in response to extrasystolic stimuli at short
      stimulation intervals. Electrical properties of APs triggering arrhythmia were
      similar in WT and Pgc-1beta-/- hearts. Pgc-1beta-/- hearts showed accelerated age
      dependent fibrotic change relative to WT, with young Pgc-1beta-/- hearts
      displaying similar fibrotic change as aged WT, and aged Pgc-1beta-/- hearts the
      greatest fibrotic change. Mitochondrial deficits thus result in an arrhythmic
      substrate, through slowed AP conduction and altered repolarisation
      characteristics, arising from alterations in electrophysiological properties and
      accelerated structural change.

PMID- 28919430
TI  - Role of subchondral bone properties and changes in development of load-induced
      osteoarthritis in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Animal models recapitulating post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA)
      suggest that subchondral bone (SCB) properties and remodeling may play major
      roles in disease initiation and progression. Thus, we investigated the role of
      SCB properties and its effects on load-induced OA progression by applying a
      tibial loading model on two distinct mouse strains treated with alendronate
      (ALN). DESIGN: Cyclic compression was applied to the left tibia of 26-week-old
      male C57Bl/6 (B6, low bone mass) and FVB (high bone mass) mice. Mice were treated
      with ALN (26 MUg/kg/day) or vehicle (VEH) for loading durations of 1, 2, or 6
      weeks. Changes in articular cartilage and subchondral and epiphyseal cancellous
      bone were analyzed using histology and microcomputed tomography. RESULTS: FVB
      mice exhibited thicker cartilage, a thicker SCB plate, and higher epiphyseal
      cancellous bone mass and tissue mineral density than B6 mice. Loading induced
      cartilage pathology, osteophyte formation, and SCB changes; however, lower
      initial SCB mass and stiffness in B6 mice did not attenuate load-induced OA
      severity compared to FVB mice. By contrast, FVB mice exhibited less cartilage
      damage, and slower-growing and less mature osteophytes. In B6 mice, inhibiting
      bone remodeling via ALN treatment exacerbated cartilage pathology after 6 weeks
      of loading, while in FVB mice, inhibiting bone remodeling protected limbs from
      load-induced cartilage loss. CONCLUSIONS: Intrinsically lower SCB properties were
      not associated with attenuated load-induced cartilage loss. However, inhibiting
      bone remodeling produced differential patterns of OA pathology in animals with
      low compared to high SCB properties, indicating that these factors do influence
      load-induced OA progression.

PMID- 28919431
TI  - Neurocircuitry of impaired affective sound processing: A clinical disorders
      perspective.
AB  - Decoding affective meaning from sensory information is central to accurate and
      adaptive behavior in many natural and social contexts. Human vocalizations
      (speech and non-speech), environmental sounds (e.g. thunder, noise, or animal
      sounds) and human-produced sounds (e.g. technical sounds or music) can carry a
      wealth of important aversive, threatening, appealing, or pleasurable affective
      information that sometimes implicitly influences and guides our behavior. A
      deficit in processing such affective information is detrimental to adaptive
      environmental behavior, psychological well-being, and social interactive
      abilities. These deficits can originate from a diversity of psychiatric and
      neurological disorders, and are associated with neural dysfunctions across
      largely distributed brain networks. Recent neuroimaging studies in psychiatric
      and neurological patients outline the cortical and subcortical neurocircuitry of
      the complimentary and differential functional roles for affective sound
      processing. This points to and confirms a recently proposed distributed network
      rather than a single brain region underlying affective sound processing, and
      highlights the notion of a multi-functional process that can be differentially
      impaired in clinical disorders.

PMID- 28919432
TI  - Chronic Pain and Telomere Length in Community-Dwelling Adults: Findings From the
      1999 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
AB  - : Chronic pain is a common condition associated with psychological distress,
      functional impairments, and age-associated comorbidity. Preliminary studies, on
      the basis of relatively small sample sizes, suggest that the combination of
      chronic pain and stress is associated with telomere shortening, a widely
      recognized marker of cellular aging. We sought to determine the cross-sectional
      association of chronic pain with telomere length in 7,816 community-dwelling
      adults ages 20 years and older who participated in the 1999 to 2002 National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Consistent with previous studies,
      leukocyte telomere length was assessed using the quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction method and compared with a DNA reference standard to compute a telomere
      to single copy gene ratio. Standardized, in-person interviews were used to
      identify chronic regional pain and chronic widespread pain in 784 (10.0%) and 266
      (3.4%) participants, respectively. Older age, male sex, obesity, and less
      physical activity were associated with shorter telomere length (P <.05 for all
      comparisons); however, there was no association of chronic pain with telomere
      length. The age-adjusted means (standard error) of telomere length telomere to
      single copy gene ratios were 1.04 (.02), 1.03 (.02), and 1.02 (.02) in
      participants with no chronic pain, chronic regional pain, and chronic widespread
      pain, respectively (P = .69). In addition, chronic pain did not modify the
      effects of age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, or psychological distress on
      telomere length. In summary, chronic regional and widespread pain were not
      associated with telomere length in this nationally representative study; however,
      we could not determine associations of pain duration and severity with telomere
      length because of limitations in pain assessment data. PERSPECTIVE: The findings
      from the current study do not support the hypothesis that chronic pain
      accelerates cellular aging measured according to leukocyte telomere length.
      Additional population-based studies with more detailed assessments of pain and
      stress are needed to further investigate potential interactive effects on
      telomere length and other biomarkers of aging.

PMID- 28919433
TI  - The P2X7 receptor in dorsal root ganglia is involved in HIV gp120-associated
      neuropathic pain.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neuropathic pain is common, and
      studies have shown that HIV envelope glycoprotein 120 (gp120) can directly
      stimulate primary sensory afferent neurons causing hyperalgesia. The P2X7
      receptor in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) is involved in pain transmission and is
      closely related to the inflammatory and immune response. In this study, we aimed
      to explore the role of the P2X7 receptor in gp120-induced neuropathic pain using
      a rat model specific for this type of pain. The results showed that mechanical
      hyperalgesia, thermal hyperalgesia and P2X7 expression levels were increased in
      rats treated with gp120. The P2X7 antagonist, brilliant blue G (BBG), decreased
      hyperalgesia and P2X7 expression levels in rats treated with gp120. BBG also
      decreased IL-1beta and TNF-alpha receptor expression and ERK1/2 phosphorylation
      levels and increased IL-10 expression in the gp120-treated rat DRG. In addition,
      P2X7 agonist (BzATP)-activated currents in DRG neurons cultured with gp120 were
      larger than those in control neurons, and the inhibitory effect of BBG on BzATP
      induced currents in gp120-treated DRG neurons was larger than that in control
      neurons. Therefore, inhibition of the P2X7 receptor in rat DRG relieved gp120
      induced mechanical hyperalgesia and thermal hyperalgesia.

PMID- 28919434
TI  - Ultrasensitive microRNA-21 detection based on DNA hybridization chain reaction
      and SYBR Green dye.
AB  - It is extremely important for quantifying trace microRNAs in the biomedical
      applications. In this study, an ultrasensitive, rapid and efficient label-free
      fluorescence method was proposed and applied for detecting microRNA-21 in serum
      of gastric cancer patients based on DNA hybridization chain reaction (HCR). DNA
      H1 and DNA H2 were designed and used as hairpin probes, the HCR was proceeded in
      the presence of target microRNAs. Amounts of SYBR Green I dyes were used as
      signal molecules to intercalate long DNA concatemers from HCR, which guaranteed
      the model of label-free fluorescence and strong fluorescence density. The
      detection method showed a wide linear region from 1 fM to 105 fM, and the limit
      of detection was 0.2554 fM (at S/N = 3) for microRNAs. The results showed that
      this method had an excellent specificity and reproducibility. Furthermore, the
      label-free fluorescence strategy exhibited a sensitive response to microRNA-21 in
      real serum samples of gastric cancer patients and the results obtained were in
      accordance with reference method (R2 = 0.994). Overall, the proposed strategy
      could be satisfactory for rapid, ultrasensitive and efficient detection of
      microRNA-21, and held great potentials in clinic diagnosis of gastric cancer.

PMID- 28919435
TI  - Ultrasensitive and rapid immuno-detection of human IgE anti-therapeutic horse
      sera using an electrochemical immunosensor.
AB  - Antivenom allergy disease mediated by patient IgE is an important public health
      care concern. To improve detection of hypersensitive individuals prior to passive
      antibody therapy, an amperometric immunosensor was developed to detect reactive
      human IgE. Whole horse IgG3 (hoIgG3) was immobilized onto the surface of carbon
      or gold screen-printed electrodes through a cross-linking solution of
      glutaraldehyde on a chitosan film. Sera from persons with a known allergic
      response to hoIgG3 or non-allergic individuals was applied to the sensor. Bound
      human IgE (humIgE) was detected by an anti-humIgE antibody through a quantitative
      amperometric determination by tracking via the electrochemical reduction of the
      quinone generated from the hydroquinone with the application of a potential of 25
      mV. The optimal immunosensor configuration detected reactive humIgE at a dilution
      of 1:1800 of the human sera that represent a detection limit of 0.5 pg/mL.
      Stability testing demonstrated that through 20 cycles of a scan, the specificity
      and performance remained robust. The new immunosensor successfully detected
      humIgE antibodies reactive against hoIgG3, which could allow the diagnosis of
      potential allergenic patients needing therapeutic antivenom preparations from a
      horse.

PMID- 28919437
TI  - Strategies for the enhanced intracellular delivery of nanomaterials.
AB  - The intracellular delivery of nanomaterials and drugs has been attracting
      increasing research interest, mainly because of their important effects and
      functions in several organelles. Targeting specific organelles can help treat or
      decrease the symptoms of diabetes, cancer, infectious, and autoimmune diseases.
      Tuning biological and chemical properties enables the creation of functionalized
      nanomaterials with enhanced intracellular uptake, ability to escape premature
      lysosome degradation, and to reach a specific target. Here, we provide an update
      of recent advances in the intracellular delivery mechanisms that could help drugs
      reach their target more efficiently.

PMID- 28919438
TI  - Molecular targets and pathways for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.
AB  - Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) represents the most severe form of the tropical
      disease, leishmaniasis. Treatment of VL is complicated because of the few
      clinically approved antileishmanial drugs available; emerging resistance to first
      line drugs; need for a temperature-controlled 'cold' supply chain; serious
      toxicity concerns over drugs such as amphotericin B; high cost of medication; and
      unavailability of clinically approved antileishmanial vaccines. Attacking
      potential molecular targets, specific to the parasite, is a vital step in the
      treatment of this and other infectious diseases. As we discuss here,
      comprehensive investigation of these targets could provide a promising strategy
      for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.

PMID- 28919436
TI  - The Notch pathway regulates the Second Mitotic Wave cell cycle independently of
      bHLH proteins.
AB  - Notch regulates both neurogenesis and cell cycle activity to coordinate precursor
      cell generation in the differentiating Drosophila eye. Mosaic analysis with
      mitotic clones mutant for Notch components was used to identify the pathway of
      Notch signaling that regulates the cell cycle in the Second Mitotic Wave.
      Although S phase entry depends on Notch signaling and on the transcription factor
      Su(H), the transcriptional co-activator Mam and the bHLH repressor genes of the
      E(spl)-Complex were not essential, although these are Su(H) coactivators and
      targets during the regulation of neurogenesis. The Second Mitotic Wave showed
      little dependence on ubiquitin ligases neuralized or mindbomb, and although the
      ligand Delta is required non-autonomously, partial cell cycle activity occurred
      in the absence of known Notch ligands. We found that myc was not essential for
      the Second Mitotic Wave. The Second Mitotic Wave did not require the HLH protein
      Extra macrochaetae, and the bHLH protein Daughterless was required only cell
      nonautonomously. Similar cell cycle phenotypes for Daughterless and Atonal were
      consistent with requirement for neuronal differentiation to stimulate Delta
      expression, affecting Notch activity in the Second Mitotic Wave indirectly.
      Therefore Notch signaling acts to regulate the Second Mitotic Wave without
      activating bHLH gene targets.

PMID- 28919439
TI  - Pih1p-Tah1p Puts a Lid on Hexameric AAA+ ATPases Rvb1/2p.
AB  - The Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) R2TP complex affords an Hsp90-mediated and
      nucleotide-driven chaperone activity to proteins of small ribonucleoprotein
      particles (snoRNPs). The current lack of structural information on the ScR2TP
      complex, however, prevents a mechanistic understanding of this biological
      process. We characterized the structure of the ScR2TP complex made up of two AAA+
      ATPases, Rvb1/2p, and two Hsp90 binding proteins, Tah1p and Pih1p, and its
      interaction with the snoRNP protein Nop58p by a combination of analytical
      ultracentrifugation, isothermal titration calorimetry, chemical crosslinking,
      hydrogen-deuterium exchange, and cryoelectron microscopy methods. We find that
      Pih1p-Tah1p interacts with Rvb1/2p cooperatively through the nucleotide-sensitive
      domain of Rvb1/2p. Nop58p further binds Pih1p-Tahp1 on top of the dome-shaped
      R2TP. Consequently, nucleotide binding releases Pih1p-Tah1p from Rvb1/2p, which
      offers a mechanism for nucleotide-driven binding and release of snoRNP
      intermediates.

PMID- 28919440
TI  - Structural Insight into BLM Recognition by TopBP1.
AB  - Topoisomerase IIbeta binding protein 1 (TopBP1) is a critical protein-protein
      interaction hub in DNA replication checkpoint control. It was proposed that
      TopBP1 BRCT5 interacts with Bloom syndrome helicase (BLM) to regulate genome
      stability through either phospho-Ser304 or phospho-Ser338 of BLM. Here we show
      that TopBP1 BRCT5 specifically interacts with the BLM region surrounding pSer304,
      not pSer338. Our crystal structure of TopBP1 BRCT4/5 bound to BLM reveals
      recognition of pSer304 by a conserved pSer-binding pocket, and interactions
      between an FVPP motif N-terminal to pSer304 and a hydrophobic groove on BRCT5.
      This interaction utilizes the same surface of BRCT5 that recognizes the DNA
      damage mediator, MDC1; however the binding orientations of MDC1 and BLM are
      reversed. While the MDC1 interactions are largely electrostatic, the interaction
      with BLM has higher affinity and relies on a mix of electrostatics and
      hydrophobicity. We suggest that similar evolutionarily conserved interactions may
      govern interactions between TopBP1 and 53BP1.

PMID- 28919441
TI  - A Unique pH-Dependent Recognition of Methylated Histone H3K4 by PPS and DIDO.
AB  - The protein partner of Sans-fille (PPS) and its human homolog DIDO mediate
      diverse chromatin activities, including the regulation of stemness genes in
      embryonic stem cells and splicing in Drosophila. Here, we show that the PHD
      fingers of PPS and DIDO recognize the histone mark H3K4me3 in a pH-dependent
      manner: the binding is enhanced at high pH values but is decreased at low pH.
      Structural analysis reveals that the pH dependency is due to the presence of a
      histidine residue in the K4me3-binding aromatic cage of PPS. The pH-dependent
      mechanism is conserved in DIDO but is lost in yeast Bye1. Acidification of cells
      leads to the accelerated efflux of endogenous DIDO, indicating the pH-dependent
      sensing of H3K4me3 in vivo. This novel mode for the recognition of H3K4me3
      establishes the PHD fingers of PPS and DIDO as unique epigenetic readers and high
      pH sensors and suggests a role for the histidine switch during mitosis.

PMID- 28919442
TI  - Structural and Functional Analysis of the C-Terminal Region of FliG, an Essential
      Motor Component of Vibrio Na+-Driven Flagella.
AB  - The flagellar motor protein complex consists of rotor and stator proteins. Their
      interaction generates torque of flagellum, which rotates bidirectionally,
      clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise. FliG, one of the rotor proteins, consists of
      three domains: N-terminal (FliGN), middle (FliGM), and C-terminal (FliGC). We
      have identified point mutations in FliGC from Vibrio alginolyticus, which affect
      the flagellar motility. To understand the molecular mechanisms, we explored the
      structural and dynamic properties of FliGC from both wild-type and motility
      defective mutants. From nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, changes in signal
      intensities and chemical shifts between wild-type and the CW-biased mutant FliGC
      are observed in the Calpha1-6 domain. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated
      the conformational dynamics of FliGC at sub-microsecond timescale, but not in the
      CW-biased mutant. Accordingly, we infer that the dynamic properties of atomic
      interactions around helix alpha1 in the Calpha1-6 domain of FliGC contribute to
      ensure the precise regulation of the motor switching.

PMID- 28919443
TI  - Fv-clasp: An Artificially Designed Small Antibody Fragment with Improved
      Production Compatibility, Stability, and Crystallizability.
AB  - Antibody fragments are frequently used as a "crystallization chaperone" to aid
      structural analysis of complex macromolecules that are otherwise crystallization
      resistant, but conventional fragment formats have not been designed for this
      particular application. By fusing an anti-parallel coiled-coil structure derived
      from the SARAH domain of human Mst1 kinase to the variable region of an antibody,
      we succeeded in creating a novel chimeric antibody fragment of ~37 kDa, termed
      "Fv-clasp," which exhibits excellent crystallization compatibility while
      maintaining the binding ability of the original IgG molecule. The "clasp" and the
      engineered disulfide bond at the bottom of the Fv suppressed the internal
      mobility of the fragment and shielded hydrophobic residues, likely contributing
      to the high heat stability and the crystallizability of the Fv-clasp. Finally, Fv
      clasp antibodies showed superior "chaperoning" activity over conventional Fab
      fragments, and facilitated the structure determination of an ectodomain fragment
      of integrin alpha6beta1.

PMID- 28919444
TI  - A new black fly species of the Simulium (Gomphostilbia) epistum species-group
      (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Thailand.
AB  - A new species of black fly, Simulium (Gomphostilbia) isanense, is described based
      on females, males, pupae and mature larvae from Thailand. This new species is
      placed in the Simulium epistum species-group of the subgenus Gomphostilbia
      Enderlein. It is characterized by the pupal gill with eight filaments arranged as
      3+3+2 from dorsal to ventral, of which an inner filament of the ventral pair is
      slightly longer than its counter filament. Taxonomic notes are provided to
      distinguish this new species from S. (G.) angulistylum Takaoka & Davies from
      Peninsular Malaysia, and three other related species. The difference between this
      new species and S. (G.) angulistylum is supported by genetic distances using the
      mitochondrial COI gene.

PMID- 28919445
TI  - Cognitive effects of labeled addictolytic medications.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug usage is pervasive throughout
      the world, and abuse of these substances is a major contributor to the global
      disease burden. Many pharmacotherapies have been developed over the last 50years
      to target addictive disorders. While the efficacy of these pharmacotherapies is
      largely recognized, their cognitive impact is less known. However, all substance
      abuse disorders are known to promote cognitive disorders like executive
      dysfunction and memory impairment. These impairments are critical for the
      maintenance of addictive behaviors and impede cognitive behavioral therapies that
      are regularly administered in association with pharmacotherapies. It is also
      unknown if addictolytic medications have an impact on preexisting cognitive
      disorders, and if this impact is modulated by the indication of prescription,
      i.e. abstinence, reduction or substitution, or by the specific action of the
      medication. METHOD: We reviewed the cognitive effects of labeled medications for
      tobacco addiction (varenicline, bupropion, nicotine patch and nicotine gums),
      alcohol addiction (naltrexone, nalmefene, baclofen, disulfiram, sodium oxybate,
      acamprosate), and opioid addiction (methadone, buprenorphine) in human studies.
      Studies were selected following MOOSE guidelines for systematic reviews of
      observational studies, using the keywords [Cognition] and [Cognitive disorders]
      and [treatment] for each medication. RESULTS: 971 articles were screened and 77
      studies met the inclusion criteria and were reported in this review (for alcohol
      abuse, n=21, for tobacco n=22, for opioid n=34. However, very few comparative
      clinical trials have explored the chronic effects of addictolytic medications on
      cognition in addictive behaviors, and there are no clinical trials on the
      cognitive impact of nalmefene in patients suffering from alcohol use disorders.
      DISCUSSION: Although some medications seem to enhance cognition in patients
      suffering from cognitive disorders, others could promote cognitive impairments,
      and our work highlights a lack of literature on this subject. In conclusion, more
      comparative clinical trials are needed to better understand the cognitive impact
      of addictolytic medications.

PMID- 28919446
TI  - Increased interferon-mediated immunity following in vitro and in vivo Modafinil
      treatment on peripheral immune cells.
AB  - The wake-promoting drug Modafinil has been used for treatment of sleep disorders,
      such as Narcolepsy, excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea, due to its
      stimulant action. Despite the known effect of Modafinil on brain neurochemistry,
      particularly on brain dopamine system, recent evidence support an
      immunomodulatory role for Modafinil treatment in neuroinflammatory models. Here,
      we aimed to study the effects of in vitro and in vivo Modafinil treatment on
      activation, proliferation, cell viability, and cytokine production by immune
      cells in splenocytes culture from mice. The results show that in vitro treatment
      with Modafinil increased Interferon (IFN)-gamma, Interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-17
      production and CD25 expression by T cells. In turn, in vivo Modafinil treatment
      enhanced splenocyte production of IFN-gamma, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF), and increased the number of IFN-gamma producing cells. Next, we addressed
      the translational value of the observed effects by testing PBMCs from Narcolepsy
      type 1 patients that underwent Modafinil treatment. We reported increased number
      of IFN-gamma producing cells in PBMCs from Narcolepsy type 1 patients following
      continuous Modafinil treatment, corroborating our animal data. Taken together,
      our results show, for the first time, a pro-inflammatory action of Modafinil,
      particularly on IFN-mediated immunity, in mice and in patients with Narcolepsy
      type 1. The study suggests a novel effect of this drug treatment, which should be
      taken into consideration when given concomitantly with an ongoing inflammatory or
      autoimmune process.

PMID- 28919447
TI  - Multi-year longitudinal profiles of cortisol and corticosterone recovered from
      baleen of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis).
AB  - Research into stress physiology of mysticete whales has been hampered by
      difficulty in obtaining repeated physiological samples from individuals over
      time. We investigated whether multi-year longitudinal records of glucocorticoids
      can be reconstructed from serial sampling along full-length baleen plates
      (representing ~10years of baleen growth), using baleen recovered from two female
      North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) of known reproductive history.
      Cortisol and corticosterone were quantified with immunoassay of subsamples taken
      every 4cm (representing ~60d time intervals) along a full-length baleen plate
      from each female. In both whales, corticosterone was significantly elevated
      during known pregnancies (inferred from calf sightings and necropsy data) as
      compared to intercalving intervals; cortisol was significantly elevated during
      pregnancies in one female but not the other. Within intercalving intervals,
      corticosterone was significantly elevated during the first year (lactation year)
      and/or the second year (post-lactation year) as compared to later years of the
      intercalving interval, while cortisol showed more variable patterns. Cortisol
      occasionally showed brief high elevations ("spikes") not paralleled by
      corticosterone, suggesting that the two glucocorticoids might be differentially
      responsive to certain stressors. Generally, immunoreactive corticosterone was
      present in higher concentration in baleen than immunoreactive cortisol;
      corticosterone:cortisol ratio was usually >4 and was highly variable in both
      individuals. Further investigation of baleen cortisol and corticosterone profiles
      could prove fruitful for elucidating long-term, multi-year patterns in stress
      physiology of large whales, determined retrospectively from stranded or archived
      specimens.

PMID- 28919448
TI  - 7alpha-Hydroxypregnenolone regulating locomotor behavior identified in the brain
      and pineal gland across vertebrates.
AB  - The brain synthesizes steroids de novo from cholesterol, which are called
      neurosteroids. Based on extensive studies on neurosteroids over the past thirty
      years, it is now accepted that neurosteroidogenesis in the brain is a conserved
      property across vertebrates. However, the formation of bioactive neurosteroids in
      the brain is still incompletely elucidated in vertebrates. In fact, we recently
      identified 7alpha-hydroxypregnenolone (7alpha-OH PREG) as a novel bioactive
      neurosteroid stimulating locomotor behavior in the brain of several vertebrates.
      The follow-up studies have demonstrated that the stimulatory action of brain
      7alpha-OH PREG on locomotor behavior is mediated by the dopaminergic system
      across vertebrates. More recently, we have further demonstrated that the pineal
      gland, an endocrine organ located close to the brain, is a major site of the
      formation of bioactive neurosteroids. In addition to the brain, the pineal gland
      actively produces 7alpha-OH PREG de novo from cholesterol as a major pineal
      neurosteroid that acts on the brain to control locomotor rhythms. This review
      summarizes the identification, biosynthesis and mode of action of brain and
      pineal 7alpha-OH PREG, a new bioactive neurosteroid regulating locomotor
      behavior, across vertebrates.

PMID- 28919449
TI  - Genome editing in fishes and their applications.
AB  - There have been revolutionary progresses in genome engineering in the past few
      years. The newly-emerged genome editing technologies including zinc-finger
      nuclease (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) and
      clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated with Cas9
      (CRISPR/Cas9) have enabled biological scientists to perform efficient and precise
      targeted genome editing in different species. Fish represent the largest group of
      vertebrates with many species having values for both scientific research and
      aquaculture industry. Genome editing technologies have found extensive
      applications in different fish species for basic functional studies as well
      asapplied research in such fields as disease modeling and aquaculture. This mini
      review focuses on recent advancements and applications of the new generation of
      genome editing technologies in fish species, with particular emphasis on their
      applications in understanding reproductive functions because the reproductive
      axis has been most systematically and best studied among others and its function
      has been difficult to address with reverse genetics approach.

PMID- 28919450
TI  - Seasonal expression of P450c17 and 5alpha-reductase-2 in the scented gland of
      male muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus).
AB  - Cytochrome P450 17A1 (P450c17) is the key enzyme required for the production of
      androgenic sex steroids by converting progestogens to androgens. 5alpha
      reductases are enzymes that convert testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone
      (DHT), which has a greater affinity for androgen receptors (AR) and stronger
      action than T. Our previous studies revealed that the scented glands of male
      muskrats expressed AR during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. To further
      seek evidence of the activities of androgens in scented glands, the expression
      patterns of P450c17 and 5alpha-reductase 2 were investigated in the scented
      glands of male muskrats during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. The weight
      and size of scented glands in the breeding season were significantly higher than
      those of the nonbreeding season. Immunohistochemical data showed that P450c17 and
      5alpha-reductase 2 were presented in the glandular cells and epithelial cells of
      scented glands in both the seasons. The protein and mRNA expression of P450c17
      and 5alpha-reductase 2 were significantly higher in the scented gland during the
      breeding season than those during the nonbreeding season. In addition, the levels
      of DHT and T in the scented gland were remarkably higher during the breeding
      season. Taken together, these results suggested that the scented glands of male
      muskrats were capable of locally synthesizing T and DHT, and T and DHT might play
      an important role in the scented glandular function via an autocrine or paracrine
      manner.

PMID- 28919451
TI  - Biphasic modulation of neuro- and interrenal steroidogenesis in juvenile African
      sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) exposed to waterborne di-(2-ethylhexyl)
      phthalate.
AB  - Receptor (i.e. genomic) and non-receptor (or non-genomic) effects of endocrine
      toxicology have received limited or almost non-existent attention for tropical
      species and regions. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of di-(2
      ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on neuro- and interrenal steroidogenesis of the
      African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) using molecular, immunochemical and
      physiological approaches. Juvenile fish (mean weight and length: 5.6+/-0.6g and
      8.2+/-1.2cm, respectively), were randomly distributed into ten 120L rectangular
      glass tanks containing 60L of dechlorinated tap water, at 50 fish per exposure
      group. The fish were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of DEHP,
      consisting of 0 (ethanol solvent control), 10, 100, 200, and 400MUg DEHP/L water
      and performed in two replicates. Brain, liver and head kidney samples were
      collected at day 3, 7 and 14 after exposure, and analysed for star, p450scc,
      cyp19a1, cyp17, cyp11beta-, 3beta-, 17beta- and 20beta-hsd, and 17beta-ohase mRNA
      expression using real-time PCR. The StAR, P450scc and CYP19 proteins were
      measured using immunoblotting method, while estradiol-17beta (E2) and
      testosterone (T) were measured in liver homogenate using enzyme immunoassay
      (EIA). Our data showed a consistent and unique pattern of biphasic effect on star
      and steroidogenic enzyme genes with increases at low concentration (10MUg/L) and
      thereafter, a concentration-dependent decrease in both the brain and head kidney,
      that paralleled the expression of StAR, P450scc and CYP19 proteins. Cellular E2
      and T levels showed an apparent DEHP concentration-dependent increase at day 14
      of exposure. The observed consistency in the current findings and in view of
      previous reports on contaminants-induced alterations in neuro- and interrenal
      steroidogenesis, the broader toxicological and endocrine disruptor implication of
      our data indicate potentials for overt reproductive, metabolic, physiological and
      general health consequences for the exposed organisms.

PMID- 28919452
TI  - The affinity of transthyretin for T3 or T4 does not determine which form of the
      hormone accumulates in the choroid plexus.
AB  - Normal development of the brain is dependent on the required amounts of thyroid
      hormones (THs) reaching specific regions of the brain during each stage of
      ontogeny. Many proteins are involved with regulation of TH bioavailability in the
      brain: the TH distributor protein transthyretin (TTR), TH transmembrane
      transporters (e.g. MCT8, MCT10, LAT1, OATP1C1) and deiodinases (D1, D2 and D3)
      which either activate or inactivate THs. Previous studies revealed that in
      mammals, T4, but not T3, accumulated in the choroid plexus and then entered the
      cerebrospinal fluid. In all mammalian species studied so far, TTR binds T4 with
      higher affinity than T3, whereas TTR in non-mammalian vertebrates binds T3 with
      higher affinity than T4. We investigated if the form of TH preferentially bound
      by TTR influenced the form of the TH that accumulated in the choroid plexus and
      consequently other areas of the brain. We measured the mRNA levels corresponding
      to TTR, MCT8, MCT10, LAT1, OATP1C1, D1, D2 and D3 in the brains of chickens at
      11days post-hatching. TTR, D3 and OATP1C1 expression were found to be highly
      concentrated in the choroid plexus. D1, MCT8 and MCT10 mRNA levels were slightly
      greater in the choroid plexus than in other areas of the brain while D2 mRNA
      levels were lower. LAT1 mRNA was evenly expressed throughout the brain.
      Therefore, the choroid plexus appears to be a structure which exhibits
      sophisticated control of TH levels within the brain. We also measured the uptake
      of intravenously injected 125I-T3 and 125I-T4 into brains of chickens of the same
      age. 125I-T4 but not 125I-T3 accumulated in the choroid plexus and optic lobes.
      Therefore, the form of TH preferentially bound by TTR does not determine the form
      of TH that accumulates in the choroid plexus and other areas of the brain. As for
      mammals, T3 present in the avian brain therefore seems mainly produced locally by
      conversion of T4 into T3 by D2.

PMID- 28919453
TI  - Testosterone promotes anxiolytic-like behavior in gonadectomized male rats via
      blockade of the 5-HT1A receptors.
AB  - This study was designed to examine an anxiety-like behavior in the adult
      gonadectomized (GDX) male rats subjected to testosterone propionate (TP)
      treatment alone or in combination with 8-OH-DPAT, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, or
      with NAN-190, 5-HT1A receptor antagonist. Two weeks after gonadectomy, GDX rats
      were subjected by treatments with the solvent, TP (0.5mg/kg, s.c.), 8-OH-DPAT
      (0.05mg/kg, s.c.), NAN-190 (0.1mg/kg, i.p.), TP in combination with 8-OH-DPAT or
      NAN-190 during 14days. Anxiety behavior was assessed in the elevated plus maze
      (EPM) and the open field test (OFT). 8-OH-DPAT treatment failed to modify the
      anxiety-like behavior of GDX rats in the EPM as compared to the GDX rats given
      with oil solvent. NAN-190 injected alone or in combination with TP to GDX rats
      resulted in a significant anxiolytic-like effect as compared to the GDX given
      with oil solvent or TP application. Our data indicate that the combination of NAN
      190 and TP is more effective than TP alone in GDX rats inducing a more profound
      anxiolytic-like effect in the EPM. Thus, the results of this study suggest that
      effects of 5-HT1A receptor agonist/antagonist can modify anxiety level in
      opposite direction in male rats after gonadectomy.

PMID- 28919454
TI  - A robust immune system conditions the response to abagovomab (anti-idiotypic
      monoclonal antibody mimicking the CA125 protein) vaccination in ovarian cancer
      patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite encouraging phase I and II study results, vaccination of
      ovarian cancer patients with abagovomab - an anti-idiotypic mAb that mimics the
      ovarian cancer CA125 protein - failed to demonstrate efficacy in the phase III
      trial named MIMOSA (NCT00418574). We postulated that in this trial patients with
      a more robust immune system did respond to abagovomab but went undetected among a
      larger number of non-responders. We also postulated that assessment of the immune
      system status ahead of abagovomab administration might predict patients'
      propensity to respond to abagovomab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The immune system
      status was assessed as percentage and absolute count of CD8+ T cells producing
      IFN-gamma after stimulation with Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) in 80
      patients on abagovomab and 31 patients on placebo from the MIMOSA trial ahead of
      treatment. Optimal cutoffs of the two variables were calculated by the web
      application "Cutoff Finder" as the points with most significant (log-rank test)
      splits based on relapse-free survival (RFS). The Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank
      test served to estimate and compare RFS in patients with percentage and absolute
      count of IFN-gamma producing CD8+ T cells around the cutoffs. RESULTS: Patients
      on abagovomab with IFN-gamma producing CD8+T cell percentage above the cutoff had
      a better RFS (p=0.042) than those with IFN-gamma producing CD8+T cell percentage
      below the cutoff. Patients on abagovomab with IFN-gamma producing CD8+T cell
      absolute count above the cutoff had a better RFS (p=0.019) than those with IFN
      gamma producing CD8+T cell absolute counts below the cutoff. Consistently, the
      RFS of patients on abagovomab with IFN-gamma producing CD8+T cell percentage and
      absolute counts values below the respective cutoffs was identical to that of
      patients on placebo. Neither the percentage nor the absolute count of IFN-gamma
      producing CD8+T cells correlated with RFS in patients on placebo. CONCLUSIONS: A
      robust immune system is essential to obtain a clinical response in OC patients
      undergoing abagovomab immunotherapy whereas a robust immune system does not
      confer per se a survival advantage. Further work will clarify whether the results
      shown here apply only in the present setting or extend to other types of cancer
      and/or immunotherapeutic agents.

PMID- 28919456
TI  - Unresolved and critical issues in autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

PMID- 28919455
TI  - Is there a role for IL-17 in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis?
AB  - In systemic sclerosis (SSc) immuno-inflammatory events are central to disease
      development. Amongst other mediators of inflammation, interleukin 17 (IL-17) and
      Th17 cells have been reported to be increased in the peripheral blood and target
      organs including involved skin in SSc. They participate and amplify inflammatory
      responses by inducing the production of cytokines such as IL-6, chemokines such
      as CCL2 and CXCL8 (IL-8), matrix metalloproteinases-1, -2, -9 and the expression
      of adhesion molecules in stromal cells including fibroblasts and endothelial
      cells. In this respect, IL-17 and Th17 cells behave paradigmatically as
      documented in other autoimmune pathological conditions or infectious diseases. In
      experimental animal models of skin and lung fibrosis, IL-17 indirectly enhances
      the fibrotic process by favoring further inflammation by recruiting inflammatory
      cells, by activating and/or stimulating the production of TGF-beta and other pro
      fibrotic mediators, by inhibiting autophagy. Whether the findings generated in
      animal models of fibrosis can be translated to human SSc is unproven.
      Furthermore, it is controversial whether IL-17 directly promotes the
      transdifferentiation of human fibroblasts into myofibroblasts and enhances
      collagen production, with most of the available evidence against this
      possibility. The reductionist approach in which fibroblast in monolayers are
      cultured in plastic dishes under the influence of IL-17 limits the relevance of
      these findings. Further in vitro/ex vivo models with human tissues are being
      developed to investigate the real effect of IL-17 on extracellular matrix
      deposition, since agents blocking IL-17 are available for the clinic and it will
      be important to know whether their use in SSc would be beneficial or detrimental.

PMID- 28919457
TI  - Patterns of botulinum toxin treatment for spasticity and bleeding complications
      in patients with thrombotic risk.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of compartment syndrome or
      major bleeding episodes and compare compartment syndrome, patient and
      intervention characteristics in 110 patients with stroke (treated with Warfarin,
      new oral anticoagulants, antiplatelet, or no anticoagulants) treated for
      spasticity in deep leg compartment muscles with botulinum toxin injections
      [onabotulinumtoxinA (n = 77); incobotulinumtoxinA (n = 33)]. We reviewed 674
      injection cycles (range 1-25 cycles per patient) and found no cases of
      compartment syndrome in any patient groups.

PMID- 28919458
TI  - Anthrax lethal toxin (LeTx) neutralization by PA domain specific antisera.
AB  - Anthrax associated causalities in humans and animals are implicated mainly due to
      the action of two exotoxins that are secreted by the bacterium Bacillus antharcis
      during the infection. These exotoxins comprise of three protein components namely
      protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). The protective
      antigen is the common toxin component required to form both lethal toxin (LeTx)
      and edema toxin (EdTx). The LeTx is formed, when PA combines with LF and EdTx is
      formed when PA combines with EF. Therapeutic interventions aiming to neutralize
      these key effectors of anthrax pathology would therefore, provide an effective
      means to counter the toxicity imposed by the anthrax toxins on the host. The
      present work describes the lethal toxin neutralization potential of polyclonal
      antisera developed against the individual domains of the protective antigen
      component of the anthrax toxin. The individual domains were produced as
      recombinant proteins in E. coli and validated with peptide mass fingerprinting by
      MALDI-TOF analysis and corresponding mice polyclonal antisera by western
      blotting. Each domain specific antibody titre and isotype was ascertained by
      ELISA. The isotyping revealed the predominance of IgG1 isotype. The toxin
      neutralizing potential of these domain specific antisera were evaluated by in
      vitro cell viability MTT assay, employing J774.1 mouse macrophage cell line
      against LeTx (0.25 MUg ml-1 PA and 0.125 MUg ml-1 LF concentrations). Among the
      four domain specific antisera, the antiserum against PA domain IV could
      neutralize LeTx with high efficiency. No significant neutralization of LeTx was
      observed with other domain specific antibodies. Results indicate that antibodies
      to r-PA domain IV could be explored further as therapeutic anti toxin molecule
      along with appropriate antibiotic regimens against anthrax.

PMID- 28919459
TI  - Genome content, metabolic pathways and biotechnological potential of the
      psychrophilic Arctic bacterium Psychrobacter sp. DAB_AL43B, a source and a host
      of novel Psychrobacter-specific vectors.
AB  - Psychrobacter sp. DAB_AL43B, isolated from ornithogenic soil collected on the
      Arctic island of Spitsbergen, is a newly sequenced psychrophilic strain
      susceptible to conjugation and electrotransformation. Its genome consists of a
      circular chromosome (3.3 Mb) and four plasmids (4.4-6.4kb). In silico genome
      mining and microarray-based phenotypic analysis were performed to describe the
      metabolic potential of this strain and identify possible biotechnological
      applications. Metabolic reconstruction indicated that DAB_AL43B prefers low
      molecular-weight carboxylates and amino acids as carbon and energy sources.
      Genetic determinants of heavy-metal resistance, anthracene degradation and
      possible aerobic denitrification were also identified. Comparative analyses
      revealed a relatively close relationship between DAB_AL43B and other sequenced
      Psychrobacter species. In addition, the plasmids of this strain were used as the
      basis for the construction of Escherichia coli-Psychrobacter spp. shuttle
      vectors. Taken together, the results of this work suggest that DAB_AL43B is a
      promising candidate as a new model strain for studies on Psychrobacter spp.

PMID- 28919460
TI  - A likelihood-based approach to P-value interpretation provided a novel,
      plausible, and clinically useful research study metric.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Interpretation of clinical research findings using the paradigm of
      null hypothesis significance testing has a number of limitations. These include
      arbitrary dichotomization of results, lack of incorporation of study power and
      prior probability, and the confusing use of conditional probability. This study
      aimed to describe a novel method of P-value interpretation that would address
      these limitations. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Published clinical research was
      reinterpreted using the delta likelihood ratio. The delta likelihood ratio is an
      application of Bayes' rule incorporating the P-value and study power. Calculation
      of the delta likelihood ratio allows the determination of the most likely effect
      size using the maximum likelihood principle. RESULTS: We showed that the delta
      likelihood is easily calculated and produces plausible results using the example
      of several previously published research studies. Empirical evidence of validity
      was demonstrated by simulation. CONCLUSION: The delta likelihood ratio and most
      likely effect size are simple and intuitive metrics to summarize research
      findings. The delta likelihood ratio incorporates study power and provides a
      continuous measure of the probability that the research result is a true effect.
      The most likely effect size is an easily understood metric that should aid the
      interpretation of research.

PMID- 28919461
TI  - Comparative effectiveness medicines research cannot assess efficacy.

PMID- 28919462
TI  - Cumulative incidence estimates in the presence of competing risks.

PMID- 28919463
TI  - Decision making about healthcare-related tests and diagnostic test strategies.
      Paper 1: a new series on testing to improve people's health.

PMID- 28919464
TI  - Corticothalamic network dysfunction and Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that is
      characterized by progressive cognitive decline and a prominent loss of
      hippocampal-dependent memory. Therefore, much focus has been placed on
      understanding the function and dysfunction of the hippocampus in AD. However, AD
      is also accompanied by a number of other debilitating cognitive and behavioral
      alterations including deficits in attention, cognitive processing, and sleep
      maintenance. The underlying mechanisms that give rise to impairments in such
      diverse behavioral domains are unknown, and identifying them would shed insight
      into the multifactorial nature of AD as well as reveal potential new therapeutic
      targets to improve overall function in AD. We present here several lines of
      evidence that suggest that dysregulation of the corticothalamic network may be a
      common denominator that contributes to the diverse cognitive and behavioral
      alterations in AD. First, we will review the mechanisms by which this network
      regulates processes that include attention, cognitive processing, learning and
      memory, and sleep maintenance. Then we will review how these behavioral and
      cognitive domains are altered in AD. We will also discuss how dysregulation of
      tightly regulated activity in the corticothalamic network can give rise to non
      convulsive seizures and other forms of epileptiform activity that have also been
      documented in both AD patients and transgenic mouse models of AD. In summary, the
      corticothalamic network has the potential to be a master regulator of diverse
      cognitive and behavioral domains that are affected in AD.

PMID- 28919465
TI  - Uridine treatment protects against neonatal brain damage and long-term cognitive
      deficits caused by hyperoxia.
AB  - Exposure to excessive oxygen in survivors of preterm birth is one of the factors
      that underlie the adverse neurological outcome in later life. Various
      pathological changes including enhanced apoptotic activity, oxidative stress and
      inflammation as well as decreased neuronal survival has been demonstrated in
      animal models of neonatal hyperoxia. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate the effect of administering uridine, an anti-apoptotic agent, on
      cellular, molecular and behavioral consequences of hyperoxia-induced brain damage
      in a neonatal rat model. For five days from birth, rat pups were either subjected
      continuously to room air (21% oxygen) or hyperoxia (80% oxygen) and received
      daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of saline (0.9% NaCl) or uridine
      (500mg/kg). Two-thirds of all pups were sacrificed on postnatal day 5 (P5) in
      order to investigate apoptotic cell death, myelination and number of surviving
      neurons. One-thirds of pups were raised through P40 in order to evaluate early
      reflexes, sensorimotor coordination and cognitive functions followed by
      investigation of neuron count and myelination. We show that uridine treatment
      reduces apoptotic cell death and hypomyelination while increasing the number of
      surviving neurons in hyperoxic pups on P5. In addition, uridine enhances learning
      and memory performances in periadolescent rats on P40. These data suggest that
      uridine administered during the course of hyperoxic insult enhances cognitive
      functions at periadolescent period probably by reducing apoptotic cell death and
      preventing hypomyelination during the neonatal period in a rat model of hyperoxia
      induced brain injury.

PMID- 28919466
TI  - Intrastriatally injected botulinum neurotoxin-A differently effects cholinergic
      and dopaminergic fibers in C57BL/6 mice.
AB  - Unilateral intrastriatal BoNT-A injection abolished apomorphine-induced
      rotational behavior in a rat model of hemiparkinsonism (hemi-PD) up to 6months.
      It was hypothesized that the beneficial effect of botulinum neurotoxin-A (BoNT-A)
      grounded on the reduction of the Parkinson's diseases (PD) associated striatal
      hypercholinism. Intrastriatal injection of BoNT-A was not cytotoxic in rat brain,
      but neuronal fiber swellings in the BoNT-A infiltrated striata appeared and named
      BoNT-A-induced varicosities (BiVs). In the rat BiVs were immunoreactive (ir)
      either for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). In the
      present study the structural effect of unilateral intrastriatal BoNT-A injection
      in the naive mouse brain was analyzed to extend possible therapeutic BoNT-A
      applications to genetical Parkinsonian strains. We investigated the effect of a
      single dose of 25pg BoNT-A injected into the right caudate-putamen (CPu) for up
      to 9months, and of increasing doses up to 200pg on striatal volume, number of
      ChAT-ir interneurons, and numeric density and volume of the ChAT-ir BiVs in
      comparison to the uninjected hemisphere. Intrastriatal BoNT-A injection did not
      alter the number of ChAT-ir interneurons irrespective of survival time and dosage
      tested. However, the numeric density of the ChAT-ir BiVs at a dose of 25pg
      increased from 1 to 3months after BoNT-A, followed by a time dependent decrease.
      In parallel, with increasing BoNT-A survival time, the mean BiV volume increased
      as the number of small BiVs decreased. Interestingly, in contrast to rats we did
      not find TH-ir BiVs in BoNT-A injected mouse striatum.

PMID- 28919467
TI  - Distribution of spleen tyrosine kinase and tau phosphorylated at tyrosine 18 in a
      mouse model of tauopathy and in the human hippocampus.
AB  - PURPOSE: Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) has been shown to phosphorylate tyrosine 18
      of tau in vitro. It has been proposed that increased immunoreactivity for double
      phosphorylated Syk in hippocampal neurons of Alzheimer's disease cases indicates
      a not yet defined neurodegenerative process. To investigate this possibility we
      have studied Syk and tau phosphorylated at tyrosine 18 (pTyr18) in transgenic
      mice and human hippocampi. METHODS: We performed immunohistochemistry,
      immunofluorescence labeling and Western blotting and compared the distribution of
      Syk double-phosphorylated at tyrosines 525 and 526 and pTyr18 in human tau
      transgenic pR5 mice and human hippocampi with low and high Braak stages for
      neurofibrillary tangle pathology. RESULTS: pTyr18 appeared early during the
      course of neurodegeneration in pR5 mice and was widely distributed in the pR5
      brain, including neuronal somata and fiber tracts. In contrast, only strongly
      pTyr18- and AT100-(tau phosphorylated at Thr212 and Ser214) positive neurons with
      a fibrillary tau pathology in old pR5 mice and microglia displayed
      immunoreactivity for double-phosphorylated Syk. In human hippocampi,
      phosphorylated Syk was mainly present in granulovacuolar inclusions in
      hippocampal pyramidal neurons and did not co-locate with pTyr18 in these neurons.
      We observed pTyr18-positive neurons and neurons with granular pSyk
      immunoreactivity already at early Braak stages and their number was markedly
      increased in Braak stage VI. CONCLUSION: Syk appears unlikely to be the major
      kinase that phosphorylates tyrosine 18 of tau in tauopathy. It possibly
      phosphorylates tyrosine 18 of tau and regulates other tau kinases in neurons with
      a fibrillary tau pathology.

PMID- 28919468
TI  - A copper based enzyme-free fluorescence ELISA for HER2 detection.
AB  - We reported an enzyme-free ELISA to detect breast cancer biomarker human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in human serum samples. Instead of
      enzymes (such as horseradish peroxidase) used in traditional ELISA, CuO
      nanoparticles were utilized as the signal probe. Compared to traditional enzymes,
      CuO nanoparticles have the advantages of low cost and good stability. After
      dissolving CuO nanoparticles with acid, the Cu (II) ions generated catalyzed the
      reaction of o-phenylenediamine with ascorbic acid to produce fluorescent
      quinoxaline derivative molecules. The immunoassay displays high sensitivity and
      good selectivity towards HER2 with detection limit as low as 9.65pg.mL-1. The
      assay was successfully applied to the analysis of HER2 in serum of breast cancer
      patients. The analysis results demonstrated the HER2 level in the serum samples
      determined by our assay were in good agreement with those determined by
      commercial HER2 ELISA kit. This enzyme-free ELISA assay can be easily adapted to
      the detection of other analytes. With these merits, the simple, sensitive and
      cost effective fluorescence immunoassay shows great potential for clinical
      applications.

PMID- 28919470
TI  - Preparation and characterization of amorphous ciprofloxacin-amino acid salts.
AB  - The amorphization of the poorly soluble drug ciprofloxacin (CIP) may be
      facilitated by the use of a suitable stabilizer. In this study seven amino acids,
      with various side chain properties, were evaluated in this regard. Solid
      dispersions were prepared by ball milling 1:1 molar ratios of CIP with the amino
      acids, and their solid-state and pharmaceutical properties were then examined.
      Fully X-ray amorphous solid dispersions were obtained with aspartic acid,
      glutamic acid, cysteine and arginine. In each case, evidence of salt formation
      between the drug and amino acids was found via Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. In contrast, semi
      crystalline solid dispersions were obtained with serine, alanine and glycine. The
      glass transition temperatures of the amorphous salts were significantly higher
      than those of the starting materials, and they remained fully X-ray amorphous
      during long-term stability studies. Significant improvements in the solubility of
      CIP were also observed with the amorphous salts in water and simulated biological
      fluids, over and above that of the corresponding physical mixtures. In
      permeability studies on the other hand, the amorphous aspartate and glutamate
      salts were found to be less permeable than the pure drug, whereas formulation as
      an amorphous salt containing cysteine or arginine increased the permeability of
      CIP. Therefore, while amorphous salt formation with amino acids appears to be a
      suitable means of improving the thermal stability and solubility of CIP, in some
      cases this is associated with a decrease in permeability.

PMID- 28919469
TI  - Assignment of the absolute configuration of hepatoprotective highly oxygenated
      triterpenoids using X-ray, ECD, NMR J-based configurational analysis and HSQC
      overlay experiments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The plants of the genus Kadsura are widely distributed in China,
      South Korea, and Japan. Their roots and stems are traditionally used to treat
      blood diseases and pain. The main bioactive constituents of Kadsura
      longipedunculata comprise highly oxygenated triterpenoids. Schiartane-type
      nortriterpenoids showed anti-HIV, anti-HBV, and cytotoxic bioactivities. For such
      compounds, the absolute configuration influences the bioactivities, and hence its
      unambiguous determination is essential. In this work, the absolute configurations
      of three highly oxygenated schiartane-type nortriterpenoids were unequivocally
      assigned using X-ray, ECD, and J-based configuration analysis and HSQC overlay
      data. METHODS: The ethanol extract of Kadsura longipedunculata Finet et Gagnep
      was purified by column chromatography using silica, Sephadex LH-20, and ODS as
      substrates. To help assign the absolute configuration of schiartane-type
      nortriterpenoids, X-ray diffraction analysis, ECD experiment compared to ab
      initio computed data, DP4+ analysis, HSQC overlay, NOESY, and J-based
      configuration analysis were carried out. Hetero- and homo-nuclear coupling
      constants were extracted from HETLOC experiments. RESULTS: Three new highly
      oxygenated triterpenoids, micrandilactone I (1), micrandilactone J (2), and 22,23
      di-epi-micrandilactone J (3) were isolated. Their 2D structures were solved using
      NMR and HRESIMS data and their absolute configurations were elucidated using X
      ray diffraction analysis, ECD experimental results compared to ab initio computed
      spectra, HSQC overlay, DP4+, NOESY, and J-based configuration analysis.
      Micrandilactone I (1) and 22,23-di-epi-micrandilactone J (3) showed moderate
      hepatoprotective activity against APAP-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells with cell
      survival rates of 53.0 and 50.2%, respectively, at 10MUM (bicyclol, 49.0%), while
      micrandilactone J (2) was inactive. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first
      comprehensive stereochemical assignment of a non-crystalline schiartane-type
      nortriterpenoid like 3. This general protocol may contribute towards solving the
      problems hampering the assignment of the absolute configurations of other members
      of this class of nortriterpenoids.

PMID- 28919471
TI  - Response to 'the flexible therapeutic approach to the BCLC B stage': Time for
      scoring systems?

PMID- 28919472
TI  - Reply to: "Response to 'the flexible therapeutic approach to the BCLC B stage':
      Time for scoring systems?"

PMID- 28919473
TI  - Atorvastatin alters gene expression and cholesterol synthesis in primary rainbow
      trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hepatocytes.
AB  - The liver is a key metabolic organ contributing significantly to both lipid and
      cholesterol homeostasis in vertebrates. This study examines whether the human
      pharmaceutical atorvastatin (ATV), which is designed to lower cholesterol
      biosynthesis, could disrupt lipid dynamics in fish. The study investigates the
      effects of ATV at a physiologically relevant exposure regimen (concentration and
      duration) on gene transcripts and the biosynthesis of cholesterol and other lipid
      and non-lipid molecules in primary rainbow trout hepatocytes. Trout hepatocytes
      exposed to ATV increased the transcript abundance of genes involved in lipid
      metabolism (HMGCR1, LDLR, PPARalpha, PPARgamma, and SREBP1) and xenobiotic
      metabolism (CYP3A27), and reduced cholesterol synthesis. This study demonstrates
      that lipid metabolism in trout hepatocytes is sensitive to the effects of ATV,
      and changes in gene expression occur within 3-6h after exposure.

PMID- 28919474
TI  - Highly efficient one-step advanced treatment of biologically pretreated coking
      wastewater by an integration of coagulation and adsorption process.
AB  - A novel integrated process of coagulation and adsorption was proposed for the
      advanced treatment of biologically pretreated coking wastewater. Results of
      laboratory, pilot, and industrial-scale experiments indicated that this one-step
      novel process can remove biorefractory pollutants, achieving the maximum chemical
      oxygen demand (COD) and cyanide removals of around 85.3% and 99.4%, respectively.
      Its effluent could meet the corresponding discharge standards without any further
      treatment, i.e., COD <30mg/L, cyanide <0.1mg/L, and improved effluent safety
      (lower toxicity). The easy operation and high efficiency of this method reflect
      its engineering-application potential in the tertiary treatment of coking
      wastewater.

PMID- 28919475
TI  - Improvement of methane content in a hydrogenotrophic anaerobic digester via the
      proper operation of membrane module integrated into an external-loop.
AB  - This work assessed the feasibility of a hydrogenotrophic biogas process
      integrated with a membrane module in the external-loop design. The major scope
      was to conduct the investigation from the perspective of the membrane unit and
      reveal how the operating strategy influences the efficiency of biogas formation.
      It was observed that the fermenter worked with an improved efficacy, indicated by
      the higher concentration of methane in the headspace (80-90%) when the gas
      loading intensity, defined as the ratio of inlet gas permeation rate and the
      circulation rate of the liquid phase, was adjusted to lower values (3-5.3*10-3).
      Such results are implying that the mass transfer of H2 into the reactor is
      dependent on this critical parameter. Moreover, attention should be paid to the
      fouling of the module under longer-term experiments to keep its performance at a
      sufficient level.

PMID- 28919476
TI  - Current status of the pilot-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactor treatments of
      domestic wastewaters: A critical review.
AB  - This review presented the performances of the pilot-scale anaerobic membrane
      bioreactors (AnMBRs) treating domestic wastewater. High COD removal efficiencies
      and low biosolids productions were achieved at HRTs comparable to conventional
      aerobic processes under ambient temperatures. The energy demands for fouling
      control in the pilot-scale AnMBRs ranged from 0.04 to 1.35kWh/m3, which is lower
      than those of lab-scale AnMBRs and aerobic MBRs. The energy demands for fouling
      control were in the order of gas sparging>particle sparging>rotating membrane
      AnMBR. Two major factors affecting the energy demand in gas sparging AnMBRs were
      specific gas demands (SGDm) and operating flux. The energy potentials in
      wastewater were significantly affected by the influent sulfate concentrations.
      Energy balances indicated that five out of nine pilot-scale AnMBRs was energy
      positive. However, further improvements of the AnMBRs are required to implement
      the energy positive wastewater treatment process.

PMID- 28919477
TI  - Influence of microwave heating on biogas production from Sida hermaphrodita
      silage.
AB  - This study compared the effects on biogas production of suspended sludge versus a
      combination of suspended sludge and immobilized biomass, and microwave versus
      convection heating. Biogas production was the highest in the hybrid bioreactor
      heated by microwaves (385L/kg VS) and also the most stable, as shown by the
      FOS/TAC ratio and pH. Regardless of the type of heating, biogas production was 8%
      higher with immobilized biomass than without. Although the lag phase of biogas
      production was shorter with microwave heating than without, the log phase was
      longer, and biogas production in the microwave heated bioreactors took about
      twice as long (ca. 40days) to plateau as in the conventionally heated
      bioreactors. These differences in the profile of biogas production are likely due
      to the athermal effects of microwave irradiation.

PMID- 28919478
TI  - Atorvastatin reduces lipid accumulation in the liver by activating protein kinase
      A-mediated phosphorylation of perilipin 5.
AB  - Statins have been proven to be effective in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD). Recently, it was reported that statins decreased the hepatic
      expression of perilipin 5 (Plin5), a lipid droplet (LD)-associated protein, which
      plays critical roles in regulating lipid accumulation and lipolysis in liver.
      However, the function and regulation mechanism of Plin5 have not yet been well
      established in NAFLD treatment with statins. In this study, we observed that
      atorvastatin moderately reduced the expression of Plin5 in livers without
      changing the protein level of Plin5 in the hepatic LD fraction of mice fed with
      high-fat diet (HFD). Intriguingly, atorvastatin stimulated the PKA-mediated
      phosphorylation of Plin5 and reduced the triglyceride (TG) accumulation in
      hepatocytes with overexpression of wide type (Plin5-WT) compared to serine-155
      mutant Plin5 (Plin5-S155A). Moreover, PKA-stimulated FA release of purified LDs
      carrying Plin5-WT but not Plin5-S155A. Glucagon, a PKA activator, stimulated the
      phosphorylation of Plin5-WT and inhibited its interaction with CGI-58. The
      results indicated that atorvastatin promoted lipolysis and reduced TG
      accumulation in the liver by increasing PKA-mediated phosphorylation of Plin5.
      This new mechanism of lipid-lowering effects of atorvastatin might provide a new
      strategy for NAFLD treatment.

PMID- 28919479
TI  - FABP1 knockdown in human enterocytes impairs proliferation and alters lipid
      metabolism.
AB  - Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins (FABPs) are abundant intracellular proteins that bind
      long chain fatty acids (FA) and have been related with inmunometabolic diseases.
      Intestinal epithelial cells express two isoforms of FABPs: liver FABP (LFABP or
      FABP1) and intestinal FABP (IFABP or FABP2). They are thought to be associated
      with intracellular dietary lipid transport and trafficking towards diverse cell
      fates. But still their specific functions are not well understood. To study
      FABP1's functions, we generated an FABP1 knockdown model in Caco-2 cell line by
      stable antisense cDNA transfection (FABP1as). In these cells FABP1 expression was
      reduced up to 87%. No compensatory increase in FABP2 was observed, strengthening
      the idea of differential functions of both isoforms. In differentiated FABP1as
      cells, apical administration of oleate showed a decrease in its initial uptake
      rate and in long term incorporation compared with control cells. FABP1 depletion
      also reduced basolateral oleate secretion. The secreted oleate distribution
      showed an increase in FA/triacylglyceride ratio compared to control cells,
      probably due to FABP1's role in chylomicron assembly. Interestingly, FABP1as
      cells exhibited a dramatic decrease in proliferation rate. A reduction in oleate
      uptake as well as a decrease in its incorporation into the phospholipid fraction
      was observed in proliferating cells. Overall, our studies indicate that FABP1 is
      essential for proper lipid metabolism in differentiated enterocytes, particularly
      concerning fatty acids uptake and its basolateral secretion. Moreover, we show
      that FABP1 is required for enterocyte proliferation, suggesting that it may
      contribute to intestinal homeostasis.

PMID- 28919481
TI  - Feasibility of Implementing Group Well Baby/Well Woman Dyad Care at Federally
      Qualified Health Centers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Group care has been shown to be effective for delivery of infant well
      child care. Centering Parenting (CP) is a model of group dyad care for mothers
      and infants. CP might improve quality and efficiency of preventive care,
      particularly for low-income families. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)
      might be optimal sites for implementation, however, facilitators and barriers
      might be unique. The aim of this qualitative study was to assess stakeholder
      perspectives on the feasibility of implementing CP in FQHCs in Baltimore.
      METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with mothers, clinicians,
      staff, and administrators recruited from 2 FQHCs using purposive sampling.
      Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and uploaded to Atlas.ti version
      7.0 (Atlas.ti Scientific Software Development, GmbH Berlin, Germany) for
      analysis. Using an inductive thematic analysis approach, 2 investigators coded
      the transcripts. Matrices of key codes were developed to identify themes and
      patterns across stakeholder groups. RESULTS: Interviews were completed with 26
      mothers and 16 clinicians, staff, and administrators. Most participants
      considered CP desirable. Facilitators included: peer support and education,
      emphasis on maternal wellness, and increased patient and clinician satisfaction.
      Barriers included: exposure to "others," scheduling and coordination of care,
      productivity, training requirements, and cost. Parenting experience did not
      appear to affect perspectives on CP. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions regarding
      facilitators and barriers to CP implementation in FQHCs are similar to existing
      group well-child care literature. The benefit of emphasis on maternal wellness is
      a unique finding. Maternal wellness integration might make CP a particularly
      desirable model for implementation at FQHCs, but potential systems barriers must
      be addressed.

PMID- 28919480
TI  - Cholesterol modulates the cellular localization of Orai1 channels and its
      disposition among membrane domains.
AB  - Store Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE) is one of the most important mechanisms for
      calcium mobilization in to the cell. Two main proteins sustain SOCE: STIM1 that
      acts as the calcium sensor in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Orai1
      responsible for calcium influx upon depletion of ER. There are many studies
      indicating that SOCE is modulated by the cholesterol content of the plasma
      membrane (PM). However, a myriad of questions remain unanswered concerning the
      precise molecular mechanism by which cholesterol modulates SOCE. In the present
      study we found that reducing PM cholesterol results in the internalization of
      Orai1 channels, which can be prevented by overexpressing caveolin 1 (Cav1).
      Furthermore, Cav1 and Orai1 associate upon SOCE activation as revealed by FRET
      and coimmunoprecipitation assays. The effects of reducing cholesterol were not
      limited to an increased rate of Orai1 internalization, but also, affects the
      lateral movement of Orai1, inducing movement in a linear pattern (unobstructed
      diffusion) opposite to basal cholesterol conditions were most of Orai1 channels
      moves in a confined space, as assessed by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy,
      Cav1 overexpression inhibited these alterations maintaining Orai1 into a confined
      and partially confined movement. These results not only highlight the complex
      effect of cholesterol regulation on SOCE, but also indicate a direct regulatory
      effect on Orai1 localization and compartmentalization by this lipid.

PMID- 28919482
TI  - Blood and Hair Aluminum Levels, Vaccine History, and Early Infant Development: A
      Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate relationships between whole blood (B-Al) and hair aluminum
      (H-Al) levels in healthy infants and their immunization history and development.
      METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 9- to 13-month-old children
      recruited from an urban primary care center, excluding those with a history of
      renal disease or receipt of either aluminum-containing pharmaceuticals or
      parenteral nutrition. Aluminum levels were measured using inductively coupled
      plasma-mass spectrometry. Correlation with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler
      Development, Third Edition (BSID) and vaccine-related aluminum load was assessed
      via linear regression models. RESULTS: The median age of 85 participants was 287
      days. B-Al (median, 15.4 ng/mL; range, 0.9-952 ng/mL) and H-Al (median 42,542
      ng/g; range, 2758-211,690 ng/g) were weakly correlated (Spearman rho = 0.26; P =
      .03). There was no significant correlation between B-Al or H-Al and estimated
      aluminum load from vaccines. B-Al was not correlated with BSID composite or
      subscale scores. Although H-Al was not correlated with BSID scores in models
      including all data (n = 85), it was inversely correlated with motor composite (P
      < .02; Wald = 5.88) and the gross motor subscale (P = .04; Wald = 4.38) in models
      that excluded an extreme outlying H-Al value. CONCLUSIONS: Infant B-Al and H-Al
      varied considerably but did not correlate with their immunization history.
      Likewise, there was no correlation between B-Al and infant development or between
      H-Al and language or cognitive development. An inverse correlation between H-Al
      and BSID motor scores deserves further investigation.

PMID- 28919483
TI  - National Landscape of Interventions to Improve Pediatric Resident Wellness and
      Reduce Burnout.

PMID- 28919484
TI  - Lung cancer epigenetics: From knowledge to applications.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Advances
      in our understanding of the genomics of lung cancer have led to substantial
      progress in the treatment of specific molecular subsets. Immunotherapy also
      emerges as a major breakthrough in lung cancer treatment. However, challenges
      remain as a consensual approach for early lung cancer detection remains elusive
      while primary or secondary drug resistance eventually leads to treatment failure
      in all patients with advanced disease. Furthermore, a large portion of patients
      are still treated with conventional chemotherapy that is only modestly effective.
      The last two decades have seen exponential developments in the epigenetic
      understanding of lung cancer. Epigenetic alterations in DNA methylation, non
      coding RNA expression, chromatin modeling and post transcriptional regulators are
      key events in each step of lung cancer pathogenesis. Here, we review the central
      role epigenetic disruptions play in lung cancer carcinogenesis and the
      acquisition of cancerous phenotype and aggressive behavior as well as in the
      resistance to therapy. Epigenetic disruptions could represent reliable biomarkers
      for lung cancer risk assessment, early diagnosis, prognosis stratification,
      molecular classification and prediction of treatment efficacy. The therapeutic
      potential of epigenetics targeted drugs in combination with chemotherapy,
      targeted therapy and/or immunotherapy is currently being intensively
      investigated. We suggest that integration of tissue-derived or circulating
      epigenetic biomarkers and epidrugs in clinical trial design will translate
      epigenetic knowledge of lung cancer into the clinic and improve lung cancer
      patient outcomes.

PMID- 28919485
TI  - The pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus in autoimmune diseases.
AB  - Autoimmune disease are defined as the attacks on host tissue by the immune
      system. Several factors, e.g. genetic and environmental triggers (in particular,
      viruses, bacteria, and other infectious pathogens) play a role in the development
      of autoimmune diseases. Bacterial infections are related to several autoimmune
      diseases, e.g. chronic inflammations and demyelination. Nowadays, an estimated 20
      30% of the general human population carry Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). This
      organism can asymptomatically colonize healthy individuals. S. aureus carriers
      show no sign of infection and can thus spread this bacterium in the community.
      Several studies investigated the potential involvement of this bacterium as the
      etiological agents of autoimmune diseases. The present review focused on the role
      of S. aureus infections in the pathogenesis of autoimmune, inflammatory, and
      demyelinating diseases. Possible modes of the pathogenic action of bacteria are
      discussed in association with the ways in which S. aureus can initiate or
      exacerbate autoimmunity.

PMID- 28919487
TI  - Effect of ultrasound treatment conditions on Saccharomyces cerevisiae by response
      surface methodology.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of different ultrasound
      treatment conditions on the inactivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the
      application of response surface methodology (RSM). METHODS: Ultrasound treatment
      were applied on different concentrations of S. cerevisiae cells with different
      pH, temperature, ultrasound power, irradiating time, and pulse duty ratio. Cell
      viability was determined by plate counting method. Response surface methodology
      was used to analyze the correlation among various factors. RESULTS: Limited with
      low ultrasound power, lower pH value slightly improved the ultrasound treatment
      efficiency. Also, higher nonlethal temperature and ultrasound power, longer
      irradiation time, and lower pulse duty ratio facilitated the inactivation of S.
      cerevisiae. Cell concentration had no effect on ultrasound efficiency.
      CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound power played the most important role in the ultrasound
      irradiation process according to RSM analyses. Information derived from this
      study may aid in the control of the sublethal injury of S. cerevisiae during
      ultrasound treatment in food industry.

PMID- 28919486
TI  - Resveratrol inhibits proliferation, promotes differentiation and melanogenesis in
      HT-144 melanoma cells through inhibition of MEK/ERK kinase pathway.
AB  - The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of resveratrol on the
      viability of HT-144 melanoma cells and formation of melanin. MTT assay was used
      for analysis of cell viability and western blot for determination of phospho-Mek
      1/2, phospho-Erk 1/2 (Tyr-204), Mitf, PBG-D and p-CREB-1 expression. MTT assay
      results showed that treatment of HT-144 cells with various doses of resveratrol
      led to a concentration dependent inhibition of proliferation. The
      antiproliferative activity was significant at 15 MUM concentration of resveratrol
      after 24 h. Western blot analysis revealed that resveratrol caused significant
      reduction in the expression of phospho-extracellular signal related kinase (p
      ERK) and p-MEK 1/2. Additionally, tyrosinase activity was increased by 1.5-6.8
      fold on increasing the concentration of resveratrol from 1 to 15 MUM. Resveratrol
      treatment also enhanced the expression of cAMP-response element-binding proteins
      (CREB) after 24 h. Furthermore resveratrol treatment up-regulated porphobilinogen
      deaminase (PBG-D) expression in HT-144 cells. Taken together, the study
      demonstrates that resveratrol treatment inhibits proliferation and promotes
      melanogenesis of HT-144 cells through inhibition of MEK/ERK pathway. Therefore,
      resveratrol has a scope for further evaluation against melanogenesis.

PMID- 28919488
TI  - Mast cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells are useful for
      allergen tests.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several methods have been developed to detect allergen-specific IgE
      in sera. The passive IgE sensitization assay using human IgE receptor-expressing
      rat cell line RBL-2H3 is a powerful tool to detect biologically active allergen
      specific IgE in serum samples. However, one disadvantage is that RBL-2H3 cells
      are vulnerable to high concentrations of human sera. Only a few human cultured
      cell lines are easily applicable to the passive IgE sensitization assay. However,
      the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to generate human mast
      cells (MCs) has not yet been reported. METHODS: The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF
      kappaB)-responsive luciferase reporter gene was stably introduced into a human
      iPSC line 201B7, and the transfectants were induced to differentiate into MCs
      (iPSC-MCs). The iPSC-MCs were sensitized overnight with sera from subjects who
      were allergic to cedar pollen, ragweed pollen, mites, or house dust, and then
      stimulated with an extract of corresponding allergens. Activation of iPSC-MCs was
      evaluated by beta-hexosaminidase release, histamine release, or luciferase
      intensity. RESULTS: iPSCs-MCs stably expressed high-affinity IgE receptor and
      functionally responded to various allergens when sensitized with human sera from
      relevant allergic subjects. This passive IgE sensitization system, which we
      termed the induced mast cell activation test (iMAT), worked well even with
      undiluted human sera. CONCLUSIONS: iMAT may serve as a novel determining system
      for IgE/allergens in the clinical and research settings.

PMID- 28919489
TI  - Zinc chloride-induced TRPA1 activation does not contribute to toxicity in vitro.
AB  - The hygroscopic zinc chloride (ZnCl2) is often used to generate smoke screens.
      Severe adverse pulmonary health effects have been associated with inhalation of
      ZnCl2 smokes. The underlying molecular toxicology is not known. Recent studies
      have shown that the Transient Receptor Potential Channel A1 (TRPA1) is important
      for sensing toxic chemicals. TRPA1 was shown to be activated by Zn2+ which was
      linked to pain and inflammation. In the present study, we investigated whether
      TRPA1 activation contributes to ZnCl2-mediated toxicity in vitro. HEK wildtype
      (HEK-wt), TRPA1 overexpressing HEK (HEK-A1) and A549 lung cells, endogenously
      expressing TRPA1, were exposed to ZnCl2. Changes of intracellular calcium levels
      [Ca2+]i and cell viability were assessed after ZnCl2 exposure in all cell types,
      without or with TRPA1 inhibition. ZnCl2 increased [Ca2+]i through TRPA1 channels
      in a complex manner in both HEK-A1 and A549 cells while HEK-wt did not respond to
      ZnCl2. There was no difference in toxicity between HEK-wt and HEK-A1 cells after
      ZnCl2 exposure. Inhibition of TRPA1 did not influence toxicity in all
      investigated cells. Thus, our in vitro results support the assumption that TRPA1
      does not primarily mediate toxicity of ZnCl2 and does probably not represent a
      therapeutic target to abate ZnCl2 toxicity.

PMID- 28919490
TI  - Alcohol exposure induces chick craniofacial bone defects by negatively affecting
      cranial neural crest development.
AB  - Excess alcohol consumption during pregnancy could lead to fetal alcohol syndrome
      (FAS). However, the molecular mechanism leading to craniofacial abnormality, a
      feature of FAS, is still poorly understood. The cranial neural crest cells (NCCs)
      contribute to the formation of the craniofacial bones. Therefore, NCCs exposed to
      ethanol was investigated - using chick embryos and in vitro explant culture as
      experimental models. We demonstrated that exposure to 2% ethanol induced
      craniofacial defects, which includes parietal defect, in the developing chick
      fetus. Immunofluorescent staining revealed that ethanol treatment downregulated
      Ap-2alpha, Pax7 and HNK-1 expressions by cranial NCCs. Using double
      immunofluorescent stainings for Ap-2alpha/pHIS3 and Ap-2alpha/c-Caspase3, we
      showed that ethanol treatment inhibited cranial NCC proliferation and increased
      NCC apoptosis, respectively. Moreover, ethanol treatment of the dorsal
      neuroepithelium increased Laminin, N-Cadherin and Cadherin 6B expressions while
      Cadherin 7 expression was repressed. In situ hybridization also revealed that
      ethanol treatment up-regulated Cadherin 6B expression but down-regulated slug,
      Msx1, FoxD3 and BMP4 expressions. In summary, our experimental results
      demonstrated that ethanol treatment interferes with the production of cranial
      NCCs by affecting the proliferation and apoptosis of these cells. In addition,
      ethanol affected the delamination, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and
      cell migration of cranial NCCs, which may have contributed to the etiology of the
      craniofacial defects.

PMID- 28919491
TI  - Potential involvement of Fgf10/Fgfr2 and androgen receptor (AR) in renal fibrosis
      in adult male rat offspring subjected to prenatal exposure to di-n-butyl
      phthalate (DBP).
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that maternal exposure to di-n-butyl
      phthalate (DBP) induces dysplasia of the kidney in newborn male offspring and
      renal fibrosis in adults. But the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.
      Fgf10/Fgfr2 and androgen receptor (AR) are known to be important for renal
      development. We therefore investigated whether these genes are involved in DBP
      induced renal fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using Sprague-Dawley rats and rat
      renal proximal tubular cells (NRK52E), we determined the potential involvement of
      Fgf10, Fgfr2 and AR in DBP-induced renal fibrosis. RESULTS: We found that
      maternal exposure to DBP induces renal fibrosis in adult male offspring. A lower
      serum testosterone concentration and reduced expression of Fgf10, Fgfr2 and AR
      were detected in these animals. These was a trend toward lower expression of
      Fgf10, Fgfr2 and AR in NRK52E cells subjected to DBP exposure. Furthermore,
      higher expression levels of TGF-beta and alpha-SMA were observed in abnormal
      renal tissue and DBP-treated NRK52E cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest the
      potential involvement of Fgf10/Fgfr2 and AR in renal fibrosis of adult male rat
      offspring induced by prenatal exposure to DBP. The anti-androgenic effects of DBP
      might play an important role in this pathological process.

PMID- 28919492
TI  - Human platelet antigens are associated with febrile non-hemolytic transfusion
      reactions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reaction (FNHTR) is the most common
      type of transfusion reactions, and it could be reduced by transfusing patients
      with leukocyte-poor blood products. However, FNHTR still occur in certain
      patients transfused with leukocyte-poor red blood cell (LPR) products. It is
      examined whether human platelet antigen (HPA) could be a potential membrane
      antigen that plays a role in FNHTR. METHODS: A total of 120 inpatient subjects
      who transfused with LPR (60 in FNHTR group, 60 in control group) were typed for
      HPA-2, HPA-3, and HPA-15 using sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction
      (SSP-PCR) and electrophoresis. RESULTS: HPA-2 unmatched rate between donors and
      patients in FNHTR group was 18%, and only 3% unmatched rate was observed in
      control group (p=0.0082). FNHTR group was further classified according to the
      imputability. There was a significant difference (p=0.0041) between FNHTR
      (probable imputability, infection) group and control group, and more significant
      difference (p=0.0008) was seen between FNHTR (probable imputability, febrile
      neutropenia) group and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Those results indicated that
      HPA-2 might play roles on inducing FNHTR in patients suffering from infectious
      diseases and febrile neutropenia. HPA-2 genotyping between donors and recipients
      might be worth integrating in pre-transfusion testing to increase transfusion
      safety.

PMID- 28919493
TI  - Heat stress incident prevalence and tennis matchplay performance at the
      Australian Open.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) with
      the occurrence of heat-related incidents and changes in behavioural and matchplay
      characteristics in men's Grand Slam tennis. DESIGN: On-court calls for trainers,
      doctors, cooling devices and water, post-match medical consults and matchplay
      characteristic data were collected from 360 Australian Open matches (first 4
      rounds 2014-2016). METHODS: Data were referenced against estimated WBGT and
      categorised into standard zones. Generalised linear models assessed the
      association of WBGT zone on heat-related medical incidences and matchplay
      variables. RESULTS: On-court calls for doctor (47% increase per zone, p=0.001),
      heat-related events (41%, p=0.019), cooling devices (53%, p<0.001), and post
      match heat-related consults (87%, p=0.014) increased with each rise in estimated
      WBGT zone. In WBGT's >32 degrees C and >28 degrees C, significant increases in
      heat-related calls (p=0.019) and calls for cooling devices (p<0.001),
      respectively, were evident. The number of winners (-2.5+/-0.006% per zone,
      p<0.001) and net approaches (-7.1+/-0.008%, p<0.001) reduced as the estimated
      WBGT zone increased, while return points won increased (1.75+/-0.46, p<0.001).
      When matches were adjusted for player quality of the opponent (Elo rating), the
      number of aces (5+/-0.02%, p=0.003) increased with estimated WBGT zone, whilst
      net approaches decreased (7.6+/-0.013%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Increased
      estimated WBGT increased total match doctor and trainer consults for heat related
      incidents, post-match heat-related consults (>32 degrees C) and cooling device
      callouts (>28 degrees C). However, few matchplay characteristics were noticeably
      affected, with only reduced net approaches and increased aces evident in higher
      estimated WBGT environments.

PMID- 28919494
TI  - Shoulder injury in water polo: A systematic review of incidence and intrinsic
      risk factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Water polo is a popular water-based contact sport that involves
      swimming, throwing and defending. Cumulatively, these repetitive overhead
      activities are thought to increase the risk of shoulder injury and, subsequently
      to affect players' physical conditioning as well as team performance. The purpose
      of this review was to examine available evidence relating to shoulder injury
      rates and risk factors for shoulder injury in water polo. DESIGN: Systematic
      review METHODS: CINAHL, AUSPORT, Pubmed, Pedro and SPORTDiscus databases were
      searched for original research papers using the predefined terms ("water polo")
      AND (shoulder OR glenohumeral* OR arm OR "upper limb"). RESULTS: Twenty papers
      were identified as suitable for inclusion. Reported shoulder injury rates varied
      from 24% - 51%. Shoulder injuries were more likely to become chronic compared to
      all other reported injuries. Injury data during the last three World
      Championships indicates an increasing rate of shoulder injuries-per-year with
      participation in aquatic sports. Risk for shoulder injury in water polo is multi
      factorial. Volume of shooting, range of motion, scapular dyskinesis, strength
      imbalance, proprioceptive deficit and altered throwing kinematics have been
      proposed to be associated with an increased risk of injury. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      this review showed water polo to have a high propensity for shoulder injury, the
      descriptive nature of the included papers limited the inferences that could be
      drawn from the pooled literature. Future directions for research include
      collecting normative data for shoulder range of motion, strength ratio and
      proprioception with prospective analysis of these attributes in relation to
      injury rates and time lost.

PMID- 28919495
TI  - Physical exercise and cognitive function across the life span: Results of a
      nationwide population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between
      physical exercise and cognitive function across different age groups in a
      nationwide population-based sample of adults aged 18-79 years in Germany. DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional/prospective. METHODS: Cognitive function was assessed in the
      mental health module of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for
      Adults (DEGS1-MH, 2009-2012, n=3535), using a comprehensive neuropsychological
      test battery. Cognitive domain scores for executive function and memory were
      derived from confirmatory factor analysis. Regular physical exercise in the last
      three months was assessed by self-report and defined as no exercise, <2 and >=2h
      (hours) of exercise per week. A subgroup of DEGS1-MH participants who previously
      participated in the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998
      (GNHIES98, 1997-1999, n=1624) enabled longitudinal analyses with a mean follow-up
      of 12.4 years. RESULTS: Compared to no exercise, more weekly physical exercise
      was associated with better executive function in cross-sectional (<2h: beta=0.12;
      >=2h: beta=0.17; all p<0.001) and longitudinal analyses (<2h: beta=0.14, p<0.001;
      >=2h: beta=0.15, p=0.001) using linear regression models adjusted for age, sex,
      education, smoking, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption and
      obesity. Slightly weaker associations were found for memory in cross-sectional
      (<2h: beta=0.08, p=0.009; >=2h: beta=0.08, p=0.026) and longitudinal analysis
      (<2h: beta=0.09, p=0.036; >=2h: beta=0.08, p=0.114). There was no evidence of
      interaction between physical exercise and age. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of
      physical exercise were associated with better executive function and memory in
      cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses with no evidence for differential
      effects by age.

PMID- 28919496
TI  - The Pandolf equation under-predicts the metabolic rate of contemporary military
      load carriage.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This investigation assessed the accuracy of error of the Pandolf load
      carriage energy expenditure equation when simulating contemporary military
      conditions (load distribution, external load and walking speed). DESIGN: Within
      participant design. METHODS: Sixteen male participants completed 10 trials
      comprised of five walking speeds (2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5km.h-1) and two
      external loads (22.7 and 38.4kg). RESULTS: The Pandolf equation demonstrated poor
      predictive precision, with a mean bias of 124.9W and -48.7 to 298.5W 95% limits
      of agreement. Furthermore, the Pandolf equation systematically under-predicted
      metabolic rate (p<0.05) across the 10 speed-load combinations. Predicted
      metabolic rate error ranged from 12-33% across all conditions with the 'moderate'
      walking speeds (i.e. 4.5-5.5km.h-1) yielding less prediction error (12-17%) when
      compared to the slower and faster walking speeds (21-33%). CONCLUSIONS: Factors
      such as mechanical efficiency and load distribution contribute to the impaired
      predictive accuracy. The authors suggest the Pandolf equation should be applied
      to military load carriage with caution.

PMID- 28919497
TI  - Body mass index predicts selected physical fitness attributes but is not
      associated with performance on military relevant tasks in U.S. Army Soldiers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Army body composition standards are based upon validated criteria;
      however, certain field-expedient methodologies (e.g., weight-for-height, body
      mass index [BMI]) may disqualify individuals from service who may otherwise excel
      on physical performance and military-relevant tasks. The purpose was to assess
      soldier physical performance and military-specific task/fitness performance
      stratified by BMI. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. METHODS: Male
      (n=275) and female (n=46) soldiers performed a wide-array of physical fitness
      tests and military-specific tasks, including the Army physical fitness test
      (APFT). Within-sex performance data were analyzed by BMI tertile stratification
      or by Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) weight-for-height (calculated BMI)
      screening standards using ANOVA/Tukey post-hoc or independent t-tests,
      respectively. RESULTS: BMI stratification (higher vs. lower BMI) was associated
      with significant improvements in muscular strength and power, but also with
      decrements in speed/agility in male and female soldiers. Within the military
      specific tasks, a higher BMI was associated with an increased APFT 2-Mile Run
      time; however, performance on a 1600-m Loaded March or a Warrior Task and Battle
      Drill obstacle course was not related to BMI in either sex. Male and Female
      soldiers who did not meet ABCP screening standards demonstrated a slower 2-Mile
      Run time; however, not meeting the ABCP BMI standard only affected a minimal
      number (~6%) of soldiers' ability to pass the APFT. CONCLUSIONS: Military body
      composition standards require a careful balance between physical performance,
      health, and military readiness. Allowances should be considered where tradeoffs
      exist between body composition classifications and performance on physical tasks
      with high military relevance.

PMID- 28919498
TI  - Accelerated Return to Sport After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and
      Early Knee Osteoarthritis Features at 1 Year: An Exploratory Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A timely return to competitive sport is a primary goal of anterior
      cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). It is not known whether an accelerated
      return to sport increases the risk of early-onset knee osteoarthritis (KOA).
      OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an accelerated return to sport post-ACLR (ie, <10
      months) is associated with increased odds of early KOA features on magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) 1 year after surgery and to evaluate the relationship
      between an accelerated return to sport and early KOA features stratified by type
      of ACL injury (isolated or concurrent chondral/meniscal injury) and lower limb
      function (good or poor). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Private
      radiology clinic and university laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 111
      participants (71 male; mean age 30 +/- 8 years) 1-year post-ACLR. METHODS:
      Participants completed a self-report questionnaire regarding postoperative return
      to-sport data (specific sport, postoperative month first returned), and isotropic
      3-T MRI scans were obtained. OUTCOME MEASURES: Early KOA features (bone marrow,
      cartilage and meniscal lesions, and osteophytes) assessed with the MRI OA Knee
      Score. Logistic regression analyses evaluated the odds of early KOA features with
      an accelerated return to sport (<10 months post-ACLR versus >=10 months or no
      return to sport) in the total cohort and stratified by type of ACL injury and
      lower limb function. RESULTS: Forty-six (41%) participants returned to
      competitive sport <10 months post-ACLR. An early return to sport was associated
      with significantly increased odds of bone marrow lesions (odds ratio [OR] 2.7,
      95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-6.0) but not cartilage (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.5-2.6)
      or meniscal lesions (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.4-1.8) or osteophytes (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.3
      1.4). In those with poor lower limb function, early return to sport exacerbated
      the odds of bone marrow lesions (OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.6-13.5), whereas stratified
      analyses for type of ACL injury did not reach statistical significance.
      CONCLUSION: An accelerated return to sport, particularly in the presence of poor
      lower limb function, may be implicated in posttraumatic KOA development. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28919499
TI  - Comparing Electrical Stimulation With and Without Ultrasound Guidance for Phenol
      Neurolysis to the Musculocutaneous Nerve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ultrasound guidance is increasingly being used for neurolytic
      procedures that have traditionally been done with electrical stimulation (e-stim)
      guidance alone. Ultrasound visualization with e-stim-guided neurolysis can
      potentially allow adjustments in injection protocols that will reduce the volume
      of neurolytic agent needed to achieve clinical improvement. OBJECTIVE: This study
      compared e-stim only to e-stim with ultrasound guidance in phenol neurolysis of
      the musculocutaneous nerve (MCN) for elbow flexor spasticity. We also evaluated
      the ultrasound appearance of the MCN in this population. DESIGN: Retrospective
      review. SETTING: University hospital outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (N =
      167) receiving phenol neurolysis to the MCN for treatment of elbow flexor
      spasticity between 1997 and 2014 and adult control subjects. METHODS: For each
      phenol injection of the MCN, the method of guidance, volume of phenol injected,
      technical success, improved range of motion at the elbow postinjection, adverse
      effects, reason for termination of injections, and details of concomitant
      botulinum toxin injection were recorded. The ultrasound appearance of the MCN,
      including nerve cross-sectional area and shape, were recorded and compared
      between groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The volume of phenol injected and MCN
      cross-sectional area and shape as demonstrated by ultrasound. RESULTS: The
      addition of ultrasound to e-stim-guided phenol neurolysis was associated with
      lower doses of phenol when compared to e-stim guidance alone (2.31 mL versus 3.69
      mL, P < .001). With subsequent injections, the dose of phenol increased with e
      stim guidance (P < .001), but not with e-stim and ultrasound guidance (P = .95).
      Both methods of guidance had high technical success, improved ROM at elbow
      postinjection, and low rates of adverse events. In comparing the ultrasound
      appearance of the MCN in patients with spasticity to that of normal controls,
      there was no difference in the cross-sectional area of the nerve, but there was
      more variability in shape. CONCLUSIONS: Combined e-stim and ultrasound guidance
      during phenol neurolysis to the MCN allows a smaller volume of phenol to be used
      for equal effect, both at initial and repeat injection. The MCN shape was more
      variable in individuals with spasticity; this should be recognized so as to
      successfully locate the nerve to perform neurolysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28919501
TI  - Structural and kinetics characterization of the F1F0-ATP synthase dimer. New
      repercussion of monomer-monomer contact.
AB  - Ustilago maydis is an aerobic basidiomycete that fully depends on oxidative
      phosphorylation for its supply of ATP, pointing to mitochondria as a key player
      in the energy metabolism of this organism. Mitochondrial F1F0-ATP synthase occurs
      in supramolecular structures. In this work, we isolated the monomer (640kDa) and
      the dimer (1280kDa) and characterized their subunit composition and kinetics of
      ATP hydrolysis. Mass spectrometry revealed that dimerizing subunits e and g were
      present in the dimer but not in the monomer. Analysis of the ATPase activity
      showed that both oligomers had Michaelis-Menten kinetics, but the dimer was 7
      times more active than the monomer, while affinities were similar. The dimer was
      more sensitive to oligomycin inhibition, with a Ki of 24nM, while the monomer had
      a Ki of 169nM. The results suggest that the interphase between the monomers in
      the dimer state affects the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme and its
      sensitivity to inhibitors.

PMID- 28919500
TI  - Hydrogen and oxygen trapping at the H-cluster of [FeFe]-hydrogenase revealed by
      site-selective spectroscopy and QM/MM calculations.
AB  - [FeFe]-hydrogenases are superior hydrogen conversion catalysts. They bind a
      cofactor (H-cluster) comprising a four-iron and a diiron unit with three carbon
      monoxide (CO) and two cyanide (CN-) ligands. Hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2)
      binding at the H-cluster was studied in the C169A variant of [FeFe]-hydrogenase
      HYDA1, in comparison to the active oxidized (Hox) and CO-inhibited (Hox-CO)
      species in wildtype enzyme. 57Fe labeling of the diiron site was achieved by in
      vitro maturation with a synthetic cofactor analogue. Site-selective X-ray
      absorption, emission, and nuclear inelastic/forward scattering methods and
      infrared spectroscopy were combined with quantum chemical calculations to
      determine the molecular and electronic structure and vibrational dynamics of
      detected cofactor species. Hox reveals an apical vacancy at Fed in a [4Fe4S-2Fe]3
      complex with the net spin on Fed whereas Hox-CO shows an apical CN- at Fed in a
      [4Fe4S-2Fe(CO)]3- complex with net spin sharing among Fep and Fed (proximal or
      distal iron ions in [2Fe]). At ambient O2 pressure, a novel H-cluster species
      (Hox-O2) accumulated in C169A, assigned to a [4Fe4S-2Fe(O2)]3- complex with an
      apical superoxide (O2-) carrying the net spin bound at Fed. H2 exposure populated
      the two-electron reduced Hhyd species in C169A, assigned as a [(H)4Fe4S-2Fe(H)]3-
      complex with the net spin on the reduced cubane, an apical hydride at Fed, and a
      proton at a cysteine ligand. Hox-O2 and Hhyd are stabilized by impaired O2-
      protonation or proton release after H2 cleavage due to interruption of the proton
      path towards and out of the active site.

PMID- 28919502
TI  - Comparison of the Memory Foam Pad Versus the Bean Bag with Shoulder Braces in
      Preventing Patient Displacement during Gynecologic Laparoscopic Surgery.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the amount of patient displacement when a memory foam
      pad is used versus a bean bag with shoulder braces. The secondary aim was to
      evaluate for postoperative extremity symptoms including pain, numbness, and
      weakness. DESIGN: A prospective randomized pilot study (Canadian Task Force
      classification I). SETTING: A single academic institution. PATIENTS: Women >=18
      years of age undergoing laparoscopic or robotic gynecologic surgery.
      INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to be positioned on the memory foam pad
      (group A) or the bean bag with shoulder braces (group B) preoperatively. The
      patients' positions were measured before and after the procedure, and the
      displacement was recorded. Patients were followed postoperatively and questioned
      regarding upper extremity or lower extremity weakness, numbness, and pain.
      Demographic characteristics were collected using the electronic medical record.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty-three patients were included in the study
      (22 in group A and 21 in group B). The demographic and intraoperative
      characteristics of the patients were similar in both groups. The patients in
      group A moved a mean distance of 3.80 +/- 3.32 cm, whereas those in group B moved
      a mean distance of 1.07 +/- 1.93 cm (p = .002). A Pearson correlation coefficient
      did not yield a correlation between patient displacement and age, body mass
      index, length of surgery, or pathology weight. In group A, 2 patients had lower
      extremity numbness, and 1 patient had upper extremity numbness. In group B, 1
      patient had upper extremity pain, and 1 patient had both upper and lower
      extremity numbness. These patients had complete resolution of their symptoms
      within the first 2 weeks postoperatively, with the exception of 1 patient in
      group A whose lower extremity numbness resolved 3 months postoperatively.
      CONCLUSION: Positioning patients on the bean bag with shoulder braces resulted in
      significantly less displacement during gynecologic laparoscopic surgery when
      compared with the memory foam pad. All postoperative extremity numbness,
      weakness, and pain were temporary and resolved completely in our cohort. A larger
      study would be necessary to determine the true incidence of peripheral nerve
      injuries because these are rare complications of laparoscopic surgeries.

PMID- 28919503
TI  - A multilocus phylogeny of the genus Sarcohyla (Anura: Hylidae), and an
      investigation of species boundaries using statistical species delimitation.
AB  - The genus Sarcohyla is composed by 24 species endemic to Mexico. Despite the
      large number of phylogenetic studies focusing on the family Hylidae, the
      relationships among the species of Sarcohyla are still poorly known, and the
      scarce numbers of specimens and tissue samples available for some of the species
      has hampered an appropriate phylogenetic analysis. We present the most
      comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study of Sarcohyla to date. We included 17
      species of the genus Sarcohyla using data from two mitochondrial (ND1 and 12S)
      and three nuclear genes (Rag-1, Rhod, and POMc). We performed phylogenetic
      analyses using Bayesian inference, and the absence of conflicts with strong
      support between the separate gene trees indicates that incomplete lineage sorting
      and/or introgressive hybridization are negligible. A coalescent-based species
      tree analysis of the four independent loci (three nuclear genes+mtDNA) mostly
      supports the same species-level relationships as the analysis of the concatenated
      data. By including new samples from additional species and localities, we find
      that: (1) the widely distributed species S. bistincta is a complex of at least
      three species, (2) another undescribed species exists in the group, (3) the
      species S. ephemera is not valid and it corresponds to a junior synonym of S.
      calthula. In addition, we conducted marginal likelihood estimation and used Bayes
      factors to test alternative species delimitation models for S. bistincta, the
      most widespread nominal species in the group. Our findings support three
      independent lineages of S. bistincta group, which are paraphyletic with respect
      to S. pentheter and S. calthula.

PMID- 28919504
TI  - Cryptic elevational zonation in trapdoor spiders (Araneae, Antrodiaetidae,
      Aliatypus janus complex) from the California southern Sierra Nevada.
AB  - The relative roles of ecological niche conservatism versus niche divergence in
      promoting montane speciation remains an important topic in biogeography. Here,
      our aim was to test whether lineage diversification in a species complex of
      trapdoor spiders corresponds with riverine barriers or with an ecological
      gradient associated with elevational tiering. Aliatypus janus was sampled from
      throughout its range, with emphasis on populations in the southern Sierra Nevada
      Mountains of California. We collected multi-locus genetic data to generate a
      species tree for A. janus and its close relatives. Coalescent based hypothesis
      tests were conducted to determine if genetic breaks within A. janus conform to
      riverine barriers. Ecological niche models (ENM) under current and Last Glacial
      Maximum (LGM) conditions were generated and hypothesis tests of niche
      conservatism and divergence were performed. Coalescent analyses reveal deeply
      divergent genetic lineages within A. janus, likely corresponding to cryptic
      species. Two primary lineages meet along an elevational gradient on the western
      slopes of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. ENMs under both current and LGM
      conditions indicate that these groups occupy largely non-overlapping niches. ENM
      hypothesis testing rejected niche identity between the two groups, and supported
      a sharp ecological gradient occurring where the groups meet. However, the niche
      similarity test indicated that the two groups may not inhabit different
      background niches. The Sierra Nevada Mountains provide a natural laboratory for
      simultaneously testing ecological niche divergence and conservatism and their
      role in speciation across a diverse range of taxa. Aliatypus janus represents a
      species complex with cryptic lineages that may have diverged due to parapatric
      speciation along an ecological gradient, or been maintained by the evolution of
      ecological niche differences following allopatric speciation.

PMID- 28919505
TI  - Revisiting the phylogeny of Zoanthidea (Cnidaria: Anthozoa): Staggered alignment
      of hypervariable sequences improves species tree inference.
AB  - The recent rapid proliferation of novel taxon identification in the Zoanthidea
      has been accompanied by a parallel propagation of gene trees as a tool of species
      discovery, but not a corresponding increase in our understanding of phylogeny.
      This disparity is caused by the trade-off between the capabilities of automated
      DNA sequence alignment and data content of genes applied to phylogenetic
      inference in this group. Conserved genes or segments are easily aligned across
      the order, but produce poorly resolved trees; hypervariable genes or segments
      contain the evolutionary signal necessary for resolution and robust support, but
      sequence alignment is daunting. Staggered alignments are a form of phylogeny
      informed sequence alignment composed of a mosaic of local and universal regions
      that allow phylogenetic inference to be applied to all nucleotides from both
      hypervariable and conserved gene segments. Comparisons between species tree
      phylogenies inferred from all data (staggered alignment) and hypervariable
      excluded data (standard alignment) demonstrate improved confidence and greater
      topological agreement with other sources of data for the complete-data tree. This
      novel phylogeny is the most comprehensive to date (in terms of taxa and data) and
      can serve as an expandable tool for evolutionary hypothesis testing in the
      Zoanthidea. Spanish language abstract available in Text S1. Translation by L. O.
      Swain, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, 60604, USA.

PMID- 28919506
TI  - The role of climatic cycles and trans-Saharan migration corridors in species
      diversification: Biogeography of Psammophis schokari group in North Africa.
AB  - Highlands, hydrographic systems and coastal areas have been hypothesised to form
      corridors across the hyperarid Sahara desert in North Africa, allowing dispersal
      and gene flow for non-xeric species. Here we aim to provide a genetic test for
      the trans-Saharan corridor model, and predict the location and stability of
      ecological-corridors, by combining phylogeography and palaeoclimatic modelling.
      The model was the Psammophis schokari (Schokari sand racer) group, fast-moving
      and widely distributed generalist colubrids occurring mostly in arid and semiarid
      scrublands. We combined dated phylogenies of mitochondrial and nuclear markers
      with palaeoclimatic modelling. For the phylogeographic analysis, we used 75
      samples of P. schokari and P. aegyptius, and Bayesian and Maximum-Likelihood
      methods. For the ecological models, we used Maxent over the distribution of P.
      schokari and West African lineages. Models were projected to past conditions (mid
      Holocene, Last Glacial Maximum and Last Inter-Glacial) to infer climatic stable
      areas. Climatic stability was predicted to be mostly restricted to coastal areas
      and not spatially continuous. A putative temporary trans-Saharan corridor was
      identified in Eastern Sahara, with a more stable one along the Atlantic coast.
      Six parapatric lineages were identified within P. schokari, four occurring in
      North Africa. These likely diverged during the Pliocene. The Tamanraset River
      might have been a vicariant agent. African lineages may have experienced further
      subsequent diversification during the late Pleistocene. The main P. schokari
      refugia were probably located along the northern margins of the Sahara, allowing
      its North-to-South colonization. Trans-Saharan corridors seem to have played a
      role in P. schokari biogeography, allowing colonization of central Saharan
      mountains and Sahel. Some might have worked as refugia, and even the most stable
      corridors may have sections working as filters, depending on each climatic phase.
      We expect the use of trans-Saharan corridors to decrease for more mesic species
      or with less dispersal capabilities.

PMID- 28919507
TI  - Tissue-engineered magnetic cell sheet patches for advanced strategies in tendon
      regeneration.
AB  - : Tendons are powerful 3D biomechanically structures combining a few cells in an
      intrincated and highly hierarchical niche environment. When tendon homeostasis is
      compromised, restoration of functionality upon injury is limited and requires
      alternatives to current augmentation or replacement strategies. Cell sheet
      technologies are a powerful tool for the fabrication of living extracellular-rich
      patches towards regeneration of tenotopic defects. Thus, we originally propose
      the development of magnetically responsive tenogenic patches through magnetic
      cell sheet (magCSs) technology that enable the remote control upon implantation
      of the tendon-mimicking constructs. A Tenomodulin positive (TNMD+) subpopulation
      of cells sorted from a crude population of human adipose stem cells (hASCs)
      previously identified as being prone to tenogenesis was selected for the magCSs
      patch construction. We investigated the stability, the cellular co-location of
      the iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs), as well as the morphology and mechanical
      properties of the developed magCSs. Moreover, the expression of tendon markers
      and collagenous tendon-like matrix were further assessed under the actuation of
      an external magnetic field. Overall, this study confirms the potential to
      bioengineer tendon patches using a magnetic cell sheet construction with magnetic
      responsiveness, good mechanoelastic properties and a tenogenic prone stem cell
      population envisioning cell-based functional therapies towards tendon
      regeneration. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The concept of magnetic force-based
      tissue engineering may assist the development of innovative solutions to treat
      tendon (or other tissues) disorders upon remote control of biological processes
      as cell migration or differentiation. Herein, we originally fabricated magnetic
      responsive cell sheets (magCSs) with a Tenomodulin positive subpopulation of
      adipose tissue derived stem cells identified to commit to the tenogenic lineage.
      To the best of authors knowledge, this is the first time a tendon oriented
      strategy resorting on magCSsis reported. Moreover, the promising role of
      tenogenic living constructs fabricated as magnetically responsive ECM-rich
      patches is highlighted, envisioning the stimulation of endogenous regenerative
      mechanisms. Altogether, these findings contribute to future stem cell studies and
      their translation toward tendon therapies.

PMID- 28919508
TI  - Pro-inflammatory chitosan/poly(gamma-glutamic acid) nanoparticles modulate human
      antigen-presenting cells phenotype and revert their pro-invasive capacity.
AB  - : Anticancer immune responses depend on efficient presentation of tumor antigens
      and co-stimulatory signals provided by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). However,
      it is described that immature dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages at the tumor
      site may have an immunosuppressive profile, which limits the activity of effector
      T cells and supports tumor progression. Therapeutic targeting of these innate
      immune cells, either aiming at their elimination or re-polarization towards an
      immunostimulatory profile, has been pointed as an attractive approach to control
      tumor progression. In the present work, we assessed the potential of Chitosan
      (Ch)/Poly(gamma-glutamic acid) (gamma-PGA) nanoparticles (NPs) to modulate
      macrophages and DCs inflammatory profile and to impair their ability to promote
      cancer cell invasion. Interestingly, Ch/gamma-PGA NPs, prepared by co-acervation
      method, induced an immunostimulatory DCs phenotype, enhancing the expression of
      the co-stimulatory molecules CD86, CD40 and HLA-DR, and the secretion of the pro
      inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-12p40 and IL-6. Furthermore, Ch/gamma-PGA
      NPs re-educated IL-10-stimulated macrophages towards a pro-inflammatory profile,
      decreasing the expression of CD163 and promoting the secretion of IL-12p40 and
      TNF-alpha. These alterations in the immune cells phenotype promoted CD4+ and CD8+
      T cell activation/proliferation and partially inhibited APCs' ability to induce
      colorectal cancer cell invasion. Overall, our findings open new perspectives on
      the use of Ch/gamma-PGA NPs as an immunomodulatory therapy for antigen-presenting
      cells reprogramming, providing a new tool for anticancer therapies. STATEMENT OF
      SIGNIFICANCE: The immune system is responsible to detect and destroy abnormal
      cells preventing the development of cancer. However, the immunosuppressive tumor
      microenvironment can compromise the immune response favoring tumor progression.
      Thus, immune system modulation towards an immunostimulatory profile can improve
      anticancer therapies. This research focus on the development of
      chitosan/poly(gamma-glutamic acid) nanoparticles (NPs) to modulate human antigen
      presenting cells (APCs) phenotype and to counteract their pro-invasive capacity.
      Interestingly, Ch/gamma-PGA NPs had a prominent effect in inducing macrophages
      and dendritic cells immunostimulatory phenotype, thus favoring T cell
      proliferation and inhibiting colorectal cancer cell invasion. We propose that
      their combination with other immunomodulatory drugs or conventional anticancer
      therapies can improve patients' outcome.

PMID- 28919509
TI  - Molecular and macro-scale analysis of enzyme-crosslinked silk hydrogels for
      rational biomaterial design.
AB  - : Silk fibroin-based hydrogels have exciting applications in tissue engineering
      and therapeutic molecule delivery; however, their utility is dependent on their
      diffusive properties. The present study describes a molecular and macro-scale
      investigation of enzymatically-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogels, and
      demonstrates that these systems have tunable crosslink density and diffusivity.
      We developed a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) method
      to assess the quantity and order of covalent tyrosine crosslinks in the
      hydrogels. This analysis revealed between 28 and 56% conversion of tyrosine to
      dityrosine, which was dependent on the silk concentration and reactant
      concentration. The crosslink density was then correlated with storage modulus,
      revealing that both crosslinking and protein concentration influenced the
      mechanical properties of the hydrogels. The diffusive properties of the bulk
      material were studied by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), which
      revealed a non-linear relationship between silk concentration and diffusivity. As
      a result of this work, a model for synthesizing hydrogels with known crosslink
      densities and diffusive properties has been established, enabling the rational
      design of silk hydrogels for biomedical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:
      Hydrogels from naturally-derived silk polymers offer versitile opportunities in
      the biomedical field, however, their design has largely been an empirical
      process. We present a fundamental study of the crosslink density, storage
      modulus, and diffusion behavior of enzymatically-crosslinked silk hydrogels to
      better inform scaffold design. These studies revealed unexpected non-linear
      trends in the crosslink density and diffusivity of silk hydrogels with respect to
      protein concentration and crosslink reagent concentration. This work demonstrates
      the tunable diffusivity and crosslinking in silk fibroin hydrogels, and enables
      the rational design of biomaterials. Further, the characterization methods
      presented have applications for other materials with dityrosine crosslinks, which
      are found in nature as post-translational modificaitons, as well as in engineered
      matrices such as tyramine-substituted hyaluronic acid and recombinant resilin.

PMID- 28919510
TI  - Magnesium (Mg) based interference screws developed for promoting tendon graft
      incorporation in bone tunnel in rabbits.
AB  - : How to enhance tendon graft incorporation into bone tunnels for achieving
      satisfactory healing outcomes in patients with anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction (ACLR) is one of the most challenging clinical problems in
      orthopaedic sports medicine. Several studies have recently reported the
      beneficial effects of Mg implants in bone fracture healing, indicating the use
      potential of Mg devices in promoting the tendon graft osteointegration. Here, we
      developed an innovative Mg-based interference screws for fixation of the tendon
      graft in rabbits underwent ACLR and investigated the biological role of Mg-based
      implants in the graft healing. The titanium (Ti) interference screw was used as
      the control. We demonstrated that Mg interference screw significantly accelerated
      the incorporation of the tendon graft into bone tunnels via multiscale analytical
      methods including scanning electronic microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometer
      (SEM/EDS), micro-hardness, micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      (MUFTIR), and histology. Our in vivo study showed that Mg implants enhanced the
      recruitment of bone marrow stromal stem cells (BMSCs) towards peri-implant bone
      tissue, which may be ascribed to the upregulation of local TGF-beta1 and PDGF-BB.
      Besides, the in vitro study revealed that higher Mg ions was beneficial to the
      improvement of capability in cell adhesion and osteogenic differentiation of
      BMSCs. Thus, the enhancement in cell migration, cell adhesion and osteogenic
      differentiation of BMSCs may contribute to an improved tendon graft
      osteointegration in the Mg group. Our findings in this work may further
      facilitate clinical applications of Mg-based interference screws for enhancing
      tendon graft-bone junction healing in patients indicated for ACLR. STATEMENT OF
      SIGNIFICANCE: How to promote tendon-bone junction healing is one of the major
      challenging issues for satisfactory clinical outcomes in patients after ACL
      reconstruction. The improvement of bony ingrowth into the tendon graft-bone
      interface can enhance the tendon graft osteointegration. In this study, we
      applied Mg based interference screws to fix the tendon graft in rabbits and found
      the use of Mg screws could accelerate and significantly increase mineralized
      matrix formation at the tendon-bone interface in animals when compared to those
      with Ti screws. We elucidated the mechanism behind the favorable effects of Mg
      screws on the graft healing in both in vitro and in vivo studies from multiscale
      technologies. The optimized interface structure and function in Mg group may be
      ascribed to the improved cell migration capability, enhanced cell adhesion
      strength and promoted osteogenic differentiation ability of BMSCs under the
      stimuli of Mg ions degraded from implanted Mg screws. Our findings may help us
      broaden our thinking in the application potential of Mg interference screws in
      future clinical trials.

PMID- 28919511
TI  - Viscoelastic properties of alpha-keratin fibers in hair.
AB  - : Considerable viscoelasticity and strain-rate sensitivity are a characteristic
      of alpha-keratin fibers, which can be considered a biopolymer. The understanding
      of viscoelasticity is an important part of the knowledge of the overall
      mechanical properties of these biological materials. Here, horse and human hairs
      are examined to analyze the sources of this response. The dynamic mechanical
      response of alpha-keratin fibers over a range of frequencies and temperatures is
      analyzed using a dynamic mechanical analyzer. The alpha-keratin fibers behave
      more elastically at higher frequencies while they become more viscous at higher
      temperatures. A glass transition temperature of ~55 degrees C is identified. The
      stress relaxation behavior of alpha-keratin fibers at two strains, 0.02 and 0.25,
      is established and fit to a constitutive equation based on the Maxwell-Wiechert
      model. The constitutive equation is further compared to the experimental results
      within the elastic region and a good agreement is obtained. The two relaxation
      constants, 14s and 359s for horse hair and 11s and 207s for human hair, are
      related to two hierarchical levels of relaxation: the amorphous matrix
      intermediate filament interfaces, for the short term, and the cellular components
      for the long term. Results of the creep test also provide important knowledge on
      the uncoiling and phase transformation of the alpha-helical structure as hair is
      uniaxially stretched. SEM results show that horse hair has a rougher surface
      morphology and damaged cuticles. It also exhibits a lower strain-rate sensitivity
      of 0.05 compared to that of 0.11 for human hair. After the horse and human hairs
      are chemically treated and the disulfide bonds are cleaved, they exhibit a
      similar strain-rate sensitivity of ~0.05. FTIR results confirms that the human
      hair is more sensitive to the -S-S- cleavage, resulting in an increase of cysteic
      acid content. Therefore, the disulfide bonds in the matrix are experimentally
      identified as one source of the strain-rate sensitivity and viscoelasticity in
      alpha-keratin fibers. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Hair has outstanding mechanical
      strength which is equivalent to metals on a density-normalized basis. It
      possesses, in addition to the strength, a large ductility that is enabled by
      either the unfolding of the alpha helices and/or the transformation of these
      helices to beta sheets. We identify the deformation and failure mechanisms and
      connect them to the hierarchical structure, with emphasis on the significant
      viscoelasticity of these unique biological materials.

PMID- 28919512
TI  - Strontium and magnesium ions released from bioactive titanium metal promote early
      bone bonding in a rabbit implant model.
AB  - : We have previously developed the "alkali and heat treatment" method to confer
      bioactivity (bone-bonding ability) to titanium metal (Ti). As strontium (Sr) and
      magnesium (Mg) ions reportedly promote osteoblastic cell proliferation and
      differentiation and accelerate bone formation, we improved this method to induce
      the release of Sr (Sr-Ti) or Mg (Mg-Ti) ions from Ti in a previous study. Here,
      we evaluated the bioactivity of these novel surface treatments, Sr-Ti and Mg-Ti.
      In vitro evaluation of cell viability, expression of integrin beta1, beta
      catenin, and cyclin D1, osteogenic gene expression, alkaline phosphatase
      activity, and extracellular mineralization using MC3T3-E1 cells revealed that Sr
      Ti and Mg-Ti enhanced proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. In rabbit in
      vivo studies, Sr-Ti and Mg-Ti also provided greater biomechanical strength and
      bone-implant contact than the positive control Ti (Ca-Ti), especially at the
      early stage (4-8weeks), and maintained these properties for a longer period (16
      24weeks). Advantages of the improved method include process simplicity,
      applicability for any implant shape, and lack of adverse effects on implant
      composition and structure. Therefore, our treatment is promising for clinical
      applications to achieve early bone bonding. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:
      Implantation into osteoporotic bone constitutes a challenging problem because of
      early migration or loosening of the implant, which is primarily due to
      insufficient initial fixation in porotic bone. Therefore, it is desirable to
      provide implants with a capacity for early bone bonding. We have achieved
      conferring early bone bonding ability to titanium metal by releasing strontium
      ions or magnesium ions. Our treatment is promising for clinical applications to
      achieve early bone bonding of orthopedic or dental Ti-based implants.

PMID- 28919513
TI  - Accompanying indigenous Maya patients with complex medical needs: A patient
      navigation system in rural Guatemala.

PMID- 28919514
TI  - HZ-6d targeted HERC5 to regulate p53 ISGylation in human hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - Manipulating the posttranslational modulator of p53 is central in the regulation
      of its activity and function. ISGylated p53 can be degraded by the 20S
      proteasome. During this process, HERC5/Ceb1, an IFN-induced HECT-type E3 ligase,
      mediated p53 ISGylation. In this study, we indicated that HERC5 was over
      expressed in both HCC tissue samples and cell lines. Knockdown of HERC5
      significantly induced the expression of p53, p21 and Bax/Bcl-2 in HCC cells,
      resulting in apoptosis augment. Whereas, opposite results were obtained by using
      HERC5 over-expression. On this basis, we screened a 7, 11-disubstituted
      quinazoline derivative HZ-6d that could bind to the HERC5 G-rich sequence in
      vitro. Interestingly, HZ-6d injection effectively delayed the growth of
      xenografts in nude mice. In vitro, HZ-6d significantly inhibited cell growth,
      suppressed cell migration, induced apoptosis in HCC cells. Further studies
      demonstrated the anti-cancer effect of HZ-6d was associated with down-regulation
      of HERC5 and accumulation of p53. Collectively, we demonstrated that HZ6d is a
      HERC5 G-quadruplex ligand with anti-tumor properties, an action that may offer an
      attractive idea for restoration of p53 function in cancers.

PMID- 28919516
TI  - Time-dependent effects of perfluorinated compounds on viability in cerebellar
      granule neurons: Dependence on carbon chain length and functional group attached.
AB  - The toxicity of long chained perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) has previously been
      reported to be related to the length of the perfluorinated carbon chain and
      functional group attached. In the present study, we compared the cytotoxicity of
      six PFAAs, using primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). Two
      perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs, chain length C6 and C8) and four
      perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs, chain length C8-C11) were studied. These
      PFAAs have been detected in human blood and the brain tissue of mammals. The cell
      viability trypan blue and MTT assays were used to determine toxicity potencies
      (based on LC50 values) after 24h exposure (in descending order):
      perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA)>=perfluorodecanoic acid
      (PFDA)>perfluorooctanesulfonic acid potassium salt (PFOS)>perfluorononanoic acid
      (PFNA)>perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)>perfluorohexanesulfonic acid potassium salt
      (PFHxS). Concentrations of the six PFAAs that produced equipotent effects after
      24h exposure were used to further explore the dynamics of viability changes
      during this period. Therefore viability was assessed at 10, 30, 60, 90, 120 and
      180min as well as 6, 12, 18 and 24h. A difference in the onset of reduction in
      viability was observed, occurring relatively quickly (30-60min) for PFOS, PFDA
      and PFUnDA, and much slower (12-24h) for PFHxS, PFOA and PFNA. A slight
      protective effect of vitamin E against PFOA, PFNA and PFOS-induced reduction in
      viability indicated a possible involvement of oxidative stress. PFOA and PFOS did
      not induce lipid peroxidation on their own, but significantly accelerated cumene
      hydroperoxide-induced lipid peroxidation. When distribution of the six PFAAs in
      the CGN-membrane was investigated using NanoSIMS50 imaging, two distinct patterns
      appeared. Whereas PFHxS, PFOS and PFUnDA aggregated in large hotspots, PFOA, PFNA
      and PFDA showed a more dispersed distribution pattern. In conclusion, the
      toxicity of the investigated PFAAs increased with increasing carbon chain length.
      For molecules with a similar chain length, a sulfonate functional group led to
      greater toxicity than a carboxyl group.

PMID- 28919517
TI  - Severe Toxoplasma gondii infection in a member of a NFKB2-deficient family with T
      and B cell dysfunction.

PMID- 28919515
TI  - Trace amine-associated receptor 1 regulation of methamphetamine-induced
      neurotoxicity.
AB  - Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is activated by methamphetamine (MA)
      and modulates dopaminergic (DA) function. Although DA dysregulation is the
      hallmark of MA-induced neurotoxicity leading to behavioral and cognitive
      deficits, the intermediary role of TAAR1 has yet to be characterized. To
      investigate TAAR1 regulation of MA-induced neurotoxicity, Taar1 transgenic knock
      out (KO) and wildtype (WT) mice were administered saline or a neurotoxic regimen
      of 4 i.p. injections, 2h apart, of MA (2.5, 5, or 10mg/kg). Temperature data were
      recorded during the treatment day. Additionally, striatal tissue was collected 2
      or 7days following MA administration for analysis of DA, 3,4
      dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), and tyrosine
      hydroxylase (TH) levels, as well as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)
      expression. MA elicited an acute hypothermic drop in body temperature in Taar1-WT
      mice, but not in Taar1-KO mice. Two days following treatment, DA and TH levels
      were lower in Taar1-KO mice compared to Taar1-WT mice, regardless of treatment,
      and were dose-dependently decreased by MA. GFAP expression was significantly
      increased by all doses of MA at both time points and greater in Taar1-KO compared
      to Taar1-WT mice receiving MA 2.5 or 5mg/kg. Seven days later, DA levels were
      decreased in a similar pattern: DA was significantly lower in Taar1-KO compared
      to Taar1-WT mice receiving MA 2.5 or 5mg/kg. TH levels were uniformly decreased
      by MA, regardless of genotype. These results indicate that activation of TAAR1
      potentiates MA-induced hypothermia and TAAR1 confers sustained neuroprotection
      dependent on its thermoregulatory effects.

PMID- 28919519
TI  - Targeting immune modulatory pathways in cancer.

PMID- 28919518
TI  - Depressed serum IgM levels in SLE are restricted to defined subgroups.
AB  - Natural IgM autoantibodies have been proposed to convey protection from
      autoimmune pathogenesis. Herein, we investigated the IgM responses in 396
      systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, divided into subgroups based on
      distinct autoantibody profiles. Depressed IgM levels were more common in SLE than
      in matched population controls. Strikingly, an autoreactivity profile defined by
      IgG anti-Ro/La was associated with reduced levels of specific natural IgM
      targeting phosphorylcholine (PC) antigens and malondialdehyde (MDA) modified
      protein, as well as total IgM, while no differences were detected in SLE patients
      with an autoreactivity profile defined by anti-cardiolipin/beta2glycoprotein-I.
      We also observed an association of reduced IgM levels with the HLA-DRB1*03
      allelic variant among SLE patients and controls. Associations of low IgM anti-PC
      with cardiovascular disease were primarily found in patients without
      antiphospholipid antibodies. These studies further highlight the clinical
      relevance of depressed IgM. Our results suggest that low IgM levels in SLE
      patients reflect immunological and genetic differences between SLE subgroups.

PMID- 28919520
TI  - Antibodies against citrullinated alpha enolase peptides in primary Sjogren's
      syndrome.
AB  - Citrullinated alpha enolase (CEP-1) has been designated as a major antigenic
      target of antibodies against citrullinated proteins (ACPA) in patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim is to determine the prevalence of anti-CEP-1
      in a cohort of ACPA positive (ACPA+) primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) patients.
      Anti-CEP1 titers were determined by ELISA in sera from 15 ACPA+ and 45 ACPA-
      age/sex matched pSS; 12 ACPA+ RA patients and 30 healthy controls (HC). Increased
      anti-CEP-1 antibody titers were detected in nine out of the 15 (60%) ACPA+ pSS
      patients and 5 out of 12 (41.7%) ACPA+ RA patients; no reactivities were detected
      in ACPA- pSS patients and HC. Anti-CEP-1 antibodies in the setting of pSS were
      associated with higher urine pH levels at baseline. CEP-1 is a major antigenic
      target of ACPA in patients with pSS characterizing a subgroup with distinct
      laboratory features.

PMID- 28919521
TI  - Treatment Patterns and Survival Outcomes for Patients with Small Cell Carcinoma
      of the Bladder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Small cell carcinoma of the bladder (SCCaB) is a rare tumor without a
      standard treatment algorithm. Treatment patterns and survival outcomes from the
      National Cancer Database (NCDB) may provide insight into optimal treatment
      strategies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between overall survival
      (OS) and treatment strategy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was an
      observational study of treatment-naive patients who received treatment from 2004
      to 2013. Patients with cT1-4aN0M0 SCCaB were identified from the NCDB, a hospital
      based tumor registry that captures >70% of incident cancer cases in the USA.
      INTERVENTION: Treatment strategies included local therapy alone, chemotherapy
      (CT), radiation therapy (RT), chemoradiation therapy (CRT), radical cystectomy
      (RC), and RC plus chemotherapy (RC+C). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: OS was analyzed as a function of treatment modality adjusting for
      patient, demographic, and tumor-related factors. The Kaplan-Meier survival
      method, and the log-rank test and Cox regression were used for univariable and
      multivariable analyses. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: We identified 856 patients with
      median follow-up of 18.3 mo. The median OS for the entire cohort was 20.7 mo (95%
      confidence interval [CI] 18.3-23.2) and estimated 3-yr and 5-yr OS were 37.5% and
      28.2%, respectively. The most common treatment modality was CT (225 patients;
      26.3%) followed by CRT (203 patients; 23.7%) and RC+C (201 patients; 23.5%). The
      median OS was 18.4 mo (95% CI 15.2-21.5) for CT, 34.1 mo (95% CI 22.5-45.8) for
      CRT, and 32.4 mo (95% CI 20.8-44.1) for RC+C. OS did not significantly differ
      between CRT and RC+C (p=0.42). On multivariable analysis, the best OS was
      associated with CRT (hazard ratio [HR] 0.41, 95% CI 0.32-0.53; p<0.0001) and RC+C
      (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.34-0.59; p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: RC+C and CRT are associated
      with better OS compared to monotherapy among patients with SCCaB. PATIENT
      SUMMARY: Small cell carcinoma of the bladder is a rare and highly aggressive
      cancer. According to National Cancer Database data, radical cystectomy plus
      chemotherapy and chemoradiation therapy are associated with better overall
      survival compared to monotherapy.

PMID- 28919523
TI  - Thomas Mann: Vascular Fatal Illness of the Writer Who Mastered Disease Through
      Literary Fiction.
AB  - Ruptured iliac artery may initially clinically mimic an isolated inferior limb
      venous involvement. It was indeed an acute iliac artery dissection complicated by
      contained rupture and misdiagnosed as inferior limb venous thrombosis that led to
      the death of Thomas Mann in 1955. The details of the complex case are analyzed.
      Considerations of medical interest and on actuality of his work are also added.

PMID- 28919522
TI  - The Incidence of Ischemic Colitis after Repair of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic
      Aneurysms Is Decreasing in the Endovascular Era.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ischemic colitis (IC) is a well-described complication of ruptured
      abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs). The purpose of this study was to compare the
      incidence of IC in patients with rAAA undergoing open repair (OR) versus
      endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) at a single institution. In addition, we
      analyzed the incidence of IC before and after the implementation of a formal
      rupture AAA protocol (rEVAR protocol). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of
      prospectively collected data on all patients presenting with rAAA to our
      institution between January 2002 and October 2013 was performed. Variables were
      analyzed for association with IC. Comparisons were made using Pearson's chi
      squared test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables, Student's t-test
      for continuous variables, and logistic regression for multivariate analysis.
      Significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Three hundred three patients with rAAA
      presented over the 10-year study period. One hundred ninety-one patients
      underwent OR and 89 patients underwent endovascular repair. Twenty-three patients
      died either in the emergency department, en route to the operating room, or after
      choosing comfort care. Predictive factors of IC included estimated blood loss,
      corresponding need for resuscitation, and duration of procedure. Of patients who
      underwent OR, the rate of IC was 21% (40/191). This was significantly higher than
      patients who underwent EVAR, 7% (6/89), P < 0.05. The type of intervention did
      not influence 30-day mortality in patients with IC. However, only 17% (1/6) of
      patients who had IC following EVAR required colectomy versus 48% (19/40) of
      patients with IC following OR (P = 0.21). Implementation of our formal rEVAR
      protocol decreased the incidence of IC significantly from 37.1% (36/97) to 6.4%
      (10/157), P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of IC has decreased significantly
      in the endovascular era but continues to portend a poor prognosis. Implementation
      of a formal, multidisciplinary rEVAR protocol in our institution decreased the
      incidence of IC.

PMID- 28919524
TI  - Chitosan/ferulic acid-coated poly(epsilon-caprolactone) electrospun materials
      with antioxidant, antibacterial and antitumor properties.
AB  - Novel fibrous materials from poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL), chitosan (Ch) and
      natural phenolic acid ferulic acid (FA) of diverse design were successfully
      prepared by electrospinning or electrospinning combined with dip-coating. FA
      incorporated in the PCL fibrous mats or in the Ch coating was in the amorphous
      state as evidenced by the performed differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X
      ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The release of FA was affected by the composition
      and design of the polymer matrix. The incorporation of a combination of FA and Ch
      in the fibrous mats imparted to these materials higher killing rates against
      pathogenic bacteria S. aureus than that of FA-containing mats or Ch-coated mats
      alone. The FA-containing fibrous materials as well as those coated with Ch or Ch
      FA inhibited the adhesion of S. aureus bacteria. Moreover, FA preserved its
      antioxidant activity when incorporated in the fibers or in the Ch coating. It was
      found that the cytotoxicity of all types of FA-containing mats against HeLa tumor
      cells was higher than that of the free FA. Thus, the obtained fibrous materials
      can be suitable candidates for wound dressing applications and for application in
      local treatment of cervical tumors.

PMID- 28919525
TI  - Gelatin stabilization of quantum dots for improved stability and
      biocompatibility.
AB  - We herein report an aqueous synthesis of gelatin stabilized CdTe/CdS/ZnS (CSSG)
      core/double shell quantum dots (QDs) with improved biocompatibility. The as
      synthesized QDs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and
      photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic techniques, x-ray diffraction technique
      (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM). The CSSG QDs revealed high photoluminescence quantum yield
      (PLQY) with excellent stability over a period of one year and retained 90% of its
      initial PLQY without any aggregation or precipitation under ambient condition.
      The cell viability study conducted on HeLa, cervical cancer cell lines indicated
      that the gelatin stabilization effectively decreased the QDs cytotoxicity by
      about 50%. The CSSG QDs were conjugated with transferrin (Tf) for the efficient
      delivery to the cancer cells followed by fluorescence imaging. The results showed
      that the CSSG QDs illuminates the entire cell which renders the QDs as cell
      labeling markers. The gelatin stabilized core/double shell QDs are potential
      candidates for long time fluorescent bio-imaging.

PMID- 28919526
TI  - Chemical crosslinking of biopolymeric scaffolds: Current knowledge and future
      directions of crosslinked engineered bone scaffolds.
AB  - Bone tissue scaffolds made from either natural or synthetic polymers are employed
      to promote bone healing. However, lack of sufficient or poor mechanical
      properties such as low integrity and stability reduces their medical
      applications. Crosslinking, defined as induction of chemical or physical links
      among polymer chains, is a simple method generally used to modify mechanical,
      biological and degradation properties of hydrogels. Although crosslinking through
      chemical reactions improves the mechanical properties of bone substitutes, most
      of the reagents used for this aim demonstrate undesirable effects and may exert
      toxic reactions. Glutaraldehyde is a widely-used chemical crosslinker with unique
      ability to crosslink a wide variety of biomaterials; however, many contradictory
      views have been recently raised on its cytotoxic effects. By keeping this limit
      in mind, green chemicals or natural crosslinking agents have been shown to
      provide desired improvements in mechanical properties of bone scaffolds.
      Therefore, developing more efficient crosslinking materials and methods are
      desirable to obtain crosslinked scaffolds with perfect properties in bone tissue
      engineering from different biopolymers such as collagen, gelatin, cellulose,
      chitosan, alginate, etc. In this review, we focused on developed or developing
      modalities used to improve mechanical properties of various bone scaffolds and
      matrices based on common crosslinking reagents.

PMID- 28919527
TI  - Protective effect of porcine plasma protein hydrolysates on the gelation of
      porcine myofibrillar protein exposed to a hydroxyl radical-generating system.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of different concentrations of porcine plasma
      protein hydrolysates (PPPH) on the gelation of porcine myofibrillar protein (MP)
      exposed to a hydroxyl radical-generating system (HRGS). Compared to non-oxidized
      MP, the oxidative modification led to a decreased penetration force and water
      holding capacity (WHC) (P<0.05). Meanwhile, addition of PPPH (1.5mg/mL) reduced
      the loss of MP gel strength and WHC induced by HRGS (P<0.05). Low-field nuclear
      magnetic resonance results suggested that the addition of PPPH facilitated the
      hydration of the protein. The results concerning molecular forces revealed that
      hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and disulphide bonds are the primary
      forces in gel formation. Non-reducing electrophoresis indicated that the addition
      of PPPH reduced protein loss and aggregation. The addition of PPPH promoted the
      formation of a more smooth and homogeneous gel network. Our results demonstrated
      that PPPH effectively retarded oxidation-induced MP gel deterioration and could
      be used as an antioxidant in meat products.

PMID- 28919528
TI  - Modification of wool protein fiber with plasma and dendrimer: Effects on dyeing
      with cochineal.
AB  - In this study, plasma treatment and a poly(propylene imine) dendrimer were
      employed to improve the dyeability of wool fibers with cochineal natural dye.
      FESEM, EDX, AFM and FTIR techniques were employed to investigate the effects of
      these treatments on chemical and physical properties of wool fibers. The etching
      of the surface layer of wool fibers and increased roughness after plasma
      treatment was confirmed by FESEM and AFM images. EDX and FTIR analyses confirmed
      the creation of oxygen-containing groups and attachment of dendrimer molecules on
      wool fibers after plasma and dendrimer treatments respectively. The effects of
      different dyeing parameters on dye absorption and the applicability of different
      isotherm and kinetic models on the dyeing process were investigated. The results
      showed that the kinetics of absorption of cochineal on raw, plasma-treated and
      dendrimer-treated fibers was best fitted with the pseudo-second-order model and
      the isotherms of the dyeing processes followed the Freundlich model.

PMID- 28919529
TI  - Acetylation of lysine residues in apomyoglobin: Structural changes, amyloid
      fibrillation, and role of surface charge.
AB  - Post-translational modifications play important roles in conformational
      properties and aggregation propensities of different peptides and proteins. In
      the present study, we have investigated the effects of acetylation of lysine
      residues on the structure and aggregation properties of apomyoglobin (apoMb).All
      of the 19 lysine residues were modified. Far-, near-UV CD, intrinsic and
      acrylamide quenching fluorescence studies indicated that acetylation
      significantly influences conformation of apoMb by altering both its secondary and
      tertiary structures. A considerable decrease in ANS fluorescence intensity was
      observed, which also suggested disruption of the heme pocket. Dynamic light
      scattering indicated partial compaction of protein structure as a consequence of
      the shielding effect of acetylation. While the presence of well-defined mature
      fibrils was detected in solutions of native apoMb, acetylation promoted formation
      of non-toxic amorphous aggregates, with low beta-sheets content and decreased
      affinity for Thioflavin T, an amyloid-specific dye. Results are discussed in
      terms of the role of surface charge in conformational alterations of proteins and
      how small changes in ionic networks may affect aggregation pathways and
      morphology of the resulting aggregates. The physiological significance of the
      modification process in controlling cytotoxicity of the aggregated species is
      also discussed.

PMID- 28919530
TI  - Coproduction of protease and mannanase from Bacillus nealsonii PN-11 in solid
      state fermentation and their combined application as detergent additives.
AB  - Bacillus nealsonii PN-11 produces thermo-alkalistable mannanase and protease
      active in wide temperature and pH range. Optimization of coproduction of protease
      and mannanase from this strain and application of cocktail of these enzymes as
      detergent additives were studied. On optimization mannanase yield of 834Ug-1
      (11.12 fold increase) and protease yield of 70Ug-1 (4.7 fold increase) could be
      obtained in a single fermentation. Purification and characterization of mannanase
      have been done earlier and protease was done during this study and has a
      molecular mass of 48kDa. pH and temperature optima for protease were 10.0 and 65
      degrees C respectively. It was completely stable at 60 degrees C for 3h and
      retained >80% of activity at pH 11.0 for 1h. Both the enzymes were compatible
      with detergents individually and in a combination. The wash performance of the
      detergent on different type of stains improved when protease or mannanase were
      used individually. However destaining was more efficient when a combination of
      mannanase and protease was used.

PMID- 28919531
TI  - A thermostable alkaliphilic protein-disulfide isomerase from Bacillus subtilis
      DR8806: cloning, expression, biochemical characterization and molecular dynamics
      simulation.
AB  - Disulfide bonds are among the most important factors related to correct folding
      of the proteins. Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is the enzyme responsible for
      the correct formation and isomerization of these bonds. It is rarely studied so
      far and none of them showed industrial properties. In this study, the gene
      encoding for a putative PDI from Bacillus subtilis DR8806 was identified, cloned
      and expressed in Escherichia coli. It was encoded a 23.26kDa protein. The enzyme
      was purified by GST affinity chromatography with a specific activity of 1227u/mg.
      It was active and stable over a wide range of temperature (20-85 degrees C) and
      pH (4.5-10) with an optimum at 65 degrees C and pH 5.5. Its activity was enhanced
      by Mn2+ and Co2+ while Ag+ and Zn2+ decreased it. Some of the known PDI
      inhibitors such as Tocinoic acid and Bactiracin did not affect its activity. In
      silico analysis shows the five amino acids changes in the protein sequence
      regarding to the consensus sequence of PDIs, have a positive impact toward the
      protein thermal stability. This was further confirmed by molecular dynamics
      simulations. By considering the overall results, the enzyme might be a potential
      candidate for applications in the respective industries.

PMID- 28919533
TI  - Engineering Non-transgenic Gynoecious Cucumber Using an Improved Transformation
      Protocol and Optimized CRISPR/Cas9 System.

PMID- 28919532
TI  - Performance of cellulose acetate-ferric oxide nanocomposite supported metal
      catalysts toward the reduction of environmental pollutants.
AB  - Water contamination by toxic compounds has become one of the most serious
      problems worldwide. Catalytic reduction using metal nanoparticles offer
      opportunities for environmental benefits. In this study, cellulose acetate-ferric
      oxide nanocomposite (CA/Fe2O3) was prepared and used as support for metal
      nanoparticles. After adsorption of Ag, Cu or Ni ions from aqueous solutions,
      metal ions associated with CA/Fe2O3 were treated with sodium borohydride to
      prepare Ag, Cu and Ni nanoparticles loaded CA/Fe2O3. The CA/Fe2O3 supported Ag,
      Cu or Ni nanoparticles was evaluated as a catalyst for pollutants degradation.
      Silver nanoparticles (Ag@CA/Fe2O3) exhibit remarkable decomposition for methyl
      orange dye and p-nitrophenol in short time. The rate constant for methyl orange
      and p-nitrophenol were 8.58*10-3 and 4.77*10-3s-1, respectively. Besides the good
      catalytic activities of Ag@CA/Fe2O3, the catalyst could be easily recovered from
      the reaction medium by pulling the catalyst after completion of the reduction
      reaction. The recovered catalyst can be recycled several times if their exposure
      time to air was minimal.

PMID- 28919534
TI  - Glutamate-induced rapid induction of Arc/Arg3.1 requires NMDA receptor-mediated
      phosphorylation of ERK and CREB.
AB  - Arc/Arg3.1 is a unique immediate early gene whose expression is highly dynamic
      and correlated with various forms of synaptic plasticity. Many previous reports
      highlight the complexity of mechanisms that regulate Arc/Arg3.1 expression in
      neurons. In the present study, the expression and regulation of Arc/Arg3.1 after
      glutamate treatment in primary cultured cortical neurons were investigated. We
      found that both Arc/Arg3.1 mRNA and Arc/Arg3.1 protein dynamically increased
      within 24h after glutamate treatment. The results of immunostaining showed that
      abundant amounts of Arc/Arg3.1 protein are presented in both soma and dendrites.
      The glutamate-induced increase in Arc/Arg3.1 protein levels was partially
      prevented by the NMDAR inhibitor DL-AP5, but not the AMPAR inhibitor NBQX. The
      results of calcium imaging showed that glutamate induced significant increases in
      intracellular calcium levels in a NMDAR-dependent manner. However, the
      intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA-AM had no effect on glutamate-induced
      upregulation of Arc/Arg3.1 protein, and alteration of cytosolic calcium ion
      homeostasis with A23187 and TG did not change Arc/Arg3.1 protein levels. In
      addition, the phosphorylation of ERK and CREB, two downstream factors of NMDAR
      signaling, markedly increased after glutamate exposure. Blocking ERK and CREB
      activation via selective inhibitors partially prevented the glutamate-induced
      elevation of Arc/Arg3.1 protein levels. Combined observations support a NMDAR
      mediated and calcium-independent mechanism by which glutamate increases
      Arc/Arg3.1 expression in cortical neurons.

PMID- 28919535
TI  - Altered gray matter volume, cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity in
      chronic stroke patients.
AB  - It is entangled connections and intensive functional interactions between cortex
      and subcortical structures that enable our brain to perform delicate movement,
      and poses plasticity to recover from stroke. However, it is still unclear how
      cortical structures and functions change in well-recovered patients from
      subcortical infarctions in motor pathway. In order to reveal neuroplasticity
      underlying well-recovered stroke patients, both structural (gray matter volume,
      GMV) and functional reorganizations (cerebral blood flow, CBF and resting-state
      functional connectivity, rsFC) were investigated by using multi-modal MRI. Our
      results showed that well-recovered stroke patients exhibited significantly
      increased GMV in contralesional supplementary motor area (SMA), increased CBFs in
      contralesional superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and supramarginal gyrus (SMG)
      irrespective of GMV correction. Furthermore, our results showed increased rsFC
      between contralesional middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and SMG. Negative correlations
      between CBF increases and behavior test scores were also observed, suggesting
      neural mechanism underlying clinical improvement. Our results suggested that
      neuroplasticity after chronic stroke showed in both structural and functional
      levels, and correlation between CBF change and clinical test suggested possible
      biomarker for stroke recovery.

PMID- 28919536
TI  - Neuroprotective effect of 5alpha-androst-3beta,5,6beta-triol on retinal ganglion
      cells in a rat chronic ocular hypertension model.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that 5alpha-androst-3beta,5,6beta-triol
      (Triol), a synthesized steroid compound, showed notable neuroprotective effect in
      cultured cortical neurons. In the present study, we explored whether and how
      Triol have neuroprotective effect on retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in a chronic
      ocular hypertension (COH) rat model. COH model was produced by injecting
      superparamagnetic iron oxide micro-beads into the anterior chamber, and Triol was
      administrated (4.8MUg/100g, i.p., once daily for 4 weeks). Immunohistochemistry
      experiments showed that in whole flat-mounted COH retinas, the number of CTB
      labeled survival RGCs was progressively reduced, while TUNEL-positive signals
      were significantly increased from 1 to 4 weeks after the micro-bead injection.
      Triol administration significantly attenuated the reduction in the number of CTB
      labeled RGCs, and partially reduced the increased number of TUNEL-positive
      signals in COH retinas. Furthermore, Triol administration partially reduced the
      levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and
      significantly rescued the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex
      (MRCC) I/II/III in COH retinas. Our results suggest that Triol prevents RGCs from
      apoptotic death in COH retinas by reducing the lipid peroxidation and enhancing
      the activities of MRCCs.

PMID- 28919537
TI  - Neuroprotective effect of curcumin-I in copper-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity
      in rats: A possible link with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Numerous findings indicate an involvement of heavy metals in the neuropathology
      of several neurodegenerative disorders, especially Parkinson's disease (PD).
      Previous studies have demonstrated that Copper (Cu) exhibits a potent neurotoxic
      effect on dopaminergic neurons and triggers profound neurobehavioral alterations.
      Curcumin is a major component of Curcuma longa rhizomes and a powerful medicinal
      plant that exerts many pharmacological effects. However, the neuroprotective
      action of curcumin on Cu-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity is yet to be
      investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of acute Cu
      intoxication (10mg/kg B.W. i.p) for 3days on the dopaminergic system and
      locomotor performance as well as the possible therapeutic efficacy of curcumin I
      (30mg/kg B.W.). Intoxicated rats showed a significant loss of Tyrosine
      Hydroxylase (TH) expression within substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), ventral
      tegmental area (VTA) and the striatal outputs. This was correlated with a clear
      decrease in locomotor performance. Critically, curcumin-I co-treatment reversed
      these changes and showed a noticeable protective effect; both TH expression and
      locomotor performance was reinstated in intoxicated rats. These results
      demonstrate altered dopaminergic innervations following Cu intoxication and a new
      therapeutic potential of curcumin against Cu-induced dopaminergic
      neurotransmission failure. Curcumin may therefore prevent heavy metal related
      Parkinsonism.

PMID- 28919538
TI  - Roles of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors during the sensory stimulation-evoked
      field potential responses in mouse cerebellar cortical molecular layer.
AB  - The functions of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in cerebellar cortex
      have been widely studied under in vitro condition, but their roles during the
      sensory stimulation-evoked responses in the cerebellar cortical molecular layer
      in living animals are currently unclear. We here investigated the roles of NMDARs
      during the air-puff stimulation on ipsilateral whisker pad-evoked field potential
      responses in cerebellar cortical molecular layer in urethane-anesthetized mice by
      electrophysiological recording and pharmacological methods. Our results showed
      that cerebellar surface administration of NMDA induced a dose-dependent decrease
      in amplitude of the facial stimulation-evoked inhibitory responses (P1) in the
      molecular layer, accompanied with decreases in decay time, half-width and area
      under curve (AUC) of P1. The IC50 of NMDA induced inhibition in amplitude of P1
      was 46.5MUM. In addition, application of NMDA induced significant increases in
      the decay time, half-width and AUC values of the facial stimulation-evoked
      excitatory responses (N1) in the molecular layer. Application of an NMDAR
      blocker, D-APV (250MUM) abolished the facial stimulation-evoked P1 in the
      molecular layer. These results suggested that NMDARs play a critical role during
      the sensory information processing in cerebellar cortical molecular layer in vivo
      in mice.

PMID- 28919539
TI  - The Nexus Between the Documentation of End-of-Life Wishes and Awareness of Dying:
      A Model for Research, Education and Care.
AB  - The convergence of medical treatment that can extend life with written medical
      orders that make it possible to refuse such treatment brings the differential
      dynamics of contemporary end-of-life decision making into sharp focus.
      Communication between families and clinicians can be confusing, uncertain, and
      pressured when death is imminent. These situations create distress that
      ultimately influences the end-of-life experience for people who are dying and
      those who care for them. This article presents the analysis of the decisional
      dynamics that emerge from the intersection of the patient-family-provider
      awareness that death is near with the presence or absence of documentation of
      expressed wishes for end-of-life care. A heuristic analysis was conducted with
      data from three studies about urgent decision making at the end of life. Original
      study data included 395 surveys, in-depth interviews with 91 prehospital
      (paramedics and emergency medical technicians), and content analysis of 100
      Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment forms that led to the development of
      an overarching conceptual model of decision making. Four decisional contexts
      emerged from the intersection of awareness of dying and documentation of wishes:
      1) Aware Documented, 2) Aware Undocumented, 3) Unaware Documented, and 4) Unaware
      Undocumented. This generalizable model, which is agnostic of setting, can help
      clinicians more astutely recognize the clinical situation when death is imminent,
      assess patients and caregivers, and intervene to help focus conversation and
      direct decision making. The model can also inform research, education, and care
      for people in some of the most vulnerable moments of life.

PMID- 28919540
TI  - Changes in Nurses' Knowledge, Difficulties, and Self-reported Practices Toward
      Palliative Care for Cancer Patients in Japan: An Analysis of Two Nationwide
      Representative Surveys in 2008 and 2015.
AB  - CONTEXT: The Cancer Control Act was passed in Japan in 2007, and various
      additional programs on palliative care have been implemented to improve quality
      of life and relieve pain and suffering in patients with cancer. However, how
      clinical settings have changed remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of
      the present study was to determine changes in nurses' palliative care knowledge,
      difficulties, and self-reported practices between 2008 and 2015. METHODS: This
      study was an analysis of two nationwide observational studies from 2008 to 2015.
      We conducted two questionnaire surveys for representative samples of nurses in
      designated cancer hospitals, community hospitals, and district nurse services.
      The measurements used the Palliative Care Knowledge Test (PCKT, range 1-100), the
      Palliative Care Difficulties Scale (PCDS, range 1-5), and the Palliative Care
      Self-Reported Practice Scale (PCPS, range 1-5). Comparisons were made using the
      nonpaired Student t-test and a multivariate linear regression model using two
      cohorts. RESULTS: We analyzed survey results for 2707 nurses in 2008 and 3649
      nurses in 2015. Significant improvements were seen in PCKT, PCDS, and PCPS total
      scores for nurses in every work location over the seven-year study period, with
      PCKT total scores of 53 vs. 65 (P < 0.001; effect size = 0.60), 47 vs. 55 (P <
      0.001; effect size = 0.40), and 52 vs. 55 (P = 0.118; effect size = 0.13), PCDS
      total scores of 3.0 vs. 2.5 (P < 0.001; effect size = 0.76), 3.4 vs. 2.8 (P <
      0.001, effect size = 0.91), and 3.2 vs. 2.9 (P < 0.001; effect size = 0.53), and
      PCPS total scores of 3.7 vs. 4.0 (P < 0.001; effect size = 0.13), 3.5 vs. 3.8 (P
      < 0.001; effect size = 0.42), and 3.8 vs. 4.0 (P < 0.011; effect size = 0.21) in
      designated cancer hospitals, community hospitals, and district nurse services,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Nurses' palliative care knowledge, difficulties, and
      self-reported practices improved over the seven-year study period, especially in
      terms of expert support in designated cancer hospitals and knowledge among nurses
      in designated cancer hospitals.

PMID- 28919541
TI  - Drugs for Treating Opioid-Induced Constipation: A Mixed Treatment Comparison
      Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.
AB  - CONTEXT: Opioid-induced constipation is a common problem associated with chronic
      use of opioid analgesics. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare
      available interventions for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation, using
      principles of network meta-analysis. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched
      for randomized controlled clinical trials evaluating drugs used in opioid-induced
      constipation. Number of patients with rescue-free bowel movements (RFBM) was the
      primary outcome, and time for achieving RFBM, adverse events, and changes in the
      analgesic activity of the opioid analgesics were the secondary outcomes. Inverse
      variance heterogeneity model was used for direct and mixed treatment comparison
      analysis. Odds ratio for categorical outcomes and weighted mean difference for
      numerical outcomes were the effect estimates. RESULTS: We included a total of 23
      studies in the systematic review and 21 in the network meta-analysis.
      Lubriprostone, prucalopride, naldemedine, naloxegol, alvimopan, subcutaneous, and
      oral methyl naltrexone were observed to perform better than placebo in terms of
      RFBM. Additionally, subcutaneous methyl naltrexone was significantly better than
      lubiprostone, naloxegol, oral methyl naltrexone, and prucalopride. Lubiprostone
      and naldemedine were associated with increased risks of adverse events.
      Subcutaneous methyl naltrexone did not significantly affect the analgesia due to
      background opioid use. Quality of evidence for the comparisons is either low or
      very low. CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous methyl naltrexone was found to perform better
      than other interventions for managing opioid-induced constipation.

PMID- 28919542
TI  - Ageing reduces light touch and vibrotactile sensitivity on the anterior lower leg
      and foot dorsum.
AB  - Cutaneous mechanoreceptors in the anterior lower leg and foot dorsum provide
      important information about contact with objects and movement at the knee and
      ankle. This cutaneous feedback contributes to static and dynamic balance control.
      We conducted experiment 1 to determine the effects of ageing on anterior lower
      leg cutaneous feedback. We measured light touch (monofilament) perceptual
      thresholds (MPT) at seven skin sites across the anterior lower leg and foot
      dorsum in 12 young (5 male, aged 21-28) and 13 older adults (8 male, aged 73-92).
      Results showed that older adults had ~5.5* higher MPTs across these skin sites.
      We conducted experiment 2 to probe how different cutaneous mechanoreceptor
      subtypes are affected by ageing through measures of vibrotactile perceptual
      threshold (VPT) at 3, 15, and 40Hz at six skin sites across the anterior lower
      leg and foot dorsum in 10 young (5 male, aged 21-26) and 10 older adults (3 male,
      aged 75-85). In this group, we also assessed functional balance using the timed
      up-and-go (TUG) and functional reach test (FRT). Older adults demonstrated
      significantly higher VPTs overall, and this effect was largest at 40Hz - a
      frequency primarily transmitted by fast adapting cutaneous afferents.
      Furthermore, higher thresholds at each frequency tended to correlate with poorer
      performance on the TUG within the older adult group (3Hz: r=0.550; 15Hz: r=0.689;
      40Hz: r=0.663). These results suggest ageing influences cutaneous feedback from
      regions of the lower leg that provide important information about movement and
      contact.

PMID- 28919543
TI  - Correlation of echographic and photographic assessment of optic nerve head
      cupping in children.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the diagnostic value of B-scan echography in optic nerve
      head (ONH) cupping estimation in children. METHODS: The medical records of
      pediatric patients who had previously undergone examination under anesthesia and
      for whom both adequate B-scan echography images and optic nerve head (ONH)
      photographs and were available were reviewed retrospectively. The cup:disk ratio
      was estimated with a grading scale of 0-1.0 and rounded to the nearest tenth;
      degree of cupping was estimated from B-scan echography (small, medium, or large)
      by 5 masked graders (3 glaucoma specialists and 2 ophthalmic sonographers) on 2
      separate occasions. Inter- and intraobserver agreement in echographic and
      photographic cupping assessment by the masked graders as well as correlation of
      echographic and photographic cup size estimation was evaluated. RESULTS: A total
      of 36 children were included. Glaucoma specialists reliably assessed cup:disk
      ratio with moderately good consistency across specialists (average intraclass
      correlation coefficient [ICC] for intraobserver agreement, 0.86; average ICC for
      interobserver agreement, 0.71). Sonographers were extremely reliable in
      assessment of cup size when examining echographic images (ICC for both inter- and
      intrarater variability, 1.0). Echographic estimate of cup size correlated poorly
      with cup:disk ratio (ICC, 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: B-scan echography is a reliable and
      consistent diagnostic tool in estimating the degree of ONH cupping in children
      and can be very useful in patients in whom direct visualization is not feasible.
      Failure to account for disk size may have contributed to the poor correlation
      between echographic cup size and photographic cup:disk ratio.

PMID- 28919544
TI  - Increased Level of Interleukin 6 Associates With Increased 90-Day and 1-Year
      Mortality in Patients With End-Stage Liver Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Organ allocation for liver transplantation is based on
      prognosis, using the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) or MELD including
      serum sodium (MELD-Na) score. These scores do not consider systemic inflammation
      and septic complications. Blood level of C-reactive protein (CRP), in addition to
      the MELD score, associates with mortality in patients with end-stage liver
      disease, whereas levels of interleukin 6 (IL6) have not been systematically
      studied. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of 474
      patients with end-stage liver disease (63.5% male; median age, 56.9 years),
      evaluated for liver transplantation in Germany, with at least 1 year of follow
      up. Data were collected on blood levels of CRP, IL6, and white blood cell count
      (WBC). Findings were analyzed in relation to mortality and compared with
      patients' MELD scores and MELD-Na scores. For survival analysis, the cohort was
      divided into quartiles of IL6, CRP, and WBC levels, as well as MELD scores. Log
      rank test and the Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to compare
      the groups, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) values
      were calculated. RESULTS: Blood levels of IL6 and MELD scores associated with
      mortality: none of the patients with levels of IL6 below the first quartile
      (below 5.3 pg/mL) died within 1 year. In contrast, 67.7% of the patients in the
      highest quartile of IL6 level (37.0 pg/mL or more) died within 1 year. MELD score
      also correlated with mortality: among patients with MELD scores below 8.7, 0.9%
      died within 1 year, whereas in patients with MELD scores of 18.0 or more, 67.4%
      died within 1 year. The predictive value of level of IL6 (AUROC, 0.940) was
      higher than level of CRP (AUROC, 0.866) (P = .009) or WBC (AUROC, 0.773) (P <
      .001) for 90-day mortality. MELD scores associated with 90-day mortality (AUROC,
      0.933) (P = .756) as did MELD-Na score (AUROC, 0.946) (P = .771). Level of IL6
      associated with 1-year mortality (AUROC, 0.916) to a greater extent than liver
      synthesis or detoxification markers international normalized ratio (AUROC, 0.839)
      (P = .007) or bilirubin (AUROC 0.846) (P = .007). Level of IL6 was an
      independent, significant risk factor for mortality after adjustment for MELD
      score, MELD-Na score, level of CRP, or WBC. CONCLUSIONS: In a retrospective
      analysis, we found high blood levels of IL6 to associate with 90-day and 1-year
      mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease; its predictive value was
      comparable to that of MELD or MELD-Na score, and was higher than that of level of
      CRP or WBC. Further studies should be performed to confirm the results in
      different cohorts.

PMID- 28919545
TI  - Mechanisms behind TB, HBV, and HIV chronic infections.
AB  - Immune evasion is critical for pathogens to maintain their presence within hosts,
      giving rise to chronic infections. Here, we examine the immune evasion strategies
      employed by three pathogens with high medical burden, namely, tuberculosis, HIV
      and HBV. Establishment of chronic infection by these pathogens is a multi-step
      process that involves an interplay between restriction factor, innate immunity
      and adaptive immunity. Engagement of these host defences is intimately linked
      with specific steps within the pathogen replication cycles. Critical host factors
      are increasingly recognized to regulate immune evasion and susceptibility to
      disease. Fuelled by innovative technology development, the understanding of these
      mechanisms provides critical knowledge for rational design of vaccines and
      therapeutic immune strategies.

PMID- 28919546
TI  - Phylodynamics of the Brazilian feline immunodeficiency virus.
AB  - Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), like other retroviruses, displays large
      genomic divergence when different isolates are compared. In this study, 31 FIV
      positive samples of domestic cats from Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil were used aiming
      at a detailed genomic characterization and a better understanding of the
      molecular epidemiology of the virus in Brazil. The proviral env genes were
      partially amplified, sequenced and compared with another 237 sequences from
      different continents. We identified several Brazilian highly supported clades (A,
      B1, B2, C and D) that suggest independent events of introduction of FIV in
      Brazil. Forty six reference-sequences from the GenBank were used with our 31
      sequences to infer the virus subtypes. Our sequences belong to the subtype B and
      three of them result from a recombination with the previously described subtype
      F. The other 28 Brazilian samples belonging to subtype B and another 46 Brazilian
      sequences from the GenBank were used to estimate the time to the most recent
      common ancestor of each Brazilian clade, using a Bayesian approach and a relaxed
      molecular clock model. The analyses of Brazilian sequences suggest several
      different entries of the virus in the Brazilian cat population between 1981 and
      1991.

PMID- 28919547
TI  - Deep-sequencing to resolve complex diversity of apicomplexan parasites in
      platypuses and echidnas: Proof of principle for wildlife disease investigation.
AB  - The short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and the platypus
      (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are iconic egg-laying monotremes (Mammalia:
      Monotremata) from Australasia. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the
      utility of diversity profiles in disease investigations of monotremes. Using
      small subunit (18S) rDNA amplicon deep-sequencing we demonstrated the presence of
      apicomplexan parasites and confirmed by direct and cloned amplicon gene
      sequencing Theileria ornithorhynchi, Theileria tachyglossi, Eimeria echidnae and
      Cryptosporidium fayeri. Using a combination of samples from healthy and diseased
      animals, we show a close evolutionary relationship between species of coccidia
      (Eimeria) and piroplasms (Theileria) from the echidna and platypus. The presence
      of E. echidnae was demonstrated in faeces and tissues affected by disseminated
      coccidiosis. Moreover, the presence of E. echidnae DNA in the blood of echidnas
      was associated with atoxoplasma-like stages in white blood cells, suggesting
      Hepatozoon tachyglossi blood stages are disseminated E. echidnae stages. These
      next-generation DNA sequencing technologies are suited to material and organisms
      that have not been previously characterised and for which the material is scarce.
      The deep sequencing approach supports traditional diagnostic methods, including
      microscopy, clinical pathology and histopathology, to better define the status
      quo. This approach is particularly suitable for wildlife disease investigation.

PMID- 28919548
TI  - Reconsidering the classification of tick-borne encephalitis virus within the
      Siberian subtype gives new insights into its evolutionary history.
AB  - Tick-borne encephalitis is widespread in Eurasia and transmitted by Ixodes ticks.
      Classification of its causative agent, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV),
      includes three subtypes, namely Far-Eastern, European, and Siberian (TBEV-Sib),
      as well as a group of 886-84-like strains with uncertain taxonomic status. TBEV
      Sib is subdivided into three phylogenetic lineages: Baltic, Asian, and South
      Siberian. A reason to reconsider TBEV-Sib classification was the analysis of 186
      nucleotide sequences of an E gene fragment submitted to GenBank during the last
      two years. Within the South-Siberian lineage, we have identified a distinct group
      with prototype strains Aina and Vasilchenko as an individual lineage named East
      Siberian. The analysis of reclassified lineages has promoted a new model of the
      evolutionary history of TBEV-Sib lineages and TBEV-Sib as a whole. Moreover, we
      present arguments supporting separation of 886-84-like strains into an individual
      TBEV subtype, which we propose to name Baikalian (TBEV-Bkl).

PMID- 28919550
TI  - Improving the genotyping resolution of Cryptosporidium hominis subtype IbA10G2
      using one step PCR-based amplicon sequencing.
AB  - Cryptosporidium hominis gp60 subtype IbA10G2 is a common cause of
      cryptosporidiosis. This subtype is responsible for many waterborne outbreaks as
      well as sporadic cases and is considered virulent and highly important in the
      epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis. Due to low heterogeneity within the genome of
      C. hominis it has been difficult to identify epidemiological markers with higher
      resolution than gp60. However, new markers are required in order to improve
      outbreak investigations and studies of the transmission dynamics of this
      clinically important subtype. Based on the whole genome sequences of 17 C.
      hominis isolates, we have identified several differential loci and developed a
      new sequence based typing panel with higher resolution than gp60. An amplicon
      sequencing method was also developed which is based on a one-step PCR which can
      be sequenced using a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platform. Such a system
      provides a rapid and high-throughput workflow. A panel of nine loci with 10
      single nucleotide variants (SNV) was selected and evaluated using clinical
      IbA10G2 isolates from sporadic, cluster and outbreak associated cases. The
      specimens were separated into 10 different genetic profiles named sequence types
      (STs). All isolates within an outbreak or cluster belonged to the same ST,
      including several samples from the two large waterborne outbreaks which occurred
      in Sweden between 2010 and 2011 indicating that these outbreaks might be linked.
      The results demonstrate the methods suitability for improved genotyping of C.
      hominis IbA10G2.

PMID- 28919549
TI  - The predominance of Ethiopian specific Mycobacterium tuberculosis families and
      minimal contribution of Mycobacterium bovis in tuberculous lymphadenitis patients
      in Southwest Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ethiopia has an extremely high rate of extrapulmonary tuberculosis,
      dominated by tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBLN). However, little is known about
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBc) lineages responsible for TBLN in
      Southwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A total of 304 MTBc isolates from TBLN patients in
      Southwest Ethiopia were genotyped primarily by spoligotyping. Isolates of
      selected spoligotypes were further analyzed by 15-loci mycobacterial interspersed
      repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) (n=167) and qPCR-based
      single nucleotide polymorphism (n=38). Isolates were classified into main
      phylogenetic lineages and families by using the reference strain collections and
      identification tools available at MIRU-VNTRplus data base. Resistance to
      rifampicin was determined by Xpert MTB/RIF. RESULTS: The majority of isolates
      (248; 81.6%) belonged to the Euro-American lineage (Lineage 4), with the ill
      defined T and Haarlem as largest families comprising 116 (38.2%) and 43 (14.1%)
      isolates respectively. Of the T family, 108 isolates were classified as being
      part of the newly described Ethiopian families, namely Ethiopia_2 (n=44),
      Ethiopia_3 (n=34) and Ethiopia_H37Rv-like (n=30). Other sub-lineages included
      URAL (n=18), S (n=17), Uganda I (n=16), LAM (n=13), X (n=5), TUR (n=5), Uganda II
      (n=4) and unknown (n=19). Lineage 3 (Delhi/CAS) was the second most common
      lineage comprising 44 (14.5%) isolates. Interestingly, six isolates (2%) were
      belonged to Lineage 7, unique to Ethiopia. Lineage 1 (East-African Indian) and
      Lineage 2 (Beijing) were represented by 3 and 1 isolates respectively. M. bovis
      was identified in only two (0.7%) TBLN cases. The cluster rate was highest for
      Ethiopia_3 isolates showing clonal similarity with isolates from North Ethiopia.
      Lineage 3 was significantly associated with rifampicin resistance. CONCLUSIONS:
      In TBLN in Southwest Ethiopia, the recently described Ethiopia specific Lineage 4
      families were predominant, followed by Lineage 3 and Lineage 4-Haarlem. The
      contribution of M. bovis in TBLN infection is minimal.

PMID- 28919551
TI  - Identification of potential antigens from non-classically secreted proteins and
      designing novel multitope peptide vaccine candidate against Brucella melitensis
      through reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics approach.
AB  - Brucella melitensis is an intracellular pathogen resides in the professional and
      non-professional phagocytes of the host, causing zoonotic disease brucellosis.
      The stealthy nature of the Brucella makes it's highly pathogenic, and it is hard
      to eliminate the bacteria completely from the infected host. Hitherto, no
      licensed vaccines are available for human brucellosis. In this study, we
      identified potential antigens for vaccine development from non-classically
      secreted proteins through reverse vaccinology approach. Based on the systemic
      screening of non-classically secreted proteins of B. melitensis 16M, we
      identified nine proteins as potential vaccine candidates. Among these, Omp31 and
      Omp22 are known immunogens, and its role in the virulence of Brucella is known.
      Roles of other proteins in the pathogenesis are yet to be studied. From the nine
      proteins, we identified six novel antigenic epitopes that can elicit both B-cell
      and T-cell immune responses. Among the nine proteins, the epitopes were predicted
      from Omp31 immunogenic protein precursor, Omp22 protein precursor, extracellular
      serine protease, hypothetical membrane-associated protein, iron-regulated outer
      membrane protein FrpB. Further, we designed a multitope vaccine using Omp31
      immunogenic protein precursor, Omp22 protein precursor, extra cellular serine
      protease, iron-regulated outer membrane protein FrpB, hypothetical membrane
      associated protein, and LPS-assembly protein LptD and polysaccharide export
      protein identified in the previous study. Epitopes were joined using amino acid
      linkers such as EAAAK and GPGPG. Cholera toxin subunit B, the nontoxic part of
      cholera toxin, was used as an adjuvant and it was linked to the N-terminal of the
      multitope vaccine candidate. The designed vaccine candidate was modeled,
      validated and the physicochemical properties were analyzed. Results revealed that
      the vaccine candidate is soluble, stable, non-allergenic, antigenic and 87% of
      residues of the designed vaccine candidate is located in the favored region. In
      conclusion, the computational analysis showed that the newly designed multitope
      protein could be used to develop a promising vaccine for human brucellosis.

PMID- 28919552
TI  - Accurate identification of Anopheles gambiae Giles trophic preferences by MALDI
      TOF MS.
AB  - The determination of the trophic preferences of the Anopheles gambiae Giles
      (Diptera: Culicidae) is a decisive parameter for the monitoring and the
      prevention of malaria risk transmission. Currently, arthropod blood feeding
      sources are identified using immunological or molecular biology traditional
      techniques. Despite the effectiveness of these methods, they present several
      limitations, and notably, they are time-consuming and costly techniques. A recent
      study demonstrated that MALDI-TOF MS could be a useful tool for the
      identification of blood meal origins in freshly engorged mosquitoes. However, the
      limited number of blood vertebrate species tested to date, did not allow an
      assessment of the efficiency of MALDI-TOF MS in distinguishing blood MS spectra
      among close host species, such as humans versus primates. Therefore, in the
      present study, blood from ten distinct vertebrate host species, including four
      domestic species, four wild species, and two primates, was selected to control
      the reliability of MALDI-TOF MS based identification. Host blood species-specific
      MS profiles, up to 24h post-feeding in engorged Anopheles abdomens, were
      confirmed. Blind tests underlined the high specificity of MS spectra for the
      recognition of each host species, preventing misidentification. Nevertheless, an
      accurate analysis of the results from MS spectra queried against the MS database
      revealed that the reliability of identification is directly linked to the
      comprehensiveness of the MS reference database. Finally, the rapidity, the low
      cost reagents, the simplicity of data analysis, and the accuracy of the tool for
      blood origin determination, make this proteomic strategy a promising
      complementary method for the elucidation of host/vector interactions.

PMID- 28919554
TI  - Revisiting the wandering womb: Oxytocin in endometriosis and bipolar disorder.
AB  - Hippocrates attributed women's high emotionality - hysteria - to a 'wandering
      womb'. Although hysteria diagnoses were abandoned along with the notion that
      displaced wombs cause emotional disturbance, recent research suggests that
      elevated levels of oxytocin occur in both bipolar disorder and endometriosis, a
      gynecological condition involving migration of endometrial tissue beyond the
      uterus. We propose and evaluate the hypothesis that elevated oxytocinergic system
      activity jointly contributes to bipolar disorder and endometriosis. First, we
      provide relevant background on endometriosis and bipolar disorder, and then we
      examine evidence for comorbidity between these conditions. We next: (1) review
      oxytocin's associations with personality traits, especially extraversion and
      openness, and how they overlap with bipolar spectrum traits; (2) describe
      evidence for higher oxytocinergic activity in both endometriosis and bipolar
      disorder; (3) examine altered hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis functioning in
      both conditions; (4) describe data showing that medications that treat one
      condition can improve symptoms of the other; (5) discuss fitness-related impacts
      of endometriosis and bipolar disorder; and (6) review a pair of conditions,
      polycystic ovary syndrome and autism, that show evidence of involving reduced
      oxytocinergic activity, in direct contrast to endometriosis and bipolar disorder.
      Considered together, the bipolar spectrum and endometriosis appear to involve
      dysregulated high extremes of normally adaptive pleiotropy in the female oxytocin
      system, whereby elevated levels of oxytocinergic activity coordinate outgoing
      sociality with heightened fertility, apparently characterizing, overall, a faster
      life history. These findings should prompt a re-examination of how mind-body
      interactions, and the pleiotropic endocrine systems that underlie them,
      contribute to health and disease.

PMID- 28919553
TI  - Social evaluative threat with verbal performance feedback alters neuroendocrine
      response to stress.
AB  - Laboratory stress tasks such as the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) have provided
      a key piece to the puzzle for how psychosocial stress impacts the hypothalamic
      pituitary-adrenal axis, other stress-responsive biomarkers, and ultimately
      wellbeing. These tasks are thought to work through biopsychosocial processes,
      specifically social evaluative threat and the uncontrollability heighten
      situational demands. The present study integrated an experimental modification to
      the design of the TSST to probe whether additional social evaluative threat, via
      negative verbal feedback about speech performance, can further alter stress
      reactivity in 63 men and women. This TSST study confirmed previous findings
      related to stress reactivity and stress recovery but extended this literature in
      several ways. First, we showed that additional social evaluative threat
      components, mid-task following the speech portion of the TSST, were still capable
      of enhancing the psychosocial stressor. Second, we considered stress-reactive
      hormones beyond cortisol to include dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and
      testosterone, and found these hormones were also stress-responsive, and their
      release was coupled with one another. Third, we explored whether gain- and loss
      framing incentive instructions, meant to influence performance motivation by
      enhancing the personal relevance of task performance, impacted hormonal
      reactivity. Results showed that each hormone was stress reactive and further had
      different responses to the modified TSST compared to the original TSST. Beyond
      the utility of showing how the TSST can be modified with heightened social
      evaluative threat and incentive-framing instructions, this study informs about
      how these three stress-responsive hormones have differential responses to the
      demands of a challenge and a stressor.

PMID- 28919556
TI  - Measuring inotocin receptor gene expression in chronological order in ant queens.
AB  - In vertebrates and invertebrates, oxytocin/vasopressin-like peptides modulate a
      variety of behaviors. The recent discovery of the gene and receptor sequences of
      inotocin, the insect ortholog of oxytocin/vasopressin, opens new opportunities
      for understanding the role of this peptide family in regulating behaviors in the
      most populated class of living animals. Ants live in highly organized colonies.
      Once a year, they produce future queens that soon leave the nest to mate and
      found new colonies. During the first months of their lives, ant queens display a
      sequence of behaviors ranging from copulation and social interactions to violent
      fighting. In order to investigate the potential roles of inotocin in shaping
      queen behavior, we measured gene expression of the inotocin receptor in the heads
      of Lasius niger ant queens at different points in time. The highest levels of
      expression occurred early in queen life when they experience crowded conditions
      in their mother nests and soon thereafter set out to mate. Inotocin could thus be
      involved in regulating social and reproductive behaviors as reported in other
      animals. While oxytocin and vasopressin are also involved in aggression in
      mammals, we found no direct link between these behaviors and inotocin receptor
      expression in L. niger. Our study provides a first glimpse into the roles the
      inotocin receptor might play in regulating important processes in ant physiology
      and behavior. Further studies are needed to understand the molecular function of
      this complex signaling system in more detail.

PMID- 28919555
TI  - Disturbances of systemic and hippocampal insulin sensitivity in macrophage
      migration inhibitory factor (MIF) knockout male mice lead to behavioral changes
      associated with decreased PSA-NCAM levels.
AB  - Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multifunctional cytokine well
      known for its role in inflammation enhancement. However, a growing body of
      evidence is emerging on its role in energy metabolism in insulin sensitive
      tissues such as hippocampus, a brain region implicated in cognition, learning and
      memory. We hypothesized that genetic deletion of MIF may result in the specific
      behavioral changes, which may be linked to impairments in brain or systemic
      insulin sensitivity by possible changes of the hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
      To assess memory, exploratory behavior and anxiety, three behavioral tests were
      applied on Mif gene-deficient (MIF-/-) and "wild type" C57BL/6J mice (WT). The
      parameters of systemic and hippocampal insulin sensitivity were also determined.
      The impact of MIF deficiency on hippocampal plasticity was evaluated by analyzing
      the level of synaptosomal polysialylated-neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM)
      plasticity marker and mRNA levels of different neurotrophic factors. The results
      showed that MIF-/- mice exhibit emphasized anxiety-like behaviors, as well as
      impaired recognition memory, which may be hippocampus-dependent. This behavioral
      phenotype was associated with impaired systemic insulin sensitivity and
      attenuated hippocampal insulin sensitivity, characterized by increased inhibitory
      Ser307 phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1). Finally, MIF-/-
      mice displayed a decreased hippocampal PSA-NCAM level and unchanged Bdnf, NT-3,
      NT-4 and Igf-1 mRNA levels. The results suggest that the lack of MIF leads to
      disturbances of systemic and hippocampal insulin sensitivity, which are possibly
      responsible for memory deficits and anxiety, most likely through decreased PSA
      NCAM-mediated neuroplasticity rather than through neurotrophic factors.

PMID- 28919558
TI  - Cellular uptake of extracellular vesicles is mediated by clathrin-independent
      endocytosis and macropinocytosis.
AB  - Recent evidence has established that extracellular vesicles (EVs), including
      exosomes and microvesicles, form an endogenous transport system through which
      biomolecules, including proteins and RNA, are exchanged between cells. This
      endows EVs with immense potential for drug delivery and regenerative medicine
      applications. Understanding the biology underlying EV-based intercellular
      transfer of cargo is of great importance for the development of EV-based
      therapeutics. Here, we sought to characterize the cellular mechanisms involved in
      EV uptake. Internalization of fluorescently-labeled EVs was evaluated in HeLa
      cells, in 2D (monolayer) cell culture as well as 3D spheroids. Uptake was
      assessed using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, using chemical as well as
      RNA interference-based inhibition of key proteins involved in individual
      endocytic pathways. Experiments with chemical inhibitors revealed that EV uptake
      depends on cholesterol and tyrosine kinase activity, which are implicated in
      clathrin-independent endocytosis, and on Na+/H+ exchange and phosphoinositide 3
      kinase activity, which are important for macropinocytosis. Furthermore, EV
      internalization was inhibited by siRNA-mediated knockdown of caveolin-1,
      flotillin-1, RhoA, Rac1 and PAK1, but not clathrin heavy chain. Together, these
      results suggest that EVs enter cells predominantly via clathrin-independent
      endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Identification of EV components that promote
      their uptake via pathways that lead to functional cargo transfer might allow
      development of more efficient therapeutics through EV-inspired engineering.

PMID- 28919557
TI  - Synergistic effects of dendritic cell targeting and laser-microporation on
      enhancing epicutaneous skin vaccination efficacy.
AB  - Due to its unique immunological properties, the skin is an attractive target
      tissue for allergen-specific immunotherapy. In our current work, we combined a
      dendritic cell targeting approach with epicutaneous immunization using an
      ablative fractional laser to generate defined micropores in the upper layers of
      the skin. By coupling the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 to mannan from S.
      cerevisiae via mild periodate oxidation we generated hypoallergenic Bet-mannan
      neoglycoconjugates, which efficiently targeted CD14+ dendritic cells and
      Langerhans cells in human skin explants. Mannan conjugation resulted in sustained
      release from the skin and retention in secondary lymphoid organs, whereas
      unconjugated antigen showed fast renal clearance. In a mouse model, Bet-mannan
      neoglycoconjugates applied via laser-microporated skin synergistically elicited
      potent humoral and cellular immune responses, superior to intradermal injection.
      The induced antibody responses displayed IgE-blocking capacity, highlighting the
      therapeutic potential of the approach. Moreover, application via micropores, but
      not by intradermal injection, resulted in a mixed TH1/TH17-biased immune
      response. Our data clearly show that applying mannan-neoglycoconjugates to an
      organ rich in dendritic cells using laser-microporation is superior to
      intradermal injection. Due to their low IgE binding capacity and
      biodegradability, mannan neoglycoconjugates therefore represent an attractive
      formulation for allergen-specific epicutaneous immunotherapy.

PMID- 28919559
TI  - Adipokinetic hormone receptor gene identification and its role in triacylglycerol
      mobilization and sexual behavior in the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis).
AB  - Energy homeostasis requires continuous compensation for fluctuations in energy
      expenditure and availability of food resources. In insects, energy mobilization
      is under control of the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) where it is regulating the
      nutritional status by supporting the mobilization of lipids. In this study, we
      characterized the gene coding for the AKH receptor (AKHR) and investigated its
      function in the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) that is economically one
      of the most important pest insects of tropical and subtropical fruit. Bacdo-AKHR
      is a typical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and phylogenetic analysis
      confirmed that Bacdo-AKHR is closely related to insect AKHRs from other species.
      When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, Bacdo-AKHR exhibited a high
      sensitivity and selectivity for AKH peptide (EC50 = 19.3 nM). Using qPCR, the
      developmental stage and tissue-specific expression profiles demonstrated that
      Bacdo-AKHR was highly expressed in both the larval and adult stages, and also
      specifically in the fat body and midgut of the adult with no difference in sex.
      To investigate the role of AKHR in B. dorsalis, RNAi assays were performed with
      dsRNA against Bacdo-AKHR in adult flies of both sexes and under starvation and
      feeding condition. As major results, the knockdown of this gene resulted in
      triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation. With RNAi-males, we observed a severe
      decrease in their sexual courtship activity when starved, but there was a partial
      rescue in copulation when refed. Also in RNAi-males, the tethered-flight duration
      declined compared with the control group when starved, which is confirming the
      dependency on energy metabolism. In RNAi-females, the sexual behavior was not
      affected, but their fecundity was decreased. Our findings indicate an interesting
      role of AKHR in the sexual behavior of males specifically. The effects are
      associated with TAG accumulation, and we also reported that the conserved role of
      AKH-mediated system in B. dorsalis is nutritional state-dependent. Hence, we
      provided further understanding on the multiple functions of AKH/AKHR in B.
      dorsalis.

PMID- 28919560
TI  - The Influence of Parkinson Disease on Lumbar Decompression Surgery: A
      Retrospective Case Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease (PD) is a major risk factor during spine surgery,
      and its frequency is increasing as the population ages. The study aim was to
      examine the influence of PD specifically on lumbar decompression surgery.
      METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all patients with PD who
      underwent elective lumbar decompression surgery at 2 university hospital
      departments between December 2003 and July 2016. For each patient, 2 controls
      without PD were selected randomly among those who were matched for sex and age
      and had a similar year of surgery (+/-3) and comorbidity profile. The main
      outcomes were complications and reoperation rate. RESULTS: The mean follow up was
      1.2 +/- 1.6 years in the PD group (n = 36) and 1.4 +/- 2.1 years in the control
      group (n = 72). The overall complication rate was 47.2% in the PD group and 19.4%
      in the control group (P < 0.01). The reoperation rate was 27.8% in the PD group
      and 9.7% in the control group (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significantly
      greater rate of perioperative complications in patients with PD undergoing
      elective decompression surgery. Although the difference in major complication
      rates was minimal, minor complications were more frequent in patients with PD.

PMID- 28919561
TI  - Implications of Antiangiogenic Therapy on Radiographic Assessment of Brain
      Tumors.

PMID- 28919562
TI  - Operative Management of Distal Anterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysms Through a Mini
      Anterior Interhemispheric Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distal anterior cerebral artery (DACA) aneurysms, also known as
      pericallosal artery aneurysms, are present in 1.5%-9% of all intracranial
      aneurysms. Here we characterize the important microsurgical anatomy of DACAs;
      describe the surgical approach to treating these aneurysms with a minimally
      invasive surgical technique, the mini anterior interhemispheric approach (MAIA);
      and examine the nuances of aneurysm clipping in this region. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective and descriptive analysis of a series of aneurysm surgeries
      performed at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City.
      Cadaveric dissections were used to demonstrate relevant cerebrovascular anatomy.
      We analyzed patient demographic data and aneurysm characteristics. Patients'
      neurologic grade was evaluated using the Hunt and Kosnik (H-K) scale, and
      surgical outcomes were evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Other
      variables were analyzed using the chi2 test. RESULTS: We analyzed a total of 32
      DACA aneurysms (10 nonruptured and 22 ruptured), representing 5.8% of all
      aneurysms. The study cohort was 64.3% females and 35.7% males. H-K grade II was
      the most frequent classification (32.4%); 42.8% of patients presented with a
      Fisher grade IV aneurysm. Aneurysm location was classified as supra-genu, genu,
      or infra-genu. Eight patients had multiple aneurysms, among which 50% were
      located at the bifurcation of the middle cerebral artery. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical
      clipping through a MAIA approach is an excellent treatment option for
      pericallosal artery aneurysms.

PMID- 28919563
TI  - Reading Between the Joints-Using Spinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Evaluation
      of Instability.

PMID- 28919564
TI  - Intraoperative Visualization of a Spinal Arachnoid Cyst Using Pyoktanin Blue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal arachnoid cysts (SACs) are filled with cerebrospinal fluid,
      and they include the arachnoid membrane, making it difficult to distinguish the
      walls of the cyst from the arachnoid membrane and excise the cyst as a lump. Here
      we report a technique for the intraoperative visualization of SACs, involving the
      use of pyoktanin blue. METHODS: Four patients with spinal intradural arachnoid
      cysts underwent total excision of the cysts between October 2016 and April 2017.
      In 1 case, magnetic resonance imaging revealed the cyst clearly, but in the other
      cases, the cysts were unclear. All cysts were injected with 1% pyoktanin blue
      (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Osaka, Japan) diluted 500 times with
      physiological saline before excision. When it was difficult to distinguish the
      cyst from the normal arachnoid membrane, 1% pyoktanin blue diluted 1000 times
      with physiological saline was injected into both the cyst and the subarachnoid
      space, and the spread of the stain was observed. RESULTS: The cysts were better
      visualized after pyoktanin blue injection than before injection. When it was
      difficult to distinguish the cyst from the normal arachnoid space, pyoktanin blue
      injection was useful for judging the cyst space. There were no perioperative
      complications, and the patients' symptoms improved partially or completely after
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our technique of pyoktanin blue injection into SACs could
      make their excision easy and safe.

PMID- 28919565
TI  - Treatment of Large or Giant Cavernous Aneurysm Associated with Persistent
      Trigeminal Artery: Case Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primitive trigeminal artery (PTA) is the most common anomaly of
      primitive carotid-basilar anastomosis and is associated with cerebrovascular
      anomalies, such as aneurysm. Large or giant cavernous aneurysm associated with
      PTA is rare, and the treatment strategies differ in comparison with large or
      giant aneurysm without PTA. In this article, we report an unusual case of a giant
      cavernous aneurysm associated with PTA and review treatment strategies for large
      or giant cavernous aneurysm associated with PTA. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 38-year-old
      woman suffered from double vision. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass
      lesion in the left cavernous sinus, and magnetic resonance angiography showed a
      giant aneurysm at the cavernous portion of the left internal carotid artery,
      associated with PTA. Coil embolization, distal to the PTA, was scheduled after
      high-flow bypass on the same day. Computed tomography scan showed no definite
      infarction after treatment. A 3-dimensional computed tomography showed
      disappearance of the aneurysm and good patency of bypass and PTA. The patient
      experienced improvements in symptoms and was discharged without neurologic
      deficits (modified Rankin Scale 0). CONCLUSIONS: The treatment strategy for large
      or giant cavernous aneurysm associated with PTA is different from strategies used
      for large or giant cavernous aneurysm without PTA. Simple ligation of internal
      carotid artery is inadequate because the aneurysm is supplied through the PTA,
      from the vertebrobasilar system. Furthermore, the treatment strategy has to be
      revised according to whether the PTA can be occluded. Keeping in mind PTA
      preservation, an appropriate strategy should be selected.

PMID- 28919566
TI  - Predicting Short-Term Outcome After Surgery for Primary Spinal Tumors Based on
      Patient Frailty.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Frailty, decreased physiologic reserve and increased vulnerability to
      stressors beyond what is expected for normal aging, is associated with increased
      risk of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to develop a
      preoperative frailty index for patients undergoing surgery for primary spinal
      column tumors that predicts morbidity, mortality, and length of stay. METHODS:
      The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2002 to 2011 was used to identify
      patients who underwent surgery for a primary spinal tumor. The spinal tumor
      frailty index, consisting of 9 items, was applied to each patient. Patients were
      characterized as "not frail" (0), "mildly frail" (1), "moderately frail" (2), and
      "severely frail" (>=3). RESULTS: Inclusion criteria were met by 1589 patients.
      Overall major complication rate was 10.6%. Compared with patients without
      frailty, patients with mild (odds ratio 3.83; 95% confidence interval, 2.63
      5.58), moderate (odds ratio 6.80; 95% confidence interval, 4.10-11.3), and severe
      frailty (odds ratio 13.05; 95% confidence interval, 6.34-26.87) had significantly
      increased odds of developing complications (all P < 0.001). Mean length of stay
      was 6.4 days +/- 0.2, 9.8 days +/- 0.6, 14.4 days +/- 1.7, and 18.3 days +/- 2.6
      for patients without frailty, with mild frailty, with moderate frailty, and with
      severe frailty (P < 0.05 between all groups). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with patients
      without frailty, patients with mild, moderate, and severe frailty had
      significantly increased odds of developing postoperative complications.
      Systematic evaluation of preoperative frailty should play a key role in decision
      making for patients undergoing surgery for primary spinal tumors.

PMID- 28919567
TI  - Photoacoustic Imaging for Maximizing Glioma Resection.

PMID- 28919568
TI  - Robotic Stereotactic Assistance (ROSA) Utilization for Minimally Invasive
      Placement of Intraparenchymal Hematoma and Intraventricular Catheters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with supratentorial spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage,
      intrahematomal catheter placement may allow for intraclot thrombolysis and
      drainage. Robotic assistance may be used for the stereotactic placement of
      catheters. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 76-year-old male presented with altered mental
      status and left-sided weakness. Noncontrast computed tomography of the head
      showed a right ganglionic intraparenchymal hemorrhage with resultant entrapment
      of the temporal horn. Using Robotic Stereotactic Assistance, intrahematomal and
      intraventricular catheters were placed. The temporal horn was immediately
      decompressed, and the hematoma almost completely resolved with scheduled
      administration of intrathecal alteplase in the ensuing 48 hours postoperatively.
      CONCLUSION: Frameless image-guided placement of intraparenchymal hematoma
      catheter using Robotic Stereotactic Assistance is safe and efficient.

PMID- 28919569
TI  - Spontaneous Hemorrhagic Glioblastoma Revealed by Arterial Spin Labeling.
AB  - We report a case of hemorrhagic tumor detected early by pseudocontinuous arterial
      spin labeling sequence when conventional magnetic resonance imaging sequences
      were not contributive.

PMID- 28919570
TI  - Initial Clinical Experience with AView-A Clinical Computational Platform for
      Intracranial Aneurysm Morphology, Hemodynamics, and Treatment Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The management of intracranial aneurysm (IA) is challenging.
      Clinicians often rely on varied and intuitively disparate ways of evaluating
      rupture risk that may only partially take into account complex hemodynamic and
      morphologic factors. We developed a prototype of a clinically oriented,
      streamlined, computational platform, AView, for rapid assessment of hemodynamics
      and morphometrics in clinical settings. To show the potential clinical utility of
      AView, we report our initial multicenter experience highlighting the possible
      advantages of morphologic and hemodynamic analysis of IAs. METHODS: AView
      software was deployed across 8 medical centers (6 in the United States, 2 in
      Japan). Eight clinicians were trained and used the AView software between
      September 2012 and January 2013. RESULTS: We present 12 illustrative cases that
      show the potential clinical utility of AView. For all, morphology and
      hemodynamics, flow visualization, and rupture resemblance score (a surrogate for
      rupture risk) were provided. In 3 cases, AView could confirm the clinicians'
      decision to treat; in 3 cases, it could suggest which aneurysms may be at greater
      risk among multiple aneurysms; in 5 cases, AView could provide additional
      information for use during treatment decisions for ambiguous situations. In one
      stent-assisted coiling case, flow visualization predicted that the intuitive
      choice for stent placement could have resulted in sacrifice of an anterior
      cerebral artery due to blockage by coils and led clinicians to reconsider
      treatment plans. CONCLUSIONS: AView has the potential to confirm decisions to
      treat IAs, suggest which among multiple aneurysms to treat, and guide treatment
      decisions. Furthermore, the flow visualization it affords can inform aneurysm
      treatment planning and potentially avoid poor outcomes.

PMID- 28919571
TI  - Reasons Why Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
      Disorder Stop and Restart Taking Medicine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of reasons why children and adolescents
      stop and restart attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicine and
      whether functional impairment is present after stopping medicine. METHODS: We
      used the prospective longitudinal cohort from the Multimodal Treatment of Study
      of Children With ADHD. At the 12-year follow-up, when participants were a mean of
      21.1 years old, 372 participants (76% male, 64% white) reported ever taking ADHD
      medicine. Participants reported the age when they last stopped and/or restarted
      ADHD medicine and also endorsed reasons for stopping and restarting. RESULTS:
      Seventy-seven percent (286 of 372) reported stopping medicine for a month or
      longer at some time during childhood or adolescence. Participants were a mean of
      13.3 years old when they last stopped medicine. The most commonly endorsed
      reasons for stopping medication related to 1) medicine not needed/helping, 2)
      adverse effects, 3) logistical barriers of getting or taking medication, and 4)
      social concerns or stigma. Seventeen percent (64 of 372) reported restarting
      medicine after stopping for a month or longer. Commonly endorsed reasons for
      restarting related to medicine being needed or medicine helping; and resolution
      of logistical barriers to getting or taking medicine. For both stopping and
      restarting, the proportion endorsing some reasons differed by age range, with the
      overall pattern suggesting that parental involvement in decisions decreased with
      age. Nearly all participants had impairment at the assessment after stopping,
      regardless of whether medication was resumed. CONCLUSIONS: Different reasons for
      stopping and/or restarting medicine are relevant at different times for different
      teens. Tailored strategies may help engage adolescents as full partners in their
      treatment plan.

PMID- 28919573
TI  - The Significance of Unknown Significance.

PMID- 28919572
TI  - Latino Parents' Perceptions of Pediatric Weight Counseling Terms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about Latino parents' perceptions of weight-related
      language in English or Spanish, particularly for counseling obese youth. We
      sought to identify English and Spanish weight counseling terms perceived by
      Latino parents across demographic groups as desirable for providers to use,
      motivating, and inoffensive. METHODS: Latino parents of children treated at urban
      safety-net clinics completed surveys in English or Spanish. Parents rated the
      desirable, motivating, or offensive properties of terms for excess weight using a
      5-point scale. We compared parental ratings of terms and investigated the
      association of parent and child characteristics with parent perceptions of terms.
      RESULTS: A total of 525 surveys met inclusion criteria (255 English, 270
      Spanish). English survey respondents rated "unhealthy weight" and "too much
      weight for his/her health" the most motivating and among the most desirable and
      least offensive terms. Spanish survey respondents found "demasiado peso para su
      salud" highly desirable, highly motivating, and inoffensive, and respondents
      valued its connection to the child's health. Commonly used clinical terms
      "overweight"/"sobrepeso" and "high BMI [body mass index]"/"indice de masa
      corporal alta" were not as desirable or as motivating. "Chubby," "fat," "gordo,"
      and "muy gordo" were the least motivating and most offensive terms. Parents'
      ratings of commonly used clinical terms varied widely across demographic groups,
      but more desirable terms had less variability. CONCLUSIONS: "Unhealthy weight,"
      "too much weight for his/her health," and its Spanish equivalent, "demasiado peso
      para su salud," were the most desirable and motivating, and the least offensive
      terms. Latino parents' positive perceptions of these terms occurred across parent
      and child characteristics, supporting their use in weight counseling.

PMID- 28919574
TI  - Variation in Generational Perceptions of Child Health and Well-being.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess adults' perceptions regarding the health and well-being of
      children today relative to their own health and well-being as youth and the
      potential for intergenerational differences in those perceptions. METHODS: A
      cross-sectional, Internet-based survey of a nationally representative household
      sample was conducted using GfK Custom Research's Web-enabled KnowledgePanel, a
      probability-based panel representative of the US population. We assessed
      perceptions of children's health and well-being today compared to when
      respondents were growing up, including physical and mental health; and children's
      education, exercise, diet, health care, safety of communities, and emotional
      support from families, groups, and organizations. RESULTS: Overall, 1330 (65%) of
      2047 adult respondents completed the survey. Only 26% of respondents believed
      that the current physical health of children, and 14% that the current mental
      health of children, is better today than when they were growing up. There was a
      significant trend among generations, with a greater proportion of older
      generations perceiving the physical health of children to be better today. Only
      15% of respondents reported the chances for a child to grow up with good mental
      health in the future are "better" now than when they were growing up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Adults across all generations in the United States today view
      children's health as unlikely to meet the goals of the American Dream of
      continuous improvement. Although demographic changes require continued focus on
      our aging population, we must equally recognize the importance of advancing a
      healthy future for our nation's children, who will assume the mantle of our
      future.

PMID- 28919576
TI  - Simulation of the effects of oxygen carriers and scaffold geometry on oxygen
      distribution and cell growth in a channeled scaffold for engineering myocardium.
AB  - This study proposes a mathematical model to evaluate the impact of oxygen
      carriers and scaffold geometry on oxygen distribution and cell growth in a 3D
      cardiac construct using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Flow equations,
      oxygen balance equation and cell balance equation were solved using special
      initial and boundary conditions. The modeling results revealed that 55% increase
      in cardiac cell density occurred by using 6.4% perfluorocarbon oxygen carrier
      (PFC) compared to pure culture medium without PFC supplementation. Moreover, the
      effects of the scaffold geometry on cell density were examined by changing the
      channel numbers and the construct length. A 30% increase in the average cells
      density was observed by increasing the channel numbers from 37 to 145.
      Furthermore, the average cell density was increased 23% by decreasing the
      scaffold length from 0.5 to 0.2 cm length. Overall, the average cell density of
      cardiac cells can be increased 2-fold by using PFC oxygen carrier and optimizing
      the scaffold's geometry, simultaneously.

PMID- 28919575
TI  - An integrative model of prostate cancer interaction with the bone
      microenvironment.
AB  - Despite advanced efforts in early diagnosis, aggressive surgical treatment, and
      use of targeted chemotherapies, the prognosis for many cancers is still dismal.
      This emphasizes the necessity to develop new strategies for understanding tumor
      growth and metastasis. Here we use a systems approach that combines mathematical
      modeling and numerical simulation to develop a predictive computational model for
      prostate cancer and its subversion of the bone microenvironment. This model
      simulates metastatic prostate cancer evolution, progressing from normal bone and
      hormone levels to quantifiable diseased states. The simulations clearly
      demonstrate phenomena similar to those found clinically in prostate cancer
      patients. In addition, the major prediction of this model is the existence of low
      and high osteogenic states that are markedly different from one another. The
      existence and potential realization of these steady states appear to be mediated
      by the Wnt signaling pathway and by the effects of PSA on TGF-beta, which
      encourages the bone microenvironment to evolve. The model is used to explore
      several potential therapeutic strategies, with some potential drug targets
      showing more promise than others: in particular, completely blocking Wnt and
      greatly increasing DKK-1 had significant positive effects, while blocking RANKL
      did not improve the outcome.

PMID- 28919577
TI  - Some properties of three alphaB-crystallin mutants carrying point substitutions
      in the C-terminal domain and associated with congenital diseases.
AB  - Physico-chemical properties of G154S, R157H and A171T mutants of alphaB
      crystallin (HspB5) associated with congenital human diseases including certain
      myopathies and cataract were investigated. Oligomers formed by G154S and A171T
      mutants have the size and apparent molecular weight indistinguishable from those
      of the wild-type HspB5, whereas the size of oligomers formed by R157H mutant is
      slightly smaller. All mutants are less thermostable and start to aggregate at a
      lower temperature than the wild-type protein. All mutants effectively interact
      with a triple phosphomimicking mutant of HspB1 and form large heterooligomeric
      complexes of similar composition. All mutants interact with HspB6 forming
      heterooligomeric complexes with size and composition dependent on the molar ratio
      of two proteins. The wild-type HspB5 and its G154S and A171T mutants form only
      high molecular weight (300-450 kDa) heterooligomeric complexes with HspB6,
      whereas the R157H mutant forms both high and low (~120 kDa) molecular weight
      complexes. The wild-type HspB5 and its G154S and A171T mutants form two types of
      heterooligomers with HspB4, whereas R157H mutant effectively forms only one type
      of heterooligomers with HspB4. G154S and A171T mutants have lower chaperone-like
      activity than the wild-type protein when subfragment S1 of myosin or betaL
      crystallin are used as a model substrates. With these substrates, the R157H
      mutant shows equal or higher chaperone activity than the wild-type HspB5. We
      hypothesize that the mutations in the C-terminal region modulate the binding of
      the IP(I/V) motif to the core alpha-crystallin domain. The R157H mutation is
      located in the immediate proximity of this motif. Such modulation could cause
      altered interaction of HspB5 with partners and substrates and eventually lead to
      pathological processes.

PMID- 28919578
TI  - Selectin-independent adhesion during ovarian cancer metastasis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ovarian cancer (OvCa) progression mainly takes place by intraperitoneal
      spread. Adhesion of tumor cells to the mesothelial cells which form the inner
      surface of the peritoneum is a crucial step in this process. Cancer cells use in
      principle different molecules of the leukocyte adhesion cascade to facilitate
      adhesion. This cascade is initiated by selectin-ligand interactions followed by
      integrin - extracellular matrix protein interactions. Here we address the
      question whether all tumor cells predominantly employ selectin-dependent
      leukocyte-like adhesion cascade (SDAC) or whether they use integrin mediated
      adhesion for OvCa progression as well. METHODS: A comparative transcriptomic
      analysis of the human OvCa cell lines OVCAR8 and SKOV3 was performed.
      Intraperitoneal xenograft model of OVCAR8 cells was used to determine whether
      there is a correlation between SDAC gene expression and the metastatic potential
      of the control cells and the cells overexpressing c-Fos. Transcriptomic analysis
      of OVCAR8 and SKOV3 samples was performed using microarrays. RESULTS: One-third
      of the protein-coding genes involved in SDAC exhibited lower expression levels in
      OVCAR8 than in SKOV3 cells. In contrast to SKOV3 cells, c-Fos overexpression in
      OVCAR8 cells did not significantly influence the expression of SDAC genes.
      Intraperitoneal xenograft model of OVCAR8 cells unexpectedly demonstrated that
      the aggressiveness of OVCAR8 tumors was not depended on the c-Fos expression
      level and was comparable to that of SKOV3 control tumors. Gene expression
      analysis of tumors suggests that SKOV3-derived tumor progression was mainly
      depended on SDAC. Progression of OVCAR8 tumors relied on other cell adhesion
      molecules that do not interact with selectins. CONCLUSIONS: High expression of c
      Fos in ovarian cancer cells is not always associated with reduced metastatic
      potential. Low expression level of SDAC genes may not ensure low OvCa metastatic
      potential hence alternative adhesion mechanisms involving laminin-integrin
      interactions exist as well.

PMID- 28919579
TI  - MRI and Prediction of Pathologic Complete Response in the Breast and Axilla after
      Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the setting where determining extent of residual disease is key
      for surgical planning after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), we evaluate the
      reliability of MRI in predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) of the breast
      primary and axillary nodes after NAC. STUDY DESIGN: Patients who had MRI before
      and after NAC between June 2014 and August 2015 were identified in a prospective
      database after IRB approval. Post-NAC MRI of the breast and axillary nodes was
      correlated with residual disease on final pathology. Pathologic complete response
      was defined as absence of invasive and in situ disease. RESULTS: We analyzed 129
      breast cancers. Median patient age was 50.8 years (range 27.2 to 80.6 years).
      Tumors were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 amplified in 52 of 129
      (40%), estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      negative in 45 of 129 (35%), and triple negative in 32 of 129 (25%), with
      respective pCR rates of 50%, 9%, and 31%. Median tumor size pre- and post-NAC MRI
      were 4.1 cm and 1.45 cm, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging had a positive
      predictive value of 63.4% (26 of 41) and negative predictive value of 84.1% (74
      of 88) for in-breast pCR. Axillary nodes were abnormal on pre-NAC MRI in 97
      patients; 65 had biopsy-confirmed metastases. The nodes normalized on post-NAC
      MRI in 33 of 65 (51%); axillary pCR was present in 22 of 33 (67%). In 32 patients
      with proven nodal metastases and abnormal nodes on post-NAC MRI, 11 achieved
      axillary pCR. In 32 patients with normal nodes on pre- and post-NAC MRI, 6 (19%)
      had metastasis on final pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Radiologic complete response by
      MRI does not predict pCR with adequate accuracy to replace pathologic evaluation
      of the breast tumor and axillary nodes.

PMID- 28919580
TI  - Concomitant Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Add to the Atrial Arrhythmogenic
      Phenotype in Male Hypertensive Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Besides hypertension, obesity and the metabolic syndrome have
      recently emerged as risk factors for atrial fibrillation. This study sought to
      delineate the development of an arrhythmogenic substrate for atrial fibrillation
      in hypertension with and without concomitant obesity and metabolic syndrome.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared obese spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR
      obese, n=7-10) with lean hypertensive controls (SHR-lean, n=7-10) and
      normotensive rats (n=7-10). Left atrial emptying function (MRI) and
      electrophysiological parameters were characterized before the hearts were
      harvested for histological and biochemical analyses. At the age of 38 weeks, SHR
      obese, but not SHR-lean, showed increased body weight and impaired glucose
      tolerance together with dyslipidemia compared with normotensive rats. Mean blood
      pressure was similarly increased in SHR-lean and SHR-obese when compared with
      normotensive rats (178+/-9 and 180+/-8 mm Hg [not significant] versus 118+/-5 mm
      Hg, P<0.01 for both), but left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was more
      increased in SHR-obese than in SHR-lean. Impairment of left atrial emptying
      function, increase in total atrial activation time, and conduction heterogeneity,
      as well as prolongation of inducible atrial fibrillation durations, were more
      pronounced in SHR-obese as compared with SHR-lean. Histological and biochemical
      examinations revealed enhanced triglycerides and more pronounced fibrosis in the
      left atrium of SHR-obese. Besides increased expression of profibrotic markers in
      SHR-lean and SHR-obese, the profibrotic extracellular matrix protein osteopontin
      was highly upregulated only in SHR-obese. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to
      hypertension alone, concomitant obesity and metabolic syndrome add to the atrial
      arrhythmogenic phenotype by impaired left atrial emptying function, local
      conduction abnormalities, interstitial atrial fibrosis formation, and increased
      propensity for atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 28919582
TI  - Rapamycin Inhibits Expansion of Cord Blood Derived NK and T Cell.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is important in
      hematopoiesis. Despite the central role of mTOR in regulating the differentiation
      of immune cells, the effect of mTOR function on cord blood mononuclear cells is
      yet to be defined. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of mTOR inhibition, using
      rapamycin on the proliferation and apoptosis of cord blood mononuclear cells, as
      well as on the B and T cell expansion. METHODS: Cord blood mononuclear cells were
      cultured in the presence of IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15 cytokines and inhibited by
      rapamycin for 14 days. The harvested cells were evaluated at distinct time points
      by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The mTOR expression decreased in the presence of
      rapamycin on day 14. Inhibition of mTOR reduced the proliferation of the cord
      blood mononuclear cells, yet did not influence apoptosis. Moreover, the number of
      T and NK cells was significantly reduced in the presence of rapamycin, while no
      change was observed in the B cell expansion. CONCLUSION: mTOR signaling plays a
      crucial part in cord blood derived NK and T cells expansion.

PMID- 28919581
TI  - Antitumor Response to a Codon-Optimized HPV-16 E7/HSP70 Fusion Antigen DNA
      Vaccine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaccines based on virus-like particles are effective against Human
      Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection; however, they have not shown a therapeutic
      effect against HPV-associated diseases. New immunotherapy strategies based on
      immune responses against tumor antigens can positively affect the clearance of
      HPV-associated lesions. OBJECTIVE: To generate two therapeutic fusion DNA
      vaccines (optimizedE7/mouseHSP70 and wildE7/mouseHSP70) to induce antitumor
      specific responses in mice models. METHODS: Mice were immunized with recombinant
      DNA vaccines. The splenocytes of immunized mice were collected and lactate
      dehydrogenase and IFN-gamma productions were measured after three injections in
      order to evaluate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) activity. MTT assay was carried
      out for lymphocyte stimulation. RESULTS: The fusion DNA vaccines, specifically
      uE7-HSP70, elicited varying levels of IFN-gamma and CTLs responses compared to
      the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, antitumor response and tumor size
      reduction in fusion DNA vaccines groups were significantly higher than in the
      negative control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that our fusion DNA
      vaccines considerably enhanced specific cellular responses against HPV tumor
      model. In addition, optimized E7 showed a notable immunogenicity and inhibitory
      effect on the reduction of tumor size.

PMID- 28919583
TI  - Polyclonal Antibody against Different Extracellular Subdomains of HER2 Induces
      Tumor Growth Inhibition in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has a crucial role in
      several malignancies. The extracellular domain of HER2 (HER2-ECD) has been
      extensively employed as an important target in passive and active immunotherapy.
      Isolated recombinant prokaryotic HER2-ECD subdomains were previously found to be
      ineffective in inducing anti-tumor antibody response. OBJECTIVE: To employ
      recombinant eukaryotic HER2-ECD subdomains to raise anti-HER2 antibodies and
      determine their anti-tumor activity in vitro. METHODS: Two paired subdomains of
      HER2-ECD (DI+II and DIII+IV), representing Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab binding
      domains, respectively, along with the full extracellular domain of HER2 were
      generated in CHO-K1 cells. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against these
      subdomains and characterized using ELISA, flow cytometry, and immunoblot and
      their anti-tumor activity was assessed by XTT assay. The cross-reactivity of
      these antibodies was specified along with other members of the human HER family.
      RESULTS: Similar to Trastuzumab and anti-HER2-ECD antibody, anti-DI+II and
      DIII+IV polyclonal antibodies reacted with recombinant HER2-ECD and native HER2
      expressed on tumor cells. These two polyclonal antibodies were able to inhibit
      the binding of Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab to HER2, respectively, and did not
      cross-react with other members of HER family. These antibodies were able to
      inhibit tumor cell growth in vitro, similar to Trastuzumab. CONCLUSION: The high
      immunogenicity of human HER2 DI+II and DIII+IV subdomains in rabbits and the
      tumor inhibitory activity of the purified specific antibodies imply that they
      might be suitable for active immunotherapy in formulation with appropriate
      adjuvants and in combination with other HER2 specific therapeutics.

PMID- 28919584
TI  - Reduced IFN-gamma Production in Chronic Brucellosis Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brucella is a well-known intracellular bacterium entailing acute and
      chronic illnesses in humans and domestic animals. The infection chronicity may be
      affected by the cell-mediated immunity and cytokine patterns. OBJECTIVE: To
      evaluate the patterns of T-helper cytokines in patients suffering from chronic
      and acute brucellosis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 22 individuals
      with acute brucellosis, 21 individuals with chronic brucellosis, and 21 healthy
      individuals with the same genetic background were recruited from October 2015 to
      April 2016. Peripheral lymphocytes were isolated and stimulated by
      phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and brucella antigen in cell culture. The lymphocyte
      proliferation was detected by MTT assay. After collecting the supernatants, and
      through the use of ELISA method, we quantified the interferon gamma (IFN-gamma),
      interleukin (IL)-5, IL-17 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta).
      RESULTS: Patients with chronic brucellosis had a lower level antigen-specific
      stimulation index compared to those suffering from acute brucellosis (p=0.0001).
      Cases with chronic brucellosis had a lower level of IFN-gamma compared to cases
      with acute brucellosis (p=0.001). Finally, patients with chronic brucellosis had
      higher levels of IL-5 and TGF-beta in comparison with the acute group (p=0.01 and
      p=0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: Chronic brucellosis reduces lymphocyte
      proliferation and TH1 cytokine secretion, but it enhances IL- 5 and TGF-beta
      production. Polarizing the immune responses plays a crucial part in the
      progression and development of chronic diseases.

PMID- 28919585
TI  - Association of Human Leukocyte Antigens Class I and II with Graves' Disease in
      Iranian Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Graves' disease (GD), a highly rampant autoimmune disorder of the
      thyroid gland, is responsible for 60-80% of the clinical cases of
      hyperthyroidism. Over the past decades, genetic association studies have
      identified several GD susceptibility loci in CTLA-4, TSHR and major
      histocompatibility complex regions. The information on the association between
      the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and GD among Iranians is scarce. OBJECTIVE: To
      identify HLA polymorphisms that might confer susceptibility or protect against
      GD. METHODS: Eighty unrelated patients with a confirmed diagnosis of GD were
      included in the case group. The control group consisted of 180 unrelated healthy
      individuals with normal thyroid function tests. The polymerase chain reaction
      with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) method was used for HLA typing. RESULTS:
      Frequencies of HLA-A*68 (15.6% vs. 4.2%, p=0.004) and B*08 (8.8% vs. 2.5,
      p=0.030) were significantly higher in patients with GD compared with healthy
      controls. No patients with GD had HLA-A*33, whereas it was found in 7.0% of the
      controls (p=0.011). HLA-DQB1*0201 was significantly less frequent among patients
      with GD (15.6% vs. 26.8%, p=0.040). Additionally, patients with GD were
      significantly less bound to have HLA-DQA1*0201 (6.2% vs. 15.1%, p=0.045).
      Concerning allelic distributions, no noticeable difference was found between GD
      patients with and without Graves' ophthalmopathy (p>0.05 in all cases).
      CONCLUSION: In the Iranian population, HLA-A*68 and -B*08 confer susceptibility
      to GD, whereas HLA-A*33, -DQB1*0201, and -DQA1*0201 appear to have protective
      roles.

PMID- 28919586
TI  - Combination of Myelin Basic Protein Gene Polymorphisms with HLA-DRB1*1501 in
      Iranian Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS), as a multifactorial autoimmune disease with
      complex genetic basis, causes demyelination in the central nervous system via
      cytokine responses to myelin antigens. Myelin basic protein (MBP) is the main
      protein component of the myelin sheath. HLA-DRB (human leukocyte antigen-DR beta)
      alleles, particularly HLA-DRB1*1501, may be of significance in the pathogenesis
      of MS. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of HLA-DRB1*1501 alleles and MBP
      VNTR (variable number tandem repeat) polymorphism with the MS susceptibility in
      Iranian population. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood. The
      alleles were determined by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method in 259 MS
      patients and 312 healthy control individuals and analyses were carried out using
      Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The frequencies of MBP VNTR genotypes (AA, AB and
      BB) were 47%, 42% and 11% among patients, and 45%, 43% and 12% in control
      subjects, respectively. HLA-DRB1*1501 allele was more frequent among patients
      than healthy individuals (OR=1.65, P=0.0045). The frequency of allele A and
      genotype A/A was significantly higher among HLA-DRB1*1501 positive patients (61%
      and 32%) than controls (46% and 19%) (OR=1.88, P=0.0013; A/A vs. B/B: OR=5.09,
      P=0.0004). The two-locus analysis of the interaction between the MBP VNTR
      polymorphism and the HLA-DRB1 allele showed that the HLADRB1* 1501/A haplotype
      was more frequent among MS patients than the healthy controls. CONCLUSION: The
      interaction between the HLA-DRB1*1501 allele and MBP gene may be considered as a
      predisposing factor in the development and pathogenesis of MS in the case of gene
      gene interaction.

PMID- 28919588
TI  - Poly I:C Delivery into J774.1 and RAW264.7 Macrophages Induces Rapid Cell Death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytosolic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is an important 'molecular
      signature' for the detection of intracellular viral infections. Although
      intracellular dsRNA is a known potent inducer of apoptosis, the optimal time and
      dose for the onset of dsRNA-mediated apoptosis have not been studied in detail.
      OBJECTIVE: To perform an accurate temporal assessment of the cell death responses
      in dsRNA-dependent cytotoxicity. METHODS: Poly I:C (PIC), a synthetic dsRNA
      molecule was delivered intracellularly into J774.1 and RAW264.7 murine
      macrophages via electroporation. Cell viability was measured using the MTT assay
      and apoptosis was determined by sub-G0/G1 DNA content using flow cytometry.
      RESULTS: Loss of cell viability was seen as early as 3h post-electroporation of
      macrophages. A significant increase in the sub-G0/G1 DNA content consistent with
      apoptosis was observed in PIC-electroporated macrophages as early as 3h post
      electroporation. CONCLUSION: Intracellular PIC delivery induces rapid macrophage
      cell death.

PMID- 28919587
TI  - Human Leukocyte Antigen Class I and II Variants in Yemeni Patients with Chronic
      Renal Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are found to be significant genetic
      factors concerning the susceptibility of an individual to certain diseases.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between variants of class I (A and B) and
      class II (DRB1) HLA alleles and chronic renal failure (CRF), compared with
      healthy controls, in Yemen. METHODS: A case-control study in the Urology and
      Nephrology Center at Al-Thawra University Hospital in Sana'a, Yemen was carried
      out between January 2013 and December 2015 and included 187 CRF patients, and 194
      healthy controls visiting the same center for kidney donation. All CRF patients
      in the study were on haemodialysis. The control group was confirmed to be healthy
      following a clinical examination by specialist physicians. Among both patients
      and controls, HLA class I (A and B) and class II (DRB1) HLA typing was carried
      out by Sequence Specific Primers (SSP) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS:
      There was a significant protective function for HLA-A*30 gene (CRF 9.1% vs. con
      16%, p=0.045) against CRF development. There was a high frequency of HLA-A*02,
      HLA-B*51 and HLA-DRB1*04 alleles in both patients and controls. CONCLUSION: No
      HLAs were located to have a significant association with genetic tendency to CRF
      in the current study population, however, certain HLA alleles, for instance in
      HLA-A*30, could be considered protective against CRF progress.

PMID- 28919589
TI  - From Woohwang Cheongsimwon* to Ginseng - The History of Medicine Use in the
      Joseon Era -*.
AB  - In Korean traditional medicine, though herbal decoction, acupuncture, and
      moxibustion are all used to treat diseases, restorative medicines are the most
      widely preferred treatment method. This paper explores the historical background
      of restorative herbal medicines and ginseng among the Korean public and Korean
      traditional medicine practice. It also seeks to clarify how social and cultural
      perspectives on drug use have changed since restorative medicine became
      mainstream during the Joseon era. Drug use tendencies were affected by the
      medical system of the Joseon Dynasty, patients' desires for reliable treatment,
      and perceptions of the human body and the causes of disease. In the late Joseon
      Dynasty, medicine, an industry originally monopolized by the government, began to
      be manufactured and traded on the free market, and medical personnel began to
      participate in medical activities on a large scale. As the health preserving
      theory became more popular and medical personnel became more accessible,
      medicinal preferences also changed. Specifically, whereas preference was first
      given to common medicines, such as Cheongsimwon, which are effective for various
      symptoms, restorative medicines, such as ginseng, gradually became more popular.
      These restorative medicines were faithful to the basic tenet of East Asian
      traditional medicine: to avoid disease by making the body healthy before the
      onset of illness. Patients' desires for safe treatment and growing competition
      among commercial doctors who wanted stable profits further increased the
      popularity of milder medicines. Ultimately, as ginseng cultivation was realized,
      its use expanded even further in a wave of commercialization.

PMID- 28919590
TI  - A Study of the Discussions on Psychiatry of Korea in the 1960s and 1970s* - From
      Mental Hygiene to Modern Psychiatry.
AB  - This study is to review the emergence of new psychiatrists, scientific
      rationalization, and popular internalization to reorganize the formation process
      of modern psychological medicine system. Unlike eugenic psychiatry from the
      Japanese Colonial Era, the social conditions and contexts forming autonomous
      system of psychiatry of Korea in the 1960s and 1970s have been concentrated. The
      discussion approach has been tried to secure two perspectives-treatment and
      criticism-at the same time and to expand the time and scope of study through the
      extensive texts such as newspapers, magazines, books, advertisements, and others
      in the 1960s and 1970s. Through formation of subject, rationalization, and
      popularization, this study has surveyed the characteristics of psychiatry in the
      1960s and 1970s to accentuate complicated conditions and kinetic steps to
      systemize psychiatry as scientific field to promote treatment of patients by
      deviating from mental hygiene approaching national mental health from cleanliness
      and removal. The characteristics are summarized as follows. First, as the ethical
      models of good doctors, medical paternalistic doctors, and non-authoritarian
      symmetric doctors have been proposed as good psychiatrists by new medical
      specialists with experience of globality, a new subject emerges. However, there
      has been illegalization process of unlicensed medical practitioner excluded by
      the regulatory authority called "clearness." Second, the rationalization of
      psychiatry has been accelerated through the dispute of enactment of Mental
      Hygiene Law, segmentalization of concept of mental illness, and scientific
      characteristics. Especially, the disputes over enactment of Mental Hygiene Law
      focused on criminalization of mental patients brought a result to regulate the
      patients as the target of humanistic treatment and potential criminals at the
      same time. Third, popularization of psychiatry has embraced invisible mental
      illness into popular daily life through visual measure called medicine
      advertisement, and through the discussion about social neurosis, a new paradigm
      for diagnosis of Korean society has been proposed. Moreover, by focusing on
      autobiographical works with voices of patients, this article reveals a new doctor
      patient relationship.

PMID- 28919591
TI  - The Establishment and operation of Longjing Medical College - The History of
      Longjing Medical College as Frontier History: Focusing on its 'Disconnection' and
      'Continuity'.
AB  - Longjing Medial College, established in Longjing, Yanbian, China on September 12,
      1945, existed for about 1 year and 6 months until it was renamed as the Medical
      Department of Dongbei Junzheng Daxue Jilin Fenxiao in April 1947. However, there
      are only few records and studies on Longjing Medical College in Yanbian as well
      as in Korea. In order to fill the gap, this study attempted to restore the
      history of Longjing Medical College built in Yanbian, China immediately after the
      liberation. In particular, it analyzed how and why the Longjing Medical College
      was founded and operated, and which relations the college had with the post-war
      medical educational institutions, focusing on the 'disconnection' and
      'continuity' in the historical sense. Since the establishment of Manchukuo, the
      Japanese colonial government had made it a major "frontier" and actively promoted
      the mass migration of Japanese and Koreans. For them, the government also set up
      three Exploitation Medical Schools in 1940. As a part of these three
      institutions, Longjing Exploitation Medical School educated more than 150
      students by 1945, of which about one third was Korean. After the liberation, the
      Longjing Educational Alliance decided to pursue the return-movement of the
      Longjing Exploitation Medical School and took over the institution. On September
      12, 1945, Longjing Medical College opened at the school site of Longjing
      Exploitation Medical School. Longjing Medical College was founded by people who
      had 'the perspective of Korean nationality' in an atmosphere where the
      'ethnicity' of the Koreans exercised considerable power. Nevertheless, in 1946,
      when the Chinese Civil War began and the Yanbian region became an important base
      of the Chinese Communist Party, the Party began to expand and strengthen their
      influences in the region. Accordingly, the operation rights of Longjing Medical
      College were transferred to the Yanbian Administrative offices of Supervision and
      Government of Jirinsheng which were the administrative institution by the Chinese
      Communist Party in turns. In the end, Longjing Medical College was reorganized
      into the Medical Department of Dongbei Junzheng Daxue Jilin Fenxiao (1947. 3) and
      the first branch of the Chinese Medical College (1948. 1), a medical education
      institution focused on nurturing the medical personnel required for the Chinese
      Civil War. In January 1949, the first branch moved to Harbin, merged with the
      second branch there, and was transformed into Harbin Medical College. Afterwards,
      the Yanbian Koreans played a major role to establish Yanbian Medical College in a
      basis of the teachers and buildings left by the moving-out of the first
      branch(1948. 10. 1). Now, Yanbian Medical College is the official body of Yanbian
      University Medical Center. Longjing Medical College, which has such a complicated
      history, is partially 'disconnected' from the Yanbian medical educational
      institutions in the post-war era in terms of its possession, operation objective,
      and academic system. However, many of the early members of the Longjing Medical
      College were not only teachers and students of the Longjing Exploitation Medical
      School, but also a few of them continued to teach at the Medical Department of
      Dongbei Junzheng Daxue Jilin Fenxiao, the first branch of the Chinese Medical
      College, and Yanbian Medical College. Particularly, several members actively
      participated in the establishment of each school or in the position of the top
      leader of the school. Also, all the medical education institutions referred to
      above used the building and facilities of Longjing Exploitation Medical School
      until the period of Yanbian Medical College. As such, the history of Longjing
      Medical College as frontier history, gives us a difficult, but significant
      question on the meanings of 'disconnection' and 'continuity' in history and their
      implications.

PMID- 28919592
TI  - The Study on the Lives and Health Conditions of Internees in Santo Thomas Camp of
      Philippines - Based on McAnlis's The War in Manila (1941-1945).
AB  - When Japan invaded the Philippines, two missionary dentists (Dr. McAnlis and Dr.
      Boots) who were forced to leave Korea were captured and interned in the Santo
      Thomas camp in Manila. Japan continued to bombard and plunder the Philippines in
      the wake of the Pacific War following the Great East Asia policy, leading to
      serious inflation and material deficiency. More than 4,000 Allied citizens held
      in Santo Thomas camp without basic food and shelter. Santo Thomas Camp was
      equipped with the systems of the Japanese military medical officers and Western
      doctors of captivity based on the Geneva Conventions(1929). However, it was an
      unsanitary environment in a dense space, so it could not prevent endemic diseases
      such as dysentery and dengue fever. With the expansion of the war in Japan,
      prisoners in the Shanghai and Philippine prisons were not provided with
      medicines, cures and food for healing diseases. In May 1944, the Japanese
      military ordered the prisoners to reduce their ration. The war starting in
      September 1944, internees received 1000 kcal of food per day, and since January
      1945, they received less than 800 kcal of food. This was the lowest level of food
      rationing in Japan's civilian prison camps. They suffered beriberi from
      malnutrition, and other endemic diseases. An averaged 24 kg was lost by adult men
      due to food shortages, and 10 percent of the 390 deaths were directly
      attributable to starvation. The doctors demanded food increases. The Japanese
      Military forced the prisoner to worship the emperor and doctors not to record
      malnourishment as the cause of death. During the period, the prisoners suffered
      from psychosomatic symptoms such as headache, diarrhea, acute inflammation,
      excessive smoking, and alcoholism also occurred. Thus, the San Thomas camp had
      many difficulties in terms of nutrition, hygiene and medical care. The Japanese
      military had unethical and careless medical practices in the absence of
      medicines. Dr. McAnlis and missionary doctors handled a lot of patients focusing
      mainly on examination, emergency treatment and provided the medical services
      needed by Philippines and foreigners as well as prisoners. Through out the war in
      the Great East Asia, the prisoners of Santo Thomas camp died of disease and
      starvation due to inhumane Japanese Policy. Appropriate dietary prescriptions and
      nutritional supplements are areas of medical care that treat patients'
      malnutrition and disease. It is also necessary to continue research because it is
      a responsibility related to the professionalism and ethics of medical
      professionals to urge them to observe the Geneva Convention.

PMID- 28919593
TI  - Electrocardiographic algorithms to guide the management strategy of idiopathic
      outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias.
AB  - INTRODUCTION    The current guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology
      outlined electrocardiographic (ECG) differentiation of the site of origin (SoO)
      in patients with idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (IVAs). OBJECTIVES    The aim
      of this study was to compare 3 ECG algorithms for differentiating the SoO and to
      determine their diagnostic value for the management of outflow tract IVA.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS    We analyzed 202 patients (mean age [SD]: 45 [16.7] years;
      133 women [66%]) with IVAs with the inferior axis (130 premature ventricular
      contractions or ventricular tachycardias from the right ventricular outflow tract
      [RVOT]; 72, from the left ventricular outflow tract [LVOT]), who underwent
      successful radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) using the 3-dimensional
      electroanatomical system. The ECGs before ablation were analyzed using custom
      developed software. Automated measurements were performed for the 3 algorithms:
      1) novel transitional zone (TZ) index, 2) V2S/V3R, and 3) V2 transition ratio.
      The results were compared with the SoO of acutely successful RFCA. RESULTS    The
      V2S/V3R algorithm predicted the left-sided SoO with a sensitivity and specificity
      close to 90%. The TZ index showed higher sensitivity (93%) with lower specificity
      (85%). In the subgroup with the transition zone in lead V3 (n = 44, 15 from the
      LVOT) the sensitivity and specificity of the V2-transition-ratio algorithm were
      100% and 45%, respectively. The combined TZ index+V2S/V3R algorithm (LVOT was
      considered only when both algorithms suggested the LVOT SoO) can increase the
      specificity of the LVOT SoO prediction to 98% with a sensitivity of 88%.
      CONCLUSIONS    The combined TZ-index and V2S/V3R algorithm allowed an accurate
      and simple identification of the SoO of IVA. A prospective study is needed to
      determine the strategy for skipping the RVOT mapping in patients with LVOT
      arrhythmias indicated by the 2 combined algorithms.

PMID- 28919594
TI  - Fifteen-Year Analysis of Deceased Kidney Donation: A Single Transplant Center
      Experience in a Region of Northern Italy.
AB  - BACKGROUND The rising number of patients on waiting lists for kidney transplant
      and the shortage of available organs has intensified efforts to increase the
      number of potential donors. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study investigated changes
      in clinical parameters among potential deceased donors in the 15-year period
      between 1999 and 2013 and their impact on transplantation procedure and outcomes.
      A total of 1634 potential deceased donors were examined and divided into 2
      groups: 707 of them identified from 1999 to 2005 (Group A), and 927 from 2006 to
      2013 (Group B). RESULTS The comparison between the potential donors in Group A
      vs. Group B revealed an increase over time in donor age (54.6+/-17.2 vs. 58.8+/
      16.3, p<0.001), a reduction in the percentage of standard donors (52.3% vs.
      39.8%, p<0.001), a broader utilization of organs from expanded criteria donors,
      and a greater number of comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular disease and
      dyslipidemia. However, renal function parameters and the bioptic scores did not
      change significantly over the years. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest the
      usefulness of strategies to increase the number of potential donors suitable for
      organ donation, especially among elderly and marginal donors.

PMID- 28919596
TI  - Outcome of Pregnancy Related Acute Kidney Injury Observed in a Tertiary Care
      Hospital.
AB  - This prospective case control study was carried out in Mymensingh Medical College
      Hospital (MMCH) from April 2011 to March 2012. The main objective of the study
      was to determine the short term maternal outcome of pregnancy related Acute
      Kidney Injury and to identify aetiological factors and to observe clinical
      features of pregnancy related Acute Kidney Injury. Total 60 pregnant women with
      AKI were included in the study as sample and equal (60) number of pregnant women
      with normal renal function was taken as control. Mean ages (+/-SD) of study and
      control group were observed 31.6+/-6.9 years and 25.5+/-4.7 years respectively.
      It was observed that most patients were from rural area with low income group.
      Most women were multiparous and presented in third trimester and postpartum
      period. Majority of the study subjects did not receive antenatal care at any
      stage of pregnancy. Fifty (86.7%) of the study subjects were oligo-anuric, forty
      nine (81.7%) were edematous and fifty one (85%) were anaemic. Twenty-five (41.7%)
      patients presented with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Sepsis (including septic
      abortion and puerperal sepsis) was responsible for of Pregnancy Related AKI (PR
      AKI) in more than two fifths of cases. Haemorrhage (APH & PPH combined) was the
      next common cause of Pregnancy Related AKI (PR-AKI). Toxemia of Pregnancy was
      responsible in one fourth of cases. Dialysis (HD & IPD combined) was required for
      two fifths of the patients. Rest patients were treated conservatively with
      antibiotics, blood transfusion, maintenance of fluid and electrolytes balance
      etc. Maternal outcome of Pregnancy related acute kidney injury was considered for
      the period of patient's hospital staying. 56.6% patients recovered completely,
      15.0% patients recovered partially, 6.7% did not recover at the time of hospital
      discharge; while 21.7% died. So it can be concluded that, pregnancy related acute
      kidney injury is a critical condition, associated with worse prognosis.

PMID- 28919595
TI  - A Case of Hepatorenal Syndrome and Abdominal Compartment Syndrome with High Renal
      Congestion.
AB  - BACKGROUND Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a reversible renal impairment that
      occurs in patients with acute liver failure and advanced liver cirrhosis. HRS is
      due to a renal vasoconstriction that results from extreme vasodilatation. It is
      therefore a functional disorder, not associated with structural kidney damage. On
      the other hand, end-stage liver diseases are often complicated by massive
      ascites. Massive ascites may cause abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), which
      includes impairment of renal blood flow, but there are no reports indicating that
      kidney lesions caused by ACS may pathologically contribute to end-stage liver
      diseases. CASE REPORT A 40-year-old man with acute liver failure was admitted to
      our hospital. He was diagnosed with type 1 HRS and showed ACS at the same time.
      He died 30 days after admission. There were signs of congestion in the kidneys
      upon dissection and advanced erythroid fullness in the renal tubules. CONCLUSIONS
      We report an autopsy case with HRS and ACS diagnosed with a clinical and
      histopathological consideration of liver and kidney. Further clinical studies are
      needed to improve management of renal failure in patients with acute liver
      failure and advanced liver cirrhosis.

PMID- 28919597
TI  - Quality of Life in Children with Asthma in Bangladesh.
AB  - Asthma is a public health problem that adversely affects different aspects of
      quality of life. Childhood asthma is common in Bangladesh affecting their
      lifestyle. The objective of the study was to assess health-related quality of
      life in children with bronchial asthma. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was
      carried out from January 2014 to December 2014 at the Outpatient Department of
      National Asthma Centre, Mohakhali, Dhaka among hundred sixty-two purposively
      selected children of both sexes with bronchial asthma aged from 7 to 17 years.
      Data were collected through interview with children or their parents using an
      interviewer-administered questionnaire based on Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life
      Questionnaire (PAQLQ). Data were analyzed by computer software SPSS version 16.0.
      The mean age was 12.5 years with a standard deviation (SD) of 2.9 years.
      Overwhelming majority 157(96.9%) of children were literate, while only 5(3.1%)
      children were illiterate. Eighty (49.4%) children were male, while 82(50.6%)
      female. As many as 148(91.4%) children were students, while 10(6.2%) children
      were engaged in some type of job and 4(2.5%) children had no occupation. Parents
      of 145(89.5%) children were currently married, while 10(6.2%) children had single
      parent and 7(4.3%) children's parents were divorced or separated. Quality of life
      in children with asthma decreases with age as the disease intensity increases
      with age. Female asthmatic children had lower overall score of Quality of life
      (p=0.017), as well as lower activity domain score (p<0.001). Emotional domain
      score was found lower in children with single parent (p=0.021) and low monthly
      family income (p<0.001). Furthermore, children with lower monthly family income
      and working children had lower Quality of life score in all domains.

PMID- 28919598
TI  - Risk Factors and Immediate Outcome of Very Low Birth Weight Babies (Appropriate
      For Gestational Age) In Newly Established SCANU, Mymensingh Medical College
      Hospital.
AB  - Low birth weight (LBW) is the most important preventable cause in the neonatal
      period leading to very high neonatal mortality and morbidity in developing
      countries like Bangladesh. A cross sectional study was conducted in the
      neonatology ward, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh from July 2014
      to December 2014 to identify the risk factors and immediate hospital outcome of
      Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) Appropriate for Gestational Age (AGA) babies in
      context of present neonatal hospital care standard. Total 100 preterm very low
      birth weight babies were enrolled and selected by weight, intra uterine growth
      chart and new ballad score. There is slight preponderance of male babies (64%)
      over female babies (36%). The overall survival and mortality rate was 50% and 50%
      respectively in the present study. Mortality is highest (76.47%) in babies whose
      gestational age 28 weeks and the mortality rate gradually decrease as gestational
      age increases. Correlation co-efficient (r) between gestational age and number of
      died is -0.85. It indicates highly opposite relation between the variables, p
      value (<0.069) which is strong opposite relation. Mortality is highest (66.66%)
      in babies whose birth weight below1100gm, in comparison to those whose birth
      weight above 1100gm and correlation co-efficient (CC) r = -0.433 (p<0.466) which
      is not significant. That means not only birth weight but also other factors are
      responsible for mortality of very low birth weight baby. Neonatal mortality bears
      inverse relationship with birth weight and gestational age. This emphasized the
      need for large scale study which will provide the guideline for appropriate
      measures to be taken to combat the situation.

PMID- 28919599
TI  - Clinico-biochemical Profile of Women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum Admitted in a
      Tertiary Hospital.
AB  - Hyperemesis gravidarum is the most severe form of nausea and vomiting in
      pregnancy with poor pregnancy outcome. Hormonal changes, psychological and
      immunological factors are attributed to the condition. Recently, prevalence of
      Helicobacter pylori among women with Hyperemesis gravidarum has been revealed. A
      descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out at antenatal ward, Department
      of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh
      among thirty-six purposively selected patients with Hyperemesis gravidarum to
      assess the clinic-biochemical profile. Data were collected through interview,
      physical examinations and laboratory investigations by using case record form.
      Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.0 for windows. Highest
      number 16(44.44%) of respondents were in age group 20 to 24 years with a mean of
      23.81+/-4.55 years. Majority 29(80.56%) of the women had education less than 12
      years, as many as 28(77.78%) women were housewives, and at least 14(38.89%) women
      had unplanned pregnancies. An overwhelming majority 29(80.56%) of women had their
      pregnancy duration between 8 to 12 weeks. At least 20(55.56%) of women were
      pregnant for first time, as many as 19(52.78%) women had duration of illness for
      5 to 9 weeks, and all the women had remarkable weight loss. Cent per cent women
      were dehydrated, and appearance of 27(75.00%) women was ill-looking. Thyroid
      Stimulating Hormone (TSH), total leucocyte count and serum creatinine levels were
      normal for cent per cent women. As many as 15(41.67%) women had hypokalaemia,
      while 13(36.11%) had hyponatraemia and 3(8.33%) had hypochloraemia. Patient with
      Hyperemesis gravidarum often presents with ill-looking appearance, vomiting over
      10 times a day, dehydration, remarkable loss of body weight and anaemia.
      Ketonuria, hyponatraemia, hypokalaemia and hypochloraemia are not associated with
      severity of illness.

PMID- 28919600
TI  - Modified Blatchford Score for Risk Stratification in Adult Patient with
      Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Haemorrhage and Their Short Term Hospital
      Outcome.
AB  - Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) is one of the most common and life
      threatening gastrointestinal emergency. There are several risk scores for risk
      stratification in UGIB patients. The Modified Blatchford score, which relies only
      on clinical and laboratory parameters, is practical in the emergency setting The
      Modified Blatchford scoring system also known as Glasgow Blatchford Scoring (GBS)
      have been developed to stratify risk of non variceal upper gastrointestinal
      hemorrhage or need of medical or surgical intervention, endoscopic therapy.
      Objective of this study is to see risk stratification by The Modified Blatchford
      score and short term hospital outcome in non variceal upper GI hemorrhage
      patients. The observational study was carried out over a period of 6 months from
      October, 2014 to March, 2015 in Department of Department of Medicine,
      Gastroenterology and Surgery Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh. A
      total of 120 patients with non variceal UGIH were taken for the study during
      study period. Categorical variables were reported as percentage and Means and
      proportions were carried out using the Chi-square test (X2-test) of different
      variables by SPSS software version-18.0. Patients related variables age, sex; and
      main outcome variables the Modified Blatchford scoring system, Risk
      stratification, and short term hospital outcome were observed. Age frequency
      among total cases were 66(55%) <60 years, 50(41.67%) from 60-79 years and 4(3.3%)
      80 years or above and sex distribution were 84(70%) were male and 36(30%) were
      female patients. Blatchford score of patients 1(0.83%) had score 0, 1(0.83%) had
      score 1, 2(1.67%) had score 2, 2(1.67%) had score 3, 2(1.67%) had score 4,
      3(2.5%) had score 5, 12(10%) had score 6; 15(12.5%) had score 7, 16(13.33%) had
      score 8, 17(14.17%) had score 9, 16(13.33%) had score 10, 15(12.5%) had score 11,
      10(8.33%) had score 12, 4(3.33% ) had score 13, 1(0.83%) had score 14, 2(1.67%)
      had score 15 and 1(0.83%) had score 16. Risk stratification showed 54(45%) had
      low risk (Mean GBS score 6.19+/-1.79), 66(55%) had high risk (Mean GBS score
      11.03+/-1.83) Outcome of the patients were observed that 1(0.83%) died, 54(45%)
      was discharged without any medical or surgical intervention, and 65(54.17%)
      patients' needs medical or surgical intervention such as blood transfusion and
      endoscopy. Among total 120 patients with upper GI hemorrhage I have found that
      GBS score of three or less than three is predictive of low risk of adverse
      outcomes and can be discharged without any intervention.

PMID- 28919601
TI  - Relationship between Echocardiographic Epicardial Adipose Tissue (EAT) Thickness
      and Angiographically Detected Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a particular form of visceral adipose tissue
      deposited around the heart and there is growing evidence about the physiological
      and metabolic importance of EAT, especially in the association of cardiovascular
      risk profiles and the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
      This observational, cross sectional study was done to determine the relationship
      between echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and coronary
      artery disease (CAD). Total 123 patients with established or suspected coronary
      artery disease admitted for coronary angiogram in the department of Cardiology of
      Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) from November 2010 to the end
      of April 2011 were included in this study. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT)
      thickness measurements by echocardiography were compared with coronary
      angiographic findings. Echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue (EAT)
      thickness was significantly higher in patients with CAD in comparison to those
      with normal coronary arteries (6.67+/-2.24mm vs. 4.61+/-1.62mm; p<0.001).
      Furthermore, EAT thickness increased with the severity of CAD (multi-vessel
      disease 7.99+/-2.12mm vs. single vessel disease 5.93+/-1.97mm; p<0.001).
      Gensini's score significantly correlated with EAT thickness (r=0.617, p<0.001).
      Optimum cut-off point (OCP) of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness as a
      predictor of angiographic CAD was 6.44mm with 45.31% sensitivity and 92.86%
      specificity [ROC area 0.756, p<0.001, 95%CI (0.66-0.85)]. Echocardiographic
      epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness was significantly correlated with the
      presence and severity of angiographically detected coronary artery disease (CAD).

PMID- 28919602
TI  - Comparative Study of Cytology and Histopathology of Cervical Lesion in VIA
      Positive Patients and Its Correlation with High Risk Human Papilloma Virus.
AB  - Cervical cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer and leading cause of
      mortality among women worldwide. The present study was undertaken to assess
      precancerous and cancerous cervical lesion by cytology as well as HPV DNA
      identification and their comparison with histopathology in VIA positive cases.
      This descriptive, cross-sectional type of observational study was carried out in
      the Department of Pathology, Mymensingh Medical College in collaboration with the
      Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital and
      Department of Microbiology and Hygiene in Bangladesh Agriculture University for
      HPV DNA detection from July 2012 to June 2013. Study was carried out among 160
      VIA positive patients and selected by non-random judgment sampling from the
      colposcopy clinic. Out of 160 cases, only 40(25.00%) were found HPV DNA positive,
      while the rest 120(75.00%) cases were negative. Among positive cases 77.50% were
      cancerous cases and 22.50% were precancerous cases. It was further revealed that
      in cancerous cases, 86.11% were HPV DNA positive. PCR showed low sensitivity,
      probably due to sampling error and inclusion of all cases (chronic cervicitis,
      precancerous and cancerous lesion). The statistical value of accuracy,
      sensitivity and specificity of Pap smear cytology, HPV DNA test and
      histopathology yielded some important directives. The sensitivity values of Pap
      smear cytology and HPV DNA were found 87.50% and 88.89% respectively. Thus Pap
      smear test showed almost equal sensitivity to DNA test. The accuracy of the Pap
      smears and HPV DNA in this study was 88.13% and 96.88% respectively. The accuracy
      of Pap smears is lower than HPV DNA tests. The present study show significant
      relationship between cytological with HPV DNA test and histopathological
      diagnosis. But cytology and HPV DNA testing are not suitable as a single test. In
      conclusion, it can be stated that combination cytology (Pap smear),
      histopathology and new technologies such as HPV DNA typing would ultimately be
      more useful.

PMID- 28919603
TI  - Current Trends of Using Antimicrobials at Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department
      in a Tertiary Care Hospital.
AB  - This cross-sectional descriptive study was done to analyse the current trends of
      using antimicrobials in various surgical procedures at Obstetrics and Gynaecology
      department in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh from July 2014 to
      June 2015. Among 300 postoperative obstetrics and gynaecological surgery cases,
      samples were selected as non-random purposive selection method where pattern of
      using antimicrobials were analysed by SPSS method 20.1 versions. The incidence of
      antimicrobial resistance is on continued rise with a threat to return to the pre
      antibiotic era. This has led to emergence of such bacterial infections which are
      essentially untreatable by the current armamentarium of available treatment
      options. Now-a-days variation of choosing antibiotic are quietly accepted in
      Obstetrics and Gynaecology department as prophylaxis purpose to control life
      threatening conditions such as postoperative wound infection, septicaemia,
      urinary tract infection etc. The data analysis revealed that among 300
      obstetrical and gynaecological surgeries, Nitroimidazoles (93.33%),
      Cephalosporins (91%) and Aminoglycosides (59%) group were most commonly used
      antimicrobials in both obstetrics and gynaecological surgeries. Metronidazole
      (93.33%), Ceftriaxone (68.66%), Gentamicin (60.33%), Cefuroxime (48%),
      Flucloxacillin (42%), Cefixime (27%) were the most commonly used antimicrobials
      at obstetrics and gynaecology department. Combination of Ceftriaxone,
      Metronidazole and Gentamicin (37.66%), Ceftriaxone and Metronidazole (25.33%),
      Cefuroxime, Metronidazole and Gentamicin (16%), Ciprofloxacin, Metronidazole and
      Gentamicin (5.33%) were most commonly used antimicrobials postoperatively. Total
      mean duration of antimicrobial therapy was 10.45 days. Antibiotics are useful in
      prevention of infection. But indiscriminately use of antibiotics without any
      guideline may lead to antimicrobial resistance. So, antimicrobial surveillance
      committee should be formed by hospital authority to know the local using pattern
      of antibiotics.

PMID- 28919604
TI  - Correlation of Stature with Foot Length in 5-10 Years Aged Bangladeshi Children.
AB  - This cross sectional, descriptive and analytic type study was conducted among 5
      10 years aged Bangladeshi children at different areas of Mymensingh district
      (Fulpur, Muktagacha, Fulbaria, Trisal and Haluaghat) on 109 Bangladeshi children
      (70 male and 39 female) from January 2016 to December 2016. Sample collection was
      done by nonrandom purposive sampling technique. Any kind of foot deformity
      resulting either from congenital or physical injury were excluded to construct
      standard measurement. The present anthropometric study was designed to construct
      data of 5 to 10 years aged Bangladeshi children regarding foot length, to measure
      correlation of stature with foot length and an attempt has been made out to grow
      interest among the researchers for future study and also to compare the data with
      the data of the people of other races. Stature of the subject was measured with
      the stadiometer and foot length was measured using slide calipers. The children
      were asked to stand with weight distributed equally on both feet. The legs were
      perpendicular to the feet. The mean foot length of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 years
      aged male were 16.72+/-1.11cm, 17.12+/-.72cm, 19.04+/-1.27cm, 19.10+/-.76cm,
      20.11+/-1.25cm and 20.88+/-1.01cm respectively and those of same aged female were
      16.44+/-1.2cm, 17.85+/-0.50cm, 18.53+/-0.76cm, 19.14+/-0.58cm, 19.87+/-1.88cm and
      20.95+/-1.36cm respectively. Correlation between stature and foot length was
      made. Foot length showed non- significant positive correlation with stature in 5
      years old male and female, 6 years old male, 7 years old male and female, 8 years
      old male and female, 9 years old and 10 years old female. In case of 9 years and
      10 years old male, it showed significant positive correlation with stature.
      Comparison of foot length between male and female children was done by Unpaired
      Students 't' test which was statistically non-significant.

PMID- 28919605
TI  - Current Trend of Using Anti-Hypertensives in Pregnancy and Postpartum Period in a
      Tertiary Level Hospital.
AB  - Hypertensive disorders are one of the most common disorders in pregnancy. They
      are amongst the major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
      Incidence is increasing in developing countries like Bangladesh. This cross
      sectional descriptive study has done to observe the utilization of
      antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and conducted from
      January 2016 to December 2016 in the department of Pharmacology in collaboration
      with department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Mymensingh Medical College
      Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Non random purposive sampling technique was
      used. Total of 300 patients participated in the study, 281 anti partum and 19
      postpartum. Age distribution showed 42% patients were in 21-25 years age group.
      Majority of the participants (91%) were housewife and majority (79%) came from
      poor socioeconomic status with below SSC education (68%). About 82% patients
      lived in rural area. Trimester and gravida wise distribution showed most of the
      participants were 3rd trimester (61%) and primigravida (57%) and only 6% patients
      belong to postpartum period. In this study preeclampsia was highest (63.8%) among
      all other types of hypertensive diseases in pregnancy. Majority of the patient
      were preferred for dual therapy (53%), mono therapy was used in 29% of cases.
      Most frequently given drug in pregnancy associated hypertension was methyldopa
      that is 88.33% (single 22.3%, combination 66%). Second most commonly used drug
      was nifidipine consisting of 47.6% but used in combination in all cases. Average
      number of anti hypertensive drugs prescribed per prescription was 1.87 and
      majorities (92%) were from essential drug list but used as trade name.
      Preeclampsia and eclampsia were more common among the hypertensive disorders in
      tertiary level hospital cases. Methyldopa was found to be the commonest
      prescribed antihypertensive in monotherapy and in combination.

PMID- 28919606
TI  - Current Trends of Using Antimicrobials and Their Sensitivity Pattern in
      Infectious Cases at Department of Orthopedics in a Tertiary Care Hospital.
AB  - This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out to analyse the current
      trends of using antimicrobials at orthopaedics department in different surgical
      procedures and observe the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of infective
      organisms in postoperative wound infection cases at the department of
      Orthopaedics, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital with collaboration of
      department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Mymensingh Medical College,
      Mymensingh from January 2016 to December 2016. Among 253 orthopaedics surgical
      cases Penicillins, Cephalosporins, and Aminoglycoside group were commonly
      prescribed antimicrobials that had been use postoperatively in most of the
      Orthopaedics cases. Rate of occurring postoperative wound infection was 18.58%.
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa (36.17%) was the predominant microorganisms in our study
      followed by Klebsiellae (12.77%), Proteus (10.64%), Escherichia coli and (6.38%)
      Enterococcus (4.25%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited sensitivities to
      Gentamicin (35.29%), Amikacin (35.29%). Good sensitivities patterns for
      Klebsiellae in our study were shown to Imipenam (100%), Gentamicin (20%).
      Sensitivity patterns for Proteus in our study were shown to Imipenam (80%),
      Gentamicin (20%). Enterococcus in our study showed good sensitivities against
      Imipenam (100%), Linezolid (100%). Cephalosporin generation showed more
      resistance.

PMID- 28919607
TI  - Impact of Adrenocortical Insufficiency on Clinical Parameters in Haemodynamically
      Stable Cirrhotic Patients with Ascites.
AB  - Cirrhosis has many complications regardless of the aetiology. Complications
      include splenomegaly, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial
      peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome and hepatocellular carcinoma and also linked to
      abnormalities in the endocrine system, including abnormal sex hormone metabolism,
      thyroid disease, osteoporosis, and, most recently identified, adrenal
      insufficiency. This prospective cohort study was done to evaluate the impact of
      adrenocortical insufficiency on clinical parameters in haemodynamically stable
      cirrhotic patients with ascites and had been performed at the inpatient of GHPD
      Department, BIRDEM, Dhaka, Bangladesh from April 2011 to March 2012. A total of
      fifty three (53) patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were included in the
      study. Patients were divided into two groups: Group A (patients of normal adrenal
      function) and Group B (patients of insufficient adrenal function) and those were
      followed up for the next 6 months. In Group A, the total number of patients was
      25(47%) and in Group B it was 28(53%). Between two groups, mean age difference
      and gender difference were not statistically significant (p value was 0.278 and
      0.933, respectively). Group B patients had significant higher CLD duration
      (p=0.004). Haematemesis and/or maelena was significantly lower in Group B at
      follow up (p=0.0001) due to significant higher number of band ligation in this
      group (p=0.009). Hepatic encephalopathy was significantly higher in Group B at
      enrollment (p=0.028) and at follow up (p<0.001). During the period of follow up,
      significant higher number of patients had developed hepatic encephalopathy in
      Group B compared to Group A (p<0.05). There was statistically significant higher
      number of patients had SBP (p=0.031) in Group B at follow up. During the period
      of follow up, only 1(4%) patient in Group A and 5(18%) patients in Group B died.
      There was no significant difference of number of death between two groups
      (p=0.196). Adrenal insufficient decompensated cirrhotic patients have higher
      morbidities.

PMID- 28919608
TI  - Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Triplet Autograft of
      Semitendinosus Tendon.
AB  - Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most commonly injured ligament occurs in
      young adult population, which markedly reduces activity level. Anterior cruciate
      ligament rupture is a threat to the homeostasis of the knee. So, reconstruction
      of the ACL is necessary to make them fit and return to their pre-injury activity
      level. The choice of graft for ACL reconstruction is a matter of debate, with the
      BPTB graft and quadruple graft of ST-G being the two most popular options. Use of
      triplet graft of semi-tendinosus tendon alone without sacrificing gracilis is
      another option. So hypothesis was Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with triplet
      autograft of semi-tendinosus tendon alone is an effective procedure. This
      prospective interventional study was conducted from October 2011 to March 2013 at
      Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fourteen patients who had a
      unilateral anterior cruciate ligament rupture underwent arthroscopic
      reconstruction with triplet graft of semi-tendinosus tendon. Accelerated ACL
      reconstruction rehabilitation protocol was followed and final outcome evaluation
      done at 24 weeks according to IKDC knee examination form and Lysholm knee scoring
      scale. Preoperative Lysholm knee score was 52.64 and postoperative score was 90,
      that shows significant improvement (p<0.05). According to Lysholm knee scoring
      scale, excellent results (95-100 points) were obtained in 33% patients, good
      results (85-94 points) in 53% patients, fair and poor (7% each). For arthroscopic
      ACL reconstruction, choice of semi-tendinosus tendon alone preserving gracilis,
      comparable outcome as with BPTB/ST-G graft, can be achieved, minimizing the
      hamstring strength deficit. Moreover gracilis being reserved for future use in
      revision ACL reconstruction and/or in other reconstructive surgery.

PMID- 28919609
TI  - Psychiatric Disorders in Drop out from Educational Attainment Attending Mental
      Health Facilities: A Descriptive Cross Sectional Study.
AB  - Studies of the impact of mental disorders on educational attainment are rare.
      Mental disorders, those beginning in childhood or adolescence may increase the
      risk of early drop out from education. The latter has been shown to have adverse
      life-course consequences on individuals such as greater demand on social welfare
      entitlements. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out at the
      department of Psychiatry, Comilla Medical College, Comilla, Bangladesh. All cases
      were selected from patients attending at Comilla Medical College Hospital and
      Private Mental Health Facilities in Comilla City from March 2015 to February
      2016. We found out the psychiatric disorders and socio-demographic status of
      patients with educational drop out over the early life course. A total of 50
      dropout patients aged 10 to 30 years who fullfiled the enrolment criteria
      included in the study. Sociodemographic questionnaires, diagnostic information
      (DSM-5 and ICD-10) as well as an account of a various level of education were
      used as research instruments. The Frequency tables, summary tables and
      appropriate graphs were prepared to describe the population characteristics and
      study finding. The most of the psychiatric morbidity presents in male (62%) and
      age group of 18-24 years (54%). In this study, anxiety disorders was 8%,
      behaviour/ impulse control disorders was 8%, mood disorders was 16%, substance
      use disorders was 24%, schizophrenia spectrum disorders was 12% and composite
      psychiatric disorders was 32%. Among drop out patient's non- completion of
      primary education was 14%, non-completion of secondary education was 20%, non-
      completion of higher secondary education was 24%, not entry to tertiary education
      was 12% and non-completion of tertiary education was 30%. Among behaviour/impulse
      control disorders non-completion of primary education was 6%, substance use
      disorders non-completion of higher secondary education was 10%, mood disorder
      both non-completion of higher secondary education and non-completion of tertiary
      education were 6%. Among composite psychiatric disorders non-completion of
      secondary education, non-completion of higher secondary education and non
      completion of tertiary education were 8%, 6% and 12% respectively. Onset of
      mental disorders and subsequent drop out from education was found in this study.
      Further multi-centered prospective and population-based studies should be
      designed to find out the exact situation.

PMID- 28919610
TI  - Open-door Laminoplasty for Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy and
      Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL) using Titanium
      Reconstruction Miniplate and Screws.
AB  - To review outcome of 25 patients who underwent open-door cervical laminoplasty
      for multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (MCSM) and ossification of the
      posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) using titanium reconstruction miniplate
      and screws. Records of 18 men and 7 women aged 35 to 78 (mean, 62.6) years were
      reviewed retrospectively from October 2009 and October 2014 at Bangabandhu Sheikh
      Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and in our private settings, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
      Four patients had 5 levels (C3-C7), 21 patients had 4 levels (C3-C6)
      decompression and 3 patients (12%) performed foraminotomies. A total of 104
      laminae were opened, all of them were fixed with a titanium reconstruction
      miniplates. In 21 patients, a 20-hole titanium miniplate bent to the contour of a
      lamina was used and fixed into 4 laminae and 4 patients fixed in 5 laminae
      levels. In most patients, screw fixation was unicortical and no spacer or bone
      graft was used. Demographic and surgical data were collected and clinical
      outcomes were assessed with neck pain score, neck disability index and Nurick's
      grading. Outcome analysis was done using Odom's criteria. The mean follow-up
      duration was 1.8 (range, 1-5) years. Diagnoses were MCSM (n=20), OPLL (n=5). Mean
      estimated blood loss (EBL) was 120ml (range: 50-200), mean surgery time was 153
      min (range: 75-240). Following Nurick's grading, 23 patients (92%) improved, 2
      (08%) had the same Nurick grade. No intraoperative complications were noted and
      average hospital stay was 6.12 days (range: 5 to 9). Significance improvements in
      overall NDI scores occurred at 1 year follow up (p<0.002). Radiographic
      evaluation showed an increase in the mean sagittal diameter from 13.3mm at
      pretreatment to 19.4mm post surgery. Two patients developed transient C5 palsy.
      Open-door Laminoplasty technique is safe, easy and achieves a good canal
      expansion and neurological recovery and can be used as an alternative treatment
      for cases of MCSM and OPLL patients without instability.

PMID- 28919611
TI  - Incidental Thyroid Carcinoma in Patients Treated Surgically for Presumably Benign
      Thyroid Disease.
AB  - Incidental Thyroid Carcinoma (ITC) is quite high as been reported in the world's
      Journal. This study reviews the frequency of the ITC in patients treated
      surgically for otherwise benign Thyroid disease in one of the Endocrine surgery
      unit of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
      This study was developed by the investigating the outcome of one hundred and
      twenty seven patient who underwent partial or total thyroidectomy for benign
      thyroid pathology in a single Endocrine Surgery Unit of BSMMU from January 2011
      to July 2015. This observational study was done to find out the actual incidence
      of thyroid malignancy among the patients admitted for surgical management with
      thyroid pathology. All patients underwent at least FNAC and Ultrasonography of
      the Neck before surgery. Patients with undetermined cytology and follicular
      nodules were excluded from the study. Overall 19(14.96%) incidental thyroid
      carcinoma was recorded. Among the ITC 11(8.66%) Papillary Carcinoma, 7(5.51%)
      Follicular Carcinoma & 1(0.79%) is poorly differentiated carcinoma. The Overall
      incidence of papillary carcinoma is higher among the incidental carcinoma of
      Thyroid. Increased incidence associated with follicular adenoma present as an
      isolated thyroid nodules or multifocal lesion and should be considered malignant
      potential and total thyroidectomy would be the right choice as surgical
      management of the both cases. In case of multinodular goiter, total thyroidectomy
      is currently practiced in majority of the centers and our observations reinforced
      the attitude further.

PMID- 28919612
TI  - Bone Age Determination by Radiology & Imaging in Bangladesh Perspective.
AB  - Determination of age is one of the most important and vital demand in legal
      affairs, court and young sports, especially from 7-21 years. There is no
      established age determination table in our county. So we are dependent upon
      Galstaun, Bashu & Bashu and other European tables, which sometimes provide
      misinterpretation and variation of opinion. We should have our own table suitable
      for our nation. So, this prospective study was carried out in the Department of
      Radiology and Imaging of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU),
      Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2010 to June 2014 (five years) to assess the general
      skeletal maturity. Three hundred boys and girls of known date of birth were
      selected on random basis from Dhaka. Ages were limited within 7 to 21 year. Every
      20 person for each age group, of them 10 were male and 10 were female. To observe
      the bony maturity, radiographs were taken at the end of their age belongs to.
      Thus a growth table is to be prepared for further evaluation.

PMID- 28919613
TI  - Non-invasively Measured Carotid Artery Intima-Medial Thickness May Be a More
      Useful Marker of Coronary Artery Disease in Diabetic than Non-Diabetic Patients.
AB  - Carotid intima-medial thickness has long been proposed as a surrogate marker of
      atherosclerotic vascular disease in other vascular beds, most notably the
      coronary arteries with its practical implications. This observational study aimed
      at exploring the relationship of a hypothetical stronger relationship of carotid
      intima-medial thickness with coronary artery disease in diabetic patients than
      non-diabetic counterparts. Thirty diabetic patients and 74 non-diabetic patients
      who were referred for coronary angiogram in the Departments of Cardiology
      Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka
      Cantonment, Bangladesh from January, 2002 and December, 2003 were studied.
      Carotid ultrasound was done to determine intima-medial thickness and coronary
      angiogram to detect coronary artery lesions. Background demographic data and
      cardiovascular risk factors were determined. Of the 30 diabetic patients 24
      subjects had CAD. Twenty two of these 24 patients showed increased carotid IMT.
      None of the patients without CAD had shown carotid artery intima-medial
      thickening (sensitivity 91% specificity 100%). In contrast, in the non-diabetic
      group 44 patients out of 63 with CAD showed increased carotid artery IMT. Four of
      the 11 non-diabetic patients without CAD showed positive carotid ultrasound study
      results (sensitivity 70%, specificity 63%). This study showed a strong
      association of coronary artery disease with carotid intima-medial thickness in
      diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic subjects. This finding may be
      applicable for Bangladeshi diabetic population. This surrogate marker of coronary
      artery disease can be useful in the management of diabetes as regards their
      prevention of coronary artery disease. The practical and clinical implications of
      these findings might be the pioneer study in diabetic subjects and need to be
      further determined in a larger community level study.

PMID- 28919614
TI  - Use of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE)-II and Red Cell
      Distribution Width (RDW) for Assessment of Mortality of Patients with Sepsis in
      ICU.
AB  - Critically ill patients of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) need highest level of
      monitoring, intense nursing care and integrated management which are very
      expensive and consume significant part of hospital resources. Prediction of
      outcome from disease has become an essential component of health science. So,
      various scoring systems have been developed to predict outcome of critically ill
      patients in ICU. There is no perfect model of severity score to predict ICU
      mortality. Search for new system is still remaining as continuous efforts to find
      the best model to get accurate information about the prognosis and outcome of
      critically ill patients. This observational prospective cohort study was carried
      out in ICU of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka,
      Bangladesh from March 2015 to September 2015 to evaluate the ability of mortality
      prediction of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE)-II after
      adding RDW. Total 62 patients, clinically diagnosed as sepsis with positive
      culture were included in this study after analyzing selection criteria. APACHE II
      score model was compared with APACHE II plus RDW score model in relation to
      mortality outcome assessment. Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive predictive value
      (PPV), Negative predictive value (NPV) and Receiver Operating Characteristic
      (ROC) curve were used as parameter to compare the predictive ability of the two
      models. The derived model APACHE II- RDW was found with higher predictive power
      (Pearson's correlation coefficient - 0.915) than APACHE II (Pearson's correlation
      coefficient - 0.885) in relation to mortality (p<0.01). Accuracy was compared by
      using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve between the two models and
      AUROC was found higher (AUC-0.87) in case of new model compared with conventional
      model (AUC-0.85). So combination of RDW with APACHE-II increases the predictive
      ability of the scoring model in relation to mortality.

PMID- 28919615
TI  - Microbiology of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media in a Tertiary Care Hospital in
      Bangladesh.
AB  - This cross sectional prospective study was carried out in the Department of
      Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University
      (BSMMU) and Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka from July 2012 to
      June 2013. The objectives of this study were to identify the common
      microorganisms involved and the antibiograms of chronic suppurative otitis media
      (CSOM) patients in this tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. A total of 117
      patients clinically diagnosed of CSOM were enrolled in the study. They had
      chronic ear discharge & had not received any topical or systemic antibiotics for
      the previous five days. Swabs was taken and cultured for bacteria. The standard
      of isolation and identification was followed. Antimicrobial susceptibility of all
      aerobic bacterial isolates was performed by using modified Kirby Bauer Disk
      diffusion method. There were 186 positive cultures for organism from 117
      patients. The most common causal organisms isolated were S. aureus (47.30%) and
      Pseudomonas spp. (27.40%) followed by S. epidermidis (16.10%), Klebsiella spp.
      (8.10%) and Escherichia coli. (1.10%). Gentamicin showed the highest sensitivity
      (89.8%) to S. aureus whereas erythromycin showed the lowest sensitivity (14.8%)
      with highest resistance (67%) to S. aureus. Pseudomonas spp. showed highest
      sensitivity against ciprofloxacin (78.4%) and highest resistance against
      cloxacillin (96.1%). Novobiocin showed the highest sensitivity (100%) followed by
      chloram phenicol (94.1%) to S. epidermidis. Klebsiella spp. and E. coli showed
      highest sensitivity against chloram phenicol. This study suggests that
      Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas are the commonest bacteria involved in CSOM
      in Bangladesh and Ciprofloxacin is an important tool in the management of active
      CSOM.

PMID- 28919616
TI  - Detection of Human Papilloma virus by Molecular method from Patients Attending at
      Colposcopy Clinic of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh.
AB  - Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Human
      papillomavirus (HPV) is considered as the main cause of invasive cervical cancer
      and cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia. High risk HPV DNA has been shown to be
      present in 99.7% of cervical cancers. So HPV DNA testing for screening of
      cervical cancers may play a potential role in early detection and management of
      cervical cancer. With above background a cross sectional study was undertaken to
      estimate the prevalence and to identify the associated risk factors of human
      Papillomavirus infection among Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) positive
      women attending at colposcopy clinic of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital
      (MMCH), Mymensingh, Bangladesh from July 2013 to December 2014. One hundred and
      forty three cervical swabs for nested PCR were collected from the patients
      attending colposcopy clinic of MMCH, for detecting target gene of L1 region of
      the HPV genome. Among the 143 VIA positive patient nested PCR showed 49.6%
      (71/143) positive. Biopsy of 54 colposcopy positive women revealed that 16
      (29.6%) cases were chronic cervicitis, 33 (61.1%) cases were mild dysplasia
      (C1NI), 01 (1.9%) were having moderate dysplasia (C1NII) and 04(7.4%) patients
      were diagnosed as invasive squamous cell carcinoma. So, high grade cervical
      lesions were 100% positive by nested PCR for HPV.

PMID- 28919617
TI  - Response & Side Effects of Injectable Labetalol in Pregnancy Induced Severe
      Hypertension.
AB  - The study was performed to assess the response & side effects of injectable
      Labetalol in the treatment of pregnancy induced severe hypertension. This
      interventional study was carried out on 72 patients having pregnancy induced
      severe hypertension attended in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology,
      Mymensingh Medical College & Hospital (MMCH), Mymensingh, Bangladesh from
      November 2009 to October 2010. All patients were treated with intravenous
      Labetalol 20mg & the dose was repeated at sequential escalating dosages every 15
      minutes until a therapeutic goal of systolic blood pressure <160mm of Hg &
      diastolic blood pressure <105mm of Hg were achieved. Among 72 respondents highest
      number were observed having systolic blood pressure 160-169 and 180 & above mm of
      Hg. The mean systolic & the diastolic blood pressure at the initiation of the
      study were observed 198+/-13.17mm of Hg & 119+/-8.6mm of Hg respectively. After
      use of injection Labetalol mean systolic blood pressure were 138.61+/-15.43mm of
      Hg, which is statistically significant (p value <0.001) & mean diastolic blood
      pressure were 96.18+/-9.7mm of Hg, which is also statistically significant (p
      value <0.001). It was observed that majority patients' blood pressure was
      controlled by 1-2 doses. It was noticed that injection Labetalol controls blood
      pressure in 80% antenatal cases & 86% postnatal cases. Out of 72 patients 4 cases
      (5.5%) experienced nausea & vomiting and only 1 case (1.1%) experienced headache.
      Regarding fetal outcome 48% patients delivered healthy baby, about 31% patients
      delivered asphyxiated baby & neonatal death were noticed in 4% cases. This study
      assessing the response & side effects of intravenous antihypertensive drug in the
      treatment of pregnancy induced severe hypertension shows that Labetalol fulfils
      the criteria of an antihypertensive drug for this purpose.

PMID- 28919618
TI  - Molecular Detection and Differentiation of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex and
      Non-tuberculous Mycobacterium in the Clinical Specimens by Real Time PCR.
AB  - Mycobacteria are subdivided into three groups: the Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      complex, the non-tuberculous mycobacteria called NTM or MOTT (Mycobacteria Other
      Than Tuberculosis) and Mycobacterium leprae. Over the past few decades, the
      incidence of infections caused by NTM has increased world wide. The
      differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from NTM is of primary
      importance for infection control and choice of antimicrobial therapy. However,
      there is so far no report in Bangladesh about the detection of NTM and hence
      differentiation of MTB and NTM. Neither acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining nor
      histopathology can discriminate MTB and NTM. In order to detect and differentiate
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and NTM we used commercially available
      LyteStar TB/NTM Real Time PCR kit (Altona Diagnostics, Germany) and analyzed 782
      clinical specimens from tuberculosis suspected patients. We have found 49 MTB and
      74 NTM positive samples from variety of clinical specimens such as sputum,
      bronchial lavages, body fluids, tissues, needle aspirates and swabs. Many of the
      PCR positive specimens were AFB negative on direct microscopic examination thus,
      indicating strong sensitivity of PCR than AFB staining. This is the first report
      in the country about detection of NTM and it warrants further elaborate
      investigation. Moreover, our results showed that multiplex real-time PCR assay is
      an effective sensitive tool for the rapid identification and differentiation of
      MTB and NTM directly from clinical specimens.

PMID- 28919619
TI  - Comparison of Serum Bilirubin with Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry in Late Preterm
      and Term Newborn.
AB  - Neonatal jaundice or hyperbilirubinemia is a common occurrence in newborns. It
      can progress to develop kernicterus unless intervention is initiated. Severity
      and decision for management are usually based on serum bilirubin which needs
      blood sampling. Transcutaneous bilirubin measurement is a noninvasive technique
      and correlates closely with serum bilirubin. This Cross sectional study was done
      in the Department of Neonatology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University
      from March 2013 to August 2014 to evaluate the transcutaneous bilirubin in
      comparison to serum bilirubin. Total 160 infants with >=35 weeks were purposively
      included over a period of 16 months. Neonates with less than 35 weeks, previously
      exposed to phototherapy, serious illness which leads to impaired circulation, who
      have had exchange transfusion, having major congenital malformation were
      excluded. Transcutaneous bilirubin measurement was performed within 30 minutes of
      obtaining sample for total serum bilirubin measurements. Of the enrolled infants,
      mean birth weight was 2631+/-520 grams, postnatal age was 4.99+/-3.02 days
      ranging from 2 to 25 days and mean transcutaneous bilirubin and serum bilirubin
      value was 14.59+/-2.55 and 13.62+/-2.86mg/dl respectively. Mean difference of
      transcutaneous bilirubin and serum bilirubin was 0.97+/-1.01mg/dl. In the total
      enrolled infant, transcutaneous bilirubin and serum bilirubin values showed
      significant correlation (r = 0.93, r2 = 0.876, p<0.001) and this was not affected
      by sex, gestational age, postnatal age, and birth weight. The area under ROC
      curve for transcutaneous bilirubin was 87% (p value <0.001). If the cut off value
      of transcutaneous bilirubin was set at 15 mg/dl, then a sensitivity of 77%,
      specificity of 88% and accuracy of 82% were obtained. Use of transcutaneous
      bilirubin can reduce need for serum bilirubin in assaying neonatal jaundice; as
      it showed significantly high correlation with serum bilirubin. Predictive
      accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin was found to be statistically significant in
      comparison to serum bilirubin.

PMID- 28919620
TI  - Role of Serum Pepsinogen I and II Ratio in Screening of Gastric Carcinoma.
AB  - In spite of the global decline in its incidence and mortality, gastric carcinoma
      still remains a major cause of death due to cancer. Early detection of gastric
      carcinoma is expected to reduce mortality rates. The applications of measuring of
      pepsinogen I and pepsinogen II are useful in screening of gastric carcinoma. This
      cross sectional comparative study was done to find out the correlation of
      histopathological pattern of gastric carcinoma with serum pepsinogen I & II ratio
      in the Department of Pathology, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College, Sylhet,
      Bangladesh from January 2010 to December 2010. For these purpose 40 patients with
      gastric carcinoma, endoscopically visible and histopathologically proved
      malignant lesions were enrolled as case group. Forty subjects with normal upper
      GI endoscopy were taken as control. Five ml of venous blood was taken from both
      case and control subjects to determine serum pepsinogen I and pepsinogen II level
      by ELISA method, subsequently pepsinogen I and II ratio was calculated. In this
      study different cut off values of serum pepsinogen I and II ratio was determined
      and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive
      value and accuracy were 70.0%, 97.5% 96.6% 76.5% and 83.8% respectively, at cut
      off value of 6. Which is the most suitable cut off point of serum pepsinogen I
      and II ratio for gastric cancer screening.

PMID- 28919621
TI  - Association of Hypertension with Serum Estrogen Level in Postmenopausal Women.
AB  - Hypertension is a chronic and debilitating disease. Its complications give rise
      to cardiovascular diseases, stroke in Postmenopausal women. Estrogen deficiency
      that develops during menopause is likely the etiological factor for development
      of hypertension in postmenopausal women. Increased incidence of cardiovascular
      diseases in postmenopausal women may be due to hypertension caused by lower level
      of estrogen hormone. The study was carried out to observe the association of
      hypertension with serum estrogen level in postmenopausal women. This cross
      sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Dhaka Medical
      College, Dhaka, during the period of January 2011 to December 2011. A total
      number of 90 female subjects were selected from different areas of Dhaka city.
      Among them, 60 postmenopausal women with age ranging from 50 to 60 years were
      taken as study group and 30 apparently healthy premenopausal women with age
      ranging from 20 to 30 years were included as control group for comparison.
      Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were recorded in both
      groups. Serum estrogen level was estimated in order to assess the hormonal level
      of both groups. Data was analyzed by Unpaired Student's 't' test and Pearson's co
      efficient (r) test as applicable. The value of systolic blood pressure was higher
      in postmenopausal women than those of premenopausal women and result was
      statistically significant. The level of diastolic blood pressure was also
      significantly (p<0.001) higher in postmenopausal women in comparison to those of
      premenopausal women. In postmenopausal women serum estrogen level was lower than
      premenopausal women and serum estrogen level showed negative correlation with
      systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. All these correlation were
      statistically non significant. Present study revealed that there is association
      of hypertension with serum estrogen level in postmenopausal women.

PMID- 28919622
TI  - Incidence of Diabetes Insipidus in Postoperative Period among the Patients
      Undergoing Pituitary Tumour Surgery.
AB  - Post operative complications after pituitary tumour surgery vary according to
      procedure. There are several surgical procedures being done such as transcranial,
      transsphenoidal microsurgical and transsphenoidal endoscopic approaches. One of
      the commonest complications is diabetes insipidus (DI). Our main objective was to
      find out the incidence of diabetes insipidus in post operative period among
      patients undergoing surgical intervention for pituitary tumour in our institute.
      The presence of diabetes insipidus in the postoperative period was established by
      measuring serum Na+ concentration, hourly urine output and urinary specific
      gravity to find out the incidence of diabetes insipidus in postoperative period
      in relation to age, gender, tumour diameter, function of tumour (i.e., either
      hormone secreting or not) and operative procedure used for surgical resection of
      pituitary tumor. As it is the most common postoperative complication so, in this
      study we tried to find out how many of the patients develop diabetes insipidus in
      postoperative period following surgical resection of pituitary tumour. This cross
      sectional type of observational study was carried out in the department of
      Neurosurgery, BSMMU from May 2014 to October 2015 on 33 consecutive patients who
      underwent surgical intervention for pituitary tumour for the first time. Data was
      collected by using a data collection sheet. The incidence of diabetes insipidus
      was found 23.1% of patients in <30 year age group, 38.5% of patients in 31-40
      year age group and 38.5% of patients in >=40 year age group (p=0.764). In case of
      distribution of patients according to gender 38.5% of male and 61.5% of female
      developed diabetes insipidus (p=0.073). Regarding tumour size 30.8% and 69.2% of
      patients developed diabetes insipidus having tumour diameter <30mm and >=30mm
      respectively (p=0.590). In case of operative procedure 69.2% of patients
      developed diabetes insipidus who was operated by transsphenoidal endoscopic
      approach, 23.1% and 7.7% of patients developed diabetes insipidus who underwent
      pituitary tumour resection through transsphenoidal microscopic approach and
      transcranial microscopic approach respectively (p=0.432). 17.6% of patients
      develop DI having functioning pituitary macroadenoma and 62.5% of patients
      develop DI having nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenoma. This observational study
      has been performed to find out the incidence of diabetes insipidus. Incidence of
      postoperative DI is more at or around the age of 40 years. It is slightly
      predominant in female. Most of the patients manifest DI in the first 24 hours of
      surgical intervention. Incidence of DI is low among patients having functioning
      pituitary macroadenoma.

PMID- 28919623
TI  - Outcome of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery With or Without Nasogastric Intubation.
AB  - Nasogastric intubation is a common procedure with both merits and demerits.
      Controversies exist about the routine use of nasogastric intubation following
      upper gastrointestinal surgery. Good numbers of literatures were published in
      favour of selective nasogastric intubation pointing out some complications of
      routine use of nasogastric tube. In 1995, Cheatham et al. concluded in a meta
      analysis that although patients may develop abdominal distension or vomiting
      without a nasogastric tube, this is not associated with an increase in
      complications or length of hospital stay. For every patient requiring insertion
      of a nasogastric tube in the postoperative period, at least 20 patients will not
      require nasogastric decompression. In July 2004, Cochrane database of systemic
      review published the result of their systemic review on the prophylactic
      decompression after abdominal surgery, that review was revised and updated in
      2007. According to this database, routine nasogastric intubation should be
      abandoned in favour of selective use of nasogastric tube. In our country some
      surgeons are practicing it routinely and some are not. This observation prompted
      us to conduct this study in order to see and compare the outcome of upper
      gastrointestinal surgery with and without nasogastric intubation. This will help
      us to make decision whether nasogastric intubation will be done routinely or not
      following upper gastrointestinal surgery.

PMID- 28919624
TI  - Frequency, Distribution of Congenital Anomaly and Associated Maternal Risk
      Factors.
AB  - This study was done to find out the maternal risk factors associated with
      congenital anomaly. This cross-sectional observational study was carried out in
      the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical
      University (BSMMU) Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2011 to December
      2011. During this study period 78 patients had pregnancy with congenital anomaly
      and delivered in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Women with
      ultrasound report of congenitally abnormal fetus irrespective of gestational age
      were included. Clinical evaluation of neonates was done by experienced
      neonatologist. The frequency of congenital anomaly was 3.46%. Most of the women
      belong to age <35 years (97.43%). Congenital anomalies more commonly were seen in
      the primiparas (64.10%). Most frequent associated risk factor was the history of
      abortions (35.89%). Maternal infections during antenatal period were also high
      (15.58%). There were 58 males (74.35%) and 20 females (25.64%). There was
      positive history of delivery of congenital abnormal babies in 6 cases (7.6%).
      Mothers of eight cases (10.25%) had history of drug ingestion during pregnancy.
      Four cases (5.12%) of mothers had hypothyroidism and 6 cases of mothers (7.69%)
      had diabetes mellitus respectively.

PMID- 28919625
TI  - Van Wyk and Grumbach Syndrome: An Unusual Presentation of Hypothyroism.
AB  - An 18 years-old-girl presented one and half years back with the complaints of
      short stature, retarded growth, and menorrhagia with sudden severe lower
      abdominal pain; was diagnosed as bilateral ovarian cysts and underwent bilateral
      ovarian cystectomy. Later on she was incidentally diagnosed as a case of
      hypothyroidism when she had been experiencing slowly enlarging left lower
      abdominal mass with dull ache for the 5 month and then was transferred to the
      department of Endocrinology for further evaluation. Detailed work up revealed her
      short stature with obesity, delayed bone age and other features of hypothyroidism
      which was confirmed by thyroid function testing. She had enlarged left ovary with
      multiple follicles as shown in ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      showed sellar mass which was suspicious of macroadenoma. Levothyroxine
      replacement was started and she had a dramatic improvement of her problems with
      disappearance of the ovarian cysts and sellar mass.

PMID- 28919626
TI  - Addison's Disease: A Diagnostic Dilemma.
AB  - Adrenal insufficiency is a rare disease, but is life threatening when overlooked.
      Addison's disease may be an acquired form of adrenal insufficiency due to the
      destruction or dysfunction of the adrenal cortex. It affects both glucocorticoid
      and mineralocorticoid function. Main presenting symptoms of Addison's disease
      such as fatigue, anorexia, vomiting and convulsion often mimics central nervous
      system (CNS) infections. We describe a case of Addison's disease who was
      initially misdiagnosed as a case of meningo-encephalitis subsequently renal
      tubular acidosis and finally Addison's disease. Addison's disease can remain
      unrecognized until acute crisis and sometimes it may be misdiagnosed.

PMID- 28919627
TI  - Ebstein's Anomaly Associated with Atrial Septal Defect and Wolff-Parkinson-White
      (WPW) Syndrome.
AB  - Ebstein's anomaly is a rare congenital heart disorder, accounting for <1% of all
      cases of congenital heart disease. It is a congenital malformation of the heart
      that is characterized by apical displacement of the septal and posterior
      tricuspid valve leaflets, leading to atrialization of the right ventricle with a
      variable degree of malformation and displacement of the anterior leaflet. We
      report the case of a 25 years old female with Ebstein's anomaly which was
      associated with Ostium Secundum type of atrial septal defect and WPW syndrome,
      who presented with dyspnea, palpitations, cyanosis, clubbing and cardiomegaly.

PMID- 28919628
TI  - Coronary Artery Bypass Graft with Endarterectomy and Stent Removal in Patient
      with Multivessel in Stent Restenosis.
AB  - In the age of stent deployment after balloon angioplasty. In stent restenosis
      (ISR) has become a major concern. Various coronary interventional measures and
      coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) has employed to manage the ISR. Although CABG
      seems to offer advantages over other coronary intervention methods in patients
      with multi vessel ISR; lack of appropriate graftable vessels often make the
      surgery difficult and end up with incomplete revascularization. Coronary
      endarterectomy with stent removal mitigated some of the limitations of CABG but
      initial results of this surgical measure were not favorable. Later, with
      improvement of surgical technique and meticulous anticoagulant therapy along with
      CABG showed promising result but till date only few cases have been reported.
      Here, we are reporting a case of 65 years old lady who underwent CABG along with
      endarterectomy with stent removal after she had developed stent restenosis in
      three vessels. This diabetic and hypertensive patient presented with chest pain
      and shortness of breath which was developed within three months of PCI with stent
      deployment in three vessels. Angiogram done prior to admission in the cardiac
      surgery department reveals restenosis in all the three stented vessels. CABG was
      done and three grafts given in LIMA to LAD, RSVG to OM and RCA. Endarterectomy
      done on LAD and RCA with stent removal from RCA. Postoperative anticoagulant
      therapy was strictly maintained. Patient's postoperative period remained
      eventless other than superficial wound infection. With skilled hand capable of
      handling highly technique demanding surgery and postoperative anticoagulation
      maintenance; endarterectomy along with CABG seems to be safe solution for multi
      vessel ISR with diffuse coronary artery disease.

PMID- 28919629
TI  - Acinar Cell Carcinoma of the Pancreas: A Case Report.
AB  - Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) of the pancreas is a very rare neoplasm. We report a
      case of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma involving the uncinate process of the
      pancreas. A 45 year old man presented with a painful upper abdominal mass without
      any jaundice or weight loss. Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance
      Cholangio-Pancreatography (MRCP) indicated a mass lesion in the uncinate process
      of the pancreas. He underwent Whipple's procedure (Pancreaticoduodenectomy).
      Histological slides revealed features of Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) in the
      uncinate process of the pancreas and a lymph node.

PMID- 28919630
TI  - Deep Vein Thrombosis in A Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Patient:
      Successful Conservative Management.
AB  - Deep vein thrombosis is an alarming medical emergency. Deep vein thrombosis or
      deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot (thrombus) within a
      deep vein predominantly in the legs. Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting deep
      vein thrombosis is a very rare medical condition relatively in Asian.
      Approximately 80% of deep vein thrombosis (DVTs) is clinically asymptomatic, 20%
      of those that actually demonstrate signs and symptoms can be easily confused with
      symptoms of other commonly presenting musculoskeletal disorders. Proper medical
      management can reduce patient's morbidity and further burden. A 50 years old
      diabetic Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting gentleman had been suffering for
      left leg swelling, high grade fever and calf muscle pain for 5 days. He had
      absent Arteria Dorsalis Paedis pulse on left foot, Positive Homan sign and Wells
      score is 7. His left leg was hugely swelled. He had normal leg hair distribution.
      Duplex study of Left Leg-Deep Vein Thrombosis in left lower limb (Popliteal
      segment) with sign of recanalization. He is also a patient of anemia of chronic
      disease due to hemorrhoid. Several investigations have done to find the cause of
      his chronic anemia. His treatment was meticulous with complete bed rest,
      elevation of left lower limb, heparinization, oralrivaroxaban. He had rapid
      recovery following treatment. Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting patient should
      be given post-operative enoxaparin (Low molecular weight Heparin) or Heparin for
      3-5 days. Early diagnosis of the disease condition reduces morbidity. Combined
      treatment with Rivaroxaban and Heparin is of great clinical value and outcome in
      a case of Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Deep Vein Thrombosis patient.

PMID- 28919631
TI  - Right Atrial Myxoma: An Uncommon Presentation.
AB  - There are two types of tumors found in the cardiac chamber. These are divided
      into primary intra-cardiac tumors and secondary intra-cardiac tumors. Primary
      intra cardiac tumors are rare and among them 29% are myxomas. Majority of them
      are found in the left atrium. Here, we report a case of a myxoma in the right
      atrium with hepatomegaly and Hepatitis B virus infection. The coexistence of all
      these conditions is very rare. A 52 years old patient presented with history of
      shortness of breath on exertion along with fever and generalized weakness for 6
      months which aggravated lately for last 2 months. He was then taken for better
      medical care and hospitalization. On cardiac evaluation he had soft S1 and S2
      over the tricuspid region on the right lower parasternal region. He had bilateral
      mild pitting pedal edema. On further examination, it was revealed that he had
      mild tender hepatomegaly with jaundice. His blood analysis for HBsAg was
      positive. Echocardiogram showed right atrial myxoma of 14.3cm2 almost completely
      occupying the right atrium and even protruding into the Inferior Venacava however
      not fully obstructing it. The inferior vena cava size was mildly dilated (22mm).
      Abdominal ultrasound report showed hepatomegaly (17.6cm) with coarse hepatic
      parenchyma. In this report, we emphasize the rarity of myxoma in the Right
      Atrium, its difficult diagnosis because of the location and the atypical
      presentation in the echocardiograph.

PMID- 28919633
TI  - Clinical presentation and outcomes in light chain amyloidosis patients with non
      evaluable serum free light chains.
AB  - Hematologic response criteria in light chain (AL) amyloidosis require the
      difference in involved and uninvolved free light chains (dFLC) to be at least 5
      mg/dl. We describe the clinical presentation and outcomes of newly diagnosed
      amyloidosis patients with dFLC <5 mg/dl (non-evaluable dFLC; 14%, n=165) compared
      with patients with dFLC ?5 mg/dl (evaluable dFLC; 86%, n=975). Patients with non
      evaluable dFLC had less cardiac involvement (40% vs 80%, P<0.001), less liver
      involvement (11% vs 17%, P=0.04) and a trend toward less gastrointestinal
      involvement (18% vs 25%, P=0.08). However, significantly higher renal involvement
      (72% vs 56%, P=0.0002) was observed in the non-evaluable dFLC cohort. Differences
      in treatment patterns were observed, with 51% of treated patients undergoing
      upfront stem cell transplantation in the non-evaluable cohort compared with 28%
      in the evaluable dFLC group (P<0.001). Progression-free survival (61 vs 13
      months, P<0.001) and overall survival (OS; 101 vs 29 months, P<0.001) were
      significantly longer in the non-evaluable dFLC cohort. Normalization of involved
      light chain levels and decrease in dFLC <1 mg/dl (baseline at least 2 mg/dl) were
      predictive of OS and associated with better dialysis-free survival and may be
      used for response assessment in patients with non-evaluable FLC levels.

PMID- 28919634
TI  - Achievement of a negative minimal residual disease state after hypomethylating
      agent therapy in older patients with AML reduces the risk of relapse.

PMID- 28919632
TI  - CD36 in chronic kidney disease: novel insights and therapeutic opportunities.
AB  - CD36 (also known as scavenger receptor B2) is a multifunctional receptor that
      mediates the binding and cellular uptake of long-chain fatty acids, oxidized
      lipids and phospholipids, advanced oxidation protein products, thrombospondin and
      advanced glycation end products, and has roles in lipid accumulation,
      inflammatory signalling, energy reprogramming, apoptosis and kidney fibrosis.
      Renal CD36 is mainly expressed in tubular epithelial cells, podocytes and
      mesangial cells, and is markedly upregulated in the setting of chronic kidney
      disease (CKD). As fatty acids are the preferred energy source for proximal tubule
      cells, a reduction in fatty acid oxidation in CKD affects kidney lipid metabolism
      by disrupting the balance between fatty acid synthesis, uptake and consumption.
      The outcome is intracellular lipid accumulation, which has an important role in
      the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis. In experimental models, antagonist blockade
      or genetic knockout of CD36 prevents kidney injury, suggesting that CD36 could be
      a novel target for therapy. Here, we discuss the regulation and post
      translational modification of CD36, its role in renal pathophysiology and its
      potential as a biomarker and as a therapeutic target for the prevention of kidney
      fibrosis.

PMID- 28919636
TI  - Parasite development: Parasites talk about growth.

PMID- 28919637
TI  - Development: Transcriptomic blueprints.

PMID- 28919635
TI  - Aspergillus fumigatus morphology and dynamic host interactions.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus is an environmental filamentous fungus that can cause life
      threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals. The interactions between A.
      fumigatus and the host environment are dynamic and complex. The host immune
      system needs to recognize the distinct morphological forms of A. fumigatus to
      control fungal growth and prevent tissue invasion, whereas the fungus requires
      nutrients and needs to adapt to the hostile environment by escaping immune
      recognition and counteracting host responses. Understanding these highly dynamic
      interactions is necessary to fully understand the pathogenesis of aspergillosis
      and to facilitate the design of new therapeutics to overcome the morbidity and
      mortality caused by A. fumigatus. In this Review, we describe how A. fumigatus
      adapts to environmental change, the mechanisms of host defence, and our current
      knowledge of the interplay between the host immune response and the fungus.

PMID- 28919638
TI  - Direct Measurements of 3D Structure, Chemistry and Mass Density During the
      Induction Period of C3S Hydration.
AB  - The reasons for the start and end of the induction period of cement hydration
      remain topic of controversy. One long-standing hypothesis is that a thin
      metastable hydrate forming on the surface of cement grains significantly reduces
      the particle dissolution rate; the eventual disappearance of this layer re
      establishes higher dissolution rates at the beginning of the acceleration period.
      However, the importance, or even the existence, of this metastable layer has been
      questioned because it cannot be directly detected in most experiments. In this
      work, a combined analysis using nano-tomography and nano-X-ray fluorescence makes
      the direct imaging of early hydration products possible. These novel X-ray
      imaging techniques provide quantitative measurements of 3D structure, chemical
      composition, and mass density of the hydration products during the induction
      period. This work does not observe a low density product on the surface of the
      particle, but does provide insights into the formation of etch pits and the
      subsequent hydration products that fill them.

PMID- 28919639
TI  - Using a narrative to spark safer sex communication.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: College students are a group at risk for contracting sexually
      transmitted infections (STIs). While they are generally well informed about STIs,
      they do not consistently use condoms. An important element in preventing STIs is
      safer sex communication, especially with a sexual partner. This may be difficult,
      however, because of a lack of experience in talking about safer sex or because of
      the absence of suitable role models. In this study, a narrative intervention was
      tested that was developed to provide receivers with a social script for safer sex
      communication. DESIGN: An experiment was conducted among college students (N =
      225) who were exposed to either a narrative intervention or a non-narrative
      (brochure) intervention, followed by a post-test questionnaire. In the narrative
      condition, part of the participants completed a pre-test questionnaire before
      being exposed to the intervention. RESULTS: Compared to pre-test scores, the
      narrative positively influenced safer sex communication intentions. The results
      show no significant differences between post-test scores of the narrative and the
      non-narrative condition. Mediation analyses showed that narrative processes
      (identification and transportation) were positively related to safer sex
      communication. CONCLUSION: In this study, we investigated both the effects of a
      narrative intervention on safer sex communication intentions, and the mechanisms
      of narrative processing underlying these effects. The narrative turned out to be
      as effective as a brochure version with the same information. Our mediation
      analyses suggest that narratives can be made more persuasive by increasing the
      reader's involvement with the story as a whole, and with one of the characters in
      particular.

PMID- 28919640
TI  - Charon tectonics.
AB  - New Horizons images of Pluto's companion Charon show a variety of terrains that
      display extensional tectonic features, with relief surprising for this relatively
      small world. These features suggest a global extensional areal strain of order 1%
      early in Charon's history. Such extension is consistent with the presence of an
      ancient global ocean, now frozen.

PMID- 28919641
TI  - In-house or outsourced public services? A social and economic analysis of the
      impact of spending policy on the private wage share in OECD countries.
AB  - This article analyses the relationship between government spending and the
      distribution of private income between capital and labour. While most previous
      research assumes that government spending redistributes in favour of the less
      wealthy, I distinguish between types of expenditures that enhance the bargaining
      position of labour - that is, unemployment benefits, public sector employment and
      investment in new capital - and labour-saving and pro-business types of
      expenditures - that is, outsourcing to private firms. The results are derived
      from various panel regression techniques on a panel of 19 Organisation for
      Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in the period 1985-2010
      and show that expenditures on public sector employment and, to a lesser extent,
      on new capital prevented the private wage share from declining further, even
      after controlling for labour market institutions, globalisation and technological
      change. Conversely, expenditures on outsourcing substantially contributed to
      reducing the private wage share. Unemployment benefits had a non-significant and
      negative effect on the private wage share because their increase was the
      consequence of higher levels of unemployment rather than policy. Implications for
      theory and policy are drawn, including the support for a public employment-led
      spending policy.

PMID- 28919642
TI  - Membrane Binding of Parkinson's Protein alpha-Synuclein: Effect of
      Phosphorylation at Positions 87 and 129 by the S to D Mutation Approach.
AB  - Human alpha-synuclein, a protein relevant in the brain with so-far unknown
      function, plays an important role in Parkinson's disease. The phosphorylation
      state of alphaS was related to the disease, prompting interest in this process.
      The presumed physiological function and the disease action of alphaS involves
      membrane interaction. Here, we study the effect of phosphorylation at positions
      87 and 129, mimicked by the mutations S87A, S129A (nonphosphorylated) and S87D,
      S129D (phosphorylated) on membrane binding. Local binding is detected by spin
      label continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance. For S87A/D, six positions
      (27, 56, 63, 69, 76, and 90) are probed; and for S129A/D, three (27, 56, and 69).
      Binding to large unilamellar vesicles of 100 nm diameter of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl
      sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine in a 1 : 1 composition is not affected by the phosphorylation
      state of S129. For phosphorylation at S87, local unbinding of alphaS from the
      membrane is observed. We speculate that modulating the local membrane affinity by
      phosphorylation could tune the way alphaS interacts with different membranes; for
      example, tuning its membrane fusion activity.

PMID- 28919643
TI  - Misconceptions in the Exploding Flask Demonstration Resolved through Students'
      Critical Thinking.
AB  - As it connects to a large set of important fundamental ideas in chemistry and
      analytical techniques discussed in high school chemistry curricula, we review the
      exploding flask demonstration. In this demonstration, methanol vapor is
      catalytically oxidized by a Pt wire catalyst in an open container. The
      exothermicity of reactions occurring at the catalytic surface heats the metal to
      the extent that it glows. When restricting reactant and product gas flow,
      conditions may favor repetitive occurrence of a small explosion. We show how mass
      spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy allow for unravelling the chemical
      background of this demonstration and discuss various ideas on how to use it in a
      classroom setting to engage students' critical thinking about chemical research.
      Along the way, we show that two commonly published ideas about the chemical
      background of this demonstration are incorrect, and we suggest simple tests that
      may be performed in a high school setting either as an addition to the
      demonstration or as a student research project.

PMID- 28919644
TI  - Heterogeneous Catalytic Oxidation of Simple Alcohols by Transition Metals.
AB  - The "exploding" flask demonstration presents a well-known illustration of
      heterogeneous catalyzed methanol oxidation. We find that for the same vapor
      pressure, the demonstration also works for all primary and secondary alcohols up
      to butanol but not for a tertiary alcohol. Also, we show that the demonstration
      works for a large range of transition metal catalysts. Hence, this demonstration,
      which is often applied for the repetitive explosions when methanol is used, may
      also be used to argue the requirement of initial dehydrogenation of the alcohol
      to an aldehyde in the catalytic reaction mechanism to support the general
      insensitivity to reactant molecules in heterogeneous catalysis in contrast to
      biological catalysis and to provide proof for activity trends as often depicted
      by volcano plots.

PMID- 28919645
TI  - Does Clean Water Make You Dirty?: Water Supply and Sanitation in the Philippines.
AB  - Water supply investments in developing countries may inadvertently worsen
      sanitation if clean water and sanitation are substitutes. This paper examines the
      negative correlation between the provision of piped water and household sanitary
      behavior in Cebu, the Philippines. In a model of household sanitation, a local
      externality leads to a sanitation complementarity that magnifies the compensatory
      response. Empirical results are consistent with the hypotheses that clean water
      and sanitation are substitutes and that neighbors' sanitation levels are
      complements. In this situation, clean water may have large unintended
      consequences.

PMID- 28919646
TI  - On the competition between weak O-H...F and C-H...F hydrogen bonds, in
      cooperation with C-H...O contacts, in the difluoromethane - tert-butyl alcohol
      cluster.
AB  - The 1:1 complex of tert-butyl alcohol with difluoromethane has been characterized
      by means of a joint experimental-computational investigation. Its rotational
      spectrum has been recorded by using a pulsed-jet Fourier-Transform microwave
      spectrometer. The experimental work has been guided and supported by accurate
      quantum-chemical calculations. In particular, the computed potential energy
      landscape pointed out the formation of three stable isomers. However, the very
      low interconversion barriers explain why only one isomer, showing one O-H...F and
      two C-H...O weak hydrogen bonds, has been experimentally characterized. The
      effect of the H -> tert-butyl- group substitution has been analyzed from the
      comparison to the difluoromethane-water adduct.

PMID- 28919647
TI  - Limiting Values of the one-bond C-H Spin-Spin Coupling Constants of the Imidazole
      Ring of Histidine at High-pH.
AB  - Assessment of the relative amounts of the forms of the imidazole ring of
      Histidine (His), namely the protonated (H+) and the tautomeric Nepsilon2-H and
      Ndelta1-H forms, respectively, is a challenging task in NMR spectroscopy. Indeed,
      their determination by direct observation of the 15N and 13C chemical shifts or
      the one-bond C-H, 1JCH, Spin-Spin Coupling Constants (SSCC) requires knowledge of
      the "canonical" limiting values of these forms in which each one is present to
      the extent of 100%. In particular, at high-pH, an accurate determination of these
      "canonical" limiting values, at which the tautomeric forms of His coexist, is an
      elusive problem in NMR spectroscopy. Among different NMR-based approaches to
      treat this problem, we focus here on the computation, at the DFT level of theory,
      of the high-pH limiting value for the 1JCH SSCC of the imidazole ring of His.
      Solvent effects were considered by using the polarizable continuum model
      approach. The results of this computation suggest, first, that the value of
      1JCepsilon1H = 205 +/- 1.0 Hz should be adopted as the canonical high-pH limiting
      value for this SSCC; second, the variation of 1JCepsilon1H SSCC during tautomeric
      changes is minor, i.e., within +/-1Hz; and, finally, the value of 1JCdelta2H SSCC
      upon tautomeric changes is large (15 Hz) indicating that, at high-pH or for non
      protonated His at any pH, the tautomeric fractions of the imidazole ring of His
      can be predicted accurately as a function of the observed value of 1JCdelta2H
      SSCC.

PMID- 28919648
TI  - Optical Imaging of Large Gyroid Grains in Block Copolymer Templates by Confined
      Crystallization.
AB  - Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly is a promising route to manufacture
      functional nanomaterials for applications from nanolithography to optical
      metamaterials. Self-assembled cubic morphologies cannot, however, be conveniently
      optically characterized in the lab due to their structural isotropy. Here, the
      aligned crystallization behavior of a semicrystalline-amorphous polyisoprene-b
      polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (ISO) triblock terpolymer was utilized to
      visualize the grain structure of the cubic microphase-separated morphology. Upon
      quenching from a solvent swollen state, ISO first self-assembles into an
      alternating gyroid morphology, in the confinement of which the PEO crystallizes
      preferentially along the least tortuous pathways of the single gyroid morphology
      with grain sizes of hundreds of micrometers. Strikingly, the resulting
      anisotropic alignment of PEO crystallites gives rise to a unique optical
      birefringence of the alternating gyroid domains, which allows imaging of the self
      assembled grain structure by optical microscopy alone. This study provides
      insight into polymer crystallization within a tortuous three-dimensional network
      and establishes a useful method for the optical visualization of cubic BCP
      morphologies that serve as functional nanomaterial templates.

PMID- 28919649
TI  - Expanding STEM opportunities through inclusive STEM-focused high schools.
AB  - Inclusive STEM high schools (ISHSs) (where STEM is science, technology,
      engineering, and mathematics) admit students on the basis of interest rather than
      competitive examination. This study examines the central assumption behind these
      schools-that they provide students from subgroups underrepresented in STEM with
      experiences that equip them academically and attitudinally to enter and stay in
      the STEM pipeline. Hierarchical modeling was applied to data from student surveys
      and state longitudinal data records for 5113 students graduating from 39 ISHSs
      and 22 comprehensive high schools in North Carolina and Texas. Compared to peers
      from the same demographic group with similar Grade 8 achievement levels,
      underrepresented minority and female ISHS students in both states were more
      likely to undertake advanced STEM coursework. Hispanics in Texas and females in
      both states expressed more STEM career interest in Grade 12 if they attended an
      ISHS. Positive relationships between ISHS attendance and grade point average were
      found in the total sample and each subgroup in North Carolina. Positive ISHS
      advantages in terms of test scores for the total student sample were found for
      science in both states and for mathematics in Texas. For the various student
      subgroups, test score differences favored the ISHS samples but attained
      statistical significance only for African Americans' science achievement scores
      in the Texas study.

PMID- 28919650
TI  - Bingo! Holy play in experience-oriented society.
AB  - What place is there for holy play in experience-oriented society? Is it possible
      and useful to make analytic distinctions between the liturgical quality of
      events? I explored these questions by doing research on the boundaries between
      the religious field and the field of leisure. Fifty site visits to public events
      in the Netherlands (2006-2014) resulted in a collection of ethnographic data. I
      used the concept of play as introduced by the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga and
      the tools of ritual studies to explore whether these could help to produce an
      account of the liturgical quality of ritualized meetings. Holy play might be
      found in unexpected places, such as in a bingo hall. Huizinga's broad diagnosis
      of modernity may be outdated, but the tools he introduced remain useful to
      distinguish the elements that constitute late-modern meetings as more or less
      playful - even when this involves combinations that seem contradictory from
      Huizinga's own point of view.

PMID- 28919651
TI  - Land use change impacts on floods at the catchment scale: Challenges and
      opportunities for future research.
AB  - Research gaps in understanding flood changes at the catchment scale caused by
      changes in forest management, agricultural practices, artificial drainage, and
      terracing are identified. Potential strategies in addressing these gaps are
      proposed, such as complex systems approaches to link processes across time
      scales, long-term experiments on physical-chemical-biological process
      interactions, and a focus on connectivity and patterns across spatial scales. It
      is suggested that these strategies will stimulate new research that coherently
      addresses the issues across hydrology, soil and agricultural sciences, forest
      engineering, forest ecology, and geomorphology.

PMID- 28919652
TI  - CAUSAL INFERENCE WITH A GRAPHICAL HIERARCHY OF INTERVENTIONS.
AB  - Identifying causal parameters from observational data is fraught with subtleties
      due to the issues of selection bias and confounding. In addition, more complex
      questions of interest, such as effects of treatment on the treated and mediated
      effects may not always be identified even in data where treatment assignment is
      known and under investigator control, or may be identified under one causal model
      but not another. Increasingly complex effects of interest, coupled with a
      diversity of causal models in use resulted in a fragmented view of
      identification. This fragmentation makes it unnecessarily difficult to determine
      if a given parameter is identified (and in what model), and what assumptions must
      hold for this to be the case. This, in turn, complicates the development of
      estimation theory and sensitivity analysis procedures. In this paper, we give a
      unifying view of a large class of causal effects of interest, including novel
      effects not previously considered, in terms of a hierarchy of interventions, and
      show that identification theory for this large class reduces to an identification
      theory of random variables under interventions from this hierarchy. Moreover, we
      show that one type of intervention in the hierarchy is naturally associated with
      queries identified under the Finest Fully Randomized Causally Interpretable
      Structure Tree Graph (FFRCISTG) model of Robins (via the extended g-formula), and
      another is naturally associated with queries identified under the Non-Parametric
      Structural Equation Model with Independent Errors (NPSEM-IE) of Pearl, via a more
      general functional we call the edge g-formula. Our results motivate the study of
      estimation theory for the edge g-formula, since we show it arises both in
      mediation analysis, and in settings where treatment assignment has unobserved
      causes, such as models associated with Pearl's front-door criterion.

PMID- 28919653
TI  - Comments on "Personalized dose finding using outcome weighted learning".

PMID- 28919654
TI  - Protecting energy intakes against income shocks.
AB  - Whether and how changes in economic circumstances or household income affect
      individuals' diet and nutritional intakes is of substantial interest for policy
      purposes. This paper exploits a period of substantial income volatility in Russia
      to examine the extent to which, as well as how individuals protect their energy
      intakes in the face of unanticipated shocks to household income. Using rich data
      from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, our results suggest that
      households use substitution, disproportionally cutting back spending on non-foods
      to protect spending on foods, change the composition of the consumption basket,
      and increase the consumption of 'cheaper' calories. Taken together, however, we
      find that total energy intakes as well as the nutritional composition of the diet
      are almost fully protected against income shocks. Specifically, we find that 12
      16% of the effect of permanent income shocks on food expenditures is transmitted
      to energy intakes, with 84-88% protected through insurance mechanisms.

PMID- 28919655
TI  - The Ethics of Germline Gene Editing.
AB  - Germline Gene Editing (GGE) has enormous potential both as a research tool and a
      therapeutic intervention. While other types of gene editing are relatively
      uncontroversial, GGE has been strongly resisted. In this article, we analyse the
      ethical arguments for and against pursuing GGE by allowing and funding its
      development. We argue there is a strong case for pursuing GGE for the prevention
      of disease. We then examine objections that have been raised against pursuing GGE
      and argue that these fail. We conclude that the moral case in favour of pursuing
      GGE is stronger than the case against. This suggests that pursuing GGE is morally
      permissible and indeed morally desirable.

PMID- 28919656
TI  - Direct valorisation of waste cocoa butter triglycerides via catalytic
      epoxidation, ring-opening and polymerisation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Development of circular economy requires significant advances in the
      technologies for valorisation of waste, as waste becomes new feedstock. Food
      waste is a particularly important feedstock, containing large variation of
      complex chemical functionality. Although most food waste sources are complex
      mixtures, waste from food processing, no longer suitable for the human food
      chain, may also represent relatively clean materials. One such material requiring
      valorisation is cocoa butter. RESULTS: Epoxidation of a triglyceride from a food
      waste source, processing waste cocoa butter, into the corresponding triglyceride
      epoxide was carried out using a modified Ishii-Venturello catalyst in batch and
      continuous flow reactors. The batch reactor achieved higher yields due to the
      significant decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in the laminar flow tubular
      reactor. Integral and differential models describing the reaction and the phase
      transfer kinetics were developed for the epoxidation of cocoa butter and the
      model parameters were estimated. Ring-opening of the epoxidised cocoa butter was
      undertaken to provide polyols of varying molecular weight (Mw = 2000-84 000 Da),
      hydroxyl value (27-60 mg KOH g-1) and acid value (1-173 mg KOH g-1), using either
      aqueous ortho-phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4) or boron trifluoride diethyl etherate
      (BF 3.OEt2)-mediated oligomerisation in bulk, using hexane or tetrahydrofuran
      (THF) as solvents. The thermal and tensile properties of the polyurethanes
      obtained from the reaction of these polyols with 4,4'-methylene diphenyl
      diisocyanate (MDI) are described. CONCLUSION: The paper presents a complete
      valorisation scheme for a food manufacturing industry waste stream, starting from
      the initial chemical transformation, developing a process model for the design of
      a scaled-up process, and leading to synthesis of the final product, in this case
      a polymer. This work describes aspects of optimisation of the conversion route,
      focusing on clean synthesis and also demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of
      the development projects, requiring input from different areas of chemistry,
      process modelling and process design. (c) 2017 The Authors. Journal of Chemical
      Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of
      Society of Chemical Industry.

PMID- 28919657
TI  - An All-Digital Fast Tracking Switching Converter with a Programmable Order Loop
      Controller for Envelope Tracking RF Power Amplifiers.
AB  - This paper presents a step down, switched mode power converter for use in multi
      standard envelope tracking radio frequency power amplifiers (RFPA). The converter
      is based on a programmable order sigma delta modulator that can be configured to
      operate with either 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th order loop filters, eliminating the need
      for a bulky passive output filter. Output ripple, sideband noise and spectral
      emission requirements of different wireless standards can be met by configuring
      the modulator's filter order and converter's sampling frequency. The proposed
      converter is entirely digital and is implemented in 14nm bulk CMOS process for
      post layout verification. For an input voltage of 3.3V, the converter's output
      can be regulated to any voltage level from 0.5V to 2.5V, at a nominal switching
      frequency of 150MHz. It achieves a maximum efficiency of 94% at 1.5 W output
      power.

PMID- 28919658
TI  - A Single Switcher Combined Series Parallel Hybrid Envelope Tracking Amplifier for
      Wideband RF Power Amplifier Applications.
AB  - In this paper, an improved architecture for RF power amplifier envelope tracking
      supply modulator is presented. It consists of a single switched mode supply
      regulator and one linear regulator. The switched mode supply regulator has two
      outputs, one of which is used in conjunction with the linear regulator to provide
      a wideband, high efficiency power supply to the RF amplifier, whereas the second
      output provides a band limited high efficiency supply to the linear regulator.
      The design offers improved power efficiency, reduced system complexity and area
      savings since the dual output switched mode regulator requires one inductor and a
      simple control loop. The design was implemented in 14nm CMOS process and
      validated with simulations. The supply modulator achieves a peak efficiency of
      74% with a 6 dB PAPR 20MHz LTE signal at 29dBm output power.

PMID- 28919659
TI  - An Enhanced Light-Load Efficiency Step Down Regulator with Fine Step Frequency
      Scaling.
AB  - This paper presents a switching DC-DC Buck converter with enhanced light-load
      efficiency for use in noise-sensitive applications. Low noise, spur free
      operation is achieved by using a sigma-delta-modulator (SigmaDelta) based
      controller, while light load efficiency is realized through the introduction of
      fine step frequency scaling (FSFS) which continuously adjusts the switching
      frequency of the converter with load conditions. Regulation efficiency is further
      improved by adoption of mode hopping (continuous conduction mode
      (CCM)/discontinuous conduction mode (DCM)) and utilization of a fully digital
      implementation. Furthermore, the presented converter maintains low output voltage
      ripple across its entire load range by reconfiguring the SigmaDelta modulator's
      quantization step and introducing dither to the loop filter. The proposed
      modulator was implemented in 14nm bulk CMOS process and validated with post
      layout simulations. It attains a peak efficiency of 95% at heavy load conditions
      and 79% at light loads with a maximum voltage ripple of 15mV at light loads.

PMID- 28919660
TI  - Collaborative SDOCT Segmentation and Analysis Software.
AB  - Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) is routinely used in the
      management and diagnosis of a variety of ocular diseases. This imaging modality
      also finds widespread use in research, where quantitative measurements obtained
      from the images are used to track disease progression. In recent years, the
      number of available scanners and imaging protocols grown and there is a distinct
      absence of a unified tool that is capable of visualizing, segmenting, and
      analyzing the data. This is especially noteworthy in longitudinal studies, where
      data from older scanners and/or protocols may need to be analyzed. Here, we
      present a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to visualize and
      analyze SDOCT images obtained from two commonly used scanners. The retinal
      surfaces in the scans can be segmented using a previously described method, and
      the retinal layer thicknesses can be compared to a normative database. If
      necessary, the segmented surfaces can also be corrected and the changes applied.
      The interface also allows users to import and export retinal layer thickness data
      to an SQL database, thereby allowing for the collation of data from a number of
      collaborating sites.

PMID- 28919661
TI  - DAX - The Next Generation: Towards One Million Processes on Commodity Hardware.
AB  - Large scale image processing demands a standardized way of not only storage but
      also a method for job distribution and scheduling. The eXtensible Neuroimaging
      Archive Toolkit (XNAT) is one of several platforms that seeks to solve the
      storage issues. Distributed Automation for XNAT (DAX) is a job control and
      distribution manager. Recent massive data projects have revealed several
      bottlenecks for projects with >100,000 assessors (i.e., data processing pipelines
      in XNAT). In order to address these concerns, we have developed a new API, which
      exposes a direct connection to the database rather than REST API calls to
      accomplish the generation of assessors. This method, consistent with XNAT, keeps
      a full history for auditing purposes. Additionally, we have optimized DAX to keep
      track of processing status on disk (called DISKQ) rather than on XNAT, which
      greatly reduces load on XNAT by vastly dropping the number of API calls. Finally,
      we have integrated DAX into a Docker container with the idea of using it as a
      Docker controller to launch Docker containers of image processing pipelines.
      Using our new API, we reduced the time to create 1,000 assessors (a sub-cohort of
      our case project) from 65040 seconds to 229 seconds (a decrease of over 270
      fold). DISKQ, using pyXnat, allows launching of 400 jobs in under 10 seconds
      which previously took 2,000 seconds. Together these updates position DAX to
      support projects with hundreds of thousands of scans and to run them in a time
      efficient manner.

PMID- 28919662
TI  - Dermoscopy-guided reflectance confocal microscopy of skin using high-NA objective
      lens with integrated wide-field color camera.
AB  - Reflectance Confocal Microscopy, or RCM, is being increasingly used to guide
      diagnosis of skin lesions. The combination of widefield dermoscopy (WFD) with RCM
      is highly sensitive (~90%) and specific (~ 90%) for noninvasively detecting
      melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions. The combined WFD and RCM approach
      is being implemented on patients to triage lesions into benign (with no biopsy)
      versus suspicious (followed by biopsy and pathology). Currently, however, WFD and
      RCM imaging are performed with separate instruments, while using an adhesive ring
      attached to the skin to sequentially image the same region and co-register the
      images. The latest small handheld RCM instruments offer no provision yet for a co
      registered wide-field image. This paper describes an innovative solution that
      integrates an ultra-miniature dermoscopy camera into the RCM objective lens,
      providing simultaneous wide-field color images of the skin surface and RCM images
      of the subsurface cellular structure. The objective lens (0.9 NA) includes a
      hyperhemisphere lens and an ultra-miniature CMOS color camera, commanding a 4 mm
      wide dermoscopy view of the skin surface. The camera obscures the central portion
      of the aperture of the objective lens, but the resulting annular aperture
      provides excellent RCM optical sectioning and resolution. Preliminary testing on
      healthy volunteers showed the feasibility of combined WFD and RCM imaging to
      concurrently show the skin surface in wide-field and the underlying microscopic
      cellular-level detail. The paper describes this unique integrated dermoscopic
      WFD/RCM lens, and shows representative images. The potential for dermoscopy
      guided RCM for skin cancer diagnosis is discussed.

PMID- 28919663
TI  - Methods for scalar-on-function regression.
AB  - Recent years have seen an explosion of activity in the field of functional data
      analysis (FDA), in which curves, spectra, images, etc. are considered as basic
      functional data units. A central problem in FDA is how to fit regression models
      with scalar responses and functional data points as predictors. We review some of
      the main approaches to this problem, categorizing the basic model types as
      linear, nonlinear and nonparametric. We discuss publicly available software
      packages, and illustrate some of the procedures by application to a functional
      magnetic resonance imaging dataset.

PMID- 28919664
TI  - Developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration:
      Incidence, associations and co-morbidities.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Children with developmental coordination disorder or sensory
      processing and integration difficulties face challenges to participation in daily
      living. To date there has been no exploration of the co-occurrence of
      developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration
      difficulties. METHOD: Records of children meeting Diagnostic and Statistical
      Manual - V criteria for developmental coordination disorder (n = 93) age 5 to 12
      years were examined. Data on motor skills (Movement Assessment Battery for
      Children - 2) and sensory processing and integration (Sensory Processing Measure)
      were interrogated. RESULTS: Of the total sample, 88% exhibited some or definite
      differences in sensory processing and integration. No apparent relationship was
      observed between motor coordination and sensory processing and integration. The
      full sample showed high rates of some difficulties in social participation,
      hearing, body awareness, balance and motion, and planning and ideation. Further,
      children with co-morbid autistic spectrum disorder showed high rates of
      difficulties with touch and vision. CONCLUSION: Most, but not all, children with
      developmental coordination disorder presented with some difficulties in sensory
      processing and integration that impacted on their participation in everyday
      activities. Sensory processing and integration difficulties differed
      significantly between those with and without co-morbid autistic spectrum
      disorder.

PMID- 28919665
TI  - Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) Wind Speed Retrievals and Validation Using
      Dropsondes.
AB  - Surface wind speed retrievals have been generated and evaluated using Hurricane
      Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) measurements from flights over Hurricane Joaquin,
      Hurricane Patricia, Hurricane Marty, and the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika,
      all in 2015. Procedures are described here for producing maps of brightness
      temperature, which are subsequently used for retrievals of surface wind speed and
      rain rate across a ~50 km wide swath for each flight leg. An iterative retrieval
      approach has been developed to take advantage of HIRAD's measurement
      characteristics. Validation of the wind speed retrievals has been conducted,
      using 636 dropsondes released from the same WB-57 high altitude aircraft carrying
      HIRAD during the Tropical Cyclone Intensity (TCI) experiment. The HIRAD wind
      speed retrievals exhibit very small bias relative to the dropsondes, for winds
      tropical storm strength (17.5 m s-1) or greater. HIRAD has reduced sensitivity to
      winds weaker than tropical storm strength, and a small positive bias (~2 m s-1)
      there. Two flights with predominantly weak winds according to the dropsondes have
      abnormally large errors from HIRAD, and large positive biases. From the other
      flights, root mean square differences between HIRAD and the dropsonde winds are
      4.1 m s-1 (33%) for winds below tropical storm strength, 5.6 m s-1 (25%) for
      tropical storm strength winds, and 6.3 m s-1 (16%) for hurricane strength winds.
      Mean absolute differences for those categories are 3.2 m s-1 (25%), 4.3 m s-1
      (19%), and 4.8 m s-1 (12%), with bias near zero for tropical storm and hurricane
      strength winds.

PMID- 28919666
TI  - The Selection of Preschool for Immigrant and Native-born Latino Families in the
      United States.
AB  - With the national push to expand preschool education, there has been growing
      interest in understanding why Latino families are enrolled in preschool at lower
      rates than non-Latino families. This study applied the accommodations model by
      Meyers and Jordan (2006) to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort
      (n = 5,850) to provide a more nuanced understanding of the preschool selection of
      U.S.- and foreign-born Latino families. Results from this investigation
      underscored the similarities and differences that existed in the selection
      behaviors of different groups of families, while also highlighting important
      differences within the Latino population. In general, these differences within
      the Latino population cut across community language use, child factors, and
      parents' beliefs about school readiness. Moreover, after accounting for the
      various selection factors, there were no longer any consistent differences in the
      preschool enrollment rates between Latino children and their Black and White
      peers. When taken together, these findings suggest that careful attention must be
      paid to the heterogeneity in the experiences of Latino families in navigating the
      preschool market.

PMID- 28919667
TI  - The Effect of Splitting on Random Forests.
AB  - The effect of a splitting rule on random forests (RF) is systematically studied
      for regression and classification problems. A class of weighted splitting rules,
      which includes as special cases CART weighted variance splitting and Gini index
      splitting, are studied in detail and shown to possess a unique adaptive property
      to signal and noise. We show for noisy variables that weighted splitting favors
      end-cut splits. While end-cut splits have traditionally been viewed as
      undesirable for single trees, we argue for deeply grown trees (a trademark of RF)
      end-cut splitting is useful because: (a) it maximizes the sample size making it
      possible for a tree to recover from a bad split, and (b) if a branch repeatedly
      splits on noise, the tree minimal node size will be reached which promotes
      termination of the bad branch. For strong variables, weighted variance splitting
      is shown to possess the desirable property of splitting at points of curvature of
      the underlying target function. This adaptivity to both noise and signal does not
      hold for unweighted and heavy weighted splitting rules. These latter rules are
      either too greedy, making them poor at recognizing noisy scenarios, or they are
      overly ECP aggressive, making them poor at recognizing signal. These results also
      shed light on pure random splitting and show that such rules are the least
      effective. On the other hand, because randomized rules are desirable because of
      their computational efficiency, we introduce a hybrid method employing random
      split-point selection which retains the adaptive property of weighted splitting
      rules while remaining computational efficient.

PMID- 28919668
TI  - Online Versus Face-To-Face Training of Critical Time Intervention: A Matching
      Cluster Randomized Trial.
AB  - This study examined the effectiveness of online education to providers who serve
      people experiencing homelessness, comparing online and face-to-face training of
      Critical Time Intervention (CTI), an evidence-based case management model. The
      authors recruited 184 staff from 19 homeless service agencies to participate in
      one of two training conditions: (a) Online Training + Community of Practice or
      (b) Face-to-Face Training + Telephone Consultation. Each group received 24 hours
      of instruction and support. Through baseline, follow-up, and nine-month post
      training surveys, the authors examined satisfaction, knowledge gains, knowledge
      retention, and readiness to implement CTI. While satisfaction rates were higher
      among participants in the face-to-face group, the two training conditions
      produced comparable pre/post knowledge gains. Furthermore, both groups showed
      increased knowledge retention scores at nine-month follow up, with the online
      group scoring higher than the face-to-face group.

PMID- 28919669
TI  - Optomagnetically Controlled Microparticles Manufactured with Glancing Angle
      Deposition.
AB  - Optical trapping and magnetic trapping are common micro-manipulation techniques
      for controlling colloids including micro- and nano-particles. Combining these two
      manipulation strategies allows for a larger range of applied forces and decoupled
      control of rotation and translation; each of which are beneficial properties for
      many applications including force spectroscopy and advanced manufacturing.
      However, optical trapping and magnetic trapping have conflicting material
      requirements inhibiting the combination of these methodologies. In this paper,
      anisotropic micron scaled particles capable of being simultaneously controlled by
      optical and magnetic trapping are synthesized using a glancing angle deposition
      (GLAD) technique. The anisotropic alignment of dielectric and ferromagnetic
      materials limits the optical scattering from the metallic components which
      typically prevents stable optical trapping in three dimensions. Compared to the
      current state of the art, the benefits of this approach are two-fold. First, the
      composite structure allows for larger volumes of ferromagnetic material so that
      larger magnetic moments may be applied without inhibiting the stability of
      optical trapping. Secondly, the robustness of the synthesis process is greatly
      improved. The dual optical and magnetic functionality of the synthesized colloids
      is demonstrated by simultaneously optically translating and magnetically rotating
      a magnetic GLAD particle using a custom designed opto-magnetic trapping system.

PMID- 28919670
TI  - The Moral Insignificance of Self-consciousness.
AB  - In this paper, I examine the claim that self-consciousness is highly morally
      significant, such that the fact that an entity is self-conscious generates strong
      moral reasons against harming or killing that entity. This claim is apparently
      very intuitive, but I argue it is false. I consider two ways to defend this
      claim: one indirect, the other direct. The best-known arguments relevant to self
      consciousness's significance take the indirect route. I examine them and argue
      that (a) in various ways they depend on unwarranted assumptions about self
      consciousness's functional significance, and (b) once these assumptions are
      undermined, motivation for these arguments dissipates. I then consider the direct
      route to self-consciousness's significance, which depends on claims that self
      consciousness has intrinsic value or final value. I argue what intrinsic or final
      value self-consciousness possesses is not enough to generate strong moral reasons
      against harming or killing.

PMID- 28919671
TI  - Detection of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxigenic strains in bovine raw milk by
      reversed passive latex agglutination and multiplex polymerase chain reaction.
AB  - AIM: This review gives an outline of the assessment of enterotoxigenic
      Staphylococcus aureus tainting levels in raw milk from different sources in Egypt
      and characterization of enterotoxigenic strains utilizing a technique in light of
      PCR to identify genes coding for the production of staphylococcal enterotoxin
      (SE). The obtained data were compared with results from the application of the
      reversed passive latex. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiplex PCR and reversed passive
      latex agglutination (RPLA) were used. A total of 141 samples of raw milk (cow's
      milk=33, buffalo's milk=58, and bulk tank milk=50) were investigated for S.
      aureus contamination and tested for enterotoxin genes presence and toxin
      production. RESULTS: S. aureus was detected in 23 (16.3%) samples phenotypically
      and genotypically by amplification of nuc gene. The S. aureus isolates were
      investigated for SEs genes (sea to see) by multiplex PCR and the toxin production
      by these isolates was screened by RPLA. SEs genes were detected in six isolates
      (26.1%) molecularly; see was the most observed gene where detected in all
      isolates, two isolates harbored seb, and two isolates harbored sec. According to
      RPLA, three isolates produced SEB and SEC. CONCLUSION: The study revealed the
      widespread of S. aureus strains caring genes coding for toxins. The real
      significance of the presence of these strains or its toxins in raw milk and their
      possible impact a potential hazard for staphylococcal food poisoning by raw milk
      consumption. Therefore, detection of enterotoxigenic S. aureus strains in raw
      milk is necessary for consumer safety.

PMID- 28919672
TI  - Preparation and evaluation of Salmonella Enteritidis antigen conjugated with
      nanogold for screening of poultry flocks.
AB  - AIM: The present work aimed to develop lateral flow immunochromatographic strip
      (ICS) test for detection of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) specific antibodies in
      chicken sera. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rapid lateral flow immunochromatographic
      test (LFIT) has been developed, in which SE Group D antigen labeled with the gold
      chloride molecules laid on the conjugate pad. Staphylococcus aureus protein A was
      used as capture antibody at the test line (T) of a nitrocellulose (NC) membrane
      and anti-SE antigen-specific rabbit antibodies were used as capture antibody at
      the control line (C) of the NC strip in the lateral flow layout device. RESULTS:
      Using the developed LFIT, the minimal amount of SE-specific antibodies that can
      be detected in chicken serum sample was 1427 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA) unit/100 ul that was equal to 0.1 ug (Ab)/100 ul sample. 100 suspected
      serum samples collected from a poultry flock were tested with the prepared SE
      LFIT kits and the locally prepared stained Salmonella antigen, and the results
      were compared with those obtained from examination of these samples with
      Salmonella Group D antibody ELISA kit as the gold standard test. The sensitivity,
      specificity, and accuracy of the prepared SE-LFIT antigen kits were 94.4%, 90%,
      and 94%, respectively, while those obtained with stained Salmonella antigen were
      88.8%, 90%, and 89%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The developed test is a simple
      field rapid test of high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy that can improve
      and facilitates rapid field surveillance of salmonellosis among chickens.

PMID- 28919673
TI  - Immunization of sheep against Echinococcus granulosus with protoscolex tegumental
      surface antigens.
AB  - AIM: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) has potential economic effects to both animal
      products and human health. A vaccine to protect livestock against CE can be
      effective in reducing economic costs and increasing the livestock products.
      Protoscolex tegumental surface antigens (PSTSA) used to induce the production of
      specific antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus in sheep. The tegumental
      antigens were extracted from viable protoscolices by solubilization in sterile
      phosphate-buffered saline containing decanoyl-N-methylglucamine. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Ten lambs which were infected with CE (positive control), 10 negative
      control, and 10 test groups of sheep were included in the study. 300 ug emulsion
      of purified-PSTSA was injected intramuscularly in a two-step immunization on the
      first and 30 days. Sera were collected immediately before immunization and 6
      times with 10-day intervals until 60 days post immunization. Thereafter, the sera
      were tested for antibodies by indirect hemagglutination test in microtiter plate.
      RESULTS: After two immunizations, all the infected animals in test group showed
      substantial increases in antibody titer. Statistical analysis showed a
      significant difference between the titer obtained in the test and negative
      control groups in both phases of immunization (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results
      showed that the PSTSA is a promising immunogenic compound for immunization of
      sheep against CE.

PMID- 28919674
TI  - Prevalence of enteropathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern in puppies
      with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
AB  - AIM: Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE) ranging from mild to severe forms is
      commonly encountered in puppies. The aim of the study was to identify the
      prevalence of common enteropathogens and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern in
      puppies reported with HGE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The canine HGE activity index,
      with little modification, was adopted to identify Grade III/severely affected
      puppies below 6 months of age. Fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was
      employed to screen and compare the enteropathogens in puppies with hemorrhagic
      diarrhea and healthy control. RESULTS: Canine parvovirus 2b was identified in
      90.3% of the diarrheic and 10% of the non-diarrheic healthy puppies. Clostridium
      difficile was identified in all the diarrheic puppies and in 80% of the healthy
      puppies. Among the diarrheic puppies, 17.7% were positive for Clostridium
      perfringens enterotoxin, 9.7% were positive for C. perfringens alpha toxin, 6.4%
      were positive for Escherichia coli shiga toxin, 6.4% were positive for E. coli
      enterotoxin (LT), and 3.2% were positive for canine distemper virus. Whereas,
      none of the healthy puppies were positive for these bacteria and toxins. Fecal
      antibiotic sensitivity test pattern revealed gentamicin to be sensitive in 95% of
      the cases, azithromycin in 50%, enrofloxacin in 25%, cefotaxime in 20%, and
      tetracycline in 5% of the cases. CONCLUSION: Parvoviral enteritis is predominant
      among puppies. Yet, bacteria and their toxins also play an important role in HGE.
      Gentamicin has higher sensitivity against the enteropathogens associated with the
      condition.

PMID- 28919675
TI  - Therapeutic uses of epicatechin in diabetes and cancer.
AB  - Epicatechin is a natural flavonoid found in green tea. It has been reported to
      possess an immense antioxidant effect which contributes to its therapeutic effect
      against a handful of ailments. In this review, we discuss its therapeutic role in
      the management of two of the most important human diseases; diabetes and cancer.
      The consumption of epicatechin has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels in
      diabetic patients, while is anticancer effect was attributed to its antioxidant
      properties, antiangiogenic and direct cytotoxicity to cancer cells. Although the
      exact mechanism of action of epicatechin is still being explored, there is no
      doubt that it is a promising candidate as an alternative. The significance of
      this review is to highlight the importance of the usage of natural products (in
      this case, epicatechin) as an alternative for the treatment of two potentially
      fatal diseases which is diabetes and cancer. The aim of this review is to educate
      the scientific community on the role of epicatechin in ameliorating the effects
      of diabetes and cancers on human while understanding the potential mechanisms of
      these aforementioned effects.

PMID- 28919676
TI  - A 3-year prospective study of the incidence of gastric ulcers in pigs slaughtered
      at Base Abattoir in Rwanda.
AB  - AIM: Determination of the incidence of gastric ulcers in pigs slaughtered at Base
      Abattoir in Rwanda. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stomachs from all 5040 pigs that were
      slaughtered at Base Abattoir in Rwanda from August 2012 to August 2015 were
      examined for the presence and location of gastric ulcers. The results of the
      inspections were recorded and analyzed. Statistical analysis for Chi-square
      values was performed using the Software Package for Social Sciences version 16.0.
      The Z test for comparison of proportions was used and p<0.05 was considered
      significant. RESULTS: Overall as well as per district, significantly more male
      pigs than female pigs were slaughtered (p<0.05). The incidence of gastric ulcers
      in slaughter pigs was 12.86%. The incidence of gastric ulcers in males (13.36%)
      was not significantly different (p>0.05) from that in female pigs (12.84%) in all
      three districts. A significantly greater proportion of these ulcers (69.03%) was
      located in the esophageal region than in the glandular region of the stomach
      (30.97%) in slaughtered males (p<0.05). A significantly greater proportion of
      these ulcers (79.59%) was located in the esophageal region than in the glandular
      region of the stomach (20.41%) in slaughtered females (p<0.05). The overall
      incidence of esophageal ulcers (9.44%) in the slaughtered pigs was significantly
      (p<0.05) higher than that of glandular region ulcers (3.41%). Pigs with carcass
      weight over 60 kg showed a significantly (p<0.05) higher (44.44%) incidence of
      ulcers than those between 40 and 60 kg (33.33%) and those below 40 kg (22.22%).
      CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the incidence of gastric ulceration in
      slaughter pigs at Base Abattoir was not associated with source (district) or sex
      of pigs but was associated with the carcass weight.

PMID- 28919677
TI  - Influence of microclimatic ammonia levels on productive performance of different
      broilers' breeds estimated with univariate and multivariate approaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Birds litter contains unutilized nitrogen in the form of uric
      acid that is converted into ammonia; a fact that does not only affect poultry
      performance but also has a negative effect on people's health around the farm and
      contributes in the environmental degradation. The influence of microclimatic
      ammonia emissions on Ross and Hubbard broilers reared in different housing
      systems at two consecutive seasons (fall and winter) was evaluated using a
      discriminant function analysis to differentiate between Ross and Hubbard breeds.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total number of 400 air samples were collected and
      analyzed for ammonia levels during the experimental period. Data were analyzed
      using univariate and multivariate statistical methods. RESULTS: Ammonia levels
      were significantly higher (p< 0.01) in the Ross compared to the Hubbard breed
      farm, although no significant differences (p>0.05) were found between the two
      farms in body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and
      performance index (PI) of broilers. Body weight; weight gain and PI had increased
      values (p< 0.01) during fall compared to winter irrespective of broiler breed.
      Ammonia emissions were positively (although weekly) correlated with the ambient
      relative humidity (r=0.383; p< 0.01), but not with the ambient temperature (r=
      0.045; p>0.05). Test of significance of discriminant function analysis did not
      show a classification based on the studied traits suggesting that they cannot
      been used as predictor variables. The percentage of correct classification was
      52% and it was improved after deletion of highly correlated traits to 57%.
      CONCLUSION: The study revealed that broiler's growth was negatively affected by
      increased microclimatic ammonia concentrations and recommended the analysis of
      broilers' growth performance parameters data using multivariate discriminant
      function analysis.

PMID- 28919679
TI  - Effects of intramammary infusion of sage (Salvia officinalis) essential oil on
      milk somatic cell count, milk composition parameters and selected hematology and
      serum biochemical parameters in Awassi sheep with subclinical mastitis.
AB  - AIM: The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of intramammary infusion
      of sage (Salvia officinalis) essential oil (EO) on milk somatic cell count (SCC),
      milk composition parameters and selected hematology and serum biochemical
      parameters in 20 Awassi ewes affected with subclinical mastitis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The dried leaves of sage were used to extract the EO by
      hydrodistillation. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum
      bactericidal concentration (MBC) of sage EO against Staphylococcus aureus were
      determined by the broth dilution method. Ewes were divided randomly into three
      main groups and received one of the following treatments; Group 1 (n=5): Dimethyl
      sulfoxide (DMSO) alone (5 ml; 0.2 ml of DMSO in 4.8 ml of saline), Group 2 (n=5):
      Amoxicillin alone (3 ml), and Group 3 (n=10): Sage EO (5 ml of sage EO solution
      [0.2 ml DMSO+1 ml EO+3.8 ml sterile saline]). All treatments were administered by
      intramammary infusion into each teat twice per day for 3 consecutive days. Milk
      samples for SCC and milk components determination and whole blood samples for
      hematology and serum biochemical analyses were collected before treatment (T0)
      and at 24 (T24) and 48 (T48) h after the last treatment. RESULTS: The MIC and MBC
      of sage EO against S. aureus were 12.5% and 6.1%, respectively. SCC was decreased
      significantly (p<0.05) at T24 and T48 h in sage EO and amoxicillin treated
      groups. Milk fat and lactose were increased significantly (p<0.05) in sage EO and
      amoxicillin treated ewes while no significant changes were observed in the
      percentages of solids-not-fat, protein and total solids. No significant effects
      of sage EO treatment on any of the hematology or serum biochemical parameters
      were observed. There were no local or systemic side effects observed in any of
      the treated ewes. However, further clinical trials are warranted to determine
      safety and possible withdrawal times in milk before its recommendation for use in
      organic operations. CONCLUSION: In this study, the intramammary infusion of sage
      EO to ewes affected with subclinical mastitis resulted in a significant decrease
      in SCC 24 h and 48 h posttreatment. In addition, milk fat and lactose were
      increased in animals that received the EO as well as in those treated with the
      antibiotic.

PMID- 28919678
TI  - Cortisol concentration, pain and sedation scale in free roaming dogs treated with
      carprofen after ovariohysterectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: One of the topic issues in animal welfare activities is the
      free roaming dog welfare especially in developing countries such as Serbia. The
      way of controlling population of free roaming dogs is their reproduction with the
      method of "Catch-Neuter-Release." This complex process consists of capturing free
      roaming dogs in public areas, sterilizing, and returning them to the public area
      from which they were temporarily removed. Ovariohysterectomy present the period
      with a high intensity of stress reaction since many veterinarians in Serbia do
      not use analgesia for this group of dogs. The aim of this study was to compare
      the serum cortisol concentration before and after ovariohysterectomy and the
      level of post-operative pain and sedation in a group of free roaming female dogs
      treated with carprofen after surgical intervention and in a group with no
      treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed on a total of 20 female
      dogs under the program for free roaming dog control. Free-roaming dogs were
      captured in public areas by the communal animal hygiene service and were
      transported between 30 and 45 min to the clinic of a veterinary practice.
      Treatment began at 10:00 h on the next day and the bitches were kept in cages
      until they were returned to public locations from which they were temporarily
      removed to be sterilized. The G2 group received before closing the incision line
      carprofen in one dosage of 4 mg/kg given by subcutaneous injection into the
      scruff. Rescue protocol with carprofen was provided for G1 after 24 h following
      ovariohysterectomy same dosage as G2. Blood (2 ml) was collected from the
      cephalic vein of each dog in disposable plastic syringes, containing heparin
      (1:1000) 4 times: Before ovariohysterectomy, 30, 120 min and 24 h following
      ovariohysterectomy. Cortisol concentration was determined by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. The multifactorial pain and sedation scale were used for the
      assessment of pain and sedation. RESULTS: In both groups, the lowest values of
      serum cortisol concentration were obtained before ovariohysterectomy. Cortisol
      levels in both groups were significantly higher (p<0.01) 30 and 120 min after
      ovariohysterectomy and showed a decreasing trend toward the end of the
      observation period (24 h). The results obtained 15 and 30 min after the surgical
      intervention have revealed a statistically significant difference between the
      groups (p<0.05) showing that female dogs treated with carprofen had a lower value
      on the pain scale and a higher value on the sedation scale compared to the group
      with no treatment. CONCLUSION: Carprofen provides both a restful consequence of
      sedation and a rapid return to a more normal physiological and behavioral state
      in dogs after ovariohysterectomy.

PMID- 28919680
TI  - Effects of body conformation and udder morphology on milk yield of zebu cows in
      North region of Cameroon.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of udder morphological
      characteristics on milk yield in zebu cows of Cameroon. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The diameter and height of the udder, length and diameter of the teat, and the
      milk yield were measured in 29 Djafun (Red Mbororo) and 19 Aku (White Fulani)
      cows in Lougguere zootechnical station in the North region of Cameroon. RESULTS:
      Overall, strong positive correlation (rp=0.60) between the diameter (240.21+/
      28.58 mm) and height (131.12+/-23.64 mm) of udders (p<0.001) and between length
      (39.51+/-6.44 mm) and diameter (19.85+/-3.08 mm) of teats (rp=0.78) were found in
      the zebu cows. Udder morphologic characteristics varied significantly (p<0.005)
      according to breed, lactation stage and parity, and height at whiters. There was
      significant (p<0.001) correlations between udder diameter (rp=0.541) and height
      (rp=0.549) with milk yield. CONCLUSION: This study ascertained udder
      morphological characteristics values in local zebu cows, and showed that udder
      size is strong and positively correlated to milk yield. The findings are useful
      in genetic improvement programs of zebu cows.

PMID- 28919681
TI  - Seroprevalence of bovine viral diarrhea virus in crossbred dairy cattle in
      Bangladesh.
AB  - AIM: The study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of bovine viral
      diarrhea virus (BVDV) and hematological features in crossbred dairy cattle in
      Chittagong, Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antibody against BVDV in
      crossbred dairy cattle serum was detected by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay. The association of different categorical variables in the prevalence of
      BVDV has been studied. Blood samples were collected and analyzed to know the
      hematological variations in the study population. RESULTS: The overall
      seroprevalence of BVDV in the study area was 51.1% (95% confidence interval [CI],
      40.5-61.5). Among different physiological stages of animals, the highest 57.1%
      (95% CI, 42.2-71.2) prevalence was in case of non-pregnant animals. Aborted cows
      were found to be significantly (p<0.05) more seropositive 77.8% (95% CI, 52.4
      93.6) than the non-aborted cows (77.8%, 95% CI, 52.4-93.6, compared to 44.7%, 95%
      CI, 33.3-56.6, respectively). Cows having the history of retained placenta were
      found more positive than without the history of retained placenta (63.2%, 95% CI,
      38.4-83.7, compared to 54.7%, 95% CI, 40.4-68.4, respectively). Among the animals
      of different age groups, BVDV seroprevalence was higher 61.3% (95% CI, 42.2-78.2)
      in animals of more than 3 years up to 5 years, whereas 32% was in case of 0-1
      year-old. Significant variation found in different geographical areas of the
      study area. Hematological analyses have shown variation between the BVDV positive
      and negative animals. CONCLUSION: Seroprevalence of BVDV found to be high in the
      study area is also economically important and cause significant damage to the
      production industry. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct effective control
      measures to reduce the burden of BVDV.

PMID- 28919682
TI  - Prevalence of fascioliasis (liver flukes) infection in cattle and buffaloes
      slaughtered at the municipal abattoir of El-Kharga, Egypt.
AB  - AIM: The main objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of
      fascioliasis infections in cattle and buffaloes, slaughtered in El-Kharga city
      slaughterhouse at New Valley Governorate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The slaughtered
      animals were daily inspected for liver fascioliasis allover 2016. Macroscopic
      fascioliasis was detected from a total of 2251 basing on animals specie, sex,
      season, and Fasciola spp. in addition to microscopic examination of blood, fecal
      samples which collected from female cattle and buffalo (50 each). RESULTS: The
      total prevalence rate of Fasciola sp. infection occurs in the study area were
      about 695/2251 (30.88%) from the total cattle and bovine slaughtered carcasses.
      The incidence of fascioliasis was 4/12 (33.33%) and 678/2200 (30.82%) for females
      and males cattle carcasses, respectively, while the infection rate in buffalo
      carcasses was 1/4 (25.00%) and 12/35 (34.29%) for females and males buffalo
      carcasses, respectively. CONCLUSION: The moderate fasciolosis infection in cattle
      and buffaloes slaughtered at the municipal abattoir of El-Kharga, Egypt. The
      highest fascioliasis infection was recorded during winter and autumn. It
      constitutes a major cause of economic losses at El-Kharga abattoir and threat
      public health.

PMID- 28919684
TI  - Molecular screening for hemotropic mycoplasmas in captive Barbary sheep
      (Ammotragus lervia) in southern Brazil.
AB  - AIM: This study is part of an active surveillance program for monitoring animal
      health status in endangered species, and was conducted to screen captive Barbary
      sheep (Ammotragus lervia) for hemoplasma infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      total of 12 blood samples were collected, DNA extracted and further tested by a
      pan-hemoplasma polymerase chain reaction protocol. RESULTS: Animals were
      clinically healthy and not infested by ectoparasites. Although housekeeping gene
      DNA was successfully amplified, all the Barbary sheep samples tested negative for
      Mycoplasma sp. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding the negative results, molecular
      pathogen surveys on Barbary sheep and other exotic wild mammals may provide
      insights regarding infection of endangered species caused by captivity stress in
      association with exposure to new pathogens worldwide.

PMID- 28919683
TI  - Serum levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator in healthy dogs and
      oncologic canine patients.
AB  - AIM: Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) has been scarcely studied in
      veterinary oncology. The aim of this study was to determine the uPA serum
      concentrations in healthy and oncologic canine patients and to investigate its
      potential value as a tumor biomarker. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum uPA
      concentrations of healthy and oncologic canine patients were measured by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. Their relationships with the dogs' health status and
      tumor characteristics were analyzed through ANOVA and independent t-test.
      RESULTS: There were no significant differences between mean serum values (+/
      standard deviation) of healthy dogs (0.19+/-0.13 ng/ml) and oncologic canine
      patients (0.22+/-0.33 ng/ml), or between dogs with benign or malignant tumors,
      and with or without metastases, although the latter tended to show higher uPA
      serum levels. CONCLUSION: This is the first study describing the uPA serum levels
      in dogs. Although its results do not support uPA as a tumor biomarker, higher uPA
      levels in dogs with metastatic neoplasms may reflect the role of the enzyme in
      tumor progression.

PMID- 28919685
TI  - Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica,
      Staphylococcusaureus, and Salmonella enterica Typhimurium in meat and meat
      products using multiplex polymerase chain reaction.
AB  - AIM: The objective of the study was to investigate the occurrence of Listeria
      monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, Staphylococcusaureus, and Salmonella
      enterica Typhimurium in meat and meat products using the multiplex polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR) method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The assay combined an
      enrichment step in tryptic soy broth with yeast extract formulated for the
      simultaneous growth of target pathogens, DNA isolation and multiplex PCR. A total
      of 1134 samples including beef (n=349), chicken (n=325), pork (n=310), chevon
      (n=50), and meat products (n=100) were collected from different parts of Kerala,
      India. All the samples were subjected to multiplex PCR analysis and culture-based
      detection for the four pathogens in parallel. RESULTS: Overall occurrence of L.
      monocytogenes was 0.08 % by cultural method. However, no L. monocytogenes was
      obtained by multiplex PCR method. Yersinia enterocolitica was obtained from beef
      and pork samples. A high prevalence of S. aureus (46.7%) was found in all types
      of meat samples tested. None of the samples was positive for S. Typhimurium.
      CONCLUSION: Multiplex PCR assay used in this study can detect more than one
      pathogen simultaneously by amplifying more than one target gene in a single
      reaction, which can save time and labor cost.

PMID- 28919686
TI  - High-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet-photodiode array detection
      method for aflatoxin B1 in cattle feed supplements.
AB  - AIM: The objective of the current study is to determine the concentration of
      aflatoxin B1 using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a
      photodiode array (PDA) detector. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aflatoxin B1 certified
      reference grade from Trilogy Analytical Laboratory dissolved acetonitrile (ACN)
      at 10 ug/mL was using standard assessment. HPLC instruments such as ultraviolet
      PDA detector used a Shimadzu LC-6AD pump with DGU-20A5 degasser, communication
      module-20A, and PDA detector SPD-M20A with FRC-10A fraction collector. The HPLC
      was set isocratic method at 354 nm with a reverse-phase ODS C18 column
      (LiChrospher(r) 100 RP-18; diameter, 5 um) under a 20 degrees C controlled column
      chamber. Rheodyne(r) sample loops were performed in 20 uL capacities. The mobile
      phase was performed at fraction 63:26:11 H2O: methanol:ACN at pH 6.8. A total of
      1 kg of feed contained 10% bread crumbs and 30% concentrated, 40% forage, and 20%
      soybean dregs were using commercials samples. Samples were extracted by ACN and
      separated with solid phase extraction ODS 1 mL than elution with mobile phase to
      collect at drying samples performed. The samples were ready to use after added 1
      mL mobile phase than injected into the system of HPLC. RESULTS: We found that the
      retention time of aflatoxin B1 was approximately 10.858 min. Linearity of 0.01
      0.08 ug/mL aflatoxin B1 dissolved in mobile phase was obtained at R2=0.9. These
      results demonstrate that these methods can be used to analyze aflatoxin B1 and
      gain 89-99% recovery. The limit of detection of this assay was obtained at 3.5 *
      10-6 ug/mL. CONCLUSION: This method was easy to apply and suitable to analyzing
      at small concentrations of aflatoxin B1 in formulated product of feed cattle.

PMID- 28919687
TI  - Presence and characterization of Escherichia coli virulence genes isolated from
      diseased pigs in the central region of Argentina.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main pathogen of neonatal and post weaning diarrhea and edema
      disease (ED) is Escherichia coli and pathotypes involved are enterotoxigenic,
      enteropathogenic, and shiga toxigenic (ETEC, EPEC, and STEC, respectively). Those
      diseases cause economic loss in pig production. AIM: The aim of this work was to
      evaluate the presence of strains expressing virulence markers genes and the
      antibiotic susceptibility profiles of E. coli from clinical cases of post weaning
      diarrhea and ED in farms in the central area of Argentina. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Intensive pig farms from the central region of Argentina were sampled. Intestinal
      mucosa swabs from pigs with diarrhea were taken, seeded on MacConkey agar plates,
      biochemically typified and tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
      Antibiograms were made by disk-diffusion method. RESULTS: A total of 54 strains
      from clinical cases studied showed PCR findings: 88.88% (48/54) expressed at
      least one gene coding for a virulence factor. Colonization factors found were:
      39.58% of strains had F18, 33.33% were F4 and 31.25% adhesin involved in diffuse
      adherence-I; 29.17%, 25%, and 2.1% expressed LT, STb, and STa, respectively. 25%
      were STx and 16.67% were eae positive. Only 2.1% were STx2. The most active
      antibiotics against most strains were gentamicin and ceftiofur, but resistance
      profiles against many antibiotics were found. CONCLUSION: High circulation of
      pathogens strains of E. coli among pigs with diarrhea with an extended antibiotic
      resistance profile.

PMID- 28919688
TI  - Vaccination with Salmonella Typhi recombinant outer membrane protein 28 induces
      humoral but non-protective immune response in rabbit.
AB  - AIM: Typhoid is one of the most important food and water borne disease causing
      millions of deaths over the world. Presently, there is no cost effective vaccine
      available in India. The outer-membrane proteins (Omps) of Salmonella have been
      exhibited as a potential candidate for development of subunit vaccine against
      typhoid. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of
      recombinant Omp 28 protein for immunization of rabbit to elucidate its protection
      against virulent Salmonella Typhi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immune potential of
      recombinant Omp28 was tested in New Zealand Rabbits. Rabbits were divided into
      two groups, i.e., control and test group. Control group was injected with
      phosphate buffer saline with adjuvant while test group were injected with
      recombinant Omp28 along with adjuvant. Rabbits were bleed and serum was collected
      from each rabbit. Serum was tested by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      for humoral response. Rabbits were challenged with virulent culture to test the
      protective immunity. RESULTS: Humoral response was provoked at 15th day and
      maintained till 30th day. The mean ELISA titer at 15th day was 1 : 28000 (mean
      titer log 10 : 4.4472) and on the 30th day was 1 : 25866 (mean titer log 10 :
      4.4127). Protective immune potential of Omp 28 was assessed by challenge studies
      in rabbits for which vaccinated and control rabbits were challenged with 109
      cells of virulent culture of S. Typhi. In control group, out of six, no rabbit
      could survive after 48 days while in vaccinated group, three out of six rabbit
      were survived. CONCLUSION: Immunization of rabbit with recombinant Omp 28 induced
      a strong humoral response which was exhibited by high antibody titer in ELISA.
      Subsequently, intraperitoneal homologous challenge of the immunized New Zealand
      rabbit resulted in lack of significant protection. These findings indicate that
      Omp 28 though provoked the humoral immunity but could not provide the protective
      immunity in rabbit model.

PMID- 28919689
TI  - Beta-lactamase antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella and Enterobacter species
      isolated from healthy and diarrheic dogs in Andhra Pradesh, India.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to characterize beta-lactamase antimicrobial
      resistance in Klebsiella and Enterobacter species isolated from healthy and
      diarrheic dogs in Andhra Pradesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 136 rectal
      swabs were collected from healthy (92) and diarrheic (44) dogs, bacteriological
      cultured for Klebsiella and Enterobacter growth and screened for beta-lactamase
      antimicrobial resistance phenotypically by disc diffusion method and
      genotypically by polymerase chain reaction targeting blaTEM, blaSHV, blaOXA,
      blaCTX-M Group 1, 2, blaAmpC, blaACC, and blaMOX genes. RESULTS: A total of 33
      Klebsiella and 29 Enterobacter isolates were recovered. Phenotypic beta-lactamase
      resistance was detected in 66.6% and 25% of Klebsiella and Enterobacter isolates,
      respectively, from healthy dogs and 66.6% and 60% of Klebsiella and Enterobacter
      isolates, respectively, from diarrheic dogs. Overall, incidence of extended
      spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) phenotype was found to be 21.2% (7/33) in
      Klebsiella isolates, whereas none of the Enterobacter isolates exhibited ESBL
      phenotype. Predominant beta-lactamase genes detected in Klebsiella species
      include blaSHV (84.8%), followed by blaTEM (33.3%), blaCTX-M Group 1 (15.1%), and
      blaOXA (6.1%) gene. Predominant beta-lactamase genes detected in Enterobacter
      species include blaSHV (48.2%), followed by blaTEM (24.1%), blaAmpC (13.7%), and
      blaOXA (10.3%) gene. CONCLUSION: The present study highlighted alarming beta
      lactamase resistance in Klebsiella and Enterobacter species of canine origin in
      India with due emphasis as indicators of antimicrobial resistance.

PMID- 28919690
TI  - Subchronic toxicity of Nile tilapia with different exposure routes to Microcystis
      aeruginosa: Histopathology, liver functions, and oxidative stress biomarkers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toxic cyanobacterial blooms (Microcystis aeruginosa contains
      microcystins [MCs]) have been reported to induce clinicopathological alterations
      as well as different oxidative stress in aquatic biota. AIM: Three-week
      subchronic exposure experiment was carried out on Nile tilapia, to determine
      their effects on fish behavior, tissues, liver functions, antioxidant enzymes,
      and lipid peroxidation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fish were exposed to four main
      treatments; orally fed diet plus toxic cells of M. aeruginosa (containing 3500
      ug/g MC-LR), immersion in 500 ug MC-LR/L, intraperitoneal injection of M.
      aeruginosa MC-LR with a dose of 0.1 ml of extracted toxin at a dose of 200 MUg/kg
      bwt, and the fourth one served as a control group, then the fish were sacrificed
      at the end of 3rd week of exposure. RESULTS: The results revealed no recorded
      mortality with obvious behavioral changes and an enlarged liver with the
      congested gall bladder. Histopathology demonstrated fragmentation, hyalinization,
      and necrosis of the subcutaneous musculature marked fatty degeneration, and
      vacuolation of hepatopancreatic cells with adhesion of the secondary gill
      lamellae associated with severe leukocytic infiltration. Furthermore, liver
      functions enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, and
      the activities of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, lipid
      peroxidase, and catalase enzymes) were significantly increased in all treatments
      starting from the 2nd week as compared to the control levels. CONCLUSION: In this
      context, the study addresses the possible toxicological impacts of toxic M.
      aeruginosa contain MC-LR to Nile tilapia, and the results investigated that MC-LR
      is toxic to Nile tilapia in different routes of exposure as well as different
      doses.

PMID- 28919691
TI  - Molecular etiopathology of naturally occurring reproductive diseases in female
      goats.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular etiopathology
      of occurrence of reproductive diseases in female goats. Reproductive diseases in
      goats account for major economic losses to goat farmers in terms of valuable loss
      of offspring and animal productivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 660
      female genitalia were examined for pathological conditions (macroscopic and
      microscopic lesions). The etiopathological study was carried out for the presence
      of pathogenic organisms such as Brucella, Chlamydia, and Campylobacter in the
      uterus and ovary. Based on the microscopic lesions, suspected samples were
      subjected to diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for various etiological
      agents employing 16srRNA genus specific primers for Campylobacter and
      Chlamydophila and OMP31 gene-based PCR for Brucella melitensis and nested PCR
      using ITS-1 gene primers for Toxoplasma gondii. For Brucella suspected samples,
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) was also performed. RESULTS: In studied female
      genitalia, 108 (16.30%) showed gross abnormalities with overall 23.32% occurrence
      of pathological conditions (macroscopic and microscopic lesions). Pathological
      involvement of the uterus was the highest 68 (62.96%), followed by the ovaries 27
      (25%) and other organs. Major uterine condition observed was endometritis
      (5.60%). In uterine infections, 35 (5.30%) samples were found positive for
      Campylobacter spp., 12 (1.81%) samples for B. melitensis, and 3 (0.45%) samples
      were positive for Chlamydophila spp. Among the samples positive for B. melitensis
      by PCR, 3 were found positive by IHC also. Corynebacterium ovis was detected by
      PCR using specific primers in a case of hydrosalpinx. It was concluded that many
      pathological lesions in female genitalia of functional significance play a major
      role in infertility in goats. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that many
      pathological lesions in female genitalia of functional significance play a major
      role in infertility in goats.

PMID- 28919692
TI  - Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages with lytic activity against
      common bacterial pathogens.
AB  - AIM: Present investigation was conducted to isolate and characterize
      bacteriophages with lytic activity against common bacterial pathogens. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A total of 60 samples of animal waste disposal from cattle (42) and
      buffalo (18) farms were collected from three different strata, i.e., top, mid,
      and bottom of collection tank. Samples were primarily subjected to rapid
      detection methods, and then isolation of phage was done by double agar layer
      method using Bacillus subtilis (BsH) and Escherichia coli (EH) as host system.
      Phages were characterized on the basis of plaque morphology, temperature, pH
      susceptibility, and host range. RESULTS: Recovery of phages was higher from dairy
      cattle farm waste (78.57%) as compared to buffalo farm waste (72.22%) and bottom
      layer of tank showed maximum recovery. Bacillus subtilis (91%) supported the
      growth of more phages as compared to E. coli (9%). Three different phage
      morphotypes were observed each against Bacillus subtilis (BsHR1, BsHR2, and
      BsHR3) and E. coli (EHR1, EHR2, and EHR3). Mean phage titer of above six phage
      isolates ranged between 3*1010 and 5*1012 plaque forming units/ml. Viability of
      phages was by, and large unaffected at 70 degrees C within 2-3 min, and phage
      isolates were completely inactivated below pH 3 and above 11. Coliphage EHR1 had
      widest host range followed by BsHR1 and BsHR2 while EHR2, EHR3, and BsHR3 had low
      lytic activity. CONCLUSION: It could be concluded from the present study that the
      Bacillus and Coli phage has wide host range and thus exhibits the potential to be
      used as drug substitute tool against common bacterial pathogens.

PMID- 28919693
TI  - Antimicrobial activity of yeasts against some pathogenic bacteria.
AB  - AIM: This study was designed to isolate and identify yeast species from milk and
      meat products, and to test their antimicrobial activity against some bacterial
      species. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 160 milk and meat products samples
      were collected from random sellers and super markets in New Damietta city,
      Damietta, Egypt. Samples were subjected to yeast isolation procedures and tested
      for its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. In addition, all yeast species isolates were
      subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of khs (kievitone
      hydratase) and pelA (pectate degrading enzyme)genes. RESULTS: The recovery rate
      of yeasts from sausage was 20% (2/10) followed by kareish cheese, processed
      cheese, and butter 10% (1/10) each as well as raw milk 9% (9/100), and fruit
      yoghurt 30% (6/20). Different yeast species were recovered, namely, Candida kefyr
      (5 isolates), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (4 isolates), Candida intermedia (3
      isolates), Candida tropicalis (2 isolates), Candida lusitaniae (2 isolates), and
      Candida krusei (1 isolate). khs gene was detected in all S. cerevisiae isolates,
      however, pelA gene was not detected in all identified yeast species.
      Antimicrobial activity of recovered yeasts against the selected bacterial species
      showed high activity with C. intermedia against S. aureus and E. coli, C. kefyr
      against E. coli, and C. lusitaniae against S. aureus. Moderate activities were
      obtained with C. tropicalis, C. lusitaniae, and S. cerevisiae against E. coli;
      meanwhile, all the tested yeasts revealed a very low antimicrobial activity
      against P. aeruginosa. CONCLUSION: The obtained results confirmed that some kinds
      of yeasts have the ability to produce antimicrobial compounds that could inhibit
      some pathogenic and spoilage bacteria and these antimicrobial activity of yeasts
      enables them to be one of the novel agents in controlling spoilage of food.

PMID- 28919694
TI  - Incidence of bovine clinical mastitis in Jammu region and antibiogram of isolated
      pathogens.
AB  - AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of clinical mastitis in
      bovines of Jammu region, to identify the infectious organisms responsible for it,
      and the antimicrobial sensitivity of isolated pathogens. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The study was conducted on cases that were presented to the Medicine Division of
      Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal
      Husbandry, R.S. Pura, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 260 cases of bovines
      were presented from June 30, 2012, to July 01, 2013, out of which 30 cases were
      of clinical mastitis. The diagnosis of clinical mastitis was made on the basis of
      history and clinical examination of affected animals. RESULTS: Animal and quarter
      wise incidence of clinical mastitis were found to be 11.5% and 5.76%,
      respectively. Of the 23 isolates obtained, Staphylococcus aureus (60.87%) was the
      most frequently isolated organism, followed by coagulase negative Staphylococci
      (13.04%), Streptococcus uberis (4.35%), Streptococcus dysgalactiae (8.69%), and
      Escherichia coli (13.04%). The antimicrobial sensitivity of isolates revealed
      maximum sensitivity to enrofloxacin, gentamicin, amoxicillin/sulbactam,
      ceftriaxone/tazobactam, ceftizoxime, ampicillin/sulbactam and least sensitivity
      for oxytetracycline and penicillin. CONCLUSION: Staphylococcus spp. is the major
      causative agent of clinical mastitis in bovines of Jammu region. The causative
      agents of the clinical mastitis were most sensitive to enrofloxacin and
      gentamicin.

PMID- 28919695
TI  - beta-defensins: An innate defense for bovine mastitis.
AB  - Immune challenges are inevitable for livestock that are exposed to a varied range
      of adverse conditions ranging from environmental to pathogenic stresses. The beta
      defensins are antimicrobial peptides, belonging to "defensin" family and
      therefore acts as the first line of defense against the major infections
      occurring in dairy cattle including intramammary infections. The better
      resistance to mastitis displayed by Bos indicus is implicit in the fact that they
      have better adapted and also has more sequence variation with rare allele
      conserved due to lesser artificial selection pressure than that of Bos taurus.
      Among the 58 in silico predicted beta-defensins, only a few have been studied in
      the aspect of intramammary infections. The data on polymorphisms occurring in
      various beta-defensin genes is limited in B. indicus, indicating toward higher
      possibilities for exploring marker for mastitis resistance. The following review
      shall focus on concisely summarizing the up-to-date research on beta-defensins in
      B. taurus and discuss the possible scope for research in B. indicus.

PMID- 28919696
TI  - Potential of pomegranate fruit extract (Punica granatum Linn.) to increase
      vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor expressions
      on the post-tooth extraction wound of Cavia cobaya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pomegranates fruit extracts have several activities, among others,
      anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidants that have the main content
      punicalagin and ellagic acid. Pomegranate has the ability of various therapies
      through different mechanisms. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) function
      was to form new blood vessels produced by various cells one of them was
      macrophages. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was a growth factor proven
      chemotactic, increased fibroblast proliferation and collagen matrix production.
      In addition, VEGF and PDGF synergize in their ability to vascularize tissues. The
      PDGF function was to stabilize and regulate maturation of new blood vessels.
      Activities of pomegranate fruit extract were observed by measuring the increased
      of VEGF and PDGF expression as a marker of wound healing process. AIM: To
      investigate the potential of pomegranate extracts on the tooth extraction wound
      to increase the expression of VEGF and PDGF on the 4th day of wound healing
      process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used 12 Cavia cobaya, which were
      divided into two groups, namely, the provision of 3% sodium carboxymethyl
      cellulose and pomegranate extract. The 12 C. cobaya would be executed on the 4th
      day, the lower jaw of experimental animals was taken, decalcified about 30 days.
      The expression of VEGF and PDGF was examined using immunohistochemical
      techniques. The differences of VEGF and PDGF expression were evaluated
      statistically using t-test. RESULTS: Statistically analysis showed that there
      were significant differences between control and treatment groups (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Pomegranate fruit extract administration increased VEGF and PDGF
      expression on post-tooth extraction wound.

PMID- 28919697
TI  - 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing and molecular serotyping of Avibacterium
      paragallinarum isolated from Indian field conditions.
AB  - AIM: This study was aimed at identifying Indian field isolates of Avibacterium
      paragallinarum on both molecular as well as serological levels that cause
      infectious coryza in chickens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Species-specific polymerase
      chain reaction (HPG-2 PCR), and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing were employed
      for molecular identification. Whereas, multiplex PCR technique was used for
      serological identification of Indian field isolates of A. paragallinarum.
      RESULTS: All three field isolates were identified as A. paragallinarum using HPG
      2 PCR. The species-specific PCR results were validated using 16S rRNA sequencing.
      The partial 16S rRNA sequences obtained from all three isolates showed 96-99%
      homology with the NCBI database reference strains of A. paragallinarum. The
      aligned partial sequences of 16S rRNA were submitted to GenBank, and accession
      numbers were obtained. Multiplex PCR-based molecular serotyping showed that there
      are three serotypes of field isolates of A. paragallinarum, namely, strain IND101
      is serovar A, strain IND102 is serovar B, and strain IND103 is serovar C.
      CONCLUSION: HPG-2 PCR, 16S rRNA sequencing, and multiplex PCR are proved to be
      more accurate, sensitive, and reliable diagnostic tools for molecular and
      serological identification of A. paragallinarum field isolates. These diagnostic
      methods can substitute conventional cultural characterization and would be much
      valuable to formulate quick and correct prevention and control measures against
      this detrimental poultry pathogen.

PMID- 28919698
TI  - Skeletal Lead Burden of the British Royal Navy in Colonial Antigua.
AB  - Lead (Pb) has been known to be a cause of human poisoning since ancient times,
      but despite this, it was a widely used metal in the European colonial period. In
      this study, the relationship between Pb exposure and the demographic variables
      ancestry and age was explored by comparing the bone Pb levels of individuals that
      were of either African or European ancestry, excavated from a British Royal Navy
      hospital cemetery (1793-1822 CE) at English Harbour in Antigua, West Indies. More
      direct comparisons of Pb levels between the two ancestral groups were possible in
      this study because of the unsegregated nature of this cemetery. Inductively
      coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to determine bulk Pb levels in cortical
      bone samples from the fibular diaphyses of 23 male individuals. No significant
      difference was found between the distributions of the Pb levels of the ancestral
      groups (p = 0.94). Further, no positive correlations or significant differences
      were found in relation to the individuals' ages and their Pb levels (p = 0.24).
      Levels of Ba, Ca and rare earth elements support a largely biogenic origin of
      lead. This is bolstered by Pb deposition patterns, generated by synchrotron X-ray
      fluorescence imaging for another study. The data suggest that naval personnel,
      regardless of ancestry at English Harbour, had very similar experiences with
      regard to Pb exposure. Their exposure to the toxic metal was likely not
      consistent over time as steady exposure would have resulted in accumulation of Pb
      with age. This study contributes to addressing historical questions regarding the
      prevalence of Pb poisoning within the British Royal Navy during the colonial
      period.

PMID- 28919699
TI  - Resonant control of polar molecules in individual sites of an optical lattice.
AB  - We study the resonant control of two nonreactive polar molecules in an optical
      lattice site, focusing on the example of RbCs. Collisional control can be
      achieved by tuning bound states of the intermolecular dipolar potential by
      varying the applied electric field or trap frequency. We consider a wide range of
      electric fields and trapping geometries, showing that a three-dimensional optical
      lattice allows significantly wider avoided crossings than free space or quasi-two
      dimensional geometries. Furthermore, we find that dipolar confinement-induced
      resonances can be created with reasonable trapping frequencies and electric
      fields, and have widths that will enable useful control in forthcoming
      experiments.

PMID- 28919700
TI  - Construction and Test Results of Coil 2 of a Three-Coil 800-MHz REBCO Insert for
      the 1.3-GHz High-Resolution NMR Magnet.
AB  - This paper focuses on the construction and test results of Coil 2 that is part of
      a trio of nested coils composing the REBCO 800 MHz insert. Upon its completion,
      the REBCO 800 MHz insert will be placed in the bore of a 500 MHz low temperature
      superconducting (LTS) NMR magnet (L500) to form the MIT 1.3 GHz high-resolution
      NMR magnet. Coil 2 is a stack of 32 double pancake (DP) coils wound with 6-mm
      wide REBCO tape using the no-insulation (NI) technique. Each pancake is wound on
      a stainless steel inner supporting ring to prevent the collapsing of its
      crossover due to the external pressure exerted by the winding pack. Coil 2 will
      be constructed in the following sequence: 1) after winding each DP will be
      individually tested in a bath of liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure to
      determine its current carrying capabilities; 2) DPs will be then assembled as a
      stack with interconnecting joints, and 3) as in Coil 1, each pancake will be
      overbanded with a stainless steel tape, this time to a thickness of 5 mm,
      thickness determined by a stress analysis previously performed. Finally the fully
      assembled Coil 2 will be tested in liquid nitrogen at 77 K and then in liquid
      helium at 4.2 K. We present here details of the stress analysis leading to the
      sizing of the DP inner supporting stainless steel ring and of the overbanding
      thickness required. Test results include coil index, critical current, charging
      time constant.

PMID- 28919701
TI  - Wise Additions Bridge the Gap between Social Psychology and Clinical Practice:
      Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy as an Exemplar.
AB  - Progress in clinical science, theory, and practice requires the integration of
      advances from multiple fields of psychology, but much integration remains to be
      done. The current article seeks to address the specific gap that exists between
      basic social psychological theories and the implementation of related therapeutic
      techniques. We propose several "wise additions," based upon the principles
      outlined by Walton (2014), intended to bridge current social psychological
      research with clinical psychological therapeutic practice using cognitive
      behavioral therapy as an example. We consider how recent advances in social
      psychological theories can inform the development and implementation of wise
      additions in clinical case conceptualization and interventions. We specifically
      focus on self and identity, self-affirmation, transference, social identity, and
      embodied cognition, five dominant areas of interest in the field that have clear
      clinical applications.

PMID- 28919702
TI  - Micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS): a review of surgical procedures using
      stents.
AB  - Over the last decade several novel surgical treatment options and devices for
      glaucoma have been developed. All these developments aim to cause as little
      trauma as possible to the eye, to safely, effectively, and sustainably reduce
      intraocular pressure (IOP), to produce reproducible results, and to be easy to
      adopt. The term "micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS)" was used for summarizing
      all these procedures. Currently MIGS is gaining more and more interest and
      popularity. The possible reduction of the number of glaucoma medications, the ab
      interno approach without damaging the conjunctival tissue, and the probably safer
      procedures compared to incisional surgical methods may explain the increased
      interest in MIGS. The use of glaucoma drainage implants for lowering IOP in
      difficult-to-treat patients has been established for a long time, however, a
      variety of new glaucoma micro-stents are being manufactured by using various
      materials and are available to increase aqueous outflow via different pathways.
      This review summarizes published results of randomized clinical studies and
      extensive case report series on these devices, including Schlemm's canal stents
      (iStent(r), iStent(r) inject, Hydrus), suprachoroidal stents (CyPass(r),
      iStent(r) Supra), and subconjunctival stents (XEN). The article summarizes the
      findings of published material on efficacy and safety for each of these
      approaches.

PMID- 28919703
TI  - Quality and learning curve of handheld versus stand-alone non-mydriatic cameras.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nowadays, complex digital imaging systems allow detailed retinal imaging
      without dilating patients' pupils. These so-called non-mydriatic cameras have
      advantages in common circumstances (eg, for screening or emergency purposes) but
      present limitations in terms of image quality and field of view. We compare the
      usefulness of two non-mydriatic camera systems (ie, a handheld versus a stand
      alone device) for fundus imaging. The primary outcome was image quality. The
      secondary outcomes were learning effects and quality grade-influencing factors.
      METHODS: The imaging procedures followed standard protocol and were all performed
      by the same investigator. Camera 1 (DRS(r)) was a stand-alone system, while
      Camera 2 (Smartscope(r) PRO) was a mobile system. In order to evaluate possible
      learning effects, we selected an examiner with no prior training in the use of
      these systems. The images were graded separately by two experienced and "blinded"
      ophthalmologists following a defined protocol. RESULTS: In total, 211 people were
      enrolled. Quality grade comparisons showed significantly better grades for Camera
      1. Both systems achieved better quality grades for macular images than for disc
      centered images. No remarkable learning effects could be demonstrated.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both camera systems are useful for fundus imaging. The greater
      mobility of Camera 2 was associated with lower image quality. For screening
      scenarios or telemedicine, it must be determined whether image quality or
      mobility is more important.

PMID- 28919704
TI  - Secondary prevention of major cerebrovascular events with seven different
      statins: a multi-treatment meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Statins have been recommended for the use in atherosclerotic
      cardiovascular diseases, but different statins have distinct pharmacological
      characteristics. This multi-treatment meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the
      efficacy of seven statins in the secondary prevention of major cerebrovascular
      events (CVEs). METHODS AND ANALYSES: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Database of
      Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were
      searched to identify studies published between January 1, 2011, and June 30,
      2016. The included randomized controlled trials investigated the efficacy of
      lovastatin, atorvastatin, fluvastatin, simvastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin or
      rosuvastatin in the secondary prevention of CVEs. The primary outcomes were CVEs;
      the secondary outcomes were all-cause death, fatal stroke and nonfatal stroke.
      Meta-analysis and network meta-analysis were used for data synthesis. RESULTS: A
      total of 42 studies with 82,601 patients were included for analysis. In the
      secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, the major CVEs in pravastatin
      (risk ratio [RR] 0.87, 0.76-0.99)- and atorvastatin (RR 0.59, 0.49-0.72)-treated
      patients reduced significantly compared with controls. Indirect comparisons with
      network meta-analysis showed that RR was 0.60 (0.40-0.92) for atorvastatin
      compared with rosuvastatin. Compared to controls, the all-cause death was reduced
      by 12% in statins-treated patients (RR 0.88, 0.81-0.96). Indirect comparisons
      with network analysis showed a significant difference in the nonfatal stroke
      between fluvastatin-treated patients and lovastatin-treated patients (RR 0.28,
      0.07-0.95). CONCLUSION: Different statins have distinct pharmacological
      characteristics, and there are differences in statistical and clinical outcomes
      among several statins.

PMID- 28919705
TI  - New insight into the pathogenesis of nail psoriasis and overview of treatment
      strategies.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting up to 3% of the general
      population. The prevalence of nail involvement in psoriasis patients varies
      between 15% and 79%. While the nails represent a small portion of the body
      surface area, psoriasis in these areas can have a disproportionate influence on a
      patient's physical and psychosocial activities. Differential diagnosis between an
      onychomycosis and a psoriatic nail could be challenging; nevertheless,
      coexistence of onychomycosis and nail psoriasis also occurs and both are common
      disorders in the general population. Nail psoriasis can be difficult to treat.
      Treatment of nail psoriasis should consider the body surface area of skin
      disease, psoriatic arthritis, severity of nail disease, and the impairment in the
      quality of life. All patients should be tested for onychomycosis before starting
      a therapy. This recommendation is underlined by the fact that nail psoriasis is
      mostly treated by immunosuppressive drugs, like steroids, methotrexate, or
      biologics, which may aggravate mycotic nail infections. Conventional systemic
      therapy, such as use of steroids, cyclosporine, methotrexate, and retinoid in the
      long term, can cause organ toxicities. Currently, use of apremilast and
      tofacitinib favors an early healing of nail psoriasis because they act directly
      on the pathogenic targets, distressing the inflammatory signals associated with
      the initiation and maintenance of the disease activity, and as with several
      conventional synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, they are
      characterized by the convenience of oral administration. The number of treatment
      options has increased considerably in recent years; however, given the
      heterogeneity of the disease, the therapy should be personalized to individual
      cases.

PMID- 28919706
TI  - Profile of pembrolizumab in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma: design development and place in therapy.
AB  - Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy
      worldwide, and despite advances in cytotoxic, surgical and radiation techniques,
      outcomes are still poor in those with both locally advanced and metastatic
      diseases. The need for development of better therapeutics along with a greater
      understanding of the relationship between the immune system and malignancies has
      led to a new therapeutic modality, immune modulators, particularly checkpoint
      inhibitors in HNSCC. It is now well recognized that HNSCC circumvents crucial
      pathways utilized by the immune system to escape surveillance. These hijacked
      pathways include impairing tumor antigen presentation machinery and co-opting
      checkpoint receptors. This understanding has led to the development of monoclonal
      antibodies targeting checkpoint receptors and has resulted in promising outcomes
      in HNSCC. This article describes the mechanisms that HNSCC utilizes to escape
      immune surveillance, clinical impact of checkpoint inhibitors (with a focus on
      pembrolizumab), ongoing studies, and future directions.

PMID- 28919708
TI  - Alginate oligosaccharide indirectly affects toll-like receptor signaling via the
      inhibition of microRNA-29b in aneurysm patients after endovascular aortic repair.
AB  - Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) is often followed by aneurysm recurrence.
      Alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) has potential antitumor properties as a natural
      product while the related mechanisms remain unclear. Toll-like receptor (TLR)
      signaling is associated with inflammatory activity of aneurysm and may be
      affected by miR-29b. Thus, inhibitory function of AOS on aneurysms was explored
      by measuring the important molecules in TLR4 signaling. After EVAR, a total of
      248 aortic aneurysm patients were recruited and randomly assigned into two
      groups: AOS group (AG, oral administration 10-mg AOS daily) and control group
      (CG, placebo daily). The size of residual aneurysms, aneurysm recurrence, and
      side effects were investigated. Aneurysm recurrence was determined by Kaplan
      Meier analysis. After 2 years, eight and two patients died in the CG and AG,
      respectively. The sizes of residual aneurysms were significantly larger in the CG
      than in the AG (P<0.05). The incidence of aneurysm recurrence was also
      significantly higher in the CG than in the AG (P<0.05). AOS treatment reduced the
      levels of miR-29b, TLR4, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor
      kappa B (NF-kappa B), interleukin 1 (IL-1) beta, and interleukin 6 (IL-6).
      Overexpression and silence of miR-29b increased and reduced the level of TLR4,
      phospho-p65 NF-kappa B, phospho-p38 MAPK, IL-1 beta, and IL-6. Spearman's rank
      correlation analysis shows that the level of miR-29b is positively related to the
      levels of TLR4, NF-kappa B, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 (P<0.05). Thus, AOS represses
      aneurysm recurrence by indirectly affecting TLR signaling via miR-29b.

PMID- 28919707
TI  - Quantum mechanics implementation in drug-design workflows: does it really help?
AB  - The pharmaceutical industry is progressively operating in an era where
      development costs are constantly under pressure, higher percentages of drugs are
      demanded, and the drug-discovery process is a trial-and-error run. The profit
      that flows in with the discovery of new drugs has always been the motivation for
      the industry to keep up the pace and keep abreast with the endless demand for
      medicines. The process of finding a molecule that binds to the target protein
      using in silico tools has made computational chemistry a valuable tool in drug
      discovery in both academic research and pharmaceutical industry. However, the
      complexity of many protein-ligand interactions challenges the accuracy and
      efficiency of the commonly used empirical methods. The usefulness of quantum
      mechanics (QM) in drug-protein interaction cannot be overemphasized; however,
      this approach has little significance in some empirical methods. In this review,
      we discuss recent developments in, and application of, QM to medically relevant
      biomolecules. We critically discuss the different types of QM-based methods and
      their proposed application to incorporating them into drug-design and -discovery
      workflows while trying to answer a critical question: are QM-based methods of
      real help in drug-design and -discovery research and industry?

PMID- 28919709
TI  - Puerarin transport across rat nasal epithelial cells and the influence of
      compatibility with peoniflorin and menthol.
AB  - Nose-to-brain transport can provide an excellent pathway for drugs of the central
      nervous system. Consequently, how to make full use of this pathway in practical
      applications has become a focus of drug design. However, many aspects affecting
      drug delivery from the nose to the brain remain unclear. This study aimed to more
      deeply investigate the transport of puerarin and to explore the mechanism
      underlying the influence of compatible drugs on puerarin permeability in a
      primary cell model simulating the nasal mucosa. In this research, based on rat
      nasal epithelial cells (RNECs) cultured in vitro and cytotoxicity assays, the
      bidirectional transport of puerarin across RNEC monolayers and the effect of its
      compatibility with peoniflorin and menthol were analyzed. The apparent
      permeability coefficient was <1.5*10-6 cm/s, and the efflux ratio of puerarin was
      <2, indicating that puerarin had poor absorption and that menthol but not
      peoniflorin significantly improved puerarin transport. Simultaneously, through
      experiments, such as immunofluorescence staining, transepithelial electrical
      resistance measurement, rhodamine 123 efflux evaluation, the cell membrane
      fluorescence recovery after photobleaching test, and ATPase activity
      determination, the permeability promoting mechanism of menthol was confirmed to
      be closely related to disruption of the tight junction protein structure, to the
      P-glycoprotein inhibitory effect, to increased membrane fluidity, and to the
      promotion of enzyme activity. These results provide reliable data on nasal
      administration of the studied drugs and lay the foundation for a deeper
      investigation of the nose-brain pathway and nasal administration.

PMID- 28919710
TI  - Irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil-co-loaded, hyaluronic acid-modified layer-by-layer
      nanoparticles for targeted gastric carcinoma therapy.
AB  - For targeted gastric carcinoma therapy, hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified layer-by
      layer nanoparticles (NPs) are applied for improving anticancer treatment efficacy
      and reducing toxicity and side effects. The aim of this study was to develop HA
      modified NPs for the co-loading of irinotecan (IRN) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). A
      novel polymer-chitosan (CH)-HA hybrid formulation (HA-CH-IRN/5-FU NPs) consisting
      of poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and IRN as the core, CH and 5-FU as a
      shell on the core and HA as the outmost layer was prepared. Its morphology,
      average size, zeta potential and drug encapsulation ability were evaluated. Human
      gastric carcinoma cells (MGC803 cells) and cancer-bearing mice were used for the
      testing of in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor efficiency of NPs. HA-CH
      IRN/5-FU NPs displayed enhanced antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo than non
      modified NPs, single drug-loaded NPs and drugs solutions. The results demonstrate
      that HA-CH-IRN/5-FU NPs can achieve impressive antitumor activity and the novel
      targeted drug delivery system offers a promising strategy for the treatment of
      gastric cancer.

PMID- 28919711
TI  - Protective role of quercetin against manganese-induced injury in the liver,
      kidney, and lung; and hematological parameters in acute and subchronic rat
      models.
AB  - Manganese (Mn) is an important mineral element required in trace amounts for
      development of the human body, while over- or chronic-exposure can cause serious
      organ toxicity. The current study was designed to evaluate the protective role of
      quercetin (Qct) against Mn-induced toxicity in the liver, kidney, lung, and
      hematological parameters in acute and subchronic rat models. Male Sprague Dawley
      rats were divided into control, Mn (100 mg/kg for acute model and 15 mg/kg for
      subchronic model), and Mn + Qct (25 and 50 mg/kg) groups in both acute and
      subchronic models. Our result revealed that Mn + Qct groups effectively reduced
      Mn-induced ALT, AST, and creatinine levels. However, Mn + Qct groups had
      effectively reversed Mn-induced alteration of complete blood count, including red
      blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular
      hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, platelets, and white blood
      cells. Meanwhile, the Mn + Qct groups had significantly decreased neutrophil and
      eosinophil and increased lymphocyte levels relative to the Mn group.
      Additionally, Mn + Qct groups showed a beneficial effect against Mn-induced
      macrophages and neutrophils. Our result demonstrated that Mn + Qct groups
      exhibited protective effects on Mn-induced alteration of GRP78, CHOP, and caspase
      3 activities. Furthermore, histopathological observation showed that Mn + Qct
      groups effectively counteracted Mn-induced morphological change in the liver,
      kidney, and lung. Moreover, immunohistochemically Mn + Qct groups had
      significantly attenuated Mn-induced 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine immunoreactivity. Our
      study suggests that Qct could be a substantially promising organ-protective agent
      against toxic Mn effects and perhaps against other toxic metal chemicals or
      drugs.

PMID- 28919712
TI  - Recent developments in the clinical pharmacology of rolapitant: subanalyses in
      specific populations.
AB  - Knowledge of the involvement of the neurokinin substance P in emesis has led to
      the development of the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists (NK-1 RAs) for control
      of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), in combination with serotonin
      type 3 receptor antagonists and corticosteroids. The NK-1 RA rolapitant, recently
      approved in oral formulation, has nanomolar affinity for the NK-1 receptor, as do
      the other commercially available NK-1 RAs, aprepitant and netupitant. Rolapitant
      is rapidly absorbed and has a long half-life in comparison to aprepitant and
      netupitant. All three NK-1 RAs undergo metabolism by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4,
      necessitating caution with the concomitant use of CYP3A4 inhibitors, but in
      contrast to aprepitant and netupitant, rolapitant does not inhibit or induce
      CYP3A4. However, rolapitant is a moderate inhibitor of CYP2D6, and concomitant
      use with CYP2D6 substrates with narrow therapeutic indices should be avoided.
      Aprepitant, netupitant, and rolapitant have all demonstrated efficacy in the
      control of delayed CINV in patients receiving moderately and highly emetogenic
      chemotherapy in randomized controlled trials, including over multiple cycles of
      chemotherapy. We reviewed recent post hoc analyses of clinical trial data
      demonstrating that rolapitant is efficacious in the control of CINV in patient
      populations with specific tumor types, namely, breast cancers,
      gastrointestinal/colorectal cancers, and lung cancers. In addition, we show that
      rolapitant has efficacy in the control of CINV in specific age groups of patients
      receiving chemotherapy (<65 and >=65 years of age). Overall, the safety profile
      of rolapitant in these specific patient populations was consistent with that
      observed in primary analyses of phase 3 trials.

PMID- 28919713
TI  - Layer-by-layer nanoparticles co-loading gemcitabine and platinum (IV) prodrugs
      for synergistic combination therapy of lung cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cisplatin plus gemcitabine (GEM) is a standard regimen for the first
      line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The aim of this study was
      to prepare biocompatible and biodegradable polymeric prodrugs and construct
      nanoparticles (NPs) with layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. METHODS: Platinum (Pt)
      (IV) complex with a carboxyl group was conjugated to the amino group of chitosan
      (CH), resulting in a CH-Pt conjugation with positive charge. GEM with amino group
      was conjugated to the carboxyl group of hyaluronic acid (HA), resulting in a HA
      GEM conjugation with negative charge. Novel LbL NPs consisting of the CH-Pt core
      and the HA-GEM layer, named as HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs, were constructed. The
      physicochemical properties of the HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs were investigated. In vitro
      cytotoxicity against human non-small lung cancer cells (NCl-H460 cells) was
      investigated, and in vivo antitumor efficiency was evaluated on mice bearing NCl
      H460 cells xenografts. RESULTS: HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs have a size of about 187 nm, a
      zeta potential value of -21 mV and high drug encapsulation efficiency of 90%. The
      drug release of HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs exhibited a sustained behavior. HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs
      could significantly enhance in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor effect
      against lung cancer animal model compared to the single-drug-loaded NPs and free
      drug solutions. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs
      might be a promising system for the synergetic treatment of lung carcinoma.

PMID- 28919714
TI  - Radium 223 dichloride for prostate cancer treatment.
AB  - Prostate cancer is the most common malignant disease in men. Several therapeutic
      agents have been approved during the last 10 years. Among them, radium-223
      dichloride (Xofigo(r)) is a radioactive isotope that induces irreversible DNA
      double-strand breaks and consequently tumor cell death. Radium-223 dichloride is
      a calcium-mimetic agent that specifically targets bone lesions. Radium-223
      dichloride has been approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant
      prostate cancer with symptomatic bone metastases, without known visceral
      metastases. In this review, first we summarize the interplay between prostate
      tumor cells and bone microenvironment; then, we discuss radium-223 dichloride
      mechanism of action and present the results of the available clinical trials and
      future developments for this new drug.

PMID- 28919715
TI  - In vitro inhibitory activities of magnolol against Candida spp.
AB  - Candida spp. cause various infections involving the skin, mucosa, deep tissues,
      and even life-threatening candidemia. They are regarded as an important pathogen
      of nosocomial bloodstream infection, with a high mortality rate. As a result of
      prolonged exposure to azoles, the therapeutic failure associated with azoles
      resistance has become a serious challenge in clinical situations. Therefore,
      novel, alternative antifungals are required urgently. In the present study, the
      CLSI M-27A broth microdilution method and the 2,3-Bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5
      sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) reduction assay were used to
      evaluate the antifungal effects of magnolol against various standard Candida
      strains in planktonic mode and biofilm formation, respectively. The antifungal
      activity of magnolol was demonstrated in planktonic C. albicans and non-albicans
      Candida species, especially fluconazole-resistant Candida krusei, with the
      minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 10 to 40 MUg/mL. The BMIC90
      (minimum concentration with 90% Candida biofilm inhibited) values of magnolol
      ranged from 20 to 160 MUg/mL, whereas the BMIC90 values of fluconazole were more
      than 128 MUg/mL. As an alternative and broad-spectrum antifungal agent, magnolol
      might be of benefit to the treatment of refractory Candida infection.

PMID- 28919717
TI  - The influence of goal-directed fluid therapy on the prognosis of elderly patients
      with hypertension and gastric cancer surgery [Retraction].
AB  - [This retracts the article on p. 2113 in vol. 8.].

PMID- 28919716
TI  - Palatability and physical properties of potassium-binding resin RDX7675:
      comparison with sodium polystyrene sulfonate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperkalemia is a potentially life-threatening condition that
      patients with heart failure or chronic kidney disease, especially those taking
      renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, are at high risk of developing.
      Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS), a current treatment, binds potassium within
      the gastrointestinal tract to reduce potassium absorption. However, poor
      palatability limits its long-term use. RDX7675, a novel potassium binder in
      development for the treatment of hyperkalemia, is a calcium salt of a
      reengineered polystyrene sulfonate-based resin designed to have enhanced
      palatability. Here, the physical properties and palatability of RDX7675 and SPS
      are compared. METHODS: RDX7675 and SPS particle sizes were measured using wet
      dispersion laser diffraction. Palatability was assessed in a randomized,
      crossover, healthy volunteer study with two visits. At visit 1 (open label),
      volunteers evaluated high-viscosity, intermediate-viscosity, and water
      reconstituted formulations of RDX7675 (all vanilla flavor), and an equivalent
      reconstituted SPS (Resonium A(r)). At visit 2 (single-blind), volunteers
      evaluated RDX7675 as a high-viscosity formulation in vanilla, citrus, and mint
      flavors, and as intermediate-viscosity, low-viscosity, and reconstituted
      formulations in citrus flavor. Volunteers used a "sip and spit" technique to rate
      overall acceptability and seven individual characteristics from 1 ("dislike
      everything") to 9 ("like extremely"). RESULTS: RDX7675 particles were smaller
      than SPS particles, with a narrower size range (RDX7675, 80%, 14-52 um; SPS, 11.3
      124.2 um), and had a smooth, spherical shape, in contrast to the shard-like SPS
      particles. Reconstituted RDX7675 was considered superior to SPS for five of the
      seven palatability characteristics and for overall acceptability (median, visit
      1: reconstituted RDX7675, 5.0; SPS, 4.0). High-viscosity vanilla was the most
      highly rated RDX7675 formulation (median overall acceptability, visit 2: 7.0).
      CONCLUSION: The smaller, more uniformly shaped, spherical particles of RDX7675
      resulted in improved palatability over SPS when reconstituted in water. The
      overall results are promising for future patient acceptability of RDX7675
      treatment.

PMID- 28919718
TI  - Extended infusion versus intermittent infusion of imipenem in the treatment of
      ventilator-associated pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mechanical ventilation support can be the main source of ventilator
      associated pneumonia (VAP). VAP is a serious infection that may be associated
      with dangerous gram-negative bacteria mainly, and it leads to an increase in the
      mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Imipenem is one of the strongest
      antibiotics now available for treating VAP which is associated with gram-negative
      and gram-positive bacteria, and it belongs to beta-lactam antibiotic group
      (carbapenem). OBJECTIVE: This study tried to investigate the efficacy of imipenem
      against VAP when it was infused within 180 min versus the efficacy when it was
      infused within 30-60 min. SETTING: This study was conducted in main ICU in
      general hospital which consists of surgical and medical beds within 2 years. One
      hundred and eighty-seven patients were enrolled on it. METHOD: This study is a
      retrospective cohort which was conducted within 2 years. The efficacy of imipenem
      which was administered by intermittent infusion (30-60 min) within first year was
      compared with the efficacy of imipenem which was administered by extended
      infusion (180 min) within second year in the field of VAP curing and cost
      reduction. All data were collected retrospectively from patient medical files and
      were statistically analyzed by SPSS version 20. MAIN OUTCOME: The study was
      designed to measure clinical and cost reduction outcomes, mortality and hospital
      stay. RESULTS: The results indicated that there is a significant decrease in
      mortality, number of recurrent infection, and ICU stay length, and the number of
      mechanical ventilator days was associated with extended imipenem infusion during
      the second year of the study. CONCLUSION: The use of imipenem with extended
      infusion over 3 hours enhances its clinical outcomes in the treatment of VAP.

PMID- 28919719
TI  - An upper and lower bound of the Medication Possession Ratio.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) is a ubiquitous and central
      measurement for adherence in the health care industry. However, attempts to
      standardize its calculation have failed, possibly due to the opacity of a single,
      static MPR, incapability of directly lending itself to a variety of studies, and
      challenges of comparing the value across studies. This work shows that the MPR
      strictly depends on the length of the time interval over which it is measured as
      well as on the dominant dispense quantity for short time intervals. Furthermore,
      removing a proportion of the patient cohort based on the number of acquisitions
      may also have a severe impact on the MPR. Therefore, it is suggested that the MPR
      is represented as a trend over a range of time intervals. To this end, an upper
      and lower bound of the MPR trend is developed with an upper bound acknowledging
      patients who change their treatment and the lower bound acknowledging patients
      who discontinue their treatment. PURPOSE: Introducing a representation of the MPR
      value as a trend rather than a static number by developing a quantitative
      description of an upper and lower bound of the MPR trend, while shedding light on
      the impacts on prefiltering the patient cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Anonymized
      patient-level data was utilized as an example for a suggested calculation of an
      upper and lower bound of the MPR. RESULTS: Representation of the MPR for a
      predefined time interval precludes a reliable MPR assessment. A quantitative
      approach is suggested to generate an upper and lower trend of the MPR while
      emphasizing the impact on removing patients with a limited number of
      acquisitions. CONCLUSION: An upper and lower trend makes the MPR more transparent
      and allows a better comparison across different studies. Removing patients with a
      limited number of acquisitions should be avoided.

PMID- 28919720
TI  - Text messaging to decrease tuberculosis treatment attrition in TB-HIV coinfection
      in Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low tuberculosis (TB) treatment completion rates in sub-Saharan
      Africa are an important driver of multidrug resistance. Mobile technology-based
      interventions have been shown to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy in
      sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to test the effect of a short-message service (SMS)
      intervention on loss to follow-up (LFU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this quasi
      experimental study, all adult, literate, HIV-infected patients with mobile phone
      access diagnosed with TB between November 2010 and October 2011 in an urban
      clinic in Uganda were eligible to receive adherence and appointment reminders and
      educational quizzes during the first 8 weeks of TB treatment. Their risk of LFU
      in the first 8 weeks of treatment was compared with that of patients starting
      treatment between March 2009 and August 2010 using logistic regression. RESULTS:
      One of 183 (0.5%) enrolled patients was lost to FU during the intervention
      compared to six of 302 (2.0%) in the preintervention control group (RR 0.27, 95%
      CI 0.03-2.07; P=0.22). The SMS intervention was rated as very helpful by 96%.
      Barriers identified included interrupted phone access (26%, median 14 days) and
      difficulties responding by SMS. The response rate to educational quizzes was
      below 10%. There were no unintentional disclosures of TB or HIV status due to the
      intervention. CONCLUSION: An SMS reminder service did not show a clear effect on
      short-term risk of LFU in this study, which was underpowered due to a lower
      baseline risk in the control group than expected. The SMS-reminder service was
      rated highly, and there were no breaches of confidentiality. Important
      technological barriers have implications for larger-scale implementation, not
      only for TB but also other disease modalities.

PMID- 28919721
TI  - Profile of sodium phenylbutyrate granules for the treatment of urea-cycle
      disorders: patient perspectives.
AB  - Urea-cycle disorders are a group of rare hereditary metabolic diseases
      characterized by deficiencies of one of the enzymes and transporters involved in
      the urea cycle, which is necessary for the removal of nitrogen produced from
      protein breakdown. These hereditary metabolic diseases are characterized by
      hyperammonemia and life-threatening hyperammonemic crises. Pharmacological
      treatment of urea-cycle disorders involves alternative nitrogen-scavenging
      pathways. Sodium benzoate combines with glycine and phenylacetate/phenylbutyrate
      with glutamine, forming, respectively, hippuric acid and phenylacetylglutamine,
      which are eliminated in the urine. Among the ammonia-scavenging drugs, sodium
      phenylbutyrate is a well-known long-term treatment of urea-cycle disorders. It
      has been used since 1987 as an investigational new drug, and was approved for
      marketing in the US in 1996 and the EU in 1999. However, sodium phenylbutyrate
      has an aversive odor and taste, which may compromise patients' compliance, and
      many patients have reported difficulty in taking this drug. Sodium phenylbutyrate
      granules are a new tasteless and odor-free formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate,
      which is indicated in the treatment of urea-cycle disorders. This recently
      developed taste-masked formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate granules was designed
      to overcome the considerable issues that taste has on adherence to therapy.
      Several studies have reported the clinical experience of patients with urea-cycle
      disorders treated with this new tasteless formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate.
      Analysis of the data indicated that this taste-masked formulation of sodium
      phenylbutyrate granules improved quality of life for urea-cycle disorder
      patients. Furthermore, a postmarketing report on the use of the product has
      confirmed the previous observations of improved compliance, efficacy, and safety
      with this taste-masked formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate.

PMID- 28919722
TI  - Measuring dispositional optimism in patients with chronic heart failure and their
      healthcare providers: the validity of the Life Orientation Test-Revised.
AB  - The Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) measures dispositional optimism (DO) -
      an individual difference promoting physical and psychological well-being in
      healthy adults (HAs) as well as in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and
      healthcare providers (HPs). Controversy has arisen regarding the dimensionality
      of the LOT-R. Whereas DO was originally defined as a one-dimensional construct,
      empirical evidence suggests two correlated factors in the LOT-R. This study was
      the first attempt to identify the best factor structure of the LOT-R in patients
      with CHF and HPs and to evaluate its measurement invariance among subsamples of
      patients with CHF, HPs, and a normative sample of HAs. Its validity was also
      evaluated in patients with CHF. The sample comprised 543 participants (34% HAs;
      34% HPs; and 32% CHF patients). Congeneric, two correlated factor, and two
      orthogonal factor models for the LOT-R were compared by performing confirmatory
      factor analysis (CFA). Measurement invariance was evaluated by considering
      differential item functioning (DIF) among subsamples of HPs, patients with CHF,
      and HAs. In patients with CHF, validity was assessed by considering associations
      with anxiety and depression. The CFA demonstrated the superior fit of the two
      orthogonal factor model. Moreover, across patients with CHF, HPs, and HAs, the
      results highlighted a minimal DIF with only trivial consequences. Finally,
      negative but weak correlations of DO with anxiety and depression confirmed the
      validity of the LOT-R in patients with CHF. In summary, these findings supported
      the validity and suitability of the LOT-R for the assessment of DO in patients
      with CHF, HPs, and HAs.

PMID- 28919723
TI  - Effect of caregivers' expressed emotion on the care burden and rehospitalization
      rate of schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study assessed the effect of expressed emotion (EE) among
      caregivers of schizophrenia patients on their care burden and the illness
      rehospitalization rate. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 64 schizophrenia
      patients hospitalized for the first time and their key caregivers were recruited.
      The Chinese version of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI-CV) was used to
      evaluate the EE of the key caregivers. A family burden questionnaire was used to
      evaluate the care burden. The patients' rehospitalization rate and medication
      compliance were evaluated by the self-designated criteria. The data collection
      was carried out at the first meeting in the hospital, at 6 months and 12 months
      after hospital discharge by using the same instruments. RESULTS: The subjective
      stress burden and subjective demand burden scores were higher in caregivers
      before and after discharge with statistical difference between the various
      observation time points (P<0.05). Significant differences were observed in the
      rehospitalization rate between patients with high medication adherence and low
      medication adherence at 12 months (P<0.01) and between patients with high
      expressed emotion (HEE) and low expressed emotion (LEE; P<0.05). The
      rehospitalization rate in patients with HEE caregivers was higher than that in
      those with LEE caregivers. The subjective stress burden scores were statistically
      significant between HEE and LEE caregivers (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: HEE is a
      predictor of rehospitalization rate in schizophrenic patients. The burdens of
      care scores are high in caregivers of schizophrenic patients. The caregivers with
      HEE have a high score in burden of care compared with those with LEE.

PMID- 28919724
TI  - Development of a core outcome set for medication review in older patients with
      multimorbidity and polypharmacy: a study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medication review has been advocated to address the challenge of
      polypharmacy in older patients, yet there is no consensus on how best to evaluate
      its efficacy. Heterogeneity of outcomes reported in clinical trials can hinder
      the comparison of clinical trial findings in systematic reviews. Moreover, the
      outcomes that matter most to older patients might be under-reported or
      disregarded altogether. A core outcome set can address this issue as it defines a
      minimum set of outcomes that should be reported in all clinical trials in any
      particular field of research. As part of the European Commission-funded project,
      called OPtimising thERapy to prevent Avoidable hospital admissions in the
      Multimorbid elderly, this paper describes the methods used to develop a core
      outcome set for clinical trials of medication review in older patients with
      multimorbidity. METHODS/DESIGN: The study was designed in several steps. First, a
      systematic review established which outcomes were measured in published and
      ongoing clinical trials of medication review in older patients. Second, we
      undertook semistructured interviews with older patients and carers aimed at
      identifying additional relevant outcomes. Then, a multilanguage European Delphi
      survey adapted to older patients was designed. The international Delphi survey
      was conducted with older patients, health care professionals, researchers, and
      clinical experts in geriatric pharmacotherapy to validate outcomes to be included
      in the core outcome set. Consensus meetings were conducted to validate the
      results. DISCUSSION: We present the method for developing a core outcome set for
      medication review in older patients with multimorbidity. This study protocol
      could be used as a basis to develop core outcome sets in other fields of
      geriatric research.

PMID- 28919725
TI  - Correlations between satisfaction with life and selected personal resources among
      students of Universities of the Third Age.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to identify personal resources, including
      health-related resources, sense of self-efficacy, attitude to life
      (optimism/pessimism) and self-assessment, and to determine their relationship
      with satisfaction with life in members of the Universities of the Third Age
      (U3As) in Poland. The impact of sociodemographic factors was analyzed. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The study included 320 participants of U3As; their mean age was 67.5
      years and the vast majority of them were women (92.5%). The study was a screening
      test based on a diagnostic survey using validated scales, Satisfaction with Life
      Scale (SWLS), Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) and Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale
      (GSES), and a survey of own design. RESULTS: Men showed significantly higher mean
      SWLS scores than women. SWLS scores were found to correlate significantly with
      LOT-R (r=0.411; P<0.001) and GSES scores (r=0.451; P<0.001). The respondents'
      financial situation had a significant impact on their scores in all scales: SWLS
      (P<0.001), LOT-R (P<0.001) and GSES (P<0.001). Educational attainment of the
      respondents showed a significant correlation with SWLS (P=0.004) and GSES
      (P=0.011). CONCLUSION: In the process of preparation for successful aging,
      particular emphasis should be placed on the continuous development of an
      individual, as it leads to the improvement of their socioeconomic status. Also,
      promoting positive personality traits and responsibility for one's own life,
      including health, is of vital importance. The study is particularly important for
      the early identification of individuals at risk of unsuccessful aging.

PMID- 28919726
TI  - Gene expression levels of the insulin-like growth factor family in patients with
      AMD before and after ranibizumab intravitreal injections.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study focused on the assessment of the mRNA levels of the
      insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family in patients with the exudative form of
      age-related macular degeneration (AMD) before and after ranibizumab intravitreal
      injections. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An analysis of the expression profile of the
      IGF family of genes in patients with AMD was carried out using the
      oligonucleotide microarray and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-qPCR) methods. RESULTS: In the peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells (PBMCs) obtained from AMD group receiving ranibizumab compared to the
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells from AMD group before ranibizumab treatment
      using oligonucleotide microarray technique, six statistically significant
      differentially expressed transcripts related to the IGF family were detected
      (unpaired t-test, p<0.05, fold change >1.5). Moreover, analysis using the real
      time RT-qPCR technique revealed statistically significant differences in the IGF2
      and IGF2R mRNA levels (Mann-Whitney U test, p<0.05) between the two groups that
      were studied. Statistical analyses of both oligonucleotide microarray and real
      time RT-qPCR results demonstrated a significant decreased expression only for
      IGF2 mRNA. CONCLUSION: Our results revealed a changed expression of IGF2 mRNA
      after ranibizumab treatment.

PMID- 28919727
TI  - Five-year durability of stand-alone interspinous process decompression for lumbar
      spinal stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common indication for spine
      surgery in older adults. Interspinous process decompression (IPD) using a stand
      alone spacer that functions as an extension blocker offers a minimally invasive
      treatment option for intermittent neurogenic claudication associated with spinal
      stenosis. METHODS: This study evaluated the 5-year clinical outcomes for IPD
      (Superion(r)) from a randomized controlled US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
      noninferiority trial. Outcomes included Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ)
      symptom severity (ss), physical function (pf), and patient satisfaction (ps)
      subdomains, leg and back pain visual analog scale (VAS), and Oswestry Disability
      Index (ODI). RESULTS: At 5 years, 84% of patients (74 of 88) demonstrated
      clinical success on at least two of three ZCQ domains. Individual ZCQ domain
      success rates were 75% (66 of 88), 81% (71 of 88), and 90% (79 of 88) for ZCQss,
      ZCQpf, and ZCQps, respectively. Leg and back pain success rates were 80% (68 of
      85) and 65% (55 of 85), respectively, and the success rate for ODI was 65% (57 of
      88). Percentage improvements over baseline were 42%, 39%, 75%, 66%, and 58% for
      ZCQss, ZCQpf, leg and back pain VAS, and ODI, respectively (all P<0.001). Within
      group effect sizes were classified as very large for four of five clinical
      outcomes (ie, >1.0; all P<0.0001). Seventy-five percent of IPD patients were free
      from reoperation, revision, or supplemental fixation at their index level at 5
      years. CONCLUSION: After 5 years of follow-up, IPD with a stand-alone spacer
      provides sustained clinical benefit.

PMID- 28919729
TI  - Psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation
      Adapted Index of Self-Efficacy (PRAISE) for individuals with COPD.
AB  - PURPOSE: Self-efficacy is related to the emotional functioning and coping skills
      of an individual and is thought to be a predictor of health behaviors, which are
      particularly important for pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). To our knowledge, no
      measure of self-efficacy has been validated to explore behavior changes in the
      context of PR for patients with COPD in Korea. This study aimed to evaluate the
      psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation
      Adapted Index of Self-Efficacy (PRAISE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The original
      scale, developed and validated by Vincent et al was translated into Korean
      through a process involving forward and back translation of the original scale,
      and transcultural adaptation was performed following the structured procedure.
      Content validity was assessed by a panel of 6 expert judges. In a convenience
      sample of 118 patients with COPD, exploratory factor analysis using principal
      axis factoring, followed by oblique rotation was conducted to identify construct
      validity, and the concurrent validity was evaluated by testing correlations
      between the PRAISE and 6-minute walking distance test and the PRAISE and Saint
      George Respiratory Questionnaire results. Internal consistency was examined by
      calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficients. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis
      confirmed the 2-dimensional structure of the scale constructed from the original
      15-item scale. The final scale was composed of 14 items that cumulatively
      explained 60.3% of the total variance. The 2 factors in the scale were named
      "general self-efficacy" and "exercise self-efficacy." Significant correlations
      between the PRAISE, and 6-minute walking distance test and Saint George
      Respiratory Questionnaire showed the concurrent validity of the PRAISE. The
      Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the PRAISE was 0.93. CONCLUSION: The Korean
      version of the PRAISE showed adequate construct validity and reliability. These
      results suggest that the PRAISE is suitable for use in clinical settings as a
      predictor of PR behavior in Korean patients with COPD.

PMID- 28919730
TI  - A new functional method to choose the target lobe for lung volume reduction in
      emphysema - comparison with the conventional densitometric method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung volume reduction (LVR) improves breathing mechanics by reducing
      hyperinflation. Lobar selection usually focuses on choosing the most destroyed
      emphysematous lobes as seen on an inspiratory CT scan. However, it has never been
      shown to what extent these densitometric CT parameters predict the least
      deflation of an individual lobe during expiration. The addition of expiratory CT
      analysis allows measurement of the extent of lobar air trapping and could
      therefore provide additional functional information for choice of potential
      treatment targets. OBJECTIVES: To determine lobar vital capacity/lobar total
      capacity (LVC/LTC) as a functional parameter for lobar air trapping using on an
      inspiratory and expiratory CT scan. To compare lobar selection by LVC/LTC with
      the established morphological CT density parameters. METHODS: 36 patients
      referred for endoscopic LVR were studied. LVC/LTC, defined as delta volume over
      maximum volume of a lobe, was calculated using inspiratory and expiratory CT
      scans. The CT morphological parameters of mean lung density (MLD), low
      attenuation volume (LAV), and 15th percentile of Hounsfield units (15%P) were
      determined on an inspiratory CT scan for each lobe. We compared and correlated
      LVC/LTC with MLD, LAV, and 15%P. RESULTS: There was a weak correlation between
      the functional parameter LVC/LTC and all inspiratory densitometric parameters.
      Target lobe selection using lowest lobar deflation (lowest LVC/LTC) correlated
      with target lobe selection based on lowest MLD in 18 patients (50.0%), with the
      highest LAV in 13 patients (36.1%), and with the lowest 15%P in 12 patients
      (33.3%). CONCLUSION: CT-based measurement of deflation (LVC/LTC) as a functional
      parameter correlates weakly with all densitometric CT parameters on a lobar
      level. Therefore, morphological criteria based on inspiratory CT densitometry
      partially reflect the deflation of particular lung lobes, and may be of limited
      value as a sole predictor for target lobe selection in LVR.

PMID- 28919728
TI  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with mild airflow limitation: current
      knowledge and proposal for future research - a consensus document from six
      scientific societies.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality and
      morbidity worldwide, with high and growing prevalence. Its underdiagnosis and
      hence under-treatment is a general feature across all countries. This is
      particularly true for the mild or early stages of the disease, when symptoms do
      not yet interfere with daily living activities and both patients and doctors are
      likely to underestimate the presence of the disease. A diagnosis of COPD requires
      spirometry in subjects with a history of exposure to known risk factors and
      symptoms. Postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced
      vital capacity <0.7 or less than the lower limit of normal confirms the presence
      of airflow limitation, the severity of which can be measured by FEV1% predicted:
      stage 1 defines COPD with mild airflow limitation, which means postbronchodilator
      FEV1 >=80% predicted. In recent years, an elegant series of studies has shown
      that "exclusive reliance on spirometry, in patients with mild airflow limitation,
      may result in underestimation of clinically important physiologic impairment". In
      fact, exercise tolerance, diffusing capacity, and gas exchange can be impaired in
      subjects at a mild stage of airflow limitation. Furthermore, growing evidence
      indicates that smokers without overt abnormal spirometry have respiratory
      symptoms and undergo therapy. This is an essential issue in COPD. In fact, on one
      hand, airflow limitation, even mild, can unduly limit the patient's physical
      activity, with deleterious consequences on quality of life and even survival; on
      the other hand, particularly in younger subjects, mild airflow limitation might
      coincide with the early stage of the disease. Therefore, we thought that it was
      worthwhile to analyze further and discuss this stage of "mild COPD". To this end,
      representatives of scientific societies from five European countries have met and
      developed this document to stimulate the attention of the scientific community on
      COPD with "mild" airflow limitation. The aim of this document is to highlight
      some key features of this important concept and help the practicing physician to
      understand better what is behind "mild" COPD. Future research should address two
      major issues: first, whether mild airflow limitation represents an early stage of
      COPD and what the mechanisms underlying the evolution to more severe stages of
      the disease are; and second, not far removed from the first, whether regular
      treatment should be considered for COPD patients with mild airflow limitation,
      either to prevent progression of the disease or to encourage and improve physical
      activity or both.

PMID- 28919731
TI  - Sensitization to Aspergillus fumigatus as a risk factor for bronchiectasis in
      COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap
      presents a possible clinical phenotype of COPD, but it is unclear why it develops
      in a subset of patients. We hypothesized that sensitization to Aspergillus
      fumigatus (A fum) is associated with bronchiectasis in COPD and occurs more
      frequently in vitamin D-deficient patients. METHODS: This observational study
      investigated sensitization to A fum in an outpatient clinical cohort of 300 COPD
      patients and 50 (ex-) smoking controls. Total IgE, A fum-specific IgE against the
      crude extract and against the recombinant antigens and A fum IgG were measured
      using ImmunoCAP fluoroenzyme immunoassay. Vitamin D was measured by
      radioimmunoassay, and computed tomography images of the lungs were scored using
      the modified Reiff score. RESULTS: Sensitization to A fum occurred in 18% of COPD
      patients compared to 4% of controls (P=0.0110). In all, 31 COPD patients (10%)
      were sensitized to the crude extract and 24 patients (8%) had only IgE against
      recombinant antigens. A fum IgG levels were significantly higher in the COPD
      group (P=0.0473). Within COPD, A fum-sensitized patients were more often male
      (P=0.0293) and more often had bronchiectasis (P=0.0297). Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      and Serratia marcescens were more prevalent in historical sputum samples of A fum
      sensitized COPD patients compared to A fum-non-sensitized COPD patients
      (P=0.0436). Vitamin D levels were comparable (P=0.2057). Multivariate analysis
      demonstrated that sensitization to recombinant f1 or f3 had a 2.8-fold increased
      risk for bronchiectasis (P=0.0030). CONCLUSION: These results highlight a
      potential role for sensitization to A fum in COPD-related bronchiectasis.

PMID- 28919732
TI  - Capillary PO2 does not adequately reflect arterial PO2 in hypoxemic COPD
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare arterial (PaO2) with capillary (PcO2) partial pressure of
      oxygen in hypoxemic COPD patients because capillary blood gas analysis (CBG) is
      increasingly being used as an alternative to arterial blood gas analysis (ABG) in
      a non-intensive care unit setting, although the agreement between PcO2 and PaO2
      has not been evaluated in hypoxemic COPD patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Bland
      Altman comparison of PaO2 and PcO2 served as the primary outcome parameter if
      PcO2 values were <=60 mmHg and the secondary outcome parameter if PcO2 values
      were <=55 mmHg. Pain associated with the measurements was assessed using a 100-mm
      visual analog scale. RESULTS: One hundred and two PaO2/PcO2 measurement pairs
      were obtained. For PcO2 values <=60 mmHg, the mean difference between PaO2 and
      PcO2 was 5.99+/-6.05 mmHg (limits of agreement: -5.88 to 17.85 mmHg). For PcO2
      values <=55 mmHg (n=73), the mean difference was 5.33+/-5.52 mmHg (limits of
      agreement: -5.48 to 16.15 mmHg). If PaO2 <=55 (<=60) mmHg was set as the cut-off
      value, in 20.6% (30.4%) of all patients, long-term oxygen therapy have been
      unnecessarily prescribed if only PcO2 would have been assessed. ABG was rated as
      more painful compared with CBG. CONCLUSIONS: PcO2 does not adequately reflect
      PaO2 in hypoxemic COPD patients, which can lead to a relevant number of
      unnecessary long-term oxygen therapy prescriptions.

PMID- 28919733
TI  - Cycle ergometer and inspiratory muscle training offer modest benefit compared
      with cycle ergometer alone: a comprehensive assessment in stable COPD patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cycle ergometer training (CET) has been shown to improve exercise
      performance of the quadriceps muscles in patients with COPD, and inspiratory
      muscle training (IMT) may improve the pressure-generating capacity of the
      inspiratory muscles. However, the effects of combined CET and IMT remain unclear
      and there is a lack of comprehensive assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty
      one patients with COPD were randomly allocated to three groups: 28 received 8
      weeks of CET + IMT (combined training group), 27 received 8 weeks of CET alone
      (CET group), and 26 only received 8 weeks of free walking (control group).
      Comprehensive assessment including respiratory muscle strength, exercise
      capacity, pulmonary function, dyspnea, quality of life, emotional status,
      nutritional status, and body mass index, airflow obstruction, and exercise
      capacity index were measured before and after the pulmonary rehabilitation
      program. RESULTS: Respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity, inspiratory
      capacity, dyspnea, quality of life, depression and anxiety, and nutritional
      status were all improved in the combined training and CET groups when compared
      with that in the control group (P<0.05) after pulmonary rehabilitation program.
      Inspiratory muscle strength increased significantly in the combined training
      group when compared with that in the CET group (DeltaPImax [maximal inspiratory
      pressure] 5.20+/-0.89 cmH2O vs 1.32+/-0.91 cmH2O; P<0.05). However, there were no
      significant differences in the other indices between the two groups (P>0.05).
      Patients with weakened respiratory muscles in the combined training group derived
      no greater benefit than those without respiratory muscle weakness (P>0.05). There
      were no significant differences in these indices between the patients with
      malnutrition and normal nutrition after pulmonary rehabilitation program
      (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Combined training is more effective than CET alone for
      increasing inspiratory muscle strength. IMT may not be useful when combined with
      CET in patients with weakened inspiratory muscles. Nutritional status had slight
      impact on the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation. A comprehensive assessment
      approach can be more objective to evaluate the effects of combined CET and IMT.

PMID- 28919735
TI  - Essential need for rethink of COPD airway pathology: implications for new drug
      approaches for prevention of lung cancer as well as small airway fibrosis.

PMID- 28919734
TI  - Usefulness of the desaturation-distance ratio from the six-minute walk test for
      patients with COPD.
AB  - PURPOSE: A straightforward, noninvasive method is needed to assess emphysema and
      pulmonary hypertension (PH) in COPD patients. The desaturation-distance ratio
      (DDR) is an index derived from the distance traveled and level of desaturation
      during a six-minute walk test (6MWT); it has previously been shown to be
      associated with percentage of forced expiratory volume in the first second of
      expiration (%FEV1.0) and percentage of diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon
      monoxide (%DLCO). The aim of this study was to examine the associations between
      DDR and emphysema and PH. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected the following data
      for 74 stable COPD outpatients: lung function tests (%FEV1.0 and %DLCO), 6MWT
      distance and desaturation, and area of emphysema on computed tomography
      (percentage of low attenuation area). Enlargement of the pulmonary artery (PA)
      was assessed by the ratio of the diameter of the PA to that of the aorta (PA:A
      ratio) as an index of PH. DDR was calculated by the distance traveled and the
      degree of desaturation reached during a 6MWT. The relationships between study
      outcomes were assessed with Spearman's rank-correlation analysis. Receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the threshold values
      with the optimum cutoff points for predicting severe or very severe airway
      obstruction, pulmonary diffusing capacity disorder, moderate or severe emphysema,
      and enlargement of the PA. RESULTS: DDR correlated significantly with %FEV1.0,
      %DLCO, %LAA, and PA:A ratio. DDR showed high accuracy (area under the ROC curve
      >0.7) for predicting severe or very severe airway obstruction, pulmonary
      diffusing capacity disorder, moderate or severe emphysema, and enlargement of the
      PA. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that DDR is a good index of emphysema and PH
      in COPD patients. The 6MWT is widely used to assess COPD, and DDR could help with
      the early diagnosis of COPD.

PMID- 28919736
TI  - Carbon nanotubes gathered onto silica particles lose their biomimetic properties
      with the cytoskeleton becoming biocompatible.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are likely to transform the therapeutic and diagnostic
      fields in biomedicine during the coming years. However, the fragmented vision of
      their side effects and toxicity in humans has proscribed their use as
      nanomedicines. Most studies agree that biocompatibility depends on the state of
      aggregation/dispersion of CNTs under physiological conditions, but conclusions
      are confusing so far. This study designs an experimental setup to investigate the
      cytotoxic effect of individualized multiwalled CNTs compared to that of identical
      nanotubes assembled on submicrometric structures. Our results demonstrate how CNT
      cytotoxicity is directly dependent on the nanotube dispersion at a given dosage.
      When CNTs are gathered onto silica templates, they do not interfere with cell
      proliferation or survival becoming highly compatible. These results support the
      hypothesis that CNT cytotoxicity is due to the biomimetics of these nanomaterials
      with the intracellular nanofilaments. These findings provide major clues for the
      development of innocuous CNT-containing nanodevices and nanomedicines.

PMID- 28919737
TI  - Bacterial membrane vesicles as novel nanosystems for drug delivery.
AB  - Bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs) are closed spherical nanostructures that are
      shed naturally and ubiquitously by most bacterial species both in vivo and in
      vitro. Researchers have elucidated their roles in long-distance transport of a
      wide array of cargoes, such as proteins, toxins, antigens, virulence factors,
      microbicidal agents and antibiotics. Given that these natural carriers are
      important players in intercellular communication, it has been hypothesized that
      they are equally well attuned for transport and delivery of exogenous therapeutic
      cargoes. Additionally, BMVs appear to possess specific properties that enable
      their utilization as drug delivery vehicles. These include their ability to evade
      the host immune system, protection of the therapeutic payload and natural
      stability. Using bioengineering approaches, BMVs have been applied as carriers of
      therapeutic moieties in vaccines and for targeted delivery in cancer. In this
      article, we explore BMVs from the perspective of understanding their
      applicability to drug delivery. BMV biology, including biogenesis, physiology and
      pathology, is briefly reviewed. Practical issues related to bioprocessing,
      loading of therapeutic moieties and characterization for enabling scalability and
      commercial viability are evaluated. Finally, challenges to clinical translation
      and rational design approaches for novel BMV formulations are presented. Although
      the realization of the full potential of BMVs in drug delivery hinges on the
      development of scalable approaches for their production as well as the refinement
      of targeting and loading methods, they are promising candidates for development
      of a novel generation of drug delivery vehicles in future.

PMID- 28919738
TI  - Surface modification of endovascular stents with rosuvastatin and heparin-loaded
      biodegradable nanofibers by electrospinning.
AB  - : This study describes the development of drug-loaded nanofibrous scaffolds as a
      nanocoating for endovascular stents for the local and sustained delivery of
      rosuvastatin (Ros) and heparin (Hep) to injured artery walls after endovascular
      procedures via the electrospinning process. PURPOSE: The proposed hybrid covered
      stents can promote re-endothelialization; improve endothelial function; reduce
      inflammatory reaction; inhibit neointimal hyperplasia of the injured artery wall,
      due to well-known pleiotropic actions of Ros; and prevent adverse events such as
      in-stent restenosis (ISR) and stent thrombosis (ST), through the antithrombotic
      action of Hep. METHODS: Biodegradable nanofibers were prepared by dissolving
      cellulose acetate (AC) and Ros in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and acetone-based
      solvents. The polymeric solution was electrospun (e-spun) into drug-loaded AC
      nanofibers onto three different commercially available stents (Co-Cr stent, Ni-Ti
      stent, and stainless steel stent), resulting in nonwoven matrices of submicron
      sized fibers. Accordingly, Hep solution was further used for fibrous coating onto
      the engineered Ros-loaded stent. The functional encapsulation of Ros and Hep
      drugs into polymeric scaffolds further underwent physicochemical analysis.
      Morphological characterization took place via scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses, while scaffolds' wettability
      properties were obtained by contact angle (CA) measurements. RESULTS: The
      morphology of the drug-loaded AC nanofibers was smooth, with an average diameter
      of 200-800 nm, and after CA measurement, we concluded to the superhydrophobic
      nature of the engineered scaffolds. In vitro release rates of the pharmaceutical
      drugs were determined using a high-performance liquid chromatography assay, which
      showed that after the initial burst, drug release was controlled slowly by the
      degradation of the polymeric materials. CONCLUSION: These results imply that AC
      nanofibers encapsulated with Ros and Hep drugs have great potential in the
      development of endovascular grafts with anti-thrombogenic properties that can
      accelerate the re-endothelialization, reduce the neointimal hyperplasia and
      inflammatory reaction, and improve the endothelial function.

PMID- 28919739
TI  - Docetaxel-titanate nanotubes enhance radiosensitivity in an androgen-independent
      prostate cancer model.
AB  - Around 40% of high-risk prostate cancer patients who undergo radiotherapy (RT)
      will experience biochemical failure. Chemotherapy, such as docetaxel (DTX), can
      enhance the efficacy of RT. Multidrug resistance mechanisms often limit drug
      efficacy by decreasing intracellular concentrations of drugs in tumor cells. It
      is, therefore, of interest to develop nanocarriers of DTX to maintain the drug
      inside cancer cells and thus improve treatment efficacy. The purpose of this
      study was to investigate the use of titanate nanotubes (TiONts) to develop a
      TiONts-DTX nanocarrier and to evaluate its radiosensitizing in vivo efficacy in a
      prostate cancer model. In vitro cytotoxic activity of TiONts-DTX was evaluated
      using an MTS assay. The biodistribution of TiONts-DTX was analyzed in vivo by
      single-photon emission computed tomography. The benefit of TiONts-DTX associated
      with RT was evaluated in vivo. Eight groups with seven mice in each were used to
      evaluate the efficacy of the nanohybrid combined with RT: control with buffer IT
      injection +/- RT, free DXL +/- RT, TiONts +/- RT and TiONts-DXL +/- RT. Mouse
      behavior, health status and tumor volume were monitored twice a week until the
      tumor volume reached a maximum of 2,000 mm3. More than 70% of nanohybrids were
      localized inside the tumor 96 h after administration. Tumor growth was
      significantly slowed by TiONts-DTX associated with RT, compared with free DTX in
      the same conditions (P=0.013). These results suggest that TiONts-DTX improved RT
      efficacy and might enhance local control in high-risk localized prostate cancer.

PMID- 28919740
TI  - Low toxic maghemite nanoparticles for theranostic applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Iron oxide nanoparticles have numerous and versatile biological
      properties, ranging from direct and immediate biochemical effects to prolonged
      influences on tissues. Most applications have strict requirements with respect to
      the chemical and physical properties of such agents. Therefore, developing
      rational design methods of synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles remains of vital
      importance in nanobiomedicine. METHODS: Low toxic superparamagnetic iron oxide
      nanoparticles (SPIONs) for theranostic applications in oncology having spherical
      shape and maghemite structure were produced using the fast microwave synthesis
      technique and were fully characterized by several complementary methods
      (transmission electron microscopy [TEM], X-ray diffraction [XRD], dynamic light
      scattering [DLS], X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy [XPS], X-ray absorption near
      edge structure [XANES], Mossbauer spectroscopy, and HeLa cells toxicity testing).
      RESULTS: TEM showed that the majority of the obtained nanoparticles were almost
      spherical and did not exceed 20 nm in diameter. The averaged DLS hydrodynamic
      size was found to be ~33 nm, while that of nanocrystallites estimated by XRD
      was16 nm. Both XRD and XPS studies evidenced the maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) atomic
      and electronic structure of the synthesized nanoparticles. The XANES data
      analysis demonstrated the structure of the nanoparticles being similar to that of
      macroscopic maghemite. The Mossbauer spectroscopy revealed the gamma-Fe2O3 phase
      of the nanoparticles and vibration magnetometry study showed that reactive oxygen
      species in HeLa cells are generated both in the cytoplasm and the nucleus.
      CONCLUSION: Quasispherical Fe3+ SPIONs having the maghemite structure with the
      average size of 16 nm obtained by using the fast microwave synthesis technique
      are expected to be of great value for theranostic applications in oncology and
      multimodal anticancer therapy.

PMID- 28919741
TI  - Extracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using the cell-free filtrate
      of nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans.
AB  - The biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) using biological systems such as
      fungi has evolved to become an important area of nanobiotechnology. Herein, we
      report for the first time the extracellular synthesis of highly stable silver NPs
      (AgNPs) using the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001). The fungal
      cell-free filtrate was analyzed by the Bradford method and 3,5-dinitrosalicylic
      acid assay and used to synthesize the AgNPs in the presence of a 1 mM AgNO3
      solution. They have been characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction,
      transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Zeta potential
      measurements, Fourier-transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopes. UV-Vis
      spectroscopy confirmed bioreduction, while X-ray diffractometry established the
      crystalline nature of the AgNPs. Dynamic light scattering and transmission
      electron microscopy images showed approximately 11, 38 nm monodisperse and
      quasispherical AgNPs. Zeta potential analysis was able to show a considerable
      stability of AgNPs. The N-H stretches in Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy
      indicate the presence of protein molecules. The Raman bands suggest that
      chitinase was involved in the growth and stabilization of AgNPs, through the
      coating of the particles. Our results show that the NPs we synthesized have good
      stability, high yield, and monodispersion.

PMID- 28919742
TI  - Intracellular disposition of chitosan nanoparticles in macrophages: intracellular
      uptake, exocytosis, and intercellular transport.
AB  - Biodegradable nanomaterials have been widely used in numerous medical fields. To
      further improve such efforts, this study focused on the intracellular disposition
      of chitosan nanoparticles (CsNPs) in macrophages, a primary cell of the
      mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). Such interactions with the MPS determine the
      nanoparticle retention time in the body and consequently play a significant role
      in their own clinical safety. In this study, various dye-labeled CsNPs (about 250
      nm) were prepared, and a murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) was selected as
      a model macrophage. The results showed two mechanisms of macrophage incorporation
      of CsNPs, ie, a clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway (the primary) and
      phagocytosis. Following internalization, the particles partly dissociated in the
      cells, indicating cellular digestion of the nanoparticles. It was proved that,
      after intracellular uptake, a large proportion of CsNPs were exocytosed within 24
      h; this excretion induced a decrease in fluorescence intensity in cells by 69%,
      with the remaining particles possessing difficulty being cleared. Exocytosis
      could be inhibited by both wortmannin and vacuolin-1, indicating that CsNP uptake
      was mediated by lysosomal and multivesicular body pathways, and after exocytosis,
      the reuptake of CsNPs by neighboring cells was verified by further experiments.
      This study, thus, elucidated the fate of CsNPs in macrophages as well as
      identified cellular disposition mechanisms, providing the basis for how CsNPs are
      recognized by the MPS; such information is crucial to numerous medical
      applications of CsNPs.

PMID- 28919743
TI  - NanoVelcro-captured CTC number concomitant with enhanced serum levels of MMP7 and
      MMP9 enables accurate prediction of metastasis and poor prognosis in patients
      with lung adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) is among the most malignant cancers that frequently
      develops micrometastases even in early stages of the disease. Circulating tumor
      cell (CTC) number, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 7, and MMP9 show great
      prospects as predictive biomarkers in many tumors. However, the interactions
      between these biomarkers and the molecular basis of their roles in the metastasis
      and prognosis of LADC remain unclear. The present study revealed that an elevated
      CTC count and overexpression of MMP7 and MMP9 correlate with metastasis and
      clinical progression in LADC patients (n=143). Furthermore, MMP7 and MMP9
      upregulation facilitates LADC cell migration in vitro and enhances serum CTC
      levels in a xenograft mouse model. More importantly, receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curves and Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed more accurate
      prediction of metastasis and overall survival (OS) with a combination panel of
      CTC, MMP7, and MMP9. Taken together, our data show, for the first time, the
      involvement of MMP7 and MMP9 in the release of CTCs into the peripheral blood,
      and our data reveal that CTC count and expression of MMP7 and MMP9 can be used
      together as an effective clinical prediction panel for LADC metastasis and
      prognosis.

PMID- 28919744
TI  - Composite iron oxide-Prussian blue nanoparticles for magnetically guided T1
      weighted magnetic resonance imaging and photothermal therapy of tumors.
AB  - Theranostic nanoparticles offer the potential for mixing and matching disparate
      diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities within a single nanoparticle for the
      personalized treatment of diseases. In this article, we present composite iron
      oxide-gadolinium-containing Prussian blue nanoparticles (Fe3O4@GdPB) as a novel
      theranostic agent for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
      photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. These particles combine the well-described
      properties and safety profiles of the constituent Fe3O4 nanoparticles and
      gadolinium-containing Prussian blue nanoparticles. The Fe3O4@GdPB nanoparticles
      function both as effective MRI contrast agents and PTT agents as determined by
      characterizing studies performed in vitro and retain their properties in the
      presence of cells. Importantly, the Fe3O4@GdPB nanoparticles function as
      effective MRI contrast agents in vivo by increasing signal:noise ratios in T1
      weighted scans of tumors and as effective PTT agents in vivo by decreasing tumor
      growth rates and increasing survival in an animal model of neuroblastoma. These
      findings demonstrate the potential of the Fe3O4@GdPB nanoparticles to function as
      effective theranostic agents.

PMID- 28919745
TI  - Dose and time effect of CdTe quantum dots on antioxidant capacities of the liver
      and kidneys in mice.
AB  - Although quantum dot (QD)-induced toxicity occurs due to free radicals,
      generation of oxidative stress mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      formation is considered an important mechanism. However, free radical mechanisms
      are essentially difficult to elucidate at the molecular level because most
      biologically relevant free radicals are highly reactive and short-lived, making
      them difficult to directly detect, especially in vivo. Antioxidants play an
      important role in preventing or, in most cases, limiting the damage caused by
      ROS. Healthy people and animals possess many endogenous antioxidative substances
      that scavenge free radicals in vivo to maintain the redox balance and genome
      integrity. The antioxidant capacity of an organism is highly important but seldom
      studied. In this study, the dose and time effects of CdTe QDs on the antioxidant
      capacities of the liver and kidneys were investigated in mice using the electron
      paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin-trapping technique. We found that the liver and
      kidneys of healthy mice contain specific antioxidant capacities that scavenge .OH
      and .O2-. Furthermore, oxidative stress markers (superoxide dismutase [SOD],
      catalase [CAT], glutathione peroxidase [GPx], glutathione [GSH] and
      malondialdehyde [MDA]) were examined. In dose course studies, the free radical
      scavenging efficiencies of the liver and kidneys were found to gradually decrease
      with increasing concentration of CdTe QD exposure. The activities and levels of
      SOD, CAT, GPx and MDA were observed to increase in treated groups, whereas those
      of GSH were reduced. The time course studies revealed that the QD-induced
      antioxidant efficiency reduction was time dependent with GSH decrease and could
      recover after a period of time. These experimental results offer new information
      on QD toxicity in vivo. Specifically, CdTe QDs can deplete GSH to reduce the
      elimination ability of the liver and kidneys for .OH and .O2-, thus inducing
      oxidative damage to tissues.

PMID- 28919747
TI  - GE11 peptide-conjugated nanoliposomes to enhance the combinational therapeutic
      efficacy of docetaxel and siRNA in laryngeal cancers.
AB  - In this study, dual therapeutic-loaded GE11 peptide-conjugated liposomes were
      developed and applied to enhance therapeutic efficacies of standard-of-care
      regimens for the treatment of laryngeal cancer. The therapeutic strategy used
      here was a combination treatment with the chemotherapeutic docetaxel (DTX) and
      siRNA against the ABCG2 gene that regulates multidrug resistance in many tumor
      types. Liposome-encapsulated DTX/ABCG2-siRNA molecules were targeted to recognize
      tumor cells of squamous morphology by conjugation to the EGFR-targeting ligand,
      GE11. Targeted, drug-infused liposomes were nanosized and exhibited controlled
      release of DTX. Presence of GE11 peptides on liposomal surfaces enhanced the
      quantities of liposomal constructs taken up by Hep-2 laryngeal cancer cells. GE11
      peptide-conjugated liposomes also enhanced cytotoxic effects against Hep-2
      laryngeal cancer cells when compared to treatment with free DTX, thereby reducing
      IC50 values. Additionally, GE11 peptide-conjugated liposomes had significantly
      increased anti-tumor and apoptotic effects. Treatments with the GDSL nanoparticle
      formulation inhibited tumor growth in Hep-2 xenograft-bearing nude mouse models
      when compared to treatments with non-targeted NP constructs. Treatment of the
      mouse models with GE11 peptide-conjugated liposomes mitigated toxicities observed
      after treatment with free DTX. Taken together, liposomal encapsulation of DTX and
      ABCG2-siRNA improved the anti-tumor effects of treatment with free DTX in Hep-2
      cell lines, and conjugation of GE11 peptides to liposomal constructs enhanced
      anti-tumor efficacies and specificities in laryngeal cancer cells.

PMID- 28919746
TI  - In vitro and in vivo studies of a novel bacterial cellulose-based acellular
      bilayer nanocomposite scaffold for the repair of osteochondral defects.
AB  - Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a naturally occurring nanofibrous biomaterial which
      exhibits unique physical properties and is amenable to chemical modifications. To
      explore whether this versatile material can be used in the treatment of
      osteochondral defects (OCD), we developed and characterized novel BC-based
      nanocomposite scaffolds, for example, BC-hydroxyapatite (BC-HA) and BC
      glycosaminoglycans (BC-GAG) that mimic bone and cartilage, respectively. In vitro
      biocompatibility of BC-HA and BC-GAG scaffolds was established using osteosarcoma
      cells, human articular chondrocytes, and human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem
      cells. On subcutaneous implantation, the scaffolds allowed tissue ingrowth and
      induced no adverse immunological reactions suggesting excellent in vivo
      biocompatibility. Implantation of acellular bilayered scaffolds in OCD created in
      rat knees induced progressive regeneration of cartilage tissue, deposition of
      extracellular matrix, and regeneration of subchondral bone by the host cells. The
      results of micro-CT revealed that bone mineral density and ratio of bone volume
      to tissue volume were significantly higher in animals receiving bilayered
      scaffold as compared to the control animals. To the best of our knowledge, this
      study proves for the first time, the functional performance of acellular BC-based
      bilayered scaffolds. Thus, this strategy has great potential for clinical
      translation and can be used in repair of OCD.

PMID- 28919748
TI  - Antibacterial properties of PEKK for orthopedic applications.
AB  - Orthopedic implant infections have been steadily increasing while, at the same
      time, antibiotics developed to kill such bacteria have proven less and less
      effective with every passing day. It is clear that new approaches that do not
      rely on the use of antibiotics are needed to decrease medical device infections.
      Inspired by cicada wing surface topographical features, nanostructured surfaces
      represent a new approach for imposing antibacterial properties to biomaterials
      without using drugs. Moreover, new chemistries with altered surface energetics
      may decrease bacterial attachment and growth. In this study, a nanostructured
      surface was fabricated on poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK), a new orthopedic
      implant chemistry, comprised of nanopillars with random interpillar spacing.
      Specifically, after 5 days, when compared to the orthopedic industry standard
      poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK), more than 37% less Staphylococcus epidermidis
      were found on the PEKK surface. Pseudomonas aeruginosa attachment and growth also
      decreased 28% after one day of culture, with around a 50% decrease after 5 days
      of culture when compared to PEEK. Such decreases in bacteria function were
      achieved without using antibiotics. In this manner, this study demonstrated for
      the first time, the promise that nanostructured PEKK has for numerous anti
      infection orthopedic implant applications.

PMID- 28919749
TI  - Ginsenoside Rg1 nanoparticle penetrating the blood-brain barrier to improve the
      cerebral function of diabetic rats complicated with cerebral infarction.
AB  - Diabetic cerebral infarction is with poorer prognosis and high rates of
      mortality. Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) has a wide variety of therapeutic values for
      central nervous system (CNS) diseases for the neuron protective effects. However,
      the blood-brain barrier (BBB) restricts Rg1 in reaching the CNS. In this study,
      we investigated the therapeutic effects of Rg1 nanoparticle (PHRO, fabricated
      with gamma-PGA, L-PAE (H), Rg1, and OX26 antibody), targeting transferrin
      receptor, on the diabetes rats complicated with diabetic cerebral infarction in
      vitro and in vivo. Dynamic light scattering analysis shows the average particle
      size of PHRO was 79+/-18 nm and the polydispersity index =0.18. The transmission
      electron microscope images showed that all NPs were spherical in shape with
      diameters of 89+/-23 nm. PHRO released Rg1 with sustained release manner and
      could promote the migration of cerebrovascular endothelial cells and tube
      formation and even penetrated the BBB in vitro. PHRO could penetrate the BBB with
      high concentration in brain tissue to reduce the cerebral infarction volume and
      promote neuronal recovery in vivo. PHRO was promising to be a clinical treatment
      of diabetes mellitus with cerebral infarction.

PMID- 28919750
TI  - Silver nanoparticles enhance the apoptotic potential of gemcitabine in human
      ovarian cancer cells: combination therapy for effective cancer treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gemcitabine (GEM) is widely used as an anticancer agent in several
      types of solid tumors. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess unique cytotoxic
      features and can induce apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells. In this study, we
      investigated whether the combination of GEM and AgNPs can exert synergistic
      cytotoxic effects in the human ovarian cancer cell line A2780. METHODS: We
      synthesized AgNPs using resveratrol as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The
      synthesized nanomaterials were characterized using various analytical techniques.
      The anticancer effects of a combined treatment with GEM and AgNPs were evaluated
      using a series of cellular assays. The expression of pro- and antiapoptotic genes
      was measured using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
      Apoptosis was confirmed by TUNEL assay. RESULTS: In this study, combined
      treatment with GEM and AgNPs significantly inhibited viability and proliferation
      in A2780 cells. Moreover, the levels of apoptosis in cells treated with a
      combination of GEM and AgNPs were significantly higher compared with those in
      cells treated with GEM or AgNPs alone. Our data suggest that GEM and AgNPs
      exhibit potent apoptotic activity in human ovarian cancer cells. Combined
      treatment with GEM and AgNPs showed a significantly higher cytotoxic effect in
      ovarian cancer cells compared with that induced by either of these agents alone.
      CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that the interaction between GEM and AgNPs was
      cytotoxic in ovarian cancer cells. Combined treatment with GEM and AgNPs caused
      increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis in A2780 cells. This treatment may have
      therapeutic potential as targeted therapy for the treatment of ovarian cancer. To
      our knowledge, this study could provide evidence that AgNPs can enhance
      responsiveness to GEM in ovarian cancer cells and that AgNPs can potentially be
      used as chemosensitizing agents in ovarian cancer therapy.

PMID- 28919752
TI  - Zinc oxide nanoparticles induce apoptosis and autophagy in human ovarian cancer
      cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are frequently used in industrial
      products such as paint, surface coating, and cosmetics, and recently, they have
      been explored in biologic and biomedical applications. Therefore, this study was
      undertaken to investigate the effect of ZnO NPs on cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and
      autophagy in human ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3). METHODS: ZnO NPs with a
      crystalline size of 20 nm were characterized with various analytical techniques,
      including ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission
      electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force
      microscopy. The cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and autophagy were examined using a
      series of cellular assays. RESULTS: Exposure of cells to ZnO NPs resulted in a
      dose-dependent loss of cell viability, and the characteristic apoptotic features
      such as rounding and loss of adherence, enhanced reactive oxygen species
      generation, and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential were observed in the ZnO
      NP-treated cells. Furthermore, the cells treated with ZnO NPs showed significant
      double-strand DNA breaks, which are gained evidences from significant number of
      gamma-H2AX and Rad51 expressed cells. ZnO NP-treated cells showed upregulation of
      p53 and LC3, indicating that ZnO NPs are able to upregulate apoptosis and
      autophagy. Finally, the Western blot analysis revealed upregulation of Bax,
      caspase-9, Rad51, gamma-H2AX, p53, and LC3 and downregulation of Bcl-2.
      CONCLUSION: The study findings demonstrated that the ZnO NPs are able to induce
      significant cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and autophagy in human ovarian cells through
      reactive oxygen species generation and oxidative stress. Therefore, this study
      suggests that ZnO NPs are suitable and inherent anticancer agents due to their
      several favorable characteristic features including favorable band gap,
      electrostatic charge, surface chemistry, and potentiation of redox cycling
      cascades.

PMID- 28919751
TI  - Combination of palladium nanoparticles and tubastatin-A potentiates apoptosis in
      human breast cancer cells: a novel therapeutic approach for cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease that occurs in
      women. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition has recently emerged as an effective
      and attractive target for the treatment of cancer. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the efficacy of a combined treatment of tubastatin A (TUB-A) and
      palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) against MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells
      using two different cytotoxic agents that work by two different mechanisms,
      thereby decreasing the probability of chemoresistance in cancer cells and
      increasing the efficacy of toxicity, to provide efficient therapy for advanced
      stage of cancer without any undesired side effects. METHODS: PdNPs were
      synthesized using a novel biomolecule called R-phycoerythrin and characterized
      using various analytical techniques. The combinatorial effect of TUB-A and PdNPs
      was assessed by various cellular and biochemical assays and also by gene
      expression analysis. RESULTS: The biologically synthesized PdNPs had an average
      size of 25 nm and were spherical in shape. Treatment of MDA-MB-231 human breast
      cancer cells with TUB-A or PdNPs showed a dose-dependent effect on cell
      viability. The combination of 4 MUM TUB-A and 4 MUM PdNPs had a significant
      inhibitory effect on cell viability compared with either TUB-A or PdNPs alone.
      The combinatorial treatment also had a more pronounced effect on the inhibition
      of HDAC activity and enhanced apoptosis by regulating various cellular and
      biochemical changes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that there was a strong
      synergistic interaction between TUB-A and PdNPs in increasing apoptosis in human
      breast cancer cells. These data provide an important preclinical basis for future
      clinical trials on this drug combination. This combinatorial treatment increased
      therapeutic potentials, thereby demonstrating a relevant targeted therapy for
      breast cancer. Furthermore, we have provided the first evidence for the
      combinatorial effect and mechanism of toxicity of TUB-A and PdNPs in human breast
      cancer cells. The novelties of the study were identification of a combination
      therapy that consists of suitable therapeutic molecules that kill cancer cells
      and also exploration of two different possible mechanisms involved to reduce
      chemoresistance in cancer cells.

PMID- 28919754
TI  - Preparation of coffee oil-algae oil-based nanoemulsions and the study of their
      inhibition effect on UVA-induced skin damage in mice and melanoma cell growth.
AB  - Coffee grounds, a waste by-product generated after making coffee, contains
      approximately 15% coffee oil which can be used as a raw material in cosmetics.
      Algae oil rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been demonstrated to possess
      anticancer and anti-inflammation functions. The objectives of this study were to
      develop a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the
      determination of fatty acids in coffee oil and algae oil and prepare a
      nanoemulsion for studying its inhibition effect on ultraviolet A-induced skin
      damage in mice and growth of melanoma cells B16-F10. A total of 8 and 5 fatty
      acids were separated and quantified in coffee oil and algae oil by GC-MS,
      respectively, with linoleic acid (39.8%) dominating in the former and DHA (33.9%)
      in the latter. A nanoemulsion with a particle size of 30 nm, zeta potential 
      72.72 mV, and DHA encapsulation efficiency 100% was prepared by using coffee oil,
      algae oil, surfactant (20% Span 80 and 80% Tween 80), and deionized water.
      Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed a high stability of
      nanoemulsion when heated up to 110 degrees C at a pH 6, whereas no significant
      changes in particle size distribution and pH occurred over a 90-day storage
      period at 4 degrees C. Animal experiments showed that a dose of 0.1% coffee oil
      algae oil nanoemulsion was effective in mitigating trans-epidermal water loss,
      skin erythema, melanin formation, and subcutaneous blood flow. Cytotoxicity test
      implied effective inhibition of melanoma cell growth by nanoemulsion with an IC50
      value of 26.5 ug/mL and the cell cycle arrested at G2/M phase. A dose-dependent
      upregulation of p53, p21, cyclin B, and cyclin A expressions and downregulation
      of CDK1 and CDK2 occurred. Also, both Bax and cytochrome c expressions were
      upregulated and bcl-2 expression downregulated, accompanied by a rise in caspase
      3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 activities for apoptosis execution. Collectively, the
      apoptosis pathway of melanoma cells B16-F10 may involve both mitochondria and
      death receptor.

PMID- 28919753
TI  - Combination of graphene oxide-silver nanoparticle nanocomposites and cisplatin
      enhances apoptosis and autophagy in human cervical cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (Cis) is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug for treating a
      variety of cancers, due to its ability to induce cell death in cancer cells
      significantly. Recently, graphene and its modified nanocomposites have gained
      much interest in cancer therapy, due to their unique physicochemical properties.
      The objective of this study was to investigate the combination effect of Cis and
      a reduced graphene oxide-silver nanoparticle nanocomposite (rGO-AgNPs) in human
      cervical cancer (HeLa) cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We synthesized AgNPs, rGO,
      and rGO-AgNP nanocomposites using C-phycocyanin. The synthesized nanomaterials
      were characterized using various analytical techniques. The anticancer properties
      of the Cis, rGO-AgNPs, and combination of Cis and rGO-AgNPs were evaluated using
      a series of cellular assays, such as cell viability, cell proliferation, LDH
      leakage, reactive oxygen species generation, and cellular levels of oxidative and
      antioxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde, glutathione, SOD, and CAT.
      The expression of proapoptotic, antiapoptotic, and autophagy genes were measured
      using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The
      synthesized AgNPs were well dispersed, homogeneous, and spherical, with an
      average size of 10 nm and uniformly distributed on graphene sheets. Cis, GO, rGO,
      AgNPs, and rGO-AgNPs inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. The
      combination of Cis and rGO-AgNPs showed significant effects on cell
      proliferation, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis. The combination of Cis and rGO-AgNPs
      had more pronounced effects on the expression of apoptotic and autophagy genes,
      and also significantly induced the accumulation of autophagosomes and
      autophagolysosomes, which was associated with the generation of reactive oxygen
      species. CONCLUSION: Our findings substantiated rGO-AgNPs strongly potentiating
      Cis-induced cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and autophagy in HeLa cells, and hence rGO
      AgNPs could be potentially applied to cervical cancer treatment as a powerful
      synergistic agent with Cis or any other chemotherapeutic agents.

PMID- 28919755
TI  - Synthetic high-density lipoprotein nanodisks for targeted withalongolide delivery
      to adrenocortical carcinoma.
AB  - Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy and has a 5-year
      survival rate of <35%. ACC cells require cholesterol for steroid hormone
      production, and this requirement is met via expression on the cell surface of a
      high level of SRB1, responsible for the uptake of high-density lipoproteins
      (HDLs), which carry and transport cholesterol in vivo. Here, we describe how this
      natural lipid carrier function of SRB1 can be utilized to improve the tumor
      targeted delivery of a novel natural product derivative - withalongolide A
      4,19,27-triacetate (WGA-TA) - which has shown potent antitumor efficacy, but poor
      aqueous solubility. Our strategy was to use synthetic HDL (sHDL) nanodisks, which
      are effective in tumor-targeted delivery due to their smallness, long circulation
      half-life, documented safety, and ability to bind to SRB1. In this study, we
      prepared sHDL nanodisks using an optimized phospholipid composition combined with
      ApoA1 mimetic peptide (22A), which has previously been tested in clinical trials,
      to load WGA-TA. Following optimization, WGA-TA nanodisks showed drug
      encapsulation efficiency of 78%, a narrow particle size distribution (9.81+/-0.41
      nm), discoid shape, and sustained drug release in phosphate buffered saline. WGA
      TA-sHDL nanodisks exhibited higher cytotoxicity in the ACC cell line H295R half
      maximal inhibitory concentration ([IC50] 0.26+/-0.045 MUM) than free WGA-TA (IC50
      0.492+/-0.115 MUM, P<0.05). Fluorescent dye-loaded sHDL nanodisks efficiently
      accumulated in H295R adrenal carcinoma xenografts 24 hours following dosing.
      Moreover, daily intraperitoneal administration of 7 mg/kg WGA-TA-loaded sHDL
      nanodisks significantly inhibited tumor growth during 21-day administration to
      H295R xenograft-bearing mice compared to placebo (P<0.01). Collectively, these
      results suggest that WGA-TA-loaded nanodisks may represent a novel and beneficial
      therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ACC.

PMID- 28919756
TI  - Polymeric mixed micelles loaded mitoxantrone for overcoming multidrug resistance
      in breast cancer via photodynamic therapy.
AB  - Mitoxantrone (MIT) is an anticancer agent with photosensitive properties that is
      commonly used in various cancers. Multidrug resistance (MDR) effect has been an
      obstacle to using MIT for cancer therapy. Photochemical internalization, on
      account of photodynamic therapy, has been applied to improve the therapeutic
      effect of cancers with MDR effect. In this study, an MIT-poly(epsilon
      caprolactone)-pluronic F68-poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/poly(d,l-lactide-co
      glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (MIT-PFP/PPP)
      mixed micelles system was applied to reverse the effect of MDR in MCF-7/ADR cells
      via photochemical reaction when exposed to near-infrared light. MIT-PFP/PPP mixed
      micelles showed effective interaction with near-infrared light at the wavelength
      of 660 nm and exerted great cytotoxicity in MCF-7/ADR cells with irradiation.
      Furthermore, MIT-PFP/PPP mixed micelles could improve reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) levels, decrease P-glycoprotein activity, and increase the cellular uptake
      of drugs with improved intracellular drug concentrations, which induced cell
      apoptosis in MCF-7/ADR cells under irradiation, despite MDR effect, as indicated
      by the increased level of cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase. These findings
      suggested that MIT-PFP/PPP mixed micelles may become a promising strategy to
      effectively reverse the MDR effect via photodynamic therapy in breast cancer.

PMID- 28919758
TI  - A case of schizophrenia comorbid for tetralogy of Fallot treated with clozapine:
      further considerations on a role for 22q.11.2 in the proneness for seizures.
AB  - We present a case of schizophrenia comorbid for tetralogy of Fallot, without
      chromosome 22q.11.2 deletion or duplication, treated successfully with a
      combination of clozapine and antiepileptic drugs. Although clozapine by itself
      initially triggered convulsive seizures, we continued it with co-administration
      of valproate and topiramate. This combined treatment did not affect cardiac
      function of the patient, who experienced a favorable clinical course in terms of
      symptomatology and functional outcomes. To our knowledge, we provide the first
      report on a patient with tetralogy of Fallot, in whom 22q.11.2 was not deleted
      and clozapine-induced seizures were observed.

PMID- 28919757
TI  - Once-monthly paliperidone palmitate in early stage schizophrenia - a
      retrospective, non-interventional 1-year study of patients with newly diagnosed
      schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-acting antipsychotic therapy may be best suited for patients in
      the early stage of schizophrenia, when the most can be done before disease
      progression associated with poor adherence occurs. We explored the patterns of
      use of once-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP1M), concomitant medication use,
      hospitalization, and clinical outcomes of adult, newly diagnosed patients with
      schizophrenia receiving continuous treatment with PP1M for at least 12 months.
      METHODS: This was an international, multicenter, exploratory, retrospective chart
      review of medical records of adult patients who were newly diagnosed (not more
      than 1 year before initiation of PP1M treatment) with schizophrenia and who had
      received continuous treatment with PP1M for >=12 months in naturalistic clinical
      settings. RESULTS: A total of 84 (93.3%) patients were included in the analysis.
      All but one patient (98.8%, n=83) had received oral antipsychotic medication at
      least during the last month before the first PP1M administration. Three patients
      (3.6%) were newly hospitalized during the 12-month documentation period. The
      reason for hospitalization for all three was management of episode/relapse. A
      total of 79.2% of patients had a >=20% improvement and 47.2% had a >=50%
      improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score from baseline to
      endpoint. Half of patients (53.3%) showed a significant improvement, as reflected
      by an increase in Personal and Social Performance (PSP) total score of at least 7
      points from baseline to endpoint (mean [SD] 11.9 [15.0] points; P<0.001). One
      quarter of patients (24.4%, n=11) moved from a PSP score of 31-70 (ie, moderate
      to marked functional impairment) at baseline to a PSP score of mild to no
      functional impairment (PSP score >=71) at endpoint. Most adverse drug reactions
      were mild or moderate in severity. CONCLUSION: Continuous treatment with PP1M
      over 12 months was associated with statistically significant and clinically
      meaningful improvements in psychotic symptoms, disease severity, and functional
      outcomes in patients with schizophrenia.

PMID- 28919759
TI  - Association of interleukin-33 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to late
      onset Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The association between interleukin-33 (IL-33) gene polymorphisms and late onset
      Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) remains controversial in previous studies. Thus, a
      meta-analysis was conducted to assess the association between the IL-33
      polymorphisms (rs11792633 and rs7044343) and LOAD susceptibility. Crude odds
      ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to investigate the
      relationship strength. Sensitivity analysis was performed, and publication bias
      was estimated by the Begg's and Egger's tests. Overall, six independent studies
      involving 2,589 patients and 8,414 control samples met our inclusion criteria and
      were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that IL-33 rs11792633
      polymorphism had statistically significant correlation with a decreased risk of
      LOAD in heterozygous comparison model (OR =0.64, 95% CI =0.48-0.83), homozygote
      comparison model (OR =0.83, 95% CI =0.74-0.93), dominant model (OR =0.78, 95% CI
      =0.67-0.91), recessive model (OR =0.70, 95% CI =0.59-0.84), and allelic model (OR
      =0.79, 95% CI =0.69-0.91), which were also validated by stratified subgroup
      analysis. Additionally, there was an apparent association between the IL-33
      rs7044343 variant and LOAD risk under four genetic models for overall population
      (heterozygous comparison model: OR =0.75, 95% CI =0.63-0.89; dominant model: OR
      =0.83, 95% CI =0.70-0.98; recessive model: OR =0.80, 95% CI =0.68-0.94; allelic
      model: OR =0.86, 95% CI =0.79-0.94) as well as Caucasian subgroup. In summary,
      our meta-analysis implicated that IL-33 gene polymorphisms rs11792633 and
      rs7044343 were significantly associated with the susceptibility of LOAD.

PMID- 28919761
TI  - Effects of bromadiolone poisoning on the central nervous system.
AB  - Cases of rodenticide poisoning (second-generation long-acting dicoumarin
      rodenticide, superwarfarin) have occasionally been reported. The main symptoms of
      bromadiolone poisoning are skin mucosa hemorrhage, digestive tract hemorrhage,
      and hematuresis. However, the symptoms of central nervous system toxicity have
      rarely been reported. Our case reports on a 41-year-old male who had no contact
      with bromadiolone. His main symptoms were dizziness, unsteady gait, and abnormal
      behavior. Laboratory test results revealed the presence of bromadiolone in his
      blood and urine, a longer prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin
      time, and a high international normalized ratio. Magnetic resonance imaging of
      the brain showed that the bilateral posterior limb of the internal capsule,
      splenium of corporis callosum, and bilateral centrum semiovale formed symmetrical
      patch distribution. The patient gradually recovered after treated with vitamin K1
      and plasma transfusion. Our clinical study could pave the way to improve the
      detection of bromadiolone poisoning and avoid misdiagnosis.

PMID- 28919760
TI  - Attitudes toward antipsychotic treatment among patients with bipolar disorders
      and their clinicians: a systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antipsychotics are recommended as first-line therapy for acute
      mania and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder; however, published
      literature suggests their real-world use remains limited. Understanding attitudes
      toward these medications may help identify barriers and inform personalized
      therapy. This literature review evaluated patient and clinician attitudes toward
      the use of antipsychotics for treating bipolar disorder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      systematic search of the Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and BIOSIS
      Previews identified English language articles published between January 1, 2000,
      and June 15, 2016, that reported attitudinal data from patients, health care
      professionals, or caregivers; treatment decision-making; or patient
      characteristics that predicted antipsychotic use for bipolar disorder. Results
      were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: Of the 209 references identified, 11 met
      the inclusion criteria and were evaluated. These articles provided attitudinal
      information from 1,418 patients with bipolar disorder and 1,282 treating
      clinicians. Patients' attitudes toward antipsychotics were generally positive.
      Longer duration of clinical stability was associated with positive attitudes.
      Implementation of psychoeducational and adherence enhancement strategies could
      improve patient attitudes. Limited data suggest clinicians' perceptions of
      antipsychotic efficacy and tolerability may have the greatest impact on their
      prescribing patterns. Because the current real-world evidence base is inadequate,
      clinician attitudes may reflect a relative lack of experience using
      antipsychotics in patients with bipolar disorder. CONCLUSION: Although data are
      very limited, perceived tolerability and efficacy concerns shape both patient and
      clinician attitudes toward use of antipsychotic drugs in bipolar disorder.
      Additional studies are warranted.

PMID- 28919762
TI  - Risk of post-traumatic epilepsy after severe head injury in patients with at
      least one seizure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To explore the incidence and risk factors, including type of seizures
      for post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective follow-up study of patients
      discharged from Liaocheng People's Hospital between March 2011 and June 2015 with
      a diagnosis of post-traumatic seizures. Risk factors for PTE were evaluated in 68
      inpatients by using Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox model. RESULTS: Complete
      clinical information was available for 68 patients. A total of 54 cases (79.4%)
      were diagnosed as presenting with PTE, occurring from 10 days to 179 months after
      severe TBI. Nineteen out of 54 cases (35.2%) had been defined as PTE within the
      first 6 months after the trauma, 17 cases (31.5%) within 7-12 months, 8 cases
      (14.8%) within 13-24 months, 2 cases (3.7%) within 25-36 months, and 8 cases
      (14.8%) within 37-179 months after the TBI. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated
      that simple partial seizures, surgical treatment, and onset of seizures occurring
      within 6 months after injury were associated with PTE. CONCLUSIONS: The Cox model
      indicated that, for patients aged >34 years at the time of injury, the PTE risk
      was 2.55 times greater than for those aged <=34 years. In addition, simple
      partial seizures, surgical treatment and onset of seizures occurring within 6
      months after injury were significant risk factors for the development of PTE.

PMID- 28919763
TI  - Sociodemographic variables and social values: relationship with work-attendance
      problems in Brunei public- and private-sector employees.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the degree to which selected sociodemographic
      variables and social values were related to work-attendance problems in a random
      sample of 860 Brunei public- and private-sector employees and the nature of this
      relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quantitative study used the field
      survey approach to administer research instruments directly to participants. This
      enabled the researchers to help participants who needed assistance in completing
      the measures properly, so as to increase the number of usable returns. RESULTS:
      Two sociodemographic variables (seeking help from a counselor/psychologist and
      marital status) correlated significantly with work attendance. Private-sector
      employees were more likely to have work-attendance problems than government
      workers. Both single and married employees and the chief wage earner in the
      household were more likely to have work-attendance issues to deal with compared
      to their counterparts. However, employees who sought help from a
      counselor/psychologist were far less likely to have work-attendance problems
      compared to those who did not get such help. The most significant social-value
      correlates with work-attendance problems were interpersonal communication,
      employer-employee relationship, work-stress problems, self-presentation, self
      regulation, self-direction, and interpersonal trust. Self-regulation, self
      direction, and satisfaction with work-related achievements significantly
      predicted work-attendance problems positively, while interpersonal communication
      problems and work-stress problems predicted work-attendance problems negatively.
      Low scorers on self-regulation and self-direction, as well as on satisfaction
      with work-related achievements, were more likely to have work-attendance problems
      compared to high scorers. However, low scorers on interpersonal communication and
      work-stress problems were less likely to have work-attendance problems compared
      to high-scoring peers. CONCLUSION: Ample evidence from this study showed that
      sociodemographic variables and social values contribute to work-attendance
      problems in various ways, and need to be incorporated in counseling interventions
      for affected employees.

PMID- 28919764
TI  - Levetiracetam is associated with decrease in subclinical epileptiform discharges
      and improved cognitive functions in pediatric patients with autism spectrum
      disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Subclinical epileptiform discharges (SEDs) are common in pediatric
      patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the effect of antiepileptic
      drugs on SEDs in ASD remains inconclusive. This physician-blinded, prospective,
      randomized controlled trial investigated an association between the
      anticonvulsant drug levetiracetam and SEDs in children with ASD. METHODS: A total
      of 70 children with ASD (4-6 years) and SEDs identified by electroencephalogram
      were randomly divided into two equal groups to receive either levetiracetam and
      educational training (treatment group) or educational training only (control). At
      baseline and after 6 months treatment, the following scales were used to assess
      each individual's behavioral and cognitive functions: the Chinese version of the
      Psychoeducational Profile - third edition (PEP-3), Childhood Autism Rating Scale
      (CARS), and Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). A 24-hour electroencephalogram was
      recorded on admission (baseline) and at follow-up. The degree of satisfaction of
      each patient was also evaluated. RESULTS: Relative to baseline, at the 6-month
      follow-up, the PEP-3, CARS, and ABC scores were significantly improved in both
      the treatment and control groups. At the 6-month follow-up, the PEP-3 scores of
      the treatment group were significantly higher than those of the control, whereas
      the CARS and ABC scores were significantly lower, and the rate of
      electroencephalographic normalization was significantly higher in the treatment
      group. CONCLUSION: Levetiracetam appears to be effective for controlling SEDs in
      pediatric patients with ASD and was also associated with improved behavioral and
      cognitive functions.

PMID- 28919765
TI  - Scopolamine alleviates involuntary lingual movements: tardive dyskinesia or
      dystonia?
AB  - Cholinergic hypofunction was believed to be associated with the pathogenesis of
      tardive dyskinesia, and therefore, anticholinergic treatment might exacerbate the
      condition. We describe herein a middle-aged male with feeble chewing movements,
      involuntary rolling motions of the tongue, and abnormally tightened cheeks which
      developed after consuming different psychotropic medications. These symptoms did
      not improve after routine treatment for tardive dyskinesia, but responded well to
      anticholinergic agents, such as scopolamine and benzhexol hydrochloride. This
      case extended our understanding of the complexity of extrapyramidal effects and
      their pharmacologic management.

PMID- 28919766
TI  - Cognitive behavioral therapy for somatic symptom disorders in later life: a
      prospective comparative explorative pilot study in two clinical populations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elderly patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) put a great
      burden on the health care delivery system. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is
      effective in adults with SSD. However, no studies have been conducted yet into
      CBT for SSD in later life. OBJECTIVES: We explored the feasibility of CBT for SSD
      in the elderly. METHODS: This is a prospective pilot study comparing two
      outpatient specialty mental health settings for adults (<60 years; n=13) and for
      elderly patients (>=60 years; n=9) with SSD. Intervention was 18 structured,
      protocoled, and supervised CBT sessions. Outcomes were somatic symptoms, pain
      intensity, pain disability, quality of life, depressive symptoms, and generalized
      anxiety symptoms. Feasibility of the CBT intervention was explored with self
      developed questions, both for the therapists and the patients. RESULTS: Both
      therapists and elderly patients evaluated the treatment as positive. Somatic
      symptoms improved significantly in the adult group but not in the elderly group.
      There was a large, significant decrease in pain intensity and pain disability in
      elderly patients compared to the adults. Social functioning, vitality, and
      anxiety symptoms improved significantly in the adults. Presence of chronic
      medical conditions did not influence these results. CONCLUSION: This study shows
      that CBT is feasible as a treatment for SSD in older adults and has encouraging
      results. Replication in an RCT is warranted.

PMID- 28919767
TI  - Relationship between subtypes and symptoms of ADHD, insomnia, and nightmares in
      connection with quality of life in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examined the links between sleep disorders and subtypes of
      attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD-inattention, ADHD-combined, ADHD
      hyperactive/impulsive) in childhood. We set up a hypothetical model linking
      different symptoms of both disorders to construct the underlying and shared
      pathways. By examining a sample of children with ADHD we firstly tested parts of
      the model. METHODS: A total of 72 children with symptoms of ADHD (aged 6-13
      years; 79.2% boys) were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical
      Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition and the International Classification of
      Sleep Disorders, third edition in regards to ADHD and sleep disorders via
      standardized parent-rated questionnaires. Additionally, quality of life (QoL) was
      assessed. Overall, 46 children fulfilled the criteria of ADHD and were medication
      naive. RESULTS: On average, the whole sample had clinically elevated total scores
      of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire in the validated German version
      (CSHQ-DE), indicating an increased prevalence of sleep disorders in children with
      ADHD. In accordance to our hypothetical model, children with primarily
      hyperactive-impulsive ADHD showed the highest CSHQ-DE scores. Moreover, we found
      a high impact for insomnia in this subgroup and a high comorbid load for the
      mutual occurrence of insomnia and nightmares. Furthermore, QoL was reduced in our
      whole sample, and again intensified in children with comorbid insomnia and
      nightmares. CONCLUSION: We verified an elevated occurrence of sleep disorders in
      children with ADHD and were able to link them to specific subtypes of ADHD. These
      results were in line with our hypothetical model. Moreover, we found a clinically
      reduced QoL in mean for the whole sample, indicating the strong impact of ADHD in
      the lives of affected children, even intensified if children exhibited comorbid
      insomnia and nightmares. These results should be kept in mind regarding the
      treatment and therapy of this subgroup of children. Specific treatment strategies
      should be considered for these children.

PMID- 28919768
TI  - Ictal heart rate changes and the effects of vagus nerve stimulation for patients
      with refractory epilepsy.
AB  - Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) shows long-term efficiency worldwide in most
      pharmacoresistant patients with epilepsy; however, there are still a small number
      of patients who are non-responders to VNS therapy. It has been shown that VNS
      treatment outcomes for drug-resistant epilepsy may be predicted by preoperative
      heart-rate variability measurements and that patients with epilepsy with ictal
      tachycardia (IT) during seizures have good responses to VNS. However, few studies
      have reported the efficacy of VNS in patients with epilepsy with ictal
      bradycardia (IB) or normal heart rate (HR), and none have explored the possible
      mechanisms of VNS efficacy based on different HR types. HR during seizures
      varies, and we presume that different HRs during seizures may impact the effects
      of VNS. It has been shown that blood pressure in the human body needs to be
      maintained through the arterial baroreflex (ABR). VNS efficacy in patients with
      epilepsy with IT, IB, and normal HR during seizures may be related to ABR.
      Mechanical signals generated by VNS are similar to the autonomic nerve pathways
      and, thus, we propose the hypothesis that different HRs during seizures can
      predict VNS efficacy in patients. If VNS is highly efficient in patients with IT
      during seizures, VNS in patients with a normal HR during seizures may be less
      efficient, and may even be inefficient in patients with IB during seizures.

PMID- 28919769
TI  - Evaluating the antiemetic administration consistency to prevent chemotherapy
      induced nausea and vomiting with the standard guidelines: a prospective
      observational study.
AB  - Nausea and vomiting (NV) are the most prevalent adverse effects of chemotherapy
      (CT). This study was conducted to evaluate adherence of the health care team to
      standard guidelines for antiemetics usage to prevent acute chemotherapy-induced
      nausea and vomiting (CINV) in a large CT center. A prospective study was
      performed during an 11-month period on patients receiving CT. A form was designed
      to collect patients' demographic information and their chemotherapeutic and
      antiemetic regimen data. The Likert scale was used to measure the effectiveness
      of the antiemetics in patients. In this study, the effect of patient-related risk
      factors on the incidence rate of CINV was examined. Based on the results, CINV
      events were reported by 74.4% of patients. The antiemetic regimen of 71.2% of the
      patients complied with the guidelines. The complete response, complete
      protection, and complete control end points did not differ significantly between
      patients undergoing guidelines-consistent prophylaxis or guidelines-inconsistent
      prophylaxis. The females clearly showed a higher incidence rate of CINV (P=0.001)
      during the first course of CT (P=0.006). A history of motion sickness did not
      affect the incidence of NV. The maximum compliance error occurred for the use of
      aprepitant, as 16.16% of the patients who were receiving aprepitant did not
      comply with its instructions. The results of this study highlight how CINV was
      controlled in this center, which was significantly lower than that of the global
      standard. Perhaps, factors such as noncompliance to antiemetic regimens with
      standard guidelines and the failure to adhere to the administration instructions
      of the antiemetics were involved in the incomplete control of CINV.

PMID- 28919770
TI  - Swollen lymph nodes may not be clinical manifestations of chronic myeloid
      leukemia: case report and revision of literature.
AB  - We present here the case of a 33-year-old Chinese female patient with synchronous
      double primary malignant tumors (chronic myeloid leukemia [CML] and classic
      Hodgkin lymphoma). This patient was admitted to our hospital because of bilateral
      cervical lymph node enlargement and recurrent fever for 2 weeks. The complete
      blood cell count revealed white blood cell counts of 18.2*109/L, hemoglobin of
      9.6 g/dL, and platelet counts of 1,547*109/L. Chromosome karyotype analysis
      demonstrated that t(9;22)(q34;q11) was positive in all 20 cells examined. Reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that the ratio of BCR/ABL1 to ABL
      was 45.3%. This patient was diagnosed with CML. After definite diagnosis, this
      patient regularly received imatinib therapy. Three months later, although
      complete blood count was normal, swollen lymph nodes further increased. Swollen
      lymph node biopsy was performed to evaluate the nature of these swollen lymph
      nodes, and results displayed that Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells, CD30, CD15,
      and Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA was positive. In conclusion, this patient was
      diagnosed with synchronous double primary malignant tumors. This case report
      suggests that swollen lymph nodes may be due to lymphoma, rather than as a
      clinical manifestation of CML.

PMID- 28919771
TI  - The challenge of perioperative pain management in opioid-tolerant patients.
AB  - The increasing number of opioid users among chronic pain patients, and opioid
      abusers among the general population, makes perioperative pain management
      challenging for health care professionals. Anesthesiologists, surgeons, and
      nurses should be familiar with some pharmacological phenomena which are typical
      of opioid users and abusers, such as tolerance, physical dependence,
      hyperalgesia, and addiction. Inadequate pain management is very common in these
      patients, due to common prejudices and fears. The target of preoperative
      evaluation is to identify comorbidities and risk factors and recognize signs and
      symptoms of opioid abuse and opioid withdrawal. Clinicians are encouraged to plan
      perioperative pain medications and to refer these patients to psychiatrists and
      addiction specialists for their evaluation. The aim of this review was to give
      practical suggestions for perioperative management of surgical opioid-tolerant
      patients, together with schemes of opioid conversion for chronic pain patients
      assuming oral or transdermal opioids, and patients under maintenance programs
      with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone.

PMID- 28919772
TI  - Anti-PCSK9 antibodies for the treatment of heterozygous familial
      hypercholesterolemia: patient selection and perspectives.
AB  - Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder
      characterized by high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels from birth,
      which exposes the arteries to high levels of atherogenic lipoproteins lifelong
      and results in a significantly increased risk of premature cardiovascular events.
      The diagnosis of FH, followed by an appropriate and early treatment is critical
      to reduce the cardiovascular burden in this population. Phase I-III clinical
      trials showed the benefit of proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 inhibitors,
      both alirocumab and evolocumab, in these patients with an average low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol reduction ranging from -40% to -60%. The aim of this
      review is to address the unmet needs in cholesterol management, elucidate the
      biology and the clinical benefit of proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9
      inhibition and finally discuss the open gaps and future directions in the
      treatment of patients with heterozygous FH.

PMID- 28919773
TI  - Sickle cell retinopathy: improving care with a multidisciplinary approach.
AB  - Sickle cell retinopathy (SCR) is the most representative ophthalmologic
      complication of sickle cell disease (SCD), a hemoglobinopathy affecting both
      adults and children. SCR presents a wide spectrum of manifestations and may even
      lead to irreversible vision loss if not properly diagnosed and treated at the
      earliest. Over the past decade, multidisciplinary research developments have
      focused upon systemic, genetic, and ocular risk factors of SCR, enabling the
      clinician to better diagnose and manage these patients. In addition, newer
      imaging and testing modalities, such as spectral domain-optical coherence
      tomography angiography, have resulted in the detection of subclinical retinopathy
      related to SCD. Innovative therapy includes intravitreal injection of an anti
      vascular endothelial growth factor (eg, Lucentis(r) [ranibizumab] or Eylea(r)
      [aflibercept]) which appears comparatively safe and efficient, and may be
      combined with laser photocoagulation (LPC) for proliferative SCR. The effect of
      LPC alone does not significantly lead to the regression of advanced SCR, although
      it helps in avoiding hemorrhage and sight loss. This comprehensive article is
      based on 10-years retrospective (2007-2017) studies. It aims to present advances
      and recommendations in SCR theranostics while pointing out the requirement of
      combinatorial approaches for better management of SCR patients. To reach this
      goal, we identified and analyzed randomized original and review articles,
      clinical trials, non-randomized intervention studies, and observational studies
      using specified keywords in various databases (eg, Medline, Embase, Cochrane,
      ClinicalTrials.gov).

PMID- 28919774
TI  - Optimizing post-acute care in breast cancer survivors: a rehabilitation
      perspective.
AB  - Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and a leading cause of morbidity
      and mortality in women worldwide. Therapeutic advances and improved survival
      rates of women with BC have implications for long-term impact on disability,
      psychological function and quality of life (QoL), which may be amenable to
      rehabilitation. The focus of rehabilitation is on managing disability, reducing
      sequelae and symptoms, and enhancing participation and societal reintegration, to
      achieve the highest possible independence and the best QoL. Rehabilitation
      interventions should be considered early for maintaining functional capacity and
      reducing the risk of losing important abilities or independence and should be
      individualized depending on disease phase, functional deficits, personal
      requirements and specific goals. A number of interventions have been trialled to
      support rehabilitation input for women with BC, which include physical therapy,
      psychological interventions (psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral training) and
      others. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation and uni-disciplinary interventions such
      as physical therapy have been shown to be beneficial in reducing disability, and
      improving participation and QoL. There is a need for comprehensive assessment of
      health domains in BC patients using a standardized framework and a common
      language for describing the impact of disease at different levels, using the
      International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health core sets.
      This will provide more detailed information on the needs of these patients, so
      more efficient and targeted rehabilitation interventions can be provided.

PMID- 28919775
TI  - Investigation of proliferation and migration of tongue squamous cell carcinoma
      promoted by three chemokines, MIP-3alpha, MIP-1beta, and IP-10.
AB  - The aim of this work was to investigate the role of chemokines in proliferation
      and migration of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Out of the 80 cytokines
      surveyed by a human cytokine antibody array, three chemokines, macrophage
      inflammatory protein-3alpha (MIP-3alpha), macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta
      (MIP-1beta), and interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), showed elevated
      expression in TSCC cells (CAL-27 and UM-1), compared to the oral mucosal
      epithelial cells. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the high level of expression of
      MIP-3alpha in the TSCC tissues, especially in the high clinical stages.
      Furthermore, Western blot and immunofluorescence staining indicated that C-C
      chemokine receptor type 5, C-C chemokine receptor type 6, and C-X-C motif
      chemokine receptor 3, which are the receptors for MIP-3alpha, MIP-1beta, and IP
      10, respectively, were expressed in the TSCC cells. Viability assay showed MIP
      3alpha, MIP-1beta, and IP-10 led to the proliferation of the CAL-27 cells.
      Interestingly, MIP-1beta and IP-10 also induced apoptosis in the TSCC cells.
      Transwell invasion assay showed MIP-3alpha and IP-10 could increase the invasive
      capability of TSCC cells; consistently, the enzymatic activities of matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 increased in the MIP-3alpha-
      and IP-10-treated cells. In summary, our results indicate the expression of MIP
      3alpha, MIP-1beta, and IP-10 increased in the TSCC cells. The elevated expression
      of MIP-3alpha and IP-10 promoted proliferation and migration of TSCC. These
      chemokines, along with their receptors, could be potential biomarkers and
      therapeutic targets for TSCC, especially for those in the high clinical stages.

PMID- 28919777
TI  - Synaptotagmin-7 is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and regulates
      hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation via Chk1-p53 signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synaptotagmin-7 (Syt-7) is a member of the synaptotagmin (Syt)
      family, which plays an important role in many physiological and pathological
      processes. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no study describing
      its function in tumors, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
      Therefore, in this study, we examined the role of Syt-7 in HCC and attempted to
      elucidate its underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the
      expression levels of Syt-7 in HCC cell lines and normal hepatocytes by real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The effects of Syt-7 knockdown
      on in vitro cell growth were assessed by Celigo image cytometry, MTT assay,
      colony formation assay, and cell cycle analysis. In vivo tumorigenesis was
      evaluated using a nude mouse model. The underlying molecular mechanism was
      evaluated using a PathScan Stress Signaling Antibody Array. RESULTS: Syt-7 mRNA
      levels were highly expressed in Huh-7 and Hep3B cells; moderately expressed in
      SMMC-7721, HepG2, and BEL-7402 cells; and lowly expressed in normal hepatocytes L
      O2. Functional experiments demonstrated that Syt-7 knockdown significantly
      suppressed cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest by increasing
      phosphorylation of Chk1 and p53. Furthermore, Syt-7 knockdown remarkably reduced
      the growth of xenograft tumors in mice. CONCLUSION: The results of this study
      suggest that Syt-7 plays a vital role in tumorigenesis and in the development of
      HCC. Syt-7 can be used as a new diagnostic and therapeutic target in HCC.

PMID- 28919778
TI  - Improvement of survival for non-small cell lung cancer over time.
AB  - Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main histological subtype of lung
      cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death. It is unclear whether the
      improved survival seen at high-volume centers applies to the general population
      and, more importantly, whether the improvement in lung cancer survival was just a
      consequence of improved screening work. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology,
      and End Results (SEER) registry was used to identify 405,580 patients with NSCLC
      diagnosed from 1988 to 2008. The patients were divided into four groups according
      to the year of diagnosis. Trends of clinical characteristics were analyzed to
      reflect the progress of screening work. Five-year relative survivals in various
      subgroups were compared. The results indicated that proportion of aged, advanced,
      and non-surgical patients increased, whereas patients with lymph node metastasis
      and high histology grade decreased. Improvements in all stages of NSCLC patients
      were demonstrated, with relatively more significant gains for patients with
      localized and regional disease. After potentially curative surgical resection,
      remarkable improvements were observed in both cohorts with time (surgical: 52.00%
      63.00%; non-surgical: 6.10%-13.50%). Specifically, patients who underwent
      pneumonectomy, lobectomy/bilobectomy, and partial/wedge/segmental resection all
      presented better survival rates. Our SEER analysis demonstrated improvements
      among patients in all stages of NSCLC that were deemed attributable to improved
      therapy and medical care for NSCLC rather than improved screening work.

PMID- 28919779
TI  - Nuclear factor-kappa B1 inhibits early apoptosis of glioma cells by promoting the
      expression of Bcl-2.
AB  - Glioma is one of the most common types of adult primary brain tumors, and the
      underlying molecular mechanisms still remain unclear. Nuclear factor-kappa B1 (NF
      kappaB1) is involved in a variety of malignancies and is widely expressed in
      malignant tumors. However, the expression of NF-kappaB1 in different grades of
      glioma, the correlation between NF-kappaB1 and Bcl-2 expressions in gliomas, and
      the research between NF-kappaB1 and early apoptosis of glioma cells have not been
      reported so far. In this study, the expression level of NF-kappaB1 in 31 human
      glioma tissues and six nonneoplastic brain tissues was determined using
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that the
      expression of NF-kappaB1 in human glioma tissues and glioma cell lines, SHG44 and
      U87, was significantly higher compared to noncancerous brain tissues and that the
      expression increased with increasing degrees of tumor malignancy. Similar results
      were demonstrated with the expression of Bcl-2 in the same human glioma
      specimens. Flow cytometry results showed that inhibition of NF-kappaB1 expression
      significantly promoted apoptosis of SHG44 and U87 in human glioma cells. Western
      blot analysis further confirmed decreased expression of Bcl-2 protein after
      inhibition of NF-kappaB1 protein expression. Taken together, NF-kappaB1
      overexpression inhibits early apoptosis of glioma cells and high expression of NF
      kappaB1 promotes the expression of antiapoptotic gene Bcl-2. Therefore, our study
      results provide a theoretical basis for antiapoptotic mechanism of tumor cells in
      association with NF-kappaB1.

PMID- 28919776
TI  - Safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of oral omaveloxolone (RTA 408), a
      synthetic triterpenoid, in a first-in-human trial of patients with advanced solid
      tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Omaveloxolone is a semisynthetic oleanane triterpenoid that potently
      activates Nrf2 with subsequent antioxidant function. We conducted a first-in
      human Phase I clinical trial (NCT02029729) with the primary objectives to
      determine the appropriate dose for Phase II studies, characterize pharmacokinetic
      and pharmacodynamic parameters, and assess antitumor activity. METHODS:
      Omaveloxolone was administered orally once daily continuously in a 28-day cycle
      for patients with stage 4 relapsed/refractory melanoma or non-small cell lung
      cancer. An accelerated titration design was employed until a grade 2-related
      adverse event (AE) occurred. A standard 3+3 dose escalation was employed. Single
      dose and steady-state plasma pharmacokinetics of the drug were characterized.
      Downstream Nrf2 activation was assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by
      quantification of target gene mRNA expression. RESULTS: Omaveloxolone was tested
      at four dose levels up to 15 mg given orally once daily. No dose-limiting
      toxicities were detected, and the maximum tolerated dose was not determined. All
      drug-related AEs were either grade 1 or 2 in severity, and none required clinical
      action. The most common drug-related AEs were elevated alkaline phosphatase (18%)
      and anemia (18%). No drug interruptions or reductions were required.
      Omaveloxolone was rapidly absorbed and exhibited proportional increases in
      exposure across dose levels. With some exceptions, an overall trend toward time
      dependent and dose-dependent activation of Nrf2 antioxidant genes was observed.
      No confirmed radiologic responses were seen, although one lung cancer subject did
      have stable disease exceeding 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Omaveloxolone has favorable
      tolerability at biologically active doses, although this trial had a small sample
      size which limits definitive conclusions. These findings support further
      investigation of omaveloxolone in cancer.

PMID- 28919781
TI  - Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of Ki-67 immunohistochemical
      expression in gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The prognostic significance of Ki-67 in patients with gastric cancer (GC) remains
      controversial. The aim of our meta-analysis is to evaluate its association with
      clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic value in patients with GC.
      PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were systematically searched up to May 2017.
      Twenty-two studies including 3,825 patients with GC were analyzed. The meta
      analysis indicated that the incidence difference of Ki-67 expression in GC
      patients was significant when comparing the older group to younger group (odds
      ratio [OR] =1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19, 1.75), lymph node positive
      group to negative group (OR =1.49, 95% CI 1.20, 1.84), the large size tumor group
      to the small size tumor group (OR =1.27, 95% CI 1.24, 1.68) and the TNM stage
      III+IV group to TNM stage I+II group (OR =2.28, 95% CI 1.66, 3.12). However, no
      statistical differences existed in gender. The detection of Ki-67 significantly
      correlated with the overall survival of patients (hazard ratio =1.51, 95% CI
      1.31, 1.72). Our study suggested that Ki-67 overexpression was associated with
      poor prognosis in GC patients. Ki-67 positive rates may be associated with age,
      lymph node metastasis, tumor size, and TNM staging system in GC patients.

PMID- 28919780
TI  - The role and significance of VEGFR2+ regulatory T cells in tumor immunity.
AB  - Tumor development is closely related to angiogenesis, and VEGFR2 plays an
      important role in tumor angiogenesis. It is broadly expressed in the blood
      vessels, especially in the microvessels of tumor tissues. Furthermore, VEGFR2 is
      detected on the surface of the cell membrane in various immune cells, such as
      dendritic cells, macrophages, and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Tregs, which are
      one of the key negative regulatory factors in tumor immune microenvironments,
      show high-level expression of VEGFR2 which participates in the regulation of
      immunosuppressive function. VEGFR2+ Tregs play a potent suppressive role in the
      formation of immunosuppressive microenvironments. A large number of reports have
      proven the synergistic effects between targeted therapy for VEGFR2 and
      immunotherapy. The depression of VEGFR2 activity on T cells can significantly
      reduce the infiltration of Tregs into the tumor tissue. Targeted therapy for
      VEGFR2+ Tregs also provides a new choice for the clinical treatment of malignant
      solid tumors. In this paper, the role and significance of VEGFR2+ Tregs in tumor
      immunity in recent years are reviewed.

PMID- 28919782
TI  - Inhibitory effects of a selective Jak2 inhibitor on adrenocorticotropic hormone
      production and proliferation of corticotroph tumor AtT20 cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: The primary cause of Cushing's disease is adrenocorticotropic hormone
      (ACTH)-producing pituitary adenomas. EGFR signaling induces POMC mRNA-transcript
      levels and ACTH secretion from corticotroph tumors. The Jak-STAT pathway is
      located downstream of EGFR signaling; therefore, a Jak2 inhibitor could be an
      effective therapy for EGFR-related tumors. In this study, we determined the
      effect of a potent and selective Jak2 inhibitor, SD1029, on ACTH production and
      proliferation in mouse AtT20 corticotroph tumor cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      AtT20 pituitary corticotroph tumor cells were cultured after transfection with
      PTTG1- or GADD45beta-specific siRNA. Expression levels of mouse POMC, PTTG1, and
      GADD45beta mRNAs were evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. ACTH levels were measured using ACTH ELISA. Western blot analysis was
      performed to examine protein expression of phosphorylated STAT3/STAT3. Viable
      cells and DNA fragmentation were measured using a cell-proliferation assay and
      cell-death detection ELISA, respectively. Cellular DNA content was analyzed using
      fluorescence-activated cell sorting. RESULTS: SD1029 decreased POMC and PTTG1
      mRNA and ACTH levels, while increasing GADD45beta levels. The drug also decreased
      AtT20-cell proliferation and induced apoptosis, but did not alter cell-cycle
      progression. SD1029 also inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation. PTTG1 knockdown
      inhibited POMC mRNA levels and cell proliferation. However, combined treatment
      with PTTG1 knockdown and SD1029 had no additive effect on POMC mRNA levels or
      cell proliferation. GADD45beta knockdown inhibited the SD1029-induced decrease in
      POMC mRNA levels and also partially inhibited the decrease in cell proliferation.
      CONCLUSION: Both PTTG1 and GADD45beta may be responsible, at least in part, for
      the Jak2-induced suppression of ACTH synthesis and cell proliferation.
      Accordingly, therapies that target EGFR-dependent Jak2/STAT3 may have clinical
      applications for treating Cushing's disease.

PMID- 28919783
TI  - Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 expression correlates with the expression of immune
      biomarkers and positively predicts the clinical outcome of patients with
      melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a critical role in cancer, yet the
      clinical relevance of TLR7/8 expression in melanoma remains unclear. This study
      aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of TLR7/8 mRNA levels in melanoma and
      their correlation with immune biomarkers relevant to disease progression.
      METHODS: Normalized gene expression and corresponding clinical data of patients
      with skin cutaneous melanoma were obtained from two public databases: the Cancer
      Genome Atlas and GSE19234. Log rank (Mantel-Cox) tests were used to perform
      survival analysis. Multivariate survival analysis was performed on a Cox
      regression hazard model. Spearman correlation analyses were used to address the
      relationship between the expressions of TLR7/8 levels and immune biomarkers in
      melanoma tumors. RESULTS: Survival analysis suggested that high levels of TLR7 or
      TLR8 expression predicted better clinical outcome for melanoma patients (TLR7: HR
      =1.734, P<0.0001; TLR8: HR =2.072, P<0.0001). Moreover, multivariate survival
      analysis implicated TLR7 as a prognostic factor independent of age, gender, or
      pathological stage. Further analysis demonstrated that expression levels of
      TLR7/8 strongly correlated with that of dendritic cell markers and
      chemokines/chemokine receptors, including CCR2, CCR5, CCL3, and CCL5.
      Importantly, expression levels of both TLR7 and TLR8 were also highly correlated
      with the expressions of CD8 and other functional markers of CD8+ T cells.
      CONCLUSION: High gene expression of TLR7 and TLR8 in melanoma tumors is
      associated with high expression levels of functional markers of immune cells,
      which predicts longer overall survival of patients with melanoma. Our results not
      only provide an important reference for the clinical prognosis of melanoma but
      also present new implications for the design of melanoma immunotherapy.

PMID- 28919784
TI  - Durable complete remission of poor performance status metastatic lung
      adenocarcinoma patient treated with second-line erlotinib: a case report.
AB  - This paper presents a rare case of an elderly patient treated with erlotinib for
      disseminated lung adenocarcinoma with poor performance status (Eastern
      Cooperative Oncology Group performance status [PS]3). This treatment led to a
      long duration of complete remission according to Response Evaluation Criteria in
      Solid Tumors 1.1 - almost 7 years (81 months) of progression-free survival (PFS)
      and overall survival (OS) of 10 years by March 2017. The treatment with erlotinib
      started in September 2008 and it was well tolerated with no adverse effects.
      Mutation analyses (real-time polymerase chain reaction method) revealed deletion
      of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) gene and wild-type Kirsten-ras protein
      gene in exon 19. In May 2015, the patient relapsed with jaundice and enlarged
      lymph nodes of the liver hilum, with no other metastasis, PS 2. Biopsy confirmed
      metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma. EGFR molecular testing did not reveal T790M
      mutation. Treatment was continued with gemcitabine-cisplatin chemotherapy. A
      total of six cycles were administered with nearly complete response and Eastern
      Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0. Further on, gemcitabine
      monotherapy has been administered with nearly complete response maintained and OS
      of 10 years by March 2017. This report describes an extremely rare case of a poor
      performance patient with advanced metastatic adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR
      mutation - deletion in exon 19 - who was receiving salvage erlotinib and had a
      complete response with 81 months of PFS followed by a relapse and subsequent
      chemotherapy which led to nearly complete response, with an OS of 10 years by
      March 2017. Such a complete response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in a
      poor PS patient, with long PFS and OS achieved, justifies tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor treatment approach in poor PS patients with EGFR-sensitizing tumors,
      and furthermore points to the feasibility of administering chemotherapy at the
      time of relapse.

PMID- 28919785
TI  - Biomarker analysis and clinical relevance of TK1 on the cell membrane of
      Burkitt's lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - TK1 is an enzyme involved in DNA synthesis and repair. TK1 is usually found
      elevated in cancer patients' serum, which makes it a useful tumor proliferation
      biomarker that strongly correlates with cancer stage, metastatic capabilities,
      and recurrence risk. In this study, we show that TK1 is upregulated and localizes
      on the plasma membrane of Burkitt's lymphoma, acute promyelocytic leukemia, T
      cell leukemia, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Using flow cytometry, we
      confirmed that TK1 localizes on the surface of Raji, HL60, and Jurkat cell lines
      and on ALL clinical samples. Using fluorescent microscopy, we found a strong
      association of TK1 with the plasma membrane in Raji, HL60, and Jurkat cell lines.
      These findings were also confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Our study
      also shows that this phenomenon does not occur on normal resting or proliferating
      lymphocytes. In addition, we show that membrane TK1 is found in all oligomeric
      forms ranging from monomer to tetramer and exhibits enzymatic activity. These
      findings suggest TK1 as a possible target for immunotherapy with the potential to
      be utilized in the treatment of hematological cancers.

PMID- 28919787
TI  - Computational tool for optimizing the essential oils utilization in inhibiting
      the bacterial growth.
AB  - Day after day, the importance of relying on nature in many fields such as food,
      medical, pharmaceutical industries, and others is increasing. Essential oils
      (EOs) are considered as one of the most significant natural products for use as
      antimicrobials, antioxidants, antitumorals, and anti-inflammatories. Optimizing
      the usage of EOs is a big challenge faced by the scientific researchers because
      of the complexity of chemical composition of every EO, in addition to the
      difficulties to determine the best in inhibiting the bacterial activity. The goal
      of this article is to present a new computational tool based on two
      methodologies: reduction by using rough sets and optimization with particle swarm
      optimization. The developed tool dubbed as Essential Oil Reduction and
      Optimization Tool is applied on 24 types of EOs that have been tested toward 17
      different species of bacteria.

PMID- 28919786
TI  - Genetic variants in long noncoding RNA H19 contribute to the risk of breast
      cancer in a southeast China Han population.
AB  - The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) H19 is a maternally expressed imprinted gene that
      plays important roles in tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis. However, the
      association between polymorphisms on H19 and breast cancer (BC) susceptibility
      has remained obscure. In this case-control study, we assessed the interaction
      between two lncRNA H19 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs217727 C>T,
      rs2839698 C>T) and the risk of BC in a Chinese Han population. In total, 1,005 BC
      cases and 1,020 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Correlations
      between genotypes and BC risk were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression
      to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). False-positive
      report probability calculation was also utilized to identify false-positive
      associations. We observed that the rs217727 T variant was consistently
      significantly associated with an increased risk of BC in both codominant and
      dominant models (CT vs CC, OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.51; TT vs CC, OR 1.56, 95% CI
      1.15-2.09; CT + TT vs CC, OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.57), and all associations
      remained significant after Bonferroni correction (P<0.025). Subsequent stratified
      analyses also revealed that associations between BC risk and rs217727 genotypes
      were more profound in patients with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal
      growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, and hormone receptor-positive-HER2
      negative molecular subtypes (all passed the threshold for Bonferroni correction,
      P<0.005). These findings extend available data on the association of H19
      polymorphisms and BC susceptibility. Based on these results, we encourage further
      large-scale studies and functional research to confirm our findings and better
      elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

PMID- 28919788
TI  - Innovative treatments for severe refractory asthma: how to choose the right
      option for the right patient?
AB  - The increasing understanding of the molecular biology and the etiopathogenetic
      mechanisms of asthma helps in identification of numerous phenotypes and
      endotypes, particularly for severe refractory asthma. For a decade, the only
      available biologic therapy that met the unmet needs of a specific group of
      patients with severe uncontrolled allergic asthma has been omalizumab. Recently,
      new biologic therapies with different mechanisms of action and targets have been
      approved for marketing, such as mepolizumab. Other promising drugs will be
      available in the coming years, such as reslizumab, benralizumab, dupilumab and
      lebrikizumab. Moreover, since 2010, bronchial thermoplasty has been successfully
      introduced for a limited number of patients. This is a nonpharmacologic
      endoscopic procedure which is considered a promising therapy, even though several
      aspects still need to be clarified. Despite the increasing availability of new
      therapies, one of the major problems of each treatment is still the
      identification of the most suitable patients. This sudden abundance of
      therapeutic options, sometimes partially overlapping with each other, increases
      the importance to identify new biomarkers useful to guide the clinician in
      selecting the most appropriate patients and treatments, without forgetting the
      drug-economic aspects seen in elevated direct cost of new therapies. The aim of
      this review is, therefore, to update the clinician on the state of the art of
      therapies available for refractory asthma and, above all, to give useful
      directions that will help understand the different choices that sometimes
      partially overlap and to dispel the possible doubts that still exist.

PMID- 28919789
TI  - Antifungal resistance: current trends and future strategies to combat.
AB  - Antifungal resistance represents a major clinical challenge to clinicians
      responsible for treating invasive fungal infections due to the limited arsenal of
      systemically available antifungal agents. In addition current drugs may be
      limited by drug-drug interactions and serious adverse effects/toxicities that
      prevent their prolonged use or dosage escalation. Fluconazole resistance is of
      particular concern in non-Candida albicans species due to the increased incidence
      of infections caused by these species in different geographic locations worldwide
      and the elevated prevalence of resistance to this commonly used azole in many
      institutions. C. glabrata resistance to the echinocandins has also been
      documented to be rising in several US institutions, and a higher percentage of
      these isolates may also be azole resistant. Azole resistance in Aspergillus
      fumigatus due to clinical and environmental exposure to this class of agents has
      also been found worldwide, and these isolates can cause invasive infections with
      high mortality rates. In addition, several species of Aspergillus, and other
      molds, including Scedosporium and Fusarium species, have reduced susceptibility
      or pan-resistance to clinically available antifungals. Various investigational
      antifungals are currently in preclinical or clinical development, including
      several of them that have the potential to overcome resistance observed against
      the azoles and the echinocandins. These include agents that also target
      ergosterol and b-glucan biosynthesis, as well as compounds with novel mechanisms
      of action that may also overcome the limitations of currently available
      antifungal classes, including both resistance and adverse effects/toxicity.

PMID- 28919790
TI  - Exploring bacterial outer membrane barrier to combat bad bugs.
AB  - One of the main fundamental mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative
      bacteria comprises an effective change in the membrane permeability to
      antibiotics. The Gram-negative bacterial complex cell envelope comprises an outer
      membrane that delimits the periplasm from the exterior environment. The outer
      membrane contains numerous protein channels, termed as porins or nanopores, which
      are mainly involved in the influx of hydrophilic compounds, including
      antibiotics. Bacterial adaptation to reduce influx through these outer membrane
      proteins (Omps) is one of the crucial mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance.
      Thus to interpret the molecular basis of the outer membrane permeability is the
      current challenge. This review attempts to develop a state of knowledge pertinent
      to Omps and their effective role in antibiotic influx. Further, it aims to study
      the bacterial response to antibiotic membrane permeability and hopefully provoke
      a discussion toward understanding and further exploration of prospects to improve
      our knowledge on physicochemical parameters that direct the translocation of
      antibiotics through the bacterial membrane protein channels.

PMID- 28919791
TI  - Pegylated-interferon plus ribavirin treatment does not alter the prevalence of
      resistance-associated substitutions to direct-acting antivirals in HCV genotype
      1a patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) resistance-associated substitutions
      (RASs) can jeopardize the effectiveness of DAAs in patients with hepatitis C
      virus (HCV). The selection pressure by pegylated-interferon (Peg-IFN) plus
      ribavirin (P/R) treatment may enhance HCV genome variation. However, whether P/R
      treatment alters the rate of change of RASs is still unclear. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We retrieved the genomic sequences of HCV genotype (GT) 1a patients from
      GenBank, which included patients naive to P/R (pre-IFN group) and those
      previously treated with P/R (post-IFN group). The sequences were aligned and
      analyzed by using MEGA 6.0 software. Clinically relevant RASs were summarized
      from the current medical literature. RESULTS: In the cross-sectional study, the
      total prevalence of clinically relevant RASs was high, independent of the
      treatment group (pre-IFN: 219/403 [54.34%] vs post-IFN: 67/131 [51.15%]). The
      high prevalence was mainly detected in the NS3 region RAS at Q80 (40.69% vs
      36.64%). The RASs in the NS5A region, such as M28, Q30, L31 and Y93, were
      uncommon (0%-5%). Similarly, all RASs showed no difference between the two
      groups. One exception was the RAS at I170 in the NS3 region, which was
      significantly higher in the post-IFN group than in the pre-IFN group. In the
      longitudinal study, similar results were observed. However, no difference in RAS
      at I170 was observed between the two groups. Finally, no clinically relevant RASs
      were detected in response to the DAA regimens approved for GT 1a patients treated
      with P/R. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that previous P/R treatment failure was
      not favorably associated with an increase in DAAs RASs present in GT1a patients.
      Our results support the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases'
      recommendations of DAA intervention in P/R-treated GT1a patients.

PMID- 28919792
TI  - Clinical outcomes and nephrotoxicity of colistin loading dose for treatment of
      extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colistin is a last-line defense therapy against extensively drug
      resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDR-AB). Despite a loading dose of colistin
      being applied in many clinical practices, studies evaluating the effect of the
      loading dose of colistin in cancer patients remain limited. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      A retrospective cohort study of cancer patients who received either a loading or
      non-loading dose of colistin for treatment of XDR-AB was conducted. For each
      group, the clinical response, bacteriological eradication and serum creatinine
      were recorded. Logistic regression was applied to evaluate the effects of therapy
      on each of the three aforementioned outcomes. RESULTS: One hundred and two
      patients diagnosed with XDR-AB infections between January 2012 and December 2015
      were recruited. Only 75 patients were given a loading dose of colistin. There was
      no significant clinical and microbiological response in patients in the loading
      dose group or patients in the non-loading dose group. However, 38 (50.67%)
      patients in the loading dose group and 6 (22.22%) patients in the non-loading
      dose group developed nephrotoxicity according to the RIFLE criteria (p = 0.013).
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that independent predictors of
      clinical response were Charlson score >=4 and duration of colistin treatment >=10
      days. Septic shock correlated with both poor clinical and microbiological
      response. Independent predictors for nephrotoxicity were loading dose colistin
      and patient's age >=60 years. CONCLUSION: Administration of colistin loading dose
      did not significantly increase clinical response, microbiological response or
      mortality rate compared to non-loading dose in cancer patients with XDR-AB
      related infections. However, nephrotoxicity was significantly higher when
      patients received loading dose colistin.

PMID- 28919793
TI  - Burden of uterine fibroids in Italy: epidemiology, treatment outcomes, and
      consumption of health care resources in more than 5,000 women.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Epidemiological studies on uterine fibroids (UFs) are
      mostly based on surveys or analyses of small samples of patients. In 50% of
      women, the quality of life is worsened by disease-related symptoms; furthermore,
      treatments imply a remarkable health care cost. The aim of this observational
      study was to analyze a large sample of Italian patients with UFs and to assess
      the epidemiology, the appropriateness of treatments, and the consumption of
      disease-related resources. METHODS: Data were collected through a data-linkage
      technique from five administrative databases. Women aged between 18 and 55 years
      and resident in three local health authorities (north-central-south Italy) were
      selected over the period from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2015. The
      inclusion criteria were a surgical procedure with diagnosis of UFs or a
      pharmacological treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs or
      ulipristal acetate. Besides the overall descriptive analysis, two comparisons
      were evaluated: surgery versus no surgery and treatment with GnRH analogs versus
      ulipristal acetate. RESULTS: A total of 5,665 women with UFs were selected from
      an overall population of 2,400,000 people. In the north, 73.6% of patients
      underwent surgery, as opposed to only 16.7% in the south; 70% of surgeries were
      hysterectomies. The average cost per patient was ?3,249 (duration of follow-up =
      up to 7 years). The southern district had the highest number of drug
      prescriptions; in particular, 49% of patients took >10 packages of GnRH analogs.
      CONCLUSION: This study is the first on this topic conducted in Italy using a
      large sample size. The analysis of resource consumption revealed a high
      heterogeneity in the choice of drug treatments by gynecologists (especially in
      the south); in the north, marked variations were seen in the rates of surgery.
      The long-term use of GnRH was inappropriate.

PMID- 28919794
TI  - Parenteral nutrition including an omega-3 fatty-acid-containing lipid emulsion
      for intensive care patients in China: a pharmacoeconomic analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Parenteral nutrition (PN) incorporating omega-3 fatty-acid
      enriched lipid emulsions has been shown to be cost effective in Western
      populations. A pharmacoeconomic evaluation was performed within the Chinese
      intensive care unit (ICU) setting. This assessed whether the additional
      acquisition cost of PN with omega-3 fatty-acid-enriched lipid emulsion
      (SMOFlipid) vs standard PN was offset by improved clinical outcomes that can
      reduce subsequent costs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A pharmacoeconomic discrete event
      simulation model was developed, based on an update to efficacy data from a
      previous international meta-analysis, with China-specific clinical and economic
      input parameters. Sensitivity analyses were undertaken to assess the effects of
      uncertainty around input parameters. RESULTS: The model predicted that PN with an
      omega-3 fatty-acid-enriched lipid emulsion was more effective and less costly
      than PN with standard lipid emulsions for Chinese ICU patients, as follows:
      reduced length of overall hospital length of stay (19.48 vs 21.35 days,
      respectively), reduced length of ICU stay (5.03 vs 6.18 days, respectively), and
      prevention of 35.6% of nosocomial infections leading to a lower total cost per
      patient (Y47 189 [US $6937] vs Y54 783 [US $8053], respectively). Additional
      treatment costs were offset by savings in overall hospital and ICU stay cost, and
      antibiotic cost, resulting in a mean cost saving of Y7594 (US $1116) per patient.
      Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings. CONCLUSIONS: PN
      enriched with an omega-3 fatty-acid-containing lipid emulsion vs standard PN may
      be effective in reducing length of hospital and ICU stay and infectious
      complications in Chinese ICU patients, and also decreases overall treatment
      costs. This results in a favorable cost-effectiveness ratio. Thus, PN enriched
      with an omega-3 fatty-acid-containing lipid emulsion can be seen as a win-win
      situation for patients, hospital administration, and health insurance companies.

PMID- 28919795
TI  - Type 2 diabetes in Vietnam: a cross-sectional, prevalence-based cost-of-illness
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the International Diabetes Federation, total global
      health care expenditures for diabetes tripled between 2003 and 2013 because of
      increases in the number of people with diabetes as well as in the average
      expenditures per patient. This study aims to provide accurate and timely
      information about the economic impacts of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in
      Vietnam. METHOD: The cost-of-illness estimates followed a prospective, prevalence
      based approach from the societal perspective of T2DM with 392 selected diabetic
      patients who received treatment from a public hospital in Ho Chi Minh City,
      Vietnam, during the 2016 fiscal year. RESULTS: In this study, the annual cost per
      patient estimate was US $246.10 (95% CI 228.3, 267.2) for 392 patients, which
      accounted for about 12% (95% CI 11, 13) of the gross domestic product per capita
      in 2017. That includes US $127.30, US $34.40 and US $84.40 for direct medical
      costs, direct nonmedical expenditures, and indirect costs, respectively. The cost
      of pharmaceuticals accounted for the bulk of total expenditures in our study
      (27.5% of total costs and 53.2% of direct medical costs). A bootstrap analysis
      showed that female patients had a higher cost of treatment than men at US $48.90
      (95% CI 3.1, 95.0); those who received insulin and oral antidiabetics (OAD) also
      had a statistically significant higher cost of treatment compared to those
      receiving OAD, US $445.90 (95% CI 181.2, 690.6). The Gradient Boosting Regression
      (Ensemble method) and Lasso Regression (Generalized Linear Models) were
      determined to be the best models to predict the cost of T2DM (R2=65.3, mean
      square error [MSE]=0.94; and R2=64.75, MSE=0.96, respectively). CONCLUSION: The
      findings of this study serve as a reference for policy decision making in
      diabetes management as well as adjustment of costs for patients in order to
      reduce the economic impact of the disease.

PMID- 28919796
TI  - Psoriasis and vitiligo are close relatives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both vitiligo and psoriasis are chronic inflammatory autoimmune
      diseases with genetic elements. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the frequencies of
      psoriasis in vitiligo patients and vice versa and to compare them with healthy
      controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1000 subjects were included, 250 of
      them had vitiligo, 250 had psoriasis, and 500 were healthy controls. Measurement
      of the frequencies of vitiligo in psoriatic patients and psoriasis in vitiligo
      patients was carried out. Thereafter the frequencies of both diseases were
      assessed in healthy controls. The frequency of vitiligo among psoriatic patients
      was compared with that of vitiligo in healthy controls. A similar comparison was
      done between the frequency of psoriasis among vitiligo patients with that in
      healthy controls. Other comparisons were performed between the frequency of
      family history of psoriasis among vitiligo patients with that in healthy controls
      and between the frequency of family history of vitiligo in psoriatic patients
      with that in healthy controls. RESULTS: The frequency of psoriasis among vitiligo
      patients was 15 (6%) and among healthy controls was 2 (0.4%); there is a
      statistically significant difference (P=0.001). The frequency of vitiligo among
      psoriatic patients was 5 (2%) and among healthy controls was 3 (0.6%); no
      statistically significant difference was found (P=0.16). The family history of
      psoriasis among vitiligo patients was 23 (9.2%) and among healthy controls was 20
      (4%); there is a significant association (P=0.043). The family history of
      vitiligo among psoriatic patients was 24 (9.6%) and among healthy controls was 40
      (8%); the difference is statistically significant (P=0.042). CONCLUSION: The
      present work has confirmed the close relationship between vitiligo and psoriasis.

PMID- 28919797
TI  - Quality of care in inflammatory bowel disease: results of a prospective
      controlled cohort study in Germany (NETIBD).
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) need
      comprehensive, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral health care. In Germany,
      evidence-based care pathways have been developed to improve the quality of care
      of IBD patients. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the implementation of some
      of these recommendations on patient-related outcomes. METHODS: In a region of
      North Germany, outpatients with IBD were recruited by gastroenterologists
      (intervention group). Three activities based on the recommendations of the IBD
      pathways were implemented, namely, 1) patient participation in a questionnaire
      based assessment of 22 somatic and psychosocial problems combined with
      individualized care recommendations (patient activation procedure); 2) patient
      invitation to participate in a 2-day patient education program and 3) invitation
      to their gastroenterologists to participate in periodic interdisciplinary case
      conferences. For the control group, IBD patients receiving standard care at
      gastroenterology practices outside the specified region were recruited by their
      doctors. At baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-up, study patients were invited to
      complete questionnaires. Generic health-related quality of life, social
      participation and self-management skills were the main outcomes. RESULTS: At
      baseline, 349 patients were included in the study (intervention group: 189;
      control group: 160); 142 patients from the former and 140 from the latter group
      returned completed questionnaires at the 12-month follow-up. Over time,
      improvement in health-related quality of life and social participation was
      similar in both groups. Participants of the intervention group demonstrated
      improved self-management skills and more often followed steroid-free medication
      regimens. CONCLUSION: In a real-world clinical context, patient activation
      procedure combined with patient education and case conferences was less effective
      than expected. The observed beneficial effects, however, encourage the evaluation
      of more intensive and addressee-centered activities.

PMID- 28919798
TI  - Comparative effects of the omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acid derivatives
      resolvins E1 and D1 and protectin DX in models of inflammation and pain.
AB  - PURPOSE: Specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), also known as
      lipoxins, resolvins (Rvs), protectins and maresins, have been implicated in the
      resolution of the inflammatory process. However, a systematic comparison of their
      activity in the relief of inflammation and pain models is still lacking.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of Rvs E1 and D1 and protectin DX (PDX) were
      assessed in rat paws inflamed by the standard proinflammatory stimulus
      carrageenan or by histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, substance P or prostaglandin
      E2. The experimental outcomes were the mechanical nociceptive threshold and
      increase in paw volume as a measure of pain and edema formation, respectively.
      The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the indicated SPMs were also
      compared with nonsteroidal (indomethacin and celecoxib) and steroidal
      (dexamethasone) anti-inflammatory drugs. RESULTS: Only RvE1 and RvD1 presented
      analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in the carrageenan model, and RvE1 was
      twice as potent as RvD1. Both substances tended to be better analgesics than anti
      inflammatory agents, with a modeling profile similar to steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs. However, proinflammatory effects (edema formation) were also
      detected when the mediators histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine or substance P
      replaced carrageenan as the proinflammatory stimuli. The analgesic and anti
      inflammatory effects of resolvins were specifically prevented by an antagonist of
      the leukotriene B4 receptor 1 (BLT1). CONCLUSION: Rvs, as analgesic agents, may
      be better therapeutic agents than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the
      current choice in the relief of pain of an inflammatory origin. However, the
      possibility of developing adverse effects cannot be overlooked.

PMID- 28919799
TI  - Maple syrup urine disease: mechanisms and management.
AB  - Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by
      defects in the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex, which results
      in elevations of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in plasma, alpha
      ketoacids in urine, and production of the pathognomonic disease marker,
      alloisoleucine. The disorder varies in severity and the clinical spectrum is
      quite broad with five recognized clinical variants that have no known association
      with genotype. The classic presentation occurs in the neonatal period with
      developmental delay, failure to thrive, feeding difficulties, and maple syrup
      odor in the cerumen and urine, and can lead to irreversible neurological
      complications, including stereotypical movements, metabolic decompensation, and
      death if left untreated. Treatment consists of dietary restriction of BCAAs and
      close metabolic monitoring. Clinical outcomes are generally good in patients
      where treatment is initiated early. Newborn screening for MSUD is now commonplace
      in the United States and is included on the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel
      (RUSP). We review this disorder including its presentation, screening and
      clinical diagnosis, treatment, and other relevant aspects pertaining to the care
      of patients.

PMID- 28919800
TI  - Renal sympathetic denervation increases renal blood volume per cardiac cycle: a
      serial magnetic resonance imaging study in resistant hypertension.
AB  - AIM: Preclinical studies have demonstrated improvements in renal blood flow after
      renal sympathetic denervation (RSDN); however, such effects are yet to be
      confirmed in patients with resistant hypertension. Herein, we assessed the
      effects of RSDN on renal artery blood flow and diameter at multiple time points
      post-RSDN. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients (n=11) with systolic blood pressures
      >=160 mmHg despite taking three or more antihypertensive medications at maximum
      tolerated dose were recruited into this single-center, prospective, non-blinded
      study. Magnetic resonance imaging indices included renal blood flow and renal
      artery diameters at baseline, 1 month and 6 months. In addition to significant
      decreases in blood pressures (p<0.0001), total volume of blood flow per cardiac
      cycle increased by 20% from 6.9+/-2 mL at baseline to 8.4+/-2 mL (p=0.003) at 1
      month and to 8.0+/-2 mL (p=0.04) 6 months post-procedure, with no changes in the
      renal blood flow. There was a significant decrease in renal artery diameters from
      7+/-2 mm at baseline to 6+/-1 mm (p=0.03) at 1 month post-procedure. This
      decrease was associated with increases in maximum velocity of blood flow from
      73+/-20 cm/s at baseline to 78+/-19 cm/s at 1 month post-procedure. Notably, both
      parameters reverted to 7+/-2 mm and 72+/-18 cm/s, respectively, 6 months after
      procedure. CONCLUSION: RSDN improves renal physiology as evidenced by significant
      improvements in total volume of blood flow per cardiac cycle. Additionally, for
      the first time, we identified a transient decrease in renal artery diameters
      immediately after procedure potentially caused by edema and inflammation that
      reverted to baseline values 6 months post-procedure.

PMID- 28919801
TI  - Transforming growth factor-beta1/Smad3-independent epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition in type I collagen glomerulopathy.
AB  - The glomerulofibrotic Col1a2-deficient mouse model demonstrates glomerular
      homotrimeric type I collagen deposition in mesangial and subendothelial spaces.
      In this report, we investigate the role of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF
      beta1) in myofibroblast activation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in
      this glomerulopathy. Immunohistochemical analyses of glomerular alpha-sma,
      desmin, vimentin, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen demonstrated parietal
      epithelial cell proliferation and EMT in late stages of the glomerulopathy in the
      Col1a2-deficient mice. Glomerular TGF-beta1 RNA and protein were not elevated in
      1- and 3-month-old mice as determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase
      polymerase chain reaction and protein immunoassay analyses. To investigate
      further whether TGF-beta1 plays a role in the glomerulopathy outside of the 1-
      and 3-month time periods, the Col1a2-deficient mice were bred with Smad3 knockout
      mice. If the glomerular fibrosis in the Col1a2-deficient mice is mediated by the
      TGF-beta1/Smad3 transcription pathway, it was hypothesized that the resultant
      Col1a2-deficient/Smad3-deficient mice would exhibit attenuated glomerular
      homotrimer deposition. However, the Col1a2-deficient/Smad3-deficient kidneys were
      similarly affected as compared to age-matched Col1a2-deficient kidneys,
      suggesting that homotrimeric type I collagen deposition in the Col1a2-deficient
      mouse is independent of TGF-beta1/Smad3 signaling. Deposition of homotrimeric
      type I collagen appears to be the initiating event in this glomerulopathy,
      providing evidence that EMT and myofibroblast activation occur following
      initiation, consistent with a secondary wound-healing response independent of TGF
      beta1.

PMID- 28919802
TI  - ABCB1 and ABCC1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in patients treated with
      clozapine.
AB  - Clozapine (CZ) has superior efficacy to other antipsychotic agents in the
      treatment of schizophrenia and has been extensively used in clinical practice.
      ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins are responsible for the
      distribution of various molecules as well as drugs across extracellular and
      intracellular membranes, including the blood-brain barrier. Genetic variations in
      these proteins can account for differences in treatment response. We investigated
      the influence of ABCB1 rs1045642 and ABCC1 rs212090 single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) on CZ serum level, clinical outcome, and changes in body
      mass index (BMI) in the first year of CZ treatment. These polymorphisms
      influenced baseline BMI in males (p=0.009 and 0.054, B1 and C1, respectively),
      changes in BMI in males after 3 (p=0.026, ABCB1) and 12 months (p=0.022, ABCC1)
      of CZ treatment, and level of diastolic pressure (p=0.002 and 0.051,
      respectively). The combination of ABCB1 + ABCC1 homozygote SNPs was associated
      with increased CZ and norclozapine serum levels (p=0.054 and 0.010,
      respectively). ABC transporter SNPs could be potential biomarkers for CZ-induced
      weight gain and cardiovascular complications. Further pharmacogenetic research is
      warranted to help clinicians with their treatment decision, including concomitant
      use of drugs and prevention of side effects.

PMID- 28919804
TI  - Morningness-eveningness and emotion dysregulation incremental validity in
      predicting social anxiety dimensions.
AB  - This study investigates the usefulness of morningness-eveningness and emotion
      dysregulation for better understanding of social anxiety dimensions.
      Specifically, associations between morningness-eveningness and incremental
      validity of emotion dysregulation as a predictor of social anxiety were examined.
      Data were obtained from a sample of normal students (N=510). Results of
      regression analyses showed that morningness was a significant predictor of social
      anxiety variables. Dimensions of emotion dysregulation had multiple associations
      with facets from social anxiety. Emotion dysregulation was found to be a positive
      predictor of social anxiety. The results expand the understanding of social
      anxiety and indicate how the domains of morningness-eveningness and emotion
      regulation could explain social anxiety in a normal population.

PMID- 28919803
TI  - Empirical validation of the Horowitz Multiple Systemic Infectious Disease
      Syndrome Questionnaire for suspected Lyme disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lyme disease is spreading worldwide, with multiple Borrelia species
      causing a broad range of clinical symptoms that mimic other illnesses. A
      validated Lyme disease screening questionnaire would be clinically useful for
      both providers and patients. Three studies evaluated such a screening tool,
      namely the Horowitz Multiple Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome (MSIDS)
      Questionnaire. The purpose was to see if the questionnaire could accurately
      distinguish between Lyme patients and healthy individuals. METHODS: Study 1
      examined the construct validity of the scale examining its factor structure and
      reliability of the questionnaire among 537 individuals being treated for Lyme
      disease. Study 2 involved an online sample of 999 participants, who self
      identified as either healthy (N=217) or suffering from Lyme now (N=782) who
      completed the Horowitz MSIDS Questionnaire (HMQ) along with an outdoor activity
      survey. We examined convergent validity among components of the scale and
      evaluated discriminant validity with the Big Five personality characteristics.
      The third study compared a sample of 236 patients with confirmed Lyme disease
      with an online sample of 568 healthy individuals. RESULTS: Factor analysis
      results identified six underlying latent dimensions; four of these overlapped
      with critical symptoms identified by Horowitz - neuropathy, cognitive
      dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, and fatigue. The HMQ showed acceptable levels
      of internal reliability using Cronbach's coefficient alpha and exhibited evidence
      of convergent and divergent validity. Components of the HMQ correlated more
      highly with each other than with unrelated traits. DISCUSSION: The results
      consistently demonstrated that the HMQ accurately differentiated those with Lyme
      disease from healthy individuals. Three migratory pain survey items (persistent
      muscular pain, arthritic pain, and nerve pain/paresthesias) robustly identified
      individuals with verified Lyme disease. The results support the use of the HMQ as
      a valid, efficient, and low-cost screening tool for medical practitioners to
      decide if additional testing is warranted to distinguish between Lyme disease and
      other illnesses.

PMID- 28919805
TI  - A pilot evaluation of a computer-based psychometric test battery designed to
      detect impairment in patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychometric testing is used to identify patients with cirrhosis who
      have developed hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Most batteries consist of a series of
      paper-and-pencil tests, which are cumbersome for most clinicians. A modern, easy
      to-use, computer-based battery would be a helpful clinical tool, given that in
      its minimal form, HE has an impact on both patients' quality of life and the
      ability to drive and operate machinery (with societal consequences). AIM: We
      compared the CogstateTM computer battery testing with the Psychometric Hepatic
      Encephalopathy Score (PHES) tests, with a view to simplify the diagnosis.
      METHODS: This was a prospective study of 27 patients with histologically proven
      cirrhosis. An analysis of psychometric testing was performed using accuracy of
      task performance and speed of completion as primary variables to create a
      correlation matrix. A stepwise linear regression analysis was performed with
      backward elimination, using analysis of variance. RESULTS: Strong correlations
      were found between the international shopping list, international shopping list
      delayed recall of Cogstate and the PHES digit symbol test. The Shopping List
      Tasks were the only tasks that consistently had P values of <0.05 in the linear
      regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Subtests of the Cogstate battery correlated very
      strongly with the digit symbol component of PHES in discriminating severity of
      HE. These findings would indicate that components of the current PHES battery
      with the international shopping list tasks of Cogstate would be discriminant and
      have the potential to be used easily in clinical practice.

PMID- 28919806
TI  - How stable are quantitative sensory testing measurements over time? Report on 10
      week reliability and agreement of results in healthy volunteers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a diagnostic tool for the
      assessment of the somatosensory system. To establish QST as an outcome measure
      for clinical trials, the question of how similar the measurements are over time
      is crucial. Therefore, long-term reliability and limits of agreement of the
      standardized QST protocol of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain were
      tested. METHODS: QST on the lower back and hand dorsum (dominant hand) were
      assessed twice in 22 healthy volunteers (10 males and 12 females; mean age:
      46.6+/-13.0 years), with sessions separated by 10.0+/-2.9 weeks. All measurements
      were performed by one investigator. To investigate long-term reliability and
      agreement of QST, differences between the two measurements, correlation
      coefficients, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), Bland-Altman plots
      (limits of agreement), and standard error of measurement were used. RESULTS: Most
      parameters of the QST were reliable over 10 weeks in healthy volunteers: Almost
      perfect ICCs were observed for heat pain threshold (hand) and mechanical pain
      sensitivity (back). Substantial ICCs were observed for heat pain threshold
      (back), pressure pain threshold (back), mechanical pain sensitivity (hand), and
      vibration detection threshold (back and hand). Some QST parameters, such as cold
      detection threshold, exhibited low ICCs, but also very low variability.
      Generally, QST measures exhibited narrow limits of agreement in the Bland-Altman
      plots. CONCLUSION: The standardized QST protocol of the German Research Network
      on Neuropathic Pain is feasible to be used in treatment trials. Moreover,
      defining a statistically meaningful change is possible, which is a prerequisite
      for the use of QST in clinical trials as well as in long-term investigations of
      disease progression.

PMID- 28919807
TI  - Effect of nerve injury on the number of dorsal root ganglion neurons and autotomy
      behavior in adult Bax-deficient mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The proapoptotic molecule BAX, plays an important role in
      mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons depend on
      neurotrophic factors for survival at early developmental stages. Withdrawal of
      neurotrophic factors will induce apoptosis in DRG neurons, but this type of cell
      death can be delayed or prevented in neonatal Bax knockout (KO) mice. In adult
      animals, evidence also shows that DRG neurons are less dependent upon
      neurotrophic factors for survival. However, little is known about the effect of
      Bax deletion on the survival of normal and denervated DRG neurons in adult mice.
      METHODS: A unilateral sciatic nerve transection was performed in adult Bax KO
      mice and wild-type (WT) littermates. Stereological method was employed to
      quantify the number of lumbar-5 DRG neurons 1 month post-surgery. Nerve injury
      induced autotomy behavior was also examined on days 1, 3, and 7 post-surgery.
      RESULTS: There were significantly more neurons in contralateral DRGs of KO mice
      as compared with WT mice. The number of neurons was reduced in ipsilateral DRGs
      in both KO and WT mice. No changes in size distributions of DRG neuron profiles
      were detected before or after nerve injury. Injury-induced autotomy behavior
      developed much earlier and was more serious in KO mice. CONCLUSION: Although
      postnatal death or loss of DRG neurons is partially prevented by Bax deletion,
      this effect cannot interfere with long-term nerve injury-induced neuronal loss.
      The exaggerated self-amputation behavior observed in the mutant mice indicates
      that Bax deficiency may enhance the development of spontaneous pain following
      nerve injury.

PMID- 28919808
TI  - Looking ahead: chronic spinal pain management.

PMID- 28919809
TI  - Adequacy of cancer-related pain management and predictors of undertreatment at
      referral to a pain clinic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several guidelines have advocated the need for adequate cancer
      related pain (CRP) management. The pain management index (PMI) has been proposed
      as an auditable measure of the appropriateness for analgesic therapy. OBJECTIVES:
      To determine the adequacy of CRP management based on the PMI status and its
      patient-related predictors at the point of referral to a pain clinic (PC).
      METHODS: Consecutive patients referred to a PC had standardized initial
      assessments and status documentation on the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) ratings;
      pain mechanism, using a neuropathic pain diagnostic questionnaire (the Douleur
      Neuropathique 4 tool); episodic pain; oral morphine equivalent daily dose; the
      Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and the Emotion Thermometer scores; and cancer
      diagnosis, metastases, treatment, and pain duration. Predictors of "negative PMI
      status" [PMI(-)] were examined in logistic regression models. Variables with
      p<0.25 in an initial bivariable analysis were entered into a multivariable model.
      RESULTS: Of 371 participants, 95 (25.6%) had PMI(-), suggesting undertreatment of
      CRP. Both female sex and higher scores on the BPI's "interference with general
      activity" more strongly predicted PMI(-). Patients who received either
      radiotherapy or one or more adjuvant analgesics prior to the initial consultation
      at the PC, those who had neuropathic pain, those who had a greater need for
      emotional help, and those with higher BPI's "relief " scores were all less likely
      to be PMI(-). CONCLUSION: The potential burden of patient and family distress
      associated with suboptimal CRP management in one in four patients should generate
      major public health concern and prompt appropriate educational and health policy
      measures to address the deficit.

PMID- 28919810
TI  - A comparison between the administration of oral prolonged-release oxycodone
      naloxone and transdermal fentanyl in patients with moderate-to-severe cancer
      pain: a propensity score analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opioids are the most important pharmacological treatment for moderate
      to-severe cancer pain, but side effects limit their use. Transdermal fentanyl
      (TDF) and oral prolonged-release oxycodone-naloxone (OXN-PR) are effective in
      controlling chronic pain, with less constipation compared to other opioids.
      However, TDF and OXN-PR have never been directly compared. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Cancer patients with moderate-to-severe chronic pain were consecutively enrolled
      in two prospective 28-day trials, received either TDF or OXN-PR, and were
      assessed at baseline and after 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. The primary endpoint was
      28-day analgesic response rate (average pain intensity decrease >=30% from
      baseline). Other outcome measures included opioid daily dose changes over time;
      need for adjuvant analgesics; number of switches; premature discontinuation;
      presence and severity of constipation; and other adverse drug reactions. To
      compare the efficacy and the safety of TDF and OXN-PR, we used the propensity
      score analysis to adjust for heterogeneity between the two patient groups.
      RESULTS: Three hundred ten out of 336 patients originally treated (119 TDF and
      191 OXN-PR) were included in the comparative analysis. The amount of responders
      was comparable after TDF (75.3%) and OXN-PR administration (82.9%, not
      significant [NS]). The final opioid daily dose expressed as morphine equivalent
      was 113.6 mg for TDF and 44.5 mg for OXN-PR (p<0.0001). A daily opioid dose
      escalation >5% was less common after OXN-PR (19.3%) than after TDS administration
      (37.9%, p<0.0001). Opioid switches and discontinuation were similar in both
      groups. Severe constipation in the two groups was comparable (32.6% after TDF vs
      24.7% after OXN-PR, NS). Nausea, vomiting, and dry mouth were significantly less
      frequent in the OXN-PR group than in the TDF group. CONCLUSION: Despite a similar
      analgesic activity in moderate-to-severe cancer pain, OXN-PR is characterized by
      lower daily dosages, less need for drug escalation, and fewer side effects
      compared to TDF.

PMID- 28919812
TI  - The effect of local/topical analgesics on incisional pain in a pig model.
AB  - Interest in the development of new topical/local drug administration for blocking
      pain at peripheral sites, with maximum drug activity and minimal systemic
      effects, is on the rise. In the review article by Kopsky and Stahl, four critical
      barriers in the process of research and development of topical analgesics were
      indicated. The active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and the formulation are
      among the major challenges. The road to the development of such drugs passes
      through preclinical studies. These studies, if planned correctly, should serve as
      guidance for choosing the right API and formulation. Although rodent models for
      pain continue to provide valuable data on the mechanisms driving pain, their use
      in developing topical and localized treatment approaches is limited for technical
      (intraplate injection area is small) as well as mechanical reasons (non
      similarity to human skin and innervation). It has been previously shown that pigs
      are comparable to humans in ways that make them a better choice for evaluating
      topical and local analgesics. The aim of this study was to summarize several
      experiments that used pigs for testing postoperative pain in an incisional pain
      model (skin incision [SI] and skin and muscle incision [SMI]). At the end of the
      surgery, the animals were treated with different doses of bupivacaine solution
      (Marcaine(r)), bupivacaine liposomal formulation (Exparel(r)) or ropivacaine
      solution (Naropin). Von Frey testing demonstrated a decrease in the animals'
      sensitivity to mechanical stimulation expressed as an increase in the withdrawal
      force following local treatment. These changes reflect the clinical condition in
      the level as well as in the duration of the response. These data indicate a good
      resemblance between pig and human skin and suggest that use of these animals in
      the preclinical phase of developing topical analgesics can, to some extent,
      release the bottleneck.

PMID- 28919811
TI  - Response to duloxetine in chronic low back pain: exploratory post hoc analysis of
      a Japanese Phase III randomized study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Duloxetine is efficacious for chronic low back pain (CLBP). This post
      hoc analysis of a Japanese randomized, placebo-controlled trial
      (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01855919) assessed whether patients with CLBP with early
      pain reduction or treatment-related adverse events of special interest (TR-AESIs;
      nausea, somnolence, constipation) have enhanced responses to duloxetine. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Patients (N = 456) with CLBP for >=6 months and Brief Pain Inventory
      (BPI) average pain severity score of >=4 were randomized (1:1) to duloxetine 60
      mg/day or placebo for 14 weeks. Primary outcome was change from baseline in BPI
      average pain severity score (pain reduction). Subgroup analyses included early
      pain reduction (>=30%, 10%-30%, or <10% at Week 4) and early TR-AESIs (with or
      without TR-AESIs by Week 2). Measures included changes from baseline in BPI
      average pain severity score and BPI Interference scores (quality of life; QOL),
      and response rate (>=30% or >=50% pain reduction at Week 14). RESULTS: Patients
      with >=30% early pain reduction (n = 108) or early TR-AESIs (n = 50) had
      significantly greater improvements in pain and QOL than placebo-treated patients
      (n = 226), whereas patients with 10%-30% (n = 63) or <10% (n = 48) pain reduction
      did not; patients without early TR-AESIs (n = 180) had significant improvements
      in pain at Week 14. Response rates (>=30%/>=50% pain reduction) were 94.4%/82.4%,
      66.7%/49.2%, and 25.0%/18.8% for patients with >=30%, 10%-30%, and <10% early
      pain reduction, respectively, 74.0%/64.0% for patients with early TR-AESIs,
      67.2%/54.4% for patients without early TR-AESIs, and 52.2%/39.4% for placebo.
      CONCLUSION: Early pain reduction or TR-AESIs may predict which CLBP patients are
      most likely to respond to duloxetine with improvements in pain and QOL.

PMID- 28919813
TI  - A prospective, double-blinded, randomized comparison of ultrasound-guided femoral
      nerve block with lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block versus standard anesthetic
      management for pain control during and after traumatic femur fracture repair in
      the pediatric population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury of the femur resulting in femoral fracture may
      result in significant postoperative pain. As with other causes of acute pain,
      regional anesthesia may offer a benefit over conventional therapy with
      intravenous opioids. This study prospectively assesses the effects of femoral
      nerve blockade with a lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block (FN-LFCN) on
      intraoperative anesthetic requirements, postoperative pain scores, and opioid
      requirements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen pediatric patients (age 2-18
      years) undergoing surgical repair of a traumatic femur fracture fulfilled the
      study criteria and were randomly assigned to general anesthesia with either an FN
      LFCN block (n = 10) or intravenous opioids (n = 7). All patients received a
      general anesthetic with isoflurane for maintenance anesthesia during the surgical
      repair of the femur fracture. Patients randomized to the FN-LFCN block group
      received ultrasound-guided nerve blockade using ropivacaine (0.2%/0.5% based on
      patient weight). At the conclusion of surgery, the airway device was removed once
      tracheal extubation criteria were achieved, and patients were transported to the
      post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) for recovery and assessment of pain by a blinded
      study nurse. RESULTS: The final study cohort included 17 patients (n = 10 for FN
      LFCN block group; n = 7 for the intravenous opioid group). Although the median of
      the maximum postoperative pain scores in the regional group was 0, this did not
      reach statistical significance when compared to the median pain score of 3 in the
      intravenous opioid group. Likewise, no difference between the two groups was
      noted when comparing intraoperative anesthetic requirements, opioid requirements
      (intraoperative, in the post-anesthesia recovery room, and in the inpatient
      ward), and the time to first opioid requirement postoperatively in the inpatient
      ward. CONCLUSION: This prospective, randomized, double-blinded study failed to
      demonstrate a clear benefit of regional anesthesia over intravenous opioids
      intraoperatively and postoperatively during repair of femoral shaft fractures in
      the pediatric population.

PMID- 28919814
TI  - Clinical relevance of persistent postoperative pain after total hip replacement -
      a prospective observational cohort study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The development of persistent postoperative pain may occur following
      surgery, including total hip replacement. Yet, the prevalence may depend on the
      definition of persistent pain. This observational cohort study explored whether
      the prevalence of persistent pain after total hip replacement differs depending
      on the definition of persistent pain and evaluated the impact of ongoing pain on
      the patient's quality of life 6 months after surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pre-
      and postoperative characteristics of 125 patients undergoing elective total hip
      replacement were assessed and 104 patients were available for the follow-up
      interview, 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: Six months after surgery, between 26%
      and 58% of patients still reported hip pain - depending on the definition of
      persistent pain. Patients with moderate-to-severe persistent pain intensity (>3
      on a numerical rating scale) were more restricted in their daily life activities
      (Chronic Pain Grade - disability score) but did not differ in reported quality of
      life (Short-Form 12) from those with no pain or milder pain intensity. Maximal
      preoperative pain intensity and body mass index were the only independent factors
      influencing daily function 6 months after total hip replacement. CONCLUSION:
      These findings support a high prevalence of persistent postoperative pain after
      total hip replacement and a large variability depending on the definition used.
      There was a close relation between physical functioning and pain as well as
      relevance of the patient's psychological state at the time of the operation.

PMID- 28919815
TI  - An acceptance-based intervention for children and adolescents with cancer
      experiencing acute pain - a single-subject study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with cancer report pain as one of their most
      recurrent and troublesome symptoms throughout the cancer trajectory. Pain evokes
      psychological distress, which in turn has an amplifying effect on the pain
      experience. Acceptance-based interventions for experimentally induced acute pain
      predict increased pain tolerance, decreased pain intensity and decreased
      discomfort of pain. The aim of this study was to preliminarily evaluate an
      acceptance-based intervention for children and adolescents with cancer
      experiencing acute pain, with regard to feasibility and effect on pain intensity
      and discomfort of pain. METHODS: This is a single-subject study with an AB design
      with a nonconcurrent multiple baseline. Children and adolescents aged four to 18
      years undergoing cancer treatment at the Children's University Hospital, Uppsala,
      Sweden, reporting sustained acute pain were offered participation. Pain intensity
      and discomfort of pain were measured during baseline and at post-intervention.
      The intervention consisted of a pain exposure exercise lasting approximately 15
      minutes. RESULTS: Five children participated in the study. All participants
      completed the intervention and reported that it had helped them to cope with the
      pain in the moment. All participants reported decreased discomfort of pain at
      post-measurement, three of whom also reported decreased pain intensity.
      CONCLUSION: The results suggest that an acceptance-based intervention may help
      children and adolescents with cancer to cope with the pain that is often
      associated with cancer treatment in spite of pharmacological pain management. The
      results are tentative but promising and warrant further investigation.

PMID- 28919816
TI  - CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 elicits analgesic effect and restores the GlyRalpha3
      expression against neuropathic pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 have been reported to play a
      critical role in neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation. Recently, some
      reports have implicated this chemokine signaling in the pathogenesis of many
      kinds of pain. However, its role in neuropathic pain (NP) is still largely
      unclear. This study explored the distribution and function of CXCR4 in spinal
      cord (SC) dorsal horn (DH) in a rat L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model.
      METHODS: Rats received repeated intrathecal injection of CXCR4 antagonist
      AMD3100. Behavioral assessments were conducted using a traditional "up-down"
      method. The spinal CXCL12 contents were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent
      assay. The expression and distribution of CXCR4 in the SC were determined by
      immunoflurescence and Western blot. GlyRalpha3 expressions were also measured by
      Western blot or immunofluorescence. RESULTS: SNL induced CXCL12-CXCR4 activation
      in the spinal DH. Intrathecal administration of AMD3100 alleviated the chronic NP
      against SNL (P<0.01). CXCR4 was colocalized with GlyRalpha3-positive neurons in
      the spinal DH at ratio >97%. Meanwhile, AMD3100 rescued the decrease of
      GlyRalpha3 expression (P<0.01 vs the SNL group on Day 14 and Day 21). CONCLUSION:
      CXCR4 antagonist can elicit analgesic effects and restore the inhibitory
      neurotransmission such as GlyRalpha3 against NP.

PMID- 28919817
TI  - SIRT1 gene polymorphisms and risk of lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, is
      influenced by a wide variety of environmental and genetic risk factors. The
      silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) gene is located on the long arm of
      chromosome 10 (10q21.3) and has been shown to play crucial roles in lung cancer
      development in previous studies. In this study, we determined whether variation
      in the SIRT1 gene is associated with lung cancer in Chinese population. METHODS:
      The case-control study comprised 246 controls and 257 non-small cell lung cancer
      patients, comprising 79 squamous cell carcinoma patients and 124 adenocarcinoma
      patients. All subjects were from Zhejiang, China. Four single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms of SIRT1 gene were analyzed: rs12778366 (C/T, lies in the 5'
      upstream), rs3758391 (C/T, lies in the 5' upstream), rs2273773 (C/T, lies in the
      coding) and rs4746720 (C/T, lies in the 3' untranslated region). RESULTS: No
      significant difference of allele and genotype frequencies was observed between
      the different groups. Haplotype association analysis carried out on the four
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the case-control cohort also did not
      reveal a significant association with lung cancer (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      results suggest the tested SIRT1 gene polymorphisms may not contribute to lung
      cancer. Further studies are warranted to demonstrate the functional roles of the
      SIRT1 polymorphism in lung cancer.

PMID- 28919818
TI  - Standard of care and direct medical costs of the treatment of chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia among the adult population in Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan: data from
      the LEUKOSPECT study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The LEUKOSPECT study aimed to describe health service utilization and to
      estimate the direct medical costs (DMCs) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in
      2013 in the adult population of three post-Soviet countries - Russia, Ukraine,
      and Kazakhstan. As oncologic medical care is provided by federal state-owned,
      specialized medical institutions, the cost estimation in this study primarily
      informs from a state budget perspective. Patients' contributions to medical costs
      were not included in the cost evaluation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a
      multinational, multicenter, retrospective study conducted in eight specialized
      centers (four in Russia, three in Ukraine, and one in Kazakhstan). The
      investigators captured data from the medical documents of all adult patients with
      an established CLL diagnosis before December 31, 2013, and who made at least one
      visit to their respective center between January 1 and December 31, 2013.
      RESULTS: A total of 319 adult CLL patients were enrolled (124 in Kazakhstan, 106
      in Russia, and 89 in Ukraine). In 2013, the DMCs of CLL management (without CLL
      therapy) were ?215.40 in Kazakhstan, ?1,342.20 in Russia, and ?13,260.70 in
      Ukraine. Hospitalizations formed the largest proportion of total cost: 18.1%,
      23.1%, and 40.4%, respectively. The mean cost of CLL medical treatment was
      ?13,580.60 (Russia), ?399.40 (Kazakhstan), and ?7,453.00 (Ukraine). CONCLUSION:
      CLL treatment standards varied across the selected countries; higher usage of
      biologic therapy was noted in Russia. Future research is needed to assess DMCs
      which include CLL treatment, which is another essential factor contributing to
      CLL DMCs.

PMID- 28919819
TI  - Migraine and risk of stroke and acute coronary syndrome in two case-control
      studies in the Danish population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Migraine has consistently been associated with increased risk of
      ischemic stroke, while the evidence for a relation with other types of stroke or
      coronary outcomes is limited. We examined the association between migraine and
      stroke and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) subtypes and the influence of potential
      confounding factors. METHODS: All first-time hospital contacts for stroke
      (n=155,216) or ACS (n=97,799) were identified in Danish National Patient
      Registers and matched with 2 control groups of the background population. A
      hospital diagnosis of migraine and use of migraine medication were the main
      exposures and associations (odds ratios [OR]) were estimated using multiple
      logistic regression. Confounding was also addressed by including use of general
      headache medication as a negative control exposure. RESULTS: The diagnosis of
      migraine was associated with increased odds of both stroke (ORcrude, age <50
      years: 4.80 [95% CI: 3.75-6.21]; ORcrude, age >=50 years:1.91 [95% CI: 1.67
      2.19]) and ACS (ORcrude:1.88 [95% CI: 1.53-2.32]), while the ORs for the
      associations between migraine medication and stroke and ACS were lower. Patients
      with a diagnosis of migraine or redeemed migraine medication had increased ORs of
      all stroke subtypes (ischemic, hemorrhagic stroke and transient ischemic
      attacks). The diagnosis of migraine was also associated with both angina and
      myocardial infarction (ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction [STEMI], non-STEMI and
      unspecified) with the highest OR for angina. These associations were not fully
      explained by adjustment for confounding co-variables or when compared with the
      negative control exposure that were assumed to be influenced by similar
      confounding factors, but no shared pathogenesis. CONCLUSION: Hospital-diagnosed
      migraine was associated with all stroke and ACS subtypes, with ischemic stroke
      and angina having the highest odds. Confounding did not explain the associations.

PMID- 28919820
TI  - Prediction models for the mortality risk in chronic dialysis patients: a
      systematic review and independent external validation study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In medicine, many more prediction models have been developed than are
      implemented or used in clinical practice. These models cannot be recommended for
      clinical use before external validity is established. Though various models to
      predict mortality in dialysis patients have been published, very few have been
      validated and none are used in routine clinical practice. The aim of the current
      study was to identify existing models for predicting mortality in dialysis
      patients through a review and subsequently to externally validate these models in
      the same large independent patient cohort, in order to assess and compare their
      predictive capacities. METHODS: A systematic review was performed following the
      preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA)
      guidelines. To account for missing data, multiple imputation was performed. The
      original prediction formulae were extracted from selected studies. The
      probability of death per model was calculated for each individual within the
      Netherlands Cooperative Study on the Adequacy of Dialysis (NECOSAD). The
      predictive performance of the models was assessed based on their discrimination
      and calibration. RESULTS: In total, 16 articles were included in the systematic
      review. External validation was performed in 1,943 dialysis patients from NECOSAD
      for a total of seven models. The models performed moderately to well in terms of
      discrimination, with C-statistics ranging from 0.710 (interquartile range 0.708
      0.711) to 0.752 (interquartile range 0.750-0.753) for a time frame of 1 year.
      According to the calibration, most models overestimated the probability of death.
      CONCLUSION: Overall, the performance of the models was poorer in the external
      validation than in the original population, affirming the importance of external
      validation. Floege et al's models showed the highest predictive performance. The
      present study is a step forward in the use of a prediction model as a useful tool
      for nephrologists, using evidence-based medicine that combines individual
      clinical expertise, patients' choices, and the best available external evidence.

PMID- 28919821
TI  - Prevalence of fertility desire and its associated factors among 15- to 49-year
      old people living with HIV/AIDS in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
      design.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The magnitude of unprotected sex to satisfy the desire for fertility
      among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) may rise more due to the availability
      of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in most HIV-affected countries. This could,
      however, have the risk of passing on HIV to sexual partners and children. The aim
      of this study, therefore, was to determine the magnitude and factors associated
      with the fertility desire of reproductive-age PLHIV in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for
      research-based and timely actions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried
      out from April to June 2016 among 442 randomly selected, reproductive-age PLHIV
      who had been attending ART clinics in Addis Ababa. Twelve experienced and trained
      nurses collected the data. The questionnaire was pretested and interviewer
      administered, and the interview was executed after obtaining voluntary consent
      from each study subject. The data were then cleaned and analyzed by using Epi
      Info version 3.5.4 and SPSS version 20.0, respectively. Binary logistic
      regression was done in order to describe the association of fertility desire with
      some sociodemographic and sexual behavior-related factors. RESULTS: Among the
      total 441 respondents, 54.6% reported the desire for fertility, 87% disclosed
      their HIV status, 24.3% had two or more sexual partners in the earlier year, and
      only 55.6% used a condom during their last sexual intercourse. In addition,
      current health status (AOR=2.03; 95% CI: 1.01-4.07) and partner being tested for
      HIV (AOR=6.31; 95% CI: 1.35-29.64) showed statistically significant associations
      with fertility desire during multivariate logistic regression analysis.
      CONCLUSION: A considerable number of PLHIV in the study area reported a desire
      for having children. Current health status and partner being tested for HIV were
      found to be factors associated with the fertility desire among PLHIV. Thus, more
      efforts to effectively address the health concerns related to fertility desire
      and risky sexual behavior among HIV-infected people of reproductive age could
      play a significant role in prevention and control measures against HIV/AIDS
      epidemic.

PMID- 28919822
TI  - Uterine sarcoma - current perspectives.
AB  - Uterine sarcomas comprise a group of rare tumors with differing tumor biology,
      natural history and response to treatment. Diagnosis is often made following
      surgery for presumed benign disease. Currently, preoperative imaging does not
      reliably distinguish between benign leiomyomas and other malignant pathology.
      Uterine leiomyosarcoma is the most common sarcoma, but other subtypes include
      endometrial stromal sarcoma (low grade and high grade), undifferentiated uterine
      sarcoma and adenosarcoma. Clinical trials have shown no definite survival benefit
      of adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy and have been hampered by the rarity and
      heterogeneity of these disease types. There is a role of adjuvant treatment in
      carefully selected cases following multidisciplinary discussion at sarcoma
      reference centers. In patients with metastatic disease, systemic chemotherapy can
      then be considered. There is activity of a number of agents, including
      doxorubicin, trabectedin, gemcitabine-based chemotherapy, eribulin and pazopanib.
      Patients should be considered for clinical trial entry where possible. Close
      international collaboration is important to allow progress in this group of
      diseases.

PMID- 28919824
TI  - Strengthening participation by young women sex workers in HIV programs:
      reflections on a study from Bangkok, Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Participation is an accepted means of increasing the effectiveness of
      public health programs, and as such, it is considered an important component of
      HIV interventions targeting at-risk youth. The situation of young women sex
      workers in Thailand is alarming on many fronts, including that of HIV risk. As a
      result, HIV programs in Thailand are the key interventions undertaken in relation
      to young women sex workers' health. A small-scale study used semistructured
      interviews to explore the participation reports of five young women sex workers,
      as well as the related views of two community support workers, who lived and
      worked in Bangkok, Thailand. DISCUSSION: This study is considered in the light of
      current research on - as well as new opportunities and challenges offered for -
      participation by vulnerable groups in the context of digital society. Thematic
      analysis of the interview data identified barriers to participation, including
      the illegality of sex work, fear, and lack of trust of the authorities, as well
      as widespread social stigma. Such barriers resulted in young women seeking
      anonymity. Yet, promisingly, young women positioned themselves as experts; they
      are involved in peer education and are supportive of greater involvement in HIV
      programs, such as further educational initiatives and collective actions.
      CONCLUSION: There is a need for a more empowerment-oriented participation
      practice positioning young women sex workers as expert educators and codecision
      makers within a model of participation that is also accountable, such as
      including young women as members of program boards. Beyond current norms, there
      are new opportunities emerging because of the increasing availability of
      smartphone/Internet technology. These can support activist and codesign
      participation by young women sex workers in HIV programs. However, any
      developments in participation must maximize opportunities carefully, taking into
      consideration the difficult social environment faced by young women sex workers
      as well as the need for strategies to address illegality and stigma.

PMID- 28919823
TI  - Updated approaches for management of uterine fibroids.
AB  - Uterine anatomy and uterine fibroids (UFs) characteristics have been classically
      considered as almost a unique issue in gynecology and reproductive medicine.
      Nowadays, the management of UF pathology is undergoing an important evolution,
      with the patient's quality of life being the most important aspect to consider.
      Accordingly, surgical techniques and aggressive treatments are reserved for only
      those cases with heavy symptomatology, while the clinical diagnostic based on
      size and number of UFs remains in a second plane in these situations. Moreover,
      the development of several noninvasive surgical techniques, especially the
      appearance of ulipristal acetate as a medical etiological treatment, has
      substantially changed the clinical indications. As a consequence, after almost 2
      decades without relevant updates, it has been necessary to update the protocols
      for the management of UFs in the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics
      twice. Accordingly, we believe that it is necessary to translate our experience
      to protocolize the medical care for patients with UFs, incorporating these new
      therapeutic options, and selecting the best treatment for them. We highlight the
      importance of achieving the patient's goals and decisions by improving the
      clinical diagnosis for these type of pathologies, allowing enhanced personalized
      treatments, as well as the reduction of potential risks and unnecessary
      surgeries.

PMID- 28919825
TI  - Abdominal sacrocolpopexy with Pelvicol xenograft and concomitant Burch
      colposuspension.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of Pelvicol xenograft use during abdominal
      sacrocolpopexy to repair pelvic organ prolapse (POP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      total of 27 consecutive women with symptomatic POP were included in this study. A
      POP-quantification system and International Continence Society classification
      were used. Functional and anatomical outcomes were assessed. Subjective outcomes
      and physical activity after surgery were evaluated due to modified quality of
      life questionnaire. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 21 months (range: 16 to 41
      months). Twenty-four (89%) patients were available for anatomical and subjective
      evaluation. Preoperative POP-quantification classification was: stage I: 11.1%,
      stage II: 25.9%, stage III: 48.2%, and stage IV: 14.8%. Overall, pad usage
      significantly decreased (mean 4.8 vs 1 pads, P=0.001). Stress urinary
      incontinence significantly improved after surgery in nine women (P=0.001). An
      additional five women were completely continent. No de-novo incontinence
      developed. Six women with preoperative urinary retention improved in the amount
      of residual urine postoperative (mean 35 vs 165 mL). Failure rate was 8.3% at 3
      and 11 months after surgery, requiring a second reconstruction. There was no
      graft related complications or graft rejections necessitating removal occurring.
      Response rate of the questionnaire was 67%. Two women reported no interference in
      physical activity after 2 postoperative months, five women after 5 months, and
      five women 1 year later. Pelvic pain (vaginal pain) was partly improved in eight
      patients, postoperatively, and ten patients had complete resolution of pain after
      surgery. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that abdominal sacrocolpopexy is an
      effective surgical treatment in correcting POP. The use of Pelvicol is associated
      with a high recurrence rate and increased failure rate compared to traditional
      sacrocolpopexy with mesh. Larger clinical trials to evaluate the functional and
      anatomical outcomes are needed.

PMID- 28919826
TI  - Forehead galeal pericranial flap for single-staged total upper eyelid
      reconstruction in sebaceous gland carcinoma excision.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present a successful case of single-staged total upper eyelid
      reconstruction after sebaceous gland carcinoma excision by using forehead galeal
      pericranial flap. OBSERVATIONS: An 80-year-old female with a progressively
      enlarged left upper eyelid mass presented with ocular irritation, blurred vision,
      and gritty sensation despite topical antibiotics treatment. This multinodular
      mass involved the left total upper eyelid, compromised corneal surface integrity,
      and caused complete ptosis. Excisional biopsy confirmed advanced sebaceous gland
      carcinoma, which was followed by extensive excision. The resultant total upper
      eyelid defect was reconstructed by a forehead galeal pericranial flap accompanied
      by anterior and posterior lamellar grafts. For the 34-month follow-up period,
      patient remained symptom-free without tumor recurrence and achieved acceptable
      cosmetic outcome. CONCLUSION: The forehead galeal pericranial flap appears to be
      effective as single-staged total upper lid reconstruction following extensive
      sebaceous gland carcinoma excision to restore eyelid function, avoid corneal
      exposure, and achieve acceptable cosmesis.

PMID- 28919827
TI  - Is a mechanical-assist device better than manual chest compression? A randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chest compression quality is a determinant of survival from sudden
      cardiac arrest. The CPR RsQ Assist Device (CPR RAD) is a new cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation device for chest compression. It is operated manually but it does
      not pull up on the chest on the up stroke. The aim of this study was to compare
      the CPR RAD with standard manual compression in terms of chest compression
      quality in a manikin model. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to
      either the device or manual chest compression group. Each participant performed a
      maximum of 4 minutes of hands-only compression with or without the device. During
      chest compression, the following quality parameters from the manikin were
      recorded: compression rate, compression depth, and correctness of hand position.
      RESULTS: Duration of chest compression was significantly higher in device users
      compared with manual compression (223.93+/-36.53 vs 179.67+/-50.81 seconds;
      P<0.001). The mean compression depth did not differ in a statistically
      significant way between manual compression and device at 2 minutes (56.42+/-6.42
      vs 54.25+/-5.32; P=0.052). During the first and second minutes, compression rate
      was higher in cases of standard compression (133.21+/-15.95 vs 108+/-9.45;
      P<0.001 and 127.41+/-27.77 vs 108.5+/-9.93; P<0.001). There was no statistically
      significant difference in the percentage of participants who employed compression
      that was too shallow or exhibited incorrect hand position. CONCLUSION: The CPR
      RAD is more effective in chest compression compared with manual chest
      compression, as using the device led to better results in terms of fatigue
      reduction and correct compression rate than standard manual compression.

PMID- 28919828
TI  - Jugular bulb oxygen saturation correlates with Full Outline of Responsiveness
      score in severe traumatic brain injury patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maintaining brain oxygenation status is the main goal of treatment in
      severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Jugular venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2)
      monitoring is a technique to estimate global balance between cerebral oxygen
      supply and its metabolic requirement. Full Outline of Responsiveness (FOUR)
      score, a new consciousness measurement scoring, is expected to become an
      alternative for Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in evaluating neurologic status of
      patients with severe traumatic head injury, especially for those under mechanical
      ventilation. METHODS: A total of 63 patients with severe TBI admitted to
      emergency department (ED) were included in this study. SjvO2 sampling was taken
      every 24 hours, until 72 hours after arrival. The assessment of FOUR score was
      conducted directly after each blood sample for SjvO2 was taken. Spearman's rank
      correlation was used to determine the correlation between SjvO2 and FOUR score.
      Regression analysis was used to determine mortality predictors. RESULTS: From the
      63 patients, a weak positive correlation between SjvO2 and FOUR score (r=0.246,
      p=0.052) was found upon admission. Meanwhile, strong and moderate negative
      correlation values were found in 48 hours (r=-0.751, p<0.001) and 72 hours (r=
      0.49, p=0.002) after admission. Both FOUR score (p<0.001) and SjvO2 (p=0.04) were
      found to be independent mortality predictors in severe TBI. CONCLUSION: There was
      a negative correlation between the value of SjvO2 and FOUR score at 48 and 72
      hours after admission. Both SjvO2 and FOUR score are independent mortality
      predictors in severe TBI.

PMID- 28919829
TI  - Age- and sex-related changes in hematological parameters in healthy Malawians.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to determine how values for white blood cell (WBC)
      counts, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (mcv), and
      platelet counts vary with age and sex in healthy Malawians. METHODS: We recruited
      660 (316 male and 344 female) participants in 12 different age groups. An
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-anticoagulated blood sample collected from each
      participant was analyzed using a hematological analyzer. RESULTS: WBC counts
      decreased with age with the lowest counts observed in the 20 to <60 years old
      group. Median WBC counts for 20 to <60 year old females (5.9*109/L) were
      significantly higher than those for men (4.7*109/L; p=0.015) of the same age. Hb
      and Hct increased between 5 and 10 years in males and 10 and 15 years in females
      to adult levels. Males aged 5 to <10 years had significantly higher Hb (13.05
      g/dL) and Hct (42.50%) compared to females of the same age (10.40 g/dL and
      32.55%, respectively; p<0.0001 for both parameters). Platelet counts in males,
      which were highest between 3 and 5 years (376*109/L), decreased to lowest counts
      among 5 to <10 year olds (238*109/L), while in females these decreased from
      402*109/L in 6 to <10 years olds to 226*109/L in 10 to <15 year olds. mcv median
      values were high in neonates reaching a nadir at 13-18 months and then increased
      throughout life. Females aged 0 to <6 months had significantly higher mcv values
      (81.85 fL) than males of the same age (69.3 fL; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study
      provides hematological values according to age and sex that are suitable for
      reference use in studies among Malawian subjects.

PMID- 28919830
TI  - Identification of patients with congenital hemophilia in a large electronic
      health record database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHRs) are an important source of
      information with regard to diagnosis and treatment of rare health conditions,
      such as congenital hemophilia, a bleeding disorder characterized by deficiency of
      factor VIII (FVIII) or factor IX (FIX). OBJECTIVE: To identify patients with
      congenital hemophilia using EHRs. DESIGN: An EHR database study. SETTING: EHRs
      were accessed from Humedica between January 1, 2007, and July 31, 2013. PATIENTS:
      Selection criteria were applied for an initial ICD-9-CM diagnosis of 286.0
      (hemophilia A) or 286.1 (hemophilia B), and confirmation of records 6 months
      before and 12 months after the first diagnosis. Additional selection criteria
      included mention of "hemophilia" and "blood" or "bleed" within physician notes
      identified via natural language processing. RESULTS: A total of 129 males and 35
      females were identified as the analysis population. Of those patients for whom
      both prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time test results were
      available, only 56% of males and 7% of females exhibited a pattern of test
      results consistent with congenital hemophilia (normal prothrombin time and
      prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time). Few patients had a prescription
      for a hemophilia treatment; males most commonly received Amicar (10.8%) or FVIII
      (9.0%), whereas females most commonly received DDAVP (11.0%). The most
      identifiable sites of pain were the chest and the abdomen; 41% of males and 37%
      of females had joint pain. To evaluate whether patients had been correctly
      identified with congenital hemophilia, EHRs of 6 patients were reviewed; detailed
      assessment of their data was found to be inconsistent with a conclusive diagnosis
      of congenital hemophilia. LIMITATIONS: Inconsistent coding practices may affect
      data integrity. CONCLUSION: A potentially high number of false positive
      identifications, particularly among female patients, suggests that ICD-9-CM
      coding alone may be insufficient to identify patient cohorts. In-depth reviews
      and multimodal analysis of chart notes may improve data integrity.

PMID- 28919831
TI  - Flipped classroom model for learning evidence-based medicine.
AB  - Journal club (JC), as a pedagogical strategy, has long been used in graduate
      medical education (GME). As evidence-based medicine (EBM) becomes a mainstay in
      GME, traditional models of JC present a number of insufficiencies and call for
      novel models of instruction. A flipped classroom model appears to be an ideal
      strategy to meet the demands to connect evidence to practice while creating
      engaged, culturally competent, and technologically literate physicians. In this
      article, we describe a novel model of flipped classroom in JC. We present the
      flow of learning activities during the online and face-to-face instruction, and
      then we highlight specific considerations for implementing a flipped classroom
      model. We show that implementing a flipped classroom model to teach EBM in a
      residency program not only is possible but also may constitute improved learning
      opportunity for residents. Follow-up work is needed to evaluate the effectiveness
      of this model on both learning and clinical practice.

PMID- 28919832
TI  - Seasonal patterns of oral antihistamine and intranasal corticosteroid purchases
      from Australian community pharmacies: a retrospective observational study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore patterns in the purchase of prescription and over-the-counter
      (OTC) oral antihistamines (OAHs) and intranasal corticosteroids (INCSs) by
      patients, from pharmacies in different geographical regions of Australia.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective observational study using a database
      containing anonymous pharmacy transaction data from 20.0% of the pharmacies in
      Australia that link doctor prescriptions and OTC information. Pharmacy purchases
      of at least one prescription or OTC rhinitis treatment during 2013 and 2014 were
      assessed. RESULTS: In total, 4,247,193 prescription and OTC rhinitis treatments
      were purchased from 909 pharmacies over 12 months. Of treatments purchased, 75.9%
      were OAHs and 16.6% were INCSs. OTC purchases of both treatments exceeded
      purchases through prescription. OTC OAHs purchasing patterns were seasonal and
      almost identical in the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Western
      Australia, South Australia, and New South Wales, and similar seasonal patterns
      for OTC INCSs were noted in most regions except for South Australia and Tasmania.
      Prescription purchasing patterns of both OAHs and INCSs remained unchanged
      throughout the year in most regions. CONCLUSION: This large-scale retrospective
      observational study identified seasonal purchasing patterns of OTC and
      prescription OAHs and INCSs in a real-world setting. It highlighted that
      seasonality only affects OTC purchasing patterns of OAHs and INCSs across
      Australia and that practitioner prescribing remains unchanged, suggesting that it
      is only for persistent disease.

PMID- 28919833
TI  - Conventional culture versus nucleic acid amplification tests for screening of
      urethral Neisseria gonorrhea infection among asymptomatic men who have sex with
      men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many methods are used to detect urethral Neisseria gonorrhea (NG)
      infection among asymptomatic men who have sex with men (MSM). The objective of
      this study was to define the performance of conventional culture compared to real
      time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosis of asymptomatic urethral
      gonorrhea among MSM. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 147 clinical
      specimens for NG testing from asymptomatic participants were evaluated. MSM >18
      years old who consented to undergo urethral swab and collection of urine samples
      from two clinics (one was the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) mobile clinic
      and the second was the antiretroviral clinic) located in Khon Kaen, Thailand,
      were recruited. For conventional culture, 147 swab specimens from urethra were
      analyzed. For real-time PCR, the same samples and collected urine (147 urethral
      swab and 62 urine) were evaluated. RESULTS: Participants were predominately older
      aged (mean age: 28.79 years, range: 18-54), asymptomatic (99.3%), and engaged in
      sex with multiple partners (63% had at least two partners and 36% had at least
      three partners during the previous 3 months). Twenty-five MSM (17%) had history
      of STD, mainly human immunodeficiency virus infection. Of the 147 specimens, 42
      were positive for NG detected by real-time PCR (prevalence: 28.6%, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 24.8%-32.4%), while none of the 147 MSM were positive for NG
      detected by conventional culture (prevalence: 0.0%, 95% CI: 0.0%-7.3%). These
      findings indicated that conventional culture had low sensitivity but high
      specificity (0.0% and 100%, respectively). We could not demonstrate that many of
      the factors that were identified in other studies were associated to increased
      (or decreased) risk of urethral gonococcal infection in our population.
      CONCLUSION: In asymptomatic MSM, nucleic acid amplification tests are more
      appropriate for screening of urethral NG infection than conventional culture.
      However, the culture method is necessary for monitoring emerging antimicrobial
      resistance and to inform gonorrhea treatment guidelines.

PMID- 28919835
TI  - High-resolution infrared thermography: a new tool to assess tungiasis-associated
      inflammation of the skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tungiasis is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries but
      remains often under diagnosed and untreated eventually leading to chronic
      sequels. The objective of the study was to assess whether tungiasis-associated
      inflammation can be detected and quantified by high-resolution infrared
      thermography (HRIT) and whether after removal of the parasite inflammation
      resolves rapidly. METHODS: Patients with tungiasis were identified through active
      case finding. Clinical examination, staging, and thermal imaging as well as
      conventional photography were performed. In exemplary cases, the embedded sandfly
      was extracted and regression of inflammation was assessed by thermal imaging 4
      days after extraction. RESULTS: The median perilesional temperature was
      significantly higher than the median temperature of the affected foot (rho =
      0.480, p = 0.003). Median perilesional temperature measured by high-resolution
      infrared thermography was positively associated with the degree of pain (rho =
      0.395, p < 0.017) and semi-quantitative scores for acute (rho = 0.380, p < 0.022)
      and chronic (rho = 0.337, p < 0.044) clinical pathology. Four days after surgical
      extraction, inflammation and hyperthermia of the affected area regressed
      significantly (rho = 0.457, p = 0.005). In single cases, when clinical
      examination was difficult, lesions were identified through HRIT. CONCLUSION: We
      proved that HRIT is a useful tool to assess tungiasis-associated morbidity as
      well as regression of clinical pathology after treatment. Additionally, HRIT
      might help to diagnose hidden and atypical manifestations of tungiasis. Our
      findings, although still preliminary, suggest that HRIT could be used for a range
      of infectious skin diseases prevalent in the tropics. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ISRCTN11415557, Registration date: 13 July 2011.

PMID- 28919834
TI  - Substance use disorders in military veterans: prevalence and treatment
      challenges.
AB  - Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a significant problem among our nation's
      military veterans. In the following overview, we provide information on the
      prevalence of SUDs among military veterans, clinical characteristics of SUDs,
      options for screening and evidence-based treatment, as well as relevant treatment
      challenges. Among psychotherapeutic approaches, behavioral interventions for the
      management of SUDs typically involve short-term, cognitive-behavioral therapy
      interventions. These interventions focus on the identification and modification
      of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors associated with increased craving, use, or
      relapse to substances. Additionally, client-centered motivational interviewing
      approaches focus on increasing motivation to engage in treatment and reduce
      substance use. A variety of pharmacotherapies have received some support in the
      management of SUDs, primarily to help with the reduction of craving or withdrawal
      symptoms. Currently approved medications as well as treatment challenges are
      discussed.

PMID- 28919836
TI  - Increase in density of genetically diverse invasive Asian shore crab (Hemigrapsus
      sanguineus) populations in the Gulf of Maine.
AB  - Hemigrapsus sanguineus, the Asian shore crab, has rapidly replaced Carcinus
      maenas, the green crab, as the most abundant crab on rocky shores in the
      northwest Atlantic since its introduction to the United States (USA) in 1988. The
      northern edge of this progressing invasion is the Gulf of Maine, where Asian
      shore crabs are only abundant in the south. We compared H. sanguineus population
      densities to those from published 2005 surveys and quantified genetic variation
      using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. We found that the range of H.
      sanguineus had extended northward since 2005, that population density had
      increased substantially (at least 10-fold at all sites), and that Asian shore
      crabs had become the dominant intertidal crab species in New Hampshire and
      southern Maine. Despite the significant increase in population density of H.
      sanguineus, populations only increased by a factor of 14 in Maine compared to 70
      in southern New England, possibly due to cooler temperatures in the Gulf of
      Maine. Genetically, populations were predominantly composed of a single haplotype
      of Japanese, Korean, or Taiwanese origin, although an additional seven haplotypes
      were found. Six of these haplotypes were of Asian origin, while two are newly
      described. Large increases in population sizes of genetically diverse individuals
      in Maine will likely have a large ecological impact, causing a reduction in
      populations of mussels, barnacles, snails, and other crabs, similar to what has
      occurred at southern sites with large populations of this invasive crab species.

PMID- 28919837
TI  - Rethinking the measurement of energy poverty in Europe: A critical analysis of
      indicators and data.
AB  - Energy poverty - which has also been recognised via terms such as 'fuel poverty'
      and 'energy vulnerability' - occurs when a household experiences inadequate
      levels of energy services in the home. Measuring energy poverty is challenging,
      as it is a culturally sensitive and private condition, which is temporally and
      spatially dynamic. This is compounded by the limited availability of appropriate
      data and indicators, and lack of consensus on how energy poverty should be
      conceptualised and measured. Statistical indicators of energy poverty are an
      important and necessary part of the research and policy landscape. They carry
      great political weight, and are often used to guide the targeting of energy
      poverty measures - due to their perceived objectivity - with important
      consequences for both the indoor and built environment of housing. Focussing on
      the European Union specifically, this paper critically assesses the available
      statistical options for monitoring energy poverty, whilst also presenting options
      for improving existing data. This is examined through the lens of vulnerability
      thinking, by considering the ways in which policies and institutions, the built
      fabric and everyday practices shape energy use, alongside the manner in which
      energy poor households experience and address the issue on a day-to-day basis.

PMID- 28919838
TI  - Adherence to precautions for preventing the transmission of microorganisms in
      primary health care: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health care associated infections (HAIs) are a source of concern
      worldwide. No health service in any country can be considered HAI risk-free.
      However, there is scarcity of data on the risks to which both patients and health
      workers are subject in non-hospital settings. The aim of this study was to
      identify issues that determine the adherence of professionals to precautions for
      preventing transmission of microorganisms in primary health care. METHOD: This
      was a qualitative study, using focus groups of primary health care staff, in two
      Brazilian municipalities. The data were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS:
      Four focus groups were conducted with 20 professionals (11 community health
      workers, 5 nursing assistants and 4 nurses), and the analysed content was
      organized into four thematic categories. These categories are: low risk
      perception, weaknesses in knowledge, insufficient in-service training and
      infrastructure limitations. Participants expressed their weaknesses in knowledge
      of standard and transmission based precautions, mainly for hand hygiene and
      tuberculosis. A lack of appropriate resources and standardization in sharps
      disposal management was also highlighted by the participants. CONCLUSION: The
      study points out the need to provide in-service training for professionals on the
      transmission of microorganisms in primary health care to ensure adequate level of
      risk perception and knowledge. Further recommendations include investment to
      improve infrastructure to facilitate adherence to precautions and to minimize the
      risk of disease transmission for both patients and health care workers.

PMID- 28919839
TI  - Ground-up-top down: a mixed method action research study aimed at normalising
      research in practice for nurses and midwives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improving health, patient and system outcomes through a practice
      based research agenda requires infrastructural supports, leadership and capacity
      building approaches, at both the individual and organisational levels. Embedding
      research as normal nursing and midwifery practice requires a flexible approach
      that is responsive to the diverse clinical contexts within which care is
      delivered and the variable research skills and interest of clinicians. This paper
      reports the study protocol for research being undertaken in a Local Health
      District (LHD) in New South Wales (NSW) Australia. The study aims to evaluate
      existing nursing and midwifery research activity, culture, capacity and
      capability across the LHD. This information, in addition to input from key
      stakeholders will be used to develop a responsive, productive and sustainable
      research capacity building framework aimed at enculturating practice-based
      research activities within and across diverse clinical settings of the LHD.
      METHODS: A three-phased, sequential mixed-methods action research design
      underpinned by Normalization Process Theory (NPT). Participants will be nursing
      and midwifery clinicians and managers across rural and metropolitan services. A
      combination of survey, focus group, individual interviews and peer supported
      action-learning groups will be used to gather data. Quantitative data will be
      analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression, together with
      thematic analysis of qualitative data to produce an integrated report.
      DISCUSSION: Understanding the current research activity and capacity of nurses
      and midwives, together with organisational supports and culture is essential to
      developing a productive and sustainable research environment. However, knowledge
      alone will not bring about change. This study will move beyond description of
      barriers to research participation for nurses and midwives and the promulgation
      of various capacity building frameworks to employ a theory driven action-oriented
      approach to normalisation of nursing and midwifery research practice. In doing
      so, our aim is to make possible the utilisation, generation and translation of
      practice based research that informs improved patient and service delivery
      outcomes.

PMID- 28919840
TI  - Leptin independently predicts development of sepsis and its outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition and obesity is related to the
      clinical outcome. The underlying reasons are incompletely understood, but the
      adipocyte derived hormones leptin and adiponectin may be involved. METHODS:
      Patients aged 18 years or more with documented first time sepsis events were
      included in a nested case-referent study if they had participated in previous
      health surveys. Two matched referents free of known sepsis were identified.
      Circulating levels of leptin and adiponectin were determined in stored plasma,
      and their impact on a future sepsis event and its outcome was evaluated. RESULTS:
      We identified 152 patients (62% women) with a sepsis event and a previous
      participation in a health survey. Eighty-three % had also blood samples from the
      acute event. Hyperleptinemia at health survey associated with a future sepsis
      event (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.04-3.00) and with hospital death. After adjustment for
      BMI leptin remained associated with sepsis in men, but not in women. High levels
      in the acute phase associated with increased risk for in hospital death in women
      (OR 4.18, 95% CI 1.17-15.00), while being protective in men (OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.01
      0.48). Furthermore, leptin increased more from baseline to the acute phase in men
      than in women. Adiponectin did not predict sepsis and did not relate to outcome.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hyperleptinemia independently predicted the development of sepsis
      and an unfavourable outcome in men, and inertia in the acute response related to
      worse outcome.

PMID- 28919841
TI  - A Comprehensive Comparison of Multiparty Secure Additions with Differential
      Privacy.
AB  - This paper considers the problem of secure data aggregation (mainly summation) in
      a distributed setting, while ensuring differential privacy of the result. We
      study secure multiparty addition protocols using well known security schemes:
      Shamir's secret sharing, perturbation-based, and various encryptions. We
      supplement our study with our new enhanced encryption scheme EFT, which is
      efficient and fault tolerant. Differential privacy of the final result is
      achieved by either distributed Laplace or Geometric mechanism (respectively DLPA
      or DGPA), while approximated differential privacy is achieved by diluted
      mechanisms. Distributed random noise is generated collectively by all
      participants, which draw random variables from one of several distributions:
      Gamma, Gauss, Geometric, or their diluted versions. We introduce a new
      distributed privacy mechanism with noise drawn from the Laplace distribution,
      which achieves smaller redundant noise with efficiency. We compare complexity and
      security characteristics of the protocols with different differential privacy
      mechanisms and security schemes. More importantly, we implemented all protocols
      and present an experimental comparison on their performance and scalability in a
      real distributed environment. Based on the evaluations, we identify our security
      scheme and Laplace DLPA as the most efficient for secure distributed data
      aggregation with privacy.

PMID- 28919843
TI  - The effects of phenylalanine on exercise-induced fat oxidation: a preliminary,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When combined with exercise, dietary amino acid (AA) supplementation
      is an effective method for accelerating fat mobilization. However, the effects of
      single AAs combined with exercise on fat oxidation remains unclear. We
      hypothesized that consumption of a specific amino acid, L- phenylalanine, may
      result in the secretion of glucagon, and when combined with exercise may promote
      fat oxidation. METHODS: Six healthy, active male volunteers were randomized in a
      crossover study to ingest either phenylalanine (3 g/dose) or placebo. Thirty
      minutes after ingestion each subject performed workload trials on a cycle
      ergometer for 1 h at 50% of maximal oxygen consumption. RESULTS: Oral intake of
      phenylalanine caused a significant increase in the concentrations of plasma
      glycerol and glucagon during exercise. The respiratory exchange ratio was also
      decreased significantly following ingestion of phenylalanine. CONCLUSION: These
      results suggested that pre-exercise supplementation of phenylalanine may
      stimulate whole body fat oxidation. No serious or study-related adverse events
      were observed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000027502 Registered 26 May 2017.
      Restrospectively registered.

PMID- 28919845
TI  - Subjective cognitive complaints and objective memory performance influence prompt
      preference for instrumental activities of daily living.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Declines in memory and executive functioning often lead to
      difficulties completing instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).
      Prompting technologies have the potential to help promote aging in place by
      providing support for the initiation and accurate completion of IADLs. In this
      study, we evaluate preferences of older adults for different levels of prompting
      support based on subjective and objective measures of cognitive functioning.
      METHOD: Participants were 170 community-dwelling older adults split into two
      cognitive complaint groups: cognitive complaints and few cognitive complaints.
      After completing six IADL tasks (e.g., organize a pillbox, cook), each
      participant was asked to make a specific error (e.g., leave stove on) on three of
      the tasks. They were then prompted to correct the error with one of three
      different prompt modes: verbal indirect, verbal direct, multimodal verbal direct
      and video. RESULTS: The cognitive complaints group reported greater preference
      for the multimodal prompt compared to the few cognitive complaints group. The
      indirect prompt was the least preferred by both groups. Furthermore, participants
      who recalled less on objective memory measures preferred more support in terms of
      prompt mode. Executive functioning did not appear to be related to prompt
      preference. CONCLUSION: Level of subjective cognitive complaints and objective
      memory performance may influence amount of support preferred in a prompt.

PMID- 28919844
TI  - Practical nutritional recovery strategies for elite soccer players when limited
      time separates repeated matches.
AB  - Specific guidelines that aim to facilitate the recovery of soccer players from
      the demands of training and a congested fixture schedule are lacking; especially
      in relation to evidence-based nutritional recommendations. The importance of
      repeated high level performance and injury avoidance while addressing the
      challenges of fixture scheduling, travel to away venues, and training commitments
      requires a strategic and practically feasible method of implementing specific
      nutritional strategies. Here we present evidence-based guidelines regarding
      nutritional recovery strategies within the context of soccer. An emphasis is
      placed on providing practically applicable guidelines for facilitation of
      recovery when multiple matches are played within a short period of time (i.e. 48
      h). Following match-play, the restoration of liver and muscle glycogen stores
      (via consumption of ~1.2 g?kg-1?h-1 of carbohydrate) and augmentation of protein
      synthesis (via ~40 g of protein) should be prioritised in the first 20 min of
      recovery. Daily intakes of 6-10 g?kg-1 body mass of carbohydrate are recommended
      when limited time separates repeated matches while daily protein intakes of >1.5
      g?kg-1 body mass should be targeted; possibly in the form of multiple smaller
      feedings (e.g., 6 * 20-40 g). At least 150% of the body mass lost during exercise
      should be consumed within 1 h and electrolytes added such that fluid losses are
      ameliorated. Strategic use of protein, leucine, creatine, polyphenols and omega-3
      supplements could also offer practical means of enhancing post-match recovery.

PMID- 28919846
TI  - A Methylidene Group in the Phosphonic Acid Analogue of Phenylalanine Reverses the
      Enantiopreference of Binding to Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyases.
AB  - Aromatic amino acid ammonia-lyases and aromatic amino acid 2,3-aminomutases
      contain the post-translationally formed prosthetic 3,5-dihydro-4-methylidene-5H
      imidazol-5-one (MIO) group. MIO enzymes catalyze the stereoselective synthesis of
      alpha- or beta-amino acid enantiomers, making these chemical processes
      environmentally friendly and affordable. Characterization of novel inhibitors
      enables structural understanding of enzyme mechanism and recognizes promising
      herbicide candidates as well. The present study found that both enantiomers of
      the aminophosphonic acid analogue of the natural substrate phenylalanine and a
      novel derivative bearing a methylidene at the beta-position inhibited
      phenylalanine ammonia-lyases (PAL), representing MIO enzymes. X-ray methods
      unambiguously determined the absolute configuration of all tested enantiomers
      during their synthesis. Enzyme kinetic measurements revealed the enantiomer of
      the methylidene-substituted substrate analogue as being a mirror image relation
      to the natural l-phenylalanine as the strongest inhibitor. Isothermal titration
      calorimetry (ITC) confirmed the binding constants and provided a detailed
      analysis of the thermodynamic driving forces of ligand binding. Molecular docking
      suggested that binding of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers is possible by a mirror
      image packing.

PMID- 28919842
TI  - International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing.
AB  - The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) provides an objective and
      critical review regarding the timing of macronutrients in reference to healthy,
      exercising adults and in particular highly trained individuals on exercise
      performance and body composition. The following points summarize the position of
      the ISSN:Nutrient timing incorporates the use of methodical planning and eating
      of whole foods, fortified foods and dietary supplements. The timing of energy
      intake and the ratio of certain ingested macronutrients may enhance recovery and
      tissue repair, augment muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and improve mood states
      following high-volume or intense exercise.Endogenous glycogen stores are
      maximized by following a high-carbohydrate diet (8-12 g of carbohydrate/kg/day
      [g/kg/day]); moreover, these stores are depleted most by high volume exercise.If
      rapid restoration of glycogen is required (< 4 h of recovery time) then the
      following strategies should be considered:aggressive carbohydrate refeeding (1.2
      g/kg/h) with a preference towards carbohydrate sources that have a high (> 70)
      glycemic indexthe addition of caffeine (3-8 mg/kg)combining carbohydrates (0.8
      g/kg/h) with protein (0.2-0.4 g/kg/h) Extended (> 60 min) bouts of high intensity
      (> 70% VO2max) exercise challenge fuel supply and fluid regulation, thus
      carbohydrate should be consumed at a rate of ~30-60 g of carbohydrate/h in a 6-8%
      carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (6-12 fluid ounces) every 10-15 min throughout
      the entire exercise bout, particularly in those exercise bouts that span beyond
      70 min. When carbohydrate delivery is inadequate, adding protein may help
      increase performance, ameliorate muscle damage, promote euglycemia and facilitate
      glycogen re-synthesis.Carbohydrate ingestion throughout resistance exercise
      (e.g., 3-6 sets of 8-12 repetition maximum [RM] using multiple exercises
      targeting all major muscle groups) has been shown to promote euglycemia and
      higher glycogen stores. Consuming carbohydrate solely or in combination with
      protein during resistance exercise increases muscle glycogen stores, ameliorates
      muscle damage, and facilitates greater acute and chronic training
      adaptations.Meeting the total daily intake of protein, preferably with evenly
      spaced protein feedings (approximately every 3 h during the day), should be
      viewed as a primary area of emphasis for exercising individuals.Ingestion of
      essential amino acids (EAA; approximately 10 g)either in free form or as part of
      a protein bolus of approximately 20-40 g has been shown to maximally stimulate
      muscle protein synthesis (MPS).Pre- and/or post-exercise nutritional
      interventions (carbohydrate + protein or protein alone) may operate as an
      effective strategy to support increases in strength and improvements in body
      composition. However, the size and timing of a pre-exercise meal may impact the
      extent to which post-exercise protein feeding is required.Post-exercise ingestion
      (immediately to 2-h post) of high-quality protein sources stimulates robust
      increases in MPS.In non-exercising scenarios, changing the frequency of meals has
      shown limited impact on weight loss and body composition, with stronger evidence
      to indicate meal frequency can favorably improve appetite and satiety. More
      research is needed to determine the influence of combining an exercise program
      with altered meal frequencies on weight loss and body composition with
      preliminary research indicating a potential benefit.Ingesting a 20-40 g protein
      dose (0.25-0.40 g/kg body mass/dose) of a high-quality source every three to 4 h
      appears to most favorably affect MPS rates when compared to other dietary
      patterns and is associated with improved body composition and performance
      outcomes.Consuming casein protein (~ 30-40 g) prior to sleep can acutely increase
      MPS and metabolic rate throughout the night without influencing lipolysis.

PMID- 28919848
TI  - Hidden Hearing Loss? No Effect of Common Recreational Noise Exposure on Cochlear
      Nerve Response Amplitude in Humans.
AB  - This study tested hypothesized relationships between noise exposure and auditory
      deficits. Both retrospective assessment of potential associations between noise
      exposure history and performance on an audiologic test battery and prospective
      assessment of potential changes in performance after new recreational noise
      exposure were completed. Methods: 32 participants (13M, 19F) with normal hearing
      (25-dB HL or better, 0.25-8 kHz) were asked to participate in 3 pre- and post
      exposure sessions including: otoscopy, tympanometry, distortion product
      otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) (f2 frequencies 1-8 kHz), pure-tone audiometry
      (0.25-8 kHz), Words-in-Noise (WIN) test, and electrocochleography (eCochG)
      measurements at 70, 80, and 90-dB nHL (click and 2-4 kHz tone-bursts). The first
      session was used to collect baseline data, the second session was collected the
      day after a loud recreational event, and the third session was collected 1-week
      later. Of the 32 participants, 26 completed all 3 sessions. Results: The
      retrospective analysis did not reveal statistically significant relationships
      between noise exposure history and any auditory deficits. The day after new
      exposure, there was a statistically significant correlation between noise "dose"
      and WIN performance overall, and within the 4-dB signal-to-babble ratio. In
      contrast, there were no statistically significant correlations between noise dose
      and changes in threshold, DPOAE amplitude, or AP amplitude the day after new
      noise exposure. Additional analyses revealed a statistically significant
      relationship between TTS and DPOAE amplitude at 6 kHz, with temporarily decreased
      DPOAE amplitude observed with increasing TTS. Conclusions: There was no evidence
      of auditory deficits as a function of previous noise exposure history, and no
      permanent changes in audiometric, electrophysiologic, or functional measures
      after new recreational noise exposure. There were very few participants with TTS
      the day after exposure - a test time selected to be consistent with previous
      animal studies. The largest observed TTS was approximately 20-dB. The observed
      pattern of small TTS suggests little risk of synaptopathy from common
      recreational noise exposure, and that we should not expect to observe changes in
      evoked potentials for this reason. No such changes were observed in this study.
      These data do not support suggestions that common, recreational noise exposure is
      likely to result in "hidden hearing loss".

PMID- 28919847
TI  - Sulfated hydrogel matrices direct mitogenicity and maintenance of chondrocyte
      phenotype through activation of FGF signaling.
AB  - Deciphering the roles of chemical and physical features of the extracellular
      matrix (ECM) is vital for developing biomimetic materials with desired cellular
      responses in regenerative medicine. Here, we demonstrate that sulfation of
      biopolymers, mimicking the proteoglycans in native tissues, induces mitogenicity,
      chondrogenic phenotype, and suppresses catabolic activity of chondrocytes, a cell
      type that resides in a highly sulfated tissue. We show through tunable
      modification of alginate that increased sulfation of the microenvironment
      promotes FGF signaling-mediated proliferation of chondrocytes in a three
      dimensional (3D) matrix independent of stiffness, swelling, and porosity.
      Furthermore, we show for the first time that a biomimetic hydrogel acts as a 3D
      signaling matrix to mediate a heparan sulfate/heparin-like interaction between
      FGF and its receptor leading to signaling cascades inducing cell proliferation,
      cartilage matrix production, and suppression of de-differentiation markers.
      Collectively, this study reveals important insights on mimicking the ECM to guide
      self-renewal of cells via manipulation of distinct signaling mechanisms.

PMID- 28919849
TI  - Interhemispheric Resting-State Functional Connectivity Predicts Severity of
      Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.
AB  - Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is characterized by a clinical
      triad (gait disturbance, dementia, and urinary incontinence), and by radiological
      findings of enlarged ventricles reflecting disturbance of central spinal fluid
      circulation. A diagnosis of iNPH is sometimes challenging, and the
      pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the clinical symptoms of iNPH remain
      largely unknown. Here, we used an emerging MRI technique, resting-state
      functional connectivity MRI (rsfcMRI), to develop a subsidiary diagnostic
      technique and to explore the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of iNPH.
      rsfcMRI data were obtained from 11 patients with iNPH and 11 age-matched healthy
      volunteers, yielding rsfcMRI-derived functional connectivity (FC) from both
      groups. A linear support vector machine classifier was trained to distinguish the
      patterns of FCs of the patients with iNPH from those of the healthy volunteers.
      After dimensional reduction, the support vector machine successfully classified
      the two groups with an accuracy of 80%. Moreover, we found that rsfcMRI-derived
      FC carried information to predict the severity of the triad in iNPH. FCs relevant
      to the classification of severity were mainly based on interhemispheric
      connectivity, suggesting that disruption of the corpus callosum fibers due to
      ventricular enlargement may explain the triad of iNPH. The present results
      support the usefulness of rsfcMRI as a tool to understand pathophysiology of
      iNPH, and also to help with its clinical diagnosis.

PMID- 28919852
TI  - Dendritic Properties Control Energy Efficiency of Action Potentials in Cortical
      Pyramidal Cells.
AB  - Neural computation is performed by transforming input signals into sequences of
      action potentials (APs), which is metabolically expensive and limited by the
      energy available to the brain. The metabolic efficiency of single AP has
      important consequences for the computational power of the cell, which is
      determined by its biophysical properties and morphologies. Here we adopt
      biophysically-based two-compartment models to investigate how dendrites affect
      energy efficiency of APs in cortical pyramidal neurons. We measure the Na+ entry
      during the spike and examine how it is efficiently used for generating AP
      depolarization. We show that increasing the proportion of dendritic area or
      coupling conductance between two chambers decreases Na+ entry efficiency of
      somatic AP. Activating inward Ca2+ current in dendrites results in dendritic
      spike, which increases AP efficiency. Activating Ca2+-activated outward K+
      current in dendrites, however, decreases Na+ entry efficiency. We demonstrate
      that the active and passive dendrites take effects by altering the overlap
      between Na+ influx and internal current flowing from soma to dendrite. We explain
      a fundamental link between dendritic properties and AP efficiency, which is
      essential to interpret how neural computation consumes metabolic energy and how
      biophysics and morphologies contribute to such consumption.

PMID- 28919851
TI  - Deficient Sleep in Mouse Models of Fragile X Syndrome.
AB  - In patients with fragile X syndrome (FXS), sleep problems are commonly observed
      but are not well characterized. In animal models of FXS (dfmr1 and Fmr1 knockout
      (KO)/Fxr2 heterozygote) circadian rhythmicity is affected, but sleep per se has
      not been examined. We used a home-cage monitoring system to assess total sleep
      time in both light and dark phases in Fmr1 KO mice at different developmental
      stages. Fmr1 KOs at P21 do not differ from controls, but genotype * phase
      interactions in both adult (P70 and P180) groups are statistically significant
      indicating that sleep in Fmr1 KOs is reduced selectively in the light phase
      compared to controls. Our results show the emergence of abnormal sleep in Fmr1
      KOs during the later stages of brain maturation. Treatment of adult Fmr1 KO mice
      with a GABAB agonist, R-baclofen, did not restore sleep duration in the light
      phase. In adult (P70) Fmr1 KO/Fxr2 heterozygote animals, total sleep time was
      further reduced, once again in the light phase. Our data highlight the importance
      of the fragile X genes (Fmr1 and Fxr2) in sleep physiology and confirm the
      utility of these mouse models in enhancing our understanding of sleep disorders
      in FXS.

PMID- 28919853
TI  - p47Phox/CDK5/DRP1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission Evokes PV Cell Degeneration in
      the Rat Dentate Gyrus Following Status Epilepticus.
AB  - Parvalbumin (PV) is one of the calcium-binding proteins, which plays an important
      role in the responsiveness of inhibitory neurons to an adaptation to repetitive
      spikes. Furthermore, PV neurons are highly vulnerable to status epilepticus (SE,
      prolonged seizure activity), although the underlining mechanism remains to be
      clarified. In the present study, we found that p47Phox expression was transiently
      and selectively increased in PV neurons 6 h after SE. This up-regulated p47Phox
      expression was accompanied by excessive mitochondrial fission. In this time
      point, CDK5-tyrosine 15 and dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1)-serine 616
      phosphorylations were also increased in PV cells. Apocynin (a p47Phox inhibitor)
      effectively mitigated PV cell loss via inhibition of CDK5/DRP1 phosphorylations
      and mitochondrial fragmentation induced by SE. Roscovitine (a CDK5 inhibitor) and
      Mdivi-1 (a DRP1 inhibitor) attenuated SE-induced PV cell loss by inhibiting
      aberrant mitochondrial fission. These findings suggest that p47Phox/CDK5/DRP1 may
      be one of the important upstream signaling pathways in PV cell degeneration
      induced by SE via excessive mitochondrial fragmentation.

PMID- 28919850
TI  - The Detection of Phase Amplitude Coupling during Sensory Processing.
AB  - There is increasing interest in understanding how the phase and amplitude of
      distinct neural oscillations might interact to support dynamic communication
      within the brain. In particular, previous work has demonstrated a coupling
      between the phase of low frequency oscillations and the amplitude (or power) of
      high frequency oscillations during certain tasks, termed phase amplitude coupling
      (PAC). For instance, during visual processing in humans, PAC has been reliably
      observed between ongoing alpha (8-13 Hz) and gamma-band (>40 Hz) activity.
      However, the application of PAC metrics to electrophysiological data can be
      challenging due to numerous methodological issues and lack of coherent approaches
      within the field. Therefore, in this article we outline the various analysis
      steps involved in detecting PAC, using an openly available MEG dataset from 16
      participants performing an interactive visual task. Firstly, we localized gamma
      and alpha-band power using the Fieldtrip toolbox, and extracted time courses from
      area V1, defined using a multimodal parcelation scheme. These V1 responses were
      analyzed for changes in alpha-gamma PAC, using four common algorithms. Results
      showed an increase in alpha (7-13 Hz)-gamma (40-100 Hz) PAC in response to the
      visual grating stimulus, though specific patterns of coupling were somewhat
      dependent upon the algorithm employed. Additionally, post-hoc analyses showed
      that these results were not driven by the presence of non-sinusoidal
      oscillations, and that trial length was sufficient to obtain reliable PAC
      estimates. Finally, throughout the article, methodological issues and practical
      guidelines for ongoing PAC research will be discussed.

PMID- 28919854
TI  - PRANAS: A New Platform for Retinal Analysis and Simulation.
AB  - The retina encodes visual scenes by trains of action potentials that are sent to
      the brain via the optic nerve. In this paper, we describe a new free access user
      end software allowing to better understand this coding. It is called PRANAS
      (https://pranas.inria.fr), standing for Platform for Retinal ANalysis And
      Simulation. PRANAS targets neuroscientists and modelers by providing a unique set
      of retina-related tools. PRANAS integrates a retina simulator allowing large
      scale simulations while keeping a strong biological plausibility and a toolbox
      for the analysis of spike train population statistics. The statistical method
      (entropy maximization under constraints) takes into account both spatial and
      temporal correlations as constraints, allowing to analyze the effects of memory
      on statistics. PRANAS also integrates a tool computing and representing in 3D
      (time-space) receptive fields. All these tools are accessible through a friendly
      graphical user interface. The most CPU-costly of them have been implemented to
      run in parallel.

PMID- 28919855
TI  - An Improved Recurrent Neural Network for Complex-Valued Systems of Linear
      Equation and Its Application to Robotic Motion Tracking.
AB  - To obtain the online solution of complex-valued systems of linear equation in
      complex domain with higher precision and higher convergence rate, a new neural
      network based on Zhang neural network (ZNN) is investigated in this paper. First,
      this new neural network for complex-valued systems of linear equation in complex
      domain is proposed and theoretically proved to be convergent within finite time.
      Then, the illustrative results show that the new neural network model has the
      higher precision and the higher convergence rate, as compared with the gradient
      neural network (GNN) model and the ZNN model. Finally, the application for
      controlling the robot using the proposed method for the complex-valued systems of
      linear equation is realized, and the simulation results verify the effectiveness
      and superiorness of the new neural network for the complex-valued systems of
      linear equation.

PMID- 28919857
TI  - Divergent Roles of Vascular Burden and Neurodegeneration in the Cognitive Decline
      of Geriatric Depression Patients and Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients.
AB  - Both geriatric depression and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) confer an increased
      risk for the development of dementia. The mechanisms underlying the development
      of cognitive impairment in geriatric depression patients remain controversial.
      The present study aimed to explore the association of cognitive decline with
      vascular risk, white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden and hippocampal volume in
      both remitted geriatric depression (RGD) subjects and amnestic mild cognitive
      impairment (aMCI) subjects. Forty-one RGD subjects, 51 aMCI subjects, and 64
      healthy elderly subjects underwent multimodal MRI scans and neuropsychological
      tests at both baseline and a 35-month follow-up. According to the changing
      patterns (declining or stable) of global cognitive function during the follow-up
      period, each group was further divided into a declining subgroup and a stable
      subgroup. The Framingham 10-year cardiovascular risk, WMH volume and hippocampal
      volume were measured to assess vascular pathology and neurodegeneration,
      respectively. The RGD declining group displayed a higher vascular risk and
      greater WMH volume than the RGD stable group, whereas no such difference was
      found in the aMCI subjects. In contrast, the aMCI declining group displayed a
      smaller left hippocampal volume than the aMCI stable group, whereas no such
      difference was found in the RGD subjects. Furthermore, greater increases in the
      WHM volume correlated with greater decreases in global cognitive function in the
      RGD declining group, and greater decreases in the left hippocampal volume
      correlated with greater decreases in global cognitive function in the aMCI
      declining group. In conclusion, the cognitive decline in RGD patients is
      associated with vascular burden, whereas the cognitive decline in aMCI patients
      is associated with neurodegeneration. These findings could contribute to a better
      understanding of the specific mechanisms of the development of dementia in each
      condition.

PMID- 28919858
TI  - Safety Evaluation of Sclerotium from a Medicinal Mushroom, Lignosus cameronensis
      (Cultivar): Preclinical Toxicology Studies.
AB  - Twenty-eight days subacute toxicity studies performed in rats using sclerotial
      powder of Lignosus cameronensis cultivar was conducted to assess its safety for
      consumption prior to other scientific investigations on its medicinal benefits,
      nutraceutical or pharmaceutical application of the mushroom. The study was
      conducted at 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg sclerotial powder of L. cameronensis
      cultivar (n = 5 for each respective dose, on both male and female groups) while
      control groups received only distilled water. At the end of the study (29th day),
      the animals were sacrificed followed by blood and organs collection for analysis.
      Subacute toxicity studies done shows that sclerotial powder of L. cameronensis
      cultivar at 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg did not induce treatment related changes on
      behavioral patterns, gross physical appearance, growth pattern, body weight gain,
      values of hematological and clinical biochemical panels as well as
      histopathological findings on kidney, spleen, heart, lung and liver of the
      experimental rats. The no-observed-adverse-effect level dose for sclerotial
      powder of L. cameronensis cultivar in 28-days sub-acute toxicity study is
      determined to be 1000 mg/kg.

PMID- 28919856
TI  - Visualizing Hyperactivation in Neurodegeneration Based on Prefrontal Oxygenation:
      A Comparative Study of Mild Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and
      Healthy Controls.
AB  - Background: Cognitive performance is relatively well preserved during early
      cognitive impairment owing to compensatory mechanisms. Methods: We explored
      functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) alongside a semantic verbal fluency
      task (SVFT) to investigate any compensation exhibited by the prefrontal cortex
      (PFC) in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). In
      addition, a group of healthy controls (HC) was studied. A total of 61 volunteers
      (31 HC, 12 patients with MCI and 18 patients with mild AD) took part in the
      present study. Results: Although not statistically significant, MCI exhibited a
      greater mean activation of both the right and left PFC, followed by HC and mild
      AD. Analysis showed that in the left PFC, the time taken for HC to achieve the
      activation level was shorter than MCI and mild AD (p = 0.0047 and 0.0498,
      respectively); in the right PFC, mild AD took a longer time to achieve the
      activation level than HC and MCI (p = 0.0469 and 0.0335, respectively); in the
      right PFC, HC, and MCI demonstrated a steeper slope compared to mild AD (p =
      0.0432 and 0. 0107, respectively). The results were, however, not significant
      when corrected by the Bonferroni-Holm method. There was also found to be a
      moderately positive correlation (R = 0.5886) between the oxygenation levels in
      the left PFC and a clinical measure [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score]
      in MCI subjects uniquely. Discussion: The hyperactivation in MCI coupled with a
      better SVFT performance may suggest neural compensation, although it is not known
      to what degree hyperactivation manifests as a potential indicator of compensatory
      mechanisms. However, hypoactivation plus a poorer SVFT performance in mild AD
      might indicate an inability to compensate due to the degree of structural
      impairment. Conclusion: Consistent with the scaffolding theory of aging and
      cognition, the task-elicited hyperactivation in MCI might reflect the presence of
      compensatory mechanisms and hypoactivation in mild AD could reflect an inability
      to compensate. Future studies will investigate the fNIRS parameters with a larger
      sample size, and their validity as prognostic biomarkers of neurodegeneration.

PMID- 28919859
TI  - The Dietary Constituent Falcarindiol Promotes Cholesterol Efflux from THP-1
      Macrophages by Increasing ABCA1 Gene Transcription and Protein Stability.
AB  - We report increased cholesterol efflux from macrophages in the presence of
      falcarindiol, an important dietary constituent present in commonly used
      vegetables and medicinal plants. Falcarindiol (3-20 MUM) increased cholesterol
      efflux from THP-1-derived macrophages. Western blot analysis showed an increased
      protein level of ABCA1 upon falcarindiol exposure. Quantitative real-time PCR
      revealed that also ABCA1 mRNA level rise with falcarindiol (10 MUM) treatment.
      The effect of falcarindiol on ABCA1 protein as well as mRNA level were
      counteracted by co-treatment with BADGE, an antagonist of PPARgamma. Furthermore,
      falcarindiol significantly inhibited ABCA1 protein degradation in the presence of
      cycloheximide. This post-translational regulation of ABCA1 by falcarindiol occurs
      most likely by inhibition of lysosomal cathepsins, resulting in decreased
      proteolysis and extended protein half-life of ABCA1. Taken together, falcarindiol
      increases ABCA1 protein level by two complementary mechanisms, i.e., promoting
      ABCA1 gene expression and inhibiting ABCA1 protein degradation, which lead to
      enhanced cholesterol efflux.

PMID- 28919860
TI  - A Multidirectional Perspective for Novel Functional Products: In vitro
      Pharmacological Activities and In silico Studies on Ononis natrix subsp.
      hispanica.
AB  - The genus Ononis has important value as traditional drugs and foods. In the
      present work, we aimed to assess the chemical profiles and biological effects of
      Ononis natrix subsp. hispanica extracts (ethyl acetate, methanol, and water). For
      chemical profile, total and individual phenolic components were detected. For
      biological effects, antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, FRAP, phosphomolybdenum, and
      metal chelating assays), enzyme inhibitory (against cholinesterase, tyrosinase,
      alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase), antimicrobial, DNA protection and cytotoxic
      abilities were tested. The predominant phenolics were apigenin, luteolin, and
      quercetin in the tested extracts. Generally, the ethyl acetate and methanol
      extracts were noted as the most active in the antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory
      assays. Water extract with different concentrations indicated high level of DNA
      protection activity. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts showed antibacterial
      effect against to Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains.
      The cytotoxic effects of O. natrix subsp. hispanica extracts on the survival of
      HeLa and PC3 cells were determined by MTT cell viability assay. Water and
      methanol extracts caused initiation of apoptosis for PC3 cell line. Furthermore,
      molecular docking was performed to better understand interactions between
      dominant phenolic compounds and selected enzymes. Our results clearly indicate
      that O. natrix subsp. hispanica could be considered a potential candidate for
      designing novel pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals.

PMID- 28919861
TI  - Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG: An Overview to Explore the Rationale of Its Use in
      Cancer.
AB  - Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the western world. In the era of
      precision medicine, a significant number of cancer patients can be cured with
      several anti-cancer therapeutic regimens. However, therapy failure may be caused
      by treatment side effects, such as diarrhea, especially occurring in patients
      with gastrointestinal or pelvic malignancies. In particular, diarrhea is one of
      the most frequent gastrointestinal toxicity during cancer treatment and it can
      result from nearly bot chemo- and radio-therapeutic strategies currently used.
      Diarrhea has a serious impact on patients' quality of life and treatment dosing
      and schedule modification due to its severity can negatively influence treatment
      outcomes. In this context, probiotics may play an interesting role in several
      human diseases with an inflammatory bowel involvement and, among these,
      Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is one of the most characterized and utilized.
      In particular, LGG is able to reverse intestinal dysbiosis and moderate diarrhea.
      Moreover, preclinical studies have documented its effects in reducing chronic
      inflammation associated with cancer development. This review summarizes the
      preclinical results of LGG on cancer cells proliferation and tumor invasion as
      well as the potential role of LGG use in cancer patients for the prevention and
      management of diarrhea associated with cancer treatment. Overall, these
      encouraging data support further investigation on the use of LGG in stratified
      patients undergoing specific therapeutic protocols, including chemotherapy and
      pelvic radiotherapy, in order to reduce the development of severe diarrhea and
      thus improve the adherence to the therapy and patients' quality of life.

PMID- 28919862
TI  - Changes in Dimensionality and Fractal Scaling Suggest Soft-Assembled Dynamics in
      Human EEG.
AB  - Humans are high-dimensional, complex systems consisting of many components that
      must coordinate in order to perform even the simplest of activities. Many
      behavioral studies, especially in the movement sciences, have advanced the notion
      of soft-assembly to describe how systems with many components coordinate to
      perform specific functions while also exhibiting the potential to re-structure
      and then perform other functions as task demands change. Consistent with this
      notion, within cognitive neuroscience it is increasingly accepted that the brain
      flexibly coordinates the networks needed to cope with changing task demands.
      However, evaluation of various indices of soft-assembly has so far been absent
      from neurophysiological research. To begin addressing this gap, we investigated
      task-related changes in two distinct indices of soft-assembly using the
      established phenomenon of EEG repetition suppression. In a repetition priming
      task, we assessed evidence for changes in the correlation dimension and fractal
      scaling exponents during stimulus-locked event-related potentials, as a function
      of stimulus onset and familiarity, and relative to spontaneous non-task-related
      activity. Consistent with predictions derived from soft-assembly, results
      indicated decreases in dimensionality and increases in fractal scaling exponents
      from resting to pre-stimulus states and following stimulus onset. However,
      contrary to predictions, familiarity tended to increase dimensionality estimates.
      Overall, the findings support the view from soft-assembly that neural dynamics
      should become increasingly ordered as external task demands increase, and support
      the broader application of soft-assembly logic in understanding human behavior
      and electrophysiology.

PMID- 28919863
TI  - Oxygen Uptake Kinetics Is Slower in Swimming Than Arm Cranking and Cycling during
      Heavy Intensity.
AB  - Oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]) kinetics has been reported to be influenced
      by the activity mode. However, only few studies have compared [Formula: see
      text]O2 kinetics between activities in the same subjects in which they were
      equally trained. Therefore, this study compared the [Formula: see text]O2
      kinetics response to swimming, arm cranking, and cycling within the same group of
      subjects within the heavy exercise intensity domain. Ten trained male triathletes
      (age 23.2 +/- 4.5 years; height 180.8 +/- 8.3 cm; weight 72.3 +/- 6.6 kg)
      completed an incremental test to exhaustion and a 6-min heavy constant-load test
      in the three exercise modes in random order. Gas exchange was measured by a
      breath-by-breath analyzer and the on-transient [Formula: see text]O2 kinetics was
      modeled using bi-exponential functions. [Formula: see text]O2peak was higher in
      cycling (65.6 +/- 4.0 ml.kg-1.min-1) than in arm cranking or swimming (48.7 +/-
      8.0 and 53.0 +/- 6.7 ml.kg-1.min-1; P < 0.01), but the [Formula: see text]O2
      kinetics were slower in swimming (tau1 = 31.7 +/- 6.2 s) than in arm cranking
      (19.3 +/- 4.2 s; P = 0.001) and cycling (12.4 +/- 3.7 s; P = 0.001). The
      amplitude of the primary component was lower in both arm cranking and swimming
      (21.9 +/- 4.7 and 28.4 +/- 5.1 ml.kg-1.min-1) compared with cycling (39.4 +/- 4.1
      ml.kg-1.min-1; P = 0.001). Although the gain of the primary component was higher
      in arm cranking compared with cycling (15.3 +/- 4.2 and 10.7 +/- 1.3 ml.min-1.W
      1; P = 0.02), the slow component amplitude, in both absolute and relative terms,
      did not differ between exercise modes. The slower [Formula: see text]O2 kinetics
      during heavy-intensity swimming is exercise-mode dependent. Besides differences
      in muscle mass and greater type II muscle fibers recruitment, the horizontal
      position adopted and the involvement of trunk and lower-body stabilizing muscles
      could be additional mechanisms that explain the differences between exercise
      modalities.

PMID- 28919864
TI  - beta Subunits Control the Effects of Human Kv4.3 Potassium Channel
      Phosphorylation.
AB  - The transient outward K+ current, Ito, activates early in the cardiac myocyte
      action potential, to begin repolarization. Human Ito is generated primarily by
      two Kv4.3 potassium channel alpha subunit splice variants (Kv4.3L and Kv4.3S)
      that diverge only by a C-terminal, membrane-proximal, 19-residue stretch unique
      to Kv4.3L. Protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation of threonine 504 within the
      Kv4.3L-specific 19-residues mediates alpha-adrenergic inhibition of Ito in human
      heart. Kv4.3 is regulated in human heart by various beta subunits, including
      cytosolic KChIP2b and transmembrane KCNEs, yet their impact on the functional
      effects of human Kv4.3 phosphorylation has not been reported. Here, this gap in
      knowledge was addressed using human Kv4.3 splice variants, T504 mutants, and
      human beta subunits. Subunits were co-expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and
      analyzed by two-electrode voltage-clamp, using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate
      (PMA) to stimulate PKC. Unexpectedly, KChIP2b removed the inhibitory effect of
      PKC on Kv4.3L (but not Kv4.3L threonine phosphorylation by PKC per-se), while co
      expression with KCNE2, but not KCNE4, restored PKC-dependent inhibition of Kv4.3L
      KChIP2b to quantitatively resemble previously reported effects of alpha
      adrenergic modulation of human ventricular Ito. In addition, PKC accelerated
      recovery from inactivation of Kv4.3L-KChIP2b channels and, interestingly, of both
      Kv4.3L and Kv4.3S alone. Thus, beta subunits regulate the response of human Kv4.3
      to PKC phosphorylation and provide a potential mechanism for modifying the
      response of Ito to alpha-adrenergic regulation in vivo.

PMID- 28919865
TI  - Coping with Salt Water Habitats: Metabolic and Oxidative Responses to Salt Intake
      in the Rufous-Collared Sparrow.
AB  - Many physiological adjustments occur in response to salt intake in several marine
      taxa, which manifest at different scales from changes in the concentration of
      individual molecules to physical traits of whole organisms. Little is known about
      the influence of salinity on the distribution, physiological performance, and
      ecology of passerines; specifically, the impact of drinking water salinity on the
      oxidative status of birds has been largely ignored. In this study, we evaluated
      whether experimental variations in the salt intake of a widely-distributed
      passerine (Zontotrichia capensis) could generate differences in basal (BMR) and
      maximum metabolic rates (Msum), as well as affect metabolic enzyme activity and
      oxidative status. We measured rates of energy expenditure of birds after 30-d
      acclimation to drink salt (SW) or tap (fresh) water (TW) and assessed changes in
      the activity of mitochondrial enzymes (cytochrome c oxidase and citrate synthase)
      in skeletal muscle, heart, and kidney. Finally, we evaluated the oxidative status
      of bird tissues by means of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and superoxide
      dismutase activities and lipid oxidative damage (Malondialdehyde, MDA). The
      results revealed a significant increase in BMR but not Msum, which resulted in a
      reduction in factorial aerobic scope in SW- vs. TW-acclimated birds. These
      changes were paralleled with increased kidney and intestine masses and catabolic
      activities in tissues, especially in pectoralis muscle. We also found that TAC
      and MDA concentrations were ~120 and ~400% higher, respectively in the liver of
      animals acclimated to the SW- vs. TW-treatment. Our study is the first to
      document changes in the oxidative status in birds that persistently drink
      saltwater, and shows that they undergo several physiological adjustments that
      range that range in scale from biochemical capacities (e.g., TAC and MDA) to
      whole organism traits (e.g., metabolic rates). We propose that the physiological
      changes observed in Z. capensis acclimated to saltwater could be common phenomena
      in birds and likely explain selection of prey containing little salt and habitats
      associated with low salinity.

PMID- 28919866
TI  - T Wave Safety Margin during the Process of ICD Implantation As a Novel Predictor
      of T Wave Oversensing.
AB  - Introduction: T wave oversensing (TWOS) is a major drawback of implantable
      cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and data on predictors of TWOS in ICD is
      limited. We aimed to calculate a novel index of T wave safety margin (TWSM) and
      assess its potential for evaluating TWOS during the procedure of ICD
      implantation. Methods and Results: Thirty-two consecutive patients with ICD
      implantation were enrolled. During each procedure of ICD implantation, different
      ICD generators were connected to implanted sensing lead through active-fixation
      leads and bridging cables. R and T wave amplitudes were measured on ICD printouts
      according to the gain. The ICDs were programed to the most sensitive settings to
      reveal possible TWOS. A novel index TWSM was calculated according to the
      corresponding sensing algorithm of ICD. There was discrepancy of R wave
      amplitudes measured by different ICDs (P < 0.01). In Fortify and Teligen ICDs, T
      wave amplitudes showed no difference (P > 0.05) and TWSMs were sufficiently high
      (post sensing: 13.0 +/- 7.6 and 28.3 +/- 16.5, respectively, post pacing: 5.0 +/-
      2.2 and 4.6 +/- 0.9, respectively). In nine patients with 10 TWOS episodes
      detected during the procedure of ICD implantation, generators with the highest
      TWSM were chosen. Only one TWOS episode during pacing was recorded during the 25
      +/- 7 mo follow-up period. Conclusions: We first propose the index of TWSM during
      ICD implantation as a potentially efficient predictor for TWOS. Evaluation of
      TWSM might help to reduce TWOS episodes in patients with high risk of TWOS.
      Prospective studies are warranted to validate this index and its potential to
      reduce TWOS episodes.

PMID- 28919867
TI  - Sulfated Cholecystokinin-8 Promotes CD36-Mediated Fatty Acid Uptake into Primary
      Mouse Duodenal Enterocytes.
AB  - Cholecystokinin (CCK) is an archetypal incretin hormone secreted by intestinal
      enteroendocrine cells (EEC) in response to ingested nutrients. The aim of this
      study was to determine whether CCK modulates enterocyte fatty acid uptake by
      primary mouse duodenal cells. Exposure of primary mouse duodenal cells to 10 pM
      sulfated CCK-8 caused a two fold increase in dodecanoic acid fatty acid (FA)
      uptake. The selective CCK A receptor antagonist loxiglumide (100 MUM) completely
      abolished the CCK-8 induced FA uptake. The CD36 fatty acid translocase-specific
      inhibitor sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate (1 MUM) also completely inhibited CCK-8
      induced FA uptake, as did treatment with 200 MUM phloretin. Together these data
      show CCK induces FA uptake into duodenal enterocytes; this action involves the
      CCK-RA receptor and is carrier mediated by CD36.

PMID- 28919869
TI  - Factors Influencing Parents' Preferences and Parents' Perceptions of Child
      Preferences of Picturebooks.
AB  - This study examined factors influencing parents' preferences and their
      perceptions of their children's preferences for picturebooks. First, a content
      analysis was conducted on a set of picturebooks (N = 87) drawn from the sample
      described in Wagner (2013); Then, parents (N = 149) rated the books and several
      content properties were examined for their ability to predict parents'
      preferences and their perception of their children's preferences. The initial
      content analysis found correlated clusters of disparate measures of complexity
      (linguistic, cognitive, narrative) and identified a distinctive sub-genre of
      modern books featuring female protagonists. The experimental preference analysis
      found that parents' own preferences were most influenced by the books' age and
      status; parents' perceptions of their children's preferences were influenced by
      gender, with parents perceiving their sons (but not daughters) as dis-preferring
      books with female protagnoists. In addition, influences of the child's reading
      ability and the linguistic complexity of the book on preferences suggested a
      sensitivity to the cultural practice of joint book-reading.

PMID- 28919868
TI  - The Affective Core of the Self: A Neuro-Archetypical Perspective on the
      Foundations of Human (and Animal) Subjectivity.
AB  - Psychologists usually considered the "Self" as an object of experience appearing
      when the individual perceives its existence within the conscious field. In
      accordance with such a view, the self-representing capacity of the human mind has
      been related to corticolimbic learning processes taking place within individual
      development. On the other hand, Carl Gustav Jung considered the Self as the core
      of our personality, in its conscious and unconscious aspects, as well as in its
      actual and potential forms. According to Jung, the Self originates from an inborn
      dynamic structure integrating the essential drives of our "brain-mind," and
      leading both to instinctual behavioral actions and to archetypal psychological
      experiences. Interestingly, recent neuroethological studies indicate that our
      subjective identity rests on ancient neuropsychic processes that humans share
      with other animals as part of their inborn constitutional repertoire. Indeed,
      brain activity within subcortical midline structures (SCMSs) is intrinsically
      related to the emergence of prototypical affective states, that not only
      influence our behavior in a flexible way, but alter our conscious field, giving
      rise to specific feelings or moods, which constitute the first form of self
      orientation in the world. Moreover, such affective dynamics play a central role
      in the organization of individual personality and in the evolution of all other
      (more sophisticated) psychological functions. Therefore, on the base of the
      convergence between contemporary cutting-edge scientific research and some
      psychological intuitions of Jung, we intend here to explore the first
      neuroevolutional layer of human mind, that we call the affective core of the
      Self.

PMID- 28919870
TI  - Stress, Time Pressure, Strategy Selection and Math Anxiety in Mathematics: A
      Review of the Literature.
AB  - We review how stress induction, time pressure manipulations and math anxiety can
      interfere with or modulate selection of problem-solving strategies (henceforth
      "strategy selection") in arithmetical tasks. Nineteen relevant articles were
      identified, which contain references to strategy selection and time limit (or
      time manipulations), with some also discussing emotional aspects in mathematical
      outcomes. Few of these take cognitive processes such as working memory or
      executive functions into consideration. We conclude that due to the sparsity of
      available literature our questions can only be partially answered and currently
      there is not much evidence of clear associations. We identify major gaps in
      knowledge and raise a series of open questions to guide further research.

PMID- 28919872
TI  - Follower-Centered Perspective on Feedback: Effects of Feedback Seeking on
      Identification and Feedback Environment.
AB  - In the formation mechanism of the feedback environment, the existing research
      pays attention to external feedback sources and regards individuals as objects
      passively accepting feedback. Thus, the external source fails to realize the
      individuals' need for feedback, and the feedback environment cannot provide them
      with useful information, leading to a feedback vacuum. The aim of this study is
      to examine the effect of feedback-seeking by different strategies on the
      supervisor-feedback environment through supervisor identification. The article
      consists of an empirical study with a sample of 264 employees in China; here,
      participants complete a series of questionnaires in three waves. After
      controlling for the effects of demography, the results indicate that supervisor
      identification partially mediates the relationship between feedback-seeking
      (including feedback monitoring and feedback inquiry) and the supervisor-feedback
      environment. Implications are also discussed.

PMID- 28919871
TI  - Investigating the Neural Correlates of Emotion-Cognition Interaction Using an
      Affective Stroop Task.
AB  - The human brain has the capacity to integrate various sources of information and
      continuously adapts our behavior according to situational needs in order to allow
      a healthy functioning. Emotion-cognition interactions are a key example for such
      integrative processing. However, the neuronal correlates investigating the
      effects of emotion on cognition remain to be explored and replication studies are
      needed. Previous neuroimaging studies have indicated an involvement of emotion
      and cognition related brain structures including parietal and prefrontal cortices
      and limbic brain regions. Here, we employed whole brain event-related functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during an affective number Stroop task and
      aimed at replicating previous findings using an adaptation of an existing task
      design in 30 healthy young adults. The Stroop task is an indicator of cognitive
      control and enables the quantification of interference in relation to variations
      in cognitive load. By the use of emotional primes (negative/neutral) prior to
      Stroop task performance, an emotional variation is added as well. Behavioral in
      scanner data showed that negative primes delayed and disrupted cognitive
      processing. Trials with high cognitive demand furthermore negatively influenced
      cognitive control mechanisms. Neuronally, the emotional primes consistently
      activated emotion-related brain regions (e.g., amygdala, insula, and prefrontal
      brain regions) while Stroop task performance lead to activations in cognition
      networks of the brain (prefrontal cortices, superior temporal lobe, and insula).
      When assessing the effect of emotion on cognition, increased cognitive demand led
      to decreases in neural activation in response to emotional stimuli (negative >
      neutral) within prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and insular cortex. Overall, these
      results suggest that emotional primes significantly impact cognitive performance
      and increasing cognitive demand leads to reduced neuronal activation in emotion
      related brain regions, and therefore support previous findings investigating
      emotion-cognition interaction in healthy adults. Moreover, emotion and cognition
      seem to be tightly related to each other, as indicated by shared neural networks
      involved in both of these processes. Emotion processing, cognitive control, and
      their interaction are crucial for healthy functioning and a lack thereof is
      related to psychiatric disorders such as, disruptive behavior disorders. Future
      studies may investigate the neural characteristics of children and adolescents
      with disruptive behavior disorders.

PMID- 28919873
TI  - Evaluation of the Gratitude Questionnaire in a Chinese Sample of Adults:
      Factorial Validity, Criterion-Related Validity, and Measurement Invariance Across
      Sex.
AB  - The Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ; McCullough et al., 2002) is one of the most
      widely used instruments to assess dispositional gratitude. The purpose of this
      study was to validate a Chinese version of the GQ by examining internal
      consistency, factor structure, convergent validity, and measurement invariance
      across sex. A total of 1151 Chinese adults were recruited to complete the GQ,
      Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scales, and Satisfaction with Life Scale.
      Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original unidimensional model
      fitted well, which is in accordance with the findings in Western populations.
      Furthermore, the GQ had satisfactory composite reliability and criterion-related
      validity with measures of life satisfaction and affective well-being. Evidence of
      configural, metric and scalar invariance across sex was obtained. Tests of the
      latent mean differences found females had higher latent mean scores than males.
      These findings suggest that the Chinese version of GQ is a reliable and valid
      tool for measuring dispositional gratitude and can generally be utilized across
      sex in the Chinese context.

PMID- 28919874
TI  - The Bodies "at the Forefront": Mentalization, Memory, and Construction of the
      Self during Adolescence.

PMID- 28919875
TI  - Psychological Support for Young Adults with Down Syndrome: Dohsa-Hou Program for
      Maladaptive Behaviors and Internalizing Problems.
AB  - Psychological and psychiatric dysfunction is a major problem in a substantial
      proportion of young adults with Down syndrome. Some patients develop psychiatric
      issues, such as depressive, obsessive-compulsive, or psychotic-like disorders, in
      their late adolescence or young adulthood. Furthermore, these individuals may
      experience moderate to severe emotional and psychological distress. Development
      of a psychosocial treatment to address these issues is needed in addition to
      psychotropic medication. The current study reports two cases of young adults with
      Down syndrome, who presented psychiatric symptoms and marked disruption in their
      daily lives. These individuals participated in a Dohsa-hou treatment program.
      Following treatment, adaptive levels, maladaptive behaviors, and internalizing
      problems were evaluated by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II. Participants
      showed improvement in maladaptive behaviors and internalizing problems; however,
      improvement in these areas may be influenced by baseline severity of the
      problems. This case report suggests that Dohsa-hou could be an effective
      therapeutic approach for maladaptive and internalizing problems in adults with
      Down syndrome.

PMID- 28919876
TI  - Peptide Composition of Stroke Causing Emboli Correlate with Serum Markers of
      Atherosclerosis and Inflammation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The specific protein composition of stroke-causing emboli is
      unknown. Because ischemic stroke has a varied etiology, it is possible that the
      composition of the thrombus from which an embolus originated will have
      distinctive molecular characteristics reflective of the underlying
      pathophysiology. We used mass spectrometry to evaluate the protein composition of
      retrieved emboli from patients with differing stroke etiologies and correlated
      the protein levels to serum predictors of atherosclerosis. METHODS: Emboli from
      20 consecutive acute stroke patients were retrieved by thrombectomy during
      routine stroke care. Thrombus proteins were extracted, digested, and
      multidimensional fractionation of peptides was performed. Fractionated peptides
      underwent nano-liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Spectra were
      searched using Mascot software in which results with p < 0.05 (95% confidence
      interval) were considered significant and indicating identity. The results were
      correlated to A1C, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and erythrocyte sedimentation
      rate (ESR) taken on admission. RESULTS: Eleven patients had atrial fibrillation,
      four had significant proximal vessel atherosclerosis, two were cryptogenic, and
      three had other identified stroke risk factors (left ventricular thrombus,
      dissection, endocarditis). Eighty-one common proteins (e.g., hemoglobin, fibrin,
      actin) were found in all 20 emboli. Serum LDL levels correlated with Septin-2 (rs
      = 0.78, p = 0.028), Phosphoglycerate Kinase 1 (rs = 0.75, p = 0.036), Integrin
      Alpha-M (rs = 0.68, p = 0.033) and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (rs = 0.63,
      p = 0.05). Septin-7 levels inversely correlated to ESR (rs = -0.84, p = 0.01). No
      significant protein correlations to A1C or tPA use were found. CONCLUSION: Our
      exploratory study presents mass spectrometry analysis of thrombi retrieved from
      acute stroke patients and correlates the thrombus proteome to clinical features
      of the patient. Notably, we found proteins associated with inflammation (e.g.,
      Integrin Alpha-M) in emboli from patients with high LDL. Although these findings
      are tempered by a small sample size, we provide preliminary support for the
      feasibility of utilizing proteomic analysis of emboli to discover proteins that
      may be used as markers for stroke etiology.

PMID- 28919877
TI  - Analysis of Correlation between an Accelerometer-Based Algorithm for Detecting
      Parkinsonian Gait and UPDRS Subscales.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our group earlier developed a small monitoring device, which uses
      accelerometer measurements to accurately detect motor fluctuations in patients
      with Parkinson's (On and Off state) based on an algorithm that characterizes gait
      through the frequency content of strides. To further validate the algorithm, we
      studied the correlation of its outputs with the motor section of the Unified
      Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part-III (UPDRS-III). METHOD: Seventy-five
      patients suffering from Parkinson's disease were asked to walk both in the Off
      and the On state while wearing the inertial sensor on the waist. Additionally,
      all patients were administered the motor section of the UPDRS in both motor
      phases. Tests were conducted at the patient's home. Convergence between the
      algorithm and the scale was evaluated by using the Spearman's correlation
      coefficient. RESULTS: Correlation with the UPDRS-III was moderate (rho -0.56; p <
      0.001). Correlation between the algorithm outputs and the gait item in the UPDRS
      III was good (rho -0.73; p < 0.001). The factorial analysis of the UPDRS-III has
      repeatedly shown that several of its items can be clustered under the so-called
      Factor 1: "axial function, balance, and gait." The correlation between the
      algorithm outputs and this factor of the UPDRS-III was -0.67 (p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: The correlation achieved by the algorithm with the UPDRS-III scale
      suggests that this algorithm might be a useful tool for monitoring patients with
      Parkinson's disease and motor fluctuations.

PMID- 28919879
TI  - Automated Online Quantification Method for 18F-FDG Positron Emission
      Tomography/CT Improves Detection of the Epileptogenic Zone in Patients with
      Pharmacoresistant Epilepsy.
AB  - AIMS: To assess the validity of an online method to quantitatively evaluate
      cerebral hypometabolism in patients with pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy as a
      complement to the visual analysis of the 18F-FDG positron emission tomography
      (PET)/CT exam. METHODS: A total of 39 patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy
      and probable focal cortical dysplasia [22 patients with frontal lobe epilepsy
      (FLE) and 17 with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE)] underwent a presurgical
      evaluation including EEG, video-EEG, MRI, and 18F-FDG PET/CT. We conducted the
      automated quantification of their 18F-FDG PET/CT data and compared the results
      with those of the visual-PET analysis conducted by experienced nuclear medicine
      physicians. For each patient group, we calculated Cohen's Kappa coefficient for
      the visual and quantitative analyses, as well as each method's sensitivity,
      specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. RESULTS: For the TLE
      group, both the visual and quantitative analyses showed high agreement. Thus,
      although the quantitative analysis could be used as a complement, the visual
      analysis on its own was consistent and precise. For the FLE group, on the other
      hand, the visual analysis categorized almost half of the cases as normal,
      revealing very low agreement. For those patients, the quantitative analysis
      proved critical to identify the focal hypometabolism characteristic of the
      epileptogenic zone. Our results suggest that the quantitative analysis of 18F-FDG
      PET/CT data is critical for patients with extratemporal epilepsies, and
      especially those with subtle MRI findings. Furthermore, it can easily be used
      during the routine clinical evaluation of 18F-FDG PET/CT exams. SIGNIFICANCE: Our
      results show that quantification of 18F-FDG PET is an informative complementary
      method that can be added to the routine visual evaluation of patients with subtle
      lesions, particularly those in the frontal lobes.

PMID- 28919878
TI  - Postural Control in Bilateral Vestibular Failure: Its Relation to Visual,
      Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Cognitive Input.
AB  - Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF) suffer from postural and gait
      unsteadiness with an increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to
      elucidate the differential role of otolith, semicircular canal (SSC), visual,
      proprioceptive, and cognitive influences on the postural stability of BVF
      patients. Center-of-pressure displacements were recorded by posturography under
      six conditions: target visibility; tonic head positions in the pitch plane;
      horizontal head shaking; sensory deprivation; dual task; and tandem stance.
      Between-group analysis revealed larger postural sway in BVF patients on eye
      closure; but with the eyes open, BVF did not differ from healthy controls (HCs).
      Head tilts and horizontal head shaking increased sway but did not differ between
      groups. In the dual task condition, BVF patients maintained posture
      indistinguishable from controls. On foam and tandem stance, postural sway was
      larger in BVF, even with the eyes open. The best predictor for the severity of
      bilateral vestibulopathy was standing on foam with eyes closed. Postural control
      of our BVF was indistinguishable from HCs once visual and proprioceptive feedback
      is provided. This distinguishes them from patients with vestibulo-cerebellar
      disorders or functional dizziness. It confirms previous reports and explains that
      postural unsteadiness of BVF patients can be missed easily if not examined by
      conditions of visual and/or proprioceptive deprivation. In fact, the best
      predictor for vestibular hypofunction (VOR gain) was examining patients standing
      on foam with the eyes closed. Postural sway in that condition increased with the
      severity of vestibular impairment but not with disease duration. In the absence
      of visual control, impaired otolith input destabilizes BVF with head
      retroflexion. Stimulating deficient SSC does not distinguish patients from
      controls possibly reflecting a shift of intersensory weighing toward
      proprioceptive-guided postural control. Accordingly, proprioceptive deprivation
      heavily destabilizes BVF, even when visual control is provided.

PMID- 28919881
TI  - Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Growth-Supporting Dehalogenation of
      Chlorinated Methanes in Methylobacterium.
AB  - Bacterial adaptation to growth with toxic halogenated chemicals was explored in
      the context of methylotrophic metabolism of Methylobacterium extorquens, by
      comparing strains CM4 and DM4, which show robust growth with chloromethane and
      dichloromethane, respectively. Dehalogenation of chlorinated methanes initiates
      growth-supporting degradation, with intracellular release of protons and chloride
      ions in both cases. The core, variable and strain-specific genomes of strains CM4
      and DM4 were defined by comparison with genomes of non-dechlorinating strains. In
      terms of gene content, adaptation toward dehalogenation appears limited, strains
      CM4 and DM4 sharing between 75 and 85% of their genome with other strains of M.
      extorquens. Transcript abundance in cultures of strain CM4 grown with
      chloromethane and of strain DM4 grown with dichloromethane was compared to growth
      with methanol as a reference C1 growth substrate. Previously identified strain
      specific dehalogenase-encoding genes were the most transcribed with chlorinated
      methanes, alongside other genes encoded by genomic islands (GEIs) and plasmids
      involved in growth with chlorinated compounds as carbon and energy source. None
      of the 163 genes shared by strains CM4 and DM4 but not by other strains of M.
      extorquens showed higher transcript abundance in cells grown with chlorinated
      methanes. Among the several thousand genes of the M. extorquens core genome, 12
      genes were only differentially abundant in either strain CM4 or strain DM4. Of
      these, 2 genes of known function were detected, for the membrane-bound proton
      translocating pyrophosphatase HppA and the housekeeping molecular chaperone
      protein DegP. This indicates that the adaptive response common to chloromethane
      and dichloromethane is limited at the transcriptional level, and involves aspects
      of the general stress response as well as of a dehalogenation-specific response
      to intracellular hydrochloric acid production. Core genes only differentially
      abundant in either strain CM4 or strain DM4 total 13 and 58 CDS, respectively.
      Taken together, the obtained results suggest different transcriptional responses
      of chloromethane- and dichloromethane-degrading M. extorquens strains to
      dehalogenative metabolism, and substrate- and pathway-specific modes of growth
      optimization with chlorinated methanes.

PMID- 28919880
TI  - Non-Mammalian Vertebrates: Distinct Models to Assess the Role of Ion Gradients in
      Energy Expenditure.
AB  - Animals store metabolic energy as electrochemical gradients. At least 50% of
      mammalian energy is expended to maintain electrochemical gradients across the
      inner mitochondrial membrane (H+), the sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca++), and the
      plasma membrane (Na+/K+). The potential energy of these gradients can be used to
      perform work (e.g., transport molecules, stimulate contraction, and release
      hormones) or can be released as heat. Because ectothermic species adapt their
      body temperature to the environment, they are not constrained by energetic
      demands that are required to maintain a constant body temperature. In fact,
      ectothermic species expend seven to eight times less energy than similarly sized
      homeotherms. Accordingly, ectotherms adopt low metabolic rates to survive cold,
      hypoxia, and extreme bouts of fasting that would result in energy wasting, lactic
      acidosis and apoptosis, or starvation in homeotherms, respectively. Ectotherms
      have also evolved unique applications of ion gradients to allow for localized
      endothermy. Endothermic avian species, which lack brown adipose tissue, have been
      integral in assessing the role of H+ and Ca++ cycling in skeletal muscle
      thermogenesis. Accordingly, the diversity of non-mammalian vertebrate species
      allows them to serve as unique models to better understand the role of ion
      gradients in heat production, metabolic flux, and adaptation to stressors,
      including obesity, starvation, cold, and hypoxia.

PMID- 28919882
TI  - Effects of Soil Pre-Treatment with Basamid(r) Granules, Brassica juncea, Raphanus
      sativus, and Tagetes patula on Bacterial and Fungal Communities at Two Apple
      Replant Disease Sites.
AB  - Nurseries producing apple and rose rootstock plants, apple orchards as well as
      rose production often experience replanting problems after several cultivations
      at the same site when a chemical soil disinfectant is not applied. The etiology
      of apple and rose replanting problems is most likely caused by soil-borne
      pathogen complex, defined as "replant disease (RD)". Symptoms typical of RD are
      reduced shoot and root growth, a smaller leaf area, a significant decrease in
      plant biomass, yield and fruit quality and a shorter life span. In our previous
      study, we showed that RD symptoms were reduced when apple rootstock M106 were
      grown in RD soils treated either with the soil fumigant Basamid or after
      biofumigation by incorporating Brassica juncea or Raphanus sativus or by growing
      Tagetes under field conditions compared to untreated control soil. The present
      study aimed at identifying potential bacterial and fungal taxa that were affected
      by different soil treatments and linking bacterial and fungal responders to plant
      performance. Miseq(r) Illumina(r) sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments
      (bacteria) and ITS regions (fungi) amplified from total community DNA extracted
      from soil samples taken 4 weeks after treatments were performed. Soil properties
      and culture history of the two RD sites greatly influenced soil microbiomes.
      Several bacterial genera were identified that significantly increased in treated
      soils such as Arthrobacter (R. sativus, both sites), Curtobacterium (Basamid,
      both sites), Terrimonas (Basamid and R. sativus, site A) and Ferruginibacter (B.
      juncea, site K and R. sativus, site A) that were also significantly and
      positively correlated with growth of apple M106 plants. Only few fungal genera,
      such as Podospora, Monographella and Mucor, were significantly promoted in soils
      treated with B. juncea and R. sativus (both sites). The least pronounced changes
      were recorded for bacterial as well as fungal communities in the RD soils planted
      with Tagetes. The detection of bacterial and fungal genera that were
      significantly increased in relative abundance in response to the treatments and
      that were positively correlated with plant growth suggests that management of the
      soil microbial community could contribute to overcome the apple RD encountered at
      affected sites.

PMID- 28919883
TI  - A PCR-Based Assay Targeting the Major Capsid Protein Gene of a Dinorna-Like ssRNA
      Virus That Infects Coral Photosymbionts.
AB  - The coral-Symbiodinium association is a critical component of coral reefs as it
      is the main primary producer and builds the reef's 3-dimensional structure. A
      breakdown of this endosymbiosis causes a loss of the dinoflagellate
      photosymbiont, Symbiodinium, and/or its photosynthetic pigments from the coral
      tissues (i.e., coral bleaching), and can lead to coral mortality. Coral bleaching
      has mostly been attributed to environmental stressors, and in some cases to
      bacterial infection. Viral lysis of Symbiodinium has been proposed as another
      possible cause of some instances of coral bleaching, but this hypothesis has not
      yet been experimentally confirmed. In this study, we used coral virome data to
      develop a novel PCR-based assay for examining the presence and diversity of a
      single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus by targeting its major capsid protein (MCP)
      gene. Illumina sequence analysis of amplicons obtained with novel primers showed
      99.8% of the reads had the closest taxonomic affinity with the MCP gene of the
      virus, Heterocapsa circularisquama RNA virus (HcRNAV) known to infect
      dinoflagellates, indicating that dinorna-like viruses are commonly associated
      with corals on the Great Barrier Reef. A phylogenetic analysis of MCP gene
      sequences revealed strong coral species specificity of viral operational taxon
      units (OTUs). This assay allows a relatively easy and rapid evaluation of the
      presence and diversity of this particular viral group and will assist in
      enhancing our understanding of the role of viral lysis in coral bleaching.

PMID- 28919887
TI  - Complete Circular Genome Sequence and Temperature Independent Adaptation to
      Anaerobiosis of Listeria weihenstephanensis DSM 24698.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze the adaptation of the environmental Listeria
      weihenstephanensis DSM 24698 to anaerobiosis. The complete circular genome
      sequence of this species is reported and the adaptation of L. weihenstephanensis
      DSM 24698 to oxygen availability was investigated by global transcriptional
      analyses via RNAseq at 18 and 34 degrees C. A list of operons was created based
      on the transcriptional data. Forty-two genes were upregulated anaerobically and
      62 genes were downregulated anaerobically. The oxygen dependent gene expression
      of selected genes was further validated via qPCR. Many of the differentially
      regulated genes encode metabolic enzymes indicating broad metabolic adaptations
      with respect to oxygen availability. Genes showing the strongest oxygen-dependent
      adaption encoded nitrate (narGHJI) and nitrite (nirBD) reductases. Together with
      the observation that nitrate supported anaerobic growth, these data indicate that
      L. weihenstephanensis DSM 24698 performs anaerobic nitrate respiration. The wide
      overlap between the oxygen-dependent transcriptional regulation at 18 and 34
      degrees C suggest that temperature does not play a key role in the oxygen
      dependent transcriptional regulation of L. weihenstephanensis DSM 24698.

PMID- 28919886
TI  - DNA Adenine Methyltransferase (Dam) Overexpression Impairs Photorhabdus
      luminescens Motility and Virulence.
AB  - Dam, the most described bacterial DNA-methyltransferase, is widespread in gamma
      proteobacteria. Dam DNA methylation can play a role in various genes expression
      and is involved in pathogenicity of several bacterial species. The purpose of
      this study was to determine the role played by the dam ortholog identified in the
      entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens. Complementation assays of an
      Escherichia coli dam mutant showed the restoration of the DNA methylation state
      of the parental strain. Overexpression of dam in P. luminescens did not impair
      growth ability in vitro. In contrast, compared to a control strain harboring an
      empty plasmid, a significant decrease in motility was observed in the dam
      overexpressing strain. A transcriptome analysis revealed the differential
      expression of 208 genes between the two strains. In particular, the
      downregulation of flagellar genes was observed in the dam-overexpressing strain.
      In the closely related bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila, dam overexpression also
      impaired motility. In addition, the dam-overexpressing P. luminescens strain
      showed a delayed virulence compared to that of the control strain after injection
      in larvae of the lepidopteran Spodoptera littoralis. These results reveal that
      Dam plays a major role during P. luminescens insect infection.

PMID- 28919888
TI  - The Sporothrix schenckii Gene Encoding for the Ribosomal Protein L6 Has
      Constitutive and Stable Expression and Works as an Endogenous Control in Gene
      Expression Analysis.
AB  - Sporothrix schenckii is one of the causative agents of sporotrichosis, a
      worldwide-distributed mycosis that affects humans and other mammals. The interest
      in basic and clinical features of this organism has significantly increased in
      the last years, yet little progress in molecular aspects has been reported. Gene
      expression analysis is a set of powerful tools that helps to assess the cell
      response to changes in the extracellular environment, the genetic networks
      controlling metabolic pathways, and the adaptation to different growth
      conditions. Most of the quantitative methodologies used nowadays require data
      normalization, and this is achieved measuring the expression of endogenous
      control genes. Reference genes, whose expression is assumed to suffer minimal
      changes regardless the cell morphology, the stage of the cell cycle or the
      presence of harsh extracellular conditions are commonly used as controls in
      Northern blotting assays, microarrays, and semi-quantitative or quantitative RT
      PCR. Since the biology of the organisms is usually species specific, it is
      difficult to find a reliable group of universal genes that can be used as
      controls for data normalization in experiments addressing the gene expression,
      regardless the taxonomic classification of the organism under study. Here, we
      compared the transcriptional stability of the genes encoding for elongation
      factor 1A, Tfc1, a protein involved in transcription initiation on Pol III
      promoters, ribosomal protein L6, histone H2A, beta-actin, beta-tubulin,
      glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, UAF30, the upstream activating factor
      30, and the transcription initiation factor TFIID subunit 10, during the fungal
      growth in different culture media and cell morphologies. Our results indicated
      that only the gene encoding for the ribosomal protein L6 showed a stable and
      constant expression. Furthermore, it displayed not transcriptional changes when
      S. schenckii infected larvae of Galleria mellonella or interacted with immune
      cells. Therefore, this gene could be used as control for data normalization in
      expression assays. As a proof of concept, this gene was used to assess the
      expression of genes encoding for glycosidases involved in the protein N-linked
      glycosylation pathway, a histidine kinase whose expression is regulated during
      the fungal dimorphism, and a glycosidase that participates in sucrose
      assimilation.

PMID- 28919885
TI  - Trypanosoma cruzi Evades the Complement System as an Efficient Strategy to
      Survive in the Mammalian Host: The Specific Roles of Host/Parasite Molecules and
      Trypanosoma cruzi Calreticulin.
AB  - American Trypanosomiasis is an important neglected reemerging tropical
      parasitism, infecting about 8 million people worldwide. Its agent, Trypanosoma
      cruzi, exhibits multiple mechanisms to evade the host immune response and infect
      host cells. An important immune evasion strategy of T. cruzi infective stages is
      its capacity to inhibit the complement system activation on the parasite surface,
      avoiding opsonizing, immune stimulating and lytic effects. Epimastigotes, the non
      infective form of the parasite, present in triatomine arthropod vectors, are
      highly susceptible to complement-mediated lysis while trypomastigotes, the
      infective form, present in host bloodstream, are resistant. Thus T. cruzi
      susceptibility to complement varies depending on the parasite stage (amastigote,
      trypomastigotes or epimastigote) and on the T. cruzi strain. To avoid complement
      mediated lysis, T. cruzi trypomastigotes express on the parasite surface a
      variety of complement regulatory proteins, such as glycoprotein 58/68 (gp58/68),
      T. cruzi complement regulatory protein (TcCRP), trypomastigote decay-accelerating
      factor (T-DAF), C2 receptor inhibitor trispanning (CRIT) and T. cruzi
      calreticulin (TcCRT). Alternatively, or concomitantly, the parasite captures
      components with complement regulatory activity from the host bloodstream, such as
      factor H (FH) and plasma membrane-derived vesicles (PMVs). All these proteins
      inhibit different steps of the classical (CP), alternative (AP) or lectin
      pathways (LP). Thus, TcCRP inhibits the CP C3 convertase assembling, gp58/68
      inhibits the AP C3 convertase, T-DAF interferes with the CP and AP convertases
      assembling, TcCRT inhibits the CP and LP, CRIT confers ability to resist the CP
      and LP, FH is used by trypomastigotes to inhibit the AP convertases and PMVs
      inhibit the CP and LP C3 convertases. Many of these proteins have similar
      molecular inhibitory mechanisms. Our laboratory has contributed to elucidate the
      role of TcCRT in the host-parasite interplay. Thus, we have proposed that TcCRT
      is a pleiotropic molecule, present not only in the parasite endoplasmic
      reticulum, but also on the trypomastigote surface, participating in key processes
      to establish T. cruzi infection, such as inhibition of the complement system and
      serving as an important virulence factor. Additionally, TcCRT interaction with
      key complement components, participates as an anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor
      molecule, inhibiting at least in important part, tumor growth in infected
      animals.

PMID- 28919889
TI  - Dehalococcoides as a Potential Biomarker Evidence for Uncharacterized
      Organohalides in Environmental Samples.
AB  - The massive production and improper disposal of organohalides resulted in
      worldwide contamination in soil and water. However, their environmental survey
      based on chromatographic methods was hindered by challenges in testing the
      extremely wide variety of organohalides. Dehalococcoides as obligate organohalide
      respiring bacteria exclusively use organohalides as electron acceptors to support
      their growth, of which the presence could be coupled with organohalides and,
      therefore, could be employed as a biomarker of the organohalide pollution. In
      this study, Dehalococcoides was screened in various samples of bioreactors and
      subsurface environments, showing the wide distribution of Dehalococcoides in
      sludge and sediment. Further laboratory cultivation confirmed the dechlorination
      activities of those Dehalococcoides. Among those samples, Dehalococcoides
      accounting for 1.8% of the total microbial community was found in an anaerobic
      granular sludge sample collected from a full-scale bioreactor treating petroleum
      wastewater. Experimental evidence suggested that the influent wastewater in the
      bioreactor contained bromomethane which support the growth of Dehalococcoides.
      This study demonstrated that Dehalococcoides could be employed as a promising
      biomarker to test the present of organohalides in wastestreams or other
      environmental samples.

PMID- 28919884
TI  - Secretome of Intestinal Bacilli: A Natural Guard against Pathologies.
AB  - Current studies of human gut microbiome usually do not consider the special
      functional role of transient microbiota, although some of its members remain in
      the host for a long time and produce broad spectrum of biologically active
      substances. Getting into the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) with food, water and
      probiotic preparations, two representatives of Bacilli class, genera Bacillus and
      Lactobacillus, colonize epithelium blurring the boundaries between resident and
      transient microbiota. Despite their minor proportion in the microbiome
      composition, these bacteria can significantly affect both the intestinal
      microbiota and the entire body thanks to a wide range of secreted compounds.
      Recently, insufficiency and limitations of pure genome-based analysis of gut
      microbiota became known. Thus, the need for intense functional studies is
      evident. This review aims to characterize the Bacillus and Lactobacillus in GIT,
      as well as the functional roles of the components released by these members of
      microbial intestinal community. Complex of their secreted compounds is referred
      by us as the "bacillary secretome." The composition of the bacillary secretome,
      its biological effects in GIT and role in counteraction to infectious diseases
      and oncological pathologies in human organism is the subject of the review.

PMID- 28919890
TI  - Pathobiomes Differ between Two Diseases Affecting Reef Building Coralline Algae.
AB  - Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are major benthic calcifiers that play crucial
      roles in coral reef ecosystems. Two diseases affecting CCA have recently been
      investigated: coralline white band syndrome (CWBS) and coralline white patch
      disease (CWPD). These diseases can trigger major losses in CCA cover on tropical
      coral reefs, but their causative agents remain unknown. Here, we provide data
      from the first investigation of the bacterial communities associated with healthy
      and diseased CCA tissues. We show that Neogoniolithon mamillare diseased tissues
      had distinct microbial communities compared to healthy tissues and demonstrate
      that CWBS and CWPD were associated with different pathobiomes, indicating that
      they had different disease causations. CWBS tissues were composed of
      opportunistic bacteria, and the origin of the disease was undetermined. In
      contrast, a vibrio related to Vibrio tubiashii characterized the CWPD pathobiome,
      suggesting that it could be a putative disease agent and supporting the case of a
      temperature dependent disease associated with global warming.

PMID- 28919891
TI  - Moderate-Intensity Exercise Affects Gut Microbiome Composition and Influences
      Cardiac Function in Myocardial Infarction Mice.
AB  - Physical exercise is commonly regarded as protective against cardiovascular
      disease (CVD). Recent studies have reported that exercise alters the gut
      microbiota and that modification of the gut microbiota can influence cardiac
      function. Here, we focused on the relationships among exercise, the gut
      microbiota and cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI). Four-week-old
      C57BL/6J mice were exercised on a treadmill for 4 weeks before undergoing left
      coronary artery ligation. Cardiac function was assessed using echocardiography.
      Gut microbiomes were evaluated post-exercise and post-MI using 16S rRNA gene
      sequencing on an Illumina HiSeq platform. Exercise training inhibited declines in
      cardiac output and stroke volume in post-MI mice. In addition, physical exercise
      and MI led to alterations in gut microbial composition. Exercise training
      increased the relative abundance of Butyricimonas and Akkermansia. Additionally,
      key operational taxonomic units were identified, including 24 lineages (mainly
      from Bacteroidetes, Barnesiella, Helicobacter, Parabacteroides,
      Porphyromonadaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Ureaplasma) that were closely related to
      exercise and cardiac function. These results suggested that exercise training
      improved cardiac function to some extent in addition to altering the gut
      microbiota; therefore, they could provide new insights into the use of exercise
      training for the treatment of CVD.

PMID- 28919892
TI  - Serum-Mediated Oxidative Stress from Systemic Sclerosis Patients Affects
      Mesenchymal Stem Cell Function.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Properties of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) from systemic
      sclerosis (SSc) patients have been reported to be altered. MSC-based therapy may
      therefore rely on the use of allogeneic MSCs from healthy subjects. Here, we
      investigated whether heterologous MSCs could exhibit altered properties following
      exposure to oxidative environment of SSc sera. METHODS: Human bone marrow-derived
      MSCs were cultured in the presence of various sera: control human serum AB (SAB),
      SAB with HOCl-induced AOPPs at 400 or 1,000 umol/L (SAB400 or SAB1000,
      respectively), or H2O2-induced AOPPs or SSc patient serum (PS). Proliferation,
      apoptosis, and senescence rates of MSCs were evaluated after 3, 6, and 10 days in
      culture. Reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production were quantified at
      24 h. Trilineage potential of differentiation was tested after 21 days in
      specific culture conditions and immunosuppressive function measured in a T
      lymphocyte proliferative assay. RESULTS: In the presence of oxidative environment
      of PS, MSCs retained their proliferative potential and survived for at least the
      first 3 days of exposure, while the number of senescent MSCs increased at day 6
      and apoptosis rate at day 10. Exposure to PS enhanced the antioxidant capacity of
      MSCs, notably the expression of SOD2 antioxidant gene. By contrast, the
      osteoblastic/adipogenic potential of MSCs was increased, whereas their
      immunosuppressive function was slightly reduced. DISCUSSION: Although some
      functional properties of MSCs were affected upon culture with PS, evidence from
      preclinical studies and the present one suggested that MSCs can adapt to the
      oxidative environment and exert their therapeutic effect.

PMID- 28919893
TI  - RIPK3/Fas-Associated Death Domain Axis Regulates Pulmonary Immunopathology to
      Cryptococcal Infection Independent of Necroptosis.
AB  - Fas-associated death domain (FADD) and receptor interacting protein kinase 3
      (RIPK3) are multifunctional regulators of cell death and immune response. Using a
      mouse model of cryptococcal infection, the roles of FADD and RIPK3 in anti
      cryptococcal defense were investigated. Deletion of RIPK3 alone led to increased
      inflammatory cytokine production in the Cryptococcus neoformans-infected lungs,
      but in combination with FADD deletion, it led to a robust Th1-biased response
      with M1-biased macrophage activation. Rather than being protective, these
      responses led to paradoxical C. neoformans expansion and rapid clinical
      deterioration in Ripk3-/- and Ripk3-/-Fadd-/- mice. The increased mortality of
      Ripk3-/- and even more accelerated mortality in Ripk3-/-Fadd-/- mice was
      attributed to profound pulmonary damage due to neutrophil-dominant infiltration
      with prominent upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This phenomenon was
      partially associated with selective alterations in the apoptotic frequency of
      some leukocyte subsets, such as eosinophils and neutrophils, in infected Ripk3-/
      Fadd-/- mice. In conclusion, our study shows that RIPK3 in concert with FADD
      serve as physiological "brakes," preventing the development of excessive
      inflammation and Th1 bias, which in turn contributes to pulmonary damage and
      defective fungal clearance. This novel link between the protective effect of FADD
      and RIPK3 in antifungal defense and sustenance of immune homeostasis may be
      important for the development of novel immunomodulatory therapies against
      invasive fungal infections.

PMID- 28919894
TI  - Potentiation of Natural Killer Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy: A Review of
      Literature.
AB  - It is widely acknowledged that the human immune system plays a crucial role in
      preventing the formation and progression of innumerable types of cancer (1). The
      mechanisms by which this occurs are numerous, including contributions from both
      the innate and adaptive immune systems. As such, immunotherapy has long been
      believed to be an auspicious solution in the treatment of malignancy (2). Recent
      research has highlighted the promise of natural killer (NK) cells as a more
      directed immunotherapy approach. This paper will focus on the methods of
      potentiation of NK cells for their use in cancer therapy.

PMID- 28919896
TI  - VHH-Based Bispecific Antibodies Targeting Cytokine Production.
AB  - Proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF, IL-6, and IL-1, play pathogenic roles in
      multiple diseases and are attractive targets for biologic drugs. Because
      proinflammatory cytokines possess non-redundant protective and immunoregulatory
      functions, their systemic neutralization carries the potential for unwanted side
      effects. Therefore, next-generation anti-cytokine therapies would seek to
      selectively neutralize pathogenic cytokine signaling, leaving normal function
      intact. Fortunately, the biology of proinflammatory cytokines provides several
      such opportunities. Here, we discuss various applications of bispecific
      antibodies targeting cytokines with specific focus on selective TNF
      neutralization targeted directly to the surface of specific populations of
      monocytes and macrophages. These bispecific antibodies combine an anti-TNF VHH
      with VHHs or scFvs directed against abundant surface molecules on myeloid cells
      and serve to limit the bioavailability of TNF produced by these cells. Such
      reagents may become prototypes of a novel class of anti-cytokine biologics.

PMID- 28919897
TI  - Altered Immune Activation and IL-23 Signaling in Response to Candida albicans in
      Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome Type 1.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a rare, childhood
      onset disease caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene.
      Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) is one of the three major disease
      components and is, to date, mainly explained by the presence of neutralizing auto
      antibodies against cytokines [interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22] from T
      helper 17 cells, which are critical for the protection against fungal infections.
      However, patients without current auto-antibodies also present CMC and we,
      therefore, hypothesized that other immune mechanisms contribute to CMC in APS-1.
      METHODS: Whole blood was stimulated with Candida albicans (C. albicans) in a
      standardized assay, and immune activation was investigated by analyzing 46
      secreted immune mediators. Then, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were
      stimulated with curdlan, a Dectin-1 agonist and IL-23 inducer, and the IL-23p19
      response in monocytes was analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: We found an
      altered immune response in APS-1 patients compared with healthy controls.
      Patients fail to increase the essential ILs, such as IL-2, IL-17A, IL-22, and IL
      23, when stimulating whole blood with C. albicans. A significantly altered IL
      23p19 response was detected in patients' monocytes upon stimulation with curdlan.
      CONCLUSION: APS-1 patients have an altered immune response to C. albicans
      including a dysregulation of IL-23p19 production in monocytes. This probably
      contributes to the selective susceptibility to CMC found in the majority of
      patients.

PMID- 28919895
TI  - Mind the Gaps in Tumor Immunity: Impact of Connexin-Mediated Intercellular
      Connections.
AB  - Gap junctions (GJs)-mediated intercellular communications (GJICs) are connexin
      (Cx)-formed plasma membrane channels that allow for the passage of small
      molecules between adjacent cells, and are involved in several physiopathological
      processes, including immune responses against cancer. In general, tumor cells are
      poorly coupled through GJs, mainly due to low Cx expression or reduced channel
      activity, suggesting that Cxs may have tumor suppressor roles. However, more
      recent data indicate that Cxs and/or GJICs may also in some cases promote tumor
      progression. This dual role of Cx channels in tumor outcome may be due, at least
      partially, to the fact that GJs not only interconnect cells from the same type,
      such as cancer cells, but also promote the intercellular communication of tumor
      cells with different types of cells from their microenvironment, and such diverse
      intercellular interactions have distinctive impact on tumor development. For
      example, whereas GJ-mediated interactions among tumor cells and microglia have
      been implicated in promotion of tumor growth, tumor cells delivery to dendritic
      cells of antigenic peptides through GJs have been associated with enhanced immune
      mediated tumor elimination. In this review, we provide an updated overview on the
      role of GJICs in tumor immunity, focusing on the pro-tumor and antitumor effect
      of GJs occurring among tumor and immune cells. Accumulated data suggest that
      GJICs may act as tumor suppressors or enhancers depending on whether tumor cells
      interact predominantly with antitumor immune cells or with stromal cells. The
      complex modulation of immune-tumor cell GJICs should be taken into consideration
      in order to potentiate current cancer immunotherapies.

PMID- 28919898
TI  - Chitosan Increases Tomato Root Colonization by Pochonia chlamydosporia and Their
      Combination Reduces Root-Knot Nematode Damage.
AB  - The use of biological control agents could be a non-chemical alternative for
      management of Meloidogyne spp. [root-knot nematodes (RKN)], the most damaging
      plant-parasitic nematodes for horticultural crops worldwide. Pochonia
      chlamydosporia is a fungal parasite of RKN eggs that can colonize endophytically
      roots of several cultivated plant species, but in field applications the fungus
      shows a low persistence and efficiency in RKN management. The combined use of P.
      chlamydosporia with an enhancer could help its ability to develop in soil and
      colonize roots, thereby increasing its efficiency against nematodes. Previous
      work has shown that chitosan enhances P. chlamydosporia sporulation and
      production of extracellular enzymes, as well as nematode egg parasitism in
      laboratory bioassays. This work shows that chitosan at low concentrations (up to
      0.1 mg ml-1) do not affect the viability and germination of P. chlamydosporia
      chlamydospores and improves mycelial growth respect to treatments without
      chitosan. Tomato plants irrigated with chitosan (same dose limit) increased root
      weight and length after 30 days. Chitosan irrigation increased dry shoot and
      fresh root weight of tomato plants inoculated with Meloidogyne javanica, root
      length when they were inoculated with P. chlamydosporia, and dry shoot weight of
      plants inoculated with both P. chlamydosporia and M. javanica. Chitosan
      irrigation significantly enhanced root colonization by P. chlamydosporia, but
      neither nematode infection per plant nor fungal egg parasitism was affected.
      Tomato plants cultivated in a mid-suppressive (29.3 +/- 4.7% RKN egg infection)
      non-sterilized clay loam soil and irrigated with chitosan had enhanced shoot
      growth, reduced RKN multiplication, and disease severity. Chitosan irrigation in
      a highly suppressive (73.7 +/- 2.6% RKN egg infection) sterilized-sandy loam soil
      reduced RKN multiplication in tomato. However, chitosan did not affect disease
      severity or plant growth irrespective of soil sterilization. Chitosan, at an
      adequate dose, can be a potential tool for sustainable management of RKN.

PMID- 28919900
TI  - Preliminary Studies to Characterize the Temporal Variation of Micronutrient
      Composition of the Above Ground Organs of Maize and Correlated Uptake Rates.
AB  - The improvement of agronomic practices and the use of high technology in field
      crops contributes for significant increases in maize productivity, and may have
      altered the dynamics of nutrient uptake and partition by the plant. Official
      recommendations for fertilizer applications to the maize crop in Brazil and in
      many countries are based on critical soil nutrient contents and are relatively
      outdated. Since the factors that interact in an agricultural production system
      are dynamic, mathematical modeling of the growth process turns out to be an
      appropriate tool for these studies. Agricultural modeling can expand our
      knowledge about the interactions prevailing in the soil-plant-atmosphere system.
      The objective of this study is to propose a methodology for characterizing the
      micronutrient composition of different organs and their extraction, and export
      during maize crop development, based on modeling nutrient uptake, crop potential
      evapotranspiration and micronutrient partitioning in the plant, considering the
      production environment. This preliminary characterization study (experimental
      growth analysis) considers the temporal variation of the micronutrient uptake
      rate in the aboveground organs, which defines crop needs and the critical
      nutrient content of the soil solution. The methodology allowed verifying that,
      initially, the highest fraction of dry matter, among aboveground organs, was
      assigned to the leaves. After the R1 growth stage, the largest part of dry matter
      was partitioned to the stalk, which in this growth stage is the main storage
      organ of the maize plant. During the reproductive phase, the highest fraction of
      dry matter was conferred to the reproductive organs, due to the high demand for
      carbohydrates for grain filling. The micronutrient (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn)
      content follows a power model, with higher values for the initial growth stages
      of development and leveling off to minimum values at the R6 growth stage. The
      proposed model allows to verify that fertilizer recommendations should be related
      to the temporal variability of micronutrient absorption rates, in contrast to the
      classic recommendation based on the critical soil micronutrient content. The
      maximum micronutrient absorption rates occur between the reproductive R4 and R5
      growth stages. These evaluations allowed to predict the maximum micronutrient
      requirements, considered equal to respective stalk sap concentrations.

PMID- 28919899
TI  - Emerging Roles and Landscape of Translating mRNAs in Plants.
AB  - Plants use a wide range of mechanisms to adapt to different environmental
      stresses. One of the earliest responses displayed under stress is rapid
      alterations in stress responsive gene expression that has been extensively
      analyzed through expression profiling such as microarrays and RNA-sequencing.
      Recently, expression profiling has been complemented with proteome analyses to
      establish a link between transcriptional and the corresponding translational
      changes. However, proteome profiling approaches have their own technical
      limitations. More recently, ribosome-associated mRNA profiling has emerged as an
      alternative and a robust way of identifying translating mRNAs, which are a set of
      mRNAs associated with ribosomes and more likely to contribute to proteome
      abundance. In this article, we briefly review recent studies that examined the
      processes affecting the abundance of translating mRNAs, their regulation during
      plant development and tolerance to stress conditions and plant factors affecting
      the selection of translating mRNA pools. This review also highlights recent
      findings revealing differential roles of alternatively spliced mRNAs and their
      translational control during stress adaptation. Overall, better understanding of
      processes involved in the regulation of translating mRNAs has obvious
      implications for improvement of stress tolerance in plants.

PMID- 28919901
TI  - Introgression of Shoot Fly (Atherigona soccata L. Moench) Resistance QTLs into
      Elite Post-rainy Season Sorghum Varieties Using Marker Assisted Backcrossing
      (MABC).
AB  - Shoot fly (Atherigona soccata L. Moench) is a serious pest in sorghum production.
      Management of shoot fly using insecticides is expensive and environmentally un
      safe. Developing host-plant resistance is the best method to manage shoot fly
      infestation. Number of component traits contribute for imparting shoot fly
      resistance in sorghum and molecular markers have been reported which were closely
      linked to QTLs controlling these component traits. In this study, three QTLs
      associated with shoot fly resistance were introgressed into elite cultivars
      Parbhani Moti (= SPV1411) and ICSB29004 using marker assisted backcrossing
      (MABC). Crosses were made between recurrent parents and the QTL donors viz.,
      J2658, J2614, and J2714. The F1s after confirmation for QTL presence were
      backcrossed to recurrent parents and the resultant lines after two backcrosses
      were selfed thrice for advancement. The foreground selection was carried out in
      F1 and BCnF1 generations with 22 polymorphic markers. Forty-three evenly
      distributed simple sequence repeat markers in the sorghum genome were used in
      background selection to identify plants with higher recurrent parent genome
      recovery. By using two backcrosses and four rounds of selfing, six BC2F4
      progenies were selected for ICSB29004 * J2658, five BC2F4 progenies were selected
      for ICSB29004 * J2714 and six BC2F4 progenies were selected for Parbhani Moti *
      J2614 crosses. Phenotyping of these lines led to the identification of two
      resistant lines for each QTL region present on chromosome SBI-01, SBI-07 and SBI
      10 in ICSB 29004 and Parbhani Moti. All the introgression lines (ILs) showed
      better shoot fly resistance than the recurrent parents and their agronomic
      performance was the same or better than the recurrent parents. Further, the ILs
      had medium plant height, desirable maturity with high yield potential which makes
      them better candidates for commercialization. In the present study, MABC has
      successfully improved the shoot fly resistance in sorghum without a yield
      penalty. This is the first report on the use of MABC for improving shoot fly
      resistance in post-rainy season sorghum.

PMID- 28919903
TI  - The Role of Soil Solarization in India: How an Unnoticed Practice Could Support
      Pest Control.
AB  - Plant protection represents one of the strategies to fill the yield gap and to
      achieve food security, a key topic for India development. Analysis of climate
      risks for crops indicates that South Asia is one of the regions most exposed to
      the adverse impact on many plants that are relevant to inhabitants exposed to
      food safety risks. Furthermore, accumulation of pesticide residues in the aquatic
      and other ecosystems is becoming a significant threat in India. These
      perspectives require to develop programs of crop protection that can be feasible
      according to Indian rural development and pollution policy. Here we review the
      research works done on soil solarization in India. Soil solarization (also called
      plasticulture) is an eco-friendly soil disinfestations method for managing soil
      borne plant pathogens. This is the process of trapping solar energy by moist soil
      covered with transparent polyethylene films and chemistry, biology and physical
      properties of soil are involved in pest control. So far, this technique is
      applied in more than 50 countries, mostly in hot and humid regions. India has 29
      states and these states fall under five climatic zones, from humid to arid ones.
      We report pest management application in different climatic zones and their
      effects on production, weeds, nematodes, and pathogenic microorganisms. The
      analysis of soil temperatures and crop protection results indicate as
      environmental requirement for soil solarization fits in most of Indian rural
      areas. Soil solarization is compatible with future Indian scenarios and may
      support Indian national food security programs.

PMID- 28919902
TI  - Expression Differences of Pigment Structural Genes and Transcription Factors
      Explain Flesh Coloration in Three Contrasting Kiwifruit Cultivars.
AB  - Fruits of kiwifruit cultivars (Actinidia chinensis and A. deliciosa) generally
      have green or yellow flesh when ripe. A small number of genotypes have red flesh
      but this coloration is usually restricted to the inner pericarp. Three kiwifruit
      cultivars having red ('Hongyang'), or yellow ('Jinnong-2'), or green ('Hayward')
      flesh were investigated for their color characteristics and pigment contents
      during development and ripening. The results show the yellow of the 'Jinnong-2'
      fruit is due to the combined effects of chlorophyll degradation and of beta
      carotene accumulation. The red inner pericarps of 'Hongyang' fruit are due to
      anthocyanin accumulation. Expression differences of the pathway genes in the
      inner pericarps of the three different kiwifruits suggest that stay-green (SGR)
      controls the degradation of chlorophylls, while lycopene beta-cyclase (LCY-beta)
      controls the biosynthesis of beta-carotene. The abundance of anthocyanin in the
      inner pericarps of the 'Hongyang' fruit is the results of high expressions of UDP
      flavonoid glycosyltransferases (UFGT). At the same time, expressions of
      anthocyanin transcription factors show that AcMYBF110 expression parallels
      changes in anthocyanin concentration, so seems to be a key R2R3 MYB, regulating
      anthocyanin biosynthesis. Further, transient color assays reveal that AcMYBF110
      can autonomously induce anthocyanin accumulation in Nicotiana tabacum leaves by
      activating the transcription of dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (NtDFR),
      anthocyanidin synthase (NtANS) and NtUFGT. For basic helix-loop-helix proteins
      (bHLHs) and WD-repeat proteins (WD40s), expression differences show these may
      depend on AcMYBF110 forming a MYB-bHLH-WD40 complex to regulate anthocyanin
      biosynthesis, instead of it having a direct involvement.

PMID- 28919904
TI  - Plasticity of Sorghum Stem Biomass Accumulation in Response to Water Deficit: A
      Multiscale Analysis from Internode Tissue to Plant Level.
AB  - Sorghum is increasingly used as a biomass crop worldwide. Its genetic diversity
      provides a large range of stem biochemical composition suitable for various end
      uses as bioenergy or forage. Its drought tolerance enables it to reasonably
      sustain biomass production under water limited conditions. However, drought
      effect on the accumulation of sorghum stem biomass remains poorly understood
      which limits progress in crop improvement and management. This study aimed at
      identifying the morphological, biochemical and histological traits underlying
      biomass accumulation in the sorghum stem and its plasticity in response to water
      deficit. Two hybrids (G1, G4) different in stem biochemical composition (G4, more
      lignified, less sweet) were evaluated during 2 years in the field in Southern
      France, under two water treatments differentiated during stem elongation
      (irrigated; 1 month dry-down until an average soil water deficit of -8.85 bars).
      Plant phenology was observed weekly. At the end of the water treatment and at
      final harvest, plant height, stem and leaf dry-weight and the size, biochemical
      composition and tissue histology of internodes at 2-4 positions along the stem
      were measured. Stem biomass accumulation was significantly reduced by drought (in
      average 42% at the end of the dry-down). This was due to the reduction of the
      length, but not diameter, of the internodes expanded during water deficit. These
      internodes had more soluble sugar but lower lignin and cellulose contents. This
      was associated with a decrease of the areal proportion of lignified cell wall in
      internode outer zone whereas the areal proportion of this zone was not affected.
      All internodes for a given genotype and environment followed a common
      histochemical dynamics. Hemicellulose content and the areal proportion of inner
      vs. outer internode tissues were set up early during internode growth and were
      not drought responsive. G4 exhibited a higher drought sensitivity than G1 for
      plant height only. At final harvest, the stem dry weight was only 18% lower in
      water deficit (re-watered) compared to well-watered treatment and internodes
      growing during re-watering were similar to those on the well-watered plants.
      These results are being valorized to refine the phenotyping of sorghum diversity
      panels and breeding populations.

PMID- 28919905
TI  - Candidate Reference Genes Selection and Application for RT-qPCR Analysis in Kenaf
      with Cytoplasmic Male Sterility Background.
AB  - Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternally inherited trait that results in
      the production of dysfunctional pollen. Based on reliable reference gene
      normalized real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) data, examining gene expression
      profile can provide valuable information on the molecular mechanism of kenaf CMS.
      However, studies have not been conducted regarding selection of reference genes
      for normalizing RT-qPCR data in the CMS and maintainer lines of kenaf crop.
      Therefore, we studied 10 candidate reference genes (ACT3, ELF1A, G6PD, PEPKR1,
      TUB, TUA, CYP, GAPDH, H3, and 18S) to assess their expression stability at three
      stages of pollen development in CMS line 722A and maintainer line 722B of kenaf.
      Five computational statistical approaches (GeNorm, NormFinder, DeltaCt,
      BestKeeper, and RefFinder) were used to evaluate the expression stability levels
      of these genes. According to RefFinder and GeNorm, the combination of TUB, CYP,
      and PEPKR1 was identified as an internal control for the accurate normalization
      across all sample set, which was further confirmed by validating the expression
      of HcPDIL5-2a. Furthermore, the combination of TUB, CYP, and PEPKR1 was used to
      differentiate the expression pattern of five mitochondria F1F0-ATPase subunit
      genes (atp1, atp4, atp6, atp8, and atp9) by RT-qPCR during pollen development in
      CMS line 722A and maintainer line 722B. We found that atp1, atp6, and atp9
      exhibited significantly different expression patterns during pollen development
      in line 722A compared with line 722B. This is the first systematic study of
      reference genes selection for CMS and will provide useful information for future
      research on the gene expressions and molecular mechanisms underlying CMS in
      kenaf.

PMID- 28919906
TI  - Screening for Natural Inhibitors of Topoisomerases I from Rhamnus davurica by
      Affinity Ultrafiltration and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass
      Spectrometry.
AB  - Topoisomerase I (Topo I) catalyzes topological interconversion of duplex DNA
      during DNA replication and transcription, and has been deemed as important
      antineoplastic targets. In this study, the fraction R.d-60 from ethyl acetate
      extracts of Rhamnus davurica showed higher inhibitory rates against SGC-7901 and
      HT-29 compared with the R.d-30 fraction in vitro. However, the specific active
      components of R.d-60 fraction remain elusive. To this end, a method based on bio
      affinity ultrafiltration and high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray
      mass spectrometry (HPLC- ESI-MS/MS) was developed to rapidly screen and identify
      the Topo I inhibitors in this fraction. The enrichment factors (EFs) were
      calculated to evaluate the binding affinities between the bioactive constituents
      and Topo I. As a result, eight ligands were identified and six of which with
      higher EFs showed more potential antitumor activity. Furthermore,
      antiproliferative assays in vitro (IC50 values) with two representative
      candidates (apigenin, quercetin) against SGC-7901, HT-29 and Hep G2 cells were
      conducted and further validated. Finally, the structure-activity relationships
      revealed that flavones contain a C2-C3 double bond of C ring exhibited higher bio
      affinities to Topo I than those without it. This integrated method combining Topo
      I ultrafiltration with HPLC-MS/MS proved to be very efficient in rapid screening
      and identification of potential Topo I inhibitors from the complex extracts of
      medicinal plants, and could be further explored as a valuable high-throughput
      screening platform in the early drug discovery stage.

PMID- 28919907
TI  - Heterotrimeric G Protein-Regulated Ca2+ Influx and PIN2 Asymmetric Distribution
      Are Involved in Arabidopsis thaliana Roots' Avoidance Response to Extracellular
      ATP.
AB  - Extracellular ATP (eATP) has been reported to be involved in plant growth as a
      primary messenger in the apoplast. Here, roots of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings
      growing in jointed medium bent upon contact with ATP-containing medium to keep
      away from eATP, showing a marked avoidance response. Roots responded similarly to
      ADP and bz-ATP but did not respond to AMP and GTP. The eATP avoidance response
      was reduced in loss-of-function mutants of heterotrimeric G protein alpha subunit
      (Galpha) (gpa1-1 and gpa1-2) and enhanced in Galpha-over-expression (OE) lines
      (wGalpha and cGalpha). Ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo) tetraacetic acid (EGTA)
      and Gd3+ remarkably suppressed eATP-induced root bending. ATP-stimulated Ca2+
      influx was impaired in Galpha null mutants and increased in its OE lines. DR5-GFP
      and PIN2 were asymmetrically distributed in ATP-stimulated root tips, this effect
      was strongly suppressed by EGTA and diminished in Galpha null mutants. In
      addition, some eATP-induced genes' expression was also impaired in Galpha null
      mutants. Based on these results, we propose that heterotrimeric Galpha-regulated
      Ca2+ influx and PIN2 distribution may be key signaling events in eATP sensing and
      avoidance response in Arabidopsis thaliana roots.

PMID- 28919908
TI  - Hepatic S6K1 Partially Regulates Lifespan of Mice with Mitochondrial Complex I
      Deficiency.
AB  - The inactivation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) recapitulates aspects of
      caloric restriction and mTORC1 inhibition to achieve prolonged longevity in
      invertebrate and mouse models. In addition to delaying normative aging,
      inhibition of mTORC1 extends the shortened lifespan of yeast, fly, and mouse
      models with severe mitochondrial disease. Here we tested whether disruption of
      S6K1 can recapitulate the beneficial effects of mTORC1 inhibition in the Ndufs4
      knockout (NKO) mouse model of Leigh Syndrome caused by Complex I deficiency.
      These NKO mice develop profound neurodegeneration resulting in brain lesions and
      death around 50-60 days of age. Our results show that liver-specific, as well as
      whole body, S6K1 deletion modestly prolongs survival and delays onset of
      neurological symptoms in NKO mice. In contrast, we observed no survival benefit
      in NKO mice specifically disrupted for S6K1 in neurons or adipocytes. Body weight
      was reduced in WT mice upon disruption of S6K1 in adipocytes or whole body, but
      not altered when S6K1 was disrupted only in neurons or liver. Taken together,
      these data indicate that decreased S6K1 activity in liver is sufficient to delay
      the neurological and survival defects caused by deficiency of Complex I and
      suggest that mTOR signaling can modulate mitochondrial disease and metabolism via
      cell non-autonomous mechanisms.

PMID- 28919909
TI  - Photorefractive keratectomy in the management of postradial keratotomy hyperopia
      and astigmatism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of photorefractive
      keratectomy (PRK) in the management of postoperative hyperopia and astigmatism in
      patients with history of radial keratotomy (RK). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      prospective nonrandomized noncomparative interventional case series enrolled
      consecutive eyes treated with PRK after RK. In cases, in which (1) wavefront (WF)
      scan was undetectable during primary examinations; and/or, (2) WF data were not
      transferable to the excimer laser device, patients were treated with the tissue
      saving (TS) mode. Patients with detectable/transferable WF were assigned to WF
      guided advanced personalized treatment (APT). RESULTS: Thirty-two and 47 eyes
      were managed by APT and TS modes, respectively. Pooled analysis of both APT and
      TS groups showed improvement in uncorrected distant visual acuity and corrected
      distant visual acuity. The amount of sphere, cylinder, corneal cylinder,
      spherical equivalent, defocus equivalent, and total aberration showed improvement
      as well. CONCLUSION: PRK seems to bring favorable outcome and safety profile in
      the management of post-RK hyperopia and astigmatism. It is crucial for
      practitioners to warn their patients about the fact that they may still have
      progressive refractive instability regardless of their choice on the laser method
      of vision correction.

PMID- 28919910
TI  - Chloroma of the testis in a patient with a history of acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Chloroma, or granulocytic sarcoma, is a rare extramedullary solid hematologic
      cancer, found concomitant with acute myeloid leukemia. It is infrequently
      associated with other myeloproliferative disorders or chronic myelogenous
      leukemia. Chloroma of the testis after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is
      particularly sparsely represented in the literature. It is suggested that an
      appropriate panel of marker studies be performed along with clinical correlation
      and circumspection to avoid misleading conclusions. We report an interesting case
      of a 32-year-old male with a clinical history of acute myelogenous leukemia,
      postallogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation that was found to have
      chloroma of the right testis.

PMID- 28919911
TI  - Comprehensibility of selected USP pictograms by illiterate and literate Farsi
      speakers: The first experience in Iran - Part I.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Good understanding of medication instructions is paramount to a good
      pharmaceutical care. The aim of our study was to examine the understandability of
      the selected three most applicable pictograms by participants and their recall
      after educational mini sessions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, nine experienced
      pharmacists selected the three most potentially applicable pictograms. Pictograms
      A to C were determined, respectively, "A-take medication with food," "B
      medication may cause drowsiness," and "C-take medication before sleep." In the
      second phase, we measured the comprehensibility of pictograms by three groups of
      participants (sample of 358): highly educated participants of two major
      universities of Isfahan (Groups 1 and 2), low-literate and illiterate individuals
      (Groups 3 and 4), and the rest were participants interviewed in three teaching
      pharmacies affiliated to the Isfahan School of Pharmacy (Group 5). The American
      National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Organization for
      Standardization (ISO) were used to compare the comprehensibility of pictograms.
      Furthermore, five qualitative questions were asked about the impact of pictograms
      on several parameters. RESULTS: In the pre-follow-up period, only Group 1 (75%)
      understood pictogram A while pictogram B did not pass the ANSI and ISO thresholds
      for acceptability in none of the groups. In the pre-follow-up period, Groups 1
      and 2 surpassed the ANSI threshold and Group 5 passed the ISO limit for C. In the
      post-follow-up period, C passed the ISO limit in Group 3. Regarding the
      qualitative questions, 84.1% believed that pictograms had positive impact on the
      correct use of medications and timing of administration. CONCLUSION: The groups
      with high level of literacy interpreted the pictograms better than those with
      lower levels of literacy.

PMID- 28919913
TI  - The interaction effect of body mass index and age on fat-free mass, waist-to-hip
      ratio, and soft lean mass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research has shown that body mass index (BMI) does not take into
      consideration the gender and ethnicity. The primary purpose of this study was to
      examine the interaction effect of the BMI and age on fat-free mass (FFM), waist
      to-hip ratio (WHR), and soft lean mass (SLM). The secondary purpose was to
      evaluate the practical significance of the findings by examining effect sizes.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was comparative in nature and employed a
      factorial design. Due to nonexperimental nature of the investigation, no causal
      inferences were drawn. The nonprobability sample consisted of 19,356 adults.
      Analysis of the data included factorial analysis of variance, analysis of simple
      effects, calculation of mean difference effect sizes, and data transformation.
      The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22 was employed for the
      purpose of data manipulation and analysis. RESULTS: The BMI by age interaction
      effects on FFM, F (10, 19,338) = 28.26, P < 0.01, on WHR, F (10, 19,338) = 18.46,
      P < 0.01, and on SLM, F (10, 19,338) = 14.65, P < 0.01, was statistically
      significant and ordinal in nature. Analysis of the effect sizes, ranging from
      0.30 to 1.20, showed that the BMI and age influenced the WHR but their
      interaction effects on FFM and SLM, ranging from 0.04 to 0.36 and 0.03 to 0.33,
      respectively, were mainly negligible. CONCLUSION: Based on the examination of the
      statistical and practical significance of the results, it is concluded that the
      BMI and age together can influence the WHR but their interaction effect on the
      FFM and SLM is questionable.

PMID- 28919914
TI  - Agreement of clinical examination and ultrasound methods for detection of joints
      involvements in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by
      synovial tissue inflammation and destruction of articular components which if not
      controlled properly, can cause disability in patients. For this reason,
      evaluation of disease activity and its control is very important. In recent years
      using sonography is promising for the evaluation of disease activity. This study
      aimed to compare "clinical examination" and "ultrasonography" methods in the
      detection of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2015 in Al-Zahra
      Hospital of Isfahan. Based on the American College of Rheumatology 2010 criteria,
      ninety patients with rheumatoid arthritis who diagnosed by rheumatologist entered
      into the study. All patients, collaborator by radiologists were subjected to
      sonography of specific joints structures using two methods, i.e., high-resolution
      ultrasonography and power Doppler. RESULTS: A total of 2520 joints from ninety
      patients were examined by physical examination and ultrasonography that 244
      joints (9.7%) in physical examination and 348 joints (13.4%) in ultrasonography
      were involved and the difference between the two groups was statistically
      significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Probably, ultrasonography can diagnose joint
      involvement better than physical examination in patients with Rheumatoid
      arthritis.

PMID- 28919915
TI  - Nutritional psychiatry: An evolving concept.

PMID- 28919912
TI  - The Isfahan Comprehensive Elderly Study: Objectives, research design,
      methodology, and preliminary results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper presents the objectives, research design, methodology, and
      primary findings of the Isfahan Comprehensive Elderly Study (ICES). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 603 elderly persons (aged 60 and over)
      were selected by multistage cluster sampling method from Isfahan, Iran, in 2016
      comprehensive questionnaires along with a detailed interview were used to collect
      information on personal, family, socioeconomic, health and social services
      characteristics, life styles, physical illnesses and chronic diseases, mental,
      emotional and cognition disorders, quality of life, disabilities, sleep quality,
      social supports, life satisfaction, self-efficacy, and of participants. RESULTS:
      The mean +/- standard deviation (SD) age of participants was 69.66 +/- 6.31
      years, consisting of 50.75% females. About 23% of elderly persons were at the
      risk of malnutrition and 4.5% were current smoker. Severe and mild depression
      were documented in 9.3% and 30.2% among included study subjects, respectively.
      About half of the participants had hypertension, and 26.8% suffered from
      cardiovascular disease. The mean +/- SD of total score of Geriatric Depression
      Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Older People's Quality of Life, Physical Activity
      Scale for the Elderly and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index was 8.84 +/- 6.79, 14.76
      +/- 5.92, 133.99 +/- 10.55, 142.04 +/- 120.53, and 6.17 +/- 3.44, respectively.
      Elderly males had significantly higher life satisfaction and self-efficacy and
      better cognitive function than females (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The findings of
      current study provided a comprehensive overview of the current health status and
      lifestyle of older adults in Isfahan city. The ICES could help policy makers to
      design appropriate prevention and interventional programs and policies to cover
      the specific needs of the elderly population.

PMID- 28919916
TI  - Outbreak of Zika virus disease.

PMID- 28919917
TI  - Anxiety but not depression is associated with metabolic syndrome: The Isfahan
      Healthy Heart Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Only a few studies have carried out to evaluate the association of
      depression and anxiety with metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of this study was
      to investigate whether the depression and anxiety are associated with MetS and
      its different components. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study forms
      part of the prospective Isfahan Cohort Study. A total of 470 participants were
      chosen. Anxiety and depression symptoms were measured using hospital anxiety and
      depression scale (HADS). The MetS was diagnosed according to the American Heart
      Association and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. One-way analysis of
      variance and binary logistic regression were used. RESULTS: The mean age of
      participants was 55.7 +/- 9.3. The prevalence of MetS in female participants with
      symptoms of depression (P < 0.0001), concurrent anxiety and depression (P =
      0.004), anxiety (P < 0.0001), and asymptomatic individuals (P = 0.001) was
      significantly different when compared to male participants. Moreover, the
      analysis showed that having anxiety symptoms is in a negative relationship with
      MetS (odds ratio [OR] = 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12-0.78). In
      addition, with each 10-year increase in age, the probability of MetS will
      decrease 40% (OR = 0.59; 95%Cl = 0.53-0.72). Body mass index (OR = 1.29; 95%CI =
      1.21-1.37), and gender (higher age for women) (OR = 0.34; 95%CI = 0.11-0.98) had
      positive relationship with MetS. CONCLUSION: The study findings revealed that the
      prevalence of MetS in patients with anxiety was lower than the healthy subjects,
      while no significant association was found between depression, concurrent
      depression, an anxiety with MetS.

PMID- 28919918
TI  - Retraction: Gastrointestinal dysfunction in idiopathic Parkinsonism: A narrative
      review.
AB  - [This retracts the article on p. 126 in vol. 21, PMID: 28331512.].

PMID- 28919919
TI  - Fun Is More Fun When Others Are Involved.
AB  - Fun activities are commonly sought and highly desired yet their affective side
      has received little scrutiny. The present research investigated two features of
      fun in two daily diary studies and one laboratory experiment. First, we examined
      the affective state associated with fun experiences. Second, we investigated the
      social context of fun, considering whether shared fun is more enjoyable than
      solitary fun. Findings from these studies indicated that fun is associated with
      both high-activation and low-activation positive affects, and that it is enhanced
      when experienced with others (especially friends). However, social fun was
      associated with increases in high-activation but not low-activation positive
      affect, suggesting that social interaction emphasizes energizing affective
      experiences. We also found that loneliness moderated the latter effects, such
      that lonely individuals received a weaker boost from shared compared to solitary
      fun. These results add to what is known about the impact of social contexts on
      affective experience.

PMID- 28919920
TI  - Virulence determinants of West Nile virus: how can these be used for vaccine
      design?
AB  - West Nile virus (WNV), a neurotropic mosquito-borne flavivirus, has become
      endemic in the USA and parts of Europe since 1999. There is no licensed WNV
      vaccine for humans. Considering the robust immunity from immunization with live,
      attenuated vaccines, a live WNV vaccine is an ideal platform for disease control.
      Animal and mosquito studies have identified a number of candidate attenuating
      mutations, including the structural proteins premembrane/membrane and envelope,
      and the nonstructural proteins NS1, NS2A, NS3, NS4A, NS4B and NS5, and the 3'
      UTR. Many of the mutations that have been examined attenuate WNV using different
      mechanisms, thus providing a greater understanding of WNV virulence while also
      identifying specific mutations as candidates to include in a WNV live vaccine.

PMID- 28919921
TI  - How do flavivirus-infected cells resist arsenite-induced stress granule
      formation?

PMID- 28919922
TI  - Anti-tumor effects of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana.
AB  - Since the incidence of cancer has been on the rise due to increasing exposure to
      various carcinogenic factors in recent years, cancer has gradually become the
      first killer to the health of human beings. A growing attention has been paid to
      anti-cancer effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with low toxicity and
      good efficacy. As a kind of TCM, Periplaneta americana (P. americana) has a good
      effect on clinical application, and its anti-tumor effects has been increasingly
      well studied. In this review, the research progress on the anti-tumor effects of
      P. americana was summarized. The main mechanisms of its anti-tumor effects
      include suppression of tumor cell growth, induction of cell cycle arrest and
      tumor cell apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, enhancement of immunity, and
      reversal of tumor drug resistance. This review aims to provide an overview of the
      research on anti-tumor effects of P. americana and aids in its further
      application as an anti-tumor drug.

PMID- 28919923
TI  - Revealing topics and their evolution in biomedical literature using Bio-DTM: a
      case study of ginseng.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Valuable scientific results on biomedicine are very rich, but they
      are widely scattered in the literature. Topic modeling enables researchers to
      discover themes from an unstructured collection of documents without any prior
      annotations or labels. In this paper, taking ginseng as an example, biological
      dynamic topic model (Bio-DTM) was proposed to conduct a retrospective study and
      interpret the temporal evolution of the research of ginseng. METHODS: The system
      of Bio-DTM mainly includes four components, documents pre-processing, bio
      dictionary construction, dynamic topic models, topics analysis and visualization.
      Scientific articles pertaining to ginseng were retrieved through text mining from
      PubMed. The bio-dictionary integrates MedTerms medical dictionary, the second
      edition of side effect resource, a dictionary of biology and HGNC database of
      human gene names (HGNC). A dynamic topic model, a text mining technique, was used
      to emphasize on capturing the development trends of topics in a sequentially
      collected documents. Besides the contents of topics taken on, the evolution of
      topics was visualized over time using ThemeRiver. RESULTS: From the topic 9,
      ginseng was used in dietary supplements and complementary and integrative health
      practices, and became very popular since the early twentieth century. Topic 6
      reminded that the planting of ginseng is a major area of research and symbiosis
      and allelopathy of ginseng became a research hotspot in 2007. In addition, the
      Bio-DTM model gave an insight into the main pharmacologic effects of ginseng,
      such as anti-metabolic disorder effect, cardioprotective effect, anti-cancer
      effect, hepatoprotective effect, anti-thrombotic effect and neuroprotective
      effect. CONCLUSION: The Bio-DTM model not only discovers what ginseng's research
      involving in but also displays how these topics evolving over time. This approach
      can be applied to the biomedical field to conduct a retrospective study and guide
      future studies.

PMID- 28919924
TI  - Comparison of Parent Report and Direct Assessment of Child Skills in Toddlers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are unique challenges associated with measuring development in
      early childhood. Two primary sources of information are used: parent report and
      direct assessment. Each approach has strengths and weaknesses, particularly when
      used to identify and diagnose developmental delays. The present study aimed to
      evaluate consistency between parent report and direct assessment of child skills
      in toddlers with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across receptive
      language, expressive language, and fine motor domains. METHOD: 109 children were
      evaluated at an average age of two years; data on child skills were collected via
      parent report and direct assessment. Children were classified into three groups
      (i.e., ASD, Other Developmental Disorder, or Typical Development) based on DSM-IV
      TR diagnosis. Mixed design ANOVAs, with data source as a within subjects factor
      and diagnostic group as a between subjects factor, were used to assess agreement.
      Chi square tests of agreement were then used to examine correspondence at the
      item level. RESULTS: Results suggested that parent report of language and fine
      motor skills did not significantly differ from direct assessment, and this
      finding held across diagnostic groups. Item level analyses revealed that, in most
      cases of significant disagreement, parents reported a skill as present, but it
      was not seen on direct testing. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that parents are
      generally reliable reporters of child language and fine motor abilities in
      toddlerhood, even when their children have developmental disorders such as ASD.
      However, the fullest picture may be obtained by using both parent report and
      direct assessment.

PMID- 28919925
TI  - In-vitro evaluation of Polylactic acid (PLA) manufactured by fused deposition
      modeling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With additive manufacturing (AM) individual and biocompatible
      implants can be generated by using suitable materials. The aim of this study was
      to investigate the biological effects of polylactic acid (PLA) manufactured by
      Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) on osteoblasts in vitro according to European
      Norm / International Organization for Standardization 10,993-5. METHOD: Human
      osteoblasts (hFOB 1.19) were seeded onto PLA samples produced by FDM and
      investigated for cell viability by fluorescence staining after 24 h. Cell
      proliferation was measured after 1, 3, 7 and 10 days by cell-counting and cell
      morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. For control, we used
      titanium samples and polystyrene (PS). RESULTS: Cell viability showed higher
      viability on PLA (95,3% +/- 2.1%) than in control (91,7% +/-2,7%). Cell
      proliferation was highest in the control group (polystyrene) and higher on PLA
      samples compared to the titanium samples. Scanning electron microscopy revealed
      homogenous covering of sample surface with regularly spread cells on PLA as well
      as on titanium. CONCLUSION: The manufacturing of PLA discs from polylactic acid
      using FDM was successful. The in vitro investigation with human fetal osteoblasts
      showed no cytotoxic effects. Furthermore, FDM does not seem to alter
      biocompatibility of PLA. Nonetheless osteoblasts showed reduced growth on PLA
      compared to the polystyrene control within the cell experiments. This could be
      attributed to surface roughness and possible release of residual monomers. Those
      influences could be investigated in further studies and thus lead to improvement
      in the additive manufacturing process. In addition, further research focused on
      the effect of PLA on bone growth should follow. In summary, PLA processed in
      Fused Deposition Modelling seems to be an attractive material and method for
      reconstructive surgery because of their biocompatibility and the possibility to
      produce individually shaped scaffolds.

PMID- 28919927
TI  - Characterization of a heat-tolerant Chlorella sp. GD mutant with enhanced
      photosynthetic CO2 fixation efficiency and its implication as lactic acid
      fermentation feedstock.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fermentative production of lactic acid from algae-based carbohydrates
      devoid of lignin has attracted great attention for its potential as a suitable
      alternative substrate compared to lignocellulosic biomass. RESULTS: A Chlorella
      sp. GD mutant with enhanced thermo-tolerance was obtained by mutagenesis using N
      methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine to overcome outdoor high-temperature
      inhibition and it was used as a feedstock for fermentative lactic acid
      production. The indoor experiments showed that biomass, reducing sugar content,
      photosynthetic O2 evolution rate, photosystem II activity (Fv/Fm and Fv'/Fm'),
      and chlorophyll content increased as temperature, light intensity, and CO2
      concentration increased. The mutant showed similar DIC affinity and initial slope
      of photosynthetic light response curve (alpha) as that of the wild type but had
      higher dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) utilization capacity and maximum
      photosynthesis rate (Pmax). Moreover, the PSII activity (Fv'/Fm') in the mutant
      remained normal without acclimation process after being transferred to
      photobioreactor. This suggests that efficient utilization of incident high light
      and enhanced carbon fixation with its subsequent flux to carbohydrates
      accumulation in the mutant contributes to higher sugar and biomass productivity
      under enriched CO2 condition. The mutant was cultured outdoors in a
      photobioreactor with 6% CO2 aeration in hot summer season in southern Taiwan. The
      harvested biomass was subjected to separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) for
      lactic acid production with carbohydrate concentration equivalent to 20 g/L
      glucose using the lactic acid-producing bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum 23. The
      conversion rate and yield of lactic acid were 80% and 0.43 g/g Chlorella biomass,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that the thermo-tolerant
      Chlorella mutant with high photosynthetic efficiency and biomass productivity
      under hot outdoor condition is an efficient fermentative feedstock for large
      scale lactic acid production.

PMID- 28919926
TI  - Sustaining fermentation in high-gravity ethanol production by feeding yeast to a
      temperature-profiled multifeed simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation
      of wheat straw.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Considerable progress is being made in ethanol production from
      lignocellulosic feedstocks by fermentation, but negative effects of inhibitors on
      fermenting microorganisms are still challenging. Feeding preadapted cells has
      shown positive effects by sustaining fermentation in high-gravity simultaneous
      saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF). Loss of cell viability has been
      reported in several SSCF studies on different substrates and seems to be the main
      reason for the declining ethanol production toward the end of the process. Here,
      we investigate how the combination of yeast preadaptation and feeding, cell
      flocculation, and temperature reduction improves the cell viability in SSCF of
      steam pretreated wheat straw. RESULTS: More than 50% cell viability was lost
      during the first 24 h of high-gravity SSCF. No beneficial effects of adding
      selected nutrients were observed in shake flask SSCF. Ethanol concentrations
      greater than 50 g L-1 led to significant loss of viability and prevented further
      fermentation in SSCF. The benefits of feeding preadapted yeast cells were
      marginal at later stages of SSCF. Yeast flocculation did not improve the
      viability but simplified cell harvest and improved the feasibility of the cell
      feeding strategy in demo scale. Cultivation at 30  degrees C instead of 35 
      degrees C increased cell survival significantly on solid media containing ethanol
      and inhibitors. Similarly, in multifeed SSCF, cells maintained the viability and
      fermentation capacity when the temperature was reduced from 35 to 30  degrees C
      during the process, but hydrolysis yields were compromised. By combining the
      yeast feeding and temperature change, an ethanol concentration of 65 g L-1,
      equivalent to 70% of the theoretical yield, was obtained in multifeed SSCF on
      pretreated wheat straw. In demo scale, the process with flocculating yeast and
      temperature profile resulted in 5% (w/w) ethanol, equivalent to 53% of the
      theoretical yield. CONCLUSIONS: Multifeed SSCF was further developed by means of
      a flocculating yeast and a temperature-reduction profile. Ethanol toxicity is
      intensified in the presence of lignocellulosic inhibitors at temperatures that
      are beneficial to hydrolysis in high-gravity SSCF. The counteracting effects of
      temperature on cell viability and hydrolysis call for more tolerant
      microorganisms, enzyme systems with lower temperature optimum, or full
      optimization of the multifeed strategy with temperature profile.

PMID- 28919928
TI  - The yeast Geotrichum candidum encodes functional lytic polysaccharide
      monooxygenases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are a class of powerful
      oxidative enzymes that have revolutionized our understanding of lignocellulose
      degradation. Fungal LPMOs of the AA9 family target cellulose and hemicelluloses.
      AA9 LPMO-coding genes have been identified across a wide range of fungal
      saprotrophs (Ascomycotina, Basidiomycotina, etc.), but so far they have not been
      found in more basal lineages. Recent genome analysis of the yeast Geotrichum
      candidum (Saccharomycotina) revealed the presence of several LPMO genes, which
      belong to the AA9 family. RESULTS: In this study, three AA9 LPMOs from G.
      candidum were successfully produced and biochemically characterized. The use of
      native signal peptides was well suited to ensure correct processing and high
      recombinant production of GcLPMO9A, GcLPMO9B, and GcLPMO9C in Pichia pastoris. We
      show that GcLPMO9A and GcLPMO9B were both active on cellulose and xyloglucan,
      releasing a mixture of soluble C1- and C4-oxidized oligosaccharides from
      cellulose. All three enzymes disrupted cellulose fibers and significantly
      improved the saccharification of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass upon addition
      to a commercial cellulase cocktail. CONCLUSIONS: The unique enzymatic arsenal of
      G. candidum compared to other yeasts could be beneficial for plant cell wall
      decomposition in a saprophytic or pathogenic context. From a biotechnological
      point of view, G. candidum LPMOs are promising candidates to further enhance
      enzyme cocktails used in biorefineries such as consolidated bioprocessing.

PMID- 28919929
TI  - Does physical activity benefit motor performance and learning of upper extremity
      tasks in older adults? - A systematic review.
AB  - Upper extremity motor performance declines with increasing age. However, older
      adults need to maintain, learn new and relearn known motor tasks. Research with
      young adults indicated that regular and acute physical activity might facilitate
      motor performance and motor learning processes. Therefore, this review aimed to
      examine the association between chronic physical activity and acute bouts of
      exercise on motor performance and motor learning in upper extremity motor tasks
      in older adults. Literature was searched via Cochrane library, PubMED, PsycINFO
      and Scopus and 27 studies met all inclusion criteria. All studies dealt with the
      influence of chronic physical activity on motor performance or motor learning, no
      appropriate study examining the influence of an acute bout of exercise in older
      adults was found. Results concerning the association of chronic physical activity
      and motor performance are mixed and seem to be influenced by the study design,
      kind of exercise, motor task, and exercise intensity. Regarding motor learning, a
      high physical activity or cardiovascular fitness level seems to boost the initial
      phase of motor learning; results differ with respect to motor retention. Overall,
      (motor-coordinative) intervention studies seem to be more promising than cross
      sectional studies.

PMID- 28919930
TI  - Effects of 12 weeks of Nordic Walking and XCO Walking training on the endurance
      capacity of older adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have already examined the positive effects of various
      forms of endurance training in patient groups and in healthy adults up to 60
      years old. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of Nordic Walking
      (NW) and XCO Walking (XCO) training on endurance capacity in healthy older
      adults, aged 60 years and older. METHODS: Twenty-three older participants (mean
      age: 69.9 +/- 5.4 years) were randomly assigned to either the NW group or the XCO
      group. All participants were measured before and after the 12 weeks of endurance
      training (2 sessions/week) to examine oxygen uptake (VO2) and energy consumption
      during an outdoor field test. In addition, heart rates were recorded and lactate
      samples were collected. RESULTS: NW mainly demonstrated some significant (p <
      0.05) decreases in heart rate, lactate concentration at lower to moderate walking
      speeds, whereas XCO Walking revealed significant (p < 0.05) decreases in lactate
      concentration and VO2 at low to higher walking speeds. CONCLUSIONS: NW as well as
      XCO training increase the efficiency of the cardio-vascular system in older
      subjects. Both training approaches are suitable options for endurance training,
      which may serve to counteract age- and inactivity-related decreases in cardio
      vascular functioning as well as aid in maintaining overall performance in older
      adults.

PMID- 28919931
TI  - Improving Hierarchical Models Using Historical Data with Applications in High
      Throughput Genomics Data Analysis.
AB  - Modern high-throughput biotechnologies such as microarray and next generation
      sequencing produce a massive amount of information for each sample assayed.
      However, in a typical high-throughput experiment, only limited amount of data are
      observed for each individual feature, thus the classical 'large p, small n'
      problem. Bayesian hierarchical model, capable of borrowing strength across
      features within the same dataset, has been recognized as an effective tool in
      analyzing such data. However, the shrinkage effect, the most prominent feature of
      hierarchical features, can lead to undesirable over-correction for some features.
      In this work, we discuss possible causes of the over-correction problem and
      propose several alternative solutions. Our strategy is rooted in the fact that in
      the Big Data era, large amount of historical data are available which should be
      taken advantage of. Our strategy presents a new framework to enhance the Bayesian
      hierarchical model. Through simulation and real data analysis, we demonstrated
      superior performance of the proposed strategy. Our new strategy also enables
      borrowing information across different platforms which could be extremely useful
      with emergence of new technologies and accumulation of data from different
      platforms in the Big Data era. Our method has been implemented in R package
      "adaptiveHM", which is freely available from
      https://github.com/benliemory/adaptiveHM.

PMID- 28919932
TI  - Separating Thermodynamics from Kinetics-A New Understanding of the Transketolase
      Reaction.
AB  - Transketolase catalyzes asymmetric C-C bond formation of two highly polar
      compounds. Over the last 30 years, the reaction has unanimously been described in
      literature as irreversible because of the concomitant release of CO2 if using
      lithium hydroxypyruvate (LiHPA) as a substrate. Following the reaction over a
      longer period of time however, we have now found it to be initially kinetically
      controlled. Contrary to previous suggestions, for the non-natural conversion of
      synthetically more interesting apolar substrates, the complete change of active
      site polarity is therefore not necessary. From docking studies it was revealed
      that water and hydrogen-bond networks are essential for substrate binding, thus
      allowing aliphatic aldehydes to be converted in the charged active site of
      transketolase.

PMID- 28919934
TI  - Probing the Influence of Disorder on Lanthanide Luminescence Using Eu-Doped LaPO4
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - Lanthanide-doped nanocrystals (NCs) differ from their bulk counterparts due to
      their large surface to volume ratio. It is generally assumed that the optical
      properties are not affected by size effects as electronic transitions occur
      within the well-shielded 4f shell of the lanthanide dopant ions. However, defects
      and disorder in the surface layer can affect the luminescence properties.
      Trivalent europium is a suitable ion to investigate the subtle influence of the
      surface, because of its characteristic luminescence and high sensitivity to the
      local environment. Here, we investigate the influence of disorder in NCs on the
      optical properties of lanthanide dopants by studying the inhomogeneous linewidth,
      emission intensity ratios, and luminescence decay curves for LaPO4:Eu3+ samples
      of different sizes (4 nm to bulk) and core-shell configurations (core, core
      isocrystalline shell, and core-silica shell). We show that the emission
      linewidths increase strongly for NCs. The ratio of the intensities of the forced
      electric dipole (ED) and magnetic dipole (MD) transitions, a measure for the
      local symmetry distortion around Eu3+ ions, is higher for samples with a large
      fraction of Eu3+ ions close to the surface. Finally, we present luminescence
      decay curves revealing an increased nonradiative decay rate for Eu3+ in NCs. The
      effects are strongest in core and core-silica shell NCs and can be reduced by
      growth of an isocrystalline LaPO4 shell. The present systematic study provides
      quantitative insight into the role of surface disorder on the optical properties
      of lanthanide-doped NCs. These insights are important in emerging applications of
      lanthanide-doped nanocrystals.

PMID- 28919933
TI  - How aging and bilingualism influence language processing: theoretical and neural
      models.
AB  - Healthy non-pathological aging is characterized by cognitive and neural decline,
      and although language is one of the more stable areas of cognition, older adults
      often show deficits in language production, showing word finding failures,
      increased slips of the tongue, and increased pauses in speech. Overall, research
      on language comprehension in older healthy adults show that it is more preserved
      than language production. Bilingualism has been shown to confer a great deal of
      neuroplasticity across the life span, including a number of cognitive benefits
      especially in executive functions such as cognitive control. Many models of
      bilingual language processing have been proposed to explain bilingual language
      processing. However, the question remains open of how such models might be
      modulated by age-related changes in language. Here, we discuss how current models
      of language processing in non-pathological aging, and models of bilingual
      language processing can be integrated to provide new research directions.

PMID- 28919935
TI  - Hybridization of Single Nanocrystals of Cs4PbBr6 and CsPbBr3.
AB  - Nanocrystals of all-inorganic cesium lead halide perovskites (CsPbX3, X = Cl, Br,
      I) feature high absorption and efficient narrow-band emission which renders them
      promising for future generation of photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices.
      Colloidal ensembles of these nanocrystals can be conveniently prepared by
      chemical synthesis. However, in the case of CsPbBr3, its synthesis can also yield
      nanocrystals of Cs4PbBr6 and the properties of the two are easily confused. Here,
      we investigate in detail the optical characteristics of simultaneously
      synthesized green-emitting CsPbBr3 and insulating Cs4PbBr6 nanocrystals. We
      demonstrate that, in this case, the two materials inevitably hybridize, forming
      nanoparticles with a spherical shape. The actual amount of these Cs4PbBr6
      nanocrystals and nanohybrids increases for synthesis at lower temperatures, i.e.,
      the condition typically used for the development of perovskite CsPbBr3
      nanocrystals with smaller sizes. We use state-of-the-art electron energy loss
      spectroscopy to characterize nanoparticles at the single object level. This
      method allows distinguishing between optical characteristics of a pure Cs4PbBr6
      and CsPbBr3 nanocrystal and their nanohybrid. In this way, we resolve some of the
      recent misconceptions concerning possible visible absorption and emission of
      Cs4PbBr6. Our method provides detailed structural characterization, and combined
      with modeling, we conclusively identify the nanospheres as CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6
      hybrids. We show that the two phases are independent of each other's presence and
      merge symbiotically. Herein, the optical characteristics of the parent materials
      are preserved, allowing for an increased absorption in the UV due to Cs4PbBr6,
      accompanied by the distinctive efficient green emission resulting from CsPbBr3.

PMID- 28919936
TI  - Polar Applications of Spaceborne Scatterometers.
AB  - Wind scatterometers were originally developed for observation of near-surface
      winds over the ocean. They retrieve wind indirectly by measuring the normalized
      radar cross section (sigmao ) of the surface, and estimating the wind via a
      geophysical model function relating sigmao to the vector wind. The sigmao
      measurements have proven to be remarkably capable in studies of the polar regions
      where they can map snow cover; detect the freeze/thaw state of forest, tundra,
      and ice; map and classify sea ice; and track icebergs. Further, a long time
      series of scatterometer sigmao observations is available to support climate
      studies. In addition to fundamental scientific research, scatterometer data are
      operationally used for sea-ice mapping to support navigation. Scatterometers are,
      thus, invaluable tools for monitoring the polar regions. In this paper, a brief
      review of some of the polar applications of spaceborne wind scatterometer data is
      provided. The paper considers both C-band and Ku-band scatterometers, and the
      relative merits of fan-beam and pencil-beam scatterometers in polar remote
      sensing are discussed.

PMID- 28919937
TI  - Gene Meter: Accurate abundance calculations of gene expression.
AB  - We previously reported that thousands of transcripts in the mouse and zebrafish
      significantly increased in abundance in a time series spanning from life to
      several days after death. Transcript abundances were determined by: calibrating
      each microarray probe using a dilution series of pooled RNAs, fitting the probe
      responses to adsorption models, and back-calculating abundances using the probe
      signal intensity of a sample and the best fitting model. The accuracy of the
      abundance measurements was not assessed in our previous study because individual
      transcript concentrations in the calibration pool were not known. Accurate
      transcript abundances are highly desired for modeling the dynamics of biological
      systems and investigating how systems respond to perturbations. In this study, we
      show that accurate transcript abundances can be determined by calibrating the
      probes using a calibration pool of transcripts with known concentrations.
      Instructions for determining accurate transcript abundances using the Gene Meter
      approach are provided.

PMID- 28919938
TI  - Keep it on the edge: The post-mitotic midbody as a polarity signal unit.
AB  - The maintenance of the epithelial architecture during tissue proliferation is
      achieved by apical positioning of the midbody after cell division. Consequently,
      midbody mislocalization contributes to epithelial architecture disruption, a
      fundamental event during epithelial tumorigenesis. Studies in 3D polarized
      epithelial MDCK or Caco2 cell models, where midbody misplacement leads to
      multiple ectopic but fully polarized lumen-containing cysts, revealed that this
      phenotype can be caused by 2 different scenarios: the loss of mitotic spindle
      orientation or the loss of asymmetric abscission. In addition, we have recently
      proposed a third cellular mechanism where the midbody mislocalization is achieved
      through cytokinesis acceleration driven by the cancer-promoting phosphatase of
      regenerating liver (PRL)-3. Here we critically review these findings, and we
      furthermore present new data indicating that midbodies themselves might act as
      signal unit for polarization since they can infer apical characteristics to a
      basal membrane.

PMID- 28919939
TI  - Sequence and biochemical analysis of Arabidopsis SP1 protein, a regulator of
      organelle biogenesis.
AB  - Peroxisomes, chloroplasts, and mitochondria are essential eukaryotic organelles
      that host a suite of metabolic processes crucial to energy metabolism and
      development. Regulatory mechanisms of the dynamics and biogenesis of these
      important organelles have begun to be discovered in plants. We recently showed
      that, aside from its previously reported role in targeting chloroplast protein
      import proteins, the Arabidopsis ubiquitin E3 ligase SP1 (suppressor of ppi1
      locus1) negatively regulates peroxisome matrix protein import by promoting the
      ubiquitination and destabilization of PEX13 and possibly PEX14 and other
      components of the peroxisome protein import apparatus. Here, we compared protein
      sequence and domain structure of SP1-like proteins in Arabidopsis and their human
      homolog, Mitochondrial-Anchored Protein Ligase (MAPL). We further characterized
      SP1 protein in respect to its membrane topology and ubiquitin E3 ligase activity.

PMID- 28919940
TI  - Calcitox-aging counterbalanced by endogenous farnesol-like sesquiterpenoids: An
      undervalued evolutionarily ancient key signaling pathway.
AB  - Cells are powerful miniature electrophoresis chambers, at least during part of
      their life cycle. They die at the moment the voltage gradient over their plasma
      membrane, and their ability to drive a self-generated electric current carried by
      inorganic ions through themselves irreversibly collapses. Senescence is likely
      due to the progressive, multifactorial damage to the cell's electrical system.
      This is the essence of the "Fading electricity theory of aging" (De Loof et al.,
      Aging Res. Rev. 2013;12:58-66). "Biologic electric current" is not carried by
      electrons, but by inorganic ions. The major ones are H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-
      and HCO3-. Ca2+ and H+ in particular are toxic to cells. At rising
      concentrations, they can alter the 3D-conformation of chromatin and some (e.g.
      cytoskeletal) proteins: Calcitox and Protontox. This paper only focuses on
      Calcitox and endogenous sesquiterpenoids. pH-control and Ca2+-homeostasis have
      been shaped to near perfection during billions of years of evolution. The role of
      Ca2+ in some aspects of aging, e.g., as causal to neurodegenerative diseases is
      still debated. The main anti-Calcitox mechanism is to keep free cytoplasmic Ca2+
      as low as possible. This can be achieved by restricting the passive influx of
      Ca2+ through channels in the plasma membrane, and by maximizing the active
      extrusion of excess Ca2+ e.g., by means of different types of Ca2+-ATPases. Like
      there are mechanisms that antagonize the toxic effects of Reactive Oxygen Species
      (ROS), there must also exist endogenous tools to counteract Calcitox. During a re
      evaluation of which mechanism(s) exactly initiates the fast aging that
      accompanies induction of metamorphosis in insects, a causal relationship between
      absence of an endogenous sesquiterpenoid, namely the farnesol ester named
      "juvenile hormone," and disturbed Ca2+-homeostasis was suggested. In this paper,
      this line of thinking is further explored and extended to vertebrate physiology.
      A novel concept emerges: horseshoe-shaped sesquiterpenoids seem to act as
      "inbrome" agonists with the function of a "chemical valve" or "spring" in some
      types of multi-helix transmembrane proteins (intramolecular prenylation), from
      bacterial rhodopsins to some types of GPCRs and ion pumps, in particular the
      SERCA-Ca2+-pump. This further underpins the Fading Electricity Theory of Aging.

PMID- 28919941
TI  - A test of the submentalizing hypothesis: Apes' performance in a false belief task
      inanimate control.
AB  - Much debate concerns whether any nonhuman animals share with humans the ability
      to infer others' mental states, such as desires and beliefs. In a recent eye
      tracking false-belief task, we showed that great apes correctly anticipated that
      a human actor would search for a goal object where he had last seen it, even
      though the apes themselves knew that it was no longer there. In response, Heyes
      proposed that apes' looking behavior was guided not by social cognitive
      mechanisms but rather domain-general cueing effects, and suggested the use of
      inanimate controls to test this alternative submentalizing hypothesis. In the
      present study, we implemented the suggested inanimate control of our previous
      false-belief task. Apes attended well to key events but showed markedly fewer
      anticipatory looks and no significant tendency to look to the correct location.
      We thus found no evidence that submentalizing was responsible for apes'
      anticipatory looks in our false-belief task.

PMID- 28919942
TI  - Genome sequence of the white-rot fungus Irpex lacteus F17, a type strain of
      lignin degrader fungus.
AB  - Irpex lacteus, a cosmopolitan white-rot fungus, degrades lignin and lignin
      derived aromatic compounds. In this study, we report the high-quality draft
      genome sequence of I. lacteus F17, isolated from a decaying hardwood tree in the
      vicinity of Hefei, China. The genome is 44,362,654 bp, with a GC content of
      49.64% and a total of 10,391 predicted protein-coding genes. In addition, a total
      of 18 snRNA, 842 tRNA, 15 rRNA operons and 11,710 repetitive sequences were also
      identified. The genomic data provides insights into the mechanisms of the
      efficient lignin decomposition of this strain.

PMID- 28919943
TI  - [Identification of Positive Youth Development Interventions].
AB  - There are more people in the world in the youth stage of development than in any
      other stage of development. The youth in Puerto Rico faces many situations that
      affect their development and readiness for adulthood. Therefore, it's imperative
      to identify evidence-based positive youth development interventions to develop
      practices that help young people prevent adverse situations, promote positive
      experiences and encourage children and young people to be involved and committed.
      One hundred and forty seven interventions were identified through a traditional
      scientific literature review. The results reflect that the interventions mainly
      focused on reducing risk factors and increasing of protection factors. However,
      no intervention focus on fully engaging children and young people to be involved
      and committed to their optimal development and to their communities.
      Nevertheless, all identified interventions providDe tools that could be useful to
      foster such practices in the context of Puerto Rico. Of the 147 interventions
      identified, six are designed for the Puerto Rican population residing on the
      island. In order to make information accessible to professionals and the
      community, the collection of the Archivo de Programas y Practicas Basadas en
      Evidencia para la Prevencion has been expanded.

PMID- 28919944
TI  - Network Analysis on Attitudes: A Brief Tutorial.
AB  - In this article, we provide a brief tutorial on the estimation, analysis, and
      simulation on attitude networks using the programming language R. We first
      discuss what a network is and subsequently show how one can estimate a
      regularized network on typical attitude data. For this, we use open-access data
      on the attitudes toward Barack Obama during the 2012 American presidential
      election. Second, we show how one can calculate standard network measures such as
      community structure, centrality, and connectivity on this estimated attitude
      network. Third, we show how one can simulate from an estimated attitude network
      to derive predictions from attitude networks. By this, we highlight that network
      theory provides a framework for both testing and developing formalized hypotheses
      on attitudes and related core social psychological constructs.

PMID- 28919945
TI  - Distribution, karyomorphology, and morphology of Aspidistra subrotata
      (Asparagaceae) at different ploidy levels in limestone areas of Asia.
AB  - Aspidistra subrotata Y. Wan & C.C. Huang, 1987 is considered for the first time
      as a widespread polyploidy complex in the genus Aspidistra Ker Gawler, 1823 from
      limestone areas of Asia. The chromosome number of the tetraploid is 2n = 76 and
      the karyotype is formulated as 2n = 44 m + 8 sm + 24 st, while the chromosome
      number of the diploid is 2n = 38 and the karyotype formula 2n = 22 m + 4 sm + 12
      st. In our studies, diploids occupy broader geographical and environmental niche
      spaces than tetraploids. Although the leaf-shape of Aspidistra subrotata varies
      quantitatively between and within diploid and/or tetraploid population(s), no
      obvious discontinuity in the width of leaf has been observed. The tetraploid
      plants may be distinguished from the diploid plants by their rigid petioles as
      well as thick deep green lamina. Aspidistra subrotata is therefore an interesting
      material to explore the formation and the evolutionary dynamics of a natural
      polyploid complex from limestone areas of the tropical regions.

PMID- 28919946
TI  - Cytogenetic characterization of Hoplias malabaricus (Bloch, 1794) from the
      Ctalamochita River (Cordoba, Argentina): first evidence for southernmost
      populations of this species complex and comments on its biogeography.
AB  - Hoplias malabaricus (Bloch, 1794), a predatory freshwater fish with a wide
      distribution throughout South America, represents a species complex with seven
      well characterized karyomorphs at the cytogenetic level. Although this species
      has been extensively studied in several Brazilian basins, data are still scarce
      for hydrographic systems from other South American countries. This study aims to
      characterize cytogenetically the Hoplias malabaricus populations from the
      Argentinean Central Region, close to the southernmost distribution of this
      species complex. A total of 32 specimens from the Ctalamochita River, a tributary
      of Lower Parana Basin located in the province of Cordoba, were analyzed using
      cytogenetic techniques (Giemsa staining, C- and Ag-NOR banding and fluorescent in
      situ hybridization with 18S rDNA). All the specimens showed diploid number 2n=42,
      chromosomic formula 22m + 20sm and absence of sexual chromosomes. Thus, the
      analyzed populations belong to the karyomorph named A. These populations showed a
      remarkable degree of divergence in their cytogenetic traits such as karyotypic
      formula, C-banding, NORs and 18S rDNA patterns for Hoplias malabaricus from other
      populations bearing the same karyomorph in the Middle and Upper Parana Basin.
      These findings are consistent with molecular data from a recent study (where
      specimens collected in the present work were included), which indicate a closer
      phylogenetic relationship of Hoplias malabaricus populations from the
      Ctalamochita River with those from the Uruguay basin and the coastal regions of
      South Brazil than with populations from the Middle and Upper Parana Basin.
      Overall, these pieces of evidence highlight the distinctive features of Hoplias
      malabaricus from the Ctalamochita River, and also reveal a complex history of
      dispersion of these populations. The present work is the first to provide
      cytogenetic information and include some phylogeographic aspects of Hoplias
      malabaricus populations living in close proximity to the southernmost extreme of
      its distribution area. Therefore, this study expands significantly upon the
      previously known geographical coverage for karyomorph A and contributes to a
      better understanding of the karyotypic diversification within this species
      complex.

PMID- 28919947
TI  - Genomic characterisation of Arachis porphyrocalyx (Valls & C.E. Simpson, 2005)
      (Leguminosae): multiple origin of Arachis species with x = 9.
AB  - The genus Arachis Linnaeus, 1753 comprises four species with x = 9, three belong
      to the section Arachis: Arachis praecox (Krapov. W.C. Greg. & Valls, 1994),
      Arachis palustris (Krapov. W.C. Greg. & Valls, 1994) and Arachis decora (Krapov.
      W.C. Greg. & Valls, 1994) and only one belongs to the section Erectoides: Arachis
      porphyrocalyx (Valls & C.E. Simpson, 2005). Recently, the x = 9 species of
      section Arachis have been assigned to G genome, the latest described so far. The
      genomic relationship of Arachis porphyrocalyx with these species is
      controversial. In the present work, we carried out a karyotypic characterisation
      of Arachis porphyrocalyx to evaluate its genomic structure and analyse the origin
      of all x = 9 Arachis species. Arachis porphyrocalyx showed a karyotype formula of
      14m+4st, one pair of A chromosomes, satellited chromosomes type 8, one pair of
      45S rDNA sites in the SAT chromosomes, one pair of 5S rDNA sites and
      pericentromeric C-DAPI+ bands in all chromosomes. Karyotype structure indicates
      that Arachis porphyrocalyx does not share the same genome type with the other
      three x = 9 species and neither with the remaining Erectoides species. Taking
      into account the geographic distribution, morphological and cytogenetic features,
      the origin of species with x = 9 of the genus Arachis cannot be unique; instead,
      they originated at least twice in the evolutionary history of the genus.

PMID- 28919948
TI  - Cytogenetic data on the agro-predatory ant Megalomyrmex incisus Smith, 1947 and
      its host, Mycetophylax conformis (Mayr, 1884) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).
AB  - We provide the first karyotype description of the agro-predatory ant species
      Megalomyrmex incisus Smith, 1947 (Myrmicinae, Formicidae), and chromosome counts
      of its host Mycetophylax conformis (Mayr, 1884) (Myrmicinae, Formicidae) from
      geographically distinct populations. Colonies of both species were sampled from
      coastal areas of Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil, and transferred to the laboratory.
      Metaphase spreads were prepared from the cerebral ganglia of defecated larvae.
      The slides were examined and pictures of the best metaphases were taken. The
      chromosome number for Megalomyrmex incisus was 2n=50 and n=25. The karyotype of
      this species consists of 20 metacentric and 5 submetacentric pairs. Thus, the
      karyotype formula of the diploid set was 2K=40M + 10SM and a fundamental number
      FN=100. The host species Mycetophylax conformis has 2n=30 and the karyotype
      consisting of 11 metacentric and 4 submetacentric pairs. The karyotype formula
      was 2K=22M + 8SM, and a fundamental number FN=60. Megalomyrmex incisus showed a
      slightly higher chromosome number, placed at the marginal range of the known
      distribution of haploid karyotypes of the Myrmicinae. The chromosome number and
      chromosomal morphology of Mycetophylax conformis corresponded to those of
      previously studied populations, suggesting its karyotype stability.

PMID- 28919949
TI  - First report of B chromosomes in three neotropical thorny catfishes
      (Siluriformes, Doradidae).
AB  - The family Doradidae (Siluriformes) is an important group of fishes endemic to
      freshwater ecosystems in South America. Some cytogenetic studies have been
      conducted focused on the group; however, there are no reports on the occurrence
      of B chromosomes for the family. In this paper the chromosomal characteristics of
      Platydoras armatulus (Valenciennes, 1840), Pterodoras granulosus (Valenciennes,
      1821) and Ossancora punctata (Kner, 1855) were investigated through classical
      cytogenetics approaches. The conventional staining reveals 2n=58 in Platydoras
      armatulus and Pterodoras granulosus, however with distinct karyotypic formulae,
      possibly originated by pericentric inversions. In Ossancora punctata a derivate
      karyotype was described with 2n=66 and predominance of acrocentric chromosomes.
      The C banding pattern was resolutive in discriminating the three species, being
      considered an important cytotaxonomic marker. All species showed B chromosomes
      totally heterochromatic with non-Mendelian segregation during meiosis and low
      frequencies in mitotic cells. The probably origin of these additional elements
      was through fragmentations of chromosomes of the standard complement, which
      occurred recently and independently in these three species. The diploid number
      observed in Ossancora punctata is an evidence of centric fusions and up to the
      moment it is the highest diploid number reported for Doradidae.

PMID- 28919950
TI  - Chromosome mapping of a Tc1-like transposon in species of the catfish Ancistrus.
AB  - The Tc1 mariner element is widely distributed among organisms and have been
      already described in different species of fish. The genus Ancistrus (Kner, 1854)
      has 68 nominal species and is part of an interesting taxonomic and cytogenetic
      group, as well as presenting a variation of chromosome number, ranging from 2n=34
      to 54 chromosomes, and the existence of simple and multiple sex chromosome system
      and the occurrence of chromosomal polymorphisms involving chromosomes that carry
      the nucleolus organizer region. In this study, a repetitive element by
      restriction enzyme, from Ancistrus sp.1 "Flecha" was isolated, which showed
      similarity with a transposable element Tc1-mariner. Its chromosomal location is
      distributed in heterochromatic regions and along the chromosomal arms of all
      specimens covered in this study, confirming the pattern dispersed of this element
      found in other studies carried out with other species. Thus, this result
      reinforces the hypothesis that the sequence AnDraI is really a dispersed element
      isolated. As this isolated sequence showed the same pattern in all species which
      have different sex chromosomes systems, including in all sex chromosomes, we
      could know that it is not involved in sex chromosome differentiation.

PMID- 28919951
TI  - Origin of B chromosomes in Characidium alipioi (Characiformes, Crenuchidae) and
      its relationship with supernumerary chromosomes in other Characidium species.
AB  - B chromosomes are apparently dispensable components found in the genomes of many
      species that are mainly composed of repetitive DNA sequences. Among the numerous
      questions concerning B chromosomes, the origin of these elements has been widely
      studied. To date, supernumerary chromosomes have been identified in approximately
      60 species of fish, including species of the genus Characidium Reinhardt, 1867 in
      which these elements appear to have independently originated. In this study, we
      used molecular cytogenetic techniques to investigate the origin of B chromosomes
      in a population of Characidium alipioi Travassos, 1955 and determine their
      relationship with the extra chromosomes of other species of the genus. The
      results showed that the B chromosomes of Characidium alipioi had an intraspecific
      origin, apparently originated independently in relation to the B chromosomes of
      Characidium gomesi Travassos, 1956 Characidium pterostictum Gomes, 1947 and
      Characidium oiticicai Travassos, 1967, since they do not share specific DNA
      sequences, as well as their possible ancestral chromosomes and belong to
      different phylogenetic clades. The shared sequences between the supernumerary
      chromosomes and the autosommal sm pair indicate the origin of these chromosomes.

PMID- 28919952
TI  - Variation in genome size and karyotype among closely related aphid parasitoids
      (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae).
AB  - Genome sizes were measured and determined for the karyotypes of nine species of
      aphid parasitoids in the genus Aphelinus Dalman,1820. Large differences in genome
      size and karyotype were found between Aphelinus species, which is surprising
      given the similarity in their morphology and life history. Genome sizes estimated
      from flow cytometry were larger for species in the Aphelinus mali (Haldeman,
      1851) complex than those for the species in the Aphelinus daucicola Kurdjumov,
      1913 and Aphelinus varipes (Forster,1841) complexes. Haploid karyotypes of the
      Aphelinus daucicola and Aphelinus mali complexes comprised five metacentric
      chromosomes of similar size, whereas those of the Aphelinus varipes complex had
      four chromosomes, including a larger and a smaller metacentric chromosome and two
      small acrocentric chromosomes or a large metacentric and three smaller
      acrocentric chromosomes. Total lengths of female haploid chromosome sets
      correlated with genome sizes estimated from flow cytometry. Phylogenetic analysis
      of karyotypic variation revealed a chromosomal fusion together with pericentric
      inversions in the common ancestor of the Aphelinus varipes complex and further
      pericentric inversions in the clade comprising Aphelinus kurdjumovi Mercet, 1930
      and Aphelinus hordei Kurdjumov, 1913. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with a
      28S ribosomal DNA probe revealed a single site on chromosomes of the haploid
      karyotype of Aphelinus coreae Hopper & Woolley, 2012. The differences in genome
      size and total chromosome length between species complexes matched the
      phylogenetic divergence between them.

PMID- 28919953
TI  - Cytogenetic studies in the redtail catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus (Bloch
      & Schneider, 1801) (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae) a giant fish from Amazon basin.
AB  - The objective of this study was to cytogenetically analyze Phractocephalus
      hemioliopterus comparing the findings with other data to infer relationships
      among Pimelodidae species. The results revealed a diploid number of 2n = 56 and
      the karyotype composed of 16 metacentric, 20 submetacentric, 6 subtelocentric and
      14 acrocentric chromosomes (FN = 98). The Ag-NORs, 18S rDNA and CMA3 signals were
      coincident in location occupying the short arm of an acrocentric chromosome pair
      (23th), in a secondary constriction. The 5S rDNA genes were localized near the
      centromere on the short arms of one submetacentric chromosome pair. C-bands were
      localized predominantly in the terminal regions of chromosomes, including the
      AgNORs and a small metacentric pair with a conspicuous positive band on
      interstitial region. This chromosome pair could be considered a species-specific
      cytogenetic marker.

PMID- 28919954
TI  - Immunocytological analysis of meiotic recombination in two anole lizards
      (Squamata, Dactyloidae).
AB  - Although the evolutionary importance of meiotic recombination is not disputed,
      the significance of interspecies differences in the recombination rates and
      recombination landscapes remains under-appreciated. Recombination rates and
      distribution of chiasmata have been examined cytologically in many mammalian
      species, whereas data on other vertebrates are scarce. Immunolocalization of the
      protein of the synaptonemal complex (SYCP3), centromere proteins and the mismatch
      repair protein MLH1 was used, which is associated with the most common type of
      recombination nodules, to analyze the pattern of meiotic recombination in the
      male of two species of iguanian lizards, Anolis carolinensis Voigt, 1832 and
      Deiroptyx coelestinus (Cope, 1862). These species are separated by a relatively
      long evolutionary history although they retain the ancestral iguanian karyotype.
      In both species similar and extremely uneven distributions of MLH1 foci along the
      macrochromosome bivalents were detected: approximately 90% of crossovers were
      located at the distal 20% of the chromosome arm length. Almost total suppression
      of recombination in the intermediate and proximal regions of the chromosome arms
      contradicts the hypothesis that "homogenous recombination" is responsible for the
      low variation in GC content across the anole genome. It also leads to strong
      linkage disequilibrium between the genes located in these regions, which may
      benefit conservation of co-adaptive gene arrays responsible for the ecological
      adaptations of the anoles.

PMID- 28919955
TI  - Variability and evolutionary implications of repetitive DNA dynamics in genome of
      Astyanax scabripinnis (Teleostei, Characidae).
AB  - DNA sequences of multiple copies help in understanding evolutionary mechanisms,
      genomic structures and karyotype differentiation. The current study investigates
      the organization and distribution of different repetitive DNA in the standard
      complement and B chromosomes in Astyanax scabripinnis (Jenyns, 1842) chromosomes
      from three allopatric populations in Campos do Jordao region, Sao Paulo State,
      Brazil. The location of microsatellite sequences showed different chromosome
      distribution between Lavrinha Farm Stream (LFS) and Lake of Pedalinho (LP)
      populations. However, the karyotype of these populations basically followed the
      pattern of dispersed distribution in the A complement, conspicuous in
      telomeric/interstitial regions and preferential accumulation in the B chromosome.
      The B chromosome showed heterogeneous location of microsatellite probes CA, CAC
      and GA. The H3 and H4 histone genes were isolated from the total genome of the
      species and then the chromosomal mapping was performed by fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH). The FISH signals showed high similarity for the probes H3
      and H4 mapping in genomes of the populations analyzed. The sequences (GATA) n
      revealed a sex-specific trend between the chromosomal location in males and
      females at (LFS) and (LP) populations. Although species that comprise the
      Astyanax scabripinnis complex do not have morphologically differentiated sex
      chromosomes, the preferential GATA location - sex-associated - may represent a
      sex chromosome in differentiation.

PMID- 28919956
TI  - First karyotype description and nuclear 2C value for Myrsine (Primulaceae):
      comparing three species.
AB  - Cytogenetic studies in Primulaceae are mostly available for herbaceous species,
      and are focused on the chromosome number determination. An accurate karyotype
      characterization represents a starting point to know the morphometry and class of
      the chromosomes. Comparison among species within Myrsine, associating these data
      with the nuclear 2C value, can show changes that led the karyotype evolution.
      Here, we studied three Myrsine species [Myrsine coriacea (Swartz, 1788) Brown ex
      Roemer et Schultes, 1819, Myrsine umbellata Martius, 1841 and Myrsine parvifolia
      Candolle, 1841] that show different abilities to occupy the varied types of
      vegetation within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Cytogenetic characterization
      showed some individuals with 2n = 45 chromosomes for Myrsine parvifolia and
      Myrsine coriacea, with most individuals of the three species having 2n = 46. The
      first karyograms for Myrsine were assembled and presented morphologically
      identical and distinct chromosome pairs. In addition, differences in the mean 2C
      nuclear value and chromosome morphometry were found. Therefore, the first
      description of the Myrsine karyotype has been presented, as well as the nuclear
      2C value. The procedures can be applied to other Myrsine species for future
      investigations in order to better understand its effects on the differential
      spatial occupation abilities shown by the species in Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

PMID- 28919957
TI  - A cytogenetic study of three parasitic wasp species (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea,
      Eulophidae, Trichogrammatidae) from Brazil using chromosome morphometrics and
      base-specific fluorochrome staining.
AB  - Chromosomes of three chalcid wasp species from Brazil, Palmistichus elaeisis
      Delvare et LaSalle, 1993, Trichospilus diatraeae Cherian et Margabandhu, 1942
      (both belonging to the family Eulophidae) and Trichogramma pretiosum Riley, 1879
      (Trichogrammatidae), were studied using chromosome morphometrics and base
      specific fluorochrome staining. The present study confirmed that these species
      respectively have 2n = 12, 14 and 10. Chromomycin A3 / 4', 6-diamidino-2
      phenylindole (CMA3/DAPI) staining revealed a single CMA3-positive and DAPI
      negative band within haploid karyotypes of both Palmistichus elaeisis and
      Trichogramma pretiosum. This CG-rich band clearly corresponds to the nucleolus
      organizing region (NOR). Moreover, analogous multiple telomeric bands found on
      all chromosomes of Trichospilus diatraeae may also represent NORs. Certain
      features of karyotype evolution of the phylogenetic lineage comprising both
      Eulophidae and Trichogrammatidae are discussed. The results obtained during the
      present study demonstrate the importance of chromosome research on tropical
      parasitoids that remain poorly known in this respect.

PMID- 28919958
TI  - Further studies on Boreonectes Angus, 2010, with a molecular phylogeny of the
      Palaearctic species of the genus.
AB  - Karyotypes are given for Boreonectes emmerichi (Falkenstrom, 1936) from its type
      locality at Kangding, China, and for B. alpestris (Dutton & Angus, 2007) from the
      St Gotthard and San Bernardino passes in the Swiss Alps. A phylogeny based on
      sequence data from a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear genes recovered
      western Palaearctic species of Boreonectes as monophyletic with strong support.
      Boreonectes emmerichi was placed as sister to the north American forms of B.
      griseostriatus (De Geer, 1774), although with low support. The diversity of
      Palaearctic species of the B. griseostriatus species group is discussed.

PMID- 28919959
TI  - Chromosome mapping in Abracris flavolineata (De Geer, 1773) (Orthoptera) from the
      Iguacu National Park - Foz do Iguacu, Parana, Brazil.
AB  - In this paper, we present the cytomolecular analysis of a population of Abracris
      flavolineata collected in the largest fragment of the Brazilian Atlantic forest,
      the Iguacu National Park. The diploid number in males was 23 (22+X0), with two
      large pairs (1-2), 7 medium (3-9), 2 small (10-11) and the X chromosome of medium
      size. Heterochromatic blocks were evident in the pericentromeric regions of all
      chromosomes. Heterogeneity in the distribution of heterochromatin was observed,
      with a predominance of DAPI+ blocks. However, some chromosomes showed CMA3+
      blocks and other DAPI+/CMA3+ blocks. The 18S rDNA sites were distributed on the
      short arms of 5 pairs. In two of these pairs, such sites were in the same
      chromosome bearing 5S rDNA, and one of the bivalents, they were co-located.
      Histone H3 genes were found on one bivalent. The results added to the existing
      cytogenetic studies provided evidence of great karyotypic plasticity in the
      species. This pliancy may be the result of vicariant events related to the
      geographical distribution of different populations of A. flavolineata.

PMID- 28919960
TI  - Karyotype characterization and comparison of three hexaploid species of Bromus
      Linnaeus, 1753 (Poaceae).
AB  - Chromosome morphometry and nuclear DNA content are useful data for cytotaxonomy
      and to understand the evolutionary history of different taxa. For the genus
      Bromus Linnaeus, 1753, distinct ploidy levels have been reported, occurring from
      diploid to duodecaploid species. The geographic distribution of Bromus species
      has been correlated with chromosome number and ploidy level. In this study, the
      aims were to determine the nuclear genome size and characterize the karyotype of
      the South American Bromus species: Bromus auleticus Trinius ex Nees, 1829, Bromus
      brachyanthera Doll, 1878 and Bromus catharticus Vahl, 1791. The mean nuclear 2C
      value ranged from 2C = 12.64 pg for B. catharticus to 2C = 17.92 pg for B.
      auleticus, meaning a maximum variation of 2C = 5.28 pg, equivalent to 41.70%.
      Despite this significant difference in 2C value, the three species exhibit the
      same chromosome number, 2n = 6x = 42, which confirms their hexaploid origin.
      Corroborating the genome size, the chromosome morphometry (total, short- and long
      arm length) and, consequently, the class differed among the karyotypes of the
      species. Based on the first karyograms for these Bromus species, some
      morphologically similar and several distinct chromosome pairs were found.
      Therefore, the karyotype characterization confirmed the hexaploid origin of the
      studied Bromus species, which differ in relation to the karyogram and the nuclear
      2C value. Considering this, cytogenetics and flow cytometry can be used to
      discriminate Bromus species, contributing to taxonomy and systematic studies and
      providing information on the evolutionary history of this taxa.

PMID- 28919961
TI  - The Mugil curema species complex (Pisces, Mugilidae): a new karyotype for the
      Pacific white mullet mitochondrial lineage.
AB  - Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have shown that the Mugil curema
      Valenciennes, 1836 species complex includes M. incilis Hancock, 1830, M. thoburni
      (Jordan & Starks, 1896) and at least four "M. curema" mitochondrial lineages,
      considered as cryptic species. The cytogenetic data on some representatives of
      the species complex have shown a high cytogenetic diversity. This research
      reports the results of cytogenetic and molecular analyses of white mullet
      collected in Ecuador. The analyzed specimens were molecularly assigned to the
      Mugil sp. O, the putative cryptic species present in the Pacific Ocean and showed
      a 2n = 46 karyotype, which is composed of 2 metacentric and 44
      subtelocentric/acrocentric chromosomes. This karyotype is different from the one
      described for M. incilis (2n = 48) and from those of the two western Atlantic
      lineages Mugil curema (2n = 28), and Mugil margaritae (2n = 24). Data suggest the
      need for a morphological analysis to assign a species name to this Pacific
      lineage.

PMID- 28919962
TI  - A karyotype comparison between two species of bordered plant bugs (Hemiptera,
      Heteroptera, Largidae) by conventional chromosome staining, C-banding and rDNA
      FISH.
AB  - A cytogenetic characterization, including heterochromatin content, and the
      analysis of the location of rDNA genes, was performed in Largus fasciatus
      Blanchard, 1843 and L. rufipennis Laporte, 1832. Mitotic and meiotic analyses
      revealed the same diploid chromosome number 2n = 12 + X0/XX (male/female).
      Heterochromatin content, very scarce in both species, revealed C-blocks at both
      ends of autosomes and X chromosome. The most remarkable cytological feature
      observed between both species was the different chromosome position of the NORs.
      This analysis allowed us to use the NORs as a cytological marker because two
      clusters of rDNA genes are located at one end of one pair of autosomes in L.
      fasciatus, whereas a single rDNA cluster is located at one terminal region of the
      X chromosome in L. rufipennis. Taking into account our results and previous data
      obtained in other heteropteran species, the conventional staining, chromosome
      bandings, and rDNA-FISH provide important chromosome markers for cytotaxonomy,
      karyotype evolution, and chromosome structure and organization studies.

PMID- 28919964
TI  - Comparative analysis based on replication banding reveals the mechanism
      responsible for the difference in the karyotype constitution of treefrogs
      Ololygon and Scinax (Arboranae, Hylidae, Scinaxinae).
AB  - According to the recent taxonomic and phylogenetic revision of the family
      Hylidae, species of the former Scinax catharinae (Boulenger, 1888) clade were
      included in the resurrected genus Ololygon Fitzinger, 1843, while species of the
      Scinax ruber (Laurenti, 1768) clade were mostly included in the genus Scinax
      Wagler, 1830, and two were allocated to the newly created genus Julianus Duellman
      et al., 2016. Although all the species of the former Scinax genus shared a
      diploid number of 2n = 24 and the same fundamental number of chromosome arms of
      FN = 48, two karyotypic constitutions were unequivocally recognized, related
      mainly to the distinct size and morphology of the first two chromosome pairs.
      Some possible mechanisms for these differences had been suggested, but without
      any experimental evidence. In this paper, a comparison was carried out based on
      replication chromosome banding, obtained after DNA incorporation of 5
      bromodeoxiuridine in chromosomes of Ololygon and Scinax. The obtained results
      revealed that the loss of repetitive segments in chromosome pairs 1 and 2 was the
      mechanism responsible for karyotype difference. The distinct localization of the
      nucleolus organizer regions in the species of both genera also differentiates the
      two karyotypic constitutions.

PMID- 28919963
TI  - Variability of NOR patterns in European water frogs of different genome
      composition and ploidy level.
AB  - We studied water frogs from a complex composed of two species: Pelophylax
      lessonae (Camerano, 1882) (genome LL, 2n = 26) and P. ridibundus (Pallas, 1771)
      (RR, 2 = 26), and their natural hybrid P. esculentus (Fitzinger, 1843) of various
      ploidy and genome composition (RL, 2n = 26, and RRL or RLL, 3n = 39). Tetraploids
      RRLL were found (4n = 52) in juveniles. We applied cytogenetic techniques: AgNO3,
      chromomycin A3, PI and fluorescent in situ hybridization with a 28S rDNA probe.
      Results obtained by silver staining corresponded well with those stained with
      CMA3, PI and FISH. As a rule, NORs are situated on chromosomes 10. The number of
      Ag-NORs visible on metaphase plates was the same as the number of Ag-nucleoli
      present in interphase nuclei of the same individual. In all analyzed metaphases,
      NORs exhibited variations in size after AgNO3 and CMA3 stainings. Sixty-six
      individuals (out of 407 analyzed) were polymorphic for the localization and
      number of NORs. Fifty-one diploids had NORs only on one chromosome of pair 10.
      Three triploids (LLR and RRL) displayed two NORs, and two other triploid RRL
      individuals displayed one, instead of expected three NORs. In ten individuals
      extra NORs were detected on chromosomes other than 10 (chromosomes 2 and 9).

PMID- 28919965
TI  - The Cerrado (Brazil) plant cytogenetics database.
AB  - Cerrado is a biodiversity hotspot that has lost ca. 50% of its original
      vegetation cover and hosts ca. 11,000 species belonging to 1,423 genera of
      phanerogams. For a fraction of those species some cytogenetic characteristics
      like chromosome numbers and C-value were available in databases, while other
      valuable information such as karyotype formula and banding patterns are missing.
      In order to integrate and share all cytogenetic information published for Cerrado
      species, including frequency of cytogenetic attributes and scientometrics
      aspects, Cerrado plant species were searched in bibliographic sources, including
      the 50 richest genera (with more than 45 taxa) and 273 genera with only one
      species in Cerrado. Determination of frequencies and the database website
      (http://cyto.shinyapps.io/cerrado) were developed in R. Studies were pooled by
      employed technique and decade, showing a rise in non-conventional cytogenetics
      since 2000. However, C-value estimation, heterochromatin staining and molecular
      cytogenetics are still not common for any family. For the richest and best
      sampled families, the following modal 2n counts were observed: Oxalidaceae 2n =
      12, Lythraceae 2n = 30, Sapindaceae 2n = 24, Solanaceae 2n = 24, Cyperaceae 2n =
      10, Poaceae 2n = 20, Asteraceae 2n = 18 and Fabaceae 2n = 26. Chromosome number
      information is available for only 16.1% of species, while there are genome size
      data for only 1.25%, being lower than the global percentages. In general, genome
      sizes were small, ranging from 2C = ca. 1.5 to ca. 3.5 pg. Intra-specific 2n
      number variation and higher 2n counts were mainly related to polyploidy, which
      relates to the prevalence of even haploid numbers above the mode of 2n in most
      major plant clades. Several orphan genera with almost no cytogenetic studies for
      Cerrado were identified. This effort represents a complete diagnosis for
      cytogenetic attributes of plants of Cerrado.

PMID- 28919966
TI  - Chromosomal stasis in distinct families of marine Percomorpharia from South
      Atlantic.
AB  - The weakness of physical barriers in the marine environment and the dispersal
      potential of fish populations have been invoked as explanations of the apparent
      karyotype stasis of marine Percomorpha, but several taxa remain poorly studied
      cytogenetically. To increase the chromosomal data in this fish group, we analyzed
      cytogenetically three widespread Atlantic species from distinct families:
      Chaetodipterus faber Broussonet, 1782 (Ephippidae), Lutjanus synagris Linnaeus,
      1758 (Lutjanidae) and Rypticus randalli Courtenay, 1967 (Serranidae). The three
      species shared a karyotype composed of 2n=48 acrocentric chromosomes, single
      nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) and reduced amounts of centromeric
      heterochromatin. A single NOR-bearing pair was identified in all species by
      physical mapping of 18S rDNA while non-syntenic 5S rRNA genes were located at
      centromeric region of a single pair. The similar karyotypic macrostructure
      observed in unrelated groups of Percomorpharia reinforces the conservative
      karyoevolution of marine teleosteans. Nonetheless, the species could be
      differentiated based on the pair bearing ribosomal cistrons, revealing the
      importance of microstructural analyses in species with symmetric and stable
      karyotypes.

PMID- 28919967
TI  - Comparative analysis of chromosomes in the Palaearctic bush-crickets of tribe
      Pholidopterini (Orthoptera, Tettigoniinae).
AB  - The present study focused on the evolution of the karyotype in four genera of the
      tribe Pholidopterini: Eupholidoptera Maran, 1953, Parapholidoptera Maran, 1953,
      Pholidoptera Wesmael, 1838, Uvarovistia Maran, 1953. Chromosomes were analyzed
      using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18S rDNA and (TTAGG) n
      telomeric probes, and classical techniques, such as C-banding, silver
      impregnation and fluorochrome DAPI/CMA3 staining. Most species retained the
      ancestral diploid chromosome number 2n = 31 (male) or 32 (female), while some of
      the taxa, especially a group of species within genus Pholidoptera, evolved a
      reduced chromosome number 2n = 29. All species show the same sex determination
      system X0/XX. In some taxa, a pericentric inversion has changed the morphology of
      the ancestral acrocentric X chromosome to the biarmed X. The rDNA loci coincided
      with active NORs and C-band/CG-rich segments. A comparison of the location of the
      single rDNA/NOR in the genus Pholidoptera suggests that reduced chromosome number
      results from Robertsonian translocation between two pairs of autosomes, one
      carrying the rDNA/NOR. The results constitute a step towards better understanding
      of the chromosomal reorganization and evolution within the tribe Phaneropterini
      and the whole subfamily Tettigoniinae.

PMID- 28919968
TI  - A new species of Melitaea from Israel, with notes on taxonomy, cytogenetics,
      phylogeography and interspecific hybridization in the Melitaea persea complex
      (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae).
AB  - Specimens with intermediate morphology are often considered to be the result of
      ongoing interspecific hybridization; however, this conclusion is difficult to
      prove without analysis of chromosomal and/or molecular markers. In the butterfly
      genus Melitaea, such an intermediacy can be detected in male genitalia, and is
      more or less regularly observed in localities where two closely related,
      presumably parental species are found in sympatry. Here I analyze a high altitude
      Melitaea population from Mt. Hermon in north Israel and show that its male
      genitalia are clearly differentiated from those found in phenotypically similar
      M. persea and M. didyma, but in some aspects intermediate between them. This
      hybrid-like population is unique because, although M. didyma is present on Mt.
      Hermon, the true, low-altitude M. persea has never been reported from Israel.
      Cytogenetic analysis revealed no apomorphic chromosomal characters to distinguish
      the Mt. Hermon population from other known taxa of the M. persea and M. didyma
      species groups. At the same time, DNA barcode-based phylogeographic study showed
      that this population is ancient. It was estimated to originate 1-1.6 million
      years ago in the Levantine refugium from a common ancestor with M. persea.
      Generally, the data obtained are incompatible with interpretation of the studied
      population as a taxon conspecific with M. persea or M. didyma, or a swarm of
      recent hybrids between M. persea and M. didyma, although the possibility of
      ancient homoploid hybrid speciation cannot be ruled out. I also argue that the
      name Melitaea montium assigned to butterflies from north Lebanon cannot be
      applied to the studied taxon from Mt. Hermon. Here I describe this
      morphologically and ecologically distinct entity as a new species Melitaea
      acentriasp. n., and compare it with other taxa of the M. persea complex.

PMID- 28919969
TI  - Karyotypic differentiation of populations of the common shrew Sorex araneus L.
      (Mammalia) in Belarus.
AB  - The common shrews, Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758, inhabiting the territory of
      Belarus, are characterized by a significant variation in the frequency of
      Robertsonian (Rb) translocations. The frequency clines for translocations
      specific of three chromosome races: the West Dvina (gm, hk, ip, no, qr), Kiev
      (g/m, hi, k/o, n, p, q, r), and Bialowieza (g/r, hn, ik, m/p, o, q) have already
      been studied in this territory. In this communication we report new data on
      polymorphic populations with Rb metacentrics specific of the Neroosa race (go,
      hi, kr, mn, p/q) in south-eastern Belarus, analyse the distribution of karyotypes
      in southern and central Belarus and draw particular attention to the fixation of
      the acrocentric variants of chromosomes in this area. The results show that
      certain Rb metacentrics specific of the Neroosa, West Dvina, Kiev, and Bialowieza
      races (namely, go and pq; ip; ko; hn and ik, respectively) are absent in many
      polymorphic populations. Thus, the karyotypic differentiation of S. araneus in
      the studied area is determined by unequal spread of different Rb translocations
      and by fixation of acrocentric variants of specific chromosomes.

PMID- 28919970
TI  - B chromosome in Plantago lagopus Linnaeus, 1753 shows preferential transmission
      and accumulation through unusual processes.
AB  - Plantago lagopus is a diploid (2n = 2x =12) weed belonging to family
      Plantaginaceae. We reported a novel B chromosome in this species composed of 5S
      and 45S ribosomal DNA and other repetitive elements. In the present work,
      presence of B chromosome(s) was confirmed through FISH on root tip and pollen
      mother cells. Several experiments were done to determine the transmission of B
      chromosome through male and female sex tracks. Progenies derived from the
      reciprocal crosses between plants with (1B) and without (0B) B chromosomes were
      studied. The frequency of B chromosome bearing plants was significantly higher
      than expected, in the progeny of 1B female * 0B male. Thus, the B chromosome
      seems to have preferential transmission through the female sex track, which may
      be due to meiotic drive. One of the most intriguing aspects of the present study
      was the recovery of plants having more chromosomes than the standard complement
      of 12 chromosomes. Such plants were isolated from the progenies of B chromosome
      carrying plants. The origin of these plants can be explained on the basis of a
      two step process; formation of unreduced gametes in 1B plants and fusion of
      unreduced gametes with the normal gametes or other unreduced gametes. Several
      molecular techniques were used which unequivocally confirmed similar genetic
      constitution of 1B (parent) and plants with higher number of chromosomes.

PMID- 28919971
TI  - B chromosome dynamics in Prochilodus costatus (Teleostei, Characiformes) and
      comparisons with supernumerary chromosome system in other Prochilodus species.
AB  - Within the genus Prochilodus Agassiz, 1829, five species are known to carry B
      chromosomes, i.e. chromosomes beyond the usual diploid number that have been
      traditionally considered as accessory for the genome. Chromosome microdissection
      and mapping of repetitive DNA sequences are effective tools to assess the DNA
      content and allow a better understanding about the origin and composition of
      these elements in an array of species. In this study, a novel characterization of
      B chromosomes in Prochilodus costatus Valenciennes, 1850 (2n=54) was reported for
      the first time and their sequence complementarity with the supernumerary
      chromosomes observed in Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836) and Prochilodus
      argenteus Agassiz, 1829 was investigated. The hybridization patterns obtained
      with chromosome painting using the micro B probe of P. costatus and the satDNA
      SATH1 mapping made it possible to assume homology of sequences between the B
      chromosomes of these congeneric species. Our results suggest that the origin of B
      chromosomes in the genus Prochilodus is a phylogenetically old event.

PMID- 28919972
TI  - Cytogenetic maps of homoeologous chromosomes A h01 and D h01 and their
      integration with the genome assembly in Gossypium hirsutum.
AB  - Cytogenetic maps of Gossypium hirsutum (Linnaeus, 1753) homoeologous chromosomes
      Ah01 and Dh01 were constructed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH),
      using eleven homoeologous-chromosomes-shared bacterial artificial chromosomes
      (BACs) clones and one chromosome-specific BAC clone respectively. We compared the
      cytogenetic maps with the genetic linkage and draft genome assembly maps based on
      a standardized map unit, relative map position (RMP), which allowed a global view
      of the relationship of genetic and physical distances along each chromosome, and
      assembly quality of the draft genome assembly map. By integration of cytogenetic
      maps with sequence maps of the two chromosomes (Ah01 and Dh01), we inferred the
      locations of two scaffolds and speculated that some homologous sequences
      belonging to homoeologous chromosomes were removed as repetitiveness during the
      sequence assembly. The result offers molecular tools for cotton genomics research
      and also provides valuable information for the improvement of the draft genome
      assembly.

PMID- 28919973
TI  - Study of male-mediated gene flow across a hybrid zone in the common shrew (Sorex
      araneus) using Y chromosome.
AB  - Despite many studies, the impact of chromosome rearrangements on gene flow
      between chromosome races of the common shrew (Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758)
      remains unclear. Interracial hybrids form meiotic chromosome complexes that are
      associated with reduced fertility. Nevertheless comprehensive investigations of
      autosomal and mitochondrial markers revealed weak or no barrier to gene flow
      between chromosomally divergent populations. In a narrow zone of contact between
      the Novosibirsk and Tomsk races hybrids are produced with extraordinarily complex
      configurations at meiosis I. Microsatellite markers have not revealed any barrier
      to gene flow, but the phenotypic differentiation between races is greater than
      may be expected if gene flow was unrestricted. To explore this contradiction we
      analyzed the distribution of the Y chromosome SNP markers within this hybrid
      zone. The Y chromosome variants in combination with race specific autosome
      complements allow backcrosses to be distinguished and their proportion among
      individuals within the hybrid zone to be evaluated. The balanced ratio of the Y
      variants observed among the pure race individuals as well as backcrosses reveals
      no male mediated barrier to gene flow. The impact of reproductive unfitness of
      backcrosses on gene flow is discussed as a possible mechanism of the preservation
      of race-specific morphology within the hybrid zone.

PMID- 28919974
TI  - Kinetic and thermodynamic studies reveal chemokine homologues CC11 and CC24 with
      an almost identical tertiary structure have different folding pathways.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proteins with low sequence identity but almost identical tertiary
      structure and function have been valuable to uncover the relationship between
      sequence, tertiary structure, folding mechanism and functions. Two homologous
      chemokines, CCL11 and CCL24, with low sequence identity but similar tertiary
      structure and function, provide an excellent model system for respective studies.
      RESULTS: The kinetics and thermodynamics of the two homologous chemokines were
      systematically characterized. Despite their similar tertiary structures, CCL11
      and CCL24 show different thermodynamic stability in guanidine hydrochloride
      titration, with D50% = 2.20 M and 4.96 M, respectively. The kinetics curves
      clearly show two phases in the folding/unfolding processes of both CCL11 and
      CCL24, which suggests the existence of an intermediate state in their
      folding/unfolding processes. The folding pathway of both CCL11 and CCL24 could be
      well described using a folding model with an on-pathway folding intermediate.
      However, the folding kinetics and stability of the intermediate state of CCL11
      and CCL24 are obviously different. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest homologous
      proteins with low sequence identity can display almost identical tertiary
      structure, but very different folding mechanisms, which applies to homologues in
      the chemokine protein family, extending the general applicability of the above
      observation.

PMID- 28919975
TI  - Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease: a distinct clinical entity?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI) is a common
      clinical condition. Understanding its pathology and clinical features is
      important for early intervention before the onset of dementia. In the past,
      variable definitions and differences in neuropsychological batteries generated
      divergent results of the affected cognitive patterns. MAIN BODY: The introduction
      of PD-MCI criteria by the Movement Disorders Society (MDS) Task Force provides a
      more uniform system for defining and measuring PD-MCI and may improve the
      validity of future research. PD-MCI is likely to be heterogeneous since it can
      coexist with Alzheimer's disease and/ or Lewy body pathologies in PD.
      Pathogeneses of neuropsychiatric disturbances, such as depression, anxiety and
      apathy, are associated with PD with or without MCI. In addition, cognitive
      reserve formed by patients' unique life experiences may influence the outward
      cognitive performance despite the presence of the aforementioned pathogeneses and
      hence alter the diagnosis of MCI. CONCLUSION: The overlap of cognitive impairment
      across different neurodegenerative diseases suggests that PD-MCI is likely to
      result from a mixture of complex pathophysiologies, rather than being a distinct
      pathologic entity. Differentiating MCI from other organic symptoms in PD would
      facilitate novel therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28919977
TI  - Efficient and selective oxidation of sulfur mustard using singlet oxygen
      generated by a pyrene-based metal-organic framework.
AB  - A pyrene-based metal-organic framework (MOF) NU-1000 was used as a heterogeneous
      photocatalyst for the degradation of a sulfur mustard simulant, 2-chloroethyl
      ethyl sulfide (CEES). Using irradiation from a commercially available and
      inexpensive ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED), singlet oxygen (1O2) is
      generated by NU-1000 and selectively oxidizes CEES to the nontoxic product 2
      chloroethyl ethyl sulfoxide (CEESO). More importantly, this method was tested on
      the warfare agent sulfur mustard (HD) for the first time using 1O2 and a MOF
      catalyst, and this method proved to be effective in oxidizing sulfur mustard to
      nontoxic products without forming the toxic sulfone by-product.

PMID- 28919976
TI  - Impacts of prenatal nutrition on animal production and performance: a focus on
      growth and metabolic and endocrine function in sheep.
AB  - The concept of foetal programming (FP) originated from human epidemiological
      studies, where foetal life nutrition was linked to health and disease status
      later in life. Since the proposal of this phenomenon, it has been evaluated in
      various animal models to gain further insights into the mechanisms underlying the
      foetal origins of health and disease in humans. In FP research, the sheep has
      been quite extensively used as a model for humans. In this paper we will review
      findings mainly from our Copenhagen sheep model, on the implications of late
      gestation malnutrition for growth, development, and metabolic and endocrine
      functions later in life, and discuss how these implications may depend on the
      diet fed to the animal in early postnatal life. Our results have indicated that
      negative implications of foetal malnutrition, both as a result of overnutrition
      and, particularly, late gestation undernutrition, can impair a wide range of
      endocrine functions regulating growth and presumably also reproductive traits.
      These implications are not readily observable early in postnatal life, but are
      increasingly manifested as the animal approaches adulthood. No intervention or
      cure is known that can reverse this programming in postnatal life. Our findings
      suggest that close to normal growth and slaughter results can be obtained at
      least until puberty in animals which have undergone adverse programming in foetal
      life, but manifestation of programming effects becomes increasingly evident in
      adult animals. Due to the risk of transfer of the adverse programming effects to
      future generations, it is therefore recommended that animals that are suspected
      to have undergone adverse FP are not used for reproduction. Unfortunately, no
      reliable biomarkers have as yet been identified that allow accurate
      identification of adversely programmed offspring at birth, except for very low or
      high birth weights, and, in pigs, characteristic changes in head shape (dolphin
      head). Future efforts should be therefore dedicated to identify reliable
      biomarkers and evaluate their effectiveness for alleviation/reversal of the
      adverse programming in postnatal life. Our sheep studies have shown that the
      adverse impacts of an extreme, high-fat diet in early postnatal life, but not
      prenatal undernutrition, can be largely reversed by dietary correction later in
      life. Thus, birth (at term) appears to be a critical set point for permanent
      programming in animals born precocial, such as sheep. Appropriate attention to
      the nutrition of the late pregnant dam should therefore be a priority in animal
      production systems.

PMID- 28919978
TI  - Controlled Substance Agreements for Opioids in a Primary Care Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opioids are widely prescribed for chronic non cancer pain (CNCP).
      Controlled substance agreements (CSAs) are intended to increase adherence and
      mitigate risk with opioid prescribing. We evaluated the  demographic 
      characteristics of a nd opioid dosing for patients with CNCP enrolled in  CSAs in
      a primary care practice. METHODS: We conducted a retrospect ive cohort study of 
      1066 patients enrolled in CSAs between May 9, 2013  and August 15, 2016 for CNCP
      in a Midwest primary care practice. RESULTS: Patients were prescribed an average
      of 40.8 (SD +/- 57.0) morphine milligram equivalents per day (MME/day), and 21.5%
      of patients were receiving >=50 MME/day and 9.7% were receiving >=90 MME/day.
      Patients who were younger in age (>= 65 vs. < 65 years, P < 0.0001), male gender
      (P = 0.0001), and used tobacco (P = 0.0002) received significantly higher
      MME/day. Patients with more co-morbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index, CCI)
      received higher MME/day (CCI > 3 vs. CCI <= 3, P = 0.03), and reported higher
      average pain (CCI > 3 mean 5.8 [SD +/- 2.1] vs. CCI <= 3 mean 5.3 [SD +/- 2.0], P
      = 0.0011). Patients on an identified tapering plan (6.9%) had higher MME/day than
      patients not on a tapering plan (P = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: CSAs present an
      opportunity to engage patients taking higher doses of opioids in discussions
      about opioid safety, appropriate dosing and tapering. CSAs could be leveraged to
      develop a population health management approach to the care of patients with
      CNCP.

PMID- 28919979
TI  - Reversal of fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatosis after gastric
      bypass surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) improves the pathophysiology that
      contributes to obesity-related nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Whether
      obesity-related fibrosis improves is unclear. We hypothesized that RYGB reverses
      NASH and fibrosis, and indocyanine green (ICG) clearance provides a sensitive
      measure for detecting asymptomatic fatty liver disease. METHODS: One hundred six
      obese adults scheduled for RYGB had preoperative liver function assessed using
      standard tests and ICG clearance and core liver biopsies obtained during RYGB.
      Once patients lost 60% of their preoperative weight or weight loss plateaued,
      liver function was reassessed. Repeat liver biopsies were obtained on patients
      with NASH at the time of RYGB. RESULTS: RYGB improved steatosis, lobular
      inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning and fibrosis. Serum albumin, AST, and ALT
      decreased the most in patients with NASH and NASH plus fibrosis. Twenty seven
      (26%) patients had normal baseline liver histology and 45 (43%) had NASH or NASH
      plus fibrosis. Nine of 13 patients with substantial fatty liver had normalized
      histology after weight loss, while severity of disease in the rest had stabilized
      or was reduced. Mean ICG clearance in patients with normal/mild fatty liver
      disease and those with histological fatty livers did not differ significantly.
      CONCLUSIONS: RYGB surgery reverses NASH and liver fibrosis. Underlying mechanisms
      that facilitate improvement remain unclear.

PMID- 28919980
TI  - Hemicerebellitis can drive handedness shift.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemicerebellitisis a rare acquired condition, typical of the
      pediatric age. A residual switched handedness may develop after remission of
      acute cerebellar symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein we describe a motor
      functional MRI studyperformed in a 35-year old girl who had switched to left
      handedness after acute right hemicerebellitis in childhood. During left hand
      tapping, we observed activation in the right primary sensori-motor cortex, right
      supplementary motor area and left superior cerebellum. During right hand tapping
      bilateral activations of primary sensori-motorcortex and superior cerebellum
      including the vermis and activation of the right supplementary motor area were
      observed. We speculate that during right hand tapping both the ipsilateral and
      contralateralpre-central gyri and the ipsilateral cerebellum would be engaged in
      order to recover the tapping internal model of action. From this perspective the
      ipsilateral pre-central gyrus might serve as are transmission station of
      information from the healthy cerebellum to the contralateral pre-central gyrus.
      CONCLUSION: Selective damage of the right half of the cerebellum due to
      hemicerebellitis in childhood can drive shift of lateralized hand functions in
      the cerebrum.

PMID- 28919981
TI  - Regulation of cancer epigenomes with a histone-binding synthetic transcription
      factor.
AB  - Chromatin proteins have expanded the mammalian synthetic biology toolbox by
      enabling control of active and silenced states at endogenous genes. Others have
      reported synthetic proteins that bind DNA and regulate genes by altering
      chromatin marks, such as histone modifications. Previously, we reported the first
      synthetic transcriptional activator, the "Polycomb-based transcription factor"
      (PcTF) that reads histone modifications through a protein-protein interaction
      between the polycomb chromodomain motif and trimethylated lysine 27 of histone H3
      (H3K27me3). Here, we describe the genome-wide behavior of the polycomb-based
      transcription factor fusion protein. Transcriptome and chromatin profiling
      revealed several polycomb-based transcription factor-sensitive promoter regions
      marked by distal H3K27me3 and proximal fusion protein binding. These results
      illuminate a mechanism in which polycomb-based transcription factor interactions
      bridge epigenomic marks with the transcription initiation complex at target
      genes. In three cancer-derived human cell lines tested here, some target genes
      encode developmental regulators and tumor suppressors. Thus, the polycomb-based
      transcription factor represents a powerful new fusion protein-based method for
      cancer research and treatment where silencing marks are translated into direct
      gene activation.

PMID- 28919982
TI  - Effective management of spasticity and impacts on weight change and resting
      energy expenditure in a female with spinal cord injury: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The impact of muscle spasticity on weight change and energy
      expenditure after spinal cord injury (SCI) is not well understood. CASE
      PRESENTATION: This case study reports changes to body weight and resting energy
      expenditure (REE) in a 36-year-old female (T3 AIS A SCI; 80 kg; body mass
      index=28 kg m-2 at injury) requiring escalating therapies to manage severe
      spasticity. Body weight, spasticity medications and fasted REE (measured using
      indirect calorimetry, canopy hood) were recorded at 4, 16, 17, 20 and 44 months
      post injury. Spasticity was assessed at each time point using the Modified
      Ashworth Scale (MAS). At 4 months post injury, REE was high (1710 kcal per day)
      corresponding with severe spasticity in the lower limbs (4 on the MAS). Over the
      following 12 months, the patient experienced an 8 kg weight loss, visible lower
      limb muscle wasting and a 30% reduction in REE while requiring increasing drug
      therapies for spasticity. With insertion of an intrathecal Baclofen pump at 17
      months and cessation of other medications, spasticity improved markedly and
      weight increased by 6 kg in 27 months without any significant change to REE
      (mean=1260 kcal+/-2%). DISCUSSION: Effective management of spasticity with
      intrathecal Baclofen appears to be associated with weight gain but not REE.
      Without body composition and activity energy expenditure data, this observation
      is difficult to explain. Regardless, routine weight monitoring with appropriate
      dietary counselling should be considered in this patient group to help prevent
      unintentional weight gain.

PMID- 28919983
TI  - Deep Learning of Tissue Fate Features in Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - In acute ischemic stroke treatment, prediction of tissue survival outcome plays a
      fundamental role in the clinical decision-making process, as it can be used to
      assess the balance of risk vs. possible benefit when considering endovascular
      clot-retrieval intervention. For the first time, we construct a deep learning
      model of tissue fate based on randomly sampled local patches from the
      hypoperfusion (Tmax) feature observed in MRI immediately after symptom onset. We
      evaluate the model with respect to the ground truth established by an expert
      neurologist four days after intervention. Experiments on 19 acute stroke patients
      evaluated the accuracy of the model in predicting tissue fate. Results show the
      superiority of the proposed regional learning framework versus a single-voxel
      based regression model.

PMID- 28919984
TI  - Serum Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio and Risk Markers for Cardiovascular Disease in an
      Industrial Population of Delhi.
AB  - High omega-6/omega-3 ratio intake promotes development of many chronic diseases.
      Secondary prevention studies though have demonstrated a decline in progression of
      many such diseases after reducing the intake, specific biochemical indices of
      cardiovascular disease risk markers have not been evaluated. We have evaluated
      the circulating levels of omega-6/omega-3 ratio and its effect on cardiovascular
      risk markers in India. Present study was conducted in industrial setting where
      employees were randomly selected. Data on their demographic characteristics were
      collected using pre-tested questionnaire. Fasting blood samples were collected
      from all the participants. Serum was separated and stored at -80 degrees C till
      the time of analysis. Lipids were estimated using standard kits. Fatty acids in
      serum were estimated by Gas chromatography. The identified Omega-3 fatty acid
      included were 18:3 (Alpha-linolenic acid), 20:5 (Eicosapentenoic acid) & 22:6
      (Docosahexenoic acid). Among omega-6 included were 18:2 (linoleic acid), 18:3
      (gamma-linolenic acid) & 20:4 (Arachidonic acid). Complete data was available for
      176 participants (89% males and 11% females) with mean age of 47.23 +/- 6.00
      years. The bmi of the participants was 24.88 +/- 3.43 Kg/m2 and waist
      circumference was 91.50 +/- 9.56 cm. The median of omega-6/omega-3 ratio in the
      study population was 36.69 (range: 6.21 - 183.69). The levels of total
      cholesterol, triglycerides, ldl-cholesterol and cholesterol/hdl ratio and apo B
      correlated significantly with omega-6/3 ratio. There was no correlation observed
      with hsCRP and LDL-particle size. A direct relationship of omega-6/omega-3 ratio
      with dyslipidemia was observed in our study.

PMID- 28919985
TI  - Human tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) regulate Treg functions via cell surface
      signaling rather than uptake mechanisms.
AB  - Tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) are ubiquitously present in the tumor
      microenvironment and plasma of cancer patients. TEX carry a cargo of multiple
      stimulatory and inhibitory molecules and deliver them to recipient cells, serving
      as a communication network for the tumor. The mechanisms TEX use for delivering
      messages to recipient cells were evaluated using PKH26-labeled TEX produced by
      cultured human tumor cells, exosomes produced by dendritic cells-derived exosomes
      (DEX), or exosomes isolated from plasma of cancer patients (EXO). Human T-cell
      subsets, B cells, NK cells, and monocytes were co-incubated with TEX, DEX, or EXO
      and binding or internalization of labeled vesicles was evaluated by confocal
      microscopy and/or Amnis-based flow cytometry. Vesicle-induced Ca2+ influx in
      recipient T cells was monitored, and TEX-induced inosine production in Treg was
      determined by mass spectrometry. In contrast to B cells, NK cells or monocytes,
      conventional T cells did not internalize labeled vesicles. Minimal exosome uptake
      was only evident in Treg following prolonged co-incubation with TEX. All exosomes
      induced Ca2+ influx in T cells, with TEX and EXO isolated from cancer patients'
      plasma delivering the strongest, sustained signaling to Treg. Such sustained
      signaling resulted in the significant upregulation of the conversion of
      extracellular ATP to inosine (adenosine metabolite) by Treg, suggesting that TEX
      signaling could have functional consequences in these recipient cells. Thus,
      modulation of Treg suppressor functions by TEX is mediated by mechanisms
      dependent on cell surface signaling and does not require TEX internalization by
      recipient cells.

PMID- 28919986
TI  - Immune biomarkers for prognosis and prediction of responses to immune checkpoint
      blockade in cutaneous melanoma.
AB  - Existing clinical, anatomopathological and molecular biomarkers fail to reliably
      predict the prognosis of cutaneous melanoma. Biomarkers for determining which
      patients receive adjuvant therapies are needed. The emergence of new technologies
      and the discovery of new immune populations with different prognostic values
      allow the immune network in the tumor to be better understood. Importantly, new
      molecules identified and expressed by immune cells have been shown to reduce the
      antitumor immune efficacy of therapies, prompting researchers to develop
      antibodies targeting these so-called "immune checkpoints", which have now entered
      the oncotherapeutic armamentarium.

PMID- 28919987
TI  - Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression influences the immune-tolerogenic
      microenvironment in antiretroviral therapy-refractory Kaposi's sarcoma: A pilot
      study.
AB  - Upregulation of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a mechanism of immune escape
      utilized by a variety of tumors. PD-L1 expression in tumor cells or in the
      surrounding infiltrate correlates with clinical responsiveness to novel therapies
      targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint. In the context of HIV-1 infection,
      Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is largely responsive to restoration of immunity following
      combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), but there is a subset that is not. We
      hypothesized that this subset of cART-refractory KS may utilize the PD-L1 pathway
      of immune escape. We found that PD-L1 expressing KS had a denser CD8+ T cell (p =
      0.03) and PD-L1 positive macrophage peritumoral infiltrate (p = 0.04) to suggest
      the involvement of PD-L1 in shaping an immune-tolerogenic microenvironment in
      cART-refractory KS. The presence of PD-L1 expression in association with immune
      infiltrating cells provides rationale for the clinical development PD-1/PD-L1
      targeted checkpoint inhibitors in cART-refractory KS.

PMID- 28919988
TI  - Identification of a HLA-A*0201-restricted immunogenic epitope from the universal
      tumor antigen DEPDC1.
AB  - The identification of universal tumor-specific antigens shared between multiple
      patients and/or multiple tumors is of great importance to overcome the practical
      limitations of personalized cancer immunotherapy. Recent studies support the
      involvement of DEPDC1 in many aspects of cancer traits, such as cell
      proliferation, resistance to induction of apoptosis and cell invasion, suggesting
      that it may play key roles in the oncogenic process. In this study, we report
      that DEPDC1 expression is upregulated in most types of human tumors, and closely
      linked to a poorer prognosis; therefore, it might be regarded as a novel
      universal oncoantigen potentially suitable for targeting many different cancers.
      In this regard, we report the identification of a HLA-A*0201 allele-restricted
      immunogenic DEPDC1-derived epitope, which is able to induce cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes (CTL) exerting a strong and specific functional response in vitro
      toward not only peptide-loaded cells but also triple negative breast cancer
      (TNBC) cells endogenously expressing the DEPDC1 protein. Such CTL are also
      therapeutically active against human TNBC xenografts in vivo upon adoptive
      transfer in immunodeficient mice. Overall, these data provide evidence that this
      DEPDC1-derived antigenic epitope can be exploited as a new tool for developing
      immunotherapeutic strategies for HLA-A*0201 patients with TNBC, and potentially
      many other cancers.

PMID- 28919989
TI  - Cyclophosphamide treatment regulates the balance of functional/exhausted tumor
      specific CD8+ T cells.
AB  - An important question is how chemotherapy may (re-)activate tumor-specific
      immunity. In this study, we provide a phenotypic, functional and genomic analysis
      of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells in tumor (P815)-bearing mice, treated or not with
      cyclophosphamide. Our data show that chemotherapy favors the development of
      effector-type lymphocytes in tumor bed, characterized by higher KLRG-1
      expression, lower PD-1 expression and increased cytotoxicity. This suggests re
      engagement of T lymphocytes into the effector program. IFN-I appears involved in
      this remodeling. Our findings provide some insight into how cyclophosphamide
      regulates the amplitude and quality of tumor-specific immune responses.

PMID- 28919990
TI  - Pharmacological targeting of peptidylarginine deiminase 4 prevents cancer
      associated kidney injury in mice.
AB  - Renal insufficiency is a frequent cancer-associated problem affecting more than
      half of all cancer patients at the time of diagnosis. To minimize nephrotoxic
      effects the dosage of anticancer drugs are reduced in these patients, leading to
      sub-optimal treatment efficacy. Despite the severity of this cancer-associated
      pathology, the molecular mechanisms, as well as therapeutic options, are still
      largely lacking. We here show that formation of intravascular tumor-induced
      neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is a cause of kidney injury in tumor
      bearing mice. Analysis of clinical biomarkers for kidney function revealed
      impaired creatinine clearance and elevated total protein levels in urine from
      tumor-bearing mice. Electron microscopy analysis of the kidneys from mice with
      cancer showed reversible pathological signs such as mesangial hypercellularity,
      while permanent damage such as fibrosis or necrosis was not observed. Removal of
      NETs by treatment with DNase I, or pharmacological inhibition of the enzyme
      peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), was sufficient to restore renal function in
      mice with cancer. Tumor-induced systemic inflammation and impaired perfusion of
      peripheral vessels could be reverted by the PAD4 inhibitor. In conclusion, the
      current study identifies NETosis as a previously unknown cause of cancer
      associated renal dysfunction and describes a novel promising approach to prevent
      renal failure in individuals with cancer.

PMID- 28919991
TI  - Umbilical cord blood CD34+ progenitor-derived NK cells efficiently kill ovarian
      cancer spheroids and intraperitoneal tumors in NOD/SCID/IL2Rgnull mice.
AB  - Adoptive transfer of allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells is an attractive
      therapy approach against ovarian carcinoma. Here, we evaluated the potency of
      highly active NK cells derived from human CD34+ haematopoietic stem and
      progenitor cells (HSPC) to infiltrate and mediate killing of human ovarian cancer
      spheroids using an in vivo-like model system and mouse xenograft model. These
      CD56+Perforin+ HSPC-NK cells were generated under stroma-free conditions in the
      presence of StemRegenin-1, IL-15, and IL-12, and exerted efficient cytolytic
      activity and IFNgamma production toward ovarian cancer monolayer cultures. Live
      imaging confocal microscopy demonstrated that these HSPC-NK cells actively
      migrate, infiltrate, and mediate tumor cell killing in a three-dimensional
      multicellular ovarian cancer spheroid. Infiltration of up to 30% of total HSPC-NK
      cells within 8 h resulted in robust tumor spheroid destruction. Furthermore,
      intraperitoneal HSPC-NK cell infusions in NOD/SCID-IL2Rgammanull (NSG) mice
      bearing ovarian carcinoma significantly reduced tumor progression. These findings
      demonstrate that highly functional HSPC-NK cells efficiently destruct ovarian
      carcinoma spheroids in vitro and kill intraperitoneal ovarian tumors in vivo,
      providing great promise for effective immunotherapy through intraperitoneal HSPC
      NK cell adoptive transfer in ovarian carcinoma patients.

PMID- 28919992
TI  - Molecular and clinical characterization of TIM-3 in glioma through 1,024 samples.
AB  - Background: Researches on immunotherapy of glioma has been increasing
      exponentially in recent years. However, autoimmune-like side effects of current
      immune checkpoint blockade hindered the clinical application of immunotherapy in
      glioma. The discovery of the TIM-3, a tumor-specific immune checkpoint, has shed
      a new light on solution of this dilemma. We aimed at investigating the role of
      TIM-3 at transcriptome level and its relationship with clinical practice in
      glioma. Methods: A cohort of 325 glioma patients with RNA-seq data from Chinese
      Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA project) was analyzed, and the results were well
      validated in TCGA RNA-seq data of 699 gliomas. R language was used as the main
      tool for statistical analysis and graphical work. Results: TIM-3 was enriched in
      glioblastoma (the most malignant glioma) and IDH-wildtype glioma. TIM-3 can act
      as a potential marker for mesenchymal molecular subtype according to TCGA
      transcriptional classification scheme in glioma. TIM-3 was closely related to
      immune functions in glioma, especially T cell mediated immune response to tumor
      cell and T cell mediated cytotoxicity directed against tumor cell target.
      Moreover, TIM-3 and PD-L1 played almost exactly the same inflammatory activation
      functions in glioma. Clinically, high expression of TIM-3 was an independent
      indicator of poor prognosis. Conclusion: The expression of TIM-3 is closely
      related to the pathology and molecular pathology of glioma. Meanwhile, in glioma
      TIM-3 plays a specific role in T cell tumor immune response. Therefore, TIM-3 is
      a promising target for immunotherapeutic strategies, providing an alternative
      treatment when glioma gains resistance to antibodies of PD-1/PD-L1.

PMID- 28919993
TI  - Tumor necrosis and infiltrating macrophages predict survival after curative
      resection for cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Background. Tumor necrosis as well as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the
      tumor invasive front (TIF) have been suggested to have a prognostic value in
      selected solid tumors, inclusive hilar cholangiocarcinoma. However, little is
      known regarding their influence on tumor progression and prognosis in
      intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC). Methods. We analyzed surgically resected
      tumor specimens of human iCC (n = 88) for distribution and localization of TAMs,
      as defined by expression of CD68, formation of necrosis and extent of peritumoral
      fibrosis. Abundance of TAMs, tumor necrosis and grade of fibrosis were assessed
      immunohistochemically and histologically and correlated with clinicopathological
      characteristics, tumor recurrence and patients' survival. Statistical analysis
      was performed using SPSS software. Results. Patients with tumors characterized by
      low levels of TAMs in TIF or necrosis showed a significantly decreased 1-, 3- and
      5-y recurrence-free survival and a significantly decreased overall survival, when
      compared with patients with tumors showing high levels of TAMs in TIF or no
      necrosis. Patients with high density of TAMs in TIF showed significantly lower
      incidence of tumor recurrence, as well (p < 0.05). Absence of tumor necrosis and
      TAMs in TIF were confirmed as independent prognostic variables in the
      multivariate survival analysis (all p < 0.05). Conclusions. High levels of TAMs
      in TIF or absence of histologic tumor necrosis are associated with a
      significantly improved recurrence-free and overall survival of patients with iCC.
      These results suggest TAMs and necrosis as valuable prognostic markers in routine
      histopathologic evaluation, and might indicate more individualized therapeutic
      strategies.

PMID- 28919994
TI  - Effect of entinostat on NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against osteosarcoma cells
      and osteosarcoma lung metastasis.
AB  - There is a crucial need for a new therapeutic approach for osteosarcoma (OS) lung
      metastasis since this disease remains the main cause of mortality in OS. We
      previously demonstrated that natural killer (NK) cell therapy has minimal
      efficacy against OS metastasis. This study determined whether the histone
      deacetylase inhibitor entinostat could immunosensitize OS cells to NK cell lysis
      and increases the efficacy of NK cell therapy for OS lung metastasis. Entinostat
      upregulated ligands for NK cell-activating receptors (major histocompatibility
      complex [MHC] class I polypeptide-related chain A [MICA] and B [MICB]; UL16
      binding proteins 1, 2, 5, and 6; and CD155) on OS cells both in vitro and in vivo
      and led to more susceptibility to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro.
      Importantly, entinostat did not change NK cell viability, receptor expression, or
      function within the 24-h treatment. We also demonstrated two potential mechanisms
      by which entinostat enhanced expression of MICA and MICB on OS cells. Although
      entinostat upregulated ligands for the NK cell activating receptor on OS lung
      metastasis, it failed to augment the efficacy of NK cell therapy in our nude
      mouse human OS lung metastasis model. This can be partly explained by our finding
      that although the infused NK cells were active and functional and could penetrate
      into the lungs, they failed to infiltrate into the lung nodules. These challenges
      regarding cellular immunotherapy against solid tumors may be overcome by
      combination therapy, such as adding a NK cell-activating cytokine (IL-2 or IL
      21).

PMID- 28919996
TI  - MEK inhibition and immune responses in advanced melanoma.
AB  - phase II and III clinical trials demonstrated modest anti- tumor activity of
      Binimetinib (MEK162) - a potent allosteric inhibitor of MEK1 and MEK2- in
      patients with advanced NRAS mutant melanoma. The analysis of the NEMO study in
      NRAS mutated melanoma, has shown that pre-treatment with immunotherapy improved
      the outcome of binimetinib therapy. We discuss this finding in the context of in
      vitro and in vivo effects of MEK inhibition on immuno-critical pathways and
      interactions.

PMID- 28919995
TI  - Mammary tumor-derived CCL2 enhances pro-metastatic systemic inflammation through
      upregulation of IL1beta in tumor-associated macrophages.
AB  - Patients with primary solid malignancies frequently exhibit signs of systemic
      inflammation. Notably, elevated levels of neutrophils and their associated
      soluble mediators are regularly observed in cancer patients, and correlate with
      reduced survival and increased metastasis formation. Recently, we demonstrated a
      mechanistic link between mammary tumor-induced IL17-producing gammadelta T cells,
      systemic expansion of immunosuppressive neutrophils and metastasis formation in a
      genetically engineered mouse model for invasive breast cancer. How tumors
      orchestrate this systemic inflammatory cascade to facilitate dissemination
      remains unclear. Here we show that activation of this cascade relies on CCL2
      mediated induction of IL1beta in tumor-associated macrophages. In line with these
      findings, expression of CCL2 positively correlates with IL1Beta and macrophage
      markers in human breast tumors. We demonstrate that blockade of CCL2 in mammary
      tumor-bearing mice results in reduced IL17 production by gammadelta T cells,
      decreased neutrophil expansion and enhanced CD8+ T cell activity. These results
      highlight a new role for CCL2 in facilitating the breast cancer-induced pro
      metastatic systemic inflammatory gammadelta T cell - IL17 - neutrophil axis.

PMID- 28919997
TI  - Increased infiltration and tolerised antigen-specific CD8+ TEM cells in tumor but
      not peripheral blood have no impact on survival of HCMV+ glioblastoma patients.
AB  - Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) antigens in glioblastoma (GBM) present opportunities
      for personalised immunotherapy. However, their presence in GBM tissue is still
      under debate, and evidence of their impact on functional immune responses and
      prognosis is sparse. Here, we investigated the presence of pp65 (UL83) and
      immediate early 1 (IE-1) HCMV antigens in a cohort of Norwegian GBM patients (n =
      177), using qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and serology. HCMV status was then used
      to investigate whether viral antigens influenced immune cell phenotype,
      infiltration, activation and patient survival. Pp65 and IE-1 were detected by
      qPCR in 23% and 43% of GBM patients, respectively. Furthermore, there was
      increased seropositivity in GBM patients relative to donors (79% vs. 48%,
      respectively; Logistic regression, OR = 4.05, 95%CI [1.807-9.114], P = 0.001,
      also when adjusted for age (OR = 2.84, 95%CI [1.110-7.275], P = 0.029). Tissue IE
      1-positivity correlated with increased CD3+CD8+ T-cell infiltration (P < 0.0001),
      where CD8+ effector memory T (TEM) cells accounted for the majority of CD8+T
      cells compared with peripheral blood of HCMV+ patients (P < 0.0001), and HCMV+ (P
      < 0.001) and HCMV- (P < 0.001) donors. HLA-A2/B8-restricted HCMV-specific CD8+ T
      cells were more frequent in blood and tumor of HCMV+ GBM patients compared with
      seronegative patients, and donors irrespective of their serostatus. In biopsies,
      the HCMV-specific CD8+ TEM cells highly expressed CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune
      checkpoint protein markers compared with populations in peripheral blood (P <
      0.001 and P < 0.0001), which expressed 3-fold greater levels of CD28 (P < 0.001
      and P < 0.0001). These peripheral blood T cells correspondingly secreted higher
      levels of IFNgamma in response to pp65 and IE-1 peptide stimulation (P < 0.001).
      Thus, despite apparent increased immunogenicity of HCMV compared with tumor
      antigens, the T cells were tolerised, and HCMV status did not impact patient
      survival (Log Rank3.53 HR = 0.85 95%CI [0.564-1.290], P = 0.45). Enhancing immune
      functionality in the tumor microenvironment thus may improve patient outcome.

PMID- 28919998
TI  - Reciprocal influence of B cells and tumor macro and microenvironments in the
      ApcMin/+ model of colorectal cancer.
AB  - One of the most fascinating aspects of the immune system is its dynamism, meant
      as the ability to change and readapt according to the organism needs. Following
      an insult, we assist to the spontaneous organization of different immune cells
      which cooperate, locally and at distance, to build up an appropriate response.
      Throughout tumor progression, adaptations within the systemic tumor environment,
      or macroenvironment, result in the promotion of tumor growth, tumor invasion and
      metastasis to distal organs, but also to dramatic changes in the activity and
      composition of the immune system. In this work, we show the changes of the B-cell
      arm of the immune system following tumor progression in the ApcMin/+ model of
      colorectal cancer. Tumor macroenvironment leads to an increased proportion of
      total and IL-10-competent B cells in draining LNs while activates a
      differentiation route that leads to the expansion of IgA+ lymphocytes in the
      spleen and peritoneum. Importantly, serum IgA levels were significantly higher in
      ApcMin/+ than Wt mice. The peculiar involvement of IgA response in the
      adenomatous transformation had correlates in the gut-mucosal compartment where
      IgA-positive elements increased from normal mucosa to areas of low grade
      dysplasia while decreasing upon overt carcinomatous transformation. Altogether,
      our findings provide a snapshot of the tumor education of B lymphocytes in the
      ApcMin/+ model of colorectal cancer. Understanding how tumor macroenvironment
      affects the differentiation, function and distribution of B lymphocytes is
      pivotal to the generation of specific therapies, targeted to switching B cells to
      an anti-, rather than pro-, tumoral phenotype.

PMID- 28919999
TI  - First report of clinical responses to immunotherapy in 3 relapsing cases of
      chordoma after failure of standard therapies.
AB  - Chordoma is a rare tumor of notochordal origin, currently principally treated by
      surgery and/or irradiation. Here, we describe the clinical outcome of 3
      consecutive patients with metastatic and locally advanced chordoma, treated with
      different immunotherapeutic approaches. All patients presented fast growing
      tumors and failure of standard therapies. One was treated with a tumor-based
      vaccine, the 2 others with anti-PD1 antibodies, all with impressive clinical and
      radiological responses. We therefore propose that chordoma is an immunogenic
      tumor and thus that translational and clinical research is necessary to develop
      rationally designed immunotherapy approaches.

PMID- 28920000
TI  - Oncolytic peptide LTX-315 induces an immune-mediated abscopal effect in a rat
      sarcoma model.
AB  - LTX 315 is an oncolytic peptide with potent immunological properties. In the
      present study, we demonstrate that intratumoral treatment with LTX-315 resulted
      in a complete regression and systemic immune response in a rat fibrosarcoma
      model. The treatment was T-cell dependent, and also resulted in an abscopal
      effect as demonstrated by the regression of distal non-treated lesions.
      Significant infiltration of CD8+ T cells was observed in both treated and non
      treated lesions, as shown by immunohistochemical and flow cytometric analysis.
      LTX-315 rapidly killed the cells in vitro with a lytic mode of action followed by
      the subsequent release of Danger-Associated Molecular Pattern (DAMP) molecules
      such as HMGB1, ATP and Cytochrome c. Together, our data demonstrate that LTX-315
      represents a new approach to cancer immunotherapy, which has the potential as a
      novel immunotherapeutic agent.

PMID- 28920001
TI  - Zoledronic acid inhibits NFAT and IL-2 signaling pathways in regulatory T cells
      and diminishes their suppressive function in patients with metastatic cancer.
AB  - Regulatory T cells (Treg) suppress anti-tumor immune responses and their
      infiltration in the tumor microenvironment is associated with inferior prognosis
      in cancer patients. Thus, in order to enhance anti-tumor immune responses,
      selective depletion of Treg is highly desired. We found that treatment with
      zoledronic acid (ZA) resulted in a selective decrease in the frequency of Treg
      that was associated with a significant increase in proliferation of T cells and
      natural killer (NK) cells in peripheral blood of patients with metastatic cancer.
      In vitro, genome-wide transcriptomic analysis revealed alterations in calcium
      signaling pathways in Treg following treatment with ZA. Furthermore, co
      localization of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and forkhead box
      P3 (FOXP3) was significantly reduced in Treg upon ZA-treatment. Consequently,
      reduced expression levels of CD25, STAT5 and TGFbeta were observed. Functionally,
      ZA-treated Treg had reduced capacity to suppress T and NK cell proliferation and
      anti-tumor responses compared with untreated Treg in vitro. Treatment with ZA to
      selectively inhibit essential signaling pathways in Treg resulting in reduced
      capacity to suppress effector T and NK cell responses represents a novel approach
      to inhibit Treg activity in patients with cancer.

PMID- 28920003
TI  - Cd226-/- natural killer cells fail to establish stable contacts with cancer cells
      and show impaired control of tumor metastasis in vivo.
AB  - CD226 is an activating receptor expressed on natural killer (NK) cells, CD8+ T
      cells, and other immune cells. Upon binding to its ligands expressed on target
      cells, CD226 activates intracellular signaling that triggers cytokine production
      and degranulation in NK cells. However, the role of CD226 in contact dynamics
      between NK and cancer cells has remained unclear. Our time-lapse images showed
      that individual wild-type CD226+ NK cells contacted B16F10 melanoma cells for
      23.7 min, but Cd226-/- NK cells only for 12.8 min, although both NK cell subsets
      showed equal contact frequency over 4 h. On the surface of B16F10 cells, CD226+
      cells stayed at the same site with oscillating movement (named stable contact),
      while Cd226-/- NK cells moved around at a velocity of 4 MUm/min (named unstable
      contact). Consequently, Cd226-/- NK cells did not kill B16F10 cells in vitro and
      did not inhibit their metastasis into the lung in vivo. Taken together, our data
      demonstrate that CD226 enables prolonged stable interaction between NK and cancer
      cells, which is needed for efficient killing of cancer cells.

PMID- 28920002
TI  - EP4 Antagonism by E7046 diminishes Myeloid immunosuppression and synergizes with
      Treg-reducing IL-2-Diphtheria toxin fusion protein in restoring anti-tumor
      immunity.
AB  - Reprogramming of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) by targeting
      alternatively activated tumor associated macrophages (M2TAM), myeloid-derived
      suppressor cells (MDSC), and regulatory T cells (Tregs), represents a promising
      strategy for developing novel cancer immunotherapy. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), an
      arachidonic acid pathway metabolite and mediator of chronic inflammation, has
      emerged as a powerful immunosuppressor in the TME through engagement with one or
      more of its 4 receptors (EP1-EP4). We have developed E7046, an orally
      bioavailable EP4-specific antagonist and show here that E7046 has specific and
      potent inhibitory activity on PGE2-mediated pro-tumor myeloid cell
      differentiation and activation. E7046 treatment reduced the growth or even
      rejected established tumors in vivo in a manner dependent on both myeloid and
      CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, co-administration of E7046 and E7777, an IL-2
      diphtheria toxin fusion protein that preferentially kills Tregs, synergistically
      disrupted the myeloid and Treg immunosuppressive networks, resulting in effective
      and durable anti-tumor immune responses in mouse tumor models. In the TME, E7046
      and E7777 markedly increased ratios of CD8+granzymeB+ cytotoxic T cells
      (CTLs)/live Tregs and of M1-like/M2TAM, and converted a chronic inflammation
      phenotype into acute inflammation, shown by substantial induction of STAT1/IRF-1
      and IFNgamma-controlled genes. Notably, E7046 also showed synergistic anti-tumor
      activity when combined with anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, which have been reported to
      diminish intratumoral Tregs. Our studies thus reveal a specific myeloid cell
      differentiation-modifying activity by EP4 blockade and a novel combination of
      E7046 and E7777 as a means to synergistically mitigate both myeloid and Treg
      derived immunosuppression for cancer treatment in preclinical models.

PMID- 28920004
TI  - Targeting myeloid derived suppressor cells with all-trans retinoic acid is highly
      time-dependent in therapeutic tumor vaccination.
AB  - Tumor immune escape is a critical problem which frequently accounts for the
      failure of therapeutic tumor vaccines. Among the most potent suppressors of tumor
      immunity are myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). MDSCs can be targeted by
      all-trans-retinoic-acid (atRA), which reduced their numbers and increased
      response rates in several vaccination studies. However, not much is known about
      the optimal administration interval between atRA and the vaccine as well as about
      its mode of action. Here we demonstrate in 2 different murine tumor models that
      mice unresponsive to a therapeutic vaccine harbored higher MDSC numbers than did
      responders. Application of atRA overcame MDSC-mediated immunosuppression and
      restored tumor control. Importantly, atRA was protective only when administered 3
      d after vaccination (delayed treatment), whereas simultaneous administration even
      decreased the anti-tumor immune response and reduced survival. When analyzing the
      underlying mechanisms, we found that delayed, but not simultaneous atRA treatment
      with vaccination abrogated the suppressive capacity in monocytic MDSCs and
      instead caused them to upregulate MHC-class-II. Consistently, MDSCs from patients
      with colorectal carcinoma also failed to upregulate HLA-DR after ex vivo
      treatment with TLR-ligation. Overall, we demonstrate that atRA can convert non
      responders to responders to vaccination by suppressing MDSCs function and not
      only by reducing their number. Moreover, we identify a novel, strictly time
      dependent mode of action of atRA to be considered during immunotherapeutic
      protocols in the future.

PMID- 28920005
TI  - The frequency of neoantigens per somatic mutation rather than overall mutational
      load or number of predicted neoantigens per se is a prognostic factor in ovarian
      clear cell carcinoma.
AB  - Neoantigens derived from tumor-specific somatic mutations are excellent targets
      for anti-tumor immune responses. In ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC),
      checkpoint blockade yields durable responses in a subset of patients. To approach
      the question of why only some patients respond, we first investigated neoantigen
      loads and immune signatures using exome sequencing and expression array data for
      74 OCCC patients treated conventionally. Neither the number of missense mutations
      nor total predicted neoantigens assessed in the tumor correlated with clinical
      outcomes. However, the number of neoantigens per missense mutation ("neoAg
      frequency") did correlate with clinical outcomes. Cox multivariate regression
      analysis demonstrated that low neoAg frequencies correlated with increased
      progression-free survival (PFS) and was an independent predictive factor for PFS
      in OCCC (p = 0.032), especially at stage I-II (p = 0.0045). Immunity-associated
      genes including those related to effector memory CD8 T cells were dominantly
      expressed in tumors with low neoAg frequencies in stage I-II patients, suggesting
      CD8 T cell-mediated elimination of immunogenic sub-clones expressing neoantigens
      (immunoediting) had occurred. In contrast, we observed decreased HLA-A, -B, and 
      C expression (p = 0.036, p = 0.026, and p = 0.030, respectively) as well as
      increased ratios of CTLA-4, PD-1, Tim-3, and LAG3 to CD8A expression (p = 0.0064,
      p = 0.017, p = 0.033 and p = 0.0136, respectively) in stage I-II tumors with high
      neoAg frequencies. Constrained anti-tumor immunity may thus result in limited
      immunoediting, and poor prognosis. Our results show that neoAg frequency in OCCC
      is an independent prognostic factor for clinical outcome and may become a
      potential candidate biomarker for immunomodulatory agent-based treatments.

PMID- 28920006
TI  - Dosing immunotherapy combinations: Analysis of 3,526 patients for toxicity and
      response patterns.
AB  - Immunotherapy combinations are used to improve outcomes in metastatic cancer, but
      evidence-based knowledge of appropriate starting doses for novel combinations is
      lacking. Phase I-III adult combination clinical trials (>= 1 drug was
      immunotherapy; anti-PD-1, PD-L1, or CTLA-4) were reviewed (PubMed Jan 1, 2010 to
      Sep 1, 2016; ASCO 2014-2016, ASH/ESMO 2014-2015 abstracts). The safe dose for
      each drug used in each combination was divided by the single-agent recommended
      dose to calculate dose percentage. Additive dose percentage was the sum of each
      dose percentage. Overall, 84 studies (N = 3,526 patients, 59 combinations) were
      analyzed. In 50% of studies, all drugs could be administered at full dose; 63%,
      in the presence of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and 36% with anti-CTLA-4. The lowest safe
      starting dose for a doublet combination including a second immunotherapy was 50%
      of each drug; 60%, for a targeted agent. Most doublet/triplets combining anti-PD
      1/PD-L1 with cytotoxics were tolerable at full doses. Response rates (median
      [interquartile range]) were higher for 3-drug than 2-drug combinations (53% [33
      63%] (N = 23 studies) vs. 23% [14-39%]) (N = 60 studies) (p < 0.0001) with
      similar rates seen for targeted, cytotoxic, biologic, or additional immunotherapy
      combinations (p = 0.35). In conclusion, anti-PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors can
      be safely given with a variety of other immunotherapy and targeted agents, albeit
      at about half dose. Doublet and triplet combinations with cytotoxics could mostly
      be given at full doses. Anti-CTLA-4 agents compromised dosing more than anti-PD
      1/PD-L1 agents. Response rates were significantly higher for 3- versus 2-drug
      combinations.

PMID- 28920008
TI  - Seven-Year Course of Borderline Personality Disorder Features: Borderline
      Pathology Is as Unstable as Depression during Adolescence.
AB  - Borderline personality disorder (PD) historically is construed as an unremitting
      condition with poor prognosis. The present study takes a new approach to
      examining stability and change in borderline PD by explaining symptom expression
      in terms of an unchanging foundation-termed borderline proneness-on one hand, and
      transitory influences on the other. We monitored borderline PD symptoms annually
      in a large sample of high-risk adolescent girls (N = 2,450) from ages 14 to 20.
      Trait-state-occasion modeling revealed that just over half (52-57%) of borderline
      PD symptom variation was attributable to fixed borderline proneness, whereas the
      remainder was subject to change across yearly measurement occasions. This degree
      of stability was no larger than the corresponding estimate for depression, a
      condition known for its variable course. Our results indicate that, contrary to
      its reputation, borderline pathology is not set in stone, and it fluctuates in
      response to situational influences.

PMID- 28920009
TI  - Raman Under Water - Nonlinear and Nearfield Approaches for Electrochemical
      Surface Science.
AB  - Electrochemistry is re-gaining attention among scientists because the complex
      interplay between electronic and chemical interfacial processes lies at the
      bottom of a broad range of important research disciplines like alternative energy
      conversion or green catalysis and synthesis. While rapid progress has been made
      in recent years regarding novel technological applications, the community
      increasingly recognizes that the understanding of the molecular processes that
      govern macroscopic device properties is still rather limited - which hinders a
      systematic and more complete exploration of novel material and functionality
      space. Here, we discuss advanced Raman spectroscopies as valuable analysis tools
      for electrochemists. The chemical nature of a material and its interaction with
      the environment is contained in the label-free vibrational fingerprint over a
      broad energy range so that organic species, solid-state materials, and hybrids
      thereof can be investigated alike. For surface studies, the inherently small
      Raman scattering cross sections can be overcome with advanced nonlinear or
      nearfield-based approaches that provide signal enhancements between three and
      seven orders of magnitude, sufficient to detect few scatterers in nano-confined
      spaces or adsorbate (sub)monolayers. Our article highlights how advanced Raman
      techniques with extreme chemical, spatial and temporal resolution constitute
      valuable alternative surface analysis tools and provide otherwise inaccessible
      information about complex interfacial (electro)chemical processes.

PMID- 28920007
TI  - Towards Treatment of Stargardt Disease: Workshop Organized and Sponsored by the
      Foundation Fighting Blindness.
AB  - Accumulation of fluorescent metabolic byproducts of the visual (retinoid) cycle
      is associated with photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelial cell death in
      both Stargardt disease and atrophic (nonneovascular) age-related macular
      degeneration (AMD). As a consequence of this observation, small molecular
      inhibitors of enzymes in the visual cycle were recently tested in clinical trials
      as a strategy to protect the retina and retinal pigment epithelium in patients
      with atrophic AMD. To address the clinical translational needs for therapies
      aimed at both diseases, a workshop organized by the Foundation Fighting Blindness
      was hosted by the Department of Pharmacology at Case Western Reserve University
      on February 17, 2017, at the Tinkham Veale University Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
      Invited speakers highlighted recent advances in the understanding of the
      pathophysiology of Stargardt disease, in terms of its clinical characterization
      and the development of endpoints for clinical trials, and discussed the
      comparability of therapeutic strategies between atrophic age-related macular
      degeneration (AMD) and Stargardt disease. Investigators speculated that reducing
      the concentrations of visual cycle precursor substances and/or their byproducts
      may provide valid therapeutic options for the treatment of Stargardt disease.
      Here we review the workshop's presentations in the context of published
      literature to help shape the aims of ongoing research endeavors and aid the
      development of therapies for Stargardt disease.

PMID- 28920010
TI  - Exploring Step-by-Step Assembly of Nanoparticle:Cytochrome Biohybrid Photoanodes.
AB  - Coupling light-harvesting semiconducting nanoparticles (NPs) with redox enzymes
      has been shown to create artificial photosynthetic systems that hold promise for
      the synthesis of solar fuels. High quantum yields require efficient electron
      transfer from the nanoparticle to the redox protein, a property that can be
      difficult to control. Here, we have compared binding and electron transfer
      between dye-sensitized TiO2 nanocrystals or CdS quantum dots and two decaheme
      cytochromes on photoanodes. The effect of NP surface chemistry was assessed by
      preparing NPs capped with amine or carboxylic acid functionalities. For the TiO2
      nanocrystals, binding to the cytochromes was optimal when capped with a
      carboxylic acid ligand, whereas for the CdS QDs, better adhesion was observed for
      amine capped ligand shells. When using TiO2 nanocrystals, dye-sensitized with a
      phosphonated bipyridine Ru(II) dye, photocurrents are observed that are dependent
      on the redox state of the decaheme, confirming that electrons are transferred
      from the TiO2 nanocrystals to the surface via the decaheme conduit. In contrast,
      when CdS NPs are used, photocurrents are not dependent on the redox state of the
      decaheme, consistent with a model in which electron transfer from CdS to the
      photoanode bypasses the decaheme protein. These results illustrate that although
      the organic shell of NPs nanoparticles crucially affects coupling with
      proteinaceous material, the coupling can be difficult to predict or engineer.

PMID- 28920011
TI  - Perceived Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Mental Health: a Review and Future
      Directions for Social Epidemiology.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent literature on racial or ethnic discrimination and
      mental health was reviewed to assess the current science and identify key areas
      of emphasis for social epidemiology. Objectives of this review were to: 1)
      Determine whether there have been advancements in the measurement and analysis of
      perceived discrimination; 2) Identify the use of theories and/or frameworks in
      perceived discrimination and mental health research; and 3) Assess the extent to
      which stress buffers are being considered and evaluated in the existing
      literature. RECENT FINDINGS: Metrics and analytic approaches used to assess
      discrimination remain largely unchanged. Theory and/or frameworks such as the
      stress and coping framework continue to be underused in majority of the studies.
      Adolescents and young adults experiencing racial/ethnic discrimination were at
      greater risk of adverse mental health outcomes, and the accumulation of stressors
      over the life course may have an aggregate impact on mental health. Some growth
      seems evident in studies examining the mediation and moderation of stress buffers
      and other key factors with the findings suggesting a reduction in the effects of
      discrimination on mental health. SUMMARY: Discrimination scales should consider
      the multiple social identities of a person, the context where the exposure
      occurs, how the stressor manifests specifically in adolescents, the historical
      traumas, and cumulative exposure. Life course theory and intersectionality may
      help guide future work. Despite existing research, gaps remain in in elucidating
      the effects of racial and ethnic discrimination on mental health, signaling an
      opportunity and a call to social epidemiologists to engage in interdisciplinary
      research to speed research progress.

PMID- 28920012
TI  - Comparative Effectiveness for Glycemic Control in Older Adults with Diabetes.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review and summarize the current data for comparative
      effectiveness of glycemic control in older adults. RECENT FINDINGS: In the last
      several years, professional societies have released guidelines for glycemic
      control in older adults, generally recommending individualized HbA1c goals.
      However, recent observational studies demonstrate that many older adults remain
      aggressively managed and are at increased risk of hypoglycemia. Large randomized
      trials of older adults with diabetes have failed to show cardiovascular benefit
      from intensive glycemic control and show only minimal microvascular benefit.
      Additionally, a few studies suggest that suboptimal glycemic control can increase
      the risk for geriatric syndromes. Emerging research suggests similar safety and
      efficacy of glucose-lowering therapies in older versus younger adults. SUMMARY:
      Overall, there is a paucity of data supporting the benefit of intensive glycemic
      control in older adults. More research is needed in this vulnerable population.

PMID- 28920014
TI  - Plasma fibroblast growth factor-21 levels in patients with inborn errors of
      metabolism.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) levels are elevated in patients with primary
      mitochondrial disorders but have not been studied in patients with inborn errors
      of metabolism (IEM) known to have secondary mitochondrial dysfunction. We
      measured plasma FGF21 by ELISA in patients with and without IEM. FGF21 levels
      were higher in patients with IEM compared to without IEM (370 pg/dL vs. 0-65
      pg/dL). Further study of FGF21 as a biomarker in IEM is warranted.

PMID- 28920013
TI  - Transcriptional Regulation of Stem Cell and Cancer Stem Cell Metabolism.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Metabolism is increasingly recognized as a major player in
      control of stem cell function and fate. How stem cell metabolism is established,
      maintained, and regulated is a fundamental question of biology and medicine. In
      this review, we discuss major metabolic programs in stem cells and cancer stem
      cells, with a focus on key transcription factors that shape the stem cell
      metabolic phenotype. RECENT FINDINGS: Cancer stem cells primarily use oxidative
      phosphorylation for energy generation, in contrast to normal stem cells, which
      rely on glycolytic metabolism with the exception of mouse embryonic stem cells.
      Transcription factors control the metabolic phenotype of stem cells by modulating
      the expression of enzymes and thus the activity of metabolic pathways. It is
      evident that HIF1alpha and PGC1alpha function as master regulators of glycolytic
      and mitochondrial metabolism, respectively. SUMMARY: Transcriptional regulation
      is a key mechanism for establishing specific metabolic programs in stem cells and
      cancer stem cells.

PMID- 28920015
TI  - Working with bacteria and putting bacteria to work: The biopolitics of synthetic
      biology for energy in the United Kingdom.
AB  - The UK government has made significant investment into so called 'fourth
      generation' biofuel technologies. These biofuels are based on engineering the
      metabolic pathways of bacteria in order to create products compatible with
      existing infrastructure. Bacteria play an important role in what is promoted as a
      potentially new biological industrial revolution, which could address some of the
      negative environmental legacies of the last. This article presents results from
      ethnographic research with synthetic biologists who are challenged with balancing
      the curiosity-driven and intrinsically fulfilling scientific task of working with
      bacteria, alongside the policy-driven task of putting bacteria to work for
      extrinsic economic gains. In addition, the scientists also have to balance these
      demands with a new research governance framework, Responsible Research and
      Innovation, which envisions technoscientific innovation will be responsive to
      societal concerns and work in collaboration with stakeholders and members of the
      public. Major themes emerging from the ethnographic research revolve around
      stewardship, care, responsibility and agency. An overall conflict surfaces
      between individual agents assuming responsibility for 'stewarding' bacteria,
      against funding systems and structures imposing responsibility for economic
      growth. We discuss these findings against the theoretical backdrop of a new
      concept of 'energopolitics' and an anthropology of ethics and responsibility.

PMID- 28920016
TI  - Comparison of T Tube Ileostomy and Bishop Koop Ileostomy for the Management of
      Uncomplicated Meconium Ileus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meconium ileus is a common cause of neonatal intestinal obstruction.
      Various surgical procedures are in practice for uncomplicated meconium ileus.
      Bishop Koop ileostomy allows distal passage of gut content and uses the distal
      absorptive area. T tube ileostomy avoids the need for gut resection and formal
      closure of stoma. The aim of this prospective interventional study was to compare
      the outcome of T-tube ileostomy and Bishop Koop ileostomy for the treatment of
      uncomplicated meconium ileus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a prospective
      interventional study from January 2015 to December 2016. Patients were randomly
      assigned to the T-tube ileostomy group (group A) and Bishop Koop ileostomy group
      (group B). The patients were followed up for 6 weeks post-operatively. Surgical
      outcomes between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The age range of the
      patients was 1 to 7 days; majority of the patients were males. Mean operation
      time of group A (60.76+/-5.81 minutes) and group B (87.05+/-6.49 minutes) showed
      significant difference (p =0.0001). After operation, mean time to start bowel
      movements in group A (4.90+/-1.41days) and group B (6.53+/-2.58 days) showed
      significant difference (p= 0.020). Times to establish oral feeding, irrigation
      tube removal and postoperative complications showed no significant difference.
      All patients that survived in the group B required formal stoma closure, while in
      the group A stomas closed spontaneously. One patient in the group A had
      intraperitoneal leakage leading to mortality after second operation. Four
      patients had leakage in the group B; 2 of them died. CONCLUSIONS: T-tube
      ileostomy was found as an effective and safe procedure for the management of
      uncomplicated meconium ileus.

PMID- 28920017
TI  - Esophageal Atresia with Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula Presenting Beyond 7 Days.
AB  - AIM: To describe our experience of neonates with esophageal atresia with tracheo
      esophageal fistula (EA with TEF) who presented after a week. DESIGN:
      Retrospective study of the patients of EA with TEF who presented after a week.
      STUDY SETTING: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Government Medical College
      Nagpur. Study Duration: Eight years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Demographic
      information, hematological, biochemical and radiological data were obtained from
      the patients' medical records. The gap between two ends of the esophagus, nature
      of upper pouch and lower esophagus were noted intra-operatively. Outcome in terms
      of mortality and surgical complications were noted. In operated group, babies who
      survived were compared with non-survivors with respect to various preoperative
      variables. RESULTS: Of 52 patients, 27 babies expired during initial
      stabilisation period before surgery. The causes of mortality were severe
      pneumonitis and septicemia. One baby had associated cyanotic heart disease.
      Twenty-five patients with mean age of 8.28+/-1.21 days underwent surgery. Nearly
      two-third of them were male. All of them were born at full-term with mean birth
      weight of 2.47+/-0. 12 kg. More than 80% were previously hospitalised and nearly
      70% babies were given feeds before present hospitalization. Mean Downe's score
      for respiratory distress was 5.8+/-1.49. All patients were positive for septic
      profile. Associated congenital anomalies were present in ten patients. Intra
      operatively, two ends of esophagus were either approximating or have short gap in
      24 patients. All patients had well developed, thick and muscular upper
      oesophageal pouch. Lower esophagus at fistula was thin but dilated in 18 patients
      while thin and narrowed in 7 patients. However, esophageal anastomosis was
      possible with ease without any tension in all except one patient. There were 15
      deaths in our study (13 due to pneumonitis and 2 during follow up due to
      aspiration). Three survivors required anti-reflux surgery. Comparison of
      preoperative variables of survivors and non-survivors showed a significant
      difference with respect to the variables like feedings, abdominal girth, immature
      band cells to neutrophil ratio and nature of pharyngeal or endotracheal aspirate.
      CONCLUSIONS: Late presentations in EA with TEF are associated with high mortality
      but less anastomotic complications after surgery. Preoperative factors like
      feedings, abdominal distension, immature band cells to neutrophil ratio and
      bilious pharyngeal or endotracheal aspirate are associated with high mortality.

PMID- 28920019
TI  - Minimal Access Surgery in Neonates.
AB  - Despite the significant advancement of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in the
      adults and even in pediatric population, its role as the standard of care in the
      neonates has not yet been established among the pediatric and neonatal surgeons
      universally. Lots of controversies still arise though several advanced centers in
      the world having very experienced surgeons performing MIS for neonatal surgical
      conditions with promising outcomes. The unique physiological characteristics of a
      neonate make MIS quiet a challenging subject among these tiny babies. We have
      tried to look into the recent literature on the issues related to the use of MIS
      for the surgical management of neonates.

PMID- 28920018
TI  - Neonatal Sex Assignment in Disorders of Sex Development: A Philosophical
      Introspection.
AB  - Management of ambiguous genitalia is highly controversial. This condition was
      known previously as intersex and presently as disorders of sex development (DSD).
      There is no consensus regarding the choice, timing and method of sex assignment
      in neonates with DSD. Consensus conferences could not unify the views of various
      stakeholders and third parties. This article philosophically examines the nature
      and origin of such controversies. Misconception, bias and conflicting priorities
      are identified as the three cardinal sources of controversies. Conceptual duality
      of sexes, confused notion of sex and gender, bias towards penetrative
      intercourse, conflict between utopian ideals and reality, unwillingness to
      compromise are identified as perpetuators of controversies. Suggestions are made
      regarding sex assignment in various types of DSD based on the understanding of
      published literature and the author's personal experience.

PMID- 28920020
TI  - Neonatal Perforated Appendicitis Attributed to Localized Necrotizing
      Enterocolitis of the Appendix: A Review.
AB  - Neonatal appendicitis is a rare clinical entity associated with remarkable
      morbidity and mortality. Appendicular perforation is common and the diagnosis is
      usually made intra-operatively. The causative etiology of neonatal perforated
      appendicitis (NPA) is a subject of debate and has not been elucidated. Although
      many etiologic theories exist, increasing evidence suggests a subset of NPA cases
      may represent a form of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) localized to the
      appendix. We herein present a review of the current literature to include cases
      of NPA attributed to localized NEC. A high index of clinical suspicion and early
      laparotomy are recommended.

PMID- 28920021
TI  - Closed Gastroschisis.
AB  - Closed gastroschisis is a rare entity usually associated with intestinal atresia
      and short bowel syndrome. We report two cases of closed gastroschisis presenting
      with neonatal intestinal obstruction and para-umbilical evisceration without an
      abdominal defect.

PMID- 28920022
TI  - Familial Near-Total Intestinal Aganglionosis.
AB  - Near total aganglionosis represents the most extreme and rare form of
      Hirschsprung's disease. It can affect more than one member of family. We report
      three cases of near total intestinal aganglionosis in a family presenting with
      intestinal obstruction at birth. All of them were operated and a jejunostomy was
      performed. Outcome was dismal.

PMID- 28920023
TI  - Re-Tubularization of Highly-Ischemic Anti-Mesenteric Border (ReHAB): A Novel
      Bowel Preservation Technique in Complex Gastroschisis.
AB  - Complex gastroschisis with bowel necrosis poses an operative challenge. Surgeons
      must weigh the decision between resection versus preservation of ischemic bowel.
      As one of the leading causes of short bowel syndrome, aggressive resection in
      complicated gastroschisis subjects children to prolonged dependence on parenteral
      nutrition and its attendant complications. Herein, we describe a novel technique
      aimed towards bowel preservation in complex gastroschisis patients with severe
      bowel ischemia with the ultimate goal for enteral autonomy.

PMID- 28920024
TI  - Use Of Appendix As Neoureter- A Ray Of Hope.
AB  - A case of antenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis (later known to be PUJO
      complicated with urinoma and associated with hypoplasia of entire ureter) was
      treated using vermiform appendix as replacement.

PMID- 28920025
TI  - A Rare Case of Thoracoschisis.
AB  - A term male baby, after delivery, was found to have a 3-centimeter beefy-red mass
      protruding from the left chest wall, adjacent to the left nipple. Radiological
      imaging suggested it's origin from the left lateral liver segment. A diagnostic
      laparoscopy confirmed the isolated connection to the liver, elevated left
      hemidiaphragm, and protrusion between the ribs. The mass was excised using
      electrocautery, and pathologic examination showed normal liver tissue.

PMID- 28920026
TI  - Giant Cervico-Thoracic Cystic Hygroma in a Preterm: A Case Report.
AB  - Cystic hygroma is a benign, painless loculated lymphatic proliferation, which
      occur due to a combination of sequestration from developing lymphatic system,
      abnormal budding of the lymphatic system or lack of development of the normal
      connections between venous and lymphatic drainage. We report a case of giant
      cervico-thoracic cystic hygroma in a preterm neonate with management options and
      a brief review of literature.

PMID- 28920027
TI  - Rupture of Umbilical Hernia with Evisceration in a Newborn - A Case Report.
AB  - Most umbilical hernias in infants do not need surgery and the ring will
      eventually close. Occasionally few complications can arise and incarceration is
      most common. Spontaneous rupture of the hernia and eventual evisceration is a
      rarely seen complication. A 3-week-old neonate having umbilical hernia presented
      with rupture of the sac with evisceration of bowel within a few days of first
      visit. No underlying cause like umbilical sepsis was found. The baby had
      emergency repair of the hernia with an uneventful recovery.

PMID- 28920028
TI  - Type I Jejunal Atresia in Identical Twins: A Rare Occurrence.
AB  - Jejunoileal atresia is of familial and non-familial in origins and classified
      into four different types. We herein report a rare occurrence of type I jejunal
      atresia in identical twins who were presented with neonatal intestinal
      obstruction. This report points towards common etiology of atresia in our cases
      and factors more than vascular accident appear to be involved.

PMID- 28920029
TI  - Exstrophy Bladder with Low Anorectal Malformation- A Rare Association.

PMID- 28920030
TI  - Left-Sided Gastroschisis with Meckel's Diverticulum: A Rare Presentation.

PMID- 28920031
TI  - Enteroscrotal Fistula in a Neonate following Incarcerated Inguinal Hernia.

PMID- 28920032
TI  - Periurethral Abscess in a Neonate.

PMID- 28920033
TI  - Perforated Meckel's Diverticulum causing Intussusception in a Neonate.

PMID- 28920034
TI  - The Use of Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography in Thoracic Aortic
      Dissection Due to Chronic Cocaine Abuse.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Aortic dissection is a life threatening disease and is usually
      accompanied by a high rate of mortality and morbidity. Here we present a case
      report in which intraoperative tranesophageal echocardiography was used for
      intraoperative assessments of thoracic aortic dissection due to cocaine abuse.
      CASE PRESENTATION: A 45- year- old male was admitted to a university hospital due
      to severe chest pain. He was suffering from severe excruciating chest pain that
      had started after a psychological stress, leading to heavy cocaine abuse. He was
      admitted to the emergency department of the hospital, and was then transferred to
      the cardiac care unit to control the chest pain. The patient underwent emergent
      surgery. After induction of anesthesia, tranesophageal echocardiography probe was
      introduced gently and a full exam was done. The surgeon decided to perform a
      classic Bentall procedure. Cardiopulmonary bypass was started. Everything was
      acceptable, but bleeding was uncontrolled. The surgical team could not control
      the bleeding, and he passed away due to bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: This case report
      stresses the use of IOTEE as a means for more accurate diagnosis of the lesion
      under general anesthesia, especially when there is not time to do preoperative
      TEE, or when bedside echocardiography does not give us adequate data.

PMID- 28920035
TI  - Anesthesia Management of a Patient with Papillon-Lefevre Syndrome: A Case Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Papillon-Lefevre syndrome (PLS) is a rare autosomal recessive
      trait; it often requires some interventions with general anesthesia because of
      the accompanied complications. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 19-year-old girl
      with palmoplantar hyperkeratosis who presented total loss of her teeth. She was
      candidate to mandibular bone graft and lower jaw dental implants under general
      anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: There are only a few studies about perioperative
      management of these patients; however, the anesthesiologists should consider a
      few important issues during pre-operative and intra-operative management.

PMID- 28920036
TI  - Hematoma Block Versus General Anesthesia in Distal Radius Fractures in Patients
      Over 60 Years in Trauma Emergency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distal radius fractures are among common fractures in the elderly.
      Regarding the age, background diseases, and possible risks, analgesia method is
      of great importance in this group. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      compare two analgesia methods including hematoma block and general anesthesia in
      people over 60 years in the orthopedic emergency department. METHODS: 68 elderly
      patients referring to the emergency department of a medical teaching center were
      selected based on the inclusion criteria for a non-randomized clinical trial. The
      patients were placed in two groups of 34, which were matched for age and sex.
      Hematoma block was used as the analgesic method in one group and general
      anesthesia was used in the other group. These two groups were compared for pain
      intensity, analgesia duration, and anesthesia side effects. The SPSS software
      (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 17.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago,
      Ill, USA) was used for data analysis. RESULTS: 68 elderly patients (mean age of
      70.3 +/- 6.6) with a dislocated distal radius fracture which required closed
      reduction were examined. The duration of manipulation and surgery and discharging
      time were significantly different between two groups and they were all lower in
      the hematoma blocked group. Pain intensity evaluation indicated a statistically
      significant difference during initial hours after fracture reduction and fixation
      so that pain intensity was less in elderly patients under hematoma block than
      patients who underwent general anesthesia in one and six hours after surgery.
      Need for narcotic was 35.2% in the general anesthesia group which also showed a
      significant between-group difference. CONCLUSIONS: Hematoma block analgesia used
      in distal radius fractures of the elderly is a very safe and effective method
      that seems preferable to general anesthesia in emergency departments.

PMID- 28920037
TI  - The Management of Chronic Pain; Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Case
      for a Renewed Focus on Provider, Patient, and Payer Education.

PMID- 28920038
TI  - Comparing the Effect of Preoperative Administration of Melatonin and Passiflora
      incarnata on Postoperative Cognitive Disorders in Adult Patients Undergoing
      Elective Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anxiety is a preoperative complication, which most patients
      encounter. The use of a premedication to reduce preoperative anxiety with minimal
      cognitive impairment is crucial. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare
      the sedative effect of preoperative melatonin and Passiflora incarnata in
      patients undergoing elective surgery regarding their potential for postoperative
      cognitive disorders. METHODS: In this clinical trial, 52 patients American
      society of anesthesiologists grade (ASA) I and II of both genders were selected
      to receive either Passiflora incarnata (1000 mg nature made) (n = 26) or
      melatonin (6 mg) (n = 26) as premedication one hour before surgery. Post
      operative pain was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Patient's
      anxiety and cognitive dysfunction was evaluated with the Ramsey score and the
      digital symbol substitution test (DSST), respectively. All tests were carried out
      and evaluated at arrival in the operating room, before induction and before
      discharge from the post anesthesia care unit (PACU). RESULTS: There were no
      statistically differences between groups in VAS (P > 0.05). However, the mean
      score of pain was higher in the melatonin group compared to the Pssiflora
      incarnata group when discharged from the PACU (27.63 vs. 25.37). The anxiety
      scores were statistically significant in both drugs (P = 0.001), however higher
      sedation scores was caused by premedication with melatonin (P = 0.003 vs. 0.008).
      Regarding the DSST, there was a significant difference between the two groups one
      hour before the surgery (P = 0.04) and at the time of discharge from the PACU (P
      = 0.007). When evaluating each group, the Passiflora incarnata group revealed a
      significant difference (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that
      premedication with Passiflora incarnata reduces anxiety as well as Melatonin.
      However, Melatonin causes less cognitive impairment compared to Passiflora
      incarnata.

PMID- 28920039
TI  - Treatment Option for Refractory Postherpetic Neuralgia - Transversus Abdominis
      Plane (TAP) Block: Two Case Reports.
AB  - Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a severe neuropathic pain syndrome. The treatment
      of PHN is complex and refractory in some patients. We present two cases with
      refractory anterior abdominal wall pain due to PHN that were successfully treated
      with transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block. The TAP block seems to be an
      alternative for patients with PHN who suffer from anterior abdominal wall pain
      accompanied by allodynia and hyperalgesia and do not respond to the existing
      conservative treatments.

PMID- 28920041
TI  - Dexamethasone Increases the Frequency of Post-Dural Puncture Headache (PDPH): An
      Evidence Based Reality.

PMID- 28920040
TI  - Parasympathetic Cholinergic and Neuropeptide Mechanisms of Migraine.
AB  - CONTEXT: Migraine mechanisms remain largely uncovered for various reasons
      including a very high complexity of the neurophysiological mechanisms implicated
      in this disorder and a plethora of endogenous biologically active compounds
      involved in the pathological process. The functional role of parasympathetic
      innervation of meninges and cholinergic mechanisms of migraine are among little
      explored issues despite multiple evidence indirectly indicating the role of
      acetylcholine (ACh) and its analogues in migraine and other types of headache. In
      the current short review, we discuss morphological, functional, and clinical
      issues related to the role of ACh and its analogues such as carbachol and
      nicotine in this most common neurological disorder. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: In the
      present work, studies published from 1953 to 2016 were investigated. Literature
      was searched with following keywords: acetylcholine (ACh), carbachol, nicotine,
      parasympathetic, mast cells, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and
      pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP). RESULTS:
      Parasympathetic fibers originated from SPG and trigeminal nerves can interact at
      the level of meninges which is considered to be the origin site of migraine pain.
      Here, in dura mater, ACh, VIP, and PACAP released by parasympathetic afferents
      can both affect mast cells provoking its degranulation and additional release of
      neurotransmitters, or they can directly affect trigeminal nerves inducing
      nociception. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, cholinergic mechanisms in migraine and
      other types of headache remain little elucidated and future studies should
      clarify the role of parasympathetic nerves and molecular mechanisms of
      cholinergic modulation within the nociceptive system.

PMID- 28920042
TI  - Mitochondrial ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channels Play a Role in Reducing Both
      Myocardial Infarction and Reperfusion Arrhythmia in Remote Ischemic
      Preconditioned Hearts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mKATP) channels play a role in
      reperfusion arrhythmias (RAs) in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Evidence
      suggests that remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) reduces RAs, however not
      much is known on the mechanistic role of mKATP in RIPC. We evaluated whether
      mKATP channels are associated with reducing arrhythmia and infarct size in RIPC.
      METHODS: Isolated rat hearts received 30 minutes of regional ischemia followed by
      2 hours of reperfusion through the Langendorff perfusion system. RIPC was induced
      by 3 cycles of 5 minutes occlusion and 5 minutes release of the bilateral femoral
      artery. The animals were randomly divided into 4 groups as follows: 1) CON, I/R
      injury but not RIPC, 2) RIPC, 3) HD+RIPC, pretreatment of the selective mKATP
      channel blocker, 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD), in RIPC, and 4) HD, pretreatment of 5
      HD in CON. Cardiodynamics and infarct size were determined. The severity of
      arrhythmia was quantitated via the Curtis and Walker scoring system as well as
      the Lepran scoring system. RESULTS: RIPC significantly reduced the infarct size
      over AR (25.7 +/- 2.6%) compared to CON (37.0 +/- 2.6%, P < 0.05). The selective
      mKATP channel blocker 5-HD significantly inhibited the infarct-reducing effect of
      RIPC (39.3 +/- 3.0%, P < 0.05 vs. RIPC). Additionally, RIPC significantly reduced
      the arrhythmia score compared to CON (14.6 +/- 1.9 to 8.7 +/- 0.4, P = 0.023, by
      Curtis and Walker's system, 16.1 +/- 2.1 to 9.1 +/- 0.5, P = 0.006, by Lepran's
      system). The anti-arrhythmic effect of RIPC was blocked by 5-HD (15.5 +/- 1.6 and
      16.0 +/- 1.2, by Curtis and Walker's and Lepran's system, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: The selective mKATP channel blocker, 5-HD, inhibited the infarct
      limitation and anti-arrhythmic effect of RIPC. The mKATP channels play a role in
      the reduction of both infarct size and RAs in RIPC.

PMID- 28920044
TI  - Effect of Multisensory Stimulation on Pain of Eye Examination in Preterm Infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eye examination as one of the painful procedures for retinopathy of
      prematurity screening can cause some pain-related physiological and behavioral
      changes in preterm infants. Multisensory stimulation is an analgesic non
      pharmacological method that has analgesic effects on infants during painful
      procedures. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the effect of multisensory
      stimulation on induced pain during eye examination for retinopathy of prematurity
      screening in preterm infants. METHODS: In this double-blind clinical trial, 80
      preterm infants were randomly divided into two groups. In the intervention group,
      multisensory stimulation program was performed for 15 minutes before the
      beginning of examination while the control group received the routine care. Pain
      score for each infant was recorded by premature infant pain profile. Data were
      analyzed using independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, and ANOVA with repeated measures
      by SPSS software (version 16). RESULTS: The mean gestational age was 30.4 +/- 1.7
      weeks in the multisensory stimulation group and 30.6 +/- 1.8 weeks in the control
      group. Based on ANOVA with repeated measures, the pain score was significantly
      different between two groups during the assessment process (P < 0.001). The
      changes in pain severity during the examination were also significant between the
      two groups (P < 0.001); so that the pain was more intensive in the control group
      than the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Multisensory stimulation program as a
      safe and easy method can reduce pain in neonates and may be used as a way to
      reduce pain during eye examination in infants.

PMID- 28920045
TI  - Post-Spinal Headache: A New Possible Pathophysiology.

PMID- 28920043
TI  - Short Term Analgesic Effects of 5% Dextrose Epidural Injections for Chronic Low
      Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertonic dextrose injection (prolotherapy) is reported to reduce
      pain including non-surgical chronic low back pain (CLBP), and subcutaneous
      injection of 5% dextrose is reported to reduce neurogenic pain, hyperalgesia and
      allodynia. The mechanism in both cases is unclear, though a direct effect of
      dextrose on neurogenic pain has been proposed. This study assessed the short-term
      analgesic effects of epidural 5% dextrose injection compared with saline for non
      surgical CLBP. METHODS: Randomized double-blind (injector, participant)
      controlled trial. Adults with moderate-to-severe non-surgical low back pain with
      radiation to gluteal or leg areas for at least 6 months received a single
      epidurogram-confirmed epidural injection of 10 mL of 5% dextrose or 0.9% saline
      using a published vertical caudal injection technique. The primary outcome was
      change in a numerical rating scale (NRS, 0 - 10 points) pain score between
      baseline and 15 minutes; and 2, 4, and 48 hours and 2 weeks post-injection. The
      secondary outcome was percentage of participants achieving 50% or more pain
      improvement at 4 hours. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: No baseline differences existed
      between groups; 35 participants (54 +/- 10.7 years old; 11 female) with moderate
      to-severe CLBP (6.7 +/- 1.3 points) for 10.6 +/- 10.5 years. Dextrose
      participants reported greater NRS pain score change at 15 minutes (4.4 +/- 1.7 vs
      2.4 +/- 2.8 points; P = 0.015), 2 hours (4.6 +/- 1.9 vs 1.8 +/- 2.8 points; P =
      0.001), 4 hours (4.6 +/- 2.0 vs 1.4 +/- 2.3 points; P < 0.001), and 48 hours (3.0
      +/- 2.3 vs 1.0 +/- 2.1 points; P = 0.012), but not at 2 weeks (2.1 +/- 2.9 vs 1.2
      +/- 2.4 points; P = 0.217). Eighty four percent (16/19) of dextrose recipients
      and 19% (3/16) of saline recipients reported >= 50% pain reduction at 4 hours (P
      < 0.001). These findings suggest a neurogenic effect of 5% dextrose on pain at
      the dorsal root level; waning pain control at 2 weeks suggests the need to assess
      the effect of serial dextrose epidural injections in a long-term study with
      robust outcome assessment.

PMID- 28920046
TI  - The Effect of Intraoperative Alkali Treatment on Recovery from Atracurium-Induced
      Neuromuscular Blockade in Renal Transplantation: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intraoperative care and anesthesia method in patients undergoing
      allograft renal transplantation surgery are very necessary. Acid-base imbalance
      can alter neuromuscular blockade and recovery time. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the effect of acid-base balance on atracurium
      blockade in renal transplantation. METHODS: In this randomized-controlled trial,
      31 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing renal transplantation were
      randomly assigned into two equal groups. The case group received intravenous
      sodium bicarbonate based on base excess in the first ABG sample, while the
      control group received sterile water for injection during the interval between
      anesthesia and beginning of surgery. Arterial blood gas (ABG) sample was drawn
      first prior to surgery and again at declamping time. Train-of-four (TOF) was
      measured before anesthesia and repeatedly after declamping time until acceptable
      recovery (TOF 3 of 4). The time of achieving TOF 3 was recorded and compared
      between the groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in blood pH
      between the groups in the first evaluation (P = 0.649). The pH and base excess
      (BE) in the case group significantly increased after the intervention. There was
      a significant decrease in after-surgery measurement of pH in the control group (P
      = 0.011). The mean time to achieve TOF = 3 was 23.75 +/- 5.32 and 41.80 +/- 5.2
      minutes after declamping in the case and control groups, respectively. Patients
      in the sodium bicarbonate group achieved TOF = 3 significantly faster than the
      control group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, intraoperative alkali and acid
      base imbalance treatment can reduce neuromuscular blockade and recovery time, and
      it can be regarded as a potential casual factor to enhance transplantation
      outcome.

PMID- 28920047
TI  - The Effects of Endotracheal Tube and i-gel(r) Supraglottic Airway Device on
      Respiratory Impedance: A Prospective Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The forced oscillation technique (FOT) is a non-invasive means of
      measuring respiratory resistance and reactance. We tested our hypothesis that
      endotracheal intubation would cause more substantial preoperative increases in
      FOT parameters than a supraglottic airway device (SGD). METHODS: Forty patients
      requiring general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation for transurethral bladder
      tumor resection underwent spirometry the day before surgery. Forced oscillation
      was measured using a MostGraph-01 device the day before surgery and immediately
      after removal of the airway adjunct. Changes in respiratory resistance and
      reactance were compared between those intubated and those who used SGD. RESULTS:
      The trachea was intubated in 23 patients and SGD was used in the remaining 17
      patients. Both airway adjuncts caused significant increases in preoperative
      respiratory resistance and reactance; however, the magnitude of the changes was
      significantly greater in the intubated patients. CONCLUSIONS: The SGD appears to
      cause less pulmonary injury than tracheal intubation. Further study is needed to
      illuminate the influence of mechanical ventilation, and longer-term consequences
      and clinical significance of the changes we found in this study. Spontaneous
      ventilation through an SGD may be preferable in patients with severe respiratory
      disease.

PMID- 28920048
TI  - Continuous Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block and Intraoperative Coeliac
      Plexus Block (CPB) for Post-Operative Analgesia Following Laparotomy: Two Case
      Reports.

PMID- 28920049
TI  - Effect of Selenium on Stress Response in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A
      Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In spite of significant improvements in surgical and anesthetic
      techniques, acute stress response to surgery remains a main cause of mortality
      and morbidity in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients. Therefore,
      doing research to find safe and effective modalities with more cardio protective
      properties seems necessary. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we sought to determine
      whether intravenous injection of 600 MUg Selenium (Se) prior to surgery would
      limit stress response measured by blood sugar. METHODS: This double blind
      clinical trial was conducted at a referral center of cardiac surgery affiliated
      to Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) from June 2015 to October 2015.
      73 eligible patients candidate for elective isolated CABG surgery were enrolled
      in the trial. They were randomly allocated to either Se group (n = 36) receiving
      600 MUg Se prior to surgery or control group (n = 37). Our evaluation was based
      on blood sugar (BS) which was measured at four point times, including before
      induction of anesthesia (T0), at the end of CPB (T1), 24 hours (T2) and 48 hours
      (T3) after surgery. RESULTS: The data obtained from 73 patients in group S (n =
      36) and group C (n = 37) were analyzed. There was no significant difference
      between the two groups regarding the baseline characteristics. In both groups, a
      sharp rise in BS levels was observed following CPB (P = 0.0001). Although the
      trend of BS changes was remarkable in both groups (P = 0.0001), there was no
      statistically significant difference between the groups at all point times
      including T0 (P = 0.45), T1 (P = 0.48), T2 (P = 0.92), and T3 (P = 0.42). Within
      the study time, our patients were monitored for any adverse effect but nothing
      was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation showed that intravenous single dose
      of 600 MUg Se was safe in CABG patients, but had no positive effect on stress
      response to surgery.

PMID- 28920050
TI  - Management of Chronic Daily Headache and Psychiatric Co-Morbidities by Lifestyle
      Modification: Participatory Action Research Combining New Communication Media.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle modification has a significant role in chronic daily
      headache (CDH) management. Participatory action research (PAR) can play an
      important role in managing chronic medical conditions. However, it has been
      scarcely used in CDH management. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to empower patients
      with CDH to modify their lifestyle in order to reduce both their headache and
      related psychiatric co-morbidities in a multidisciplinary headache clinic at
      Baqiyatallah hospital, Tehran, IR Iran. METHODS: In the PAR plan, 37 patients (27
      females) diagnosed with CDH were selected using purposeful sampling. Along with
      face-to-face group sessions, all available communication means such as phone
      calls, emails, short message system (SMS), and social media (Telegram) were used
      to facilitate the process. Questionnaires of health promotion lifestyle profile
      (HPLPII), visual analog scale (VAS), and depression-anxiety-stress scale (DASS21)
      were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS:
      Mean age of the patients was 38.33 (+/- 9.7) years. Both "general pain" and "the
      worst imaginable pain" reduced (mean of reduction: 2.56 +/- 2.7 and 2.3 +/- 2.9,
      respectively, P < 0.001). > 50% of pain reduction occurred in "the worst
      imaginable pain" category (-1.45 +/- 2.02, P < 0.001) and mean VAS score reduced
      to 5.20 (+/- 2.3) compared to the start of the study (7.50 +/- 1.9, P < 0.001).
      Mean DASS-21 score also reduced significantly for depression (P < 0.016), anxiety
      (P < 0.026), and stress (P < 0.008). HPLPII score significantly improved (118.17
      +/- 14.8 vs. 160.83 +/- 16.4, P < 0.001) and the highest increase was seen in the
      subscale of "stress management" (17.73 +/- 2.8 vs. 25.53 +/- 3.9, P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The empowering PAR plan combined with new communication tools helped
      the CDH patients better handle their lifestyle, reduce their headache, and lower
      their symptoms. Further studies with better use of currently available
      communication tools and social media are recommended for action research to be
      more applicable.

PMID- 28920051
TI  - Comparison of 1- and 2-Minute Sitting Positions Versus Immediately Lying Down on
      Hemodynamic Variables After Spinal Anesthesia with Hyperbaric Bupivacaine in
      Elective Cesarean Section.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypotension is one of the most common complications of spinal
      anesthesia in parturients undergoing cesarean section. In this regard, the
      patient's position may affect the incidence of hypotension. OBJECTIVES: In this
      clinical trial, we evaluated the effects of 1- and 2-minute sitting positions
      versus immediately lying down after spinal anesthesia on hypotension and
      vasopressor requirements. METHODS: A total of 72 parturients, scheduled for
      cesarean section under spinal anesthesia, were randomly divided into 3 groups (24
      subjects per group). Groups S1 and S2 remained in a sitting position for 1 and 2
      minutes after the induction of spinal anesthesia, respectively, while group T was
      immediately placed in a lying position. Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial
      blood pressure, as well as heart rate, was recorded at 1, 2, 3, and 5 minutes
      after anesthesia induction, every 5 minutes during the first 30 minutes of
      surgery, and then every 10 minutes until the end of surgery. P-value less than
      0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall frequency of
      hypotension was 50 (69%) cases during surgery; the reported frequency was higher
      in group T in comparison with group S2 (P = 0.003). The frequency of hypotension
      before delivery (the first 5 minutes after spinal anesthesia) was 40 (55%) cases,
      with a higher frequency reported in group T (20, 83%), compared to groups S1 (12,
      50%) and S2 (8, 33%) (P = 0.03 and P = 0.001, respectively). The ephedrine
      requirement in group T (11.73 +/- 7.16 mg) was higher than the other two groups
      (8.69 +/- 7.57 and 7.82+/-7.95 mg in groups S1 and S2, respectively);
      nevertheless, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.19).
      Moreover, the difference in time to achieve T6 sensory level was only significant
      between group T (3.25 +/- 1.1 minutes) and group S2 (4.73 +/- 1.73 minutes) (P =
      0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that 1- or 2-minute sitting position
      after spinal anesthesia with 2.5 cc of hyperbaric bupivacaine in elective
      cesarean section results in more hemodynamic stability, compared with immediately
      lying down.

PMID- 28920052
TI  - The Effect of Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate Versus Intravenous Sufentanil on the
      Duration of Analgesia and Postoperative Pain in Patients with Tibia Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the recent decades controlling postoperative pain has become a
      popular topic as it leads to the patients' wellbeing and improved life quality,
      while it reduces the costs for both patients and medical facilities. OBJECTIVES:
      This study aimed at comparing intravenous magnesium sulfate versus intravenous
      sufentanil on the duration of analgesia and postoperative pain in patients
      undergoing tibia fracture surgery. METHODS: This double blind clinical trial
      study was performed on 70 candidates of tibia fractures between the ages of 18
      and 55 years with American society of anesthesiologists (ASA) class I and II. The
      patients were randomly divided to 2 groups, 1 receiving magnesium sulfate (M) and
      another receiving sufentanil (S). Both of the groups underwent spinal anesthesia
      with 10 mg bupivacaine 0.5%. One hour after ensuring the sensorimotor blockade,
      in the S group 0.1 ug/kg/hour and in the M group 8 mg/kg/hour was diluted in 1
      liter of Ringer's solution and infused. In this study, full weakness of the lower
      limb was considered as the sign of sensorimotor blockade initiation. The
      postoperative pain intensity was measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), 0,
      1, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours after the end of anesthesia duration. In case of VAS >=
      3, the patients received 0.3 mg/kg pethidine, intravenously. At last, the time of
      requesting the first narcotic drug and the total usage of pethidine were
      recorded. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Sufentanil was found to be more effective than
      magnesium sulfate in reducing postoperative pain and the time of first narcotics
      request was later in patients receiving sufentanil (P < 0.05).

PMID- 28920053
TI  - Smoking and Lung Cancer: A Geo-Regional Perspective.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents the most frequently diagnosed subtype of this
      morbid malignancy. NSCLC is causally linked to tobacco consumption with more than
      500 million smokers worldwide at high risk for this fatal malignancy. We are
      currently lagging in our knowledge of the early molecular (e.g., genomic) effects
      of smoking in NSCLC pathogenesis that would constitute ideal markers for early
      detection. This limitation is further amplified when considering the variable
      etiologic factors in NSCLC pathogenesis among different regions around the globe.
      In this review, we present our current knowledge of genomic alterations arising
      during early stages of smoking-induced lung cancer initiation and progression,
      including discussing the premalignant airway field of injury induced by smoking.
      The review also underscores the wider spectra and higher age-adjusted rates of
      tobacco (e.g., water-pipe smoke) consumption, along with elevated environmental
      carcinogenic exposures and relatively poorer socioeconomic status, in low-middle
      income countries (LMICs), with Lebanon as an exemplar. This "cocktail" of
      carcinogenic exposures warrants the pressing need to understand the complex
      etiology of lung malignancies developing in LMICs such as Lebanon.

PMID- 28920054
TI  - Controlling Extra- and Intramacrophagic Mycobacterium abscessus by Targeting
      Mycolic Acid Transport.
AB  - Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacterium (RGM) causing serious
      infections especially among cystic fibrosis patients. Extremely limited
      therapeutic options against M. abscessus and a rise in infections with this
      mycobacterium require novel chemotherapies and a better understanding of how the
      bacterium causes infection. Different from most RGM, M. abscessus can survive
      inside macrophages and persist for long durations in infected tissues. We
      recently delineated differences in the infective programs followed by smooth (S)
      and rough (R) variants of M. abscessus. Unexpectedly, we found that the S variant
      behaves like pathogenic slow growing mycobacteria, through maintaining a block on
      the phagosome maturation process and by inducing phagosome-cytosol
      communications. On the other hand, R variant infection triggers autophagy and
      apoptosis, reminiscent of the way that macrophages control RGM. However, the R
      variant has an exquisite capacity to form extracellular cords, allowing these
      bacteria to rapidly divide and evade phagocytosis. Therefore, new
      chemotherapeutic interventions against M. abscessus need to efficiently deal with
      both the reservoir of intracellular bacilli and the extracellular cords. In this
      context, we recently identified two chemical entities that were very effective
      against both M. abscessus populations. Although being structurally unrelated
      these two chemotypes inhibit the activity of the essential mycolic acid
      transporter, MmpL3. In this Perspective, we aimed to highlight recent insights
      into how M. abscessus interacts with phagocytic cells and how the inhibition of
      mycolic acid transport in this pathogenic RGM could be an efficient means to
      control both intracellular and extracellular populations of the bacterium.

PMID- 28920055
TI  - Distinguishing testicular torsion from torsion of the appendix testis by clinical
      features and signs in patients with acute scrotum.
AB  - PURPOSE: Many physicians encounter confusion and difficulty in distinguishing
      testicular torsion (TT) from torsion of the appendix testis (TAT) in patients
      with acute scrotum because of the overlapping signs and symptoms. The objective
      of our study was to evaluate the clinical features and signs that can help
      distinguish TT from TAT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective study
      of patients with surgically confirmed TT and TAT at our institute from January
      1990 to December 2013. Clinical findings, physical examination findings, climatic
      conditions, laboratory data, and color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) findings were
      compared between the TT and TAT groups. RESULTS: Seventy patients were included
      in this study (49 with TT and 21 with TAT). Patients with TT were significantly
      older than those with TAT (p < 0.001). The ambient temperature at onset was
      significantly lower in patients with TT than in patients with TAT (p = 0.038).
      Testicular swelling, high-riding testes, onset during sleep, high leukocyte
      counts, and high creatine phosphokinase levels were significantly more common in
      patients with TT than with TAT (p = 0.021, 0.032, 0.006, 0.003, and 0.043,
      respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that age and onset during sleep were
      significant independent factors for detection of TT. Eight patients (16.3%)
      underwent preoperative CDUS evaluation, and an absent or decreased blood signal
      in the involved testes was significantly correlated with the presence of TT (p =
      0.018). CONCLUSION: In clinical features, age and onset during sleep might be
      helpful to distinguish TT from TAT. When supported by findings, urgent surgical
      exploration is warranted in patients with suspected TT based on symptoms and CDUS
      features.

PMID- 28920056
TI  - Management of refractory ischemic priapism: current perspectives.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present manuscript is to review the current literature
      on priapism, focusing on the state-of-the-art knowledge of both the diagnosis and
      the treatment of the refractory ischemic priapism (IP). METHODS: Pubmed and
      EMBASE search engines were used to search for words "priapism", "refractory
      priapism", "penile prosthesis", "diagnosis priapism", "priapism treatment",
      "penile fibrosis", "priapism therapy". All the studies were carefully examined by
      the authors and then included in the review. RESULTS: First-line treatment
      involves ejaculation, physical exercise and cold shower followed by corporal
      blood aspiration and injection of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists. Subsequently, a
      distal or proximal shunt may be considered. If none of the treatment is effective
      or the priapism episode lasts >48 hours penile prosthesis implantation could be
      the only option to solve the priapism and treat the ongoing erectile dysfunction.
      CONCLUSION: The management of IP is to achieve detumescence of persistent penile
      erection and to preserve erectile function after resolution of the priapic
      episode. On the other hand, penile fibrosis and following shortening should be
      prevented. Early penile prosthesis implantation in patients with refractory IP is
      able to solve both the priapic episode and prevent the otherwise certain penile
      shortening. Penile prosthesis implantation is the actual gold standard of care in
      cases of refractory IP.

PMID- 28920058
TI  - Editorial: Current Challenges in Cardiovascular Molecular Diagnostics.

PMID- 28920057
TI  - Amine Metabolism Is Influenced by Dietary Protein Source.
AB  - Growth in world population will inevitably leads to increased demand for protein
      for humans and animals. Protein from insects and blood plasma are being
      considered as possible alternatives, but more research on their nutritional
      quality and health effects is needed. Here, we studied the effect of dietary
      protein source on metabolism and metabolic amine profiles in serum and urine of
      mice. Groups of mice were fed semi-purified diets containing 300 g/kg of soybean
      meal, casein, partially delactosed whey powder, spray-dried plasma protein, wheat
      gluten meal, and yellow mealworm. Feed and water intake as well as body weight
      gain were measured for 28 days. After 14 and 28 days, serum and urine samples
      were collected for measurement of a large panel of amine metabolites.
      MetaboAnalyst 3.0 was used for analysis of the raw metabolic data. Out of 68
      targeted amine metabolites, we could detect 54 in urine and 41 in blood serum.
      Dietary protein sources were found to have profound effects on host metabolism,
      particularly in systemic amine profiles, considered here as an endophenotype. We
      recommend serum over urine to screen for the amine metabolic endophenotype based
      on partial least squares discriminant analysis. We concluded that metabolites
      like alpha-aminobutyric acid and 1-methylhistidine are sensitive indicators of
      too much or too little availability of specific amino acids in the different
      protein diets. Furthermore, we concluded that amine metabolic profiles can be
      useful for assessing the nutritional quality of different protein sources.

PMID- 28920059
TI  - Market Impact of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Control Strategies: A UK Case Study.
AB  - Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) poses a serious threat to the agricultural sector
      due to its highly contagious nature. Outbreaks of FMD can lead to substantial
      disruptions to livestock markets due to loss of production and access to
      international markets. In a previously FMD-free country, the use of vaccination
      to augment control of an FMD outbreak is increasingly being recognized as an
      alternative control strategy to direct slaughtering [stamping-out (SO)]. The
      choice of control strategy has implications on production, trade, and hence
      prices of the sector. Specific choice of eradication strategies depends on their
      costs and benefits. Economic impact assessments are often based on benefit-cost
      framework, which provide detailed information on the changes in profit for a farm
      or budget implications for a government (1). However, this framework cannot
      capture price effects caused by changes in production due to culling of animals;
      access to international markets; and consumers' reaction. These three impacts
      combine to affect equilibrium within commodity markets (2). This paper provides
      assessment of sectoral level impacts of the eradication choices of FMD outbreaks,
      which are typically not available from benefit-cost framework, in the context of
      the UK. The FAPRI-UK model, a partial equilibrium model of the agricultural
      sector, is utilized to investigate market outcomes of different control
      strategies (namely SO and vaccinate-to-die) in the case of FMD outbreaks. The
      outputs from the simulations of the EXODIS epidemiological model (number of
      animals culled/vaccinated and duration of outbreak) are used as inputs within the
      economic model to capture the overall price impact of the animal destruction,
      export ban, and consumers' response.

PMID- 28920060
TI  - Midkine's Role in Cardiac Pathology.
AB  - Midkine (MDK) is a heparin-binding growth factor that is normally expressed in
      mid-gestational development mediating mesenchymal and epithelial interactions. As
      organisms age, expression of MDK diminishes; however, in adults, MDK expression
      is associated with acute and chronic pathologic conditions such as myocardial
      infarction and heart failure (HF). The role of MDK is not clear in cardiovascular
      disease and currently there is no consensus if it plays a beneficial or
      detrimental role in HF. The lack of clarity in the literature is exacerbated by
      differing roles that circulating and myocardial MDK play in signaling pathways in
      cardiomyocytes (some of which have yet to be elucidated). Of particular interest,
      serum MDK is elevated in adults with chronic heart failure and higher circulating
      MDK is associated with worse cardiac function. In addition, pediatric HF patients
      have higher levels of myocardial MDK. This review focuses on what is known about
      the effect of exogenous versus myocardial MDK in various cardiac disease models
      in an effort to better clarify the role of midkine in HF.

PMID- 28920061
TI  - Biological and clinical insights offered by chemically induced liver progenitors
      (CLiPs).

PMID- 28920062
TI  - Into the eyes of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells therapy for
      myocardial infarction and other diseases.
AB  - Applications of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have been
      documented for diseases occur in the sports system, the central nervous system,
      the cardiovascular system etc. However, poor viability of donor stem cells after
      transplantation limits their therapeutic efficiency. Although the autophagy
      theory has been reported, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood.
      Isolation and culture methods of mesenchymal stem cells are currently concentrate
      on four ways. Overall, BM-MSCs have both important research significance and
      clinical application value in cell replacement therapy, gene therapy and
      reconstruction of tissues as well as organs especially for myocardial infarction
      (MI). In this article, we review the biological characteristics of BM-MSCs and
      its research progress especially in MI.

PMID- 28920063
TI  - hESC-derived photoreceptors survive and integrate better in immunodeficient
      retina.

PMID- 28920064
TI  - Cone fusion confusion in photoreceptor transplantation.

PMID- 28920066
TI  - Investigation of a real-time location system of corneal astigmatic axis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To construct a real-time computerized location system (RCLS) to
      analyze and display the axis of corneal astigmatism and to compare its accuracy
      with the Scheimpflug method. METHODS: Fifty-seven eyes of 39 volunteers with
      corneal astigmatism more than 1.00 diopter (D) were recruited. The RCLS was
      composed of a circular light-emitting diode (LED) light source, surgical
      microscope, surgical video system, computer and self-programming image analysis
      software. Scheimpflug imaging measurements (Pentacam HR, Oculus, Wetzlar,
      Germany) were performed on all subjects to determine the axis and power of
      corneal astigmatism. Thereafter, the axis of corneal astigmatism was analyzed in
      real-time and displayed by the RCLS on supine position, and videos were recorded.
      The MB-Ruler 4.0 software was used to measure the astigmatic axis. The accuracy
      of the RCLS was compared with the Scheimpflug method. RESULTS: The RCLS was able
      to display the axis of corneal astigmatism in real-time. The axial deviation of
      corneal astigmatism between the two methods was 0.63 +/- 3.78 degrees  when
      astigmatism was 1.00 to 2.00 D and decreased to 0.06 +/- 1.38 degrees  when
      astigmatism was greater than 2.00 D. A linear correlation of astigmatic axis was
      noted between the two methods: AxisRCLS = 1.01 * AxisScheimpflug - 1.02 (R2 =
      0.998, P < 0.001). The Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the RCLS agreed
      sufficiently well with the Scheimpflug method. CONCLUSIONS: The RCLS can
      accurately analyze and display the axis for corneal astigmatism greater than 1.00
      D in real-time. The RCLS simplifies marking procedures and may have potential
      clinical application to improve the postoperative visual outcomes in surgical
      correction of corneal astigmatism.

PMID- 28920065
TI  - The influence of sex steroid hormones on the response to trauma and burn injury.
AB  - Trauma and related sequelae result in disturbance of homeostatic mechanisms
      frequently leading to cellular dysfunction and ultimately organ and system
      failure. Regardless of the type and severity of injury, gender dimorphism in
      outcomes following trauma have been reported, with females having lower mortality
      than males, suggesting that sex steroid hormones (SSH) play an important role in
      the response of body systems to trauma. In addition, several clinical and
      experimental studies have demonstrated the effects of SSH on the clinical course
      and outcomes following injury. Animal studies have reported the ability of SSH to
      modulate immune, inflammatory, metabolic and organ responses following traumatic
      injury. This indicates that homeostatic mechanisms, via direct and indirect
      pathways, can be maintained by SSH at local and systemic levels and hence result
      in more favourable prognosis. Here, we discuss the role and mechanisms by which
      SSH modulates the response of the body to injury by maintaining various processes
      and organ functions. Such properties of sex hormones represent potential novel
      therapeutic strategies and further our understanding of current therapies used
      following injury such as oxandrolone in burn-injured patients.

PMID- 28920068
TI  - Tetrabenazine Versus Deutetrabenazine for Huntington's Disease: Twins or Distant
      Cousins?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tetrabenazine is the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved
      drug for Huntington's disease, and deutetrabenazine was recently tested against
      placebo. A switching-trial from tetrabenazine to deutetrabenazine is underway,
      but no head-to-head, blinded, randomized controlled trial is planned. Using meta
      analytical methodology, the authors compared these molecules. METHODS: RCTs
      comparing tetrabenazine or deutetrabenazine with placebo in Huntington's disease
      were searched. The authors assessed the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, calculated
      indirect treatment comparisons, and applied the Grading of Recommendations
      Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. RESULTS: The evidence
      network for this report comprised 1 tetrabenazine trial and 1 deutetrabenazine
      trial, both against placebo. Risk of bias was moderate in both. Participants in
      the tetrabenazine and deutetrabenazine trials did not differ significantly on
      motor scores or adverse events. Depression and somnolence scales significantly
      favored deutetrabenazine. CONCLUSION: There is low-quality evidence that
      tetrabenazine and deutetrabenazine do not differ in efficacy or safety. It is
      important to note that these results are likely to remain the only head-to-head
      comparison between these 2 compounds in Huntington's disease.

PMID- 28920067
TI  - A History of Dystonia: Ancient to Modern.
AB  - Before 1911, when Hermann Oppenheim introduced the term dystonia, this movement
      disorder lacked a unifying descriptor. While words like epilepsy, apoplexy, and
      palsy have had their meanings since antiquity, references to dystonia are much
      harder to identify in historical documents. Torticollis is an exception, although
      there is difficulty distinguishing dystonic torticollis from congenital muscular
      torticollis. There are, nevertheless, possible representations of dystonia in
      literature and visual art from the pre-modern world. Eighteenth century
      systematic nosologists such as Linnaeus, de Sauvages, and Cullen had attempted to
      classify some spasmodic conditions, including torticollis. But only after
      Charcot's contributions to clinical neuroscience were the various forms of
      generalized and focal dystonia clearly delineated. They were categorized as
      nevroses: Charcot's term for conditions without an identifiable neuroanatomical
      cause. For a time thereafter, psychoanalytic models of dystonia based on Freud's
      ideas about unconscious conflicts transduced into physical symptoms were
      ascendant, although there was always a dissenting "organic" school. With the rise
      of subspecialization in movement disorders during the 1970s, the pendulum swung
      strongly back toward organic causation. David Marsden's clinical and
      electrophysiological research on the adult-onset focal dystonias was particularly
      important in establishing a physical basis for these disorders. We are still in a
      period of "living history" of dystonia, with much yet to be understood about
      pathophysiology. Rigidly dualistic models have crumbled in the face of evidence
      of electrophysiological and psychopathological overlap between organic and
      functional dystonia. More flexible biopsychosocial frameworks may address the
      demand for new diagnostic and therapeutic rationales.

PMID- 28920069
TI  - Assessment of Thermal Pain Sensation in Rats and Mice Using the Hargreaves Test.
AB  - The Hargreaves test is specifically designed to assess thermal pain sensation in
      rodents such as rats and mice. This test has been used in experiments involving
      pain sensitization or recovery of thermal pain response following neural injury
      and regeneration. We present here a step-by-step protocol highlighted with
      important notes to guide first-time users through the learning process.
      Additionally, we have also included representative data from a rat model of
      sensory denervation showing how the data can be analysed to obtain meaningful
      results. We hope that this protocol can also assist potential users in deciding
      whether the Hargreaves test is a suitable test for their experiment.

PMID- 28920070
TI  - Prevalence and Associated Factors of Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy; a Cross
      Sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) is defined as having evidence of
      coagulopathy in patients with severe trauma. The aim of this preliminary study
      was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of ATC in severely traumatic
      patients presenting to emergency department (ED). METHODS: In this retrospective
      cross sectional study, all patients with severe traumatic injury and available
      coagulation profile, presenting to the EDs of two major trauma centers in Tehran,
      Iran, during one year, were studied. Rate of ATC was determined and the
      associations with various variables as well as outcome were analyzed using SPSS
      21. RESULTS: 246 patients with the mean age of 36.57+/-17.11 years were included
      (88.2% male). The mean injury severity score (ISS) was 21.83 +/- 7.37 (16 - 54).
      Patients were resuscitated with 676.83 +/- 452.02 (0 - 1500) ml intravenous fluid
      before arriving at the ED. The maximum and minimum frequencies of ATC were 31.3%
      based on PTT > 36s and 2.4% based on PT > 18s, respectively. There was a
      significant association between the occurrence of ATC (PT ratio > 1.2) and ISS >
      23 (p = 0.001), abdominal abbreviated injury score (AIS) > 3 (p = 0.003), base
      deficit > 4 (p = 0.019), pulse rate > 90/minute (p = 0.041), and pH < 7.30 (p =
      0.043). CONCLUSION: The frequency of ATC in the present series varied from 2.4%
      to 31.3% based on different ATC definitions. Abdominal AIS > 3 and base deficit >
      4 were among the significant independent factors related to ATC occurrence based
      on stepwise logistic regression analysis.

PMID- 28920071
TI  - Predicting the Past, Remembering the Future.
AB  - Rational analyses of memory suggest that retrievability of past experience
      depends on its usefulness for predicting the future: memory is adapted to the
      temporal structure of the environment. Recent research has enriched this view by
      applying it to semantic memory and reinforcement learning. This paper describes
      how multiple forms of memory can be linked via common predictive principles,
      possibly subserved by a shared neural substrate in the hippocampus. Predictive
      principles offer an explanation for a wide range of behavioral and neural
      phenomena, including semantic fluency, temporal contiguity effects in episodic
      memory, and the topological properties of hippocampal place cells.

PMID- 28920072
TI  - Associations between neighborhood socioeconomic environment and physical activity
      in Cuban immigrants.
AB  - Physical inactivity is a major public health concern because it is a determinant
      of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases. Few longitudinal studies have
      examined the association between neighborhood socioeconomic (SES) environment and
      change in physical activity behaviors. Additionally, few studies have examined
      this association in immigrant groups or Hispanic subgroups such as Cubans. This
      research aimed to determine if neighborhood SES is associated with longitudinal
      change in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among Cuban immigrants
      who participate in the Cuban Health Study in Miami, Florida. Data on 280
      participants [mean age: 37.4 (+/- 4.6), 48.9% women, mean body mass index: 25.0
      (+/- 2.5)] collected at baseline, 12 months and 24 months were analyzed. Minutes
      of MVPA were objectively measured during each data collection period using
      accelerometers. A neighborhood SES score was calculated for each participant's
      residential census tract from American Community Survey data on median household
      income, median housing value, educational attainment and occupation. The
      neighborhood SES score was grouped into tertiles, reflecting low, moderate and
      high neighborhood SES environment. Multilevel linear models were used to examine
      the relationship between neighborhood SES and change in MVPA over 24 months. At
      baseline, 94 (33.6%), 108 (38.6%) and 78 (27.9%) participants resided in low,
      moderate, and high SES neighborhoods, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex,
      and body mass index, no difference in average change in MVPA over time was
      observed between participants residing in low and moderate SES neighborhoods
      (p=0.48) or low and high SES neighborhoods (p=0.62). In Cuban immigrants,
      longitudinal change in MVPA may not vary by neighborhood socioeconomic
      environment.

PMID- 28920073
TI  - Design of pilot studies to inform the construction of composite outcome measures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Composite scales have recently been proposed as outcome measures for
      clinical trials. For example, the Prodromal Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite
      (PACC) is the sum of z-score normed component measures assessing episodic memory,
      timed executive function, and global cognition. Alternative methods of
      calculating composite total scores using the weighted sum of the component
      measures that maximize signal-to-noise of the resulting composite score have been
      proposed. Optimal weights can be estimated from pilot data, but it is an open
      question how large a pilot trial is required to calculate reliably optimal
      weights. METHODS: In this manuscript, we describe the calculation of optimal
      weights, and use large-scale computer simulations to investigate the question of
      how large a pilot study sample is required to inform the calculation of optimal
      weights. The simulations are informed by the pattern of decline observed in
      cognitively normal subjects enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study
      (ADCS) Prevention Instrument cohort study, restricting to n=75 subjects age 75
      and over with an ApoE E4 risk allele and therefore likely to have an underlying
      Alzheimer neurodegenerative process. RESULTS: In the context of secondary
      prevention trials in Alzheimer's disease, and using the components of the PACC,
      we found that pilot studies as small as 100 are sufficient to meaningfully inform
      weighting parameters. Regardless of the pilot study sample size used to inform
      weights, the optimally weighted PACC consistently outperformed the standard PACC
      in terms of statistical power to detect treatment effects in a clinical trial.
      Pilot studies of size 300 produced weights that achieved near-optimal statistical
      power, and reduced required sample size relative to the standard PACC by more
      than half. CONCLUSIONS: These simulations suggest that modestly sized pilot
      studies, comparable to that of a phase 2 clinical trial, are sufficient to inform
      the construction of composite outcome measures. Although these findings apply
      only to the PACC in the context of prodromal AD, the observation that weights
      only have to approximate the optimal weights to achieve near-optimal performance
      should generalize. Performing a pilot study or phase 2 trial to inform the
      weighting of proposed composite outcome measures is highly cost-effective. The
      net effect of more efficient outcome measures is that smaller trials will be
      required to test novel treatments. Alternatively, second generation trials can
      use prior clinical trial data to inform weighting, so that greater efficiency can
      be achieved as we move forward.

PMID- 28920075
TI  - Of Mice and Men: Empirical Support for the Population-Based Social Epistasis
      Amplification Model (a Comment on ).
AB  - This commentary article offers new perspective on recent research investigating
      the behavioral and social ecological effects of a mutation related to autism
      spectrum disorders in mice. The authors explain the consistency of this research
      on mice with predictions advanced by a theory of the role of mutations in
      altering interorganismal gene-gene interactions (social epistasis) in social
      species including humans, known as the social epistasis amplification model. The
      potential significance of the mouse research for understanding contemporary human
      behavioral trends is explored.

PMID- 28920076
TI  - Falling upward with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Falls can injure, even kill. No one with Parkinson's disease (PD) wants to fall
      by accident. However, the potential nastiness of falls does not preclude a more
      nuanced understanding of the personal meaning that falls can have. Rather than
      view falls as a problem to fear and manage solely by preventing and repairing
      harm, people with PD and those who care for them may recast falls as a mixed
      blessing. Falls may be a resource, skill, and catalyst for personal growth. We
      discuss how falls may give rise to opportunities in interrelated domains:
      capabilities, credo, character, creativity, chronemics, and connectedness.
      Clinicians could incorporate a positive focus across these domains to help people
      with PD to 'fall upward' in the sense of flourish.

PMID- 28920077
TI  - Mimicking the Bioactivity of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Using Supramolecular
      Nanoribbons.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) is a multifunctional growth factor that has
      pleiotropic effects in different tissues and organs. In particular, FGF-2 has a
      special role in angiogenesis, an important process in development, wound healing,
      cell survival, and differentiation. Therefore, incorporating biological agents
      like FGF-2 within therapeutic biomaterials is a potential strategy to create
      angiogenic bioactivity for the repair of damaged tissue caused by trauma or
      complications that arise from age and/or disease. However, the use of growth
      factors as therapeutic agents can be costly and does not always bring about
      efficient tissue repair due to rapid clearance from the targeted site. An
      alternative would be a stable supramolecular nanostructure with the capacity to
      activate the FGF-2 receptor that can also assemble into a scaffold deliverable to
      tissue. We report here on peptide amphiphiles that incorporate a peptide known to
      activate the FGF-2 receptor and peptide domains that drive its self-assembly into
      supramolecular nanoribbons. These FGF2-PA nanoribbons displayed the ability to
      increase the proliferation and migration of the human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs) in vitro to the same extent as the native FGF-2 protein at certain
      concentrations. We confirmed that this activity was specific to the FGFR1
      signaling pathway by tracking the phosphorylation of downstream signaling
      effectors such ERK1/2 and pH3. These results indicated the specificity of FGF2-PA
      nanoribbons in activating the FGF-2 signaling pathway and its potential
      application as a supramolecular scaffold that can be used in vivo as an
      alternative to the encapsulation and delivery of the native FGF-2 protein.

PMID- 28920074
TI  - The mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC): looking back and forth after 15 years.
AB  - The mitotic checkpoint is a specialized signal transduction pathway that
      contributes to the fidelity of chromosome segregation. The signaling of the
      checkpoint originates from defective kinetochore-microtubule interactions and
      leads to formation of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), a highly potent
      inhibitor of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C)-the E3 ubiquitin
      ligase essential for anaphase onset. Many important questions concerning the MCC
      and its interaction with APC/C have been intensively investigated and debated in
      the past 15 years, such as the exact composition of the MCC, how it is assembled
      during a cell cycle, how it inhibits APC/C, and how the MCC is disassembled to
      allow APC/C activation. These efforts have culminated in recently reported
      structure models for human MCC:APC/C supra-complexes at near-atomic resolution
      that shed light on multiple aspects of the mitotic checkpoint mechanisms.
      However, confusing statements regarding the MCC are still scattered in the
      literature, making it difficult for students and scientists alike to obtain a
      clear picture of MCC composition, structure, function and dynamics. This review
      will comb through some of the most popular concepts or misconceptions about the
      MCC, discuss our current understandings, present a synthesized model on
      regulation of CDC20 ubiquitination, and suggest a few future endeavors and
      cautions for next phase of MCC research.

PMID- 28920078
TI  - NOTCH1 Activation Depletes the Pool of Side Population Stem Cells in ATL.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HTLV-I infection is associated with the development of adult T-cell
      leukemia (ATL), a malignancy characterized by a high rate of disease relapse and
      poor survival. Previous studies reported the existence of side population (SP)
      cells in HTLV-I Tax transgenic mouse models. These studies showed that these ATL
      like derived SP cells have both self-renewal and leukemia renewal capacity and
      represent Cancer Stem Cells (CSC)/Leukemia-Initiating Cells (LIC). Since CSC/LIC
      are resistant to conventional therapies, a better characterization is needed.
      METHODS: We isolated, sorted and characterized SP cells from uncultured PBMCs
      from ATL patients and from ATL patient-derived cell lines. We then identified
      several specific signaling pathways activated or suppressed in these cells.
      Expression of viral gene HBZ and Tax transcriptional activity was also
      investigated. Using gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI, Calbiochem) and stably
      transduced ATL cell lines expressing TET-inducible NOTCH 1 intracellular domain
      (NICD), we characterized the role of activated NOTCH 1 in the maintenance of the
      SP cells in ATL. RESULTS: Our studies confirm the existence of SP cells in ATL
      samples. These cells demonstrate lower activation of NOTCH1 and Tax, and reduced
      expression of STAT3, beta-catenin/Wnt3 and viral HBZ. We further show that PI3K
      and the NOTCH1 signaling pathway have opposite functions, and constitutive
      activation of NOTCH1 signaling depletes the pool of SP cells in ATL-derived cell
      lines. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that in ATL, a balance between activation
      of the NOTCH1 and PI3K signaling pathway is the key in the control of SP cells
      maintenance and may offer therapeutic opportunities.

PMID- 28920079
TI  - Parkin New Cargos: a New ROS Independent Role for Parkin in Regulating Cell
      Division.
AB  - Cell cycle progression requires the destruction of key cell cycle regulators by
      the multi-subunit E3 ligase called the anaphase promoting complex (APC/C). As the
      cell progresses through the cell cycle, the APC/C is sequentially activated by
      two highly conserved co-activators called Cdc20 and Cdh1. Importantly, APC/CCdc20
      is required to degrade substrates in G2/M whereas APCCdh1 drives the cells into
      G1. Recently, Parkin, a monomeric E3 ligase that is required for ubiquitin
      mediated mitophagy following mitochondrial stress, was shown to both bind and be
      activated by Cdc20 or Cdh1 during the cell cycle. This mitotic role for Parkin
      does not require an activating phosphorylation by its usual kinase partner PINK.
      Rather, mitotic Parkin activity requires phosphorylation on a different serine by
      the polo-like kinase Plk1. Interestingly, although ParkinCdc20 and ParkinCdh1
      activity is independent of the APC/C, it mediates degradation of an overlapping
      subset of substrates. However, unlike the APC/C, Parkin is not necessary for cell
      cycle progression. Despite this, loss of Parkin activity accelerates genome
      instability and tumor growth in xenograft models. These findings provide a
      mechanism behind the previously described, but poorly understood, tumor
      suppressor role for Parkin. Taken together, studies suggest that the APC/C and
      Parkin have similar and unique roles to play in cell division, possibly being
      dependent upon the different subcellular address of these two ligases.

PMID- 28920080
TI  - Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals in the Research Spotlight: Stability and
      Defect Tolerance.
AB  - This Perspective outlines basic structural and optical properties of lead halide
      perovskite colloidal nanocrystals, highlighting differences and similarities
      between them and conventional II-VI and III-V semiconductor quantum dots. A
      detailed insight into two important issues inherent to lead halide perovskite
      nanocrystals then follows, namely, the advantages of defect tolerance and the
      necessity to improve their stability in environmental conditions. The defect
      tolerance of lead halide perovskites offers an impetus to search for similar
      attributes in other related heavy metal-free compounds. We discuss the origins of
      the significantly blue-shifted emission from CsPbBr3 nanocrystals and the
      synthetic strategies toward fabrication of stable perovskite nanocrystal
      materials with emission in the red and infrared parts of the optical spectrum,
      which are related to fabrication of mixed cation compounds guided by Goldschmidt
      tolerance factor considerations. We conclude with the view on perspectives of use
      of the colloidal perovskite nanocrystals for applications in backlighting of
      liquid-crystal TV displays.

PMID- 28920081
TI  - Modeling the Performance Limitations and Prospects of Perovskite/Si Tandem Solar
      Cells under Realistic Operating Conditions.
AB  - Perovskite/Si tandem solar cells have the potential to considerably out-perform
      conventional solar cells. Under standard test conditions, perovskite/Si tandem
      solar cells already outperform the Si single junction. Under realistic
      conditions, however, as we show, tandem solar cells made from current record
      cells are hardly more efficient than the Si cell alone. We model the performance
      of realistic perovskite/Si tandem solar cells under real-world climate
      conditions, by incorporating parasitic cell resistances, nonradiative
      recombination, and optical losses into the detailed-balance limit. We show
      quantitatively that when optimizing these parameters in the perovskite top cell,
      perovskite/Si tandem solar cells could reach efficiencies above 38% under
      realistic conditions, even while leaving the Si cell untouched. Despite the rapid
      efficiency increase of perovskite solar cells, our results emphasize the need for
      further material development, careful device design, and light management
      strategies, all necessary for highly efficient perovskite/Si tandem solar cells.

PMID- 28920082
TI  - Is a persistent central canal a risk factor for neurological injury in patients
      undergoing surgical correction of scoliosis?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scoliosis patients with associated syringomyelia are at an increased
      risk of neurological injury during surgical deformity correction. The syrinx is
      therefore often addressed surgically prior to scoliosis correction to minimize
      this risk. It remains unclear if the presence of a persistent central canal (PCC)
      within the spinal cord also poses a similar risk. The aim of this study is to
      determine whether there is any evidence to suggest that patients with a PCC are
      also at a higher risk of neurological injury during surgical scoliosis
      correction. METHODS: Eleven patients with a PCC identified on pre-operative
      magnetic resonance imaging who had undergone correction of adolescent idiopathic
      scoliosis (AIS) over a 7-year study period at our institution were
      retrospectively identified. The incidence of abnormal intra-operative spinal cord
      monitoring (SCM) traces in this group was in turn compared against 44 randomly
      selected age- and sex-matched controls with no PCC who had also undergone
      surgical correction of AIS during the study period. Fisher's exact test was
      applied to determine whether there was a significant difference in the incidence
      of abnormal intra-operative SCM traces between the two groups. RESULTS:
      Statistical analysis demonstrated no significant difference in the incidence of
      abnormal intra-operative SCM signal traces between the PCC group and the control
      group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates no evidence to suggest a PCC
      increases the risk of neurological complications during scoliosis correction. We
      therefore suggest that surgical correction of scoliosis in patients with a PCC
      can be carried out safely with routine precautions.

PMID- 28920083
TI  - Differential alterations of intracellular [Ca2+] dynamics induced by cocaine and
      methylphenidate in thalamocortical ventrobasal neurons.
AB  - The ventrobasal (VB) thalamus relay nucleus processes information from rodents'
      whiskers, projecting to somatosensory cortex. Cocaine and methylphenidate (MPH)
      have been described to differentially alter intrinsic properties of, and
      spontaneous GABAergic input to, VB neurons. Here we studied using bis-fura 2
      ratiometric fluorescence the effects of cocaine and MPH on intracellular [Ca2+]
      dynamics at the soma and dendrites of VB neurons. Cocaine increased baseline
      fluorescence in VB somatic and dendritic compartments. Peak and areas of
      fluorescence amplitudes were reduced by cocaine binge treatment in somas and
      dendrites at different holding potentials. MPH binge treatment did not alter
      ratiometric fluorescence at either somatic or dendritic levels. These novel
      cocaine-mediated blunting effects on intracellular [Ca2+] might account for
      alterations in the capacity of thalamocortical neurons to maintain gamma band
      oscillations, as well as their ability to integrate synaptic afferents.

PMID- 28920085
TI  - Baseline Prescription and One-Year Persistence of Secondary Prevention Drugs
      after an index Stroke in Central Ghana.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is a paucity of data on persistence of secondary
      prevention medications among stroke survivors in resource-limited settings where
      stroke is on a rapid upward trajectory and its management severely challenged. To
      avert new cardiovascular events after stroke, preventive medications should be
      promptly instituted and used continuously. We report 1-year rates and
      determinants of persistent utilization of secondary prevention therapies after
      stroke in Ghana. METHODS: A retrospective observational study involving 418
      stroke survivors enrolled into a Neurology clinic in a tertiary institution in
      central Ghana between January 2011 and December 2013. Data on demography, stroke
      type, risk factor profile and five secondary risk prevention medication classes
      namely antihypertensive, antiplatelet, statins, antidiabetic and anticoagulants
      were collected from patient charts. Persistence within first year after stroke
      was defined as continuation of all secondary preventive medications prescribed at
      enrollment to the Neurology clinic and it excluded 126 (~30%) patients who could
      not complete 12 month follow up. Data was closed for analysis in June 2015 to
      allow for at least 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Rates of utilization of
      secondary preventive medications and its intensity were influenced by stroke type
      and prevailing vascular risk factors. In decreasing order, antihypertensive,
      lipid-modifying, anti-platelet, anti-diabetic medications and anti-coagulants
      were prescribed at frequencies (%) of 394 (94.3%), 303 (72.5%), 274 (65.6%), 61
      (14.6%) and 2 (0.5%) respectively at enrollment into the Neurology clinic
      (n=418). Overall, 92.1% of subjects (n=292) under follow-up for 1 year were
      persistent on secondary prevention medications initiated at enrollment into the
      neurology clinic with medication class specific rates of 97.5% for
      antihypertensive, 94.8% for anti-platelets, 94.1% for statins, 85.7% for anti
      diabetic and 50% for anticoagulants. Abuse of alcohol was significantly
      associated with non-persistence, adjusted OR (95% CI) of 3.08 (1.13-8.38).
      CONCLUSION: Persistence of secondary preventive medications among stroke
      survivors in this resource-limited setting is excellent and comparable to those
      in resource-replete countries. There is however the need to investigate the
      causes of high attrition rates from care.

PMID- 28920084
TI  - EFFECTS OF METHAMPHETAMINE ON LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY AND THALAMIC GENE EXPRESSION IN
      LEPTIN-DEFICIENT OBESE MICE.
AB  - Leptin is an adipose-derived hormone that regulates energy balance. Leptin
      receptors are expressed in extrahypothalamic sites and several reports showed
      that leptin can influence feeding and locomotor behavior via direct actions on
      dopaminergic neurons. The leptin deficient mouse (ob/ob) has been used as an
      animal model of blunted leptin action, and presents with obesity and mild type 2
      diabetes. We used ob/ob mice to study the effect of repeated 7-day
      methamphetamine (METH) administration analyzing locomotion, behavioral
      sensitization, and somatosensory thalamic mRNA expression of voltage-gated
      calcium channels and glutamatergic receptors using RT-PCR. We observed reduced
      METH-mediated responses in ob/ob mice associated with enhanced in mRNA expression
      of key voltage-gated and glutamate receptors in the somatosensory thalamus.
      Results described here are important for understanding the control of locomotion
      and thalamocortical excitability by leptin.

PMID- 28920086
TI  - Organic compounds generated after the flow of water through micro-orifices: Were
      they synthesized?
AB  - Micro-fluid mechanics is an important area of research in modern fluid mechanics
      because of its many potential industrial and biological applications. However,
      the field is not fully understood yet. In previous work, when passing ultrapure
      water (UPW) in which air was dissolved (UPW*) through micro-orifices, we found
      that the flow velocity decreased and stopped over time, and membranes were
      frequently formed in the orifice when the flow stopped. The membrane came from
      the dissolved air in UPW*, and membrane formation was closely related to electric
      charges generated in orifices by the flow. In the present paper, we clarified the
      components of the membrane and suggested a mechanism for membrane formation. We
      examined the effect of contaminants on the membrane formation and confirmed our
      previous results. We identified the chemical components of the membrane and those
      present in the UPW* itself by using an electron probe microanalyzer and found
      that the proportion of each element differed between the membrane and UPW*. Raman
      and infrared (IR) spectroscopy showed that the membrane consisted of organic
      substances such as carotenoids, amides, esters, and sugars. We irradiated UPW*
      with ultraviolet light to cut organic chains that may be left in UPW* as
      contaminants. We found a similar membrane and organic compounds as in
      nonirradiated UPW*. Furthermore, although the UPW that was kept from contact with
      air after it was supplied from the UPW maker (UPW0) and bubbled with Ar gas (UPW0
      bubbled with Ar) formed no membrane, the UPW0 bubbled with CO2 formed thin
      membranes, and Raman and IR analysis showed that this membrane contained
      carboxylic acid salts, carotenoids, or a mixture of both. We found that electric
      grounding of the orifice reduces the probability of membrane formation and that
      the jets issuing from an aperture bear negative charges, and we assumed that the
      micro-orifices possess positive charges generated by flows. Consequently, we
      suggest that organic compounds are synthesized from nonorganic matter in air or
      CO2 dissolved in water by the action of hydroxyl radicals generated by flows
      through micro-orifices.

PMID- 28920087
TI  - Simultaneous removal of five triazole fungicides from synthetic solutions on
      activated carbons and cyclodextrin-based adsorbents.
AB  - In this study, an adsorption-oriented process for the removal of fungicides from
      polycontaminated aqueous solutions was applied. To remove triazole fungicides
      from aqueous mixtures of propiconazole (PROPI), tebuconazole (TEBU),
      epoxiconazole (EPOXI), bromuconazole (BROMU) and difenoconazole (DIFENO), several
      materials used as adsorbents were compared using batch experiments, namely two
      conventional activated carbons (ACs) and five nonconventional cross-linked
      cyclodextrin (CD)-based materials (alpha-CDP, beta-CDP, gamma-CDP, alphabetagamma
      CDP mixture, and hydroxypropyl-beta-CDP). This article presents the abatements
      obtained. As expected, ACs exhibited the highest levels of triazole fungicide
      removal: the treatment lowered the five azoles by more than 99%, and adsorption
      was non-selective. Concerning CD-based materials employed for the first time for
      the removal of fungicides from polycontaminated aqueous solutions, results were
      interesting in particular for hydroxypropyl-beta-CDP: 1 g of adsorbent placed in
      1 L of solution containing 1 mg of each of five triazoles (5 mg in total) was
      able to remove over half of the fungicide amount (2.97 mg). The order obtained
      was the following: BROMU << PROPI ? EPOXI < TEBU << DIFENO. This indicates that,
      in the mixture studied, strong competition prevailed among fungicides for the
      binding sites.

PMID- 28920088
TI  - Metabolic and transcriptomic analysis of Huntington's disease model reveal
      changes in intracellular glucose levels and related genes.
AB  - Huntington's Disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion
      in a CAG-tri-nucleotide repeat that introduces a poly-glutamine stretch into the
      huntingtin protein (mHTT). Mutant huntingtin (mHTT) has been associated with
      several phenotypes including mood disorders and depression. Additionally, HD
      patients are known to be more susceptible to type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM),
      and HD mice model develops diabetes. However, the mechanism and pathways that
      link Huntington's disease and diabetes have not been well established.
      Understanding the underlying mechanisms can reveal potential targets for drug
      development in HD. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome of mHTT cell
      populations alongside intracellular glucose measurements using a functionalized
      nanopipette. Several genes related to glucose uptake and glucose homeostasis are
      affected. We observed changes in intracellular glucose concentrations and
      identified altered transcript levels of certain genes including Sorcs1, Hh-II and
      Vldlr. Our data suggest that these can be used as markers for HD progression.
      Sorcs1 may not only have a role in glucose metabolism and trafficking but also in
      glutamatergic pathways affecting trafficking of synaptic components.

PMID- 28920089
TI  - Cooking methods affect phytochemical composition and anti-obesity potential of
      soybean (Glycine max) seeds in Wistar rats.
AB  - This work aimed at investigating the effects of three domestic cooking methods
      (roasting, sprouting and boiling) on phytochemical contents (phenolic content,
      flavonoid, fibre), and anti-obesity (weight loss, hypoglycemic effect, serum
      lipids) potential of soybean seeds in obese male rats. Ten different forms were
      implemented, combining hulled/unhulled and raw/cooked soybean seeds using a basal
      and a hypercaloric diet as controls. Unhulled Roasted Soybean (URS) exhibited the
      highest phenolic content and a greater antioxidant activity by the FRAP assay
      than BHT at certain concentrations. Hulled boiled Soybean (HBS) showed the
      highest flavonoid content while Hulled Germinated Soybean (HGS) presented the
      lowest fibre content (P < 0.05). Unhulled Boiled Soybean (UBS) induced the best
      reduction in food intake while Unhulled Soybean Extract (USE) exhibited the
      greatest slimming effect. HBS exhibited the best cholesterol lowering ability;
      URS and Unhulled germinated Soybean (UGS) respectively induced the highest
      increase in HDL cholesterol levels and reduction in triglyceride levels. UBS
      demonstrated the highest ability to lower LDL cholesterol. UGS exhibited the
      highest ability to lower the postprandial blood glucose. Culinary treatments
      affect phytochemical content and anti-obesity potential of soybean seeds.

PMID- 28920090
TI  - Reconstructing coral calcification fluid dissolved inorganic carbon chemistry
      from skeletal boron: An exploration of potential controls on coral aragonite
      B/Ca.
AB  - The boron geochemistry of coral skeletons reflects the dissolved inorganic carbon
      (DIC) chemistry of the calcification fluid from which the skeletons precipitates
      and may be a valuable tool to investigate the effects of climate change on coral
      calcification. In this paper I calculate the predicted B/Ca of aragonite
      precipitating from seawater based fluids as a function of pH, [DIC] and [Ca2+]. I
      consider how different co-precipitating DIC species affect aragonite B/Ca and
      also estimate the impact of variations in the B(OH)4-/co-precipitating DIC
      aragonite partition coefficient (KD), which may be associated with changes in the
      DIC and Ca2+ chemistry of the calcification fluid. The coral skeletal B/Ca versus
      calcification fluid pH relationships reported previously can be reproduced by
      estimating B(OH)4- and co-precipitating DIC speciation as a function of pHCF and
      assuming that KD are constant i.e. unaffected by calcification fluid saturation
      state. Assuming that B(OH)4- co-precipitates with CO32-, then observed patterns
      can be reproduced by a fluid with approximately constant [DIC] i.e. increasing
      pHCF concentrates CO32-, as a function of DIC speciation. Assuming that B(OH)4-
      co-precipitates with HCO3- only or CO32- + HCO3- then the observed patterns can
      be reproduced if [DIC]CF and pHCF are positively related i.e. if DIC is
      increasingly concentrated in the calcification fluid at higher pHCF probably by
      CO2 diffusion into the calcification site.

PMID- 28920092
TI  - Thermogelling properties of purified poloxamer 407.
AB  - Poloxamers are triblock copolymers with a center block of hydrophobic
      polypropylene oxide (PPO) flanked by two hydrophilic polyethyleneoxide (PEO)
      blocks. Among this family of copolymers, poloxamer 407 is a non-ionic surfactant
      with reversible gelation properties above a particular polymer concentration and
      a particular temperature. Easy preparation of poloxamer 407 based sterile
      injectable formulations have made this copolymer a good candidate for drug
      delivery, specifically when controlled release of the drug is required.
      Previously, the applications of compendial poloxamer 407 preparations were
      demonstrated; however, low viscosity, poor elasticity, and sol-to-gel transition
      temperature (Tsol-gel) over a wide temperature range were observed. A
      purification process was introduced to eliminate impurities and low molecular
      weight copolymer molecules from the compendial poloxamer 407 resulting in higher
      viscosity values with Tsol-gel in a narrow temperature range. Here, poloxamer 407
      was purified based on the proposed process and the rheological and analytical
      evaluation of the purified poloxamer 407 was conducted and compared to
      unpurified, compendial poloxamer 407. Then, the impact of poloxamer 407
      concentration on gel formation was evaluated. For drug delivery applications, the
      effect of relevant buffer salts and the effect of addition of ethanol to the
      poloxamer 407 solutions were rheologically evaluated.

PMID- 28920091
TI  - Selecting pure-emotion materials from the International Affective Picture System
      (IAPS) by Chinese university students: A study based on intensity-ratings only.
AB  - There is a need to use selected pictures with pure emotion as stimulation or
      treatment media for basic and clinical research. Pictures from the widely-used
      International Affective Picture System (IAPS) contain rich emotions, but no study
      has clearly stated that an emotion is exclusively expressed in its putative IAPS
      picture to date. We hypothesize that the IAPS images contain at least pure
      vectors of disgust, erotism (or erotica), fear, happiness, sadness and neutral
      emotions. Accordingly, we have selected 108 IAPS images, each with a specific
      emotion, and invited 219 male and 274 female university students to rate only the
      intensity of the emotion conveyed in each picture. Their answers were analyzed
      using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Four first-order factors
      manifested as disgust-fear, happiness-sadness, erotism, and neutral. Later, ten
      second-order sub-factors manifested as mutilation-disgust, vomit-disgust, food
      disgust, violence-fear, happiness, sadness, couple- erotism, female-erotism, male
      erotism, and neutral. Fifty-nine pictures for the ten sub-factors, which had
      established good model-fit indices, satisfactory sub-factor internal
      reliabilities, and prominent gender-differences in the picture intensity ratings
      were ultimately retained. We thus have selected a series of pure-emotion IAPS
      pictures, which together displayed both satisfactorily convergent and
      discriminant structure-validities. We did not intend to evaluate all IAPS items,
      but instead selected some pictures conveying pure emotions, which might help both
      basic and clinical researches in the future.

PMID- 28920093
TI  - Pyrazine analogues from wolf urine induced unlearned fear in rats.
AB  - Urine excreted from the common grey wolf (Canis lupus) contains a kairomone,
      inducing fear-related behaviors in various mammals. Numerous fear-inducing
      substances activate neurons at the main and/or accessory olfactory bulb (AOB),
      medial and central amygdala, and hypothalamus. Our previous study showed that the
      mixture of pyrazine analogues (P-mix) contained in wolf urine induced avoidance
      and fear-related behaviors in laboratory mice and Hokkaido deer (Cervus nippon
      yesoensis), a species native to Japan. Exposure to wolf urine or P-mix induced
      expression of Fos, a marker of neuronal excitation, in the AOB of mice. In the
      present study, we explored the effects of P-mix on fear-related behaviors and Fos
      expression in rats. Exposure to P-mix induced avoidance and immobilization in
      rats, while that to a mixture of i-amyl acetate, linalool and R(+)-limonene (O
      mix), which generate floral and fruity odors, induced avoidance but not
      immobilization. P-mix but not O-mix increased Fos-immunoreactivity of the AOB,
      medial and central amygdala, and hypothalamus of rats. The present results
      suggest that P-mix odor induces unlearned fear-related behaviors in rats.

PMID- 28920094
TI  - Convolutional auto-encoder for image denoising of ultra-low-dose CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to validate a patch-based image
      denoising method for ultra-low-dose CT images. Neural network with convolutional
      auto-encoder and pairs of standard-dose CT and ultra-low-dose CT image patches
      were used for image denoising. The performance of the proposed method was
      measured by using a chest phantom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Standard-dose and ultra
      low-dose CT images of the chest phantom were acquired. The tube currents for
      standard-dose and ultra-low-dose CT were 300 and 10 mA, respectively. Ultra-low
      dose CT images were denoised with our proposed method using neural network, large
      scale nonlocal mean, and block-matching and 3D filtering. Five radiologists and
      three technologists assessed the denoised ultra-low-dose CT images visually and
      recorded their subjective impressions of streak artifacts, noise other than
      streak artifacts, visualization of pulmonary vessels, and overall image quality.
      RESULTS: For the streak artifacts, noise other than streak artifacts, and
      visualization of pulmonary vessels, the results of our proposed method were
      statistically better than those of block-matching and 3D filtering (p-values <
      0.05). On the other hand, the difference in the overall image quality between our
      proposed method and block-matching and 3D filtering was not statistically
      significant (p-value = 0.07272). The p-values obtained between our proposed
      method and large-scale nonlocal mean were all less than 0.05. CONCLUSION: Neural
      network with convolutional auto-encoder could be trained using pairs of standard
      dose and ultra-low-dose CT image patches. According to the visual assessment by
      radiologists and technologists, the performance of our proposed method was
      superior to that of large-scale nonlocal mean and block-matching and 3D
      filtering.

PMID- 28920095
TI  - Computational Study of Quasi-2D Liquid State in Free Standing Platinum, Silver,
      Gold, and Copper Monolayers.
AB  - Recently, freestanding atomically thick Fe metal patches up to 10 atoms wide have
      been fabricated experimentally in tiny pores in graphene. This concept can be
      extended conceptually to extended freestanding monolayers. We have therefore
      performed ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate the early melting
      stages of platinum, silver, gold, and copper freestanding metal monolayers. Our
      calculations show that all four freestanding monolayers will form quasi-2D liquid
      layers with significant out-of-plane motion and diffusion in the plane.
      Remarkably, we observe a 4% reduction in the Pt most likely bond length as the
      system enters the liquid state at 2400 K (and a lower effective spring constant),
      compared to the system at 1200 and 1800 K. We attribute this to the reduced
      average number of bonds per atom in the Pt liquid state. We used the highly
      accurate and reliable Density Functional Theory (DFT-D) method that includes
      dispersion corrections. These liquid states are found at temperatures of 2400 K,
      1050 K, 1600 K, and 1400 K for platinum, silver, gold, and copper respectively.
      The pair correlation function drops in the liquid state, while the bond
      orientation order parameter is reduced to a lesser degree. Movies of the
      simulations can be viewed online (see Supplementary Material).

PMID- 28920096
TI  - Competition Effects in Visual Cortex Between Emotional Distractors and a Primary
      Task in Remitted Depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attentional biases, particularly difficulty inhibiting attention to
      negative stimuli, are implicated in risk for major depressive disorder (MDD). The
      current study examined a neural measure of attentional bias using a continuous
      index of visuocortical engagement (steady-state visual evoked potentials
      [SSVEPs]) before and after a negative mood induction in a population at high-risk
      for MDD recurrence due to a recently remitted MDD (rMDD) episode. Additionally,
      we examined working memory (WM) capacity as a potential moderator of the link
      between rMDD and visuocortical responses. METHODS: Our sample consisted of 27
      women with rMDD and 28 never-depressed women. To assess attentional inhibition to
      emotional stimuli, we measured frequency-tagged SSVEPs evoked from spatially
      superimposed task-relevant stimuli and emotional distractors (facial displays of
      emotion) oscillating at distinct frequencies. WM capacity was assessed during a
      visuospatial memory task. RESULTS: Women with rMDD, relative to never-depressed
      women, displayed difficulty inhibiting attention to all emotional distractors
      before a negative mood induction, with the strongest effect for negative
      distractors (sad faces). Following the mood induction, rMDD women's attention to
      emotional distractors remained largely unchanged. Among women with rMDD, lower WM
      capacity predicted greater difficulty inhibiting attention to negative and
      neutral distractors. CONCLUSIONS: By exploiting the phenomenon of oscillatory
      resonance in the visual cortex, we tracked competition in neural responses for
      spatially superimposed stimuli differing in valence. Results demonstrated that
      women with rMDD display impaired attentional inhibition of emotional distractors
      independent of state mood and that this bias is strongest among those with lower
      WM capacity.

PMID- 28920097
TI  - Acute CD47 Blockade During Ischemic Myocardial Reperfusion Enhances Phagocytosis
      Associated Cardiac Repair.
AB  - Our data suggest that, after a myocardial infarction, integrin-associated protein
      CD47 on cardiac myocytes is elevated. In culture, increased CD47 on the surface
      of dying cardiomyocytes impairs phagocytic removal by immune cell macrophages.
      After myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, acute CD47 inhibition with blocking
      antibodies enhanced dead myocyte clearance by cardiac phagocytes and also
      improved the resolution of cardiac inflammation, reduced infarct size, and
      preserved cardiac contractile function. Early targeting of CD47 in the myocardium
      after reperfusion may be a new strategy to enhance wound repair in the ischemic
      heart.

PMID- 28920098
TI  - The IL-1RI Co-Receptor TILRR (FREM1 Isoform 2) Controls Aberrant Inflammatory
      Responses and Development of Vascular Disease.
AB  - Expression of the interleukin-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI) co-receptor Toll-like
      and interleukin-1 receptor regulator (TILRR) is significantly increased in blood
      monocytes following myocardial infarction and in the atherosclerotic plaque,
      whereas levels in healthy tissue are low. TILRR association with IL-1RI at these
      sites causes aberrant activation of inflammatory genes, which underlie
      progression of cardiovascular disease. The authors show that genetic deletion of
      TILRR or antibody blocking of TILRR function reduces development of
      atherosclerotic plaques. Lesions exhibit decreased levels of monocytes, with
      increases in collagen and smooth muscle cells, characteristic features of stable
      plaques. The results suggest that TILRR may constitute a rational target for site
      and signal-specific inhibition of vascular disease.

PMID- 28920099
TI  - Fast Virtual Fractional Flow Reserve Based Upon Steady-State Computational Fluid
      Dynamics Analysis: Results From the VIRTU-Fast Study.
AB  - Fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous intervention is superior to
      standard assessment but remains underused. The authors have developed a novel
      "pseudotransient" analysis protocol for computing virtual fractional flow reserve
      (vFFR) based upon angiographic images and steady-state computational fluid
      dynamics. This protocol generates vFFR results in 189 s (cf >24 h for transient
      analysis) using a desktop PC, with <1% error relative to that of full-transient
      computational fluid dynamics analysis. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that
      physiological lesion significance was influenced less by coronary or lesion
      anatomy (33%) and more by microvascular physiology (59%). If coronary
      microvascular resistance can be estimated, vFFR can be accurately computed in
      less time than it takes to make invasive measurements.

PMID- 28920100
TI  - A Urinary Fragment of Mucin-1 Subunit alpha Is a Novel Biomarker Associated With
      Renal Dysfunction in the General Population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sequencing peptides included in the urinary proteome identifies the
      parent proteins and may reveal mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of
      chronic kidney disease. METHODS: In 805 randomly recruited Flemish individuals
      (50.8% women; mean age, 51.1 years), we determined the estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR) from serum creatinine using the Chronic Kidney Disease
      Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. We categorized eGFR according to
      the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative
      guideline. We analyzed 74 sequenced urinary peptides with a detectable signal in
      more than 95% of participants. Follow-up measurements of eGFR were available in
      597 participants. RESULTS: In multivariable analyses, baseline eGFR decreased (P
      <= 0.022) with urinary fragments of mucin-1 (standardized association size
      expressed in ml/min/1.73 m2, -4.48), collagen III (-2.84), and fibrinogen (-1.70)
      and was bi-directionally associated (P <= 0.0006) with 2 urinary collagen I
      fragments (+2.28 and -3.20). The eGFR changes over 5 years (follow-up minus
      baseline) resulted in consistent estimates (P <= 0.025) for mucin-1 (-1.85),
      collagen (-1.37 to 1.43) and fibrinogen (-1.45) fragments. Relative risk of
      having or progressing to eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 was associated with mucin-1.
      Partial least-squares analysis confirmed mucin-1 as the strongest urinary marker
      associated with decreased eGFR, with a score of 2.47 compared with 1.80 for a
      collagen I fragment as the next contender. Mucin-1 predicted eGFR decline to <60
      ml/min/1.73 m2 over and above microalbuminuria (P = 0.011) and retained
      borderline significance (P = 0.05) when baseline eGFR was accounted for.
      DISCUSSION: In the general population, mucin-1 subunit alpha, an extracellular
      protein that is shed from renal tubular epithelium, is a novel biomarker
      associated with renal dysfunction.

PMID- 28920101
TI  - Potential therapeutic targets in Nrf2-dependent protection against neonatal
      respiratory distress disease predicted by cDNA microarray analysis and
      bioinformatics tools.
AB  - Hyperoxia exposure of newborn rodents has served as a model for bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia (BPD) phenotypes found in a sub-population of human premature infants.
      We previously demonstrated that Nrf2 modulates molecular events during saccular
      to-alveolar lung maturation and also has a protective role in the pathogenesis of
      hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury, mortality, arrest of saccular-to-alveolar
      transition, and lung injury, using Nrf2-deficient and wild-type neonate mice. In
      this review, we describe how whole-genome transcriptome analyses can identify the
      means through which Nrf2 transcriptionally modulates organ injury and morphology,
      cellular growth/proliferation, vasculature development, and immune response
      during BPD-like pathogenesis. We illustrate how recently developed bioinformatics
      tools can be used to identify sets of Nrf2-dependently modulated genes in the BPD
      model, and elucidate direct Nrf2 downstream targets and chemicals/drugs that may
      act on them. These approaches will provide significant insights into promising
      therapeutic agents for Nrf2-dependent treatments of complications of preterm
      birth like BPD.

PMID- 28920102
TI  - Does the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Regulate Pluripotency?
AB  - Recent evidence from embryonic stem cells suggests that the aryl hydrocarbon
      receptor (AHR) plays a central role in the regulation of pluripotency, a short
      lived property of cells in the early blastula inner cell mass (ICM). Four key
      observations support this conclusion. The first is the temporal association
      between upregulation of AHR expression and the onset of cell differentiation,
      which argues for the AHR as a determinant of cell fate decisions. The second is
      the repression of the pluripotency factors OCT4 and NANOG by the AHR, which
      depresses their function and contributes to the cell's exit from pluripotency.
      The third is the temporal association between changes in global DNA methylation
      and stage-dependent AHR expression, which parallel each other during embryonic
      development, suggesting that AHR helps configure a repressive chromatin structure
      that controls differentiation. The fourth is the incidence of early developmental
      aberrations that take place in Ahr-null mice and cause the disruption of their
      embryonic program, which is likely to be a consequence of the loss of
      pluripotency of the Ahr-/- ICM cells. In this short review, we will focus on the
      modulation of pluripotency as a novel function of the AHR, and on the potentially
      detrimental developmental outcomes that may result from exposure to environmental
      toxicants. This line of enquiry brings us to the tantalizing conclusion that by
      activating mechanisms that modulate pluripotency, AHR regulates embryonic
      development. The likelihood that exposure to environmental AHR ligands might
      disrupt developmental processes is a reasonable corollary to this conclusion.

PMID- 28920103
TI  - Existence of Brain 5-HT1A-5-HT2A Isoreceptor Complexes with Antagonistic
      Allosteric Receptor-Receptor Interactions Regulating 5-HT1A Receptor Recognition.
AB  - Studies on serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors have established that
      disturbances in the ascending 5-HT neuron systems and their 5-HT receptor
      subtypes and collateral networks to the forebrain contribute to the etiology of
      major depression and are targets for treatment. The therapeutic action of
      serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors is of proven effectiveness, but the
      mechanisms underlying their effect are still unclear. There are many 5-HT
      subtypes involved; some need to be blocked (e.g., 5-HT2A, 5-HT3, and 5-HT7),
      whereas others need to be activated (e.g., postjunctional 5-HT1A and 5-HT4).
      These state-of-the-art developments are in line with the hypothesis that the
      development of major depression can involve an imbalance of the activity between
      different types of 5-HT isoreceptors. In the current study, using in situ
      proximity ligation assay (PLA), we report evidence for the existence of brain 5
      HT1A-5-HT2A isoreceptor complexes validated in cellular models with
      bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET2) assay. A high density of PLA
      positive clusters visualizing 5-HT1A-5-HT2A isoreceptor complexes was
      demonstrated in the pyramidal cell layer of the CA1-CA3 regions of the dorsal
      hippocampus. A marked reduction in the density of PLA-positive clusters was
      observed in the CA1 and CA2 regions 24 h after a forced swim test session,
      indicating the dynamics of this 5-HT isoreceptor complex. Using a bioinformatic
      approach, previous work indicates that receptors forming heterodimers demonstrate
      triplet amino acid homologies. The receptor interface of the 5-HT1A-5-HT2A
      isoreceptor dimer was shown to contain the LLG and QNA protriplets in the
      transmembrane and intracellular domain, respectively. The 5-HT2A agonist TCB2
      markedly reduced the affinity of the 5-HT1A agonist ipsapirone for the 5-HT1A
      agonist binding sites in the frontal lobe using the 5-HT1A radioligand binding
      assay. This action was blocked by the 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin. It is
      proposed that the demonstrated 5-HT1A-5-HT2A isoreceptor complexes may play a
      role in depression through integration of 5-HT recognition, signaling and
      trafficking in the plasma membrane in two major 5-HT receptor subtypes known to
      be involved in depression. Antagonistic allosteric receptor-receptor interactions
      appear to be involved in this integrative process.

PMID- 28920104
TI  - Variable phenotypic penetrance of thrombosis in adult mice after tissue-selective
      and temporally controlled Thbd gene inactivation.
AB  - Thrombomodulin (Thbd) exerts pleiotropic effects on blood coagulation,
      fibrinolysis, and complement system activity by facilitating the thrombin
      mediated activation of protein C and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor
      and may have additional thrombin- and protein C (pC)-independent functions. In
      mice, complete Thbd deficiency causes embryonic death due to defective placental
      development. In this study, we used tissue-selective and temporally controlled
      Thbd gene ablation to examine the function of Thbd in adult mice. Selective
      preservation of Thbd function in the extraembryonic ectoderm and primitive
      endoderm via the Meox2Cre-transgene enabled normal intrauterine development of
      Thbd-deficient (Thbd-/-) mice to term. Half of the Thbd-/- offspring expired
      perinatally due to thrombohemorrhagic lesions. Surviving Thbd-/- animals only
      rarely developed overt thrombotic lesions, exhibited low-grade compensated
      consumptive coagulopathy, and yet exhibited marked, sudden-onset mortality. A
      corresponding pathology was seen in mice in which the Thbd gene was ablated after
      reaching adulthood. Supplementation of activated PC by transgenic expression of a
      partially Thbd-independent murine pC zymogen prevented the pathologies of Thbd-/-
      mice. However, Thbd-/- females expressing the PC transgene exhibited pregnancy
      induced morbidity and mortality with near-complete penetrance. These findings
      suggest that Thbd function in nonendothelial embryonic tissues of the placenta
      and yolk sac affects through as-yet-unknown mechanisms the penetrance and
      severity of thrombosis after birth and provide novel opportunities to study the
      role of the natural Thbd-pC pathway in adult mice and during pregnancy.

PMID- 28920106
TI  - Self-tracking for Mental Wellness: Understanding Expert Perspectives and Student
      Experiences.
AB  - Previous research suggests an important role for self-tracking in promoting
      mental wellness. Recent studies with college student populations have examined
      the feasibility of collecting everyday mood, activity, and social data. However,
      these studies do not account for students' experiences and challenges adopting
      self-tracking technologies to support mental wellness goals. We present two
      studies conducted to better understand self-tracking for stress management and
      mental wellness in student populations. First, focus groups and card sorting
      activities with 14 student health professionals reveal expert perspectives on the
      usefulness of tracking for three scenarios. Second, an online survey of 297
      students examines personal experiences with self-tracking and attitudes toward
      sharing self-tracked data with others. We draw on findings from these studies to
      characterize students' motivations, challenges, and preferences in collecting and
      viewing self-tracked data related to mental wellness, and we compare findings
      between students with diagnosed mental illnesses and those without. We conclude
      with a discussion of challenges and opportunities in leveraging self-tracking for
      mental wellness, highlighting several design considerations.

PMID- 28920105
TI  - The impact of von Willebrand factor on factor VIII memory immune responses.
AB  - Immune tolerance induction (ITI) with aggressive infusion of factor VIII (FVIII)
      is the current strategy used to eradicate FVIII inhibitors and restore normal
      FVIII pharmacokinetics in inhibitor patients. Whether the use of FVIII products
      containing von Willebrand factor (VWF) will affect the efficacy of ITI is still
      controversial. In this study, we explored the impact of VWF on FVIII memory
      immune responses in hemophilia A (HA) mice. A T-cell proliferation assay and
      cytokine profile analysis were used to study FVIII-primed CD4+ T cells. When CD4+
      T cells from primed FVIIInull mice were restimulated with recombinant human FVIII
      (rhF8) plus recombinant human VWF (rhVWF) in vitro, the percentages of daughter
      CD4+ T cells were significantly decreased compared with the groups cultured with
      rhF8 only. Levels of interferon-gamma and interleukin 10 were significantly lower
      in the rhF8 plus rhVWF groups than in the rhF8 groups. When memory B-cell pools
      from primed FVIIInull mice were cultured with rhF8 with or without rhVWF to
      induce differentiation of memory B cells into antibody-secreting cells (ASCs),
      the number of ASCs was significantly lower in the rhF8 plus VWF group than in the
      rhF8 group. When memory B-cell pools were transferred into NSGF8KO mice followed
      by rhF8 immunization with or without rhVWF, the titers of anti-F8 inhibitors and
      total immunoglobulin G were significantly higher in the rhF8 group than in the
      rhF8 plus rhVWF group, with an average difference of 2.23- and 2.04-fold.
      Together, our data demonstrate that VWF attenuates FVIII memory immune responses
      in HA mice.

PMID- 28920107
TI  - Supporting Families in Reviewing and Communicating about Radiology Imaging
      Studies.
AB  - Diagnostic radiology reports are increasingly being made available to patients
      and their family members. However, these reports are not typically comprehensible
      to lay recipients, impeding effective communication about report findings. In
      this paper, we present three studies informing the design of a prototype to
      foster patient-clinician communication about radiology report content. First,
      analysis of questions posted in online health forums helped us identify patients'
      information needs. Findings from an elicitation study with seven radiologists
      provided necessary domain knowledge to guide prototype design. Finally, a
      clinical field study with 14 pediatric patients, their parents and clinicians,
      revealed positive responses of each stakeholder when using the prototype to
      interact with and discuss the patient's current CT or MRI report and allowed us
      to distill three use cases: co-located communication, preparing for the
      consultation, and reviewing radiology data. We draw on our findings to discuss
      design considerations for supporting each of these use cases.

PMID- 28920108
TI  - Guest Editorial: The X-1 concept.

PMID- 28920109
TI  - Papillon-Lefevre syndrome: A series of three cases in the same family and a
      literature review.
AB  - Papillon-Lefevre syndrome (PLS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that
      exhibits palmoplantar keratosis and early severe periodontitis. The oral disease
      affects both the primary and permanent dentitions leading to premature
      exfoliation of teeth. Various etiologic factors, such as genetic mutations,
      immunologic alterations, and bacteria have been implicated in PLS. Genetic
      mutations leading to the loss of function of cathepsin C (CTSC) gene, located on
      chromosome 11q14, is considered pivotal in this condition. The present case
      series describes PLS in three siblings, with consanguineously married parents,
      who live in a remote area of Yemen. The affected children presented with
      prominent palmoplantar keratosis and early periodontitis with only a few
      remaining teeth. The severity of skin lesions in all patients exhibited seasonal
      variations. Based on their clinical findings, a diagnosis of PLS was made.
      Dentists have a significant role in the early diagnosis and management of PLS
      patients.

PMID- 28920110
TI  - Painful neuropathy caused by compression of the inferior alveolar nerve by focal
      osteosclerotic lesion of the mandible: A case report.
AB  - Osteosclerotic lesions are a common finding on dental radiographs. They are
      considered developmental variants of a normal bone architecture and they usually
      do not need any treatment. The purpose of this article is to present a rare case
      of osteosclerotic lesion of the mandible causing trigeminal neuropathy by
      compression of the alveolar nerve. The pain started with dental hypersensitivity
      of the mandibular right first molar. Later on, signs of irreversible molar tooth
      pulpitis developed. Endodontic therapy and apicoectomy did not resolve the pain,
      which later intensified, and painful neuropathy localized to inferior alveolar
      nerve developed; therefore, surgical decompression was indicated. Treating a
      dental patient with neuralgic pain is always a challenge, especially if there is
      no obvious source or reason for this type of pain. A clear evaluation and
      treatment protocol are important to minimize the patient's morbidity and avoid
      unnecessary overtreatment.

PMID- 28920111
TI  - Interpretation of cone beam computed tomography volumetric data: How to report
      findings?
AB  - Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was introduced to the dental profession at
      the beginning of the new millennium and has become an integral part of dental
      practice, especially within the surgical specialties. With advances in technology
      and the introduction of new-generation digital detectors, the concomitant
      increase in pixel resolution provided the ability to discern fine details of the
      anatomy. This article focuses on the methodology of CBCT interpretation and
      reporting. Details of reviewing the volume thoroughly are described with relevant
      citations. The article summarizes the overall methodical interpretation of CBCT
      data that is essential to every dentist who uses the technology.

PMID- 28920112
TI  - Implant and endodontic treatment selection are influenced by patients'
      demographic characteristics, insurance status, and medical history: A
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine any potential association between
      demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, dental insurance, and medical
      and tobacco history between patients that received endodontic treatment or
      extraction and implant treatment in a university dental clinic. METHOD AND
      MATERIALS: Dental charts of patients who received root canal treatment and
      implant therapy were retrieved from the University of Minnesota School of
      Dentistry records. Age at the time of the procedure, gender, medical history,
      tobacco use, dental insurance status, zip code, and type of treatment provided
      were recorded. Patients who had both treatment modalities were excluded from the
      analysis. RESULTS: A total of 8,540 records of patients with a mean age of 50.66
      years who have received either endodontic treatment (73.6%) or implant therapy
      (26.4%) were included. A statistically significant (P < .05) association was
      found between endodontic treatment or implant treatment as related to age,
      socioeconomic status, high blood pressure, asthma, thyroid disorders, arthritis,
      artificial joint, osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, cancer, and cancer
      treatment. Nonsmokers were significantly more likely to select a treatment plan
      with implants rather than an endodontic therapy. CONCLUSION: Within the
      limitations of this retrospective study, demographic parameters, insurance
      status, smoking, and medical history significantly affected the treatment
      selection between implant and endodontic treatment in a university setting.

PMID- 28920113
TI  - Double 1,4-addition of (thio)salicylamides/thiosalicylic acids with propiolate
      derivatives: a direct, general synthesis of diverse heterocyclic scaffolds.
AB  - A simple and practical ring-closure procedure to prepare a range of diverse
      heterocycles has been developed. In this transformation, a variety of substituted
      (thio)salicylamides and thiosalicylic acids undergo a double 1,4-addition
      reaction with propiolate derivatives in the presence of an inorganic base
      (K3PO4), as a result benzothiazinones, benzoxazinones and benzoxathiinones were
      prepared in good to excellent yields, respectively, even in gram scales. In
      addition, further transformation towards more complex structures and oxicam drug
      analogues has also been successfully carried out.

PMID- 28920114
TI  - Nano- and micromotors for cleaning polluted waters: focused review on pollutant
      removal mechanisms.
AB  - Nano- and micromotors are machines designed to self-propel and-in the process of
      propelling themselves-perform specialized tasks like cleaning polluted waters.
      These motors offer distinct advantages over conventionally static decontamination
      methods, owing to their ability to move around and self-mix-which heightens the
      interaction between their active sites and target pollutants-thus improving their
      speed and efficiency, which could potentially decrease treatment times and costs.
      In the last decade, considerable research efforts have been expended on exploring
      various mechanisms by which these motors can self-propel and remove pollutants,
      proving that the removal of oil droplets, heavy metals, and organic compounds
      using these synthetic motors is possible. This review highlights recent progress
      in the design of these nano- and micromotors for cleaning polluted waters, and
      gives an overview of their structure, fabrication, and propulsion methods, with a
      special focus on the mechanisms by which they remove pollutants-namely, either by
      adsorption or by degradation. A fundamental understanding of these removal
      mechanisms, with their attendant advantages and disadvantages, can help
      researchers fine-tune motor design in the future so that technical issues can be
      resolved before they are scaled-up for a wide variety of environmental
      applications.

PMID- 28920115
TI  - Gold nanodome SERS platform for label-free detection of protease activity.
AB  - Surface-enhanced Raman scattering provides a promising technology for sensitive
      and selective detection of protease activity by monitoring peptide cleavage. Not
      only are peptides and plasmonic hotspots similarly sized, Raman fingerprints also
      hold large potential for spectral multiplexing. Here, we use a gold-nanodome
      platform for real-time detection of trypsin activity on a CALNNYGGGGVRGNF
      substrate peptide. First, we investigate the spectral changes upon cleavage
      through the SERS signal of liquid-chromatography separated products. Next, we
      show that similar patterns are detected upon digesting surface-bound peptides. We
      demonstrate that the relative intensity of the fingerprints from aromatic amino
      acids before and after the cleavage site provides a robust figure of merit for
      the turnover rate. The presented method offers a generic approach for measuring
      protease activity, which is illustrated by developing an analogous substrate for
      endoproteinase Glu-C.

PMID- 28920116
TI  - Development of a smart activity-based probe to detect subcellular activity of
      asparaginyl endopeptidase in living cells.
AB  - We developed a smart activity-based probe that detects the activity of
      asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP) in live cells to monitor the dynamics of enzyme
      regulation. The newly designed probe generated a turn-on fluorescence signal in
      response to the activity of AEP in living cells without compromising the
      labelling efficiency or selectivity. Our probe closely reflected the enzyme
      activity in its native state, detecting subcellular AEP activity in colon cancer
      cells and neuronal cells.

PMID- 28920117
TI  - HIV/HAART-associated oxidative stress is detectable by metabonomics.
AB  - Chronic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, separately and in
      combination with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is closely
      associated with oxidative stress (OS). Most studies demonstrating redox
      imbalances in HIV-infected individuals have done so using conventional
      biochemical methodologies. The limited simultaneous detection of multiple OS
      markers within one sample is a major drawback of these methodologies and can be
      addressed through the use of metabonomics. HIV-metabonomic studies utilizing
      biofluids from HAART cohorts as the investigative source, are on the increase.
      Data from many of these studies identified metabolic markers indicative of HIV
      induced OS, usually as an outcome of an untargeted metabonomics study. Untargeted
      studies cast a wide net for any and all detectable metabolites in complex
      mixtures. Given the prevalence of OS during HIV infection and antiviral
      treatment, it is perhaps not surprising that indicators of this malady would
      become evident during metabolite identification. At times, targeted studies for
      specific (non-OS) metabolites would also yield OS markers as an outcome. This
      review examines the findings of these studies by first providing the necessary
      background information on OS and the main ways in which free radicals/reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) produced during OS, cause biomolecular damage. This is
      followed by information on the biomarkers which come about as a result of free
      radical damage and the techniques used for assaying these stress indicators. The
      established links between elevated ROS and lowered antioxidants during HIV
      infection and the subsequent use of HAART is then presented followed by a review
      of the OS markers detected in HIV metabonomic studies to date. We identify gaps
      in HIV/HAART-associated OS research and finally suggest how these research gaps
      can be addressed through metabonomic analysis, specifically targeting the
      multiple markers of HIV-induced OS.

PMID- 28920118
TI  - Hybrid magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with tunable field-directed self
      assembly.
AB  - We describe the synthesis of hybrid magnetic ellipsoidal nanoparticles that
      consist of a mixture of two different iron oxide phases, hematite (alpha-Fe2O3)
      and maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3), and characterize their magnetic field-driven self
      assembly. We demonstrate that the relative amount of the two phases can be
      adjusted in a continuous way by varying the reaction time during the synthesis,
      leading to strongly varying magnetic properties of the particles. Not only does
      the saturation magnetization increase dramatically as the composition of the
      spindles changes from hematite to maghemite, but also the direction of the
      induced magnetic moment changes from being parallel to the short axis of the
      spindle to being perpendicular to it. The magnetic dipolar interaction between
      the particles can be further tuned by adding a screening silica shell. Small
      angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments reveal that at high magnetic field,
      magnetic dipole-dipole interaction forces the silica coated particles to self
      assemble into a distorted hexagonal crystal structure at high maghemite content.
      However, in the case of uncoated maghemite particles, the crystal structure is
      not very prominent. We interpret this as a consequence of the strong dipolar
      interaction between uncoated spindles that then become arrested during field
      induced self-assembly into a structure riddled with defects.

PMID- 28920119
TI  - Synthesis and thermal stabilities of oligonucleotides containing 2'-O,4'-C
      methylene bridged nucleic acid with a phenoxazine base.
AB  - We designed and synthesized a novel artificial 2'-O,4'-C-methylene bridged
      nucleic acid (2',4'-BNA/LNA) with a phenoxazine nucleobase and named this
      compound BNAP. Oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) containing BNAP showed higher binding
      affinities toward complementary DNA and RNA as compared to ODNs bearing 2',4'
      BNA/LNA with 5-methylcytosine or 2'-deoxyribonucleoside with phenoxazine.
      Thermodynamic analysis revealed that BNAP exhibits properties associated with the
      phenoxazine moiety in DNA/DNA duplexes and characteristics associated with the
      2',4'-BNA/LNA moiety in DNA/RNA duplexes.

PMID- 28920120
TI  - C60 additive-assisted crystallization in CH3NH3Pb0.75Sn0.25I3 perovskite solar
      cells with high stability and efficiency.
AB  - The development of hybrid tin (Sn)-lead (Pb) perovskite solar cells likely
      tackles the toxic problem with the power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding
      17%. However, the stability problems, e.g. hysteresis effect, degeneration and
      oxidation, appear to be the bottleneck that limit its further development. Here,
      we innovatively introduced C60 at the grain boundaries throughout the
      CH3NH3Pb0.75Sn0.25I3 (MAPb0.75Sn0.25I3) thin film, playing a role not only in in
      situ passivating the interfaces and reducing the pinholes of perovskite thin
      films, but also in preventing the penetration of moisture and oxygen from ambient
      atmosphere. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) illustrated that the
      recombination lifetime of both the bulk and surface of MAPb0.75Sn0.25I3 thin
      films was increased by additive incorporation of C60. Dark I-V results for the
      electron/hole-only devices showed that the charge trap-state density decreased
      with C60 additive incorporated into the hybrid Sn-Pb perovskite thin films.
      Importantly, the hybrid Sn-Pb perovskite solar cells modified with C60 additive
      were demonstrated to have superior stability and efficiency when exposed to the
      ambient environment without encapsulation.

PMID- 28920121
TI  - Room-temperature Cu-catalyzed N-arylation of aliphatic amines in neat water.
AB  - A room-temperature and PTC-free copper-catalyzed N-arylation of aliphatic amines
      in neat water has been developed. Using a combination of CuI and 6,7
      dihydroquinolin-8(5H)-one oxime as the catalyst and KOH as the base, a wide range
      of aliphatic amines are arylated with various aryl and heteroaryl halides to give
      the corresponding products in up to 95% yield.

PMID- 28920122
TI  - Survival of Verwey transition in gadolinium-doped ultrasmall magnetite
      nanoparticles.
AB  - We have demonstrated that the Verwey transition, which is highly sensitive to
      impurities, survives in anisotropic Gd-doped magnetite nanoparticles.
      Transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that the nanoparticles are
      uniformly distributed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and EDS mapping analysis
      confirm Gd-doping on the nanoparticles. The Verwey transition of the Gd-doped
      magnetite nanoparticles is robust and the temperature dependence of the magnetic
      moment (zero field cooling and field cooling) shows the same behaviour as that of
      the Verwey transition in bulk magnetite, at a lower transition temperature (~110
      K). In addition, irregularly shaped nanoparticles do not show the Verwey
      transition whereas square-shaped nanoparticles show the transition. Mossbauer
      spectral analysis shows that the slope of the magnetic hyperfine field and the
      electric quadrupole splitting change at the same temperature, meaning that the
      Verwey transition occurs at ~110 K. These results would provide new insights into
      understanding the Verwey transition in nano-sized materials.

PMID- 28920123
TI  - Passivating 1T'-MoTe2 multilayers at elevated temperatures by encapsulation.
AB  - Several-layer 1T'-MoTe2 decomposes very little during heating up to ~550  degrees
      C under flowing argon when encapsulated by multilayer hBN, as monitored by Raman
      scattering and optical microscopy, but largely decomposes at much lower
      temperatures in incompletely covered and uncovered regions. In covered regions
      there are small amounts of tellurium product above ~250  degrees C.

PMID- 28920124
TI  - A family of one-dimensional lanthanide complexes bridged by two distinct
      carboxylate ligands with the Dy analogue displaying magnetic relaxation
      behaviour.
AB  - A series of isostructural lanthanide one-dimensional (1D) chain complexes,
      [Ln(INNO)(Bza)2(H2O)2].(H2O) {INNO = isonicotinate N-oxide, Bza = benzoic acid;
      Nd(1), Eu(2), Gd(3), Tb(4), Dy(5), Er(6) and Y(7)}, have been successfully
      isolated by hydrothermal reactions utilizing two distinct carboxylates as co
      ligands. Due to the similar steric hindrance of the two carboxylic ligands, the
      neighboring lanthanide ions are bridged simultaneously by their carboxyl groups
      from the opposite sides to form a 1D chain structure. The shape analysis of the
      eight-coordinated Dy analogue 5 highlights the coordination geometry of the
      distorted square antiprism (D4d). The solid-state luminescence of 2 and 4 was
      characterized. The static magnetic analysis of the Gd analogue 3 is indicative of
      the dominant weak intrachain antiferromagnetic interactions via the carboxylic
      ligands. Dynamic magnetic measurements for 5 revealed clear slow magnetic
      relaxation behaviour typical for single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Compound 5
      represents a very rare example, reported as a mixed carboxylate bridged
      lanthanide SMM.

PMID- 28920125
TI  - Volatile HRS asymmetry and subloops in resistive switching oxides.
AB  - Current-voltage characteristics of oxide-based resistive switching memories often
      show a pronounced asymmetry with respect to the voltage polarity in the high
      resistive state (HRS), where the HRS after the RESET is more conducting than the
      one before the SET. Here, we report that most of this HRS asymmetry is a volatile
      effect as the HRS obtained from a read operation differs from the one taken from
      the switching cycle at identical polarity and voltages. Transitions between the
      relaxed and the volatile excited states can be achieved via voltage sweeps, which
      are named subloops. The excited states are stable over time as long as a voltage
      is applied to the device and have a higher conductance than the stable relaxed
      state. Experimental data on the time and voltage dependence of the excitation and
      decay are presented for Ta/TaOx/Pt and Ta/ZrOx/Pt devices. The effect is not
      limited to one oxide or electrode material but is observed with different
      magnitudes (up to 10* current change) in several oxide systems. These
      observations describe an additional state variable of the memristive system that
      is controlled in a highly polarity dependent manner.

PMID- 28920127
TI  - Incident-angle-controlled semitransparent colored perovskite solar cells with
      improved efficiency exploiting a multilayer dielectric mirror.
AB  - See-through perovskite solar cells with high efficiency and iridescent colors are
      demonstrated by employing a multilayer dielectric mirror. A certain amount of
      visible light is used for wide color gamut semitransparent color generation,
      which can be easily tuned by changing an angle of incidence, and a wide range of
      visible light is efficiently reflected back toward a photoactive layer of the
      perovskite solar cells by the dielectric mirror for highly efficient light
      harvesting performance, thus achieving 10.12% power conversion efficiency. We
      also rigorously examine how the number of pairs in the multilayer dielectric
      mirror affects optical properties of the colored semitransparent perovskite solar
      cells. The described approach can open the door to a large number of applications
      such as building-integrated photovoltaics, self-powered wearable electronics and
      power-generating color filters for energy-efficient display systems.

PMID- 28920126
TI  - High energy product chemically synthesized exchange coupled Nd2Fe14B/alpha-Fe
      magnetic powders.
AB  - The excellent hard magnetic properties of Nd2Fe14B based magnets have an enormous
      range of technological applications. Exchange-coupled Nd2Fe14B/alpha-Fe magnets
      were chemically synthesized by a microwave assisted combustion process to produce
      mixed oxides, followed by a reduction diffusion process to form magnetic nano
      composite powder. This synthesis technique offers an inexpensive and facile
      platform to produce exchange coupled hard magnets. The size dependent magnetic
      properties were investigated. The formation mechanisms of the oxide powders and
      the reduction diffusion mechanism were identified. The microwave power was found
      to play a crucial role in determining the crystallite size. The coercivity of the
      powder increased with increasing particle size. Room temperature coercivity (Hc)
      values greater than 9 kOe and magnetization of 110 emu g-1 was obtained in
      particles with a mean size of ~62 nm. An energy product of 5.2 MGOe was obtained,
      which is the highest reported value for chemically synthesized hard magnetic
      Nd2Fe14B/alpha-Fe powders.

PMID- 28920128
TI  - Incorporation of [2H1]-(1R,2R)- and [2H1]-(1S,2R)-glycerols into the antibiotic
      nucleocidin in Streptomyces calvus.
AB  - Deuterium incorporations from [2H1]-(1R,2R) and [2H1]-(1S,2R) glycerols into the
      fluorine containing antibiotic nucleocidin, in Streptomyces calvus indicate that
      one deuterium atom is incorporated at the C-5' site of nucleocidin from each of
      these isotopomers of glycerol. Two deuteriums become incorporated at C-5' of
      nucleocidin after a feeding experiment with [2H5]-glycerol. These observations
      indicate that there is no obligate oxidation of the pro-R hydroxymethyl group of
      glycerol as it progresses through the pentose phosphate pathway and becomes
      incorporated into the fluorinated antibiotic.

PMID- 28920129
TI  - Breastfeeding - Healthcare Professionals Need to Do More.

PMID- 28920130
TI  - Reasons and Factors Behind Post-Total Knee Arthroplasty Dissatisfaction in an
      Asian Population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Up to 20% of patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA)
      reported dissatisfaction with surgical outcome. Despite the multiple studies
      looking into the factors contributing to patients' dissatisfaction, little
      research has been done to examine the subjective reasons and complaints patients
      have post-arthroplasty. This study aimed to look at an Asian patient population
      which underwent TKA and examine the factors contributing to patient
      dissatisfaction and the reasons they were dissatisfied with their surgery.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 3069 TKAs were performed between January 2011
      to April 2013 in a single institution. Preoperative and postoperative variables
      were prospectively captured, such as standardised knee scores, knee range of
      motion and patient satisfaction scores. These variables were then analysed with a
      multiple logistic regression model to determine the statistically significant
      factors that contribute to patients' satisfaction. Dissatisfied patients were
      individually interviewed to find the reasons for their unhappiness. Preoperative
      variables were then analysed to identify the statistically significant factors
      associated with these subjective complaints. RESULTS: Minimum duration of follow
      up was 2 years, with an overall patient satisfaction rate of 91.3%. Preoperative
      variables contributing to patient dissatisfaction included female gender and
      better knee flexion. Postoperative variables included lesser improvement in knee
      flexion at 6 months postoperatively, as well as poorer scores in various
      validated knee scores at both 6 months and 2 years postoperatively. The top
      reason for dissatisfaction was pain. Weakness, another reason for patient
      dissatisfaction, had statistically significant preoperative predictors of
      increased age and poorer Short-Form 36 Physical Component Score. CONCLUSION:
      Although TKA has an impressive patient satisfaction rate in this Asian
      population, factors contributing to postoperative dissatisfaction suggest a
      targeted group of patients would benefit from preoperative counselling. The top
      reason for postoperative dissatisfaction in the study was pain.

PMID- 28920131
TI  - Reversible Causes in Cardiovascular Collapse at the Emergency Department Using
      Ultrasonography (REVIVE-US).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ultrasonographic evaluation of patients in cardiac arrest is
      currently not protocolised in the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) algorithm.
      Potentially reversible causes may be identified using bedside ultrasonography
      that is ubiquitous in most emergency departments (EDs). This study aimed to
      evaluate the incidence of sonographically detectable reversible causes of cardiac
      arrest by incorporating an ultrasonography protocol into the ACLS algorithm.
      Secondary objectives include rates of survival to hospital admission, hospital
      discharge, and 30-day mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a
      prospective study using bedside ultrasonography to evaluate for potentially
      reversible causes in patients with cardiac arrest at the ED of National
      University Hospital, Singapore, regardless of the initial electrocardiogram
      rhythm. A standardised ultrasonography protocol was performed during the 10
      second pulse check window. RESULTS: Between June 2015 and April 2016, 104
      patients were recruited, corresponding to 65% of all out-of-hospital cardiac
      arrest patients conveyed to the ED. Median age was 71 years (interquartile range,
      55 to 80) and 71 (68.3%) patients were male. The most common rhythm on arrival
      was asystole (45.2%). Four (3.8%) patients had ultrasonographic findings
      suggestive of massive pulmonary embolism while 1 received intravenous
      thrombolysis and survived until discharge. Pericardial effusion without tamponade
      was detected in 4 (3.8%) patients and 6 (5.8%) patients had intra-abdominal free
      fluid. Twenty (19.2%) patients survived until admission, 2 of whom (1.9%)
      survived to discharge and beyond 30 days. CONCLUSION: Bedside ultrasonography can
      be safely incorporated into the ACLS protocol. Detection of any reversible causes
      may alter management and improve survival in selected patients.

PMID- 28920132
TI  - Geriatric Surgery Service - Our Journey Piloting in Colorectal Surgery and Future
      Challenges.

PMID- 28920133
TI  - Experience with a Community-based Multidisciplinary Memory Clinic: A Primary Care
      Perspective.

PMID- 28920134
TI  - Bullous Pesentation of Idiopathic Wells Syndrome (Eosinophilic Cellulitis).

PMID- 28920135
TI  - Asia's First Transapical Transcatheter Mitral Valve-in-Ring Implantation.

PMID- 28920136
TI  - Jaw Pain in a Pemphigus Patient on Prednisolone, Mycophenolate Mofetil and
      Denosumab.

PMID- 28920137
TI  - Analysing the impact of a case management model on the specialised palliative
      care multi-professional team.
AB  - PURPOSE: Palliative care (PC) involves many health care providers leading to a
      high complexity of structures that requires efficient coordination as provided by
      case management (CM). Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of CM newly
      implemented in a specialised palliative care unit by evaluating team members'
      tasks and time resources before (T0) and after implementation (T1). It was
      hypothesised that team members would be able to spend less time on organisational
      and administrative tasks and more time on patient care. METHODS: A prospective
      pre-post study design was used. Time distribution of different tasks at T0 and T1
      was compared between three different professional groups: physicians, nursing
      staff and social work. To document their tasks and time required, a documentation
      form with several items for each profession was developed. Data was analysed
      using t tests for independent samples. RESULTS: After Bonferroni correction, a
      significant pre-post difference was found for the time spent on "discharge
      interview and discharge" as rated by the physicians (p < .001) with less time
      spent on this activity after CM implementation. The nursing staff had
      significantly more time for "conversations with patients" (p < .001) after CM
      implementation. Moreover, they spent significantly less time on "patient-related
      requests/advice by telephone" (p < .001) and "discussions with
      relatives/participation in family discussions" at post-assessment (p < .001). The
      social worker had significantly more time for "patient advice and support
      services" (p = .013) after CM implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating CM can be
      time efficient and ensures team members to spend more time on their core tasks in
      patient care.

PMID- 28920139
TI  - Long-term outcomes of microvascular decompression and Gamma Knife surgery for
      trigeminal neuralgia: a retrospective comparison study.

PMID- 28920138
TI  - Study on the sediment characteristics of the snow in a typical residential
      community and its integrated biological treatment pattern in Harbin.
AB  - Winter cities have severe shortages of water resources. The effective
      classification and recycling of urban water resources that are available here are
      therefore significant for the sustainable utilization of water in winter cities,
      and snow is a potential water resource. In this research, the water quality of
      the snow and the pollutant composition in the vehicle roads of a typical
      residential community of Harbin are analyzed. It is concluded that there is a
      large amount of suspended substances, including chemical oxygen demand (COD),
      salt, ammonia, and oil in this snow. There are 27 main pollutants. The oily
      substances are dominated by hexadecane and are accompanied by toxic substances,
      including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX), and naphthalene. As snow
      is a carrier of pollutants, the underground space of the urban shallow green belt
      is proposed to be used to establish a snow-melting system that would integrate
      biological treatment devices. This method allows the year-round collection,
      storage, and utilization of rainwater for use in city planning and municipal
      technology, realizing multiple objectives and having a significant influence on
      further urban development.

PMID- 28920140
TI  - Frequency, location, and association with dental pathology of mucous retention
      cysts in the maxillary sinus. A radiographic study using cone beam computed
      tomography (CBCT).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the frequency,
      locations, and dimensions of mucous retention cysts of the maxillary sinus and
      analyze potential associated dental pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      156 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were included in the analysis,
      resulting in an evaluation of 310 maxillary sinuses. The presence of mucous
      retention cysts (MRC) manifesting as dome-shaped radiopacities in the sinus was
      diagnosed. Their locations were recorded, and dimensions (mm) were measured in
      coronal and sagittal/axial slices. The patients were grouped into (a)
      patients/sinuses with MRCs (test), and (b) patients/sinuses with healthy or any
      other changes (control) for further comparison and evaluation. RESULTS: There
      were 40 sinuses (12.9%) with a presence of a total of 56 MRCs. The mean age of
      involved patients was 29.0 years. The analysis showed that gender, age, sinus
      side, status of dentition, endodontic status, and periodontal status did not have
      a significant influence on the presence of MRCs when compared between test and
      control groups. Age and endodontic status exhibited a significant association
      with cyst location. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the sinuses analyzed (79.5%) did not
      present any MRC, and only 28.6% of the cysts diagnosed were found on the floor of
      the maxillary sinus. The mean dimension of the MRCs measured 6.28 +/- 2.93 mm. No
      influencing factors on the presence or absence of MRCs were found in the present
      study. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Most MRCs were not located on the floor of maxillary
      sinus. Future studies should assess their impact on surgical interventions in the
      sinus.

PMID- 28920141
TI  - Effects of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) invasions on soil nitrogen cycles
      depend on invasion stage and warming.
AB  - Plant invasions may alter soil nutrient cycling due to differences in
      physiological traits between the invader and species they displace as well as
      differences in responses to anthropogenic factors such as nitrogen deposition and
      warming. Moso bamboo is expanding its range rapidly around the world, displacing
      diverse forests. In addition, near expansion fronts where invasions are patchy,
      moso bamboo and other species each contribute soil inputs. Nitrogen
      transformations and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are important processes
      associated with nutrient availability and climate change that may be impacted by
      bamboo invasions. We collected soils from uninvaded, mixed, and bamboo forests to
      understand bamboo invasion effects on carbon and N cycling. We incubated soils
      with warming and N addition and measured net nitrification and N mineralization
      rates and GHG (CO2 and N2O) emissions. Mixed forest soils had higher pH and total
      N and lower total organic carbon and C/N than either uninvaded or bamboo forest
      soils. Bamboo forest soils had higher total carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and
      ammonium N but lower total and nitrate N than uninvaded forest soils. Soil GHG
      emissions did not vary among forest types at lower temperatures but bamboo forest
      soils had higher CO2 and lower N2O emissions at higher temperatures. While net N
      transformation rates were lower in bamboo and uninvaded forest soils, they were
      highest in mixed forest soils, indicating non-additive effects of bamboo
      invasions. This suggests that plant invasion effects on N transformations and GHG
      emissions with global change in forests partially invaded by bamboo are difficult
      to predict from only comparing uninvaded and bamboo-dominated areas.

PMID- 28920142
TI  - Acupuncture for reduction of symptom burden in multiple myeloma patients
      undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a randomized sham
      controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is potentially curative
      for a number of hematologic malignancies, but is associated with high symptom
      burden. We conducted a randomized sham-controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate
      efficacy and safety of acupuncture as an integrative treatment for managing
      common symptoms during HCT. METHODS: Adult patients with multiple myeloma
      undergoing high-dose melphalan followed by autologous HCT (AHCT) were randomized
      to receive either true or sham acupuncture once daily for 5 days starting the day
      after chemotherapy. Patients and clinical evaluators, but not acupuncturists,
      were blinded to group assignment. Symptom burden, the primary outcome was
      assessed with the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) at baseline, during
      transplantation, and at 15 and 30 days post transplantation. RESULTS: Among 60
      participants, true acupuncture produced nonsignificant reductions in overall
      MDASI core symptom scores and symptom interference scores during transplantation
      (P = .4 and .3, respectively), at 15 days (P = .10 and .3), and at 30 days
      posttransplantation (P = .2 and .4) relative to sham. However, true acupuncture
      was significantly more efficacious in reducing nausea, lack of appetite, and
      drowsiness at 15 days (P = .042, .025, and .010, respectively). Patients
      receiving sham acupuncture were more likely to increase pain medication use
      posttransplantation (odds ratio 5.31, P = .017). CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture was
      well tolerated with few attributable adverse events. True acupuncture may prevent
      escalation of symptoms including nausea, lack of appetite, and drowsiness
      experienced by patients undergoing AHCT, and reduce the use of pain medications.
      These findings need to be confirmed in a future definitive study. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: NCT01811862.

PMID- 28920143
TI  - Development of silica protective layer on pyrite surface: a column study.
AB  - An appealing technique to prevent and/or minimize pyrite oxidation and subsequent
      acid generation in mine waste sites is the formation of a protective coating on
      the surface of sulfide grains. To investigate the conditions for the formation of
      an efficient coating on pyritic tailings, column tests were performed. These
      tests involved the treatment with a coating solution, which was continuously
      recycled through the packed bed of tailings. The coating solution was consisted
      of SiO4-4 oxyanions, an oxidant (H2O2), and adjusted to pH 6. The effect of the
      volume of coating solution per mass of material (L/S ratio), Si concentration and
      treatment duration on coating formation was studied. Based on the results, a
      protective coating can be developed on the pyrite particles following treatment
      with a solution of 0.1 mM Si concentration, which resulted in the reduction of
      sulfate release by 84% compared to non-treated pyrite samples.

PMID- 28920144
TI  - Effects of Caatinga Plant Extracts in Planktonic Growth and Biofilm Formation in
      Ralstonia solanacearum.
AB  - This study describes the first antibiofilm and antibacterial screening for plants
      from Caatinga against Ralstonia solanacearum, a causal agent of bacterial wilt
      that presents serious difficulties in control. There were prepared 22 aqueous
      extracts of plants collected in the Vale do Catimbau-PE, Brazil. The potential
      antibacterial activity was evaluated by absorbance in OD600 and the antibiofilm
      activity through the crystal violet method, both of them performed in microplate
      against isolates of R. solanacearum biofilm formers. The results of the screening
      showed that Jacaranda rugosa presented antimicrobial activity higher than 90%,
      while Harpochilus neesianus and Myroxylon peruiferum presented antibiofilm
      activity higher than 50% for all tested isolates. However, Croton
      heliotropiifolius showed both the activities, being thus very promising for
      application in the control of this phytopathogen. The search for viable
      alternatives to the development of new bioactive compounds safe for the
      environment, humans, and animals from an adverse and scarce environment such as
      the Caatinga and encouraged us to find plants that produce effective metabolites
      against phytopathogenic microorganisms. This in vitro screening is important to
      guide the development of new products in addition to guide research studies of
      bioactive compounds.

PMID- 28920146
TI  - Cardiovascular and Mortality Risks in Migrant South Asians with Type 2 Diabetes:
      Are We Winning the Battle?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We seek to describe the relationship between diabetes mellitus
      and cardiovascular risk in migrant South Asians compared to native white
      Europeans, and to determine the temporal change in this relationship over recent
      years. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence suggests that the excess mortality risk
      associated with diabetes is lower in the migrant South Asian population compared
      with white Europeans. By contrast, South Asians continue to demonstrate elevated
      cardiovascular morbidity compared to white Europeans, although to a lesser extent
      than was observed in previous decades. The excess mortality previously observed
      in South Asian migrants has attenuated with a lower mortality risk compared to
      white Europeans observed in several recent studies. We speculate that these
      findings may relate in part to earlier diabetes diagnosis and more prolonged
      exposure to cardiovascular risk factor management in the South Asian population.
      Further study is required to confirm these hypotheses.

PMID- 28920145
TI  - Impact of Drain Insertion After Perforated Peptic Ulcer Repair in a Japanese
      Nationwide Database Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many perforated peptic ulcers (PPUs) require surgical repair due to
      diffuse peritonitis. However, few studies have examined the clinical effects of
      postoperative drainage after PPU repair. This study aimed to investigate the
      drain insertion rates in patients who underwent PPU repair in Japan, and to
      clarify the impact of drain insertion on the postoperative clinical course.
      METHODS: A retrospective nationwide cohort study was performed using
      administrative claims data of patients who had undergone PPU repair between 2010
      and 2016. These patients were divided into two groups based on whether or not
      they had received a postoperative abdominal drain. Using propensity score
      matching, we compared the incidences of postoperative interventions for abdominal
      complications between both groups. RESULTS: A total of 4869 patients from 324
      hospitals were analyzed. At the hospital level, drains were placed in all PPU
      repair patients in 229 (70.7%) hospitals. At the patient level, 4401 patients
      (90.4%) had drains inserted. The drain group was associated with a higher
      emergency admission rate, poorer preoperative shock status, longer anesthetic
      time, and a higher amount of intra-abdominal irrigation. In the propensity score
      matched patients, the drain group had a significantly lower incidence of
      postoperative interventions than the no-drain group (1.9 vs. 5.6%; risk ratio =
      0.35; 95% confidence interval 0.16-0.73; P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Postoperative
      drainage was performed in the majority of patients who underwent PPU repair in
      Japan. Drainage following PPU repair may facilitate patient recovery by reducing
      the need for postoperative interventions.

PMID- 28920147
TI  - Gastrointestinal motility in people with type 1 diabetes and peripheral
      neuropathy. Reply to Marathe CS, Rayner CK, Jones KL, et al [letter].

PMID- 28920148
TI  - Differential Gene Expression Profiles and Alternative Isoform Regulations in Gill
      of Nile Tilapia in Response to Acute Hypoxia.
AB  - Fish often encounters exposures to acute environmental hypoxia either spatially
      or temporally. Gill organ plays important roles in response to hypoxic stress in
      fish. Few studies focus on the molecular regulation mechanisms of gills under
      hypoxic stress. In this study, we investigated the transcriptomic response to 12
      h acute hypoxia in gill of a hypoxia tolerant fish, Nile tilapia Oreochromis
      niloticus through RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). We sequenced messenger RNA from three
      control samples and three hypoxia-treated samples. Bioinformatics analysis
      identified 239 differentially expressed genes (DEG) and 34 genes (DUES) that had
      significant differential alternative isoform regulation events in at least one
      exonic region in gill in response to acute hypoxia. The spatiotemporal expression
      analysis in five tissues (heart, liver, brain, gill, and spleen) sampled at three
      time points (6, 12, and 24 h) under hypoxia treatment confirmed the significant
      association of differential exon usages in two DUES genes (TLDC2 and SSX2IPA)
      with hypoxia conditions. Further functional analysis suggested several energy and
      immune response-related pathways, e.g., metabolic pathway and antigen processing
      and presentation, contained the most abundant DEG genes. We found that some GO
      biological processes for DEG genes were significantly enriched under hypoxic
      stress, such as glycolysis, metabolic process, generation of precursor
      metabolites and energy, and cholesterol metabolic process. Our findings suggest
      abundant differential gene expression changes and alternative isoform regulation
      events in genes involved in the hypoxia response in gill. Our results provide a
      basis for exploring the gene regulation mechanism under hypoxic stress in fish.

PMID- 28920149
TI  - Efficacy and safety of 153Sm-EDTMP as treatment of painful bone metastasis: a
      large single-center study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of 153Sm-EDTMP
      (Quadramet(r)) in a clinical setting. METHODS: We have conducted a retrospective
      study of all consecutive patients (pts) treated with 153Sm-EDTMP for painful bone
      metastases. At each visit (before and after treatment), four parameters were
      collected: (i) pain assessment according to the 10-step visual analogue scale
      (VAS), (ii) sleep disturbance related to pain, (iii) dose of analgesic
      medication, and (iv) answer to the following closed question "Do you think you
      obtained a benefit from treatment?" Success of treatment was defined by the
      combination of these four parameters. RESULTS: Three hundred seventy consecutive
      153Sm-EDTMP treatments for painful bone metastases were given. Patients had the
      following primary tumors: breast carcinoma (153), prostate carcinoma (155), lung
      carcinoma (27), or other cancers (35). Fifty-eight percent of the patients had
      received previous external osseous radiotherapy. Ninety-seven percent of the
      patients were treated with concomitant analgesics and 61% were treated with
      diphosphonates. A clinical benefit was described in 55.0% of cases at D30.
      Treatment was more effective in cases of breast and prostate cancers compared
      with other types of primary cancers. Patients described a benefit at D30 in 62,
      58, 6, and 38% of cases of breast, prostate, lung, and other cancers. The
      subjective efficacy was accompanied by a decrease in analgesic intake in 35.0% of
      cases. CONCLUSION: 153Sm-EDTMP therapy is an effective supportive treatment in
      patients who suffer from bone metastases, especially in patients with breast or
      prostate cancer.

PMID- 28920150
TI  - Molecular basis of Cd+2 stress response in Candida tropicalis.
AB  - This study examines the bioremediation potential and cadmium-induced cellular
      response on a molecular level in Candida tropicalis 3Aer. Spectroscopic analysis
      clearly illustrated the involvement of yeast cell wall components in biosorption.
      Cadmium bioaccumulation was confirmed by TEM, SEM, and EDX examination. TEM
      images revealed extracellular as well as cytoplasmic and vacuolar cadmium
      nanoparticle formation, further validated by presence of ycf1 gene and increased
      biosynthesis of GSH under cadmium stress. Fourteen proteins exhibited
      differential expression and during cellular redox homeostasis are found to
      involve in nitrogen metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, and carbohydrate
      catabolism. Interestingly, C. tropicalis 3Aer is equipped with nitrile hydratase
      enzyme, rarely been reported in yeast. It has the potential to remove nitriles
      from the environment. The Cd+2 toxicity not only caused growth stasis but also
      upregulated the cysteine biosynthesis, protein folding and cytoplasmic
      detoxification response elements. The present study suggests that C. tropicalis
      3Aer is a potential candidate for bioremediating environmental pollution by Cd+2.

PMID- 28920151
TI  - Removal of arsenic III and V from laboratory solutions and contaminated
      groundwater by metallurgical slag through anion-induced precipitation.
AB  - Metallurgical slag was used for the simultaneous removal of high concentrations
      of arsenite and arsenate from laboratory solutions and severely contaminated
      groundwater. Apart from demonstrating the high efficiency of arsenic removal in
      presence of competing species, the work aims to explore the physicochemical
      mechanisms of the process by means of microscopy observation and a detailed
      statistical analysis of existing kinetic and isotherm equations. Fitting was
      performed by non-linear least squares using weighted residuals; ANOVA and
      bootstrap methods were used to compare the models. Literature suggests that the
      metal oxides in the slag are efficient adsorbents of As(III) and (V). However,
      the low surface area of the slag precludes adsorption; SEM observation provide
      evidence of a mechanism of co-precipitation of lixiviated cations with
      contaminant anions. The reaction kinetics provide essential information on the
      interaction between the contaminants, particularly on the common ion effect in
      groundwater. The Fritz-Schlunder isotherm allows modelling the saturation effect
      at low slag doses. The efficiency of the process is demonstrated by an arsenic
      removal of 99% in groundwater using 4-g slag/L, resulting in an effluent with
      0.01 mg As/L, which is below Mexican and international standards for drinking
      water.

PMID- 28920152
TI  - Sentinel Node Navigation Surgery for Early Gastric Cancer: Analysis of Factors
      Which Affect Direction of Lymphatic Drainage.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We started performing sentinel node navigation surgery
      (SNNS) for patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) using infrared ray electronic
      endoscopy (IREE) with indocyanine green injection from year 2000. The EGCs
      usually have complex lymphatic drainage, unidirectional or multidirectional
      lymphatic flow. In this study, we investigated and clarified factors that affect
      the direction of gastric lymphatic drainage. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Consecutive 60
      patients with EGC who underwent SNNS by IREE from year 2006 to 2014 were enrolled
      to this study. Patients' age, gender, location of tumors, operative method,
      previous treatment by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), presence of
      pathological ulcerative scar and maximum tumor diameter were enrolled as
      parameters which may affect direction of lymphatic drainage and analyzed. RESULT:
      Bivariate analysis demonstrated that the presence of pathological ulcerative scar
      (P = 0.01), tumor location (g.c vs. a.w vs. p.w vs. l.c, P = 0.01), and maxim
      tumor diameter (P = 0.0003) were relevant to direction of gastric lymphatic
      drainage. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor location (g.c/a.w/p.w vs. l.c,
      odds ratio 8.227, P = 0.011) and the maximum tumor diameter (odds ratio 1.057, P
      = 0.037) are independent factors that affect direction of gastric lymphatic flow.
      Of tumors, 78% located at lesser curvature had unidirectional lymphatic drainage,
      and 93% of tumors whose diameter was 40 mm and more had multidirectional
      lymphatic drainage. CONCLUSION: Our investigation revealed that the tumor
      location and tumor diameter were the key factors which affect the direction of
      lymphatic drainage, which is useful fact to understand the complexity of gastric
      lymphatic drainage.

PMID- 28920153
TI  - Optimizing Somatostatin Analog Use in Well or Moderately Differentiated
      Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Somatostatin analogues, aiming to control tumor secretion or growth,
      constitute the most attractive therapeutic option for patients with well
      differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). The
      objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the current
      state-of-the-art knowledge gaps and potential opportunities for future
      development and optimization of this therapeutic modality. METHOD: A
      contextualized systematic review with a narrative component was conducted using
      PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. Titles were screened,
      and non-English, duplicate, or irrelevant entries were excluded. Selection
      criteria for articles included the following: publication in English between 1995
      and 2016, patients with GEP-NETs, analysis of efficacy, safety, practical
      management considerations, predictive factors, and/or strategies for overcoming
      resistance, concerning somatostatin analogs. RESULTS: Ninety-seven studies out of
      2771 screened publications met the inclusion criteria (16 randomized clinical
      trials, 27 phase II trials, 3 phase I trials, 3 subgroup analyses of clinical
      trials, 1 open-label extension of a randomized trial, 1 phase IV trial, 32
      observational studies, and 14 basic research articles). The nature and scope of
      literature was diverse with most articles dedicated to drug efficacy or
      indications of use (n = 49), pharmacological issues (n = 8), assessment or
      predictors of response (n = 4), practical management (n = 11), combination
      therapy or other means to overcome resistance (n = 19), receptors and signaling
      pathways (n = 3), and subgroup analyses (n = 3). CONCLUSION: In this appraisal,
      we have found some practical aspects that can help to the optimization of
      somatostatin analog (SSA) therapy in patients with well-differentiated GEP-NETs.
      We have also identified areas of uncertainty in an effort to guide clinical
      research in the coming years.

PMID- 28920154
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of doripenem in plasma and epithelial lining fluid (ELF):
      comparison of two dosage regimens.
AB  - PURPOSE: In 2014, FDA released a warning for prescription of doripenem for
      ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia due to unsatisfactory clinical cure
      rates. The present study explores if the observed lack of efficacy might be
      explained by insufficient target site pharmacokinetics in intensive care patients
      after two different infusion schemes. METHODS: Plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage
      sampling was performed in 16 intubated patients with pneumonia receiving
      doripenem either as 1-h or as 4-h infusion. Doripenem concentrations were
      measured at steady state in plasma over 8 h, bronchoalvoelar lavage was performed
      in each patient once either after 0 h, 2 h, 4 h or 6 h. RESULTS: In plasma, mean
      values of Cmax, Tmax and AUC0-8 were 16.87 mg/L, 0.69 h and 52.98 mg/L*h after 1
      h of infusion, and 12.94 mg/L, 3.21 h and 70.64 mg/L*h after 4 h of infusion,
      respectively. While the later tmax in plasma was with delay mirrored in the lung,
      for ELF, much lower concentrations were observed (Cmax, Tmax and AUC0-8 after 1-h
      infusion of 4.6 mg/L, 2 h and 15.3 mg/L*h and after 4-h infusion 6.9 mg/L, 4 h
      and 14.8 mg/L*h). CONCLUSION: The difference in plasma pharmacokinetics after 1-h
      and 4-h infusion reflects in the concentration versus time profile in the lung,
      but concentration at the target site was not only considerably lower but also
      subject to high inter-individual variability. We hypothesise that insufficient
      concentrations at the target site might have contributed to the previously
      described lack of clinical efficacy and confirmed the demand for assessment of
      target site pharmacokinetics in larger patient collectives.

PMID- 28920155
TI  - Distributions of recent gullies on hillslopes with different slopes and aspects
      in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China.
AB  - Gully erosion is an important environmental problem worldwide and the main
      process by which water and soil losses occur in the Black Soil Region (BSR) of
      Northeast China. At the end of 2012, 295,663 gullies were present in this region.
      However, few studies have examined the gullies of the Black Soil Region as a
      whole. Studying the distribution of recent gullies can reveal the pattern of
      gully distribution and can help predict their spatial development according to
      the soil and water conservation regionalization of China. This study examines the
      recorded gullies in the BSR of Northeast China, which is included in the first
      census of water resources in China and in six sub-regions of the soil and water
      conservation regionalization of China. Specifically, digital elevation model
      (DEM) data are combined with data on gullies occurring on hillslopes with
      different slopes and aspects to study the distribution of these features. The
      results illustrate that gully density, developing gully density, and the
      proportion of cutting land initially increase with increasing slope up to some
      threshold value, then decrease as the slope increases further. The patterns of
      stable gullies are divided into unimodal and bimodal types. Three patterns of
      gully intensity are identified. The areas and lengths of gullies are larger on
      sunny slopes, but larger numbers of gullies are present on shaded slopes. In
      addition, more space is available for gully development in the Hulun Buir hilly
      and plain sub-region and the Changbai Mountain-Wanda Mountain sub-region than in
      the other sub-regions.

PMID- 28920156
TI  - Cancer risk in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial. Reply to Shaikh AMY [letter] and
      Kohler S, Lee J, George JT et al [letter].

PMID- 28920157
TI  - Mechanisms of cancer cell killing by sea cucumber-derived compounds.
AB  - The aim of cancer therapy is to specifically eradicate tumor cells while causing
      minimal damage to normal tissues and minimal side-effects. Because of this, the
      use of natural substances with low toxicity is a good option. Sea cucumbers are
      one of many potential marine animals that contain valuable nutrients and
      medicinal properties. The medicinal value of sea cucumbers is attributed to the
      presence of bioactive agents with promising biological and pharmacological
      properties that include cytotoxic activity, induction of apoptosis, cell cycle
      arrest, inhibition of tumor growth, anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic
      properties, and inhibition of drug resistance. This review discusses the
      mechanisms of cancer cell death induced by sea cucumber-derived compounds with
      regard to exploring the potential use of these marine natural products for cancer
      therapy.

PMID- 28920158
TI  - Comparison of outcomes of scleral fixation with and without pars plana vitrectomy
      for the treatment of dislocated intraocular lens.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the surgical outcomes of scleral fixation with either
      pars plana vitrectomy (ppV) or anterior vitrectomy (AV) for the treatment of
      dislocated intraocular lens (IOL). METHODS: By retrospective review of electronic
      medical records, patients with in-the-bag spontaneous IOL dislocation who
      underwent IOL exchange with scleral fixation were included and grouped according
      to the vitrectomy method: ppV (group 1) and AV (group 2). Post-operative surgical
      outcomes including visual acuity (log MAR), spherical equivalent, and surgically
      induced astigmatism (SIA) and complications were investigated and analyzed.
      RESULTS: After 6 months, post-operative measurements showed an average visual
      acuity of 0.16 +/- 0.20, spherical equivalent of -1.48 +/- 1.53D (diopters), and
      refractive shift of -0.19 +/- 0.44D in group 1 (n = 19). There was no
      statistically significant difference between the measurements of group 1 and
      group 2 (n = 20) (0.10 +/- 0.12, -2.00 +/- 1.71D, -0.39 +/- 0.57D, respectively)
      (p = 0.51, p = 0.29, p = 0.16, respectively). When analyzed by the algebraic and
      vector methods, group 1 did show a higher magnitude of surgically induced
      astigmatisms (1.61 +/- 1.50D, 2.10 +/- 1.03D, respectively) than did group 2
      (0.49 +/- 1.02D, 1.31 +/- 0.83D respectively) (both p's = 0.01). There was no
      significant difference in the incidence of complications except for vitreoretinal
      complications, which were higher in group 2 (25%), compared with group 1 (0%) (p
      = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Both ppV and AV are appropriate options in patients who
      need IOL exchange with scleral fixation based on visual outcomes, refractive
      shifts, and complication rates. In terms of managing astigmatism, the AV
      procedure may be the better option.

PMID- 28920159
TI  - Integrating referral to community-based cancer information and support services
      in a hospital setting.
AB  - PURPOSE: To implement and evaluate a hospital-based referral mechanism to
      increase patient uptake of community-based cancer information and support
      services. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and education program
      was evaluated. Changes in usage of Cancer Council Victoria's cancer information
      and support telephone line were investigated. METHODS: A 6-month study was
      conducted in one metropolitan and one regional cancer treatment hospital.
      Clinicians attended an education session regarding referral mechanisms to Cancer
      Council support services. Clinicians completed a questionnaire, and consenting
      patients participated in a semi-structured telephone interview for the project
      evaluation. The number of calls made from patients at study sites was monitored.
      RESULTS: Fifty-two clinicians were trained and referred a total of 430 patients
      to the cancer information and support service during the study period. Calls from
      patients increased by up to 100% per month from baseline following the
      implementation of the referral mechanism. Staff evaluations showed support for
      the referral mechanism and its incorporation into routine practice. Interviews
      were conducted with 45 patients; most remembered receiving the referral and were
      positive towards the intervention. Common reasons patients gave for not acting on
      the referral included forgetting, lack of need, timing and burden of information.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is preliminary evidence that this intervention increases
      awareness and uptake of community-based cancer information and support services.
      Ongoing clinician education and improvements in patient-clinician communication
      are important for effective translation from referral to service uptake.
      Consideration of the most appropriate time in a patients' care trajectory to
      introduce a referral is warranted.

PMID- 28920160
TI  - Preoperative Albumin-Bilirubin Grade Predicts Recurrences After Radical
      Gastrectomy in Patients with pT2-4 Gastric Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score was initially developed for
      assessing liver dysfunction severity and was suggested to have prognostic value
      in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic
      impact of ALBI grade in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) after radical
      gastrectomy. METHODS: This study included 283 patients who underwent radical
      gastrectomy for pT2-4 GC without preoperative treatment. ALBI was calculated as
      follows: (log10 bilirubin (MUmol/L) * 0.66) + (albumin (g/L) * -0.0852) and
      categorized into grades 1 (<=-2.60), 2 (-2.60<, <=-1.39) and 3 (-1.39<). RESULTS:
      The median ALBI score was -2.96, and a number of patients in ALBI grades 1, 2 and
      3 were 228, 55 and 0, respectively. Patients with ALBI grade 2 had a lower
      administration rate of adjuvant chemotherapy than those with ALBI grade 1,
      whereas no significant differences were found in morbidity rate and disease
      stage. The ALBI grade 2 group was more likely to have shorter disease-specific
      and disease-free survival compared with the ALBI grade 1 group. Multivariable
      analysis identified ALBI grade 2 as an independent prognostic factor for disease
      free survival (hazard ratio 1.97, 95% confidence interval 1.10-3.47, p = 0.0242).
      Survival differences between ALBI grade 1 and 2 groups were increased in the
      patient subset that received adjuvant chemotherapy. ALBI grade 2 was correlated
      with a shortened duration of administration of postoperative S-1 adjuvant.
      CONCLUSIONS: ALBI grade serves as a simple and promising predictive factor for
      disease-free and disease-specific survival in patients with pT2-4 GC after
      radical gastrectomy.

PMID- 28920161
TI  - Tapered US carbon emissions during good times: what's old, what's new?
AB  - In light of a slow buildup in CO2 emissions since the recovery, this paper
      revisits the relationship between CO2 emissions and the US economy using a
      nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model, in which the determinants are
      identified through an expanded real business cycle model. We find convincing
      evidence that CO2 emissions decline more rapidly during recessions than increase
      during expansions over the long run. Of all determinants considered, long-run
      asymmetry is fostered once vehicle miles traveled is controlled. This calls for a
      greater attention to public transportation development and vehicle miles traveled
      tax for slowing down stock buildup of CO2 emissions during good times.

PMID- 28920162
TI  - Periodontal screening and referral behaviour of general dental practitioners in
      Flanders.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the screening and
      referral behaviour of Flemish dentists concerning periodontitis and more
      specific, the use of the Dutch Periodontal Screening Index (DPSI). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: An online questionnaire was electronically distributed through the
      different professional dental societies. It consisted of two parts: the first
      aimed at describing the profile of the dentist. The second part inquired the
      screening method, when this was applied, periodontal risk factors and referral
      behaviour. RESULTS: One thousand fifty dentists attended to the questionnaire.
      One hundred fifty-nine questionnaires were excluded since they did not match the
      target audience. Sixty-four percent of Flemish dentists used DPSI as a
      periodontal screening method, 28% screened based on probing pocket depth, 4% used
      solely radiographs and 4% had no screening method at all. The usage of DPSI is
      influenced by the year of graduation: the longer the dentists were graduated, the
      less they used DPSI. No influence of sex, education centre and location was
      found. Referral behaviour is influenced by different patient- and dentist-related
      factors. CONCLUSIONS: Regarding the screening behaviour, there seems a consensus
      among Flemish dentists that a periodontal probe should be used. For referral,
      there is no consensus about if and when to refer to a specialist. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: It is encouraging that 92% of the Flemish general dental practitioners
      use a probe when screening for periodontitis. However, DPSI is mainly used by
      younger dentists. An effort should be made to encourage all dentists to use this,
      so that in every patient, periodontitis can be detected timely, securing the best
      treatment outcome.

PMID- 28920163
TI  - Correction of whistle deformity using autologous free fat grafting: first results
      of a pilot study and review of the literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: Whistle deformities are frequent sequelae after surgical correction of
      cleft lip, trauma, or tumor excision. The aim of this study was to examine the
      role of autologous free fat grafting in the reconstruction of whistle deformity.
      PATIENTS: Fifteen patients with whistle deformity were enrolled in this pilot
      study. The mean follow-up period was 19 months. Liposuction was done followed by
      the replantation of an average of 2.2 ml autologous fat per patient (range 0.7-4
      ml). An overcorrection was performed in all patients. RESULTS: All the patients
      showed improvements in whistle deformity. The mean resorption rate was 53% (range
      30-80%). Three patients (20%) were not satisfied with the postoperative result.
      Six complications were assessed (4* feeling of pressure [27%], one hematoma [7%],
      one recurrent pain [7%]), but a major complication did not occur. REVIEW: We also
      present a review of the literature with different techniques that were described
      in the last 20 years. CONCLUSION: Autologous free fat graftings for
      reconstruction of whistle deformity represent a reliable method with a low
      complication rate. However, the resorption rate is unpredictable. If necessary,
      several autologous fat transplantations should be conducted at an interval of at
      least 6 months.

PMID- 28920164
TI  - Purification and Characterization of a Naringinase from Cryptococcus albidus.
AB  - Naringinase which was extracted from the fermented broth of Cryptococcus albidus
      was purified about 42-folds with yield 0.7% by sulfate fractionation and
      chromatography on Toyopearl HW-60, Fractogel DEAE-650-s, and Sepharose 6B
      columns. Molecular weight of protein determined by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE
      was 50 kDa. Naringinase of C. albidus includes high content of the dicarbonic and
      hydrophobic amino acids. Enzyme contains also carbohydrate component, represented
      by mannose, galactose, rhamnose, ribose, arabinose, xylose, and glucose. The
      enzyme was optimally active at pH 5.0 and 60  degrees C. Naringinase was found to
      exhibit specificity towards p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-rhamnose, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D
      glucose, naringin, and neohesperidin. Its K m towards naringin was 0.77 mM and
      the V max was 36 U/mg. Naringinase was inhibited by high concentrations of
      reaction product-L-rhamnose. Enzyme revealed stability to 20% ethanol and 500 mM
      glucose in the reaction mixture that makes it possible to forecast its practical
      use in the food industry in the production of juices and wines.

PMID- 28920165
TI  - Distinctive Patterns in the Taxonomical Resolution of Bacterioplankton in the
      Sediment and Pore Waters of Contrasted Freshwater Lakes.
AB  - Bacteria assemblages in lake sediments play a key role in various biogeochemical
      processes, yet their association with interstitial pore waters has been scarcely
      investigated. In this study, we utilized Illumina next-generation amplicon
      sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the seasonal bacterial
      communities in the sediments and pore waters of three contrasted temperate
      freshwater lakes, namely Pavin, Aydat, and Grangent (French Massif Central).
      Despite occupying seemingly similar habitats, bacterial communities differed
      substantially between sediments and pore waters at all seasons with low sharing
      of operational taxonomic units (OTUs, 6.7 to 20.3%) between them. Sediment
      associated bacteria were more rich and diverse than pore water bacteria,
      indicating a high heterogeneity in the sediment microhabitat. The changes in both
      sediment and pore water bacterial communities were lake and season specific. The
      bacterial community showed distinct differences between the lakes, with larger
      presence of strict anaerobes such as Syntrophus, Syntrophorhabdus, and
      Sulfuricurvum in the pore water and sediments of Pavin responsible for carbon and
      sulfur cycling. In both Aydat and Grangent, the hgcI_clade dominated throughout
      the study period in the pore waters. The higher representation of lesser-known
      transient members of lake communities such as Methylotenera in the pore waters of
      Aydat, and Clostridium and Sulfuricurvum in the pore and sediments of Grangent,
      respectively, were observed during the period of temporary anoxia in summer
      caused by lake stratification. Our study revealed that in the investigated lakes,
      the prevailing environmental factors across time and space structured and
      influenced the adaptation of bacterial communities to specific ecological niches.

PMID- 28920166
TI  - Clinical significance of Aspergillus species isolated from respiratory specimens
      in patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease.
AB  - Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is associated with mortality in patients
      with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease (MAC-LD). An Aspergillus-positive
      respiratory specimen often reflects colonization, and thus the clinical
      significance of Aspergillus isolation in MAC-LD patients is not well understood.
      The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and
      outcomes of MAC-LD patients in whom Aspergillus was isolated from respiratory
      specimens. We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of 329 MAC
      LD patients. We compared the characteristics and mortality rates between patients
      with Aspergillus isolation and those without. All Aspergillus species detected
      from respiratory specimens within the follow-up period were reviewed. Aspergillus
      was detected in 40 (12.2%) of the 329 patients. There were no significant
      differences in the clinical characteristics and mortality rates between patients
      with and without Aspergillus isolation. Among the 40 patients with Aspergillus
      isolation, 9 (22.5%) developed CPA. CPA was most often caused by A. fumigatus. In
      the 40 Aspergillus-positive patients, patients with A. fumigatus isolation had a
      significantly higher mortality rate than those without (P < 0.001). The
      multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed older age (P = 0.050),
      presence of respiratory comorbidities (P = 0.008), hypoalbuminemia (P < 0.001),
      and isolation of A. fumigatus (P = 0.005) to be prognostic factors for mortality
      in MAC-LD patients. There was no significant difference in the mortality rates
      between patients with Aspergillus isolation and those without. However, isolation
      of A. fumigatus may be associated with poor prognosis in MAC-LD patients.

PMID- 28920167
TI  - Comparison of efficacy between dorsal root entry zone lesioning and selective
      dorsal rhizotomy for spasticity of cerebral origin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe spasticity adversely affects patient functional status and
      caregiving. No previous study has compared efficacy between dorsal root entry
      zone lesioning (DREZL) and selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) for reduction of
      spasticity. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of DREZL and SDR for
      attenuating spasticity, and to compare efficacy between these two methods.
      METHODS: All patients who underwent DREZL, SDR, or both for treatment of
      intractable spasticity caused by cerebral pathology at Siriraj Hospital during
      2009 to 2016 were recruited. Severity of spasticity was assessed using Modified
      Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Adductor Tone Rating Scale (ATRS). Ambulatory status was
      also evaluated. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (13 males) with a mean age of 30.3 +/-
      17.5 years were included. Eight, six, and one patient underwent DREZL, SDR, and
      combined cervical DREZL and lumbosacral SDR, respectively. Eight of ten patients
      with preoperative bed-bound status had postoperative improvement in ambulatory
      status. Spasticity was significantly reduced in the DREZL group (p < 0.001), the
      SDR group (p < 0.001), and in overall analysis (p < 0.001). SDR was effective in
      both pediatric and adult spasticity patients. A significantly greater reduction
      in spasticity as assessed by MAS score (p < 0.001) and ATRS score (p = 0.015) was
      found in the DREZL group. Transient lower limb weakness was found in a patient
      who underwent SDR. CONCLUSIONS: DREZL is more effective for reducing spasticity,
      but is more destructive than SDR. DREZL should be preferred for bed-ridden
      patients, and SDR for ambulatory patients. Both operations are helpful for
      improving ambulatory status. Gait improvement was observed only in patients who
      underwent SDR. Adult patients with spasticity of cerebral origin benefit from
      SDR.

PMID- 28920168
TI  - The online measured black carbon aerosol and source orientations in the Nam Co
      region, Tibet.
AB  - Equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations were measured by an
      aethalometer (AE-31) in the Nam Co, central Tibet from 2010 to 2014. Different
      from previous filter-sampling studies (Ming et al., J Environ Sci 22(11):1748
      1756, 2010; Zhao et al., Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:5827-5838, 2013), the first
      high-resolution online eBC measurement conducted in central Tibet is reported
      here, allowing to discuss the diurnal variations as well as seasonal
      variabilities of eBC. Average daily eBC concentration was 74 +/- 50 ng/m3,
      reflecting a global background level. Meteorological conditions influenced eBC
      concentrations largely at seasonal scale, which are higher in February-May but
      lower in June-January. The highest eBC concentrations (greater than 210 ng/m3)
      were more associated with the W and WSW winds smaller than 6 m/s. The diurnal
      variations of eBC showed plateaus from 10:00 to 15:00 with seasonal variations,
      associated with local anthropogenic activities, such as indigenous Tibetan
      burning animal waste and tourism traffic. The PBLHs showed a co-variance with eBC
      concentrations, implicating close sources. The aerosol optical depths derived
      from the MODIS data over the Nam Co Observatory Station (NCOS)-included sub-area
      (30 degrees  N-40 degrees  N, 90 degrees  E-100 degrees  E) showed significant
      relationship with eBC concentrations. This suggests that nearby or short-distance
      sources other than long-distance transported pollutants could be important
      contributors to eBC concentrations at the NCOS, different from the conclusions
      suggested by previous studies.

PMID- 28920169
TI  - Diagnostic value of sTREM-1, IL-8, PCT, and CRP in febrile neutropenia after
      autologous stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Infections and infectious complications are the major cause of morbidity and
      mortality in febrile neutropenic patients after autologous stem cell
      transplantation. Laboratory biomarkers are helpful for early identification of
      critically ill patients and optimal therapy management. Several studies in adult
      non-neutropenic patients proposed sTREM-1 as a superior biomarker for
      identification of septic patients as well as a predictor for survival in these
      patients compared with procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), or
      interleukin-8 (IL-8). Here, to assess the utility of PCT, CRP, IL-8, and sTREM-1
      in febrile neutropenia, 44 patients presenting with febrile neutropenia after
      autologous stem cell transplantation were recruited in a single-center
      prospective pilot study. We analyzed PCT and CRP as well as IL-8 and sTREM-1
      levels pre- and post-transplantation at defined time points. In 20 of 44
      patients, concentration of sTREM-1 was under the detection level at appearance of
      febrile neutropenia. Mean levels of PCT, IL-8, and CRP were significantly
      increased in infections of critically ill patients who by dysfunction or failure
      of one or more organs/system depend on survival from advanced instruments of
      monitoring and therapy. However, all tested biomarkers could not distinguish
      between presence and absence of bloodstream infection. The combination of the
      biomarkers PCT and IL-8 achieved a high sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 74%
      for the identification of serious complications in febrile neutropenia, whereas
      the combination of CRP and PCT or IL-8 achieved a high sensitivity of 100%, but
      with the addition of a low specificity of 47or 41%. In conclusion, we found that
      the measurement of sTREM-1 concentration at presentation of febrile neutropenia
      is not useful to identify bacterial bloodstream infections and critically ill
      patients. PCT and IL-8 are useful biomarkers for the early identification of
      critically ill patients, compared to CRP and sTREM-1 in febrile neutropenia. PCT
      or IL-8 in combination with clinical parameters should be considered in routine
      measurement to identify critically ill patients as early as possible.

PMID- 28920170
TI  - Meniscal extrusion seen on ultrasonography affects the development of
      radiographic knee osteoarthritis: a 3-year prospective cohort study.
AB  - The objective of this study is to determine whether meniscal extrusion (ME) of
      the medial meniscus on ultrasonography affects knee osteoarthritis (KOA)
      progression during 3-year follow-up. Two hundred seventy volunteers (70 men, 200
      women; mean age 60.5 years) participated. Weight-bearing radiographs were
      evaluated. All subjects had medial radiographic KOA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade
      [KLG], >= 2) in at least one knee at baseline (BL). KLG 2 was defined as moderate
      KOA (MKOA); KLG 3 and 4 were defined as severe KOA (SKOA). Medial and lateral
      joint space width (MJSW and LJSW) were measured at the minimum width of femoro
      tibial compartment. The medial and lateral osteophyte area (MOPA and LOPA) were
      measured. Rapid joint space narrowing progression (RP) was defined as >= 25% loss
      of JSW from BL. ME was measured at the medial knee joint space on the medial
      collateral ligament with ultrasonography. The optimal ME cut-off for RP was
      determined by ROC curve. The relationship between ME and the longitudinal change
      of radiographic parameters was elucidated by linear and logistic regression
      analysis. In the 460 OA knees at BL, both MOPA and LOPA increased, while only
      MJSW narrowed after 3 years. RP occurred in 25 knees among 281 MKOA knees and 42
      among 179 SKOA knees. ME was associated with medial joint space narrowing only in
      the SKOA group, while the ME was associated with MOPA in the MKOA and SKOA
      groups. The cut-off value to detect RP was 5.5 mm only in the SKOA group.
      Ultrasonographic evaluation of medial ME was useful to detect radiographic KOA
      progression.

PMID- 28920171
TI  - An investigation of the host-specificity of metacercariae of species of
      Apophallus (Digenea: Heterophyidae) in freshwater fishes using morphological,
      experimental and molecular methods.
AB  - Metacercariae of species of the genus Apophallus Luhe, 1909, infecting the fins
      and skin of freshwater fishes, frequently cause black spot disease. Two species,
      Apophallus muehlingi (Jagerskiold, 1899) and A. donicus (Skrjabin & Lindtrop,
      1919), are known to occur in Hungarian fishes. It has generally been thought that
      metacercariae of A. muehlingi infect cyprinid fishes, whereas those of A. donicus
      develop in percids. As part of a morphological, experimental and molecular study,
      metacercariae were collected from 99 infected specimens of five cyprinid hosts
      (Abramis brama, Blicca bjoerkna, Chondrostoma nasus, Squalius cephalus,
      Scardinius erythrophthalmus) and 18 infected specimens of two percid hosts
      (Gymnocephalus cernua, Perca fluviatilis) in Hungarian natural waters (Lake
      Balaton, River Danube). Moreover, 1024 common carp (Cyprinus carpio) specimens
      collected from Hungarian fish ponds were investigated for Apophallus infection,
      but without positive results. For reliable species identification, experimental
      infections of chicks were carried in order to produce adult specimens from
      metacercariae collected from the fins and skin of the cyprinid and percid hosts.
      Within 8 days, adult specimens of both A. muehlingi and A. donicus developed in
      chicks infected with metacercariae from the cyprinid common bream (Abramis brama)
      and the white bream (Blicca bjoerkna) and the ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua), a
      percid, respectively. The morphology of the collected metacercariae and adult
      individuals developed in the feeding experiments was characterised. A molecular
      analysis was extended to cercarial samples from the snail Lithoglyphus naticoides
      and to a single adult specimen of Apophallus from a fox. Sequences of 28
      specimens were analysed using molecular methods (sequencing the internal
      transcribed spacer region and the cytochrome oxidase I subunit). Phylogenetic
      analysis was executed, and the Apophallus samples clustered into three distinct
      branches using both genes, A. muehlingi from cyprinids, A. donicus from percids
      and, a third, previously unknown, Apophallus clade, also from cyprinids.

PMID- 28920172
TI  - Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening Utilising Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Measurement
      and Abdominal Ultrasound Is More Effective than Ultrasound Alone in Patients with
      Non-viral Cirrhosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study is aimed to determine the performance of alpha-fetoprotein
      (AFP) as part of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) screening in a non-viral
      cirrhosis population. METHODS: A retrospective audit was conducted of patients
      with non-viral cirrhosis over a 13 year period managed at a single centre. All
      patients were investigated routinely for evidence of viral hepatitis; patients
      with positive results were excluded from analysis. Cirrhosis was defined on basis
      of clinical, biochemical, and radiological investigations and examinations. All
      patients underwent HCC screening with 6-monthly AFP measurement and 6-12-monthly
      upper abdominal ultrasound (US). Diagnosis of HCC was confirmed by biopsy,
      definitive imaging, or natural disease progression. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients
      were included (49 males, average age 58.7 years). Of 14 patients who developed
      HCC during the study period, 12 patients had HCC detected via screening. Of the
      screening diagnosed HCC cases, four (33%) patients had a normal AFP with abnormal
      surveillance US, three (25%) had raised AFP with normal surveillance US, and five
      (42%) had concurrent AFP elevation and US abnormality. Patients with raised AFP
      and normal surveillance US had HCC diagnosed after a progressive rise in AFP
      precipitated imaging with alternative modalities. Within the 53 patients who
      remained free of HCC, a raised AFP precipitated additional imaging on 10
      occasions. HCC was diagnosed in 12 out of 64 patients over a total of 4292
      screening months giving an annual incidence of 3.35%. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-five
      percent of HCC occurring in non-viral cirrhosis will be detected earlier using a
      surveillance program incorporating both AFP and US compared to imaging alone
      programs.

PMID- 28920173
TI  - Presumptive diagnosis of multinodular vacuolating tumor: "More than meets the
      eye!"

PMID- 28920174
TI  - Features and Effects of Information Technology-Based Interventions to Improve
      Self-Management in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: a Systematic Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Slowing down the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its adverse
      health outcomes requires the patient's self-management and attention to treatment
      recommendations. Information technology (IT)-based interventions are increasingly
      being used to support self-management in patients with chronic diseases such as
      CKD. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to
      assess the features and effects of IT-based interventions on self-management
      outcomes of CKD patients. A comprehensive search was conducted in Medline,
      Scopus, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant papers that were published
      until May 2016. RCT Studies that assessed at least one automated IT tool in
      patients with CKD stages 1 to 5, and reported at least one self-management
      outcome were included. Studies were appraised for quality using the Cochrane Risk
      of Bias assessment tool. Out of 12,215 papers retrieved, eight study met the
      inclusion criteria. Interventions were delivered via smartphones/personal digital
      assistants (PDAs) (three studies), wearable devices (three studies), computerized
      systems (one study), and multiple component (one study). The studies assessed 15
      outcomes, including eight clinical outcomes and seven process of care outcomes.
      In 12 (80%) of the 15 outcomes, the studies had revealed the effects of the
      interventions as statistically significant positive. These positive effects were
      observed in 75% of the clinical outcomes and 86% of the process of care outcomes.
      The evidence indicates the potential of IT-based interventions (i.e.
      smartphones/PDAs, wearable devices, and computerized systems) in self-management
      outcomes (clinical and process of care outcomes) of CKD patients.

PMID- 28920175
TI  - Chemoenzymatic synthesis of 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate coupling with
      an ATP regeneration system.
AB  - 3'-Phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) is the obligate cosubstrate and
      source of the sulfonate group in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of heparin, a
      commonly used anticoagulant drug. Previously, using ATP as the substrate, we had
      developed a one-pot synthesis to prepare PAPS with 47% ATP conversion efficiency.
      During the reaction, 47% of ATP was converted into the by-product, ADP. Here, to
      increase the conversion ratio of ATP to PAPS, an ATP regeneration system was
      developed to couple with PAPS synthesis. In the ATP regeneration system, the
      chemical compound, monopotassium phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP-K+), was synthesized
      and used as the phospho-donor. By using 3-bromopyruvic acid as the starting
      material, the total yield of PEP-K+ synthesis was over 50% at low cost. Then, the
      enzyme PykA from Escherichia coli was overexpressed, purified, and used to
      convert the by-product ADP into ATP. When coupled the ATP regeneration system
      with PAPS synthesis, the higher ratio of PEP-K+ to ADP was associated with higher
      ATP conversion efficiency. By using the ATP regeneration system, the conversion
      ratio of ATP to PAPS was increased to 98% as determined by PAMN-HPLC analysis,
      and 5 g of PAPS was produced in 1 L of the reaction mixture. Furthermore, the
      chemoenzymatic synthesized PAPS was purified and freeze-dried without observed
      decomposition. However, the powdery PAPS was more unstable than the PAPS sodium
      salt in aqueous solution at ambient temperature. This developed chemoenzymatic
      approach of PAPS production will contribute to the synthesis of heparin, in which
      PAPS is necessary as the individual sulfo-donor.

PMID- 28920176
TI  - Isolation and identification of antifungal peptides from Bacillus
      amyloliquefaciens W10.
AB  - Antifungal metabolites produced by Bacillus sp. W10, which was previously
      isolated from the tomato rhizosphere, were investigated. Strain W10 was
      identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by analysis of its 16S rDNA and gyrB
      gene partial sequences. PCR analysis showed the presence of fenB, sfp, and ituD
      genes, coding for fengycin, surfactin, and iturin, respectively. A novel small
      antifungal peptide, designated 5240, produced by this strain was isolated by
      ammonium sulfate precipitation and Superdex 200 gel filtration chromatography.
      The 5240 peptide was stable at 100  degrees C for 20 min and remained active
      throughout a wide pH range (4-10). The antagonistic activity was not affected by
      protease K and trypsin. The purified 5240 peptide exhibited a broad inhibitory
      spectrum against various plant pathogenic fungi and was identified as iturin A
      (C14-C16). Moreover, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight
      (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry indicated the presence of fengycin A (C14-C15),
      fengycin B (C16-C17), and surfactin (C13-C16) isoforms in supernatants from
      strain W10. These results suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens W10 has significant
      potential as a biocontrol agent.

PMID- 28920177
TI  - Molecular detection of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in ticks, Greece,
      2012-2014.
AB  - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is transmitted to humans mainly
      through the bite of infected ticks. In Greece, only one clinical case has been
      observed, in 2008, but the seroprevalence in humans is relatively high (4.2%). To
      have a first insight into the circulation of CCHFV in Greece, 2000 ticks
      collected from livestock during 2012-2014 were tested. CCHFV was detected in 36
      of the 1290 (2.8%) tick pools (1-5 ticks per pool). Two genetic lineages were
      identified: Europe 1 and Europe 2. Most Europe 1 sequences were obtained from
      Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato ticks, while most Europe 2 sequences were
      recovered from Rhipicephalus bursa ticks. The number of collected Hyalomma
      marginatum ticks (the principal vector of CCHFV) was low (0.5% of ticks) and all
      were CCHFV negative. Since it is not known how efficient ticks of the
      Rhipicephalus genus are as vectors of the virus, laboratory studies will be
      required to explore the role of Rhipicephalus spp. ticks in CCHFV maintenance and
      transmission.

PMID- 28920178
TI  - Impact of Splenic Volume and Splenectomy on Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
      Within Milan Criteria After Curative Hepatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal
      hypertension (PH) is very poor. Splenomegaly is considered important evidence of
      PH. Our aim was to clarify the prognostic value of splenic volume (SV) and the
      effect of splenectomy on the prognosis of HCC within the Milan criteria after
      curative hepatectomy. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective study, we
      reviewed 160 patients with HCC that met the Milan criteria, including 138 who had
      undergone hepatectomy and 22 who had undergone hepatectomy and splenectomy
      between July 2004 and December 2010. SV was measured by three-dimensional
      computed tomography and patients allocated to three groups (high SV >=300 mL; low
      <300 mL; and splenectomy) to compare post-hepatectomy survival rates. RESULTS:
      Multivariate analyses showed that SV is an independent prognostic factor for
      overall and disease-free survival. The overall survival rates at 5 years in the
      high SV, low SV, and splenectomy groups were 39, 75, and 88%, respectively. The
      overall survival rate in the high SV group was significantly worse than in the
      low SV and splenectomy groups (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference
      between the low SV and splenectomy groups (P = 0.831). CONCLUSIONS: High SV is an
      independent predictor of post-hepatectomy HCC recurrence and overall survival.
      There is no significant difference in prognosis between low SV and splenectomy
      groups, even though the latter had high SV. Combined splenectomy with hepatectomy
      for HCC and PH may improve prognosis and be an appropriate alternative when liver
      transplantation cannot be performed.

PMID- 28920179
TI  - Review of Virtual Reality Treatment in Psychiatry: Evidence Versus Current
      Diffusion and Use.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review provides an overview of the current evidence base
      for and clinical applications of the use of virtual reality (VR) in psychiatric
      practice, in context of recent technological developments. RECENT FINDINGS: The
      use of VR in psychiatric practice shows promise with much of the research
      demonstrating clinical effectiveness for conditions including post-traumatic
      stress disorder, anxiety and phobias, chronic pain, rehabilitation, and
      addictions. However, more research is needed before the use of VR is considered a
      clinical standard of practice in some areas. The recent release of first
      generation consumer VR products signals a change in the viability of further
      developing VR systems and applications. As applications increase so will the need
      for good quality research to best understand what makes VR effective, and when VR
      is not appropriate for clinical services. As the field progresses, it is hopeful
      that the flexibility afforded by this technology will yield superior outcomes and
      a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms impacting those outcomes.

PMID- 28920180
TI  - The American College of Physicians and the 2017 guideline for the management of
      acute and recurrent gout: treat to avoiding symptoms versus treat to target.

PMID- 28920181
TI  - Early colectomy in steroid-refractory acute severe ulcerative colitis improves
      operative outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Up to a third of patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC)
      fail to respond to intensive steroid therapy and eventually require a salvage
      colectomy. We have previously reported that the mortality of emergency colectomy
      can be decreased by offering it within the first week of intensive medical
      therapy. We implemented this policy and report the results of our experience.
      METHODS: The clinical records of all patients with ASUC who underwent emergency
      colectomy after failure of medical therapy between January 2005 and July 2015
      were extracted from a prospectively maintained database. The data were analysed
      with regard to duration of intensive medical therapy, timing of surgery, in
      hospital mortality and post-operative complications. RESULTS: Eighty-eight
      patients underwent emergency surgery for ASUC after failed medical therapy. Of
      these, 75 (85.2%) were operated within 7 days of initiation of intensive medical
      therapy [n = 51 (58%) were operated < 5 days]. One patient who was operated on
      day 8 following steroid therapy died postoperatively. The current post-operative
      mortality of 1.1% (1/88) was significantly lower than the mortality noted in the
      previously recorded retrospective case series [8/51 (15.6%); p = 0.001]. In
      addition, the incidence of overall (9/13 vs. 23/75; p = 0.012) and clinically
      significant (12/75 vs. 6/13; p = 0.022) complications was significantly higher in
      patients operated after 7 days as compared to those operated within 7 days.
      CONCLUSION: The policy of early colectomy, within 7 days, in patients with ASUC
      who fail to respond to intensive steroid-based therapy improves perioperative
      outcomes with significantly low in-hospital mortality and morbidity.

PMID- 28920182
TI  - Neovascularization and Synaptic Function Regulation with Memantine and
      Rosuvastatin in a Rat Model of Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion.
AB  - Cerebral hypoperfusion is an important factor in the pathogenesis of
      cerebrovascular diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. We investigated the
      effects of memantine and rosuvastatin on both neovascularization and synaptic
      function in a rat model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, which was established
      by the bilateral common carotid occlusion (2VO) method. We tested learning and
      memory ability, synaptic function, circulating endothelial progenitor cell (EPC)
      number, expression of neurotrophic factors, and markers of neovasculogenesis and
      cell proliferation after memantine and/or rosuvastatin treatment. Rats treated
      with memantine and/or rosuvastatin showed significant improvement in Morris water
      maze task and long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus, compared with
      untreated 2VO model rats. Circulating EPCs, expression of brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor, markers of
      microvessel density were increased by each of the three interventions.
      Rosuvastatin also increased cell proliferation in the hippocampus. Combined
      treatment with memantine and rosuvastatin showed greater effect on enhancement of
      LTP and expression of neurotrophic factors than either single medication
      treatment alone. Both memantine and rosuvastatin improved learning and memory,
      enhanced neovascularization and synaptic function, and upregulated neurotrophic
      factors in a rat model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.

PMID- 28920183
TI  - Number of medications or number of diseases: what influences underprescribing?
AB  - PURPOSE: An increasing number of older adults suffer from multimorbidity and
      receive multiple medications. Despite that, underprescribing of potentially
      beneficial medications is widespread in this population. Our aim was to examine
      influence of polypharmacy and multimorbidity on the presence of prescribing
      omissions (PO) in general practice attenders. METHODS: We conducted a cross
      sectional study of older adults attending general practices in Slovenia who were
      regularly prescribed at least one medication. Patients' data was entered into a
      computer application evaluating the presence of START (Screening Tool to Alert
      doctors to Right Treatment) criteria for PO. Demographic data, CIRS-G (Cumulative
      Illness Rating Scale for geriatric patients) questionnaire, number of
      medications, and healthcare utilization data were also collected. We defined
      polypharmacy as five or more concurrent medications. RESULTS: Five hundred three
      patients were enrolled, 258 (56.7%) female. The average age was 74.9 and average
      value of CIRS-G index 1.48 (+/- 0.6). Patients took on average 5.6 medications
      and 216 (42.9%) patients had at least one PO according to START criteria. In
      bivariate analysis, there was a significant association between age, number of
      medications, polypharmacy and CIRS-G index measures, and presence of PO. In
      multivariate analysis, only age and number of affected CIRS-G categories
      significantly predicted PO (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Older patients with more
      affected CIRS-G categories were at higher risk for PO. Polypharmacy was not an
      independent risk factor for the presence of PO. A possible reason is that in
      multimorbid older people, physicians and patients set individual priorities to
      treatment instead of treating all diseases and conditions.

PMID- 28920184
TI  - Genetic affinity and the right to 'three-parent IVF'.
AB  - With the recent report of a live birth after use of mitochondrial replacement
      therapy, sometimes called 'three-parent IVF', the clinical application of the
      technique is fast becoming a reality. While the United Kingdom allows the
      procedure under regulatory scrutiny, it remains effectively outlawed in many
      other countries. We argue that such prohibitions may violate individuals'
      procreative rights, grounded in individuals' interest in genetic affinity. The
      interest in genetic affinity was recently endorsed by Singapore's highest court,
      reflecting an emphasis on the importance of biological ties found across the
      globe. We apply that reasoning to make the case for a right to 'three-parent
      IVF'.

PMID- 28920185
TI  - Motivational wheel running reverses cueing behavioural inflexibility in rodents.
AB  - Behavioural inflexibility and associated atypical learning behaviours are common
      clinical manifestations of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotype. Despite
      advances in our understanding of ASD, little research has been devoted to
      experimental interventions that might help to circumvent behavioural
      inflexibility in ASD. The current paper suggests that motivational locomotion in
      the form of wheel running can reduce behavioural inflexibility and learning
      impairments in an ASD rat model, and discusses how the strategy of reward-coupled
      locomotor activity may lead to clinical interventions for children with ASD.

PMID- 28920187
TI  - Sub-ablative Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation under all-ceramic restorations: effects
      on demineralization and shear bond strength.
AB  - This study evaluated the caries resistant effects of sub-ablative Er,Cr:YSGG
      laser irradiation alone and combined with fluoride in comparison with fluoride
      application alone on enamel prepared for veneer restorations. And also, evaluated
      these treatments' effects on the shear bond strength of all-ceramic veneer
      restorations. One hundred and thirty-five human maxillary central teeth were
      assigned to groups of 1a-control, 1b-laser treated, 1c-fluoride treated, 1d-laser
      + fluoride treated for shear bond testing and to groups of 2a-positive
      control(non-demineralised), 2b-laser treated, 2c-fluoride treated, 2d-laser +
      fluoride treated, 2e-negative control (demineralised) for microhardness testing
      (n = 15, N = 135). Demineralisation solutions of microhardness measurements were
      used for the ICP-OES elemental analysis. The parameters for laser irradiation
      were as follows: power output, 0.25 W; total energy density, 62.5 J/cm2 and
      energy density per pulse, 4.48 J/cm2 with an irradiation time of 20 s and with no
      water cooling. Five percent NaF varnish was used as fluoride preparate. ANOVA and
      Tukey HSD tests were performed (alpha = 5%). Surface treatments showed no
      significant effects on shear bond strength values (p = 0.579). However,
      significant differences were found in microhardness measurements and in elemental
      analysis of Ca and P amounts (p < 0.01). Surface-treated groups showed
      significantly high VNH values and significantly low ICP-OES values when compared
      with non-treated (-control) group while there were no significance among surface
      treated groups regarding VHN and ICP-OES values. Sub-ablative Er,Cr:YSGG
      treatment alone or combined with fluoride is as an effective method as at least
      fluoride alone for preventing the prepared enamel to demineralization with no
      negative effect on shear bond strength.

PMID- 28920188
TI  - Lung cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR) is a governmental
      organization for cancer surveillance affiliated to the Bureau of Disease Control,
      Ministry of Health, in China. It annually collects cancer registration data from
      local registries and then analyzes and publishes the results to provide useful
      information for making anti-cancer policy, program evaluation, and etiology
      research. At the end of 2012, the NCCR reported cancer statistics for 2009.
      METHODS: By mid 2012, 104 population-based cancer registries reported cancer
      incidence and mortality data, including demographic information, for 2009, to the
      NCCR. After an evaluation procedure, a total of 72 registries' data met the
      criteria, which was then compiled for analysis. Individual lung cancer cases were
      retrieved from the national database based on the International Classification of
      Diseases (ICD)-10 topography code as "C33, C34," including cancers of the trachea
      and bronchus. The crude incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer were
      calculated by gender, age, and location (urban/rural). China's population in 1982
      and Segi's population structures were used for age-standardized rates. RESULTS:
      In cancer registration areas in 2009, lung cancer was the most common cancer in
      China and in urban areas, the second most common cancer in rural areas. It was
      the leading cause of cancer death both in males and females, urban and rural
      areas. The incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer were higher in males than
      those in females, and in urban areas than in rural areas. The age-specific
      incidence and mortality rates showed that both rates were relatively low for
      those aged under 50 years, but dramatically increased and reached a peak in the
      age group of 80-84 years. CONCLUSION: Lung cancer is the most common cancer in
      China and leading cause of cancer death. Primary and secondary prevention should
      be carried out in each group, such as tobacco control and early detection.

PMID- 28920186
TI  - Investigation of cis-trans isomer dependent dermatotoxicokinetics of UV filter
      ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate through stratum corneum in vivo.
AB  - 2-Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) is one of the most used ultraviolet filters
      in personal care products. It undergoes cis/trans isomerization in sunlight, and
      there is limited toxicological understanding of the effects of the cis-isomer. It
      is known that two geometric isomers of one compound can have different physico
      chemical properties and effects. However, there are no studies focusing on
      toxicokinetics of EHMC isomerization products to compare their potential
      difference in dermal exposure to cis-EHMC and trans-EHMC due to the difference in
      their dermatotoxicokinetics. In this study, dermal absorption of the parental
      trans-EHMC and its cis isomer was studied. A commercially available sunscreen
      lotion containing trans-EHMC and spiked with laboratory-prepared cis-EHMC was
      locally applied on the forearm skin of two volunteers. After 8 h of skin
      exposure, the stratum corneum (SC) layer was removed by tape stripping. The
      removed thickness of the SC was determined spectrophotometrically using a total
      protein assay. The concentration of both isomers in the removed SC was measured
      by HPLC-DAD. A new diffusion and permeability coefficient of both EHMC isomers in
      SC were determined by Fick's second law of diffusion in vivo. The difference in
      dermatotoxicokinetic parameters between the two isomers was not statistically
      significant. However, separate toxicological studies of isomeric forms and the
      determination of their dermatotoxicokinetic parameters are crucial for refinement
      of human risk assessment.

PMID- 28920189
TI  - Proton-based chemoradiation for synchronous bilateral non-small-cell lung
      cancers: A case report.
AB  - In this case report, we present the history and treatment of a 70-year-old man
      with synchronous bilateral non-small-cell lung cancers with proton-beam
      radiation. Surgical treatment was not feasible and optimized photon intensity
      modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to the primary tumors would have resulted in
      unacceptably high normal-tissue exposures. Proton-beam radiation enabled
      radiation dose escalation and concurrent chemotherapy while maintaining normal
      tissue tolerance.

PMID- 28920191
TI  - Role of particle beam therapy in a trimodality approach to locally advanced non
      small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Lung cancer accounts for nearly one-fifth of all cancer deaths worldwide and is
      the most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Outcomes for
      locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer remain extremely poor with regards to
      both local control and overall survival. Modest gains in local control were
      obtained with the incorporation of multimodality treatment, including
      preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgical resection; combination
      chemoradiotherapy also improved survival, secondary to improved local control.
      While the natural progression to trimodality therapy resulted in superior local
      control, it did not translate to improved overall survival, secondary to
      increased toxicity. The additional morbidity is likely from radiation toxicity,
      the minimization of which will be crucial to the future success of trimodality
      therapy. One strategy to decrease toxicity is to utilize charged particles, such
      as protons, which deposit a high dose at the Bragg peak with a minimal dose
      beyond the peak, thereby reducing the dose to distal normal tissues. Trimodality
      therapy incorporating preoperative proton radiation therapy and chemotherapy,
      followed by surgery, is currently being evaluated as a potential strategy to
      achieve improved local control and overall survival in locally advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer.

PMID- 28920190
TI  - Gefitinib versus erlotinib as salvage treatment for lung adenocarcinoma patients
      who benefited from the initial gefitinib: A retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   The optimal strategy was not established for patients who initially
      responded to gefitinib although re-administration of epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has been proven to be an
      option. Gefitinib and erlotinib were compared as salvage treatment after
      gefitinib failure. METHODS:   Thirty-eight lung adenocarcinoma patients were
      analyzed retrospectively as they received the second EGFR-TKIs treatment with
      either gefitinib or erlotinib. All of them had obtained disease control from
      initial gefitinib. Sixteen patients received gefitinib (G-G group) and 22
      patients received erlotinib (G-E group). RESULTS:   Of all patients, progress
      free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were three and 12 months,
      respectively, and the disease controlled rate (DCR) of the second EGFR-TKIs
      treatment was 52.6%. One patient (6.3%) had partial remission (PR) and 10 (62.5%)
      had stable disease (SD), in the G-G group, whereas, three (13.6%) had PR and six
      (27.2%) had SD, in the G-E group. There was no statistical significance observed,
      although the DCR in the G-G group was higher than that in G-E group (68.8% vs.
      40.8%, P= 0.09). Adverse events of both gefitinib and erlotinib were mild and
      administered. The median PFS and OS in G-G and G-E groups were similar (PFS four
      vs. three months; OS 22 vs. 12 months). In multivariate analysis, patients with
      SD in initial gefitinib treatment had significantly longer OS (P= 0.04).
      CONCLUSIONS:   Gefitinib as well as erlotinib could be an option for patients who
      benefited from prior gefitinib treatment. Patients with SD in initial gefitinib
      obtained a significantly longer OS than those with PR.

PMID- 28920192
TI  - Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and lung adenocarcinoma: Case report.
AB  - The spectrum of disease related to Aspergillus spp. within the lung is variable.
      The exact nature of any association of Aspergillus spp. either in the development
      or progression of lung cancer remains unexplored. Infrequent occurrences of
      pulmonary aspergilloma in the presence of adenocarcinoma of the lung have been
      reported. We present a rare case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis associated
      with an accompanying finding of adenocarcinoma in a patient presenting with fever
      and a cavitary lung lesion.

PMID- 28920193
TI  - Subjective sleep quality in lung cancer patients before and after chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances, such as difficulty in falling asleep, maintaining
      sleep, poor sleep efficiency, early awakening, and excessive daytime sleepiness,
      are common in patients with cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate sleep
      characteristics in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients before and after three
      months of chemotherapy treatment. METHODS: Forty-nine patients with lung cancer,
      without brain metastasis, were included. Anthropometric and disease
      characteristics were collected. Upon diagnosis and after three months, a
      polysomnographic examination was conducted and the patients completed the Epworth
      Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Fatigue
      Severity Scale (FSS) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale.
      RESULTS: Before chemotherapy, the mean PSQI score was 7.1 +/- 4, the FSS score
      was 3.92 +/- 2, and the ESS score was 6.8 +/- 4. The MRC score was low at 1.6 +/-
      1.1. A significant correlation between FSS and global PSQI was revealed (r =
      0.424, P < 0.01), as well as with several of the PSQI components. After
      chemotherapy, no statistically significant change was observed in the PSQI (mean:
      6.6 +/- 4.5, t-score: 0.784, P = 0.438), or the FSS score (4.4 +/- 2.2, t-score: 
      1.375, P = 0.177). Sleep efficiency was significantly reduced (P = 0.008),
      without any change in the distribution of sleep stages. CONCLUSION: The
      perception of sleep quality is poor among newly diagnosed lung cancer patients
      and is correlated with fatigue. After chemotherapy, self-reported sleep
      impairment is present and sleep efficiency is reduced, without significant change
      in sleep architecture.

PMID- 28920194
TI  - Prognostic factors and survival of patients with small cell lung cancer in a
      northeastern Chinese population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study presents the characteristics and treatment of small cell
      lung cancer (SCLC) and an analysis of the factors that impact survival in
      northeastern Chinese populations, among both smokers and non-smokers. METHODS: A
      retrospective review was performed using 485 Chinese patients diagnosed with
      pathologically confirmed SCLC diagnoses between January 2001 and December 2007.
      Data on patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcome information was
      collected systematically. Univariate analysis and the Cox multivariate regression
      model were used to evaluate prognostic factors. RESULTS: Median survival time was
      16 months in all patients, 31 months in limited stage (LS) patients, and 10
      months in extensive-stage (ES) patients. Never-smoking patients (P= 0.0368) with
      good performance status (PS) (P= 0.0044) or with normal lactate dehydrogenase
      (LDH) levels (P < 0.0001), demonstrated superior survival rates. Multivariate
      analysis identified that cycles of chemotherapy, PS, LDH levels, recurrence or
      progression, and clinical stage were each independent prognostic factors
      applicable to all patients. In LS-SCLC, cycles of chemotherapy were the only
      prognostic indicator; however, cycles of chemotherapy, LDH levels, and recurrence
      or progression, were all significant factors in ES-SCLC. CONCLUSION: Cycles of
      chemotherapy, PS, LDH levels, recurrence or progression, and clinical stage were
      proved to be independent prognostic factors for SCLC with variant value based on
      the SCLC tumor stage.

PMID- 28920195
TI  - Twenty years of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: The past, present, and
      future.

PMID- 28920196
TI  - Diabetes mellitus: A significant co-morbidity in the setting of lung cancer?
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on clinical outcomes
      in patients managed surgically for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS:
      Patients who underwent surgery for pathological I-IIIA NSCLC at Duke University
      from 1995-2005 were analyzed. Postoperative mortality was defined as any death
      occurring within 30 days of resection or during the initial hospitalization after
      surgery. Disease recurrence at the surgical margin, ipsilateral hilum, and/or
      mediastinum was considered a local/regional recurrence (LRR). Survival and LRR
      rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using a log rank
      test. A multivariate regression analysis assessed the association between
      candidate factors, including DM, and disease recurrence and survival. RESULTS: Of
      957 patients, DM was present in 122 (13%). DM was associated with an increased
      risk of postoperative mortality (7.4% vs. 3.2%, P= 0.04). However, the proportion
      of patients undergoing sublobar resections, mediastinal lymph node dissection,
      and receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, was no different among patients with or
      without DM. Five-year LRR rates were 27% in patients with DM, versus 21% in
      patients without DM (P= 0.23). Survival at five years was 43% for patients with
      DM, and 47% for patients without DM (P= 0.10). On multivariate analysis, DM was
      not independently associated with a higher risk of LRR (hazard ratio [HR] 1.33,
      P= 0.34), distant recurrence (HR 0.86, P= 0.58), or overall survival (HR 1.08, P=
      0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Although a higher risk of postoperative mortality was noted
      in patients with DM, a detriment in local or distant disease control or overall
      survival was not observed.

PMID- 28920197
TI  - Efficacy of third-generation chemotherapeutic agents combined with cisplatin or
      carboplatin in 3100 Chinese patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, differences in tumor biology have been observed between
      Asian and Caucasian lung cancer patients, resulting in different sensitivities to
      targeted therapy. To date, all registered third-generation chemotherapeutic
      agents have been investigated mainly in Caucasians, but little is known whether
      this data can be transferred to an Asian population. The aim of this study was to
      provide evidence about the efficacy of chemotherapy in a Chinese population.
      METHODS: Three thousand one hundred patients with advanced non-small-cell lung
      cancer NSCLC, treated between 2002 and 2009 with a platinum-based doublet first
      line chemotherapy, including vinorelbine, gemcitabine, docetaxel or paclitaxel,
      were included for retrospective survival analysis. RESULTS: Overall survival (OS)
      was 12.1 months and progression free survival (PFS) was four months for all
      patients. No advantage in OS was seen for any of the four compounds. Gemcitabine
      was associated with a better PFS compared to the other three (P < 0.001).
      Docetaxel led to higher response rates, but this finding didn't reach statistical
      significance (P = 0,054). Chinese patients appear to have longer survival times
      compared to historical data in Caucasians. CONCLUSION: Our retrospective analysis
      suggests, that there is no difference in efficacy of third-generation
      chemotherapy between Asians and Caucasians.

PMID- 28920198
TI  - Successful treatment of a tracheal squamous cell carcinoma with a combination of
      cryoablation and photodynamic therapy.
AB  - Malignant tumors of the trachea are rare, and account for less than 0.1% of all
      malignancies. Because there are no guidelines based on randomized clinical
      trials, the choice of treatment modalities and optimal sequences have not yet
      been established. In most cases of malignant airway obstruction, a single
      modality is chosen as the treatment of choice for management, but complete
      ablation becomes increasingly problematic with minimal residual lesions that
      require additional treatment. There were few case reports of the combined use of
      cryoablation and photodynamic therapy to treat tracheal cancer. Therefore, we
      present our experience of successful tracheal cancer treatment using this
      combination therapy. A bronchoscopic complete regression was obtained using these
      two modalities, and the procedures proved to be a safe and effective treatment
      option based on a one-year follow-up.

PMID- 28920199
TI  - Late course accelerated hyperfractionation radiotherapy for locally advanced
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Late course accelerated hyperfractionation radiotherapy (LCAHR) is
      used as a standard treatment option for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma (LAESCC) in China, but concerns remain regarding its efficacy and
      safety. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      LCAHR. The comparisons examined were as follows: LCAHR versus conventional
      fractionation radiotherapy (CFR) and LCAHR plus chemotherapy (CT) versus LCAHR
      alone. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL,
      CBMdisc, and CNKI, as well as employing manual searches. The primary end points
      were survival and local control. The second end point was toxicities. RESULTS:
      Based on search criteria, we found 29 trials involving 3187 patients. Our results
      showed that LCAHR, compared with CFR, improved the survival and local control,
      and was, thus, more therapeutically beneficial. Further analysis revealed that
      LCAHR plus CT proved to be better for patients' survival and local control
      compared to LCAHR alone. Acute toxicities were increased rather than late
      toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant survival and local control
      benefit of LCAHR over CFR, as well as LCAHR plus CT over LCAHR alone. Considering
      the strength of the evidence, the results of this study indicate that this
      regimen would be a new promising modality worth further investigation.

PMID- 28920200
TI  - The role of palliative chemotherapy for terminally ill patients with advanced
      NSCLC.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   To evaluate the conditions of palliative chemotherapy in terminally
      ill patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to discuss the
      potential factors that affect the prognosis of these patients. METHODS:   All 205
      terminally ill patients with advanced NSCLC, who died in our hospital during the
      period from 2006 to 2010, were included in the study. Basic information was
      collected and details for the treatment of patients, related to overall survival,
      were evaluated. RESULTS:   One hundred and fifty-nine out of 205 patients (77.6%)
      were treated with palliative chemotherapy. Of these, 59.7% patients were treated
      with palliative chemotherapy in the last three months and 27.7% patients in the
      last one-month, prior to their expiration, respectively. In addition, 22.0% of
      the 159 patients were treated with palliative chemotherapy for the first time in
      the last three months and 10.1% in the last month of their final days. We have
      shown that patients treated with palliative chemotherapy in their last three and
      final month had a shorter overall survival rate than those patients who were not
      treated with palliative chemotherapy. CONCLUSION:   A large proportion of
      patients with advanced NSCLC received palliative chemotherapy near the end of
      their life. However, our results were not in favor of palliative chemotherapy in
      the last three or final month of life.

PMID- 28920201
TI  - Metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of external auditory canal presenting as
      solitary pulmonary nodule.

PMID- 28920202
TI  - Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the mediastinum: CT and 18 F-fluoro-2
      deoxyglucose PET findings.
AB  - Mediastinal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is an exceedingly rare
      malignant tumor. We report, herein, detailed imaging findings of mediastinal
      FDCS, appearing as a large, well-circumscribed, strongly enhancing mass with
      central coarse calcification on computed tomography, with moderately increased
      metabolic activity on 18 F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

PMID- 28920203
TI  - Gorham's Disease complicated with bilateral chylothorax and successfully treated
      with Interferon-alpha-2a.
AB  - Gorham's disease (GD) is rare and characterized by non-neoplastic lymphovascular
      proliferation and massive osteolysis. Its clinical course is usually protracted,
      but sometimes life threatening when vital structures are involved or when
      complicated with chylothorax. There is no optimal treatment guideline for GD
      complicated with chylothorax. Surgical ligation of thoracic duct, pleurectomy,
      pleurodesis, interferon-alpha-2b, and radiotherapy, are reported to manage
      chylothorax. We present the case of a 32-year-old man with Gorham's disease
      complicated by bilateral chylothorax, which was refractory to radiotherapy but
      remitted dramatically two weeks after interferon-alpha-2a therapy. The patient
      was free of relapse four months after discontinuing four-month interferon
      therapy. To date, only 11 cases (including ours) of GD with chylothorax have
      received interferon as single or salvage therapy, and 10 of them survived. Early
      intervention with interferon therapy can be considered as an effective treatment
      for GD complicated with bilateral chylothorax.

PMID- 28920204
TI  - Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma: retrospective analysis of 24 cases from four
      oncology centers in Turkey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung is classified
      as a variant of large cell lung carcinoma by the World Health Organization,
      however, the clinical and biological behavior of LCNEC resembles small cell lung
      carcinoma (SCLC) with a high mitotic index and a positivity of tumor cells with
      neuroendocrine markers. As there have only been a small number of patients with
      LCNEC recorded in literature, there is no consensus about the management of this
      subset. In the present study, we evaluated the incidence and prognosis of LCNEC
      in four oncology centers in Turkey. METHOD: We analyzed 24 patients with
      diagnoses of LCNEC from 3138 non-small cell lung cancer patients who were
      diagnosed and treated between 2008 and 2010 in four different medical oncology
      centers in Turkey. RESULTS: The median age was 56 (range; 36-64) and most
      patients were male, with three women included in the study. Ten out of 24
      patients (41.6%) had locally advanced or metastatic disease, therefore, surgery
      could not be performed. Five patients (20.8%) were staged with stage I, six (25%)
      with stage II, five (20.8%) with stage III, and eight (33.3%) with stage IV. All
      patients had a history of smoking. Nine patients received chemotherapy
      postoperatively. At the 14.4-month follow-up period (range; 3-59) the median
      overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 32.7 and 9.5
      months respectively. Tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage, performance status (PS)
      and the performance of surgery were significantly related to rates of both OS and
      PFS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LCNEC was generally diagnosed postoperatively.
      Prognosis of LCNEC is poor and surgery has not proven an effective solution for
      long-term survival, therefore, adjuvant chemotherapy has been suggested.

PMID- 28920205
TI  - Low tumor blood flow assessed with perfusion CT correlates with lymphatic
      involvement in patients with stage T1b non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the correlation of computed tomography (CT) perfusion
      parameters and lymphatic involvement in patients with stage T1b non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Forty-six patients (30 men and 16 women; age range,
      36-73 years; mean age, 57 years), with stage T1b non-small cell lung cancer,
      underwent perfusion CT before surgery. The correlations between CT perfusion
      parameters (blood flow, blood volume, peak enhancement intensity), tumor
      angiogenesis (microvessel density and maturity of microvessels of surgical
      specimens) and lymphatic involvement were retrospectively investigated. Receiver
      operator curve (ROC) analysis was used to identify the parameter threshold at
      which tumors had or did not have lymph node metastasis, and the corresponding
      sensitivity and specificity were calculated. RESULTS: A significant tendency for
      tumors with low blood flow and high density of immature microvessels to show
      lymphatic involvement was found (all P < 0.001). High correlation (r =-0.769, P <
      0.001) was observed between tumor blood flow and immature microvessels. The area
      under ROC curves (AUC) for blood flow to detect lymph node metastasis was 0.866
      (95% confidence interval, 0.766-0.966). For blood flow, the sensitivity,
      specificity, and accuracy of predicting lymph node metastasis were 88.9, 64.3,
      and 73.9% respectively, if the cutoff point was set at 43.05 mL/100 g/minute.
      CONCLUSIONS: Blood flow may be useful to predict lymphatic involvement before
      surgery in stage T1b NSCLC.

PMID- 28920206
TI  - Prognosis for non-small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Brain metastasis has a poor prognosis in patients with advanced non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we evaluated the prognosis of
      NSCLC patients with brain metastases. METHODS: We analyzed a total of 313 NSCLC
      patients with brain metastasis. We compared the prognoses between a group of less
      than four (group A) and a group of more than four or equal to four (>=4) (group
      B) brain metastases. RESULTS: The median survival time was 334 days (group A, 164
      patients, 52.4%) and 234 days (group B, 149 patients, 47.6%). Univariate analysis
      showed that the number of metastases, age at diagnosis of brain metastasis,
      smoking history, histologic type, and former stage of primary lung cancer before
      brain metastasis, had a significant influence. In addition, treatment for primary
      lung cancer lesions and brain metastasis also affected the overall survival (p <
      .0001). However, there was no difference in the overall survival between the two
      groups in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the number
      of brain metastases, classified by group A (<4) or group B (>=4) did not
      influence the overall survival of NSCLC patients. However, the overall survival
      in group A was better than in group B when analyzed, except for local brain
      treatment modalities in sub-group analysis, suggesting that non-optimized local
      treatment strategies might cause an unexpected prognosis result in this
      retrospective study. We suggest that more prospective studies might be needed for
      the optimal standard treatment for brain metastasis.

PMID- 28920207
TI  - Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery for transdiaphragmatic liver invasion of
      primary lung cancer.
AB  - A 75-year-old woman presented with intermittent dull abdominal pain, gradually
      exacerbating over eight months. Computed tomography demonstrated a large mass
      straddling both the right lower lobe of the lung and the right hepatic lobe. An
      18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission computed tomography scan (PET/CT)
      demonstrated high accumulation in the lesion and carinal lymph nodes.
      Transbronchial biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma; thus, primary lung cancer
      with transdiaphragmatic invasion into the liver was diagnosed. Chemotherapy with
      carboplatin (AUC = 5) on day one and weekly paclitaxel (70 mg/m2 ) doses were
      introduced for four courses. The size of the main tumor was reduced and the
      mediastinal lymph node accumulation disappeared in a subsequent PET/CT. Thus, en
      bloc radical resection of the lung tumor by right lower lobectomy with partial
      resection of invaded middle lobe and the diaphragm, subsegmentectomy of the
      liver, and standard mediastinal dissection were undertaken. The postoperative
      course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on day 30. Her nutrition
      status dramatically improved and she gained five kilograms of body weight in two
      months following the resection. The patient, however, then had a fall and
      suffered femur and multiple pelvic fractures and died of acute pneumonia five
      weeks after the femur fixation and 14 weeks after the lung surgery.

PMID- 28920208
TI  - The reasons of false negative results of endobronchial ultrasound-guided
      transbronchial needle aspiration in the diagnosis of intrapulmonary and
      mediastinal malignancy.
AB  - Although the sensitivity can reach 99%, endobronchial ultrasound-guided
      transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has a significantly high false
      negative rate for diagnosis and staging of thoracic malignancy. We performed this
      retrospective study to investigate the causes of false negative results and to
      improve the efficacy and accuracy of EBUS-TBNA. We reviewed all patients
      suspected of intrapulmonary or mediastinal malignancy who undertook EBUS-TBNA
      between July 2009 and August 2012 in Chinese PLA general hospital. We retrieved
      the pathological results of EBUS-TBNA and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)
      and follow-up data. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and
      negative predictive value were calculated. 185 patients were included in this
      study. Diagnosis of malignancy was established on 172 patients by EBUS-TBNA, and
      8 patients with negative EBUS-TBNA result gained their final diagnosis of
      malignancy via VATS. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and
      accuracy for diagnosis of malignancy for EBUS-TBNA were 96%, 100%, 33% and 96%
      respectively. Inadequacy of the EBUS-TBNA specimens, internal necrosis in the
      lymph nodes and rare cancer types contributed to the false negative EBUS-TBNA
      results. VATS is obligatory to explain the negative results of EBUS-TBNA in
      patients suspected of malignancy.

PMID- 28920209
TI  - Analysis of differently expressed proteins involved in metastatic niche of lung.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The "seed and soil" hypothesis for metastasis was a pivotal milestone
      in the study of malignant disease. Recently, growing studies have focused on the
      tumor secretory factors that may mediate preparation of the "metastatic soil." A
      suitable environment for the metastatic lesions was created by many inflammatory
      cytokines in the lung, whichwas verified by in vivo experimental models. In 2005,
      a pre-metastatic niche and metastatic niche modelwere suggested by David Lyden
      and Bethan Psaila, to delineate the interactions between malignant cells and
      their microenvironment at the metastatic site, whichsoon became the most
      importanthypothesis. However, the evidence is limited to animal models. More
      clinical evidence is needed to support this hypothesis. METHODS: Human lung
      specimens were taken from different regions within metastatic lung tissue and
      normal lung tissue. Differently expressed proteins were analyzed by using the two
      dimensional fluorescent difference gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) technology:
      about 0.5-1 cm (Tissue 1) of lung tissue was taken adjacent to the metastatic
      tumor; about 1 cm (Tissue 2) of lung tissue was taken far away from the
      metastatic tumor; and normal lung tissue of the inflammatory pseudotumor (Tissue
      3) was taken at least 3 cm away from the pseudotumor. We usedmatrix-assisted
      laser desorption/ ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOFMS)
      analysis to identify differently expressed proteins in T1, T2, andT3 samples.
      RESULTS: T1 samples were different from T2 samples in the expression of 27
      proteins. T2 samples had different expressions in 24 proteins, compared to T3
      samples.Nine proteins were expressed differently between T1 and T3 samples. These
      proteins are mainly involved inenergy metabolism, protect the tumor cell from
      immunologic engraftment of metastatic tumor cells, and migration. Some of
      thesehave been reported to be related to the tumor metastatic niche hypothesis:
      Type VI collagen, heat shock protein 90, and Fibrinogen. CONCLUSION: The type VI
      collagen, heat shock protein 90, and Fibrinogen were selected aspotential niche
      proteins. These findings support the metastatic niche hypothesis and encourage
      further studies.

PMID- 28920210
TI  - Sebaceous-like clear cell changes in primary lung cancer.
AB  - We examined two cases of primary lung cancer with sebaceous-like clear cells
      (SLCCs), defined as clear carcinoma cells with microvacuolated cytoplasm and
      centrally located nuclei, which were selected from among 281 surgical/autopsy
      cases of lung cancer (2/281, 0.7%). Both cases were higher stage (stage IIA and
      IIIA), and SLCCs were intermingled with adenocarcinoma cells of usual type. They
      showed minute mucin staining, no evidence of glycogen, diffuse positivity for
      epithelial membrane antigen and carcinoembryonic antigen, focal positivity for
      thyroid transcription factor-1, and negativity for Napsin A and gross cystic
      disease fluid protein-15. Oil red O stain and ultrastructural examination in both
      cases failed to reveal lipid in SLCCs. SLCCs could represent non-specific changes
      of lung adenocarcinoma with a relatively advanced stage, and should be
      discriminated from true sebaceous differentiation.

PMID- 28920211
TI  - Clinical analysis of Gefitinib in the treatment of stage IV lung adenocarcinoma
      with unknown EGFR gene mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As it is difficult to obtain enough histopathological data for
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene detection, it is necessary for us to
      explore how to perform EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy in patients
      with unknown EGFR gene mutations. METHODS: We analyzed the efficacy of Gefitinib
      treatment and the clinical characteristics of 214 patients with stage IV lung
      adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: Objective response rates (ORR) and overall survival (OS)
      of women were higher than men; ORR of patients with rash, diarrhea, or rash
      associated with diarrhea, was higher than patients without those side effects.
      Progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with performance status (PS) scores
      of 1, 2, and 3 points was 8.0 +/- 1.699, 7.3 +/- 0.419, and 6.0 +/- 2.010,
      respectively; OS was 26.0 +/- 1.536, 16.3 +/- 1.262, and 14.3 +/- 2.389,
      respectively. PFS and OS of patients with rash and diarrhea were better than for
      those without these side effects. In males, the PFS of patients >65 years old
      versus <=65 years old was 13.0 +/- 2.7 months versus 5.5 +/- 0.197 months,
      respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that PS score, diarrhea, and rash
      affected the patients' PFS, while gender, PS score, and rash affected the
      patients' OS. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma and
      unknown EGFR gene mutations treated with Gefitinib, our findings suggest a better
      prognosis for female patients and those with low PS scores.

PMID- 28920212
TI  - Impact of extended cervical mediastinoscopy in staging of left lung carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extended cervical mediastinoscopy (ECM) is a method for staging lung
      carcinoma. We aimed to demonstrate the impact of ECM in the staging of lung
      carcinoma. METHODS: Between 1998 and 2011, 159 patients with left lung carcinoma
      who underwent ECM simultaneously with standard cervical mediastinoscopy (SCM),
      were retrospectively analyzed. Until 2006, ECM had been performed routinely (n =
      90, routine ECM), however, after 2006 ECM was performed only in patients selected
      based on computed tomography and positron emission tomography scans (n = 69,
      selective ECM). RESULTS: Mediastinal lymph node metastasis was present in 36
      patients by mediastinoscopy. Aortopulmonary window (APW) lymph node metastasis
      was present in 26 patients (10 in the routine group, 16 in the selective group),
      whereas the 10 patients who had mediastinal lymph node metastasis that could only
      be accessed by SCM, but had no APW lymph node metastasis, were excluded. The
      remaining 123 patients (72 in the routine group, 51 in the selective group) were
      identified as cN0/N1 by SCM/ECM, and lobectomy, pneumonectomy, and exploratory
      thoracotomy were performed on 64, 43, and 16 of these patients, respectively.
      According to the lymphadenectomy, APW lymph node metastasis was determined in 11
      patients (seven in the routine group, four in the selective group). Sensitivity,
      negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of ECM were calculated as 0.70,
      0.90, and 0.92, respectively. Staging values of routine/selective ECM protocols
      were 0.58/0.80, 0.89/0.91 and 0.91/0.94, respectively. The complication rate was
      5% (n = 8). CONCLUSIONS: ECM has an adequate NPV and accuracy in determining
      metastasis to the APW lymph nodes in patients with left lung carcinoma.

PMID- 28920213
TI  - Incidence and mortality of female breast cancer in China, 2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Cancer Registration of China provides annual updates on
      female breast cancer incidence and mortality. METHODS: Data on female breast
      cancer incidence and mortality was obtained from the population-based cancer
      registries around China. Based on the criteria of data quality, 72 registries'
      data was included for further analysis. Incidence and mortality rates of female
      breast cancer were calculated and stratified by age, sex, and geographical area.
      RESULTS: Female population coverage over 72 cancer registries was 42 238 968,
      with 28 503 924 in urban areas and 13 735 044 in rural areas. The crude cancer
      incidence rate in all areas was 42.55/100 000, and the age-standardize rates by
      Chinese population and World population were 23.16/100 000 and 28.99/100 000,
      respectively. The incidence rates in urban areas were much higher than those in
      rural areas. The crude cancer mortality was 10.24/100 000 in all areas, and age
      standardized mortality rates by China and World population were 4.94/100 000 and
      6.56/100 000, respectively. Age-adjusted mortality rates in urban areas were also
      higher than those in rural areas. Age specific incidence rates reached highest at
      the age group of 50-54, whereas the age specific mortality rates were highest in
      the age group of 85 and above. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer was the most common
      cancer found in Chinese women in 2009 and the disease was more prevalent in urban
      areas than in rural areas. Systematic interventions of cancer prevention and
      control are needed.

PMID- 28920214
TI  - Multiple endotracheal and endobronchial metastases after pneumonectomy for a
      primary lung cancer: A case report.
AB  - Endotracheal metastasis of primary lung cancer is extremely rare. We report the
      case of a 51-year-old male patient who had undergone right pneumonectomy for
      squamous cell carcinoma one year earlier. The post-operative chest computed
      tomography (CT) image revealed a very small endotracheal nodule with contrast
      enhancement. This finding was erroneously regarded as endotracheal phlegm because
      of the nodular size and the rarity of endotracheal metastases from primary lung
      cancer. This case indicates that a thorough evaluation should be performed with a
      high level of suspicion for malignancy when a nodule-like lesion with contrast
      enhancement or tracheal thickening is detected on follow-up CT scan, in patients
      who undergo surgery for lung cancer.

PMID- 28920215
TI  - Long-term results of a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled phase III
      trial: Endostar (rh-endostatin) versus placebo in combination with vinorelbine
      and cisplatin in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND:  : Phase II-III trials in patients with untreated and previously
      treated locally advanced or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) suggested that
      Endostar was able to enhance the effect of platinum-based chemotherapy (NP
      regimen) with tolerable adverse effects. METHODS: Four hundred and eighty six
      patients were randomized into two arms: study arm A: NP plus Endostar (n = 322;
      vinorelbine, cisplatin, Endostar), and study arm B: NP plus placebo (n = 164;
      vinorelbine, cisplatin, 0.9% sodium chloride). Patients were treated every third
      week for two to six cycles. RESULTS:  : Overall response rates were 35.4% in arm
      A and 19.5% in arm B (P = 0.0003). The median time to progression was 6.3 months
      for arm A and 3.6 months for B, respectively (P < 0.001). The clinical benefit
      rates were 73.3% in arm A and 64.0% in arm B (P = 0.035). Grade 3/4 neutropenia,
      anemia, and nausea/vomiting were 28.5%, 3.4%, and 8.0%, respectively, in Arm A
      compared with 28.2%, 3.0%, and 6.6%, respectively, in Arm B (P > 0.05). There
      were two treatment related deaths in arm A and one in arm B (P > 0.05). The
      median overall survival was longer in arm A than in arm B (P < 0.0001).
      CONCLUSION:  : Long-term follow-up revealed that the addition of Endostar to an
      NP regimen can result in a significant clinical and survival benefit in advanced
      NSCLC patients, compared with NP alone.

PMID- 28920216
TI  - Clinical model to estimate the pretest probability of malignancy in patients with
      pulmonary focal Ground-glass Opacity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effective strategies for managing patients with pulmonary focal
      Ground-glass Opacity (fGGO) depend on the pretest probability of malignancy.
      Estimating a clinical probability of malignancy in patients with fGGOs can
      facilitate the selection and interpretation of subsequent diagnostic tests.
      METHODS : Data from patients with pulmonary fGGO lesions, who were diagnosed at
      Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, was retrospectively collected. Multiple
      logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent clinical predictors
      for malignancy and to develop a clinical predictive model to estimate the pretest
      probability of malignancy in patients with fGGOs. RESULTS:  One hundred and sixty
      five pulmonary fGGO nodules were detected in 128 patients. Independent predictors
      for malignant fGGOs included a history of other cancers (odds ratio [OR], 0.264;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 0.072 to 0.970), pleural indentation (OR, 8.766;
      95% CI, 3.033-25.390), vessel-convergence sign (OR, 23.626; 95% CI, 6.200 to
      90.027) and air bronchogram (OR, 7.41; 95% CI, 2.037 to 26.961). Model accuracy
      was satisfactory (area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic,
      0.934; 95% CI, 0.894 to 0.975), and there was excellent agreement between the
      predicted probability and the observed frequency of malignant fGGOs. CONCLUSIONS:
      We have developed a predictive model, which could be used to generate pretest
      probabilities of malignant fGGOs, and the equation could be incorporated into a
      formal decision analysis.

PMID- 28920217
TI  - Increased EHD1 in non-small cell lung cancer predicts poor survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the main challenges of lung cancer research is identifying
      patients at high risk for recurrence after surgical resection. We evaluated the
      prognostic power of four proteins in the endocytic pathway in 114 non-small cell
      lung cancer patients (NSCLC). METHODS: We tested the four proteins (epidermal
      growth factor receptor [EGFR], RAB11FIP3, EHD1, and caveolin-1), critical nodes
      in the endocytosis/recycling pathway, by immunohistochemistry in paraffin
      sections from 114 non-small cell lung cancer patients. We analyzed the
      correlation between our target proteins and clinical variables. Within these
      variables, an overall survival (OS) prediction model was constructed using Cox
      proportional hazard regression. RESULTS: EHD1 expression correlated with gender
      (P = 0.001), histology type (P < 0.001), and EGFR expression (P = 0.008), but not
      with any of the other clinical parameters. Statistical correlation analysis
      showed that the expression of EHD1 positively correlated with high level of EGFR
      (P < 0.001) and RAB11FIP3 (P < 0.001), and the expression of caveolin-1
      positively correlated with high level of EGFR (P < 0.001) in the NSCLC samples.
      EHD1 expression was an OS prognostic factor for all of the patients (P = 0.009),
      for the group of adjuvant chemotherapy-treated patients (P = 0.006), and for the
      EGFR positive patients (P = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: We identified EHD1 as a strong
      prognostic predictive factor in NSCLC. The expression level of EHD1 would
      potentially be useful in developing customized strategies for managing lung
      cancer, such as the selection of patients eligible for chemotherapy.

PMID- 28920218
TI  - Differential mitochondrial proteome analysis of human lung adenocarcinoma and
      normal bronchial epithelium cell lines using quantitative mass spectrometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the higher incidences of malignant tumors
      around the world. At present, tumor markers CEA, CA19-9, and CA-125 in serum are
      used for the diagnosis of lung cancer, however, fewer studies have shown tumor
      markers for early diagnosis. Therefore, using quantitative mass spectrometry,
      differential mitochondrial proteome analysis was performed, comparing human lung
      adenocarcinoma and normal bronchial epithelium cells. METHODS: A human lung
      adenocarcinoma cell line A549 and a normal human bronchial epithelial cell line
      16HBE were cultured in vitro. The cell mitochondria of the two cell lines were
      extracted and purified by differential centrifugation and percoll density
      gradient centrifugation. The integrity and purity of mitochondria were validated
      by electron microscopy and Western-blot. The proteins/peptides from lung cancer
      cells and normal cells were marked by the same amount of relative and absolute
      quantification of ectopic tags (iTRAQ). The mixed samples were analyzed and
      identified by two-dimensional liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry
      (2D-LC-MS/MS). The proteome was analyzed with different bioinformatic tools.
      RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-one mitochondrial proteins were identified. One
      hundred and fifty-three mitochondrial proteins, which were expressed differently
      between 16HBE cells and A549 cells, were identified. Sixty-seven proteins were
      high expression, while 86 proteins were lower expression. Expression of three
      proteins: ornithine aminotransferase (OAT), heat shock protein beta90 (HSP90),
      and vimentin (VIM), was increased more than twice. Our results, in combination
      with the literature review, suggest that HSP90 and Vimentin may be the new tumor
      markers of lung cancer.

PMID- 28920219
TI  - Retrospective study of surgical resection in the treatment of limited stage small
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are mainly treated by
      chemotherapy/radiotherapy, either alone or combined. Surgical resection is an
      optional treatment for few SCLC patients. The efficacy of surgical intervention
      for SCLC remains controversial. This study evaluates the validity of surgery for
      patients with limited stage SCLC. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of
      59 patients with limited stage SCLC who received trimodal therapy from 2004 to
      2011. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated
      using the statistic methods of Kaplan-Meier and the log-rank test. RESULTS: Among
      the 59 limited stage SCLC patients, 54 patients with stage I-III SCLC received
      surgical treatment with curative intent, and 42.6% (23/54) patients received
      preoperative chemotherapy. The radical resection rate of the group of
      preoperative chemotherapy and the group of initial surgical resection were 82.6%
      (19/23) and 54.8% (17/31), respectively. The corresponding five-year survival
      rates were 59% and 22% with significant differences (P = 0.032 and 0.041,
      respectively). In total, 36 (66.7%) patients underwent radical surgery with
      resection of the primary mass and mediastinal lymph nodes. In the radical surgery
      series, five-year survival, according to stage I-III categories, were 59%, 53%,
      and 26%, respectively. For the 30 stage III patients, the five-year survival of
      the radical group of 26% was lower than the non-radical group of 67%, and PFS
      analysis showed similar tendencies. CONCLUSION: Preoperative chemotherapy is the
      most favorable initial treatment for patients with limited disease SCLC. Complete
      surgical resection is considered for patients with stage I and II. Surgical
      resection remains of no benefit for stage III SCLC patients with persistent N2/N3
      after chemotherapy.

PMID- 28920220
TI  - False negative results and endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle
      aspiration.

PMID- 28920221
TI  - Fully thoracoscopic versus conventional open resection for esophageal carcinoma:
      A perioperative comparison.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy of patients undergoing esophagectomy for
      cancer in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) versus traditional open
      surgery (TOS) in the perioperative period, along with the advantages and
      disadvantages of each. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 108 patients, who
      underwent esophagectomy between September 2011 and February 2012 in our
      department, was performed. Patients were divided into two groups based on
      operative technique (VATS vs. TOS), with 50 patients in the VATS group and 58
      patients in the TOS group. Operative duration, intraoperative blood loss,
      intraoperative blood transfusion, number of lymph nodes harvested, postoperative
      pain score, period of time requiring chest tube drainage, complications, hospital
      stay, and hospital costs, were all statistically analyzed between the two groups.
      RESULTS: There was no statistical difference between the two groups with regard
      to operative duration or number of lymph nodes harvested. The VATS group had
      significantly less intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion,
      postoperative pain, earlier ambulation, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and
      a shorter period of time requiring chest tube drainage. The amount of drainage
      was significantly lower in the TOS group (P < 0.05). Pulmonary complication
      (pneumonia and pleural effusion) was less prevalent among the VATS group.
      CONCLUSION: Compared with TOS, VATS-assisted esophagectomy is less traumatic with
      lower intraoperative blood loss, faster recovery, and a better overall outcome.

PMID- 28920222
TI  - Validation of the 7th edition American Joint Committee on cancer staging system
      for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to investigate the ability of the 7th
      edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor-nodes-metastasis
      (AJCC/TNM) staging system to distinguish between patients at higher risk and to
      predict the overall survival in patients who underwent surgical resection for
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: Between 1998 and 2008, 560
      patients with ESCC underwent R0 tri-incisional esophagectomy at our center
      without neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. We performed univariate and multivariate
      analyses to identify prognostic factors for survival. RESULTS: The five-year
      overall survival rate was 44.1%, with a median survival of 44 months. Gender, pT
      status, pN status, and the retrieved lymph nodes (LNs) category (<15 vs. >=15)
      were found to be significant prognostic factors, whereas histology grade and
      tumor location were not significant prognostic factors in our analysis. When
      classified as all eight sub-stages, there were similar survival curves between
      stages IB and IIA (P = 0.799), and stages IIIC and IV (P = 0.635). Multivariate
      Cox proportional hazard regression analysis indicated that gender, pT category,
      pN category, and the retrieved LNs category (<15 vs. >=15) were significantly
      associated with patient survival. CONCLUSION: The 7th edition AJCC staging system
      proposed a new descriptor for "N" classification. Further stratification of pN
      status according to number of positive LNs in the 7th edition is valuable.
      However, we did not find tumor location and histology grade were significant
      prognostic factors. Moreover, adding a substantially higher threshold of LNs
      retrieved in the next revision of the AJCC/TNM staging system for ESCC may be
      more valuable.

PMID- 28920223
TI  - Case of mediastinal epithelioid hemangioendothelioma associated with hypertrophic
      osteoarthropathy and literature review.
AB  - Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is commonly associated with malignancies of the
      lungs and stomach. A few cases associated with epithelioid hemangioendothelioma,
      a rare vascular soft tissue neoplasm, have been reported. Presented here is the
      first report of a case of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy as the initial symptom of
      epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the mediastinum. A 64-year-old woman
      presented with pain around the long bones and diffuse puffiness of bilateral
      hands and feet. She had a history of multiple malignancies, all of which were in
      remission. She had clubbing of her fingernails and toenails. Her chest X-ray was
      negative. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan performed showed
      metabolically active soft tissue that extensively infiltrated the mediastinum,
      with several sites of disease involving the pericardium. Mediastinal biopsy and
      subsequent pleural fluid cytology obtained by thoracocentesis was consistent with
      metastatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Our case supports that the PET scan
      has a valuable role in localizing malignancies in such patients who present with
      hypertrophic osteoarthropathy and no lung or stomach involvement.

PMID- 28920224
TI  - Human papillomavirus and non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the world,
      causing more than one million deaths worldwide each year. Human papillomavirus
      (HPV) are small non-enveloped DNA viruses that infect squamous epithelial cells.
      Relevant studies have reported lung cancer-related HPV infection rates that
      fluctuate between 10% and 80%, depending on the various research methods and
      geographical factors. Various scholars gathered statistics from global research
      reports and found that 22.4% of the patients with lung cancer presented with an
      HPV infection, which suggested that HPV infection may relate to the tumorigenesis
      of non-small cell lung cancer. This article will review the history and discovery
      of HPV, the correlation between HPV and lung cancer development, and
      carcinogenesis caused by HPV regulatory genes, such as p53, p21, p16INK4a, and
      genes related to hypermethylation and genome instability in lung cancer patients
      with HPV infection. In addition, because studies have highlighted the difference
      in clinical prognosis for HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients, articles
      demonstrating the correlation between HPV infection and prognosis for lung cancer
      patients will be reviewed.

PMID- 28920225
TI  - Case of pleural metastasis of prostate cancer.
AB  - The most frequent sites of prostate cancer metastases are the bone and lung.
      Pleural metastasis of prostate cancer is clinically rare. We report a case with
      solitary pleural thickening arising from the metastasis of prostate cancer. A 71
      year-old man was referred to our hospital for further examination of pleural
      thickening detected during a chest computed tomography (CT) examination. A video
      assisted pleural biopsy was performed. The pathological findings showed that the
      tumor cells had spread from the parietal pleura to adipose tissue around the
      costal muscles. The tumor cells were positive for prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      and negative for calretinin, cytokeratin (Ck5/6) and D2-40. These findings
      suggested that the pleural lesion was a metastasis of the prostate cancer.

PMID- 28920226
TI  - Histological types and localizations of lung cancers in patients with combined
      pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE)
      are males, and heavy smokers. CPFE is more prevalent than fibrosis in patients
      with lung cancer, and patients with CPFE usually have a poor prognosis. This
      study reviewed the differences in the prevalence of lung cancer among patients
      with normal, fibrosis, emphysema and CPFE via chest computed tomography (CT), and
      the relationship between histopathology and the localizations of lung cancer.
      METHODS: Patients that were diagnosed with lung cancer confirmed by pathological
      examinations between 2003 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed to obtain
      clinical, pathological, and radiological data. These patients were categorized
      into four groups based on chest CT findings: normal, fibrosis, emphysema and
      CPFE. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy-four patients with lung cancer were
      classified into 146 normal, 14 fibrosis, 78 emphysema, and 36 CPFE groups.
      Combined centriacinar and paraseptal emphysema was common in the CPFE group. The
      prevalence of squamous cell carcinoma in the CPFE group was significantly higher
      in comparison to the normal group. The rate of peripheral localization of lung
      cancer in the CPFE group was significantly higher in comparison to the normal,
      fibrosis, and emphysema groups. The prevalence of squamous cell carcinoma of
      peripheral areas in the CPFE group was significantly higher in the normal and
      emphysema groups. CONCLUSIONS: CPFE patients demonstrated histopathological and
      radiological differences concerning the histological types and localization of
      lung cancers.

PMID- 28920227
TI  - Huge primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus: A case report and literature
      review.
AB  - Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is a relatively rare
      esophageal malignancy accounting for 0.1-0.2% of all esophageal tumors. Because
      the tumor cells occur mainly in the esophagus mucosa and grow along the
      longitudinal axis in the lumen, it causes relatively late obstruction symptoms,
      even though the lesion is a much larger mass than found in most cases of
      esophagus carcinoma, protruding into the esophageal lumen. Invasive growth
      results in stenosis, followed by difficulty eating. A patient may not be aware of
      their illness until transesophageal endoscopic biopsy or postoperative pathology
      is confirmed. Positive expression of immunohistochemical markers human melanoma
      black (HMB) 45 and S-100, are the most important factors in confirming diagnosis.
      Because of the high degree of malignancy and the poor prognosis of PMME, upon
      diagnosis total or subtotal esophagectomy plus three-field systemic lymph node
      dissection with incisions in the left cervical, right chest, and superior belly,
      is critically required. In summary, early diagnosis and expanding esophageal
      resection may be the best approach to prevent local recurrence and distant
      metastasis.

PMID- 28920228
TI  - Brown tumor of the rib as a first presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism:
      Report of three cases and literature review.
AB  - A brown tumor is a non-neoplasm mainly caused by hyperparathyroidism. It often
      occurs in the pelvis, ribs, long bone shaft, clavicle, and jaw. We introduce
      three cases of primary hyperparathyroidism, with the first symptom of brown tumor
      of the ribs, and discuss the image characteristics within the literature. We then
      propose the value of ultrasound in the diagnosis of brown tumor.

PMID- 28920229
TI  - Prevalence of non-calcified pulmonary nodules in screening chest computed
      tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Lung Screening Trial revealed that low dose computed
      tomography (CT) screening reduced lung cancer mortality by 20%. However, nearly
      all (96.4%) of the positive screening results were false-positive. A higher false
      positive rate (FPR) is expected in Korea, where the prevalence of tuberculosis
      and parasitic diseases are high. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively
      reviewed the records of 1587 cases (906 males, 57.1%; 495 females, 31.2%) in
      which chest CT was used for health screening from 2006 to 2011 in one
      institution. The mean +/- standard deviation age of the subjects was 62.7 +/- 5.7
      years and 495 (31.2%) subjects had a smoking history. RESULTS: Three hundred and
      thirty six subjects (21.2%) had non-calcified pulmonary nodules (NCPNs) described
      as solid nodules (n = 319), masses (n = 15) or pure or mixed ground glass
      opacities (n = 36). The incidence of NCPNs was 23.8% in smokers and 20.0% in non
      smokers (P = 0.08). During a median follow up duration of 37 months (range, 0-67
      months), eight subjects were confirmed to have lung cancer. Positive predictive
      value (PPV) of positive CT screening was 2.4% and FPR was 97.6%. Among 495
      subjects who had a smoking history, 118 subjects displayed NCPNs (23.8%) and four
      patients were diagnosed with lung cancer, with a PPV and FPR of 3.4% and 96.6%,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: CT screening has low PPV and high FPR, even in subjects
      with a high risk of lung cancer.

PMID- 28920230
TI  - Primary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the diaphragm: Report of a case.
AB  - We report a case of primary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the diaphragm
      in a 64-year-old man. The patient was hospitalized for a computed tomography (CT)
      detected large tissue mass at the left lower lung field. Complete tumor excision
      followed by pathological investigation was performed. Microscopically, the tumor
      showed staggered arrangements of spindle myoepithelial cells, lymphoblastic and
      eosinophil cells. Immunohistochemically, the proliferating spindle cells showed
      positive staining for smooth muscle actin, vimentin, CD68 and Desmin, but
      negative for cytokeratin, leukocyte common antigen, epithelial membrane antigen,
      and S-100. This is the first reported inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the
      diaphragm found in an adult. The postoperative course was uneventful and the
      patient had no recurrence 18 months after surgery.

PMID- 28920231
TI  - Airway metastasis of small cell lung carcinoma: A rare presentation.
AB  - Airway metastasis from primary lung carcinoma is rare and typically associated
      with non-small cell histology. While small cell lung cancer is a particularly
      aggressive form of cancer, few cases of endotracheal or endobronchial metastasis
      have been reported. Airway involvement can go undetected because of the spread
      along the perilymphatic drainage system with mostly submucosal involvement
      causing significant airway compromise before onset of symptoms. We present a
      patient with recurrent small cell lung cancer, presenting with wheezing, cough,
      and dyspnea as a result of metastasis to the trachea and bilateral bronchi
      without significant mediastinal or hilar lymphadenopathy. We discuss the related
      literature, as well as the suspected pathophysiology causing this unique
      presentation.

PMID- 28920232
TI  - Comparison of complete and minimal mediastinal lymph node dissection for non
      small cell lung cancer: Results of a prospective randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare surgical results, pathological staging, and survival
      between complete and minimal mediastinal lymph node dissection for non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was carried out in
      202 patients who were assigned to undergo either skeletonized complete
      mediastinal lymph node dissection (CLD) or minimal mediastinal lymph node
      dissection (MLD). Clinical and pathological characteristics, surgical results,
      postoperative staging, and five-year survival were recorded for statistical
      analysis. RESULTS: Significantly more stations of lymph nodes were harvested
      through CLD, than MLD (8.9 vs. 6.2, P < 0.001). There was no difference in major
      complications (CLD 14.7% vs. MLD 14.0%, P = 0.884) or postoperative death (CLD
      2.1% vs. MLD 1.9%, P = 0.904). No significant difference was detected in
      pathological staging between the two groups. The pN2 rates (27.1% vs. 24.2%),
      skip-mediastinal metastasis (9.3% vs. 7.4%), and multi-stational mediastinal
      involvement (15.0% vs. 16.8%) were similar between MLD and CLD. However, CLD had
      significantly better five-year survival than MLD (55.7% vs. 37.7%, P = 0.005),
      especially in patients with a tumor size >3 cm, pleural invasion, pN1-N2, stage
      II-III, adenocarcinoma, and low-differentiation carcinoma. Upon multivariate
      analysis, CLD, along with stage I and high-differentiation, were independent
      prognostic factors for better overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Complete and minimal
      mediastinal dissections have similar surgical risks and mediastinal staging
      effect in patients with NSCLC. Minimal dissection is enough for early stage high
      differentiation tumors. For patients with stage II-III or low-differentiation
      carcinoma, skeletonized complete mediastinal dissection may improve survival
      compared with minimal dissection.

PMID- 28920233
TI  - Molecular mechanisms of LKB1 induced cell cycle arrest.
AB  - LKB1 is a serine/threonine protein kinase mutated in patients with Peutz-Jeghers
      syndrome. Biallelic inactivation of LKB1 is present in up to 30% of cases of non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As a tumor suppressor, LKB1 functions in
      arresting the cell cycle and inhibiting cell growth. LKB1 leads to induction of
      p21/WAF1 expression in a p53-dependent mechanism, which is mediated by
      cytoplasmic LKB1 initiating negative regulation of cell growth or nuclear LKB1
      directly involved in transcriptional regulation of p21/WAF1. Alternatively, p53
      and p21/WAF1-independent mechanism of regulating cell cycle by LKB1 is also
      reported.

PMID- 28920234
TI  - Classification and regression tree analysis of patients with non-small-cell lung
      cancer treated with gefitinib after chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many randomized studies have shown that epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR-) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are apparently advantageous
      over standard chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with
      EGFR active mutation in front-line treatment. But which subgroup of advanced
      NSCLC could benefit from EGFR-TKIs in the second-or third-line setting remains
      elusive. To explore predictive factors of advanced NSCLC patients with the
      unknown status of EGFR mutation treated by gefitinib in the second-or third-line
      setting, we used classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to screen
      which patients would benefit more. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-five patients
      with advanced NSCLC previously unsuccessfully treated with platinum-based
      chemotherapy were included in this study. Patients received gefitinib as part of
      the Expanded Access Program of the China Charity Federation between 2 March 2005
      and 11 May 2011. Multivariate analysis of progression-free survival (PFS) was
      performed using CART analysis. This method uses recursive partitioning to assess
      the effect of specific variables on PFS, thereby ultimately generating groups of
      patients with similar clinical features on PFS. RESULTS: The median PFS in
      patients with NSCLC who were treated with gefitinib after prior chemotherapy was
      16 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 13.44-18.56). CART was performed with an
      initial split on adenocarcinoma differentiation, and four terminal subgroups were
      formed. The median PFS of the four subsets ranged from 12 to 42 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Adenocarcinoma differentiation, brain metastasis and prior thoracic
      radiotherapy are predictors of PFS in previously treated NSCLC patients. CART can
      be used to identify homogeneous patient populations in clinical practice and
      future clinical trials.

PMID- 28920235
TI  - Extrathoracic malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the lateral chest wall
      locally recurred and metastasized to peritoneum: Report of a case.
AB  - Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare, with an expected
      incidence of 0.0001% per year in the general population and 4.6% in patients with
      von Recklinghausen's disease. They are defined as any malignant tumors arising or
      differentiating from cells of the peripheral nerve sheath. MPNSTs can develop in
      various sites including the trunk and head/neck region. However, its onset on the
      chest wall is very rare. Here we report a case of MPNST growing outside the
      thorax on the chest wall. The patient developed a local recurrence twice, which
      caused multiple metastases to the lung and peritoneum.

PMID- 28920236
TI  - Are we really doing better with Hem-o-lok in VATS?
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Due to advances in clip design, new types of surgical ligation
      clips are available that may reduce clip failure and improve function, but in the
      field of minimally invasive thoracic surgery, experience of using Hem-o-lok for
      pulmonary artery ligation is limited. METHODS:   To assess risk factors and
      predictors of failure of the Hem-o-lok vascular clip, using vessels harvested
      from a porcine model. RESULTS:   The Hem-o-lok clip had the worst holding
      strength compared to other clips. Its hemostatic ability for pulmonary vessels
      was far less stable compared with renal and hepatic vessels. The Hem-o-lok clip
      either leaked or burst when the vessel to which it was applied was cut flush. The
      clip became even more likely to fail if the vessel sleeve was mobilized too
      "clean." CONCLUSION:   Our experiment proved that the use of Hem-o-lok clips in
      video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has some potential risk. We recommend
      that all possible care be taken when it is applied to pulmonary vessels during
      VATS. Leaving some tissues around vessels may increase the thickness of the
      vessel, which, in turn, may increase the holding strength.

PMID- 28920237
TI  - Application of liquid-based cytology test of bronchial lavage fluid in lung
      cancer diagnosis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic significance of the liquid
      based cytologic test (LCT) and conventional smear (CS) in bronchial lavage fluid
      (BLF) in lung cancer patients, as well as the evaluation of LCT applications in
      BLF for different types of lung cancer. A total of 210 patients were divided into
      two groups of LCT and CS. The positive rates of the two groups were compared by
      stratified analysis of different bronchoscopic appearances. The positive rate of
      LCT and CS groups was 35.84% and 11.835%, respectively, which indicated a
      statistical significance between the two groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the
      detection rate of squamous carcinoma in the LCT group was (72.7%), which was
      higher than that of the CS group (41.7%) (P = 0.041). However, there was no
      difference between the biopsy and biopsy combined with LCT groups (P = 0.417), in
      terms of direct bronchoscopic appearance. We concluded that LCT was superior to
      CS in BLF that was acquired by bronchoscopy from lung cancer patients. Moreover,
      LCT was better than CS in diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. LCT could be used
      as an important complement of bronchoscope biopsy and could have the potential to
      be widely applied.

PMID- 28920238
TI  - Polarization of tumor-associated macrophage is associated with tumor vascular
      normalization by endostatin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular normalization is an emerging concept in cancer treatment,
      but its precise mechanisms are not completely understood. The polarization of
      tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is important in tumor angiogenesis and
      metastasis. However, little is known about the effect of anti-angiogenic agents
      on the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages. Therefore, we explore the
      changes of TAMs polarization in the development of tumor vascular normalization
      induced by endostatin. METHODS: A murine xenograft model of lung cancer was
      treated with endostatin for 10 days. The morphology and function of tumor
      vasculature was examined using various techniques. Flow cytometry was carried out
      to assess the TAMs, and immunofluorescence was used to examine Tie-2-expressing
      monocytes (TEMs) in tumors. Levels of the histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) in
      tumors were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. RESULTS: Tumor
      vessels became more normal and mature on day six in the endostatin-treated mice.
      During vascular normalization, the number of M2-like TAMs and TEMs in the tumors
      was significantly reduced, whereas the number of M1-like TAMs showed an increase
      on day six after endostatin treatment, although the latter was not statistically
      significant. The HRG in the tumors accumulated at an early stage after endostatin
      administration. CONCLUSIONS: The polarization of TAMs is associated with tumor
      vascular normalization induced by endostatin. These observations may be useful in
      the exploration of new strategies for anti-angiogenic treatment.

PMID- 28920239
TI  - Surgical treatment for bronchopleural fistula with omentum covering after
      pulmonary resection for non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Bronchopleural fistula is an especially severe complication with a
      high mortality rate. We investigated the efficiency of our surgical treatments
      for this severe complication. METHODS:   From January 2007 to December 2009,
      standard surgical resections and systematic lymph node dissections for non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were performed on 1178 patients at our institution.
      Eight patients developed bronchopleural fistulas during the postoperative follow
      up period, and received reoperations. Seven patients underwent additional
      pneumonectomies, and the omental flap, which was mobilized using a
      transdiaphragmatic harvesting technique through the usual thoracotomy, was used
      to cover postpneumonectomy bronchial stump. The other patient, who had received
      right side pneumonectomy and systemic lymph node dissection, received omental
      flap stuffing and covering without reclosure of the stump or carinal plasty.
      RESULTS:   Bronchopleural fistulas after standard surgical resections and
      systematic lymph node dissections for NSCLC were observed in eight patients
      (0.68%) in our study. The period between pulmonary resection and the appearance
      of bronchopleural fistula ranged from eight to 19 days (median 11 days).
      Repairing of the bronchial fistula was successful in all eight patients and no
      development of late fistula was found during the follow-up period. Postoperative
      hospital stay for undergoing omentoplasty to repair the bronchial fistula ranged
      between 11 and 23 days (median 15 days). There were no complications related to
      the omentoplasty procedure. CONCLUSION:   Transdiaphragmatic harvesting technique
      of omental flap through a thoracotomy is safe and technically feasible. Surgical
      treatment for postoperative bronchopleural fistula with omental flap covering is
      effective.

PMID- 28920240
TI  - Effect of spider venom on inhibition proliferation of TE13 cells in vivo and in
      vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic and antitumor
      activity of spider venom (SV). METHODS: Cell proliferation and cytotoxicity were
      determined by 3 H-methyl thymidine incorporation ([3 H]-TDR) assay. DNA
      fragmentation and cell cycle kinetics were analyzed by FACS. In vivo inhibition
      of tumor size of nude mice by SV (5.0, 10.0, 20.0 mg/kg mice) was constructed.
      RESULTS: SV exhibited significant anti-cancer effects on human squamous
      esophageal carcinoma cells TE13, mainly as a result of cell apoptosis induced by
      SV. The anti-cancer effects were likely achieved through decreasing [3 H]-TdR.
      TE13 cells treated with SV (25, 50, 100 MUg/mL), which were arrested in the G0
      /G1 phase. SV treatment leads to anti-proliferation effects, and significant
      apoptosis in TE13 cells with reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels can increase
      dramatically and decrease cellular mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). In
      addition, Western blotting analysis showed that one of the pharmacological
      mechanisms of SV was to activate the expression of P21. In vivo testing revealed
      that tumor size was significantly decreased after 21 days of treatment with the
      venom (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that SVs could inhibit TE13 cell
      proliferation in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28920241
TI  - Comparative analysis of PET findings and clinical outcome in patients with
      primary mediastinal seminoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary mediastinal seminoma is a rare neoplasm. Cisplatin-based
      chemotherapy is the standard treatment, but management of post-chemotherapy
      seminoma residuals is still controversial. We encountered four cases of primary
      mediastinal seminoma and reviewed the clinical characteristics and outcomes,
      focusing on tumor size and F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography
      (FDG-PET) findings after chemotherapy. METHODS: A retrospective review was
      performed of four consecutive patients with primary mediastinal seminoma treated
      in our institution between 2006 and 2010. All patients were young adult males
      with a median age of 31.3 years (range: 20-46 years). All patients were treated
      with three to four cycles of a combination of cisplatin, bleomycin, and
      etoposide, and FDG-PET was performed after chemotherapy. RESULTS: The response to
      chemotherapy was good in all patients. After chemotherapy, the findings of the
      FDG-PET were negative in three subjects. Two of the patients, with tumors
      measuring over 30 mm, underwent surgical resection for the residual mass and
      revealed necrotic tissues and no viable cells. A third patient remained stable
      without salvage surgery. The size of the residual mass in the remaining patient
      was less than 30 mm, but the FDP-PET result was positive and the mass considered
      inoperable because of the involvement of large vessels. Subsequently,
      radiotherapy was added for the residual tumor, but disease progression was seen
      seven months after the initiation of chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: FDG-PET findings
      after chemotherapy could be useful as a tool for the prediction of viable
      residual tumor in post chemotherapy residual mediastinal seminoma.

PMID- 28920242
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28920243
TI  - Lung metastasis of adenoid cystic carcinoma, which mimicked primary lung cancer.
AB  - We report a case of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the submandibular gland where
      pulmonary metastasis occurred twice 16 years after resection, and each metastasis
      mimicked primary lung adenocarcinoma in imaging findings. The first pulmonary
      relapse was clinically diagnosed as primary lung adenocarcinoma and
      intraoperative pathological examination showed that the tumor was an
      adenocarcinoma; lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed.
      However, postoperative immunohistochemical analysis showed that the tumor was a
      metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma. During the secondary pulmonary relapse,
      although the tumor was correctly diagnosed as a metastatic adenoid cystic
      carcinoma by intraoperative examination, it again mimicked primary lung
      adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 28920244
TI  - Metastasis associated protein 1 correlates with Hypoxia inducible-factor 1 alpha
      expression and lymphangiogenesis in esophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metastasis to regional lymph nodes represents the first step of
      dissemination in esophageal cancer and serves as an unfavorable prognostic
      indicator for disease progression. The formation of tumor lymphatic microvessels
      is dependent on the production of lymphangiogenic growth factors by tumor cells,
      such as vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C), metastasis-associated gene
      1 (MTA1), and hypoxia inducible-factor l alpha (HIF-1alpha). The degree of
      intratumoral lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD) by immunohistochemistry is
      thought to influence tumor lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prognosis in various
      solid tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of MTA1 and
      HIF-1alpha in human esophageal cancer and to explore the relationship between
      their expression and lymphangiogenesis. METHOD: The expression of MTA1 and HIF
      1alpha, and LMVD marked by D2-40 were detected using immunohistochemical staining
      in eighty-two human esophageal cancer cases. RESULTS: The positive rates of MTA1
      and HIF-1alpha expression were 69.5% and 59.8%, respectively. The expression of
      MTA1 and HIF-1alpha were both correlated with LNM. In addition, MTA1 and HIF
      1alpha expression has a positive correlation in human esophageal cancer; LMVD
      correlated significantly with LNM. LMVD in MTA1 and HIF-1alpha over-expression
      cases was higher than that in none or weak cases, and this difference has
      statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that MTA1 plays an
      important role in lymphangiogenesis and LNM by stabilizing HIF-1alpha in
      esophageal cancer. The inhibition of lymphangiogenesis, MTA1, or HIF-1alpha
      activity may have an important therapeutic benefit in the control of esophageal
      cancer.

PMID- 28920245
TI  - EGFR and KRAS mutation analyses from specimens obtained by bronchoscopy and EBUS
      TBNA.
AB  - BACKGROUD: Procurement of tumor tissue is mandatory for a mutation analysis in
      patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the usefulness of bronchoscopic biopsy and endobronchial ultrasound
      guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) biopsy for detecting
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and KRAS mutations in routine practice.
      METHODS: Tumor DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues,
      and amplifications of exons 18-21 of EGFR and codons 12, 13 and 61 of KRAS were
      performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products were subjected to
      direct sequencing in both directions. RESULTS: Of 211 consecutive specimens, 201
      (95.3%) were available for EGFR mutation analysis, and 196 (92.9%) were adequate
      for KRAS mutation analysis. EGFR and KRAS mutations were detected in 14.9% and
      5.4%, respectively. A median of 16 days was spent from biopsy to the final report
      for either EGFR or KRAS mutation status. The detection rates for both mutations
      were similar between bronchoscopic biopsy and EBUS-TBNA (P > 0.05). Female gender
      (53.3%), never smoker (63.3%), and adenocarcinoma (96.7%) were predominant in
      patients with EGFR mutations. Among patients with adenocarcinoma (n = 104), the
      frequencies of EGFR and KRAS mutations were 27.9% and 10.6%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Small tissue samples obtained by bronchoscopic biopsy and EBUS-TBNA
      are sufficient for detecting EGFR and KRAS mutations in routine practice.
      Therefore, concurrent mutational analyses of small tissue samples should be
      considered at the time of initial diagnosis.

PMID- 28920246
TI  - Anterior mediastinal masses resection with cosmetic skin approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to describe a cosmetic skin incision
      for resection of large anterior mediastinal masses, and to review our experience
      with this technique. METHODS: From 1999 to 2010, 55 patients with a diagnosis of
      large anterior mediastinal masses underwent "goblet"-shaped skin incision with
      midline sternotomy. The complications, mortality, details of surgery, and
      duration of hospital stay were observed from review. Patients were monitored via
      follow-up for a duration of one year after surgery. RESULTS: The mean hospital
      stay was nine days. Wound complications of infection were observed in one
      patient. There were no other complications, such as hematoma formation, necrosis
      of skin flap, split or infection of the sternum. No related mortality was
      recorded within the 30-day postoperative period. All of the patients verbalized
      the benefits of this technique, particularly the possibility of wearing open
      collared clothing, as a result of the cosmetic chest wall and a camouflaging scar
      below the angle of Louis. At the follow-up periods, 52 of the patients were found
      to be well. Three patients did not complete follow-up at our facility.
      CONCLUSION: Our primary experience with this procedure proved it was safe. The
      technique allows excellent access to the mediastinum and complete removal of
      large anterior mediastinal masses that are complicated with adjacent midline
      cardiovascular structures. This technique also provides a better cosmetic result
      than the standard vertical incision.

PMID- 28920247
TI  - Thymic carcinoma with tumor thrombus protruding into the superior vena cava and
      the right atrium.

PMID- 28920248
TI  - Radiosensitization of esophageal cancer cells ECA109 by knockdown of H2AX.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic studies on mice have demonstrated that the key regulator of
      DNA damage in mammalian cells is the histone H2A variant, H2AX. We hypothesize
      that knockdown of H2AX will cause DNA damage pathway defects and may be able to
      increase the sensitivity to radiotherapy. METHODS: The formation of foci and the
      interaction of several important proteins in esophageal cancer ECA109, triggered
      by irradiation, were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Co
      immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay before and after H2AX silencing. Clone
      formation assay was employed to detect cell radiosensitivity and cloning
      formation ability also before and after H2AX silencing. Cell cycle distribution
      and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. We constructed a nude mice
      esophageal cancer model and detected the above contents in vivo. RESULTS: H2AX
      and several proteins could form foci in nuclear triggered by irradiation and
      establish a relationship in vitro. The foci reduced after H2AX silencing. H2AX
      silencing could lead to radiosensitization via a colony-forming test. The
      apoptosis rate increased and the cell cycle was blocked in G2-M stage after H2AX
      silencing in vivo. The tumor volume was decreased in the H2AX silenced group
      after irradiation, while the tumor only slowed down the growth rate in the
      control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Knockdown of H2AX induced radiosensitization of
      esophageal cancer ECA109 cells both in vitro and in vivo. The mechanisms include
      defective cell cycle checkpoints and abolishment of foci formation for several
      important mediator and effector proteins in the DNA damage response to
      irradiation (IR).

PMID- 28920249
TI  - FDG PET/CT for the preoperative nodal staging of non-small cell lung cancer in a
      tuberculosis-endemic country: Are maximum standardized uptake values useful?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine an optimum standardized uptake
      value threshold for identifying nodal metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) patients using Fluorine-18 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron
      emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in Taiwan, a tuberculosis
      endemic country. The variation in standardized uptake values of nodal metastasis
      among different NSCLC histological subtypes was also evaluated. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed 75 NSCLC patients who had received FDG PET/CT before
      surgery. The diagnostic accuracy of FDG PET/CT for the preoperative nodal staging
      was evaluated by histopathologic findings. RESULTS: A total of 316 nodal stations
      were evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of FDG PET/CT for nodal staging
      were 58.6% and 81.8%, respectively, using an SUV cut-off of 2.6. With regard to
      the levels of mean SUVmax in true-positive and false-positive groups, there was
      no significant difference among different histological subtypes. CONCLUSION: The
      present study demonstrated that FDG PET/CT for pre-operative nodal staging using
      SUVmax > 2.6 is a useful tool (with a higher specificity and a higher negative
      predictive value) to rule out the possibility of metastatic lymphadenopathy in
      operable patients with NSCLC.

PMID- 28920250
TI  - Bronchomediastinal fistula detected accidently during palliative radiation
      therapy.
AB  - Bronchomediastinal fistula is an extremely rare complication resulting from
      diseases such as mediastinitis or mediastinal malignancies. In patients with lung
      cancer, bronchomediastinal fistula formation has rarely been reported, except
      during post-chemotherapy or post-radiation therapy complications. An 84-year-old
      visited our hospital to receive palliative radiation therapy for squamous cell
      carcinoma of the right main bronchus T4N2M1a. During an early course of radiation
      therapy, chest computed tomography (CT) scans revealed bronchomediastinal fistula
      between the right main bronchus and the enlarged sub-carinal lymph nodes.
      Radiation therapy was, therefore, discontinued and the patient received only
      supportive care.

PMID- 28920251
TI  - Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy for unexpected pathologic N2 non-small
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was performed to assess early and late outcomes of
      pathologic N2 disease unexpectedly detected in patients with non-small cell lung
      cancer undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for clinical
      stage I. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features of patients
      with unexpected N2 non-small cell lung cancer and their early and late outcomes
      in the VATS lobectomy group versus the open thoracotomy lobectomy group. RESULTS:
      The overall survival time for all 358 patients was 33.26 +/- 0.90 months. The
      overall survival time for 117 cases in the VATS lobectomy group was 36.02 +/-
      1.44 months. The overall survival time for 241 cases in the open thoracotomy
      lobectomy group was 31.92 +/- 1.14 months. The survival rates for patients in the
      VATS lobectomy group were 92.31%, 36.75%, 5.13% at one, three, and five years,
      respectively. The survival rates for patients in the open thoracotomy lobectomy
      group were 92.12%, 21.58%, 2.49% at one, three, and five years, respectively. A
      significant difference was found between the two groups regarding this factor ( X
      2 = 3.88 , P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: VATS lobectomy is feasible and safe to
      perform on patients with minimal N2 non-small cell lung cancer. Even if lymph
      node metastasis is unexpectedly detected during surgery, with rigorous
      preoperative evaluation and systematic lymph node dissection, there is no need to
      convert to open thoracotomy lobectomy.

PMID- 28920252
TI  - Role of new radiation techniques in the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.
AB  - Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive neoplasm arising from the
      surface serosal cells of the pleural cavity. Surgery remains the main therapeutic
      standard in the treatment of MPM with the goal of complete gross cytoreduction of
      the tumor. Because MPM is a diffuse disease affecting the entire mesothelial
      lining of the hemithorax, surgery alone can rarely achieve adequate tumor-free
      resection margins. The surgical choices are pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) or
      extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). Radiotherapy (RT) is usually applied
      postoperatively with the aim to improve local control. However, the efficacy of
      RT is limited by the large volume of the target to be irradiated (tumor and
      pleural cavity) and the radiosensitivity of the nearby organs (heart, liver,
      lung, spinal cord, and esophagus). These factors have historically limited the
      effective radiation doses that can be given to the patient. There is no role for
      radical RT alone, but the role of RT as part of multimodality therapy is
      discussed. After EPP adjuvant RT to the entire hemithorax can reduce the
      recurrence rate and is well tolerated if strict limits to the dose to
      contralateral lung are applied: the V20 and V5 (the percent volume of the lung
      receiving more than 20Gy and 5Gy of radiation) correlate with increased lung
      toxicity. The use of modern sophisticated techniques allows good target coverage,
      more conformal high dose delivery, and clinically relevant normal tissue sparing.

PMID- 28920253
TI  - Phase II study of oral etoposide maintenance for patients with extensive stage
      small cell lung cancer who have responded to the induction on an EP regimen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maintenance therapy for extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES
      SCLC) is still under debate. Many new agents fail during the maintenance course.
      As an active agent for SCLC, oral etoposide is worth being re-evaluated. METHODS:
      This phase II study was performed to evaluate the toxicity/efficacy of the
      maintenance of patients with oral etoposide with ES-SCLC responding (complete
      remission [CR] + partial remission [PR]) to the induction of four cycles of
      etoposide plus cisplatin (EP) chemotherapy. Maintenance therapy with oral
      etoposide (50 mg/m2 , day 1-14, repeated every 21 days until disease progression
      or unacceptable toxicity occurs) was administered. The primary endpoints were
      grade 3 and 4 toxicities and progression free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Fifty-four
      patients with ES-SCLC received standard EP regimens as induction therapy; 31
      responding patients were administered oral etoposide as the maintenance
      treatment. The most common hematological and non-hematological toxicity of the
      maintenance course was neutropenia and fatigue, respectively. Median PFS was nine
      months (95% confidence interval (CI): 8.33~9.67 months), median overall survival
      (OS) was 14 months (95% CI: 11.58~16.42 months). Significantly better PFS and OS
      were seen in patients responding to the induction EP chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS:
      Oral etoposide maintenance is safe and effective for patients with ES-SCLC who
      responded to the induction of EP chemotherapy. Significant survival benefit was
      revealed in patients completely responding to an EP regimen. Further randomized
      control study is warranted.

PMID- 28920254
TI  - Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presenting as large anterior chest wall mass
      involving pleura and lung: A possible result of post-traumatic chronic
      inflammation.
AB  - A 67 year-old-man was hospitalized due to chronic pain and a large mass on the
      anterior chest wall. His medical history showed chest trauma in 1970, the
      reconstitution of the scenario revealed there was blunt trauma with swelling and
      rib fracture on the same side. Physical examination revealed an isolated large
      anterior chest wall mass. Chest radiography showed two bilateral irregular
      masses, chest computed tomography showed a large right chest wall tumor with
      pleural effusion, nodules of the right upper lobe and tumor of the left lower
      lobe without mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Whole body exploration showed only the
      chest disease. Transthoracic biopsy showed inflammatory reaction. Surgical biopsy
      by anterior thoracotomy of the right mass was performed under general anesthesia.
      Histological and immunohistological analysis revealed lymphoid diffuse large cell
      proliferation with positive staining of CD 20, BCL-6 and MUM1, confirming the
      diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell malignant lymphoma. Chemotherapy based on CHOP
      21 (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone) was
      administered with good response after three cycles. The patient was discharged
      under surveillance in good condition after the end of chemotherapy. We report an
      infrequent neoplasm with an unusual and subtle clinical presentation.

PMID- 28920255
TI  - Nimotuzumab combined with gemcitabine and cisplatin as second-line chemotherapy
      for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab combined with
      gemcitabine and cisplatin as second-line chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) and to investigate the association of the status of KRAS gene
      mutation and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) genotype with clinical
      outcome. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled in this
      single center, uncontrolled pilot clinical study. All the patients developed drug
      resistance or disease progression after first-line chemotherapy of either a
      docetaxel + cisplatin regimen or a vinorelbine + cisplatin regimen and then
      received nimotuzumab combined with gemcitabine and cisplatin as second-line
      chemotherapy. Eight cases were stage IIIB and 20 were stage IV. An i.v. dosage
      regimen of 200 mg of nimotuzumab was given as a single dose, injected into the
      patient at days 1, 8 and 15; i.v. gemcitabine was injected at a dose of 1000
      mg/m2 at days 1 and 8 and cisplatin (25 mg/m2 i.v.) at days 1, 2 and 3. Each
      patient received four or more therapeutic cycles. The efficacy and toxic
      reactions were evaluated, as well as time to progression and overall survival.
      RESULTS: In total, 28 patients with advanced NSCLC received 101 therapeutic
      cycles. The mean cycle number was 3.6. Median time to progression was 4.9 (2.5
      6.5) months; median overall survival and 1-year survival rate were 9.8 months and
      48.5%, respectively. There was one case of complete response, six cases of
      partial response, 11 cases of stable disease and 10 cases of progressive disease.
      Response rate was 25%, and clinical benefit rate was 64.3%. Major toxic reactions
      were bone marrow suppression and gastrointestinal reaction. Only one patient
      developed grade I acneiform eruption. CONCLUSION: Nimotuzumab combined with
      gemcitabine and cisplatin as second-line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC was
      active and well-tolerated in this setting. Patients with EGFR amplification and
      KRAS gene wild type had a better prognosis. Prospective, randomized, controlled,
      large-scale clinical studies are needed to confirm the results.

PMID- 28920256
TI  - Meeting report: Current cancer perspectives from the 9th Annual Meeting of the
      Japanese Society of Medical Oncology.
AB  - The purposes of Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (JSMO)
      are to provide a scientific forum among scientists and oncologist, and to bridge
      research findings from the molecular to clinical application. Cancer treatments
      can immediately benefit from all areas of oncology: the discovery and clinical
      application of biomarkers; development of more personalized anticancer therapy
      including molecular targeted agents; recent findings from clinical trials; and
      strategies for overcoming drug resistance. International sessions at the 9th
      Annual Meeting of the JSMO, held in Yokohama, Japan from July 21 to 23, 2011
      addressed these issues. The meeting also held a joint symposium with the American
      Society of Clinical Oncology. Due to space constraints this report will highlight
      only topics related to thoracic cancer, including controversies in the treatment
      of advanced cancer, thoracic-related cancer, such as lung cancer and esophageal
      carcinoma, and biomarkers.

PMID- 28920257
TI  - Salvage treatment with erlotinib after gefitinib failure in advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer patients with poor performance status: A matched-pair case
      control study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Gefitinib plays an important role in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      treatment; however, progression of the disease occurs in most patients even after
      an initial response. The role of erlotinib after gefitinib failure has been
      investigated but continues to be debated, especially in heavily treated patients
      with poor performance status (PS). Therefore, a retrospective matched-pair case
      control study was carried out to evaluate the role of erlotinib after gefitinib
      failure in advanced NSCLC patients. METHODS: A total of 58 patients were
      identified. The two groups were balanced with demographic and baseline clinical
      characteristics. All patients had PS >=2 and most of them (89.7%) had received
      more than two systemic therapies before erlotinib or best supportive care (BSC).
      The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and KRAS genotypes were analyzed in
      36 (62.1%) patients, 19 of them were in the erlotinib group. RESULTS: Median
      overall survival (OS) for all patients was 6 months. Median OS for patients who
      received erlotinib and BSC was 10 and 3 months, respectively (P= 0.001). Disease
      control rate (DCR) and objective response rate (ORR) were 51.7% and 10.3% in
      patients receiving erlotinib, respectively, while median time to progression
      (TTP) was 3 months. Among the 19 patients in the erlotinib group with biomarker
      results available, those with EGFR mutation achieved longer median TTP (P= 0.016)
      and better DCR (P= 0.177) than those with wild-type EGFR. CONCLUSIONS: A switch
      to erlotinib after gefitinib failure may represent a better therapeutic option
      for advanced NSCLC patients with poor PS, and an EGFR mutation seemed to be
      associated with better survival rate.

PMID- 28920258
TI  - Response to gemcitabine-platinum chemotherapy by single nucleotide polymorphisms
      of RRM1 and ERCC1 genes in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   RRM1, the regulatory subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, is
      involved in carcinogenesis and the response to gemcitabine. Two single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNP) in the RRM1 gene (RR37 and RR524) impact promoter activity
      and are associated with prognosis. The excision repair cross-complementation
      group 1 protein (ERCC1) is associated with platinum resistance. A SNP of the
      ERCC1 gene (T19007C) has been reported as a prognostic marker in platinum-treated
      non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS:   Patients with stage
      IIIB or IV NSCLC were treated with gemcitabine and platinum (GP) as first-line
      chemotherapy. Adenocarcinoma was the most frequent histological type, followed by
      squamous cell carcinoma and then other types. SNP were analyzed with real time
      polymerase chain reaction using genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood.
      RESULTS:   Based on responses to GP patients were classified as responders or non
      responders. The response rate was significantly higher in patients with the RR AC
      CT genotype (35/64, 54.7%) compared to those with the RR CC-TT genotype (56/147,
      38.1%, P= 0.025). No significant difference in response rate was observed
      according to ERCC1 genotype. In 128 patients with non-squamous cell lung cancer,
      RR AC-CT + ERCC1 CC (63.2%) and RR AC-CT + ERCC1 CT/TT (61.9%) showed higher
      response rates compared to RR CC-TT + ERCC1 CC (36.5%), and RR CC-TT + ERCC1
      CT/TT (22.2%; P= 0.004). Progression-free and overall survival times were not
      different between genotypes. CONCLUSIONS:   We observed significantly different
      responses to the GP regimen according to SNP of the RRM1 and ERCC1 genes.

PMID- 28920259
TI  - Higher temperature improves the efficacy of magnetic fluid hyperthermia for Lewis
      lung cancer in a mouse model.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a higher
      temperature on the efficacy of magnetic fluid hyperthermia for Lewis lung cancer
      in a mouse model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Magnetic fluids were prepared in vitro
      and directly injected into tumors. Twenty-four hours later, the mice were
      subjected to an alternating magnetic field. The temperature in the tumor was
      increased to 46.0 degrees C, higher than the usual temperature used in
      hyperthermia therapy. The higher temperature was maintained for 30 min with a
      stable strength of magnetic field. RESULTS: Magnetic fluid hyperthermia with a
      higher temperature significantly inhibited the growth of the tumors (P < 0.05).
      The tumors completely regressed in four out of 12 mice. Histological analysis
      demonstrated that the tumor cells underwent apoptosis and necrosis, and the cells
      were arrested at the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle. The lifespan of the treated
      animals also increased significantly (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic fluid
      hyperthermia with a higher temperature could improve the efficacy of this therapy
      on lung cancer.

PMID- 28920260
TI  - Complete remission and fatal interstitial pneumonitis related to nab-paclitaxel
      in refractory small cell lung cancer: A case report and review of the literature.
AB  - For refractory or resistant small cell lung cancer (SCLC), there is no standard
      treatment. We report a case of refractory SCLC achieving complete remission and
      then developing fatal interstitial pneumonitis after treatment with single-agent
      nab-paclitaxel. The relevant literature has also been reviewed. In terms of
      effectiveness, evidences exists that some refractory or resistant SCLC patients
      respond to paclitaxel, including nab-paclitaxel and solvent-based paclitaxel.
      Paclitaxel-related fatal interstitial pneumonitis is an uncommon event, with five
      fatal cases reported in the literature. It appears to occur in weekly paclitaxel
      treated patients and develop during the middle-to-late phase of treatment.
      Therefore, further randomized clinical trials should be encouraged. In our case,
      positive immunohistochemical analysis for caveolin-1 in the tumor vascular
      endothelia suggests that the complete response may have been facilitated by
      enhanced transportation of paclitaxel through the tumor vascular barrier via
      caveolin-1, despite being negative for secreted protein acidic and rich in
      cysteine (SPARC) in tumor cells. Further molecular investigations of gp60,
      caveolin-1 and SPARC will shed light on tailored treatment in this setting.

PMID- 28920261
TI  - Fast track program for esophagectomy patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   A fast track (FT) program for esophagectomy patients is rarely
      used. We streamlined care using an algorithm for the postoperative care of
      patients who underwent esophagectomy to try to reduce hospital stays to 7 days
      while maintaining safety and patient satisfaction. METHODS:   A consecutive
      series of 80 patients with esophageal carcinoma who underwent elective esophageal
      resection from 2007 to 2008 in our department was taken into the FT program. An
      algorithm for FT to guide postoperative care was used, featuring avoidance of the
      intensive care unit, early ambulation, removal of nasogastric tube and oral
      nutrition starting on postoperative day (POD) 1, with discharge on POD 7.
      RESULTS:   All patients were operated upon through a left posterolateral
      thoracotomy with a cervical esophagogastrostomy. Seventy-eight (97.5%) patients
      completed the FT program. Discharge home was proposed for POD7. None was
      readmitted within 30 days of discharge. None suffered from anastomotic leakage.
      The time to first passage of flatus was 51.7 +/- 8.4 h. CONCLUSION:   The
      majority of patients with esophageal carcinoma can tolerate FT surgery. Oral
      nutrition starting on POD1 is safe and FT surgery is feasible for patients
      scheduled for elective esophageal cancer resections without compromising quality.

PMID- 28920262
TI  - Preferred surgical procedure for posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumor.
AB  - AIM:   To compare the outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)
      with those of thoracotomy for the removal of posterior mediastinal neurogenic
      tumors. METHODS:   Twenty-four patients were enrolled in the VATS group and 29
      were enrolled in thoracotomy group between 1996 and 2010. RESULTS:   When
      compared with the thoracotomy group, patients in the VATS group had a shorter
      operation time (90 +/- 29 min vs. 136 +/- 41 min, P < 0.001), less blood loss (42
      +/- 12 mL vs. 209 +/- 162 mL, P < 0.001), shorter time to extubation and
      discharge (2.5 +/- 0.7 days vs. 3.1 +/- 1.0 days, P= 0.027; 3.6 +/- 0.6 days vs.
      4.1 +/- 1.0 days, P= 0.045). CONCLUSION:   VATS is a safe and effective surgical
      procedure for posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumors with better outcomes than
      thoracotomy.

PMID- 28920263
TI  - Development and current status of proton therapy for lung cancer in Korea.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the current status of proton therapy in
      Korea and to review the dosimetric benefits of proton beam therapy (PBT) over
      intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for lung cancer treatment. Data from
      patients treated between March 2007 and February 2011 in Korea using proton
      therapy were analyzed retrospectively. For comparison, IMRT and PBT in the
      scattering mode were planned for lung cancer patients. Dosimetric benefits and
      organ-specific radiation-induced cancer risks were based on comparisons of dose
      volume histograms (DVH) and secondary radiation doses, respectively. On average,
      the doses delivered by PBT to the lung, esophagus and spinal cord were 17.4%,
      2.5% and 43.6% of the prescription dose, respectively, which were lower than the
      doses delivered by IMRT (31.5%, 11.8% and 45.3%, respectively). Although the
      average doses delivered by PBT to the lung and spinal cord were significantly
      lower than those by IMRT, these differences were reduced in the esophagus. While
      the average secondary dose from PBT (measured at 20-50 cm from the isocenter) was
      1.33-0.86 mSv/Gy, the average secondary dose from IMRT was 3.3-1.0 mSv/Gy.
      Compared with IMRT techniques, PBT showed improvements in most dosimetric
      parameters for lung cancer patients, with lower secondary radiation doses.

PMID- 28920264
TI  - Mini-invasive surgery in lung cancer: Current status and future considerations.

PMID- 28920265
TI  - Characterization of a stem cell population in lung cancer cell line Glc-82.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A side population (SP) of cells can be separated from diverse cancer
      cell lines by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) and show stem cell-like
      characteristics. To gain more information about SP phenotypes, we performed a
      series of characterizations of SP cells. METHODS: We isolated SP cells from the
      lung cancer cell line Glc-82 via FACS. Their capability of multilineage
      differentiation, self-renewal and tumorigenicity were examined both in vitro and
      in vivo. Their sensitivity to anticancer drugs was also detected by Methyl
      thiazol-diphenyl tetrazolium assay. The expression of cell surface molecules
      including ABCG2, HERs and CD133 was analyzed with a flow cytometer. RESULTS: SP
      cells made up an average of 14.5% of the total cell population and were more
      tumorigenic than non-SP cells in vivo. The growth rate of SP cells was higher
      than that of the unsorted cells and non-SP cells, and the repopulation of SP
      cells occurred more rapidly. Moreover, the SP cells expressed elevated levels of
      ABCG2 protein and showed augmented resistance to multiple chemotherapeutic and
      targeted drugs, when compared to non-SP cells. In addition, the expression of
      epidermal growth factor receptor protein and CD133 were higher in SP cells than
      in non-SP cells. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the SP cells in the Glc-82 cell
      line are enriched with cancer stem cells.

PMID- 28920266
TI  - Survival and bronchial carcinoid tumors: Development of surgical techniques in a
      30-year experience of 82 patients in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify the factors determining long-term survival after
      surgical management for bronchial typical carcinoid (TC) and atypical carcinoids
      (AC) and to compare the clinical outcome of the different surgical strategies
      used in the two periods of 1980-1994 and 1995-2005. METHODS: Records of 82
      patients with an initial pathological diagnosis of bronchial carcinoid tumor who
      underwent surgical management from January 1980 to December 2009 were reviewed.
      Tumors were classified as TC or AC using the 2004 World Health Organization
      criteria. RESULTS: There were 60 TC and 22 AC. Surgical procedures included
      lobectomies, sleeve or bronchoplastic resections, pneumonectomies, wedge
      resections, and segmental resections. Significantly fewer pneumonectomies and
      more sleeve and bronchoplastic resections were performed after 1994. The
      prognosis was more favorable for TC than AC. Comparing lymph node status N0 with
      N1 + N2, 5- and 10-year survival was 92% and 85% vs. 61% and 41%. No patient with
      lymph node involvement survived more than 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor subtype
      and lymph node status have the greatest impact on long-term survival following
      surgery. AC and/or regional lymph node metastases have the worst prognosis.
      Formal anatomic and tissue-saving lung resection plus systematic radical
      mediastinal lymphadenectomy for TC and AC should be standard.

PMID- 28920267
TI  - Proton therapy for esophageal cancer.

PMID- 28920268
TI  - Characterization of solitary pulmonary nodules using double phase Tc-99m
      methoxyisobutylisonitrile scan: Comparison of visual and quantitative analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We assessed the diagnostic usefulness of Tc-99m
      methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) single photon emission computed tomography
      (SPECT) for the evaluation of solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). METHODS: Thirty
      five patients (17 malignant and 18 benign) were recruited. Double phase Tc-99m
      MIBI SPECT was performed 10 min and then 2 h after an injection of 925 MBq of Tc
      99m MIBI. Visual interpretation grades of the Tc-99m MIBI scan were used for the
      determination of SPN characteristics. Receiver-operator curve analyses were
      performed for the optimal cut-off values of visual and quantitative indices for
      differentiation of benign and malignant SPN. RESULTS: The optimal visual grades
      were grade 4 and 5. When 3+ was used as the cut-off value for the detection of
      malignant SPN, the sensitivity and specificity of Tc-99m SPECT were 47.1% and
      88.9%, respectively. The area under curve (AUC) was 0.758. The optimal planar
      lesions to non-lesion (L/N) ratios were 2.3 for the early image and 1.6 for the
      delayed image. The optimal SPECT L/N ratios were 3.1 for the early and 1.6 for
      the delayed image. The SPECT early L/N was superior to other quantitative indices
      and visual analysis. CONCLUSION: This study shows that Tc-99m MIBI SPECT is a
      useful non-invasive method for the evaluation of SPN.

PMID- 28920269
TI  - Design and application of a self-evaluation questionnaire for individuals at a
      high-risk of lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish a comprehensive evaluation
      system to assess the risk factors of lung cancer for the general population.
      METHODS: With the method of evidence-based medicine, risk factors of lung cancer
      were identified and their risk assignments were calculated to design the Self
      evaluation Scoring Questionnaire for High-risk Individuals of Lung Cancer.
      Studies including more than 10 000 subjects were carried the out to confirm the
      questionnaire's value. RESULTS: The questionnaire consisted of 15 risk factors
      and their risk assignments, such as sex, age, smoking, female passive smoking,
      previous illness histories, exposure to harmful gases, mental depression and
      genetic susceptibility. In the population application, data from 30 lung cancer
      patients revealed its desired reliability and validity. The next pre
      investigation, including 94 patients and 252 controls, confirmed its
      differentiating power, and encouraged a much larger-scale survey with 2161
      subjects to determine the threshold (T) to identify high-risk individuals, the
      threshold was 116 points. According to this criterion, 1537 high-risk volunteers
      and 6556 controls were recruited to participate in a 3-year follow-up study from
      2007 to 2009. There were 31 cases of lung cancer detected in the high-risk group,
      with a detection rate of 2.02%, significantly higher than that of the controls
      (5/6556, 0.08%), indicating an excellent predictive value of the questionnaire.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Self-evaluation Scoring Questionnaire for High-risk Individuals
      of Lung Cancer was a good means for evaluating the risks of lung cancer.

PMID- 28920270
TI  - Clinical and biologic prognostic factors in malignant pleural mesothelioma.
AB  - Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive neoplasm of the pleura
      mainly attributable to asbestos exposure. Conventional medical, physical, and
      surgical treatments and their combinations are basically ineffective and just a
      few subjects experience some benefit. No definite guidelines can be provided in
      patient selection and therapeutic strategies. Currently, malignant pleural
      mesothelioma therapy is guided by clinical stage and patient characteristics,
      which are quite unreliable, rather than by the histological or molecular features
      of the tumor. In the present review the impact on prognosis of classic (i.e.
      etiology, age, gender, histology, staging), as well as relatively new clinical
      factors such as quality of life, positron emission tomography assessment, and
      occult residual disease, are firstly evaluated. In the second section of the
      review several biological variables and genetic markers, which have been recently
      recognized as the bases of the disease onset and development, are listed and
      discussed. There are serum and tissue markers. The latter are mainly related to
      cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and growth factor pathways. These novel factors
      may play an important role in defining the prognosis of the disease and,
      subsequently, may have a place in addressing therapy.

PMID- 28920271
TI  - The detection of EGFR mutation status in plasma is reproducible and can
      dynamically predict the efficacy of EGFR-TKI.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   The validity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation in
      serum and plasma DNA as a surrogate of tumor tissue has been comprehensively
      explored. However, the concordance between peripheral blood and tumor tissue
      samples in EGFR mutation detection remains variable. The question as to whether
      real-time samples for EGFR mutation analysis are required before epidermal growth
      factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapy remains unanswered.
      METHODS:   This study included two cohorts:(i) 822 non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) patients with primary tumor tissue and matched plasma samples at initial
      diagnosis; and (ii) 207 patients with advanced NSCLC who had plasma samples taken
      immediately before EGFR-TKI therapy, in which 157 cases had matched tumor
      tissues. Denaturing High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (DHPLC) determined
      EGFR mutation status. RESULTS:   Among a total of 822 patients with matched
      samples, the EGFR mutation rates were 36.3% and 32.1% in tissue and plasma
      samples, respectively. Concordance of EGFR mutation between two kinds of samples
      was 77.0% (631/822),with 63.5% (188/296) of accuracy of EGFR mutation in plasma
      DNA. In 207 advanced NSCLC patients who had plasma samples taken immediately
      before EGFR-TKI therapy, the objective response rate (ORR) after EGFR-TKI therapy
      was significantly higher in EGFR mutant patients than those in EGFR wild-type
      patients (51.4% vs. 22.6%, P < 0.001), regardless of the treatment lines of EGFR
      TKI. In patients with two or more lines of EGFR-TKI therapy, EGFR mutation status
      in plasma samples, but not in tissues, was a predictor for progression-free
      survival (PFS) after EGFR-TKI therapy (mutant vs. wild-type: 10.1 months vs. 3.7
      months, P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS:   An EGFR mutation test using plasma DNA samples
      was validated and reproducible. Obtaining real-time samples for EGFR mutation
      detection is critical in order to predict the outcomes of EGFR-TKI.

PMID- 28920272
TI  - Resection of left inferior lung lobe combined and intracardiac tumor embolism
      under cardiopulmonary bypass.

PMID- 28920273
TI  - PTPN22 and CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms in resected thymomas and thymus for
      myasthenia gravis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease of striated muscle
      tissue mediated by autoantibodies. MG is often treated with thymectomy. Protein
      tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 22 (PTPN22) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte
      associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) have recently been found to be the genes that
      predispose to autoimmune diseases. The mechanisms of PTPN22 and CTLA-4 single
      nucleotide polymorphisms in resected thymomas and thymuses in MG remain unclear.
      METHODS: In the present study, 90 patients with thymomas, including 44 patients
      with MG, 46 patients without MG, and 35 MG patients without thymoma were studied,
      with 50 healthy people as the controls. The +1858C>T polymorphism of the PTPN22
      gene and the 49A>G polymorphism of the CTLA-4 gene were investigated using
      polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).
      The PTPN22 -1123G>C polymorphism at the promoter site was genotyped using single
      allele-specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SASP-PCR). RESULTS: The PTPN22
      +1858C>T polymorphism was not significantly different between the patients and
      the controls. Statistically significant differences in the allelic and genotypic
      frequencies of PTPN 22 -1123G>C and CTLA-4 49A>G were observed between the MG(+)
      thymoma group and the controls (P = 0.000, 0.003), but not between the MG(-)
      thymoma and MG-thymoma(-) groups and the controls (P = 0.192/P = 0.214 and P =
      0.067/P = 0.254). Statistically significant differences in allelic and genotypic
      frequencies of the 49A>G for CTLA-4 were observed between the MG(+)-thymoma group
      and the controls (P = 0.000, P = 0.003), but not between the MG(-)-thymoma and MG
      thymoma(-) groups and the controls (P = 0.077/P = 0.261 and P = 0.058/P = 0.058).
      Individuals with the PTPN22 CC genotype and the CTLA-4 G alleles had an increased
      risk of developing paraneoplastic MG (odds ration [OR]= 4.722, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 1.460-15.277) compared with those with the PTPN22 G allele and the
      CTLA-4 AA genotype. CONCLUSION: The results show an association between the
      PTPN22 1123G>C genotype and thymoma-associated MG, with significant synergy with
      the CTLA-4 G alleles.

PMID- 28920274
TI  - The impact on quality of life after en-bloc resection for non-small-cell lung
      cancer involving the chest wall.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   En-bloc resection for non-small cell lung cancer with chest-wall
      involvement may achieve a 5-year survival rate higher than 40%, but the impact on
      postoperative quality of life is not yet known. METHODS:   Twenty-six patients
      undergoing en-bloc lung resections were included. Life quality ratings were
      assessed through a Short-Form 36 questionnaire preoperatively and at six, 12, 18
      and 24 month follow-up visits. The degree of dyspnea, pain level, and flow-volume
      curves were also obtained at the same time periods. Changes occurring over time
      were analyzed by means of repeated-measure ANOVA. RESULTS:   As a whole, the
      Physical Component Summary score declined six months postoperatively (P < 0.0001)
      and failed to improve thereafter. Patients with preoperative Forced Expiratory
      Volume in one second (FEV1 ), <80% predicted (P = 0.029), resected ribs >2 (P =
      0.03), and chest wall defect >=50 cm2 (P = 0.007) experienced a greater and
      lasting impairment. Net postoperative decrease in FVC (P = 0.02; r = 0.48) and
      dyspnea worsening (P = 0.03; r =-043 at six months, P = 0.05; r =-0.39 at 12
      months) were also correlated with the extent of physical deterioration, whereas
      age (P = 0.92), gender (P = 0.51), type of resection (P = 0.71), and adjuvant
      therapy (P = 0.68) did not. The Physical Component Summary didn't change
      significantly in patients with high pain levels (VAS >7). The Mental Component
      Summary score increased slightly at six months, with no difference in any
      patients' subgroup. CONCLUSIONS:   The extent of chest wall resection,
      preoperative FEV1 , and postoperative decline in FVC were the main indicators of
      quality of life impairment after en-bloc resection for lung cancer. The impact
      upon quality of life should be considered in a cost-to-benefit ratio of planning
      this surgery in suboptimal candidates.

PMID- 28920275
TI  - Initial experience of video-assisted thoracic surgery left upper sleeve lobectomy
      for lung cancer: Case report and literature review.
AB  - Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) sleeve lobectomy continues to represent a
      great challenge to thoracic surgeons. Herein we report what we believe to be the
      first case of thoracoscopic left upper sleeve lobectomy for lung cancer. A 61
      year-old male patient with centrally located lung cancer of the left upper lobe
      was successfully treated by this minimally invasive technique. Based on the
      success of the operation, we believe that VATS left upper sleeve lobectomy is
      also feasible, however, surgical approaches and procedures still require further
      improvement.

PMID- 28920276
TI  - Roles of EBUS-TBNA in clinical practice.

PMID- 28920277
TI  - The role of pleural fluid MAGE RT-nested PCR in the diagnosis of malignant
      pleural effusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Melanoma antigen (MAGE) genes are expressed in tumor cells, the
      testis and the placenta. The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate
      the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA),
      MAGE reverse transcriptase-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nested PCR), and
      cytology of pleural fluid in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion.
      METHODS:   Patients in whom unilateral pleural effusion was identified on chest
      radiography from January to December 2009 were included in the study. MAGE genes
      were analyzed by RT-nested PCR using MAGE A1-6 common primers. RESULTS:   Of 81
      enrolled patients, 46 were diagnosed as malignant pleural effusion, and 24 were
      diagnosed as benign pleural effusion. The diagnoses of 11 patients were not
      confirmed in this study. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of
      MAGE RT-nested PCR were 61.4%, 95.7%, and 73.1%, respectively. The diagnostic
      sensitivities of cytology and CEA (>5 ng/mL) were 61.4% and 75.0%, respectively.
      Among 17 patients with negative cytology who had malignant pleural effusion, 12
      and 10 patients were positive for CEA (>5.0 ng/mL) and MAGE RT-nested PCR,
      respectively. However, of five patients with malignant pleural effusion that was
      not recognized by cytology and CEA, MAGE RT-nested PCR correctly predicted a
      malignant etiology in only one additional patient (20%). CONCLUSIONS:   MAGE RT
      nested PCR seems to add little on the combination of conventional methods in the
      diagnosis of malignant effusion.

PMID- 28920278
TI  - Efficacy and safety of Abraxane in treatment of progressive and recurrent non
      small cell lung cancer patients: A retrospective clinical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Abraxane is a novel Cremophor-free nanoparticle paclitaxel that has
      been demonstrated to improve efficacy in the treatment of solid tumors. We
      undertook this retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      Abraxane in the progressive or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      patients. METHODS:   From August 2009 to April 2011, 33 patients who were
      diagnosed with progressive or recurrent NSCLC and treated with one or more prior
      platinum-based chemotherapies, were enrolled. The patients were injected with
      Abraxane, 260 mg/m2 , d1, and were evaluated for efficacy and safety. The
      treatment was repeated every three weeks unless progressive lesions or
      unacceptable toxicities were found. RESULTS:   There were no complete response
      and 11 partial responses (33.3%). Patients with squamous cell carcinoma showed
      better responses than those with adenocarcinoma (41.7% and 21.1%, respectively).
      Fourteen patients had stable disease, and the disease control rate was 75.8%. The
      median progression-free survival was five months (95% confidence interval [CI]:
      3.5-6.5). Four patients (12.1%) experienced grade 3-4 hematologic toxicities; one
      anemia (3.0%), two leucopenia (6.1%) and one thrombocytopenia (3.0%). Six
      patients (18.2%) experienced grade 3-4 non-hematologic toxicities; two abnormal
      hepatic functions (6.1%), one fatigue (3.0%), one peripheral neuropathy (3.0%),
      and two alopecia (6.1%). CONCLUSION:   Recurrent and progressive NSCLC patients
      pretreated with platinum-based chemotherapy might benefit from Abraxane with
      tolerable adverse events.

PMID- 28920280
TI  - A case of lung cancer with first signs of hematological manifestations.

PMID- 28920279
TI  - Bibliometric analysis on lung cancer in China during the period of 2001-2010.

PMID- 28920281
TI  - Response to roles of EBUS-TBNA in clinical practice.

PMID- 28920282
TI  - Lung cancer and benign lung diseases in patients with serious vitamin D
      deficiency in eastern China.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Vitamin D deficiency is a global problem. OBJECTIVE:   We examined
      the 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations to confirm whether patients with
      lung diseases in eastern China showed vitamin D deficiency and whether this
      deficiency was related to the risk of lung cancer. We used chemiluminescence to
      estimate the 25(OH)D concentrations in 250 patients from eastern China, of whom
      197 had untreated stage III/IV lung cancer and 53 had benign lung diseases.
      RESULTS:   The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration of patients with lung cancer was
      10.63 +/- 7.04 ng/mL, while the mean serum of patients with benign lung disease
      was 9.62 +/- 6.37 ng/mL. Although there was no significant difference between the
      values, the mean serum concentrations of 25(OH)D obtained in patients with lung
      cancer and benign lung diseases were lower than the normal value (>20 ng/mL); P
      values in both cases were less than 0.0001. Among the 250 patients, 90 showed low
      serum 25(OH)D levels of <=4 ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS:   Patients with lung diseases in
      eastern China have low serum levels of 25(OH)D, and the average serum 25(OH)D
      level is well below the normal vitamin D level. As the average serum 25(OH)D
      levels in patients with lung cancer or benign lung diseases are very low, we
      cannot conclude whether the low levels of 25(OH)D are a risk factor for lung
      cancer.

PMID- 28920283
TI  - Discordance of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations between primary tumors
      and corresponding mediastinal nodal metastases in patients operated on for stage
      N2 non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - The discordance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations between
      primary lung tumors and the corresponding mediastinal nodal metastases has not
      yet been well elucidated. We investigate the discordance of EGFR mutations
      between primary tumors and the corresponding mediastinal nodal metastases, and
      the discordance of EGFR mutations between different mediastinal lymph node
      stations in patients operated on for stage N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
      Two hundred and nineteen surgically resected primary tumors and their 553
      corresponding mediastinal nodal metastases were evaluated for EGFR mutations in
      exon 19 or 21 by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. EGFR
      mutation was detected in 26.0% (57/219) of the primary tumors and 14.8% (82/553)
      of the corresponding mediastinal nodal metastases. In 162 cases with EGFR wild
      type in primary tumors, none of their 402 corresponding mediastinal nodal
      metastases had EGFR mutation. In 57 cases with EGFR mutations in primary tumors,
      EGFR mutations were detected in 82 of all 151 metastatic lymph node stations
      (54.3%), 34 cases had EGFR mutations in mediastinal nodal metastases, and 23
      cases had lost the mutations in mediastinal nodal metastases. Among the 219
      cases, 196 cases had at least two metastatic lymph node stations, 9.0% (18/196)
      of cases with multiple metastatic nodal stations exhibited discordance in EGFR
      mutations between different lymph node stations. The possibility of discordance
      in EGFR mutations between primary tumors and corresponding mediastinal nodal
      metastases, and between different mediastinal lymph node stations should be
      considered whenever these mutations are used for the selection of patients for
      EGFR-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.

PMID- 28920284
TI  - Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors originating in the main bronchus.
AB  - Ewing's sarcoma family tumors (ESFT), which include Ewing's sarcoma and primitive
      neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), have been reported to originate in a variety of
      sites, mostly in the extremities. Previous reports have shown ESFT originating in
      the thoracic region, such as chest wall and peripheral lung. We herein report the
      first case of the ESFT that originated in the main bronchus. Endobronchial snare
      resection was followed by five courses of chemotherapy (VDC-IE; including
      vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide and etoposide) and
      sequential radiation. After the treatment, the patient's condition has improved,
      and he has remained disease-free for the past year.

PMID- 28920285
TI  - Proton therapy for lung cancer.
AB  - Proton therapy is an emerging radiotherapy technology with the potential to
      improve the therapeutic index in the treatment of lung cancer patients. Since
      charged particles, such as protons, have a penetration length that can be
      modified by using different energies, protons offer the clinician the ability to
      modulate radiation dose deposition along the beam path. This facilitates an
      increase of the dose to the tumor target while minimizing the volume of normal
      tissue irradiation. Such precise delivery is particularly relevant in the setting
      of lung cancer where the targeted tissues are in close proximity to moderately
      radiation-sensitive organs like the spinal cord, heart, and esophagus, but are
      also effectively surrounded by the normal lung, which is extremely sensitive to
      radiation damage. Proton therapy has been investigated for the treatment of
      surgically curable yet medically inoperable patients as well as patients with
      regionally advanced disease.

PMID- 28920287
TI  - Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) with tranbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA)
      versus mediastinoscopy for mediastinal staging in non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) thoracic cancer.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and is responsible
      for more cancer deaths than the next three most common cancers combined. Despite
      common use of the best non-invasive tests for assessing clinical stage: computed
      tomography (CT) and integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography
      (PET/CT) using 2-deoxy-2-18-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG), the pathologic stage is often
      different. The status of mediastinal (N2) lymph nodes is paramount in guiding
      therapy towards surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of these
      modalities. Accurate staging is mandatory for patients prior to commencing
      therapy. Invasive tests that afford tissue biopsies of N2 lymph nodes are:
      esophageal ultrasound with fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), endobronchial
      ultrasound (EBUS-TBNA), and mediastinoscopy. This review article compares the two
      most commonly used invasive methods to obtain tissue biopsies of mediastinal (N2)
      lymph nodes: mediastinoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS).

PMID- 28920286
TI  - The role of endobronchial ultrasound in central early lung cancer.
AB  - Central early lung cancers (CELC) are tumors arising from the central airways,
      roentgenographically occult, which are usually diagnosed by bronchoscopy after a
      positive sputum cytology. Most CELCs are undetectable for conventional white
      light bronchoscopy (WLB) but can be identified under autofluorescence
      bronchoscopy (AFB). Although AFB increases the sensitivity of WLB in detecting
      CELC, its low specificity remains a problem. Surgery has been the most accepted
      treatment for CELCs; however 20-30% of patients suffering CELC tend to have
      multicentricities and usually present with poor cardiopulmonary status.
      Therefore, surgery is not suitable in most of the cases and other therapeutic
      options such as bronchoscopic treatments should be considered. Because most
      endoscopic treatments are unlikely to be curative if the tumor has spread beyond
      the bronchial cartilage, accurate evaluation of CELC bronchial wall invasion is
      critical before selecting a bronchoscopic treatment. Endobronchial ultrasound
      (EBUS) is a relatively new technique that has proven to be useful in the
      evaluation of the normal and cancer-invaded bronchial wall. Some authors have
      demonstrated that after adding EBUS assessment to AFB in autofluorescence
      positive lesions the specificity increases from 50 to 90%. Other studies have
      focused on the ability of EBUS to detect bronchial wall invasion in patients with
      CELCs. They compared the EBUS images with pathological findings of surgical
      specimens of patients that underwent surgery; in most of the cases the
      correlation between EBUS and pathological findings increased over 90%.
      Furthermore, in patients not eligible for surgery, EBUS has proven to predict
      patients expected response to endoscopic treatments.

PMID- 28920288
TI  - Current concepts in the management of leakages after esophagectomy.
AB  - Esophagectomy is a high-risk procedure that, despite advances over past years, is
      still associated with high morbidity and mortality. Anastomotic insufficiency is
      a devastating surgical complication as it is linked to postoperative morbidity
      and is the main cause for postoperative mortality. It can lead to sepsis and
      necessitate re-operation, further increasing morbidity and mortality through
      additional complications brought on by the repeated invasive procedures. However,
      not all anastomotic leakages entail such a critical course of events and can be
      sufficiently dealt with by less invasive measures. As a consequence, the approach
      to anastomotic leakage must be carefully selected in order to minimize additional
      procedure-related risks while ensuring adequate therapy. In this setting, less
      invasive treatments such as esophageal stents and clips, application of vicryl
      plugs in combination with fibrin glue, and endoscopic insertion of vacuum
      sponges, have emerged in recent years and become a viable alternative in the
      management of certain leakages. This review presents current algorithms for
      detection, classification and treatment of leakages after esophagectomy.

PMID- 28920289
TI  - Roles of EBUS-TBNA in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial aspiration (EBUS
      TBNA) has the potential to improve nodal diagnosis and staging in non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC). This study was performed to explore the roles of EBUS-TBNA
      in NSCLC. METHODS:   From 2007 to 2009, 164 NSCLC patients were examined by EBUS
      TBNA. The patients were divided into a diagnosis group (n = 64) and a staging
      group (n = 100). RESULTS:   For all patients, the diagnostic sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV),
      and accuracy were 92.3%, 100%, 100%, 88.2%, and 95.1%, respectively. In the
      diagnosis group, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy
      were 89.7%, 100%, 100%, 86.2%, and 94.4%, respectively. Thirty five patients
      (54.7%) positive for malignancy as determined by EBUS-TBNA avoided surgery. In
      the staging group, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, accuracy,
      and surgery avoidance rate were 93.8%, 100%, 100%, 89.7%, 96%, and 61%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS:   EBUS-TBNA is a feasible and effective tool for NSCLC
      diagnosis and staging that also reduces surgery rates. Patients with NSCLC should
      initially undergo the less invasive EBUS-TBNA procedure for diagnosis and staging
      of NSCLC. However, negative findings must be confirmed by surgery.

PMID- 28920290
TI  - Mediastinal re-staging of non small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - Selected patients with non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mediastinal lymph
      node involvement may have a survival benefit from surgical resection,
      particularly if mediastinal nodal down-staging occurs after induction therapy and
      complete resection is achieved with lobectomy. Accurate re-staging of the
      mediastinum after induction therapy is therefore crucial in determining prognosis
      and subsequent treatment. Non-invasive imaging techniques usually require a
      confirmatory tissue sampling method to improve the accuracy of mediastinal re
      staging. As in the initial staging of the mediastinum, minimally invasive
      endosonography-guided needle sampling techniques such as endobronchial ultrasound
      guided fine-needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine
      needle aspiration show promise in re-staging the mediastinum, though invasive
      surgical re-staging remains the gold standard. Despite a lower sensitivity in the
      mediastinal re-staging of NSCLC, EBUS-TBNA with or without EUS-FNA may still be
      the preferred initial mediastinal re-staging technique.

PMID- 28920291
TI  - Primary pleural chloroma: A rare location with fatal prognosis.
AB  - We report an extremely unique histologically proven case of an isolated primary
      pleural granulocytic sarcoma (chloroma) in a 44-year-old woman who had sustained
      complete remission for 14 years after being treated for a Hodgkin's lymphoma.
      There was no history of myelogenous leukemia, which typically precedes chloroma.
      The prognosis was dismal as the patient died 2 weeks after diagnosis.

PMID- 28920292
TI  - Tachyarrhythmia secondary to cardiac metastasis as first presentation of non
      small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - We describe a man who presented at our institution with tachyarrhythmia and
      dyspnea. Echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed
      tomography (CT) of the chest performed during hospitalization revealed a mass
      within the left atrium. A biopsy of the mass showed a non-small-cell lung cancer,
      adenocarcinoma G3. Metastatic involvement of the heart is rare; most cases are
      asymptomatic and diagnosed only during autopsies. Echocardiography, CT scan and
      MRI are complementary investigations in the evaluation of cardiac lesions. In the
      setting of cardiac metastatic cancer, all management is palliative.

PMID- 28920293
TI  - Updates on endoscopic therapy of esophageal carcinoma.
AB  - Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has the advantage over endoscopic mucosa
      resection (EMR), permitting removal of gastrointestinal neoplasms en bloc, but is
      associated with a relatively high risk of complications. Early esophageal cancer
      (EEC) is indicated when the tumors are confined to the two-third layer of the
      lamina propria. Esophageal stricture following semicircular or complete circular
      esophageal ESD is relatively frequent even if treated by multiple pre-emptive
      endoscopic balloon dilatation. Oral prednisolone may offer a novel, safe, and
      effective option for prevention of post-ESD stricture associated with ESD for
      extensive esophageal neoplasms. The procedures include marking, submucosal
      injection, circumferential mucosal incision and exfoliation of the lesion along
      the submucosal layer. Complete ESD can achieve a large one-piece resection,
      allowing precise histological assessment to prevent recurrence. Clinical outcomes
      of esophageal ESD have been promising, and the prognosis of EEC patients treated
      by ESD is likely to be excellent, though further long-term follow-up studies are
      warranted. Notification of a risk of perforation is essential for esophageal ESD.
      Bleeding during ESD can be managed with coagulation forceps, and postoperative
      bleeding may be reduced with routine use of the stronger acid suppressant, proton
      pump inhibitors.

PMID- 28920294
TI  - Safety and efficacy of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in Chinese patients
      with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of
      cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS:   A retrospective analysis of clinical data
      was conducted in patients who were given cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in
      the department of respiratory medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital
      between June 2008 and July 2011. All patients signed the informed consent, and
      consented to offer clinical information. RESULTS:   Twenty-two patients were
      enrolled in this study. Nine patients were alive up to analysis, and the longest
      survival was 28.9 months. The objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate
      (DCR), median progression free survival (PFS), and estimated least median overall
      survival (OS) were 36.4%, 59.1%, 5.3 months and 10.1 months, respectively.
      Results for the 16 patients treated as first line setting were 50.0%, 62.5%, 6.0
      months and 10.1 months, respectively. The common adverse events included skin
      toxicity (14, 63.6%), alanine aminotransferase elevation (7, 31.8%),
      hematological toxicity (5, 22.7%), allergy (1, 4.5%) and fever (5, 22.7%).
      CONCLUSION:   Cetuximab combined with chemotherapy for Chinese patients with
      advanced NSCLC had promising ORR, DCR, and PFS, especially in the first line
      subgroup. Serious adverse events had low incidence and were manageable.

PMID- 28920295
TI  - Selective nodal irradiation of regionally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
      with proton therapy and IMRT: A dosimetric comparison.
AB  - OBJECTIVES:   Evaluate the dosimetric impact of selective/elective nodal
      treatment with dose-escalated radiotherapy for regionally advanced non-small-cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) using proton therapy (PT) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy
      (IMRT). METHODS:   Five consecutive patients with regionally advanced NSCLC
      underwent treatment planning for high-dose involved-field (IF) treatment
      (positron emission tomography-positive gross disease) with or without
      selective/elective nodal irradiation, defined as the extended field (EF). Four
      treatment plans were developed for each patient: i) IMRT to treat IF to 74 Gy
      (IFrT); ii) IMRT to treat high-risk nodes to 44 Gy and IF to 74 Gy (EFrT); iii)
      PT to treat IF to 74CGE (IFpT); and iv) PT to treat high-risk nodes to 44CGE and
      IF to 74CGE (EFpT). High-risk nodes were defined as mediastinal, hilar, and
      supraclavicular lymph node stations adjacent to foci of PET-positive gross
      disease. The IMRT and PT plans were isoeffective. Dose to organs at risk (OARs),
      including the lung, esophagus, heart and spinal cord, were evaluated. RESULTS:  
      The average IF clinical target volume (CTV) was 397 cc (344-428), while the
      average EF CTV was 642 cc (530-753 cc). Comparing IMRT with PT, mean lung dose
      reduced 3.4 Gy/CGE and 3.7 Gy/CGE; lung V20 reduced 4% and 5% for EF and IF,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS:   Selective/elective nodal irradiation with protons
      reduces normal-lung exposure compared to selective/elective nodal irradiation
      with IMRT.

PMID- 28920296
TI  - Expression of nectin 3: Novel prognostic marker of lung adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   We investigated the prognostic significance of the immunoglobulin
      like cell adhesion molecule nectin-3, a regulator of the formation of adherens
      junctions, in human lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS:   Tumor-tissue samples of 127
      patients with surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma were used for analysis of
      the proteins expression by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:   Of the 127 patients,
      25% showed membranous expression of nectin-3, and others showed negative or
      cytoplasmic expression. Membranous expression of nectin-3 was found to be a
      prognostic factor for decreased overall survival on univariate analysis (P =
      0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analyses also revealed that
      membranous expression of nectin-3 turned out to be an independent prognostic
      factor (P = 0.048). Moreover, in tumors expressing membranous nectin-3, some
      tumors did not co-localize with E-cadherin, and the patients of such tumors
      showed poorer prognosis than other patients for overall survival on univariate
      analysis (P < 0.03). Conversely, membranous expression of nectin-3 with E
      cadherin co-localization was found to associate with good prognosis of patients.
      CONCLUSION:   Membranous expression of nectin-3 was an independent prognostic
      factor of lung adenocarcinoma, and it might play an important role in progression
      of the tumor.

PMID- 28920297
TI  - Clinical characteristics of patients with lung cancer and idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   To identify distinguishing characteristics between patients with
      lung cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF-CA) and patients with IPF
      alone in China. METHODS:   The medical records of 24 IPF-CA patients and 80 IPF
      patients admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from 1999 to
      2009 were reviewed. RESULTS:   The incidence of lung cancer in IPF patients in
      our study was 23.1% (24/104), and the percentage of patients who smoked in the
      IPF-CA group was higher than the IPF group (87.5% and 55.0%, respectively, P =
      0.004). Three symptoms, including productive cough, hemoptysis, and chest pain,
      were more common in IPF-CA patients than IPF alone patients. There was no
      significant difference in the percentage of patients with other abnormal serum
      tumor markers, except that the percentage of patients with abnormal neuron
      specific enolase was significantly higher in the IPF-CA group than in the IPF
      group (28.6% vs. 7.4%, P = 0.041). The most common histology type was
      adenocarcinoma (33.3%). The median overall survival for IPF-CA patients and IPF
      patients was 7.0 months (95% confidential interval (CI), 2.51-11.49) and 14.0
      months (95% CI, 1.26-26.74), respectively, with no significant difference (P =
      0.327). CONCLUSION:   Due to a high proportion of IPF cases complicated with lung
      cancer, physicians should closely observe lung cancer incidence during the IPF
      follow-up period. Individualized treatment for lung cancer patients with IPF is
      emphasized. Hence, it is important to ensure the safety of cancer treatments.

PMID- 28920298
TI  - Proton therapy for non-small cell lung cancer: Current evidence and future
      directions.
AB  - Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death
      worldwide. Radiation dose escalation can improve survival in NSCLC patients but
      is often limited by adverse effects. One promising radiotherapy modality is
      proton radiotherapy, which, because of its physical characteristics, delivers
      minimal exit dose beyond the target volume and thus results in better sparing of
      normal tissues than does photon radiotherapy. Passive-scattering proton therapy
      and intensity-modulated proton therapy have shown promise in the treatment of
      early-stage and locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. However, more
      studies are needed to optimize proton therapy, particularly intensity-modulated
      proton therapy, to address motion and density changes and to guide appropriate
      patient selection.

PMID- 28920299
TI  - Prognostic factors for survival in a Chinese population presenting with advanced
      non-small cell lung cancer with an emphasis on smoking status: A regional, single
      institution, retrospective analysis of 4552 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer ranks as the top of cancer-related mortality in the
      world. Approximately 85-90% of all lung cancer cases are non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC). For advanced NSCLC patients, the five-year survival rate is less
      than 5%. Previous studies have attempted to determine prognostic factors, such as
      smoking status, gender, ethnicity, age, and histological type. However, the
      results are controversial and conflict. In this study, we investigated prognostic
      factors in a Chinese population presenting with advanced NSCLC. METHODS: Medical
      records of patients with advanced NSCLC (AJCC Stage IIIB/IV) who received
      treatment at our institution were reviewed. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox
      Proportional Hazards model were performed in both univariate and multivariate
      analyses. RESULTS: A total of 4552 patients were entered. Among them, 1320
      (29.0%) were female, 2408 non-smokers (52.9%), and all had Eastern Cooperative
      Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status (PS) = 0/1. Univariate analysis
      suggested that female gender (P < 0.001), adenocarcinoma histology (P < 0.001),
      age <70 (P < 0.001), and non-smoker status (P < 0.001) were associated with
      better survival. However, multivariate analysis demonstrated that age (hazard
      ratio [HR]= 1.173, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.085-1.268, P < 0.001), smoking
      status (vs. non-smokers, HR = 1.212, 95% CI: 1.123-1.308, P < 0.001), and
      histological type (non-adenocarcinoma vs. adenocarcinoma, HR = 1.104, 95% CI:
      1.031-1.181, P = 0.004), but not gender, were independent prognostic factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: Smoking status, age, and histological type are independent
      prognostic factors in Chinese NSCLC patients presenting with advanced disease.
      Non-smoking status is associated with better overall survival in Chinese NSCLC
      patients.

PMID- 28920300
TI  - Prevalence, risk factors and survival of lung cancer in the idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors,
      and survival of lung cancer in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
      METHODS: IPF with lung cancer from tertiary hospitals consisted of 1685 patients
      who had been diagnosed between 2003 and 2007. We reviewed their medical records
      retrospectively to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and prognosis of lung
      cancer in IPF patients. RESULTS: Among all patients with IPF, 114 cases (6.8%)
      had lung cancer with IPF. The incidence of lung cancer in patients with IPF was
      1.03 persons per 100 person-year (25 patients/2408 years). Most cases of lung
      cancer (73/114, 68.9%) were located in IPF-associated areas; the lung cancer
      typically developed in peripheral and lower lobe areas. The study revealed that
      forced vital capacity (% predicted) at the initial diagnosis and development of
      lung cancer were independent prognostic factors in patients with IPF.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lung cancer in patients with IPF was significantly related with the
      IPF prognosis. An active evaluation should be performed in patients with IPF to
      detect lung cancer early.

PMID- 28920301
TI  - Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration of a lung mass via a transesophageal
      approach using endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscope.
AB  - Diagnostic accuracy, safety and minimal invasiveness are well established
      advantages of the endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) technique when used for lung
      cancer staging. Combining it with transesophageal ultrasound can offer complete
      mediastinal staging, extending the reach of this technique to lymph node stations
      that are inaccessible even by mediastinoscopy. Traditionally this has been
      achieved by arranging a bronchoscopist and gastroenterologist to perform the
      procedure on two separate occasions using two separate expensive systems.
      Performing the procedure with a single physician (pulmonologist) using a single
      scope offers logistical advantages. For this reason, the practice of fine needle
      aspiration (FNA) via both the transbronchial and transesophageal approach by a
      pulmonologist using the single EBUS scope has emerged and is likely to grow and
      become widely accepted in future. The present case reports illustrate the
      additional applicability of allowing direct puncture of a lung mass using
      transesophageal FNA done by a pulmonologist using a single EBUS scope as a part
      of the combined approach.

PMID- 28920302
TI  - Non-conventional radiotherapy versus conventional radiotherapy for inoperable non
      small-cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      non-conventional radiotherapy versus conventional radiotherapy for inoperable non
      small-cell lung cancer and to conduct a meta-analysis to compare these two
      methods of radiotherapy for inoperable NSCLC. METHODS:   We included randomized
      controlled trials, which were compared with non-conventional radiotherapy with or
      without concurrent chemotherapy versus conventional radiotherapy with or without
      concurrent chemotherapy. RESULTS:   Meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled
      trials with a total of 2206 patients showed that the non-conventional
      radiotherapy group could significantly improve the objective response rate (OR
      1.68, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.19-2.37) and overall survival of up to 1
      year (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.09-1.54), 2-year (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.17-1.70), 3-year (OR
      1.55, 95% CI 1.24-1.94), 4-year (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.20-2.15), 5-year (OR 1.63, 95%
      CI 1.11-2.38); and local control rate in 1-year (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.09-1.68), 2
      year (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.23-1.99), 3-year (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.10-1.91) compared
      with the conventional radiotherapy group. With regard to the side effects, non
      conventional radiotherapy was more likely to result in level III and IV
      radioactive esophagitis (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.09-2.46), but there was no significant
      difference in the incidence of radioactive pneumonitis (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.67
      1.39). In the subgroup analysis we found late course accelerated
      hyperfractionated radiotherapy (LCHRT) could obviously improve 1-year OS (OR
      2.29, 95% CI 1.29-4.06), 2-year OS (OR 4.22, 95% CI 2.03-8.77), 3-year OS (OR
      2.49, 95% CI 1.24-5.02) and Objective response rate (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.17-4.83).
      However, hyperfractionated radiotherapy (HRT) and accelerated hyperfractionated
      radiotherapy (AHRT) could not improve 1-, 2-, 3-year OS or OR compared with
      conventional fractionation radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS:   Our findings indicate
      that NCRT could improve OR, reduce the risk of death by 1-5 years, and
      significantly increase level III and IV radioactive esophagitis incidence. The
      late course accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy (LCAHRT) group seemed to
      improve compared with the AHRT and conventional radiotherapy (CRT) groups.

PMID- 28920303
TI  - Proportion and characteristics of transient nodules in a retrospective analysis
      of pulmonary nodules.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Pulmonary nodules manifest as pure or mixed ground glass opacities
      (GGOs), or solid nodules. METHODS:   We retrospectively surveyed 317 cases with
      pulmonary nodules to observe the proportion and predictive factors of transient
      lesions in patients with pulmonary nodules. RESULTS:   At the initial computed
      tomography scan, 63.7% showed solid nodules, while 20.2% had mixed GGOs and 16.1%
      of cases manifested as pure GGOs. Nodules from 114 cases (36%) disappeared or
      decreased in size during follow up, while in 203 cases (64%), they did not change
      or became enlarged. During follow up, more than half of the GGOs resolved (66.7%
      in pure GGOs, 54.7% in mixed GGOs), while only 22.3% of solid nodules resolved.
      Between transient and persistent pulmonary nodules, significant differences were
      observed in age, gender, smoking history, presence of eosinophilia, size, and
      radiologic attenuation of nodules (solid or GGO). In multivariate analysis, age
      (<=55 years), size of nodules (>15 mm), eosinophilia, and GGO were significant
      independent predictors of transient nodules. The main causes of transient nodules
      were pneumonia or eosinophilic pulmonary infiltrates. CONCLUSION:   Thirty-six
      percent of pulmonary nodules resolved spontaneously or with medical treatment.
      Transient nodules showed different clinical and radiological characteristics from
      persistent nodules.

PMID- 28920304
TI  - EBUS and EUS guided fine needle aspirations for molecular diagnostic analysis in
      lung cancer.
AB  - In daily clinical practice the diagnosis of lung cancer is often based on
      cytological specimens. These cytological samples are increasingly obtained by
      ultrasound-guided techniques with fine needle aspirations. Recent developments
      have shown that transesophageal ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (EUS
      FNA) and endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial fine needle aspiration
      (EBUS-TBNA) are minimally invasive diagnostic and staging procedures that have
      shown to be highly sensitive and accurate. Although several studies have shown
      that these cytological samples allow for reliable diagnosis and sub
      classification of non-small cell lung cancer, cytological samples for molecular
      analysis are not yet routinely used. In this paper we review the current
      literature regarding the results of molecular analysis of samples obtained by EUS
      FNA and/or EBUS-TBNA, focusing on the targets for currently available treatments
      of non-small cell lung cancer like epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR),
      Kirsten rat sarcoma oncogene (KRAS) and Echinoderm microtubule-associated protein
      like 4 gene anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene translocation (EML4-ALK). We conclude
      that the cytological samples obtained by endosonography guided fine needle
      aspirations (EUS and EBUS) are highly accurate for molecular analysis. This
      analysis can be performed reliably in the vast majority of patients in daily
      practice.

PMID- 28920305
TI  - Low-dose endostatin normalizes the structure and function of tumor vasculature
      and improves the delivery and anti-tumor efficacy of cytotoxic drugs in a lung
      cancer xenograft murine model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION:   To some extent endostatin normalizes tumor vasculature. However,
      the optimum time window and optimum drug dose for tumor vascular normalization
      need to be explored. Here we investigate the effect of low-dose endostatin on the
      structure and function of tumor vasculature and the delivery and anti-tumor
      efficacy of cytotoxic drugs. METHODS:   A lung cancer xenograft murine model was
      treated with low-dose endostatin for 10 days. The structure and function of the
      tumor vasculature were evaluated using various techniques. Paclitaxel was added
      in different schedules. RESULTS:   Endostatin caused a significant reduction in
      microvessel density. Tumor vascular walls after endostatin treatment were better
      structured. Tumor blood perfusion was increased on day six after endostatin
      administration. On days three, six, and 10, Evans blue extravasation into the
      parenchyma of tumors was decreased. On days three and six, endostatin-treated
      mice had greater paclitaxel delivery. The time window of vascular normalization
      was approximately three to six days. On days one to three, and days four to six,
      combined therapy with paclitaxel significantly inhibited tumor growth.
      CONCLUSIONS:   Low-dose endostatin aids normalization of tumor vasculature. This
      resulted in improved delivery of cytotoxic drugs to the tumor, which closely
      correlates with synergistic efficacy when combined with paclitaxel during the
      normalization window.

PMID- 28920306
TI  - Comparison of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation analysis results between
      surgically resected primary lung cancer and metastatic lymph nodes obtained by
      endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Lung cancers with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor
      (EGFR) gene respond well to treatment with EGFR inhibitors. Endobronchial
      ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is considered a
      useful modality to obtain samples from the mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes.
      However, the EGFR gene status of EBUS-TBNA samples may not always match that of
      primary tumors. METHODS:   In 14 node-positive patients diagnosed by EBUS-TBNA,
      EGFR mutation analysis results were compared between EBUS-TBNA samples and
      surgically removed primary tumors. EGFR mutation was screened with peptide
      nucleic acid-locked nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction (PNA-LNA PCR) clamp
      followed by direct sequence analysis. For one controversial case, gene mutation
      analyses were performed for the multiple micro-fractions of a metastatic lymph
      node, which exhibited the heterogeneous immunohistochemical features. RESULTS:  
      EBUS-TBNA diagnosed one case of exon 21 point mutations, one case of exon 19
      deletion, and 12 cases of wild-type EGFR. Results were consistent with those of
      surgically removed primary tumors in 13 of 14 cases. One case of wild-type EGFR
      diagnosed by EBUS-TBNA exhibited exon 21 point mutation in the surgically removed
      primary tumor. The metastatic lymph node targeted by EBUS-TBNA mostly consisted
      of cancer cells with wild-type EGFR; however, a minor component positive for
      thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) and surfactant-associated protein A (PE
      10) exhibited EGFR mutation. CONCLUSION:   The combination of EBUS-TBNA and PNA
      LNA clamp is useful for EGFR mutation analysis. However, EGFR mutation status in
      EBUS-TBNA samples may not be consistent with that of the primary tumor when the
      tumor contains few EGFR mutations.

PMID- 28920307
TI  - The association between polymorphisms in the DNA nucleotide excision repair genes
      and RRM1 gene and lung cancer risk.
AB  - Background  Although numerous studies have investigated the association between
      DNA repair gene variants and lung cancer risk, the results remain inconclusive
      and incomplete. Methods  We examined variants in seven nucleotide excision repair
      (NER) and RRM1 genes in association with primary lung cancer risk among 385
      patients with newly diagnosed primary non-small cell lung cancer and 208 cancer
      free controls collected from 2007 to 2009 in east China. The relationship between
      single nucleotide polymorphisms and risk of lung cancer was assessed by logistic
      regression and stratification analysis. Results  The rs17655GG (ERCC5) and
      rs5744751CT (POLE) were associated with increased risk of lung cancer (adjusted
      odds ratio [OR], 2.32, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-3.83; adjusted OR,
      2.84, 95% CI, 1.70-4.74]. In stratification analysis, we found the increased
      effect of rs17655GG on the risk of lung cancer was observed among female, older
      subjects, or non-smokers. The heterozygote computed tomography (CT) of rs5744751
      had a stronger unprotective effect on lung cancer among male, older subjects, or
      heavy smokers. Conclusion  These results suggest that rs17655GG and rs5744751CT
      may be associated with lung cancer susceptibility in the Chinese population.
      However, these findings still need to be verified in larger confirmatory studies.

PMID- 28920308
TI  - Screening and identification of lung cancer metastasis-related genes by
      suppression subtractive hybridization.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:   Lung cancer metastasis is a complicated process in
      which multiple stages and multiple genes are involved. There is an urgent need to
      use new molecular biology techniques to get more systematic information and have
      a general idea of the molecular events that take place in lung cancer metastasis.
      The object of this study was to construct the subtracted cDNA libraries of
      different metastatic potential lung cancer cell lines, NL9980 and L9981, which
      were established and screened from human lung large cell carcinoma cell line,
      WCQH-9801. METHOD:   The forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries were
      constructed in the large cell lung cancer cell lines NL9980 and L9981 with the
      same heredity background but different metastatic potential, by suppression
      subtractive hybridization (SSH). The positive clones were preliminarily screened
      by blue-white colony and precisely identified by PCR. The forward and reverse
      subtracted libraries were screened and identified by dot blot so as to obtain the
      clones corresponding to gene segments with differential expression. DNA
      sequencing was performed to analyze the sequences of differential expression
      segments, which were then searched and compared using the Basic Local Alignment
      Search Tool from The National Center for Biotechnology Information NCBI BLAST
      tools. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT
      PCR) and western blotting were performed to confirm the differential expressed
      genes both on RNA and protein levels. RESULTS:   The forward and reverse
      subtracted cDNA libraries of the different large cell lung cancer cell lines with
      metastatic potential were successfully constructed. With blue-white colony and
      dot blot, 307 positive clones in the forward subtracted library and 78 positive
      clones in the reverse subtracted library were obtained. Fifty-five clones were
      successfully sequenced in the forward subtracted library while 31 clones were
      successfully sequenced in the reverse subtracted library. One new expressed
      sequence tag (EST) segment was identified from the reverse subtracted cDNA
      library and was successfully submitted to GenBank and embodied by GenBank. For
      the differentially expressed genes between L9981 and NL9980 screened by SSH, four
      genes, ANXA2, KRT18, ACTG1 was upregulated in L9981 cells compared to NL9980
      cells. Annexin A2 (which was encoded by ANXA2), gamma-actin (which was encoded by
      ACTG1), and aldose reductase (which was encoded by AKR1B1) proteins were
      upregulated in L9981 cells compared to NL9980 cells by western blotting.
      CONCLUSION:   The forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries of different
      metastatic potential large cell lung cancer cell lines were successfully
      constructed by SSH. A series of genes have been screened out to have
      significantly different expression levels between lung cancer cell lines NL9980
      and L9981. A new EST segment that may represent a new metastasis-related gene has
      been identified. Consistent with the result of SSH, both quantitative real-time
      RT-PCR and western Blotting confirmed the upregulation of ANXA2, ACTG1 and AKR1B1
      in lung cancer cell line L9981 compared with NL9980. These three genes may play
      important roles in lung cancer metastasis.

PMID- 28920309
TI  - Association between the ATF3 gene and non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for ~85% of all cases
      of lung cancer and has a poor prognosis. Activating transcription factor 3
      (ATF3), a member of the ATF/cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element
      binding (ATF/cyclic response element binding) family of transcription factors,
      has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several types of cancer. However,
      whether the expression of ATF3 is aberrant in NSCLC and genetic variants, or DNA
      methylation of the gene contributes to the tumorigenesis of NSCLC, are largely
      unknown. METHODS:   The expression of ATF3 in four NSCLC cell lines and normal
      human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEpiC) line was detected by Western blot
      analysis. The mutation of the 5'-flanking 1500-bp and coding sequence regions of
      the ATF3 gene were screened using DNA direct sequencing, and bisulfite-sodium
      modification sequencing was used to detect the promoter methylation status of the
      gene. RESULTS:   up-regulated expression of ATF3 was observed in NSCLC cell
      lines, and there was no difference in the sequence regions of the ATF3 gene
      between NSCLC cells and HBEpiC cells, which were validated in lung cancer tissues
      and their corresponding paracarcinoma tissues. CONCLUSION:   Our findings suggest
      that the tumorigenesis of NSCLC may particularly attribute to increased
      expression of ATF3 but not the genetic variants of the gene.

PMID- 28920310
TI  - The 12th National Lung Cancer Academic Conference in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   The 12th National Lung Cancer Academic Conference was held in Wu
      Han, China in 2011. METHODS:   The content of the conference involved recent
      research achievements and progress in the field of lung cancer, including the
      epidemiology of lung cancer and molecules, new methods and technology for early
      screening, molecular biology, pharmacogenomics, pathological and medical imaging,
      "individual therapy" based on molecular markers, surgery, radiation therapy,
      chemical treatment, and molecular target therapy. The theme of the Conference was
      "A focus on the quality of life of lung cancer patients in order to optimize
      individual treatment therapy." RESULTS:   Many highly-respected domestic and
      foreign lung cancer expert specialists reported the latest achievements of their
      original clinical multi-center studies and clinical convert research work, as
      well as their prospective study results in the field of lung cancer basic and
      clinical research, including the complete revelation of lung cancer basic
      research in China, the latest results in clinical transformation, clinical
      treatment experience, and scientific research achievements. CONCLUSION:   The
      conference substantially influenced China's future basic and clinical research on
      lung cancer, and contributed to the improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic
      levels on lung cancer in China.

PMID- 28920311
TI  - Prognostic impact of cell type under the seventh TNM staging system in resected
      non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES:   We retrospectively investigated whether histological cell type
      could affect patient prognosis for each stage according to the seventh edition of
      the TNM classification. PATIENTS AND METHODS:   Clinical records of 1623
      consecutive non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent surgery between
      1990 and 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. Over 92% of these patients had
      either adenocarcinoma (Ad; n = 1043, 64.3%) or squamous cell carcinoma (Sq; n =
      452, 27.9%). RESULTS:   The overall 5-year survival rates for patients of all
      stages with Ad, Sq, large cell carcinoma (La), and adenosquamous cell carcinoma
      (As) were 67%, 56%, 58%, and 41%, respectively. Ad patients experienced better
      survival than Sq, As, or La patients (HR: 0.66, P < 0.0001; HR: 0.38, P = 0.011;
      HR: 0.69, P = 0.057, respectively). Stage IA Ad patients experienced better
      survival than stage IA Sq patients (5-year survival; Ad/Sq = 91%/78%, log-rank
      test, P = 0.001). Such a difference was also observed among seventh-edition TNM
      stage IB patients (5-year survival; Ad/Sq = 78%/64%, log-rank test, P = 0.048),
      but not for sixth-edition stage IB patients. Multivariate analysis demonstrated
      that histological cell type is a significant prognostic factor among stage I >=
      T1b Ad and Sq patients. CONCLUSIONS:   Survival after complete resection of new
      stage I >= T1b Sq patients is significantly worse than that of Ad patients, which
      could be partially attributed to stage migration effect in stage IB disease
      between the sixth and seventh editions of the TNM staging system.

PMID- 28920312
TI  - Solitary rectal metastasis from primary small cell lung carcinoma.
AB  - Lung cancer may rarely appear with a solitary rectal metastasis and no other
      metastases. We report the first case of primary small cell lung cancer presenting
      with a solitary rectal metastasis in a 62-year-old man. Chest computed tomography
      revealed a soft tissue lesion in the subcarinal area. Following bronchoscopic
      biopsy, the patient was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. The rectal mass
      was incidentally found during an imaging study for staging work-up. Histological
      examination revealed that the rectal mass was consistent with metastasis from
      small cell lung cancer. We suggest that clinicians should consider the
      possibility of rectal metastasis in small cell lung cancer patients with rectal
      masses.

PMID- 28920313
TI  - Prognostic value of metabolic volume measured by F-18 FDG PET-CT in patients with
      esophageal cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE:   The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the metabolic
      tumor volume (MTV) measured by F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission
      tomography (FDG PET-CT) in predicting recurrence free survival (RFS) in patients
      with esophageal cancer. METHODS:   Forty-five patients with squamous cell
      carcinoma, who had undergone whole-body F-18 FDG PET-CT scans before surgical
      resection, were included in this study. All patients were treated with Ivor-Lewis
      esophagectomy. The MTV was quantified within the primary tumor using the 50%
      threshold of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax ) of the FDG uptake
      areas. The cutoff value of MTV50 was determined through receiver-operating
      characteristic curve. The Kaplan Meier method was used to find out the
      relationship between RFS and MTV50 . Univariate analysis and multivariate
      proportional hazards regression analysis were applied to test the significance of
      volumetric parameter of F-18 FDG PET-CT and other conventional prognostic factors
      for the prediction of RFS. RESULTS:   Overall median follow up period was 17.87
      months (range: 1.07-63.27 months). The median survival between treatment
      completion and recurrence was 15.5 months (range: 1.37-72.43 months). Recurrence
      was found in eight patients. On univariate analysis, MTV50 (P = 0.0032), N stage
      (P = 0.0004), American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (P = 0.0101), tumor
      location (P = 0.0054) and adjuvant treatment (P = 0.0373) were significant
      predictors of RFS. Multivariate analysis showed that the independent prognostic
      factors were MTV50 (P = 0.0465), N stage (P = 0.0303) and tumor location (P =
      0.0270). CONCLUSION:   Volume based parameter of F-18 FDG PET-CT may have a role
      in providing prognostic information in esophageal cancer patients who received
      esophagectomy.

PMID- 28920314
TI  - Lung cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2008.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   To provide cancer statistics to health planners, researchers, and
      the public, we reported the incidence and mortality data of lung cancer in 2008
      in Chinese registration areas by age, sex, and geographic area. METHODS:   In
      2011, 56 population-based cancer registries reported the lung cancer incidence
      and mortality data of 2008 to the Chinese National Central Cancer Registry. Forty
      one registries' data met the national criteria. The crude incidence and mortality
      rates of lung cancer were calculated by age, gender, and area. Age-standardized
      rates were calculated using the Chinese and World populations. RESULTS:   The
      crude incidence rate for lung cancer was 54.75/100 000 (73.12/100 000 for male
      and 36.08/100 000 for female; 57.96/100 000 in urban and 42.80/100 000 in rural).
      Age-standardized rates by China population (CASR) and World population (WASR) for
      incidence were 24.98/100 000 and 34.07/100 000, respectively. The crude mortality
      rate for lung cancer was 46.07/100 000 (62.47/100 000 for male and 29.39/100 000
      for female; 48.76/100 000 in urban and 36.03/100 000 in rural). The CASR and WASR
      for mortality were 20.09/100 000 and 27.68/100 000, respectively. Both for
      incidence and mortality, the rates for lung cancer were higher in males than in
      females, and in urban areas than in rural areas. The overall age-specific
      incidence and mortality rates showed that both rates were relatively low up to 35
      years of age, but dramatically increased from such age, reaching a peak with
      subjects of 80-84 years old. CONCLUSION:   The burden of lung cancer remains high
      in China, especially for males in urban areas. Effective intervention, such as
      smoking control, should be enhanced in the future.

PMID- 28920315
TI  - Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery versus posterolateral thoracotomy lobectomy:
      A more patient-friendly approach on postoperative pain, pulmonary function and
      shoulder function.
AB  - We evaluated the physiological benefits following video-assisted thoracoscopic
      surgery (VATS) lobectomy or posterolateral thoracotomy (PLT) lobectomy for lung
      cancer patients. One hundred and three patients were included in this study, who
      underwent either a VATS approach (n= 51) or a PLT approach (n= 52) lobectomy for
      clinical stage I lung cancer. Pain scores were measured preoperatively and on
      postoperative day (POD) one, three, seven, 30, and 90, by using a visual analog
      scale. Pulmonary function and shoulder function were measured preoperatively and
      on POD seven, 30 and 90 by using a portable spirometer and by the American
      Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) standardized shoulder assessment form,
      respectively. Postoperative pain was experienced less in the VATS group than in
      the PLT group on POD one, three, seven, 30, and 90 (P= 0.060, 0.055, 0.000,
      0.000, 0.000, respectively). Analgesic requirements were significantly less in
      the VATS group than in the PLT group during hospital stay (90.2 +/- 60.8 mg vs.
      119.2 +/- 70.8 mg, P= 0.028). The pain score returned to the preoperative
      reference level on POD seven in the VATS group, but not until POD 30 in the PLT
      group. The recovery of forced vital capacity (FVC) was statistically better in
      the VATS group on POD seven, postoperative month (POM) one, and POM three (P=
      0.000, 0.000, 0.002, respectively). The recovery of forced expiratory volume in 1
      second (FEV1) was better in the VATS group, but the differences were not
      significant. The shoulder function in the VATS group was significantly well
      preserved on POD seven, 30 and 90, compared with the PLT group. Lobectomy by the
      VATS approach generates less pain, and preserves better pulmonary function and
      shoulder function in the early postoperative phase.

PMID- 28920317
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasound bronchoscope-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-B-FNA).

PMID- 28920316
TI  - Angiopoietin 2 levels in serum and bronchial lavage fluids and their relationship
      with cancer stages in lung cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2) has an important role in tumor angiogenesis.
      In this study, Ang-2 levels of serum and bronchioloalveolar lavage fluids (BALF)
      in patients with lung cancer were measured and correlated with clinical and
      biochemical parameters. METHODS: Thirty-five cases newly diagnosed with lung
      cancer and 18 controls with non-cancerous lung diseases were included in the
      study. Tumor histology, staging, metastasis, tumor markers, biochemical and
      clinical parameters were all recorded. RESULTS: Serum Ang-2 levels were
      significantly higher in the lung cancer group compared to the control (lung
      cancer median: 2.42 ng/mL [2.19-2.98], control 0.67 [0.31-1.10]; P < 0.001),
      whereas Ang-2 levels in BALF were lower in the lung cancer group compared to the
      control (lung cancer median 0.41 ng/mL [0.22-0.79], control 0.67 [0.46-1.03]; P =
      0.02). In the cancer group, higher serum Ang-2 levels (r = 0.52, P < 0.001) were
      associated with the stage of cancer. No significant correlation was observed
      between BALF Ang-2 levels and non-small cell lung cancer stages and small-cell
      lung cancer advanced stage (P = 0.793, r = 0.07). Serum Ang-2 levels were
      significantly higher in distant metastasis (M1) versus no distant metastasis (M0)
      (M1: 2.57 ng/mL [2.38-2.87], M0: 2.22 [1.49-2.40], P = 0.01). No significant
      correlation was observed between BALF Ang-2 levels and M1 (r = 0.11, P = 0.53).
      CONCLUSIONS: Serum Ang-2 levels were significantly higher in lung cancer patients
      and positive correlations were observed between serum Ang-2, tumor stage, and
      metastasis.

PMID- 28920318
TI  - A thoracic surgeon's perspective on the elastofibroma dorsi: A benign tumor of
      the deep infrascapular region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An elastofibroma is a benign, soft-tissue tumor and is important in
      the differential diagnosis of thoracic wall masses. Here, patients with
      elastofibromas who underwent thoracic surgery were retrospectively reviewed to
      elucidate elastofibroma formation and to facilitate the differential diagnosis.
      METHODS: This is a retrospective and descriptive study of a series of 30 patients
      with elastofibroma dorsi. The data was obtained by review of the hospital
      records. RESULTS: There were 27 female and three male patients (mean age, 55.13
      +/- 8.7 years) with a total of 42 elastofibroma dorsi tumors (12 bilateral cases,
      18 unilateral cases) diagnosed between January 2004 and October 2011. Twenty
      patients (67%) underwent surgery as a result of subscapular swelling and pain. In
      10 (33%) asymptomatic patients, elastofibromas were found incidentally during a
      thoracotomy. Imaging methods in symptomatic patients included computerized
      tomography (15 cases), magnetic resonance (three), and ultrasonography (two). For
      five patients, fluorodeoxyglucose uptake values were available and revealed mild
      metabolic activity in the elastofibromas. Elastofibromas were significantly
      larger in symptomatic patients (8.15 +/- 1.9 vs. 6.2 +/- 2.3; P= 0.02). Exposure
      to long-term repetitive micro-trauma was a precipitating factor in 23 (77%)
      patients. Seroma formation, the most common surgical complication, was observed
      in 40% of patients. CONCLUSION: The differential diagnosis of elastofibroma dorsi
      is straightforward, and preoperative histology is unnecessary when the clinical,
      radiological, and metabolic characteristics are known. Repetitive micro-trauma
      may predispose to hyperproliferation of fibroelastic tissue, and genetics may
      also play a role. Surgical treatment can be reserved for cases with severe
      symptoms.

PMID- 28920319
TI  - Diagnostic value of autofluorescence bronchoscopy in lung cancer.
AB  - The role of autofluorescence bronchoscopy (AFB) was primarily investigated in
      regard to the detection of precancerous lesions of bronchial mucosa. Most of the
      results confirmed higher sensitivity for the detection of precancerous bronchial
      lesions, when compared to white light bronchoscopy (WLB) alone. However, it is
      commonly known that the specificity of AFB remains low. Our findings agree in
      terms of the detection of premalignant bronchial lesions and early lung cancer,
      but regarding the detection of synchronous lesions or in the evaluation of lung
      cancer extension, the specificity of AFB is significantly higher. There is still
      an ongoing debate in the scientific community whether or not autofluorescence
      should be used as a screening tool for lung cancer. Results of the majority of
      published series did not support the general use of AFB as a screening tool for
      lung cancer; however, these results suggest its use in groups of patients with a
      high risk of lung cancer. Despite this, some authors still do not recommend its
      use even in high-risk cases. In recent years, the indications for AFB have been
      widening and this tool may find its place in routine bronchoscopy. With new
      indications for AFB, such as the evaluation of tumor extension or follow up after
      surgical resection, bronchoscopists may make use of this tool more often. A sharp
      learning curve and a clear distinction between healthy and pathologically altered
      mucosa make this technology acceptable for inexperienced bronchoscopists. We also
      investigate new hardware and software improvements in AFB. The addition of
      backscattered light analysis, ultraviolet spectra, fluorescence-reflectance or
      dual digital systems could improve the diagnostic yield of this technology.

PMID- 28920320
TI  - Fistula to the native esophagus after pharyngogastrostomy for malignant disease:
      A rare phenomenon in esophageal surgery.
AB  - This article features the case study of a 32-year-old female patient who had
      undergone surgery to remove a cervical spine tumor and who later developed
      cervical esophagus necrosis secondary to the erosion caused by an osteosynthesis
      13 years after her prosthetic cervical surgery. Barium swallow did not show
      anything abnormal, but after an emergency spiral computerized axial tomography
      (CAT) scan, a paravertebral abscess was found, along with displacement of the
      fixation plate and the disappearance of the esophageal silhouette on coronal
      sections. The patient underwent surgery to drain the abscess, extract the
      osteosynthesis materials and the stabilization plates, and to perform a temporary
      esophageal exclusion. Two months after this surgery the esophagus was
      reconstructed by performing a retrosternal pharyngogastrostomy without resection
      of the remaining cervicothoracic esophagus due to severe fibrosis and the absence
      of local recurrence. During the immediate post operatory period the patient
      developed a cervical fistula and after a month of conservative treatment, severe
      dysphagia was observed. Imaging tests showed a spontaneous fistula from the
      pharynx to the native esophagus, which prompted extraordinary treatment.
      Therefore, a jejunal loop was taken to the esophagus in the hiatus with a Roux-en
      Y anastomosis to resolve this condition.

PMID- 28920321
TI  - Safety and efficacy of paclitaxel liposome for elderly patients with advanced non
      small cell lung cancer: A multi-center prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Lung cancer in elderly patients poses an increasingly challenge for
      oncologists. The optimal treatment needs to be explored. The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the novel form of paclitaxel
      liposome for elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS:  
      This multi-center prospective trial recruited patients aged at least 70 years
      with advanced or recurrent NSCLC. Eligibility criteria included presence of
      measurable lesions, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0
      2, as well as adequate organ function. Patients received paclitaxel liposome at
      the escalating dose of 135 mg/m2 , 150 mg/m2 and 175 mg/m2 every three weeks.
      RESULTS:   Forty-two patients were enrolled with a median age of 73 years (range
      70-81). No complete response was observed. Partial response was obtained in 6.7%,
      14.2% and 7.7% of patients, and 13.3%, 42.9% and 38.5% had stable disease from
      the three dose groups. In these groups, 26.7%, 21.4% and 25% of patients
      experienced grade 3-4 neutropenia. Time to progression was 1.2 months (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.1-1.3 months), 1.2 months (95% CI, 0.9-1.3 months)
      and 1.9 months (95% CI, 1.4-2.3 months), respectively. Overall survival in the
      dose group of 135 mg/m2 was 4.9 months (95%CI, 1.0-11.5 months) and was not
      reached in the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS:   Paclitaxel liposome administered
      at the dose of 150 mg/m2 every three weeks was the safest and most effective of
      the three dose levels. However, the treatment achieved only mild effects. It was
      unnecessary to conduct further phase III randomized trials on this topic.

PMID- 28920322
TI  - Treatment for recurrence after extrapleural pneumonectomy for malignant pleural
      mesothelioma: A single institution experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a relatively rare,
      aggressive neoplasm associated with asbestos exposure. Extrapleural pneumonectomy
      (EPP) is often performed for resectable MPM as part of a multidisciplinary
      treatment; however, available data on treatments for recurrence after EPP are
      limited. METHODS:   The clinical records of consecutive MPM patients who
      underwent EPP at our institution from 2001 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed.
      There were 10 patients who underwent EPP with or without perioperative
      chemotherapy; of these, recurrence was observed in eight patients. RESULTS:   The
      overall median survival time and time to recurrence were 49.6 months and 15.4
      months, respectively, after EPP. The first recurrence occurred within the
      ipsilateral thorax in four patients. These patients all underwent local
      treatments for their recurrence, including surgery or radiotherapy and with or
      without systemic chemotherapy. Other first recurrences were seen in the
      peritoneal space of two patients and in the contralateral lung of two patients.
      These patients received platinum-based systemic chemotherapy for their
      recurrence. The median survival time after the first recurrence was 17.8 months,
      and the 2-year survival rate was 23.4%. CONCLUSIONS:   Most patients who
      underwent EPP developed tumor recurrences. Direct tumor extension may be a major
      mechanism of recurrence. Aggressive treatment for recurrent MPM after EPP,
      including locoregional control and/or systemic chemotherapy, was important for
      achieving long-term survival.

PMID- 28920323
TI  - nm23-H1 gene driven by hTERT promoter induces inhibition of invasive phenotype
      and metastasis of lung cancer xenograft in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and
      women worldwide. Tumor metastasis is an essential aspect of lung cancer
      progression and patient death. The nm23-H1 gene has been extensively investigated
      as a metastasis suppressor gene. Our previous studies have revealed: that a
      significant relationship exists between the low-level expression nm23-H1 in
      primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with increased metastasis and a poor
      prognosis; that L9981-nm23-H1 cells (a nm23-H1 transfactant cell) exhibited lower
      cell proliferation rates, more G0/G1 phase growth, and an increase in apoptosis
      with a dramatic decrease in the tumor cells' ability to invade than L9981 cells
      did; and that L9981- nm23-H1 cells also demonstrated a significantly reduced
      lymph node and distant metastatic capacity in vivo than L9981 cells did in nude
      mice. METHODS: In this study, we construct a plasmid containing the nm23-H1 gene,
      which was driven by the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter.
      We evaluated the anti-invasion and anti-metastatic effects of pGL3-hTP-nm23 on
      L9981, a human large cell lung cancer cell line with nm23-H1 negative expression,
      by transwell assay in vitro and bioluminescence in nude mice models. The toxicity
      of pGL3-hTP-nm23 and its effects on tumor growth were evaluated in nude mice
      models after gene therapy. The cell cycles, apoptosis, and proliferation of the
      nm23-H1 transfactant were also detected by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay) and flow cytometry (FCM). RESULTS: The
      results showed that the hTERT-promoter dramatically drives nm23-H1 gene
      expression, and induces inhibition of cell growth and migration in L9981-luc
      cells and MRC-5 cells in vitro. nm23-H1 also significantly inhibited the
      tumorigenesis and distant metastasis of L9981-luc cell in vivo. Moreover, no
      obvious side effect was detected in normal mouse tissues after intratumoral
      injection of the vector. CONCLUSION: The treatment of the nm23-H1 gene driven by
      hTERT promoter appears to be a promising approach for the gene therapy of nm23-H1
      low-expressed tumors.

PMID- 28920324
TI  - Unique case of combined stage Ia atypical carcinoid, large cell neuroendocrine
      carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the lung.

PMID- 28920325
TI  - Influence of patient characteristics on survival following treatment with helical
      stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND:   To determine the influence of patient and tumor characteristics on
      clinical outcomes in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      treated with helical intensity modulated stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).
      METHODS:   From March 2005 to August 2010 a total of 62 patients with biopsy
      proven Stage I NSCLC underwent helical SBRT with 48 Gy in 4 fractions or 60 Gy in
      5 fractions. Patient and tumor characteristics including tumor stage, age, sex,
      tumor histology, maximal tumor diameter, and smoking history, were evaluated in
      regard to local control and overall survival using Kaplan-Meier survival curves
      and the Cox proportional hazard method. Treatment related toxicity in the patient
      subgroups was evaluated. RESULTS:   The median follow-up was 28 months. Total
      cohort local control was 93.55% and 3-year overall survival (OS) was 53.4%. Those
      patients with Stage IA disease had a 3-year OS of 64.4% versus 32.1% for Stage IB
      disease (P = 0.042). Tumors classified as T1a (<=20 mm) and T1b (20-30 mm) had
      significantly increased overall survival compared to T2 (>30 mm) tumors (P =
      0.046). There was a slight survival advantage in those patients with
      adenocarcinoma. No correlation between age, gender or smoking history, and
      overall survival was found. Nine patients had radiation related toxicity, which
      was increasingly more common with advancing age. CONCLUSION:   Helical SBRT is an
      effective method to treat NSCLC and the most significant prognostic factors were
      tumor stage and size. There was no correlation between age, gender, and smoking
      history.

PMID- 28920326
TI  - Management of malignant pleural effusion: Options and recommended approaches.
AB  - There is no consensus on the best management of symptomatic malignant pleural
      effusion. Drainage with a small bore pleural catheter is preferred over a wide
      bore catheter or recurrent pleural aspiration in patients with symptomatic
      malignant pleural effusion, for equivalent efficacy and patient comfort. If
      resources allow, chemical pleurodesis under thoracoscopy, with talc as
      sclerosant, is preferred for fully expanded lung over bedside chemical
      pleurodesis in fit patients. A chronic indwelling catheter is an alternative.
      Controversy exists over the use of chemical pleurodesis or a long term indwelling
      catheter as the first line management of choice of malignant pleural effusion.
      Pleural effusion in the entrapped lung scenario is a problematic situation.
      Pleuroperitoneal shunting or decortication procedures are out of favor as they
      are more invasive and present more complications. Management algorithm is
      recommended based on the current data.

PMID- 28920327
TI  - Anterior mediastinal cystic seminoma.
AB  - Mediastinal cystic seminoma is uncommon; only 17 cases have been reported, most
      diagnosed postoperatively, without recurrence on follow-up, even without
      radiotherapy. Here, we report a mediastinal seminoma showing a unilocular cyst
      with enhancing thickened wall in computed tomography (CT) and septal structures
      in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a 24-year-old man. Fluorodeoxyglucose
      (FDG) uptake was not significant. Histopathologically, seminoma cells were found
      scattered in the cyst wall. Twenty months after resection, the patient's quality
      of life is good, without chemotherapy or radiation. Cystic seminoma has a good
      prognosis and complete resection without adjuvant therapy might be sufficient for
      young patients of reproductive age.

PMID- 28920328
TI  - Incidence and mortality of breast cancer in China, 2008.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Female breast cancer incidence and mortality data for the duration of
      2008, in China, retrieved from the National Central Cancer Registry, was
      analyzed. METHODS: In 2008, there were 56 registries that submitted cancer
      registration data. Based on the criteria of data quality, a total of 41
      registries' data met the requirement and were accepted for analysis. The
      incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer in females were calculated,
      including age specific rates, age-standardized rates, proportions, and cumulative
      rates, stratified by areas (urban/rural). RESULTS: The number of cases included
      from 41 registries was 66 138 784, with 32 798 187 of these cases found in women
      (25 898 251 in urban areas and 6 899 936 in rural areas). There were 15 625 new
      cases reported and 3414 deaths of women with breast cancer, resulting in a
      mortality to incidence ratio of 0.22. The morphological verified rate was 91.96%,
      and 0.43% of cases were identified by death certificate only. The crude cancer
      incidence rate in all areas was 47.64/100 000, and the Age-Standardized Incidence
      Rates by Chinese standard population, (ASIRC) and World standard population
      (ASIRW) were 25.26/100 000 and 31.71/100 000, respectively. The cumulative
      incidence rate (0-74 years old) was 3.44%. Both crude and adjusted incidence
      rates in urban areas were much higher than those in rural areas. The crude cancer
      mortality was 10.41/100 000, and the Age-Standardized Mortality Rates by Chinese
      standard population (ASMRC) and by World population (ASMRW) were 4.90/100 000 and
      6.48/100 000, respectively. The cumulative mortality rate (0-74 years old) was
      0.071%. Age-adjusted mortality rates in urban areas were also higher than in
      rural areas. Age specific incidence rates peaked in age group 50-54 in all areas
      (108.27/100 000) and in urban areas (119.68/100 000). It reached the peak in the
      55-59 age group for rural women. Age specific mortalities rose with the increase
      of age for both women in urban and rural areas, with mortality rates of 76.16/100
      000 and 23.73/100 000 in age groups of 85 and above, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Chinese women. Preventative
      measures, such as health education and screening, are needed in the general
      population, but especially for those in the high-risk group found in urban areas.

PMID- 28920329
TI  - Rapid destruction of the tracheal rings and development of a huge cavity in the
      lung.

PMID- 28920330
TI  - [Oligopeptides in plant medicines cited in Chinese Pharmacopoeia].
AB  - In total, 23 plant plant medicined containing oligopeptides were cited in Chinese
      Pharmacopoeia (1 part) of 2015 version including Rubia cordifolia, Linum
      usitatissimum, Aster tataricus, Psammosilene tunicoides, Pseudostellaria
      heterophylla, Stellaria dichotoma, Vaccaria segetalis, Dianthus superbus, Celosia
      argentea, Lycii Cortex, Citrus medica, C. aurantium, Panax ginseng, Parmx
      notoginseng, Schisandra chinensis, Sparganium stoloniferum, Euryale ferox,
      Ophiopogon japonicas, Pinellia ternate, Achyranthes bidentata, Physalis
      alkekengi, Polygonatum odoratum, and Leonuri Fructus. There were 187
      oligopeptides in plant medicines above as reported. Oligopeptides consisted
      mainly of linear peptides and cyclic peptides. The linear peptides included
      dipeptides, tripeptides and pentapeptides, and cyclic peptides included cyclic,
      bicyclic and tricyclic peptides. The number of residues of single cyclic peptides
      ranged from two to twelve. Bicyclic peptides were isolated mainly from R.
      cordifolia and C. argentea. Modern pharmacological study showed that
      oligopeptides had many pharmacological effects, including antitumor,
      anticoagulant, antibacterial, immune suppression and so on.

PMID- 28920331
TI  - [Prospecting application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology in research of
      medicinal plants].
AB  - CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology is a newly discovered genome editing
      technology in recent years.It has been widely used in many fields such as gene
      therapy, gene function research, animal model-making,cropvariety improvement and
      so on. This article briefly introduces the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system, and
      discusses its potential applications in the research of medicinal plants,
      including functional genomics studies, secondary metabolism and synthetic biology
      research of important active components and molecular breeding research.
      CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology provides a new method for the research of
      medicinal plants.

PMID- 28920332
TI  - [Advance in study on hepatoprotective effects and its mechanism of
      polysaccharides].
AB  - Liver damage is the pathologic status in the liver system, which can lead to
      cirrhosis, fibrosis and cancer of the liver. So to search for effective drugs on
      prevention and treatment of anti-hepatic lesion have already attracted broad
      concern in the world. Polysaccharides widely exist in plants, microorganisms and
      animals, and have high efficiency but low toxicity properties. Therefore,
      polysaccharides had been the hotspot in the research field of liver-protecting
      medicines, and had undergone great progresses. In this study, the
      hepatoprotective effects and its mechanism of polysaccharides were summarized and
      reviewed, and the market prospects of development and application were
      prospected. The research result indicated that polysaccharides derived from
      plants, microorganisms, animals which had significant effects on liver
      protection. Results also showed that polysaccharides showed the protective effect
      on chemical liver injury by anti-oxidation, alleviating calcium overload,
      adjusting the function of mitochondria, and the protective effect on immune liver
      injury by regulating cytokine secretion, blocking the complement system activity,
      inhibiting inflammatory mediator expression, suppressing hepatocyte apoptosis.
      Polysaccharides had rich resource, diverse bio-effects, abundance approaches and
      multitarget. Therefore, there is huge potential for developing polysaccharides as
      novel hepatoprotective medicine candidates.

PMID- 28920333
TI  - [Research progress of ellagitannin intestinal metabolite urolithins].
AB  - Ellagitannins is a kind of phenolic compounds with many biological activities.
      Recent studies have found that the effective ingredients of these compounds have
      close relationship with their colon-derived bacteria metabolites, that is
      urolithins. The objective of this study was to review the structure
      characteristics, types and distribution of urolithins, improvement in diseases
      related to prostate, breast and colon, as well as anti-cancer, anti-oxidation,
      anti-inflammation and other biological activities. The present review will lay
      the foundation for development and utilization of urolithins.

PMID- 28920334
TI  - [Suitable investigation method of exploration and suggestions for investigating
      Chinese materia medica resources from wetland and artificial water of Hongze Lake
      region].
AB  - According to the technology requirements of the fourth national survey of Chinese
      Materia Medica resources (pilot), suitable investigation method of exploration
      and suggestions for investigating Chinese Materia Medica resources was proposed
      based on the type of wetland and artificial water of Hongze Lake region.
      Environment of Hongze Lake and overview of wetland, present situation of ecology
      and vegetation and vegetation distribution were analyzed. Establishment of survey
      plan, selection of sample area and sample square and confirmation of
      representative water area survey plan were all suggested. The present study
      provide references for improving Chinese materia medica resources survey around
      Hongze Lake, and improving the technical specifications. It also provide
      references for investigating Chinese Materia Medica resources survey on similar
      ecological environment under the condition of artificial intervention.

PMID- 28920335
TI  - [Cloning and expression analysis of a tyrosine decarboxylase gene from Rehmannia
      glutinosa].
AB  - Tyrosine decarboxylase (TyrDC) is an important enzyme in the secondary metabolism
      of several plant species, and was hypothesized to play a key role in the
      biosynthesis of phenylethanoid glycosides. Based on the transcriptome data, we
      cloned the full-length cDNA (GenBank accession NO. KU640395) of RgTyDC gene from
      Rehmannia glutinosa, and then performed bioinformatic analysis of the sequence.
      Further, we detected the expression pattern in different organs and hair roots
      treated with four elicitors by qRT-PCR. The results showed that the full length
      of RgTyDC cDNA was 1 530 bp encoding 509 amino acids. The molecular weight of the
      putative RgTyDC protein was about 56.6 kDa and the theoretical isoelectric point
      was 6.25. The RgTyDC indicated the highest homology with Sesamum indicum SiTyDC
      and Erythranthe guttata EgTyDC, both of them were reached 88%. RgTyDC highly
      expressed in R. glutinosa leaf, especially in senescing leaf, and rarely
      expressed in tuberous root. After the treatment of SA and MeJA, the relative
      expression level of RgTyDC mRNA was substantially increased. The results provide
      a foundation for exploring the molecular function of RgTyDC involved in
      phenylethanoid glycosides biosynthesis.

PMID- 28920336
TI  - [Study on relationship between effective components and soil enzyme activity in
      different growth patterns of Panax ginseng].
AB  - Study on 5 effective components and 6 soil enzyme activities of 2 different
      growth patterns, analyse the dates with the canonical correlation analysis, In
      order to reveal the relations between the effective components and soil enzyme
      activities. The result showed that they had a great relation between the
      effective components and soil enzyme activities, the activity of the same enzyme
      in humus soil was higher than that in farmland soil. Growth pattern of farmland
      soil, if the invertase and phosphatase activity were too high, which would
      inhibit the accumulation of total ginsenoside, water-miscible total proteins and
      total amino acid; Growth pattern of humus soil, if the invertase, urease and
      phosphatase activity were too high, which would inhibit the accumulation of total
      ginsenoside and the total essential oils. Integral soil enzyme activity can be
      used as a index of soil quality, which, together with other growth factors. The
      appropriate enzyme activity can accelerate the circulation and transformation of
      all kinds of material in the soil, improve effectively components accumulation.

PMID- 28920337
TI  - [Ecological basis of epiphytic Dendrobium officinale growth on cliff].
AB  - In order to make Dendrobium officinale return to the nature, the temperature and
      humidity in whole days of the built rock model with different slopes and aspects
      in the natural distribution of wild D. officinale in Tianmu Mountain were
      recorded by MH-WS01 automatic recorder. The results showed that the slope has a
      significant impact on the extreme temperature on the surface of the rocks. In
      summer, the extreme temperature on the surface of horizontal or soft rock can
      reach to 69.4 C, while the temperatures were lower than 50 C on the vertical
      rock. In winter, the temperatures on the surface of vertical rock were higher and
      the low temperature duration was shorter than those on the horizontal or soft
      rock. Also, the humidity of the rocks was significantly influenced by the slope.
      The monthly average humidity on the surface of vertical rock was above 80%RH.
      Furthermore, the aspect had a significant impact on the temperature and humidity
      on the surface of the rocks, but had no significant effect on the daily mean
      temperature and extreme temperature on the surface of vertical rock. Therefore,
      the slope affects the survival of D. officinale by affecting the extreme
      temperature of rocks and affects the growth of D. officinale by affecting the
      humidity. The choice of slope is the key to the success of cliff epiphytic
      cultivation for D. officinale.

PMID- 28920338
TI  - [Isolation and identification of berberine from endophytic fungi HL-Y-3].
AB  - The endophytic fungi HL-Y-3, which was isolated from the healthy leaves of Coptis
      chinensis, produced berberine when grown in the PDA culture medium. The presence
      of berberine was confirmed by the chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses. The
      yield of berberine was recorded as 9.313 MUg*g-1 by HPLC. The strain HL-Y-3 was
      identified as Alternaria sp.by morphological observation and 5.8S rDNA-ITS
      sequence analysis.The separation and purification of constituents were performed
      by PTLC. The mass spectrometry (MS) of the analyte was shown to be identical with
      authentic berberine.Further analysis with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
      spectroscopy to showed that the chemical structure of the fungal berberine was
      identical with authentic berberine. The research provided new resources for the
      utilization of berberine.

PMID- 28920339
TI  - [Optimization of drying process for Scrophulariae Radix by multivariate
      statistical analysis].
AB  - To establish the suitable modern drying processing parameters for Scrophulariae
      Radix (SR). With reference to the traditional drying processing method of SR and
      the characteristics of modern drying equipment, the drying process for SR was
      simulated as the following three stages: temperature-controlled drying-tempering
      temperature-controlled drying. Eighteen batches of SR samples were obtained by
      the drying methods after the orthogonal design experiment with seven factors
      namely temperature, wind speed, and target moisture for the first stage,
      tempering time and temperature, as well as temperature and wind speed for the
      second stage. UPLC-TQ-MS was applied for determination of nine target compounds
      including catalpol, harpagide, verbascoside, ferulic acid, angroside-C, aucubin,
      harpagoside, cinnamic acid and ursolic acid in those dried samples and another 19
      batches of SR samples collected from genuine producing area. Principal Component
      Analysis (PCA) was performed, and total energy consumption was also taken into
      consideration for analysis and evaluation. Results showed that the optimal drying
      processing method for SR was as follows: drying temperature of 60 C, drying wind
      speed of 50 Hz, and 50% for target moisture in the first stage; 24 h for
      tempering time and temperature of 20 C in the second stage; drying temperature of
      60 C, and drying wind speed of 30 Hz in the third stage. The medicinal materials
      with optimized modern drying processing method were extremely similar to those
      collected from genuine producing area in the aspect of both external properties
      and target compounds, and they were in line with the 2015 version of "Chinese
      Pharmacopoeia" requirements. In addition, they could help to shorten the drying
      time and increase the efficiency of primary processing, and thus promote the
      normalization and standardization of primary drying processing for SR.

PMID- 28920340
TI  - [In vitro transdermal permeation and penetration properties for transfersomes of
      brucine].
AB  - To prepare the liposomes and transfersomes of brucine, characterize their
      pharmaceutical properties, and compare their in vitro transdermal permeation
      properties. The liposomes and transfersomes of brucine were prepared by ammonium
      sulfate gradient method to investigate their pharmaceutical properties such as
      the particle size, encapsulation efficiency and deformation. The transdermal
      permeation properties in vitro of liposome and transfersomes from different
      prescriptions were compared by using modified Franz-diffustion cells with rat
      skin as the transdermal barrier. The results showed that the particle size of
      liposomes and transfersomes for brucine ranged from 100 nm to 150 nm, with even
      distribution for particle size. As compared with the soybean phosphatidylcholine
      (SPC) transfersomes, the encapsulation efficiency of complex phospholipid
      transfersomes was significantly improved. The deformation index of complex
      phospholipid transfersomes in brucine was 2.09 times and 1.76 times as much as
      SPC liposomes and SPC transfersomes respectively. The steady state flux of
      complex phospholipid transfersomes was 3.43 times and 1.41 times as much as SPC
      liposomes and SPC transfersomes. The steady state flux of the physical mixture of
      brucine and blank complex phospholipid transfersomes was 2.20 times as much as
      brucine solution. The concentration of complex phospholipid had effect on
      transdermal permeation of blank transfersomes. In conclusion, as compared with
      liposomes, the permeation behavior of transfersomes was significantly improved;
      complex phospholipid technology can improve the membrane phase behavior of
      transfersomes, and further improve the deformation index and transdermal flux of
      transfersomes; in addition, blank transfersomes have promoting effect on
      transdermal absorption of brucine.

PMID- 28920341
TI  - [Effect of different DE values of malto-dextrin on properties for Schisandrae
      Chinensis Fructus spray-dried powder].
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of different DE values of
      malto-dextrin on Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus spray-dried powder. The glass
      transition temperature (Tg) of the spray-dried powder, powder properties and
      microscopic morphology were determined, and then the moisture absorption
      isotherms and the glass transition temperature were used to predict its storage
      stability. The study showed that after adding malto-dextrin, the powder rate was
      increased; moisture content was decreased; Tg was increased; mobility got better;
      produced spherical microstructure; and Tg was increased with the decrease of DE
      value. The water activity-equilibrium moisture content (aw-EMC) relationship in
      GAB models showed, the moisture absorption of powder was increased with the
      rising of DE value; and the equilibrium moisture content-glass transition
      temperature (EMC-Tg) relationship in Gordon-Taylor models showed that, Tg was
      decreased with the increase of moisture content. As a result, the storage
      critical condition of the spray-dried powder was improved, and along with the
      decrease of DE value, the critical water activity and the critical water content
      were increased. Therefore, the smaller the DE value, the greater the stability of
      the spray-dried powder.

PMID- 28920342
TI  - [Fingerprint of Dazhu Hongjingtian capsule by HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS].
AB  - A method was established to analyze the fingerprint of Dazhu Hongjingtian capsule
      by HPLC-DAD.The separation was performed on Agilent Eclipse Plus-C18(4.6 mm*250
      mm, 5 MUm) with methanol-0.1% formic acid solution as the mobile phase for
      gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL*min-1; the detection wavelength was set
      at 276 nm and column temperature was set at 35 C. A total of 10 batches of
      samples were detected by the above method, and based on their fingerprint by
      using Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM
      (2004A), 21 common chromatographic peaks were determined and after the individual
      common peak whose peak area was greater than 50% of the total peak area was
      deducted, the similarity results of these samples were analyzed and compared. The
      results showed that the similarity of 10 batches of samples was all higher than
      0.940. HPLC/Q-TOF-MS was used to identify the common chromatographic peaks in the
      fingerprint and determine the molecular formulas of twenty-one common
      chromatographic peaks. The structures of 11 fingerprint peaks were tentatively
      identified based on the control products and mass spectrometry information. This
      was the first time to establish fingerprint by using HPLC method and identify
      fingerprint peaks by using HPLC/Q-TOF-MS. This method has good precision,
      stability and repeatability, and could provide basis for quality evaluation of
      Dazhu Hongjingtian capsule.

PMID- 28920343
TI  - [Identification of dominant microbes from traditional Chinese medicine Pinelliae
      Rhizoma Fermentata].
AB  - To investigate the microbial species, amount changes as well as the isolation and
      identification of domain strains at different fermentation time points of
      Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata, and provide basis for exploring the mechanism of
      Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata processing. Five samples were chosen at the time
      points (0, 18, 36, 54, 72 h) of Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata processing.
      Bacteria, mold and yeast from the samples were cultured; their colonies were
      counted, and the dominant strains were isolated and purified. The dominant
      bacteria and dominant fungi were identified by 16S rDNA and 26S rDNA sequencing
      respectively. The results showed that the bacteria count was low with slow and
      smooth changes in the fermentation process;while mold and yeast grew dramatically
      after 54 h culturing and reached 1*107 CFU*mL-1 at the end of fermentation.
      Through the NCBI homology alignment and phylogenetic tree construction, the
      dominant bacteria were identified as Streptomyces sp., Bacillus pumilus, B.
      subtilis, B. aryabhattai and other Bacillus sp.; the dominant yeast was
      identified as Meyerozyma guilliermondii; the dominant mold were identified as
      Paecilomyces variotii, Byssochlamys spectabilis, and Aspergillus niger in the
      processing of Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata. The results indicated that multiple
      microbe species, especially yeast and mold, played a role in the fermentation
      processing of Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata. M. guilliermondii, P. variotii, P.
      variotii and A. niger and Bacillus sp. can be the crucial factors in the
      processing of Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata.

PMID- 28920344
TI  - [Determination of four coumarin constituents before and after Angelicae Dahuricae
      Radix stewed with yellow rice wine and research on its mutual transformation
      mechanism].
AB  - To determine the contents of oxypeucedanin, oxypeucedanin hydrate, byakangelicol
      and byak-angelicin both before and after Angelicae Dahuricae Radix was stewed
      with yellow rice wine by high-performance liquid chromatography, and study the
      mutual transformation mechanisms of oxypeucedanin into oxypeucedanin hydrate, as
      well as byakangelicol into byak-angelicin. The research results indicated that
      the contents of oxypeucedanin and byakangelicol were decreased, but the contents
      of oxypeucedanin hydrate and byak-angelicin were increased after Angelicae
      Dahuricae Radix was processed with yellow rice wine. The contents' changes of
      these chemical compounds were due to the ring opening reaction of epoxy
      compounds, such as oxypeucedanin and byakangelicol under the weak acidity and
      heating conditions of yellow rice wine. This research could provide a scientific
      basis for the processing mechanism of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix with yellow rice
      wine stewing.

PMID- 28920345
TI  - [Two new triterpenoid glycosides from leaves of Ilex latifolia].
AB  - Two new triterpenoid glycosides, latifolosides R and S (1 and 2), were isolated
      from the leaves of Ilex latifolia by various column chromatographic methods.
      Their structures were elucidated based on NMR spectroscopic data and chemical
      evidence.

PMID- 28920346
TI  - [Chemical constituents from Phellinus igniarius and their anti-tumor activity in
      vitro].
AB  - Eleven compounds were isolated and purified from Phellinus igniarius by column
      chromatography on silica gel, Sephedax LH-20, RP-8, MCI and preparative TLC.
      Their structures were identified as 3alpha-hydroxyfriedel-2-one (1), 3
      hydroxyfriedel-3-en-2-one (2), ergosta-4, 6, 8 (14), 22-tetraen-3-one (3),
      ergosterol peroxide (4), uracil (5), uridine (6), 4-(3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3
      butene-2-one (7), protocatechualdehyde (8), inotilone (9), inoscavinA (10) and
      phellibaumin E (11), respectively, on the basis of NMR and MS data analysis.
      Among them, compounds 1, 2, 5, and 6 were firstly obtained from this genus. In
      vitro cytotoxic activity of compounds 1-11 was screened by Cell Titer-GLo
      Reagent, on 41 human tumor cell strains and 2 hamster normal cell strains via
      high-throughput screening. Compounds 2-4 exhibit significant cytotoxic activity
      against NOMO-1 and SKM-1 acute myeloid leukemia cell lines, and compounds 2 and 3
      showed good selectivity to NOMO-1 with IC50 values of 0.795 5, 1.828 MUmol*L-1and
      SKM-1 with IC50 values of higher than 10 MUmol*L-1. Compound 7 showed remarkable
      antitumor activities against H526 Human lung cancer cell line, DU145 prostate
      cancer cell line and HEL erythroleukemia cell line with IC50 values of 0.533 4,
      1.885, 1.057 MUmol*L-1, respectively. Other compounds had no or weak antitumor
      effect. In addition, all compounds had no significant effect on hamster normal
      cell lines CHL and CHO with IC50 values of higher than 10 MUmol*L-1, which showed
      that all compounds had no toxic effect on normal cells.

PMID- 28920347
TI  - [Sesquiterpenes from stems of Schisandra henryi var. henryi].
AB  - The dried stems of Schisandra henryi var. henryi were extracted with 95% ethanol
      and the extracts were further subjected to partition, affording the ethyl acetate
      extracts(EtOAc Extrs.).The EtOAc Extrs.were separated and purified with silica
      gel and octadecyl-silylated silica gel column chromatography, preparative HPLC
      and preparative TLC. Thirteen known compounds were obtained and identified by
      spectral methods including MS and NMR, all of which were elucidated as t
      cadinol(1), cadinane-4beta,5alpha,10beta-triol(2), cadinane-5alpha, 10alpha-diol
      2-ene(3), oxyphyllenodiols A(4), 1beta, 4beta-dihydroxyeudesman-11-ene(5),
      cyperusol C(6), (7R)-opposit-4(15)-ene-1beta,7-diol(7), dysodensiol E(8), epi
      guaidiol A(9), aromadendrane-4beta,10beta-diol(10), tricyclohumuladiol(11),
      caryolane-1,9beta-diol(12), and guaidiol A(13). Compounds 3, 5-10, and 13 were
      separated from the genus for the first time, while compounds 1-13 were separated
      from this species for the first time.

PMID- 28920348
TI  - [Research on quality standards of Aleuritopteris Herba].
AB  - This study aims to establish quality standards of Aleuritopteris Herba (AH),
      which could supply scientific evidence for the quality control of AH. The
      morphological and microscopic identification characters were reformulated. The
      tests of water content, total ash, acid-insoluble ash and ethanol-soluble
      extractives of AH were carried out according to the methods recorded in appendix
      of Chinese Pharmacopeia (2010 edition, volume 1). The TLC method was established
      by using aleuritopesis A [2,19-diol(2beta,4alpha)-16-enekaureniod] and reference
      herb as references. With preparation of aleuritopesis A[2,19-diol(2beta,4alpha)
      16-enekaureniod] reference substance, the content of aleuritopesis A in AH was
      determined by HPLC. As a result, the macroscopic identification, microscopic
      features and TLC methods were specific and simple. The water content, total ash,
      acid-insoluble ash and ethanol-soluble extractive and the content of
      aleuritopesis A of all samples varied in the ranges of 8.8%-10.9%, 7.6%-11.4%,
      2.5%-4.2%, 9.3%-10.2% and 0.56%-0.71%, respectively. The improved quality
      standard can be used to evaluate and guarantee the quality of AH comprehensively.

PMID- 28920349
TI  - [Screening for differentially-expressed proteins in ovary of primary
      dysmenorrheal mice with Xiangfu Siwu decoction administration using nano LC-LTQ
      Orbitrap-MS/MS].
AB  - To study the mechanism of Xiangfu Siwu decoction in treating primary
      dysmenorrhea, differentially-expressed proteins in ovary of primary dysmenorrheal
      mice with Xiangfu Siwu decoction administration were screened based on proteome
      technology using nano LC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS. Estradiol benzoate and oxytocin were
      used to produce dysmenorrheal mice model. The model mice were orally
      administrated with Xiangfu Siwu decoction for 3 days, and 1 h after the last
      administration, the ovary samples were collected. After protein denaturation,
      reduction, alkylation, desalination and enzymatic hydrolysis, identification was
      carried out by nano LC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS technology. The obtained data was
      processed by using Thermo Proteome discoverer 1.4 software. The differentially
      expressed proteins were screened and identified, and their biological information
      was also analyzed. The significant differentially-expressed protein was checked
      using Western blot technology in ovary samples. A total of 106 differentially
      expressed proteins were identified during the normal, model and administration
      group. Most of them participate cellular processes. Adherens junction and focal
      adhesion pathways play a regulatory role in various cell signaling pathways.
      Protein ADRM1 was validated. Compared to the normal group, it was up-regulated
      expression in the model group. After administration, the expression of ADRM1 was
      down-regulated. Through the comparative analysis, a series of differentially
      expressed proteins involved in primary dysmenorrheal mice with Xiangfu Siwu
      decoction administration were obtained. Protein ADRM1 may become a target for
      Xiangfu Siwu decoction.

PMID- 28920350
TI  - [Discovery of potential LXRbeta agonists from Chinese herbs using molecular
      simulation methods].
AB  - Liver X receptor beta (LXRbeta) has been a new target in the treatment of
      hyperlipemia, which was related to the cholesterol homeostasis. In this study,
      the quantitative pharmacophores were constructed by 3D-QSAR pharmacophore
      (Hypogen) method based on the LXRbeta agonists. The optimal pharmacophore model
      containing one hydrogen bond acceptor, two hydrophobics and one ring aromatic was
      obtained based on five assessment indictors, including the correlation between
      predicted value and experimental value of the compounds in training set
      (correlation), Deltacost of the models (Deltacost), hit rate of active compounds
      (HRA), identification of effectiveness index (IEI) and comprehensive evaluation
      index (CAI). And the values of the five assessment indicators were 0.95, 128.65,
      84.44%, 2.58 and 2.18 respectively. The best model as a query to screen the
      traditional Chinese medicine database (TCMD), a list of 309 compounds was
      obtained andwere then refined using Libdock program. Finally, based on the
      screening rules of the Libdock score of initial compound and the key interactions
      between initial compound and receptor, four compounds, demethoxycurcumin,
      isolicoflavonol, licochalcone E and silydianin, were selected as potential
      LXRbeta agonists. The molecular simulation methods were high-efficiency and time
      saving to obtainthe potential LXRbeta agonists, which could provide assistance
      for further researchingnovel anti-hyperlipidemia drugs.

PMID- 28920351
TI  - [Exploring pharmacological principle of Artemisia carvifolia with textmining
      technology].
AB  - To explore the pharmacological principle of Artemisia carvifolia,the text mining
      technique was used. All the references of A. carvifolia were collected from
      PubMed database, and then the rules of the main ingredient,relative diseases,
      organs, tissues, proteins and metabolites were analyzed. Finally, a network was
      set up. Then it was found that the main ingredients included
      sesquiterpenoids,flavonoids,and volatileoils.The diseases such as malaria,
      cerebral malaria, falciparum malaria, visceral leishmaniasis and systemic lupus
      erythematosus were often treated with A. carvifolia. In association in organ were
      the liver, skin, trachea,lungs,and spleen.Correlations with tissues were mainly
      including macrophages, T lymphocytes, blood vessels, epithelial cells.The protein
      was correlation with it involved CYP450, PI3K, TNF-alpha, AASDPPT, DNA polymerase
      and so on. Comprehensive and systematic treatment principle of A. carvifolia was
      obtained by text mining, which was helpful in clinical application.

PMID- 28920352
TI  - [Effects of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction on TLR signal pathway in gastric mucosa
      tissues of rats with Helicobacter pylori-induced chronic atrophic gastritis].
AB  - To explore the effects and mechanism of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction on TLR signal
      pathway in gastric mucosa tissues of rats with Helicobacter pylori-related
      gastritis, sixty SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group,
      high concentration of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group, moderate concentration
      of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group, low concentrations of Xiangsha Liujunzi
      decoction group and SB203580-treated group, with 10 rats in each group. SD rats
      of Hp-associated chronic atrophic gastritis models were established by
      intragastric gavage of Helicobacter pylori (HP) suspension. Changes in the
      gastric mucosa of rats were assessed by histopathology. ELISA was applied to
      detect the expressions of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the serum, and the activity of
      iNOS in gastric mucosa. The content of NO in the gastric mucosa was tested by
      nitrate reductive enzymatic. The expressions of TLR2, TLR4, P38MAPK, NF-kappaB
      were detected by QPCR and Western-blot. The results indicated that the clinical
      symptoms of rats and pathological changes of gastric mucosa were improved in
      Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group. Compared with normal control group, the
      protein expressions of TLR2, TLR4, p-P38MAPK and NF-kappaB in gastric mucosa of
      model group rats increased (P<0.01) with the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the
      serum, and the activity of iNOS and the content of NO in gastric mucosa
      increased. Compared with model group, the expressions decreased in Xiangsha
      Liujunzi decoction group, especially in the high concentration of Xiangsha
      Liujunzi decoction group(P<0.01), with gradually increased rate of HP eradication
      and decreased pathological grades of chronic atrophic gastritis. The serum level
      of TNF-alpha and IL-6 decreased from (24.313+/-2.261) MUg*L -1 to (15.195+/
      1.235) MUg*L-1(P<0.01) and from (77.416+/-8.095) MUg*L -1 to (33.150+/-2.532)
      MUg*L -1 (P<0.01), and the activity of iNOS and the content of NO in gastric
      mucosa decreased from (1.530+/-0.206) U*mg -1 to (0.802+/-0.091) U*mg -1 (P<0.01)
      and from (0.907+/-0.032) mmol*g -1 to (0.335+/-0.026) mmol*g -1 (P<0.01) after
      the treatment of high concentration of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction. All the
      effects increased with the increasing dosage of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction from
      0.324 g*mg -1 to 1.296 g*mg -1. The protein expressions of NF-kappaB decreased in
      the gastric mucosa after treated with P38MAPK specific inhibitor-SB203580. In the
      rats model, HP infection results in chronic atrophic gastritis through the
      activation of TLR2, TLR4/MAPK/NF-kappaB/iNOS/NO signal pathway. Xiangsha Liujunzi
      decoction can eradicate H. pylori and alleviate chronic atrophic gastric mucosal
      inflammation. The treatment is effective and safe to cure HP-induced chronic
      atrophic gastritis.

PMID- 28920353
TI  - [Comparative metabolism of three amide alkaloids from Piper longum in five
      different species of liver microsomes].
AB  - Piperine, piperlonguminine and pellitorine are three major amide alkaloids from
      Piper longum, showing a variety of pharmacological activities. In order to
      investigate the different metabolism pathways of these compounds in five species
      of liver microsomes in vitro, the data of full mass spectrum, and MS2, MS3
      spectra of these three alkaloids were collected and analyzed by using ultra-high
      performance liquid chromatography coupled with a LTQ-orbitrap mass spectrometer
      (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS); gragment ion information was collected and combined with
      fragmentation regularities of mass spectra and accurate mass spectrometry data of
      metabolites, to compare the metabolism difference of three amide alkaloids in
      liver microsomes of human, rhesus monkey, Beagle dogs, rats and mice. 3
      metabolites of piperine, 2 metabolites of piperlonguminine and 1 metabolite of
      pellitorine were identified quickly. The results showed that the major metabolic
      pathways of these amide alkaloids in liver microsomes were methylenedioxy group
      demethylation and oxidation reaction, and metabolic rates were different between
      species. This study provides basis for further research on in vivo metabolism of
      piperine analogues from Piper longum.

PMID- 28920354
TI  - [Meta-analysis on efficacy of Fuke Qianjin tablets (capsules) combined with
      antibiotics in treatment of endometritis].
AB  - To systemically evaluate the clinical efficacy of Fuke Qianjin tablets combined
      with antibiotics in the treatment of endometritis. The databases such as PubMed,
      CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched to collect the randomized controlled
      trials(RCTs) about Fuke Qianjin tablets combined with antibiotics for
      endometritis since 2010. According to the Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook, two
      reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted the data and assessed
      the methodological quality of the included studies. Then the Meta-analysis was
      performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. 16 RCTs were included, involving 2 299
      patients. Meta-analysis showed that after endometritis was treated by Fuke
      Qianjin tablets combined with antibiotics, the thickness of endometrium was
      higher than that in antibiotics group[MD=1.20, 95%CI (1.10, 1.29), P<0.000 01];
      the occurrence rate of normal menstrual cycle[OR=1.46,95%CI (1.21, 1.77), P=0.000
      1] and total effective rate [OR=1.19, 95%CI (1.15, 1.24), P<0.000 01] were
      increased ; the irregular vaginal bleeding [OR=0.21, 95%CI (0.14, 0.30), P<0.000
      01] and inflammatory reactions[OR=0.19, 95%CI (0.10, 0.37)] were reduced. In
      short, Fuke Qianjin tablets combined with antibiotics have better effects than
      antibiotics alone for endometritis, so it is worthy to be recommended for
      clinical application.

PMID- 28920355
TI  - [Clinical analysis of two diagnosis methods for herb-induced liver injury].
AB  - To compare the consistency and difference of herb-induced liver injury between
      two methods in guidelines for clinical diagnosis and treatment of liver injury
      related to Chinese herbal medicine in China (2016) and guidelines for the
      diagnosis and treatment of drug-induced liver injury in China(2015). This
      retrospective analysis included 390 patients with herb-induced liver injury who
      had a history of suspicious Chinese herbal medicines or patent medicines; the
      patients with integrative Chinese and western medicines were excluded from this
      study. The results indicated that there were 14(4%) extremely probable patients
      (>8 points), 185(47%) highly probable patients (6-8 points) and 191(49%) probable
      patients(3-5 points) in 390 cases with guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of
      drug-induced liver injury of China (2015). While when guidelines for clinical
      diagnosis and treatment of liver injury related to Chinese herbal medicine in
      China (2016) was used for 390 patients, the results indicated that there were 5
      (1%) cases with proven diagnosis, 163(42%) cases with clinical diagnosis, and
      222(57%) cases with suspected diagnosis. Statistics showed that two methods had a
      consistency of 43% and difference of 14%. The research results showed that
      Guidelines for clinical diagnosis and treatment of liver injury related to
      Chinese herbal medicine in China(2016) was more suitable for the diagnosis of
      herb-induced liver injury. Due to the limitations of retrospective case study,
      further more prospective studies would be needed.

PMID- 28920356
TI  - [Efficacy and safety of Choudongning capsule (CDN)in children with Tourette's
      syndrome of spleen deficiency and phlegm accumulation].
AB  - To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Choudongning (CDN)capsule in children with
      Tourette's syndrome of spleen deficiency and phlegm accumulation through a
      randomized double-blind three-arm controlled phase III study in 588 patients from
      8 hospitals. The included patients were randomly divided into test group,
      positive control group and placebo group at the ratio of 3?1?1. Patients in the
      test group orally took CDN capsules and simulated Tiapridal tablets; the patients
      in positive control group took Tiapridal tablets and simulated CDN capsules;
      whereas the patients in placebo group orally took the simulated agents of the
      above two drugs. The treatment course was 6 weeks for three groups. The global
      grading rates, YGTSS scores and its factor scores, the degree of social function
      damage, as well as traditional Chinese medicine syndrome efficacy were evaluated
      as the outcome measures on efficacy. The AEs/ADRs, vital signs and laboratory
      testing were observed as outcome measures on safety. The total effective rate of
      YGTSS was 75.92% in the test group, 72.65% in the positive control group, and
      37.29% in the placebo group. Non inferiority test stands between the test group
      and the positive control group, and they were superior to placebo group in
      efficacy with statistical difference. Significant difference had also been found
      among the 3 groups in YGTSS tics score, motor tics score, vocal tics, degree of
      social function damage and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome efficacy. During
      the study, there were 5 (1.42%)ADRs in the test group, 10 (8.55%)in the positive
      control group and 3 (2.54%)in the placebo group. The incidence of ADRs in the
      test group was lower than that in the positive control group, with statistical
      difference. It is clear to say that CDN capsule can effectively treat the
      Tourette's syndrome of spleen deficiency and phlegm accumulation. Its efficacy is
      not inferior to the commonly used Tiapridal tablets, with even less adverse
      reactions, so it has clinical application value.

PMID- 28920357
TI  - [Investigation, collation and research of traditional Dai medicine of China].
AB  - In order to find out the composition, characteristics and traditional utilization
      characteristics of Dai medicine and promote the rational protection, inheritance
      and utilization of the resources and traditional knowledge of Dai medicine in
      China, the resources of traditional Dai medicine have been investigated
      systematically and the traditional knowledge of Dai medicine have been analyzed
      in the article. We found out that there were altogether 1 077 kinds of
      traditional Dai medicine in China and among which 272 were the first time
      recorded in the condition of Dai folk medical uses. There were 1 053 plant
      medicines which belong to 169 family and 694 genus. These plant medicines mainly
      distributed in the southern, west southern and east southern area of Yunnan
      province, the southern area of Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Sichuan, Fujian
      province and tropical, subtropical district as Taiwan, and more than 94.49% plant
      medicines could be found in Yunnan province. From the point of plant life form,
      they were major herbaceous or shrubby plants; When it is used as medicinal part,
      root and rhizome of plants account for the highest proportion, the next were
      whole plant and leaves. From nature, flavor and channel tropism points of view,
      the largest proportion of Dai medicines were cool, bitter-tasted and possesses
      water element. In terms of treatment of disease types, most of the drugs can
      treat gastrointestinal diseases, next were drugs that could be used to treat
      upper respiratory infection, traumatological and rheumatic diseases, urinary
      infection, gynecological diseases, hepatopathy, puerperium fever and diseases
      caused by poisonous insects and beast of prey bite. The study revealed that the
      resources of traditional Dai medicine and traditional knowledge of application
      were abundant in China, but the resources of traditional Dai medicine and
      traditional knowledge of application were faced with the risk of gradually reduce
      and loss. The article suggested that we should take measures to strengthen the
      study of protection and utilization of important traditional Dai medicine and
      endangered resources along with the protection and transmission of traditional
      knowledge of Dai nationalistic medicine.

PMID- 28920358
TI  - [Production suitability regionalization study of Pinus massoniana].
AB  - The distribution, yield and sample information data of Pinus massoniana was
      obtained by document literature and sample investigation. Based on sample data
      from 12 provinces including 414 sample plots and environment factors in China,the
      distribution regionalization of P. massoniana was predicted by using Maxent and
      spatial analysis function of ArcGIS. The results showed that the northernmost
      distribution of P. massoniana was 33.5 degrees north latitude, and it mainly
      distributed in the southeast in China. Based on plant age, plant height, yield
      per plant and other growth index from 414 sample plots, combined vegetation form
      and other data, the growth regionalization of P. massoniana was carried out by
      using SPSS and related functions of ArcGIS. The results showed that Fujian,
      Guizhou and Guangxi had a lager distribution area of P. massoniana, meanwhile, it
      had a relatively higher yield of fresh pine needles. The relational model between
      environmental factors and shikimic acid,and procyanidin, and the total lignans
      was constructed by using SPSS regression analysis method. Then the spatial
      calculation function of ArcGIS was used tocarry out the quality regionalization
      of P. massoniana based on the relational model. The results showed that east of
      Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing had a good pine needles quality. Based on the
      distribution, growth and quality regionalization, the production suitability
      regionalization of P. massoniana was carried out. The results showed that the
      optimal planting base region mainly distributed in east of Sichuan, middle and
      east of Guizhou, and east of Guangxi.

PMID- 28920359
TI  - [Production regionalization study of Glycyrrhiza uralensis].
AB  - The distribution information of Glycyrrhiza uralensis was collected by interview
      investigation and field survey, and 46 related environmental factors were
      collected, some kinds of functional chemical constituents of G.uralensis were
      analyzed. Integrated climate, topography and other related ecological factors,
      the habitat suitability study was conducted based on Arc geographic information
      system(ArcGIS),and maximum entropy model. The AUC of ROC curve was both above
      0.95, indicating that the predictive results with the maximum model were highly
      precise. The results showed that 5 major ecological factors have obvious
      influence on ecology suitability distributions of G. uralensis, including July
      average temperature, soil sub category, Dec precipitation, vegetation types and
      standard deviation of seasonal variation in temperature, et al. It is suitable
      for the living habits of the G. uralensis, adequate light, low rainfall, summer
      heat and large temperature difference between day and night, which is suitable
      for distribution in the northern temperate plains and mountains. In addition, the
      ecological suitability regionalization based on the chemical constituents of
      G.uralensis also provides a new suitable distribution area other than the
      traditional distribution area, which provides a scientific basis for the
      reasonable introduction of G.uralensis.

PMID- 28920360
TI  - [Production regionalization study of Lycii Fructus].
AB  - The distribution information of Lycii Fructus was collected by interview
      investigation and field survey, and 46 related environmental factors were
      collected, some kinds of functional chemical constituents the of Lycii Fructus
      were analyzed. Integrated climate, topography and other related ecological
      factors, the habitat suitability study was conducted based on Arc geographic
      information system(ArcGIS),and maximum entropy model. The AUC of ROC curve was
      both above 0.95, indicating that the predictive results with the maximum model
      were highly precise. The results showed that 5 major ecological factors had
      obvious influence on ecology suitability distributions of Lycii Fructus,
      including soil pH, soil subclass, vegetation type and in August the average
      temperature et al. It is suitable for the living habits of the Lycii Fructus,
      dry, cool weather, more hardy, drought-resistant, alkali soil, which is suitable
      for distribution in the northern temperate plains. In addition, the ecological
      suitability regionalization based on the chemical constituents of Lycii Fructus
      also provides a new suitable distribution area other than the traditional
      distribution area, which provides a scientific basis for the reasonable
      introduction of Lycii Fructus.

PMID- 28920361
TI  - [Quality regionalization study on Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix].
AB  - The 79 samples of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix were collected based on the
      distributed information by document literature. Based on sample information, and
      using the regression model of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix index component and
      environmental factors, and combined with the prediction results of ecological
      suitability by MaxEnt and principal component analysis results of index
      component, the space distribution of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix was estimated
      with the spatial analysis function of ArcGIS. The results showed that it had a
      higher comprehensive quality in south of Shaanxi, south of Gansu, middle of
      Sichuan and southeast of Xizang. The study results were coinciding with the
      producing regions of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix. It can provide reference for
      Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix resource conservation, development and utilization.

PMID- 28920362
TI  - [Production regionalization study of Chinese angelica based on MaxEnt model].
AB  - The distribution information of Chinese angelica was collected by interview
      investigation and field survey, and 43 related environmental factors were
      collected, some kinds of functional chemical constituents of Angelica sinensis
      were analyzed. Integrated climate, topography and other related ecological
      factors, the habitat suitability study was conducted based on Arc geographic
      information system(ArcGIS),and maximum entropy model. Application of R language
      to establish the relationship between the effective component of Chinese angelica
      and enviromental factors model, using ArcGIS software space to carry out space
      calculation method for the quality regionalization of Chinese angelica. The
      results showed that 4 major ecological factors had obvious influence on ecology
      suitability distributions of Chinese angelica, including altitude, soil sub
      category, May precipitation and the warmest month of the highest temperature, et
      al. It is suitable for the living habits of the Chinese angelica, cold and humid
      climate, which is suitable for the deep area of the soil. In addition, the
      ecological suitability regionalization based on the effect of Chinese angelica
      also provides a new suitable distribution area other than the traditional
      distribution area, which provides a scientific basis for the reasonable
      introduction of Chinese angelica.

PMID- 28920363
TI  - [Study on suitable distribution areas of Grifola umbellate in Sichuan province
      based on remote sensing and GIS].
AB  - Grifola umbellate is the important medicinal materials in China which has a very
      high medicinal value. This study analyzedthe suitable distribution areasof G.
      umbellate and provided scientific basis for determining G. umbellate planting
      regions and planning production distribution reasonably. The suitable
      distribution areas of G. umbellate in Sichuan province was researched based on
      TM, ETM+, and DEM data,the key ecological factors that affect the growth of G.
      umbellate were extracted, including elevation, slope, aspect, average annual
      temperature,average annual precipitation,forest information,soil information,
      following remote sensing and GIS techniques, combining field researchdata. The
      results showed that the G. umbellate resources in Sichuan province were mainly
      distributed in Pingwu, Beichuan, Licountry, Yanyuan, Xichang, Dechang, Yanbian,
      Miyi, Huidong, Panzhihua and so on, the suitability distribution areas is 276.214
      4 km2 approximately and accounting for more than 0.143 3% of the total
      area.According to the related document information and the field investigation,
      showed that the suitability distribution based on RS and GIS were corresponded
      with the actual distribution areas of G. umbellate.

PMID- 28920364
TI  - [Ecological suitability regionalization for Gastrodia elata in Zhaotong based on
      Maxent and ArcGIS].
AB  - In this paper, the potential distribution information and ecological suitability
      regionalization for Gastrodia elata in Zhaotong were studied based on the
      climate, terrain, soil and vegetation factors analysis by Maxent and ArcGIS. The
      results showed that the highly potential distribution (suitability index>0.6)
      mainly located in Zhaotong, Yunnan province(Zhenxiong,Yiliang and Daguan county,
      with an area of 2 872 km2), and Bijie, Guizhou province (Hezhang,Bijie,Weining
      county, 1 251 km2). The AUC of ROC curve was above 0.99, indicating that the
      predictive results with the Maxent model were highly precise. The main ecological
      factors determining the potential distribution were the altitude, average
      rainfall in November, average rainfall in October, vegetation types, average
      rainfall in March, average rainfall in April,soil types,isothermal characteristic
      and average rainfall in June. The environmental variables in the highly potential
      areas were determined as altitude around 1 450-2 200 m,annual average temperature
      around 18.0-20.4 C,annual average precipitation around 900 mm,yellow soil or
      yellow brown soil,and acid sandy loam or slightly acidic sandy loam.The results
      will provide valuable references for plantation regionalization and the siting
      for imitation wild planting of G. elata in Zhaotong.

PMID- 28920365
TI  - [Climatic division of Blumea balsamifera in Guizhou province based on
      topographical conditions].
AB  - According to the meteorological index of the growth of Blumea balsamifera, and by
      using the climate and geographic date recorded in the main meteorological
      stations for 54 years(1960-2014) in Guizhou province, the authors established a
      regression model between climate division factors and geographic information for
      the possible planting area. Considering integrated various factors including
      climate factor, gradient and elevation, based on GIS technology, ascertain the
      planting area of B. balsamifera. Combined with the land use condition of Guizhou
      province based on RS, analyzed the distribution rule of the synthesis index,
      climatic divisions of B. balsamifera in Guizhou were divided into 3 areas (the
      most suitable, suitable, sub-suitable) objectively. There are 3 areas can plant
      B. balsamifera (the southwest, the south and the north). The most suitable
      climate area has 76.98 km2, the suitable climate area has 156.04 km2, and the sub
      suitable climate area has 235.43 km2.

PMID- 28920366
TI  - [Habitat suitability and quality division of Mentha haplocalyx].
AB  - In this study, ecological factors, occurrence records, the essential oil
      components content were used to predict the potential geographical distribution
      and quality division of Mentha haplocalyx in China based on the MaxEnt modeling
      and geographic information system(GIS). The AUC of ROC curve was above
      0.950,indicating that the predictive results with the maximum model were highly
      precise. The results showed that the main environmental factors determining the
      potential distribution were annual average precipitation (the contribution rate,
      45.87%), mean temperature of wettest quarter (11.92%), mean temperature of
      warmest quarter (7.84%), average monthly precipitation of May (6.80%), standard
      deviation of seasonal temperature variation (4.42%), mean temperature of the
      coldest quarter (3.47%) and altitude (2.92%). The environmental variables in the
      highly potential areas were determined as annual average precipitation around
      [530,1 465] mm, mean temperature of wettest quarter around [24.5,29] C, mean
      temperature of the warmest quarter around [25.5,29] C, average monthly
      precipitation of May around [67,133] mm, standard deviation of temperature
      seasonal change around [8 333,9 643], mean temperature of the coldest quarter
      around [1.7,8.3] C and the altitude around [0,165] mm. The best quality
      distribution of M. haplocalyx was mainly located in Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong,
      Zhejiang and Heilongjiang. The zoning results basically coincide with the actual
      situation. The quality division of M. haplocalyx can be used for providing a
      scientific basis for selection of artificial planting base and guidance of its
      production.

PMID- 28920367
TI  - [Ecology suitability study of Chinese materia medica Gentianae Macrophyllae
      Radix].
AB  - This paper is aimed to predict ecology suitability distribution of Gentianae
      Macrophyllae Radix and search the main ecological factors affecting the
      suitability distribution. The 313 distribution information about G. macrophylla,
      186 distribution information about G. straminea, 343 distribution information
      about G. dauricaand 131 distribution information about G. crasicaulis were
      collected though investigation and network sharing platform data . The ecology
      suitable distribution factors for production Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix was
      analyzed respectively by the software of ArcGIS and MaxEnt with 55 environmental
      factors. The result of MaxEnt prediction was very well (AUC was above 0.9). The
      results of predominant factors analysis showed that precipitation and altitude
      were all the major factors impacting the ecology suitable of Getiana Macrophylla
      Radix production. G. macrophylla ecology suitable region was mainly concentrated
      in south of Gansu, Shanxi, central of Shaanxi and east of Qinghai provinces. G.
      straminea ecology suitable region was mainly concentrated in southwest of Gansu,
      east of Qinghai, north and northwest of Sichuan, east of Xizang province. G.
      daurica ecology suitable region was mainly concentrated in south and southwest of
      Gansu, east of Qinghai, Shanxi and north of Shaanxi province. G. crasicaulis
      ecology suitable region was mainly concentrated in Sichuan and north of Yunnan,
      east of Xizang, south of Gansu and east of Qinghai province. The ecological
      suitability distribution result of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix was consistent
      with each species actual distribution. The study could provide reference for the
      collection and protection of wild resources, meanwhile, provide the basis for the
      selection of cultivation area of Gentiana Macrophylla Radix.

PMID- 28920368
TI  - [Study on ecological suitability of Gardenia jasminoides based on ArcGIS and
      Maxent model].
AB  - The application of ArcGIS and Maxent modelto analyze the ecological suitability
      of Gardenia jasminoides.Taking 85 batches of Gardenia as the basis of analysis,
      the selection of ecological factors for the growth of Gardenia. The results
      showed that the average precipitation in April, the average precipitation in
      November and the average precipitation in August were the most important factors
      affecting the growth of Gardenia. The relative concentration of Gardenia suitable
      growth region,north to the south of Shaanxi province, south of Henan, central
      Anhui, south to the north of Hainan province, west to central Sichuan province,
      east of Zhejiang coastal area, northeast of Taiwan.

PMID- 28920369
TI  - [Cultural regionalization for Coptis chinensis based on 3S technology platform I.
      Study on growth suitability for Coptis chinensis based on ecological factors
      analysis by Maxent and ArcGIS model].
AB  - At the urgent request of Coptis chinensis planting,growth suitability as
      assessment indicators for C. chinensis cultivation was proposed and analyzed in
      this paper , based on chemical quality determination and ecological fators
      analysis by Maxent and ArcGIS model. Its potential distribution areas at
      differernt suitability grade and regionalization map were formulated based on
      statistical theory and growth suitability theory. The results showed that the
      most suitable habitats is some parts of Chongqing and Hubei province, such as
      Shizhu, Lichuan, Wulong, Wuxi, Enshi. There are seven ecological factor is the
      main ecological factors affect the growth of Coptidis Rhizoma, including
      altitude, precipitation in February and September and the rise of precipitation
      and altitude is conducive to the accumulation of total alkaloid content in C.
      chinensis. Therefore, The results of the study not only illustrates the most
      suitable for the surroundings of Coptidis Rhizoma, also helpful to further
      research and practice of cultivation regionalization, wild resource monitoring
      and large-scale cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine plants.

PMID- 28920371
TI  - [Study of genuineness based on changes of ancient herbal origin--taking
      Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia miltiorrhiza as examples].
AB  - Basically, Dao-di hers are produced in specific area which has a long history,
      good quality, good medicine, curative effect. However genuine medicinal material
      area in history is not static, this makes the establishment of genuine medicinal
      material origin and the in-depth research be very difficult. This paper has
      profoundly analyzed the origin of different historical periods taking Astragalus
      membranaceus and Salvia miltiorrhiza as examples, and then summarized the reasons
      of herbal origin changes from the humanities, social and natural three aspects.
      This paper provides a basis for establishment and the further research of high
      quality genuine producing area.

PMID- 28920370
TI  - [Functional production regionalization for Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus based on
      growth and quality suitability assessment].
AB  - The major contributing factors for growth of endangered medicinal plants of
      Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus were screened on the GIS platform by using the
      MaxEnt model, and spatial distribution data of the medicine quality suitability
      were generated by geostatistics interpolation based on reported measured data of
      ecology and quality suitability assessment. On this basis, a functional
      production cultivation regionalization with high feasibility and operability were
      formatted for protection, wild monitoring, and cultivation of this plant by fuzzy
      superposition of spatial suitability data of ecology and quality, as well as
      integrated with land use and cover data. Therefore, a novel assessment and
      regionalization method were presented for ecology, growth and quality suitability
      of the Chinese traditional medicinal plants. This method is expected to overcome
      shortage of traditional regionalization methods difficult to distinguish the
      contribution of ecological factors and quality factors, which provide an
      innovative theory and methodology for regionalization, and is helpful to
      practical application of wild resource protection, monitoring, and
      commercialization cultivation for traditional Chinese medicinal plants.

PMID- 28920372
TI  - [Research progress on potential liver toxic components in traditional Chinese
      medicine].
AB  - In recent years, the proportion of traditional Chinese medicine in scientific
      research and its clinical use increased gradually. The research result also
      becomes more and more valuable, but in the process of using traditional Chinese
      medicine, it also needs to pay more attention. With the gradual deepening of the
      toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine, some traditional Chinese medicines have
      also been found to have the potential toxicity, with the exception of some
      traditional toxicity Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine in the
      growth, processing, processing, transportation and other aspects of pollution or
      deterioration will also cause the side effects to the body. Clinical practice
      should be based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine to guide rational
      drug use and follow the symptomatic medication, the principle of proper
      compatibility. The constitution of the patients are different, except for a few
      varieties of traditional Chinese medicines are natural herbs with hepatotoxicity,
      liver toxicity of most of the traditional Chinese medicine has idiosyncratic
      features. The liver plays an important role in drug metabolism. It is easy to be
      damaged by drugs. Therefore, the study of traditional Chinese medicine potential
      liver toxicity and its toxic components has become one of the basic areas of
      traditional Chinese medicine research. Based on the review of the literatures,
      this paper summarizes the clinical classification of liver toxicity, the
      pathogenesis of target cell injury, and systematically summarizes the mechanism
      of liver toxicity and toxic mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine. This paper
      provided ideas for the study of potential liver toxicity of traditional Chinese
      medicine and protection for clinical safety of traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28920373
TI  - [Application of gut microbiota in research of Chinese medicines].
AB  - This article summarizes the research progress in recent years on interactions
      between Chinese medicines and gut microbiota based on the physiological functions
      of gut microbiota, including imbalance impacts of toxic/irritating Chinese
      medicines on gut microbiota, prognosis effects of Chinese medicines on gut
      microbiota imbalance, metabolism effects of gut microbiota on Chinese medicine
      components, and co-metabolism effects between gut microbiota and host. We would
      think and prospect the specific biological effects of Chinese medicines, gut
      microbiota structures and the relations between endogenous metabolites from "gut
      microbiota and host co-metabolism". All of these aim to investigate biological
      mechanisms and effective components of Chinese medicines based on gut microbiota
      and offer a new strategy for promoting safe and effective application of Chinese
      medicines.

PMID- 28920374
TI  - [Application of natural plant pigment in hair dyes].
AB  - With the development of living condition, more and more people tend to show
      unique personality, thus hair dyes as hair cosmetics are highly favored. By the
      year 2012, the global sales of hair dye had exceeded $15 billion, with a
      sustained growth at a rate of 8%-10% annually. However, the harm caused by long
      term use of hair dyes has aroused widespread public concern, so people begin to
      seek non-toxic or low toxic natural plant hair dyes. The types of commonly used
      hair dyes and the corresponding dyeing mechanisms were summarized in this
      manuscript, and the representative natural botanic dyes were listed. Thereafter,
      their effective fractions, constituents and application status were described. In
      addition, the values of botanic hair dyes and their broad market prospect were
      discussed. Finally, the problems that exist in the research and development of
      plant hair dyes were issued. This review may help to provide thought for
      developing novel, green and ecological natural plant hair dyes.

PMID- 28920375
TI  - [Preparation of tanshinone IIA loaded nanostructured lipid carrier and its in
      vitro transdermal permeation characteristics].
AB  - To prepare tanshinone IIA loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (Tan IIA-NLC), and
      study its in vitro transdermal permeation characteristics. The Tan IIA-NLC was
      prepared by high pressure homogenization technology and optimized by Box-Behnken
      design-response surface method, and it was characterized in terms of morphology,
      particle size, zeta potention, et al. The transdermal permeation of Tan IIA-NLC
      was evaluated by using Franz diffusion cells. The results showed that, the
      optimal formulation was as follows: drug/lipid materials ratio 88, GMS/MCT ratio
      2, emulsifier concentration 1%, average particle size (182+/-14) nm,
      polydispersity index PDI (0.190 6+/-0.024 5), zeta potential (-27.8+/- 5.4) mV,
      encapsulation efficiency EE (86.44%+/-9.26%) and drug loading DL (0.98%+/-0.18%),
      respectively. The in vitro transdermal permeation results showed that as compared
      with Tan IIA solution, Tan IIA-NLC had lower transdermal permeation amount after
      applying drug for 24 h, but its retention in the epidermis was 3.18 times that of
      solution. These results indicated that the prepared Tan IIA-NLC could effectively
      increase the regention of Tan IIA in the epidermis, and had a broad application
      prospect.

PMID- 28920376
TI  - [Response surface method for optimization of asiatic acid nanoparticles modified
      with PEG and its enhancing effects on intestinal absorption].
AB  - A solvent diffusion method was used to prepare pegylated asiatic acid (AA) loaded
      nanostructured lipid carriers (p-AA-NLC). Then central composite design-response
      surface method was used to obtain optimum condition for preparation technology of
      p-AA-NLC, where PEG/lipid ratio was 8.0% and AA/lipid ratio was 22.0%. Under the
      optimum condition, the system had particle size of (111.2+/-2.9) nm, Zeta
      potential of (-37.1+/-0.9) mV, drug loading of (15.4+/-0.2)% and entrapment
      efficiency greater than 90%. The deviations between observed values and
      predicated values were all below 5%, indicating that the established model had a
      good predictability. Meanwhile, a low-speed single pass perfusion model of rat in
      situ was set up to estimate the absorption kinetics of p-AA-NLC in small
      intestine, where the effective permeability (Peff), absorption rate constant (Ka)
      and other parameters were used to evaluate the drug absorption. It turned out
      that Peff and Ka in p-AA-NLC group were significantly higher than those in
      unmodified group (P<0.05), indicating that asiatic acid loaded nanostructured
      lipid carriers (AA-NLC) could enhance the effects on intestinal absorption after
      being modified with hydrophilic PEG.

PMID- 28920377
TI  - [Rapid identification of chemical components in Congrong Zonggan capsule by UPLC
      Q-TOF-MS/MS].
AB  - This study was aimed to qualitatively analyze the chemical components in Congrong
      Zonggan capsule by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem
      quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). An Agilent
      SB-C18 Rapid Resolution HD (3.0 mm*100 mm,1.8 MUm) was used with acetonitrile (A)
      - 0.1% formic acid solution (B) as the mobile phase for gradient elution. The
      flow rate was 0.2 mL*min-1; the detection wavelength was set at 330 nm and the
      column temperature was maintained at 30 C. Electrospray ion (ESI) source was
      applied for the qualitative analysis under the negative ion mode. Finally, based
      on comparison with standard samples, database matching analysis and reviewing
      relevant literature, 41 compounds were identified from Congrong Zonggan capsule.
      This method could be used to rapidly detect the chemical components in Congrong
      Zonggan capsule, providing reference for the quality control of Congrong Zonggan
      capsule and laying a foundation for the further study on active components
      mechanism.

PMID- 28920378
TI  - [Chemical constituents from Polygonum multiflorum].
AB  - Six compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the tuberous root
      of Polygonum multiflorum by silical gel, ODS revsered-phase silica gel, Sephadex
      LH-20, and preparative HPLC. The structures were elucidated as column
      chromatography over: 2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-(2"-O-p-hydroxybenzoyl)
      beta-D-glucoside(1),2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside(2),2,
      4, 6, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside(3), emodin-8-O-beta-D
      glucopyranoside(4), physcion-8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(5), and 8-O-methyl
      emodin(6) on the basis of spectral analysis. Compound 1 is a new stilbene
      glycoside.

PMID- 28920379
TI  - [A new sesquiterpene from seeds of Cassia occidentalis and its cytotoxicity].
AB  - For the purpose of finding new bioactive agents from ethnic medicines, the
      chemical study on Dai Medicine Cassia occidentalis was carried out. The chemical
      constituents from the seeds of C. occidentalis were isolated by column
      chromatographic methods on silica gel, MCI-Gel resin, Sephadex LH-20, and high
      performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were elucidated by
      spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The
      cytotoxicity of the compound for NB4, A549, SHSY5Y, PC3, and MCF7 cells line was
      also assayed by using the MTT method. Two sesquiterpenes (1 and 2) were isolated
      from this plant. Compound 1 is a new compound and named as methyl 6
      (hydroxymethyl)-4-isopropyl-7-methoxynaphthalene-1-carboxylate. Compound 1 also
      displayed high cytotoxicity with the tested cancer cell-lines.

PMID- 28920380
TI  - [Chemical constituents of Myripnois dioica].
AB  - To study the chemical constituents of the aerial parts of Myripnois dioica.
      Twelve compounds were separated from the 95% ethanol extract of M. dioica by
      using various chromatographic techniques. Their stuctures were identified on the
      basis of their physicochemical properties and spectral data as 8-desoxyurospermal
      A(1), zaluzanin C(2), dehydrozaluzanin C(3), glucozaluzanin C(4), macrocliniside
      B(5), macrocliniside I(6), taraxinic acid-14-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(7),
      ainsliaside B(8), apigenin(9), luteolin(10), apigenin-7-O-beta-D
      glucopyranoside(11), and luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(12). Except for
      compound 8, the other compounds were isolated from this genus for the first time.
      Compound 8 was found to decrease blood glucose level properly in alloxan-induced
      diabetic mice.

PMID- 28920381
TI  - [Evaluation analysis of alkaloids in seed of Sophora flavescens from Shanxi
      province and exploration of its utilization value].
AB  - According to the research strategy of resource chemistry of Chinese medicinal
      materials and Chinese medicinal resources recycling utilization, this study
      intends to explore the potential resource-oriented utilization value of the seed
      of Sophora flavescens by contrasting with its kindred plant S. alopecuroides.
      This study established a rapid UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and UPLC-TQ-MS/MS method to
      determine the alkaloids in the seed of S. flavescens. Results of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS
      analysis showed that the alkaloids in the seed of S. flavescens were highly
      similar with S. alopecuroides.In the determination of 7 kinds of alkaloids, the
      total content was 11.203 and 15.506 mg*g-1 in the seed of S. flavescens and S.
      alopecuroides, respectively. The content of oxymatrine, oxysophocarpine and
      sophoridine is high in the seed of S. flavescens. The results indicated that the
      seeds of S. flavescens. could be an important material resource to obtain
      alkaloids.

PMID- 28920382
TI  - [Study on HPLC fingerprint and chemical constituent difference of different
      species of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus].
AB  - This study is to establish an HPLC fingerprint by HPLC-DAD method and
      simultaneous quantitative analysis of 17 components of 18 batches of Citrus
      aurantium and 10 batches of C. sinensis. The separation was performed on an
      Agilent Poroshell 120 SB-C18 (4.6 mm*100 mm,2.7 MUm) column with the gradient
      elution of methanol-0.1% formic acid water, the flow was 0.6 mL*min-1. The
      detection wavelength was set at 318 nm. The column temperature was maintained at
      30 C. The data calculation was performed with similarity evaluation system for
      chromatographic fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine (Version 2004A)
      together with SIMCA-P 13.0 software to clarify the differential marker between
      these two different species of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus. This method has good
      precision stability and repeatability that could provide basis for quality
      control and evaluation of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus.

PMID- 28920383
TI  - [Identification of multidrug resistance gene MDR1 associated microRNA of
      salvianolic acid A reversal in lung cancer].
AB  - This paper was aimed to investigate the microRNA associated with multidrug
      resistance gene MDR1 of salvianolic acid A reversal in lung cance. Human lung
      cancer A549 cells were divided into normal control group and drug group, and the
      MDR1 expression levels were determined by real-time quantitative PCR. MicroRNA
      expression profiling of normal control group and drug group were detected by
      using the latest microRNA microarray. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to validate
      the differentially expressed miRNA. Forecast of miRNA associated with MDR1 multi
      resistant genes of up-regulated miRNA. Experimental results showed that the
      dosage of MDR1 expression level significantly lowered compared with control
      group. The miRNA expression spectrum analyses of human lung cancer A549 cells to
      drug group and the control group were detected by microRNA microarray, 426
      differentially expressed miRNA were screened out. Then target prediction were
      performed for difference up-expression of miRNA and found that there were four
      obvious increase of miRNA associated with MDR1 multi-resistant genes. Real-time
      quantitative PCR for 4 microRNA verification, the results were consistent with
      the chip. So the author considered that salvianolic acid A down lung cancer
      multidrug resistance gene MDR1 is likely to be affected by the miRNA expression
      and regulation of target genes, to further clarify the traditional Chinese
      medicine to reverse multi-drug resistant mechanism provides the experimental
      basis.

PMID- 28920384
TI  - [Puerarin alleviates cognitive impairment and tau hyperphosphorylation in APP/PS1
      transgenic mice].
AB  - To observe the effect of puerarin on learning and memory function and tau
      phosphorylation in APP/PS1 transgenic mice, drugs were administered to 3-month
      old APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Learning and memory function of mice were assessed
      by Morris water maze test 3 months after treatment. Animals were decapitated
      after behavioral test. The levels of Abeta were detected by ELISA, the expression
      of protein [tau, phosphorylated tau, GSK3beta and p-GSK3beta(Ser9)] were assessed
      by Western blot. Morris water maze test showed that the escape latency of APP/PS1
      double transgenic mice was significantly longer than that of the normal control
      group, and the residence time of the original quadrant was significantly shorter.
      The escape latency of puerarin group was significantly shorter and the residence
      time of the original quadrant was prolonged compared with the model group.
      Compared with the normal control group, the levels of Abeta in the cortex of
      APP/PS1 transgenic mice were increased, the expression of phosphorylated tau was
      significantly increased, and the expression of phosphorylated GSK3beta(Ser9)
      protein was decreased. Treatment with puerarin, the latency of APP/PS1 transgenic
      mice was significantly reduced, the level of Abeta was decreased, the expression
      of phosphorylated tau was significantly decreased, and the expression of
      phosphorylated GSK3beta(Ser9) protein was increased. Puerarin improves the
      learning and memory impairment by reducing the formation of Abeta, activating the
      GSK3beta signaling pathway, inhibiting the phosphorylation of tau in APP/PS1
      double transgenic mice.

PMID- 28920385
TI  - [Protection mechanisms of hesperidin on mouse with insulin resistance].
AB  - To explore the effects of hesperidin on glycolipid metabolic disorders and its
      mechanism in mice induced by high-fat diet, 40 male C57 mice were randomly
      divided into control group, OB group, low dose group (OB+ hes-low) and high dose
      group (OB+ hes-high) according to the diet. After 16 weeks, the body weight,
      liver index and visceral fat index in all mice were detected. The glucose
      metabolism indications (blood glucose, insulin levels and HOMA-IR) and serum
      lipid levels were evaluated. The mRNA expression of insulin signaling pathway
      genes(IR, IRS1, Glut2, Glut4), lipid metabolism pathway genes(SREBP-1c, FAS, ACC,
      PPARalpha) and AMPK were analyzed by Real-time PCR. After 16-week feeding, the
      indicators in OB group were higher than those in control group, including body
      weight, body fat deposition, serum glucose, serum lipid, serum insulin and HOMA
      IR index (P<0.05). And impaired glucose tolerance occurred in the OB group
      (P<0.05). Treating with hesperidin, whether in low or high dose, attenuated these
      changes (P<0.05), especially in high dose group(P<0.05). Hesperidin, especially
      in high dose, upregulated the mRNA expressions of AMPK (P<0.05), which had impact
      on the gene expressions of insulin signaling pathway (IR, IRS-1, Glut2/4)
      (P<0.05) and lipid metabolism related genes (SREBP-1c and Fas and ACC) (P<0.05).
      The activatory effect of hesperidin on the mRNA expressions of PPARalpha was also
      observed (P<0.05), especially in high dose group (P<0.05). Hesperidin inhibits
      obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia and attenuates insulin resistance. These
      effects might be closed related to the activation of AMPK, which regulate the
      insulin signaling pathway and lipid metabolism.

PMID- 28920386
TI  - [In vitro effects of Genkwa Flos chloroform extract on activity of human liver
      microsomes UGTs and UGT1A1].
AB  - To predict the mechanism of liver injury induced by Genkwa Flos, we investigated
      the effect of chloroform extract on UGTs and UGT1A1 activities of the liver
      microsomes in rat and human. In the present study, 4-nitrophenol(4-NP) and beta
      estradiol were elected as substrates to determine activities of UGTs and UGT1A1
      by UV and HPLC. The results showed that there were 1.00% of apigenin, 6.40% of
      hydroxygenkwanin and 18.38% of genkwanin in chloroform extract; and total
      diterpene mass fraction was 31.40%. Compared with the control group, chloroform
      extract could significantly inhibit the activity of UGTs in rat liver
      microsomes(RLM) system, while the inhibitory effect was not obvious in human
      liver microsomes(HLM) system. UGT1A1 activity was inhibited by chloroform extract
      in rat liver microsomes and human liver microsomes (based on genkwanin,
      IC50=8.76, 10.36 MUmol*L-1). The inhibition types were non-competitive
      inhibition(RLM) and uncompetitive inhibition(HLM). In conclusion, the results
      indicated that chloroform extract showed different inhibitory effects on UGTs and
      UGT1A1 activity, which may be one of the mechanisms of liver injury induced by
      Genkwa Flos.

PMID- 28920387
TI  - [Textual research of diao,ji,li,tiao,di].
AB  - Many medicine names were recorded in Shuowen Jiezi. The later scholars
      interpreted these names, but they had different standpoints on the relationship
      between the name and nature of some medicines. In this study, the medicine names
      of diao, ji, li, tiao, and di with greater different standpoints were verified by
      textual research. Shuowen Jiezi, Erya, Guangya and previous annotations of these
      exegesis books were combined with herbal literature to summarize and analyze the
      relevant content. The herbal content in exegesis books were compared with the
      records in herbal literature to hackle the relationship between name and nature
      of medicines, clarify the lexical meaning and illustrate the efficacy of the
      medicines. Meanwhile, the value of herbalism in these exegesis books was
      explored.

PMID- 28920388
TI  - [Advances in anti-staling brewer's yeast].
AB  - Brewer's yeast is crucial in beer fermentation, mainly beer flavor diversity and
      stability. Beer flavor stability is one of the most influential beer quality
      aspects, and screening or breeding brewer's yeast with enhanced anti-staling
      capacity will be an effective solution. In recent decades, with the progress of
      genetic engineering and detailed description of brewer's yeast genome, great
      efforts have been made to improve brewer's yeast. This review highlights recent
      advances in classical and genetic engineering improvement of yeasts to produce
      more antioxidant compounds or less beer aging substances and precursors. Therein,
      improvement targets, evaluation methods and development strategies of anti
      staling brewer's yeast are also discussed. Furthermore, hotspot and future trend
      of anti-staling yeast strain development are also proposed.

PMID- 28920389
TI  - [Research progress in multi-enzyme regulation of genetically engineered bacteria
      producing lycopene].
AB  - Lycopene plays a crucial role in the biosynthesis pathway of 2-methyl-derythritol
      4-phosphate (MEP) and mevalonic acid (MVA). It is a representative product of
      isoprenoid family, and a typical product of multi-enzyme catalytic reaction in
      organism. In this paper, we first introduced the general regulation methods in
      multi-enzyme synthesis reaction, including the construction of multi gene co
      expression plasmid, gene order regulation, promoter and ribosome binding site
      regulation, gene knockout and replacement, aiming at the optimization strategies
      of multi-enzyme catalytic reaction in lycopene synthesis pathway. Meanwhile, we
      introduced several new regulation methods in multi-enzyme reaction, including
      multi-fragment assembly technology, artificial scaffold self-assembly methods and
      so on. At last, we summarized the application of these multi-enzyme regulation
      methods in lycopene synthesis. These methods provide a great inspiration and
      research foundation for the construction of lycopene-producing strains with high
      yield.

PMID- 28920390
TI  - [Advance of heterologous expression study of eukaryote-origin laccases].
AB  - Laccases are enzymes belonging to the group of multi-copper oxidases. These
      enzymes are widely distributed in insects, plants, fungi and bacteria. In
      general, laccases can oxidize an exceptionally high number of substrates, so they
      have broad applications in textile, pulp, food and the degradation of lignin.
      However, low yield, low activity and thermo-instability of laccase in nature
      limit the application of laccase. High efficient heterologous expression of the
      protein is an effective way for solving this problem. Here, we summarize the
      research advances of heterologous expression of eukaryote-origin laccases. We
      focus on the overexpression of eukaryote-origin laccases using different
      expression system and the method for improving the production yield and enzyme
      activity in yeast cells. Information provided in this review would be helpful for
      researchers in the field.

PMID- 28920391
TI  - [Progress in metabolic engineering of beta-carotene synthesis].
AB  - beta-carotene is an important natural plant pigment and has various physiological
      functions in organisms. With the proposition of systematic biology and progress
      in carotenoids biosynthesis since the 1960s, metabolic engineering has played a
      significant role in enhancing carotenoid production. In this review, we present
      beta-carotene's traditional production methods and metabolic engineering
      strategies for constructing beta-carotene-producing strains. Meanwhile, main
      problems and corresponding solutions to improve beta-carotene yield of engineered
      strains were further analyzed, for further efficient microbial production of beta
      carotene.

PMID- 28920392
TI  - [Strategies to improve the folding and modification of recombinant proteins: a
      review].
AB  - Gene expression technology has made great progress with the continuous
      developments and researches of molecular biology. Though many systems to produce
      recombinant proteins have been studied, none of them is available so far to
      satisfy the needs completely. With the increasing demands of bioactive peptides
      and protein drugs, expression quantity and correct posttranslational folding and
      modifications are also needed under the circumstance which can make proteins more
      close to native conformation and higher activity and stability. Based on our
      previous work, we summarized the factors affecting the folding and modifications
      of recombinant proteins correctly from five aspects, including expression system
      and hosts, secretory expression, coexpression, fusion expression, and the culture
      conditions, as well as improvement strategies.

PMID- 28920393
TI  - [Survival elongation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa improves power output of microbial
      fuel cells].
AB  - The secondary metabolites, phenazine products, produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      can mediate the electrons transfer in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). How increase
      the total electricity production in MFCs by improving the characteristics of
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of research hot spots and problems. In this study,
      P. aeruginosa strain SJTD-1 and its knockout mutant strain SJTD-1 (DeltamvaT)
      were used to construct MFCs, and the discharge processes of the two MFCs were
      analyzed to determine the key factors to electricity yields. Results indicated
      that not only phenazine but also the viable cells in the fermentation broth were
      essential for the discharge of MFCs. The mutant strain SJTD-1 (DeltamvaT) could
      produce more phenazine products and continue discharging over 160 hours in MFCs,
      more than that of the wild-type SJTD-1 strain (90 hours discharging time). The
      total electricity generated by SJTD-1 (DeltamvaT) strain could achieve 2.32 J in
      the fermentation process, much higher than the total 1.30 J electricity of the
      wild-type SJTD-1 strain. Further cell growth analysis showed that the mutant
      strain SJTD-1 (DeltamvaT) could keep a longer stationary period, survive much
      longer in MFCs and therefore, discharge more electron than those of the wild-type
      SJTD-1 strain. Therefore, the cell survival elongation of P. aeruginosa in MFCs
      could enhance its discharging time and improve the overall energy yield. This
      work could give a clue to improve the characteristics of MFCs using genetic
      engineering strain, and could promote related application studies on MFCs.

PMID- 28920394
TI  - [Bioinformatic analysis and characterization of myxobacteria laccase-like
      multicopper oxidases].
AB  - Laccase is a widely-used environment-friendly copper-containing oxidase found in
      many plants, insects and fungi. Recently, more and more laccases are also found
      in bacteria. Myxobacteria are an important bacteria resource. However,
      myxobacteria are much more difficult to isolate and purify than other bacteria.
      We used bioinformatic approach to screen myxobacteria proteomes available in
      NCBI. Based on conserved sequences of four copper binding sites in multicopper
      oxidase, 30 potential laccase sequences were obtained. Among them, nine genes
      were synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Seven proteins
      showed laccase activity when tested with traditional laccase substrates. One
      protein, named rSC-2, was chosen for further research because it exhibited the
      highest activity towards 2,6-dimethyl phenol (DMP). The molecular weight of rSC-2
      was 57 kDa. Its specific activity to DMP was 0.27 U/mg. The optimal temperature
      and the optimal pH were 60 C and 7.0, respectively. About 50% of the original
      activity was retained after incubation at 60 C and pH 7.0-8.0 for 1 h. Metals
      showed different effects on rSC-2. rSC-2 activity was enhanced by several
      metalsat concentration of 1 mmol/L, such as Ca2+ and Mn2+. With a higher
      concentration of 5 mmol/L, the activity of rSC-2 was apparently inhibited. This
      is the first report of bioinformatics screening myxobacteria laccases in
      combination with expression in E. coli.

PMID- 28920396
TI  - [Inhibition of chitin oligosaccharide on dyslipidemia and the potential molecular
      mechanism exploration].
AB  - The inhibitory effect of NACOS on dyslipidemia and potential molecular mechanisms
      by in vitro and in vivo experiments were investigated. For in vitro study, four
      experimental groups were designed by using HepG2 cells, including the control
      group, palmitic acid (PA) treatment alone group, NACOS treatment alone group and
      NACOS + PA treatment group. For in vivo study, male C57BL/6 mice were divided
      into four groups (n=5) at random including the normal control group (NCD), high
      fat diet (HFD) group, NACOS treatment alone group, NACOS+HFD group, which were
      treated for 20 weeks. The used methods in this study were as follows: the
      observation of lipid droplet deposition in HepG2 cells by oil red O staining, the
      detection of mRNA levels of lipid metabolism-related regulators and inflammatory
      cytokine by RT-PCR method, the monitoring of MAPKs and PI3K/Akt pathway
      activation by Western blotting method. The in vitro study shows that, NACOS had
      no toxicity on the viability of HepG2 cells at 25-100 MUg/mL and significantly
      reduced the deposition of lipid droplet. Also, based on both in vitro and in vivo
      investigation, NACOS evidently down-regulated the expression of lipid metabolism
      related regulators (PGC1alpha, Cox5b, Mcad) and inflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta)
      at mRNA level (P<0.05 or 0.01), and suppressed the activation of p38, ERK1/2 and
      Akt in HepG2 cells and lever tissues from HFD-fed mice (P<0.05 or 0.01). Based on
      the above, NACOS may inhibit the oxidation of liver mitochondrial fatty acid and
      the lipid biosynthesis, block the inflammatory responses and prevent the HepG2
      cells and C57BL/6 mice from lipidemia.

PMID- 28920395
TI  - [Inhibition of Fusarium graminearum by silver nanoparticles].
AB  - Silver nanoparticles were prepared by chemical reduction. Fusarium graminearum
      was used as the test strain. To study the inhibition of F. graminearum by silver
      nanoparticles, we studied the activities of protective enzymes superoxide
      dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), and the contents of osmotic
      adjustment substances soluble protein, soluble sugar and malonaldehyde (MDA) in
      F. graminearum. Silver nanoparticles inhibited F. graminearum and the inhibitory
      effect was increased with the concentration of silver nanoparticles. The
      inhibition rate of 10 MUg/mL silver nanoparticles was more than 90% and EC50 was
      0.59 MUg/mL. When the treating time prolonged (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h), the activity
      of SOD, CAT and POD increased firstly and then declined. SOD, POD and CAT reached
      the maximum at 4 hours, and decreased to minimum at 10 hours. Silver
      nanoparticles also increased the MDA content and reduced the soluble sugar and
      protein contents in pathogens. These results indicated that cell integrity was
      destroyed in the presence of silver. This may be one of the inhibiting mechanisms
      of silver nanoparticles on the growth of F. graminearum.

PMID- 28920397
TI  - [Effects of interleukin-34 expressed by human bone marrow derived mesenchymal
      stem cells on THP-1 cells].
AB  - To construct recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid vector of human IL-34
      gene, and to study the effects of IL-34 expressed by human bone marrow-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) on THP-1 cells. Full-length IL-34 encoding
      sequence was amplified by PCR. And this fragment was cloned into the plasmid
      pIRES2-EGFP. Western blotting and ELISA were used to analyze the expression of IL
      34 in hBM-MSCs. THP-1 cells were cultured with hBM-MSCs medium containing IL-34
      protein. Real-time PCR detected the effects of IL-34 on the expression of IL-10
      and TNFalpha in THP-1 cells. Restrictive enzyme analysis and sequencing
      demonstrated that IL-34 eukaryotic expression vector was successfully
      constructed. IL-34 protein expressed by hBM-MSCs could promote IL-10 and TNFalpha
      expression in THP-1 cells. Those results show that IL-34 expressed by hBM-MSCs
      has regulating effect on THP-1 cells.

PMID- 28920398
TI  - [Fermentation, purification and immunogenicity evaluation of hepatitis E virus
      like particles expressed in Hansenula polymorpha].
AB  - To develop a new recombinant hepatitis E vaccine, we used Hansenula polymorpha
      expression system to express recombinant hepatitis E virus-like particles (HEV
      VLPs), to construct a recombinant engineered strain HP/HEV2.3. The fermentation
      conditions and purification process were studied next. The first working seed
      lots were fermented in liquid culture, and the fermentation products were
      collected, then crushed, clarified, purified by ultrafiltration, silica gel
      adsorbed and desorbed, concentrated by ultrafiltration, purified by liquid
      chromatography and sterilized by filtration. The purity reached 99% with a yield
      of 33%. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that both the purified recombinant
      HEV VLPs from HP/HEV2.3 and natural hepatitis E virus particles appear identical
      of being 32 nm. The resulting DNA sequence obtained from VLPs is identical to the
      published HEV sequence. The SDS-PAGE analysis has revealed that the protein
      molecular weight of the HEV VLPs is 56 kDa, and the expression product HEV VLPs
      were accumulated up to 26% of total cellular protein. The expression level is 1.0
      g/L. Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results of the
      protein and ED50 of the vaccine showed that the HEV VLPs have good antigenicity
      and immunogenicity. In summary, the recombinant HEV VLPs from Hansenula
      polymorpha can be used in the manufacture of a new genetically engineered vaccine
      against hepatitis E.

PMID- 28920399
TI  - [ATDC-5 growth promoted by sustained-releasing chitosan microspheres loading TGF
      beta1 in artificial cartilage scaffolds].
AB  - In order to promote the growth of chondrocyte ATDC-5 in collagen type II
      hyaluronic acid-chondroitin sulfate composite scaffolds constructed previously in
      vitro, the sustained-releasing chitosan microspheres loading TGF-beta1 were
      prepared by emulsification and cross-linking. In addition, ATDC-5 was inoculated
      into the scaffolds incorporating the chitosan microspheres with TGF-beta1.
      Results show that the morphology of microsphere was round and uniform, mean
      diameter was about 100 nm, absorption rate was up to 983.7%+/-4.38%.When the
      microsphere was incubated under the condition of 107 U/L lysozyme, the
      degradation rate was only 51.0%+/-1.8% on day 28. Moreover, to compare the effect
      of TGF-beta1, the growth of ATDC-5 in different scaffolds was observed by MTT
      assay and fluorescence staining test. According to the cumulative release curve,
      TGF-beta1 was released quickly at initial 24 h, then gradually decelerated,
      finally reached the plateau after 120 h. MTT assay and fluorescence staining test
      demonstrated that the scaffolds were suitable for ATDC-5 growth and
      proliferation, as well as, suggested that the sustained-releasing chitosan
      microspheres loading TGF-beta1 could significantly promote the growth of ATDC-5.

PMID- 28920400
TI  - [Production of gastric-mucosa protective collagen III by Pichia pastoris].
AB  - To improve collagen production by recombinant Pichia pastoris, we applied Placket
      Burman and Box-Behnken design to optimize the fermentation medium. Through
      Placket-Burman design, three variables in the medium (concentration of yeast
      extract, peptone and glycerol) were selected for having significant effect on
      cell dry weight. Through Box-Behnken design regression coefficients analysis, a
      secondary degree polynomial equation was established, and the optimum levels of
      the three variables were yeast extract 1.13%, peptone 1.61% and glycerol 0.86%.
      During the growth period, an average cell dry weight of 4.41 g/L was obtained
      after 12 h fermentation, increased by 26%. Through high density fermentation, the
      production of recombinant human collagen (III) was up to 4.71 g/L in 22 L
      fermentor. The recombinant human collagen (III) exhibited good results to repair
      acetic acid induced gastric ulcer in rats.

PMID- 28920401
TI  - [Prediction of protein subcellular locations by ensemble of improved K-nearest
      neighbor].
AB  - Adaboost algorithm with improved K-nearest neighbor classifiers is proposed to
      predict protein subcellular locations. Improved K-nearest neighbor classifier
      uses three sequence feature vectors including amino acid composition, dipeptide
      and pseudo amino acid composition of protein sequence. K-nearest neighbor uses
      Blast in classification stage. The overall success rates by the jackknife test on
      two data sets of CH317 and Gram1253 are 92.4% and 93.1%. Adaboost algorithm with
      the novel K-nearest neighbor improved by Blast is an effective method for
      predicting subcellular locations of proteins.

PMID- 28920402
TI  - [Preparation and transformation optimization for supercompetent B. subtilis SCK6
      cells].
AB  - Bacillus subtilis is Gram-positive aerobic bacterium and widely used as a
      heterologous protein expression host because of its safety and high protein
      secretion property. However, comparing to Escherichia coli, the low
      transformation efficiency limits the application of B. subtilis as a host cell
      for directed evolution of heterologous enzymes. Therefore, we optimized the
      competent cell preparation conditions for conventional plasmid, including the
      alteration of the medium, the concentration of inducer, the plasmid type, and
      other parameters. Compared with the original LB medium, YN medium improved the
      transformation efficiency by about 4 folds. The transformation efficiency
      enhanced by about 2 folds under induction with 1.5% xylose for 2 h. In addition,
      with plasmids prepared from E. coli GM272 strain the transformation efficiency
      increased by about 3 folds. Combining all these findings, the transformation
      efficiency of pDG1730 plasmid under the optimized conditions could reach 106
      CFU/MUg, which was 2 orders of magnitude higher than that the original. Our
      findings provide references for directed evolution of enzymes and metabolic
      engineering in Bacillus subtilis.

PMID- 28920403
TI  - Comparison of bacterial communities in leachate from decomposing bovine
      carcasses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Burial is associated with environmental effects such as the
      contamination of ground or surface water with biological materials generated
      during the decomposition process. Therefore, bacterial communities in leachates
      originating from the decomposing bovine carcasses were investigated. METHODS: To
      understand the process of bovine (Hanwoo) carcass decomposition, we simulated
      burial using a lab-scale reactor with a volume of 5.15 m3. Leachate samples from
      3 carcasses were collected using a peristaltic pump once a month for a period of
      5 months, and bacterial communities in samples were identified by pyrosequencing
      of the 16S rRNA gene. RESULTS: We obtained a total of 110,442 reads from the
      triplicate samples of various sampling time points (total of 15 samples), and
      found that the phylum Firmicutes was dominant at most sampling times. Differences
      in the bacterial communities at the various time points were observed among the
      triplicate samples. The bacterial communities sampled at 4 months showed the most
      different compositions. The genera Pseudomonas and Psychrobacter in the phylum
      Proteobacteria were dominant in all of the samples obtained after 3 months.
      Bacillaceae, Clostridium, and Clostridiales were found to be predominant after 4
      months in the leachate from one carcass, whereas Planococcaceae was found to be a
      dominant in samples obtained at the first and second months from the other two
      carcasses. The results showed that potentially pathogenic microbes such as
      Clostridium derived from bovine leachate could dominate the soil environment of a
      burial site. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the composition of bacterial
      communities in leachates of a decomposing bovine shifted continuously during the
      experimental period, with significant changes detected after 4 months of burial.

PMID- 28920404
TI  - Effects of zearalenone on the localization and expression of the growth hormone
      receptor gene in the uteri of post-weaning piglets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the adverse effects of dietary
      zearalenone (ZEA) (0.5 to 1.5 mg/kg diet) on the localization and expression of
      the growth hormone receptor (GHR) in the uteri of post-weaning gilts and explored
      alternative mechanism of the reproductive toxicity of ZEA on piglets. METHODS: A
      total of forty healthy piglets (Duroc*Landrace*Large White) aged 28 d were
      selected for study. Piglets were transferred to single cages after 10 days'
      adaptation on an obstetric table. The animals were allocated to one of four
      treatments: a normal basal diet supplemented with 0 (Control), 0.5 (ZEA0.5), 1.0
      (ZEA1.0), or 1.5 (ZEA1.5) mg/kg purified ZEA, and fed for 35 d after the 10-d
      adaptation. Analyzed ZEA concentrations in the diets were 0, 0.52+/-0.07, 1.04+/
      0.03, and 1.51+/-0.13 mg/kg, respectively. At the end of the feeding trial,
      piglets were euthanized after being fasted for 12 h. Two samples of uterine
      tissue from each pig were rapidly collected, one of which was stored at -80
      degrees C for analysis of the relative mRNA and protein expression of GHR, and
      the second was promptly fixed in Bouin's solution for immunohistochemical
      analysis. RESULTS: The relative weight of the uteri and thickness of the
      myometrium and endometrium increased linearly (p<0.001) and quadratically
      (p<0.001) with an increasing level of ZEA. The results of immunohistochemical
      analysis indicated that GHR immunoreactive substance was mainly localizated in
      the cytoplasm of uterine smooth muscle, glandular epithelial, luminal epithelial,
      stromal, and vascular endothelial cells. In contrast, nuclear staining was rarely
      observed. The immunoreactive integrated optic density of GHR in the myometrium,
      luminal epithelium, glandular epithelium, and whole uteri of weaning gilts
      increased linearly (p<0.001) and quadratically (p<0.05) with an increasing level
      of ZEA. The mRNA and protein expression of GHR in the uteri of weaning gilts
      increased linearly (p<0.001) and quadratically (p<0.05) with an increasing level
      of ZEA. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, ZEA at a concentration of 0.5 mg/kg was
      sufficient to significantly thicken the myometrium and endometrium, and at a
      concentration of 1.0 mg/kg induced a high level of GHR expression to promote
      growth and development of the uteri. This revealed an alternative molecular
      mechanism whereby ZEA induces growth and development of the uteri and provides a
      theoretical basis for the revision of Chinese feed hygiene standards.

PMID- 28920405
TI  - Effects of processing, particle size and moisturizing of sorghum-based feeds on
      pellet quality and broiler production.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effect of pelleted and expanded sorghum
      based feeds prepared with different moisture levels and particle size of
      ingredients on metabolizable energy, ileal digestibility of amino acids and
      broiler performance. METHODS: The experiment was performed with 720 male broiler
      chicks of the Cobb strain, with treatments of six replications, with 15 birds
      each; they were arranged in a completely randomized design and 2*2*2 factorial
      scheme (pelleted or expanded feed processing, 0.8% or 1.6% moisture addition in
      the mixer, and particle size of 650 or 850 microns). RESULTS: Higher pellet
      quality (pellets, % and pellet durability index [PDI]) was obtained in expanded
      diets and inclusion of 1.6% moisture. The particle size of 850 microns increased
      the PDI of final diet. All studied treatments had no significant effect on weight
      gain and broiler carcass and cut yields. Lower feed conversion occurred for birds
      fed pelleted feed at 42 d. The highest apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and
      apparent metabolizable energy corrected to zero nitrogen balance (AMEn) values of
      feed in the initial rearing phase (10 to 13 days) were observed in birds fed
      pelleted feed or for feed prepared with 1.6% moisture. The highest ileal
      digestibility coefficients of amino acids were obtained with the consumption of
      pelleted feed prepared with a particle size of 650 microns and 1.6% moisture.
      CONCLUSION: Pelleted feed prepared with a milling particle size of 650 microns
      and 1.6% moisture provided increased ileal digestibility of amino acids and AMEn
      in the starter period. However, the expanded feed improved pellet quality and
      feed conversion of broilers at 42 days of age. We conclude that factors such as
      moisture, particle size and processing affect the pellet quality, and therefore
      should be considered when attempting to optimize broiler performance.

PMID- 28920406
TI  - Evaluation of high nutrient diets on litter performance of heat-stressed
      lactating sows.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the litter performance of multiparous
      sows fed 3% and 6% densified diets at farrowing to weaning during summer with
      mean maximum room temperature of 30.5 degrees C. METHODS: A total of 60 crossbred
      multiparous sows were allotted to one of three treatments based on body weight
      according to a completely randomized design. Three different nutrient levels
      based on NRC were applied as standard diet (ST; metabolizable energy, 3,300
      kcal/kg), high nutrient level 1 (HE1; ST+3% higher energy and 16.59% protein) and
      high nutrient level 2 (HE2; ST+6% higher energy and 17.04% protein). RESULTS:
      There was no variation in the body weight change. However, backfat thickness
      change tended to reduce in HE1 in comparison to ST treatment. Dietary treatments
      had no effects on feed intake, daily energy intake and weaning-to-estrus interval
      in lactating sows. Litter size, litter weight at weaning and average daily gain
      of piglets were significantly greater in sows in HE1 compared with ST, however,
      no difference was observed between HE2 and ST. Increasing the nutrient levels had
      no effects on the blood urea nitrogen, glucose, triglyceride, and creatinine at
      post-farrowing and weaning time. The concentration of follicle stimulating
      hormone, cortisol and insulin were not affected by dietary treatments either in
      post-farrowing or weaning time. The concentration of blood luteinizing hormone of
      sows in ST treatment was numerically less than sows in HE2 treatment at weaning.
      Milk and colostrum compositions such as protein, fat and lactose were not
      affected by the treatments. CONCLUSION: An energy level of 3,400 kcal/kg (14.23
      MJ/kg) with 166 g/kg crude protein is suggested as the optimal level of dietary
      nutrients for heat stressed lactating sows with significant beneficial effects on
      litter size.

PMID- 28920407
TI  - Effect of mechanically deboned poultry meat content on technological properties
      and sensory characteristics of lamb and mutton sausages.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a value-added product concerning
      technological and sensory characteristics changes of the use of mechanically
      deboned poultry meat (MDPM) as meat replacer in lamb and mutton emulsion-type
      sausages (mortadella). METHODS: Sausages were produced with lamb and mutton and
      with different contents of MDPM. Six treatments, using lamb or mutton and 0%,
      30%, and 60% of MDPM in relation to the meat batter, were produced and analyzed
      for pH, proximal composition, calcium and residual nitrite content, water
      activity, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), instrumental color
      and texture profile. The sensory profile of the mortadella's was also evaluated
      by acceptance test and check-all-that-applies (CATA) analysis. RESULTS: The MDPM
      addition increased (p<0.05) fat, residual nitrite and calcium content in the all
      sausage formulations, but mutton sausage had (p<0.05) higher fat and lower
      moisture content than lamb sausage. The pH, water activity, TBARS index and color
      was not affected by MDPM additions, while the mutton sausages were significantly
      redder (higher a*, C*, and lower h degrees ) and darker (lower L*) than lamb
      sausages. Adding up to 60% of MDPM reduced (p<0.05) sausages hardness and
      chewiness. Overall, the meat replacement by MDPM increased the sausages
      acceptance, but the mutton sausage with 30% of MDPM replacer were the most
      preferred. Consumers related that pink color, glossy appearance, poultry meat
      like taste, soft texture, juicy and greasy mouth feel to all sausages contain
      MDPM according to CATA analysis. CONCLUSION: Mutton from culled ewes can be
      utilized for mortadella production with 30% replacement of lean mutton and fat by
      MDPM.

PMID- 28920408
TI  - Characterization of gene expression and genetic variation of horse ERBB receptor
      feedback inhibitor 1 in Thoroughbreds.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to test the expression patterns of ERBB receptor
      feedback inhibitor 1 (ERRFI1) before and after exercise and the association of
      non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) of horse ERRFI1 with
      racing traits in Thoroughbreds. METHODS: We performed bioinformatics and gene
      expression analyses for horse ERRFI1. Transcription factor (TF) binding sites in
      the 5'-regulatory region of this gene were identified through a tool for
      prediction of TF-binding site (PROMO). A general linear model was used to detect
      the association between the nsSNP (LOC42830758 A to G) and race performance.
      RESULTS: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that expression
      level of ERRFI1 after exercise was 1.6 times higher than that before exercise.
      Ten transcription factors were predicted from the ERRFI1 regulatory region. A
      novel nsSNP (LOC42830758 A to G) was found in ERRFI1, which was associated with
      three racing traits including average prize money, average racing index, and 3
      year-old starts percentile ranking. CONCLUSION: Our analysis will be helpful as a
      basis for studying genes and SNPs that affect race performance in racehorses.

PMID- 28920409
TI  - POU class 1 homeobox 1 gene polymorphisms associated with growth traits in Korean
      native chicken.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: POU class 1 homeobox 1 (POU1F1) mediates growth hormone expression and
      activity by altering transcription, eventually resulting in growth rate
      variations. Therefore, we aimed to identify chicken POU1F1 polymorphisms and
      evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and
      growth-related traits, and logistic growth curve parameter traits (alpha, beta,
      and gamma). METHODS: Three SNPs (M_1 to M_3) were used to genotype 585 F1 and 88
      F0 birds from five Korean native chicken lines using a polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism method. RESULTS: Single marker analyses
      and traits association analyses showed that M_2 was significantly associated with
      body weight at two weeks, weight gain from hatch to 2 weeks, and weight gain from
      16 to 18 weeks (p<0.05). M_3 was significantly associated with weight gain from
      14 to 16 weeks and from 16 to 18 weeks, and asymptotic body weight (alpha)
      (p<0.05). No traits were associated with M_1. The POU1F1 haplogroups were
      significantly associated with weight gain from 14 to 16 weeks (p = 0.020).
      Linkage disequilibrium test and Haploview analysis shown one main haploblock
      between M_2 and M_3 SNP. CONCLUSION: Thus, POU1F1 significantly affects the
      growth of Korean native chickens and their growth curve traits.

PMID- 28920410
TI  - Effect of seasonal changes on fertility parameters of Holstein dairy cows in
      subtropical climate of Taiwan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the
      relationship between temperature-humidity index (THI), season, and conception
      rate (CR) of Holstein cows in central Taiwan. METHODS: The mean performance and
      number of observations were statistically evaluated for various parameters,
      including age at first service, number of days open, gestation length, CR, and
      calving interval for different parities. RESULTS: The results indicate that the
      mean age at first service was 493.2 days; the gestation length was similar across
      all cows of different parities, ranging from 275.1 to 280.7 days. The overall CR
      of all inseminations was significantly lower in multiparous cows (47.26%+/-0.22%)
      than in heifers (57.14%+/-0.11%) (p<0.05). At THI>72 and during the hot season
      (from June to November), CRs for multiparous cows were significantly reduced
      compared to that for heifers, while the ratio remained unchanged among heifers
      for all seasons. CONCLUSION: To achieve a high CR, lactating cows should be bred
      in winter and spring (from December to May) from the start of the seasonal
      breeding program, whereas the heifer should be allowed to breed in summer and
      fall under the subtropical climate in Taiwan.

PMID- 28920411
TI  - Effect of inclusion level and adaptation duration on digestible energy and
      nutrient digestibility in palm kernel meal fed to growing-finishing pigs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: An experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of inclusion level of
      palm kernel meal (PKM) and adaptation duration on the digestible energy (DE) and
      apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of chemical constituents in diets fed
      to growing-finishing pigs. METHODS: Thirty crossbred barrows
      (Duroc*Landrace*Large White) with an average initial body weight of 85.0+/-2.1 kg
      were fed 5 diets in a completely randomized design. The diets included a corn
      soybean meal basal diet and 4 additional diets in which corn and soybean meal
      were partly replaced by 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% PKM. After 7 d of adaptation to the
      experimental diets, feces were collected from d 8 to 12, d 15 to 19, d 22 to 26,
      and d 29 to 33, respectively. RESULTS: The DE and ATTD of gross energy (GE), dry
      matter (DM), ash, organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid
      detergent fiber (ADF), and crude protein (CP) in diets decreased linearly as the
      dietary PKM increased within each adaptation duration (p< 0.01). Diet containing
      19.5% PKM had less DE value and ATTD of all detected items compared with other
      diets when fed to pigs for 14 days (p<0.05). The ATTD of CP in PKM calculated by
      19.5% and 39.0% linearly increased as adaptation duration prolonged from 7 to 28
      days (p<0 .01). CONCLUSION: Inclusion level of PKM and adaptation duration had an
      interactive effect on DE and the ATTD of GE, DM, OM, and CP (p<0.01 or 0.05) but
      ash, NDF, and ADF in diet (p> 0.05). Considering a stable determination, 21 days
      of adaptation to a diet containing 19.5% PKM is needed in pigs and a longer
      adaptation time is recommended as dietary PKM increases.

PMID- 28920412
TI  - Molecular cloning, purification, expression, and characterization of beta-1, 4
      endoglucanase gene (Cel5A) from Eubacterium cellulosolvens sp. isolated from
      Holstein steers' rumen.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to isolate the cellulolytic microorganism
      from the rumen of Holstein steers and characterize endoglucanase gene (Cel5A)
      from the isolated microorganism. METHODS: To isolate anaerobic microbes having
      endoglucanase, rumen fluid was obtained from Holstein steers fed roughage diet.
      The isolated anaerobic bacteria had 98% similarity with Eubacterium
      cellulosolvens (E. cellulosolvens) Ce2 (Accession number: AB163733). The Cel5A
      from isolated E. cellulolsovens sp. was cloned using the published genome
      sequence and expressed through the Escherichia coli BL21. RESULTS: The maximum
      activity of recombinant Cel5A (rCel5A) was observed at 50 degrees C and pH 4.0.
      The enzyme was constant at the temperature range of 20 degrees C to 40 degrees C
      but also, at the pH range of 3 to 9. The metal ions including Ca2+, K+, Ni2+,
      Mg2+, and Fe2+ increased the endoglucanase activity but the addition of Mn2+,
      Cu2+, and Zn2+ decreased. The Km and Vmax value of rCel5A were 14.05 mg/mL and
      45.66 MUmol/min/mg. Turnover number, Kcat and catalytic efficiency, Kcat/Km
      values of rCel5A was 96.69 (s-1) and 6.88 (mL/mg/s), respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Our results indicated that rCel5A of E. cellulosolvens isolated from Holstein
      steers had a broad pH range with high stability under various conditions, which
      might be one of the beneficial characteristics of this enzyme for possible
      industrial application.

PMID- 28920413
TI  - Functional role of Forskolin and PD166285 in the development of denuded mouse
      oocytes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: cAMP and mature promoting factor (MPF) play critical roles during the
      maturation of mammalian oocytes. The aim of this study was to produce the
      offspring from denuded oocytes (DOs) in mice by regulating cAMP and MPF. METHODS:
      In this study, we used DOs at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage in mice and
      regulated levels of cAMP and MPF in DOs by adding Forskolin and PD166285 during
      in vitro maturation without follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone,
      respectively. RESULTS: Combined use of 50 MUM Forskolin for 3 h and 2.5 MUM
      PD166285 for additional 21 h enhanced the developmental competence of DOs,
      maturation rate of DOs was 76.71%+/- 4.11%, blastocyst rate was 18.33%+/-4.44%
      after parthenogenetic activation (PA). The DOs could successfully be fertilized
      with sperm in vitro, cleavage rate was 17.02%+/-5.82% and blastocyst rate was
      5.65%+/-3.10%. Besides, 2-cell in vitro fertilization embryos from DOs produced 4
      normal live offspring (4/34). CONCLUSION: The results confirmed that the
      combination of Forskolin and PD166285 can induce DOs to complete meiosis process
      and produce normal offspring.

PMID- 28920414
TI  - Metagenomic analysis of bacterial community structure and diversity of
      lignocellulolytic bacteria in Vietnamese native goat rumen.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In a previous study, analysis of Illumina sequenced metagenomic DNA
      data of bacteria in Vietnamese goats' rumen showed a high diversity of putative
      lignocellulolytic genes. In this study, taxonomy speculation of microbial
      community and lignocellulolytic bacteria population in the rumen was conducted to
      elucidate a role of bacterial structure for effective degradation of plant
      materials. METHODS: The metagenomic data had been subjected into Basic Local
      Alignment Search Tool (BLASTX) algorithm and the National Center for
      Biotechnology Information non-redundant sequence database. Here the BLASTX hits
      were further processed by the Metagenome Analyzer program to statistically
      analyze the abundance of taxa. RESULTS: Microbial community in the rumen is
      defined by dominance of Bacteroidetes compared to Firmicutes. The ratio of
      Firmicutes versus Bacteroidetes was 0.36:1. An abundance of Synergistetes was
      uniquely identified in the goat microbiome may be formed by host genotype. With
      regard to bacterial lignocellulose degraders, the ratio of lignocellulolytic
      genes affiliated with Firmicutes compared to the genes linked to Bacteroidetes
      was 0.11:1, in which the genes encoding putative hemicellulases, carbohydrate
      esterases, polysaccharide lyases originated from Bacteroidetes were 14 to 20
      times higher than from Firmicutes. Firmicutes seem to possess more cellulose
      hydrolysis capacity showing a Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of 0.35:1. Analysis
      of lignocellulolytic potential degraders shows that four species belonged to
      Bacteroidetes phylum, while two species belonged to Firmicutes phylum harbouring
      at least 12 different catalytic domains for all lignocellulose pretreatment,
      cellulose, as well as hemicellulose saccharification. CONCLUSION: Based on these
      findings, we speculate that increasing the members of Bacteroidetes to keep a low
      ratio of Firmicutes versus Bacteroidetes in goat rumen has resulted most likely
      in an increased lignocellulose digestion.

PMID- 28920415
TI  - Comparative digestibility of nutrients and amino acids in high-fiber diets fed to
      crossbred barrows of Duroc boars crossed with Berkshire*Jiaxing and
      Landrace*Yorkshire.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This experiment was conducted to determine the differences in the
      apparent ileal (AID) and total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients and
      indispensable amino acids (IAA) in high-fiber diets with wheat middlings, rice
      bran or alfalfa meal fed to Duroc*(Landrace* Yorkshire) (DLY) and Duroc*
      (Berkshire*Jiaxing) (DBJ) growing barrows. METHODS: Eighteen DLY and 18 DBJ
      growing barrows were randomly allotted to a 2*3 factorial arrangement involving 2
      crossbreeds and 3 high-fiber diets. The experiment lasted 15 d with 10 d for
      diets adaptation, 3 d for feces collection and 2 d for digesta collection. Three
      diets were based on corn and soybean meal with 25% wheat middlings, rice bran and
      alfalfa meal respectively. RESULTS: DBJ had a greater (p<0.05) AID of isoleucine,
      leucine, lysine, phenylalanine and valine and a lower (p<0.05) AID of methionine
      than DLY. The hindgut disappearance of acid detergent fiber for DBJ was greater
      (p<0.05) than DLY. The ATTD of gross energy, dry matter, organic matter, neutral
      detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in wheat middlings diet were greater
      (p<0.05) than in rice bran and alfalfa meal diets. The hindgut disappearance of
      neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in wheat middlings diet or rice
      bran diet were the highest or lowest (p<0.05), and those of alfalfa meal diet
      were the middle. Barrows fed rice bran diet had a greater (p<0.05) hindgut
      disappearance of gross energy, dry matter and organic matter and lower hindgut
      disappearance of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber than barrows
      fed alfalfa meal diet. CONCLUSION: DBJ growing barrows showed a significant
      higher digestibility of fiber in the hindgut and most IAA in the small intestine
      compared with DLY barrows. The digestibilities of chemical constituents and IAA
      were affected by the diets formulated with different fiber sources.

PMID- 28920416
TI  - Effects of aflatoxin B1 combined with ochratoxin A and/or zearalenone on
      metabolism, immune function, and antioxidant status in lactating dairy goats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This experiment investigated the effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) alone
      or mixed with ochratoxin A (OTA) and/or zearalenone (ZEA) on the metabolism,
      immune function, and antioxidant status of dairy goats. METHODS: Fifty lactating
      Laoshan dairy goats were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups (n =
      10) for 14 days. Goats were fed no additive (control) or administered with 50 MUg
      AFB1/kg dry matter (DM) (AFB1), 50 MUg AFB1/kg DM+100 MUg OTA/kg DM (AFB1+ OTA),
      50 MUg AFB1/kg DM+500 MUg ZEA/kg DM (AFB1+ZEA), or 50 MUg AFB1/kg DM+100 MUg
      OTA/kg DM+500 MUg ZEA/kg DM (AFB1+OTA+ZEA). RESULTS: Dry matter intake and milk
      production were lower in goats fed AFB1+OTA+ZEA than in controls. Supplementation
      with AFB1, OTA, and ZEA significantly decreased red blood cell count, hematocrit,
      mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean platelet volume,
      and significantly increased white blood cell count, when compared with the
      control group. Compared with control, the combination of AFB1, OTA, and ZEA
      significantly increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP) activities, total bilirubin (TBIL), interleukin-6, and malondialdehyde
      (MDA), but significantly reduced immunoglobulin A concentration, the activities
      of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxides (GSH-Px), and total
      antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum. Administration of AFB1 combined with OTA
      led to higher ALP, ALT, TBIL, and MDA, as well as lower milk production, SOD and
      GSH-Px activities, and T-AOC, than administration of AFB1 combined with ZEA.
      CONCLUSION: The mixture of AFB1, OTA, and ZEA exerted the greatest adverse
      effects on dairy goats, meanwhile the deleterious damage of the other mycotoxin
      combinations were in varying degrees. The findings of this study could provide
      guidance for the prevention and treatment of the consequences of contamination of
      animal feeds with combinations of mycotoxin.

PMID- 28920417
TI  - Effects of deoxynivalenol- and zearalenone-contaminated feed on the gene
      expression profiles in the kidneys of piglets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN), common
      contaminants in the feed of farm animals, cause immune function impairment and
      organ inflammation. Consequently, the main objective of this study was to
      elucidate DON and ZEN effects on the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines and other immune related genes in the kidneys of piglets. METHODS:
      Fifteen 6-week-old piglets were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments for
      4 weeks: control diet, and diets contaminated with either 8 mg DON/kg feed or 0.8
      mg ZEN/kg feed. Kidney samples were collected after treatment, and RNA-seq was
      used to investigate the effects on immune-related genes and gene networks.
      RESULTS: A total of 186 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened (120
      upregulated and 66 downregulated). Gene ontology analysis revealed that the
      immune response, and cellular and metabolic processes were significantly
      controlled by these DEGs. The inflammatory stimulation might be an effect of the
      following enriched Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway analysis found
      related to immune and disease responses: cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,
      chemokine signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE), tuberculosis, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and chemical
      carcinogenesis. The effects of DON and ZEN on genome-wide expression were
      assessed, and it was found that the DEGs associated with inflammatory cytokines
      (interleukin 10 receptor, beta, chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 9, CXCL10,
      chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 4), proliferation (insulin like growth factor
      binding protein 4, IgG heavy chain, receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase C,
      cytochrome P450 1A1, ATP-binding cassette sub-family 8), and other immune
      response networks (lysozyme, complement component 4 binding protein alpha,
      oligoadenylate synthetase 2, signaling lymphocytic activation molecule-9, alpha
      aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, Ig lambda chain c region, pyruvate
      dehydrogenase kinase, isozyme 4, carboxylesterase 1), were suppressed by DON and
      ZEN. CONCLUSION: In summary, our results indicate that high concentrations of DON
      and ZEN suppress the inflammatory response in kidneys, leading to potential
      effects on immune homeostasis.

PMID- 28920418
TI  - Differential characterization of myogenic satellite cells with linolenic and
      retinoic acid in the presence of thiazolidinediones from prepubertal Korean black
      goats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Myogenic satellite cells were isolated from semitendinosus muscle of
      prepubertal Korean black goat to observe the differential effect of linolenic and
      retinoic acid in thepresence of thiazolidinediones (TZD) and also to observe the
      production insulin sensitive preadipocyte. METHODS: Cells were characterized for
      their stemness with cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), CD13, CD106, CD44,
      Vimentin surface markers using flow cytometry. Cells characterized themselves as
      possessing significant (p<0.05) levels of CD13, CD34, CD106, Vimentin revealing
      their stemness potential. Goat myogenic satellite cells also exhibited CD44,
      indicating that they possessed a % of stemness factors of adipose lineage apart
      from their inherent stemness of paxillin factors 3/7. RESULTS: Cells during
      proliferation stayed absolutely and firmly within the myogenic fate without any
      external cues and continued to show a significant (p<0.05) fusion index % to
      express myogenic differentiation, myosin heavy chain, and smooth muscle actin in
      2% horse serum. However, confluent myogenic satellite cells were the ones easily
      turning into adipogenic lineage. Intriguingly, upregulation in adipose specific
      genetic markers such as peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor gamma,
      adiponectin, lipoprotein lipase, and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha were
      observed and confirmed in all given treatments. However, the amount of
      adipogenesis was found to be statistically significant (p<0.01) with linolenic
      acid as compared to retinoic acid in combination with TZD's. CONCLUSION: Retinoic
      acid was found to produce smaller preadipocytes which have been assumed to have
      insulin sensitization and hence retinoic acid could be used as a potential agent
      to sensitize tissues to insulin in combination with TZD's to treat diabetic
      conditions in humans and animals in future.

PMID- 28920419
TI  - Effects of dietary Spirulina on antioxidant status, lipid profile, immune
      response and performance characteristics of broiler chickens reared under high
      ambient temperature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Spirulina has been recognized formerly as a filamentous spiral-shaped
      blue-green algae but more recently as a genus of photosynthetic bacteria
      (Arthrospira). This microorganism is considered as a rich source of essential
      nutrients for human and animals. The present study was conducted to determine
      potential application of Spirulina for heat-exposed broilers. METHODS: Two
      hundred and fifty Cobb 500 chicks with male to female in equal ratio with average
      initial weight of 615.6 g at 17 days of age were divided into 5 treatments with 5
      replicates of 10 chicks. Treatment groups were as follows: positive and negative
      controls with 0% Spirulina supplement and three Spirulina receiving groups with 5
      g/kg (0.5%), 10 g/kg (1%), and 20 g/kg (2%) supplementation. Spirulina receiving
      groups as well as positive control were exposed to high ambient temperature at 36
      degrees C for 6 h/d from 38 to 44 days of age. Biochemical variables were
      measured in serum samples at 35, 38, 42, and 45 days of broiler chickens age.
      RESULTS: The results showed that supplementation of the diet with Spirulina
      decreased concentration of stress hormone and some serum lipid parameters while
      enhanced humoral immunity response and elevated antioxidant status whereas it
      didn't meaningfully affect performance characteristics. Nevertheless, feed
      conversion ratio was improved numerically but not statistically in broilers fed
      with 1% Spirulina under high ambient temperature. CONCLUSION: Overall, the
      present study suggests that alleviation of adverse impacts due to high ambient
      temperature at biochemical level including impaired enzymatic antioxidant system,
      elevated stress hormone and lipid profile can be approached in broiler chickens
      through supplementation of the diet with Spirulina platensis.

PMID- 28920421
TI  - Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Nonagenarian Patients: Is It
      Really Safe?
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Literature on the safety of endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in elderly patients is divided. Based on this we
      decided to examine the safety of ERCP in nonagenarian patients. METHODS: A total
      of 1,389 patients, with a mean age of 63.94+/-19.62 years, underwent ERCP during
      the study period. There were 74 patients aged 90 years or older with a mean age
      of 92.07+/-1.8. Logistic regression showed that nonagenarian patients had a
      significantly increased odds of in-patient mortality (adjusted odds ratio
      [AOR]=9.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]=4, 23; p<=0.001). Charlson Comorbidity
      Index (CCI) >=2 was also an independent predictor of in-patient mortality
      (AOR=2.4; 95% CI=1.2, 5.2; p=0.021). Age >=90 was not associated with increased
      adverse events; however emergency procedures (AOR=2.4; 95% CI=1.5, 4; p<0.001)
      and CCI >=2 (AOR=2.6; 95% CI=1.7, 4.0; p<0.001) were more likely to have adverse
      events. CONCLUSIONS: Age >=90 and CCI >=2 are independently associated with
      increased odds of in-patient mortality in patients undergoing ERCP, whereas
      emergency procedures and CCI >=2 are associated with an increased adverse event
      rate. Caution must be exercised when considering ERCP in patients aged >=90 years
      and those with a CCI >=2.

PMID- 28920422
TI  - Dual-Activator Codoped Upconversion Nanoprobe with Core-Multishell Structure for
      in Vitro and in Vivo Detection of Hydroxyl Radical.
AB  - Monitoring the fluctuation of hydroxyl radical (.OH) in the body can serve as an
      effective tool for the prediction of relative diseases; however, it is highly
      challenging due to the radical's short lifetime, high reactivity, and extremely
      low concentration. Sandwich structured lanthanide-doped upconversion
      nanoparticles (UCNPs) exhibit unique luminescence properties and great prospects
      in bioimaging. Nonetheless, their rather low luminescence efficiency and
      intensity are serious limitations for their application. Herein, we report on
      dual-activator codoped UCNPs with a core-multishell structure that greatly
      improve the luminescence intensity and lifetime by 46-fold and 2.6-fold,
      respectively, compared to those of the monoactivator doped sandwich structured
      UCNPs. Moreover, emitting ions in the designed core-multishell (CMS)-UCNPs were
      confined in a homogeneous and thin shell layer (~2 nm); thus, the luminescence
      resonance energy transfer (LRET)-based CMS-UCNPs@azo dye nanoprobe exhibited a
      largely shortened energy transfer distance and a pronounced luminescence
      quenching yield (97%), affording the nearly zero background signal and achieving
      an ultrahigh sensitivity for the detection of .OH (with limit of quantitation
      (LOQ) of 0.10 fM). With good biocompatibility, low biotoxicity, and enhanced
      luminescence intensity and lifetime, the developed nanoprobe was competent in
      monitoring the subtle fluctuation of .OH concentration both in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28920420
TI  - Metachronous Gastric Cancer Following Curative Endoscopic Resection of Early
      Gastric Cancer.
AB  - This review article summarizes knowledge about metachronous gastric cancer (MGC)
      occurring after curative endoscopic resection (ER) of early gastric cancer (EGC),
      treatment outcomes of patients who developed MGC, and efficacy of Helicobacter
      pylori eradication to prevent MGC. The incidence of MGC following curative ER
      increases over time and is higher than in patients undergoing gastrectomy.
      Increasing age and multifocal EGC are independent risk factors for developing
      MGC. An MGC following curative ER is usually a small (<20 mm) and differentiated
      intramucosal cancer. Most MGC lesions are found at an early stage on semiannual
      or annual surveillance endoscopy and are successfully treated by further ER, with
      excellent long-term outcomes. Eradication of H. pylori may reduce the risk of MGC
      following ER of EGC, but further prospective studies with long-term outcomes are
      required. Surveillance endoscopy following gastric ER should be continued
      indefinitely, due to the risk of MGC even after successful H. pylori eradication.
      Risk stratification and tailored endoscopic surveillance schedules need to be
      developed.

PMID- 28920423
TI  - Self-Organization of Ions at the Interface between Graphene and Ionic Liquid DEME
      TFSI.
AB  - Electrochemical effects manifest as nonlinear responses to an applied electric
      field in electrochemical devices, and are linked intimately to the molecular
      orientation of ions in the electric double layer (EDL). Herein, we probe the
      origin of the electrochemical effect using a double-gate graphene field effect
      transistor (GFET) of ionic liquid N,N-diethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)-N-methylammonium
      bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (DEME-TFSI) top-gate, paired with a
      ferroelectric Pb0.92La0.08Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PLZT) back-gate of compatible gating
      efficiency. The orientation of the interfacial molecular ions can be extracted by
      measuring the GFET Dirac point shift, and their dynamic response to ultraviolet
      visible light and a gate electric field was quantified. We have observed that the
      strong electrochemical effect is due to the TFSI anions self-organizing on a
      treated GFET surface. Moreover, a reversible order-disorder transition of TFSI
      anions self-organized on the GFET surface can be triggered by illuminating the
      interface with ultraviolet-visible light, revealing that it is a useful method to
      control the surface ion configuration and the overall performance of the device.

PMID- 28920424
TI  - Nanotubular Iridium-Cobalt Mixed Oxide Crystalline Architectures Inherited from
      Cobalt Oxide for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalysis.
AB  - Here, we report the unique transformation of one-dimensional tubular mixed oxide
      nanocomposites of iridium (Ir) and cobalt (Co) denoted as IrxCo1-xOy, where x is
      the relative Ir atomic content to the overall metal content. The formation of a
      variety of IrxCo1-xOy (0 <= x <= 1) crystalline tubular nanocomposites was
      readily achieved by electrospinning and subsequent calcination process.
      Structural characterization clearly confirmed that IrxCo1-xOy polycrystalline
      nanocomposites had a tubular morphology consisting of Ir/IrO2 and Co3O4, where
      Ir, Co, and O were homogeneously distributed throughout the entire
      nanostructures. The facile formation of IrxCo1-xOy nanotubes was mainly ascribed
      to the inclination of Co3O4 to form the nanotubes during the calcination process,
      which could play a critical role in providing a template of tubular structure and
      facilitating the formation of IrO2 by being incorporated with Ir precursors.
      Furthermore, the electroactivity of obtained IrxCo1-xOy nanotubes was
      characterized for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with rotating disk electrode
      voltammetry in 1 M NaOH aqueous solution. Among diverse IrxCo1-xOy,
      Ir0.46Co0.54Oy nanotubes showed the best OER activity (the least-positive onset
      potential, greatest current density, and low Tafel slope), which was even better
      than that of commercial Ir/C. The Ir0.46Co0.54Oy nanotubes also exhibited a high
      stability in alkaline electrolyte. Expensive Ir mixed with cheap Co at an optimum
      ratio showed a greater OER catalytic activity than pure Ir oxide, one of the most
      efficient OER catalysts.

PMID- 28920425
TI  - A Far-Red-Emitting Fluorescence Probe for Sensitive and Selective Detection of
      Peroxynitrite in Live Cells and Tissues.
AB  - In this study, the far-red-emitting fluorescence probe 1, containing a rhodamine
      derivative and a hydrazide reactive group, was developed for peroxynitrite
      detection and imaging. This probe, which is cell permeable and shows high
      sensitivity and selectivity in fluorometric detection of peroxynitrite over other
      ROS/RNS, was successfully utilized to detect exogenous and endogenous
      peroxynitrite in HeLa and RAW 264.7 cells, respectively. More importantly, 1 can
      also be used to detect endogenous peroxynitrite generated in Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa (PAO1)-infected mouse bone marrow-derived neutrophils. We anticipate
      that the new probe will serve as a powerful molecular imaging tool in
      investigations of the role(s) played by peroxynitrite in a variety of
      physiological and pathological contexts.

PMID- 28920426
TI  - Methotrexate-Camptothecin Prodrug Nanoassemblies as a Versatile Nanoplatform for
      Biomodal Imaging-Guided Self-Active Targeted and Synergistic Chemotherapy.
AB  - "All-in-one" carrier-free-based nano-multi-drug self-delivery system could
      combine triple advantages of small molecules, nanoscale characteristics, and
      synergistic combination therapy together. Researches have showed that dual-acting
      small-molecular methotrexate (MTX) could target and kill the folate-receptor
      overexpressing cancer cells. Inspired by this mechanism, a novel collaborative
      early-phase tumor-selective targeting and late-phase synergistic anticancer
      approach was developed for the self-assembly of chemotherapeutic drug-drug
      conjugate, which showed various advantages of more simplicity, efficiency, and
      flexibility over the conventional approach based only on single or combination
      cancer chemotherapy. MTX and 10-hydroxyl camptothecin (CPT) were chosen to
      conjugate through ester linkage. Because of the amphiphilicity and ionicity, MTX
      CPT conjugates as molecular building blocks could self-assemble into MTX-CPT
      nanoparticles (MTX-CPT NPs) in aqueous solution, thus notably improving the
      aqueous solubility of CPT and the membrane permeability of MTX. The MTX-CPT NPs
      with a precise drug-to-drug ratio showed pH-/esterase-responsive drug release,
      sequential function "Targeting-Anticancer" switch, and real-time monitoring
      fluorescence "Off-On" switch. By doping with a lipophilic near-infrared (NIR)
      cyanine dye (e.g., 1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindotricarbocyanine
      iodide, DiR), the prepared DiR-loaded MTX-CPT NPs acted as an effective probe for
      in vivo NIR fluorescence (NIRF) and photoacoustic (PA) dual-modal imaging. Both
      in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that MTX-CPT NPs could specifically
      codeliver multidrug to different sites of action with distinct anticancer
      mechanisms to kill folate-receptor-overexpressing tumor cells in a synergistic
      way. This novel, simple, and highly convergent self-targeting nanomulti-drug
      codelivery system exhibited great potential in cancer therapy.

PMID- 28920427
TI  - Noncontinuously Responding Polymeric Actuators.
AB  - Reversible movements of current polymeric actuators stem from the continuous
      response to signals from a controlling unit, and subsequently cannot be
      interrupted without stopping or eliminating the input trigger. Here, we present
      actuators based on cross-linked blends of two crystallizable polymers capable of
      pausing their movements in a defined manner upon continuous cyclic heating and
      cooling. This noncontinuous actuation can be adjusted by varying the applied
      heating and cooling rates. The feasibility of these devices for technological
      applications was shown in a 140 cycle experiment of free-standing noncontinuous
      shape shifts, as well as by various demonstrators.

PMID- 28920428
TI  - Inhibition of Human Amylin Amyloidogenesis by Human Amylin-Fragment Peptides:
      Exploring the Effects of Serine Residues and Oligomerization upon Inhibitory
      Potency.
AB  - To date, fragments from within the amyloidogenic-patch region of human amylin
      (hAM) have been shown to aggregate independently of the full-length peptide. In
      this study, we show that under certain conditions, both oligomers of NFGAILSS and
      the monomeric form are capable of inhibiting the aggregation of the full-length
      hAM sequence. The inhibition, rather than aggregate seeding, observed with the
      soluble portion of aged NFGAILSS solutions was particularly striking occurring at
      far substoichiometric levels. Apparently, the oligomer form of this fragment is
      responsible for inhibiting the transition from random coil to beta-sheet or
      serves as a disaggregator of hAM beta-oligomers. Sequential deletion of the
      serine residues from NFGAILSS results in a decrease of inhibition, indicating
      that these residues are important to the activity of this fragment. We, like
      others, observed instances of alpha-helix-like CD spectra prior to beta-sheet
      formation as part of the amyloidogenesis pathway. The partially aggregated sample
      and the fragments studied display spectroscopic diagnostics, suggesting that they
      slow down the conversion of full-length hAM monomers to cytotoxic oligomers.

PMID- 28920429
TI  - Hybrid MoS2/h-BN Nanofillers As Synergic Heat Dissipation and Reinforcement
      Additives in Epoxy Nanocomposites.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), hexagonal
      boron nitride (h-BN), and their hybrid (MoS2/h-BN) were employed as fillers to
      improve the physical properties of epoxy composites. Nanocomposites were produced
      in different concentrations and studied in their microstructure, mechanical and
      thermal properties. The hybrid 2D mixture imparted efficient reinforcement to the
      epoxy leading to increases of up to 95% in tensile strength, 60% in ultimate
      strain, and 58% in Young's modulus. Moreover, an enhancement of 203% in thermal
      conductivity was achieved for the hybrid composite as compared to the pure
      polymer. The incorporation of MoS2/h-BN mixture nanofillers in epoxy resulted in
      nanocomposites with multifunctional characteristics for applications that require
      high mechanical and thermal performance.

PMID- 28920430
TI  - Click-Functionalized SERS Nanoprobes with Improved Labeling Efficiency and
      Capability for Cancer Cell Imaging.
AB  - Precise identification and detection of cancer cells using nanoparticle probes
      are critically important for early cancer diagnosis and subsequent therapy. We
      herein develop novel folate receptor (FR)-targeted surface-enhanced Raman
      scattering (SERS) nanoprobes for cancer cell imaging based on a click coupling
      strategy. A Raman-active derivative (5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid)-N3 (DNBA
      N3)) is designed with a disulfide bond for covalently anchoring to the surface of
      hollow gold nanoparticles (HAuNPs) and a terminal azide group for facilitating
      highly efficient conjugation with the bioligand. Modification of HAuNPs with DNBA
      N3 yields monolayer coverage of Raman labels absorbed on the nanoparticle surface
      (HAuNP-DNBA-N3) and strong SERS signals. HAuNP-DNBA-N3 can be simply and
      effectively conjugated with folate bicyclo[6.1.0]nonyne derivatives via a copper
      free click reaction. The synthesized nanoprobes (HAuNP-DNBA-folic acid (FA))
      exhibit excellent targeted capacities to FR-positive cancer cells relative to FR
      negative cells through SERS mappings. The receptor-mediated delivery behaviors
      are confirmed by comparison with the uptake of HAuNP-DNBA-N3 and free FA
      competition experiments. In addition to its good stability and benign
      biocompatibility, the developed SERS nanoprobes have great potential for
      applications in targeted tumor imaging.

PMID- 28920431
TI  - Isolation and Characterization of a Novel, Highly Selective Astaxanthin-Producing
      Marine Bacterium.
AB  - A high-throughput screening approach for astaxanthin-producing bacteria led to
      the discovery of a novel, highly selective astaxanthin-producing marine bacterium
      (strain N-5). Phylogenetic analysis based on partial 16S rRNA gene and phenotypic
      metabolic testing indicated it belongs to the genus Brevundimonas. Therefore, it
      was designated as Brevundimonas sp. strain N-5. To identify and quantify
      carotenoids produced by strain N-5, HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS methods were used. The
      culture conditions including media, shaking, and time had significant effects on
      cell growth and carotenoids production including astaxanthin. The total
      carotenoids were ~601.2 MUg g-1 dry cells including a remarkable amount (364.6
      MUg g-1 dry cells) of optically pure astaxanthin (3S, 3'S) isomer, with high
      selectivity (~60.6%) under medium aeration conditions. Notably, increasing the
      culture aeration enhanced astaxanthin production up to 85% of total carotenoids.
      This is the first report that describes a natural, highly selective astaxanthin
      producing marine bacterium.

PMID- 28920432
TI  - PLK1-Targeted Fluorescent Tumor Imaging with High Signal-to-Background Ratio.
AB  - As significantly expressed during cell division, polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) plays
      crucial roles in numerous mitotic events and has attracted interest as a
      potential therapeutic marker in oncological drug discovery. We prepared two small
      molecular fluorescent probes, 1 and 2, conjugated to SBE13 (a type II PLK1
      inhibitor) to investigate the PLK1-targeted imaging of cancer cells and tumors.
      Enzymatic docking studies, molecular dynamics simulations, and in vitro and in
      vivo imaging experiments all supported the selective targeting and visualization
      of PLK1 expressing cells by probes 1 and 2, and probe 2 was successfully
      demonstrated to image PLK1-upregulated tumors with remarkable signal-to
      background ratios. These findings represent the first example of small-molecule
      based fluorescent imaging of tumors using PLK1 as a target, which could provide
      new avenues for tumor diagnosis and precision therapeutics.

PMID- 28920434
TI  - Ultralow-Temperature Solution-Processed Aluminum Oxide Dielectrics via Local
      Structure Control of Nanoclusters.
AB  - Oxide dielectric materials play a key role in a wide range of high-performance
      solid-state electronics from semiconductor devices to emerging wearable and soft
      bioelectronic devices. Although several previous advances are noteworthy, their
      typical processing temperature still far exceeds the thermal limitations of soft
      materials, impeding their wide utilization in these emerging fields. Here, we
      report an innovative route to form highly reliable aluminum oxide dielectric
      films using an ultralow-temperature (<60  degrees C) solution process with a
      class of oxide nanocluster precursors. The extremely low-temperature synthesis of
      oxide dielectric films was achieved by using low-impurity, bulky metal-oxo
      hydroxy nanoclusters combined with a spatially controllable and highly energetic
      light activation process. It was noteworthy that the room-temperature light
      activation process was highly effective in dissociating the metal-oxo-hydroxy
      clusters, enabling the formation of a dense atomic network at low temperature.
      The ultralow-temperature solution-processed oxide dielectrics demonstrated high
      breakdown field (>6 MV cm-1), low leakage (~1 * 10-8 A cm-2 at 2 MV cm-1), and
      excellent electrical stability comparable to those of vacuum-deposited and high
      temperature-processed dielectric films. For potential applications of the oxide
      dielectrics, transparent metal oxides and carbon nanotube active devices as well
      as integrated circuits were implemented directly on both ultrathin polymeric and
      highly stretchable substrates.

PMID- 28920433
TI  - Fluorotryptophan Incorporation Modulates the Structure and Stability of
      Transthyretin in a Site-Specific Manner.
AB  - Abnormal deposition of aggregated wild-type (WT) human transthyretin (TTR) and
      its pathogenic variants is responsible for cardiomyopathy and neuropathy related
      to TTR amyloidosis. The tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence measurements typically used
      to study structural changes of TTR do not yield site-specific information on the
      two Trp residues per TTR protomer. To obtain such information, tryptophan labeled
      with fluorine at the 5 and 6 positions (5FW and 6FW) was incorporated into TTR.
      Fluorescence of 5FW and 6FW-labeled WT-TTR (WT-5FW and WT-6FW) and a single-Trp
      mutant W41Y showed that the photophysics of incorporated fluoro-Trp is consistent
      with site-specific solvation of the indole ring of W41 and W79. 19F-NMR showed
      that solvent accessibility depends on both the location of the Trp and the
      position of the fluorine substituent in the indole ring. Unexpectedly,
      differences were observed in the rates of aggregation, with WT-6FW aggregating
      more rapidly than WT-5FW or WT-TTR. Real-time 19F-NMR urea unfolding experiments
      revealed that WT-5FW is kinetically more stable than WT-6FW, consistent with the
      aggregation assay. In addition, structural perturbations of residues distant from
      either Trp site are more extensive in WT-6FW. Notably, residues in the dimer
      interfaces are perturbed by 6FW at residue 79; pathogenic mutations in these
      regions are associated with reduced tetramer stability and amyloidogenesis. The
      differences in behavior that arise from the replacement of a fluorine at the 5
      position of a tryptophan with one at the adjacent 6-position emphasize the
      delicate balance of stability in the TTR tetramer.

PMID- 28920435
TI  - Molecular Packing, Hydrogen Bonding, and Fast Dynamics in
      Lysozyme/Trehalose/Glycerol and Trehalose/Glycerol Glasses at Low Hydration.
AB  - Water and glycerol are well-known to facilitate the structural relaxation of
      amorphous protein matrices. However, several studies evidenced that they may also
      limit fast (~picosecond-nanosecond, ps-ns) and small-amplitude (~A) motions of
      proteins, which govern their stability in freeze-dried sugar mixtures. To
      determine how they interact with proteins and sugars in glassy matrices and,
      thereby, modulate their fast dynamics, we performed molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulations of lysozyme/trehalose/glycerol (LTG) and trehalose/glycerol (TG)
      mixtures at low glycerol and water concentrations. Upon addition of glycerol
      and/or water, the glass transition temperature, Tg, of LTG and TG mixtures
      decreases, the molecular packing of glasses is improved, and the mean-square
      displacements (MSDs) of lysozyme and trehalose either decrease or increase,
      depending on the time scale and on the temperature considered. A detailed
      analysis of the hydrogen bonds (HBs) formed between species reveals that water
      and glycerol may antiplasticize the fast dynamics of lysozyme and trehalose by
      increasing the total number and/or the strength of the HBs they form in glassy
      matrices.

PMID- 28920436
TI  - Rational Design of Solution-Processed Ti-Fe-O Ternary Oxides for Efficient Planar
      CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells with Suppressed Hysteresis.
AB  - Electron-extraction layer (EEL) plays a critical role in determining the charge
      extraction and the power conversion efficiencies of the organometal-halide
      perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this work, Ti-Fe-O ternary oxides were first
      developed to work as an efficient EEL in planar PSC. Compared with the widely
      used TiOx and the pure FeOx, the ternary composites show superior properties in
      multiple aspects including the excellent stability of the precursor solution,
      good coverage on the substrates, outstanding electrical properties, and suitable
      energy levels. By varying the Fe content from 0 to 100% in the Ti-Fe-O
      composites, the conductivity of the resultant compact layer was markedly
      improved, confirmed by consistent results from the conductive atomic force
      microscopy and the linear sweep voltammetry measurements. Meanwhile, the
      compositional engineering tunes the energy level alignment of the Ti-Fe-O
      EEL/CH3NH3PbI3 interface to a region that is favorable for obtaining excellent
      charge-extraction property. The combinational advantages of the Ti-Fe-O
      composites significantly improved the photovoltaic performance of the as-prepared
      solar cells. An increase of over 20% in the short-circuit current (JSC) density
      has been achieved due to a modified EEL conductivity and energy alignment with
      the perovskite layer. The reduction in the surface recombination and enhancement
      of the charge collection efficiency also result in about 15% increase in the fill
      factor. Notably, the device also showed remarkably alleviated hysteresis
      behavior, revealing a prominently inhibited surface recombination.

PMID- 28920437
TI  - Real-Time Metabolic Interactions between Two Bacterial Species Using a Carbon
      Based pH Microsensor as a Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Probe.
AB  - We have developed a carbon-based, fast-response potentiometric pH microsensor for
      use as a scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) chemical probe to
      quantitatively map the microbial metabolic exchange between two bacterial
      species, commensal Streptococcus gordonii and pathogenic Streptococcus mutans.
      The 25 MUm diameter H+ ion-selective microelectrode or pH microprobe showed a
      Nernstian slope of 59 mV/pH and high selectivity against major ions such Na+, K+,
      Ca2+, and Mg2+. In addition, the unique conductive membrane composition aided us
      in performing an amperometric approach curve to position the probe and obtain a
      high-resolution pH map of the microenvironment produced by the lactate-producing
      S. mutans biofilm. The x-directional pH scan over S. mutans also showed the
      influence of the pH profile on the metabolic activity of another species, H2O2
      producing S. gordonii. When these bacterial species were placed in close spatial
      proximity, we observed an initial increase in the local H2O2 concentration of
      approximately 12 +/- 5 MUM above S. gordonii, followed by a gradual decrease in
      H2O2 concentration (>30 min) to almost zero as lactate was produced, and a
      subsequent decrease in pH with a more pronounced metabolic output of S. mutans.
      These results were supported by gene expression and confocal fluorescence
      microscopic studies. Our findings illustrate that H2O2-producing S. gordonii is
      dominant while the buffering capacity of saliva is valid (~pH 6.0) but is
      gradually taken over by S. mutans as the latter species slowly starts decreasing
      the local pH to 5.0 or less by producing lactic acid. Our observations
      demonstrate the unique capability of our SECM chemical probes for studying real
      time metabolic interactions between two bacterial species, which would not
      otherwise be achievable in traditional assays.

PMID- 28920438
TI  - Conduction Mechanisms at Interface of AlN/SiN Dielectric Stacks with AlGaN/GaN
      Heterostructures for Normally-off High Electron Mobility Transistors: Correlating
      Device Behavior with Nanoscale Interfaces Properties.
AB  - In this work, the conduction mechanisms at the interface of AlN/SiN dielectric
      stacks with AlGaN/GaN heterostructures have been studied combining different
      macroscopic and nanoscale characterizations on bare materials and devices. The
      AlN/SiN stacks grown on the recessed region of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures have
      been used as gate dielectric of hybrid metal-insulator-semiconductor high
      electron mobility transistors (MISHEMTs), showing a normally-off behavior (Vth =
      +1.2 V), high channel mobility (204 cm2 V-1 s-1), and very good switching
      behavior (ION/IOFF current ratio of (5-6) * 108 and subthreshold swing of 90
      mV/dec). However, the transistors were found to suffer from a positive shift of
      the threshold voltage during subsequent bias sweeps, which indicates electron
      trapping in the dielectric stack. To get a complete understanding of the
      conduction mechanisms and of the charge trapping phenomena in AlN/SiN films,
      nanoscale current and capacitance measurements by conductive atomic force
      microscopy (C-AFM) and scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) have been compared
      with a macroscopic temperature-dependent characterization of gate current in MIS
      capacitors. The nanoscale electrical analyses showed the presence of a spatially
      uniform distribution of electrons trapping states in the insulator and the
      occurrence of a density of 7 * 108 cm-2 of local and isolated current spots at
      high bias values. These nanoscale conductive paths can be associated with
      electrically active defects responsible for the trap-assisted current transport
      mechanism through the dielectric, observed by the temperature-dependent
      characterization of the gate current. The results of this study can be relevant
      for future applications of AlN/SiN bilayers in GaN hybrid MISHEMT technology.

PMID- 28920439
TI  - Multimaterial 3D Printing of Graphene-Based Electrodes for Electrochemical Energy
      Storage Using Thermoresponsive Inks.
AB  - The current lifestyles, increasing population, and limited resources result in
      energy research being at the forefront of worldwide grand challenges, increasing
      the demand for sustainable and more efficient energy devices. In this context,
      additive manufacturing brings the possibility of making electrodes and electrical
      energy storage devices in any desired three-dimensional (3D) shape and
      dimensions, while preserving the multifunctional properties of the active
      materials in terms of surface area and conductivity. This paves the way to
      optimized and more efficient designs for energy devices. Here, we describe how
      three-dimensional (3D) printing will allow the fabrication of bespoke devices,
      with complex geometries, tailored to fit specific requirements and applications,
      by designing water-based thermoresponsive inks to 3D-print different materials in
      one step, for example, printing the active material precursor (reduced chemically
      modified graphene (rCMG)) and the current collector (copper) for supercapacitors
      or anodes for lithium-ion batteries. The formulation of thermoresponsive inks
      using Pluronic F127 provides an aqueous-based, robust, flexible, and easily
      upscalable approach. The devices are designed to provide low resistance
      interface, enhanced electrical properties, mechanical performance, packing of
      rCMG, and low active material density while facilitating the postprocessing of
      the multicomponent 3D-printed structures. The electrode materials are selected to
      match postprocessing conditions. The reduction of the active material (rCMG) and
      sintering of the current collector (Cu) take place simultaneously. The
      electrochemical performance of the rCMG-based self-standing binder-free electrode
      and the two materials coupled rCMG/Cu printed electrode prove the potential of
      multimaterial printing in energy applications.

PMID- 28920440
TI  - Unrestricted Mass Spectrometric Data Analysis for Identification, Localization,
      and Quantification of Oxidative Protein Modifications.
AB  - Oxidation generates multiple diverse post-translational modifications resulting
      in changes in protein structure and function associated with a wide range of
      diseases. Of these modifications, carbonylations have often been used as
      hallmarks of oxidative damage. However, accumulating evidence supports the
      hypothesis that other oxidation products may be quantitatively more important
      under physiological conditions. To address this issue, we have developed a
      holistic mass spectrometry-based approach for the simultaneous identification,
      localization, and quantification of a broad range of oxidative modifications
      based on so-called "dependent peptides". The strategy involves unrestricted
      database searches with rigorous filtering focusing on oxidative modifications.
      The approach was applied to bovine serum albumin and human serum proteins
      subjected to metal ion-catalyzed oxidation, resulting in the identification of a
      wide range of different oxidative modifications. The most common modification in
      the oxidized samples is hydroxylation, but carbonylation, decarboxylation, and
      dihydroxylation are also abundant, while carbonylation showed the largest
      increase in abundance relative to nonoxidized samples. Site-specific localization
      of modified residues reveals several "oxidation hotspots" showing high levels of
      modification occupancy, including specific histidine, tryptophan, methionine,
      glutamate, and aspartate residues. The majority of the modifications, however,
      occur at low occupancy levels on a diversity of side chains.

PMID- 28920442
TI  - Novelty of Dynamic Process in the Synthesis of Biocompatible Silica Nanotubes by
      Biomimetic Glycyldodecylamide as a Soft Template.
AB  - A dynamic process in the synthesis of silica nanotubes (SNTs) by utilizing
      glycyldodecylamide (GDA) as a soft template was thoroughly investigated. The
      morphological evolution from GDA to SNTs was deeply explored to elucidate the
      formation mechanism for optimizing the synthesis procedure. Various analytical
      tools, namely, XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, Z-potential, and N2 adsorption/desorption
      isotherms, were employed during the synthesis procedure. The interactive
      structure of GDA was also investigated using TEM-EDX as a function of aging time.
      These studies revealed the stepwise morphology of nanograin, nanofiber, curved
      plate, and nanotube in the ethanol/water solution when aged at room temperature.
      The supramolecular GDA molded the vesicle type nanostructure which was surrounded
      by silica and facilitated the formation of uniform SNTs. The stimulus for GDA to
      be curved into a vesicle was the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between adjacent
      amide groups of the template molecules. This was illustrated by FTIR spectra of
      GDA-silica intermediate by detecting the transition of amide I peak from 1678 to
      1635 cm-1. The effect of hydrogen bonding became stronger when the sample was
      aged.

PMID- 28920441
TI  - New Insight of Common Regulatory Pathways in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells in
      Response to Dexamethasone and Prednisolone Using an Integrated Quantitative
      Proteomics: SWATH and MRM-HR Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - The molecular pathophysiology of corticosteroid-induced ocular hypertension (CIH)
      is not well understood. To determine the biological mechanisms of CIH, this study
      investigated protein expression profiles of human trabecular meshwork (hTM) cells
      in response to dexamethasone and prednisolone treatment. Both discovery-based
      sequential windowed data independent acquisition of the total high-resolution
      mass spectra (SWATH-MS) and targeted based high resolution multiple reaction
      monitoring (MRM-HR) confirmation were applied using a hybrid quadrupole-time-of
      flight mass spectrometer. A comprehensive list of 1759 proteins (1% FDR) was
      generated from the hTM. Quantitative proteomics revealed 20 differentially
      expressed proteins (p-value <= 0.05 and fold-change >= 1.5 or <= 0.67) commonly
      induced by prednisolone and dexamethasone, both at 300 nM. These included
      connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and thrombospondin-1 (THBS1), two proteins
      previously implicated in ocular hypertension, glaucoma, and the transforming
      growth factor-beta pathway. Their gene expressions in response to corticosteroids
      were further confirmed using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction.
      Together with other novel proteins identified in the data sets, additional
      pathways implicated by these regulated proteins were the phosphatidylinositol 3
      kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, integrin cell surface
      interaction, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteoglycans, and ECM-receptor
      interaction. Our results indicated that an integrated platform of SWATH-MS and
      MRM-HR allows high throughput identification and confirmation of novel and known
      corticosteroid-regulated proteins in trabecular meshwork cells, demonstrating the
      power of this technique in extending the current understanding of the
      pathogenesis of CIH.

PMID- 28920443
TI  - Four Fallacies and an Oversight: Searching for Martian Life.
AB  - While it is anticipated that future human missions to Mars will increase the
      amount of biological and organic contamination that might be distributed on that
      planet, robotic missions continue to grow in capability and complexity, requiring
      precautions to be taken now to protect Mars, and particularly areas of Mars that
      might be Special Regions. Such precautionary cleanliness requirements for
      spacecraft have evolved over the course of the space age, as we have learned more
      about planetary environments, and are the subject of regular deliberations and
      decisions sponsored by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). COSPAR's
      planetary protection policy is maintained as an international consensus standard
      for spacecraft cleanliness that is recognized by the United Nations Committee on
      the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. In response to the paper presented in this
      issue by Fairen et al. (2017), we examine both their concept of evidence for
      possible life on Mars and their logic in recommending that spacecraft cleanliness
      requirements be relaxed to access Special Regions "before it is too late." We
      find that there are shortcomings in their plans to look for evidence of life on
      Mars, that they do not support their contention that appropriate levels of
      spacecraft cleanliness are unaffordable, that there are major risks in assuming
      martian life could be identified by nucleic acid sequence comparison (especially
      if those sequences are obtained from a Special Region contaminated with Earth
      life), and that the authors do not justify their contention that exploration with
      dirty robots, now, is preferable to the possibility that later contamination will
      be spread by human exploration. We also note that the potential effects of
      contaminating resources and environments essential to future human occupants of
      Mars are both significant and not addressed by Fairen et al. (2017). Key Words:
      Mars-Special Region-Mission-Life detection-Planetary protection. Astrobiology 17,
      971-974.

PMID- 28920444
TI  - MRI findings and demographics of elastofibroma dorsi: assessment of diffusion
      weighted imaging and contrast enhancement patterns.
AB  - Background Elastofibroma dorsi is a rare pseudotumoral lesion. Thus, there is no
      report of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings that investigates multiple
      patients particularly with respect to diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) findings
      and contrast enhancement patterns. Purpose To describe the imaging findings of
      elastofibroma on MRI, particularly DWI findings and contrast enhancement
      patterns, and to further investigate patient demographics. Material and Methods
      Forty-four patients with elastofibroma that underwent MRI were enrolled in this
      retrospective study. All images were evaluated by two radiologists to visually
      assess the signal intensity for each sequence. Enhanced elastofibromas were
      classified into four categories to assess the enhancement pattern. Differences in
      gender and laterality were also assessed statistically. Results An equal number
      of men and women were included (n = 22 each). There was no significant difference
      in laterality ( P = 0.783). All lesions (73 lesions) had low signal intensity on
      both T1-weighted (T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) images: heterogeneous in 56,
      homogeneous in 17. None of the 41 lesions with DWI had true abnormal diffusion
      restriction. The average ADC value was 1.36 * 10-3 +/- 0.29 mm2/s. All 31 lesions
      that had contrast-enhanced MRI were classified according to enhancement pattern:
      homogeneous (three lesions, 9.7%); heterogeneous (15 lesions, 48.4%); streak-like
      (three lesions, 9.7%); and rim-like (ten lesions, 32.2%). Conclusion There were
      no statistically significant differences in gender or laterality. Elastofibroma
      showed homogeneous to heterogeneous low signal intensity on T1W and T2W images.
      No lesion showed abnormal diffusion restriction, and all lesions demonstrated
      enhancement on MRI.

PMID- 28920445
TI  - Recovery of bioactive molecules from chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) by-products
      through extraction by different solvents.
AB  - The underutilised forest and industrial biomass of Castanea sativa (Mill.) is
      generally discarded during post-harvest and food processing, with high impact on
      environmental quality. The searching on alternative sources of natural
      antioxidants from low-cost supplies, by methods involving environment-friendly
      techniques, has become a major goal of numerous researches in recent times. The
      aim of the present study was the set-up of a biomolecules extraction procedure
      from chestnut leaves, burs and shells and the assessing of their potential
      antioxidant activity. Boiling water was the best extraction solvent referring to
      polyphenols from chestnut shells and burs, whereas the most efficient for leaves
      resulted 60% ethanol at room temperature. Greatest polyphenol contents were
      90.35, 60.01 and 17.68 mg gallic acid equivalents g-1 in leaves, burs and shells,
      respectively. Moreover, flavonoids, tannins and antioxidant activity were
      assessed on the best extract obtained from each chestnut by-product.

PMID- 28920446
TI  - Key considerations for LC-MS analysis of protein biotherapeutics in tissues.

PMID- 28920447
TI  - Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of 4-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl derivatives of
      phenolic acids esters.
AB  - The glycosylation of naturally occurring phenolic acids has a significant impact
      on their solubility, stability and physiochemical properties. D-Galactose residue
      was found to form a part of glycoconjugates in several tissues and involved in a
      variety of physiological process. To the best of our knowledge, we have noticed a
      little information about the glycosylation of the phenolic acids with galactose
      residue. In this work, we describe the glycosylation of methyl vanillate and
      methyl ferulate with peracetylated-beta-D-galactopyranose in the presence of
      BF3.OEt2. The coupling reaction yielded efficiently and selectively only the
      acetylated beta-D-galactopyranosides 3 and 6. Removal of the acetyl groups using
      sodium methoxide afforded the corresponding beta-D-galactopyranosides 4 and 7 in
      good yields. Anticancer activity in vitro was evaluated against two human cancer
      cell lines (MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines).
      beta-D-galactopyranosides 4 and 7 demonstrated improved cytotoxic activity
      compared to the parental esters.

PMID- 28920449
TI  - The relationship between migraine and rosacea: Systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - Objective To systematically review the association between migraine and rosacea.
      Background Migraine is a complex disorder with episodes of headache, nausea,
      photo- and phonophobia. Rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition with flushing,
      erythema, telangiectasia, papules, and pustules. Both are chronic disorders with
      exacerbations of symptoms almost exclusively in areas innervated by the
      trigeminal nerve. Previous studies found an association between these disorders.
      We review these findings, provide a meta-analysis, and discuss possible
      pathophysiological commonalities. Methods A search through PubMed and EMBASE was
      undertaken for studies investigating the association between all forms of
      migraine and rosacea published until November 2016, and meta-analysis of eligible
      studies. Results Nine studies on eight populations were identified. Studies
      differed in methodology and diagnostic process, but all investigated co
      occurrence of migraine and rosacea. Four studies were eligible for meta-analysis,
      resulting in a pooled odds ratio of 1.96 (95% confidence interval 1.41-2.72) for
      migraine in a rosacea population compared to a non-rosacea population. Conclusion
      Our meta-analysis confirmed an association in occurrence of migraine and rosacea.
      Future studies should specifically investigate possible shared pathophysiological
      mechanisms between the two disorders.

PMID- 28920450
TI  - Singlicate analysis in regulated bioanalysis using ligand-binding assays: where
      are we heading?

PMID- 28920448
TI  - Assessing the impact of headaches and the outcomes of treatment: A systematic
      review of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
AB  - Aims To critically appraise, compare and synthesise the quality and acceptability
      of multi-item patient reported outcome measures for adults with chronic or
      episodic headache. Methods Systematic literature searches of major databases
      (1980-2016) to identify published evidence of PROM measurement and practical
      properties. Data on study quality (COSMIN), measurement and practical properties
      per measure were extracted and assessed against accepted standards to inform an
      evidence synthesis. Results From 10,903 reviewed abstracts, 103 articles were
      assessed in full; 46 provided evidence for 23 PROMs: Eleven specific to the
      health-related impact of migraine (n = 5) or headache (n = 6); six assessed
      migraine-specific treatment response/satisfaction; six were generic measures.
      Evidence for measurement validity and score interpretation was strongest for two
      measures of impact, Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQ v2.1)
      and Headache Impact Test 6-item (HIT-6), and one of treatment response, the
      Patient Perception of Migraine Questionnaire (PPMQ-R). Evidence of reliability
      was limited, but acceptable for the HIT-6. Responsiveness was rarely evaluated.
      Evidence for the remaining measures was limited. Patient involvement was limited
      and poorly reported. Conclusion While evidence is limited, three measures have
      acceptable evidence of reliability and validity: HIT-6, MSQ v2.1 and PPMQ-R. Only
      the HIT-6 has acceptable evidence supporting its completion by all "headache"
      populations.

PMID- 28920451
TI  - Demonstrating biosimilar and originator antidrug antibody binding comparability
      in antidrug antibody assays: a practical approach.
AB  - Biosimilar drug development has brought new challenges to bioanalytical ligand
      binding assays used to determine drug concentration, antidrug antibodies and
      neutralizing antibodies. One particular challenge is how to demonstrate that the
      antidrug antibody assay can adequately detect antibodies against both biosimilar
      and originator. In this paper, we review the current guidelines and literature
      for practical recommendations and present a gap analysis. Case examples of
      antibody binding comparability testing are presented, and the challenges and
      implications are discussed. Based on the lessons learned from our biosimilar
      assay applications, we recommend a bioanalytical comparability testing approach
      that is outlined and discussed.

PMID- 28920452
TI  - Challenges and opportunities in bioanalytical support for gene therapy medicinal
      product development.
AB  - Gene and nucleic acid therapies have demonstrated patient benefits to address
      unmet medical needs. Beside considerations regarding the biological nature of the
      gene therapy, the quality of bioanalytical methods plays an important role in
      ensuring the success of these novel therapies. Inconsistent approaches among
      bioanalytical labs during preclinical and clinical phases have been observed.
      There are many underlying reasons for this inconsistency. Various platforms and
      reagents used in quantitative methods, lacking of detailed regulatory guidance on
      method validation and uncertainty of immunogenicity strategy in supporting gene
      therapy may all be influential. This review summarizes recent practices and
      considerations in bioanalytical support of pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and
      immunogenicity evaluations in gene therapy development with insight into method
      design, development and validations.

PMID- 28920455
TI  - A new 4-arylflavan from the pericarps of Horsfieldia motleyi displaying dual
      inhibition against alpha-glucosidase and free radicals.
AB  - In search for effective antidiabetic agents that simultaneously inhibit alpha
      glucosidase and scavenge free radicals, Horsfieldia motleyi showed promising
      bioactivity according to the proposed criteria. Bioassay-guided isolation of
      pericarp extract yielded a new 4-arylflavan named myristinin G (6), whose gross
      structure and absolute configuration were verified by 2D NMR and electronic
      circular dichorism (ECD). Myristinin G (6) concomitantly inhibited alpha
      glucosidases (IC50 107.0 and 126.9 MUM) and free radicals (SC50 54.3 and 279.9
      MUM). Of interest, 6 inhibited sucrase through an uncompetitive manner, which is
      rare in nature.

PMID- 28920454
TI  - Investigation of O-glycosylation heterogeneity of recombinant coagulation factor
      IX using LC-MS/MS.
AB  - AIM: Recombinant coagulation factor IX (rFIX) has extraordinarily multiple post
      translational modifications including N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation which
      have a drastic effect on biological functions and in vivo recovery. Unlike N
      glycosylation extensively characterized, there are a few studies on O
      glycosylation due to its intrinsic complexity. In-depth O-glycosylation analysis
      is necessary to better understand and assess pharmacological activity of rFIX.
      RESULTS: We determined unusual O-glycosylations including O-fucosylation and O
      glucosylation which were located at Serine 53 and 61, respectively in EGF domain.
      Other O-glycosylations bearing core 1 glycan moiety were found on activation
      peptide. CONCLUSION: This is the first comprehensive study to characterize O
      glycosylation of rFIX using MS-based glycomic and glycoproteomic approaches. Site
      specific profiling will be a powerful platform to determine bioequivalence of
      biosimilars.

PMID- 28920456
TI  - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Opportunities: Parenting, Programs, and the
      Reduction of Risk.
AB  - To date, child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention has relied largely on child-focused
      education, teaching children how to identify, avoid, and disclose sexual abuse.
      The purpose of this article is to explore how prevention opportunities can
      include parents in new and innovative ways. We propose that parents can play a
      significant role as protectors of their children via two pathways: (i) directly,
      through the strong external barriers afforded by parent supervision, monitoring,
      and involvement; and (ii) indirectly, by promoting their children's self
      efficacy, competence, well-being, and self-esteem, which the balance of evidence
      suggests will help them become less likely targets for abuse and more able to
      respond appropriately and disclose abuse if it occurs. In this article, we first
      describe why teaching young children about CSA protective behaviors might not be
      sufficient for prevention. We then narratively review the existing research on
      parents and prevention and the parenting and family circumstances that may
      increase a child's risk of experiencing sexual abuse. Finally, we make a number
      of recommendations for future approaches to prevention that may better inform and
      involve parents and other adult protectors in preventing CSA.

PMID- 28920453
TI  - Sensitive and comprehensive analysis of O-glycosylation in biotherapeutics: a
      case study of novel erythropoiesis stimulating protein.
AB  - AIM: Glycosylation of recombinant human erythropoietins (rhEPOs) is significantly
      associated with drug's quality and potency. Thus, comprehensive characterization
      of glycosylation is vital to assess the biotherapeutic quality and establish the
      equivalency of biosimilar rhEPOs. However, current glycan analysis mainly focuses
      on the N-glycans due to the absence of analytical tools to liberate O-glycans
      with high sensitivity. We developed selective and sensitive method to profile
      native O-glycans on rhEPOs. RESULTS: O-glycosylation on rhEPO including O
      acetylation on a sialic acid was comprehensively characterized. Details such as O
      glycan structure and O-acetyl-modification site were obtained from tandem MS.
      CONCLUSION: This method may be applied to QC and batch analysis of not only
      rhEPOs but also other biotherapeutics bearing multiple O-glycosylations.

PMID- 28920457
TI  - Implementing a tiered approach to bioanalytical method validation for large
      molecule ligand-binding assay methods in pharmacokinetic assessments.
AB  - Bioanalytical methods must enable the delivery of data that meet sound,
      scientifically justified, fit-for-purpose criteria. At early phases of
      biotherapeutic drug development, suitable criteria of a ligand-binding assay
      could be met for pharmacokinetic (PK) in-study sample testing without a full
      validation defined by regulatory guidelines. To ensure fit-for-purpose methods
      support PK testing through all phases of biotherapeutic development, three tiers
      of method validation - regulatory, scientific and research validations - are
      proposed. The three-tiered framework for method validation outlines the
      differences in the parameters that should be assessed, the acceptance criteria
      that may be applied, and the documentation necessary at each level. The criteria
      for selecting the appropriate application of each of these PK method validation
      workflows are discussed.

PMID- 28920458
TI  - Nordic walking increases circulating VEGF more than traditional walking training
      in postmenopause.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Nordic walking (NW) is widely practiced by postmenopausal women. Its
      effects are peculiar owing to the involvement of more muscle groups than in
      traditional walking training (WT). Since mechanical load promotes secretion of
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from both skeletal muscle and muscle
      endothelium, the aim of the study was to compare the effect of NW and WT on VEGF
      levels. METHOD: Thirty postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to NW or WT.
      Both groups trained 40-50 min/day, three times per week, at a mean intensity of
      12 on a 15-category scale of the ratings of perceived exertion. Since VEGF is
      also released from adipocytes, anthropometric parameters were assessed. RESULTS:
      NW increased circulating VEGF more than WT (p = 0.041). Furthermore, both study
      groups exhibited an average decrease in weight (p = 0.023), body mass index (p =
      0.024), hip circumference (p = 0.001), and arm fat index, although WT
      participants had higher values for this index at baseline (p < 0.001) and thus
      exhibited a greater net decrease compared with the NW participants (p < 0.011).
      CONCLUSIONS: These data imply that NW increases the level of circulating VEGF
      more than does traditional walking when the intensity of training is equivalent.

PMID- 28920459
TI  - ALSUntangled 42: Elysium health's "basis".

PMID- 28920460
TI  - In situ biobutanol recovery from clostridial fermentations: a critical review.
AB  - Butanol is a precursor of many industrial chemicals, and a fuel that is more
      energetic, safer and easier to handle than ethanol. Fermentative biobutanol can
      be produced using renewable carbon sources such as agro-industrial residues and
      lignocellulosic biomass. Solventogenic clostridia are known as the most
      preeminent biobutanol producers. However, until now, solvent production through
      the fermentative routes is still not economically competitive compared to the
      petrochemical approaches, because the butanol is toxic to their own producer
      bacteria, and thus, the production capability is limited by the butanol tolerance
      of producing cells. In order to relieve butanol toxicity to the cells and improve
      the butanol production, many recovery strategies (either in situ or downstream of
      the fermentation) have been attempted by many researchers and varied success has
      been achieved. In this article, we summarize in situ recovery techniques that
      have been applied to butanol production through Clostridium fermentation,
      including liquid-liquid extraction, perstraction, reactive extraction,
      adsorption, pervaporation, vacuum fermentation, flash fermentation and gas
      stripping. We offer a prospective and an opinion about the past, present and the
      future of these techniques, such as the application of advanced membrane
      technology and use of recent extractants, including polymer solutions and ionic
      liquids, as well as the application of these techniques to assist the in situ
      synthesis of butanol derivatives.

PMID- 28920461
TI  - Discovery and development of tramadol for the treatment of pain.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tramadol is an opioid drug that, unlike classic opioids, also
      modulates the monoaminergic system by inhibiting noradrenergic and serotoninergic
      reuptake. For this reason, tramadol is considered an atypical opioid. These
      special pharmacological characteristics have made tramadol one of the most
      commonly prescribed analgesic drugs to treat moderate to severe pain. Areas
      covered: The aim of this review is to provide a historical description of the
      biochemistry, pharmacokinetics and particularly, the mechanisms of action of
      tramadol. In addition, a summary is offered of the analgesic effects of tramadol
      in a variety of animal models of acute and chronic pain. Finally, clinical
      studies that demonstrate the efficacy and safety of tramadol in the treatment of
      pain are also assessed. Expert opinion: The discovery that tramadol combines
      opioid and monoaminergic effects represented a milestone in the evolution of pain
      treatment. Given its 'mild effect' on opioid receptors, tramadol induces fewer
      side effects than classic opioids. Tramadol produces satisfactory analgesia
      against various types of pain and it is currently approved for the treatment of
      moderate to severe pain. Thus, the combination of monoamine and opioid mechanisms
      opens new avenues for the design of innovative analgesics.

PMID- 28920463
TI  - Evaluation of genotoxicity and subchronic toxicity of standardized rose hip
      extract.
AB  - Rose hip is the fruit of the rose plant, which is widely used in food, cosmetics
      and as a traditional medicine. Therefore, rose hip is considered safe and has a
      sufficient history of consumption as food. However, few studies have reported on
      the safety of rose hip extracts in toxicological analyses. Thus, to evaluate the
      safety of rosehip polyphenol MJ (RHPMJ), an aqueous ethanol extract standardized
      with the trans-tiliroside content, we performed genotoxicity and 90-day repeated
      oral dose toxicity studies in compliance with the Organisation for Economic Co
      operation and Development-Good Laboratory Practice. RHPMJ did not induce gene
      mutations in reverse mutation tests of Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100,
      TA1535, TA1537 and Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA strains and did not induce
      chromosomal aberrations in cultured Chinese hamster lung (CHL/IU) cells.
      Moreover, micronucleus tests using rat bone marrow showed RHPMJ had no
      micronucleus-inducing potential. Finally, 90-day repeated oral dose toxicity
      studies (100-1000 mg/kg) in male and female rats showed no treatment-related
      toxicity in rats. These data indicate that the RHPMJ had no genotoxicity and a no
      observed-adverse-effect level greater than 1000 mg/kg in rats.

PMID- 28920462
TI  - Involvement of atrial natriuretic peptide in abrogated cardioprotective effect of
      ischemic preconditioning in ovariectomized rat heart.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) is an effective mediator of ischemic
      preconditioning (IPC)-induced cardioprotection. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)
      is downregulated after ovariectomy, which results in reduction in the level of
      NO. The present study deals with the investigation of the role of ANP in
      abrogated cardioprotective effect of IPC in the ovariectomized rat heart.
      METHODS: Heart was isolated from ovariectomized rat and mounted on Langendorff's
      apparatus, subjected to 30 min of ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion. IPC was
      given by four cycles of 5 min of ischemia and 5 min of reperfusion with Krebs
      Henseleit solution. The myocardial infract size was estimated employing
      triphenyltetrazolium chloride stain, and coronary effluent was analyzed for
      creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release to consider
      the degree of myocardial injury. The cardiac release of NO was estimated by
      measuring the level of nitrite in coronary effluent. RESULTS: IPC-mediated
      cardioprotection was significantly attenuated in ovariectomized rat as compared
      to normal rat, which was restored by perfusion with ANP. However, this observed
      cardioprotection was significantly attenuated by perfusion with L-NAME, an
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, and Glibenclamide, a KATP channel
      blocker, alone or in combination noted in terms of increase in myocardial infract
      size, release of CK-MB and LDH, and also decrease in release of NO. CONCLUSION:
      Thus, it is suggested that ANP restores the attenuated cardioprotective effect of
      IPC in the ovariectomized rat heart which may be due to increase in the
      availability of NO and consequent increase activation of mitochondrial KATP
      channels.

PMID- 28920464
TI  - Absorption sites of orally administered drugs in the small intestine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In pharmacotherapy, drugs are mostly taken orally to be absorbed
      systemically from the small intestine, and some drugs are known to have
      preferential absorption sites in the small intestine. It would therefore be
      valuable to know the absorption sites of orally administered drugs and the
      influencing factors. Areas covered:In this review, the author summarizes the
      reported absorption sites of orally administered drugs, as well as, influencing
      factors and experimental techniques. Information on the main absorption sites and
      influencing factors can help to develop ideal drug delivery systems and more
      effective pharmacotherapies. Expert opinion: Various factors including: the
      solubility, lipophilicity, luminal concentration, pKa value, transporter
      substrate specificity, transporter expression, luminal fluid pH, gastrointestinal
      transit time, and intestinal metabolism determine the site-dependent intestinal
      absorption. However, most of the dissolved fraction of orally administered drugs
      including substrates for ABC and SLC transporters, except for some weakly basic
      drugs with higher pKa values, are considered to be absorbed sequentially from the
      proximal small intestine. Securing the solubility and stability of drugs prior to
      reaching to the main absorption sites and appropriate delivery rates of drugs at
      absorption sites are important goals for achieving effective pharmacotherapy.

PMID- 28920465
TI  - Fish-oil-derived eicosapentaenoic acid decreases survivin expression and induces
      wt-p53 accumulation with caspase-3 activation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
      cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Defects in modulating wild-type (wt) p53 and survivin are associated
      with a resistant disease in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Yet, no wt-p53
      and survivin modulating drugs have been approved for clinical application in ALL.
      Here, we investigated if in vitro eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations
      equal to human plasma levels are able to target wt-p53 and survivin. METHODS: Wt
      p53 Molt-4 cells (ALL cell line) were treated with 50, 100, 150, and 200 uM of
      EPA after which cell number, viability, proliferation rate, survivin expression,
      wt-p53 accumulation, caspase-3 activation, and apoptosis were evaluated. RESULTS:
      After 48- and 72-h treatments with EPA at concentrations ranging from 50 to 200
      uM, cell proliferation rates were measured to be 71.5-32.6% and 68.2-13.7% and
      metabolic activities were measured to be 77-44% and 71-26%, respectively.
      Treatment with 50-200 uM of EPA for 48 h resulted in 14.1-74.6% and 69.5-45.5%
      decreases in survivin mRNA and protein levels, respectively. EPA induced 1.3-6
      and 1.9-20-fold increases in caspase-3 activation and wt-p53 accumulation,
      respectively. Increase in wt-p53/survivin and caspase-3/survivin ratios from 1 in
      untreated cells to 20.3 and 5.8 was measured for 150 uM of EPA. Low necrotic
      rates ranging from 0.3% to 2.8% and an increase in the number of total apoptotic
      cells (early + late) ranging from 9.8% to 81% were also observed with increasing
      EPA concentrations. CONCLUSION: EPA induces strongly wt-p53 with a remarkable
      decrease in survivin expression, representing an attractive compound to modulate
      wt-p53 and survivin in ALL cells.

PMID- 28920466
TI  - Evaluation of the revised Schwartz creatinine-based glomerular filtration rate
      estimating equation in Black African children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
AB  - Background The use of serum creatinine equations for estimating glomerular
      filtration rate is well known in adults and children. We evaluated the revised
      Schwartz creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate prediction
      equation in Black African children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods Review
      of medical records of all Black African patients aged 2-18 years old who have had
      glomerular filtration rate determined by intravenous Technetium-99 m-diethylene
      triamine-pentaacetate, for the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014 at the
      Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, Durban, South Africa was performed.
      Estimated glomerular filtration rate result obtained using the revised Schwartz
      equation was compared to Technetium-99 m-diethylene-triamine-pentaacetate plasma
      clearance measured glomerular filtration rate. Accuracy of the estimated
      glomerular filtration rate equations within 10% (P10) and 30% (P30) of the
      measured glomerular filtration rate, sensitivity and specificity for predicting
      glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 was
      determined. Results Results from 148 African children between 2 and 18 years old
      were analysed. P10 and P30 values were 16 and 49%, respectively. Sensitivity of
      92.9% (95% CI: 80.5-85), specificity of 95.3 (95% CI: 89.3-98.5) and AUC of 0.96
      (95% CI 0.92-0.99) were obtained for measured estimated glomerular filtration
      rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Sensitivity of 88.2% (95% CI: 63.6-98.5), specificity
      of 90.8 (95% CI: 84.5-95.2) and area under the curve of 0.93 (95% CI 0.88-0.96)
      were obtained for measured estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73
      m2. Conclusions The revised Schwartz equation did not meet the National Kidney
      Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines of 90% of
      estimated glomerular filtration rate results within 30% of measured glomerular
      filtration rate.

PMID- 28920467
TI  - Association of subcutaneous and visceral fat with circulating microRNAs in a
      middle-aged Japanese population.
AB  - Purpose It has been demonstrated that circulating microRNA profiles are affected
      by physiological conditions. Several studies have demonstrated that microRNAs
      play important roles in the regulation of adiposity. However, few have
      investigated the relationship between circulating microRNAs and obesity, which
      has become a major public health problem worldwide. This study investigated the
      association between circulating microRNAs and obesity in a Japanese population.
      Methods Obesity parameters, such as subcutaneous and visceral fat adipose tissue,
      body fat percentage, and body mass index were assessed in a cross-sectional
      sample of 526 participants who attended health examinations in Yakumo, Japan. In
      addition, five circulating microRNAs (miR-20a, -21, -27a, -103a, and -320), which
      are involved in adipocyte proliferation and differentiation, were quantified
      using real-time polymerase chain reaction amplification. Results We compared the
      circulating microRNA concentrations in a percentile greater than 75th (high) with
      below the value (low) of subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral fat adipose
      tissue, body mass index, and per cent body fat. For visceral fat adipose tissue,
      significant decrease in miR-320 expression was observed in high group. Also, for
      body mass index, significant change of miR-20a, -27a, 103a, and 320 expression
      level was observed in high group. Multiple linear regression analysis
      demonstrated that circulating levels of some microRNA such as miR-27a were
      significantly associated with subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral fat adipose
      tissue, and body mass index. Conclusions Our findings support the need for
      further studies to determine whether such changes are consistent across different
      populations and whether the identified microRNAs may represent novel biomarkers
      to predict the susceptibility and progression of obesity-related disorders.

PMID- 28920468
TI  - Macrocomplexes and discordant high-sensitivity cardiac troponin concentrations.
AB  - Background Analytical comparisons between different high-sensitivity cardiac
      troponin (hs-cTn) assays are important for reassurance of results performed with
      different methodologies and to identify potential interferences or confounders to
      result interpretation. Our objective in the present study was to compare Beckman
      Coulter's latest hs-cTnI assay to Abbott's hs-cTnI assay and to assess agreement
      between results. Methods Two hundred ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid plasma
      samples that had clinically reported hs-cTnI results from the Abbott
      ARCHITECTi2000 that spanned the analytical range were stored (median = 4 h), re
      centrifuged and retested for hs-cTnI on the Abbott ARCHITECTi1000 and Beckman
      Coulter Access2 analysers. Passing-Bablok regression and fold-differences were
      evaluated, with differences approximately three-fold between results further
      subjected to Roche hs-cTnT testing and polyethylene glycol precipitation. Results
      The Beckman and Abbott hs-cTnI concentrations were correlated ( r = 0.95) with
      Beckman yielding proportionally lower concentrations (slope = 0.78; 95%CI: 0.74
      0.85). There were 12 samples that yielded Abbott hs-TnI concentrations >=3-fold
      higher than the Beckman hs-cTnI concentrations; of which nine samples from seven
      different patients had sufficient quantity for additional testing. All seven
      patients had macrocomplexes as determined with polyethylene glycol precipitation
      that affected the Abbott hs-cTnI assay. One patient with Abbott hs-cTnI results
      >1300 ng/L had polyethylene glycol, heterophile antibodies and creatine kinase-MB
      testing performed which confirmed that a macrocomplex most likely affected the
      Abbott and Roche (hs-cTnT = 65 ng/L) assays but not the Beckman (hs-cTnI = 12
      ng/L) assay. Conclusion The hs-cTnI concentrations obtained from
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid plasma between the Beckman and Abbott assays are
      highly correlated, with large differences in concentrations (>=3-fold) between
      Abbott and Beckman assays possible due to macrocomplexes.

PMID- 28920471
TI  - Unilateral Blepharitis With Fine Follicular Scaling.

PMID- 28920470
TI  - Silver Nitrate Staining of the Fingernails.

PMID- 28920469
TI  - The canonical way to make a heart: beta-catenin and plakoglobin in heart
      development and remodeling.
AB  - The main mediator of the canonical Wnt pathway, beta-catenin, is a major effector
      of embryonic development, postnatal tissue homeostasis, and adult tissue
      regeneration. The requirement for beta-catenin in cardiogenesis and embryogenesis
      has been well established. However, many questions regarding the molecular
      mechanisms by which beta-catenin and canonical Wnt signaling regulate these
      developmental processes remain unanswered. An interesting question that emerged
      from our studies concerns how beta-catenin signaling is modulated through
      interaction with other factors. Recent experimental data implicate new players in
      canonical Wnt signaling, particularly those which modulate beta-catenin function
      in many its biological processes, including cardiogenesis. One of the interesting
      candidates is plakoglobin, a little-studied member of the catenin family which
      shares several mechanistic and functional features with its close relative, beta
      catenin. Here we have focused on the function of beta-catenin in cardiogenesis.
      We also summarize findings on plakoglobin signaling function and discuss possible
      interplays between beta-catenin and plakoglobin in the regulation of embryonic
      heart development. Impact statement Heart development, function, and remodeling
      are complex processes orchestrated by multiple signaling networks. This review
      examines our current knowledge of the role of canonical Wnt signaling in
      cardiogenesis and heart remodeling, focusing primarily on the mechanistic action
      of its effector beta-catenin. We summarize the generally accepted understanding
      of the field based on experimental in vitro and in vivo data, and address
      unresolved questions in the field, specifically relating to the role of canonical
      Wnt signaling in heart maturation and regeneration. What are the modulators of
      canonical Wnt, and particularly what are the potential roles of plakoglobin, a
      close relative of beta-catenin, in regulating Wnt signaling?Answers to these
      questions will enhance our understanding of the mechanism by which the canonical
      Wnt signaling regulates development of the heart and its regeneration after
      damage.

PMID- 28920473
TI  - Who You Gonna Call? / Qui faut-il appeler?

PMID- 28920472
TI  - It May Look Similar to a Xanthogranuloma Under the Microscope but It Does Not
      Really Walk Like One Clinically . . .

PMID- 28920474
TI  - The State of Ethnic Dermatology in Canada.
AB  - Approximately 30% of Canadians will be members of a visible minority by 2031.
      When dermatology became an independent medical discipline in the late 18th and
      early 19th centuries, most residents of Canada and the United States were of
      Northern European descent. Morphology and descriptions of dermatoses are based on
      patients with light skin. Skin of colour dermatology refers to a unique field in
      dermatology dedicated to the diagnosis and management of disorders that are more
      prevalent in patients with moderately to richly pigmented skin. Important
      differences in the presentation of common dermatoses such as seborrheic
      dermatitis and acne exist in patients with darker skin types. The effect of
      traditional treatments for common and uncommon dermatoses is also an important
      consideration in managing patients with skin of colour. Such treatments may
      result in adverse effects such as postinflammatory hyperpigmentation or keloid
      scarring at a higher rate. Most respondents from a 2013 UK study of dermatology
      residents and consultants agreed that individuals with 'ethnic skin' had specific
      and unique dermatological problems. The Royal College of Physician and Surgeons
      of Canada's Objectives of Training in Dermatology states that residents must
      demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for effective patient
      centred care and service to a diverse population. Future steps include creating a
      national society of dermatologists interested in clinical and academic aspects of
      ethnic dermatology. As well, presentations on skin of colour dermatology could be
      encouraged at major Canadian dermatology meetings.

PMID- 28920475
TI  - Generalised Eruptive Keratoacanthomas of Grzybowski.

PMID- 28920476
TI  - Digital Anaesthesia and Relevant Digital Anatomy for the Dermatologist.
AB  - Cutaneous surgery requires a precise understanding of anatomy. This review
      describes the clinically relevant anatomy of the hand and relates it to the most
      common methods of digital anaesthesia.

PMID- 28920477
TI  - If It Looks Like a Xanthogranuloma and Walks Like a Xanthogranuloma . . .

PMID- 28920478
TI  - Pityriasis Folliculorum of the Back Thoracic Area: Pityrosporum, Keratin Plugs,
      or Demodex Involved?

PMID- 28920479
TI  - Reticular Erythema and Hyperpigmentation in a Woman.

PMID- 28920480
TI  - Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

PMID- 28920481
TI  - Two new lignans from the resin of Bursera microphylla A. gray and their cytotoxic
      activity.
AB  - Two new lignans, namely 7-O-podophyllotoxinyl butyrate (1) and dihydroclusin 9
      acetate (2), were isolated from the dichloromethane fraction of a methanol
      extract of Bursera microphylla (Burseraceae), along with eight known lignans (3
      10). Their structures were determined by means of comprehensive spectroscopic
      analysis. Lignans 2-6 were tested for their anti-proliferative activity on the
      cancer cell lines LS180, A549 and HeLa, and on a non-cancer cell line, ARPE-19.
      Only compounds 4 and 5 showed an interesting activity on HeLa cells.

PMID- 28920483
TI  - Hydroxycamptothecin liposomes based on thermal and magnetic dual-responsive
      system: preparation, in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity, microdialysis-based
      tumor pharmacokinetics.
AB  - Due to the absence of lactone form of hydroxycamptothecin, the commercially
      available hydroxycamptothecin injection exhibits inefficient therapeutic effects.
      In this study, we constructed a novel delivery system (thermosensitive magnetic
      liposomes) that protects lactone form of hydroxycamptothecin from blood or water.
      After hydroxycamptothecin was loaded into the thermosensitive magnetic liposome
      (HCPT/TML), its in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity and microdialysis-based
      tumour pharmacokinetics were determined. The results demonstrated that HCPT/TMLs
      possessed favourable physicochemical features and significant cytotoxicity
      against the Huh-7 cells in vitro. In the in vivo antitumor study and tumour
      pharmacokinetics, HCPT/TMLs displayed effective targeting delivery and antitumor
      effects, which corresponded to the determined hydroxycamptothecin concentration
      in tumour tissue. In conclusion, this thermal and magnetic dual-responsive system
      can efficiently deliver hydroxycamptothecin to tumour tissue and has great
      potential application in cancer treatment.

PMID- 28920482
TI  - Fowl aviadenovirus serotype 1 confirmed as the aetiological agent of gizzard
      erosions in replacement pullets and layer flocks in Great Britain by laboratory
      and in vivo studies.
AB  - An investigation into the aetiology and pathogenesis of adenoviral gizzard
      erosion has been conducted following three natural outbreaks affecting one flock
      of 6-week-old replacement pullets and two consecutive placements of free range
      layers at the age of 21 and 23 weeks. Affected flocks showed increased mortality
      (0.12-0.30% per week), and gizzard lesions were consistent with fowl
      aviadenovirus (FAdV) involvement. To substantiate the initial findings, a
      selection of archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded gizzard samples from
      another 12 pullet and layer flocks, for which macroscopic and histopathological
      diagnosis of the disease were recorded in Great Britain during the period 2009
      2016, were also investigated. In situ hybridization (ISH), virology and/or PCR
      confirmed the presence of FAdV species-A, serotype-1 (FAdV-A, FAdV-1) DNA in
      gizzard samples of all 15 cases investigated. Co-infections with additional FAdV
      serotypes including FAdV-8a were detected by serology and/or virology in two of
      the pullet flocks. However, species-specific in situ hybridization revealed that
      pathological changes of affected gizzards were only associated with the detection
      of FAdV-A. A subsequent in vivo study infecting 21-day-old SPF pullets with FAdV
      1 or FAdV-8a strains isolated from the 6-week-old replacement pullets revealed
      characteristic pathomorphological changes only in the gizzards from birds
      infected with FAdV-1. While infection with FAdV-8a was confirmed by virology and
      serology, infected SPF birds did not develop pathomorphological changes.
      Therefore, the aetiological involvement of the isolated FAdV-8a in the
      development of adenoviral gizzard erosion in commercial pullets has been ruled
      out.

PMID- 28920485
TI  - The Use of Soft Tissue Expanders Prior to Total Ankle Arthroplasty.
AB  - : Soft tissue coverage and tension-free closure can often be challenging in
      patients with ankle arthropathy being considered for total ankle arthroplasty. We
      present 2 patients with severe posttraumatic ankle arthropathy who underwent
      placement of a soft tissue expander to assist with soft tissue coverage prior to
      total ankle arthroplasty. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 28920486
TI  - Osteochondral Lesions of the Ankle.

PMID- 28920487
TI  - Unilateral Dislocation of the Posterior Tibialis Tendon (PTT) and Flexor
      Digitorum Longus Tendon With Contralateral PTT Subluxation in a Patient With
      Congenitally Shallow Flexor Groove.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Flexor tendon dislocation from the flexor tendon groove posterior
      of the medial malleolus has been previously described, and may be difficult to
      diagnose initially, but is amendable to surgical treatment with good outcomes. We
      present a unique case of unilateral dislocation of the posterior tibialis and
      flexor digitorum longus tendons with contralateral flexor digitorum longus
      subluxation that was treated surgically with a good outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A
      37-year-old active duty male sustained a dislocation and subluxation of the
      flexor tendons bilaterally after a forced dorsiflexion injury. Bilateral ankle
      magnetic resonance imaging revealed the injuries that this patient sustained and
      aided in surgical planning. Surgical Treatment. Bilateral flexor tendon groove
      deepening with periosteal flap elevation and retinacular repair.
      DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This injury has not been previously described in the
      literature after a forced dorsiflexion mechanism. Advanced imaging is helpful as
      this injury may be initially misdiagnosed. This case shows that delayed bilateral
      reconstruction of the flexor tendon grooves and retinacula are reliable methods
      for pain relief to allow a patient to return to a physically demanding level of
      function. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level V.

PMID- 28920488
TI  - Broomsticks, Tennis Balls and Locking Plates.

PMID- 28920489
TI  - Primer in Genetics and Genomics, Article 5-Further Defining the Concepts of
      Genotype and Phenotype and Exploring Genotype-Phenotype Associations.
AB  - As nurses begin to incorporate genetic and genomic sciences into clinical
      practice, education, and research, it is essential that they have a working
      knowledge of the terms foundational to the science. The first article in this
      primer series provided brief definitions of the basic terms (e.g., genetics and
      genomics) and introduced the concept of phenotype during the discussion of
      Mendelian inheritance. These terms, however, are inconsistently used in
      publications and conversations, and the linkage between genotype and phenotype
      requires clarification. The goal of this fifth article in the series is to
      elucidate these terms, provide an overview of the research methods used to
      determine genotype-phenotype associations, and discuss their significance to
      nursing through examples from the current nursing literature.

PMID- 28920491
TI  - Consumer satisfaction with antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments: the
      role of consumer-prescriber communication patterns.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to explore patterns of prescriber communication
      behaviors as they relate to consumer satisfaction among a serious mental illness
      sample. METHODS: Recordings from 175 antipsychotic medication-monitoring
      appointments between veterans with psychiatric disorders and their prescribers
      were coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) for communication
      behavioral patterns. RESULTS: The frequency of prescriber communication behaviors
      (i.e., facilitation, rapport, procedural, psychosocial, biomedical, and total
      utterances) did not reliably predict consumer satisfaction. The ratio of
      prescriber to consumer utterances did predict consumer satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS:
      Consistent with client-centered care theory, antipsychotic medication consumers
      were more satisfied with their encounters when their prescriber did not dominate
      the conversation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Therefore, one potential recommendation
      from these findings could be for medication prescribers to spend more of their
      time listening to, rather than speaking with, their SMI consumers.

PMID- 28920492
TI  - Recommendations on managing lenvatinib and everolimus in patients with advanced
      or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There are several second-line treatment options for patients with
      renal cell carcinoma after first-line failure of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor,
      especially with the recent approvals of cabozantinib, nivolumab, and the
      lenvatinib plus everolimus combination. A lack of reliable biomarkers and an
      overall lack of prospective head-to-head comparisons make it a challenge to
      choose a second-line treatment in the clinic. Areas covered: In this review/meta
      opinion, we describe the safety profile of the lenvatinib plus everolimus
      combination in renal cell carcinoma. The combination of lenvatinib plus
      everolimus has achieved the highest rates of objective responses and the longest
      progression free and overall survival in cross-comparison trials. At the same
      time, the safety profile of this combination, including the rate of total and
      severe adverse events, the percentage of dose reductions required, and the rate
      of treatment discontinuation, was less favorable compared with available
      monotherapy options, suggesting that better management could help to maximize the
      activity of this combination while protecting patients from undue harm. Expert
      opinion: Herein, we aim to postulate multidisciplinary recommendations on the
      advice to offer to patients and caregivers before starting treatment and how to
      manage the combination from the perspective of daily clinical practice.

PMID- 28920493
TI  - Construction and evaluation in vitro and in vivo of tedizolid phosphate loaded
      cationic liposomes.
AB  - First, the SA-TDZA-Lips were prepared by reverse-phase evaporation method. Then,
      the drug release behaviour was evaluated by dynamic membrane dialysis in vitro
      and the preliminary safety was evaluated by haemolysis method. Finally, with
      tedizolid phosphate injection (TDZA-Inj) and tedizolid phosphate loaded liposomes
      (TDZA-Lips) as the control groups, the pharmacokinetic characteristic and tissues
      distribution of SA-TDZA-Lips were evaluated after intravenous injection. As a
      result, the stearylamine modified tedizolid phosphate liposomal delivery system
      was constructed successfully and the particle size was 194.9 +/- 2.93 nm. The
      encapsulation efficiency (EE) was 53.52 +/- 2.18%. The in vitro release of SA
      TDZA-Lips was in accordance with Weibull equation. And there was no haemolysis
      happened, which indicated good preliminary safety for injection. The results of
      pharmacokinetics showed that the t1/2beta increased by 0.74 times and 0.51 times
      higher than that of TDZA-Inj group and TDZA-Lips group, respectively. The MRT of
      SA-TDZA-Lips was 1.30 and 1.09 times higher than that of TDZA-Inj group and TDZA
      Lips group, respectively. The AUC was 2.40 times and 0.23 times higher than that
      of TDZA-Inj group and TDZA-Lips group, respectively. The tissue distribution
      results showed that the relative uptake rate (Re) of TDZA in the lung was 1.527,
      which indicated the targeting. In conclusion, the SA-TDZA-Lips prepared in this
      study had several advantages like positive charge, strong cell affinity,
      prolonged circulation time in vivo, sustained release effect, and increased drug
      concentration in lungs. All advantages above provided significant clinical value
      of application for the treatment of bacterial pneumonia with tedizolid phosphate.

PMID- 28920494
TI  - Early postnatal weight gain as a predictor for the development of retinopathy of
      prematurity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to validate the reliability of early
      postnatal weight gain as an accurate predictor of type 1 retinopathy of
      prematurity (ROP) requiring treatment in a large predominantly Hispanic US cohort
      with the use of an online tool called WINROP (weight, neonatal retinopathy of
      prematurity (IGF-1), neonatal retinopathy of prematurity). STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study consisted of preterm infants <32 weeks gestation and
      birth weight <1500 g. Weekly weights to 36 weeks post-menstrual age or discharge
      if earlier were entered into the WINROP tool. This tool generated alarm and risk
      indicator for developing ROP. The infants with type 1 ROP requiring treatment as
      well as all stages of ROP were compared with the alarms and risks generated by
      WINROP tool. RESULTS: A total of 492 infants were entered into the WINROP tool.
      The infants who developed type 1 ROP requiring treatment, the WINROP tool
      detected 80/89 (90%) at less than 32 weeks gestation. Nine infants developed type
      1 ROP were classified as low risk and did not alarm. CONCLUSIONS: Postnatal
      weight gain alone, in predominantly Hispanic US population, predicted type 1 ROP
      requiring treatment before 32 weeks of gestation in infants with a sensitivity of
      90%. The tool appeared to identify majority of affected infants much earlier than
      the scheduled screening.

PMID- 28920495
TI  - Twelve tips on how to compile a medical educator's portfolio.
AB  - Medical education is an expanding area of specialist interest for medical
      professionals. Whilst most doctors will be familiar with the compilation of
      clinical portfolios for scrutiny of their clinical practice and provision of
      public accountability, teaching portfolios used specifically to gather and
      demonstrate medical education activity remain uncommon in many non-academic
      settings. For aspiring and early career medical educators in particular, their
      value should not be underestimated. Such a medical educator's portfolio (MEP) is
      a unique compendium of evidence that is invaluable for appraisal, revalidation,
      and promotion. It can stimulate and provide direction for professional
      development, and is a rich source for personal reflection and learning. We
      recommend that all new and aspiring medical educators prepare an MEP, and suggest
      twelve tips on how to skillfully compile one.

PMID- 28920496
TI  - SPIN: rapid synthesis, purification, and concentration of small drug-loaded
      liposomes.
AB  - Liposomes are one of the most studied nano-delivery systems. However, only a
      handful of formulations have received FDA approval. Existing liposome synthesis
      techniques are complex and specialized, posing a major impediment in design,
      implementation, and mass production of liposome delivery systems as therapeutic
      agents. Here, we demonstrate a unique 'synthesis and purification of injectable
      nanocarriers' (SPIN) technology for rapid and efficient production of small drug
      loaded liposomes using common benchtop equipment. Unilamellar liposomes with mean
      diameter of 80 nm and polydispersity of 0.13 were synthesized without any
      secondary post-processing techniques. Encapsulation of dextrans (300-20,000 Da)
      representing small and large molecular drug formulations was demonstrated without
      affecting the liposome characteristics. 99.9% of the non-encapsulated molecules
      were removed using a novel filter centrifugation technique, largely eliminating
      the need for tedious ultracentrifugation protocols. Finally, the functional
      efficacy of loaded liposomes as drug delivery vehicles was validated by
      encapsulating a fluorescent cell tracker (CMFDA) and observing the liposomal
      release and subsequent uptake of dye by metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA-MB
      231) in vitro. The proposed simplified technique addresses the existing
      challenges associated with liposome preparation in resource limited settings and
      offers significant potential for advances in translational pharmaceutical
      development.

PMID- 28920497
TI  - Reply letter to: "Can modern biology interpret the mystery of the birth of
      Christ?"

PMID- 28920498
TI  - An update on biomarker discovery and use in axial spondyloarthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Evaluation of diagnosis, disease activity, and risk for joint
      damage all represent important unmet clinical needs in the management of axial
      spondyloarthritis that have been explored using biomarkers. Areas covered: This
      review used the search terms biomarkers, ankylosing spondylitis,
      spondyloarthritis, spondyloarthropathy, pathogenesis, genetics, diagnostic tools,
      prognosis, to explore advances in biomarker development relevant to unmet
      clinical needs. Expert commentary: Despite major advances in the identification
      of genetic risk markers, HLA-B*27 remains the only marker with clinical utility
      for diagnostic purposes. Serological antibody to class II-associated invariant
      chain peptide (CLIP) requires further validation. A substantial array of
      biomarkers related to inflammatory processes and cartilage and bone remodeling
      have been evaluated using established clinical tools as well as new MRI-based
      outcomes for disease activity. Beyond C-reactive protein (CRP), none have
      demonstrated substantial associations with these parameters to justify clinical
      use and high priority candidates for further validation have not been identified.
      Leading candidates for further validation studies of prognostic biomarkers are
      metalloproteinases (MMP), calprotectin, adipokines, MMP-degraded citrullinated
      fragments of connective tissue proteins such as vimentin, and factors that
      regulate MMP expression. New approaches have explored combinations of targeted
      biomarkers and metabolomics analyses to identify optimal profiles of biomarkers
      related to the clinical endpoint of interest.

PMID- 28920499
TI  - Tactile Radar: experimenting a computer game with visually disabled.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visually disabled people increasingly use computers in everyday life,
      thanks to novel assistive technologies better tailored to their cognitive
      functioning. Like sighted people, many are interested in computer games -
      videogames and audio-games. Tactile-games are beginning to emerge. The Tactile
      Radar is a device through which a visually disabled person is able to detect
      distal obstacles. In this study, it is connected to a computer running a tactile
      game. The game consists in finding and collecting randomly arranged coins in a
      virtual room. METHODS: The study was conducted with nine congenital blind people
      including both sexes, aged 20-64 years old. Complementary methods of first and
      third person were used: the debriefing interview and the quasi-experimental
      design. RESULTS: The results indicate that the Tactile Radar is suitable for the
      creation of computer games specifically tailored for visually disabled people.
      CONCLUSIONS: Furthermore, the device seems capable of eliciting a powerful
      immersive experience. Methodologically speaking, this research contributes to the
      consolidation and development of first and third person complementary methods,
      particularly useful in disabled people research field, including the evaluation
      by users of the Tactile Radar effectiveness in a virtual reality context.
      Implications for rehabilitation Despite the growing interest in virtual games for
      visually disabled people, they still find barriers to access such games. Through
      the development of assistive technologies such as the Tactile Radar, applied in
      virtual games, we can create new opportunities for leisure, socialization and
      education for visually disabled people. The results of our study indicate that
      the Tactile Radar is adapted to the creation of video games for visually disabled
      people, providing a playful interaction with the players.

PMID- 28920500
TI  - Acute toxicity of the bowel after stereotactic robotic radiotherapy for
      abdominopelvic oligometastases.
AB  - AIM: To correlate dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters with appearance of grade
      >=2 acute and late gastrointestinal toxicity of stereotactic body radiotherapy
      (SBRT) in patients with abdominopelvic solitary or oligometastatic disease
      outside the liver. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Acute and late bowel toxicity of 84
      abdominopelvic oligometastatic patients was registered. A logistic regression was
      performed between different DVH parameters and presence of grade >=2 acute and
      late toxicity. A Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) model was built
      with significant parameters to determine complication probabilities (CP).
      RESULTS: Thirteen (15%) of 84 patients experienced of grade >=2 acute toxicity,
      while 8 (10%) reported late toxicity complications. A significant relationship
      was found for EQD2 (V30Gy, V40Gy, V50Gy and V65Gy) and grade >=2 acute toxicity.
      Dmax and D2 were not significant. Late grade >=2 toxicity was not significantly
      correlated with any DVH parameter. According to our NTCP model for V40Gy, an
      irradiated bowel volume of 10 cm3 of V40Gy resulted in CP of grade >=2 acute
      toxicity of less than 10%. Local control was 87% at 2 years and 82% at 5 years.
      Overall survival was 61% at 2 years and 32% at 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: After SBRT
      for abdominopelvic oligometastases, in general, the presence of acute and late
      toxicity was low. A significant relationship was found for V30Gy, V40Gy, V50Gy
      and V65Gy and grade >=2 acute toxicity. We estimated acute complication
      probabilities per volume of irradiated bowel by V40Gy and V50Gy.

PMID- 28920501
TI  - Kidney dosimetry during 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy in patients with neuroendocrine
      tumors: aspects on calculation and tolerance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fractionated therapy with 177Lu-DOTATATE has been reported to be an
      effective treatment for patients with metastasized neuroendocrine tumors. To
      optimize the treatment, absorbed doses to risk organs are calculated for the
      individual patient. For each organ, absorbed dose due to activity in the organ
      itself (self-dose) and that originating from other organs (cross-dose) are
      calculated from serial measurements to obtain the activity distribution following
      treatment. The main aim of the present work were to calculate the cross-dose
      contribution to the total absorbed kidney dose. METHODS: Five hundred patients
      with neuroendocrine tumors undergoing therapy with 177Lu-DOTATATE were included.
      Scintigraphic planar whole body images and single photon emission computed
      tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) over the abdomen were acquired at 1, 4
      and 7 days after treatment. Kidney self-dose was calculated based on
      radioactivity distribution obtained from SPECT/CT. Cross-dose to kidneys was
      estimated using organ-based analysis of planar whole body images and cross-fire
      dose factors from Olinda/EXM 1.1. RESULTS: Cross-dose to kidneys in the majority
      of patients were less than 2% and almost all cross-doses were less than 10%.
      Cross-dose exceeded 10% only in rare cases of patients with high tumor burden and
      low absorbed doses to kidneys. CONCLUSIONS: The absorbed dose from 177Lu
      octreotate to solid organs due to cross-fire is generally low and can usually be
      neglected.

PMID- 28920502
TI  - Clinical and metabolic characteristics of Turkish adolescents with polycystic
      ovary syndrome.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical, endocrine, metabolic
      features and prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MBS) in Turkish adolescents with
      polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the differences in metabolic parameters
      between adolescent PCOS with or without the presence of polycystic ovaries (PCO)
      on ultrasound. Subjects (n = 77) were classified into two groups: oligomenorrhea
      (O) and clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism (HA) (n = 38), without PCO
      and O + HA with PCO (n = 39). The control group consisted of 33 age-matched
      adolescents. Adolescents with PCOS had a significantly higher body mass index
      (BMI), waist circumference and levels of LH, LH/FSH ratio, triglyceride, insulin,
      HOMA-IR, free androgen index and lower levels of SHBG and FSH. After adjustment
      for BMI, LH, LH: FSH ratio remained significantly higher. Adolescents with PCOS
      had a higher prevalence of MBS. No significant differences in lipid profiles,
      insulin levels and insulin sensitivity in both the PCOS groups were seen. HDL-C
      levels were lower in the O + HA + PCO group compared to the controls. BMI may be
      the major contributing factor in the development of metabolic abnormalities in
      adolescents with PCOS. Impact statement Many studies have investigated the effect
      of PCOS on metabolic and cardiovascular risks. It is thought that PCOS increases
      metabolic and cardiovascular risks. Increase in metabolic and cardiovascular
      risks associated with PCOS may be handled with early diagnosis and early
      intervention of PCOS in adolescents, although the diagnosis of PCOS in
      adolescents could be hard because of the features of PCOS overlapping normal
      pubertal physiological events. However, early identification of adolescent girls
      with PCOS may provide opportunities for prevention of well-known health risks
      associated with this syndrome and reduction of long-term health consequences of
      PCOS by reducing androgen levels and improving metabolic profile. Our results
      also support that BMI may be the major contributing factor in the development of
      metabolic abnormalities in adolescents with PCOS.

PMID- 28920503
TI  - Aplousobranchia ascidians in Andaman and Nicobar Islands: a combined
      morphological and molecular discrimination.
AB  - Aplousobranchia ascidians from two different families were integrated with
      morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analysis for the first
      time. The present study employed morphological descriptions (colony structures,
      tunic, zooids, spicules stigmata and test) and a molecular approach, using a
      fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of four
      Aplousobranchia colonial ascidians Aplidium conicum (98%), Aplidium elegans
      (98%), Didemnum fulgens (92%) and Trididemnum cyanophorum (94%) from Andaman and
      Nicobar Islands. Bar-coded sequences were extracted with BLAST format from NCBI
      and the heritable diversity of the submitted sequences were compared with
      associated ascidian species. Study revealed that the evolutionary relationship
      among the ascidian species exhibited the constant clades, which may help for
      rapid reassessment of morphological characters of the species distributed
      worldwide.

PMID- 28920504
TI  - Outpatient cervical ripening in a district general hospital: a five-year
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - The number of women undergoing induction of labour has risen steadily in recent
      years. Outpatient induction is becoming more common in the UK in response to the
      required increase in resources, although evidence supporting its safety is
      lacking. We reviewed the notes of low-risk women presenting for outpatient
      cervical ripening using prostaglandins over a five-year period, and compared our
      neonatal and maternal outcomes to local and national data. Of the 502 eligible
      women, 400 underwent outpatient treatment. Most women returned early, in labour.
      There were no foetal, neonatal or maternal deaths, and our neonatal morbidity
      compared favourably with local rates. Mode of delivery and major maternal
      complication rates were comparable to national maternity indicators. We conclude
      that outpatient cervical ripening following careful case selection does not
      appear to increase neonatal or maternal mortality or morbidity. It offers
      patients an alternative to traditional inpatient induction and may improve
      allocation of hospital resources. Impact statement We present a retrospective
      cohort study of neonatal and maternal outcomes in 502 women selected for
      outpatient cervical ripening for postmaturity at Bedford Hospital over the five
      year period from 2010 to 2015. This study was conceived following a previous
      publication in this journal from Bedford Hospital in 2002 by Neale et al., which
      described the outcomes of 100 women who underwent outpatient cervical ripening.
      Our conclusions compare the results from the two studies. Out of our combined
      sample of 602 women, 491 were discharged home following administration of
      prostaglandins. This represents the largest sample size in the published
      literature on outpatient induction of labour, which was first undertaken in our
      unit in 1998 and is now widely practiced within the UK. Several publications,
      including the 2013 Cochrane review by Kelly et al. and a recent large survey of
      practice (Sharp et al. 2016 ) have highlighted the paucity of available data
      regarding the safety of this procedure as an outpatient. We therefore hope that
      the results of our study will be of interest to many maternity units who
      currently undertake or are considering to provide the facility for outpatient
      cervical ripening as a prelude to induction of labour.

PMID- 28920505
TI  - Learning to use a rear-mounted power assist for manual wheelchairs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: 1) To investigate how much training manual wheelchair users perceive
      is required to learn to use a rear-mounted power assist safely and confidently.
      2) To evaluate how the power assist affected wheelchair users' ability to
      negotiate a standardized obstacle course, wheelchair skills capacity and
      wheelchair mobility confidence. METHOD: This study used a pre- versus post-test
      intervention design. Outcome measures included a standardized obstacle course,
      and modified versions of the Wheelchair Skills Test 4.2 (WST) and the Wheelchair
      Confidence Measure. RESULTS: The 11 participants felt safe and confident using
      the power assist within one to two training sessions. However, some potential
      safety concerns were noted. Participants performed two obstacle course tasks
      significantly more quickly with the power assist. CONCLUSIONS: Participants felt
      safe using the device with limited training and the device facilitated some
      mobility task performance. Further research is needed to understand the outcomes
      of long-term, community use. Implications for Rehabilitation Most experienced
      wheelchair users wanted only one or two training sessions with a new rear mounted
      power assist device; however, some safety concerns were noted. The device did not
      appear to affect user's confidence. The device enabled users to perform some
      mobility tasks more quickly and allowed some users to perform some mobility tasks
      they were unable to perform in their regular MWC.

PMID- 28920506
TI  - Online professionalism - A student perspective. A response to Hemming et al.

PMID- 28920507
TI  - Navigating the structure-function-evolutionary relationship of CsaA chaperone in
      archaea.
AB  - CsaA is a protein involved in the post-translational translocation of proteins
      across the cytoplasmic membrane. It is considered to be a functional homolog of
      SecB which participates in the Sec-dependent translocation pathway in an
      analogous manner. CsaA has also been reported to act as a molecular chaperone,
      preventing aggregation of unfolded proteins. It is essentially a prokaryotic
      protein which is absent in eukaryotes, but found extensively in bacteria and
      earlier thought to be widely present in archaea. The study of phylogenetic
      distribution of CsaA among prokaryotes suggests that it is present only in few
      archaeal organisms, mainly species of Thermoplasmatales and Halobacteriales.
      Interestingly, the CsaA protein from these two archaeal orders cluster separately
      on the phylogenetic tree with CsaA from Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
      It, thus, appears that this protein might have been acquired in these archaeal
      organisms through independent horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events from
      different bacteria. In this review, we summarize the earlier biochemical,
      structural, and functional characterization studies of CsaA. We draw new insights
      into the evolutionary history of this protein through phylogenetic and structural
      comparison of bacterial CsaA with modelled archaeal CsaA from Picrophilus
      torridus and Natrialba magadii.

PMID- 28920508
TI  - Internal carotid artery dissection among younger and older patients with acute
      ischemic stroke.
AB  - : Purpose/Aim of the study: Carotid artery dissection (CAD) is a known causative
      factor in the etiology of acute ischemic stroke in young patients. However, the
      significance of CAD in older patients with acute ischemic stroke is unclear with
      only a few prior clinical studies. In order to isolate the influence of CAD as an
      independent factor, we performed multivariate analyses of common covariables in
      acute ischemic stroke patients in northern Israel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three
      hundred and forty-seven consecutive patients who suffered from acute ischemic
      stroke had initial CT angiography (CTA) ordered from the emergency room. We
      reviewed the CTAs for radiologic signs of CAD, and recorded patients' demographic
      and clinical data from the hospital's computerized information system. RESULTS:
      Eighteen of the 347 patients (5.19%) had CTA evidence of CAD, with no
      statistically significant differences based on age, gender or ethnicity. A
      statistically significant inverse association between hypertension and a lower
      rate of CAD was found before and after stepwise logistic regression, while
      hyperlipidemia showed a trend toward a similar inverse association that was
      borderline for statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that CAD is
      an independent and significant causative factor for acute ischemic stroke.
      Therefore, diagnostic imaging is indicated to rule out CAD not only in young
      patients, but rather in all patients with acute ischemic stroke. The inverse
      correlation between common vascular risk factors (i.e. hypertension and
      hyperlipidemia) and CAD points to CAD as an independent nonatherosclerotic
      causative factor in the etiology of acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 28920509
TI  - Diagnosis of hyponatremia and increased risk of a subsequent cancer diagnosis:
      results from a nationwide population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia has recently been associated with subsequent cancer
      risk. This population-based nationwide study assessed whether the diagnosis of
      hyponatremia can predict a cancer diagnosis within most common cancers. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Using Danish medical registries, we identified 16,220 patients with
      a first-time diagnosis of hyponatremia, without a cancer diagnosis, from January
      2006 through November 2013. We quantified the relative risk of a subsequent
      cancer diagnosis by standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), comparing observed
      cancer incidence among patients diagnosed with hyponatremia to that expected,
      based on national cancer incidence during that period. RESULTS: During 40,207
      person-years of follow-up, we observed 1546 cancer diagnoses compared to 956
      expected (SIR: 1.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.54-1.70). The increase in
      risk of a cancer diagnosis following a hyponatremia diagnosis was most pronounced
      within 0-6 months of follow-up (SIR 4.16; 95% CI, 3.85-4.48) and in the younger
      age group; 0-29 years (SIR 8.71; 95% CI, 2.82-20.28), 30-49 years (SIR 3.16; 95%
      CI, 2.26-4.31), 50-69 years (SIR 2.29; 95% CI, 2.10-2.48) and 70 + years (SIR
      1.35; 95% CI, 1.27-1.44). Within six months after a hyponatremia diagnosis, the
      SIRs increased 10-fold for cancers of the lung (SIR 17.14; 95% CI, 15.15-19.32),
      brain (SIR 13.52; 95% CI, 8.90-19.66) and liver (SIR 13.26; 95% CI, 7.57-21.53)
      and increased 5 to 10-fold for cancers of the pancreas (SIR 8.25; 95% CI, 5.72
      11.53), esophagus (SIR 6.59; 95% CI, 3.15-12.12), kidney (SIR 6.36; 95% CI, 3.39
      10.88), pharynx (SIR 6.15; 95% CI, 1.27-17.97) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR
      6.10; 95% CI, 4.17-8.61). The rate increased across virtually all types of
      cancers, except melanoma and basal cell carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: A diagnosis of
      hyponatremia may be a marker of occult neoplasms, especially cancers of the lung,
      brain, liver, pancreas, esophagus, kidney, pharynx and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
      Hyponatremia may aid in early detection of cancer.

PMID- 28920510
TI  - The stakeholders' project in neuropsychological report writing: a survey of
      neuropsychologists' and referral sources' views of neuropsychological reports.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Though some neuropsychological groups have proposed criteria and
      suggestions for clinical report writing there has never been professional
      consensus or accepted published guidelines on how to write reports. Given the
      paucity of guidelines and the evolving practice climate, we sought to survey
      neuropsychologists and referral source stakeholders to understand current report
      writing practices. METHOD: The data were collected in two SurveyMonkey surveys
      via professional list servs, email, and LinkedIn clinical interest groups.
      RESULTS: Results of the survey indicate many neuropsychologists spend multiple
      hours writing reports that they believe will not be read completely by
      stakeholders. A striking 73% of referral sources reported slow turnaround time of
      neuropsychological reports negatively affected their patient care. Referral
      sources reported they value the diagnosis/impression and recommendations sections
      the most; in contrast, they did not find the history, behavioral observations,
      emotional functioning, or descriptions of cognitive domains sections as useful.
      CONCLUSIONS: The survey findings highlight the disjuncture between what
      neuropsychologists typically do in their practice of report writing versus what
      they believe is useful for patients and referral sources. The survey also
      highlights differences between writing practices of neuropsychologists and what
      referral sources identify as the most valuable aspects of reports to assist them
      in caring for their patients.

PMID- 28920511
TI  - A feasibility study of working memory training for individuals with paediatric
      onset multiple sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and experiences of paediatric-onset
      multiple sclerosis (MS) patients completing a working memory training programme.
      METHODS: Nine paediatric-onset MS patients (mean age 19.3 +/- 4.1 years)
      identified as having attention and/or working memory difficulties underwent a
      five-week (five days/week) internet-based working memory training programme
      (CogmedTM); weekly coaching was provided. Measures of adherence and tolerance
      were used to establish the feasibility of implementing computerised cognitive
      training. Qualitative experiences reported by the patients were analysed and
      factors that may modulate the effects of training were explored. RESULTS: Six of
      the nine enrolled patients completed the programme within the recommended time,
      and all individuals, with the exception of one, were considered to tolerate the
      training well. Eight of the nine participants acknowledged that training was
      helpful in one or more ways. All but one participant reported improvements in
      working memory, although evidence for improvement on objective neuropsychological
      testing was limited. Lower normalised brain volume emerged as a potentially
      important variable in predicting extent of improvement on the training programme.
      CONCLUSION: Selected paediatric-onset MS patients can tolerate and complete an
      intensive cognitive rehabilitation programme. Future investigation of moderators
      of training effects and the stability of the findings over time is needed.

PMID- 28920512
TI  - Rhythmic Three-Part Harmony: The Complex Interaction of Maternal, Placental and
      Fetal Circadian Systems.
AB  - From the perspective of circadian biology, mammalian pregnancy presents an
      unusual biological scenario in which an entire circadian system (i.e., that of
      the fetus) is embodied within another (i.e., that of the mother). Moreover, both
      systems are likely to be influenced at their interface by a third player, the
      placenta. Successful pregnancy requires major adaptations in maternal physiology,
      many of which involve circadian changes that support the high metabolic demands
      of the growing fetus. A functional role for maternal circadian adaptations is
      implied by the effects of circadian disruption, which result in pregnancy
      complications including higher risks for miscarriage, preterm labor, and low
      birth weight. Various aspects of fetal physiology lead to circadian variation, at
      least in late gestation, but it remains unclear what drives this rhythmicity. It
      likely involves contributions from the maternal environment and possibly from the
      placenta and the developing intrinsic molecular clocks within fetal tissues. The
      role of the placenta is of particular significance because it serves not only to
      relay signals about the external environment (via the mother) but may also
      exhibit its own circadian rhythmicity. This review considers how the fetus may be
      influenced by dynamic circadian signals from the mother and the placenta during
      gestation, and how, in the face of these changing influences, a new fetal
      circadian system emerges. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of endocrine
      signals, most notably melatonin and glucocorticoids, as mediators of maternal
      fetal circadian interactions, and on the expression of the clock gene in the 3
      compartments. Further study is required to understand how the mother, placenta,
      and fetus interact across pregnancy to optimize circadian adaptations that
      support adequate growth and development of the fetus and its transition to
      postnatal life in a circadian environment.

PMID- 28920513
TI  - Corrigendum to Breast cancer in systemic lupus.

PMID- 28920515
TI  - Quality of life in women of reproductive age: a comparative study of infertile
      and fertile women in a Nigerian tertiary centre.
AB  - The study examined the quality of life in women of reproductive age and the aim
      was to evaluate and compare the quality of life (QoL) scores among fertile and
      infertile women. A cross-sectional study was carried out among women attending
      the Gynaecology and Postnatal Clinics of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital
      comparing their QoL using the World Health Organisation Quality of Life-BREF
      (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. The age of fertile women was significantly higher
      than the age of infertile women (p < .05), while a significantly higher
      proportion of the infertile and fertile women and their spouses were civil
      servants (p < .05). Infertile women obtained significantly higher scores than
      fertile women in the physical domain (QoL) and significantly lower scores than
      fertile women in the social domain (QoL), (p < .05). Among the infertile women,
      those with secondary infertility had significantly better overall QoL scores, (p
      < .05). Logistic regression showed that infertility and unemployment in women
      were associated with significantly lower QoL scores in psychological and social
      domains (p < .05). The quality of life is significantly lower among infertile
      women compared to fertile ones and this should be borne in mind when attending to
      these women. Impact statement What is already known on this subject: Infertility
      has been shown to be associated with poor quality of life. Most of these studies
      were conducted in developed countries. What the results of this study add: The
      findings of this study revealed that women who were infertile had low quality of
      life scores compared to the fertile ones in physical, social and psychological
      domains. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or
      further research: A community-based and multicultural study involving more
      participants may shed more light on this topic in future research. Counselling
      sessions should be incorporated as part of the holistic approach in the day-to
      day management of the infertile women.

PMID- 28920516
TI  - High glucose-mediated overexpression of ICAM-1 in human vaginal epithelial cells
      increases adhesion of Candida albicans.
AB  - To investigate the involvement of ICAM-1 in the adhesion of Candida to the
      genitourinary epithelial cells in high glucose, we examined the adhesion of
      Candida albicans or Candida glabrata to human vaginal epithelial cells (VK2/E6E7)
      or human vulvovaginal epidermal cells (A431). These cells were cultured in 100,
      500 or 3000 mg/dL glucose for three days and inoculated with Candida for 60
      minutes. Followed by, adhering of Candida to the cells, which were counted. While
      the adhesion of Candida albicans to VK2/E6E7 significantly increased in the high
      glucose, A431 did not. We next examined the expression of ICAM-1 as a ligand on
      the epithelial cells. ICAM-1 expression was increased in VK2/E6E7 cultured in the
      high glucose; however, the expression level in A431 was not high compared with
      VK2/E6E7. This data suggested that ICAM-1 functions as one of ligands in the
      adhesion of Candida albicans to the vaginal epithelial cells in a high glucose
      environment. Impact statement What is already known on the subject: Candida's
      complement receptor is involved in the adhesion to epithelial cells. The
      expression of this receptor has been reported to increase as glucose
      concentration increases. This is considered as a contributing factor to the high
      risk for vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in diabetes. On the host side, diabetic
      patients have a factor that facilitates adhesion of Candida to epithelial cells.
      This factor has been unknown until recently. What the results of this study add:
      In this study, we used a vaginal epithelial cell line and showed that the
      adhesion of C. albicans to cells increased at higher glucose concentrations. At
      the same time, ICAM-1 expression of cells also increased. Thereby, it is
      suggested that the expression of ICAM-1 in vaginal epithelial cells is increased
      by glucose such as urinary sugar in diabetic patients and is a condition for
      facilitating adhesion of Candida. What the implications are of these findings for
      clinical practice and/or further research: We expect not only host immune
      dysfunction but also alteration in epithelial cells will be focussed on as a
      cause of VVC in diabetic patients.

PMID- 28920517
TI  - Bleeding Control in Palliative Care Patients With the Help of Tranexamic Acid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Persistent bleeding is a common reason for admitting patients with
      advanced cancer to a palliative care unit. Several reports show a successful
      therapeutic use of the antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid in palliative care
      patients having hemorrhages. However, it is not administered routinely in severe
      bleeding situations in palliative care, and general dosing recommendations are
      unclear. CASE PRESENTATION: We report on 3 patients who were treated with
      tranexamic acid due to symptomatic hemorrhage complicating different malignant
      processes. Case Management and Outcome: A dosing regimen of 1000 mg intravenous
      tranexamic acid 3 times a day caused an arrest of bleeding in the reported
      patients within 2 to 3 days. Having controlled the acute bleeding, we continued
      with an oral administration of 3000 mg per day as maintenance dose. CONCLUSIONS:
      The described dosing regimen was effective in controlling the symptomatic
      bleeding of the reported patients. Further studies are needed to get evidence
      based information on the optimal dosing regimen of tranexamic acid and to
      emphasize its significance in palliative medicine.

PMID- 28920518
TI  - The 'indirect costs' of underfunding foreign partners in global health research:
      A case study.
AB  - : This study of a global health research partnership assesses how U.S. fiscal
      administrative policies impact capacity building at foreign partner institutions.
      We conducted a case study of a research collaboration between Mbarara University
      of Science and Technology (MUST) in Mbarara, Uganda, and originally the
      University of California San Francisco (UCSF), but now Massachusetts General
      Hospital (MGH). Our case study is based on three of the authors' experiences
      directing and working with this partnership from its inception in 2003 through
      2015. The collaboration established an independent Ugandan non-profit to act as a
      local fiscal agent and grants administrator and to assure compliance with the
      Ugandan labour and tax law. This structure, combined with low indirect cost
      reimbursements from U.S. federal grants, failed to strengthen institutional
      capacity at MUST. In response to problems with this model, the collaboration
      established a contracts and grants office at MUST. This office has built
      administrative capacity at MUST but has also generated new risks and expenses for
      MGH. We argue that U.S. fiscal administrative practices may drain rather than
      build capacity at African universities by underfunding the administrative costs
      of global health research, circumventing host country institutions, and
      externalising legal and financial risks associated with international work.
      ABBREVIATIONS: MGH: Massachusetts General Hospital; MUST: Mbarara University of
      Science and Technology; NIH: National Institutes of Health; UCSF: University of
      California San Francisco; URI: Uganda Research Institute.

PMID- 28920519
TI  - Withdrawal of spatial overt attention following intentional forgetting: evidence
      from eye movements.
AB  - Eye movements were measured to examine whether item-method directed forgetting
      involved a spatial overt attention shift. Experiment 1 showed that participants'
      eyes were moved away from the study word following the forget and ignore cues,
      but not the remember cue. Experiment 2 revealed that the eyes were moved away
      from the area that covered by the study word even when the study word disappeared
      upon the presentation of the memory cue. Both the study word and memory cue were
      presented auditorily in Experiment 3. In all experiments, the to-be-remembered
      words were recalled better than both to-be-forgotten and to-be-ignored words.
      More importantly, mental effort, as indexed by the pupil size, increased
      following the remember, as compared with the forget and ignore cues. These
      findings are discussed in terms of controlling spatial overt attention after
      encoding to withdraw attention from irrelevant information and to allocate
      cognitive resources to relevant information for long-term retention.

PMID- 28920514
TI  - Foe or friend? Janus-faces of the neurovascular unit in the formation of brain
      metastases.
AB  - Despite the potential obstacle represented by the blood-brain barrier for
      extravasating malignant cells, metastases are more frequent than primary tumors
      in the central nervous system. Not only tightly interconnected endothelial cells
      can hinder metastasis formation, other cells of the brain microenvironment (like
      astrocytes and microglia) can also be very hostile, destroying the large majority
      of metastatic cells. However, malignant cells that are able to overcome these
      harmful mechanisms may benefit from the shielding and even support provided by
      cerebral endothelial cells, astrocytes and microglia, rendering the brain a
      sanctuary site against anti-tumor strategies. Thus, cells of the neurovascular
      unit have a Janus-faced attitude towards brain metastatic cells, being both
      destructive and protective. In this review, we present the main mechanisms of
      brain metastasis formation, including those involved in extravasation through the
      brain vasculature and survival in the cerebral environment.

PMID- 28920520
TI  - Greek public's ambivalence toward refugee children education.

PMID- 28920521
TI  - Implementing evidence-based smoking cessation treatment in psychosocial care
      units (CAPS) in Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of smoking among mental health and addiction (MHA)
      patients is 3 times higher than it is in the general population, yet this patient
      population has received little help to combat smoking. Considering this,
      psychosocial care centers (CAPS - Centros de Atencao Psicossocial) are strategic
      locations for integrating tobacco dependence treatment (TDT) into existing
      treatment activities. METHODS: Our team provided an 8-hour training package to
      the staff of CAPS that have not been providing specialized TDT for smokers. Our
      curriculum included the following topics focused on the implementation of
      treatment for MHA smokers: management, epidemiology, medications, psychotherapy,
      and smoking/mental health assessment instruments. RESULTS: Our team trained the
      staff of 17 CAPS units within 10 cities - which included more than 186 health
      professionals. There were many barriers encountered as we provided this training.
      A summary of problems we faced were as follows: resistance to incorporating TDT
      in addiction/mental health-care units, resistance to the implementation of
      cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (psychodynamic therapy and harm reduction were
      preferred) and treatment for smoking is already implemented in primary care
      network; resistance to the use of medication in addiction treatment (a preference
      for psychotherapy and psychosocial approach). CONCLUSION: We learned a number of
      important lessons as we worked to improve the delivery of TDT to MHA patients in
      Brazil: provide clinicians an opportunity to explore how they feel/think about
      providing TDT to their clients at the very outset of the training, rather than
      focusing on a specific type of behavioral therapy for TDT (such as CBT), which
      some may find objectionable; use more generic descriptions of behavioral therapy
      such as 'supportive counseling'; include training professionals who are open to
      other forms of behavioral therapy in addition to psychoanalysis and discuss the
      important impact that MHA units can have in improving the quality of life for
      their patients who smoke.

PMID- 28920522
TI  - Constraint and multimodal approaches to therapy for chronic aphasia: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Aphasia is a significant cause of disability and reduced quality of life. Two
      speech pathology treatment approaches appear efficacious: multimodal and
      constraint-induced aphasia therapies. In constraint-induced therapies, non-verbal
      actions (e.g., gesture, drawing) are believed to interfere with treatment and
      patients are therefore constrained to speech. In contrast, multimodal therapies
      employ non-verbal modalities to cue word retrieval. Given the clinical and
      theoretical implications, a comparison of these two divergent treatments was
      pursued. This systematic review investigated both approaches in chronic aphasia
      at the levels of impairment, participation and quality of life. After a
      systematic search, the level of evidence and methodological quality were rated.
      Meta-analysis was conducted on 14 single case experimental designs using Tau-U,
      while heterogeneity in the four group designs precluded meta-analysis. Results
      showed that high-quality research was limited; however, findings were broadly
      positive for both approaches with neither being judged as clearly superior. Most
      studies examined impairment-based outcomes without considering participation or
      quality of life. The application and definition of constraint varied
      significantly between studies. Both constraint and multimodal therapies are
      promising for chronic post-stroke aphasia, but there is a need for larger, more
      rigorously conducted studies. The interpretation of "constraint" also requires
      clearer reporting.

PMID- 28920523
TI  - The social consequences of stigma-related self-concealment after acquired brain
      injury.
AB  - Social relationships often decline after brain injury. Although much of this is
      due to psychosocial impairments caused by the injury, the reactions to the injury
      of others in the person's wider social network, along with the response of the
      person with the injury to those reactions, also need to be considered. Anxiety
      about stigmatising reactions from others may lead some to conceal information
      about their brain injury. This study investigated some of the social consequences
      of such concealment. Sixty-five participants with acquired brain injury completed
      the Anticipated Stigma and Concealment Questionnaire, the Social Avoidance and
      Distress Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the
      Social Integration subscale of the Community Integration Questionnaire, and the
      Enacted Social Support Questionnaire. As hypothesised, concealment was associated
      with social anxiety, social avoidance, loneliness and lower self-esteem; and
      anxiety mediated the impact that concealment had on avoidance, loneliness and
      reduced community activity. However, contrary to expectation, concealment was not
      associated with reduced use of social support. Concealment may have negative
      consequences, but inappropriate disclosure can also be harmful. Services should
      support individuals to make optimal decisions about disclosing information about
      the brain injury and also help them address psychological barriers to disclosure.

PMID- 28920524
TI  - Remotely supported prehospital ultrasound: A feasibility study of real-time image
      transmission and expert guidance to aid diagnosis in remote and rural
      communities.
AB  - Introduction Our aim is to expedite prehospital assessment of remote and rural
      patients using remotely-supported ultrasound and satellite/cellular
      communications. In this paradigm, paramedics are remotely-supported ultrasound
      operators, guided by hospital-based specialists, to record images before
      receiving diagnostic advice. Technology can support users in areas with little
      access to medical imaging and suboptimal communications coverage by connecting to
      multiple cellular networks and/or satellites to stream live ultrasound and audio
      video. Methods An ambulance-based demonstrator system captured standard trauma
      and novel transcranial ultrasound scans from 10 healthy volunteers at 16
      locations across the Scottish Highlands. Volunteers underwent brief scanning
      training before receiving expert guidance via the communications link. Ultrasound
      images were streamed with an audio/video feed to reviewers for interpretation.
      Two sessions were transmitted via satellite and 21 used cellular networks.
      Reviewers rated image and communication quality, and their utility for diagnosis.
      Transmission latency and bandwidth were recorded, and effects of scanner and
      reviewer experience were assessed. Results Appropriate views were provided in 94%
      of the simulated trauma scans. The mean upload rate was 835/150 kbps and mean
      latency was 114/2072 ms for cellular and satellite networks, respectively.
      Scanning experience had a significant impact on time to achieve a diagnostic
      image, and review of offline scans required significantly less time than live
      streamed scans. Discussion This prehospital ultrasound system could facilitate
      early diagnosis and streamlining of treatment pathways for remote emergency
      patients, being particularly applicable in rural areas worldwide with poor
      communications infrastructure and extensive transport times.

PMID- 28920525
TI  - Can urologists accurately stage and grade urothelial bladder cancer by assessing
      endoscopic photographs?
AB  - Introduction Assessment of urothelial bladder cancer during cystoscopy or
      transurethral resection of bladder tumour has a significant impact on the
      urologist's decision-making: treatment with simple outpatient fulguration,
      required depth of resection, and need of immediate post-surgical intravesical
      therapy. These choices depend heavily on the urologist's ability to accurately
      assess pre-biopsy tumour stage and grade. The aim of the study was to determine
      whether evaluation of photographs taken during transurethral resection of bladder
      tumour can reliably characterize a tumour's stage and grade. Methods Smartphone
      photographs of 50 urothelial bladder cancer cases were taken at the beginning of
      transurethral resection of bladder tumour and individually presented to seven
      senior urologists. All urologists were blinded to the final pathological report
      and to any other urological evaluation. Each one was asked to rate the tumour as
      low vs high grade and noninvasive Ta vs noninvasive T1 or muscle invasive.
      Results were compared with final pathology. Individual appraisal and the
      majority's opinion were evaluated. Results Urologists have correctly predicted
      tumour stage and grade in 63.5% of cases (222 of 350, average of 32 out of 50
      accurate assessments). The final majority assessment was correct in 40 of 50
      cases (80%). Sensitivity and specificity of the final results for the diagnosis
      of T1 or higher were 80% and 88.6%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for
      Ta low grade were 83.3% and 80%, respectively. Conclusions To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first documented attempt to evaluate urologists' ability
      to assess urothelial bladder cancer stage and grade using endoscopic photographs.
      Urologists can usually identify stage and grade of urothelial bladder cancer but
      accuracy increases when multiple senior urologists examine the same photographs
      and achieve majority consensus. Presenting photographs of urothelial bladder
      cancer to a team of urologists may lead to an excellent decision regarding type
      and extent of surgical treatment and substantiate appropriate post-surgical
      management.

PMID- 28920526
TI  - Iatrogenic injury to the motor branch of the median nerve during percutaneous
      needle fasciotomy.

PMID- 28920527
TI  - Submuscular transposition with musculofascial lengthening for persistent or
      recurrent cubital tunnel syndrome in 34 patients.
AB  - : The two main surgical options for patients with persistent or recurrent cubital
      tunnel syndrome are subcutaneous and submuscular transposition. We
      retrospectively analysed the results of 34 patients with recalcitrant cubital
      tunnel syndrome who underwent submuscular transposition with musculofascial
      lengthening at our institutions. Of the 34 patients, 21 improved clinically after
      submuscular transposition with musculofascial lengthening, of which 16 were still
      satisfied at a mean follow-up of four years. In addition, all articles published
      between 1974 and January 2015 on subcutaneous and/or submuscular transposition of
      the ulnar nerve for recalcitrant cubital tunnel syndrome were reviewed. We found
      that previously published studies on this subject are too heterogeneous to
      compare. No recommendation can thus be made regarding the surgical technique for
      persistent or recurrent cubital tunnel syndrome. Our series shows that the
      musculofascial lengthening technique for submuscular transposition is a good
      option. More research is needed to compare the different surgical treatments.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 28920528
TI  - The diagnostic accuracy of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in inpatient stroke
      rehabilitation.
AB  - The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a commonly used screening measure for
      cognitive impairment; however, the diagnostic accuracy and optimal cutoff points
      in inpatients with mild stroke severity is unknown. We examined the diagnostic
      accuracy of the MoCA in an acute inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit (N = 95).
      The criterion neuropsychological assessment was the 30-minute National Institute
      of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-Canadian Stroke Network battery, modified to
      include the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test and Trail Making Test A & B. The MoCA
      had moderately strong diagnostic accuracy in receiver operating curve analyses,
      with areas under the curve ranging from .80 to .89 depending on the threshold for
      defining cognitive impairment. Sensitivity ranged from .72 to .87, and was
      generally greater than specificity, which ranged from .60 to .81. The optimal
      cutoff on the MoCA for detecting mild or greater cognitive impairment was <25/30.
      The optimal cutoff using more conservative definitions of cognitive impairment
      ranged from <23-24/30. Exploratory analyses of MoCA subgroups ("normal," "mildly
      impaired," and "functionally impaired") differed in the frequency and magnitude
      of impairment on the criterion neuropsychological assessment. These findings
      inform the clinical use of the MoCA in individuals with mild stroke in an
      inpatient rehabilitation setting.

PMID- 28920529
TI  - Surgical Interventions for Organ and Limb Ischemia Associated With Primary and
      Secondary Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome With Arterial Involvement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The association of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) and
      hypercoagulability is well known. Arterial compromise leading to ischemia of
      organs and/or limbs in patients with APS is uncommon, frequently unrecognized,
      and rarely described. We evaluated our institutional experience. METHODS:
      Retrospective review was conducted. From August 2007 to September 2016, 807
      patients with diagnosis of APS were managed in our Institution. Patients with
      primary and secondary APS who required interventions were examined. Demographics,
      comorbidities, manifestations, procedures, complications, and other factors
      affecting outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (mean age 35 years
      old, standard deviation +/-14) were evaluated and treated by our service. Six
      (43%) of them had primary APS and 8 (57%) had secondary APS; 11 (79%) were
      female. Two (14%) experienced distal aorta and iliac arteries involvement, 3
      (21%) visceral vessels disease, 2 (14%) in upper and 7 (50%) in the lower
      extremity vasculatures. Thirteen (93%) patients underwent direct open
      revascularization and 1 with hand ischemia (Raynaud disease) underwent
      sympathectomy. During the mean follow-up period of 48 months, reinterventions
      included a revision of the proximal anastomosis of an aortobifemoral bypass
      graft, 1 (7%) abdominal exploration for bleeding, 1 (7%) graft thrombectomy, and
      4 (29%) amputations (2 below the knee, 1 above the knee, and 1 transmetatarsal).
      One (7%) death occurred secondary to sepsis in a patient who had acute mesenteric
      ischemia. Significant differences in clinical manifestations and outcomes were
      not observed among patients with primary and secondary APS. All patients remained
      on systemic anticoagulation. CONCLUSION: APS is a prothrombotic disorder that may
      lead to arterial involvement with less frequency than the venous circulation but
      has significant morbidity and limb loss rate. Arterial reconstruction seems
      feasible in an attempt to salvage organs and limbs; however, research is
      necessary to establish the optimal anticoagulation regime and long-term
      management following surgical interventions.

PMID- 28920530
TI  - Chronic ileitis with transmural migration of ingested foreign body treated by
      laparoscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ingestion of foreign bodies such as fish bone or chicken bone is
      relatively common in adults; however, resultant transmural migration is extremely
      rare. METHODS: We present a case of a 79-year-old woman with chronic low-grade
      abdominal pain, worsening over the last 4 days. Computed tomography revealed
      segmental small bowel wall thickening with chronic inflammation suggestive of
      Crohn's ileitis and oral steroids were commenced; only later, ingestion of a
      foreign body was suspected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: At diagnostic laparoscopy, a
      linear foreign body resembling a wooden splinter was identified. It had partly
      migrated through the chronically inflamed bowel wall without causing perforation
      or abdominal contamination. It was removed laparoscopically without an enterotomy
      or bowel resection. Microscopy revealed non-viable bone, likely fish or chicken
      bone. The patient made an uneventful recovery and was discharged 3 days later.
      Herein we emphasise on the differential diagnosis and presentation of chronically
      ingested foreign bodies, as well as the feature of chronic ileitis with
      uncomplicated transmural migration of the ingested foreign body that was treated
      laparoscopically without an enterotomy.

PMID- 28920532
TI  - The Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Later Life: Effects on Normal Aging and
      Neurodegenerative Diseases.
AB  - The acute and chronic effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been widely
      described; however, there is limited knowledge on how a TBI sustained during
      early adulthood or mid-adulthood will influence aging. Epidemiological studies
      have explored whether TBI poses a risk for dementia and other neurodegenerative
      diseases associated with aging. We will discuss the influence of TBI and
      resulting medical comorbidities such as endocrine, sleep, and inflammatory
      disturbances on age-related gray and white matter changes and cognitive decline.
      Post mortem studies examining amyloid, tau, and other proteins will be discussed
      within the context of neurodegenerative diseases and chronic traumatic
      encephalopathy. The data support the suggestion that pathological changes
      triggered by an earlier TBI will have an influence on normal aging processes and
      will interact with neurodegenerative disease processes rather than the
      development of a specific disease, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Chronic
      neurophysiologic change after TBI may have detrimental effects on
      neurodegenerative disease.

PMID- 28920531
TI  - Role of Kruppel-Like Factor 4 in the Maintenance of Chemoresistance of Anaplastic
      Thyroid Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) has a very poor prognosis due to its
      aggressive nature and resistance to conventional treatment. Radiotherapy and
      chemotherapy are not fully effective because of the undifferentiated phenotype
      and enhanced drug resistance of ATC. The objective of this study was to evaluate
      the involvement of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), a stemness-associated
      transcription factor, in the undifferentiated phenotype and drug resistance of
      ATC. METHODS: ATC cells were compared to papillary thyroid cancer cells in drug
      resistance and gene expression. The effects of KLF4 knockdown in ATC cells on in
      vitro and in vivo drug resistance were measured. The effects of KLF4
      overexpression and knockdown on ABC transporter activity were determined.
      RESULTS: ATC cells, such as HTH83, 8505C, and SW1736, exhibited higher resistance
      to the anticancer drug paclitaxel and higher expression of KLF4 than TPC-1
      papillary thyroid cancer cells. Knockdown of KLF4 expression in ATC cells
      increased the expression of the thyroid-specific differentiation genes, such as
      thyrotropin receptor, thyroid peroxidase, thyroglobulin, and sodium-iodide
      symporter. Knockdown of KLF4 expression in ATC cells decreased the resistance to
      doxorubicin and paclitaxel, and reduced ABC transporter expression. Luciferase
      reporter assay results showed that KLF4 overexpression increased ABCG2 promoter
      activity, which was abolished by KLF4 knockdown. A tumorigenicity assay showed
      that the combination of paclitaxel treatment and KLF4 knockdown significantly
      decreased tumor mass originated from HTH83 cells in mice. CONCLUSIONS: ATC cells
      show high expression of KLF4, and KLF4 expression is necessary for maintaining
      the undifferentiated phenotype and drug resistance in vitro and in vivo. The
      present study identifies KLF4 as a potential therapeutic target for eliminating
      ATC cells.

PMID- 28920533
TI  - Refinement of the Montreal Instrument for Cat Arthritis Testing, for Use by
      Veterinarians: detection of naturally occurring osteoarthritis in laboratory
      cats.
AB  - Objectives Feline osteoarthritis causes pain and disability. Detection and
      measurement is challenging, relying heavily on owner report. This study describes
      refinement of the Montreal Instrument for Cat Arthritis Testing, for Use by
      Veterinarians. Methods A video analysis of osteoarthritic (n = 6) and non
      osteoarthritic (n = 4) cats facilitated expansion of scale items. Three
      successive therapeutic trials (using gabapentin, tramadol and oral transmucosal
      meloxicam spray) in laboratory cats with and without natural osteoarthritis (n =
      12-20) permitted construct validation (assessments of disease status sensitivity
      and therapeutic responsiveness) and further scale refinements based on
      performance. Results Scale osteoarthritic sensitivity improved from phase I to
      phase III; phase III scale total score ( P = 0.0001) and 4/5 subcategories - body
      posture ( P = 0.0006), gait ( P = 0.0031), jumping (0.0824) and global distance
      examination ( P = 0.0001) - detected osteoarthritic cats. Total score inter-rater
      (intra-class correlation coefficients [ICC] = 0.64-0.75), intra-rater (ICC = 0.90
      0.91) and overall internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85) reliability were
      good to excellent. von Frey anesthesiometer-induced paw withdrawal threshold
      increased with gabapentin in phase I, in osteoarthritic cats ( P <0.001) but not
      in non-osteoarthritic cats ( P = 0.075). Night-time activity increased during
      gabapentin treatment. Objective measures also detected tramadol and/or meloxicam
      treatment effects in osteoarthritic cats in phases II and III. There was some
      treatment responsiveness: in phase I, 3/10 subcategory scores improved ( P <0.09)
      in treated osteoarthritic cats; in phase II, 3/8 subcategories improved; and in
      phase III, 1/5 subcategories improved ( P <0.096). Conclusions and relevance The
      revised scale detected naturally occurring osteoarthritis, but not treatment
      effects, in laboratory cats, suggesting future potential for screening of at-risk
      cats. Further study is needed to confirm reliability, validity (disease
      sensitivity and treatment responsiveness) and clinical feasibility, as well as
      cut-off scores for osteoarthritic vs non-osteoarthritic status, in client-owned
      cats.

PMID- 28920534
TI  - Analgesic effects of gabapentin and buprenorphine in cats undergoing
      ovariohysterectomy using two pain-scoring systems: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of
      gabapentin-buprenorphine in comparison with meloxicam-buprenorphine or
      buprenorphine alone, and the correlation between two pain-scoring systems in
      cats. Methods Fifty-two adult cats were included in a randomized, controlled,
      blinded study. Anesthetic protocol included acepromazine-buprenorphine-propofol
      isoflurane. The gabapentin-buprenorphine group (GBG, n = 19) received gabapentin
      capsules (50 mg PO) and buprenorphine (0.02 mg/kg IM). The meloxicam
      buprenorphine group (MBG, n = 15) received meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg SC),
      buprenorphine and placebo capsules (PO). The buprenorphine group (BG, n = 18)
      received buprenorphine and placebo capsules (PO). Gabapentin (GBG) and placebo
      (MBG and BG) capsules were administered 12 h and 1 h before surgery.
      Postoperative pain was evaluated up to 8 h after ovariohysterectomy using a
      multidimensional composite pain scale (MCPS) and the Glasgow pain scale (rCMPS
      F). A dynamic interactive visual analog scale (DIVAS) was used to evaluate
      sedation. Rescue analgesia included buprenorphine and/or meloxicam if the MCPS
      ?6. A repeated measures linear model was used for statistical analysis ( P
      <0.05). Spearman's rank correlation between the MCPS and rCMPS-F was evaluated.
      Results The prevalence of rescue analgesia with a MCPS was not different ( P =
      0.08; GBG, n = 5 [26%]; MBG, n = 2 [13%]; BG, n = 9 [50%]), but it would have
      been significantly higher in the BG (n = 14 [78%]) than GBG ( P = 0.003; n = 5
      [26%]) and MBG ( P = 0.005; n = 4 [27%]) if intervention was based on the rCMPS
      F. DIVAS and MCPS/rCMPS-F scores were not different among treatments. A strong
      correlation was observed between scoring systems ( P <0.0001). Conclusions and
      relevance Analgesia was not significantly different among treatments using an
      MCPS. Despite a strong correlation between scoring systems, GBG/MBG would have
      been superior to the BG with the rCMPS-F demonstrating a potential type II error
      with an MCPS due to small sample size.

PMID- 28920535
TI  - Evaluation of incubation time for Microsporum canis dermatophyte cultures.
AB  - Objectives The goal of this study was to determine how frequently Microsporum
      canis was isolated after 1, 2 and 3 weeks of incubation on dermatophyte culture
      medium either from untreated cats or cats during treatment. Methods This was an
      observational retrospective study. Toothbrush fungal culture results were
      examined from two data pools: untreated cats with suspect skin lesions and weekly
      fungal cultures from cats being treated for dermatophytosis. Results Results from
      13,772 fungal cultures were reviewed and 2876 (20.9%) were positive for M canis.
      Of these, 2800 were confirmed as positive within 14 days of incubation and only
      76 (2.6%) required >14 days for confirmation of M canis. In pretreatment
      specimens, 98.2% (1057/1076) of M canis isolates were recovered within 14 days of
      incubation in specimens from cats not known to have received prior antifungal
      treatment. For cats receiving treatment, 96.8% (1743/1800) of M canis isolates
      were recovered within 14 days of incubation. Of the 57 cultures that required >14
      days for finalization, 21 required extra incubation time because cultures were
      grossly abnormal, 12 had concurrent contaminant growth delaying microscopic
      confirmation and 24 had no growth in the first 14 days. Of these 24, 19 had 1-2
      colony-forming units (cfu)/plate and the remaining five plates had 5 to >10
      cfu/plate, all with abnormal morphology. Conclusions and relevance The findings
      of this study show that it is not necessary to hold pretreatment or post
      treatment fungal cultures for 21 days before finalizing cultures for no growth.
      Growth requiring >14 days had grossly abnormal morphology.

PMID- 28920536
TI  - Pleural lymphocyte-rich transudates in cats.
AB  - Objectives Non-chylous lymphorrhagic pleural effusions are transudative effusions
      with a predominance of lymphocytes; however, they do not contain chylomicrons and
      therefore do not have the classical milky aspect of true chylous effusion. This
      type of effusion has been anecdotally associated with cardiac diseases in cats,
      but studies are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the association
      between this type of effusion and the primary disease. Methods In this study,
      feline non-chylous lymphorrhagic pleural effusions were retrospectively selected
      from the database of the authors' institutions over a 3 year period. All cases
      underwent thoracic imaging, including echocardiography. Effusions classified as
      transudates with a predominance of lymphocytes on cytology were included. Results
      Thirty-three cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria: 23 (69.7%) had a concurrent
      cardiac disease, eight (24.2%) cases were associated with the presence of a
      mediastinal lymphoma or carcinoma or a thoracic mass, one case (3.0%) was a
      thymoma and one case (3.0%) was a sequela of a pyothorax. Conclusions and
      relevance Since a clear lymphatic origin of the fluid could not be demonstrated,
      lymphocyte-rich transudate might be considered a better designation for these
      kinds of effusions rather than non-chylous lymphorrhagic effusions. Although the
      number of cases in this preliminary study is low, the presence of a pleural
      lymphocyte-rich transudate in a cat should prompt the search for cardiac disease
      or intrathoracic neoplasia.

PMID- 28920537
TI  - Magnetic resonance imaging and brain injury in the chronic phase after aneurysmal
      subarachnoid hemorrhage: A systematic review.
AB  - Background Case-fatality rates after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage have
      decreased over the past decades. However, many patients who survive an aneurysmal
      subarachnoid hemorrhage have long-term functional and cognitive impairments. Aims
      We sought to review all data on conventional brain MRI obtained in the chronic
      phase after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage to (1) analyze the proportion of
      patients with cerebral infarction or brain volume changes; (2) investigate
      baseline determinants predictive of MRI-detected damage; and (3) assess if brain
      damage is predictive of patient outcome. Summary of review All original data
      published between 1 January 2000 and 4 October 2017 was searched using the
      PUBMED, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. Based on preset inclusion criteria,
      15 from 5200 articles were included with a total of 996 aneurysmal subarachnoid
      hemorrhage patients. Quality assessment, risk of bias assessment, and level of
      evidence assessment were performed. The results according to aim, with levels of
      evidence, were: (1) 25 to 81% of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients show
      infarcts (strong); there is a higher ratio of cerebrospinal fluid-to-intracranial
      volume in patients compared to controls (strong); (2) there is a negative
      relation between age (moderate), DCI (low) and brain volume measurement outcomes;
      (3) lower brain parenchymal volume (strong) and the presence of infarcts or
      infarct volumes (moderate) are associated with a worse outcome. Conclusion
      Patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage may demonstrate brain infarcts
      and decreased brain parenchyma, which is related to worse outcome. Thereby, both
      brain infarcts and brain volume measurements could be used as outcome markers in
      pharmaceutical trials. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO CRD42016040095.

PMID- 28920538
TI  - Fibrinolytic for treatment of intraventricular hemorrhage: A meta-analysis and
      systematic review.
AB  - Background Intraventricular hemorrhage is a significant cause of mortality and
      morbidity worldwide. Treating intraventricular hemorrhage with intraventricular
      fibrinolytic therapy via a catheter is becoming an increasingly utilized
      intervention. Aims This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the role of
      intraventricular fibrinolytic treatment in hypertensive intraventricular
      hemorrhage patients and evaluate the effect sizes for survival as well as level
      of function at differing time points. Summary of review PubMed, CNKI, VIP, and
      Wanfang were searched using the terms "IVH" and "IVH and ICH" for human studies
      with adult patients published between January 1950 and July 2016. Seventeen
      publications were selected. Data analysis showed lower rates of mortality in the
      treatment group at 30 days ( P < 0.001), 180 days ( P = 0.001), 365 days ( P =
      0.40), and overall ( P < 0.001). Pooling modified Rankin Scale and Glasgow
      outcome scale data, the treatment group had more good functional outcomes at 30
      days ( P = 0.38), 90 days ( P = 0.04), 180 days ( P = 0.31), 365 days ( P =
      0.76), and overall ( P = 0.02). Good functional outcome was defined as modified
      Rankin Scale score of 0 to 3 or a Glasgow outcome scale score of 3 to 5.
      Conclusions Intraventricular fibrinolytic for treatment of hypertensive
      intraventricular hemorrhage reduces mortality and potentially leads to an
      increased number of good functional outcomes. Different functional outcome scales
      (modified Rankin Scale or Glasgow outcome scale) produce different effect sizes.
      Intraventricular fibrinolytic treatment may offer intraventricular hemorrhage
      patients a targeted therapy that produces meaningful mortality benefit and
      possible functional outcome benefits.

PMID- 28920539
TI  - The effects of stabilization splint treatment on the volume of masseter muscle in
      sleep bruxism patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate, quantitatively, the volumetric
      effects of stabilization splint therapy on the masseter muscle of sleep bruxism
      (SB) patients. METHODS: The magnetic resonance (MR) images of 16 SB patients
      diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) who used stabilization splints for four months
      were obtained before and after the therapy. The masseter muscle volume was
      calculated using Cavalieri's principle on the MR images. RESULTS: After the
      splint therapy, the mean volume of the masseter muscle did not reduce
      significantly. The fat and/or water content of the muscles did not change either.
      DISCUSSION: The stabilization splint therapy had no effect on the volume, fat
      and/or water content of the masseter muscle; however the discomfort was reduced
      in the patients. Although the effect of splint therapy is not fully understood,
      the non-invasive and reversible stabilization splint can be used in SB patients
      because of its relaxation effect on muscles.

PMID- 28920540
TI  - The effect of conventional versus figure-of-eight module ligation on mandibular
      incisor alignment: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether using figure-of-eight modules affects the rate of
      lower incisor alignment compared with conventionally tied modules. DESIGN:
      Prospective randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Orthodontic department at
      Queen's Hospital, Burton upon Trent, UK. METHODS: One hundred and twenty
      participants were randomly allocated to conventional module or figure-of-eight
      module groups, stratified for extraction or non-extraction lower arch treatment.
      Eligibility criteria included patients who were 12-15 years of age at the start
      of treatment, in the permanent dentition, and had mandibular incisor irregularity
      of 5-10 mm (clinical observation). The primary outcome was the rate of lower
      incisor alignment during the first 12 weeks of orthodontic treatment. The
      secondary outcome was bracket failure rate. Lower labial segment alignment was
      measured on study models using the Little's Irregularity Index at the start (T0)
      of treatment, at 6 weeks (T1) and 12 weeks (T2). Case records were analysed to
      assess the number of bracket failures. RESULTS: The four groups were well matched
      at baseline with respect to gender, age and irregularity. All patients completed
      the trial and data were analysed on an intention to treat basis. In both ligation
      groups, the lower teeth aligned significantly faster when the treatment involved
      extractions, for the time periods T0-T1 and T0-T2 (p < 0.05). There were no
      statistically significant differences between conventional module and figure-of
      eight module ligation on the rate of alignment (per month) for all three-time
      periods. The bracket failure rate was also similar in both test groups; 4.08% for
      conventional and 3.21% for figure-of-eight ligation. CONCLUSIONS: Ligation with
      figure-of-eight modules has no clinically significant effect on the rate of lower
      incisor alignment; it does not seem to hinder or quicken the alignment of teeth.
      There were no differences in the mean number of bracket failures per person.

PMID- 28920541
TI  - Recovery of brodifacoum in vomitus following induction of emesis in dogs that had
      ingested rodenticide bait.
AB  - AIM: To assess the benefit of inducing emesis in dogs that have ingested
      rodenticide bait containing brodifacoum (BDF), by determining the amount of BDF
      in bait recovered from the vomitus relative to the estimated amount consumed.
      METHODS: Between 2014 and 2015 samples of vomitus from seven dogs that ingested
      rodenticide baits containing BDF were submitted by veterinarians in New Zealand.
      All seven dogs had been given apomorphine by the veterinarian and vomited within
      1 hour of ingesting the bait. Some or all of the bait particles were retrieved
      from each sample and were analysed for concentrations of BDF using HPLC. Based on
      estimations of the mass of bait consumed, the concentration of BDF stated on the
      product label, and the estimated mass of bait in the vomitus of each dog, the
      amount of BDF in the vomited bait was calculated as a percentage of the amount
      ingested. RESULTS: For five dogs an estimation of the mass of bait ingested was
      provided by the submitting veterinarian. For these dogs the estimated percentage
      of BDF in the bait retrieved from the vomitus was between 10-77%. All dogs were
      well after discharge but only one dog returned for further testing. This dog had
      a normal prothrombin time 3 days after ingestion. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: The induction of emesis within 1 hour of ingestion can be a useful
      tool in reducing the exposure of dogs to a toxic dose of BDF. The BDF was not
      fully absorbed within 1 hour of ingestion suggesting that the early induction of
      emesis can remove bait containing BDF before it can be fully absorbed.

PMID- 28920542
TI  - Brief manual-based single-session Motivational Interviewing for reducing high
      risk sexual behaviour in women - an evaluation.
AB  - The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate brief Motivational
      Interviewing (MI) to facilitate behaviour change in women at high risk of
      contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). One hundred and seventy-three
      women (mean age 24.7) at high risk of contracting STIs were randomized to a brief
      risk-reducing MI counselling intervention (n = 74) or assigned to the control
      group (n = 99). MI skill was assessed using the Motivational Interviewing
      Treatment Integrity (MITI) Coding System. Seventeen of 74 (23%) women tested for
      Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) in the MI intervention group and 22 of 99 (22%) in the
      control group had a genital CT infection 0-24 months before baseline. All
      additional CT testing was monitored up to 24 months for all 173 women in the
      study. None of the 49 CT-retested women in the MI group was CT infected, as
      compared to 3 of 72 (4%) women in the control group. A generalized estimating
      equations model with sexual high-risk behaviour measured at baseline and at six
      month follow-up produced an adjusted estimated odds ratio of 0.38 (95% confidence
      interval = 0.158, 0.909), indicating efficacy. Brief manual-based single-session
      MI counselling seems to be effective in reducing high-risk sexual behaviour in
      women at high risk of acquiring STIs.

PMID- 28920543
TI  - Control of clinical paratuberculosis in New Zealand pastoral livestock.
AB  - This review summarises current control measures for clinical paratuberculosis
      (Johne's disease; JD) in New Zealand pastoral livestock. Most New Zealand sheep,
      deer, beef and dairy cattle herds and flocks are infected by Mycobacterium avium
      ssp. paratuberculosis (Map). Dairy cattle and deer are mostly infected with
      bovine (Type II), and sheep and beef cattle with ovine (Type I) strains. Control
      in all industries is voluntary. While control in sheep and beef cattle is ad hoc,
      the dairy and deer industries have developed resources to assist development of
      farm-specific programmes. The primary target for all livestock is reduction of
      the incidence rate of clinical disease rather than bacterial eradication per se.
      For dairy farms, a nationally instituted JD-specific programme provides
      guidelines for risk management, monitoring and testing clinically suspect
      animals. While there is no formal programme for sheep farms, for those with
      annual prevalences of clinical disease >2%, especially fine wool breeds,
      vaccination may be a cost effective control option. The deer industry proactively
      monitors infection by a national abattoir surveillance programme and farmers with
      an apparent high disease incidence are encouraged to engage with a national
      network of trained consultants for management and control advice. Evaluation of
      the biological and economic effectiveness of control in all industries remains to
      be undertaken. Nevertheless, opportunities exist for farmers, who perceive
      significant JD problems in their herds/flocks, to participate in systematic best
      practice activities that are likely to reduce the number of clinical infections
      with Map on their farms, and therefore the overall prevalence of JD in New
      Zealand's farming industries.

PMID- 28920544
TI  - Identification of the location of the A1 pulley combining palpation technique
      with palm landmarks and percutaneous release of A1 pulley with a 19-gauge needle:
      A cadaveric study.
AB  - The aims of this study were to identify the location of the A1 pulley combining
      palpation technique with superficial palm landmarks and to determine the efficacy
      and safety of A1 pulley percutaneous release with a 19-gauge needle. Fourteen
      fresh frozen cadaveric specimens were used: 56 fingers and 14 thumbs. The
      location of the A1 pulley was based on anatomical landmarks and was identified in
      all digits. Complete release of the A1 pulley occurred in 60 of the 70 digits
      (85.7%). The length of the A1 pulley in thumbs was 5.7 mm and in other fingers
      4.5 mm. There were no signs of neurovascular bundle injuries. The mean distance
      between needle pathway and neurovascular bundle was 4.3 mm in the thumbs and 6.5
      mm in the other fingers. There were no total flexor tendon injuries. The location
      of the A1 pulley can be predicted with success. Percutaneous release of the A1
      pulley with a 19-gauge needle shows acceptable results in both safety and
      efficacy.

PMID- 28920545
TI  - Median nerve movement in the carpal tunnel before and after carpal tunnel release
      using transverse ultrasound.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aimed to compare the movement of the median nerve within the carpal
      tunnel during wrist and finger motions between before and after carpal tunnel
      release (CTR) using transverse ultrasound in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
      patients and to evaluate the biomechanical efficacy of CTR for CTS. METHODS:
      Twenty-four patients with CTS were examined by transverse ultrasound. The
      location of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel was examined quantitatively
      as a coordinate at varied wrist positions with finger extension and flexion,
      respectively, before and after CTR. RESULTS: We found that the median nerve moved
      statistically significantly more palmarly after CTR than before at all wrist
      positions during finger motion. The average median nerve displacement toward the
      palmar side at the palmar flexion position in finger flexion was the greatest
      among all positions. Additionally, the displacement amounts of the median nerve
      during finger motion at all wrist positions were statistically significantly
      smaller after CTR than before. CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated the
      movement patterns of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel during wrist and
      finger motions compared before and after CTR using transverse ultrasound in CTS
      patients. The findings suggested that as the median nerve shifted greatly
      palmarly away from the tendons after CTR, the nerve avoids compression or
      shearing stress from the tendons. This ultrasound information could offer further
      understanding of the pathomechanics of CTS and provide a more accurate diagnosis
      of CTS and better treatment by CTR.

PMID- 28920546
TI  - Blood supply and vascularity of the glenoid labrum: Its clinical implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tears of the glenoid labrum are common after dislocation of the
      glenohumeral joint. The outcome for healing or surgical reconstruction of the
      glenoid labrum relies on the extent of its vascularization. This study aims to
      evaluate the glenoid labrum blood supply and to determine its regional
      vascularity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 140 shoulders (30 male and 40
      female cadavers) were examined: mean age 81.5 years, range 53-101 years. All
      blood vessels around the glenohumeral joint were dissected and recorded. Ten
      specimens with the glenoid labrum and fibrous capsule attached were randomly
      selected and detached at the glenoid neck and subjected to decalcification.
      Sections (10-20 MUm) were cut through the whole thickness of each specimen from
      the centre of the glenoid fossa perpendicular to the glenoid labrum at 12 radii
      corresponding to a clock face superimposed on the glenoid. Sections were stained
      using haematoxylin and eosin and then examined. RESULTS: The blood supply to the
      glenoid labrum is by direct branches from the second part of the axillary artery,
      subscapular, circumflex scapular and anterior circumflex humeral and posterior
      circumflex humeral arteries, as well as branches of muscular arteries supplying
      the surrounding muscles. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the glenoid labrum has
      a rich blood supply suggesting that, regardless of the types of the glenoid
      labrum lesions or their management, an excellent outcome for glenoid labrum
      healing and joint stability is possible. The observations also suggest that the
      blood supply to the glenoid labrum is sufficient, enabling its reattachment.

PMID- 28920547
TI  - Decreased postoperative gluteus medius muscle cross-sectional area measured by
      computed tomography scan in patients with intertrochanteric fractures nailing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with femoral intertrochanteric fractures treated by
      cephalomedullary (CM) nailing, abduction force reportedly decreased by 25-30%
      during the postoperative follow-up period. The purpose of the current study is to
      evaluate the cross-sectional area (CSA) and adipose tissue ratio (ATR) of the
      gluteus medius muscle on the postoperative computed tomography (CT) view,
      expecting this graphic study will support clinical results. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 27 patients with femoral intertrochanteric fractures treated
      by CM femoral nail implants completed the study. The mean age at osteosynthesis
      was 83 years (range: 72-94 years). The mean postoperative follow-up period was 23
      months. The three CT axial slice views were defined as slices A, B, and C
      corresponding to proximal, midway, and distal part of gluteus medius,
      respectively. The CSA and ATR were assessed bilaterally. RESULTS: The mean and
      standard deviation of CSA values (mm2) between the nonoperated/ operated side
      were as follows: slice A: 2225.8 +/- 621.2/1984.5 +/- 425.8; slice B: 2145.1 +/-
      538.3/1854.9 +/- 383.9; and slice C: 1711.0 +/- 459.0/1434.5 +/- 396.9 ( p < 0.01
      in slices A, B, and C). The mean and standard deviation of ATR values (%) from
      the nonoperative/ operative side were as follows: slice A: 2.8 +/- 1.7/5.2 +/-
      3.5; slice B: 2.7 +/- 1.9/4.6 +/- 3.2; and slice C: 3.6 +/- 3.0/4.8 +/- 3.2 ( p <
      0.01 in slices A and B and p < 0.05 in slice C). CONCLUSION: Our image findings
      documented that gluteus medius is significantly changed in CSA and ATR. The
      damage possibly triggers decrease in muscular strength of hip abduction in the
      postoperative follow-up period. This measurement is objective, and needed no
      patient's endurance and cooperation.

PMID- 28920548
TI  - Target range of motion at 3 months after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and its
      effect on the final outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: The postoperative protocol after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR)
      is still controversial. Some surgeons recommend slower rehabilitation in order to
      improve the integrity of the repair, while others prefer early range-of-motion
      (ROM) exercise to avoid postoperative stiffness. The purpose of this study was to
      determine target ROM (T-ROM) measurements at 3 months after ARCR that are
      predictive of eventual full recovery without structural failure. METHODS: The
      cases consisted of 374 shoulders in 360 patients who underwent primary ARCR and
      were followed up for at least 2 years. Forward flexion (FF) and side-lying
      external rotation (ER) were measured preoperatively at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months
      after surgery, and the patients were divided into six subgroups according to the
      values for each type of ROM at 3 months (ROM-3M). In each subgroup, the final ROM
      at 24 months after surgery was compared to determine the T-ROM. The average ROMs
      with time and re-tear rate were then compared between the under-T-ROM and over-T
      ROM groups. RESULTS: The only significant difference in FF was between the 120
      129 degrees  and 110-119 degrees  ROM-3M groups. Therefore, the T-ROM for FF was
      determined to be 120 degrees . Similarly, the T-ROM for ER was determined to be
      20 degrees . Each ROM in the over-T-ROM group was significantly better than that
      in the under-T-ROM group at all assessments. There was no significant difference
      in the re-tear rate between the groups. CONCLUSION: To acquire sufficient ROM in
      2 years without high re-tear rate, a target FF of 120 degrees  and ER of 20
      degrees  should be achieved within 3 months after surgery.

PMID- 28920549
TI  - Rupture of a non-traumatic anterior communicating artery aneurysm: Does location
      of aneurysm associate with functional independence following post-acute in
      patient neurorehabilitation?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with non-traumatic rupture of an aneurysm located at the
      anterior communicating artery (ACoA) often experience cognitive disabilities. It
      is unknown whether location of aneurysm also affects the possibility for
      improvement in functional independence compared to patients with an aneurysmal
      subarachnoid hemorrhage (a-SAH) located elsewhere. The aim was to explore the
      association between location of aneurysm (ACoA versus other) and level of
      functional independence, measured by Functional Independence Measure (FIM), at
      discharge from rehabilitation. Additionally, age and FIM at admission were
      explored. METHOD: Historical cohort study among 107 patients with a-SAH based on
      data from a clinical database and a population-based register. Data were analyzed
      using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Patients with ACoA were
      admitted with poorer cognitive FIM (median 6 (IQR 5-14) compared to patients with
      aneurysms located elsewhere (median 12 (IQR 6-23) (p = 0.0129); no difference at
      discharge. No association between aneurysm location and functional independence
      was observed. Higher age was associated with poorer outcome in bowel management
      OR 0.54 (95% CI 0.31-0.92), bladder management OR 0.59 (95% CI 0.35-0.98),
      comprehension OR 0.53 (95% CI 0.30-0.94), and memory OR 0.48 (95% CI 0.25-0.93).
      Overall, FIM at admission was associated with functional independence at
      discharge with the exception of stair walking and bladder management which did
      not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: ACoA was not associated with
      poorer level of functional independence compared to patients with a-SAH located
      elsewhere. Higher age was associated with poorer outcome in continence,
      comprehension, and memory, whereas higher FIM was associated with better
      functional independence across items at discharge.

PMID- 28920550
TI  - Sit to stand activity during stroke rehabilitation.
AB  - Objectives The sit to stand (STS) movement is key to independence and commonly
      affected by stroke. Repetitive practice is likely to improve STS ability during
      rehabilitation, however current practice levels are unknown. The objective of
      this study was simply to count the number of STS movements performed during the
      rehabilitation period of stroke patients using a physical activity monitor (PAM)
      and test whether being observed altered outcome. Methods Participants were
      medically stable patients referred for rehabilitation following stroke.
      Participants were randomly allocated to either wear or not wear the PAM for 14
      days. STS ability and general mobility were recorded before and after. Results
      Sixty-one patients was recruited; aged 68.4 +/- 13.15 years, weight 77.12 +/-
      22.73 Kg, Height 1.67 +/- 0.1 m, within 9 +/- 9 days of their stroke and an NIHSS
      score of 6.4 +/- 3.3. The monitored group (n = 38) performed 25.00 +/- 17.24
      daily STS movements. Those requiring assistance achieved 14.29 +/- 16.10 per day
      while those independent in the movement achieved 34.10 +/- 12.44. There was an
      overall improvement in mobility (p = 0.002) but not STS performance (p = 0.053)
      neither outcome was affected by group allocation (p = 0.158). Cognition and
      mobility at baseline explained around 50% of daily STS variability. Discussion
      Low levels of STS activity were recorded during the rehabilitation period of
      stroke patient. The mean daily STS activity was lower than reports for frail
      older people receiving rehabilitation, and substantially below levels recorded by
      community living older adults. STS repetitions may represent general physical
      activity and these low levels support previous reports of sedentary behavior
      during rehabilitation.

PMID- 28920551
TI  - A comprehensive in silico analysis of huntingtin and its interactome.
AB  - A polyglutamine expansion of the N-terminal region of huntingtin (Htt) causes
      Huntington's disease, a severe neurodegenerative disorder. Htt huge multidomain
      structure, the presence of disordered regions, and the lack of sequence homologs
      of known structure, so far prevented structural studies of Htt, making the study
      of its structure-function relationships very difficult. In this work, the
      presence and location of five Htt ordered domains (named from Hunt1 to Hunt5) has
      been detected and the structure of these domains has been predicted for the first
      time using a combined threading/ab initio modeling approach. This work has led to
      the identification of a previously undetected HEAT repeats region in the Hunt3
      domain. Furthermore, a putative function has been assigned to four out of the
      five domains. Hunt1 and Hunt5, displaying structural similarity with the
      regulatory subunit A of protein phosphatase 2A, are predicted to play a role in
      regulating the phosphorylation status of cellular proteins. Hunt2 and Hunt3 are
      predicted to be homologs of two yeast importins and to mediate vescicles
      transport and protein trafficking. Finally, a comprehensive analysis of the Htt
      interactome has been carried out and is discussed to provide a global picture of
      the Htt's structure-function relationships.

PMID- 28920552
TI  - Clinical correlation of the area of inferior vena cava, iliac and femoral veins
      for stent use.
AB  - Objective The purpose of the study is to evaluate normal anatomical areas of
      infrarenal inferior vena cava, common iliac, external iliac and common femoral
      veins by intravascular ultrasound with the goal of assisting the development of
      venous-specific stents in the treatment of iliac vein stenosis. Method From
      February 2012 to December 2013, 656 office-based venograms were performed in our
      facility. Among them, 576 were stented and 80 were not. The measurements of veins
      were done intraoperatively using an intravascular ultrasound catheter to record
      areas of the inferior vena cava, proximal, middle and distal segments of common
      iliac vein, external iliac vein and common femoral vein. The data were compared
      between non-diseased segments of patients who were stented and those not stented.
      The stented diseased segments were excluded. Results The mean patient age was
      67.33 years (range 22-96, SD +/-13.99). Our data included 218 males, 438 females
      and 324 right lower extremities and 332 left lower extremities. The presenting
      symptoms of these patients based on CEAP were C1(0), C2 (185), C3(233), C4(107),
      C5(89) and C6(42). No correlation was found between area of veins and age,
      gender, laterality and CEAP score (P > .13). Comparison of the areas of non
      diseased iliac vein segments between patients not stented and patients who
      underwent stenting showed a significant difference, with larger areas in non
      stented patients in the distal common iliac vein (P = .039) and inferior vena
      cava (P = .012). Younger age (P = .03) and male gender (P < .0001) were
      associated with increased area of iliac vein segments. Conclusion Utilizing the
      intravascular ultrasound-guided technique, we were able to define normal
      anatomical areas of non-diseased inferior vena cava, iliac and femoral veins,
      which could be employed to guide the development of appropriate-sized stents and
      other tools needed for the treatment of venous insufficiency. There is specific
      variability in areas of normal vein segments with age and gender with/without
      stents.

PMID- 28920553
TI  - Where is the nurse in nutritional care?

PMID- 28920555
TI  - Presentations at the annual meeting of the Finnish Society for Rheumatology,
      Turku, 26-27 January 2017.

PMID- 28920554
TI  - A pulmonary embolism response team's initial 20 month experience treating 87
      patients with submassive and massive pulmonary embolism.
AB  - Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams (PERTs) have emerged to provide rapid
      multidisciplinary assessment and treatment of PE patients. However, descriptive
      institutional experience and preliminary outcomes data from such teams are
      sparse. PERT activations were identified through a retrospective review. Only
      confirmed submassive or massive PEs were included in the data analysis. In
      addition to baseline variables, the therapeutic intervention, length of stay
      (LOS), in-hospital mortality, and bleeding rate/severity were recorded. A total
      of 124 PERT activations occurred over 20 months: 43 in the first 10 months and 81
      in the next 10. A total of 87 submassive (90.8%) and massive (9.2%) PE patients
      were included. The median age was 65 (51-75 IQR) years. Catheter-directed
      thrombolysis (CDT) was administered to 25 patients, systemic thrombolysis (ST) to
      six, and anticoagulation alone (AC) to 54. The median ICU stay and overall LOS
      were 6 (3-10 IQR) and 7 (4-14 IQR) days, respectively, with no association with
      any variables except a brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) >100 pg/mL ( p=0.008 ICU
      LOS; p=0.047 overall LOS). Twelve patients (13.7%) died in the hospital, nine of
      whom had metastatic or brain cancer, with a median overall LOS of 13 (11-17 IQR)
      days. There were five major bleeds: one in the CDT group, one in the ST group,
      and three in the AC group. Overall, (1) PERT activations increased after the
      first 10 months; (2) BNP >100 pg/mL was associated with a longer LOS; (3) rates
      of mortality and bleeding did not correlate with treatment; and (4) the majority
      of in-hospital deaths occurred in patients with advanced cancer.

PMID- 28920556
TI  - The effects of limb dominance and a short term, high intensity exercise protocol
      on both landings of the vertical drop jump: implications for the vertical drop
      jump as a screening tool.
AB  - The effectiveness of vertical drop jumps (VDJs) to screen for non-contact ACL
      injuries is unclear. This may be contributed to by discrete point analysis, which
      does not evaluate patterns of movement. Also, limited research exists on the
      second landing of VDJs, potential lower limb performance asymmetries and the
      effect of fatigue. Statistical parametric mapping investigated the main effects
      of landing, limb dominance and a high intensity, intermittent exercise protocol
      (HIIP) on VDJ biomechanics. Twenty-two male athletes (21.9 +/- 1.1 years, 180.5
      +/- 5.5 cm, 79.4 +/- 7.8 kg) performed VDJs pre- and post-HIIP. Repeated measures
      ANOVA identified pattern differences during the eccentric phases of the first and
      second landings bilaterally. The first landing displayed greater (internal) knee
      flexor (eta2 = 0.165), external rotator (eta2 = 0.113) and valgus (eta2 = 0.126)
      moments and greater hip (eta2 = 0.062) and knee (eta2 = 0.080) flexion. The
      dominant limb generated greater knee flexor (eta2 = 0.062), external rotator
      (eta2 = 0.110) and valgus (eta2 = 0.065) moments. The HIIP only had one effect,
      increased thoracic flexion relative to the pelvis (eta2 = 0.088). Finally, the
      dominant limb demonstrated greater knee extensor moments during the second
      landing (eta2 = 0.100). ACL injury risk factors were present in both landings of
      VDJs with the dominant limb at potentially greater injury risk. Therefore, VDJ
      screenings should analyse both landings bilaterally.

PMID- 28920558
TI  - I shouldn't talk of medicine only: Biomedical and religious frameworks for
      understanding antiretroviral therapies, their invention and their effects.
AB  - Medical pluralism offers a long-standing means of analysing the different ways in
      which health and illness can be interpreted and responded to. It is not unusual
      for multiple health systems and meanings to co-exist at any one moment in time,
      offering different ways of understanding and responding to illness and disease.
      In addition to biomedical frameworks, religious beliefs offer another important
      means of facilitating healing. Based on qualitative interviews with 36 people
      living with HIV on antiretroviral therapies (ART) in Papua New Guinea (PNG), this
      paper examines the ways in which people bring together and synthesise religious
      and biomedical therapeutic approaches to the treatment and management of HIV. For
      most, ART is viewed as a divine gift to complement a regime of spiritual
      salvation, and adherence to treatment carries with it strong religious
      undertones. At the same time, ART provides a sense of hope for those living with
      a virus that was previously associated only with death. Brought together, these
      narratives provide important insights into the meanings of ART and the role of
      religion, prayer and repentance for people in PNG. The study also provides new
      insight into how people with HIV actively synthesise different approaches to
      health and healing.

PMID- 28920557
TI  - Automated MicroSPECT/MicroCT Image Analysis of the Mouse Thyroid Gland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability of thyroid follicular cells to take up iodine enables the
      use of radioactive iodine (RAI) for imaging and targeted killing of RAI-avid
      thyroid cancer following thyroidectomy. To facilitate identifying novel
      strategies to improve 131I therapeutic efficacy for patients with RAI refractory
      disease, it is desired to optimize image acquisition and analysis for preclinical
      mouse models of thyroid cancer. METHODS: A customized mouse cradle was designed
      and used for microSPECT/CT image acquisition at 1 hour (t1) and 24 hours (t24)
      post injection of 123I, which mainly reflect RAI influx/efflux equilibrium and
      RAI retention in the thyroid, respectively. FVB/N mice with normal thyroid glands
      and TgBRAFV600E mice with thyroid tumors were imaged. In-house CTViewer software
      was developed to streamline image analysis with new capabilities, along with
      display of 3D voxel-based 123I gamma photon intensity in MATLAB. RESULTS: The
      customized mouse cradle facilitates consistent tissue configuration among image
      acquisitions such that rigid body registration can be applied to align serial
      images of the same mouse via the in-house CTViewer software. CTViewer is designed
      specifically to streamline SPECT/CT image analysis with functions tailored to
      quantify thyroid radioiodine uptake. Automatic segmentation of thyroid volumes of
      interest (VOI) from adjacent salivary glands in t1 images is enabled by
      superimposing the thyroid VOI from the t24 image onto the corresponding aligned
      t1 image. The extent of heterogeneity in 123I accumulation within thyroid VOIs
      can be visualized by 3D display of voxel-based 123I gamma photon intensity.
      CONCLUSIONS: MicroSPECT/CT image acquisition and analysis for thyroidal RAI
      uptake is greatly improved by the cradle and the CTViewer software, respectively.
      Furthermore, the approach of superimposing thyroid VOIs from t24 images to select
      thyroid VOIs on corresponding aligned t1 images can be applied to studies in
      which the target tissue has differential radiotracer retention from surrounding
      tissues.

PMID- 28920560
TI  - Indirect evidence of pathogen-associated altered oocyte production in queens of
      the invasive yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes, in Arnhem Land, Australia.
AB  - Anoplolepis gracilipes is one of the six most widespread and pestiferous invasive
      ant species. Populations of this invader in Arnhem Land, Australia have been
      observed to decline, but the reasons behind these declines are not known. We
      investigated if there is evidence of a pathogen that could be responsible for
      killing ant queens or affecting their reproductive output. We measured queen
      number per nest, fecundity and fat content of queens from A. gracilipes
      populations in various stages of decline or expansion. We found no significant
      difference in any of these variables among populations. However, 23% of queens
      were found to have melanized nodules, a cellular immune response, in their
      ovaries and fat bodies. The melanized nodules found in dissected queens are
      highly likely to indicate the presence of pathogens or parasites capable of
      infecting A. gracilipes. Queens with nodules had significantly fewer oocytes in
      their ovaries, but nodule presence was not associated with low ant population
      abundances. Although the microorganism responsible for the nodules is as yet
      unidentified, this is the first evidence of the presence of a pathogenic
      microorganism in the invasive ant A. gracilipes that may be affecting
      reproduction.

PMID- 28920561
TI  - The Care of Older Adults Experiencing Cognitive Challenges: How Interprofessional
      Teams Collaborate.
AB  - We conducted a scoping study to examine how interprofessional health care teams
      improve the outcomes of older adults experiencing cognitive challenges. We
      searched Ovid, Medline 1946, and MEDLINE In-Process and other non-indexed
      citations, using the concepts multi or interdisciplinary care teams, confusion or
      cognitive impairment, and elderly adults. Of 4,554 articles the review yielded,
      34 relevant to our inquiry, using Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework.
      Twenty-nine per cent of authors reported on the processes interprofessional teams
      use to achieve positive outcomes for older adults. They highlighted the
      importance of communication, staff strategies, and education interventions in
      achieving outcomes with older adults and in supporting interprofessional
      collaboration. The review revealed knowledge gaps about the processes teams use
      to collaborate in caring for older adults experiencing cognitive challenges, and
      how to best incorporate older adults and their families' perspectives in team
      decisions. More research to understand processes interprofessional teams use is
      needed.

PMID- 28920559
TI  - Functional Mechanics of a Pectin-Based Pleural Sealant after Lung Injury.
AB  - Pleural injury and associated air leaks are a major influence on patient
      morbidity and healthcare costs after lung surgery. Pectin, a plant-derived
      heteropolysaccharide, has recently demonstrated potential as an adhesive binding
      to the glycocalyx of visceral mesothelium. Since bioadhesion is a process likely
      involving the interpenetration of the pectin-based polymer with the glycocalyx,
      we predicted that the pectin-based polymer may also be an effective sealant for
      pleural injury. To explore the potential role of an equal (weight%) mixture of
      high-methoxyl pectin and carboxymethylcellulose as a pleural sealant, we compared
      the yield strength of the pectin-based polymer to commonly available surgical
      products. The pectin-based polymer demonstrated significantly greater adhesion to
      the lung pleura than the comparison products (p < 0.001). In a 25 g needle
      induced lung injury model, pleural injury resulted in an air leak and a loss of
      airway pressures. After application of the pectin-based polymer, there was a
      restoration of airway pressure and no measurable air leak. Despite the
      application of large sheets (50 mm2) of the pectin-based polymer, multifrequency
      lung impedance studies demonstrated no significant increase in tissue damping (G)
      or hysteresivity (eta)(p > 0.05). In 7-day survival experiments, the application
      of the pectin-based polymer after pleural injury was associated with no
      observable toxicity, 100% survival (N = 5), and restored lung function. We
      conclude that this pectin-based polymer is a strong and nontoxic bioadhesive with
      the potential for clinical application in the treatment of pleural injuries.

PMID- 28920562
TI  - Comparison of General and Local Anesthesia for Deep Brain Stimulator Insertion: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) has become a
      standard treatment for many patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The reported
      clinical outcome measures for procedures done under general anesthesia (GA)
      compared to traditional local anesthetic (LA) technique are quite heterogeneous
      and difficult to compare. The aim of this systematic review and metaanalysis was
      to determine whether the clinical outcome after STN-DBS insertion under GA is
      comparable to that under LA in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: The
      databases of Medline Embase, Cochrane library and Pubmed were searched for
      eligible studies (human trials, English language, published between 1946 and
      January of 2016). The primary outcome of this study was to assess the
      postoperative improvement in the symptoms, evaluated using either Unified
      Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores or levodopa equivalent dosage
      (LEDD) requirement. RESULTS: The literature searches yielded 395 citations and
      six retrospective cohort studies with a sample size of 455 (194 in GA and 261 in
      LA) were included in the analysis. Regarding the clinical outcomes, there were no
      significant differences in the postoperative Unified Parkinson's disease rating
      scale and levodopa equivalent drug dosage between the GA and the LA groups.
      Similarly, the adverse events and target accuracy were also comparable between
      the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis shows that
      currently there is no good quality data to suggest equivalence of GA to LA during
      STN-DBS insertion in patients with PD, with some factors trending towards LA.
      There is a need for a prospective randomized control trial to validate our
      results.

PMID- 28920563
TI  - Bitemporal v. high-dose right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy for
      depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
      - CORRIGENDUM.

PMID- 28920564
TI  - Intentional overdose of the novel anti-epileptic drug eslicarbazepine presenting
      with recurrent seizures and ventricular dysrhythmias.
AB  - Eslicarbazepine is a novel anti-epileptic agent indicated for the treatment of
      partial-onset seizures. We present the case of an 18 year old female that
      presented to the Emergency Department four hours after a reported intentional
      ingestion of an estimated 5600 mg of eslicarbazepine. Although initially
      hemodynamically stable and neurologically normal, shortly after arrival she
      developed confusion, rigidity and clonus, followed by recurrent seizures,
      hypoxemia and cardiac arrest which responded to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and
      wide complex tachycardia requiring defibrillation. Treatment for refractory
      seizures included benzodiazepines and eventual intubation and sedation with
      propofol. Cardiac toxicity responded to sodium bicarbonate. In addition, empiric
      hemodialysis was performed. In this case report, we discuss the successful
      management of the first reported overdose of eslicarbazepine using supportive
      care and hemodialysis.

PMID- 28920565
TI  - Regulatory functions of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase in the chitin biosynthesis
      pathway in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) revealed by RNA
      interference.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) is a very effective technique for studying gene function
      and may be an efficient method for controlling pests. Trehalose-6-phosphate
      synthase (TPS), which plays a key role in the synthesis of trehalose and insect
      development, was cloned in Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (TcTPS) and the putative
      functions were studied using RNAi via the injection of double-stranded RNA
      (dsRNA) corresponding to conserved TPS and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase
      domains. Expression analyses show that TcTPS is expressed higher in the fat body,
      while quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results show that the
      expression of four trehalase isoforms was significantly suppressed by dsTPS
      injection. Additionally, the expression of six chitin synthesis-related genes,
      such as hexokinase 2 and glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase, was
      suppressed at 48 and 72 h post-dsTPS-1 and dsTPS-2 RNA injection, which were two
      dsTPS fragments that had been designed for two different locations in TcTPS open
      reading frame, and that trehalose content and trehalase 1 activity decreased
      significantly at 72 h post-dsRNA injection. Furthermore, T. castaneum injected
      with dsTPS-1 and dsTPS-2 RNA displayed significantly lower levels of chitin and
      could not complete the molting process from larvae to pupae, revealing abnormal
      molting phenotypes. These results demonstrate that silencing TPS gene leads to
      molting deformities and high mortality rates via regulation of gene expression in
      the chitin biosynthetic pathway, and may be a promising approach for pest control
      in the future.

PMID- 28920566
TI  - Field-evolved resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin in the lady beetle Eriopis
      connexa.
AB  - Natural enemies are exposed to insecticide sprays for herbivorous species and may
      evolve field resistance to insecticides. Natural enemies selected for resistance
      in the field, however, are welcome for pest control. The susceptibility of 20
      populations of Eriopis connexa from various crop ecosystems to lambda-cyhalothrin
      was tested. Three bioassays were conducted: (i) topical treatment with lethal
      dose (LD)50 previously determined for populations considered standard for
      susceptibility (LD50S) and for resistance (LD50R) to lambda-cyhalothrin at
      technical grade; (ii) dose-mortality assay to calculate the LD for populations
      exhibiting significant survival to the LD50R; and (iii) determination of survival
      when exposed to dried residues at field rates. Among the 20 tested populations,
      seven populations did not survive or survival rates were lower than 10% when
      treated with LD50R; three populations survived >20%, but lower than 50%; while
      ten populations exhibited equal or greater survival rates compared with the 50%
      expected survival for the LD50R. Thus, these ten populations were subjected to
      dose-mortality response, and the LD50 values varied from 0.046 to 5.44 ug
      a.i./insect with resistance ratio of 8.52- to 884.08-folds. Adults from these ten
      populations that were ranked as resistant according to the LD50R exhibited
      survival from 44.5 to 100% exposed to the lowest and from 38.8 to 100% exposed to
      the highest field rates of lambda-cyhalothrin, respectively. Otherwise, the
      remaining ten populations ranked as susceptible according to the LD50R showed
      survival from 3.3 to 56% exposed to the lowest and from 0 to 17.7% exposed to the
      highest field rates of lambda-cyhalothrin, respectively. Therefore, 50% of the
      tested E. connexa populations exhibited field-evolved resistance to lambda
      cyhalothrin and the use of a discriminatory LD50 for resistance matched the
      survival obtained when exposed to the insecticide field rates.

PMID- 28920567
TI  - ELECTRONIC DEVICES FOR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT SCREENING: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE
      REVIEW.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The reduction in cognitive decline depends on timely diagnosis. The
      aim of this systematic review was to analyze the current available information
      and communication technologies-based instruments for cognitive decline early
      screening and detection in terms of usability, validity, and reliability.
      METHODS: Electronic searches identified 1,785 articles of which thirty-four met
      the inclusion criteria and were grouped according to their main purpose into test
      batteries, measures of isolated tasks, behavioral measures, and diagnostic tools.
      RESULTS: Thirty one instruments were analyzed. Fifty-two percent were personal
      computer based, 26 percent tablet, 13 percent laptop, and 1 was mobile phone
      based. The most common input method was touchscreen (48 percent). The instruments
      were validated with a total of 4,307 participants: 2,146 were healthy older
      adults (M = 73.59; SD = 5.12), 1,104 had dementia (M = 74.65; SD = 3.98) and
      1,057 mild cognitive impairment (M = 74.84; SD = 4.46). Only 6 percent were
      administered at home, 19 percent reported outcomes about usability, and 22
      percent about understandability. The methodological quality of the studies was
      good, the weakest methodological area being usability. Most of the instruments
      obtained acceptable values of specificity and sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: It is
      necessary to create home delivered instruments and to include usability studies
      in their design. Involvement of people with cognitive decline in all phases of
      the development process is of great importance to obtain valuable and user
      friendly products. It would be advisable for researchers to make an effort to
      provide cutoff points for their instruments.

PMID- 28920569
TI  - High-functioning autism patients share similar but more severe impairments in
      verbal theory of mind than schizophrenia patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that autism and schizophrenia share similarities in
      genetic, neuropsychological and behavioural aspects. Although both disorders are
      associated with theory of mind (ToM) impairments, a few studies have directly
      compared ToM between autism patients and schizophrenia patients. This study aimed
      to investigate to what extent high-functioning autism patients and schizophrenia
      patients share and differ in ToM performance. METHODS: Thirty high-functioning
      autism patients, 30 schizophrenia patients and 30 healthy individuals were
      recruited. Participants were matched in age, gender and estimated intelligence
      quotient. The verbal-based Faux Pas Task and the visual-based Yoni Task were
      utilised to examine first- and higher-order, affective and cognitive ToM. The
      task/item difficulty of two paradigms was examined using mixed model analyses of
      variance (ANOVAs). Multiple ANOVAs and mixed model ANOVAs were used to examine
      group differences in ToM. RESULTS: The Faux Pas Task was more difficult than the
      Yoni Task. High-functioning autism patients showed more severely impaired verbal
      based ToM in the Faux Pas Task, but shared similar visual-based ToM impairments
      in the Yoni Task with schizophrenia patients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings that
      individuals with high-functioning autism shared similar but more severe
      impairments in verbal ToM than individuals with schizophrenia support the autism
      schizophrenia continuum. The finding that verbal-based but not visual-based ToM
      was more impaired in high-functioning autism patients than schizophrenia patients
      could be attributable to the varied task/item difficulty between the two
      paradigms.

PMID- 28920568
TI  - Pregnant women of South Asian ethnicity in Canada have substantially lower
      vitamin B12 status compared with pregnant women of European ethnicity.
AB  - Maternal vitamin B12 (B12) status has been inversely associated with adverse
      pregnancy outcomes and positively with fetal growth and infant development. South
      Asians, Canada's largest ethnic minority, are prone to B12 deficiency. Yet, data
      are lacking on B12 status in South Asian pregnant women in North America. We
      sought to determine B12 status, using multiple biomarkers, in 1st and 2nd
      trimester pregnant women of South Asian and, for comparison, European ethnicity
      living in Vancouver, Canada. In this retrospective cohort study, total B12,
      holotranscobalamin (holoTC), methylmalonic acid (MMA), and total homocysteine
      concentrations were quantified in two routinely collected (mean gestational week:
      11.5 (range 8.3-13.9) and 16.5 (range 14.9-20.9)), banked serum samples of 748
      healthy pregnant South Asian (n 371) and European (n 377) women. South Asian
      pregnant women had significantly lower B12 status than European pregnant women at
      both time points, as indicated by lower serum total B12 and holoTC
      concentrations, and higher MMA concentrations (all P<=0.001). The largest
      difference, which was substantial (Cohen's d>=0.5), was observed in mean serum
      total B12 concentrations (1st trimester: 189 (95 % CI 180, 199) v. 246 (95 % CI
      236, 257) pmol/l; 2nd trimester: 176 (95 % CI 168, 185) v. 226 (95 % CI 216, 236)
      pmol/l). Further, South Asian ethnicity was a significant negative predictor of
      B12 status during pregnancy. South Asian women living in Vancouver have
      substantially lower B12 status during early pregnancy. Future research
      identifying predictors and health consequences of this observed difference is
      needed to allow for targeted interventions.

PMID- 28920570
TI  - Brain-relevant antibodies in first-episode psychosis: a matched case-control
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been much recent excitement about the possibility that some
      cases of psychosis may be wholly due to brain-reactive antibodies, with
      antibodies to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and the voltage-gated
      potassium channel (VGKC)-complex reported in a few patients with first-episode
      psychosis (FEP). METHODS: Participants were recruited from psychiatric services
      in South London, UK, from 2009 to 2011 as part of the Genetics and Psychosis
      study. We conducted a case-control study to examine NMDAR and VGKC-complex
      antibody levels and rates of antibody positivity in 96 patients presenting with
      FEP and 98 controls matched for age and sex. Leucine-rich glioma inactiviated-1
      (LGI1) and contactin-associated protein (CASPR) antibodies were also measured.
      Notably, patients with suspicion of organic disease were excluded. RESULTS: VGKC
      complex antibodies were found in both cases (n = 3) and controls (n = 2). NMDAR
      antibody positivity was seen in one case and one control. Either LGI1-Abs or
      CASPR2-Abs were found in three cases and three controls. Neuronal antibody
      staining, consistent with the above results or indicating potential novel
      antigens, was overall positive in four patients but also in six controls.
      Overall, antibody positivity was at low levels only and not higher in cases than
      in controls. CONCLUSIONS: This case-control study of the prevalence of antibodies
      in FEP does not provide evidence to support the hypothesis that FEP is associated
      with an immune-mediated process in a subgroup of patients. Nevertheless, as other
      bio-clinical factors may influence the effect of such antibodies in a given
      individual, and patients with organic neurological disease may be misdiagnosed as
      FEP, the field requires more research to put these findings in context.

PMID- 28920572
TI  - Addendum for Euro Surveill. 2017;22(35).

PMID- 28920571
TI  - Recurrent seasonal outbreak of an emerging serotype of Shiga toxin-producing
      Escherichia coli (STEC O55:H7 Stx2a) in the south west of England, July 2014 to
      September 2015.
AB  - The first documented British outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
      (STEC) O55:H7 began in the county of Dorset, England, in July 2014. Since then,
      there have been a total of 31 cases of which 13 presented with haemolytic uraemic
      syndrome (HUS). The outbreak strain had Shiga toxin (Stx) subtype 2a associated
      with an elevated risk of HUS. This strain had not previously been isolated from
      humans or animals in England. The only epidemiological link was living in or
      having close links to two areas in Dorset. Extensive investigations included
      testing of animals and household pets. Control measures included extended
      screening, iterative interviewing and exclusion of cases and high risk contacts.
      Whole genome sequencing (WGS) confirmed that all the cases were infected with
      similar strains. A specific source could not be identified. The combination of
      epidemiological investigation and WGS indicated, however, that this outbreak was
      possibly caused by recurrent introductions from a local endemic zoonotic source,
      that a highly similar endemic reservoir appears to exist in the Republic of
      Ireland but has not been identified elsewhere, and that a subset of cases was
      associated with human-to-human transmission in a nursery.

PMID- 28920573
TI  - Preliminary findings indicate nosocomial transmission and Roma population as most
      affected group in ongoing measles B3 genotype outbreak in Bulgaria, March to
      August 2017.
AB  - From March to August 2017, 165 measles cases were reported from three regions in
      Bulgaria. The age range was 0-55 years and 66% of the cases were under 9 years.
      The Roma population was disproportionally affected (89% of cases), 41% cases were
      unvaccinated and in 24 cases there was nosocomial transmission mostly in
      paediatric departments. A child under 12 months of age died. Control measures
      have been taken and the investigation is still ongoing.

PMID- 28920574
TI  - Status, quality and specific needs of Zika virus (ZIKV) diagnostic capacity and
      capability in National Reference Laboratories for arboviruses in 30 EU/EEA
      countries, May 2016.
AB  - With international travel, Zika virus (ZIKV) is introduced to Europe regularly. A
      country's ability to robustly detect ZIKV introduction and local transmission is
      important to minimise the risk for a ZIKV outbreak. Therefore, sufficient
      expertise and diagnostic capacity and capability are required in European
      laboratories. To assess the capacity, quality, operational specifics (guidelines
      and algorithms), technical and interpretation issues and other possible
      difficulties that were related to ZIKV diagnostics in European countries, a
      questionnaire was conducted among national reference laboratories in 30 countries
      in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) in May 2016. While the
      coverage and capacity of ZIKV diagnostics in the EU/EEA national reference
      laboratories were found to be adequate, the assessment of the quality and needs
      indicated several crucial points of improvement that will need support at
      national and EU/EEA level to improve ZIKV preparedness, response and EU/EEA ZIKV
      surveillance activities.

PMID- 28920577
TI  - Late Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy in Early Childhood on the
      Teeth: Two Case Reports.

PMID- 28920575
TI  - The P2X7 receptor forms a dye-permeable pore independent of its intracellular
      domain but dependent on membrane lipid composition.
AB  - The P2X7 receptor mediates extracellular ATP signaling implicated in the
      development of devastating diseases such as chronic pain and cancer. Activation
      of the P2X7 receptor leads to opening of the characteristic dye-permeable
      membrane pore for molecules up to ~900 Da. However, it remains controversial what
      constitutes this peculiar pore and how it opens. Here we show that the panda
      receptor, when purified and reconstituted into liposomes, forms an intrinsic dye
      permeable pore in the absence of other cellular components. Unexpectedly, we
      found that this pore opens independent of its unique C-terminal domain. We also
      found that P2X7 channel activity is facilitated by phosphatidylglycerol and
      sphingomyelin, but dominantly inhibited by cholesterol through direct
      interactions with the transmembrane domain. In combination with cell-based
      functional studies, our data suggest that the P2X7 receptor itself constitutes a
      lipid-composition dependent dye-permeable pore, whose opening is facilitated by
      palmitoylated cysteines near the pore-lining helix.

PMID- 28920576
TI  - The DREAM complex through its subunit Lin37 cooperates with Rb to initiate
      quiescence.
AB  - The retinoblastoma Rb protein is an important factor controlling the cell cycle.
      Yet, mammalian cells carrying Rb deletions are still able to arrest under growth
      limiting conditions. The Rb-related proteins p107 and p130, which are components
      of the DREAM complex, had been suggested to be responsible for a continued
      ability to arrest by inhibiting E2f activity and by recruiting chromatin
      modifying enzymes. Here, we show that p130 and p107 are not sufficient for DREAM
      dependent repression. We identify the MuvB protein Lin37 as an essential factor
      for DREAM function. Cells not expressing Lin37 proliferate normally, but DREAM
      completely loses its ability to repress genes in G0/G1 while all remaining
      subunits, including p130/p107, still bind to target gene promoters. Furthermore,
      cells lacking both Rb and Lin37 are incapable of exiting the cell cycle. Thus,
      Lin37 is an essential component of DREAM that cooperates with Rb to induce
      quiescence.

PMID- 28920579
TI  - Point-of-care companion diagnostic tests for personalizing psychiatric
      medications: fulfilling an unmet clinical need.
AB  - Over the last decade stable isotope-labeled substrates have been used as probes
      for rapid, point-of-care, non-invasive and user-friendly phenotype breath tests
      to evaluate activity of drug metabolizing enzymes. These diagnostic breath tests
      can potentially be used as companion diagnostics by physicians to personalize
      medications, especially psychiatric drugs with narrow therapeutic windows, to
      monitor the progress of disease severity, medication efficacy and to study in
      vivo the pharmacokinetics of xenobiotics. Several genotype tests have been
      approved by the FDA over the last 15 years for both cytochrome P450 2D6 and 2C19
      enzymes, however they have not been cleared for use in personalizing medications
      since they fall woefully short in identifying all non-responders to drugs,
      especially for the CYP450 enzymes. CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 are among the most
      extensively studied drug metabolizing enzymes, involved in the metabolism of
      approximately 30% of FDA-approved drugs in clinical use, associated with large
      individual differences in medication efficacy or tolerability essentially due to
      phenoconversion. The development and commercialization via FDA approval of the
      non-invasive, rapid (<60 min), in vivo, phenotype diagnostic breath tests to
      evaluate polymorphic CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 enzyme activity by measuring exhaled
      13CO2 as a biomarker in breath will effectively resolve the currently unmet
      clinical need for individualized psychiatric drug therapy. Clinicians could
      personalize treatment options for patients based on the CYP2D6 and CYP2C19
      phenotype by selecting the optimal medication at the right initial and subsequent
      maintenance dose for the desired clinical outcome (i.e. greatest efficacy and
      minimal side effects).

PMID- 28920578
TI  - Participation in Physical and Sportive Activities among Adult Turkish People with
      Hemophilia: A Single-Center Experience.

PMID- 28920580
TI  - Sandwiched ZnO@Au@CdS nanorod arrays with enhanced visible-light-driven
      photocatalytical performance.
AB  - The development of high-performance photocatalysts is central to efforts focused
      on taking advantage of solar energy to overcome environmental and energy crises.
      Integrating different functional materials artfully into nanostructures can
      deliver more efficient photocatalytic activity. Here, sandwiched ZnO@Au@CdS
      nanorod films were synthesized via successive ZnO nanorod electrodeposition, Au
      sputtering and CdS electrodeposition. The as-synthesized composites were
      characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer, x-ray diffractometer, scanning and
      transmission electron microscopy. Their photocatalytic activity was assessed by
      degrading Rhodamine B solution under visible light irradiation. ZnO@Au@CdS
      exhibited better photocatalytic performance than ZnO@CdS throughout the visible
      light region, and the corresponding enhancement factor of Au nanoparticles was
      measured as a function of CdS loading amount, and it could reach 190% with CdS
      deposition for 1 min. The normalized rate constant could reach 0.387 h-1 for
      ZnO@Au@CdS-1min, which was equivalent to or better than results in reference
      photocatalysts. The enhancement mechanism of Au nanoparticles was estimated by
      comparing the monochromatic photocatalytic action spectra with the absorption
      spectrum of ZnO@Au@CdS, and it was mainly determined by incident photon energy.
      With selective excitation of Au nanoparticles by incident photons, the excited
      hot electrons in Au NPs are transferred to the conduction band of ZnO to boost
      photocatalytic reaction. With selective excitation of CdS, the enhanced interband
      absorption of CdS and relay station effect of Au nanoparticles should be
      responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic performance. Our work not only opens
      the door to the design of efficient supported photocatalysts, but also helps to
      understand the enhancement mechanism of LSPR effect on the photoelectric
      conversion of semiconductors.

PMID- 28920581
TI  - Bottle-brush-shaped heterostructures of NiO-ZnO nanowires: growth study and
      sensing properties.
AB  - We present here heterostructured ZnO-NiO nanowires (NWs), constituted by a core
      of single crystalline ZnO NWs, covered by poly-crystalline NiO nanorods (NRs).
      The bottle-brush shape was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and
      transmission electron microscope, confirming that a columnar growth of NiO
      occurred over the ZnO core, with a preferred orientation of NiO over ZnO NWs. The
      heterostructured devices are proposed for gas sensing application. Bare ZnO NWs
      and heterostructured sensors with two different thicknesses of NiO poly
      crystalline NRs were analysed for acetone, ethanol, NO2 and H2 detection. All
      sensors maintained n-type sensing mechanism, with improved sensing performance
      for lower thickness of NiO, due to high catalytic activity of NiO. The sensing
      dynamic is also strongly modified by the presence of heterojunction of NiO/ZnO,
      with a reduction of response and recovery times towards ethanol and acetone at
      400  degrees C.

PMID- 28920582
TI  - An age-specific biokinetic model for iodine.
AB  - This paper reviews age-specific biokinetic data for iodine in humans and extends
      to pre-adult ages the baseline parameter values of the author's previously
      published model for systemic iodine in adult humans. Compared with the ICRP's
      current age-specific model for iodine introduced in Publication 56 (1989, pp 45
      48), the present model provides a more detailed description of the behaviour of
      iodine in the human body; predicts moderately higher doses to the thyroid for
      short-lived isotopes of iodine; predicts similar doses to the thyroid for
      isotopes with half-time greater than a few hours; and, for most iodine isotopes,
      predicts substantially higher doses to salivary glands, stomach wall, liver, and
      kidneys.

PMID- 28920583
TI  - Ebosin: a potential therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis and
      autoinflammatory syndromes.

PMID- 28920585
TI  - Role of programmed cell death 4 in diseases: a double-edged sword.

PMID- 28920584
TI  - Liver-resident NK cells and their potential functions.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells represent a heterogeneous population of innate
      lymphocytes with phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets. In particular,
      recent studies have identified a unique subset of NK cells residing within the
      liver that are maintained as tissue-resident cells, confer antigen-specific
      memory responses and exhibit different phenotypical and developmental
      characteristics compared with conventional NK (cNK) cells. These findings have
      encouraged researchers to uncover tissue-resident NK cells at other sites, and
      detailed analyses have revealed that these tissue-resident NK cells share many
      similarities with liver-resident NK cells and tissue-resident memory T cells.
      Here, we present a brief historical perspective on the discovery of liver
      resident NK cells and discuss their relationship to cNK cells and other emerging
      NK cell subsets and their potential functions.Cellular &Molecular Immunology
      advance online publication, 18 September 2017; doi:10.1038/cmi.2017.72.

PMID- 28920586
TI  - Neutrophils: Interfering with intestinal inflammation.

PMID- 28920589
TI  - Neuroimmunology: JAK in the itch.

PMID- 28920590
TI  - Incubation of Accumbal Neuronal Reactivity to Cocaine Cues During Abstinence
      Predicts Individual Vulnerability to Relapse.
AB  - An important goal for the treatment of cocaine addiction is to identify
      neuromarkers that can predict individual vulnerability to relapse after
      abstinence. There is some evidence that individual reactivity to cue-induced
      craving may predict subsequent relapse after a period of abstinence. Here we
      sought to identify the neuronal correlates of this predictive relationship in
      rats. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine (6 h) for 16 days to induce
      escalation of cocaine intake. Then rats underwent a 1-month period of forced
      abstinence after which they were re-exposed to cocaine self-administration (6 h)
      for 8 additional days to induce re-escalation of cocaine intake. We recorded
      nucleus accumbens (NAc) neuronal responses to drug conditioned stimuli (CS) 1 day
      before and after 1 month of abstinence from cocaine intake escalation. Rats were
      ranked according to their individual percentage of CS responsive neurons recorded
      during the last day of abstinence and split by the median into two groups. We
      found evidence for a robust, incubation-like increase in NAc reactivity to
      cocaine cues after abstinence only in a subset of individuals (High CS rats).
      Importantly, compared with other rats that did not present an incubation of NAc
      reactivity to cocaine cues (Low CS rats), High CS rats were faster to re-escalate
      their intake of cocaine after abstinence. In addition, after re-escalation, they
      worked harder and were less sensitive to risk of punishment than Low CS rats,
      indicating a strengthened motivation to seek and/or take the drug in that group
      of rats. Overall, these findings indicate that incubation of NAc neuronal
      reactivity to cocaine cues during abstinence may constitute a predictive
      neuromarker for individual vulnerability to relapse.

PMID- 28920587
TI  - Complement in cancer: untangling an intricate relationship.
AB  - In tumour immunology, complement has traditionally been considered as an
      adjunctive component that enhances the cytolytic effects of antibody-based
      immunotherapies, such as rituximab. Remarkably, research in the past decade has
      uncovered novel molecular mechanisms linking imbalanced complement activation in
      the tumour microenvironment with inflammation and suppression of antitumour
      immune responses. These findings have prompted new interest in manipulating the
      complement system for cancer therapy. This Review summarizes our current
      understanding of complement-mediated effector functions in the tumour
      microenvironment, focusing on how complement activation can act as a negative or
      positive regulator of tumorigenesis. It also offers insight into clinical
      aspects, including the feasibility of using complement biomarkers for cancer
      diagnosis and the use of complement inhibitors during cancer treatment.

PMID- 28920592
TI  - In situ synthesis of Au-shelled Ag nanoparticles on PDMS for flexible, long-life,
      and broad spectrum-sensitive SERS substrates.
AB  - A simple and fast one-step fabrication method of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on
      a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film and their improvement as highly sensitive
      surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates via atomically thin Au
      coatings is demonstrated. The thin Au layer provides oxidation resistivity while
      maintaining the broad spectral range SERS sensitivity of Ag nanoparticles.

PMID- 28920591
TI  - Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Signaling in the Lateral Dorsal Tegmental
      Nucleus Regulates Energy Balance.
AB  - The neurobiological substrates that mediate the anorectic effects of both
      endogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and exogenous GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R)
      agonists are an active area of investigation. As the lateral dorsal tegmental
      nucleus (LDTg) expresses the GLP-1R and represents a potential neuroanatomical
      hub connecting the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), the major central source of
      GLP-1, with the other nuclei in the midbrain and forebrain, we tested the
      hypothesis that GLP-1R signaling in the LDTg controls food intake. Direct
      activation of LDTg GLP-1R suppresses food intake through a reduction in average
      meal size and independent of nausea/malaise. Immunohistochemical data show that
      GLP-1-producing neurons in the NTS project to the LDTg, providing anatomical
      evidence of endogenous central GLP-1 in the LDTg. Pharmacological blockade of
      LDTg GLP-1Rs with exendin-(9-39) dose-dependently increases food intake and
      attenuates the hypophagic effects of gastric distension. As GLP-1 mimetics are
      administered systemically in humans, we evaluated whether peripherally
      administered GLP-1R agonists access the LDTg to affect feeding.
      Immunohistochemical data show that a systemically administered fluorescent GLP-1R
      agonist accesses the LDTg and is juxtaposed with neurons. Additionally, blockade
      of LDTg GLP-1Rs attenuates the hypophagic effects of a systemic GLP-1R agonist.
      Together, these data indicate that LDTg GLP-1R signaling controls energy balance
      and underscores the role of the LDTg in integrating energy balance-relevant
      signals to modulate feeding.

PMID- 28920593
TI  - A RAFT/MADIX method finely regulating the copolymerization of ethylene and polar
      vinyl monomers under mild conditions.
AB  - A RAFT/MADIX method can not only copolymerize ethylene with a diverse range of
      functionally polar monomers, but can also easily tune the polar composition and
      the polar monomer distribution along the produced copolymer chains. This highly
      versatile RAFT/MADIX copolymerization platform provides access to a diverse range
      of polyethylene materials.

PMID- 28920594
TI  - Terminal tungsten pnictide complex formation through pnictaethynolate
      decarbonylation.
AB  - Tungsten(iv) tetrakis(2,6-diisopropylphenoxide) (1) has been demonstrated to be a
      competent platform for decarbonylative formation of anionic terminal pnictide
      complexes upon treatment with pnictaethynolate anions: cyanate, 2
      phosphaethynolate, and 2-arsaethynolate. These transformations constitute the
      first examples of terminal phosphide and arsenide complex formation at a
      transition metal center from OCP- and OCAs-, respectively. The phosphide and
      arsenide complexes are also the first to be isolated in a tetragonal, all-oxygen
      ligand environment. The scalar NMR coupling constants between tungsten-183 and
      nitrogen-15 or phosphorus-31 have been measured and contextualized using natural
      bond orbital (NBO) methods in terms of s orbital character in the sigma bonding
      orbital and pnictide lone pair.

PMID- 28920595
TI  - A unique rectilinearly pi-extended rhodamine dye with large Stokes shift and near
      infrared fluorescence for bioimaging.
AB  - The synthesis of a novel rectilinearly pi-extended rhodamine dye (TJ730) has been
      described. It exhibits NIR fluorescence emission with a Stokes shift of >110 nm.
      TJ730 and its ester derivative are cell permeable, have low cytotoxicity, are
      biocompatible, and can be directly used as NIR tracers for lysosome staining.
      Using TJ730 as a precursor, two probes have been prepared for Cu2+.

PMID- 28920588
TI  - gammadelta T cells in homeostasis and host defence of epithelial barrier tissues.
AB  - Epithelial surfaces line the body and provide a crucial interface between the
      body and the external environment. Tissue-resident epithelial gammadelta T cells
      represent a major T cell population in the epithelial tissues and are ideally
      positioned to carry out barrier surveillance and aid in tissue homeostasis and
      repair. In this Review, we focus on the intraepithelial gammadelta T cell
      compartment of the two largest epithelial tissues in the body - namely, the
      epidermis and the intestine - and provide a comprehensive overview of the crucial
      contributions of intraepithelial gammadelta T cells to tissue integrity and
      repair, host homeostasis and protection in the context of the symbiotic
      relationship with the microbiome and during pathogen clearance. Finally, we
      describe epithelium-specific butyrophilin-like molecules and briefly review their
      emerging role in selectively shaping and regulating epidermal and intestinal
      gammadelta T cell repertoires.

PMID- 28920596
TI  - Optical and magnetic properties of antiaromatic porphyrinoids.
AB  - Magnetic and spectroscopic properties of a number of formally antiaromatic
      carbaporphyrins, carbathiaporphyrins and isophlorins with 4n pi electrons have
      been investigated at density functional theory and ab initio levels of theory.
      The calculations show that the paratropic contribution to the magnetically
      induced ring-current strength susceptibility and the magnetic dipole-transition
      moment between the ground and the lowest excited state are related. The vertical
      excitation energy (VEE) of the first excited state decreases with increasing ring
      current strength susceptibility, whereas the VEE of the studied higher-lying
      excited states are almost independent of the size of the ring-current strength
      susceptibility. Strong antiaromatic porphyrinoids, based on the magnitude of the
      paratropic ring-current strength susceptibility, have small energy gaps between
      the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals and a small VEE of
      the first excited state. The calculations show that only the lowest S0 -> S1
      transition contributes signficantly to the magnetically induced ring-current
      strength susceptibility of the antiaromatic porphyrinoids. The decreasing optical
      gap combined with a large angular momentum contribution to the magnetic
      transition moment from the first excited state explains why molecules III-VII are
      antiaromatic with very strong paratropic ring-current strength susceptibilities.
      The S0 -> S1 transition is a magnetic dipole-allowed electronic transition that
      is typical for antiaromatic porphyrinoids with 4n pi electrons.

PMID- 28920597
TI  - An assessment of the random-phase approximation functional and characteristics
      analysis for noncovalent cation-pi interactions.
AB  - The binding energy is of great importance in understanding the formation and
      stability of noncovalent interactions. However, the determination of the binding
      energy with high precision and efficiency in medium- and long-range noncovalent
      interactions is still challenging for quantum chemistry. Here, we assess the
      performance of random-phase approximation (RPA), a fully non-local fifth-rung of
      the Jacob ladder functional, in determining the binding energy of cation-pi
      systems (cation = Li+, Na+, Be2+, Mg2+, Al+, and NH4+; pi = C6H6), which, to the
      best of our knowledge, has not been investigated. Using experimental results as
      the benchmark, we systematically compared the RPA method to the other ab initio
      methods (DFT/B3LYP, MP2, CCSD(T), and QCISD(T)) both in calculation accuracy and
      efficiency. From the perspective of accuracy, RPA is the best among these
      approaches, followed by the CCSD(T) and QCISD(T) methods. DFT/B3LYP and MP2
      provide the worst accuracy. In addition, the computational efficiency of RPA is
      much faster than that of CCSD(T) and QCISD(T). We believe that RPA is a robust
      method for the precise description of medium- and long-range noncovalent
      interactions and is capable of providing benchmarking data. The interaction
      strength and interaction nature of cation-pi systems are further analyzed by
      atoms in molecules (AIM) and the color-mapped reduced density gradient (RDG)
      isosurface, which are consistent with the characteristics of a typical cation-pi
      interaction.

PMID- 28920598
TI  - Interaction between H2O, N2, CO, NO, NO2 and N2O molecules and a defective WSe2
      monolayer.
AB  - In this study, the interaction between gas molecules, including H2O, N2, CO, NO,
      NO2 and N2O, and a WSe2 monolayer containing an Se vacancy (denoted as VSe) has
      been theoretically studied. Theoretical results show that H2O and N2 molecules
      are highly prone to be physisorbed on the VSe surface. The presence of the Se
      vacancy can significantly enhance the sensing ability of the WSe2 monolayer
      toward H2O and N2 molecules. In contrast, CO and NO molecules highly prefer to be
      molecularly chemisorbed on the VSe surface with the non-oxygen atom occupying the
      Se vacancy site. Furthermore, the exposed O atoms of the molecularly chemisorbed
      CO or NO can react with additional CO or NO molecules, to produce C-doped or N
      doped WSe2 monolayers. The calculated energies suggest that the filling of the CO
      or NO molecule and the removal of the exposed O atom are both energetically and
      dynamically favorable. Electronic structure calculations show that the WSe2
      monolayers are p-doped by the CO and NO molecules, as well as the C and N atoms.
      However, only the NO molecule and N atom doped WSe2 monolayers exhibit
      significantly improved electronic structures compared with VSe. The NO2 and N2O
      molecules will dissociate directly to form an O-doped WSe2 monolayer, for which
      the defect levels due to the Se vacancy can be completely removed. The calculated
      energies suggest that although the dissociation processes for NO2 and N2O
      molecules are highly exothermic, the N2O dissociation may need to operate at an
      elevated temperature compared with room temperature, due to its large energy
      barrier of ~1 eV.

PMID- 28920599
TI  - Magnetic nanoparticle-enhanced surface plasmon resonance biosensor for
      extracellular vesicle analysis.
AB  - The sensitive analysis of small lipid extracellular vesicles (EVs) by using a
      grating-coupled surface plasmon resonance (GC-SPR) biosensor has been reported.
      In order to enable the analysis of trace amounts of EVs present in complex liquid
      samples, the target analyte is pre-concentrated on the sensor surface by using
      magnetic nanoparticles and its affinity binding is probed by wavelength
      interrogation of SPR. The GC-SPR has been demonstrated to allow for the
      implementation of efficient pulling of EVs to the sensor surface by using
      magnetic nanoparticles and an external magnetic field gradient applied through
      the sensor chip. This approach overcomes slow diffusion-limited mass transfer and
      greatly enhances the measured sensor response. The specific detection of
      different EV populations secreted from mesenchymal stem cells is achieved with a
      SPR sensor chip modified with antibodies against the surface marker CD81 and
      magnetic nanoparticles binding the vesicles via annexin V and cholera toxin B
      chain.

PMID- 28920600
TI  - Quantum-state-selected integral cross sections for the charge transfer collision
      of O2+(a4Piu5/2,3/2,1/2,-1/2: v+ = 1-2; J+) [O2+(X2Pig3/2,1/2: v+ = 22-23; J+)] +
      Ar at center-of-mass collision energies of 0.05-10.00 eV.
AB  - By employing the sequential electric field pulsing scheme for vacuum ultraviolet
      (VUV) laser pulsed field ionization-photoion (PFI-PI) detection, we have
      successfully recorded the spin-orbit and rovibronic state resolved VUV-PFI-PI
      spectra for O2+(a4Piu5/2,3/2,1/2,-1/2: nu+ = 0-2; J+) and O2+(X2Pig3/2,1/2: nu+ =
      21-23; J+), indicating that O2+(a4Piu) and O2+(X2Pig) ions in these spin-orbit
      and rovibronic states can be prepared for ion-molecule collision studies. The
      present experiment is concerned with the measurement of absolute integral cross
      sections (sigma's) of the charge transfer reactions, O2+(a4Piu5/2,3/2,1/2,-1/2:
      nu+ = 1, 2; J+) [O2+(X2Pig1/2,3/2: nu+ = 22, 23)] + Ar -> Ar+ + O2. The fact that
      the O2+(a4Piu5/2,3/2,1/2,-1/2: nu+ = 1) and O2+(X2Pig3/2,1/2: nu+ = 22)
      [O2+(a4Piu5/2,3/2,1/2,-1/2: nu+ = 2) and O2+(X2Pig3/2,1/2: nu+ = 23)] states are
      in close energy resonance, makes these reactions ideal model systems for
      investigating the energy resonance and Franck-Condon factor (FCF) effects on the
      charge transfer reactivity of O2+. The sigma(a4Piu5/2,3/2,1/2,-1/2: nu+ = 1, 2)
      values are found to be about ten-fold higher than the sigma(X2Pig3/2,1/2: nu+ =
      22, 23) values at Ecm = 0.05-10.00 eV, indicating that the FCFs play a
      predominant role in promoting these charge transfer reactions. The present ion
      molecule reaction study also shows that sigma(a4Piu) depends strongly on the spin
      orbit as well as the vibrational states with the order: sigma(a4Piu: v+ = 2) >
      sigma(a4Piu: v+ = 1), and sigma(a4Piu5/2: v+) > sigma(a4Piu3/2: v+) >
      sigma(a4Piu1/2: v+) > sigma(a4Piu-1/2: v+), where v+ = 1 and 2. The high
      sigma(a4Piu5/2,3/2,1/2,-1/2: v+ = 1, 2) values, along with their decreasing trend
      with increasing Ecm, are consistent with those expected for a long range charge
      transfer mechanism. However, the low sigma(X2Pig3/2,1/2: nu+ = 22, 23) values and
      the lack of Ecm-dependence observed in the Ecm range of 0.05-10.00 eV point to
      the involvement of short-range collision dynamics.

PMID- 28920601
TI  - Dynamics of coherence, localization and excitation transfer in disordered
      nanorings.
AB  - Self-assembled supramolecular aggregates are excellent candidates for the design
      of efficient excitation transport devices. Both artificially prepared and natural
      photosynthetic aggregates in plants and bacteria present an important degree of
      disorder that is supposed to hinder excitation transport. Besides, molecular
      excitations couple to nuclear motion affecting excitation transport in a variety
      of ways. We present an exhaustive study of exciton dynamics in disordered
      nanorings with long-range interactions under the influence of a phonon bath
      taking the LH2 system of purple bacteria as a model. Nuclear motion is explicitly
      taken into account by employing the Davydov ansatz description of the polaron and
      quantum dynamics are obtained using a time-dependent variational method. We
      reveal an optimal exciton-phonon coupling that suppresses disorder-induced
      localization and facilitate excitation de-trapping. This excitation transfer
      enhancement, mediated by environmental phonons, is attributed to energy
      relaxation toward extended, low-energy excitons provided by the precise LH2
      geometry with anti-parallel dipoles and long-range interactions. An analysis of
      localization and spectral statistics is followed by dynamic measures of coherence
      and localization, transfer efficiency and superradiance. Linear absorption, 2D
      photon-echo spectra and diffusion measures of the exciton are examined to monitor
      the diffusive behavior as a function of the strengths of disorder and exciton
      phonon coupling.

PMID- 28920602
TI  - Correction: A novel nanozyme assay utilising the catalytic activity of silver
      nanoparticles and SERRS.
AB  - Correction for 'A novel nanozyme assay utilising the catalytic activity of silver
      nanoparticles and SERRS' by Sian Sloan-Dennison et al., Analyst, 2017, 142, 2484
      2490.

PMID- 28920603
TI  - Controlling cation segregation in perovskite-based electrodes for high electro
      catalytic activity and durability.
AB  - Solid oxide cell (SOC) based energy conversion systems have the potential to
      become the cleanest and most efficient systems for reversible conversion between
      electricity and chemical fuels due to their high efficiency, low emission, and
      excellent fuel flexibility. Broad implementation of this technology is however
      hindered by the lack of high-performance electrode materials. While many
      perovskite-based materials have shown remarkable promise as electrodes for SOCs,
      cation enrichment or segregation near the surface or interfaces is often
      observed, which greatly impacts not only electrode kinetics but also their
      durability and operational lifespan. Since the chemical and structural variations
      associated with surface enrichment or segregation are typically confined to the
      nanoscale, advanced experimental and computational tools are required to probe
      the detailed composition, structure, and nanostructure of these near-surface
      regions in real time with high spatial and temporal resolutions. In this review
      article, an overview of the recent progress made in this area is presented,
      highlighting the thermodynamic driving forces, kinetics, and various
      configurations of surface enrichment and segregation in several widely studied
      perovskite-based material systems. A profound understanding of the correlation
      between the surface nanostructure and the electro-catalytic activity and
      stability of the electrodes is then emphasized, which is vital to achieving the
      rational design of more efficient SOC electrode materials with excellent
      durability. Furthermore, the methodology and mechanistic understanding of the
      surface processes are applicable to other materials systems in a wide range of
      applications, including thermo-chemical photo-assisted splitting of H2O/CO2 and
      metal-air batteries.

PMID- 28920604
TI  - A ratiometric fluorescent pH probe based on keto-enol tautomerization for imaging
      of living cells in extreme acidity.
AB  - 6-(Diethylamino)-2,3-dihydro-1H-xanthene-4-carbaldehyde (DDXC), a reported
      synthetic intermediate for near-infrared fluorescent dyes, was developed into a
      fluorescent pH probe for extreme acidity. The unique sensing mechanism of DDXC
      for pH is based on the reversible protonation of the carbonyl oxygen followed by
      keto-enol tautomerization. The probe displays a linear ratiometric fluorescence
      response (I512/I580) to H+ over the extremely acidic range of pH 2.0-4.0 with a
      pKa of 3.11, and features high fluorescence quantum yield (Phi = 0.60) and
      excellent selectivity. More importantly, the probe can be applied to ratiometric
      fluorescence imaging of pH changes in living cells, making it a potential
      molecular tool for pH-related cell biology study.

PMID- 28920605
TI  - Caution in interpreting FTIR/ATR spectral intensity values.
AB  - We discuss and demonstrate why FTIR/ATR spectra can only be calibrated in
      wavelength, not intensity, for comparison with other data sets at present. This
      is because the intensity calibration must remove the instrument response
      function. To address this problem, we suggest a possible approach.

PMID- 28920606
TI  - Microbial separation from a complex matrix by a hand-held microfluidic device.
AB  - Through a simple chemical activation of biomolecules present in the outer
      structures of microbial cells, microorganisms can be rapidly isolated on gold
      coated surfaces in a microfluidic device with over 99% capture efficiency.
      Bacterial and fungal cells can be selectively captured, concentrated and
      retrieved for further analysis.

PMID- 28920607
TI  - Tuning the electronic environment of zinc ions with a ligand for dendrite-free
      zinc deposition in an ionic liquid.
AB  - In this work, we report on the influence of an organic ligand on the
      electrodeposition of Zn from an ionic liquid (IL) electrolyte. Zinc oxide was
      first dissolved in a protic IL. By introducing a 2-methylimidazole (2-MIm)
      ligand, the electronic environment of zinc ions, Zn(ii) complexes and the
      structure of the IL are considerably altered, as verified by both X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. Due to the electron
      donation effect of the ligand, the zinc ions become less positively charged and
      exhibit a lower binding energy by -0.5 eV, compared to its absence. The atomic
      force microscopy (AFM) results show that a higher push-through force is required
      to rupture the interfacial layers in the presence of the ligand compared to its
      absence. The ligand can interact with both the cation and the anion of the IL via
      hydrogen bonds, forming compact layers on the surface, which also has a strong
      influence on the electrochemical performance. The cyclic voltammograms show
      reduction peaks at -1.4 V in all cases, but the current density decreases as the
      concentration of 2-MIm increases. Dendritic zinc deposits were obtained in 1.5
      mol L-1 ZnO/[EIm]TfO, while dendrite-free zinc structures were obtained in the
      presence of 1.5 mol L-1 2-MIm.

PMID- 28920609
TI  - High performance capacitive deionization electrodes based on ultrathin nitrogen
      doped carbon/graphene nano-sandwiches.
AB  - Here, ultrathin nitrogen-doped carbon/graphene nano-sandwiches were synthesized
      by carbonization of graphene oxide-based nanosheets, which were fully covered
      with ultrasmall ZIF-8 nanocrystals. The novel sandwich structure possesses large
      accessible surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, and high nitrogen
      content, thus showing superior desalination performance.

PMID- 28920610
TI  - Correction: Multiplex in vitro detection using SERS.
AB  - Correction for 'Multiplex in vitro detection using SERS' by Stacey Laing et al.,
      Chem. Soc. Rev., 2016, 45, 1901-1918.

PMID- 28920611
TI  - An efficient algorithm for extracting the magnitude of the measurement error for
      fractional dynamics.
AB  - Modern live-imaging fluorescent microscopy techniques following the stochastic
      motion of labeled tracer particles, i.e. single particle tracking (SPT)
      experiments, have uncovered significant deviations from the laws of Brownian
      motion in a variety of biological systems. Accurately characterizing the
      anomalous diffusion for SPT experiments has become a central issue in biophysics.
      However, measurement errors raise difficulty in the analysis of single
      trajectories. In this paper, we introduce a novel surface calibration method
      based on a fractionally integrated moving average (FIMA) process as an effective
      tool for extracting both the magnitude of the measurement error and the anomalous
      exponent for autocorrelated processes of various origins. This method is
      developed using a toy model - fractional Brownian motion disturbed by independent
      Gaussian white noise - and is illustrated on both simulated and experimental
      biological data. We also compare this new method with the mean-squared
      displacement (MSD) technique, extended to capture the measurement noise in the
      toy model, which shows inferior results. The introduced procedure is expected to
      allow for more accurate analysis of fractional anomalous diffusion trajectories
      with measurement errors across different experimental fields and without the need
      for any calibration measurements.

PMID- 28920612
TI  - Visible-light-mediated oxidative demethylation of N6-methyl adenines.
AB  - We report a simple protocol that affords oxidative demethylation of N6-methyl
      groups in N6-methyl adenines (m6A). The biologically compatible photocatalyst
      riboflavin prompts a highly selective C-H abstraction from N6-methyl in adenines
      under the irradiation of a visible blue LED light, affording a novel and highly
      selective biomimetic demethylation of m6A and related N-methyl adenine analogues.

PMID- 28920613
TI  - Sulfonato-imino copper(ii) complexes: fast and general Chan-Evans-Lam coupling of
      amines and anilines.
AB  - Sulfonato-imine copper complexes with either chloride or triflate counteranions
      were prepared in a one-step reaction followed by anion-exchange. They are highly
      active in Chan-Evans-Lam couplings under mild conditions with a variety of amines
      or anilines, in particular with sterically hindered substrates. No optimization
      of reaction conditions other than time and/or temperature is required.

PMID- 28920614
TI  - Molecular weight prediction in polystyrene blends. Unprecedented use of a genetic
      algorithm in pulse field gradient spin echo (PGSE) NMR.
AB  - A genetic algorithm that uses boxcar functions (diffGA) has been applied for the
      first time in PGSE NMR. It reconstructs accurate diffusion coefficients for all
      the components of the mixture, and therefore predicts correct weight-average
      molecular weights for all of them. The results reported herein complement those
      obtained with established methods such as ITAMeD, CONTIN and TRAIn algorithms,
      and provide a detailed solution picture. Its robustness and limits have been
      stretched in order to ascertain the minimum separation within diffusion
      coefficients or relative proportion between components. In addition, the new
      genetic algorithm has been also applied to a mixture of small molecules,
      providing excellent results at very low computational times.

PMID- 28920615
TI  - The phenolic profiles of Radix Tetrastigma after solid phase extraction (SPE) and
      their antitumor effects and antioxidant activities in H22 tumor-bearing mice.
AB  - Radix Tetrastigma (RT), a herbal medicine and functional food in China, showed
      strong antiproliferative activities in vitro. However, the effects and the
      underlying mechanism of phenolic-rich extract of RT in H22 tumor-bearing mice are
      still unknown. Thus, the phenolic profiles and antitumor/antioxidant activities
      of a solid phase extraction (SPE) semi-purified extract of RT were investigated
      by a combination of chemical assays, LC-QTOF-MS/LC-QqQ-MS techniques and a tumor
      bearing mice model. As a result, the total phenolic/flavonoid contents (TPC/TFC)
      and 24 individual phenolics were identified and quantified, which showed higher
      contents than that of crude extract. Results also indicated that RT extract could
      inhibit tumor growth and induce apoptosis by regulating the expression of Bcl-2
      family proteins and activating the caspase family proteins as well as suppressing
      tumor angiogenesis by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      expression. Besides, the interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels, tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      (TNF-alpha) production, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and NK cell levels were increased by RT
      administration, while RT significantly increased superoxide dismutase
      (SOD)/glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and decreased malondialdehyde
      (MDA) content. Summarily, the findings clearly demonstrated that RT extract could
      inhibit tumor growth by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting angiogenesis as well as
      preventing cancer by improving the immune functions and antioxidant activities.

PMID- 28920616
TI  - Vitamin C protects piglet liver against zearalenone-induced oxidative stress by
      modulating expression of nuclear receptors PXR and CAR and their target genes.
AB  - Zearalenone (ZEN), one of the most common mycotoxins found in human food and
      animal feed, has been shown to be effectively detoxified by vitamin C (Vc). The
      aim of this study was to investigate how vitamin C protects the piglet liver
      against oxidative stress induced by ZEN. A total of thirty-two healthy female
      crossbred weaning piglets (Duroc * Landrace * Large white) with an initial weight
      of 12.27 +/- 0.30 kg were randomly divided into four treatment groups of eight
      piglets per group. The dietary treatments included two zearalenone levels (0 mg
      kg-1 and 1.0 mg kg-1) and two vitamin C levels (2 mg kg-1 and 150 mg kg-1) in a 2
      * 2 factorial arrangement, and the trial period was twenty-eight days. The
      results showed that dietary zearalenone could significantly increase the liver
      coefficient (P < 0.05) and ZEN residues in the liver of weaning piglets (P <
      0.05), and hepatocyte swelling and granular degeneration were obvious.
      Additionally, dietary zearalenone significantly increased the level of MDA (P <
      0.05) and decreased the level of SOD, T-AOC and GSHPx in the liver of piglets (P
      < 0.05). However, the addition of 150 mg kg-1 vitamin C to dietary zearalenone
      decreased the effects of zearalenone on the liver coefficient, ZEN residues and
      oxidative stress, which decreased the level of MDA and increased the levels of
      SOD, T-AOC and GSHPx in the liver of piglets. Overall, there was a significant
      increase in the mRNA levels of nuclear receptor genes (PXR, CAR), phase I
      metabolic enzyme genes (CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1A6) and phase II metabolic enzyme
      genes (UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A6). In conclusion, vitamin C can alleviate damage to
      the liver of weaning piglets by modulating the nuclear receptor signaling
      pathway.

PMID- 28920617
TI  - Thermal conductivity of a perovskite-type metal-organic framework crystal.
AB  - We report for the first time the investigation of thermal conductivity for a
      perovskite-type MOF crystal. In situ single crystal X-ray diffraction technology
      was employed to track the phase transition of a newly synthesized perovskite MOF.
      The perovskite MOF crystal exhibits a low thermal conductivity of 1.3 W (K m)-1
      in comparison to most of the bulk crystal materials at room temperature.

PMID- 28920619
TI  - A novel method for identifying potential disease-related miRNAs via a disease
      miRNA-target heterogeneous network.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as a kind of important small endogenous single-stranded non
      coding RNA, play critical roles in a large number of human diseases. However, the
      currently known experimental verifications of the disease-miRNA associations are
      still rare and experimental identification is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
      Accordingly, identifying potential disease-related miRNAs to help people
      understand the pathogenesis of complex diseases has become a hot topic. In this
      study, we take advantage of known disease-miRNA associations combined with a
      large number of experimentally validated miRNA-target associations, and further
      develop a novel disease-miRNA-target heterogeneous network for identifying
      disease-related miRNAs. The leave-one-out cross validation experiment and several
      statistical measures demonstrate that our method can effectively identify
      potential disease-related miRNAs. Furthermore, the good predictive performance of
      15 common diseases and the manually confirmed analyses of the top 30 candidates
      of hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian neoplasms and breast neoplasms further
      provide convincing evidence of the practical ability of our method. The source
      code implemented by our method is freely available at: .

PMID- 28920620
TI  - Observation of chemically protected polydimethylsiloxane: towards crack-free
      PDMS.
AB  - The current modification of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates via oxygen
      plasma treatment causes surface cracks. Here, we demonstrate a method to prevent
      crack formation by chemical treatment. Chemical modification renders the surface
      hydrophilic for several days and is effective in preserving the elasticity of the
      PDMS surface at the nanoscale level.

PMID- 28920625
TI  - Simultaneous modulation of surface composition, oxygen vacancies and assembly in
      hierarchical Co3O4 mesoporous nanostructures for lithium storage and
      electrocatalytic oxygen evolution.
AB  - We developed a facile solution reductive method to simultaneously tune the
      surface composition, oxygen vacancies and three dimensional assembly in Co3O4
      hierarchical nanostructures. The controllable surface composition, oxygen
      vacancies together with hierarchical micro/nanoarchitectures resulted in superior
      electrochemical properties when used as the anode materials for lithium-ion
      batteries and as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction. The
      excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of
      novel hierarchical morphology, crystal structure of the active materials, the
      improvement of intrinsic conductivity and inner surface area induced by the
      oxygen vacancies. The present strategy not only provides a facile method to
      assemble novel hierarchical architectures, but also paves a way to control
      surface structures (chemical composition and crystal defects) in other transition
      metal compounds, and thus will hold great promise in the fields of energy storage
      and conversion.

PMID- 28920624
TI  - Directed nucleophilic addition of phenoxides to cyclopropenes.
AB  - The alkali metal-templated addition of aryloxides across the double bond of non
      conjugated cyclopropenes is described. High cis-selectivity is achieved through a
      directing effect of a strategically positioned carboxamide functionality.

PMID- 28920626
TI  - Mononuclear salen-gallium complexes for iso-selective ring-opening polymerization
      (ROP) of rac-lactide.
AB  - A series of mononuclear salen-supported gallium amido/alkoxide derivatives were
      prepared and structurally characterized and subsequently used as initiators in
      rac-lactide ring-opening polymerisation (ROP). The reaction of variously
      substituted salen ligands (1a-1f) with 0.5 equiv. of Ga2(NMe2)6 allowed the
      isolation of the corresponding (salen)Ga-NMe2 chelates (2b-2d, 2f) via an amine
      elimination route, as poorly soluble compounds in common solvents. The (salen)Ga
      OBn derivatives (3a-3e) may be readily accessed by an amine
      elimination/alcoholysis sequence and the molecular structures of 3a, 3d and 3e
      were confirmed through X-ray crystallography diffraction analysis. The present
      (salen)Ga-X species may effectively mediate the iso-selective ROP of rac-LA in a
      controlled manner (Pm up to 0.77 using a 1/1 2f/BnOH mixture as ROP initiator),
      with a ROP activity greatly dependent upon steric hindrance and geometrical
      constraints imposed by the variously substituted salen ligands. Based on the
      present study, salen ligands with limited steric hindrance and a certain degree
      of flexibility appear best suited for iso-selective ROP by (salen)Ga chelates.
      The salen-gallium complex 3a is also effective for the controlled ROP of epsilon
      caprolactone (CL) and the production of PCL-b-PLA copolymers.

PMID- 28920627
TI  - Site preferences in hetero-metallic [Fe9-xNix] clusters: a combined
      crystallographic, spectroscopic and theoretical analysis.
AB  - The reaction of mixtures of Fe(O2CMe)2.2H2O and Ni(O2CMe)2.4H2O of various
      compositions with di-2-pyridyl ketone (py2CO, dpk) in MeCN under an inert
      atmosphere afforded a family of hetero-metallic enneanuclear clusters with
      general formula [Fe9-xNix(MU4-OH)2(O2CMe)8(py2CO2)4] (2, x = 1.00; 3: x = 6.02;
      4, x = 7.46; 5, x = 7.81). Clusters 2-5 are isomorphous to the homo-metallic
      [Fe9] cluster (1) previously reported by some of us, and also isostructural to
      the known homo-metallic [Ni9] cluster. All four clusters contain a central MII
      ion in an unusual 8-coordinate site and eight peripheral MII ions in distorted
      octahedral environments. The distribution of FeII and NiII ions over these two
      distinct coordination sites in 2-5 can be established through a combination of X
      ray fluorescence and Mossbauer spectroscopies, which show that FeII
      preferentially occupies the unique 8-coordinate metal site while NiII accumulates
      in the octahedral holes. Density functional theory indicates that the
      distribution of ions across the two sites arises not from any intrinsic
      preference of the FeII ions for the 8-coordinate sites, but rather because of the
      large ligand field stabilization energy available to NiII in octahedral
      coordination.

PMID- 28920629
TI  - In situ construction of a heterojunction over the surface of a sandwich structure
      semiconductor for highly efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution under visible
      light irradiation.
AB  - Developing a heterostructure on the surface of a "sandwich" structure
      semiconductor is essential for full utilization of its heterojunction function
      and hence for designing efficient solar energy conversion systems. Here, we show
      that 2D-2D MoS2/MnSb2S4 heterostructure composites are designed for the first
      time and successfully synthesized by a simple in situ calcination pathway. Under
      visible light irradiation, the ca. 3.3 wt% MoS2/MnSb2S4 samples exhibited the
      highest activity for H2 evolution, which was 7.7 times higher than that of the
      pristine MnSb2S4 monolayer. The outstanding photocatalytic performance was
      attributed to the MoS2 nanosheets intimately growing on the surface [SbS]+ layers
      of monolayer MnSb2S4 nanosheets with the [SbS]+-[MnS2]2--[SbS]+ sandwich
      substructure to form the 2D-2D MoS2/MnSb2S4 heterojunction structure. More
      importantly, we prove that this specific heterojunction structure can lead to
      more weakening of the constraint of the valence electrons in the composited
      photocatalysts, which can promote the transfer of photogenerated electrons from
      MnSb2S4 to MoS2. The present study provides a new design strategy for the
      construction of a heterostructure to improve the photocatalytic H2 production
      activity highly efficiently.

PMID- 28920628
TI  - Fluoroquinolones as imaging agents for bacterial infection.
AB  - Diagnosis of deep-seated bacterial infection is difficult, as neither standard
      anatomical imaging nor radiolabeled, autologous leukocytes distinguish sterile
      inflammation from infection. Two recent imaging efforts are receiving attention:
      (1) radioactive derivatives of sorbitol show good specificity with Gram-negative
      bacterial infections, and (2) success in combining anatomical and functional
      imaging for cancer diagnosis has rekindled interest in 99mTc-fluoroquinolone
      based imaging. With the latter, computed tomography (CT) would be combined with
      single-photon-emission-computed tomography (SPECT) to detect 99mTc
      fluoroquinolone-bacterial interactions. The present minireview provides a
      framework for advancing fluoroquinolone-based imaging by identifying gaps in our
      understanding of the process. One issue is the reliance of 99mTc labeling on the
      reduction of sodium pertechnetate, which can lead to colloid formation and loss
      of specificity. Specificity problems may be reduced by altering the quinolone
      structure (for example, switching from ciprofloxacin to sitafloxacin). Another
      issue is the uncharacterized nature of 99mTc-ciprofloxacin binding to, or
      sequestration in, bacteria: specific interactions with DNA gyrase, an
      intracellular fluoroquinolone target, are unlikely. Labeling with 68Ga rather
      than 99mTc enables detection by positron emission tomography, but with similar
      biological uncertainties. Replacing the C6-F of the fluoroquinolone with 18F
      provides an alternative to pertechnetate and gallium that may lead to imaging
      based on drug interactions with gyrase. Gyrase-based imaging requires knowledge
      of fluoroquinolone action, which we update. We conclude that quinolone-based
      probes show promise for the diagnosis of infection, but improvements in
      specificity and sensitivity are needed. These improvements include the
      optimization of the quinolone structure; such chemistry efforts can be
      accelerated by refining microbiological assays.

PMID- 28920630
TI  - Experimental and ab initio studies of Cd5(BO3)3Cl: the first cadmium borate
      chlorine NLO material with isolated BO3 groups.
AB  - A nonlinear optical crystal cadmium borate chlorine (Cd5(BO3)3Cl) has been
      successfully grown through a spontaneous crystallization method. Cd5(BO3)3Cl
      crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric space group Cm with isolated BO3 and
      distorted CdOnClm (n = 4, 5, 7; m = 0, 1, 2) polyhedra. Powder second harmonic
      generation (SHG) measurements on polycrystalline Cd5(BO3)3Cl indicated that the
      title compound is phase-matchable in the visible region and exhibits a large SHG
      response of about 5 * KH2PO4 (KDP). Further optical characterization suggested
      that the compound has a wide transparent region ranging from UV to near IR with a
      UV cutoff edge at about 295 nm. In addition, first-principles electronic
      structure calculations revealed that the macroscopic SHG coefficients of
      Cd5(BO3)3Cl originate from the cooperative effects of the BO3 groups with
      asymmetric pi-delocalization, the d10 cation Cd2+ with the polar displacement and
      the Cl- anions.

PMID- 28920631
TI  - Pneumocystis jirovecii genotyping: experience in a tertiary-care hospital in
      Northern Italy.
AB  - Respiratory samples from Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) cases collected
      at a tertiary-care university hospital in Modena were analyzed for the presence
      of specific polymorphisms in the mitochondrial large subunit ribosomal RNA (mtLSU
      rRNA). Retrospectively, 57 cases were selected in a six-year period and 34 out of
      the 57 processed BAL samples returned PCR positive results, thus allowing further
      molecular analysis. The following P.jirovecii genotype distribution was observed:
      genotype 3 (50%), genotype 2 (23%), genotype 1 (18%), genotypes 1 or 4 (9%).
      These data add novel insights on P.jirovecii epidemiology, investigating a
      previously unstudied area of Northern Italy. A peculiar local distribution is
      highlighted with respect to other areas within the national panorama, thus
      encouraging further in-depth studies in an attempt to better understand the
      overall situation concerning P.jirovecii genotype circulation.

PMID- 28920632
TI  - Acute cardiotoxicity induced by doxorubicin in right ventricle is associated with
      increase of oxidative stress and apoptosis in rats.
AB  - Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents, but its
      efficiency is seriously limited by the risk of developing cardiomyopathy. The
      most recognized cardiotoxic effect is left ventricular (LF) dysfunction, but MRI
      and echocardiography data demonstrated significant right ventricle (RV) function
      impairment. In order to clarify this aspect, the present study investigated the
      potential of DOX to induce acute RV cardiotoxicity at the same time as LV
      impairment. Rats were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with a single dose of 15
      mg/kg DOX. DOX-treated rats were characterized by decreased body and heart
      weights, elevated levels of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase
      (LDH) activities compared to controls. Biochemical analyses on RV tissue revealed
      that the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significant increased (p<0.05) and
      activities of catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase
      (GPX) antioxidant enzymes were decreased by 13%, 27% and 18%, respectively,
      compared to control. Histopathogical and electron microscopic studies revealed
      DOX-induced damage in both ventricles and an increase of interstitial collagen
      fibers compared to controls (p<0.001), whereas immunohistochemical analysis
      showed weak and irregular desmin expression. Furthermore, mitochondrion-induced
      apoptotic pathways were also activated in both ventricles, as reflected by the up
      regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA expression ratio (p<0.001) and increase of Bax and
      caspase-3 protein expression, as well as by the significant elevation of TUNEL
      positive nuclei, compared to controls (p<0.001). The results showed that DOX
      exerted RV toxic effects at the same time as those reported in the LV, which
      might be mediated through the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis.

PMID- 28920633
TI  - Noninvasive ventilation in difficult endotracheal intubation: systematic and
      review analysis.
AB  - Noninvasive ventilation has been widely used in the management of acute
      respiratory failure in appropriate clinical settings. In addition to known
      benefit of alleviating the need for invasive mechanical ventilation, recent
      literature suggested its beneficial use in the process of endotracheal
      intubation. Search of the PubMed database and manual review of selected articles
      investigating the methods and outcomes of endotracheal intubation in difficult
      airway due to hypoxemic respiratory failure and the role of noninvasive
      ventilation in this process. Large randomized controlled studies focused on
      alternative approaches to endotracheal intubation in severe hypoxemic respiratory
      failure are largely missing but there are several retrospective cohort analysis
      and reports describing the novel technique describing the application of
      noninvasive ventilation during endotracheal intubation. Noninvasive ventilation
      can be used as an adjunct intervention that may maintain oxygenation and
      ventilation, prevent significant hemodynamic instability and provide a pneumatic
      stent to maintain upper airway patency, thus reducing the risks of intubation
      related complications.

PMID- 28920634
TI  - Outcomes analysis of stent-graft repair for thoracic aorta emergencies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify patient, pathology and procedure-related
      factors affecting perioperative and mid-term mortality of thoracic aorta
      emergencies. METHODS: Between 2007 and 2014, patients treated emergently with
      thoracic stent-graft were retrospectively reviewed. Variables analyzed were: age,
      renal insufficiency, shock, cardiac arrest, transfer status, pathology,
      debranching procedures, operation duration, vascular access and European System
      for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE). Seventy-four patients (54.5+/
      22 years) were treated for traumatic rupture (N.=31), aneurysm (TAA) (N.=16),
      acute aortic syndrome (N.=18), aorto-esophageal fistula (N.=2), floating thrombus
      (N.=7). Thirty-four patients (46%) were in shock, including 3 suffering
      preoperative cardiac arrest. Proximal landing zones were: zone 0 (N.=4), zone 1
      (N.=4), zone 2 (N.=37), zone 3 (N.=21) and zone 4 (N.=8). Debranching procedures
      were performed in 16 cases (22%). RESULTS: Perioperative all-cause- mortality was
      18.9% (N.=14). Univariable analysis identified age, renal insufficiency, shock,
      transfer status, cardiac arrest, debranching procedures in zones 0 or 4 and
      EuroSCORE as predictors of death (P=0.002, P=0.001, P=0.002, P=0.05, P=0.006,
      P=0.028, P<0.001 respectively). Multivariable analysis pinpointed shock and renal
      insufficiency as independent risk factors. Over a mean 41 months follow-up,
      survival was 72% at both 1 and 3 years and was impacted by pathology and
      debranching procedures. Aortic re-intervention rate was 12% (N.=9), significantly
      higher in TAA group (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Hemorrhagic shock remains highly
      lethal for endovascular repair. Hybrid procedures in zones 0 or 4 should be
      avoided to improve short and mid-term outcomes. TAA groups require close
      surveillance to detect late events.

PMID- 28920635
TI  - Recent developments in juxtarenal and aorto-iliac interventions.

PMID- 28920637
TI  - Bypassing a bypass: transcatheter aortic valve replacement and percutaneous
      closure of a regurgitant apical-aortic conduit.

PMID- 28920636
TI  - Politetrafluorene suture used as artificial mitral chord: mechanical properties
      and surgical implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Novel surgical approach to repair degenerative mitral regurgitation
      such as transapical chordae tendineae replacement and "loop in loop" in loop
      techniques, need of artificial chordae longer than that used in the older
      techniques of chordae tendineae replacement. This difference in length has been
      reported as potential critical point for durability of artificial chordae. In the
      present paper we have investigated the elastic behavior of different diameter and
      length politetrafluorene (PTFE) suture threads as substitute of native chordae,
      to identify their reliability to use as long artificial chordae. METHODS: PTFE
      suture threads with different diameters were investigated in their mechanical
      properties at different length from 2 to 14 cm, by a servo hydraulic testing
      machine, to test the elastic properties of the sample in their use as mitral
      chordae substitutes. RESULTS: Our study shows that the chordae length is an
      important parameter that can change the performance of chordae itself. The
      analysis of elastic/properties of suture threads specimen, reveals that long PTFE
      chords have an optimal mechanical behavior in which elongation is accompanied by
      a safe elastic properties that make them well resistance during multiple
      tractions. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion the use of PTFE as an artificial chordae
      may represent a valid choice in case of insertion of artificial chordae with
      extra anatomic length.

PMID- 28920638
TI  - Aortic valve neo-cuspidizations for aortic stenosis with small aortic annulus.

PMID- 28920639
TI  - Protection of Human Subjects.
AB  - On January 19, 2017, the Federal departments and agencies that are subject to the
      Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (referred to as the Common
      Rule) published a final rule amending the Common Rule. The Consumer Product
      Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) adopts the Common Rule.

PMID- 28920640
TI  - Looking forward - April 2017.

PMID- 28920641
TI  - Using global surgical indicators to improve trauma care in Latin America.

PMID- 28920642
TI  - UM Ryder Trauma Center/ Israel fellowship program provides a model for global
      trauma training.

PMID- 28920643
TI  - QPP in 2017: Navigating the transition year.

PMID- 28920644
TI  - The future of trauma care on Capitol Hill: Implementing military-civilian trauma
      care and establishing a national trauma system.

PMID- 28920645
TI  - 2016 ACS International Governors Survey: Membership benefits and challenges for
      International Fellows are revealed in first-time study.

PMID- 28920646
TI  - Statement on the use of general anesthetics and sedation drugs in children and
      pregnant women.

PMID- 28920647
TI  - Reporting global codes data in 2017.

PMID- 28920648
TI  - Hernia repair and complex abdominal wall reconstruction.

PMID- 28920649
TI  - Diamonds in the rough-a case for rural surgery rotations.

PMID- 28920650
TI  - Junior investigators: Get engaged in the Alliance for Clinical Trials in
      Oncology.
AB  - The success of the Alliance and the cooperative groups in the National Cancer
      Institute's National Clinical Trials Network is dependent on the cooperative
      group's ability to help recruit and train the next generation of clinical
      researchers.

PMID- 28920651
TI  - ACS Case Reviews in Surgery and AHRQ Safety Program for ERAS: New ACS programs
      enhance quality patient care.

PMID- 28920652
TI  - New resources for surgeons to obtain true informed consent.

PMID- 28920653
TI  - Make no bones about it.

PMID- 28920654
TI  - In memoriam: Denton A. Cooley, MD, FACS, a fierce competitor.

PMID- 28920655
TI  - Looking forward - March 2017.

PMID- 28920656
TI  - Evolving insights for preventing surgeon errors: Balancing professionalism and
      cognition with knowledge and skill.

PMID- 28920657
TI  - Patient-reported outcomes in surgery: Listening to patients improves quality of
      care.

PMID- 28920658
TI  - Value-based health care: How to succeed in a bundled care APM.

PMID- 28920659
TI  - Coding for nipple-sparing and skin-sparing mastectomies.

PMID- 28920660
TI  - Practice changes for reducing UTIs in colon and rectal surgery patients.

PMID- 28920661
TI  - In search of the philosopher's stone: The ALCHEMIST study for lung cancer.

PMID- 28920663
TI  - Honoring mentors: An ACS tradition.

PMID- 28920662
TI  - Celebrating the sesquicentennial of Lord Joseph Lister.

PMID- 28920664
TI  - The Joint Commission clarifies stance on secure text messaging of patient care
      orders.

PMID- 28920665
TI  - Kinetic and Thermodynamic Control of Structure Transformations in a Family of
      Cobalt(II)-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - Dynamic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that respond to external stimuli have
      recently attracted great attention. However, the subtle control of dynamic
      processes as well as the illustration of the underlying mechanism, which is
      crucial for the targeted construction and modulation purpose, is extremely
      challenging. Herein, we report the achievement of simultaneous kinetic and
      thermodynamic modulation of the structure transformation processes of a family of
      cobalt(II)-organic frameworks, through the rational combination of coligand
      replacement, solvent molecule substitution, and ligand-based solid solution
      strategies. On the basis of the systematic investigation of the structural
      transformation behaviors, the underlying response mechanism and principles for
      modulation were illustrated. It is expected that this work can provide valuable
      hints for the study and further development of dynamic materials.

PMID- 28920666
TI  - Softoxometalate [{K6.5Cu(OH)8.5(H2O)7.5}0.5@{K3PW12O40}]n (n = 1348-2024) as an
      Efficient Inorganic Material for CO2 Reduction with Concomitant Water Oxidation.
AB  - An immediate challenge for chemists is to devise different methods to trap
      chemical energy using light by reduction of carbon dioxide to a transportable
      fuel. To reach this goal the major obstacle lies in finding a suitable material
      that is abundant and possesses catalytic power to effect such reduction reaction
      and perform this reduction reaction without using any external photosensitizer.
      Here we report for the first time a softoxometalate based on a
      {[K6.5Cu(OH)8.5(H2O)7.5]0.5[K3PW12O40]} metal oxide framework which is stable in
      reaction conditions that effectively performs photochemical CO2 reduction
      reaction in water with a very high turnover number of 613 and TOF of 47.15 h-1.
      We observe that during this reaction water gets oxidized to oxygen, while the
      electrons released directly go to CO2 reducing it to formic acid. A detailed
      account of the characterization of the catalyst along with that of products of
      this reaction is reported.

PMID- 28920667
TI  - Warm-White-Light-Emitting Diode Based on a Dye-Loaded Metal-Organic Framework for
      Fast White-Light Communication.
AB  - A dye@metal-organic framework (MOF) hybrid was used as a fluorophore in a white
      light-emitting diode (WLED) for fast visible-light communication (VLC). The white
      light was generated from a combination of blue emission of the 9,10-dibenzoate
      anthracene (DBA) linkers and yellow emission of the encapsulated Rhodamine B
      molecules. The MOF structure not only prevents dye molecules from aggregation
      induced quenching but also efficiently transfers energy to the dye for dual
      emission. This light-emitting material shows emission lifetimes of 1.8 and 5.3 ns
      for the blue and yellow components, respectively, which are significantly shorter
      than the 200 ns lifetime of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ in commercial WLEDs. The MOF-WLED
      device exhibited a modulating frequency of 3.6 MHz for VLC, six times that of
      commercial WLEDs.

PMID- 28920668
TI  - Electrochemical and Diffusional Investigation of Na2FeIIPO4F Fluorophosphate
      Sodium Insertion Material Obtained from FeIII Precursor.
AB  - Sodium iron fluorophosphate (Na2FeIIPO4F) was synthesized by economic
      solvothermal combustion technique using FeIII precursors, developing one-step
      carbon-coated homogeneous product. Synchrotron diffraction and Mossbauer
      spectroscopy revealed the formation of single-phase product assuming an
      orthorhombic structure (s.g. Pbcn) with FeII species. This FeIII precursor
      derived Na2FeIIPO4F exhibited reversible Na+ (de)intercalation with discharge
      capacity of 100 mAh/g at a rate of C/10 involving flat FeIII/FeII redox plateaus
      located at 2.92 and 3.05 V (vs Na/Na+). It delivered good cycling stability and
      rate kinetics at room temperature. The stability of Na2FePO4F cathode was further
      verified by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at different stages of
      galvanostatic analysis. Bond valence site energy (BVSE) calculations revealed the
      existence of 2-dimensional Na+ percolation pathways in the a-c plane with a
      moderate migration barrier of 0.6 eV. Combustion synthesized Na2FeIIPO4F forms an
      economically viable sodium battery material. Although the capacity of this
      cathode is relatively low, this study continues systematic work, which attempts
      to broaden the scope of reversible sodium insertion materials.

PMID- 28920669
TI  - In Situ Studies of Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) Formation on Crystalline
      Carbon Surfaces by Neutron Reflectometry and Atomic Force Microscopy.
AB  - The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is a complex and fragile passivation layer
      with crucial importance for the functionality of lithium-ion batteries. Due to
      its fragility and reactivity, the use of in situ techniques is preferable for the
      determination of the SEI's true structure and morphology during its formation. In
      this study, we use in situ neutron reflectometry (NR) and in situ atomic force
      microscopy (AFM) to investigate the SEI formation on a carbon surface. It was
      found that a lithium-rich adsorption layer is already present at the open circuit
      voltage on the carbon sample surface and that the first decomposition products
      start to deposit close to this potential. During the negative potential sweep,
      the growth of the SEI can be observed in detail by AFM and NR. This allows
      precise monitoring of the morphology evolution and the resulting heterogeneities
      of individual SEI features. NR measurements show a maximum SEI thickness of 192 A
      at the lower cutoff potential (0.02 V vs Li/Li+), which slightly decreases during
      the positive potential scan. The scattering length density (SLD) obtained by NR
      provides additional information on the SEI's chemical nature and structural
      evolution.

PMID- 28920670
TI  - Fabrication of Hierarchical Porous Carbon Nanoflakes for High-Performance
      Supercapacitors.
AB  - In the current work, the carbon nanoflakes (CNs-Fe/KOH) and porous carbon (PC
      Ni/KOH) have been produced by using Fe(NO3)3/KOH and Ni(NO3)2/KOH as the
      cographitization/activation catalysts to treat the natural plane tree fluff,
      respectively. The as-prepared carbon materials show different morphologies when
      treated with different metal ions. Compared with PC-Ni/KOH, the CNs-Fe/KOH have
      both high graphitization degree (IG/ID = 1.53) and large SBET (1416 m2/g). In a
      three-electrode setup, the CNs-Fe/KOH electrode shows a high specific capacitance
      of 253 F/g at 10 A/g, with a capacitance retention of 92.64% after 10000 cycles
      in 2 M H2SO4 aqueous solution, which is far better than the sample without Fe3+
      addition. In 1 M LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate organic solution,
      CNs-Fe/KOH-based symmetric supercapacitor also presents an excellent specific
      capacitance of 32.2 F/g at 1 A/g. In addition, an energy density of 39.98 W h/kg
      can be achieved at the power density of 1.49 kW/kg. Influence of metal ions on
      the morphology and structure as well as electrochemical performance of the carbon
      materials are further analyzed in detail. The current work provides a novel path
      for design and fabrication of supercapacitor electrode materials with promising
      electrochemical performances.

PMID- 28920671
TI  - Development of a Multifunctional Nanobiointerface Based on Self-Assembled Fusion
      Protein rSbpA/ZZ for Blood Cell Enrichment and Phenotyping.
AB  - We present a multifunctional nanobiointerface for blood cell capture and
      phenotyping applications that features both excellent antifouling properties and
      high antibody activity. Multifunctionality is accomplished by modifying polymeric
      materials using self-assembled S-layer fusion-protein rSbpA/ZZ to immobilize high
      density antibodies at the two protein A binding sites of the rSbpA/ZZ nanolattice
      structure. Controlled orientation and alignment of the antibodies reduced
      antibody consumption 100-fold and increased cell capture efficiency 4-fold over
      standard methodologies. Cell analysis in complex samples was made possible by the
      remarkable antifouling properties of the rSbpA domain, while at the same time
      reducing unspecific binding and forgoing tedious blocking procedures. An
      automated microfluidic in situ cell analysis platform for isolation and
      phenotyping of primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells was developed as
      practical application. Results obtained using our automated microfluidic cell
      analysis platform showed that the multifunctional nanobiointerface can
      discriminate among T helper and cytotoxic T cells, and thymocytes. Additionally,
      on-chip cell capture under flow conditions using a high affinity CD 3 selective
      nanobiointerface preferentially isolated cells with strong surface marker
      expression. This means that our dynamic microfluidic cell purification method
      allows the enrichment of 773 CD 8 positive cytotoxic T cells out of a total blood
      cell population of 7728 PBMCs, which is an increase in cell enrichment of 8-fold
      with a purity of 85%.

PMID- 28920672
TI  - Assembling Hollow Cobalt Sulfide Nanocages Array on Graphene-like Manganese
      Dioxide Nanosheets for Superior Electrochemical Capacitors.
AB  - Metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived hollow cobalt sulfides have attracted
      extensive attention due to their porous shell that provides rich redox reactions
      for energy storage. However, their ultradispersed structure and the large size of
      MOF precursors result in relatively low conductivity, stability, and tap density.
      Therefore, the construction of an array of continuous hollow cages and tailoring
      of the inner cavity of MOF-derived materials is very effective for enhancing the
      electrochemical performance. Herein, we in situ assembled small Co-based zeolitic
      imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) on the both sides of negatively charged MnO2
      nanosheets to fabricate a hierarchical sandwich-type composite with hollow cobalt
      sulfide nanocages/graphene-like MnO2. The graphene-like MnO2 nanosheets acted not
      only as a structure-directing agent to grow a ZIF-67 array but also as a
      promising electroactive material of electrochemical capacitors to provide
      capacitance. As an electrode material of supercapacitors, the as-prepared
      composites exhibit high specific capacitance (1635 F g-1 at 1 A g-1), great rate
      performance (reaching 1160 F g-1 at 10 A g-1), and excellent cycling stability
      (80% retention after 5000 cycles). The outstanding electrochemical properties of
      our designed materials can be attributed to the unique nanostructure that
      improved electrical conductivity, created more reactive active sites, and
      increased the diffusion pathway for electrolyte ions.

PMID- 28920673
TI  - Work Function Control of Germanium through Carborane-Carboxylic Acid Surface
      Passivation.
AB  - Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of carborane isomers with different dipole
      moments passivate germanium to modulate surface work function while maintaining
      chemical environment and surface energy. To identify head groups capable of
      monolayer formation on germanium surfaces, we studied thiol-, hydroxyl-, and
      carboxyl-terminated carboranes. These films were successfully formed with
      carboxylic acid head groups instead of the archetypal thiol, suggesting that the
      carborane cluster significantly affects headgroup reactivity. Film
      characterization included X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies as
      well as contact angle goniometry. Using these carboranes, the germanium surface
      work function was tailored over 0.4 eV without significant changes to wetting
      properties.

PMID- 28920674
TI  - Boosting Catalytic Performance of Metal-Organic Framework by Increasing the
      Defects via a Facile and Green Approach.
AB  - The control of defects in crystalline materials has long been of significance
      since the defects are correlated with the performances of the materials. Yet such
      control remains a challenge for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are
      usually well-crystallized under hydro-/solvothermal conditions. In this
      contribution, we demonstrate for the first time how to increase the defects of
      MOF via a facile and green approach as exemplified in the context of solvent-free
      synthesis of UiO-66(Zr). Such increase of defects leads to drastic enhancement of
      catalysis performance when compared to UiO-66(Zr) prepared from conventional
      hydro-/solvothermal synthesis. Our work therefore not only opens a new door for
      boosting the catalytic activities of MOFs but also contributes a new approach to
      control the defects in crystalline materials for various applications.

PMID- 28920675
TI  - Mitigation of N2O Emission from Aquaponics by Optimizing the Nitrogen
      Transformation Process: Aeration Management and Exogenous Carbon (PLA) Addition.
AB  - N2O production in aquaponics is an inevitable concern when aquaponics is
      developed as a future production system. In the present study, two attempts were
      applied to mitigate N2O emission from aquaponics, i.e., aeration in hydroponic
      bed (HA) and addition of polylactic acid (PLA) into fillers (PA). Results showed
      that N2O emission from HA and PA was decreased by 47.1-58.1% and 43.2-74.9%
      respectively compared with that in control. Denitrification was proved to be the
      main emission pathway in all treatments, representing 62.4%, 86.4%, and 75.8% of
      the total N2O emission in HA, PA, and control, respectively. However, production
      of plants in HA was severely impaired, which was only 3.04 +/- 0.39 kg/m2, while
      in PA and control, plants yields were 4.87 +/- 0.56 kg/m2 and 4.33 +/- 0.58
      kg/m2. Combining the environmental and economic benefits, adding PLA in
      aquaponics may have a better future when developing and applying aquaponics
      systems.

PMID- 28920676
TI  - Changes in Amino Acid Profile in Roots of Glyphosate Resistant and Susceptible
      Soybean (Glycine max) Induced by Foliar Glyphosate Application.
AB  - Amino acid profiles are useful to analyze the responses to glyphosate in
      susceptible and resistant soybean lines. Comparisons of profiles for 10 amino
      acids (Asp, Asn, Glu, Gln, Ser, His, Gly, Thr, Tyr, Leu) by HPLC in soybean roots
      were performed in two near isogenic pairs (four varieties). Foliar application of
      glyphosate was made to soybean plants after 5 weeks of seeding. Roots of four
      varieties were collected at 0 and 72 h after glyphosate application (AGA) for
      amino acid analysis by HPLC. Univariate analysis showed a significant increase of
      several amino acids in susceptible as well as resistant soybean lines; however,
      amino acids from the major pathways of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) metabolism,
      such as Asp, Asn, Glu and Gln, and Ser, increased significantly in susceptible
      varieties at 72 h AGA. Multivariate analysis using principal component analysis
      (2D PCA and 3D PCA) allowed different groups to be identified and discriminated
      based on the soybean genetic origin, showing the amino acid responses on
      susceptible and resistant varieties. Based on the results, it is possible to
      infer that the increase of Asn, Asp, Glu, Gln, and Ser in susceptible varieties
      would be related to the deregulation of C and N metabolism, as well as changes in
      the growth mechanisms regulated by Ser.

PMID- 28920677
TI  - Group 10 Metal Benzene-1,2-dithiolate Derivatives in the Synthesis of
      Coordination Polymers Containing Potassium Countercations.
AB  - The use of theoretical calculations has allowed us to predict the coordination
      behavior of dithiolene [M(SC6H4S)2]2- (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) entities, giving rise to
      the first organometallic polymers {[K2(MU-H2O)2][Ni(SC6H4S)2]}n and {[K2(MU
      H2O)2(thf)]2[K2(MU-H2O)2(thf)2][Pd3(SC6H4S)6]}n by one-pot reactions of the
      corresponding d10 metal salts, 1,2-benzenedithiolene, and KOH. The polymers are
      based on sigma,pi interactions between potassium atoms and [M(SC6H4S)2]2- (M =
      Ni, Pd) entities. In contrast, only sigma interactions are observed when the
      analogous platinum derivative is used instead, yielding the coordination polymer
      {[K2(MU-thf)2][Pt(SC6H4S)2]}n.

PMID- 28920678
TI  - Facing Challenges in Real-Life Application of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering:
      Design and Nanofabrication of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates for
      Rapid Field Test of Food Contaminants.
AB  - Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is capable of detecting a single
      molecule with high specificity and has become a promising technique for rapid
      chemical analysis of agricultural products and foods. With a deeper understanding
      of the SERS effect and advances in nanofabrication technology, SERS is now on the
      edge of going out of the laboratory and becoming a sophisticated analytical tool
      to fulfill various real-world tasks. This review focuses on the challenges that
      SERS has met in this progress, such as how to obtain a reliable SERS signal,
      improve the sensitivity and specificity in a complex sample matrix, develop
      simple and user-friendly practical sensing approach, reduce the running cost,
      etc. This review highlights the new thoughts on design and nanofabrication of
      SERS-active substrates for solving these challenges and introduces the recent
      advances of SERS applications in this area. We hope that our discussion will
      encourage more researches to address these challenges and eventually help to
      bring SERS technology out of the laboratory.

PMID- 28920679
TI  - Regioselective Synthesis of 2,4,5-Trisubstituted Oxazoles and Ketene Aminals via
      Hydroamidation and Iodo-Imidation of Ynamides.
AB  - A novel and straightforward protocol is demonstrated for the synthesis of highly
      substituted oxazoles from readily accessible ynamides in the presence of
      ytterbium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate [Yb(OTf)3], N-iodosuccinimide (NIS), and
      acetonitrile. Multiple oxazole skeletons in the aryl periphery are constructed in
      a single operation for the first time. The hydroamidation and iodo-imidation of
      ynamides to trisubstituted and tetrasubstituted ketene aminals is exemplified. An
      isotope labeling experiment is used to identify the oxygen source in this
      transformation. The reactions are scalable to the gram scale, testifying the
      robustness of the transformations.

PMID- 28920680
TI  - A Restricted Open Configuration Interaction with Singles Method To Calculate
      Valence-to-Core Resonant X-ray Emission Spectra: A Case Study.
AB  - In this work, a new protocol for the calculation of valence-to-core resonant X
      ray emission (VtC RXES) spectra is introduced. The approach is based on the
      previously developed restricted open configuration interaction with singles
      (ROCIS) method and its parametrized version, based on a ground-state Kohn-Sham
      determinant (DFT/ROCIS) method. The ROCIS approach has the following features:
      (1) In the first step approximation, many-particle eigenstates are calculated in
      which the total spin is retained as a good quantum number. (2) The ground state
      with total spin S and excited states with spin S' = S, S +/- 1, are obtained. (3)
      These states have a qualitatively correct multiplet structure. (4) Quasi
      degenerate perturbation theory is used to treat the spin-orbit coupling operator
      variationally at the many-particle level. (5) Transition moments are obtained
      between the relativistic many-particle states. The method has shown great
      potential in the field of X-ray spectroscopy, in particular in the field of
      transition-metal L-edge, which cannot be described correctly with particle-hole
      theories. In this work, the method is extended to the calculation of resonant VtC
      RXES [alternatively referred to as 1s-VtC resonant inelastic X-ray scattering
      (RIXS)] spectra. The complete Kramers-Dirac-Heisenerg equation is taken into
      account. Thus, state interference effects are treated naturally within this
      protocol. As a first application of this protocol, a computational study on the
      previously reported VtC RXES plane on a molecular managanese(V) complex is
      performed. Starting from conventional X-ray absorption spectra (XAS), we present
      a systematic study that involves calculations and electronic structure analysis
      of both the XAS and non-resonant and resonant VtC XES spectra. The very good
      agreement between theory and experiment, observed in all cases, allows us to
      unravel the complicated intensity mechanism of these spectroscopic techniques as
      a synergic function of state polarization and interference effects. In general,
      intense features in the RIXS spectra originate from absorption and emission
      processes that involve nonorthogonal transition moments. We also present a
      graphical method to determine the sign of the interference contributions.

PMID- 28920681
TI  - Access to Cyano-Containing Isoxazolines via Copper-Catalyzed Domino
      Cyclization/Cyanation of Alkenyl Oximes.
AB  - A highly efficient copper-catalyzed cyclization/cyanation cascade of unactivated
      olefins bearing oximes is described. A variety of cyano-containing isoxazolines
      have been obtained in high yields with cheap Cu(NO3)2.3H2O as the catalyst and
      TMSCN as the non-metallic cyanide source. The present method provides a mild,
      simple, and practical access to cyano-substituted isoxazolines and is amenable to
      gram scale. The simultaneous construction of C(sp3)-CN and C-O bonds can be
      achieved in one step.

PMID- 28920682
TI  - Carboxylate-Assisted Formation of Aryl-Co(III) Masked-Carbenes in Cobalt
      Catalyzed C-H Functionalization with Diazo Esters.
AB  - Herein we describe the synthesis of a family of aryl-Co(III)-carboxylate
      complexes and their reactivity with ethyl diazoacetate. Crystallographic, full
      spectroscopic characterization, and theoretical evidence of unique C-metalated
      aryl-Co(III) enolate intermediates is provided, unraveling a carboxylate-assisted
      formation of aryl-Co(III) masked-carbenes. Moreover, additional evidence for an
      unprecedented Co(III)-mediated intramolecular SN2-type C-C bond formation in
      which the carboxylate moiety acts as a relay is disclosed. This novel strategy is
      key to tame the hot reactivity of a metastable Co(III)-carbene and elicit C-C
      coupling products in a productive manner.

PMID- 28920683
TI  - Fate of Flumioxazin in Aquatic Plants: Two Algae (Pseudokirchneriella
      subcapitata, Synechococcus sp.), Duckweed (Lemna sp.), and Water Milfoil
      (Myriophyllum elatinoides).
AB  - Flumioxazin separately 14C-labeled at 1,2-positions of the tetrahydrophthalimide
      moiety or uniformly labeled at the phenyl ring was exposed to two algae and
      duckweed via the water layer and water milfoil via the water layer or bottom
      sediment for 14 days to investigate uptake and metabolic profiles in these
      aquatic plants. While 14C-flumioxazin received immediate hydrolysis through
      maleimide ring opening and amide bond cleavage with its hydrolytic half-life of
      <1 day in both water and sediment, the 14C-plant uptake was <=4.7% of the applied
      radioactivity (%AR) with water exposure for all plants and 0.9%AR with sediment
      exposure for water milfoil. No 14C-translocation between shoot/leaves and roots
      occurred in water milfoil. The components of 14C residues in plants were common
      among the species, which were the above hydrolysates and their transformation
      products, that is, dicarboxylic acid derivative metabolized via hydroxylation at
      the double bond of the cyclohexene ring followed by sugar conjugation with its
      counterpart amine derivative via acid conjugations.

PMID- 28920685
TI  - Evaluation of the Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Properties in Solvatochromic and
      Electrochromic Zinc Octa(carbazolyl)phthalocyanines.
AB  - 2,3,9,10,16,17,23.24-Octakis-(9H-carbazol-9-yl) phthalocyaninato zinc(II) (3) and
      2,3,9,10,16,17,23.24-octakis-(3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazole) phthalocyaninato
      zinc(II) (4) complexes were prepared and characterized by NMR and UV-vis
      spectroscopies, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), matrix-assisted laser
      desorption ionization mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. UV-vis and
      MCD data are indicative of the interligand charge-transfer nature of the broad
      band observed in 450-500 nm range for 3 and 4. The redox properties of 3 and 4
      were probed by electrochemical and spectro-electrochemical methods, which are
      suggestive of phthalocyanine-centered first oxidation and reduction processes.
      Photophysics of 3 and 4 were investigated by steady-state fluorescence and time
      resolved transient absorption spectroscopy demonstrating the influence of the
      carbazole substituents on deactivation from the first excited state in 3 and 4.
      Protonation of the meso-nitrogen atoms in 3 results in much faster deactivation
      kinetics from the first excited state. Spectroscopic data were correlated with
      density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations on 3 and 4.

PMID- 28920684
TI  - Stilbene Boronic Acids Form a Covalent Bond with Human Transthyretin and Inhibit
      Its Aggregation.
AB  - Transthyretin (TTR) is a homotetrameric protein. Its dissociation into monomers
      leads to the formation of fibrils that underlie human amyloidogenic diseases. The
      binding of small molecules to the thyroxin-binding sites in TTR stabilizes the
      homotetramer and attenuates TTR amyloidosis. Herein, we report on boronic acid
      substituted stilbenes that limit TTR amyloidosis in vitro. Assays of affinity for
      TTR and inhibition of its tendency to form fibrils were coupled with X-ray
      crystallographic analysis of nine TTR.ligand complexes. The ensuing structure
      function data led to a symmetrical diboronic acid that forms a boronic ester
      reversibly with serine 117. This diboronic acid inhibits fibril formation by both
      wild-type TTR and a common disease-related variant, V30M TTR, as effectively as
      does tafamidis, a small-molecule drug used to treat TTR-related amyloidosis in
      the clinic. These findings establish a new modality for covalent inhibition of
      fibril formation and illuminate a path for future optimization.

PMID- 28920686
TI  - High-Pressure Synthesis of the Cobalt Pyrochlore Oxide Pb2Co2O7 with Large Cation
      Mixed Occupancy.
AB  - The novel A2B2O7-type compound Pb2Co2O7 was synthesized at 8 GPa and 1673 K.
      Synchrotron X-ray diffraction shows a cubic pyrochlore structure with space group
      Fd3m. Rietveld structural analysis reveals a large cation mixed occupancy at both
      A and B sites by about 40%, the greatest value found in the pyrochlore family. In
      combination with the X-ray absorption spectroscopy results, the specific chemical
      composition and charge states are determined to be
      (Co0.6Pb0.4)3+2(Pb0.6Co0.4)4+2O7, in which both the A-site Co3+ and the B-site
      Co4+ are low-spin. Due to the tetrahedral geometric frustration effects as well
      as the random Co4+ and Pb4+ distribution at the B site, spin glassy behavior is
      well observed following the conventional critical slowing down feature in
      Pb2Co2O7.

PMID- 28920688
TI  - Enantioselective Construction of Cyclopenta[b]indole Scaffolds via the Catalytic
      Asymmetric [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of 2-Indolylmethanols with p-Hydroxystyrenes.
AB  - The catalytic asymmetric [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 2-indolylmethanols to p
      hydroxystyrenes was established in the presence of a chiral phosphoramide, and
      this reaction provided chiral cyclopenta[b]indole scaffolds in generally high
      yields and with good enantioselectivities (up to 98% yield, 99:1 er). The control
      experiments demonstrated that the dual hydrogen-bonding activation mode of the
      chiral catalyst toward the two substrates played an important role in the
      reaction. In addition, the large-scale reaction indicated that this catalytic
      asymmetric [3 + 2] cycloaddition could be scaled up for the synthesis of chiral
      cyclopenta[b]indole derivatives.

PMID- 28920687
TI  - Manipulating Protein-Protein Interactions in Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Type
      II Peptidyl Carrier Proteins.
AB  - In an effort to elucidate and engineer interactions in type II nonribosomal
      peptide synthetases, we analyzed biomolecular recognition between the essential
      peptidyl carrier proteins and adenylation domains using nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, molecular dynamics, and mutational studies. Three
      peptidyl carrier proteins, PigG, PltL, and RedO, in addition to their cognate
      adenylation domains, PigI, PltF, and RedM, were investigated for their cross
      species activity. Of the three peptidyl carrier proteins, only PigG showed
      substantial cross-pathway activity. Characterization of the novel NMR solution
      structure of holo-PigG and molecular dynamics simulations of holo-PltL and holo
      PigG revealed differences in structures and dynamics of these carrier proteins.
      NMR titration experiments revealed perturbations of the chemical shifts of the
      loop 1 residues of these peptidyl carrier proteins upon their interaction with
      the adenylation domain. These experiments revealed a key region for the protein
      protein interaction. Mutational studies supported the role of loop 1 in molecular
      recognition, as mutations to this region of the peptidyl carrier proteins
      significantly modulated their activities.

PMID- 28920689
TI  - A 320 Year Ice-Core Record of Atmospheric Hg Pollution in the Altai, Central
      Asia.
AB  - Anthropogenic emissions of the toxic heavy metal mercury (Hg) have substantially
      increased atmospheric Hg levels during the 20th century compared to preindustrial
      times. However, on a regional scale, atmospheric Hg concentration or deposition
      trends vary to such an extent during the industrial period that the consequences
      of recent Asian emissions on atmospheric Hg levels are still unclear. Here we
      present a 320 year Hg deposition history for Central Asia, based on a continuous
      high-resolution ice-core Hg record from the Belukha glacier in the Siberian
      Altai, covering the time period 1680-2001. Hg concentrations and deposition
      fluxes start rising above background levels at the beginning of the 19th century
      due to emissions from gold/silver mining and Hg production. A steep increase
      occurs after the 1940s culminating during the 1970s, at the same time as the
      maximum Hg use in consumer products in Europe and North America. After a distinct
      decrease in the 1980s, Hg levels in the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s return
      to their maximum values, which we attribute to increased Hg emissions from Asia.
      Thus, rising Hg emissions from coal combustion and artisanal and small-scale gold
      mining (ASGM) in Asian countries determine recent atmospheric Hg levels in
      Central Asia, counteracting emission reductions due to control measures in Europe
      and North America.

PMID- 28920690
TI  - Regional Intestinal Permeability in Rats: A Comparison of Methods.
AB  - Currently, the screening of new drug candidates for intestinal permeation is
      typically based on in vitro models which give no information regarding regional
      differences along the gut. When evaluation of intestinal permeability by region
      is undertaken, two preclinical rat models are commonly used, the Ussing chamber
      method and single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP). To investigate the robustness
      of in vivo predictions of human intestinal permeability, a set of four model
      compounds was systematically investigated in both these models, using tissue
      specimens and segments from the jejunum, ileum, and colon of rats from the same
      genetic strain. The influence of luminal pH was also determined at two pH levels.
      Ketoprofen had high and enalaprilat had low effective (Peff) and apparent (Papp)
      permeability in all three regions and at both pH levels. Metoprolol had high Peff
      in all regions and at both pHs and high Papp at both pHs and in all regions
      except the jejunum, where Papp was low. Atenolol had low Peff in all regions and
      at both pHs, but had high Papp at pH 6.5 and low Papp at pH 7.4. There were good
      correlations between these rat in situ Peff (SPIP) and human in vivo Peff
      determined previously for the same compounds by both intestinal perfusion of the
      jejunum and regional intestinal dosing. The results of this study indicate that
      both investigated models are suitable for determining the regional permeability
      of the intestine; however, the SPIP model seems to be the more robust and
      accurate regional permeability model.

PMID- 28920691
TI  - Pyruvate Enolate Arylation and Alkylation: OBO Ester Protected Pyruvates as
      Useful Reagents in Organic Synthesis.
AB  - A protected pyruvate equivalent is described that allows arylation and
      arylation/alkylation reactions to be performed at the methyl group. Utilization
      of the OBO derivative of the pyruvate ester allowed the application of palladium
      catalyzed arylation reactions together with subsequent alkylation, under basic
      conditions. Moreover, the OBO protecting group could be easily removed in one
      step to provide access to a wide range of substituted pyruvate derivatives.

PMID- 28920692
TI  - Roseochelin B, an Algaecidal Natural Product Synthesized by the Roseobacter
      Phaeobacter inhibens in Response to Algal Sinapic Acid.
AB  - The secondary metabolome of the representative Roseobacter, Phaeobacter inhibens,
      was examined in response to algal sinapic acid. In addition to roseobacticides,
      sinapic acid induced the production of two new natural products, roseochelin A
      and B, which were characterized by NMR and X-ray crystallography. Functional
      assays showed that roseochelin B binds iron and is algaecidal against the algal
      host Emiliania huxleyi. It appears to be produced by a rarely observed
      combination of nonenzymatic and enzymatic transformations.

PMID- 28920693
TI  - pH Tunable and Divalent Metal Ion Tolerant Polymer Lipid Nanodiscs.
AB  - The development and applications of detergent-free membrane mimetics have been
      the focus for the high-resolution structural and functional studies on membrane
      proteins. The introduction of lipid nanodiscs has attracted new attention toward
      the structural biology of membrane proteins and also enabled biomedical
      applications. Lipid nanodiscs provide a native lipid bilayer environment similar
      to the cell membrane surrounded by a belt made up of proteins or peptides. Recent
      studies have shown that the hydrolyzed form of styrene maleic anhydride copolymer
      (SMA) has the ability to form lipid nanodiscs and has several advantages over
      protein or peptide based nanodiscs. SMA polymer lipid nanodiscs have become very
      important for structural biology and nanobiotechnological applications. However,
      applications of the presently available polymer nanodiscs are limited by their
      instability toward divalent metal ions and acidic conditions. To overcome the
      limitations of SMA nanodiscs and to broaden the potential applications of polymer
      nanodiscs, the present study investigates the tunability of SMA polymer nanodiscs
      by systematically modifying the maleic acid functional group. The two newly
      developed polymers and subsequent lipid nanodiscs were characterized using solid
      state NMR, FT-IR, TEM, and DLS experiments. The pH dependence and metal ion
      stability of these nanodiscs were studied using static light scattering and FTIR.
      The reported polymer nanodiscs exhibit unique pH dependent stability based on the
      modified functional group and show a high tolerance toward divalent metal ions.
      We also show these tunable nanodiscs can be used to encapsulate and stabilize a
      polyphenolic natural product curcumin.

PMID- 28920694
TI  - Gold-Catalyzed Synthesis of 1-(Indol-3-yl)carbazoles: Selective 1,2-Alkyl vs 1,2
      Vinyl Migration.
AB  - Gold(III)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of alpha-bis(indol-3-yl)methyl alkynols
      selectively affords 1-(indol-3-yl)carbazoles, in a transformation that takes
      place through a selective 1,2-alkyl vs 1,2-vinyl migration step in the vinyl-gold
      intermediate generated from the initial 5-endo-spirocyclization. The reaction
      proceeds well with either tertiary or secondary starting alkynols as well as with
      a wide variety of alkyne substituents. The key role of the other indol-3-yl
      substituent for the unexpected selectivity in the 1,2 rearrangement has also been
      supported by DFT calculations that reveal a low barrier, two-step mechanism in
      the alkyl migration path where the second indole significantly stabilizes a
      carbocationic intermediate.

PMID- 28920695
TI  - Organic Radicals Outperform LiF as Efficient Electron-Injection Materials for
      Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.
AB  - One of the key issues for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is to achieve
      high electroluminescence efficiency and high power efficiency, which requires
      extremely efficient electron injection and thus low driving voltage. Here, we
      design a series of precursors for reactive organic radicals according to
      theoretical calculations and achieve efficient electron injection by using a
      highly reducing radical on the surface of the electron injection layer to reduce
      the electron injection barrier through an interface charge-transfer process. In
      contrast to bulk charge transfer in electron-transporting material, interface
      charge transfer allows us to make efficient electron injection at contact without
      introducing any structural and electronic disorder to electron-transporting
      material. 2-(2,4,6-Trimethoxyphenyl)-1,3-dimethyl-1H-benzoimidazol-3-ium (R3),
      with the strongest electron-donating ability, could largely reduce the electron
      injection barrier and outperform the previously reported organic radical (2-(2
      methoxyphenyl)-1,3-dimethyl-1H-benzoimidazol-3-ium, o-MeO-DMBI or R1) and the
      widely used electron injection material (LiF) to boost device performance.

PMID- 28920696
TI  - Regio- and Stereospecific Construction of 3a-(1H-Indol-3-yl)pyrrolidinoindolines
      and Application to the Formal Syntheses of Gliocladins B and C.
AB  - A one-pot regio- and stereospecific strategy for the construction of 3a-(3
      indolyl)-hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles based on the condensation of an indole
      and an in situ generated cyclopropylazetoindoline has been developed. This
      unified strategy works with a variety of substituted indoles to produce 3a-(3
      indolyl)hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole products in high yields. The utility of
      this transformation was highlighted in the formal total syntheses of gliocladins
      B and C.

PMID- 28920698
TI  - Correlating Bridging Ligand with Properties of Ligand-Templated [MnII3X3]3+
      Clusters (X = Br-, Cl-, H-, MeO-).
AB  - Polynuclear manganese compounds have garnered interest as mimics and models of
      the water oxidizing complex (WOC) in photosystem II and as single molecule
      magnets. Molecular systems in which composition can be correlated to physical
      phenomena, such as magnetic exchange interactions, remain few primarily because
      of synthetic limitations. Here, we report the synthesis of a family of
      trimanganese(II) complexes of the type Mn3X3L (X = Cl-, H-, and MeO-) where L3-
      is a tris(beta-diketiminate) cyclophane. The tri(chloride) complex (2) is
      structurally similar to the reported tri(bromide) complex (1) with the Mn3X3 core
      having a ladder-like arrangement of alternating M-X rungs, whereas the tri(MU
      hydride) (3) and tri(MU-methoxide) (4) complexes contain planar hexagonal cores.
      The hydride and methoxide complexes are synthesized in good yield (48% and 56%)
      starting with the bromide complex employing a metathesis-like strategy. Compounds
      2-4 were characterized by combustion analysis, X-ray crystallography, X-band EPR
      spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry, and infrared and UV-visible spectroscopy.
      Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that the Mn3 clusters in 2-4 are
      antiferromagnetically coupled, and the spin ground state of the compounds (S =
      3/2 (1, 2) or S = 1/2 (3, 4)) is correlated to the identity of the bridging
      ligand and structural arrangement of the Mn3X3 core (X = Br, Cl, H, OCH3).
      Electrochemical experiments on isobutyronitrile solutions of 3 and 4 display
      broad irreversible oxidations centered at 0.30 V.

PMID- 28920699
TI  - Visible-Light-Mediated Anti-Regioselective Nitrone 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition
      Reaction and Synthesis of Bisindolylmethanes.
AB  - The development of photoredox reactions of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones
      with alkenes is reported. It offers an efficient synthetic method to obtain
      isoxazolidine derivatives under mild conditions in synthetically useful yields.
      The nitrones are cyclized with oxidizable styrenes and aliphatic alkenes via a
      polar radical crossover cycloaddition reaction through photocatalytic reaction
      without additives. In addition, bis(indole)methanes can also be prepared through
      this method.

PMID- 28920697
TI  - Nepsilon- and O-Acetylation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Lineage 7 and Lineage 4
      Strains: Proteins Involved in Bioenergetics, Virulence, and Antimicrobial
      Resistance Are Acetylated.
AB  - Increasing evidence demonstrates that lysine acetylation is involved in
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) virulence and pathogenesis. However, previous
      investigations in Mtb have only monitored acetylation at lysine residues using
      selected reference strains. We analyzed the global Nepsilon- and O-acetylation of
      three Mtb isolates: two lineage 7 clinical isolates and the lineage 4 H37Rv
      reference strain. Quantitative acetylome analysis resulted in identification of
      2490 class-I acetylation sites, 2349 O-acetylation and 141 Nepsilon-acetylation
      sites, derived from 953 unique proteins. Mtb O-acetylation was thereby
      significantly more abundant than Nepsilon-acetylation. The acetylated proteins
      were found to be involved in central metabolism, translation, stress responses,
      and antimicrobial drug resistance. Notably, 261 acetylation sites on 165 proteins
      were differentially regulated between lineage 7 and lineage 4 strains. A total of
      257 acetylation sites on 161 proteins were hypoacetylated in lineage 7 strains.
      These proteins are involved in Mtb growth, virulence, bioenergetics, host
      pathogen interactions, and stress responses. This study provides the first global
      analysis of O-acetylated proteins in Mtb. This quantitative acetylome data expand
      the current understanding regarding the nature and diversity of acetylated
      proteins in Mtb and open a new avenue of research for exploring the role of
      protein acetylation in Mtb physiology.

PMID- 28920700
TI  - Highly Selective Construction of Medium-Sized Lactams by Palladium-Catalyzed
      Intramolecular Hydroaminocarbonylation of Aminoalkynes.
AB  - A novel palladium-catalyzed intramolecular hydroaminocarbonylation of
      aminoalkynes has been developed. This direct and operationally simple protocol
      provides a rapid and reliable approach to a diverse array of valuable seven- and
      eight-membered lactams with high chemoselectivity and regioselectivity. The high
      selectivity might be attributed to rational tuning the electronic nature of the
      amine moiety and the palladium catalyst, which enabled this transformation to
      proceed in the absence of acidic or any other additives under fairly mild
      reaction conditions. This method paves the way for the synthesis of medium-sized
      lactams.

PMID- 28920702
TI  - Novel technologies applied for recovery and value addition of high value
      compounds from plant byproducts: A review.
AB  - Plant byproducts of food processing industry line are undervalued yet important
      resource. These byproducts contain large percentage of high value functional
      substances such as antioxidants, pectin, polyphenols and so on. Recently, many
      research studies concentrated on innovative technologies that promise to overcome
      such issues as time consuming, inefficiency, and low yield, among others, which
      exist in most conventional techniques. Consequently, to achieve the recovery of
      nutraceuticals from high added-value by-products, it is necessary to have more
      knowledge of these novel technologies and more importantly explore the
      possibility of application of these latest technologies to the recovery
      downstream processing. The present work will summarize state-of-the-art
      technological approaches concerning extraction, superfine and drying applied to
      plant food processing residues. Simultaneously, the application of the bioactive
      components originated from byproducts in food industry will also be reviewed.

PMID- 28920701
TI  - Absence of a Band Gap at the Interface of a Metal and Highly Doped Monolayer
      MoS2.
AB  - High quality electrical contact to semiconducting transition metal
      dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS2 is key to unlocking their unique electronic
      and optoelectronic properties for fundamental research and device applications.
      Despite extensive experimental and theoretical efforts reliable ohmic contact to
      doped TMDCs remains elusive and would benefit from a better understanding of the
      underlying physics of the metal-TMDC interface. Here we present measurements of
      the atomic-scale energy band diagram of junctions between various metals and
      heavily doped monolayer MoS2 using ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy
      (UHV-STM). Our measurements reveal that the electronic properties of these
      junctions are dominated by two-dimensional metal-induced gap states (MIGS). These
      MIGS are characterized by a spatially growing measured gap in the local density
      of states (L-DOS) of the MoS2 within 2 nm of the metal-semiconductor interface.
      Their decay lengths extend from a minimum of ~0.55 nm near midgap to as long as 2
      nm near the band edges and are nearly identical for Au, Pd, and graphite
      contacts, indicating that it is a universal property of the monolayer
      semiconductor. Our findings indicate that even in heavily doped semiconductors,
      the presence of MIGS sets the ultimate limit for electrical contact.

PMID- 28920703
TI  - Prognostic usefulness of an age-adapted equation for renal function assessment in
      older patients with acute coronary syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND:: Renal dysfunction negatively impacts survival in acute coronary
      syndrome patients. The Berlin Initiative Study creatinine-based (BIScrea)
      equation has recently been proposed for renal function assessment in older
      persons. However, up to now it is unknown if the superiority of the new BIScrea
      equation, with respect to the most recommended chronic kidney disease
      epidemiology collaboration creatinine-based (CKD-EPIcrea) formula, would
      translate into better risk prediction of adverse events in older patients with
      acute coronary syndrome. OBJECTIVES:: To study the impact of using estimated
      glomerular filtration rate calculated according to the BIScrea and CKD-EPIcrea
      equations on mortality in acute coronary syndrome patients aged 70 years and
      over. METHODS:: Retrospectively, between 2011 and 2016, a total of 2008 patients
      with acute coronary syndrome (64% men; age 79+/-7 years) were studied. Follow-up
      was 18+/-10 months. Measures of performance were evaluated using continuous data
      and stratifying patients into three estimated glomerular filtration rate
      subgroups: >=60, 59.9-30 and <30 mL/min/1.73 m2. RESULTS:: The two formulas
      afforded independent prognostic information over follow-up. However, risk
      prediction was most accurate using the BIScrea formula as evaluated by Cox
      proportional hazards models (hazard ratio (for each 10 mL/min/1.73 m2 decrease)
      1.47 vs. 1.27 with the CKD-EPI equation; P<0.001 for comparison), c-statistic
      values (0.69 vs. 0.65, respectively; P=0.04 for comparison) and Bayesian
      information criterion. Net reclassification improvement based on the estimated
      glomerular filtration rate categories significantly favoured BIScrea +9 (95%
      confidence interval 2-16%; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS:: Our findings suggest that the
      BIScrea formula may improve death risk prediction more than the CKD-EPIcrea
      formula in older patients with acute coronary syndrome.

PMID- 28920704
TI  - Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition: A Potential Mechanism for Atherosclerosis
      Plaque Progression and Destabilization.
AB  - Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a cellular reprogramming
      mechanism by which endothelial cells acquire a mesenchymal phenotype. EndMT is
      associated with fibroproliferative diseases, such as cancer progression and
      metastasis and cardiac and kidney fibrosis, and this condition has been
      extensively investigated over the past decade. Recently, studies showed that
      EndMT contributes to the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic lesion and
      plaque destabilization. Unstable atherosclerotic plaque rupture and subsequent
      thrombosis are the main pathological causes of acute cardiovascular events. EndMT
      is plastic and reversible. Therefore, our enhanced understanding on the
      mechanisms controlling EndMT and its roles in the atherosclerosis plaque
      progression and instability may provide a basis for the development of novel
      therapeutic strategies to stabilize and reverse atherosclerotic plaques.

PMID- 28920705
TI  - Human Endothelial Progenitor Cell-Derived Exosomes Increase Proliferation and
      Angiogenesis in Cardiac Fibroblasts by Promoting the Mesenchymal-Endothelial
      Transition and Reducing High Mobility Group Box 1 Protein B1 Expression.
AB  - Myocardial fibrosis is a characteristic feature of cardiomyopathies. However, no
      effective strategies to attenuate cardiac fibrosis are currently available. Late
      stage endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are precursors of endothelial cells
      (ECs) that repair the heart through a paracrine mechanism. In the present study,
      we tested whether EPC-derived exosomes regulate the differentiation of
      fibroblasts into ECs. We isolated late-stage EPCs from human peripheral blood
      (PB) and used immunofluorescence and flow cytometry to confirm their identity.
      Next, we isolated exosomes from the EPCs and characterized their morphology using
      electron microscopy and confirmed the expression of exosome-specific marker
      proteins using Western blots. We then investigated the in vitro effects of
      exosomes on the proliferation and angiogenesis of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and
      on the expression of the mesenchymal-endothelial transition (MEndT)-related genes
      and the myocardial fibrosis-regulated protein, high mobility group box 1 protein
      B1 (HMGB1). We found that human PB-EPC-derived exosomes enhanced the
      proliferation and angiogenesis of CFs in vitro. Furthermore, CFs stimulated with
      these exosomes showed increased expression of the EC-specific markers, like
      cluster of differentiation 31 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2,
      and decreased expression of proteins involved in fibrosis, like alpha-smooth
      muscle actin, vimentin, collagen I, transforming growth factor-beta, and tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha. In addition, CFs stimulated with human PB-EPC-derived
      exosomes, inhibited the expression of HMGB1. Taken together, our study
      demonstrated that EPC-derived exosomes promote the proliferation and angiogenesis
      of CFs by inhibiting MEndT and decreasing the expression of HMGB1.

PMID- 28920706
TI  - Do night and around-the-clock firefighters' shift schedules induce deviation in
      tau from 24 hours of systolic and diastolic blood pressure circadian rhythms?
AB  - Systolic (S) and diastolic (D) blood pressures (BP) [SBP and DBP] are circadian
      rhythmic with period (tau) in healthy persons assumed to be maintained at 24.0h.
      We tested this assumption in a sample of 30 healthy career (mean >12 yrs) 30-to
      46 yr-old male Caucasian French firefighters (FFs) categorized into three groups
      according to work schedule and duties: Group A - 12 FFs working 12h day, 12h
      night, and occasionally 24h shifts and whose primary duties are firefighting plus
      paramedical and road rescue services; Group B - 9 FFs working mostly 12h day and
      12h night shifts and whose duties are answering incoming emergency calls and
      coordinating service vehicle dispatch from fire stations with Group A personnel;
      Group C - 9 day shift (09:00-17:00h) FFs charged with administrative tasks. SBP
      and DBP, both in winter and in summer studies of the same FFs, were sampled by
      ambulatory BP monitoring every 1h between 06:00-23:00h and every 2h between 23:01
      05:59h, respectively, their approximate off-duty wake and sleep spans, for 7
      consecutive days. Activity (wrist actigraphy) was also sampled at 1-min
      intervals. Prominent tau of each variable was derived by a power spectrum program
      written for unequal-interval time series data, and between-group differences in
      incidence of tau?24h of FFs were assessed by chi square test. Circadian rhythm
      disruption (tau?24h) of either the SBP or DBP rhythm occurred almost exclusively
      in night and 24h shift FFs of Group A and B, but almost never in day shift FFs of
      Group C, and it was not associated with altered tau from 24.0h of the circadian
      activity rhythm. In summer, occurrence of tau?24 for FFs of Group A and B
      differed from that for FFs of Group C in SBP (p=0.042) and DBP (p=0.015); no such
      differences were found in winter (p>0.10). Overall, manifestation of prominent
      tau?24h of SBP or DBP time series was greater in summer than winter, 27.6% versus
      16.7%, when workload of Group B FFs, i.e. number of incoming emergency telephone
      calls, and of Group A FFs, i.e. number of dispatches for provision of emergency
      services, was, respectively, two and fourfold greater and number of 12h night
      shifts worked by Group B FFs and number of 24h shifts worked by Group A FFs was,
      respectively, 92% and 25% greater. FFs of the three groups exhibited no winter
      summer difference in tau?24h of SBP or SDP; however, tau?24h of DBP in Group B
      FFs was more frequent in summer than winter (p=0.046). Sleep/wake cycle
      disruption, sleep deprivation, emotional and physical stress, artificial light-at
      night, and altered nutrient timings are hypothesized causes of tau?24h for BP
      rhythms of affected Groups A and B FFs, but with unknown future health effects.

PMID- 28920707
TI  - In vitro and in vivo studies of Allium sativum extract against deltamethrin
      induced oxidative stress in rats brain and kidney.
AB  - The present study investigated the in vitro and the in vivo antioxidant
      capacities of Allium sativum (garlic) extract against deltamethrin-induced
      oxidative damage in rat's brain and kidney. The in vitro result showed that
      highest extraction yield was achieved with methanol (20.08%). Among the tested
      extracts, the methanol extract exhibited the highest total phenolic, flavonoids
      contents and antioxidant activity. The in vivo results showed that deltamethrin
      treatment caused an increase of the acetylcholinesterase level (AChE) in brain
      and plasma, the brain and kidney conjugated dienes and lipid peroxidation (LPO)
      levels as compared to control group. The antioxidant enzymes results showed that
      deltamethrin treatment induced a significantly decrease (p < 0.01) in brain and
      kidney antioxidant enzymes as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and
      glutathione peroxidase (GPx) to control group. The co-administration of garlic
      extract reduced the toxic effects in brain and kidney tissues induced by
      deltamethrin.

PMID- 28920708
TI  - Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of electronic health records among
      nurses: Application of Technology Acceptance Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly being implemented
      in healthcare organizations but little attention has been paid to the degree to
      which nurses as end-users will accept these systems and subsequently use them.
      OBJECTIVES: To explore nurses' perceptions of usefulness and ease-of-use of EHRs.
      The relationship between these constructs was examined, and its predictors were
      studied. METHOD: A national exploratory study was conducted with 1539 nurses from
      15 randomly selected hospitals, representative of different regions and
      healthcare sectors in Jordan. Data were collected using a self-administered
      questionnaire, which was based on the Technology Acceptance Model. Correlations
      and linear multiple regression were utilized to analyze the data. RESULTS:
      Jordanian nurses demonstrated a positive perception of the usefulness and ease-of
      use of EHRs, and subsequently accepted the technology. Significant positive
      correlations were found between these two constructs. The variables that predict
      usefulness were the gender, professional rank, EHR experience, and computer
      skills of the nurses. The perceived ease-of-use was affected by nursing and EHR
      experience, and computers skills. CONCLUSION: This study adds to the growing body
      of knowledge on issues related to the acceptance of technology in the health
      informatics field, focusing on nurses' acceptance of EHRs.

PMID- 28920709
TI  - Comparison of oxidative stress biomarkers in hypertensive patients with or
      without hyperhomocysteinemia.
AB  - Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular impairment
      in hypertension. Oxidative stress is important in the molecular mechanisms
      associated with hypertension, but there are few studies focusing on the
      comparison of oxidative stress biomarkers in hypertensive patients with or
      without hyperhomocysteinemia. The study included 50 newly diagnosed hypertensive
      patients with hyperhomocysteinemia, 50 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients
      without hyperhomocysteinemia, and 50 age-matched healthy controls. Serum levels
      of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, 8-isoprostane-F2alpha, superoxide dismutase,
      catalase, and glutathione peroxides were compared. Levels of malondialdehyde and
      8-isoprostane-F2alpha were higher in both hypertensive groups than in the control
      group (8.3 +/- 1.8 MUmol/L vs. 6.5 +/- 1.3 MUmol/L vs. 4.3 +/- 1.2 MUmol/L, P <
      0.05; 23.5 +/- 12.1 pg/mL vs. 17.4 +/- 10.3 pg/mL vs. 13.9 +/- 7.5 pg/mL, P <
      0.05), while levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase were lower in both
      hypertensive groups than in the control group (120.5 +/- 13.7 U/mL vs. 131.3 +/-
      18.2 U/mL vs. 149.1 +/- 14.6 U/mL, P < 0.05; 23.8 +/- 7.4 U/mL vs. 24.6 +/- 9.2
      U/mL vs. 33.5 +/- 8.2 U/mL, P < 0.05). In hypertensive subgroups, serum
      malondialdehyde levels were higher in the hyperhomocysteinemia group than the
      other group (8.3 +/- 1.8 MUmol/L vs. 6.5 +/- 1.3 MUmol/L; P < 0.05), and
      superoxide dismutase activities were lower in the hyperhomocysteinemia group than
      the other group (120.5 +/- 13.7 U/mL vs. 131.3 +/- 18.2 U/mL; P < 0.05).
      Moreover, in hypertensive patients, homocysteine levels were significantly
      correlated with malondialdehyde (r = 0.39, P < 0.01), 8-isoprostane-F2alpha (r =
      0.47, P < 0.05), superoxide dismutase (r = -0.51, P < 0.01), and catalase (r = 
      0.51, P < 0.05), respectively. Our findings demonstrated oxidative stress was
      more severe in hypertensive patients with hyperhomocysteinemia than those
      hypertensive patients without it. Besides, there were strong relationships
      between homocysteine activities and oxidative/antioxidative parameters, which
      indicated that homocysteine might aggravate the oxidative stress in hypertension
      to produce contributory effects on cardiovascular impairment.

PMID- 28920710
TI  - Use of strong opioids for chronic pain in osteoarthritis: an insight into the
      Latin American reality.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of arthritis and one of the
      main causes of chronic pain. Although opioids are frequently employed for chronic
      pain treatment, their usage for osteoarthritis pain remains controversial due to
      the associated adverse effects. Most guidelines reserve their use for refractory
      pain in patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis. The situation is even more
      complex in Latin America, where the prevalence of insufficient pain treatment is
      high because of the limited availability and use of strong opioids. Areas
      covered: In this article we review the epidemiology of osteoarthritis, its
      socioeconomic burden, its impact as a chronic pain cause and the pharmacological
      treatment options, giving emphasis to the role of strong opioids, their safety
      and efficacy, especially in Latin American countries, where restrictions regulate
      their usage. Expert commentary: Usage of strong opioids is safe and effective in
      the short-term management of osteoarthritis with moderate to severe pain, when
      other pharmacological treatments are inadequate and surgery is contraindicated,
      provided their use adheres to existing guidelines. Educational programs for
      patients and physicians and further research on treating chronic pain with
      opioids should be implemented to reduce adverse effects and improve care quality.

PMID- 28920711
TI  - Rivaroxaban Causes Missed Diagnosis of Protein S Deficiency but Not of Activated
      Protein C Resistance (Factor V Leiden).
AB  - CONTEXT: - Rivaroxaban causes a false increase in activated protein C resistance
      (APCR) ratios and protein S activity. OBJECTIVE: - To investigate whether this
      increase masks a diagnosis of factor V Leiden (FVL) or protein S deficiency in a
      "real-world" population of patients undergoing rivaroxaban treatment and
      hypercoagulation testing. DESIGN: - During a 2.5-year period, we compared 4
      groups of patients (n = 60): FVL heterozygous (FVL-HET)/taking rivaroxaban, wild
      type/taking rivaroxaban, FVL-HET/no rivaroxaban, and normal APCR/no rivaroxaban.
      Patients taking rivaroxaban were tested for protein S functional activity and
      free antigen (n = 32). RESULTS: - The FVL-HET patients taking rivaroxaban had
      lower APCR ratios than wild-type patients ( P < .001). For FVL-HET patients
      taking rivaroxaban, mean APCR was 1.75 +/- 0.12, versus 1.64 +/- 0.3 in FVL-HET
      patients not taking rivaroxaban ( P = .005). Activated protein C resistance in
      FVL-HET patients fell more than 3 SDs below the cutoff of 2.2 at which the
      laboratory reflexes FVL DNA testing. No cases of FVL were missed despite
      rivaroxaban. In contrast, rivaroxaban falsely elevated functional protein S
      activity, regardless of the presence or absence of FVL ( P < .001). A total of 4
      of 32 patients (12.5%) had low free protein S antigen (range, 58%-67%), whereas
      their functional protein S activity appeared normal (range 75%-130%). Rivaroxaban
      would have caused a missed diagnosis of all cases of protein S deficiency during
      the study if testing relied on the protein S activity assay alone. CONCLUSIONS: -
      Despite rivaroxaban treatment, APCR testing can distinguish FVL-HET from normal
      patients, rendering indiscriminate FVL DNA testing of all patients on rivaroxaban
      unnecessary. Free protein S should be tested in patients taking rivaroxaban to
      exclude hereditary protein S deficiency.

PMID- 28920712
TI  - Maximized nanodrug-loaded mesenchymal stem cells by a dual drug-loaded mode for
      the systemic treatment of metastatic lung cancer.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), exhibiting tumor-tropic and migratory potential,
      can serve as cellular carriers to improve the effectiveness of anticancer agents.
      However, several challenges, such as the safety issue, the limited drug loading,
      the conservation of stemness and migration of MSCs, still remain in the MSC-based
      delivery system. In the present study, a novel nano-engineered MSC delivery
      system was established by loading doxorubicin (DOX)-polymer conjugates for the
      systemic treatment of pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer. For the first time,
      a dual drug-loaded mode, endocytosis and membrane-bound, was adopted to achieve
      the maximum amount of DOX conjugates in MSCs. The in vitro studies revealed the
      loaded MSCs possessed multifunctional properties, including preservation of the
      stemness and migration of MSCs, excellent stability of drug loading, acid
      sensitive drug release and obvious cytotoxicity against 4T1 cells. The in vivo
      studies confirmed that the loaded MSCs mainly located and long stayed in the lung
      where the foci of metastatic tumor situated. Importantly, loaded MSCs can
      significantly inhibit the tumor growth and prolong the life span of tumor-bearing
      mice in contrast with DOX and DOX-conjugate. The present loaded MSCs system
      suggested a promising strategy to solve several issues existed in cell-based
      delivery systems. Especially for the problem of low drug loading, the strategy,
      simultaneously loading nanodrug in cells' internal and membrane, might be the
      most desirable method so far and could be developed as a generalizable manner for
      cell-mediated tumor-targeted therapy.

PMID- 28920713
TI  - Estradiol decreases blood pressure in association with redox regulation in
      preeclampsia.
AB  - In this study, we tested a hypothesis that a short-term estradiol therapy may
      reduce blood pressure in preeclampsia by modulating plasma oxidative stress. The
      intramuscular injections of 10 mg 17-beta-estradiol were prescribed to
      preeclamptic pregnant women during the 3-day therapy before a labor induction.
      The analyses of mean arterial pressure (MAP), serum estradiol concentrations,
      plasma superoxide anion (O2.), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitrites (NO2-), and
      peroxynitrite (ONOO-) were conducted before and during the therapy. We found that
      the plasma concentrations of oxidative stress markers, such as O2- and H2O2, are
      higher in preeclampsia and positively correlated with the MAP value. Moreover, it
      was shown that the plasma concentration of NO2- as an indicator of NO levels is
      higher in preeclampsia. A short-term intramuscular application of estradiol
      decreases the MAP value and the plasma concentration of O.-, H2O2, NO2-, and ONOO
      in preeclampsia. A positive correlation between the decrease of MAP values and
      the decrease of plasma concentrations of O2-, H2O2, and ONOO- was found in
      preeclampsia during a short-term estradiol therapy. We conclude that the short
      term estradiol therapy decreases the MAP value in preeclampsia by modulating the
      plasma oxidative stress. We speculate that the estradiol metabolism in
      preeclampsia is an important mechanism that contributes to vascular dysfunction.

PMID- 28920714
TI  - Expansible thermal gelling foam aerosol for vaginal drug delivery.
AB  - Vaginal delivery of antimicrobial drugs is the most effective method for the
      local treatment of the vaginal infections. However, current vaginal drug delivery
      systems (VDDS), including gel, lotion, aerosol and cream, are suffering from low
      penetration in the deep vaginal rugae and easy elimination by self-cleaning of
      vaginal canal. To address these issues, a foam aerosol based on the thermal
      transformation was designed to improve penetration efficiency and achieve the
      extended retention. The expansible thermal gelling foam aerosol (ETGFA)
      consisting of thermal sensitive matrix, silver nanoparticle, adhesive agent and
      propellant, was optimized by evaluations of precursor viscosity, foam expansion,
      thermal gelation, gel adhesiveness, antimicrobial effects and tissue irritation.
      The ETGFA would penetrate to the deep vaginal rugae to cover the infectious sites
      by foam expansion. Drug leakage was intended to be avoided by the thermal
      gelation at physiological temperature before foam collapse. The gel could be
      retained in the vaginal canal for extended time due to its superior adhesiveness
      when compared to the commercial gel Asimi(r). The ETGFA provided extended drug
      release for over 4 h and maintained effective drug concentrations at the
      infectious sites. The ETGFA containing silver nanoparticles showed dose-dependent
      antimicrobial effects on the vaginal floras and irritation reduction to the
      vaginal tissues. The results demonstrated that the ETGFA could overcome the
      limitations of conventional dosage forms, including poor drug penetration,
      carrier retention and patient compliance and satisfied the requirements for
      vaginal drug delivery.

PMID- 28920715
TI  - The mixed message behind "Medication-Assisted Treatment" for substance use
      disorder.
AB  - The gap between treatment utilization and treatment need for substance use
      disorders (SUDs) remains a significant concern in our field. While the growing
      call to bridge this gap often takes the form of more treatment services and/or
      better integration of existing services, this perspective proposes that more
      effective labels for and transparent descriptions of existing services would also
      have a meaningful impact. Adopting the perspective of a consumer-based health
      care model (wherein treatments and services are products and patients are
      consumers) allows us to consider how labels like Addiction-focused Medical
      Management, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Medication-Assisted Therapy, and
      others may actually be contributing to the underutilization problem rather than
      alleviating it. In this perspective, "Medication-Assisted Therapy" for opioid-use
      disorder (OUD) is singled out and discussed as inherently confusing, providing
      the message that pharmacotherapy for this disorder is a secondary treatment to
      other services which are generally regarded, in practice, as ancillary. That this
      mixed message is occurring amidst a nationwide "opioid epidemic" is a potential
      cause for concern and may actually serve to reinforce the longstanding,
      documented stigma against OUD pharmacotherapy. We recommend that referring to
      pharmacotherapy for SUD as simply "medication," as we do for other chronic
      medical disorders, will bring both clarity and precision to this effective
      treatment approach.

PMID- 28920716
TI  - Transposons: Moving Forward from Preclinical Studies to Clinical Trials.
AB  - Transposons have emerged as promising vectors for gene therapy that can
      potentially overcome some of the limitations of commonly used viral vectors.
      Transposons stably integrate into the target cell genome, enabling persistent
      expression of therapeutic genes. Transposons have evolved from being used as
      basic tools in biomedical research to bona fide therapeutics. Currently, the most
      promising transposons for gene therapy applications are derived from Sleeping
      Beauty (SB) or piggyBac (PB). Stable transposition requires co-delivery of the
      transposon DNA with the corresponding transposase gene, mRNA, or protein. Stable
      transposition efficiency can be substantially increased by using "next
      generation" transposon systems that combine codon-usage optimization with hyper
      activating mutations in the SB or PB transposases. By virtue of their relatively
      large capacity, gene therapy applications with relatively large therapeutic
      transgenes, such as full-length dystrophin, can now be envisaged. The authors and
      others have shown that efficient and stable gene transfer can be achieved with
      these next-generation transposons in several clinically relevant primary cells,
      such as CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, T cells, and mesenchymal and
      myogenic stem/progenitor cells that are amenable for ex vivo transfection.
      Alternatively, in vivo transposon gene delivery has been explored using non-viral
      vectors or nanoparticles or in combination with viral vectors. The therapeutic
      potential of these SB- and PB-based transposons has been demonstrated in
      preclinical models that mimic the cognate human diseases. However, there are
      still challenges impeding clinical translation of transposons pertaining mainly
      to the typical limiting efficiencies of most non-viral transfection methods and
      the intrinsic DNA toxicity. Nevertheless, it is particularly encouraging that
      transposons have now been used in gene therapy clinical trials. In particular,
      transposon-engineered T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors are starting
      to yield promising results in patients with hematological malignancies.

PMID- 28920717
TI  - [Targeted treatment of renal cell carcinoma, treatment caused side-effects and
      side-effect management].
AB  - Until the past decade, therapeutic options for unresectable and/or metastatic
      renal cell carcinoma were limited. Renal cell carcinoma is generally resistant to
      conventional chemotherapy, and only a small percentage of patients with renal
      cell carcinoma benefit from cytokine treatment. Since 2005, the advances in
      target-based therapy and immunotherapy modalities have created a paradigm shift
      in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Herein, we review the most up-to-date
      practices and emerging therapies for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and
      focus on the threrapy caused side-effects and side-effect management. Orv Hetil.
      2017; 158(38): 1488-1502.

PMID- 28920719
TI  - [History of hand transplantation: advancement in the operative technics,
      medications and the survival of the transplanted hands. Review of literature].
AB  - The author summarizes briefly the history of hand allograft transplantation, the
      basics of the operative technics, and the medicinal treatment of the
      immunosuppression. He establishes that this operation requires complicated team
      work: many specialists must be united in the interest of the successful final
      outcome. The biggest problem is not the technical challenge of the complicated
      operation, but the ineffectiveness of immunosuppression, its complications; even
      though significant development has happened in this field and experimental
      results are also encouraging. The author discusses these questions in this
      publication in the mirror of literature data. He states, that a successful hand
      transplantation, with its sensory and motoric functions can increase quality of
      life, in contrast with the ortheses. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(38): 1483-1487.

PMID- 28920720
TI  - [The first coronary artery revascularization surgery was performed fifty years
      ago].

PMID- 28920721
TI  - [Changes in carbohydrate metabolism after kidney transplantation and their
      effects on cardiovascular risk].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of deaths after
      transplantation, with diabetes mellitus being the main risk factor in
      development. AIM: The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of new onset
      diabetes mellitus in connection with the cardiovascular risk predicted by the
      HEART Score. METHOD: 44 patients were involved in our study; after overview of
      baseline data, OGTT was performed, followed by patient classification into the
      following groups: normal, impaired fasting glucose/impaired glucose tolerance,
      and new onset diabetes mellitus. Insulin resistance and kidney function were also
      assessed. RESULTS: Concerning baseline data, cold ischemic time (p = 0.016), body
      weight (p = 0.035), BMI (p = 0.025), and HbA1C (p = 0.0024) proved to be
      significantly different between normal and diabetic patients. Significant
      difference was found based on HOMA IR between the two groups 1.69+/-0.51 vs
      6.46+/-1.42; p = 0.0017). Based on the HEART Score, patients with new onset
      diabetes mellitus were put into Group 3, which also reflects the risk which
      diabetes carries for the development of cardiovascular diseases. CONCLUSION:
      Cardiovascular risk can be decreased with increased allograft survival by early
      diagnosis and management of diabetes. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(38): 1512-1516.

PMID- 28920723
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920722
TI  - [Comparative evaluation of vertigo in patients after stapedotomy and
      stapedectomy].
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The reason of gradually developing conductive hearing loss
      in otosclerotic patients is the ossification of the stapes footplate to the
      surrounding bony structures and the therapy of stapes fixation is mainly
      surgical. In stapedotomy the footplate of the stapes is fenestrated with laser
      and microdrill in a diameter of 0.8 mm, whereas in stapedectomy there is complete
      removal of the footplate followed by the reconstruction of the ossicular chain.
      In the early postoperative period, temporary vertigo is frequently recorded which
      significantly influences the recovery. METHOD: In the Department of
      Otorhinolaryngology, University of Pecs both stapedectomy and stapedotomy were
      performed on a daily basis between 01.02.2010 and 15.03.2012. Our study focused
      on comparing the degree of postoperative vertigo after the two types of surgery.
      We hypothesized that the smaller fenestration of the stapes footplate during
      stapedotomy limits exposure to the inner ear reducing the severity of dizziness.
      Vertigo was evaluated subjectively with a retrospective questionnaire and
      objectively with static posturography. RESULTS: On the 1st postoperative day,
      significantly fewer patients reported vertigo in the stapedotomy group and with
      significantly lower intensity. Results of the questionnaire regarding the later
      postoperative period showed no significant differences between the groups. Based
      on the analysis of the posturography test results, no significant difference was
      detected between the postoperative stability of the two groups. Results of the
      questionnaire and the posturography showed no correlation. Posturography test
      results did not confirm the presence of subjective vertigo. CONCLUSION: Many
      factors may play a role in the development of vertigo after stapes surgery, but
      the type of intervention does not influence it. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(38): 1503
      1511.

PMID- 28920724
TI  - Canadian Military Nurse Deaths in the First World War.
AB  - This paper examines the lives of sixty-one Canadian Nursing Sisters who served
      during the First World War, and whose deaths were attributed, more or less
      equally, to three categories: general illness, Spanish Influenza, and killed in
      action. The response by Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) physicians to the loss
      of these early female officers who were, in fact, Canada's first female war
      casualties, suggests a gendered construction of illness at work in the CAMC.
      While nurses tried to prove themselves good soldiers, military physicians were
      quick to attribute their illnesses and deaths to horrific war conditions deemed
      unsuitable for women. This gendered response is particularly evident in how CAMC
      physicians invoked a causal role for neurasthenia or shell shock for the nurses'
      poor health. The health profile of these women also suggests that some of these
      deaths might have occurred had these women stayed in Canada, and it encourages
      future comparative research into death rates among physicians and orderlies.

PMID- 28920727
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920726
TI  - The "Human Subject," "Vulnerable Populations," and Medical History: The Problem
      of Presentism and the Discourse of Bioethics.
AB  - This discussion considers recent historical works of eugenics and sterilization
      in Canada, but it is not an historiographic review essay or critique per se of
      this literature. Rather, by focussing on the topic of historic diagnostic
      categories such as "feeble-minded," "idiot," and "moron," methodological issues
      such as historical presentism and its possible interactions with the discourse of
      modern bioethics are examined. The conclusions derived are meant only to be
      cautionary, and are neither prescriptive nor proscriptive. Medical historians
      undertaking analyses of currently contentious topics that may directly involve or
      indirectly allude to "human subjects" or "vulnerable populations" perhaps ought
      to reflect on the degree, if any, they may be anachronistically writing
      contemporary bioethical categories into bygone eras.

PMID- 28920729
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920730
TI  - Accidents and Violent Death in Early Modern London, 1650-1750 by Craig Spence
      Accidents and Violent Death in Early Modern London, 1650-1750 Craig Spence
      Woodbridge : Boydell Press , 2016 , xii+ 273 p., $115.00.

PMID- 28920731
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920732
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920734
TI  - Editors' Note / Note de la redaction.

PMID- 28920735
TI  - War-Torn Exchanges: The Lives and Letters of Nursing Sisters Laura Holland and
      Mildred Forbes, edited by Andrea McKenzie War-Torn Exchanges: The Lives and
      Letters of Nursing Sisters Laura Holland and Mildred Forbes Andrea McKenzie (ed.)
      Vancouver : UBC Press , 2016 , viii+ 256 p., $32.95.

PMID- 28920736
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920738
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920737
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28920739
TI  - The Politics of Hospital Provision in Early Twentieth-Century Britain by Barry M.
      Doyle The Politics of Hospital Provision in Early Twentieth-Century Britain Barry
      M. Doyle London : Pickering & Chatto , 2014 , xi+ 297  p., $42.36.

PMID- 28920740
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920742
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920744
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920745
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920746
TI  - ?

PMID- 28920748
TI  - Investigation of the transport and absorption of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide
      through gastrointestinal tract both in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - To investigate the absorption and delivery of ASP in gastrointestinal (GI) tract,
      cASP was successfully synthesized by chemically modifying with succinic anhydride
      and then conjugating with a near infrared fluorescent dye Cy5.5. Then, the
      capacity of oral absorption of cASP was evaluated. The results demonstrated that
      cASP had low toxicity and no disruption on the integrity of cell membrane. The
      endocytosis of cASP into the epithelial cells was time- and energy-dependent,
      which was mediated by macropinocytosis pathway and clathrin- and caveolae (or
      lipid raft)-related routes. Otherwise, the actin filaments played a relatively
      weak role at the same time. The transport study illustrated that cASP could
      penetrate through the epithelial monolayer and mainly mediated by the same routes
      as that in the endocytosis experiment. Moreover, both in vitro Ussing chamber and
      in vivo ligated intestinal loops models indicated that cASP could be diffused
      through the mucus barriers and be absorbed in the whole small intestine. Finally,
      near-infrared fluorescence imaging presented that cASP could be absorbed and
      circulated into the blood, then distributed into various organs after oral
      administration. In conclusion, ASP could be absorbed after oral administration
      through endocytosis process mainly mediated by macropinocytosis pathway and
      clathrin- and caveolae (or lipid raft)-related routes, then be absorbed and
      circulated into blood. This study presents a comprehensive understanding of oral
      delivery of cASP, which will provide theoretical basis for the clinical
      application of ASP.

PMID- 28920750
TI  - LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

PMID- 28920749
TI  - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF
      ENDOCRINOLOGY DISEASE STATE COMMENTARY: MANAGING THYROID TUMORS DIAGNOSED AS
      NONINVASIVE FOLLICULAR THYROID NEOPLASM WITH PAPILLARY-LIKE NUCLEAR FEATURES.
AB  - : This commentary summarizes the history and reclassification of noninvasive
      follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclei (NIFTP). It reviews the
      salient histopathologic features that are based on immunohistochemical and
      molecular profiles and serve as inclusion and exclusion criteria. The authors
      also provide their own point of view regarding the practical issues and possible
      concerns that may be raised by both clinicians and patients based on the
      diagnosis of NIFTP. ABBREVIATIONS: AACE = American Association of Clinical
      Endocrinologists EFVPTC = encapsulated FVPTC FNA = fine-needle aspiration FVPTC =
      follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma NIFTP = noninvasive follicular
      thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features PTC = papillary thyroid
      carcinoma.

PMID- 28920751
TI  - Distress Due to Prognostic Uncertainty in Palliative Care: Frequency,
      Distribution, and Outcomes among Hospitalized Patients with Advanced Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prognostic uncertainty is common in advanced cancer and frequently
      addressed during palliative care consultation, yet we know little about its
      impact on quality of life (QOL). OBJECTIVE: We describe the prevalence and
      distribution of distress due to prognostic uncertainty among hospitalized
      patients with advanced cancer before palliative care consultation. We evaluate
      the association between this type of distress and overall QOL before and after
      palliative care consultation. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING &
      PARTICIPANTS: Hospitalized patients with advanced cancer who receive a palliative
      care consultation at two geographically distant academic medical centers.
      MEASUREMENTS: At the time of enrollment, before palliative care consultation, we
      asked participants: "Over the past two days, how much have you been bothered by
      uncertainty about what to expect from the course of your illness?" (Not at
      all/Slightly/Moderately/Quite a Bit/Extremely). We defined responses of "Quite a
      bit" and "Extremely" to be indicative of substantial distress. RESULTS: Two
      hundred thirty-six participants completed the baseline assessment. Seventy-seven
      percent reported being at least moderately bothered by prognostic uncertainty and
      half reported substantial distress. Compared with others, those who were
      distressed by prognostic uncertainty (118/236) reported poorer overall QOL before
      palliative care consultation (mean QOL 3.8 out of 10 vs. 5.3 out of 10, p = <
      0.001) and greater improvement in QOL following consultation (Adjusted difference
      in mean QOL change = 1.1; 95% confidence interval = 0.2, 2.0). CONCLUSIONS:
      Prognostic uncertainty is a prevalent source of distress among hospitalized
      patients with advanced cancer at the time of initial palliative care
      consultation. Distress from prognostic uncertainty is associated with lower
      levels of preconsultation QOL and with greater pre-post consultation improvement
      in the QOL.

PMID- 28920752
TI  - Treatment of synthetic refinery wastewater in anoxic-aerobic sequential moving
      bed reactors and sulphur recovery.
AB  - Objective of the present study was to simultaneously biodegrade synthetic
      petroleum refinery wastewater containing phenol (750 mg/L), sulphide (750 mg/L),
      hydrocarbon (as emulsified diesel of 300 mg/L), ammonia-nitrogen (350 mg/L) at pH
      >9 in anoxic-aerobic sequential moving bed reactors. The optimum mixing speed of
      anoxic reactor was observed at 20 rpm and beyond that, removal rate remained
      constant. In anoxic reactor the minimum hydraulic retention time was observed to
      be 2 days for complete removal of sulphide, 40-50% removal of phenol and total
      hydrocarbons and 52% of sulphur recovery. The optimum HRT of aerobic moving bed
      reactor was observed as 16 h (total HRT of 64 h for anoxic and aerobic reactors)
      for complete removals of phenol, total hydrocarbons, COD (chemical oxygen demand)
      and ammonia-nitrogen with nitrification.

PMID- 28920753
TI  - Can the NHS learn from the rise and fall of ancient empires?

PMID- 28920754
TI  - Can we fix the uber-complexities of healthcare?

PMID- 28920755
TI  - Personalised healthcare and population healthcare.

PMID- 28920757
TI  - A decision theoretical modeling for Phase III investments and drug licensing.
AB  - For a new candidate drug to become an approved medicine, several decision points
      have to be passed. In this article, we focus on two of them: First, based on
      Phase II data, the commercial sponsor decides to invest (or not) in Phase III.
      Second, based on the outcome of Phase III, the regulator determines whether the
      drug should be granted market access. Assuming a population of candidate drugs
      with a distribution of true efficacy, we optimize the two stakeholders' decisions
      and study the interdependence between them. The regulator is assumed to seek to
      optimize the total public health benefit resulting from the efficacy of the drug
      and a safety penalty. In optimizing the regulatory rules, in terms of minimal
      required sample size and the Type I error in Phase III, we have to consider how
      these rules will modify the commercial optimization made by the sponsor. The
      results indicate that different Type I errors should be used depending on the
      rarity of the disease.

PMID- 28920756
TI  - Sleep disturbance as a clinical sign for severe hypogonadism: efficacy of
      testosterone replacement therapy on sleep disturbance among hypogonadal men
      without obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present subanalysis of the EARTH study investigates the effects of
      one year testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on sleep disturbance among
      hypogonadal men without obstructive sleep apnea. METHODS: Sleep disturbance was
      defined as three or more points in question 4 of the aging males symptoms (AMS)
      questionnaire. All participants completed the AMS scale, International Prostatic
      Symptoms Score (IPSS), Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and Short Form 36
      (SF-36) health survey at baseline and after 12 months. Sexual symptoms were also
      evaluated based on three AMS subscores (Q15, 16 and 17). RESULTS: We identified
      100 patients with sleep disturbance, of whom 48 (24 each in the TRT and control
      groups) were ultimately included for analysis. All SF-36 categories , AMS scale,
      IPSS and SHIM score subdomains were significantly worse in patients with sleep
      disturbance than in those without disturbance. Statistically significant
      differences in sleep disturbance, erectile symptoms, sexual desire and some
      domains of the SF-36 were observed between the TRT and control groups after 12
      months. CONCLUSION: Sleep disturbance may be one of the clinical signs for severe
      hypogonadism. Moreover, TRT improved sleep conditions, sexual function and
      quality of life among hypogonadal men with sleep disturbance.

PMID- 28920758
TI  - Occurrence and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils
      and sediment from Hanfeng Lake, Three Gorges, China.
AB  - This study was conducted to investigate the pollutant status and the retention
      mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils and sediment from
      bank-water-level-fluctuating zone (WLFZ)-water systems in Hanfeng Lake, Three
      Gorges, China. The concentrations of the 16 PAHs ranged from 21.8 to 1324 ng g-1
      dry wt for all 20 soil and sediment samples. These concentration levels were
      remarkably lower than those in soils and sediment collected domestically and
      worldwide. PAHs with two and three rings were found to be dominant in all the
      samples, with phenanthrene being most abundant. The spatial distribution of PAHs
      in bank soil, WLFZ soil, and sediment implied that the transfer and fate of PAHs
      in the bank soil-WLFZ soil-sediment systems were influenced by both water dynamic
      factors and physicochemical properties of PAHs. Diagnostic ratio analysis and
      principal component analysis suggested that the PAHs in the areas of Hanfeng Lake
      were primarily (>75%) derived from coal combustion and vehicle emissions . Use of
      natural gas, improving gasoline/diesel quality and phasing out old and
      nonstandard vehicles and ships are proposed to control PAH contamination and
      protect drinking water safety in the region.

PMID- 28920759
TI  - Spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and polychlorinated
      biphenyl sources in the Nakdong River Estuary, South Korea.
AB  - Our research team investigated the elemental composition and the presence of
      various toxic organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
      and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in estuary surface sediments to trace the
      spatial distribution of the sources of pollution deposited in Nakdong River,
      Busan, South Korea. The spatial patterns of elemental composition and toxic
      organic compounds were determined from the measurements of total organic carbon
      (TOC), total nitrogen, total sulfur, PAHs, and PCBs. The sediments had TOC
      contents of between 0.02 and 1.80 wt% (avg. 0.34 wt%), depending on the amount of
      clay-sized particles. The concentrations of PAHs and PCBs (10.8-167.7 ng g-1 dry
      wt and 197.0-754.0 pg g-1 dry wt, respectively) in surface sediments revealed
      different spatial patterns for these compounds, suggesting that they partially
      originated from the combustion of fossil fuels and from the use of commercial PCB
      products at adjacent industrial complexes. Although these concentrations were far
      below the Sediment Quality Guideline (SQG) of the National Oceanic and
      Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the sediments at one site contained PCBs at
      concentrations close to the response level (754.0 pg g-1 dry wt), and were
      dominated by low-molecular-weight PAHs. The PAHs and PCBs in Nakdong River
      Estuary sediments were likely to have originated from the combustion of fossil
      fuels and biomass at the adjacent industrial complexes. The primarily analyzed
      results determined that PAHs originated from the combustion of fossil fuels and
      biomass, and overall concentrations were related to the contributions of
      individual PAHs in most sediment samples. Based on the SQG of the NOAA, our
      results indicate that the anthropogenic activity should be considered on the
      future-sustainable management of this estuary system.

PMID- 28920760
TI  - Influence Analysis for the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic
      Curve.
AB  - Classification measures play essential roles in the assessment and construction
      of classifiers. Hence, determining how to prevent these measures from being
      affected by individual observations has become an important problem. In this
      paper, we propose several indexes based on the influence function and the concept
      of local influence to identify influential observations that affect the estimate
      of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), an important
      and commonly used measure. Cumulative lift charts are also used to equipoise the
      disagreements among the proposed indexes. Both the AUC indexes and the graphical
      tools only rely on the classification scores, and both are applicable to
      classifiers that can produce real-valued classification scores. A real data set
      is used for illustration.

PMID- 28920761
TI  - Can ultra-wide field retinal imaging replace colour digital stereoscopy for
      glaucoma detection?
AB  - PURPOSE: Ultra-wide field (UWF) retinal imaging (Optomap, Optos plc, Dunfermline,
      UK) is a novel technique to image the peripheral fundus. The goal of this study
      was to explore the potential use of UWF imaging to detect glaucoma, and
      specifically to evaluate the reproducibility of measures of vertical cup-to-disc
      ratio (VCDR) using ultra-wide field (UWF), and the agreement between UWF and
      standard colour digital stereoscopy (CDS). METHODS: An observational study. From
      a population-based epidemiological study we selected 100 eyes from 100
      consecutive participants who were imaged using both standard CDS and UWF retinal
      imaging. Estimation of the VCDR using both modalities was made by a masked
      glaucoma specialist and two masked independent observers. Reliability and
      agreement between colour digital stereoscopy and the UWF imaging was assessed by
      Bland-Altman scatterplots. RESULTS: Intra-observer reproducibility of the UWF
      imaging in estimating VCDRs produced Limits of Agreement (LOA) ranging from -0.13
      to 0.1 (mean 0.02) and -0.14 to 0.14 (mean 0.0004) for observer 1 and 2
      respectively. Inter-observer reliability between observer 1 and the glaucoma
      specialist for VCDR measurements using CDS and UWF produced LOA ranging from 
      0.37 to 0.15 (mean -0.11) and -0.24 to 0.26 (mean 0.0005) respectively. Bland
      Altman plots produced LOA of -0.16 to 0.20 (mean 0.02) between the two imaging
      methods for assessing VCDR when carried out by a glaucoma specialist. CONCLUSION:
      Grading of UWF imaging has high reproducibility in evaluating VCDR and agreement
      with stereoscopic optic disc imaging and may be suitable for glaucoma diagnosis
      in situations where CDS is not available.

PMID- 28920763
TI  - Critique of the IARC 100F Working Group Evaluation of Occupational Benzene
      Exposure: Suggestions for the October 2017 Benzene-Only Working Group Meeting.
AB  - Health agencies and institutions utilize International Agency for Research on
      Cancer (IARC) monographs because they are said to represent authoritative cancer
      evaluations and scientific references. The United States National Cancer
      Institute has provided support for the IARC Monographs Program for more than
      three decades. The Volume 100F Monograph, which was published in 2012, reports
      the evaluations of benzene and more than two dozen other agents performed by the
      IARC Working Group (WG) that met in Lyon, France from 20 to 27 October 2009. All
      had already been judged to be human carcinogens. This commentary discusses errors
      in the occupational exposure section (1.1.3) of the 100F Benzene Monograph
      ("monograph"). Millions of workers in developed and developing countries have
      long been known to be routinely exposed to benzene. Since exposures may exceed
      occupational exposure limits, the hope is that this commentary will be considered
      by the IARC benzene-only WG at its meeting in October 2017.

PMID- 28920762
TI  - Measuring dynamics of eukaryotic transcription initiation: Challenges, insights
      and opportunities.
AB  - Transcription of protein-encoding genes in eukaryotic cells is a dynamically
      coordinated process. Many of the key transcription regulators contain
      functionally essential intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), the dynamic
      nature of which creates extra challenges to traditional biochemical analyses.
      Recent advances in single-molecule fluorescence imaging technology have enabled
      direct visualization of these rapid, complex and dynamic molecular interactions
      in real time.

PMID- 28920764
TI  - Recurrence of disease activity during pregnancy after cessation of fingolimod in
      multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fingolimod is an effective treatment for active relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis (MS). Discontinuation of therapy may be followed by recurrence
      of disease activity. Thus, female MS patients may be at risk of relapse during
      pregnancy after stopping fingolimod. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: To report the
      disease course during pregnancy of five women who interrupted therapy with
      fingolimod for pregnancy. RESULTS: All patients experienced relapses during
      pregnancy and/or postpartum after stopping fingolimod. CONCLUSION: The risk of
      recurrence of disease activity during pregnancy after stopping fingolimod may be
      substantial. This should be considered and discussed with MS patients who are
      planning to become pregnant.

PMID- 28920765
TI  - Medication usage and falls in people with multiple sclerosis.
AB  - There is a need to identify modifiable risk factors for falls in people with
      multiple sclerosis (MS) to enable the design of successful falls prevention
      interventions. There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between
      medication use and occurrence of falls in MS. A total of 101 people with MS had
      medications classified using the Anatomical Therapeutic Classification system and
      number of falls prospectively monitored for 3 months. No association was noted
      between number of medications and falls. The use of genitourinary and sex
      hormones (odds ratio (OR) = 5.154, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.427-18.609, p
      = 0.012) and centrally acting muscle relaxant (OR = 5.181, 95% CI = 1.546-17.364,
      p = 0.008) medications were associated with an increased odds of being a faller.

PMID- 28920766
TI  - Clinical profile of patients with paraneoplastic neuromyelitis optica spectrum
      disorder and aquaporin-4 antibodies.
AB  - BACKGROUND:: In a minority of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum
      disorder (NMOSD) and aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-IgG), the disease has a
      paraneoplastic origin. It is unknown whether these patients have distinctive
      clinical features. OBJECTIVE:: To report the clinical features of a series of
      patients with paraneoplastic NMOSD and AQP4-IgG and to review previously reported
      cases. METHODS:: Retrospective analysis of clinical records of 156 patients with
      NMOSD and AQP4-IgG and review of previously reported patients with paraneoplastic
      NMOSD and AQP4-IgG. Paraneoplastic patients were defined as those with cancer
      identified within 2 years of the diagnosis of NMOSD. RESULTS:: Five (3.2%) of 156
      patients had paraneoplastic NMOSD, and 12 previously reported patients were
      identified. The most common tumors were adenocarcinoma of the lung (five
      patients) and breast (five). Compared with the 151 non-paraneoplastic NMOSD
      patients, the 17 (5 current cases and 12 previously reported) were older at
      symptom onset (median age = 55 (range: 17-87) vs 40 (range: 10-77) years; p =
      0.006), more frequently male (29.4% vs 6.6%; p = 0.009), and presented with
      severe nausea and vomiting (41.2% vs 6.6%; p < 0.001). The frequency of
      longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) as heralding symptom was
      similar in both groups, but patients with paraneoplastic NMOSD were older than
      those with non-paraneoplastic NMOSD (median age: 63 (range: 48-73) vs 43 (range:
      14-74) years; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION:: Patients, predominantly male, with NMOSD
      and AQP4-IgG should be investigated for an underlying cancer if they present with
      nausea and vomiting, or LETM after 45 years of age.

PMID- 28920768
TI  - Sexually Transmitted Infections: Compelling Case for an Improved Screening
      Strategy.
AB  - Sexually Transmitted Infections: Compelling Case for an Improved Screening
      Strategy Stephen Hull, MHS, Sean Kelley, MD, MSc, and Janice L. Clarke, RN, BBA
      Editorial: Sexually Transmitted Infections-A Fixable Problem: David B. Nash, MD,
      MBA   S-3 Introduction   S-3 Rising Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
      (STIs)   S-4 Current Screening Rates for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea   S-4 The Human
      Toll and Economic Burden of STI-Related Illness   S-5 Current Screening
      Guidelines for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea   S-5 Factors Contributing to Inadequate
      Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment for STIs   S-6 Methods Used to Improve
      Screening Rates   S-7 Benefits of Opt-Out Screening Strategies for STIs   S-8
      Cost-Effectiveness of Screening for STIs   S-8 Discussion   S-9 Conclusion   S
      10.

PMID- 28920767
TI  - Auricular vagal nerve stimulation in peripheral arterial disease patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Auricular nerve stimulation has been proven effective in different
      diseases. We investigated if a conservative therapeutic alternative for
      claudication in peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) via
      electroacupuncture of the outer ear can be established. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In
      this prospective, double-blinded trial an ear acupuncture using an
      electroacupuncture device was carried out in 40 PAD patients in Fontaine stage
      IIb. Twenty patients were randomized to the verum group using a fully functional
      electroacupuncture device, the other 20 patients received a sham device (control
      group). Per patient, eight cycles (1 cycle = 1 week) of electroacupuncture were
      performed. The primary endpoint was defined as a significantly more frequent
      doubling of the absolute walking distance after eight cycles in the verum group
      compared to controls in a standardized treadmill testing. Secondary endpoints
      were a significant improvement of the total score of the Walking Impairment
      Questionnaire (WIQ) as well as improvements in health related quality of life
      using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: There were no differences
      in baseline characteristics between the two groups. The initial walking distance
      significantly increased in both groups (verum group [means]: 182 [95 % CI 128
      236] meters to 345 [95 % CI 227-463] meters [+ 90 %], p < 0.01; control group
      [means]: 159 [95 % CI 109-210] meters to 268 [95 % CI 182-366] meters [+ 69 %], p
      = 0.01). Twelve patients (60 %) in the verum group and five patients (25 %) in
      controls reached the primary endpoint of doubling walking distance (p = 0.05).
      The total score of WIQ significantly improved in the verum group (+ 22 %, p =
      0.01) but not in controls (+ 8 %, p = 0.56). SF-36 showed significantly
      improvements in six out of eight categories in the verum group and only in one of
      eight in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture of the outer ear seems to be
      an easy-to-use therapeutic option in an age of increasingly invasive and
      mechanically complex treatments for PAD patients.

PMID- 28920769
TI  - Modacrylic anion-exchange fibers for Cr(VI) removal from chromium-plating rinse
      water in batch and flow-through column experiments.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate Cr(VI) removal from chromium-plating
      rinse water using modacrylic anion-exchange fibers (KaracaronTM KC31). Batch
      experiments were performed with synthetic Cr(VI) solutions to characterize the
      KC31 fibers in Cr(VI) removal. Cr(VI) removal by the fibers was affected by
      solution pH; the Cr(VI) removal capacity was the highest at pH 2 and decreased
      gradually with a pH increase from 2 to 12. In regeneration and reuse experiments,
      the Cr(VI) removal capacity remained above 37.0 mg g-1 over five adsorption
      desorption cycles, demonstrating that the fibers could be successfully
      regenerated with NaCl solution and reused. The maximum Cr(VI) removal capacity
      was determined to be 250.3 mg g-1 from the Langmuir model. In Fourier-transform
      infrared spectra, a Cr = O peak newly appeared at 897 cm-1 after Cr(VI) removal,
      whereas a Cr-O peak was detected at 772 cm-1 due to the association of Cr(VI)
      ions with ion-exchange sites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses
      demonstrated that Cr(VI) was partially reduced to Cr(III) after the ion exchange
      on the surfaces of the fibers. Batch experiments with chromium-plating rinse
      water (Cr(VI) concentration = 1178.8 mg L-1) showed that the fibers had a Cr(VI)
      removal capacity of 28.1-186.4 mg g-1 under the given conditions (fiber dose = 1
      10 g L-1). Column experiments (column length = 10 cm, inner diameter = 2.5 cm)
      were conducted to examine Cr(VI) removal from chromium-plating rinse water by the
      fibers under flow-through column conditions. The Cr(VI) removal capacities for
      the fibers at flow rates of 0.5 and 1.0 mL min-1 were 214.8 and 171.5 mg g-1,
      respectively. This study demonstrates that KC31 fibers are effective in the
      removal of Cr(VI) ions from chromium-plating rinse water.

PMID- 28920770
TI  - Functional Classification: Is There a Better Solution?

PMID- 28920771
TI  - What you don't see can kill you.
AB  - Traumatic retroperitoneal hematoma is a potentially life-threatening condition
      associated with both blunt and penetrating injury mechanisms to the structures in
      that region.

PMID- 28920772
TI  - Endogenous attention to object features modulates the ERP C1 component.
AB  - Converging neuroimaging and electrophysiological evidence supports the notion
      that selective attention can modulate neural activity not only in V1 (BA17)-as
      early as 40-60 ms post-stimulus-but also at the subcortical level (thalamic
      lateral geniculate nucleus, LGN). V1 modulation has been documented both in space
      based and (especially) object-based selection conditions, most of all in
      endogenous orienting paradigms. It seems then that an attentional modulation of
      the ERP C1 response-reflecting V1 modulation-would not be especially favoured by
      exogenous cuing as far as object-based attention is concerned.

PMID- 28920773
TI  - Metronidazole removal in powder-activated carbon and concrete-containing graphene
      adsorption systems: Estimation of kinetic, equilibrium and thermodynamic
      parameters and optimization of adsorption by a central composite design.
AB  - Metronidazole (MNZ) removal by two adsorbents, i.e., concrete-containing graphene
      (CG) and powder-activated carbon (PAC), was investigated via batch-mode
      experiments and the outcomes were used to analyze the kinetics, equilibrium and
      thermodynamics of MNZ adsorption. MNZ sorption on CG and PAC has followed the
      pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the thermodynamic parameters revealed that
      MNZ adsorption was spontaneous on PAC and non-spontaneous on CG. Subsequently,
      two-parameter isotherm models, i.e., Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin
      Radushkevich and Elovich models, were applied to evaluate the MNZ adsorption
      capacity. The maximum MNZ adsorption capacities ([Formula: see text]) of PAC and
      CG were found to be between 25.5-32.8 mg/g and 0.41-0.002 mg/g, respectively.
      Subsequently, the effects of pH, temperature and adsorbent dosage on MNZ
      adsorption were evaluated by a central composite design (CCD) approach. The CCD
      experiments have pointed out the complete removal of MNZ at a much lower PAC
      dosage by increasing the system temperature (i.e., from 20 degrees C to 40
      degrees C). On the other hand, a desorption experiment has shown 3.5% and 1.7%
      MNZ removal from the surface of PAC and CG, respectively, which was insignificant
      compared to the sorbed MNZ on the surface by adsorption. The overall findings
      indicate that PAC and CG with higher graphene content could be useful in MNZ
      removal from aqueous systems.

PMID- 28920774
TI  - Kinetics of diuron under aerobic condition and residue analysis in sugarcane
      under subtropical field conditions.
AB  - The phenylureas group includes persistent herbicides which are major pollutants
      to soil and water. Dissipation kinetics of diuron in different soils under
      sugarcane field conditions was investigated. Diuron was extracted with acetone
      and florisil solid phase extraction clean-up and characterized by high
      performance liquid chromatography-UV. Diuron persisted for more than 100 days and
      dissipation followed monophasic first-order kinetics. Persistence was more in
      sandy loam compared to silty clay loam soil. Half-life of diuron in silty clay
      loam soil was 22.57 and 32.37 days and in sandy loam was 28.35 and 43.93 days at
      2 and 4 kg ha-1applications, respectively. Average recovery in soil, bagasse,
      leaf-straw and juice ranged from 75.95% to 84.20%, 80.15% to 89.35%, 77.46% to
      86.19% and 81.88% to 92.68%, respectively. The quantitation limits for soil,
      bagasse, leaf-straw and juice were 0.01, 0.03, 0.04 MUg g-1 and 0.008 MUg mL-1,
      respectively. Application of diuron inhibited growth of soil microbes initially
      but they recovered later. At harvest, diuron residues were below maximum residue
      limits in all samples. The study revealed that under subtropical conditions,
      diuron is safe for use in weed management and would not pose any
      residual/environmental problem and that sugarcane crop could be used safe for
      human/animal consumption.

PMID- 28920775
TI  - LAPAROSCOPIC-ASSISTED INSERTION OF A VENTRICULOPERITONEAL SHUNT IN A RESCUED
      ASIATIC BLACK BEAR (URSUS THIBETANUS) IN LAOS.
AB  - A 3-yr-old Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), weighing 68 kg, underwent a
      laparoscopic-assisted placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt for hydrocephalus
      in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Rescued as a young cub with a notably
      domed head, the bear's condition had deteriorated with age, but euthanasia was
      not a viable option because of cultural issues. Surgery was attempted as a
      palliative measure. The bear had ventrally orientated crossed eyes (abducens
      nerve palsy and dorsal midbrain syndrome), papilledema, severe rhinorrhea,
      depressed mentation, lethargy, a very poor appetite, and was stunted.
      Hydrocephalus was confirmed via intraoperative 2.0-5.0 MHz head ultrasound, as no
      magnetic resonance imaging was available in the country. Surgery was planned via
      3D modeling of museum skulls and brain cavity, and ultrasound examination of
      formalin-preserved brains of other carnivores with hydrocephalus. The bear
      demonstrated a notable improvement in mentation, appetite, and behavior,
      maintained for 4 yr following surgery.

PMID- 28920776
TI  - ESTABLISHING NORMAL FECAL FLORA IN WILD AUSTRALIAN PASSERINE BIRDS BY USE OF THE
      FECAL GRAM STAIN.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the normal fecal bacterial and fungal
      flora and parasite prevalence in wild passerine birds found at the Australian
      Botanic Garden (Mount Annan, New South Wales). Wild passerine birds (n = 186)
      from 28 species were captured with mist nets. Fecal Gram stains (n = 155) were
      made from 26 species and analyzed for bacterial density, Gram stain morphology,
      and the presence of yeast. Fecal wet preparations (n = 139) were made from 24
      passerine species and were analyzed for parasites. Our results showed that 81.9%
      of passerines sampled had bacteria present in their feces. The bacteria found
      were entirely Gram positive and consisted predominantly of cocci. Individuals
      that were caught on multiple occasions were found to have stable bacterial
      populations, apart from the red-browed finch (Neochmia temporalis). Insectivores
      had higher bacterial densities and cocci proportions than nectarivores had.
      Yeasts were rare in most species, with the exception of the bell miner (Manorina
      melanophrys) and noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala). The yeast, Macrorhabdus
      ornithogaster, and parasites were not observed in any fecal samples. These
      results will help practitioners to assess the health of Australian passerine
      species submitted for care or housed in zoological collections.

PMID- 28920777
TI  - HEART RATE AND INDIRECT BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSES TO FOUR DIFFERENT FIELD
      ANESTHETIC PROTOCOLS IN WILD-BORN CAPTIVE CHIMPANZEES (PAN TROGLODYTES).
AB  - Limited data are available on hemodynamic responses to anesthetic protocols in
      wild-born chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Accordingly, this study characterized
      the heart rate (HR) and blood pressure responses to four anesthetic protocols in
      176 clinically healthy, wild-born chimpanzees undergoing routine health
      assessments. Animals were anesthetized with medetomidine-ketamine (MK) (n = 101),
      tiletamine-zolazepam (TZ) (n = 30), tiletamine-zolazepam-medetomidine (TZM) (n =
      24), or medetomidine-ketamine (maintained with isoflurane) (MKI) (n = 21). During
      each procedure, HR, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure
      (DBP) were regularly recorded. Data were grouped according to anesthetic
      protocol, and mean HR, SBP, and DBP were calculated. Differences between mean HR,
      SBP, and DBP for each anesthetic protocol were assessed using the Kruskall-Wallis
      test and a Dunn multiple comparisons post hoc analysis. To assess the hemodynamic
      time course response to each anesthetic protocol, group mean data (+/-95%
      confidence interval [CI]) were plotted against time postanesthetic induction.
      Mean HR (beats/min [CI]) was significantly higher in TZ (86 [80-92]) compared to
      MKI (69 [61-78]) and MK (62 [60-64]) and in TZM (73 [68-78]) compared to MK. The
      average SBP and DBP values (mm Hg [CI]) were significantly higher in MK (130 [126
      134] and 94 [91-97]) compared to TZ (104 [96-112] and 58 [53-93]) and MKI (113
      [103-123] and 78 [69-87]) and in TZM (128 [120-135] and 88 [83-93]) compared to
      TZ. Time course data were markedly different between protocols, with MKI showing
      the greatest decline over time. Both the anesthetic protocol adopted and the
      timing of measurement after injection influence hemodynamic recordings in wild
      born chimpanzees and need to be considered when monitoring or assessing
      cardiovascular health.

PMID- 28920778
TI  - FIRST REPORT OF TRYPANOSOMA EVANSI INFECTION (SURRA) IN A PUMA (FELIS CONCOLOR)
      OF LAHORE ZOO, PAKISTAN.
AB  - The blood protozoan Trypanosoma evansi, which is transmitted by biting flies, is
      frequently neglected due to subclinical infections. This report describes a case
      of trypanosomiasis due to T. evansi in a 9-yr-old male puma (Felis concolor)
      housed at the Lahore Zoo in Pakistan. Early in January 2015, this male puma
      presented with chronic lethargy, weight loss, incoordination, hyperthermia,
      anorexia, sunken eyes, and unthriftiness. Microscopic examination of Giemsa
      stained blood smears showed numerous Trypanosoma parasites. The puma was treated
      with diminazene aceturate subcutaneously twice. A few days later, a blood smear
      examination showed absence of trypanosomes. Five months later the cat presented
      with acute epistaxis and died. Postmortem examination showed emaciation, pale
      liver and kidneys, and hemorrhages on the spleen. Examination of a blood smear
      taken at the time of death showed numerous Trypanosoma parasites. PCR testing
      confirmed the presence of Trypanosoma DNA. DNA sequencing of two amplicons
      confirmed the presence of Trypanosoma in the blood smears with a 98-99% identity
      with the previously identified GenBank sequences. A phylogenetic tree was then
      constructed. Further studies are needed to improve our knowledge about the
      epidemiology and pathogenesis of T. evansi infection in wild animal species.

PMID- 28920779
TI  - OCULAR FINDINGS AND SELECT OPHTHALMIC DIAGNOSTIC TESTS IN CAPTIVE AMERICAN WHITE
      PELICANS (PELECANUS ERYTHRORHYNCHOS).
AB  - The aim of this study was to establish normal ophthalmic parameters for select
      diagnostic tests in American white pelicans (Pelecanuserythrorhynchos). Twenty
      one zoo-housed American white pelicans were manually restrained for noninvasive
      ocular diagnostic testing and complete ophthalmic examination. Tear production
      quantification using the phenol red thread test (PRTT), fluorescein staining, and
      intraocular pressure (IOP) evaluation were performed. In addition, conjunctival
      aerobic bacterial culture and culture-independent 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing
      were performed on select eyes. Normal variations and ocular abnormalities
      detected during complete ophthalmic examination were documented and photographed.
      Direct pupillary light reflex, menace response, and palpebral reflex were present
      in all birds. The value (mean +/- SD) for PRRT and IOP was 14.9 +/- 7.84 mm/15
      sec and 9.0 +/- 1.41 mm Hg oculus uterque, respectively. Conjunctival culture in
      nine birds revealed no growth for six birds and Staphylococcus aureus growth in
      three birds. A high relative abundance of Mycoplasma sp. was detected in all
      samples based on 16S rRNA sequencing. The normal pelican eye was found to have
      relative conjunctival hyperemia, absent filoplumes, iris color ranging from light
      blue to brown, and a subcircular vertically elongated pupil. Ophthalmic
      abnormalities were noted in 10 of 21 birds. Common findings included corneal
      fibrosis, cataracts, and asteroid hyalosis. The most common ophthalmic
      abnormality in this species was cataracts.

PMID- 28920780
TI  - USE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS AS A COMPONENT OF TUSK FRACTURE MANAGEMENT IN AN ASIAN
      ELEPHANT (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS) AND AN AFRICAN ELEPHANT (LOXODONTA AFRICANA).
AB  - Tusk fractures in Asian (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta
      africana) can result in damage to the distal end or to longitudinal cracks,
      potentially progressing to pulpitis. With pulp exposure, endodontic therapy is
      the treatment of choice, but conservative therapy has sufficed for some
      elephants. This manuscript describes the use of composite materials as a
      component of tusk fracture management. A 7-yr-old male Asian elephant fractured
      the distal end of both tusks with pulp exposure in one. Capping of each tusk with
      a Kevlar/fiberglass composite prevented further damage, and a modification
      allowed care of the exposed pulp tissue. A 34-yr-old male African elephant with a
      longitudinal crack received a carbon fiber/fiberglass composite circumferential
      wrap to potentially stabilize the crack. Compression of the crack was achieved,
      but follow-up was truncated due to bacterial pulpitis. Both cases show that
      composite material allows for lightweight, durable management of tusk fractures
      with continued radiographic monitoring.

PMID- 28920781
TI  - REFRACTOMETRIC URINE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FREE-LIVING EGYPTIAN FRUIT BATS
      (ROUSETTUS AEGYPTIACUS).
AB  - In both human and veterinary medicine, urine specific gravity (USG) is commonly
      measured by refractometry to indirectly reflect the osmolality of urine to
      thereby evaluate the kidney's ability to concentrate or dilute urine according to
      physiologic need and certain disease conditions. However, for accurate
      interpretation of the significance of any value, knowledge of the expected USG
      for the healthy species in question is required. It is generally believed that
      fruit bats, and Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) in particular, are
      unable to highly concentrate their urine. In this study, the USG was determined
      using a handheld urine refractometer in 43 free-living Egyptian fruit bats of
      both sexes. The calculated nonparametric 90% confidence interval for Egyptian
      fruit bats in this study was 1.006-1.050, with no association with capture site,
      sex, weight, or packed cell volume and total solids. Results suggest that free
      living Egyptian fruit bats are able to highly concentrate their urine.

PMID- 28920782
TI  - EVALUATION OF LEAD AND MERCURY PREVALENCE IN BALD EAGLES (HALIAEETUS
      LEUCOCEPHALUS) FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC UNITED STATES.
AB  - Heavy metal contamination of the environment remains a critical issue. Lead and
      mercury exposure, particularly, can affect avian health. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus
      leucocephalus) ingest these metals through their diets. Lead and mercury
      prevalence were examined in bald eagles from three mid-Atlantic US states between
      2004 and 2013. Blood samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry.
      Wilcoxon score tests were used to detect differences in lead and mercury over
      time. Counties of origin for birds with clinically significant metal levels were
      identified. There were no temporal trends found in lead and mercury prevalence.
      Eagles with clinically significant lead levels (>0.6 ppm) originated from near
      Chesapeake and Delaware bays, but most birds with clinically significant mercury
      levels (>1 ppm) originated from near Delaware and Barnegat bays. These findings
      indicate that lead and mercury contamination persists in this region and that
      routine sampling of bald eagles is a useful monitoring tool.

PMID- 28920783
TI  - SUCCESSFUL REDUCTION OF FEATHER-DAMAGING BEHAVIOR BY SOCIAL RESTRUCTURING IN A
      GROUP OF GOLDEN CONURES (GUARUBA GUAROUBA).
AB  - A variety of infectious and noninfectious causes may contribute to feather
      damaging behavior (FDB) in birds. This paper describes an episode of FDB behavior
      related to an isosexual group composition in a group of 20 golden conures
      (Guaruba guarouba) kept in a collective aviary. After ruling out infectious
      causative agents and analyzing the social bird group composition over a period of
      10 yr, the male to female ratio of the group was reduced from 1.7 to 1.0. This
      intervention resulted in a significant improvement of the feather condition and
      improved reproduction. Further analysis revealed that FDB was not correlated to
      age, gender, or origin. In addition, FDB was associated with stress, as reflected
      by an elevated heterophil : lymphocyte ratio that decreased significantly
      following social restructuring. This study stresses the importance of an
      appropriate male to female ratio when golden conures are kept in aviaries.

PMID- 28920784
TI  - TREATMENT SUCCESS IN THREE ANDEAN BEARS (TREMARCTOS ORNATUS) WITH ALOPECIA
      SYNDROME USING OCLACITINIB MALEATE (APOQUEL(r)).
AB  - Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) alopecia syndrome (ABAS) commonly affects
      captive bears, particularly sexually mature females. ABAS is characterized by
      bilaterally symmetrical predominantly flank alopecia with or without profound
      pruritus and secondary bacterial and Malassezia infections. There is no effective
      treatment and severely affected bears have been euthanized. This paper describes
      the successful management of ABAS in three female Andean bears. Skin biopsies and
      cytology revealed a mixed dermal inflammatory infiltrate, alopecia,
      hyperkeratosis, and Malassezia dermatitis. Allergen specific serology was
      positive for environmental allergens in one case. Hematology, serum biochemistry,
      and thyroid and adrenal function were normal in all cases. There was no
      consistent response to novel diet trials, antifungals, antihistamines, allergen
      specific immunotherapy, or topical antimicrobials. There was a partial response
      to ciclosporin (Atopica(r) cat, Novartis Animal Health; 5 mg/kg po, sid) in one
      case and oral glucocorticoids in all cases (dexamethasone sodium phosphate,
      [Colvasone 0.2%, Norbrook], 0.15 mg/kg po, sid or prednisolone [Deltacortene,
      Bruno Farmaceutici, and Megasolone 20, Coophavet], 0.3-1.2 mg/kg po, sid), but
      treatment was withdrawn following adverse effects. Treatment with oclacitinib
      maleate (Apoquel(r), Zoetis; 0.46-0.5 mg/kg po, bid) resulted in rapid and
      complete resolution of the pruritus with subsequent improvement in demeanor and
      fur regrowth. After 5 mo, the bears were almost fully furred and off all other
      medication. Treatment was tapered to the lowest dose that prevented relapse of
      the pruritus (0.23-0.4 mg/kg po, sid). No adverse effects have been noted. ABAS
      is usually an intractable condition, and, to our knowledge, oclacitinib is the
      first treatment shown to result in sustained clinical improvement. Further
      studies on the etiology of ABAS, and on efficacy and long-term safety of
      oclacitinib are needed.

PMID- 28920785
TI  - DETOMIDINE AND BUTORPHANOL FOR STANDING SEDATION IN A RANGE OF ZOO-KEPT UNGULATE
      SPECIES.
AB  - General anesthesia poses risks for larger zoo species, like cardiorespiratory
      depression, myopathy, and hyperthermia. In ruminants, ruminal bloat and
      regurgitation of rumen contents with potential aspiration pneumonia are added
      risks. Thus, the use of sedation to perform minor procedures is justified in zoo
      animals. A combination of detomidine and butorphanol has been routinely used in
      domestic animals. This drug combination, administered by remote intramuscular
      injection, can also be applied for standing sedation in a range of zoo animals,
      allowing a number of minor procedures. The combination was successfully
      administered in five species of nondomesticated equids (Przewalski horse [ Equus
      ferus przewalskii; n = 1], onager [ Equus hemionus onager; n = 4], kiang [ Equus
      kiang ; n = 3], Grevy's zebra [ Equus grevyi ; n = 4], and Somali wild ass [
      Equus africanus somaliensis; n = 7]), with a mean dose range of 0.10-0.17 mg/kg
      detomidine and 0.07-0.13 mg/kg butorphanol; the white ( Ceratotherium simum
      simum; n = 12) and greater one-horned rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ; n = 4),
      with a mean dose of 0.015 mg/kg of both detomidine and butorphanol; and Asiatic
      elephant bulls ( Elephas maximus ; n = 2), with a mean dose of 0.018 mg/kg of
      both detomidine and butorphanol. In addition, the combination was successfully
      used for standing sedation in six species of artiodactylids: giraffe ( Giraffa
      camelopardalis reticulata; n = 3), western bongo ( Tragelaphus eurycerus
      eurycerus; n = 2), wisent ( Bison bonasus ; n = 5), yak ( Bos grunniens ; n = 1),
      water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ; n = 4) and Bactrian camel ( Camelus bactrianus
      ; n = 5). The mean dose range for artiodactylid species except bongo was 0.04
      0.06 mg/kg detomidine and 0.03-0.06 mg/kg butorphanol. The dose in bongo, 0.15
      0.20 mg/kg detomidine and 0.13-0.15 mg/kg butorphanol, was considerably higher.
      Times to first effect, approach, and recovery after antidote were short. The use
      of detomidine and butorphanol has been demonstrated to be a reliable, safe
      alternative to general anesthesia for a number of large ungulate species.

PMID- 28920786
TI  - CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS VAR. GRUBII-ASSOCIATED RENAL AMYLOIDOSIS CAUSING PROTEIN
      LOSING NEPHROPATHY IN A RED KANGAROO (MACROPUS RUFUS).
AB  - A 10-year-old male castrated red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) presented with
      mandibular swelling. Examination findings included pitting edema with no dental
      disease evident on examination or radiographs. The results of blood work were
      moderate azotemia, hypoalbuminemia, and severely elevated urine
      protein:creatinine ratio (9.9). Radiographs showed an interstitial pattern of the
      caudal right lung, and an abdominal ultrasound demonstrated scant effusion.
      Symptomatic and empirical therapy with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and
      an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor did not resolve clinical signs.
      Due to poor prognosis and declining quality of life, euthanasia was elected.
      Necropsy revealed chronic granulomatous pneumonia of the caudal right lung lobe
      with intralesional Cryptococcus, identified as C. neoformans var. grubii by DNA
      sequencing. Severe bilateral glomerular and tubulointerstitial amyloidosis
      induced protein-losing nephropathy, leading to tri-cavitary effusion,
      subcutaneous edema, and cachexia. The authors speculate that renal amyloidosis
      was associated with chronic cryptococcal pneumonia in this red kangaroo.

PMID- 28920789
TI  - AAZV PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE.

PMID- 28920787
TI  - CALCINOSIS CIRCUMSCRIPTA IN A COHORT OF RELATED JUVENILE AFRICAN LIONS (PANTHERA
      LEO).
AB  - Three juvenile, genetically related African lions (Panthera leo) were evaluated
      for discrete dome-shaped subcutaneous masses present over the proximal lateral
      metatarsal-tarsal area. The lesions measured 3-8 cm in diameter, were fluctuant
      to firm, nonulcerated, and attached to underlying structures. On radiographic
      evaluation, the lesions were characterized by well-circumscribed punctate
      mineralizations in the soft tissue surrounded by soft tissue swelling without
      evidence of adjacent bony involvement. On cut surface, the lesions were made of
      numerous loculi containing 2-5-mm round-to-ovoid, white-to-gray, firm structures
      interspersed with fibrous tissue and pockets of serosanguinous fluid. Hematology,
      serum biochemistry, serum thyroid screening (including total thyroxine, total
      triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, and free triiodothyronine), and serum vitamin D
      panels (including parathyroid hormone, ionized calcium, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D)
      were unremarkable. Histopathologic evaluation of the lesions was consistent with
      calcinosis circumscripta with fibroplasia, chronic inflammation, and seroma
      formation. An additional two genetically related lions were considered suspect
      for calcinosis circumscripta based on presentation, exam findings, and similarity
      to the confirmed cases. All masses self-regressed and were not associated with
      additional clinical signs other than initial lameness in two cases.

PMID- 28920790
TI  - PHARMACOKINETICS, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF VORICONAZOLE AND ITRACONAZOLE IN
      HEALTHY COTTONMOUTHS (AGKISTRODON PISCIVORUS) AND MASSASAUGA RATTLESNAKES
      (SISTRURUS CATENATUS) WITH SNAKE FUNGAL DISEASE.
AB  - Snake fungal disease (SFD; Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola) is posing a significant
      threat to several free-ranging populations of pitvipers. Triazole antifungals
      have been proposed for the treatment of mycoses in reptiles; however, data are
      lacking about their safety and efficacy in snakes with SFD. Study 1 investigated
      in vitro susceptibility, and identified that plasma concentrations >250 ng/ml
      (voriconazole) and >1,000 ng/ml (itraconazole) may be effective in vivo for SFD.
      In Study 2, the pharmacokinetics after a single subcutaneous voriconazole
      injection were assessed in apparently healthy free-ranging cottonmouths
      (Agkistrodon piscivorus). Based on pilot-study results, four snakes were
      administered a single injection of voriconazole (5 mg/kg). One pilot snake and
      three full-study snakes died within 12 hr of voriconazole administration. All
      surviving snakes maintained plasma concentrations >250 ng/ml for 12-24 hr. In
      Study 3, two Eastern massasaugas (Sistrurus catenatus) and a timber rattlesnake
      (Crotalus horridus horridus) diagnosed with SFD were treated with voriconazole
      delivered by subcutaneous osmotic pumps. The timber rattlesnake (12.1-17.5
      mg/kg/hr) reached therapeutic concentrations, whereas the massasaugas (1.02-1.6
      mg/kg/hr) did not. In Study 4, the pharmacokinetics of a single 10-mg/kg per
      cloaca dose of itraconazole (Sporanox(r)) was evaluated in seven apparently
      healthy free-ranging cottonmouths. Similarly, the plasma and tissue
      concentrations did not meet therapeutic concentrations based on in vitro data.
      The data presented in this report serve as an initial step toward understanding
      the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of triazole antifungals in pitviper
      species with SFD. Further study is needed to determine the appropriate dose and
      route of administration of triazole antifungals in pitviper species.

PMID- 28920791
TI  - FEMORAL HEAD RESECTION IN TWO LIVINGSTONE'S FRUIT BATS (PTEROPUS LIVINGSTONII).
AB  - Two Livingstone's fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii) presented with a unilateral
      partial paresis of the hind limbs. Radiographs revealed luxation of the
      coxofemoral joint and degenerative joint disease in the right coxofemoral joint
      in one case. The second case presented with recurrent luxation of the coxofemoral
      joint with osteoarthrosis of the femoral head. Clinical findings in both cases
      led to a decision to perform a femoral head resection. The performed surgery led
      to the recovery of normal function of the limb without any complications in both
      cases.

PMID- 28920792
TI  - SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE ROSTRAL MAXILLA IN AN ADULT CAPTIVE WHITESPOTTED
      BAMBOO SHARK (CHILOSCYLLIUM PLAGIOSUM).
AB  - An approximately 10-yr-old adult female whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium
      plagiosum) presented with a smooth, white, irregular, ulcerated, and expansile
      lesion on the left lateral aspect of the maxillary rostrum. The lesion had short
      periods of abrupt and rapid proliferation and then remained static for several
      months. Cytology and culture were nonspecific and did not reveal any discernible
      etiologic agents or cellular atypia. The lesion was nonresponsive to parenteral
      antibiotics. One year after the initial onset of the lesion, the ulcer was 10 cm
      in diameter, a percentage increase in size of 455%. Due to a protracted clinical
      course and lack of response to medication and supportive care, coupled with an
      acute onset of neurologic signs and self-inflicted trauma, the shark was
      euthanized. Histopathology of the mass disclosed a locally invasive squamous cell
      carcinoma with no evidence of metastasis.

PMID- 28920793
TI  - MULTI-DRUG RESISTANCE PATTERNS OF ENTERIC BACTERIA IN TWO POPULATIONS OF FREE
      RANGING EASTERN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA).
AB  - Gram-negative isolates (n = 84) from 71% of free-ranging Eastern box turtles
      (Terrapene carolina carolina) in Illinois and Tennessee, United States,
      demonstrated resistance to at least one antibiotic while 30% of isolates
      demonstrated resistance to two or more antibiotics. Resistance was observed
      against cefoxitin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefazolin, ampicillin,
      ticarcillin, cefovecin, and ceftiofur. Gram-positive bacteria were isolated from
      49 turtles, and all were observed to be resistant to two or more antibiotics.
      Gram-positive isolate resistance was observed to penicillin, cefoxitin,
      oxacillin, clindamycin, amikacin, enrofloxacin, cefovecin, ceftiofur, cefazolin,
      marbofloxacin, gentamicin, erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and
      chloramphenicol. Health parameters including packed cell volume, total white
      blood cell count (WBC), total solids (TS), and weight were not significantly
      different based on antibiotic resistance patterns; however, decreasing WBC and TS
      were observed when the number of antibiotic-resistant detections in Gram-positive
      bacteria increased.

PMID- 28920794
TI  - INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE AND EXAMINATION FINDINGS IN THREE SPECIES OF CENTRAL AND
      SOUTH AMERICAN TREE FROGS (CRUZIOHYLA CRASPEDOPUS, CRUZIOHYLA CALCARIFER, AND
      ANOTHECA SPINOSA).
AB  - The purpose of this prospective study was to describe intraocular pressure (IOP)
      and examination findings in three tree frog species (Cruziohyla craspedopus
      [fringe leaf frog], Cruziohyla calcarifer [splendid leaf frog], and Anotheca
      spinosa [spiny-headed or coronated tree frog]). Thirty-one C. craspedopus, four
      C. calcarifer, and five A. spinosa were weighed, sexed based on phenotype where
      possible, and examined using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy.
      IOP was measured using the TonoVet and TonoLab rebound tonometers while the frogs
      were held two ways (unrestrained, then restrained). Statistical differences were
      determined using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-tests. Mean +/- SD
      IOP (TonoVet and TonoLab, respectively) was 15.1 +/- 2.5 mmHg and 15.6 +/- 4.1
      mmHg in C. craspedopus; 14.8 +/- 1.5 mmHg and 18.8 +/- 3.1 mmHg in C. calcarifer;
      and 9.1 +/- 2.1 mmHg and 10.8 +/- 1.4 mmHg in A. spinosa. There was no
      significant difference in IOP in C. craspedopus by eye (Right vs Left),
      tonometer, or restraint method. IOP in female C. craspedopus was 1-3 mm Hg higher
      than in males with both devices (P < 0.05). IOP was statistically significantly
      different between all species for the TonoLab and between Cruziohyla genus frogs
      and A. spinosa for the TonoVet (P < 0.05). There was no difference in IOP
      measurements between the TonoVet and TonoLab in C. craspedopus. IOP varied by
      gender in C. craspedopus and between species, but not by tonometer. Ocular
      abnormalities were minimal in this group of captive bred frogs.

PMID- 28920795
TI  - EVALUATION OF SYMMETRIC DIMETHYLARGININE AS AN EARLY BIOMARKER OF CHRONIC KIDNEY
      DISEASE IN CAPTIVE CHEETAHS (ACINONYX JUBATUS).
AB  - Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) has been shown to be a valuable biomarker for
      early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in canine and feline patients.
      Recognition of early (subclinical) kidney disease would be of value in cheetahs
      (Acinonyx jubatus) as prevalence of CKD is relatively high in this species in
      captivity. Fifty-eight banked serum and plasma samples from seven adult cheetahs
      that died of CKD were analyzed for creatinine, urea, and SDMA. A marked increase
      in SDMA was noted on five of the tested cheetahs earlier than the rise of serum
      creatinine and urea (estimated 8-35 mo; mean 21.4 mo; median 22 mo). SDMA appears
      as an early biomarker to evaluate renal function for the diagnosis of CKD in
      cheetahs regardless of the cause of this disease.

PMID- 28920796
TI  - SUCCESSFUL LAPAROSCOPIC OVIDUCTAL ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN THE CLOUDED LEOPARD
      (NEOFELIS NEBULOSA) IN THAILAND.
AB  - Captive breeding of clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) is challenging because
      of mating incompatibility, high incidence of teratospermia in males, and
      inconsistent ovulation patterns in females. Assisted reproductive techniques,
      therefore, are necessary to overcome these issues and maintain the genetic
      diversity in the captive population. The objective was to use laparoscopic
      oviductal artificial insemination (AI) to breed genetically valuable females (n =
      4; aged 4.5-5 yr) that were unsuccessfully paired. Fecal hormone metabolites
      (estrogen and progesterone) were extracted and measured by enzyme immunoassay for
      monitoring of ovarian activity 45 days before and 65 days after laparoscopic AI.
      For timed insemination, females were injected with 200 IU equine chorionic
      gonadotropin and 1,000 IU porcine luteinizing hormone (pLH) at the 82-hr
      interval. Ovarian assessment was performed by laparoscopy 44 hr after pLH
      administration. One nulliparous female out of four presented two ovulation sites
      on each ovary. The single female that had ovulated was inseminated with chilled
      semen collected from two males (8 * 106 and 2.7 * 106 motile spermatozoa,
      respectively, in each oviduct). A significant increase in fecal progesterone
      concentrations was observed after AI with a concentration peak (500 MUg/g dry
      feces) detected on day 24 after pLH injection, which was then sustained for more
      than 45 days after the pLH injection. The delivery of two cubs occurred on day 92
      after pLH. Microsatellite marker analysis determined that both cubs were sired by
      the same male. This is the first report of a successful oviductal AI in the
      clouded leopard.

PMID- 28920797
TI  - DESCRIPTION OF GASTRIC ULCERS AND OF THEIR SUSPECTED, ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS IN
      DECEASED WILD EQUIDS AT THE RESERVE AFRICAINE DE SIGEAN, FRANCE (2010-2016).
AB  - Gastric ulcers are common in domestic horses and foals, affecting at least 90% of
      unmedicated racehorses in active training. Despite these high prevalences in
      domestic horses, literature about this condition in wild equids is almost
      nonexistent. The presence of gastric ulcers was evaluated at necropsy in six
      species of wild equids that died at the Reserve Africane de Sigean, a safari park
      in the south of France from 2010 to 2016. Among the 55 individuals that died
      during that period, a description of the gastric mucosa was available in 82%
      (45/55) of cases. Considering the cases for which a description of the gastric
      mucosa was available, the prevalence of gastric ulcers was 64% (29/45). The
      highest prevalences were noted in Grant's zebra (Equus quagga boehmi) and
      Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) at 83% and 100%, respectively.
      In contrast to what is reported in domestic foals, gastric ulcerations were only
      diagnosed in one foal (out of 11 foals necropsied). The higher prevalence was
      noted in young individuals (3-36 mo old) at 93% (14/15); the lesions observed
      consisted mainly of single to multiple, superficial lesions, of which, only the
      mucosa was missing; these superficial lesions are often considered not clinically
      significant. The prevalence was lower for adults (74%; 14/19), but lesions were
      deeper or with a hyperemic or inflammatory appearance. All the lesions observed
      were located in the gastric, nonglandular, stratified squamous mucosa, along the
      margo plicatus. No statistical correlation could be found between the development
      of gastric ulcers and an ongoing, chronic pathologic process or a digestive tract
      pathology. The detection of gastric ulcers was, therefore, significantly greater
      in wild equids isolated in smaller enclosures. Nevertheless, additional larger
      scale research is needed to point out predisposing factors in equids under human
      care.

PMID- 28920798
TI  - UROLITHIASIS IN A GROUP OF VISAYAN WARTY PIGS (SUS CEBIFRONS NEGRINUS).
AB  - Four cases of obstructive urolithiasis occurred in male Visayan warty pigs (Sus
      cebifrons negrinus) during a 12-mo period. One animal died, two were euthanized,
      and one was treated successfully with a tube cystotomy procedure and a subsequent
      urinary acidification diet. Uroliths from two cases of urethral obstruction were
      analyzed and confirmed as calcium carbonate. A fifth nonobstructive case was
      suspected in an adult female in which calcium carbonate crystalluria was
      diagnosed, and that case was resolved with medical management. Possible causes of
      these uroliths included reduced water intake, increased calcium in the diet
      through use of lucerne hay, and concurrent urinary tract infections. Changes to
      the diet and access to water were correlated with cessation of further cases, and
      no recurrence has been seen to date. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first
      report of calcium carbonate urolithiasis and the first use of a tube cystotomy in
      a nondomestic pig species.

PMID- 28920799
TI  - PRESUMPTIVE PIT VIPER ENVENOMATION IN PSITTACINES IN A BRAZILIAN ZOO.
AB  - Snake bites represent a serious public health risk in many regions of the globe,
      especially in tropical areas. Clinical signs and postmortem changes are well
      described in human and other mammalian species. However, detailed case reports
      about venomous snake attacks in avian species are limited. This report describes
      presumptive fatal envenomations in three psittacines caused by pit vipers in a
      Brazilian zoo. In one case, a Brazilian lancehead (Bothrops moojeni) was captured
      in the aviary. In all three cases the dermis around the suspected snake bite area
      exhibited hemorrhages and edema. Histologically, degeneration and necrosis of
      subcutaneous musculature were observed. Lung, heart, and kidneys displayed focal
      hemorrhages. The local changes are similar to those described for mammalian
      patients including humans. However, except for the parenchymatous hemorrhages,
      additional external and internal gross and histopathological lesions were
      missing. After ruling out other causes, such as aggression and dicoumarinic
      intoxication, the presumptive diagnosis of snake envenomation was made. The
      smaller size and variabilities of pathophysiological effects of the venom in
      parrots might explain the different lesion patterns observed, compared with
      mammals. Possibly, the birds may have reacted differently to envenomation by pit
      vipers and died before the venom could cause macroscopic and histological changes
      often observed in mammals.

PMID- 28920800
TI  - CUTANEOUS T-CELL LYMPHOMA WITH LYMPH NODE METASTASIS IN AN ADULT ADDAX (ADDAX
      NASOMACULATUS).
AB  - A 13-yr-old male addax (Addax nasomaculatus) presented with locally extensive
      alopecia, slight erythema, and skin thickening on the medial aspect of the left
      rear leg between the stifle and tarsus. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma was diagnosed
      after histopathology and immunohistochemical staining of representative skin
      punch biopsies. No treatment was elected, and the addax was euthanized 3 yr later
      because of poor body condition, chronic dental disease, and confirmed spread of
      lymphoma to other cutaneous locations. Postmortem evaluation revealed spread to
      multiple lymph nodes but no further organ metastasis. Serologic testing on
      archived serum for bovine leukemia virus (BLV) revealed no evidence of exposure
      or infection. In cattle, cutaneous lymphoma is a sporadic form of lymphoma that
      is relatively rare, not typically associated with BLV infection, and occurs in
      young animals (<3 yr). This is the first report of cutaneous lymphoma in a
      nondomestic bovid.

PMID- 28920801
TI  - EVALUATION OF A COMMERCIAL COMPETITIVE ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY FOR
      DETECTION OF AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS SUBTYPE H5 ANTIBODIES IN ZOO BIRDS.
AB  - The hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test is the current gold standard for
      detecting antibodies to avian influenza virus (AIV). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assays (ELISAs) have been explored for use in poultry and certain wild bird
      species because of high efficiency and lower cost. This study compared a
      commercial ELISA for detection of AIV subtype H5 antibodies with HI test of 572
      serum samples from zoo birds. There was no significant difference between the
      results of the two tests when statistically compared by a McNemar chi2 test (P =
      0.86) and assessment of kappa (kappa = 0.87). With a specificity of 94.2% (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.92-0.97), a sensitivity of 93.9% (95% CI, 0.91-0.97),
      and an excellent correlation between the two tests, this ELISA can be recommended
      as an alternative to the HI test for preliminary screening of zoo bird sera for
      antibodies to AIV subtype H5.

PMID- 28920802
TI  - SUMMER AND WINTER VITAMIN D3 LEVELS IN SEVEN PLATYRRHINE SPECIES HOUSED AT A
      BRITISH ZOO, WITH REFERENCE TO NATURAL UVB LEVELS.
AB  - Serum samples were collected from 24 platyrrhines of seven diurnal species housed
      with outdoor access at Bristol Zoo Gardens (United Kingdom) to test 25
      hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) levels as part of the veterinary department's
      preventative health care program. Samples were collected in August 2008 (summer)
      and January 2009 (winter) to examine the effect of season on 25OHD3 levels.
      Dietary levels of vitamin D3 remained the same throughout the study period and
      fell within the range of 2000-4000 IU/kg dry matter, in accordance with current
      primate guidelines. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant
      difference between the platyrrhines' summer 25OHD3 values (range, <4.0->150.0
      MUg/L) and winter 25OHD3 values (range, <4.0-80.1 MUg/L). However, ultraviolet B
      (UVB) measurements taken at the zoo during the study period confirmed that UVB
      levels were significantly higher in summer (mean reading for 1200-1300 hours GMT
      time period, 153.8 MUW/cm2) compared with winter (mean reading for 1200-1300
      hours GMT time period, 19.4 MUW/cm2). The 25OHD3 levels measured were generally
      found to be low compared with previously published values from healthy captive
      and wild platyrrhines.

PMID- 28920803
TI  - ASSESSMENT OF A LANCET-AND-SWAB BLOOD SAMPLING TECHNIQUE FOR SURVEILLANCE OF
      ELEPHANT ENDOTHELIOTROPIC HERPESVIRUS INFECTION.
AB  - Lancing a finger elicits minimal pain in humans and is applied routinely to
      obtain small volumes of blood for clinical diagnostics. A modified lancet
      bleeding method and several blood sampling matrices were evaluated in this study
      for the purpose of routine elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV)
      surveillance in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). The procedure enabled weekly
      sampling from elephants as young as 9 mo of age. The blood sampling matrices were
      evaluated for their sensitivity measuring beta-actin, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, and/or EEHV-1 by quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. Foam and
      flocked swabs produced significantly (P < 0.05) lower quantitation cycles, ie,
      increased analytical sensitivity, than filter papers, Whatman(r) FTA cards, or
      conventional cotton-tipped swabs. The two swab types also demonstrated comparable
      analytical sensitivity to that of a similar volume of EDTA whole blood for the
      detection of EEHV-1 DNA. This lancet-and-swab technique proved satisfactory for
      the detection of EEHV-1 viremia in two Asian elephant calves, and in one instance
      viremia could be detected 5 days prior to the development of clinical signs. Low
      blood yield from the lancet application may reduce sensitivity and compromise
      early detection of viremia. Therefore, standard venipuncture remains the
      recommended blood sampling method, and training for consistent and regular vein
      access should continue to be the priority for collections holding elephants.
      However, if appropriate measures are taken to collect an optimum blood volume,
      this lancet-and-swab technique offers a suitable alternative for EEHV
      surveillance in situations where venipuncture may not be practical.

PMID- 28920804
TI  - TRICHINELLA INFECTIONS IN RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES) AND GOLDEN JACKALS (CANIS
      AUREUS) IN SIX DISTRICTS OF SERBIA.
AB  - Wild animals, including red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and golden jackals (Canis
      aureus), are the most important reservoirs of Trichinella spp. Although the red
      fox is considered one of the main reservoirs of Trichinella spp. in Europe, only
      a few animals have been examined in Serbia. The present study assessed
      Trichinella spp. infection in red foxes and golden jackals from the six districts
      in Serbia. Thirty-seven carcasses of red foxes and 13 carcasses of golden jackals
      shot during the official hunting season were examined. Larvae of Trichinella spp.
      were detected in 13 (35%) of 37 red foxes and in 8 (61%) of 13 golden jackals.
      Trichinella spiralis and Trichinella britovi were the only two species identified
      after a multiplex polymerase chain reaction analysis. Trichinella britovi
      infection was detected in 85% of red foxes and in 38% of golden jackals, and T.
      spiralis was detected in 15% of red foxes and in 63% of golden jackals. The
      findings emphasize the need for an active surveillance program for Trichinella
      spp. infection in wildlife in Serbia and the whole of the Balkans, with special
      attention on the red fox because it is widespread and occurs in high densities.

PMID- 28920805
TI  - PHARMACOKINETICS OF PIROXICAM IN CRANES (FAMILY GRUIDAE).
AB  - To investigate the pharmacokinetics of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
      (NSAID) piroxicam in cranes, three brolgas (Antigone rubicunda) were administered
      piroxicam as a single oral dose at 0.5 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg during separate
      trials. Serial blood samples were collected for quantification of piroxicam in
      plasma. Piroxicam was readily absorbed at both dosages, and no adverse effects
      were observed. Plasma concentrations peaked at 3.67 hr with a concentration of
      4.00 MUg/ml for the lower dosage, and at 0.83 hr at 8.77 MUg/ml for the higher
      dosage. Piroxicam may exhibit linear kinetics and dose proportionality in
      brolgas, but will require further study. Mean peak plasma concentrations in
      brolgas were comparable to concentrations demonstrated to be analgesic in humans.
      To the authors' knowledge, this study represents the first pharmacokinetic
      investigation of piroxicam in an avian species.

PMID- 28920806
TI  - ACCURACY OF NONINVASIVE ANESTHETIC MONITORING IN THE ANESTHETIZED GIRAFFE
      (GIRAFFA CAMELOPARDALIS).
AB  - This study evaluated the accuracy of pulse oximetry, capnography, and
      oscillometric blood pressure during general anesthesia in giraffes (Giraffa
      camelopardalis). Thirty-two giraffes anesthetized for physiologic experiments
      were instrumented with a pulse oximeter transmittance probe positioned on the
      tongue and a capnograph sampling line placed at the oral end of the endotracheal
      tube. A human size 10 blood pressure cuff was placed around the base of the tail,
      and an indwelling arterial catheter in the auricular artery continuously measured
      blood pressure. Giraffes were intermittently ventilated using a Hudson demand
      valve throughout the procedures. Arterial blood for blood gas analysis was
      collected at multiple time points. Relationships between oxygen saturation as
      determined by pulse oximetry and arterial oxygen saturation, between arterial
      carbon dioxide partial pressure and end-tidal carbon dioxide, and between
      oscillometric pressure and invasive arterial blood pressure were assessed, and
      the accuracy of pulse oximetry, capnography, and oscillometric blood pressure
      monitoring evaluated using Bland-Altman analysis. All three noninvasive methods
      provided relatively poor estimates of the reference values. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve fitting was used to determine cut-off values for hypoxia,
      hypocapnia, hypercapnia, and hypotension for dichotomous decision-making.
      Applying these cut-off values, there was reasonable sensitivity for detection of
      hypocapnia, hypercapnia, and hypotension, but not for hypoxemia. Noninvasive
      anesthetic monitoring should be interpreted with caution in giraffes and,
      ideally, invasive monitoring should be employed.

PMID- 28920807
TI  - USE OF ORAL FLUOXETINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF ABNORMAL AGGRESSION IN TWO RED-NECKED
      WALLABIES (MACROPUS RUFOGRISEUS).
AB  - : Abnormal inter- and intraspecies aggression, perceived to be anxiety related,
      was identified in two male red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) housed
      within a zoo. Aggressive episodes were directed at conspecifics, other exhibit
      animals, and, in one case, human caretakers. The clinical use of oral fluoxetine
      (0.5 mg/kg po bid) for a period of approximately 4 mo was effective in
      eliminating aggression towards humans and other animals in these two individuals.
      There was no evidence of recrudescence of aggression in either case following
      discontinuation of therapy for up to 3 yr posttreatment. Other than a period of
      mild transient sedation in one animal, side effects were not noted with
      fluoxetine treatment in these cases. Additional studies on the pharmacokinetics
      and side effects of fluoxetine treatment for anxiety behaviors are warranted in
      wallabies.

PMID- 28920808
TI  - CHARACTERIZING THE 25-HYDROXYVITAMIN D STATUS OF TWO POPULATIONS OF FREE-RANGING
      EASTERN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA).
AB  - Ultraviolet B radiation is recommended for captive reptiles to stimulate
      production of adequate levels of vitamin D; however, little is known regarding
      the vitamin D status in many free-ranging populations. Current reference ranges
      for vitamin D in eastern box turtles have not yet been established. Sixty free
      ranging eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) from two well-studied
      populations in Illinois (n = 24) and Tennessee (n = 36) were assayed for plasma
      vitamin D concentration in 2014. There were no significant differences in
      concentrations between individuals in Illinois (mean: 117.5 nM/L) and Tennessee
      (mean: 98.7 nM/L) (P = 0.129) populations. Similarly, there were no differences
      in concentrations based on age class (P = 0.533) or sex (P = 0.532). There was a
      significant correlation between UV at the time of capture and vitamin D
      concentrations (R = 0.301, P = 0.030). Vitamin D was not correlated with total
      calcium (R = 0.018, P = 0.89) or Ca : P ratio (R = 0.025, P = 0.85). Diseases in
      captive individuals, including secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism, may
      commonly be associated with vitamin D deficiencies, and clinical intervention
      relies on reference data. Vitamin D supplementation may be recommended if animals
      are deemed to be deficient. Data obtained can be used to improve the care of
      captive and free-ranging turtles by providing reference ranges, as well as better
      characterize the health of wild populations.

PMID- 28920809
TI  - EVALUATION OF BONE MINERALIZATION BY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN WILD AND CAPTIVE
      EUROPEAN COMMON SPADEFOOTS (PELOBATES FUSCUS), IN RELATION TO EXPOSURE TO
      ULTRAVIOLET B RADIATION AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS.
AB  - Captive rearing programs have been initiated to save the European common
      spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus), a toad species in the family of Pelobatidae, from
      extinction in The Netherlands. Evaluating whether this species needs ultraviolet
      B (UVB) radiation and/or dietary supplementation for healthy bone development is
      crucial for its captive management and related conservation efforts. The bone
      mineralization in the femurs and the thickest part of the parietal bone of the
      skulls of European common spadefoots (n = 51) was measured in Hounsfield units
      (HUs) by computed tomography. One group, containing adults (n = 8) and juveniles
      (n = 13), was reared at ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo without UVB exposure. During
      their terrestrial lifetime, these specimens received a vitamin-mineral
      supplement. Another group, containing adults (n = 8) and juveniles (n = 10), was
      reared and kept in an outdoor breeding facility in Munster, Germany, with
      permanent access to natural UVB light, without vitamin-mineral supplementation.
      The HUs in the ARTIS and Munster specimens were compared with those in wild
      specimens (n = 12). No significant difference was found between the HUs in the
      femurs of both ARTIS and Munster adults and wild adults (P = 0.537; P = 0.181).
      The HUs in the skulls of both captive-adult groups were significantly higher than
      in the skulls of wild specimens (P = 0.020; P = 0.005). The HUs in the femurs of
      the adult ARTIS animals were significantly higher than the HUs in the femurs of
      the adult Munster animals (P = 0.007). The absence of UVB radiation did not seem
      to have a negative effect on the bone development in the terrestrial stage. This
      suggests that this nocturnal, subterrestrial amphibian was able to extract
      sufficient vitamin D3 from its diet and did not rely heavily on photobiosynthesis
      through UVB exposure.

PMID- 28920810
TI  - NEWLY DESCRIBED TOXOPLASMA GONDII STRAIN CAUSES HIGH MORTALITY IN RED NECKED
      WALLABIES (MACROPUS RUFOGRISEUS) IN A ZOO.
AB  - This manuscript describes an outbreak of fatal toxoplasmosis in wallabies. Ten
      adult red necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) were imported from New Zealand
      to the Virginia Zoo. Agglutination testing upon admission into quarantine showed
      all animals to be negative for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. Nine of these
      wallabies died from acute toxoplasmosis within 59-565 (average 224) days after
      being moved onto exhibit. Clinical signs included lethargy, diarrhea, tachypnea,
      and ataxia that progressed rapidly; death without premonitory signs occurred in
      one case. Histopathologic examination revealed interstitial pneumonia,
      encephalomyelitis, myositis, enteritis, and myocarditis. The diagnosis was
      confirmed through serologic, histopathologic, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      testing. Multilocus PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism)
      genotyping revealed that the first six animals were infected by a previously
      undiscovered Toxoplasma gondii genotype, designated as ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype
      No. 263. These six cases survived for an average of 118 days on exhibit before
      succumbing to toxoplasmosis. The other three wallabies were infected with a
      Toxoplasma gondii strain of ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype No. 4, which is a common
      strain type circulating in wild animals in North America. These three cases
      survived for an average of 435 days on exhibit before succumbing to
      toxoplasmosis. The outbreaks of toxoplasmosis in these wallabies are likely from
      two different sources. Furthermore, the results highlight Toxoplasma gondii PCR
      RFLP genotyping in parasite diagnosis and understanding parasite transmission and
      potential mitigation procedures.

PMID- 28920811
TI  - SALT BATH AS A TREATMENT FOR IDIOPATHIC DERMATITIS IN CAPTIVE NILE HIPPOPOTAMUS
      (HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS).
AB  - Ulcerative skin lesions were observed in two captive adult female hippos
      (Hippopotamus amphibius) from a zoological collection. Lesions appeared as
      cracking, peeling, or vesicles of the skin affecting the lateral and ventral
      aspects of the neck, limbs, thorax, and abdomen, dorsum, toes, and perineal
      region. Some lesions drained blood, serum, or purulent material. Histologic
      evaluation of sloughed skin consisted of deep dermal collagen with bacterial
      cellulitis and vasculitis and superficial fungal colonization. No viral pathogens
      were isolated and no fungal or bacterial pathogen predominated. Minimal response
      to systemic antibiotics and topical treatment was observed. Commercial cattle
      food-grade salt was added to the exhibit pool at 2-3 g/L with complete healing of
      all skin lesions within a 4-mo treatment period. No complications were observed.
      Patient compliance with salt bath therapy was higher and results more effective
      compared to topical and oral treatments.

PMID- 28920812
TI  - OPHTHALMIC EXAMINATION IN COMMON KESTRELS (FALCO TINNUCULUS) FROM SOUTH KOREA.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to establish reference ophthalmic findings in the
      common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Twenty healthy adult kestrels were included
      in this study. Ophthalmic examinations included slit lamp biomicroscopy, fundus
      exam, Schirmer tear test, conjunctival bacterial culture and isolation, corneal
      touch threshold, tonometry, and corneal diameter measurement. Mean tear
      production was 7.4 +/- 3.27 mm/min, and mean intraocular pressure measured via
      applanation tonometry was 10.5 +/- 3.15 mm Hg. In addition, the mean corneal
      touch threshold was 29.8 +/- 20.1 mm, and the mean corneal diameter was 9.8 +/-
      1.1 mm. Of the 25 conjunctival swabs, 23 (92%) yielded bacterial growth. Most of
      these bacteria were gram positive (69.6%); the most predominant genus was
      Staphylococcus. This study presents reference values for ophthalmic examinations
      in common kestrels.

PMID- 28920813
TI  - MYCOBACTERIOSIS IN CAPTIVE PSITTACINES: A BRIEF REVIEW AND CASE SERIES IN COMMON
      COMPANION SPECIES (ECLECTUS RORATUS, AMAZONA ORATRIX, AND PIONITES
      MELANOCEPHALA).
AB  - In 2015, three psittacines were presented within 30 days, each with differing
      clinical signs and patient histories. A 13-yr-old male eclectus parrot (Eclectus
      roratus) was presented for weakness, depression, and acute anorexia. On
      presentation it was determined to have a heart murmur, severely elevated white
      blood cell count (93.9 103/MUl) with a left shift (2.8 103/MUl bands), and anemia
      (30%). Severe hepatomegaly was noted on radiographs, ultrasonography, and
      computed tomography. A cytological sample of the liver obtained through a fine
      needle aspirate revealed intracellular acid-fast bacilli identified as
      Mycobacterium avium. A 20-yr-old female double yellow-headed Amazon parrot
      (Amazona oratrix) was presented for a 1-mo history of lethargy and weight loss
      despite a good appetite. The parrot's total white blood cell count was 16.8
      103/MUl and the PCV was 35%. Following its death, a necropsy revealed a
      generalized granulomatous condition that involved the small intestines, lungs,
      liver, spleen, and medullary cavities of the long bones, with intracellular acid
      fast bacilli identified as Mycobacterium genavense. The third case, an 18-mo-old
      female black-headed caique (Pionites melanocephala), was presented with a 1-day
      history of lethargy and depression. On presentation, the caique had a heart
      murmur, distended coelom, palpable thickening of the coelomic organs, and
      increased lung sounds. Following the caique's death, a complete necropsy revealed
      mycobacteriosis of the liver, spleen, small intestines, pericardial fat, and bone
      marrow. The infection was identified as Mycobacterium genavense. The importance
      of advances in Mycobacterium spp. identification, continued presence of this
      organism in captive avian populations, difficulty in obtaining a definitive
      antemortem diagnosis, and conflicting recommendations regarding treatment are
      thought-provoking areas of focus in this case series.

PMID- 28920814
TI  - ACUTE-PHASE RESPONSES IN HEALTHY, MALNOURISHED, AND OTOSTRONGYLUS-INFECTED
      JUVENILE NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS (MIROUNGA ANGUSTIROSTRIS).
AB  - Acute-phase proteins (APPs) are utilized to detect early inflammation in many
      domestic and nondomestic species, but variability exists between species and
      inflammatory diseases as to which APPs are most useful. Stranded juvenile
      northern elephant seals (NESs; Mirounga angustirostris) undergoing rehabilitation
      at the Marine Mammal Center experience high mortality rates due to severe
      arteritis caused by the lungworm, Otostrongylus circumlitis (OC), and there are
      currently no effective antemortem diagnostic tools for this disease. To
      characterize patterns of the acute-phase response in the NES, two APPs-serum
      amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP)-were measured, and serum protein
      electrophoresis was performed to measure albumin and globulin fractions in 81
      serum samples from 58 NESs in four different health states: healthy,
      malnourished, preclinical for OC infection, or clinical for OC infection.
      Compared to healthy NESs (median, 11.2 mg/L), SAA concentrations were
      significantly increased in malnourished (33.9 mg/L), preclinical (247 mg/L), and
      clinical OC-infected NESs (328 mg/L) (P < 0.05). CRP concentrations were
      increased only in clinical OC-infected NESs (median, 53.9 mg/L) and were below
      detectable limits in the other three groups (<0.01 mg/L). These results show that
      SAA and CRP are positive APPs in NESs with OC infection, and that SAA may serve
      as the major APP for this species. Albumin : globulin ratios were significantly
      increased in malnourished NESs (median, 1.26) and decreased in clinical OC
      infected NESs (0.53). As a result, albumin is a negative APP in the NES, similar
      to other mammalian species. APP monitoring can be helpful in detecting and
      monitoring inflammation in rehabilitating juvenile NESs.

PMID- 28920815
TI  - PRELIMINARY CHARACTERIZATION OF DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY IN A CAPTIVE POPULATION OF
      BANDED MONGOOSES (MUNGOS MUNGO).
AB  - Between 2006 and 2015, a high incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) was
      diagnosed in a captive population of banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) at Chester
      Zoo, United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to characterize DCM in these
      mongooses in order to raise awareness of this condition and help inform
      management and clinical decisions. Prospective clinical assessments, including
      echocardiography, radiography, and cardiac biomarkers, were carried out in four
      mongooses remaining in the collection. Radiographs from 15 mature mongooses were
      reviewed and cardiac size and metrics assessed. Ten postmortem reports and the
      histologic sections from nine of these cases were reviewed for cardiac lesions.
      Echocardiographic findings were consistent with a diagnosis of preclinical DCM in
      one out of the four cases assessed, and it was considered equivocal in a second
      case. Taurine levels were within normal limits for domestic carnivores.
      Radiographs in seven mongooses showed right-sided or generalized cardiomegaly.
      The width of the heart in intercostal spaces and vertebral-tracheal angle on the
      lateral view were the most-discriminatory radiographic variables for diagnosis of
      cardiac disease. At necropsy, there was gross pathological evidence consistent
      with DCM in seven out of 10 mongooses examined. Histopathologically, mild
      multifocal fibrosis and rare intermyofiber edema were observed. This study
      provides preliminary evidence that DCM occurs in captive banded mongoose, but
      etiology and wider prevalence need to be determined.

PMID- 28920816
TI  - UROLITHIASIS IN FREE-RANGING AND CAPTIVE OTTERS (LUTRA LUTRA AND AONYX CINEREA)
      IN EUROPE.
AB  - Between 1996 and 1998, 477 dead otters from different Central European countries
      were examined for urolithiasis, including 449 free-ranging Eurasian otters (Lutra
      lutra) as well as 17 Eurasian otters and 11 Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx
      cinerea) from captivity. In the free-ranging specimens, uroliths (sand or stones)
      were found in 105 animals (23.4%), with no significant difference (P = 0.77)
      between the sexes. Uroliths were not present in any juveniles (n = 26) and
      urolithiasis was not considered the main cause of death in any individual. In
      captive specimens, uroliths were found in 11 out of 17 Eurasian otters (64.7%;
      four males and seven females), and in 3 out of 11 Asian small-clawed otters
      (27.3%). Histology could not find any signs of inflammation in examined kidneys
      (n = 179) or urinary bladders (n = 66). Analyzed stones of free-ranging and
      captive Eurasian otters were composed mainly of ammonium acid urate. The stones
      of three captive Asian small-clawed otters consisted mainly of calcium oxalate.
      The difference in prevalence of uroliths between free-ranging and captive
      Eurasian otters was significant (P < 0.001). Nevertheless, the prevalence in free
      ranging specimens of this study is higher than reported before. Differences
      between various habitats, environmental changes, and genetic predisposition all
      represent potential hypothetical explanations for these findings.

PMID- 28920817
TI  - INTESTINAL HISTOPLASMOSIS IN A CAPTIVE REINDEER (RANGIFER TARANDUS), MISSOURI,
      USA.
AB  - An infection with Histoplasma capsulatum was diagnosed in a farmed reindeer in
      Missouri, an endemic area for histoplasmosis, localized in the intestine. The
      intrahistiocytic organisms were identified in tissue sections using histologic
      methods and confirmed by immunohistochemistry. This is the first report of
      histoplasmosis in a reindeer or in any deer species.

PMID- 28920818
TI  - BIOCHEMISTRY PANEL REFERENCE INTERVALS FOR JUVENILE GOLDFISH (CARASSIUS AURATUS).
AB  - Reference intervals for diagnostic tests are vitally important for clinical
      decision making. Despite the popularity of pet goldfish (Carassius auratus),
      reference intervals have not been generated for routine biochemistry panel
      analytes in this species. This study establishes de novo reference intervals for
      packed cell volume and total solids, using 47 apparently healthy immature
      goldfish, and for 11 common chemistry panel analytes (albumin, aspartate
      aminotransferase, calcium, creatine kinase, globulin, blood glucose, sodium,
      potassium, phosphorous, total protein, and uric acid) using 39 immature goldfish.
      Robust reference intervals were generated following recommendations of the
      American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology. Linear regression was used to
      demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between body weight and
      calcium, albumin, total protein, potassium, packed cell volume, and total solids.
      The results of this study serve as a useful baseline for future reference
      interval generation in goldfish.

PMID- 28920819
TI  - DISSEMINATED TOXOPLASMOSIS IN A CAPTIVE ADULT DROMEDARY CAMEL (CAMELUS
      DROMEDARIUS).
AB  - An 11-yr-old dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) at a zoo in south Florida
      presented with diarrhea while being treated with enrofloxacin and dexamethasone
      for a chronic skin condition. Three weeks after initiation of therapy with
      dexamethasone, the camel developed diarrhea, which worsened despite treatment
      with antibiotics. The animal became increasingly debilitated, developed
      hemorrhagic diarrhea, declined rapidly over the next 3 days, and died despite
      aggressive fluid therapy and supportive care. Histologic examination revealed
      intralesional protozoal tissue cysts consistent with Toxoplasma gondii in the
      intestines, lungs, and liver, as well as lymphoid depletion of the spleen
      suggesting immunosuppression. To the author's knowledge this is the first
      reported case of disseminated toxoplasmosis that clinically manifested as
      hemorrhagic enterocolitis in a camel.

PMID- 28920820
TI  - MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF WILD TURTLES AT A NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE CLINIC: A 10
      YEAR RETROSPECTIVE.
AB  - The medical records from 1,847 wild turtle patients seen between 2005 and 2014 by
      the Turtle Rescue Team at the North Carolina State University College of
      Veterinary Medicine were analyzed. Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina
      carolina; n = 947), yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta; n = 301),
      cooters ( Pseudemys spp.; n = 235), common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina;
      n = 165), and eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta; n = 93) made up 94.3% of
      all patients. Patient admissions peaked in May when 25.6% (473/1,847) of all
      turtles were admitted. Cooters were the most-likely species to be gravid, and the
      loss of gravid females may put this population at increased risk for decline. The
      majority of wild turtles presented for anthropogenic causes, primarily vehicular
      trauma (63.2%; 1,168/1,847), which also had the greatest mortality at 57.8%
      (675/1,168) of any presenting complaint. Coelomic breach was the presenting
      injury with greatest risk of dying, increasing the risk of dying by 4.8 times.
      Other factors that were associated with increased mortality included head
      injuries, myiasis, and cranial or caudal midline injuries. Of all turtle species,
      eastern box turtles most commonly presented for nontraumatic conditions including
      aural abscesses (8.2%; 78/947), upper respiratory infections (6.3%; 60/947), and
      both conditions concurrently (2.5%; 14/947). While many turtles presented with
      little to no chance for survival in the wild, 47.6% were eventually released and
      that number increased to 62.0% released for those that survived 24 hr or longer
      after presentation. This study adds to the knowledge about the treatment of
      injured and diseased wild turtles in order to potentially ameliorate the overall
      impact of humans, especially as a result of vehicular trauma.

PMID- 28920821
TI  - SERUM FERRITIN CONCENTRATION IS NOT A RELIABLE BIOMARKER OF IRON OVERLOAD
      DISORDER PROGRESSION OR HEMOCHROMATOSIS IN THE SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS (DICERORHINUS
      SUMATRENSIS).
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine if ferritin is a reliable biomarker of
      iron overload disorder (IOD) progression and hemochromatosis in the Sumatran
      rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) by developing a species-specific ferritin
      assay and testing historically banked samples collected from rhinos that did and
      did not die of hemochromatosis. Ferritin extracted from Sumatran rhino liver
      tissue was used to generate antibodies for the Enzyme Immunoassay. Historically
      banked Sumatran rhino serum samples (n = 298) obtained from six rhinos in US zoos
      (n = 290); five rhinos at the Sumatran Rhino Conservation Centre in Sungai Dusun,
      Malaysia (n = 5); and two rhinos in Sabah, Malaysia (n = 3) were analyzed for
      ferritin concentrations. Across all US zoo samples, serum ferritin concentrations
      ranged from 348 to 7,071 ng/ml, with individual means ranging from 1,267 (n = 25)
      to 2,604 ng/ml (n = 36). The ferritin profiles were dynamic, and all rhinos
      exhibited spikes in ferritin above baseline during the sampling period. The rhino
      with the highest mean ferritin concentration did not die of hemochromatosis and
      exhibited only mild hemosiderosis postmortem. A reproductive female exhibited
      decreases and increases in serum ferritin concurrent with pregnant and
      nonpregnant states, respectively. Mean (+/-SD) serum ferritin concentration for
      Sumatran rhinos in Malaysia was high (4,904 +/- 4,828 ng/ml) compared to that for
      US zoo rhinos (1,835 +/- 495 ng/ml). However, those in Sabah had lower ferritin
      concentrations (1,025 +/- 52.7 ng/ml) compared to those in Sungai Dusun (6,456 +/
      4,941 ng/ml). In conclusion, Sumatran rhino serum ferritin concentrations are
      dynamic, and increases often are not associated with illness or hemochromatosis.
      Neither a specific pattern nor the individual's overall mean ferritin
      concentration can be used to accurately assess IOD progression or diagnose
      hemochromatosis in this rhino species.

PMID- 28920822
TI  - A RETROSPECTIVE COMPARISON OF CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION WITH THIAFENTANIL,
      THIAFENTANIL-AZAPERONE, OR ETORPHINE-ACEPROMAZINE IN CAPTIVE PERSIAN FALLOW DEER
      (DAMA DAMA MESOPOTAMICA).
AB  - Records of 56 Persian fallow deer (Dama dama mesopotamica) immobilized for
      translocation were reviewed. Twenty-three were administered 0.05 +/- 0.01 (mean
      +/- SD) mg/kg thiafentanil (THIA), 20 were administered 0.045 +/- 0.008 mg/kg
      thiafentanil combined with 0.19 +/- 0.03 mg/kg azaperone (THIA-AZP), and 13 were
      administered 0.032 +/- 0.04 mg/kg etorphine-acepromazine (ETOR-ACP) by
      intramuscular remote injection. Parameters recorded and compared between groups
      included induction and recovery times, heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal
      temperature, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, reflexes, quality of
      immobilization, and blood concentrations of lactate and glucose. Naltrexone (THIA
      groups) or diprenorphine (ETOR-ACP) were administered for reversal. Mean
      induction time was significantly shorter in the THIA group versus the ETOR-ACP
      group (2.0 +/- 1.3 and 4.8 +/- 2.8 min, respectively), but not significantly
      shorter than the THIA-AZP group (2.8 +/- 3.1 min). Respiratory rate was
      significantly higher in the THIA group in comparison to the two other groups.
      None of the protocols provided excellent immobilization quality, which was
      significantly poorer in the THIA group. Following antagonist administration, all
      deer from the THIA and ETOR-ACP groups recovered quickly, while there were five
      perianesthetic morbidity and mortality cases in the THIA-AZP group. Mean recovery
      time was significantly shorter in the THIA group versus the THIA-AZP and ETOR-ACP
      groups (0.5 +/- 0.3, 1.1 +/- 0.8, and 2.3 +/- 1.1 min, respectively). In
      conclusion, the use of THIA provided faster induction and recovery, with less
      respiratory depression, but poorer immobilization. The THIA-AZP combination
      should be used with caution in Persian fallow deer until further investigation.

PMID- 28920823
TI  - DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF A UNILATERAL RENAL CYSTADENOMA IN AN AFRICAN LION
      (PANTHERA LEO).
AB  - A renal tubular cystadenoma was diagnosed in a 14-yr-old male African lion
      (Panthera leo). During a routine health evaluation, a left renal mass was
      identified via physical examination, radiographs, and abdominal ultrasonography.
      The mass was 30 * 15 cm in size and had a thin capsule with central hypoechoic
      fluid, suggestive of a perirenal cyst. An exploratory celiotomy with partial
      nephrectomy was performed without complications. Histologically, the tumor was
      characterized by a thick fibrous capsule surrounding multiple, variable-sized
      cysts that markedly compressed the adjacent fibrotic and atrophied renal cortex.
      Immunohistochemical labeling for Aquaporin-1 and Tamm-Horsfall protein was
      consistent with a renal tubular cystadenoma of proximal tubule origin. Renal
      cystadenomas are an uncommon benign epithelial neoplasm. There are only two
      documented case reports in domestic cats. This report represents the first
      documentation, to the authors' knowledge, of a renal cystadenoma in a lion.

PMID- 28920824
TI  - BASELINE HEALTH AND NUTRITION EVALUATION OF TWO SYMPATRIC NOCTURNAL LEMUR SPECIES
      (AVAHI LANIGER AND LEPILEMUR MUSTELINUS) RESIDING NEAR AN ACTIVE MINE SITE AT
      AMBATOVY, MADAGASCAR.
AB  - Extractive industries can have significant impacts on ecosystems through loss of
      habitat, degradation of water quality, and direct impact on floral and faunal
      biodiversity. When operations are located in sensitive regions with high
      biodiversity containing endangered or threatened species, it is possible to
      minimize impact on the environment by developing programs to scientifically
      monitor the impact on resident flora and fauna species in the early phases of
      operation so that effects can be mitigated whenever possible. This report
      presents the baseline health, nutrition, and trace mineral evaluation for 33
      Avahi laniger (Eastern wooly lemur) and 15 Lepilemur mustelinus (greater sportive
      lemur) captured and given complete health evaluations that included the
      measurement of fat-soluble vitamins and trace minerals in addition to routine
      complete blood counts, serum chemistries, and parasite evaluations. All lemurs
      appeared healthy on physical examination despite the presence of minor wounds
      consistent with interspecies aggression in some individuals. Serum chemistry
      values were within expected ranges for other lemur species; however, A. laniger
      erythrocytes were significantly smaller than those of L. mustelinus. Serum nickel
      values were markedly higher than expected in both species, and selenium, copper,
      and cobalt levels were higher in L. mustelinus compared with A. laniger at the
      study site, as well as values for I. indri or P. diadema reported from other
      locations. Endoparasites and ectoparasites were typical of those reported in
      other wild lemur species, but load and diversity varied between A. laniger and L.
      mustelinus despite inhabiting the same forest ecosystem. This baseline assessment
      provides the foundation for ongoing monitoring.

PMID- 28920825
TI  - CJEM Debate Series: #Burnout - Burnout is inevitable in clinical emergency
      medicine practice.

PMID- 28920826
TI  - Hydrogenophaga soli sp. nov., isolated from rice field soil.
AB  - A novel Gram-stain-negative bacterial strain, designated strain S10T, was
      isolated from soil collected in a rice field in Goyang, South Korea. Cells of
      strain S10T were strictly aerobic, motile and rod-shaped. Colonies were round,
      convex, smooth and white. The strain grew optimally at 37  degrees C, pH 7.0 and
      0 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain
      S10T revealed that the bacterium belongs to the family Comamonadaceae and is
      related to members of the genus Hydrogenophaga, with Hydrogenophaga caeni EMB71T
      being its closest relative (97.9 % sequence similarity). The DNA G+C content of
      strain S10T was 68.2 mol%. Strain S10T contained phosphatidylethanolamine and
      diphosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipids. The major fatty acids were C16
      : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH). The
      predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-8. DNA-DNA hybridization values
      of strain S10T with Hydrogenophaga caeni KCTC 12613T, Hydrogenophaga atypica DSM
      15342T and Hydrogenophaga defluvii DSM 15341T were 16.1+/-4.8, 49.0+/-3.2 and
      21.9+/-8.8 %, respectively. Based on phylogenetic distinctiveness, DNA-DNA
      hybridization and specific physiological and biochemical characteristics, strain
      S10T (=KCTC 52520T=JCM 31711T) is classified as a novel species of the genus
      Hydrogenophaga, for which the name Hydrogenophagasoli sp. nov. is proposed.

PMID- 28920827
TI  - Marmoricola endophyticus sp. nov., an endophytic actinobacterium isolated from
      Thespesia populnea.
AB  - A novel endophytic actinobacterium, designated strain 8BXZ-J1T, was isolated from
      surface-sterilized branches of Thespesia populnea collected from Beilun Estuary
      Mangrove Forest National Nature Reserve in Guangxi, China, and examined by a
      polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. Cells of the isolate
      were Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile and short rod
      shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences suggested that
      strain 8BXZ-J1T belonged to the genus Marmoricola, sharing highest similarity
      with Marmoricola solisilvae DSM 27140T (96.9 %). The isolate grew at 10-35 
      degrees C (optimum, 28-30  degrees C), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the
      presence of 0-10 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-5.0 %). The organism contained ll-2,6
      diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid of the peptidoglycan, MK-8(H4)
      as the major menaquinone, and a polar lipid profile including
      diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine,
      phosphatidylinositol and two unknown lipids. The major fatty acids of strain 8BXZ
      J1T were C18 : 0 10-methyl, iso-C16 : 0 and C16 : 0. The G+C content of the
      genomic DNA was 68.7 mol%. These data demonstrate that strain 8BXZ-J1T is
      representative of a novel species of the genus Marmoricola, for which the name
      Marmoricola endophyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 8BXZ-J1T (=KCTC
      39789T=CGMCC 1.16067T).

PMID- 28920828
TI  - Paenibacillus arcticus sp. nov., isolated from Arctic soil.
AB  - A Gram-positive, endospore-forming, strictly aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium,
      designated strain MME2_R6T, was isolated from Arctic soil, and it was identified
      by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. This strain was psychrotolerant,
      growing at 4-24  degrees C. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain
      MME2_R6T was closest to Paenibacillus swuensis DY6T, with 93.9 % similarity.
      However, in phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain
      MME2_R6T showed that it clustered with Paenibacillus contaminans CKOBP-6T and the
      sequencing similarity between the two species was 93.7 %. Its major cellular
      fatty acid was anteiso-C15 : 0, like other Paenibacillus species. The major polar
      lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and
      diphosphatidylglycerol. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone-7. The
      diagnostic diamino acid in the cell wall was meso-diaminopimelic acid. The
      genomic DNA G+C content was 44.2 mol%. Based on the results of phenotypic,
      chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, a novel species, Paenibacillus arcticus
      sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is MME2_R6T (=JCM 30981T=PAMC 28731T).

PMID- 28920829
TI  - Allobranchiibius huperziae gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of Dermacoccaceae
      isolated from the root of a medicinal plant Huperzia serrata (Thunb.).
AB  - A Gram-stain-positive, non-spore-forming actinobacterial strain, designated CPCC
      204077T, was isolated from the surface-sterilized root of a medicinal plant
      Huperzia serrata (Thunb.) collected from Sichuan Province, south-west China. The
      peptidoglycan type of strain CPCC 204077T was detected as A4alpha with an l-Lys-l
      Ser-d-Asp interpeptide bridge. Galactose, glucose, rhamnose and ribose were the
      sugar compositions in the whole-cell hydrolysates. MK-8(H4) was the only
      menaquinone. The polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, one
      unidentified phospholipid and one unidentified glycolipid. The major fatty acid
      was iso-C16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content was 71.0 mol%. The phylogenetic tree
      based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CPCC 204077T stood for a
      distinct lineage within the family Dermacoccaceaealongside the genera
      Branchiibius, Demetria and Barrientosiimonas, with the highest 16S rRNA gene
      sequence similarities to Branchiibius hedensis Mer 29717T (95.0 %),
      Calidifontibacter indicus PC IW02T (95.0 %), Barrientosiimonas humi 39T (94.9 %)
      and Demetria terragena HKI 0089T (94.7 %), and less than 94.7 % sequence
      similarities to all other species. Signature nucleotides in the 16S rRNA sequence
      showed that the strain contained the Dermacoccaceaefamily-specific 16S rRNA
      signature nucleotides and a genus-specific diagnostic nucleotide signature
      pattern. Combining the genotypic and phenotypic analyses, we propose that strain
      CPCC 204077T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family
      Dermacoccaceae with the name Allobranchiibius huperziae gen. nov., sp. nov.
      Strain CPCC 204077T (=NBRC 110719T=DSM 29531T) is the type strain of the type
      species.

PMID- 28920831
TI  - Algoriphagus marisflavi sp. nov., isolated from water of an estuary environment.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, aerobic and rod-shaped or ovoid bacterial
      strain, designated KEM-106T, was isolated from water of an estuary environment on
      the Yellow Sea, South Korea, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study.
      Strain KEM-106T grew optimally at 30  degrees C and pH 7.0-8.0 and in the
      presence of 1.0-2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene
      sequences revealed that strain KEM-106T belonged to the genus Algoriphagus,
      clustering with the type strains of Algoriphagus litorisediminis and Algoriphagus
      aquaemixtae. Strain KEM-106T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of
      96.5, 96.2 and 96.0 % to the type strains of Algoriphagus boritolerans, A.
      litorisediminis and A. aquaemixtae, respectively, and of 92.5-95.8 % to the type
      strains of the other Algoriphagus species. Strain KEM-106T contained MK-7 as the
      predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0 and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c
      and/or C16 : 1omega6c) as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids were
      phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. The DNA G+C content of strain
      KEM-106T was 42.7 mol%. Differential phenotypic properties, together with its
      phylogenetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain KEM-106T is separated from
      recognized species of the genus Algoriphagus. On the basis of the data presented,
      strain KEM-106T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus
      Algoriphagus, for which the name Algoriphagus marisflavi sp. nov. is proposed.
      The type strain is KEM-106T (=KCTC 52979T=NBRC 112904T).

PMID- 28920830
TI  - Reclassification of Thiomicrospira hydrogeniphila (Watsuji et al. 2016) to
      Thiomicrorhabdus hydrogeniphila comb. nov., with emended description of
      Thiomicrorhabdus (Boden et al., 2017).
AB  - The genus Thiomicrorhabdus (Tmr) in the Piskirickettsiaceae in the Thiotrichales
      of the Gammaproteobacteria contains four species of sulfur-oxidising obligate
      chemolithoautotroph with validly published names, all previously classified as
      Thiomicrospira (Tms) species. Here we demonstrate that Thiomicrospira
      hydrogeniphila, a recently published hydrogen-utilising chemolithoautotroph
      closely related to Thiomicrorhabdus frisia (type species of Thiomicrorhabdus)
      should be classified as a member of the genus Thiomicrorhabdus and not
      Thiomicrospira, as Thiomicrorhabdus hydrogeniphila comb. nov., on the basis of
      comparative physiology and morphology as well as 16S rRNA (rrs) gene identity of
      Tms. hydrogeniphila MAS2T being closer to that of Tmr. frisia JB-A2T (99.1 %)
      than to Tms. pelophila DSM 1534T (90.5 %) or Hydrogenovibrio marinus MH-110T
      (94.1 %), and on the basis of the topology of 16S rRNA gene maximum likelihood
      trees, which clearly place Tms. hydrogeniphila within the genus Thiomicrorhabdus.
      It was also noted that thiosulfate-grown Thiomicrorhabdus spp. can be
      distinguished from Thiomicrospira spp. or Hydrogenovibrio spp. on the basis of
      the 3 dominant fatty acids (C16 : 1, C18 : 1 and C16 : 0), and from other
      Thiomicrorhabdus spp. on the basis of the fourth dominant fatty acid, which
      varies between the species of this genus - which could provide a useful
      diagnostic method. We provide an emended description of Thiomicrorhabdus (Boden
      R, Scott KM, Williams J, Russel S, Antonen K et al.Int J Syst Evol Microbiol
      2017;67:1140-1151) to take into account the properties of Thiomicrorhabdus
      hydrogeniphila comb. nov.

PMID- 28920832
TI  - Salinifilum gen. nov., with description of Salinifilum proteinilyticum sp. nov.,
      an extremely halophilic actinomycete isolated from Meighan wetland, Iran, and
      reclassification of Saccharopolyspora aidingensis as Salinifilum aidingensis
      comb. nov. and Saccharopolyspora ghardaiensis as Salinifilum ghardaiensis comb.
      nov.
AB  - A Gram-positive, halophilic actinobacterial strain Miq-12T was isolated from
      Meighan wetland in Iran. Strain Miq-12T was strictly aerobic, catalase positive
      and oxidase negative. The isolate grew at 12-25 % NaCl, at 30-50  degrees C and
      pH 5.5-10.5. The optimum NaCl, temperature and pH for growth were 15-20 %, 40 
      degrees C and 7.0-8.0, respectively. The cell wall of strain Miq-12T contained
      meso-diaminopimelic acid as diagnostic diamino acid and arabinose as whole-cell
      sugar. The polar lipid pattern consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol. It
      synthesized cellular fatty acids of anteiso and iso-branched types, anteiso-C17 :
      0, iso-C17:0, iso-C15:0, iso-C16 : 0. The major respiratory quinone was MK-9(H4).
      The G+C content of its genomic DNA was 72.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on
      16S rRNA gene sequence comparison revealed that strain Miq-12T belongs to the
      family Pseudonocardiaceae, constituted a separate clade, and showed the closest
      phylogenetic similarity to Saccharopolyspora aidingensis TRM 46074T (96.99 %) and
      Saccharopolyspora ghardaiensis CCUG 63370T (96.92 %). On the basis of
      phylogenetic analysis, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, a novel
      genus and species of the family Pseudonocardiaceae, Salinifilum proteinilyticum
      gen. nov., sp. nov., are proposed. The type strain is Miq-12T (=IBRCM 11033T=LMG
      28390T). We also propose that S. aidingensis and S. ghardaiensis should be
      transferred to this new genus and be named Salinifilum aidingensis comb. nov. and
      Salinifilum ghardaiensis comb. nov., respectively. The type strain of Salinifilum
      aidingensis comb. nov. is TRM 46074T (=CCTCCAA 2012014T=JCM 30185T) and the type
      strain of Salinifilum ghardaiensis comb. nov. is CCUG 63370T (=DSM 45606T=CECT
      8304T).

PMID- 28920833
TI  - Longispora urticae sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Urtica urens L.,
      and emended descriptions of the species Longisporaalbida and Longisporafulva.
AB  - Two Gram-stain-positive, aerobic actinomycete strains, designated NEAU-PCY-3T and
      NEAU-PCY-4, were isolated from rhizosphere soil of Urtica urens L. collected from
      Anshan, Liaoning Province, northeast PR China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence
      analysis showed that the two strains exhibited 99.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarity with each other and that they were most closely to Longispora fulva
      DSM 45356T (98.7, 98.9 %) and Longispora albida JCM 11711T (97.1, 97.2 %).
      Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the two
      strains were located in the same lineage and formed a cluster with the genus
      Longispora. Both strains were observed to contain MK-10(H4) and MK-10(H6) as the
      predominant menaquinones. The cell wall peptidoglycan was found to contain meso
      diaminopimelic acid, d-glutamic acid, glycine and l-alanine. Whole-cell
      hydrolysates mainly contained galactose, ribose and xylose. The phospholipid
      profile contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylinositol, several glycolipids and several unknown lipids. The major
      cellular fatty acids for strain NEAU-PCY-3T were iso-C16 : 0, iso-C17 : 0,
      anteiso-C17 : 0 and C18 : 1omega5c. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between
      strains NEAU-PCY-3T and NEAU-PCY-4 was 83.6+/-0.4 %, and the values between the
      two strains and their closest phylogenetic relatives, belonging to the genus
      Longispora, were well below 70 %, supporting that they represented a distinct
      genomic species. An array of phenotypic characteristics also differentiated the
      strains from their closely related species, the only two validly published
      Longispora species. On the basis of the genetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic
      properties, strains NEAU-PCY-3T and NEAU-PCY-4 were classified as representatives
      of a novel species of the genus Longispora, for which the name Longispora urticae
      sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-PCY-3T (=DSM 105119T=CCTCC AA
      2017017T).

PMID- 28920834
TI  - Streptomyces xylanilyticus sp. nov., isolated from soil.
AB  - A novel actinomycete, strain SR2-123T, belonging to the genus Streptomyces, was
      isolated from a soil sample collected from the Sakaerat Environmental Research
      Station, Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, Nakhon
      Ratchasima Province, Thailand. The taxonomic position of the strain was
      characterized using a polyphasic study. Strain SR2-123T contained ll
      diaminopimelic acid, glucose, mannose and ribose in whole-cell hydrolysates. The
      N-acyl type of muramic acid was acetyl. Menaquinones were MK-9(H6), MK-9(H8) and
      MK-9(H4). The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0,
      iso-C16 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0. The major polar lipids were
      diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylinositol, an unknown phospholipid, unknown glycolipids, an unknown
      aminophospholipid, unknown lipids and an unknown aminolipid. The DNA G+C content
      was 74.8 mol%. The strain was closely related to Streptomyces coeruleorubidus JCM
      4359T (98.5 %), Streptomyces flavofungini JCM 4753T (98.5 %), Streptomyces
      coerulescens NBRC 12758T (98. 5 %) and Streptomyces alboflavus JCM 4615T (98.4
      %), based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities. The novel strain exhibited low
      DNA-DNA relatedness values with the type strains (11.4-25.0 %) of closely related
      species. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain SR2
      123T could be distinguished from closely related species of the genus
      Streptomyces and represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces for which
      the name Streptomyces xylanilyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SR2
      123T (=TISTR 2493T=KCTC 39909T).

PMID- 28920835
TI  - Erythrobacter arachoides sp. nov., isolated from ice core.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designed RC4-10-4T, belonging
      to the genus Erythrobacter, was isolated from the East Rongbuk Glacier on the
      Tibetan Plateau. Strain RC4-10-4T grew optimally at pH 7.0, at 25  degrees C and
      in the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl. Summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 omega6c and/or iso
      C15 : 0 2-OH), summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 omega7c and/or C18 : 1 omega6c) and C16
      : 0 were the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids were
      phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol,
      sphingoglycolipid and phosphatidylcholine. Carotenoid was detected in the cells.
      The DNA G+C content of the novel strain was 66.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis
      based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain RC4-10-4T formed a distinct
      phylogenetic lineage within the cluster comprising Erythrobacter strains.
      Similarities between the 16S rRNA gene sequences of strain RC4-10-4T and the
      closely related strains Erythrobacter luteus KCTC 42179T, Erythrobacter
      gangjinensis KCTC 22330T, Erythrobacter odishensis KCTC 23981T and Erythrobacter
      atlanticuls KCTC 42697T were 98.0, 97.6, 97.5 and 97.2 %. The DNA-DNA
      hybridization values were 37.6, 15.4, 29.8 and 35.8 %, respectively. Based on the
      phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain RC4-10-4T represents a novel
      species of the genus Erythrobacter, for which the name Erythrobacter arachoides
      sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain RC4-10-4T (=CGMCC 1.15507T=JCM
      31277T).

PMID- 28920836
TI  - Mycobacterium aquiterrae sp. nov., a rapidly growing bacterium isolated from
      groundwater.
AB  - A strain representing a rapidly growing, Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, rod
      shaped, non-motile, non-sporulating and non-pigmented species of the genus
      Mycobacterium, designated strain S-I-6T, was isolated from groundwater at Daejeon
      in Korea. The strain grew at temperatures between 10 and 37  degrees C (optimal
      growth at 25  degrees C), between pH 4.0 and 9.0 (optimal growth at pH 7.0) and
      at salinities of 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl, growing optimally with 2 % (w/v) NaCl.
      Phylogenetic analyses based on multilocus sequence analysis of the 16S rRNAgene,
      hsp65, rpoB and the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer indicated that strain S-I
      6T belonged to the rapidly growing mycobacteria, being most closely related to
      Mycobacterium sphagni. On the basis of polyphasic taxonomic analysis, the
      bacterial strain was distinguished from its phylogenetic neighbours by
      chemotaxonomic properties and other biochemical characteristics. DNA-DNA
      relatedness among strain S-I-6T and the closest phylogenetic neighbour strongly
      support the proposal that this strain represents a novel species within the genus
      Mycobacterium, for which the name Mycobacterium aquiterrae sp. nov. is proposed.
      The type strain is S-I-6T (=KACC 17600T=NBRC 109805T=NCAIM B 02535T).

PMID- 28920837
TI  - Bacillus solisilvae sp. nov., isolated from forest soil.
AB  - A novel Gram-stain-positive, motile, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterial
      strain, NEAU-cbsb5T, was isolated from forest soil from Changbai Mountain,
      Heilongjiang Province, China. The isolate grew at 15-40  degrees C (optimum 30 
      degrees C), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and in the presence of up to 4 % (w/v)
      NaCl, although NaCl was not required for growth. Phylogenetic analysis based on
      16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain NEAU-cbsb5T formed a distinct
      lineage within the genus Bacillus and was most closely related to Bacillus
      acidiceler DSM 18954T (99.1 % similarity) and Bacillus luciferensis JCM 12212T
      (99.0 %). 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to sequences of the type strains of
      other Bacillus species was less than 96.0 %. Average nucleotide identity (ANI)
      values between NEAU-cbsb5T and its most closely related species were 78.72-84.75
      % by ANIm, ANIb and OrthoANIu analysis. The in silico DNA-DNA hybridization
      values between strain NEAU-cbsb5T and its close relatives B. acidiceler DSM
      18954T and B. luciferensis JCM 12212T were both 23.80 %, again indicating they
      belong to different taxa. The major cellular fatty acids of NEAU-cbsb5T were iso
      C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and C16 : 0. The polar lipids were
      diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an
      unknown aminophospholipid. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso
      diaminopimelic acid and the predominant menaquinones were MK-7 and MK-6. The
      genomic DNA G+C content was 33.0 mol%. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and
      chemotaxonomic data, strain NEAU-cbsb5T was classified as a representative of a
      novel species in the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus solisilvae sp.
      nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-cbsb5T (=CGMCC 1.14993T=DSM 100485T).

PMID- 28920838
TI  - Edaphobaculum flavum gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of family Chitinophagaceae,
      isolated from grassland soil.
AB  - A yellow-coloured, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic
      bacterium, designated 1-116T, was isolated from Erdos grassland soil of Inner
      Mongolia, PR China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA genes showed that
      strain 1-116T was a member of family Chitinophagaceae and exhibited the highest
      similarities to Taibaiella koreensis THG-DT86T (90.1 %) and Flavihumibacter
      solisivae 3-3T (90.0 %), while the similarities to the other Chitinophagaceae
      type strains were lower than 90.0 %. Strain 1-116T grew at 16-33  degrees C
      (optimum 28  degrees C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0) and 0-0.5 % NaCl (w/v;
      optimum without NaCl). A flexirubin-type pigment was present. The DNA G+C content
      was 43.2 mol% and the only quinone present was menaquinone-7. The only polyamine
      detected was sym-homospermidine [30.7 umol (g dry weight)-1] and the predominant
      fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 (20.8 %), iso-C15 : 1 G (25.1 %), summed feature 4
      (anteiso-C17 : 1 B and/or iso-C17 : 1 I; 13.8 %) and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH (13.2 %).
      The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, three unidentified lipids,
      an unidentified aminophospholipid and an unidentified glycolipid. On the basis of
      the polyphasic analyses, strain 1-116T represents a novel genus and species in
      the family Chitinophagaceae, for which the name Edaphobaculum flavum gen. nov.,
      sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain of Edaphobaculum flavum is 1-116T (=CCTCC
      AB 2017054=KCTC 52843).

PMID- 28920839
TI  - Natronotalea proteinilytica gen. nov., sp. nov. and Longimonas haloalkaliphila
      sp. nov., extremely haloalkaliphilic members of the phylum Rhodothermaeota from
      hypersaline alkaline lakes.
AB  - Two proteolytic bacterial strains, BSker2T and BSker3T, were enriched from
      sediments of hypersaline alkaline lakes in Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia) with
      chicken feathers as substrate, followed by pure culture isolation on hypersaline
      alkaline media with casein. The cells were non-motile, filamentous, flexible
      rods. The isolates were obligately aerobic heterotrophs utilizing proteins and
      peptides as growth substrates. Both were obligate alkaliphiles, but differed in
      their pH optimum for growth: pH 9.5-9.8 for Bsker2T and pH 8.5-8.8 for BSker3T.
      The salt range for growth of both isolates was between 2 and 4.5 M total Na+ with
      an optimum at 2.5-3 M. No organic osmolytes were detected in cells of BSker2T,
      but they accumulated high intracellular concentrations of K+. The polar lipid
      fatty acids were dominated by unsaturated C16 and C18 species. The 16S rRNA gene
      phylogeny indicated that both strains belong to the recently proposed phylum
      Rhodothermaeota. BSker2T forms a novel genus-level branch, while BSker3T
      represents a novel species-level member in the genus Longimonas. On the basis of
      distinct phenotypic and genotypic properties, strain BSker2T (=JCM 31342T=UNIQEM
      U1009T) is proposed to be classified as a representative of a novel genus and
      species, Natronotalea proteinilyticagen. nov., sp. nov., and strain BSker3T (=JCM
      31343T=UNIQEM U1010T) as a representative of a novel species, Longimonas
      haloalkaliphila sp. nov.

PMID- 28920840
TI  - Flavobacterium dispersum sp. nov., isolated from a freshwater spring.
AB  - A novel bacterial strain MVW-23T was isolated from a freshwater spring in Taiwan.
      The strain was Gram-staining-negative, strictly aerobic, motile by gliding, rod
      shaped and formed translucent yellow colonies. Optimal growth occurred at 20-30 
      degrees C, pH 7.0, and in the presence of 0.5-1 % NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses
      based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain MVW-23T belonged to the genus
      Flavobacterium and showed the highest levels of sequence similarity with respect
      to Flavobacterium denitrificans ED5T (97.3 %), Flavobacterium kyungheense THG
      107T (97.2 %) and Flavobacterium defluvii EMB117T (97.0 %). Strain MVW-23T
      contained iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega6c and/or C16 : 1omega7c)
      and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH as the predominant fatty acids. The polar lipid profile
      consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, three uncharacterized aminophospholipids
      and one uncharacterized phospholipid. The major polyamine was homospermidine. The
      major isoprenoid quinone was MK-6. The DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was
      39.9 mol%. The DNA-DNA hybridization value for strain MVW-23T with F.
      denitrificans DSM 15936T, F. kyungheense LMG 26575T and F. defluvii DSM 17963T
      was less than 35 %. Differential phenotypic properties, together with the
      phylogenetic inference, demonstrate that strain MVW-23T should be classified as a
      novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium
      dispersum sp. nov. is presented. The type strain is MVW-23T (=BCRC 80978T=LMG
      29558T=KCTC 52234T).

PMID- 28920841
TI  - Desertibacillus haloalkaliphilus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a saline
      desert.
AB  - Two Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped and endospore-forming bacteria that represent
      a single species, designated strains KJ1-10-99T and KJ1-10-93, were isolated from
      a saline desert of Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Analysis of 16S rRNA
      gene sequences revealed that the isolates belonged to the family Bacillaceae and
      were closely related to each other with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 99.9
      %. However, these two isolates formed a novel phylogenetic branch within this
      family. Both strains were aerobic, catalase and oxidase positive, and could grow
      optimally at 37  degrees C and pH 9. Further, strains KJ1-10-99T and KJ1-10-93
      grew optimally at a NaCl concentration of 7.5 and 15 % (w/v), respectively. Both
      strains shared highest sequence similarity with Fermentibacillus polygoni IEB3T
      (96.90 %) followed by Bacillus nanhaiisediminis NH3T (96.3 %) and Bacillus
      alkalinitrilicus ANL-iso4T (96.3 %). The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso
      C15 : 0, anteiso-C17:0, C16 : 0, and iso-C15 : 0. The major polar lipids were
      diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol in both strains. The predominant
      isoprenoid quinone was MK-7 in both the strains. The peptidoglycan contained meso
      diaminopimelic acid (meso-DAP) as the diagnostic diamino acid. The DNA G+C
      content of strains KJ1-10-99T and KJ1-10-93 were 48.7 and 48.9 mol% respectively.
      Both strains could be distinguished from closest phylogenetic neighbours based on
      a number of phenotypic properties. On the basis of polyphasic taxonomic analysis
      and phylogenetic data, we conclude that the strains KJ1-10-99T (=LMG 29918T=KCTC
      33878T) and KJ1-10-93 (=LMG 29919=KCTC 33877) represent a novel species of a new
      genus in the family Bacillaceae, order Bacillales, for which the name
      Desertibacillus haloalkaliphilus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.

PMID- 28920842
TI  - Marivibrio halodurans gen. nov., sp. nov., a marine bacterium in the family
      Rhodospirillaceae isolated from underground rock salt.
AB  - Gram-negative, spiral or curved rod-shaped cells of a bacterial strain,
      designated ZC80T, were isolated from a rock salt sample collected at Yunnan salt
      mine, China. Analysis of the strain's 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed a clear
      affiliation of this novel strain within the family Rhodospirillaceae. Strain
      ZC80T formed a robust cluster with Pelagibius litoralis CL-UU02T at a 16S rRNA
      gene sequence similarity level of 88.1 %. Strain ZC80T shared no more than 91.0 %
      16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the type strains of other species in the
      family Rhodospirillaceae. Strain ZC80T was able to grow in the presence of 2-15 %
      (w/v) NaCl, and grew at 10-50  degrees C and pH 6.0-10.0. The major fatty acids
      were C19 : 0 cyclo omega8c (41.3 %). The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone
      10 (Q-10). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminolipid.
      The DNA G+C content of strain ZC80T was 60.8 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic
      analyses and chemotaxonomic and physiological data, strain ZC80T is considered to
      represent a novel species of a new genus in the family Rhodospirillaceae, for
      which the name Marivibrio halodurans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type
      strain of Marivibrio halodurans is ZC80T (=CGMCC 1.15697T=NBRC 112461T).

PMID- 28920843
TI  - Rejection of reclassification of Lactobacillus kimchii and Lactobacillus bobalius
      as later subjective synonyms of Lactobacillus paralimentarius using comparative
      genomics.
AB  - Lactobacillus bobalius, Lactobacillus kimchii and Lactobacillus paralimentarius
      belong to the genus Lactobacillus and show close phylogenetic relationships. In a
      previous study, L. bobalius and L. kimchii were proposed to be reclassified as
      later heterotypic synonyms of L. paralimentarius using high 16S rRNA gene
      sequence similarities (>=99.5 %) and DNA-DNA hybridization values (>=82 %). We
      determined high quality whole genome assemblies of the type strains of L.
      bobalius and L. kimchii, which were then compared with that of L.
      paralimentarius. Average nucleotide identity values among three genomes ranged
      from 91.4 to 92.3 % which are clearly below 95~96 %, the generally recognized
      cutoff value for bacterial species boundaries. On the basis of comparative
      genomic evidence, L. bobalius, L. kimchii, and L. paralimentarius should stand as
      separate species in the genus Lactobacillus. We therefore suggest rejecting the
      previous proposal to combine these three species into a single species.

PMID- 28920844
TI  - Identification of genes involved in galactooligosaccharide utilization in
      Bifidobacterium breve strain YIT 4014T.
AB  - Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are mixed oligosaccharides that are mainly composed
      of galactosyllactoses (GLs), which include 3'-GL, 4'-GL, and 6'-GL. Data from
      numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that GOS selectively stimulate
      the growth of bifidobacteria. Previously, we identified the gene locus
      responsible for 4'-GL utilization, but the selective routes of uptake and
      catabolism of 3'- and 6'-GL remain to be elucidated. In this study, we used
      differential transcriptomics to identify the utilization pathways of these GLs
      within the Bifidobacterium breve YIT 4014T strain. We found that the BBBR_RS 2305
      2320 gene locus, which includes a solute-binding protein (SBP) of an ATP-binding
      cassette (ABC) transporter and beta-galactosidase, were up-regulated during 3'-
      and 6'-GL utilization. The substrate specificities of these proteins were further
      investigated, revealing that beta-galactosidase hydrolyzed both 3'-GL and 6'-GL
      efficiently. Our surface plasmon resonance results indicated that the SBP bound
      strongly to 6'-GL, but bound less tightly to 3'-GL. Therefore, we looked for the
      other SBPs for 3'-GL and found that the BBBR_RS08090 SBP may participate in 3'-GL
      transportation. We also investigated the distribution of these genes in 17
      bifidobacterial strains, including 9 B. breve strains, and found that the beta
      galactosidase genes were present in most bifidobacteria. Homologues of two ABC
      transporter SBP genes were found in all B. breve strains and in some
      bifidobacteria that are commonly present in the human gut microbiota. These
      results provide insights into the ability of human-resident bifidobacteria to
      utilize the main component of GOS in the gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 28920845
TI  - Modified use of real-time PCR detection of group B Streptococcus in pregnancy.
AB  - The CDC recommends antenatal screening of vaginal/rectal samples for
      Streptococcus agalactiae at 35-37 weeks' gestation, with intra-partum antibiotic
      prophylaxis for positive cases. We tested a modified use of the Cepheid Xpert GBS
      real-time PCR kit on enrichment cultures from 554 vaginal/rectal swabs compared
      to the current subculturing gold standard method. Swabs were inoculated on
      polymyxin nalidixic acid agar plates, and Todd-Hewitt enrichment broth cultures
      were examined daily for growth. Todd-Hewitt broth culture was also used for Xpert
      GBS. There was 92.06 % agreement between the subculture and PCR methods.
      Sensitivity of Xpert GBS was 100 %, specificity was 89.40 %, positive predictive
      value was 75.96 % and negative predictive value was 100 %. Colonization incidence
      was higher with younger (<=24 years) or older (>=35 years) maternal age. Modified
      use of the Cepheid Xpert GBS would assist rapid diagnosis of S. agalactiae
      colonization and facilitate timely and appropriate assignment to intra-partum
      antibiotic prophylaxis.

PMID- 28920846
TI  - Detection of the IncX3 plasmid carrying blaKPC-3 in a Serratia marcescens strain
      isolated from a kidney-liver transplanted patient.
AB  - Dissemination of resistance to carbapenems among Enterobacteriaceae through
      plasmids is an increasingly important concern in health care worldwide. Here we
      report the first description of an IncX3 plasmid carrying the blaKPC-3 gene in a
      strain of Serratia marcescens isolated from a kidney-liver transplanted patient
      at the transplantation centre ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e
      Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione, Palermo, Italy). To localize the transposable
      element containing the resistance-associated gene Next-Generation Sequencing of
      the bacterial DNA was performed. S. marcescens was positive for blaKPC-3 and
      blaSHV-11 genes. The molecular analysis demonstrated that the blaKPC-3 gene of
      this bacterial strain was located in one copy of the Tn-3-like element Tn4401-a
      carried in a plasmid that is 53 392 bp in size and showed the typical IncX3
      scaffold. Our data demonstrated the presence of a new blaKPC-3 harbouring the
      IncX3 plasmid in S. marcescens. The possible dissemination among
      Enterobacteriaceae of this type of plasmid should be monitored and evaluated in
      terms of clinical risk.

PMID- 28920847
TI  - Spirosoma carri sp. nov., isolated from an automobile air conditioning system.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative and yellow-pigmented bacterial strain, designated TX0406T,
      was isolated from an automobile evaporator core collected in Korea. The cells
      were non-motile, aerobic and rod-shaped. The strain grew at 15-37  degrees C
      (optimum, 25  degrees C), at pH 6.0-7.0 (optimum, 6.5) and in the presence of 0
      1.5 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetically, the strain was related to members of the
      genus Spirosoma(93.7-90.7 % 16S rRNA sequence similarities) and showed the
      highest sequence similarity of 93.7 % to Spirosomapulveris JSH5-14T. The major
      fatty acids of the strain were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c and/or C16 :
      1omega6c), C16 : 1omega5c and C16 : 0. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7. The
      polar lipid profile revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, an
      unidentified aminolipid, unidentified aminophospholipids and unidentified lipids.
      The DNA G+C content of the strain was 58.7 mol%. Based on phenotypic, genotypic
      and chemotaxonomic data, strain TX0406T represents a novel species in the genus
      Spirosoma, for which the name Spirosoma carri sp. nov. (=KACC 19013T=NBRC
      112494T) is proposed.

PMID- 28920848
TI  - Dyella agri sp. nov., isolated from reclaimed grassland soil.
AB  - A novel strain, DKC-1T, was isolated from reclaimed grassland soil and was
      characterized taxonomically by a polyphasic approach. Strain DKC-1T was a Gram
      staining-negative, light-yellow-coloured and rod shaped bacterium, motile with
      polar flagellum. It was able to grow at 20-37  degrees C, at pH 4.5-9.0 and with
      0-3 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis,
      strain DKC-1T formed a clade within the members of the genus Dyella and showed
      highest sequence similarities to Dyella japonica XD53T (98.36 %), Rhodanobacter
      aciditrophus sjH1T (97.92 %), Rhodanobacter koreensis THG-DD7T (97.74 %), Dyella
      kyungheensis THG-B117T (97.65 %) and Rhodanobacter terrae GP18-1T (97.40 %). The
      only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The major polar lipids were
      phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and
      phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids of strain DKC-1T
      were iso-C16 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1omega9c and/or C16 :
      0 10-methyl), iso-C17 : 0, iso-C11 : 0 3-OH and iso-C11 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C
      content of this novel strain was 63.1 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between
      strain DKC-1T and its reference strains (D. japonica XD53T, R. aciditrophus
      sjH1T, R. koreensis THG-DD7T, D. kyungheensis THG-B117T and R. terrae GP18-1T)
      was 52.3, 44.7, 38.7, 49.0 and 32.7 %, respectively, which falls below the
      threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The
      morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly
      distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain
      DKC-1T represents a novel species of the genus Dyella, for which the name Dyella
      agri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DKC-1T (=KEMB 9005-571T=KACC
      19176T=JCM 31925T).

PMID- 28920849
TI  - Flavimarina flava sp. nov., isolated from Salicornia herbacea.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, motile-by-gliding, aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped
      and yellow-pigmented bacterium was isolated from Salicornia herbacea in the
      Yellow Sea and designated as strain MBLN091T. It belonged to the family
      Flavobacteriaceae. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of this isolated strain was similar
      to that of Flavimarina pacifica IDSW-73T with 94.8 % similarity, and with 92.3
      92.8 % similarities to those of other closely related species of the genus
      Leeuwenhoekiella. The similarities of the RNA polymerase subunit B gene between
      this strain and F. pacifica KCTC 32466T and Leeuwenhoekiella marinoflava DSM
      3653T were 80.5 and 80.2 %, respectively. Growth of strain MBLN091T was observed
      in the presence of 0.5-15.0 % (w/v) NaCl at 4-35  degrees C and pH 6.0-8.0, with
      optimal growth in the presence of 2.5-5.0 % (w/v) NaCl at 20-25  degrees C and pH
      7.0. This isolate was able to hydrolyse gelatin. The only respiratory quinone was
      MK-6. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified
      aminolipid and two unidentified lipids. Major fatty acids of the isolate were iso
      C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 omega7c and/or C16 : 1 omega6c), iso-C17 : 0 3
      OH and iso-C15 : 1 G. The genomic DNA G+C content was 39.6 mol%. The
      physiological features were closely related to F. pacifica. Therefore, strain
      MBLN091T is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Flavimarina,
      for which the name Flavimarina flava sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is
      MBLN091T (=KCTC 52527T=JCM 31731T).

PMID- 28920850
TI  - Ramlibacter alkalitolerans sp. nov., alkali-tolerant bacterium isolated from soil
      of ginseng.
AB  - A novel bacterial strain, designated CJ661T, was isolated from soil of ginseng in
      Anseong, South Korea. Cells of strain CJ661T were white-coloured, Gram-staining
      negative, non-motile, aerobic and rod-shaped. Strain CJ661T grew optimally at 30 
      degrees C and pH 7.0. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain CJ661T
      showed that it belongs to the genus Ramlibacter within the family Comamonadaceae
      and was most closely related to Ramlibacter ginsenosidimutans KCTC 22276T (98.1
      %), followed by Ramlibacter henchirensis DSM 14656T (97.1 %). DNA-DNA relatedness
      levels of strain CJ661T were 40.6 % to R. ginsenosidimutans KCTC 22276T and 25.0
      % to R. henchirensis DSM 14656T. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone (Q
      8). The predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine,
      diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The major cellular fatty acids
      of strain CJ661T were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 omega6c and/or C16 : 1 omega7c),
      C16 : 0 and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 omega7c and/or C18 : 1 omega6c). The G+C
      content of the genomic DNA was 65.4 mol%. On the basis polyphasic taxonomic data,
      strain CJ661T represents a novel species in the genus Ramlibacter, for which name
      Ramlibacter alkalitolerans sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is CJ661T (=KACC
      19305T=JCM 32081T).

PMID- 28920851
TI  - Loktanella acticola sp. nov., isolated from seawater.
AB  - A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and coccoid, ovoid or rod-shaped
      bacterial strain, designated OISW-6T, was isolated from seawater near Oido, a
      South Korean island, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain OISW
      6T grew optimally at 25  degrees C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2.0-3.0
      % (w/v) NaCl. The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that
      strain OISW-6T fell within the clade comprising the type strains of Loktanella
      species. Strain OISW-6T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of
      97.0-98.9 % to Loktanellamaricola, Loktanellatamlensis, Loktanellarosea,
      Loktanellamaritima, Loktanellasediminilitoris and Loktanellalitorea, and of 94.0
      96.3 % to the type strains of the other Loktanella species. Strain OISW-6T
      contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and C18 : 1omega7c as the major
      fatty acid. The major polar lipids detected in strain OISW-6T were
      phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and one unidentified aminolipid. The
      DNA G+C content of strain OISW-6T was 57.3 mol% and its DNA-DNA relatedness
      values with the type strains of the six phylogenetically closely related
      Loktanella species were 8-25 %. Differential phenotypic properties, together with
      its phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain OISW-6T is
      separated from recognized species of the genus Loktanella. On the basis of the
      data presented, strain OISW-6T is considered to represent a novel species of the
      genus Loktanella, for which the name Loktanellaacticola sp. nov. is proposed. The
      type strain is OISW-6T (=KCTC 52837T=NBRC 112781T).

PMID- 28920852
TI  - Experimental transmission to a calf of an isolate of Spanish classical scrapie.
AB  - Multiple theories exist regarding the origin of bovine spongiform encephalopathy
      (BSE). An early and prominent theory proposed that BSE was the result of the
      adaptation of sheep scrapie to cattle. The reports to date indicate that the
      distribution of the pathological prion protein (PrPSc) in experimental bovine
      scrapie is largely restricted to the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we
      describe pathological findings in a calf intracerebrally inoculated with a
      Spanish classical scrapie isolate. While clinical disease was observed 30 months
      after inoculation and PrPSc was detected in the CNS, the corresponding phenotype
      differed from that of BSE. Immunohistochemistry and PMCA also revealed the
      presence of PrPSc in the peripheral nerves, lymphoid tissues, skeletal muscle and
      gastrointestinal tract, suggesting centrifugal spread of the scrapie agent from
      the brain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the
      detection of PrPSc in tissues other than the CNS after experimental transmission
      of scrapie to cattle.

PMID- 28920853
TI  - Flavobacterium chuncheonense sp. nov. and Flavobacterium luteum sp. nov.,
      isolated from a freshwater lake.
AB  - Two Gram-staining-negative, orange coloured, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial
      strains, designated strains IMCC26013T and IMCC26026T, were isolated from a
      freshwater sample collected from Lake Soyang in Korea. The 16S rRNA gene-based
      phylogenetic analyses showed that both strains belonged to the genus
      Flavobacterium and that strains IMCC26013T and IMCC26026T were most closely
      related to Flavobacterium psychrophilum (96.5 %) and Flavobacterium myungsuense
      (97.7 %), respectively. DNA G+C contents of strains IMCC26013T and IMCC26026T
      were 37.8 and 33.7 mol%, respectively. DNA-DNA relatedness between strain
      IMCC26026T and F. myungsuense HMD1033T was 56.4 %, showing a novel species status
      of strain IMCC26026T. Major fatty acid constituents (>10 %) of strain IMCC26013T
      were iso-C15 : 1 G, C15 : 1 omega6c, C17 : 1 omega6c and summed feature 3 (C16 :
      1 omega6c and/or C16 : 1 omega7c) and those of strain IMCC26026T were iso-C15 :
      0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and summed feature 3. Respiratory quinone detected in the two
      strains was MK-6. Both strains contained phosphatidylethanolamine as a major
      polar lipid. On the basis of these results, strains IMCC26013T and IMCC26026T
      were considered to represent novel species in the genus Flavobacterium, for which
      the names Flavobacterium chuncheonense (type strain IMCC26013T=KCTC 52573T=NBRC
      112526T), and Flavobacterium luteum (type strain IMCC26026T=KCTC 52572T=NBRC
      112527T) are proposed, respectively.

PMID- 28920854
TI  - In vitro activity of tedizolid and comparator agents against Gram-positive
      pathogens responsible for bone and joint infections.
AB  - Tedizolid, a second-generation oxazolidinone that displays a potent activity
      against Gram-positive pathogens, could be an interesting option for the treatment
      of bone and joint infections (BJIs). The aim of the study was to determine
      minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tedizolid against a collection of 359
      clinical isolates involved in clinically-documented BJIs and to compare them to
      those of comparator agents used in Gram-positive infections. Of the 104
      Staphylococcusaureus and 102 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolates, 99
      and 92 % were categorized as susceptible to tedizolid, respectively
      (MIC25=0.12/0.25 ug ml-1 and MIC90=0.25/0.5 ug ml-1), regardless of their
      methicillin resistance. MIC50 and MIC90 for the 51 enterococci, the 50
      Corynebacterium spp. and the 52 Propionibacterium spp. were either equal or
      inferior to 0.5 ug ml-1. Altogether, tedizolid possessed a potent in vitro
      activity against most of the BJI Gram-positive pathogens with 95 % of them
      exhibiting a MIC <=0.5 ug ml-1.

PMID- 28920855
TI  - PfmA, a novel quorum-quenching N-acylhomoserine lactone acylase from
      Pseudoalteromonas flavipulchra.
AB  - Many bacteria, such as Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes, use N
      acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) as quorum-sensing (QS) signal molecules for
      communication. Enzymatic degradation of AHLs, such as AHL acylase and AHL
      lactonase, can degrade AHLs (quorum quenching, QQ) to attenuate or disarm the
      virulence of pathogens. QQ is confirmed to be common in marine bacterial
      communities. Many genes encoding AHL acylases are found in marine bacteria and
      metagenomic collections, but only a few of these have been characterized in
      detail. We have reported that the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas flavipulchra
      JG1 can degrade AHLs. In the present study, a novel AHL acylase PfmA, which can
      degrade AHLs with acyl chains longer than 10 carbons, was identified from strain
      JG1. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and electrospray ionization
      mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis demonstrated that PfmA functions as an AHL
      acylase, which hydrolysed the amide bond of AHL. The purified PfmA of P.
      flavipulchra JG1 showed optimum activity at 30  degrees C and pH 7.0. PfmA
      belongs to the N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn) hydrolase superfamily and showed
      homology to a member of penicillin amidases, but PfmA can degrade ampicillin but
      not penicillin G. The residue Ser256 in PfmA is the active site according to site
      directed mutagenesis. Furthermore, PfmA reduced AHL accumulation and the
      production of virulence factors in Vibrio anguillarum VIB72 and Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa PAO1, and attenuated the virulence of P. aeruginosa to increase
      Artemia survival, which suggested that PfmA can be considered as a therapeutic
      agent to control AHL-mediated pathogenicity.

PMID- 28920857
TI  - Department of error.

PMID- 28920856
TI  - Correction: Evidence that Mediator is essential for Pol II transcription, but is
      not a required component of the preinitiation complex in vivo.

PMID- 28920858
TI  - Department of error.

PMID- 28920859
TI  - Department of error.

PMID- 28920860
TI  - May 10-16, 2014.

PMID- 28920861
TI  - Pharmacotherapy of type 2 diabetes: An update.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide
      and a major economic burden. The prevalence of T2DM is rising, suggesting more
      effective prevention and treatment strategies are necessary. The aim of this
      narrative review is to summarize the pharmacologic treatment options available
      for patients with T2DM. Each therapeutic class is presented in detail, outlining
      medication effects, side effects, glycemic control, effect on weight, indications
      and contraindications, and use in selected populations (heart failure, renal
      insufficiency, obesity and the elderly). We also present representative cost for
      each antidiabetic category. Then, we provide an individualized guide for
      initiation and intensification of treatment and discuss the considerations and
      rationale for an individualized glycemic goal.

PMID- 28920862
TI  - Enhanced endothelium epithelial sodium channel signaling prompts left ventricular
      diastolic dysfunction in obese female mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Enhanced activation of cell specific mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs)
      in obesity plays a key role in the development of cardiovascular disease
      including cardiac diastolic dysfunction as a critical prognosticator. Our
      previous investigations demonstrated that selective endothelium MR activation
      promotes a maladaptive inflammatory response and fibrosis in cardiovascular
      tissue in female mice fed a western diet (WD), and this was associated with
      expression and activation of the epithelial sodium channel on the surface of
      endothelial cells (EnNaC). However, the specific role of EnNaC signaling in the
      development of cardiac stiffness and diastolic dysfunction has not been examined.
      We hypothesized that targeted inhibition of EnNaC with low dose amiloride would
      prevent WD-induced diastolic dysfunction by suppressing abnormal endothelial
      permeability, inflammation and oxidative stress, and myocardial fibrosis.
      MATERIALS/METHODS: Four week-old female C57BL6/J mice were fed a WD with or
      without a low dose of amiloride (1mg/kg/day) for 16weeks. Left ventricular
      cardiac function was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, we
      examined coronary vessel and cardiac remodeling, fibrosis, macrophage
      infiltration using immunohistochemistry, western blot and real time PCR. RESULTS:
      Amiloride, an antagonist of EnNaC, attenuated WD-induced impairment of left
      ventricular initial filling rate and relaxation time. Cardiac diastolic
      dysfunction was associated with increases in coronary endothelium remodeling and
      permeability that paralleled WD-induced increases in F-actin and fibronectin,
      decreased expression of claudin-5 and occludin, and increased macrophage
      recruitment, M1 polarization, cardiac oxidative stress, fibrosis and maladaptive
      remodeling. CONCLUSION: Our data support the concept that EnNaC activation
      mediates endothelium permeability which, in turn, promotes macrophage
      infiltration, M1 polarization, and oxidative stress, resulting in cardiac
      fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in females with diet induced obesity.

PMID- 28920864
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28920865
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28920866
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28920867
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28920868
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 28920869
TI  - November 22-28, 2014.

PMID- 28920870
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28920871
TI  - Cathy Stinear.

PMID- 28920873
TI  - Treating rare disorders: time to act on unfair prices.

PMID- 28920863
TI  - White matter microstructure and cognitive decline in metabolic syndrome: a review
      of diffusion tensor imaging.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors defined by the
      presence of abdominal obesity, glucose intolerance, hypertension and/or
      dyslipidemia. It is a major public health epidemic worldwide, and a known risk
      factor for the development of cognitive dysfunction and dementia. Several studies
      have demonstrated a positive association between the presence of metabolic
      syndrome and worse cognitive outcomes, however, evidence of brain structure
      pathology is limited. Diffusion tensor imaging has offered new opportunities to
      detect microstructural white matter changes in metabolic syndrome, and a
      possibility to detect associations between functional and structural
      abnormalities. This review analyzes the impact of metabolic syndrome on white
      matter microstructural integrity, brain structure abnormalities and their
      relationship to cognitive function. Each of the metabolic syndrome components
      exerts a specific signature of white matter microstructural abnormalities.
      Metabolic syndrome and its components exert both additive/synergistic, as well
      as, independent effects on brain microstructure thus accelerating brain aging and
      cognitive decline.

PMID- 28920874
TI  - Unravelling neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28920875
TI  - Traumatic brain injury: an enduring challenge.

PMID- 28920876
TI  - A new era of multiple sclerosis rehabilitation: lessons from stroke.

PMID- 28920877
TI  - Corrections.

PMID- 28920878
TI  - Edaravone for treatment of early-stage ALS - Authors' reply.

PMID- 28920879
TI  - Obesity and the nervous system: more questions.

PMID- 28920880
TI  - Edaravone for treatment of early-stage ALS.

PMID- 28920881
TI  - Obesity and the nervous system: more questions.

PMID- 28920882
TI  - Obesity and the nervous system: more questions - Authors' reply.

PMID- 28920883
TI  - David Menon: the incredible, incurable, clinical rationalist.

PMID- 28920884
TI  - Ed Wild.

PMID- 28920885
TI  - Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 17th century white noise machine.

PMID- 28920887
TI  - The chronic and evolving neurological consequences of traumatic brain injury.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have lifelong and dynamic effects on health and
      wellbeing. Research on the long-term consequences emphasises that, for many
      patients, TBI should be conceptualised as a chronic health condition. Evidence
      suggests that functional outcomes after TBI can show improvement or deterioration
      up to two decades after injury, and rates of all-cause mortality remain elevated
      for many years. Furthermore, TBI represents a risk factor for a variety of
      neurological illnesses, including epilepsy, stroke, and neurodegenerative
      disease. With respect to neurodegeneration after TBI, post-mortem studies on the
      long-term neuropathology after injury have identified complex persisting and
      evolving abnormalities best described as polypathology, which includes chronic
      traumatic encephalopathy. Despite growing awareness of the lifelong consequences
      of TBI, substantial gaps in research exist. Improvements are therefore needed in
      understanding chronic pathologies and their implications for survivors of TBI,
      which could inform long-term health management in this sizeable patient
      population.

PMID- 28920888
TI  - Prediction of motor recovery after stroke: advances in biomarkers.
AB  - Stroke remains a leading cause of adult disability, and the recovery of motor
      function after stroke is crucial for the patient to regain independence. However,
      making accurate predictions of a patient's motor recovery and outcome is
      difficult when based on clinical assessment alone. Clinical assessment of motor
      impairment within a few days of stroke can help to predict subsequent recovery,
      while neurophysiological and neuroimaging biomarkers of corticomotor structure
      and function can help to predict both motor recovery and motor outcome after
      stroke. The combination of biomarkers can provide clinically useful information
      when planning the personalised rehabilitation of a patient. These biomarkers can
      also be used for patient selection and stratification in trials investigating
      rehabilitation interventions that are initiated early after stroke. Ongoing
      multicentre trials that incorporate motor biomarkers could help to bring their
      use into routine clinical practice.

PMID- 28920886
TI  - Retinal layer segmentation in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Structural retinal imaging biomarkers are important for early
      recognition and monitoring of inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple
      sclerosis. With the introduction of spectral domain optical coherence tomography
      (SD-OCT), supervised automated segmentation of individual retinal layers is
      possible. We aimed to investigate which retinal layers show atrophy associated
      with neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis when measured with SD-OCT. METHODS:
      In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched for studies in which SD
      OCT was used to look at the retina in people with multiple sclerosis with or
      without optic neuritis in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar between Nov
      22, 1991, and April 19, 2016. Data were taken from cross-sectional cohorts and
      from one timepoint from longitudinal studies (at least 3 months after onset in
      studies of optic neuritis). We classified data on eyes into healthy controls,
      multiple-sclerosis-associated optic neuritis (MSON), and multiple sclerosis
      without optic neuritis (MSNON). We assessed thickness of the retinal layers and
      we rated individual layer segmentation performance by random effects meta
      analysis for MSON eyes versus control eyes, MSNON eyes versus control eyes, and
      MSNON eyes versus MSON eyes. We excluded relevant sources of bias by funnel
      plots. FINDINGS: Of 25 497 records identified, 110 articles were eligible and 40
      reported data (in total 5776 eyes from patients with multiple sclerosis [1667
      MSON eyes and 4109 MSNON eyes] and 1697 eyes from healthy controls) that met
      published OCT quality control criteria and were suitable for meta-analysis.
      Compared with control eyes, the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL)
      showed thinning in MSON eyes (mean difference -20.10 MUm, 95% CI -22.76 to 
      17.44; p<0.0001) and in MSNON eyes (-7.41 MUm, -8.98 to -5.83; p<0.0001). The
      macula showed RNFL thinning of -6.18 MUm (-8.07 to -4.28; p<0.0001) in MSON eyes
      and -2.15 MUm (-3.15 to -1.15; p<0.0001) in MSNON eyes compared with control
      eyes. Atrophy of the macular ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer
      (GCIPL) was -16.42 MUm (-19.23 to -13.60; p<0.0001) for MSON eyes and -6.31 MUm (
      7.75 to -4.87; p<0.0001) for MSNON eyes compared with control eyes. A small
      degree of inner nuclear layer (INL) thickening occurred in MSON eyes compared
      with control eyes (0.77 MUm, 0.25 to 1.28; p=0.003). We found no statistical
      difference in the thickness of the combined outer nuclear layer and outer
      plexiform layer when we compared MSNON or MSON eyes with control eyes, but we
      found a small degree of thickening of the combined layer when we compared MSON
      eyes with MSNON eyes (1.21 MUm, 0.24 to 2.19; p=0.01). INTERPRETATION: The
      largest and most robust differences between the eyes of people with multiple
      sclerosis and control eyes were found in the peripapillary RNFL and macular
      GCIPL. Inflammatory disease activity might be captured by the INL. Because of the
      consistency, robustness, and large effect size, we recommend inclusion of the
      peripapillary RNFL and macular GCIPL for diagnosis, monitoring, and research.
      FUNDING: None.

PMID- 28920890
TI  - Exercise in patients with multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Exercise can be a beneficial rehabilitation strategy for people with multiple
      sclerosis to manage symptoms, restore function, optimise quality of life, promote
      wellness, and boost participation in activities of daily living. However, this
      population typically engages in low levels of health-promoting physical activity
      compared with adults from the general population, a fact which has not changed in
      the past 25 years despite growing evidence of the benefits of exercise. To
      overcome this challenge, the main limitations to promoting exercise through the
      patient-clinician interaction must be addressed. These limitations are the
      inadequate quality and scope of existing evidence, incomplete understanding of
      the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of exercise in people with
      multiple sclerosis, and the absence of a conceptual framework and toolkit for
      translating the evidence into practice. Future research to address those
      limitations will be essential to inform decisions about the inclusion of exercise
      in the clinical care of people with multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 28920889
TI  - Therapies targeting DNA and RNA in Huntington's disease.
AB  - No disease-slowing treatment exists for Huntington's disease, but its monogenic
      inheritance makes it an appealing candidate for the development of therapies
      targeting processes close to its genetic cause. Huntington's disease is caused by
      CAG repeat expansions in the HTT gene, which encodes the huntingtin protein;
      development of therapies to target HTT transcription and the translation of its
      mRNA is therefore an area of intense investigation. Huntingtin-lowering
      strategies include antisense oligonucleotides and RNA interference targeting
      mRNA, and zinc finger transcriptional repressors and CRISPR-Cas9 methods aiming
      to reduce transcription by targeting DNA. An intrathecally delivered antisense
      oligonucleotide that aims to lower huntingtin is now well into its first human
      clinical trial, with other antisense oligonucleotides expected to enter trials in
      the next 1-2 years and virally delivered RNA interference and zinc finger
      transcriptional repressors in advanced testing in animal models. Recent advances
      in the design and delivery of therapies to target HTT RNA and DNA are expected to
      improve their efficacy, safety, tolerability, and duration of effect in future
      studies.

PMID- 28920891
TI  - Roger Y. Tsien (1952-2016).

PMID- 28920892
TI  - Computationally Efficient Algorithms for Sparse, Dynamic Solutions to the EEG
      Source Localization Problem.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography noninvasively
      record scalp electromagnetic fields generated by cerebral currents, revealing
      millisecond-level brain dynamics useful for neuroscience and clinical
      applications. Estimating the currents that generate these fields, i.e., source
      localization, is an ill-conditioned inverse problem. Solutions to this problem
      have focused on spatial continuity constraints, dynamic modeling, or sparsity
      constraints. The combination of these key ideas could offer significant
      performance improvements, but substantial computational costs pose a challenge
      for practical application of such approaches. Here, we propose a new method for
      EEG source localization that combines: 1) covariance estimation for both source
      and measurement noises; 2) linear state-space dynamics; and 3) sparsity
      constraints, using 4) novel computationally efficient estimation algorithms.
      METHODS: For source covariance estimation, we use a locally smooth basis
      alongside sparsity enforcing priors. For EEG measurement noise covariance
      estimation, we use an inverse Wishart prior density. We estimate these model
      parameters using an expectation-maximization algorithm that employs steady-state
      filtering and smoothing to expedite computations. RESULTS: We characterized the
      performance of our method by analyzing simulated data and experimental recordings
      of eyes-closed alpha oscillations. Our sparsity enforcing priors significantly
      improved estimation of both the spatial distribution and time course of simulated
      data, while improving computational time by more than 12-fold over previous
      dynamic methods. CONCLUSION: We developed and demonstrated a novel method for
      improved EEG source localization employing spatial covariance estimation,
      dynamics, and sparsity. SIGNIFICANCE: Our approach provides substantial
      performance improvements over existing methods using computationally efficient
      algorithms that will facilitate practical applications in both neuroscience and
      medicine.

PMID- 28920893
TI  - A Functional-Genetic Scheme for Seizure Forecasting in Canine Epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work is the development of an accurate seizure
      forecasting algorithm that considers brain's functional connectivity for
      electrode selection. METHODS: We start by proposing Kmeans-directed transfer
      function, an adaptive functional connectivity method intended for seizure onset
      zone localization in bilateral intracranial EEG recordings. Electrodes identified
      as seizure activity sources and sinks are then used to implement a seizure
      forecasting algorithm on long-term continuous recordings in dogs with naturally
      occurring epilepsy. A precision-recall genetic algorithm is proposed for feature
      selection in line with a probabilistic support vector machine classifier.
      RESULTS: Epileptic activity generators were focal in all dogs confirming the
      diagnosis of focal epilepsy in these animals while sinks spanned both hemispheres
      in 2 of 3 dogs. Seizure forecasting results show performance improvement compared
      to previous studies, achieving average sensitivity of 84.82% and time in warning
      of 0.1. CONCLUSION: Achieved performances highlight the feasibility of seizure
      forecasting in canine epilepsy. SIGNIFICANCE: The ability to improve seizure
      forecasting provides promise for the development of EEG-triggered closed-loop
      seizure intervention systems for ambulatory implantation in patients with
      refractory epilepsy.

PMID- 28920894
TI  - Electrothermal Equivalent Three-Dimensional Finite-Element Model of a Single
      Neuron.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We propose a novel approach for modelling the interdependence of
      electrical and mechanical phenomena in nervous cells, by using electrothermal
      equivalences in finite element (FE) analysis so that existing thermomechanical
      tools can be applied. METHODS: First, the equivalence between electrical and
      thermal properties of the nerve materials is established, and results of a pure
      heat conduction analysis performed in Abaqus CAE Software 6.13-3 are validated
      with analytical solutions for a range of steady and transient conditions. This
      validation includes the definition of equivalent active membrane properties that
      enable prediction of the action potential. Then, as a step toward fully coupled
      models, electromechanical coupling is implemented through the definition of
      equivalent piezoelectric properties of the nerve membrane using the thermal
      expansion coefficient, enabling prediction of the mechanical response of the
      nerve to the action potential. RESULTS: Results of the coupled electromechanical
      model are validated with previously published experimental results of deformation
      for squid giant axon, crab nerve fibre, and garfish olfactory nerve fibre.
      CONCLUSION: A simplified coupled electromechanical modelling approach is
      established through an electrothermal equivalent FE model of a nervous cell for
      biomedical applications. SIGNIFICANCE: One of the key findings is the mechanical
      characterization of the neural activity in a coupled electromechanical domain,
      which provides insights into the electromechanical behaviour of nervous cells,
      such as thinning of the membrane. This is a first step toward modelling three
      dimensional electromechanical alteration induced by trauma at nerve bundle,
      tissue, and organ levels.

PMID- 28920895
TI  - Matched Filtering for Heart Rate Estimation on Compressive Sensing ECG
      Measurements.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Compressive sensing (CS) has recently been applied as a low-complexity
      compression framework for long-term monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals
      using wireless body sensor networks. Long-term recording of ECG signals can be
      useful for diagnostic purposes and to monitor the evolution of several widespread
      diseases. In particular, beat-to-beat intervals provide important clinical
      information, and these can be derived from the ECG signal by computing the
      distance between QRS complexes (R-peaks). Numerous methods for R-peak detection
      are available for uncompressed ECG. However, in the case of compressed sensed
      data, signal reconstruction can be performed with relatively complex optimization
      algorithms, which may require significant energy consumption. This paper
      addresses the problem of heart rate estimation from CS ECG recordings, avoiding
      the reconstruction of the entire signal. METHODS: We consider a framework, where
      the ECG signals are represented under the form of CS linear measurements. The QRS
      locations are estimated in the compressed domain by computing the correlation of
      the compressed ECG and a known QRS template. RESULTS: Experiments on actual ECG
      signals show that our novel solution is competitive with methods applied to the
      reconstructed signals. CONCLUSION: Avoiding the reconstruction procedure, the
      proposed method proves to be very convenient for real-time low-power
      applications.

PMID- 28920896
TI  - Analysis and Optimization of Loss Functions for Multiclass, Top-k, and Multilabel
      Classification.
AB  - Top-k error is currently a popular performance measure on large scale image
      classification benchmarks such as ImageNet and Places. Despite its wide
      acceptance, our understanding of this metric is limited as most of the previous
      research is focused on its special case, the top-1 error. In this work, we
      explore two directions that shed more light on the top-k error. First, we provide
      an in-depth analysis of established and recently proposed single-label multiclass
      methods along with a detailed account of efficient optimization algorithms for
      them. Our results indicate that the softmax loss and the smooth multiclass SVM
      are surprisingly competitive in top-k error uniformly across all k, which can be
      explained by our analysis of multiclass top-k calibration. Further improvements
      for a specific k are possible with a number of proposed top-k loss functions.
      Second, we use the top-k methods to explore the transition from multiclass to
      multilabel learning. In particular, we find that it is possible to obtain
      effective multilabel classifiers on Pascal VOC using a single label per image for
      training, while the gap between multiclass and multilabel methods on MS COCO is
      more significant. Finally, our contribution of efficient algorithms for training
      with the considered top-k and multilabel loss functions is of independent
      interest.

PMID- 28920897
TI  - Automated Analysis of Unregistered Multi-View Mammograms With Deep Learning.
AB  - We describe an automated methodology for the analysis of unregistered cranio
      caudal (CC) and medio-lateral oblique (MLO) mammography views in order to
      estimate the patient's risk of developing breast cancer. The main innovation
      behind this methodology lies in the use of deep learning models for the problem
      of jointly classifying unregistered mammogram views and respective segmentation
      maps of breast lesions (i.e., masses and micro-calcifications). This is a
      holistic methodology that can classify a whole mammographic exam, containing the
      CC and MLO views and the segmentation maps, as opposed to the classification of
      individual lesions, which is the dominant approach in the field. We also
      demonstrate that the proposed system is capable of using the segmentation maps
      generated by automated mass and micro-calcification detection systems, and still
      producing accurate results. The semi-automated approach (using manually defined
      mass and micro-calcification segmentation maps) is tested on two publicly
      available data sets (INbreast and DDSM), and results show that the volume under
      ROC surface (VUS) for a 3-class problem (normal tissue, benign, and malignant) is
      over 0.9, the area under ROC curve (AUC) for the 2-class "benign versus
      malignant" problem is over 0.9, and for the 2-class breast screening problem
      (malignancy versus normal/benign) is also over 0.9. For the fully automated
      approach, the VUS results on INbreast is over 0.7, and the AUC for the 2-class
      "benign versus malignant" problem is over 0.78, and the AUC for the 2-class
      breast screening is 0.86.

PMID- 28920898
TI  - Hybrid Pre-Log and Post-Log Image Reconstruction for Computed Tomography.
AB  - Tomographic image reconstruction for low-dose computed tomography (CT) is
      increasingly challenging as dose continues to reduce in clinical applications.
      Pre-log domain methods and post-log domain methods have been proposed
      individually and each method has its own disadvantage. While having the potential
      to improve image quality for low-dose data by using an accurate imaging model,
      pre-log domain methods suffer slow convergence in practice due to the nonlinear
      transformation from the image to measurements. In contrast, post-log domain
      methods have fast convergence speed but the resulting image quality is suboptimal
      for low dose CT data because the log transformation is extremely unreliable for
      low-count measurements and undefined for negative values. This paper proposes a
      hybrid method that integrates the pre-log model and post-log model together to
      overcome the disadvantages of individual pre-log and post-log methods. We divide
      a set of CT data into high-count and low-count regions. The post-log weighted
      least squares model is used for measurements in the high-count region and the pre
      log shifted Poisson model for measurements in the low-count region. The hybrid
      likelihood function can be optimized using an existing iterative algorithm.
      Computer simulations and phantom experiments show that the proposed hybrid method
      can achieve faster early convergence than the pre-log shifted Poisson likelihood
      method and better signal-to-noise performance than the post-log weighted least
      squares method.

PMID- 28920899
TI  - AutoBD: Automated Bi-Level Description for Scalable Fine-Grained Visual
      Categorization.
AB  - Compared with traditional image classification, fine-grained visual
      categorization is a more challenging task, because it targets to classify objects
      belonging to the same species, e.g., classify hundreds of birds or cars. In the
      past several years, researchers have made many achievements on this topic.
      However, most of them are heavily dependent on the artificial annotations, e.g.,
      bounding boxes, part annotations, and so on. The requirement of artificial
      annotations largely hinders the scalability and application. Motivated to release
      such dependence, this paper proposes a robust and discriminative visual
      description named Automated Bi-level Description (AutoBD). "Bi-level" denotes two
      complementary part-level and object-level visual descriptions, respectively.
      AutoBD is "automated," because it only requires the image-level labels of
      training images and does not need any annotations for testing images. Compared
      with the part annotations labeled by the human, the image-level labels can be
      easily acquired, which thus makes AutoBD suitable for large-scale visual
      categorization. Specifically, the part-level description is extracted by
      identifying the local region saliently representing the visual distinctiveness.
      The object-level description is extracted from object bounding boxes generated
      with a co-localization algorithm. Although only using the image-level labels,
      AutoBD outperforms the recent studies on two public benchmark, i.e.,
      classification accuracy achieves 81.6% on CUB-200-2011 and 88.9% on Car-196,
      respectively. On the large-scale Birdsnap data set, AutoBD achieves the accuracy
      of 68%, which is currently the best performance to the best of our
      knowledge.Compared with traditional image classification, fine-grained visual
      categorization is a more challenging task, because it targets to classify objects
      belonging to the same species, e.g., classify hundreds of birds or cars. In the
      past several years, researchers have made many achievements on this topic.
      However, most of them are heavily dependent on the artificial annotations, e.g.,
      bounding boxes, part annotations, and so on. The requirement of artificial
      annotations largely hinders the scalability and application. Motivated to release
      such dependence, this paper proposes a robust and discriminative visual
      description named Automated Bi-level Description (AutoBD). "Bi-level" denotes two
      complementary part-level and object-level visual descriptions, respectively.
      AutoBD is "automated," because it only requires the image-level labels of
      training images and does not need any annotations for testing images. Compared
      with the part annotations labeled by the human, the image-level labels can be
      easily acquired, which thus makes AutoBD suitable for large-scale visual
      categorization. Specifically, the part-level description is extracted by
      identifying the local region saliently representing the visual distinctiveness.
      The object-level description is extracted from object bounding boxes generated
      with a co-localization algorithm. Although only using the image-level labels,
      AutoBD outperforms the recent studies on two public benchmark, i.e.,
      classification accuracy achieves 81.6% on CUB-200-2011 and 88.9% on Car-196,
      respectively. On the large-scale Birdsnap data set, AutoBD achieves the accuracy
      of 68%, which is currently the best performance to the best of our knowledge.

PMID- 28920900
TI  - Fundamental Principles on Learning New Features for Effective Dense Matching.
AB  - In dense matching (including stereo matching and optical flow), nearly all
      existing approaches are based on simple features, such as gray or RGB color,
      gradient or simple transformations like census, to calculate matching costs.
      These features do not perform well in complex scenes that may involve radiometric
      changes, noises, overexposure and/or textureless regions. Various problems may
      appear, such as wrong matching at the pixel or region level, flattening/breaking
      of edges and/or even entire structural collapse. In this paper, we propose two
      fundamental principles based on the consistency and the distinctiveness of
      features. We show that almost all existing problems in dense matching are caused
      by features that violate one or both of these principles. To systematically learn
      good features for dense matching, we develop a general multi-objective
      optimization based on these two principles and apply convolutional neural
      networks to find new features that lie on the Pareto frontier. By using two-frame
      optical flow and stereo matching as applications, our experimental results show
      that the features learned can significantly improve the performance of state-of
      the-art approaches. Based on the KITTI benchmarks, our method ranks first on the
      two stereo benchmarks and is the best among existing two-frame optical-flow
      algorithms on flow benchmarks.

PMID- 28920901
TI  - Joint Graph Layouts for Visualizing Collections of Segmented Meshes.
AB  - We present a novel and efficient approach for computing joint graph layouts and
      then use it to visualize collections of segmented meshes. Our joint graph layout
      algorithm takes as input the adjacency matrices for a set of graphs along with
      partial, possibly soft, correspondences between nodes of different graphs. We
      then use a two stage procedure, where in the first step, we extend spectral graph
      drawing to include a consistency term so that a collection of graphs can be
      handled jointly. Our second step extends metric multi-dimensional scaling with
      stress majorization to the joint layout setting, while using the output of the
      spectral approach as initialization. Further, we discuss a user interface for
      exploring a collection of graphs. Finally, we show multiple example
      visualizations of graphs stemming from collections of segmented meshes and we
      present qualitative and quantitative comparisons with previous work.

PMID- 28920902
TI  - A Visual Analytics Framework for Identifying Topic Drivers in Media Events.
AB  - Media data has been the subject of large scale analysis with applications of text
      mining being used to provide overviews of media themes and information flows.
      Such information extracted from media articles has also shown its contextual
      value of being integrated with other data, such as criminal records and stock
      market pricing. In this work, we explore linking textual media data with curated
      secondary textual data sources through user-guided semantic lexical matching for
      identifying relationships and data links. In this manner, critical information
      can be identified and used to annotate media timelines in order to provide a more
      detailed overview of events that may be driving media topics and frames. These
      linked events are further analyzed through an application of causality modeling
      to model temporal drivers between the data series. Such causal links are then
      annotated through automatic entity extraction which enables the analyst to
      explore persons, locations, and organizations that may be pertinent to the media
      topic of interest. To demonstrate the proposed framework, two media datasets and
      an armed conflict event dataset are explored.

PMID- 28920903
TI  - Brain Control of an External Device by Extracting the Highest Force-Related
      Contents of Local Field Potentials in Freely Moving Rats.
AB  - A local field potential (LFP) signal is an alternative source to neural action
      potentials for decoding kinematic and kinetic information from the brain. Here,
      we demonstrate that the better extraction of force-related features from
      multichannel LFPs improves the accuracy of force decoding. We propose that
      applying canonical correlation analysis (CCA) filter on the envelopes of separate
      frequency bands (band-specific CCA) separates non-task related information from
      the LFPs. The decoding accuracy of the continuous force signal based on the
      proposed method were compared with three feature reduction methods: 1) band
      specific principal component analysis (band-specific PCA) method that extract the
      components which leads to maximum variance from the envelopes of different
      frequency bands; 2) correlation coefficient-based (CC-based) feature reduction
      that selects the best features from the envelopes sorted based on the absolute
      correlation coefficient between each envelope and the target force signal; and 3)
      mutual information-based (MI-based) feature reduction that selects the best
      features from the envelopes sorted based on the mutual information between each
      envelope and output force signal. The band-specific CCA method outperformed band
      specific PCA with 11% improvement, CC-based feature reduction with 16%
      improvement, and MI-based feature reduction with 18% improvement. In the online
      brain control experiments, the real-time decoded force signal from the 16-channel
      LFPs based on the proposed method was used to move a mechanical arm. Two rats
      performed 88 trials in seven sessions to control the mechanical arm based on the
      16-channel LFPs.

PMID- 28920904
TI  - Modeling the Nonlinear Cortical Response in EEG Evoked by Wrist Joint
      Manipulation.
AB  - Joint manipulation elicits a response from the sensors in the periphery which,
      via the spinal cord, arrives in the cortex. The average evoked cortical response
      recorded using electroencephalography was shown to be highly nonlinear; a linear
      model can only explain 10% of the variance of the evoked response, and over 80%
      of the response is generated by nonlinear behavior. The goal of this paper is to
      obtain a nonparametric nonlinear dynamic model, which can consistently explain
      the recorded cortical response requiring little a priori assumptions about model
      structure. Wrist joint manipulation was applied in ten healthy participants
      during which their cortical activity was recorded and modeled using a truncated
      Volterra series. The obtained models could explain 46% of the variance of the
      evoked cortical response, thereby demonstrating the relevance of nonlinear
      modeling. The high similarity of the obtained models across participants
      indicates that the models reveal common characteristics of the underlying system.
      The models show predominantly high-pass behavior, which suggests that velocity
      related information originating from the muscle spindles governs the cortical
      response. In conclusion, the nonlinear modeling approach using a truncated
      Volterra series with regularization, provides a quantitative way of investigating
      the sensorimotor system, offering insight into the underlying physiology.

PMID- 28920905
TI  - Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy on Interdigitated Gold Microelectrodes for
      Glycosylated Human Serum Albumin Characterization.
AB  - Glycosylated albumin is considered as a potentially accurate indicator of shorter
      term average glucose concentration compared with the current standard HbA1c and
      as such, it is attracting the interest of the scientific community as a possible
      diagnosis marker for diabetic patients. The purpose of this paper is to achieve a
      better understanding of the glycation effect of albumin on its electrochemical
      properties. That is done through the use of Interdigitated gold microelectrodes
      (IDGE) as support in a label free impedimetric immunosensor for the detection of
      human serum albumin detection in glycated (GA) and non-glycated (HSA) form. Anti
      human serum albumin, a monoclonal antibody, was physisorbed on the surface of
      IDGE and used as a HSA/GA bioreceptor. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,
      cyclic voltammetry, and surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) were used for
      the characterization of the grafted layers onto the gold surface. A detection
      range from 1 to 401 ng/mL of non glycated HSA antigen in phosphate buffered
      saline buffer was obtained with the impedance spectroscopy technique. The
      experiment led to the observation of a significant impedance difference between
      the glycated and non-glycated antigen of HSA. SPRi measurements confirmed these
      findings and allowed us to suggest an increase of the dielectric permittivity for
      human serum albumin upon glycation.

PMID- 28920907
TI  - Energy Analysis of Decoders for Rakeness-Based Compressed Sensing of ECG Signals.
AB  - In recent years, compressed sensing (CS) has proved to be effective in lowering
      the power consumption of sensing nodes in biomedical signal processing devices.
      This is due to the fact the CS is capable of reducing the amount of data to be
      transmitted to ensure correct reconstruction of the acquired waveforms. Rakeness
      based CS has been introduced to further reduce the amount of transmitted data by
      exploiting the uneven distribution to the sensed signal energy. Yet, so far no
      thorough analysis exists on the impact of its adoption on CS decoder performance.
      The latter point is of great importance, since body-area sensor network
      architectures may include intermediate gateway nodes that receive and reconstruct
      signals to provide local services before relaying data to a remote server. In
      this paper, we fill this gap by showing that rakeness-based design also improves
      reconstruction performance. We quantify these findings in the case of ECG signals
      and when a variety of reconstruction algorithms are used either in a low-power
      microcontroller or a heterogeneous mobile computing platform.

PMID- 28920908
TI  - A CMOS Front-End With Integrated Magnetoresistive Sensors for Biomolecular
      Recognition Detection Applications.
AB  - The development of giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors has demonstrated
      significant advantages in nanomedicine, particularly for ultrasensitive point-of
      care diagnostics. To this end, the detection system is required to be compact,
      portable, and low power consuming at the same time that a maximum signal to noise
      ratio is maintained. This paper reports a CMOS front-end with integrated
      magnetoresistive sensors for biomolecular recognition detection applications.
      Based on the characterization of the GMR sensor's signal and noise, CMOS building
      blocks (i.e., current source, multiplexers, and preamplifier) were designed
      targeting a negligible noise when compared with the GMR sensor's noise and a low
      power consumption. The CMOS front-end was fabricated using AMS [Formula: see
      text] technology and the magnetoresistive sensors were post-fabricated on top of
      the CMOS chip with high yield ( [Formula: see text]). Due to its low circuit
      noise (16 [Formula: see text]) and overall equivalent magnetic noise ([Formula:
      see text]), the full system was able to detect 250 nm magnetic nanoparticles with
      a circuit imposed signal-to-noise ratio degradation of only -1.4 dB. Furthermore,
      the low power consumption (6.5 mW) and small dimensions ([Formula: see text] ) of
      the presented solution guarantees the portability of the detection system
      allowing its usage at the point-of-care.

PMID- 28920906
TI  - ClotChip: A Microfluidic Dielectric Sensor for Point-of-Care Assessment of
      Hemostasis.
AB  - This paper describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a microfluidic
      sensor for dielectric spectroscopy of human whole blood during coagulation. The
      sensor, termed ClotChip, employs a three-dimensional, parallel-plate, capacitive
      sensing structure with a floating electrode integrated into a microfluidic
      channel. Interfaced with an impedance analyzer, the ClotChip measures the complex
      relative dielectric permittivity, epsilonr , of human whole blood in the
      frequency range of 40 Hz to 100 MHz. The temporal variation in the real part of
      the blood dielectric permittivity at 1 MHz features a time to reach a
      permittivity peak, , as well as a maximum change in permittivity after the peak,
      , as two distinct parameters of ClotChip readout. The ClotChip performance was
      benchmarked against rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) to evaluate the
      clinical utility of its readout parameters in capturing the clotting dynamics
      arising from coagulation factors and platelet activity. exhibited a very strong
      positive correlation ( r = 0.99, p < 0.0001) with the ROTEM clotting time
      parameter, whereas exhibited a strong positive correlation (r = 0.85,  p < 0.001)
      with the ROTEM maximum clot firmness parameter. This paper demonstrates the
      ClotChip potential as a point-of-care platform to assess the complete hemostatic
      process using <10 MUL of human whole blood.

PMID- 28920909
TI  - Credit Card Fraud Detection: A Realistic Modeling and a Novel Learning Strategy.
AB  - Detecting frauds in credit card transactions is perhaps one of the best testbeds
      for computational intelligence algorithms. In fact, this problem involves a
      number of relevant challenges, namely: concept drift (customers' habits evolve
      and fraudsters change their strategies over time), class imbalance (genuine
      transactions far outnumber frauds), and verification latency (only a small set of
      transactions are timely checked by investigators). However, the vast majority of
      learning algorithms that have been proposed for fraud detection rely on
      assumptions that hardly hold in a real-world fraud-detection system (FDS). This
      lack of realism concerns two main aspects: 1) the way and timing with which
      supervised information is provided and 2) the measures used to assess fraud
      detection performance. This paper has three major contributions. First, we
      propose, with the help of our industrial partner, a formalization of the fraud
      detection problem that realistically describes the operating conditions of FDSs
      that everyday analyze massive streams of credit card transactions. We also
      illustrate the most appropriate performance measures to be used for fraud
      detection purposes. Second, we design and assess a novel learning strategy that
      effectively addresses class imbalance, concept drift, and verification latency.
      Third, in our experiments, we demonstrate the impact of class unbalance and
      concept drift in a real-world data stream containing more than 75 million
      transactions, authorized over a time window of three years.

PMID- 28920910
TI  - Online Density Estimation of Nonstationary Sources Using Exponential Family of
      Distributions.
AB  - We investigate online probability density estimation (or learning) of
      nonstationary (and memoryless) sources using exponential family of distributions.
      To this end, we introduce a truly sequential algorithm that achieves Hannan
      consistent log-loss regret performance against true probability distribution
      without requiring any information about the observation sequence (e.g., the time
      horizon $T$ and the drift of the underlying distribution $C$ ) to optimize its
      parameters. Our results are guaranteed to hold in an individual sequence manner.
      Our log-loss performance with respect to the true probability density has regret
      bounds of $O(({CT})^{1/2})$ , where $C$ is the total change (drift) in the
      natural parameters of the underlying distribution. To achieve this, we design a
      variety of probability density estimators with exponentially quantized learning
      rates and merge them with a mixture-of-experts notion. Hence, we achieve this
      square-root regret with computational complexity only logarithmic in the time
      horizon. Thus, our algorithm can be efficiently used in big data applications.
      Apart from the regret bounds, through synthetic and real-life experiments, we
      demonstrate substantial performance gains with respect to the state-of-the-art
      probability density estimation algorithms in the literature.

PMID- 28920911
TI  - Efficient Online Learning Algorithms Based on LSTM Neural Networks.
AB  - We investigate online nonlinear regression and introduce novel regression
      structures based on the long short term memory (LSTM) networks. For the
      introduced structures, we also provide highly efficient and effective online
      training methods. To train these novel LSTM-based structures, we put the
      underlying architecture in a state space form and introduce highly efficient and
      effective particle filtering (PF)-based updates. We also provide stochastic
      gradient descent and extended Kalman filter-based updates. Our PF-based training
      method guarantees convergence to the optimal parameter estimation in the mean
      square error sense provided that we have a sufficient number of particles and
      satisfy certain technical conditions. More importantly, we achieve this
      performance with a computational complexity in the order of the first-order
      gradient-based methods by controlling the number of particles. Since our approach
      is generic, we also introduce a gated recurrent unit (GRU)-based approach by
      directly replacing the LSTM architecture with the GRU architecture, where we
      demonstrate the superiority of our LSTM-based approach in the sequential
      prediction task via different real life data sets. In addition, the experimental
      results illustrate significant performance improvements achieved by the
      introduced algorithms with respect to the conventional methods over several
      different benchmark real life data sets.

PMID- 28920912
TI  - Superpixel-Based Foreground Extraction With Fast Adaptive Trimaps.
AB  - Extracting the foreground from a given complex image is an important and
      challenging problem. Although there have been many methods to perform foreground
      extraction, most of them are time-consuming, and the trimaps used in the matting
      step are labeled manually. In this paper, we propose a fast interactive
      foreground extraction method based on the superpixel GrabCut and image matting.
      Specifically, we first extract superpixels from a given image and apply GrabCut
      on them to obtain a raw mask. Due to that the resulting mask border is hard and
      toothing, we further propose fast and adaptive trimaps (FATs), and construct an
      FATs-based shared matting for computing a refined mask. Finally, by interactive
      processing, we can obtain the final foreground. Experimental results on the
      BSDS500 and alphamatting datasets demonstrate that our proposed method is faster
      than five representative methods, and performs better than the interactive
      representative methods in terms of the three evaluation criteria: 1) mean square
      error; 2) sum of absolute difference; and 3) execution time.

PMID- 28920913
TI  - Adaptive Control via Neural Output Feedback for a Class of Nonlinear Discrete
      Time Systems in a Nested Interconnected Form.
AB  - In this paper, an adaptive output feedback control is framed for uncertain
      nonlinear discrete-time systems. The considered systems are a class of multi
      input multioutput nonaffine nonlinear systems, and they are in the nested lower
      triangular form. Furthermore, the unknown dead-zone inputs are nonlinearly
      embedded into the systems. These properties of the systems will make it very
      difficult and challenging to construct a stable controller. By introducing a new
      diffeomorphism coordinate transformation, the controlled system is first
      transformed into a state-output model. By introducing a group of new variables,
      an input-output model is finally obtained. Based on the transformed model, the
      implicit function theorem is used to determine the existence of the ideal
      controllers and the approximators are employed to approximate the ideal
      controllers. By using the mean value theorem, the nonaffine functions of systems
      can become an affine structure but nonaffine terms still exist. The adaptation
      auxiliary terms are skillfully designed to cancel the effect of the dead-zone
      input. Based on the Lyapunov difference theorem, the boundedness of all the
      signals in the closed-loop system can be ensured and the tracking errors are kept
      in a bounded compact set. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is checked
      by a simulation study.

PMID- 28920914
TI  - Robust Visual Tracking via Online Discriminative and Low-Rank Dictionary
      Learning.
AB  - In this paper, we propose a novel and robust tracking framework based on online
      discriminative and low-rank dictionary learning. The primary aim of this paper is
      to obtain compact and low-rank dictionaries that can provide good discriminative
      representations of both target and background. We accomplish this by exploiting
      the recovery ability of low-rank matrices. That is if we assume that the data
      from the same class are linearly correlated, then the corresponding basis vectors
      learned from the training set of each class shall render the dictionary to become
      approximately low-rank. The proposed dictionary learning technique incorporates a
      reconstruction error that improves the reliability of classification. Also, a
      multiconstraint objective function is designed to enable active learning of a
      discriminative and robust dictionary. Further, an optimal solution is obtained by
      iteratively computing the dictionary, coefficients, and by simultaneously
      learning the classifier parameters. Finally, a simple yet effective likelihood
      function is implemented to estimate the optimal state of the target during
      tracking. Moreover, to make the dictionary adaptive to the variations of the
      target and background during tracking, an online update criterion is employed
      while learning the new dictionary. Experimental results on a publicly available
      benchmark dataset have demonstrated that the proposed tracking algorithm performs
      better than other state-of-the-art trackers.

PMID- 28920915
TI  - Revisiting local structural changes in GeO<sub>2</sub> glass at high pressure.
AB  - Despite the great importance in fundamental and industrial fields, understanding
      structural changes for pressure-induced polyamorphism in network-forming glasses
      remains a formidable challenge. Here, we revisited the local structural
      transformations in GeO2 glass up to 54 GPa using x-ray absorption fine structure
      (XAFS) spectroscopy via a combination diamond anvil cell and polycapillary half
      lens. Three polyamorphic transitions can be clearly identified by XAFS structure
      refinement. First, a progressive increase of the nearest Ge-O distance and bond
      disorder to a maximum at ~5-16 GPa, in the same pressure region of previously
      observed tetrahedral-octahedral transformation. Second, a markedly decrease of
      the nearest Ge-O distance at ~16-22.6 GPa but a slight increase at ~22.6-32.7
      GPa, with a concomitant decrease of bond disorder. This stage can be related to a
      second-order-like transition from less dense to dense octahedral glass. Third,
      another decrease in the nearest Ge-O distance at ~32.7-41.4 GPa but a slight
      increase up to 54 GPa, synchronized with a gradual increase of bond disorder.
      This stage provides strong evidence for ultrahigh-pressure polyamorphism with
      coordination number >6. Furthermore, cooperative modification is observed in more
      distant shells. Those results provide a unified local structural picture for
      elucidating the polyamorphic transitions and densification process in GeO2 glass.

PMID- 28920916
TI  - Monovacancy paramagnetism in neutron-irradiated graphite probed by <sup>13</sup>C
      NMR.
AB  - We report on the magnetic properties of monovacancy defects in neutron-irradiated
      graphite, probed by $^{13}$C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The bulk
      paramagnetism of the defect moments is revealed by the temperature dependence of
      the NMR frequency shift and spectral linewidth, both of which follow a Curie
      behavior, in agreement with measurements of the macroscopic magnetization.
      Compared to pristine graphite, the fluctuating hyperfine fields generated by the
      defect moments lead to an enhancement of the $^{13}$C nuclear spin-lattice
      relaxation rate $1/T_{1}$ by about two orders of magnitude. With an applied
      magnetic field of 7.1 T, the temperature dependence of $1/T_{1}$ below about 10 K
      can well be described by a thermally activated form, $1/T_{1}?propto?exp(
      ?Delta/k_{B}T)$, yielding a singular Zeeman energy of ($0.41?pm0.01$) meV, in
      excellent agreement with the sole presence of polarized, non-interacting defect
      moments.

PMID- 28920917
TI  - Study on the regulation of focal adesions and cortical actin by matrix
      nanotopography in 3D environment.
AB  - Matrix nanotopography plays an important role in regulating cell behaviors by
      providing spatial as well as mechanical cues for cells to sense. It has been
      proposed that nanoscale topography is possible to modulate the tensions which
      direct the formation of cytoskeleton and the organization of the membrane
      receptor within the cell, which in turn regulate intracellular mechanical and
      biochemical signaling. With current studies on this topic being performed mainly
      in 2D platforms, the question on how nanotopography can influence cell bahaviors
      in 3D environments has yet to be addressed. In this paper, we explored this
      question by placing cells in 3D hollow spherical polydimethylsiloxane scaffolds.
      After culturing rat embryonic fibroblast cells in two kinds of scaffold, one with
      smooth surface and the other with numerous nano-spikes, we observed that cells in
      the smooth scaffold have more anchoring sites and more focal adhesions than in
      the etched scaffold. Moreover, we found the presence of correlation between
      cortical actin, the important component for supporting cell attachment, and local
      cell geometry.

PMID- 28920918
TI  - Mice deficient for ERAD machinery component Sel1L develop central diabetes
      insipidus.
AB  - Deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) underlies
      diabetes insipidus, which is characterized by the excretion of abnormally large
      volumes of dilute urine and persistent thirst. In this issue of the JCI, Shi et
      al. report that Sel1L-Hrd1 ER-associated degradation (ERAD) is responsible for
      the clearance of misfolded pro-arginine vasopressin (proAVP) in the ER.
      Additionally, mice with Sel1L deficiency, either globally or specifically within
      AVP-expressing neurons, developed central diabetes insipidus. The results of this
      study demonstrate a role for ERAD in neuroendocrine cells and serve as a clinical
      example of the effect of misfolded ER proteins retrotranslocated through the
      membrane into the cytosol, where they are polyubiquitinated, extracted from the
      ER membrane, and degraded by the proteasome. Moreover, proAVP misfolding in
      hereditary central diabetes insipidus likely shares common physiopathological
      mechanisms with proinsulin misfolding in hereditary diabetes mellitus of youth.

PMID- 28920919
TI  - Age-dependent human beta cell proliferation induced by glucagon-like peptide 1
      and calcineurin signaling.
AB  - Inadequate pancreatic beta cell function underlies type 1 and type 2 diabetes
      mellitus. Strategies to expand functional cells have focused on discovering and
      controlling mechanisms that limit the proliferation of human beta cells. Here, we
      developed an engraftment strategy to examine age-associated human islet cell
      replication competence and reveal mechanisms underlying age-dependent decline of
      beta cell proliferation in human islets. We found that exendin-4 (Ex-4), an
      agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R), stimulates human beta
      cell proliferation in juvenile but not adult islets. This age-dependent
      responsiveness does not reflect loss of GLP-1R signaling in adult islets, since
      Ex-4 treatment stimulated insulin secretion by both juvenile and adult human beta
      cells. We show that the mitogenic effect of Ex-4 requires calcineurin/nuclear
      factor of activated T cells (NFAT) signaling. In juvenile islets, Ex-4 induced
      expression of calcineurin/NFAT signaling components as well as target genes for
      proliferation-promoting factors, including NFATC1, FOXM1, and CCNA1. By contrast,
      expression of these factors in adult islet beta cells was not affected by Ex-4
      exposure. These studies reveal age-dependent signaling mechanisms regulating
      human beta cell proliferation, and identify elements that could be adapted for
      therapeutic expansion of human beta cells.

PMID- 28920921
TI  - Increased intracellular proteolysis reduces disease severity in an ER stress
      associated dwarfism.
AB  - The short-limbed dwarfism metaphyseal chondrodysplasia type Schmid (MCDS) is
      linked to mutations in type X collagen, which increase ER stress by inducing
      misfolding of the mutant protein and subsequently disrupting hypertrophic
      chondrocyte differentiation. Here, we show that carbamazepine (CBZ), an autophagy
      stimulating drug that is clinically approved for the treatment of seizures and
      bipolar disease, reduced the ER stress induced by 4 different MCDS-causing mutant
      forms of collagen X in human cell culture. Depending on the nature of the
      mutation, CBZ application stimulated proteolysis of misfolded collagen X by
      either autophagy or proteasomal degradation, thereby reducing intracellular
      accumulation of mutant collagen. In MCDS mice expressing the Col10a1.pN617K
      mutation, CBZ reduced the MCDS-associated expansion of the growth plate
      hypertrophic zone, attenuated enhanced expression of ER stress markers such as
      Bip and Atf4, increased bone growth, and reduced skeletal dysplasia. CBZ produced
      these beneficial effects by reducing the MCDS-associated abnormalities in
      hypertrophic chondrocyte differentiation. Stimulation of intracellular
      proteolysis using CBZ treatment may therefore be a clinically viable way of
      treating the ER stress-associated dwarfism MCDS.

PMID- 28920920
TI  - ER-associated degradation is required for vasopressin prohormone processing and
      systemic water homeostasis.
AB  - Peptide hormones are crucial regulators of many aspects of human physiology.
      Mutations that alter these signaling peptides are associated with physiological
      imbalances that underlie diseases. However, the conformational maturation of
      peptide hormone precursors (prohormones) in the ER remains largely unexplored.
      Here, we report that conformational maturation of proAVP, the precursor for the
      antidiuretic hormone arginine-vasopressin, within the ER requires the ER
      associated degradation (ERAD) activity of the Sel1L-Hrd1 protein complex. Serum
      hyperosmolality induces expression of both ERAD components and proAVP in AVP
      producing neurons. Mice with global or AVP neuron-specific ablation of Se1L-Hrd1
      ERAD progressively developed polyuria and polydipsia, characteristics of diabetes
      insipidus. Mechanistically, we found that ERAD deficiency causes marked ER
      retention and aggregation of a large proportion of all proAVP protein. Further,
      we show that proAVP is an endogenous substrate of Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD. The inability
      to clear misfolded proAVP with highly reactive cysteine thiols in the absence of
      Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD causes proAVP to accumulate and participate in inappropriate
      intermolecular disulfide-bonded aggregates, promoted by the enzymatic activity of
      protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). This study highlights a pathway linking ERAD
      to prohormone conformational maturation in neuroendocrine cells, expanding the
      role of ERAD in providing a conducive ER environment for nascent proteins to
      reach proper conformation.

PMID- 28920923
TI  - All TIEd up: mechanisms of Schlemm's canal maintenance.
AB  - Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, with an estimated world-wide prevalence
      of 3.5% in members of the population older than 40 years of age. Elevated
      intraocular pressure as the result of abnormal resistance to aqueous humor
      drainage is a major contributing, and the only preventable, factor in glaucoma
      development. Schlemm's canal (SC), a lymphatic-like vessel encircling the
      anterior portion of the eye, plays a key role in promoting aqueous humor outflow
      and maintenance of normal intraocular pressure. The risk of developing glaucoma
      increases with age; therefore, understanding mechanisms of SC maintenance and how
      aging affects SC function are of special importance, both for prevention and
      novel treatment approaches to glaucoma. Using a compelling array of genetic
      models, Kim et al. report in this issue of the JCI that continuous
      angiopoietin/TIE2 signaling is required for maintaining SC identity and integrity
      during adulthood and show that its age-related changes can be rescued by a TIE2
      agonistic antibody.

PMID- 28920922
TI  - Galpha13 ablation reprograms myofibers to oxidative phenotype and enhances whole
      body metabolism.
AB  - Skeletal muscle is a key organ in energy homeostasis owing to its high
      requirement for nutrients. Heterotrimeric G proteins converge signals from cell
      surface receptors to potentiate or blunt responses against environmental changes.
      Here, we show that muscle-specific ablation of Galpha13 in mice promotes
      reprogramming of myofibers to the oxidative type, with resultant increases in
      mitochondrial biogenesis and cellular respiration. Mechanistically, Galpha13 and
      its downstream effector RhoA suppressed nuclear factor of activated T cells 1
      (NFATc1), a chief regulator of myofiber conversion, by increasing Rho-associated
      kinase 2-mediated (Rock2-mediated) phosphorylation at Ser243. Ser243
      phosphorylation of NFATc1 was reduced after exercise, but was higher in obese
      animals. Consequently, Galpha13 ablation in muscles enhanced whole-body energy
      metabolism and increased insulin sensitivity, thus affording protection from diet
      induced obesity and hepatic steatosis. Our results define Galpha13 as a switch
      regulator of myofiber reprogramming, implying that modulations of Galpha13 and
      its downstream effectors in skeletal muscle are a potential therapeutic approach
      to treating metabolic diseases.

PMID- 28920924
TI  - Impaired angiopoietin/Tie2 signaling compromises Schlemm's canal integrity and
      induces glaucoma.
AB  - Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is often caused by elevated intraocular
      pressure (IOP), which arises due to increased resistance to aqueous humor outflow
      (AHO). Aqueous humor flows through Schlemm's canal (SC), a lymphatic-like vessel
      encircling the cornea, and via intercellular spaces of ciliary muscle cells.
      However, the mechanisms underlying increased AHO resistance are poorly
      understood. Here, we demonstrate that signaling between angiopoietin (Angpt) and
      the Angpt receptor Tie2, which is critical for SC formation, is also
      indispensable for maintaining SC integrity during adulthood. Deletion of
      Angpt1/Angpt2 or Tie2 in adult mice severely impaired SC integrity and
      transcytosis, leading to elevated IOP, retinal neuron damage, and impairment of
      retinal ganglion cell function, all hallmarks of POAG in humans. We found that SC
      integrity is maintained by interconnected and coordinated functions of Angpt-Tie2
      signaling, AHO, and Prox1 activity. These functions diminish in the SC during
      aging, leading to impaired integrity and transcytosis. Intriguingly, Tie2
      reactivation using a Tie2 agonistic antibody rescued the POAG phenotype in
      Angpt1/Angpt2-deficient mice and rejuvenated the SC in aged mice. These results
      indicate that the Angpt-Tie2 system is essential for SC integrity. The impairment
      of this system underlies POAG-associated pathogenesis, supporting the possibility
      that Tie2 agonists could be a therapeutic option for glaucoma.

PMID- 28920926
TI  - Particulate allergens potentiate allergic asthma in mice through sustained IgE
      mediated mast cell activation.

PMID- 28920925
TI  - Expression of Piwi protein MIWI2 defines a distinct population of multiciliated
      cells.
AB  - P-element-induced wimpy testes (Piwi) proteins are known for suppressing
      retrotransposon activation in the mammalian germline. However, whether Piwi
      protein or Piwi-dependent functions occur in the mammalian soma is unclear.
      Contrary to germline-restricted expression, we observed that Piwi-like Miwi2 mRNA
      is indeed expressed in epithelial cells of the lung in adult mice and that it is
      induced during pneumonia. Further investigation revealed that MIWI2 protein
      localized to the cytoplasm of a discrete population of multiciliated airway
      epithelial cells. Isolation and next-generation sequencing of MIWI2-positive
      multiciliated cells revealed that they are phenotypically distinct from
      neighboring MIWI2-negative multiciliated cells. Mice lacking MIWI2 exhibited an
      altered balance of airway epithelial cells, demonstrating fewer multiciliated
      cells and an increase in club cells. During pneumococcal pneumonia, Miwi2
      deficient mice exhibited increased expression of inflammatory mediators and
      increased immune cell recruitment, leading to enhanced bacterial clearance. Taken
      together, our data delineate MIWI2-dependent functions outside of the germline
      and demonstrate the presence of distinct subsets of airway multiciliated cells
      that can be discriminated by MIWI2 expression. By demonstrating roles for MIWI2
      in airway cell identity and pulmonary innate immunity, these studies elucidate
      unanticipated physiological functions for Piwi proteins in somatic tissues.

PMID- 28920927
TI  - No Impact of Preadmission Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use on Risk of Depression and
      Anxiety After Critical Illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Risk of depression and anxiety is elevated after intensive care.
      Drugs with anti-inflammatory properties may have antidepressant and anxiolytic
      effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between
      preadmission use of drugs with anti-inflammatory effects and risk of new-onset
      depression and anxiety among adult patients admitted to an ICU. DESIGN:
      Propensity score-matched, population-based cohort study. SETTING: All ICUs in
      Denmark from 2005 to 2013. PATIENTS: Adults receiving mechanical ventilation in
      an ICU. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 48,207 ICU
      patients were included. Exposures were preadmission single-agent or combined use
      of statins, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or glucocorticoids. Outcomes
      were cumulative incidence (risk) and risk ratio of new-onset psychiatrist
      diagnosed depression or anxiety or prescriptions for antidepressants or
      anxiolytics. Propensity score matching yielded 6,088 statin user pairs, 2,886
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug user pairs, 1,440 glucocorticoid user pairs,
      and 1,743 combination drug user pairs. The cumulative incidence of anxiety and
      depression during the 3 years following intensive care was 18.0% (95% CI, 17.0
      19.0%) for statin users, 21.3% (95% CI, 19.8-22.9%) for nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drug users, 17.4% (95% CI, 15.4-19.5%) for glucocorticoid users, and
      19.0% (95% CI, 16.3-20.2%) for combination users. The cumulative incidence was
      similar in nonusers compared with users in all drug groups. The risk ratio of
      depression and anxiety 3 years after admission to ICU was 1.04 (95% CI, 0.96
      1.13) for statin users, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.90-1.11) for nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drug users, 0.97 (95% CI, 0.82-1.14) for glucocorticoid users, and
      1.05 (95% CI, 0.90-1.21) for combination users, compared with nonusers. Results
      were consistent across subgroups (gender, age, preadmission diseases, type of
      admission) and sensitivity analyses (depression and anxiety separately).
      CONCLUSIONS: Preadmission use of statins, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
      glucocorticoids, or combinations did not alter the risk of depression and anxiety
      after critical illness.

PMID- 28920928
TI  - Targeting tumor multicellular aggregation through IGPR-1 inhibits colon cancer
      growth and improves chemotherapy.
AB  - Adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucially important for survival of
      normal epithelial cells as detachment from ECM triggers specific apoptosis known
      as anoikis. As tumor cells lose the requirement for anchorage to ECM, they rely
      on cell-cell adhesion 'multicellular aggregation' for survival. Multicellular
      aggregation of tumor cells also significantly determines the sensitivity of tumor
      cells to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutics. In this report, we
      demonstrate that expression of immunoglobulin containing and proline-rich
      receptor-1 (IGPR-1) is upregulated in human primary colon cancer. Our study
      demonstrates that IGPR-1 promotes tumor multicellular aggregation, and
      interfering with its adhesive function inhibits multicellular aggregation and,
      increases cell death. IGPR-1 supports colon carcinoma tumor xenograft growth in
      mouse, and inhibiting its activity by shRNA or blocking antibody inhibits tumor
      growth. More importantly, IGPR-1 regulates sensitivity of tumor cells to the
      chemotherapeutic agent, doxorubicin/adriamycin by a mechanism that involves
      doxorubicin-induced AKT activation and phosphorylation of IGPR-1 at Ser220. Our
      findings offer novel insight into IGPR-1's role in colorectal tumor growth, tumor
      chemosensitivity, and as a possible novel anti-cancer target.

PMID- 28920929
TI  - Structural investigation of nucleophosmin interaction with the tumor suppressor
      Fbw7gamma.
AB  - Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is a multifunctional nucleolar protein implicated in
      ribogenesis, centrosome duplication, cell cycle control, regulation of DNA repair
      and apoptotic response to stress stimuli. The majority of these functions are
      played through the interactions with a variety of protein partners. NPM1 is
      frequently overexpressed in solid tumors of different histological origin.
      Furthermore NPM1 is the most frequently mutated protein in acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) patients. Mutations map to the C-terminal domain and lead to the aberrant
      and stable localization of the protein in the cytoplasm of leukemic blasts. Among
      NPM1 protein partners, a pivotal role is played by the tumor suppressor
      Fbw7gamma, an E3-ubiquitin ligase that degrades oncoproteins like c-MYC, cyclin
      E, Notch and c-jun. In AML with NPM1 mutations, Fbw7gamma is degraded following
      its abnormal cytosolic delocalization by mutated NPM1. This mechanism also
      applies to other tumor suppressors and it has been suggested that it may play a
      key role in leukemogenesis. Here we analyse the interaction between NPM1 and
      Fbw7gamma, by identifying the protein surfaces implicated in recognition and key
      aminoacids involved. Based on the results of computational methods, we propose a
      structural model for the interaction, which is substantiated by experimental
      findings on several site-directed mutants. We also extend the analysis to two
      other NPM1 partners (HIV Tat and CENP-W) and conclude that NPM1 uses the same
      molecular surface as a platform for recognizing different protein partners. We
      suggest that this region of NPM1 may be targeted for cancer treatment.

PMID- 28920930
TI  - GATOR1 regulates nitrogenic cataplerotic reactions of the mitochondrial TCA
      cycle.
AB  - The GATOR1 (SEACIT) complex consisting of Iml1-Npr2-Npr3 inhibits target of
      rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) in response to amino acid insufficiency. In glucose
      medium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants lacking the function of this complex
      grow poorly in the absence of amino acid supplementation, despite showing
      hallmarks of increased TORC1 signaling. Such mutants sense that they are amino
      acid replete and thus repress metabolic activities that are important for
      achieving this state. We found that npr2Delta mutants have defective
      mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-cycle activity and retrograde response.
      Supplementation with glutamine, and especially aspartate, which are nitrogen
      containing forms of TCA-cycle intermediates, rescues growth of npr2Delta mutants.
      These amino acids are then consumed in biosynthetic pathways that require
      nitrogen to support proliferative metabolism. Our findings revealed that negative
      regulators of TORC1, such as GATOR1 (SEACIT), regulate the cataplerotic synthesis
      of these amino acids from the TCA cycle, in tune with the amino acid and nitrogen
      status of cells.

PMID- 28920931
TI  - Single-molecule FRET reveals the energy landscape of the full-length SAM-I
      riboswitch.
AB  - S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) ligand binding induces major structural changes in
      SAM-I riboswitches, through which gene expression is regulated via transcription
      termination. Little is known about the conformations and motions governing the
      function of the full-length Bacillus subtilis yitJ SAM-I riboswitch. Therefore,
      we have explored its conformational energy landscape as a function of Mg2+ and
      SAM ligand concentrations using single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer
      (smFRET) microscopy and hidden Markov modeling analysis. We resolved four
      conformational states both in the presence and the absence of SAM and determined
      their Mg2+-dependent fractional populations and conformational dynamics,
      including state lifetimes, interconversion rate coefficients and equilibration
      timescales. Riboswitches with terminator and antiterminator folds coexist, and
      SAM binding only gradually shifts the populations toward terminator states. We
      observed a pronounced acceleration of conformational transitions upon SAM
      binding, which may be crucial for off-switching during the brief decision window
      before expression of the downstream gene.

PMID- 28920932
TI  - A pathway from midcingulate cortex to posterior insula gates nociceptive
      hypersensitivity.
AB  - The identity of cortical circuits mediating nociception and pain is largely
      unclear. The cingulate cortex is consistently activated during pain, but the
      functional specificity of cingulate divisions, the roles at distinct temporal
      phases of central plasticity and the underlying circuitry are unknown. Here we
      show in mice that the midcingulate division of the cingulate cortex (MCC) does
      not mediate acute pain sensation and pain affect, but gates sensory
      hypersensitivity by acting in a wide cortical and subcortical network. Within
      this complex network, we identified an afferent MCC-posterior insula pathway that
      can induce and maintain nociceptive hypersensitivity in the absence of
      conditioned peripheral noxious drive. This facilitation of nociception is brought
      about by recruitment of descending serotonergic facilitatory projections to the
      spinal cord. These results have implications for our understanding of neuronal
      mechanisms facilitating the transition from acute to long-lasting pain.

PMID- 28920933
TI  - Modular organization of the brainstem noradrenaline system coordinates opposing
      learning states.
AB  - Noradrenaline modulates global brain states and diverse behaviors through what is
      traditionally believed to be a homogeneous cell population in the brainstem locus
      coeruleus (LC). However, it is unclear how LC coordinates disparate behavioral
      functions. We report a modular LC organization in rats, endowed with distinct
      neural projection patterns and coding properties for flexible specification of
      opposing behavioral learning states. LC projection mapping revealed functionally
      distinct cell modules with specific anatomical connectivity. An amygdala
      projecting ensemble promoted aversive learning, while an independent medial
      prefrontal cortex-projecting ensemble extinguished aversive responses to enable
      flexible behavior. LC neurons displayed context-dependent inter-relationships,
      with moderate, discrete activation of distinct cell populations by fear or safety
      cues and robust, global recruitment of most cells by strong aversive stimuli.
      These results demonstrate a modular organization in LC in which combinatorial
      activation modes are coordinated with projection- and behavior-specific cell
      populations, enabling adaptive tuning of emotional responding and behavioral
      flexibility.

PMID- 28920934
TI  - Esr1+ cells in the ventromedial hypothalamus control female aggression.
AB  - As an essential means of resolving conflicts, aggression is expressed by both
      sexes but often at a higher level in males than in females. Recent studies
      suggest that cells in the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus
      (VMHvl) that express estrogen receptor-alpha (Esr1) and progesterone receptor are
      essential for male but not female mouse aggression. In contrast, here we show
      that VMHvlEsr1+ cells are indispensable for female aggression. This population
      was active when females attacked naturally. Inactivation of these cells reduced
      female aggression whereas their activation elicited attack. Additionally, we
      found that female VMHvl contains two anatomically distinguishable subdivisions
      that showed differential gene expression, projection and activation patterns
      after mating and fighting. These results support an essential role of the VMHvl
      in both male and female aggression and reveal the existence of two previously
      unappreciated subdivisions in the female VMHvl that are involved in distinct
      social behaviors.

PMID- 28920935
TI  - Spinal cord injury-induced immunodeficiency is mediated by a sympathetic
      neuroendocrine adrenal reflex.
AB  - Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) causes systemic immunosuppression and life
      threatening infections, thought to result from noradrenergic overactivation and
      excess glucocorticoid release via hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis
      stimulation. Instead of consecutive hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis
      activation, we report that acute SCI in mice induced suppression of serum
      norepinephrine and concomitant increase in cortisol, despite suppressed
      adrenocorticotropic hormone, indicating primary (adrenal) hypercortisolism. This
      neurogenic effect was more pronounced after high-thoracic level (Th1) SCI
      disconnecting adrenal gland innervation, compared with low-thoracic level (Th9)
      SCI. Prophylactic adrenalectomy completely prevented SCI-induced glucocorticoid
      excess and lymphocyte depletion but did not prevent pneumonia. When
      adrenalectomized mice were transplanted with denervated adrenal glands to restore
      physiologic glucocorticoid levels, the animals were completely protected from
      pneumonia. These findings identify a maladaptive sympathetic-neuroendocrine
      adrenal reflex mediating immunosuppression after SCI, implying that therapeutic
      normalization of the glucocorticoid and catecholamine imbalance in SCI patients
      could be a strategy to prevent detrimental infections.

PMID- 28920937
TI  - Resolving ultrafast exciton migration in organic solids at the nanoscale.
AB  - Effectiveness of molecular-based light harvesting relies on transport of excitons
      to charge-transfer sites. Measuring exciton migration, however, has been
      challenging because of the mismatch between nanoscale migration lengths and the
      diffraction limit. Instead of using bulk substrate quenching methods, here we
      define quenching boundaries all-optically with sub-diffraction resolution, thus
      characterizing spatiotemporal exciton migration on its native nanometre and
      picosecond scales. By transforming stimulated emission depletion microscopy into
      a time-resolved ultrafast approach, we measure a 16-nm migration length in
      poly(2,5-di(hexyloxy)cyanoterephthalylidene) conjugated polymer films. Combined
      with Monte Carlo exciton hopping simulations, we show that migration in these
      films is essentially diffusive because intrinsic chromophore energetic disorder
      is comparable to chromophore inhomogeneous broadening. Our approach will enable
      previously unattainable correlation of local material structure to exciton
      migration character, applicable not only to photovoltaic or display-destined
      organic semiconductors but also to explaining the quintessential exciton
      migration exhibited in photosynthesis.

PMID- 28920936
TI  - Dopamine induces soluble alpha-synuclein oligomers and nigrostriatal
      degeneration.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is defined by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the
      substantia nigra and the formation of Lewy body inclusions containing aggregated
      alpha-synuclein. Efforts to explain dopamine neuron vulnerability are hindered by
      the lack of dopaminergic cell death in alpha-synuclein transgenic mice. To
      address this, we manipulated both dopamine levels and alpha-synuclein expression.
      Nigrally targeted expression of mutant tyrosine hydroxylase with enhanced
      catalytic activity increased dopamine levels without damaging neurons in non
      transgenic mice. In contrast, raising dopamine levels in mice expressing human
      A53T mutant alpha-synuclein induced progressive nigrostriatal degeneration and
      reduced locomotion. Dopamine elevation in A53T mice increased levels of
      potentially toxic alpha-synuclein oligomers, resulting in conformationally and
      functionally modified species. Moreover, in genetically tractable Caenorhabditis
      elegans models, expression of alpha-synuclein mutated at the site of interaction
      with dopamine prevented dopamine-induced toxicity. These data suggest that a
      unique mechanism links two cardinal features of PD: dopaminergic cell death and
      alpha-synuclein aggregation.

PMID- 28920938
TI  - Partial breaking of the Coulombic ordering of ionic liquids confined in carbon
      nanopores.
AB  - Ionic liquids are composed of equal quantities of positive and negative ions. In
      the bulk, electrical neutrality occurs in these liquids due to Coulombic
      ordering, in which ion shells of alternating charge form around a central ion.
      Their structure under confinement is far less well understood. This hinders the
      widespread application of ionic liquids in technological applications. Here we
      use scattering experiments to resolve the structure of a widely used ionic liquid
      (EMI-TFSI) when it is confined inside nanoporous carbons. We show that Coulombic
      ordering reduces when the pores can accommodate only a single layer of ions.
      Instead, equally charged ion pairs are formed due to the induction of an electric
      potential of opposite sign in the carbon pore walls. This non-Coulombic ordering
      is further enhanced in the presence of an applied external electric potential.
      This finding opens the door for the design of better materials for
      electrochemical applications.

PMID- 28920939
TI  - Imaging and tuning polarity at SrTiO3 domain walls.
AB  - Electrostatic fields tune the ground state of interfaces between complex oxide
      materials. Electronic properties, such as conductivity and superconductivity, can
      be tuned and then used to create and control circuit elements and gate-defined
      devices. Here we show that naturally occurring twin boundaries, with properties
      that are different from their surrounding bulk, can tune the LaAlO3/SrTiO3
      interface 2DEG at the nanoscale. In particular, SrTiO3 domain boundaries have the
      unusual distinction of remaining highly mobile down to low temperatures, and were
      recently suggested to be polar. Here we apply localized pressure to an individual
      SrTiO3 twin boundary and detect a change in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface current
      distribution. Our data directly confirm the existence of polarity at the twin
      boundaries, and demonstrate that they can serve as effective tunable gates. As
      the location of SrTiO3 domain walls can be controlled using external field
      stimuli, our findings suggest a novel approach to manipulate SrTiO3-based devices
      on the nanoscale.

PMID- 28920940
TI  - Self-replication: Nanostructure evolution.

PMID- 28920941
TI  - Reversible magnesium and aluminium ions insertion in cation-deficient anatase
      TiO2.
AB  - In contrast to monovalent lithium or sodium ions, the reversible insertion of
      multivalent ions such as Mg2+ and Al3+ into electrode materials remains an
      elusive goal. Here, we demonstrate a new strategy to achieve reversible Mg2+ and
      Al3+ insertion in anatase TiO2, achieved through aliovalent doping, to introduce
      a large number of titanium vacancies that act as intercalation sites. We present
      a broad range of experimental and theoretical characterizations that show a
      preferential insertion of multivalent ions into titanium vacancies, allowing a
      much greater capacity to be obtained compared to pure TiO2. This result
      highlights the possibility to use the chemistry of defects to unlock the
      electrochemical activity of known materials, providing a new strategy for the
      chemical design of materials for practical multivalent batteries.

PMID- 28920942
TI  - Exponential growth and selection in self-replicating materials from DNA origami
      rafts.
AB  - Self-replication and evolution under selective pressure are inherent phenomena in
      life, and but few artificial systems exhibit these phenomena. We have designed a
      system of DNA origami rafts that exponentially replicates a seed pattern,
      doubling the copies in each diurnal-like cycle of temperature and ultraviolet
      illumination, producing more than 7 million copies in 24 cycles. We demonstrate
      environmental selection in growing populations by incorporating pH-sensitive
      binding in two subpopulations. In one species, pH-sensitive triplex DNA bonds
      enable parent-daughter templating, while in the second species, triplex binding
      inhibits the formation of duplex DNA templating. At pH 5.3, the replication rate
      of species I is  ~1.3-1.4 times faster than that of species II. At pH 7.8, the
      replication rates are reversed. When mixed together in the same vial, the progeny
      of species I replicate preferentially at pH 7.8; similarly at pH 5.3, the progeny
      of species II take over the system. This addressable selectivity should be
      adaptable to the selection and evolution of multi-component self-replicating
      materials in the nanoscopic-to-microscopic size range.

PMID- 28920945
TI  - Neutrophils: a cornerstone of liver ischemia and reperfusion injury.
AB  - Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is the main cause of morbidity and mortality
      due to graft rejection after liver transplantation. During IRI, an intense
      inflammatory process occurs in the liver. This hepatic inflammation is initiated
      by the ischemic period but occurs mainly during the reperfusion phase, and is
      characterized by a large neutrophil recruitment to the liver. Production of
      cytokines, chemokines, and danger signals results in activation of resident
      hepatocytes, leukocytes, and Kupffer cells. The role of neutrophils as the main
      amplifiers of liver injury in IRI has been recognized in many publications.
      Several studies have shown that elimination of excessive neutrophils or
      inhibition of their function leads to reduction of liver injury and inflammation.
      However, the mechanisms involved in neutrophil recruitment during liver IRI are
      not well known. In addition, the molecules necessary for this type of migration
      are poorly defined, as the liver presents an atypical sinusoidal vasculature in
      which the classical leukocyte migration paradigm only partially applies. This
      review summarizes recent advances in neutrophil-mediated liver damage, and its
      application to liver IRI. Basic mechanisms of activation of neutrophils and their
      unique mechanisms of recruitment into the liver vasculature are discussed. In
      particular, the role of danger signals, adhesion molecules, chemokines,
      glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and metalloproteinases is explored. The precise
      definition of the molecular events that govern the recruitment of neutrophils and
      their movement into inflamed tissue may offer new therapeutic alternatives for
      hepatic injury by IRI and other inflammatory diseases of the liver.

PMID- 28920944
TI  - The dosage-dependent effect exerted by the NM23-H1/H2 homolog NDK-1 on distal tip
      cell migration in C. elegans.
AB  - Abnormal regulation of cell migration and altered rearrangement of the
      cytoskeleton are fundamental properties of metastatic cells. The first identified
      metastasis suppressor NM23-H1, which displays nucleoside-diphosphate kinase
      (NDPK) activity is involved in these processes. NM23-H1 inhibits the migratory
      and invasive potential of some cancer cells. Correspondingly, numerous invasive
      cancer cell lines (eg, breast, colon, oral, hepatocellular carcinoma, and
      melanoma) display low endogenous NM23 levels. In this review, we summarize
      mechanisms, which are linked to the anti-metastatic activity of NM23. In human
      cancer cell lines NM23-H1 was shown to regulate cytoskeleton dynamics through
      inactivation of Rho/Rac-type GTPases. The Drosophila melanogaster NM23 homolog
      abnormal wing disc (AWD) controls tracheal and border cell migration. The
      molecular function of AWD is well characterized in both processes as a GTP
      supplier of Shi/Dynamin whereby AWD regulates the level of chemotactic receptors
      on the surface of migrating cells through receptor internalization, by its
      endocytic function. Our group studied the role of the sole group I NDPK, NDK-1 in
      distal tip cell (DTC) migration in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the absence of NDK
      1 the migration of DTCs is incomplete. A half dosage of NDPK as present in ndk-1
      (+/-) heterozygotes results in extra turns and overshoots of migrating gonad
      arms. Conversely, an elevated NDPK level also leads to incomplete gonadal
      migration owing to a premature stop of DTCs in the third phase of migration,
      where NDK-1 acts. We propose that NDK-1 exerts a dosage-dependent effect on the
      migration of DTCs. Our data derived from DTC migration in C. elegans is
      consistent with data on AWD's function in Drosophila. The combined data suggest
      that NDPK enzymes control the availability of surface receptors to regulate cell
      sensing cues during cell migration. The dosage of NDPKs may be a coupling factor
      in cell migration by modulating the efficiency of receptor recycling.

PMID- 28920943
TI  - Expression, function, and regulation of the embryonic transcription factor TBX1
      in parathyroid tumors.
AB  - Transcription factors active in embryonic parathyroid cells can be maintained in
      adult parathyroids and be involved in tumorigenesis. TBX1, the candidate gene of
      22q11.2-DiGeorge syndrome, which includes congenital hypoparathyroidism, is
      involved in parathyroid embryogenesis. The study aimed to investigate expression,
      function, and regulation of the parathyroid embryonic transcription factor TBX1
      in human parathyroid adult normal and tumor tissues. TBX1 transcripts were
      detected in normal parathyroids and were deregulated in parathyroid tumors. Using
      immunohistochemistry, TBX1 protein was detected, mainly at the nuclear level, in
      a consistent proportion of cells in normal adult parathyroids, whereas TBX1
      immunoreactivity was absent in fetal parathyroids. TBX1-expressing cells were
      markedly reduced in about a half of adenomas (PAds) and two-thirds of carcinomas
      and the proportion of TBX1-expressing cells negatively correlated with the serum
      albumin-corrected calcium levels in the analyzed tumors. Moreover, a subset of
      TBX1-expressing tumor cells coexpressed PTH. TBX1 silencing in HEK293 cells,
      expressing endogenous TBX1, increased the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase
      of cell cycle; concomitantly, CDKN1A/p21 and CDKN2A/p16 transcripts increased and
      ID1 mRNA levels decreased. TBX1 silencing exerted similar effects in PAd-derived
      cells, suggesting cell cycle arrest. Moreover, in PAd-derived cells GCM2 and PTH
      mRNA levels were unaffected by TBX1 deficiency, whereas it was associated with
      reduction of WNT5A, an antagonist of canonical WNT/beta-catenin pathway. WNT/beta
      catenin activation by lithium chloride inhibited TBX1 expression levels both in
      HEK293 and PAd-derived cells. In conclusion, TBX1 is expressed in adult
      parathyroid cells and deregulated in parathyroid tumors, where TBX1 deficiency
      may potentially contribute to the low proliferative nature of parathyroid tumors.

PMID- 28920946
TI  - Potential niche indications for blinatumomab as a bridge to hematopoietic cell
      transplantation.

PMID- 28920947
TI  - The capacity-building approach was successful in the start-up process of the
      first HSCT center in Iraqi Kurdistan.

PMID- 28920948
TI  - Rejection of paternal vs maternal fully matched bone marrow grafts in children
      with thalassemia.

PMID- 28920950
TI  - Impact of a dedicated post-transplant vaccination service at an Australian cancer
      centre.

PMID- 28920949
TI  - Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation for multiple myeloma patients with
      renal insufficiency: a center for international blood and marrow transplant
      research analysis.
AB  - Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) in multiple myeloma (MM)
      patients with renal insufficiency (RI) is controversial. Patients who underwent
      AHCT for MM between 2008 and 2013 were identified (N=1492) and grouped as
      normal/mild (?60 mL/min), N=1240, moderate (30-59), N=185 and severe RI (<30),
      N=67 based on Modification of Diet in Renal Disease. Multivariate analyses of non
      relapse mortality (NRM), relapse, PFS and overall survival (OS) were performed.
      Of the 67 patients with severe RI, 35 were on dialysis prior to AHCT. Patients
      received melphalan 200 mg/m2 (Mel 200) in 92% (normal/mild), 75% (moderate) and
      33% (severe) RI; remainder received 140 mg/m2 (Mel 140). Thirty four of 35
      patients with severe RI achieved post-AHCT dialysis independence. The 5-year PFS
      for normal, moderate and severe RI was 35 (95% CI, 31-38)%, 40 (31-49)% and 27
      (15-40)%, respectively, (P=0.42); 5-year OS for normal, moderate and severe RI
      was 68 (65-71)%, 68 (60-76)% and 60 (46-74)%, respectively, (P=0.69). With
      moderate RI, 5-year PFS for high-dose melphalan 140 mg/m2 was 18 (6-35)% and for
      Mel 200 was 46 (36-57)% (P=0.009). With severe RI, 5-year PFS Mel 140 was 25 (11
      41) % and for Mel 200 was 32 (11-58)% (P=0.37). We conclude that AHCT is safe and
      effective in patients with MM with RI.

PMID- 28920951
TI  - Srebp-controlled glucose metabolism is essential for NK cell functional
      responses.
AB  - Activated natural killer (NK) cells engage in a robust metabolic response that is
      required for normal effector function. Using genetic, pharmacological and
      metabolic analyses, we demonstrated an essential role for Srebp transcription
      factors in cytokine-induced metabolic reprogramming of NK cells that was
      independent of their conventional role in the control of lipid synthesis. Srebp
      was required for elevated glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation and promoted a
      distinct metabolic pathway configuration in which glucose was metabolized to
      cytosolic citrate via the citrate-malate shuttle. Preventing the activation of
      Srebp or direct inhibition of the citrate-malate shuttle inhibited production of
      interferon-gamma and NK cell cytotoxicity. Thus, Srebp controls glucose
      metabolism in NK cells, and this Srebp-dependent regulation is critical for NK
      cell effector function.

PMID- 28920952
TI  - MK2 phosphorylation of RIPK1 regulates TNF-mediated cell death.
AB  - TNF is a master proinflammatory cytokine whose pathogenic role in inflammatory
      disorders can, in certain conditions, be attributed to RIPK1 kinase-dependent
      cell death. Survival, however, is the default response of most cells to TNF
      stimulation, indicating that cell demise is normally actively repressed and that
      specific checkpoints must be turned off for cell death to proceed. We identified
      RIPK1 as a direct substrate of MK2 in the TNFR1 signalling pathway.
      Phosphorylation of RIPK1 by MK2 limits cytosolic activation of RIPK1 and the
      subsequent assembly of the death complex that drives RIPK1 kinase-dependent
      apoptosis and necroptosis. In line with these in vitro findings, MK2 inactivation
      greatly sensitizes mice to the cytotoxic effects of TNF in an acute model of
      sterile shock caused by RIPK1-dependent cell death. In conclusion, we identified
      MK2-mediated RIPK1 phosphorylation as an important molecular mechanism limiting
      the sensitivity of the cells to the cytotoxic effects of TNF.

PMID- 28920953
TI  - Lifelong haematopoiesis is established by hundreds of precursors throughout
      mammalian ontogeny.
AB  - Current dogma asserts that mammalian lifelong blood production is established by
      a small number of blood progenitors. However, this model is based on assays that
      require the disruption, transplantation and/or culture of embryonic tissues.
      Here, we used the sample-to-sample variance of a multicoloured lineage trace
      reporter to assess the frequency of emerging lifelong blood progenitors while
      avoiding the disruption, culture or transplantation of embryos. We find that
      approximately 719 Flk1+ mesodermal precursors, 633 VE-cadherin+ endothelial
      precursors and 545 Vav1+ nascent blood stem and progenitor cells emerge to
      establish the haematopoietic system at embryonic days (E)7-E8.5, E8.5-E11.5 and
      E11.5-E14.5, respectively. We also determined that the spatio-temporal
      recruitment of endothelial blood precursors begins at E8.5 and ends by E10.5, and
      that many c-Kit+ clusters of newly specified blood progenitors in the aorta are
      polyclonal in origin. Our work illuminates the dynamics of the developing
      mammalian blood system during homeostasis.

PMID- 28920954
TI  - p38MAPK/MK2-dependent phosphorylation controls cytotoxic RIPK1 signalling in
      inflammation and infection.
AB  - Receptor-interacting protein kinase-1 (RIPK1), a master regulator of cell fate
      decisions, was identified as a direct substrate of MAPKAP kinase-2 (MK2) by
      phosphoproteomic screens using LPS-treated macrophages and stress-stimulated
      embryonic fibroblasts. p38MAPK/MK2 interact with RIPK1 in a cytoplasmic complex
      and MK2 phosphorylates mouse RIPK1 at Ser321/336 in response to pro-inflammatory
      stimuli, such as TNF and LPS, and infection with the pathogen Yersinia
      enterocolitica. MK2 phosphorylation inhibits RIPK1 autophosphorylation, curtails
      RIPK1 integration into cytoplasmic cytotoxic complexes, and suppresses RIPK1
      dependent apoptosis and necroptosis. In Yersinia-infected macrophages, RIPK1
      phosphorylation by MK2 protects against infection-induced apoptosis, a process
      targeted by Yersinia outer protein P (YopP). YopP suppresses p38MAPK/MK2
      activation to increase Yersinia-driven apoptosis. Hence, MK2 phosphorylation of
      RIPK1 is a crucial checkpoint for cell fate in inflammation and infection that
      determines the outcome of bacteria-host cell interaction.

PMID- 28920955
TI  - miR-25/93 mediates hypoxia-induced immunosuppression by repressing cGAS.
AB  - The mechanisms by which hypoxic tumours evade immunological pressure and anti
      tumour immunity remain elusive. Here, we report that two hypoxia-responsive
      microRNAs, miR-25 and miR-93, are important for establishing an immunosuppressive
      tumour microenvironment by downregulating expression of the DNA sensor cGAS.
      Mechanistically, miR-25/93 targets NCOA3, an epigenetic factor that maintains
      basal levels of cGAS expression, leading to repression of cGAS during hypoxia.
      This allows hypoxic tumour cells to escape immunological responses induced by
      damage-associated molecular pattern molecules, specifically the release of
      mitochondrial DNA. Moreover, restoring cGAS expression results in an anti-tumour
      immune response. Clinically, decreased levels of cGAS are associated with poor
      prognosis for patients with breast cancer harbouring high levels of miR-25/93.
      Together, these data suggest that inactivation of the cGAS pathway plays a
      critical role in tumour progression, and reveal a direct link between hypoxia
      responsive miRNAs and adaptive immune responses to the hypoxic tumour
      microenvironment, thus unveiling potential new therapeutic strategies.

PMID- 28920956
TI  - Biotin tagging of MeCP2 in mice reveals contextual insights into the Rett
      syndrome transcriptome.
AB  - Mutations in MECP2 cause Rett syndrome (RTT), an X-linked neurological disorder
      characterized by regressive loss of neurodevelopmental milestones and acquired
      psychomotor deficits. However, the cellular heterogeneity of the brain impedes an
      understanding of how MECP2 mutations contribute to RTT. Here we developed a Cre
      inducible method for cell-type-specific biotin tagging of MeCP2 in mice.
      Combining this approach with an allelic series of knock-in mice carrying frequent
      RTT-associated mutations (encoding T158M and R106W) enabled the selective
      profiling of RTT-associated nuclear transcriptomes in excitatory and inhibitory
      cortical neurons. We found that most gene-expression changes were largely
      specific to each RTT-associated mutation and cell type. Lowly expressed cell-type
      enriched genes were preferentially disrupted by MeCP2 mutations, with upregulated
      and downregulated genes reflecting distinct functional categories. Subcellular
      RNA analysis in MeCP2-mutant neurons further revealed reductions in the nascent
      transcription of long genes and uncovered widespread post-transcriptional
      compensation at the cellular level. Finally, we overcame X-linked cellular
      mosaicism in female RTT models and identified distinct gene-expression changes
      between neighboring wild-type and mutant neurons, providing contextual insights
      into RTT etiology that support personalized therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 28920957
TI  - KLF4-dependent perivascular cell plasticity mediates pre-metastatic niche
      formation and metastasis.
AB  - A deeper understanding of the metastatic process is required for the development
      of new therapies that improve patient survival. Metastatic tumor cell growth and
      survival in distant organs is facilitated by the formation of a pre-metastatic
      niche that is composed of hematopoietic cells, stromal cells and extracellular
      matrix (ECM). Perivascular cells, including vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs)
      and pericytes, are involved in new vessel formation and in promoting stem cell
      maintenance and proliferation. Given the well-described plasticity of
      perivascular cells, we hypothesized that perivascular cells similarly regulate
      tumor cell fate at metastatic sites. We used perivascular-cell-specific and
      pericyte-specific lineage-tracing models to trace the fate of perivascular cells
      in the pre-metastatic and metastatic microenvironments. We show that perivascular
      cells lose the expression of traditional vSMC and pericyte markers in response to
      tumor-secreted factors and exhibit increased proliferation, migration and ECM
      synthesis. Increased expression of the pluripotency gene Klf4 in these
      phenotypically switched perivascular cells promoted a less differentiated state,
      characterized by enhanced ECM production, that established a pro-metastatic
      fibronectin-rich environment. Genetic inactivation of Klf4 in perivascular cells
      decreased formation of a pre-metastatic niche and metastasis. Our data revealed a
      previously unidentified role for perivascular cells in pre-metastatic niche
      formation and uncovered novel strategies for limiting metastasis.

PMID- 28920958
TI  - The N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-forming enzyme METTL3 controls myeloid
      differentiation of normal hematopoietic and leukemia cells.
AB  - N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant nucleotide modification in mRNA that is
      required for the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. However, it
      remains unknown whether the m6A modification controls the differentiation of
      normal and/or malignant myeloid hematopoietic cells. Here we show that shRNA
      mediated depletion of the m6A-forming enzyme METTL3 in human hematopoietic
      stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) promotes cell differentiation, coupled with reduced
      cell proliferation. Conversely, overexpression of wild-type METTL3, but not of a
      catalytically inactive form of METTL3, inhibits cell differentiation and
      increases cell growth. METTL3 mRNA and protein are expressed more abundantly in
      acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells than in healthy HSPCs or other types of tumor
      cells. Furthermore, METTL3 depletion in human myeloid leukemia cell lines induces
      cell differentiation and apoptosis and delays leukemia progression in recipient
      mice in vivo. Single-nucleotide-resolution mapping of m6A coupled with ribosome
      profiling reveals that m6A promotes the translation of c-MYC, BCL2 and PTEN mRNAs
      in the human acute myeloid leukemia MOLM-13 cell line. Moreover, loss of METTL3
      leads to increased levels of phosphorylated AKT, which contributes to the
      differentiation-promoting effects of METTL3 depletion. Overall, these results
      provide a rationale for the therapeutic targeting of METTL3 in myeloid leukemia.

PMID- 28920959
TI  - Targeting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation eradicates therapy-resistant
      chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells.
AB  - Treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with imatinib mesylate and other
      second- and/or third-generation c-Abl-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)
      has substantially extended patient survival. However, TKIs primarily target
      differentiated cells and do not eliminate leukemic stem cells (LSCs). Therefore,
      targeting minimal residual disease to prevent acquired resistance and/or disease
      relapse requires identification of new LSC-selective target(s) that can be
      exploited therapeutically. Considering that malignant transformation involves
      cellular metabolic changes, which may in turn render the transformed cells
      susceptible to specific assaults in a selective manner, we searched for such
      vulnerabilities in CML LSCs. We performed metabolic analyses on both stem cell
      enriched (CD34+ and CD34+CD38-) and differentiated (CD34-) cells derived from
      individuals with CML, and we compared the signature of these cells with that of
      their normal counterparts. Through combination of stable isotope-assisted
      metabolomics with functional assays, we demonstrate that primitive CML cells rely
      on upregulated oxidative metabolism for their survival. We also show that
      combination treatment with imatinib and tigecycline, an antibiotic that inhibits
      mitochondrial protein translation, selectively eradicates CML LSCs both in vitro
      and in a xenotransplantation model of human CML. Our findings provide a strong
      rationale for investigation of the use of TKIs in combination with tigecycline to
      treat patients with CML with minimal residual disease.

PMID- 28920960
TI  - Long noncoding RNA EGFR-AS1 mediates epidermal growth factor receptor addiction
      and modulates treatment response in squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Targeting EGFR is a validated approach in the treatment of squamous-cell cancers
      (SCCs), although there are no established biomarkers for predicting response. We
      have identified a synonymous mutation in EGFR, c.2361G>A (encoding p.Gln787Gln),
      in two patients with head and neck SCC (HNSCC) who were exceptional responders to
      gefitinib, and we showed in patient-derived cultures that the A/A genotype was
      associated with greater sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as
      compared to the G/A and G/G genotypes. Remarkably, single-copy G>A nucleotide
      editing in isogenic models conferred a 70-fold increase in sensitivity due to
      decreased stability of the EGFR-AS1 long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). In the
      appropriate context, sensitivity could be recapitulated through EGFR-AS1
      knockdown in vitro and in vivo, whereas overexpression was sufficient to induce
      resistance to TKIs. Reduced EGFR-AS1 levels shifted splicing toward EGFR isoform
      D, leading to ligand-mediated pathway activation. In co-clinical trials involving
      patients and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, tumor shrinkage was most
      pronounced in the context of the A/A genotype for EGFR-Q787Q, low expression of
      EGFR-AS1 and high expression of EGFR isoform D. Our study reveals how a 'silent'
      mutation influences the levels of a lncRNA, resulting in noncanonical EGFR
      addiction, and delineates a new predictive biomarker suite for response to EGFR
      TKIs.

PMID- 28920961
TI  - Germline mutations affecting the histone H4 core cause a developmental syndrome
      by altering DNA damage response and cell cycle control.
AB  - Covalent modifications of histones have an established role as chromatin
      effectors, as they control processes such as DNA replication and transcription,
      and repair or regulate nucleosomal structure. Loss of modifications on histone N
      tails, whether due to mutations in genes belonging to histone-modifying complexes
      or mutations directly affecting the histone tails, causes developmental disorders
      or has a role in tumorigenesis. More recently, modifications affecting the
      globular histone core have been uncovered as being crucial for DNA repair,
      pluripotency and oncogenesis. Here we report monoallelic missense mutations
      affecting lysine 91 in the histone H4 core (H4K91) in three individuals with a
      syndrome of growth delay, microcephaly and intellectual disability. Expression of
      the histone H4 mutants in zebrafish embryos recapitulates the developmental
      anomalies seen in the patients. We show that the histone H4 alterations cause
      genomic instability, resulting in increased apoptosis and cell cycle progression
      anomalies during early development. Mechanistically, our findings indicate an
      important role for the ubiquitination of H4K91 in genomic stability during
      embryonic development.

PMID- 28920962
TI  - Coplanar semiconductor-metal circuitry defined on few-layer MoTe2 via polymorphic
      heteroepitaxy.
AB  - Crystal polymorphism selectively stabilizes the electronic phase of atomically
      thin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) as metallic or semiconducting,
      suggesting the potential to integrate these polymorphs as circuit components in
      two-dimensional electronic circuitry. Developing a selective and sequential
      growth strategy for such two-dimensional polymorphs in the vapour phase is a
      critical step in this endeavour. Here, we report on the polymorphic integration
      of distinct metallic (1T') and semiconducting (2H) MoTe2 crystals within the same
      atomic planes by heteroepitaxy. The realized polymorphic coplanar contact is
      atomically coherent, and its barrier potential is spatially tight-confined over a
      length of only a few nanometres, with a lowest contact barrier height of ~25 meV.
      We also demonstrate the generality of our synthetic integration approach for
      other TMDC polymorph films with large areas.

PMID- 28920963
TI  - Tuning a circular p-n junction in graphene from quantum confinement to optical
      guiding.
AB  - The photon-like propagation of the Dirac electrons in graphene, together with its
      record-high electronic mobility, can lead to applications based on ultrafast
      electronic response and low dissipation. However, the chiral nature of the charge
      carriers that is responsible for the high mobility also makes it difficult to
      control their motion and prevents electronic switching. Here, we show how to
      manipulate the charge carriers by using a circular p-n junction whose size can be
      continuously tuned from the nanometre to the micrometre scale. The junction size
      is controlled with a dual-gate device consisting of a planar back gate and a
      point-like top gate made by decorating a scanning tunnelling microscope tip with
      a gold nanowire. The nanometre-scale junction is defined by a deep potential well
      created by the tip-induced charge. It traps the Dirac electrons in quantum
      confined states, which are the graphene equivalent of the atomic collapse states
      (ACSs) predicted to occur at supercritically charged nuclei. As the junction size
      increases, the transition to the optical regime is signalled by the emergence of
      whispering-gallery modes, similar to those observed at the perimeter of acoustic
      or optical resonators, and by the appearance of a Fabry-Perot interference
      pattern for junctions close to a boundary.

PMID- 28920964
TI  - Directed emission of CdSe nanoplatelets originating from strongly anisotropic 2D
      electronic structure.
AB  - Intrinsically directional light emitters are potentially important for
      applications in photonics including lasing and energy-efficient display
      technology. Here, we propose a new route to overcome intrinsic efficiency
      limitations in light-emitting devices by studying a CdSe nanoplatelets monolayer
      that exhibits strongly anisotropic, directed photoluminescence. Analysis of the
      two-dimensional k-space distribution reveals the underlying internal transition
      dipole distribution. The observed directed emission is related to the anisotropy
      of the electronic Bloch states governing the exciton transition dipole moment and
      forming a bright plane. The strongly directed emission perpendicular to the
      platelet is further enhanced by the optical local density of states and local
      fields. In contrast to the emission directionality, the off-resonant absorption
      into the energetically higher 2D-continuum of states is isotropic. These
      contrasting optical properties make the oriented CdSe nanoplatelets, or
      superstructures of parallel-oriented platelets, an interesting and potentially
      useful class of semiconductor-based emitters.

PMID- 28920965
TI  - Conformation-based signal transfer and processing at the single-molecule level.
AB  - Building electronic components made of individual molecules is a promising
      strategy for the miniaturization and integration of electronic devices. However,
      the practical realization of molecular devices and circuits for signal
      transmission and processing at room temperature has proven challenging. Here, we
      present room-temperature intermolecular signal transfer and processing using
      SnCl2Pc molecules on a Cu(100) surface. The in-plane orientations of the
      molecules are effectively coupled via intermolecular interaction and serve as the
      information carrier. In the coupled molecular arrays, the signal can be
      transferred from one molecule to another in the in-plane direction along
      predesigned routes and processed to realize logical operations. These phenomena
      enable the use of molecules displaying intrinsic bistable states as complex
      molecular devices and circuits with novel functions.

PMID- 28920966
TI  - [Prevention of cardiovascular diseases - Prophylactic program in a selected
      enterprise].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Poland cardiovascular diseases (CVD), classified as work-related
      diseases, are responsible for 25% of disability and cause 50% of all deaths,
      including 26.9% of deaths in people aged under 65 years. The aim of the study was
      to analyze employee expectations regarding CVD- oriented prophylactic activities
      in the selected enterprise. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire, developed for
      this study, consists of: socio-demographic data, job characteristics,
      occupational factors, and questions about the respondents' expectations
      concerning the prevention program. The study group comprised 407 multi-profile
      company employees aged (mean) 46.7 years (standard deviation (SD) = 9.1),
      including 330 men (81.1%), mean age = 46.9 (SD = 9.2) and 77 women (18.9%), mean
      age = 45.9 (SD = 8.2) The study was performed using the method of auditorium
      survey. RESULTS: Employees declared the need for actions related to physical
      activity: use of gym, swimming pool, tennis (56.5%), smoking habits - education
      sessions on quitting smoking (24.6%). A few people were interested in activities
      related to healthy diet. According to the majority of the study group, the scope
      of preventive examinations should be expanded. Based on our own findings and
      literature data CVD- -oriented preventive program, addressed to the analyzed
      enterprise was prepared. The program will be presented in another paper.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results showed significant quantitative and qualitative
      differences in the classic and occupational CVD risk factors between men and
      women, as well as in preferences for participation in prevention programs.
      Therefore, gender differences should be taken into account when planning
      prevention programs. Med Pr 2017;68(6):757-769.

PMID- 28920967
TI  - [Facial prosthetics: grounds and techniques].
AB  - Surgical treatment of advanced facial tumours is often physically, functionally
      and emotionally debilitating. The resulting defects often give grounds for
      surgical reconstruction, prosthetic reconstruction or a combination of both.
      During the past two decades, huge advances have been achieved in the development
      of prostheses. This has led to improved rehabilitation of facial defects. In the
      clinic of the Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, both
      adhesive- and implant-retained facial prostheses are used. In recent decades,
      implant-retained prostheses have been used increasingly often. Patient
      satisfaction rates are very high for both types of prostheses.

PMID- 28920968
TI  - [A solitary, defined radiolucency on a panoramic radiograph; cyst or no cyst?]
AB  - Sharply defined radiolucencies on a panoramic radiograph are often interpreted as
      cystic laesions. In some cases, however, it appears to be another condition, or
      an anatomical variation. In the present case, involving 2 healthy patients, 1 or
      more sharply defined lucencies were seen in the lateral parts of the mandible.
      After exploration, in both cases, an empty cavity was found without epithelial
      lining, which is pathognomonic for a simple bone cyst. Multiple occurrences are
      uncommon.

PMID- 28920969
TI  - [Disease burden of extreme treatment anxiety; quality of life for patients with
      and without extreme dental treatment anxiety].
AB  - In this study, a comparison was made between disease-specific (oral health
      related) quality of life (OHQoL), measured with the OHIP-14 questionnaire, and
      generic (general health-related) quality of life (GHQoL), measured with the EQ5D
      5L questionnaire, in patients with and without extreme dental treatment anxiety.
      A total of 76 patients who could not be treated due to extreme dental treatment
      anxiety were referred to a centre for special dentistry. These patients were
      matched, according to age, gender and socioeconomic status, with participants in
      an epidemiological study on oral health (n = 1125). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests
      were used on both groups to compare GHQoL and OHQoL. The total OHIP score was
      higher (representing a lower quality of life) in the patient group than in the
      control group. Anxiety patients scored higher on all 7 domains of the OHIP-14.
      With respect to general quality of life, patients with extreme treatment anxiety
      were found to report lower utility scores than the matched control group. With
      these results, a total disease burden of 74,000 disability-adjusted life years
      (DALYs) was calculated for extreme treatment anxiety in the Netherlands. The
      findings of this study reveal that having extreme dental treatment anxiety
      results in a significant disease burden in the Netherlands.

PMID- 28920970
TI  - [Mind your teeth - the relationship between mastication and cognition].
AB  - Elderly persons, especially those suffering from dementia, are at great risk of
      suffering from oral health problems such as orofacial pain and loss of natural
      teeth. A possible explanation could be that the cognitive and motor impairments
      resulting from dementia cause a decrease in self-care and as such, a worsening of
      oral health. An alternative explanation is that cognition and oral health
      influence each other. Animal studies show that a decrease in masticatory
      activity, for example due to a soft diet or loss of teeth, causes memory loss and
      neuronal degeneration. The relationship between mastication and cognition has
      also been researched in human studies, but a cause-effect relationship is not yet
      evident. It is likely that multiple factors play a role in this relationship,
      such as self-care, nutrition, stress and pain.

PMID- 28920971
TI  - [Dental erosion and young adults: what do they know and how would they like to
      receive information?]
AB  - Dental erosion occurs often among adolescents and young adults in the
      Netherlands. This problem requires attention because its consequences are
      irreversible. In this study (part of the 'Dental Research and Practice in the
      North Netherlands' project) a questionnaire was distributed to 331 young adults
      (age 20 to 25) from 25 dental practices. The goal of the study was to find out
      how much young adults know about dental erosion and how they wish to receive
      dental information. The results show that much is still unknown about dental
      erosion among young adults and that the extent of knowledge depended of the level
      of education and on information on dental erosion that had already been received.
      Participants preferred to receive information in a conversation with an oral
      healthcare professional, with the support of printed matter.

PMID- 28920975
TI  - Correction: Visible-light-enhanced power generation in microbial fuel cells
      coupling with 3D nitrogen-doped graphene.
AB  - Correction for 'Visible-light-enhanced power generation in microbial fuel cells
      coupling with 3D nitrogen-doped graphene' by Dan Guo et al., Chem. Commun., 2017,
      DOI: .

PMID- 28920972
TI  - [A PhD completed. Prevention and treatment of peri-implant diseases: cleaning of
      titanium dental implant surfaces].
AB  - The effect of various instruments on titanium dental implant surfaces was
      evaluated. Furthermore, a clinical guideline was developed regarding the
      diagnosis, prevention and treatment of peri-implant diseases. Air abrasive
      devices appear to be the most suitable meachnical instruments to remove biofilm
      from implant surfaces. From the available chemotherapeutica, (citric)acid and
      hydrogen peroxide seem to have the best potential. Regular controls and
      meticulous maintenance from both the patients and dental care professionals are
      mandatory to avoid problems. Baseline clinical and radiographic recordings are
      important to be able to follow implants over time and to differentiate between
      health and disease. The first time to assess probing pocket depths around
      implants should be preferably around 8 weeks after prosthetic installation.
      Changes in clinical and/or radiographic parameters can be an alarming sign.
      Patients should receive individually tailored instructions for optimal oral
      hygiene. Prevention and early diagnosis is the key for long-term success with
      dental implants.

PMID- 28920976
TI  - Rhodium-catalyzed odorless synthesis of diaryl sulfides from borylarenes and S
      aryl thiosulfonates.
AB  - Various diaryl sulfides, including heteroaryl- and nitrogen-containing sulfides,
      have been efficiently prepared by rhodium-catalyzed odorless deborylative
      arylthiolation of organoborons with S-aryl thiosulfonates. The ready availability
      of starting materials and further transformation of sulfides have rendered a
      diverse range of organosulfur compounds easily accessible.

PMID- 28920977
TI  - Axial substitution of a precursor resulted in two high-energy copper(ii)
      complexes with superior detonation performances.
AB  - The design and synthesis of explosives with high performance, good thermal
      stability, and low sensitivity is an important subject for the development of
      energetic materials. Energetic complexes have recently emerged as a promising
      energetic material form. As one of the representatives, [Cu(Htztr)2(H2O)2]n
      (H2tztr = 3-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-1H-triazole) was previously reported with good
      energetic performance, outstanding thermostability (Tdec = 345  degrees C) and
      low sensitivity to impact and friction stimuli. However, due to the existence of
      water molecules, its effective energy density is remarkably decreased, resulting
      in a diminished detonation performance. In order to further improve the
      detonation performance, using [Cu(Htztr)2(H2O)2]n as a precursor,
      {[Cu(Htztr)(H2O)]NO3}n (1) and [Cu(H2tztr)2(HCOO)2]n (2) were synthesized by the
      axial substitution reaction with NO3- and HCOO-. The structures of 1 and 2 were
      characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Both of them exhibit high
      thermal stabilities and insensitivities to impact and friction. Moreover, the
      same DFT calculation methodology shows that the heat of detonation of 2 (3.5663
      kcal g-1) is significantly higher than that of the precursor [Cu(Htztr)2(H2O)2]n
      (2.1281 kcal g-1). Meanwhile, the empirical Kamlet-Jacobs equations were used to
      theoretically predict the detonation properties of the title complexes, and the
      results show that 1 and 2 have excellent detonation velocity (D) and detonation
      pressure (P).

PMID- 28920978
TI  - A two-photon fluorescent probe for ratiometric imaging of endogenous hypochlorous
      acid in live cells and tissues.
AB  - A fluorescent probe that enables ratiometric imaging of endogenous hypochlorous
      acid (HOCl) in cells and tissues by two-photon microscopy is developed based on a
      red-emitting acetyl-benzocoumarin (AcBC) dye. An oxathiolane group in the probe
      reacts with HOCl to generate the AcBC dye, which involves a ratiometric
      fluorescence change only toward HOCl along with high sensitivity.

PMID- 28920979
TI  - Structure and thermal relaxation of network units and crystallization of lithium
      silicate based glasses doped with oxides of Al and B.
AB  - The current study reports on the relaxation behaviour of lithium silicate based
      glasses as probed by NMR spectroscopy. A total of four glass compositions were
      studied with the parent composition being 28Li2O-72SiO2, and added dopants of Al
      and B. All the compositions showed significant differences in the NMR spectra of
      both annealed and non-annealed glasses demonstrating the structural relaxation
      behaviour. We extended our binary statistical mechanical model to these complex
      compositions to study the relaxation behaviour. By the combined use of the
      extended statistical mechanical model and broken ergodicity, we shed light on the
      mechanism of structural relaxation as understood by NMR spectroscopy. We studied
      the crystallization behaviour of the glasses and reported on the variations of
      the residual glass composition changes in the crystallization fraction.

PMID- 28920980
TI  - Glaser-Hay hetero-coupling in a bimetallic regime: a Ni(ii)/Ag(i) assisted base,
      ligand and additive free route to selective unsymmetrical 1,3-diynes.
AB  - A Ni(OAc)2/Ag(OTf) catalysed coupling of aryl alkynes and propargylic
      alcohol/ether/ester gave the corresponding unsymmetrical 1,3-diynes in good to
      excellent yields. The reaction does not require bases, ligands or additives and
      shows excellent hetero-selectivity, thereby addressing the current challenges in
      the field of coupling of two different terminal alkynes.

PMID- 28920981
TI  - Oxygenation of RZn(N,O)-type complexes as an efficient route to zinc alkoxides
      not accessible via the classical alcoholysis path.
AB  - The controlled oxygenation of alkylzinc complexes supported by a 2-ester
      substituted pyrrolate ligand (L) leads to zinc alkoxides with an uncommon
      structural motif in the solid state: a trimer [(L)Zn(MU-OtBu)]3 with the central
      [Zn3(MU-OR)3] ring and a tetramer [(L)Zn(MU3-OEt)]4 with a heterocubane-type
      structure. Strikingly, these seemingly simple zinc alkoxides are not accessible
      via the classical alcoholysis route.

PMID- 28920982
TI  - Ruthenium-catalysed one-pot regio- and diastereoselective synthesis of
      pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles via cascade C-H functionalization/annulation.
AB  - A cascade approach has been developed towards dual C-C bond formation via
      consecutive C-H functionalization/cyclization giving access to pyrrolo[1,2
      a]indoles in a highly regio- and diastereoselective manner using catalytic [Ru(p
      cymene)Cl2]2. The methodology was further expanded to attain pentacyclic
      structures involving manifold C-C bond creation.

PMID- 28920983
TI  - Unified elucidation of the entropy-driven and -opposed hydrophobic effects.
AB  - The association of nonpolar solutes is generally believed to be entropy driven,
      which has been shown to be true for the contact of small molecules, ellipsoids,
      and plates. However, it has been reported with surprise that a model cavity
      ligand binding is entropy opposed. How can these apparently conflicting behaviors
      be elucidated? Here, we calculate the potential of mean force between hard-sphere
      solutes with various diameters in water and its entropic and enthalpic components
      using a statistical-mechanical theory for molecular liquids. It is shown that
      there is a very wide region where both of the two components are negative and
      large with the entropy-enthalpy compensation. Even for spheres, their contact is
      weakly entropy opposed when they are medium-sized. The entropic component (EC) is
      decomposed into physically insightful constituents with the aid of our
      morphometric approach. They provide us with useful information on the signs and
      magnitudes of contributions from the structural difference between the water near
      a single solute surface and that within the space confined between two solute
      surfaces and from the total volume available for the translational displacement
      of water molecules in the system. The decomposition enables us to identify the
      essential factors for discussing the EC: the hydrogen-bonding properties and
      density structure of the water within the confined space and the degree of water
      crowding in the bulk. These are largely dependent on the geometric
      characteristics of the solute pair such as solute shape, size, and intersolute
      distance. Both of the entropy-driven and -opposed hydrophobic effects can be
      explained within the same theoretical framework.

PMID- 28920984
TI  - Tailoring the morphology followed by the electrochemical performance of NiMn-LDH
      nanosheet arrays through controlled Co-doping for high-energy and power
      asymmetric supercapacitors.
AB  - Herein, we tailor the surface morphology of nickel-manganese-layered double
      hydroxide (NiMn-LDH) nanostructures on 3D nickel-foam via a step-wise cobalt (Co)
      doping hydrothermal chemical process. At the 10% optimum level of Co-doping, we
      noticed a thriving tuned morphological pattern of NiMn-LDH nanostructures (NiCoMn
      LDH (10%)) in terms of the porosity of the nanosheet (NS) arrays which not only
      improves the rate capability as well as cycling stability, but also demonstrates
      nearly two-fold specific capacitance enhancement compared to Co-free and other
      NiCoMn-LDH electrodes with a half-cell configuration in 3 M KOH, suggesting that
      Co-doping is indispensable for improving the electrochemical performance of NiMn
      LDH electrodes. Moreover, when this high performing NiCoMn-LDH (10%) electrode is
      employed as a cathode material to fabricate an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC)
      device with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as an anode material, excellent energy
      storage performance (57.4 Wh kg-1 at 749.9 W kg-1) and cycling stability (89.4%
      capacitive retention even after 2500 cycles) are corroborated. Additionally, we
      present a demonstration of illuminating a light emitting diode for 600 s with the
      NiCoMn-LDH (10%)//rGO ASC device, evidencing the potential of the NiCoMn-LDH
      (10%) electrode in fabricating energy storage devices.

PMID- 28920985
TI  - Enantioselective synthesis of sterically hindered alpha-allyl-alpha-aryl
      oxindoles via palladium-catalysed decarboxylative asymmetric allylic alkylation.
AB  - The highly enantioselective synthesis of sterically hindered alpha-allyl-alpha
      aryl oxindoles possessing an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter at the oxindole 3
      position has been developed. The key step in the synthetic route employed was a
      novel one-pot, two-step synthesis of alpha-aryl-beta-amido allyl ester
      substituted oxindoles in good yields of 41-75% (13 examples) by interception of
      an unstable allyl ester intermediate through reaction with aryllead triacetate
      reagents. Pd-Catalyzed decarboxylative asymmetric allylic alkylation (DAAA) was
      optimized with 2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl as the aryl-containing substrate. A screen
      of chiral P,N- and P,P-based ligands showed that the ANDEN-phenyl Trost ligand
      was the most effective, affording the corresponding alpha-allyl-alpha-aryl
      oxindole product in 96% yield and 99% ee. A substrate scope of a further 12 alpha
      aryl-beta-amido allyl ester substituted oxindoles showed that products containing
      bulky di-ortho-methoxy substituted arenes and naphthyl groups were formed in very
      high ee's (94-98%), whereas those lacking this substitution pattern were formed
      in more moderate levels of enantioselectivities (56-63% ee). Surprisingly, the
      2,6-dimethylphenyl-substituted substrate afforded the O-allylated product in
      contrast to the expected C-allylated product. A crystal structure was obtained of
      the 2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl-substituted alpha-allyl-alpha-aryl oxindole product
      which enabled us to identify the absolute stereochemistry of the quaternary
      stereocenter formed. A plausible explanation to rationalise the sense of
      enantioselection observed in these DAAA transformations is also proposed.

PMID- 28920986
TI  - Stratification in binary colloidal polymer films: experiment and simulations.
AB  - : When films are deposited from mixtures of colloidal particles of two different
      sizes, a diverse range of functional structures can result. One structure of
      particular interest is a stratified film in which the top surface layer has a
      composition different than in the interior. Here, we explore the conditions under
      which a stratified layer of small particles develops spontaneously in a colloidal
      film that is cast from a binary mixture of small and large polymer particles that
      are suspended in water. A recent model, which considers the cross-interaction
      between the large and small particles (Zhou et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 2017, 118,
      108002), predicts that stratification will develop from dilute binary mixtures
      when the particle size ratio (alpha), initial volume fraction of small particles
      (phiS), and Peclet number are high. In experiments and Langevin dynamics
      simulations, we systematically vary alpha and phiS in both dilute and
      concentrated suspensions. We find that stratified films develop when phiS is
      increased, which is in agreement with the model. In dilute suspensions, there is
      reasonable agreement between the experiments and the Zhou et al. MODEL: In
      concentrated suspensions, stratification occurs in experiments only for the
      higher size ratio alpha = 7. Simulations using a high Peclet number, additionally
      find stratification with alpha = 2, when phiS is high enough. Our results provide
      a quantitative understanding of the conditions under which stratified colloidal
      films assemble. Our research has relevance for the design of coatings with
      targeted optical and mechanical properties at their surface.

PMID- 28920987
TI  - Mechanisms of distinct activated carbon and biochar amendment effects on
      petroleum vapour biofiltration in soil.
AB  - We studied the effects of two percent by weight activated carbon versus biochar
      amendments in 93 cm long sand columns on the biofiltration of petroleum vapours
      released by a non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) source. Activated carbon greatly
      enhanced, whereas biochar slightly reduced, the biofiltration of volatile
      petroleum hydrocarbons (VPHs) over 430 days. Sorbent amendment benefitted the VPH
      biofiltration by retarding breakthrough during the biodegradation lag phase.
      Subsequently, sorbent amendment briefly reduced the mineralization of petroleum
      hydrocarbons by limiting their bioavailability. During the last and longest study
      period, when conditions became less supportive of microbial growth, because of
      inorganic nutrient scarcity, the sorbents again improved the pollution
      attenuation by preventing the degrading microorganisms from being overloaded with
      VPHs. A 16S rRNA gene based analysis showed sorbent amendment effects on soil
      microbial communities. Nocardioidaceae benefitted the most from petroleum
      hydrocarbons in activated carbon amended soil, whereas Pseudomonadacea
      predominated in unamended soil. Whilst the degrading microorganisms were
      overloaded with VPHs in the unamended soil, the reduced mobility and
      bioavailability of VPHs in the activated carbon amended soil led to the emergence
      of communities with higher specific substrate affinity, which removed
      bioavailable VPHs effectively at low concentrations. A numerical pollutant fate
      model reproduced these experimental observations by considering sorption effects
      on the pollutant migration and bioavailability for growth of VPH degrading
      biomass, which is limited by a maximum soil biomass carrying capacity. Activated
      carbon was a much stronger sorbent for VPHs than biochar, which explained the
      diverging effects of the two sorbents in this study.

PMID- 28920988
TI  - Fluorogenic NIR-probes based on 1,2,4,5-tetrazine substituted BF2
      azadipyrromethenes.
AB  - A series of 1,2,4,5-tetrazine integrated near infrared (NIR) fluorophores based
      on the BF2 azadipyrromethene (NIR-AZA) class has been synthesised and their
      ability to modulate emission from low to high in response to Diels-Alder
      cycloaditions has been assessed. Substituents on the tetrazine component of the
      probe (Cl, OMe, p-NO2C6H4O) were seen to strongly influence quantum yields,
      fluorescence enhancement factors, and rates of cycloadditions. Cycloadditions
      between tetrazine-NIR-AZA constructs and a strained alkyne substrate were seen to
      be highly efficient in organic or aqueous solutions and in gels with high
      fluorescence enhancements of up to 48-fold observed. Real-time demonstration of
      the cycloaddition mediated fluorogenic property was achieved by imaging the "turn
      on" reaction within a continous flow micro-reactor. Preliminary evidence
      indicates that excited state quenching involves a photoinduced electron transfer.

PMID- 28920989
TI  - Half sandwich Ru(ii)-acylthiourea complexes: DNA/HSA-binding, anti-migration and
      cell death in a human breast tumor cell line.
AB  - Organometallic ruthenium complexes as potential anticancer agents have been
      explored due to their suitable properties, such as stability in the solid state
      and in solution, water solubility and low toxicity. In this study, eight metal
      complexes of this class were synthesized, characterized and their important
      biological activities against a human breast tumor cell line (MDA-MB-231) were
      studied. Complexes 1-8 were obtained in good yields and have been characterized
      by satisfactory elemental analyses, IR, 1D and 2D 1H and 13C{1H} NMR, UV-Vis
      spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, ESI-MS and X-ray diffractometry (1, 2, 3 and
      6). All complexes exhibit growth inhibition on human breast and lung tumor cell
      lines, with IC50 values ranging from 6.0 to 45.0 MUM in 48 h. Four compounds were
      selected to evaluate the changes in the morphology, clonogenic, migration, cell
      cycle arrest and cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells. The complexes are able to induce
      morphological changes and inhibit the size, number of colonies and cell
      migration, and induce cell cycle arrest in the sub-G1 phase and apoptosis cell
      death. The interaction of the complexes with DNA was determined by performing
      spectroscopic titration, a competitive assay with thiazole orange, circular
      dichroism, gel electrophoresis and interactions with guanosine or guanosine
      monophosphate by 1H NMR, indicating the non-covalent interaction. The HSA binding
      affinity measured by spectrophotometric titration, revealed the hydrophobic and
      spontaneous association with the human protein. Overall, the studies indicated
      that these metal complexes are potential agents against MDA-MB-231 cells,
      encouraging us to continue studies of these types of compounds.

PMID- 28920990
TI  - A ruthenium water oxidation catalyst containing a bipyridine glycoluril ligand.
AB  - A mononuclear ruthenium complex [Ru(tpy)(bpg)H2O]2+ bearing a bipyridine
      glycoluril where bpg = 4b,5,7,7a-tetrahydro-4b,7a-nepiminomethanoimino-6H
      imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthro-line-6,13-dione acts as a robust water oxidation
      catalyst (WOC) at pH = 1 using Ce(iv) as a sacrificial oxidant. The turn over
      number (TON) for water oxidation is found to be ~5 times higher than the parent
      complex [Ru(tpy)(bpy)H2O]2+ where tpy = 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine; bpy = 2,2'
      bipyridine. The presence of intermolecular H-bonding groups and the electronic
      effect of the functionalized bipyridine ligand may play a significant role in
      water oxidation.

PMID- 28920991
TI  - Single-ion magnetism in seven-coordinate YbIII complexes with distorted D5h
      coordination geometry.
AB  - Two seven-coordinate compounds with pentagonal bipyramidal YbIII centers, namely,
      [Yb(H3Bmshp)(DMF)2Cl2].DMF.1.5H2O (1) and [Yb(H3Bmshp)(DMF)2Cl2].H4Bmshp (2)
      (H4Bmshp = (2,6-bis[(3-methoxysalicylidene)hydrazinecarbonyl]-pyridine)) were
      synthesized by changing the molar ratio of reactants in DMF. The structures of
      compounds 1 and 2 are very similar, except for the existence of different lattice
      molecules: one DMF and one and a half water molecules in 1, and one neutral
      uncoordinated ligand in 2. The coordination geometries of both the pentagonal
      bipyramidal YbIII centers (YbCl2N1O4) in compounds 1 and 2 are also very similar
      with only slight differences. Magnetic data analyses revealed that the subtle
      structure variations result in remarkable different slow magnetic relaxation
      properties of compounds 1 and 2. To further understand their magnetic behaviors,
      ab initio calculations were performed for both compounds 1 and 2. The calculated
      results indicate that the magnetic anisotropies of compounds 1 and 2 are
      significantly different: easy-plane magnetic anisotropy for 1 and easy-axis
      magnetic anisotropy for 2. To the best of our knowledge, these compounds are the
      first YbIII-based SIMs of pentagonal bipyramidal geometry.

PMID- 28920992
TI  - Children's Surgery Verification program officially under way.

PMID- 28920993
TI  - Cobalt(ii) containing liquid metal salts for electrodeposition of cobalt and
      electrochemical nanoparticle formation.
AB  - Cobalt(ii)-containing liquid metal salts (LMS) with N-alkylimidazole ligands and
      bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (bistriflimide, Tf2N-) or methanesulfonate
      (mesylate, OMs-) anions were synthesized and characterized. The chain length of
      the alkyl side chain on the imidazole ligand was varied. All compounds were
      characterized using CHN analysis, DSC and FTIR measurements. Single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction measurements were performed on six of the compounds for which single
      crystals of good quality could be obtained. All cobalt(ii) centers are six
      coordinate with the N-alkylimidazole ligands in an octahedral configuration and
      the anions are non-coordinating. The same coordination environment was observed
      by EXAFS measurements on cobalt(ii) liquid metal salts in the liquid state. The
      electrochemical properties of the compounds with the lowest melting temperatures
      were investigated using cyclic voltammetry. It was found that part of the current
      was consumed in the electrodeposition of cobalt, whereas the other part of the
      current was consumed in the electrochemical formation of cobalt(0) nanoparticles.

PMID- 28920994
TI  - A light-up endoplasmic reticulum probe based on a rational design of red-emissive
      fluorogens with aggregation-induced emission.
AB  - Fine-tuning electron acceptors through changing one cyano group to an amide
      generates a more stable and emissive fluorophore with the character of
      aggregation-induced emission. Conjugation between the new fluorophore and CFFKDEL
      generated an excellent ER targeting light-up probe with high specificity and good
      photostability.

PMID- 28920995
TI  - Stability and partitioning of beta-carotene in whey protein emulsions during
      storage.
AB  - Varying the beta-carotene (0.1-0.3 g kg-1) and whey protein isolate (WPI) (2-20 g
      kg-1) concentrations in an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion influenced the
      partitioning and stability of beta-carotene upon 30 d storage at 25 and 40 
      degrees C. The total beta-carotene in the emulsion was extracted with a solvent
      and quantified using UV/visible spectroscopy. The beta-carotene in oil phase was
      obtained using in situ Raman micro-spectroscopy. The beta-carotene in the aqueous
      phase was obtained by difference. Increasing beta-carotene concentration resulted
      in increased partitioning of beta-carotene into the aqueous phase whereas
      increasing WPI concentration had the opposite effect. With all freshly made
      emulsions, there was a higher proportion of beta-carotene found in the oil phase.
      At the end of the storage period, the higher proportion and concentration of beta
      carotene was in the aqueous phase. This suggested that oxidation of beta-carotene
      occurred faster in the oil phase and that WPI in the aqueous phase protected beta
      carotene against oxidation. This work informs the formulation of protein-based
      emulsions for the delivery of beta-carotene.

PMID- 28920997
TI  - Rapid and highly sensitive detection of extracellular and intracellular H2S by an
      azide-functionalized Al(iii)-based metal-organic framework.
AB  - A new, azide-functionalized Al(iii)-based metal-organic framework (MOF) denoted
      as CAU-10-N3 (1, CAU = Christian-Albrechts-University) and consisting of the 5
      azido-isophthalic acid (H2IPA-N3) ligand was employed as a reaction-based
      fluorescent turn-on probe for the detection of H2S. The activated compound (1')
      showed fast, selective and highly sensitive sensing properties for extracellular
      H2S in HEPES buffer (10 mM, pH = 7.4). The material retained its high selectivity
      even in the presence of possibly competing biological species. The limit of
      detection of 1' for H2S is 2.65 MUM, which is lower than the earlier reports on
      MOFs for H2S sensing. The material displayed a short response time (420 s) and a
      significant increase (20-fold and 26-fold after 1 and 7 min of addition of Na2S,
      respectively) in the fluorescence intensity towards H2S. Macrophage cells loaded
      with probe 1' exhibited blue fluorescence with a response time of 15 min after
      Na2S addition, indicating the suitability of the probe for intracellular H2S
      detection. Moreover, CAU-10-N3 featured excellent detection performance (quick
      response and 32-fold increment in fluorescence intensity after 7 min of Na2S
      addition) in water. Hence, it can be utilized to regulate the H2S level in
      aqueous samples collected from the environment.

PMID- 28920998
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of PPAR-gamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism with hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2
      (PPARgamma2)Pro12Ala polymorphism has been reported to be associated with
      hypertension. However, relevant studies have shown inconsistent results. METHODS:
      To quantitatively evaluate the relationship between the PPARgamma2Pro12Ala
      polymorphism and hypertension risk, we conducted a meta-analysis based on all
      available studies selected from Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Chinese National
      Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases. RESULTS: In all, 13 studies were
      finally included in this meta-analysis. In the allelic model (Ala vs. Pro), the
      Ala allele of PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism was associated with hypertension
      (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.723, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.607-0.861).
      Sensitivity analysis and exclusion of studies with poor quality scores or
      controls complicated by other diseases confirmed the validity of this
      association. Moreover, the PPARgamma2Pro12Ala polymorphism was associated with
      hypertension in the codominant (OR = 0.710, 95% CI = 0.626-0.806), recessive (OR
      = 0.561, 95% CI = 0.418-0.754), and dominant (OR = 0.693, 95% CI = 0.577-0.833)
      models. CONCLUSION: The Ala allele appears to have a protective effect against
      hypertension and a dominant function.

PMID- 28920999
TI  - [Difficult decisions in end-of-life situations : An important team task].

PMID- 28921000
TI  - [Hemodynamic interplay between tricuspid valve and right ventricle].
AB  - The tricuspid valve and the right ventricle are hemodynamically closely related.
      Pathological changes of the valve or of the ventricle itself and also various
      diseases beyond that can result in a downward spiral of mutual interference,
      which is of prognostic importance for the patient. The development of a
      functional tricuspid regurgitation is of great importance. Especially with the
      help of 3D-echocardiography, more and more changes and mechanisms have been
      identified that are crucial in this process. This article provides a review of
      the relationship between the tricuspid valve and the right ventricle emphasizing
      the current knowledge of the causes, the pathophysiological concepts, the
      underlying structural changes and the therapeutic approaches based on this.

PMID- 28921001
TI  - C3aR and C5aR1 act as key regulators of human and mouse beta-cell function.
AB  - AIMS: Complement components 3 and 5 (C3 and C5) play essential roles in the
      complement system, generating C3a and C5a peptides that are best known as
      chemotactic and inflammatory factors. In this study we characterised islet
      expression of C3 and C5 complement components, and the impact of C3aR and C5aR1
      activation on islet function and viability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human and
      mouse islet mRNAs encoding key elements of the complement system were quantified
      by qPCR and distribution of C3 and C5 proteins was determined by
      immunohistochemistry. Activation of C3aR and C5aR1 was determined using DiscoverX
      beta-arrestin assays. Insulin secretion from human and mouse islets was measured
      by radioimmunoassay, and intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i), ATP generation and
      apoptosis were assessed by standard techniques. RESULTS: C3 and C5 proteins and
      C3aR and C5aR1 were expressed by human and mouse islets, and C3 and C5 were
      mainly localised to beta- and alpha-cells. Conditioned media from islets exposed
      for 1 h to 5.5 and 20 mM glucose stimulated C3aR and C5aR1-driven beta-arrestin
      recruitment. Activation of C3aR and C5aR1 potentiated glucose-induced insulin
      secretion from human and mouse islets, increased [Ca2+]i and ATP generation, and
      protected islets against apoptosis induced by a pro-apoptotic cytokine cocktail
      or palmitate. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations demonstrate a functional link between
      activation of components of the innate immune system and improved beta-cell
      function, suggesting that low-level chronic inflammation may improve glucose
      homeostasis through direct effects on beta-cells.

PMID- 28921002
TI  - [DDA-certified course for tropical and travel dermatology and the International
      Conference for Tropical and Clinical Dermatology : Yogyakarta/Indonesia, 3-6 May
      2017].

PMID- 28921003
TI  - Mortality and cardiorespiratory complications in trochanteric femoral fractures:
      a ten year retrospective analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite intense research and innovations in peri-operative management, a
      high mortality rate and frequent systemic complications in trochanteric femoral
      fractures persist. The aim of the present study was to identify predictive
      factors for mortality and cardio-respiratory complications after different
      treatment methods in a ten year period at a level I trauma centre. METHODS:
      Retrospectively, all patients above 60 years of age with trochanteric femoral
      fracture between January 2000 and May 2011 were analyzed at a level I trauma
      centre. Demographic variables, comorbidities, and data regarding the surgical
      procedures, including required transfusions and post-operative complications,
      were evaluated, and the in-hospital mortality was recorded. The grade of
      osteoporosis was classified radiographically using the Singh index. RESULTS: The
      in-hospital mortality rate was 8.2% among 437 patients (male/female ratio =
      110/327, mean age = 81 years) with extramedullary open (n = 144), intramedullary
      (n = 166), and extramedullary minimally invasive (n = 125) procedures.
      Significant influential factors on in-hospital mortality were identified with
      binary logistic regression analysis: an age of >=90 years (P = 0.011), male sex
      (P = 0.003), a high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade (3-5, P =
      0.042), and a high osteoporosis grade (Singh index 3-1, P = 0.011). A total of
      21.5% of the study population suffered cardio-respiratory complications post
      operatively. The specific mortality was 28.7% (P < 0.001), which was influenced
      by a high ASA grade (3-5, P = 0.002) and a high transfusion rate (P = 0.004).
      Minimally invasive locked plating was associated with increased cardio
      respiratory complications (P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified high
      patient age, distinctive comorbidities, male sex, and high osteoporosis grade as
      significant risk factors for increased in-hospital mortality in the treatment of
      trochanteric femoral fractures. Furthermore, high ASA grade and a liberal
      transfusion regime led to an increased incidence of cardio-respiratory
      complications. Patient-specific characteristics, especially osteoporosis grade
      and pre-existing medical conditions, may assist in the identification of high
      risk patients and allow a patient-specific geriatric co-management plan.

PMID- 28921004
TI  - Using Paleoecology to Inform Land Management as Climates Change: An Example from
      an Oak Savanna Ecosystem.
AB  - Oak savanna, a transitional ecosystem between open prairie and dense oak forest,
      was once widespread in Minnesota. Upon European settlement much of the oak
      savanna was destroyed. Recently, efforts to restore this ecosystem have increased
      and often include the reintroduction of fire. Though fire is known to serve an
      important role within oak savannas, there are currently few studies which address
      fire regimes on timescales longer than the last century. This research presents a
      paleoecological history of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) in MN, USA,
      spanning the last ~8000 years. The objectives of this study were to use charcoal,
      pollen, and magnetic susceptibility of lake sediments collected from Johnson
      Slough (JS) within the refuge to evaluate the natural range of variability and
      disturbance history of the oak savanna within the refuge, assess the success of
      current restoration strategies, and add to the regional paleoecological history.
      The mid/late Holocene period of the JS record shows a period of high fire
      activity from ca. 6500 to 2600 cal year BP, with a shift from prairie to oak
      savanna occurring over this same period. A (possibly agricultural) disturbance to
      JS sediments affected the period from ca. 2600 cal year BP to 1963 AD, which
      includes the time of Euro-American settlement. However, the destruction and
      subsequent restoration of the oak savanna is evident in a pollen ratio of
      Quercus:Poaceae, indicating that current restoration efforts have been successful
      at restoring the oak savanna to within the natural range of variability seen just
      prior to destruction.

PMID- 28921005
TI  - Barriers and Solutions to Conducting Large International, Interdisciplinary
      Research Projects.
AB  - Global environmental problems such as climate change are not bounded by national
      borders or scientific disciplines, and therefore require international,
      interdisciplinary teamwork to develop understandings of their causes and
      solutions. Interdisciplinary scientific work is difficult enough, but these
      challenges are often magnified when teams also work across national boundaries.
      The literature on the challenges of interdisciplinary research is extensive.
      However, research on international, interdisciplinary teams is nearly non
      existent. Our objective is to fill this gap by reporting on results from a study
      of a large interdisciplinary, international National Science Foundation
      Partnerships for International Research and Education (NSF-PIRE) research project
      across the Americas. We administered a structured questionnaire to team members
      about challenges they faced while working together across disciplines and outside
      of their home countries in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Analysis of the
      responses indicated five major types of barriers to conducting interdisciplinary,
      international research: integration, language, fieldwork logistics, personnel and
      relationships, and time commitment. We discuss the causes and recommended
      solutions to the most common barriers. Our findings can help other
      interdisciplinary, international research teams anticipate challenges, and
      develop effective solutions to minimize the negative impacts of these barriers to
      their research.

PMID- 28921006
TI  - Computer aided planning of orthopaedic surgeries: the definition of generic
      planning steps for bone removal procedures.
AB  - PURPOSE: An increasing number of orthopaedic surgeons are using computer aided
      planning tools for bone removal applications. The aim of the study was to
      consolidate a set of generic functions to be used for a 3D computer assisted
      planning or simulation. METHODS: A limited subset of 30 surgical procedures was
      analyzed and verified in 243 surgical procedures of a surgical atlas. Fourteen
      generic functions to be used in 3D computer assisted planning and simulations
      were extracted. RESULTS: Our results showed that the average procedure comprises
      14 +/- 10 (SD) steps with ten different generic planning steps and four generic
      bone removal steps. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the study shows that with a
      limited number of 14 planning functions it is possible to perform 243 surgical
      procedures out of Campbell's Operative Orthopedics atlas. The results may be used
      as a basis for versatile generic intraoperative planning software.

PMID- 28921007
TI  - The only constant is change.

PMID- 28921008
TI  - Molecular characterization of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus
      strains circulating in Egypt from 2003 to 2014.
AB  - In the present study, four very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV)
      isolates from flocks of chickens with vaccination failure in Egypt in 2003, 2007,
      2010 and 2014 were characterized. The four viruses, designated USC2003, USC2007,
      USC2010 and USC2014, were detected by reverse transcription PCR, subjected to
      sequencing of both genomic segments (A and B) and compared with geographically
      and phylogenetically diverse IBDV strains. Phylogenetic analysis of segment A
      (complete) and B (partial) revealed a close relationship between Egyptian and
      vvIBDV reference strains of European and Asian origin. The sequences of segments
      of A and B the current Egyptian isolates were 96.1-98.2% and 96.5-98.7%
      identical, respectively, to those of other known vvIBDV isolates. The deduced
      amino acid sequences of VP1, polyprotein (pVP2-VP4-VP3) and VP5 revealed the
      presence of putative virulence determinants of Egyptian isolates compared with
      vvIBDV and less virulent (classical and variant) strains. The Egyptian isolates
      also possess unique amino acids substitutions within the hypervariable region of
      VP2 that differ from those of other reference IBDV strains. Further studies may
      be necessary to determine the pathogenic significance of these amino acid
      substitutions to fully understand the molecular epidemiology and evolution of
      IBDV.

PMID- 28921010
TI  - A technique for intraoperative maxillomandibular fixation.

PMID- 28921009
TI  - Radiation overexposure from repeated CT scans in young adults with acute
      abdominal pain.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the dose of ionizing radiation
      caused by repeated CT scans performed to investigate non-traumatic acute
      abdominal conditions in young adults. METHODS: Over 26 months, we collected a
      cohort of patients aged 18 to 45 years who were subject to at least one urgent
      contrast-enhanced abdomen/pelvis CT. Patients affected with urolithiasis, HIV
      infection, tumors, and vascular and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases were
      excluded. All abdomen/pelvis CT scans carried out at our institution for over 6
      years were retrospectively tallied, and the effective doses (EDs) were computed
      by multiplying the total dose-length product by the appropriate anatomic
      conversion factor. Examples of age- and gender-adjusted lifetime attributable
      cancer risks were estimated using the online calculator Radiation Risk Assessment
      Tool. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients (average age 34.2 years) received multiple CT
      scans (average 2.7 scans per patient). ED largely varied among single- and multi
      phase acquisitions. Cumulative ED ranged from 14.1 mSv to a maximum of 436.6 mSv
      (average 70.1 mSv per person). Twenty-five patients (40.9%) received more than 50
      mSv, 84% of them within year; 12 (19.7%) and 4 (6.6%) patients received more than
      100 and 200 mSv, respectively. CONCLUSION: Young adults are subject to repetitive
      CT imaging to monitor urogenital, intestinal, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic
      disorders during non-operative management to detect and follow up abdominal
      emergencies requiring surgical intervention and to assess post-surgical
      complications. In this population, the risk of accruing high cumulative radiation
      exposure should be considered.

PMID- 28921012
TI  - [Meeting of the working group on gastroenteropathology on 22nd June 2017 : 101st
      conference of the German Society of Pathology].

PMID- 28921013
TI  - Spinal cord injury as a complication of thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord ischemia (SCI) is a devastating complication of thoracic
      aortic aneurysm repair in the era of thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair
      (TEVAR). This review aims to clarify the causes of SCI during TEVAR and to
      propose ways that it may be prevented. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed an
      extensive literature search of SCI during TEVAR. Based on the existing
      literature, we examined the anatomy of the anterior spinal cord artery, which
      supplies blood to the anterior aspect of the spinal cord, and discuss reported
      effective ways to prevent SCI during TEVAR, including augmentation of arterial
      blood pressure and drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. CONCLUSION: After reviewing
      the mechanism of SCI during TEVAR, we evaluated promising preventative measures.

PMID- 28921014
TI  - [Legal medicine specialists within the framework of acute care : Analysis of
      legal medicine consultations in relation to the victims' statistics of the state
      office of criminal investigation in Saxony-Anhalt].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In acute medical care, there are patients who have been injured by
      the influence of others. The aim of this study was to analyze all cases which
      were presented to the Institute for Legal Medicine of the University Halle
      (Saale). The cases where analyzed in relation to the victims' statistics of the
      state office of criminal investigation in Saxony-Anhalt. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The consultations of the Institute for Legal Medicine Halle-Wittenberg for 2012
      2015 were evaluated with regard to the age and gender distribution, the reasons
      for the consultation and time until the request for consultations. These cases
      were statistically compared to the victims' statistics of the state office of
      criminal investigation in Saxony-Anhalt 2014-2015. RESULTS: A total of 536 cases
      (55.6% male and 44.4% female patients) were evaluated. In all, 62.1% of patients
      were under 18 years of age; 43.5% of all consultations were requested by
      pediatric (surgery) clinics. The most common reasons for consultation were sexual
      child abuse or violence against children (50.7%). Compared to the victims'
      statistics, significantly more children were examined by legal medicine
      specialists than could have been expected (p < 0.001). In adult patients, the
      most common causes for consultation were acts of violence (20.4%) and domestic
      violence (10.1%). Among adults, significantly more women and fewer men were
      presented than expected (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: There were only a small number
      of consultations of legal medicine specialists in relation to the victims'
      statistics. Most of them were children and women. The temporal latency between
      the act of violence and the consultations was one day and more. The latency and
      the renunciation of the consultation of the legal medicine specialists can lead
      to loss of evidence.

PMID- 28921016
TI  - Nephrotic-range proteinuria and brown urine in an 8-year-old girl: Questions.

PMID- 28921017
TI  - The German Arthroscopy Registry (DART).
AB  - In Germany, more than 400,000 arthroscopic procedures are performed each year.
      The DART registry is designed to study the outcome of arthroscopic procedures of
      the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle joint under everyday clinical circumstances
      using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). DART aims at identifying patient
      specific factors correlated with therapy-associated complications and treatment
      failure and will help study the influence of concurrent joint diseases and
      procedures. To achieve these tasks, a Web-based remote data entry system will be
      applied and adapted to the needs of DART. DART will consist of a physician's and
      a patient's form to enter data on the specific disease, surgical procedure, joint
      specific outcome, disability and quality of life measured by validated scores up
      to 5 years following surgery. The pool of data will be subjected to further
      clinical investigations and subgroup analysis. Individual results will be made
      accessible to the surgeon and the patient. Moreover, public reports will be
      generated to provide healthcare authorities and insurance companies with
      information on the effectiveness of arthroscopic surgery. The aim of this article
      is to present the methodology of the registry. Level of evidence V.

PMID- 28921018
TI  - Effects of four volatile anesthesics on postanesthetic ventilation: a comparison
      of halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane.
AB  - To investigate the effects of four volatile anesthetics (halothane, enflurane,
      isoflurane, and sevoflurane) on postanesthetic ventilation and levels of
      consciousness, we enrolled 24 patients undergoing tympanoplasty in this study.
      Anesthesia was maintained with 67% nitrous oxide and one of four volatile
      anesthetics. We measured end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration (CETco2), minute
      volume ([Formula: see text]) and respiratory rate (RR), and determined the
      volatile anesthetic concentration in whole arterial blood (CBAnesth) and arterial
      carbon dioxide tension (Paco2) at 20 min and 2h after tracheal extubation. We
      also observed the level of consciousness (awake, drowsy, and asleep) before the
      measurement. Ventilatory variables were similar among the four groups at 20 min,
      although the ratio of volatile anesthetic concentration in the alveoli to the
      minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) (CAAnesth/MAC ratio) calculated from
      CBAnesth in the halothane group was twice those in the other groups. In the
      halothane group, Paco2 was significantly higher, and[Formula: see text] and RR
      were significantly lower compared with the isoflurane and sevoflurane groups at
      2h. Halothane tended to prolong the recovery of levels of consciousness. We
      conclude that isoflurane and sevoflurane provide clinical advantages over
      halothane on postanesthetic ventilation and recovery of levels of consciousness.

PMID- 28921019
TI  - Comparison of renal function under deliberate hypotension during epidural plus
      light-enflurane anesthesia and during enflurane anesthesia.
AB  - We compared the effects of deliberate hypotension induced with trimethaphan on
      renal function and renal tubular damage under combined epidural and light
      enflurane anesthesia (epidural group) and enflurane anesthesia alone (enflurane
      group). The mean arterial blood pressure was maintained at 50-55 mm Hg for 2.5 h
      in both groups using continuous infusion of trimethaphan. The urine volume and
      free water clearance were significantly greater in the epidural group than in the
      enflurane group [1.8+/-1.8 (SD)vs 0.4+/-0.3 ml.kg-1.h-1 and 0.81+/-1.30vs -0.15+/
      0.22 ml.min-1, respectively] (P<0.05). The creatinine clearance and fractional
      sodium excretion rate did not differ significantly between the two groups.
      Urinary excretion of norepinephrine was significantly less in the epidural group
      than in the enflurane group (P<0.05); however, epinephrine excretion did not
      differ. Urinary excretion ofN-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase was significantly
      less in the epidural group than in the enflurane, group (4.2+/-2.5vs 12.2+/-4.6
      U.g-1 CR) (P<0.01). The plasma antidiuretic hormone concentration was
      significantly lower in the epidural group compared to the enflurene group (13+/
      23vs 57+/-42 pg.ml-1) (P<0.05). No significant difference in plasma atrial
      natriuretic peptide concentration was found between the groups. We conclude that
      renal function during trimethaphan-induced hypotension is better maintained under
      epidural plus light-enflurane anesthesia than under enflurane anesthesia alone.

PMID- 28921020
TI  - Lipid peroxide and leukotriene B3 production in patients undergoing
      cardiopulmonary bypass.
AB  - Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is frequently associated with a
      complex array of post-operative clinical abnormalities, including low-output
      syndrome and pulmonary dysfunction. It has been reported that oxygen free
      radicals are one of the important factors causing reperfusion injury. To
      determine whether oxygen free radicals are produced during cardiac surgery, we
      studied nine patients anesthetized with high doses of fentanyl. Lipid peroxide
      (LPO) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) levels increased significantly from 60 min after
      aortic ligation to 180 min after reperfusion (aortic declamping), compared with
      the levels before surgery, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) was not affected
      markedly. Creatine kinase (CK), CK muscle-brain (CK-MB), and neutrophils
      increased from 60 min after aortic declamping. Correlations were not observed
      between LPO and CK nor between LPO and CK-MB. These results suggest that free
      radicals are generated during cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB),
      but it is unclear whether free radicals cause tissue injury after cardiac surgery
      with CPB.

PMID- 28921021
TI  - Glucose tolerance in elderly patients does not deteriorate during anesthesia and
      surgical stress.
AB  - This study evaluated the glucose tolerance of elderly subjects compared with that
      of younger subjects under surgical stress. During surgery, glucose 0.1 g.kg-1 was
      administrated i.v. to the elderly group, aged 66-83 years (n=11, mean 73.5+/-5.9)
      and the control group, aged 19-64 years (n=11, mean 50.9+/-15.1), all of whom
      were scheduled for lower abdominal surgery and had a normal range of fasting
      blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C). Between 3 and 90min after
      glucose loading, the blood glucose levels of the control group increased more
      than those in the elderly group, and at 10 and 15 min those in the control group
      showed a significantly greater increase than those in the elderly group (P<0.05).
      Serum insulin concentrations increased at 3 and 5 min, but no significant
      difference was observed between the two groups. Cortisol and catecholamines also
      showed no significant difference between groups. It was concluded that glucose
      tolerance in elderly subjects does not deteriorate during lower abdominal
      surgery.

PMID- 28921022
TI  - Effect of high-frequency jet ventilation on heart rate variability.
AB  - We investigated the effects of high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) on heart
      rate variability in nine patients during fentanyl (10MUg.kg-1) anesthesia using
      power spectral density analysis. ECG and arterial pressure were recorded during
      intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) (tidal volume 8 ml.kg-1,
      respiratory rate 0.25 Hz) and during HFJV [5 Hz, 2.5 kg.(cm2)-1]. The R-R
      interval time series obtained were analyzed by the autoregressive method, and low
      frequency (LF) (0.05-0.15 Hz) power and high-frequency (HF) (0.20-0.50 Hz) power
      from R-R interval spectra were used for statistical comparison. LF power did not
      change during IPPV and HFJV (108.8+/-41.6 ms2 vs 105.8+/-22.4 ms2, mean+/-SE). HF
      power was detected during IPPV (65.1+/-14.3 ms2); however, it was not detected
      during HFJV. Plasma levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine were significantly
      higher during HFJV than during IPPV. The mean R-R interval, arterial pressure,
      and arterial blood gas data did not differ between IPPV and HFJV. These data
      indicate that, during fentanyl anesthesia, HFJV influences mainly the respiratory
      frequency fluctuation of heart rate variability, and they suggest that alteration
      of breathing patterns caused by HFJV might be involved, as well as elevated
      sympathetic neural outflow to the heart.

PMID- 28921023
TI  - Inhalational induction with isoflurane: the influence of lidocaine pretreatment.
AB  - The effect of intravenous lidocaine in reducing the incidence of complicated
      induction during a single vital capacity breath technique using isoflurane was
      studied. Forty patients were randomized into two groups to receive either placebo
      (group A) or intravenous lidocaine 1.5 mg.kg-1 (group B) just prior to induction.
      Inhalational induction using 2% isoflurane and 66% nitrous oxide in oxygen was
      then carried out. Patients pretreated with lidocaine had significantly fewer
      complications during induction of anesthesia. Modest decreases in blood pressure
      and heart rate were observed in both groups but were clinically insignificant.
      Intravenous lidocaine pretreatment significantly reduced the incidence of
      complications during inhalational induction.

PMID- 28921024
TI  - Sevoflurane anesthesia maintains reflex tachycardia on position change from
      supine recumbent to head-up tilt.
AB  - This study evaluated the effects of inhalational anesthetics on hemodynamic
      changes in response to head-up tilt in humans. Twenty-four patients were randomly
      divided into three groups that received either halothane, isoflurane, or
      sevoflurane. Changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and plasma norepinephrine
      concentrations were determined before and during head-up tilt position in the
      awake and anesthetized state. Head-up tilt caused a significant increase in the
      heart rate, concomitantly with a decrease or no significant changes in systolic
      blood pressure in the awake state. However, under 2 minimum alveolar
      concentrations (MAC) of halothane and isoflurane anesthesia, the heart rate did
      not significantly change during head-up tilt in spite of significant decreases in
      systolic blood pressure. In contrast, under 2 MAC of sevoflurane anesthesia, the
      heart rate significantly increased during head-up tilt. Plasma norepinephrine did
      not significantly alter during head-up tilt in the awake as well as the
      anesthetized state. These results suggest that sevoflurane maintains an increase
      in heart rate in response to head-up tilt, whereas halothane and isoflurane
      attenuate the response.

PMID- 28921025
TI  - Velocity measurements with a new ultrasonic Doppler method independent of angle
      of incidence.
AB  - Blood flow velocity measured by Doppler ultrasound is the relative velocity
      dependent on the path of the ultrasound beam, which should be influenced by its
      angle of incidence against the blood flow in the vessel. The angle of incidence
      generates varying changes in flow velocities that can be measured by the Doppler
      device. The aim of our study was to develop a new ultrasonic Doppler catheter
      which could provide a true flow velocity independently of the angle of the
      ultrasound beam against the flow direction, and to assess the validity of the
      true flow velocity obtained by a new device using the electromagnetic flowmeter.
      The newly developed Doppler catheter has a pair of adjoining ultrasonic crystals
      located on one side of the catheter at right angles to each other. Each Doppler
      shift, which is detected by two transducers (Deltaf1, Deltaf2) that sample the
      flow velocity at two closely spaced points, is used to compute two velocity
      measurements (V1 and V2); these are the velocities detected by the transducers.
      The true velocity was calculated using the following equation:
      V=((V1)2+(V2)2)1/2, where V = true velocity. The velocities were calculated by
      newly developed phase differential techniques. Using a continuous flow model, we
      compared the flow velocity measured by the new Doppler catheter with that
      assessed by an electromagnetic flow probe placed into the circuit. At between
      0.42 and 4.49 l.min-1, the flow velocity measured by the new Doppler catheter
      (Doppler velocity) at five sampling depths was compared with the mean velocity
      calculated from the volumetric flow rate measured by an electromagnetic flowmeter
      (EMF velocity). The Doppler velocity (y) strongly correlated with the EMF
      velocity (x) at five sampling depths (r 2=0.99, respectively). At the maximal
      velocity sampling depth, the regression equation was y=1.29x+2.47 (r
      2=0.99,P<0.0001,n=41, SEE=0.015). The Doppler velocity also correlated with the
      volumetric flow rate measured by the electromagnetic flowmeter (r 2=0.99). The
      flow velocity measurements using the new Doppler catheter and device we have
      developed can provide more instantaneous and useful information on hemodynamics.

PMID- 28921026
TI  - Experimental study of efficacy and optimal dose of intraoperative glucose in
      rabbits under general anesthesia.
AB  - This experimental study was designed to investigate the efficacy of glucose
      loading during surgery. Rabbits, fasted overnight, received 20 ml.kg-1.h-1 fluid
      infusion containing glucose at various concentration (0,0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0% w/v)
      for 3 h intraoperatively. Plasma glucose level increased after the beginning of
      operation, but the increase was slight in groups given 0.2 g.kg-1.h-1 or lower
      doses of glucose. Glucose at higher doses caused marked hyperglycemia. These
      higher doses also promoted urinary glucose excretion, and in the group given the
      maximum glucose dose (0.4 g.kg-1.h-1), this parameter was significantly elevated
      compared with findings in the 0.2 g.kg-1.h-1 group (P<0.05), whereas it showed no
      significant difference among groups given 0-0.2g.kg-1.h-1. The liver glycogen
      content in animals that received no glucose was significantly lower than that of
      the 0.2 g.kg-1.h-1 group (P <0.01). However, there was no correlation between
      glycogen level and glucose dose among groups receiving glucose. These results
      suggest that intraoperative glucose supplementation is effective in preventing
      glycogen depletion, and indicate that, to avoid glucose overloading, the optimal
      dose is 0.1-0.2 g.kg-1.h-1.

PMID- 28921027
TI  - Anesthetic problems in a child with Waardenburg's syndrome and Hirschsprung's
      disease.

PMID- 28921028
TI  - Paradoxical air embolism detected by transesophageal echocardiography during
      hepatic resection.

PMID- 28921029
TI  - Difficulty in the removal of both nasogastric and endotracheal tubes: report of a
      case.

PMID- 28921031
TI  - In reply.

PMID- 28921030
TI  - Unusual vaporizer design may encourage irregular practices.

PMID- 28921033
TI  - Risk factors for prolapse recurrence: systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Female pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common
      condition, with a lifetime risk for surgery of 10-20%. Prolapse procedures are
      known to have a high reoperation rate. It is assumed that etiological factors for
      POP may also be risk factors for POP recurrence after surgery. There are few
      reviews available evaluating risk factors for prolapse and recurrence or recently
      updated meta-analysis on this topic. Our aim was to perform a systematic review
      and quantitative meta-analysis to determine risk factors for prolapse recurrence
      after reconstructive surgery. METHODS: Four electronic databases (MEDLINE,
      PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar) were searched between 1995 and 1 January
      2017, with no language restrictions. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies met inclusion
      criteria for a total of 5082 patients with an average recurrence rate of 36%.
      Variables on which a meta-analysis could be performed were body mass index (BMI)
      (n = 12), age (n = 11), preoperative stage (n = 9), levator avulsion (n = 8),
      parity (n = 8), constipation/straining (n = 6), number of compartments involved
      (n = 4), prior hysterectomy (n = 4), familiy history (n = 3), and several other
      predictors evaluated in only three studies. The following meta- analyses
      identified significant predictors: levator avulsion [odds ratio (OR) 2.76, P <
      0.01], preoperative stage 3-4 (OR 2.11, P < 0.001), family history (OR 1.84, P =
      0.006), and hiatal area (OR 1.06/cm2, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Levator avulsion,
      prolapse stage, and family history are significant risk factors for prolapse
      recurrence.

PMID- 28921034
TI  - Does nasal congestion have a role in decreased resistance to regular CPAP usage?
AB  - Nasal obstruction is known to cause resistance to continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) therapy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). In this
      paper, short- and long-term nasal congestion in OSAS patients receiving CPAP
      treatment were evaluated with acoustic rhinometry (AR). A total of 36 patients
      with moderate-to-severe OSAS, diagnosed with polysomnography were included in the
      study. Ten healthy subjects without OSAS constituted the control group. Pre
      treatment nasal patency were measured with AR in all participants. 26 patients
      used the recommended CPAP treatment. Ten patients did not accept CPAP treatment.
      The AR test was repeated for all the subjects after 1 and 3 months except the 3rd
      month's measurements of the control group. There was no statistically significant
      difference between the initial minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) measurements of
      OSAS patients, using or not using CPAP, and the control group (P > 0.05).
      However, the first month MCA measurements of patients receiving CPAP were found
      to be significantly decreased compared with the initial values (P < 0.001). There
      was no significant change in the first and third months MCA values in the control
      group and patients who did not use CPAP (P > 0.05). No significant difference
      revealed in the 3rd month MCA measurements of the patients using CPAP compared
      with the initial values (P > 0.05). In this study, the increased nasal
      congestion, which is thought to be the cause of CPAP resistance, was objectively
      demonstrated in OSAS patients using CPAP. In addition, the nasal congestion
      developing at the first month was shown to disappear over time, supporting the
      opinion that patient compliance in CPAP treatment is expected to increase after
      regular device usage.

PMID- 28921035
TI  - [Midportion Achilles tendinopathy].
AB  - Although the incidence of midportion Achilles tendinopathy is under 1% in the
      general population, it is quite a common disease in runners that is characterized
      by the symptom triad of pain, swelling and impaired physical performance. Pain
      and swelling are located in the area 2 to 7 cm proximal the tendon insertion onto
      the calcaneus.Diagnosis is made by adequate clinical symptoms and corresponding
      findings in sonography and/or magnetic resonance imaging scans.
      Histopathologically, mostly degenerative changes in the tendon structure are
      found, sometimes accompanied by intra- and paratendinous inflammation.Treatment
      options are conservative or surgical, but conservative ones should be tried
      first. The best evidence is available for eccentric exercise protocols, which
      represent the gold standard in conservative treatment options, followed by
      extracorporal shockwave (ECSW) therapy and corticoid injections.In about 25% of
      all cases, because of unsatisfactory nonoperative treatment results, surgery is
      recommended. Open, minimally invasive as well as tenoscopic methods exist, which
      show patients' satisfactory rates of about 80%. The return to sport or full
      physical performance is variable and may take up to 18 months for both treatment
      regimens.

PMID- 28921036
TI  - Long-term outcomes and predictors of failure after surgery for stage IV apical
      pelvic organ prolapse.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes after
      uterosacral ligament suspension (USLS) or sacrocolpopexy for symptomatic stage IV
      apical pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and evaluate predictors of prolapse
      recurrence. METHODS: The medical records of patients managed surgically for stage
      IV apical POP from January 2002 to June 2012 were reviewed. A follow-up survey
      was sent to these patients. The primary outcome, prolapse recurrence, was defined
      as recurrence of prolapse symptoms measured by validated questionnaire or
      surgical retreatment. Survival time free of prolapse recurrence was estimated
      using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards models evaluated
      factors for an association with recurrence. RESULTS: Of 2633 women treated for
      POP, 399 (15.2%) had stage IV apical prolapse and were managed with either USLS
      (n = 355) or sacrocolpopexy (n = 44). Those managed with USLS were significantly
      older (p < 0.001) and less likely to have a prior hysterectomy (39.7 vs 86.4%; p
      < 0.001) or prior apical prolapse repair (8.2 38.6%; p < 0.001). Median follow-up
      was 4.3 years [interquartile range (IQR) 1.1-7.7]. Survival free of recurrence
      was similar between USLS and sacrocolpopexy (p = 0.43), with 5-year rates of 88.7
      and 97.6%, respectively. Younger age [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.55, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 1.12-2.13; p = 0.008] and prior hysterectomy (aHR 2.8,
      95% CI 1.39-5.64; p = 0.004) were associated with the risk of prolapse
      recurrence, whereas type of surgery approached statistical significance (aHR
      2.76, 95% CI 0.80-9.60; p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Younger age and history of prior
      hysterectomy were associated with an increased risk of recurrent prolapse
      symptoms. Notably, excellent survival free of prolapse recurrence were obtained
      with both surgical techniques.

PMID- 28921037
TI  - [The patient blood management concept : Joint recommendation of the German
      Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine and the German Society of
      Surgery].
AB  - Patient blood management is a multimodal concept that aims to detect, prevent and
      treat anemia, optimize hemostasis, minimize iatrogenic blood loss, and support a
      patient-centered decision to provide optimal use of allogeneic blood products.
      Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has already recommended patient
      blood management as a new standard in 2010, many hospitals have not implemented
      it at all or only in part in clinical practice. The German Society of
      Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine and the German Society of Surgery
      therefore demand that i) all professionals involved in the treatment should
      implement important aspects of patient blood management considering local
      conditions, and ii) the structural, administrative and budgetary conditions
      should be created in the health care system to implement more intensively many of
      the measures in Germany.

PMID- 28921039
TI  - Comment on "Hysteropreservation versus hysterectomy in the surgical treatment of
      uterine prolapse: systematic review and meta-analysis".

PMID- 28921038
TI  - Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus for myasthenia gravis: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in patients with myasthenia
      gravis (MG), a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. We searched
      PubMed and Embase for randomized controlled trials and clinical controlled trials
      in English language. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the MG patients
      were extracted. Differences in the current glucocorticoids (GC) dose in each
      included study were the primary outcome measure. The adverse events reported in
      each included study were used as safety evaluation. There were 5 trials included
      involving 683 patients. In this systematic review, we identified treatment with
      tacrolimus did not exhibit a statistically significant difference in the GC dose
      reduction at 6 months and 12 months compared with placebo. The standard mean
      differences in the GC dose reduction were -1.95 [(-4.20 to 0.30); p = 0.09] at 6
      months and -1.72 [(-4.21 to 0.77); p = 0.18] at 12 months. But GC dose reduction
      from baseline in the tacrolimus group exceeded that in the controlled group. The
      weighted mean differences were -1.34 [(-2.46 to 0.23); p = 0.02] in the
      quantitative myasthenia gravis score and -1.10 [(-1.84 to -0.36); p = 0.004] in
      the myasthenia gravis activities of daily living score at 6 months. Adverse
      events were recorded in 80 of 347 patients (23%) treated with tacrolimus and most
      of them were mild. This meta-analysis proves that tacrolimus therapy is
      beneficial to improve clinical symptoms in MG patients. Tacrolimus may be a
      worthy therapy to relieve MG symptoms.

PMID- 28921041
TI  - Stabilization of scaphoid type B2 fractures with one or two headless compression
      screws.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fractures of the scaphoid account for the most commonly injured
      carpal bone. Minimally displaced fractures of the waist will heal in 85-90% when
      using a below elbow cast. However, fractures with displacement have a higher risk
      for nonunion. Therefore, open reduction and fixation with headless compression
      screws (HCS) have become the preferred method of treatment. The aim of this study
      was to compare the radiological and clinical outcome of unstable scaphoid B2 type
      fractures, stabilized using one or two headless compression screws. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A total of 47 unstable scaphoid B2 type fractures were included in this
      retrospective follow-up study. Twelve patients were not accessable and three
      refused to attend follow-up checks. Therefore, a total of 32 patients were
      included in this study with a mean follow-up interval of 43 (12-81) months.
      Twenty-two patients were treated using one HCS and ten with two HCS. Clinical
      assessment included range of motion (ROM), pain according to the visual analogue
      scale (VAS), grip strength, Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score,
      Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation Score, Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire and
      modified Green O'Brien Wrist Score. The follow-up study on each patient included
      a CT-Scan of the wrist which was analyzed for union, osteoarthritis, dorsiflexed
      intercalated segment instability and humpback deformity. RESULTS: Radiologically,
      29/32 (91%) of the scaphoid B2 type fractures showed union, 10/10 (100%) in the
      two HCS group and 19/22 (86%) in the one HCS group (p < 0.05). No significant
      differences could be found in respect to ROM, grip strength, VAS and scores
      between the groups. Screw removal was necessary in two patients in the two HCS
      group and one in the one HCS group. CONCLUSION: The unstable B2 type fractures of
      the scaphoid, when using two HCS without bone grafting is a safe method, shows a
      significantly higher union rate and equal clinical outcome compared to
      stabilization using only one HCS.

PMID- 28921040
TI  - Euro-Esli: a European audit of real-world use of eslicarbazepine acetate as a
      treatment for partial-onset seizures.
AB  - The Euro-Esli study was an exploratory pooled analysis of data from 14 European
      clinical practice studies, which was conducted to audit the real-world
      effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) as an
      adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures. Retention and effectiveness were
      assessed after 3, 6, and 12 months of ESL treatment, and at the final visit.
      Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout ESL treatment by evaluating
      adverse events (AEs) and ESL discontinuation due to AEs. Data from 2058 patients
      (52.1% male; mean age 44.0 years) were included. All 2058 patients were assessed
      for safety and 1975 (96.0%) patients were assessed for effectiveness. After 12
      months, retention, responder (>=50% seizure frequency reduction), and seizure
      freedom rates were 73.4, 75.6, and 41.3%, respectively. AEs were reported for
      34.0% of patients and led to discontinuation in 13.6% of patients. The most
      frequently reported AEs were dizziness (6.7% of patients), fatigue (5.4%), and
      somnolence (5.1%). No unexpected safety signals emerged over a median duration of
      follow-up of >5 years. Subgroup analyses revealed that ESL was significantly more
      effective in patients aged >=65 versus <65 years, in patients who were not
      receiving treatment with other sodium channel blockers versus those who were
      receiving treatment with other sodium channel blockers, and in patients who were
      receiving <2 versus >=2 concomitant antiepileptic drugs at baseline. Euro-Esli is
      the largest ESL clinical practice study conducted to date. This study provides
      strong and reassuring evidence of ESL's safety profile, and complements the data
      from clinical trials.

PMID- 28921042
TI  - Symptomatic treatment of dyspnea in advanced cancer patients : A narrative review
      of the current literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dyspnea is a common, very distressing symptom in advanced cancer
      patients that challenges them, their relatives, and healthcare professionals.
      This narrative review summarizes important literature dealing with the evidence
      for opioids, benzodiazepines, oxygen, and steroids for treating dyspnea in
      advanced cancer patients. METHODS: A selective literature search was undertaken
      in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library and extended with literature from the
      reference lists of included studies up to April 2016. Inclusion criteria were
      that patients were suffering from advanced cancer and were receiving either
      opioids, benzodiazepines, corticosteroids, or oxygen. The outcome of interest was
      the reduction of dyspnea measured via a visual analogue scale (VAS), a numerical
      rating scale (NRS), or a Borg scale. This narrative review describes in detail
      the findings of 13 studies. RESULTS: Nine studies deal with the effectiveness of
      opioids for reducing dyspnea in advanced cancer patients. Five of these found a
      significant benefit to the use of opioids compared to a placebo. Three found no
      significant improvements, and two favored combinations of opioids and
      benzodiazepines. Few high-quality studies were available that used
      benzodiazepines (n = 3, no difference, significant improvement with midazolam +
      morphine, significant difference for midazolam) or oxygen (n = 2, both without
      significant difference). Only one study examined treating dyspnea with steroids
      in patients with advanced cancer, and that study indicated a benefit of steroids
      compared to a placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Opioids are the drug of choice for treating
      refractory dyspnea in advanced cancer patients. Neither benzodiazepines nor
      oxygen showed significant benefit. In addition, there is insufficient literature
      available to draw a conclusion about the effectiveness of steroids for treating
      persistent dyspnea in advanced cancer patients.

PMID- 28921043
TI  - Slow wave activity and executive dysfunction in children with sleep disordered
      breathing.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine slow wave activity (SWA), a marker of
      homeostatic regulation, as a potential mechanism linking sleep disordered
      breathing (SDB) with executive dysfunction in children. METHODS: Executive
      function domains of working memory, spatial planning, information processing, and
      sustained attention were assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test
      Automated Battery (CANTAB) in children (N = 40; 5-12 years) referred for clinical
      diagnosis of SDB. Polysomnography records of non-snoring, age-matched controls (N
      = 34) were retrospectively examined for comparison of SWA. Power spectral
      analysis of the delta wave determined SWA. Group differences in sleep,
      respiratory, and SWA outcomes were examined. Mean CANTAB scores were compared to
      standardized norms and correlated against SWA. RESULTS: Children with SDB showed
      increased SWA compared to non-snoring controls and scored < 25th percentile for
      planning accuracy, speed of mental processing, and task efficiency, when compared
      against population norms. Increasing severity of SDB was associated with an
      increased difficulty in solving complex tasks and time on task performance. SWA
      was associated with performance on tasks of early problem solving and efficiency
      during sustained attention. CONCLUSIONS: SWA, a subtle measure of sleep
      disruption and sleep regulation, is associated with deficits in problem solving
      and sustained attention in children with SDB. As current mechanistic theories do
      not account for deficits observed in children with mild forms of SDB, this study
      provides a promising alternative.

PMID- 28921044
TI  - [Superbrown beauty : The surface of tanorexia and tanning dependence].
AB  - Brown skin symbolizes fitness, health, youthfulness and beauty, combined with
      leisure, activity, and joy of life in the Central European culture. Tanorexia is
      a tanning dependence that describes the morbid excessive desire for constant skin
      tanning. Particularly young women are affected. This article shows the underlying
      psychodermatological disorders.

PMID- 28921045
TI  - [What is beauty? : Manifest for an aesthetic character medicine].
AB  - Aesthetic medicine has in recent decades attained a growing social significance
      and firm place in the medical profession image. In a short time, a variety of
      technical procedures and processes have been developed and applied by specialized
      physicians. A further leading medical discussion regarding the central question
      "What is beauty" is missing compared with the technologically innovative
      progress. Beauty is characterized by an individual and subjective pleasure.
      Social media and fashion trends exert a central influence on common beauty ideals
      and aesthetic medicine. In practice, the artificial intervention must accord to
      the individual personality. Therefore, the professional term Aesthetic Medicine
      is insufficient and should be replaced by "Aesthetic Character Medicine". The
      particular purpose is the aim of graceful aging and a sustained adequate result
      which outlasts the zeitgeist. This requires medical know how and clear aesthetic
      self-conception of the physician. "Aesthetic Character Medicine" can be realized
      in a discourse, with the 10-step plan presented in this article.

PMID- 28921047
TI  - Child dermoid cyst mimicking a craniopharyngioma: the benefit of MRI T2-weighted
      diffusion sequence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brain dermoid cysts are very rare lesions. Although benign, these
      cysts may be associated with devastating complications due to mass effect or
      meningitis. The discovery of completely asymptomatic dermoid cysts in the
      pediatric population is exceedingly rare. Despite the advances in imaging
      modalities, it sometimes remains difficult to exclude the differential diagnosis
      of craniopharyngioma. CASE REPORT: We describe a 12-year-old boy addressed for
      suspicion of craniopharyngioma diagnosed by decreased visual acuity, bitemporal
      hemianopia and a CT scan showing a large hypodense suprasellar lesion with
      intralesional calcifications. Despite the unusual localization and size of this
      lesion, the absence of dermal sinus commonly found, and before visualizing a
      hyperintense mass on MRI-diffusion, the diagnosis of craniopharyngioma was ruled
      out in favor of a dermoid cyst. Radical excision was performed. CONCLUSION: In
      the suprasellar area, craniopharyngioma and dermoid cyst may have very similar
      radiological aspects: low density masses on CT scan and a hyperintense signal on
      T1-weighted MRI sequences with a variable signal on T2-weighted sequences.
      Hitherto, only two cases in literature have described suprasellar dermoid cyst.
      Their initial diagnosis was facilitated by the presence of a dermal sinus.

PMID- 28921046
TI  - Competition for electrons between pyridine and quinoline during their
      simultaneous biodegradation.
AB  - Biodegradation of pyridine and quinoline is initiated with mono-oxygenation
      reactions that require an intracellular electron donor. Simultaneous
      biodegradation of both substrates should set up competition for the intracellular
      electron donor that may inhibit one or more of the mono-oxygenation steps. An
      internal circulation baffled biofilm reactor (ICBBR) was used to evaluate the
      impacts of competition during pyridine and quinoline biodegradation. Compared
      with independent biodegradation, pyridine and quinoline removal rates were slowed
      when biodegraded simultaneously, although the pyridine removal rate decreased
      more than for quinoline. The first mono-oxygenation of quinoline (to 2
      hydroxyquinoline) always was faster than the first mono-oxygenation of pyridine
      (to 2-hydroxypyridine), and the difference was accentuated with pyridine and
      quinoline which were biodegraded simultaneously due to the competition for
      intracellular electron donor. Competition also existed between the second mono
      oxygenations, and the removal rate of 2-hydroxypyridine was faster than the rate
      for 2-hydroxyquinoline, even though the rate was faster for quinoline than
      pyridine. Adding an exogenous electron donor accelerated all mono-oxygenations in
      proportion to the amount of donor added, but the increments were greater for
      quinoline due to its higher affinity for intracellular electron donors than
      pyridine. When actual coking wastewater was used as the background matrix,
      removals of pyridine and quinoline exhibited the same competitive trends.

PMID- 28921048
TI  - Antibacterial and antitumor activity of Bogorol B-JX isolated from Brevibacillus
      laterosporus JX-5.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides are promising anti-infective agent candidates because they
      have a broad antimicrobial spectrum and bioactivity and are unlikely to elicit
      antibiotic resistance. The bogorols represent a new cationic antibiotic peptide
      and possess great therapeutic potential because of their bioactivity and precise
      mode of action. Here, we report that Bogorol B-JX (BBJX), a peptide previously
      isolated from Brevibacillus laterosporus JX-5 by us, has significant
      antibacterial and antitumor activities in vitro. BBJX was found to inhibit
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at 2.5 ug/mL with distinct
      mechanisms of action from those against Bacillus bombyseptieus and Escherichia
      coli. It penetrates MRSA membrane with little visible destruction and binds to
      genomic DNA. BBJX could inhibit the proliferation of human histiocytic lymphoma
      cell line U-937 and ConA-activated spleen cells at 5 ug/mL, but was not cytotoxic
      to the Jurkat cells, resting spleen cells or differentiated macrophage-like U-937
      immunocytes. Moreover, BBJX caused apoptosis of U-937 cells by opening the
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore and stimulating the production of
      reactive oxygen species. Taken together, these studies provided basis for future
      medical application of the bogorols.

PMID- 28921049
TI  - The association between exposure to psychosocial work factors and mental health
      in older employees, a 3-year follow-up study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Unfavourable exposure to psychosocial work factors threatens older
      employees' mental health, and their sustained employment. This study assesses
      whether an improved compared to stable unfavourable and stable favourable
      exposure to psychosocial work factors is associated with a change in mental
      health in older employees at 3-year follow-up. METHODS: The current study used
      data from the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation
      (STREAM), in workers aged 45-65 years (n = 5249). Two-year (2010-2012) exposure
      was assessed for psychological demands, autonomy, support, mental load, and
      distributive justice. Linear regression analyses were performed to compare
      improved exposure to unfavourable psychosocial work factors with stable
      unfavourable and stable favourable exposure and mental health at follow-up
      (2013), corrected for confounders. Analyses were stratified for age groups (45-54
      and 55-65 years) and gender. RESULTS: In certain subgroups, stable unfavourable
      exposure to psychological demands, autonomy, support, and distributive justice
      was associated with a significantly lower mental health score than improved
      exposure. Stable favourable exposure to support was associated with a higher
      mental health score than improved support, whereas stable favourable exposure to
      autonomy was associated with a lower mental health score compared to improved
      exposure. CONCLUSIONS: There is a longitudinal association between changes in
      exposure to psychosocial work factors and mental health. Improvement in
      unfavourable exposure to psychosocial work factors was associated with improved
      mental health. This is important information for organisations that consider
      deploying measures to improve the psychosocial work environment of older workers.

PMID- 28921050
TI  - Characterization of CcSTOP1; a C2H2-type transcription factor regulates Al
      tolerance gene in pigeonpea.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: Al-responsive citrate-transporting CcMATE1 function and its
      regulation by CcSTOP1 were analyzed using NtSTOP1 -KD tobacco- and pigeonpea
      hairy roots, respectively, CcSTOP1 binding sequence of CcMATE1 showed similarity
      with AtALMT1 promoter. The molecular mechanisms of Aluminum (Al) tolerance in
      pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) were characterized to provide information for molecular
      breeding. Al-inducible citrate excretion was associated with the expression of
      MULTIDRUGS AND TOXIC COMPOUNDS EXCLUSION (CcMATE1), which encodes a citrate
      transporter. Ectopic expression of CcMATE1-conferred Al tolerance to hairy roots
      of transgenic tobacco with the STOP1 regulation system knocked down. This gain-of
      function approach clearly showed CcMATE1 was involved in Al detoxification. The
      expression of CcMATE1 and another Al-tolerance gene, ALUMINUM SENSITIVE 3
      (CcALS3), was regulated by SENSITIVE TO PROTON RHIZOTOXICITY1 (CcSTOP1) according
      to loss-of-function analysis of pigeonpea hairy roots in which CcSTOP1 was
      suppressed. An in vitro binding assay showed that the Al-responsive CcMATE1
      promoter contained the GGNVS consensus bound by CcSTOP1. Mutation of GGNVS
      inactivated the Al-inducible expression of CcMATE1 in pigeonpea hairy roots. This
      indicated that CcSTOP1 binding to the promoter is critical for CcMATE1
      expression. The STOP1 binding sites of both the CcMATE1 and AtALMT1 promoters
      contained GGNVS and a flanking 3' sequence. The GGNVS region was identical in
      both CcMATE1 and AtALMT1. By contrast, the 3' flanking sequence with binding
      affinity to STOP1 did not show similarity. Putative STOP1 binding sites with
      similar structures were also found in Al-inducible MATE and ALMT1 promoters in
      other plant species. The characterized Al-responsive CcSTOP1 and CcMATE1 genes
      will help in pigeonpea breeding in acid soil tolerance.

PMID- 28921051
TI  - Fine particle matters induce DNA damage and G2/M cell cycle arrest in human
      bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells.
AB  - There is compelling evidence that exposure to particulate matter (PM) is linked
      to lung tumorigenesis. However, there is not enough experimental evidence to
      support the specific mechanisms of PM2.5-induced DNA damage and cell cycle arrest
      in lung tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects and
      molecular mechanisms of PM2.5 on bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells. PM2.5
      exposure reduced cell viability and enhanced LDH activity. The cell growth curves
      of BEAS-2B cells decreased gradually with the increase in PM2.5 dosage. A
      significant increase in MDA content and a decrease in GSH-Px activity were
      observed. The generation of ROS was enhanced obviously, while apoptosis increased
      in BEAS-2B cells exposed to PM2.5 for 24 h. DNA damage was found to be more
      severe in the exposed groups compared with the control. For in-depth study, we
      have demonstrated that PM2.5 stimulated the activation of HER2/ErbB2 while
      significantly upregulating the expression of Ras/GADPH, p-BRAF/BRAF, p-MEK/MEK, p
      ERK/ERK, and c-Myc/GADPH in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, we suggested
      that exposure to PM2.5 sustained the activation of HER2/ErbB2, which in turn
      promoted the activation of the Ras/Raf/MAPK pathway and the expression of the
      downstream target c-Myc. The overexpression of c-Myc may lead to G2/M arrest and
      aggravate the DNA damage and apoptosis in BEAS-2B after exposure to PM2.5.

PMID- 28921052
TI  - In vitro evaluation of flow patterns and turbulent kinetic energy in trans
      catheter aortic valve prostheses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of the current work was to evaluate flow and turbulent
      kinetic energy in different transcatheter aortic valve implants using highly
      undersampled time-resolved multi-point 3-directional phase-contrast measurements
      (4D Flow MRI) in an in vitro setup. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A pulsatile flow setup
      was used with a compliant tubing mimicking a stiff left ventricular outflow tract
      and ascending aorta. Five different implants were measured using a highly
      undersampled multi-point 4D Flow MRI sequence. Velocities and turbulent kinetic
      energy values were analysed and compared. RESULTS: Strong variations of turbulent
      kinetic energy distributions between the valves were observed. Maximum turbulent
      kinetic energy values ranged from 100 to over 500 J/m3 while through-plane
      velocities were similar between all valves. CONCLUSION: Highly accelerated 4D
      Flow MRI for the measurement of velocities and turbulent kinetic energy values
      allowed for the assessment of hemodynamic parameters in five different implant
      models. The presented setup, measurement protocol and analysis methods provides
      an efficient approach to compare different valve implants and could aid future
      novel valve designs.

PMID- 28921053
TI  - Herbs Used for the Treatment of Hypertension and their Mechanism of Action.
AB  - There is great interest lately, in the use of herbs for the treatment of
      hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Herbs and plants contain many
      phytochemicals that have been effective in the treatment of CVD and hypertension.
      Accumulating scientific evidence provides a reason for the use of herbs by health
      practitioners for treating their patients. The rationale for this expanding use
      of herbs is the belief of patients in a "holistic medicine" and that herbs are
      natural, safe, and effective. However, there are reasons of concern with the use
      of herbs, because they are not regulated or supervised carefully and their use
      could lead to serious complications or interactions with their combination with
      traditional medicines. In addition, their use is associated with significant out
      of pocket expenses, because their use is not compensated by health insurance
      providers. In this review, we present the scientific evidence for the use of
      herbs.

PMID- 28921054
TI  - Association of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use and in-hospital outcomes
      in patients with acute heart failure.
AB  - Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) constitute a beneficial therapy in
      chronic heart failure, but their use in the acute heart failure (AHF) setting
      remains rather unexplored. To assess the effect of MRAs administered during
      hospitalization on in-hospital outcomes of patients with AHF, we performed a post
      hoc analysis of the Acute Heart Failure Global Registry of Standard Treatment
      (ALARM-HF). Patients of the original study cohort (n = 4953) were categorized
      according to in-hospital MRA treatment status as MRA-treated (n = 1439) and
      untreated (n = 3514) subjects. Nearest-neighbor propensity score with 1:1
      matching yielded a subsample of pairs of MRA-treated and MRA-untreated patients
      (n = 1003 in each treatment group) that were balanced in an extensive list of
      baseline characteristics. In-hospital mortality between MRA-treated and untreated
      patients were assessed by Cox regression analysis before and after adjustment for
      known prognostic factors and other concomitantly administered intravenous and
      oral HF specific therapies. In the matched cohort, in-hospital mortality was 4.2
      vs 10.8% in MRA-treated vs untreated patients. Treatment with MRAs was associated
      with a reduction of in-hospital mortality [HR 0.372 (95% CI, 0.261-0.532), p <
      0.001]. This association remained significant after adjustment for known
      prognostic factors and co-administered intravenous and oral HF therapies [HR:
      0.618 (95% CI, 0.383-0.995), p = 0.048]. In conclusion, MRA therapy administered
      during hospitalization for AHF was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality.
      The role of MRAs in AHF deserves further examination in adequately powered
      randomized controlled studies.

PMID- 28921055
TI  - Implantation meets intervention: reopening of a thrombotic ostial occlusion of
      coronary sinus by angioplasty achieved improvement of cardiac venous drainage and
      allowed transvenous CRT implantation.

PMID- 28921056
TI  - Oxidative Stress in Atherosclerosis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Atherosclerosis is now considered a chronic inflammatory
      disease. Oxidative stress induced by generation of excess reactive oxygen species
      has emerged as a critical, final common mechanism in atherosclerosis. Reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) are a group of small reactive molecules that play critical
      roles in the regulation of various cell functions and biological processes.
      Although essential for vascular homeostasis, uncontrolled production of ROS is
      implicated in vascular injury. Endogenous anti-oxidants function as checkpoints
      to avoid these untoward consequences of ROS, and an imbalance in the oxidant/anti
      oxidant mechanisms leads to a state of oxidative stress. In this review, we
      discuss the role of ROS and anti-oxidant mechanisms in the development and
      progression of atherosclerosis, the role of oxidized low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, and highlight potential anti-oxidant therapeutic strategies relevant
      to atherosclerosis. RECENT FINDINGS: There is growing evidence on how traditional
      risk factors translate into oxidative stress and contribute to atherosclerosis.
      Clinical trials evaluating anti-oxidant supplements had failed to improve
      atherosclerosis. Current studies focus on newer ROS scavengers that specifically
      target mitochondrial ROS, newer nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, gene
      therapies, and anti-miRNAs. Synthetic LOX-1 modulators that inhibit the effects
      of Ox-LDL are currently in development. Research over the past few decades has
      led to identification of multiple ROS generating systems that could potentially
      be modulated in atherosclerosis. Therapeutic approaches currently being used for
      atheroslcerotic vascular disease such as aspirin, statins, and renin-angiotensin
      system inhibitors exert a pleiotropic antioxidative effects. There is ongoing
      research to identify novel therapeutic modalities to selectively target oxidative
      stress in atherosclerosis.

PMID- 28921057
TI  - DVT Prevention in Stroke.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to discuss the prevention of
      venous thromboembolism (VTE) in stroke patients. We discuss use of oral
      anticoagulation and other interventions for the prevention of VTE. A new class of
      medications, non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), have been
      successfully trialed for the prevention of VTE. We review the data and guidance
      statements for VTE prevention. RECENT FINDINGS: Warfarin and vitamin K antagonist
      drugs have been the mainstay of VTE prevention for decades. More recently, NOACs
      have become available for both stroke and systemic embolism prevention in
      nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and for VTE treatment or prevention. NOACs have
      been shown to be at least noninferior for VTE prevention and treatment when
      compared with warfarin, and have a good safety profile. Other approaches include
      use of graduated compression stockings, intermittent compression stockings,
      inferior vena cava filters, and heparins. Selection of the appropriate VTE
      prophylaxis in stroke patients is important to reduce associated morbidity and
      mortality.

PMID- 28921058
TI  - The Influence of task Demands, Verbal Ability and Executive Functions on Item and
      Source Memory in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is generally associated with difficulties in
      contextual source memory but not single item memory. There are surprising
      inconsistencies in the literature, however, that the current study seeks to
      address by examining item and source memory in age and ability matched groups of
      22 ASD and 21 comparison adults. Results show that group differences in source
      memory are moderated by task demands but not by individual differences in verbal
      ability, executive function or item memory. By contrast, unexpected group
      differences in item memory could largely be explained by individual differences
      in source memory. These observations shed light on the factors underlying
      inconsistent findings in the memory literature in ASD, which has important
      implications for theory and practice.

PMID- 28921059
TI  - Very Early Systemic Sclerosis and Pre-systemic Sclerosis: Definition,
      Recognition, Clinical Relevance and Future Directions.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The approach to systemic sclerosis (SSc) has changed over the
      years with an increasing focus on the very early diagnosis of the disease. The
      terminology identifying patients in the early phase of SSc has been significantly
      confusing in the last three decades. The purpose of this article is to analyze
      how the concept of "very early SSc" has evolved over the years, which is the role
      of an early diagnosis and how early treat patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Several
      attempts have been made over time, to create more sensitive and specific
      classification criteria to include the largest number of SSc patients, also in
      the earliest phase. An algorythm for the very early diagnosis of SSc was
      identified, diagnostic preliminary criteria proposed, and new 2013 ACR/EULAR SSc
      classification criteria published, including new items and adding emphasis to the
      vasculopathic manifestations. True biomarkers that could predict the disease
      evolution are still missing. Treat or not to treat patients in the earliest
      phases still remain a dilemma. For the moment, the only feasible clinical
      strategy in very early SSc remains a tight follow up program to detect in "real
      time" the early internal organ involvement which may allow an aggressive
      therapeutic agenda.

PMID- 28921061
TI  - Titration of propofol infusion using processed electroencephalogram during
      combined general and spinal anesthesia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the necessary mean infusion rate of propofol during
      combined nitrous oxide (N2O) and propofol spinal anesthesia by using the
      processed electroencephalogram (pEEG). METHODS: Twelve elective gynecological
      patients were monitored by a Drager pEEG monitor under N2O and propofol spinal
      anesthesia. To make it easier to detect an inadequate depth of anesthesia, muscle
      relaxants were not given and the patients breathed spontaneously through a
      laryngeal mask airway. Manual step-down infusion of propofol was employed to
      provide intraoperative hypnosis. Propofol infusion was titrated to maintain
      cardiorespiratory parameters within 20% of baseline and the 90th percentile of
      the spectral edge frequency (SEF 90) of the pEEG between 10 and 13.5 Hz. RESULTS:
      The mean (SD) induction dose of propofol was 2.9 (0.4) mg.kg-1. The mean (SD)
      maintenance infusion rate was 4.2 (0.5) mg.kg-1.h-1. The mean (SD) time from the
      end of propofol infusion to the opening of the patient's eyes was 5.4 (2.0) min.
      No gross movements or intraoperative awareness was recognized. The mean (SD) SEF
      90 during the maintenance of anesthesia was 12.2 (1.5) Hz, which increased
      significantly to 16.2 (1.9) Hz at 1 min before the patients opened their eyes in
      reponse to verbal commands. CONCLUSION: Titration of propofol infusion using SEF
      during combined general and spinal anesthesia provided a rapid recovery without
      any clinical signs of inadequate anesthesia.

PMID- 28921060
TI  - Comparison of sensitivity of neuromuscular monitoring tests: twitch versus
      tetanic test.
AB  - PURPOSE: The study was planned to compare the sensitivity of a twitch
      neuromuscular monitoring test, the train-of-four (TOF), with a tetanic test,
      double-burst stimulation (DBS), during a subclinical dose of vecuronium. METHODS:
      Twenty consenting. ASA I patients (16 to 65 years of age) of both sexes were
      studied. The ulnar nerve was stimulated at the wrist through surface electrodes
      by Myotest-DBS, and the adductor pollicis response was recorded on Myograph-2000.
      After stabilization of the twitch tension at titrated supramaximal stimuli (1
      Hz), patients were randomly allocated into groups. In group 1 (n=10), the TOF
      test was monitored; in group 2 (n=10), the DBS test was monitoral. All patients
      received a priming dose of vecuronium (0.015 mg.kg-1); parameters such asT 1 and
      TOF ratio (TOFr) (T 4/T 1) were noted in group 1, andD 1 and DBS ratio (DBSr) (D
      2/D 1) were noted during the vecuronium effect. RESULTS: The DBS test showed a
      wider range of change (from control 1.00 to 0.62+/-0.19 forD 1 and to 0.37+/-0.14
      for DBSr) at a faster rate (0.07+/-0.04 min-1 forD 1 and 0.08+/-0.02 min-1 for
      DBSr) during the block progression phase than the TOF test parameters (T 1 and
      TOFr). The tetanic fade or DBSr showed peak onset later than peak twitch
      suppression. The rate of recovery of the DBS test was also slower than that of
      the TOF test after the peak effect. CONCLUSIONS: DBS is a more sensitive test
      than TOF to quantify the subclinical dose effect of vecuronium, and among the
      studied parameters (T 1, TOFr,D 1 and DBSr), DBSr, measuring tetanic fade, was
      the most sensitive single parameter.

PMID- 28921062
TI  - Target controlled priming for rapid onset of intubation dose: A new approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the pattern of onset of the intubating dose when given at a
      monitored target priming block in either phase of the priming drug effect.
      METHODS: Sixty consenting ASA I and II patients were premedicated by
      intramuscular buprenorphine (5 MUg.kg-1) 1h before surgery. Neuromuscular
      junction monitoring was done by stimulating the ulnar nerve at the wrist using
      Myotest and recording the adductor pollicis response on Myograph-2000. After
      stabilization of the twitch tension at the titrated supramaximal stimulus (1 Hz),
      double-burst stimuli (DBS) were given to monitor the priming effect of vecuronium
      bromide (Vb) (0.015 mg.kg-1). The DBS ratio (DBSr=D 2/D 1) was calculated for the
      DBS response, repeated at 20s. Depending on the target priming block level (DBSr
      0.8, 0.6, or 0.5) and the phase of the priming block to give an intubating dose
      of Vb (0.8 mg.kg-1) injection, all patients were randomly assigned to six study
      groups: group 1 (DBSr 0.8), group 3 (DBSr 0.6), and group 5 (DBSr 0.5) during the
      priming block progression phase (before peakD 1 suppression), and group 2 (DBSr
      0.8), group 4 (DBSr 0.6), and group 6 (DBSr 0.5) during the priming block
      regression phase (after peakD 1 suppression). Anesthesia was induced by
      thiopental (5-7 mg.kg-1) just before the intubating dose. The effect of the
      intubating dose on twitch stimuli (1 Hz) was monitored. RESULTS: We observed that
      in spite of significantly variable priming intervals for identical DBSr in two
      different phases, the onset time of the intubating dose to 0 response was
      identical in similar DBSr group patients; i.e., at 0.8 DBSr, 65.0+/-5.2s (group
      1)vs 66.0+/-8.0s (group 2); at DBSr 0.6, 55.2+/-3.7s (group 3)vs 55.2+/-4.9s
      (group 4); and at DBSr 0.5, 43.5+/-4.8s (group 5)vs 43.5+/-4.2s (group 6). At 0
      twitch response, the intubating conditions were comparable in patients of the six
      groups. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, target controlled priming (DBSr) for
      administration of the intubating dose appears to be a useful double-vision sign
      to predict the onset of the effect of the intubating dose precisely.

PMID- 28921063
TI  - Epidural anesthesia during hysterectomy diminishes postoperative pain and urinary
      cortisol release.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the hypothesis that epidural anesthesia throughout lower
      abdominal surgery would depress both postoperative pain and cortisol release.
      METHODS: Forty adult patients undergoing abdominal total hysterectomy were
      studied. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Group G received
      general anesthesia alone (sevoflurane 1.5%-2.5%); group E received a combination
      of epidural anesthesia (1.5% mepivacaine) with a light plane of general
      anesthesia (sevoflurane<0.5%). Postoperative analgesia was obtained epidurally by
      patient-controlled analgesia. Postoperative pain at rest and during movement was
      assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) at 2, 24, and 48 h following surgery.
      The plasma concentration and urinary excretion of cortisol were measured during
      the perioperative period. RESULTS: VAS values were lower in group E than in group
      G during movement at 24h (4.6+/-0.5vs 6.1+/-0.4 cm). Urinary cortisol excretion
      on the first postoperative day was less in group E than in group G (192+/-34vs
      480+/-120MUg). CONCLUSIONS: Epidural blockade prior to surgical stimuli and
      throughout lower abdominal surgery reduces the postoperative dynamic pain and
      stress response.

PMID- 28921064
TI  - Normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegia reduce inotropic
      requirements and creatine kinase-MB after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and
      cardioplegia preserve myocardial function, reduce inotropic requirements, and
      reduce markers of myocardial ischemia following coronary artery bypass graft
      surgery (CABG). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 171
      consecutive patients undergoing elective CABG by a single surgeon from April 1994
      to December 1995. Hypothermic CPB with intermittent cold cardioplegia was used in
      83 patients and normothermic CPB with intermittent warm cardioplegia in 88
      patients. Demographic, surgical, hemodynamic, and inotropic requirements and
      laboratory data were reviewed. RESULTS: The duration of CPB was significantly
      shorter in the normothermic group (113+/-27vs 90+/-21 min;P<0.0001). After CPB
      the cardiac index was similar between groups, but significantly larger doses of
      both dopamine and dobutamine were required (8vs 5MUg.kg-1.min-1,P<0.0001), and
      significantly more patients required norepinephrine administration in the
      hypothermic group (18%vs 6%;P=0.01). Postoperative peak values of creatine kinase
      MB fraction (CK-MB) were significantly lower in the normothermic group (80+/-60vs
      55+/-54 IU.I-1;P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Normothermic CPB and cardioplegia reduce
      inotropic requirements and CK-MB following CABG.

PMID- 28921065
TI  - Effect of fentanyl on heart rate variability during mechanical ventilation.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the effect of fentanyl alone on
      heart rate variability (HRV) during mechanical ventilation using power spectral
      analysis. Arterial baroreceptor reflex was also tested with pharmacological
      manipulation to assess the contribution of vagal baroreceptor reflex modulation
      of HRV during fentanyl anesthesia. METHOD: Ten patients participated in this
      study. Electrocardiograms and arterial pressure were recorded prior to and during
      fentanyl (10 MUg.kg-1) and vecuronium (0.2 mg.kg-1) anesthesia, with respiratory
      rate and tidal volume controlled ventilation. R-R intervals were analyzed by fast
      Fourier transformation, and changes in low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF)
      power were compared. Arterial baroreceptor reflex regulation was also tested with
      administration of nitroglycerin (250 MUg) or phenylephrine (250 MUg). RESULTS: HF
      power was significantly reduced during anesthesia from 3.20+/-2.93 to 0.46+/-0.48
      ms2.Hz-1.103 (mean+/-SD,P<0.05). However, LF power did not change despite
      increases in plasma catecholamine concentrations. The response to phenylephrine
      was reduced during fentanyl anesthesia from 16.6+/-5.7 to 9.5+/-5.4 ms.mmHg-1
      (P<0.05), whereas the response to nitroglycerin was not affected. CONCLUSION: Our
      data indicate that fentanyl modulates the respiratory frequency fluctuation of
      HRV. This is partly caused by the effects of fentanyl on arterial baroreflex
      sensitivity.

PMID- 28921066
TI  - Effects of hemoglobin concentration and temperature on the in vitro release of
      cyanide from sodium nitroprusside.
AB  - PURPOSE: This in vitro study was performed to determine whether changes in
      hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and temperature influenced the amount of cyanide
      (CN-) released from sodium nitroprusside (SNP). METHODS: Canine whole blood with
      a Hb concentration of 8.5 to 18.9 g.dl (5.3 to 18.9 mM) was equilibrated with SNP
      at either 37 degrees C or 25 degrees C, and CN- levels in plasma and red blood
      cells (RBC) were measured using the microdiffusion method. RESULTS: Changes in Hb
      concentration and temperature did not have any statistically significant effect
      on the CN- released from SNP in plasma. On the other hand, CN- levels in RBC
      decreased with increasing Hb concentrations. CN- levels in RBC were significantly
      lower at 25 degrees C than at 37 degrees C. CONCLUSION: Though the Hb
      concentration and temperature changed the amount of CN- released from SNP in RBC,
      the change observed was not clinically significant.

PMID- 28921067
TI  - Effect of inhaled nitroglycerine and sodium nitroprusside aerosol on hemodynamics
      and oxygenation in dogs with pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that inhalation of aerosol of glyceryl trinitrate
      or sodium nitroprusside might produce selective pulmonary vasodilation, causing
      an improvement of oxygenation with minimal systemic hypotension as inhaled nitric
      oxide gas, we investigated the effect of inhaled nitroglycerine and sodium
      nitroprusside aerosol on hemodynamics and oxygenation in dogs with pulmonary
      hypertension. METHODS: Pulmonary hypertension was induced by a continuous
      infusion of 1.0 to 4.0MUg.kg-1.min-1 U-46619 in anesthetized and mechanically
      ventilated dogs. Aerosol preparations consisted of normal saline, 250, 500, 1000,
      and 2000 ppm solutions of either glyceryl trinitrate or sodium nitroprusside were
      administered sequentially via the breathing circuit. RESULTS: Inhaled
      nitroglycerine and sodium nitroprusside aerosol caused neither selective
      pulmonary vasodilation nor improved oxygenation in this pulmonary hypertension
      model, unlike inhaled nitric oxide gas. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that
      inhaled nitroglycerine and sodium nitroprusside aerosol is not effective in
      improving hemodynamic derangement or oxygenation in pulmonary hypertension.
      However, the effect of the substances in higher dose ranges remains to be
      defined.

PMID- 28921068
TI  - Comparison of sprotte and Quincke needles with respect to spinal fluid leakage
      using artificial spinal cord.
AB  - PURPOSE: This research investigated whether the Sprotte needle causes less
      leakage of CSF than the Quincke needle in the artificial spinal cord. METHODS:
      The changes in intradural pressure, extradural pressure, and leaked volume of CSF
      were evaluated following puncture with Sprotte and Quincke needles in the
      artificial spinal cord. RESULTS: The decrease in intradural pressure was 9.7+/
      1.8 mm H2O with the Sprotte needle and 20.5+/-2.7 mm H2O with the Quincke needle
      (P<0.05). The volume of leakage of artificial CSF was 2.0+/-0.3 ml with the
      Sprotte needle and 3.3 +/-0.3 ml with the Quincke needle (P<0.01). The extradural
      pressure increase was 166.1+/-8.2 mm H2O with the Sprotte needle and 186.8+/-13.2
      mm H2O with the Quincke needle (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The Sprotte needle produces
      less CSF leakage than the Quincke needle.

PMID- 28921070
TI  - Psoas compartment block for the treatment of lower-limb spasticity caused by
      spinal cord injury: report of a case.

PMID- 28921069
TI  - Use of nerve block techniques for postoperative analgesia.

PMID- 28921071
TI  - Thromboelastogram showing an undesirable effect of platelet transfusion on blood
      coagulability and fibrinolysis in a patient with aplastic anemia.

PMID- 28921072
TI  - Anesthetic management of a patient with variegate porphyria.

PMID- 28921073
TI  - Beneficial effect of ketamine hydrochloride in phantom limb pain: report of a
      case.

PMID- 28921075
TI  - RE: Takaya et al. Optimum priming dose of vecuronium for tracheal intubation.J.
      Anesth (1996) 10:244-247.

PMID- 28921074
TI  - A preliminary assessment of the intubating laryngeal mask airway.

PMID- 28921076
TI  - Rapid opioid detoxification under general anesthesia.

PMID- 28921077
TI  - RE: Yuge O: Renal toxicity of compound A with sevoflurane anesthesia: the
      benefits of sevoflurane appear to outweight the risks (editorial).J. Anesth 11:1
      2.

PMID- 28921079
TI  - Identification of a New Isoindole-2-yl Scaffold as a Qo and Qi Dual Inhibitor of
      Cytochrome bc 1 Complex: Virtual Screening, Synthesis, and Biochemical Assay.
AB  - Respiratory chain ubiquinol-cytochrome (cyt) c oxidoreductase (cyt bc 1 or
      complex III) has been demonstrated as a promising target for numerous antibiotics
      and fungicide applications. In this study, a virtual screening of NCI diversity
      database was carried out in order to find novel Qo/Qi cyt bc 1 complex
      inhibitors. Structure-based virtual screening and molecular docking methodology
      were employed to further screen compounds with inhibition activity against cyt bc
      1 complex after extensive reliability validation protocol with cross-docking
      method and identification of the best score functions. Subsequently, the
      application of rational filtering procedure over the target database resulted in
      the elucidation of a novel class of cyt bc 1 complex potent inhibitors with
      comparable binding energies and biological activities to those of the standard
      inhibitor, antimycin.

PMID- 28921080
TI  - Erratum to: Distribution of Viruses Inhabiting Heterobasidion annosum in a Pine
      Dominated Forest Plot in Southern Finland.

PMID- 28921082
TI  - Expression analysis of transporter genes for screening candidate monolignol
      transporters using Arabidopsis thaliana cell suspensions during tracheary element
      differentiation.
AB  - The mechanism of monolignol transportation from the cytosol to the apoplast is
      still unclear despite being an essential step of lignification. Recently, ATP
      binding cassette (ABC) transporters were suggested to be involved in monolignol
      transport. However, there are no reliable clues to the transporters of the major
      lignin monomers coniferyl and synapyl alcohol. In this study, the lignification
      progress of Arabidopsis cultured cells during tracheary element differentiation
      was monitored. The expression of selected transporter genes, as well as
      lignification and cell-wall formation related genes as references, in
      differentiating cultured cell samples harvested at 2-day intervals was analyzed
      by real-time PCR and the data were statistically processed. The cell wall
      formation transcription factor MYB46, programmed-cell death related gene XCP1 and
      lignin polymerization peroxidase AtPrx25 were classified into the same cluster.
      Furthermore, the cluster closest to the abovementioned cluster contained the
      lignin synthesis transcription factor MYB58 and the Arabidopsis ABC transporters
      ABCG11, ABCG22, ABCG36 and ABCG29. This result suggested that these four ABC
      transporters may be involved in lignification. In the expression analysis,
      unexpectedly, the lignification-related genes CAD5 and C4H were not included in
      the same cluster as MYB58 and AtPrx25. The expression data also suggested that
      the lignification of tracheary elements in the culture, where lignification ratio
      finally reached to around 40%, continued after cell death because lignification
      actively progressed after programmed cell death-related gene started to be
      expressed.

PMID- 28921081
TI  - Site-saturation mutagenesis of mutant L-asparaginase II signal peptide
      hydrophobic region for improved excretion of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase.
AB  - The excretion of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) into the culture medium
      offers significant advantages over cytoplasmic expression. However, the
      limitation of Escherichia coli is its inability to excrete high amount of CGTase
      outside the cells. In this study, modification of the hydrophobic region of the
      N1R3 signal peptide using site-saturation mutagenesis improved the excretion of
      CGTase. Signal peptide mutants designated M9F, V10L and A15Y enhanced the
      excretion of CGTase three-fold and demonstrated two-fold higher secretion rate
      than the wild type. However, high secretion rate of these mutants was non
      productive for recombinant protein production because it caused up to a seven
      fold increase in cell death compared to the wild type. Our results indicated that
      the excretion of CGTase is highly dependent on hydrophobicity, secondary
      conformation and the type and position of amino acids at the region boundary and
      core segment of the h-region.

PMID- 28921083
TI  - Intraoperative contrast transesophageal echocardiography using Albunex.
AB  - This study was designed to investigate the effect of administration of the
      contrast material Albunex on intraoperative contrast transesophageal
      echocardiography for patients with mitral valve disease or coronary artery
      disease. We studied nine patients scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass
      grafting (CABG group) and nine patients scheduled for elective mitral valve
      replacement (MVR group), and used a transesophageal echocardiography probe and an
      echocardiographic system. During the period of stable hemodynamics before the
      start of cardiopulmonary bypass, Albunex in doses of 0.1 ml.kg-1 was injected at
      a rate of about 1 ml.s-1 from either the peripheral venous line or the distal
      lumen of the pulmonary arterial catheter, and the effect on contrast was
      compared. This effect was semiquantitatively assessed by using a grading scale
      from 0 to 3, with 0 indicating an absence of opacification and 3, full
      opacification of the cavities examined. In the CABG group, contrast resulting
      from administration of Albunex from the pulmonary arterial catheter was
      significantly better than that from the peripheral venous line, whereas in the
      MVR group, no improvement was found. Furthermore, when it was administered into
      the pulmonary artery, the effect on contrast for the MVR group was significantly
      lower than that for the CABG group. The efficacy rate of intraoperative contrast
      transesophageal echocardiography using Albunex was relatively low, and appeared
      to be affected by pulmonary circulation or many other factors such as the method
      of administration, including the route and injection pressure.

PMID- 28921084
TI  - Complications in the use of intravenous catheters for major surgery: A clinical
      study.
AB  - Two groups of patients received one of two intravenous catheters, a 20-gauge (ga)
      Criticon (C group;n=96) or a 20-gauge (ga) Vitaflon Plus (V group;n=100). Each
      catheter was inserted under identical cannulation conditions. Fluids and drugs
      used pre- and postoperatively were comparable in both groups. All catheters
      remained in place for a minimum of 4 days. Variables related to the quality of
      cannula were more favorable with the V group catheter. The incidence of early
      complications (erythema, swelling, tissue hardness, pain) was comparable in both
      groups. The survival distribution curves for all complications and swelling >2 cm
      were significantly longer in the V group. The frequency of swelling correlated
      with difficulty during vein penetration, slow blood flashback, and damage to the
      catheter. The incidence of complications following cannulation was high in both
      groups. The period from catheter insertion to the clinical onset of phlebitis was
      prolonged in both groups if antiphlebitogenous fluids were used. The incidence of
      late complications (phlebitis, displacement of the cannulae, etc.) and damage to
      the catheters was more frequent in the C group. The authors discuss the clinical
      relevance of these findings.

PMID- 28921085
TI  - Optimum priming dose of vecuronium for tracheal intubation.
AB  - To determine the optimum priming dose of vecuronium, we divided 173 surgical
      patients into five groups according to priming dose (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10
      MUg.kg-1). For endotracheal intubation, we administered a priming dose of
      vecuronium, and then after 4 min, the remainder was injected for a total dosage
      of 0.15 mg.kg-1. Onset time was determined by a 95% depression of twitch height
      as shown by electromyography (EMG) of the hypothenar muscles. This was measured
      by repeating the train-of-four (TOF) stimulation. An increased priming dose
      shortened the onset time; however, this shortening rate diminished when the
      dosage was above 7.5 MUg.kg-1. In the zero priming dose group there was a
      significant correlation between onset time and age, and between onset time and
      body mass index (BMI) in women (r=0.62 and -0.45, respectively); however, this
      correlation was not observed in men. A priming dose of 10 MUg.kg-1 showed a
      decrease of TOF ratio to 95% or less in 1 out of 25 cases. Although one-third of
      the patients in the 5 and 7.5 MUg.kg-1 groups complained of clinical symptoms
      such as ptosis, this was clinically allowable. We conclude that the optimum
      priming dose of vecuronium is 7.5 MUg.kg-1; however, in obese patients, a smaller
      dosage would be recommended.

PMID- 28921086
TI  - Hemodynamic effects of oral clonidine premedication in lumbar epidural
      anesthesia.
AB  - Clonidine, an alpha2-adrenergic agonist, has a potent sympatholytic effect and
      augments the pressor effect of ephedrine during general anesthesia. We evaluated
      whether oral clonidine premedication would alter the hemodynamic changes and
      enhance the pressor response to intravenous ephedrine during epidural anesthesia
      in 35 adult patients. They were randomly administered either premedication with
      clonidine approximately 5 MUg.kg-1 po (n=17) or no clonidine medication (n=18).
      After establishment of epidural anesthesia, the hemodynamic response to ephedrine
      iv was measured in the awake state at 1-min intervals for 10 min. Then, the same
      hemodynamic measurement was repeated in the asleep state induced with midazolam
      iv. There were no differences in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate values
      between groups during the onset of epidural anesthesia, except that BP before
      epidural anesthesia was lower in the clonidine group than the control group
      (P<0.05). The magnitude and duration of pressor responses to ephedrine were
      comparable between groups in awake and asleep states. In conclusion oral
      clonidine premedication 5 MUg.kg-1 alters neither the hemodynamic changes nor the
      pressor response to intravenous ephedrine during epidural anesthesia.

PMID- 28921087
TI  - Protamine relaxes vascular smooth muscle by directly reducing cytosolic free
      calcium concentrations in small resistance arteries.
AB  - Protamine has been suggested to relax vascular smooth muscle by reducing the
      intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). However, there has been no direct
      evidence that protamine reduces the [Ca2+]i of vascular smooth muscle. We
      therefore studied the effects of protamine on changes in [Ca2+]i and tension
      induced by norepinephrine (NE) and high K+ in endothelium-denuded strips from
      rabbit small mesenteric artery, using fura-2-fluorometry and isometric tension
      recording methods. Both NE (1 MUM) and high K+ (40 mM) produced a transient
      phasic increase, followed by a tonic increase in [Ca2+]i and tension. Protamine
      concentration (15-500 MUg.ml-1)-dependently inhibited (P<0.05) the phasic and
      tonic components of both NE- and high K+-induced contraction with IC50 values of
      ~50 MUg.ml-1. Protamine (50 MUg.ml-1) inhibited (P<0.05) the phasic and tonic
      increases in [Ca2+]i caused by both NE and high K+ by ~40%-60%. We conclude that
      the direct vasodilator action of protamine is due, at least in part, to reduction
      of [Ca2+]i in vascular smooth muscle; this reduction in [Ca2+]i may be due to
      inhibition of both Ca2+ influx and Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores.

PMID- 28921088
TI  - Difficult laryngoscopy and cephalometric roentgenograms in obstructive sleep
      apnea syndrome patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.
AB  - We retrospectively studied the incidence of difficult laryngoscopy in 53 subjects
      with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
      (UPPP) and 72 subjects with chronic otitis media undergoing tympanoplasty
      (control group). The incidence of difficult laryngoscopy in the UPPP group was
      significantly higher than in the control group (18.9%vs 4.2%,P<0.001). To analyze
      the anatomical findings of difficult laryngoscopy in UPPP patients, cephalometric
      roentgenograms were compared between patients in whom direct laryngoscopy was
      difficult (difficult patients,n=10) and patients in whom direct laryngoscopy was
      not difficult (nondifficult patients,n=43). Cephalometric atlanto-occipital
      distance (cAOD) was less than 4mm in 80% of the difficult patients, and there
      were significant differences between the difficult patients and the nondifficult
      patients (2.8+/-3.3 mmvs 6.7+/-3.0 mm, mean +/-SD,P<0.001). There were
      significant differences in cephalometric effective mandibular
      length/cephalometric posterior depth of mandible ratio (cEML/cPDM) between the
      difficult patients and the nondifficult patients (4.0+/-0.6vs 4.5 +/-0.8,P<0.01);
      however, the calculation of cEML/cPDM was more difficult than cAOD. We concluded
      that OSAS patients undergoing UPPP are at high risk for difficult laryngoscopy,
      and that cAOD calculated from cephalometric roentgenograms is an easy and
      sensitive predictive indicator for the estimation of difficult laryngoscopy.

PMID- 28921089
TI  - Transcutaneous CO2 tension measurement as an indicator of severity of hemorrhagic
      shock.
AB  - This study was undertaken to evaluate whether transcutaneous CO2 tension (PtcCO2)
      could be used as an indicator of the global systemic severity of hemorrhagic
      shock. PtcCO2 levels in ten anesthetized mongrel dogs were measured during
      hemorrhage and during volume restoration and were correlated with mixed venous
      CO2 tension ([Formula: see text]). After withdrawal of 30ml.kg-1 blood, both
      PtcCO2 and[Formula: see text] increased significantly (from 43+/-7 to 70+/-27
      torr (P<0.05) and from 48+/-6 to 59+/-12 torr (P<0.05), respectively). Throughout
      the experiments, PtcCO2 levels changed almost in parallel to[Formula: see text]
      levels. However, changes in PtcCO2 exceeded those in[Formula: see text] from the
      end of hemorrhage, at which time cardiac output decreased to 35% of the baseline
      value, until the end of volume restoration, and the changes in PtcCO2 showed a
      close logarithmic relationship with[Formula: see text] (r=0.78,n=110).
      Additionally, arterio-transcutaneous CO2 tension gradients[Formula: see text]
      showed a close exponential correlation with cardiac output per body weight
      (CO/BW) during the shedding phase (r=0.85,n=60), although the correlation with
      CO/BW lessened during the retransfusion phase (r=0.55,n=60). PtcCO2 was roughly
      correlated with[Formula: see text] during hemorrhagic shock, and levels of PtcCO2
      higher than[Formula: see text] reflected critical tissue perfusion.

PMID- 28921090
TI  - Amrinone improves postischemic myocardial metabolism in the rat heart-lung
      preparation.
AB  - Amrinone, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, is a non-glycosidic noncatecholamine
      with both vasodilator and positive inotropic effects. We were interested in
      assessing the effect of amrinone on postischemic cardiac performance in the
      isolated heart-lung preparation. Twenty-four male Wistar-ST rats were used. They
      were randomly divided into three groups. Amrinone, 10 MUg.ml-1 or 100 MUg.ml-1
      was administered 8 min after the start of perfusion except in the control group.
      Ten minutes after the start of perfusion, all hearts were made globally ischemic
      for 8 min. Subsequently, the preparations were reperfused for 10 min. At the end
      of the experimental period, the hearts were freeze-clamped, and then myocardial
      high-energy phosphates, lactate, pyruvate, and glycogen were measured.
      Hemodynamic parameters in all groups decreased significantly during ischemia.
      However, there were no significant differences among the groups. The myocardial
      ATP level in the 100 MUg.ml-1 group was significantly higher than that in the
      control group. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP)
      levels in the 100 MUg.ml-1 group were significantly lower than those in the
      control group. Myocardial lactate, pyruvate, and glycogen levels were not
      significantly different among the groups. This result suggests that amrinone
      improves postischemic myocardial metabolism. Although we could not measure
      coronary flow, amrinone might increase coronary flow with direct coronary
      vasodilation which would have increased the myocardial ATP and energy charge
      levels.

PMID- 28921091
TI  - Solubility of volatile anesthetics in plasma substitutes, albumin, intravenous
      fat emulsions, perfluorochemical emulsion, and aqueous solutions.
AB  - Using the gas chromatographic headspace sampling technique, we determined the
      solubility of volatile anesthetics (halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, and
      sevoflurane) in plasma substitutes, albumin solution, intravenous fat emulsions,
      perfluorochemical FC-43 emulsion, and aqueous solutions at 37 degrees C. The
      order of magnitude of lambda value (liquid/gas partition coefficients) was
      halothane >enflurane>isoflurane> sevoflurane in all the parenteral infusion
      fluids except the perfluorochemical emulsion (FC-43). The FC-43/gas partition
      coefficients of the volatile anesthetics were almost the same at 5.5. The
      partition coefficients were affected by the osmolarity of solutions,
      hydrophobicity, and the structure of solutes. Also, the blood/gas partition
      coefficients in intravenous fat emulsions and FC-43 were calculated. It is
      suggested that fluid therapy, especially with intravenous fat emulsions or FC-43,
      may influence the blood/gas partition coefficients of anesthetics, and affect the
      induction of anesthesia.

PMID- 28921092
TI  - Changes in respiratory system resistance and reactance following acute
      respiratory and metabolic alkalosis in dogs.
AB  - To differentiate between the effects of respiratory and metabolic alkalosis on
      respiratory mechanics, respiratory system resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs)
      were examined in anesthetized, paralyzed, and mechanically hyperventilated dogs.
      Rrs and Xrs were measured by the forced oscillation method with a random noise
      input of 0-25 Hz. Restoration to normocapnia by CO2 inhalation significantly
      increased Rrs (+23.4+/-4.0%), particularly at high-frequency ranges without
      alterations in Xrs or resonant frequencies, whereas an increase in pH without
      changes in partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO 2) by an
      administration of bicarbonate-carbonate mixture resulted in no significant
      alteration in Rrs or Xrs. A significant decrease in Rrs (-16.3+/-2.5%) following
      vagotomy or atropine administration was no longer affected by CO2 inhalation.
      These results suggest that (1) the vagus nerve appears to play a role in
      maintaining the resting tension of airway smooth muscle, (2) systemic hypocapnia
      decreases Rrs presumably due to the central airway dilation, and (3) this
      response is associated with a change in systemic partial pressure of carbon
      dioxide (PCO 2) rather than that in pH.

PMID- 28921093
TI  - Brain oxygenation monitored by near-infared spectroscopy during recovery from
      hemorrhagic shock.

PMID- 28921094
TI  - Persistent radiculopathy diagnosed and treated with epidural endoscopy.

PMID- 28921095
TI  - Anesthetic management for surgical repair of postinfarction ventricular septal
      defect.

PMID- 28921096
TI  - Central venous oxygen saturation accurately reflects mixed venous oxygen
      saturation during laparotomy.

PMID- 28921097
TI  - Transient cardiac depression during suprapubic prostatectomy under subarachoid
      block.

PMID- 28921098
TI  - Report on the 17th introductory training seminar of the Japan Medical Team for
      Disaster Relief (JMTDR).

PMID- 28921099
TI  - Report on the computer software contest at the 43rd Congress of the Japan Society
      of Anesthesiology.

PMID- 28921102
TI  - Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma with extensive tumor embolism at the trunk of
      portal vein and pancreatic intraductal infiltration.
AB  - A 59-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis. The cause
      was suggested to be a pancreatic tumor based on computed tomography (CT). The
      pancreatic tumor was 45 mm with an extensive tumor embolism at the trunk of the
      portal vein and intraductal infiltration of the main pancreatic duct (MPD). The
      pancreatic tumor was diagnosed as acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) by endoscopic
      ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration. Therefore, the cause of acute
      pancreatitis was diagnosed to be intraductal infiltration of ACC in the MPD.
      Chemotherapy was initially performed because it was difficult to perform surgery
      due to extensive tumor embolism at the trunk of the portal vein. Degeneration and
      reduction of ACC and tumor embolism of the portal vein was noted on CT after
      chemotherapy, and extended distal pancreatectomy with portal vein reconstruction
      was performed. There has been no relapse for 5 years postoperative follow-up.
      This is an interesting and rare case because ACC with intraductal infiltration of
      MPD is low in frequency; most ACCs are asymptomatic when they are found, and many
      cases tend to have poor prognosis in spite of surgical cases.

PMID- 28921103
TI  - Biofeedback-Based, Videogame Balance Training in Autism.
AB  - The present study examined the effects of a visual-based biofeedback training on
      improving balance challenges in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-nine youth
      with ASD (7-17 years) completed an intensive 6-week biofeedback-based videogame
      balance training. Participants exhibited training-related balance improvements
      that significantly accounted for postural-sway improvements outside of training.
      Participants perceived the training as beneficial and enjoyable. Significant
      moderators of training included milder stereotyped and ritualistic behaviors and
      better starting balance. Neither IQ nor BMI moderated training. These results
      suggest that biofeedback-based balance training is associated with balance
      improvements in youth with ASD, most robustly in those with less severe
      repetitive behaviors and better starting balance. The training was perceived as
      motivating, further suggesting its efficacy and likelihood of use.

PMID- 28921105
TI  - Association Between Air Pollution Exposure, Cognitive and Adaptive Function, and
      ASD Severity Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been associated with autism spectrum
      disorder (ASD) risk but no study has examined associations with ASD severity or
      functioning. Cognitive ability, adaptive functioning, and ASD severity were
      assessed in 327 children with ASD from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics
      and the Environment study using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), the
      Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), and the Autism Diagnostic Observation
      Schedule calibrated severity score. Estimates of nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
      particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, and near-roadway air pollution were
      assigned to each trimester of pregnancy and first year of life. Increasing
      prenatal and first year NO2 exposures were associated with decreased MSEL and
      VABS scores. Increasing PM10 exposure in the third trimester was paradoxically
      associated with improved performance on the VABS. ASD severity was not associated
      with air pollution exposure.

PMID- 28921104
TI  - Development of constant-pH simulation methods in implicit solvent and
      applications in biomolecular systems.
AB  - pH is a critical parameter for biological and technological systems directly
      related with electrical charges. It can give rise to peculiar electrostatic
      phenomena, which also makes them more challenging. Due to the quantum nature of
      the process, involving the forming and breaking of chemical bonds, quantum
      methods should ideally by employed. Nevertheless, due to the very large number of
      ionizable sites, different macromolecular conformations, salt conditions, and all
      other charged species, the CPU time cost simply becomes prohibitive for computer
      simulations, making this a quite complex problem. Simplified methods based on
      Monte Carlo sampling have been devised and will be reviewed here, highlighting
      the updated state-of-the-art of this field, advantages, and limitations of
      different theoretical protocols for biomolecular systems (proteins and nucleic
      acids). Following a historical perspective, the discussion will be associated
      with the applications to protein interactions with other proteins,
      polyelectrolytes, and nanoparticles.

PMID- 28921107
TI  - Airway troubles related to the double-lumen endobronchial tube in thoracic
      surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Several case reports indicate critical respiratory complications in
      relation to the double-lumen endobronchial tube (DLT). A prospective survey for
      the airway problems in using the DLT is presented. METHODS: One hundred adult
      patients undergoing thoracotomy for lung cancer were investigated. Tube
      malposition and airway obstruction were searched using a fiber-optic scope. The
      endobronchial cuff was positioned just below the trachcal carina while the
      trachea was intubated with a DLT (Rusch). The distances of displacement, from the
      tracheal carina to the bronchial cuff, were measured during anesthesia using an
      epidural catheter, which had marks every 5 mm. The distances for correcting the
      tube position were measured at both the bronchial cuff and the level of the
      teethPaO2,PaCO2 andSPO2 were also measured. RESULTS: Malposition (displacement
      over 5 mm from the correct position) was found in 42 patients, and 40 of them
      were in a withdrawal direction, occurring at the postural change and during one
      lung ventilation, especially during manipulation of the lung hilum. Correcting
      distances at the level of the teeth were 15.3-3-times longer than those at the
      bronchial cuff. Airway deformities and gradual withdrawal of the bronchial cuff
      were found in association with surgical manipulation. Obstruction occurred at the
      tips of the tracheal tube in four patients and the bronchial tube in six
      patients, and at the tip of both in two patients. Hypoxemia (PaO2<60 mmHg)
      occurred in four patients and hypercapnea (PaCO2>60 mm Hg) in two patients.
      CONCLUSION: Most of the DLT obstructions were associated with withdrawal
      malposition. Great attention to DLT displacement and airway deformity is advised.

PMID- 28921106
TI  - Kinetic stability of membrane proteins.
AB  - Although membrane proteins constitute an important class of biomolecules involved
      in key cellular processes, study of the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of
      their structures is far behind that of soluble proteins. It is known that many
      membrane proteins become unstable when removed by detergent extraction from the
      lipid environment. In addition, most of them undergo irreversible denaturation,
      even under mild experimental conditions. This process was found to be associated
      with partial unfolding of the polypeptide chain exposing hydrophobic regions to
      water, and it was proposed that the formation of kinetically trapped
      conformations could be involved. In this review, we will describe some of the
      efforts toward understanding the irreversible inactivation of membrane proteins.
      Furthermore, its modulation by phospholipids, ligands, and temperature will be
      herein discussed.

PMID- 28921108
TI  - Ventilatory effects of laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the ventilatory effect of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in
      patients under general anesthesia with epidural block. METHODS: We measured
      arterial blood gas, pulmonary carbon dioxide elimination (0000126;ECO2), the dead
      space/tidal volume ratio (VD/VT), and the alveolar-arterial PO2 difference [(A
      a)DO2] just before and 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 min after peritoneal insufflation in
      eight patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general
      anesthesia with epidural block. The effect of laparoscopic cholecystectomy on
      these values was evaluated. The patients were ventilated on the controlled mode
      by Servo 900C with a constant tidal volume (VT 10ml.kg-1) and frequency
      (respiratory rate 12 breaths.min-1) throughout the study. RESULTS: After starting
      peritoneal insufflation the PaCO2 showed a sudden increase during the initial 10
      min of about 4 mmHg followed by a gradual increase thereafter. The increase
      in000123;ECO2 was about 30ml.min-1 (20%) on average during the initial 20 min,
      and a plateau was reached within 20-40 min after peritoneal insufflation. Neither
      VD/VT nor (A-a)DO2 showed significant changes during the study. CONCLUSION: These
      results suggest that (1) transperitoneal absorption of CO2 may be the main cause
      of hypercarbia, and the hypercarbia is not attributed to the increase in VD/VT;
      and (2) oxygenation is not impaired during pneumoperitoneum.

PMID- 28921109
TI  - Differential effects of ketamine and MK-801 on A-fiber and C-fiber responses of
      spinal wide dynamic range neurons in the cat.
AB  - PURPOSE: To clarify whether ketamine suppresses both A-fiber-and C-fiber-mediated
      pain and to compare the effects of ketamine with those of MK-801. METHODS:
      Experiments were performed on urethane/chloralose-anesthetized cats. Glass
      capillary microelectrodes were used to record extracellular single unit
      activities from wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in the spinal dorsal horn.
      Responses evoked by electrical stimulation of the superficial peroneal (SP),
      posterior tibial (PT), or both nerves were analyzed. The responses to successive
      electrical stimuli were displayed on a personal computer using a raster-dot
      processing program. RESULTS: A subanesthetic dose of intravenous ketamine
      suppressed both A- and C-fiber responses of WDR neurons in a dose-dependent
      manner without affecting A-fiber response of low-threshold mechanoreceptive (LTM)
      neurons. The C-fiber response was more markedly suppressed than the A-fiber
      response. Intravenous administration of MK-801, a specificN-methyl-D-aspartate
      (NMDA) antagonist, selectively suppressed the C-fiber response of WDR neurons.
      CONCLUSION: Intravenous ketamine may suppress both A-and C-fiber-mediated pain at
      a subanesthetic dose. This finding could be a scientific basis for the usefulness
      of ketamine during clinical procedures such as dressing changes or debridement of
      the burned patient.

PMID- 28921111
TI  - Yohimbine and flumazenil: effect on nitrous oxide-induced suppression of dorsal
      horn neurons in cats.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms of nitrous
      oxide (N2O) antinociception at the spinal level with yohimbine (an alpha2
      adrenergic antagonist) and flumazenil (a specific benzodiazepine antagonist)
      using chemonociceptive stimuli in spinal dorsal horn neurons in the cat. METHODS:
      A lumbar laminectomy extending from L4 to L6 was performed to allow insertion of
      a extracellular recording device via a microelectrode. Additional laminectomy was
      performed at the T12 level to transect the spinal cord. As a noxious stimulus,
      bradykinin (BK) was injected via the cannula inserted into the femoral artery.
      Animals were divided into four treatment groups for subsequent experiments:
      N2O+flumazenil, N2O+yohimbine, flumazenil (alone), and yohimbine (alone).
      RESULTS: N2O suppressed BK-induced nociceptive responses in transected feline
      spinal cords. The BK-induced neuronal firing rates were significantly suppressed:
      to 69.2%, 61.8%, and 52.2% of the baseline firing rate at 10, 20, and 30 min,
      respectively, after N2O administration. The 47.8% suppression on BK-induced
      neuronal responses at 30 min after N2O administration was reversed 5 min after
      administration of yohimbine (25.2% suppression). Similarly, N2O suppression
      (42.5%) on chemically induced neuronal responses was reversed by flumazenil
      (24.9% suppression) at identical postadministration intervals. CONCLUSION: These
      data imply that N2O suppresses the nociceptive responses in part probably through
      its agonistic binding activity to the alpha2-adrenergic, gamma-aminobutyric acid
      (GABA)-benzodiazepine, or both receptor systems in dorsal born neurons of the
      feline spinal cord.

PMID- 28921110
TI  - Detection of acetazolamide-induced increase in organ blood flow in rabbits by
      laser flowmetry.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the mechanism by which inhibition of carbonic anhydrase
      (CA) increases organ blood flow. METHODS: Regional blood flow (rBF) in white
      rabbits anesthetized with ketamine/urethane was measured in the kidney, liver,
      stomach wall, and abdominal muscle by means of laser blood flow probes. Data
      obtained from rabbits receiving acetazolamide (AZ) to inhibit CA were compared
      with those obtained from rabbits ventilated with air containing increased
      concentrations of CO2. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure, body temperature,
      hemoglobin, and base excess were unaffected by either treatment. Inhalation of
      CO2 increased blood flow in all organs tested as well as the cardiac output and
      PCO2 but decreased pH. Inhibition of CA by AZ administration increased the rBF
      only in the liver and kidney and did not increase cardiac output or decrease pH.
      CONCLUSION: Administration of AZ increased rBF in the tissues and organs that
      contained large amounts of CA without increasing the cardiac output or decreasing
      the pH, which suggests a direct local effect. A differential sensitivity to the
      retention of CO2 is suggested as a possible mechanism of the selectivity of the
      increase in rBF.

PMID- 28921112
TI  - The effect of CGRP-induced hypotension on organ blood flow during halothane
      anesthesia in dogs: a comparison with trimetaphan.
AB  - PURPOSE: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is an endogenous 37-amino-acid
      peptide which is a powerful vasodilator of the splanchnic circulation. To
      elucidate the effects of CGRP-induced hypotension on the organ blood flow, we
      compared the renal, hepatic, and pancreatic organ flows of CGRP-induced
      hypotension with those of trimetaphan (TMP) in halothane-anesthetized dogs.
      METHODS: Systemic hemodynamics and organ blood flow were determined in 18 mongrel
      dogs allocated to one of two groups: CGRP group (n=10) and TMP group (n=8). CGRP
      of TMP was infused at a rate sufficient to decrease the mean arterial pressure
      (MAP) to near 60 mmHg from the baseline values for a 60 min-hypotensive period.
      Organ blood flow was measured using the hydrogen clearance technique. RESULTS:
      The decrease in MAP was approximately 50% of baseline values (P<0.01). The
      hypotension induced by either CGRP or TMP was associated with a reduction
      (P<0.01) in systemic vascular resistance in both groups. Cardiac index (CI) in
      the CGRP group did not change significantly throughout the experiment. On the
      other hand, CI decreased at 30 min (P<0.01) and 60 min (P<0.01) during the
      hypotensive period in the TMP group. No changes were observed in renal, hepatic,
      and pancreatic blood flows in the CGRP group. Renal blood flow in the TMP group
      did not change significantly throughout the experiment. In contrast, hepatic
      blood flow resulted in a significant decrease (P<0.01) during TMP-induced
      hypotension. Pancreatic blood flow decreased during the hypotensive period
      (P<0.01) and at 30 min (P<0.05) after termination of TMP. CONCLUSION: These
      findings show that CGRP does not adversely affect renal, hepatic, and pancreatic
      organ blood flows even in the presence of profound hypotension in halothane
      anesthetized dogs. The results of this study suggest that CGRP may preserve organ
      blood flow during induced hypotension.

PMID- 28921113
TI  - Effects of vagal nerves or vagosympathetic trunks stimulation on the hemodynamics
      during spinal anesthesia in cats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To clarify the sudden onset of profound bradycardia or hypotension
      during spinal anesthesia, we stimulated vagal nerves (VN) or vagosympathetic
      trunks (VST) to examine the effects on the autonomic nervous system during spinal
      anesthesia with different degrees of cardiac sympathetic nerve block. METHODS:
      Cats were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. The left stellate ganglion
      was exposed to record cardiac sympathetic nerve activity (CSNA). Systolic and
      diastolic blood pressures (BP), heart rate (HR), and CSNA were measured before
      and after intrathecal injections of 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 ml of 1% lidocaine. After
      each intrathecal injection of lidocaine, bilateral VST (n=5, group A) or VN (n=5,
      group B) were stimulated and measurements were repeated. ]RESULTS: After 1.0 ml
      intrathecal injection of 1% lidocaine, CSNA was blocked completely, and BP and HR
      were decreased. In group A, BP were unchanged following VST stimulation while in
      group B, BP decreased approximately 30% by VN stimulation from the pre
      stimulation levels after 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 ml injection of 1% lidocaine,
      respectively. HR decreased further, approximately 35% in group A and 50% in group
      B, by each stimulation from the prestimulation levels after 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 ml
      injection of 1% lidocaine. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that hypotension and
      bradycardia during a high level of spinal anesthesia are due to the block of
      CSNA, and vagal reflex may produce profound hypotension and bradycardia
      especially in high spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 28921114
TI  - Effects of sevoflurane and halothane anesthesia on liver circulation and oxygen
      metabolism in the dog during hepatolobectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Effects of sevoflurane and halothane anesthesia on liver circulation and
      oxygen metabolism during hepatolobectomy were investigated in the dog, with the
      aim of choosing a better anesthetic for hepatic resection. METHODS: Sixteen
      mongrel dogs were randomly divided into two groups with eight in each.
      Electromagnetic flowmeters were used to measure hepatic arterial and portal
      venous blood flows (1) before the inhalation of each anesthetic (base line); (2)
      1 h after the start of inhalation of 1.5 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC)
      anesthetic; (3) 1 h after hepatolobectomy with the same MAC of anesthesia; and
      (4) 2 h after the discontinuation of anesthesia. Measurements of systemic
      hemodynamics, blood gas tensions, plasma enzyme leaks and arterial ketone body
      ratio were made at the same time. RESULTS: Sevoflurane maintained hepatic
      arterial blood flow better than halothane anesthesia, both before and after
      hepatolobectomy. Hepatic arterial vascular resistance increased in the halothane
      group but did not change in the sevoflurane group after hepatolobectomy. No
      significant difference was found in oxygen metabolism and arterial ketone body
      ratio between two groups. Serum enzyme leakage was less in the sevoflurane group.
      CONCLUSION: Sevoflurane has less adverse effects on liver circulation, especially
      hepatic arterial blood flow, and hepatic function than halothane in the case of
      hepatolobectomy.

PMID- 28921115
TI  - Atelectasis during anesthesia: Can it be prevented?

PMID- 28921116
TI  - Stellate ganglion block therapy for a patient with Tietze's syndrome.

PMID- 28921117
TI  - Cardiac arrest following induction of anesthesia in a patient with acute massive
      pulmonary thromboembolism.

PMID- 28921118
TI  - Repeated total intravenous anesthesia for a patient with a history of enflurane
      induced rhabdomyolysis.

PMID- 28921119
TI  - Airway crisis during anesthesia in a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis.

PMID- 28921120
TI  - Spinal epidural pressure as a less-invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure:
      report of two cases of encephalitis.

PMID- 28921121
TI  - Protein C activation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation following out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest.

PMID- 28921122
TI  - Intravenous midazolam passage into breast milk.

PMID- 28921123
TI  - The use of obtuse needles in aspirating drugs from ampules in the practice of
      anesthesia.

PMID- 28921125
TI  - Exogenous Cannabinoid Efficacy: Merely a Pharmacokinetic Interaction?
AB  - Endocannabinoid pharmacology is now relatively well understood with a number of
      endocannabinoids and endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitters identified and the
      pharmacokinetics relatively well ascertained. Further, the cannabinoid receptors
      are now molecularly and pharmacologically characterised and the cell processes
      involved in endocannabinoid transcription, synthesis, post-translational
      modification and protein expression are reported. Endogenous cannabinoids have
      been shown to have key roles in immune and pain pathways and neuro-behavioural
      signalling including appetite regulation. Significant recent interest has thus
      been shown in understanding these pathways to guide the development of agents
      that inhibit the natural catabolism of endogenous cannabinoids to modify pain and
      appetite, and to synthesise antagonists for the treatment of disease such as
      obesity. This research is concurrent with the renewed clinical interest in
      exogenous cannabinoids and their use in disease. However, the complex
      pharmacology and physiological effects of exogenous cannabinoids, either as
      individual components or in combination, as extracts or via administration of the
      whole plant in humans, are less well known. Yet as with all other therapeutics,
      including those derived from plants, knowledge of the pharmacokinetics and
      dynamics of the complete plant, the individual chemical molecules and their
      synthetic versions, including formulations and excipients is a standard part of
      drug development. This article covers the key pharmacological knowledge required
      to guide further exploration of the toxicity and efficacy of different
      cannabinoids and their formulations in blinded placebo-controlled studies.

PMID- 28921124
TI  - Droplet volume variability as a critical factor for accuracy of absolute
      quantification using droplet digital PCR.
AB  - Accurate and precise nucleic-acid quantification is crucial for clinical and
      diagnostic decisions, as overestimation or underestimation can lead to misguided
      treatment of a disease or incorrect labelling of the products. Digital PCR is one
      of the best tools for absolute nucleic-acid copy-number determination. However,
      digital PCR needs to be well characterised in terms of accuracy and sources of
      uncertainty. With droplet digital PCR, discrepancies between the droplet volume
      assigned by the manufacturer and measured by independent laboratories have
      already been shown in previous studies. In the present study, we report on the
      results of an inter-laboratory comparison of different methods for droplet volume
      determination that is based on optical microscopy imaging and is traceable to the
      International System of Units. This comparison was conducted on the same DNA
      material, with the examination of the influence of parameters such as droplet
      generators, supermixes, operators, inter-cartridge and intra-cartridge
      variability, and droplet measuring protocol. The mean droplet volume was measured
      using a QX200TM AutoDGTM Droplet DigitalTM PCR system and two QX100TM Droplet
      DigitalTM PCR systems. The data show significant volume differences between these
      two systems, as well as significant differences in volume when different
      supermixes are used. We also show that both of these droplet generator systems
      produce droplets with significantly lower droplet volumes (13.1%, 15.9%,
      respectively) than stated by the manufacturer and previously measured by other
      laboratories. This indicates that to ensure precise quantification, the droplet
      volumes should be assessed for each system.

PMID- 28921126
TI  - Intravenous iloprost to recruit the microcirculation in septic shock patients?

PMID- 28921127
TI  - Synergistic effect of baicalein, wogonin and oroxylin A mixture: multistep
      inhibition of the NF-kappaB signalling pathway contributes to an anti
      inflammatory effect of Scutellaria root flavonoids.
AB  - Scutellaria root, the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, is a crude drug
      used for inflammatory diseases. In our previous report, the combination of
      flavonoids contained in Scutellaria root have been found to inhibit PGE2
      production more strongly than individual flavonoids. Here, to investigate the
      mechanism of the synergistic effect, we examined the effects of an equimolar
      mixture (F-mix) of baicalein (1), wogonin (2) and oroxylin A (3) on the
      production of PGE2 in LPS-treated J774.1 cells. Although 1 and 3 inhibited COX-2
      activity, the F-mix showed no synergistic effect on COX-2 inhibition. Therefore,
      we investigated the steps leading to the activation of COX-2 protein. Compounds 1
      3 and F-mix inhibited the expression of COX-2 protein. However, only 2 inhibited
      the expression of COX-2 mRNA among the flavonoids, and the F-mix showed no
      synergistic effect. Only 1 inhibited NF-kappaB translocation into the nucleus,
      and the F-mix showed no synergistic effect. Although 2 did not affect NF-kappaB
      translocation, it strongly inhibited NF-kappaB-dependent transcriptional
      activity, and the F-mix inhibited the activity slightly more than 2. Compounds 1
      3 also inhibited NO production, and the F-mix showed a synergistic effect.
      However, the effects of each flavonoid on the expression of iNOS mRNA were not
      consistent with those on COX-2 mRNA. Because the flavonoids inhibit different
      steps in the production of PGE2 and NO, and their mixture did not show apparent
      synergistic effects in each step, we conclude that the synergistic effect of the
      flavonoid mixture reflects the total effect of the flavonoids inhibiting
      different steps in the NF-kappaB signalling pathway.

PMID- 28921128
TI  - Precision of bone density and micro-architectural properties at the distal radius
      and tibia in children: an HR-pQCT study.
AB  - : Precision errors need to be known when monitoring bone micro-architecture in
      children with HR-pQCT. Precision errors for trabecular bone micro-architecture
      ranged from 1 to 8% when using the standard evaluation at the radius and tibia.
      Precision errors for cortical bone micro-architecture ranged from 1 to 11% when
      using the advanced cortical evaluation. INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to define
      HR-pQCT precision errors (CV%RMS) and least significant changes (LSCs) at the
      distal radius and tibia in children using the standard evaluation and the
      advanced cortical evaluation. METHODS: We scanned the distal radius (7% of ulnar
      length) and tibia (8% of tibia length) of 32 children (age range 8-13; mean age
      11.3; SD 1.6 years) twice (1 week apart) using HR-pQCT (XtremeCT1). We calculated
      root-mean-squared coefficients of variation (CV%RMS) to define precision errors
      and LSC to identify differences required to detect change. RESULTS: Precision
      errors ranged between 1-8 and 1-5% for trabecular bone outcomes (obtained with
      standard evaluation) and between 1.5-11 and 0.5-6% for cortical bone outcomes
      (obtained with advanced cortical evaluation) at the distal radius and tibia,
      respectively. Related LSCs ranged between 3-21 and 3-14% for trabecular bone
      outcomes and between 4-30 and 2-16% for cortical bone outcomes at the distal
      radius and tibia, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HR-pQCT precision errors were
      between 1 and 8% (LSC 3-21%) for trabecular bone outcomes and 1 and 11% (LSC 2
      30%) for cortical bone outcomes at the radius and tibia in children. Cortical
      bone outcomes obtained using the advanced cortical evaluation appeared to have
      lower precision errors than cortical outcomes derived using the standard
      evaluation. These findings, combined with better-defined cortical bone contours
      with advanced cortical evaluation, indicate that metrics from advanced cortical
      evaluation should be utilized when monitoring cortical bone properties in
      children.

PMID- 28921129
TI  - Effects of phenylephrine and ephedrine on pulmonary arterial pressure in patients
      with cervical or lumbar epidural anesthesia, or enflurane anesthesia.
AB  - The authors studied systemic and pulmonary hemodynamic changes with ephedrine
      (EP) or phenylephrine (PH) when used to normalize arterial hypotension resulting
      from acute sympathectomy due to cervical or lumbar epidural anesthesia, or
      enflurane anesthesia in 52 patients. Both EP (0.2+/-0.05 mg.kg-1) and PH (0.025+/
      0.008 mg.kg-1) produced a significant increase in pulmonary arterial pressure
      (PAP) with a concomitant increase in arterial pressure (AP). In the patients
      anesthetized with cervical epidural block and NO2-O2, systolic PAP increased from
      22+/-5 to 28+/-8 mmHg with EP and from 23+/-6 to 32+/-10 mmHg with PH in response
      to approximately 30 mmHg increase of AP, and the ratio of the increment of
      systolic PAP to systolic AP (DeltaPAP/DeltaAP) was 0.15+/-0.08 with EP and 0.20+/
      0.13 with PH (P<0.05); these changes did not differ significantly from those
      observed in the patients having lumbar epidural or enflurane-N2O-O2 anesthesia.
      The influence on cardiac output (CO) differed significantly between EP and PH; EP
      increased CO in all three groups (P<0.05), while PH did not elicit any
      significant changes in CO. A significant relationship between PAP and AP was
      found in patients given EP; the regression equation was DeltaPAP=0.22*DeltaAP-2.9
      (r=0.77). The relationship in patients given PH was less significant (r=0.38).
      The results indicated that EP and PH elicit pulmonary hypertensive effect
      similarly in the patients with a high level of epidural anesthesia and that
      although both drugs act differently (EP mainly due to increases in the blood flow
      and PH solely due to its pulmonary vasconstrictive action), the increases in PAP
      were predictable, to some extent, from the increase of AP in anesthetized humans
      without predominant cardiopulmonary disorders.

PMID- 28921130
TI  - Electroencephalograms in children during isoflurane anesthesia.
AB  - The electroencephalograms (EEG) of 55 children under isoflurane anesthesia were
      studied to elucidate any change in pattern with age. The children ranged from 1
      month to 14 years of age were divided into six age groups. The standard minimum
      alveolar concentration (MAC) was determined in each group. Anesthesia was induced
      using the slow induction method, and EEG was recorded at isoflurane
      concentrations of 1.5 MAC in 100% oxygen, 1.0 MAC in 100% oxygen, and 1.0 MAC
      under administration of 66% nitrous oxide in oxygen. Ventilation was controlled
      mechanically (end-tidal CO2 35-40 mmHg).At 1.5 MAC, the incidences of burst
      suppression in the groups of 6 months to 6 years of age were significantly less
      than in groups older or younger than that age (P<0.05). Except for infants less
      than 6 months of age, the mean values of maximum amplitude at 1.0 MAC were two to
      three times of those in adults. Children 3-6 years of age showed the highest
      value of 427.0+/-83.5 MUV.

PMID- 28921131
TI  - Left ventricular diastolic filling during coronary artery bypass surgery in
      patients with diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension.
AB  - To evaluate left ventricular diastolic filling (DF) using transesophageal Doppler
      echocardiography in 40 patients with or without diabetes mellitus and/or
      hypertension, we measured DF after induction of anesthesia, before and after
      cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and at the end of coronary artery bypass surgery
      (CABS). In 13 patients with complete measurements, there was no significant
      change in DF but diastolic filling time became shorter and peak velocity during
      atrial contraction increased significantly following CPB. In the other patients,
      the assessment of DF could be performed accurately in CABS patients without
      diabetes and/or hypertension, but not in CABS patients with these disorders
      because of a high incidence of fusion of the E-A waves, which is an indicator of
      impaired DF. When heart rate (HR) was more than 75 beats.min-1 (RR interval of
      less than 800 ms), the incidence of fusion points was significantly higher in
      patients with diabetes and/or hypertension than without (13 of 29s 1 of
      9,P<0.05). It is suggested that a slower HR (less than 75 beat.min-1) is
      desirable in CABS patients with these disorders to avoid impairment of DF due to
      either prolonged systolic time or isovolumic relaxation time.

PMID- 28921132
TI  - Differential effects of vecuronium on the thumb and the big toe muscles evaluated
      by acceleration measurement.
AB  - To clarify the differential effects of vecuronium on the thumb and on the big
      toe, train-of-four (TOF) stimuli were applied to the ulnar nerve at the wrist and
      the tibial nerve at the ankle in anesthetized patients using two acceleration
      transducers. Ten adult patients, aged 21-55 years, were studied. Anesthesia was
      induced by an intravenous injection of thiopental, and vecuronium 0.1 mg.kg-1 was
      used for paralysis. Anesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide (66%)-oxygen
      sevoflurane (1 MAC). The duration of time to the maximal twitch depression on the
      thumb and the big toe was 136.5+/-32.5 s and 183.0+/-40.1 s (P<0.05),
      respectively. The time to 25% recovery of the twitch height on the thumb and the
      big toe was 48.1+/-17.3 min and 39.1+/-11.6 min, respectively; the time to 50%
      recovery of twitch height on the thumb and the big toe was 54.1+/-16.1 min and
      40.0+/-9.2 min (P<0.05), respectively. When paralysis was reversed at 25% of TOF
      ratio on the thumb, the value of the TOF ratio on the big toe was 58.5+/-18.2%
      (P<0.01).

PMID- 28921133
TI  - Effects of double administration of nicardipine of the cardiovascular response to
      tracheal intubation in hypertensive patients.
AB  - The efficacy of intravenous nicardipine in attenuating the cardiovascular
      responses to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation was studied in 20 hypertensive
      patients. Ten patients received intravenous 1 mg of nicardipine 1 min before
      induction (N1 group). The other ten received 1 mg of nicardipine 1 min before
      induction and an additional 1 mg just before laryngoscopy (N2 group). In the N1
      group, arterial pressure and heart rate increased significantly after tracheal
      intubation. In the N2 group, arterial pressure did not increase but heart rate
      increased more than that in N1 group. There was no significant difference in rate
      pressure product between the two groups.

PMID- 28921134
TI  - Comparison of bupivacaine and fentanyl as an adjuvant of epidural morphine for
      postoperative analgesia.
AB  - We conducted a retrospective study to determine whether bupivacaine or fentanyl
      is a better adjuvant to epidural morphine for postoperative analgesia using 108
      patients. Following epidural lidocaine anesthesia with or without light general
      anesthesia for major gynecological surgeries, 59 patients received epidural
      morphine (EPM) 2 mg (group M), 21 patients received morphine 2 mg plus 0.25%
      plain bupivacaine 6-10 ml epidurally (group B), and 28 patients received morphine
      2 mg plus fentanyl 100 MUg epidurally (group F). The analgesic interval, defined
      as the duration from EPM injection to the first request of analgesics for
      incisional pain, was significantly longer in group F than in group M (29+/-11vs
      19+/-17 h,P<0.05), but similar to group B (22+/-14 h). Group F patients required
      the least amount of analgesics for incisional pain of the three groups during the
      first 24 h postoperatively (P<0.01). The incidence of adverse effects was similar
      among all three groups. In conclusion, fentanyl appears to be a better adjuvant
      to epidural morphine than bupivacaine.

PMID- 28921135
TI  - Effects of prostaglandin E1 on renal hemodynamics.
AB  - The glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RPF), renal blood flow
      (RBF), filtration fraction (FF), and the ratio of mean arterial pressure (MAP) to
      RBF (MAP/RBF), reflecting renal vascular resistance (RVR) were determined to
      investigate the effects of intravenously administered prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on
      renal hemodynamics in humans. PGE1 produced no significant changes in GFR, but
      did cause significant increases in RPF and RBF and significant decreases in FF
      and MAP/RBF. The relationships between MAP and GFR, MAP and RBF, and MAP and
      MAP/RBF were investigated. PGE1 suppressed the increase of MAP/RBF along with the
      increase of MAP, increased the RBF along with the increase of MAP, and kept the
      GFR constant, regardless of MAP. Also, the effects of PGE1 on renal pericapillary
      vessels were simulated. According to this simulation, PGE1 had a vasodilator
      action on both preglomerular and postglomerular capillaries.

PMID- 28921136
TI  - Epidural anesthesia affects pulse oximeter readings and response time.
AB  - We investigated the effects of epidural anesthesia on pulse oximeter readings
      (Spo2) and response time because this type of anesthesia causes significant
      changes in microcirculation at measurement sites. Twenty patients were divided
      into lumbar epidural (L-EPI;n=10) and the cervical epidural (C-EPI;n=10) groups.
      Spo2 and skin blood flow (SBF) were measured at the finger and toe simultaneously
      by pulse oximeter and laser Doppler flowmeter, respectively. Data were collected
      before and after epidural anesthesia for 1 min and the response time was
      calculated by the difference between the finger and toe using the breath-holding
      method. Epidural anesthesia increased SBF in the blocked area and decreased it in
      the nonblocked area in both groups (P<0.01, respectively). In the L-EPI group,
      Spo2 was increased at the finger (P<0.05) and decreased at the toe (P<0.05). In
      the C-EPI group, Spo2 at both the finger and toe was decreased by the anesthesia.
      DeltaSpo2 (Spo2 at the finger minus Spo2 at the toe) was increased in the L-EPI
      group (P<0.05) and decreased in the C-EPI group (P<0.01). The difference in the
      response time became larger in the C-EPI group and smaller or opposite in the L
      EPI group after anesthesia. The difference in response time and SBF were
      significantly correlated (r=0.71;P<0.05). These results indicated that epidural
      anesthesia lowerd Spo2 and shortened the response time through vasodilation in
      the blocked area and caused the opposite reactions in the nonblocked area through
      compensatory vasoconstriction.

PMID- 28921137
TI  - Effects of combined intravenous nicardipine and diltiazem administration on the
      circulatory response to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation.
AB  - To evaluate the effect of combined intravenous administration of the calcium
      antagonists, nicardipine and diltiazem, on the circulatory responses to tracheal
      intubation, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and rate pressure product (RPP) in
      response to laryngoscopy following tracheal intubation were compared in patients
      receiving saline placebo or nicardipine 10 MUg.kg-1 and diltiazem 0.1 mg.kg-1 60
      s before the initiation of laryngoscopy. Each group was comprised of ten patients
      undergoing elective surgery. The patients receiving saline showed a significant
      increase in MAP and RPP associated with tracheal intubation. However, these
      increases were significantly attenuated (P<0.05) in the patients to whom
      nicardipine and diltiazem were administered concurrently.

PMID- 28921138
TI  - Effect of prostaglandin E1 on arterial ketone body ratio in hepatectomy.
AB  - We evaluated the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) administration during
      hepatectomy on arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR), which is an indicator of liver
      function, and on other liver functions in the postoperative period. Eighteen
      patients were divided into two groups: Continuous intravenous administration of
      PGE1 (0.02 MUg.kg-1.h-1) was started immediately before hepatic resection and
      ceased at the end of operation in nine patients (PGE1 group); the other nine did
      not receive PGE1 (control group). After hepatic resection, a significant increase
      in AKBR was observed in the PGE1 group. However, no change was observed in the
      control group. In the PGE1 group, total bilirubin and SGOT recovered more rapidly
      to the preoperative level than in the control group. These findings suggested
      that PGE1 might have a protective effect on the liver.

PMID- 28921139
TI  - An analysis of CO2 elimination curves during artificial ventilation.
AB  - We have developed some indices to evaluate the phase III slope in CO2 elimination
      curves. The indices were applied to 12 mechanically ventilated patients in ICU to
      determine their stability under various ventilator settings. Fco2-sl[30-90]
      and[Formula: see text] expressed the mean incline of phase III slope in Fco2
      volume curves and[Formula: see text]-volume curves, respectively. Fco2-SR
      and[Formula: see text]-SR expressed the ratio of the slopes in the first and
      second halves of the phase III portion in both curves. The indices were also
      applied to 108 elective surgery patients to determine their usefulness in
      predicting ventilatory efficiency during general anesthesia. In the first study,
      Fco2-sl[30-90] and[Formula: see text][30-90] correlated with ETco2, Vd/Vt and the
      volume of CO2 expired, but Fco2-SR and[Formula: see text]-SR were independent of
      these parameters.[Formula: see text]-SR did not show any significant changes
      under various ventilator settings except for application of PEEP. In the second
      study, those with impaired preoperative respiratory function had significantly
      larger values for[Formula: see text].[Formula: see text] was as sensitive as
      parameters such as VD/VT, arterial to end-tidal CO2 tension difference (a
      ET.Dco2), and volume pressure index (VPI) in prediting poor respiratory
      functions. We concluded that[Formula: see text] is a useful index for evaluating
      the phase III slope in CO2 elimination curves.

PMID- 28921140
TI  - Single-breath induction of anesthesia: comparison of enflurane and sevoflurane.
AB  - In this study induction of anesthesia using the single-breath technique with
      either enflurane or sevoflurane in oxygen was compared. Each group consisted of
      16 unpremedicated volunteers who breathed approximately 1.7 minimum alveolar
      concentration (MAC) equivalents of either vapor. There were no significant
      differences in the cardiovascular and respiratory variables monitored. The
      induction of anesthesia with enflurane (141+/-41 s) required significantly more
      time than with sevoflurane (118+/-25 s). The enflurane group was associated with
      significantly more problems during induction, and showed moderate or sometimes
      severe excitatory movements of the extremities and/or coughing. Subjects in the
      enflurane group described the induction of anesthesia as less pleasant than in
      the sevoflurane group. We concluded that enflurane was less suitable for single
      breath induction of anesthesia compared with sevoflurane.

PMID- 28921141
TI  - Estimation of cerebrospinal fluid pressure via lumbar epidural space by
      equilibration method.
AB  - By introducing water into the lumbar epidural space from a vertically held tube
      under gravity, we measured lumbar epidural pressure (EDP) when the water meniscus
      no longer declined. In principle, the pressure of either side of dura mater had
      become equal at this time which is referred to as the equilibrium point. EDP
      measured in this way was consistently 1-3 mmHg lower than lumbar cerebrospinal
      fluid pressure (CSFP) not only immediately after the equilibrium point, but also
      for 5 min after the equilibrium point had been reached. Both EDP and CSFP
      responded sensitively to the manipulations of CSFP during this period. We suggest
      that this method may provide a means to continuously monitor CSFP by EDP.

PMID- 28921142
TI  - Differential effects of isoflurane, halothane, and ketamine on the regional
      methionine-enkephalinlike immunoreactivity in the mouse brain.
AB  - The widely used measurement index for anesthetic potency, minimum alveolar
      concentration (MAC), is hypothesized to be the sum of the effects on multiple
      neural systems whose contribution to anesthesia differs depending on the agents
      used. The present study, which compared the effects of halothane, isoflurane, and
      ketamine, at equipotent level of anesthesia, on the methionine-enkephalinergic
      neurons in 9 brain regions, showed a significant difference in the methionine
      enkephalin-like immunoreactivity (Met-ENK-like IR) among the anesthetics in each
      region. The order of the Met-ENK-like IR was: halothane > ketamine > isoflurane
      in the caudatus putamen; halothane > isoflurane ?ketamine in the nucleus
      accumbens and the ventral pallidum; halothane ?isoflurane > ketamine in the
      globus pallidus, the nucleus dorsomedialis hypothalami, and the nucleus
      ventromedialis hypothalami; and halothane > isoflurane > ketamine in the arcuate
      nucleus, the periaqueductal gray, and the nucleus reticularis parvocellularis.
      These findings indicate that these three anesthetics affect the methionine
      enkephalinergic neurons in the motor and pain controlling pathways in different
      fashions.

PMID- 28921143
TI  - Administration of MgSO4 failed to improve the neurological recovery after
      complete global brain ischemia in dogs.
AB  - The cerebral protective effects of MgSO4 after complete global brain ischemia
      were evaluated with EEG, evoked potentials (EP) and the neurological recovery
      score (NRS) in the dog. Complete global brain ischemia for 15 min was achieved by
      occluding the ascending aorta and the caval veins. The MgSO4 group (N=7) were
      injected with a 10% MgSO4 solution and the control group (N=7) were administered
      a normal saline intravenously from the beginning of the resuscitation to 48 h
      after ischemia. The EEG grades (1=normal, 5=flat) in the control group and the
      MgSO4 group were 3.9+/-0.1 (mean +/-SEM) and 3.7+/-0.3, and the EEG-EP scores
      (6=normal, 0=serious deterioration) were 2.6+/-0.4 and 2.7+/-0.4 4h after
      ischemia, respectively. The 7-day survival rates for ischemia were equal in both
      groups (5/7:71%). The NRSs (0=death, 100=normal) in the control group and the
      MgSO4 group were 50+/-3 (n=7) and 43+/-9 (n=7) on the 3rd day after ischemia, and
      were 56+/-5 (n=5) and 42+/-12 (n=5) on the 7th day. The differences between the
      two groups were not significant. We conclude that MgSO4 administered after
      ischemia has no beneficial effects on the recovery of EEG, EP and the NRS after
      15 min of complete global brain ischemia in the dog.

PMID- 28921144
TI  - Intrathecal phentolamine increases blood flow and skin temperature in the hind
      limbs of dogs.
AB  - Spinal anesthesia with local anesthetics increases blood flow and skin
      temperature in the lower extremities. Although the effect of alpha2 adrenoceptor
      agonists on the spinal cord has been confirmed, there has been no such report of
      the effects of alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists. We studied the effects of
      intrathecal administration of phentolamine on the blood flow in the femoral
      artery and skin temperature in the hind limbs of seven dogs. One ml of 3%
      lidocaine (L group) or 1 ml of 0.1% phentolamine (P group) was injected into the
      intrathecal space. Blood flow significantly increased at 3 min in both groups,
      and no significant difference was observed between the groups at any phase. Pad
      skin temperature in the hind limbs increased significantly at 5 min in the L
      group and at 3 min in the P group (P<0.05). The only significant difference was
      observed at 30 min. High pad skin temperature continued for 60 min in the L group
      and for 90 min in the P group. With phentolamine i.v. (1 mg), there were no
      changes in blood flow in the femoral artery or pad skin temperature; there was
      only a decrease in blood pressure. In conclusion, the intrathecal alpha
      adrenoceptor antagonist, phentolamine, increases blood flow in the femoral artery
      and pad skin temperature in hind limbs in dogs similar to lidocaine.

PMID- 28921145
TI  - Relationship between cardiac output and mixed venous-arterialPCO 2 gradient in
      sodium bicarbonate-treated dogs.
AB  - We examined the relationship between cardiac output (CO) and mixed venous
      arterialPCO 2 gradient ([Formula: see text]) along with the other variables
      derived from arterial and/or mixed venous blood gases in sodium bicarbonate
      treated dogs. Six dogs with low cardiac output following cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation were used. CO, blood gases, and hemoglobin measurements were
      repeated every 20-30 min after administration of sodium bicarbonate or normal
      saline. All measurements were performed after the confirmation of a steady state
      of CO2 elimination by end-tidal CO2 monitoring. Arteriovenous oxygen content
      difference ([Formula: see text]), mixed venous oxygen saturation ([Formula: see
      text]), and[Formula: see text] were highly correlated with CO. The correlation
      coefficients between[Formula: see text],[Formula: see text], and[Formula: see
      text] werer=-0.81 (P<0.001),r=0.70 (P<0.001), andr=-0.77 (P<0.001), respectively.
      The results suggest that, if[Formula: see text] is measured during the steady
      state, except for the period during the transient increase in CO2 elimination
      just after the administration of sodium bicarbonate,[Formula: see text] can be
      used as an index of systemic perfusion even after the administration of sodium
      bicarbonate.

PMID- 28921146
TI  - Effects of vasodilators on fibrin-induced pulmonary edema, so-called neurogenic
      pulmonary edema, in the rat.
AB  - The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of vasodilators on the
      development of neurogenic pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema was induced by
      injecting fibrinogen and thrombin into the cisterna magna of vagotomized rats
      (fibrin-induced pulmonary edema). Before the intrathecal injections, rats were
      pretreated with intravenous injection of one of the following vasodilators:
      phentolamine, isoproterenol, nifedipine, diltiazem, isosorbide dinitrate, or
      substance P. Each vasodilator reduced the incidence of fibrin-induced pulmonary
      edema and lung-water ratio dose-dependently except nifedipine and diltiazem.
      There was a uniform relationship between the lung-water ratio and the prefibrin
      mean arterial pressure obtained under administration of different doses of the
      each drug. A similar relationship was obtained even if the drug used was
      different. Treatment with nifedipine or diltiazem, however, diminished the blood
      pressure but provided less protection against the development of pulmonary edema.
      The blood volume in edema-positive lungs was minimally different from that in
      edema-negative lungs. These results suggest that the neurogenic pulmonary edema
      may be effectively prevented by most vasodilators except Ca++-blockers.

PMID- 28921147
TI  - Effects of biogenic amines and intravenous anesthetics on the activity of rat
      locus coeruleus neurons in vitro.
AB  - To examine the effects of biogenic amines and clinically relevant concentrations
      of intravenous anesthetics on neuronal activities, the authors analyzed both
      spontaneous and evoked activities of neurons in the nucleus locus coeruleus
      (LC)in vitro using a single unit recording technique. Spontaneous firing was
      observed in 37% (14/38) of LC neurons, andN-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA, 50 MUM),
      glutamate (250 MUM), and carbachol (1-2 mM) elicited firing in 100% (38/38), 63%
      (12/19), and 58% (7/12) of silent LC neurons respectively. Noradrenaline (50 MUM)
      and serotonin (5-HT) (1-5 MUM) suppressed spontaneous and drug-induced activities
      in 47% (15/32) and 23% (8/35) of LC neurons, respectively. Pentobarbital (100
      MUM) inhibited 50% (5/10) of LC neurons. All neurons activated by NMDA (n=8) and
      glutamate (n-3) were suppressed by ketamine (40 MUM), but fentanyl (1 MUM) only
      suppressed 60% (3/5) of spontaneously active and 75% (3/4) of glutamate-activated
      neurons. Identical LC neurons were inhibited by various combinations of
      noradrenaline, 5-HT, pentobarbital, ketamine, and fentanyl. The results suggest
      that clinically relevant concentrations of anesthetics and opioids modulate the
      activity of LC neurons induced by biogenic amines, excitatory amino acids, and
      acetylcholine.

PMID- 28921148
TI  - Halothane enhances the negative chronotropic and dromotropic effects of calcium
      channel antagonists.

PMID- 28921149
TI  - Anesthesia for Down's syndrome with atlantoaxial instability using laryngeal mask
      airway.

PMID- 28921150
TI  - General anesthesia for Marinesco-Sjogren syndrome.

PMID- 28921151
TI  - Retrograde and antegrade intubation techniques under general anesthesia through
      the laryngeal mask airway.

PMID- 28921152
TI  - A new method of airway management with a long endotracheal-bronchial tube using a
      coaxial technique.

PMID- 28921153
TI  - Esophageal tracheal combitube overcomes difficult intubation: flexion deformity
      of the cervical spine due to rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 28921154
TI  - Severe hyponatremia induced with mannitol in a patient with Bartter's syndrome.

PMID- 28921155
TI  - Pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema during anesthesia for an infant.

PMID- 28921156
TI  - Effects of lumbar puncture position on arterial blood gases.
AB  - We observed the changes in partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO 2) and carbon
      dioxide (PaCO 2) before and during assumption of the lateral position prior to
      lumbar puncture in 81 patients to investigate whether lung volume decreased and
      ventilation was suppressed. PaO 2 significantly decreased while the patients were
      in the lateral position, while PaCO 2 remained unchanged. There was a negative
      correlation between the change in PaO 2 and age [change in PaO 2 (mmHg)=-0.13*age
      (years)+4.28,P<0.01]. The fact that closing volume increases with age implies
      that the decrease in functional residual capacity in the lateral position could
      have caused the decrease in PaO 2. It is therefore advisable to continuously
      monitor arterial oxygenation using a noninvasive monitor, such as a pulse
      oximeter, while performing spinal or epidural block, especially in elderly
      patients.

PMID- 28921157
TI  - Effect of the lithotomy position on spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric tetracaine.
AB  - This study was performed to determine the effects of lithotomy position on the
      spread of analgesia and hemodynamics following spinal anesthesia with 0.5%
      hyperbaric tetracaine. Thirty patients who underwent hysterectomy due to myoma
      uteri were studied. All patients received spinal anesthesia in the left lateral
      decubitus position and were turned supine immediately after intrathecal
      administration of the drug. Fifteen patients were then placed in the horizontal
      lithotomy position within 10 s, and the remaining 15 were kept in the horizontal
      supine position for 30 min. There were no significant differences between the
      groups in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and in the cephalad
      spread of analgesia. The lithotomy position had no effect on the spread of
      analgesia or anesthetic course of spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric tetracaine.

PMID- 28921158
TI  - Textbook of anesthesia on electronic media: trial version as a free software.
AB  - The author has compiled a textbook of anesthesia on a floppy diskette and has
      made it available as free software. It is called "KSAP", which stands for
      "Knowledge Source for Anesthesia Practice". He aims to create a new form of
      textbook that is appropriate for current technology. This is proposal is intended
      as sample in trial form. The advantages of this format are easy storage and easy
      use on personal computers, excellent portability and search ability, facilitation
      of revisions, and easy distribution. The amount of information in this text is
      slightly more than one megabyte. The entire book consists of approximately 500
      text files, all of which were written by this author. All that is required to use
      this textbook is an MS-DOS computer and software which reads ASCII text files.
      Individual files are all simple text files.

PMID- 28921159
TI  - Report on the Computer Software Contest at the 40th Congress of the Japan Society
      of Anesthesiology.

PMID- 28921160
TI  - GP2013: A Rituximab Biosimilar.
AB  - GP2013 is the second biosimilar of the reference monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody
      rituximab to be approved in the EU. It is approved for use in all indications for
      which reference rituximab is approved, including follicular lymphoma (FL),
      diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia,
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic
      polyangiitis. GP2013 has similar physicochemical and pharmacodynamic properties
      to those of reference rituximab, and the pharmacokinetic biosimilarity of the
      agents has been shown in patients with RA. GP2013 demonstrated clinical efficacy
      equivalent to that of reference rituximab in patients with FL, and was generally
      well tolerated in this population. The tolerability, immunogenicity and safety
      profiles of GP2013 were similar to those of reference rituximab. The role of
      reference rituximab in the management of cancers and autoimmune conditions is
      well established and GP2013 provides an effective biosimilar alternative for
      patients requiring rituximab therapy.

PMID- 28921161
TI  - Deep brain stimulation for refractory temporal lobe epilepsy: a systematic review
      and meta-analysis with an emphasis on alleviation of seizure frequency outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Conflicting conclusions have been reported regarding predictors of
      deep brain stimulation (DBS) outcome in patients with refractory temporal lobe
      epilepsy (TLE). The main goal of this meta-analysis study was to identify
      possible predictors of remarkable seizure reduction (RSR). METHODS: We conducted
      a comprehensive search of English-language literature published since 1990 and
      indexed in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library that addressed seizure
      outcomes in patients who underwent DBS for refractory TLE. A pooled RSR rate was
      determined for eight included studies. RSR rates were analyzed relative to
      potential prognostic variables. Random- or fixed-effects models were used
      depending on the presence or absence of heterogeneity. RESULTS: The pooled RSR
      rate among 61 DBS-treated patients with TLE from 8 studies was 59%. Higher
      likelihood of RSR was found to be associated with lateralization of stimulation,
      lateralized ictal EEG findings, and a longer follow-up period. Seizure semiology,
      MRI abnormalities, and patient sex were not predictive of RSR rate. The best
      electrode type for RSR was the Medtronic 3389. Hippocampal and anterior thalamic
      nuclei (ATN) sites of stimulation had similar odds of producing RSR. CONCLUSIONS:
      DBS is an effective therapeutic modality for intractable TLE, particularly in
      patients with lateralized EEG abnormalities and in patients treated on the ictal
      side. This meta-analysis provides evidence-based information for determining DBS
      suitability in presurgical counseling and for explaining seizure outcomes.

PMID- 28921162
TI  - A bionanohybrid ZnAl-NADS ecological pesticide as a treatment for soft rot
      disease in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).
AB  - Pectobacterium carotovorum (Pc) is a phytopathogenic strain that causes soft rot
      disease in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), resulting in postharvest losses.
      Chemical control is effective for managing this disease, but overdoses cause
      adverse effects. Because farmers insist on using chemical agents for crop
      protection, it is necessary to develop more effective pesticides in which the
      active compound released can be regulated. In this context, we proposed the
      synthesis of ZnAl-NADS, in which nalidixic acid sodium salt (NADS) is linked to a
      ZnAl-NO3 layered double hydroxide (LDH) host as a nanocarrier. XRD, FT-IR, and
      SEM analyses confirmed the successful intercalation of NADS into the interplanar
      LDH space. The drug release profile indicated that the maximum release was
      completed in 70 or 170 min for free NADS (alone) or for NADS released from ZnAl
      NADS, respectively. This slow release was attributed to strong electrostatic
      interactions between the drug and the anion exchanger. A modulated release is
      preferable to the action of the bulk NADS, showing increased effectiveness and
      minimizing the amount of the chemical available to pollute the soil and the
      water. The fitting data from modified Freundlich and parabolic diffusion models
      explain the release behavior of the NADS, suggesting that the drug released from
      ZnAl-NADS bionanohybrid was carried out from the interlamellar sites, according
      to the ion exchange diffusion process also involving intraparticle diffusion
      (coeffect). ZnAl-NADS was tested in vitro against Escherichia coli (Ec) and Pc
      and exhibited bacteriostatic and biocidal effects at 0.025 and 0.075 mg mL-1,
      respectively. ZnAl-NADS was also tested in vivo as an ecological pesticide for
      combating potato soft rot and was found to delay typical disease symptoms. In
      conclusion, ZnAl-NADS can potentially be used to control pests, infestation, and
      plant disease.

PMID- 28921163
TI  - Discriminative stimulus properties of the atypical antipsychotic amisulpride:
      comparison to its isomers and to other benzamide derivatives, antipsychotic,
      antidepressant, and antianxiety drugs in C57BL/6 mice.
AB  - RATIONALE: Racemic (RS)-amisulpride (Solian(r)) is an atypical antipsychotic drug
      used to treat schizophrenia and dysthymia. Blockade of dopamine D2/D3 and/or
      serotonin 5-HT7 receptors is implicated in its pharmacological effects. While the
      (S)-amisulpride isomer possesses a robust discriminative cue, discriminative
      stimulus properties of (RS)-amisulpride have not been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: The
      present study established (RS)-amisulpride as a discriminative stimulus and
      assessed amisulpride-like effects of amisulpride stereoisomers, other benzamide
      derivatives, and antipsychotic, antidepressant, and anxiolytic drugs. METHODS:
      Adult, male C57BL/6 mice were trained to discriminate 10 mg/kg (RS)-amisulpride
      from vehicle in a two-lever food-reinforced operant conditioning task. RESULTS:
      (RS)-Amisulpride's discriminative stimulus was dose-related, time-dependent, and
      stereoselective. (S)-Amisulpride (an effective dose of 50% (ED50) = 0.21 mg/kg)
      was three times more potent than (RS)-amisulpride (ED50 = 0.60 mg/kg) or (R)
      amisulpride (ED50 = 0.68 mg/kg). (RS)-Amisulpride generalized fully to the
      structurally related atypical antipsychotic/antidysthymia drug sulpiride
      (Sulpor(r); ED50 = 7.29 mg/kg) and its (S)-enantiomer (ED50 = 9.12 mg/kg);
      moderate to high partial generalization [60-75% drug lever responding (%DLR)]
      occurred to the benzamide analogs tiapride (Tiapridal(r)) and raclopride, but
      less than 60% DLR to metoclopramide (Reglan(r)), nemonapride (Emilace(r)), and
      zacopride. Antipsychotic, antidepressant, and antianxiety drugs from other
      chemical classes (chlorpromazine, quetiapine, risperidone, and mianserin)
      produced 35-55% amisulpride lever responding. Lastly, less than 35% DLR occurred
      for clozapine, olanzapine, aripiprazole imipramine, chlordiazepoxide, and
      bupropion. CONCLUSIONS: (RS)-Amisulpride generalized to some, but not all
      benzamide derivatives, and it failed to generalize to any other antipsychotic,
      antidepressant, or antianxiety drugs tested. Interestingly, the (R)-isomer shared
      very strong stimulus properties with (RS)-amisulpride. This finding was in
      contrast to findings from Donahue et al. (Eur J Pharmacol 734:15-22, 2014), which
      found that the (R)-isomer did not share very strong stimulus properties when the
      (S)-isomer was the training drug.

PMID- 28921164
TI  - Age estimation based on Willems method versus new country-specific method in
      South African black children.
AB  - AIM: The aims of our study were to develop new maturity scores for dental age
      estimation in South African black children according to the Willems method, which
      was developed based on Belgian Caucasian (BC) reference data (Willems et al. J
      Forensic Sci 46(4):893-895, 2001), and to compare age prediction performance of
      both methods. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 986 panoramic radiographs of
      healthy South African black (SAB) children (493 males and 493 females) in the age
      range of 4.14 to 14.99 years (mean age 10.06 years) were selected for obtaining
      developmental staging scores (according to Demirjian et al. Hum Biol 45(2):211
      227, 1973). Willems BC methodology was applied to develop new country-specific
      maturity scores (Willems SAB). Age prediction performance of Willems BC and
      Willems SAB was compared. RESULTS: On average, Willems BC renders acceptable
      results with an overestimation of chronological age of 0.06 years (SD 0.88 years)
      in SAB children. Compared to Willems SAB, the overall mean absolute error was
      slightly higher with Willems BC (0.62 and 0.68 years, respectively), but this was
      not significant in males. Also, the root mean squared error was marginally higher
      in Willems BC. CONCLUSION: The new age prediction method developed in South
      African black children was found to be better compared to Willems BC, although
      the difference seems to be small and clinically not relevant, especially in
      males.

PMID- 28921165
TI  - Erratum to: Prediction of vulnerability to bipolar disorder using multivariate
      neurocognitive patterns: a pilot study.
AB  - In the original version of this article (Wu et al. 2017), published on 1
      September 2017, the name of author 'Bo Cao' was wrongly displayed. In this
      Erratum the incorrect name and correct name are shown. The original publication
      of this article has been corrected.

PMID- 28921166
TI  - From the Atlantic Forest to the borders of Amazonia: species richness,
      distribution, and host association of ectoparasitic flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae
      and Streblidae) in northeastern Brazil.
AB  - Better knowledge of the geographical distribution of parasites and their hosts
      can contribute to clarifying aspects of host specificity, as well as on the
      interactions among hosts, parasites, and the environment in which both exist.
      Ectoparasitic flies of the Nycteribiidae and Streblidae families are highly
      specialized hematophagous parasites of bats, whose distributional patterns,
      species richness, and associations with hosts remain underexplored and poorly
      known in Brazil. Here, we used information available in the literature and
      unpublished data to verify if the occurrence of bat hosts in a given environment
      influences the occurrence and distribution of nycteribiid and streblid flies in
      different ecoregions in the northeastern Brazil. We evaluate species richness and
      similarity between ecoregions and tested correlations between species richness
      and the number of studies in each ecoregion and federative unit. We recorded 50
      species and 15 genera of bat ectoparasitic flies on 36 species and 27 genera of
      bat hosts. The Atlantic Forest had the highest fly species richness (n = 31;
      62%), followed by Caatinga (n = 27; 54%). We detected the formation of distinct
      groups, with low species overlap between ecoregions for both flies and bats. Fly
      species richness was correlated with host species richness and with the number of
      studies in each federative unit, but not with the number of studies by ecoregion.
      Due to the formation of distinct groups with low species overlap for both groups,
      host availability is likely to be one of the factors that most influence the
      occurrence of highly specific flies. We also discuss host specificity for some
      species, produced an updated list of species and distribution for both
      nycteribiid and streblid flies with information on interaction networks, and
      conclude by presenting recommendations for more effective inventories of bat
      ectoparasites in the future.

PMID- 28921167
TI  - Brain structural concomitants of resting state heart rate variability in the
      young and old: evidence from two independent samples.
AB  - Previous research has shown associations between brain structure and resting
      state high-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV). Age affects both brain
      structure and HF HRV. Therefore, we sought to examine the relationship between
      brain structure and HF HRV as a function of age. Data from two independent
      studies were used for the present analysis. Study 1 included 19 older adults (10
      males, age range 62-78 years) and 19 younger adults (12 males, age range 19-37).
      Study 2 included 23 older adults (12 males; age range 55-75) and 27 younger
      adults (17 males; age range 18-34). The root-mean-square of successive R-R
      interval differences (RMSSD) from ECG recordings was used as time-domain measure
      of HF HRV. MRI scans were performed on a 3.0-T Siemens Magnetom Trio scanner.
      Cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation were performed with the
      Freesurfer image analysis suite, including 12 regions as regions of interests
      (ROI). Zero-order and partial correlations were used to assess the correlation of
      RMSSD with cortical thickness in selected ROIs. Lateral orbitofrontal cortex
      (OFC) cortical thickness was significantly associated with RMSSD. Further, both
      studies, in line with previous research, showed correlations between RMSSD and
      anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) cortical thickness. Meta-analysis on adjusted
      correlation coefficients from individual studies confirmed an association of
      RMSSD with the left rostral ACC and the left lateral OFC. Future longitudinal
      studies are necessary to trace individual trajectories in the association of HRV
      and brain structure across aging.

PMID- 28921168
TI  - Chromosomal Abnormalities Affect the Surgical Outcome in Infants with Hypoplastic
      Left Heart Syndrome: A Large Cohort Analysis.
AB  - Patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) can have associated genetic
      abnormalities. This study evaluated the incidence of genetic abnormalities among
      infants with HLHS and the short-term outcomes of this population during the first
      hospitalization. This is a retrospective analysis of the multi-center Pediatric
      Heath Information System database of infants with HLHS who underwent Stage I
      Norwood, Hybrid, or heart transplant during their first hospitalization from 2004
      through 2013. We compared clinical data between infants with and without genetic
      abnormality, among the three most common chromosomal abnormalities, and between
      survivors and non-survivors. Multivariable analysis was completed to evaluate
      predictors of mortality among patients with genetic abnormalities. A total of
      5721 infants with HLHS were identified; 282 (5%) had associated genetic
      abnormalities. The three most common chromosomal abnormalities were Turner (25%),
      DiGeorge (22%), and Downs (12.7%) syndromes. Over the study period, the number of
      patients with genetic abnormalities undergoing cardiac operations increased
      without any significant increases in mortality. Infants with genetic
      abnormalities compared to those without abnormalities had longer hospital length
      of stay and higher morbidity and mortality. Variables associated with mortality
      were lower gestational age, longer duration of vasopressor therapy, need for
      dialysis, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and complicated clinical course as
      suggested by necrotizing enterocolitis, septicemia. Presence of any genetic
      abnormality in infants with HLHS undergoing cardiac surgery is associated with
      increased mortality and morbidity. Timely genetic testing, appropriate family
      counseling, and thorough preoperative case selection are suggested for these
      patients for any operative intervention.

PMID- 28921169
TI  - Effects of acute salt stress on modulation of gene expression in a Malaysian salt
      tolerant indigenous rice variety, Bajong.
AB  - The small genome size of rice relative to wheat and barley, together with its
      salt sensitivity, make it an ideal candidate for studies of salt stress response.
      Transcriptomics has emerged as a powerful technique to study salinity responses
      in many crop species. By identifying a large number of differentially expressed
      genes (DEGs) simultaneously after the stress induction, it can provide crucial
      insight into the immediate responses towards the stressor. In this study, a
      Malaysian salt-tolerant indigenous rice variety named Bajong and one commercial
      rice variety named MR219 were investigated for their performance in plant growth
      and ion accumulation properties after salt stress treatment. Bajong was further
      investigated for the changes in leaf's transcriptome after 6 h of stress
      treatment using 100 mM NaCl. Based on the results obtained, Bajong is found to be
      significantly more salt tolerant than MR219, showing better growth and a lower
      sodium ion accumulation after the stress treatment. Additionally, Bajong was
      analysed by transcriptomic sequencing, generating a total of 130 millions reads.
      The reads were assembled into de novo transcriptome and each transcript was
      annotated using several pre-existing databases. The transcriptomes of control and
      salt-stressed samples were then compared, leading to the discovery of 4096 DEGs.
      Based on the functional annotation results obtained, the enrichment factor of
      each functional group in DEGs was calculated in relation to the total reads
      obtained. It was found that the group with the highest gene modulation was
      involved in the secondary metabolite biosynthesis of plants, with approximately
      2.5% increase in relation to the total reads obtained. This suggests an extensive
      transcriptional reprogramming of the secondary metabolic pathways after stress
      induction, which could be directly responsible for the salt tolerance capability
      of Bajong.

PMID- 28921170
TI  - Comparison of novel multi-level Otsu (MO-PET) and conventional PET segmentation
      methods for measuring FDG metabolic tumor volume in patients with soft tissue
      sarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously developed a novel and highly consistent PET
      segmentation algorithm using a multi-level Otsu method (MO-PET). The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the reliability of MO-PET compared to conventional PET
      segmentation methods for measuring 18F-FDG (FDG) PET metabolic tumor volume (MTV)
      in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Clinical and imaging data were
      obtained from the Cancer Imaging Archive. Forty-eight STS patients with FDG
      PET/CT and MR prior to therapy were analyzed. MTV of the tumor using MO-PET was
      compared to other conventional methods (absolute SUV threshold values of 2.0,
      2.5, or 3.0 and percentage of tumor SUVmax values of 30, 40, 50, or 60%) and
      gradient-based method (PET EdgeTM). The reference volume was defined as an MR
      based gross tumor volume (GTV). Spearman, intra-class correlation, and Bland
      Altman analysis were performed to evaluate the correlation and agreement of MTV
      to GTV. RESULTS: MTVs obtained using each conventional SUV parameter, PET EdgeTM,
      and MO-PET were highly correlated with the GTV in Spearman and intra-class
      correlation analysis (p < 0.05). MO-PET and PET EdgeTM showed high intra-class
      correlation coefficient of MTV to GTV (0.93 and 0.84, respectively). The Bland
      Altman bias results showed the highest agreement for MTV using MO-PET with GTV
      (26.0 +/- 489.6 cm3) compared to other methods (SUV 2.0 with - 69.3 +/- 765.8,
      30% SUVmax with - 255.0 +/- 876.6, and PET EdgeTM with - 26.46 +/- 668.82 cm3).
      CONCLUSIONS: PET MTV segmented with MO-PET showed higher correlation and
      agreement with GTV in comparison to conventional percentage SUVmax and absolute
      SUV threshold-based PET segmentation methods. MO-PET is comparable to PET EdgeTM.
      MO-PET is a reliable and consistent method for measuring tumor MTV.

PMID- 28921171
TI  - High fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product to fibrinogen ratio is associated with
      28-day mortality and massive transfusion in severe trauma.
AB  - PURPOSE: There is a lack of association between coagulation biomarkers and long
      term mortality in severe trauma. We aimed to investigate the association between
      coagulation biomarkers on admission and outcome of late stage of trauma. METHODS:
      This retrospective observational study included patients admitted with severe
      trauma between 2012 and 2015. We used the area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve (AUROC) of coagulation biomarkers to determine 28-day
      mortality. Head Abbreviated Injury Scale scores greater than 3 were defined as
      traumatic brain injury (TBI). The primary outcome was 28-day mortality and the
      secondary outcome was massive transfusion. RESULTS: Of the 1266 patients included
      in the study, 28-day mortality rate was 19.7% (n = 249) and 7.9% (n = 100) of
      patients received massive transfusion. The AUROC of fibrin/fibrinogen degradation
      product (FDP) to fibrinogen ratio had a significantly higher prognostic
      performance than other markers. Multivariate analysis revealed that D-dimer level
      [odds ratio (OR) 1.033; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.016-1.051] and
      FDP/fibrinogen ratio (OR 1.007; 95% CI 1.001-1.013) were independently associated
      with 28-day mortality. D-dimer (OR 1.028; 95% CI 1.003-1.055) and FDP/fibrinogen
      ratio (OR 1.035; 95% CI 1.012-1.058) were associated with 28-day mortality in the
      TBI group. In the non-TBI group, D-dimer was associated with 28-day mortality (OR
      1.033; 95% CI 1.008-1.059), but the FDP/fibrinogen ratio was not. FDP/fibrinogen
      ratio, not D-dimer level, was an independent predictor for massive transfusion
      (OR 1.005; 95% CI 1.001-1.010). CONCLUSIONS: High FDP/fibrinogen ratio on arrival
      is a predictor of 28-day mortality and the requirement for massive transfusion in
      severe trauma.

PMID- 28921172
TI  - [European Network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories : International OMCL
      Working Group Combating Counterfeit and other Illegal Medicines].
AB  - Official medicines control laboratories (OMCLs) have for a long time been
      involved in testing activities related to suspected counterfeit or other illegal
      medicines in a number of European countries in support of national enforcement
      authorities. With the secretarial support of the European Directorate for the
      Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), from 2005 onwards, the General European
      OMCL Network (GEON) has gradually introduced for its members tailored tools,
      joint test programmes and information/discussion platforms in the field of
      falsified medicines testing. Since 2011 a dedicated OMCL working group (OMCL
      Counterfeit/Illegal Medicines Working Group) has taken the lead in coordinating
      the different activities, which range from training programmes, symposia and
      focus topics at annual meetings to the development and improvement of databases
      and the drafting of common documents. The overall goal of these activities is to
      share know-how, to establish and identify centres of expertise, to further
      develop competencies in the field of analysis of falsified medicines, to
      challenge the competency of OMCLs in the testing of unknown samples, to raise
      awareness of the network and to leverage synergies in particular with respect to
      this field of expertise. All these measures aim at strengthening the network in
      the combat against falsified medicines, enlarging the field of activities of the
      OMCLs in this area and improving the hit rate with respect to the identification
      of adulterations.

PMID- 28921173
TI  - Maximizing safe resections: the roles of 5-aminolevulinic acid and intraoperative
      MR imaging in glioma surgery-review of the literature.
AB  - Malignant glioma surgery involves the challenge of preserving the neurological
      status of patients harboring these lesions while pursuing a maximal tumor
      resection, which is correlated with overall and progression-free survival.
      Presently, several tools exist for assisting neurosurgeons in visualizing
      malignant tissue. Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5
      ALA) has increasingly been used during the last decade for identifying malignant
      glioma. Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI), first introduced in the
      mid-1990s, is being evaluated as a further tool to maximize the extent of
      resection. We aimed to evaluate the literature and discuss synergies and
      differences between FGS with 5-ALA and iMRI. We conducted and reported according
      to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
      (PRISMA) statement. After excluding non-relevant articles, 16 articles were
      evaluated and included in the qualitative analysis, comprising 2 (n = 2) reviews
      of the literatures, 1 (n = 1) book chapter, and 13 (n = 13) clinical articles.
      ALA-induced fluorescence goes beyond the borders of gadolinium contrast
      enhancement. Several studies stress the synergy between both tools, enabling
      increase in extent of resection. We point out advantages of combining both
      methods. iMRI, however, is not widely available, is expensive, and is not
      recommended as sole resection control tool in high-grade glioma. For these
      centers, FGS together with mapping and monitoring techniques, neuronavigation
      and, when needed, intraoperative ultrasound provides an excellent setting for
      achieving state-of-the-art gross total resection of high-grade gliomas.

PMID- 28921174
TI  - Bilateral segmentectomies using virtual-assisted lung mapping (VAL-MAP) for
      metastatic lung tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Virtual-assisted lung mapping (VAL-MAP) has been used not only in
      wedge resection but also in segmentectomy for hardly palpable lung nodules. We
      herein report a case of bilateral segmentectomy using VAL-MAP with chronological
      change of pulmonary function test results. CASE PRESENTATION: A 50-year-old
      female was found to have a colorectal cancer with pulmonary nodules in both sides
      of the lungs considered as synchronous lung metastases. After sigmoidectomy for
      primary cancer and chemotherapy, treatments for small nodules in both sides of
      the lungs were planned. Most nodules were small and supposed to be impalpable. We
      performed thoracoscopic segmentectomy of right S8 with the aid of VAL-MAP and,
      after 2 months, combined subsegmentectomy of left S8a and 9a and wide wedge
      resection of left S8b with the aid of VAL-MAP. All nodules suspected of lung
      metastases were successfully resected with adequate margins, and the decrease in
      pulmonary function was minimal compared with predicted postoperative forced vital
      capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume (FEV) 1.0 calculated by the numbers
      of subsegments. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral segmentectomies of small impalpable
      metastatic tumors were performed successfully with the aid of VAL-MAP.

PMID- 28921176
TI  - Effect of ONO-1101, a novel short-acting beta-blocker on hemodynamic responses to
      isoflurane inhalation and tracheal intubation.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the effect of a new ultrashort-acting beta-blocker, ONO
      1101, on hemodynamic responses to isoflurane inhalation and tracheal intubation.
      METHODS: Fifty-four ASA PS 1 or 2 patients were randomly allocated to receive
      either ONO-1101, 0.04 mg.kg-1.min-1, or saline prior to tracheal intubation.
      Anesthesia was induced with thiamylal, 4 mg.kg-1, and vecuronium, 0.15 mg.kg-1.
      Tracheal intubation was carried out after 3 min controlled mask ventilation with
      66% N2O and 3% inspired isoflurane in oxygen. Heart rate and blood pressure were
      continuously recorded from the start of induction until 5 min after intubation.
      Plasma concentrations of catecholamines were measured before induction, 3 min
      after initiating inhalation of isoflurane, and 1 min after tracheal intubation.
      RESULTS: Significant increases in heart rate occurred in both groups in response
      to isoflurane inhalation and tracheal intubation, but the magnitude of the
      increase was significantly less in the ONO-1101 group. Blood pressure increased
      after tracheal intubation in the saline group but remained unchanged in the ONO
      1101 group. Plasma concentrations of norepinephrine increased after induction and
      intubation in both groups, with no significant difference between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: ONO-1101 infusion is effective for the attenuation of hemodynamic
      responses to isoflurane inhalation and tracheal intubation.

PMID- 28921175
TI  - Routine gastric residual volume measurement and energy target achievement in the
      PICU: a comparison study.
AB  - : Critically ill children frequently fail to achieve adequate energy intake, and
      some care practices, such as the measurement of gastric residual volume (GRV),
      may contribute to this problem. We compared outcomes in two similar European
      Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs): one which routinely measures GRV (PICU
      GRV) to one unit that does not (PICU-noGRV). An observational pilot comparison
      study was undertaken. Eighty-seven children were included in the study, 42 (PICU
      GRV) and 45 (PICU-noGRV). There were no significant differences in the percentage
      of energy targets achieved in the first 4 days of PICU admission although PICU
      noGRV showed more consistent delivery of median (and IQR) energy targets and less
      under and over feeding for PICU-GRV and PICU-noGRV: day 1 37 (14-72) vs 44 (0
      100), day 2 97 (53-126) vs 100 (100-100), day 3 84 (45-112) vs 100 (100-100) and
      day 4 101 (63-124) vs 100 (100-100). The incidence of vomiting was higher in PICU
      GRV. No necrotising enterocolitis was confirmed in either unit, and ventilator
      acquired pneumonia rates were not significantly different (7.01 vs 12 5.31 per
      1000 ventilator days; p = 0.70) between PICU-GRV and PICU-noGRV units.
      CONCLUSIONS: The practice of routine gastric residual measurement did not
      significantly impair energy targets in the first 4 days of PICU admission.
      However, not measuring GRV did not increase vomiting, ventilator-acquired
      pneumonia or necrotising enterocolitis, which is the main reason clinicians cite
      for measuring GRV. What is known: * The practice of routinely measuring gastric
      residual volume is widespread in critical care units * This practice is
      increasingly being questioned in critically ill patients, both as a practice that
      increases * The likelihood of delivering inadequate enteral nutrition amounts and
      as a tool to assess feeding tolerance What is new: * Not routinely measuring
      gastric residual volume did not increase adverse events of ventilator acquired
      pneumonia, necrotising enterocolitis or vomiting. * In the first 4 days of PICU
      stay, energy target achievement was not significantly different, but the rates of
      under and over feeding were higher in the routine GRV measurement unit.

PMID- 28921177
TI  - Reduction of cardiovascular response to endotracheal intubation in normotensive
      patients by urapidil.
AB  - PURPOSE: Urapidil is an antihypertensive drug with actions of alpha1-receptor
      blockade and 5-HT1A (5-hydroxytryptamine) receptor stimulation. Although many
      agents have been used to attenuate the cardiovascular response to endotracheal
      intubation, few of them are related to urapidil. This study was done to evaluate
      the effects of urapidil on reducing the cardiovascular response to intubation.
      METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 30 ASA I-II
      adult surgical patients without cardiovascular disease were divided into two
      groups of 15 each, receiving either an i.v. bolus of 0.6 mg.kg-1 urapidil 5 min
      before intubation or an equivalent volume of saline as control. The heart rate
      and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure were determined intermittently for
      5 min before and 10 min after intubation. The mean blood pressure, product of
      systolic blood pressure and heart rate, and coefficient of variation (CV) of
      these variables around intubation were calculated. RESULTS: Urapidil had no
      effects on the heart rate (P>0.05), could effectively attenuate the increases in
      the diastolic and mean arterial pressures (P<0.05) caused by intubation, but had
      a weak effect on the systolic pressure (P>0.05) and its product with heart rate.
      In addition, the CV of the diastolic pressure and mean arterial pressure was
      greater (P<0.05) in the urapidil group than in the control group, which meant
      that the induction procedure with urapidil was not more stable than that when
      saline was used as placebo. CONCLUSION: The effects of urapidil on reducing the
      cardiovascular response to intubation are mild when uradipil is used 5 min before
      intubation. As urapidil mainly decreases diastolic blood pressure, an important
      determinant of cardiac blood supply, and it makes systolic, diastolic, and mean
      blood pressure fluctuate strongly during induction, we should be alert about its
      latent detrimental effect on patients, especially those with ischemic heart
      disease.

PMID- 28921178
TI  - Open-heart surgery without homologous blood transfusion in infants and children
      under simple deep hypothermia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the hematological changes during the perioperative period
      of open-heart surgery without homologous blood transfusion under simple deep
      hypothermia in infants and small children, and to define the limits of body
      weight for open-heart surgery without homologous blood transfusion under simple
      deep hypothermia. METHODS: We performed open-heart surgery without homologous
      blood transfusion under simple deep hypothermia on eight children, four infants,
      and a neonate with diagnoses of atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect,
      on total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TATVR). All patients except for one
      with TAPVR were surface-cooled with ice water under deep ether anesthesia.
      Hematological examinations were performed seven times during the perioperative
      period. RESULTS: The body weight of the patients ranged from 2.5 to 15.0 kg
      (mean+/-SD, 9.5+/-3.5 kg) and the blood loss from 0.7 to 7.1g.kg-1 (4.6+/-2.0g.kg
      1) The lowest values of the hematological findings in each case after surgery
      were as follows: Hb ranged from 7.6 to 10.9g.dl-1 (8.8+/-1.0g.dl-1), blood
      platelet count from 158*103 to 337*103 cells.ul-1-agonist (271+/-88 *103 cells.ul
      1-agonist, and total protein from 4.3 to 5.5 g.dl-1 (5.0+/-0.4g.dl-1) CONCLUSION:
      Severe anemia and hypoproteinemia were not detected in any case, and, in
      particular, the reduction of the platelet count was slight. No events occurred as
      a result of decreased Hb concentration, serum protein, or both.

PMID- 28921179
TI  - Measurement of whole blood factor Xa-activated clotting time during hemodialysis
      with low-molecular-weight heparin.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whole blood factor Xa-activated clotting time (XaACT), a
      test for monitoring low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs). METHODS: Blood was
      obtained from six healthy volunteers. Dalteparin, a LMWH, was mixed with the
      blood to concentrations of 0,05 and 1.0IU.ml-1. XaACT, activated clotting time
      (ACT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were measured at each
      dalteparin concentration. XaACT of blood from the outflow and inflow sides of the
      blood circuit in seven hemodialysis patients was measured before and after bolus
      administration of 1000 IU of dalteparin, followed by continuous infusion at a
      rate of 500IU.h-1. RESULTS: XaACT, ACT, and APTT in dalteparin-containing blood
      from volunteers were correlated with dalteparin concentration (y=312.8x+86.4;r
      2=0.88;P<0.001,y=41.8x +113.5;r 2=0.83;P<0.001, andy=59.5x+38.8;r 2=0.80;P<0.001,
      respectively). The regression slope of XaACT was steeper than those of ACT and
      APTT (P<0.001). In hemodialysis patients, dalteparin increased XaACT on the
      outflow and inflow sides of the circuit (P<0.001,P<0.05, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: The measurement of XaACT can be employed to monitor LMWHs in clinical
      settings.

PMID- 28921180
TI  - Effect of phenylephrine on histamine-induced bronchoconstriction in dogs.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although an alpha-adrenoceptor has been suggested to be involved in the
      mechanism of asthma, the effect of alpha1-agonist on the airway is still unclear.
      In this study we evaluated the effect of phenylephrine on the airway with a
      direct visualization method using a superfine fiberoptic bronchoscope (SFB).
      METHODS: Seven mongrel dogs were anesthetized with pentobarbital (30 mg.kg-1 IV)
      and paralyzed by pancuronium (0.2mg.kg-1.h-1). The trachea was intubated with an
      endotracheal tube (ID 7 mm) that has a second lumen for insertion of a SFB (OD
      2.2 mm) to monitor the bronchial cross-sectional area (BCA) continuously. The tip
      of a SFB was placed at the level between the second and third bronchial
      bifurcation. To assess hemodynamics, the direct arterial blood pressure (ABP) and
      pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) were monitored via a femoral arterial catheter
      and Swan-Granz catheter. Bronchoconstriction was elicited by histamine (10 MUg.kg
      1+ 500 MUg.kg-1.h-1_. At 30 min after the histamine was started, saline or
      phenylephrine (1, 10, and 100MUg.kg-1) was given intravenously. The BCA and
      hemodynamic variables were assessed before (basal) and 30 min after the histamine
      was started and 5 min after saline and each phenylephrine dose. RESULTS:
      Histamine reduced BCA by 40.3+/-6.3%. Phenylephrine at 10 and 100 MUg.kg-1
      significantly increased the ABP and PAP; and it significantly decreased the BCA,
      by 6.5+/-6.9% and 14.2+/-7.9%, respectively. Plasma epinephrine and
      norepinephrine were also significantly reduced following phenylephrine 100 MUg.kg
      1 IV. CONCLUSION: The dose of phenylephrine that produced vasopressive actions
      worsened the histamine-induced bronchoconstriction slightly but significantly.
      Therefore, phenylephrine should be used with caution in asthmatic patients.

PMID- 28921181
TI  - 7-Nitroindazole, a selective inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase: effect
      on sevoflurane MAC and cerebellar cyclic GMP in mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: Considerable evidence suggests that nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in
      synaptic transmission in the central and peripheral nervous systems. However,
      whether inhibition of NO synthesis decreases minimum alveolar concentration (MAC)
      of inhalational anesthetics is controversial. We examined the effects of 7
      nitroindazole (7-NI), a selective inhibitor of neuronal NOS (nNOS), on the MAC of
      sevoflurane and cerebellar cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels in mice.
      METHODS: Sevoflurane MAC and cerebellar cGMP levels were determined in mice after
      acute intraperitoneal or weeklong gavage feeding of 7-NI. Sevoflurane MAC and
      cerebellar cGMP levels after chronic treatment were measured on days 1, 4, and 7
      and were repeated after an acute intraperitoneal dose of nitro g -L-arginine
      methylester (L-NAME). RESULTS: Acute and chronic treatment with 7-NI decreased
      the sevoflurane MAC by 20%-30%. Reduction of cerebellar cGMP levels was greater
      after intraperitoneal administration of NOS inhibitors than after gavage feeding
      of 7-NI. CONCLUSION: Acute or chronic selective inhibition of neuronal NOS
      decreases the sevoflurane MAC and cerebellar cGMP levels in mice. 7-NI permitted
      probing of the role of NO in perception of noxious stimuli.

PMID- 28921183
TI  - Anesthesia for pediatric ambulatory surgery.

PMID- 28921182
TI  - Philosophy and efficacy of multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain management.

PMID- 28921184
TI  - Anesthetic management of a patient with acute fatty liver of pregnancy.

PMID- 28921185
TI  - Preoperative acute hypervolemic hemodilution with hydroxyethylstarch in a
      Jehovah's Witness: effects on hemodynamics and coagulation systems.

PMID- 28921186
TI  - Cardiac arrest during hip arthroplasty with cement gun.

PMID- 28921187
TI  - Moderation of Genetic Influences on Alcohol Involvement by Rural Residency among
      Adolescents: Results from the 1962 National Merit Twin Study.
AB  - Adolescents in rural and urban areas may experience different levels of
      environmental restrictions on alcohol use, with those in rural areas experiencing
      greater monitoring and less access to alcohol. Such restrictions may limit
      expression of genetic vulnerability for alcohol use, resulting in a gene
      environment interaction (G * E). This phenomenon has previously been reported in
      Finnish and Minnesota adolescents. The current study used data from 839 same-sex
      twin pairs from the 1962 National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test to determine
      whether the G * E interaction would be evident in this earlier time period. We
      also assessed whether the G * E interaction would be moderated by sex, and
      whether family socioeconomic status (SES; income and parental education) may
      mediate the G * E interaction. Findings showed the expected interaction among
      females, with a weaker contribution of genes (2 vs. 44%) and greater contribution
      of shared environment (62 vs. 29%) to variation in alcohol involvement among
      rural as compared to urban residents. The G * E interaction was not observed
      among males, and operated independently from differences in family SES among
      rural and urban adolescents. This study represents a partial replication in a
      novel setting of the moderation of the genetic contribution to alcohol use by
      rural/urban residency, and suggests that SES differences may not explain this
      effect.

PMID- 28921188
TI  - Anesthesia mortality and morbidity in Japan: A study of lawsuit cases.
AB  - To date, there have been no systematic studies on anesthetic accidents in Japan.
      This study was conducted to clarify the present status of anesthetic accidents by
      sending a questionnaire to a group of plaintiff's lawyers specializing in medical
      malpractice. At present, because of manpower shortages, anesthesia is provided by
      either anesthesia specialists (anesthesiologists) or non-anesthesiologist
      physicians in Japan. Among 112 lawsuits which involved the use of anesthesia, 64
      were analyzed as to the person primarily responsible for administering the
      anesthesia, the types of anesthesia, the details of major mishaps, and
      intraoperative monitoring. Of particular note was a large number of deaths from
      cardiac arrest and hypotension in spinal anesthesia administered by non
      anesthesiologists. The results clearly showed that non-anesthesiologists had a
      substantial incidence of mortality cases among accidents compared with
      anesthesiologists. Human error was the most frequent cause, but a lack and/or a
      grave omission of intraoperative monitors was found in non-anesthesiologist
      related cases.

PMID- 28921189
TI  - Preoperative estimation of pulmonary extravascular thermal volume in patients
      undergoing pneumonectomy.
AB  - Pulmonary extravascular thermal volume (PETV) was measured during pulmonary
      artery occlusion in 18 patients preoperatively and 7 patients postoperatively who
      were undergoing pneumonectomy. We found that the PETV decreased from 6.6+/-2.3
      ml.kg-1 before occlusion to 4.1+/-1.6 ml.kg-1 during occlusion. There was a
      significant correlation between the PETVs before and during occlusion multiplied
      by the fraction of pulmonary perfusion (r=0.77,P<0.001). Although the PETV
      increased in two patients and decreased in four within 48 h after pneumonectomy,
      it returned to the value during occlusion at 3 weeks after pneumonectomy in seven
      patients. There was a significant correlation between the PETV during occlusion
      and that at 3 weeks after pneumonectomy (r=0.66,P<0.05). In conclusion, PETV
      during pulmonary artery occlusion is a reliable baseline value in the assessment
      of postoperative pneumonectomy values.

PMID- 28921190
TI  - Subanesthetic sevoflurane does not affect sympathetic or parasympathetic
      function.
AB  - To evaluate the effects of subanesthetic enflurane and sevoflurane on the
      sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS),
      the blood level of norepinephrine (NE) and fluctuations in the R-R intervals were
      measured on electrocardiogram in humans given either 0.5 MAC enflurane or
      sevoflurane. Enflurane suppressed circulating plasma NE and elevated coefficients
      of variation (CV) of R-R intervals after 20 and 30 min of inhalation. In
      contrast, 0.5 MAC of sevoflurane slightly stimulated cardiovascular function
      without any change in blood NE. Sevoflurane lowered the CV to 84% of control
      after 30 min of inhalation. These results indicate that subanesthetic
      concentrations of sevoflurane are unlikely to perturb sympathetic and
      parasympathetic activities in humans without surgical stimulation when compared
      with enflurane.

PMID- 28921191
TI  - Intravenous magnesium sulfate as a preanesthetic medication: A double-blind study
      on its effects on hemodynamic stabilization at the time of tracheal intubation.
AB  - The effects of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) as a preanesthetic medication were
      studied with regard to whether it can sedate or relieve a patient who is
      scheduled to undergo surgery, and whether it can control the hemodynamic response
      to tracheal intubation. Twenty adult patients in ASA status 1-2 undergoing
      elective surgery were studied. Ten patients received 50 mg.g-1 MgSO4
      intravenously by drip infusion from 30 min before the induction of anesthesia,
      and another ten patients received saline as a control. The changes in mean
      arterial pressure (MAP) and rate pressure product (RPP) after the intubation were
      significantly suppressed in magnesium-treated patients, but a sedative effect was
      not observed. Therefore, MgSO4 was useful as a preanesthetic medication in
      suppressing the hemodynamic response associated with tracheal intubation.

PMID- 28921192
TI  - Clonidine premedication for sevoflurane anesthesia in upper abdominal surgery.
AB  - The effects of clonidine as a preanesthetic medication were compared with
      diazepam on clinical courses of sevoflurane anesthesia in 22 patients undergoing
      upper abdominal surgery. The patients were divided into two groups of 11 patients
      each according to preanesthetic medication: atropine 0.5 mg i.m. plus clonidine
      0.3 mg p.o., or atropine 0.5 mg i.m. plus diazepam 10 mg p.o. 60-90 min prior to
      induction of anesthesia. Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl and thiopental, and
      was maintained with sevoflurane, 0.5%-1.5%, nitrous oxide and oxygen,
      supplemented with fentanyl, 0.5 MUg.kg-1.hr-1. While only one patient needed a
      vasodilator in the clonidine group for treatment of hypertension, seven patients
      needed it in the diazepam group. Pain score after extubation was higher in the
      diazepam group than in the clonidine group. The time when patients responded to
      verbal command after discontinuation of anesthetics was similar in both groups.
      Therefore, clonidine pretreatment was useful for sevoflurane anesthesia in upper
      abdominal surgery.

PMID- 28921193
TI  - Effects of a forced-air system (Bair Hugger, OR-type) on intraoperative
      temperature in patients with open abdominal surgery.
AB  - Intraoperative hypothermia is difficult to avoid and may present a significant
      clinical risk during the early postoperative phase. We evaluated a forced-air
      system [Bair Hugger, OR-type (BH)] for warming intraoperative patients with open
      abdominal surgery. Twenty patients received BH warming [BH(+) group] and another
      20 patients, who served as controls, did not [BH(-) group]. Patients in both
      groups also received circulating blanket warming. Tempertures were measured at 30
      min intervals throughout the operation in the rectum and on the tip of the index
      finger opposite the nail bed. The average operation time was 168.8+/-16.2 min.
      Rectal and fingertip temperatures in the BH(+) group were significantly higher
      than those in the BH(-) group, and central-peripheral temperature gradients in
      the BH(+) group were significantly smaller than those in the BH(-) group during
      the study, except at 180 min. No shivering occurred in either group. Therefore,
      BH is an effective warming device during open abdominal surgery.

PMID- 28921194
TI  - The effects of low-dose midazolam for induction of high-dose fentanyl anesthesia
      for coronary artery bypass graft.
AB  - A small dose of midazolam 0.06 mg/kg or diazepam 0.15 mg/kg was used for
      induction of high-dose fentanyl (50 MUg/kg) anesthesia in patients undergoing
      coronary artery bypass grafting operation. Hemodynamic variables were measured 5
      min after the injection of midazolam or diazepam, after the end of the fentanyl
      infusion, and following endotracheal intubation. Midazolam and diazepam caused a
      slight but significant decrease in mean arterial pressure (-9.8%) and -11.8%),
      respectively) and a further significant depression was observed in the diazepam
      group but not in the midazolam group after fentanyl. Although the cardiac index
      was maintained in patients who received madazolam, a significant decrease was
      observed in the diazepam group (-28.5%) after administration of fentanyl. Heart
      rate was decreased in the diazepam group but not in the midazolam group.
      Therefore, a small dose of midazolam may be a suitable induction agent for high
      dose fentanyl anesthesia in patients with coronary artery disease.

PMID- 28921195
TI  - Effects of continuous epidural block on motor nerve conduction velocity in
      patients with lower spine disorders.
AB  - Thirty-one patients with severe low back pain were treated by continuous epidural
      block for 18+/-3 (mean+/-SEM) days. Motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV) of the
      common peroneal nerve was measured before and after the treatment. After the
      treatment, the visual analogue scale score (VAS) and straight leg-raising (SLR)
      test were markedly reduced (P<0.01), and MCV was increased significantly
      (P<0.001). A significant correlation (P<0.01) between the SLR test and MCV was
      found before the treatment. A significant correlation (P<0.001) between VAS and
      MCV was demonstrated after treatment. However, in three patients who showed no
      reduction in VAS even after the treatment, MCV became significantly (P<0.05)
      slower in spite of nearly normal SLR test results. These results suggest that
      epidural block treatment improves not only pain but also MCV, and that two
      parameters, SLR test and pain intensity, are related closely to the MCV.

PMID- 28921196
TI  - Hypomagnesemia during pediatric orthotopic liver transplantation.
AB  - We evaluated the incidence and severity of serum magnesium (Mg) abnormality along
      with other electrolyte and acid-base disturbances before and during the course of
      orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in pediatric patients. Serum Mg, Na, K,
      ionized Ca, pH, and blood gas measurements were performed before and hourly
      during the course of OLT. Hypomagnesemia was frequently observed in children
      undergoing OLT. Of a total of 30 recipients, 27 (90%) had hypomagnesemia before
      surgery; the mean serum Mg value at this time was 0.77+/-0.15 mmol/L. In most of
      the recipients, the serum Mg value showed a gradual decrease during the course of
      OLT until magnesium sulfate supplements were administered. On the other hand, the
      serum Na, K, and ionized Ca levels and acid-base balance were normal before the
      beginning of surgery. However, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, a decrease in ionized
      Ca, and metabolic acidosis were commonly observed during the course of OLT. We
      conclude that electrolyte abnormalities, including hypomagnesemia and metabolic
      acidosis, commonly develop in children during the course of OLT. The frequent
      assessment of electrolytes, pH and blood gases is essential for the correction of
      these abnormalities during the course of OLT.

PMID- 28921197
TI  - Statistical analysis of visual prognosis following stellate ganglion block
      treatment on patients with retinal vessel obstruction.
AB  - The visual outcome in 308 patients treated for retinal vessel obstruction was
      examined retrospectively and the effectiveness of each treatment was evaluated
      using stepwise multiple linear regression analysis and the chi-square test.
      Visual acuity was used as the parameter for assessing treatment effectiveness and
      the variables investigated included treatment factors [stellate ganglion block
      (SGB), urokinase administration, and prostaglandin administration] and patient
      factors (age, duration of visual impairment before treatment, hypertension, and
      diabetes mellitus). SGB treatment, the duration of visual impairment, and the
      presence of diabetes mellitus were significantly correlated with the visual
      prognosis following treatment. These results support the current hypothesis that
      SGB is a viable treatment for patients with obstructive disease of the retinal
      vessels.

PMID- 28921198
TI  - Evaluation of twitch responses obtained from abductor hallucis muscle as a
      monitor of neuromuscular blockade: Comparison with the results from adductor
      pollicis muscle.
AB  - The twitch responses evoked from the abductor hallucis muscle (AHM) and the
      adductor pollicis muscle (APM) were examined simultaneously in 20 anesthetized
      patients following a single bolus intravenous administration of 0.04 mg.kg-1 of
      vecuronium bromide. The mean onset time of vecuronium-induced depression of AHM
      twitch responses was significantly slower than that of APM twitch responses
      (4.9+/-1.5 minvs 3.7+/-1.2 min, mean+/-SD,P<0.001), and when the clinical
      duration times of vecuronium were compared, AHM twitch responses recovered more
      quickly than APM twitch responses (15.3+/-4.1 minvs 19.6+/-6.7 min,P<0.01),
      although there was no statistically significant difference in the spontaneous
      recovery time between AHM and APM (9.8+/-2.9 minvs 10.0+/-3.6 min). It is
      concluded that the twitch responses of AHM may be a useful monitor of
      neuromuscular blockade in anesthetized patients in whom setting the blockade
      monitor on the patient's arms is difficult, although monitoring of twitch
      response of AHM is less sensitive than that of APM in case of vecuronium
      administration.

PMID- 28921199
TI  - Suppressive action of enflurane on dorsal horn neurons in rabbits.
AB  - The neurophysiologic mechanism of the suppressive action of enflurane on spinal
      nociceptive transmission was examined in rabbits with intact and with transected
      spinal cords. Enflurane suppressed nociceptive responses in both intact and
      transected spinal cord groups. The suppressive effects of enflurane were
      significantly greater in the intact group than in the transected group. The
      suppressive effects of enflurane were not reversed by the addition of 0.2 mg.kg-1
      of naloxone. These results suggest that enflurane suppresses nociceptive
      responses by activating descending inhibitory systems and directly suppressing
      activity at the spinal level. This suppressive action of enflurane does not
      interact with the opioid receptor.

PMID- 28921200
TI  - Relief of intractable perineal pain by coccygeal nerve block in anterior
      sacrococcygeal ligament after surgery for rectal cancer.
AB  - Intractable perineal pain often appears in the anal region following
      abdominoperineal resection for the treatment of rectal cancer. In such cases, a
      subarachnoid block or transsacral block is generally used to control pain.
      However, these procedures sometimes cause complications such as dysuria or
      sensory paralysis of the pudendum. A new method of pain control is presented
      herein using absolute alcohol as a neurolytic agent to relieve localized perineal
      pain through a coccygeal nerve block in the anterior sacrococcygeal ligament.
      Five cadavers were necropsied to localize the coccygeal nerve. A loop consisting
      of S4, S5, and Co was found to exist in the space surrounded by the anterior
      surface of the coccygeal bone and the anterior sacrococcygeal ligament. Absolute
      alcohol was injected into this space. It is essential that the neurolytic agent
      remain localized in this space to avoid complications and to successfully block
      perineal pain. In all patients, we found that this method was extremely effective
      in blocking localized perineal pain without any complications.

PMID- 28921201
TI  - Sevoflurane reduced but isoflurane maintained hepatic blood flow during
      anesthesia in man.
AB  - The indocyanine green (ICG) clearance rate (K) and estimated total hepatic blood
      flow (THBF) were studied by the single injection technique. The THBF was
      estimated from the calculated circulating blood volume and the fixed extraction
      rate. The blood concentration of ICG was determined by the finger piece
      technique. Twenty-seven patients were randomly divided into three groups of nine
      and received 67% nitrous oxide, 33% oxygen, and the following volatile
      anesthetics: 0.8% halothane, 1.2% isoflurane, or 1.7% sevoflurane. ICG (0.5 mg.kg
      1) was administered intravenously and K was determined three times following the
      injection. The K value in the halothane and sevoflurane groups decreased
      significantly 1 h after induction of anesthesia: from 0.188+/-0.048 to 0.142+/
      0.029 in the halothane group and from 0.178+/-0.027 to 0.155+/-0.021 in the
      sevoflurane group. There was no significant change in the K value in the
      isoflurane group throughout the study.

PMID- 28921202
TI  - Local cerebral blood flow measured by stable xenon CT during fentanyl-diazepam
      anesthesia.
AB  - We assessed the local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) in 40 patients under fentanyl
      diazepam anesthesia. The measurement of LCBF was made using 50%-70% stable xenon
      with 20 min of inhalation interval and a shuttle method for computed tomography
      imaging. All patients were anesthetized with 5.95+/-1.76 MUg.kg-1 fentanyl and
      0.22+/-0.07 mg.kg-1 diazepam under mechanical ventilation during CBF measurement.
      The values and distribution of LCBF on non-affected hemisphere appeared to be
      unaltered by fentanyldiazepam anesthesia. We also assessed the cerebral carbon
      dioxide reactivity in 6 patients. The cerebral carbon dioxide reactivity,
      expressed as percentage change in LCBF per unit change in arterial carbon dioxide
      partial pressure, was 5.39+/-1.07, and there were no significant differences of
      reactivity among regions studied. In conclusion, we showed reference values of
      LCBF and carbon dioxide reactivity, measured by stable xenon-enhanced computed
      tomography, in patients under fentanyl-diazepam anesthesia. Carbon dioxide
      reactivity was preserved in all regions including gray matter, white matter, and
      basal ganglia.

PMID- 28921203
TI  - Does intraoperative analgesia modify the immune response in surgical patients?
AB  - The effect of epidural analgesia combined with inhalational anesthesia on the
      perioperative immune response was measured by using two-color analysis for the
      classification of functional lymphocyte subpopulations. Twenty-eight patients
      undergoing upper abdominal surgery were divided into four groups: group 1,
      isoflurane and with N2O group 2, sevoflurane with N2O; group 3, epidural
      analgesia plus isoflurane with N2O; and group 4, epidural analgesia and
      sevoflurane with N2O. Peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations were measured before,
      during, and after the operation by using anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 monoclonal
      antibodies. Moreover, two-color analysis was performed using two kinds of
      monoclonal antibodies: anti-CD4 and anti-CD29W, and anti-CD4 and anti-CD45R. A
      decrease in CD4+ cells and CD4+ CD29W+ cells (helper-inducer T lymphocytes) was
      observed after the operation in groups 1, 2, and 4. Additionally, stress hormones
      such as epinephrine (EP), norepinephrine (NE), and cortisol (CO) were measured.
      EP was increased during and after the operation in groups 1 and 2, and after the
      operation in group 4, but the level was maintained throughout the study in group
      3. In conclusion, prevention of noxious stimuli originating from operative fields
      by epidural block could prevent the increase in EP and the reduction of helper
      inducer T cells in patients undergoing upper abdominal surgery.

PMID- 28921204
TI  - Changes of oxygen transport variables and serum lactate during open-chest cardiac
      massage in dogs.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of critically low cardiac
      output (CO) upon oxygen transport. We especially focused on the changes of mixed
      venous oxygen saturation (S-vO2) in the presence of oxygen consumption ([Formula:
      see text]) debts. Additionally, we examined the correlation between the
      cumulative oxygen deficit (Def[Formula: see text]) and serum lactate.
      Def[Formula: see text] was calculated as the integrated area under the
      tissue[Formula: see text]) deficit (baseline[Formula: see text]-acutal[Formula:
      see text]) and time curve. To produce severe low CO, we performed openchest
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in 11 anesthetized dogs for 1 h. We made the
      measurements before (baseline values) and during the CPR at 10-min intervals.
      Supplydependent[Formula: see text] was observed when CO decreased below 40 ml.min
      1.kg-1. The mean value of S-vO2 in the range of supply-dependent[Formula: see
      text] was 13+/-2% and did not change significantly during 1 h of CPR. The changes
      of lactate from baseline values were linearly correlated with Def[Formula: see
      text] (r=0.62,P<0.01), but absolute values of serum lactate were not.

PMID- 28921205
TI  - Effects and interaction of nicardipine and volatile anesthetics in the rat heart
      lung preparation.
AB  - The effects of the calcium channel blocker nicardipine (N) and the volatile
      anesthetics halothane (H), enflurane (E), isoflurane (I), and sevoflurane (S) on
      myocardial metabolism after postischemic reperfusion were assessed in the
      isolated rat heart-lung preparation. Wistar-ST rats were randomly divided into
      six groups (each groupn=9) as follows: control (C) group, no drugs; N group, N
      (100 ng.ml-1); H group, 1% H and N; E group, 2.2% E and N; I group, 1.5% I and N;
      and the S group, 3.3% S and N. In the presence of the volatile anesthetics, the
      preparations were perfused for 10 min, made globally ischemic for 8 min, and then
      reperfused for 10 min. N 100 ng.ml-1 was administered 5 min before ischemia
      except in the C group. Three hearts in the C and H groups (eachn=9) and one heart
      in the E group (n=9) failed to recover from ischemia. The recovery times in the
      N, I and S groups were significantly shorter than controls. Although there was no
      significant difference in myocardial lactate concentrations among the groups, ATP
      content in the N, H, E, I and S groups was significantly higher than in controls.
      Glycogen content in the N, E, I and S groups was also significantly higher than
      in controls. These results suggest that N improves myocardial recovery from
      ischemia; however, in the presence of H or E it may cause significant myocardial
      depression.

PMID- 28921206
TI  - Decomposition of enflurane in soda lime.
AB  - The stability of enflurane in soda lime was examined. A product of enflurane
      decomposition was detected after the reaction of enflurane with soda lime, but
      not in the absence of soda lime. The production of this compound, identified as 1
      chloro-1,2-difluorovinyl difluoromethyl ether by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry, increased with time and temperature. The same decomposition product
      was produced by the reaction of enflurane with potassium, sodium, or calcium
      hydroxides, and it was also detected in the gas phase at a maximum concentration
      of 1.29 ppm at 420 min after 5% enflurane circulated with 200 ml/min carbon
      dioxide gas in a closed anesthesia circle system with a soda lime canister and a
      model lung. We concluded that enflurane was decomposed to 1-chloro-1,2
      difluorovinyl difluoromethyl ether by soda lime.

PMID- 28921207
TI  - Effects of saikosaponins on hepatic damage induced by halothane and hypoxia in
      phenobarbital-pretreated rats.
AB  - The effects of saikosaponins-a.-b1,-b2,-c, and-d on hepatic damage induced by
      halothane and hypoxia were investigated in the rat. Inhalation of halothane under
      a hypoxic condition significantly increased serum glutamic oxaloacetic
      transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels in rats
      pretreated with phenobarbital compared with rats pretreated without
      phenobarbital. Pretreatment with saikosaponin (especially-a and-d) and with
      phenobarbital suppressed the increase in serum GOT and GPT levels in comparison
      with the rats treated with phenobarbital, halothane, and hypoxia. Histological
      observation also confirmed that pretreatment with saikosaponin had a protective
      effect against liver cell damage caused by halothane and hypoxia. Saikosaponins-a
      and-d, the most effective saikosaponins against hepatic damage, inhibited the
      increases in cytochrome P450 and NADPH-cytochromec reductase activity which are
      induced by phenobarbital treatment. Therefore, it is suggested that the
      cytoprotective effect of saikosaponin against halothane-induced hepatitis under
      hypoxia is caused by inhibition of phenobarbital stimulation of the enzyme system
      for hepatic drug metabolism.

PMID- 28921208
TI  - Electrophysiologic effects of volatile anesthetics, sevoflurane and halothane, in
      a canine myocardial infarction model.
AB  - The effects of sevoflurane and halothane on the effective refractory period (ERP)
      and ventricular activation were examined in a canine myocardial infarction model.
      Sevoflurane (1 MAC) reduced the heart rate and prolonged ERP in both normal and
      infarcted zones. A prolongation of ERP with sevoflurane was observed also during
      atrial pacing at a fixed rate, but the effect was less than during sinus rhythm.
      Sevoflurane either further delayed or blocked the delayed activation entirely in
      the infarcted zones with only slight effects on the activation of the normal
      zones. Halothane (1 MAC) prolonged ERP during sinus rhythm and atrial pacing, but
      to a lesser extent during the latter. Halothane also depressed ventricular
      activation in the infarcted zone during atrial pacing. In conclusion, sevoflurane
      as well as halothane selectively depresed the delayed activation and the
      prolongation of ERP in myocardial infarction, which may inhibit ventricular
      arrhythmias in myocardial infarction.

PMID- 28921209
TI  - Anesthetic management of a child with olmsted's syndrome.

PMID- 28921210
TI  - A schematic guideline of tracheal intubation in patients with extensive burns in
      the posthealing period.

PMID- 28921211
TI  - A case of Eisenmenger's syndrome treated with extracorporeal lung and heart
      assist in the postpartum period.

PMID- 28921212
TI  - Coronary artery spasm induced by respiratory alkalosis.

PMID- 28921213
TI  - Williams syndrome: Anesthetic management for balloon dilatation of supravalvular
      aortic stenosis.

PMID- 28921214
TI  - A successful second living renal transplant in a child with severe mitral
      stenosis.

PMID- 28921215
TI  - ST segment depression repeatedly induced by isoflurane inhalation.

PMID- 28921216
TI  - Anesthetic management for a patient with oculocerebrorenal (Lowe's) syndrome.

PMID- 28921217
TI  - Effect of lower and higher alcohol fuel synergies in biofuel blends and exhaust
      treatment system on emissions from CI engine.
AB  - The present study deals with performance, emission and combustion studies in a
      single cylinder CI engine with lower and higher alcohol fuel synergies with
      biofuel blends and exhaust treatment system. Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME),
      widely available biofuel in India, and orange oil (ORG), a low carbon biofuel,
      were taken for this study, and equal volume blend was prepared for testing.
      Methanol (M) and n-pentanol (P) was taken as lower and higher alcohol and blended
      20% by volume with KOME-ORG blend. Activated carbon-based exhaust treatment
      indigenous system was designed and tested with KOME-ORG + M20 and KOME-ORG + P20
      blend. The tests were carried out at various load conditions at a constant speed
      of 1500 rpm. The study revealed that considering performance, emission and
      combustion studies, KOME-ORG + M20 + activated carbon are found optimum in
      reducing NO, smoke and CO2 emission. Compared to KOME, for KOME-ORG + M20 +
      activated carbon, NO emission is reduced from 10.25 to 7.85 g/kWh, the smoke
      emission is reduced from 49.4 to 28.9%, and CO2 emission is reduced from 1098.84
      to 580.68 g/kWh. However, with exhaust treatment system, an increase in HC and CO
      emissions and reduced thermal efficiency is observed due to backpressure effects.

PMID- 28921218
TI  - Effect of glucose concentration on the subarachnoid spread of tetracaine in the
      parturient.
AB  - We have studied the effect of glucose concentration on the spread of tetracaine
      spinal anesthesia in 40 parturient patients. Forty women undergoing cesarean
      section received a subarachnoid injection of tetracaine 8 mg dissolved in either
      5% or 10% glucose solution. The maximum cephalad spread of analgesia [median
      (range)] was higher with 10% glucose [T3 (T4-C8)] than with 5% glucose [T4 (T5.5
      T2)]. The time from the spinal injection to the maximum spread of analgesia (mean
      +/- SD) was significantly shorter with 10% glucose (15 +/- min) than with 5%
      glucose (28 +/- 16 min). The cumulative dose of ephedrine was higher with 10%
      glucose (19 +/- 10 mg) than with the 5% glucose (13+/- 8 mg). In tetracaine
      spinal anesthesia, the rate of onset of analgesia was faster and the maximum
      level of analgesia was higher in the 10% glucose solution than in the 5% glucose
      solution.

PMID- 28921219
TI  - Effects of total intravenous anesthesia with propofol on immuno-endocrine changes
      during surgical stress.
AB  - Endocrine factors and cytokines are crucial to host responses to stress and
      infection. Because surgery is a major stressful condition, it is necessary to
      understand the influence of specific anesthetic procedures on immune-endocrine
      responses. The purpose of this study was to compare total intravenous anesthesia
      with propofol with conventional inhalational anesthesia on circulating cortisol,
      adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), prolactin, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating
      hormone (alphaMSH), and the cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6) in healthy patients
      undergoing tubal ligation. The results show that circulating cortisol was
      significantly suppressed ous propofol completely abolished the response of
      circulating cortisol to surgery. Because ACTH responses to surgery were similar
      in the two groups, the inhibition likely occurred directly on the adrenal glands.
      This study is the first to report the effects of anesthesia on circulating
      alphaMSH, which was decreased significantly after induction with both anesthetic
      techniques and was still depressed at 90 min in the propofol patients. Other
      aspects of immune-endocrine responses to surgery were similar irrespective of
      anesthetic type, which further suggests a specific suppression of adrenal
      function by propofol.

PMID- 28921220
TI  - Comparison of the placental transfer of halothane, enflurane, sevoflurane, and
      isoflurane during cesarean section.
AB  - The concentrations of placental transfer of halothane (H), enflurane (E),
      sevoflurane (S), and isoflurane (I) were measured in 46 patients during cesarean
      section. The mean inhalation times of H (0.5%), E (1%), S (0.8%), and I (0.6%)
      were 13 min 27 s, 13 min 49s, 13 min 20s, and 8 min 8s, respectively. The mean
      concentrations in the maternal artery (MA) were 5.2mg.dl-1 in H, 12.3 mg.dl-1 in
      E, 5.2mg.dl-1 in S, and 2.4mg.dl-1 in I. The concentration ratio between the MA
      and the fetal umbilical vein (UV) was 0.44 for H, 0.49 for E, and 0.38 for S, and
      these ratios were not significantly different for these anesthetics. Although the
      concentration ratio for I (0.27) was significantly lower than those of the other
      three anesthetics, the UV:MA ratio was calculated to be 0.4 for an inhalation
      time 13 min. Our result, therefore, suggests that if the inhalation times were
      equal, the ratios of placental transfer would not differ among these four
      inhalational anesthetics. The Apgar scores in these four groups were not
      different from that in the group given only 66% nitrous oxide in oxygen as
      anesthetic (N2O group). The cardiovascular changes induced by skin incision were
      bigger in the N2O group than in the other groups. The use of a low concentration
      of H, E, S, or I is, therefore, suggested to be a useful and acceptable
      anesthetic method for cesarean section.

PMID- 28921221
TI  - Endocrine responses to total intravenous anesthesia with droperidol, fentanyl,
      and ketamine in cardiac patients.
AB  - Ketamine-induced sympathetic stimulation can be inhibited by administration of
      sedatives such as benzodiazepines, droperidol, or opioids. We have developed
      total intravenous anesthesia with ketamine in combination with droperidol and
      fentanyl (DFK) and have used this anesthetic method in more than 4000 surgical
      cases. In this study, we compared DFK in cardiac surgery with isoflurane-fentanyl
      anesthesia (AOI-F). Fourteen patients undergoing aortocoronary artery bypass
      graft surgery were randomly assigned to the DFK or AOI-F groups. The endocrine
      responses of the patients were evaluated from the plasma, levels of cortisol,
      antidiuretic hormone (ADH), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), and aldosterone. In
      both groups, anesthesia per se did not induced any significant changes in the
      hormones. Although cortisol and ADH increased during surgery, ANP and aldosterone
      did not change appreciably. All hormones were significantly elevated after the
      end of cardiopulmonary bypass. There were no significant differences in any of
      the hormones, blood pressure, and heart rate measured at different points in both
      groups. These results showed that DFK anesthesia as a total intravenous
      anesthesia deserves to be studied in more depth.

PMID- 28921222
TI  - Spontaneous respiration should be avoided in frequency domain analysis of heart
      rate variability.
AB  - To determine whether spontaneous respiration is suitable for frequency domain
      analysis of heart rate (R-R interval) variability, we studied 15 volunteers (5
      men and 10 women, aged 22-34 years) and evaluated the reproducibility of the
      power spectrum. Electrocardiograms were recorded for 5 min each with spontaneous
      and rate-controlled respiration (15 breaths.min-1), repeating the same protocol 1
      week later. Fast Fourier transformation was performed using the digitized data of
      the R-R intervals. Mean heart rate, arterial pressure, and plasma catecholamines
      remained constant during the measurements. In spontaneous respiration, however,
      the respiratory rate was significantly lower during the second measurement (9.4+/
      2.1 breaths.min-1) than during the first measurement (10.9+/-2.6 breaths.min-1),
      and the low-frequency power increased from 2.61+/-2.36 to 5.14+/-5.06 sec2.Hz
      1.10-3. After deleting five data sets because the respiratory peak was
      inseparable from the low-frequency area, there was no correlation in power
      spectra in four out of ten subjects between the two measurements. Data were
      comparable for rate-controlled respiration. Since respiratory parameters strongly
      influenced the low- and the high-frequency R-R interval power spectra,
      spontaneous respiration should be avoided. A constant respiratory condition is
      required to interpret results of frequency domain analysis of R-R interval
      variability.

PMID- 28921223
TI  - Leukocytosis after fluid loading and induction of epidural anesthesia.
AB  - The present study shows that leukocytosis occurs from fluid loading and from the
      small amounts of adrenaline given epidurally. Five healthy volunteers received an
      intravenous infusion of 25 ml.kg-1 b.w. of Ringer's acetate solution over 15, 30,
      45, and 80 min, and epidural anesthesia (EDA) was induced in 25 urology patients
      using mepivacaine 2% with or without adrenaline 1?200 000. In the volunteers, we
      found that the total leukocyte count increased by up to 33% within 1 h after
      rapid volume loading. This increase was accounted for by neutrophils and
      lymphocytes. In the patients, the leukocyte count increased by 32% during the
      onset of EDA when mepivacaine with adrenaline was used. This increase was
      accounted for by lymphocytes. Our results suggest that caution is needed when
      interpreting the importance of a raised leukocyte count in samples taken in
      association with fluid loading and also when EDA is induced by a local
      anesthestic solution that contains adrenaline.

PMID- 28921224
TI  - Does cyclosporine affect the duration of action of vecuronium in renal transplant
      recipients?
AB  - The duration of action of vecuronium was tested in 41 surgical patients to
      evaluate whether cyclosporine modulates the action of vecuronium. The patients
      were divided into three groups: 12 patients with normal renal function (group A);
      14 renal transplant recipients who had received cyclosporine before surgery
      (group B); and 15 patients with chronic renal failure undergoing surgery other
      than renal transplantation and who did not receive cyclosporine (group C). The
      times to 10% and 20% recovery of the first twitch (REC 10 and REC 20) after
      intravenous administration of vecuronium 0.12 mg.kg-1 were measured using an
      electromyogram in each group. REC 10 and REC 20 were significantly prolonged in
      the patients of group B (REC 10: 93+/-18 min, REC 20: 110+/-14 min) and group C
      (REC 10: 80+/-10 min, REC 20: 89+/-12 min) than in the patients of group A (REC
      10: 39+/-5 min, REC 20: 45+/-5 min) (P<0.01). There was no significant difference
      in the duration of action of vecuronium between the patients of groups B and C.
      In summary, cyclosporine did not prolong the duration of action of vecuronium in
      the renal transplant recipients when the same dose was administered compared with
      the patients with chronic renal failure who did not receive cyclosporine.

PMID- 28921225
TI  - N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor agonists and antagonists partially affect the
      duration of ketamine anesthesia in the rat.
AB  - The effects of intracerebroventricular injection of excitatory amino acids which
      act on the N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex on the duration of loss
      of righting reflex (DLRR) induced by intravenous injection to ketamine (20 mg/kg)
      were investigated in rats. Ketamine-induced DLRR was 10.3 min, but NMDA receptor
      agonistsD-alanine (200 MUg) or NMDA (0.15 MUg) did not change DLRR. However,D
      alanine combined with NMDA significantly shortened DLRR (7.7 min). The NMDA
      receptor antagonist 7-chlorokynurenic acid (10 MUg) alone prolonged DLRR
      significantly (16.2 min), but not when combined withD-alanine. These data suggest
      that NMDA receptor blockade contributes at least partially to the mechanism of
      ketamine anesthesia.

PMID- 28921226
TI  - The effects of isoflurane and sevoflurane on the left ventricular end-systolic
      pressure-volume relation in dogs.
AB  - The influence of two inhalational anesthetics, isoflurane and sevoflurane, on the
      end-systolic pressure-volume relations (ESPVR) of the left ventricle (LV) in situ
      was investigated in open-chest dogs anesthetized with alpha-chloralose. The LV
      volume was measured by a conductance catheter while the LV pressure was measured
      by a tipmicromanometer. The end-systolic elastance (Ees) of the LV was calculated
      as the slope of ESPVR which was elicited when the inferior vena cava was
      transiently occluded. The dogs were randomly assigned to two groups, receiving
      either 1.3% and 2.6% isoflurane (n=6) or 2.3% and 4.6% sevoflurane (n=6), which
      are equivalent to 1 and 2 MAC of isoflurane or sevoflurane, respectively. Both
      isoflurane and sevoflurane produced dose-dependent decreases in the cardiac
      output to a similar degree. Isoflurane and sevoflurane caused equivalent
      decreases in Ees of 23% and 16% at 1 MAC, and 48% and 41% at 2 MAC, respectively.
      Dobutamine 3 MUg.kg-1.min-1 produced a simultaneous restoration of Ees and
      recovery of the cardiac output at 1 and 2 MAC of both isoflurane and sevoflurane.
      We thus conclude that the depressant effect of sevoflurane on cardiac
      contractility is almost identical to that of isoflurane in the dog, and they are
      both reversed by the use of a low dose of dobutamine.

PMID- 28921227
TI  - Pendelluft is not the major contributor to respiratory insufficiency in dogs with
      flail chest: a mathematical analysis.
AB  - "Pendelluft", or out-of-phase movement of the airway gas between the intact and
      flait-chest-side lungs has long been believed to be the major contributor to
      respiratory dysfunction in patients with flail chest. However, conflicting
      findings have also been reported mainly from animal studies. The aim of this
      study was to provide a mathematical projection on this classical problem. We
      measured respiratory impedance (ZRS) of dogs with flail chest using a
      pseudorandom forced oscillation method. A mathematical model implementing flail
      chest was fitted toZRS. The fitted results were used in simulating the mechanical
      behavior of a respiratory system with flail chest during spontaneous breathing.
      Our results suggest that the paradoxical movement of breathing between the flail
      segment and the intact chest wall does not create substantial pendelluft and that
      alveolar hypoventilation is created by the wasting movement of the flail segment
      which interferes with effective thoracic expansion.

PMID- 28921229
TI  - Effects of propofol on guinea pig respiratory smooth muscle.
AB  - The effects of propofol on the tone of guinea pig respiratory smooth muscle was
      studied both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the activity of propofol on tracheal
      smooth muscle was investigated using a force displacement transducer for
      isometric tension responses. Isoproterenol was used as the control. Concentration
      response curves to propofol and isoproterenol were obtained using a cumulative
      dose schedule. Propofol (0.32-10.24 MUg.ml-1) relaxed the tracheal smooth muscle
      in a concentration-dependent manner, but was less potent than isoproterenol
      (equipotent molar ratio 29 000?1). This effect of propofol was not affected by
      prior administration of atropine, propranolol, prazocin, or yohimbine, and it did
      not appear to be mediated via calcium antagonism. The solvent for propofol (10%
      intralipid) had no effect on the tracheal smooth muscle in vitro. The in vivo
      study measured the effect of propofol on lung pressure in deeply anesthetized
      guinea pigs using histamine induced bronchoconstriction. Propofol (1-4.5 mg.kg-1,
      i.v.) exhibited neither relaxant nor constrictor effects. It is possible that the
      effects of propofol observed in vitro are due to nonspecific action, while the
      finding of no effect in vivo could be due to different tissue sensitivity to
      propofol, i.e., tracheal smooth muscle may be more responsive than bronchial
      smooth muscle. Propofol does not seem to have any deleterious effects on airway
      smooth muscle.

PMID- 28921228
TI  - Halothane suppresses the increase in intracellular calcium concentration of
      isolated rat myocytes during hydrogen peroxide perfusion.
AB  - Ischemia-reperfusion injury is probably caused by the generation of oxygen free
      radicals. The final common pathway to cell injury may be mediated by
      intracellular calcium overloading induced by oxygen free radicals. Volatile
      anesthetics have been shown to improve myocardial function following reperfusion.
      To determine whether or not oxygen radicals are involved in the mechanism by
      which volatile anesthetics improve myocardial function following reperfusion, we
      investigated the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the intracellular calcium
      concentration ([Ca2+]i) in isolated rat ventricular cells. First, the effects of
      volatile anesthetics, halothane, isoflurane, or sevoflurane, on [Ca2+]i were
      studied in the absence of H2O2. Next, myocytes were perfused with volatile
      anesthetics in the presence of H2O2. [Ca2+]i was measured using fura-2, a Ca2+
      sensitive fluorescent dye. None of the volatile anesthetics changed [Ca2+]i in
      the absence of H2O2. In the presence of H2O2, [Ca2+]i gradually increased during
      H2O2 perfusion. Halothane delayed the onset of the increase in [Ca2+]i induced by
      H2O2, whereas sevoflurane and isoflurane accelerated the onset. Furthermore,
      sevoflurane caused more pronounced accumulation of intracellular calcium than did
      halothane and isoflurane. Therefore, the reduction of excessive intracellular
      calcium accumulation caused by halothane may have beneficial effects on
      myocardial function following reperfusion.

PMID- 28921230
TI  - Dose-dependent effects of repeated ketamine administration on muscarinic
      acetylcholine receptors in the mouse forebrain.
AB  - To study the effects of repeated ketamine administration (0: saline, 12.5, 25,
      and 50 mg.kg-1 every 3 days for a total of five times, subcutaneously) on the
      central muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAchRs), receptor binding assays of
      mAchR were carried out in the forebrain of mice, using [3H]quinuclidinyl
      benzilate ([3H]QNB) as a ligand. We also examined whether repeated ketamine
      administration could modify the sensitivity to scopolamine (0.5 mg.kg-1) (a
      muscarinic antagonist). Repeated ketamine administration produced a significant
      increase in the receptor density values (Bmax) for [3H]QNB (1520+/-51 fmol.mg
      protein-1 for the control group, 1650+/-43 for the 12.5 mg.kg-1 group, 1966+/-70
      for the 25 mg.kg-1 group and 2064+/-125 for the 50 mg.kg-1 group) (P<0.05, when
      the 25 mg.kg-1 and 50 mg.kg-1 groups were compared to the control group) without
      any change in apparent affinity. Repeated ketamine reduced scopolamine-induced
      hyperlocomotion at 50 mg.kg-1 (P<0.05). We conclude that repeated ketamine
      administration produces up-regulation of mAchRs, which is probably associated
      with the altered Ach transmission of the central nervous system.

PMID- 28921231
TI  - Effects of morphine on visceral nociception evoked by colorectal distension in
      rats: comparative examinations of electrophysiological and behavioral responses.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of intravenously
      administered morphine on electrophysiological and behavioral responses to
      colorectal distension (CRD) and to examine the influence of noxious stimuli
      applied to another part of the body (a laminectomy) on the visceromotor response
      to CRD. The effects of morphine (0.1-6.4 mg.kg-1) were examined in rate
      anesthetized with pentobarbital. Electrophysiological (n=16) and behavioral
      experiments (n=47) were done. Electrophysiological experiments were conducted to
      examine the effects of morphine on the responses of visceral dorsal horn neurons
      to CRD; behavioral studies were conducted to compare the effects of morphine with
      and without a laminectomy (intact group:n=24; laminectomy group:n=23). Morphine
      suppressed the evoked activities of the visceral dorsal horn neurons in a dose
      dependent manner. Similar suppression of the behavioral visceromotor response was
      observed. Visceromotor thresholds were significantly lower in the intact group
      than in the laminectomy group during the control study. When morphine was
      administered, the visceromotor thresholds in both groups increased to a similar
      level. Behavioral and neurophysiological responses to CRD were suppressed in a
      similar fashion by morphine. Although laminectomy affected the threshold values
      of CRD for visceromotor responses, the laminectomy per se plays an insignificant
      role when adequate morphine is administered.

PMID- 28921232
TI  - General anesthesia for progressive external ophthalmoplegia syndrome.

PMID- 28921233
TI  - Continuous positive airway pressure oxygenation during one-lung ventilation with
      50% nitrous oxide and isoflurane in oxygen.

PMID- 28921234
TI  - Oral clonidine relieved postoperative pain after pheochromocytoma resection.

PMID- 28921235
TI  - Relationship between clamping of the unilateral internal carotid artery and
      transient slowing of electrical activity in the bilateral hemisphere.

PMID- 28921236
TI  - Pressure control ventilation in a patient with low respiratory compliance and
      high airway resistance.

PMID- 28921237
TI  - Prediction of the distance from the skin to the lumbar epidural space in ex
      premature infants.

PMID- 28921238
TI  - Tracheal intubation through the laryngeal mask.

PMID- 28921239
TI  - Anesthesia and Takayasu's arteritis.

PMID- 28921240
TI  - A Satellite Meeting of the 11th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists.

PMID- 28921242
TI  - Use of computer-assisted design and manufacturing to localize dural venous
      sinuses during reconstructive surgery for craniosynostosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cranial vault remodeling surgery for craniosynostosis carries the
      potential risk of dural venous sinus injury given the extensive bony exposure.
      Identification of the dural venous sinuses can be challenging in patients with
      craniosynostosis given the lack of accurate surface-localizing landmarks.
      Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) has allowed surgeons to pre
      operatively plan these complex procedures in an effort to increase reconstructive
      efficiency. An added benefit of this technology is the ability to
      intraoperatively map the dural venous sinuses based on pre-operative imaging. We
      utilized CAD/CAM technology to intraoperatively map the dural venous sinuses for
      patients undergoing reconstructive surgery for craniosynostosis in an effort to
      prevent sinus injury, increase operative efficiency, and enhance patient safety.
      Here, we describe our experience utilizing this intraoperative technology in
      pediatric patients with craniosynostosis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed
      the charts of children undergoing reconstructive surgery for craniosynostosis
      using CAD/CAM surgical planning guides at our institution between 2012 and 2016.
      Data collected included the following: age, gender, type of craniosynostosis,
      estimated blood loss, sagittal sinus deviation from the sagittal suture, peri
      operative outcomes, and hospital length of stay. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients
      underwent reconstructive cranial surgery for craniosynostosis, with a median age
      of 11 months (range, 7-160). Types of synostosis included metopic (6), unicoronal
      (6), sagittal (15), lambdoid (1), and multiple suture (4). Sagittal sinus
      deviation from the sagittal suture was maximal in unicoronal synostosis patients
      (10.2 +/- 0.9 mm). All patients tolerated surgery well, and there were no
      occurrences of sagittal sinus, transverse sinus, or torcular injury. CONCLUSIONS:
      The use of CAD/CAM technology allows for accurate intraoperative dural venous
      sinus localization during reconstructive surgery for craniosynostosis and
      enhances operative efficiency and surgeon confidence while minimizing the risk of
      patient morbidity.

PMID- 28921241
TI  - Evaluating the efficacy of vaginal dehydroepiandosterone for vaginal symptoms in
      postmenopausal cancer survivors: NCCTG N10C1 (Alliance).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women with estrogen deficiencies can suffer from vaginal symptoms
      that negatively impact sexual health. This study evaluated vaginal
      dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for alleviation of vaginal symptoms. METHODS: This
      three-arm randomized, controlled trial evaluated DHEA 3.25 mg and DHEA 6.5 mg,
      each compared to a plain moisturizer (PM) over 12 weeks, to improve the severity
      of vaginal dryness or dyspareunia, measured with an ordinal scale, and overall
      sexual health using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Postmenopausal women
      with a history of breast or gynecologic cancer who had completed primary
      treatment, had no evidence of disease, and reported at least moderate vaginal
      symptoms were eligible. The mean change from baseline to week 12 in the severity
      of vaginal dryness or dyspareunia for each DHEA dose was compared to PM and
      analyzed by two independent t tests using a Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Four
      hundred sixty-four women were randomized. All arms reported improvement in either
      dryness or dyspareunia. Neither DHEA dose was statistically significantly
      different from PM at 12 weeks (6.25 mg, p = .08; 3.25 mg, p = 0.48), although a
      significant difference at 8 weeks for 6.5 mg DHEA was observed (p = 0.005). Women
      on the 6.5 mg arm of DHEA reported significantly better sexual health on the FSFI
      (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in provider-graded toxicities
      and few significant differences in self-reported side effects. CONCLUSION: PM and
      DHEA improved vaginal symptoms at 12 weeks. However, vaginal DHEA, 6.5 mg,
      significantly improved sexual health. Vaginal DHEA warrants further investigation
      in women with a history of cancer.

PMID- 28921243
TI  - Comparative evaluation of TIVA with propofol-fentanyl and thiopental-sevoflurane
      anesthesia using laryngeal mask airway for diagnostic bronchoscopy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diagnostic bronchoscopy is performed under general anesthesia in our
      hospital. This study was designed to determine whether total intravenous
      anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol-fentanyl provides more stable hemodynamics using
      a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) for diagnostic bronchoscopy than thiopental
      sevoflurane anesthesia. METHODS: Sixty patients scheduled for diagnostic
      bronchoscopy were randomly assigned to two groups. TIVA with propofol-fentanyl
      was induced with intravenous fentanyl 2 MUg.kg-1 and propofol 2 mg.kg-1 and
      maintained with continuous infusion of propofol with fentanyl. Thiopental
      sevoflurane anesthesia was induced with thiopental 5 mg.kg-1 and maintained with
      N2O/O2/sevoflurane. Insertion of the LMA was facilitated with vecuronium 0.1
      mg.kg-1 i.v. in both groups. Ventilation was controlled, and administration of
      propofol and sevoflurane was continued until the end of the procedure. The LMA
      was removed when the patient was able to open his or her mouth. RESULTS: During
      TIVA, the mean arterial pressure and rate pressure product decreased
      significantly from induction until 20 min after the start of the procedure, and
      they were maintained at around 70 mmHg and 7000, respectively, during the
      procedure. There were no significant differences in heart rate,[Formula: see
      text] and[Formula: see text]. In thiopental-sevoflurane anesthesia, the mean
      arterial pressure and rate pressure product decreased significantly after
      induction and increased significantly from insertion of the LMA until removal of
      the LMA. Heart rate increased significantly after insertion of the LMA, insertion
      of the bronchoscope, and removal of the LMA. There were no significant
      differences in[Formula: see text] and[Formula: see text]. CONCLUSION: TIVA with
      propofol-fentanyl in conjunction with an LMA performs better than thiopental
      sevoflurane anesthesia for diagnostic bronchoscopy because of its superior
      maintenance of cardiovascular stability.

PMID- 28921244
TI  - A comparison between sevoflurane and propofol when combined with continuous
      epidural blockade in adult patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The effects of sevoflurane and propofol, in combination with continuous
      epidural blockade, on blood pressure control and time of recovery from anesthesia
      were compared. METHODS: Adult patients were allocated to either a sevoflurane
      (n=54) or a propofol (n=64) group. Anesthesia was induced with either inhalation
      of 5% sevoflurane or intravenous administration of 2 mg.kg-1 propofol. After an
      injection of vecuronium, the trachea was intubated and anesthesia was maintained
      with continuous epidural blockade, air/oxygen, and sevoflurane or propofol. The
      systolic arterial pressure was maintained within +/-30% of that obtained on the
      ward. RESULTS: The number of cases requiring a change in the dose of either
      anesthetics or vasoactive agents was not different between the groups. However,
      the arterial pressure and heart rate were more stable in the propofol group than
      in the sevoflurane group (P<0.05). The length of time before tracheal extubation
      was shorter in the sevoflurane group (10.4+/-5.2 min, mean+/-SD) than the
      propofol group (15.0+/-11.2 min,P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Propofol anesthesia, in
      combination with continuous epidural blockade, results in more stable
      intraoperative hemodynamics than sevoflurane anesthesia, but requries a longer
      recovery time and results in larger interindividual variability than sevoflurane
      anesthesia.

PMID- 28921245
TI  - Effect of anesthetics on the self-sustained oscillation in an artificial membrane
      induced by repetitive conformational change of DOPH molecules between hydrophilic
      and hydrophobic phases.
AB  - PURPOSE: The mechanism of anesthesia was approached from a study of an artificial
      excitable membrane that well reproduced the active electrical properties of the
      nerve membrane. METHODS: Self-sustained oscillations of the membrane potential in
      a model membrane in which dioleyl phosphate (DOPH) was infiltrated into the pores
      of a millipore filter were utilized to investigate the effect of volatile
      anesthetic agents on the repetitive conformational change of DOPH molecules
      between hydrophilic multibilayers and hydrophobic oil droplets, while this
      process was coupled with diffusion of K+ across the membrane placed between KCl
      aqueous solutions. RESULTS: The period of the self-sustained oscillations
      increased due to the addition of volatile anesthetics to the aqueous solutions,
      and there were critical values of concentrations of volatile anesthetics above
      which the self-sustained oscillations disappeared. CONCLUSION: The volatile
      anesthetic agents affected the hydrophobic oil droplets of the DOPH molecules and
      impeded their repetitive conformational change between the hydrophilic and
      hydrophobic phases, just as local anesthetics had been reported to do.

PMID- 28921246
TI  - Effects of KRN2391-induced hypotension on the endocrine system and carbohydrate
      metabolism in halothane-anesthetized dogs.
AB  - PURPOSE: The hemodynamic profiles of KRN2391-induced hypotension have been
      reported to be a hyperdynamic state. However, the endocrine effects of KRN2391
      induced hypotension remain to be elucidated. We investigated the endocrine and
      metabolic effects of KRN2391-induced hypotension on the plasma concentrations of
      catecholamines, aldosterone, cortisol, glucose, and lactic acid and on plasma
      renin activity. METHODS: Eight dogs were anesthetized with 087% halothane in
      oxygen. After a baseline period, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was lowered to 60
      mmHg for 60min by the infusion of KRN2391. RESULTS: KRN2391-induced hypotension
      resulted in a 50% decrease (P<0.01) in MAP due to a 80% reduction (P<0.01) in
      systemic vascular resistance associated with a 224% increase (P<0.01) in cardiac
      index. Plasma norepinephrine concentrations increased (P<0.01) after 60 min of
      hypotension. Plasma epinephrine concentrations and plasma renin activity both
      increased (P<0.05) during the hypotensive period. Plasma aldosterone
      concentrations remained unchanged during the hypotensive period, but then
      increased (P<0.05) after termination of KRN2391. Plasma cortisol concentrations
      remained unchanged throughout the observation period. Plasma glucose
      concentrations increased (P<0.01) during the hypotensive period. Plasma lactic
      acid concentrations increased (P<0.01) throughout the observation period.
      CONCLUSION: KRN2391-induced hypotension activates the sympathetic nervous system
      and consequently may modulate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis and
      carbohydrate metabolism.

PMID- 28921247
TI  - Muscle lactate concentration during experimental hemorrhagic shock.
AB  - PURPOSE: Blood lactate concentration does not correspond well to oxygen transport
      variables during circulatory shock. Prolonged washout of lactate from tissues
      during shock has been reported. This study was designed to test the hypothesis
      that the discrepancy between serum lactate and oxygen metabolism is caused by the
      failure of lactate to wash out from the tissues and that tissue lactate may
      reflect the oxygen metabolism better. METHODS: Using a canine model of
      hemorrhagic shock, lactate concentration measured in a muscle biopsy specimen and
      in arterial blood was compared with the cumulative deficit in oxygen consumption.
      RESULT: The cumulative deficit in oxygen consumption correlated with the
      concentration of lactate in muscle (r= 0.67,P<0.01) but not with that in blood.
      During shock, all muscle lactate levels were greater than those in serum, and a
      linear relationship was demonstrated between arterial(X) and muscle(Y) lactate
      levels (Y=2.45X-2.72,r=0.82,P<0.001). The muscle/serum lactate concentration
      ratio increased from 1 to 2.5 as the blood volume decreased. CONCLUSION: In the
      setting of experimental hemorrhagic shock, only tissue lactate levels reflected
      the true deficit in oxygen metabolism. The difference between lactate levels in
      muscle and serum represented the severity of the shock.

PMID- 28921248
TI  - Attenuation of nitric oxide-stimulated soluble guanylyl cyclase from the rat
      brain by halogenated volatile anesthetics.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study was undertaken to examine whether interaction between
      halogenated volatile anesthetics and nitric oxide (NO) at soluble guanylyl
      cyclase (sGC) would occur in rat brain. METHODS: A soluble brain fraction was
      prepared from extensively perfused Sprague-Dawley rat brains by centrifugation
      and used as the source of sGC. sGC was incubated with NO and halogenated volatile
      anesthetics, and cGMP production was determined by enzyme immunoassay in aliquots
      of the supernatant. RESULTS: Halothane and sevoflurane produced significant
      (P<0.01) and dose-dependent inhibition of NO-stimulated sGC activity over a range
      of NO concentrations (2*10-9 to 2*10-5 M). Among the anesthetics, halothane
      tended to have a large inhibitory effect on NO-stimulated sGC activity, which
      was, however, not significant. sGC activity was also inhibited by both
      anesthetics (P<0.05) in the absence of NO stimulation. GTP dose-dependently
      increased both NO-stimulated and-nonstimulated sGC activities. Halothane and
      sevoflurane decreased these activities (P<0.01), but the inhibition by these
      anesthetics was not significant at higher GTP concentrations. CONCLUSION: These
      results suggest that halogenated volatile anesthetics can attenuate the activity
      of NO-stimulated sGC by competing with NO for the NO binding site on the enzyme.

PMID- 28921249
TI  - Continuous measurement of hematocrit using an intravascular catheter equipped
      with a fiberoptic transmission cell.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure intravascular hematocrit values
      continuously by using a fiberoptic probe based on near-infrared photometry.
      METHODS: We produced a catheter 1.5 mm in diameter that use a pair of plastic
      fibers. One of the fibers, the measuring fiber, was used to measure the optical
      density of blood, and the other, the reference fiber, was used to decrease the
      signal-to-noise ratio. We employed an 805-nm laser diode as the light source. Two
      photodiodes were used to measure the intensity of the light transmitted through
      the two fibers, and the output signals were amplified and sent to a personal
      computer through an analog-to-digital converter. RESULTS: The hematocrit values
      obtained by this fiberoptic continuous measurement agreed well with those
      obtained by microcentrifugation within physiological ranges. CONCLUSIONS: This
      method is effective for monitoring the rapid changes in hematocrit.

PMID- 28921250
TI  - Iontophoresis using a local anesthetic for the treatment of pediatric acute
      herpetic pain.

PMID- 28921251
TI  - A case of multiple aneurysms of the vein of Galen with heart failure due to
      persistent fetal circulation.

PMID- 28921252
TI  - Propofol in a patient at risk for malignant hyperthermia: report of a case.

PMID- 28921254
TI  - Functional closed-system anesthesia using a function-equipped anesthesia machine
      and time-cycled ventilator.

PMID- 28921253
TI  - Alteration of regional brain oxygen saturation (rSO2) in a patient with cerebral
      damage after aortic arch replacement: carbon dioxide reactivity monitored by near
      infrared spectroscopy suggested inverse steal phenomenon.

PMID- 28921255
TI  - Removal of dried tenacious mucus plug from the trachea of an asthmatic patient
      with bronchoscopic forceps.

PMID- 28921256
TI  - Relation Between Different Measures of Glycemic Exposure and Microvascular and
      Macrovascular Complications in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An
      Observational Cohort Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This retrospective cohort study investigated the relation between
      different measures of glycemic exposure and micro- and macrovascular
      complications among patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The analysis included
      patients receiving oral antihyperglycemic agents between 1 January 2006 and 31
      December 2014 from the General Practitioner Database from the PHARMO Database
      Network. All recorded HbA1c levels during follow-up were used to express glycemic
      exposure in four ways: index HbA1c, time-dependent HbA1c, exponential moving
      average (EMA) and glycemic burden. Association between glycemic exposure and
      micro-/macrovascular complications was analyzed by estimating hazard ratios and
      95% confidence intervals using an adjusted (time-dependent) Cox proportional
      hazards model. RESULTS: The analysis included 32,725 patients (median age, 65
      years; 47% female). Median follow-up was 5.4 years; median number of HbA1c
      measurements per patient was 18.0. From all measures, HbA1c at index showed the
      weakest relation between all micro-/macrovascular complications, with coronary
      artery disease (CAD) having the highest HR (95% CI): 1.18 (1.04-1.34) for HbA1c
      >=64 mmol/mol (8%). The time-dependent HbA1c model showed a significant
      association only for microvascular complications, with retinopathy having the
      highest HR (95% CI): 1.55 (1.40-1.73) for HbA1c >=64 mmol/mol (8%). EMA-defined
      exposure showed similar findings, although the effect of retinopathy was more
      pronounced [HR (95% CI): 1.81 (1.63-2.02) for HbA1c >=64 mmol/mol (8%)] and was
      also predictive for CAD [HR (95% CI): 1.29 (1.10-1.50) for HbA1c >=64 mmol/mol
      (8%)]. A statistically significant relation with glycemic burden was found for
      all selected micro-/macrovascular complications, with retinopathy having the
      highest HR (95%): 2.60 (2.19-3.07) for glycemic burden years >3. CONCLUSION: This
      study shows that greater and more prolonged exposure to hyperglycemia increases
      the risk of micro- and macrovascular complications. FUNDING: Janssen
      Pharmaceutica NV.

PMID- 28921257
TI  - Energy recovery from wastewater treatment plants through sludge anaerobic
      digestion: effect of low-organic-content sludge.
AB  - During anaerobic digestion, low-organic-content sludge sometimes is used as
      feedstock, resulting in deteriorated digestion performance. The operational
      experience of conventional anaerobic digestion cannot be applied to this
      situation. To investigate the feature of low-organic-content sludge digestion and
      explain its intrinsic mechanism, batch experiments were conducted using designed
      feedstock having volatile solids (VS) contents that were 30-64% of total solids
      (TS). The results showed that the accumulative biogas yield declined
      proportionally from 173.7 to 64.8 ml/g VS added and organic removal rate
      decreased from 34.8 to 11.8% with decreasing VS/TS in the substrate. The
      oligotrophic environment resulting from low-organic-content substrates led to
      decreased microbial activity and a switch from butyric fermentation to propionic
      fermentation. A first-order model described the biogas production from the batch
      experiments very well, and the degradation coefficient decreased from 0.159 to
      0.069 day-1, exhibiting a positive relation with organic content in substrate.
      The results observed here corroborated with data from published literature on
      anaerobic digestion of low-organic-content sludge and showed that it may not be
      feasible to recover energy from sludge with an organic content lower than 50%
      through mono digestion.

PMID- 28921258
TI  - Models of kleptoparasitism on networks: the effect of population structure on
      food stealing behaviour.
AB  - The behaviour of populations consisting of animals that interact with each other
      for their survival and reproduction is usually investigated assuming homogeneity
      amongst the animals. However, real populations are non-homogeneous. We focus on
      an established model of kleptoparasitism and investigate whether and how much
      population heterogeneities can affect the behaviour of kleptoparasitic
      populations. We consider a situation where animals can either discover food items
      by themselves or attempt to steal the food already discovered by other animals
      through aggressive interactions. Representing the likely interactions between
      animals by a network, we develop pairwise and individual-based models to describe
      heterogeneities in both the population structure and other individual
      characteristics, including searching and fighting abilities. For each of the
      models developed we derive analytic solutions at the steady state. The high
      accuracy of the solutions is shown in various examples of populations with
      different degrees of heterogeneity. We observe that highly heterogeneous
      structures can significantly affect the food intake rate and therefore the
      fitness of animals. In particular, the more highly connected animals engage in
      more conflicts, and have a reduced food consumption rate compared to poorly
      connected animals. Further, for equivalent average level of connectedness, the
      average consumption rate of a population with heterogeneous structure can be
      higher.

PMID- 28921260
TI  - Renal toxicity of compound A with sevoflurane anesthesia: The benefits of
      sevoflurane appear to outweigh the risks.

PMID- 28921261
TI  - Predictors of inotropic support during weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass in
      coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.
AB  - Early or prophylactic inotropic drug administration is occasionally required to
      facilitate separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in cardiac surgery.
      However, it is not without untoward effects and should be conducted on the basis
      of rational criteria. The purpose of our study was to clarify variables
      associated with the requirement for inotropic support during separation from CPB
      and to testify whether pre-CPB left ventricular (LV) function, as evaluated by
      transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), is one of the significant variables.
      Clinical profile data and TEE findings were retrospectively analyzed for 91
      patients who had received elective primary isolated coronary artery bypass
      grafting (CABG) surgery. Post-CPB inotropic drug administration initiated prior
      to aortic decannulation was considered inotropic support for terminating CPB.
      Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis identified pre-CPB LV regional
      wall motion abnormalities (RWMA), NYHA class, age, and duration of CPB (in order
      of significance) as factors associated with inotropic support for discontinuing
      CPB. Pre-CPB LV enddiastolic area or fractional area change was not a significant
      variable in the multivariate model. Our result suggests that evaluation of pre
      CPB LV RWMA is useful in predicting the need of inotropic intervention during
      separation from CPB in patients undergoing CABG surgery.

PMID- 28921259
TI  - Epigenetic effects of the pregnancy Mediterranean diet adherence on the offspring
      metabolic syndrome markers.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MS) has a multifactorial and not yet fully clarified origin.
      Insulin resistance is a key element that connects all the accepted components of
      MS (obesity, dyslipemia, high blood pressure, and hyperglycemia). There is strong
      evidence that epigenetic changes during fetal development are key factors in the
      development of MS. These changes are induced by maternal nutrition, among
      different factors, affecting the intrauterine environment. The Mediterranean diet
      has been shown to be a healthy eating pattern that protects against the
      development of MS in adults. Similarly, the Mediterranean diet could have a
      similar action during pregnancy, protecting the fetus against the development of
      MS throughout life. This review assembles studies carried out, both in animals
      and humans, on the epigenetic modifications associated with the consumption,
      during pregnancy, of Mediterranean diet main components. The relationship between
      these modifications and the occurrence of factors involved in development of MS
      is also explained. In addition, the results of our group relating adherence to
      the Mediterranean diet with MS markers are discussed. The paper ends suggesting
      future actuation lines in order to increase knowledge on Mediterranean diet
      adherence as a prevention tool of MS development.

PMID- 28921262
TI  - Effects of fentanyl on cardiovascular response during rapid sequence induction in
      hypertensive patients.
AB  - This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of fentanyl on cardiovascular
      and catecholamine responses during rapid sequence induction (RSI) in hypertensive
      patients. Twenty-eight patients were allocated into one of 3 groups: group 1
      (n=7) consisted of normotensive patients receiving no fentanyl, group 2 (n=10)
      consisted of normotensive patients receiving fentanyl, and group 3 (n=11)
      consisted of hypertensive patients receiving fentanyl. RSI was performed with
      thiamylal (4mg.kg-1) and succinylcholine (2mg.kg-1) for all groups. In groups 2
      and 3, fentanyl (4 MUg.kg-1) was given prior to induction. Measurements including
      systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and heart rate (HR) were made at preinduction
      (T1), preintubation (T2), 1 min after intubation (T3), and 3 min after intubation
      (T4). Simultaneously, plasma concentrations of epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine
      (NE) were measured at T1 and T3. Group 1 showed significant increases in SAP, HR,
      and NE at T3 as compared to T1. Group 2 showed a significant increase in HR at T3
      but not in SAP or catecholamines. Group 3 showed no increase in SAP, HR, or
      catecholamines throughout the time course. The results suggest that fentanyl is
      useful to suppress sympathoadrenal and cardiovascular responses to RSI in
      hypertensive patients as well as normotensive patients.

PMID- 28921263
TI  - Effects of estazolam as a premedication in mentally retarded patients.
AB  - In anesthesia for mentally retarded patients, adequate preoperative sedation is
      important. We have investigated the sedative effects of estazolam in 16 mentally
      retarded patients who were given 0.1 mg.kg-1 orally; its sedative effects were
      compared with those of hydroxyzine (50 mg intramuscularly, 6 patients). Estazolam
      was observed to be significantly more effective as a sedative than hydroxyzine
      throughout the period under study. Estazolam was clinically effective in 94% of
      patients, no patient needing either additional drugs for sedation or heavy
      restraint. The sedative effects of estazolam lasted on average 9h and patients
      were still well sedated after the operation. There was no serious complication
      due to estazolam. Thus, it was found to be an effective drug for premedication in
      mentally retarded patients.

PMID- 28921264
TI  - Effects of pretreatment with magnesium on muscle relaxation and cardiovascular
      responses in tracheal intubation using the priming principle for vecuronium.
AB  - In addition to its direct effects on blood vessels, the myocardium, and
      neuromuscular junctions, magnesium can act as an adrenergic antagonist and can
      inhibit the release of catecholamines both from adrenergic nerve terminals and
      from the adrenal medulla. This study was undertaken to evaluate these effects of
      magnesium on muscle relaxation and cardiovascular response during tracheal
      intubation. Forty ASA I or II patients undergoing elective surgery were allocated
      to a magnesium or a control group. Three minutes after priming with vecuronium
      0.015 mg.kg-1, the magnesium group received vecuronium 0.085 mg.kg-1 and
      magnesium sulfate 40 mg.kg-1, while the control group received an equivalent
      volume of vecuronium and saline. The percent change from baseline in mean
      arterial pressure after tracheal intubation was significantly smaller (P<0.01) in
      the magnesium group than in the control group, but the percent change in heart
      rate was similar. There were no significant changes in plasma catecholamine
      concentrations after tracheal intubation in either group. The onset time of
      vecuronium was significantly shorter in the magnesium group than in the control
      group. The duration of action of vecuronium was significantly longer in the
      magnesium group than in the control group. Serum magnesium concentrations at 90
      min after its administration were significantly higher than baseline. We
      concluded that vecuronium priming with magnesium pretreatment inhibits the
      hypertension associated with tracheal intubation and shortens the onset time of
      vecuronium, but prolongs it duration of action.

PMID- 28921265
TI  - Parasympathetic nervous activity after administration of atropine and neostigmine
      using heart rate spectral analysis.
AB  - Recently, heart rate spectral analysis has become recognized as a powerful tool
      for quantitatively evaluating autonomic nervous system activity. The purpose of
      this study was to analyze parasympathetic nervous activity by heart rate spectral
      analysis after administration of atropine and neostigmine for reversal of
      residual neuromuscular blockade. For our study, 36 female patients (26-37 years
      of age), ASA physical status (PS) I, who were scheduled for laparoscopic
      examination, were randomly allocated to one of the following four groups: In
      group A (1?1), 9 patients received 1.0mg atropine followed 4 min later by 1.0 mg
      neostigmine. In group B (1?2), 9 patients received 0.5 mg atropine followed 4 min
      later by 1.0 mg neostigmine. In group C (1?2.5), 9 patients received 1.0 mg
      atropine followed 4 min later by 2.5 mg neostigmine. In group D (1?2 mix), 9
      patients received a mixed solution of atropine 0.5 mg and neostigmine 1.0mg.
      After finishing the laparoscopic examination, additional anesthesia was
      maintained with 70% nitrous oxide, 30% oxygen, and 0.5% isoflurane. The control
      data were obtained 10 min after finishing the laparoscopic examination. After
      that, the data on atropine were obtained between 2 and 4min after administration
      of atropine, and the data on neostigmine were obtained between 5 and 7 min after
      administration of neostigmine. We selected power spectral density of the high
      frequency component (HF-p) in heart rate spectral analysis as an index to assess
      parasympathetic activity. In groups A, B, and C, the HF-p decreased after
      administration of atropine. In groups B and C, the HF-p increased after
      administration of neostigmine as compared to the control. In group A, the HF-p
      increased after neostigmine but did not differ from the control. The difference
      between groups D and B was not statistically significant. From the results of
      this study, we concluded that the muscarinic effect of neostigmine could not be
      sufficiently blocked by atropine at 1/2 dosages of neostigmine, but could be
      sufficiently blocked by atropine at equivalent dosages of neostigmine, under
      light isoflurane anesthesia.

PMID- 28921266
TI  - Continuous measurement of oxygen consumption using the reversed fick method.
AB  - We developed a continuous oxygen consumption (Vo2) measurement system employed
      the reversed Fick method, in which Vo2 in computed from continuously measured
      sured arterial and mixed venous oxygen saturation assed by pulse oximetry and
      mixed venous oximetry, respectively, and cardiac output by the heat deprivation
      technique. This system was compared with the conventional intermittent reversed
      fick method in 7 patients during surgery and with indirect calorimetry in 4
      intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The Vo2 measured by the continuous reversed
      Fick method showed a high correlation with those simultaneously measured by the
      intermittent Fick method (r=0.97,P<0.01) and by indirect calorimetry
      (r=0.74,P<0.01). The 95% confidence limits (bias+/-2 SD) of the continuous
      reversed Fick method were -0.6+/-45 ml.min-1 with the intermittent Fick method
      and -31+/-56 ml.min-1 with indirect calorimetry. The continuous Fick method is in
      satisfactory agreement with the conventional methods for the measured of Vo2 and
      potentially allows for convenient assessment of Vo2 in critically ill patients.

PMID- 28921267
TI  - Studies of the mechanism of nephrotoxicity of compound A in rats.
AB  - CO2 absorbents acting on sevoflurane produce compound A [CF2=C(CF3)OCH2F]. Rats
      breathing 25-50 ppm of compound A for 3-12 h demonstrate corticomedullary renal
      injury. Several halogenated alkenes also produce a well described
      corticomedullary lesion by conversion of glutathione conjugates of these alkenes
      to cysteine s-conjugates and subsequent metabolism by renal cysteine conjugate
      beta-lyase to nephrotoxic halothionoacetyl halides. We tested whether a similar
      mechanism explained the nephrotoxicity of compound A or whether an oxidative
      metabolism of compound A by cytochrome P-450 was required for the induction of
      nephrotoxicity. A closed rebreathing system was used and male Wistar rats were
      exposed for 1 h to: (1) oxygen alone; (2) 800 ppm compound A; (3) 800 ppm
      compound A after pretreatment with intraperitoneal aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA),
      0.5 mmoles/kg, an inhibitor of renal cysteine conjugate beta-lyase; (4) 600 ppm
      compound A; (5) 600 ppm compound A after pretreatment with intraperitoneal AOAA,
      0.50 mmoles/kg plus acivicin (AT-125), 0.25 mmoles/kg, an inhibitor of gamma
      glutamyl transpeptidase; (6) 600 ppm compound A after pretreatment with 1600
      mg/kg piperonyl butoxide (PB) subcutaneously, and (7) 600 ppm compound A after
      pretreatment with 100 mg/kg 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT) by intraperitoneal
      injection (both PB and ABT inhibit cytochrome P-450s). All rats were killed 24 h
      following exposure to compound A or oxygen, or to pretreatments without compound
      A, and the kidneys were collected for histological analysis. Pretreatments given
      without compound A did not cause renal injury. Necrosis was found in 20.9+/-16.7%
      (mean+/-SD) of corticomedullary tubule cells following exposure of Wistar rats to
      600 ppm compound A. Pretreatment with AOAA plus AT-125 increased necrosis to
      57.9+/-32.6%, (P<0.005). PB or ABT given prior to compound A increased
      corticomedullary injury to 39.0+/-31.4% (P<0.02) and 51.2+/-31.8% (P<0.025),
      respectively. In rats exposed to 800 ppm compound A, pretreatment with AOAA
      increased necrosis from 63.8+/-30.1% to 81.2+/-27.7% (P<0.1). Unlike many other
      halogenated alkenes, compound A does not appear to produce renal injury by
      conversion of a cysteine S-conjugate to a toxic thiol, nor does injury require
      metabolism mediaited by cytochrome P-450. Injury may result from direct toxicity
      of compound A or by an undetermined metabolic pathway.

PMID- 28921268
TI  - Effects of bupivacaine and lidocaine on cardiac function in awake and
      pentobarbital-anesthetized rats.
AB  - Using an implanted Doppler crystal, we evaluated emodynamic changes induced by
      subconvulsive doses of bupivacaine and lidocaine in awake and
      pentobarbitalanesthetized rats. Low doses of lidocaine (2.0 mg.kg-1) and
      bupivacaine (0.5 mg.kg-1) changed hemodynamics minimally. However, a high dose of
      lidocaine (8.0 mg.kg-1) reduced heart rate, cardiac output, and regional
      myocardial wall thickening for a short period with or without anesthesia. In
      contrast, a high dose of bupivacaine (2.0 mg.kg-1) increased mean arterial
      pressure and did not change heart rate or regional myocardial wall thickening in
      the awake state. Under pentobarbital anesthesia, a high dose of lidocaine reduced
      mean arterial pressure significantly shortly after the injection, but bupivacaine
      did not. Thus, it is unlikely that bupivacaine has more potent cardiotoxicity
      than lidocaine in subconvulsive doses.

PMID- 28921269
TI  - Comparative hemodynamic effects of hypotension induced by diadenosine
      tetraphosphate (AP4A) and ATP in dogs.
AB  - ATP and diadenosine tetraphosphate (AP4A) have been shown to produce vasodilation
      mediated by P1- and P2-purinoceptor, respectively. The differing mechanisms
      involved in this vasodilating activity may induce different systemic hemodynamic
      changes. We compared the hemodynamic effects of AP4A-induced hypotension with
      those induced by ATP. Fourteen mongrel dogs were anesthetized with 0.87%
      halothane in oxygen (1 MAC). After the baseline period, mean arterial pressure
      was reduced to 60 mmHg for 60 min by the infusion of AP4A or ATP. The ATP- and
      AP4A-induced hypotension resulted in a maximum reduction in systemic vascular
      resistance of 43% and 46%, respectively (P<0.01), associated with a significant
      increase in stroke volume index. With ATP, a 20% of maximum increase (P<0.05) in
      cardiac index (CI) was observed during the induced hypotension. In contrast, AP4A
      induced hypotension did not result in any changes in CI throughout the
      observation period. The varying results concerning CI during the ATP- and AP4A
      induced hypotension were probably due to differences in ventricular filling
      pressure, since AP4A-induced hypotension was associated with decreases (P<0.01)
      in both right atrial and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures, whereas neither of
      these variables significantly changed with ATP. The hypotension induced by either
      ATP or AP4A was associated with a significant decrease in heart rate (HR).
      However, both the magnitude and duration of decreases in HR due to ATP-induced
      hypotension were more pronounced than those seen with AP4A. In conclusion, while
      both drugs were equally capable of inducing hypotension, our results suggest that
      AP4A was more suitable for induced hypotension because of its potent vasodilatory
      action with venodilation and less negative chronotropic action.

PMID- 28921270
TI  - Is ventilator-induced lung injury a promoter of multiple organ failure in adult
      respiratory distress syndrome? The effect of permissive hypercapnia on
      oxygenation and outcome.

PMID- 28921271
TI  - Anesthetic management of pediatric patients following fontan operation.

PMID- 28921272
TI  - Pulmonary embolism after laparoscopy-assisted colectomy.

PMID- 28921274
TI  - Maxillary bone defect by infraorbital nerve block.

PMID- 28921273
TI  - Effects of propofol on gravid human uterine muscle.

PMID- 28921275
TI  - Accidental penetration of a vocal cord by a nasogastric tube.

PMID- 28921276
TI  - Air in the brachiocephalic vein after sternotomy.

PMID- 28921277
TI  - Pulmonary aspiration during induction of general anesthesia in a
      postesophagectomy patient.

PMID- 28921278
TI  - Effect of low-dose infusion of prostaglandin E1 on vecuronium-induced
      neuromuscular blockade.
AB  - The effect of low-dose (20 ng.kg-1.min-1) infusion of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on
      vecuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade was studied. The study population
      consisted of 24 elderly patients (65-75 years old) and 24 younger adult patients
      (25-56 years old). They were randomly assigned to the control and PGE1 groups.
      The steady-state dose requirement (SSDR) of vecuronium was derived from ondemand
      infusion of the drug which produced a stable twitch height of 20% of its baseline
      reading, and recovery time after steady-state infusion was defined as the time
      for recovery from twitch height from 25% to 75%. The patients in the PGE1 group
      received an infusion of PGE1 20 ng.kg-1.min-1, while those in the control group
      received an infusion of normal saline. The SSDR (23.2+/-9.1 and 34.2+/-5.9 MUg.kg
      1. hr-1, respectively;P=0.02) was significantly less and the recovery time
      (35.0+/-9.5 and 19.9+/-4.2 min, respectively;P=0.01) was significantly longer in
      the elderly than in the younger patients. However, low-dose infusion of PGE1
      significantly increased the SSDR (23.2+/-9.1 to 37.4+/-3.7 MUg. kg-1.hr-1;P=0.01)
      and shortened the recovery time (35.0+/-9.5 to 23.5+/-4.0 min;P=0.02) in elderly
      patients. We concluded that low-dose infusion of PGE1 is effective in preventing
      the prolonged action of vecuronium in elderly patients.

PMID- 28921279
TI  - Correlation between renal function and pharmacokinetic parameters of inorganic
      fluoride following sevoflurane anesthesia.
AB  - We studied the correlation between renal function and pharmacokinetic parameters
      of inorganic fluoride following sevoflurane anesthesia. In 30 neurosurgical
      patients aged 40-70 years, anesthesia was induced with midazolam and sevoflurane
      and maintained with sevoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. Serum and urine
      inorganic fluoride (F-) levels and beta2-microglobulin (BMG), blood urea nitrogen
      (BUN), and serum creatinine (Cr) were measured during and after anesthesia. The
      decrease rate of serum F- level and the area under the curve (AUC) of serum F-
      were calculated. Correlations among sevoflurane dosage, duration of
      administration, peak serum F- level, AUC, the decrease rate of serum F- level,
      and the maximum values in BUN, Cr, and urine BMG during the study were
      investigated. Urine BMG increased significantly after surgery but returned to the
      preoperative level in a week. BUN, Cr, and serum BMG remained within normal
      ranges during the study. Sevoflurane dosage and duration of administration were
      significantly correlated with AUC and the maximum value of urine BMG, but not
      with the peak serum F- level or the decrease rate of serum F-. AUC was
      significantly correlated with the maximum value of urine BMG. In sevoflurane
      anesthesia, sevoflurane dosage, duration of administration, and AUC affected
      urine BMG level, but not peak serum F-.

PMID- 28921280
TI  - Comparison of postoperative liver dysfunction following halothane and sevoflurane
      anesthesia in women undergoing mastectomy for cancer.
AB  - The incidence of an abnormal increase in the serum levels of glutamic oxaloacetic
      transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) following anesthesia
      with halothane and 65% nitrous oxide in oxygen (halothane group) or with
      sevoflurane and 65% nitrous oxide in oxygen (sevoflurane group) was compared in
      women undergoing surgery for breast cancer. An abnormal increase in GOT and GPT,
      both defined as higher than 50 IU, occurred postoperatively in 2 of the 150
      patients (1.7%) in the sevoflurane group, and in 37 of the 200 (18.5%) in the
      halothane group (P<0.001). The elevated levels of serum transaminases after
      sevoflurane ranged from 50 to 65 IU whereas those after halothane ranged from 50
      to 1000 IU, except for a value greater than 5000 IU in 1 patient. In the
      halothane group, there was a significant association between postoperative
      increases in serum transaminases and previous exposure to inhalation anesthetics,
      postoperative mitomycin therapy, and radiation therapy (all P<0.001). The results
      of multivariate analysis, when data from all patients were taken together, showed
      that the type of anesthetic (halothane) was the highest factor related to
      postoperative increases in GOT and GPT (odds ratio 35.85; 95% confidence interval
      5.92-217.37), followed next by prior exposure to inhalation anesthetics (8.65;
      2.96-25.27), postoperative radiation therapy (4.37; 1.70-11.19), and
      postoperative mitomycin therapy (3.56; 1.23-10.35). These data suggest that
      sevoflurane is less likely to cause anesthesia-related liver dysfunction than
      halothane.

PMID- 28921281
TI  - Isotonic hyponatremia and cerebrospinal fluid sodium during and after
      transurethral resection of the prostate.
AB  - We examined the effects on the central nervous system of hyponatremia during
      transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Initially, a prospective study
      was done on 165 consecutively treated patients undergoing TURP, to evaluate
      symptoms related to the serum osmolality. There were ten patients with
      hyponatremia below 120 mEq.L-1, and in whom the serum sodium decreased to 111.9+/
      6.4 mEq.L-1 (mean+/-SD) postoperatively, the measured serum osmolality remained
      near normal. The calculated osmolality decreased to 237.4+/-11.9 mOsm.kg-1 and
      the estimated osmolar gap was 33.5+/-10.4 mOsm.kg-1 due to absorption of the
      irrigating sorbitol. Neurological symptoms were mild and complications such as
      seizures or loss of consciousness nerver occurred. There were five other patients
      with hyponatremia (serum sodium 118.0+/-6.7 mEq.L-1) from whom lumbar
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected before and after TURP through a single
      puncture. CSF sodium did not decrease throughout 1.5 h after TURP, and there was
      a CSF-to-serum sodium gradient. Our study shows that in cases of acute dilution
      hyponatremia during and after TURP, symptoms are mild because the serum
      osmolality remains near normal and CSF sodium does not decrease despite severe
      postoperative hyponatremia.

PMID- 28921282
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of ketamine during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass in cardiac
      patients.
AB  - Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) makes prediction of any drug concentration diffcult
      because both hypothermia and hemodilution can alter the pharmacokinetics of the
      drug. Eleven patients undergoing cardiac surgery under CPB were anesthetized with
      continuous infusion of ketamine combined with intermittent administration of
      droperidol and fentanyl. The infusion rate of ketamine was 2 mg.kg-1.hr-1
      following a bolus administration of 1.5 mg.kg-1 for the induction of anesthesia.
      Blood concentrations of ketamine and its main metabolite, norketamine, were
      measured at 0, 30, and 60 min after the start of and the end of CPB, and 0, 1, 2,
      and 24 h after the cessation of ketamine infusion. Hypothermia increased blood
      ketamine levels during CPB, but the norketamine levels did not change. Although
      acute hemodilution would decrease blood ketamine levels, their levels were
      already significantly increased at 30 min after CPB. Hypothermic factors have a
      more kinetically important role during CPB than hemodilution. Increases in blood
      norketamine levels following rewarming indicate that hypothermia could impair
      ketamine metabolism in the liver. Further increase in the plasma concentration of
      ketamine until 30 min after the end of CPB might be due to blood transfusion
      containing ketamine from the CPB reservoir.

PMID- 28921283
TI  - Responses of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor during and after cardiac
      surgery undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass and pancreatoduodenectomy.
AB  - To evaluate the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on immunological function, we
      measured interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in 12 patients
      undergoing cardiac surgery during and after cardiopulmonary bypass, and in 10
      patients with pancreatoduodenectomy. Plasma IL-6 levels were determined using the
      Human Interleukin 6 ELISA Kit, and TNF levels were determined using a highly
      sensitive sandwich enzyme immunoassay. In patients with cardiac surgery, plasma
      levels of IL-6 and TNF increased during cardiopulmonary bypass, and in patients
      with pancreatoduodenectomy, IL-6 and TNF levels significantly increased at the
      end of intraabdominal manipulation. These results suggest that endotoxin may have
      activated the immune system and stimulated cytokine production after
      pancreatoduodenectomy and during bypass.

PMID- 28921284
TI  - Measuring time-varying respiratory mechanics during anesthesia.
AB  - We introduce a simple measurement technique which can track sudden and/or
      transient changes in respiratory mechanics even in unsteady respiration.
      Respiratory signals are segmented into single-breath signals. Breaths
      contaminated with noise produced by unsteadiness are discarded manually. A linear
      single-compartment model is fit to the data of "noise-free" single breaths,
      estimating its model parameters. respiratory mechanics is interpreted on the
      basis of breath-to-breath changes in the parameter estimates. The technique was
      tested in anesthetized subjects with unstable respiratory conditions. It was
      shown that the technique was noise insensitive and that the estimated model
      parameters well reflected the dynamic changes in respiratory mechanics. Although
      our method provides limited information compared with more sophisticated
      measurements, it may be useful when respiration is unstable, as frequently seen
      during light anesthesia or respiratory care.

PMID- 28921285
TI  - Sore throat and hoarseness after fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation.
AB  - Fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation is frequently chosen for surgery involving the
      oral cavity. In such cases, the endotracheal tube passes through the vocal cords
      into the trachea blindly, which may cause laryngeal trauma. We, therefore,
      studied the incidence of sore throat and hoarseness after fiberoptic nasotracheal
      intubation (n=44) and compared the results with those after conventional oral
      intubation (n=35). The incidence of sore throat was lower in the fiberoptic
      nasotracheal intubation group than in the conventional oral intubation group but
      the difference was not statistically significant (25.0%s 42.8%). The incidence of
      hoarseness after fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation was significantly lower than
      that after conventional oral intubation (4.5%s 34.3%,P<0.05). This study confirms
      a low incidence of laryngeal trauma in fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation.

PMID- 28921286
TI  - The effect of airway narrowing and dead space on the shape of the capnogram.
AB  - We have investigated the effects of incomplete obstruction of the endotracheal
      tube and the amount of additional dead space between the endotracheal tube and
      the capnographic sampling adapter on the shape of the capnogram. A 9.0-mm
      endotracheal tube was connected to a 3-L reservoir bag filled from the bottom
      with 5% carbon dioxide and 95% oxygen. The narrowed adapter (internal diameter:
      3.0, 4.0, 6.5, and 9.0 mm), the capnographic sampling adapter, and a semiclosed
      respiratory system were successively connected to this endotracheal tube.
      Additional dead space (0, 30, 62, 92, 124, or 154 ml) was inserted between the
      narrowed adapter and the capnographic sampling adapter. The reservoir bag was
      ventilated with the anesthesia ventilator (fresh gas flow, 6 L.min-1; tidal
      volume, 500 ml; respiratory rate, 10 min-1, and inspiratory-expiratory ratio,
      1?2). The capnogram from each initial ventilation was recorded and the peak
      carbon dioxide tension (Ppeak CO2) was also measured. The T90% value was defined
      as the time it took for the capnograph output to respond from 0% to 90% of the
      Ppeak CO2. The T90% value seen in a 3.0-mm adapter did not change compared with
      the value in a 9.0-mm adapter, when no additional dead space was connected
      between the endotracheal tube and the capnographic sampling adapter. Further, the
      slanting upstroke of the capnogram occurred only when the endotracheal tube
      narrowing and a large amount of dead space between the endotracheal tube and the
      capnographic sampling adapter coexisted. Thus, it is unlikely that incomplete
      obstruction of the endotracheal tube can easily be detected by the slanting
      upstroke of the capnogram.

PMID- 28921287
TI  - Cervical sympathectomy affects gonadotropin-releasing hormone, luteinizing
      hormone and testosterone in male rats.
AB  - To examine the effects of bilateral cervical sympathectomy on the secretion of
      gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone
      (TS), 24 male rats were divided into four groups: control (C), light (L),
      sympathectomy (S), and light-sympathectomy (LS) groups. The C and S groups were
      kept under a 12-h light-dark cycle and the L and LS groups were kept under
      continuous light for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, blood was collected and the rats
      were perfused with a fixative. GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus were stained
      immunohistochemically, and serum LH and TS levels were measured by
      radioimmunoassay. Although the difference in the number of GnRH neurons between
      the C and S groups was not significant, the L group was significantly lower than
      the C or LS groups. The serum LH and TS levels in the L group were higher than in
      the other groups. The present results suggest that continuous light increases
      GnRH secretion in the hypothalamus, followed by increased secretions of LH in the
      pituitary and TS in the testes, and bilateral cervical sympathectomy under
      continuous light inhibits these hormonal changes. However, a normal circadian
      rhythm does not affect gonadotropin secretion. Therefore, long-term and repeated
      stellate ganglion block may inhibit the increases of GnRH, LH, and TS secretions
      induced by continuous light.

PMID- 28921288
TI  - Protective effects of cyclosporine and allopurinol on transient global cerebral
      ischemia in gerbils.
AB  - The effects of cyclosporine and allopurinol on neuronal death following global
      cerebral ischemia were evaluated in Mongolian gerbils. The animals were randomly
      divided into four groups of 12 each: (1) sham operation as control, (2) occlusion
      of the bilateral common carotid arteries for 12 min and treatment with
      physiological saline, (3) occlusion plus treatment with 5 mg/kg of cyclosporine,
      and (4) occlusion plus treatment with 100 mg/kg of allopurinol 30 min before
      cerebral ischemia and daily thereafter for 6 days. On the 7th day after ischemia
      or sham operation, the gerbils' brains were removed. The number of necrotic
      pyramidal cells in the cortex and hippocampal CA1 was evaluated and tissue
      chemiluminescence (reflecting the presence of superoxide radicals) and lipid
      peroxides were examined. The number of necrotic pyramidal cells in each field of
      view (*100) of the cortex was 115+/-79 after ischemia, which was significantly
      larger than 14+/-8 in the control group, and was 45+/-33 and 60+/-49 after
      treatment with cyclosporine and allopurinol, respectively. The number of
      surviving pyramidal cells per mm length after ischemia in CA1 was 37+/-14, which
      was significantly smaller than 174+/-30 in the control group, but 78+/-31
      following treatment with was cyclosporine, and 108+/-53 with allopurinol. A
      reduced number of necrotic pyramidal cells was associated with lower tissue
      chemiluminescence and lipid peroxides. The results suggest that both cyclosporine
      and allopurinol can inhibit neuronal death after global cerebral ischemia, and
      that autoimmunization and superoxide radicals are partially responsible for
      neuronal death.

PMID- 28921289
TI  - Hemodynamic effects of KRN2391 (potassium channel opener) in halothane
      anesthetized dogs.
AB  - The cardiovascular responses to an infusion of KRN2391, a potassium channel
      opener, was studied in halothane-anesthetized dogs. Intravenous administration of
      KRN2391 at 1.0 and 5.0 MUg.kg-1.min-1 for 60 min produced dose-dependent
      decreases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR)
      associated with dose-dependent increases in the cardiac index (CI) and stroke
      volume index (SVI) but was not accompanied by an increase in heart rate (HR). The
      maximum decrease in MAP during the infusion of KRN2391 at 1.0 and 5.0 MUg.kg
      1.min-1 was -13+/-7% (P<0.01) and -37+/-10% (P<0.01), respectively. The maximum
      reduction in SVR after 1.0 and 5.0 MUg.kg-1.min-1 was -20+/-11% (P<0.01) and 
      60+/-16% (P<0.01), respectively. A KRN2391 infusion of 1.0 and 5.0 MUg.kg-1.min-1
      increased Cl a maximum of 11+/-13% (P<0.05) and 65+/-33% (P<0.01), respectively.
      KRN2391 1.0 MUg.kg-1.min-1 showed a tendency to increase SVI but this change was
      not significant, KRN2391 5.0 MUg.kg-1.min-1, however, produced a significant
      increase in SVI. The present results demonstrate that the decrease in MAP and the
      increases in CI and SVI caused by KRN2391 are due to a reduction in the
      afterload. Therefore, we conclude that these cardiovascular profiles of KRN2391
      may be benificial in perioperative uses including the control of systemic blood
      pressure and the treatment of hypertension during halothane anesthesia in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 28921290
TI  - Low reactive-level laser irradiation on the stellate ganglion in dogs.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine what effects low reactive-level laser
      irradiation (LLLI) of the stellate ganglion might have on the sympathetic fibers
      of the stellate ganglion in dogs. Following general anesthesia, the right
      stellate ganglion was exposed by thoracotomy. After stabilization, the following
      baseline measurements were taken: mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and blood
      flow of the common carotid artery. The stellate ganglion was directly irradiated
      for 10 min with a low-power laser. Measurements were taken for 60 min after LLLI.
      Immediately after the final measurement, stellate ganglion blockade was performed
      with 0.5% mepivacaine 1.5 ml. Measurements were taken again 15 min after stellate
      ganglion blockade with a local anesthetic. The changes in each variable were not
      statistically significant after LLLI. On the other hand, all variables changed
      significantly after the stellate ganglion blockade, including increased blood
      flow of the common carotid artery. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that
      LLLI to the stellate ganglion does not cause sympathetic blockade.

PMID- 28921291
TI  - Unusual circulatory responses in a case of acute idiopathic pandysautonomia.

PMID- 28921292
TI  - Adenosine for the treatment of sustained sinus nodal reentrant tachycardia during
      general anesthesia.

PMID- 28921293
TI  - Bronchial asthma-like attack after celiac plexus alcohol block.

PMID- 28921294
TI  - Sevoflurane anesthesia for renal transplanted patient-comparison with normal
      renal function subjects.

PMID- 28921295
TI  - Bronchospasm induced with ergometrine during high spinal anesthesia.

PMID- 28921296
TI  - Refractory atrial fibrillation in an emergency surgical patient: a sign of
      untreated thyrotoxicosis.

PMID- 28921297
TI  - Effects of epidural buprenorphine on bowel movement following gynecological
      surgery.

PMID- 28921298
TI  - Hepatic oxygen delivery-consumption relationship during anesthesia and hypoxemia
      in dogs.

PMID- 28921300
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28921299
TI  - Letters to the Editor.

PMID- 28921301
TI  - Misplacement of an epidural catheter via intervertebral foramen is not rare.

PMID- 28921302
TI  - Comparative evolutionary genomics of Corynebacterium with special reference to
      codon and amino acid usage diversities.
AB  - The present study has been aimed to the comparative analysis of high GC
      composition containing Corynebacterium genomes and their evolutionary study by
      exploring codon and amino acid usage patterns. Phylogenetic study by MLSA
      approach, indel analysis and BLAST matrix differentiated Corynebacterium species
      in pathogenic and non-pathogenic clusters. Correspondence analysis on synonymous
      codon usage reveals that, gene length, optimal codon frequencies and tRNA
      abundance affect the gene expression of Corynebacterium. Most of the optimal
      codons as well as translationally optimal codons are C ending i.e. RNY (R-purine,
      N-any nucleotide base, and Y-pyrimidine) and reveal translational selection
      pressure on codon bias of Corynebacterium. Amino acid usage is affected by
      hydrophobicity, aromaticity, protein energy cost, etc. Highly expressed genes
      followed the cost minimization hypothesis and are less diverged at their
      synonymous positions of codons. Functional analysis of core genes shows
      significant difference in pathogenic and non-pathogenic Corynebacterium. The
      study reveals close relationship between non-pathogenic and opportunistic
      pathogenic Corynebaterium as well as between molecular evolution and survival
      niches of the organism.

PMID- 28921303
TI  - Registry study to assess hair loss prevention with the Penguin Cold Cap in breast
      cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is a distressing side effect of cancer
      treatment. The aim of this registry study was to assess efficacy and tolerability
      of scalp hypothermia using Penguin Cold Caps (Penguin) in breast cancer patients.
      METHODS: Hair loss was assessed by patients using a 100-point Visual Analog Scale
      (VAS) and by physicians using the 5-point Dean Scale at baseline, every 3-4 weeks
      during chemotherapy, and at least 1 month after completion of chemotherapy. The
      primary efficacy endpoint for success was defined as <=50% hair loss by patient
      report (VAS) at follow-up (FUP). Tolerability and satisfaction were assessed by
      patient report. RESULTS: 103 patients enrolled between 7/2010 and 6/2015; 97 are
      evaluable for the primary endpoint. Chemotherapy included
      docetaxel/cyclophosphamide (TC; n = 50) for 4-6 cycles every 3 weeks, weekly
      paclitaxel for 12 weeks then doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (P/AC; n = 23) for 4
      cycles every 2-3 weeks, AC then paclitaxel (AC/P; n = 10), docetaxel/carboplatin
      +/- trastuzumab (TCH; n = 4) for 4-6 cycles every 3 weeks. Overall, 61% of
      patients successfully prevented CIA; impact was regimen specific: TCH 100%, TC *
      4 84%, TC * 5-6 50%, P/AC 43%, AC/P 20%. The most common toxicity was headache,
      reported by 78.5% of patients with mean pain level 37/100. Satisfaction among
      those who completed scalp cooling (SC) and FUP ranged from 74 to 100%. All
      patients who completed SC/FUP recommended Penguin. CONCLUSIONS: Scalp hypothermia
      with Penguin is effective in reducing alopecia, particularly for non
      anthracycline-based shorter regimens. Penguin was well tolerated and viewed
      favorably by most patients.

PMID- 28921304
TI  - Expression and purification of an FGF9 fusion protein in E. coli, and the effects
      of the FGF9 subfamily on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and
      migration.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 9 has oncogenic activity and plays an important
      role in the development of ovarian, lung, prostate, and gastric cancers. In the
      present study, with the aim of reducing the cost of utilizing growth factors in
      cancer research, a simple and efficient method for the preparation of recombinant
      human (rh)FGF9 in Escherichia coli was established. The rhFGF9 fusion protein (6
      * His-TEV-rhFGF9) and the native protein released by tobacco etch virus (TEV)
      protease were obtained using a Ni-NTA system, with > 95% purity. Both purified
      forms of rhFGF9, with and without fusion tags, significantly stimulated the
      proliferation of NIH3T3 cells. The FGF9 subfamily, including FGF9, FGF16, and
      FGF20, in addition to rhFGF16, rhFGF9, and rhFGF20, were shown to stimulate the
      proliferation and migration of HuH7 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.
      Mechanistic studies revealed that the stimulation of HuH7 cell proliferation and
      migration with rhFGF9 and rhFGF20 were associated with the activation of the
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB)
      pathways and matrix metalloproteinase-26 (MMP26). Inhibition of the ERK and NF
      kappaB pathways blocked cell migration, and NF-kappaB was demonstrated to be
      regulated by ERK. Therefore, the present study demonstrates a simple method for
      the preparation of biologically active rhFGF9 protein. Furthermore, the results
      indicate that exogenous rhFGF9- and rhFGF20-activated ERK/NF-kappaB signal
      transduction pathways play important roles in the regulation of HCC cell
      proliferation and migration, and this discovery helps to find the potential for
      new solutions of the treatment of liver cancer.

PMID- 28921305
TI  - Allocation of Metals and Trace Elements in Different Tissues of Piscivorous
      Species Phalacrocorax carbo.
AB  - Great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) are piscivorous birds, and as apex
      predators they accumulate high levels of contaminants from the aquatic
      ecosystems. In the present study, we analyzed distribution of Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe,
      Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn in ten tissues (muscle, liver, kidney, spleen,
      gizzard, heart, skin, lard, breast feathers, and remiges) of the Great cormorants
      in the Marin Sprud locality, the Danube River, Serbia. Concentrations of elements
      in tissues were assessed by using inductively coupled plasma optical
      spectrometry. Linear discriminant analysis indicates that breast feathers and
      remiges have a high bioaccumulation potential for heavy metals (Cr, Pb, Sr, and
      Zn). Those tissues had the highest concentrations of lead (Pb) (2.179 +/- 0.742;
      0628 +/- 0.282). Maximum concentrations of mercury (Hg) were detected in liver
      (30.673 +/- 14.081), followed by kidney, for the same element (17.409 +/- 5.676),
      respectively. The overall maximum metal accumulation was observed in breast
      feathers and remiges, followed by liver and kidney, whereas the minimum values
      were observed in muscle, skin, and lard. The greatest concentrations of Cr, Ni,
      Pb, Sr, Zn, and Al were detected in feather tissues. Our study confirms that
      great cormorant is a good indicator species for monitoring of pollution of river
      and wetland ecosystems.

PMID- 28921306
TI  - Brief Report: Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Individual Mindfulness
      Therapy for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - Intervention research on adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is sparse.
      Many adults with ASD experience impaired emotion regulation (ER), which is
      thought to contribute to higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities among adults
      with ASD and indirect effects upon adaptive functioning, interpersonal
      relationships, and vocational status. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate feasibility and initial efficacy of an adapted mindfulness-based
      individual therapy targeting ER difficulties for adults with ASD. There is
      evidence for feasibility based on acceptable treatment fidelity and participant
      satisfaction ratings. Of nine participants, seven demonstrated improvement in at
      least one of the following domains; impulse control, access to ER strategies, and
      emotional acceptance. Further research is recommended, including additional
      timepoints and a clinical cutoff-derived sample.

PMID- 28921307
TI  - Cam morphology and inguinal pathologies: is there a possible connection?
AB  - BACKGROUND: To analyse the prevalences of the cam and pincer morphologies in a
      cohort of patients with groin pain syndrome caused by inguinal pathologies.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four patients (40 men and 4 women) who suffered from
      groin pain syndrome were enrolled in the study. All the patients were
      radiographically and clinically evaluated following a standardised protocol
      established by the First Groin Pain Syndrome Italian Consensus Conference on
      Terminology, Clinical Evaluation and Imaging Assessment in Groin Pain in Athlete.
      Subsequently, all of the subjects underwent a laparoscopic repair of the
      posterior inguinal wall. RESULTS: The study demonstrated an association between
      the cam morphology and inguinal pathologies in 88.6% of the cases (39 subjects).
      This relationship may be explained by noting that the cam morphology leads to
      biomechanical stress at the posterior inguinal wall level. CONCLUSIONS: Athletic
      subjects who present the cam morphology may be considered a population at risk of
      developing inguinal pathologies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Observational cross
      sectional study.

PMID- 28921308
TI  - Pregnancy and delivery in moyamoya vasculopathy: experience of a single European
      institution.
AB  - Moyamoya vasculopathy (MMV) is a stenoocclusive cerebrovascular disease
      frequently affecting adolescent females. Thus, the management of pregnancy is of
      major interest for physicians dealing with MMV patients. However, clinical data
      concerning pregnant MMV patients is lacking. Our aim was to analyze the course of
      pregnancy in our European MMV patient cohort. We retrospectively identified MMV
      patients with a history of pregnancy who were treated in our institution. We
      analyzed demographic data, clinical symptoms, treatment, and detailed history of
      pregnancies. We identified 31 MMV patients (81% moyamoya disease (MMD), 6%
      unilateral MMD, 13% quasi MMD) with a history of pregnancy resulting in a total
      of 60 pregnancies and 48 deliveries. Ninety-four percent of the patients became
      symptomatic by ischemic events and 6% by headache. Eighty-one and nineteen
      percent of the patients experienced their pregnancies prior to (first group) or
      after the diagnosis (second group), respectively. In the first group, the mean
      age at first delivery and bypass treatment were 24 +/- 4 and 42 +/- 10,
      respectively. Eight percent of these patients were diagnosed as MMV due to
      ischemic events during perinatal period. In the second group, the mean age at
      first delivery and bypass treatment were 26 +/- 7 and 23 +/- 6, respectively. No
      cerebral events were reported within perinatal period in this group. All
      previously operated patients continued their aspirin medication at least until
      the 3rd trimester. The majority of the pregnancies occurred prior to diagnosis in
      our European patient cohort. Our data indicates a protective effect of surgical
      treatment for avoiding cerebral events during pregnancy and delivery for already
      diagnosed patients.

PMID- 28921311
TI  - Respiratory and cardiovascular effects of fentanyl during propofol-induced
      sedation under spinal anesthesia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether fentanyl augments respiratory and cardiovascular
      problems during propofol-induced sedation, we investigated the effects of
      propofol and fentanyl on respiratory and hemodynamic profiles in 30 female
      patients under spinal anesthesia, administering oxygen via face mask. METHODS:
      After spinal anesthesia, 20 patients were sedated with propofol (0.5 mg.kg-1
      bolus, 3 mg.kg-1.h-1), followed by administration of either 2 MUg.kg-1 fentanyl
      in group PF or normal saline in group P, whereas another 10 patients (group F)
      received 2 MUg.kg-1 fentanyl without propofol. We measured heart rate, mean
      arterial pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide tension, and respiratory rate before
      and after treatment. We also evaluated apnea, arterial oxygen desaturation, and
      airway obstruction. RESULTS: Mean arterial pressure was significantly lower in
      group P and PF than in group F. However, there were comparable changes in heart
      rate in the three groups. The combination of fentanyl and propofol decreased
      respiratory rate and increased end-tidal carbon dioxide tension more than
      fentanyl or propofol alone. Although apnea occurred in groups F and PF, arterial
      oxygen desaturation did not occur in any of the groups. CONCLUSION: The
      combination of fentanyl and propofol augmented the risks of respiratory
      depression and apnea compared with the use of fentanyl or propofol alone.

PMID- 28921310
TI  - Effects of Vildagliptin Add-on Insulin Therapy on Nocturnal Glycemic Variations
      in Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To investigate whether vildagliptin add-on insulin therapy improves
      glycemic variations in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared
      to patients with placebo therapy. METHODS: This was a 24-week, single-center,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Inadequately controlled T2D patients
      treated with insulin therapy were recruited between June 2012 and April 2013. The
      trial included a 2-week screening period and a 24-week randomized period.
      Subjects were randomly assigned to a vildagliptin add-on insulin therapy group (n
      = 17) or a matched placebo group (n = 16). Scheduled visits occurred at weeks 4,
      8, 12, 16, 20, and 24. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was performed before
      and at the endpoint of the study. RESULTS: A total of 33 subjects were admitted,
      with 1 patient withdrawing from the placebo group. After 24 weeks of therapy,
      HbA1c values were significantly reduced at the endpoint in the vildagliptin add
      on group. CGM data showed that patients with vildagliptin add-on therapy had a
      significantly lower 24-h mean glucose concentration and mean amplitude of
      glycemic excursion (MAGE). At the endpoint of the study, patients in the
      vildagliptin add-on group had a significantly lower MAGE and standard deviation
      compared to the control patients during the nocturnal period (0000-0600). A
      severe hypoglycemic episode was not observed in either group. CONCLUSION:
      Vildagliptin add-on therapy to insulin has the ability to improve glycemic
      variations, especially during the nocturnal time period, in patients with
      uncontrolled T2D.

PMID- 28921312
TI  - Humidification during low-flow anesthesia in children.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of low-flow anesthesia
      with or without a heat and moisture exchanger with high-flow anesthesia on airway
      gas humidification in children. METHODS: One hundred twenty children were
      randomly assigned to one of three groups: low-flow anesthesia with 0.5l.min-1 of
      total gas flow (LFA,n=40), low-flow anesthesia with 0.5l.min-1 using a heat and
      moisture exchanger (HME,n=40), and high-flow anesthesia with 6l.min-1 (HFA,n=40).
      The temperature and relative humidity of the inspired gas were measured
      throughout anesthesia. RESULTS: The relative humidity of the inspired gas in the
      HME group was increased compared with that of the LFA and HFA groups 20 min after
      induction (p<0.05). The airway humidification in the LFA group was higher than
      that in the HFA group 10 min after induction (p<0.05). The temperature of the
      inspired gas in the HME group was increased compared with that in the LFA and HFA
      groups after 70 min (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Low-flow anesthesia is less effective
      in providing adequate humidification of inspired gas than low-flow anesthesia
      with a heat and moisture exchanger, but significantly better than high-flow
      anesthesia in children.

PMID- 28921313
TI  - Nitric oxide inhalation increases oxygen delivery after cardiovascular surgery in
      adult patients whether or not they have pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to quantify the increase in oxygen
      delivery (DO2) produced by nitric oxide (NO) inhalation, and to clarify whether
      NO inhalation might be effective in adult patients after cardiovascular surgery
      whether or not they have pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS: The study was done
      on 26 adult patients after cardiovascular surgery. The indications for NO
      inhalation were postoperative hypoxic respiratory failure (POHRF) with or without
      PH. NO was administered via a premixing system or via a side-stream system. The
      dose was adjusted to between 1 and 10 (5.7+/-2.0) (mean+/-SD) ppm. Data were
      obtained just before and within 120 min after the initiation of NO inhalation. We
      initially analyzed the data from all the patients together and then compared data
      from two groups made up from just 22 of the 26 patients: 14 patients without PH
      whose PaO2/FiO2 before NO inhalation was less than 200 mmHg (simple POHRF group),
      and 8 patients who had both POHRF and PH (systolic pulmonary arterial pressure
      higher than 40 mmHg) (POHRF with PH group). RESULTS: In the original group of 26
      patients, significant improvements were observed in PaO2, PaO2/FiO2, CI, SPAP,
      CaO2, DO2I, and SvO2 during NO inhalation. The increase in DO2I was 68 ml.min-1.m
      2 (+19.5%). PaO2, PaO2/FiO2, CaO2, DO2I, and SvO2 increased significantly in both
      groups. The increase in DO2I was 60 ml.min-1.m-2 (+18.9%) in the simple POPHRF
      group and 79ml.min-1.m-2 (+18.0%) in the POHRF with PH group. CONCLUSION: NO
      inhalation increases DO2 by approximately 20% in adult patients after
      cardiovascular surgery, irrespective of whether or not they have pulmonary
      hypertension.

PMID- 28921309
TI  - Lung cancer-associated brain metastasis: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic
      options.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related mortality in
      humans. There are several reasons for this high rate of mortality, including
      metastasis to several organs, especially the brain. In fact, lung cancer is
      responsible for approximately 50% of all brain metastases, which are very
      difficult to manage. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms
      underlying lung cancer-associated brain metastasis brings up novel therapeutic
      promises with the hope to ameliorate the severity of the disease. Here, we
      provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of
      lung cancer dissemination and metastasis to the brain, as well as promising
      horizons for impeding lung cancer brain metastasis, including the role of cancer
      stem cells, the blood-brain barrier, interactions of lung cancer cells with the
      brain microenvironment and lung cancer-driven systemic processes, as well as the
      role of growth factor/receptor tyrosine kinases, cell adhesion molecules and non
      coding RNAs. In addition, we provide an overview of current and novel therapeutic
      approaches, including radiotherapy, surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery,
      chemotherapy, as also targeted cancer stem cell and epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT)-based therapies, micro-RNA-based therapies and other small
      molecule or antibody-based therapies. We will also discuss the daunting potential
      of some combined therapies. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of molecular
      mechanisms underlying lung cancer metastasis has opened up new avenues towards
      their eradication and provides interesting opportunities for future research
      aimed at the development of novel targeted therapies.

PMID- 28921314
TI  - Comparison of respiratory sparing effect between pancuronium and three new
      nondepolarizing muscle relaxants in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: There is a large difference in sensitivity between respiratory muscles
      and other limb muscles. This phenomenon, known as the respiratory sparing effect
      (RSE), is well established withd-tubocurarine, pancuronium, and succinylcholine.
      The purpose of this study is to evaluate the RSE of these new relaxants,
      vecuronium, pipecuronium, and ORG9426. METHODS: The study was done in vivo using
      rats. Mechanical twitch responses of tibialis anterior muscle and diaphragm
      stimulated with the sciatic nerve and phrenic nerve, respectively, were recorded
      simultaneously to monitor neuromuscular transmission. Changes of mechanical
      twitch responses from both muscles were compared following the injection of four
      kinds of muscle relaxants (pancuronium, picuronium, recuronium, and ORG9426).
      RESULTS: T, D (%) represents the maximum depression in tibialis anterior and
      diaphragm, respectively. T-D (%), which means the sensitivity difference between
      the two kinds of muscle, was calculated by subtracting D from T. The T-Ds of
      pancuronium, pipecuronium, vecuronium, and ORG9426 were 86.0+/-2.6%, 81.4+/-1.9%,
      77.7+/-2.1%, and 74.6+/-2.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated
      that the blockade produced by each muscle relaxant was lower in the diaphragm
      than in the anterior tibialis muscle. T-D was significantly smaller with
      vecuronium or ORG9426 than with pancuronium.

PMID- 28921315
TI  - Objective assessment of CNS function within 6 hours of spinal cord ischemia in
      rabbits.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a neurologic scoring (NS) system to objectively assess CNS
      function shortly after spinal cord ischemia. METHODS: Spinal cord ischemia was
      induced by temporarily clamping the infrarenal aorta in 27 rabbits anesthetized
      with isoflurane/N2O/O2 without muscle relaxants. Animals were divided ito group
      I, normothermic ischemia [I-a, 11 min (n=8); I-b, 12 min (n=8)], and group II, 60
      min hypothermic ischemia targeted to II-a, 29.5 degrees C (n=5), and II-i, 30.0
      degrees C (n=6). Postischemic neurologic function was scored from 0 to 6.
      RESULTS: Seventy-five percent of each group I subgroup ended with paraplegia.
      Function in the I-b group tended to be worse than in I-a (NS=1.7vs 1.9P>0.05).
      Hypothermia of 29.9+/-0.1 degrees C protected partially (NS=2.8), whereas 29.4+/
      0.1 degrees C resulted in significantly higher NS, starting at 150 min (P<0.05vs
      IIi) with total recovery 5.5 hours (P<0.0001) post re-perfusion. CONCLUSIONS:
      Protection of the spinal cord from ischemia can be objectively quantitated by our
      system. Protection strategies can be compared within 6 h of the ischemia-insult.

PMID- 28921317
TI  - Simple deep hypothermia for repair of congenital tracheal stenosis: a case
      report.

PMID- 28921316
TI  - The clinical pharmacology of remifentanil: a brief review.
AB  - Because it is still in its clinical infancy, it is difficult to predict with
      confidence exactly what role remifentanil will ultimately play in the delivery of
      anesthesia (and in other settings). It is clear, however, that remifentanil is a
      new pharmacologic tool with exciting potential that was not possible with the
      longer-acting opioids. On the basis of its familiar, fentanyl-like
      pharmacodynamic behavior and its short-acting pharmacokinetic profile,
      remifentanil may well be advantageous in a variety of settings in which profound
      opioid effect with subsequent rapid return of spontaneous ventilation and
      consciousness is desirable. Ongoing research and wide-spread clinical use will be
      required before the theoretical advantages associated with a short-acting opioid
      can be fully explored and confirmed.

PMID- 28921318
TI  - A case of accidental hypercapnia caused by a malpositioned expiratory valve disc,
      and experimental models for its prevention.

PMID- 28921319
TI  - A method of radiographic guiding for maxillary nerve block (pterygopalatine fossa
      oblique view).

PMID- 28921320
TI  - Effect of intrathecal pretreatment with taurine on neurological outcome after
      transient spinal cord ischemia in the rat.

PMID- 28921321
TI  - Glass fragments in infusate and a rupture of the balloon of a continuous epidural
      infusion apparatus.

PMID- 28921323
TI  - Effects of reduction of carrier gas flow rate on sevoflurane and isoflurane
      consumption and costs.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate whether sevoflurane and isoflurane consumption would be
      actually halved by halving the carrier gas flow rate, as predicted by a
      theoretical model, we measured the consumed volume of liquid sevoflurane and
      isoflurane and total costs of anesthetic gas at carrier gas flow rates of 3 and
      61.min-1. METHODS: Eighty patients of ASA physical status I or II were randomly
      assigned to one of four groups: sevoflurane at 3 or 61.min-1 and isoflurane at 3
      or 61.min-1. Anesthesia was induced with thiamylal and maintained with
      sevoflurane or isoflurane, as well as with nitrous oxide in oxygen. The
      consumption of sevoflurane and isoflurane was measured by weighing the bottle of
      liquid agent, which was greater in the groups receiving 61.min-1 gas than in
      those receiving 31.min-1. RESULTS: Halving the carrier gas flow rate reduced the
      consumption of sevoflurane by 41.8% and that of isoflurane by 52.6%. It also
      reduced the total cost by 44.3% for sevoflurane and 49.2% for isoflurane.
      CONCLUSION: Halving the carrier gas flow rates halved the consumption of
      isoflurane but not of sevoflurane, indicating that factors other than carrier gas
      flow rates are involved in determining consumption in the clinical setting.

PMID- 28921324
TI  - Thoracic epidural blockade preserves left ventricular early diastolic filling
      assessed by transesophageal echocardiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of thoracic
      epidural anesthesia (TEA) on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function
      assessed by transesophageal echocardiography under general anesthesia. METHODS:
      Sixteen patients were allocated to control (n=8) and TEA (n=8) groups. We
      administered 1% mepivacaine (8.9+/-1.2 ml) into the thoracic epidural space in
      the TEA group. RESULTS: The concomitant decline of the left vertricular systolic
      functional parameters, such as end-systolic diameter and fractional shortening,
      was observed, whereas preload, as measured by end-diastolic diameter, and
      afterload, as measured by end-systolic wall stress, were unchanged. No
      significant alteration was observed in early peak velocity or deceleration rate.
      The deceleration time was independent of heart rate and was unchanged.
      CONCLUSION: High TEA reduces fractional shortening without any changes in preload
      and afterload, indicating impairment of systolic function, but early peak
      velocity, deceleration rate, and deceleration time, which are the indices of
      diastolic function, are not changed during high TEA combined with general
      anesthesia.

PMID- 28921325
TI  - Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for cesarean section; needle-through-needle
      approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Portex "Spinal/Epidural Set" is designed for combined spinal
      epidural (CSE) anesthesia by the needle-through-needle approach. We evaluated the
      technical and clinical usefulness of CSE with this needle set, and also isobaric
      tetracaine, for cesarean section. METHODS: Thirty patients for cesarean section
      were included. In the left decubitus position, a 16-gauge epidural needle was
      introduced by the loss-of-resistance method into the lumbar intervertebral space.
      A 26-gauge spinal needle was threaded through the epidural needle into the
      subarachnoid space. Tetracaine dissolved in saline was injected. A 17-gauge
      catheter was advanced into the epidural space. The analgesic level was checked by
      the pin-prick method. RESULTS: The insertion in the first attempt was successful
      in 21 cases (70%) of the patients, and difficulty in insertion was not
      experienced. Inadvertent dural puncture occurred in one case, but no accidental
      subarachnoid catheterization was observed. Spinal anesthesia with tetracaine
      (11.1+/-0.5 mg) reached the level of Th6 on average, with a relatively wide
      range. Five cases (13%) were supplemented by epidural anesthesia. No postspinal
      headache was noted. CONCLUSION: CSE technique by the needle-through-needle
      approach is easy to handle, and provides a speedy, reliable, and flexible
      analgesia as well as postoperative pain relief for patients undergoing cesarean
      section.

PMID- 28921326
TI  - Middle-ear pressure variations during total intravenous anesthesia with propofol,
      fentanyl, and ketamine.
AB  - PURPOSE: As the middle-ear cavity is one of the noncompliant gas-filled cavities,
      an increase in middle-ear pressure (MEP) instead of volume expansion is observed
      with inhalation of nitrous oxide (N2O). Changes in MEP cause many complications,
      such as ear pain, temporary hearing impairment, and postoperative emesis.
      Therefore, we investigated changes in MEP during total intravenous anesthesia
      (TIVA) with propofol, fentanyl, and ketamine (PFK) and inhalation of N2O.
      METHODS: Twelve patients were anesthetized with PFK until 60 min after the
      induction of anesthesia, and then N2O (60%) inhalation was started. MEP was
      measured by impedance audiometry (ranging from -300 daPa to +200 daPa) at 10-min
      intervals during PFK, and at 2-min intervals after the inhalation of N2O.
      RESULTS: MEP gradually but significantly increased from the preanesthetic value
      of 16+/-8 to 34+/-12 (SEM) daPa 50 min after the induction of PFK. However, MEP
      did not exceed the normal limit. The values of MEP in all patients were more than
      200 daPa within 36 min after the start of inhalation of N2O in oxygen.
      CONCLUSION: PFK had a minimal effect on MEP, whereas addition of N2O to PFK
      increased MEP dramatically. Therefore, TIVA, or at least PFK, would be a better
      choice for patients with middle-ear or upper-airway diseases.

PMID- 28921327
TI  - Transvascular fluid distribution of hyperoncotic Dextran solution.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to confirm the changes in extra-aand
      intravascular fluid distribution during an i.v. influsion of hyperoncotic Dextran
      solution. METHODS: Twenty-three mongrel dogs with normal capillary integrities
      were divided into four groups. The R1 and R2 groups received i.v. infusion of
      Ringer lactate (RL) with a rate of 10 and 30 ml.kg-1.h-1, the D group 6% Dextran
      70 solution (DEX) of 10 ml.kg-1.h-1. and the RD group DEX of 10 plus RL of 20
      ml.kg-1.h-1. The distribution of infused fluid was assessed with the changes in
      circulating blood volume (CBV), extravascular fluid volume (EVW), and thoracic
      duct lymph volume (QL). RESULTS: In the R1 and R2 groups, EVW increased by 63%
      and 51%, respectively, of total infusion volume (tInf), while CBV increased by
      only 10% and 13% of tnf. In the D and RD groups, CBV increased by 103% and 51% of
      tInf. However, EVW decreased by 21% and increased by 32% of tInf, respectively.
      In the latter groups, the plasma volume filtered out into the extravascular
      compartment was less than in the corresponding former group by 52% and 6% of
      tInf, respectively and the restoration ratio of EVW by lymph was about 3 to 1.8
      times greater. CONCLUSION: One-fourth to one-third of the plasma expanding effect
      of 6% Dextran 70 solution was ascribed to direct fluid drawing from the
      extravascular space, and the rest was due to both the decrease in plasma
      filtration into extravascular space and the increase in lymphatic restoration of
      EVW.

PMID- 28921328
TI  - Differential vascular reactivity of canine mesenteric arteries and veins to
      sevoflurane.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the vascular reactivities of canine
      mesenteric arteries and veins to sevoflurane and to elucidate the underlying
      mechanism that is responsible for sevoflurane-induced hypotension. METHODS:
      Vascular rings of canine mesenteric arteries and veins were suspended in organ
      baths, and the effect of 2.3% and 4.6% sevoflurane on the contractile responses
      to transmural electrical stimulation (ES) and to norepinephrine (NE) were
      determined by recording isometric tension changes. The rings were contracted to a
      stable tension by the addition of NE and then exposed to increasing
      concentrations of sevoflurane (0%-5.1%). RESULTS: Sevoflurane attenuated the
      contractile responses to transmural ES in veins but not in arteries. The
      concentration responses to NE were not affected by sevoflurane in arteries or in
      veins. At stable precontraction induced by NE, when sevoflurane was placed in the
      bathing medium, arteries with intact endothelium had significant contraction at
      1.7% and 3.4% sevoflurane, followed by relaxation at 5.1%. On the contrary,
      sevoflurane produced dose-dependent relaxation in endothelium-denuded arteries
      and endothelium-intact veins CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the relaxation of
      the veins by sevoflurane may be due to the inhibition of NE release from
      sympathetic nerve endings and to the direct inhibition of the contractile
      mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle. In arteries, sevoflurane causes endothelium
      dependent vasocontraction, probably by inhibiting the release of basal
      endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF).

PMID- 28921329
TI  - Repeated shock after suspected anaphylactic reaction to a pulmonary artery
      catheter.

PMID- 28921330
TI  - Intraoperative hemodynamic management for minimally invasive direct coronary
      artery bypass: two case reports.

PMID- 28921331
TI  - Solubility and preparation of volatile anesthetic solution.

PMID- 28921332
TI  - Nasal continuous positive airway pressure improves airway obstruction during
      midazolam-induced sedation under spinal or epidural anesthesia.

PMID- 28921333
TI  - Effect of severe cardiac valve regurgitation on the onset of the neuromuscular
      blocking action of pancuronium.

PMID- 28921334
TI  - Successful use of nerve-block therapy with 12% tetracaine for trigeminal
      neuralgia caused by arteriovenous malformation.

PMID- 28921335
TI  - Detachment of a venous cannula into a blood vessel.

PMID- 28921336
TI  - An unusual cannister defect detected by an airway gas monitor.

PMID- 28921337
TI  - 3rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists
      Yokohama, Japan, November 21-22, 1998.

PMID- 28921338
TI  - The effect of high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation on bone mineral density in
      subjects with prediabetes.
AB  - : The rationale of this study was to determine the effect of high-dose vitamin D3
      supplementation on bone mineral density (BMD). Prediabetic males given vitamin D
      had significantly less reduction in BMD at the femoral neck compared to the
      controls. The clinical implications of our findings require further
      investigation. INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with
      increased fracture risk, and recent studies show crosstalk between bone and
      glucose metabolism. Few studies have investigated the effect of vitamin D
      supplementation on the bone without additional calcium. In the present study, we
      aimed to determine whether a high dose of vitamin D3 could improve bone mass
      density (BMD) in prediabetic subjects. METHODS: The current study was conducted
      as a secondary research on a previously performed trial, in which 511 subjects
      with prediabetes were randomized to vitamin D3 (20,000 IU per week) versus
      placebo for 5 years. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
      (DEXA). RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-six subjects were randomized to vitamin D
      and 255 to placebo. Mean baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level was
      60 nmol/L. Two hundred and two and 214 in the vitamin D and placebo groups,
      respectively, completed BMD measurements, whereas one in each group was excluded
      due to use of bisphosphonates. Males given vitamin D had significantly less
      reduction in BMD at the femoral neck measurement site compared to the controls
      (0.000 versus - 0.010 g/cm2, p = 0.008). No significant differences between
      intervention groups were seen at the total hip measurement site, regarding both
      males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D3 supplementation alone may be
      beneficial in males with prediabetes, but confirmatory studies are needed.

PMID- 28921339
TI  - Biotechnological production of value-added compounds by ustilaginomycetous
      yeasts.
AB  - The use of yeasts in bioprocesses can be considered one of the most relevant
      strategies in industrial biotechnology, and their potential is recognized due to
      the ability of these microorganisms for production of diverse value-added
      compounds. Yeasts from Ustilaginaceae family have been highlighted in the last
      years as a promising source of industrial interesting compounds, including
      enzymes, sugars, lipids, organic acids, and biosurfactants. These compounds may
      exhibit various applications in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, medical, and
      environmental fields, increasing the scientific attention in the study of
      ustilaginomycetous for biotechnological purposes. In this mini-review, we provide
      a comprehensive overview about the biotechnological use of yeasts from
      Ustilaginaceae family to produce value-added compounds, focusing in recent
      trends, characteristics of processes currently developed, new opportunities, and
      potential applications.

PMID- 28921340
TI  - Nephrotic-range proteinuria and brown urine in an 8-year-old girl: Answers.

PMID- 28921341
TI  - Sedative and respiratory effects of intramuscular midazolam as a premedicant:
      Influence of gender.
AB  - We compared the sedative and respiratory effects of intramuscular midazolam in
      men and women in a randomized, single-blind trial. The patients (203 men and 195
      women) received a single dose of midazolam (0.05, 0.075, 0.1, or 0.15 mg.kg-1)
      intramuscularly 45 min before arriving at the operating room. Assessments in the
      operating room included sedation level and respiratory status rated on an
      objective four-point scale. Men given 0.075, 0.1, or 0.15 mg.kg-1 of midazolam
      exhibited greater sedation than did women given comparable doses. Midazolam 0.15
      mg.kg-1 depressed respiration more frequently in men than in women. Plasma
      concentrations of midazolam were determined in 10 men, and 10 women randomly
      selected from the patients who received 0.15 mg.kg-1 of midazolam. A higher
      plasma concentration of midazolam, associated with a higher degree of sedation
      and respiratory depression, was attained in men than in women. These findings
      suggest that the optimal dose per unit body weight of intramuscular midazolam as
      premedication should be lower in men than in women to prevent over-sedation and
      respiratory depression.

PMID- 28921342
TI  - Does sex difference influence the neuromuscular blocking potencies of vecuronium?
AB  - One hundred and fifty patients of ASA class I-II undergoing elective surgery were
      given vecuronium 0.1 mg.kg-1 under fentanyl- (NLA), halothane, enflurane,
      isoflurane, or sevoflurane anesthesia, and the spontaneous recovery was monitored
      to study the sex differences as to onset time, duration [(T1, train of four
      (TOF)], and recovery index (T1, TOF). The onset time was significantly shorter in
      women than in men under isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. No significant
      differences were seen between the sexes in terms of duration and recovery index
      of both T1 and TOF. We suggest that the results regarding onset time were due to
      the differences in distribution volume and extracellular fluid volume influenced
      by the proportions of lean body mass, fat tissue, and the occasional menstruation
      in women. It remains unclear, however, whether or not the effects of volatile
      gases to the sensitivity of receptors may contribute to the observed sex
      difference. Similar durations and recovery indexes in any anesthetic method
      indicate that the drug's rate of elimination is similar between the sexes. In
      conclusion, female patients favor the rapid onset of vecuronium when used under
      isoflurane or sevoflurane, but the recovery from the paralysis seems to be the
      same between the sexes regardless of the type of general anesthesia used.

PMID- 28921343
TI  - Sore throat incidence with the laryngeal mask: A comparison with orotracheal
      intubation.
AB  - The incidence of sore throat was evaluated among 80 healthy (ASA 1 and 2)
      nonpremedicated adult patients undergoing general anesthesia for general,
      plastic, urologic, gynecologic, and orthopedic surgery. The patients were
      randomly allocated in two groups: group one (n=39) consisted of patients in whom
      the airway was maintained by a laryngeal mask, and in group 2 (n=40), orotracheal
      intubation was performed. Both groups were similar in age, gender, site of
      surgery, and time of airway cannulation. Intraperitoneal surgery of the upper
      abdomen, and insertion of a nasogastric tube were exclusion criteria. The
      severity of sore throat was graded by the patients themselves using a visual
      analogue 100 mm scale, varying from 0 (no sore throat) to 10 (extremely sore).
      The sore throat incidence, severity and duration were significantly lower in the
      laryngeal mask group in comparison with the endotracheal intubation group.

PMID- 28921344
TI  - Cardiorespiratory dynamics during successful and unsuccessful trials of weaning
      from mechanical ventilation following cardiac surgery.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a weaning trial with
      pressure support ventilation (PSV) on the cardiorespiratory dynamics in 20
      cardiac surgery patients. In the patients who failed a weaning trial (failure
      group,n=6), the mean duration of cardiopulmonary bypass was 270+/-83 min and the
      mean postoperative lung-thorax compliance was 38+/-5 ml.cmH2O-1, whereas in
      successfully weaned patients (success group,n=14) they were 145+/-30 min and 55+/
      10 ml.cm H2O-1 respectively (mean+/-SD). Significant differences were recognized
      in those values between the two groups. Preoperative cardiac function,
      intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative fluid balance were similar in both
      groups. Cardiac index (CI) increased similarly in both groups. Pao2/FIo2 and
      percentage intrapulmonary shunt were constant in the success group, and these
      variables worsened in the failure group. Oxygen consumption ([Formula: see text])
      increased and mixed venous O2 tension ([Formula: see text]) decreased in the
      failure group, whereas[Formula: see text] remained constant and[Formula: see
      text] increased in the success group. These data suggest that prolonged
      cardiopulmonary bypass might have produced acute lung injury. Decreased lung
      compliance may be responsible for rapid shallow breathing and an increase in
      oxygen consumption during a weaning trial, and may lead to weaning failure from
      mechanical ventilation.

PMID- 28921345
TI  - Simultaneous monitoring of noninvasive hemodynamic profile and capnography for
      tissue perfusion evaluation.
AB  - To study the simultaneous variations of end-tidal CO2 pressure (PetCO2) and
      aortic blood flow (ABF) during modifications of tissue perfusion, continuous
      noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring and continuous recording of PetCO2 were
      performed on 30 patients under general anesthesia and artificial mechanical
      ventilation. The 30 patients underwent orthopedic surgery on one of the lower
      limbs using a hemostatic tourniquet. Deflation of the pneumatic tourniquet
      resulted in a rise of ABF up to 39% (P<0.001), a rise of PetCO2 up to 17%
      (P<0.001), and a drop of total vascular systemic resistance (TVSR) of 59%
      (P<0.001). In all cases, the gradient of Paco2-PetCO2 showed mean variations of
      1.2+/-0.5 mmHg. According to these results, the observed variations can not be
      explained by an alteration of the Ventilation/Perfusion (Vo/Q) ratio alone. It
      may be suggested that tissue hypoperfusion produced by a tourniquet generates CO2
      and other metabolic products accumulation in tissues, which are removed during
      reperfusion. This would be expected to produce parallel increases in ABF and
      PetCO2. If the results are confirmed with further studies, rapid variations of
      PetCO2 during anesthesia may provide a noninvasive means of assessing the quality
      of global tissue perfusion.

PMID- 28921346
TI  - The influence of additional nitrous oxide during rapid anesthetic induction with
      sevoflurane.
AB  - In this study, a vital capacity rapid inhalation induction technique was used,
      and 4.5% sevoflurane in 100% oxygen and with 66% nitrous oxide in oxygen were
      compared. Each anesthetic gas was used on a group of 17 unpre-medicated
      volunteers. The induction time of sevoflurane in nitrous oxide with oxygen and
      sevoflurane in oxygen were 55+/-10 s and 81+/-22 s (SD), respectively, (P<0.05).
      Notable cardiovascular instability was not observed in either group. Serious
      complications such as laryngospasm, breath holding, and excessive salivation were
      not observed in either group. In conclusion, the addition of nitrous oxide to
      sevoflurane in oxygen is a useful technique because there were no increases in
      complications during the accelerated rapidity of induction.

PMID- 28921347
TI  - Lumbar epidural buprenorphine for postoperative pain relief following
      hepatectomy.
AB  - The induction of postoperative pain relief with lumbar epidural or intramuscular
      buprenorphine was studied in 30 patients undergoing hepatectomy. When patients
      first complained of pain after surgery, 0.06 mg or 0.12 mg of buprenorphine in 10
      ml or 20 ml of saline was administered through an epidural catheter inserted at
      the L3-4 interspace, or 0.12 mg was administered intramuscularly. Two of seven
      patients receiving epidural buprenorphine 0.12 mg in 10 ml saline were completely
      pain-free, and the other five patients in this group had only slight pain. Four
      of eight patients receiving epidural buprenorphine 0.12 mg in 20 ml saline were
      completely pain-free, and the other four patients in this group had only slight
      pain. Epidural buprenorphine 0.06 mg in 20 ml saline and intramuscular
      buprenorphine 0.12 mg each yielded only incomplete analgesia. The duration of
      analgesia of epidural buprenorphine 0.12 mg administered at the lumbar level was
      about 8 h. There were no significant changes over time in circulatory or
      respiratory variables induced by buprenorphine. No patient had serious adverse
      effects. Lumbar epidural administration of buprenorphine 0.12 mg diluted to 10 or
      20 ml (20 ml might be preferable) with saline is recommended for induction of
      postoperative analgesia following hepatectomy.

PMID- 28921348
TI  - Depression of sighing in the first three postoperative days with epidural
      morphine analgesia.
AB  - We have studied the effect of spontaneous sighs on maintaining arterial
      oxygenation in patients receiving epidural morphine for analgesia after upper
      abdominal surgery. Sixteen patients scheduled for elective gastrectomy were
      monitored continuously with pulse oximetry and respiratory inductive
      plethysmography (RIP) during one night preoperatively and for 60 h
      postoperatively with repeate arterial blood gas analysis. An average of 3.1+/-1.2
      (+/-SD) sighs were observed per hour preoperatively during sleep while
      postoperative sighs were significantly depressed to an average less than one per
      hour throughout the 60 h of the monitoring period (P<0.05). Although
      postoperative Pao2 values were significantly lower than preoperative values,
      there was no correlation between the decreases in Pao2 values and number of
      sighs. Thus, it is unlikely that the long-term absence of spontaneous sighs
      observed may serve as a contributing factor for the long-lasting hypoxemia in the
      postoperative period.

PMID- 28921349
TI  - Preoperative hypoxemia in conscious patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - We retrospectively examined partial arterial pressure of oxygen (Pao2) afer
      subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), adjusted for patient-related risk factors for
      hypoxemia in 51 adult patients with no disturbance of consciousness undergoing
      surgery for clipping of intracranial aneurysms. A control group of 174 patients
      undergoing other operations were used for comparison. Arterial blood gas analysis
      was performed while patients were spontaneously breathing room air in the supine
      position before induction of anesthesia. The Pao2 in the SAH patients was
      significantly lower (p<0.0001) than that in the control group after adjustment
      for age, obesity, and smoking status. In three patients in the SAH group, Pao2
      was less than 60 mmHg. Close monitoring of arterial oxygenation with pulse
      oximetry is desirable, and supplemental oxygen should be considered during
      transfer from the patients' room to the operating suite, even for conscious
      patients of SAH without cardiopulmonary disease.

PMID- 28921350
TI  - Influence of tumor size on anesthetic management for pheochromocytoma resection.
AB  - The relationship between tumor size and the complexity of anesthetic management
      was studied using several values: plasma catecholamine concentrations,
      requirement of vasoactive agents, surgical time, blood loss, plasma glucose
      concentrations, and hemodynamic variables. Ten patients with clinical and
      laboratory diagnosis of pheochromocytoma were prospectively studied. Each
      anesthesia was maintained using inhalational anesthetic agents. Control of
      arterial blood pressure (ABP), heart rate (HR), and pulmonary artery blood
      pressure (PABP) was attempted with only titrating the inhalational anesthetics
      and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). If the titration of both the inhalational
      anesthetic and ATP failed to control ABP, HR, or PABP, then phentolamine,
      propranolol, trinitroglycerine, or norepinephrine was additionally used. Tumor
      weight was significantly correlated with amount of blood loss, surgical time,
      duration of ATP requirement, maximal dose of ATP infusion used, maximal plasma
      glucose concentration, and plasma total catecholamine concentration. However, the
      tumor weight was not correlated with hemodynamic variables. Patients who required
      propranolol generally had a significantly larger tumor than those who did not. In
      conclusion, surgical removal of large pheochromocytoma required more complicated
      anesthetic management than that of small pheochromocytoma.

PMID- 28921351
TI  - Effect of alkalimized mepivacaine for epidural anesthesia on the skin temperature
      and skin blood flow: A mathematical analysis by simulation model.
AB  - The changes in skin blood flow after barbiturate injection are predictable based
      upon changes in skin temperature, assuming that these changes are followed by
      ramp function of the first-order system composed of blood vessel-tissue-skin. We
      applied this simulation model to epidural anesthesia, and investigated the
      analogy between theoretical and measured values using 2% alkalinized and
      nonalkalinized mepivacaine. During epidural anesthesia, a Laser Doppler flowmeter
      and a skin temperature probe were used to simultaneously measure skin blood flow
      and skin temperature. The onset time of increases in skin temperature and blood
      flow in the alkalinized group was shortened by one-fourth of that of the
      nonalkalinized group. In the nonalkalinized group, the pattern of changes in skin
      blood flow could not be predicted using the mathematical model. In the
      alkalinized group, however, the skin blood flow change was in accord with the
      theoretical values calculated from the skin temperature. These results indicate
      that the precise prediction of measured values by the simulation model is
      dependent on the speed of the sympathetic blockade. Conversely, the response to
      sympathetic nerve and blood vessels in different conditions can be assessed using
      this simulation model.

PMID- 28921352
TI  - Density-modulated t's array, a new technique of processed electroencephalogram,
      for monitoring the effects of midazolam and nitrous oxide during spinal
      anesthesia.
AB  - We have investigated the utility of a new electroencephalogram (EEG) processing
      system, density-modulated t's array (DTA), which we have installed in a laptop
      personal computer together with density-modulated spectral array (DSA) for
      clinical monitoring. Ten patients scheduled for orthopedic operations on the
      lower extremities were anesthetized with 0.5% bupivacaine intrathecally, 50%
      nitrous oxide in oxygen by mask, and midazolam at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg
      intravenously. Immediately following the administration of the drugs, the power
      at the frequencies between 15 and 20 Hz increased. However, the power at these
      higher frequencies disappeared gradually and the power in the delta band and the
      smaller one in the alpha band became predominant. This pattern of dominant-band
      shift on the DSA and DTA was observed in all the patients. In three of the
      patients, the sedation level remained stable as judged by the absence of body
      movement, quiet, regular breathing and stable hemodynamics as well as steady EEG
      frequency distribution throughout the operations. They awoke from anesthesia
      rapidly on withdrawal of nitrous oxide, with return of the power at the higher
      frequencies. In the other seven patients, the power at the higher frequencies
      suddenly reappeared on the DSA and DTA during operation and slight movements of
      the head and upper limbs were observed with rises in blood pressure and heart
      rate. In three of these seven patients, the EEG change notably preceded the
      physiological activities by a few minutes. On the DTA, the occurrence of any
      significant clinical phenomenon was displayed in a color representing at value
      greater than +/-3. The DTA, testing power changes in the EEG at each 1-Hz
      interval for significant difference, permits the visual and quantitative
      assessment of EEG changes.

PMID- 28921353
TI  - Cutaneous distribution of sympathetic postganglionic fibers from stellate
      ganglion: A retrograde axonal tracing study using wheat germ agglutinin
      conjugated with horseradish peroxidase.
AB  - Sympathetic postganglionic cells of the stellate ganglion (SG) projecting to the
      skin in young dogs were labeled retrogradely with wheat germ agglutinin
      conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP). After application of WGA-HRP
      into the dermis and/or subcutaneous tissue of the upper extremity, numerous
      labeled cells were observed in the SG. The sympathetic postganglionic fibers from
      the SG were distributed in the skin area between the third cervical vertebra and
      the level of the thirteenth rib. These fibers decreased in number toward the
      rostral and caudal skin area with a peak on the upper extremity. Sympathetic
      postganglionic cells in the SG projecting to these skin areas were found
      ipsilaterally to the injection side. No labeled cells were observed in the SG
      after injecting WGA-HRP into the epidermis and/or subcutaneous tissue of the
      face, the level of the second cervical vertebra, and the lower
      extremity.Sympathetic postganglionic neurons of the SG which project in the
      cervical and thoracic sympathetic trunks were labeled retrogradely with
      unconjugated horseradish peroxidase (HRP) applied to the cut end of the
      sympathetic trunks proximal to the SG. The application was made in the cervical
      sympathetic trunk (CST) caudal to the superior cervical ganglion (SCG). In the
      thoracic sympathetic trunk (TST), the application was made between the fourth and
      fifth thoracic sympathetic ganglia (T4 and T5), and between T10 and T11. Labeled
      cell bodies were observed in SG bilaterally.

PMID- 28921354
TI  - Attenuation of ischemia reperfusion-induced lung edema by prostaglandin I2
      analogue OP-2507 in the isolated perfused rat lung.
AB  - Using the physiological salt solution (PSS)/Ficollperfused rat lung, we studied
      the effect of prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) analogue, OP-2507, on ischemia-reperfusion
      lung injury. Ischemia was induced by stopping perfusion and ventilation.
      Reperfusion after 90 min of normothermic ischemia increased mean pulmonary artery
      perfusion pressure (Ppa) and produced significant lung edema. Pretreatment with
      OP-2507 (200 ng.ml-1 and 1000 ng.ml-1) equally attenuated the increase in Ppa and
      lung edema after reperfusion. Lactate dehydrogenase release from the OP-2507
      treated lungs of both doses were significantly lower than the untreated lungs.
      Thus, OP-2507 seems to be a useful agent for preventing ischemia-reperfusion lung
      injury.

PMID- 28921355
TI  - Effects of halothane and enflurane on epithelium-dependent contraction and ion
      transport of canine tracheal epithelium.
AB  - To gain insight into the cellular mechanisms involved in bronchodilation induced
      by inhalation anesthetics, we investigated whether halothane and enflurane can
      modulate functions of airway epithelium, such as epithelium-mediated
      bronchodilation and transepithelial transport. To measure the isometric tension
      of airways, paired rings of canine bronchi (4-6 mm OD), with and without the
      epithelium were mounted in Krebs-Ringer solution, gassed with 95% O2 and 5% CO2,
      and isometric tension was continuously recorded. To determine transepithelial
      transport, the posterior membranous portion of the trachea was mounted in Ussing
      type chambers and the potential difference (PD), short-circuit current (SCC), and
      transepithelial resistance (R) were determined.Halothane and enflurane increased
      the contractile responses of the trachea to acetylcholine (ACh) in strips either
      with or without epithelium. However, this enhancement of the contractile
      responses by volatile agents was much larger with the epithelium than without.
      Furthermore, halothane tended to gradually increase and then decrease SCC of the
      trachea, but these changes were not statistically significant. These results
      indicate that halothane may modulate contractile response of the isolated trachea
      to ACh, but has no effect on ion transport by airway epithelium. The
      responsiveness of the trachea may be regulated independently of ion transport by
      airway epithelium.

PMID- 28921356
TI  - Capillary blood flow and arteriolovenular shunt in various organs in hypotensive
      states induced by nitroglycerine, nitroprusside, and nicardipine.
AB  - The capillary blood flow of 14 organs was measured in dogs using the microsphere
      (9MUm diameter) trapping method under hypotension induced by administration of
      either nitroglycerin (NTG), nitroprusside (SNP), or nicardipine (NIC).
      Simultaneously, blood flow through the arteriolovenular shunt in the brain,
      kidney, liver, mesenteric organs, skeletal muscles of the pelvic limb, and all
      organs in the body, except the lungs, were measured by collecting venous blood
      drained from the organs at 4.8 ml.min-1 for 2 min. Capillary blood flow remained
      unchanged in most organs under hypotension with either NTG or SNP, but in
      increased in most organs, together with an increase in cardiac output, under
      hypotension with NIC. Arteriolovenular shunt tended to increase in four organs,
      with the exception of the liver, and increased in the whole body under
      hypotension with NTG. However, arteriolovenular shunt remained unchanged under
      hypotension with SNP. Arteriolovenular shunt increased in the mesenteric organs
      under hypotension with NIC, but decreased in the skeletal muscles of the pelvic
      limb. These results indicated that none of these hypotensive drugs impairs the
      nutrient supply to organs; further, NIC protects it much more since it does not
      increase the shunt flow through major organs.

PMID- 28921357
TI  - Alteration of vascular capacitance and blood flow distribution during halothane
      anesthesia.
AB  - We examined the effect of halothane on systemic vascular capacitance as well as
      on systemic vascular resistance using cardiopulmonary bypass in dogs. Venous
      outflows from two different vascular beds, the splanchnic and extrasplanchnic
      beds, were also measured. Under constant perfusion flow and constant central
      venous pressure, a change in reservoir blood volume inversely represented a
      change in systemic blood volume and then in systemic vascular capacitance, and a
      change in mean arterial pressure directly reflected a change in systemic vascular
      resistance. Administration of 1% and 2% halothane produced the blood
      concentrations of 0.58+/-0.14 mM and 1.34+/-0.06 mM, respectively. Systemic
      vascular resistance decreased by 12+/-6% and 40+/-4% during 1% and 2% halothane,
      respecitively. Systemic blood volume increased by 7+/-2 ml.kg-1 and 15+/-4 ml.kg
      1 during 1% and 2% halothane, respectively. Halothane did not cause significant
      blood flow redistribution between the splanchnic and extrasplanchnic vascular
      beds. These results suggest that halothane causes an increase in systemic
      vascular capacitance as well as a decrease in systemic vascular resistance. This
      increase in vascular capacitance may contribute in part to a decrease in cardiac
      output during halothane anesthesia.

PMID- 28921358
TI  - Two cases of status asthmaticus treated with isoflurane.

PMID- 28921359
TI  - Cardiac anesthesia in idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.

PMID- 28921360
TI  - Verapamil reduced pulmonary hypertension in adult respiratory distress syndrome.

PMID- 28921361
TI  - Anesthetic management of a patient suspected of having Lambert-Eaton syndrome due
      to an unexpected prolongation of vecuronium.

PMID- 28921362
TI  - Aggravated sleep apnea after general anesthesia in a patient with Shy-Drager
      syndrome.

PMID- 28921363
TI  - Treatment of acute unilateral lung disease with differential lung intubation
      followed by asynchronous independent lung ventilation.

PMID- 28921364
TI  - Management of a patient with severe kyphoscoliosis and postoperative respiratory
      failure.

PMID- 28921365
TI  - Misplacement of an epidural catheter into the lumbar quardratus muscle.

PMID- 28921366
TI  - Diagnostic value of bronchoalveolar lavage in fat embolism syndrome: Report of a
      case.

PMID- 28921367
TI  - Recovery of consciousness after an 18-min global cerebral ischemia.

PMID- 28921368
TI  - Marked systemic hypotension accompanied by pulmonary hypertension following
      protamine reversal of heparin: Case report.

PMID- 28921369
TI  - Letter to the editor.

PMID- 28921370
TI  - Report on the computer software contest at the Forty-First Congress of the Japan
      Society of Anesthesiology.

PMID- 28921371
TI  - International standards for a safe practice of anesthesia: A step toward total
      quality assurance of anesthesia practice.

PMID- 28921372
TI  - A new post: Laureate of the history of anesthesia.

PMID- 28921373
TI  - Released fraction of polychlorinated biphenyls from soil-biosolid system using a
      leaching procedure and its comparison with bioavailable fraction determined by
      wheat plant uptake.
AB  - The bioavailability of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soils amended with
      biosolids was estimated using an aqueous leaching process of the compounds
      combined with rotating disk sorptive extraction (RDSE), and compared with
      bioavailability determined through of PCB absorption in wheat plants growing in
      the same soil-biosolid matrix. The matrices consisted of soil amended with
      biosolids at doses of 30, 90, and 200 Mg/ha, which increase concomitantly the
      organic matter content of the matrix. Considering that PCBs were natively absent
      in both the biosolids and soil used, the compounds were spiked in the biosolids
      and aged for 10 days. For each biosolid dose, the aqueous leaching profile was
      studied and equilibrium time was calculated to be 33 h. The leaching fractions
      determined by RDSE, considering total PCBs studied, were 12, 7, and 6% and the
      bioavailable fractions absorbed by the wheat root were found to be 0.5, 0.3, and
      0.2% for 30, 90, and 200 Mg/ha doses, respectively. Both fractions leachable and
      bioavailable decrease with both increasing hydrophobicity of the compound (Kow)
      and increasing in the biosolid dose. It was found that both fractions (leaching
      and bioavailable) correlated according to the bivariate least squares regression,
      represented by a coefficient of correlation of 0.86. Therefore, the application
      of the chemical method involving a leaching procedure is an alternative to
      estimate the bioavailable fraction of PCBs in wheat plants in a simpler and in a
      shorter time.

PMID- 28921374
TI  - Prostate cancer clinical presentation, incidence, mortality and survival in
      Guadeloupe over the period 2008-2013 from a population-based cancer registry.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Caribbean population of Guadeloupe has one of the highest incidence
      rates of prostate cancer worldwide. In 2008, a population-based cancer registry
      was set up for the monitoring of cancer incidence in the aftermath of the
      environmental pollution with chlordecone, a persistent organochlorine insecticide
      formerly used in banana plantations. We describe the clinical presentation,
      incidence, mortality and survival of prostate cancer for the period 2008-2013.
      METHODS: The Guadeloupe cancer registry has been routinely collecting all
      incident cases of cancer since 2008. We compared age-specific incidence rates
      between different populations, and calculated incidence and mortality rates
      standardized to the world population. Kaplan-Meier observed survival and
      estimated age-standardized net survival were calculated by category for age, PSA
      level, and Gleason score using the Pohar-Perme method. RESULTS: Overall, 3,295
      cases of prostate cancer were recorded. World-standardized incidence and
      mortality were respectively 184.1 [177.8-190.4] and 23.9 [21.9-25.7] per 100,000
      person-years. At diagnosis, the mean age of patients was 68 +/- 9.6 years old and
      22% were aged over 75. Median PSA level was 8.9 [IQR: 6.0-16.0] and 13.6% of the
      patients had a Gleason >= 8. Five-year observed and net survivals were,
      respectively, 79.6% [77.9-81.2] and 90.7% [88.6-92.8]. CONCLUSION: The incidence
      of prostate cancer in Guadeloupe is among the highest in the world, along with
      those of the neighboring Caribbean countries and US African-Americans. We
      observed no decrease in incidence rates, and a decreasing but non-significant
      trend in mortality rates, which nonetheless remain higher than in high-income
      countries. Many Genome-Wide Association Studies are conducted to identify genetic
      markers involved in prostate cancer risk. In the Caribbean, complementary studies
      on both lifestyle and behavioral factors should highlight potential common risks
      among populations who share both genetic and environmental characteristics.

PMID- 28921375
TI  - Convex-PL: a novel knowledge-based potential for protein-ligand interactions
      deduced from structural databases using convex optimization.
AB  - We present a novel optimization approach to train a free-shape distance-dependent
      protein-ligand scoring function called Convex-PL. We do not impose any functional
      form of the scoring function. Instead, we decompose it into a polynomial basis
      and deduce the expansion coefficients from the structural knowledge base using a
      convex formulation of the optimization problem. Also, for the training set we do
      not generate false poses with molecular docking packages, but use constant RMSD
      rigid-body deformations of the ligands inside the binding pockets. This allows
      the obtained scoring function to be generally applicable to scoring of structural
      ensembles generated with different docking methods. We assess the Convex-PL
      scoring function using data from D3R Grand Challenge 2 submissions and the
      docking test of the CASF 2013 study. We demonstrate that our results outperform
      the other 20 methods previously assessed in CASF 2013. The method is available at
      http://team.inria.fr/nano-d/software/Convex-PL/ .

PMID- 28921376
TI  - Legal issues in governing genetic biobanks: the Italian framework as a case study
      for the implications for citizen's health through public-private initiatives.
AB  - This paper outlines some of the challenges faced by regulation of genetic
      biobanking, using case studies coming from the Italian legal system. The
      governance of genetic resources in the context of genetic biobanks in Italy is
      discussed, as an example of the stratification of different inputs and rules: EU
      law, national law, orders made by authorities and soft law, which need to be
      integrated with ethical principles, technological strategies and solutions. After
      providing an overview of the Italian legal regulation of genetic data processing,
      it considers the fate of genetic material and IP rights in the event of a
      biobank's insolvency. To this end, it analyses two case studies: a controversial
      bankruptcy case which occurred in Sardinia, one of the first examples of private
      and public partnership biobanks. Another case study considered is the Chris
      project: an example of partnership between a research institute in Bolzano and
      the South Tyrolean Health System. Both cases seem to point in the same direction,
      suggesting expediency of promoting and improving public-private partnerships to
      manage biological tissues and biotrust to conciliate patent law and public
      interest.

PMID- 28921377
TI  - Basophils activated via TLR signaling may contribute to pathophysiology of type 1
      autoimmune pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pathophysiology of type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is still
      unclear. We previously reported that M2 macrophages might play an important role
      in type 1 AIP. Recently, it has been reported that basophils regulate
      differentiation to M2 macrophages. In this study, we investigated basophils from
      the pancreatic tissue and peripheral blood of individuals with type 1 AIP.
      METHODS: By using immunohistochemistry, we investigated basophils in pancreatic
      tissue from 13 patients with type 1 AIP and examined expression of toll-like
      receptors (TLRs) by these cells. Additionally, we obtained peripheral blood
      samples from 27 healthy subjects, 40 patients with type 1 AIP, 8 patients with
      alcoholic chronic pancreatitis, 10 patients with bronchial asthma, and 10
      patients with atopic dermatitis, and analyzed activation of basophils by
      stimulating them with ligands of TLR1-9. We also compared TLR expression in
      basophils from the tissue and blood samples. RESULTS: Basophils were detected in
      pancreatic tissues from 10 of 13 patients with type 1 AIP. Flow cytometric
      analysis revealed that the ratios of basophils activated by TLR4 stimulation in
      type 1 AIP (9.875 +/- 1.148%) and atopic dermatitis (11.768 +/- 1.899%) were
      significantly higher than those in healthy subjects (5.051 +/- 0.730%; P < 0.05).
      Levels of basophils activated by TLR2 stimulation were higher in seven type 1 AIP
      cases. Furthermore, stimulation of TLR2 and/or TLR4, which were expressed by
      basophils in pancreas, activated basophils in peripheral blood. CONCLUSIONS:
      Basophils activated via TLR signaling may play an important role in the
      pathophysiology of type 1 AIP.

PMID- 28921378
TI  - Chemistry and Chemical Equilibrium Dynamics of BMAA and Its Carbamate Adducts.
AB  - Beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been demonstrated to contribute to the
      onset of the ALS/Parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) and is implicated in the
      progression of other neurodegenerative diseases. While the role of BMAA in these
      diseases is still debated, one of the suggested mechanisms involves the
      activation of excitatory glutamate receptors. In particular, the excitatory
      effects of BMAA are shown to be dependent on the presence of bicarbonate ions,
      which in turn forms carbamate adducts in physiological conditions. The formation
      of carbamate adducts from BMAA and bicarbonate is similar to the formation of
      carbamate adducts from non-proteinogenic amino acids. Structural, chemical, and
      biological information related to non-proteinogenic amino acids provide insight
      into the formation of and possible neurological action of BMAA. This article
      reviews the carbamate formation of BMAA in the presence of bicarbonate ions, with
      a particular focus on how the chemical equilibrium of BMAA carbamate adducts may
      affect the molecular mechanism of its function. Highlights of nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR)-based studies on the equilibrium process between free BMAA and
      its adducts are presented. The role of divalent metals on the equilibrium process
      is also explored. The formation and the equilibrium process of carbamate adducts
      of BMAA may answer questions on their neuroactive potency and provide strong
      motivation for further investigations into other toxic mechanisms.

PMID- 28921379
TI  - Time trends in utilization of G-CSF prophylaxis and risk of febrile neutropenia
      in a Medicare population receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast
      cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess temporal trends in the use of
      granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis and risk of febrile
      neutropenia (FN) among older women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for early
      stage breast cancer. METHODS: Women aged >= 66 years with diagnosis of early
      stage breast cancer who initiated selected adjuvant chemotherapy regimens were
      identified using the SEER-Medicare data from 2002 to 2012. Adjusted, calendar
      year-specific proportions were estimated for use of G-CSF primary prophylaxis
      (PP) and secondary prophylaxis and FN risk in the first and the second/subsequent
      cycles during the first course of chemotherapy, using logistic regression models.
      calendar-year-specific mean probabilities were estimated with covariates set to
      modal values. RESULTS: Among 11,107 eligible patients (mean age 71.7 years), 74%
      received G-CSF in the first course of chemotherapy. Of all patients, 5819 (52%)
      received G-CSF PP, and among those not receiving G-CSF PP, only 5% received G-CSF
      secondary prophylaxis. The adjusted proportion using G-CSF PP increased from 6%
      in 2002 to 71% in 2012. During the same period, the adjusted risk of FN in the
      first cycle increased from 2% to 3%; the adjusted risk increased from 1.5% to
      2.9% among those receiving G-CSF PP and from 2.3% to 3.5% among those not
      receiving G-CSF PP. CONCLUSION: The use of G-CSF PP increased substantially
      during the study period. Although channeling of higher-risk patients to treatment
      with G-CSF PP is expected, the adjusted risk of FN among patients treated with G
      CSF PP tended to be lower than among those not receiving G-CSF PP.

PMID- 28921380
TI  - Relationship between drug burden and physical and cognitive functions in a sample
      of nursing home patients with dementia.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Drug Burden Index (DBI) is a tool to quantify the anticholinergic
      and sedative load of drugs. Establishing functional correlates of the DBI could
      optimize drug prescribing in patients with dementia. In this cross-sectional
      study, we determined the relationship between DBI and cognitive and physical
      functions in a sample of patients with dementia. METHODS: Using performance-based
      tests, we measured physical and cognitive functions in 140 nursing home patients
      aged over 70 with all-cause dementia. We also determined anticholinergic DBI
      (AChDBI) and sedative DBI (SDBI) separately and in combination as total drug
      burden (TDB). RESULTS: Nearly one half of patients (48%) used at least one DBI
      contributing drug. In 33% of the patients, drug burden was moderate (0 < TDB < 1)
      whereas in 15%, drug burden was high (TDB >= 1). Multivariate models yielded no
      associations between TDB, AChDBI, and SDBI, and physical or cognitive function
      (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A lack of association between drug burden and
      physical or cognitive function in this sample of patients with dementia could
      imply that drug prescribing is more optimal for patients with dementia compared
      with healthy older populations. However, such an interpretation of the data
      warrants scrutiny as several dementia-related factors may confound the results of
      the study.

PMID- 28921381
TI  - Pentachlorophenol molecule design with lower bioconcentration through 3D-QSAR
      associated with molecule docking.
AB  - A three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR) model
      is built by using a comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA)
      technique with an experimentally determined logarithm of bioconcentration factors
      (logBCFs) for 36 phenols in fish. Meanwhile, with the pentachlorophenol (PCP)
      molecule as target molecules, contributions of the molecular fields indicate that
      the electrostatic fields are the main influences on the bioconcentration of the
      PCP molecule. Based on the analytical results of CoMSIA contour map of PCP and
      PCP molecular docking with SOD protease (PDB ID: 4A7T), the R6 substituent
      positions of PCP were modified to give seven new modified PCP molecules with low
      bioconcentration in this paper. The energy barrier calculation of the new
      modified PCP molecular reaction pathways can infer the order of the substitution
      reaction s as -SCl > -CH2Cl > -COCl > -CCl3 > -CH=CH2 > -NO2 > -SH. These
      calculations, combined with anaerobic biodegradation, ecotoxic effect, and
      mobility of new modified PCP molecules, enable a new environmentally friendly
      compound when the Cl at the R6 position of PCP was replaced with -COCl
      substituent with low bioconcentration (reduced by 32.89%), ecotoxic effect
      basically unchanged (increased by 1.37%), anaerobic biodegradation increased
      (increased by 24.81%), and mobility basically unchanged (reduced by 0.94%) to be
      designed.

PMID- 28921382
TI  - The association between infantile postural asymmetry and unsettled behaviour in
      babies.
AB  - : Unsettled infant behaviour is a common problem of infancy without known
      aetiology or clearly effective management. Some manual therapists propose that
      musculoskeletal dysfunction contributes to unsettled infant behaviour, yet
      reported improvement following treatment is anecdotal. The infantile postural
      asymmetry measurement scale is a tool which measures infantile asymmetry, a form
      of musculoskeletal dysfunction. The first part of the study aimed to investigate
      its reliability and validity for measuring infantile postural asymmetry. This
      study also aimed to investigate whether there was an association between
      infantile postural asymmetry and unsettled infant behaviour and whether an
      association was mediated by, or confounded with, the demographic variables of
      age, sex, parity, birth weight and weight gain in 12- to 16-week-old infants.
      Fifty-eight infants were recruited and a quantitative cross-sectional
      observational design was used. An association between unsettled behaviour and
      infantile postural asymmetry was not found. A significant difference between high
      and low cervical rotation deficit groups for surgency was detected in female
      babies and needs further examination. CONCLUSION: Questions remain regarding the
      construct validity of the infantile postural asymmetry scale. No association
      between unsettled infant behaviour and infantile postural asymmetry was found in
      12- to 16-week-old infants. The influence of sex on the interaction between
      infantile postural asymmetry and infant behaviour needs further examination. An
      association between unsettled infant behaviour and infantile postural asymmetry
      is still unproven. What is known: * Unsettled infant behaviour has a considerable
      impact on many family situations. * Identifying a definitive cause has been a
      source of much examination and research. Many different hypotheses have been
      suggested yet much is still unknown. What is new: * The association between
      unsettled infant behaviour and infantile postural asymmetry is still unproven. *
      The need to validate a reliable tool to measure infantile postural asymmetry,
      with particular focus on cervical spine rotation deficit, is indicated.

PMID- 28921383
TI  - LncRNA-CCAT1 Promotes Migration, Invasion, and EMT in Intrahepatic
      Cholangiocarcinoma Through Suppressing miR-152.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has suggested that lncRNA CCAT1 is upregulated
      and functions as a potential tumor promoter in many cancers. However, the
      potential biological roles and regulatory mechanisms of CCAT1 in intrahepatic
      cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remain unclear. METHODS: We used real-time PCR to
      measure CCAT1 expression in ICC tissues and the adjacent normal tissues. The
      statistical analyses were applied to evaluate the prognostic value and
      associations of CCAT1 expression with clinical parameters. The CCAT1 was silenced
      with siRNA in ICC cells. The migration and invasion of ICC cells were detected
      with Transwell assay. The expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
      related proteins were evaluated to discover whether the process of EMT was
      involved. RESULTS: We found that CCAT1 expression was elevated in ICC tissues
      compared to the adjacent normal tissues. We also found that high CCAT1 expression
      is closely correlated with tumor progression in ICC patients. Furthermore, our
      results show that knockdown of CCAT1 significantly suppressed the migration and
      invasion of ICC cells. Additionally, CCAT1 silencing remarkably reverses the EMT
      phenotype of ICC cells. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter
      assay revealed that CCAT1 directly bound to the miR-152, which has been reported
      to serve as a tumor suppressor in variety cancers. Further investigation
      demonstrated that CCAT1 led to the metastasis and EMT activation of ICC cells
      through inhibiting miR-152. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that CCAT1
      functions as an oncogenic lncRNA in ICC, which could serve as a potential
      diagnostic and therapeutic target for ICC patients.

PMID- 28921384
TI  - Can diffusion-weighted imaging distinguish between benign and malignant pediatric
      liver tumors?
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited data on utility of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)
      in the evaluation of pediatric liver lesions. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether
      qualitative and quantitative DWI can be used to differentiate benign and
      malignant pediatric liver lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively
      reviewed MRIs in children with focal liver lesions to qualitatively evaluate
      lesions noting diffusion restriction, T2 shine-through, increased diffusion,
      hypointensity on DWI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, and
      intermediate signal on both, and to measure ADC values. Pathology confirmation or
      a combination of clinical, laboratory and imaging features, and follow-up was
      used to determine final diagnosis. RESULTS: We included 112 focal hepatic lesions
      in 89 children (median age 11.5 years, 51 female), of which 92 lesions were
      benign and 20 malignant. Interobserver agreement was almost perfect for both
      qualitative (kappa 0.8735) and quantitative (intraclass correlation coefficient
      [ICC] 0.96) diffusion assessment. All malignant lesions showed diffusion
      restriction. Most benign lesions other than abscesses were not restricted. There
      was significant association of qualitative restriction with malignancy and non
      restriction with benignancy (Fisher exact test P<0.0001). Mean normalized ADC
      values of malignant lesions (1.23x10-3 mm2/s) were lower than benign lesions
      (1.62x10-3 mm2/s; Student's t-test, P<0.015). However, there was significant
      overlap of ADC between benign and malignant lesions, with wide range for each
      diagnosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an area
      under the curve (AUC) of 0.63 for predicting malignancy using an ADC cut-off
      value of <=1.20x10-3 mm2/s, yielding a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of
      54% for differentiating malignant from benign lesions. CONCLUSION: Qualitative
      diffusion restriction in pediatric liver lesions is a good predictor of
      malignancy and can help to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions, in
      conjunction with conventional MR sequences. Even though malignant lesions
      demonstrated significantly lower ADC values than benign lesions, the use of
      quantitative diffusion remains limited in its utility for distinguishing them
      because of the significant overlap and wide ranges of ADC values.

PMID- 28921385
TI  - Acute impact of home parenteral nutrition in patients with late-stage cancer on
      family caregivers: preliminary data.
AB  - PURPOSE: Since there is no information regarding quality of life of caregivers
      assisting patients with advanced malignancy on home parenteral nutrition,
      herewith we report a preliminary series of 19 patients who received total
      parenteral nutrition at home under the strict supervision of their relatives.
      METHODS: The relatives of 19 incurable patients with cancer-related cachexia,
      discharged from the hospital with a home parenteral nutrition program, were
      prospectively studied. They filled out a validated questionnaire, the Family
      Strain Questionnaire Short Form, prior to patient discharge and after 2 weeks of
      home care. The questionnaire included 30 items, which explored different domains
      regarding the superimposed burden on caregivers in relation to the assistance
      given to their relatives. RESULTS: Our findings show that the basal level of
      strain was relatively high (about three quarters of positive answers) but did not
      increase after 2 weeks of home care. Similarly, there was no difference in the
      nutritional status and quality of life of the patients. Eight patients and their
      relatives could be also analyzed after 2 months and the results maintained
      unchanged. CONCLUSION: This preliminary investigation shows that home parenteral
      nutrition does not exacerbate the level of strain on caregivers involved in
      surveillance of such a supportive intervention. It is possible that the
      perception of an active contribution to the benefit of patients, who maintained
      unchanged their nutritional status and quality of life, could gratify caregivers
      despite the objective burden in the constant supervision of administering
      Parenteral Nutrition.

PMID- 28921386
TI  - Midterm outcomes of two-staged hybrid ablation of persistent and long-standing
      persistent atrial fibrillation using the versapolar epicardial surgical device
      and subsequent catheter ablation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hybrid ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is a promising treatment
      strategy for patients with non-paroxysmal AF, although, data regarding mid-term
      outcomes are limited. METHODS: Patients with persistent or long-standing
      persistent AF were enrolled. Initially, a thoracoscopic, right-sided, epicardial
      ablation was performed, with a goal of creating a box lesion on the posterior
      wall of the left atrium; a novel versapolar radiofrequency (RF) catheter was
      used. In patients enrolled later, occlusion of the left atrial appendage was also
      performed. An endocardial procedure was performed 2-4 months later, with the goal
      of confirming/completing the box lesion and ablating the ganglionated plexi and
      cavotricuspid isthmus. Efficacy was assessed using multiple 24-h and 1-week
      Holter monitoring. Analysis was performed to search for variables associated with
      procedure's failure. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (14 persistent and 27 long
      standing persistent AF) were enrolled with a mean AF duration of 33.5 +/- 33.1
      months. Mean follow-up was 507.2 +/- 201.1 days (180-731). At the last follow-up
      visit, 27(65%) patients were arrhythmia-free, without anti-arrhythmics or need
      for re-ablation. Additional 4 patients (9.8%) were in sinus rhythm (SR) following
      re-ablation of postprocedural peri-mitral flutter and 4 (9.8%) were in SR on anti
      arrhythmics. Longer periods of preoperative AF were independently associated with
      worse arrhythmia-free survival (p = 0.015). Serious postoperative complications
      occurred in 3 (7.3%) patients; only 1 (2.4%) patient had clinical consequences
      after 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Hybrid ablation of non-paroxysmal AF using a novel,
      versapolar RF device yields promising mid-term results. Better arrhythmia-free
      survival rates were found in AF patients with shorter AF duration.

PMID- 28921387
TI  - Analysis of 24 genes reveals a monogenic cause in 11.1% of cases with steroid
      resistant nephrotic syndrome at a single center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is the second most
      frequent cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among patients manifesting at
      under 25 years of age. We performed mutation analysis using a high-throughput PCR
      based microfluidic technology in 24 single-gene causes of SRNS in a cohort of 72
      families, who presented with SRNS before the age of 25 years. METHODS: Within an
      18-month interval, we obtained DNA samples, pedigree information, and clinical
      information from 77 consecutive children with SRNS from 72 different families
      seen at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH). Mutation analysis was completed by
      combining high-throughput multiplex PCR with next-generation sequencing. We
      analyzed the sequences of 18 recessive and 6 dominant genes of SRNS in all 72
      families for disease-causing variants. RESULTS: We identified the disease-causing
      mutation in 8 out of 72 (11.1%) families. Mutations were detected in the six
      genes: NPHS1 (2 out of 72), WT1 (2 out of 72), NPHS2, MYO1E, TRPC6, and INF2.
      Median age at onset was 4.1 years in patients without a mutation (range 0.5
      18.8), and 3.2 years in those in whom the causative mutation was detected (range
      0.1-14.3). Mutations in dominant genes presented with a median onset of 4.5 years
      (range 3.2-14.3). Mutations in recessive genes presented with a median onset of
      0.5 years (range 0.1-3.2). CONCLUSION: Our molecular genetic diagnostic study
      identified underlying monogenic causes of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome in
      ~11% of patients with SRNS using a cost-effective technique. We delineated some
      of the therapeutic, diagnostic, and prognostic implications. Our study confirms
      that genetic testing is indicated in pediatric patients with SRNS.

PMID- 28921388
TI  - Immunomodulatory potential of nanocurcumin-based formulation.
AB  - Vitamins, minerals, and nanocurcumin play a substantial role in various
      nutraceutical/pharmaceutical formulations that are widely used in therapeutics,
      cosmetics, and dietary supplements. The current study aimed to investigate the
      comparative in vitro immunomodulatory effect of a novel nanocurcumin-based
      formulation with curcumin in LPS-induced cytokine expression, NK cells' activity,
      and phagocytosis. The proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and MIP
      1alpha) and NK cells' activity were measured in cell supernatants using ELISA
      assay; however, phagocytosis activity was performed using colorimetric analysis.
      The chemical characterization of novel nanocurcumin-based formulation using LC-MS
      (R t 19.02 min) and mass spectra analysis (m/z 369.04) confirmed the presence of
      the curcumin in highest peak concentration. MTT assay in three tested cell-lines
      showed that the formulation was found non-toxic at all the tested concentrations.
      The expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and MIP-1alpha in splenocytes was
      significantly (p <= 0.001) inhibited. Besides, the NK cells' activity and
      phagocytosis (macrophage) were increased significantly (p <= 0.001). Overall, the
      promising results of this study indicated the significant immunomodulatory effect
      of nanocurcumin-based formulation compared to the curcumin, which could be used
      against various inflammatory disorders such as allergy, asthma, autoimmune
      diseases, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.

PMID- 28921389
TI  - Altered Structure and Intrinsic Functional Connectivity in Post-stroke Aphasia.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that alterations of gray matter exist in post
      stroke aphasia (PSA) patients. However, so far, few studies combined structural
      alterations of gray matter volume (GMV) and intrinsic functional connectivity
      (iFC) imbalances of resting-state functional MRI to investigate the mechanism
      underlying PSA. The present study investigated specific regions with GMV
      abnormality in patients with PSA (n = 17) and age- and sex- matched healthy
      controls (HCs, n = 20) using voxel-based morphometry. In addition, we examined
      whether there is a link between abnormal gray matter and altered iFC.
      Furthermore, we explored the correlations between abnormal iFC and clinical
      scores in aphasic patients. We found significantly increased GMV in the right
      superior temporal gyrus, right inferior parietal lobule (IPL)/supramarginal gyrus
      (SMG), and left middle occipital gyrus. Decreased GMV was found in the right
      caudate gyrus, bilateral thalami in PSA patients. Patients showed increased
      remote interregional FC between the right IPL/SMG and right precuneus, right
      angular gyrus, right superior occipital gyrus; while reduced FC in the right
      caudate gyrus and supplementary motor area, dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus.
      Moreover, iFC strength between the left middle occipital gyrus and the left
      orbital middle frontal gyrus was positively correlated with the performance
      quotient. We suggest that GMV abnormality contributes to interregional FC in PSA.
      These results may provide useful information to understand the pathogenesis of
      post-stroke aphasia.

PMID- 28921390
TI  - The State of Men's Health Services in the Veterans Health Administration.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: For many diseases that place a large burden on our health care
      system, men often have worse health outcomes than women. As the largest single
      provider of health care to men in the USA, the Veterans Health Administration
      (VA) has the potential to serve as leader in the delivery of improved men's
      health care to address these disparities. RECENT FINDINGS: The VA system has made
      recent strides in improving benefits for aspects of men's health that are
      traditionally poorly covered, such as treatment for male factor infertility.
      Despite this, review of Quality Enhancement Research Initiatives (QUERIs) within
      the VA system reveals few efforts to integrate disparate areas of care into a
      holistic men's health program. Policies to unify currently disparate aspects of
      men's health care will ensure that the VA remains a progressive model for other
      health care systems in the USA.

PMID- 28921391
TI  - Effects of web-based interventions on cancer patients' symptoms: review of
      randomized trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: Symptom management is of high priority in cancer care. Information and
      communication technology allows interventions to be provided through the internet
      to enhance the delivery of care. This study aimed to review the effects of web
      based interventions on cancer patients' symptoms. METHODS: MEDLINE, PSychINFO,
      PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched. Included
      were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), pilot RCTs, or quasi-experimental (QE)
      studies focusing on web-based interventions in adult cancer patients with at
      least one outcome primary or secondary, in terms of symptoms, treatment side
      effects, or distress. Data were analyzed study by study. RESULTS: Twenty studies
      were identified. All web interventions included information, 16 included self
      management support, 14 included self-monitoring, 13 included feedback/tailored
      information, 12 used communication with health-care professionals, and eight used
      communication with other patients. Overall, 13 studies reported positive symptom
      outcomes. Psychological distress was reported in eight studies with positive
      intervention effects in three. Symptoms of anxiety/depression were reported in
      ten studies with positive intervention effects in five. Somatic symptom severity
      was reported in ten studies with intervention effects found in six, and symptom
      distress was reported in six studies with intervention effects found in all.
      CONCLUSIONS: This review shows the promising potential of web-based interventions
      for cancer symptom management, although it was limited by considerable
      heterogeneity in the interventions tested and targeted outcomes. The
      multidimensional nature of symptoms was partly addressed; only one study was
      guided by a comprehensive theoretical model of cancer symptom management. It can
      only be speculated which web elements are important for effective symptom
      outcomes. Further testing is needed for web-based cancer symptom management.

PMID- 28921392
TI  - Resveratrol attenuates high glucose-induced endothelial cell apoptosis via
      mediation of store-operated calcium entry.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of resveratrol on HG-induced
      calcium entry in islet microvascular (MS-1) endothelial cells. MS-1 cells were
      pretreated with resveratrol or 2-APB (an inhibitor of store-operated calcium
      entry) and then incubated with high glucose. Cell viability was determined using
      the cell counting kit-8 method. Reactive oxygen species, endothelial apoptosis,
      and NO production were detected by DHE probe, TUNEL detection, and nitrate
      reductase assay kit. Protein levels of SOCE were detected by western blotting.
      Pretreatment with resveratrol significantly attenuated HG-induced endothelial
      apoptosis and improved cell viability. However, pretreatment with resveratrol and
      2-APB abolished this effect, suggesting that the attenuation of HG-induced
      apoptosis by resveratrol may be associated with SOCE. Subsequent analyses
      indicated that HG induced the SOCE-related proteins, including TRPC1, Orai1, and
      Stim1. These results suggest that resveratrol pretreatment is associated with
      relieved HG-induced endothelial apoptosis at least partly via inhibition of SOCE
      related proteins.

PMID- 28921393
TI  - Genome-wide compound heterozygote analysis highlights alleles associated with
      adult height in Europeans.
AB  - Adult height is the most widely genetically studied common trait in humans;
      however, the trait variance explainable by currently known height-associated
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified from the previous genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) is yet far from complete given the high heritability
      of this complex trait. To exam if compound heterozygotes (CH) may explain extra
      height variance, we conducted a genome-wide analysis to screen for CH in
      association with adult height in 10,631 Dutch Europeans enriched with extremely
      tall people, using our recently developed method implemented in the software
      package CollapsABEL. The analysis identified six regions (3q23, 5q35.1, 6p21.31,
      6p21.33, 7q21.2, and 9p24.3), where multiple pairs of SNPs as CH showed genome
      wide significant association with height (P < 1.67 * 10-10). Of those, 9p24.3
      represents a novel region influencing adult height, whereas the others have been
      highlighted in the previous GWAS on height based on analysis of individual SNPs.
      A replication analysis in 4080 Australians of European ancestry confirmed the
      significant CH-like association at 9p24.3 (P < 0.05). Together, the collapsed
      genotypes at these six loci explained 2.51% of the height variance (after
      adjusting for sex and age), compared with 3.23% explained by the 14 top
      associated SNPs at 14 loci identified by traditional GWAS in the same data set (P
      < 5 * 10-8). Overall, our study empirically demonstrates that CH plays an
      important role in adult height and may explain a proportion of its "missing
      heritability". Moreover, our findings raise promising expectations for other
      highly polygenic complex traits to explain missing heritability identifiable
      through CH-like associations.

PMID- 28921394
TI  - Combination Therapy with Pirfenidone plus Prednisolone Ameliorates Paraquat
      Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis.
AB  - Pirfenidone is known to slow the decline in vital capacity and increase survival
      in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Besides, administration of
      glucocorticoids, e.g., prednisolone has been the conventional strategy to the
      treatment of patients with this disease, although their efficacy is under debate.
      Since multiple coactivated pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of IPF,
      combination therapy is a foundation strategy to cover many more synergetic
      mechanisms and increase response. The aim of the present study was to compare the
      therapeutic efficacy of prednisolone plus pirfenidone with pirfenidone alone in
      PQ-induced lung fibrosis. After development of PQ-induced lung fibrosis,
      pirfenidone, prednisolone, and their combination were administered for 14
      consecutive days. Lung pathological lesions, along with increased hydroxyproline
      were determined in the paraquat group. Paraquat also caused oxidative stress and
      increasing the proinflammatory and profibrotic gene expression. Pirfenidone
      attenuated the PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis from the analysis of antioxidant
      enzymes but prednisolone had no such effect. Co-treatment with pirfenidone and
      prednisolone suppressed lung hydroxyproline content, TGF-beta1, and TNF-alpha;
      however, prednisolone alone could not suppress pulmonary fibrosis which was
      significantly suppressed only by pirfenidone. Pirfenidone also suppressed the
      increase in MMP-2 and TIMP-1 induced by PQ. All of these effects were exaggerated
      when pirfenidone coadministered with prednisolone. These findings suggest that
      pirfenidone exerts its antifibrotic effect through regulation of hydroxyproline
      content, oxidative stress and proinflammatory and profibrotic gene expression
      during the development of PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats and combination
      therapy with prednisolone can represent more potent therapeutic effects.

PMID- 28921395
TI  - Analysis of integrated clinical trial protocols in early phases of medicinal
      product development.
AB  - PURPOSE: While in the past, most clinical trial applications (CTAs) following non
      integrated (standard) protocols were used to investigate one primary objective
      concerning a (new) drug, nowadays, the use of integrated protocols investigating
      multiple objectives within the same CTA becomes more and more popular. The aims
      of the present study were to investigate the usage and the impact of integrated
      protocols on regulatory activities and to find the motivation for their
      increasing use. METHODS: Two thousand nine hundred sixty-nine phase I and I/II
      CTAs submitted to the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices
      (BfArM) during the time period from August 1, 2004, until August 31, 2014, were
      analysed with regard to protocol and sponsor status, duration until initial
      authorisation and the number of substantial amendments and their respective
      approval times. Additionally, applicants who submitted integrated protocols to
      BfArM were interviewed with respect to their opinion on integrated protocols in
      an online survey. RESULTS: The percentage of integrated protocols has constantly
      increased by approximately 10% within the last 10 years from 17.9% in 2004 to
      28.2% in 2014. It could be shown that authorisation procedures with single
      integrated protocols take significantly longer until initial authorisation (58
      vs. 53 days) requires more substantial amendments (1.9 vs. 1.2 amendments per
      CTA) and the approval of the entirety of amendments takes longer to process as
      compared to standard protocols (22 vs. 14 days). Nevertheless, applicants prefer
      the use of integrated protocols due to higher time and cost economy for the
      entire phase I development process. CONCLUSION: Although clinical trials (CTs)
      following integrated protocols are partly more time-consuming and costly, still,
      time and/or money may be saved during drug development due to the fact that
      overall, fewer CTs are needed than with standard protocols. Hence, the main
      reason for the increasing use of integrated protocols is improved time and cost
      efficiencies when conducting CTs.

PMID- 28921396
TI  - Determination of dominant sources of nitrate contamination in transboundary
      (Russian Federation/Ukraine) catchment with heterogeneous land use.
AB  - Nitrate contamination of surface water and shallow groundwater was studied in
      transboundary (Russia/Ukraine) catchment with heterogeneous land use. Dominant
      sources of nitrate contamination were determined by applying a dual delta 15N-NO3
      and delta 18O-NO3 isotope approach, multivariate statistics, and land use
      analysis. Nitrate concentration was highly variable from 0.25 to 22 mg L-1 in
      surface water and from 0.5 to 100 mg L-1 in groundwater. The applied method
      indicated that sewage to surface water and sewage and manure to groundwater were
      dominant sources of nitrate contamination. Nitrate/chloride molar ratio was added
      to support the dual isotope signature and indicated the contribution of
      fertilizers to the nitrate content in groundwater. Groundwater temperature was
      found to be an additional indicator of manure and sewerage leaks in the shallow
      aquifer which has limited protection and is vulnerable to groundwater pollution.

PMID- 28921397
TI  - A binding-block ion selective mechanism revealed by a Na/K selective channel.
AB  - Mechanosensitive (MS) channels are extensively studied membrane protein for
      maintaining intracellular homeostasis through translocating solutes and ions
      across the membrane, but its mechanisms of channel gating and ion selectivity are
      largely unknown. Here, we identified the YnaI channel as the Na+/K+ cation
      selective MS channel and solved its structure at 3.8 A by cryo-EM single-particle
      method. YnaI exhibits low conductance among the family of MS channels in E. coli,
      and shares a similar overall heptamer structure fold with previously studied MscS
      channels. By combining structural based mutagenesis, quantum mechanical and
      electrophysiological characterizations, we revealed that ion selective filter
      formed by seven hydrophobic methionine (YnaIMet158) in the transmembrane pore
      determined ion selectivity, and both ion selectivity and gating of YnaI channel
      were affected by accompanying anions in solution. Further quantum simulation and
      functional validation support that the distinct binding energies with various
      anions to YnaIMet158 facilitate Na+/K+ pass through, which was defined as binding
      block mechanism. Our structural and functional studies provided a new perspective
      for understanding the mechanism of how MS channels select ions driven by
      mechanical force.

PMID- 28921398
TI  - Preliminary analysis of numerical chromosome abnormalities in reciprocal and
      Robertsonian translocation preimplantation genetic diagnosis cases with 24
      chromosomal analysis with an aCGH/SNP microarray.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether an interchromosomal
      effect (ICE) occurred in embryos obtained from reciprocal translocation (rcp) and
      Robertsonian translocation (RT) carriers who were following a preimplantation
      genetic diagnosis (PGD) with whole chromosome screening with an aCGH and SNP
      microarray. We also analyzed the chromosomal numerical abnormalities in embryos
      with aneuploidy in parental chromosomes that were not involved with a
      translocation and balanced in involved parental translocation chromosomes.
      METHODS: This retrospective study included 832 embryos obtained from rcp carriers
      and 382 embryos from RT carriers that were biopsied in 139 PGD cycles. The
      control group involved embryos obtained from age-matched patient karyotypes who
      were undergoing preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) with non-translocation,
      and 579 embryos were analyzed in the control group. A single blastomere at the
      cleavage stage or trophectoderm from a blastocyst was biopsied, and 24
      chromosomal analysis with an aCGH/SNP microarray was conducted using the PGD/PGS
      protocols. Statistical analyses were implemented on the incidences of cumulative
      aneuploidy rates between the translocation carriers and the control group.
      RESULTS: Reliable results were obtained from 138 couples, among whom only one
      patient was a balanced rcp or RT translocation carrier, undergoing PGD testing in
      our center from January 2012 to June 2014. For day 3 embryos, the aneuploidy
      rates were 50.7% for rcp carriers and 49.1% for RT carriers, compared with the
      control group, with 44.8% at a maternal age < 36 years. When the maternal age was
      >= 36 years, the aneuploidy rates were increased to 61.1% for rcp carriers, 56.7%
      for RT carriers, and 60.3% for the control group. There were no significant
      differences. In day 5 embryos, the aneuploidy rates were 24.5% for rcp carriers
      and 34.9% for RT carriers, compared with the control group with 53.6% at a
      maternal age < 36 years. When the maternal age was >= 36 years, the aneuploidy
      rates were 10.7% for rcp carriers, 26.3% for RT carriers, and 57.1% for the
      control group. The cumulative aneuploidy rates of chromosome translocation
      carriers were significantly lower than the control group. No ICE was observed in
      cleavage and blastocyst stage embryos obtained from these carriers. Additionally,
      the risk of chromosomal numerical abnormalities was observed in each of the 23
      pairs of autosomes or sex chromosomes from day 3 and day 5 embryos. CONCLUSION:
      There was not enough evidence to prove that ICE was present in embryos derived
      from both rcp and RT translocation carriers, regardless of the maternal age.
      However, chromosomal numerical abnormalities were noticed in 23 pairs of
      autosomes and sex chromosomes in parental structurally normal chromosomes. Thus,
      24-chromosomal analysis with an aCGH/SNP microarray PGD protocol is required to
      decrease the risks of failure to diagnose aneuploidy in structurally normal
      chromosomes.

PMID- 28921400
TI  - Gut Microbiota and IL-17A: Physiological and Pathological Responses.
AB  - IL-17A is a cytokine which is produced by several immune and non-immune cells.
      The cytokine plays dual roles from protection from microbes and protection from
      pro-inflammatory based diseases to induction of the pro-inflammatory based
      diseases. The main mechanisms which lead to the controversial roles of IL-17A are
      yet to be clarified. Gut microbiota (GM) are the resident probiotic bacteria in
      the gastrointestinal tracts which have been introduced as a plausible regulator
      of IL-17A production and functions. This review article describes the recent
      information regarding the roles played by GM in determination of IL-17A functions
      outcome.

PMID- 28921399
TI  - Artesunate Inhibits Renal Ischemia Reperfusion-Stimulated Lung Inflammation in
      Rats by Activating HO-1 Pathway.
AB  - Artesunate (AS), a semi-synthetic derivative of Artemisia, has been shown to
      exert a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory and
      antioxidant functions. However, the protective functions of AS on renal ischemia
      reperfusion injury (RIR)-stimulated lung inflammation remain unclear. In this
      research, acute lung injury (ALI) was stimulated by renal ischemia reperfusion
      injury (RIR). AS (15 mg/kg) was intraperitoneal administrated to rat 1 h before
      RIR stimulation. Serum and pulmonary NO, MDA, IL-6, MIP-2, and PGE2 levels,
      arterial blood gas and biochemistry, lung wet/dry weight ratio and MPO activity,
      total cell number and protein concentration in BALF, tissue histology, and NF
      kappaB expression were determined. The results indicated that serum and pulmonary
      NO, MDA, IL-6, MIP-2, and PGE2 levels, lung wet/dry weight ratio and MPO
      activity, total cell number, and protein concentration in BALF enhanced after RIR
      stimulation. These alterations were mitigated by AS. AS attenuated lung wet/dry
      weight ratio and MPO activity, total cell number, and protein concentration in
      BALF. AS attenuated RIR-stimulated pulmonary NF-kappaB phosphorylation. In
      addition, these previously mentioned actions of AS were antagonized by
      suppressing HO-1 pathway. However, RIR-stimulated arterial blood gas and
      biochemistry and lung histopathology were also attenuated by AS. In summary, AS
      inhibited RIR-stimulated lung inflammation by activating HO-1 pathway.

PMID- 28921401
TI  - Experience with curative radiotherapy for cervix cancer in the Bahamas for 2006
      2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervix cancer is a significant health problem. As access to quality
      care in Small Island Developing States improves, and cancer centers become
      established, providers of care can summarize local experience to benchmark system
      quality and look for ways to further improve value. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective study of all cases of cervix cancer managed 2006-2016 at The Cancer
      Centre Bahamas, in conjunction with Princess Margaret Hospital, Nassau,
      affiliated with The University of West Indies. Seventy-two women received
      curative radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Herein are reported presenting
      characteristics, treatments, waiting and overall treatment times, plus outcomes
      of recurrence, survival, and adverse events. RESULTS: For 68 newly diagnosed
      cases, median waiting time (diagnosis to commencing treatment) was 110 days. It
      was 90 days for those 47 cases who had no prior surgery or neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy. Overall, 99% of intended external radiotherapy fractions, 74% of
      brachytherapy sessions, and 79% of concurrent weekly chemotherapy were
      administered. For all 72 cases, median overall treatment time was 63 days; and
      for the 47 case sub-group, it was 78 days during 2006-2010 and 65 days during
      2011-2016 (p = 0.005), so improving over calendar time. Four cases experienced
      grade 3-4 toxicities. Twelve had urological complications from disease or
      treatment. Five cases experienced local failure; eight experienced distant
      failure. Newly diagnosed stage 2B (26/72) had a 2-year survival of 71%.
      CONCLUSION: This report demonstrates the impact of providing curative radiation
      based treatments for cervical cancer in a small state. It suggests ways to
      further improve operations and justifies additional research.

PMID- 28921402
TI  - An improved risk-explicit interval linear programming model for pollution load
      allocation for watershed management.
AB  - Although the risk-explicit interval linear programming (REILP) model has solved
      the problem of having interval solutions, it has an equity problem, which can
      lead to unbalanced allocation between different decision variables. Therefore, an
      improved REILP model is proposed. This model adds an equity objective function
      and three constraint conditions to overcome this equity problem. In this case,
      pollution reduction is in proportion to pollutant load, which supports balanced
      development between different regional economies. The model is used to solve the
      problem of pollution load allocation in a small transboundary watershed. Compared
      with the REILP original model result, our model achieves equity between the
      upstream and downstream pollutant loads; it also overcomes the problem of
      greatest pollution reduction, where sources are nearest to the control section.
      The model provides a better solution to the problem of pollution load allocation
      than previous versions.

PMID- 28921403
TI  - Biochar composites with nano zerovalent iron and eggshell powder for nitrate
      removal from aqueous solution with coexisting chloride ions.
AB  - Biochar (BC) was produced from date palm tree leaves and its composites were
      prepared with nano zerovalent iron (nZVI-BC) and hen eggshell powder (EP-BC). The
      produced BC and its composites were characterized by SEM, XRD, BET, and FTIR for
      surface structural, mineralogical, and chemical groups and tested for their
      efficiency for nitrate removal from aqueous solutions in the presence and absence
      of chloride ions. The incidence of graphene and nano zerovalent iron (Fe0) in the
      nZVI-BC composite was confirmed by XRD. The nZVI-BC composite possessed highest
      surface area (220.92 m2 g-1), carbon (80.55%), nitrogen (3.78%), and hydrogen
      (11.09%) contents compared to other materials. Nitrate sorption data was fitted
      well to the Langmuir (R 2 = 0.93-0.98) and Freundlich (R 2 = 0.90-0.99)
      isotherms. The sorption kinetics was adequately explained by the pseudo-second
      order, power function, and Elovich models. The nZVI-BC composite showed highest
      Langmuir predicted sorption capacity (148.10 mg g-1) followed by EP-BC composite
      (72.77 mg g-1). In addition to the high surface area, the higher nitrate removal
      capacity of nZVI-BC composite could be attributed to the combination of two
      processes, i.e., chemisorption (outer-sphere complexation) and reduction of
      nitrate to ammonia or nitrogen by Fe0. The appearance of Fe-O stretching and N-H
      bonds in post-sorption FTIR spectra of nZVI-BC composite suggested the occurrence
      of redox reaction and formation of Fe compound with N, such as ferric nitrate
      (Fe(NO3)3.9H2O). Coexistence of chloride ions negatively influenced the nitrate
      sorption. The decrease in nitrate sorption with increasing chloride ion
      concentration was observed, which could be due to the competition of free active
      sites on the sorbents between nitrate and chloride ions. The nZVI-BC composite
      exhibited higher nitrate removal efficiency compared to other materials even in
      the presence of highest concentration (100 mg L-1) of coexisting chloride ion.

PMID- 28921405
TI  - Cannabis-Associated Asthma and Allergies.
AB  - Inhalation of cannabis smoke is its most common use and the pulmonary
      complications of its use may be the single most common form of drug-induced
      pulmonary disease worldwide. However, the role of cannabis consumption in asthma
      patients and allergic clinical situations still remains controversial. To review
      the evidence of asthma and allergic diseases associated with the use of
      marijuana, we conducted a search of English, Spanish, and Portuguese medical
      using the search terms asthma, allergy, marijuana, marihuana, and cannabis.
      Entries made between January 1970 and March 2017 were retrieved. Several papers
      have shown the relationship between marijuana use and increase in asthma and
      other allergic diseases symptoms, as well as the increased frequency of medical
      visits. This narrative review emphasizes the importance to consider cannabis as a
      precipitating factor for acute asthma and allergic attacks in clinical practice.
      Although smoking of marijuana may cause respiratory symptoms, there is a need for
      more studies to elucidate many aspects in allergic asthma patients, especially
      considering the long-term use of the drug. These patients should avoid using
      marijuana and be oriented about individual health risks, possible dangers of
      second-hand smoke exposure, underage use, safe storage, and the over smoking of
      marijuana.

PMID- 28921404
TI  - Effectiveness of a New Lead-Shielding Device and Additional Filter for Reducing
      Staff and Patient Radiation Exposure During Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study
      Using a Human Phantom.
AB  - Interventional radiology procedures often involve lengthy exposure to fluoroscopy
      derived radiation. We therefore devised a videofluoroscopic swallowing study
      (VFSS) procedure using a human phantom that proved to protect the patient and
      physician by reducing the radiation dose. We evaluated a new lead-shielding
      device and separately attached additional filters (1.0-, 2.0-, and 3.0-mm Al
      filters and a 0.5-mm Cu filter) during VFSS to reduce the patient's entrance skin
      dose (ESD). A monitor attached to the human phantom's neck measured the ESD. We
      also developed another lead shield (VFSS Shielding Box, 1.0-mm Pb equivalent) and
      tested its efficacy using the human phantom and an ionization chamber radiation
      survey meter with and without protection from scattered radiation at the
      physician's position on the phantom. We then measured the scattered radiation (at
      90 and 150 cm above the floor) after combining the filters with the VFSS
      Shielding Box. With the additional filters, the ESD was reduced by 15.4-55.1%.
      With the VFSS Shielding Box alone, the scattered radiation was reduced by about
      10% compared with the dose without additional shielding. With the VFSS Shielding
      Box and filters combined, the scattered radiation dose was reduced by a maximum
      of about 44% at the physician's position. Thus, the additional lead-shielding
      device effectively provided protection from scattered radiation during
      fluoroscopy. These results indicate that the combined VFSS Shielding Box and
      filters can effectively reduce the physician's and patient's radiation doses.

PMID- 28921406
TI  - Genome Annotation and Validation of Keratin-Hydrolyzing Proteolytic Enzymes from
      Serratia marcescens EGD-HP20.
AB  - Stabilization and utilization of poultry waste demand efficient biodegradation
      either by mixture of enzymes or by microbial system that can produce different
      types of protein-hydrolyzing enzymes. For utilization of this keratinous biomass,
      in the present study, genome was sequenced and annotated for a bacterium having
      multiple enzymatic options for hydrolysis of different soluble and insoluble
      protein fractions of poultry waste. Among the soluble protein substrates, optimum
      production of enzyme and soluble protein was observed in case of casein, whereas
      among the insoluble protein substrates, maximum production of enzyme was achieved
      when broken nails were used. Conditions for enhanced enzyme activity with
      concurrent degradation of keratin-rich poultry feather waste to protein-rich
      hydrolysate were optimized for different growth parameters. The bacterium grew
      well and highest protease production occurred in 144 h at mesophilic temperature
      (30  degrees C) and alkaline condition (pH 8-10) with enzyme activities of 134
      and 168 U/mL, respectively.

PMID- 28921407
TI  - Combat exposure, emotional and physical role limitations, and substance use among
      male United States Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Combat-exposed soldiers are at an increased risk for health problems
      that diminish quality of life (QOL) and substance use. We explored the cross
      sectional associations between combat exposure and two measures of QOL, and the
      effect of substance use on those associations. METHODS: Data are from the
      baseline wave of Operation: SAFETY, an ongoing survey-based study of United
      States Army Reserve/National Guard (USAR/NG) soldiers and their partners. Our
      sample consisted of male USAR/NG soldiers with a history of deployment (N = 248).
      Limitations in usual activity due to physical and emotional problems were
      assessed using the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: Greater
      combat exposure was independently associated with limitations in usual activity
      due to physical (regression coefficient = -0.35, 95% CI -0.55 to -0.16, R 2 =
      0.09; p < 0.01) and emotional (regression coefficient = -0.32, 95% CI -0.56 to 
      0.09, R 2 = 0.09; p < 0.01) problems. Combat exposure had a significant
      interaction with frequent heavy drinking on physical role limitations (regression
      coefficient = -0.65, 95% CI -1.18 to -0.12, R 2 = 0.12; p < 0.05) and emotional
      role limitations (regression coefficient = -0.83, 95% CI -1.46 to -0.19, R 2 =
      0.12; p < 0.05). Combat exposure also had a significant interaction with lifetime
      non-medical use of prescription drugs on physical role limitations (regression
      coefficient = 0.81, 95% CI 0.18-1.45, R 2 = 0.11; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combat
      is an unmodifiable risk factor for poor QOL among soldiers; however, frequent
      heavy drinking and non-medical use of prescription drugs modifies the
      relationship between combat exposure and QOL. Therefore, substance use is a
      potential point of intervention to improve QOL among soldiers.

PMID- 28921408
TI  - Catheter ablation for AF improves global thrombotic profile and enhances
      fibrinolysis.
AB  - Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at increased risk of thrombotic events
      despite oral anticoagulation (OAC). Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) can
      restore and maintain sinus rhythm (SR) in patients with AF. To assess whether
      RFCA improves thrombotic status. 80 patients (71% male, 64 +/- 12y) with recently
      diagnosed AF, on OAC and scheduled to undergo RFCA or DC cardioversion (DCCV)
      were recruited. Thrombotic status was assessed using the point-of-care global
      thrombosis test (GTT), before, and 4-6 weeks after DCCV and 3 months after RFCA.
      The GTT first measures the time taken for occlusive thrombus formation (occlusion
      time, OT), while the second phase of the test measures the time taken to
      spontaneously dissolve this clot through endogenous thrombolysis (lysis time,
      LT). 3 months after RFCA, there was a significant reduction in LT (1994s [1560;
      2475] vs. 1477s [1015; 1878]) in those who maintained SR, but not in those who
      reverted to AF. At follow-up, LT was longer in those in AF compared to those in
      SR (AF 2966s [2038; 3879] vs. SR 1477s [1015; 1878]). RFCA resulted in no change
      in OT value, irrespective of rhythm outcome. Similarly, there was no change in OT
      or LT in response to DCCV, irrespective of whether SR was restored. Successful
      restoration and maintenance of SR following RFCA of AF is associated with
      improved global thrombotic status with enhanced fibrinolysis. Larger studies are
      required to confirm these early results and investigate whether improved
      thrombotic status translates into fewer thromboembolic events.

PMID- 28921409
TI  - The Duality of Economic Issues With Medication Non-adherence in Patients With
      Inflammatory Arthritis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this review, we synthesize current data on non-adherence
      across inflammatory arthritides and explore (1) the effects of economic factors
      on non-adherence and (2) the impacts of non-adherence on economic outcomes.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence demonstrates medication non-adherence rates as
      high as 74% in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 90% in gout, 50% in psoriatic
      arthritis (PsA), 75% in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 82% in rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA). The effects of socioeconomic factors have been studied most in RA
      and SLE but with inconsistent findings. Nonetheless, the evidence points to
      having prescription coverage and costs of treatment as important factors in RA
      and education as an important factor in SLE. Limited data in AS and gout, and no
      studies of the effects of socioeconomic factors in PsA, show knowledge gaps for
      future research. Finally, there is a dearth of data with respect to the impacts
      of non-adherence on economic outcomes.

PMID- 28921411
TI  - Differences in the Severity, Distress, Interference, and Frequency on Cancer
      Related Symptoms Between Island Hispanic Puerto Ricans and Mainland Non-Hispanic
      Whites.
AB  - The knowledge base of cancer-related symptoms is increasing; yet, limited
      attention has been given to provide evidence on differences in the perception of
      cancer symptoms between ethnic groups, especially in the Hispanic Puerto Rican
      (PR) population. To examine whether there are significant differences in the
      severity, distress, interference, and frequency of cancer symptoms between island
      Hispanic PR and mainland non-Hispanic whites. In this secondary data analysis,
      data from 109 Hispanic PR was matched by age, gender and cancer diagnosis with
      data from non-Hispanic whites. Cancer symptoms were assessed using the Cancer
      Symptom Scale (CSS). Mann-Whitney statistical test was used to evaluate pairwise
      differences between Hispanic PR and non-Hispanic whites on symptoms from the CSS.
      There were significant differences on some symptoms including PR reporting: (a)
      more intense itching, swelling, taste change, difficulty sleeping, bloating,
      depression, sadness, worry, and nervousness; (b) significantly greater distress
      about taste change, appetite, anxiety, depression, worry, and feeling nervous;
      (c) rash, anxiety, depression, sadness, and nervousness interfered the most with
      their daily lives; and, (d) that the frequency of occurrence of the symptoms of
      pain, itching, dizziness, taste change, anxiety, sadness, and nervousness was
      higher compared to non-Hispanic whites. PR cancer patients are at increased risk
      for experiencing greater severity of cancer symptoms compared to non-Hispanic
      whites. But because the Hispanic oncology population does not always report
      symptoms, risking under-assessment and under-management, this suggests there may
      be a greater need for symptoms surveillance for this population.

PMID- 28921410
TI  - Vyacheslav (Slava) Klimov (1945-2017): A scientist par excellence, a great human
      being, a friend, and a Renaissance man.
AB  - Vyacheslav Vasilevich (V.V.) Klimov (or Slava, as most of us called him) was born
      on January 12, 1945 and passed away on May 9, 2017. He began his scientific
      career at the Bach Institute of Biochemistry of the USSR Academy of Sciences
      (Akademy Nauk (AN) SSSR), Moscow, Russia, and then, he was associated with the
      Institute of Photosynthesis, Pushchino, Moscow Region, for about 50 years. He
      worked in the field of biochemistry and biophysics of photosynthesis. He is known
      for his studies on the molecular organization of photosystem II (PSII). He was an
      eminent scientist in the field of photobiology, a well-respected professor, and,
      above all, an outstanding researcher. Further, he was one of the founding members
      of the Institute of Photosynthesis in Pushchino, Russia. To most, Slava Klimov
      was a great human being. He was one of the pioneers of research on the
      understanding of the mechanism of light energy conversion and of water oxidation
      in photosynthesis. Slava had many collaborations all over the world, and he is
      (and will be) very much missed by the scientific community and friends in Russia
      as well as around the World. We present here a brief biography and some comments
      on his research in photosynthesis. We remember him as a friendly and enthusiastic
      person who had an unflagging curiosity and energy to conduct outstanding research
      in many aspects of photosynthesis, especially that related to PSII.

PMID- 28921412
TI  - How close are we to therapies for Sanfilippo disease?
AB  - Sanfilippo disease is one of mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), a group of lysosomal
      storage diseases characterized by accumulation of partially degraded
      glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). It is classified as MPS type III, though it is caused
      by four different genetic defects, determining subtypes A, B, C and D. In each
      subtype of MPS III, the primary storage GAG is heparan sulfate (HS), but
      mutations leading to A, B, C, and D subtypes are located in genes coding for
      heparan N-sulfatase (the SGSH gene), alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase (the NAGLU
      gene), acetyl-CoA:alpha-glucosaminide acetyltransferase (the HGSNAT gene), and N
      acetylglucosamine-6-sulfatase (the GNS gene), respectively. Neurodegenerative
      changes in the central nervous system (CNS) are major problems in Sanfilippo
      disease. They cause severe cognitive disabilities and behavioral disturbances.
      This is the main reason of a current lack of therapeutic options for MPS III
      patients, while patients from some other MPS types (I, II, IVA, and VI) can be
      treated with enzyme replacement therapy or bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantations. Nevertheless, although no therapy is available for Sanfilippo
      disease now, recent years did bring important breakthroughs in this aspect, and
      clinical trials are being conducted with enzyme replacement therapy, gene
      therapy, and substrate reduction therapy. These recent achievements are
      summarized and discussed in this review.

PMID- 28921413
TI  - Honeycomb-like appearance on optical coherence tomography in right coronary
      artery.

PMID- 28921414
TI  - Multimedia education program and nutrition therapy improves HbA1c, weight, and
      lipid profile of patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of a multimedia education program and nutrition
      therapy on metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH QUESTION:
      What is the effect of a multimedia education program and nutritional therapy on
      metabolic control in type 2 diabetes? PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized clinical
      trial was conducted in 351 patients randomly assigned to either an experimental
      group receiving a multimedia diabetes education program (MDE) and nutrition
      therapy (NT) (NT + MDE: n = 173), or to a control group who received nutrition
      therapy only (NT: n = 178). At baseline, 7, 14, and 21 months, the glycated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c), glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL
      cholesterol were measured. Weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference
      (WC), fat percentage, fat and lean mass, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and
      diastolic (DBP) were also recorded. RESULTS: Glycated hemoglobin decreased in
      both groups, although the group with NT + MDE had a greater reduction, with a
      difference of -0.76% (95%CI -1.33 to -0.19) at 7 months and -0.73% (95%CI -1.37
      to -0.09) at 21 months. Only in the NT + MDE did the glucose decrease at 7 (-41.2
      mg/dL; 95%CI -52.0 to -30.5), 14 (-27.8 mg/dL; 95%CI -32.6 to -23.1), and 21
      months (-36.6 mg/dL; 95%CI -46.6 to -26.6). Triglycerides and the atherogenic
      index decreased in both groups at 7 and 14 months; while only in the NT + MDE
      group did it decrease at 21 months. (p < 0.05). Weight decreased at 21 months in
      the NT + MDE group (-1.23, -2.29 at -0.16; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nutrition
      therapy and a multimedia diabetes education program have a favorable impact on
      achieving metabolic control goals in type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 28921415
TI  - Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of Celecoxib for the Treatment of
      Osteoarthritis in Asian and non-Asian Populations: An Analysis of Data from Two
      Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Active-comparator Trials.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Celecoxib is an effective treatment for pain associated with
      osteoarthritis. There are differences in patient demographics among ethnic
      groups, with Asian populations typically smaller in body size. As a consequence,
      there may be a perception that celecoxib is less effective, or has poorer
      tolerability in Asian patients. METHODS: This analysis compares data from two
      multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, active-comparator
      trials of celecoxib for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: one study in
      Asian patients and the other in a mixed population comprised mostly of non-Asian
      patients (from which Asian patients were excluded for this analysis). Each trial
      was of similar design, with patients randomized 2:2:1 to 6 weeks treatment with
      celecoxib 200 mg once daily, active comparator (naproxen 500 mg twice daily or
      ibuprofen 800 mg three times daily), or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint in
      each trial was the change from baseline to week 6 in the Patient's Assessment of
      Arthritis Pain, as measured on a visual analog scale. RESULTS: In total, 329
      patients were included in the efficacy analysis, 179 in the Asian study and 150
      in the non-Asian study. The Asian population was significantly older and smaller
      in body size (P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between the Asian
      and non-Asian populations in change in pain score (95% confidence interval) at
      study endpoint with celecoxib [-1.1 (-7.7, 5.5); P = 0.7400] or placebo [-5.2 (
      14.8, 4.4); P = 0.2870]. There were also no notable differences in safety
      outcomes between populations. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the smaller size of some Asian
      patients with OA, physicians may be tempted to decrease the dose of celecoxib
      below the therapeutic range recognized by regulatory authorities; these data
      suggest that dose changes are not necessary. FUNDING: Pfizer Inc.

PMID- 28921416
TI  - miR-17-5p Regulates Differential Expression of NCOA3 in Pig Intramuscular and
      Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue.
AB  - Fat distribution affects economic value in pork production. Intramuscular adipose
      tissue (IMAT) improves meat quality, whereas subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT)
      is usually regarded as waste. In the present study, we analyzed IMAT/SCAT (I/S)
      ratios in each pig. Individuals selected from a population of 1200 Suhuai pigs
      were divided into two cohorts; those with high I/S ratios and those with low I/S
      ratios, and correlations between nuclear Receptor Co-activator 3 (NCOA3), a
      critical gene involved in regulating fat accumulation, and fat distribution were
      investigated. The ratio of IMAT NCOA3 to SCAT NCOA3 expression levels
      (NCOA3I/NCOA3S) was higher in the high I/S group compared with the low I/S group.
      The NCOA3 expression level in fat tissue was positively correlated with fat
      deposition. miR-17-5p was identified as a putative regulator of NCOA3 based on
      bioinformatics prediction analysis followed by gene expression analysis. The miR
      17-5pI/miR-17-5pS ratio was negatively correlated with the NCOA3I/NCOA3S ratio.
      The predicted relationship between miR-17-5p and NCOA3 was further verified by
      dual luciferase activity assays, qPCR, and western blots. Overexpression of miR
      17-5p in intramuscular preadipocytes inhibited NCOA3 expression and reduced
      preadipocyte differentiation. FABP4 and PPARG expression were also significantly
      decreased, as was triglyceride content. Meanwhile, knockdown of miR-17-5p
      significantly increased NCOA3 expression and promoted intramuscular preadipocyte
      differentiation. Based on these results, we propose that differential expression
      of NCOA3 in pig intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue is regulated by miR
      17-5p.

PMID- 28921417
TI  - Bacteriocinogenic LAB Strains for Fermented Meat Preservation: Perspectives,
      Challenges, and Limitations.
AB  - Over the last decades, much research has focused on lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
      bacteriocins because of their potential as biopreservatives and their action
      against the growth of spoilage microbes. Meat and fermented meat products are
      prone to microbial contamination, causing health risks, as well as economic
      losses in the meat industry. The use of bacteriocin-producing LAB starter or
      protective cultures is suitable for fermented meats. However, although
      bacteriocins can be produced during meat processing, their levels are usually
      much lower than those achieved during in vitro fermentations under optimal
      environmental conditions. Thus, the direct addition of a bacteriocin food
      additive would be desirable. Moreover, safety and technological characteristics
      of the bacteriocinogenic LAB must be considered before their widespread
      applications. This review describes the perspectives and challenges toward the
      complete disclosure of new bacteriocins as effective preservatives in the
      production of safe and "healthy" fermented meat products.

PMID- 28921419
TI  - Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Endometrial Cancer: a New Standard of Care?
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Lymph node status is one of the most important factors in
      determining prognosis and the need for adjuvant treatment in endometrial cancer
      (EMCA). Unfortunately, full lymphadenectomy bears significant surgical and
      postoperative risks. The majority of patients with clinical stage I disease will
      not have metastatic disease; thus, a full lymphadenectomy only increases
      morbidity in this population of patients. The use of the sentinel lymph node
      (SLN) biopsy has emerged as an alternative to complete lymphadenectomy in EMCA.
      By removing the highest yield lymph nodes, the SLN biopsy has the same diagnostic
      ability as lymphadenectomy while minimizing morbidity. The sensitivity of
      sentinel lymph node identification with robotic fluorescence imaging for
      detecting metastatic endometrial and cervical cancer (FIRES) trial published this
      year is the largest prospective, multi-institution trial investigating the
      accuracy of the SLN biopsy for endometrial and cervical cancer. Results of this
      trial found an excellent sensitivity (97.2%) and false negative rate (3%) with
      the technique. The conclusions from the FIRES trial and those of a recent meta
      analysis are that SLN biopsy has an acceptable diagnostic accuracy in detecting
      lymphatic metastases, and can replace lymphadenectomy for this diagnostic
      purpose. There remains controversy surrounding the SLN biopsy in high-risk
      disease and the use of adjuvant therapy in the setting of low volume disease
      detected with ultrastaging. Current data suggests that the technique is accurate
      in high-risk disease and that the increased detection of metastasis helps guide
      adjuvant therapy such that oncologic outcomes are likely not affected by forgoing
      a full lymphadenectomy. Further prospective study is needed to investigate the
      impact of low volume metastatic disease on oncologic outcomes and the need for
      adjuvant therapy in these patients.

PMID- 28921418
TI  - Coping with Phantom Limb Pain.
AB  - Phantom limb pain is a chronic neuropathic pain that develops in 45-85% of
      patients who undergo major amputations of the upper and lower extremities and
      appears predominantly during two time frames following an amputation: the first
      month and later about 1 year. Although in most patients the frequency and
      intensity of pain diminish over time, severe pain persists in about 5-10%. It has
      been proposed that factors in both the peripheral and central nervous systems
      play major roles in triggering the development and maintenance of pain associated
      with extremity amputations. Chronic pain is physically and mentally debilitating,
      affecting an individual's capacity for self-care, but also diminishing an
      individual's daily capacity for personal and economic independence. In addition,
      the pain may lead to depression and feelings of hopelessness. A National Center
      for Biotechnology Information study found that in the USA alone, the annual cost
      of dealing with neuropathic pain is more than $600 billion, with an estimated 20
      million people in the USA suffering from this condition. Although the pain can be
      reduced by antiepileptic drugs and analgesics, they are frequently ineffective or
      their side effects preclude their use. The optimal approach for eliminating
      neuropathic pain and improving individuals' quality of life is the development of
      novel techniques that permanently prevent the development and maintenance of
      neuropathic pain, or that eliminate the pain once it has developed. What is still
      required is understanding when and where an effective novel technique must be
      applied, such as onto the nerve stump of the transected peripheral axons, dorsal
      root ganglion neurons, spinal cord, or cortex to induce the desired influences.
      This review, the second of two in this journal volume, examines the techniques
      that may be capable of reducing or eliminating chronic neuropathic pain once it
      has developed. Such an understanding will improve amputees' quality of life by
      blocking the mechanisms that trigger and/or maintain PLP and chronic neuropathic
      pain.

PMID- 28921420
TI  - Causes of an increased pressure gradient through the left ventricular outflow
      tract: a West Coast experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) occurs from not
      only obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but also other conditions such as
      sigmoid septum or post mitral valve repair. However, the changes of the LVOT
      pressure gradient (LVOT PG) in LVOTO with various conditions remain unclear.
      METHODS: The clinical characteristics and echocardiographic parameters of 73
      patients with LVOT PG >=50 mmHg at rest on Doppler ultrasound were
      retrospectively investigated. RESULTS: In these patients (age 69 +/- 15 years,
      38% male), high prevalences of hypertension (66%) and anemia (43%) were observed.
      The most frequent clinical disease causing LVOTO was hypertrophic obstructive
      cardiomyopathy (HOCM) (74%). There were other conditions, including hypertensive
      left ventricular hypertrophy (9%), post-open heart surgery (7%), sigmoid septum
      (4%), hyperkinetic LV (3%), takotsubo cardiomyopathy (1.5%), and discrete
      subaortic membrane (1.5%). Significant improvement or reduction of LVOTO was
      observed in 93% of cases at follow-up (mean 44 months) echocardiography compared
      with the initial one with the use of medications and transcatheter procedures.
      CONCLUSIONS: The causes of LVOTO are diverse. However, the occurrence of LVOTO
      might depend on the coexistence of primary morphological LV characteristics and
      hemodynamic LV status. Specific factors causing LVOTO need to be investigated,
      and efforts for improvement of each individual status by the appropriate approach
      are required.

PMID- 28921421
TI  - Tissue Engineering of 3D Organotypic Microtissues by Acoustic Assembly.
AB  - There is a rapidly growing interest in generation of 3D organotypic microtissues
      with human physiologically relevant structure, function, and cell population in a
      wide range of applications including drug screening, in vitro
      physiological/pathological models, and regenerative medicine. Here, we provide a
      detailed procedure to generate structurally defined 3D organotypic microtissues
      from cells or cell spheroids using acoustic waves as a biocompatible and scaffold
      free tissue engineering tool.

PMID- 28921424
TI  - Platforms for Recombinant Therapeutic Glycoprotein Production.
AB  - The majority of FDA-approved biology-derived products are recombinant
      glycoproteins. These proteins have been used for the treatment of several
      diseases, with numerous products currently approved for clinical use. The choice
      of the expression system is a key step toward a successful functional protein
      production, since glycosylation influences yield, pharmacokinetics, biological
      activity, and immunogenicity. This chapter covers the general aspects of
      therapeutic recombinant glycoproteins and the platforms that are being employed
      for their production.

PMID- 28921422
TI  - High Incidence of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Bariatric Patients: Comparing
      Different Procedures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is an effective therapy for morbid obesity but may
      reduce calcium absorption and significantly decrease the bone mineral density.
      This study examined the prevalence of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in
      obese subjects during follow-up after different bariatric surgeries. We
      investigated predictors of SHPT. METHODS: We enrolled 1470 obese subjects
      undergoing bariatric/metabolic surgery with at least 1-year follow-up, including
      322 patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), 695 undergoing single
      anastomosis (mini-) gastric bypass (SAGB), 93 undergoing laparoscopic adjustable
      gastric banding (LAGB), and 360 undergoing sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Five years of
      data were available for 215 patients. Patients were instructed to supplement
      their diet according to the guideline. Calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and
      vitamin D levels were measured before surgery and at 1 and 5 years after surgery.
      SHPT was defined as PTH > 69 pg/mL. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of SHPT was
      high, 21.0% before surgery and was not different between patients with different
      bariatric procedures. Pre-operative PTH correlated with age, BMI, and vitamin D
      levels. Multi-variate analysis confirmed that vitamin D level was the only
      independent predictor of SHPT before surgery. The prevalence of SHPT increased to
      35.4% at 1 year after surgery and 63.3% at 5 years after surgery. SAGB had the
      highest prevalence of SHPT (50.6%) followed by RYGB (33.2%), LAGB (25.8%), and SG
      (17.8%) at 1 year after surgery. At 5 years after surgery, SAGB still had the
      highest prevalence of SHPT (73.6%), followed by RYGB (56.6%), LAGB (38.5%), and
      SG (41.7%). Serum PTH at 1 year after surgery correlated with decreased BMI and
      weight loss. Multi-variate analysis confirmed that age, sex, calcium level, and
      bypass procedure were independent predictor of SHPT after surgery. CONCLUSIONS:
      The prevalence of SHPT is high in morbidly obese patients before bariatric
      surgery which is related to vitamin D deficiency. The prevalence of SHPT
      increased continually along with the time after bariatric surgery, especially in
      patients receiving SAGB, followed by RYGB. The supplementation of vitamin D and
      calcium have to be higher in bypass procedure, especially in malabsorptive
      procedure.

PMID- 28921425
TI  - Uncovering Innovation Features and Emerging Technologies in Molecular Biology
      through Patent Analysis.
AB  - Scientific research at universities has a crucial role in leveraging a country's
      innovative potential. Sectors that require greater investments in technology for
      the development of their research, such as biotechnology, need to be aware of the
      frontier state-of-the-art technology and the knowledge incrusted within it.
      Although the information available in scientific articles is well explored in
      academic environment, the patent literature, where much of the technological
      information is present, is still poorly accessed. This chapter is intended to
      instruct students and researchers at universities to look at patent document
      analysis as a source of scientific and technological information and explore its
      applications. Within this chapter, we use the technological area regarding
      immunoglobulins inventions (monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies) as example to
      provide directions on how to develop a patent landscape to get an overview of the
      inventions in a certain field; how to map a collaborative network of
      inventors/assignees to help the pursuit and identification of future
      partnerships; and lastly we describe the steps of how to set up a network of
      patent citations with the aim of forecasting emerging technologies. We strongly
      believe that incorporate data from patents in planning phase of research projects
      at academia, as well as to establish partnerships and join R&D efforts to invest
      on promising technologies, is of great relevance to leverage the growth of the
      biotechnology sector.

PMID- 28921426
TI  - Production of Full-Length Antibody by Pichia pastoris.
AB  - The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has become an increasingly popular host
      for recombinant protein expression in recent times. MRL pioneered a
      glycoengineered humanized P. pastoris expression system that could produce
      glycoproteins with glycosylation profiles similar to mammalian systems.
      Therapeutic glycoproteins produced by the humanized P. pastoris platform have
      shown comparable folding, stability, and in vitro and in vivo efficacies in
      preclinical models to their counterparts produced from the CHO cells. P. pastoris
      offers a cost and time efficient alternative platform for therapeutic protein
      production. This chapter describes a protocol for using P. pastoris to produce
      full-length monoclonal antibodies. It covers a broad spectrum of antibody
      expression technologies in P. pastoris, including expression vector construction,
      yeast transformation, high-throughput strain selection, fermentation, and
      antibody purification.

PMID- 28921427
TI  - Human Cells as Platform to Produce Gamma-Carboxylated Proteins.
AB  - The gamma-carboxylated proteins belong to a family of proteins that depend on
      vitamin K for normal biosynthesis. The major representative gamma-carboxylated
      proteins are the coagulation system proteins, for example, factor VII, factor IX,
      factor X, prothrombin, and proteins C, S, and Z. These molecules have harbored
      posttranslational modifications, such as glycosylation and gamma-carboxylation,
      and for this reason they need to be produced in mammalian cell lines. Human cells
      lines have emerged as the most promising alternative to the production of gamma
      carboxylated proteins. In this chapter, the methods to generate human cells as a
      platform to produce gamma-carboxylated proteins, for example the coagulation
      factors VII and IX, are presented. From the cell line modification up to the
      vitamin K adaptation of the produced cells is described in the protocols
      presented in this chapter.

PMID- 28921428
TI  - Production of Recombinant Factor VIII in Human Cell Lines.
AB  - Human cell lines can produce recombinant proteins much more similar to their
      natural counterpart, compared to other mammalian cell lines, reducing potential
      immunogenic reactions. Recombinant proteins produced in nonhuman cells can have
      in its structure glycan epitopes, such as Galalpha1,3-Gal (alpha-Gal) and N
      glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) residues, that are antigenic to humans and can
      potentially affect the efficacy of the recombinant product. Therefore, the
      production of recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) in human cell lines is a new
      approach to avoid nonhuman glycosylation. Here, we describe a protocol to produce
      rFVIII in the human cell line SK-HEP, using a lentiviral vector to produce high
      quantities of the recombinant protein.

PMID- 28921429
TI  - Strategies to Suspension Serum-Free Adaptation of Mammalian Cell Lines for
      Recombinant Glycoprotein Production.
AB  - Serum-free suspension cultures are preferably required for recombinant protein
      production due to its readiness in upstream/downstream processing and scale-up,
      therefore increasing process productivity and competitiveness. This type of
      culture replaces traditional cell culturing as the presence of animal-derived
      components may introduce lot-a-lot variability and adventitious pathogens to the
      process. However, adapting cells to serum-free conditions is challenging, time
      consuming, and cell line and medium dependent. In this chapter, we present
      different approaches that can be used to adapt mammalian cell lines from an
      anchorage-dependent serum supplemented culture to a suspension serum-free
      culture.

PMID- 28921430
TI  - Production of Recombinant Rabies Virus Glycoprotein by Insect Cells in a Single
      Use Fixed-Bed Bioreactor.
AB  - A single-use fixed-bed bioreactor (iCELLis nano) can be used for cultivating non
      adherent insect cells, which can be then recovered for scaling up or for
      harvesting a membrane-associated viral glycoprotein with high quality in terms of
      preserved protein structure and biological function. Here, we describe the
      procedures for establishing genetically modified Drosophila melanogaster
      Schneider 2 (S2) cell cultures in the iCELLis nano bioreactor and for quantifying
      by ELISA the recombinant rabies virus glycoprotein (rRVGP) synthesized. By using
      the described protocol of production, the following performance can be regularly
      achieved: 1.7 +/- 0.6 * 1E10 total cells; 2.4 +/- 0.8 * 1E7 cells/mL and 1.2 +/-
      0.9 MUg of rRVGP/1E7 cells; 1.5 +/- 0.8 mg of total rRVGP.

PMID- 28921431
TI  - Cell-Free Production of Protein Biologics Within 24 H.
AB  - Protein biologics have emerged as a safe and effective group of drug products
      that can be used in a variety of medical disorders and clinical settings,
      including treatment of orphan diseases, personalized medicine, and point-of-care
      applications. However, the full potential of protein biologics for such
      applications will not be realized until there are methods available for rapid and
      cost-effective production of small scale products for individual needs. Here, we
      describe a modular and scalable method for rapid and adaptable production of
      protein-based medical products at small doses. The method includes cell-free
      synthesis of the protein target in a reactor module followed by a fluidic process
      for protein purification. As a proof of concept, we describe the application of
      this method for expression and purification of a bioactive pharmaceutically
      relevant protein biologic, recombinant human erythropoietin, at a single dose
      within 24 h. This method can be applied toward the development of automated
      platforms for rapid and adaptive production of protein biologics at the point of
      care in response to specific medical needs.

PMID- 28921432
TI  - Demonstration-Scale High-Cell-Density Fermentation of Pichia pastoris.
AB  - Pichia pastoris has been one of the most successful heterologous overexpression
      systems in generating proteins for large-scale production through high-cell
      density fermentation. However, optimizing conditions of the large-scale high-cell
      density fermentation for biochemistry and industrialization is usually a
      laborious and time-consuming process. Furthermore, it is often difficult to
      produce authentic proteins in large quantities, which is a major obstacle for
      functional and structural features analysis and industrial application. For these
      reasons, we have developed a protocol for efficient demonstration-scale high-cell
      density fermentation of P. pastoris, which employs a new methanol-feeding
      strategy-biomass-stat strategy and a strategy of increased air pressure instead
      of pure oxygen supplement. The protocol included three typical stages of glycerol
      batch fermentation (initial culture phase), glycerol fed-batch fermentation
      (biomass accumulation phase), and methanol fed-batch fermentation (induction
      phase), which allows direct online-monitoring of fermentation conditions,
      including broth pH, temperature, DO, anti-foam generation, and feeding of
      glycerol and methanol. Using this protocol, production of the recombinant beta
      xylosidase of Lentinula edodes origin in 1000-L scale fermentation can be up to
      ~900 mg/L or 9.4 mg/g cells (dry cell weight, intracellular expression), with the
      specific production rate and average specific production of 0.1 mg/g/h and 0.081
      mg/g/h, respectively. The methodology described in this protocol can be easily 
      transferred to other systems, and eligible to scale up for a large number of
      proteins used in either the scientific studies or commercial purposes.

PMID- 28921433
TI  - Large-Scale Transient Transfection of Suspension Mammalian Cells for VLP
      Production.
AB  - Large-scale transient transfection of mammalian cell suspension cultures enables
      the production of biological products in sufficient quantity and under stringent
      quality attributes to perform accelerated in vitro evaluations and has the
      potential to support preclinical or even clinical studies. Here we describe the
      methodology to produce VLPs in a 3L bioreactor, using suspension HEK 293 cells
      and PEIPro as a transfection reagent. Cells are grown in the bioreactor to 1 *
      106 cells/mL and transfected with a plasmid DNA-PEI complex at a ratio of 1:2.
      Dissolved oxygen and pH are controlled and are online monitored during the
      production phase and cell growth and viability can be measured off line taking
      samples from the bioreactor. If the product is labeled with a fluorescent marker,
      transfection efficiency can be also assessed using flow cytometry analysis.
      Typically, the production phase lasts between 48 and 96 h until the product is
      harvested.

PMID- 28921434
TI  - Bioreactor-Based Production of Glycoproteins in Plant Cell Suspension Cultures.
AB  - Recombinant glycoproteins such as monoclonal antibodies have a major impact on
      modern healthcare systems, e.g., as the active pharmaceutical ingredients in
      anticancer drugs. A specific glycan profile is often necessary to achieve certain
      desirable activities, such as the effector functions of an antibody, receptor
      binding or a sufficient serum half-life. However, many expression systems produce
      glycan profiles that differ substantially from the preferred form (usually the
      form found in humans) or produce a diverse array of glycans with a range of in
      vivo activities, thus necessitating laborious and costly separation and
      purification processes. In contrast, protein glycosylation in plant cells is much
      more homogeneous than other systems, with only one or two dominant forms.
      Additionally, these glycan profiles tend to remain stable when the process and
      cultivation conditions are changed, making plant cells an ideal expression system
      to produce recombinant glycoproteins with uniform glycan profiles in a consistent
      manner. This chapter describes a protocol that uses fermentations using plant
      cell cultures to produce glycosylated proteins using two different types of
      bioreactors, a classical autoclavable STR 3-L and a wave reactor.

PMID- 28921435
TI  - Fed-Batch CHO Cell Culture for Lab-Scale Antibody Production.
AB  - Fed-batch culture is the most commonly used upstream process in industry today
      for recombinant monoclonal antibody production using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)
      cells. Developing and optimizing this process in the lab is crucial for
      establishing process knowledge, which enables rapid and predictable tech-transfer
      to manufacturing scale. In this chapter, we describe stepwise how to carry out
      fed-batch CHO cell culture for lab-scale antibody production.

PMID- 28921436
TI  - Strategies to Develop Therapeutic N- and O-Hyperglycosylated Proteins.
AB  - Glycoengineering by N- and/or O-hyperglycosylation represents a procedure to
      introduce potential sites for adding N- and/or O-glycosyl structures to proteins
      with the aim of producing biotherapeutics with improved pharmacodynamic and
      pharmacokinetic properties. In this chapter, a detailed description of the steps
      routinely performed to generate new proteins having high content of N- and/or O
      glycosyl moieties is carried out. The rational strategy involves the initial
      stage of designing N- and/or O-hyperglycosylated muteins to be expressed by
      mammalian cells and includes the upstream and downstream processing stages
      necessary to develop hyperglycosylated versions of the proteins of interest with
      the purpose of beginning the long road toward producing biobetters.

PMID- 28921437
TI  - Expression of Glycosylated Proteins in Bacterial System and Purification by
      Affinity Chromatography.
AB  - The bacterial expression of glycoproteins has experienced significant progress in
      recent years, particularly in regard to the production of conjugate vaccines
      against pathogens. In this case, a protein carrier conjugated with glycosides is
      used to produce intense stimulation of the immune system. Glycoconjugate vaccines
      account for 35% of the global vaccine market, and consequently, several
      biotechnological companies have developed products for the purification of
      glycosylated proteins to attain homogeneity. In this chapter we present a general
      process for glycoprotein production in Escherichia coli and a practice method for
      purification of glycosylated proteins, using affinity chromatography.

PMID- 28921438
TI  - Purification Methods for Recombinant Factor VIII Expressed in Human Liver SK-Hep
      Cells.
AB  - Coagulation factor VIII is one of the largest proteins attempted to be expressed
      in recombinant form. A very complex and labile protein which has a very short
      half-live and need a fast and efficient purification chain. Here, we describe a
      simple purification sequence using multimodal Capto MMC, affinity FVIII select
      and ion exchange SP-Fastflow chromatography steps without subjecting the target
      molecule to mechanical and temperature stress, separating impurities from rFVIII
      using net charge, hydrophobicity, and affinity of the molecules.

PMID- 28921439
TI  - Purification Method for Recombinant hG-CSF by Affinity Chromatography.
AB  - The human granulocytic colony-stimulating factor (hG-CSF) acts mainly by
      promoting the maturation of granulocytes and stimulating their phagocytic and
      chemotactic activity. It has been used in the treatment of many diseases, in
      particular in neutropenic conditions. Here, we describe the purification process
      of the recombinant protein hG-CSF expressed in Pichia pastoris. The protein
      purification proved to be efficient using the nickel affinity chromatography
      method described in this chapter.

PMID- 28921440
TI  - Microplate-Based Method for High-Throughput Screening (HTS) of Chromatographic
      Conditions Studies for Recombinant Protein Purification.
AB  - High-throughput screening (HTS) systems have emerged as important tools to
      provide fast and low cost evaluation of several conditions at once since it
      requires small quantities of material and sample volumes. These characteristics
      are extremely valuable for experiments with large number of variables enabling
      the application of design of experiments (DoE) strategies or simple experimental
      planning approaches. Once, the capacity of HTS systems to mimic chromatographic
      purification steps was established, several studies were performed successfully
      including scale down purification. Here, we propose a method for studying
      different purification conditions that can be used for any recombinant protein,
      including complex and glycosylated proteins, using low binding filter
      microplates.

PMID- 28921441
TI  - Purification and Autoactivation Method for Recombinant Coagulation Factor VII.
AB  - Recombinant coagulation factor VII is a very important and complex protein
      employed for treatment of hemophiliac patients (hemophilia A/B) who develop
      inhibitors antibodies to conventional treatments (FVIII and FIX). The rFVII is a
      glycosylated molecule and circulates in plasma as zymogen of 50 kDa. When
      activated the molecule is cleaved to 20-30 kDa and has a half-life of about 3 h,
      needing to be processed fast and efficiently until freeze-drying. Here, we
      describe a very simple and fast purification sequence for rFVII using affinity
      FVII Select resin and a dialysis system that can be easily scaled up.

PMID- 28921442
TI  - Preparation of Immunoliposomes by Direct Coupling of Antibodies Based on a
      Thioether Bond.
AB  - Drug delivery is of paramount importance, since the drug needs to be delivered to
      a specific site, in adequate concentration, avoiding degradation in order to
      provide therapeutic efficacy. Different nanocarriers have been used over the
      years for this purpose and liposomes are well-established systems due to the high
      biocompatibility and the possibility to vehiculate both hydrophilic and
      lipophilic drugs. In order to circumvent the rapid clearance by the
      reticuloendothelial system and to avoid the healthy cells exposure to the drug,
      long circulating liposomes containing polyethyleneglycol (PEG) and functionalized
      liposomes for targeted delivery have been developed. Immunoliposomes consist of
      liposomes containing antibodies or antibody fragments attached at the membrane
      surface. This attachment can be performed using PEG lipids, containing a reactive
      terminal group such as maleimide and thiolated antibodies. Additionaly, the use
      of PEG chains as spacers increases antibody-antigen affinity, since the antibody
      is not shielded by the steric hindrance of PEG and also due to the correct
      orientation of antibodies for interaction with receptors on cell surface. In this
      chapter, we describe and discuss in details the protocol to prepare anti
      epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) and anti-human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2 (anti-HER2) liposomes using cetuximab and trastuzumab as
      antibodies. We present the direct coupling method based on the maleimide
      thioether reaction for these immunoliposomes preparation and present some
      characterization steps and in vitro studies in cell culture which can be used for
      better understanding these nanocarriers.

PMID- 28921443
TI  - Polyester-Based Nanoparticles for the Encapsulation of Monoclonal Antibodies.
AB  - Aliphatic polyesters have been widely explored for biomedical applications (e.g.,
      drug delivery systems, biomedical devices, and tissue engineering). Recently,
      polyesters have been used in nanoparticle formulations for the controlled release
      of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the enhanced efficacy of antibody-based
      therapy. Polyester-based nanoparticles for mAb delivery provide decreased
      antibody dosage, increased antibody stability and protection and longer
      therapeutic action, ultimately translating to an increased therapeutic index.
      Additionally, nanoencapsulation holds the potential for the selective cellular
      recognition and internalization of mAbs, in the disease context when
      intracellular organelles and molecules (e.g., enzymes, transcription factors and
      oncogenic proteins) are the preferred target. We present here a detailed method
      to prepare mAb-loaded polyester-based nanoparticles and the various techniques to
      characterize the resulting nanoparticles and mAb structure. Finally, we highlight
      different biological approaches to assess the in vitro bioactivity of the
      antibody upon nanoparticle release.

PMID- 28921444
TI  - Polyester-Based Nanoparticles for Delivery of Therapeutic Proteins.
AB  - Therapeutic proteins are widely used to treat severe conditions, such as
      oncologic and metabolic diseases, and also for vaccination. They are recognized
      for its high biopotency, but their hydrophilicity and high molecular weight make
      its transport through membranes difficult to achieve. They may also suffer in
      vivo structural instability caused by a proteolytic cleavage, turning them
      biological inactive. Polyester-based nanoparticles are useful tools to overcome
      such problems, and deliver therapeutic proteins in a controlled and localized
      manner, decreasing the number of administrations needed and enhancing the
      therapeutic outcome. The biodegradable and biocompatible nature of such carriers
      makes them feasible to be administered by invasive and noninvasive routes. Since
      nanoparticles are produced in suspension form, they are usually lyophilized to
      increase its long-term storage stability. Therefore, the aim of this work is to
      propose an intuitive protocol for production and lyophilization of polyester
      based nanoparticles for therapeutic proteins delivery. The characterization
      techniques to evaluate the nanoparticle and lyophilisate features, as well as the
      structural stability of the loaded protein are also described. For these
      purposes, PLGA nanoparticles and human insulin are used as models.

PMID- 28921445
TI  - Quantification of Coagulation Factor VIII by Selective Reaction Monitoring.
AB  - Coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) is an important glycoprotein involved in the
      extrinsic coagulation cascade. Mutations in FVIII gene results in hemophilia A, a
      recessive coagulation disorder that is clinically managed by administration of
      purified FVIII from blood donors or recombinant FVIII. Because of its fundamental
      therapeutic application, biotechnological production of FVIII requires rigid
      quality control and monitoring in patients and clinical trials. Here, we describe
      a protocol for a mass spectrometry based approach termed selective reaction
      monitoring (SRM) as an important alternative tool for accurate and sensitive
      quantitation of purified or recombinant FVIII.

PMID- 28921446
TI  - Can a Novel ICU Data Display Positively Affect Patient Outcomes and Save Lives?
AB  - The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of ProCCESs AWARE, Ambient
      Clinical Analytics, Rochester, MN, a novel acute care electronic medical record
      interface, on a range of care process and patient health outcome metrics in
      intensive care units (ICUs). ProCCESs AWARE is a novel acute care EMR interface
      that contains built-in tools for error prevention, practice surveillance,
      decision support and reporting. We compared outcomes before and after AWARE
      implementation using a prospective cohort and a historical control. The study
      population included all critically ill adult patients (over 18 years old)
      admitted to four ICUs at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, who stayed in hospital at
      least 24 h. The pre-AWARE cohort included 983 patients from 2010, and the post
      AWARE cohort included 856 patients from 2014. We analyzed patient health
      outcomes, care process quality, and hospital charges. After adjusting for patient
      acuity and baseline demographics, overall in-hospital and ICU mortality odds
      ratios associated with AWARE intervention were 0.45 (95% confidence interval 0.30
      to 0.70) and 0.38 (0.22, 0.66). ICU length of stay decreased by about 50%,
      hospital length of stay by 37%, and total charges for hospital stay by 30% in
      post AWARE cohort (by $43,745 after adjusting for patient acuity and
      demographics). Better organization of information in the ICU with systems like
      AWARE has the potential to improve important patient outcomes, such as mortality
      and length of stay, resulting in reductions in costs of care.

PMID- 28921447
TI  - Structure, Pharmacology and Roles in Physiology of the P2Y12 Receptor.
AB  - P2Y receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for extracellular
      nucleotides. The platelet ADP-receptor which has been denominated P2Y12 receptor
      is an important target in pharmacotherapy. The receptor couples to Galphai2
      mediating an inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation and additional downstream
      events including the activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and Rap1b
      proteins. The nucleoside analogue ticagrelor and active metabolites of the
      thienopyridine compounds ticlopidine, clopidogrel and prasugrel block P2Y12
      receptors and, thereby, inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation. These drugs are
      used for the prevention and therapy of cardiovascular events such as acute
      coronary syndromes or stroke. The recently published three-dimensional crystal
      structures of the human P2Y12 receptor in complex with agonists and antagonists
      will facilitate the development of novel therapeutic agents with reduced adverse
      effects. P2Y12 receptors are also expressed on vascular smooth muscle cells and
      may be involved in the pathophysiology of atherogenesis. P2Y12 receptors on
      microglial cells operate as sensors for adenine nucleotides released during brain
      injury. A recent study indicated the involvement of microglial P2Y12 receptors in
      the activity-dependent neuronal plasticity. Interestingly, there is evidence for
      changes in P2Y12 receptor expression in CNS pathologies including Alzheimer's
      diseases and multiple sclerosis. P2Y12 receptors may also be involved in systemic
      immune modulating responses and the susceptibility to develop bronchial asthma.

PMID- 28921448
TI  - Assessment of dose uniformity around high dose rate 192Ir and 60Co stepping
      sources.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate dose uniformity for 192Ir and 60Co stepping sources.
      High dose rate 192Ir and 60Co stepping sources were simulated by the MCNPX Monte
      Carlo code. To investigate dose uniformity, treatment lengths of 30, 50, 100, and
      150 mm with stepping distances of 3, 5, 7, and 10 mm were considered. Finally,
      dose uniformity for the 192Ir and 60Co stepping sources with increasing distances
      from the source were assessed at these treatment lengths and steps. The findings
      showed that the dose distribution was non-uniform for regions in close vicinity
      of the source, especially in the high source steps, but for most points at
      distances >10 mm from the center of the source, the dose distribution was
      uniform. For most points, the dose uniformity increased with reduction of the
      source steps and increments of the transverse distance from the source. The dose
      non-uniformity was similar for most of the corresponding points of 60Co and 192Ir
      sources with the same treatment lengths and source steps, except at the distance
      of 150 mm. When using stepping technique for the treatment of tumors, more
      attention should be focused on treatment planning, especially with higher
      stepping distances and lower transverse distances from the source.

PMID- 28921449
TI  - Overexpression of FZD1 and CAIX are Associated with Invasion, Metastasis, and
      Poor-Prognosis of the Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Approximately 80% of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have
      metastatic disease with poor prognosis, but clinically available biomarkers have
      not yet been identified. This study was to investigate the clinical significance
      of FZD1 and CAIX in PDACs. FZD1 and CAIX protein expression was measured using
      EnVision immunohistochemistry. Positive FZD1 or CAIX expression was significantly
      higher in PDAC than that in precursor lesions (p < 0.01). Positive FZD1 or CAIX
      expression was significantly lower in cases with well-differentiated
      adenocarcinoma, no-metastasis of the lymph node, no-invasion of regional tissues,
      and TNM I/II stage disease than in cases with poorly-differentiated
      adenocarcinoma, metastasis and invasion, and TNM stage III+ IV stage disease (p <
      0.05 or p < 0.01). The expression of FZD1 positively correlated with CAIX in PDAC
      (P = 0.000). Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that FZD1 and/or CAIX
      expression (p < 0.001) was significantly associated with shorter overall survival
      (p < 0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that differentiation, tumor mass,
      lymph node metastasis, invasion, TNM stage, FZD1 and CAIX levels negatively
      correlated with overall survival. Positive FZD1 and CAIX expressions are poor
      prognostic factors in PDAC patients. FZD1 and CAIX might be important biological
      markers for the carcinogenesis, metastasis, invasion, and prognosis of PDAC.

PMID- 28921450
TI  - Nutrients Other than Selenium Are Important for Promoting Children's Health in
      Kashin-Beck Disease Areas.
AB  - Overall nutritional status has been proved associated with people's health. The
      overall nutritional status of children in Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) areas has
      been overlooked for decades. Therefore, it is worth investigating in the current
      generation to gather evidence and make suggestions for improvement. A cross
      sectional study with three 24-h dietary recalls was conducted to collect raw data
      on the daily food intake of children. Recorded food was converted into daily
      nutrient intakes using CDGSS 3.0 software. WHO AnthroPlus software was used to
      analyse the BMI-for-age z-score (BAZ) for estimating the overall nutrition status
      of children. All the comparisons and regression analyses were conducted with SPSS
      18.0 software. Multiple nutrient intakes among children from the Se-supplemented
      KBD-endemic were under the estimated average requirement. The protein-to
      carbohydrate ratio (P/C ratio) was significantly higher in children from the non
      Se-supplemented KBD-endemic area than the other areas (P < 0.001). The children's
      BAZ was negatively associated with age (B = -0.095, P < 0.001) and the number of
      KBD relatives (B = -0.277, P = 0.04), and it was positively associated with
      better housing conditions, receiving colostrum, and daily intakes of niacin and
      zinc by multivariate regression analysis (F = 10.337, R = 0.609, P <
      0.001).Compared to non-Se-supplemented KBD-endemic area and non-endemic areas,
      children in Se-supplemented KBD-endemic areas have an insufficient intake of
      multiple nutrients. School breakfast and lunch programmes are recommended, and
      strict implementation is the key to ensuring a positive effect.

PMID- 28921451
TI  - Distribution of malignant lymphomas in the anterior mediastinum: a single
      institution study of 76 cases in Japan, 1997-2016.
AB  - We analyzed the distribution of tumors and lymphomas of the anterior mediastinum
      diagnosed between 1997 and 2016 at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Japan.
      The median age of 283 patients with anterior mediastinal tumors was 48 (range 6
      84) years, and 143 (51%) were male. The incidence of tumors was as follows:
      thymoma, 34%; thymic carcinoma, 16%; primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma
      (PMBL), 13%; germ cell tumors, 10%; classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL), 9%; thymic
      cyst, 7%; metastatic tumors, 3%; T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-LBL), 2%;
      other lymphomas, 3%; and others, 3%. Of the newly diagnosed lymphomas in 60
      patients, PMBL (46%) was the most frequent, followed by CHL (32%), T-LBL (12%),
      mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (3%), and other lymphomas (7%). These
      findings suggest a recent increase in PMBL in Japan. The frequency and subtype of
      lymphoma differ with age and sex. In female patients <=40 years old, 58% of the
      anterior mediastinal tumors were PMBL (39%) or CHL (19%). Germ cell tumors were
      the most frequent in male patients <=40 years old, followed by CHL (21%), PMBL
      (17%), and T-LBL (10%). This distribution may serve as a reference for routine
      histologic diagnosis of lymphomas in the anterior mediastinum in Japan.

PMID- 28921452
TI  - The spectrum of imaging appearances of mullerian duct anomalies: focus on MR
      imaging.
AB  - Mullerian duct anomalies (MDAs) are the result of incomplete development,
      vertical or lateral fusion, or absorption of the mullerian ducts. The range of
      anomalies includes uterovaginal agenesis or hypoplasia, unicornuate uterus,
      uterus didelphys, bicornuate uterus, septate uterus, and arcuate uterus. Correct
      diagnosis and classification of these anomalies are essential because pregnancy
      outcomes and treatment options vary between the types of anomaly. Furthermore,
      early identification of MDAs helps to avoid prolonged symptomatic periods and the
      complications that may subsequently arise, such as infertility, endometriosis,
      and neoplasm. Although many of these abnormalities are initially diagnosed by
      ultrasound or hysterosalpingography, MR imaging is the most accurate noninvasive
      modality available for classification of the various anomalies because of its
      better anatomic assessment compared with other diagnostic modalities. Familiarity
      with the wide variety of MDA presentations can help in the planning of
      appropriate treatment.

PMID- 28921453
TI  - Upper and lower limbs composition: a comparison between anthropometry and dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry in healthy people.
AB  - : The detection of changes in lean mass (LM) distribution can help to prevent
      disability. This study assessed the degree of association between anthropometric
      measurements and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) body composition (BC)
      parameters of the upper and lower limbs in a healthy general population and
      collected DXA age- and sex-specific values of BC that can be useful to build a
      reference standard. PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the
      reliability of some widely available anthropometric measurements in the
      assessment of body composition (BC) at the limbs, especially in terms of muscle
      mass, in a large sample of healthy subjects of different age bands and sex, using
      fat mass (FM) and lean mass (LM) parameters derived by dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA) as the gold standard. The secondary aim was to collect DXA
      age- and sex-specific values of BC of left and right limbs (upper and lower) in a
      healthy Italian population to be used as reference standards. METHODS: Two
      hundred fifty healthy volunteers were enrolled. Arm circumference (AC) and thigh
      circumference (ThC) were measured, and total and regional BC parameters were
      obtained by a whole-body DXA scan (Lunar iDXA, Madison, WI, USA; enCORETM 2011
      software version 13.6). RESULTS: FM/LM showed only fair correlation with AC and
      ThC in females (r = 0.649 and 0.532, respectively); in males and in the total
      population, the correlation was low (r = 0.360 or lower, and p non-statistically
      significant). AC and ThC were not well representative of arms LM in both genders
      (females r = 0.452, males r = 0.530) independently of age. In general, men of all
      age groups showed higher values of LM and lean mass index (LMI) in both total and
      segmental upper and lower limbs. In males, the maximum LM and LMI were achieved
      in the fifth decade in both upper and lower limbs and then started to decrease
      with aging. In females, no significant modification with aging was identified in
      LM and LMI. CONCLUSION: According to our results, anthropometry is not well
      representative of LM of arms in both genders, independently of age; therefore, a
      densitometric examination should be considered for a correct assessment of BC at
      limbs.

PMID- 28921455
TI  - Construction of an HRP-streptavidin bound antigen and its application in an ELISA
      for porcine circovirus 2 antibodies.
AB  - A fusion protein SBP-Cap?41, consisting of Cap?41 (without 41 amino acids at the
      N-terminus) protein of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) and a streptavidin binding
      peptide (SBP), was constructed. This fusion protein binds to HRP-labeled
      streptavidin (HRP-SA) through high affinity between SBP and SA, forming an HRP
      streptavidin bound antigen (Hsb-Ag) with both immunoreactivity and enzymatic
      activity, which can be used in a double-antigen sandwich ELISA for detection of
      PCV2 antibodies. Comparison of the characteristics of the HSb-Cap?41 and chemical
      conjugates of the recombinant Cap?41 protein showed that the HSb-Cap?41 based
      double-antigen sandwich ELISA (HBDS-ELISA) had higher specificity and
      sensitivity. Use of the HBDS-ELISA detected PCV2-IgG in 9 injected pigs as early
      as 10 days p.i., 3 days earlier than both a double-antigen sandwich ELISA (DS
      ELISA) based on a chemically conjugated antigen, and a commercial indirect ELISA
      kit.

PMID- 28921456
TI  - Blood-Brain Barrier in a Haemophilus influenzae Type a In Vitro Infection: Role
      of Adenosine Receptors A2A and A2B.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is mainly made up of tightly connected
      microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), surrounded by pericytes (BMPCs) which
      regulate BBB tightness by providing soluble factors that control endothelial
      proliferation. Haemophilus influenzae type a (Hia) is able to reach the BBB,
      crossing it, thus causing meningitis. In this study, by using an in vitro model
      of BBB, performed with human BMECs and human BMPCs in co-culture, we demonstrated
      that, after Hia infection, the number of hBMPCs decreased whereas the number of
      hBMECs increased in comparison with non-infected cells. SEM and TEM images showed
      that Hia was able to enter hBMECs and reduce TEER and VE-cadherin expression.
      When the cells were infected in presence of SCH58261 and PSB603 but not DPCPX, an
      increase in TEER values was observed thus demonstrating that A2A and A2B
      adenosine receptors play a key role in BBB dysfunction. These results were
      confirmed by the use of adenosine receptor agonists CGS21680, CCPA, and NECA. In
      infected co-cultures cAMP and VEGF increased and TEER reduction was counter
      balanced by VEGF-R1 or VEGF-R2 antibodies. Moreover, the phosphorylated CREB and
      Rho-A significantly increased in infected hBMECs and hBMPCs and the presence of
      SCH58261 and PSB603 significantly abrogated the phosphorylation. In conclusion,
      this study demonstrated that the infection stimulated A2A and A2B adenosine
      receptors in hBMECs and hBMPCs thus inducing the pericytes to release large
      amounts of VEGF. The latter could be responsible for both, pericyte detachment
      and endothelial cell proliferation, thus provoking BBB impairment.

PMID- 28921457
TI  - Ode to Glia: A Tribute to Bruce Ransom.

PMID- 28921458
TI  - Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis.
AB  - Pharmacogenetics is the study of variations in DNA sequence related to drug
      response. Moreover, the evolution of biotechnology and the sequencing of human
      DNA have allowed the creation of pharmacogenomics, a branch of genetics that
      analyzes human genes, the RNAs and proteins encoded by them, and the inter-and
      intra-individual variations in expression and function in relation to drug
      response. Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics are being used to search for
      biomarkers that can predict response to systemic treatments, including those for
      moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease with an
      autoimmune contribution. Although its etiology remains unknown, genetic,
      epigenetic, and environmental factors play a role in its development. Diverse
      systemic and biologic therapies are used to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
      However, these treatments are not curative, and patients exhibit a wide range of
      responses to them. Moderate-to-severe psoriasis is usually treated with systemic
      immunomodulators such as acitretin, ciclosporin, and methotrexate. Anti-tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF) drugs (adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab) are the first
      line treatment for patients resistant to conventional systemic therapies.
      Although these therapies are very efficient, around 30-50% of patients have
      inadequate response. Ustekinumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets
      interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23 and is used for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. New
      drugs (apremilast, brodalumab, guselkumab, ixekizumab, and secukinumab) have
      recently been approved for psoriasis. However, response rates to systemic
      treatments for moderate-to-severe psoriasis range from 35 to 80%, so it is
      necessary to identify non-invasive biomarkers that could help predict treatment
      outcomes of these therapies and individualize care for patients with psoriasis.
      These biomarkers could improve patient quality of life and reduce health costs
      and potential side effects. Pharmacogenetic studies have identified potential
      biomarkers for response to biologic treatments for moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
      These biomarkers need to be validated in clinical trials involving large cohorts
      of patients before they can be translated to the clinic. We review
      pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics studies for the treatment of moderate-to
      severe plaque psoriasis.

PMID- 28921459
TI  - Chimeric Virus as a Source of the Potato Leafroll Virus Antigen.
AB  - Large quantities of potato leafroll virus (PLRV) antigen are difficult to obtain
      because this virus accumulates in plants at a low titer. To overcome this
      problem, we constructed a binary vector containing chimeric cDNA, in which the
      coat protein (CP) gene of the crucifer infecting tobacco mosaic virus (crTMV) was
      substituted for the coat protein gene of PLRV. The PLRV movement protein (MP)
      gene, which overlaps completely with the CP gene, was doubly mutated to eliminate
      priming of the PLRV MP translation from ATG codons with no changes to the amino
      acid sequence of the CP. The untranslated long intergenic region located upstream
      of the CP gene was removed from the construct. Transcribed powerful tobamovirus
      polymerase of the produced vector synthesized PLRV CP gene that was, in turn,
      translated into the protein. CP PLRV packed RNAs from the helical crTMV in
      spherical virions. Morphology, size and antigenic specificities of the wild-type
      and chimeric virus were similar. The yield of isolated chimera was about three
      orders higher than the yield of native PLRV. The genetic manipulations
      facilitated the generation of antibodies against the chimeric virus, which
      recognize the wild-type PLRV.

PMID- 28921460
TI  - NFBD1/MDC1 participates in the regulation of proliferation and apoptosis in human
      laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to investigate the role of NFBD1 in the
      proliferation and apoptosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) cells.
      METHODS: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qRT-PCR was employed to determine the
      expressions of NFBD1 protein and mRNA in LSCC tissues and adjacent noncancerous
      tissues. After the downregulation of NFBD1 expression, the colony formation
      assay, MTS assay and apoptosis assay were used to investigate the changes in the
      proliferation and apoptosis of Hep2 cells. The mechanisms by which silencing
      NFBD1 promote apoptosis of Hep2 cells were examined by western blotting.
      Furthermore, xenograft models were used to evaluate the proliferation of Hep2
      cells in vivo. RESULTS: NFBD1 protein was upregulated in 55.6% of LSCC cancer
      tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues (26.7%). NFBD1 knockdown in Hep2
      cells significantly impacted proliferation and apoptosis, and silencing NFBD1
      might promote apoptosis of Hep2 cells by activating the mitochondrial apoptotic
      pathway. Xenograft models showed that silencing NFBD1 also significantly
      inhibited tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: Our data highlight that NFBD1 participates
      in the regulation of proliferation and apoptosis in LSCC, and suggest that NFBD1
      could be a promising therapy target.

PMID- 28921461
TI  - Prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy response using diffuse optical
      spectroscopy in breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Near-infrared diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) has been recently used
      to predict neoadjuvant chemotherapy response (NAC). In the present study, we
      explore the change in blood-oxygen content using DOS to predict NAC response
      against breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 20 patients were
      enrolled and underwent DOS scan with blood-oxygen detection before each treatment
      cycle. The first DOS scan was performed before NAC treatment (pretreatment), and
      subsequent scans were performed after each NAC treatment circle. Changes in blood
      content and oxygen content by DOS were evaluated and compared with tumor size,
      and their changes were analyzed in response versus nonresponse group. RESULTS:
      Thirteen patients were classified into response and seven patients into
      nonresponse group. The tumor blood content value (-1.06 +/- 0.43) and oxygen
      content value (0.48 +/- 0.17) of DOS at pretreatment was significantly different
      from presurgery in response group (P < 0.05), but not in nonresponse group. In
      response group, the percentage change in blood content (median 91.19%) was
      significantly larger than tumor size (median 48.89%) (P = 0.0035), while in
      oxygen content (median 47.11%) is not (P = 0.2815). Comparing each cycle, the
      percentage change in blood content could distinguish responder from non-responder
      as early as after the first treatment cycle (19.1 versus 6.6%, P = 0.0265). Blood
      content percentage sensitivity was 76.9% and specificity was 85.7% (AUC 0.912),
      while oxygen content percentage sensitivity was 76.9% and specificity was 71.4%
      (AUC 0.797). CONCLUSION: Both blood and oxygen content measured by DOS could be
      used to discriminate responder to the treatment versus non-responder. Among the
      two, percentage change of blood content was more precise and earlier than that of
      oxygen content to predicted breast tumor response. The percentage change in blood
      content could distinguish responder from non-responder after the first treatment
      cycle.

PMID- 28921462
TI  - Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 Ameliorates Neuroendocrine
      Alterations Associated with an Exaggerated Stress Response and Anhedonia in Obese
      Mice.
AB  - Obesity, besides being a problem of metabolic dysfunction, constitutes a risk
      factor for psychological disorders. Experimental models of diet-induced obesity
      have revealed that obese animals are prone to anxious and depressive-like
      behaviors. The present study aimed to evaluate whether Bifidobacterium
      pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 could reverse the neurobehavioral consequences of
      obesity in a high-fat diet (HFD) fed mouse model via regulation of the gut-brain
      axis. Adult male wild-type C57BL-6 mice were fed a standard diet or HFD,
      supplemented with either placebo or the bifidobacterial strain for 13 weeks.
      Behavioral tests were performed, and immune and neuroendocrine parameters were
      analyzed including leptin and corticosterone and their receptors, Toll-like
      receptor 2 (TLR2) and neurotransmitters. We found that obese mice showed
      anhedonia (p < 0.050) indicative of a depressive-like behavior and an exaggerated
      hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA)-mediated stress response to acute physical (p <
      0.001) and social stress (p < 0.050), but these alterations were ameliorated by
      B. pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 (p < 0.050). These behavioral effects were
      parallel to reductions of the obesity-associated hyperleptinemia (p < 0.001) and
      restoration of leptin signaling (p < 0.050), along with fat mass loss (p <
      0.010). B. pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765 administration also led to restoration of
      the obesity-induced reductions in adrenaline in the hypothalamus (p < 0.010),
      involved in the hypothalamic control of energy balance. Furthermore, the
      bifidobacterial strain reduced the obesity-induced upregulation of TLR2 protein
      or gene expression in the intestine (p < 0.010) and the hippocampus (p < 0.050)
      and restored the alterations of 5-HT levels in the hippocampus (p < 0.050), which
      could contribute to attenuating the obesity-associated depressive-like behavior
      (p < 0.050). In summary, the results indicate that B. pseudocatenulatum CECT 7765
      could play a role in depressive behavior comorbid with obesity via regulation of
      endocrine and immune mediators of the gut-brain axis.

PMID- 28921463
TI  - Activation of the Innate Immune Receptors: Guardians of the Micro Galaxy :
      Activation and Functions of the Innate Immune Receptors.
AB  - The families of innate immune receptors are the frontline responders to danger.
      These superheroes of the host immune systems populate innate immune cells,
      surveying the extracellular environment and the intracellular endolysosomal
      compartments and cytosol for exogenous and endogenous danger signals. As a
      collective the innate immune receptors recognise a wide array of stimuli, and in
      response they initiate specific signalling pathways leading to activation of
      transcriptional or proteolytic pathways and the production of inflammatory
      molecules to destroy foreign pathogens and/or resolve tissue injury. In this
      review, I will give an overview of the innate immune system and the activation
      and effector functions of the families of receptors it comprises. Current key
      concepts will be described throughout, including innate immune memory, formation
      of innate immune receptor signalosomes, inflammasome formation and pyroptosis,
      methods of extrinsic cell communication and examples of receptor cooperation.
      Finally, several open questions and future directions in the field of innate
      immunity will be presented and discussed.

PMID- 28921464
TI  - Posttranslational Modification Control of Inflammatory Signaling.
AB  - Inflammation is usually the defensive reaction of the immune system to the
      invasion of pathogen and the exogenous objects. The activation of inflammation
      helps our body to eliminate pathogenic microbe, virus, and parasite harming our
      health, while under many circumstances inflammation is the direct cause of the
      pathological damage in tissues and dysfunction of organs. The posttranslational
      modification (PTM) of the inflammatory pathways, such as TLR pathways, RLR
      pathways, NLR pathway, intracellular DNA sensors, intracellular RNA sensors, and
      inflammasomes, is crucial in the regulation of these signaling trails.
      Ubiquitination, phosphorylation, polyubiquitination, methylation, and acetylation
      are the main forms of the PTM, and they respectively play different roles in
      signaling regulation. The effects of the PTM range from the production of pro
      inflammatory factors and the interaction between adaptors and receptors to cell
      translocation in response to the infectious or other dangerous factors. In this
      chapter, we will have an overview of the different ways of the posttranslational
      modifications in different inflammatory signaling pathways and their essential
      roles in regulation of inflammation.

PMID- 28921465
TI  - Emerging Roles for Epigenetic Programming in the Control of Inflammatory
      Signaling Integration in Heath and Disease.
AB  - Macrophages and dendritic cells initiate the innate immune response to infection
      and injury and contribute to inflammatory signaling to maintain the homeostasis
      of various tissues, which includes resident macrophages for the elimination of
      invading microorganisms and tissue damage. Inappropriate inflammatory signaling
      can lead to persistent inflammation and further develop into autoimmune and
      inflammation-associated diseases. Inflammatory signaling pathways have been well
      characterized, but how these signaling pathways are converted into sustained and
      diverse patterns of expression of cytokines, chemokines, and other genes in
      response to environmental challenges is unclear. Emerging evidence suggests the
      important role of epigenetic mechanisms in finely tuning the outcome of the host
      innate immune response. An understanding of epigenetic regulation of innate
      immune cell identity and function will enable the identification of the mechanism
      between gene-specific host defenses and inflammatory disease and will also allow
      for exploration of the program of innate immune memory in health and disease.
      This information could be used to develop therapeutic agents to enhance the host
      response, preventing chronic inflammation through preserving tissues and
      signaling integrity.

PMID- 28921466
TI  - Roles of HDACs in the Responses of Innate Immune Cells and as Targets in
      Inflammatory Diseases.
AB  - Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are an emerging class of molecules involved in the
      epigenetic regulation of innate immune responses through Toll-like receptor (TLR)
      and interferon (IFN) signaling pathways. HDACs are also key drivers of
      inflammatory diseases via epigenetic regulation through chromatin DNA and histone
      modification by methylation and acetylation, among other mechanisms, which
      control innate immune cell gene expression. Importantly, these epigenetic changes
      are reversible, and HDACs may also be targeted by small-molecule HDAC inhibitors,
      which have been used in clinical settings for cancer therapy. Here, we highlight
      HDACs as strong therapeutic molecules and explore HDAC-induced mechanisms
      regulating innate immune responses and inflammatory cytokine control, with the
      goal of developing personalized medicine for the treatment of human diseases,
      including inflammatory diseases and immune disorders. Currently, this novel class
      of immunomodulatory therapeutics is being evaluated in the laboratory, in
      preclinical models, and in the clinic.

PMID- 28921467
TI  - miR-155 Dysregulation and Therapeutic Intervention in Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - microRNAs play a fundamental role in the immune system. One particular microRNA,
      miR-155 plays a critical role in hematopoietic cell development and tightly
      regulates innate and adaptive immune responses in response to infection. However,
      its dysregulation, more specifically its overexpression, is closely associated
      with various inflammatory disorders. The purpose of this review is to consolidate
      how miR-155 underpins a variety of processes that contribute to the pathology of
      multiple sclerosis (MS). In particular, the impact of miR-155 is discussed with
      respect to human pathology and animal models. How miR-155 contributes to the
      activation of pathogenic immune cells, the permeability of the blood-brain
      barrier, and neurodegeneration in relation to MS is described. Many environmental
      risk factors associated with MS susceptibility can cause upregulation of miR-155,
      while many of the current disease-modifying treatments may work by inhibiting miR
      155. From this review, it is clear that miR-155 is a realistic and feasible
      diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic target for the treatment of MS.

PMID- 28921468
TI  - Inflammasomes in the Gut Mucosal Homeostasis.
AB  - Inflammasomes are critical checkpoints in inflammation. The activation of
      inflammasome can cause a series of inflammatory responses including maturation of
      interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-18 and a specialized form of cell death called
      pyroptosis. Since its identification in the early 2000s, inflammasomes have been
      implicated to play multifaceted roles in varied pathological and physiological
      conditions, especially in the mucosal compartments including the gut. Maintaining
      gut mucosal homeostasis has always been a remarkable challenge for the host due
      to both the vast mucosal surface that is exposed to the outside and the enormous
      amount of local microbiota. To accomplish this challenge, the host mounts a
      constant dynamic low-grade inflammatory response (physiological inflammation) in
      coping with insults of microbes in the intestine. This book chapter aims to
      summarize the current knowledge of how inflammasomes contribute to gut mucosal
      homeostasis.

PMID- 28921469
TI  - Microbial Factors in Inflammatory Diseases and Cancers.
AB  - The intestinal microbes form a symbiotic relationship with their human host to
      harvest energy for themselves and their host and to shape the immune system of
      their host. However, alteration of this relationship, which is named as a
      dysbiosis, has been associated with the development of different inflammatory
      diseases and cancers. It is found that metabolites, cellular components, and
      virulence factors derived from the gut microbiota interact with the host locally
      or systemically to modulate the dysbiosis and the development of these diseases.
      In this book chapter, we discuss the role of these microbial factors in
      regulating the host signaling pathways, the composition and load of the gut
      microbiota, the co-metabolism of the host and the microbiota, the host immune
      system, and physiology. In particular, we highlight how each microbial factor can
      contribute in the manifestation of many diseases such as cancers, Inflammatory
      Bowel Diseases, obesity, type-2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases,
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 28921470
TI  - cGAS-STING Activation in the Tumor Microenvironment and Its Role in Cancer
      Immunity.
AB  - Stimulator of interferon (IFN) genes (STING) is a key mediator in the immune
      response to cytoplasmic DNA sensed by cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS).
      After synthesis by cGAS, cGAMP acts as a second messenger activating STING in the
      cell harboring cytoplasmic DNA but also in adjacent cells through gap junction
      transfer. While the role of the cGAS-STING pathway in pathogen detection is now
      well established, its importance in cancer immunity has only recently started to
      emerge. Nonetheless, STING appears to be an essential component in the
      recruitment of immune cells to the tumor microenvironment, which is paramount to
      immune clearance of the tumor. This review presents an overview of the growing
      literature around the role of the cGAS-STING pathway in the tumor
      microenvironment, with a specific focus on the role that cancer cells may play in
      the direct activation of this pathway, and its amplification through cell-cell
      transfer of cGAMP.

PMID- 28921471
TI  - TLR Agonists as Adjuvants for Cancer Vaccines.
AB  - Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are one of the best characterised families of pattern
      recognition receptors (PRRs) and play a critical role in the host defence to
      infection. Accumulating evidence indicates that TLRs also participate in
      maintaining tissue homeostasis by controlling inflammation and tissue repair, as
      well as promoting antitumour effects via activation and modulation of adaptive
      immune responses. TLR agonists have successfully been exploited to ameliorate the
      efficacy of various cancer therapies. In this chapter, we will discuss the
      rationales of using TLR agonists as adjuvants to cancer treatments and summarise
      the recent findings of preclinical and clinical studies of TLR agonist-based
      cancer therapies.

PMID- 28921472
TI  - Telomere Damage Response and Low-Grade Inflammation.
AB  - Telomeres at the ends of chromosomes safeguard genome integrity and stability in
      human nucleated cells. However, telomere repeats shed off during cell
      proliferation and other stress responses. Our recent studies show that telomere
      attrition induces not only epithelial stem cell senescence but also low-grade
      inflammation in the lungs. The senescence-associated low-grade inflammation
      (SALI) is characteristic of alveolar stem cell replicative senescence, increased
      proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, infiltrated immune cells, and
      spillover effects. To date, the mechanisms underlying SALI remain unclear.
      Investigations demonstrate that senescent epithelial stem cells with telomere
      erosion are not the source of secreted cytokines, containing no significant
      increase in expression of the genes coding for increased cytokines, suggesting an
      alternative senescence-associated secretory phenotype (A-SASP). Given that
      telomere loss results in significant alterations in the genomes and accumulations
      of the cleaved telomeric DNA in the cells and milieu externe, we conclude that
      telomere position effects (TPEs) on gene expression and damage-associated
      molecular patterns (DAMPs) in antigen presentation are involved in A-SASP and
      SALI in response to telomere damage in mammals.

PMID- 28921473
TI  - The Development and Diversity of ILCs, NK Cells and Their Relevance in Health and
      Diseases.
AB  - Next to T and B cells, natural killer (NK) cells are the third largest lymphocyte
      population. They are recently re-categorized as innate lymphocytes (ILCs), which
      also include ILC1, ILC2, ILC3, and the lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells. Both
      NK cells and ILC1 cells are designated as group 1 ILCs because they secrete
      interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). However, in
      contrast to ILC1 and all other ILCs, NK cells possess potent cytolytic functions
      that resemble cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). In addition, NK cells express, in a
      stochastic manner, an array of germ line-encoded activating and inhibitory
      receptors that recognize the polymorphic regions of major histocompatibility
      class I (MHC-I) molecules and self-proteins. Recognition of self renders NK cell
      tolerance to self-healthy tissues, but fail to recognize self ('missing-self')
      leads to activation to neoplastic transformation and infections of certain
      viruses. In this chapter, we will summarize the development of NK cells in the
      context of ILCs, describe the diversity of phenotype and function in blood and
      tissues, and discuss their involvement in health and diseases in humans.

PMID- 28921474
TI  - Origins of Phantom Limb Pain.
AB  - Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a chronic neuropathic pain occurring in 45-85% of
      patients who undergo major amputations of the upper and lower extremities.
      Chronic pain is physically and mentally debilitating, affecting an individual's
      potential for self-care and the performance of daily living activities essential
      for personal and economic independence. In addition, chronic pain may lead to
      depression and feelings of hopelessness. A National Center for Biotechnology
      Information study found that in the USA alone, the annual cost of dealing with
      neuropathic pain is more than $600 billion, with an estimated 20 million people
      in the USA suffering this condition. PLP manifest predominantly during two time
      frames post-amputation: during days to a month and again at around 1 year. In
      most patients, the frequency and intensity of the chronic neuropathic pain
      diminish over time, but severe pain persists in about 5-10% of patients. The
      development and maintenance of neuropathic pain is attributed to extremity
      amputations causing changes in peripheral axon properties and neuronal circuitry
      in both the peripheral and central nervous systems: peripheral axons, dorsal root
      ganglia, the spinal cord, and the cortex. However, it is not clear how the
      changes in neuronal properties in these different locations affect neuropathic
      pain. Is pain initiated by one set of post-amputation changes while the pain is
      maintained by another set of changes? If one set of amputation-induced changes,
      such as those of peripheral axons, are reverted to normal, is the chronic pain
      reduced or eliminated, while reversing another set of neuronal changes and
      neuronal circuits to normal do not reduce or eliminate the pain? Or, must all the
      amputation-induced changes be reverted to normal for pain to be eliminated? While
      this review examines the mechanisms underlying the induction or maintenance of
      PLP, it is beyond its scope to examine the mechanisms that may permanently reduce
      or eliminate neuropathic pain. This paper is the first of two reviews in this
      journal and deals with the causes of chronic PLP development and maintenance,
      while the second review examines potential mechanisms that may be responsible for
      promoting the capacity to coping with PLP by reducing or eliminating it.

PMID- 28921475
TI  - Legacy effects of continuous chloropicrin-fumigation for 3-years on soil
      microbial community composition and metabolic activity.
AB  - Chloropicrin is widely used to control ginger wilt in China, which have an
      enormous impact on soil microbial diversity. However, little is known on the
      possible legacy effects on soil microbial community composition with continuous
      fumigation over different years. In this report, we used high throughput Illumina
      sequencing and Biolog ECO microplates to determine the bacterial community and
      microbial metabolic activity in ginger harvest fields of non-fumigation (NF),
      chloropicrin-fumigation for 1 year (F_1) and continuous chloropicrin-fumigation
      for 3 years (F_3). The results showed that microbial richness and diversity in
      F_3 were the lowest, while the metabolic activity had no significant difference.
      With the increase of fumigation years, the incidence of bacterial wilt was
      decreased, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Saccharibacteria were
      gradually increased. Using LEfSe analyses, we found that Saccharibacteria was the
      most prominent biomarker in F_3. Eight genera associated with antibiotic
      production in F_3 were screened out, of which seven belonged to Actinobacteria,
      and one belonged to Bacteroidetes. The study indicated that with the increase of
      fumigation years, soil antibacterial capacity may be increased (possible reason
      for reduced the incidence of bacterial wilt), and Saccharibacteria played a
      potential role in evaluating the biological effects of continuous fumigation.

PMID- 28921476
TI  - Expression of Concern to: Role of physiotherapy in the mobilization of patients
      with spinal cord injury undergoing human embryonic stem cells transplantation.
AB  - The Editors-in-Chief of Clinical and Translational Medicine are issuing an
      editorial expression of concern to alert readers that concerns have been raised
      regarding the ethics of this study [1]. Appropriate editorial action will be
      taken once this has been fully investigated. Geeta Shroff disagrees with this
      notice. Dipin Thakur, Varun Dhingra, Deepak Singh Baroli, Deepanshu Khatri and
      Rahul Dev Gautam have not responded to our correspondence about this article.

PMID- 28921477
TI  - Out-of-pocket expenditure and catastrophic health spending on maternal care in
      public and private health centres in India: a comparative study of pre and post
      national health mission period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Health Mission (NHM), one of the largest publicly funded
      maternal health programs worldwide was initiated in 2005 to reduce maternal, neo
      natal and infant mortality and out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on maternal care
      in India. Though evidence suggests improvement in maternal and child health,
      little is known on the change in OOPE and catastrophic health spending (CHS)
      since the launch of NHM. AIM: The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive
      estimate of OOPE and CHS on maternal care by public and private health providers
      in pre and post NHM periods. DATA AND METHOD: The unit data from the 60th and
      71st rounds of National Sample Survey (NSS) is used in the analyses. Descriptive
      statistics is used to understand the differentials in OOPE and CHS. The CHS is
      estimated based on capacity to pay, derived from household consumption
      expenditure, the subsistence expenditure (based on state specific poverty line)
      and household OOPE on maternal care. Data of both rounds are pooled to understand
      the impact of NHM on OOPE and CHS. The log-linear regression model and the logit
      regression models adjusted for state fixed effect, clustering and socio-economic
      and demographic correlates are used in the analyses. RESULTS: Women availing
      themselves of ante natal, natal and post natal care (all three maternal care
      services) from public health centres have increased from 11% in 2004 to 31% by
      2014 while that from private health centres had increased from 12% to 20% during
      the same period. The mean OOPE on all three maternal care services from public
      health centres was US$60 in pre-NHM and US$86 in post-NHM periods while that from
      private health center was US$170 and US$300 during the same period. Controlling
      for socioeconomic and demographic correlates, the OOPE on delivery care from
      public health center had not shown any significant increase in post NHM period.
      The OOPE on delivery care in private health center had increased by 5.6 times
      compared to that from public health centers in pre NHM period. Economic well
      being of the households and educational attainment of women is positively and
      significantly associated with OOPE, linking OOPE and ability to pay. The extent
      of CHS on all three maternal care from public health centers had declined from
      56% in pre NHM period to 29% in post NHM period while that from private health
      centres had declined from 56% to 47% during the same period. The odds of
      incurring CHS on institutional delivery in public health centers (OR .03, 95% CI
      0.02, 06) and maternal care (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.04, 0.07) suggest decline in CHS
      in the post NHM period. Women delivering in private health centres, residing in
      rural areas and poor households are more likely to face CHS on maternal care.
      CONCLUSION: NHM has been successful in increasing maternal care and reducing the
      catastrophic health spending in public health centers. Regulating private health
      centres and continuing cash incentive under NHM is recommended.

PMID- 28921478
TI  - Interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features: an additional risk factor for
      ARDS?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) identifies a
      recently recognized autoimmune syndrome characterized by interstitial lung
      disease and autoantibodies positivity, but absence of a specific connective
      tissue disease diagnosis or alternative etiology. We retrospectively reviewed the
      clinical presentation, diagnostic workup and management of seven critically ill
      patients who met diagnostic criteria for IPAF. We compared baseline
      characteristics and clinical outcome of IPAF patients with those of the
      population of ARDS patients admitted in the same period. RESULTS: Seven
      consecutive patients with IPAF admitted to intensive care unit for acute
      respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were compared with 78 patients with ARDS
      secondary to a known risk factor and with eight ARDS patients without recognized
      risk factors. Five IPAF patients (71%) survived and were discharged alive from
      ICU: Their survival rate was equal to that of patients with a known risk factor
      (71%), while the subgroup of patients without risk factors had a markedly lower
      survival (38%). According to the Berlin definition criteria, ARDS was severe in
      four IPAF patients and moderate in the remaining three. All had multiple organ
      dysfunction at presentation. The most frequent autoantibody detected was anti
      SSA/Ro52. All patients required prolonged mechanical ventilation (median duration
      49 days, range 10-88); four received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and one
      received low-flow extracorporeal CO2 removal. All patients received
      immunosuppressive therapy. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first description of a cohort
      of critical patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for IPAF presenting with
      ARDS. This diagnosis should be considered in any critically ill patient with
      interstitial lung disease of unknown origin. While management is challenging and
      level of support high, survival appears to be good and comparable to that of
      patients with ARDS associated with a known clinical insult.

PMID- 28921479
TI  - Erratum to: Development of a circulation direct sampling and monitoring system
      for O2 and CO2 concentrations in the gas-liquid phases of shake-flask systems
      during microbial cell culture.
AB  - Following publication of the original article (Takahashi et al. 2017), the
      authors reported that there was a mistake in the legend of Figure 2.

PMID- 28921480
TI  - The biodiversity of Lactobacillus spp. from Iranian raw milk Motal cheese and
      antibacterial evaluation based on bacteriocin-encoding genes.
AB  - Lactobacilli, as the largest group of lactic acid bacteria, produce large amounts
      of antimicrobial metabolites such as organic acids, fatty acids, ammonia,
      hydrogen peroxide, diacetyl and bacteriocin, which inhibit the growth of
      pathogenic bacteria and increase shelf life of food. The aim of this study was to
      identify the Lactobacillus spp. isolated from Iranian raw milk Motal cheese and
      to detect the presence of bacteriocin genes in the isolated Lactobacillus strains
      exhibiting antimicrobial activity. For this purpose, 6 Motal cheese samples from
      Dasht-e-Moghan region, Iran, were subjected to microbial characterization.
      Nineteen Lactobacillus spp. were isolated and subsequently identified based on
      biochemical and molecular methods. According to the sequencing of isolates,
      Lactobacillus spp. consisted primarily of Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus
      plantarum, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus buchneri. The identified
      isolates were then evaluated for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli
      ATCC 25922, Listeria innocua ATCC 33090 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. The
      results of PCR analysis using specific primers of genes encoding Bacteriocin,
      revealed the presence of Plantaricin A and Plantaricin EF in all Lactobacillus
      plantarum isolates and Brevicin 174A in 5 of Lactobacillus brevis isolates,
      whereas the gene encoding Pediocin PA-1 was not observed in any of examined
      isolates. It is therefore concluded that bacteriocinogenic isolates could be
      recommended as suitable candidates to be used as starter, adjunct-starter or
      antimicrobial agents for production of fermented and non-fermented products.

PMID- 28921481
TI  - Negative magnetic resonance imaging in three cases of anterior tibial cortex
      stress fractures.
AB  - Anterior mid-tibial cortex stress fractures (ATCSF) are uncommon and notoriously
      challenging to treat. They are termed high risk due to their predilection to
      prolonged recovery, nonunion and complete fracture. Early diagnosis is essential
      to avoid progression and reduce fracture complications. Imaging plays a key role
      in confirming the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is accepted as the
      gold standard modality due to its high accuracy and nonionizing properties. This
      report describes three cases of ATCSFs in recreational athletes who had positive
      radiographic findings with no significant MRI changes. Two athletes had multiple
      striations within their tibias. Despite the radiographic findings, their severity
      of symptoms were low with mild or no tenderness on examination. Clinicians should
      be mindful that the ATCSFs may not present with typical acute stress fracture
      symptoms. We recommend that plain radiographs should be used as the first line
      investigation when suspecting ATCSFs. Clinicians should be aware that despite MRI
      being considered the gold standard imaging modality, we report three cases where
      the MRI was unremarkable, whilst radiographs and computed tomography confirmed
      the diagnosis. We urge clinicians to continue to use radiographs as the first
      line imaging modality for ATCSFs and not to directly rely on MRI. Those who opt
      directly for MRI may be falsely reassured causing a delay in diagnosis.

PMID- 28921483
TI  - From Virus to vector to medicine: Foreword by guest editors.

PMID- 28921482
TI  - Analysis of gender-based differences among surgeons in Japan: results of a survey
      conducted by the Japan Surgical Society. Part. 2: personal life.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the true conditions and perceptions of the personal lives of
      men and women working as surgeons in Japan. METHODS: In 2014, all e-mail
      subscribed members of the Japan Surgical Society (JSS, n = 29,861) were invited
      to complete a web-based survey. The questions covered demographic information,
      work environment, and personal life (including marital status, childcare, and
      nursing care for adult family members). RESULTS: In total, 6211 surgeons (5586
      men and 625 women) returned the questionnaires, representing a response rate of
      20.8%. Based on the questionnaire responses, surgeons generally prioritize work
      and spend most of their time at work, although women with children prioritize
      their family over work; men spend significantly fewer hours on domestic
      work/childcare than do their female counterparts (men 0.76 h/day vs. women 2.93
      h/day, p < 0.01); and both men and women surgeons, regardless of their age or
      whether they have children, place more importance on the role of women in the
      family. CONCLUSIONS: The personal lives of Japanese surgeons differed
      significantly according to gender and whether they have children. The
      conservative idea that women should bear primary responsibility for the family
      still pertains for both men and women working as surgeons in Japan.

PMID- 28921484
TI  - Reply to the Letter by S. Sorscher Regarding "Implications of BRAF Mutations in
      dMMR Colorectal Cancers".
AB  - ?.

PMID- 28921486
TI  - Expression of Concern to: Evaluation of patients with multiple sclerosis using
      reverse nutech functional score and expanded disability status scale after human
      embryonic stem cell therapy.
AB  - The Editors-in-Chief of Clinical and Translational Medicine are issuing an
      editorial expression of concern to alert readers that concerns have been raised
      regarding the ethics of this study [1]. Appropriate editorial action will be
      taken once this has been fully investigated. The author disagrees with this
      notice.

PMID- 28921485
TI  - The Neglected Cerebello-Limbic Pathways and Neuropsychological Features of the
      Cerebellum in Emotion.

PMID- 28921487
TI  - Family support and gains in school readiness: A longitudinal study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional measures of school readiness are labour-intensive and do
      not assess family support. AIMS: The current study used the newly developed Brief
      Early Skills and Support Index (BESSI: Hughes, Daly, Foley, White and Devine
      2015) to examine 6-month longitudinal stability and change in teachers' ratings
      of young children's school readiness and investigate the role of family support
      as a predictor of school readiness. SAMPLE: Five hundred and seventy-eight
      children (270 boys; 74.2% White British) were included at Time 1 aged 2.58-5.84
      years (Mage  = 3.98 years, SD = 0.66). METHOD: Teachers and nursery workers
      completed BESSI questionnaires for each participant on two occasions separated by
      6 months. RESULTS: The four latent factors of the BESSI (i.e., Behavioural
      Adjustment, Language and Cognition, Daily Living Skills and Family Support)
      exhibited longitudinal measurement invariance and individual differences in
      ratings on each factor showed strong stability over time. BESSI ratings were also
      sensitive to improvements over time. Auto-regressive models showed that family
      support and family income (as measured by eligibility for pupil premium support)
      at Time 1 each uniquely predicted child outcomes at Time 2. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings highlight the importance of family contexts for children's school
      readiness.

PMID- 28921488
TI  - Report from the first European Dermato-Epidemiology Network forum.
AB  - The first European Dermato-Epidemiology Network (EDEN) forum was held on 30-31
      March 2017 in Madrid, Spain. Dermatoepidemiology describes the study of causes,
      prevention, health services research and evaluation of interventions of skin
      diseases. EDEN aims to promote high-quality research, share expertise and
      facilitate collaboration. These aims were achieved during the EDEN forum by
      including a preconference course on skin cancer epidemiology; having excellent
      world-leading guest speakers on causality, quality of care, pharmacoepidemiology
      and missing data analysis; and including delegates who presented and discussed
      innovative research findings. The meeting brought together delegates from 11
      different countries. We welcome everyone with an interest in clinical research
      and epidemiology related to skin disease to attend next year's meeting in March
      2018 in Berlin.

PMID- 28921489
TI  - Effects of diesel exhaust particles on coagulation.

PMID- 28921491
TI  - Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and obesity.

PMID- 28921492
TI  - Response letter (Dr. Mion's Letter to the Editor).

PMID- 28921493
TI  - Vibration Ball Milling for the Synthesis of 5'-Thioadenosine 5'-Pyrophosphate (P'
      >5') Adenosine (dASppA).
AB  - Using vibration ball milling, 5'-chloro-5'-deoxyadenosine (CldA) reacts cleanly
      with 4-methoxybenzyl mercaptan (MobSH), under basic conditions, to the
      corresponding thioether (MobSdA), which is isolated following precipitation and
      trituration. Under acidic conditions, in a one-pot, two-step process, MobSdA is
      transformed into 5'-deoxy-5'-(5-nitropyridyl-2-disulfanyl)-adenosine (NPySSdA).
      Michaelis-Arbuzov (M-A) reaction of NPySSdA with tris(trimethylsilyl) phosphite
      proceeds to completion within 30 min as determined by 31 P NMR, and the
      persilylated M-A product thus formed can be stored in solution under anhydrous
      conditions at room temperature for several days (in contrast, the anionic
      phosphorothiolate monoester is labile to hydrolysis). Following evaporation,
      mechanochemical mixing of the crude M-A product with the nucleotide donor
      adenosine 5'-monophosphomorpholidate under acidic activation in the presence of
      additional water gives rapid hydrolytic desilylation and phosphate coupling, so
      that essentially complete reaction is observed after 90 min and dASppA isolated
      following C-18 reversed phase HPLC and desalting (>99% pure as determined by
      monitoring at 260 nm). (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28921495
TI  - Probing RNA Folding Pathways by RNA Fingerprinting.
AB  - This unit provides protocols for using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
      to distinguish folding and unfolding conformers of RNA. It is useful for studying
      conformers that can exchange in a period of minutes or seconds, and that are thus
      difficult to study by solution-based methods. Conformers that have been separated
      and immobilized in the gel matrix can be used to study catalytic activity with or
      without being eluted from the gel. The method can be applied to a wide variety of
      catalytic RNAs and RNA-protein complexes. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28921494
TI  - Solid-Phase Synthesis of RNA Analogs Containing Phosphorodithioate Linkages.
AB  - The oligoribonucleotide phosphorodithioate (PS2-RNA) modification uses two sulfur
      atoms to replace two non-bridging oxygen atoms at an internucleotide
      phosphorodiester backbone linkage. Like a natural phosphodiester RNA backbone
      linkage, a PS2-modified backbone linkage is achiral at phosphorus. PS2-RNAs are
      highly stable to nucleases and several in vitro assays have demonstrated their
      biological activity. For example, PS2-RNAs silenced mRNA in vitro and bound to
      protein targets in the form of PS2-aptamers (thioaptamers). Thus, the interest in
      and promise of PS2-RNAs has drawn attention to synthesizing, isolating, and
      characterizing these compounds. RNA-thiophosphoramidite monomers are commercially
      available from AM Biotechnologies and this unit describes an effective
      methodology for solid-phase synthesis, deprotection, and purification of RNAs
      having PS2 internucleotide linkages. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28921496
TI  - Nucleoside-O-Methyl-(H)-Phosphinates: Novel Monomers for the Synthesis of
      Methylphosphonate Oligonucleotides Using H-Phosphonate Chemistry.
AB  - This unit comprises the straightforward synthesis of protected 2'
      deoxyribonucleoside-O-methyl-(H)-phosphinates in both 3'- and 5'-series. These
      compounds represent a new class of monomers compatible with the solid-phase
      synthesis of oligonucleotides using H-phosphonate chemistry and are suitable for
      the preparation of both 3'- and 5'-O-methylphosphonate oligonucleotides. The
      synthesis of 4-toluenesulfonyloxymethyl-(H)-phosphinic acid as a new reagent for
      the preparation of O-methyl-(H)-phosphinic acid derivatives is described. (c)
      2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28921497
TI  - Quantitative Analysis of Nucleic Acid Stability with Ligands Under High Pressure
      to Design Novel Drugs Targeting G-Quadruplexes.
AB  - Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) can form various non-canonical structures. Because
      some serious diseases are caused by the conformational change of G-quadruplex DNA
      structures, the development of ligands that bind and stabilize G-quadruplex DNA
      is of interest to the field of nucleic acid chemistry. Volumetric changes
      (DeltaV) in the biomolecular reaction include the structural change of
      biomolecules and hydration behaviors, which provide information about the
      tertiary interaction between G-quadruplex DNA and ligands. Thus, it is valuable
      to investigate DeltaV values to understand the mechanism of interaction between
      non-canonical structures and their ligands. This unit describes methods that can
      be used to quantitatively analyze the interaction between G-quadruplex DNA and
      ligands by using high-pressure UV melting. The combination of thermodynamic
      parameters (DeltaG, DeltaH, DeltaS, and DeltaV) is a powerful tool to elucidate
      the mechanism of ligand binding to G-quadruplex without real structural analysis
      by NMR and X-ray spectroscopy, and gives useful information to design novel
      drugs. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28921498
TI  - Synthesis of 4'-Selenoribonucleosides, the Building Blocks of 4'-SelenoRNA, Using
      a Hypervalent Iodine.
AB  - Herein is described a detailed protocol for the synthesis of 4'
      selenoribonucleoside derivatives that involves the use of a hypervalent iodine
      species. These derivatives are versatile units for the preparation of 4'
      selenoRNA. Large-scale synthesis of a 4-selenosugar starting from D-ribose is
      achieved in eight steps, including a final chromatographic purification. The
      resulting 4-selenosugar is then subjected to the one-pot Pummerer-like reaction
      using hypervalent iodine in the presence of silylated nucleobases. The reaction
      with silylated uracil affords the desired 4'-selenouridine derivatives with
      excellent beta-selectivity and in good yield. Conversely, when purine nucleobases
      are used in the Pummerer-like reaction, N7 4'-selenoribonucleoside isomers are
      obtained alongside the desired N9 isomers. However, the undesired N7 isomers can
      be converted to the desired N9 ones under acidic conditions. (c) 2017 by John
      Wiley & Sons, Inc.

PMID- 28921499
TI  - Synthesis of the Phosphoramidite Units for Benzene-Glycol Nucleic Acid.
AB  - Benzene-glycol nucleic acid-DNA chimeras form thermally and thermodynamically
      stable duplexes with complementary RNAs, and have base-discriminating abilities.
      This unit describes the synthesis of four nucleoside analogs, an adenine,
      cytosine, thymine, and guanine analogs with base-benzene-glycol structure. The
      synthesis starts with conversion of (S)-mandelic acid in arylboronic acid
      derivative, common intermediate. Nucleobase coupling of the intermediate and
      phosphitylation afford to phosphoroamidite units. (c) 2017 by John Wiley & Sons,
      Inc.

PMID- 28921500
TI  - Growth hormone therapy for people with thalassaemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thalassaemia is a recessively-inherited blood disorder that leads to
      anaemia of varying severity. In those affected by the more severe forms, regular
      blood transfusions are required which may lead to iron overload. Accumulated iron
      from blood transfusions may be deposited in vital organs including the heart,
      liver and endocrine organs such as the pituitary glands which can affect growth
      hormone production. Growth hormone deficiency is one of the factors that can lead
      to short stature, a common complication in people with thalassaemia. Growth
      hormone replacement therapy has been used in children with thalassaemia who have
      short stature and growth hormone deficiency. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits
      and safety of growth hormone therapy in people with thalassaemia. SEARCH METHODS:
      We searched the Cochrane Haemoglobinopathies Trials Register, compiled from
      electronic database searches and handsearching of journals and conference
      abstract books. We also searched the reference lists of relevant articles,
      reviews and clinical trial registries. Our database and trial registry searches
      are current to 10 August 2017 and 08 August 2017, respectively. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing the use of
      growth hormone therapy to placebo or standard care in people with thalassaemia of
      any type or severity. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently
      selected trials for inclusion. Data extraction and assessment of risk of bias
      were also conducted independently by two authors. The quality of the evidence was
      assessed using GRADE criteria. MAIN RESULTS: One parallel trial conducted in
      Turkey was included. The trial recruited 20 children with homozygous beta
      thalassaemia who had short stature; 10 children received growth hormone therapy
      administered subcutaneously on a daily basis at a dose of 0.7 IU/kg per week and
      10 children received standard care. The overall risk of bias in this trial was
      low except for the selection criteria and attrition bias which were unclear. The
      quality of the evidence for all major outcomes was moderate, the main concern was
      imprecision of the estimates due to the small sample size leading to wide
      confidence intervals. Final height (cm) (the review's pre-specified primary
      outcome) and change in height were not assessed in the included trial. The trial
      reported no clear difference between groups in height standard deviation (SD)
      score after one year, mean difference (MD) -0.09 (95% confidence interval (CI) 
      0.33 to 0.15 (moderate quality evidence). However, modest improvements appeared
      to be observed in the following key outcomes in children receiving growth hormone
      therapy compared to control (moderate quality evidence): change between baseline
      and final visit in height SD score, MD 0.26 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.39); height
      velocity, MD 2.28 cm/year (95% CI 1.76 to 2.80); height velocity SD score, MD
      3.31 (95% CI 2.43 to 4.19); and change in height velocity SD score between
      baseline and final visit, MD 3.41 (95% CI 2.45 to 4.37). No adverse effects of
      treatment were reported in either group; however, while there was no clear
      difference between groups in the oral glucose tolerance test at one year, fasting
      blood glucose was significantly higher in the growth hormone therapy group
      compared to control, although both results were still within the normal range, MD
      6.67 mg/dL (95% CI 2.66 to 10.68). There were no data beyond the one-year trial
      period. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: A small single trial contributed evidence of
      moderate quality that the use of growth hormone for a year may improve height
      velocity of children with thalassaemia although height SD score in the treatment
      group was similar to the control group. There are no randomised controlled trials
      in adults or trials that address the use of growth hormone therapy over a longer
      period and assess its effect on final height and quality of life. The optimal
      dosage of growth hormone and the ideal time to start this therapy remain
      uncertain. Large well-designed randomised controlled trials over a longer period
      with sufficient duration of follow up are needed.

PMID- 28921501
TI  - Immunological tolerance to LCMV antigens differently affects control of acute and
      chronic virus infection in mice.
AB  - Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a key role in the control of lymphocytic
      choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection. In C57BL/6 mice (H-2b ), the CTL
      response is mainly directed against epitopes from the LCMV glycoprotein (GP) and
      the nucleoprotein (NP) which represent the two major viral proteins. The role of
      GP- versus NP-derived epitopes for viral clearance was examined using transgenic
      (tg) mice ubiquitously expressing LCMV GP and NP, respectively. These mice lack
      GP- or NP-specific CTLs and show decreased levels of GP- or NP-specific
      antibodies as a result of tolerance induction. During acute LCMV infection, CTLs
      specific for GP- and NP-derived epitopes are generated with similar frequencies.
      Nonetheless, we found that lack of GP- but not of NP-specific CTLs abolished
      control of acute LCMV infection. In contrast, after high-dose or chronic LCMV
      infection, virus elimination was delayed to a similar extent in GP- and NP-tg
      mice. Thus, immunological tolerance to LCMV antigens differently affects virus
      clearance in acute and chronic infection settings. In addition, our data reveal
      that immunodominance of H-2b -restricted LCMV-specific CTL epitopes and their
      antiviral activity do not strictly correlate.

PMID- 28921502
TI  - Delayed cord clamping and cord gas analysis at birth.
AB  - Delayed cord clamping for at least 60 s in both term and preterm babies is a
      major recent change in clinical care. Delayed cord clamping has several effects
      on other possible interventions. One of these is the effect of delayed cord
      clamping on umbilical artery gas analysis. When indicated, umbilical artery gas
      analysis can safely be done either with early cord clamping or, probably most of
      the times it is necessary, during delayed cord clamping with the cord still
      unclamped. Paired blood samples (one from the umbilical artery and one from the
      umbilical vein) can be taken from the pulsating and unclamped cord, immediately
      after birth, during delayed cord clamping, without any effect on either the
      accuracy of umbilical artery gas analysis or the transfusion of blood through
      delayed cord clamping. Umbilical artery gas analysis should instead not be done
      after delayed cord clamping, since delayed cord clamping alters several acid
      based parameters and lactate values.

PMID- 28921503
TI  - Time spent in the clinical environment is the most important aspect of medical
      education - we need to protect it.

PMID- 28921504
TI  - Galpha12 facilitates shortening in human airway smooth muscle by modulating
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase-mediated activation in a RhoA-dependent manner.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: PI3K-dependent activation of Rho kinase (ROCK) is
      necessary for agonist-induced human airway smooth muscle cell (HASMC)
      contraction, and inhibition of PI3K promotes bronchodilation of human small
      airways. The mechanisms driving agonist-mediated PI3K/ROCK axis activation,
      however, remain unclear. Given that G12 family proteins activate ROCK pathways in
      other cell types, their role in M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-stimulated
      PI3K/ROCK activation and contraction was examined. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:
      Galpha12 coupling was evaluated using co-immunoprecipitation and serum response
      element (SRE)-luciferase reporter assays. siRNA and pharmacological approaches,
      as well as overexpression of a regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins
      were applied in HASMCs. Phosphorylation levels of Akt, myosin phosphatase
      targeting subunit-1 (MYPT1), and myosin light chain-20 (MLC) were measured.
      Contraction and shortening were evaluated using magnetic twisting cytometry (MTC)
      and micro-pattern deformation, respectively. Human precision-cut lung slices
      (hPCLS) were utilized to evaluate bronchoconstriction. KEY RESULTS: Knockdown of
      M3 receptors or Galpha12 attenuated activation of Akt, MYPT1, and MLC
      phosphorylation. Galpha12 coimmunoprecipitated with M3 receptors, and p115RhoGEF
      RGS overexpression inhibited carbachol-mediated induction of SRE-luciferase
      reporter. p115RhoGEF-RGS overexpression inhibited carbachol-induced activation of
      Akt, HASMC contraction, and shortening. Moreover, inhibition of RhoA blunted
      activation of PI3K. Lastly, RhoA inhibitors induced dilation of hPCLS.
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Galpha12 plays a crucial role in HASMC contraction
      via RhoA-dependent activation of the PI3K/ROCK axis. Inhibition of RhoA
      activation induces bronchodilation in hPCLS, and targeting Galpha12 signaling may
      elucidate novel therapeutic targets in asthma. These findings provide alternative
      approaches to the clinical management of airway obstruction in asthma.

PMID- 28921505
TI  - NFATC1 activation by DNA hypomethylation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
      correlates with clinical staging and can be inhibited by ibrutinib.
AB  - B cell receptor (BCR) signaling is a key for survival of chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia (CLL) cells, and BCR signaling inhibitors are clinically active.
      However, relapse and resistance to treatment require novel treatment options. To
      detect novel candidate therapeutic targets, we performed a genome-wide DNA
      methylation screen with custom arrays and identified aberrant promoter DNA
      methylation in 2,192 genes. The transcription factor NFATC1 that is a downstream
      effector of BCR signaling was among the top hypomethylated genes and was
      concomitantly transcriptionally upregulated in CLL. Intriguingly, NFATC1 promoter
      DNA hypomethylation levels were significantly variant in clinical trial cohorts
      from different disease progression stages and furthermore correlated with Binet
      disease staging and thymidine kinase levels, strongly suggesting a central role
      of NFATC1 in CLL development. Functionally, DNA hypomethylation at NFATC1
      promoter inversely correlated with RNA levels of NFATC1 and dysregulation
      correlated with expression of target genes BCL-2, CCND1 and CCR7. The inhibition
      of the NFAT regulator calcineurin with tacrolimus and cyclosporin A and the BCR
      signaling inhibitor ibrutinib significantly reduced NFAT activity in leukemic
      cell lines, and NFAT inhibition resulted in increased apoptosis of primary CLL
      cells. In summary, our results indicate that the aberrant activation of NFATC1 by
      DNA hypomethylation and BCR signaling plays a major role in the pathomechanism of
      CLL.

PMID- 28921506
TI  - Neurologic injury and patient displacement in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery
      using a beanbag and shoulder supports.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantify the incidence of peripheral neuropathy in gynecologic
      laparoscopic surgery using a combination of beanbag, eggcrate foam, and shoulder
      supports; and to assess patient displacement during surgery in a steep
      Trendelenburg position and determine variables correlated with displacement.
      METHODS: A retrospective study included all gynecologic laparoscopic surgeries
      performed by one high-volume surgeon at a US center between September 15, 2007,
      and September 15, 2012. Data included neurologic deficits or extremity pain, any
      other complications, and-for the final study year-surgical time as well as
      patient and beanbag displacement. RESULTS: Among 967 patients, no long-term
      neuropathy was reported, 6 (0.6%) patients had transient shoulder pain beyond the
      first 24 hours (resolved by initial postoperative visit), and 7 (0.7%) were lost
      to follow-up. No neurologic complications were reported. Median beanbag and total
      patient displacement were 0 cm (interquartile range 0-0) and 0 cm (interquartile
      range 0-2), respectively. Patient displacement relative to the table was
      correlated with the total surgical time (P=0.025) and patient weight (P=0.023).
      The median displacement was greater in hysterectomy than non-hysterectomy
      procedures (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Use of beanbags with shoulder supports and
      convoluted foam armboard pads was associated with minimal patient displacement
      and risk of arm and leg neurologic injury.

PMID- 28921507
TI  - Modulation of Wnt signaling is essential for the differentiation of ciliated
      epithelial cells in human airways.
AB  - Wnt signaling is essential for the differentiation of airway epithelial cells
      during development. Here, we examined the role of Wnt signaling during
      redifferentiation of ciliated airway epithelial cells in vitro at the air liquid
      interface as a model of airway epithelial repair. Phases of proliferation and
      differentiation were defined. Markers of squamous metaplasia and epithelial
      ciliation were followed while enhancing beta-catenin signaling by blocking
      glycogen synthase kinase 3beta with SB216763 and shRNA as well as inhibiting
      canonical WNT signaling with apical application of Dickkopf 1 (Dkk1). Our
      findings indicate that enhanced beta-catenin signaling decreases the number of
      ciliated cells and causes squamous changes in the epithelium, whereas treatment
      with DDk1 leads to an increased number of ciliated cells.

PMID- 28921508
TI  - Selection on skewed characters and the paradox of stasis.
AB  - Observed phenotypic responses to selection in the wild often differ from
      predictions based on measurements of selection and genetic variance. An
      overlooked hypothesis to explain this paradox of stasis is that a skewed
      phenotypic distribution affects natural selection and evolution. We show through
      mathematical modeling that, when a trait selected for an optimum phenotype has a
      skewed distribution, directional selection is detected even at evolutionary
      equilibrium, where it causes no change in the mean phenotype. When environmental
      effects are skewed, Lande and Arnold's (1983) directional gradient is in the
      direction opposite to the skew. In contrast, skewed breeding values can displace
      the mean phenotype from the optimum, causing directional selection in the
      direction of the skew. These effects can be partitioned out using alternative
      selection estimates based on average derivatives of individual relative fitness,
      or additive genetic covariances between relative fitness and trait (Robertson
      Price identity). We assess the validity of these predictions using simulations of
      selection estimation under moderate sample sizes. Ecologically relevant traits
      may commonly have skewed distributions, as we here exemplify with avian laying
      date - repeatedly described as more evolutionarily stable than expected - so this
      skewness should be accounted for when investigating evolutionary dynamics in the
      wild.

PMID- 28921509
TI  - BAFF augments IgA2 and IL-10 production by TLR7/8 stimulated total peripheral
      blood B cells.
AB  - Class-switching of B cells to IgA can be induced via both T-cell-dependent and T
      cell-independent mechanisms. IgA is most predominantly produced mucosally and is
      important for combating infections and allergies. In contrast to mice, humans
      have two forms of IgA; IgA1 and IgA2 with diverse tissue distribution. In early
      life, IgA levels might be sub-optimal especially during the fall season when
      bacterial and viral infections are more common. Therefore, we investigated using
      human B cells whether T-cell-independent factors -promoting cell survival, class
      switching and immunoglobulin secretion- BAFF, APRIL, IL-10 and retinoic acid can
      boost IgA production in the context of viral or bacterial infection. To this end
      total and naive peripheral blood B cells were stimulated with these factors for 6
      days in the presence or absence of TLR7/8 agonist R848 (mimicking viral
      infection) or TLR9 agonist CpG-ODN (mimicking bacterial infection). We show that
      BAFF significantly augments IgA2 production in TLR7/8 stimulated mature, but not
      naive B cells. In addition, BAFF augments IL-10 production and viability in
      TLR7/8 and TLR9 stimulated mature B cells. These data warrant further
      investigation of its role in immune regulation both in the periphery and mucosal
      tissues in early life or during disease.

PMID- 28921510
TI  - Development of a formaldehyde biosensor with application to synthetic
      methylotrophy.
AB  - Formaldehyde is a prevalent environmental toxin and a key intermediate in single
      carbon metabolism. The ability to monitor formaldehyde concentration is,
      therefore, of interest for both environmental monitoring and for metabolic
      engineering of native and synthetic methylotrophs, but current methods suffer
      from low sensitivity, complex workflows, or require expensive analytical
      equipment. Here we develop a formaldehyde biosensor based on the FrmR repressor
      protein and cognate promoter of Escherichia coli. Optimization of the native
      repressor binding site and regulatory architecture enabled detection at levels as
      low as 1 uM. We then used the sensor to benchmark the in vivo activity of several
      NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase (Mdh) variants, the rate-limiting enzyme
      that catalyzes the first step of methanol assimilation. In order to use this
      biosensor to distinguish individuals in a mixed population of Mdh variants, we
      developed a strategy to prevent cross-talk by using glutathione as a formaldehyde
      sink to minimize intercellular formaldehyde diffusion. Finally, we applied this
      biosensor to balance expression of mdh and the formaldehyde assimilation enzymes
      hps and phi in an engineered E. coli strain to minimize formaldehyde build-up
      while also reducing the burden of heterologous expression. This biosensor offers
      a quick and simple method for sensitively detecting formaldehyde, and has the
      potential to be used as the basis for directed evolution of Mdh and dynamic
      formaldehyde control strategies for establishing synthetic methylotrophy.

PMID- 28921511
TI  - Bone marrow type 2 innate lymphoid cells: a local source of interleukin-5 in
      interleukin-33-driven eosinophilia.
AB  - T helper type 2 (Th2) cells, type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) and eosinophil
      progenitors have previously been described to produce interleukin-5 (IL-5) in the
      airways upon allergen provocation or by direct administration of IL-33.
      Eosinophilic airway inflammation is known to be associated with IL-5-dependent
      eosinophil development in the bone marrow, however, the source of IL-5 remains
      unclear. T helper cells, ILC2s and CD34+ progenitors have been proposed to be
      involved in this process, therefore, we investigated whether these cells are
      taking part in eosinophilopoiesis by producing IL-5 locally in the bone marrow in
      IL-33-driven inflammation. Airway exposure with IL-33 led to eosinophil
      infiltration in airways and elevated eotaxin-2/CCL24. Importantly, IL-5
      production as well as expression of the IL-33 receptor increased in ILC2s in the
      bone marrow under this treatment. A small but significant induction of IL-5 was
      also found in CD34+ progenitors but not in T helper cells. Similar results were
      obtained by in vitro stimulation with IL-33 where ILC2s rapidly produced large
      amounts of IL-5, which coincided with the induction of eosinophil hematopoiesis.
      IL-33-mediated eosinophil production was indeed dependent on IL-5 as both airway
      and bone marrow eosinophils decreased in mice treated with anti-IL-5 in
      combination with IL-33. Interestingly, the responsiveness of ILC2s to IL-33 as
      well as IL-33-induced eotaxin-2/CCL24 were independent of the levels of IL-5. In
      summary, we demonstrate for the first time that IL-33 acts directly on bone
      marrow ILC2s, making them an early source of IL-5 and part of a process that is
      central in IL-33-driven eosinophilia.

PMID- 28921512
TI  - Dacomitinib-induced diarrhea: Targeting chloride secretion with crofelemer.
AB  - Dacomitinib, an irreversible small-molecule pan-ErbB TKI, has a high incidence of
      diarrhea, which has been suggested to be due to chloride secretory mechanisms.
      Based on this hypothesis, crofelemer, an antisecretory agent may be an effective
      intervention. T84 monolayers were treated with 1 uM dacomitinib and 10 uM
      crofelemer, and mounted into Ussing chambers for electrogenic ion analysis.
      Crofelemer attenuated increases in chloride secretion in cells treated with
      dacomitinib. Albino Wistar rats (n = 48) were treated with 7.5 mg/kg dacomitinib
      and/or 25 mg/kg crofelemer via oral gavage for 21 days. Crofelemer significantly
      worsened dacomitinib-induced diarrhea (p = 0.0003), and did not attenuate weight
      loss (p < 0.0001). Sections of the ileum and colon were mounted into Ussing
      chambers, and secretory processes analyzed. This indicated that crofelemer lost
      its anti-secretory action in the presence of dacomitinib in this model. Mass
      spectrometry revealed that crofelemer did not change serum concentration of
      dacomitinib. Serum FITC dextran levels indicated that crofelemer was unable to
      attenuate dacomitinib-induced barrier dysfunction. Tight junction proteins were
      visualized with immunofluorescence. Qualitative analysis showed dacomitinib
      induced proteolysis of ZO-1 and occludin, and internalization of claudin-1, which
      was not attenuated by crofelemer. Detailed histopathological analysis showed that
      crofelemer was unable to attenuate dacomitinib-induced ileal damage. Crofelemer
      worsened dacomitinib-induced diarrhea, suggesting that antisecretory drug therapy
      may be ineffective in this setting.

PMID- 28921514
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28921515
TI  - Education and Healthcare System Effects on Tooth Loss and Dementia Incidence in
      Later Life.

PMID- 28921513
TI  - Use of a clinical-laboratory score to guide treatment of gestational diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcomes of implementing a clinical-laboratory score in
      the treatment of pregnant women with gestational diabetes. METHODS: A
      retrospective before-and-after implementation analysis was undertaken using data
      and neonatal outcomes for pregnant women with gestational diabetes treated before
      (January 2011-December 2012; control group) and after (January 2013-December
      2014; score group) introduction of a newly developed score. To evaluate the
      effects of score adoption, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were
      calculated after adjustment for confounding factors. RESULTS: The control group
      included a greater proportion of women treated with diet alone (170/312 [54.5%])
      than the study group did (122/391 [31.2%]; P<0.001). By contrast, more women in
      the study group received metformin (172 [44.0%] vs 77 [24.7%]; P<0.001). The
      neonatal outcomes, including low Apgar scores at 1 minute and at 5 minutes and
      neonatal intensive care unit admission, were similar in both groups. Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis showed that the adoption of the score did not
      significantly affect the choice of treatment or the birth weight rating.
      CONCLUSION: The score served well as an orientation tool in therapeutic decision
      making and had no negative effect on the treatment choice and perinatal outcomes.

PMID- 28921517
TI  - Courses and Conferences.

PMID- 28921516
TI  - Effect of Synthetic Cannabinoids in Older Adults.

PMID- 28921518
TI  - High birth rates despite easy access to contraception and abortion: a cross
      sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to describe and compare contraceptive
      use, fertility, birth, and abortion rates in the Nordic countries. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: National data on births, abortions, fertility rate (1975-2013), redeemed
      prescriptions of hormonal contraceptives and sales figures of copper intrauterine
      devices (2008-2013) among women 15-49 years of age in the Nordic countries were
      collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Use of hormonal contraceptives and copper
      intrauterine devices varied between 31 and 44%. The highest use was in Denmark
      (39-44%) and Sweden (40-42%). Combined hormonal contraception followed by the
      levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system were the most common methods. During
      1975-2013 abortion rates decreased in Denmark (from 27/1000 women to 15/1000
      women aged 15-44/1000 women) and Finland (from 20 to 10/1000 women), remained
      stable in Norway (~16) and Sweden (~20) and increased in Iceland (from 6 to
      15/1000 women). Birth rates remained stable around 60/1000 women aged 15-44 in
      all countries except for Iceland where the birth rate decreased from 95 to
      65/1000 women. Abortion rates were highest in the age group 20-24 years. In the
      same age group, Sweden had a lower contraceptive use (51%) compared with Denmark
      (59%) and Norway (56%) and a higher abortion rate 33/1000 compared with Denmark
      (25/1000) and Norway (27/1000). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the declining average
      fertility and birth rates in Europe, rates in the Nordic countries remain high
      and stable despite high contraceptive use and liberal access to abortion on
      women's request.

PMID- 28921519
TI  - Impact of pork collagen superfine powder on rheological and texture properties of
      Harbin red sausage.
AB  - : It is a challenge for producers to looking for excellent filler to satisfy the
      required qualities of high grade meat products such as Harbin red sausage in
      China. Four collagen superfine powders (CSPs) from pig skin with different
      heating pretreatments, named as T0 (non-heating), T1 (at 60C for 20 min), T2 (at
      80C for 20 min), T3 (at 120C for 10 min), respectively, at various concentrations
      (1, 3, 5 wt %) were added to the sausage and their impact on sausage properties
      was investigated. Rheological results showed that addition of CSPs especially T2
      increased the elastic modulus (G') of sausage, indicating the enhanced
      stabilization of meat batter due to formation of a coherent protein network.
      Furthermore, as the content of CSPs increased, the values of hardness,
      springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness of the CSP-added sausages increased from
      texture profile analysis. Meantime, it was observed that appropriate preheating
      (i.e., lower than 80C for 20 min) benefited the texture profile of the sausages.
      With adding these CSPs, the cooking loss decreased, the values of L* and a*
      decreased while b* value of the sausages increased. SEM images illustrated that
      the CSP-added sausage was more compact and homogenous compared to the control.
      Also, the organoleptic evaluation results showed that the sensory properties of
      Harbin red sausage added CSP were the same as the control group. In conclusion,
      CSPs provide the potential to be used as a filler and textural modifier available
      for Harbin red sausage. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Pig skin has cheap price, and
      easy to get. Pig skin-derived CSPs provide the potential to be used as a good
      filler and textured modifier available for high quality meat products, including
      Harbin red sausage.

PMID- 28921521
TI  - A paradigm for evaluation and management of the maxillary sinus before dental
      implantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine a paradigm for evaluating and managing maxillary sinus
      conditions before dental implantation via preoperative sinonasal assessment.
      STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Eighty-four patients who
      underwent dental implantation with or without sinus augmentation were included.
      Maxillary sinus conditions were classified into groups 1 to 6 according to cone
      beam computed tomography (CT) findings: 1) nonspecific findings, 2) solitary
      polyp or cyst, 3) mucosal thickening, 4) air-fluid level or fluid accumulation,
      5) near-total opacification of the maxillary or other paranasal sinus, and 6)
      calcification spots in the maxillary sinus. Dental implantation with or without
      sinus augmentation was suggested with postoperative sinus observation (groups 1
      3), after medication for acute sinusitis (group 4), and after comprehensive
      treatment of chronic or fungal sinusitis (groups 5-6). Intraoperative and
      postoperative sinus-related complications were recorded. RESULTS: Two patients
      (groups 1 and 3) developed acute rhinosinusitis after sinus augmentation; both
      recovered completely with medical treatment. Schneiderian membrane perforation
      occurred during sinus lift surgery in six patients (group 1): five recovered
      after conservative medical therapy and close observation, whereas one required
      endoscopic sinus surgery and recovered well. No chronic rhinosinusitis developed
      after dental implantation. CONCLUSION: Craniofacial CT is crucial for pre-dental
      implantation sinonasal evaluation. The risk of dental implant-related chronic
      rhinosinusitis is low for patients with cysts, polyps, or mucosal thickening in
      the maxillary sinus. However, preventive endoscopic sinus surgery is recommended
      for patients with incurable chronic rhinosinusitis, fungal sinusitis, and large
      polyps or cysts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:1261-1267, 2018.

PMID- 28921522
TI  - Extraluminal biodegradable splint to treat upper airway anterior malacia: A
      preclinical proof of principle.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Upper airway malacia highly complicates the treatment of benign
      laryngotracheal stenosis, and no ideal option is available to date. We here
      explore the use of extraluminal biodegradable splints in an animal model of long
      segment anterior tracheomalacia (TM). We show the efficacy, as well as the tissue
      tolerance, of a custom-made biodegradable extraluminal device surgically inserted
      around the trachea. STUDY DESIGN: Preclinical animal study. METHODS: Anterior TM
      was induced in rabbits through an anterior neck approach by removing eight
      consecutive anterior tracheal rings without damaging the underlying mucosa.
      Malacia was corrected during the same surgery by pexy sutures, suspending the
      tracheal mucosa to an experimental biodegradable device. Symptoms, survival, and
      tissue reaction were compared to healthy and sham surgery controls. RESULTS: The
      model induced death by respiratory failure within minutes. Ten animals received
      the experimental treatment, and those who survived the perioperative period
      remained asymptomatic with a maximum follow-up of 221 days. Histological studies
      at programmed euthanasia showed complete degradation of the prosthesis, with
      significant remnant fibrosis around the trachea. However, the tracheal stiffness
      of test segments was comparatively less than that of control segments.
      CONCLUSION: Extraluminal biodegradable splints rescued animals with a condition
      otherwise incompatible with life. It was well tolerated, leaving peritracheal
      fibrosis that was not as stiff as normal trachea. The external tracheal
      stiffening was sufficient for the test animals to live through the phase of
      severe acute hypercollapsibility. This represents a valid option to help
      pediatric patients with laryngotracheal stenosis and associated cartilaginous
      airway malacia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA. Laryngoscope, 128:E53-E58, 2018.

PMID- 28921520
TI  - Anti-Mullerian hormone and risk of ovarian cancer in nine cohorts.
AB  - Animal and experimental data suggest that anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) serves as
      a marker of ovarian reserve and inhibits the growth of ovarian tumors. However,
      few epidemiologic studies have examined the association between AMH and ovarian
      cancer risk. We conducted a nested case-control study of 302 ovarian cancer cases
      and 336 matched controls from nine cohorts. Prediagnostic blood samples of
      premenopausal women were assayed for AMH using a picoAMH enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were
      calculated using multivariable-adjusted conditional logistic regression. AMH
      concentration was not associated with overall ovarian cancer risk. The
      multivariable-adjusted OR (95% CI), comparing the highest to the lowest quartile
      of AMH, was 0.99 (0.59-1.67) (Ptrend : 0.91). The association did not differ by
      age at blood draw or oral contraceptive use (all Pheterogeneity : >=0.26). There
      also was no evidence for heterogeneity of risk for tumors defined by histologic
      developmental pathway, stage, and grade, and by age at diagnosis and time between
      blood draw and diagnosis (all Pheterogeneity : >=0.39). In conclusion, this
      analysis of mostly late premenopausal women from nine cohorts does not support
      the hypothesized inverse association between prediagnostic circulating levels of
      AMH and risk of ovarian cancer.

PMID- 28921523
TI  - A single-session growth mindset intervention for adolescent anxiety and
      depression: 9-month outcomes of a randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-session interventions (SSIs) show promise in the prevention
      and treatment of youth psychopathology, carrying potential to improve the
      scalability and accessibility of youth psychological services. However, existing
      SSIs have conferred greater benefits for youths with anxiety, compared to
      depression or comorbid problems, and their effects have generally waned over time
      - particularly for follow-ups exceeding 3 months. METHOD: To help address these
      discrepancies, we tested whether a novel SSI teaching growth mindset of
      personality (the belief that personality is malleable) could reduce depression
      and anxiety and strengthen perceived control in high-risk adolescents (N = 96,
      ages 12-15). At baseline, youths were randomized to receive a 30-min, computer
      guided growth mindset intervention or a supportive-therapy control. Youths and
      parents reported youth anxiety and depressive symptoms, and youths reported their
      levels of perceived control, at baseline and across a 9-month follow-up period.
      RESULTS: Compared to the control program, the mindset intervention led to
      significantly greater improvements in parent-reported youth depression (d = .60)
      and anxiety (d = .28), youth-reported youth depression (d = .32), and youth
      reported perceived behavioral control (d = .29) by 9-month follow-up.
      Intervention effects were nonsignificant for youth-reported anxiety, although 9
      month effect sizes reached the small-to-medium range (d = .33). Intervention
      group youths also experienced more rapid improvements in parent-reported
      depression, youth-reported depression, and perceived behavioral control across
      the follow-up period, compared to control group youths. CONCLUSIONS: Findings
      suggest a promising, scalable SSI for reducing internalizing distress in high
      risk adolescents. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03132298.

PMID- 28921524
TI  - Karyotype variation of CHO host cell lines over time in culture characterized by
      chromosome counting and chromosome painting.
AB  - Genomic rearrangements are a common phenomenon in rapidly growing cell lines such
      as Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, a feature that in the context of production
      of biologics may lead to cell line and product instability. Few methods exist to
      assess such genome wide instability. Here, we use the population distribution of
      chromosome numbers per cell as well as chromosome painting to quantify the
      karyotypic variation in several CHO host cell lines. CHO-S, CHO-K1 8 mM
      glutamine, and CHO-K1 cells adapted to grow in media containing no glutamine were
      analyzed over up to 6 months in culture. All three cell lines were clearly
      distinguishable by their chromosome number distribution and by the specific
      chromosome rearrangements that were present in each population. Chromosome
      Painting revealed a predominant karyotype for each cell line at the start of the
      experiment, completed by a large number of variants present in each population.
      Over time in culture, the predominant karyotype changed for CHO-S and CHO-K1,
      with the diversity increasing and new variants appearing, while CHO-K1 0 mM Gln
      preferred chromosome pattern increased in percent of the population over time. As
      control, Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts were shown to also contain an
      increasing number of variants over time in culture.

PMID- 28921525
TI  - Comorbid symptoms of inattention, autism, and executive cognition in youth with
      putative genetic risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and inattention (IA) are
      highly comorbid and associated with deficits in executive cognition. Cognitive
      deficits have been posited as candidate endophenotypes of psychiatric traits, but
      few studies have conceptualized cognitive deficits as psychiatric comorbidities.
      The latter model is consistent with a latent factor reflecting broader liability
      to neuropsychological dysfunction, and explains heterogeneity in the cognitive
      profile of individuals with ASD and IA. METHODS: We tested competing models of
      covariance among symptoms of ASD, IA, and cognition in a sample of 73 youth with
      a known genetic mutation. RESULTS: A common executive factor fit best as a
      cognitive comorbidity, rather than endophenotype, of the shared variance between
      measures of IA and ASD symptoms. Known genetic risk explained a third of the
      shared variance among psychiatric and cognitive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbid
      symptoms of ASD, IA, and cognitive deficits are likely influenced by common
      neurogenetic factors. Known genetic risk in ASD may inform future investigation
      of putative genetic causes of IA.

PMID- 28921526
TI  - Parsing heterogeneity in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder using EEG-based
      subgroups.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous
      condition for which multiple efforts to characterize brain state differences are
      underway. The objective of this study was to identify distinct subgroups of
      resting electroencephalography (EEG) profiles among children with and without
      ADHD and subsequently provide extensive clinical characterization of the
      subgroups. METHODS: Latent class analysis was used with resting state EEG
      recorded from a large sample of 781 children with and without ADHD (N = 620 ADHD,
      N = 161 Control), aged 6-18 years old. Behavioral and cognitive characteristics
      of the latent classes were derived from semistructured diagnostic interviews,
      parent completed behavior rating scales, and cognitive test performance. RESULTS:
      A five-class solution was the best fit for the data, of which four classes had a
      defining spectral power elevation. The distribution of ADHD and control subjects
      was similar across classes suggesting there is no one resting state EEG profile
      for children with or without ADHD. Specific latent classes demonstrated distinct
      behavioral and cognitive profiles. Those with elevated slow-wave activity (i.e.
      delta and theta band) had higher levels of externalizing behaviors and cognitive
      deficits. Latent subgroups with elevated alpha and beta power had higher levels
      of internalizing behaviors, emotion dysregulation, and intact cognitive
      functioning. CONCLUSIONS: There is population-level heterogeneity in resting
      state EEG subgroups, which are associated with distinct behavioral and cognitive
      profiles. EEG measures may be more useful biomarkers of ADHD outcome or treatment
      response rather than diagnosis.

PMID- 28921527
TI  - Bumping heart and sweaty palms: physiological hyperarousal as a risk factor for
      child social anxiety.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physiological hyperarousal in social situations is a characteristic
      of individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD), but so far it has been rarely
      studied as a biological risk for SAD. Here, we investigate whether children at
      high risk for SAD (because of their parents' SAD) display physiological
      hyperarousal while interacting with a stranger. Also, we examine whether early
      physiological hyperarousal is related to later child social anxiety. METHOD: One
      hundred and seventeen children took part in the stranger-approach task when they
      were 2.5 and 4.5 years old. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and
      electrodermal activity (EDA) were measured before, during, and after the
      conversation with a stranger. Both parents' lifetime SAD status and SAD severity
      were assessed before the birth of the child. Both parents and children reported
      on children's social anxiety symptoms when children were 7.5. RESULTS: Children
      of parents with the lifetime SAD diagnosis did not differ in their physiological
      activity from children of parents without lifetime SAD. However, children of
      parents with more severe SAD displayed heightened EDA throughout the task
      procedure. Increased HR and reduced HRV during the stranger-approach and elevated
      EDA throughout the task phases were linked to later child social anxiety.
      CONCLUSIONS: Parents' severity of SAD is related to child physiological
      hyperarousal early in their childhood. In addition, physiological hyperarousal in
      early childhood predicts later child social anxiety. Together, these findings
      suggest that early physiological hyperarousal in social situations may pose a
      risk for later child social anxiety and that physiological hyperarousal, and EDA
      in particular, may be a biological mechanism in the intergenerational
      transmission of SAD.

PMID- 28921528
TI  - Practitioner Review: Treatment of chronic insomnia in children and adolescents
      with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances, in particular insomnia, represent a common
      problem in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs). Currently, there
      are no approved medications for insomnia in children by the US Food and Drug
      Administration or European Medicines Agency and therefore they are prescribed off
      label. We critically reviewed pediatric literature on drugs as well as
      nonpharmacological (behavioral) interventions used for sleep disturbances in
      children with NDDs. METHODS: PubMed, Ovid (including PsycINFO, Ovid MEDLINE(r) ,
      and Embase), and Web of Knowledge databases were searched through February 12,
      2017, with no language restrictions. Two authors independently and blindly
      performed the screening. RESULTS: Good sleep practices and behavioral
      interventions, supported by moderate-to-low level evidence, are the first
      recommended treatments for pediatric insomnia but they are often challenging to
      implement. Antihistamine agents, such as hydroxyzine or diphenhydramine, are the
      most widely prescribed sedatives in the pediatric practice but evidence
      supporting their use is still limited. An increasing body of evidence supports
      melatonin as the safest choice for children with NDDs. Benzodiazepines are not
      recommended in children and should only be used for transient insomnia,
      especially if daytime anxiety is present. Only few studies have been carried out
      in children's and adolescents' zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone, with
      contrasting results. Limited evidence supports the use of alpha-agonists such as
      clonidine to improve sleep onset latency, especially in attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder subjects. Tricyclic antidepressants, used in
      adults with insomnia, are not recommended in children because of their safety
      profile. Trazodone and mirtazapine hold promise but require further studies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Here, we provided a tentative guide for the use of drugs for
      insomnia in children with NDDs. Well-controlled studies employing both objective
      polysomnography and subjective sleep measures are needed to determine the
      efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of the currently prescribed pediatric sleep
      medicines in children with NDDs.

PMID- 28921529
TI  - Metastatic spine tumor surgery: does perioperative blood transfusion influence
      postoperative complications?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The question of independent association between allogeneic blood
      transfusion (ABT) and postoperative complications in cancer surgeries has been
      controversial and remains so. In metastatic spine tumor surgery (MSTS), previous
      studies investigated the influence of ABT on survival, but not on postoperative
      complications. We aimed to evaluate the influence of perioperative ABT on
      postoperative complications and infections in patients undergoing MSTS. STUDY
      DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 247 patients who underwent
      MSTS at a single tertiary institution between 2005 and 2014. The outcome measures
      were postoperative complications and infections within 30 days after MSTS.
      Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess influence of
      blood transfusion on the outcomes after adjusting for potential confounders.
      RESULTS: Of 247 patients, 133 (54%) received ABT with overall median (range) of 2
      (0-10) units. The adjusted odds of developing any postoperative complication was
      2.27 times higher in patients with transfusion (95% confidence interval [CI],
      1.17-4.38; p = 0.01) and 1.24 times higher odds per every unit increase in blood
      transfusion (95% CI, 1.05-1.46; p < 0.01). Exposure to blood transfusion also
      increased the odds of having overall postoperative infections (odds ratio, 3.58;
      95% CI, 1.15-11.11; p = 0.02) and there were 1.24 times higher odds per every
      unit increase in transfusion (95% CI, 1.01-1.54; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study adds evidence to the literature implicating ABT to be influential on
      postoperative complications and infections in patients undergoing MSTS.
      Appropriate blood management measures should, therefore, be given a crucial place
      in the care of these patients so as to reduce any putative effect of blood
      transfusion.

PMID- 28921530
TI  - Sympatric parallel diversification of major oak clades in the Americas and the
      origins of Mexican species diversity.
AB  - Oaks (Quercus, Fagaceae) are the dominant tree genus of North America in species
      number and biomass, and Mexico is a global center of oak diversity. Understanding
      the origins of oak diversity is key to understanding biodiversity of northern
      temperate forests. A phylogenetic study of biogeography, niche evolution and
      diversification patterns in Quercus was performed using 300 samples, 146 species.
      Next-generation sequencing data were generated using the restriction-site
      associated DNA (RAD-seq) method. A time-calibrated maximum likelihood phylogeny
      was inferred and analyzed with bioclimatic, soils, and leaf habit data to
      reconstruct the biogeographic and evolutionary history of the American oaks. Our
      highly resolved phylogeny demonstrates sympatric parallel diversification in
      climatic niche, leaf habit, and diversification rates. The two major American oak
      clades arose in what is now the boreal zone and radiated, in parallel, from
      eastern North America into Mexico and Central America. Oaks adapted rapidly to
      niche transitions. The Mexican oaks are particularly numerous, not because Mexico
      is a center of origin, but because of high rates of lineage diversification
      associated with high rates of evolution along moisture gradients and between the
      evergreen and deciduous leaf habits. Sympatric parallel diversification in the
      oaks has shaped the diversity of North American forests.

PMID- 28921531
TI  - A naive Bayes algorithm for tissue origin diagnosis (TOD-Bayes) of synchronous
      multifocal tumors in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic system.
AB  - Synchronous multifocal tumors are common in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic
      system but because of similarities in their histological features, oncologists
      have difficulty in identifying their precise tissue clonal origin through routine
      histopathological methods. To address this problem and assist in more precise
      diagnosis, we developed a computational approach for tissue origin diagnosis
      based on naive Bayes algorithm (TOD-Bayes) using ubiquitous RNA-Seq data. Massive
      tissue-specific RNA-Seq data sets were first obtained from The Cancer Genome
      Atlas (TCGA) and ~1,000 feature genes were used to train and validate the TOD
      Bayes algorithm. The accuracy of the model was >95% based on tenfold cross
      validation by the data from TCGA. A total of 18 clinical cancer samples
      (including six negative controls) with definitive tissue origin were subsequently
      used for external validation and 17 of the 18 samples were classified correctly
      in our study (94.4%). Furthermore, we included as cases studies seven tumor
      samples, taken from two individuals who suffered from synchronous multifocal
      tumors across tissues, where the efforts to make a definitive primary cancer
      diagnosis by traditional diagnostic methods had failed. Using our TOD-Bayes
      analysis, the two clinical test cases were successfully diagnosed as pancreatic
      cancer (PC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC), respectively, in agreement with their
      clinical outcomes. Based on our findings, we believe that the TOD-Bayes algorithm
      is a powerful novel methodology to accurately identify the tissue origin of
      synchronous multifocal tumors of unknown primary cancers using RNA-Seq data and
      an important step toward more precision-based medicine in cancer diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 28921532
TI  - The morphological characterization of orientation-biased displaced large-field
      ganglion cells in the central part of goldfish retina.
AB  - The vertebrate retina has about 30 subtypes of ganglion cells. Each ganglion cell
      receives synaptic inputs from specific types of bipolar and amacrine cells
      ramifying at the same depth of the inner plexiform layer (IPL), each of which is
      thought to process a specific aspect of visual information. Here, we identified
      one type of displaced ganglion cell in the goldfish retina which had a large and
      elongated dendritic field. As a population, all of these ganglion cells were
      oriented in the horizontal axis and perpendicular to the dorsal-ventral axis of
      the goldfish eye in the central part of retina. This ganglion cell has previously
      been classified as Type 1.2. However, the circuit elements which synapse with
      this ganglion cell are not yet characterized. We found that this displaced
      ganglion cell was directly tracer-coupled only with homologous ganglion cells at
      sites containing Cx35/36 puncta. We further illustrated that the processes of
      dopaminergic neurons often terminated next to intersections between processes of
      ganglion cells, close to where dopamine D1 receptors were localized. Finally, we
      showed that Mb1 ON bipolar cells had ribbon synapses in the axonal processes
      passing through the IPL and made ectopic synapses with this displaced ganglion
      cell that stratified into stratum 1 of the IPL. These results suggest that the
      displaced ganglion cell may synapse with both Mb1 cells using ectopic ribbon
      synapses and OFF cone bipolar cells with regular ribbon synapses in the IPL to
      function in both scotopic and photopic light conditions.

PMID- 28921533
TI  - Dental treatment in the era of new anti-thrombotic agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, there have been dramatic changes in anti-thrombotic
      treatment as a result of new anti-thrombotic agents, as well as changes in the
      indications for their use. As a consequence, dentists are encountering larger
      numbers of patients who are undergoing anti-thrombotic treatment and who have
      increased risk for bleeding. The current paper aims to review the literature
      regarding up-to-date anti-thrombotic treatment and provide information regarding
      their implications on dentistry. METHODS: An online search was performed of the
      literature published between 2000 and 2016. Articles dealing with evidence-based
      clinical guidelines for anti-thrombotic treatments, as well as literature
      reporting the use of anti-thrombotic medications were included. The manuscripts
      were screened according to their relevance to dentistry as well as their
      treatment protocol guidelines. RESULTS: In total, 5,539 publications were
      identified: 56 of 554 evidence-based clinical guidelines were found that dealt
      with treatment protocols with anti-thrombotic agents; and 132 of 5,539 articles
      describe direct anti-thrombotic medications. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dental
      treatment includes a risk for bleeding. As a result of the increasing number of
      patients taking new-generation anti-thrombotic drugs, dentists must be up to date
      regarding the implications of such drugs on dental treatment as well as the
      practical means to achieve haemostasis.

PMID- 28921534
TI  - Exploring cellular behavior under transient gene expression and its impact on mAb
      productivity and Fc-glycosylation.
AB  - Transient gene expression (TGE) is a methodology employed in bioprocessing for
      the fast provision of recombinant protein material. Mild hypothermia is often
      introduced to overcome the low yield typically achieved with TGE and improve
      specific protein productivity. It is therefore of interest to examine the impact
      of mild hypothermic temperatures on both the yield and quality of transiently
      expressed proteins and the relationship to changes in cellular processes and
      metabolism. In this study, we focus on the ability of a Chinese hamster ovary
      cell line to galactosylate a recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb) product.
      Through experimentation and flux balance analysis, our results show that TGE in
      mild hypothermic conditions led to a 76% increase in qP compared to TGE at 36.5
      degrees C in our system. This increase is accompanied by increased consumption of
      nutrients and amino acids, together with increased production of intracellular
      nucleotide sugar species, and higher rates of mAb galactosylation, despite a
      reduced rate of cell growth. The reduction in biomass accumulation allowed cells
      to redistribute their energy and resources toward mAb synthesis and Fc
      glycosylation. Interestingly, the higher capacity of cells to galactosylate the
      recombinant product in TGE at 32 degrees C appears not to have been assisted by
      the upregulation of galactosyltransferases (GalTs), but by the increased
      expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase II (GnTII) in this cell line, which
      facilitated the production of bi-antennary glycan structures for further
      processing.

PMID- 28921536
TI  - Technical Note: A simulation study on the feasibility of radiotherapy dose
      enhancement with calcium tungstate and hafnium oxide nano- and microparticles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the radiotherapy dose enhancement (RDE) potential of calcium
      tungstate (CaWO4 ) and hafnium oxide (HfO2 ) nano- and microparticles (NPs). A
      Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to gauge their respective RDE
      potentials relative to that of the broadly studied gold (Au) NP. The study was
      warranted due to the promising clinical and preclinical studies involving both
      CaWO4 and HfO2 NPs as RDE agents in the treatment of various types of cancers.
      The study provides a baseline RDE to which future experimental RDE trends can be
      compared to. METHODS: All three materials were investigated in silico with the
      software Penetration and Energy Loss of Positrons and Electrons (PENELOPE 2014)
      developed by Francesc Salvat and distributed in the United States by the
      Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC) at Oak Ridge National
      Laboratory. The work utilizes the extensively studied Au NP as the "gold
      standard" for a baseline. The key metric used in the evaluation of the materials
      was the local dose enhancement factor (DEFloc ). An additional metric used,
      termed the relative enhancement ratio (RER), evaluates material performance at
      the same mass concentrations. RESULTS: The results of the study indicate that Au
      has the strongest RDE potential using the DEFloc metric. HfO2 and CaWO4 both
      underperformed relative to Au with lower DEFloc of 2-3 * and 4-100 *,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The computational investigation predicts the RDE
      performance ranking to be: Au > HfO2 > CaWO4 .

PMID- 28921537
TI  - Nasotracheal intubation over a bougie vs. non-bougie intubation: a prospective
      randomised, controlled trial in older children and adults using
      videolaryngoscopy.
AB  - Conventionally, nasotracheal intubation has consisted of blind nasal passage and
      external manipulation of the tube through the glottis ('conventional technique'),
      a technique associated with a high incidence of nasal trauma. We evaluated a
      novel technique for routine asleep (i.e. post-induction) nasotracheal intubation
      using a bougie ('bougie technique'), which uses a nasopharyngeal airway to guide
      a paediatric bougie nasotracheally for use as a Seldinger tracheal intubation
      guide. Two hundred and fifty-seven older children (> 8 years) and adults were
      randomly assigned to videolaryngoscopy-assisted nasotracheal intubation using
      either the conventional or the bougie technique. The hypothesis was that the
      bougie technique would result in less nasopharyngeal trauma. The bougie technique
      was associated with significantly less nasopharyngeal bleeding than the
      conventional technique at both 60-90 s (55% vs. 68%; p = 0.033) and 5 min (51%
      vs. 70%; p = 0.002). The severity of bleeding was also significantly less with
      the bougie technique, with an OR for active bleeding of 0.42 (95%CI 0.20-0.87; p
      = 0.020) at 60-90 s and 0.15 (95%CI 0.06-0.37; p < 0.0001) at 5 min. Magill
      forceps were needed significantly less often with the bougie technique (9% vs.
      28%, p = 0.0001) and there was no difference in first attempt and overall success
      rates between the two techniques (p = 0.133 and p = 0.750, respectively). Not
      only is nasal intubation over a bougie as successful as the conventional
      technique, it also significantly decreases both the incidence and severity of
      nasopharyngeal trauma, as well as the need for the use of Magill forceps.

PMID- 28921535
TI  - Genome-wide host RNA signatures of infectious diseases: discovery and clinical
      translation.
AB  - The use of whole blood gene expression to derive diagnostic biomarkers capable of
      distinguishing between phenotypically similar diseases holds great promise but
      remains a challenge. Differential gene expression analysis is used to identify
      the key genes that undergo changes in expression relative to healthy individuals,
      as well as to patients with other diseases. These key genes can act as
      diagnostic, prognostic and predictive markers of disease. Gene expression
      'signatures' in the blood hold the potential to be used for the diagnosis of
      infectious diseases, where current diagnostics are unreliable, ineffective or of
      limited potential. For diagnostic tests based on RNA signatures to be useful
      clinically, the first step is to identify the minimum set of gene transcripts
      that accurately identify the disease in question. The second requirement is rapid
      and cost-effective detection of the gene expression levels. Signatures have been
      described for a number of infectious diseases, but 'clinic-ready' technologies
      for RNA detection from clinical samples are limited, though existing methods such
      as RT-PCR are likely to be superseded by a number of emerging technologies, which
      may form the basis of the translation of gene expression signatures into routine
      diagnostic tests for a range of disease states.

PMID- 28921538
TI  - A fast inverse treatment planning strategy facilitating optimized catheter
      selection in image-guided high-dose-rate interstitial gynecologic brachytherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Interstitial high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is an important
      therapeutic strategy for the treatment of locally advanced gynecologic (GYN)
      cancers. The outcome of this therapy is determined by the quality of dose
      distribution achieved. This paper focuses on a novel yet simple heuristic for
      catheter selection for GYN HDR brachytherapy and their comparison against state
      of the art optimization strategies. The proposed technique is intended to act as
      a decision-supporting tool to select a favorable needle configuration. MATERIALS:
      The presented heuristic for catheter optimization is based on a shrinkage-type
      algorithm (SACO). It is compared against state of the art planning in a
      retrospective study of 20 patients who previously received image-guided
      interstitial HDR brachytherapy using a Syed Neblett template. From those plans,
      template orientation and position are estimated via a rigid registration of the
      template with the actual catheter trajectories. All potential straight
      trajectories intersecting the contoured clinical target volume (CTV) are
      considered for catheter optimization. Retrospectively generated plans and
      clinical plans are compared with respect to dosimetric performance and
      optimization time. RESULTS: All plans were generated with one single run of the
      optimizer lasting 0.6-97.4 s. Compared to manual optimization, SACO yields a
      statistically significant (P <= 0.05) improved target coverage while at the same
      time fulfilling all dosimetric constraints for organs at risk (OARs). Comparing
      inverse planning strategies, dosimetric evaluation for SACO and "hybrid inverse
      planning and optimization" (HIPO), as gold standard, shows no statistically
      significant difference (P > 0.05). However, SACO provides the potential to reduce
      the number of used catheters without compromising plan quality. CONCLUSION: The
      proposed heuristic for needle selection provides fast catheter selection with
      optimization times suited for intraoperative treatment planning. Compared to
      manual optimization, the proposed methodology results in fewer catheters without
      a clinically significant loss in plan quality. The proposed approach can be used
      as a decision support tool that guides the user to find the ideal number and
      configuration of catheters.

PMID- 28921539
TI  - Evolution of the endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure: A systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Since first described in the 1990s, the endoscopic modified Lothrop
      procedure (EMLP) has been the subject of a growing body of literature. We
      performed a review to compare indications and outcomes of EMLP in an early cohort
      of publications (1990-2008) versus a contemporary cohort (2009-2016) and compare
      outcomes associated with follow-up >=2 years versus <2 years. DATA SOURCES:
      PubMed, SCOPUS and Cochrane databases. REVIEW METHODS: An English-language search
      of the PubMed and Ovid databases was conducted to identify publications from 1990
      to 2016 reporting clinical outcomes of EMLP. Meta-analysis was performed using
      Statistical Analysis System 9.4. RESULTS: A total of 1,205 patients were
      abstracted from 29 articles with a mean follow-up of 29.1 +/- 10.3 months. The
      overall rate of significant or complete symptom improvement was 86.5% (95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 84.2%-88.7%). The overall patency rate was 90.7% (95%
      CI: 89.1%-92.3%), with a revision rate of 12.6% (95% CI: 10.6%-14.3%). Compared
      to the early cohort, patients in the contemporary cohort underwent EMLP more
      often for tumors (P < .001), had higher rates of complete or significant symptom
      improvement (90.0% vs. 82.6 %, P < .001); and trended toward greater patency
      rates (92.1% vs. 88.6%, P = .052). Compared to the short-term follow-up cohort,
      the long-term cohort showed no differences in symptom improvement or patency, but
      the revision rate was higher (14.5% vs. 9.2%, P = .016). CONCLUSIONS: In the last
      decade, EMLP has been performed more frequently for tumors. Recent studies have
      demonstrated improved symptom outcomes and a trend toward improved patency rates.
      The revision rate increased significantly when follow-up exceeded 2 years.
      Laryngoscope, 128:317-326, 2018.

PMID- 28921540
TI  - Imaging stem cell distribution, growth, migration, and differentiation in 3-D
      scaffolds for bone tissue engineering using mesoscopic fluorescence tomography.
AB  - Regenerative medicine has emerged as an important discipline that aims to repair
      injury or replace damaged tissues or organs by introducing living cells or
      functioning tissues. Successful regenerative medicine strategies will likely
      depend upon a simultaneous optimization strategy for the design of biomaterials,
      cell-seeding methods, cell-biomaterial interactions, and molecular signaling
      within the engineered tissues. It remains a challenge to image three-dimensional
      (3-D) structures and functions of the cell-seeded scaffold in mesoscopic scale
      (>2 ~ 3 mm). In this study, we utilized angled fluorescence laminar optical
      tomography (aFLOT), which allows depth-resolved molecular characterization of
      engineered tissues in 3-D to investigate cell viability, migration, and bone
      mineralization within bone tissue engineering scaffolds in situ.

PMID- 28921541
TI  - Automatic labeling of MR brain images through extensible learning and atlas
      forests.
AB  - PURPOSE: Multiatlas-based method is extensively used in MR brain images
      segmentation because of its simplicity and robustness. This method provides
      excellent accuracy although it is time consuming and limited in terms of
      obtaining information about new atlases. In this study, an automatic labeling of
      MR brain images through extensible learning and atlas forest is presented to
      address these limitations. METHODS: We propose an extensible learning model which
      allows the multiatlas-based framework capable of managing the datasets with
      numerous atlases or dynamic atlas datasets and simultaneously ensure the accuracy
      of automatic labeling. Two new strategies are used to reduce the time and space
      complexity and improve the efficiency of the automatic labeling of brain MR
      images. First, atlases are encoded to atlas forests through random forest
      technology to reduce the time consumed for cross-registration between atlases and
      target image, and a scatter spatial vector is designed to eliminate errors caused
      by inaccurate registration. Second, an atlas selection method based on the
      extensible learning model is used to select atlases for target image without
      traversing the entire dataset and then obtain the accurate labeling. RESULTS: The
      labeling results of the proposed method were evaluated in three public datasets,
      namely, IBSR, LONI LPBA40, and ADNI. With the proposed method, the dice
      coefficient metric values on the three datasets were 84.17 +/- 4.61%, 83.25 +/-
      4.29%, and 81.88 +/- 4.53% which were 5% higher than those of the conventional
      method, respectively. The efficiency of the extensible learning model was
      evaluated by state-of-the-art methods for labeling of MR brain images.
      Experimental results showed that the proposed method could achieve accurate
      labeling for MR brain images without traversing the entire datasets. CONCLUSION:
      In the proposed multiatlas-based method, extensible learning and atlas forests
      were applied to control the automatic labeling of brain anatomies on large atlas
      datasets or dynamic atlas datasets and obtain accurate results.

PMID- 28921542
TI  - Pathogen inactivation of Dengue virus in red blood cells using amustaline and
      glutathione.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dengue virus (DENV) is an arbovirus primarily transmitted through
      mosquito bite; however, DENV transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) have been
      reported and asymptomatic DENV RNA-positive blood donors have been identified in
      endemic countries. DENV is considered a high-risk pathogen for blood safety. One
      of the mitigation strategies to prevent arbovirus TTIs is pathogen inactivation.
      In this study we demonstrate that the amustaline and glutathione (S-303/GSH)
      treatment previously found effective against Zika virus in red blood cells (RBCs)
      is also effective in inactivating DENV. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Red blood cells
      were spiked with high levels of DENV. Viral RNA loads and infectious titers were
      measured in the untreated control and before and after pathogen inactivation
      treatment of RBC samples. DENV infectivity was also assessed over five successive
      cell culture passages to detect any potential residual replicative virus.
      RESULTS: The mean +/- SD DENV titer in RBCs before inactivation was 6.61 +/- 0.19
      log 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50 )/mL and the mean viral RNA load
      was 8.42 log genome equivalents/mL. No replicative DENV was detected either
      immediately after completion of treatment using S-303/GSH or after cell culture
      passages. CONCLUSION: Treatment using S-303/GSH inactivated high levels of DENV
      in RBCs to the limit of detection. In combination with previous studies showing
      the effective inactivation of DENV in plasma and platelets using the licensed
      amotosalen/UVA system, this study demonstrates that high levels of DENV can be
      inactivated in all blood components.

PMID- 28921544
TI  - Commentary: So was it worth it? A commentary on Fricke et al. and Hagen et al.
      (2017).
AB  - Fricke et al. and Hagen et al. (2017) each report on large-scale pragmatic
      randomised controlled trials delivered in schools or nurseries, investigating
      language interventions for vulnerable children and showing moderate positive
      effect sizes. Such research is part of a recent development of 'what works'
      research in England, and the number of 'what works' trials continues to increase,
      largely through funding from the Sutton Trust, who are concerned with
      disadvantaged children, to the Educational Endowment Foundation (EEF). 'What
      works' research is not firmly accepted by all educationalists, however, results
      of trials are now available quickly and presented in a manner intended to be
      accessible to practitioners. This development may facilitate principled decisions
      on the adoption of interventions by schools, as trials and their outcomes may be
      interrogated to support decisions on whether the anticipated impact is worth the
      cost of implementation.

PMID- 28921543
TI  - Language growth in children with heterogeneous language disorders: a population
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Language development has been characterised by significant individual
      stability from school entry. However, the extent to which trajectories of
      language growth vary in children with language disorder as a function of co
      occurring developmental challenges is a question of theoretical import, with
      implications for service provision. METHODS: SCALES employed a population-based
      survey design with sample weighting procedures to estimate growth in core
      language skills over the first three years of school. A stratified sample (n =
      529) received comprehensive assessment of language, nonverbal IQ, and social,
      emotional and behavioural difficulties at 5-6 years of age and 95% of the sample
      (n = 499) were assessed again at ages 7-8. Language growth was measured using
      both raw and standard scores in children with typical development, children with
      language disorder of unknown origin, and children with language disorders
      associated with a known clinical condition and/or intellectual disability.
      RESULTS: Overall, language was stable at the individual level (estimated ICC =
      0.95) over the first three years of school. Linear mixed effects models
      highlighted steady growth in language raw scores across all three groups,
      including those with multiple developmental challenges. There was little
      evidence, however, that children with language disorders were narrowing the gap
      with peers (z-scores). Adjusted models indicated that while nonverbal ability,
      socioeconomic status and social, emotional and behavioural deficits predicted
      initial language score (intercept), none predicted language growth (slope).
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings corroborate previous studies suggesting stable
      language trajectories after ages 5-6 years, but add considerably to previous work
      by demonstrating similar developmental patterns in children with additional
      nonverbal cognitive deficits, social, emotional, and behavioural challenges,
      social disadvantage or clinical diagnoses.

PMID- 28921545
TI  - Editorial: New frontiers in the scientific study of developmental language
      disorders.
AB  - Developmental language disorders (DLD) are common and have far-reaching
      developmental consequences. Nevertheless, public awareness of DLD is poor, and
      one goal of this special issue is to showcase a set of papers that provide a
      clear and coherent message about the nature and impact of DLD, and the potential
      of intervention to mitigate these impacts. In this editorial, we highlight
      seminal papers JCPP has published on language disorders over the last 40 years.
      Many of the issues raised then are still relevant now; however, the papers that
      comprise this special issue exemplify how far the field has come in achieving
      consensus on terminology and diagnostic criteria, and producing highly consistent
      findings on the stability and impact of DLD, and the potential for language
      change in response to targeted interventions. The editorial concludes with a road
      map for future research and clinical priorities that includes the need for
      randomised controlled trials that specifically address the impact of co
      morbidities on response to treatment, impacts of intervention on broader
      developmental outcomes, and the experiences of adults with DLD.

PMID- 28921547
TI  - A clinical, randomized study on the influence of dental whitening on
      Streptococcus mutans population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental whitening with peroxides has been popularized through the at
      home technique, which employs low concentrations of peroxide applied in
      individual trays. However, there are few clinical trials reporting the effects of
      its continuous use on oral microbiota. Thus, the purpose of the present clinical,
      randomized study was to evaluate the influence of at-home whitening treatment on
      Streptococcus mutans in saliva, buccal mucosa, and subgingival and supragingival
      plaque. METHODS: Thirty volunteers were randomly divided into two study groups (N
      = 15) according to the whitening therapy: G CP, whitening using 10% carbamide
      peroxide 4 h daily for 21 days; and G HP, whitening using 6% hydrogen peroxide
      1.5 h daily for 21 days. Samples from the predetermined locations were collected
      at three evaluation periods: T1, before; T2, immediately after; and T3, 30 days
      after the beginning of the treatment. The microbiological evaluation was made
      using conventional and molecular methods. RESULTS: Student's t-test demonstrated
      a statistically significant decrease in S. mutans population in the subgingival
      and supragingival plaque for HP samples between T1 and T2 no difference was found
      between T1 and T3 regardless of the location and the whitening product used
      (alpha = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although HP reduced S. mutans during treatment, the
      levels returned to baseline when assessed 30 days after the treatment.

PMID- 28921548
TI  - Smoking cessation and response to periodontal treatment.
AB  - Smoking has detrimental oral effects. The aim of this study was to review the
      literature related to the impact of smoking cessation on periodontal health,
      periodontal disease and periodontal treatment outcome as well as to review the
      smoking cessation strategies and the dentist's role in the smoking cessation
      effort. Smoking cessation seems to have a positive effect on the periodontium, to
      decrease the risk for incidence and progression of periodontitis and to lead to a
      non-significant trend for greater mean probing depth reductions after non
      surgical treatment over a 12-month period. Smoking cessation effect on the
      periodontium should be further investigated. Dentists should inform their
      patients on the harmful effect of smoking and the beneficial effect of smoking
      cessation on oral health. They should advise, motivate and support their patients
      to quit smoking. Smoking-control strategies should be incorporated in dental
      practise. The dentist's role in the smoking cessation effort is important.
      Guidelines on smoking-control strategies applied in the dental office are
      required.

PMID- 28921546
TI  - Neuroblastoma cells undergo transcriptomic alterations upon dissemination into
      the bone marrow and subsequent tumor progression.
AB  - Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. The vast
      majority of metastatic (M) stage patients present with disseminated tumor cells
      (DTCs) in the bone marrow (BM) at diagnosis and relapse. Although these cells
      represent a major obstacle in the treatment of neuroblastoma patients, insights
      into their expression profile remained elusive. The present RNA-Seq study of
      stage 4/M primary tumors, enriched BM-derived diagnostic and relapse DTCs, as
      well as the corresponding BM-derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) from 53 patients
      revealed 322 differentially expressed genes in DTCs as compared to the tumors (q
      < 0.001, |log2 FC|>2). Particularly, the levels of transcripts encoded by
      mitochondrial DNA were elevated in DTCs, whereas, for example, genes involved in
      angiogenesis were downregulated. Furthermore, 224 genes were highly expressed in
      DTCs and only slightly, if at all, in MNCs (q < 8 * 10-75 log2 FC > 6).
      Interestingly, we found the transcriptome of relapse DTCs largely resembling
      those of diagnostic DTCs with only 113 differentially expressed genes under
      relaxed cut-offs (q < 0.01, |log2 FC|>0.5). Notably, relapse DTCs showed a
      positional enrichment of 31 downregulated genes on chromosome 19, including five
      tumor suppressor genes: SIRT6, BBC3/PUMA, STK11, CADM4 and GLTSCR2. This first
      RNA-Seq analysis of neuroblastoma DTCs revealed their unique expression profile
      in comparison to the tumors and MNCs, and less pronounced differences between
      diagnostic and relapse DTCs. The latter preferentially affected downregulation of
      genes encoded by chromosome 19. As these alterations might be associated with
      treatment failure and disease relapse, further functional studies on DTCs should
      be considered.

PMID- 28921549
TI  - DeltaFlucs: Brighter Photinus pyralis firefly luciferases identified by surveying
      consecutive single amino acid deletion mutations in a thermostable variant.
AB  - The bright bioluminescence catalyzed by Photinus pyralis firefly luciferase
      (Fluc) enables a vast array of life science research such as bio imaging in live
      animals and sensitive in vitro diagnostics. The effectiveness of such
      applications is improved using engineered enzymes that to date have been
      constructed using amino acid substitutions. We describe DeltaFlucs: consecutive
      single amino acid deletion mutants within six loop structures of the bright and
      thermostable *11 Fluc. Deletion mutations are a promising avenue to explore new
      sequence and functional space and isolate novel mutant phenotypes. However, this
      method is often overlooked and to date there have been no surveys of the effects
      of consecutive single amino acid deletions in Fluc. We constructed a large semi
      rational DeltaFluc library and isolated significantly brighter enzymes after
      finding *11 Fluc activity was largely tolerant to deletions. Targeting an "omega
      loop" motif (T352-G360) significantly enhanced activity, altered kinetics,
      reduced Km for D-luciferin, altered emission colors, and altered substrate
      specificity for redshifted analog DL-infraluciferin. Experimental and in silico
      analyses suggested remodeling of the Omega-loop impacts on active site
      hydrophobicity to increase light yields. This work demonstrates the further
      potential of deletion mutations, which can generate useful Fluc mutants and
      broaden the palette of the biomedical and biotechnological bioluminescence enzyme
      toolbox.

PMID- 28921550
TI  - Sugars from woody tissue photosynthesis reduce xylem vulnerability to cavitation.
AB  - Reassimilation of internal CO2 via woody tissue photosynthesis has a substantial
      effect on tree carbon income and wood production. However, little is known about
      its role in xylem vulnerability to cavitation and its implications in drought
      driven tree mortality. Young trees of Populus nigra were subjected to light
      exclusion at the branch and stem levels. After 40 d, measurements of xylem water
      potential, diameter variation and acoustic emission (AE) were performed in
      detached branches to obtain acoustic vulnerability curves to cavitation following
      bench-top dehydration. Acoustic vulnerability curves and derived AE50 values
      (i.e. water potential at which 50% of cavitation-related acoustic emissions
      occur) differed significantly between light-excluded and control branches
      (AE50,light-excluded  = -1.00 +/- 0.13 MPa; AE50,control  = -1.45 +/- 0.09 MPa; P
      = 0.007) denoting higher vulnerability to cavitation in light-excluded trees.
      Woody tissue photosynthesis represents an alternative and immediate source of
      nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) that confers lower xylem vulnerability to
      cavitation via sugar-mediated mechanisms. Embolism repair and xylem structural
      changes could not explain this observation as the amount of cumulative AE and
      basic wood density did not differ between treatments. We suggest that woody
      tissue assimilates might play a role in the synthesis of xylem surfactants for
      nanobubble stabilization under tension.

PMID- 28921551
TI  - Zika virus RNA detection in asymptomatic blood donors during an outbreak in the
      northeast region of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, 2016.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2015, there was a large Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Brazil. The
      proportion of asymptomatic infections is very high, and it is possible for
      transfusion-transmitted ZIKV (TT-ZIKV) infection to occur. The prevalence of
      asymptomatic ZIKV infection among Brazilian blood donors during this epidemic
      outbreak is unknown. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Plasma samples obtained between
      October 2015 and May 2016 from 1393 volunteer blood donors were tested for ZIKV
      RNA. The viral load was quantified using an in-house standard curve.
      Additionally, positive ZIKV RNA samples were tested for anti-ZIKV immunoglobulin
      (Ig)M and anti-ZIKV IgG. RESULTS: Of the 1393 blood samples, ZIKV RNA was
      detected in 37 (n = 37/1393; 2.7%). The median infection viral load detected was
      7714 copies/mL (ranging from 135-124,220 copies/mL). The majority of the positive
      samples (70.3%) exhibited a viral load of approximately 103 copies/mL. Six
      samples that were positive for ZIKV RNA were also positive for anti-ZIKV IgM and
      IgG (n = 6/37; 13.5%). CONCLUSION: This is the first study evaluating the
      prevalence of ZIKV RNA among Brazilian blood donors, which was relatively high
      and might lead to TT-ZIKV infection. It is unclear whether the simultaneous
      presence of anti-ZIKV IgM and IgG in RNA-positive donations or the viral load
      influences transfusion transmission of the infection. This study also adds to the
      global understanding of ZIKV prevalence in blood donors during outbreaks and the
      transfusion impact of the infection.

PMID- 28921552
TI  - Immunomodulatory effect of cryopreserved platelets: altered BDCA3+ dendritic cell
      maturation and activation in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryopreservation of platelets (PLTs) is useful in remote areas to
      overcome logistic problems associated with supply and can extend the shelf life
      to 2 years. During cryopreservation, properties of PLTs are modified. Whether
      changes in the cryopreserved PLT (CPP) product are associated with modulation of
      recipients' immune function is unknown. We aimed to characterize the immune
      profile of myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and the specialized blood DC antigen
      (BDCA)3+ subset after exposure to CPPs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Using an in
      vitro whole blood model of transfusion, the effect of CPPs on mDC and BDCA3+ DC
      surface antigen expression and inflammatory mediator production was examined
      using flow cytometry. In parallel, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) or
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was utilized to model processes activated in viral or
      bacterial infection, respectively. RESULTS: Cryopreserved PLTs had minimal impact
      on mDC responses but significantly modulated BDCA3+ DC responses in vitro.
      Exposure to CPPs alone up regulated BDCA3+ DC CD86 expression and suppressed
      interleukin (IL)-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interferon-gamma
      inducible protein (IP)-10 production. In both models of infection-related
      processes, exposure to CPPs down regulated BDCA3+ DC expression of CD40, CD80,
      and CD83 and suppressed BDCA3+ DC production of IL-8, IL-12, and TNF-alpha. CPPs
      suppressed CD86 expression in the presence of LPS and IP-10 and IL-6 production
      with poly(I:C). CONCLUSION: Cryopreserved PLTs may be immunosuppressive, and this
      effect is more evident when processes associated with infection are concurrently
      activated, especially for BDCA3+ DCs. This suggests that transfusion of CPPs in
      patients with infection may result in impaired BDCA3+ DC responses.

PMID- 28921553
TI  - Response of Caligus rogercresseyi (Boxshall & Bravo, 2000) to treatment with
      Hydrogen Peroxide: Recovery of parasites, fish infestation and egg viability
      under experimental conditions.
AB  - Hydrogen peroxide (HP) is used to remove C. rogercresseyi from fish but little is
      known about its effect on this species. This study determined EC50 and
      concentration immobilizing 100% of specimens, capacity of parasites exposed to HP
      to recover and infest fish, and effect on survival into the copepodid stage. EC50
      and concentration immobilizing 100% of specimens were estimated by exposing
      parasites for 20 min to 11 concentrations and evaluating effect at 1 and 24 h
      post-exposure. Capacity to recover and infest fish, and survival into copepodid
      were evaluated by exposing parasites and eggs to HP for 20 min. Recovery and fish
      infestation were evaluated at 25 and 24 h post-exposure, respectively. Eggs were
      grown until control reached the copepodid stage and survival calculated. EC50 was
      709.8 ppm.100% immobilization was obtained at 825 ppm. Male and female recover
      0.5 and 1 h post-exposure, respectively. Percentage of parasites exposed and not
      exposed to HP that were recovered on fish was not significantly different.
      Survival to copepodid was lower in those exposed to HP. HP effect is greater on
      copepodids, but 100% of the mobile stages are immobilized under 825 ppm causing
      detachment from fish and potentially driven away, reducing infestation risk.

PMID- 28921554
TI  - DJ-1 deficiency impairs autophagy and reduces alpha-synuclein phagocytosis by
      microglia.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, of which 1%
      of the hereditary cases are linked to mutations in DJ-1, an oxidative stress
      sensor. The pathological hallmark of PD is intercellular inclusions termed Lewy
      Bodies, composed mainly of alpha-Synuclein (alpha-Syn) protein. Recent findings
      have shown that alpha-Syn can be transmitted from cell to cell, suggesting an
      important role of microglia, as the main scavenger cells of the brain, in
      clearing alpha-Syn. We previously reported that the knock down (KD) of DJ-1 in
      microglia increased cells' neurotoxicity to dopaminergic neurons. Here, we
      discovered that alpha-Syn significantly induced elevated secretion of the
      proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1beta and a significant dose-dependent
      elevation in the production of nitric oxide in DJ-1 KD microglia, compared to
      control microglia. We further investigated the ability of DJ-1 KD microglia to
      uptake and degrade soluble alpha-Syn, and discovered that DJ-1 KD reduces cell
      surface lipid raft expression in microglia and impairs their ability to uptake
      soluble alpha-Syn. Autophagy is an important mechanism for degradation of
      intracellular proteins and organelles. We discovered that DJ-1 KD microglia
      exhibit an impaired autophagy-dependent degradation of p62 and LC3 proteins, and
      that manipulation of autophagy had less effect on alpha-Syn uptake and clearance
      in DJ-1 KD microglia, compared to control microglia. Further studies of the link
      between DJ-1, alpha-Syn uptake and autophagy may provide useful insights into the
      role of microglia in the etiology of the PD.

PMID- 28921555
TI  - Improved performance of Pseudomonas putida in a bioelectrochemical system through
      overexpression of periplasmic glucose dehydrogenase.
AB  - It was recently demonstrated that a bioelectrochemical system (BES) with a redox
      mediator allowed Pseudomonas putida to perform anoxic metabolism, converting
      sugar to sugar acids with high yield. However, the low productivity currently
      limits the application of this technology. To improve productivity, the strain
      was optimized through improved expression of glucose dehydrogenase (GCD) and
      gluconate dehydrogenase (GAD). In addition, quantitative real-time RT-PCR
      analysis revealed the intrinsic self-regulation of GCD and GAD. Utilizing this
      self-regulation system, the single overexpression strain (GCD) gave an
      outstanding performance in the electron transfer rate and 2-ketogluconic acid
      (2KGA) productivity. The peak anodic current density, specific glucose uptake
      rate and 2KGA producing rate were 0.12 mA/cm2 , 0.27 +/- 0.02 mmol/gCDW /hr and
      0.25 +/- 0.02 mmol/gCDW /hr, which were 327%, 477%, and 644% of the values of
      wild-type P. putida KT2440, respectively. This work demonstrates that expression
      of periplasmic dehydrogenases involved in electron transfer can significantly
      improve productivity in the BES.

PMID- 28921556
TI  - Dating and Sexual Violence Research in the Schools: Balancing Protection of
      Confidentiality with Supporting the Welfare of Survivors.
AB  - Rigorous research and program evaluation are needed to understand the experience
      of dating and sexual violence among youth and the impact of prevention and
      intervention efforts. Our dilemma in doing this work occurred when youth
      disclosed dating and sexual violence on a research survey. What responsibility do
      researchers have to protect survivors' confidentiality as a research participant
      versus taking steps to ensure the student has the opportunity to access help? In
      our evaluation of a pilot dating violence prevention program, our protocols
      employed widely used procedures for providing resources to participants upon
      their completion of the survey and de-identifying survey data. Upon reviewing
      preliminary survey results, we became concerned that these established procedures
      were not sufficient to support research participants who were adolescent
      survivors of dating and sexual violence. We followed a structured ethical
      decision-making process to examine legal and ethical considerations, consult with
      colleagues, consider impacts and alternative solutions, and ultimately find a
      solution. Through this process, we developed procedures that balance participant
      confidentiality and the desire to support the welfare of survivors, which other
      researchers may want to employ when conducting youth sexual and dating violence
      research in school and community settings.

PMID- 28921557
TI  - Accountability, Collaboration, and Social Change: Ethical Tensions in an Action
      Research Project to Address Untested Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs).
AB  - We conducted a collaborative action research project with stakeholders in
      Detroit, Michigan, to develop long-term policy strategies to resolve ~11,000
      untested rape kits that were discovered in a police storage facility in August
      2009. In our research, we uncovered overwhelming evidence of victim-blaming
      behaviors and fundamental disrespect of rape survivors by the police, which
      directly contributed to their decisions not to submit kits for forensic testing.
      We had an ethical responsibility to report these negative findings accurately and
      completely, and in doing so, we were concerned that police stakeholders might
      disengage from the action research project and hamper our other ethical
      responsibilities to promote general and public welfare. In this article, we
      examine the ethical challenges of balancing accountability, collaboration, and
      social change.

PMID- 28921558
TI  - Safety and efficacy of intravenous iron polymaltose, iron sucrose and ferric
      carboxymaltose in pregnancy: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intravenous (IV) iron in pregnancy is useful where oral iron is not
      tolerated or a rapid replenishment of iron is required. AIMS: To review the
      literature on the efficacy and safety of different IV iron preparations in the
      management of antenatal iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      searched MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus from inception to June 2016. Eligible studies
      were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies, involving
      administration of IV iron (ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), iron polymaltose (IPM) or
      iron sucrose (IS)), regardless of comparator, to manage antenatal IDA. Two
      independent reviewers selected studies, extracted data and assessed quality.
      RESULTS: A total of 47 studies were eligible (21 RCTs and 26 observational
      studies), investigating IS (n = 2635; 41 studies), FCM (n = 276; four studies)
      and IPM (n = 164; three studies). All IV preparations resulted in significant
      improvements in haematological parameters, with a median increase of 21.8 g/L at
      3-4 weeks and 30.1 g/L by delivery, but there was no evidence of any associated
      improvements in clinical outcomes. A greater median increase in Hb was observed
      with a high (25 g/L; range: 20-39.6 g/L) compared with low dose (20 g/L; range:
      6.2-50.3 g/L). The median prevalence of adverse drug reactions for IPM (2.2%;
      range: 0-4.5%) was lower than FCM (5.0%; range: 0-20%) and IS (6.7%; range: 0
      19.5%). CONCLUSION: While IV iron in pregnancy improves haematological
      parameters, there is an absence of evidence for improvements in important
      maternal or perinatal outcomes. No single preparation of IV iron appeared to be
      superior, with the current IV iron preparation of choice largely determined by
      cost and convenience around administration.

PMID- 28921559
TI  - Plant evolutionary developmental biology. Introduction to a special issue.

PMID- 28921560
TI  - On plant growth and form.

PMID- 28921561
TI  - The ribokinases of Arabidopsis thaliana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are required
      for ribose recycling from nucleotide catabolism, which in plants is not essential
      to survive prolonged dark stress.
AB  - Nucleotide catabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae leads
      to the release of ribose, which requires phosphorylation to ribose-5-phosphate
      mediated by ribokinase (RBSK). We aimed to characterize RBSK in plants and yeast,
      to quantify the contribution of plant nucleotide catabolism to the ribose pool,
      and to investigate whether ribose carbon contributes to dark stress survival of
      plants. We performed a phylogenetic analysis and determined the kinetic constants
      of plant-expressed Arabidopsis and yeast RBSKs. Using mass spectrometry, several
      metabolites were quantified in AtRBSK mutants and double mutants with genes of
      nucleoside catabolism. Additionally, the dark stress performance of several
      nucleotide metabolism mutants and rbsk was compared. The plant PfkB family of
      sugar kinases forms nine major clades likely representing distinct biochemical
      functions, one of them RBSK. Nucleotide catabolism is the dominant ribose source
      in plant metabolism and is highly induced by dark stress. However, rbsk cannot be
      discerned from the wild type in dark stress. Interestingly, the accumulation of
      guanosine in a guanosine deaminase mutant strongly enhances dark stress symptoms.
      Although nucleotide catabolism contributes to carbon mobilization upon darkness
      and is the dominant source of ribose, the contribution appears to be of minor
      importance for dark stress survival.

PMID- 28921563
TI  - Advanced genomic testing may aid in counseling of isolated agenesis of the corpus
      callosum on prenatal ultrasound.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Isolated agenesis of the corpus callosum on fetal ultrasound has a
      varied prognosis. Microarray and exome sequencing (ES) might aid in prenatal
      counseling. METHOD: This study includes 25 fetuses with apparently isolated
      complete corpus callosum (cACC) on ultrasound. All cases were offered single
      nucleotide polymorphism array. Complementary ES was offered postnatally in
      selected cases. Clinical physical and neurodevelopmental follow-up was collected.
      RESULTS: Eighteen cases opted for single nucleotide polymorphism array testing,
      which detected a causal anomaly in 2/18 (11.1%; 95% CI 2.0%-31%). Among ongoing
      pregnancies without a causal anomaly on microarray, 30% (95% CI 8.5%-60%) showed
      intellectual disability. Postnatal magnetic resonance imaging and physical
      examination often (64%; 95% CI 38%-85%, and 64%; 95% CI 38%-85%, respectively)
      revealed additional physical anomalies in cases without a causal anomaly on
      microarray. Two cases appeared truly isolated after birth. Postnatal sequencing
      in 4 of 16 cases without a causal anomaly on microarray but with intellectual
      disability and/or additional postnatal physical anomalies revealed 2 single-gene
      disorders. Therefore, the estimated diagnostic yield of ES in chromosomally
      normal cACC fetuses is between 2/4 (50%; 95% CI 11%-89%) and 2/16 (13.3%; 95% CI
      2.4%-36%). CONCLUSION: In accordance with current guidelines, we conclude that
      microarray should be offered in case of isolated cACC on ultrasound. ES is likely
      to be informative for prenatal counseling and should be offered if microarray is
      normal.

PMID- 28921562
TI  - A novel approach using long-read sequencing and ddPCR to investigate gonadal
      mosaicism and estimate recurrence risk in two families with developmental
      disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: De novo mutations contribute significantly to severe early-onset
      genetic disorders. Even if the mutation is apparently de novo, there is a
      recurrence risk due to parental germ line mosaicism, depending on in which
      gonadal generation the mutation occurred. METHODS: We demonstrate the power of
      using SMRT sequencing and ddPCR to determine parental origin and allele
      frequencies of de novo mutations in germ cells in two families whom had undergone
      assisted reproduction. RESULTS: In the first family, a TCOF1 variant c.3156C>T
      was identified in the proband with Treacher Collins syndrome. The variant affects
      splicing and was determined to be of paternal origin. It was present in <1% of
      the paternal germ cells, suggesting a very low recurrence risk. In the second
      family, the couple had undergone several unsuccessful pregnancies where a de novo
      mutation PTPN11 c.923A>C causing Noonan syndrome was identified. The variant was
      present in 40% of the paternal germ cells suggesting a high recurrence risk.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight a successful strategy to identify the
      parental origin of mutations and to investigate the recurrence risk in couples
      that have undergone assisted reproduction with an unknown donor or in couples
      with gonadal mosaicism that will undergo preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

PMID- 28921564
TI  - Machine-specific quality assurance procedure for stereotactic treatments with
      dynamic couch rotations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We present a method in which the treatment couch's accuracy is
      measured using the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and a phantom of our
      own construction. Using this phantom, we were able to quantify the treatment
      couch walkout, and the rotation angle accuracy for both static and dynamic couch
      treatments. These measurements were used to provide an accurate measure of the
      treatment couch isocenter as well as to verify the couch rotation angle recorded
      in the trajectory log. METHODS: The phantom was constructed using a polystyrene
      slab in which five ball bearings of 4 mm diameter are placed on the same plane at
      varying radii (0, 2.8, 4.4, 5.6, and 6.7 cm). The couch was rotated through its
      full extent (-90, 90 degrees) while MV images were acquired continuously. The
      couch rotational accuracy was calculated using a least squares minimization which
      fit the locations of the BBs to their expected locations relative to reference
      setup conditions. Using this approach, rotation angle and isocenter walkout was
      calculated in three dimensions. These measurements were used to quantify the
      accuracy of the couch as well as to validate the Varian TrueBeam trajectory logs.
      Additionally, a method for an EPID-based couch star-shot measurement was
      developed and compared with the traditional film-based method. RESULTS: The
      measured couch center of rotation consisted of a cloud of points clustered around
      the room isocenter within 0.7 mm distance. The trajectory log couch angle values
      agreed with those recorded in the DICOM header of the EPID images to the third
      significant digit and the couch rotation angles recorded in the trajectory log
      and DICOM header agreed with the calculated values to 0.08 degrees. Comparison of
      couch star-shot measurement developed in this study with film-based star-shot
      measurements gave an agreement to within 0.2 mm. CONCLUSION: We have developed a
      quality assurance method for the treatment couch which is simple, accurate, and
      enables the user to access a multitude of consistent data with a single
      measurement. Using this method, we have shown that the treatment couch is
      accurate for both static and dynamic stereotactic deliveries.

PMID- 28921565
TI  - The impact of P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein on the brain
      pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a panel of MEK inhibitors.
AB  - Mitogen/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitors have been tested
      in clinical trials for treatment of intracranial neoplasms, including
      glioblastoma (GBM), but efficacy of these drugs has not yet been demonstrated.
      The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major impediment to adequate delivery of drugs
      into the brain and may thereby also limit the successful implementation of MEK
      inhibitors against intracranial malignancies. The BBB is equipped with a range of
      ATP-dependent efflux transport proteins, of which P-gp (ABCB1) and BCRP (ABCG2)
      are the two most dominant for drug efflux from the brain. We investigated their
      impact on the pharmacokinetics and target engagement of a panel of clinically
      applied MEK inhibitors, in order to select the most promising candidate for brain
      cancers in the context of clinical pharmacokinetics and inhibitor
      characteristics. To this end, we used in vitro drug transport assays and
      conducted pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies in wildtype and ABC
      transporter knockout mice. PD0325901 displayed more promising characteristics
      than trametinib (GSK1120212), binimetinib (MEK162), selumetinib (AZD6244), and
      pimasertib (AS703026): PD0325901 was the weakest substrate of P-gp and BCRP in
      vitro, its brain penetration was only marginally higher in Abcb1a/b;Abcg2-/-
      mice, and efficient target inhibition in the brain could be achieved at
      clinically relevant plasma levels. Notably, target inhibition could also be
      demonstrated for selumetinib, but only at plasma levels far above levels in
      patients receiving the maximum tolerated dose. In summary, our study recommends
      further development of PD0325901 for the treatment of intracranial neoplasms.

PMID- 28921566
TI  - PEGylation of cationic liposomes encapsulating soluble Leishmania antigens
      reduces the adjuvant efficacy of liposomes in murine model.
AB  - Although there have been several attempts to develop a vaccine against
      leishmaniasis, no vaccine in human has been developed yet. Liposomes consisting
      of 1, 2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) encapsulating soluble
      Leishmania antigens (SLA) enhance protective immunity of SLA against Leishmania
      major infection in mice. However, they immobilized at the injection site because
      of their positive charge. To overcome the problem, shielding the surface charge
      with polyethylene glycol (PEGylation) was chosen in this study. Liposomal SLA
      consisting different concentrations of PEG (1.9%-15% mol) were prepared. BALB/c
      mice were immunized three times in 3 weeks intervals with different formulations.
      Lesion development and parasite burden in footpad and spleen were evaluated to
      specify the type of generated immune response and extent of protection. Th1/Th2
      cytokine profiles and IgG isotypes were also analysed. The maximum protection was
      observed in mice immunized with Lip-SLA or pLip-SLA (1.9%) due to smaller footpad
      swelling, reduction in parasite load, an increase in IgG2a and IFN-gamma
      production. Our results showed that immunization of mice with a high level of PEG
      (>7.5%) did not improve protective immunity of liposomal SLA. The presence of
      PEG, particularly more than 3.75%, is not recommended for protection against
      leishmaniasis.

PMID- 28921567
TI  - Fragile Y Chromosomes (retrospective on DOI 10.1002/bies.201500040).

PMID- 28921569
TI  - Murine red blood cells from genetically distinct donors cross-regulate when
      stored together.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Donor variability of red blood cell (RBC) storage has been observed
      in both humans and animal models. We utilized a strain of mice with RBCs known to
      store well (B6) and a strain known to store poorly (FVB) to test the hypothesis
      that RBCs affected the storage of other RBCs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Five
      strains of mice were used: 1) transgenic B6 mice expressing green fluorescent
      protein (GFP) in their RBCs (GFP.B6), 2) wild-type B6 mice, 3) wild-type FVB
      mice, 4) F1 crosses between GFP.B6 and FVB mice (GFP.F1), and 5) the analogous
      wild-type (B6xFVB) F1 cross. GFP.B6 or GFP.F1 RBCs were mixed with wild-type (non
      GFP) RBCs from B6 or FVB strains before storage. Twenty-four-hour RBC recoveries
      were determined for stored RBCs by enumerating circulating GFP+ RBCs by flow
      cytometry. RESULTS: Twenty-four-hour recoveries of GFP.F1 RBCs was increased by
      co-storage with B6 RBCs but decreased by co-storage with FVB RBCs. This effect
      was dose dependent when tested with GFP.B6 RBCs; the more FVB blood added, the
      worse the 24-hour recoveries became. RBC cross-regulation did not occur when B6
      and FVB RBCs were separated by a semipermeable membrane with a 0.4-um size
      cutoff. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that RBCs affect the storage of
      other RBCs, in both positive and negative directions, indicating not only that
      RBC storage is intrinsic to the RBC but that RBC-RBC communication occurs.
      Additional studies will be required to determine the nature of this effect and if
      these findings translate into human RBC storage.

PMID- 28921568
TI  - Neuronal activity-dependent local activation of dendritic unfolded protein
      response promotes expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in cell soma.
AB  - Unfolded protein response (UPR) has roles not only in resolving the accumulation
      of unfolded proteins owing to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, but also in
      regulation of cellular physiological functions. ER stress transducers providing
      the branches of UPR signaling are known to localize in distal dendritic ER of
      neurons. These reports suggest that local activation of UPR branches may produce
      integrated outputs for distant communication, and allow regulation of local
      events in highly polarized neurons. Here, we demonstrated that synaptic activity-
      and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-dependent local activation of UPR
      signaling could be associated with dendritic functions through retrograde signal
      propagation by using murine neuroblastoma cell line, Neuro-2A and primary
      cultured hippocampal neurons derived from postnatal day 0 litter C57BL/6 mice. ER
      stress transducer, inositol-requiring kinase 1 (IRE1), was activated at
      postsynapses in response to excitatory synaptic activation. Activated dendritic
      IRE1 accelerated accumulation of the downstream transcription factor, x-box
      binding protein 1 (XBP1), in the nucleus. Interestingly, excitatory synaptic
      activation-dependent up-regulation of XBP1 directly facilitated transcriptional
      activation of BDNF. BDNF in turn drove its own expression via IRE1-XBP1 pathway
      in a protein kinase A-dependent manner. Exogenous treatment with BDNF promoted
      extension and branching of dendrites through the protein kinase A-IRE1-XBP1
      cascade. Taken together, our findings indicate novel mechanisms for communication
      between soma and distal sites of polarized neurons that are coordinated by local
      activation of IRE1-XBP1 signaling. Synaptic activity- and BDNF-dependent distinct
      activation of dendritic IRE1-XBP1 cascade drives BDNF expression in cell soma and
      may be involved in dendritic extension. Cover Image for this issue: doi.
      10.1111/jnc.14159.

PMID- 28921570
TI  - Behavioural responses of infective-stage copepodids of the salmon louse
      (Lepeophtheirus salmonis, Copepoda:Caligidae) to host-related sensory cues.
AB  - The salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis [Kroyer]) is an ectoparasitic copepod
      that causes disease in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and may play a role
      in the decline of some wild salmonid populations. Controlling lice infestations
      is a major cost for the salmon industry; this has stimulated the pursuit of
      alternative approaches to controlling them. One such approach involves
      determining, and then disrupting, the sensory cues used by the parasite to find
      its host. In this context, we examined the behavioural responses of lice
      copepodids to light flicker-simulating light reflecting from the sides of the
      salmon host and/or the shadows cast by fish passing overhead-and water-soluble
      chemicals released from the skin of the salmon. From these observations, we
      estimate that visual cues such as those presented here would operate at
      relatively long range (metres to tens of metres). A diffuse host-related
      olfactory cue stimulated swimming, however, it remains unclear whether olfactory
      cues provide directional information. The observations presented herein could be
      used to disrupt the link between the parasite and host fish, using a large number
      of traps deployed at a distance from a salmon farm, for example, thereby reducing
      sea lice infestation pressure.

PMID- 28921571
TI  - Comparing touch senses of naive and expert panels through treated hair swatches:
      which associated wordings correlate with hair physical properties?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study (i) compared the sense of touch between a naive and expert
      panels, under visual or blind conditions, using differently treated hair swatches
      and (ii) explored possible common wordings used by both panels and their possible
      links with some physical properties of hairs. METHODS: Two sets of 15 hair
      swatches of Caucasian and Chinese origins were differently treated (bleached,
      permed, brushed, etc.) or organized (root-tip vs. tip-root). These were evaluated
      by tactile assessments by two panels (105 naive consumers and 10 hair experts)
      under visual or blind conditions, in two geographical locations. A series of 17
      defined antonym adjectives, as descriptors, allowed responses of each panel to
      being scored and their preference mappings to being defined on a like-dislike
      scale. Hair swatches were measured and assessed by various instrumental
      techniques (bending, diameter, cuticle cohesion, alignments of hair). RESULTS:
      Apart from a few overlaps, all 15 hair swatches were well differentiated by both
      panels which showed a global agreement, making experts reliable assessors. Only
      three descriptors among 17 correlated with some objective measurements. Tactile
      visual assessments differ from those performed tactile blind in both panels.
      Agreements between both panels appear, however, closer under tactile-blind
      conditions. CONCLUSION: Trained hair experts were confirmed as reliable
      representatives of a larger and naive cohort, viewed as consumers. Hair swatches
      were well differentiated by both panels, with comparable descriptor rankings.

PMID- 28921572
TI  - Production-level risk factors for syncytial hepatitis in farmed tilapia
      (Oreochromis niloticus L).
AB  - Syncytial hepatitis (SHT) is an emerging viral disease of tilapia characterized
      by significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to establish the
      production-level risk factors associated with presence and severity of SHT.
      Production factors were analysed during multiple outbreaks of SHT that occurred
      between 2011 and 2013 on a single tilapia farm in Ecuador and compared with the
      year 2010 before the SHT outbreaks. Relative risks, t tests, modified Poisson and
      forward stepwise linear regression analyses were performed using EPIINFOTM.
      Compared to other strains, Chitralada had an elevated risk of SHT [RR = 2.1
      (95%CI 1.8-2.4)]. Excessive mortality associated with the presence (and severity)
      of SHT increased by 611 (365), 6,814 (5,768) and 388 (340) deaths per 100,000 fry
      when stocking density, dissolved oxygen and pond production cycles were raised by
      1 fish/m2 , 1 mg/L and 1 cycle, respectively. Excessive mortality associated with
      the presence (and severity) of SHT decreased by 337 (258) and 1,354 (1,025)
      deaths per 100,000 when stocking weight and water temperature increased by 1 g
      and 1 degrees C, respectively. Time (season and stocking year) was not
      significantly associated with SHT. This study shows that some production factors
      increase the risk incidence and severity of SHTon a farm.

PMID- 28921574
TI  - Ideology and resistance in young people's experiences of health under the
      'imperative of enjoyment'.
AB  - This article explores upper secondary school students' understandings and
      experiences of health in Denmark, where public health promotions appeal to
      pleasure. Health promotion thereby taps into capitalist society's 'imperative of
      enjoyment', which reproduces ideological fantasies about the fulfilment of
      desires through the consumption of health. Based on qualitative empirical
      material produced through participatory and visual methods during fieldwork
      conducted in 2012, the analysis shows that relations between healthiness and
      pleasure are conflated and paradoxical: the students try to fit into society not
      only by being healthy, but also by enjoying healthiness; but if they fail
      pleasure, they fail healthiness and experience a loss of individual social value.
      Although the 'enjoyment society' has the potential to produce individualisation
      and marginalisation, the students in this study actively attempt to subvert its
      double bind by insisting that collective experiences with peers constitutes the
      foundation of enjoyable healthiness. Nevertheless, public health promotions that
      reproduce enjoyment as an imperative, even in the pursuit of health, risk
      reinforcing young people's resistance towards health.

PMID- 28921573
TI  - Contralateral breast cancers: Independent cancers or metastases?
AB  - A cancer in the contralateral breast in a woman with a previous or synchronous
      breast cancer is typically considered to be an independent primary tumor.
      Emerging evidence suggests that in a small subset of these cases the second tumor
      represents a metastasis. We sought to investigate the issue using massively
      parallel sequencing targeting 254 genes recurrently mutated in breast cancer. We
      examined the tumor archives at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for the
      period 1995-2006 to identify cases of contralateral breast cancer where surgery
      for both tumors was performed at the Center. We report results from 49 patients
      successfully analyzed by a targeted massively parallel sequencing assay. Somatic
      mutations and copy number alterations were defined by state-of-the-art
      algorithms. Clonal relatedness was evaluated by statistical tests specifically
      designed for this purpose. We found evidence that the tumors in contralateral
      breasts were clonally related in three cases (6%) on the basis of matching
      mutations at codons where somatic mutations are rare. Clinical data and the
      presence of similar patterns of gene copy number alterations were consistent with
      metastasis for all three cases. In three additional cases, there was a solitary
      matching mutation at a common PIK3CA locus. The results suggest that a subset of
      contralateral breast cancers represent metastases rather than independent primary
      tumors. Massively parallel sequencing analysis can provide important evidence to
      clarify the diagnosis. However, given the inter-tumor mutational heterogeneity in
      breast cancer, sufficiently large gene panels need to be employed to define
      clonality convincingly in all cases.

PMID- 28921577
TI  - Time for training?

PMID- 28921575
TI  - Ingested nitrate and nitrite, disinfection by-products, and pancreatic cancer
      risk in postmenopausal women.
AB  - Nitrate and nitrite are precursors of N-nitroso compounds (NOC), probable human
      carcinogens that cause pancreatic tumors in animals. Disinfection by-products
      (DBP) exposures have also been linked with digestive system cancers, but few
      studies have evaluated relationships with pancreatic cancer. We investigated the
      association of pancreatic cancer with these drinking water contaminants and
      dietary nitrate/nitrite in a cohort of postmenopausal women in Iowa (1986-2011).
      We used historical monitoring and treatment data to estimate levels of long-term
      average nitrate and total trihalomethanes (TTHM; the sum of the most prevalent
      DBP class) and the duration exceeding one-half the maximum contaminant level
      (>1/2 MCL; 5 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen, 40 ug/L TTHM) among participants on public
      water supplies (PWS) >10 years. We estimated dietary nitrate and nitrite intakes
      using a food frequency questionnaire. We computed hazard ratios (HR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) using Cox regression and evaluated nitrate interactions
      with smoking and vitamin C intake. We identified 313 cases among 34,242 women,
      including 152 with >10 years PWS use (N = 15,710). Multivariable models of
      average nitrate showed no association with pancreatic cancer (HRp95vs. Q1  =
      1.16, 95% CI: 0.51-2.64). Associations with average TTHM levels were also null
      (HRQ4vs. Q1  = 0.70, 95% CI:0.42-1.18). We observed no trend with increasing
      years of exposure to either contaminant at levels >1/2 MCL. Positive associations
      were suggested in the highest dietary nitrite intake from processed meat
      (HRp95vs. Q1  = 1.66, 95% CI 1.00-2.75;ptrend  = 0.05). We found no interactions
      of nitrate with known modifiers of endogenous NOC formation. Our results suggest
      that nitrite intake from processed meat may be a risk factor for pancreatic
      cancer.

PMID- 28921576
TI  - Rape Myth Acceptance in Sexually Assaulted Adolescents' School Contexts:
      Associations with Depressed Mood and Alcohol Use.
AB  - High school students exposed to sexual assault (SA) are at risk for negative
      outcomes like depressed mood and high-risk drinking. Although evidence suggests
      that both social contexts and internalized stigma can affect recovery from SA, no
      research to date has directly examined the presence of stigma in social contexts
      such as high schools as a correlate of adjustment after SA. In this study, the
      self-reported rape myth acceptance (RMA) of 3080 students from 97 grade cohorts
      in 25 high schools was used to calculate grade-mean and school-mean RMA, which
      was entered into multilevel models predicting depressed mood and alcohol use
      among N = 263 SA survivors within those schools. Two forms of RMA were assessed
      (i.e., rape denial and traditional gender expectations). Results indicate that
      higher grade-mean rape denial was associated with higher risk for depressed mood
      among high school boys and girls exposed to SA, and higher grade-mean traditional
      gender expectations were associated with higher risk for alcohol use among girls
      exposed to SA. Survivors' own RMA and school-level RMA were not significantly
      associated with their depressed mood or alcohol use. Although causality cannot be
      concluded, these findings suggest that interventions that reduce stigma in social
      contexts should be explored further as a strategy to improve well-being among
      high-school-aged survivors of SA.

PMID- 28921578
TI  - The "Darknet": The new street for street drugs.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: The "Darknet" ("dark web") has emerged as a means by
      which illegal drug buys and deliveries can be arranged with apparent anonymity
      and impunity. Healthcare providers should be aware of this growing source of
      illicit drugs. COMMENT: The "Darknet" refers to networks isolated from the
      Internet that cannot be accessed via conventional search engines. They require
      special software that is protected by special encryption. The initial legitimate
      use of a "Darknet" to conceal personal information against misuse or political
      reprisal is being exploited to conceal the identity of buyers and sellers in
      illegal drug transactions. Instructions on how to obtain access to the "Darknet"
      are readily available on conventional Internet web pages. WHAT IS NEW AND
      CONCLUSION: The "Darknet" has changed the paradigm of illegal drug importation
      and distribution by providing a difficult-to-trace transaction, and delivery via
      legitimate couriers directly to the home.

PMID- 28921579
TI  - Material basis studies of anti-Influenza A active ingredients in Tanreqing
      Injection.
AB  - Tanreqing Injection (TRQ) has been used primarily in treating infections of the
      upper respiratory tract and serious influenza in China, as a classical compound
      herbal recipe. TRQ had been demonstrated to have effects of clearing heat,
      eliminating phlegm, detoxification, reducing inflammation and alleviating cough.
      The survival rate, histopathology of lungs and viral titers in mice were
      evaluated in this study to verify the curative effect of TRQ. However, there is
      not enough information about the components. In the present study, a high
      performance and practical LC/QTOF/MS method was developed for characterization
      and identification of the natural ingredients in TRQ. A total of 60 compounds,
      including 10 amino acids, 10 iridoid glucosides, 14 flavonoids, 13 other phenolic
      compounds, 10 steroid acids and three other compounds, were characterized and
      identified. We also confirmed the material basis of anti-Influenza A active
      ingredients in TRQ. Therefore, we have developed an accurate analytical method.
      LC/QTOF/MS could be applied for identification the complex components in
      traditional Chinese medicine.

PMID- 28921580
TI  - Integrating prior information into microwave tomography Part 1: Impact of detail
      on image quality.
AB  - PURPOSE: The authors investigate the impact that incremental increases in the
      level of detail of patient-specific prior information have on image quality and
      the convergence behavior of an inversion algorithm in the context of near-field
      microwave breast imaging. A methodology is presented that uses image quality
      measures to characterize the ability of the algorithm to reconstruct both
      internal structures and lesions embedded in fibroglandular tissue. The approach
      permits key aspects that impact the quality of reconstruction of these structures
      to be identified and quantified. This provides insight into opportunities to
      improve image reconstruction performance. METHODS: Patient-specific information
      is acquired using radar-based methods that form a regional map of the breast.
      This map is then incorporated into a microwave tomography algorithm. Previous
      investigations have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach to improve
      image quality when applied to data generated with two-dimensional (2D) numerical
      models. The present study extends this work by generating prior information that
      is customized to vary the degree of structural detail to facilitate the
      investigation of the role of prior information in image formation. Numerical 2D
      breast models constructed from magnetic resonance (MR) scans, and reconstructions
      formed with a three-dimensional (3D) numerical breast model are used to assess if
      trends observed for the 2D results can be extended to 3D scenarios. RESULTS: For
      the blind reconstruction scenario (i.e., no prior information), the breast
      surface is not accurately identified and internal structures are not clearly
      resolved. A substantial improvement in image quality is achieved by incorporating
      the skin surface map and constraining the imaging domain to the breast. Internal
      features within the breast appear in the reconstructed image. However, it is
      challenging to discriminate between adipose and glandular regions and there are
      inaccuracies in both the structural properties of the glandular region and the
      dielectric properties reconstructed within this structure. Using a regional map
      with a skin layer only marginally improves this situation. Increasing the
      structural detail in the prior information to include internal features leads to
      reconstructions for which the interface that delineates the fat and gland regions
      can be inferred. Different features within the glandular region corresponding to
      tissues with varying relative permittivity values, such as a lesion embedded
      within glandular structure, emerge in the reconstructed images. CONCLUSION:
      Including knowledge of the breast surface and skin layer leads to a substantial
      improvement in image quality compared to the blind case, but the images have
      limited diagnostic utility for applications such as tumor response tracking. The
      diagnostic utility of the reconstruction technique is improved considerably when
      patient-specific structural information is used. This qualitative observation is
      supported quantitatively with image metrics.

PMID- 28921581
TI  - miR-122 promotes metastasis of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma by downregulating
      Dicer.
AB  - Although overall downregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) is a general feature of
      clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), several miRNAs are consistently
      upregulated, among which miR-122 was markedly increased in ccRCC tissues. Our
      study aims to determine the functional importance and underlying mechanism of miR
      122 in ccRCC metastasis. Here, we demonstrate that the expression of miR-122
      increased in ccRCC tissues, and higher miR-122 expression was found in ccRCC
      tissues with metastatic disease than in those without metastasis. The increased
      miR-122 levels were associated with poor metastasis-free survival in ccRCC
      patients with localized disease. Dicer was validated as a direct functional
      target of miR-122. Overexpression of miR-122 promoted migration and invasion of
      ccRCC cells in vitro and metastatic behavior of ccRCC cells in vivo. Inhibition
      of miR-122 attenuated this metastatic phenotype in vitro. Importantly, miR-122
      exerted its pro-metastatic properties in ccRCC cells by downregulating Dicer and
      its downstream effector, the miR-200 family, thereby inducing epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our results suggest an important role of the miR
      122/Dicer/miR-200s/EMT pathway in ccRCC metastasis. Furthermore, miR-122 may
      serve as a biomarker for discriminating ccRCC with metastatic potential.

PMID- 28921582
TI  - Retribution as hierarchy regulation: Hierarchy preferences moderate the effect of
      offender socioeconomic status on support for retribution.
AB  - People punish others for various reasons, including deterring future crime,
      incapacitating the offender, and retribution, or payback. The current research
      focuses on retribution, testing whether support for retribution is motivated by
      the desire to maintain social hierarchies. If so, then the retributive tendencies
      of hierarchy enhancers or hierarchy attenuators should depend on whether
      offenders are relatively lower or higher in status, respectively. Three studies
      showed that hierarchy attenuators were more retributive against high-status
      offenders than for low-status offenders, that hierarchy enhancers showed a
      stronger orientation towards retributive justice, and that relationship was
      stronger for low-status, rather than high-status, criminal offenders. These
      findings clarify the purpose and function of retributive punishment. They also
      reveal how hierarchy-regulating motives underlie retribution, motives which, if
      allowed to influence judgements, may contribute to biased or ineffective justice
      systems.

PMID- 28921583
TI  - Associations of alcohol intake, smoking, physical activity and obesity with
      survival following colorectal cancer diagnosis by stage, anatomic site and tumor
      molecular subtype.
AB  - The influence of lifestyle factors on survival following a diagnosis of
      colorectal cancer (CRC) is not well established. We examined associations between
      lifestyle factors measured before diagnosis and CRC survival. The Melbourne
      Collaborative Cohort Study collected data on alcohol intake, cigarette smoking
      and physical activity, and body measurements at baseline (1990-1994) and wave 2
      (2003-2007). We included participants diagnosed to 31 August 2015 with incident
      stages I-III CRC within 10-years post exposure assessment. Information on tumor
      characteristics and vital status was obtained. Tumor DNA was tested for
      microsatellite instability (MSI) and somatic mutations in oncogenes BRAF (V600E)
      and KRAS. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for associations between lifestyle
      factors and overall and CRC-specific mortality using Cox regression. Of 724
      eligible CRC cases, 339 died (170 from CRC) during follow-up (average 9.0 years).
      Exercise (non-occupational/leisure-time) was associated with higher CRC-specific
      survival for stage II (HR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.10-0.60) but not stages I/III disease
      (p for interaction = 0.01), and possibly for colon and KRAS wild-type tumors.
      Waist circumference was inversely associated with CRC-specific survival (HR =
      1.25 per 10 cm increment, 95% CI: 1.08-1.44), independent of stage, anatomic site
      and tumor molecular status. Cigarette smoking was associated with lower overall
      survival, with suggestive evidence of worse survival for BRAF mutated CRC, but
      not with CRC-specific survival. Alcohol intake was not associated with survival.
      Survival did not differ by MSI status. We have identified pre-diagnostic
      predictors of survival following CRC that may have clinical and public health
      relevance.

PMID- 28921584
TI  - We didn't say that: Challenges in the Public Dissemination of a Research Finding
      with Controversial Implications.
AB  - In the March 2014 issue of American Journal of Community Psychology, we published
      an article that examined the tension between two core values in the field of
      community psychology: promoting contextual conditions that foster respect for
      diversity and promoting contextual conditions that foster sense of community. We
      concluded that processes of social network formation could help explain why
      diversity and sense of community are seemingly incompatible goals. The study's
      findings initially disseminated through the usual academic channels, and later
      through mainstream media outlets. However, they also eventually appeared on blogs
      and discussion forums devoted to white nationalism. The findings were viewed
      there as having demonstrated the evils of diversity, and thus having vindicated
      the white nationalist agenda. As a result, we were forced to consider whether and
      how to set the record straight. In this first-person narrative, we describe our
      study's journey from AJCP to white nationalist blogs, discussing how we
      ultimately responded to the situation, and concluding with some lessons learned.

PMID- 28921586
TI  - Down syndrome maternal serum markers in oocyte donation and other assisted
      reproductive technologies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Because maternal serum markers (pregnancy-associated plasma protein A,
      human chorionic gonadotropin free beta subunit, and alpha-fetoprotein) used for
      Down syndrome (DS) screening have been described as predictors of obstetrical
      complications and because assisted reproductive technology (ART) pregnancies are
      known to be at increased risk for obstetrical complications, it is unclear
      whether or not correction factors should be applied to the calculated risk of DS.
      The purpose of this study was to evaluate DS maternal serum markers in oocyte
      donation (OD) and ART pregnancies in comparison with natural pregnancies. METHOD:
      Multicenter retrospective 2010 to 2013 study in singleton pregnancies was used.
      First- and second-trimester DS screenings in 614 OD and 1921 ART pregnancies
      versus 7268 natural pregnancies are compared. RESULTS: There was a significant
      increase in hCGbeta in the OD group for both trimesters (first trimester: 1.28
      MoM vs 1.02; P < .001 and second trimester: 1.32 MoM vs 1 MoM; P < .001).
      Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A was significantly lower in the ART group
      (0.92 and 1.02 MoM P < .001). CONCLUSION: Maternal serum markers for DS screening
      are significantly modified in ART and OD pregnancies. Because these markers are
      also markers for obstetrical complications, the rationale for applying correction
      factors is questionable.

PMID- 28921587
TI  - Dimethyl fumarate treatment after traumatic brain injury prevents depletion of
      antioxidative brain glutathione and confers neuroprotection.
AB  - Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an immunomodulatory compound to treat multiple
      sclerosis and psoriasis with neuroprotective potential. Its mechanism of action
      involves activation of the antioxidant pathway regulator Nuclear factor erythroid
      2-related factor 2 thereby increasing synthesis of the cellular antioxidant
      glutathione (GSH). The objective of this study was to investigate whether post
      traumatic DMF treatment is beneficial after experimental traumatic brain injury
      (TBI). Adult C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to controlled cortical impact followed
      by oral administration of DMF (80 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle at 3, 24, 48, and
      72 h after the inflicted TBI. At 4 days after lesion (dal), DMF-treated mice
      displayed less neurological deficits than vehicle-treated mice and reduced
      histopathological brain damage. At the same time, the TBI-evoked depletion of
      brain GSH was prevented by DMF treatment. However, nuclear factor erythroid 2
      related factor 2 target gene mRNA expression involved in antioxidant and
      detoxifying pathways was increased in both treatment groups at 4 dal. Blood brain
      barrier leakage, as assessed by immunoglobulin G extravasation, inflammatory
      marker mRNA expression, and CD45+ leukocyte infiltration into the perilesional
      brain tissue was induced by TBI but not significantly altered by DMF treatment.
      Collectively, our data demonstrate that post-traumatic DMF treatment improves
      neurological outcome and reduces brain tissue loss in a clinically relevant model
      of TBI. Our findings suggest that DMF treatment confers neuroprotection after TBI
      via preservation of brain GSH levels rather than by modulating neuroinflammation.

PMID- 28921585
TI  - AllergoOncology: Opposite outcomes of immune tolerance in allergy and cancer.
AB  - While desired for the cure of allergy, regulatory immune cell subsets and
      nonclassical Th2-biased inflammatory mediators in the tumour microenvironment can
      contribute to immune suppression and escape of tumours from immunological
      detection and clearance. A key aim in the cancer field is therefore to design
      interventions that can break immunological tolerance and halt cancer progression,
      whereas on the contrary allergen immunotherapy exactly aims to induce tolerance.
      In this position paper, we review insights on immune tolerance derived from
      allergy and from cancer inflammation, focusing on what is known about the roles
      of key immune cells and mediators. We propose that research in the field of
      AllergoOncology that aims to delineate these immunological mechanisms with
      juxtaposed clinical consequences in allergy and cancer may point to novel avenues
      for therapeutic interventions that stand to benefit both disciplines.

PMID- 28921588
TI  - Integrating prior information into microwave tomography part 2: Impact of errors
      in prior information on microwave tomography image quality.
AB  - PURPOSE: The authors have developed a method to combine a patient-specific map of
      tissue structure and average dielectric properties with microwave tomography. The
      patient-specific map is acquired with radar-based techniques and serves as prior
      information for microwave tomography. The impact that the degree of structural
      detail included in this prior information has on image quality was reported in a
      previous investigation. The aim of the present study is to extend this previous
      work by identifying and quantifying the impact that errors in the prior
      information have on image quality, including the reconstruction of internal
      structures and lesions embedded in fibroglandular tissue. This study also extends
      the work of others reported in literature by emulating a clinical setting with a
      set of experiments that incorporate heterogeneity into both the breast interior
      and glandular region, as well as prior information related to both fat and
      glandular structures. METHODS: Patient-specific structural information is
      acquired using radar-based methods that form a regional map of the breast. Errors
      are introduced to create a discrepancy in the geometry and electrical properties
      between the regional map and the model used to generate the data. This permits
      the impact that errors in the prior information have on image quality to be
      evaluated. Image quality is quantitatively assessed by measuring the ability of
      the algorithm to reconstruct both internal structures and lesions embedded in
      fibroglandular tissue. The study is conducted using both 2D and 3D numerical
      breast models constructed from MRI scans. RESULTS: The reconstruction results
      demonstrate robustness of the method relative to errors in the dielectric
      properties of the background regional map, and to misalignment errors. These
      errors do not significantly influence the reconstruction accuracy of the
      underlying structures, or the ability of the algorithm to reconstruct malignant
      tissue. Although misalignment errors do not significantly impact the quality of
      the reconstructed fat and glandular structures for the 3D scenarios, the
      dielectric properties are reconstructed less accurately within the glandular
      structure for these cases relative to the 2D cases. However, general agreement
      between the 2D and 3D results was found. CONCLUSION: A key contribution of this
      paper is the detailed analysis of the impact of prior information errors on the
      reconstruction accuracy and ability to detect tumors. The results support the
      utility of acquiring patient-specific information with radar-based techniques and
      incorporating this information into MWT. The method is robust to errors in the
      dielectric properties of the background regional map, and to misalignment errors.
      Completion of this analysis is an important step toward developing the method
      into a practical diagnostic tool.

PMID- 28921589
TI  - Susceptibility, behaviour, and retention of the parasitic salmon louse
      (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) differ with Atlantic salmon population origin.
AB  - Atlantic salmon populations across the world have diverse ecological and
      evolutionary histories, from wild anadromous or landlocked, to domestication and
      genetic modification. The natural host behaviours confer protection from
      infestation by ectoparasitic salmon lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis, yet whether
      genetic origin results in different behaviours and thus susceptibility to
      infestation is unknown. In common garden experiments, we tested antiparasite
      behaviours, susceptibility and retention of salmon lice in wild anadromous, wild
      landlocked, domesticated and genetically modified domesticated strains. Within
      domesticated strains, we tested two infestation histories (previously infested
      and naive) and a new phenotype (albino colouring). Farmed stocks initially
      acquired 24%-44% higher levels of parasite density than the wild and landlocked
      strains. Burst swimming and displacement behaviours were higher in the
      domesticated groups, and jumping was more prevalent in the domesticated strains.
      At 34 days post-infestation, domesticated strains and the wild anadromous strain
      did not differ significantly from each other; however, landlocked salmon had
      increased infestation levels considerably. Domesticated strains lost ~20% (+/
      9.9%-16.5%; 95% CI) of their initial parasite load, while parasite load increased
      by 5.5% (+/-30.1%) for wild salmon and 20.1% (+/-28.5%) in landlocked salmon.
      This study provides early evidence for diverged host-parasite interactions
      associated with domestication in this system.

PMID- 28921590
TI  - Developing a prediction model for cardiovascular risk after orthotopic liver
      transplantation.

PMID- 28921591
TI  - Treatment of a mobile intracardiac thrombus using ultra-slow low-dose tissue
      plasminogen activator in combination with heparin.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Free-floating thrombi in the right heart occur in a
      subset of patients with pulmonary embolism with high rates of mortality if
      untreated. Treatment of choice is controversial and likely patient specific as
      studies have failed to consistently show a significant difference in mortality
      between options. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case of a 45-year-old female with a
      mobile right heart thrombus treated with ultra-slow, low-dose t-PA infusion in
      combination with heparin. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Ultra-slow, low-dose
      infusion of t-PA may be an option for treatment of mobile intracardiac thrombi.

PMID- 28921592
TI  - Radiosensitization by inhibiting DNA repair: Turning the spotlight on homologous
      recombination.

PMID- 28921593
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 28921594
TI  - The international normalized ratio (INR): What reagent, what instrument? The
      assessment of the agreement between INR values according to different
      reagent/instrument combinations.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: The international normalized ratio (INR) is widely
      used to monitor patients on vitamin K antagonists. This study aimed to assess the
      agreement of INR values obtained with different thromboplastin/instrument
      combinations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: International normalized ratio was determined
      on plasmas from 330 patients undergoing antivitamin K treatment (with
      acenocoumarol), using two calibration methods and four reagent/instrument
      combinations: Both Neoplastine CI and Neoplastine CI Plus on STA-R instrument
      from Diagnostica STAGO, Asnieres, France; and both Thromborel S and Innovin on
      SYSMEX 2100i instrument from Siemens Health Care Diagnostics, Marbung, Germany.
      The agreement analysis was done using the Bland-Altman plot and the Cohen Kappa
      coefficient. RESULTS: The mean of the differences between the INR values and the
      limits of agreement were -0.07 [-0.51 to 0.38] for the Neoplastine CI plus and
      Neoplastine CI reagents, -0.08 [-1.18 to 1.03] for the Thromborel S and Innovin
      reagents when the INR was calculated, -0.1 [-1.15 to 0.95] for the Thromborel S
      and Innovin reagents when the INR was directly calibrated and -0.1 [-0.7 to 0.5]
      for the Neoplastine CI plus and Thromborel S. Cohen's kappa coefficients were
      0.94, 0.76, 0.85 and 0.82, respectively. NEW FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: The
      agreement between the four reagent/instrument combinations was high enough to
      classify patients as inefficaciously or efficaciously anticoagulated. The data
      interpretation should always be related to the clinical purpose.

PMID- 28921595
TI  - The interplay of type I and type II interferons in murine autoimmune cholangitis
      as a basis for sex-biased autoimmunity.
AB  - : We have reported on a murine model of autoimmune cholangitis, generated by
      altering the AU-rich element (ARE) by deletion of the interferon gamma (IFN
      gamma) 3' untranslated region (coined ARE-Del-/- ), that has striking
      similarities to human primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with female predominance.
      Previously, we suggested that the sex bias of autoimmune cholangitis was
      secondary to intense and sustained type I and II IFN signaling. Based on this
      thesis, and to define the mechanisms that lead to portal inflammation, we
      specifically addressed the hypothesis that type I IFNs are the driver of this
      disease. To accomplish these goals, we crossed ARE-Del-/- mice with IFN type I
      receptor alpha chain (Ifnar1) knockout mice. We report herein that loss of type I
      IFN receptor signaling in the double construct of ARE-Del-/- Ifnar1-/- mice
      dramatically reduces liver pathology and abrogated sex bias. More importantly,
      female ARE-Del-/- mice have an increased number of germinal center (GC) B cells
      as well as abnormal follicular formation, sites which have been implicated in
      loss of tolerance. Deletion of type I IFN signaling in ARE-Del-/- Ifnar1-/- mice
      corrects these GC abnormalities, including abnormal follicular structure.
      CONCLUSION: Our data implicate type I IFN signaling as a necessary component of
      the sex bias of this murine model of autoimmune cholangitis. Importantly these
      data suggest that drugs that target the type I IFN signaling pathway would have
      potential benefit in the earlier stages of PBC. (Hepatology 2018;67:1408-1419).

PMID- 28921597
TI  - Ultrastructure of spermatozoa of spider crabs, family Mithracidae (Crustacea,
      Decapoda, Brachyura): Integrative analyses based on morphological and molecular
      data.
AB  - Recent studies based on morphological and molecular data provide a new
      perspective concerning taxonomic aspects of the brachyuran family Mithracidae.
      These studies proposed a series of nominal changes and indicated that the family
      is actually represented by a different number and representatives of genera than
      previously thought. Here, we provide a comparative description of the
      ultrastructure of spermatozoa and spermatophores of some species of Mithracidae
      in a phylogenetic context. The ultrastructure of the spermatozoa and
      spermatophore was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The
      most informative morphological characters analysed were thickness of the
      operculum, shape of the perforatorial chamber and shape and thickness of the
      inner acrosomal zone. As a framework, we used a topology based on a phylogenetic
      analysis using mitochondrial data obtained here and from previous studies. Our
      results indicate that closely related species share a series of morphological
      characteristics of the spermatozoa. A thick operculum, for example, is a feature
      observed in species of the genera Amphithrax, Teleophrys, and Omalacantha in
      contrast to the slender operculum observed in Mithraculus and Mithrax. Amphithrax
      and Teleophrys have a rhomboid perforatorial chamber, while Mithraculus, Mithrax,
      and Omalacantha show a wider, deltoid morphology. Furthermore, our results are in
      agreement with recently proposed taxonomic changes including the separation of
      the genera Mithrax (previously Damithrax), Amphithrax (previously Mithrax) and
      Mithraculus, and the synonymy of Mithrax caribbaeus with Mithrax hispidus.
      Overall, the spermiotaxonomy of these species of Mithracidae represent a novel
      set of data that corroborates the most recent taxonomic revision of the family
      and can be used in future taxonomic and phylogenetic studies within this family.

PMID- 28921596
TI  - Single cocaine exposure does not alter striatal pre-synaptic dopamine function in
      mice: an [18 F]-FDOPA PET study.
AB  - Cocaine is a recreational drug of abuse that binds to the dopamine transporter,
      preventing reuptake of dopamine into pre-synaptic terminals. The increased
      presence of synaptic dopamine results in stimulation of both pre- and post
      synaptic dopamine receptors, considered an important mechanism by which cocaine
      elicits its reinforcing properties. However, the effects of acute cocaine
      administration on pre-synaptic dopamine function remain unclear. Non-invasive
      imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography have revealed impaired
      pre-synaptic dopamine function in chronic cocaine users. Similar impairments have
      been seen in animal studies, with microdialysis experiments indicating decreased
      basal dopamine release. Here we use micro positron emission tomography imaging
      techniques in mice to measure dopamine synthesis capacity and determine the
      effect of acute cocaine administration of pre-synaptic dopamine function. We show
      that a dose of 20 mg/kg cocaine is sufficient to elicit hyperlocomotor activity,
      peaking 15-20 min post treatment (p < 0.001). However, dopamine synthesis
      capacity in the striatum was not significantly altered by acute cocaine treatment
      (KiCer: 0.0097 per min vs. 0.0112 per min in vehicle controls, p > 0.05).
      Furthermore, expression levels of two key enzymes related to dopamine synthesis,
      tyrosine hydroxylase and aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase, within the striatum
      of scanned mice were not significantly affected by acute cocaine pre-treatment (p
      > 0.05). Our findings suggest that while the regulation of dopamine synthesis and
      release in the striatum have been shown to change with chronic cocaine use,
      leading to a reduced basal tone, these adaptations to pre-synaptic dopaminergic
      neurons are not initiated following a single exposure to the drug.

PMID- 28921599
TI  - The Stories We Tell: Introduction to the Special Issue on Ethical Challenges in
      Community Psychology Research and Practice.
AB  - This Special Issue examines ethical challenges in community psychology research
      and practice. The literature on ethics in community psychology has remained
      largely abstract and aspirational, with few concrete examples and case studies,
      so the goal of this Special Issue was to expand our written discourse about
      ethical dilemmas in our field. In these articles, researchers and practitioners
      share stories of specific ethical challenges they faced and how they sought to
      resolve them. These first-person narratives examine how ethical challenges come
      about, how community psychology values inform ethical decision making, and how
      lessons learned from these experiences can inform an ethical framework for
      community psychology.

PMID- 28921598
TI  - Association of serum osteocalcin levels with major adverse cardiovascular events:
      A 4.4-year retrospective cohort study.
AB  - We investigated whether the serum osteocalcin levels at baseline were associated
      with the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in a population
      based retrospective cohort study of Chinese subjects. Coronary angiography was
      used to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD). Survival curves were analyzed by
      performing log-rank tests with Kaplan-Meier figures. Multivariable Cox
      proportional hazards regression was performed to identify the association of
      serum osteocalcin levels with the incidence of MACE. A total of 247 subjects with
      a mean age of 65.50 +/- 10.38 years were enrolled in the analysis. After a mean
      follow-up time of 4.4 +/- 2.6 years, MACE occurred in 175 cases. For men
      patients, those with serum osteocalcin levels higher than 17.22 ng/mL had
      significantly lower fasting plasma glucose (FPG) than those with serum
      osteocalcin levels lower than 17.22 ng/mL (P < .05). According to the
      multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, the lower serum osteocalcin
      levels and the higher risk of future MACE occurred in men with CAD at baseline
      (hazard ratio = 0.970; 95% confidence interval 0.943-0.999, P = .04). However,
      this difference was not significant either in men without CAD or in women. In
      conclusion, relatively lower serum osteocalcin levels were associated with a
      higher risk of MACE in Chinese men with CAD.

PMID- 28921600
TI  - Injury Patterns Sustained in Fatal Motor Vehicle Collisions with Driver's Third
      Generation Airbag Deployment.
AB  - The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario database for 2011-2012 was used to
      compare fatal injury patterns in drivers whose third-generation airbags deployed
      compared to first- and second-generation airbag deployments and airbag
      nondeployments with and without seatbelt use. There were 110 frontal and offset
      frontal crashes analyzed. The small sample size meant that the odds of
      craniocerebral, cervical spinal, thoracic, and abdominal injuries were not
      statistically different for airbag generation, deployment status, and seatbelt
      use; however, the risk of fatal thoracic injuries in third- and second-generation
      cases was increased. Seatbelt usage in third- and second-generation deployment
      cases reduced the risk of all injuries except abdominal trauma. High severity
      impacts and occupant compartment intrusion were frequently observed. The analyses
      in this retrospective study were challenged by data that were not collated in a
      standardized way and were limited in details about scene, vehicle, and driver
      variables.

PMID- 28921601
TI  - Is 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin a Suitable Carrier for Central
      Administration of Delta9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol? Preclinical Evidence.
AB  - Preclinical Research Delta9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a hydrophobic compound
      that has a potent antinociceptive effect in animals after intrathecal (IT) or
      intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration. The lack of a suitable solvent
      precludes its IT administration in humans. 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin
      (HPbetaCD) increases the water solubility of hydrophobic drugs and is approved
      for IT administration in humans. To investigate whether HPbetaCD might be a
      suitable carrier for ICV administration of THC in rats, two formulations
      containing THC complexed with HPbetaCD (30 and 135 MUg of THC per animal) and
      vehicle were administered to Wistar rats. The antinociceptive effect (using the
      tail flick test), locomotor activity, and body temperature were evaluated. ICV
      injection of 135 MUg of THC/HPbetaCD complex increased tail flick latency,
      reduced locomotor activity, and had a dual effect on body temperature. The 30 MUg
      THC/HPbetaCD formulation only produced a hyperthermic effect. All animals
      appeared healthy, with no difference between the groups. These results were
      similar to those obtained in other preclinical studies in which THC was
      administered centrally using solvents that are unsuitable for IT administration
      in humans because of their toxicity. Our findings suggest that HPbetaCD may be a
      useful carrier for IT administration of THC in humans. Drug Dev Res 78 : 411-419,
      2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921603
TI  - Trace DNA Sampling Success from Evidence Items Commonly Encountered in Forensic
      Casework.
AB  - Trace DNA analysis is a significant part of a forensic laboratory's workload.
      Knowing optimal sampling strategies and item success rates for particular item
      types can assist in evidence selection and examination processes and shorten
      turnaround times. In this study, forensic short tandem repeat (STR) casework
      results were reviewed to determine how often STR profiles suitable for comparison
      were obtained from "handler" and "wearer" areas of 764 items commonly submitted
      for examination. One hundred and fifty-five (155) items obtained from volunteers
      were also sampled. Items were analyzed for best sampling location and strategy.
      For casework items, headwear and gloves provided the highest success rates.
      Experimentally, eyeglasses and earphones, T-shirts, fabric gloves and watches
      provided the highest success rates. Eyeglasses and latex gloves provided optimal
      results if the entire surfaces were swabbed. In general, at least 10%, and up to
      88% of all trace DNA analyses resulted in suitable STR profiles for comparison.

PMID- 28921602
TI  - Human leukocyte antigen variants and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma modified by
      hepatitis C virus genotypes: A genome-wide association study.
AB  - : We conducted a genome-wide association study to discover genetic variants
      associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
      We genotyped 502 HCC cases and 749 non-HCC controls using the Axiom-CHB genome
      wide array. After identifying single-nucleotide polymorphism clusters located in
      the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region which were potentially associated with
      HCC, HLA-DQB1 genotyping was performed to analyze 994 anti-HCV seropositives
      collected in the period 1991-2013 in a community-based cohort for evaluating long
      term predictability of HLA variants for identifying the risk of HCC. Cox
      proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios and 95%
      confidence intervals of HLA genotypes for determining the aforementioned HCC
      risk. Eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the proximity of HLA-DQB1 were
      associated with HCC (P < 8.7 * 10-8 ) in the genome-wide association study. Long
      term follow-up showed a significant association with HLA-DQB1*03:01 and
      DQB1*06:02 (P < 0.05). The adjusted hazard ratios associated with HCC were 0.45
      (0.30-0.68) and 2.11 (1.34-3.34) for DQB1*03:01 and DQB1*06:02, respectively.
      After stratification by HCV genotypes, DQB1*03:01 showed protective effects only
      in patients with HCV genotype 1, whereas DQB1*06:02 conferred risk of HCC only in
      patients with HCV non-1 genotypes. HLA imputation analyses revealed that HLA
      DRB1*15:01, which is in linkage disequilibrium with DQB1*06:02, also increased
      the risk of HCC (odds ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.93). Haplotype
      analysis supported that DQB1*03:01 and DQB1*06:02 are primarily protective and
      susceptible variants, respectively. CONCLUSION: HLA-DQB1 was independently
      associated with HCC; HCV genotypes modified the effects of HLA-DQB1 on the risk
      of HCC. (Hepatology 2017).

PMID- 28921604
TI  - Stress-testing the affect misattribution procedure: Heterogeneous control of
      affect misattribution procedure effects under incentives.
AB  - The affect misattribution procedure (AMP) is widely used to measure sensitive
      attitudes towards classes of stimuli, by estimating the effect that affectively
      charged prime images have on subsequent judgements of neutral target images. We
      test its resistance to efforts to conceal one's attitudes, by replicating the
      standard AMP design while offering small incentives to conceal attitudes towards
      the prime images. We find that although the average AMP effect remains positive,
      it decreases significantly in magnitude. Moreover, this reduction in the mean AMP
      effect under incentives masks large heterogeneity: one subset of individuals
      continues to experience the 'full' AMP effect, while another reduces their effect
      to approximately zero. The AMP thus appears to be resistant to efforts to conceal
      one's attitudes for some individuals but is highly controllable for others. We
      further find that those individuals with high self-reported effort to avoid the
      influence of the prime are more often able to eliminate their AMP effect. We
      conclude by discussing possible mechanisms.

PMID- 28921605
TI  - Simple determination of betaine, l-carnitine and choline in human urine using
      self-packed column and column-switching ion chromatography with nonsuppressed
      conductivity detection.
AB  - A sequential online extraction, clean-up and separation system for the
      determination of betaine, l-carnitine and choline in human urine using column
      switching ion chromatography with nonsuppressed conductivity detection was
      developed in this work. A self-packed pretreatment column (50 * 4.6 mm, i.d.) was
      used for the extraction and clean-up of betaine, l-carnitine and choline. The
      separation was achieved using self-packed cationic exchange column (150 * 4.6 mm,
      i.d.), followed by nonsuppressed conductivity detection. Under optimized
      experimental conditions, the developed method presented good analytical
      performance, with excellent linearity in the range of 0.60-100 MUg mL-1 for
      betaine, 0.75-100 MUg mL-1 for l-carnitine and 0.50-100 MUg mL-1 for choline,
      with all correlation coefficients (R2 ) >0.99 in urine. The limits of detection
      were 0.15 MUg mL-1 for betaine, 0.20 MUg mL-1 for l-carnitine and 0.09 MUg mL-1
      for choline. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision for all quality
      controls were within +/-10.32 and +/-9.05%, respectively. Satisfactory recovery
      was observed between 92.8 and 102.0%. The validated method was successfully
      applied to the detection of urinary samples from 10 healthy people. The values
      detected in human urine using the proposed method showed good agreement with the
      measurement reported previously.

PMID- 28921607
TI  - In labor or in limbo? The experiences of women undergoing induction of labor in
      hospital: Findings of a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Induction of labor currently accounts for around 25% of all births in
      high-resource countries, yet despite much research into medical aspects, little
      is known about how women experience this process. This study aimed to explore in
      depth the induction experience of primiparous women. METHODS: A qualitative study
      was undertaken, using a sample of 21 first-time mothers from a maternity unit in
      the south of England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in women's homes
      between 3 and 6 weeks postnatally. Data were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed
      thematically. RESULTS: Women awaiting induction on the prenatal ward appeared to
      occupy a liminal state between pregnancy and labor. Differences were noted
      between women's and midwives' notions of what constituted "being in labor" and
      the ward lacked the flexibility to provide individualized care for women in early
      labor. Unexpected delays in the induction process were common and were a source
      of anxiety, as was separation from partners at night. Women were not always clear
      about their plan of care, which added to their anxiety. CONCLUSIONS:
      Conceptualizing induction as a liminal state may enhance understanding of women's
      feelings and promote a more woman-centered approach to care. Thorough preparation
      for induction, including an explanation of possible delays is fundamental to
      enabling women to form realistic expectations. Care providers need to consider
      whether women undergoing induction are receiving adequate support, analgesia, and
      comfort aids conducive to the promotion of physiological labor and the reduction
      of anxiety.

PMID- 28921606
TI  - Dynamic residual pattern of azoxystrobin in Swiss chard with contribution to
      safety evaluation.
AB  - This study aimed at quantifying the residual amount of azoxystrobin in Swiss
      chard samples grown under greenhouse conditions at two different locations
      (Gwangju and Naju, Republic of Korea). Samples were extracted with acetonitrile,
      separated by salting out, and subjected to purification by using solid-phase
      extraction. The analyte was identified using liquid chromatography-ultraviolet
      detection. The linearity of the calibration range was excellent with coefficient
      of determination 1.00. Recovery at three different spiking levels (0.1, 0.5, and
      4 mg/kg) ranged between 82.89 and 109.46% with relative standard deviation <3.
      The limit of quantification, 0.01 mg/kg, was considerably much lower than the
      maximum residue limit (50 mg/kg) set by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug
      Safety. The developed methodology was successfully used for field-treated leaves,
      which were collected randomly at 0-14 days following azoxystrobin application.
      The rate of disappearance in/on Swiss chard was ascribed to first-order kinetics
      with a half-life of 8 and 5 days, in leaves grown in Gwangju and Naju
      greenhouses, respectively. Risk assessments revealed that the acceptable daily
      intake percentage is substantially below the risk level of consumption at day 0
      (in both areas), thus encouraging its safe consumption.

PMID- 28921608
TI  - Moral bioenhancement and agential risks: Good and bad outcomes.
AB  - In Unfit for the Future, Ingmar Persson and Julian Savulescu argue that our
      collective existetial predicment is unprecedentedly dangerous due to climate
      change and terrorism. Given these global risks to human prosperity and survival,
      Persson and Savulescu argue that we should explore the radical possibility of
      moral bioenhancement in addition to cognitive enhancement. In this article, I
      argue that moral bioenhancements could nontrivially exacerbate the threat posed
      by certain kinds of malicious agents, while reducing the threat of other kinds.
      This introduces a previously undiscussed complication to Persson and Savulescu's
      proposal. In the final section, I present a novel argument for why moral
      bioenhancement should either be compulsory or not be made available to the public
      at all.

PMID- 28921609
TI  - Biomarkers for equine joint injury and osteoarthritis.
AB  - We report the results of a symposium aimed at identifying validated biomarkers
      that can be used to complement clinical observations for diagnosis and prognosis
      of joint injury leading to equine osteoarthritis (OA). Biomarkers might also
      predict pre-fracture change that could lead to catastrophic bone failure in
      equine athletes. The workshop was attended by leading scientists in the fields of
      equine and human musculoskeletal biomarkers to enable cross-disciplinary exchange
      and improve knowledge in both. Detailed proceedings with strategic planning was
      written, added to, edited and referenced to develop this manuscript. The most
      recent information from work in equine and human osteoarthritic biomarkers was
      accumulated, including the use of personalized healthcare to stratify OA
      phenotypes, transcriptome analysis of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and
      meniscal injuries in the human knee. The spectrum of "wet" biomarker assays that
      are antibody based that have achieved usefulness in both humans and horses,
      imaging biomarkers and the role they can play in equine and human OA was
      discussed. Prediction of musculoskeletal injury in the horse remains a challenge,
      and the potential usefulness of spectroscopy, metabolomics, proteomics, and
      development of biobanks to classify biomarkers in different stages of equine and
      human OA were reviewed. The participants concluded that new information and
      studies in equine musculoskeletal biomarkers have potential translational value
      for humans and vice versa. OA is equally important in humans and horses, and the
      welfare issues associated with catastrophic musculoskeletal injury in horses add
      further emphasis to the need for good validated biomarkers in the horse. (c) 2017
      Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res
      36:823-831, 2018.

PMID- 28921610
TI  - Validation and adaptation of the danger assessment-5: A brief intimate partner
      violence risk assessment.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the predictive validity of the DA-5
      with the addition of a strangulation item in evaluating the risk of an intimate
      partner violence (IPV) victim being nearly killed by an intimate partner.
      BACKGROUND: The DA-5 was developed as a short form of the Danger Assessment for
      use in healthcare settings, including emergency and urgent care settings.
      Analyzing data from a sample of IPV survivors who had called the police for
      domestic violence, the DA-5 was tested with and without an item on strangulation,
      a potentially fatal and medically damaging IPV tactic used commonly by dangerous
      abusers. DESIGN: Researchers interviewed a heterogeneous sample of 1,081 women
      recruited by police between 2009-2013 at the scene of a domestic violence call;
      619 (57.3%) were contacted and re-interviewed after an average of 7 months.
      METHODS: The predictive validity of the DA-5 was assessed for the outcome of
      severe or near lethal IPV re-assault using sensitivity, specificity and ROC curve
      analysis techniques. RESULTS: The original DA-5 was found to be accurate (AUC =
      .68), equally accurate with the strangulation item from the original DA
      substituted (AUC = .68) and slightly more accurate (but not a statistically
      significant difference) if multiple strangulation is assessed. CONCLUSION: We
      recommend that the DA-5 with the strangulation item be used for a quick
      assessment of homicide or near homicide risk among IPV survivors. A protocol for
      immediate referral and examination for further injury from strangulation should
      be adopted for IPV survivors at high risk.

PMID- 28921611
TI  - Dendritic spines provide cognitive resilience against Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neuroimaging and other biomarker assays suggest that the pathological
      processes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) begin years prior to clinical dementia
      onset. However, some 30 to 50% of older individuals who harbor AD pathology do
      not become symptomatic in their lifetime. It is hypothesized that such
      individuals exhibit cognitive resilience that protects against AD dementia. We
      hypothesized that in cases with AD pathology, structural changes in dendritic
      spines would distinguish individuals who had or did not have clinical dementia.
      METHODS: We compared dendritic spines within layer II and III pyramidal neuron
      dendrites in Brodmann area 46 dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using the Golgi-Cox
      technique in 12 age-matched pathology-free controls, 8 controls with AD pathology
      (CAD), and 21 AD cases. We used highly optimized methods to trace impregnated
      dendrites from bright-field microscopy images that enabled accurate 3-dimensional
      digital reconstruction of dendritic structure for morphologic analyses. RESULTS:
      Spine density was similar among control and CAD cases but was reduced
      significantly in AD. Thin and mushroom spines were reduced significantly in AD
      compared to CAD brains, whereas stubby spine density was decreased significantly
      in CAD and AD compared to controls. Increased spine extent distinguished CAD
      cases from controls and AD. Linear regression analysis of all cases indicated
      that spine density was not associated with neuritic plaque score but did display
      negative correlation with Braak staging. INTERPRETATION: These observations
      provide cellular evidence to support the hypothesis that dendritic spine
      plasticity is a mechanism of cognitive resilience that protects older individuals
      with AD pathology from developing dementia. Ann Neurol 2017;82:602-614.

PMID- 28921612
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of non-pharmacological interventions to
      reduce the symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety in pregnant women.
AB  - AIM: To assess the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for
      pregnant women with symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety. BACKGROUND: Many
      pregnant women experience mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety and could benefit
      from additional support. Non-pharmacological interventions have been suggested
      for use during pregnancy. DESIGN: A systematic review of randomized controlled
      trials. DATA SOURCES: Randomized controlled trials published since 1990,
      identified from electronic databases: Medline; CINAHL; Maternity and Infant Care;
      PsycINFO; Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; CENTRAL; EMBASE; Centre for
      Reviews and Dissemination; Social Sciences Citation Index; ASSIA; HTA Library;
      Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice database; Allied and
      Complementary Medicine. REVIEW METHODS: Conducted according to the Centre for
      Reviews and Dissemination procedure. Papers were screened (N = 5,222), assessed
      for eligibility (N = 57) and selected for inclusion (N = 25). The Cochrane
      Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias was used. Papers were assessed
      for clinical and statistical heterogeneity and considered for meta-analysis.
      Descriptive analysis of the data was conducted. RESULTS: Psychological, mind
      body, educational and supportive interventions were delivered individually and to
      groups of pregnant women over single or multiple sessions. The State-Trait
      Anxiety Inventory was the most commonly used anxiety measure. In 60% of studies
      there were fewer than 40 participants. Meta-analysis of three studies indicated
      no observed beneficial effect in the reduction of anxiety. CONCLUSION: There was
      insufficient evidence from which to draw overall conclusions regarding the
      benefit of interventions. Results were predominantly based on small samples. Many
      papers provided an inadequate description of methods which prevented a full
      assessment of methodological quality.

PMID- 28921613
TI  - Voxel-based multimodel fitting method for modeling time activity curves in SPECT
      images.
AB  - PURPOSE: Estimating the biodistribution and the pharmacokinetics from time
      sequence SPECT images on a per-voxel basis is useful for studying activity
      nonuniformity or computing absorbed dose distributions by convolution of voxel
      kernels or Monte-Carlo radiation transport. Current approaches are either region
      based, thus assuming uniform activity within the region, or voxel-based but using
      the same fitting model for all voxels. METHODS: We propose a voxel-based
      multimodel fitting method (VoMM) that estimates a fitting function for each voxel
      by automatically selecting the most appropriate model among a predetermined set
      with Akaike criteria. This approach can be used to compute the time integrated
      activity (TIA) for all voxels in the image. To control fitting optimization that
      may fail due to excessive image noise, an approximated version based on trapezoid
      integration, named restricted method, is also studied. From this comparison, the
      number of failed fittings within images was estimated and analyzed. Numerical
      experiments were used to quantify uncertainties and feasibility was demonstrated
      with real patient data. RESULTS: Regarding numerical experiments, root mean
      square errors of TIA obtained with VoMM were similar to those obtained with bi
      exponential fitting functions, and were lower (< 5% vs.  > 10%) than with single
      model approaches that consider the same fitting function for all voxels. Failure
      rates were lower with VoMM and restricted approaches than with single-model
      methods. On real clinical data, VoMM was able to fit 90% of the voxels and led to
      less failed fits than single-model approaches. On regions of interest (ROI)
      analysis, the difference between ROI-based and voxel-based TIA estimations was
      low, less than 4%. However, the computation of the mean residence time exhibited
      larger differences, up to 25%. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed voxel-based multimodel
      fitting method, VoMM, is feasible on patient data. VoMM leads organ-based TIA
      estimations similar to conventional ROI-based method. However, for
      pharmacokinetics analysis, studies of spatial heterogeneity or voxel-based
      absorbed dose assessment, VoMM could be used preferentially as it prevents model
      overfitting.

PMID- 28921615
TI  - Plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate interferes with osteoblastogenesis and
      adipogenesis in a mouse model.
AB  - Plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) can leach from medical devices such
      as blood storage bags and the tubing. Recently, epidemiological studies showed
      that phthalate metabolites levels in the urine are associated with low bone
      mineral density (BMD) in older women. The detailed effect and mechanism of DEHP
      on osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis, and bone loss remain to be clarified.
      Here, we investigated the effect and mechanism of DEHP and its active metabolite
      mono(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (MEHP) on osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis. The in
      vitro study showed that osteoblast differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells
      (BMSCs) was significantly and dose-dependently decreased by DEHP and MEHP (10-100
      uM) without cytotoxicity to BMSCs. The mRNA expressions of alkaline phosphatase,
      Runx2, osteocalcin (OCN), Wnt1, and beta-catenin were significantly decreased in
      DEHP- and MEHP-treated BMSCs during differentiation. MEHP, but not DEHP,
      significantly increased the adipocyte differentiation of BMSCs and PPARgamma mRNA
      expression. Both DEHP and MEHP significantly increased the ratios of
      phosphorylated beta-catenin/beta-catenin and inhibited osteoblastogenesis, which
      could be reversed by Wnt activator lithium chloride and PPARgamma inhibitor
      T0070907. Moreover, exposure of mice to DEHP (1, 10, and 100 mg/kg) for 8 weeks
      altered BMD and microstructure. In BMSCs isolated from DEHP-treated mice,
      osteoblastogenesis and Runx2, Wnt1, and beta-catenin expression were decreased,
      but adipogenesis and PPARgamma expression were increased. These findings suggest
      that DEHP and its metabolite MEHP exposure may inhibit osteoblastogenesis and
      promote adipogenesis of BMSCs through the Wnt/beta-catenin-regulated and thus
      triggering bone loss. PPARgamma signaling may play an important role in MEHP- and
      DEHP-induced suppression of osteogenesis. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society.
      Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1124-1134, 2018.

PMID- 28921614
TI  - An optimized framework for quantitative magnetization transfer imaging of the
      cervical spinal cord in vivo.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a framework to fully characterize quantitative magnetization
      transfer indices in the human cervical cord in vivo within a clinically feasible
      time. METHODS: A dedicated spinal cord imaging protocol for quantitative
      magnetization transfer was developed using a reduced field-of-view approach with
      echo planar imaging (EPI) readout. Sequence parameters were optimized based in
      the Cramer-Rao-lower bound. Quantitative model parameters (i.e., bound pool
      fraction, free and bound pool transverse relaxation times [ T2F, T2B], and
      forward exchange rate [kFB ]) were estimated implementing a numerical model
      capable of dealing with the novelties of the sequence adopted. The framework was
      tested on five healthy subjects. RESULTS: Cramer-Rao-lower bound minimization
      produces optimal sampling schemes without requiring the establishment of a steady
      state MT effect. The proposed framework allows quantitative voxel-wise estimation
      of model parameters at the resolution typically used for spinal cord imaging
      (i.e. 0.75 * 0.75 * 5 mm3 ), with a protocol duration of ~35 min. Quantitative
      magnetization transfer parametric maps agree with literature values. Whole-cord
      mean values are: bound pool fraction = 0.11(+/-0.01), T2F = 46.5(+/-1.6) ms, T2B
      = 11.0(+/-0.2) us, and kFB  = 1.95(+/-0.06) Hz. Protocol optimization has a
      beneficial effect on reproducibility, especially for T2B and kFB . CONCLUSION:
      The framework developed enables robust characterization of spinal cord
      microstructure in vivo using qMT. Magn Reson Med 79:2576-2588, 2018. (c) 2017 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 License,
      which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the
      original work is properly cited.

PMID- 28921617
TI  - Re: "TRASER: An innovative device for the treatment of nasal telangiectasias,"
      lasers in surgery and medicine, 2017;49(6):625-631.

PMID- 28921616
TI  - Tangential migration of corridor guidepost neurons contributes to anxiety
      circuits.
AB  - In mammals, thalamic axons are guided internally toward their neocortical target
      by corridor (Co) neurons that act as axonal guideposts. The existence of Co-like
      neurons in non-mammalian species, in which thalamic axons do not grow internally,
      raised the possibility that Co cells might have an ancestral role. Here, we
      investigated the contribution of corridor (Co) cells to mature brain circuits
      using a combination of genetic fate-mapping and assays in mice. We unexpectedly
      found that Co neurons contribute to striatal-like projection neurons in the
      central extended amygdala. In particular, Co-like neurons participate in specific
      nuclei of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, which plays essential roles in
      anxiety circuits. Our study shows that Co neurons possess an evolutionary
      conserved role in anxiety circuits independently from an acquired guidepost
      function. It furthermore highlights that neurons can have multiple sequential
      functions during brain wiring and supports a general role of tangential migration
      in the building of subpallial circuits.

PMID- 28921620
TI  - Late hepatitis B reactivation following direct-acting antiviral-based treatment
      of recurrent hepatitis C in an anti-HBc-positive liver transplant recipient.
AB  - Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have changed the landscape of hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) treatment, but chronic hepatitis C (CHC) remains a leading indication for
      liver transplantation (LT). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation has been
      reported in HBV-HCV-coinfected patients treated with DAAs. We report on a case of
      late HBV reactivation after DAA-based treatment of recurrent hepatitis C in an
      antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc)-positive LT recipient.
      (Hepatology 2017).

PMID- 28921621
TI  - "But We Want to Work": The Movement of Child Workers in Peru and the Actions for
      Reducing Child Labor.
AB  - The program Educame Primero (Educate Me First) is an evidence-based practice for
      eradicating child labor that has been applied with positive results in Colombia,
      Peru, and several Central American countries. In this article, we describe the
      difficulties of implementing the program in two poor areas of Lima (Peru) between
      2014 and 2016. Specifically, we discuss three ethical challenges faced during the
      implementation of the program: (a) the existence of a movement of working
      children that defends the right of children to work; (b) the polarization of some
      community-based associations and government institutions on how to deal with the
      problems of working children; and (c) the use of network indicators in the
      evaluation of the community's level of cohesion. Taking the Code of Ethics of the
      General Council of Associations of Psychologists in Spain as a guide, we adopted
      a consensus approach in planning and research design, combining different
      criteria of value with the participation of different stakeholders. The
      implementation of the program in Peru gave preference to developing skills in
      children over changing attitudes in relation to child protection, although the
      intervention openly declared its aims when engaging institutions and families.
      Finally, we address how social network research places special ethical demands on
      conventional ethical standards. Our experience with this project shows the
      importance of acting as a bridge between different stakeholders and assessing how
      all of them benefit from the intervention.

PMID- 28921619
TI  - Alcohol Reduces Arterial Remodeling by Inhibiting Sonic Hedgehog-Stimulated Stem
      Cell Antigen-1 Positive Progenitor Stem Cell Expansion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cell and molecular mechanisms mediating the cardiovascular effects of
      alcohol are not fully understood. Our aim was to determine the effect of moderate
      ethanol (EtOH) on sonic hedgehog (SHh) signaling in regulating possible stem cell
      antigen-1 positive (Sca1+ ) progenitor stem cell involvement during pathologic
      arterial remodeling. METHODS: Partial ligation or sham operation of the left
      carotid artery was performed in transgenic Sca1-enhanced green fluorescent
      protein (eGFP) mice gavaged with or without "daily moderate" EtOH. RESULTS: The
      EtOH group had reduced adventitial thickening and less neointimal formation,
      compared to ligated controls. There was expansion of eGFP-expressing (i.e., Sca1+
      ) cells in remodeled vessels postligation (day 14), especially in the neo intima.
      EtOH treatment reduced the number of Sca1+ cells in ligated vessel cross-sections
      concomitant with diminished remodeling, compared to control ligated vessels.
      Moreover, EtOH attenuated SHh signaling in injured carotids as determined by
      immunohistochemical analysis of the target genes patched 1 and Gli2, and RT-PCR
      of whole-vessel Gli2 mRNA levels. Intraperitoneal injection of ligated Sca1-eGFP
      mice with the SHh signaling inhibitor cyclopamine diminished SHh target gene
      expression, reduced the number of Sca1+ cells, and ameliorated carotid
      remodeling. EtOH treatment of purified Sca1+ adventitial progenitor stem cells in
      vitro inhibited SHh signaling, and their rSHh-induced differentiation to vascular
      smooth muscle cells. CONCLUSIONS: EtOH reduces SHh-responsive Sca1+ progenitor
      cell myogenic differentiation/expansion in vitro and during arterial remodeling
      in response to ligation injury in vivo. Regulation of vascular Sca1+ progenitor
      cells in this way may be an important novel mechanism contributing to alcohol's
      cardiovascular protective effects.

PMID- 28921622
TI  - National survey on managing minor childhood traumatic head injuries in the
      Netherlands shows low guideline adherence and large interhospital variations.

PMID- 28921623
TI  - One-step synthesis of [18 F]cabozantinib for use in positron emission tomography
      imaging of c-Met.
AB  - Cabozantinib is an FDA-approved kinase inhibitor for the treatment of medullary
      thyroid cancer and advanced renal cell carcinoma, which exerts its therapeutic
      effect by inhibiting, among others, the tyrosine kinase c-Met. Noninvasive
      imaging techniques are becoming increasingly important clinically to ensure drug
      efficacy, staging, monitoring, and patient stratification. PET isotope labelled
      tyrosine kinase inhibitors have, for the same reason, potential as PET tracers
      for imaging of various cancers. On the basis of cabozantinib, we synthesized the
      novel boronic acid pinacol ester 4 as a labelling precursor, where the boronic
      ester moiety replaces the fluorine native to this kinase inhibitor. By this, we
      wanted to explore whether recently developed Cu-mediated fluorination methods are
      adaptable to more complex substrates and thereby provide easy access to [18
      F]cabozantinib directly. Hydrolysis was implemented before preparative
      purification due to challenges with on-column hydrolysis of the precursor 4, and
      [18 F]cabozantinib was obtained in >=99% radiochemical purity and in 2.8 +/-
      0.05% (n = 4) isolated decay corrected yield in a synthesis time of 90 minutes.
      The molar activity of representative batches was determined to be 17 +/- 8
      GBq/MUmol.

PMID- 28921625
TI  - Solving doubts about L-ornithine L-aspartate for overt hepatic encephalopathy:
      Whom and how to treat.

PMID- 28921624
TI  - Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel in patients
      with acute coronary syndromes and chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pivotal clinical trials found that ticagrelor reduced ischaemic
      complications to a greater extent than clopidogrel, and also that the benefit
      gradually increased with the reduction in creatinine clearance. However, the
      underlying mechanisms remains poorly explored. METHODS: This was a single-centre,
      prospective, randomized clinical trial involving 60 hospitalized Adenosine
      Diphosphate (ADP) P2Y12 receptor inhibitor-naive patients with chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml min-1 1.73 m-2 ) and
      non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS). Eligible patients were
      randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive ticagrelor (180 mg loading dose, then
      followed by 90 mg twice daily) or clopidogrel (600 mg loading dose, then followed
      by 75 mg once daily). The primary endpoint was the P2Y12 reactive unit (PRU)
      value assessed by VerifyNow at 30 days. The plasma concentrations of ticagrelor
      and clopidogrel and their active metabolites were measured in the first 10
      patients in each group at baseline, and at 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h and 24 h
      after the loading dose. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were well matched
      between the two groups. Our results indicated a markedly lower PRU in patients
      treated with ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel at 30 days (32.6 +/- 11.29 vs. 203.7 +/-
      17.92; P < 0.001) as well as at 2 h, 8 h and 24 h after the loading dose (P <
      0.001). Ticagrelor and its active metabolite AR-C124910XX showed a similar time
      to reach maximum concentration (Cmax ) of 8 h, with the maximum concentration
      (Cmax ) of 355 (242.50-522.00) ng ml-1 and 63.20 (50.80-85.15) ng ml-1 ,
      respectively. Both clopidogrel and its active metabolite approached the Cmax at 2
      h, with a similar Cmax of 8.67 (6.64-27.75) ng ml-1 vs. 8.53 (6.94-15.93) ng ml-1
      . CONCLUSION: Ticagrelor showed much more potent platelet inhibition in
      comparison with clopidogrel in patients with CKD and NSTE-ACS.

PMID- 28921626
TI  - Relationship between urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio and ambulatory blood
      pressure in patients with diabetes mellitus.
AB  - Previous studies investigating the relationship between sodium intake and blood
      pressure have mostly relied on dietary recall and clinic blood pressure
      measurement. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate the
      relationship between 24 hour urinary sodium and potassium excretion, and their
      ratio, with 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure parameters including nocturnal
      blood pressure dipping in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. We report that in
      116 patients with diabetes, systolic blood pressure was significantly predicted
      by the time of day, age, the interaction between dipping status with time, and 24
      hour urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio (R2  = 0.83) with a relative contribution
      of 53%, 21%, 20% and 6%, respectively. However, there was no interaction between
      urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio and dipping status.

PMID- 28921627
TI  - Preterm infants with necrotising enterocolitis demonstrate an unbalanced gut
      microbiota.
AB  - AIM: This Lebanese study tested the hypothesis that differences would exist in
      the gut microbiota of preterm infants with and without necrotising enterocolitis
      (NEC), as reported in Western countries. METHODS: This study compared 11 infants
      with NEC and 11 controls, all born at 27-35 weeks, in three neonatal intensive
      care units between January 2013 and March 2015. Faecal samples were collected at
      key time points, and microbiota was analysed by culture, quantitative PCR (qPCR)
      and temperature temporal gel electrophoresis (TTGE). RESULTS: The cultures
      revealed that all preterm infants were poorly colonised and harboured no more
      than seven species. Prior to NEC diagnosis, significant differences were observed
      by qPCR with a higher colonisation by staphylococci (p = 0.034) and lower
      colonisations by enterococci (p = 0.039) and lactobacilli (p = 0.048) in the NEC
      group compared to the healthy controls. Throughout the study, virtually all of
      the infants were colonised by Enterobacteriaceae at high levels. TTGE analysis
      revealed no particular clusterisation, showing high interindividual variability.
      CONCLUSION: The NEC infants were poorly colonised with no more than seven
      species, and the controls had a more diversified and balanced gut microbiota.
      Understanding NEC aetiology better could lead to more effective prophylactic
      interventions and a reduced incidence.

PMID- 28921628
TI  - Who wins in the weaning process? Juvenile feeding morphology of two freshwater
      mussel species.
AB  - The global decline of freshwater mussels can be partially attributed to their
      complex life cycle. Their survival from glochidium to adulthood is like a long
      obstacle race, with juvenile mortality as a key critical point. Mass mortality
      shortly after entering into a juvenile state has been reported in both wild and
      captive populations, thus weakening the effective bivalve population. A similar
      phenomenon occurs during metamorphosis in natural and hatchery populations of
      juvenile marine bivalves. Based on a morphological analysis using scanning
      electron microscopy of newly formed juveniles of the freshwater species
      Margaritifera margaritifera (L.) (Margaritiferidae) and Unio mancus Lamarck
      (Unionidae), we show that a second metamorphosis, consisting of drastic
      morphological changes, occurs that leads to suspension feeding in place of
      deposit feeding by the ciliated foot. We hypothesize that suspension feeding in
      these two species improves due to a gradual development of several morphological
      features including the contact between cilia of the inner gill posterior
      filaments, the inner gill reflection, the appearance of the ctenidial ventral
      groove and the formation of the pedal palps. Regardless of the presence of
      available food, a suspension feeding mode replaces deposit feeding, and juveniles
      unable to successfully transition morphologically or adapt to the feeding changes
      likely perish.

PMID- 28921629
TI  - Validation of prognostic scores to predict short-term mortality in patients with
      acute-on-chronic liver failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study was to validate the chronic liver
      failure-sequential organ failure assessment score (CLIF-SOFAs), CLIF consortium
      organ failure score (CLIF-C OFs), CLIF-C acute-on-chronic liver failure score
      (CLIF-C ACLFs), and CLIF-C acute decompensation score in Korean chronic liver
      disease patients with acute deterioration. METHODS: Acute-on-chronic liver
      failure was defined by either the Asian Pacific Association for the study of the
      Liver ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) or CLIF-C criteria. The diagnostic
      performances for short-term mortality were compared by the area under the
      receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: Among a total of 1470 patients,
      252 patients were diagnosed with ACLF according to the CLIF-C (197 patients) or
      AARC definition (95 patients). As the ACLF grades increased, the survival rates
      became significantly lower. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic
      of the CLIF-SOFAs, CLIF-C OFs, and CLIF-C ACLFs were significantly higher than
      those of the Child-Pugh, model for end-stage liver disease, and model for end
      stage liver disease-Na scores in ACLF patients according to the CLIF-C definition
      (all P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in patients without
      ACLF or in patients with ACLF according to the AARC definition. The CLIF-SOFAs,
      CLIF-C OFs, and CLIF-C ACLFs had higher specificities with a fixed sensitivity
      than liver specific scores in ACLF patients according to the CLIF-C definition,
      but not in ACLF patients according to the AARC definition. CONCLUSIONS: The CLIF
      SOFAs, CLIF-C OFs, and CLIF-C ACLFs are useful scoring systems that provide
      accurate information on prognosis in patients with ACLF according to the CLIF-C
      definition, but not the AARC definition.

PMID- 28921630
TI  - Metabolic assessment of a migraine model using relaxation-enhanced 1 H
      spectroscopy at ultrahigh field.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study evaluates biochemical imbalances in a rat model that reflects
      dysfunctional pathways in migraine. The high sensitivity and spectral dispersion
      available to 1 H MRS at 21.1 T expands metabolic profiling in this migraine model
      to include lactate (Lac), taurine (Tau), aspartate, and Gly-a mixture of glycine,
      glutamine, and glutamate. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley male rats were administered in
      situ an intraperitoneal injection of nitroglycerin (NTG) to induce the migraine
      analogue or saline as a control. A selective relaxation-enhanced MR spectroscopy
      sequence was used to target upfield metabolites from a 4-mm3 voxel for 2.5 h
      after injection. RESULTS: Significant increases were evident for Lac as early as
      10 min after NTG injection, peaking over 50% compared with baseline and control
      (normalized Lac/N-acetyl aspartate with NTG = 1.54 +/- 0.65 versus with saline =
      0.99 +/- 0.08). Tau decreased progressively in controls over 2 h after injection,
      but remained elevated with NTG, peaking at 105 min after injection (normalized
      Tau/N-acetyl aspartate with NTG = 1.10 +/- 0.18 versus with saline = 0.85 +/-
      0.14). Total creatine under NTG showed significant decreases with time and
      compared with saline; Gly demonstrated temporal increases for NTG. CONCLUSIONS:
      These changes indicate an altered metabolic profile in the migraine analogue
      consistent with early changes in neural activity and/or vasodilation consistent
      with progressively enhanced neuroprotection and osmoregulation. Magn Reson Med
      79:1266-1275, 2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in
      Medicine.

PMID- 28921631
TI  - Validation of highly accelerated real-time cardiac cine MRI with radial k-space
      sampling and compressed sensing in patients at 1.5T and 3T.
AB  - PURPOSE: To validate an optimal 12-fold accelerated real-time cine MRI pulse
      sequence with radial k-space sampling and compressed sensing (CS) in patients at
      1.5T and 3T. METHODS: We used two strategies to reduce image artifacts arising
      from gradient delays and eddy currents in radial k-space sampling with balanced
      steady-state free precession readout. We validated this pulse sequence against a
      standard breath-hold cine sequence in two patient cohorts: a myocardial
      infarction (n = 16) group at 1.5T and chronic kidney disease group (n = 18) at
      3T. Two readers independently performed visual analysis of 68 cine sets in four
      categories (myocardial definition, temporal fidelity, artifact, noise) on a 5
      point Likert scale (1 = nondiagnostic, 2 = poor, 3 = adequate or moderate, 4 =
      good, 5 = excellent). Another reader calculated left ventricular (LV) functional
      parameters, including ejection fraction. RESULTS: Compared with standard cine,
      real-time cine produced nonsignificantly different visually assessed scores,
      except for the following categories: 1) temporal fidelity scores were
      significantly lower (P = 0.013) for real-time cine at both field strengths, 2)
      artifacts scores were significantly higher (P = 0.013) for real-time cine at both
      field strengths, and 3) noise scores were significantly (P = 0.013) higher for
      real-time cine at 1.5T. Standard and real-time cine pulse sequences produced LV
      functional parameters that were in good agreement (e.g., absolute mean difference
      in ejection fraction <4%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that an optimal 12
      fold, accelerated, real-time cine MRI pulse sequence using radial k-space
      sampling and CS produces good to excellent visual scores and relatively accurate
      LV functional parameters in patients at 1.5T and 3T. Magn Reson Med 79:2745-2751,
      2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28921632
TI  - Elevated solute transport at sites of diffuse matrix damage in cortical bone:
      Implications on bone repair.
AB  - : Diffuse matrix damage in rat cortical bone has been observed to self-repair
      efficiently in 2 weeks without activating bone remodeling, and unlike the case
      with linear cracks, the local osteocytes at the sites of diffuse damage remain
      healthy. However, the reason(s) for such high efficiency of matrix repair remains
      unclear. We hypothesized that transport of minerals and other compounds essential
      for damage repair is enhanced at the damaged sites and further increased by the
      application of tensile loading. To test our hypothesis, diffuse damage was
      introduced in notched bovine wafers under cyclic tensile loading and unloading.
      Using the Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) approach, we measured
      the transport of a small fluorescent tracer (sodium fluorescein, 376 Da) in
      damaged versus undamaged regions and under varying tensile load magnitudes (0.2
      N, 10 N, 20 N, and 30 N), which corresponded to nominal strains of 12.5, 625,
      1,250, and 1,875 microstrains, respectively. We found a 37% increase in transport
      of fluorescein in damaged regions relative to undamaged regions and a further
      ~18% increase in transport under 20 N and 30 N tension compared to the non-loaded
      condition, possibly due to the opening of the cracking surfaces. The elevated
      transport of minerals and other adhesive proteins may, at least partially,
      account for the highly effective repair of diffuse damage observed in vivo.
      CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Diffuse damage adversely affects bone's fracture
      resistance and this study provided quantitative data on elevated transport, which
      may be involved in repairing diffuse damage in vivo. 2017 Orthopaedic Research
      Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:692-698, 2018.

PMID- 28921633
TI  - Spontaneous mechanical and electrical activities of human calf musculature at
      rest assessed by repetitive single-shot diffusion-weighted MRI and simultaneous
      surface electromyography.
AB  - PURPOSE: Assessment of temporal and spatial relations between spontaneous
      mechanical activities in musculature (SMAM) at rest as revealed by diffusion
      weighted imaging (DWI) and electrical muscular activities in surface EMG (sEMG).
      Potential influences of static and radiofrequency magnetic fields on muscular
      activity on sEMG measurements at rest were examined systematically. METHODS:
      Series of diffusion-weighted stimulated echo planar imaging were recorded with
      concurrent sEMG measurements. Electrical activities in sEMG were analyzed by non
      parametric Friedman and two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Direct correlation of
      both modalities was investigated by temporal mapping of electrical activity in
      sEMG to DWI repetition interval. RESULTS: Electrical activities in sEMG and
      number of visible SMAMs in DWI showed a strong correlation (rho = 0.9718). High
      accordance between sEMG activities and visible SMAMs in DWI in a near-surface
      region around sEMG electrodes was achieved. Characteristics of sEMG activities
      were almost similar under varying magnetic field conditions. CONCLUSION: Visible
      SMAMs in DWI have shown a close and direct relation to concurrent signals
      recorded by sEMG. MR-related magnetic fields had no significant effects on
      findings in sEMG. Hence, appearance of SMAMs in DWI should not be considered as
      imaging artifact or as effects originating from the special conditions of MR
      examinations. Spatial and temporal distributions of SMAMs indicate
      characteristics of spontaneous (microscopic) mechanical muscular action at rest.
      Therefore, DWI techniques should be considered as non-invasive tools for studying
      physiology and pathophysiology of spontaneous activities in resting muscle. Magn
      Reson Med 79:2784-2794, 2018. (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic
      Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28921634
TI  - The role of whole-brain diffusion MRI as a tool for studying human in vivo
      cortical segregation based on a measure of neurite density.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate whether diffusion MRI can be used to study cortical
      segregation based on a contrast related to neurite density, thus providing a
      complementary tool to myelin-based MRI techniques used for myeloarchitecture.
      METHODS: Several myelin-sensitive MRI methods (e.g., based on T1 , T2 , and T2*)
      have been proposed to parcellate cortical areas based on their myeloarchitecture.
      Recent improvements in hardware, acquisition, and analysis methods have opened
      the possibility of achieving a more robust characterization of cortical
      microstructure using diffusion MRI. High-quality diffusion MRI data from the
      Human Connectome Project was combined with recent advances in fiber orientation
      modeling. The orientational average of the fiber orientation distribution was
      used as a summary parameter, which was displayed as inflated brain surface views.
      RESULTS: Diffusion MRI identifies cortical patterns consistent with those
      previously seen by MRI methods used for studying myeloarchitecture, which have
      shown patterns of high myelination in the sensorimotor strip, visual cortex, and
      auditory areas and low myelination in frontal and anterior temporal areas.
      CONCLUSION: In vivo human diffusion MRI provides a useful complementary
      noninvasive approach to myelin-based methods used to study whole-brain cortical
      parcellation, by exploiting a contrast based on tissue microstructure related to
      neurite density, rather than myelin itself. Magn Reson Med 79:2738-2744, 2018.
      (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28921635
TI  - Prediction of phosphorylation sites based on Krawtchouk image moments.
AB  - Protein phosphorylation is one of the most pervasive post-translational
      modifications and regulates diverse cellular processes in organisms. Under the
      catalysis of protein kinases, protein phosphorylation usually occurred in the
      residues serine (S), threonine (T), or tyrosine (Y). In this contribution, we
      proposed a novel scheme (named KMPhos) for the theoretical prediction of protein
      phosphorylation sites. First, the numerical matrix was obtained from a protein
      sequence fragment by replacing the characters of the residues with the chemical
      descriptors of amino acid molecules to approximately describe the chemical
      environment of the protein fragment, which was turned to the grayscale image.
      Then the Krawtchouk image moments were calculated and used to establish the
      support vector machine models. The accuracies of 10-fold cross validation for the
      obtained models on the training set are up to 89.7%, 88.6%, and 90.1% for the
      residues S, Y, and T, respectively. For the independent test set, the prediction
      accuracies are up to 90.7% (S), 87.8% (T), and 89.3% (Y). The results of ROC and
      other evaluations are also satisfactory. Compared with several specialized
      prediction tools, KMPhos provided the higher accuracy and reliability. An
      available KMPhos package is provided and can be used directly for phosphorylation
      sites prediction.

PMID- 28921636
TI  - Diagnostic challenge of non-specific visual symptoms: consideration of Heidenhain
      variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

PMID- 28921637
TI  - To Serve or Not to Serve: Ethical and Policy Implications.
AB  - The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is one of the nation's more influential health
      related non-profit organizations. It plays a large role in shaping health policy
      by commissioning panels to develop "white papers" describing research and
      recommendations on a variety of health topics. These white paper publications are
      often used to help make policy decisions at the legislative and executive levels.
      Such a prominent institution might seem like a natural ally for policy-related
      collaborative efforts. As community psychologists, we strongly endorse efforts to
      positively influence public policy at the national level. However, while serving
      on influential panels and commissions like the IOM might seem to be very much
      part of the ethos of our discipline, there are occasions when such institutions
      are pursuing a mission that inadvertently has the potential to instigate divisive
      friction among community activists and organizations. A case study is presented
      whereby I describe my decision not to accept an invitation to serve on a
      controversial IOM panel. I explore the ethical challenges regarding maintaining
      my independence from this institution and its attempt to redefine chronic fatigue
      syndrome (CFS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), as well as the process of
      searching for alternative avenues for collaborating with community activists to
      influence policy related to these debilitating illnesses.

PMID- 28921639
TI  - Standing in the Shifting Sands of Molecular Targeting and Precision Medicine Is
      the Oasis of 21st-Century Oncology Therapeutics.

PMID- 28921640
TI  - The Role of Clinical Pharmacology in Oncology Dose Selection: Advances and
      Opportunities in Personalized Medicine.

PMID- 28921638
TI  - Graft-infiltrating PD-L1hi cross-dressed dendritic cells regulate antidonor T
      cell responses in mouse liver transplant tolerance.
AB  - : Although a key role of cross-dressing has been established in immunity to viral
      infection and more recently in the instigation of transplant rejection, its role
      in tolerance is unclear. We investigated the role of intragraft dendritic cells
      (DCs) and cross-dressing in mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
      mismatched liver transplant tolerance that occurs without therapeutic
      immunosuppression. Although donor interstitial DCs diminished rapidly after
      transplantation, they were replaced in the liver by host DCs that peaked on
      postoperative day (POD) 7 and persisted indefinitely. Approximately 60% of these
      recipient DCs displayed donor MHC class I, indicating cross-dressing. By
      contrast, only a very minor fraction (0%-2%) of cross-dressed DCs (CD-DCs) was
      evident in the spleen. CD-DCs sorted from liver grafts expressed much higher
      levels of T cell inhibitory programed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and high levels of
      interleukin-10 compared with non-CD-DCs (nCD-DCs) isolated from the graft.
      Concomitantly, high incidences of programed death protein 1 (PD-1)hi T cell
      immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing 3 (TIM-3)+ exhausted graft
      infiltrating CD8+ T cells were observed. Unlike nCD-DCs, the CD-DCs failed to
      stimulate proliferation of allogeneic T cells but markedly suppressed antidonor
      host T cell proliferation. CD-DCs were much less evident in allografts from DNAX
      activating protein of 12 kDa (DAP12)-/- donors that were rejected acutely.
      CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that graft-infiltrating PD-L1hi CD-DCs may
      play a key role in the regulation of alloimmunity and in the induction of liver
      transplant tolerance. (Hepatology 2018;67:1499-1515).

PMID- 28921641
TI  - Pharmacokinetic-Guided Dosing of New Oral Cancer Agents.
AB  - Generally, licensed drug-dosing recommendations for chemotherapy are based on
      results from clinical trials in which subjects are usually of relatively normal
      body size, middle-aged, and are relatively racially homogeneous, with minimal
      comorbidity and specific tumor characteristics. Very few nontrial patients meet
      these characteristics, resulting in clinical practice having to extrapolate
      dosing recommendations to the specific patient. There is insufficient research on
      the impact of obesity-associated physiological changes prevalent in patients with
      common cancers on standard pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. Yet
      quantifying the influence of obesity on the pharmacology of chemotherapy is
      vital, as dosing inappropriate for body composition (ie, flat dosing or mg/kg
      based on total body weight) may increase the risk of adverse events and reduce
      clinical effectiveness. Unfortunately, there are few cancer guidelines to aid
      clinicians in selecting the optimal dose in the obese-even recent guidelines are
      based predominantly on clinical opinion/current practice in treating obese
      patients, rather than evidence. Data in many other vulnerable groups, for
      example, those with significant comorbidity and older patients, are also scarce.
      Because of the known limitations of body surface area-guided dosing, therapeutic
      drug monitoring or pharmacokinetic-guided dosing, which predicts an individual's
      exposure, has increasingly been shown to be a powerful tool in cancer therapy.
      Used appropriately, it can adjust for differences in pharmacokinetic parameters
      not considered when body size-based dosing or "one dose fits all" is used. This
      review will focus predominantly on the rationale for pharmacokinetic-guided
      dosing of the newer oral molecularly targeted antineoplastics in people whose
      drug exposure is not predicted by their physiology or body composition.

PMID- 28921642
TI  - Clinical Pharmacology Tools and Evaluations to Facilitate Comprehensive Dose
      Finding in Oncology: A Continuous Risk-Benefit Approach.
AB  - Targeted therapies are now considered an integral component in the treatment
      armamentarium for many malignancies, and the approach to developing these drugs
      needs to be refined from the previous cytotoxic paradigm of toxicity-guided dose
      finding and identification of maximum tolerated dose to a paradigm driven by
      target activity. Moving away from the toxicity-driven dose finding and
      justification model requires an integrated approach in order to adequately
      characterize the risk-benefit of a drug. This approach starts with understanding
      the importance of collecting samples for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
      assessments in all phases of clinical development to fully characterize the
      pharmacokinetics and identify covariates and then correlating exposure to key
      markers of safety and efficacy in pharmacometric analyses to perform a robust
      risk-benefit assessment and establish the right dose. In addition, for oral
      agents, decisions on administering the drug with respect to food can impact dose
      among other clinical trial outcomes such as tolerability and patient compliance.
      Understanding the importance of model-based drug development as a decision-making
      tool to support drug development through incorporation of all relevant data
      allows for a robust risk-benefit assessment at key decision points. Utilization
      of clinical pharmacology tools and assessments throughout development will
      provide the key components of a successful oncology development program.

PMID- 28921643
TI  - Bridging Adult Experience to Pediatrics in Oncology Drug Development.
AB  - Pediatric drug development in the United States has grown under the current
      regulations made permanent by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and
      Innovation Act of 2012. Over 1200 pediatric studies have now been submitted to
      the US FDA, but there is still a high rate of failure to obtain pediatric
      labeling for the indication pursued. Pediatric oncology represents special
      problems in that the disease is most often dissimilar to any cancer found in the
      adult population. Therefore, the development of drug dosing in pediatric oncology
      patients represents a special challenge. Potential approaches to pediatric dosing
      in oncology patients include extrapolation of efficacy from adult studies in
      those few cases where the disease is similar, inclusion of adolescent patients in
      adult trials when possible, and bridging the adult dose to the pediatric dose. An
      analysis of the recommended phase 2 dose for 40 molecularly targeted agents in
      pediatric patients provides some insight into current practices. Increased
      knowledge of tumor biology and efforts to identify and validate molecular targets
      and genetic abnormalities that drive childhood cancers can lead to increased
      opportunities for precision medicine in the treatment of pediatric cancers.

PMID- 28921644
TI  - Clinical Pharmacology Considerations for the Development of Immune Checkpoint
      Inhibitors.
AB  - Immuno-oncology works through activation of the patient's immune system against
      cancer, with several advantages over other treatment approaches, including
      cytotoxic agents and molecular-targeted therapies. The most notable feature of
      immuno-oncology treatments is the nature of the patient responses achieved, which
      can be more durable and sustained than with other modalities. Increased
      understanding of immune system complexity has provided a number of opportunities
      to advance several strategies for the development of immuno-oncology therapies.
      This review outlines the clinical pharmacology characteristics and development
      challenges for the 6 approved immunomodulatory monoclonal antibodies that target
      2 immune checkpoint pathways: ipilimumab (an anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen
      4 antibody) and, more recently, nivolumab and pembrolizumab (both anti-programmed
      death-1 antibodies) and atezolizumab, avelumab, and durvalumab (all anti
      programmed death ligand-1 antibodies). These agents have revealed much about the
      clinical pharmacology features of immune checkpoint inhibitors as a class, as
      well as the pharmacometric approaches used to support their clinical development
      and regulatory approval. The development experiences with these pioneering immuno
      oncology agents are likely to serve as useful guides in the discovery,
      progression, and approval of future drugs or combination of drugs in this class.
      This review includes summaries of the pharmacokinetics and exposure-response of
      the immune checkpoint inhibitors approved to date, as well as an overview of some
      quantitative systems pharmacology approaches. The ability of immuno-oncology to
      meet its full potential will depend on overcoming development challenges,
      including the need for clear strategies to determine optimal dose and scheduling
      for monotherapy as well as combination approaches.

PMID- 28921645
TI  - Critical Considerations in Anticancer Drug Development and Dosing Strategies: The
      Past, Present, and Future.

PMID- 28921646
TI  - How Often Are Drugs Made Available Under the Food and Drug Administration's
      Expanded Access Process Approved?
AB  - In this review of individual patient expanded-access requests to the Center for
      Drug Evaluation and Research for the period Fiscal Year 2010 to Fiscal Year 2014,
      we evaluated the number of applications received and the number allowed to
      proceed. We also evaluated whether drugs and certain biologics obtained under
      expanded access went on to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
      Finally, we considered concerns that adverse events occurring during expanded
      access might place sponsors at risk for legal liability. Overall, 98% of
      individual patient expanded-access requests were allowed to proceed. During the
      study period, among drugs without a previous approval for any indication or
      dosage form, 24% of unique drugs (ie, multiple applications for access to the
      same drug were considered to relate to 1 unique drug), and 20% of expanded-access
      applications received marketing approval by 1 year after initial submission; 43%
      and 33%, respectively, were approved by 5 years after initial submission. A
      search of 3 legal databases and a database of news articles did not appear to
      identify any product liability cases arising from the use of a product in
      expanded access. Our analyses seek to give physicians and patients a realistic
      perspective on the likelihood of a drug's approval as well as certain information
      regarding the product liability risks for commercial sponsors when providing
      expanded access to investigational drugs. The US Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA)'s expanded-access program maintains a careful balance between authorizing
      patient access to potentially beneficial drugs and protecting them from drugs
      that may have unknown risks. At the same time, the agency wishes to maintain the
      integrity of the clinical trials process, ultimately the best way to get safe and
      effective drugs to patients.

PMID- 28921647
TI  - Pharmacogenomics Implementation at the National Institutes of Health Clinical
      Center.
AB  - The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (NIH CC) is the largest
      hospital in the United States devoted entirely to clinical research, with a
      highly diverse spectrum of patients. Patient safety and clinical quality are
      major goals of the hospital, and therapy is often complicated by multiple
      cotherapies and comorbidities. To this end, we implemented a pharmacogenomics
      program in 2 phases. In the first phase, we implemented genotyping for HLA-A and
      HLA-B gene variations with clinical decision support (CDS) for abacavir,
      carbamazepine, and allopurinol. In the second phase, we implemented genotyping
      for drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters: SLCO1B1 for CDS of simvastatin
      and TPMT for CDS of mercaptopurine, azathioprine, and thioguanine. The purpose of
      this review is to describe the implementation process, which involves clinical,
      laboratory, informatics, and policy decisions pertinent to the NIH CC.

PMID- 28921648
TI  - RNA Therapeutics in Oncology: Advances, Challenges, and Future Directions.
AB  - RNA-based therapeutic technologies represent a rapidly expanding class of
      therapeutic opportunities with the power to modulate cellular biology in ways
      never before possible. With RNA-targeted therapeutics, inhibitors of previously
      undruggable proteins, gene expression modulators, and even therapeutic proteins
      can be rationally designed based on sequence information alone, something that is
      not possible with other therapeutic modalities. The most advanced RNA therapeutic
      modalities are antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and small interfering RNAs.
      Particularly with ASOs, recent clinical data have demonstrated proof of mechanism
      and clinical benefit with these approaches across several nononcology disease
      areas by multiple routes of administration. In cancer, next-generation ASOs have
      recently demonstrated single-agent activity in patients with highly refractory
      cancers. Here we discuss advances in RNA therapeutics for the treatment of cancer
      and the challenges that remain to solidify these as mainstay therapeutic
      modalities to bridge the pharmacogenomic divide that remains in cancer drug
      discovery.

PMID- 28921649
TI  - Dose Finding Versus Speed in Seamless Immuno-Oncology Drug Development.

PMID- 28921650
TI  - Antibody-Drug Conjugates as Cancer Therapeutics: Past, Present, and Future.
AB  - Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent an innovative therapeutic approach that
      provides novel treatment options and hope for patients with cancer. By coupling
      monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to cytotoxic small-molecule payloads with a plasma
      stable linker, ADCs offer the potential for increased drug specificity and fewer
      off-target effects than systemic chemotherapy. As evidence for the potential of
      these therapies, many new ADCs are in various stages of clinical development.
      Because their structure poses unique challenges to pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic characterization, it is critical to recognize the differences
      between ADCs and conventional chemotherapy in the design of ADC clinical
      development strategies. Although some properties may be determined mainly by
      either the mAb or the small-molecule portion, the behavior of these agents is not
      always predictable. Furthermore, because the absorption, distribution,
      metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of ADCs are influenced by all 3 of its
      components (mAb, linker, and payload), it is important to characterize the intact
      molecule, any target-mediated catabolic clearance of the mAb, and the ADME
      properties of the small-molecule payload. Here we describe key issues in the
      clinical development of ADCs, including considerations for designing first-in
      human studies for ADCs. We discuss some difficulties of ADC pharmacokinetic
      characterization and current approaches to overcoming these challenges. Finally,
      we consider all aspects of clinical pharmacology assessment required during drug
      development, using examples from the literature to illustrate the discussion.

PMID- 28921651
TI  - Somatic Mutation Analysis of Human Cancers: Challenges in Clinical Practice.
AB  - Somatic mutation analysis of human cancers has become the standard of practice.
      Whether screening for single gene variants or sequencing hundreds of cancer
      related genes, this genomic information is the basis for precision medicine
      initiatives in oncology. Genomic profiling results in information that allows
      oncologists to make a more educated selection of appropriate therapeutic
      strategies that more often combine traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy and
      radiation with novel targeted therapies. Here we discuss the nuances of
      implementing somatic mutation testing in a clinical setting.

PMID- 28921652
TI  - Necessity of more sensitivity analyses and interpretations from public health
      perspectives.

PMID- 28921653
TI  - Visualization of temporal patterns in patient record data.
AB  - Visualization contributes to a variety of tasks, from reviewing individual
      patient records to helping researchers assess data quality, find patients of
      interest, review temporal patterns and anomalies, or understand differences
      between cohorts. We review some of visualization techniques developed at the
      University of Maryland.

PMID- 28921654
TI  - Influence of Cocaine-Related Images and Alcohol Administration on Inhibitory
      Control in Cocaine Users.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol use and impulsivity, including decreased inhibitory control,
      predict poor treatment outcomes for individuals with cocaine use disorders. This
      study sought to determine the effects of alcohol administration on inhibitory
      control following cocaine-related and neutral cues on the Attentional Bias
      Behavioral Activation (ABBA) task in cocaine users. We hypothesized that the
      proportion of inhibitory failures would increase following cocaine, compared to
      neutral, cues. We further hypothesized that there would be an interaction between
      alcohol administration and task version, such that alcohol would impair
      inhibitory control following cocaine, but not neutral cues. METHODS: Fifty
      current cocaine users completed this mixed-model, double-blind, placebo
      controlled, crossover study over 2 experimental sessions. The ABBA task was
      completed following alcohol administration (0.0 and 0.65 g/kg). Subject-rated
      drug effect and physiological measures were collected prior to and after alcohol
      administration. RESULTS: Proportion of inhibitory failures was increased
      following cocaine-related cues compared to neutral cues independent of alcohol
      dose. Alcohol administration also produced prototypical subject-rated drug
      effects. CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of the relationship between alcohol
      consumption and inhibitory control in cocaine users could direct the development
      of interventions to decrease the risk of relapse in individuals who drink and
      display impaired inhibitory control.

PMID- 28921655
TI  - Fast dynamic ventilation MRI of hyperpolarized 129 Xe using spiral imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop and optimize a rapid dynamic hyperpolarized 129 Xe
      ventilation (DXeV) MRI protocol and investigate the feasibility of capturing
      pulmonary signal-time curves in human lungs. THEORY AND METHODS: Spiral k-space
      trajectories were designed with the number of interleaves Nint  = 1, 2, 4, and 8
      corresponding to voxel sizes of 8 mm, 5 mm, 4 mm, and 2.5 mm, respectively, for
      field of view = 15 cm. DXeV images were acquired from a gas-flow phantom to
      investigate the ability of Nint  = 1, 2, 4, and 8 to capture signal-time curves.
      A finite element model was constructed to investigate gas-flow dynamics
      corroborating the experimental signal-time curves. DXeV images were also carried
      out in six subjects (three healthy and three chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease subjects). RESULTS: DXeV images and numerical modelling of signal-time
      curves permitted the quantification of temporal and spatial resolutions for
      different numbers of spiral interleaves. The two-interleaved spiral (Nint  = 2)
      was found to be the most time-efficient to obtain DXeV images and signal-time
      curves of whole lungs with a temporal resolution of 624 ms for 13 slices. Signal
      time curves were well matched in three healthy volunteers. The Spearman's
      correlations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease subjects were statistically
      different from three healthy subjects (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The Nint  = 2
      spiral demonstrates the successful acquisition of DXeV images and signal-time
      curves in healthy subjects and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
      Magn Reson Med 79:2597-2606, 2018. (c) 2017 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 License, which permits use,
      distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
      properly cited.

PMID- 28921656
TI  - Animal models for studying the etiology and treatment of low back pain.
AB  - Chronic low back pain is a major cause of disability and health care costs.
      Effective treatments are inadequate for many patients. Animal models are
      essential to further understanding of the pain mechanism and testing potential
      therapies. Currently, a number of preclinical models have been developed
      attempting to mimic aspects of clinical conditions that contribute to low back
      pain (LBP). This review focused on describing these animal models and the main
      behavioral tests for assessing pain in each model. Animal models of LBP can be
      divided into the following five categories: Discogenic LBP, radicular back pain,
      facet joint osteoarthritis back pain, muscle-induced LBP, and spontaneous
      occurring LBP models. These models are important not only for enhancing our
      knowledge of how LBP is generated, but also for the development of novel
      therapeutic regimens to treat LBP in patients. (c) 2017 Orthopaedic Research
      Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1305-1312, 2018.

PMID- 28921657
TI  - Extremely prematurely born adolescents self-report of anxiety symptoms, and the
      mothers' reports on their offspring.
AB  - AIM: To compare anxiety symptoms in adolescents born extremely prematurely to
      term-born controls. METHODS: We had 96 preterm-born adolescents and 40 term-born
      controls from Denmark, and their mothers score the adolescents on the Revised
      Children Anxiety and Depression scale. We analysed group differences, cross
      informant correlations and relative risks for elevated anxiety symptoms. RESULTS:
      Self-reported anxiety symptoms did not significantly differ, although the upper
      confidence limit (95% CI: -3.3 to 5.1) supported an odds ratio of 2 for the
      preterm-born participants. Mothers of the preterm-born participants reported
      higher social anxiety symptoms than did mothers of controls (51.7 versus 46.8, p
      = 0.001). The relative risk for being above a threshold indicating distressing
      anxiety was small from self-reports (1.39; p = 0.60). From mother-reports, the
      relative risk was noticeable but not significant (4.58; p = 0.14). Cross
      informant scores correlated significant for total anxiety and social anxiety for
      the preterm-born (rtau = 0.2, p = 0.001; rtau = 0.3, p <= 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Self-reports did not clearly indicate more anxiety in the preterm group, although
      confidence intervals supported a possible twofold increase. Mother- and self
      reports correlated only for the preterm group, which may indicate increased
      sensitivity for their children's symptoms.

PMID- 28921658
TI  - Evaluating instrument responsiveness in joint function: The HOOS JR, the KOOS JR,
      and the PROMIS PF CAT.
AB  - : 12345Responsiveness is the ability to detect change over time and is an
      important aspect of measures used to detect treatment effects. The purpose of
      this study was to assess the responsiveness of the HOOS JR, the KOOS JR, and the
      PROMIS Physical Function (PF) computerized adaptive test (CAT) in a joint
      reconstruction practice. 983 patients were evaluated for joint conditions between
      2014 and 2017 in an orthopaedic clinic and completed the three instruments at
      baseline and 3 and/or 6-month follow-up visits. Average age was 61.03 years (SD =
      12.33, Range = 18-90 years) and the majority of the patients were White (n = 875,
      89.0%). Three-month responsiveness was calculated two ways, as between 80 and 100
      days and as 90 days and beyond. Six-month responsiveness was calculated as 170
      190 days and as 180 days and beyond. All changes from baseline scores were
      significant at the 3-, >3-, and >6-month follow-up (p < 0.05). All three measures
      showed large effect sizes, ranging from 0.80-1.20 at each time-point. The
      standardized response mean was large for each measure and at each time-point
      (Range = 1.06-1.53). This study demonstrated the responsiveness of the HOOS JR,
      KOOS JR, and the PROMIS PF in adult reconstruction patients. The PROMIS PF was
      consistently the most responsive instrument in this analysis. CLINICAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: The HOOS JR, KOOS JR, and PROMIS PF are useful clinical instruments
      for assessing treatment change and may be selected as relevant to the specific
      needs and conditions of the adult joint reconstruction patient population. (c)
      2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop
      Res 36:1178-1184, 2018.

PMID- 28921660
TI  - Rapid whole-brain gray matter imaging using single-slab three-dimensional dual
      echo fast spin echo: A feasibility study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To achieve rapid, high resolution whole-brain gray matter (GM) imaging
      by developing a novel, single-slab three-dimensional dual-echo fast-spin-echo
      pulse sequence and GM-selective reconstruction. METHODS: Unlike conventional GM
      imaging that uses time-consuming double-inversion-recovery preparation, the
      proposed pulse sequence was designed to have two split portions along the echo
      train, in which the first half was dedicated to yield short inversion recovery
      (IR)-induced white matter suppression and variable-flip-angle-induced two-step GM
      signal evolution while the second half cerebrospinal fluid-only signals. Multi
      step variable-flip-angle schedules and sampling reordering were optimized to
      yield high GM signals while balancing cerebrospinal fluid signals between ECHOes.
      GM-selective images were then reconstructed directly from the weighted
      subtraction between ECHOes by solving a sparse signal recovery problem. In vivo
      studies were performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method over
      conventional double-inversion-recovery. RESULTS: The proposed method, while
      achieving one millimeter isotropic, whole-brain GM imaging within 5.5 min, showed
      superior performance than conventional double-inversion-recovery in producing GM
      only images without apparent artifacts and noise. CONCLUSION: We successfully
      demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed method in achieving whole-brain GM
      imaging in a clinically acceptable imaging time. The proposed method is expected
      to be a promising alternative to conventional double-inversion-recovery in
      clinical applications. Magn Reson Med 78:1691-1699, 2017. (c) 2017 International
      Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28921659
TI  - Ligature-induced peri-implantitis and periodontitis in mice.
AB  - AIM: Peri-implantitis (PI), inflammation around dental implants, shares
      characteristics with periodontitis (PD). However, PI is more difficult to control
      and treat, and detailed pathophysiology is unclear. We aimed to compare PI and PD
      progression utilizing a murine model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four-week-old male
      C57BL/6J mice had their left maxillary molars extracted. Implants were placed in
      healed extraction sockets and osseointegrated. Ligatures were tied around the
      implants and second molars. Controls did not receive ligatures. Mice were
      sacrificed 1 week, 1 and 3 months (n >= 5/group/time point) post-ligature
      placement. Bone loss analysis was performed. Histology was performed for:
      haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), matrix
      metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of
      activated B cells (NF-kappaB), toluidine blue and calcein. RESULTS: PI showed
      statistically greater bone loss compared to PD at 1 and 3 months. At 3 months,
      20% of implants in PI exfoliated; no natural teeth exfoliated in PD. H&E revealed
      that alveolar bone surrounding implants in PI appeared less dense compared to PD.
      PI presented with increased osteoclasts, MMP-8 and NF-kappaB, compared to PD.
      CONCLUSION: PI exhibited greater tissue and bone destruction compared to PD.
      Future studies will characterize the pathophysiological differences between the
      two conditions.

PMID- 28921661
TI  - Association of gout and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Several studies have shown that gout is associated with depression
      symptoms. In this study, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to
      explore the relationship between gout and depression. METHODS: Published articles
      were identified through a comprehensive review of PUBMED and EMBASE. Data from
      studies reporting relative risks, odds ratios, or hazard ratios comparing the
      risk of depression among participants who had gout versus those without gout were
      analyzed. A random-effect model was used to calculate pooled odds ratios and 95%
      confident intervals (CI). RESULTS: Seven studies, which included 411 745
      participants, aligned with our inclusion criteria and were included in the meta
      analysis. Pooled analysis showed an association between gout and depression, with
      an odds ratio of 1.19 (95%CI, 1.11, 1.29; I2  = 60.2%). Subgroup-analysis
      adjusted (or not) by study type or study quality showed a statistically
      significant association of gout and depression in all subgroups. Sensitivity
      analysis by 1-study removed analysis, excluding articles of self-reported gout
      assessment or male-only, confirmed the robustness of our results. CONCLUSION: Our
      meta-analysis demonstrates a positive association between gout and depression.
      Further large-scale prospective cohort studies are needed to investigate the
      causality between gout and depression.

PMID- 28921662
TI  - Atenolol treatment for severe Infantile Hemangiomas: a single-centre prospective
      study.

PMID- 28921664
TI  - A glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel?

PMID- 28921663
TI  - Insect Bite Hypersensitivity in Horses is Associated with Airway Hyperreactivity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic and epidemiologic evidence suggests that in horses, as in
      other species, different manifestations of hypersensitivity may occur together.
      HYPOTHESIS: Horses affected with insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) show airway
      hyperreactivity (AH) to inhaled histamine, even in the absence of overt clinical
      signs of equine asthma (EA). ANIMALS: Twenty-two healthy controls (group C), 24
      horses suffering from IBH alone (group IBH), and 23 horses suffering from IBH and
      EA (group IBH/EA). METHODS: The clinical histories were assessed using 2
      standardized questionnaires, the Horse Owner Assessed Respiratory Signs Index
      (HOARSI), and IBH scoring. Horses were classified as EA-affected if their HOARSI
      was >1 and as IBH-affected if IBH score was >0. Confounding disorders were
      excluded by clinical examination. The arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2 )
      was measured and flowmetric plethysmography used to assess airway reactivity to
      increasing doses of inhaled histamine. RESULTS: The median histamine provocation
      concentration (PC) when ?flow values increased by 35% (PC35) was significantly
      higher in group C (5.94 [1.11-26.33] mg/mL) compared to group IBH (2.95 [0.23
      10.13] mg/mL) and group IBH/EA (2.03 [0.43-10.94] mg/mL; P < 0.01). The PC50 and
      PC75 showed very similar differences between groups. Furthermore, PaO2 was
      significantly lower in group IBH (84 +/- 8 mmHg) and group IBH/EA (78 +/- 11
      mmHg) compared to group C (89 +/- 6 mmHg; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      IMPORTANCE: IBH is associated with AH and decreased PaO2 , even in the absence of
      overt respiratory clinical signs.

PMID- 28921665
TI  - Effects of Oral Prednisone Administration on Serum Cystatin C in Dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral administration of glucocorticoid alters serum cystatin C (sCysC)
      concentration in humans. OBJECTIVE: To determine if oral administration of
      prednisone alters sCysC in dogs without pre-existing renal disease. ANIMALS:
      Forty six dogs were included: 10 dogs diagnosed with steroid responsive
      meningitis arteritis (SRMA; group A), 20 dogs diagnosed of pituitary-dependent
      hyperadrenocorticism (PDH; group B), and 16 healthy control dogs (group C).
      METHODS: Retrospective observational study. SRMA diagnosed dogs were administered
      prednisone 4 mg/kg/24 h PO 7 days, reducing the dose to 2 mg/kg/24 h 7 days
      before medication withdrawal. In group A, sampling was performed at days 0, 7, 14
      and a final control at day 21. Blood and urine samples were collected in the 3
      groups, and in group A, sampling was performed at all time points (days 1, 7, 14,
      and 21). RESULTS: In group A, sCysC was significantly higher at day 7 compared to
      the control group (0.4 +/- 0.04 mg/L vs. 0.18 +/- 0.03 mg/L mean +/- SEM
      respectively P < 0.01); sCysC values decreased to basal at day 14 when the dose
      was decreased and after 1 week of withdrawal of prednisone (0.27 +/- 0.03 mg/L
      for group A at day 14 and 0.15 +/- 0.02 mg/L at day 21; P > 0.05). Dogs with PDH
      included in group B did not have significant differences in sCysC (0.22 +/- 0.03
      mg/L) compared to control (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Oral
      administration of prednisone unlike altered endogenous glucocorticoid production,
      increases sCysC in dogs in a dose-dependent fashion.

PMID- 28921666
TI  - Comparison of laparoscopic gastropexy performed via intracorporeal suturing with
      knotless unidirectional barbed suture using a needle driver versus a roticulated
      endoscopic suturing device: 30 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare two suturing techniques for prophylactic laparoscopic
      gastropexy in healthy dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS:
      Thirty healthy client-owned dogs from breeds predisposed to gastric dilation
      volvulus. METHODS: Medical records of dogs presented for prophylactic
      laparoscopic gastropexy performed with knotless unidirectional barbed suture were
      reviewed. Dogs were grouped based on the device used for suturing, consisting of
      an endoscopic needle driver (END) vs an endoscopic suturing device (ESD).
      Signalment, weight, surgery time, number of suture bites per side of gastropexy,
      and intraoperative complications were compared between groups. RESULTS: The END
      group consisted of 10 dogs, with a median age of 1.09 years (range 0.5-2.67),
      weight of 41.5 kg (range 25-66), surgical time of 49.5 minutes (range 35-77), and
      a median of 5 suture bites per side (range 4-6). The ESD group included 20 dogs,
      with a median age of 1.75 years (range 0.6-8.75, P = .0944), weight was 37.5 kg
      (range 20-62, P = .5823), surgical time of 55 minutes (range 30-76, P = .808),
      and a median of 6 suture bites for the first side (range 4-7, P = .072) and 7 for
      the second side (range 4-8, P = .003). No major complications and no conversion
      to open celiotomy occured in either group. Minor complications occurred in 3 dogs
      in the ESD group, all related to device dysfunction and suture breakage.
      CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic gastropexy may be performed effectively with either of
      these suturing techniques.

PMID- 28921667
TI  - Polysubstance Use Among Adolescents in a Low Income, Rural Community: Latent
      Classes for Middle- and High-School Students.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rural communities are currently being impacted by a nationwide epidemic
      of prescription opioid misuse. Rural adolescent substance users may be at
      substantial risk for later addiction to these and other drugs. METHODS: This
      study uses Latent Class Analysis to identify subtypes of polysubstance users
      among a sample of 7,074 rural adolescents. Separate models were estimated for
      middle- and high-school youth. Predictive validity was estimated using cumulative
      ordinal logistic regression of the classes on a set of youth and family
      characteristics. FINDINGS: We identified a 4-class solution for both middle- and
      high-school students marked by initiation of an increasing number of substances
      used at greater frequency. These classes included Substance Nonusers, Primarily
      Alcohol Users, Initiators-Low Frequency Users, and Initiators-Moderate-to-High
      Lifetime Frequency Users. About 6%-10% of youth reported using prescription drugs
      at least once, and in the moderate-to-high frequency class, middle-school youth
      were more likely to use prescription drugs and inhalants compared to high-school
      youth in the same class. The 4 classes were associated with race/ethnicity, and
      in high school with receiving free/reduced price lunch. CONCLUSION: In general,
      younger adolescents have lower overall use rates, but within certain classes
      identified by this analysis, the observed pattern suggests that younger cohorts
      are turning to prescription drugs and inhalants. These findings support the
      implementation of universal substance use prevention programs, targeted programs
      for youth experiencing risk factors associated with substance use, and improved
      rural substance abuse treatment options.

PMID- 28921668
TI  - Controlling Molecular Doping in Organic Semiconductors.
AB  - The field of organic electronics thrives on the hope of enabling low-cost,
      solution-processed electronic devices with mechanical, optoelectronic, and
      chemical properties not available from inorganic semiconductors. A key to the
      success of these aspirations is the ability to controllably dope organic
      semiconductors with high spatial resolution. Here, recent progress in molecular
      doping of organic semiconductors is summarized, with an emphasis on solution
      processed p-type doped polymeric semiconductors. Highlighted topics include how
      solution-processing techniques can control the distribution, diffusion, and
      density of dopants within the organic semiconductor, and, in turn, affect the
      electronic properties of the material. Research in these areas has recently
      intensified, thanks to advances in chemical synthesis, improved understanding of
      charged states in organic materials, and a focus on relating fabrication
      techniques to morphology. Significant disorder in these systems, along with
      complex interactions between doping and film morphology, is often responsible for
      charge trapping and low doping efficiency. However, the strong coupling between
      doping, solubility, and morphology can be harnessed to control crystallinity,
      create doping gradients, and pattern polymers. These breakthroughs suggest a role
      for molecular doping not only in device function but also in fabrication
      applications beyond those directly analogous to inorganic doping.

PMID- 28921669
TI  - Respiratory variation in left ventricular cardiac function with 3D double golden
      angle whole-heart cine imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a 3-dimensional free-breathing cardiovascular MR technique
      for quantifying the variation in left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV)
      during the respiratory cycle. METHODS: A 3-dimensional radial trajectory with
      double golden-angle ordering was used for free-running data acquisition during
      free breathing in healthy volunteers (N = 8). A respiratory self-gating signal
      was extracted from the center of k-space, and data were retrospectively binned
      into eight respiratory phases in end-diastole. Three-dimensional image volumes
      with 2-mm isotropic spatial resolution were reconstructed with conjugate-gradient
      sensitivity encoding for acquisition durations of 4.5, 9, and 25 min. The LVEDV
      was manually segmented for each respiratory phase and acquisition duration.
      RESULTS: Respiratory-induced variation expressed as minimum LVEDV (during mid
      inspiration) relative to maximum LVEDV (during mid-expiration) was 5.9 +/- 0.3%
      for 4.5 min, 5.3 +/- 0.4% for 9 min (P = 0.64 versus 4.5 min), and 5.0 +/- 0.4%
      for 25 min (P = 0.25 versus 4.5 min, and P = 1.00 versus 9 min). CONCLUSIONS: The
      proposed technique enables high spatial-resolution quantification of the
      respiratory variation in LVEDV during free breathing in under 5 min, and was
      found to be 5 to 6% for healthy volunteers. Magn Reson Med 79:2693-2701, 2018.
      (c) 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

PMID- 28921670
TI  - Circular-circular regression model with a spike at zero.
AB  - With reference to a real data on cataract surgery, we discuss the problem of zero
      inflated circular-circular regression when both covariate and response are
      circular random variables and a large proportion of the responses are zeros. The
      regression model is proposed, and the estimation procedure for the parameters is
      discussed. Some relevant test procedures are also suggested. Simulation studies
      and real data analysis are performed to illustrate the applicability of the
      model.

PMID- 28921671
TI  - Methyl Jasmonate Ameliorates Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress-Induced Behavioral
      and Biochemical Alterations in Mouse Brain.
AB  - Preclinical Research The effects of methyl jasmonate (MJ; 5, 10, 20 mg/kg, i.p),
      a natural product widely used for the relief of stress, depression, and
      exhaustion on unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS)-induced depression-like
      behaviors in mice was assessed and compared to those of imipramine (IMP; 10
      mg/kg, i.p). MJ and IMP were given 30 min before exposure to UCMS with the
      procedure repeated daily for 2 weeks; 24 h after the stress session, the tail
      suspension test (TST) and sucrose preference test were assessed. MJ decreased
      immobility time in the TST and reversed impaired intake of sucrose relative to
      the stressed control suggesting antidepressant-like activity. MJ also reduced
      UCMS-induced increases in corticosterone and MDA (malondialdehyde) levels and
      attenuated UCMS-induced decreases in GSH and TNF-alpha levels and SOD activity.
      These findings suggest that MJ attenuated UCMS-induced depressive-like behaviors
      through decreased levels of corticosterone and decreasing oxidative stress and
      neuroinflammation in mouse brain.Drug Dev Res 78 : 381-389, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921672
TI  - A novel, in-frame KMT2B deletion in a patient with apparently isolated,
      generalized dystonia.

PMID- 28921673
TI  - Safety of Back-Transfer to Local Hospitals During an Acute Care Hospitalization.
AB  - PURPOSE: This paper investigates patient outcomes including length of stay (LOS),
      cost of hospitalization, bounce-back rates, transition to hospice care, and
      mortality, following back-transfer. METHODS: This study was an observational case
      control study of adults hospitalized in Iowa between 2005 and 2013 to identify
      back-transferred patients. Back-transfer was defined as the transfer of rural
      patients near the end of their acute hospitalization in a comprehensive medical
      center back to a local community hospital for the completion of their medical
      care. Demographic, geographic, rurality, procedural, and disease information was
      compared between case and control groups, then propensity score (PS) matching was
      performed to create comparable groups to perform analyses. FINDINGS: Over the 9
      year period, 1,056,773 patients meeting inclusion criteria were admitted, of
      which 430 (0.04%) were back-transferred. After PS matching, LOS was 60% (95% CI:
      0.50-0.71) higher and costs were 42% (95% CI: 0.33-0.50) higher in the back
      transferred group. Back-transferred cases had 8.34 (95% CI: 3.66-19.0) times the
      odds of hospice transition and 2.17 (95% CI: 1.37-3.46) the odds of mortality
      compared to controls. Four percent of back-transfers "failed" with the patient
      being returned to the larger hospital before discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Back
      transfer is a rare occurrence, and it is associated with longer LOS, higher
      hospitalization cost, higher mortality, more hospice transfers, and occasional
      bounce-backs to comprehensive medical centers. Future work should focus more on
      prospective indications for transfer, the role of end-of-life care, financial
      impact, and identifying patient populations for whom back-transfer is safest.

PMID- 28921674
TI  - Decline in effort capacity with age: Echocardiographic stress analysis in the
      elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to assess the underlying mechanism of
      decline in effort capacity seen with aging. METHODS: We analyzed 250 healthy
      senior patients (>=65 years) with an ejection fraction >=60% who underwent a
      stress echocardiogram test. The seniors (aged 65-94) were divided into 3 equal
      age groups (groups 1, 2, and 3), and their echo characteristics at rest and peak
      exercise (measured and calculated) were compared. RESULTS: Diastolic function at
      rest declined significantly (E lateral, E septal, E/E', A) with age, while other
      rest parameters were similar. There was a significant reduction in peak cardiac
      output (CO) associated with age (time * age group interaction; P < .05), which
      was attributed to the combination an attenuated stroke volume (SV) and heart rate
      (HR) response. The decline in effort capacity with age was the product of the
      combined effect of cardiac (reduced LVEDV and HR response) and noncardiac
      (reduction in arteriovenous difference; P = .02 for interaction) causes.
      CONCLUSION: The cardiovascular system undergoes several age-related changes.
      Decline in effort capacity is an ongoing process of aging and consists of several
      changes in the cardiac and noncardiac systems, comprising a decline in CO and its
      components, specifically the peak exercise LVEDV, peak heart rate, and the
      ability of the muscles to extract enough oxygen for the necessary effort.

PMID- 28921675
TI  - Altered Cav1.2 function in the Timothy syndrome mouse model produces ascending
      serotonergic abnormalities.
AB  - Polymorphism in the gene CACNA1C, encoding the pore-forming subunit of Cav1.2 L
      type calcium channels, has one of the strongest genetic linkages to
      schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder: psychopathologies
      in which serotonin signaling has been implicated. Additionally, a gain-of
      function mutation in CACNA1C is responsible for the neurodevelopmental disorder
      Timothy syndrome that presents with prominent behavioral features on the autism
      spectrum. Given an emerging role for serotonin in the etiology of autism spectrum
      disorders (ASD), we investigate the relationship between Cav1.2 and the ascending
      serotonin system in the Timothy syndrome type 2 (TS2-neo) mouse, which displays
      behavioral features consistent with the core triad of ASD. We find that TS2-neo
      mice exhibit enhanced serotonin tissue content and axon innervation of the dorsal
      striatum, as well as decreased serotonin turnover in the amygdala. These
      regionally specific alterations are accompanied by an enhanced active coping
      response during acute stress (forced swim), serotonin neuron Fos activity in the
      caudal dorsal raphe, and serotonin type 1A receptor-dependent feedback inhibition
      of the rostral dorsal raphe nuclei. Collectively, these results suggest that the
      global gain-of-function Cav1.2 mutation associated with Timothy syndrome has
      pleiotropic effects on the ascending serotonin system including neuroanatomical
      changes, regional differences in forebrain serotonin metabolism and feedback
      regulatory control mechanisms within the dorsal raphe. Altered activity of the
      ascending serotonin system continues to emerge as a common neural signature
      across several ASD mouse models, and the capacity for Cav1.2 L-type calcium
      channels to impact both serotonin structure and function has important
      implications for several neuropsychiatric conditions.

PMID- 28921676
TI  - Perioperative passport: empowering people with diabetes along their surgical
      journey.
AB  - AIM: To determine whether a handheld 'perioperative passport' could improve the
      experience of perioperative care for people with diabetes and overcome some of
      the communication issues commonly identified in inpatient extracts. METHODS:
      Individuals with diabetes undergoing elective surgery requiring at least an
      overnight stay were identified via a customized information technology system.
      Those allocated to the passport group were given the perioperative passport
      before their hospital admission. A 26-item questionnaire was completed after
      surgery by 50 participants in the passport group (mean age 69 years) and by 35
      participants with diabetes who followed the usual surgical pathway (mean age 70
      years). In addition, the former group had a structured interview about their
      experience of the passport. RESULTS: The prevalence of those who reported having
      received prior information about their expected diabetes care was 35% in the
      control group vs 92% in the passport group (P<0.001). The passport group found
      the information given significantly more helpful (P<0.001), including the advice
      on medication adjustment (P=0.008). Furthermore, those with the passport were
      more involved in planning their diabetes care (P <0.001), less anxious whilst in
      hospital (P<0.044) and better prepared to manage their diabetes on discharge
      (P<=0.001). The mean length of hospital stay was shorter in the passport group,
      although the difference did not reach significance (4.4 vs 6.5 days; P<0.058).
      Content analysis indicated that the passport was well liked and innovative.
      CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that the perioperative passport is effective in
      both informing and involving people in their diabetes care throughout the
      perioperative period.

PMID- 28921677
TI  - Clinical profile of hepatitis C virus infection in a developing country: India.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The epidemiology and clinical profile of hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) varies worldwide, and data from developing countries are sparse. The aim of
      the present study was to assess the clinical profile of HCV infection in a
      developing country in South-East Asia (India). METHODS: This observational study
      assessed patient demographics, viral characteristics, risk factors for virus
      acquisition, and disease characteristics in HCV patients diagnosed between
      January 2004 and December 2015. RESULTS: Of 8035 patients who were diagnosed with
      HCV infection, a majority were men (68.3%), middle aged (52.2%), and from low
      (34%) to middle (46%) socioeconomic status and rural population (69.8%). Eighty
      two percent had identifiable risk factors, the most common being history of
      dental treatment (52%) and therapeutic injections with reusable syringes/needles
      (45%). Household contacts of index patients had high prevalence of HCV (15.3%).
      Common genotypes were genotype 3 (70.4%) and genotype 1 (19.3%). Although a
      majority of patients were either asymptomatic (54.8%) or had non-specific
      symptoms (6.7%) at presentation, a significant proportion (9.3%) had advanced
      liver disease. Presentation with cirrhosis (38.8%) was associated with male
      gender, higher age at time of virus detection, rural residence, alcohol or opium
      intake, and coinfections with hepatitis B virus or human immunodeficiency virus.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis C virus infection in northern India is seen more commonly
      in men, the middle aged and people from rural background and low to middle
      socioeconomic status. The common possible risk factors are dental treatment and
      exposure to reused syringes and needles. Although the most common presentation is
      incidental detection, a large number of patients present with advanced liver
      disease.

PMID- 28921678
TI  - Ipsilateral corticotectal projections from the primary, premotor and
      supplementary motor cortical areas in adult macaque monkeys: a quantitative
      anterograde tracing study.
AB  - The corticotectal projection from cortical motor areas is one of several
      descending pathways involved in the indirect control of spinal motoneurons. In
      non-human primates, previous studies reported that cortical projections to the
      superior colliculus (SC) originated from the premotor cortex (PM) and the primary
      motor cortex, whereas no projection originated from the supplementary motor area
      (SMA). The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the properties
      of corticotectal projections originating from these three cortical motor areas in
      intact adult macaques (n = 9). The anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine
      was injected into one of these cortical areas in each animal. Individual axonal
      boutons, both en passant and terminaux, were charted and counted in the different
      layers of the ipsilateral SC. The data confirmed the presence of strong
      corticotectal projections from the PM. A new observation was that strong
      corticotectal projections were also found to originate from the SMA (its proper
      division). The corticotectal projection from the primary motor cortex was
      quantitatively less strong than that from either the premotor or SMAs. The
      corticotectal projection from each motor area was directed mainly to the deep
      layer of the SC, although its intermediate layer was also a consistent target of
      fairly dense terminations. The strong corticotectal projections from non-primary
      motor areas are in position to influence the preparation and planning of
      voluntary movements.

PMID- 28921679
TI  - Maternal immune activation leads to increased nNOS immunoreactivity in the brain
      of postnatal day 2 rat offspring.
AB  - Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is a key arginine metabolising enzyme in
      the brain, and nNOS-derived nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in
      regulating glutamatergic neurotransmission. NO and its related molecules are
      involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and human genetic studies have
      identified schizophrenia risk genes encoding nNOS. This study systematically
      investigated how maternal immune activation (MIA; a risk factor for
      schizophrenia) induced by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid affected nNOS
      immunoreactivity in the brain of the resulting male and female offspring at the
      age of postnatal day (PND) 2. Immunohistochemistry revealed a markedly increased
      intensity of nNOS-positive cells in the CA3 and dentate gyrus subregions of the
      hippocampus, the somatosensory cortex, and the striatum, but not the frontal
      cortex and hippocampal CA1 region, in the MIA offspring when compared to control
      group animals. There were no sex differences in the effect. Given the role of
      nNOS in glutamatergic neurotransmission and its functional relationship with
      glutamate NMDA receptors, increased nNOS immunoreactivity may indicate the up
      regulation of NMDA receptor function in MIA rat offspring at an early postnatal
      age. Future research is required to determine whether these changes contribute to
      the neuronal and behavioral dysfunction observed in both juvenile and adult MIA
      rat offspring.

PMID- 28921680
TI  - Measurement of urinary concentrations of the mycotoxins zearalenone and
      sterigmatocystin as biomarkers of exposure in mares.
AB  - Mycotoxins may affect animal health, including reproduction. Little is known
      about the clinical relevance of exposure of horses to contaminated feed. This
      study aimed at (i) monitoring the levels of the mycotoxins zearalenone (ZEN),
      with its metabolites alpha- and beta-zearalenol (alpha- and beta-ZOL), and
      sterigmatocystin (STC) in urine samples from thoroughbred mares in Japan and (ii)
      relating these findings to the potential effects on reproductive efficacy of
      breeding mares. Sixty-three urine samples of breeding mares from 59 breeding
      farms were used. Urine samples and reproductive records were collected from each
      mare when it was presented to the stallion station. Urinary concentrations of
      ZEN, alpha- and beta-ZOL, and STC were measured using liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). ZEN, alpha- and beta-ZOL were measurable in
      the urine of all examined mares, indicating the prevalence of ZEN in equine
      feeds. In seven of the 63 samples, STC was also detected at levels ranging from
      1.3 to 18.0 pg/mg creatinine. No significant correlation between the
      concentrations of mycotoxins and pregnancy status was observed. In conclusion,
      measurement of mycotoxins in urine samples is a useful non-invasive method for
      monitoring the systemic exposure of mares to multiple mycotoxins.

PMID- 28921682
TI  - Construction of Condensed Polycyclic Aromatic Frameworks through Intramolecular
      Cycloaddition Reactions Involving Arynes Bearing an Internal Alkyne Moiety.
AB  - Facile synthetic methods for condensed polycyclic aromatic compounds via aryne
      intermediates are reported. The generation of arynes bearing a (3
      arylpropargyl)oxy group from the corresponding o-iodoaryl triflate-type
      precursors efficiently afforded arene-fused oxaacenaphthene derivatives, which
      were formed through intramolecular [2+4] cycloaddition. Extending the method to
      the generation of arynes bearing a 1,3-diyne moiety led to a continuous
      generation of naphthalyne intermediate through the hexadehydro Diels-Alder
      reaction involving the aryne triple bond. This novel type of aryne-relay
      chemistry enabled the synthesis of a unique aminoarylated oxaacenaphthene
      derivative and highly ring-fused anthracene derivatives.

PMID- 28921681
TI  - Anti-Obesity Activity of Saringosterol Isolated from Sargassum muticum (Yendo)
      Fensholt Extract in 3T3-L1 Cells.
AB  - Saringosterol, a steroid isolated from Sargassum muticum, a brown edible alga
      widely distributed on the seashores of southern and eastern Korea, has been shown
      to exhibit anti-obesity effect. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity
      activity of saringosterol through various experiments. The inhibitory effect of
      saringosterol on adipogenesis was evaluated via Oil Red O staining in 3T3-L1
      preadipocytes. After confirming that saringosterol is not cytotoxic to these
      cells by using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
      assay, the effect of saringosterol on the expression of various adipogenesis
      related genes was analyzed via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
      and western blotting. We demonstrated that saringosterol dose dependently
      inhibited adipocyte differentiation and expression of adipogenic marker genes
      such as adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, adiponectin, resistin, and fatty
      acid synthase in 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, saringosterol significantly inhibited
      the mRNA and protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      gamma and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha in 3T3-L1 cells. Collectively,
      these findings indicate that saringosterol isolated from S. muticum exhibits anti
      obesity effect by inhibiting the expression of adipogenic transcription factors
      and marker genes and that it may be developed as a drug to suppress adipogenesis.
      Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28921683
TI  - Corticospinal responses following strength training: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - Strength training results in changes in skeletal muscle; however, changes in the
      central nervous system also occur. Over the last 15 years, non-invasive brain
      stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, have been used
      to study the neural adaptations to strength training. This review explored the
      hypothesis that the neural adaptations to strength training may be due to changes
      in corticospinal excitability and inhibition and, such changes, contribute to the
      gain in strength following strength training. A systematic review, according to
      PRISMA guidelines, identified studies by database searching, hand-searching and
      citation tracking between January 1990 and the first week of February 2017.
      Methodological quality of included studies was determined using the Downs and
      Black quality index. Data were synthesised and interpreted from meta-analysis.
      Nineteen studies investigating the corticospinal responses following strength
      training were included. Meta-analysis found that strength training increased
      strength [standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.84, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.13],
      decreased short-interval intracortical inhibition (SMD -1.00, 95% CI -1.84 to 
      0.17) and decreased the cortical silent period (SMD -0.66, 95% CI -1.00 to 
      0.32). Strength training had no effect on motor threshold (SMD -0.12, 95% CI 
      0.49 to 0.25), but a borderline effect for increased corticospinal excitability
      (SMD 0.27, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.54). In untrained healthy participants, the
      corticospinal response to strength training is characterised by reduced
      intracortical inhibition and cortical silent period duration, rather than changes
      in corticospinal excitability. These data demonstrate that strength training
      targets intracortical inhibitory networks within the primary motor cortex (M1)
      and corticospinal pathway, characterising an important neural adaptation to
      strength training.

PMID- 28921684
TI  - Generation of Stable Ruthenium(IV) Ketimido Complexes by Oxidative Addition of
      Oxime Esters to Ruthenium(II): Reactivity Studies Based on Electronic Properties
      of the Ru-N Bond.
AB  - The reaction of an oxime ester with [Ru(PPh3 )3 X2 ] proceeded smoothly at room
      temperature to afford a stable RuIV ketimido complex as oxidative adduct. The
      structure of the complex was unambiguously determined by X-ray crystallographic
      analysis, which showed an almost linear Ru-N-C array. The electronic properties
      of the nitrogen atom were estimated by DFT calculations, and the results
      suggested double-bond character of the Ru-N bond. Kinetic studies and
      consideration of the substituent effect on the oxime ester led to the proposal of
      a reaction mechanism involving oxidative addition, which could proceed by N,O
      chelating coordination to the Ru center prior to N-O bond cleavage. The obtained
      Ru ketimido complex could be transformed into a ruthenacycle by C-H activation by
      a concerted metalation-deprotonation mechanism in dichloromethane/methanol. Ru
      ketimido complexes with a tethered alkyne or alkene moiety underwent
      chloroamination of unsaturated C-C bonds followed by C-H activation, which
      resulted in the formation of a ruthenacycle. Considering the LUMO of an isolated
      Ru ketimido complex, the chloroamination should proceed by a synchronous 1,3
      dipolar cycloaddition-type mechanism. Insight into the character and reactivity
      of Ru ketimido complexes will be helpful for developments in the catalytic
      transformation of oxime esters.

PMID- 28921685
TI  - Four-year incidence rate and predictors of root caries among community-dwelling
      south Brazilian older adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the incidence density (ID) of new root
      caries lesions and restorations among community-living south Brazilian older
      adults and to assess its association with predictor variables. METHODS: We
      conducted a prospective cohort with a random sample of elders from the
      municipality of Carlos Barbosa, in south Brazil. Trained dentists performed
      interviews and oral examinations in 388 individuals at baseline, of which 273
      were retained at follow-up 4 years later. Our outcome was root caries ID, with
      100 root-years as its unit of measure. Demographic, biological and lifestyle
      predictors were tested with Poisson regression. RESULTS: The mean number of roots
      at baseline among participants was 7.0 (SD +/- 4.9) and the incidence rate per
      100 root-year 4.9 (SD +/- 8.9). Incidence of root caries among these older
      Brazilians was of 47.3%. The associated factors with the incidence of root caries
      were age, geographic location of residence, frequency of tooth brushing and
      stimulated saliva flow rate. CONCLUSION: Age, external environment, personal
      practices and oral status were predictors of the incidence of root caries.
      Preventive strategies including the use of fluorides and instruction to improve
      the attitude and behaviour towards oral hygiene are needed.

PMID- 28921686
TI  - The effects of dynamical synapses on firing rate activity: a spiking neural
      network model.
AB  - Accumulating evidence relates the fine-tuning of synaptic maturation and
      regulation of neural network activity to several key factors, including GABAA
      signaling and a lateral spread length between neighboring neurons (i.e., local
      connectivity). Furthermore, a number of studies consider short-term synaptic
      plasticity (STP) as an essential element in the instant modification of synaptic
      efficacy in the neuronal network and in modulating responses to sustained ranges
      of external Poisson input frequency (IF). Nevertheless, evaluating the firing
      activity in response to the dynamical interaction between STP (triggered by
      ranges of IF) and these key parameters in vitro remains elusive. Therefore, we
      designed a spiking neural network (SNN) model in which we incorporated the
      following parameters: local density of arbor essences and a lateral spread length
      between neighboring neurons. We also created several network scenarios based on
      these key parameters. Then, we implemented two classes of STP: (1) short-term
      synaptic depression (STD) and (2) short-term synaptic facilitation (STF). Each
      class has two differential forms based on the parametric value of its synaptic
      time constant (either for depressing or facilitating synapses). Lastly, we
      compared the neural firing responses before and after the treatment with STP. We
      found that dynamical synapses (STP) have a critical differential role on
      evaluating and modulating the firing rate activity in each network scenario.
      Moreover, we investigated the impact of changing the balance between excitation
      (E) and inhibition (I) on stabilizing this firing activity.

PMID- 28921687
TI  - Multimodal treatment of a dog with disseminated cutaneous viral papillomatosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Canine papillomaviruses (CPVs) are associated with varied cutaneous
      manifestations. Spontaneous resolution typically occurs within one to 12 months.
      This case report describes multimodal treatment of a dog with severe disseminated
      papillomatosis. CLINICAL SUMMARY: An eight-month-old, female spayed, mixed breed
      dog was presented with a two month history of rapidly progressing papillomatosis
      and lack of response to oral azithromycin therapy. The dog was severely pruritic
      and malodorous; the weight and growth of lesions had progressed to affect the
      dog's gait and vision, and led to decreased quality of life. The dog was treated
      with substantial surgical debulking of lesions, followed by daily topical 5%
      imiquimod cream applied to nonexcisable lesions, and received five doses of an
      experimental recombinant CPV2 L1 vaccine every 14 days for 10 weeks. At the end
      of the 10 weeks, two lesions remained and were excised. No additional treatment
      was needed and 10 months post-treatment the dog was lesion free. CONCLUSION: New
      therapies need to be developed and assessed, in controlled treatment trials, to
      determine the efficacy of single modality therapeutic interventions for severe,
      persistent canine cutaneous papillomatosis.

PMID- 28921688
TI  - Outcomes of infants with a birthweight less than or equal to 500 g in Northern
      England: 15 years experience.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to evaluate mortality and short-term neonatal morbidity of babies
      born <=500 g cared for in the Northern Neonatal Network over a 15-year period.
      METHOD: Using regional databases, we identified all live-born babies >=22 weeks
      gestation and <=500 g, in North East England and North Cumbria from 1998 to 2012.
      We quantified major neonatal morbidities and survival to one year. RESULTS: We
      identified 104 live-born babies >=22 weeks gestation and <=500 g (birth
      prevalence 0.22/1000), of which 49 were admitted for intensive care. Overall one
      year survival was 11%, but survival for those receiving intensive care was 22%.
      There was significant short-term neonatal morbidity in survivors, in particular
      retinopathy of prematurity and chronic lung disease. CONCLUSION: Survival of
      babies born weighing <=500 g in this cohort remains poor despite advances in
      neonatal care, with considerable short-term neonatal morbidity in survivors. This
      could be due to a combination of attitudes and a rather conservative approach
      towards resuscitation and intensive care, and the intrinsic nature of these tiny
      babies.

PMID- 28921689
TI  - Associations between eating disorder related symptoms and participants'
      utilization of an individualized Internet-based prevention and early intervention
      program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Flexible, individualized interventions allow participants to adjust
      the intensity of support to their current needs. Between-persons, participants
      with greater needs can receive more intense support, within-persons, participants
      can adjust utilization to their current level of symptoms. The purpose of the
      present study was to analyze associations between ED-related symptoms and
      utilization of the individualized program ProYouth both between- and within
      persons, aiming to investigate whether participants adapt utilization intensity
      to their current needs. METHOD: Generalized estimated equations (GEEs) were used
      to analyze log data on program utilization (monthly page visits, monthly use of
      chats and forum) assessed via server logs and self-reported data on ED-related
      symptoms from N = 394 ProYouth participants who provided longitudinal data for at
      least two months. RESULTS: Between-persons, page visits per month were
      significantly associated with compensatory behavior, body dissatisfaction, and
      binge eating. Monthly use of the more intense modules with personal support chat
      and forum was associated with the frequency of compensatory behavior. Within
      persons, unbalanced nutrition and dieting showed the strongest associations with
      monthly page visits. Monthly use of chats and forum was significantly associated
      with compensatory behavior and unbalanced nutrition and dieting. DISCUSSION:
      Results indicate that program utilization is associated with ED-related symptoms
      between- as well as within-persons. The individualized, flexible approach of
      ProYouth thus seems to be a promising way for Internet-based provision of
      combined prevention and early intervention programs addressing ED.

PMID- 28921690
TI  - Tissue-specific and time-dependent clonal expansion of ENU-induced mutant cells
      in gpt delta mice.
AB  - DNA mutations play a crucial role in the origins of cancer, and the clonal
      expansion of mutant cells is one of the fundamental steps in multistage
      carcinogenesis. In this study, we correlated tumor incidence in B6C3F1 mice
      during the period after exposure to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) with the
      persistence of ENU-induced mutant clones in transgenic gpt delta B6C3F1 mice. The
      induced gpt mutations afforded no selective advantage in the mouse cells and
      could be distinguished by a mutational spectrum that is characteristic of ENU
      treatment. The gpt mutations were passengers of the mutant cell of origin and its
      daughter cells and thus could be used as neutral markers of clones that arose and
      persisted in the tissues. Female B6C3F1 mice exposed for 1 month to 200 ppm ENU
      in the drinking water developed early thymic lymphomas and late liver and lung
      tumors. To assay gpt mutations, we sampled the thymus, liver, lung, and small
      intestine of female gpt delta mice at 3 days, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after the end
      of ENU exposure. Our results reveal that, in all four tissues, the ENU-induced
      gpt mutations persisted for weeks after the end of mutagen exposure. Clonal
      expansion of mutant cells was observed in the thymus and small intestine, with
      the thymus showing larger clone sizes. These results indicate that the clearance
      of mutant cells and the potential for clonal expansion during normal tissue
      growth depends on tissue type and that these factors may affect the sensitivity
      of different tissues to carcinogenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:592-606, 2017.
      (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921691
TI  - Quantitative determination and validation of octreotide acetate using 1 H-NMR
      spectroscopy with internal standard method.
AB  - Quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) is a well-established technique in
      quantitative analysis. We presented a validated 1 H-qNMR method for assay of
      octreotide acetate, a kind of cyclic octopeptide. Deuterium oxide was used to
      remove the undesired exchangeable peaks, which was referred to as proton
      exchange, in order to make the quantitative signals isolated in the crowded
      spectrum of the peptide and ensure precise quantitative analysis. Gemcitabine
      hydrochloride was chosen as the suitable internal standard. Experimental
      conditions, including relaxation delay time, the numbers of scans, and pulse
      angle, were optimized first. Then method validation was carried out in terms of
      selectivity, stability, linearity, precision, and robustness. The assay result
      was compared with that by means of high performance liquid chromatography, which
      is provided by Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The statistical F test, Student's t test,
      and nonparametric test at 95% confidence level indicate that there was no
      significant difference between these two methods. qNMR is a simple and accurate
      quantitative tool with no need for specific corresponding reference standards. It
      has the potential of the quantitative analysis of other peptide drugs and
      standardization of the corresponding reference standards.

PMID- 28921692
TI  - Mechanistic Studies on the Role of [CuII (CO3 )n ]2-2n as a Water Oxidation
      Catalyst: Carbonate as a Non-Innocent Ligand.
AB  - Recently it was reported that copper bicarbonate/carbonate complexes are good
      electro-catalysts for water oxidation. However, the results did not enable a
      decision whether the active oxidant is a CuIII or a CuIV complex. Kinetic
      analysis of pulse radiolysis measurements coupled with DFT calculations point out
      that CuIII (CO3 )n3-2n complexes are the active intermediates in the electrolysis
      of CuII (CO3 )n2-2n solution. The results enable the evaluation of E degrees
      [(CuIII/II (CO3 )n )aq ]~1.42 V versus NHE at pH 8.4. This redox potential is in
      accord with the electrochemical report. As opposed to literature suggestions for
      water oxidation, the present results rule out single-electron transfer from CuIII
      (CO3 )n3-2n to yield hydroxyl radicals. Significant charge transfer from the
      coordinated carbonate to CuIII results in the formation of C2 O62- by means of a
      second-order reaction of CuIII (CO3 )n3-2n . The results point out that carbonate
      stabilizes transition-metal cations at high oxidation states, not only as a good
      sigma donor, but also as a non-innocent ligand.

PMID- 28921693
TI  - Liquid-Cell Electron Microscopy of Adsorbed Polymers.
AB  - Individual macromolecules of polystyrene sulfonate and poly(ethylene oxide) are
      visualized with nanometer resolution using transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
      imaging of aqueous solutions with and without added salt, trapped in liquid
      pockets between creased graphene sheets. Successful imaging with 0.3 s per frame
      is enabled by the sluggish mobility of the adsorbed molecules. This study finds,
      validating others, that an advantage of this graphene liquid-cell approach is
      apparently to retard sample degradation from incident electrons, in addition to
      minimizing background scattering because graphene windows are atomically thin.
      Its new application here to polymers devoid of metal-ion labeling allows the
      projected sizes and conformational fluctuations of adsorbed molecules and
      adsorption-desorption events to be analyzed. Confirming the identification of the
      observed objects, this study reports statistical analysis of datasets of hundreds
      of images for times up to 100 s, with variation of the chemical makeup of the
      polymer, the molecular weight of the polymer, and the salt concentration. This
      observation of discrete polymer molecules in solution environment may be useful
      generally, as the findings are obtained using an ordinary TEM microscope, whose
      kind is available to many researchers routinely.

PMID- 28921694
TI  - Protease activated receptor 2 controls myelin development, resiliency and repair.
AB  - Oligodendrocytes are essential regulators of axonal energy homeostasis and
      electrical conduction and emerging target cells for restoration of neurological
      function. Here we investigate the role of protease activated receptor 2 (PAR2), a
      unique protease activated G protein-coupled receptor, in myelin development and
      repair using the spinal cord as a model. Results demonstrate that genetic
      deletion of PAR2 accelerates myelin production, including higher proteolipid
      protein (PLP) levels in the spinal cord at birth and higher levels of myelin
      basic protein and thickened myelin sheaths in adulthood. Enhancements in spinal
      cord myelin with PAR2 loss-of-function were accompanied by increased numbers of
      Olig2- and CC1-positive oligodendrocytes, as well as in levels of cyclic
      adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and extracellular signal related kinase 1/2
      (ERK1/2) signaling. Parallel promyelinating effects were observed after blocking
      PAR2 expression in purified oligodendrocyte cultures, whereas inhibiting
      adenylate cyclase reversed these effects. Conversely, PAR2 activation reduced PLP
      expression and this effect was prevented by brain derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF), a promyelinating growth factor that signals through cAMP. PAR2 knockout
      mice also showed improved myelin resiliency after traumatic spinal cord injury
      and an accelerated pattern of myelin regeneration after focal demyelination.
      These findings suggest that PAR2 is an important controller of myelin production
      and regeneration, both in the developing and adult spinal cord.

PMID- 28921696
TI  - Exome sequencing identifies a TCF4 mutation in a Chinese pedigree with
      symmetrical acral keratoderma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Symmetrical acral keratoderma (SAK) is a rare skin disorder and its
      pathogenesis and inheritability are unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the
      inheritance and pathogenesis of SAK. METHODS: Four SAK cases occurred in a four
      generation Chinese family. Exome sequencing identified SNPs with potential SAK
      related mutations, and a potentially responsible gene transcription factor 4
      (TCF4) was identified. TCF4 was then sequenced in all 11 family members, and
      pedigree analysis was performed. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry
      evaluated TCF4 expression in skin lesions. The gene mutation was investigated in
      human keratinocytes for keratin-related protein expression. RESULTS: A novel
      heterozygous missense mutation, c.85C>A (p.Pro29Thr) was found in TCF4. The
      mutation showed autosomal dominant inheritance and perfectly cosegregated with
      the SAK phenotype in all family members. In skin lesions, TCF4 was present in the
      cytoplasm and membranes of the basal layer, the stratum spinosum and the stratum
      granulosum of the epidermis. The mutant TCF4 induced overexpression of
      differentiation markers including KRT1, KRT14, loricrin and involucrin.
      CONCLUSIONS: A SAK-related gene mutation in TCF4 may function through
      transcriptional regulation of keratin.

PMID- 28921695
TI  - Frequency-dependent regulation of intrinsic excitability by voltage-activated
      membrane conductances, computational modeling and dynamic clamp.
AB  - As one of the most unique properties of nerve cells, their intrinsic excitability
      allows them to transform synaptic inputs into action potentials. This process
      reflects a complex interplay between the synaptic inputs and the voltage
      dependent membrane currents of the postsynaptic neuron. While neurons in natural
      conditions mostly fire under the action of intense synaptic bombardment and
      receive fluctuating patterns of excitation and inhibition, conventional
      techniques to characterize intrinsic excitability mainly utilize static means of
      stimulation. Recently, we have shown that voltage-gated membrane currents
      regulate the firing responses under current step stimulation and under
      physiologically more realistic inputs in a differential manner. At the same time,
      a multitude of neuron types have been shown to exhibit some form of subthreshold
      resonance that potentially allows them to respond to synaptic inputs in a
      frequency-selective manner. In this study, we performed virtual experiments in
      computational models of neurons to examine how specific voltage-gated currents
      regulate their excitability under simulated frequency-modulated synaptic inputs.
      The model simulations and subsequent dynamic clamp experiments on mouse
      hippocampal pyramidal neurons revealed that the impact of voltage-gated currents
      in regulating the firing output is strongly frequency-dependent and mostly
      affecting the synaptic integration at theta frequencies. Notably, robust
      frequency-dependent regulation of intrinsic excitability was observed even when
      conventional analysis of membrane impedance suggested no such tendency.
      Consequently, plastic or homeostatic regulation of intrinsic membrane properties
      can tune the frequency selectivity of neuron populations in a way that is not
      readily expected from subthreshold impedance measurements.

PMID- 28921697
TI  - Cross-country skiing is associated with lower all-cause mortality: A population
      based follow-up study.
AB  - The prospective relationship between leisure-time cross-country skiing and any
      fatal events is uncertain. We aimed to assess the associations of leisure-time
      cross-country skiing habits with the risk of all-cause mortality in a general
      population. A 12-month physical activity questionnaire was used at baseline to
      assess the frequency, average duration, and intensity of cross-country skiing in
      a prospective population-based cohort of 2087 middle-aged men from eastern
      Finland. Hazard ratios (HRs; 95% confidence intervals) were calculated for all
      cause mortality. During a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 26.1 (18.7
      28.0) years, 1028 all-cause mortality outcomes were recorded. In analyses
      adjusted for several established risk factors and other potential confounders,
      when compared to men who did not do any cross-country skiing, the HRs (95% CIs)
      of all-cause mortality were 0.84 (0.73-0.97) and 0.80 (0.67-0.96) for men who did
      1-200 and >200 metabolic equivalent-hours per year of cross-country skiing,
      respectively. Similarly, compared to men who did not do any cross-country skiing,
      the corresponding adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality were 0.84 (0.72
      0.97) and 0.82 (0.69-0.97) for men who did 1-60 min/wk and >60 min/wk of cross
      country skiing, respectively. The associations were similar across several
      subgroups, except for evidence of effect modification by body mass index and
      history of diabetes. Total volume as well as duration of leisure-time cross
      country skiing is each inversely and independently associated with all-cause
      mortality in a middle-aged Caucasian male population.

PMID- 28921698
TI  - A Reduced Graphene Oxide/Disodium Terephthalate Hybrid as a High-Performance
      Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - As a promising candidate for large-scale energy storage systems, sodium-ion
      batteries (SIBs) are experiencing a rapid development. Organic conjugated
      carboxylic acid anodes not only have tailorable electrochemical properties but
      also are easily accessible. However, the low stability and electrical
      conductivity hamper their practical applications. In this study, disodium
      terephthalate (Na2 TP), the most favorable organic conjugated carboxylic acid
      anode material for SIBs, was proposed to integrate with graphene oxide (GO) by an
      anti-solvent precipitation process, which ensures the uniform and tight coating
      of GO on the Na2 TP surface. GO is electrochemically reduced during the first
      several cycles of the electrochemical measurement, which buffers the volume
      change and improves the electrical conductivity of Na2 TP, resulting in a better
      cyclic and rate performance. The incorporation of only 5 wt % GO onto Na2 TP
      leads to a reversible capability of 235 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles at a current
      rate of 0.1 C, which is the best among the state of the art organic anodes for
      SIBs. The one-step synthesis together with the low costs of the raw materials
      show a promise for the scalable preparation of anode materials for practical
      SIBs.

PMID- 28921699
TI  - Morphological determinants of signal carrier frequency in katydids (Orthoptera):
      a comparative analysis using biophysical evidence of wing vibration.
AB  - Male katydids produce mating calls by stridulation using specialized structures
      on the forewings. The right wing (RW) bears a scraper connected to a drum-like
      cell known as the mirror and a left wing (LW) that overlaps the RW and bears a
      serrated vein on the ventral side, the stridulatory file. Sound is generated with
      the scraper sweeping across the file, producing vibrations that are amplified by
      the mirror. Using this sound generator, katydids exploit a range of song carrier
      frequencies (CF) unsurpassed by any other insect group, with species singing as
      low as 600 Hz and others as high as 150 kHz. Sound generator size has been shown
      to scale negatively with CF, but such observations derive from studies based on
      few species, without phylogenetic control, and/or using only the RW mirror
      length. We carried out a phylogenetic comparative analysis involving 94 species
      of katydids to study the relationship between LW and RW components of the sound
      generator and the CF of the male's mating call, while taking into account body
      size and phylogenetic relationships. The results showed that CF negatively scaled
      with all morphological measures, but was most strongly related to components of
      the sound generation system (file, LW and RW mirrors). Interestingly, the LW
      mirror (reduced and nonfunctional) predicted CF more accurately than the RW
      mirror, and body size is not a reliable CF predictor. Mathematical models were
      verified on known species for predicting CF in species for which sound is unknown
      (e.g. fossils or museum specimens).

PMID- 28921700
TI  - Low-dose fractionated irradiation promotes axonal regeneration beyond reactive
      gliosis and facilitates locomotor function recovery after spinal cord injury in
      beagle dogs.
AB  - Injury to the adult central nervous system (CNS) results in the formation of
      glial scar tissues. Glial scar-induced failure of regenerative axon pathfinding
      may limit axon regrowth beyond the lesion site and cause incorrect reinnervation
      and dystrophic appearance of stalled growth after CNS trauma. Glial scars also
      upregulate chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs) and expression of
      proinflammatory factor(s) that form a barrier to axonal regeneration. Therefore,
      interventions for glial scarring are an attractive strategy for augmenting axonal
      sprouting and regeneration and overcoming the physical and molecular barriers
      impeding functional repair. The glial reaction occurs shortly after spinal cord
      injury (SCI) and can persist for days or weeks with upregulation of cell cycle
      proteins. In this study, we utilised Beagle dogs to establish a preclinical SCI
      model and examine the efficacy of low-dose fractionated irradiation (LDI)
      treatment, which was performed once a day for 14 days (2 Gy per dose, 28 Gy in
      total). Low-dose fractionated irradiation is a stable method for suppressing cell
      activation and proliferation through interference in the cell cycle. Our results
      demonstrated that LDI could reduce astrocyte and microglia
      activation/proliferation and attenuate CSPGs and IL-1beta expression. Low-dose
      fractionated irradiation also promoted and provided a pathway for long-distance
      axon regeneration beyond the lesion site, induced reinnervation of axonal targets
      and restored locomotor function after SCI in Beagle dogs. Taken together, our
      findings suggest that LDI would be a promising therapeutic strategy for targeting
      glial scarring, promoting axon regeneration and facilitating reconstruction of
      functional circuits after SCI.

PMID- 28921701
TI  - An exception among diatoms: unique organization of genes involved in isoprenoid
      biosynthesis in Rhizosolenia setigera CCMP 1694.
AB  - The marine diatom Rhizosolenia setigera is unique among this group of microalgae
      given that it is only one of a handful of diatom species that can produce highly
      branched isoprenoid (HBI) hydrocarbons. In our efforts to determine
      distinguishing molecular characteristics in R. setigera CCMP 1694 that could help
      elucidate the underlying mechanisms for its ability to biosynthesize HBIs, we
      discovered the occurrence of independent genes encoding for two isopentenyl
      diphosphate isomerases (RsIDI1 and RsIDI2) and one squalene synthase (RsSQS),
      enzymes that catalyze non-consecutive steps in isoprenoid biosynthesis. These
      genes are peculiarly fused in all other genome-sequenced diatoms to date, making
      their organization in R. setigera CCMP 1694 a clear distinguishing molecular
      feature. Phylogenetic and sequence analysis of RsIDI1, RsIDI2, and RsSQS revealed
      that such an arrangement of individually transcribed genes involved in isoprenoid
      biosynthesis could have arisen through a secondary gene fission event. We further
      demonstrate that inhibition of squalene synthase (SQS) shifts the flux of
      exogenous isoprenoid precursors towards HBI biosynthesis suggesting the
      competition for isoprenoid substrates in the form of farnesyl diphosphate between
      the sterol and HBI biosynthetic pathways in this diatom.

PMID- 28921702
TI  - 3D analysis of mitosis distribution highlights the longitudinal zonation and
      diarch symmetry in proliferation activity of the Arabidopsis thaliana root
      meristem.
AB  - To date CYCB1;1 marker and cortex cell lengths have been conventionally used to
      determine the proliferation activity of the Arabidopsis root meristem. By
      creating a 3D map of mitosis distribution we showed that these markers overlooked
      that stele and endodermis save their potency to divide longer than the cortex and
      epidermis. Cessation of cell divisions is not a random process, so that mitotic
      activity within the endodermis and stele shows a diarch pattern. Mitotic activity
      of all root tissues peaked at the same distance from the quiescent center (QC);
      however, different tissues stopped dividing at different distances, with cells of
      the protophloem exiting the cell cycle first and the procambial cells being the
      last. The robust profile of mitotic activity in the root tip defines the
      longitudinal zonation in the meristem with the proliferation domain, where all
      cells are able to divide; and the transition domain, where the cell files cease
      to divide. 3D analysis of cytokinin deficient and cytokinin signaling mutants
      showed that their proliferation domain is similar to that of the wild type, but
      the transition domain is much longer. Our data suggest a strong inhibitory effect
      of cytokinin on anticlinal cell divisions in the stele.

PMID- 28921704
TI  - Editor's Picks.

PMID- 28921703
TI  - Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) Modification via
      Organocatalyzed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization.
AB  - To address the challenge of metal contamination, a "graft from" approach via
      organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (O-ATRP) is developed to
      synthesize poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-co-CTFE))
      graft copolymers. N-phenylphenothiazine is utilized as a model organic photoredox
      catalyst for catalyzing the (co)polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA),
      methacrylate (MA), and n-butyl acrylate (BA). By employing this technique, high
      temporal control of polymerization and graft content are achieved. A series of
      P(VDF-co-CTFE)-g-PMMA, P(VDF-co-CTFE)-g-PMA, and P(VDF-co-CTFE)-g-PBA is prepared
      under mild conditions. The resultant graft copolymer can be used as
      macroinitiator to re-initiate O-ATRP to synthesize P(VDF-co-CTFE)-g-(PMMA-b-PMA),
      which might exhibit the potential application as novel dielectric material.

PMID- 28921705
TI  - Green Tea Makes Polyphenol Nanoparticles with Radical-Scavenging Activities.
AB  - The constant demand for functional nanomaterials from natural biomass polymers
      usually requires new "green" synthetic strategies without using any foreign
      additives. Here, the green fabrication of a series of polyphenol nanoparticles
      (PNs) only from green tea extraction compounds is reported (i.e., tea polyphenols
      and theophylline). It is found that the nanoparticle formation process involves
      covalent copolymerization of monomers, as well as noncovalent self-assembly
      pathways. Additionally, the resulting PNs exhibit better free-radical scavenging
      activities compared with similar-sized, polydopamine-based synthetic melanin
      nanoparticles. This class of biomass-based functional nanoparticles is promising
      as green and effective antioxidant agents in general.

PMID- 28921706
TI  - Chronic endometritis: Really so relevant in repeated IVF failure?

PMID- 28921707
TI  - A visual approach of care pathways from the French nationwide SNDS database -
      from population to individual records: the ePEPS toolbox.
AB  - Secondary use of medical and administrative databases has become a powerful tool
      for epidemiological studies. In that respect, the recent access opening of French
      nationwide health record database or Systeme National des Donnees de Sante is a
      great opportunity to carry out comprehensive health studies at the country level.
      However, using this database is far from being straightforward for nonexpert data
      scientists; so, dedicated tools needed to be developed. Our contribution is
      focused on data management and visualization tools able to query and cope with
      the complexity of care pathways of patients. The scope of the toolbox presented
      below goes from interactive tools for building groups of patients to timeline
      representations of individual patient healthcare trajectories.

PMID- 28921708
TI  - Scopoletin Supplementation Ameliorates Steatosis and Inflammation in Diabetic
      Mice.
AB  - Scopoletin is a bioactive component in many edible plants and fruits. This study
      investigated the effects of scopoletin on hepatic steatosis and inflammation in a
      high-fat diet fed type 1 diabetic mice by comparison with metformin. Scopoletin
      (0.01%, w/w) or metformin (0.5%, w/w) was provided with a high-fat diet to
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice for 11 weeks. Both scopoletin and metformin
      lowered blood glucose and HbA1c , serum ALT, TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels, glucose
      intolerance, and hepatic lipid accumulation compared with the diabetic control
      group. Scopoletin or metformin down-regulated hepatic gene expression of
      triglyceride (Pparg, Plpp2, and Dgat2) and cholesterol (Hmgcr) synthesis as well
      as inflammation (Tlr4, Myd88, Nfkb1, Tnfa, and Il6), while it up-regulated Cyp7a1
      gene. Hepatic PPARgamma and DGAT2 protein levels were also down-regulated in
      scopoletin or metformin group compared with the control group. Scopoletin or
      metformin also inhibited hepatic fatty acid synthase and phosphatidate
      phosphohydrolase activities. These results suggest that scopoletin protects
      against diabetes-induced steatosis and inflammation by inhibiting lipid
      biosynthesis and TLR4-MyD88 pathways. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28921709
TI  - Kidney allograft failure in the steroid-free immunosuppression era: A matched
      case-control study.
AB  - We studied the causes and predictors of death-censored kidney allograft failure
      among 1670 kidney recipients transplanted at our center in the corticosteroid
      free maintenance immunosuppression era. As of January 1, 2012, we identified 137
      recipients with allograft failure; 130 of them (cases) were matched 1-1 for
      recipient age, calendar year of transplant, and donor type with 130 recipients
      with functioning grafts (controls). Median time to allograft failure was 29
      months (interquartile range: 18-51). Physician-validated and biopsy-confirmed
      categories of allograft failure were as follows: acute rejection (21%),
      glomerular disease (19%), transplant glomerulopathy (13%), interstitial fibrosis
      tubular atrophy (10%), and polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (7%). Graft
      failures were attributed to medical conditions in 21% and remained unresolved in
      9%. Donor race, donor age, human leukocyte antigen mismatches, serum creatinine,
      urinary protein, acute cellular rejection, acute antibody-mediated rejection, BK
      viremia, and CMV viremia were associated with allograft failure. Independent
      predictors of allograft failure were acute cellular rejection (odds ratio: 18.31,
      95% confidence interval: 5.28-63.45) and urine protein >=1 g/d within the first
      year post-transplantation (5.85, 2.37-14.45). Serum creatinine <=1.5 mg/dL within
      the first year post-transplantation reduced the odds (0.29, 0.13-0.64) of
      allograft failure. Our study has identified modifiable risk factors to reduce the
      burden of allograft failure.

PMID- 28921710
TI  - Non-stick properties of thin-film coatings on dental-restorative instruments.
AB  - The non-stick properties of thin-film coatings on dental-restorative instruments
      were investigated by static contact-angle measurement using dental filler resin
      as well as by scanning electron microscopy of the amount of sticking dental
      restorative material. Furthermore, using a customized dipping measurement set-up,
      non-stick properties were evaluated by measuring force-by-time when the
      instrument was pulled out of restorative material. Minor improvements in non
      stick properties were obtained with commercial diamond-like carbon and commercial
      polytetrafluoroethylene-based coatings. Major improvements were obtained with an
      in-house fabricated superhydrophobic coating prepared by a multistep process
      consisting of surface microstructuring by etching in hydrogen fluoride (HF):
      hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) (1:1; vol/vol), atomic layer deposition of a 7 nm
      coating of aluminium oxide and titanium oxide, and a self-assembled monolayer of
      fluorinated organosilicon. Superhydrophobic coatings provide a possible future
      solution to prevent unwanted adnerence of composite restorative material to
      dental instruments.

PMID- 28921711
TI  - FoxP expression identifies a Kenyon cell subtype in the honeybee mushroom bodies
      linking them to fruit fly alphabetac neurons.
AB  - The arthropod mushroom bodies (MB) are a higher order sensory integration centre.
      In insects, they play a central role in associative olfactory learning and
      memory. In Drosophila melanogaster (Dm), the highly ordered connectivity of
      heterogeneous MB neuron populations has been mapped using sophisticated molecular
      genetic and anatomical techniques. The MB-core subpopulation was recently shown
      to express the transcription factor FoxP with relevance for decision-making.
      Here, we report the development and adult distribution of a FoxP-expressing
      neuron population in the MB of honeybees (Apis mellifera, Am) using in situ
      hybridisation and a custom-made antiserum. We found the same expression pattern
      in adult bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, Bt). We also designed a new Dm transgenic
      line that reports FoxP transcriptional activity in the MB-core region, clarifying
      previously conflicting data of two other reporter lines. Considering
      developmental, anatomical and molecular similarities, our data are consistent
      with the concept of deep homology of FoxP expression in neuron populations coding
      reinforcement-based learning and habit formation.

PMID- 28921712
TI  - A review of NMR methods used in the study of the structure and dynamics of ionic
      liquids.
AB  - Recently, NMR spectroscopy has been emerging out as a powerful tool to study the
      structure and dynamics of ionic liquids (ILs) and ILs-Li+ salt mixtures. This
      mini-review primarily focuses on the applications of various NMR spectroscopic
      techniques such as self-diffusion measurements, NMR relaxometry, two-dimensional
      NMR, and other novel NMR approaches to study the structure and dynamics of ILs
      and its mixtures with lithium salts. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28921713
TI  - Chebulinic Acid Isolated From the Fruits of Terminalia chebula Specifically
      Induces Apoptosis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells.
AB  - Chebulinic acid, an ellagitannin found in the fruits of Terminalia chebula, has
      been extensively used in traditional Indian system of medicine. It has shown to
      have various biological activities including antitumor activity. The present
      study aims to investigate the cytotoxic potential of chebulinic acid in human
      myeloid leukemia cells. Interestingly, chebulinic acid caused apoptosis of acute
      promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 and NB4 cells but not K562 cells. In vitro antitumor
      effects of chebulinic acid were investigated by using various acute myeloid
      leukemia cell lines. Chebulinic acid treatment to HL-60 and NB4 cells induced
      caspase activation, cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, DNA fragmentation,
      chromatin condensation, and changes in the mitochondrial membrane permeability.
      Additionally, inhibition of caspase activation drastically reduced the chebulinic
      acid-induced apoptosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. Our data also
      demonstrate that chebulinic acid-induced apoptosis in HL-60 and NB4 cells
      involves activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases, which, when
      inhibited with ERK inhibitor PD98059, mitigates the chebulinic acid-induced
      apoptosis. Taken together, our findings exhibit the selective potentiation of
      chebulinic acid-induced apoptosis in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells.
      Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 28921714
TI  - Fetal microchimerism in human brain tumors.
AB  - Sex differences in cancer incidence and survival, including central nervous
      system tumors, are well documented. Multiple mechanisms contribute to sex
      differences in health and disease. Recently, the presence of fetal-in-maternal
      microchimeric cells has been shown to have prognostic significance in breast and
      colorectal cancers. The frequency and potential role of these cells has not been
      investigated in brain tumors. We therefore selected two common primary adult
      brain tumors for this purpose: meningioma, which is sex hormone responsive and
      has a higher incidence in women, and glioblastoma, which is sex hormone
      independent and occurs more commonly in men. Quantitative PCR was used to detect
      the presence of male DNA in tumor samples from women with a positive history of
      male pregnancy and a diagnosis of either glioblastoma or meningioma. Fluorescence
      in situ hybridization for the X and Y chromosomes was used to verify the
      existence of intact male cells within tumor tissue. Fetal microchimerism was
      found in approximately 80% of glioblastoma cases and 50% of meningioma cases. No
      correlations were identified between the presence of microchimerism and commonly
      used clinical or molecular diagnostic features of disease. The impact of fetal
      microchimeric cells should be evaluated prospectively.

PMID- 28921715
TI  - A crisis in diabetes research funding.

PMID- 28921716
TI  - Corrigenda.

PMID- 28921717
TI  - Corrigenda.

PMID- 28921718
TI  - International Guest Scholar: Paving the way from reconstructive to regenerative
      surgery.

PMID- 28921720
TI  - Synthetic Metals.

PMID- 28921721
TI  - Effects of the availability of accurate proprioceptive information on older
      adults' postural sway and muscle co-contraction.
AB  - During conditions of increased postural instability, older adults exhibit greater
      lower limb muscle co-contraction. This response has been interpreted as a
      compensatory postural strategy, which may be used to increase proprioceptive
      information from muscle spindles or to stiffen the lower limb as a general
      response to minimise postural sway. The current study aimed to test these two
      hypotheses by investigating use of muscle co-contraction during sensory
      transitions that manipulated proprioceptive input. Surface EMG was recorded from
      the bilateral tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius medialis muscles, in young
      (aged 18-30) and older adults (aged 68-80) during blind-folded postural
      assessment. This commenced on a fixed platform (baseline: 2 min), followed by 3
      min on a sway-referenced platform (adaptation) and a final 3 min on a fixed
      platform again (reintegration). Sensory reweighting was slower in older adults,
      as shown by a significantly larger and longer postural sway after-effect once a
      stable platform was restored. Muscle co-contraction showed similar after-effects,
      whereby older adults showed a larger increase in co-contraction once the stable
      platform had been restored, compared to young adults. This co-contraction after
      effect did not return to baseline until after 1 min. Our evidence for high muscle
      co-contraction during the reintroduction of veridical proprioceptive input
      suggests that increased co-contraction in older adults is not dependent on
      contemporaneous proprioceptive input. Rather, it is more likely that co
      contraction is a general postural strategy used to minimise postural sway, which
      is increased during this sensory transition. Future research should examine
      whether muscle co-contraction is typically a reactive or anticipatory response.

PMID- 28921722
TI  - Interactive effects of music tempi and intensities on grip strength and
      subjective affect.
AB  - Pretask music is widely used by athletes albeit there is scant empirical evidence
      to support its use. The present study extended a line of work into pretask music
      by examining the interactive effects of music tempo and intensity (volume) on the
      performance of a simple motor skill and subjective affect. A 2 * 2 within
      subjects factorial design was employed with an additional no-music control, the
      scores from which were used as a covariate. A sample of 52 male athletes (Mage  =
      26.1 +/- 4.8 years) was exposed to five conditions: fast/loud (126 bpm/80 dBA),
      fast/quiet (126 bpm/70 dBA), slow/loud (87 bpm/80 dBA), slow/quiet (87 bpm/70
      dBA) music, and a no-music control. Dependent variables were grip strength,
      measured with a handgrip dynamometer, and subjective affect, assessed by use of
      the Affect Grid. The tempo and intensity components of music had interactive
      effects for grip strength but only main effects for subjective affect. Fast-tempo
      music played at a high intensity yielded the highest grip strength, while fast
      tempo music played at a low-intensity resulted in much lower grip strength
      (Mdiff.  = -1.11 Force kg). For affective valence, there were main effects of
      tempo and intensity, with fast and loud music yielding the highest scores. For
      affective arousal, there was no difference between tempi although there was
      between intensities, with the high-intensity condition yielding higher scores.
      The present findings indicate the utility of fast/loud pretask music in enhancing
      affective valence and arousal in preparation for a simple or gross motor task.

PMID- 28921723
TI  - Effect of prophylactic cefalexin treatment on the development of bacterial
      infection in acute radiation-induced dermatitis in dogs: a blinded randomized
      controlled prospective clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute radiation-induced dermatitis (ARID) is a common sequela of
      radiation therapy and carries the risk of secondary bacterial skin infection. No
      standard of care exists for managing canine ARID and evidence-based guidelines
      are lacking; however, prophylactic use of antibiotics is common.
      HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of prophylactic cefalexin on the
      prevalence and severity of bacterial infection in canine ARID. ANIMALS: Seventeen
      dogs treated with definitive-intent radiotherapy. METHODS: All dogs were treated
      with definitive-intent radiation therapy (48-57.5 gray) targeted to the skin
      surface. Dogs were randomized to receive either prophylactic cefalexin (22 mg/kg
      twice daily) beginning halfway through the prescribed radiotherapy course (cohort
      A) or to serve as controls (cohort B). Aerobic skin cultures and surface
      cytological evaluation were performed at first onset of moist desquamation and
      one week following completion of radiation therapy. Skin toxicity grading and
      owner quality of life (QoL) questionnaires were performed weekly. The rate of
      infection, multidrug resistance status, toxicity severity and QoL between cohorts
      were compared. RESULTS: Staphylococcus schleiferi and S. pseudintermedius were
      the most frequent bacterial agents isolated in both cohorts. There was no
      significant difference in prevalence of bacterial infection or overall QoL
      between cohorts at either time point; however, multidrug-resistant infections
      were significantly increased in cohort A versus cohort B. Clinician- and client
      perceived severity of toxicity was significantly greater and median duration of
      moist desquamation was significantly longer in cohort A than cohort B.
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Prophylactic use of cefalexin for management
      of canine ARID is not recommended.

PMID- 28921719
TI  - Inflammation alters AMPA-stimulated calcium responses in dorsal striatal D2 but
      not D1 spiny projection neurons.
AB  - Neuroinflammation precedes neuronal loss in striatal neurodegenerative diseases
      and can be exacerbated by the release of proinflammatory molecules by microglia.
      These molecules can affect trafficking of AMPARs. The preferential trafficking of
      calcium-permeable versus impermeable AMPARs can result in disruptions of [Ca2+ ]i
      and alter cellular functions. In striatal neurodegenerative diseases, changes in
      [Ca2+ ]i and L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) have been reported.
      Therefore, this study sought to determine whether a proinflammatory environment
      alters AMPA-stimulated [Ca2+ ]i through calcium-permeable AMPARs and/or L-type
      VGCCs in dopamine-2- and dopamine-1-expressing striatal spiny projection neurons
      (D2 and D1 SPNs) in the dorsal striatum. Mice expressing the calcium indicator
      protein, GCaMP in D2 or D1 SPNs, were utilized for calcium imaging. Microglial
      activation was assessed by morphology analyses. To induce inflammation, acute
      mouse striatal slices were incubated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Here we
      report that LPS treatment potentiated AMPA responses only in D2 SPNs. When a
      nonspecific VGCC blocker was included, we observed a decrease of AMPA-stimulated
      calcium fluorescence in D2 but not D1 SPNs. The remaining agonist-induced [Ca2+
      ]i was mediated by calcium-permeable AMPARs because the responses were completely
      blocked by a selective calcium-permeable AMPAR antagonist. We used isradipine,
      the highly selective L-type VGCC antagonist to determine the role of L-type VGCCs
      in SPNs treated with LPS. Isradipine decreased AMPA-stimulated responses
      selectively in D2 SPNs after LPS treatment. Our findings suggest that dorsal
      striatal D2 SPNs are specifically targeted in proinflammatory conditions and that
      L-type VGCCs and calcium-permeable AMPARs are important mediators of this effect.

PMID- 28921724
TI  - "Discrete peaks" of excitability and map overlap reveal task-specific
      organization of primary motor cortex for control of human forearm muscles.
AB  - The primary motor cortex (M1) presents a somatotopic organization of body parts,
      but with overlap between muscle/movement representations. This distinct but
      overlapping M1 organization is believed to be important for individuated control
      and movement coordination, respectively. Discrete peaks of greater excitability
      observed within M1 might underpin organization of cortical motor control. This
      study aimed to examine interactions between M1 representations of synergist and
      antagonist forearm muscles, compare regions of greater excitability during
      different functional tasks, and compare characteristics of M1 representation
      recorded using surface and fine-wire (fw ) electrodes. Transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (TMS) was applied over M1 for mapping the representation of 4 forearm
      muscles (extensor carpi radialis brevis [ECRB], extensor digitorum communis,
      flexor carpi radialis, and flexor digitorum superficialis) during three tasks:
      rest, grip, and wrist extension in 14 participants. There are three main
      findings. First, discrete areas of peak excitability within the M1 representation
      of ECRBfw were identified during grip and wrist extension suggesting that
      different M1 areas are involved in different motor functions. Second, M1
      representations of synergist muscles presented with greater overlap of M1
      representations than muscles with mainly antagonist actions, which suggests a
      role in muscle coordination. Third, as larger normalized map volume and overlap
      were observed using surface than fine-wire electrodes, data suggest that cross
      talk from adjacent muscles compromised interpretation of recordings made with
      surface electrodes in response to TMS. These results provide a novel
      understanding of the spatial organization of M1 with evidence of "functional
      somatotopy." This has important implications for cortical control of movement.
      Hum Brain Mapp 38:6118-6132, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921726
TI  - Chlamydia trachomatis regulates innate immune barrier integrity and mediates
      cytokine and antimicrobial responses in human uterine ECC-1 epithelial cells.
AB  - PROBLEM: Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most common sexually transmitted
      bacterial infection worldwide and known to increase the risk for HIV acquisition.
      Few studies have investigated how infection of epithelial cells compromises
      barrier integrity and antimicrobial response. METHOD OF STUDY: ECC-1 cells, a
      human uterine epithelial cell line, were treated with live and heat-killed C.
      trachomatis. Epithelial barrier integrity measured as transepithelial resistance
      (TER), chemokines antimicrobial levels, and antimicrobial mRNA expression was
      measured by ELISA and Real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: Epithelial barrier integrity was
      compromised when cells were infected with live, but not with heat-killed, C.
      trachomatis. IL-8 secretion by ECC-1 cells increased in response to live and heat
      killed C. trachomatis, while MCP-1, HBD2 and trappin2/elafin secretion decreased
      with live C. trachomatis. CONCLUSION: Live C. trachomatis suppresses ECC-1 innate
      immune responses by compromising the barrier integrity, inhibiting secretion of
      MCP-1, HBD2, and trappin-2/elafin. Differential responses between live and heat
      killed Chlamydia indicate which immune responses are dependent on ECC-1 infection
      rather than the extracellular presence of Chlamydia.

PMID- 28921727
TI  - Hot off the Press: Embedded Clinical Decision Support in Electronic Health Record
      Decreases Use of High-cost Imaging in the Emergency Department: EmbED Study.
AB  - This longitudinal before/after study of embedded clinical decision rules assessed
      the effects of clinical decision support on use of common imaging studies. Among
      high users, rates of computed tomograhy (CT) scan of the brain and CT of the
      cervical spine were reduced after implementation of embedded clinical decision
      instruments, while in low users, rates increased. This article summarizes the
      manuscript and the Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine podcast, as well as the
      ensuing social media/online discussion.

PMID- 28921725
TI  - Coenzyme Q10 Prevents the Interleukin-1 Beta Induced Inflammatory Response via
      Inhibition of MAPK Signaling Pathways in Rat Articular Chondrocytes.
AB  - Preclinical Research Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widely prevalent degenerative joint
      disease that severely impairs the health of the elderly population resulting in a
      heavy economic burden worldwide. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has shown anti-inflammatory
      effects in some diseases. The present study aimed to investigate if CoQ10 would
      suppress catabolic responses of interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced chondrocytes. Rat
      chondrocytes were cultured and pretreated with CoQ10, and then stimulated with or
      without IL-1beta (10 ng/ml). The expression and production of matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, MMP-9, and MMP13 were determined using real-time PCR
      and Western blotting. CoQ10 suppressed MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP13 production induced
      by IL-1beta, and markedly inhibited IL-1beta-induced MAPK pathways in rat
      chondrocytes. The present study provides insight into potential mechanisms by
      which CoQ10 protects against degeneration of cartilage in patients with OA, which
      may lead to new approaches for the treatment of OA.Drug Dev Res 78 : 403-410,
      2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921728
TI  - Undifferentiated connective tissue diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes. An
      undervalued association?
AB  - Undifferentiated connective tissue diseases (UCTDs) are a heterogeneous group of
      disorders characterized by symptoms and signs suggestive of systemic autoimmune
      rheumatic disease (ARD), but which do not fulfill all the established criteria
      for definite diagnosis of a condition. Although a third of UCTDs can progress to
      a definite ARD within months or years, most UCTDs can remain stable for years
      with minimal disease activity. The annual incidence of UCTD in the general
      population ranges from 14 to 140 per 100 000 people. UCTDs are associated with
      the persistence of several circulating autoantibodies including antinuclear,
      antiphospholipid or antithyroid antibodies. Immunological evaluation of subjects
      with UCTDs suggests a proinflammatory state and dysregulation of the Th1/Th2
      balance. Autoantibodies have well-known deleterious effects on placentation and
      have been associated with an increased risk of prematurity, fetal growth
      restriction (FGR), preeclampsia, and congenital atrioventricular heart block.
      Although epidemiological and biological data suggest a potential negative impact
      on reproductive outcomes, the relationship between UCTD and pregnancy outcomes
      has not been adequately studied. While awaiting definitive data from large
      studies, obstetricians should be aware that rheumatic disorders in their early,
      incomplete, or undifferentiated phases can adversely affect pregnancy outcomes,
      increasing the likelihood of pregnancy loss, FGR, preeclampsia, and prematurity.

PMID- 28921729
TI  - Long-range cortical dynamics: a perspective from the mouse sensorimotor whisker
      system.
AB  - In the mammalian neocortex, the capacity to dynamically route and coordinate the
      exchange of information between areas is a critical feature of cognitive
      function, enabling processes such as higher-level sensory processing and
      sensorimotor integration. Despite the importance attributed to long-range
      connections between cortical areas, their exact operations and role in cortical
      function remain an open question. In recent years, progress has been made in
      understanding long-range cortical circuits through work focused on the mouse
      sensorimotor whisker system. In this review, we examine recent studies dissecting
      long-range circuits involved in whisker sensorimotor processing as an entry point
      for understanding the rules that govern long-range cortical circuit function.

PMID- 28921730
TI  - Comparison of the percentages of CD4+  CD25high  FOXP3+ , CD4+  CD25low  FOXP3+ ,
      and CD4+  FOXP3+ Tregs, in the umbilical cord blood of babies born to mothers
      with and without preeclampsia.
AB  - PROBLEM: Little is known about how preeclampsia affects regulatory T-cell count
      and functions in umbilical cord blood of babies born to preeclamptic mothers.
      Here, we analyze the percentage of CD4+  CD25high  FOXP3+ , CD4+  CD25low  FOXP3+
      , and CD4+  FOXP3+ Tregs, in the umbilical cord blood of babies born to mothers
      with and without preeclampsia. METHOD OF STUDY: The percentage of umbilical cord
      blood CD4+  CD25high  FOXP3+ , CD4+  CD25low  FOXP3+ , and CD4+  FOXP3+ Tregs
      were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: CD4+  CD25high  FOXP3+ Treg (%) and
      CD4+  FOXP3+ Treg (%) were significantly lower, while CD4+  CD25low (%) was
      significantly higher in umbilical cord blood of babies born to preeclamptic
      mothers. CONCLUSION: Preeclampsia is associated with immune dysregulation which
      leads to a deficiency in Treg (CD4+  CD25high  FOXP3+ ) in the umbilical cord
      blood of babies born to preeclamptic mothers.

PMID- 28921731
TI  - Interobserver Agreement in Pediatric Cervical Spine Injury Assessment Between
      Prehospital and Emergency Department Providers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Investigators have derived cervical spine injury (CSI) decision
      support tools from physician observations. There is a need to demonstrate that
      prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) providers can use these tools to
      appropriately determine the need for spinal motion restrictions and make field
      disposition decisions. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to determine the
      interobserver agreement between EMS and emergency department (ED) providers for
      CSI risk assessment variables and overall gestalt for CSI in children after blunt
      trauma. METHODS: This was a planned, substudy of a four-site, prospective cohort
      of children < 18 years transported by EMS to pediatric EDs for evaluation of CSI
      after blunt trauma. Inclusion criteria were trauma team activation and/or EMS
      initiated spinal motion restriction. Exclusion criteria were penetrating trauma,
      transfer to another facility for definitive care, state custody, or substantial
      language barrier. For each eligible child, the transporting EMS provider and
      treating ED provider independently recorded their clinical assessment for CSI.
      This included mechanism of injury and patient history and physical examination
      findings. We assessed each paired variable for interobserver agreement between
      EMS and ED provider using kappa (kappa) analysis. We considered variables with
      kappa lower confidence interval values >=0.4 to have moderate or better
      agreement. RESULTS: We obtained 1,372 paired observations for 29 variables. After
      finding prevalence and observer bias were adjusted for, all variables achieved
      moderate to better agreement including eight variables previously shown to be
      independently associated with CSI in children: diving mechanism, high-risk motor
      vehicle collision, altered mental status, focal neurologic findings, neck pain,
      torticollis, substantial torso injury, and predisposing medical condition. EMS
      and ED providers, however, showed less than moderate agreement for their overall
      gestalt for CSI in children. Of note, both EMS and ED providers did not assess
      for neck pain, inability to move the neck, and/or cervical spine tenderness in
      more than 10% of study patients. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency medical services and ED
      providers achieved at least moderate agreement in the assessment of CSI risk
      factors in children after blunt trauma. However, EMS and ED providers did not
      achieve moderate agreement on gestalt for CSI and some risk factors went
      unassessed by providers. These findings support the development of a pediatric
      CSI risk assessment tool for EMS and ED providers to reduce interventions for
      those children at very low risk for CSIs while still identifying all children
      with injury.

PMID- 28921732
TI  - From medico-administrative databases analysis to care trajectories analytics: an
      example with the French SNDS.
AB  - Medico-administrative data like SNDS (Systeme National de Donnees de Sante) are
      not collected initially for epidemiological purposes. Moreover, the data model
      and the tools proposed to SNDS users make their in-depth exploitation difficult.
      We propose a data model, called the ePEPS model, based on healthcare trajectories
      to provide a medical view of raw data. A data abstraction process enables the
      clinician to have an intuitive medical view of raw data and to design a study
      specific view. This view is based on a generic model of care trajectory, that is
      a sequence of time stamped medical events for a given patient. This model is
      combined with tools to manipulate care trajectories efficiently.

PMID- 28921733
TI  - Effects of individual and partner factors on anxiety and depression in Taiwanese
      prostate cancer patients: A longitudinal study.
AB  - Studies exploring the mediating and predictive factors of anxiety and depression
      for prostate cancer patients in Eastern countries are scant. Guided by the
      transactional model of stress and coping, this study determined the predictors
      and mediators of anxiety and depression in prostate cancer patients. The
      participants comprised 115 prostate cancer patients and 91 partners. The patients
      and partners completed questionnaires regarding physical symptoms, disease
      appraisals, coping behaviours, anxiety and depression in the period before
      confirmation of treatment decisions and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment.
      The results revealed that partner anxiety engendered a stressful situation and
      aggravated patient anxiety. Patients' threat appraisals and affective-oriented
      coping behaviours mediated the relationships between their anxiety levels and
      those of their partners. The patients' most recent prostate-specific antigen
      (PSA) levels and hormonal symptoms were key predictors of their anxiety and
      depression levels. The patients' harm appraisals mediated the relationships
      between their most recent PSA levels and hormonal symptoms and depression. Their
      threat appraisals and affective-oriented coping behaviours mediated the
      relationships between their hormonal symptoms and anxiety and depression. To
      manage those key factors, reframing, appraising disease and improving coping
      behaviours may reduce anxiety and depression levels in prostate cancer patients.

PMID- 28921734
TI  - The extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 triggers angiogenesis in human
      ectopic endometrial implants by inducing angioblast differentiation and
      proliferation.
AB  - PROBLEM: The role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2-mediated
      angiogenesis during endometriotic nidation is unknown. We posit that ERK1/2
      induced angioblast differentiation and proliferation promotes ectopic endometrial
      angiogenesis. METHODS OF STUDY: Human eutopic and ectopic endometria were
      immunostained for total- (T-) or phosphorylated- (P-) ERK1/2 or double
      immunostained for P-ERK1/2-CD34 and PCNA-CD34. Estradiol (E2 ), cytokines, normal
      peritoneal fluid (NPF) or endometriotic peritoneal fluid (EPF) +/-PD98059, an
      ERK1/2 inhibitor, treaded primary human endometrial endothelial cells (HEECs)
      were evaluated by T-/P-ERK1/2 immunoblotting, MTT viability and tube formation
      assays. RESULTS: HEECs exhibited higher endothelial P-ERK1/2 immunoreactivity in
      ectopic vs eutopic endometria. Double-immunostained ectopic endometria displayed
      abundant CD34-positive angioblasts exhibiting strong P-ERK1/2 and PCNA
      immunoreactivity. EPF and vascular growth factor (VEGF)-A significantly increased
      HEEC proliferation and P-ERK1/2 levels. PD98059 reduced basal, EPF, and VEGF
      induced HEEC proliferation and promoted vascular stabilization following tube
      formation. CONCLUSION: Enhanced ERK1/2 activity in angioblasts by such peritoneal
      factors as VEGF, E2 induces proliferation to trigger ectopic endometrial
      angiogenesis.

PMID- 28921735
TI  - Three shades of grey: detecting brain abnormalities in children with autism using
      source-, voxel- and surface-based morphometry.
AB  - Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized
      by deficits in social interactions, communication and stereotyped behaviour.
      Recent evidence from neuroimaging supports the hypothesis that ASD deficits in
      adults may be related to abnormalities in a specific frontal-temporal network
      [Autism-specific Structural Network (ASN)]. To see whether these results extend
      to younger children and to better characterize these abnormalities, we applied
      three morphometric methods on brain grey matter (GM) of children with and without
      ASD. We selected 39 sMRI images of male children with ASD and 42 typically
      developing (TD) from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange database. We used
      source-based morphometry (SoBM), a whole-brain multivariate approach to identify
      GM networks, voxel-based morphometry (VBM), a voxel-wise comparison of the local
      GM concentration and surface-based morphometry (SuBM) for the estimation of the
      cortical parameters. SoBM showed a bilateral frontal-parietal-temporal network
      different between groups, including the inferior-middle temporal gyrus, the
      inferior parietal lobule and the postcentral gyrus; VBM returned differences only
      in the right temporal lobe; SuBM returned a thinning in the right inferior
      temporal lobe thinner in ASD, a higher gyrification in the right superior
      parietal lobule in TD and in the middle frontal gyrus in ASD. For the first time,
      we investigated the brain abnormalities in children with ASD using three
      morphometric techniques. The results were relatively consistent between methods,
      stressing the role of an Autism-specific Structural Network in ASD individuals.
      We also make methodological speculations on the relevance of using multivariate
      and whole-brain neuroimaging analysis to capture ASD complexity.

PMID- 28921737
TI  - Partnering to Change the World for People with Haemophilia: 7th Haemophilia
      Global Summit, Madrid, Spain 22-24 September 2016.

PMID- 28921736
TI  - Graphene Oxide (GO) as Stabilizer for Preparing Chirally Helical Polyacetylene/GO
      Hybrid Microspheres via Suspension Polymerization.
AB  - Hybrid materials consisting of polymers and graphene are gathering ever-growing
      interest. This article reports a novel methodology for preparing chirally helical
      polyacetylene/graphene hybrid microspheres (MPs) via suspension polymerization in
      which graphene oxide (GO) or alkynylated GO (M?GO) serves as a sole stabilizer.
      Such polymerizations show remarkable advantages in circumventing the difficulties
      in usual suspension polymerizations and especially in directly providing clean
      hybrid MPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectra, and electron
      dispersive spectroscopy indicate that graphene sheets cover the MPs through
      physical interaction (GO) or covalent bonds (M?GO). The hybrid MPs are also
      characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Circular dichroism
      spectra demonstrate that the polymer chains constituting the MPs adopt
      predominantly one-handed helices, endowing the MPs with intriguing optical
      activity. The established strategy opens a new approach for preparing hybrid MPs
      constructed by acetylenic polymers and GO.

PMID- 28921738
TI  - Partnering to change the world for people with haemophilia: 7th Haemophilia
      Global Summit, Madrid, Spain 22-24 September 2016.
AB  - The 7th Haemophilia Global Summit was held in Madrid, Spain, in September 2016.
      With a programme designed, for the 6th consecutive year, by a Scientific Steering
      Committee of haemophilia experts, the aim of the summit was to share optimal
      management strategies for haemophilia at all life stages and to provide an
      opportunity for specialists from across the haemophilia multidisciplinary care
      team to engage in discussion and debate with leading international experts on
      current and future areas of research. Topics covered ranged from the optimisation
      of haemophilia management, emerging issues in clinical care, practical approaches
      and future perspectives, in addition to patient engagement and empowerment in
      modern haemophilia care.

PMID- 28921739
TI  - A rapid review of needs assessment tools for post-treatment cancer survivors.
AB  - Relevant, comprehensive and psychometrically rigorous needs assessment tools are
      needed to ensure appropriate care is delivered to cancer survivors who have
      completed treatment. The aim of this rapid review was to identify and describe
      needs assessment tools that are used in cancer survivors post-treatment, assess
      their psychometric properties and describe their use in clinical care. The
      electronic databases Medline, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and PsycINFO were
      searched. Six studies were identified that described five needs assessment tools
      used in cancer survivors post-treatment. None of these tools covered all domains
      of unmet need nor demonstrated adequate evidence of all recommended criteria of
      validity and reliability. Few had been evaluated for use in a clinical
      environment. Out of the five tools, the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SUNS) showed
      the strongest psychometric properties. There is little empirical evidence
      available to guide recommendations on the most appropriate process of conducting
      needs assessment with cancer survivors once they have completed treatment.

PMID- 28921740
TI  - 5-HTTLPR moderates the association between interdependence and brain responses to
      mortality threats.
AB  - While behavioral research suggests an association between cultural worldview and
      decreased anxiety of death, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain
      unclear. Using functional MRI, we investigated whether and how the serotonin
      transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR), which has been associated with
      mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, moderates the associations
      between a cultural trait (i.e., interdependence) and self-report of death
      anxiety/depression and between interdependence and brain responses to mortality
      threats. Long/long and short/short allele carriers of the 5-HTTLPR were scanned
      using fMRI while they performed a one-back task on death-related, death-unrelated
      negative, and neutral words. Participants' interdependence and death
      anxiety/depression were assessed using questionnaires after scanning. We found
      that participants who assessed themselves with greater interdependence reported
      lower death anxiety/depression and showed decreased neural response to death
      related words in emotion-related brain regions including the anterior cingulate,
      putamen, and thalamus. However, these results were evident in long/long allele
      carriers of the 5-HTTLPR but not in short/short allele carriers who even showed
      positive associations between interdependence and neural activities in the
      anterior cingulate, putamen and thalamus in response to death-related words. Our
      findings suggest candidate mechanisms for explaining the complex relationship
      between genotype, cultural traits, and mental/neural responses to mortality
      threats. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6157-6171, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921741
TI  - Chalcogen-Atom-Annulated Perylene Diimide Trimers for Highly Efficient
      Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells.
AB  - This communication reports the synthesis of two novel chalcogen-atom-annulated
      perylene diimide (PDI) trimers with twisted structures, TriPDI-S and TriPDI-Se,
      for efficient nonfullerene polymer solar cells. TriPDI-Se exhibits more compact
      molecular arrangement due to the stronger intermolecular interactions induced by
      the selenium atom. This selenium annulation endows TriPDI-Se with improved
      absorption and crystallinity in its blend film. The resulting devices exhibit
      enhanced Jsc of 17.15 mA cm-2 and fill factor (FF) of 66.8%, which are much
      higher than those of TriPDI-S devices (Jsc = 16.71 mA cm-2 ; FF = 63.6%).
      Although TriPDI-Se exhibits lower-lying energy levels, TriPDI-Se devices still
      obtain a higher Voc of 0.77 V compared to TriPDI-S devices (Voc = 0.74 V), which
      is mainly originated from the reduced recombination in the related devices.
      Finally, the power conversion efficiency is significantly elevated from 7.86% for
      TriPDI-S devices to 8.82% for TriPDI-Se devices.

PMID- 28921742
TI  - Processing of temporally patterned sounds in the auditory cortex of Seba's short
      tailed bat,Carollia perspicillata.
AB  - This article presents a characterization of cortical responses to artificial and
      natural temporally patterned sounds in the bat species Carollia perspicillata, a
      species that produces vocalizations at rates above 50 Hz. Multi-unit activity was
      recorded in three different experiments. In the first experiment, amplitude
      modulated (AM) pure tones were used as stimuli to drive auditory cortex (AC)
      units. AC units of both ketamine-anesthetized and awake bats could lock their
      spikes to every cycle of the stimulus modulation envelope, but only if the
      modulation frequency was below 22 Hz. In the second experiment, two identical
      communication syllables were presented at variable intervals. Suppressed
      responses to the lagging syllable were observed, unless the second syllable
      followed the first one with a delay of at least 80 ms (i.e., 12.5 Hz repetition
      rate). In the third experiment, natural distress vocalization sequences were used
      as stimuli to drive AC units. Distress sequences produced by C. perspicillata
      contain bouts of syllables repeated at intervals of ~60 ms (16 Hz). Within each
      bout, syllables are repeated at intervals as short as 14 ms (~71 Hz). Cortical
      units could follow the slow temporal modulation flow produced by the occurrence
      of multisyllabic bouts, but not the fast acoustic flow created by rapid syllable
      repetition within the bouts. Taken together, our results indicate that even in
      fast vocalizing animals, such as bats, cortical neurons can only track the
      temporal structure of acoustic streams modulated at frequencies lower than 22 Hz.

PMID- 28921743
TI  - Exercise training dose differentially alters muscle and heart capillary density
      and metabolic functions in an obese rat with metabolic syndrome.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Regular exercise is
      recommended as a non-pharmacological approach for the prevention and treatment of
      metabolic syndrome. However, the impact of different combinations of intensity,
      duration and frequency of exercise on metabolic syndrome and microvascular
      density has not been reported. What is the main finding and its importance? We
      provide evidence on the impact of aerobic exercise dose on metabolic and
      microvascular alterations in an experimental model of metabolic syndrome induced
      by high-fat diet. We found that the exercise frequency and duration were the main
      factors affecting anthropometric and metabolic parameters and microvascular
      density in the skeletal muscle. Exercise intensity was related only to
      microvascular density in the heart. We evaluated the effect of the frequency,
      duration and intensity of exercise training on metabolic parameters and
      structural capillary density in obese rats with metabolic syndrome. Wistar-Kyoto
      rats were fed either a standard commercial diet (CON) or a high-fat diet (HFD).
      Animals that received the HFD were randomly separated into either a sedentary
      (SED) group or eight different exercise groups that varied according to the
      frequency, duration and intensity of training. After 12 weeks of aerobic exercise
      training, the body composition, aerobic capacity, haemodynamic variables,
      metabolic parameters and capillary density in the heart and skeletal muscle were
      evaluated. All the exercise training groups showed reduced resting systolic blood
      pressure and heart rate and normalized fasting glucose. The minimal amount of
      exercise (90 min per week) produced little effect on metabolic syndrome
      parameters. A moderate amount of exercise (150 min per week) was required to
      reduce body weight and improve capillary density. However, only the high amount
      of exercise (300 min per week) significantly reduced the amount of body fat
      depots. The three-way ANOVA showed a main effect of exercise frequency and
      duration for the improvement of metabolic syndrome and capillary density in
      skeletal muscle. Exercise intensity was a main factor in reversing microvascular
      rarefaction in the heart.

PMID- 28921744
TI  - Cholinergic basal forebrain structures are not essential for mediation of the
      arousing action of glutamate.
AB  - The cholinergic basal forebrain contributes to cortical activation and receives
      rich innervations from the ascending activating system. It is involved in the
      mediation of the arousing actions of noradrenaline and histamine. Glutamatergic
      stimulation in the basal forebrain results in cortical acetylcholine release and
      suppression of sleep. However, it is not known to what extent the cholinergic
      versus non-cholinergic basal forebrain projection neurones contribute to the
      arousing action of glutamate. To clarify this question, we administered N-methyl
      D-aspartate (NMDA), a glutamate agonist, into the basal forebrain in intact rats
      and after destruction of the cholinergic cells in the basal forebrain with 192
      immunoglobulin (Ig)G-saporin. In eight Han-Wistar rats with implanted
      electroencephalogram/electromyogram (EEG/EMG) electrodes and guide cannulas for
      microdialysis probes, 0.23 MUg 192 IgG-saporin was administered into the basal
      forebrain, while the eight control animals received artificial cerebrospinal
      fluid. Two weeks later, a microdialysis probe targeted into the basal forebrain
      was perfused with cerebrospinal fluid on the baseline day and for 3 h with 0.3
      mmNMDA on the subsequent day. Sleep-wake activity was recorded for 24 h on both
      days. NMDA exhibited a robust arousing effect in both the intact and the lesioned
      rats. Wakefulness was increased and both non-REM and REM sleep were decreased
      significantly during the 3-h NMDA perfusion. Destruction of the basal forebrain
      cholinergic neurones did not abolish the wake-enhancing action of NMDA. Thus, the
      cholinergic basal forebrain structures are not essential for the mediation of the
      arousing action of glutamate.

PMID- 28921745
TI  - Transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-beta upregulates microRNA,
      let-7f-1 in human endocervical cells.
AB  - PROBLEM: In endocervical epithelial cells (End1/E6E7), miRNA let-7f plays an
      important role in the control of innate immunity. The underlying molecular
      mechanism for let-7f regulation in these cells remains largely unclear. METHODS
      OF STUDY: let-7f was knocked down in End1/E6E7 cells using siRNA, and
      differential gene expression was analyzed by microarray. Differentially expressed
      genes were validated by qPCR and Western blot. Expression of let-7f was studied
      by qPCR after inhibition of C/EBPbeta with betulinic acid (BA) and pCMVbeta
      plasmid and after overexpression of C/EBPbeta with pCMVbeta+ plasmid. ChIP assay
      was performed to confirm binding of C/EBPbeta to let-7f promoter. Levels of
      Lin28A/B were checked by qPCR after similar treatment. RESULTS: let-7f knockdown
      (KD) affects the expression of many transcription factors (eg, C/EBPbeta) which
      are important regulators of immune responses. We observed let-7f-1 promoter to
      contain 6 C/EBPbeta binding sites. KD of C/EBPbeta led to decreased let-7f
      expression while overexpression of C/EBPbeta increased its expression. Treatment
      of End1/E6E7 cells with TLR-3 ligand, poly(I:C) increased binding of C/EBPbeta at
      binding sites 3, 5, and 6. Expression of Lin28A/B also changed upon inhibition
      and overexpression of C/EBPbeta. Its expression is opposite to that of let-7f in
      End1/E6E7 cells. CONCLUSION: let-7f-1 is a direct target of transcription factor,
      C/EBPbeta in End1/E6E7 cells.

PMID- 28921746
TI  - Identification of occult active infection using PET-CT in a combined liver-kidney
      transplant candidate.
AB  - This case describes a patient being considered for combined liver-kidney
      transplantation for Caroli's disease with a failed renal transplant. A chronic
      septic focus could not be located with standard imaging techniques, such as
      ultrasonography and computed tomography. This case report highlights the
      observation that a retained non-functioning transplant can be the cause of fever
      of unknown origin and PET-CT can be useful in diagnosing these challenging cases.

PMID- 28921747
TI  - Pitfalls in accelerometer-based measurement of physical activity: The presence of
      reactivity in an adult population.
AB  - When a behavior is monitored, it is likely to change, even if no change may be
      intended. This phenomenon is known as measurement reactivity. We investigated
      systematic changes in accelerometer-based measures over the days of monitoring as
      an indicator of measurement reactivity in an adult population. One hundred
      seventy-one participants from the general population (65% women; mean age = 55
      years, range: 42-65 years) wore accelerometers for 7 consecutive days to measure
      sedentary behavior and physical activity (PA). Latent growth models were used (a)
      to investigate changes in accelerometer wear time over the measurement days and
      (b) to identify measurement reactivity indicated by systematic changes in
      sedentary time (ST), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous
      physical activity (MVPA). Over the measurement days, participants reduced
      accelerometer wear time by trend (rate of change [b] = -4.7 min/d, P = .051,
      Cohen's d = .38), increased ST (b = 2.4 min/d, P = .018, d = .39), and reduced
      LPA (b = -2.4 min/d, P = .015, d = .38). Participants did not significantly
      reduce MVPA (P = .537). Our data indicated that accelerometry might generate
      reactivity. Small effects on ST and LPA were found. Thus, the validity of
      accelerometer-based data on ST and LPA may be compromised. Systematic changes
      observed in accelerometer wear time may further bias accelerometer-based
      measures. MVPA seems to be less altered due to the presence of an accelerometer.

PMID- 28921748
TI  - Increased risk organ transplantation in the pediatric population.
AB  - IRD organs are classified by the Public Health Service to be at above-average
      risk for harboring human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B.
      Traditionally underutilized, there exists even greater reluctance for their use
      in pediatric patients. We performed a retrospective analysis via the United
      Network for Organ Sharing database of all pediatric renal and hepatic transplants
      performed from 2004 to 2008 in the United States. Primary outcomes were patient
      and graft survival. Proportional hazards regression was performed to control for
      potentially confounding factors. Waitlist time, organ acceptance rates, and
      infectious transmissions were analyzed. There were 1830 SRD renal, 92 IRD renal,
      1695 SRD hepatic, and 59 IRD hepatic transplants. There were no statistically
      significant differences in allograft or patient survival in either group.
      Acceptance rates of IRD organs were lower for kidney (1.5% IRD vs 4.82% SRD) and
      liver (1.99% IRD vs 4.51% SRD). One transmission of a bloodborne pathogen
      involving a pediatric recipient out of 7797 unique transplants was reported from
      2008 to 2015. IRD organs appear to have equivalent outcomes. Increasing their
      utilization may improve access to transplant while decreasing wait times and
      circumventing waitlist morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 28921749
TI  - Functional specific-T-cell expansion after first cytomegalovirus reactivation
      predicts viremia control in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant
      recipients.
AB  - The use of preemptive antiviral therapy to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease
      in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients
      might result in over-treatment, inducing drug-related toxicity and viral
      resistance. A search for predictive markers is needed to determine requirement
      for antiviral therapy. Clinical follow-up, in combination with the use of
      streptamers (STs) and cytokine-intracellular staining, could help to identify
      patients at high risk for CMV reactivations. To study the immune response and
      reactivation control by CMV-specific CD8+ T-cell (CMV-CTL) populations, we
      monitored 25 patients who have undergone allo-HSCT by using ST multimer and
      intracellular cytokine staining. Our study has revealed that the presence of
      functional CMV-specific T cells, determined by early interferon gamma production
      or by significant T-cell expansion after first CMV reactivation, correlated with
      short CMV viremia duration and low number of CMV reactivations. By contrast, the
      absence of functional CMV-CTLs does correlate with CMV recurrence. These results
      support that behavior of CMV-specific subpopulations after reactivation
      influences reactivations and can guide preemptive therapy.

PMID- 28921750
TI  - Successful treatment with intrauterine delivery of dexamethasone for repeated
      implantation failure.
AB  - PROBLEM: Effective therapy for endometrial receptivity of patients with repeated
      embryo implantation failure (RIF) is far undeveloped. Whether intrauterine
      perfusion of dexamethasone (DXM), local administration of drugs with less
      systematic side-effects, benefit for embryo implantation by suppressing uterine
      NK (uNK) cells to improve endometrial receptivity remains unknown. METHOD OF
      STUDY: Women with RIF were analyzed for the correlation between the percentage of
      uNK cells during implantation window and following clinical pregnancy rate to
      determine the appropriate range of uNK for embryo implantation. Women with RIF
      and extremely increased uNK cells were treated with transvaginal intrauterine
      perfusion of DXM. Quantification of uNK cells before and after this treatment was
      analyzed by immunohistochemistry staining for understanding potential underlying
      mechanism. Pregnancy outcome was evaluated for the efficiency and safety of this
      novel therapy. RESULTS: The clinical pregnancy rate was decreased if the
      percentage of uNK cells was higher than the 75th percentile (18.06%), which was
      considered as the cutoff value for increased uNK cells. All eight patients with
      increased uNK cells responded to DXM-induced decrease on uNK cells number, and
      seven got clinical pregnancy. Three delivered with a healthy baby at term without
      any pregnancy complication and three achieved an ongoing pregnancy, but one
      suffered from early miscarriage. CONCLUSION: We report for the first time the
      beneficial effect of intrauterine perfusion of DXM for patients with RIF
      characterized by high number of uNK cells. The potential mechanism is
      downregulation of the proportion of uNK cells, which may improve endometrial
      receptivity and enhance embryo implantation.

PMID- 28921751
TI  - Long-term complete remission in a patient with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
      associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

PMID- 28921752
TI  - Bullous lesions in a haemodialysis patient.

PMID- 28921754
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28921753
TI  - Acute kidney injury in a renal transplant recipient due to concomitant use of
      vancomycin and foscarnet.

PMID- 28921755
TI  - Homozygous mutation in the NPHP3 gene causing foetal nephronophthisis.
AB  - We present a case of a foetal sonographic finding of hyper-echogenic kidneys,
      which led to a strategic series of genetic tests and identified a homozygous
      mutation (c.424C > T, p. R142*) in the NPHP3 gene. Our study provides a rare
      presentation of NPHP3-related ciliopathy and adds to the mutation spectrum of the
      gene, being the first one from Pakistani population. With a thorough literature
      review, it also advocates for molecular assessment of ciliopathies to improve
      risk estimate for future pregnancies, and identify predisposed asymptomatic
      carriers.

PMID- 28921757
TI  - The neurobiological bases of autism spectrum disorders: the R451C-neuroligin 3
      mutation hampers the expression of long-term synaptic depression in the dorsal
      striatum.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders with
      a complex genetic etiology. Current theories on the pathogenesis of ASDs suggest
      that they might arise from an aberrant synaptic transmission affecting specific
      brain circuits and synapses. The striatum, which is part of the basal ganglia
      circuit, is one of the brain regions involved in ASDs. Mouse models of ASDs have
      provided evidence for an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory
      neurotransmission. Here, we investigated the expression of long-term synaptic
      plasticity at corticostriatal glutamatergic synapses in the dorsal striatum of
      the R451C-NL3 phenotypic mouse model of autism. This mouse model carries the
      human R451C mutation in the neuroligin 3 (NL3) gene that has been associated with
      highly penetrant autism in a Swedish family. The R451C-NL3 mouse has been shown
      to exhibit autistic-like behaviors and alterations of synaptic transmission in
      different brain areas. However, excitatory glutamatergic transmission and its
      long-term plasticity have not been investigated in the dorsal striatum so far.
      Our results indicate that the expression of long-term synaptic depression (LTD)
      at corticostriatal glutamatergic synapses in the dorsal striatum is impaired by
      the R451C-NL3 mutation. A partial rescue of LTD was obtained by exogenous
      activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors or enhancement of the endocannabinoid
      tone, suggesting that an altered cannabinoid drive might underlie the deficit of
      synaptic plasticity in the dorsal striatum of R451C-NL3 mice.

PMID- 28921756
TI  - Temporal alignment of anticipatory motor cortical beta lateralisation in hidden
      visual-motor sequences.
AB  - Performance improves when participants respond to events that are structured in
      repeating sequences, suggesting that learning can lead to proactive anticipatory
      preparation. Whereas most sequence-learning studies have emphasised spatial
      structure, most sequences also contain a prominent temporal structure. We used
      MEG to investigate spatial and temporal anticipatory neural dynamics in a
      modified serial reaction time (SRT) task. Performance and brain activity were
      compared between blocks with learned spatial-temporal sequences and blocks with
      new sequences. After confirming a strong behavioural benefit of spatial-temporal
      predictability, we show lateralisation of beta oscillations in anticipation of
      the response associated with the upcoming target location and show that this also
      aligns to the expected timing of these forthcoming events. This effect was found
      both when comparing between repeated (learned) and new (unlearned) sequences, as
      well as when comparing targets that were expected after short vs. long intervals
      within the repeated (learned) sequence. Our findings suggest that learning of
      spatial-temporal structure leads to proactive and dynamic modulation of motor
      cortical excitability in anticipation of both the location and timing of events
      that are relevant to guide action.

PMID- 28921758
TI  - "The days when the anatomist commanded the respect and confidence of his medical
      colleagues solely on the basis of his knowledge of static morphology, are rapidly
      disappearing".

PMID- 28921759
TI  - A pedagogical framework for facilitating parents' learning in nurse-parent
      partnership.
AB  - Nursing work increasingly demands forms of expertise that complement specialist
      knowledge. In child and family nursing, this need arises when nurses work in
      partnership with parents of young children at risk. Partnership means working
      with parents in respectful, negotiated and empowering ways. Existing partnership
      literature emphasises communicative and relational skills, but this paper focuses
      on nurses' capacities to facilitate parents' learning. Referring to data from
      home visiting, day-stay and specialist toddler clinic services in Sydney, a
      pedagogical framework is presented. Analysis shows how nurses notice aspects of
      children, parents and parent-child interactions as a catalyst for building on
      parents' strengths, enhancing guided chance or challenging unhelpful constructs.
      Prior research shows the latter can be a sticking point in partnership, but this
      paper reveals diverse ways in which challenges are folded into learning process
      that position parents as agents of positive change. Noticing is dependent on
      embodied and communicative expertise, conceptualised in terms of sensory and
      reported channels. The framework offers a new view of partnership as mind
      expanding for the parent and specifies the nurse's role in facilitating this
      process.

PMID- 28921761
TI  - Risk factors leading to increased rehospitalization rates among adolescents
      admitted to an acute care child and adolescent psychiatric hospital.
AB  - PROBLEM: Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents in the United
      States, with suicidal behavior peaking in adolescence. Suicidal and self-harming
      behavior is often chronic, with an estimated 15-30% of adolescents who attempt
      suicide having a second suicide attempt within a year. The focus of acute
      psychiatric hospitalization is on stabilization of these psychiatric symptoms
      resulting at times in premature discharge. Finding from studies based on high
      rehospitalization rates among adolescents admitted to an acute psychiatric
      hospital indicates that adolescents continue to experience crisis upon discharge
      from an acute psychiatric hospital, leading to the question of whether or not
      these adolescents are being discharged prematurely. METHODS: A chart review was
      performed on 98 adolescent clients admitted to an acute psychiatric hospital to
      identify risk factors that may increase rehospitalization among adolescents
      admitted to an acute psychiatric hospital. Clients admitted to the hospital
      within a 12-month time frame were compared to clients who were not readmitted
      during that 12-month period. RESULTS: History of self-harming behavior and length
      of stay greater than 5 days were found to be risk factors for rehospitalization.
      CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent clients who are admitted to an acute psychiatric hospital
      with a history of self-harming behavior and extended length of stay need to be
      identified and individualized treatment plans implemented for preventing repeat
      hospitalizations.

PMID- 28921760
TI  - Genome-wide association study of a nicotine metabolism biomarker in African
      American smokers: impact of chromosome 19 genetic influences.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The activity of CYP2A6, the major nicotine-inactivating
      enzyme, is measurable in smokers using the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR;
      3'hydroxycotinine/cotinine). Due to its role in nicotine clearance, the NMR is
      associated with smoking behaviours and response to pharmacotherapies. The NMR is
      highly heritable (~80%), and on average lower in African Americans (AA) versus
      whites. We previously identified several reduce and loss-of-function CYP2A6
      variants common in individuals of African descent. Our current aim was to
      identify novel genetic influences on the NMR in AA smokers using genome-wide
      approaches. DESIGN: Genome-wide association study (GWAS). SETTING: Multiple sites
      within Canada and the United States. PARTICIPANTS: AA smokers from two clinical
      trials: Pharmacogenetics of Nicotine Addiction Treatment (PNAT)-2 (NCT01314001; n
      = 504) and Kick-it-at-Swope (KIS)-3 (NCT00666978; n = 450). MEASUREMENTS: Genome
      wide SNP genotyping, the NMR (phenotype) and population substructure and NMR
      covariates. FINDINGS: Meta-analysis revealed three independent chromosome 19
      signals (rs12459249, rs111645190 and rs185430475) associated with the NMR. The
      top overall hit, rs12459249 (P = 1.47e-39; beta = 0.59 per C (versus T) allele,
      SE = 0.045), located ~9.5 kb 3' of CYP2A6, remained genome-wide significant after
      controlling for the common (~10% in AA) non-functional CYP2A6*17 allele. In
      contrast, rs111645190 and rs185430475 were not genome-wide significant when
      controlling for CYP2A6*17. In total, 96 signals associated with the NMR were
      identified; many were not found in prior NMR GWASs in individuals of European
      descent. The top hits were also associated with the NMR in a third cohort of AA
      (KIS2; n = 480). None of the hits were in UGT or OCT2 genes. CONCLUSIONS: Three
      independent chromosome 19 signals account for ~20% of the variability in the
      nicotine metabolite ratio in African American smokers. The hits identified may
      contribute to inter-ethnic variability in nicotine metabolism, smoking behaviours
      and tobacco-related disease risk.

PMID- 28921763
TI  - Implementation and Preliminary Clinical Outcomes of a Pharmacist-managed Venous
      Thromboembolism Clinic for Patients Treated With Rivaroxaban Post Emergency
      Department Discharge.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to describe the implementation, work flow, and
      differences in outcomes between a pharmacist-managed clinic for the outpatient
      treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) using a non-vitamin K oral
      anticoagulant versus care by a primary care provider (PCP). METHODS: Patients in
      the studied health system that are diagnosed with low-risk VTE in the emergency
      department are often discharged without hospital admission. These patients are
      treated with a non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant and follow-up either in a
      pharmacist-managed VTE clinic or with their PCP. Pharmacists in the VTE clinic
      work independently under a collaborative practice agreement (CPA). An evaluation
      of 34 patients, 17 in each treatment arm, was conducted to compare the
      differences in treatment-related outcomes of rivaroxaban when managed by a
      pharmacist versus a PCP. RESULTS: The primary endpoint was a 6-month composite of
      anticoagulation treatment-related complications that included a diagnosis of
      major bleeding, recurrent thromboembolism, or fatality due to either major
      bleeding or recurrent thromboembolism. Secondary endpoints included number of
      hospitalizations, adverse events, and medication adherence. There was no
      difference in the primary endpoint between groups with one occurrence of the
      composite endpoint in each treatment arm (p = 1.000), both of which were
      recurrent thromboembolic events. Medication adherence assessment was formally
      performed in eight patients in the pharmacist group versus no patients in the
      control group. No differences were seen among other secondary endpoints.
      CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacist-managed clinic is a novel expansion of clinical
      pharmacy services that treats patients with low-risk VTEs with rivaroxaban in the
      outpatient setting. The evaluation of outcomes provides support that pharmacist
      managed care utilizing standardized protocols under a CPA may be as safe as care
      by a PCP.

PMID- 28921764
TI  - Acanthamoeba granulomatous amoebic encephalitis after pediatric hematopoietic
      stem cell transplant.
AB  - Acanthamoeba encephalitis is a rare, often fatal condition, particularly after
      HSCT, with 9 reported cases to date in the world literature. Our case was
      originally diagnosed with ALL at age 3 years, and after several relapses
      underwent HSCT at age 9 years. At 17 years of age, he was diagnosed with
      secondary AML for which he underwent a second allogeneic HSCT. He presented with
      acute-onset worsening neurological deficits on day +226 after the second
      transplant and a post-mortem diagnosis of Acanthamoeba encephalitis was
      established, with the aid of the CDC.

PMID- 28921765
TI  - Assessing fire impacts on the carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests.
AB  - The carbon stability of fire-tolerant forests is often assumed but less
      frequently assessed, limiting the potential to anticipate threats to forest
      carbon posed by predicted increases in forest fire activity. Assessing the carbon
      stability of fire-tolerant forests requires multi-indicator approaches that
      recognize the myriad ways that fires influence the carbon balance, including
      combustion, deposition of pyrogenic material, and tree death, post-fire
      decomposition, recruitment, and growth. Five years after a large-scale wildfire
      in southeastern Australia, we assessed the impacts of low- and high-severity
      wildfire, with and without prescribed fire (<=10 yr before), on carbon stocks in
      multiple pools, and on carbon stability indicators (carbon stock percentages in
      live trees and in small trees, and carbon stocks in char and fuels) in fire
      tolerant eucalypt forests. Relative to unburned forest, high-severity wildfire
      decreased short-term (five-year) carbon stability by significantly decreasing
      live tree carbon stocks and percentage stocks in live standing trees (reflecting
      elevated tree mortality), by increasing the percentage of live tree carbon in
      small trees (those vulnerable to the next fire), and by potentially increasing
      the probability of another fire through increased elevated fine fuel loads. In
      contrast, low-severity wildfire enhanced carbon stability by having negligible
      effects on aboveground stocks and indicators, and by significantly increasing
      carbon stocks in char and, in particular, soils, indicating pyrogenic carbon
      accumulation. Overall, recent preceding prescribed fire did not markedly
      influence wildfire effects on short-term carbon stability at stand scales.
      Despite wide confidence intervals around mean stock differences, indicating
      uncertainty about the magnitude of fire effects in these natural forests, our
      assessment highlights the need for active management of carbon assets in fire
      tolerant eucalypt forests under contemporary fire regimes. Decreased live tree
      carbon and increased reliance on younger cohorts for carbon recovery after high
      severity wildfire could increase vulnerabilities to imminent fires, leading to
      decisions about interventions to maintain the productivity of some stands. Our
      multi-indicator assessment also highlights the importance of considering all
      carbon pools, particularly pyrogenic reservoirs like soils, when evaluating the
      potential for prescribed fire regimes to mitigate the carbon costs of wildfires
      in fire-prone landscapes.

PMID- 28921762
TI  - Inhibition shapes the organization of hippocampal representations.
AB  - Hippocampal neurons become tuned to stimuli that predict behaviorally salient
      outcomes. This plasticity suggests that memory formation depends upon shifts in
      how different anatomical inputs can drive hippocampal activity. Here, I present
      evidence that inhibitory neurons can provide such a mechanism for learning
      related changes in the tuning of pyramidal cells. Inhibitory currents arriving on
      the dendrites of pyramidal cells determine whether an excitatory input can drive
      action potential output. Specificity and plasticity of this dendritic modulation
      allows for precise, modifiable changes in how afferent inputs are integrated, a
      process that defines a neuron's receptive field. In addition, feedback inhibition
      plays a fundamental role in biasing which excitatory neurons may be co-active. By
      defining the rules of synchrony and the rules of input integration, interneurons
      likely play an important role in the organization of memory representation within
      the hippocampus.

PMID- 28921766
TI  - Effects of zoochory on the spatial genetic structure of plant populations.
AB  - Spatial genetic structure (SGS) of plants results from the nonrandom distribution
      of related individuals. SGS provides information on gene flow and spatial
      patterns of genetic diversity within populations. Seed dispersal creates the
      spatial template for plant distribution. Thus, in zoochorous plants, dispersal
      mode and disperser behaviour might have a strong impact on SGS. However, many
      studies only report the taxonomic group of seed dispersers, without further
      details. The recent increase in studies on SGS provides the opportunity to review
      findings and test for the influence of dispersal mode, taxonomic affiliation of
      dispersers and their behaviour. We compared the proportions of studies with SGS
      among groups and tested for differences in strength of SGS using Sp statistics.
      The presence of SGS differed among taxonomic groups, with reduced presence in
      plants dispersed by birds. Strength of SGS was instead significantly influenced
      by the behaviour of seed dispersal vectors, with higher SGS in plant species
      dispersed by animals with behavioural traits that result in short seed dispersal
      distances. We observed high variance in the strength of SGS in plants dispersed
      by animals that actively or passively accumulate seeds. Additionally, we found
      SGS was also affected by pollination and marker type used. Our study highlights
      the importance of vector behaviour on SGS even in the presence of variance
      created by other factors. Thus, more detailed information on the behaviour of
      seed dispersers would contribute to better understand which factors shape the
      spatial scale of gene flow in animal-dispersed plant species.

PMID- 28921768
TI  - MicroRNA-326-3p ameliorates high glucose and ox-LDL-IC- induced fibrotic injury
      in renal mesangial cells by targeting FcgammaRIII.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to identify the regulatory relationship
      between miR-326-3p and FcgammaRIII, and to explore the involvement of miR-326
      3p/FcgammaRIII/TGF-beta/Smad signalling pathway in fibrotic injury, which was
      induced by the high glucose (HG) and oxidized low density lipoprotein immune
      complex (ox-LDL-IC) in mouse glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs). METHODS: Dual
      luciferase reporter system and real time PCR (RT-PCR) were used to identify
      FcgammaRIII as a target gene of miR-326-3p. Lentiviral transduction was used to
      construct different expression of miR-326-3p in GMCs, which were divided into
      three groups: miR-326-3p mimics group (miR-326-3p group), miR-326-3p inhibitor
      group (miR-326-3p-inhibit group) and scramble control group (control group).
      Then, each group was stimulated by normal glucose (NG), HG, ox-LDL-IC and HG + ox
      LDL-IC, respectively. RT-PCR and western blot were used to measure the
      expressions of Col-I, CTGF, alpha-SMA, TGF-beta, Smad2/3 and pSmad2/3. RESULTS:
      FcgammaRIII was regulated negatively by miR-326-3p in GMCs under the condition of
      HG and ox-LDL-IC, which implied FcgammaRIII as a target gene of miR-326-3p.
      Furthermore, compared with normal glucose group, the expressions of Col-I, CTGF,
      alpha-SMA, TGF-beta and pSmad2/3 were higher under the condition of HG, ox-LDL-IC
      and HG + ox-LDL-IC (P < 0.05). In particular, miR-326-3p-inhibit groups exhibited
      the most significant increase (P < 0.05), while miR-326-3p could attenuate the
      increase (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: FcgammaRIII was identified as a target gene of
      miR-326-3p. MiR-326-3p/FcgammaRIII/TGF-beta/Smad signaling pathway was
      investigated to be involved in the pathophysiology of renal fibrosis of DKD.

PMID- 28921767
TI  - Expansion of CD4 phenotype among CD160 receptor-expressing lymphocytes in murine
      pregnancy.
AB  - PROBLEM: CD160, a cell surface co-receptor, is capable of up- or downregulating
      cell proliferation, cytotoxicity or cytokine production on lymphocytes. Our aim
      was to investigate CD160+ lymphocytes in the periphery and at the maternal-foetal
      interface during murine pregnancy. METHOD OF STUDY: CD4+ , CD8+ and gamma/delta T
      cell phenotype, TIM3 co-expression and cytotoxic activity of CD160+ lymphocytes
      of pregnant BALB/c mice were analysed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The percentage
      of CD160+ lymphocytes in the decidua was unchanged compared to non-pregnant
      endometrium; however, the ratio of CD4+ cells within the CD160 population was
      significantly increased. The co-expression of TIM3 co-inhibitory molecule and
      cytotoxicity of CD160+ cells were increased in the decidua. CONCLUSION: The
      expansion of CD4-expressing CD160+ decidual lymphocytes is a new observation
      suggesting a potential regulatory role of T-cell function during mouse pregnancy.
      The altered immunological character of CD160+ lymphocytes could play a role in
      the maintenance of murine pregnancy.

PMID- 28921769
TI  - Construction of Agropyron Gaertn. genetic linkage maps using a wheat 660K SNP
      array reveals a homoeologous relationship with the wheat genome.
AB  - Agropyron Gaertn. (P genome) is a wild relative of wheat that harbours many
      genetic variations that could be used to increase the genetic diversity of wheat.
      To agronomically transfer important genes from the P genome to a wheat chromosome
      by induced homoeologous pairing and recombination, it is necessary to determine
      the chromosomal relationships between Agropyron and wheat. Here, we report using
      the wheat 660K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array to genotype a
      segregating Agropyron F1 population derived from an interspecific cross between
      two cross-pollinated diploid collections 'Z1842' [A. cristatum (L.) Beauv.] (male
      parent) and 'Z2098' [A. mongolicum Keng] (female parent) and 35 wheat-A.
      cristatum addition/substitution lines. Genetic linkage maps were constructed
      using 913 SNP markers distributed among seven linkage groups spanning 839.7 cM.
      The average distance between adjacent markers was 1.8 cM. The maps identified the
      homoeologous relationship between the P genome and wheat and revealed that the P
      and wheat genomes are collinear and relatively conserved. In addition, obvious
      rearrangements and introgression spread were observed throughout the P genome
      compared with the wheat genome. Combined with genotyping data, the complete set
      of wheat-A. cristatum addition/substitution lines was characterized according to
      their homoeologous relationships. In this study, the homoeologous relationship
      between the P genome and wheat was identified using genetic linkage maps, and the
      detection mean for wheat-A. cristatum introgressions might significantly
      accelerate the introgression of genetic variation from Agropyron into wheat for
      exploitation in wheat improvement programmes.

PMID- 28921770
TI  - Does an observer's empathy influence my pain? Effect of perceived empathetic or
      unempathetic support on a pain test.
AB  - The physiological and behavioural effects of empathy for other's pain have been
      widely investigated, while the opposite situation, i.e. the influence on one's
      pain of empathetic feedback from others, remains largely unexplored. Here, we
      assessed whether and how empathetic and unempathetic comments from observers
      modulate pain and associated vegetative reactions. In Study 1, conversations
      between observers of a pain study were recorded by professional actors. Comments
      were prepared to be perceived as empathetic, unempathetic or neutral, and were
      validated in 40 subjects. In a subsequent pain experiment (Study 2), changes in
      subjective pain and heart rate were investigated in 30 naive participants who
      could overhear the empathetic or unempathetic conversations pre-recorded in study
      1. Subjective pain was significantly attenuated when hearing empathetic comments,
      as compared to both unempathetic and neutral conditions, while unempathetic
      comments failed to significantly modulate pain. Heart rate increased when hearing
      unempathetic remarks and when receiving pain stimuli, but heart acceleration to
      nociceptive stimulation was not correlated with pain ratings. These results
      suggest that empathetic feedback from observers has a positive influence on pain
      appraisal and that this effect may surpass the negative effect of unempathetic
      remarks. Negative remarks can either trigger feelings of guilt or induce
      irritation/anger, with antagonistic effects on pain that might explain inter
      individual variation. As in basal conditions heart rate and pain perception are
      positively correlated, their dissociation here suggests that changes in
      subjective pain were linked to a cognitive bias rather than changes in sensory
      input.

PMID- 28921771
TI  - Iron deficiency stress can induce MxNAS1 protein expression to facilitate iron
      redistribution in Malus xiaojinensis.
AB  - Iron (Fe) is a vital trace element in plants, and deficiency of this element in
      apple trees can reduce fruit quality. Nicotianamine (NA) is known to play an
      important role in Fe transport and endogenous hormone balance. In the present
      study, we investigated the role of a nicotianamine synthase 1 gene (MxNas1) in an
      apple species, Malus xiaojinensis, that has a more Fe-efficient genotype than
      other apple species and ecotypes. To characterise the response of M. xiaojinensis
      to Fe deficiency, we used quantitative Q-PCR to determine the level of expression
      of MxNas1 and Western blot to measure protein levels. Immunohistochemical
      staining and GFP fluorescence localisation of the MxNAS1 protein were also
      carried out. HPLC and polarised absorption spectrophotometry were performed to
      investigate the effects of overexpression of MxNas1 in order to elucidate the
      role of MxNAS1 in the cellular uptake of active Fe in tobacco suspension cells.
      We found that MxNas1 expression and protein levels were higher under Fe
      deficiency stress than under Fe sufficiency. Immunohistochemical staining showed
      that MxNAS1 was localised mainly in the epidermal and vascular tissues of the
      roots, vascular tissues of the stem and palisade cells of mature leaves, and in
      parenchyma cells of young leaves. MxNAS1 was mainly localised in the plasma
      membranes and vesicles of protoplasts. In addition, overexpression of MxNas1 in
      stable transgenic tobacco cells increased NA and active Fe content under Fe
      sufficiency. The results suggest that MxNas1 expression in M. xiaojinensis is
      induced in response to Fe deficiency stress, resulting in higher levels of the
      protein. MxNAS1 may be involved in the redistribution of Fe in M. xiaojinensis
      under Fe deficiency.

PMID- 28921772
TI  - Interplay of classic Exp and specific Vfm quorum sensing systems on the
      phenotypic features of Dickeya solani strains exhibiting different virulence
      levels.
AB  - Bacteria from the genus Dickeya cause severe symptoms on numerous economically
      important plants. Dickeya solani is the Dickeya species most frequently found on
      infected potato plants in Europe. D. solani strains from different countries show
      high genetic homogeneity, but significant differences in their virulence level.
      Dickeya species possess two quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms: the Exp system based
      on classic N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals and a specific system
      depending on the production and perception of a molecule of unknown structure,
      Virulence Factor Modulating (VFM). To study the interplay between these two QS
      systems, five D. solani strains exhibiting different virulence levels were
      selected. Mutants were constructed by inactivating genes coding for each QS
      system. Double mutants were obtained by simultaneous inactivation of genes coding
      for both QS systems. Most of the D. solani mutants showed an attenuation of
      chicory maceration and a decreased production of plant cell wall-degrading
      enzymes (PCWDEs) and motility, but to different degrees depending on the strain.
      The VFM-QS system seems to regulate virulence in both D. solani and Dickeya
      dadantii, but the AHL-QS system has greater effects in D. solani than in D.
      dadantii. The inactivation of both QS systems in D. solani did not reveal any
      additive effect on the tested features. The inactivation of vfm genes generally
      has a more dominant effect relative to that of exp genes. Thus, VFM- and AHL-QS
      systems do not work in synergy to modulate the production of diverse virulence
      factors and the ability to macerate plant tissue.

PMID- 28921773
TI  - Performance of aneuploid backcross hybrids between the crop Brassica napus and
      its wild relative B. rapa.
AB  - Crossings between the diploid wild Brassica rapa (AA, 2n = 20) and the tetraploid
      cultivar B. napus (AACC, 2n = 38) can readily be made. Backcrosses to the wild B.
      rapa (BC1 ) produce aneuploids with variable chromosome numbers between 20 and
      29. How does survival and performance relate to DNA content of plants? Growth of
      the BC1 plants was measured in the lab. One plant in the F1 self-pollinated
      spontaneously and produced abundant F2 seeds that were also examined. The number
      of C-chromosomes was estimated from DNA values obtained with flow cytometry.
      Average DNA value of the BC1 was similar to that of the parents, which shows that
      C-chromosomes do not reduce success of pollen or embryos. The average DNA value
      in the F2 was 13% higher than in the F1 , suggesting that extra C-chromosomes
      facilitated gamete success and/or embryo survival. Under both optimal and drought
      stress conditions growth and survival of BC1 hybrids was similar to that of B.
      rapa. No significant correlations existed between growth or survival and DNA
      value. Aneuploid plants were not inferior under the conditions of the growth room
      and may persist in nature. We discuss other factors, such as herbivory, that
      could prevent hybrid establishment in the field.

PMID- 28921774
TI  - Modulating vicarious tactile perception with transcranial electrical current
      stimulation.
AB  - Our capacity to share the experiences of others is a critical part of social
      behaviour. One process thought to be important for this is vicarious perception.
      Passively viewing touch activates some of the same network of brain regions as
      the direct experience of touch. This vicarious experience is usually implicit,
      but for some people, viewing touch evokes conscious tactile sensations (mirror
      touch synaesthesia). Recent work has attempted to induce conscious vicarious
      touch in those that do not normally experience these sensations, using
      transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Anodal tDCS applied to primary
      somatosensory cortex (SI) was found to induce behavioural performance akin to
      mirror-touch synaesthesia on a visuotactile interference task. Here, we conducted
      two experiments that sought to replicate and extend these findings by examining:
      (i) the effects of tDCS and high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation
      (tRNS) targeted at SI and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) on vicarious tactile
      perception, (ii) the extent to which any stimulation effects were specific to
      viewing touch to humans vs. inanimate agents and (iii) the influence of visual
      perspective (viewing touch from one's own vs. another's perspective) on vicarious
      perception. In Experiment 1, tRNS targeted at SI did not modulate vicarious
      perception. In Experiment 2, tDCS targeted at SI, but not TPJ, resulted in some
      modulation of vicarious perception, but there were important caveats to this
      effect. Implications regarding mechanisms of vicarious perception are discussed.
      Collectively, the findings do not provide convincing evidence for the potential
      to modulate vicarious tactile perception with transcranial electrical current
      stimulation.

PMID- 28921775
TI  - What can Parents' Self-report of Reading Difficulties Tell Us about Their
      Children's Emergent Literacy at School Entry?
AB  - Research has linked family risk (FR) of reading difficulties (RD) with children's
      difficulties in emergent literacy development. This study is the first to apply
      parents' self-report of RD as a proxy for FR in a large sample (n = 1171) in
      order to test group differences in children's emergent literacy. Emergent
      literacy, the home literacy environment and children's interest in literacy and
      letters were compared across different groups of FR children around the school
      entry. The FR children performed lower in emergent literacy compared with not-FR
      children. Furthermore, when comparing FR children with one parent reporting RD
      and children with both parents reporting RD, moderate group differences were
      found in Emergent Literacy. Finally, parents' self-report of RD was a significant
      contributor of emergent literacy after controlling for the home literacy
      environment, children's gender, their interest in literacy and letters, months in
      kindergarten, vocabulary and parents' education. Our findings suggest that
      schools should monitor the reading development of children with parents self
      reporting RD closely - especially if both parents self-report RD. (c) 2017 The
      Authors. Dyslexia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 28921776
TI  - Transcriptional responses to short-term and long-term host plant experience and
      parasite load in an oligophagous beetle.
AB  - Oligophagous herbivores must adjust their enzymatic machinery to the different
      host plant species they consume. If different hosts are used from one generation
      to the next, adaptation may be highly plastic, while if a single host is used
      over several generations, there may be a longer-term response due to natural
      selection. Using an experimental evolutionary approach, we investigated effects
      of long-term experience vs. short-term responses to different host plants in the
      oligophagous mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae. After 26 generations of
      continuous feeding on either Brassica rapa, Nasturtium officinale or Sinapis
      alba, freshly hatched larvae were kept on these plants or moved to one of the
      other host plants for ten days. Global transcriptional patterns as shown by
      microarrays revealed that between 1% and 16.1% of all 25,227 putative genes were
      differentially expressed in these treatments in comparison with the control line
      constantly feeding on B. rapa. A shift back from S. alba to B. rapa caused the
      largest changes in gene transcription and may thus represent the harshest
      conditions. Infection rates with a gregarine parasite were intermediate in all
      lines that were constantly kept on one host, but much lower or higher when short
      term shifts to other host plants occurred. In conclusion, transcriptional
      plasticity in genes related to metabolism, digestion and general cellular
      processes plays a key role in long- and short-term responses of the beetle to
      changing host plant conditions, whereby the specific conditions also affect the
      interactions between the beetle host and its gregarine parasite.

PMID- 28921777
TI  - Doubly N-Confused [36]Octaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1): Isomerization, Bis-Metal
      Coordination, and Topological Chirality.
AB  - A novel [36]octaphyrin analogue embedding two N-confused pyrrole units
      demonstrated unique prototropy-coupled isomerization between the Figure-of-eight
      and dumbbell conformers. Upon bis-metal coordination, fixation of fully pi
      conjugated Figure-of-eight structures was achieved as referred from the X-ray
      crystal structure. Chirogenesis of the helical enantiomers was proved by intense
      circular dichroism (CD) response in the near infrared (NIR) region.

PMID- 28921778
TI  - Alcohol e-Help: study protocol for a web-based self-help program to reduce
      alcohol use in adults with drinking patterns considered harmful, hazardous or
      suggestive of dependence in middle-income countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Given the scarcity of alcohol prevention and alcohol use
      disorder treatments in many low and middle-income countries, the World Health
      Organization launched an e-health portal on alcohol and health that includes a
      Web-based self-help program. This paper presents the protocol for a multicentre
      randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of the internet-based self
      help intervention to reduce alcohol use. DESIGN: Two-arm randomized controlled
      trial (RCT) with follow-up 6 months after randomization. SETTING: Community
      samples in middle-income countries. PARTICIPANTS: People aged 18+, with Alcohol
      Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores of 8+ indicating hazardous
      alcohol consumption. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: Offer of an internet-based self
      help intervention, 'Alcohol e-Health', compared with a 'waiting list' control
      group. The intervention, adapted from a previous program with evidence of
      effectiveness in a high-income country, consists of modules to reduce or entirely
      stop drinking. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure is change in the Alcohol
      Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score assessed at 6-month follow-up.
      Secondary outcomes include self-reported the numbers of standard drinks and
      alcohol-free days in a typical week during the past 6 months, and cessation of
      harmful or hazardous drinking (AUDIT < 8). ANALYSIS: Data analysis will be by
      intention-to-treat, using analysis of covariance to test if program participants
      will experience a greater reduction in their AUDIT score than controls at follow
      up. Secondary outcomes will be analysed by (generalized) linear mixed models.
      Complier average causal effect and baseline observations carried forward will be
      used in sensitivity analyses. COMMENTS: If the Alcohol e-Health program is found
      to be effective, the potential public health impact of its expansion into
      countries with underdeveloped alcohol prevention and alcohol use disorder
      treatment systems world-wide is considerable.

PMID- 28921779
TI  - Local pre-adaptation to disturbance and inbreeding-environment interactions
      affect colonisation abilities of diploid and tetraploid Centaurea stoebe.
AB  - Primary colonisation in invasive ranges most commonly occurs in disturbed
      habitats, where anthropogenic disturbance may cause physical damage to plants.
      The tolerance to such damage may differ between cytotypes and among populations
      as a result of differing population histories (adaptive differentiation between
      ruderal verus natural habitats). Moreover, founder populations often experience
      inbreeding depression, the effects of which may increase through physical damage
      due to inbreeding-environment interactions. We aimed to understand how such
      colonisation processes differ between diploid and tetraploid Centaurea stoebe
      populations, with a view to understanding why only tetraploids are invasive. We
      conducted a clipping experiment (frequency: zero, once or twice in the growing
      season) on inbred versus outbred offspring originating from 37 C. stoebe
      populations of varying cytotype, range and habitat type (natural versus ruderal).
      Aboveground biomass was harvested at the end of the vegetation period, while re
      sprouting success was recorded in the following spring. Clipping reduced re
      sprouting success and biomass, which was significantly more pronounced in natural
      than in ruderal populations. Inbreeding depression was not detected under benign
      conditions, but became increasingly apparent in biomass when plants were clipped.
      The effects of clipping and inbreeding did not differ between cytotypes. Adaptive
      differentiation in disturbance tolerance was higher among populations than
      between cytotypes, which highlights the potential of pre-adaptation in ruderal
      populations during early colonisation on anthropogenically disturbed sites. While
      the consequences of inbreeding increased through clipping-mediated stress, they
      were comparable between cytotypes, and consequently do not contribute to
      understanding the cytotype shift in the invasive range.

PMID- 28921780
TI  - Factors associated with attrition in substance using patients enrolled in an
      intensive outpatient program.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Data suggest individuals with substance use disorders
      (SUD) have high rates of attrition from treatment and exhibit impairments on
      measures of executive functioning (EF). The primary aim of this pilot study was
      to investigate if EF is associated with attrition from a 1 month intensive
      outpatient program (IOP) for SUD, and examine the feasibility of implementing the
      project. METHODS: Baseline neurocognitive functioning was assessed by the
      Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and the self
      reported Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF-A)
      questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty subjects enrolled in the pilot study: including 20
      "completers" (age 39.5 +/- 13.1 years) and 10 "drop-outs" who discontinued the
      IOP prior to completion (age 32 +/- 11.1 years). IOP drop-out was associated with
      earlier age of substance use onset (all p-values <0.05) and male gender, as well
      as greater SUD, opiate use, and past week substance use. Overall a high level of
      executive dysfunction was found on the BRIEF-A and CANTAB assessments, and
      specific differences emerged between completers and drop outs. However, no
      statistically significant differences were found between these groups on measures
      of depression, anxiety, or ADHD. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE:
      Overall, findings from this pilot study suggest high levels of self-reported
      executive dysfunction, but EF's predictive association with drop-out was limited.
      Measures of addiction severity were more strongly associated with attrition,
      suggesting potential utility of brief motivational interventions prior to
      commencing an IOP may improve retention. Further investigations with larger and
      more diverse samples are warranted. (Am J Addict 2017;26:780-787).

PMID- 28921781
TI  - Valganciclovir (VGCV) followed by cytomegalovirus (CMV) hyperimmune globulin
      compared to VGCV for 200 days in abdominal organ transplant recipients at high
      risk for CMV infection: A prospective, randomized pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the advent of effective antivirals against cytomegalovirus
      (CMV), use of CMV hyperimmune globulin (HIG) has decreased. Although antiviral
      prophylaxis in patients at high risk for CMV is effective, many patients still
      have late infection, never developing antibodies sufficient to achieve immunity.
      Utilizing a combination of antiviral and CMV HIG may allow patients to achieve
      immunity and decrease late CMV infections. METHODS: This was a prospective
      randomized, open-label, pilot study comparing valganciclovir (VGCV) prophylaxis
      for 200 days vs VGCV for 100 days followed by CMV HIG in abdominal transplant
      recipients at high risk for CMV. The primary outcome was a comparison of late CMV
      disease. RESULTS: Forty patients were randomized to VGCV for 200 days (n = 20) or
      VGCV for 100 days followed by 3 doses of monthly CMV HIG (n = 20). Numerically,
      more overall CMV infections occurred in the CMV HIG group (45 vs 20%, P = .09).
      No differences in overall CMV infections or late CMV disease were seen between
      groups (20% vs 15%, P = 1.00 and 0 vs 0, P = 1.00). All CMV disease occurred
      within 200 days, with 63% occurring while patients were on VGCV. No differences
      were found in toxicities, graft function, or rejection between groups. Patients
      with CMV infection at any time had a higher body weight than those who did not
      have an infection (82 vs 95 kg, P = .049). CONCLUSION: Use of CMV HIG
      sequentially with prophylaxis may be an effective and affordable prophylactic
      regimen in abdominal transplant recipients at high risk for CMV, and warrants
      larger prospective study. Increased monitoring for patients with obesity may be
      warranted.

PMID- 28921782
TI  - Estimate your dose: RADDOSE-3D.
AB  - We present the current status of RADDOSE-3D, a software tool allowing the
      estimation of the dose absorbed in a macromolecular crystallography diffraction
      experiment. The code allows a temporal and spatial dose contour map to be
      calculated for a crystal of any geometry and size as it is rotated in an X-ray
      beam, and gives several summary dose values: among them diffraction weighted
      dose. This allows experimenters to plan data collections which will minimize
      radiation damage effects by spreading the absorbed dose more homogeneously, and
      thus to optimize the use of their crystals. It also allows quantitative
      comparisons between different radiation damage studies, giving a universal "x
      axis" against which to plot various metrics.

PMID- 28921784
TI  - The evolution of gonad expenditure and gonadosomatic index (GSI) in male and
      female broadcast-spawning invertebrates.
AB  - Sedentary broadcast-spawning marine invertebrates, which release both eggs and
      sperm into the water for fertilization, are of special interest for sexual
      selection studies. They provide unique insight into the early stages of the
      evolutionary succession leading to the often-intense operation of both pre- and
      post-mating sexual selection in mobile gonochorists. Since they are sessile or
      only weakly mobile, adults can interact only to a limited extent with other
      adults and with their own fertilized offspring. They are consequently subject
      mainly to selection on gamete production and gamete success, and so high gonad
      expenditure is expected in both sexes. We review literature on gonadosomatic
      index (GSI; the proportion of body tissue devoted to gamete production) of
      gonochoristic broadcast spawners, which we use as a proxy for gonad expenditure.
      We show that such taxa most often have a high GSI that is approximately equal in
      both sexes. When GSI is asymmetric, female GSI usually exceeds male GSI, at least
      in echinoderms (the majority of species recorded). Intriguingly, though, higher
      male GSI also occurs in some species and appears more common than female-biased
      GSI in certain orders of gastropod molluscs. Our limited data also suggest that
      higher male GSI may be the prevalent pattern in sperm casters (where only males
      release gametes). We explore how selection might have shaped these patterns using
      game theoretic models for gonad expenditure that consider possible trade-offs
      with (i) somatic maintenance or (ii) growth, while also considering sperm
      competition, sperm limitation, and polyspermy. Our models of the trade-off
      between somatic tissue (which increases survival) and gonad (which increases
      reproductive success) predict that GSI should be equal for the two sexes when
      sperm competition is intense, as is probably common in broadcast spawners due to
      synchronous spawning in aggregations. Higher female GSI occurs under low sperm
      competition. Sperm limitation appears unlikely to alter these conclusions
      qualitatively, but can also act as a force to keep male GSI high, and close to
      that of females. Polyspermy can act to reduce male GSI. Higher male than female
      GSI is predicted to be less common (as observed in the data), but can occur when
      ova/ovaries are sufficiently more resource-intensive to produce than
      sperm/testes, for which some evidence exists. We also show that sex-specific
      trade-offs between gonads and growth can generate different life-history
      strategies for males and females, with males beginning reproduction earlier. This
      could lead to apparently higher male GSI in empirical studies if immature females
      are included in calculations of mean GSI. The existence of higher male GSI
      nonetheless remains somewhat problematic and requires further investigation. When
      sperm limitation is low, we suggest that the natural logarithm of the male/female
      GSI ratio may be a suitable index for sperm competition level in broadcast
      spawners, and that this may also be considered as an index for internally
      fertilizing taxa.

PMID- 28921783
TI  - Barriers to listing for HIV-infected patients being evaluated for kidney
      transplantation.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients have excellent outcomes
      following kidney transplantation (KT) but still might face barriers in the
      evaluation and listing process. The aim of this study was to characterize the
      patient population, referral patterns, and outcomes of HIV-infected patients who
      present for KT evaluation. We performed a single-center retrospective cohort
      study of HIV-infected patients who were evaluated for KT. The primary outcome was
      time to determination of eligibility for KT. Between 2011 and 2015, 105 HIV
      infected patients were evaluated for KT. Of the 105 patients, 73 were listed for
      transplantation by the end of the study period. For those who were deemed
      ineligible, the most common reasons cited were active substance abuse (n = 7,
      22%) and failure to complete the full transplant evaluation (n = 7, 22%). Our
      cohort demonstrated a higher proportion of HIV-infected patients eligible for KT
      than in previous studies, likely secondary to advances in HIV management. Among
      those who were denied access to transplantation, we identified that many were
      unable to complete the evaluation process, and that active substance abuse was
      common. Future prospective studies should examine reasons and potential
      interventions for the lack of follow-through and drug use we observed in this
      population.

PMID- 28921786
TI  - Lipid production and characterization by Mortierella (Umbelopsis) isabellina
      cultivated on lignocellulosic sugars.
AB  - AIMS: To study and characterize the lipids produced by Mortierella (Umbelopsis)
      isabellina, during its growth on mixtures of glucose and xylose. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Glucose and xylose were utilized as carbon sources, solely or in blends,
      under nitrogen-limited conditions, in batch-flask trials (initial sugars at 80 g
      l-1 ). Significant lipid production (maximum lipid 17.8 g l-1 ; lipid in DCW
      61.0% w/w; lipid on glucose consumed 0.23 g g-1 ) occurred on glucose employed
      solely, while xylose concentration in the growth medium was conversely correlated
      with lipid accumulation. With increasing xylose concentrations into the blend,
      lipid storage decreased while xylitol in significant concentrations (up to 24 g l
      1 ) was produced. Irrespective of the sugar blend employed, significant
      quantities of endopolysaccharides were detected in the first growth steps (in the
      presence of nitrogen into the medium or barely after its disappearance) while
      lipids were stored thereafter. Neutral lipids, mainly composed of
      triacylglycerols, were the main microbial lipid fraction. Phospholipids were
      quantified both through fractionation and subsequent gravimetric determination
      and also through determination of phosphorus, and it seemed that the second
      method was more accurate. Phospholipids were mainly composed of
      phosphatidylcholine and another nonidentified compound presumably being
      phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine. CONCLUSIONS: Mortierella isabellina is suitable
      to convert lignocellulosic sugars into lipids. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE
      STUDY: Differentiations between metabolism on xylose and glucose were reported.
      Moreover, this is one of the first reports indicating extensive analysis of
      microbial lipids produced by M. isabellina.

PMID- 28921785
TI  - Cancer-specific mortality of high-risk prostate cancer after carbon-ion
      radiotherapy plus long-term androgen deprivation therapy.
AB  - The treatment outcomes of patients with high-risk localized prostate cancer (PC)
      after carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) combined with long-term androgen deprivation
      therapy (LTADT) were analyzed, and compared with those of other treatment
      modalities, focusing on PC-specific mortality (PCSM). A total of 1247 patients
      were enrolled in three phase II clinical trials of fixed-dose CIRT between 2000
      and 2013. Excluding patients with T4 disease, 608 patients with high-risk or very
      high-risk PC, according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
      classification system, who received CIRT with LTADT were evaluated. The median
      follow-up time was 88.4 months, and the 5-/10-year PCSM rates were 1.5%/4.3%,
      respectively. T3b disease, Gleason score of 9-10 and percentage of positive
      biopsy cores >75% were associated with significantly higher PCSM on univariate
      and multivariate analyses. The 10-year PCSM rates of patients having all three (n
      = 16), two (n = 74) or one of these risk factors (n = 217) were 27.1, 11.6 and
      5.7%, respectively. Of the 301 patients with none of these factors, only 1 PCSM
      occurred over the 10-year follow-up (10-year PCSM rate, 0.3%), and significant
      differences were observed among the four stratified groups (P <0.001). CIRT
      combined with LTADT yielded relatively favorable treatment outcomes in patients
      with high-risk PC and very favorable results in patients without any of the three
      abovementioned factors for PCSM. Because a significant difference in PCSM among
      the high-risk PC patient groups was observed, new categorization and treatment
      intensity adjustment may be required for high-risk PC patients treated with CIRT.

PMID- 28921787
TI  - Myocardial bridging is associated with exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmia
      and increases in QT dispersion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A myocardial bridge (MB) has been associated with ventricular
      arrhythmia and sudden death during exercise. QT dispersion (QTd) is a measure of
      abnormal repolarization and may predict ventricular arrhythmia. We investigated
      the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias during exercise and the QTd at rest and
      after exercise, in patients with an MB compared to a normal cohort. METHODS: We
      studied the rest and stress ECG tracings of patients with an MB suspected by
      focal septal buckling on exercise echocardiography (EE) (Echo-MB group, N = 510),
      those with an MB confirmed by another examination (MB group, N = 110), and
      healthy controls (Control group, N = 198). RESULTS: The frequency of exercise
      induced premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) was significantly higher in the
      Echo-MB and MB groups compared with the Control group (both p < .001). In all, 25
      patients (4.9%) in the Echo-MB group, seven patients (6.4%) in the MB group and
      no patients in the Control group had exercise-induced non-sustained ventricular
      tachycardia (NSVT). There was no difference in the baseline QTd between the
      groups. In the Echo-MB and MB groups, QTd postexercise increased significantly
      when compared with baseline (both p < .001). Patients with NSVT had a higher
      frequency of male gender and an even greater increase in QTd with exercise
      compared with the non-NSVT group. DISCUSSION: There is an increased frequency of
      exercise-induced PVCs and NSVT in patients with MBs. Exercise significantly
      increases QTd in MB patients, with an even greater increase in QTd in MB patients
      with NSVT. Exercise in MB patients results in ventricular arrhythmias and
      abnormalities in repolarization.

PMID- 28921788
TI  - Characterization of Doubly Ionic Hydrogen Bonds in Protic Ionic Liquids by NMR
      Deuteron Quadrupole Coupling Constants: Differences to H-bonds in Amides,
      Peptides, and Proteins.
AB  - We present the first deuteron quadrupole coupling constants (DQCCs) for selected
      protic ionic liquids (PILs) measured by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The
      experimental data are supported by dispersion-corrected density functional theory
      (DFT-D3) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The DQCCs of the N
      D bond in the triethylammonium cations are the lowest reported for deuterons in
      PILs, indicating strong hydrogen bonds between ions. The NMR coupling parameters
      are compared to those in amides, peptides, and proteins. The DQCCs show
      characteristic behavior with increasing interaction strength of the counterion
      and variation of the H-bond motifs. We report the similar presence of the
      quadrupolar splitting pattern and the narrow liquid line in the NMR spectra over
      large temperature ranges, indicating the heterogeneous nature of PILs.

PMID- 28921789
TI  - Re: Assessing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia as an indicator disease for HIV
      in a low endemic setting: a population-based register study.

PMID- 28921790
TI  - Authors' reply re: The fetal safety of clomiphene citrate: a population based
      retrospective cohort study.

PMID- 28921791
TI  - Pre-eclampsia is primarily a placental disorder: FOR: Pre-eclampsia is primarily
      a placental disorder.

PMID- 28921792
TI  - Re: A paradigm shift in the origin of ovarian cancer: the ovary is no longer to
      blame: Is the ovary to blame for tubal carcinoma?

PMID- 28921793
TI  - Authors' reply re: Painful sex (dyspareunia) in women: prevalence and associated
      factors in a British population probability survey.

PMID- 28921794
TI  - Cerebral palsy; clinical safety of clomiphene citrate; BJOG's impact.

PMID- 28921796
TI  - Authors' reply re: Assessing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia as an indicator
      disease for HIV in a low endemic setting: a population-based register study.

PMID- 28921795
TI  - Re: Painful sex (dyspareunia) in women: prevalence and associated factors in a
      British population probability survey: Dyspareunia is a global public health
      problem!

PMID- 28921798
TI  - Pre-eclampsia is primarily a placental disorder: AGAINST: Pre-eclampsia: the
      heart matters.

PMID- 28921799
TI  - Re: The tale of Dr Steppenwolf and his great statistical machine - a modern
      parable.

PMID- 28921801
TI  - Complications, symptoms, quality of life and pregnancy in cholestatic liver
      disease.
AB  - Cholestatic liver diseases (CLDs) encompass a variety of disorders of bile
      formation and/or flow which generally result in progressive hepatobiliary injury
      and ultimately end-stage liver disease. Many patients with CLD are diagnosed
      between the ages of 20-50 years, a particularly productive period of life
      professionally, biologically and in other respects; it is not surprising, thus,
      that CLD is often associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
      and uncertainty regarding implications for and outcomes of pregnancy. Primary
      sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) are the most
      prominent CLDs, both having considerable morbidity and mortality and representing
      major indications for liver transplantation. These disorders, as a consequence of
      their complications (eg ascites, hepatic osteodystrophy), associated conditions
      (eg inflammatory bowel disease) and symptoms (eg pruritus and fatigue), can
      significantly impair an array of domains of HRQOL. Here we review these impactful
      clinical aspects of PSC and PBC as well as the topics of fertility and pregnancy.

PMID- 28921800
TI  - Initial testing (stage 1) of M6620 (formerly VX-970), a novel ATR inhibitor,
      alone and combined with cisplatin and melphalan, by the Pediatric Preclinical
      Testing Program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: M6620 is a novel inhibitor of the DNA damage repair enzyme ATR, and
      has potentiated the activity of cisplatin and irinotecan in non-small cell lung
      cancer and colon cancer xenografts, respectively. PROCEDURES: M6620 was tested in
      vitro at concentrations ranging from 1.0 nM to 10.0 MUM and at 75 nM in
      combination with cisplatin or melphalan. M6620 was tested against 24 solid tumor
      xenografts alone and in combination with cisplatin. Cisplatin was administered
      intraperitoneally on days 1 and 8 at a dose of 5 mg/kg. M6620 was administered
      intravenously on days 2 and 9 at 20 mg/m2 approximately 16 hr after cisplatin.
      RESULTS: The median relative IC50 (rIC50 ) value for M6620 was 0.19 MUM (range
      0.03-1.38 MUM). M6620 reduced the mean IC50 of cisplatin and melphalan by 1.48-
      and 1.95-fold, respectively. M6620 as a single agent in vivo induced significant
      differences in event-free survival (EFS) distribution in 5 of 24 (21%) solid
      tumor xenografts, but induced no objective responses. Cisplatin as a single agent
      induced significant differences in EFS distribution compared to control in 18 of
      24 (75%) solid tumor xenografts. Three objective responses to cisplatin were
      observed. The M6620 and cisplatin combination induced significant differences in
      EFS distribution compared to control in 21 of 24 (88%), with four objective
      responses. CONCLUSIONS: M6620 showed modest potentiation of cisplatin and
      melphalan activity for some cell lines. M6620 showed little single-agent activity
      and the addition of M6620 to cisplatin significantly prolonged time to event for
      a minority of tested xenografts across several histologies.

PMID- 28921802
TI  - Environmental DNA metabarcoding: Transforming how we survey animal and plant
      communities.
AB  - The genomic revolution has fundamentally changed how we survey biodiversity on
      earth. High-throughput sequencing ("HTS") platforms now enable the rapid
      sequencing of DNA from diverse kinds of environmental samples (termed
      "environmental DNA" or "eDNA"). Coupling HTS with our ability to associate
      sequences from eDNA with a taxonomic name is called "eDNA metabarcoding" and
      offers a powerful molecular tool capable of noninvasively surveying species
      richness from many ecosystems. Here, we review the use of eDNA metabarcoding for
      surveying animal and plant richness, and the challenges in using eDNA approaches
      to estimate relative abundance. We highlight eDNA applications in freshwater,
      marine and terrestrial environments, and in this broad context, we distill what
      is known about the ability of different eDNA sample types to approximate richness
      in space and across time. We provide guiding questions for study design and
      discuss the eDNA metabarcoding workflow with a focus on primers and library
      preparation methods. We additionally discuss important criteria for consideration
      of bioinformatic filtering of data sets, with recommendations for increasing
      transparency. Finally, looking to the future, we discuss emerging applications of
      eDNA metabarcoding in ecology, conservation, invasion biology, biomonitoring, and
      how eDNA metabarcoding can empower citizen science and biodiversity education.

PMID- 28921803
TI  - The pathophysiology of arterial vasodilatation and hyperdynamic circulation in
      cirrhosis.
AB  - Patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension often develop complications from
      a variety of organ systems leading to a multiple organ failure. The combination
      of liver failure and portal hypertension results in a hyperdynamic circulatory
      state partly owing to simultaneous splanchnic and peripheral arterial
      vasodilatation. Increases in circulatory vasodilators are believed to be due to
      portosystemic shunting and bacterial translocation leading to redistribution of
      the blood volume with central hypovolemia. Portal hypertension per se and
      increased splanchnic blood flow are mainly responsible for the development and
      perpetuation of the hyperdynamic circulation and the associated changes in
      cardiovascular function with development of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, autonomic
      dysfunction and renal dysfunction as part of a cardiorenal syndrome. Several of
      the cardiovascular changes are reversible after liver transplantation and point
      to the pathophysiological significance of portal hypertension. In this paper, we
      aimed to review current knowledge on the pathophysiology of arterial
      vasodilatation and the hyperdynamic circulation in cirrhosis.

PMID- 28921804
TI  - Early blood stream infection following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation is a risk factor for acute grade III-IV GVHD in children and
      adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major cause of mortality
      and morbidity in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In
      adults, early blood stream infection (BSI) and acute GVHD (AGVHD) have been
      reported to be related. The impact of BSI on risk for AGVHD, however, has not
      been assessed in pediatric patients. PROCEDURE: We conducted a retrospective
      analysis to test the hypothesis that early BSI (before day +30) predisposes
      allogeneic pediatric transplant patients to severe AGVHD. We analyzed 293
      allogeneic HSCT performed at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta between 2005 and
      2014 that met eligibility criteria. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of acute
      grade III-IV GVHD at 100 days after HSCT was 17.1%. In multivariate analysis,
      risk for acute grade III-IV GVHD was associated with HLA-mismatched donor (hazard
      ratio [HR] = 4.870, P < 0.001), and BSI between day 0 and +30 prior to AGVHD (HR
      = 3.010, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that early BSI appears
      to be a risk factor for acute grade III-IV GVHD. Further research is needed to
      determine if the link is causal.

PMID- 28921805
TI  - Cytochrome P450 diversification and hostplant utilization patterns in specialist
      and generalist moths: Birth, death and adaptation.
AB  - Across insect genomes, the size of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) gene
      superfamily varies widely. CYPome size variation has been attributed to
      reciprocal adaptive radiations in insect detoxification genes in response to
      plant biosynthetic gene radiations driven by co-evolution between herbivores and
      their chemically defended hostplants. Alternatively, variation in CYPome size may
      be due to random "birth-and-death" processes, whereby exponential increase via
      gene duplications is limited by random decay via gene death or transition via
      divergence. We examined CYPome diversification in the genomes of seven
      Lepidoptera species varying in host breadth from monophagous (Bombyx mori) to
      highly polyphagous (Amyelois transitella). CYPome size largely reflects the size
      of Clan 3, the clan associated with xenobiotic detoxification, and to some extent
      phylogenetic age. Consistently across genomes, families CYP6, CYP9 and CYP321 are
      most diverse and CYP6AB, CYP6AE, CYP6B, CYP9A and CYP9G are most diverse among
      subfamilies. Higher gene number in subfamilies is due to duplications occurring
      primarily after speciation and specialization ("P450 blooms"), and the genes are
      arranged in clusters, indicative of active duplicating loci. In the parsnip
      webworm, Depressaria pastinacella, gene expression levels in large subfamilies
      are high relative to smaller subfamilies. Functional and phylogenetic data
      suggest a correlation between highly dynamic loci (reflective of extensive gene
      duplication, functionalization and in some cases loss) and the ability of enzymes
      encoded by these genes to metabolize hostplant defences, consistent with an
      adaptive, nonrandom process driven by ecological interactions.

PMID- 28921806
TI  - A large-area, spatially continuous assessment of land cover map error and its
      impact on downstream analyses.
AB  - Land cover maps increasingly underlie research into socioeconomic and
      environmental patterns and processes, including global change. It is known that
      map errors impact our understanding of these phenomena, but quantifying these
      impacts is difficult because many areas lack adequate reference data. We used a
      highly accurate, high-resolution map of South African cropland to assess (1) the
      magnitude of error in several current generation land cover maps, and (2) how
      these errors propagate in downstream studies. We first quantified pixel-wise
      errors in the cropland classes of four widely used land cover maps at resolutions
      ranging from 1 to 100 km, and then calculated errors in several representative
      "downstream" (map-based) analyses, including assessments of vegetative carbon
      stocks, evapotranspiration, crop production, and household food security. We also
      evaluated maps' spatial accuracy based on how precisely they could be used to
      locate specific landscape features. We found that cropland maps can have
      substantial biases and poor accuracy at all resolutions (e.g., at 1 km
      resolution, up to ~45% underestimates of cropland (bias) and nearly 50% mean
      absolute error (MAE, describing accuracy); at 100 km, up to 15% underestimates
      and nearly 20% MAE). National-scale maps derived from higher-resolution imagery
      were most accurate, followed by multi-map fusion products. Constraining mapped
      values to match survey statistics may be effective at minimizing bias (provided
      the statistics are accurate). Errors in downstream analyses could be
      substantially amplified or muted, depending on the values ascribed to cropland
      adjacent covers (e.g., with forest as adjacent cover, carbon map error was 200%
      500% greater than in input cropland maps, but ~40% less for sparse cover types).
      The average locational error was 6 km (600%). These findings provide deeper
      insight into the causes and potential consequences of land cover map error, and
      suggest several recommendations for land cover map users.

PMID- 28921808
TI  - Long-term agricultural management does not alter the evolution of a soybean
      rhizobium mutualism.
AB  - Leguminous crops, like soybeans, often rely on biologically fixed nitrogen via
      their symbiosis with rhizobia rather than synthetic nitrogen inputs. However,
      agricultural management practices may influence the effectiveness of biological
      nitrogen fixation (BNF). While the ecological effects of agricultural management
      on rhizobia have received some attention, the evolutionary effects have been
      neglected in comparison. Resource mutualism theory predicts that evolutionary
      effects are likely, however. Both fertilization and tillage are predicted to
      cause the evolution of rhizobia that provide fewer growth benefits to plant hosts
      and fix less nitrogen. This study capitalized on a Long-Term Ecological Research
      experiment that manipulated agricultural management practices in a corn-soybean
      wheat row crop system for 24 yr to investigate whether four different management
      practices (conventional, no-till, low chemical input, and certified organic)
      cause rhizobia populations to evolve to become more or less cooperative. We found
      little evidence that 24 yr of varying management practices affect the net growth
      benefits rhizobia provide to soybeans, although soybean plants inoculated with
      soils collected from conventional treatments tended to have lower BNF rates than
      plants inoculated with soils from the no-till, low input, and organic management
      treatments. These findings suggest that rhizobia will continue to provide
      adequate growth benefits to leguminous crops in the future, even in intensively
      managed systems.

PMID- 28921807
TI  - The Italian compassionate use of sofosbuvir in HCV patients waitlisted for liver
      transplantation: A national real-life experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: This study aimed to assess the real-life clinical and
      virological outcomes of HCV waitlisted patients for liver transplantation (LT)
      who received sofosbuvir/ribavirin (SOF/R) within the Italian compassionate use
      program. METHODS: Clinical and virological data were collected in 224 patients
      with decompensated cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving
      daily SOF/R until LT or up a maximum of 48 weeks. RESULTS: Of 100 transplanted
      patients, 51 were HCV-RNA negative for >4 weeks before LT (SVR12: 88%) and 49
      negative for <4 weeks or still viraemic at transplant: 34 patients continued
      treatment after LT (bridging therapy) (SVR12: 88%), while 15 stopped treatment
      (SVR12: 53%). 98 patients completed SOF/R without LT (SVR12: 73%). In patients
      with advanced decompensated cirrhosis (basal MELD >=15 and/or C-P >=B8), a marked
      improvement of the scores occurred in about 50% of cases and almost 20% of
      decompensated patients without HCC reached a condition suitable for inactivation
      and delisting. CONCLUSIONS: These real-life data indicate that in waitlisted
      patients: (i) bridging antiviral therapy can be an option for patients still
      viraemic or negative <4 weeks at LT; and (ii) clinical improvement to a condition
      suitable for delisting can occur even in patients with advanced decompensated
      cirrhosis.

PMID- 28921809
TI  - Structures of the Heme Acquisition Protein HasA with Iron(III)-5,15
      Diphenylporphyrin and Derivatives Thereof as an Artificial Prosthetic Group.
AB  - Iron(III)-5,15-diphenylporphyrin and several derivatives were accommodated by
      HasA, a heme acquisition protein secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, despite
      possessing bulky substituents at the meso position of the porphyrin. Crystal
      structure analysis revealed that the two phenyl groups at the meso positions of
      porphyrin extend outside HasA. It was shown that the growth of P. aeruginosa was
      inhibited in the presence of HasA coordinating the synthetic porphyrins under
      iron-limiting conditions, and that the structure of the synthetic porphyrins
      greatly affects the inhibition efficiency.

PMID- 28921810
TI  - Bones Morphogenic Protein-4 and retinoic acid combined treatment comparative
      analysis for in vitro differentiation potential of murine mesenchymal stem cells
      derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue into germ cells.
AB  - Nowadays, infertility is no longer considered as an unsolvable disorder due to
      progresses in germ cells derived from stem lineage with diverse origins.
      Technical and ethical challenges push researchers to investigate various tissue
      sources to approach more efficient gametes. The purpose of the current study is
      to investigate the efficacy of a combined medium, retinoic acid (RA) together
      with Bone Morphogenic Protein-4 (BMP4), on differentiation of Bone Marrow
      Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMMSCs) and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells
      (ADMSCs) into germ cells. Murine MSCs were obtained from both Bone Marrow (BM)
      and Adipose Tissue (AT) samples and were analyzed for surface markers to get
      further verification of their nature. BMMSCs and ADMSCs were induced into
      osteogenic and adipogenic lineage cells respectively, to examine their
      multipotency. They were finally differentiated into germ cells using media
      enriched with BMP4 for 4 days followed by addition of RA for 7 days (11 days in
      total). Analyzing of differentiation potential of BMMSCs- and ADMSCs were
      performed via Immunofluorescence, Flowcytometry and Real time-PCR techniques for
      germ cell-specific markers (Mvh, Dazl, Stra8 and Scp3). Mesenchymal surface
      markers (CD90 and CD44) were expressed on both BMMSCs and ADMSCs, while
      endothelial and hematopoietic cell markers (CD31 and CD45) had no expression.
      Finally, all germ-specific markers were expressed in both BM and AT. Although
      germ cells differentiated from ADMSCs showed faster growth and proliferation as
      well as easy collection, they significantly expressed germ-specific markers lower
      than BMMSCs. This suggests stronger differentiation potential of murine BMMSCs
      than ADMSCs.

PMID- 28921811
TI  - A role for the non-receptor tyrosine kinase ACK1 in TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis
      and proliferation in human intestinal epithelial caco-2 cells.
AB  - The roles of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and its mediators in
      cellular processes related to intestinal diseases remain elusive. In this study,
      we aimed to determine the biological role of activated Cdc42-associated kinase 1
      (ACK1) in TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis and proliferation in Caco-2 cells. ACK1
      expression was knocked down using ACK1-specific siRNAs, and ACK1 activity was
      disrupted using a small molecule ACK1 inhibitor. The Terminal deoxynucleotidyl
      transferase biotin-dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) and the BrdU incorporation
      assays were used to measure apoptosis and cell proliferation, respectively. ACK1
      specific siRNA and the pharmacological ACK1 inhibitor significantly abrogated the
      TNF-alpha-mediated anti-apoptotic effects and proliferation of Caco-2 cells.
      Interestingly, TNF-alpha activated ACK1 at tyrosine 284 (Tyr284), and the ErbB
      family of proteins was implicated in ACK1 activation in Caco-2 cells. ACK1-Tyr284
      was required for protein kinase B (AKT) activation, and ACK1 signaling was
      mediated through recruiting and phosphorylating the down-stream adaptor protein
      AKT, which likely promoted cell proliferation in response to TNF-alpha. Moreover,
      ACK1 activated AKT and Src enhanced nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) activity,
      suggesting a correlation between NF-kB signaling and TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis
      in Caco-2 cells. Our results demonstrate that ACK1 plays an important role in
      modulating TNF-alpha-induced aberrant cell proliferation and apoptosis, mediated
      in part by ACK1 activation. ACK1 and its down-stream effectors may hold promise
      as therapeutic targets in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal
      cancers, in particular, those induced by chronic intestinal inflammation.

PMID- 28921812
TI  - Evaluation of air samplers and filter materials for collection and recovery of
      airborne norovirus.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to identify the most efficient sampling method
      for quantitative PCR-based detection of airborne human norovirus (NoV). METHODS
      AND RESULTS: A comparative experiment was conducted in an aerosol chamber using
      aerosolized murine norovirus (MNV) as a surrogate for NoV. Sampling was performed
      using a nylon (NY) filter in conjunction with four kinds of personal samplers:
      Gesamtstaubprobenahme sampler (GSP), Triplex-cyclone sampler (TC), 3-piece closed
      faced Millipore cassette (3P) and a 2-stage NIOSH cyclone sampler (NIO). In
      addition, sampling was performed using the GSP sampler with four different filter
      types: NY, polycarbonate (PC), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and gelatine (GEL).
      The sampling efficiency of MNV was significantly influenced by both sampler and
      filter type. The GSP sampler was found to give significantly (P < 0.05) higher
      recovery of aerosolized MNV than 3P and NIO. A higher recovery was also found for
      GSP compared with TC, albeit not significantly. Finally, recovery of aerosolized
      MNV was significantly (P < 0.05) higher using NY than PC, PTFE and GEL filters.
      CONCLUSIONS: The GSP sampler combined with a nylon filter was found to be the
      best method for personal filter-based sampling of airborne NoV. SIGNIFICANCE AND
      IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The identification of a suitable NoV air sampler is an
      important step towards studying the association between exposure to airborne NoV
      and infection.

PMID- 28921813
TI  - What is the safest mode of birth for extremely preterm breech singleton infants
      who are actively resuscitated? A systematic review and meta-analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The safest delivery mode of extremely preterm breech singletons is
      unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine safest delivery mode of actively resuscitated
      extremely preterm breech singletons. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched Cochrane
      CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and ClinicalTrials.gov from January 1994 to May
      2017. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included studies comparing outcomes by delivery mode
      in actively resuscitated breech infants between 23+0 and 27+6 weeks. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We synthesised data using random effects, generated odds
      ratios, 95% confidence intervals and number-needed-to-treat (NNT). Our primary
      outcomes were death (neonatal, before discharge, or by 6 months) and severe
      intraventricular haemorrhage (grades III/IV), stratified by gestational age (23+0
      -24+6 , 25+0 -26+6 , 27+0 -27+6 weeks). MAIN RESULTS: We included 15 studies with
      12 335 infants. We found that caesarean section was associated with a 41%
      decrease in odds of death between 23+0 and 27+6 weeks [odds ratio (OR) 0.59, 95%
      CI 0.36-0.95, NNT 8], with the greatest decrease at 23+0 -24+6 weeks (OR 0.58,
      95% CI 0.44-0.75, NNT 7). The OR at 25+0 -26+6 and 27+0 -27+6 weeks were 0.72
      (95% CI 0.34-1.52) and 2.04 (95% CI 0.20-20.62), respectively. We found that
      caesarean section was associated with 49% decrease in odds of severe
      intraventricular haemorrhage between 23+0 and 27+6 weeks (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.29
      0.91, NNT 12), whereas the OR at 25+0 -26+6 and 27+0 -27+6 was 0.29 (95% CI 0.07
      1.12) and 0.91 (95% CI 0.27-3.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Caesarean section
      was associated with reductions in the odds of death by 41% and of severe
      intraventricular haemorrhage by 49% in actively resuscitated breech singletons <
      28 weeks of gestation. The data are mostly observational, which may be inherently
      biased, and scarce on other morbidities, necessitating thorough discussion
      between parents and clinicians. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Caesarean section associated
      with lower odds of death and severe intraventricular haemorrhage in actively
      resuscitated breech singletons <28 weeks.

PMID- 28921814
TI  - Nabilone pharmacotherapy for cannabis dependence: A randomized, controlled pilot
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We assessed the safety, tolerability, and preliminary
      efficacy of nabilone, a cannabinoid agonist, to treat cannabis dependence.
      METHODS: Eighteen adults with DSM-IV cannabis dependence were randomized to
      receive either 2 mg/day of nabilone (n = 10) or placebo (n = 8) for 10 weeks in
      addition to medication management. Twelve participants, six in each group,
      completed treatment. The safety and tolerability of nabilone was assessed at each
      visit. Any side effects from nabilone or the placebo were documented. Cannabis
      use outcomes were assessed via self-report of days of use and twice-weekly urine
      cannabinoid tests; secondary outcomes included cannabis craving and anxiety.
      RESULTS: We assessed safety and tolerability at each study visit. A total of
      eight adverse events, all mild or moderate, were reported in two participants in
      the nabilone group, and six events were reported in four participants in the
      placebo group during study treatment. A total of eight adverse events were
      reported in two participants in the nabilone group and six events were reported
      in four participants in the placebo group during study treatment. All reported
      adverse events were rated mild-to-moderate. There were no side effects deemed
      serious enough to be classified as an FDA-defined serious adverse event. In
      general, participants in both groups reported reduced cannabis use according to
      self-report over the course of the study, although these reductions were not
      statistically discernible. Moreover, there was no difference in cannabis use
      between the nabilone group and the placebo group as measured by self-report.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Nabilone pharmacotherapy was safe and well-tolerated
      in participants with cannabis dependence. Future studies might evaluate a higher
      dose of nabilone to determine its effects on cannabis use outcomes in
      participants with cannabis dependence. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: There remains a
      clear need for additional pharmacotherapy trials for cannabis dependence, and
      nabilone remains a candidate for such trials. (Am J Addict 2017;26:795-801).

PMID- 28921815
TI  - Low-gluten, nontransgenic wheat engineered with CRISPR/Cas9.
AB  - Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered in genetically predisposed
      individuals by the ingestion of gluten proteins from wheat, barley and rye. The
      alpha-gliadin gene family of wheat contains four highly stimulatory peptides, of
      which the 33-mer is the main immunodominant peptide in patients with coeliac. We
      designed two sgRNAs to target a conserved region adjacent to the coding sequence
      for the 33-mer in the alpha-gliadin genes. Twenty-one mutant lines were
      generated, all showing strong reduction in alpha-gliadins. Up to 35 different
      genes were mutated in one of the lines of the 45 different genes identified in
      the wild type, while immunoreactivity was reduced by 85%. Transgene-free lines
      were identified, and no off-target mutations have been detected in any of the
      potential targets. The low-gluten, transgene-free wheat lines described here
      could be used to produce low-gluten foodstuff and serve as source material to
      introgress this trait into elite wheat varieties.

PMID- 28921816
TI  - Comprehensive genetic analysis of donor cell derived leukemia with KMT2A
      rearrangement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Donor cell leukemia (DCL) occurs after allogeneic hematopoietic stem
      cell transplantation. Several mechanisms, including occult leukemic/preleukemic
      subclones in the donor graft and germline predisposition to leukemia, are
      proposed to be associated with DCL's molecular pathogenesis. We report a
      comprehensive genetic analysis of a patient with KMT2A-rearranged DCL after
      allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for refractory cytopenia of childhood.
      PROCEDURE: We performed a whole-exome sequencing of the recipient's peripheral
      blood before transplant and the donor's peripheral blood and the recipient's bone
      marrow at the time of DCL diagnosis. RNA sequencing was also performed to detect
      fusion genes in DCL blasts. RESULTS: There were no germline mutations that were
      associated with a predisposition to leukemia in the recipient and donor.
      Furthermore, there were no detectable somatic alterations except KMT2A-MLLT10 and
      other related gene fusions in DCL. KMT2A-MLLT10 was not detectable in the donor's
      bone marrow. CONCLUSION: We propose a novel pattern of the molecular pathogenesis
      of DCL solely involving a genetic mutation acquired after transplant with no
      identifiable genetic factor related to the donor and recipient.

PMID- 28921818
TI  - Blinatumomab activity in a patient with Down syndrome B-precursor acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - Persistent minimal residual disease (MRD) after consolidation may indicate
      chemotherapy insensitivity in B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BP-ALL).
      Given the strong association of MRD and outcome in non-Down syndrome (non-DS) BP
      ALL, it is likely that MRD levels are also of prognostic significance in DS BP
      ALL. We report here the successful use of blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell
      engager antibody construct, in a patient with DS BP-ALL and persistent MRD at the
      end of consolidation. Blinatumomab has been shown to have excellent results in
      patients with relapsed/refractory BP-ALL. This patient had no significant
      toxicity and achieved MRD negativity after only one cycle of blinatumomab.

PMID- 28921817
TI  - Diagnostic criteria for adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and
      pigmented glia due to CSF1R mutation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To establish and validate diagnostic criteria for adult
      onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP) due to
      colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) mutation. METHODS: We developed
      diagnostic criteria for ALSP based on a recent analysis of the clinical
      characteristics of ALSP. These criteria provide 'probable' and 'possible'
      designations for patients who do not have a genetic diagnosis. To verify its
      sensitivity and specificity, we retrospectively applied our criteria to 83 ALSP
      cases who had CSF1R mutations (24 of these were analyzed at our institutions and
      the others were identified from the literature), 53 cases who had CSF1R mutation
      negative leukoencephalopathies and 32 cases who had cerebral autosomal dominant
      arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) with
      NOTCH3 mutations. RESULTS: Among the CSF1R mutation-positive cases, 50 cases
      (60%) were diagnosed as 'probable' and 32 (39%) were diagnosed as 'possible,'
      leading to a sensitivity of 99% if calculated as a ratio of the combined number
      of cases who fulfilled 'probable' or 'possible' to the total number of cases.
      With regard to specificity, 22 cases (42%) with mutation-negative
      leukoencephalopathies and 28 (88%) with CADASIL were correctly excluded using
      these criteria. CONCLUSIONS: These diagnostic criteria are very sensitive for
      diagnosing ALSP with sufficient specificity for differentiation from CADASIL and
      moderate specificity for other leukoencephalopathies. Our results suggest that
      these criteria are useful for the clinical diagnosis of ALSP.

PMID- 28921819
TI  - Effectiveness of a new tool for self-evaluation of adherence to antimuscarinic
      drug treatment in older patients of both sexes with urge incontinence.
AB  - AIM: The present study was a comparison of the validity of the Medication
      Adherence Self-Report Inventory (MASRI) questionnaire with other methods of
      assessing adherence to antimuscarinic drugs treatment in older patients with urge
      incontinence. METHODS: The experiment involved 733 men and women aged >65 years
      who had noted no less than one urge incontinence episode per day. At the
      beginning of the experiment, and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks, their adherence to
      treatment was monitored using the MASRI. RESULTS: The construct validity of the
      tool was confirmed by data on the correlation of the percentage of non-adherent
      patients according to the MASRI and the percentage of patients having a belief
      barrier on the Brief Medication Questionnaire screen (r = 0.89, P <= 0.01; r =
      0.91, P <= 0.01; and r = 0.91, P <= 0.05 at the 4th, 8th and 12th week of the
      follow up). The hypothesis of competitive validity was supported by comparing the
      percentage of non-adherent patients according to the MASRI and the number of
      missed doses on the Brief Medication Questionnaire screen (r = 0.94, P <= 0.01; r
      = 0.85, P <= 0.05; and r = 0.7, P <= 0.05), and according to a visual count of
      pills. The area under the curve at the 4th, 8th , and 12th week was 0.95 +/-
      0.04, 0.92 +/- 0.03 and 0.94 +/- 0.04, respectively. CONCLUSION: The MASRI
      questionnaire has high validity, and is effective for evaluating adherence to
      treatment among older patients with urge incontinence taking antimuscarinic
      drugs. Using the MASRI would imply lower costs and greater availability of
      diagnostics, and it is the tool of choice in clinical practice. Geriatr Gerontol
      Int 2018; 18: 115-122.

PMID- 28921820
TI  - Systematic review and network meta-analysis on the relative efficacy of
      osteoporotic medications: men with prostate cancer on continuous androgen
      deprivation therapy to reduce risk of fragility fractures.
AB  - Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is an effective treatment for men with
      advanced prostate cancer, but loss of bone mineral density (BMD) is a major risk
      factor for fractures. This review compared the efficacy of available treatments
      to provide prescribing guidance to healthcare professionals. This is the first
      review to compare the effectiveness of different osteoporotic treatments
      (bisphosphonates, denosumab, toremifene, and raloxifene) on BMD in patients with
      non-metastatic prostate cancer on ADT using network meta-analysis. Results
      suggest that all evaluated treatments are effective in improving BMD compared to
      placebo. Zoledronic acid (ZA) was found to have a greater improvement in BMD
      compared to other active treatments at all three studied sites, except for
      risedronate, which had better BMD improvement compared to ZA at the femoral neck
      site in one small study. Our study did not identify evidence that one drug is
      unequivocally more effective than another. All drugs appeared to be effective in
      reducing the rate of bone loss. Healthcare professionals should also consider
      patient preference, costs, and local availability as part of the decision
      process.

PMID- 28921821
TI  - Iridium-Catalyzed Direct C-H Amidation Polymerization: Step-Growth Polymerization
      by C-N Bond Formation via C-H Activation to Give Fluorescent Polysulfonamides.
AB  - We report a powerful strategy for activation of C-H bonds to produce
      polysulfonamides by an atom-economical and green method using iridium-catalyzed
      direct C-H amidation polymerization (DCAP). After screening various directing
      groups, additives, silver salts, concentrations, and temperatures to optimize
      DCAP, high-molecular-weight (up to 149 kDa) and defect-free polysulfonamides were
      synthesized from various bis-sulfonyl azides. Although these polymers do not have
      conventional fluorescent conjugated cores, they emit blue light with large Stokes
      shifts and high quantum yields upon photoexcitation owing to an excited-state
      intramolecular proton-transfer process.

PMID- 28921822
TI  - Construction of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived oriented bone matrix
      microstructure by using in vitro engineered anisotropic culture model.
AB  - Bone tissue has anisotropic microstructure based on collagen/biological apatite
      orientation, which plays essential roles in the mechanical and biological
      functions of bone. However, obtaining an appropriate anisotropic microstructure
      during the bone regeneration process remains a great challenging. A powerful
      strategy for the control of both differentiation and structural development of
      newly-formed bone is required in bone tissue engineering, in order to realize
      functional bone tissue regeneration. In this study, we developed a novel
      anisotropic culture model by combining human induced pluripotent stem cells
      (hiPSCs) and artificially-controlled oriented collagen scaffold. The oriented
      collagen scaffold allowed hiPSCs-derived osteoblast alignment and further
      construction of anisotropic bone matrix which mimics the bone tissue
      microstructure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing
      the construction of bone mimetic anisotropic bone matrix microstructure from
      hiPSCs. Moreover, we demonstrated for the first time that the hiPSCs-derived
      osteoblasts possess a high level of intact functionality to regulate cell
      alignment. (c) 2017 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A
      Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 360-369,
      2018.

PMID- 28921823
TI  - Encoding seasonal information in a two-oscillator model of the multi-oscillator
      circadian clock.
AB  - The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a collection of about 10 000 neurons, each
      of which functions as a circadian clock with slightly different periods and
      phases, that work in concert with form and maintain the master circadian clock
      for the organism. The diversity among neurons confers on the SCN the ability to
      robustly encode both the 24-h light pattern as well as the seasonal time. Cluster
      synchronization brings the different neurons into line and reduces the large
      population to essentially two oscillators, coordinated by a macroscopic network
      motif of asymmetric repulsive-attractive coupling. We recount the steps leading
      to this simplification and rigorously examine the two-oscillator case by seeking
      an analytical solution. Through these steps, we identify physiologically relevant
      parameters that shape the behaviour of the SCN network and delineate its ability
      to store past details of seasonal variation in photoperiod.

PMID- 28921824
TI  - Characterization of lacquer films from the middle and late Chinese warring states
      period 476-221BC.
AB  - The famous lacquer wares excavated from the Jiuliandun Tombs of the middle and
      late Warring States period (476-221 BC) were analyzed using scanning electron
      microscopy/energy as well as dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS), Raman
      spectroscopy (RS), optical microscopy (OM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The
      results showed a multilayer structure in the lacquer film, including a Qihui
      layer (a layer made of lacquer and various plasters), undercoat layer (or
      finishing coat) and colored paint layer mixed with various inorganic particles,
      such as quartz (SiO2 ) and hydroxyapatite [Ca5 (PO4 )3 (OH)], as fillers in the
      Qihui layers or orpiment (As2 S3 ) and cinnabar (HgS), which were used as a
      yellow or red pigment, respectively. With the help of elemental mapping images, a
      double-layer structure of the lacquer plaster was observed, corresponding to a
      mixture of lacquer liquid and bone ash [Ca5 (PO4 )3 (OH)], with large-diameter
      particles in the ground lacquer layer near the wooden body and small quartz (SiO2
      ) particles in upper lacquer layer. Specifically, quartz particles detected in
      the undercoat layer as fillers could be beneficial for improving the moshardness
      value, cost reduction and abrasive resistance of the lacquer film. In fact, the
      mixed method that used urushi and inorganic particles to form lacquer plaster was
      an important technological innovation and deeply influenced lacquering
      technologies worldwide. The results of this study will not only contribute to
      understanding the importance of lacquer skills in the Chinese Warring States but
      also provide information for cultural relic conservation as well as modern
      lacquer manufacturing for their protection and duplication.

PMID- 28921825
TI  - Robotic sigmoidectomy for chronic complicated diverticular disease - a video
      vignette.

PMID- 28921826
TI  - Growing evidence of the beneficial effects of a marine protein-based dietary
      supplement for treating hair loss.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hair loss is a common condition among women with a range of causes
      including nutritional deficiencies. AIMS: To review the clinical data supporting
      the use of an oral marine supplement designed to promote hair growth.
      PATIENTS/METHODS: Adult women with temporary thinning hair. Following an initial
      pilot study, five randomized, double-blind studies assessed the effectiveness of
      the oral marine supplement for promoting hair growth. Each study was approved by
      one or more institutional review boards. RESULTS: Together, these studies
      demonstrated the ability of oral marine supplements to increase the growth of
      terminal and vellus hairs, increase the diameter of terminal and vellus hairs,
      and decrease hair loss. This product is beneficial for men as well as women.
      CONCLUSIONS: A dietary supplement containing a marine complex and other natural
      ingredients can safely and effectively promote hair growth and decrease hair
      shedding in women and men with thinning hair.

PMID- 28921827
TI  - miR-203 inhibits cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of non-small-cell
      lung cancer by downregulating RGS17.
AB  - Involvement of the RGS17 oncogene in the promotion of non-small-cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) has been reported, but the regulation mechanism in NSCLC remains unclear.
      MicroRNAs (miRNAs) negatively regulate gene expression, and their dysregulation
      has been implicated in tumorigenesis. To understand the role of miRNAs in
      Regulator of G Protein Signaling 17 (RGS17)-induced NSCLC, we showed that miR-203
      was downregulated during tumorigenesis, and inhibited the proliferation and
      invasion of lung cancer cells. We then determined whether miR-203 regulated NSCLC
      by targeting RGS17. To characterize the regulatory effect of miR-203 on RGS17, we
      used lung cancer cell lines, A549 and Calu-1, and the constructed miR-203 and
      RGS17 overexpression vectors. The CCK8 kit was used to determine cell
      proliferation, and the Transwell(r) assay was used to measure cell invasion and
      migration. RT-PCR, western blots, and immunofluorescence were used to analyze
      expression of miR-203 and RGS17, and the luciferase reporter assay was used to
      examine the interaction between miR-203 and RGS17. Nude mice were used to
      characterize in vivo tumor growth regulation. Expression of miR-203 inhibited
      proliferation, invasion, and migration of lung cancer cell lines A549 and Calu-1
      by targeting RGS17. The regulatory effect of miR-203 was inhibited after
      overexpression of RGS17. The luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-203
      downregulated RGS17 by direct integration into the 3'-UTR of RGS17 mRNA. In vivo
      studies showed that expression of miR-203 significantly inhibited growth of
      tumors. Taken together, the results suggested that expression of miR-203
      inhibited tumor growth and metastasis by targeting RGS17.

PMID- 28921828
TI  - [HDL-C/apoA-I]: A multivessel cardiometabolic risk marker in women with T2DM.
AB  - AIMS: Although women have higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)
      than have men, their HDL particles are also prone to become small, dense, and
      dysfunctional in case of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To assess the vascular
      risk related to HDLs of different sizes/densities without direct measurement, we
      adjusted HDL-C to its main apolipoprotein (apoA-I) as [HDL-C/apoA-I]. This ratio
      estimates HDL sizes and provides indices as to their number, cholesterol load,
      and density. METHODS: We stratified 280 Caucasian T2DM women according to [HDL
      C/apoA-I] quartiles (Q) to determine how they are segregated according to
      cardiometabolic risk, beta-cell function, glycaemic control, and vascular
      complications. Five parameters were derived from combined determination of HDL-C
      and apoA-I: HDL size, HDL number, cholesterol load per particle (pP), apoA-I pP,
      and HDL density. RESULTS: An adverse cardiometabolic profile characterized QI and
      QII patients whose HDLs were denser and depleted in apoA-I, whereas QIII patients
      had HDLs with characteristics closer to those of controls. QIV patients had HDLs
      of supernormal size/composition and a more favourable phenotype in terms of fat
      distribution; insulin sensitivity (64% vs 41%), metabolic syndrome, and beta-cell
      function (32% vs 23%); exogenous insulin (44 vs 89 U.d-1 ); and glycaemic control
      (glycated haemoglobin, 56 vs 61 mmol.mol-1 ), associated with lower prevalence of
      microvascular/macrovascular complications: all-cause microangiopathy 47% vs 61%;
      retinopathy 22% vs 34%; all-cause macroangiopathy 19% vs 31%; and coronary artery
      disease 6% vs 24% (P < .05). CONCLUSION: [HDL-C/apoA-I] can stratify T2DM women
      according to metabolic phenotype, macrovascular and coronary damage, beta-cell
      function, microangiopathic risk, and retinopathy. This ratio is a versatile and
      readily available marker of cardiometabolic status and vascular complications in
      T2DM women.

PMID- 28921829
TI  - Vegetation demographics in Earth System Models: A review of progress and
      priorities.
AB  - Numerous current efforts seek to improve the representation of ecosystem ecology
      and vegetation demographic processes within Earth System Models (ESMs). These
      developments are widely viewed as an important step in developing greater realism
      in predictions of future ecosystem states and fluxes. Increased realism, however,
      leads to increased model complexity, with new features raising a suite of
      ecological questions that require empirical constraints. Here, we review the
      developments that permit the representation of plant demographics in ESMs, and
      identify issues raised by these developments that highlight important gaps in
      ecological understanding. These issues inevitably translate into uncertainty in
      model projections but also allow models to be applied to new processes and
      questions concerning the dynamics of real-world ecosystems. We argue that
      stronger and more innovative connections to data, across the range of scales
      considered, are required to address these gaps in understanding. The development
      of first-generation land surface models as a unifying framework for
      ecophysiological understanding stimulated much research into plant physiological
      traits and gas exchange. Constraining predictions at ecologically relevant
      spatial and temporal scales will require a similar investment of effort and
      intensified inter-disciplinary communication.

PMID- 28921830
TI  - Trends, application and future prospectives of microbial carbonic anhydrase
      mediated carbonation process for CCUS.
AB  - Growing industrialization and the desire for a better economy in countries has
      accelerated the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), by more than the buffering
      capacity of the earth's atmosphere. Among the various GHGs, carbon dioxide
      occupies the first position in the anthroposphere and has detrimental effects on
      the ecosystem. For decarbonization, several non-biological methods of carbon
      capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) have been in use for the past few
      decades, but they are suffering from narrow applicability. Recently, CO2 emission
      and its disposal related problems have encouraged the implementation of
      bioprocessing to achieve a zero waste economy for a sustainable environment.
      Microbial carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyses reversible CO2 hydration and forms
      metal carbonates that mimic the natural phenomenon of weathering/carbonation and
      is gaining merit for CCUS. Thus, the diversity and specificity of CAs from
      different micro-organisms could be explored for CCUS. In the literature, more
      than 50 different microbial CAs have been explored for mineral carbonation.
      Further, microbial CAs can be engineered for the mineral carbonation process to
      develop new technology. CA driven carbonation is encouraging due to its large
      storage capacity and favourable chemistry, allowing site-specific sequestration
      and reusable product formation for other industries. Moreover, carbonation based
      CCUS holds five-fold more sequestration capacity over the next 100 years. Thus,
      it is an eco-friendly, feasible, viable option and believed to be the impending
      technology for CCUS. Here, we attempt to examine the distribution of various
      types of microbial CAs with their potential applications and future direction for
      carbon capture. Although there are few key challenges in bio-based technology,
      they need to be addressed in order to commercialize the technology.

PMID- 28921831
TI  - Analysis of the spotted gar genome suggests absence of causative link between
      ancestral genome duplication and transposable element diversification in teleost
      fish.
AB  - Teleost fish have been shown to contain many superfamilies of transposable
      elements (TEs) that are absent from most tetrapod genomes. Since theories predict
      an increase in TE activity following polyploidization, such diversity might be
      linked to the 3R whole-genome duplication that occurred approximately 300 million
      years ago before the teleost radiation. To test this hypothesis, we have analyzed
      the genome of the spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus, which diverged from the
      teleost lineage before the 3R duplication. Our results indicate that TE diversity
      and copy numbers are similar in gar and teleost genomes, suggesting that TE
      diversity was ancestral and not linked to the 3R whole-genome duplication. We
      propose that about 25 distinct superfamilies of TEs were present in the last
      ancestor of gars and teleost fish about 300 million years ago in the ray-finned
      fish lineage.

PMID- 28921832
TI  - Synthesis and bioactivity assessment of high silica content quaternary glasses
      with Ca: P ratios of 1.5 and 1.67, made by a rapid sol-gel process.
AB  - Sol-gel glasses in quaternary silica-sodium-calcium-phosphorous systems have been
      synthesized using a rotary evaporator for rapid drying without ageing. This novel
      fast drying method drastically decreases the total drying and ageing time from
      several weeks to only 1 hour, thus overcoming a serious drawback in sol-gel
      preparation procedures for bioglasses. This work investigates the bioactivity
      behavior of two glasses synthesized by this fast method, with Ca:P ratios of 1.5,
      and 1.67. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Inductive coupled plasma, Fourier-transform
      infrared, and Raman spectroscopy were used to confirm the bioactivity of the
      synthesized powders. MAS-NMR was also used to assess the degree of silica
      polymerization. The composition with a higher Ca:P = 1.67 ratio showed better
      bioactivity in comparison to the one with Ca:P = 1.5, which exhibited little bio
      response with up to 4 weeks of immersion in SBF (simulated body fluid). It was
      also found that an orbital agitation rate of 120 rpm favors the interfacial bio
      mineralization reactions, promoting the formation of a crystalline hydroxyapatite
      (HAp) layer at the surface of the (Ca:P = 1.67) composition after 2 weeks
      immersion in SBF. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A:
      106A: 510-520, 2018.

PMID- 28921833
TI  - Guideline of guidelines: asymptomatic microscopic haematuria.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to review major organizational guidelines on the
      evaluation and management of asymptomatic microscopic haematuria (AMH). We
      reviewed the haematuria guidelines from: the American Urological Association; the
      consensus statement by the Canadian Urological Association, Canadian Urologic
      Oncology Group and Bladder Cancer Canada; the American College of Physicians; the
      Joint Consensus Statement of the Renal Association and British Association of
      Urological Surgeons; and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
      All guidelines reviewed recommend evaluation for AMH in the absence of potential
      benign aetiologies, with the evaluation including cystoscopy and upper urinary
      tract imaging. Existing guidelines vary in their definition of AMH (role of urine
      dipstick vs urine microscopy), the age threshold for recommending evaluation, and
      the optimal imaging method (computed tomography vs ultrasonography). Of the
      reviewed guidelines, none recommended the use of urine cytology or urine markers
      during the initial AMH evaluation. Patients should have ongoing follow-up after a
      negative initial AMH evaluation. Significant variation exists among current
      guidelines for AMH with respect to who should be evaluated and in what manner.
      Given the patient and health system implications of balancing appropriately
      focused and effective diagnostic evaluation, AMH represents a valuable future
      research opportunity.

PMID- 28921834
TI  - The role of pre-morbid diabetes on developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The literature on the association between diabetes and
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) consists of a limited number of studies. This
      cohort study was developed in order to assess the role of diabetes on the risk of
      developing ALS. METHODS: The study population was represented by all residents in
      Turin (Italy) at the beginning of 1996 who participated in the 1991 census, over
      14 years of age (n = 727 977) and followed up for ALS occurrence from 1998 to
      2014. Presence of diabetes at baseline or during follow-up was ascertained
      through two Piedmont regional sources: the Diabetes Registry and the Anatomical
      Therapeutic Chemical Drug Prescription Archive. The risk of ALS was estimated
      using the Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta ALS Registry (PARALS). The association of
      diabetes, treated as a time-dependent variable, with ALS onset was estimated
      through Cox proportional hazard regression models adjusted for age, gender,
      education and marital status. RESULTS: During follow-up, 397 subjects developed
      ALS, 24 of whom were already diabetic before ALS onset. Diabetes was associated
      with a significantly decreased risk of ALS [hazard ratio, 0.30 (95% confidence
      interval, 0.19-0.45)] without differences in risk by gender, age class or ALS
      phenotype. CONCLUSION: The results support the protective role of diabetes toward
      ALS.

PMID- 28921835
TI  - Reply to comment on: Insurance coverage decisions for pediatric proton therapy.

PMID- 28921836
TI  - Clinical assessment of coronary arteries in Kawasaki disease: Focus on
      echocardiographic assessment.
AB  - Echocardiography is an excellent noninvasive imaging modality for evaluation and
      follow-up of cardiac lesions, especially coronary artery changes occurring as a
      result of Kawasaki disease. The information obtained has prognostic implications
      and can be complemented with other modes of imaging for risk stratification and
      optimization of both medical and interventional therapy. The aim of this article
      is to describe the time line of echocardiographic follow-up of patients affected
      with Kawasaki disease. The classification of coronary artery changes and
      transthoracic echocardiographic views recommended for detailed evaluation of the
      coronary arteries are delineated in detail in this report.

PMID- 28921837
TI  - Coronary artery bypass grafting versus percutaneous coronary intervention in
      patients with noninsulin treated type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The outcomes and prognosis of revascularization by either coronary
      artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
      in patients with noninsulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus (NITDM) have not yet
      been well established. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were
      identified by searching Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library from inception until
      May 2016. Heterogeneity was evaluated, and the pooled hazard ratio (HR) was
      calculated by using a fixed-effect model. A random-effect model was used when
      statistically significant heterogeneity was observed (I2  >= 50%). All data
      analyses were carried out by using RevMan 5.3 and STATA software 12.0. RESULTS: A
      total of 4 RCTs involving 5 studies, consisting of 2270 patients with noninsulin
      treated type 2 diabetes mellitus, were identified. Compared with CABG-treated
      patients, PCI-treated patients had significantly higher all-cause mortality (HR
      1.39; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.91; P = .04), myocardial infarction (HR 2.14; 95% CI 1.40
      to 3.27; P = .0004), repeated revascularization (HR 2.52; 95% CI 1.77 to 3.57; P
      < .00001), and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (HR 1.50;
      95% CI 1.20-1.87; P = .0004). However, PCI was associated with lower incidence of
      stoke (HR 0.47; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.90; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: In NITDM patients,
      our study suggests that CABG surgery is associated with reduced risk of mortality
      and morbidity, although with increased incidence of stroke compared with
      percutaneous coronary intervention. The decision if to have percutaneous coronary
      intervention or CABG surgery should factor the risk for stroke of the patients
      when considering CABG over percutaneous coronary intervention. Adequately powered
      RCTs are needed to confirm the results of this meta-analysis.

PMID- 28921838
TI  - Robot-assisted kidney transplantation: comparison of the first 40 cases of open
      vs robot-assisted transplantations by a single surgeon.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of the first 40 patients to undergo robot
      assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT) with those of the first 40 patients who
      underwent open KT (OKT) by a single surgeon at the Dr Sadi Konuk Training
      Hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively collected the data of the first
      40 patients to undergo RAKT between January 2016 and February 2017 (RAKT group),
      and compared them with the first 40 patients to undergo OKT between November 2010
      and April 2015 (OKT group). Comparisons were made using one-way analysis of
      variance or the Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables, and the chi-squared
      or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. RESULTS: There were 40 patients
      in both the RAKT and OKT groups. In the RAKT group, the mean (SD) operative time
      was 265.375 (46.63) min, total ischaemia time was 96.7 (30.02) min, re-warming
      time was 54.70 (17.80) min, and estimated blood loss (EBL) was 182.25 (55.26) mL.
      Whilst in the OKT group the mean (SD) operative time was 250.25 (41) min (P =
      0.129), total ischaemia time was 71.79 (8.55) min (P < 0.01), re-warming time was
      37.30 (4.07) min (P < 0.001), and EBL was 210.75 (28.96) mL (P = 0.005). At 12-24
      h postoperatively, linear visual analogue scale pain scores were significantly
      lower in the RAKT group (P < 0.001), and the RAKT group had a significantly
      shorter drain withdrawal time, at a mean (SD) of 3.45 (0.93) vs 7.67 (2.11) days
      in the OKT group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Satisfactory functional outcomes can be
      achieved by either OKT or RAKT. However, the latter technique seems to have some
      advantages over the former in that it is less invasive, results in less pain
      postoperatively, has a shorter drain withdrawal time, and has the potential for
      fewer complications.

PMID- 28921839
TI  - Hepatoblastoma in children aged less than six months at diagnosis: A report from
      the SIOPEL group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical characteristics,
      treatment, and survival of children, who were diagnosed with hepatoblastoma (HB)
      in their first 6 months of age, enrolled in the SIOPEL 2 and 3 protocols.
      METHODS: Seventy-nine patients, treated between 1994 and 2006, were analyzed
      after stratification into three age groups: <1 month, between 1 and 3 months, and
      between 3 and 6 months. All received preoperative chemotherapy. RESULTS: Clinical
      characteristics were similar in both trials: 4 patients had pulmonary metastases
      at diagnosis, 4 had alpha-fetoprotein <100 ng/ml, 68 were operated by partial
      hepatectomy, and 7 received liver transplant. Chemotherapy courses were delayed
      in 8.5%, 8.4%, and 11.8% of cycles in the three groups. Doses were calculated
      according to weight for children <5 and 5-10 kg, and further reduced in 18.1%,
      6.8%, and 5.9% of cycles. Acute toxicity was manageable. Long-term hearing loss
      was the major problem at follow-up occurring in two-thirds of children. Ten
      patients experienced progression or relapse, and 5 of 10 died. After a median
      follow-up of 5.6 years, the 5-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival
      (EFS) were 91% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 84-96%) and 87% (95% CI: 78-92%),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-year OS and EFS of children <6 months of age
      affected by HB seem to be similar to those documented in the elder children. Dose
      reduction does not seem to jeopardize the long-term outcome and may explain the
      lower toxicity profile. Ototoxicity though appears as high as in the whole
      population of SIOPEL 2 and 3. The treatment for these children should be further
      explored in international studies, particularly focusing on prevention of hearing
      loss.

PMID- 28921840
TI  - The role of cadherin genes in five major psychiatric disorders: A literature
      update.
AB  - Converging evidence from candidate gene, genome-wide linkage, and association
      studies support a role of cadherins in the pathophysiology of five major
      psychiatric disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism
      spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major
      depressive disorder (MDD). These molecules are transmembrane proteins which act
      as cell adhesives by forming adherens junctions (AJs) to bind cells within
      tissues. Members of the cadherin superfamily are also involved in biological
      processes such as signal transduction and plasticity that have been implicated in
      the etiology of major psychiatric conditions. Although there are over 110 genes
      mapped to the cadherin superfamily, our literature survey showed that evidence of
      association with psychiatric disorders is strongest for CDH7, CHD11, and CDH13.
      Gene enrichment analysis showed that those cadherin genes implicated in
      psychiatric disorders were overrepresented in biological processes such as in
      cell-cell adhesion (GO:0007156 & GO:0098742) and adherens junction organization
      (GO:0034332). Further, cadherin genes were also mapped to processes that have
      been linked to the development of psychiatric disorders such as nervous system
      development (GO:0007399). To further understand the role of cadherin SNPs
      implicated in psychiatric disorders, we utilized an in silico computational
      pipeline to functionally annotate associated variants. This analysis yielded
      eight variants mapped to PCDH1-13, CDH7, CDH11, and CDH13 that are predicted to
      be biologically functional. Functional genomic evaluation is now required to
      understand the molecular mechanism by which these variants might confer
      susceptibility to psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 28921841
TI  - In a randomized trial in prostate cancer patients, dietary protein restriction
      modifies markers of leptin and insulin signaling in plasma extracellular
      vesicles.
AB  - Obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hyperleptinemia are associated with aging and
      age-associated diseases including prostate cancer. One experimental approach to
      inhibit tumor growth is to reduce dietary protein intake and hence levels of
      circulating amino acids. Dietary protein restriction (PR) increases insulin
      sensitivity and suppresses prostate cancer cell tumor growth in animal models,
      providing a rationale for clinical trials. We sought to demonstrate that
      biomarkers derived from plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) reflect systemic
      leptin and insulin signaling and respond to dietary interventions. We studied
      plasma samples from men with prostate cancer awaiting prostatectomy who
      participated in a randomized trial of one month of PR or control diet. We found
      increased levels of leptin receptor in the PR group in total plasma EVs and in a
      subpopulation of plasma EVs expressing the neuronal marker L1CAM. Protein
      restriction also shifted the phosphorylation status of the insulin receptor
      signal transducer protein IRS1 in L1CAM+ EVs in a manner suggestive of improved
      insulin sensitivity. Dietary PR modifies indicators of leptin and insulin
      signaling in circulating EVs. These findings are consistent with improved insulin
      and leptin sensitivity in response to PR and open a new window for following
      physiologic responses to dietary interventions in humans.

PMID- 28921842
TI  - AnchorQuery: Rapid online virtual screening for small-molecule protein-protein
      interaction inhibitors.
AB  - AnchorQuery (http://anchorquery.csb.pitt.edu) is a web application for rational
      structure-based design of protein-protein interaction (PPI) inhibitors. A
      specialized variant of pharmacophore search is used to rapidly screen libraries
      consisting of more than 31 million synthesizable compounds biased by design to
      preferentially target PPIs. Every library compound is accessible through one-step
      multi-component reaction (MCR) chemistry and contains an anchor motif that is
      bioisosteric to an amino acid residue. The inclusion of this anchor not only
      biases the compounds to interact with proteins, it also enables a rapid,
      sublinear time pharmacophore search algorithm. AnchorQuery provides all the tools
      necessary for users to perform online interactive virtual screens of millions of
      compounds, including pharmacophore elucidation and search, and enrichment
      analysis. Accessibility: AnchorQuery is freely accessible at
      http://anchorquery.csb.pitt.edu.

PMID- 28921843
TI  - Potential proton and photon dose degradation in advanced head and neck cancer
      patients by intratherapy changes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Evaluation of dose degradation by anatomic changes for head-and-neck
      cancer (HNC) intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) relative to intensity
      modulated photon therapy (IMRT) and identification of potential indicators for
      IMPT treatment plan adaptation. METHODS: For 31 advanced HNC datasets, IMPT and
      IMRT plans were recalculated on a computed tomography scan (CT) taken after about
      4 weeks of therapy. Dose parameter changes were determined for the organs at risk
      (OARs) spinal cord, brain stem, parotid glands, brachial plexus, and mandible,
      for the clinical target volume (CTV) and the healthy tissue outside planning
      target volume (PTV). Correlation of dose degradation with target volume changes
      and quality of rigid CT matching was investigated. RESULTS: Recalculated IMPT
      dose distributions showed stronger degradation than the IMRT doses. OAR analysis
      revealed significant changes in parotid median dose (IMPT) and near maximum dose
      (D1ml ) of spinal cord (IMPT, IMRT) and mandible (IMPT). OAR dose parameters
      remained lower in IMPT cases. CTV coverage (V95% ) and overdose (V107% )
      deteriorated for IMPT plans to (93.4 +/- 5.4)% and (10.6 +/- 12.5)%, while those
      for IMRT plans remained acceptable. Recalculated plans showed similarly decreased
      PTV conformity, but considerable hotspots, also outside the PTV, emerged in IMPT
      cases. Lower CT matching quality was significantly correlated with loss of PTV
      conformity (IMPT, IMRT), CTV homogeneity and coverage (IMPT). Target shrinkage
      correlated with increased dose in brachial plexus (IMRT, IMPT), hotspot
      generation outside the PTV (IMPT) and lower PTV conformity (IMRT). CONCLUSIONS:
      The study underlines the necessity of precise positioning and monitoring of
      anatomy changes, especially in IMPT which might require adaptation more often.
      Since OAR doses remained typically below constraints, IMPT plan adaptation will
      be indicated by target dose degradations.

PMID- 28921844
TI  - Functional traits determine tree growth and ecosystem productivity of a tropical
      montane forest: Insights from a long-term nutrient manipulation experiment.
AB  - Trait-response effects are critical to forecast community structure and biomass
      production in highly diverse tropical forests. Ecological theory and few
      observation studies indicate that trees with acquisitive functional traits would
      respond more strongly to higher resource availability than those with
      conservative traits. We assessed how long-term tree growth in experimental
      nutrient addition plots (N, P, and N + P) varied as a function of morphological
      traits, tree size, and species identity. We also evaluated how trait-based
      responses affected stand scale biomass production considering the community
      structure. We found that tree growth depended on interactions between functional
      traits and the type or combination of nutrients added. Common species with
      acquisitive functional traits responded more strongly to nutrient addition,
      mainly to N + P. Phosphorous enhanced the growth rates of species with
      acquisitive and conservative traits, had mostly positive effects on common
      species and neutral or negative effects in rare species. Moreover, trees
      receiving N + P grew faster irrespective of their initial size relative to trees
      in control or to trees in other treatment plots. Finally, species responses were
      highly idiosyncratic suggesting that community processes including competition
      and niche dimensionality may be altered under increased resource availability. We
      found no statistically significant effects of nutrient additions on aboveground
      biomass productivity because acquisitive species had a limited potential to
      increase their biomass, possibly due to their generally lower wood density. In
      contrast, P addition increased the growth rates of species characterized by more
      conservative resource strategies (with higher wood density) that were poorly
      represented in the plant community. We provide the first long-term experimental
      evidence that trait-based responses, community structure, and community processes
      modulate the effects of increased nutrient availability on biomass productivity
      in a tropical forest.

PMID- 28921845
TI  - Detection and delineation of squamous neoplasia with hyperspectral imaging in a
      mouse model of tongue carcinogenesis.
AB  - Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) holds the potential for the noninvasive detection of
      cancers. Oral cancers are often diagnosed at a late stage when treatment is less
      effective and the mortality and morbidity rates are high. Early detection of oral
      cancer is, therefore, crucial in order to improve the clinical outcomes. To
      investigate the potential of HSI as a noninvasive diagnostic tool, an animal
      study was designed to acquire hyperspectral images of in vivo and ex vivo mouse
      tongues from a chemically induced tongue carcinogenesis model. A variety of
      machine-learning algorithms, including discriminant analysis, ensemble learning,
      and support vector machines, were evaluated for tongue neoplasia detection using
      HSI and were validated by the reconstructed pathological gold-standard maps. The
      diagnostic performance of HSI, autofluorescence imaging, and fluorescence imaging
      were compared in this study. Color-coded prediction maps were generated to
      display the predicted location and distribution of premalignant and malignant
      lesions. This study suggests that hyperspectral imaging combined with machine
      learning techniques can provide a noninvasive tool for the quantitative detection
      and delineation of squamous neoplasia.

PMID- 28921846
TI  - Improvement of polytrauma management-quality inspection of a newly introduced
      course concept.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: A systematic literature search for training
      course concepts for care of severely injured and severely ill patients respecting
      improvement of process and outcome yielded little data. For several years, the
      University Hospital of Bonn has hosted a shock-room management course which, on
      the one hand, communicates human factor aspects and, on the other hand, pursues
      interdisciplinary and interprofessional team training. The Bonn shock-room
      management course (BSM-course(r)) differs from other courses in both format and
      principles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of the structure of
      the course based on course evaluations of participants and its impact on the
      quality of the process and results for polytrauma care. METHODS: Single-center
      retrospective evaluation study (2011 to 2014). It was based on data from
      simulator training and records from the German Trauma Registry (DGU)(r). RESULTS:
      Subjective evaluation of participants (n = 188) of the structure quality of
      Bonn's shock-room management course was overall positive. Objective measures of
      course participant performance also improved during simulation training (P =
      0.012). An increasing number of trained employees also had a positive influence
      in reducing process time for shock-room care. Further, the course likewise had a
      positive impact on documentation quality (degree of completion), with regard to 4
      relevant predictive parameters. Early mortality during the first 24 hours
      remained constant at 6.0-6.5% between 2011 and 2013, yet it decreased to 3.1% in
      2014. CONCLUSION: The BSM-course(r) represents a symbiosis of horizontal team
      approach of trauma care and human factor training. The course format is able to
      ensure interdisciplinary and interprofessional team training with a high degree
      of efficiency. Furthermore, the presented work shows that a modern course concept
      can improve the quality of trauma care.

PMID- 28921847
TI  - N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide)-crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) particles as
      doxorubicin carriers: A comparison between release behavior of physically loaded
      drug and conjugated drug via acid-labile hydrazone linkage.
AB  - N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide) (MBA)-crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)
      particles with low degree of cross-linking were synthesized using distillation
      precipitation polymerization. Size and size distribution of particles were
      obtained using dynamic light scattering and field emission scanning electron
      microscopy( and results showed that microspheres had a narrow size dispersity.
      Proton nuclear magnetic resonance results indicated that amount of cross-linker
      in structure of particles is a little more than the molar percentage of feeded
      MBA because of greater activity ratio of MBA than AA. pH-responsive behavior of
      samples was investigated using UV-vis. absorption at 480 nm where each sample
      showed a sudden deplete in UV absorbance at a peculiar pH. Synthesized particles
      were used as carriers of anti-cancer drug doxorubicin using two different
      approaches including physically loading of drug and drug conjugation via an acid
      labile hydrazone linkage. Release results showed that in the first case, amount
      of released drug has an inverse relationship with the amount of cross-linker in
      the structure and also, by adding an acid-labile linkage, the amount of burst
      release decreased drastically. Also, the amount of released drug for conjugated
      systems was much lesser than particles with physically loaded drug. (c) 2017
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 342-348, 2018.

PMID- 28921848
TI  - Interconversion Rates between Conformational States as Rationale for the Membrane
      Permeability of Cyclosporines.
AB  - Cyclic peptides have regained interest as potential inhibitors of challenging
      targets but have often a low bioavailability. The natural product cyclosporine A
      (CsA) is the textbook exception. Despite its size and polar backbone, it is able
      to passively cross membranes. This ability is hypothesized to be due to a
      conformational change from the low-energy conformation in water to a "congruent"
      conformation that is populated both in water and inside the membrane. Here, we
      use a combination of NMR measurements and kinetic models based on molecular
      dynamics simulations to rationalize the difference in the membrane permeability
      of cyclosporine E (CsE) and CsA. The structure of CsE differs only in a backbone
      methylation, but its membrane permeability is one order of magnitude lower. The
      most striking difference is found in the interconversion rates between the
      conformational states favored in water and in chloroform, which are up to one
      order of magnitude slower for CsE compared to CsA.

PMID- 28921849
TI  - Effects of pre-surgical nasoalveolar moulding on maxillary arch and nasal form in
      unilateral cleft lip and palate before lip surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of pre-surgical nasoalveolar moulding
      (PNAM) on the maxillary arch and nasal form in patients with unilateral cleft lip
      and palate (UCLP). SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION: This is a retrospective case
      series study. The subjects were infants with complete UCLP who were treated with
      PNAM (n = 18) at Kagoshima University Medical and Dental Hospital (Japan) between
      2006 and 2013. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Maxillary dental casts and facial
      photographs were taken at the time of the first visit and immediately prior to
      lip surgery to evaluate the maxillary arch and nasal form changes. The dental
      casts were scanned with a laser scanner, and changes in the 3-Dimensional
      coordinates of anatomical landmarks and alveolar cleft width were analysed.
      Moreover, we investigated the correlation between the changes in the maxillary
      alveolar arch and nasal form. RESULTS: Regarding the maxillary alveolar arch
      form, the anterior points of the major segment had moved significantly to the
      cleft side just prior to the time of lip repair, and the alveolar cleft width was
      significantly decreased. For nasal form, the inclination and displacement of the
      columella were significantly improved. The improvement of columella inclination
      was moderately correlated with the posterior movement of the anterior points of
      the major segment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that PNAM for infants
      with UCLP enhanced symmetry in the maxillary alveolar arch and nasolabial form.
      In addition, the posterior movement of the anterior points of the maxillary
      alveolar arch was correlated with the improvement of columella deformation.

PMID- 28921850
TI  - Prospective comparison of transperineal magnetic resonance
      imaging/ultrasonography fusion biopsy and transrectal systematic biopsy in biopsy
      naive patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging
      (mpMRI) in the detection of significant prostate cancer (PCa) and to compare
      transperineal MRI/ultrasonography fusion biopsy (fusPbx) with conventional
      transrectal systematic biopsy (sysPbx) in biopsy-naive patients. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: This multicentre, prospective trial investigated biopsy-naive patients
      with suspicion of PCa undergoing transperineal fusPbx in combination with
      transrectal sysPbx (comPbx). The primary outcome was the detection of significant
      PCa, defined as Gleason pattern 4 or 5. We analysed the results after a study
      period of 2 years. RESULTS: The study included 214 patients. The median (range)
      number of targeted and systematic cores was 6 (2-15) and 12 (6-18), respectively.
      The overall PCa detection rate of comPbx was 52%. FusPbx detected more PCa than
      sysPbx (47% vs 43%; P = 0.15). The detection rate of significant PCa was 38% for
      fusPbx and 35% for sysPbx (P = 0.296). The rate of missed significant PCa was 14%
      in fusPbx and 21% in sysPbx. ComPbx detected significantly more significant PCa
      than fusPbx and sysPbx alone (44% vs 38% vs 35%; P < 0.005). In patients
      presenting with Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) 4 and 5
      lesions there was a higher detection rate of significant PCa than in patients
      presenting with PI-RADS <=3 lesions in comPbx (61% vs 14%; P < 0.005).
      CONCLUSIONS: For biopsy-naive men with tumour-suspicious lesions in mpMRI, the
      combined approach outperformed both fusPbx and sysPbx in the detection of overall
      PCa and significant PCa. Thus, biopsy-naive patients may benefit from sysPbx in
      combination with mpMRI targeted fusPbx.

PMID- 28921851
TI  - New intellectual disability syndrome identified: WDR26 haploinsufficiency is rare
      but could provide explanations to some patients.

PMID- 28921852
TI  - Genome-wide cell free fetal DNA screening spots variations standard screening
      doesn't: Diagnostic testing data needed to validate results and prove accuracy.

PMID- 28921853
TI  - Cover Image, Volume 173A, Number 10, October 2017.
AB  - The cover image, by Rani A. Bashir et al., is based on the Original Article Lin
      Gettig syndrome: Craniosynostosis expands the spectrum of the KAT6B related
      disorders, DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.38355.

PMID- 28921855
TI  - Utility of the immature platelet fraction in pediatric immune thrombocytopenia:
      Differentiating from bone marrow failure and predicting bleeding risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Differentiating childhood immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) from other
      cause of thrombocytopenia remains a diagnosis of exclusion. Additionally factors
      that predict bleeding risk for those patients with ITP are currently not well
      understood. Previous small studies have suggested that immature platelet fraction
      (IPF) may differentiate ITP from other causes of thrombocytopenia and in
      combination with other factors may predict bleeding risk. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective chart review of thrombocytopenic patients with an IPF measured
      between November 1, 2013 and July 1, 2015. Patients were between 2 months and 21
      years of age with a platelet count <50 * 109 /l. Each patient chart was reviewed
      for final diagnosis and bleeding symptoms. A bleeding severity score was
      retrospectively assigned. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy two patients met inclusion
      criteria, 97 with ITP, 11 with bone marrow failure (BMF), 126 with malignancy,
      and 38 with other causes of thrombocytopenia. An IPF > 5.2% differentiated ITP
      from BMF with 93% sensitivity and 91% specificity. Absolute immature platelet
      number (AIPN) was significantly lower in ITP patients with severe to life
      threatening hemorrhage than those without, despite similar platelet counts. On
      multivariate analysis, an IPF < 10.4% was confirmed as an independent predictor
      of bleeding risk at platelet counts <10 * 109 /l in patients with ITP.
      CONCLUSIONS: IPF measurement alone has utility in both the diagnosis of ITP and
      identifying patients at increased risk of hemorrhage. Further study is required
      to understand the pathophysiological differences of ITP patients with lower
      IPF/AIPN.

PMID- 28921857
TI  - Opportunistic attachment assembles plant-pollinator networks.
AB  - Species and interactions are being lost at alarming rates and it is imperative to
      understand how communities assemble if we have to prevent their collapse and
      restore lost interactions. Using an 8-year dataset comprising nearly 20 000
      pollinator visitation records, we explore the assembly of plant-pollinator
      communities at native plant restoration sites in an agricultural landscape. We
      find that species occupy highly dynamic network positions through time, causing
      the assembly process to be punctuated by major network reorganisations. The most
      persistent pollinator species are also the most variable in their network
      positions, contrary to what preferential attachment - the most widely studied
      theory of ecological network assembly - predicts. Instead, we suggest assembly
      occurs via an opportunistic attachment process. Our results contribute to our
      understanding of how communities assembly and how species interactions change
      through time while helping to inform efforts to reassemble robust communities.

PMID- 28921858
TI  - Rainfall variability and fine-scale life history tradeoffs help drive niche
      partitioning in a desert annual plant community.
AB  - Tradeoffs have long been an essential part of the canon explaining the
      maintenance of species diversity. Despite the intuitive appeal of the idea that
      no species can be a master of all trades, there has been a scarcity of linked
      demographic and physiological evidence to support the role of resource use
      tradeoffs in natural systems. Using five species of Chihuahuan desert summer
      annual plants, I show that demographic tradeoffs driven by short-term soil
      moisture variation act as a mechanism to allow multiple species to partition a
      limiting resource. Specifically, by achieving highest fitness in either rainfall
      pulse or interpulse periods, variability reduces fitness differences through time
      that could promote coexistence on a limiting resource. Differences in fitness are
      explained in part by the response of photosynthesis to changing soil moisture. My
      results suggest that increasing weather variability, as predicted under climate
      change, could increase the opportunity for coexistence in this community.

PMID- 28921856
TI  - Disruption of perineuronal nets increases the frequency of sharp wave ripple
      events.
AB  - Hippocampal sharp wave ripples (SWRs) represent irregularly occurring synchronous
      neuronal population events that are observed during phases of rest and slow wave
      sleep. SWR activity that follows learning involves sequential replay of training
      associated neuronal assemblies and is critical for systems level memory
      consolidation. SWRs are initiated by CA2 or CA3 pyramidal cells (PCs) and require
      initial excitation of CA1 PCs as well as participation of parvalbumin (PV)
      expressing fast spiking (FS) inhibitory interneurons. These interneurons are
      relatively unique in that they represent the major neuronal cell type known to be
      surrounded by perineuronal nets (PNNs), lattice like structures composed of a
      hyaluronin backbone that surround the cell soma and proximal dendrites. Though
      the function of the PNN is not completely understood, previous studies suggest it
      may serve to localize glutamatergic input to synaptic contacts and thus influence
      the activity of ensheathed cells. Noting that FS PV interneurons impact the
      activity of PCs thought to initiate SWRs, and that their activity is critical to
      ripple expression, we examine the effects of PNN integrity on SWR activity in the
      hippocampus. Extracellular recordings from the stratum radiatum of horizontal
      murine hippocampal hemisections demonstrate SWRs that occur spontaneously in CA1.
      As compared with vehicle, pre-treatment (120 min) of paired hemislices with
      hyaluronidase, which cleaves the hyaluronin backbone of the PNN, decreases PNN
      integrity and increases SWR frequency. Pre-treatment with chondroitinase, which
      cleaves PNN side chains, also increases SWR frequency. Together, these data
      contribute to an emerging appreciation of extracellular matrix as a regulator of
      neuronal plasticity and suggest that one function of mature perineuronal nets
      could be to modulate the frequency of SWR events.

PMID- 28921859
TI  - Trophic interaction modifications: an empirical and theoretical framework.
AB  - Consumer-resource interactions are often influenced by other species in the
      community. At present these 'trophic interaction modifications' are rarely
      included in ecological models despite demonstrations that they can drive system
      dynamics. Here, we advocate and extend an approach that has the potential to
      unite and represent this key group of non-trophic interactions by emphasising the
      change to trophic interactions induced by modifying species. We highlight the
      opportunities this approach brings in comparison to frameworks that coerce
      trophic interaction modifications into pairwise relationships. To establish
      common frames of reference and explore the value of the approach, we set out a
      range of metrics for the 'strength' of an interaction modification which
      incorporate increasing levels of contextual information about the system. Through
      demonstrations in three-species model systems, we establish that these metrics
      capture complimentary aspects of interaction modifications. We show how the
      approach can be used in a range of empirical contexts; we identify as specific
      gaps in current understanding experiments with multiple levels of modifier
      species and the distributions of modifications in networks. The trophic
      interaction modification approach we propose can motivate and unite empirical and
      theoretical studies of system dynamics, providing a route to confront ecological
      complexity.

PMID- 28921860
TI  - Shifts of community composition and population density substantially affect
      ecosystem function despite invariant richness.
AB  - There has been considerable focus on the impacts of environmental change on
      ecosystem function arising from changes in species richness. However,
      environmental change may affect ecosystem function without affecting richness,
      most notably by affecting population densities and community composition. Using a
      theoretical model, we find that, despite invariant richness, (1) small
      environmental effects may already lead to a collapse of function; (2) competitive
      strength may be a less important determinant of ecosystem function change than
      the selectivity of the environmental change driver and (3) effects on ecosystem
      function increase when effects on composition are larger. We also present a
      complementary statistical analysis of 13 data sets of phytoplankton and
      periphyton communities exposed to chemical stressors and show that effects on
      primary production under invariant richness ranged from -75% to +10%. We conclude
      that environmental protection goals relying on measures of richness could
      underestimate ecological impacts of environmental change.

PMID- 28921861
TI  - Soil microbial communities drive the resistance of ecosystem multifunctionality
      to global change in drylands across the globe.
AB  - The relationship between soil microbial communities and the resistance of
      multiple ecosystem functions linked to C, N and P cycling (multifunctionality
      resistance) to global change has never been assessed globally in natural
      ecosystems. We collected soils from 59 dryland ecosystems worldwide to
      investigate the importance of microbial communities as predictor of
      multifunctionality resistance to climate change and nitrogen fertilisation.
      Multifunctionality had a lower resistance to wetting-drying cycles than to
      warming or N deposition. Multifunctionality resistance was regulated by changes
      in microbial composition (relative abundance of phylotypes) but not by richness,
      total abundance of fungi and bacteria or the fungal: bacterial ratio. Our results
      suggest that positive effects of particular microbial taxa on multifunctionality
      resistance could potentially be controlled by altering soil pH. Together, our
      work demonstrates strong links between microbial community composition and
      multifunctionality resistance in dryland soils from six continents, and provides
      insights into the importance of microbial community composition for buffering
      effects of global change in drylands worldwide.

PMID- 28921863
TI  - Gender differences in brain networks during verbal Sternberg tasks: A
      simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopy and electro-encephalography study.
AB  - Gender differences in psychological processes have been of great interest in a
      variety of fields including verbal fluency, emotion processing and working
      memory. Previous studies suggested that women outperform men in verbal working
      memory (VWM). However, the inherent mechanisms are still unclear. To obtain a
      deeper insight into the gender differences in brain networks in VWM, this study
      used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electro-encephalography (EEG)
      simultaneously to investigate gender-related brain networks during verbal
      Sternberg tasks. NIRS results confirmed that women surpass men in VWM from the
      perspective of both brain activation and connectivity. Results of EEG (effective
      connectivity and event-related spectral power) showed that men tend to use a more
      visuospatial strategy to encode memory. In addition, novel analysis methods of
      brain networks can provide useful information about the gender specifics of brain
      functions. Gender-related pseudo-color maps constructed from all channels of
      average HbO2 activity during low- and high-load tasks (from 0 to 6 seconds after
      beginning).

PMID- 28921864
TI  - Blisters, ulcers, crusts, and atrophic scars on the back of the hands and the
      extensor aspects of the forearms.

PMID- 28921862
TI  - Efficacy and safety of the addition of ertugliflozin in patients with type 2
      diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled with metformin and sitagliptin: The
      VERTIS SITA2 placebo-controlled randomized study.
AB  - AIMS: To assess ertugliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes who are
      inadequately controlled by metformin and sitagliptin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      this double-blind randomized study (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02036515), patients
      (glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c] 7.0% to 10.5% [53-91 mmol/mol] receiving metformin
      >=1500 mg/d and sitagliptin 100 mg/d; estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]
      >=60 mL/min/1.73 m2 ) were randomized to ertugliflozin 5 mg once-daily, 15 mg
      once-daily or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline in
      HbA1c at Week 26; treatment was continued until Week 52. RESULTS: A total of 464
      patients were randomized (mean baseline HbA1c, 8.0% [64.3 mmol/mol]; eGFR, 87.9
      mL/min/1.73 m2 ). After 26 weeks, placebo-adjusted least squares (LS) mean
      changes in HbA1c from baseline were -0.7% (-7.5 mmol/mol) and -0.8% (-8.3
      mmol/mol) for ertugliflozin 5 and 15 mg, respectively (both P < .001); 17.0%,
      32.1% and 39.9% of patients receiving placebo, ertugliflozin 5 mg or
      ertugliflozin 15 mg, respectively, had HbA1c <7.0% (53 mmol/mol). Significant
      reductions in fasting plasma glucose, body weight (BW) and systolic blood
      pressure (SBP) were observed with ertugliflozin relative to placebo. The positive
      effects of ertugliflozin on glycaemic control, BW and SBP were maintained through
      Week 52. A higher incidence of genital mycotic infections was observed in male
      and female patients receiving ertugliflozin (3.7%-14.1%) vs placebo (0%-1.9%)
      through Week 52. The incidence of urinary tract infections, symptomatic
      hypoglycaemia and hypovolaemia adverse events were not meaningfully different
      across groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ertugliflozin added to metformin and sitagliptin was
      well-tolerated, and provided clinically meaningful, durable glycaemic control, BW
      and SBP reductions vs placebo over 52 weeks.

PMID- 28921865
TI  - Extramedullary hematopoiesis: a new feature of inherited thrombocytopenias?
AB  - : Essentials Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) represents a pathologic finding
      in adult life. We report a mass-like EMH in the presacral space in a patient with
      ANKRD26-related thrombocytopenia. We found possible correlation between EMH and
      conditions causing lifelong thrombocytopenia. EMH can cause masses of unknown
      origin in patients with inherited thrombocytopenias. SUMMARY: Most commonly
      located in the liver and spleen, extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is the
      presence of hematopoietic tissue outside the bone marrow. MYH9-related
      thrombocytopenia (MYH9-RD) and ANKRD26-related thrombocytopenia (ANKRD26-RT) are
      two of the most frequent forms of inherited thrombocytopenia (IT). Until
      recently, EMH has been associated with neoplastic and non-neoplastic hematologic
      conditions in which ITs were not included. We describe a case of mass-like EMH in
      the presacral space in a patient affected with ANKRD26-RT, comparing it with
      another case of paravertebral EMH we recently described in a subject with MYH9
      RD. The surprisingly similitude of such a finding in the context of a group of
      rare disorders induces us to speculate about the possible pathogenic relationship
      between EMH and conditions causing lifelong thrombocytopenia, particularly the
      entity of ITs. Finally, we suggest that EMH has to be taken into consideration in
      the diagnostic work-up of masses of unknown origin in subjects affected with ITs.

PMID- 28921866
TI  - Autophagy and cancer - insights from mouse models.
AB  - (Macro-)autophagy is an evolutionary conserved 'self-digestion program' that
      serves to maintain cellular metabolism and is implicated in many pathological
      processes such as cancer. In recent years, an increasing number of studies in
      murine cancer models have provided a plethora of sometimes conflicting results
      about the role of autophagy in cancer biology. This review summarizes these
      studies and raises awareness that there are situations in which autophagy
      blockage might indeed reduce tumor growth, but that sometimes the exact opposite
      is the case. It is therefore vital to mimic patient conditions in preclinical
      mouse experiments as thoroughly as possible before commencing clinical trials.

PMID- 28921867
TI  - Polymer Cancerostatics Targeted with an Antibody Fragment Bound via a Coiled Coil
      Motif: In Vivo Therapeutic Efficacy against Murine BCL1 Leukemia.
AB  - A BCL1 leukemia-cell-targeted polymer-drug conjugate with a narrow molecular
      weight distribution consisting of an N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide copolymer
      carrier and the anticancer drug pirarubicin is prepared by controlled radical
      copolymerization followed by metal-free click chemistry. A targeting recombinant
      single chain antibody fragment (scFv) derived from a B1 monoclonal antibody is
      attached noncovalently to the polymer carrier via a coiled coil interaction
      between two complementary peptides. Two pairs of coiled coil forming peptides
      (abbreviated KEK/EKE and KSK/ESE) are used as linkers between the polymer
      pirarubicin conjugate and the targeting protein. The targeted polymer conjugate
      with the coiled coil linker KSK/ESE exhibits 4* better cell binding activity and
      2* higher cytotoxicity in vitro compared with the other conjugate. Treatment of
      mice with established BCL1 leukemia using the scFv-targeted polymer conjugate
      leads to a markedly prolonged survival time of the experimental animals compared
      with the treatment using the free drug and the nontargeted polymer-pirarubicin
      conjugate.

PMID- 28921868
TI  - Surface modification of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene by plasma-induced
      in-situ grafting with vinyl triethoxysilane.
AB  - Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is an excellent material with
      high performance, but it is very difficult to covalently introduce functional
      groups on its surface owing to its inherently inert structure, which constrains
      its further application. In this study, vinyl triethoxysilane (VTEOS) containing
      hydrolysable alkoxyl groups was in situ grafted on UHMWPE by air plasma
      treatment. The plasma treatment conditions for VTEOS grafting were optimized. The
      structure of the modified UHMWPE was characterized with FTIR and XPS. The
      relatively high VTEOS content was obtained when the treating conditions were
      about 20 W, 125 Pa for 10 min. And FTIR results showed that the grafted structure
      on the surface was stable for long time duration in the ambient environment.
      After the treatment, the roughness of the surface increased and the water contact
      angle of the modified sample dropped to 47.5 degrees  from 92.8 degrees  of the
      unmodified one. TGA and XRD results indicated that plasma treatment would not
      change the bulk structure of UHMWPE greatly. Cell culture experiments showed that
      fibroblasts on the modified samples had notably high viability and proliferation
      rate with good adhesion shape. Hence, it might be an effective method to improve
      the surface properties of UHMWPE for biomedical applications by plasma-induced in
      situ grafting with VTEOS. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res
      Part A: 106A: 321-332, 2018.

PMID- 28921869
TI  - Simplified and age-appropriate recommendations for added sugars in children.
AB  - Excess sugar intake increases risk for obesity and related comorbidities among
      children. The World Health Organization (WHO), American Heart Association (AHA)
      and the 2015 USDA dietary recommendations have proposed guidelines for added
      sugar intake to reduce risk for disease. WHO and USDA recommendations are
      presented as a percentage of daily calories from added sugar. This approach is
      not easily understood or translated to children, where energy needs increase with
      age. The AHA recommendation is based on a fixed value of 25 g of added sugar for
      all children 2-19 years of age. This approach does not take into account the
      different levels of intake across this wide age range. Due to these limitations,
      we adapted current recommendations for added sugars based on daily energy needs
      of children 2-19 years. We used those values to derive simple regression
      equations to predict grams or teaspoons of added sugars per day based on age that
      would be equivalent to 10% of daily energy needs. This proposed approach aligns
      with the changing nutritional needs of children and adolescents during growth.

PMID- 28921870
TI  - Detection and genetic characterization of Porcine circovirus type 3 in Italy.
AB  - Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) was recently proposed as a new porcine
      circovirus. It has been described by researchers in the USA and China and
      associated with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome, reproductive failure
      and systemic inflammation disease. The study reports the occurrence of the new
      virus in Italy. PCV3 was detected in the tissues of foetuses and stillborn
      piglets coming from two farms located in the Po Valley. The genome sequences of
      the two Italian strains share 99.7% to 97.8% of nucleotide identity with those
      available in GenBank. Results strengthen the hypothesis of PCV3 as a new emerging
      porcine circovirus, widespread all over the world. It follows the urgency of
      investigating in depth epidemiology and pathogenicity associated with this new
      virus.

PMID- 28921871
TI  - Methylene blue-assisted submucosal dissection in transanal surgery - a video
      vignette.

PMID- 28921872
TI  - First-line therapy with dacomitinib, an orally available pan-HER tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor, for locally advanced or metastatic penile squamous cell carcinoma:
      results of an open-label, single-arm, single-centre, phase 2 study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To harness the frontline therapy in advanced penile squamous cell
      carcinoma (PSCC), for which chemotherapy exerts moderate activity but poor
      efficacy. Dacomitinib is an irreversible, pan-epidermal growth factor receptor
      (HER) inhibitor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a phase 2 study (NCT01728233), patients
      received dacomitinib 45 mg/day, orally, continuously. Inclusion criteria were SCC
      histology, clinical stage N2-3 or M1 (Tumour-Node-Metastasis classification
      system 2009), and no prior chemotherapy administration. The primary endpoint was
      the objective response rate (ORR, according to the Response Evaluation Criteria
      in Solid Tumors, version 1.1). Stopping rules based on the Bayesian posterior
      probability (PP) to demonstrate that the ORR exceeded 20% were set. RESULTS: From
      June 2013 to October 2016, 28 patients were treated. Eight (28.6%) had visceral
      metastases, 14 (50%) had pelvic and 17 (60.7%) clinically involved bilateral
      lymph nodes. One complete and eight partial responses were obtained (ORR 32.1%,
      80% credibility interval 21.0-43.0%). The median (interquartile range [IQR])
      follow-up duration was 19.8 (6.3-25.7) months; 12-month progression-free survival
      was 26.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 13.2-51.9); 12-month overall survival
      (OS) was 54.9% (95% CI 36.4-82.8). The median (IQR) OS of locally advanced
      patients was 20 (11.1-not reached) months. The Bayesian PP of exceeding the 20%
      ORR target was 92.3%. Grade 3 adverse events (skin rash) were seen in three
      patients (10.7%). Tissue samples from 25 patients were analysed. Only two
      patients had high-risk human papillomavirus-positive tumours. Epidermal growth
      factor receptor (EGFR) amplification was found in four patients (equally
      responders and non-responders) and it was confirmed in all post-dacomitinib
      samples. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mutations were found in
      responders only (60%), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/mammalian target of
      rapamycin (PI3K/mTOR) pathway gene mutations were found in 42.9% of responders vs
      8.3% of non-responders. CONCLUSION: Dacomitinib was active and well tolerated in
      patients with advanced PSCC and may represent an option when combined
      chemotherapy cannot be administered. Mutations in downstream effectors of EGFR
      signalling in relation to dacomitinib activity deserve further studies.

PMID- 28921873
TI  - Diagnostic specificity of the African swine fever virus antibody detection enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay in feral and domestic pigs in the United States.
AB  - African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious haemorrhagic disease of pigs
      that has the potential to cause mortality nearing 100% in naive animals. While an
      outbreak of ASF in the United States' pig population (domestic and feral) has
      never been reported, an introduction of the disease has the potential to cause
      devastation to the pork industry and food security. During the recovery phase of
      an outbreak, an antibody detection diagnostic assay would be required to prove
      freedom of disease within the previously infected zone and eventually nationwide.
      Animals surviving an ASF infection would be considered carriers and could be
      identified through the persistence of ASF viral antibodies. These antibodies
      would demonstrate exposure to the disease and not vaccination, as there is no ASF
      vaccine available. A well-established commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay (ELISA) detects antibodies against ASF virus (ASFV), but the diagnostic
      specificity of the assay had not been determined using serum samples from the pig
      population of the United States. This study describes an evaluation of the World
      Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-recommended Ingezim PPA COMPAC ELISA using a
      comprehensive cohort (n = 1791) of samples collected in the United States. The
      diagnostic specificity of the assay was determined to be 99.4% (95% confidence
      interval (CI): [98.9, 99.7]). The result of this study fills a gap in
      understanding the performance of the Ingezim PPA COMPAC ELISA in the ASF naive
      pig population of the United States.

PMID- 28921874
TI  - Polaronic Charge Carrier-Lattice Interactions in Lead Halide Perovskites.
AB  - Almost ten years after the renaissance of the popular perovskite-type
      semiconductors based on lead salts with the general formula AMX3 (A=organic or
      inorganic cation; M=divalent metal; X=halide), many facets of photophysics
      continue to puzzle researchers. In this Minireview, light is shed on the low
      mobilities of charge carriers in lead halide perovskites with special focus on
      the lattice properties at non-zero temperature. The polar and soft lattice leads
      to pronounced electron-phonon coupling, limiting carrier mobility and retarding
      recombination. We propose that the proper picture of excited charge carriers at
      temperature ranges that are relevant for device operations is that of a polaron,
      with Frohlich coupling constants between 1<alpha<3. Under the aspect of light
      emitting diode application, APbX3 perovskite show moderate second order
      (bimolecular) recombination rates and high third-order (Auger) rate constants. It
      has become apparent that this is a direct consequence of the anisotropic polar A
      site cation in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites and might be alleviated by
      replacing the organic moiety with an isotropic cation.

PMID- 28921875
TI  - Chronic kidney disease and incident apparent treatment-resistant hypertension
      among blacks: Data from the Jackson Heart Study.
AB  - It is unclear whether black patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) vs those
      without CKD who take antihypertensive medication have an increased risk for
      apparent treatment-resistant hypertension (aTRH). The authors analyzed 1741
      Jackson Heart Study participants without aTRH taking antihypertensive medication
      at baseline. aTRH was defined as uncontrolled blood pressure while taking three
      antihypertensive medication classes or taking four or more antihypertensive
      medication classes, regardless of blood pressure level. CKD was defined as an
      albumin to creatinine ratio >=30 mg/g or estimated glomerular filtration rate <60
      mL/min/1.73 m2 . Over 8 years, 20.1% of participants without CKD and 30.5% with
      CKD developed aTRH. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio for aTRH comparing
      participants with CKD vs those without CKD was 1.45 (95% CI, 1.12-1.86).
      Participants with an albumin to creatinine ratio >=30 vs <30 mg/g (hazard ratio,
      1.44; 95% CI, 1.04-2.00) and estimated glomerular filtration rate of 45 to 59
      mL/min/1.73 m2 and <45 vs >=60mL/min/1.73 m2 (hazard ratio, 1.60 [95% CI, 1.16
      2.20] and 2.05 [95% CI, 1.28-3.26], respectively) were more likely to develop
      aTRH.

PMID- 28921876
TI  - Validation of artificial neural networks as a methodology for donor-recipient
      matching for liver transplantation.
AB  - In 2014, we reported a model for donor-recipient (D-R) matching in liver
      transplantation (LT) based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) from a Spanish
      multicenter study (Model for Allocation of Donor and Recipient in Espana [MADR
      E]). The aim is to test the ANN-based methodology in a different European health
      care system in order to validate it. An ANN model was designed using a cohort of
      patients from King's College Hospital (KCH; n = 822). The ANN was trained and
      tested using KCH pairs for both 3- and 12-month survival models. End points were
      probability of graft survival (correct classification rate [CCR]) and nonsurvival
      (minimum sensitivity [MS]). The final model is a rule-based system for
      facilitating the decision about the most appropriate D-R matching. Models
      designed for KCH had excellent prediction capabilities for both 3 months (CCR
      area under the curve [AUC] = 0.94; MS-AUC = 0.94) and 12 months (CCR-AUC = 0.78;
      MS-AUC = 0.82), almost 15% higher than the best obtained by other known scores
      such as Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and balance of risk. Moreover, these
      results improve the previously reported ones in the multicentric MADR-E database.
      In conclusion, the use of ANN for D-R matching in LT in other health care systems
      achieved excellent prediction capabilities supporting the validation of these
      tools. It should be considered as the most advanced, objective, and useful tool
      to date for the management of waiting lists. Liver Transplantation 24 192-203
      2018 AASLD.

PMID- 28921877
TI  - Analysis of infantile fibrosarcoma reveals extensive T-cell responses within
      tumors: Implications for immunotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS) is a rare pediatric malignancy with
      relatively good prognosis, but the risk of progression or recurrence after
      therapy exists. To understand the immune microenvironment of IFS and determine if
      immunotherapy is a potential treatment, we analyzed T-cell responses in IFS
      tumors. PROCEDURE: IFS tumors were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and
      multicolor flow cytometry to characterize immune cell infiltration and function.
      Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were expanded in vitro and evaluated for
      recognition of autologous tumor cells. Real-time PCR was applied to evaluate
      tumor expression of chemokines/cytokines and tumor antigens. RESULTS: Significant
      infiltration of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was found in seven of 10 IFS but
      rarely found in age- and sex-matched rhabdomyosarcoma tumors. The TILs from
      recurrent IFS tumors expressed high levels of costimulatory molecules such as
      CD28, 4-1BB, and OX40, but little or no coinhibitory molecules such as PD-1 and
      CTLA4, Tim3, Lag3, and CD39. Upon activation, large portions of TILs produced IFN
      gamma and TNF-alpha. Eighteen out of 40 T cell lines generated from surgically
      removed tumors could recognize autologous tumor cells. Moreover, we found that
      IFS tumors expressed high levels of T-cell chemokines such as CXCL10 and CXCL16,
      and also classic tumor antigens such as CTAG2, GAGE, and NY-ESO-1, whose
      expression could be further enhanced by treatment with epigenetic modulator
      decitabine. CONCLUSIONS: IFS tumors are highly immunogenic and expansion of TILs
      followed by adoptive cell transfer could be a potential immunotherapy for IFS
      patients undergoing tumor recurrence.

PMID- 28921878
TI  - Simplifying sampling for African swine fever surveillance: Assessment of antibody
      and pathogen detection from blood swabs.
AB  - African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable disease with serious socio-economic
      consequences that has been present in wild boar in the Baltic States and Poland
      since 2014. An introduction of ASF is usually accompanied by increased mortality,
      making fallen wild boar and hunted animals with signs of disease the main target
      for early warning and passive surveillance. It is difficult, however, to
      encourage hunters and foresters to report and take samples from these cases. A
      pragmatic and easy sampling approach with quick-drying swabs could facilitate
      this. In this study, we further evaluated the use of dry blood swabs for the
      detection of ASFV antibody and genome with samples from animal trials and
      diagnostic submissions (blood, bone and organs) from Estonia. Compared to serum
      samples, dried blood swabs yielded 93.1% (95% confidence interval: [83.3, 98.1])
      sensitivity and 100% [95.9, 100.0] specificity in a commercial ASFV antibody
      ELISA. Similarly, the swabs gave a sensitivity of 98.9% [93.4, 100.0] and a
      specificity of 98.1% [90.1, 100.0] for genome detection by a standard ASFV p72
      qPCR when compared to EDTA blood. The same swabs were tested in a VP72-antibody
      lateral flow device, with a sensitivity of 94.7% [85.4, 98.9] and specificity of
      96.1% [89.0, 99.2] compared to the serum ELISA. When GenoTube samples tested in
      ELISA and LFD were compared, the sensitivity was 96.3% [87.3, 99.5] and the
      specificity was 93.8% [86.0, 97.9]. This study demonstrates reliable detection of
      ASFV antibody and genome from swabs. A field test of the swabs with decomposed
      wild boar carcasses in an endemic area in Estonia also gave promising results.
      Thus, this technique is a practical approach for surveillance of ASF in both free
      and endemic areas.

PMID- 28921879
TI  - Natural and Artificial Mn4 Ca Cluster for the Water Splitting Reaction.
AB  - The oxygen-evolving center (OEC) in photosystem II (PSII) is a unique biological
      catalyst that splits water into electrons, protons, and O2 by using solar energy.
      Recent crystallographic studies have revealed that the structure of the OEC is an
      asymmetric Mn4 Ca cluster, which provides a blueprint to develop man-made water
      splitting catalysts for artificial photosynthesis. Although it is a great
      challenge to mimic the whole structure and function of the OEC in the laboratory,
      significant advances have recently been achieved. In this Minireview, recent
      progress on mimicking the natural OEC is discussed. New strategies are suggested
      to construct more stable and efficient new generation of catalytic materials for
      the water splitting reaction based on the artificial Mn4 Ca cluster in the
      future.

PMID- 28921880
TI  - Dwarfism in homozygous Agc1CreERT mice is associated with decreased expression of
      aggrecan.
AB  - Aggrecan (Acan), a large proteoglycan is abundantly expressed in cartilage
      tissue. Disruption of Acan gene causes dwarfism and perinatal lethality of
      homozygous mice. Because of sustained expression of Acan in the growth plate and
      articular cartilage, AgcCre model has been developed for the regulated ablation
      of target gene in chondrocytes. In this model, the IRES-CreERT-Neo-pgk transgene
      is knocked-in the 3'UTR of the Acan gene. We consistently noticed variable weight
      and size among the AgcCre littermates, prompting us to examine the cause of this
      phenotype. Wild-type, Cre-heterozygous (Agc+/Cre ), and Cre-homozygous
      (AgcCre/Cre ) littermates were indistinguishable at birth. However, by 1-month,
      AgcCre/Cre mice showed a significant reduction in body weight (18-27%) and body
      length (19-22%). Low body weight and dwarfism was sustained through adulthood and
      occurred in both genders. Compared with wild-type and Agc+/Cre littermates, long
      bones and vertebrae were shorter in AgcCre/Cre mice. Histological analysis of
      AgcCre/Cre mice revealed a significant reduction in the length of the growth
      plate and the thickness of articular cartilage. The amount of proteoglycan
      deposited in the cartilage of AgcCre/Cre mice was nearly half of the WT
      littermates. Analysis of gene expression indicates impaired differentiation of
      chondrocyte in hyaline cartilage of AgcCre/Cre mice. Notably, both Acan mRNA and
      protein was reduced by 50% in AgcCre/Cre mice. A strong correlation was noted
      between the level of Acan mRNA and the body length. Importantly, Agc+/Cre mice
      showed no overt skeletal phenotype. Thus to avoid misinterpretation of data, only
      the Agc+/Cre mice should be used for conditional deletion of a target gene in the
      cartilage tissue.

PMID- 28921881
TI  - Use of a radial projection to reduce the statistical uncertainty of spot lateral
      profiles generated by Monte Carlo simulation.
AB  - Monte Carlo (MC) simulation has been used to generate commissioning data for the
      beam modeling of treatment planning system (TPS). We have developed a method
      called radial projection (RP) for postprocessing of MC-simulation-generated data.
      We used the RP method to reduce the statistical uncertainty of the lateral
      profile of proton pencil beams with axial symmetry. The RP method takes advantage
      of the axial symmetry of dose distribution to use the mean value of multiple
      independent scores as the representative score. Using the mean as the
      representative value rather than any individual score results in substantial
      reduction in statistical uncertainty. Herein, we present the concept and step-by
      step implementation of the RP method, as well as show the advantage of the RP
      method over conventional measurement methods for generating lateral profile.
      Lateral profiles generated by both methods were compared to demonstrate the
      uncertainty reduction qualitatively, and standard error comparison was performed
      to demonstrate the reduction quantitatively. The comparisons showed that
      statistical uncertainty was reduced substantially by the RP method. Using the RP
      method to postprocess MC data, the corresponding MC simulation time was reduced
      by a factor of 10 without quality reduction in the generated result from the MC
      data. We concluded that the RP method is an effective technique to increase MC
      simulation efficiency for generating lateral profiles for axially symmetric
      pencil beams.

PMID- 28921882
TI  - Recommendations for obesity prevention among adolescents from disadvantaged
      backgrounds: a concept mapping study among scientific and professional experts.
AB  - The present study aimed to enrich the scientific evidence on obesity prevention
      programmes for adolescents from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds with
      practice-based experiences from both scientific and professional experts in the
      field of youth obesity prevention. We used the participatory method of concept
      mapping. Two concept mapping sessions were conducted: one with programme
      coordinators of national/regional obesity prevention programmes across Europe (n
      = 8) and one with scientists participating in European obesity prevention
      projects (n = 5). Five recommendations were extracted from both concept maps: (1)
      involve adolescents in the design and delivery of the programme, (2) invest in
      family/parental capacity building, (3) provide and support a healthy school food
      and physical activity environment, (4) regulate exposure to unhealthy
      messages/advertising and (5) facilitate safe and active travel. These
      recommendations can be used as a conceptual framework for programme development
      for preventing obesity in adolescents.

PMID- 28921883
TI  - Role of Co-Sensitizers in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
AB  - Co-sensitization is a popular route towards improved efficiency and stability of
      dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this context, the power conversion
      efficiency (PCE) values of DSSCs incorporating Ru- and porphyrin-based dyes can
      be improved from 8-11 % to 11-14 % after the addition of additives, co
      adsorbents, and co-sensitizers that reduce aggregation and charge recombination
      in the device. Among the three supporting material types, co-sensitizers play a
      major role to enhance the performance and stability of DSSCs, which is requried
      for commercialization. In this Minireview, we highlight the role co-sensitizers
      play in improving photovoltaic performance of devices containing Ru- and
      porphyrin-based sensitizers.

PMID- 28921884
TI  - Structural characterization and functional analysis of cystathionine beta
      synthase: an enzyme involved in the reverse transsulfuration pathway of Bacillus
      anthracis.
AB  - : The reverse transsulfuration pathway has been reported to produce cysteine from
      homocysteine in eukaryotes ranging from protozoans to mammals while bacteria and
      plants produce cysteine via a de novo pathway. Interestingly, the bacterium
      Bacillus anthracis includes enzymes of the reverse transsulfuration pathway viz.
      cystathionine beta-synthase [BaCBS, previously annotated to be an O-acetylserine
      sulfhydrylase (OASS)] and cystathionine gamma-lyase. Here, we report the
      structure of BaCBS at a resolution of 2.2 A. The enzyme was found to show CBS
      activity only with activated serine (O-acetylserine) and not with serine, and was
      also observed to display OASS activity but not serine sulfhydrylase activity.
      BaCBS was also found to produce hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) upon reaction of cysteine
      and homocysteine. A mutational study revealed Glu 220, conserved in CBS, to be
      necessary for generating H2 S. Structurally, BaCBS display a considerably more
      open active site than has been found for any other CBS or OASS, which was
      attributed to the presence of a helix at the junction of the C- and N-terminal
      domains. The root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) between the backbone Calpha carbon
      atoms of BaCBS and those of other CBSs and OASSs were calculated to be greater
      than 3.0 A. The pyridoxal 5'-phosphate at the active site was not traced, and
      appeared to be highly flexible due to the active site being wide open.
      Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of an O-acetylserine-dependent CBS in
      the bacterial domain and making separate clade from CBS and OASS indicating its
      evolution for specific function. DATABASE: Structural data are available in the
      PDB under the accession number 5XW3.

PMID- 28921885
TI  - Identification of a divergent genotype of equine arteritis virus from South
      American donkeys.
AB  - A novel equine arteritis virus (EAV) was isolated and sequenced from feral
      donkeys in Chile. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the new virus and South
      African asinine strains diverged at least 100 years from equine EAV strains. The
      results indicate that asinine strains belonged to a different EAV genotype.

PMID- 28921886
TI  - Clinical practices and attitudes regarding the diagnosis and management of heart
      failure: findings from the CORE Needs Assessment Survey.
AB  - AIMS: CORE is a continuing medical education initiative designed to support the
      evidence-based management of heart failure (HF) in the primary and secondary care
      settings. The goal of the CORE Needs Assessment Survey is to describe current
      clinical practice patterns and attitudes among global stakeholders in HF care.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: The CORE Steering Committee guided the development of survey
      questions to assess clinical practice, confidence, and attitudes/perceptions
      among cardiologists, primary care physicians, and nurses involved in HF
      management. In total, 346 healthcare professionals from Australia (n = 59),
      Austria (n = 59), Canada (n = 60), Spain (n = 58), Sweden (n = 52), and the UK (n
      = 58) contributed survey data. Results revealed multiple gaps over the spectrum
      of HF care, including diagnosis (low recognition of the signs and symptoms of HF
      and limited use of diagnostic tests), treatment planning (underuse of recommended
      agents and subtherapeutic dosing), treatment monitoring and adjustment (lack of
      adherence to recommendations), and long-term management (low confidence in
      providing patient education). Although primary care and specialist physicians and
      nurses shared common unmet needs, healthcare professional-specific clinical gaps
      were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: The CORE Needs Assessment Survey provides
      timely data describing current clinical practices and attitudes among physicians
      and nurses regarding key aspects of HF care. These findings will be useful for
      guiding the development of interventions tailored to the specific educational
      needs of different provider types and designed to support the evidence-based care
      of patients with HF.

PMID- 28921888
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 28921887
TI  - Chemical Components, Biological Activities, and Toxicological Evaluation of the
      Fruit (Aril) of Two Precious Plant Species from Genus Taxus.
AB  - The fruit (aril) of the endangered genus Taxus plants is an abandoned herbal
      resource. Traditionally, people enthusiastically focus on its bark, its
      renewable, tremendous arils fall into the soil with seeds after they are mature.
      The present research investigated the fruit of two species from the genus Taxus,
      Taxus chinensis var. mairei, and Taxus media, with regards to their antioxidant
      and antihyperglycaemic activities, safety, and bioactive constituents. Results
      showed that T. chinensis var. mairei and T. media both had certain biological
      activities with T. chinensis var. mairei better in antioxidant activity and T.
      media better in antihyperglycaemic activity. Correlation analysis revealed that
      the differences in bioactivities depended on content of their mainly chemical
      components. The mice acute oral toxicity test indicated that the methanol
      extracts of the two biotypes of Taxus were safe. And nineteen compounds were
      tentatively assigned from the two varieties, via tandem mass spectrometry using a
      LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS instrument, which included phenols, flavonoids, and terpenes.
      These results indicate a possible application of Taxus fruit extracts in various
      fields like in food industry, however, this still needs further investigations.

PMID- 28921889
TI  - The reality of de novo malignancy: Sadly, not fake news.

PMID- 28921892
TI  - Viral reactivation imitates relapse of pemphigus vulgaris in an immunosuppressed
      patient.

PMID- 28921891
TI  - Enhanced formation of >C1 Products in Electroreduction of CO2 by Adding a CO2
      Adsorption Component to a Gas-Diffusion Layer-Type Catalytic Electrode.
AB  - The addition of a CO2 -adsorption component (substituted imidazolate-based SIM-1
      crystals) to a gas-diffusion layer-type catalytic electrode enhances the activity
      and especially the selectivity towards >C1 carbon chain products (ethanol,
      acetone, and isopropanol) of a Pt-based electrocatalyst that is not able to form
      products of CO2 reduction involving C-C bond formation under conventional (liquid
      phase) conditions. This indicates that the increase of the effective CO2
      concentration at the electrode active surface is the factor controlling the
      formation of >C1 products rather than only the intrinsic properties of the
      electrocatalyst.

PMID- 28921890
TI  - Phase IIa study of dabigatran etexilate in children with venous thrombosis:
      pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability.
AB  - : Essentials Dabigatran etexilate may provide a new treatment option for
      pediatric venous thromboembolism. Children aged 1 to < 12 years were given
      dabigatran etexilate in an open-label, single-arm study. The pharmacokinetic
      pharmacodynamic relationship was similar to that seen in adult patients. There
      were no serious adverse events, bleeding events or recurrent venous
      thromboembolism. SUMMARY: Background The current standard-of-care treatments for
      pediatric venous thromboembolism (VTE) have limitations. Dabigatran etexilate
      (DE), a direct thrombin inhibitor, may offer an alternative therapeutic option.
      Objectives To assess the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and
      tolerability of a DE oral liquid formulation (OLF) in pediatric patients with
      VTE. Patients/Methods Patients who had completed planned treatment with low
      molecular weight heparin or oral anticoagulants for VTE were enrolled in two age
      groups (2 to < 12 years and 1 to < 2 years), and received a DE OLF based on an
      age-adjusted and weight-adjusted nomogram. Originally, patients were to receive a
      DE OLF twice daily for 3 days, but the protocol was amended to a single dose on
      day 1. The primary endpoints were pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics-related:
      plasma concentrations of DE and its metabolites; activated partial thromboplastin
      time (APTT), ecarin clotting time (ECT), and dilute thrombin time (dTT); and
      pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic (PD) correlation. Safety endpoints included
      incidence rates of bleeding events and all other adverse events (AEs). Results
      Eighteen patients entered the study and received the DE OLF (an exposure
      equivalent to a dose of 150 mg twice daily in adults). The projected steady-state
      dabigatran trough concentrations were largely comparable between pediatric
      patients and adults. The PK/PD relationship was linear for ECT and dTT, and non
      linear for APTT. No serious or severe AEs, bleeding events, or recurrent VTEs
      were reported. Mild AEs were reported in three patients in the single-dose group
      (screening period) and in one patient in the multiple-dose group (on-treatment
      period). Conclusion The current study supports the further evaluation of DE OLFs
      in pediatric patients with VTE.

PMID- 28921893
TI  - A case of ocular infection with Onchocerca lupi in a dog from Germany.
AB  - Onchocerca lupi is an emerging zoonotic parasite infecting the ocular connective
      tissue of dogs, cats and humans. The only known case of canine ocular
      onchocerciasis in Germany was documented in 2002 in a shelter dog. However, the
      species of Onchocerca causing the infection could not be identified. Here, we
      report a case of the ocular infection with O. lupi in a dog, confirmed by PCR and
      sequencing of the cox1 gene. Further investigations are required to assess the
      risk factors for transmission and spread of the parasite in Germany.

PMID- 28921894
TI  - Macrophage Area Content and Phenotype in Hepatic and Adipose Tissue in Patients
      with Obesity Undergoing Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate hepatic and adipose tissue macrophage content in
      subjects with obesity and the role of adipose tissue macrophages in weight loss
      induced improved insulin sensitivity (IS). METHODS: A cross-sectional and a
      longitudinal study were combined to investigate the role of macrophages in
      subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissue and the liver in obesity
      induced impaired IS and improvements with weight loss. Macrophage markers (CD68,
      CD163, and CD206) in SAT, VAT, and the liver from patients with obesity were
      investigated. The same macrophage markers were investigated in SAT from 18
      patients with obesity before and ~18 months after a diet- and Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass-induced weight loss. RESULTS: SAT macrophage markers did not decrease with
      weight loss, but macrophage concentration may have increased, concomitant with
      improved IS. Hepatic macrophage markers did not correlate to VAT mass or
      macrophage markers, but they were higher in patients with obesity compared with
      patients without obesity. Hepatic anti-inflammatory macrophage markers correlated
      positively with hepatic IS. VAT and SAT macrophage markers did not correlate.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that decreased SAT macrophage content is not a
      primary driver for weight loss-induced IS improvements, but a better hepatic
      CD163 and CD206 macrophage profile may contribute to improved glycemic control.
      SAT macrophage markers were not predictive for VAT macrophage markers.

PMID- 28921895
TI  - Genetic characterization of African swine fever virus isolates from soft ticks at
      the wildlife/domestic interface in Mozambique and identification of a novel
      genotype.
AB  - African swine fever virus (ASFV) is one of the most threatening infectious
      diseases of pigs. There are not sufficient data to indicate the importance of the
      sylvatic cycle in the spread and maintenance of the disease locally and
      potentially, globally. To assess the capacity to maintain ASF in the environment,
      we investigated the presence of soft tickreservoirs of ASFV in Gorongosa National
      Park (GNP) and its surrounding villages. A total of 1,658 soft ticks were
      recovered from warthog burrows and pig pens at the wildlife/livestock interface
      of the GNP and viral DNA was confirmed by nested PCR in 19% of Ornithodoros
      porcinus porcinus and 15% of O. p. domesticus. However, isolation of ASFV was
      only achieved in approximately 50% of the PCR-positive samples with nineteen
      haemadsorbing virus isolates recovered. These were genotyped using a combination
      of partial sequencing of the B646L gene (p72) and analysis of the central
      variable region (CVR) of the B602L gene. Eleven isolates were classified as
      belonging to genotype II and homologous to contemporary isolates from southern
      Africa, the Indian Ocean and eastern Europe. Three isolates grouped within
      genotype V and were similar to previous isolates from Mozambique and Malawi. The
      remaining five isolates constituted a new, previously unidentified genotype,
      designated genotype XXIV. This work confirms for the first time that the virus
      currently circulating in eastern Europe is likely to have a wildlife origin, and
      that the large diversity of ASFV maintained in wildlife areas can act as a
      permanent sources of different strains for the domestic pig value chain in
      Mozambique and beyond its boundaries. Their genetic similarity to ASFV strains
      currently spreading across Europe justifies the need to continue studying the
      sylvatic cycle in this African country and other parts of southern Africa in
      order to identify potential hot spots of ASF emergence and target surveillance
      and control efforts.

PMID- 28921896
TI  - Evaluating Potential Risks of Food Allergy and Toxicity of Soy Leghemoglobin
      Expressed in Pichia pastoris.
AB  - SCOPE: The Soybean (Glycine max) leghemoglobin c2 (LegHb) gene was introduced
      into Pichia pastoris yeast for sustainable production of a heme-carrying protein,
      for organoleptic use in plant-based meat. The potential allergenicity and
      toxicity of LegHb and 17 Pichia host-proteins each representing >=1% of total
      protein in production batches are evaluated by literature review, bioinformatics
      sequence comparisons to known allergens or toxins, and in vitro pepsin digestion.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Literature searches found no evidence of allergenicity or
      toxicity for these proteins. There are no significant sequence matches of LegHb
      to known allergens or toxins. Eleven Pichia proteins have modest identity matches
      to minor environmental allergens and 13 Pichia proteins have significant matches
      to proteins from toxic sources. Yet the matched allergens and toxins have similar
      matches to proteins from the commonly consumed yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
      without evidence of food allergy or toxicity. The demonstrated history of safe
      use indicates additional tests for allergenicity and toxicity are not needed. The
      LegHb and Pichia sp. proteins were rapidly digested by pepsin at pH 2.
      CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that foods containing recombinant soy LegHb
      produced in Pichia sp. are unlikely to present an unacceptable risk of
      allergenicity or toxicity to consumers.

PMID- 28921897
TI  - A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach to Understand the Structure and
      Properties of N-Methylpyrrolidone-Based Protic Ionic Liquids.
AB  - Correlation of the structure and properties of ionic liquids (ILs) is essential
      for the development of optimized materials in the fields of gas capture and
      separation, battery electrolytes, and cellulose dissolution processes. In view of
      this, a detailed vibrational spectroscopic analysis and quantum-chemical
      calculations were performed to explore the interionic interactions in ILs based
      on the N-methylpyrrolidone cation and a carboxylate anion. FTIR and Raman
      spectroscopy were applied to identify the hydrogen-bonding interactions between
      ion pairs, in which redshifted vibrational modes were observed as a function of
      the anion chain length. This observation was verified by the bond lengthening and
      enhanced hydrogen-bonding energies, as manifested in the structure and natural
      bond orbital (NBO) calculations. Furthermore, conductivity was measured at
      different temperatures to envisage the effect of the alkyl chain on the mobility
      of ions in the ILs. Finally, rheological measurements were implemented to explain
      the flow behavior of these ILs, which revealed a decrease in shear viscosity with
      an increase in temperature, that is, a Newtonian trend over a range of shear
      rates. The observed trend in transport properties was supported by the ion-pair
      binding energy. Stronger interactions between the IL cations and anions led to a
      decrease in the number of free ions and lowered the conductivity. In these protic
      ILs, the intermolecular N-H???O and C-H???O interactions played an important role
      in governing their physicochemical properties.

PMID- 28921898
TI  - Maternal Chronic Folate Supplementation Ameliorates Behavior Disorders Induced by
      Prenatal High-Fat Diet Through Methylation Alteration of BDNF and Grin2b in
      Offspring Hippocampus.
AB  - SCOPE: Maternal consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy increases
      the risk of behavioral problems. Folate plays an important role in
      neuroplasticity and the preservation of neuronal integrity. This study aims at
      determining the influence of diets supplemented with folate on offspring
      behavior, and the mechanisms involved. METHODS AND RESULTS: Female mice were fed
      a control diet, an HFD, control diet supplemented with folate, or an HFD
      supplemented with folate for 5 weeks before mating. Open field task and elevated
      plus maze are used to evaluate the offspring behaviors. Results showed that
      offspring cognitive performance and anxiety-related behaviors, including those
      related to open field exploration and elevated plus maze, were significantly
      improved when dams were treated with folate in pregnancy. Moreover, the maternal
      folate supplement decreased BDNF and Grin2b methylation and upregulated their
      expressions in the brain of offspring, which were associated with decreasing the
      expression of DNA methyltransferases compared with those dams were treated only
      HFD in pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Maternal folate supplementation ameliorates
      behavior disorders induced by prenatal high-fat diet. The beneficial effects were
      associated with methylation and expression alteration of BDNF and Grin2b genes.

PMID- 28921899
TI  - Stimulus-Induced Conformational Transformation of a Cyclic Peptide for Selective
      Cell-Targeting On-Off Gatekeeper for Mesoporous Nanocarriers.
AB  - alphav beta3 Integrin is upregulated on many cancer cells. We designed a dual
      functional cyclic peptide gatekeeper with a capability of stimuli-responsive
      conformational transformation which could serve as a selective cell-targeting on
      off gatekeeper for mesoporous nanocarriers. The advantage of employing the motif
      of stimuli-induced conformational transformation of cyclic peptides is that they
      could be utilized not only as an on-off gatekeeper for the triggered release of
      cargo drugs but also as a targeting ligand of the carriers to desired cells with
      their respective binding receptors. The peptide gatekeepers on the surface of
      nanocarriers exhibited on-off gatekeeping via conformational transformation
      triggered by intracellular glutathione levels of the cancer cells. The cyclic RGD
      sequence of the peptide gatekeepers enhanced the intracellular uptake into tumor
      cells (A549) and the therapeutic efficacy of the nanocarrier.

PMID- 28921900
TI  - Efficacy and safety of switching from basal insulin to once-daily insulin
      degludec/insulin aspart in Japanese patients with inadequately controlled type 2
      diabetes: A 4-week, randomized, open-label, treat-to-target study.
AB  - AIMS/INTRODUCTION: A prospective, 4-week, single-center, randomized, open-label,
      parallel-group, treat-to-target study was carried out to develop an algorithm for
      safe and effective switching from basal insulin to once-daily insulin
      degludec/insulin aspart (IDegAsp) in patients with inadequately controlled type 2
      diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to continue
      their current basal insulin therapy (n = 10) or to switch to IDegAsp on a 1:1
      unit basis (n = 10). The insulin dose could be titrated once weekly, targeting a
      self-measured blood glucose of 80-100 mg/dL before breakfast. A mixed meal test
      was carried out at baseline and after 4 weeks. RESULTS: After 4 weeks, the mean
      daily dose of insulin was similarly increased by 60% in both groups, and there
      was a significant decrease of mean plasma glucose and glucose area under the
      glucose concentration vs time curve for 2 h in the meal test. The mean estimated
      treatment difference (IDegAsp group - basal insulin group) of the mean plasma
      glucose level was -28 mg/dL (95% confidence interval -47 to -8, P = 0.008) after
      4 weeks and that of the area under the glucose concentration vs time curve for 2
      h was -2,800 mg/min/dL (95% confidence interval -5,300 to -350, P = 0.028),
      confirming the superiority of IDegAsp to basal insulin. In the IDegAsp group, the
      2-h postprandial plasma glucose level was significantly decreased to the fasting
      plasma glucose range. There were no confirmed hypoglycemic episodes in either
      group during the 4-week study period. CONCLUSIONS: After switching from basal
      insulin, the IDegAsp dose can be uptitrated by 60% based on fasting plasma
      glucose data. However, monitoring of postprandial glucose should be considered
      before further uptitration of IDegAsp.

PMID- 28921901
TI  - StructureSelector: A web-based software to select and visualize the optimal
      number of clusters using multiple methods.
AB  - Inferences of population genetic structure are of great importance to the fields
      of ecology and evolutionary biology. The program structure has been widely used
      to infer population genetic structure. However, previous studies demonstrated
      that uneven sampling often leads to wrong inferences on hierarchical structure.
      The most widely used DeltaK method tends to identify the uppermost hierarchy of
      population structure. Recently, four alternative statistics (medmedk, medmeak,
      maxmedk and maxmeak) were proposed, which appear to be more accurate than the
      previously used methods for both even and uneven sampling data. However, the lack
      of easy-to-use software limits the use of these appealing new estimators. Here,
      we developed a web-based user-friendly software structureselector to calculate
      the four appealing alternative statistics together with the commonly used Ln
      Pr(X|K) and DeltaK statistics. structureselector accepts the result files of
      structure, admixture or faststructure as input files. It reports the "best" K for
      each estimator, and the results are available as HTML or tab separated tables.
      The program can also generate graphical representations for specific K, which can
      be easily downloaded from the server. The software is freely available at
      http://lmme.qdio.ac.cn/StructureSelector/.

PMID- 28921903
TI  - Risk factors for postoperative ileus after colorectal cancer surgery.
AB  - AIM: To assess the rate and independent risk factors of postoperative ileus (POI)
      after colorectal cancer surgery. METHODS: Three hundred consecutive patients
      underwent colorectal surgery for cancer at the State Scientific Centre of
      coloproctology, Moscow, Russia, between November 2015 and August 2016. POI was
      diagnosed as an absence of intestinal function for 72 hours or more after
      operation and confirmed by plain radiography. Uni- and multivariate logistic
      regression of the tumour-, patient- and treatment-related factors was performed.
      All patients had epidural catheters with multimodal analgesia. RESULTS: Thirty
      nine patients (13%) had postoperative ileus. The variables associated with this
      condition in univariate analysis were age < 64 y.o. (p = 0.02), male gender (p =
      0.02), BMI >= 25 kg/m2 (p = 0.02), moderate drinking (p = 0.02), heavier drinking
      (p < 0.0001), opioids (p = 0.02), history of abdominal operation (p = 0.003),
      firm, extensive adhesions as a result of previous surgery (p = 0.005),
      multivisceral resection (p = 0.009), blood loss >= 150 mL (p = 0.006),
      haemotransfusion (p = 0.01) and open approach (p = 0.006). In the multivariate
      logistic regression, BMI >= 26 kg/m2 (p = 0.008), opioids (p = 0.04) history of
      abdominal operation (p = 0.04) and adhesions (p = 0.03) were identified as
      independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: Postoperative ileus is a common
      complication in colorectal surgery. The results of our study suggest at least two
      surgeon-dependent risk factors, i.e., open approach and opioids in the
      postoperative period. This article is protected by copyright. All rights
      reserved.

PMID- 28921902
TI  - Mechanistic Parameters of Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation on LiMn2 O4 in
      Comparison to Natural Photosynthesis.
AB  - Targeted improvement of the low efficiency of water oxidation during the oxygen
      evolution reaction (OER) is severely hindered by insufficient knowledge of the
      electrocatalytic mechanism on heterogeneous surfaces. We chose LiMn2 O4 as a
      model system for mechanistic investigations as it shares the cubane structure
      with the active site of photosystem II and the valence of Mn3.5+ with the dark
      stable S1 state in the mechanism of natural photosynthesis. The investigated
      LiMn2 O4 nanoparticles are electrochemically stable in NaOH electrolytes and show
      respectable activity in any of the main metrics. At low overpotential, the key
      mechanistic parameters of Tafel slope, Nernst slope, and reaction order have
      constant values on the RHE scale of 62(1) mV dec-1 , 1(1) mV pH-1 , -0.04(2),
      respectively. These values are interpreted in the context of the well-studied
      mechanism of natural photosynthesis. The uncovered difference in the reaction
      sequence is important for the design of efficient bio-inspired electrocatalysts.

PMID- 28921904
TI  - Developing a DNA barcode library for perciform fishes in the South China Sea:
      Species identification, accuracy and cryptic diversity.
AB  - DNA barcodes were studied for 1,353 specimens representing 272 morphological
      species belonging to 149 genera and 55 families of Perciformes from the South
      China Sea (SCS). The average Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) distances within species,
      genera and families were 0.31%, 8.71% and 14.52%, respectively. A neighbour
      joining (NJ) tree, Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum-likelihood (ML) trees and
      Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) revealed 260, 253 and 259 single-species
      representing clusters, respectively. Barcoding gap analysis (BGA) demonstrated
      that barcode gaps were present for 178 of 187 species analysed with multiple
      specimens (95.2%), with the minimum interspecific distance to the nearest
      neighbour larger than the maximum intraspecific distance. A group of three
      Thunnus species (T. albacares, T. obesus and T. tonggol), a pair of Gerres
      species (G. oyena and G. japonicus), a pair of Istiblennius species (I.
      edentulous and I. lineatus) and a pair of Uranoscopus species (U. oligolepis and
      U. kaianus) were observed with low interspecific distances and overlaps between
      intra- and interspecific genetic distances. Three species (Apogon ellioti,
      Naucrates ductor and Psenopsis anomala) showed deep intraspecific divergences and
      generated two lineages each, suggesting the possibility of cryptic species. Our
      results demonstrated that DNA barcodes are highly reliable for delineating
      species of Perciformes in the SCS. The DNA barcode library established in this
      study will shed light on further research on the diversity of Perciformes in the
      SCS.

PMID- 28921905
TI  - Antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli in southeastern Australian pig herds and
      implications for surveillance.
AB  - To investigate public health implications of antibiotics to control post-weaning
      scours, we surveyed 22 commercial pig herds in southeastern Australia. Fifty
      faecal samples per herd were collected from pre- and post-weaned piglets.
      Presumptive Escherichia coli isolates were confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS. Isolates (n
      = 325) were screened for susceptibility to 19 veterinary antibiotics using MIC
      broth microdilution. All 325 E. coli isolates underwent further testing against
      27 antibiotics used in human medicine and were screened for ETEC adhesin and
      enterotoxin genes (F4 (K88), F5 (K99), F6 (987P), F18, F41, STa, STb, Stx2e and
      LT) by multiplex PCR. Isolates identified as phenotypically resistant to third
      generation cephalosporin (3GC) and aminoglycoside antibiotics were screened by
      multiplex PCR/reverse line blot to detect common beta-lactam and aminoglycosides
      resistance genes, confirmed by sequencing. Twenty (6.1%) of the E. coli isolates
      were resistant to 3GC antibiotics and 24 (7.4%) to the aminoglycoside antibiotic
      gentamicin. Genetic analysis revealed six different extended spectrum beta
      lactamase (ESBL) genes (blaCTX-M-1, -14, -15, -27, blaSHV-12 and blaCMY-2-like
      genes), four of which have not been previously reported in Australian pigs.
      Critically, the prevalence of 3GC resistance was higher in non-pathogenic (non
      ETEC) isolates and those from clinically normal (non-diarrhoeal) samples. This
      highlights the importance of non-ETECE. coli as reservoirs of antimicrobial
      resistance genes in piglet pens. Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in pig
      production focused on diagnostic specimens from clinically-affected animals might
      be potentially misleading. We recommend that surveillance for emerging
      antimicrobial resistance such as to 3GC antibiotics should include clinically
      healthy pigs.

PMID- 28921906
TI  - Outcomes of severe uveitic glaucoma treated with Baerveldt implant: can blindness
      be prevented?
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term outcomes on efficacy and safety of severe uveitic
      glaucoma treated with a Baerveldt glaucoma implant (BGI). METHODS: A
      retrospective study of 47 eyes of 47 patients with uveitic glaucoma treated by a
      BGI between September 2002 and September 2015. Main outcome measures were
      intraocular pressure (IOP), number of glaucoma medications, course of the
      uveitis, visual acuity (VA) and complications. RESULTS: Mean IOP dropped from
      30.6 +/- 8.1 mmHg with 3.6 +/- 1.1 glaucoma medications at baseline to 10.6 +/-
      4.3 mmHg with 1.0 +/- 1.3 glaucoma medications after a mean follow-up of 63.6 +/-
      43.1 months. In the majority of cases, IOP remained stable during follow-up.
      However, especially in several patients with viral uveitis, episodes with IOP
      peaks were observed during a flare-up despite a functioning implant. These peaks
      remained below preoperative levels. During follow-up, 16 patients (34%)
      experienced a clinically significant VA loss, mainly because of late-stage
      glaucoma or hypotony maculopathy. Early postoperative complications were
      transient choroidal effusion (n = 5), shallow/flat anterior chamber (n = 4),
      hyphaema (n = 2) and suprachoroidal haemorrhage (n = 1). The most important late
      postoperative complication was hypotony maculopathy (n = 5), three of these in
      juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients. CONCLUSION: The BGI is an effective
      and safe treatment for patients with refractive secondary glaucoma due to
      uveitis. In a majority of patients, VA remains stable and a low and stable IOP is
      maintained over time with an acceptable number of complications. In particular,
      patients with viral uveitis and glaucoma should be closely monitored for IOP
      peaks that may occur during episodes of a flare-up of uveitis, whereas at the
      other end of the spectrum, patients with JIA seem much more prone to hypotony
      maculopathy.

PMID- 28921907
TI  - Dual MEK/AKT inhibition with trametinib and GSK2141795 does not yield clinical
      benefit in metastatic NRAS-mutant and wild-type melanoma.
AB  - Aberrant MAPK and PI3K pathway signaling may drive the malignant phenotype in
      NRAS-mutant and BRAFWT NRASWT metastatic melanoma. To target these pathways, NRAS
      mutant and BRAFWT NRASWT patients received oral trametinib at 1.5 mg daily and
      GSK2141795 at 50 mg daily in a two-cohort Simon two-stage design. Participants
      had adequate end-organ function and no more than two prior treatment regimens.
      Imaging assessments were performed at 8-week intervals. A total of 10 NRAS-mutant
      and 10 BRAFWT NRASWT patients were enrolled. No objective responses were noted in
      either cohort. The median PFS and OS were 2.3 and 4.0 months in the NRAS-mutant
      cohort and 2.8 and 3.5 months in the wild-type cohort. Grade 3 and grade 4
      adverse events, primarily rash, were observed in 25% of patients. We conclude
      that the combination of trametinib and GSK2141795 does not have significant
      clinical activity in NRAS-mutant or BRAFWT NRASWT melanoma.

PMID- 28921908
TI  - Biphasic insulin aspart-30 reduces glycemic variability to a greater degree than
      insulin detemir: A randomized controlled trial of once-daily insulin regimens
      using continuous glucose monitoring.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We compared the efficacy of insulin detemir and biphasic insulin
      aspart-30 given in the morning as an add-on to oral hypoglycemic agents in type 2
      diabetes patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study enrolled 30 patients
      with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (8% <= glycated hemoglobin < 11%) being
      treated with oral hypoglycemic agent mono- or combination therapy with
      biguanides, sulfonylureas or thiazolidinediones. The patients were randomly
      assigned to insulin detemir (group D) or insulin aspart-30 (group A) given in the
      morning as add-on to oral hypoglycemic agents. After adjusting their insulin
      doses, the patients that underwent continuous glucose monitoring during a 3-day
      hospitalization and with day 2 continuous glucose monitoring data were subjected
      to analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in patient background,
      baseline glycated hemoglobin levels and insulin doses during continuous glucose
      monitoring between the two groups. The percent coefficient of variation of 24-h
      glucose levels was significantly lower in group A (20.4 +/- 7.6) than in group D
      (27.1 +/- 6.5; P = 0.015). Similarly, mean amplitude of glycemic excursions was
      significantly smaller in group A (80 +/- 32) than in group D (102 +/- 14; P =
      0.021). Postprandial glucose excursions were significantly smaller after
      breakfast in group A (65 +/- 31 mg/dL) than in group D (106 +/- 32 mg/dL; P =
      0.002). CONCLUSIONS: As once-daily insulin injection therapy given before
      breakfast in type 2 diabetes patients, the biphasic insulin analog might
      represent a better insulin option in significantly lowering the percent
      coefficient of variation and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions than the long
      acting insulin preparation.

PMID- 28921909
TI  - First Natural Endocranial Cast of a Fossil Snake (Cretaceous of Patagonia,
      Argentina).
AB  - In this study, we describe a natural endocranial cast included in a partially
      preserved medium-sized skull of the Upper Cretaceous South American snake
      Dinilysia patagonica. The endocast is composed of sedimentary filling of the
      cranial cavity in which the posterior brain, the vessels, the cranial nerves, and
      the inner ear surrounded by delicate semicircular canals, are represented. It is
      simple in form, with little differentiation between the three main areas
      (Forebrain, Midbrain, and Hindbrain), and without flexures. The nervous system is
      well preserved. The posterior brain surface is smooth, except for two small
      prominences that make up the cerebellum. A large inner ear is preserved on the
      right side; it consists of a voluminous central mass, the vestibule, which
      occupies most of the space defined by the three semicircular canals. In
      particular, the lateral semicircular canal is very close to the vestibule. This
      characteristic, in combination with the medium to large body size of Dinilysia,
      its large skull and dorsally exposed orbits, and vertebrae bearing a rather high
      neural spine on a depressed neural arch, suggests that this snake would have had
      a semifossorial lifestyle. Anat Rec, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat
      Rec, 301:9-20, 2018. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921910
TI  - 100 days with scans of the same Catphan phantom on the same CT scanner.
AB  - Quality control (QC) of CT scanners is important to evaluate image quality and
      radiation dose. Different QC phantoms for testing image quality parameters on CT
      are commercially available, and Catphan phantoms are widely used for this
      purpose. More data from measured image quality parameters on CT are necessary to
      assess test methods, tolerance levels, and test frequencies. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the stability of essential image quality parameters for
      axial and helical scans on one CT scanner over time. A Catphan 600 phantom was
      scanned on a Philips Ingenuity CT scanner for 100 days over a period of 6 months.
      At each day of testing, one helical scan covering the entire phantom and four
      axial scans covering four different modules in the phantom were performed. All
      images were uploaded into Image Owl for automatic analysis of CT numbers, modular
      transfer function (MTF), low-contrast resolution, noise, and uniformity. In
      general, the different image quality parameters for both scan techniques were
      stable over time compared to given tolerance levels. Average measured CT numbers
      differed between axial and helical scans, while MTF was almost identical for
      helical and axial scans. Axial scans had better low-contrast resolution and less
      noise than helical scans. The uniformity was relatively similar for axial and
      helical scans. Most standard deviations of measured values were larger for
      helical scans compared to axial scans. Test results in this study were stable
      over time for both scan techniques, but further studies on different CT scanners
      are required to confirm that this also holds true for other systems.

PMID- 28921911
TI  - Update of Antitubercular Prodrugs from a Molecular Perspective: Mechanisms of
      Action, Bioactivation Pathways, and Associated Resistance.
AB  - The place of prodrugs in the current antitubercular therapeutic arsenal is
      preponderant, since two of the four first-line antitubercular agents, isoniazid
      (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA), need to be activated by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      before exerting their activity. In addition, six other prodrugs can be found in
      the second- and third-line therapeutic regimens. The emergence of mycobacterial
      strains resistant to one or several antitubercular agents is one of the main
      issues of the antitubercular therapy. In the case of prodrugs, the resistance
      phenomenon is often related to a mutation in the gene encoding for the activation
      enzymes, resulting thus in a default of these enzymes that are no more able to
      activate prodrugs. Consequently, identification of the prodrugs targets and a
      better understanding of their modes of action and also of their activation
      mechanisms are of crucial importance. Related to their molecular mechanism of
      activation, these prodrugs may thus be classified in four categories: activation
      via oxidation (catalase-peroxidase (KatG) or flavin monooxygenase (EthA)
      enzymes), condensation (FolP1 and FolC), hydrolysis (by the amidase PncA) and
      reduction (by the nitroreductase DnD) mechanisms. For each prodrug, these
      mechanisms are described in details, as well as the mechanism of action of its
      active metabolite. Finally, the reported resistance related to these mechanisms
      of activation/action are also addressed in a molecular perspective.

PMID- 28921912
TI  - Fate of Worn-Out Functional Teeth in the Upper Jaw Dentition of Sicyopterus
      japonicus (Gobioidei: Sicydiinae) During Tooth Replacement.
AB  - Mochizuki and Fukui (Jpn J Ichthyol 30 () 27-36) studied the development and
      replacement of the upper jaw teeth in a Japanese fish species, Sicyopterus
      japonicus (Gobioidei: Sicydiinae), and they reported that worn-out functional
      teeth in the upper jaw were not shed outside the skin but were taken into the
      soft tissue of the upper jaw and completely resorbed there. To date, however,
      this phenomenon appears poorly documented. Furthermore, the mechanism for the
      resorption of these teeth remains to be determined. In this study, we examined
      this phenomenon by using 3D microcomputed tomography (m-CT), scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), and various techniques of light (LM) and electron (EM)
      microcopy. This study demonstrated that the upper jaw dentition of this fish was
      more or less simultaneously replaced with the replacement occurring during short
      time periods and that the lingual movement of the replacement teeth to the
      functional tooth position advanced simultaneously in a given row. Furthermore,
      our study also revealed that many worn-out functional teeth were engulfed by the
      oral epithelium, invaginated into the lingual shallow ditch of the premaxilla,
      and were resorbed/degraded completely by numerous foreign body giant cells rather
      than by odontoclasts during periods of at least three intervals of tooth
      replacement. The complete resorption/degradation of worn-out functional teeth in
      the soft tissue of the upper jaw suggests the possibility of the reuse of their
      components (minerals such as Ca and P, including Fe) for rapid and successional
      production of new replacement teeth in the upper jaw of adult S. japonicus. Anat
      Rec, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 301:111-124, 2018. (c) 2017
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921913
TI  - High-resolution imaging of muscle attachment structures in Caenorhabditis
      elegans.
AB  - We used structured illumination microscopy (SIM) to obtain super-resolution
      images of muscle attachment structures in Caenorhabditis elegans striated muscle.
      SIM imaging of M-line components revealed two patterns: PAT-3 (beta-integrin) and
      proteins that interact in a complex with the cytoplasmic tail of beta-integrin
      and localize to the basal muscle cell membrane [UNC-112 (kindlin), PAT-4 (ILK),
      UNC-97 (PINCH), PAT-6 (alpha-parvin), and UNC-95], are found in discrete, angled
      segments with gaps. In contrast, proteins localized throughout the depth of the M
      line (UNC-89 (obscurin) and UNC-98) are imaged as continuous lines. Systematic
      immunostaining of muscle cell boundaries revealed that dense body components
      close to the basal muscle cell membrane also localize at cell boundaries. SIM
      imaging of muscle cell boundaries reveal "zipper-like" structures. Electron
      micrographs reveal electron dense material similar in appearance to dense bodies
      located adjacent to the basolateral cell membranes of adjacent muscle cells
      separated by ECM. Moreover, by EM, there are a variety of features of the muscle
      cell boundaries that help explain the zipper-like pattern of muscle protein
      localization observed by SIM. Short dense bodies in atn-1 mutants that are null
      for alpha-actinin and lack the deeper extensions of dense bodies, showed "zipper
      like" structures by SIM similar to cell boundary structures, further indicating
      that the surface-proximal components of dense bodies form the "zipper-like"
      structures at cell boundaries. Moreover, mutants in thin and thick filament
      components do not have "dot-like" dense bodies, suggesting that myofilament
      tension is required for assembly or maintenance of proper dense body shape.

PMID- 28921914
TI  - Comparison of the relationship between multiple parameters of glycemic
      variability and coronary plaque vulnerability assessed by virtual histology
      intravascular ultrasound.
AB  - AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Increased glycemic variability is an important contributing
      factor to coronary artery disease. Although various parameters of glycemic
      variability can be derived by continuous glucose monitoring, the clinical
      relevance of individual parameters has remained unclear. We have now analyzed the
      relationship of such parameters to coronary plaque vulnerability. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The standard deviation of glucose levels (SD glucose), mean amplitude of
      glycemic excursions (MAGE), continuous overlapping net glycemic action calculated
      every 1 h (CONGA-1) and mean of daily differences (MODD) were calculated from
      continuous glucose monitoring data for 53 patients hospitalized for percutaneous
      coronary intervention. The relationship of these parameters to the percentage
      necrotic core of total plaque volume (%NC) as assessed by virtual histology
      intravascular ultrasound (a predictor of coronary plaque rupture) was evaluated.
      RESULTS: All parameters of glycemic variability were significantly correlated
      with %NC, with correlation coefficients of 0.593, 0.626, 0.318, and 0.388 for
      log(SD glucose), log(MAGE), CONGA-1 and log(MODD), respectively. Simple linear
      regression analysis showed that the coefficients of determination for %NC and
      either log(SD glucose; 0.352) or log(MAGE; 0.392) were greater than those for %NC
      and either CONGA-1 (0.101) or log(MODD; 0.151), whereas the residual sums of
      squares for the former relationships (1045.1 and 979.5, respectively) were
      smaller than those for the latter (1449.3 and 1369.6, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      The present data suggest that SD glucose and MAGE are more highly correlated with
      coronary plaque vulnerability than are CONGA-1 and MODD, and are thus likely
      better predictors of coronary artery disease.

PMID- 28921915
TI  - Weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist albiglutide as monotherapy
      improves glycemic parameters in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus:
      A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
AB  - AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The present phase 3, randomized, double-blind 24-week study
      with extension to 1 year assessed the efficacy and safety of albiglutide compared
      with placebo in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately
      controlled by diet and exercise with or without a single oral antidiabetic drug.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients received weekly albiglutide 30 mg (n = 160),
      albiglutide 50 mg (n = 150) or a placebo switched to albiglutide 30 mg after 24
      weeks (n = 77). Open-label daily liraglutide 0.9 mg (n = 103) was included as a
      reference. Oral antidiabetic drug use was discontinued before baseline. The
      primary end-point was 24-week change from baseline in glycated hemoglobin
      (HbA1c). Secondary end-points included fasting plasma glucose, bodyweight and
      adverse events. RESULTS: At 24 weeks, mean HbA1c changes from baseline were 
      1.10, -1.30, and 0.25% for albiglutide 30, 50 mg and placebo, respectively (P vs
      placebo <0.0001 for both albiglutide doses), -1.19% for liraglutide. Decreases in
      HbA1c with albiglutide were sustained through the study. Mean fasting plasma
      glucose decreased by >=20 mg/dL, and the mean change in bodyweight was <=0.5 kg
      through 1 year across groups. Most commonly reported adverse events were
      nasopharyngitis, constipation and nausea. The incidence of adverse events was
      higher in active treatment groups than in the placebo group. Few hypoglycemia
      events were reported; no patient withdrew as a result of hypoglycemia. No new
      safety signals were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Albiglutide monotherapy achieved
      clinically significant decreases in HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose with good
      tolerability in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately
      controlled by diet and exercise with or without a single oral antidiabetic drug.

PMID- 28921916
TI  - Inversed Expression Patterns of S100A4 and E-Cadherin in Cervical Cancers:
      Implication in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.
AB  - Cervical cancer/CC is the third commonest female malignancy worldwide. The
      aggressive growth and distal metastases are the leading causes of CC mortality,
      which is largely due to epithelial-mesenchymal transition/EMT. Fibroblast
      specific protein S100A4 promotes cancer metastasis and epithelial type cadherin/E
      cadherin play pivotal roles in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix
      interaction. Therefore, the expression patterns of S100A4 and E-cadherin reflect
      statuses of EMT of carcinoma cells. However, S100A4 expression and its relevance
      with E-cadherin and HPV16 infection in cervical cancers remain unknown. This
      study aims to address the above issues using cervical cancer specimens.
      Immunohistochemistry reveals that the levels of mesenchymal marker S100A4 is
      upregulated (>++) in cervical adenocarcinomas/CACs (12/16; 75%) and squamous cell
      carcinomas/CSCCs (23/28; 82%) than that in noncancerous glandular epithelia/GE
      (0/12; 0%) and squamous epithelia/SE (0/12; 0%). Epithelial marker membranous E
      cadherin is remarkably reduced on the surface of CAC and CSCC cells (P = 0.00; P
      = 0.00), especially those showing poorly differentiated phenotypes (P < 0.05) in
      comparison with their noncancerous counterparts. Correlative analyses revealed an
      inverse relationship between S100A4 and E-cadherin expression among the cervical
      cancer samples (P = 0.01, r = -0.38). S100A4 expression level in HPV16-infected
      group is higher than that in HPV16-free group (P = 0.02). These results suggest
      the close correlation of S100A4 upregulation with cervical cancer formation and
      HPV16 infection and E-cadherin reduction with the grades of CC dedifferentiation.
      The concurrent gain of S100A4 and loss of membrane E-cadherin suggest EMT
      tendency of CC cells and can be regarded as an unfavorable prognostic parameter
      of CC patients. Anat Rec, 300:2184-2191, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921917
TI  - Changes on the Pancreas in Experimental Diabetes and the Effect of Lycopene on
      These Changes: Pdx-1, Ngn-3, and Nestin Expressions.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate changes occurring in the number
      of beta cells, as well as the expressions of Ngn-3, nestin and Pdx-1 of
      pancreatic progenitor cells in the pancreas of experimentally-induced adult
      diabetic rats and to determine the effect of orally-administered lycopene on
      these changes. Following the administration of 50 mg/kg streptozotocin to rats,
      four groups of animals were established: control + corn oil, control + lycopene,
      diabetic + corn oil and diabetic + lycopene. The animals in the control +
      lycopene and diabetic + lycopene groups received 4 mg/kg lycopene for a period of
      four weeks. The expressions of insulin, Ngn-3, nestin, and Pdx-1 were determined
      through immunohistochemistry in sections taken from pancreas tissue samples at
      the end of the experiment. The number of insulin-positive cells was found to be
      significantly low in the diabetic groups compared to the control groups. In
      addition, the presence of Ngn-3 and nestin-positive cells within the exocrine
      pancreas surrounding the islands was noted in the diabetic groups. Lycopene, in
      general did not have any effect in any of the parameters analyzed in the present
      study. It is suggested that these cells would function as stem cells to replace
      the lost beta-cell population. It is also suggested that it is possible to
      demonstrate the antioxidant effects of lycopene in the pancreas of diabetic rats
      by increasing the dose and duration of lycopene administration. Anat Rec,
      300:2200-2207, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921918
TI  - Proteomic Response of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells to Histamine
      Stimulation.
AB  - The histamine receptors (HRs) represent a subclass of G protein-coupled receptors
      (GPCRs) and comprise four subtypes. Due to their numerous physiological and
      pathological effects, HRs are popular drug targets for the treatment of allergic
      reactions or the regulation of gastric acid secretion. Hence, an understanding of
      the functional selectivity of HR ligands has gained importance. These ligands can
      bind to specific GPCRs and selectively activate defined pathways. Supporting the
      activation of a therapeutically necessary pathway without the activation of other
      signaling cascades can result in drugs with more specific activity and fewer side
      effects. To evaluate the cellular consequences resulting from receptor binding,
      comprehensive analyses of cellular protein alterations upon incubation with
      ligands are required. For this purpose, endothelial cells are treated with
      histamine, as the endogenous ligand of HRs, to obtain a global overview of its
      cellular effects. Quantitative proteomics and pathway analyses of histamine
      treated and untreated cells reveal enrichment of the nuclear factor-kappaB and
      tumor necrosis factor signaling pathways, cytokine-cytokine receptor
      interactions, complement and coagulation cascades, and acute inflammatory
      processes upon histamine treatment. This strategy offers the opportunity to
      monitor HR-mediated signaling in a multidimensional manner.

PMID- 28921919
TI  - Oral glucose lowering with linagliptin and metformin compared with linagliptin
      alone as initial treatment in Asian patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes
      and marked hyperglycemia: Subgroup analysis of a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an epidemic in Asia, yet clinical
      trials of glucose-lowering therapies often enroll predominantly Western
      populations. We explored the initial combination of metformin and linagliptin, a
      dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus
      patients in Asia with marked hyperglycemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a
      post-hoc subgroup analysis of a multinational, parallel-group clinical trial in
      which 316 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with glycated
      hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 8.5-12.0% were randomized to double-blind oral treatment
      with linagliptin/metformin or linagliptin monotherapy. The primary end-point was
      the change from baseline in HbA1c at week 24. We evaluated data for the 125
      participants from Asian countries. RESULTS: After 24 weeks, the mean +/- standard
      error reduction from baseline in HbA1c (mean 10.0%) was -2.99 +/- 0.18% with
      linagliptin/metformin and -1.84 +/- 0.18% with linagliptin; a treatment
      difference of -1.15% (95% confidence interval -1.65 to -0.66, P < 0.0001). HbA1c
      <7.0% was achieved by 60% of participants receiving linagliptin/metformin. The
      mean bodyweight change after 24 weeks was -0.45 +/- 0.41 kg and 1.33 +/- 0.45 kg
      in the linagliptin/metformin and linagliptin groups, respectively (treatment
      difference -1.78 kg [95% confidence interval -2.99 to -0.57, P = 0.0043]). Drug
      related adverse events occurred in 9.7% of participants receiving
      linagliptin/metformin and 4.8% of those receiving linagliptin. Hypoglycemia
      occurred in 6.5% and 4.8% of the linagliptin/metformin and linagliptin groups,
      respectively, with no severe episodes. Gastrointestinal disorders occurred in
      12.9% and 12.7% of the linagliptin/metformin and linagliptin groups,
      respectively, with no associated treatment discontinuations. CONCLUSIONS: In
      people from Asia with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus and marked
      hyperglycemia, the initial combination of linagliptin and metformin substantially
      improved glycemic control without weight gain and with infrequent hypoglycemia.
      Initial oral combination therapy might be a viable treatment for such
      individuals.

PMID- 28921922
TI  - Assessing healthcare professional knowledge, attitudes, and practices on
      hypertension management. Announcing a new World Hypertension League resource.
AB  - To assist hypertension control programs and specifically the development of
      training and education programs on hypertension for healthcare professionals, the
      World Hypertension League has developed a resource to assess knowledge,
      attitudes, and practices on hypertension management. The resource assesses: (1)
      the importance of hypertension as a clinical and public health risk; (2)
      education in national or international hypertension recommendations; (3)
      lifestyle causes of hypertension; (4) measurement of blood pressure, screening,
      and diagnosis of hypertension; (5) lifestyle therapy counseling; (6)
      cardiovascular risk assessment; (7) antihypertensive drug therapy; and (8)
      adherence to therapy. In addition, the resource assesses the attitudes and
      practices of healthcare professionals for task sharing/shifting, use of care
      algorithms, and use of registries with performance reporting functions. The
      resource is designed to help support the Global Hearts Alliance to provide
      standardized and enhanced hypertension control globally.

PMID- 28921923
TI  - Glucose intolerance as the key risk factor for metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 28921924
TI  - Effects of Surgical Anatomical Correction of Pelvic Anterior Compartment Defect
      on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of surgical anatomical correction on lower
      urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients with a pelvic anterior compartment
      defect (PACD). METHODS: This prospective study was carried out on 30 women who
      had stage II-IV PACD. The women were questioned regarding LUTS symptoms such as
      urgency, urge incontinence, frequency, hesitancy, abnormal emptying, nocturia and
      dysuria pre and postoperatively. After a 7-month follow up, the comparison of
      LUTS symptoms with respect to their healing, existence or de novo appearance was
      performed using the McNemar and Bowner and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. RESULTS:
      For the repair of ACD, 15, 8 and 7 women were operated on using site-specific
      surgery, transvaginal mesh placement and anterior colporrhaphy, respectively.
      Surgery has significantly improved the LUTS: urgency (100 vs 26.7%, urge
      incontinence (70 vs 16.7%), frequency (76.7 vs 13.3%), abnormal emptying (56.7 vs
      10%), hesitancy (30 vs 6.7%), nocturia (83.3 vs 60%) and dysuria (30 vs 6.7%).
      The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The
      correctional surgery on anterior compartment defects not only maintains the
      anatomy but also significantly heals the LUTS.

PMID- 28921925
TI  - Symmetrical hyperpigmentation of the forehead in a 37-year-old female patient
      from Guinea, West Africa.

PMID- 28921926
TI  - Inhibition of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Decreases Regenerative
      Angiogenesis in Axolotls.
AB  - Angiogenesis is crucial for tissue growth and repair in mammals, and is chiefly
      regulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. We evaluated
      the effect of chemical inhibition of VEGF receptor signaling in animals with
      superior regenerative ability, axolotl salamanders, to determine the impact on
      vascularization and regenerative outgrowth. Following tail amputation, treated
      animals (100 nM PTK787) and controls were examined microscopically and measured
      over the month-long period of regeneration. Treatment with VEGFR inhibitor
      decreased regenerative angiogenesis; drug-treated animals had lower vascular
      densities in the regenerating tail than untreated animals. This decrease in
      neovascularization, however, was not associated with a decrease in regenerative
      outgrowth or with morphological abnormalities in the regrown tail. Avascular but
      otherwise anatomically normal regenerative outgrowth over 1 mm beyond the
      amputation plane was observed. The results suggest that in this highly
      regenerative species, significant early tissue regeneration is possible in the
      absence of a well-developed vasculature. This research sets the groundwork for
      establishing a system for the chemical manipulation of angiogenesis within the
      highly regenerative axolotl model, contributing to a better understanding of the
      role of the microvasculature within strongly proliferative yet well-regulated
      environments. Anat Rec, 300:2273-2280, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 28921927
TI  - Fast and cost-effective single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection in the
      absence of a reference genome using semideep next-generation Random Amplicon
      Sequencing (RAMseq).
AB  - Biodiversity has suffered a dramatic global decline during the past decades, and
      monitoring tools are urgently needed providing data for the development and
      evaluation of conservation efforts both on a species and on a genetic level.
      However, in wild species, the assessment of genetic diversity is often hampered
      by the lack of suitable genetic markers. In this article, we present Random
      Amplicon Sequencing (RAMseq), a novel approach for fast and cost-effective
      detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in nonmodel species by
      semideep sequencing of random amplicons. By applying RAMseq to the Eurasian otter
      (Lutra lutra), we identified 238 putative SNPs after quality filtering of all
      candidate loci and were able to validate 32 of 77 loci tested. In a second step,
      we evaluated the genotyping performance of these SNP loci in noninvasive samples,
      one of the most challenging genotyping applications, by comparing it with
      genotyping results of the same faecal samples at microsatellite markers. We
      compared (i) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) success rate, (ii) genotyping errors
      and (iii) Mendelian inheritance (population parameters). SNPs produced a
      significantly higher PCR success rate (75.5% vs. 65.1%) and lower mean allelic
      error rate (8.8% vs. 13.3%) than microsatellites, but showed a higher allelic
      dropout rate (29.7% vs. 19.8%). Genotyping results showed no deviations from
      Mendelian inheritance in any of the SNP loci. Hence, RAMseq appears to be a
      valuable tool for the detection of genetic markers in nonmodel species, which is
      a common challenge in conservation genetic studies.

PMID- 28921929
TI  - Tumor-suppressive miR-145 co-repressed by TCF4-beta-catenin and PRC2 complexes
      forms double-negative regulation loops with its negative regulators in colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - The frequently dysregulated Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in different malignancies,
      by activation of its own or orchestration with other co-factors, regulates
      various oncogenic or tumor-suppressive genes. Among these genes, miRNAs, which
      are negative posttranscriptional regulators, are also embedded in the Wnt
      signaling network. Different from the Wnt-induced oncogenic miRNAs, the specific
      mechanism underlying the Wnt-repressed tumor-suppressive miRNAs is much less
      understood. In our study, firstly by analyzing a ChIP-seq dataset against TCF4,
      the core transcription factor for initiation of Wnt signaling in colorectal
      cancer (CRC) cells, we screened out several tumor-suppressive miRNAs potentially
      regulated by Wnt signaling. Then through siRNA-mediated knock-down tests and
      protein and chromatin immunoprecipitations, we found the TCF4-beta-catenin
      complex can recruit the histone trimethylation complex PRC2 as a co-repressor
      while binding to the TCF4-binding element (TBE) in the promoter regions of miR
      145, miR-132 and miR-212. Thus, upon Wnt signaling activation, the PRC2-mediated
      trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 increases at these promoter regions,
      leading to decreased miRNA levels. Furthermore, we found that by targeting TCF4
      and SUZ12, the key components of the negative regulation complexes, the tumor
      suppressive miR-145 co-repressed by Wnt signaling and histone trimethylation,
      forms double-negative regulation loops with its negative regulators in CRC cells.
      And the inverse associations between miR-145 and its targets/negative regulators
      have also been demonstrated in nude mice and clinical samples. Collectively, we
      elucidated the detailed molecular mechanism of how dysregulated Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling and tumor-suppressive miRNAs reciprocally regulate each other in CRC
      cells.

PMID- 28921928
TI  - Inverted formins: A subfamily of atypical formins.
AB  - Formins are a family of regulators of actin and microtubule dynamics that are
      present in almost all eukaryotes. These proteins are involved in many cellular
      processes, including cytokinesis, stress fiber formation, and cell polarization.
      Here we review one subfamily of formins, the inverted formins. Inverted formins
      as a group break several formin stereotypes, having atypical biochemical
      properties and domain organization, and they have been linked to kidney disease
      and neuropathy in humans. In this review, we will explore recent research on
      members of the inverted formin sub-family in mammals, zebrafish, fruit flies, and
      worms.

PMID- 28921930
TI  - Big Five aspects of personality interact to predict depression.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Research has shown that three personality traits-Neuroticism,
      Extraversion, and Conscientiousness-moderate one another in a three-way
      interaction that predicts depressive symptoms in healthy populations. We test the
      hypothesis that this effect is driven by three lower-order traits: withdrawal,
      industriousness, and enthusiasm. We then replicate this interaction within a
      clinical population for the first time. METHOD: Sample 1 included 376 healthy
      adults. Sample 2 included 354 patients diagnosed with current major depressive
      disorder. Personality and depressive tendencies were assessed via the Big Five
      Aspect Scales and Personality Inventory for DSM-5 in Sample 1, respectively, and
      by the NEO-PI-R and Beck Depression Inventory-II in Sample 2. RESULTS:
      Withdrawal, industriousness, and enthusiasm interacted to predict depressive
      tendencies in both samples. The pattern of the interaction supported a "best two
      out of three" principle, in which low risk scores on two trait dimensions
      protects against a high risk score on the third trait. Evidence was also present
      for a "worst two out of three" principle, in which high risk scores on two traits
      are associated with equivalent depressive severity as high risk scores on all
      three traits. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the importance of examining
      interactive effects of personality traits on psychopathology.

PMID- 28921931
TI  - Technical Note: A simple algorithm to convert EPID gray values into absorbed dose
      to water without prior knowledge.
AB  - PURPOSE: Full integration of EPID-based dosimetry in a global quality control
      workflow is still complicated. All the actual solutions are based on a relation
      between image gray-level signal and total linac-delivered dose. In this study, we
      propose a simple algorithm relying pixel gray-level of EPID image with average
      linac delivered dose per acquisition frame. METHODS: Calibration models are
      constructed for Varian and Elekta linacs including scattering conditions and EPID
      arm backscatter-specific corrections. Only simple homogeneous fields are required
      to establish the EPID dose conversion model for each x-ray beam. Then, the model
      was evaluated by comparing calculated and converted dose distributions for
      homogeneous and modulated beams using gamma maps. RESULTS: To fit average dose
      per frame (Dfnorm ) vs pixel gray value (Ngnorm ) of each EPID image, a
      logarithmic curve Dfnorm=A+B*lnNgnorm-C, has been chosen where A, B and C are
      constants depending on beam energy. Gamma comparison (2%, 2 mm, threshold 15%)
      between converted images and calculated dose distributions for linac control and
      pretreatment patient fields led to a gamma pass rate higher than 97% for all the
      analyzed fields. CONCLUSIONS: Without a prior irradiation settings knowledge
      except the incident energy beam, we use EPID as a reliable dose to water detector
      for both homogeneous and modulated beams.

PMID- 28921933
TI  - It's all in the genes... well almost.

PMID- 28921932
TI  - Fetal MRI compared with ultrasound for the diagnosis of obstructive genital
      malformations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
      ultrasound (US) to diagnose and characterize congenital obstructive genital
      abnormalities. METHOD: Retrospective cohort of 20 fetuses who underwent a fetal
      MRI following a US diagnosis of obstructive urogenital malformation. We compared
      MRI and US findings and their correlation with the definitive diagnosis. RESULT:
      The correct diagnosis was obtained in 6/20 (30%) cases and 19/20 cases (95%) with
      US and MRI, respectively. MRI revealed additional information to US in 15/20
      cases (75%) and modified the prenatal management in 14 fetuses (70%). The
      identification rates of the most important anatomical landmarks for the
      diagnosis, using US and MRI, were compared. Bladder: US 17/20 (85%) vs MRI 20/20
      (100%) P = 0.23; vagina: US 6/19 (31.5%) vs MRI 19/19 (100%) P < 10-4 ; uterus:
      US 11/19 (57.8%) vs MRI 19/19 (100%) P = 0.003, kidneys: US: 40/40 (100%) MRI:
      40/40 (100%) P = 1, ureters: US 14/40 (35%) vs MRI 30/40 (75%) P=0.001, rectum:
      US 6/20 (30%) MRI 20/20 (100%) P < 10-4 , and sacrum: US 20/20 (100%) vs MRI
      17/20 (85%) P = 0.23. CONCLUSION: In fetuses with obstructive urogenital
      malformations, MRI facilitates assessment of major pelvic organs and provides
      significant information that may alter the prenatal management.

PMID- 28921936
TI  - Sprouty2 is involved in the control of osteoblast proliferation and
      differentiation through the FGF and BMP signaling pathways.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) play
      essential roles in bone formation and osteoblast activity through the
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Smad pathways. Sprouty
      family members are intracellular inhibitors of the FGF signaling pathway, and
      four orthologs of Sprouty have been identified in mammals. In vivo analyses have
      revealed that Sprouty2 is associated with bone formation. However, the mechanism
      by which the Sprouty family controls bone formation has not been clarified. In
      this study, we investigated the involvement of Sprouty2 in osteoblast
      proliferation and differentiation. We examined Sprouty2 expression in MC3T3-E1
      cells, and found that high levels of Sprouty2 expression were induced by basic
      FGF stimulation. Overexpression of Sprouty2 in MC3T3-E1 cells resulted in
      suppressed proliferation compared with control cells. Sprouty2 negatively
      regulated the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 after basic FGF stimulation, and of
      Smad1/5/8 after BMP stimulation. Furthermore, Sprouty2 suppressed the expression
      of osterix, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin mRNA, which are markers of
      osteoblast differentiation. Additionally, Sprouty2 inhibited osteoblast matrix
      mineralization. These results suggest that Sprouty2 is involved in the control of
      osteoblast proliferation and differentiation by downregulating the FGF-ERK1/2 and
      BMP-Smad pathways, and suppresses the induction of markers of osteoblast
      differentiation.

PMID- 28921934
TI  - Mirror trends of plasticity and stability indicators in primate prefrontal
      cortex.
AB  - Research on plasticity markers in the cerebral cortex has largely focused on
      their timing of expression and role in shaping circuits during critical and
      normal periods. By contrast, little attention has been focused on the spatial
      dimension of plasticity-stability across cortical areas. The rationale for this
      analysis is based on the systematic variation in cortical structure that
      parallels functional specialization and raises the possibility of varying levels
      of plasticity. Here, we investigated in adult rhesus monkeys the expression of
      markers related to synaptic plasticity or stability in prefrontal limbic and
      eulaminate areas that vary in laminar structure. Our findings revealed that
      limbic areas are impoverished in three markers of stability: intracortical
      myelin, the lectin Wisteria floribunda agglutinin, which labels perineuronal
      nets, and parvalbumin, which is expressed in a class of strong inhibitory
      neurons. By contrast, prefrontal limbic areas were enriched in the enzyme
      calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), known to enhance
      plasticity. Eulaminate areas have more elaborate laminar architecture than limbic
      areas and showed the opposite trend: they were enriched in markers of stability
      and had lower expression of the plasticity-related marker CaMKII. The expression
      of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of activated astrocytes, was
      also higher in limbic areas, suggesting that cellular stress correlates with the
      rate of circuit reshaping. Elevated markers of plasticity may endow limbic areas
      with flexibility necessary for learning and memory within an affective context,
      but may also render them vulnerable to abnormal structural changes, as seen in
      neurologic and psychiatric diseases.

PMID- 28921935
TI  - Assessing causal relationships using genetic proxies for exposures: an
      introduction to Mendelian randomization.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Studying the consequences of addictive behaviours is
      challenging, with understanding causal relationships from observational data
      being particularly difficult. For example, people who smoke or drink excessively
      are often systematically different from those who do not, are less likely to
      participate in research and may misreport their behaviours when they do.
      Furthermore, the direction of causation between an addictive behaviour and
      outcome may be unclear. Mendelian randomization (MR) offers potential solutions
      to these problems. METHODS: We describe MR's principles and the criteria under
      which it is valid. We identify challenges and potential solutions in its
      application (illustrated using two applied examples) and describe methodological
      extensions in its application. RESULTS: MR is subject to certain assumptions, and
      requires the availability of appropriate genetic data, large sample sizes and
      careful design and conduct. However, it has already been applied successfully to
      the addiction literature. The relationship between alcohol consumption (proxied
      by a variant in the ADH1B gene) and cardiovascular risk has been investigated,
      finding that alcohol consumption increases risk, with no evidence of a
      cardioprotective effect at moderate consumption levels. In addition, heaviness of
      smoking (proxied by a variant in the CHRNA5-A3-B4 gene cluster) and risk of
      depression and schizophrenia have been investigated, with no evidence of a causal
      effect of smoking on depression but some evidence of a causal effect on
      schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: Mendelian randomization analyses are already
      producing robust evidence for addiction-related practice and policy. As genetic
      variants associated with addictive behaviours are identified, the potential for
      Mendelian randomization analyses will grow. Methodological developments are also
      increasing its applicability.

PMID- 28921937
TI  - Ventricular assist device use in single ventricle congenital heart disease.
AB  - As VAD have become an effective therapy for end-stage heart failure, their
      application in congenital heart disease has increased. Single ventricle
      congenital heart disease introduces unique physiologic challenges for VAD use.
      However, with regard to the mixed clinical results presented within this review,
      we suggest that patient selection, timing of implant, and center experience are
      all important contributors to outcome. This review focuses on the published
      experience of VAD use in single ventricle patients and details physiologic
      challenges and novel approaches in this growing pediatric and adult population.

PMID- 28921938
TI  - Prostate cancer treatment in renal transplant recipients: a systematic review.
AB  - The aim of this review was to summarize the current evidence and to highlight the
      main issues future research needs to address regarding prostate cancer (PCa)
      treatment in renal transpant recipients (RTRs). We conducted a search of AMED,
      Medline and Embase up to 17 November 2016 to investigate oncological and
      functional outcomes of PCa treatment in RTR. Type and use/protocols of
      immunosuppression and peri-operative antibiotic drugs were also assessed. The
      search was implemented manually. Exclusion criteria were absence of full text or
      absence of information that allowed us to differentiate oncological and/or
      functional outcomes of each therapeutic approach used. We included 241 patients
      from 27 retrospective studies published between 1991 and 2016; seven of the
      studies were case-control and 20 were case series. We also considered nine case
      reports published between 1999 and 2016. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 120 months.
      PCa was organ-confined, with Gleason score <=6 in 75.2% and 60.4% of patients.
      Surgery was the most frequent treatment used (n = 186), for which cancer-specific
      (CSS) and overall survival (OS) rates were both 96.8%. Functional outcomes,
      including continence and erectile function, and complications were less
      frequently reported and were generally similar to those reported for radical
      prostatectomy (RP) in non-RTRs. Other treatment methods in the patients included
      in the review were radiotherapy (RT) +/- androgen deprivation therapy (ADT; n =
      34; OS 88.2%; CSS 88.2%), ADT alone (n = 14; OS 42.9%; CSS 64.3%), brachytherapy
      (BT; n = 11; OS and CSS 100%), watchful waiting (n = 4) and active surveillance
      (n = 1). Overall no treatment-related graft loss occurred. Immunosuppression and
      antibiotic schemes were poorly reported and inconsistent. Outcomes of PCa
      treatment in RTRs are encouraging and do not appear to be inferior to those of
      non-RTR. RP was the most commonly assessed approach, whilst RT, BT and ADT were
      less frequent. Immunosuppression and antibiotic use were poorly reported and
      highly variable. High-quality studies are needed because the current level of
      evidence is low, and our results should therefore be interpreted with caution.

PMID- 28921939
TI  - Extreme hepatic resections for the treatment of advanced hepatoblastoma: Are
      planned close margins an acceptable approach?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is considered the standard for
      children with hepatoblastoma (HB) in whom complete surgical resection is not
      possible. However, OLT is not always available or feasible. OBJECTIVE: To
      describe the outcome of children with HB who were initially deemed unresectable
      and underwent complex hepatectomy with planned close margins, and ultimately
      avoided OLT. METHODS: Demographic data, surgical and pathologic details, and
      survival information were collected from children treated for HB between January
      2010 to December 2015. RESULTS: Among six children (median age 12 months (3-41
      months)), PRETEXT classification was III (n = 2), III/IV (n = 1), and IV (n = 3).
      Patients received a median of six cycles (range 4-7) of platinum-based induction
      chemotherapy; five received doxorubicin. Experienced pediatric surgeons performed
      extended right and left hepatectomy in five and one patients, respectively, with
      assistance of an experienced liver transplant surgeon (n = 4). Microscopic
      margins were positive (n = 2) and negative but close (n = 4; 2-5 mm). Two
      patients required vascular reconstruction of the vena cava. At median follow-up
      of 3.3 years (1.7-4.6 years), there was no evidence of local recurrence. One
      patient had recurrence of pulmonary disease 3 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients with advanced HB treated with complex surgical resections with positive
      or close negative margins had good outcomes without OLT. We suggest that planned
      positive or close microscopic margins in highly selected HB patients may spare
      the morbidity of OLT and offer an alternative for those ineligible for OLT. Our
      experience illustrates the importance of a multidisciplinary team specialized in
      the management of liver tumors.

PMID- 28921940
TI  - Attribution of human infections with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
      (STEC) to livestock sources and identification of source-specific risk factors,
      The Netherlands (2010-2014).
AB  - Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen of public
      health concern whose sources and transmission routes are difficult to trace.
      Using a combined source attribution and case-control analysis, we determined the
      relative contributions of four putative livestock sources (cattle, small
      ruminants, pigs, poultry) to human STEC infections and their associated dietary,
      animal contact, temporal and socio-econo-demographic risk factors in the
      Netherlands in 2010/2011-2014. Dutch source data were supplemented with those
      from other European countries with similar STEC epidemiology. Human STEC
      infections were attributed to sources using both the modified Dutch model (mDM)
      and the modified Hald model (mHM) supplied with the same O-serotyping data.
      Cattle accounted for 48.6% (mDM) and 53.1% (mHM) of the 1,183 human cases
      attributed, followed by small ruminants (mDM: 23.5%; mHM: 25.4%), pigs (mDM:
      12.5%; mHM: 5.7%) and poultry (mDM: 2.7%; mHM: 3.1%), whereas the sources of the
      remaining 12.8% of cases could not be attributed. Of the top five O-serotypes
      infecting humans, O157, O26, O91 and O103 were mainly attributed to cattle (61%
      75%) and O146 to small ruminants (71%-77%). Significant risk factors for human
      STEC infection as a whole were the consumption of beef, raw/undercooked meat or
      cured meat/cold cuts. For cattle-attributed STEC infections, specific risk
      factors were consuming raw meat spreads and beef. Consuming raw/undercooked or
      minced meat were risk factors for STEC infections attributed to small ruminants.
      For STEC infections attributed to pigs, only consuming raw/undercooked meat was
      significant. Consuming minced meat, raw/undercooked meat or cured meat/cold cuts
      were associated with poultry-attributed STEC infections. Consuming raw vegetables
      was protective for all STEC infections. We concluded that domestic ruminants
      account for approximately three-quarters of reported human STEC infections,
      whereas pigs and poultry play a minor role and that risk factors for human STEC
      infection vary according to the attributed source.

PMID- 28921943
TI  - Self-Assembly of Mesoscale Artificial Clathrin Mimics.
AB  - Fluidic control and sampling in complex environments is an important process in
      biotechnology, materials synthesis, and microfluidics. An elegant solution to
      this problem has evolved in nature through cellular endocytosis, where the
      dynamic recruitment, self-assembly, and spherical budding of clathrin proteins
      allows cells to sample their external environment. Yet despite the importance and
      utility of endocytosis, artificial systems which can replicate this dynamic
      behavior have not been developed. Guided by clathrin's unusual structure, we
      created simplified metallic microparticles that capture the three-legged shape,
      particle curvature, and interfacial attachment characteristics of clathrin. These
      artificial clathrin mimics successfully recreate biomimetic analogues of
      clathrin's recruitment, assembly, and budding, ultimately forming extended
      networks at fluid interfaces and invaginating immiscible phases into spheres
      under external fields. Particle curvature was discovered to be a critical
      structural motif, greatly limiting irreversible aggregation and inducing the
      legs' selective tip-to-tip attraction. This architecture provides a template for
      a class of active self-assembly units to drive structural and dimensional
      transformations of liquid-liquid interfaces and microscale fluidic sampling.

PMID- 28921941
TI  - The Lactococcus lactis KF147 nonribosomal peptide synthetase/polyketide synthase
      system confers resistance to oxidative stress during growth on plant leaf tissue
      lysate.
AB  - Strains of Lactococcus lactis isolated from plant tissues possess adaptations
      that support their survival and growth in plant-associated microbial habitats. We
      previously demonstrated that genes coding for a hybrid nonribosomal peptide
      synthetase/polyketide synthase (NRPS/PKS) system involved in production of an
      uncharacterized secondary metabolite are specifically induced in L. lactis KF147
      during growth on plant tissues. Notably, this NRPS/PKS has only been identified
      in plant-isolated strains of L. lactis. Here, we show that the L. lactis KF147
      NRPS/PKS genes have homologs in certain Streptococcus mutans isolates and the
      genetic organization of the NRPS/PKS locus is conserved among L. lactis strains.
      Using an L. lactis KF147 mutant deficient in synthesis of NrpC, a 4'
      phosphopantetheinyl transferase, we found that the NRPS/PKS system improves L.
      lactis during growth under oxidative conditions in Arapidopsis thaliana leaf
      lysate. The NRPS/PKS system also improves tolerance of L. lactis to reactive
      oxygen species and specifically H2 O2 and superoxide radicals in culture medium.
      These findings indicate that this secondary metabolite provides a novel mechanism
      for reactive oxygen species detoxification not previously known for this species.

PMID- 28921944
TI  - Plasmonic Silicon Quantum Dots Enabled High-Sensitivity Ultrabroadband
      Photodetection of Graphene-Based Hybrid Phototransistors.
AB  - Highly sensitive photodetection even approaching the single-photon level is
      critical to many important applications. Graphene-based hybrid phototransistors
      are particularly promising for high-sensitivity photodetection because they have
      high photoconductive gain due to the high mobility of graphene. Given their
      remarkable optoelectronic properties and solution-based processing, colloidal
      quantum dots (QDs) have been preferentially used to fabricate graphene-based
      hybrid phototransistors. However, the resulting QD/graphene hybrid
      phototransistors face the challenge of extending the photodetection into the
      technologically important mid-infrared (MIR) region. Here, we demonstrate the
      highly sensitive MIR photodetection of QD/graphene hybrid phototransistors by
      using plasmonic silicon (Si) QDs doped with boron (B). The localized surface
      plasmon resonance (LSPR) of B-doped Si QDs enhances the MIR absorption of
      graphene. The electron-transition-based optical absorption of B-doped Si QDs in
      the ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) region additionally leads to
      photogating for graphene. The resulting UV-to-MIR ultrabroadband photodetection
      of our QD/graphene hybrid phototransistors features ultrahigh responsivity (up to
      ~109 A/W), gain (up to ~1012), and specific detectivity (up to ~1013 Jones).

PMID- 28921945
TI  - Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Dramatically Affect the Fruit Metabolome of Exposed
      Tomato Plants.
AB  - Here, we reported that multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) added to hydroponics
      system can enhance fruit production of exposed tomato plants. We quantified the
      exact amount of MWCNT accumulated inside of fruits collected by MWCNT-exposed
      plants using an advanced microwave induced heating technique (MIH). We found that
      absorption of MWCNT by tomato fruits significantly affected total fruit
      metabolome as was confirmed by LC-MS. Our data highlight the importance of
      comprehensive toxicological risk assessment of plants contaminated with carbon
      nanomaterials.

PMID- 28921946
TI  - Biomimetic Magnetosomes as Versatile Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells to
      Potentiate T-Cell-Based Anticancer Therapy.
AB  - Adoptive T-cell transfer for cancer therapy relies on both effective ex vivo T
      cell expansion and in vivo targeting performance. One promising but challenging
      method for accomplishing this purpose is to construct multifunctional artificial
      antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs). We herein developed biomimetic magnetosomes as
      versatile aAPCs, wherein magnetic nanoclusters were coated with azide-engineered
      leucocyte membranes and then decorated with T-cell stimuli through copper-free
      click chemistry. These nano aAPCs not only exhibited high performance for antigen
      specific cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) expansion and stimulation but also visually and
      effectively guided reinfused CTLs to tumor tissues through magnetic resonance
      imaging and magnetic control. The persisting T cells were able to delay tumor
      growth in a murine lymphoma model, while the systemic toxicity was not notable.
      These results together demonstrated the excellent potential of this "one-but-all"
      aAPC platform for T-cell-based anticancer immunotherapy.

PMID- 28921947
TI  - Large-Scale Fabrication of Silicon Nanowires for Solar Energy Applications.
AB  - The development of silicon (Si) materials during past decades has boosted up the
      prosperity of the modern semiconductor industry. In comparison with the bulk-Si
      materials, Si nanowires (SiNWs) possess superior structural, optical, and
      electrical properties and have attracted increasing attention in solar energy
      applications. To achieve the practical applications of SiNWs, both large-scale
      synthesis of SiNWs at low cost and rational design of energy conversion devices
      with high efficiency are the prerequisite. This review focuses on the recent
      progresses in large-scale production of SiNWs, as well as the construction of
      high-efficiency SiNW-based solar energy conversion devices, including
      photovoltaic devices and photo-electrochemical cells. Finally, the outlook and
      challenges in this emerging field are presented.

PMID- 28921948
TI  - BAF180: Its Roles in DNA Repair and Consequences in Cancer.
AB  - In 2011, Varela et al. reported that the PBRM1 gene is mutated in approximately
      40% of clear cell renal cell carcinoma cases. Since then, the number of studies
      relating PBRM1 mutations to cancers has substantially increased. BAF180 has now
      been linked to more than 30 types of cancers, including ccRCC,
      cholangiocarcinomas, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, and
      breast cancer. The mutations associated with BAF180 are most often truncations,
      which result in a loss of protein expression. This loss has been shown to
      adversely affect the expression of genes, likely because BAF180 is the chromatin
      recognition subunit of PBAF. In addition, BAF180 functions in numerous DNA repair
      mechanisms. Its roles in mediating DNA repair are likely the mechanism by which
      BAF180 acts a tumor suppressor protein. As research on this protein gains more
      interest, scientists will begin to piece together the complicated puzzle of the
      BAF180 protein and why its loss often results in cancer.

PMID- 28921949
TI  - Effects of High Temperature and Thermal Cycling on the Performance of Perovskite
      Solar Cells: Acceleration of Charge Recombination and Deterioration of Charge
      Extraction.
AB  - In this work, we investigated the effects of high operating temperature and
      thermal cycling on the photovoltaic (PV) performance of perovskite solar cells
      (PSCs) with a typical mesostructured (m)-TiO2-CH3NH3PbI3-xClx-spiro-OMeTAD
      architecture. After temperature-dependent grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray
      scattering, in situ X-ray diffraction, and optical absorption experiments were
      carried out, the thermal durability of PSCs was tested by subjecting the devices
      to repetitive heating to 70  degrees C and cooling to room temperature (20 
      degrees C). An unexpected regenerative effect was observed after the first
      thermal cycle; the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased by
      approximately 10% in reference to the as-prepared device. This increase of PCE
      was attributed to the heating-induced improvement of the crystallinity and p
      doping in the hole transporter, spiro-OMeTAD, which promotes the efficient
      extraction of photogenerated carriers. However, further thermal cycles produced a
      detrimental effect on the PV performance of PSCs, with the short-circuit current
      and fill factor degrading faster than the open-circuit voltage. Similarly, the PV
      performance of PSCs degraded at high operation temperatures; both the short
      circuit current and open-circuit voltage decreased with increasing temperature,
      but the temperature-dependent trend of the fill factor was the opposite. Our
      impedance spectroscopy analysis revealed a monotonous increase of the charge
      transfer resistance and a concurrent decrease of the charge-recombination
      resistance with increasing temperature, indicating a high recombination of charge
      carriers. Our results revealed that both thermal cycling and high temperatures
      produce irreversible detrimental effects on the PSC performance because of the
      deteriorated interfacial photocarrier extraction. The present findings suggest
      that the development of robust charge transporters and proper interface
      engineering are critical for the deployment of perovskite PVs in harsh thermal
      environments.

PMID- 28921950
TI  - Highly Efficient and Rapid Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
      Based on Retinoic Acid Encapsulated Porous Nanoparticle.
AB  - An improved cell conversion strategy for neural differentiation of mouse
      embryonic stem (mES) cells is developed by incorporating functionalized
      mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) as an efficient delivery carrier of retinoic
      acid (RA), which is a pleiotropic factor required for initiation of neural
      differentiation. Traditional RA-mediated neural differentiation methods required
      either preactivation of the cells to the differentiating state by embryoid body
      (EB) formation or repetitive treatment of the differentiation factor. Our
      modified cell conversion system involves only singular treatment of the RA/MSN
      complex, which simplified the whole process and accelerated neural induction to
      be finished within 6 days with high quality. With our new method, neural cells
      were successfully derived from mES cells with stable expression of neurite marker
      gene.

PMID- 28921951
TI  - A Spring in Performance: Silica Nanosprings Boost Enzyme Immobilization in
      Microfluidic Channels.
AB  - Enzyme microreactors are important tools of miniaturized analytics and have
      promising applications in continuous biomanufacturing. A fundamental problem of
      their design is that plain microchannels without extensive static internals, or
      packings, offer limited exposed surface area for immobilizing the enzyme. To
      boost the immobilization in a manner broadly applicable to enzymes, we coated
      borosilicate microchannels with silica nanosprings and attached the enzyme,
      sucrose phosphorylase, via a silica-binding module genetically fused to it. We
      showed with confocal fluorescence microscopy that the enzyme was able to
      penetrate the ~70 MUm-thick nanospring layer and became distributed uniformly in
      it. Compared with the plain surface, the activity of immobilized enzyme was
      enhanced 4.5-fold upon surface coating with nanosprings and further increased up
      to 10-fold by modifying the surface of the nanosprings with sulfonate groups.
      Operational stability during continuous-flow biocatalytic synthesis of alpha
      glucose 1-phosphate was improved by a factor of 11 when the microreactor coated
      with nanosprings was used. More than 85% of the initial conversion rate was
      retained after 840 reactor cycles performed with a single loading of enzyme. By
      varying the substrate flow rate, the microreactor performance was conveniently
      switched between steady states of quantitative product yield (50 mM) and optimum
      productivity (19 mM min-1) at a lower product yield of 40%. Surface coating with
      silica nanosprings thus extends the possibilities for enzyme immobilization in
      microchannels. It effectively boosts the biocatalytic function of a
      microstructured reactor limited otherwise by the solid surface available for
      immobilizing the enzyme.

PMID- 28921952
TI  - Nano Air Seeds Trapped in Mesoporous Janus Nanoparticles Facilitate Cavitation
      and Enhance Ultrasound Imaging.
AB  - The current contrast agents utilized in ultrasound (US) imaging are based on
      microbubbles which suffer from a short lifetime in systemic circulation. The
      present study introduces a new type of contrast agent for US imaging based on
      bioresorbable Janus nanoparticles (NPs) that are able to generate microbubbles in
      situ under US radiation for extended time. The Janus NPs are based on porous
      silicon (PSi) that was modified via a nanostopper technique. The technique was
      exploited to prepare PSi NPs which had hydrophobic pore walls (inner face), while
      the external surfaces of the NPs (outer face) were hydrophilic. As a consequence,
      when dispersed in an aqueous solution, the Janus NPs contained a substantial
      amount of air trapped in their nanopores. The specific experimental setup was
      developed to prove that these nano air seeds were indeed acting as nuclei for
      microbubble growth during US radiation. Using the setup, the cavitation
      thresholds of the Janus NPs were compared to their completely hydrophilic
      counterparts by detecting the subharmonic signals from the microbubbles. These
      experiments and the numerical simulations of the bubble dynamics demonstrated
      that the Janus NPs generated microbubbles with a radii of 1.1 MUm. Furthermore,
      the microbubbles generated by the NPs were detected with a conventional medical
      ultrasound imaging device. Long systemic circulation time was ensured by grafting
      the NPs with two different PEG polymers, which did not affect adversely the
      microbubble generation. The present findings represent an important landmark in
      the development of ultrasound contrast agents which possess the properties for
      both diagnostics and therapy.

PMID- 28921953
TI  - New Antimony Selenide/Nickel Oxide Photocathode Boosts the Efficiency of Graphene
      Quantum-Dot Co-Sensitized Solar Cells.
AB  - A novel assembly of a photocathode and a photoanode is investigated to explore
      their complementary effects in enhancing the photovoltaic performance of a
      quantum-dot solar cell (QDSC). While p-type nickel oxide (NiO) has been used
      previously, antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has not been used in a QDSC, especially as
      a component of a counter electrode (CE) architecture that doubles as the
      photocathode. Here, near-infrared (NIR) light-absorbing Sb2Se3 nanoparticles
      (NPs) coated over electrodeposited NiO nanofibers on a carbon (C) fabric
      substrate was employed as the highly efficient photocathode. Quasi-spherical
      Sb2Se3 NPs, with a band gap of 1.13 eV, upon illumination, release photoexcited
      electrons in addition to other charge carriers at the CE to further enhance the
      reduction of the oxidized polysulfide. The p-type conducting behavior of Sb2Se3,
      coupled with a work function at 4.63 eV, also facilitates electron injection to
      polysulfide. The effect of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as co-sensitizers as well
      as electron conduits is also investigated in which a TiO2/CdS/GQDs photoanode
      structure in combination with a C-fabric CE delivered a power-conversion
      efficiency (PCE) of 5.28%, which is a vast improvement over the 4.23% that is
      obtained by using a TiO2/CdS photoanode (without GQDs) with the same CE. GQDs,
      due to a superior conductance, impact efficiency more than Sb2Se3 NPs do. The
      best PCE of a TiO2/CdS/GQDs-nS2-/Sn2--Sb2Se3/NiO/C-fabric cell is 5.96% (0.11 cm2
      area), which, when replicated on a smaller area of 0.06 cm2, is seen to increase
      dramatically to 7.19%. The cell is also tested for 6 h of continuous irradiance.
      The rationalization for the channelized photogenerated electron movement, which
      augments the cell performance, is furnished in detail in these studies.

PMID- 28921955
TI  - Characterization of Site-Specific Glycosylation in Influenza A Virus
      Hemagglutinin Produced by Spodoptera frugiperda Insect Cell Line.
AB  - Influenza hemagglutinin is a surface glycoprotein related to virus invasion and
      host immune system response. Understanding site specific glycosylation of
      hemagglutinin will increase our knowledge about virus evolution and can improve
      the design and quality of vaccines. In our study, we used glycoproteomic analysis
      based on multienzyme digestion followed by LC tandem MS analysis to determine the
      glycosylation of Influenza hemagglutinin (H1/A/California/04/2009) using the
      following steps: PNGaseF treatment combined with trypsin or pepsin digestion was
      used to determine the glycosites and glycan occupancy. Three enzymes, trypsin,
      AspN, and pepsin, were used separately to generate suitable glycopeptides for
      online LC tandem MS analysis. The glycan structure of a given glycopeptide was
      determined by collision-induced dissociation MS/MS fragmentation, and the peptide
      backbone information was provided by collision-induced dissociation (CID)-MS3
      fragmentation. With this approach, 100% sequence coverage of the hemagglutinin
      sample was obtained. Six glycosylation sites fitting the sequon N-X-S/T were
      successfully confirmed, and the glycan heterogeneity as well as the ratios of
      glycoforms were determined at each site.

PMID- 28921954
TI  - Remote, Late-Stage Oxidation of Aliphatic C-H Bonds in Amide-Containing
      Molecules.
AB  - Amide-containing molecules are ubiquitous in natural products, pharmaceuticals,
      and materials science. Due to their intermediate electron-richness, they are not
      amenable to any of the previously developed N-protection strategies known to
      enable remote aliphatic C-H oxidations. Using information gleaned from a
      systematic study of the main features that makes remote oxidations of amides in
      peptide settings possible, we developed an imidate salt protecting strategy that
      employs methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate as a reversible alkylating agent. The
      imidate salt strategy enables, for the first time, remote, nondirected, site
      selective C(sp3)-H oxidation with Fe(PDP) and Fe(CF3PDP) catalysis in the
      presence of a broad scope of tertiary amides, anilide, 2-pyridone, and carbamate
      functionality. Secondary and primary amides can be masked as N-Ns amides to
      undergo remote oxidation. This novel imidate strategy facilitates late-stage
      oxidations in a broader scope of medicinally important molecules and may find use
      in other C-H oxidations and metal-mediated reactions that do not tolerate amide
      functionality.

PMID- 28921956
TI  - Recognition of DNA Supercoil Geometry by Mycobacterium tuberculosis Gyrase.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes only a single type II topoisomerase, gyrase.
      As a result, this enzyme likely carries out the cellular functions normally
      performed by canonical gyrase and topoisomerase IV, both in front of and behind
      the replication fork. In addition, it is the sole target for quinolone
      antibacterials in this species. Because quinolone-induced DNA strand breaks
      generated on positively supercoiled DNA ahead of replication forks and
      transcription complexes are most likely to result in permanent genomic damage,
      the actions of M. tuberculosis gyrase on positively supercoiled DNA were
      investigated. Results indicate that the enzyme acts rapidly on overwound DNA and
      removes positive supercoils much faster than it introduces negative supercoils
      into relaxed DNA. Canonical gyrase and topoisomerase IV distinguish supercoil
      handedness differently during the DNA cleavage reaction: while gyrase maintains
      lower levels of cleavage complexes on overwound DNA, topoisomerase IV maintains
      similar levels of cleavage complexes on both over- and underwound substrates. M.
      tuberculosis gyrase maintained lower levels of cleavage complexes on positively
      supercoiled DNA in the absence and presence of quinolone-based drugs. By
      retaining this important feature of canonical gyrase, the dual function M.
      tuberculosis type II enzyme remains a safe enzyme to act in front of replication
      forks and transcription complexes. Finally, the N-terminal gate region of the
      enzyme appears to be necessary to distinguish supercoil handedness during DNA
      cleavage, suggesting that the capture of the transport segment may influence how
      gyrase maintains cleavage complexes on substrates with different topological
      states.

PMID- 28921958
TI  - Electronic Structural Analysis of Copper(II)-TEMPO/ABNO Complexes Provides
      Evidence for Copper(I)-Oxoammonium Character.
AB  - Copper/aminoxyl species are proposed as key intermediates in aerobic alcohol
      oxidation. Several possible electronic structural descriptions of these species
      are possible, and the present study probes this issue by examining four
      crystallographically characterized Cu/aminoxyl halide complexes by Cu K-edge, Cu
      L2,3-edge, and Cl K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The mixing coefficients
      between Cu, aminoxyl, and halide orbitals are determined via these techniques
      with support from density functional theory. The emergent electronic structure
      picture reveals that Cu coordination confers appreciable oxoammonium character to
      the aminoxyl ligand. The computational methodology is extended to one of the
      putative intermediates invoked in catalytic Cu/aminoxyl-driven alcohol oxidation
      reactions, with similar findings. Collectively, the results have important
      implications for the mechanism of alcohol oxidation and the underlying basis for
      cooperativity in this co-catalyst system.

PMID- 28921957
TI  - Silver Nanowires for Reconfigurable Bloch Surface Waves.
AB  - The use of a single silver nanowire as a flexible coupler to transform a free
      space beam into a Bloch surface wave propagating on a dielectric multilayer is
      proposed. Based on Huygens' Principle, when a Gaussian beam is focused onto a
      straight silver nanowire, a Bloch surface wave is generated and propagates
      perpendicular to the nanowire. By curving the silver nanowire, the surface wave
      can be focused. Furthermore, the spatial phase of the incident laser beam can be
      actively controlled with the aid of a spatial light modulator, resulting in the
      reconfigurable or dynamically controlled Bloch surface waves. The low cost of the
      chemically synthesized silver nanowires and the high flexibility with regard to
      tuning the spatial phase of the incident light make this approach very promising
      for various applications including optical micromanipulation, fluorescence
      imaging, and sensing.

PMID- 28921959
TI  - Quantification and Theoretical Analysis of the Electrophilicities of Michael
      Acceptors.
AB  - In order to quantify the electrophilic reactivities of common Michael acceptors,
      we measured the kinetics of the reactions of monoacceptor-substituted ethylenes
      (H2C?CH-Acc, 1) and styrenes (PhCH?CH-Acc, 2) with pyridinium ylides 3, sulfonium
      ylide 4, and sulfonyl-substituted chloromethyl anion 5. Substitution of the 57
      measured second-order rate constants (log k) and the previously reported
      nucleophile-specific parameters N and sN for 3-5 into the correlation log k =
      sN(E + N) allowed us to calculate 15 new empirical electrophilicity parameters E
      for Michael acceptors 1 and 2. The use of the same parameters sN, N, and E for
      these different types of reactions shows that all reactions proceed via a common
      rate-determining step, the nucleophilic attack of 3-5 at the Michael acceptors
      with formation of acyclic intermediates, which subsequently cyclize to give
      tetrahydroindolizines (stepwise 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with 3) and
      cyclopropanes (with 4 and 5), respectively. The electrophilicity parameters E
      thus determined can be used to calculate the rates of the reactions of Michael
      acceptors 1 and 2 with any nucleophile of known N and sN. DFT calculations were
      performed to confirm the suggested reaction mechanisms and to elucidate the
      origin of the electrophilic reactivities. While electrophilicities E correlate
      poorly with the LUMO energies and with Parr's electrophilicity index omega, good
      correlations were found between the experimentally observed electrophilic
      reactivities of 44 Michael acceptors and their calculated methyl anion
      affinities, particularly when solvation by dimethyl sulfoxide was taken into
      account by applying the SMD continuum solvation model. Because of the large
      structural variety of Michael acceptors considered for these correlations, which
      cover a reactivity range of 17 orders of magnitude, we consider the calculation
      of methyl anion affinities to be the method of choice for a rapid estimate of
      electrophilic reactivities.

PMID- 28921960
TI  - Boron Difluoride Adducts of a Flexidentate Pyridine-Substituted Formazanate
      Ligand: Property Modulation via Protonation and Coordination Chemistry.
AB  - The synthesis and characterization of a flexidentate pyridine-substituted
      formazanate ligand and its boron difluoride adducts, formed via two different
      coordination modes of the title ligand, are described. The first adduct adopted a
      structure that was typical of other boron difluoride adducts of
      triarylformazanate ligands and contained a free pyridine subsituent, while the
      second was formed via the chelation of nitrogen atoms from the formazanate
      backbone and the pyridine substituent. Stepwise protonation of the pydridine
      functionalized adduct, which is essentially nonemissive, resulted in a
      significant increase in the fluorescence quantum yield up to a maximum of 18%,
      prompting the study of this adduct as a pH sensor. The coordination chemistry of
      each adduct was explored through reactions with nickel(II) bromide
      [NiBr2(CH3CN)2], triflate [Ni(OTf)2], and 1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoroacetylacetonate
      [Ni(hfac)2(H2O)2] salts. Coordination to nickel(II) ions altered the physical
      properties of the boron difluoride formazanate adducts, including red-shifted
      absorption maxima and less negative reduction potentials. Together, these studies
      have demonstrated that the physical and electronic properties of boron difluoride
      adducts of formazanate ligands can be readily modulated through protonation and
      coordination chemistry.

PMID- 28921961
TI  - Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Nuclear Envelope Architecture Using Dual
      Color Metal-Induced Energy Transfer Imaging.
AB  - The nuclear envelope, comprising the inner and the outer nuclear membrane,
      separates the nucleus from the cytoplasm and plays a key role in cellular
      functions. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are embedded in the nuclear
      envelope, control transport of macromolecules between the two compartments. Here,
      using dual-color metal-induced energy transfer (MIET), we determine the axial
      distance between Lap2beta and Nup358 as markers for the inner nuclear membrane
      and the cytoplasmic side of the NPC, respectively. Using MIET imaging, we
      reconstruct the 3D profile of the nuclear envelope over the whole basal area,
      with an axial resolution of a few nanometers. This result demonstrates that
      optical microscopy can achieve nanometer axial resolution in biological samples
      and without recourse to complex interferometric approaches.

PMID- 28921962
TI  - Pentafluorosulfanyl Substituents in Polymerization Catalysis.
AB  - Highly electron-withdrawing pentafluorosulfanyl groups were probed as
      substituents in an organometallic catalyst. In Ni(II) salicylaldiminato complexes
      as an example case, these highly electron-withdrawing substituents allow for
      polymerization of ethylene to higher molecular weights with reduced branching due
      to significant reductions in beta-hydrogen elimination. Combined with the
      excellent functional group tolerance of neutral Ni(II) complexes, this
      suppression of beta-hydrogen elimination allows for the direct polymerization of
      ethylene in water to nanocrystal dispersions of disentangled, ultrahigh-molecular
      weight linear polyethylene.

PMID- 28921964
TI  - Versatile Synthetic Route for beta-Functionalized Chlorins and Porphyrins by
      Varying the Size of Michael Donors: Syntheses, Photophysical, and Electrochemical
      Redox Properties.
AB  - One-pot facile synthesis and characterization of novel beta-substituted meso
      tetraphenylporphyrins and/or chlorins were described. The high regioselective
      reactivity of active methylene compounds in Michael addition reaction was
      reported to access beta-substituted trans-chlorins. Size-dependent approach was
      applied for the fine-tuning of product formation from porphyrins to chlorins.
      Notably, we were able to isolate mono/trisubstituted porphyrin and/or di/tetra
      substituted chlorin from one-pot synthesis for the first time in porphyrin
      chemistry. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the quasiplanar to
      moderate nonplanar conformation of chlorins due to trans orientation of beta
      substituents, whereas porphyrins exhibited higher mean plane deviation from 24
      atom core (Delta24) as compared to chlorins. beta-Functionalized chlorins
      exhibited lower protonation constants and much higher deprotonation constants as
      compared to porphyrins revealing the combined effect of the conformation of
      macrocyclic core and the electronic nature of beta-substituents. Facile synthesis
      of porphyrins and/or chlorins based on the size of Michael donor employed and in
      turn resulted in tunable photophysical and electrochemical redox properties are
      the significant features of the present work.

PMID- 28921963
TI  - Direct Vapor Growth of Perovskite CsPbBr3 Nanoplate Electroluminescence Devices.
AB  - Metal halide perovskite nanostructures hold great promises as nanoscale light
      sources for integrated photonics due to their excellent optoelectronic
      properties. However, it remains a great challenge to fabricate halide perovskite
      nanodevices using traditional lithographic methods because the halide perovskites
      can be dissolved in polar solvents that are required in the traditional device
      fabrication process. Herein, we report single CsPbBr3 nanoplate
      electroluminescence (EL) devices fabricated by directly growing CsPbBr3
      nanoplates on prepatterned indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes via a vapor-phase
      deposition. Bright EL occurs in the region near the negatively biased contact,
      with a turn-on voltage of ~3 V, a narrow full width at half-maximum of 22 nm, and
      an external quantum efficiency of ~0.2%. Moreover, through scanning photocurrent
      microscopy and surface electrostatic potential measurements, we found that the
      formation of ITO/p-type CsPbBr3 Schottky barriers with highly efficient carrier
      injection is essential in realizing the EL. The formation of the ITO/p-type
      CsPbBr3 Schottky diode is also confirmed by the corresponding transistor
      characteristics. The achievement of EL nanodevices enabled by directly grown
      perovskite nanostructures could find applications in on-chip integrated photonics
      circuits and systems.

PMID- 28921965
TI  - Mycelium-Enhanced Bacterial Degradation of Organic Pollutants under
      Bioavailability Restrictions.
AB  - This work examines the role of mycelia in enhancing the degradation by attached
      bacteria of organic pollutants that have poor bioavailability. Two oomycetes,
      Pythium oligandrum and Pythium aphanidermatum, were selected as producers of
      mycelial networks, while Mycobacterium gilvum VM552 served as a model polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degrading bacterium. The experiments consisted of
      bacterial cultures exposed to a nondisturbed nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) layer
      containing a heavy fuel spiked with 14C-labeled phenanthrene that were incubated
      in the presence or absence of the mycelia of the oomycetes in both shaking and
      static conditions. At the end of the incubation, the changes in the total alkane
      and PAH contents in the NAPL residue were quantified. The results revealed that
      with shaking and the absence of mycelia, the strain VM552 grew by utilizing the
      bulk of alkanes and PAHs in the fuel; however, biofilm formation was incipient
      and phenanthrene was mineralized following zero-order kinetics, due to
      bioavailability limitations. The addition of mycelia favored biofilm formation
      and dramatically enhanced the mineralization of phenanthrene, up to 30 times
      greater than the rate without mycelia, possibly by providing a physical support
      to bacterial colonization and by supplying nutrients at the NAPL/water interface.
      The results in the static condition were very different because the bacterial
      strain alone degraded phenanthrene with sigmoidal kinetics but could not degrade
      alkanes or the bulk of PAHs. We suggest that bacteria/oomycete interactions
      should be considered not only in the design of new inoculants in bioremediation
      but also in biodegradation assessments of chemicals present in natural
      environments.

PMID- 28921966
TI  - Tool for Rapid Analysis of Glycopeptide by Permethylation via One-Pot Site
      Mapping and Glycan Analysis.
AB  - To overcome the challenges in the analysis of protein glycosylation, we have
      developed a comprehensive and universal tool through permethylation of
      glycopeptides and their tandem mass spectrometric analysis. This method has the
      potential to simplify glycoprotein analysis by integrating glycan sequencing and
      glycopeptide analysis in a single experiment. Moreover, glycans with unique
      glycosidic linkages, particularly from prokaryotes, which are resistant to
      enzymatic or chemical release, could also be detected and analyzed by this
      methodology. Here we present a strategy for the permethylation of intact
      glycopeptides, obtained via controlled protease digest, and their
      characterization by using advanced mass spectrometry. We used bovine RNase B,
      human transferrin, and bovine fetuin as models to demonstrate the feasibility of
      the method. Remarkably, the glycan patterns, glycosylation site, and their
      occupancy by N-glycans are all detected and identified in a single experimental
      procedure. Acquisition on a high resolution tandem-MSn system with fragmentation
      methodologies such as high-energy collision dissociation (HCD) and collision
      induced dissociation (CID), provided the complete sequence of the glycan
      structures attached to the peptides. The behavior of 20 natural amino acids under
      the basic permethylation conditions was probed by permethylating a library of
      short synthetic peptides. Our studies indicate that the permethylation imparts
      simple, limited, and predictable chemical transformations on peptides and do not
      interfere with the interpretation of MS/MS data. In addition to this,
      permethylated O-glycans in unreduced form (released by beta elimination) were
      also detected, allowing us to profile O-linked glycan structures simultaneously.

PMID- 28921967
TI  - Quantifying Secondary Structure Changes in Calmodulin Using 2D-IR Spectroscopy.
AB  - Revealing the details of biomolecular processes in solution needs tools that can
      monitor structural dynamics over a range of time and length scales. We assess the
      ability of 2D-IR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis to
      quantify changes in secondary structure of the multifunctional calcium-binding
      messenger protein Calmodulin (CaM) as a function of temperature and Ca2+
      concentration. Our approach produced quantitative agreement with circular
      dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in detecting the domain melting transitions of Ca2+
      free (apo) CaM (reduction in alpha-helix structure by 13% (CD) and 15% (2D)). 2D
      IR also allows accurate differentiation between melting transitions and generic
      heating effects observed in the more thermally stable Ca2+-bound (holo) CaM. The
      functionally relevant random-coil-alpha-helix transition associated with Ca2+
      uptake that involves just 7-8 out of a total of 148 amino acid residues was
      clearly detected. Temperature-dependent Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations show
      that apo-CaM exists in dynamic equilibrium with holo-like conformations, while
      Ca2+ uptake reduces conformational flexibility. The ability to combine
      quantitative structural insight from 2D-IR with MD simulations thus offers a
      powerful approach for measuring subtle protein conformational changes in
      solution.

PMID- 28921968
TI  - Automated Solid-Phase Click Synthesis of Oligonucleotide Conjugates: From Small
      Molecules to Diverse N-Acetylgalactosamine Clusters.
AB  - We developed a novel technique for the efficient conjugation of oligonucleotides
      with various alkyl azides such as fluorescent dyes, biotin, cholesterol, N
      acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), etc. using copper-catalysed alkyne-azide
      cycloaddition on the solid phase and CuI.P(OEt)3 as a catalyst. Conjugation is
      carried out in an oligonucleotide synthesizer in fully automated mode and is
      coupled to oligonucleotide synthesis and on-column deprotection. We also suggest
      a set of reagents for the construction of diverse conjugates. The sequential
      double-click procedure using a pentaerythritol-derived tetraazide followed by the
      addition of a GalNAc or Tris-GalNAc alkyne gives oligonucleotide-GalNAc dendrimer
      conjugates in good yields with minimal excess of sophisticated alkyne reagents.
      The approach is suitable for high-throughput synthesis of oligonucleotide
      conjugates ranging from fluorescent DNA probes to various multi-GalNAc
      derivatives of 2'-modified siRNA.

PMID- 28921969
TI  - Flow Electrolysis Cells for the Synthetic Organic Chemistry Laboratory.
AB  - Electrosynthesis has much to offer to the synthetic organic chemist. But in order
      to be widely accepted as a routine procedure in an organic synthesis laboratory,
      electrosynthesis needs to be presented in a much more user-friendly way. The
      literature is largely based on electrolysis in a glass beaker or H-cells that
      often give poor performance for synthesis with a very slow rate of conversion
      and, often, low selectivity and reproducibility. Flow cells can lead to much
      improved performance. Electrolysis is participating in the trend toward
      continuous flow synthesis, and this has led to a number of innovations in flow
      cell design that make possible selective syntheses with high conversion of
      reactant to product with a single passage of the reactant solution through the
      cell. In addition, the needs of the synthetic organic chemist can often be met by
      flow cells operating with recycle of the reactant solution. These cells give a
      high rate of product formation while the reactant concentration is high, but they
      perform best at low conversion. Both approaches are considered in this review and
      the important features of each cell design are discussed. Throughout, the
      application of the cell designs is illustrated with syntheses that have been
      reported.

PMID- 28921970
TI  - Tris-heteroleptic Iridium Complexes Based on Cyclometalated Ligands with
      Different Cores.
AB  - A series of tris-heteroleptic iridium complexes of the form
      [Ir(C^N1)(C^N2)(acac)] combining 2-phenylpyridine (ppy), 2-(2,4
      difluorophenyl)pyridine (dFppy), 1-phenylpyrazole (ppz), and 1-(2,4
      difluorophenyl)pyrazole (dFppz) as the C^N ligands have been synthesized and
      fully characterized by NMR, X-ray crystallography, UV-vis absorption and emission
      spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. It is shown that "static properties"
      (e.g., absorption and emission spectra and redox potentials) are primarily
      dictated by the overall architecture of the complex, while "dynamic properties"
      (e.g., excited-state lifetime and radiative and nonradiative rate constants) are,
      in addition, sensitive to the specific positioning of the substituents. As a
      result, the two complexes [Ir(dFppy)(ppz)(acac)] and [Ir(ppy)(dFppz)(acac)] have
      the same emission maxima and redox potentials, but their radiative and
      nonradiative rate constants differ significantly by a factor ~2. Then
      acetylacetonate (acac) was replaced by picolinate (pic), and two pairs of
      diastereoisomers were obtained. As expected, the use of pic as the ancillary
      ligand results in blue-shifted emission, stabilization of the oxidation
      potential, and improvement of the photoluminescence quantum yield, and only minor
      differences in the optoelectronic properties are found between the two
      diastereoisomers of each pair.

PMID- 28921971
TI  - Paper Sensor Coated with a Poly(carboxybetaine)-Multiple DOPA Conjugate via Dip
      Coating for Biosensing in Complex Media.
AB  - Cellulose paper is an ideal diagnostic platform for low-cost, easily disposable
      and lightweight implementation, but requires surface modification to achieve
      detection with high sensitivity and specificity in complex media. In this work, a
      polymer-catechol conjugate containing a superhydrophilic nonfouling
      poly(carboxylbetaine) (pCB) and four surface-binding l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine
      (DOPA) groups, pCB-(DOPA)4, were applied onto a paper-based sensor surface via a
      simple "graft-to" immersion process to render the surface with both nonfouling
      and protein functionalizable properties. This dip-coating technique is effective,
      convenient and robust as compared to the "graft-from" techniques reported
      previously with similar nonfouling properties. The coated paper sensor showed
      both increased analyte diffusion rate and improved sensitivity of glucose
      detection in human blood serum. The capability of pCB-(DOPA)4-modified paper
      sensor for specific antigen-antibody detection was demonstrated via the covalent
      immobilization of bovine serum albumin antibody (anti-BSA) and fibrinogen
      antibody (anti-Fg) onto the pCB-coated surface via simple 1-ethyl-3-(3
      (dimethylamino)propyl)-carbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) chemistry.

PMID- 28921973
TI  - Evans-Showell-Type Polyoxometalates Constructing High-Dimensional Inorganic
      Organic Hybrid Compounds with Copper-Organic Coordination Complexes: Synthesis
      and Oxidation Catalysis.
AB  - Four new hybrid architectures containing a [Co2Mo10H4O38]6- polyoxoanion,
      (en)[Cu3(ptz)4(H2O)4][Co2Mo10H4O38].24H2O (1),
      (Hbim)2[{Cu(bim)2(H2O)2}2{Co2Mo10H4O38}].5H2O (2),
      H2[Cu(dpdo)3(H2O)4][{Cu2(dpdo)3(H2O)4(CH3CN)}2{Co2Mo10H4O38}2].9H2O (3), and
      (H2bpp)4[{Cu(H2O)2}{NaCo2Mo10H4O38}2].10H2O (4), where ptz = 5-(4-pyridyl)-1H
      tetrazole, en = ethylenediamine, bim = benzimidazole, dpdo = 4,4'-bipyridine-N,N'
      dioxide, and bpp = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane, have been prepared and
      characterized through elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, IR
      spectroscopy, and powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 shows a
      3D host-guest framework composed of 3D Cu-ptz as the host and Evans-Showell-type
      polyoxoanion [Co2Mo10H4O38]6- as the guest. Compound 2 is constructed from
      [Co2Mo10H4O38]6- polyoxoanions and Cu-bim coordination complexes to form a 2D
      covalent layer. Compound 3 also exhibits a 2D hybrid network based on
      [Co2Mo10H4O38]6- polyoxoanions linked by Cu-dpdo coordination groups. Compound 4
      is a 1D double-chain structure composed of [Co2Mo10H4O38]6- polyoxoanions joined
      together by Na+ and Cu2+ cations. As far as we know, compound 1 is the first host
      guest compound with an Evans-Showell-type polyoxometalate as the guest, and
      compounds 2 and 3 are the first 2D inorganic-organic hybrid architectures
      constructed from Evans-Showell-type polyoxometalates. Compounds 1-4 are redox
      catalysts that heterogeneously prompt sulfide and alcohol oxidation with
      excellent efficiency.

PMID- 28921974
TI  - The Hydrophobic Effect and the Role of Cosolvents.
AB  - Cosolvents modulate aqueous solubility, hydrophobic interactions, and the
      stability and function of most proteins in the living cell. Our molecular-level
      understanding of cosolvent effects is incomplete, not only at the level of
      complex systems such as proteins, but also at the level of very fundamental
      interactions that underlie the hydrophobic effect. This Feature Article discusses
      cosolvent effects on the aqueous solubility of nonpolar solutes, hydrophobic
      interactions, and hydrophobic self-assembly/collapse of aqueous polymers,
      recently studied with molecular dynamics simulations. It is shown that direct
      interactions of cosolvents with nonpolar solutes and aqueous polymers can
      strengthen hydrophobic interactions and can contribute to stabilizing collapsed
      globular structures. The molecular-level explanation of these observations
      requires a better understanding of the entropy associated with fluctuations of
      attractive solute-solvent interactions and of length-scale dependencies of this
      quantity.

PMID- 28921972
TI  - What Can Be Learned from Nuclear Resonance Vibrational Spectroscopy: Vibrational
      Dynamics and Hemes.
AB  - Nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS; also known as nuclear inelastic
      scattering, NIS) is a synchrotron-based method that reveals the full spectrum of
      vibrational dynamics for Mossbauer nuclei. Another major advantage, in addition
      to its completeness (no arbitrary optical selection rules), is the unique
      selectivity of NRVS. The basics of this recently developed technique are first
      introduced with descriptions of the experimental requirements and data analysis
      including the details of mode assignments. We discuss the use of NRVS to probe
      57Fe at the center of heme and heme protein derivatives yielding the vibrational
      density of states for the iron. The application to derivatives with diatomic
      ligands (O2, NO, CO, CN-) shows the strong capabilities of identifying mode
      character. The availability of the complete vibrational spectrum of iron allows
      the identification of modes not available by other techniques. This permits the
      correlation of frequency with other physical properties. A significant example is
      the correlation we find between the Fe-Im stretch in six-coordinate Fe(XO) hemes
      and the trans Fe-N(Im) bond distance, not possible previously. NRVS also provides
      uniquely quantitative insight into the dynamics of the iron. For example, it
      provides a model-independent means of characterizing the strength of iron
      coordination. Prediction of the temperature-dependent mean-squared displacement
      from NRVS measurements yields a vibrational "baseline" for Fe dynamics that can
      be compared with results from techniques that probe longer time scales to yield
      quantitative insights into additional dynamical processes.

PMID- 28921975
TI  - Intricacies of van der Waals Interactions in Systems with Elongated Bonds
      Revealed by Electron-Groups Embedding and High-Level Coupled-Cluster Approaches.
AB  - Noncovalent interactions between molecules with stretched intramonomer covalent
      bonds are a fascinating, yet little studied area. This shortage of information
      stems largely from the inability of most of the commonly used computational
      quantum chemistry methods to accurately describe weak long-range and strong
      nondynamic correlations at the same time. In this work, we propose a geminal
      based approach, abbreviated as EERPA-GVB, capable of describing such systems in a
      robust manner using relatively inexpensive computational steps. By examining a
      few van der Waals complexes, we demonstrate that the elongation of one or more
      intramolecular covalent bonds leads to an enhanced attraction between the
      monomers. We show that this increase in attraction occurs as the electron density
      characterizing intramolecular covalent bonds depletes and migrates toward the
      region between the monomers. As the covalent intramonomer bonds continue to
      stretch, the intermolecular interaction potential passes through a minimum and
      eventually goes up. The findings resulting from our EERPA-GVB calculations are
      supported and further elucidated by the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory and
      coupled-cluster (CC) computations using methods that are as sophisticated as the
      CC approach with a full treatment of singly, doubly, and triply excited clusters.

PMID- 28921976
TI  - Isolation, Synthesis, and Biological Activity of Chlorinated Alkylresorcinols
      from Dictyostelium Cellular Slime Molds.
AB  - Eight chlorinated alkylresorcinols, monochasiol A-H (1-8), were isolated from the
      fruiting bodies of Dictyostelium monochasioides. Compounds 1-8 were synthesized
      to confirm their structures and to obtain sufficient material for performing
      biological tests. Monochasiol A (1) selectively inhibited the concanavalin A
      induced interleukin-2 production in Jurkat cells, a human T lymphocyte cell line.
      Monochasiols were biogenetically synthesized by the combination of biosynthetic
      enzymes relating to the principal polyketides, MPBD and DIF-1, produced by
      Dictyostelium discoideum.

PMID- 28921977
TI  - Photoinduced Bimolecular Electron Transfer in Ionic Liquids.
AB  - The present work seeks to better understand the role of solute diffusion and
      solvation dynamics on bimolecular electron transfer in ionic liquids (ILs).
      Steady-state and time-resolved measurements of the reductive fluorescence
      quenching of five fluorophores ("F") by six quenchers ("Q"; electron donors) are
      reported in acetonitrile and two ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
      bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide and trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium
      bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide. Data were collected on 66 different F-Q
      solvent systems, which span a 2.0 eV range in driving force and viscosities that
      vary 1000-fold, enabling stringent tests of bimolecular electron transfer models.
      A Stern-Volmer analysis yielded much larger diffusion-limited rates than simple
      kinetic theory predictions in the ILs and the absence of a Marcus turnover. Use
      of an approximate solution to the spherical diffusion-reaction equation enabled
      testing of several models for the reaction rate distance dependence. The
      Smoluchowski and Collins-Kimball models, which assume reaction at a single
      distance, are able to fit the data collected in acetonitrile solutions reasonably
      well, but not the data in the IL solvents. An extended sink model, incorporating
      a finite reaction zone, was able to fit all data satisfactorily with only three
      adjustable parameters. Diffusion coefficients extracted from these fits were much
      larger for the neutral versus anionic quenchers and close to predicted values.
      Molecular dynamics simulations and density-functional methods were then used to
      explore solvation structures and electronic couplings. The electronic coupling
      between contact F-Q pairs was found to vary strongly with the relative location
      and orientation of the reactants. Information from these simulations was used to
      constrain a model based on classical Marcus theory, which provided physically
      reasonable fits with only two adjustable parameters, but required systematic
      reduction of the driving forces in order to suppress a rate turnover at large
      driving force. The latter requirement indicates that reaction rates in ionic
      liquids are limited by some factor not properly accounted for in bimolecular
      electron transfer models based on a spherical diffusion-reaction approach. Small
      amplitude motions within contact F-Q pairs, which gate the electronic coupling,
      are suggested to be the limiting dynamics.

PMID- 28921978
TI  - Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction by Imidazolium-Functionalized Molecular Catalysts.
AB  - We present the first examples of CO2 electro-reduction catalysts that feature
      charged imidazolium groups in the secondary coordination sphere. The
      functionalized Lehn-type catalysts display significant differences in their redox
      properties and improved catalytic activities as compared to the conventional
      reference catalyst. Our results suggest that the incorporated imidazolium
      moieties do not solely function as a charged tag but also alter mechanistic
      aspects of catalysis.

PMID- 28921979
TI  - Design, Syntheses, and in Vitro Evaluation of New Fluorine-18 Radiolabeled Tau
      Labeling Molecular Probes.
AB  - Deposition of aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein is a hallmark of
      tauopathies like Alzheimer and many other neurodegenerative diseases. A sensitive
      and selective method of in vivo detection of tau-aggregate presence and
      distribution could provide the means of an early diagnosis of tau-associated
      diseases. Furthermore, the use of selective molecular probes that enable
      histochemical differentiation of protein aggregates post-mortem would be
      advantageous for the insight into the properties of tau protein aggregates. We
      chose to design new molecular probes based on the structure of 2-(1-(6-((2
      [18F]fluoroethyl)(methyl)amino)-2-naphthyl)ethylidene)malononitrile to
      investigate their likelihood of fitting into VQIVYK tau protein binding channel
      model. In a modular approach, using cross-coupling reactions, we synthesized a
      series of candidates, radiolabeled them with fluorine-18 radioisotope, and
      determined their physicochemical and in vitro binding properties. Herein we
      report the synthesis of a series of molecular probes capable of detection of tau
      protein deposits in vitro.

PMID- 28921980
TI  - Benchmark of Dynamic Electron Correlation Models for Seniority-Zero Wave
      Functions and Their Application to Thermochemistry.
AB  - Wave functions restricted to electron-pair states are promising models to
      describe static/nondynamic electron correlation effects encountered, for
      instance, in bond-dissociation processes and transition-metal and actinide
      chemistry. To reach spectroscopic accuracy, however, the missing dynamic electron
      correlation effects that cannot be described by electron-pair states need to be
      included a posteriori. In this Article, we extend the previously presented
      perturbation theory models with an Antisymmetric Product of 1-reference orbital
      Geminal (AP1roG) reference function that allows us to describe both
      static/nondynamic and dynamic electron correlation effects. Specifically, our
      perturbation theory models combine a diagonal and off-diagonal zero-order
      Hamiltonian, a single-reference and multireference dual state, and different
      excitation operators used to construct the projection manifold. We benchmark all
      proposed models as well as an a posteriori Linearized Coupled Cluster correction
      on top of AP1roG against CR-CC(2,3) reference data for reaction energies of
      several closed-shell molecules that are extrapolated to the basis set limit.
      Moreover, we test the performance of our new methods for multiple bond breaking
      processes in the homonuclear N2, C2, and F2 dimers as well as the heteronuclear
      BN, CO, and CN+ dimers against MRCI-SD, MRCI-SD+Q, and CR-CC(2,3) reference data.
      Our numerical results indicate that the best performance is obtained from a
      Linearized Coupled Cluster correction as well as second-order perturbation theory
      corrections employing a diagonal and off-diagonal zero-order Hamiltonian and a
      single-determinant dual state. These dynamic corrections on top of AP1roG provide
      substantial improvements for binding energies and spectroscopic properties
      obtained with the AP1roG approach, while allowing us to approach chemical
      accuracy for reaction energies involving closed-shell species.

PMID- 28921981
TI  - Use of (Cyclopentadienone)iron Tricarbonyl Complexes for C-N Bond Formation
      Reactions between Amines and Alcohols.
AB  - The application of a series of (cyclopentadienone)iron tricarbonyl complexes to
      "borrowing hydrogen" reactions between amines and alcohols was completed in order
      to assess their catalytic activity. The electronic variation of the aromatic
      groups flanking the C?O of the cyclopentadienone influenced the efficiency of the
      reactions; however, in other cases, the Knolker catalyst 1, containing
      trimethylsilyl groups flanking the cyclopentadienone ketone, gave the best
      results. In some cases, the change of the ratio of amine to alcohol improves the
      conversion significantly. The application of iron catalysts to the synthesis of a
      range of amines, including unsaturated amines, was investigated.

PMID- 28921982
TI  - Mortiamides A-D, Cyclic Heptapeptides from a Novel Mortierella sp. Obtained from
      Frobisher Bay.
AB  - Four new cyclic heptapeptides, mortiamides A-D (1-4), were obtained from a novel
      Mortierella sp. isolate obtained from marine sediment collected from the
      intertidal zone of Frobisher Bay, Nunavut, Canada. The structures of the
      compounds were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and tandem mass spectrometry. The
      absolute configurations of the amino acids were determined using Marfey's method.
      Localization of l and d amino acids within each compound was ascertained by
      retention time comparison of the partial hydrosylate products of each compound to
      synthesized dipeptide standards using LC-HRMS. Compounds 1-4 did not exhibit any
      significant antimicrobial or cytotoxic activity.

PMID- 28921983
TI  - The First State in the Catalytic Cycle of the Water-Oxidizing Enzyme:
      Identification of a Water-Derived MU-Hydroxo Bridge.
AB  - Nature's water-splitting catalyst, an oxygen-bridged tetramanganese calcium
      (Mn4O5Ca) complex, sequentially activates two substrate water molecules
      generating molecular O2. Its reaction cycle is composed of five intermediate (Si)
      states, where the index i indicates the number of oxidizing equivalents stored by
      the cofactor. After formation of the S4 state, the product dioxygen is released
      and the cofactor returns to its lowest oxidation state, S0. Membrane-inlet mass
      spectrometry measurements suggest that at least one substrate is bound throughout
      the catalytic cycle, as the rate of 18O-labeled water incorporation into the
      product O2 is slow, on a millisecond to second time scale depending on the S
      state. Here, we demonstrate that the Mn4O5Ca complex poised in the S0 state
      contains an exchangeable hydroxo bridge. On the basis of a combination of
      magnetic multiresonance (EPR) spectroscopies, comparison to biochemical models
      and theoretical calculations we assign this bridge to O5, the same bridge
      identified in the S2 state as an exchangeable fully deprotonated oxo bridge
      [Perez Navarro, M.; et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2013, 110, 15561]. This
      oxygen species is the most probable candidate for the slowly exchanging substrate
      water in the S0 state. Additional measurements provide new information on the Mn
      ions that constitute the catalyst. A structural model for the S0 state is
      proposed that is consistent with available experimental data and explains the
      observed evolution of water exchange kinetics in the first three states of the
      catalytic cycle.

PMID- 28921984
TI  - Melting Behavior of a DNA Four-Way Junction Using Spectroscopic and Calorimetric
      Techniques.
AB  - Intramolecular four-way junctions are structures present during homologous
      recombination, repair of double stranded DNA breaks, and integron recombination.
      Because of the wide range of biological processes four-way junctions are involved
      in, understanding how and under what conditions these structures form is
      critical. In this work, we used a combination of spectroscopic and calorimetric
      techniques to present a complete thermodynamic description of the unfolding of a
      DNA four-way junction (FWJ) and its appropriate control stem-loop motifs
      (Dumbbell, GAAATT-Hp, CTATC-Hp, GTGC-Hp, and GCGC-Hp). The overall results show
      that the four-way junction increases the cooperative unfolding of its stems,
      although the reason for this is unclear, as the arms do not unfold as coaxial
      stacks, and thus its melting behavior cannot be accurately described by its
      control molecules. This is in contrast to what has been seen for two- and three
      way junctions. In addition, the lack of base stacking and the DeltaHvH/DeltaHcal
      ratio seen at low salt indicate the four-way junction exists as a mixture of
      conformations, one of which is most likely the open-X structure which has
      unpaired bases at the junction. This was confirmed by single value decomposition
      of CD and UV spectra. This indicates that at low salt there is a third
      spectroscopically distinct species, while at higher salt there are only two
      species, folded and unfolded. Based on the enthalpy, Deltanion, and DeltanW, the
      dominant folded structure at high salt is most likely the antiparallel stacked-X
      structure.

PMID- 28921986
TI  - Combining Density Functional Theory and Green's Function Theory: Range-Separated,
      Nonlocal, Dynamic, and Orbital-Dependent Hybrid Functional.
AB  - We present a rigorous framework which combines single-particle Green's function
      theory with density functional theory based on a separation of electron-electron
      interactions into short- and long-range components. Short-range contribution to
      the total energy and exchange-correlation potential is provided by a density
      functional approximation, while the long-range contribution is calculated using
      an explicit many-body Green's function method. Such a hybrid results in a
      nonlocal, dynamic, and orbital-dependent exchange-correlation functional of a
      single-particle Green's function. In particular, we present a range-separated
      hybrid functional called srSVWN5-lrGF2 which combines the local-density
      approximation and the second-order Green's function theory. We illustrate that
      similarly to density functional approximations, the new functional is weakly
      basis-set dependent. Furthermore, it offers an improved description of the short
      range dynamic correlation. The many-body contribution to the functional mitigates
      the many-electron self-interaction error present in many density functional
      approximations and provides a better description of molecular properties.
      Additionally, we illustrate that the new functional can be used to scale down the
      self-energy and, therefore, introduce an additional sparsity to the self-energy
      matrix that in the future can be exploited in calculations for large molecules or
      periodic systems.

PMID- 28921985
TI  - Computer-Aided Identification and Lead Optimization of Dual Murine Double Minute
      2 and 4 Binders: Structure-Activity Relationship Studies and Pharmacological
      Activity.
AB  - The function of p53 protein, also known as "genome guardian", might be impaired
      by the overexpression of its primary cellular inhibitor, the murine double minute
      2 protein (MDM2). However, the recent finding that MDM2-selective inhibitors
      induce high levels of its homologue MDM4, prompt us to identify, through a
      receptor-based virtual screening on an in house database, dual MDM2/MDM4 binders.
      Compound 1 turned out to possess an IC50 of 93.7 and of 4.6 nM on MDM2 and MDM4,
      respectively. A series of compounds were synthesized to optimize its activity on
      MDM2. As a result, compound 12 showed low nanomolar IC50 for both targets. NMR
      studies confirmed the pocket of binding of 12 as predicted by the Glide docking
      software. Notably, 12 was able to cause concentration-dependent inhibition of
      cell proliferation, yielding an IC50 value of 356 +/- 21 nM in neuroblastoma
      SHSY5Y cells and proved even to efficiently block cancer stem cell growth.

PMID- 28921987
TI  - A Novel Arylurea Fatty Acid That Targets the Mitochondrion and Depletes
      Cardiolipin To Promote Killing of Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - Cancer cell mitochondria are promising anticancer drug targets because they
      control cell death and are structurally and functionally different from normal
      cell mitochondria. We synthesized arylurea fatty acids and found that the
      analogue 16-({[4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]carbamoyl}amino)hexadecanoic
      acid (13b) decreased proliferation and activated apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast
      cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In mechanistic studies 13b emerged as the
      prototype of a novel class of mitochondrion-targeted agents that deplete
      cardiolipin and promote cancer cell death.

PMID- 28921988
TI  - Interaction of Food Additives with Intestinal Efflux Transporters.
AB  - Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), multidrug resistance associated protein
      2 (MRP2) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) are ABC transporters that are expressed in the
      intestine, where they are involved in the efflux of many drugs from enterocytes
      back into the intestinal lumen. The inhibition of BCRP, MRP2, and P-gp can result
      in enhanced absorption and exposure of substrate drugs. Food additives are widely
      used by the food industry to improve the stability, flavor, and consistency of
      food products. Although they are considered safe for consumption, their
      interactions with intestinal transporters are poorly characterized. Therefore, in
      this study, selected food additives, including preservatives, colorants, and
      sweeteners, were studied in vitro for their inhibitory effects on intestinal ABC
      transporters. Among the studied compounds, several colorants were able to inhibit
      BCRP and MRP2, whereas P-gp was fairly insensitive to inhibition. Additionally,
      one sweetener was identified as a potent inhibitor of BCRP. Dose-response studies
      revealed that the IC50 values of the inhibitors were lower than the estimated
      intestinal concentrations after the consumption of beverages containing food
      colorants. This suggests that there is potential for previously unrecognized
      transporter-mediated food additive-drug interactions.

PMID- 28921989
TI  - Universal Calibration of Computationally Predicted N 1s Binding Energies for
      Interpretation of XPS Experimental Measurements.
AB  - Computationally predicted N 1s core level energies are commonly used to interpret
      the experimental measurements obtained with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
      This work compares the application of Koopmans' theorem to core electrons using
      the B3LYP functional with two commonly used basis sets, analyzes the factors
      relevant to the comparison of the computational with experimental data, and
      presents several correlations that allow an accurate prediction of the N 1s
      binding energy. The first correlation is obtained with a series of known nitrogen
      containing functional groups on well-characterized organic monolayers. This
      approach can then be reliably extended to a number of nitrogen-containing
      chemical systems on silicon surfaces in which the nature of the chemical
      environment of nitrogen atoms had only been proposed based on a number of
      analytical techniques. In most of those cases, the XPS analysis is consistent
      with the proposed structures, but is not always sufficient for conclusive
      assignments. Third, it was attempted to also include N-containing systems on
      metals. Despite the admittedly oversimplified approach taken in this case (the
      metal surface is approximated by a single atom), the observed correlations are
      still experimentally useful, although in this case significant outliers are
      found. Finally, previously published correlations between experimental and
      theoretical C 1s data were reexamined, yielding a set of correlations that allow
      experimentalists to predict C 1s and N 1s XPS spectra with high accuracy.

PMID- 28921990
TI  - Disruption of Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer Models Mimicking the Outer Membrane of
      Gram-Negative Bacteria by an Active Plasticin.
AB  - The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria is a complex and asymmetric
      bilayer that antimicrobial peptides must disrupt in order to provoke the cell
      lysis. The inner and external leaflets of the OM are mainly composed of
      phospholipids (PL), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), respectively. Supported lipid
      bilayers are interesting model systems to mimic the lipid asymmetric scaffold of
      the OM and determine the quantitative and mechanistic effect of antimicrobial
      agents, using complementary physicochemical techniques. We report the formation
      of asymmetric PL/LPS bilayers using the Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer
      technique on two different surfaces (sapphire and mica) with synthetic
      phospholipids constituting the inner leaflet and bacteria-extracted mutant LPS
      making up the outer one. The combination of neutron reflectometry and atomic
      force microscopy techniques allowed the examination of the asymmetric scaffold
      structure along the normal to the interface and its surface morphology in buffer
      conditions. Our results allow discrimination of two structurally related
      peptides, one neutral and inactive, and the other cationic and active. The active
      cationic plasticin PTCDA1-KF disrupts the asymmetric OM at relevant
      concentrations through a carpeting scenario characterized by a dramatic removal
      of lipid molecules from the surface.

PMID- 28921991
TI  - Direct Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylative Transformation of Allylic Alcohols and
      Related Derivatives.
AB  - A direct, palladium-catalyzed, carbonylative transformation of allylic alcohols
      for the synthesis of beta,gamma-unsaturated carboxylic acids has been developed.
      With formic acid as the CO source, various allylic alcohols were conveniently
      transformed into the corresponding beta,gamma-unsaturated carboxylic acids with
      excellent linear and (E)-selectivity. The reaction was performed under mild
      conditions; toxic CO gas manipulation and high-pressure equipment were avoided in
      this procedure.

PMID- 28921992
TI  - Mechanistic Understanding of the Synergistic Potential of Azole Fungicides in the
      Aquatic Invertebrate Gammarus pulex.
AB  - Azole fungicides are known inhibitors of the important enzyme class cytochrome
      P450 monooxygenases (CYPs), thereby influencing the detoxification of co
      occurring substances via biotransformation. This synergism in mixtures containing
      an azole has mostly been studied by effect measurements, while the underlying
      mechanism has been less well investigated. In this study, six azole fungicides
      (cyproconazole, epoxiconazole, ketoconazole, prochloraz, propiconazole, and
      tebuconazole) were selected to investigate their synergistic potential and their
      CYP inhibition strength in the aquatic invertebrate Gammarus pulex. The
      strobilurin fungicide azoxystrobin was chosen as co-occurring substrate, and the
      synergistic potential was measured in terms of internal concentrations of
      azoxystrobin and associated biotransformation products (BTPs). Azoxystrobin is
      biotransformed by various reactions, and 18 BTPs were identified. By measuring
      internal concentrations of azoxystrobin and its BTPs with high-resolution tandem
      mass spectrometry in the presence and absence of azole fungicides followed by
      toxicokinetic modeling, we showed that the inhibition of CYP-catalyzed
      biotransformation reactions indeed played a role for the observed synergism.
      However, synergism was only observed for prochloraz at environmentally realistic
      concentrations. Increased uptake rate constants, an increase in the total
      internal concentration of azoxystrobin and its BTPs, in vivo assays for measuring
      CYP activities, and G. pulex video-tracking suggested that the 2-fold increase in
      bioaccumulation, and, thereby, the raised toxicity of azoxystrobin in the
      presence of prochloraz is not only caused by inhibited biotransformation but even
      more by increased azoxystrobin uptake induced by hyperactivity.

PMID- 28921993
TI  - Lactam-Stapled Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Cell Uptake and Membrane Binding
      Properties.
AB  - Stapling of side chains to stabilize an alpha-helical structure has been
      generally associated with an increased uptake of CPPs. Here, we compare four
      amphiphilic stapled peptides with their linear counterparts in terms of their
      membrane binding and conformational features in order to correlate these with
      uptake efficiency and toxicological effects. The impact of lactam stapling was
      found to vary strongly with regard to the different aspects of peptide-membrane
      interactions. Nearly all stapled peptides caused less membrane perturbation
      (vesicle leakage, hemolysis, bacterial lysis) than their linear counterparts. In
      one case (MAP-1) where stapling enhanced alpha-helicity in aqueous and lipid
      environments, leakage was eliminated while cell uptake in HEK293 and HeLa cells
      remained high, which improved the overall characteristics. The other systems
      (DRIM, WWSP, KFGF) did not improve, however. The data suggest that cell uptake of
      amphipathic CPPs correlates with their adopted alpha-helix content in membranes
      rather than their helicity in solution.

PMID- 28921994
TI  - Anisotropic Cracking of Nanocrystal Superlattices.
AB  - The synthesis colloidal nanocrystals in nonpolar organic solvents has led to
      exceptional size- and shape-control, enabling the formation of nanocrystal
      superlattices isostructural to atomic lattices built with nanocrystals rather
      than atoms. The long aliphatic ligands (e.g., oleic acid) used to achieve this
      control separate nanocrystals too far in the solid state for most charge
      transporting devices. Solid-state ligand exchange, which brings particles closer
      together and enhances conductivity, necessitates large changes in the total
      volume of the solid (compressive stress), which leads to film cracking. In this
      work, truncate octahedral lead selenide nanocrystals are shown to self-assemble
      into body-centered cubic superlattices in which the atomic axes of the individual
      nanocrystals are coaligned with the crystal axes of the superlattice. Due to this
      coalignment, upon ligand exchange of the superlattices, cracking is
      preferentially observed on ?011? superlattice directions. This observation is
      related to differences in the ligand binding to exposed {100} and {111} planes of
      the PbSe nanocrystal surfaces. This result has implications for binary and more
      complex structures in which differential reactivity of the constituent elements
      can lead to disruption of the desired structure. In addition, cracks in PbSe
      superlattices occur in a semiregular spacings inversely related to the
      superlattice domain size and strongly influenced by the presence of twin
      boundaries, which serve as both emission centers and propagation barriers for
      fractures. This work shows that defects, similar to behavior in nanotwinned
      metals, could be used to engineer enhanced mechanical strength and electrical
      conductivity in nanocrystal superlattices.

PMID- 28921995
TI  - The Angel and the Devil on your shoulder: Friends mitigate and exacerbate 21st
      birthday alcohol-related consequences.
AB  - Twenty-first birthdays are associated with heavier drinking and more negative
      consequences than any other high-risk drinking event. Friends are the strongest
      social influence on young adult drinking; however, previous research on college
      students' drinking has often only examined individuals' perceptions of "friends"
      generally. Unfortunately, this may obscure the positive influence of some friends
      and the negative influence of others. Using data drawn from a larger intervention
      study aimed at reducing 21st birthday drinking, this research examined how
      specific friends (N = 166) who were present at 21st birthday celebrations may
      have exacerbated or mitigated celebrants' (N = 166) experience of alcohol-related
      consequences, as well as how characteristics of that friendship moderate these
      effects. Controlling for sex, alcohol consumption, and friend prointoxication
      intentions for the celebrants' 21st birthday drinking, higher friend
      prosafety/support intentions predicted the celebrants experiencing fewer alcohol
      related consequences. Higher prosafety/support intentions also buffered
      participants from the negative influence of friend prointoxication intentions.
      Furthermore, the closeness of the friendship moderated this effect. At high
      levels of closeness, having a friend with lower prosafety/support intentions was
      associated with more alcohol-related consequences for the celebrant. Post hoc
      analyses revealed that this effect may have been driven by discrepancies between
      celebrants' and friends' reports of friendship closeness; celebrants' perception
      of closeness that was higher than the friends' perception was associated with the
      celebrant experiencing more alcohol-related consequences. Results demonstrate the
      ways that specific friends can both mitigate and exacerbate 21st birthday alcohol
      related consequences. The implications of the present findings for incorporating
      specific friends into drinking-related interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO
      Database Record

PMID- 28921998
TI  - Modeling Bivariate Change in Individual Differences: Prospective Associations
      Between Personality and Life Satisfaction.
AB  - A number of structural equation models have been developed to examine change in 1
      variable or the longitudinal association between 2 variables. The most common of
      these are the latent growth model, the autoregressive cross-lagged model, the
      autoregressive latent trajectory model, and the latent change score model. The
      authors first overview each of these models through evaluating their different
      assumptions surrounding the nature of change and how these assumptions may result
      in different data interpretations. They then, to elucidate these issues in an
      empirical example, examine the longitudinal association between personality
      traits and life satisfaction. In a representative Dutch sample (N = 8,320), with
      participants providing data on both personality and life satisfaction measures
      every 2 years over an 8-year period, the authors reproduce findings from previous
      research. However, some of the structural equation models overviewed have not
      previously been applied to the personality-life satisfaction relation. The
      extended empirical examination suggests intraindividual changes in life
      satisfaction predict subsequent intraindividual changes in personality traits.
      The availability of data sets with 3 or more assessment waves allows the
      application of more advanced structural equation models such as the
      autoregressive latent trajectory or the extended latent change score model, which
      accounts for the complex dynamic nature of change processes and allows stronger
      inferences on the nature of the association between variables. However, the
      choice of model should be determined by theories of change processes in the
      variables being studied. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28921997
TI  - Simulating drinking in social networks to inform alcohol prevention and treatment
      efforts.
AB  - Adolescent drinking influences, and is influenced by, peer alcohol use. Several
      efficacious adolescent alcohol interventions include elements aimed at reducing
      susceptibility to peer influence. Modeling these interventions within dynamically
      changing social networks may improve our understanding of how such interventions
      work and for whom they work best. We used stochastic actor-based models to
      simulate longitudinal drinking and friendship formation within social networks
      using parameters obtained from a meta-analysis of real-world 10th grade
      adolescent social networks. Levels of social influence (i.e., friends affecting
      changes in one's drinking) and social selection (i.e., drinking affecting changes
      in one's friendships) were manipulated at several levels, which directly impacted
      the degree of clustering in friendships based on similarity in drinking behavior.
      Midway through each simulation, one randomly selected heavy-drinking actor from
      each network received an "intervention" that either (a) reduced their
      susceptibility to social influence, (b) reduced their susceptibility to social
      selection, (c) eliminated a friendship with a heavy drinker, or (d) initiated a
      friendship with a nondrinker. Only the intervention that eliminated targeted
      actors' susceptibility to social influence consistently reduced that actor's
      drinking. Moreover, this was only effective in networks with social influence and
      social selection that were at higher levels than what was found in the real-world
      reference study. Social influence and social selection are dynamic processes that
      can lead to complex systems that may moderate the effectiveness of network-based
      interventions. Interventions that reduce susceptibility to social influence may
      be most effective among adolescents with high susceptibility to social influence
      and heavier-drinking friends. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28921999
TI  - Predictive Validity and Adjustment of Ideal Partner Preferences Across the
      Transition Into Romantic Relationships.
AB  - Although empirical research has investigated what we ideally seek in a romantic
      partner for decades, the crucial question of whether ideal partner preferences
      actually guide our mating decisions in real life has remained largely unanswered.
      One reason for this is the lack of designs that assess individuals' ideal partner
      preferences before entering a relationship and then follow up on them over an
      extended period. In the Gottingen Mate Choice Study (GMCS), a preregistered,
      large-scale online study, we used such a naturalistic prospective design. We
      investigated partner preferences across 4 preference domains in a large sample of
      predominantly heterosexual singles (N = 763, aged 18-40 years) and tracked these
      individuals across a period of 5 months upon a possible transition into romantic
      relationships. Attesting to their predictive validity, partner preferences
      prospectively predicted the characteristics of later partners. This was equally
      true for both sexes, except for vitality-attractiveness where men's preferences
      were more predictive of their later partners' standing on this dimension than
      women's. Self-perceived mate value did not moderate the preference-partner
      characteristics relations. Preferences proved to be relatively stable across the
      5 months interval, yet were less stable for those who entered a relationship.
      Subgroup analyses using a newly developed indicator of preference adjustment
      toward (vs. away from) partner characteristics revealed that participants
      adjusted their preferences downward when partners fell short of initial
      preferences, but showed no consistent adjustment when partners exceeded them.
      Results and implications are discussed against the background of ongoing
      controversies in mate choice and romantic relationship research. (PsycINFO
      Database Record

PMID- 28921996
TI  - Treatments for Internet gaming disorder and Internet addiction: A systematic
      review.
AB  - Problems related to excessive use of the Internet and video games have recently
      captured the interests of both researchers and clinicians. The goals of this
      review are to summarize the literature on treatment effectiveness for these
      problems and to determine whether any treatments meet the minimum requirement of
      an evidence-based treatment as defined by Chambless et al. (1998). Studies of
      treatments for Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and Internet addiction were
      examined separately, as past studies have linked IGD to more severe outcomes. The
      systematic review identified 26 studies meeting predefined criteria; 13 focused
      on treatments for IGD and 13 on Internet addiction. The results highlighted a
      paucity of well-designed treatment outcome studies and limited evidence for the
      effectiveness of any treatment modality. Studies were limited by methodological
      flaws, including small sample sizes, lack of control groups, and little
      information on treatment adherence, among other problems. In addition, the field
      is beset by a lack of consistent definitions of and established instruments to
      measure IGD and Internet addiction. The results of this review highlight the need
      for additional work in the area of treatment development and evaluation for IGD
      and Internet addiction. Attention to methodological concerns identified within
      this review should improve subsequent research related to treating these
      conditions, and ultimately outcomes of patients suffering from them. (PsycINFO
      Database Record

PMID- 28922000
TI  - Humblebragging: A distinct-and ineffective-self-presentation strategy.
AB  - Self-presentation is a fundamental aspect of social life, with myriad critical
      outcomes dependent on others' impressions. We identify and offer the first
      empirical investigation of a prevalent, yet understudied, self-presentation
      strategy: humblebragging. Across 9 studies, including a week-long diary study and
      a field experiment, we identify humblebragging-bragging masked by a complaint or
      humility-as a common, conceptually distinct, and ineffective form of self
      presentation. We first document the ubiquity of humblebragging across several
      domains, from everyday life to social media. We then show that both forms of
      humblebragging-complaint-based or humility-based-are less effective than
      straightforward bragging, as they reduce liking, perceived competence, compliance
      with requests, and financial generosity. Despite being more common, complaint
      based humblebrags are less effective than humility-based humblebrags, and are
      even less effective than simply complaining. We show that people choose to deploy
      humblebrags particularly when motivated to both elicit sympathy and impress
      others. Despite the belief that combining bragging with complaining or humility
      confers the benefits of each strategy, we find that humblebragging confers the
      benefits of neither, instead backfiring because it is seen as insincere.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922001
TI  - Reasons probably won't change your mind: The role of reasons in revising moral
      decisions.
AB  - Although many philosophers argue that making and revising moral decisions ought
      to be a matter of deliberating over reasons, the extent to which the
      consideration of reasons informs people's moral decisions and prompts them to
      change their decisions remains unclear. Here, after making an initial decision in
      2-option moral dilemmas, participants examined reasons for only the option
      initially chosen (affirming reasons), reasons for only the option not initially
      chosen (opposing reasons), or reasons for both options. Although participants
      were more likely to change their initial decisions when presented with only
      opposing reasons compared with only affirming reasons, these effect sizes were
      consistently small. After evaluating reasons, participants were significantly
      more likely not to change their initial decisions than to change them, regardless
      of the set of reasons they considered. The initial decision accounted for most of
      the variance in predicting the final decision, whereas the reasons evaluated
      accounted for a relatively small proportion of the variance in predicting the
      final decision. This resistance to changing moral decisions is at least partly
      attributable to a biased, motivated evaluation of the available reasons:
      participants rated the reasons supporting their initial decisions more favorably
      than the reasons opposing their initial decisions, regardless of the reported
      strategy used to make the initial decision. Overall, our results suggest that the
      consideration of reasons rarely induces people to change their initial decisions
      in moral dilemmas. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922002
TI  - Behavioral activation strategies for major depression in transdiagnostic
      cognitive-behavioral therapy: An evidence-based case study.
AB  - Behavioral activation (BA) is a treatment approach that uses functional analysis
      and context-dependent strategies to enhance environmental positive reinforcement
      for adaptive, healthy behavior, and decrease behavioral avoidance. BA has gained
      considerable support for the treatment of depression and can be broadly applied
      across a wide range of settings and clinical populations. In this article, we
      provide a brief description of BA as a therapeutic behavioral strategy for
      depression and present a clinical case example illustrating the integration of BA
      with other components of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral treatment for
      emotional disorders. Implications for clinical practice and avenues for future
      research will be discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922003
TI  - Behavioral activation strategies in cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety
      disorders.
AB  - Considerable work and attention has supported the use of behavioral activation
      (BA) strategies in the treatment of depressive disorders. Although not often
      recognized, BA, both implicitly and explicitly, appears to be conceptually and
      empirically relevant to the treatment of diverse problem areas, including the
      anxiety disorders. This article addresses the role of BA strategies in
      transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and related
      disorders, including in cases without comorbid depression. Following a brief
      introduction to a transdiagnostic CBT model of anxiety and related disorders,
      this article will: (a) provide a rationale for the integration of BA strategies
      as a potentially potent facilitator of therapeutic change; (b) identify relevant
      treatment targets of BA in anxiety disorders; and (c) illustrate the
      implementation and impacts of these strategies using a clinical case example.
      Finally, suggestions for future research and implications for training and
      practice will be noted. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922004
TI  - Behavioral activation in the treatment of metacognitive dysfunctions in inhibited
      type personality disorders.
AB  - Behavioral interventions are proposed as a critical treatment component in
      psychotherapy for personality disorders. The current study explores behavioral
      interventions as a mechanism of change in Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy, an
      integrative psychotherapy for personality disorders. The goals and implementation
      of behavioral principles are illustrated through the single case study of Roger,
      a 57-year-old man diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder and depressive
      personality disorder. Transcripts of interviews and therapy sessions illustrate
      the role of behavioral interventions, including behavioral activation, in Roger's
      treatment. Roger demonstrated a reliable change from baseline to posttreatment
      across all measures. He also showed gains with regard to his occupational
      functioning, interpersonal relationships, and sense of fulfilment. Implications
      with regard to treatment planning for personality disorders are discussed.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922005
TI  - Behavioral activation in TFP: The role of the treatment contract in transference
      focused psychotherapy.
AB  - Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) is a manualized evidence-based treatment
      for borderline and other severe personality disorders that is based on
      psychoanalytic object relations theory. Similar to other psychodynamic
      psychotherapies, TFP focuses on changing psychological structures, but also
      focuses on symptom and behavioral change, particularly the importance of being
      active (e.g., obtaining a job or involvement in similar activities). In TFP, the
      establishment of the treatment contract, also known as the treatment frame, is
      where goals such as work and other activities are agreed upon. The focus on such
      activities is particularly relevant to the concept of behavioral activation. We
      provide a clinical vignette to illustrate how TFP utilizes behavioral activation
      in facilitating treatment outcome both at the behavioral level and at the
      psychological level. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922006
TI  - Process factors explaining psycho-social outcomes in adventure therapy.
AB  - The development and factor analysis of the Adventure Therapy Experience Scale
      (ATES) is the first attempt found in the literature to empirically and
      quantitatively identify therapeutic factors theorized to affect change in the
      adventure therapy experience (Russell & Gillis, 2017). This study utilizes the
      ATES to explore how its inherent factors may impact treatment outcome utilizing a
      routine outcome monitoring process to empirically test how these factors may
      contribute to treatment outcome over time. The sample of 168 males 21.5 years of
      age completed an average of 79.6 days in the 90-day adventure-based substance use
      disorder residential treatment program. In the model, adventure-based experiences
      are a primary treatment tool. For outcome monitoring, all clients were
      administered the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2) at intake, every 2 weeks, and at
      discharge. In addition, clients were administered the 18-item ATES every 2 weeks.
      The ATES contains 2 items measuring how helpful the adventure experience was as
      well as how mindful they were of their treatment process during the experience.
      Clients also answer 16 Likert items measuring responses on 4 subscales: group
      adventure, nature, challenge, and reflection. Results reveal that clients, on
      average, improved in their psycho-social functioning as measured by the OQ 45.2.
      Weeks with higher helpfulness, mindfulness, and group adventure scores than the
      client's average helpfulness, mindfulness, and group adventure score, had greater
      decreases in OQ scores than weeks with lower helpfulness, mindfulness, and group
      adventure scores. Clients with higher aggregate helpfulness and group adventure
      scores, across all treatment weeks, had greater decreases in OQ scores than
      clients with lower aggregate helpfulness and group adventure scores. Implications
      for practice and future research are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922007
TI  - Attachment-based family therapy and individual emotion-focused therapy for
      unresolved anger: Qualitative analysis of treatment outcomes and change
      processes.
AB  - Twenty-six clients who received 10 sessions of either attachment-based family
      therapy (ABFT) or individual emotion-focused therapy (EFT) for unresolved anger
      toward a parent were interviewed 6 months after completing treatment. Interviews
      were analyzed using the consensual qualitative research approach. Clients in both
      conditions reported improved relationships with parents, gaining a new
      perspective of their parent, increased compassion toward parent, less reactivity
      to anger, feeling cleaned-out, and acquiring new coping strategies. Whereas ABFT
      clients more often reported improved relationships with parents, EFT clients more
      often reported feeling cleaned-out. Clients in both groups attributed change to
      productive emotional processing. Also, clients in both groups attributed change
      to saying difficult things that had never been said before directly to parents,
      though more so in ABFT. Whereas ABFT clients noted the importance of their
      parents participating in treatment and mutual vulnerability, EFT clients noted
      the importance of remembering previously avoided memories and feelings, and
      getting their anger of their chest. While some EFT clients reported that therapy
      had a negative impact on their relationship with their parents and increased
      their anger, some ABFT clients reported that the positive impact of therapy
      during the active phase of treatment did not last, though there were no
      meaningful between-groups differences regarding these negative treatment outcomes
      and processes. Results are discussed in the context of previous quantitative
      findings from the same sample, and in the context of prior research on
      experiential and emotion-focused therapies. Implications for future research are
      noted. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922008
TI  - Crying in psychotherapy: The perspective of therapists and clients.
AB  - Eighteen U.S.-based doctoral students in counseling or clinical psychology were
      interviewed by phone regarding experiences of crying in therapy. Specifically,
      they described crying as therapists with their clients, as clients with their
      therapists, and experiences when their therapists cried in the participants'
      therapy. Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research. When crying
      with their clients, therapists expressed concern about the appropriateness/impact
      of crying, cried only briefly and because they felt an empathic connection with
      their clients, thought that the crying strengthened the relationship, discussed
      the event with their supervisor, and wished they had discussed the event more
      fully with clients. Crying as clients was triggered by discussing distressing
      personal events, was accompanied by a mixture of emotions regarding the tears,
      consisted of substantial crying to express pain or sadness, and led to multiple
      benefits (enhanced therapy relationship, deeper therapy, and insight). When their
      therapists cried, the crying was brief, was triggered by discussions of
      termination, arose from therapists' empathic connection with participants, and
      strengthened the therapy relationship. Implications for research, training, and
      practice are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922009
TI  - The development and initial validation of the Countertransference Management
      Scale.
AB  - Countertransference is an important aspect of the therapeutic relationship that
      exists in therapies of all theoretical orientations, and depending on how it is
      managed, it can either help or hinder treatment. Management of
      countertransference has been measured almost exclusively with the
      Countertransference Factors Inventory (Van Wagoner, Gelso, Hayes, & Diemer, 1991)
      and its variations, all of which focus on 5 therapist qualities theorized to
      facilitate management: self-insight, conceptualizing ability, empathy, self
      integration, and anxiety management. Existing versions of the Countertransference
      Factors Inventory, however, possess certain psychometric limitations that appear
      to constrain how well they assess actual management of countertransference during
      a therapy session. We thus sought to develop a new measure that addressed these
      limitations and that captured the 5 therapist qualities as constituents (rather
      than correlates) of countertransference management that manifest in the treatment
      hour. The development and initial validation of the resulting 22-item
      Countertransference Management Scale (CMS) is described here. Exploratory factor
      analysis of ratings of 286 therapy supervisors of current supervisees indicated
      that the 5 constituents of countertransference management could be grouped into 2
      correlated factors: "Understanding Self and Client" and "Self-Integration and
      Regulation." Evidence of convergent and criterion-related validity was supported
      by CMS total and subscale scores correlating as expected with measures of
      theoretically relevant constructs, namely, therapist countertransference
      behavior, theoretical framework, self-esteem, observing ego, empathic
      understanding, and tolerance of anxiety. Results also supported the internal
      consistency of the CMS and its subscales. Research, clinical, and training
      implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 28922010
TI  - Detecting memory performance validity with DETECTS: A computerized performance
      validity test.
AB  - Evaluating performance validity is essential in neuropsychological and forensic
      assessments. Nonetheless, most psychological assessment tests are unable to
      detect performance validity and other methods must be used for this purpose. A
      new Performance Validity Test (DETECTS - Memory Performance Validity Test) was
      developed with several characteristics that enhance test utility. Moreover,
      precise response time measurement was added to DETECTS. Two groups of
      participants (normative and simulator group) completed DETECTS and three memory
      tests from the Wechsler Memory Scale III. Simulators achieved considerably lower
      scores (hits) and higher response times in DETECTS compared with the normative
      group. All participants in the normative group were classified correctly and no
      simulator was classified as having legitimate memory deficits. Thus, DETECTS
      seems to be a valuable computerized Performance Validity Test with reduced
      application time and effective cut-off scores as well as high sensitivity,
      specificity, and positive and negative predictive power values. Lastly, response
      time may be a very useful measure for detecting memory malingering.

PMID- 28922011
TI  - South Asian immigrant women's suggestions for culturally-tailored HIV education
      and prevention programs.
AB  - Using a community-based, socialist feminist qualitative study, and an emergent
      research design, we explored the unique individual experiences of South Asian
      immigrant women living with HIV in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Ontario,
      Canada. We assessed both the HIV risk context and the strategies for HIV
      education and prevention as expressed by study participants. Grounded in
      Connell's social theory of gender, a thematic analysis of semi-structured
      interviews with 12 women yielded six themes related to the power and impact of
      stigmatization, community's denial of HIV, infidelity, manifested in resistance
      to discussing sex and condom use, non-disclosure, and lack of HIV knowledge. This
      study validated the legitimacy of listening to the voices of South Asian
      immigrant women living with HIV, who communicated 20 recommendations for
      researchers, educators, community organizations, and service providers to
      culturally-tailor HIV education programs.

PMID- 28922012
TI  - Neuropsychological outcome of a case of Susac syndrome: A two-year follow-up
      study.
AB  - Susac syndrome is a rare condition characterised by the clinical triad of
      encephalopathy, branch retinal artery occlusion, and sensorineural hearing loss.
      Of the few published cases, there is variability with regard to cognitive
      outcome. We describe the clinical course and neuropsychological performance of a
      21-year-old male patient presenting with severe encephalopathy and later
      developing the full triad fulfilling the diagnosis of Susac syndrome.

PMID- 28922013
TI  - Identification of a practical and reliable method for the evaluation of litter
      moisture in turkey production.
AB  - 1. An experiment was conducted to compare 5 different methods for the evaluation
      of litter moisture. 2. For litter collection and assessment, 55 farms were
      selected, one shed from each farm was inspected and 9 points were identified
      within each shed. 3. For each device, used for the evaluation of litter moisture,
      mean and standard deviation of wetness measures per collection point were
      assessed. 4. The reliability and overall consistency between the 5 instruments
      used to measure wetness were high (alpha = 0.72). 5. Measurement of three out of
      the 9 collection points were sufficient to provide a reliable assessment of
      litter moisture throughout the shed. 6. Based on the direct correlation between
      litter moisture and footpad lesions, litter moisture measurement can be used as a
      resource based on-farm animal welfare indicator. 7. Among the 5 methods analysed,
      visual scoring is the most simple and practical, and therefore the best candidate
      to be used on-farm for animal welfare assessment.

PMID- 28922014
TI  - World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy World Congress 2017 Faculty of
      Health, Camilo Jose Cela University September 29-October 1, 2017 Madrid, Spain.

PMID- 28922015
TI  - Over-the-top ACL Reconstruction Plus Extra-articular Lateral Tenodesis With
      Hamstring Tendon Grafts: Prospective Evaluation With 20-Year Minimum Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are few published studies with very long-term follow-up of
      combined intra- and extra-articular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
      reconstruction. PURPOSE: To analyze clinical and radiographic outcomes of over
      the-top ACL reconstruction plus extra-articular lateral tenodesis with autologous
      hamstrings at minimum 20-year follow-up. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of
      evidence, 4. METHODS: Of 60 originally eligible patients who underwent over-the
      top ACL reconstruction with double-stranded hamstring tendon (leaving intact
      graft tibial insertions) and extra-articular lateral plasty (performed with the
      remnant part of tendons), 52 were prospectively evaluated at a minimum 20-year
      follow-up (mean follow-up, 24 years; 41 men, 11 women; mean age at time of
      surgery, 25.5 +/- 7.6 years). Twenty-nine patients were available for prospective
      evaluations: clinical (Lysholm, Tegner, and objective International Knee
      Documentation Committee [IKDC]), instrumented (KT-2000), and radiographic
      (standard, long-standing, and Merchant views). Subjective KOOS (Knee injury and
      Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) and objective inertial sensor pivot-shift analysis
      (KiRA) were carried out at final follow-up. Twenty-three patients were
      investigated by phone interview for subjective Tegner score and documented
      complications, rerupture, or revision surgery. RESULTS: At final follow-up, mean
      Lysholm score was 85.7 +/- 14.6; median Tegner score, 4 (range, 3-5); sport
      activity resumption, 86.2%; and objective IKDC score, good or excellent in 86% of
      patients (31%, A; 55%, B). Only 3 of 26 patients (12%) had >5-mm manual maximum
      KT-2000 side-to-side difference. KiRA system documented positive pivot-shift
      (>0.9-m/s2 tibial acceleration side-to-side difference) in these 3 of 26 patients
      (12%). Statistically significant changes were as follows: decrease in Tegner
      score from 7 (range, 6-8) at 5-year follow-up to 4 (range, 3-5) at 10 years ( P <
      .0001) and decrease in Lysholm score from 96.1 +/- 7.3 at 10-year follow-up to
      85.7 +/- 14.6 at 20 years ( P = .0003). Radiographic evaluation demonstrated
      significant difference of medial joint space between injured and healthy knees in
      patients with concomitant medial meniscectomy (n = 8, 3.2 +/- 0.6 vs 5.0 +/- 1.8
      mm, P = .0114). No significant differences were reported regarding lateral or
      patellofemoral joint space. One patient (2%) experienced rerupture, with 3 of 52
      (5.8%) having a contralateral ACL injury (excluded from KT-2000 and radiographic
      evaluations). Overall, 4 of 29 clinical failures (objective IKDC, KT-2000) and 1
      rerupture among 52 patients were registered at final follow-up. CONCLUSION:
      Studied surgical technique demonstrated good results in laxity control at 20-year
      minimum follow-up. The lateral extra-articular plasty associated with ACL
      reconstruction did not generate lateral knee or patellofemoral osteoarthritis.
      The factor increasing osteoarthritis was meniscectomy.

PMID- 28922016
TI  - High Degree of Variability in Reporting of Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes
      After Hip Arthroscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hip arthroscopy for the treatment of intra-articular pathology is a
      rapidly expanding field. Outcome measures should be reported to document the
      efficacy of arthroscopic procedures; however, the most effective outcome measures
      are not established. PURPOSE: To evaluate the variability in outcomes reported
      after hip arthroscopy and to compare the responsiveness of patient-reported
      outcome (PRO) instruments. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: We reviewed
      primary hip arthroscopy literature between January 2011 and September 2016 using
      the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses
      guidelines. Patient and study characteristics were recorded. Pre- and
      postoperative means and SDs of PROs were recorded from articles that used 2 or
      more PROs with a 1-year minimum follow-up. From this subset of articles, we
      compared the responsiveness between PRO instruments using the effect size,
      standard response mean, and relative efficiency. RESULTS: We identified 130
      studies that met our inclusion/exclusion criteria, which totaled 16,970 patients
      (17,511 hips, mean age = 37.0 years, mean body mass index = 25.9 kg/m2).
      Radiographic measures were reported in 100 studies. The alpha angle and center
      edge angle were the most common measures. Range of motion was reported in 81 of
      130 articles. PROs were reported in 129 of 130 articles, and 21 different PRO
      instruments were identified. The mean number of PROs per article was 3.2, and 78%
      used 2 or more PROs. The most commonly used PRO was the modified Harris Hip
      Score, followed by the Hip Outcome Score (HOS)-Activities of Daily Living, HOS
      Sport, visual analog scale, and Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS). The 2 most
      responsive PRO tools were the International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT)-12 and the
      NAHS. CONCLUSION: Outcomes reporting is highly variable in the hip arthroscopy
      literature. More than 20 different PRO instruments have been used, which makes
      comparison across studies difficult. A uniform set of outcome measures would
      allow for clearer interpretation of the hip arthroscopy literature and offer
      potential conclusions from pooled data. On the basis of our comparative
      responsiveness results and previously reported psychometric properties of the
      different PRO instruments, we recommend more widespread adoption of the iHOT PROs
      instruments to assess hip arthroscopy outcomes.

PMID- 28922017
TI  - Effects of Chronic and Intermittent Calorie Restriction on Adropin Levels in
      Breast Cancer.
AB  - Adropin is a peptide hormone that has been implicated in insulin resistance and
      as a potential regulator of growth. The aim of this study is to determine the
      effect of calorie restriction on circulating levels of adropin in the MMTV
      TGFalpha breast cancer mouse model and investigate the effects of adropin peptide
      on the viability of MCF-7 and MDA-231 breast cancer cells in culture. Ten-week
      old mice were assigned to either ad libitum-fed (AL), chronic calorie-restricted,
      or intermittent calorie-restricted groups. Concentrations of serum adropin were
      measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results showed an inverse
      correlation between serum adropin levels and mouse age that was attenuated by
      calorie restriction. In the AL group the level of adropin was significantly lower
      at week 50 compared to levels at week 10. However, among the calorie-restricted
      groups, serum levels of adropin remained high at week 50. The cell-line-specific
      effects were observed after treatment of cancer cell lines with a series of
      adropin concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50 ng/mL). Flow cytometry analysis showed that
      MCF-7 cells entered the early phase of apoptosis after treatment with 50 ng/mL
      for 24 h. Adropin may be involved in the protective effects that calorie
      restriction has on breast cancer risk.

PMID- 28922019
TI  - Sleep problems and daytime sleepiness in children with ADHD: Associations with
      social, emotional, and behavioral functioning at school, a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep problems and daytime sleepiness are common in children with
      attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and are associated with poor
      parent-reported functional outcomes. However, the potential impact of sleep
      problems or daytime sleepiness on the school functioning of children with ADHD
      remains unknown. We aimed to determine if sleep problems and daytime sleepiness
      were associated with the social, emotional, and behavioral school-based
      functioning of children with ADHD and comorbid sleep problems. METHODS: Children
      aged 5-13 years with ADHD and a moderate-severe sleep problem (confirmed using
      American Academy of Sleep Medicine diagnostic criteria) were recruited from 43
      pediatric practices across Victoria and Queensland, Australia (N = 257). Parent
      rated sleep problems were assessed using the Children's Sleep Habits
      Questionnaire (CSHQ) and teacher-rated daytime sleepiness using the Teacher's
      Daytime Sleepiness Questionnaire. Teacher-rated social, emotional, and behavioral
      school functioning was assessed using three scales (peer problems, emotional
      problems, and conduct problems) from the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire.
      Data was analyzed using Pearson correlations and linear regression models.
      RESULTS: Teacher-rated daytime sleepiness was associated with higher levels of
      emotional (beta = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.25-0.52) and behavioral problems (beta = 0.47;
      CI = 0.36-0.58) in adjusted models. While total sleep duration and parent-rated
      sleep problems were not associated with daytime sleepiness or school functioning,
      the CSHQ subscale night wakings was correlated with teacher-rated daytime
      sleepiness (r = 0.21; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Daytime sleepiness (possibly as an
      indicator of sleep quality) may be a better predictor of school functioning in
      children with ADHD who have concomitant sleep problems than total sleep duration
      or parent-rated sleep problems.

PMID- 28922018
TI  - Tacrolimus Ointment for Refractory Posterior Blepharitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: This prospective, randomized, double-blind interventional case series
      was designed to evaluate the short-term efficacy of 0.03% tacrolimus ointment as
      a new therapeutic approach for refractory cases of posterior blepharitis.
      METHODS: Forty eyes (20 patients) with posterior blepharitis refractory to
      previous treatment were randomized. Eighteen eyes (9 patients) were treated with
      0.03% tacrolimus ointment and 20 eyes (10 patients) with placebo ointment twice
      daily. Patients were evaluated with a questionnaire and slit-lamp examination 14
      days and 28 days after treatment, and symptoms and signs of blepharitis were
      compared to those observed at baseline. RESULTS: We could observe statistical
      difference in the outcome measurements of meibomian gland secretion, conjunctival
      hyperemia, telangiectasia of inferior lid, Rose Bengal, and fluorescein scoring
      for the study group. As for the symptoms score, we observed statistical
      difference in the symptoms scoring for pruritus and dry eye sensation in the
      tacrolimus group. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that topical administration of
      0.03% tacrolimus ointment can improve some symptoms and some ocular surface
      status in patients with refractory posterior blepharitis.

PMID- 28922020
TI  - Seasonal and weather variation of sleep and physical activity in 12-14-year-old
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding variation in physical activity (PA) and sleep is
      necessary to develop novel intervention strategies targeting adolescents' health
      behaviors. We examined the extent to which PA and sleep vary by aspects of the
      physical environment. PARTICIPANTS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of
      669 adolescents in the Project Viva cohort. METHODS: We estimated total PA, sleep
      duration, sleep efficiency, and sleep midpoint timing from wrist accelerometers.
      We used multivariable linear regression models and generalized estimated
      equations to assess associations of PA and sleep with season and daily weather
      conditions obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
      archive. RESULTS: Mean age was 12.9 (SD 0.6) years; 51% were female and 68% were
      white. Mean sleep duration was 466 (SD 42) min per night and total PA was 1,652
      (SD 431) counts per min per day. Sleep midpoint time was 41 (95% CI: 27 to 54)
      min later in summer, 28 (95% CI: -41 to -14) min earlier in spring, and 29 (95%
      CI: -43 to -15) min earlier in autumn compared to winter. Higher temperature and
      longer day length both were associated with small reductions of nightly sleep
      duration. Adolescents were less physically active during winter and on rainy and
      short sunlight days. There was an inverse U-shaped relationship between PA and
      mean temperature. CONCLUSIONS: Season was associated with large changes in sleep
      timing, and smaller changes in other sleep and PA measurements. Given the
      importance of sleep and circadian alignment, future health behavioral
      interventions may benefit by targeting "season-specific" interventions.

PMID- 28922021
TI  - Pharmacokinetic drug evaluation of ezetimibe + simvastatin for the treatment of
      hypercholesterolemia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cholesterol lowering treatment is mainly based on statins
      eventually associated to adjunctive drugs of different class such as ezetimibe.
      In the present review, we analysed the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of
      ezetimibe + simvastatin drug association. Areas covered: The bio-equivalence of
      ezetimibe and simvastatin when co-administrated in separate tablets or combined
      in a single pill is well documented. Ezetimibe is absorbed in small intestine,
      reaching peak plasma concentrations in 4-12 h, with a plasma half-life of 22 h.
      Simvastatin, ingested as a prodrug, is hydrolyzed in liver to its active beta
      hydroxyacid metabolite, reaching peak plasma concentrations in 2-4 h, with a
      plasma half-life of approximately 5 h. The available evidence support the
      clinical efficacy of this drug combination, both in term of LDL-cholesterol
      reduction and cardiovascular risk decrease. Expert opinion: The synergistic
      action of these two drugs and the efficacy and safety extensively demonstrated of
      their association (in particular in the large IMProved Reduction of Outcomes:
      Vytorin Efficacy International Trial -IMPROVE-IT-) promote its clinical use,
      especially in subjects with high cardiovascular risk who need to optimize their
      LDL-Cholesterolemia, but also in patients who cannot tolerate high-dose of more
      powerful statins.

PMID- 28922022
TI  - Implementing a collaborative coaching intervention for professionals providing
      care to children and their families: An exploratory study.
AB  - The growing complexity of healthcare requires family and interprofessional
      partnerships to deliver effective care. Interprofessional coaching can enhance
      family-centred practice and collaboration. The purpose of this study was to
      explore the acceptability and feasibility of collaborative coaching training to
      improve family centredness within acute paediatric rehabilitation. Using a
      participatory action design, service providers (SPs; n = 36) underwent a 6-month
      coaching programme involving coaching workshops, learning triads, and tailored
      sessions with a licensed coach. The feasibility and acceptability of coaching on
      SPs' family interactions and care was explored. Measure of Processes of Care
      (MPOC) and MPOC-SP, a coaching skills questionnaire, and focus groups were used
      to evaluate the acceptability of coaching training. We found that structured
      coaching training was feasible and SPs reported significant improvements in their
      coaching skills; however, MPOC and MPOC-SP scores did not reveal significant
      differences. Qualitative themes indicated that clinicians are developing coaching
      competencies and applying these skills in clinical practice. Participants
      perceived that the coaching approach strengthened relationships amongst
      colleagues, and they valued the opportunity for interprofessional learning.
      Findings suggest that coaching offers promise as an approach to facilitate
      successful patient outcomes and improve processes of care. Preliminary findings
      indicate that interprofessional coaching training is acceptable, feasible, and
      can significantly improve SP coaching skills and improve team cohesion. Further
      research to study the effects of coaching on interprofessional care using
      validated outcome measures and to assess the impact on service delivery is
      recommended.

PMID- 28922023
TI  - Fatty acid synthase (FASN) as a therapeutic target in breast cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ten years ago, we put forward the metabolo-oncogenic nature of
      fatty acid synthase (FASN) in breast cancer. Since the conception of this
      hypothesis, which provided a model to explain how FASN is intertwined with
      various signaling networks to cell-autonomously regulate breast cancer initiation
      and progression, FASN has received considerable attention as a therapeutic
      target. However, despite the ever-growing evidence demonstrating the involvement
      of FASN as part of the cancer-associated metabolic reprogramming, translation of
      the basic science-discovery aspects of FASN blockade to the clinical arena
      remains a challenge. Areas covered: Ten years later, we herein review the
      preclinical lessons learned from the pharmaceutical liabilities of the first
      generation of FASN inhibitors. We provide an updated view of the current
      development and clinical testing of next generation FASN-targeted drugs. We also
      discuss new clinico-molecular approaches that should help us to convert
      roadblocks into roadways that will propel forward our therapeutic understanding
      of FASN. Expert opinion: With the recent demonstration of target engagement and
      early signs of clinical activity with the first orally available, selective,
      potent and reversible FASN inhibitor, we can expect Big pharma to revitalize
      their interest in lipogenic enzymes as well-credentialed targets for oncology
      drug development in breast cancer.

PMID- 28922024
TI  - The implementation of multiple interprofessional integrated modules by health
      sciences faculty in Chile.
AB  - Multiple interprofessional integrated modules (MIIM) 1 and 2 are two required,
      cross-curricular courses developed by a team of health professions faculty, as
      well as experts in education, within the Faculty of Medicine of the University of
      Chile. MIIM 1 focused on virtual cases requiring team decision-making in real
      time. MIIM 2 focused on a team-based community project. The evaluation of MIIM
      included student, teacher, and coordinator perspectives. To explore the
      perceptions of this interprofessional experience quantitative data in the form of
      standardised course evaluations regarding teaching methodology, interpersonal
      relations and the course organisation and logistics were gathered. In addition,
      qualitative perceptions were collected from student focus groups and meetings
      with tutors and coordinators. Between 2010 and 2014, 881 students enrolled in
      MIIM. Their evaluation scores rated interpersonal relations most highly, followed
      by organisation and logistics, and then teaching methodology. A key result was
      the learning related to interprofessional team work by the teaching coordinators,
      as well as the participating faculty. The strengths of this experience included
      student integration and construction of new knowledge, skill development in
      making decisions, and collective self-learning. Challenges included additional
      time management and tutors' role. This work requires valuation of an alternative
      way of learning, which is critical for the performance of future health
      professionals.

PMID- 28922025
TI  - Prevalence of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Ready-to-Eat Foods Sold in Istanbul.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of staphylococcal
      enterotoxins (SEs) in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold in Istanbul, Turkey. A total
      of 5,241 samples were randomly collected from various caterers, hotels, and
      restaurants from 2014 to 2016. The samples were classified into four groups: (i)
      various cooked RTE meat and vegetable meals, (ii) various RTE salads,
      charcuterie, and cold appetizers, (iii) various cooked RTE bakery products
      (pasta, pastries, pizza, pita, ravioli, etc.), and (iv) any cooked RTE sweets and
      desserts (pudding, custard, cream, ashura, etc.). The samples were examined for
      the presence of SEs by 3M Tecra Staph Enterotoxin Visual Immunoassay method,
      which is a manual enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Among all samples,
      only 1 (0.019%) RTE meal (vegetable meal with meat) was found to be contaminated
      with SEs, a good result in terms of staphylococcal food poisoning risk and public
      health.

PMID- 28922026
TI  - Characterization of Quinolone Resistance in Salmonella enterica from Farm Animals
      in China.
AB  - This study was focused on the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibilities of
      Salmonella directly isolated at animal clinics in Guangdong, People's Republic of
      China. The isolation rates from chickens, ducks, and pigs were 11.3% (11 of 97
      samples), 15.4% (53 of 344 samples), and 3.0% (13 of 434 samples), respectively.
      Among the 77 Salmonella enterica isolates, the most predominant serovar was
      Typhimurium (81.8%, 63 isolates), followed by serovars Meleagridis (2.6%, 2
      isolates) and Abaetetuba (1.3%, 1 isolate). Salmonella isolates were resistant to
      ciprofloxacin (16.9% of isolates) and nalidixic acid (66.2% of isolates), and 68
      isolates (88.3%) were multidrug resistant, displaying resistance to three or more
      classes of antimicrobial agents. Eighteen isolates (23.4%) had at least one
      plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene, which was identified using PCR and
      DNA sequencing. The most prevalent plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene was
      aac(6')-Ib-cr, found in 14 isolates (18.2%), followed by oqxAB (9.1%) and qnrS
      (7.8%). Alterations in the gyrA gene were detected in 24 (57.1%) of 42 strains
      with a ciprofloxacin MIC of >=0.25 MUg/mL; the same level of susceptibility was
      found for enrofloxacin. Six types of mutations were found in the quinolone
      resistance determining regions of gyrA, and the predominant one (S83Y) was found
      singly in 15 (62.5%) of 24 isolates. We also found 22 different pulsed-field gel
      electrophoresis types among the Salmonella isolates. The Salmonella serovars and
      MICs of ciprofloxacin were similar within clusters, although individual
      differences were noted. This finding suggests that resistance plasmids were
      horizontally transmitted but also clonally spread.

PMID- 28922027
TI  - Further Evidence of How Unbuffered Starvation at 4 degrees C Influences Listeria
      monocytogenes EGD-e, HCC23, F2365, and Scott A.
AB  - The soilborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes frequently contaminates food
      products and food processing environments and is able to survive desiccation,
      high osmotic pressures, and starvation. However, little is known about how this
      pathogen survives starvation at 4 degrees C. This study provides evidence that L.
      monocytogenes is able to survive total nutrient starvation for 4 weeks. L.
      monocytogenes strains EGD-e, Scott A, F2365, and HCC23 were starved individually
      in sterile water. Colony counts declined over 4 weeks, with Scott A declining the
      most rapidly. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed degradation of
      starving cell membranes and altered cytosols. Starving cells were subjected to
      the metabolic inhibitors fluoride, arsenite, 2,4-dinitrophenol, iodoacetate, and
      cyanide individually. Iodoacetate, which inhibits glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
      dehydrogenase, completely reduced cultivable counts below the level of detection
      compared with the control starving cells; 2,4-dinitrophenol, which dissipates
      proton motive force, almost completely reduced cultivable counts. These results
      suggest that L. monocytogenes strains EGD-e, Scott A, F2365, and HCC23 are
      actively using part of the glycolysis pathway while starving. These results
      suggest that starving L. monocytogenes cells retain aspects of active metabolism.

PMID- 28922028
TI  - Analysis of Aflatoxin M1 in Breast Milk and Its Association with Nutritional and
      Socioeconomic Status of Lactating Mothers in Lebanon.
AB  - Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most potent of the dietary aflatoxins, and its major
      metabolite, aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), is frequently found in the breast milk of
      lactating mothers. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and factors
      associated with AFM1 contamination of breast milk collected from lactating
      mothers in Lebanon. A total of 111 breast milk samples were collected according
      to the guidelines set by the World Health Organization. Samples were analyzed
      with a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay between December 2015 and
      November 2016. A survey was used to determine the demographic and anthropometric
      characteristics of participating lactating mothers. Dietary habits were assessed
      using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Mean (+/-standard
      deviation) concentration of AFM1 in the breast milk samples was 4.31 +/- 1.8
      ng/L, and 93.8% of samples contained AFM1 at 0.2 to 7.9 ng/L. The mean
      concentration of AFM1 was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in fall and winter (4.1
      +/- 1.9 ng/L) than in spring and summer (5.0 +/- 1.7 ng/L). None of the samples
      exceeded the European Commission regulation limit (25 ng/L) for infant milk
      replacement formula. AFM1 contamination was significantly associated (P < 0.05)
      with the daily consumption of white cheeses but not with the consumption of meat
      or cereal products. No significant association (P > 0.05) was observed between
      AFM1 concentrations in breast milk and anthropometric sociodemographic factors
      (age and level of education) or the governorate of residence of the nursing
      mothers. The mean AFM1 estimated daily intake was found to be 0.69 ng/day/kg of
      body weight. Although the incidence of AFM1 contamination was low, our first-of
      its-kind study highlights the importance of conducting investigations on
      mycotoxin contamination in breast milk and of developing protection strategies to
      tackle the exposure of infants to this potent chemical hazard.

PMID- 28922029
TI  - Exploratory Study into the Microbiological Quality of Spinach and Cabbage
      Purchased from Street Vendors and Retailers in Johannesburg, South Africa.
AB  - Knowledge of the microbiological quality and prevalence of antibiotic resistance
      and virulence genes in bacterial isolates from leafy green vegetables supplied by
      formal suppliers (retailers) and informal suppliers (street vendors) in South
      Africa is limited. Because leafy vegetables have been implicated in foodborne
      disease outbreaks worldwide, 180 cabbage and spinach samples were collected from
      three major retailers and nine street vendors in Johannesburg, South Africa.
      Escherichia coli and coliforms were enumerated using Petrifilm plates. The
      prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Shigella was determined
      using real-time PCR analysis. Identities of presumptive E. coli isolates from the
      fresh produce were confirmed using matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization
      time of flight mass spectroscopy. Isolates were characterized using phenotypic
      (antibiotic resistance) and genotypic (phylogenetic and virulence gene) analysis.
      Hygiene indicator bacteria levels on spinach from formal and informal retailers
      exceeded the maximum level specified by the Department of Health guidelines for
      fresh fruit and vegetables. E. coli counts for street vendor spinach were higher
      (P < 0.0789) than those for retailer spinach. E. coli was present in only two
      cabbage samples, at 0.0035 CFU/g. L. monocytogenes and Salmonella were detected
      in 7.2 and 5% of the 180 samples, respectively, based on real-time PCR analysis;
      Shigella was not detected. Of the 29 spinach E. coli isolates, 37.9% were
      multidrug resistant. Virulence genes eae and stx1 were present in 14 and 3% of
      the spinach E. coli isolates, respectively; the stx2 gene was not detected.
      Eighty-six percent of these isolates belonged to phylogroup A, 3% belonged to
      group C, 7% belonged to group E, and 3% belonged to clade 1. The results from the
      current exploratory study on the microbiological quality of spinach bought from
      selected retailers highlight the need for continued surveillance on a larger
      scale, especially in the informal sector, to characterize the potential health
      risks to the consumer.

PMID- 28922030
TI  - Rapid Detection and Classification of Salmonella enterica Shedding in Feedlot
      Cattle Utilizing the Roka Bioscience Atlas Salmonella Detection Assay for the
      Analysis of Rectoanal Mucosal Swabs.
AB  - With an increasing focus on preharvest food safety, rapid methods are required
      for the detection and quantification of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella
      enterica in beef cattle. We validated the Atlas Salmonella Detection Assay (SEN),
      a nucleic acid amplification technology that targets Salmonella rRNA, for the
      qualitative detection of S. enterica with sample enrichment using immunomagnetic
      separation as a reference test, and we further evaluated its accuracy to predict
      pathogen load using SEN signal-to-cutoff (SCO) values from unenriched samples to
      classify animals as high or nonhigh shedders. Rectoanal mucosal swabs (RAMS) were
      collected from 238 beef cattle from five cohorts located in the Midwest or
      southern High Plains of the United States between July 2015 and April 2016.
      Unenriched RAMS samples were used for the enumeration and SEN SCO analyses.
      Enriched samples were tested using SEN and immunomagnetic separation methods for
      the detection of Salmonella. The SEN method was 100% sensitive and specific for
      the detection of Salmonella from the enriched RAMS samples. A SEN SCO value of 8,
      with a sensitivity of 93.5% and specificity of 94.3%, was found to be an optimum
      cutoff value for classifying animals as high or nonhigh shedders from the
      unenriched RAMS samples. The SEN assay is a rapid and reliable method for the
      qualitative detection and categorization of the shedding load of Salmonella from
      RAMS in feedlot cattle.

PMID- 28922033
TI  - Controlling You Watching Me: Measuring Perception Control on Social Media.
AB  - Online self-presentation assumes that individuals intentionally control how
      others perceive them based on their online behaviors. Existing tools are limited
      in their ability to measure this notion of perception control and there is little
      understanding around factors which may affect the desire for perception control.
      This article reports on the development of a perception control scale and
      comparisons of perception control across age and between genders. A total of 222
      participants completed an online survey with items measuring perception control
      and participant demographics. A principal component analysis revealed a one
      factor, 12-item scale explaining 41.14% of the variance. Perception control was
      found to increase with age and did not differ between genders. Results are
      consistent with existing impression management research suggesting that while
      participants of both genders desire to control how others perceive them, as a
      person's sense of self stabilizes over time, they are less motivated to change
      their behaviors to control others' impressions of them.

PMID- 28922034
TI  - Personality Traits and Social Media Use in 20 Countries: How Personality Relates
      to Frequency of Social Media Use, Social Media News Use, and Social Media Use for
      Social Interaction.
AB  - This study examines the relationship between peoples' personality traits and
      social media uses with data from 20 societies (N = 21,314). A measure of the "Big
      Five" personality traits is tested on key social media dimensions: frequency of
      use, social interaction, and news consumption. Across diverse societies, findings
      suggest that while extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are all
      positive predictors of different types of social media use, emotional stability
      and openness are negatively related to them.

PMID- 28922035
TI  - Robotic Technology Remains a Necessary Part of Healthcare's Future Editorial.

PMID- 28922031
TI  - Optic Nerve Head Characteristics in Chronic Angle Closure Glaucoma Detected by
      Swept-Source OCT.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare structural features in prelaminar and laminar tissues of the
      optic nerve head (ONH) in chronic angle closure glaucoma (CACG), primary open
      angle glaucoma (POAG), and control subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ONH imaging
      was performed using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) for
      measurements of minimum rim width at Bruch's membrane opening (BMO-MRW),
      horizontal, and vertical lamina cribrosa depth (LCD). Prelaminar defects,
      categorized as hole and wedge, and lamina cribrosa (LC) defects were identified.
      Enhanced depth imaging spectral domain OCT (EDI-OCT) customized to perform high
      resolution volume scans was used in conjunction to further characterize
      prelaminar holes. One eye per subject was analyzed. RESULTS: Eighty subjects (20
      CACG, 40 POAG, and 20 controls) were included in the study. CACG and POAG groups
      had similar mean deviation on Humphrey visual field testing (-6.9 +/- 5.1 vs. 
      6.3 +/- 6.0 dB, p > 0.05) and IOP on the day of imaging (14.0 +/- 3.1 vs. 13.8 +/
      2.7 mmHg, p > 0.05). Thinnest and global BMO-MRW in CACG (120.3 +/- 44.8, 225.5
      +/- 53.9 MUm) and POAG (109.7 +/- 56.3, 213.8 +/- 59.7 MUm) groups were lower
      than controls (200.1 +/- 40.8, 308.3 +/- 70.8 MUm; p < 0.001 for both).
      Prelaminar holes were most frequent in CACG (65.0%) than POAG (25.0%, p=0.008) or
      control groups (20.0%, p=0.01). After adjusting for demographic and ophthalmic
      covariates, CACG was associated with increased odds of having prelaminar holes
      compared to POAG (odds ratio, 9.79; 95% CI, 2.12-45.19; p=0.003). Hole volume was
      similar between CACG and POAG (p > 0.05), but the CACG group had more holes per
      scan than POAG (maximum 2.5 +/- 1.9 vs. 1.2 +/- 0.4, p=0.02). Prelaminar wedge
      defects were less common in the CACG than the POAG group (5.0% vs. 37.5%,
      p=0.02). The CACG group did not differ from controls in laminar characteristics,
      such as LCD and LC defects. CONCLUSIONS: SS-OCT evaluation of the ONH revealed
      more frequent prelaminar holes in CACG compared to POAG and control patients.

PMID- 28922036
TI  - Location and Modality Effects in Online Dating: Rich Modality Profile and
      Location-Based Information Cues Increase Social Presence, While Moderating the
      Impact of Uncertainty Reduction Strategy.
AB  - This study investigates how different interface modality features of online
      dating sites, such as location awareness cues and modality of profiles, affect
      the sense of social presence of a prospective date. We also examined how various
      user behaviors aimed at reducing uncertainty about online interactions affect
      social presence perceptions and are affected by the user interface features. Male
      users felt a greater sense of social presence when exposed to both location and
      accessibility cues (geographical proximity) and a richer medium (video profiles).
      Viewing a richer medium significantly increased the sense of social presence
      among female participants whereas location-based information sharing features did
      not directly affect their social presence perception. Augmented social presence,
      as a mediator, contributed to users' greater intention to meet potential dating
      partners in a face-to-face setting and to buy paid memberships on online dating
      sites.

PMID- 28922038
TI  - A mixed methods study of emotional exhaustion: Energizing and depleting work
      within an innovative healthcare team.
AB  - This mixed methods study documents emotional exhaustion experiences among care
      team members during the development of an innovative team approach for caring for
      adults with serious illness. A mixed methods study design was employed to examine
      depleting work experiences that may produce emotional exhaustion, and energizing
      aspects of the work that may increase meaningfulness of work, thus reducing
      emotional exhaustion. The population studied included team members involved in
      care for adults with serious illness (n = 18). Team members were surveyed
      quarterly over an 18-month period using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The
      MBI measures burnout, defined as the inability to continue work because of the
      interactional toll of the work. Analyses of MBI data show that although overall
      levels of burnout are low, 89% of team members reported moderate/high levels of
      emotional exhaustion during at least one survey period. In order to understand
      the kinds of work experiences that may produce or ameliorate emotional
      exhaustion, qualitative interviews were also conducted with team members at the
      end of the 18-month period. Major qualitative findings indicate that disputes
      within the team, environmental pressures, and standardisation of meaningful work
      leave team members feeling depleted. Having authentic relationships with
      patients, working as a team, believing in the care model, and practicing autonomy
      and creativity help team members to restore their emotional energy. Supports for
      team members' well-being are critical for continued innovation. We conclude with
      recommendations for improving team members' well-being.

PMID- 28922039
TI  - Teaching and learning activities to educate nursing students for
      interprofessional collaboration: A scoping review.
AB  - To prepare new graduates with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to engage in
      effective interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in practice, healthcare
      professional programmes need to ensure their curriculum provides opportunities
      for interprofessional education (IPE) and IPC. To strengthen IPE within an
      undergraduate curriculum and meet the professional requirements set out by
      regulatory bodies to prepare new graduate nurses to achieve IPC competencies, a
      curriculum initiative was developed to expand IPE across the four years of the
      Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) programme. The purpose of this scoping
      review was to identify published teaching-learning activities in undergraduate
      nursing programmes to inform the development and integration of IPE curricula.
      The literature included was identified by searching the following electronic
      databases: EMBASE and EBSCO (CINAHL, Medline, Education Research Complete, ERIC).
      The search was limited to articles with abstracts published between 2008 and 2016
      in the English language. All ten studies that met inclusion criteria reported
      students' perceived interprofessional education as valuable in facilitating their
      achievement of IPC competencies. Interprofessional education is an approach for
      preparing nursing students with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to achieve IPC
      competencies and therefore, urgently needs to become more prevalent in nursing
      curricula. Educators can use a variety of IPE teaching-learning activities to
      support students' achievement of IPC competencies in order to prepare new
      practitioners to engage in effective IPC in a variety of healthcare milieus.
      Nurse educators are encouraged to intentionally integrate learning opportunities
      into current and future undergraduate nursing education to prepare collaborative
      ready graduate nurses.

PMID- 28922040
TI  - Professional, generational, and gender differences in perception of
      organisational values among Israeli physicians and nurses: Implications for
      retention.
AB  - The global health workforce today is more age diverse than ever before and spans
      three generations: baby boomers, X and Y generations. Each generation has a
      distinct set of characteristics, values, and beliefs. This diversity can lead to
      increased creativity and a greater richness of values and skills, but at the same
      time it can also lead to value clashes, disrespect, and conflicts. This study
      aimed to examine professional, generational, and gender differences in the
      perception of the importance of organisational values among nurses and physicians
      working in both hospitals and outpatient clinics in Israel. Data were collected
      from a large sample of nurses and physicians (N = 603) from 11 hospitals and
      community services across Israel. The participants completed a self-administered
      questionnaire rating the perceived importance of 20 organisational values, such
      as leadership, risk-taking, competition, power, and collaboration. The five
      values ranked most important were performance quality, cooperation, commitment,
      effectiveness, and efficiency. The five values ranked least important were
      competition, marketing, power, risk-taking, and assertiveness. Significant value
      differences were found by profession, generation, and gender. Nurses scored
      efficiency, assertiveness, risk-taking, power, and marketing higher than
      physicians did. The Y generation scored power higher and marketing lower than the
      two older generations. Women ranked the values of cooperation, commitment,
      innovativeness, vision, and marketing significantly higher than men did.
      Understanding differences between professions, generations, and gender is a
      useful first step in improving employees' job satisfaction, productivity, and
      retention.

PMID- 28922041
TI  - Garment Therapy does not Improve Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - AIMS: To conduct a systematic review asking, does garment therapy improve motor
      function in children with cerebral palsy? METHODS: A systematic review with meta
      analysis was conducted to review the literature. Inclusion criteria involved the
      wearing of therapy suits/garments in children with cerebral palsy. The primary
      outcome of interest was movement related function and secondary outcomes included
      impairment, participation, parental satisfaction and adverse outcomes of garment
      wear. RESULTS: 14 studies with 234 participants were included, of which 5 studies
      were included for meta-analysis. Garment therapy showed a nonsignificant effect
      on post-intervention function as measured by the Gross Motor Function Measure
      when compared to controls (MD = -1.9; 95% CI = -6.84, 3.05). Nonsignificant
      improvements in function were seen long-term (MD = -3.13; 95% CI = -7.57, 1.31).
      Garment therapy showed a significant improvement in proximal kinematics (MD = 
      5.02; 95% CI = -7.28, -2.76), however significant improvements were not
      demonstrated in distal kinematics (MD = -0.79; 95% CI = -3.08, 1.49).
      CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests garment therapy does not improve function in
      children with cerebral palsy. While garment therapy was shown to improve proximal
      stability, this benefit must be considered functionally and consider difficulties
      associated with garment use.

PMID- 28922042
TI  - Reliability and criterion validity of measurements using a smart phone-based
      measurement tool for the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis during single
      leg lifting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to determine the intra-rater test
      retest reliability of a smart phone-based measurement tool (SBMT) and a three
      dimensional (3D) motion analysis system for measuring the transverse rotation
      angle of the pelvis during single-leg lifting (SLL) and the criterion validity of
      the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis measurement using SBMT compared with
      a 3D motion analysis system (3DMAS). METHOD: Seventeen healthy volunteers
      performed SLL with their dominant leg without bending the knee until they reached
      a target placed 20 cm above the table. This study used a 3DMAS, considered the
      gold standard, to measure the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis to assess
      the criterion validity of the SBMT measurement. Intra-rater test-retest
      reliability was determined using the SBMT and 3DMAS using intra-class correlation
      coefficient (ICC) [3,1] values. The criterion validity of the SBMT was assessed
      with ICC [3,1] values. RESULT: Both the 3DMAS (ICC = 0.77) and SBMT (ICC = 0.83)
      showed excellent intra-rater test-retest reliability in the measurement of the
      transverse rotation angle of the pelvis during SLL in a supine position.
      Moreover, the SBMT showed an excellent correlation with the 3DMAS (ICC = 0.99).
      CONCLUSION: Measurement of the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis using the
      SBMT showed excellent reliability and criterion validity compared with the 3DMAS.

PMID- 28922043
TI  - Association between triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ratio and hearing
      impairment in a Korean population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical association
      between triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio and
      hearing impairment in a Korean population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross
      sectional study (n = 18,004). Participants were divided into 4 quartiles based on
      their TG/HDL-C ratio: first quartile (1Q), second quartile (2Q), third quartile
      (3Q), and fourth quartile (4Q). The threshold values at 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz were
      averaged to obtain the low- or mid-frequency pure-tone average (Low/Mid-Freq),
      and the values at 3, 4, and 6 kHz were averaged to obtain the high-frequency pure
      tone average (High-Freq). The average hearing threshold (AHT) was calculated as
      the pure-tone average of the thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kHz. Hearing loss
      (HL) was defined as an AHT of >40 dB. RESULTS: The Low/Mid-Freq, High-Freq, and
      AHT values were the highest among participants in 4Q than among those in the
      other quartiles. Compared with those in 1Q, 2Q, or 3Q, participants in 4Q
      exhibited a 1.32, 1.27, and 1.16-fold higher odds for HL, respectively. Partial
      correlation coefficients for TG/HDL-C ratio were 0.065 for Low/Mid-Freq, 0.041
      for High-Freq, and 0.060 for AHT (P < 0.001 for all). Linear regression analyses
      showed that beta +/- SE for TG/HDL-C ratio was 0.293 +/- 0.038 on multivariate
      analysis. In addition, all subgroup analyses except diabetes participants showed
      statistically significant association between TG/HDL-C ratio and HL. CONCLUSION:
      High TG/HDL-C ratio was associated with hearing impairment in a Korean
      population.

PMID- 28922044
TI  - Evaluation of the Reliability of the Challenge when used to Measure Advanced
      Motor Skills of Children with Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - AIMS: The Challenge was designed as an extension to the GMFM-66 to assess
      advanced motor skills of children with cerebral palsy (CP) who walk/run
      independently. This study evaluated the Challenge's inter-rater and test-retest
      reliability. METHODS: Thirty children with CP (GMFCS level I [n = 24] and II [n =
      6]) completed the Challenge, with re-testing one to two weeks later. Seven
      physiotherapist assessors passed the Challenge criterion test pre-administration.
      A single assessor administered and scored test and retest sessions (test-retest
      reliability). A second assessor independently scored one of these sessions (inter
      rater reliability). RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.97,
      95%CI 0.94-0.99, CoV < 10%), with no bias (Bland-Altman plot). Test-retest ICC
      was excellent (ICC = 0.94, 95% CI 0.88-0.97. CoV < 10%, and Minimum Detectable
      Change (MDC90) was 4.47 points. Many participants indicated practising at home
      pre-retest session. CONCLUSIONS: There was strong rating consistency between
      assessors. While test-retest ICC estimates were also high, Challenge scores were
      higher at retest. The MDC90 was still in a range (>4.5 points) that seems
      clinically viable for change detection. Test-retest reliability could be
      reassessed with children instructed not to practice between assessments to
      determine the extent to which between-session practice influenced scores.

PMID- 28922045
TI  - Monomeric M2e antigen in VesiVax(r) liposomes stimulates protection against type
      a strains of influenza comparable to liposomes with multimeric forms of M2e.
AB  - Given the interest in the ectodomain of the matrix 2 (M2e) channel protein as a
      target for development of a universal influenza vaccine, we examined the role of
      the antigen configuration of M2e in generating a protective immune response. A
      series of M2e mutations and a truncated M2e segment were prepared as a means of
      controlling the formation of monomer, dimer, and higher order multimeric forms of
      M2e. Each of these M2e peptides was incorporated into a liposome-based vaccine
      technology platform previously shown to stimulate a protective response to
      influenza A infection using M2e as a mixture of monomers, dimers and multimers (L
      M2e1-HD/MPL). Our results using these modified forms of M2e produced 90-100%
      survival following lethal challenge with H1N1 (A/PR/8/34) in both inbred BALB/c
      and outbred Swiss Webster mice vaccinated with a truncated monomeric form of the
      M2 protein, M2e1-15 in liposomes. These observations show that a tetrameric
      configuration is not required to elicit significant protection when the M2e
      antigen is formulated in immunogenic liposomes and further, that the first 15
      amino acids of M2e likely play a primary role in providing the protective immune
      response.

PMID- 28922046
TI  - Supraorbital electrical stimulation in management of chronic type tension
      headache: A randomized controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Headache disorders are considered one of the ten most
      disabling conditions, for both males and females, according to the World Health
      Organization. Chronic type tension headache (CTTH) has a prevalence of 2-3%
      within the general population. The purpose of this research was to investigate
      the effect of stimulating noninvasively the trigeminal nerve in the supraorbital
      area (SOES) for treatment of CTTH. METHODS: In an 8-week period of intervention,
      45 patients were divided equally into three groups. Both group A "study" and
      group B received conventional physical therapy program three times a week. Group
      A received additional SOES for 20 minutes daily. Group C was on prescribed
      medications only. Assessments occurred pre and post intervention using Headache
      Impact Test (HIT), headache frequency, and visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain.
      RESULTS: In between groups, comparison showed statistically significant
      differences between all groups (p < 0.000). Within-group comparisons showed that
      both groups A and B showed a significant improvement in all measured data.
      Improvement percent of group A was HIT = 18.4% and VAS = 63.0%, p <= 0.0001, and
      group B was HIT = 12.5% and VAS = 28.2%, p <= 0.0002, while group C showed no
      significant improvement with improvement percent HIIT = 1.2% and VAS = 8.6%, p <=
      0.5. Patients in groups A and B reported less headache frequencies than group C.
      CONCLUSION: SOES had positive therapeutic results for treatment of CTTH.

PMID- 28922047
TI  - Long term average speech spectra of Turkish.
AB  - Long-term average speech spectra (LTASS) are a voice analysis method that is
      recommended to be used in various areas, such as hearing aid fittings, automatic
      speaker recognition and voice disorders. Evaluations of LTASS in different
      languages have been published; however, this analysis has not been conducted for
      the Turkish. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to conduct this analysis,
      generate normative values and compare the obtained LTASS curve for the Turkish
      with those obtained for other languages reported in the literature. To achieve
      this objective, 40 adults with healthy hearing and speech characteristics were
      evaluated. Long-term spectral shape is presented in a graphical form, with visual
      comparisons to other research findings. Spectral differences by gender were
      analyzed, with statistically significant differences observed between gender
      groups and overall LTASS. The LTASS curve for the Turkish is similar to those
      reported for other languages, but there are also observable differences. Use of
      generated speech signals in hearing aid fitting procedures is recommended.

PMID- 28922048
TI  - Effect of dry needling on myofascial pain syndrome of the quadratus femoris: A
      case report.
AB  - This case report describes a 40-year-old male who presented with posterior thigh
      pain managed unsuccessfully with massage therapy, chiropractic adjustments, and
      physical therapy. The diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) involving the
      quadratus femoris (QF) was purely clinical, based on palpatory findings and
      ruling out other conditions through deductive reasoning. This is potentially a
      first time report, describing the successful management of MPS of the QF with dry
      needling (DN) using a recently published DN grading system. Immediate
      improvements were noted in all the outcome measures after the first treatment,
      with complete pain-resolution maintained at a 4-month follow-up.

PMID- 28922049
TI  - Magnitudes of muscle activation of spine stabilizers in healthy adults during
      prone on elbow planking exercises with and without a fitness ball.
AB  - Prone planking exercises have been used by rehabilitation professionals to
      activate torso muscles in healthy persons and those with low back pain. The aim
      of this study was to compare the magnitude of electromyographic (EMG) muscle
      activation from 10 right-sided muscles as demonstrated by the percentage of
      maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) during four planking procedures.
      Surface EMG activity was acquired from the following muscles: (1) iliocostalis
      lumborum (IL), (2) longissimus thoracis (LT), (3) lumbar multifidus (LM), (4)
      rectus abdominis (RA), (5) external oblique (EO), (6) internal oblique (IO), (7)
      serratus anterior (SA), (8) latissimus dorsi (LD), (9) hamstrings (HS), and (10)
      gluteus maximus (GM). Thirteen male and 13 females performed prone plank on floor
      (PPOF), prone plank on ball (PPOB), stir-the-pot on ball (STP), and prone plank
      on ball with hip extension (PPHE). Previous investigators have not studied the
      STP and PPHE. During STP, three muscles (RA, EO, and IO) demonstrated very high
      (>61% MVIC) EMG activation and one muscle (SA) demonstrated high (41-60% MVIC)
      EMG activation. During PPHE, five muscles (GM, HS, EO, IO, and LM) demonstrated
      very high EMG activation and two muscles (RA and SA) demonstrated high EMG
      activation. Clinically, we concluded that STP and PPHE exercises were effective
      ways to activate RA, EO, IO, and SA at levels conducive to strengthening (> 50%
      MVIC), with PPHE able to additionally activate GM, HS, and LM at a strengthening
      level.

PMID- 28922051
TI  - Effect of hospital simulation tutorials on nursing and pharmacy student
      perception of interprofessional collaboration: Findings from a pilot study.
AB  - Interprofessional learning (IPL) during formal training enables interprofessional
      collaboration (IPC) in the workforce; however, on-campus IPL opportunities are
      seldom incorporated into curricula. We describe the development and
      implementation of two hospital simulation tutorials between nursing and pharmacy
      students. Students were required to provide "usual care" to a simulated patient
      at admission and discharge. A pre-post survey design was used to evaluate changes
      in Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) score and student
      perceived educational value of the tutorials. The tutorials had a positive effect
      on IEPS scores (p < 0.001), whereas gender and profession did not appear to
      influence scores (p = 0.082 and p = 0.923, respectively). Tutorials were rated
      either good or very good by 89.9% of students and 79.6% of students reporting new
      insights into the other profession This tutorial format could be easily adapted
      by other institutions as an engaging and rewarding strategy to better prepare
      students for IPC the workforce.

PMID- 28922050
TI  - How to interpret high levels of distress when using the Distress Thermometer in
      the long-term follow-up clinic? A study with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
      survivors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent guidelines recommend to assess emotional distress in pediatric
      oncology during treatment and in after care. One tool used to do this is the
      distress thermometer (DT), a simple tool which has almost exclusively been
      studied in its screening abilities. Given its increased used as a measure of
      distress per se, it is necessary to document its concurrent validity. The goal of
      this study was to identify clinical domains (eg, depression, anxiety) and
      individual symptoms associated with pediatric cancer survivors' rating on the DT.
      PARTICIPANTS: To do so we used data collected from 84 young (<=18 years old), and
      120 older (>18 years old) survivors who were treated for pediatric leukemia.
      METHODS: Participants responded to self-report questionnaires as part of a
      research visit. RESULTS: Results from stepwise regressions show that in the
      younger group, high scores on the thermometer were associated with higher
      negative affectivity only. In adults, high scores were associated with higher
      anxiety, higher negative affectivity, and lower positive affectivity. When
      exploring associations with individual items, we found that the main emotional
      tone reflected by the thermometer score was anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Interpreting
      ratings on the thermometer should probably focus on anxiety in childhood cancer
      survivors. This widely used tool also does not measure the same domains in young
      versus older survivors, so that age groups should be considered separately in
      future work.

PMID- 28922052
TI  - Applications of emerging transmission electron microscopy technology in PCD
      research and diagnosis.
AB  - Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a heterogeneous genetic condition
      characterized by dysfunction of motile cilia. Patients suffer from chronic
      infection and inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Diagnosis of
      PCD is confirmed by identification of a hallmark defect of ciliary ultrastructure
      or by identification of biallelic pathogenic mutations in a known PCD gene. Since
      the first description of PCD in 1976, assessment of ciliary ultrastructure by
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been central to diagnosis and
      research. Electron tomography is a technique whereby a series of transmission
      electron micrographs are collected at different angles and reconstructed into a
      single 3D model of a specimen. Electron tomography provides improved spatial
      information and resolution compared to a single micrograph. Research by electron
      tomography has revealed new insight into ciliary ultrastructure and consequently
      ciliary function at a molecular and cellular level. Gene discovery studies in PCD
      have utilized electron tomography to define the structural consequences of
      variants in cilia genes. Modern transmission electron microscopes capable of
      electron tomography are increasingly being installed in clinical laboratories.
      This presents the possibility for the use of tomography technique in a diagnostic
      setting. This review describes the electron tomography technique, the
      contribution tomography has made to the understanding of basic cilia structure
      and function and finally the potential of the technique for use in PCD diagnosis.

PMID- 28922054
TI  - Economic burden of pneumococcal infections in children under 5 years of age.
AB  - The present study aimed to determine the cost of childhood pneumococcal
      infections under 5 years of age and to provide further data for future health
      economy studies. Electronic medical records of children diagnosed with meningitis
      caused by S. pneumoniae and all-cause pneumonia, and acute otitis media (AOM)
      between January 2013-April 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. Direct costs for
      the treatments of hospitalized patients (pneumonia and pneumococcal meningitis)
      including costs of healthcare services consisted of costs of hospital bed,
      examination, laboratory analyses, scanning methods, consultation, vascular access
      procedures, and infusion and intravenous treatments. Direct costs for patients
      (AOM) treated in outpatient setting included constant price paid for the
      examination and cost of prescribed antibiotics. Indirect costs included cost of
      work loss of parents and their transportation expenses. Data of 130 children with
      pneumococcal meningitis (n = 10), pneumonia (n = 53), and AOM (n = 67) were
      analyzed. The total median cost was ?4,060.38 (direct cost: ?3,346.38 and
      indirect cost: ?829.18) for meningitis, ?835.91 (direct cost: ?480.66 and
      indirect cost: ?330.09) for pneumonia, and ?117.32 (direct cost: ?17.59 and
      indirect cost: ?99.73) for AOM. The medication cost (p = 0.047), indirect cost (p
      = 0.032), and total cost (p = 0.011) were significantly higher in pneumonia
      patients aged >=36 months than those aged <36 months; however, direct cost of AOM
      were significantly higher in the patients aged <36 months (p = 0.049). Results of
      the present study revealed that the treatment cost was significantly enhanced for
      hospitalization and for advanced disease. Thus, preventive actions, mainly
      vaccination, should be conducted regularly.

PMID- 28922056
TI  - Secondary defects detected by transmission electron microscopy in primary ciliary
      dyskinesia diagnostics.
AB  - Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is predominantly an autosomal recessively
      inherited condition that affects ~1 in 15,000 people. Diagnosis of PCD can be
      complex and is ordinarily based on the results of multiple investigations. These
      investigations include nasal nitric oxide, high-speed video microscopy,
      genotyping, and electron microscopy analysis of ciliary ultrastructure. A
      diagnosis is ultimately confirmed by the presence of a hallmark defect identified
      by transmission electron microscopy or biallelic variants in a known PCD gene.
      Secondary ciliary defects are commonly seen in samples submitted for diagnosis of
      PCD. Acquired secondary ciliary ultrastructural abnormalities, which are not
      caused by a variant in a ciliary gene, are usually transient and reversible
      however failure to separate primary versus secondary defects can lead to
      misdiagnosis. In this review, we describe causes of secondary ciliary defects,
      identify the ultrastructural appearances associated with secondary ciliary
      dyskinesia and finally suggest methods to avoid misdiagnosis of PCD due to these
      acquired ciliary defects.

PMID- 28922055
TI  - Nance-Horan syndrome in females due to a balanced X;1 translocation that disrupts
      the NHS gene: Familial case report and review of the literature.
AB  - The Nance-Horan syndrome is an X-linked disorder characterized by congenital
      cataract, facial features, microcornea, microphthalmia, and dental anomalies;
      most of the cases are due to NHS gene mutations on Xp22.13. Heterozygous carrier
      females generally present less severe features, and up to 30% of the affected
      males have intellectual disability. We describe two patients, mother and
      daughter, manifesting Nance-Horan syndrome. The cytogenetic and molecular
      analyses demonstrated a 46,X,t(X;1)(p22.13;q22) karyotype in each of them. No
      copy-number genomic imbalances were detected by high-density microarray analysis.
      The mother had a preferential inactivation of the normal X chromosome; expression
      analysis did not detect any mRNA isoform of NHS. This is the first report of
      Nance-Horan syndrome due to a skewed X chromosome inactivation resulting from a
      balanced translocation t(X;1) that disrupts the NHS gene expression, with
      important implications for clinical presentation and genetic counseling.

PMID- 28922053
TI  - Distribution and function of voltage-gated sodium channels in the nervous system.
AB  - Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are the basic ion channels for neuronal
      excitability, which are crucial for the resting potential and the generation and
      propagation of action potentials in neurons. To date, at least nine distinct
      sodium channel isoforms have been detected in the nervous system. Recent studies
      have identified that voltage-gated sodium channels not only play an essential
      role in the normal electrophysiological activities of neurons but also have a
      close relationship with neurological diseases. In this study, the latest research
      findings regarding the structure, type, distribution, and function of VGSCs in
      the nervous system and their relationship to neurological diseases, such as
      epilepsy, neuropathic pain, brain tumors, neural trauma, and multiple sclerosis,
      are reviewed in detail.

PMID- 28922057
TI  - The Dietary Food Components Capric Acid and Caprylic Acid Inhibit Virulence
      Factors in Candida albicans Through Multitargeting.
AB  - Capric acid and caprylic acid are the dietary food components. They are found to
      inhibit the virulence factors like morphogenesis, adhesion, and biofilm formation
      in the human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Our study demonstrated that yeast
      to-hyphal signal transduction pathways were affected by capric acid and caprylic
      acid. The expression profile of genes associated with serum-induced morphogenesis
      showed reduced expressions of Cdc35, Hwp1, Hst7, and Cph1 by the treatment with
      both the fatty acids. Cell elongation gene, Ece1, was surprisingly downregulated
      by 5208-fold by the treatment of caprylic acid. Nrg1 and Tup1, negative
      regulators of hyphal formation, were overexpressed in presence of capric or
      caprylic acid. Cell cycle studies revealed that capric and caprylic acids
      arrested cell cycle at G2/M and S phase. Targeting the virulence factors like
      yeast-to-hyphal transition is efficacious for treatment of opportunistic fungal
      infections. This research suggests that both capric and caprylic acid may be
      effective interventions for treating C. albicans yeast infections.

PMID- 28922058
TI  - Evolution of Regions Containing Antibiotic Resistance Genes in FII-2-FIB-1 ColV
      Colla Virulence Plasmids.
AB  - Three ColV virulence plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance genes were assembled
      from draft genome sequences of commensal ST95, ST131, and ST2705 Escherichia coli
      isolates from healthy Australians. Plasmids pCERC4, pCERC5, and pCERC9 include
      almost identical backbones containing FII-2 and FIB-1 replicons and the conserved
      ColV virulence region with an additional ColIa determinant. Only pCERC5 includes
      a complete, uninterrupted F-like transfer region and was able to conjugate.
      pCERC5 and pCERC9 contain Tn1721, carrying the tet(A) tetracycline resistance
      determinant in the same location, with Tn2 (blaTEM; ampicillin resistance)
      interrupting the Tn1721 in pCERC5. pCERC4 has a Tn1721/Tn21 hybrid transposon
      carrying dfrA5 (trimethoprim resistance) and sul1 (sulfamethoxazole resistance)
      in a class 1 integron. Four FII-2:FIB-1 ColV-ColIa plasmids in the GenBank
      nucleotide database have a related transposon in the same position, but an IS26
      has reshaped the resistance gene region, deleting 2,069 bp of the integron 3'-CS,
      including sul1, and serving as a target for IS26 translocatable units containing
      blaTEM, sul2 and strAB (streptomycin resistance), or aphA1 (kanamycin/neomycin
      resistance). Another ColV-ColIa plasmid containing a related resistance gene
      region has lost the FII replicon and acquired a unique transfer region via
      recombination within the resistance region and at oriT. Eighteen further complete
      ColV plasmid sequences in GenBank contained FIB-1, but the FII replicons were of
      three types, FII-24, FII-18, and a variant of FII-36.

PMID- 28922059
TI  - The Currency of Science.

PMID- 28922060
TI  - Risk Factors for Nasal Colonization by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci in
      Healthy Humans in Professional Daily Contact with Companion Animals in Portugal.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS), namely Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
      and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP), are opportunistic agents of great
      importance in human and veterinary medicine. The aims of this study were to
      investigate the frequency, persistence, and risk factors associated with nasal
      colonization by MRS in people in daily contact with animals in Portugal. Seventy
      nine out of 129 (61.2%) participants were found to be colonized by, at least, one
      methicillin-resistant (MR) staphylococci species (MR Staphylococcus epidermidis
      [n = 68], MRSA [n = 19], MR Staphylococcus haemolyticus [n = 7], MRSP [n = 2],
      and other coagulase-negative staphylococci [n = 4]). Three lineages were
      identified among the MRSA isolates (n = 7): the major human healthcare clone in
      Portugal (ST22-t032-IV, n = 3), the livestock-associated MRSA (ST398-t108-V, n =
      3), and the New York-/Japan-related clone (ST105-t002-II, n = 1). MRSP isolates
      belonged to the European clone ST71-II-III. We identified two risk factors for
      nasal colonization by MRS in healthy humans: (i) being a veterinary professional
      (veterinarian and veterinary nurse) (p < 0.0001, odds ratio [OR] = 6.369, 95%
      confidence interval [CI, 2.683-15.122]) and (ii) have contacted with one MRSA- or
      MRSP-positive animal (p = 0.0361, OR = 2.742, 95% CI [1.067-7.045]). The follow
      up study revealed that the majority (85%) remain colonized. This study shows that
      MRS in veterinary clinical practice is a professional hazard and highlights the
      need to implement preventive measures to minimize spread.

PMID- 28922061
TI  - Alanine Aminotransferase and Total Bilirubin Are Synergistically Associated with
      Metabolic Syndrome Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Japanese Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk of
      major cardiovascular events. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at high levels and
      total bilirubin (T-BiL) at low levels were oxidative potentials, but it was
      uncertain whether ALT and T-BiL had an additive interaction for the risk of MetS.
      METHODS: From a single community, we recruited 864 women (70 +/- 8 years) during
      their annual health examination. We cross-sectionally investigated whether ALT
      and T-BiL are associated with MetS and its components based on the modified
      criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel
      (NCEP-ATP) III report. RESULTS: Of these subjects, 415 women (48.0%) had MetS.
      Participants with MetS had a higher ALT and lower T-BiL level than those without
      MetS. The adjusted-odds ratios (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for MetS
      across tertiles of ALT and T-BiL were 1.00, 1.19 (0.78-1.81), and 1.86 (1.24
      2.80) and 1.00, 0.96 (0.65-1.43), and 0.54 (0.36-0.81), respectively. When ALT
      and T-BiL were categorized into three binary characteristics by tertiles of ALT
      and T-BiL, high T-BiL was associated with decreased risk for MetS in a
      multivariable model (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.37-0.82), especially among those with
      1st tertile ALT. Similarly, high ALT was also associated with increased risk for
      MetS in a multivariate model (OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.20-2.71), especially among
      those with 2nd & 3rd tertiles of T-BiL. In the formal testing of addictive
      interaction between ALT and T-BiL for MetS, presence of T-BiL <0.72 mg/dL (1st
      and 2nd tertile) alone was not associated with increased risk of MetS in a
      multivariate analysis, and presence of ALT >=16 IU/L (2nd and 3rd tertile) alone
      was not associated with increased risk of MetS. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      suggested that higher ALT and lower T-BiL levels were synergistically associated
      with MetS, independent of other confounding factors among Japanese women.

PMID- 28922062
TI  - Online Educational Tool to Promote Bone Health in Cancer Survivors.
AB  - Osteoporosis burden is significant in cancer survivors. Websites providing health
      information abound, but their development, quality, and source of information
      remain unclear. Our aim was to use a systematic and transparent approach to
      create an educational website on bone health, and to evaluate its potential to
      improve knowledge, self-management, and awareness in prostate cancer (PCa) and
      breast cancer (BCa) survivors. Guided by the Health Belief Model, we created a
      website using international standards and evaluated it in 10 PCa and 10 BCa
      survivors with self-administered questionnaire before, after, and 1 month after
      navigating the website. The mean scores on the knowledge questionnaire at
      baseline, postintervention and 1 month were, respectively, 5.1 (+/-2.0), 6.9 (+/
      2.5), and 6.7 (+/-2.4), p < .008, in PCa and 3.4 (+/-2.7), 7.6 (+/-3.0), and 6.5
      (+/-3.8), p  = .016, in BCa survivors. Acceptability ratings ranged from 60% to
      100%. Participants found the website useful, helpful, and able to raise bone
      health awareness. Our website improved bone health knowledge in both PCa and BCa
      survivors. A systematic and transparent approach to the development of online
      educational websites could result in a tool capable of meeting the educational
      needs of targeted consumers. Cancer survivors could benefit from proven online
      educational tools.

PMID- 28922063
TI  - Individual calibration of accelerometers in children and their health-related
      implications.
AB  - This study compared children's physical activity (PA) levels, the prevalence of
      children meeting current guidelines of >=60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous
      PA (MVPA), and PA-health associations using individually calibrated (IC) and
      empirical accelerometer cutpoints. Data from 75 (n = 32 boys) 10-12 year old
      children were included in this study. Clustered cardiometabolic (CM) risk,
      directly measured cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), anthropometric and 7 day
      accelerometer data were included within analysis. PA data were classified using
      Froude anchored IC, Evenson et al. (Evenson, K. R., Catellier, D. J., Gill, K.,
      Ondrak, K. S., & McMurray, R. G. (2008). Calibration of two objective measures of
      physical activity for children. Journal of Sports Sciences, 26(14), 1557-1565.
      doi:10.1080/02640410802334196) (Ev) and Mackintosh et al. (Mackintosh, K. A.,
      Fairclough, S. J., Stratton, G., & Ridgers, N. D. (2012). A calibration protocol
      for population-specific accelerometer cutpoints in children. PLoS One, 7(5),
      e36919. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036919) (Mack) cutpoints. The proportion of the
      cohort meeting >=60mins MVPA/day ranged from 37%-56% depending on the cutpoints
      used. Reported PA differed significantly across the cutpoint sets. IC LPA and MPA
      were predictors of CRF (LPA: standardised beta = 0.32, p = 0.002, MPA:
      standardised beta = 0.27 p = 0.013). IC MPA also predicted BMI Z-score
      (standardised beta = -0.35, p = 0.004). Ev VPA was a predictor of BMI Z-score
      (standardised beta = -0.33, p = 0.012). Cutpoint choice has a substantial impact
      on reported PA levels though no significant associations with CM risk were
      observed. Froude IC cutpoints represent a promising approach towards classifying
      children's PA data.

PMID- 28922064
TI  - Erbium:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Laser-Activated Sodium Hypochlorite Irrigation: A
      Promising Procedure for Minimally Invasive Endodontics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was to evaluate the potential of Erbium:Yttrium Aluminum
      Garnet laser-activated sodium hypochlorite irrigation (Er:YAG + NaOCl) for
      minimally invasive endodontics (MIE). BACKGROUND DATA: Er:YAG laser irradiation
      can dramatically enhance the penetration of NaOCl, which may be a promising
      protocol for MIE. METHODS: Extracted human teeth were contaminated with
      Enterococcus faecalis for 4 weeks. The infected canals were then shaped to
      different apical terminal working widths (ATWW, 15#/0.04, 20#/0.04, 25#/0.04,
      30#/0.04, and 40#/0.04) and treated with either Er:YAG + NaOCl (0.3 W, 20 sec) or
      NaOCl alone. Then, the ATWW were fixed at 15#/0.04, and the canals were treated
      with Er:YAG + NaOCl at 0.3 W for 40 and 60 sec, or at 0.5 and 1.0 W for 20 sec.
      Finally, bacterial reductions were evaluated using the cell count method.
      RESULTS: Er:YAG + NaOCl showed a higher disinfection efficacy at each ATWW
      compared with NaOCl alone (p < 0.001). The maximum bacterial reduction was 99.9%
      for the 40#/Er:YAG + NaOCl group and 93.6% for the 40#/NaOCl group. To achieve
      similar disinfection efficacy, the Er:YAG + NaOCl group needed a smaller ATWW
      than the NaOCl group. At a fixed ATWW, increasing the output power of the Er:YAG
      laser was more effective than increasing the radiation time to improve the
      disinfection efficacy of Er:YAG + NaOCl. The 15#/Er:YAG + NaOCl group reached the
      maximum bacterial reduction of 99.2% when the Er:YAG laser was activated at 1.0 W
      for 20 sec. CONCLUSIONS: The 15#/Er:YAG + NaOCl with the Er:YAG laser irradiation
      at 1.0 W for 20 sec may be considered a promising procedure for MIE.

PMID- 28922065
TI  - A Study Examining the Effect of a Short Bout of Postprandial Walking on the
      Glycemic Effect of a Meal: Type 1 Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether 15 minutes of
      postprandial walking has an effect on the glycemic response to a breakfast
      beverage in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). METHODS: Seven participants,
      aged 22.3 +/- 4.3 years, with T1DM using intensive insulin therapy completed 2
      days of data collection. On day 1, participants measured baseline fasting blood
      glucose (BG) with a glucometer, consumed an 8-ounce Boost(r) beverage (41 grams
      carbohydrate), administered a bolus of insulin according to the carbohydrate load
      and fasting BG, and sat quietly, repeating BG measurements 15, 30, 60, 90, and
      120 minutes after consumption. On day 2, participants repeated the protocol, but
      walked 15 minutes at 50% to 60% maximum heart rate immediately after beverage
      consumption. RESULTS: The difference between peak and baseline (peak - baseline)
      BG and incremental glucose area under the curve (iAUC) were lower in all but one
      participant on the walking compared to the sedentary day. Mean peak - baseline BG
      was significantly lower on the walking day compared to the sedentary day (6.4 +/-
      1.2 vs 14.4 +/- 3.4 mmol/L, respectively, p = 0.016) as was the iAUC, (241.1 +/-
      155.8 vs 468.6 +/- 94.5 mmol/L/120 min, respectively, p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS:
      Fifteen minutes of postprandial walking can blunt the spike in BG and overall
      glycemic response to a breakfast beverage in young adults with T1DM and may be an
      effective and realistic component in the management of T1DM.

PMID- 28922066
TI  - The Effect of Lysozyme on Reducing Biofilms by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa, and Gardnerella vaginalis: An In Vitro Examination.
AB  - Two basic questions about lysozyme activities on the selected microorganisms were
      investigated, namely whether lysozyme inhibits biofilm production and which
      concentrations of the enzyme have the ability to change the natural biofilm
      producing capacity of different strains of Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin
      sensitive and resistant), Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and
      Gardnerella vaginalis. The effect of lysozyme on biofilm formation capacities of
      16 strains of selected microorganisms was investigated, whereby four testing
      replicates have been performed in vitro using the Test Tube method, and the
      potential of lysozyme to change biofilm forming capacities depending on its
      concentration, species, and strains of microorganisms is demonstrated. A lysozyme
      concentration of 30 MUg/ml indicated to have the highest inhibiting effect on all
      tested microorganisms. Furthermore, G. vaginalis was the most sensitive of them
      all, as its biofilm formation was inhibited in the presence of as low as 2.5
      MUg/ml of lysozyme. At enzyme concentrations of 7.5-50 MUg/ml (with the exception
      of 30 MUg/ml) the biofilm forming capacities of P. aeruginosa were enhanced.
      Depending on the strain of P. aeruginosa, the total biofilm quantity was either
      reduced or unaffected at lysozyme concentrations of 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 30 MUg/ml.
      In contrast, lysozyme concentrations below 15 or 20 MUg/ml did not affect or
      increase the volume of biofilm formation, while higher concentrations (15, 20, 25
      MUg/ml) reduced biofilm formation by 50% (3/6) and 30 MUg/ml of biofilm reduced
      biofilm forming capacity of S. aureus by 100% (6/6). The results of this study
      are a strong foundation for further research on lysozyme as a modulator of the
      biofilm forming capacity of different species with the potential to aid in the
      development of new drugs for the treatment of oral and vaginal infections.

PMID- 28922067
TI  - Conceptual elaboration versus direct lexical access in WAIS-similarities:
      differential effects of white-matter lesions and gray matter volumes.
AB  - Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) subscale Similarities have been
      classified as a test of either verbal comprehension or of inductive reasoning.
      The reason may be that items divide into two categories. We tested the hypothesis
      of heterogeneity of items in WAIS-Similarities. Consecutive patients at a memory
      clinic and healthy controls participated in the study. White-matter
      hyperintensities (WMHs) and normalized temporal lobe volumes were measured based
      on Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI), and tests of verbal memory and attention
      were used in addition to WAIS-Similarities to collect behavioural data. Factor
      analysis supported the hypothesis that two factors are involved in the
      performance of WAIS-similarities: (1) semiautomatic lexical access and (2)
      conceptual elaboration. These factors were highly correlated but provided
      discriminative diagnostic information: In logistic regression analyses, scores of
      the lexical access factor and of the conceptual elaboration factor discriminated
      patients with mild cognitive impairment from Alzheimer's disease patients and
      from healthy controls, respectively. High scores of WMH, indicating
      periventricular white-matter lesions, predicted factor scores of direct lexical
      access but not those of conceptual elaboration, which were predicted only by
      medial and lateral temporal lobe volumes.

PMID- 28922068
TI  - Influence of Flaxseed Lignan Supplementation to Older Adults on Biochemical and
      Functional Outcome Measures of Inflammation.
AB  - Evidence from the literature suggests that dietary flaxseed lignans have the
      ability to modulate inflammation, which is recognized as the underlying basis of
      multiple chronic human diseases in older adults. Our objective was to determine
      the effects of oral lignan supplementation on biochemical and functional
      indicators of inflammation as well as safety and tolerability in older healthy
      adults. We designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
      in older healthy adults (60-80 years) to assess flaxseed lignan-enriched complex
      (~38% secoisolariciresinol diglucoside [SDG]; 600 mg SDG dose) oral
      supplementation effects on biochemical and functional indicators of inflammation
      and safety and tolerability in older healthy adults after 6 months of once-daily
      oral administration. The clinical trial confirmed that plasma concentration of
      total flaxseed lignans (free and conjugated forms) secoisolariciresinol (SECO),
      enterodiol (ED), and enterolactone (ENL) were significantly associated with daily
      oral supplementation of flaxseed lignan-enriched complex (p < 0.05). A
      significant decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP; from a mean of 155 +/- 13
      mm Hg at baseline to 140 +/- 11 mm Hg at 24 weeks) was observed in lignan
      supplemented participants stratified into an SBP >=140 mm Hg subcategory (p =
      0.04). No differences were found between treatment or placebo groups in terms of
      cognition, pain, activity, physical measurements (calf, waist, and upper arm
      circumstances), and grip strength. With respect to blood inflammatory markers,
      lipid profiles, and biochemical parameters, no significant differences were found
      between treatment and placebo groups at the end of the 6-month supplementation.
      No adverse effects were reported during supplementation. These data further
      support the safety and tolerability of long-term flaxseed lignan-enriched complex
      supplementation in older adults and identify an ability to favorably modulate
      SBP, an important risk factor in cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 28922069
TI  - Glutamatergic Agents in the Treatment of Compulsivity and Impulsivity in Child
      and Adolescent Psychiatry: a Systematic Review of the Literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Research has implicated glutamatergic projections between the various
      frontal subregions in the pathogenesis of compulsivity and impulsivity. Reducing
      striatal glutamate release, or antagonising the action of glutamate at its
      receptors, may therefore represent viable treatment strategies. Several
      glutamatergic agents with regulatory approval for other indications are available
      and may be of potential benefit in the treatment of compulsivity/impulsivity in
      psychiatric disorders in paediatric patients. METHOD: This review was performed
      according to PRISMA guidelines and evaluates available scientific literature
      concerning the use of glutamatergic agents in these patients, in order to
      determine their reported effectiveness/efficacy and tolerability/safety. RESULTS:
      Out of a total of 1,426 publications, 21 trials examining six glutamatergic
      substances in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum
      disorders, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder were included.
      CONCLUSIONS: Trial designs as well as results were heterogeneous and thus
      comparability was limited. Available data support the hypothesis that
      glutamatergic agents are of potential value in the treatment of
      compulsivity/impulsivity in children and adolescents. Based on the data reviewed,
      memantine and N-acetylcysteine suggest the best risk-benefit profile for future
      trials. Riluzole should primarily be further investigated in adults. Clinical
      research of this nature is a key element of the TACTICS Consortium project funded
      by the European Union (FP7).

PMID- 28922070
TI  - Defective calcineurin/NFAT signaling in myeloid cells and susceptibility to
      aspergillosis in post-transplant patients.

PMID- 28922072
TI  - Body mass index and psychosocial job quality: An analysis of working Australians
      from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey.
AB  - The study investigated the association between psychosocial job quality and body
      mass index (BMI) by sex. Regression models examining potential differences in the
      job stressor-BMI relationship between men and women were conducted using
      longitudinal data from working Australians and a psychosocial job stressor index.
      There was strong evidence of an association between psychosocial job stressors
      and BMI for females but not males. Compared with no psychosocial job stressors, 1
      adversity was associated with 0.13 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.42-0.67); 2 adversities were
      associated with 0.53 kg/m2 (-0.00-1.07); and 3 or more adversities were
      associated with 0.87 kg/m2 (0.30-1.45) increase in mean BMI for females. Females
      were found to have on average 0.32 kg/m2 (0.16-0.49) increase in BMI per increase
      in psychosocial job stressor. Psychosocial job stressors appear to have an
      adverse effect on women's weight.

PMID- 28922071
TI  - Implementing electronic data capture at a well-established health and demographic
      surveillance site in rural northern Malawi.
AB  - This article aims to assess multiple issues of resources, staffing, local
      opinion, data quality, cost, and security while transitioning to electronic data
      collection (EDC) at a long-running community research site in northern Malawi.
      Levels of missing and error fields, delay from data collection to availability,
      and average number of interviews per day were compared between EDC and paper in a
      complex, repeated annual household survey. Three focus groups with field and data
      staff with experience using both methods, and in-depth interviews with
      participants were carried out. Cost for each method were estimated and compared.
      Missing data was more common on paper questionnaires than on EDC, and a similar
      number were carried out per day. Fieldworkers generally preferred EDC, but data
      staff feared for their employment. Most respondents had no strong preference for
      a method. The cost of the paper system was estimated to be higher than using EDC.
      The existing infrastructure and technical expertise could be adapted to using
      EDC, but changes have an impact on data processing jobs as fewer, and better
      qualified staff are required. EDC is cost-effective, and, for a long-running
      site, may offer further savings, as devices can be used in multiple studies and
      perform several other functions. EDC is accepted by fieldworkers and respondents,
      has good levels of quality and timeliness, and security can be maintained. EDC is
      well-suited for use in a well-established research site using and developing
      existing infrastructure and expertise.

PMID- 28922073
TI  - The effects of individual- and network-level factors on discussion of cancer
      experiences: Survivors of childhood cancer in Korea.
AB  - This study aimed to identify young adult Korean cancer survivors' individual-
      (psychological distress, stigma, sociodemographic variables, and cancer-related
      variables) and network-level factors (relationship type, social support type)
      that influence discussion of their cancer experiences. Sixty-eight survivors of
      childhood cancer who were recruited using snowball sampling nominated 245
      individuals from their networks, including family and intimate partners (40%) and
      friends and acquaintances (60%), as people with whom they most frequently
      interacted. Results of multilevel modeling analysis indicated that higher levels
      of internalized shame were a prominent individual-level factor associated with a
      lack of discussion of cancer experiences. Relationship type and support type at
      the network-level were also significant correlates of discussion of cancer
      experiences. Programs for reducing the survivors' shame, improving illness
      identity, and providing professional training for building social relationships
      that are intimate and in which they could exchange reciprocal support may help
      Korean childhood cancer survivors to openly share their cancer experiences with
      others in their social network and to be successful in the journey of cancer
      survivorship.

PMID- 28922074
TI  - Breast cancer survivors' perceptions of participating in a supervised exercise
      intervention: An exploratory review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the reported beneficial effects of physical activity (PA)
      during and after cancer diagnosis, current research data suggest that the
      percentages of breast cancer survivors who adhere to PA recommendations are low.
      The objective of the present systematic, critical review was to identify,
      analyze, and provide a summary of qualitative literature findings, which have
      explored breast cancer survivors' experiences of participating in an exercise/PA
      intervention after cancer treatment. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted
      using CINAHL, PsychINFO, PubMed, and Scopus electronic databases to search for
      qualitative literature published during 2000-2016. A total of six studies that
      met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Thematic synthesis, following Thomas
      and Harden's methods, were used to analyze the data. FINDINGS: Seven descriptive
      themes were developed: control, focus, transitioning phase, regaining a sense of
      confidence, enhanced spirits, social support, and safe environment. The findings
      suggested that participation in supervised exercise interventions enhanced the
      self-confidence and mood of breast cancer survivors. It allowed them to regain
      control and provide a focus, thereby allowing them to move forward in their
      lives. CONCLUSION: The results of this systematic critical review indicated that
      the supervised exercise was a positive experience for breast cancer survivors.

PMID- 28922075
TI  - Factors associated with optimal antenatal care use in Northern region, Ghana.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with the
      optimal use of antenatal care (ANC) during pregnancy. A facility-based cross
      sectional survey was conducted between February and August 2014 among nursing
      mothers (n = 578) attending postnatal and child welfare clinics in three
      districts in Northern Ghana, representing urban, peri-urban, and rural zones. The
      developed questionnaire aided the collection of information on maternal
      demographic characteristics, health status, household assets, and ANC attendance.
      Binary logistic regression was modeled to estimate the association between
      optimal ANC use and mothers' characteristics. Approximately 81% of the
      respondents had >=4 ANC visits during pregnancy, and coverage was over 99%.
      Mothers who had any formal education (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.7, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-2.8, P = 0.040) lived in middle class
      socioeconomic households (AOR = 2.6, 95%CI = 1.4-4.8, P = 0.003) and resided in
      urban areas (AOR = 2.0, 95%CI = 1.2-3.3, P = 0.006) were significantly more
      likely to report the optimal ANC use. Mothers' education, socioeconomic status,
      and proximity to a health facility were positively associated with the optimal
      ANC use. Education of females and policy initiatives aimed at improving the rural
      urban divide are essential to optimize the use of ANC.

PMID- 28922077
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 28922076
TI  - CRISPR-Cas Technology in Viral Therapeutics.

PMID- 28922078
TI  - The tipping point of change in Anorexia Nervosa (AN): Qualitative findings from
      an online study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand factors related to treatment
      and/or recovery from self-reported Anorexia Nervosa (AN), including 'the tipping
      point of change'. METHOD: An online questionnaire was developed and administered
      from December 2014 to December 2015 to individuals >=18 years of age with AN in
      the past or currently who were recruited through eating disorder organizations in
      Australia and the United Kingdom. Responses to a specific qualitative question on
      'the tipping point of change' were analyzed using conventional content analysis
      (CCA). RESULTS: One hundred sixty-one participants completed some or all of the
      questionnaire; only 67 women (41.61%) answered Question six on 'the tipping point
      of change', and analyses were restricted to data from these women. The themes
      identified were: 1) realizing the loss of something valuable, 2) the risk of
      losing something valuable, and 3) something to live for/stay well for.
      CONCLUSION: These results are important for health-care providers as they work
      with patients to identify life experiences, including 'loss/potential loss' and
      'the need for preservation', that have personal significance. Some patients may
      realize that 'enough is enough'; something needs to change. These intrinsic
      motivating factors may also be the impetus for eventual recovery for some
      individuals.

PMID- 28922079
TI  - Continuing Education-"The Action Level"(r).
AB  - Access "The Action Level"(r) Questions online at:
      http://www.acgih.org/products/joeh/alquestions.htm Access "The Action Level"(r)
      Answers online at: http://www.acgih.org/products/joeh/alanswers.htm Access "The
      Action Level"(r) Registration Form online at:
      https://www.acgih.org/products/joeh/alregfrm.htm "The Action Level,"(r) a self
      study, continuing education program, provides a convenient and interesting
      opportunity for individuals to expand their knowledge in relevant areas of
      industrial hygiene, as well as occupational and environmental safety and health.
      The program is approved by both the American Board of Industrial Hygiene and the
      Board of Certified Safety Professionals, which award Certification Maintenance
      (CM) points and Continuance of Certification (COC) points, respectively, for
      successful participation. Participants must read each issue of the Journal,
      answer "The Action Level"(r) questions, and return the completed answer sheet at
      the end of that issue's "The Action Level"(r) column. To earn the designated CM
      or COC credit, a score of 70 percent or better is required within a 12-month
      period. Certified Industrial Hygienists and Certified Associate Industrial
      Hygienists may earn 2 points per year. Certified Safety Professionals may earn
      1.2 points per year. Enrollment is possible each month, but points are awarded
      only four times each year - in March, June, September, and December - to
      participants who score an average of 70 percent or better within each three-month
      period. If you register in August 2014, you will receive 0.5 CM points and/or 0.3
      COC points after you have completed answers sheets for August and September 2014,
      and scored a 70 percent or better average on them (only in your first quarter of
      enrollment, if enrolling in the middle of the quarter, will you be permitted to
      submit answer sheets for two months and receive full credit; three answer sheets
      are required for all other quarters). In the next quarter, you'll receive 0.5 CM
      points and/or 0.3 COC points after satisfactorily completing answer sheets for
      the October, November and December, 2014 issues, and so on. To enroll, complete
      the registration form and the answer sheet at the end of this "The Action
      Level"(r) column. The cost is $219 (ACGIH(r)/AIHA members)/$249 (nonmembers) for
      one year. Nonmembers are encouraged to become members to take advantage of the
      member discount. For more information regarding ACGIH(r) membership, call 513-742
      2020, or apply online at http://www.acgih.org/members/memberform.htm . Checks
      must be in U.S. currency, drawn on a U.S. bank, and payable to ACGIH(r). We also
      accept AmEx, MasterCard, Discover and Visa. This continuing education program fee
      is separate from the Journal subscription cost. The fee covers administration
      costs and is nonrefundable. Submissions must be received by the date listed on
      each answer sheet.

PMID- 28922080
TI  - Factors associated with residential mobility during pregnancy.
AB  - Our objective was to determine the factors associated with residential moving
      during pregnancy, as it may increase stress during pregnancy and affect birth
      outcomes. Data were obtained from the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive
      Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) study. Participants were
      recruited from December 2006 to June 2011 and included 1,448 pregnant women. The
      average gestational age at enrollment was 23 weeks. The primary outcome of
      residential mobility was defined as any change in address during pregnancy.
      Multivariate regression was used to assess the adjusted associations of factors
      with residential mobility. Out of 1,448 participants, approximately 9 percent
      moved between baseline (enrollment) and delivery. After adjusting for covariates,
      mothers with lower educational attainment [less than high school (adjusted odds
      ratio [aOR] = 3.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.78, 7.85) and high
      school/technical school (aOR = 3.57, 95% CI = 2.01, 6.32) compared to college
      degree or higher], and shorter length of residence in neighborhood were more
      likely to have moved compared to other mothers. Length of residence was
      protective of mobility (aOR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.86, 0.96 per year). Increased
      understanding of residential mobility during pregnancy may help improve the
      health of mothers and their children.

PMID- 28922081
TI  - Clinical outcomes following conservative management of chronic traumatic cervical
      myelopathy: A case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is limited evidence supporting the conservative
      management of patients with cervical myelopathy. The purpose of this report is to
      describe the intervention and outcomes of conservative physical therapy
      interventions for one patient with chronic cervical myelopathy. CASE DESCRIPTION:
      This case was a 50-year-old male who sustained a neck injury following a rear-end
      collision 4 years prior to this therapeutic episode. The patient presented with
      decreased range of motion in the cervical spine and right upper extremity,
      strength deficits, altered sensation, poor posture, and reported chronic cervical
      region pain and difficulty sleeping. INTERVENTION: The patient completed 10 weeks
      of conservative physical therapy. The patient completed the Neck Disability Index
      (NDI), Medical Outcome Survey Sleep Scale (MSS), short-form McGill Pain
      Questionnaire (SFMPQ), Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), and baseline
      clinical measurements of flexibility and strength were obtained. OUTCOMES: After
      the 10-week episode of care, the following changes were noted from baseline: 18%
      improvement on the NDI, 26% improvement on the MSS, 25% decrease in pain on the
      SFMPQ, and a 39% improvement on the total score of the PSFS. Cervical range of
      motion measurements increased between 25% and 100%. Grip strength demonstrated a
      465% increase on the right upper extremity and a 25% increase on the left upper
      extremity. DISCUSSION: This case report suggests that conservative management of
      chronic traumatic cervical myelopathy was effective in helping to improve pain,
      sleep, and function in this patient with a traumatic mechanism of injury.

PMID- 28922082
TI  - Combinatorial peptide-based epitope mapping from Ebola virus DNA vaccines and
      infections reveals residue-level determinants of antibody binding.
AB  - Ebola virus (EBOV) infection is highly lethal and results in severe febrile
      bleeding disorders that affect humans and non-human primates. One of the
      therapeutic approaches for treating EBOV infection focus largely on cocktails of
      monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that bind to specific regions of the EBOV
      glycoprotein (GP) and neutralize the virus. Recent structural studies using cryo
      electron microscopy have identified key epitopes for several EBOV mAbs. While
      such information has yielded deep insights into antibody binding, limitations on
      resolution of these structures often preclude a residue-level analysis of EBOV
      epitopes. In this study, we performed combinatorial peptide-based epitope mapping
      of EBOV GP against a broad panel of mAbs and polyclonal sera derived from several
      animal species vaccinated with EBOV DNA and replicon vaccines and/or exposed to
      EBOV infection to identify residue-level determinants of antibody binding. The
      peptide-based epitope mapping obtained from a wide range of serum and mAb
      samples, combined with available cryo-EM structure reconstructions revealed fine
      details of antibody-virus interactions, allowing for a more precise and
      comprehensive mapping of antibody epitopes on EBOV GP. We show how these residue
      level epitope definitions can be used to characterize antigenic variation across
      different filoviruses, and provide a theoretical basis for predicting immunity
      and cross-neutralization in potential future outbreaks.

PMID- 28922084
TI  - Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health 2017 Annual BIRCWH
      Meeting - Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health October
      25, 20172017 Annual Meeting of the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in
      Women's Health Program Lisa Begg, Dr.P.H, R.N.

PMID- 28922083
TI  - Strategies in recommending influenza vaccination in Europe and US.
AB  - There is potential for influenza vaccine programmes to make a substantial impact
      on the disease burden. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified young
      children, pregnant women, persons with chronic medical conditions, and the
      elderly as being at risk for severe influenza disease and therefore important
      groups to be considered for influenza vaccination. Applying the methodology of
      scoping review of grey and scientific literature we described the European and
      the US approach to influenza vaccine prevention. Although vaccination remains the
      most effective means of reducing the incidence and severity of influenza, vaccine
      uptake in many European countries remains suboptimal (i.e. 45.5% in the elderly,
      24% in health care workers, from 49.8% in patients with chronic medical
      conditions, median 23.6% in pregnant women) and vaccine strategies are not
      harmonized in particular with regard to vaccinating healthy children. Whereas in
      the US the vaccine strategies are more standardized across states and vaccine
      coverage are higher than those reported in EU on average. The integration of
      different strategies is crucial in order to increase influenza vaccine coverage:
      public health authorities should encourage healthcare workers to vaccinate
      themselves, as target category, and to recommend seasonal influenza vaccination
      to people in the target groups; there should also be structured communication
      campaigns on influenza and influenza vaccines, directed specifically at these
      target groups, and an adequate and sustainable funding is also an important
      factor to achieve higher vaccination coverage rates.

PMID- 28922086
TI  - Assessment of Ah receptor transcriptional activity mediated by halogenated
      dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PXDD/Fs) in human and mouse cell systems.
AB  - Polybrominated and mixed bromo/chloro dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans
      (PXDD/Fs) are emerging environmental contaminants of concern. Thus far, an
      understanding of the toxicological behavior of these chemical species and their
      impact upon human health is incomplete. Here we utilized human and mouse
      hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines to examine the ability of differentially
      halogenated PXDD/F congeners to induce aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-mediated
      transcriptional activity. Dose-response experiments in reporter cell lines
      identified varied potencies among differentially halogenated PXDD/F isomers by
      comparison of EC50 values relative to the prototypical AHR agonist, 2,3,7,8
      tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Brominated PXDD/F species displayed reduced
      capacity to activate the mouse AHR, compared to TCDD. Only BrCl3 dibenzo-p-dioxin
      was found to have a greater relative potency than TCDD to induce human AHR
      transcriptional activity. Human cells required ~10-29-fold higher ligand
      concentrations to induce analogous AHR activity, relative to mouse cells.
      Decreased sensitivity of the human AHR to brominated dibenzofuran congeners
      directly corresponded to the number of bromine functional groups. Mixtures of
      these compounds exhibited an additive effect on AHR activation. The data also
      support the inclusion of mixed halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans
      into routine environmental screening procedures as well as more thorough
      toxicological characterization of PXDD/Fs.

PMID- 28922087
TI  - Preexisting Cardiovascular Risk and Subsequent Heart Failure Among Non-Hodgkin
      Lymphoma Survivors.
AB  - Purpose The use of anthracycline chemotherapy is associated with heart failure
      (HF) among survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We aimed to understand the
      contribution of preexisting cardiovascular risk factors to HF risk among NHL
      survivors. Methods Using Danish registries, we identified adults diagnosed with
      aggressive NHL from 2000 to 2010 and sex- and age-matched general-population
      controls. We assessed HF from 9 months after diagnosis through 2012. We used Cox
      regression analysis to assess differences in risk for HF between survivors and
      general population controls. Among survivors only, preexisting cardiovascular
      factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes) and preexisting cardiovascular
      disease were ascertained. We used multivariable Cox regression to model the
      association of preexisting cardiovascular conditions on subsequent HF. Results
      Among 2,508 survivors of NHL and 7,399 controls, there was a 42% increased risk
      of HF among survivors compared with general population controls (hazard ratio
      [HR], 1.42; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.88). Among survivors (median age at diagnosis, 62
      years; 56% male), 115 were diagnosed with HF during follow-up (median years of
      follow-up, 2.5). Before NHL diagnosis, 39% had >= 1 cardiovascular risk factor;
      92% of survivors were treated with anthracycline-containing regimens. In
      multivariable analysis, intrinsic heart disease diagnosed before lymphoma was
      associated with increased risk of HF (HR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.15 to 6.36), whereas
      preexisting vascular disease had no association with HF ( P > .05). Survivors
      with cardiovascular risk factors had an increased risk of HF compared with those
      with none (for 1 v 0 cardiovascular risk factors: HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.47;
      for >= 2 v 0 cardiovascular risk factors: HR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.56 to 5.23; joint P
      < .01). Conclusion In a large, population-based cohort of NHL survivors,
      preexisting cardiovascular conditions were associated with increased risk of HF.
      Preventive approaches should take baseline cardiovascular health into account.

PMID- 28922089
TI  - The "Jolly Fat" Effect in Middle-Aged Korean Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that depression and obesity are bi
      directionally associated, and when overweight people appear to show a lower risk
      of depression, this supports the "Jolly Fat" hypothesis. The aim of this study
      was to examine the "Jolly Fat" hypothesis in middle-aged women in Korea, by
      different perceived stress levels. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study
      of 44 to 56 aged Korean women (n = 2201) who underwent a health check-up program
      at the healthcare centers of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital (Seoul and Suwon centers)
      in Korea. General and abdominal obesity were defined as body mass index >=25
      kg/m2 and waist circumference >=85 cm, respectively. Depressive symptoms were
      measured by a Korean version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression
      scale. The association between obesity and depressive symptoms was investigated
      by using multiple logistic regression analyses by different levels of perceived
      stress, with adjustment for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of general and abdominal obesity and depressive symptoms were 23.7%,
      21.4%, and 16.5%, respectively. Women with general obesity were less likely to
      have depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR]: 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      0.25-1.00; p-value: 0.049) in the low-stress group. We also found that women with
      abdominal obesity had a 60% decrease in the odds of having depressive symptoms
      (OR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.18-0.87; p-value: 0.02) in the low-stress group. No
      significant association was found in the high-stress group. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings indicate that the relationship between obesity and depressive symptoms
      in the Korean middle-aged women supports the "Jolly Fat" hypothesis. Further, our
      results underscore the role of stress as an important potential mediator exerting
      effects on the association between obesity and depressive symptoms.

PMID- 28922088
TI  - Semifluorinated Alkane Eye Drops for Treatment of Dry Eye Disease Due to
      Meibomian Gland Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Meibomian gland disease is generally accepted as the leading cause for
      evaporative dry eye disease (DED). In a previous study, perfluorohexyloctane, a
      semifluorinated alkane, has been demonstrated to significantly increase tear film
      breakup time and to reduce corneal fluorescein staining in patients with
      evaporative DED, thereby vastly reducing dry eye-related symptoms. This study was
      set up to evaluate perfluorohexyloctane in a larger population of patients with
      Meibomian gland dysfunction. METHODS: Seventy-two patients with Meibomian gland
      disease and associated dry eye received 1 drop of perfluorohexyloctane 4 times
      daily during an observational, prospective, multicenter, 6-8-week study. Clinical
      assessment included best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, Schirmer
      test I, tear film breakup time, anterior and posterior blepharitis assessment,
      number of expressible Meibomian glands, meibum quality and quantity, ocular
      surface fluorescein staining, lid margin and symptom assessment, and Ocular
      Surface Disease Index (OSDI(c)). RESULTS: From the 72 patients recruited, 61
      completed the trial per protocol. Nine patients did not apply the medication as
      recommended and 2 patients were lost to follow-up. Tear film breakup time,
      corneal and conjunctival fluorescein staining, number of expressible Meibomian
      glands, and severity of anterior and posterior blepharitis significantly improved
      after 6-8 weeks of perfluorohexyloctane application. In addition, symptoms
      improved as demonstrated by a significant decrease of OSDI-values from 37 (+/-13)
      to 26 (+/-16). CONCLUSIONS: In concordance with previous findings, 6-8 weeks of
      topical application of perfluorohexyloctane significantly improves clinical signs
      of Meibomian gland disease and associated mild to moderate DED.

PMID- 28922090
TI  - Microsaccades and interest areas during free-viewing sport task.
AB  - Microsaccades are important fixation eye movements for visual scene perception.
      Compared to novices, athletes make fewer fixations of longer duration toward
      limited interest areas crucial for action prediction. Thus, our aim was to study
      the microsaccade features during those fixations. Gaze behaviour of expert and
      novice table tennis players was recorder during a task in which subjects were
      instructed to predict the direction of the ball after the opponent's throw. Three
      interest areas from the opponent's body and one from the ball trajectory were
      identified. We analysed correctness of predictions, fixations, microsaccades and
      saccades to estimate the relationship between eye movements toward interest areas
      and success in the task. Compared to novices, experts fixated more on hand-racket
      during forehand and on trunk during backhand drive technique. Longer fixations on
      hand-racket and trunk were associated with higher microsaccade rate with a
      narrower directional distribution of them. It probably means that athletes
      focused their gaze on these small areas, suggesting enhanced attention mainly to
      them, and fewer consideration for the surrounding regions. We can assume that
      microsaccade rate and average direction could be related to the salience of
      interest areas during performance.

PMID- 28922092
TI  - From risky behaviour to sexy adventures: reconceptualising young people's online
      sexual activities.
AB  - Western discourses about young people and sexuality centre around the concept of
      risk. Anxieties have been fuelled by the increasing popularity of social media
      and practices such as 'sexting' and watching 'sexually explicit' materials
      online. Research has shown however that such risk discourses mainly serve to
      moralise about, pathologise and police particular behaviours and children. In
      order to counter such paternalism, researchers advocated a reconceptualisation of
      youth not as passive victims, but as active agents who actively negotiate sexual
      experiences and discourses. In this paper, which is based on ethnographic
      fieldwork among young people in The Netherlands, I argue that we need a
      reconceptualisation not only of youth, but also of their sexual practices,
      especially their online sexual practices. Mobilising an interdisciplinary
      interaction between critical socio-cultural studies of risk, feminist theory and
      adventure studies, I propose to reconceptualise these practices as 'adventures'
      rather than 'risky behaviour'. This opens up possibilities for a more reasoned
      analysis that acknowledges: (1) the distinction between risks and outcomes of an
      activity; (2) the constructive potential of risk; and (3) the subjective, dynamic
      character of risk and pleasure.

PMID- 28922093
TI  - Safer sexual practices among African American women: intersectional socialisation
      and sexual assertiveness.
AB  - Scholars have posited that childhood socialisation experiences may play a key
      role in influencing behaviours and attitudes that contribute to the acquisition
      of HIV. This study examined the links between past ethnic-racial and gender
      socialisation, sexual assertiveness and the safe sexual practices of African
      American college women utilising a cluster analytic approach. After identifying
      separate racial-gender and ethnic-gender socialisation profiles, results
      indicated that ethnic-gender socialisation cluster profiles were directly
      associated with sexual assertiveness and safer sex behaviour. Greater levels of
      ethnic socialisation and low traditional gender role socialisation were found to
      be associated with greater sexual assertiveness and safer sex behaviour. Further
      analysis showed that sexual assertiveness mediated the links between the
      identified ethnic-gender socialisation profiles and safer sex behaviour.
      Implications for policy and programme development are discussed.

PMID- 28922091
TI  - How Cancer Patients Use and Benefit from an Interactive Cancer Communication
      System.
AB  - Despite the mounting evidence of efficacy of eHealth interventions, their
      mechanisms of action remain unknown. The current study analyzed patient log data
      as each patient engaged in an eHealth system called the Comprehensive Health
      Enhancement Support System (CHESS) and reports on how patients engage with
      different combinations of eHealth services over time. Newly diagnosed breast
      cancer patients (N = 443) were given access for 6 months to one of four different
      configurations of CHESS: (1) Information, (2) Information and Support, (3)
      Information, Support, and Coaching (Full CHESS), and (4) Full CHESS and Mentor.
      Besides a baseline survey, three follow-up posttests were administered. Action
      log data on how patients engaged with the CHESS were also collected and merged
      with surveys to examine how patients benefit during the cancer experience. The
      findings suggest that usage patterns were not competitive, implying that cancer
      patients' access to more complex tools generates more use with their time
      spreading out over the diverse services. Despite overall decline in usage rates,
      it was less severe in Full CHESS and Mentor condition, suggesting that
      communication functions drive long-term engagement with the system. Notably, the
      strongest relation between use and cancer information competence appeared late in
      the follow-up period.

PMID- 28922094
TI  - Remembering - but not knowing - disturbs the relational bindings newly
      established in short-term/working memory: an age-group comparison.
AB  - The aim of this study was to highlight that episodic memory and working memory
      compete for the same resource, which would be diminished in aging. Using the
      remember/know paradigm, we compared the interference related to the retrieval of
      words on the parallel processing of preestablished relational bindings (Shifting
      condition) or newly established relational bindings (Updating condition). Within
      each age-group, participants had comparable performances in remembering across
      recognition conditions. However, the results showed that only updating activity
      was impaired after a remember response was given in the younger group. This
      specific interaction between updating and remembering - but not knowing - tends
      to indicate that both working memory and episodic memory rely on the ability to
      establish contextualized representations. In the older group, the performance in
      updating activity was impaired regardless of the kind of the competing retrieval.
      Limitations in terms of interference hypothesis and limited resource hypothesis
      are discussed.

PMID- 28922095
TI  - End-of-Volume Editorial Board.

PMID- 28922096
TI  - The Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Body Composition, Blood Pressure, Glucose
      Metabolism, and Markers of Inflammation in NAFLD Patients: An Observational
      Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver
      disease and is a serious global health problem. Regarding the increasing
      prevalence of NAFLD, finding various strategies to prevent and manage the disease
      is of great importance. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of
      caloric restriction during Ramadan fasting on anthropometric indices, fasting
      glucose, plasma insulin, insulin resistance, and inflammatory cytokines (C
      reactive protein and interleukin 6) in patients with NAFLD. METHODS: We conducted
      this study with 83 patients with NAFLD, 42 of whom decided to fast and 41
      controls who decided not to fast for Ramadan, between June 18 and July 17, 2015.
      Anthropometric parameters were measured and a sample of venous blood was obtained
      for biochemical assays before and after Ramadan. RESULTS: There was a significant
      decrease in all anthropometric parameters as well as fasting glucose, plasma
      insulin, and insulin resistance. Relative to the nonfasting group, fasting
      significantly reduced circulating inflammatory, but changes in blood pressure
      after Ramadan were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows significant
      effects on parameters during Ramadan fasting such as anthropometric indices,
      fasting glucose, plasma insulin, and inflammatory cytokines in patients with
      NAFLD. The results of this study suggest that Ramadan fasting may be useful to
      improve NAFLD, so further studies are needed in this area.

PMID- 28922097
TI  - Gender differences in variables associated with sleep quality in chronic tension
      type headache.
AB  - We aimed to evaluate gender differences in the relationships between headache
      features, sleep quality, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and burden of headache in
      193 patients (73 percent women) with chronic tension type headache (CTTH). Sleep
      quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Headache features
      were collected with a four-week diary. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
      was used to assess anxiety/depressive symptoms. Headache Disability Inventory was
      used to evaluate the burden of headache. In men with CTTH, sleep quality was
      positive correlated with headache frequency (r = 0.310; p = .018), emotional (r =
      0.518; p < .001) and physical (r = 0.468; p < .001) burden of headache, and
      depressive symptoms (r = 0.564; p < .001). In women, positive correlations were
      observed between sleep quality and headache intensity (r = 0.282; p < .001),
      headache frequency (r = 0.195; p = .021), emotional burden (r = 0.249; p = .004),
      and depressive symptoms (r = 0.382; p < .001). The results of stepwise regression
      analyses revealed that depressive symptoms and emotional burden of headache
      explained 37.2 percent of the variance in sleep quality in men (p < .001),
      whereas depressive symptoms and headache intensity explained 17.4 percent of the
      variance in sleep quality in women (p < .001) with CTTH. Gender differences
      associated with poor sleep should be considered for proper management of
      individuals with CTTH.

PMID- 28922098
TI  - The effects of familial acculturative stress and hopelessness on suicidal
      ideation by immigration status among college students.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Based on acculturative family distancing theory, we examined whether
      familial acculturative stress interacted with hopelessness to predict suicidal
      ideation differentially among emerging adult immigrant versus nonimmigrant
      college students. PARTICIPANTS: We recruited 152 generationally and
      racially/ethnically diverse college students (42 immigrants) from 2012 to 2013.
      METHODS: Participants completed measures of hopelessness, depressive symptoms,
      ethnic identity, familial acculturative stress, and suicidal ideation. RESULTS:
      Immigrant status interacted with hopelessness and familial acculturative stress.
      Hopelessness was associated with less suicidal ideation among immigrants than
      among nonimmigrants at a familial acculturative stress score below the 11th
      percentile, but greater suicidal ideation among immigrants than among
      nonimmigrants at a familial acculturative stress score above the 72nd percentile.
      CONCLUSIONS: Familial acculturative stress may exacerbate the effect of
      hopelessness on suicidal ideation among immigrant college students, and should be
      monitored during suicide risk assessment and treatment.

PMID- 28922099
TI  - The Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Gene Expression Related to
      Inflammation, Insulin, and Lipids in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A
      Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited data are available assessing the effects of probiotic
      supplementation on gene expression related to inflammation, insulin, and lipids
      in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVES: The current study was
      conducted to assess the effects of probiotic supplementation on gene expression
      related to inflammation, insulin, and lipids in patients with MS. METHODS: This
      randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed among
      40 patients with MS. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups to
      receive either a probiotic capsule containing Lactobacillus acidophilus,
      Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Lactobacillus fermentum (2 *
      109 colony-forming units/g each; n = 20) or placebo (n = 20) for 12 weeks. Gene
      expression related to inflammation, insulin, and lipids was quantified in blood
      samples of patients with MS with the reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR) method. RESULTS: We found that compared with placebo, probiotic
      supplementation down-regulated gene expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8; p < 0.001)
      and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA (p < .001) in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells of patients with MS. We did not observe any significant effect
      of probiotic supplementation on gene expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1),
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma), or oxidized low
      density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of
      patients with MS. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, probiotic supplementation for 12 weeks in
      patients with MS significantly improved gene expression of IL-8 and TNF-alpha but
      did not influence IL-1, PPAR-gamma, or LDLR.

PMID- 28922101
TI  - This is who we are: building community for HIV prevention with young gay and
      bisexual men in Beirut, Lebanon.
AB  - Young gay men in Beirut are at significantly elevated risk of HIV infection
      compared with the general Lebanese population. Despite nascent HIV prevention
      efforts in the region, there is a need for effective community-level HIV
      prevention interventions tailored for young gay men. This qualitative study
      examined internal dynamics within Beirut's gay community as a basis for
      developing community-level interventions. Peer ethnographers were trained to
      collect field notes on conversations between young gay men in public spaces in
      Beirut, and conducted follow-up focus groups with young gay men. Analyses
      revealed three major themes: (1) the need for safe spaces in which to socialise,
      (2) the importance of being able to locate and connect with other young gay men,
      and (3) ambivalence regarding a gay community that was supportive in some ways
      but also fragmented and often judgemental. Study findings also confirm the
      existence of external threats to community such as stigma, cultural and familial
      norms regarding heterosexuality and criminalisation of refugee status.
      Understanding such community dynamics and the environmental context is central to
      designing effective community-based HIV prevention programmes.

PMID- 28922102
TI  - Sleep Duration and Quality Among Women Aged 40-59, by Menopausal Status.
AB  - Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 2015. Among those aged 40-59,
      perimenopausal women (56.0%) were more likely than postmenopausal (40.5%) and
      premenopausal (32.5%) women to sleep less than 7 hours, on average, in a 24-hour
      period. Postmenopausal women aged 40-59 were more likely than premenopausal women
      aged 40-59 to have trouble falling asleep (27.1% compared with 16.8%,
      respectively), and staying asleep (35.9% compared with 23.7%), four times or more
      in the past week. Postmenopausal women aged 40-59 (55.1%) were more likely than
      premenopausal women aged 40-59 (47.0%) to not wake up feeling well rested 4 days
      or more in the past week.

PMID- 28922100
TI  - Frequency and Antibiotic Resistance of Bacteria Implicated in Community Urinary
      Tract Infections in North Aveiro Between 2011 and 2014.
AB  - AIMS: The present study aims to evaluate the predominance of uropathogens
      responsible for urinary tract infection (UTI) and determine their resistance
      patterns, to assess if the recommended empirical treatment is appropriate for the
      studied population. Samples were collected in Aveiro (Portugal) from an
      ambulatory service between June 2011 and June 2014. RESULTS: From the 4,270
      positive urine samples for UTI, 3,561 (83%) were from women and only 709 (17%)
      were from men. The bacterium Escherichia coli was the most frequent uropathogen,
      followed by Klebsiella sp., Enterococcus sp., and Proteus mirabilis. E. coli was
      also the uropathogen presenting less resistance to antibiotics, including those
      recommended as first and second line UTI treatment. In general, bacteria isolated
      from men were more resistant to antimicrobials than bacteria isolated from women.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study emphasized the relevance to consider sex
      as a differentiating factor in the choice of UTI empirical treatment, mainly due
      to differences in antimicrobial resistance. From the first line drugs recommended
      by the European Association of Urology (EAU) to empirical treatment of
      uncomplicated UTI, nitrofurantoin is the most appropriate drug for both sexes.
      Ciprofloxacin, although appropriate for treatment in women, is not appropriate to
      treat UTIs in men. From the second line drugs, both trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
      (TMP-SMX) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (AMX-CA) are appropriate drugs for
      treatment of uncomplicated UTI in women, but not as effective for men.

PMID- 28922103
TI  - Budd-Chiari Syndrome.
AB  - Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare disease with an incidence of 0.1 to 10 per
      million inhabitants a year caused by impaired venous outflow from the liver
      mostly at the level of hepatic veins and inferior vena cava. Etiological factors
      include hypercoagulable conditions, myeloprolipherative diseases, anatomical
      variability of the inferior vena cava, and environmental conditions. Survival
      rates in treated patients range from 42 to 100% depending on the etiology and the
      presence of risk factors including parameters of Child-Pugh score, sodium and
      creatinine plasma levels, and the choice of treatment. Without treatment, 90% of
      patients die within 3 years, mostly due to complications of liver cirrhosis. BCS
      can be classified according to etiology (primary, secondary), clinical course
      (acute, chronic, acute or chronic lesion), and morphology (truncal, radicular,
      and venooclusive type). The diagnosis is established by demonstrating obstruction
      of the venous outflow and structural changes of the liver, portal venous system,
      or a secondary pathology by ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic
      resonance. Laboratory and hematological tests are an integral part of the
      comprehensive workup and are invaluable in recognizing hematological and
      coagulation disorders that may be identified in up to 75% of patients with BCS.
      The recommended therapeutic approach to BCS is based on a stepwise algorithm
      beginning with medical treatment (a consensus of expert opinion recommends
      anticoagulation in all patients), endovascular treatment to restore vessel
      patency (angioplasty, stenting, and local thrombolysis), placement of
      transjugular portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and orthotopic liver transplantation as
      a last resort rescue treatment.

PMID- 28922104
TI  - Interleukin-2, Interferon-gamma Gene Polymorphisms in Recurrent Aphthous
      Stomatitis.
AB  - Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common oral ulcerative
      inflammatory disease with unknown etiology. IL-2 and IFN-gamma are secreted by
      Th1 cells and the elevated levels of them have been reported in RAS. Single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-2 and IFN-gamma genes could alter the
      cytokine production. The aim of this study was to investigate frequencies of IL-2
      and IFN-gamma alleles and genotypes in a group of patients with minor-RAS
      (MiRAS). PCR-SSP method used to type genomic DNA of 64 Iranian patients with
      MiRAS for IL-2 gene (G -330 T) and (G +166 T) and IFN-gamma gene at position
      UTR5644 (A/T). Frequency of each allele and genotype was compared with control
      group. IL-2 +166 G allele was significantly lower among patients which was
      reflected in significantly decreased of GG genotype at this position, while IL-2
      +166 T allele was significantly higher among patients, IL-2 GT genotype was also
      significantly higher in RAS patients. No significant differences were found
      regarding IL-2 -330 G/T allele frequencies, while IL-2 GT genotype at this
      position was significantly higher among patients and IL-2 -330 TT genotype was
      significantly lower among RAS patients. Although no significant differences were
      found in IFN-gamma allele frequencies at UTR5644 (A/T), AT genotype at this
      position was significantly overrepresented among patients compared with controls.
      Results of this study suggest that certain SNPs of IL-2 and IFN-gamma genes have
      association with predisposition of individuals to RAS. More studies in different
      ethnic groups are needed to confirm results of this study.

PMID- 28922105
TI  - Hereditary Multiple Exostoses: Clinical, Molecular and Radiologic Survey in 9
      Families.
AB  - Hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) represents a heterogeneous group of diseases
      often associated with progressive skeletal deformities. Most frequently,
      mutations in EXT1 and EXT2 genes with autosomal dominant inheritance are
      responsible for HME. In our group of 9 families with HME we evaluated the
      clinical course of the disease and analysed molecular background using Sanger
      sequencing and MLPA in EXT1 and EXT2 genes. The mean age in our group of
      patients, when the first exostosis was recognised was 4.5 years (range 2-10
      years) and the number of exostoses per one patient documented on X-ray ranged
      from 2 to 54. Most of the exostoses developed before the growth was completed and
      they were dominantly localised in the distal femurs, proximal tibia, proximal
      humerus and distal radius. In all patients, at least one to 8 surgeries were
      necessary due to complaints and local complications, but neither patient
      developed malignant transformation. In half of the patients, the disease resulted
      in short stature. DNA analyses were positive in 7 families. In five probands,
      different EXT1 gene mutations resulting in premature stop-codon
      (p.Gly124Argfs*65, p.Leu191*, p.Trp364Lysfs*11, p.Val371Glyfs*10,
      p.Leu490Profs*31) were found. In two probands, nonsense mutations were found in
      EXT2 gene (p.Val187Profs*115, p.Cys319fs*46). Five mutations have been novel and
      two mutations have occurred de novo in probands. Although the risk for malignant
      transformation is usually low, especially in patients with low number of
      exostoses, early diagnostics and longitudinal follow up of patients is of a big
      importance, because early surgery can prevent progression of secondary bone
      deformities.

PMID- 28922106
TI  - IgG4-related Disease - A Patient with Multiple Organ Involvement.
AB  - IgG4-related diseases represent a heterogeneous group of conditions characterised
      by elevated serum IgG4 levels and fibrotic or sclerosing changes in the affected
      organs or systems accompanied by IgG4-positive plasma cells. A disease associated
      with IgG4 may affect virtually any organ - salivary glands, periorbital tissue,
      kidneys, lungs, meninges, aorta, prostate, pericardium or skin. Histopathological
      findings are uniform, characterised by a major lymphoplasmocytic infiltrate and
      the presence of IgG4-producing plasma cells, irrespective of the affected site.
      It can be difficult to establish a correct diagnosis due to the lack of clinical
      symptoms. Treatment with immunosuppressive drugs provides good results and
      requires interdisciplinary cooperation.

PMID- 28922107
TI  - Colonic Perforation: A Medical Complication.
AB  - Hypothyroidism is a common comorbidity that on acute presentation is often
      overlooked. It can be an easily managed condition; however non-compliance can
      have severe consequences. In the presented case it was requirement for emergency
      surgery that resulted in stoma formation. This case is a first example of the
      need to include patient's decision making process with regards to medication
      adherence in the setting of chronic disease.

PMID- 28922108
TI  - Meropenem-induced Valproic Acid Elimination: A Case Report of Clinically Relevant
      Drug Interaction.
AB  - We present two case reports of drug interaction between valproic acid and
      meropenem. In comparison with expected population-kinetic based serum levels, we
      observed 90.8 and 93.5% decrease in valproic acid serum levels during concomitant
      administration with meropenem. If carbapenems need to be administered to valproic
      acid treated patient, other anticonvulsant addition seems to be the appropriate
      as most probably the valproic acid dose escalation would not be sufficient to
      achieve therapeutic serum concentration.

PMID- 28922110
TI  - An Automated System for the Detection and Classification of Retinal Changes Due
      to Red Lesions in Longitudinal Fundus Images.
AB  - People with diabetes mellitus need annual screening to check for the development
      of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Tracking small retinal changes due to early
      diabetic retinopathy lesions in longitudinal fundus image sets is challenging due
      to intra- and intervisit variability in illumination and image quality, the
      required high registration accuracy, and the subtle appearance of retinal lesions
      compared to other retinal features. This paper presents a robust and flexible
      approach for automated detection of longitudinal retinal changes due to small red
      lesions by exploiting normalized fundus images that significantly reduce
      illumination variations and improve the contrast of small retinal features. To
      detect spatio-temporal retinal changes, the absolute difference between the
      extremes of the multiscale blobness responses of fundus images from two time
      points is proposed as a simple and effective blobness measure. DR related changes
      are then identified based on several intensity and shape features by a support
      vector machine classifier. The proposed approach was evaluated in the context of
      a regular diabetic retinopathy screening program involving subjects ranging from
      healthy (no retinal lesion) to moderate (with clinically relevant retinal
      lesions) DR levels. Evaluation shows that the system is able to detect retinal
      changes due to small red lesions with a sensitivity of at an average false
      positive rate of 1 and 2.5 lesions per eye on small and large fields-of-view of
      the retina, respectively.

PMID- 28922109
TI  - Protein-mediated RNA folding governs sequence-specific interactions between
      rotavirus genome segments.
AB  - Segmented RNA viruses are ubiquitous pathogens, which include influenza viruses
      and rotaviruses. A major challenge in understanding their assembly is the
      combinatorial problem of a non-random selection of a full genomic set of distinct
      RNAs. This process involves complex RNA-RNA and protein-RNA interactions, which
      are often obscured by non-specific binding at concentrations approaching in vivo
      assembly conditions. Here, we present direct experimental evidence of sequence
      specific inter-segment interactions between rotavirus RNAs, taking place in a
      complex RNA- and protein-rich milieu. We show that binding of the rotavirus
      encoded non-structural protein NSP2 to viral ssRNAs results in the remodeling of
      RNA, which is conducive to formation of stable inter-segment contacts. To
      identify the sites of these interactions, we have developed an RNA-RNA SELEX
      approach for mapping the sequences involved in inter-segment base-pairing. Our
      findings elucidate the molecular basis underlying inter-segment interactions in
      rotaviruses, paving the way for delineating similar RNA-RNA interactions that
      govern assembly of other segmented RNA viruses.

PMID- 28922111
TI  - Optimization of the Working Conditions for Magnetic Nanoparticle-Enhanced
      Microwave Diagnostics of Breast Cancer.
AB  - Magnetic nanoparticle-aided microwave imaging is recently gaining an increasing
      interest as a potential tool for breast cancer diagnostics. This is due to the
      peculiar features of magnetic nanoparticles, which are biocompatible, can be
      selectively targeted to the tumor, and may change their microwave magnetic
      response when modulated by a polarizing magnetic field. This latter aspect is
      particularly appealing, as it enables the physical separation of the microwave
      signal due the malignancy, targeted by the nanoparticles, from that due to
      healthy tissue. This increases the specificity of the diagnostic tool, in
      principle allowing a diagnosis based solely on the detection of the signal due to
      the nanoparticles response. In this respect, a proper choice of the polarizing
      field modulation can remarkably increase the detection performances. This paper
      deals with this issue, by providing the mathematical framework for such an
      optimization and a procedure for estimating the required quantities from a set of
      proper measurements. The procedure is then experimentally demonstrated by
      applying it to a recently developed ultrawideband radar system for the magnetic
      nanoparticle-aided detection of breast cancer. For such a system, the optimal
      magnetic field modulation is determined.

PMID- 28922112
TI  - Effects of Flexible Dry Electrode Design on Electrodermal Activity Stimulus
      Response Detection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The focus of this research is to evaluate the effects of design
      parameters including surface area, distance between and geometry of dry flexible
      electrodes on electrodermal activity (EDA) stimulus response detection. METHODS:
      EDA is a result of the autonomic nervous system being stimulated, which causes
      sweat and changes the electrical characteristics of the skin. Standard
      silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) EDA electrodes are rigid and lack conformability
      in contact with skin. In this study, flexible dry Ag/AgCl EDA electrodes were
      fabricated on a compliant substrate, used to monitor EDA stimulus responses and
      compared to results simultaneously collected by rigid dry Ag/AgCl electrodes.
      RESULTS: A repeatable fabrication process for flexible Ag/AgCl electrodes has
      been established. Surface area, distance between and geometry of electrodes are
      shown to affect the detectability of the EDA response and the minimum number of
      sweat glands to be covered by the electrodes has been estimated at 140, or more,
      in order to maintain functionality. The optimal flexible EDA electrode is a
      serpentine design with a 0.15 cm2 surface area and a 0.20 cm distance with an
      average Pearson correlation coefficient of . CONCLUSION: Fabrication of flexible
      electrodes is described and an understanding of the effects of electrode designs
      on the EDA stimulus response detection has been established and is potentially
      related to the coverage of sweat glands. SIGNIFICANCE: This work presents a novel
      systematic approach to understand the effects of electrode designs on monitoring
      EDA which is of importance for the design of wearable EDA monitoring devices.

PMID- 28922113
TI  - Force-Based Representation for Non-Rigid Shape and Elastic Model Estimation.
AB  - This paper addresses the problem of simultaneously recovering 3D shape, pose and
      the elastic model of a deformable object from only 2D point tracks in a monocular
      video. This is a severely under-constrained problem that has been typically
      addressed by enforcing the shape or the point trajectories to lie on low-rank
      dimensional spaces. We show that formulating the problem in terms of a low-rank
      force space that induces the deformation and introducing the elastic model as an
      additional unknown, allows for a better physical interpretation of the resulting
      priors and a more accurate representation of the actual object's behavior. In
      order to simultaneously estimate force, pose, and the elastic model of the object
      we use an expectation maximization strategy, where each of these parameters are
      successively learned by partial M-steps. Once the elastic model is learned, it
      can be transfered to similar objects to code its 3D deformation. Moreover, our
      approach can robustly deal with missing data, and encode both rigid and non-rigid
      points under the same formalism. We thoroughly validate the approach on Mocap and
      real sequences, showing more accurate 3D reconstructions than state-of-the-art,
      and additionally providing an estimate of the full elastic model with no a priori
      information.

PMID- 28922114
TI  - Cross-Modal Scene Networks.
AB  - People can recognize scenes across many different modalities beyond natural
      images. In this paper, we investigate how to learn cross-modal scene
      representations that transfer across modalities. To study this problem, we
      introduce a new cross-modal scene dataset. While convolutional neural networks
      can categorize scenes well, they also learn an intermediate representation not
      aligned across modalities, which is undesirable for cross-modal transfer
      applications. We present methods to regularize cross-modal convolutional neural
      networks so that they have a shared representation that is agnostic of the
      modality. Our experiments suggest that our scene representation can help transfer
      representations across modalities for retrieval. Moreover, our visualizations
      suggest that units emerge in the shared representation that tend to activate on
      consistent concepts independently of the modality.

PMID- 28922115
TI  - Colour Constancy Beyond the Classical Receptive Field.
AB  - The problem of removing illuminant variations to preserve the colours of objects
      (colour constancy) has already been solved by the human brain using mechanisms
      that rely largely on centre-surround computations of local contrast. In this
      paper we adopt some of these biological solutions described by long known
      physiological findings into a simple, fully automatic, functional model (termed
      Adaptive Surround Modulation or ASM). In ASM, the size of a visual neuron's
      receptive field (RF) as well as the relationship with its surround varies
      according to the local contrast within the stimulus, which in turn determines the
      nature of the centre-surround normalisation of cortical neurons higher up in the
      processing chain. We modelled colour constancy by means of two overlapping
      asymmetric Gaussian kernels whose sizes are adapted based on the contrast of the
      surround pixels, resembling the change of RF size. We simulated the contrast
      dependent surround modulation by weighting the contribution of each Gaussian
      according to the centre-surround contrast. In the end, we obtained an estimation
      of the illuminant from the set of the most activated RFs' outputs. Our results on
      three single-illuminant and one multi-illuminant benchmark datasets show that ASM
      is highly competitive against the state-of-the-art and it even outperforms
      learning-based algorithms in one case. Moreover, the robustness of our model is
      more tangible if we consider that our results were obtained using the same
      parameters for all datasets, that is, mimicking how the human visual system
      operates. These results suggest a dynamical adaptation mechanisms contribute to
      achieving higher accuracy in computational colour constancy.

PMID- 28922116
TI  - Iterative Low-Dose CT Reconstruction With Priors Trained by Artificial Neural
      Network.
AB  - Dose reduction in computed tomography (CT) is essential for decreasing radiation
      risk in clinical applications. Iterative reconstruction algorithms are one of the
      most promising way to compensate for the increased noise due to reduction of
      photon flux. Most iterative reconstruction algorithms incorporate manually
      designed prior functions of the reconstructed image to suppress noises while
      maintaining structures of the image. These priors basically rely on smoothness
      constraints and cannot exploit more complex features of the image. The recent
      development of artificial neural networks and machine learning enabled learning
      of more complex features of image, which has the potential to improve
      reconstruction quality. In this letter, K-sparse auto encoder was used for
      unsupervised feature learning. A manifold was learned from normal-dose images and
      the distance between the reconstructed image and the manifold was minimized along
      with data fidelity during reconstruction. Experiments on 2016 Low-dose CT Grand
      Challenge were used for the method verification, and results demonstrated the
      noise reduction and detail preservation abilities of the proposed method.

PMID- 28922118
TI  - A Fast Gradient Method for Nonnegative Sparse Regression With Self-Dictionary.
AB  - A nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) can be computed efficiently under the
      separability assumption, which asserts that all the columns of the given input
      data matrix belong to the cone generated by a (small) subset of them. The
      provably most robust methods to identify these conic basis columns are based on
      nonnegative sparse regression and self-dictionaries, and require the solution of
      large-scale convex optimization problems. In this paper, we study a particular
      nonnegative sparse regression model with self-dictionary. As opposed to
      previously proposed models, this model yields a smooth optimization problem,
      where the sparsity is enforced through linear constraints. We show that the
      Euclidean projection on the polyhedron defined by these constraints can be
      computed efficiently, and propose a fast gradient method to solve our model. We
      compare our algorithm with several state-of-the-art methods on synthetic data
      sets and real-world hyperspectral images.A nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF)
      can be computed efficiently under the separability assumption, which asserts that
      all the columns of the given input data matrix belong to the cone generated by a
      (small) subset of them. The provably most robust methods to identify these conic
      basis columns are based on nonnegative sparse regression and self-dictionaries,
      and require the solution of large-scale convex optimization problems. In this
      paper, we study a particular nonnegative sparse regression model with self
      dictionary. As opposed to previously proposed models, this model yields a smooth
      optimization problem, where the sparsity is enforced through linear constraints.
      We show that the Euclidean projection on the polyhedron defined by these
      constraints can be computed efficiently, and propose a fast gradient method to
      solve our model. We compare our algorithm with several state-of-the-art methods
      on synthetic data sets and real-world hyperspectral images.

PMID- 28922119
TI  - PURE-LET Image Deconvolution.
AB  - We propose a non-iterative image deconvolution algorithm for data corrupted by
      Poisson or mixed Poisson-Gaussian noise. Many applications involve such a
      problem, ranging from astronomical to biological imaging. We parameterize the
      deconvolution process as a linear combination of elementary functions, termed as
      linear expansion of thresholds. This parameterization is then optimized by
      minimizing a robust estimate of the true mean squared error, the Poisson unbiased
      risk estimate. Each elementary function consists of a Wiener filtering followed
      by a pointwise thresholding of undecimated Haar wavelet coefficients. In contrast
      to existing approaches, the proposed algorithm merely amounts to solving a linear
      system of equations, which has a fast and exact solution. Simulation experiments
      over different types of convolution kernels and various noise levels indicate
      that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art techniques, in terms of
      both restoration quality and computational complexity. Finally, we present some
      results on real confocal fluorescence microscopy images and demonstrate the
      potential applicability of the proposed method for improving the quality of these
      images.We propose a non-iterative image deconvolution algorithm for data
      corrupted by Poisson or mixed Poisson-Gaussian noise. Many applications involve
      such a problem, ranging from astronomical to biological imaging. We parameterize
      the deconvolution process as a linear combination of elementary functions, termed
      as linear expansion of thresholds. This parameterization is then optimized by
      minimizing a robust estimate of the true mean squared error, the Poisson unbiased
      risk estimate. Each elementary function consists of a Wiener filtering followed
      by a pointwise thresholding of undecimated Haar wavelet coefficients. In contrast
      to existing approaches, the proposed algorithm merely amounts to solving a linear
      system of equations, which has a fast and exact solution. Simulation experiments
      over different types of convolution kernels and various noise levels indicate
      that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art techniques, in terms of
      both restoration quality and computational complexity. Finally, we present some
      results on real confocal fluorescence microscopy images and demonstrate the
      potential applicability of the proposed method for improving the quality of these
      images.

PMID- 28922120
TI  - Motion Estimation in Echocardiography Using Sparse Representation and Dictionary
      Learning.
AB  - This paper introduces a new method for cardiac motion estimation in 2-D
      ultrasound images. The motion estimation problem is formulated as an energy
      minimization, whose data fidelity term is built using the assumption that the
      images are corrupted by multiplicative Rayleigh noise. In addition to a classical
      spatial smoothness constraint, the proposed method exploits the sparse properties
      of the cardiac motion to regularize the solution via an appropriate dictionary
      learning step. The proposed method is evaluated on one data set with available
      ground-truth, including four sequences of highly realistic simulations. The
      approach is also validated on both healthy and pathological sequences of in vivo
      data. We evaluate the method in terms of motion estimation accuracy and strain
      errors and compare the performance with state-of-the-art algorithms. The results
      show that the proposed method gives competitive results for the considered data.
      Furthermore, the in vivo strain analysis demonstrates that meaningful clinical
      interpretation can be obtained from the estimated motion vectors.This paper
      introduces a new method for cardiac motion estimation in 2-D ultrasound images.
      The motion estimation problem is formulated as an energy minimization, whose data
      fidelity term is built using the assumption that the images are corrupted by
      multiplicative Rayleigh noise. In addition to a classical spatial smoothness
      constraint, the proposed method exploits the sparse properties of the cardiac
      motion to regularize the solution via an appropriate dictionary learning step.
      The proposed method is evaluated on one data set with available ground-truth,
      including four sequences of highly realistic simulations. The approach is also
      validated on both healthy and pathological sequences of in vivo data. We evaluate
      the method in terms of motion estimation accuracy and strain errors and compare
      the performance with state-of-the-art algorithms. The results show that the
      proposed method gives competitive results for the considered data. Furthermore,
      the in vivo strain analysis demonstrates that meaningful clinical interpretation
      can be obtained from the estimated motion vectors.

PMID- 28922117
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Mediated Radiofrequency Ablation.
AB  - To introduce magnetic resonance mediated radiofrequency ablation (MR-RFA), in
      which the MRI scanner uniquely serves both diagnostic and therapeutic roles. In
      MR-RFA scanner-induced RF heating is channeled to the ablation site via a Larmor
      frequency RF pickup device and needle system, and controlled via the pulse
      sequence. MR-RFA was evaluated with simulation of electric and magnetic fields to
      predict the increase in local specific-absorption-rate (SAR). Temperature-time
      profiles were measured for different configurations of the device in agar
      phantoms and ex vivo bovine liver in a 1.5 T scanner. Temperature rise in MR-RFA
      was imaged using the proton resonance frequency method validated with fiber-optic
      thermometry. MR-RFA was performed on the livers of two healthy live pigs.
      Simulations indicated a near tenfold increase in SAR at the RFA needle tip.
      Temperature-time profiles depended significantly on the physical parameters of
      the device although both configurations tested yielded temperature increases
      sufficient for ablation. Resected livers from live ablations exhibited clear
      thermal lesions. MR-RFA holds potential for integrating RF ablation tumor therapy
      with MRI scanning. MR-RFA may add value to MRI with the addition of a potentially
      disposable ablation device, while retaining MRI's ability to provide real time
      procedure guidance and measurement of tissue temperature, perfusion, and
      coagulation.

PMID- 28922121
TI  - Motion Blur Kernel Estimation via Deep Learning.
AB  - The success of the state-of-the-art deblurring methods mainly depends on the
      restoration of sharp edges in a coarse-to-fine kernel estimation process. In this
      paper, we propose to learn a deep convolutional neural network for extracting
      sharp edges from blurred images. Motivated by the success of the existing
      filtering-based deblurring methods, the proposed model consists of two stages:
      suppressing extraneous details and enhancing sharp edges. We show that the two
      stage model simplifies the learning process and effectively restores sharp edges.
      Facilitated by the learned sharp edges, the proposed deblurring algorithm does
      not require any coarse-to-fine strategy or edge selection, thereby significantly
      simplifying kernel estimation and reducing computation load. Extensive
      experimental results on challenging blurry images demonstrate that the proposed
      algorithm performs favorably against the state-of-the-art methods on both
      synthetic and real-world images in terms of visual quality and run-time.

PMID- 28922122
TI  - Semi-Automatic Generation of Stream Surfaces via Sketching.
AB  - We present a semi-automatic approach for stream surface generation. Our approach
      is based on the conjecture that good seeding curves can be inferred from a set of
      streamlines. Given a set of densely traced streamlines over the flow field, we
      design a sketch-based interface that allows users to describe their perceived
      flow patterns through drawing simple strokes directly on top of the streamline
      visualization results. Based on the 2D stroke, we identify a 3D seeding curve and
      generate a stream surface that captures the flow pattern of streamlines at the
      outermost layer. Then, we remove the streamlines whose patterns are covered by
      the stream surface. Repeating this process, users can peel the flow by replacing
      the streamlines with customized surfaces layer by layer. Furthermore, we propose
      an optimization scheme to identify the optimal seeding curve in the neighborhood
      of an original seeding curve based on surface quality measures. To support
      interactive optimization, we design a parallel surface quality estimation
      strategy that estimates the quality of a seeding curve without generating the
      surface. Our sketch-based interface leverages an intuitive painting metaphor
      which most users are familiar with. We present results using multiple data sets
      to show the effectiveness of our approach.

PMID- 28922123
TI  - A Data-Driven Approach for Furniture and Indoor Scene Colorization.
AB  - We present a data-driven approach that colorizes 3D furniture models and indoor
      scenes by leveraging indoor images on the internet. Our approach is able to
      colorize the furniture automatically according to an example image. The core is
      to learn image-guided mesh segmentation to segment the model into different parts
      according to the image object. Given an indoor scene, the system supports
      colorization-by-example, and has the ability to recommend the colorization scheme
      that is consistent with a user-desired color theme. The latter is realized by
      formulating the problem as a Markov random field model that imposes user input as
      an additional constraint. Our system is able to imitate the colorization results
      for those scenes containing the same type of objects, but with spatially varied
      patterns. We contribute to the community a hierarchically organized image-model
      database with correspondences between each image and the corresponding model at
      the part-level. Our experiments and a user study show that our system produces
      perceptually convincing results comparable to those generated by interior
      designers.

PMID- 28922124
TI  - Improving the Capacity of Molecular Communication Using Enzymatic Reaction
      Cycles.
AB  - This paper considers the capacity of a diffusion-based molecular communication
      link assuming the receiver uses chemical reactions. The key contribution is we
      show that enzymatic reaction cycles, which is a class of chemical reactions
      commonly found in cells consisting of a forward and a backward enzymatic
      reaction, can improve the capacity of the communication link. The technical
      difficulty in analyzing enzymatic reaction cycles is that their reaction rates
      are nonlinear. We deal with this by assuming that the amount of certain chemicals
      in the enzymatic reaction cycle is large. In order to simplify the problem
      further, we use singular perturbation to study a particular operating regime of
      the enzymatic reaction cycles. This allows us to derive a closed-form expression
      of the channel gain. This expression suggests that we can improve the channel
      gain by increasing the total amount of substrate in the enzymatic reaction cycle.
      By using numerical calculations, we show that the effect of the enzymatic
      reaction cycle is to increase the channel gain and to reduce the noise, which
      results in a better signal-to-noise ratio and in turn a higher communication
      capacity. Furthermore, we show that we can increase the capacity by increasing
      the total amount of substrate in the enzymatic reaction cycle.

PMID- 28922125
TI  - Efficiency Enhancement for an Inductive Wireless Power Transfer System by
      Optimizing the Impedance Matching Networks.
AB  - Inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) is a promising power technology for
      implantable biomedical devices, where the power consumption is low and the
      efficiency is the most important consideration. In this paper, we propose an
      optimization method of impedance matching networks (IMN) to maximize the IWPT
      efficiency. The IMN at the load side is designed to achieve the optimal load, and
      the IMN at the source side is designed to deliver the required amount of power
      (no-more-no-less) from the power source to the load. The theoretical analyses and
      design procedure are given. An IWPT system for an implantable glaucoma
      therapeutic prototype is designed as an example. Compared with the efficiency of
      the resonant IWPT system, the efficiency of our optimized system increases with a
      factor of 1.73. Besides, the efficiency of our optimized IWPT system is 1.97
      times higher than that of the IWPT system optimized by the traditional maximum
      power transfer method. All the discussions indicate that the optimization method
      proposed in this paper could achieve a high efficiency and long working time when
      the system is powered by a battery.

PMID- 28922126
TI  - Functional Contour-following via Haptic Perception and Reinforcement Learning.
AB  - Many tasks involve the fine manipulation of objects despite limited visual
      feedback. In such scenarios, tactile and proprioceptive feedback can be leveraged
      for task completion. We present an approach for real-time haptic perception and
      decision-making for a haptics-driven, functional contour-following task: the
      closure of a ziplock bag. This task is challenging for robots because the bag is
      deformable, transparent, and visually occluded by artificial fingertip sensors
      that are also compliant. A deep neural net classifier was trained to estimate the
      state of a zipper within a robot's pinch grasp. A Contextual Multi-Armed Bandit
      (C-MAB) reinforcement learning algorithm was implemented to maximize cumulative
      rewards by balancing exploration versus exploitation of the state-action space.
      The C-MAB learner outperformed a benchmark Q-learner by more efficiently
      exploring the state-action space while learning a hard-to-code task. The learned
      C-MAB policy was tested with novel ziplock bag scenarios and contours (wire,
      rope). Importantly, this work contributes to the development of reinforcement
      learning approaches that account for limited resources such as hardware life and
      researcher time. As robots are used to perform complex, physically interactive
      tasks in unstructured or unmodeled environments, it becomes important to develop
      methods that enable efficient and effective learning with physical testbeds.

PMID- 28922127
TI  - Jointly Learning Structured Analysis Discriminative Dictionary and Analysis
      Multiclass Classifier.
AB  - In this paper, we propose an analysis mechanism-based structured analysis
      discriminative dictionary learning analysis discriminative dictionary learning,
      framework. The ADDL seamlessly integrates ADDL, analysis representation, and
      analysis classifier training into a unified model. The applied analysis mechanism
      can make sure that the learned dictionaries, representations, and linear
      classifiers over different classes are independent and discriminating as much as
      possible. The dictionary is obtained by minimizing a reconstruction error and an
      analytical incoherence promoting term that encourages the subdictionaries
      associated with different classes to be independent. To obtain the representation
      coefficients, ADDL imposes a sparse -norm constraint on the coding coefficients
      instead of using or norm, since the - or -norm constraint applied in most
      existing DL criteria makes the training phase time consuming. The code-extraction
      projection that bridges data with the sparse codes by extracting special features
      from the given samples is calculated via minimizing a sparse code approximation
      term. Then we compute a linear classifier based on the approximated sparse codes
      by an analysis mechanism to simultaneously consider the classification and
      representation powers. Thus, the classification approach of our model is very
      efficient, because it can avoid the extra time-consuming sparse reconstruction
      process with trained dictionary for each new test data as most existing DL
      algorithms. Simulations on real image databases demonstrate that our ADDL model
      can obtain superior performance over other state of the arts.

PMID- 28922128
TI  - Deep Manifold Learning Combined With Convolutional Neural Networks for Action
      Recognition.
AB  - Learning deep representations have been applied in action recognition widely.
      However, there have been a few investigations on how to utilize the structural
      manifold information among different action videos to enhance the recognition
      accuracy and efficiency. In this paper, we propose to incorporate the manifold of
      training samples into deep learning, which is defined as deep manifold learning
      (DML). The proposed DML framework can be adapted to most existing deep networks
      to learn more discriminative features for action recognition. When applied to a
      convolutional neural network, DML embeds the previous convolutional layer's
      manifold into the next convolutional layer; thus, the discriminative capacity of
      the next layer can be promoted. We also apply the DML on a restricted Boltzmann
      machine, which can alleviate the overfitting problem. Experimental results on
      four standard action databases (i.e., UCF101, HMDB51, KTH, and UCF sports) show
      that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

PMID- 28922129
TI  - Dissipativity and Synchronization of Generalized BAM Neural Networks With
      Multivariate Discontinuous Activations.
AB  - This paper is concerned with the dissipativity and synchronization problems of a
      class of delayed bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks in which
      neuron activations are modeled by discontinuous bivariate functions. First, the
      concept of the Filippov solution is extended to functional differential equations
      with discontinuous right-hand sides and mixed delays via functional differential
      inclusions. The global dissipativity of the Filippov solution to the considered
      BAM neural networks is proven using generalized Halanay inequalities and matrix
      measure approaches. Second, to realize global exponential complete
      synchronization of BAM neural networks with multivariate discontinuous
      activations, discontinuous state feedback controllers are designed using
      functional differential inclusions theory and nonsmooth analysis theory with
      generalized Lyapunov functional method. Finally, several numerical examples are
      provided to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of our proposed
      results.

PMID- 28922130
TI  - Haze Removal Using Radial Basis Function Networks for Visibility Restoration
      Applications.
AB  - Restoration of visibility in hazy images is the first relevant step of
      information analysis in many outdoor computer vision applications. To this aim,
      the restored image must feature clear visibility with sufficient brightness and
      visible edges, while avoiding the production of noticeable artifacts. In this
      paper, we propose a haze removal approach based on the radial basis function
      (RBF) through artificial neural networks dedicated to effectively removing haze
      formation while retaining not only the visible edges but also the brightness of
      restored images. Unlike traditional haze-removal methods that consist of single
      atmospheric veils, the multiatmospheric veil is generated and then dynamically
      learned by the neurons of the proposed RBF networks according to the scene
      complexity. Through this process, more visible edges are retained in the restored
      images. Subsequently, the activation function during the testing process is
      employed to represent the brightness of the restored image. We compare the
      proposed method with the other state-of-the-art haze-removal methods and report
      experimental results in terms of qualitative and quantitative evaluations for
      benchmark color images captured in typical hazy weather conditions. The
      experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to produce
      brighter and more vivid haze-free images with more visible edges than can the
      other state-of-the-art methods.

PMID- 28922131
TI  - Riemann Liouvelle Fractional Integral Based Empirical Mode Decomposition for ECG
      Denoising.
AB  - Electrocardiograph (ECG) denoising is the most important step in diagnosis of
      heart-related diseases, as the diagnosis gets influenced with noises. In this
      paper, a new method for ECG denoising is proposed, which incorporates empirical
      mode decomposition algorithm with Riegmann Liouvelle (RL) fractional integral
      filtering and Savitzky-Golay (SG) filtering. In the proposed method, noisy ECG
      signal is decomposed into its intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), from which noisy
      IMFs, corrupted with high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) noises, are
      identified by proposed noisy-IMFs identification methodologies. To denoise the
      signal, RL fractional integral filtering and SG filtering are applied on noisy
      IMFs corrupted with HF and LF noises, respectively; ECG signal is reconstructed
      with denoised IMFs and remaining signal dominant IMFs to obtain noise-free ECG
      signal. Proposed methodology is tested with MIT-BIH arrhythmia database. Its
      performance, in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and mean square error, is compared
      with other related ECG denoising methods based on fractional integral, empirical
      mode decomposition, and ensemble empirical mode decomposition. The obtained
      results by proposed method prove that the proposed method gives efficient noise
      removal performance.

PMID- 28922132
TI  - Design of Secure and Lightweight Authentication Protocol for Wearable Devices
      Environment.
AB  - Wearable devices are used in various applications to collect information
      including step information, sleeping cycles, workout statistics, and health
      related information. Due to the nature and richness of the data collected by such
      devices, it is important to ensure the security of the collected data. This paper
      presents a new lightweight authentication scheme suitable for wearable device
      deployment. The scheme allows a user to mutually authenticate his/her wearable
      device(s) and the mobile terminal (e.g., Android and iOS device) and establish a
      session key among these devices (worn and carried by the same user) for secure
      communication between the wearable device and the mobile terminal. The security
      of the proposed scheme is then demonstrated through the broadly accepted real-or
      random model, as well as using the popular formal security verification tool,
      known as the Automated validation of Internet security protocols and
      applications. Finally, we present a comparative summary of the proposed scheme in
      terms of the overheads such as computation and communication costs, security and
      functionality features of the proposed scheme and related schemes, and also the
      evaluation findings from the NS2 simulation.

PMID- 28922133
TI  - Aligning Event Logs to Task-Time Matrix Clinical Pathways in BPMN for Variance
      Analysis.
AB  - Clinical pathways (CPs) are popular healthcare management tools to standardize
      care and ensure quality. Analyzing CP compliance levels and variances is known to
      be useful for training and CP redesign purposes. Flexible semantics of the
      business process model and notation (BPMN) language has been shown to be useful
      for the modeling and analysis of complex protocols. However, in practical cases
      one may want to exploit that CPs often have the form of task-time matrices. This
      paper presents a new method parsing complex BPMN models and aligning traces to
      the models heuristically. A case study on variance analysis is undertaken, where
      a CP from the practice and two large sets of patients data from an electronic
      medical record (EMR) database are used. The results demonstrate that automated
      variance analysis between BPMN task-time models and real-life EMR data are
      feasible, whereas that was not the case for the existing analysis techniques. We
      also provide meaningful insights for further improvement.

PMID- 28922134
TI  - Training-Based Gradient LBP Feature Models for Multiresolution Texture
      Classification.
AB  - Local binary pattern (LBP) is a simple, yet efficient coding model for extracting
      texture features. To improve texture classification, this paper designs a median
      sampling regulation, defines a group of gradient LBP (gLBP) descriptors, proposes
      a training-based feature model mapping method, and then develops a texture
      classification frame using the multiresolution feature fusion of four gLBP
      descriptors. Cooperated by median sampling, four descriptors encode a pixel
      respectively by central gradient, radial gradient, magnitude gradient and tangent
      gradient to generate initial gLBP patterns. The feature mapping models of gLBP
      descriptors are constructed by the maximal relative-variation rate (mr2) of
      rotation-invariant patterns, and then prestored as mapping lookup files. By
      mapping, initial patterns can be transformed into low-dimensional ones. And then
      it generates multiresolution texture features via the joint and concatenation of
      gLBP descriptors on different sampling parameters. A trained nearest neighbor
      classifier with chi-square distance is applied to classify textures by feature
      histograms. The experimental results of simulation on five public texture
      databases show that the proposed method is reliable and efficient in texture
      classification. In comparison with nine other similar approaches, including two
      state-of-the-art ones, the proposed method runs faster than most of them and also
      outperforms all of them in terms of classification accuracy and noise robustness.
      It achieves higher accuracy and has also better robustness to the Salt&Pepper and
      Gaussian noise added artificially into texture images.

PMID- 28922135
TI  - Learning From Short Text Streams With Topic Drifts.
AB  - Short text streams such as search snippets and micro blogs have been popular on
      the Web with the emergence of social media. Unlike traditional normal text
      streams, these data present the characteristics of short length, weak signal,
      high volume, high velocity, topic drift, etc. Short text stream classification is
      hence a very challenging and significant task. However, this challenge has
      received little attention from the research community. Therefore, a new feature
      extension approach is proposed for short text stream classification with the help
      of a large-scale semantic network obtained from a Web corpus. It is built on an
      incremental ensemble classification model for efficiency. First, more semantic
      contexts based on the senses of terms in short texts are introduced to make up of
      the data sparsity using the open semantic network, in which all terms are
      disambiguated by their semantics to reduce the noise impact. Second, a concept
      cluster-based topic drifting detection method is proposed to effectively track
      hidden topic drifts. Finally, extensive studies demonstrate that as compared to
      several well-known concept drifting detection methods in data stream, our
      approach can detect topic drifts effectively, and it enables handling short text
      streams effectively while maintaining the efficiency as compared to several state
      of-the-art short text classification approaches.

PMID- 28922136
TI  - Reaching Non-Negative Edge Consensus of Networked Dynamical Systems.
AB  - In this paper, the problem of non-negative edge consensus of undirected networked
      linear time-invariant systems is addressed by associating each edge of the
      network with a state variable, for which a distributed algorithm is constructed.
      Sufficient conditions referring only to the number of edges are derived for non
      negative edge consensus of the networked systems. Subsequently, the linear
      programming method and a low-gain feedback technique are introduced to simplify
      the design of the feedback gain matrix for achieving the non-negative edge
      consensus. It is found that the low-gain feedback technique has a good effect on
      the non-negative edge consensus of the networked systems subject to input
      saturation. Numerical simulations are presented to verify the effectiveness of
      the theoretical results.

PMID- 28922137
TI  - Finite-Time Synchronization of Networks via Quantized Intermittent Pinning
      Control.
AB  - This technical correspondence considers finite-time synchronization of dynamical
      networks by designing aperiodically intermittent pinning controllers with
      logarithmic quantization. The control scheme can greatly reduce control cost and
      save both communication channels and bandwidth. By using multiple Lyapunov
      functions and convex combination techniques, sufficient conditions formulated by
      a set of linear matrix inequalities are derived to guarantee that all the node
      systems are synchronized with an isolated trajectory in a finite settling time.
      Compared with existing results, the main characteristics of this paper are
      twofold: 1) quantized controller is used for finite-time synchronization and 2)
      the designed multiple Lyapunov functions are strictly decreasing. An optimal
      algorithm is proposed for the estimation of settling time. Numerical simulations
      are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.

PMID- 28922138
TI  - Finite-Time Adaptive Control for a Class of Nonlinear Systems With Nonstrict
      Feedback Structure.
AB  - This paper focuses on finite-time adaptive neural tracking control for nonlinear
      systems in nonstrict feedback form. A semiglobal finite-time practical stability
      criterion is first proposed. Correspondingly, the finite-time adaptive neural
      control strategy is given by using this criterion. Unlike the existing results on
      adaptive neural/fuzzy control, the proposed adaptive neural controller guarantees
      that the tracking error converges to a sufficiently small domain around the
      origin in finite time, and other closed-loop signals are bounded. At last, two
      examples are used to test the validity of our results.

PMID- 28922139
TI  - 3D printed multiplexed electrospinning sources for large-scale production of
      aligned nanofiber mats with small diameter spread.
AB  - We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of novel, low-cost, and
      modular miniaturized nanofiber electrospinning sources for the scalable
      production of non-woven aligned nanofiber mats with low diameter variation. The
      devices are monolithic arrays of electrospinning emitters made via
      stereolithography; the emitters are arranged so each element has an independent
      line of sight to a rotating collector surface. Linear and zigzag emitter packing
      were evaluated using a PEO solution with the aim of maximizing the throughput of
      nanofibers with the smallest diameter and narrowest distribution. Current versus
      flowrate characterization of the devices showed that for a given flowrate a
      zigzag array produces more current per emitter than a linear array of the same
      emitter pitch and array size. In addition, the data demonstrate that larger and
      denser arrays have a net gain in flow rate per unit of active length. Visual
      inspection of the devices suggests uniform operation in devices with as many as
      17 emitters with 300 MUm inner diameter and 1.5 mm emitter gap. Well-aligned
      nanofiber mats were collected on a rotating drum and characterized; the 17
      emitter device produced the same narrow nanofiber distribution (~81 nm average
      diameter, ~17 nm standard deviation) for all tested flow rates, which is
      strikingly different to the performance shown by 1-emitter sources where the
      average fiber diameter significantly increased and the statistics notably widened
      when the flowrate increases. Therefore, the data demonstrate that massively
      multiplexing the emitters is a viable approach to greatly increase the throughput
      of non-woven aligned nanofiber mats without sacrificing the statistics of the
      nanofibers generated. The production of dry nanofibers by the 17-emitter array is
      estimated at 33.0 mg min-1 (1.38 mg min-1 per mm of active length), which
      compares favorably with the reported multiplexed electrospinning arrays with
      emitters distributed along a line.

PMID- 28922140
TI  - A point kernel algorithm for microbeam radiation therapy.
AB  - Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) is a treatment approach in radiation therapy
      where the treatment field is spatially fractionated into arrays of a few tens of
      micrometre wide planar beams of unusually high peak doses separated by low dose
      regions of several hundred micrometre width. In preclinical studies, this
      treatment approach has proven to spare normal tissue more effectively than
      conventional radiation therapy, while being equally efficient in tumour control.
      So far dose calculations in MRT, a prerequisite for future clinical applications
      are based on Monte Carlo simulations. However, they are computationally
      expensive, since scoring volumes have to be small. In this article a kernel based
      dose calculation algorithm is presented that splits the calculation into photon
      and electron mediated energy transport, and performs the calculation of peak and
      valley doses in typical MRT treatment fields within a few minutes. Kernels are
      analytically calculated depending on the energy spectrum and material
      composition. In various homogeneous materials peak, valley doses and microbeam
      profiles are calculated and compared to Monte Carlo simulations. For a microbeam
      exposure of an anthropomorphic head phantom calculated dose values are compared
      to measurements and Monte Carlo calculations. Except for regions close to
      material interfaces calculated peak dose values match Monte Carlo results within
      4% and valley dose values within 8% deviation. No significant differences are
      observed between profiles calculated by the kernel algorithm and Monte Carlo
      simulations. Measurements in the head phantom agree within 4% in the peak and
      within 10% in the valley region. The presented algorithm is attached to the
      treatment planning platform VIRTUOS. It was and is used for dose calculations in
      preclinical and pet-clinical trials at the biomedical beamline ID17 of the
      European synchrotron radiation facility in Grenoble, France.

PMID- 28922142
TI  - Reduced amputation rate with isovolemic hemodilution in critical limb ischemia
      patients.
AB  - AIMS: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients are characterized by intractable pain
      in spite of medication, non-healing ulcers, and gangrene. The objective of this
      study was to investigate whether or not isovolemic hemodilution treatment can
      reduce the rate of major amputations in CLI. METHODS: 28 patients were studied
      who had tissue loss on Rutherford Grade III, Category 5 or 6. The subjects were
      divided into two arms: standard-of-care, conventional therapy (CT) (n = 15) as a
      control group and hemodilution therapy (HT) (n = 13) as a study group. For the HT
      group, weekly isovolemic hemodilution was performed over 4 consecutive weeks,
      removing 250 ml of whole blood with the infusion of hydroxyl-ethyl starch
      solution. Blood viscosity, hematocrit, hemoglobin, ankle-brachial index, VA pain
      scale, time-to-amputation from admission, and survival time were measured.
      RESULTS: The mean Hct gradually decreased from 36.6 to 35.1, whereas the WBV at a
      shear rate of 1 s-1 significantly decreased from 18.2 to 10.5 during the same
      period. Subsequently, tissue oxygen delivery index, defined as the ratio of Hct
      to WBV at a shear rate of 1 s-1, increased from 24.4 to 37.0 by 51.7%, suggesting
      improvements in oxygen delivery in the patients. The average rate of lower limb
      major amputation in the control group was 93% (14/15), whereas that in the study
      group was 31% (4/13) (p = 0.001). Amputation-free median survival time and
      amputation-free 5-year survival rate in the control group were 1.2 months and 7%,
      while those in the study group were 30.2 months and 44% (p = 0.001). There were
      no adverse effects from repetitive hemodilution in the study group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Isovolemic hemodilution treatment of CLI patients was found to be well-tolerated
      and reduced the rate of major amputation resulting from the deterioration of CLI.

PMID- 28922143
TI  - Leukocyte-reduced platelet-rich plasma stimulates the in vitro proliferation of
      adipose-tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells depending on PDGF signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) is suggested as xenoprotein-free cell
      culture medium replacement for animal-derived supplements. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to investigate PRP-triggered signaling in adipose derived
      mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). METHODS: PRP was obtained from 4 male patients. We
      incubated ASCs in alpha-MEM with different Platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)
      subtypes or 10% or 20% pooled PRP or 20% fetal calf serum (FCS) prior to
      determination of the S-phase fraction (SPF). To investigate the influence of PDGF
      signaling on ASCs, PDGF receptor beta inhibitor was added, and protein expression
      of ASCs was measured. RESULTS: ASCs exposed to 20% PRP, PDGF-AB and - BB
      demonstrated significant higher SPF in comparison to PDGF-AA and 20% FCS after 48
      hours (all P < 0.05). PDGF receptor beta inhibition diminished the PRP-induced
      SPF increase of ASCs significantly after 48 hours (P < 0.01). ASCs with PDGF
      receptor beta inhibition showed significant higher PDGF receptor beta and
      significant lower c-MYC expression compared to untreated cells in presence of 20%
      PRP after 48 hours (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The proliferation promoting
      effect of PRP on ASCs is mediated by PDGF signaling and is associated with c-MYC
      overexpression.

PMID- 28922145
TI  - New developments in clinical microcirculation imaging.

PMID- 28922144
TI  - Short-term hypoxia and vasa recta function in kidney slices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Descending vasa recta (DVR) supply the inner part of outer renal
      medulla an area at risk for hypoxic damages. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesize increased
      vasoreactivity after hypoxia/re-oxygenation (H/R) in DVR, which might contribute
      to the reduced medullary perfusion after an ischemic event. METHODS: Live kidney
      slices (200MUm) from SD rats were used for functional experiments. TUNEL assay
      and H&E staining were used to estimate slice viability. Kidney slices were
      treated with carbogen or hypoxia (1% O2) for 60 or 90 min and vasoreactivity to
      Ang II (10-7 M) was recorded by DIC microscopy after re-oxygenation with
      carbogen. Expression of NOS and NADPH enzymes mRNA were determined in iron
      perfusion isolated VR. RESULTS: Percentage of apoptotic cells increased in
      control and H/R after 90 min in the medulla. Ang II- induced constriction of DVR
      was reduced after 90 min in control (compared to 60 min), but not after H/R. NOS
      enzymes mRNA expression levels decreased over 90 min hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS:
      Increased reactivity of DVR to Ang II after H/R compared to control (90 min)
      suggest a role of DVR in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury.

PMID- 28922146
TI  - Preliminary clinical evaluation of automated analysis of the sublingual
      microcirculation in the assessment of patients with septic shock: Comparison of
      automated versus semi-automated software.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The outcome of patients in septic shock has been shown to be
      related to changes within the microcirculation. Modern imaging technologies are
      available to generate high resolution video recordings of the microcirculation in
      humans. However, evaluation of the microcirculation is not yet implemented in the
      routine clinical monitoring of critically ill patients. This is mainly due to
      large amount of time and user interaction required by the current video analysis
      software. The aim of this study was to validate a newly developed automated
      method (CCTools(r)) for microcirculatory analysis of sublingual capillary
      perfusion in septic patients in comparison to standard semi-automated software
      (AVA3(r)). METHODS: 204 videos from 47 patients were recorded using incident dark
      field (IDF) imaging. Total vessel density (TVD), proportion of perfused vessels
      (PPV), perfused vessel density (PVD), microvascular flow index (MFI) and
      heterogeneity index (HI) were measured using AVA3(r) and CCTools(r). RESULTS:
      Significant differences between the numeric results obtained by the two different
      software packages were observed. The values for TVD, PVD and MFI were
      statistically related though. CONCLUSION: The automated software technique
      successes to show septic shock induced microcirculation alterations in near real
      time. However, we found wide degrees of agreement between AVA3(r) and CCTools(r)
      values due to several technical factors that should be considered in the future
      studies.

PMID- 28922147
TI  - Microcirculation research in community hospitals - challenges and chances.
AB  - Community hospitals provide ideal conditions for large clinical studies because
      of the high volume of unselected patients admitted every year. With regard to
      microcirculatory studies, there are still some feasibility problems which are not
      solved yet. First of all, the lack of reliable automated software to analyze
      microcirculatory images represents the most important issue. Secondly, hardware
      aspects still need improvements regarding portability and miniaturization.
      Finally, to conduct studies of the microcirculation in a community hospital is
      also always a funding issue. The cost of the measurement device is hereby only
      one factor. Main cost factor is the personnel.

PMID- 28922148
TI  - Glycocalyx in vivo measurement.
AB  - The endothelial glycocalyx (EG) lining the endoluminal surface of the capillaries
      has been proposed as a key component of the microcirculation and a major player
      in microvascular pathology. Recent advances in the understanding of its
      physiological role and clinical significance have been made upon the development
      of methods allowing EG assessment in clinical medicine. Laboratory methods can
      assess the amount of EG damage by measuring levels of its degradation products
      (e.g. syndecan-1, heparan sulphate and hyaluronan sulphate), mostly in the
      plasma, however, their physiological turnover disqualifies them from being the
      reliable index of EG damage. At the bedside, in vivo video microscopy tools
      technologies (e.g. Side-stream Dark Field imaging technology) allow indirect
      assessment of EG thickness in sublingual microcirculation by measuring the
      penetration extent (called Perfused Boundary Region) of flowing red blood cells
      into the EG.

PMID- 28922149
TI  - The Relationships Between Components of Metabolic Syndrome and Mild Cognitive
      Impairment Subtypes: A Cross-Sectional Study of Japanese Older Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The associations between components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and
      mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subtypes remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: The study aim
      was to identify the prevalence of MetS for MCI subtypes and to investigate sex
      differences in the association between MetS and MCI subtypes in older Japanese
      adults. METHODS: The study analyzed data from 3,312 men and women aged 70 years
      or more. MetS was diagnosed according to International Diabetes Federation
      criteria. Participants completed cognitive tests and were categorized into normal
      cognition, amnestic MCI (aMCI), and non-amnestic MCI (naMCI). The associations
      between MetS and its components and MCI subtypes were analyzed using multiple
      logistic regression. RESULTS: MetS prevalence was greater in participants with
      naMCI (men: p = 0.030; women: p = 0.040). Participants with naMCI showed higher
      odds ratios (OR) of MetS (men: 2.45, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.13-5.32;
      women: OR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.12-3.39) compared with participants with normal
      cognition. MetS was not associated with aMCI. Analysis of MetS components showed
      that raised glucose (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.19-2.22) and reduced high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.25-3.12) were associated with naMCI
      in men. In women, raised blood pressure (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.03-1.94) and raised
      glucose (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02-1.71) were associated with naMCI. CONCLUSION:
      MetS was associated only with naMCI regardless of sex, which suggests etiologic
      differences in MCI subtypes. We also found sex differences in the relationship
      between naMCI risk and MetS and its components.

PMID- 28922150
TI  - Synthesis, Radiosynthesis, and Preliminary in vitro and in vivo Evaluation of the
      Fluorinated Ceramide Trafficking Inhibitor (HPA-12) for Brain Applications.
AB  - Ceramide levels are increased in blood and brain tissue of Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) patients. Since the ceramide transporter protein (CERT) is the only known
      protein able to mediate non-vesicular transfer of ceramide between organelle
      membranes, the modulation of CERT function may impact on ceramide accumulation.
      The competitive CERT inhibitor N-(3-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-3-phenylpropyl)
      dodecanamide (HPA-12) interferes with ceramide trafficking. To understand the
      role of ceramide/CERT in AD, HPA-12 can be a useful tool to modulate ceramide
      trafficking. Here we first report the synthesis and in vitro properties of HPA-12
      radiolabeled with fluorine-18 and present preliminary in vitro and in vivo
      positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and biodistribution data. In vitro
      results demonstrated that the fluorination did not alter the biological
      properties of HPA-12 since the [fluorine-19]HPA-12, interferes with 5-DMB
      ceramide trafficking in HeLa cells. Radiolabeled HPA-12, [fluorine-18]HPA-12, was
      obtained with a radiochemical yield of 90% and a specific activity of 73
      MBq/MUmol. PET imaging on wild-type mice showed hepatobiliary clearance and a
      brain uptake on the order of 0.3 standard uptake value (SUV) one hour post
      injection. Furthermore, the biodistribution data showed that after removal of the
      blood by intracardial perfusion, radioactivity was still measurable in the brain
      demonstrating that the [fluorine-18]HPA-12 crosses the blood brain barrier and is
      retained in the brain.

PMID- 28922151
TI  - Dickkopf 3 (Dkk3) Improves Amyloid-beta Pathology, Cognitive Dysfunction, and
      Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Dysfunctional Wnt signaling is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and
      activation of the Wnt signaling pathway inhibits AD development. Dickkopf 3
      (Dkk3) is a modulator of the Wnt signaling pathway and is physiologically
      expressed in the brain. The role of Dkk3 in the pathogenesis of AD has not been
      evaluated. In the present study, we determined that Dkk3 expression was
      significantly decreased in brain tissue from AD patients and the AD transgenic
      mouse model APPswe/PS1dE9 (AD mice). Transgenic mice with brain tissue-specific
      Dkk3 expression were generated or crossed with AD mice to study the effects of
      Dkk3 on AD. In AD mice, transgenic expression of Dkk3 improved abnormalities in
      learning, memory, and locomotor activity, reduced the accumulation of amyloid
      beta, and ameliorated glucose uptake deficits. Furthermore, we determined that
      Dkk3 downregulated GSK-3beta, a central negative regulator in canonical Wnt
      signaling, and upregulated PKCbeta1, a factor implicated in noncanonical Wnt
      signaling. This indicates that increased activation of GSK-3beta and the
      inhibition of PKCbeta1 in AD patients may be responsible for the dysfunctional
      Wnt signaling in AD. In summary, our data suggest that Dkk3 is an agonist of Wnt
      signaling, and the ability of transgenic expression of Dkk3 to compensate for the
      decrease in Dkk3 expression in AD mice, reverse dysfunctional Wnt signaling, and
      partially inhibit the pathological development of AD suggests that Dkk3 could
      serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of AD.

PMID- 28922152
TI  - Brain Biomarkers in Familial Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Models.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive loss of memory and
      cognitive deterioration. It is thought that the onset of the disease takes place
      several decades before memory deficits are apparent. Reliable biomarkers for the
      diagnosis or prognostication of the disease are highly desirable. Neural stem
      cells (NSC) exist in the adult brain throughout life and give rise to neural
      progenitor cells (NPC), which differentiate into neurons or glia. The level of
      NPC proliferation and new neuron formation is significantly compromised in mouse
      models of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). These deficits are readily detected
      in young adults, at 2-3 months of age, preceding amyloid deposition and cognitive
      impairments, which may indicate that impaired neurogenesis can be an early
      biomarker for cognitive deficits in AD. Recent studies suggest that NSC can be
      detected in live rodents, noninvasively, using proton magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy (1H-MRS) signal at 1.28 ppm. Here we examined the use of 1H-MRS for
      determining the extent of neurogenesis in the brains of FAD mice. We observed
      that the reduction in neurogenesis in the FAD mice as observed by
      immunohistochemistry, was not manifested by a reduction in the 1.28 ppm signal,
      suggesting that this marker is either not specific for neurogenesis or not
      sensitive enough for the detection of alterations in hippocampal neurogenesis in
      the brains of FAD mice.

PMID- 28922154
TI  - Atrial Fibrillation is Independently Associated with Cognitive Impairment after
      Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important risk factor for
      ischemic strokes and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Alzheimer's disease, the
      association between AF and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI), and the
      factors mediating this association, is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the
      role of AF in PSCI, especially in relation to other markers of cerebrovascular
      disease. METHODS: 445 subjects with mild ischemic stroke without pre-stroke
      cognitive decline were assessed 3-6 months post-stroke for cognitive deficits.
      MRIs were reviewed by trained raters for acute infarct characteristics, global
      cortical atrophy, white matter hyperintensities, cerebral microbleeds, and
      intracranial stenosis. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors
      independently associated with PSCI. Subjects were also categorized according to
      paroxysmal (pAF) or persistent/chronic AF (p/cAF), and presence or absence of AF
      or large cortical infarcts (LCI) to study cognitive trends. RESULTS: 80 (18.0%)
      subjects had AF. 76.3% of AF subjects and 42.7% of subjects without AF had PSCI.
      The odds ratio (OR) of AF in developing PSCI was 2.31 (95% CI: 1.12-4.75; p =
      0.035), after correcting for other risk factors. pAF subjects and AF subjects
      with LCIs had higher ORs for PSCI. AF subjects performed worse in
      neuropsychological tasks associated with global cognition, episodic memory, and
      executive function. CONCLUSION: AF is a significant risk factor for PSCI, even
      after correcting for AF-related infarcts. Other mechanisms, such as
      hypoperfusion, microhemorrhages, and neuroinflammation, may be at play. All
      stroke patients with AF, regardless of the type of infarction, should be closely
      monitored for PSCI.

PMID- 28922153
TI  - Sex-Dependent Associations of Serum Uric Acid with Brain Function During Aging.
AB  - Serum uric acid (SUA) is an abundant natural antioxidant capable of reducing
      cellular oxidation, a major cause of neurodegenerative disease. In line with
      this, SUA levels are lower in Alzheimer's disease; however, the association
      between SUA and cognition remains unclear. Results from studies examining the
      effects of SUA on cognition may be difficult to interpret in the context of
      normal versus pathological aging. This study examined sex-specific associations
      of baseline SUA with cognition during aging. Data from dementia-free participants
      initially aged 26-99 (N = 1,451) recruited for the Baltimore Longitudinal Study
      of Aging (BLSA), were used in the current analyses. SUA was assessed using blood
      samples collected during research visits. Cognition was measured using five
      composite scores (verbal memory, attention, executive function, language, and
      visuospatial ability). At the first study visit, compared with women, men were
      older, more likely to be White, had more years of education, higher baseline SUA
      levels, and higher cardiovascular risk scores. Higher baseline SUA was associated
      with attenuated declines in attention (beta= 0.006; p = 0.03) and visuospatial
      abilities (beta= 0.007; p = 0.01) in men. There was a trend to suggest higher
      baseline SUA in men was associated with attenuated declines in language, but this
      finding did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.09). There were no
      significant findings with SUA and cognition in women. In this sample of
      cognitively healthy, community-dwelling adults, we found that higher SUA levels
      at baseline were associated with attenuated declines in attention and
      visuospatial abilities in men. SUA was not associated with cognition or change in
      cognition over time in women.

PMID- 28922155
TI  - Phospho-Tau Accumulation and Structural Alterations of the Golgi Apparatus of
      Cortical Pyramidal Neurons in the P301S Tauopathy Mouse Model.
AB  - The Golgi apparatus (GA) is a highly dynamic organelle involved in the processing
      and sorting of cellular proteins. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), it has been shown
      to decrease in size and become fragmented in neocortical and hippocampal neuronal
      subpopulations. This fragmentation and decrease in size of the GA in AD has been
      related to the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau. However, the involvement
      of other pathological factors associated with the course of the disease, such as
      the extracellular accumulation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregates, cannot be
      ruled out, since both pathologies are present in AD patients. Here we use the
      P301S tauopathy mouse model to examine possible alterations of the GA in neurons
      that overexpress human tau (P301S mutated gene) in neocortical and hippocampal
      neurons, using double immunofluorescence techniques and confocal microscopy.
      Quantitative analysis revealed that neurofibrillary tangle (NFT)-bearing neurons
      had important morphological alterations and reductions in the surface area and
      volume of the GA compared with NFT-free neurons. Since in this mouse model there
      are no Abeta aggregates typical of AD, the present findings support the idea that
      the progressive accumulation of phospho-tau is associated with structural
      alterations of the GA, and that these changes may occur in the absence of Abeta
      pathology.

PMID- 28922156
TI  - Soluble Oligomers Require a Ganglioside to Trigger Neuronal Calcium Overload.
AB  - An altered distribution of membrane gangliosides (GM), including GM1, has
      recently been reported in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.
      Moreover, amyloid-positive synaptosomes obtained from AD brains were found to
      contain high-density GM1 clusters, suggesting a pathological significance of GM1
      increase at presynaptic neuritic terminals in AD. Here, we show that membrane GM1
      specifically recruits small soluble oligomers of the 42-residue form of amyloid
      beta peptide (Abeta42), with intracellular flux of Ca2+ ions in primary rat
      hippocampal neurons and in human neuroblastoma cells. Specific membrane proteins
      appear to be involved in the early and transient influx of Ca2+ ions induced by
      Abeta42 oligomers with high solvent-exposed hydrophobicity (A+), but not in the
      sustained late influx of the same oligomers and in that induced by Abeta42
      oligomers with low solvent-exposed hydrophobicity (A-) in GM1-enriched cells. In
      addition, A+ oligomers accumulate in proximity of membrane NMDA and AMPA
      receptors, inducing the early and transient Ca2+ influx, although FRET shows that
      the interaction is not direct. These results suggest that age-dependent
      clustering of GM1 within neuronal membranes could induce neurodegeneration in
      elderly people as a consequence of an increased ability of the lipid bilayers to
      recruit membrane-permeabilizing oligomers. We also show that both lipid and
      protein components of the plasma membrane can contribute to neuronal dysfunction,
      thus expanding the molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in AD.

PMID- 28922157
TI  - Longer-Term Investigation of the Value of 18F-FDG-PET and Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging for Predicting the Conversion of Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's
      Disease: A Multicenter Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The value of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission
      tomography (18F-FDG-PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for predicting
      conversion of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in
      longer-term is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate longer-term prediction of MCI to
      AD conversion using 18F-FDG-PET and MRI in a multicenter study. METHODS: One
      hundred and fourteen patients with MCI were followed for 5 years. They underwent
      clinical and neuropsychological examinations, 18F-FDG-PET, and MRI at baseline.
      PET images were visually classified into predefined dementia patterns. PET scores
      were calculated as a semi quantitative index. For structural MRI, z-scores in
      medial temporal area were calculated by automated volume-based morphometry (VBM).
      RESULTS: Overall, 72% patients with amnestic MCI progressed to AD during the 5
      year follow-up. The diagnostic accuracy of PET scores over 5 years was 60% with
      53% sensitivity and 84% specificity. Visual interpretation of PET images
      predicted conversion to AD with an overall 82% diagnostic accuracy, 94%
      sensitivity, and 53% specificity. The accuracy of VBM analysis presented little
      fluctuation through 5 years and it was highest (73%) at the 5-year follow-up,
      with 79% sensitivity and 63% specificity. The best performance (87.9% diagnostic
      accuracy, 89.8% sensitivity, and 82.4% specificity) was with a combination
      identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis that included PET
      visual interpretation, educational level, and neuropsychological tests as
      predictors. CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG-PET visual assessment showed high performance for
      predicting conversion to AD from MCI, particularly in combination with
      neuropsychological tests. PET scores showed high diagnostic specificity.
      Structural MRI focused on the medial temporal area showed stable predictive value
      throughout the 5-year course.

PMID- 28922158
TI  - Tailored and Adaptive Computerized Cognitive Training in Older Adults at Risk for
      Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computerized Cognitive Training (CCT) has been shown to improve
      cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mood
      related neuropsychiatric symptoms (MrNPS), but many questions remain unresolved.
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent to which CCT benefits older adults with both
      MCI and MrNPS, and its effects on meta-cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, as
      well as establish whether adapting difficulty levels and tailoring to
      individuals' profile is superior to generic training. METHODS: Older adults with
      MCI (n = 9), MrNPS (n = 11), or both (MCI+, n = 25) were randomized into a home
      based individually-tailored and adaptive CCT (n = 21) or an active control
      condition (AC; n = 23) in a double-blind design. Interventions lasted 8-12 weeks
      and outcomes were assessed after the intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up.
      RESULTS: Participants in both conditions reported greater satisfaction with their
      everyday memory following intervention and at follow-up. However, participants in
      the CCT condition showed greater improvement on composite measures of memory,
      learning, and global cognition at follow-up. Participants with MrNPS in the CCT
      condition were also found to have improved mood at 3-month follow-up and reported
      using fewer memory strategies at the post-intervention and follow-up assessments.
      There was no evidence that participants with MCI+ were disadvantaged relative to
      the other diagnostic conditions. Finally, informant-rated caregiver burden
      declined at follow-up assessment in the CCT condition relative to the AC
      condition. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based CCT with adaptive difficulty and personal
      tailoring appears superior to more generic CCT in relation to both cognitive and
      non-cognitive outcomes. Mechanisms of treatment effect and future directions are
      discussed.

PMID- 28922159
TI  - Can Musical or Painting Interventions Improve Chronic Pain, Mood, Quality of
      Life, and Cognition in Patients with Mild Alzheimer's Disease? Evidence from a
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among non-pharmacological therapies, musical intervention is often
      used for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and patients presenting chronic
      pain. However, their efficacy is still under debate. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to
      determine the efficacy of choral singing versus painting sessions on chronic
      pain, mood, quality of life, and cognition in AD patients. METHODS: In this
      multicenter randomized controlled trial, 59 mild AD patients were randomized to a
      12-week singing (SG; n = 31) or painting group (PG; n = 28). Chronic pain,
      anxiety, depression, and quality of life were assessed before, after, and 1 month
      after the sessions. Cognitive abilities were assessed before and after
      interventions. The evolution of these different measures was assessed with mixed
      linear models. The primary data analysis was by intention-to-treat, and completed
      by a 'per protocol' approach. RESULTS: Both singing and painting interventions
      led to significant pain reduction (Time effect: F = 4.71; p = 0.01), reduced
      anxiety (Time effect: F = 10.74; p < 0.0001), improved Quality of Life (Time
      effect: F = 6.79; p = 0.002), improved digit span (F = 12.93; p = 0.001), and
      inhibitory processes (Time effect: F = 4.93; p = 0.03). Depression was reduced
      over time in PG only (Time x Group effect: F = 4.53; p = 0.01). Verbal Memory
      performance remained stable over time in SG, but decreased in PG (Time x group
      effect: F = 9.29; p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that singing and
      painting interventions may reduce pain and improve mood, quality of life, and
      cognition in patients with mild AD, with differential effects of painting for
      depression and singing for memory performance.

PMID- 28922160
TI  - Memantine for Alzheimer's Disease: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical benefit of memantine for Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      remains inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: We performed an updated systematic review and
      meta-analysis of the efficacy/safety of memantine in AD. METHODS: We included
      randomized trials of memantine for AD patients. Cognitive function scores (CF),
      behavioral disturbances scores (BD), and all-cause discontinuation were used as
      primary measures. Effect size based on a random-effects model was evaluated in
      the meta-analyses. RESULTS: Thirty studies (n = 7,567; memantine versus placebo:
      N = 11, n = 3,298; memantine + cholinesterase inhibitors (M+ChEIs) versus ChEIs:
      N = 17, n = 4,175) were identified. Memantine showed a significant improvement in
      CF [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.24, 95% confidence intervals (95%
      CIs) = -0.34, -0.15, p < 0.00001, I2 = 35% ] and BD (SMD = -0.16, 95% CIs = 
      0.29, -0.04, p = 0.01, I2 = 52%) compared with placebo. In the sensitivity
      analysis including only patients with moderate-severe AD, memantine was superior
      to the placebo in reducing BD without considerable heterogeneity (SMD = -0.20,
      95% CIs = -0.34, -0.07, p = 0.003, I2 = 36%). Compared with ChEIs, M+ChEIs showed
      a greater reduction in BD (SMD = -0.20, 95% CIs = -0.36, -0.03, p = 0.02, I2 =
      77%) and a trend of CF improvement (SMD = -0.11, 95% CIs = -0.22, 0.01, p = 0.06,
      I2 = 56%). However, in the sensitivity analysis of double-blind, placebo
      controlled studies only, M+ChEIs showed a significant reduction in BD compared
      with ChEIs without considerable heterogeneity (SMD = -0.11, 95% CIs = -0.21, 
      0.01, p = 0.04, I2 = 40%). When performing the sensitivity analysis of donepezil
      studies only, M+ChEIs was superior to ChEIs in improving CF without considerable
      heterogeneity (SMD = -0.18, 95% CIs = -0.31, -0.05, p = 0.006, I2 = 49%). No
      differences were detected in all-cause discontinuation between the groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analyses suggest the credible efficacy and safety of
      memantine in treating AD when used alone or in combination with ChEIs.

PMID- 28922162
TI  - Sphingolipids in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.

PMID- 28922161
TI  - Comorbidity Analysis between Alzheimer's Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
      (T2DM) Based on Shared Pathways and the Role of T2DM Drugs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various studies suggest a comorbid association between Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) indicating that there could be
      shared underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to
      systematically model relevant knowledge at the molecular level to find a
      mechanistic rationale explaining the existing comorbid association between AD and
      T2DM. METHOD: We have used a knowledge-based modeling approach to build two
      network models for AD and T2DM using Biological Expression Language (BEL), which
      is capable of capturing and representing causal and correlative relationships at
      both molecular and clinical levels from various knowledge resources. RESULTS:
      Using comparative analysis, we have identified several putative "shared
      pathways". We demonstrate, at a mechanistic level, how the insulin signaling
      pathway is related to other significant AD pathways such as the neurotrophin
      signaling pathway, PI3K/AKT signaling, MTOR signaling, and MAPK signaling and how
      these pathways do cross-talk with each other both in AD and T2DM. In addition, we
      present a mechanistic hypothesis that explains both favorable and adverse effects
      of the anti-diabetic drug metformin in AD. CONCLUSION: The two computable models
      introduced here provide a powerful framework to identify plausible mechanistic
      links shared between AD and T2DM and thereby identify targeted pathways for new
      therapeutics. Our approach can also be used to provide mechanistic answers to the
      question of why some T2DM treatments seem to increase the risk of AD.

PMID- 28922163
TI  - Bilingualism and Cognitive Decline: A Story of Pride and Prejudice.
AB  - In a recent review, Mukadam, Sommerlad, and Livingston (2017) argue that
      bilingualism offers no protection against cognitive decline. The authors examined
      the results of 13 studies (five prospective, eight retrospective) in which
      monolinguals and bilinguals were compared for cognitive decline and onset of
      dementia symptoms. Analysis of four of the five prospective studies resulted in
      the conclusion that there was no difference between monolinguals and bilinguals,
      whereas seven of the eight retrospective studies actually showed bilingualism to
      result in a four-to-five year delay of symptom onset. The authors decided to
      ignore the results from the retrospective studies in favor of those from the
      prospective studies, reasoning that the former may be confounded by participants'
      cultural background and education levels. In this commentary, we argue that most
      of these studies actually controlled for these two variables and still found a
      positive effect of bilingualism. Furthermore, we argue that the meta-analysis of
      the prospective studies is not complete, lacking the results of two crucial
      reports. We conclude that the literature offers substantial evidence for a
      bilingual effect on the development of cognitive decline and dementia.

PMID- 28922164
TI  - Analysis of Participant Withdrawal in Huntington Disease Clinical Trials.

PMID- 28922165
TI  - The gastrointestinal-brain axis in humans as an evolutionary advance of the root
      leaf axis in plants: A hypothesis linking quantum effects of light on serotonin
      and auxin.
AB  - Living organisms tend to find viable strategies under ambient conditions that
      optimize their search for, and utilization of, life-sustaining resources. For
      plants, a leading role in this process is performed by auxin, a plant hormone
      that drives morphological development, dynamics, and movement to optimize the
      absorption of light (through branches and leaves) and chemical "food" (through
      roots). Similarly to auxin in plants, serotonin seems to play an important role
      in higher animals, especially humans. Here, it is proposed that morphological and
      functional similarities between (i) plant leaves and the animal/human brain and
      (ii) plant roots and the animal/human gastro-intestinal tract have general
      features in common. Plants interact with light and use it for biological energy,
      whereas, neurons in the central nervous system seem to interact with biophotons
      and use them for proper brain function. Further, as auxin drives the
      "arborescence" of roots within the soil, similarly serotonin seems to facilitate
      enteric nervous system connectivity within the human gastrointestinal tract. This
      auxin/serotonin parallel suggests the root-branch axis in plants may be an
      evolutionary precursor to the gastrointestinal-brain axis in humans. Finally, it
      is hypothesized that light might be an important factor, both in gastrointestinal
      dynamics and brain function. Such a comparison may indicate a key role for the
      interaction of light and serotonin in neuronal physiology (possibly in both the
      central nervous system and the enteric nervous system), and according to recent
      work, mind and consciousness.

PMID- 28922166
TI  - Clinical Tremor Severity Estimation Using an Instrumented Eating Utensil.
AB  - We demonstrate the feasibility of estimating clinical tremor scores using an
      eating utensil with motion-sensing and tremor-cancellation technology in thirteen
      patients with tremor. Three experts scored hand tremor using the modified Fahn-
      Tolosa-Marin (FTM) scale. A linear model was trained to estimate tremor severity
      using the recorded motion signals. The average neurologist FTM score was 1.6+/
      0.7 for PD and 2.6+/-0.7 for ET patients. The average model score was 1.6+/-0.7
      for PD and 2.6+/-0.6 for ET. Correlation coefficient between the clinical and
      model tremor scores was 0.91 (p < 0.001). Motion data from an instrumented eating
      utensil accurately derived tremor ratings enabling practical, objective daily
      monitoring.

PMID- 28922168
TI  - Evaluation of RNA Blood Biomarkers in Individuals at Risk of Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substantial progress has been made in the discovery of blood
      biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease
      that affects more than 4 million worldwide. Olfactory dysfunction and dopamine
      deficits usually precede motor symptoms years before the onset of PD. A readily
      accessible biomarker useful for identifying patients at risk of PD is expected to
      accelerate clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate previously identified PD blood
      RNA biomarkers in a cohort of asymptomatic individuals at risk of PD. METHODS:
      Here we tested 16 previously identified PD RNA biomarkers using quantitative PCR
      assays in a total of 269 blood samples at baseline from hyposmic and normosmic
      participants enrolled in the Parkinson's Associated Risk Syndrome study. RESULTS:
      Expression levels of four biomarkers, SOD2, PKM2, ZNF134, and ZNF160 were
      negatively correlated with the total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale,
      thus suggesting these biomarkers may be useful to stratify patients prior to the
      onset of motor symptoms. Levels of SOD2 were upregulated in hyposmic males
      compared to females, whereas levels of PKM2 were upregulated in hyposmic males
      compared to normosmic males and hyposmic females. Further, levels of SOD2 were
      upregulated in males with abnormal dopamine transporter (DAT) scans compared to
      females with abnormal DAT scans. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that some of
      these biomarkers may be useful for stratification of individuals at risk for PD
      and that there may be sex differences in the expression of some biomarkers.
      Future studies in larger longitudinal studies will be key to assessing the
      validity of these findings.

PMID- 28922167
TI  - Statins and Cognition in Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between statins and cognition in Parkinson's disease
      (PD) is poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: Analyses were performed to determine
      associations between statin use and cross-sectional and longitudinal cognitive
      performance in PD. METHODS: Neuropsychological tests, medication logs, and
      ratings of functional abilities were collected from 313 PD participants
      longitudinally. RESULTS: At baseline, statin users (SU; N = 129) were older, more
      likely male, and had shorter PD duration than non-statin users (NSU; N = 184). In
      Cross-sectional analysis, SU performed better on global cognition, Trails B,
      semantic fluency, and phonemic fluency tasks. Rate of long-term global cognitive
      (Dementia Rating Scale-2 and MoCA) decline was significantly less in SU.

PMID- 28922169
TI  - App-Based Bradykinesia Tasks for Clinic and Home Assessment in Parkinson's
      Disease: Reliability and Responsiveness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical rating of bradykinesia in Parkinson disease (PD) is
      challenging as it must combine several movement features into a single score.
      Additionally, in-clinic assessment cannot capture fluctuations throughout the
      day. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability and responsiveness of a motion sensor
      based tablet app for objective bradykinesia assessment in clinic and at home as
      compared to clinical ratings. METHODS: Thirty-two PD patients treated with
      subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) were outfitted with a motion sensor on
      the index finger of the more affected hand to perform two repetitions of finger
      tapping, hand opening-closing, and arm pronation-supination tasks with DBS on and
      10, 20, and 30 minutes after turning DBS off. Tasks were videotaped for blinded
      clinician rating using the Modified Bradykinesia Rating Scale (MBRS).
      Participants were then sent home with an app-based system to perform two
      repetitions of the same tasks six times per day spaced two hours apart, three
      days per week, for two weeks. Intraclass correlation (ICC) and minimal detectable
      change (MDC) were calculated. RESULTS: As the effects of DBS wore off, motion
      sensors detected worsening of amplitude sooner than did clinician-rated MBRS for
      all three tasks. ICCs were significantly higher and MDCs were significantly lower
      for motion sensors in the clinic and at home than for clinician ratings (p <
      0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The tablet-based app demonstrated higher reliability and
      responsiveness in capturing bradykinesia-related tasks in the clinic and at home
      than did clinician ratings. This tool may enhance the assessment of novel
      therapies.

PMID- 28922170
TI  - A Critical Assessment of Exosomes in the Pathogenesis and Stratification of
      Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Extracellular vesicles including exosomes are released by a variety of cell types
      including neurons and exhibit molecular profiles that reflect normal and disease
      states. As their content represents a snapshot of the intracellular milieu, they
      could be exploited as biomarkers of the otherwise inaccessible brain
      microenvironment. In addition they may contribute to the progression of
      neurodegenerative disorders by facilitating the spread of misfolded proteins at
      distant sites or activating immune cells. This review summarizes recent advances
      in the study of exosomes in Parkinson's disease pathophysiology and their
      potential as disease biomarkers.

PMID- 28922173
TI  - Accommodating individuals with traumatic brain injury: An analysis of employer
      initiated cases handled by the Job Accommodation Network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has provided customized
      accommodation information to employers, individuals with disabilities, and their
      representatives (e.g., family, rehabilitation counselors, union representatives)
      since 1983. For each inquiry where such information is sought, detailed records
      are maintained regarding the type of inquiries made and the information provided.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study is to present a descriptive
      analysis of the employer-initiated cases related to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
      handled by the accommodation specialists at JAN during the five years from 2012
      through 2016. METHODS: Records related to instances of TBI as recorded by the JAN
      accommodation specialists were reviewed. Information pertaining to the type of
      business, occupational category, limitations being experienced by the individual,
      and issues discussed with the accommodation specialist are presented. RESULTS:
      The type of businesses and the occupational categories indicated by the employer
      were broad ranging, although there was a preponderance of cases in the area of
      Public Administration. Limitations related to cognition were the most frequent
      for which employers sought accommodation information. The largest category for
      the type of issues discussed was related to the Americans with Disabilities Act
      and other disability-pertinent legislation. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of
      employers seeking accommodation information for individuals who have incurred a
      TBI is very low (0.5%). Findings support those of other authors such as Ponsford
      and Spitz (2015), in that accommodation information was most frequently requested
      for individuals in professional (i.e., office-type jobs), rather than for laborer
      positions.

PMID- 28922171
TI  - Pancreatic Polypeptide in Parkinson's Disease: A Potential Marker of
      Parasympathetic Denervation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Parkinson's disease (PD) patients experience several
      non-motor symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract that may partly be caused by
      parasympathetic deficiency. The pancreas is densely innervated by the vagus
      nerve, which mediates early meal-induced secretion of pancreatic polypeptide
      (PP). Early secretion after sham feeding has been validated as a marker of vagal
      integrity. Thus, the aim was to evaluate the ratio of increased PP plasma levels
      after sham feeding in PD and correlate findings with gastrointestinal transit
      time (GITT). METHODS: Twenty-five PD patients and 17 controls were included. PP,
      insulin, and blood glucose levels were measured before, during, and after sham
      feeding with white bread and chocolate spread. GITT was measured using radiopaque
      markers. Furthermore, faeces samples were analyzed for pancreatic elastase enzyme
      as a marker of exocrine pancreatic function. RESULTS: PD patients showed
      significantly lower PP ratio levels after sham feeding, which was most pronounced
      at 10 minutes. No significant association was seen between attenuated PP response
      and GITT in PD patients. No between-group differences were seen in glucose or
      insulin levels over time, but PD patients showed generally lower insulin levels
      compared to controls. No difference was found in faeces pancreatic elastase.
      CONCLUSIONS: Early-to-moderate stage PD patients demonstrated significantly
      decreased PP response after sham feeding suggestive of vagal denervation.

PMID- 28922174
TI  - Evaluating the effectiveness of Facebook to impact the knowledge of evidence
      based employment practices by individuals with traumatic brain injury: A
      knowledge translation random control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience difficulty
      with obtaining and maintaining employment post-injury. Although vocational
      rehabilitation (VR) can be one option to provide individuals with TBI support and
      services to lead to successful employment outcomes, information about these
      services can be difficult and confusing to navigate. Providing information on
      evidence-based employment practices to individuals with TBI through social media
      could be an effective approach. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to
      compare the effect of a knowledge translation (KT) strategy and the use of a
      secret Facebook group, on the knowledge of evidence-based employment research by
      individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: The study used a
      randomized pretest-posttest control group design. Sixty individuals with TBI were
      recruited through clubhouse programs in the state where the authors resided as
      well as through support groups nationally for individuals with TBI, and were
      randomly assigned to one of two groups. Both groups received information on
      evidence-based employment practices for individuals with traumatic brain injury
      (TBI) over a three month period. One group received the information via
      participation in a secret Facebook group while the comparison group received
      information as an "e-news" email blast. Participants were assessed pre- and post
      intervention with a Likert-scale instrument designed to measure knowledge of
      evidenced-based employment information for TBI. RESULTS: Both groups gained a
      significant amount of knowledge between baseline and post-intervention. However,
      there were no significant differences between groups in knowledge gained at post
      intervention. CONCLUSION: While the study did not identify the most effective
      means of delivering information to individuals with TBI, it does provide some
      guidance for future KT research.

PMID- 28922175
TI  - Project Career: Perceived benefits of iPad apps among college students with
      Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Project Career is an interprofessional five-year development project
      designed to improve academic and employment success of undergraduate students
      with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) at two- and four-year colleges and
      universities. Students receive technology in the form of iPad applications
      ("apps") to support them in and out of the classroom. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      participants' perspectives on technology at baseline and perceived benefit of
      apps after 6 and 12 months of use. METHODS: This article address a component of a
      larger study. Participants included 50 college-aged students with traumatic brain
      injuries. Statistical analysis included data from two Matching Person and
      Technology (MPT) assessment forms, including the Survey of Technology Use at
      baseline and the Assistive Technology Use Follow-Up Survey: Apps Currently Using,
      administered at 6- and 12-months re-evaluation. Analyses included frequencies and
      descriptives. RESULTS: Average scores at baseline indicated positive perspectives
      on technology. At 6 months, quality of life (67%) and academics (76%) improved
      moderately or more from the use of iPad apps. At 12 months, quality of life (65%)
      and academics (82%) improved moderately or more from the use of iPad apps.
      CONCLUSION: Students with a TBI have positive perspectives on technology use. The
      results on perceived benefit of apps indicated that students with a TBI
      (including civilians and veterans) report that the apps help them perform in
      daily life and academic settings.

PMID- 28922176
TI  - Cognition and return to work after mild/moderate traumatic brain injury: A
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately two percent of the United States population are
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors. The unemployment rate among them is
      substantial. Cognitive skills are essential to perform any job. OBJECTIVE: We
      analyzed the literature on cognitive rehabilitation (CR) related to mild/moderate
      TBI to learn the influence of cognition on return to work (RTW) post TBI.
      METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the studies on CR related to RTW
      post TBI that were published between 2000 and 2015. RESULTS: We critically
      reviewed 30 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Ten studies highlighted
      cognition as a predictor variable, seven studies demonstrated support for
      cognitive testing in RTW assessments, and 13 studies showed the efficacy of CR in
      facilitating RTW post TBI. CONCLUSION: Cognition plays a significant role in
      predicting and facilitating RTW in patients with TBI.

PMID- 28922177
TI  - Project Career: An individualized postsecondary approach to promoting
      independence, functioning, and employment success among students with traumatic
      brain injuries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Project Career is a five-year interdisciplinary demonstration project
      funded by NIDILRR. It provides technology-driven supports, merging Cognitive
      Support Technology (CST) evidence-based practices and rehabilitation counseling,
      to improve postsecondary and employment outcomes for veteran and civilian
      undergraduate students with traumatic brain injury (TBI). GOAL: Provide a
      technology-driven individualized support program to improve career and employment
      outcomes for students with TBI. OBJECTIVES: Project staff provide assessments of
      students' needs relative to assistive technology, academic achievement, and
      career preparation; provide CST training to 150 students; match students with
      mentors; provide vocational case management; deliver job development and
      placement assistance; and maintain an electronic portal regarding accommodation
      and career resources. METHODS: Participating students receive cognitive support
      technology training, academic enrichment, and career preparatory assistance from
      trained professionals at three implementation sites. Staff address cognitive
      challenges using the 'Matching Person with Technology' assessment to accommodate
      CST use (iPad and selected applications (apps)). JBS International (JBS) provides
      the project's evaluation. RESULTS: To date, 117 students participate with 63%
      report improved life quality and 75% report improved academic performance.
      CONCLUSION: Project Career provides a national model based on best practices for
      enabling postsecondary students with TBI to attain academic, employment, and
      career goals.

PMID- 28922179
TI  - Using a telehealth service delivery approach to working with an undergraduate
      student with a traumatic brain injury: A case study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Project Career is a five year NIDILRR-funded interprofessional
      demonstration project aimed to improve the academic and career success of
      undergraduate students who have a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The information
      for this case study was collected and synthesized by an occupational therapy
      graduate student intern for one of the Project Career sites in collaboration with
      the Technology and Employment Coordinator for the site, the co-PI for Project
      Career, and the student participant. OBJECTIVE: A case study is presented to
      provide an understanding of one of the Project Career participant's experience
      using a telehealth service delivery approach to working with Project Career for
      academic and career support. METHODS: The participant's case notes, direct
      communication with the intern, and outcome assessments were used to perform a
      qualitative analysis. RESULTS: The participant reported that he believed Project
      Career was an effective support service for him. However, the participant's
      initial and 6-month outcome assessment scores are inconclusive regarding
      improvements in his academic abilities and satisfaction with academic and career
      attainment. CONCLUSION: Further research on the effectiveness of using a
      telehealth service delivery approach to working with undergraduate students with
      a TBI is needed.

PMID- 28922180
TI  - Qualitative case studies of professional-level workers with traumatic brain
      injuries: A contextual approach to job accommodation and retention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a multi-systemic disability that
      causes a wide range of difficulties with personal and social functioning.
      METHODS: Four individuals with TBI participated in an evaluation of barriers to
      their continued employment following graduation from college. A trained
      interviewer completed the Work Experience Survey (WES) in teleconsultation
      sessions with each participant. RESULTS: Researchers applied a qualitative case
      study research design. Participants reported a wide range of difficulties in
      performing essential functions of their jobs (3 to 24) that have the potential to
      significantly affect their productivity. Career mastery problems reflected
      outcomes associated with TBI such as 'believing that others think I do a good
      job' and 'having the resources (e.g., knowledge, tools, supplies, and equipment)
      needed to do the job.' Indicative of their wish to continue their current
      employment, participants reported high levels of job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS:
      The WES is a cost-effective needs assessment tool to aid health and
      rehabilitation professionals in providing on-the-job supports to workers with
      TBI.

PMID- 28922182
TI  - The use of the Model of Occupational Self Efficacy in improving the cognitive
      functioning of individuals with brain injury: A pre- and post-intervention study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) often
      experience major limitations in returning to work despite participating in
      rehabilitation programmes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine
      whether individuals who sustained a traumatic brain injury experienced improved
      cognitive functioning after participating in an intervention programme that
      utilizes the Model of Occupational Self-Efficacy (MOOSE). PARTICIPANTS: Ten (10)
      individuals who were diagnosed with a mild to moderate brain injury participated
      in the study. METHOD: The research study was positioned within the quantitative
      paradigm specifically utilizing a pre and post intervention research design. In
      order to gather data from the participants, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment
      (MOCA) was used to determine whether the individual with brain injury's cognitive
      functioning improved after participating in a vocational rehabilitation model
      called the Model of Occupational Self Efficacy (MOOSE). RESULTS: All the
      participants in this study presented with an improvement in MOCA test scores. The
      results of the study revealed a statistically significant effect of the
      intervention (i.e. MOOSE) on cognitive functioning measured using the Montreal
      Cognitive Assessment, F(4, 6) = 15.95, p = 0.002. CONCLUSION: The findings of
      this study indicated that MOOSE is a useful model to facilitate the return of
      individuals living with a TBI back to work. It is also suggested that cognitive
      rehabilitative activities be included as part of the vocational rehabilitation
      programme.

PMID- 28922183
TI  - Parental awareness of schoolbag carriage: A comparative study of Irish and United
      States parents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the global nature of schoolbag carriage, there has been
      extensive research on schoolbag weight and use with resultant guidance on many
      aspects of carrying a schoolbag. However, there is limited evidence of knowledge
      translation or parents' awareness of schoolbag carriage. OBJECTIVE: This study
      investigated parental awareness of factors related to schoolbag carriage. METHOD:
      A cross-sectional survey using an anonymous 30-item questionnaire and purposive
      sampling was used. Questionnaires were distributed to parents of primary school
      children through the schools. Descriptive statistics of frequencies and
      percentages were used and associations were tested using Chi-square analysis in
      SPSS v23. RESULTS: A total of 700 parents in Ireland (Ire) and the United States
      (US) participated in the study (n = 444 [Ire] and n = 256 [US]). Generally,
      parents had satisfactory awareness of appropriate schoolbag type and carriage.
      The majority of children owned a backpack (89.9% [Ire] vs. 93.7% [US]), although
      fewer parents considered this to be the most suitable bag for their child (69.6%
      [Ire] vs. 88.2% [US]). More Irish parents (29.2%) favoured a wheeled schoolbag
      compared to US parents (6.2%) (p < 0.001). The majority (70.8% [Ire] vs. 55.7%
      [US]) wanted more information. The preferred platforms for receiving information
      were a handout (78.1% [Ire] vs. 71.6% [US]) and on-line (44.6% [Ire] vs. 53.9%
      [US]). CONCLUSIONS: Despite gaps identified, parents had good awareness of
      factors relating to schoolbag carriage, but this study shows that they would like
      more information. The preferred platform for knowledge translation was a handout.
      Parents are the best advocates for safety promotion and represent the group most
      likely to improve schoolbag carriage among children.

PMID- 28922184
TI  - Subjective measures of work-related fatigue in automobile factory employees.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Work-related fatigue is common among automobile factory employees.
      OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess fatigue of employees at a
      Chinese automobile factory. METHODS: 238 employees (119 engineers and 119
      workers) participated in this study. The following questionnaires were completed:
      demographic survey questionnaire, working condition questionnaire (WCQ),
      functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-fatigue (FACIT-F), subscales of
      multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index
      (PSQI). RESULTS: Both engineers and workers experienced fatigue. The workers
      (35.6 years old, SD = 6.7) generally felt more fatigue than engineers (42.6 years
      old, SD = 6.4). The engineers claimed to be more satisfied with the working
      conditions than workers. The WCQ showed good properties for assessing work
      related factors, which were significantly correlated with fatigue (r = 0.568 for
      engineers and r = 0.639 for workers). For engineers, general fatigue was observed
      regularly and frequently, and for workers, physical fatigue usually had a long
      duration. CONCLUSIONS: The fatigue was significantly correlated with work-related
      factors, especially working environment and monotony. For workers, the duration
      of the work day also affected their fatigue. Some improvements to the working
      condition in this automobile factory should be considered.

PMID- 28922185
TI  - A pilot study to precisely quantify forces applied by sonographers while
      scanning: A step toward reducing ergonomic injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a significantly high rate of work-related musculsokeletal
      injuries in sonography professionals. To date, assessment of risk factors for
      work- related injuries in sonographers has been based primarily on surveys,
      subjective reports, and observational methods. There is a need to develop
      quantitative techniques to better understand risk factors and develop preventive
      interventions. OBJECTIVE: We pilot tested a high-resolution force-measuring probe
      capable of precisely measuring forces applied through the transducer by
      sonographers and used this novel direct measurement technique to evaluate forces
      during abdominal imaging. METHODS: Twelve sonographers with varied experience,
      ranging from 1-33 years, performed routine abdominal scans on 10 healthy
      volunteers who had varied body mass indices (BMI). Imaging was conducted using
      the force-measuring probe, which provided real-time measurement of forces, and
      angles. Data were compared by sonographer years of experience and subject BMI.
      RESULTS: In total, 47 abdominal examinations were performed as part of this
      study, and all images met standards for clinical diagnostic quality. The mean
      contact force applied across all exams was 8.2+/-4.3 Newtons (N) (range: 1.2-36.5
      N). For subjects in the high BMI group (BMI>25, n = 4) the mean force was 10.5 N
      (range: 8.9-13.2 N) compared to 7.9 N (range: 5.9-10.9 N) for subjects with
      normal BMI (BMI = 18.5-25, n = 6). Similarly, the mean maximum force applied for
      subjects with high BMI (25.3 N) was significantly higher than force applied for
      subjects with normal BMI (17.4 N). No significant difference was noted in the
      amount of force applied by sonographers with more than 5 years of experience (n =
      6) at 8.2 N (Range: 5.1-10.0 N) compared to less experienced sonographers (n =
      6), whose forces averaged 8.1 N (Range: 5.8-10.0 N). CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible
      to directly measure forces applied by sonographers using a high-resolution force
      measurement system. Forces applied during abdominal imaging vary widely, are
      significantly higher when scanning subjects with high BMI, and are not related to
      sonographer years of experience. This force measurement system has the potential
      to provide an additional quantitative data point to explore the impact of applied
      forces on sonographer related musculoskeletal injury, particularly in conjunction
      with various body positions, exam types and force durations.

PMID- 28922187
TI  - Novel Histologic Finding: Adipose Tissue Is Prevalent Within Penile Tunica
      Albuginea and Corpora Cavernosa: An Anatomic Study of 63 Specimens and
      Considerations for Cancer Invasion.
AB  - Adipose tissue, along with arteries, veins, and peripheral nerves, is a normal
      constituent of mesenchymal tissues encasing the corpora cavernosa at the level of
      the penile shaft, variously designated as penile fascia or Bucks fascia. To our
      knowledge, the presence of fat has not been previously reported within the
      corpora cavernosa. One or 2 transversal histologic sections at the level of the
      surgical margin at the shaft of 63 consecutive partial penectomy specimens for
      squamous cell carcinoma were evaluated. From outer to inner tissues, 3 anatomic
      levels were identified: (1) outer fascia composed of a loose fibrovascular
      mesenchyme containing some nerve branches. Adipose tissue was present in the
      majority of the cases. (2) The tunica albuginea, a thick and dense fibroelastic
      band of tissue separating the outer fascia from the erectile tissues of the
      corpora cavernosa. Adipose tissue within the albuginea was present in 21
      specimens (19%). (3) Erectile tissues of corpora cavernosa. Besides the typical
      erectile tissues, adipose tissue was present in 33 cases (52%). The fatty tissue
      was focal or multifocal and scant and peripherally located at the junction of the
      tunica albuginea with the corpora. In some cases, it was associated with small
      amounts of fibrous tissue, small vessels, and nerves. We are reporting the
      presence of adipose tissue in the tunica albuginea and the corpora cavernosa. It
      is possible that adipose tissue, along with small nutritional vessels and nerves
      perforates from the fascia, in which fat is usually present, through the tunica
      albuginea to reach the corpora. In a previous examination of the local routes of
      cancer spread, we found this pathway to be one of the mechanisms of cancer
      invading the penile corpora from the penile fascia.

PMID- 28922188
TI  - New insights into the role of glycosylation in lipoprotein metabolism.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Human genetics has provided new insights into the role of
      protein glycosylation in regulating lipoprotein metabolism. Here we review these
      new developments and discuss the biological insights they provide. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Case descriptions of patients with congenital defects in N
      glycosylation (CDG-I) frequently describe a distinct hypocholesterolemia in these
      rare multisystem clinical syndromes. Two novel CDGs with disturbed Golgi
      homeostasis and trafficking defects result in mixed glycosylation disorders,
      hepatic steatosis and hypercholesterolemia. In addition, the presence of
      particular N-glycans is essential for physiological membrane expression of
      scavenger receptor B1 and for adequate lipolytic activity of endothelial lipase.
      GalNAc-T2, a specific O-glycosyl transferase, was found to be a direct modulator
      of HDL metabolism across mammals, validating its relationship with HDL-c found in
      genome-wide association studies. Furthermore, genetic variation in ASGR1, the
      major subunit of the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR), was found to be
      associated with a reduction in LDL-c and risk of coronary artery disease.
      SUMMARY: Protein glycosylation plays an important regulatory role in lipoprotein
      metabolism. Greater insight into how protein glycosylation regulates lipoprotein
      metabolism could provide novel approaches for the treatment of dyslipidemia.

PMID- 28922189
TI  - ACR-ACNM Practice Parameter for the Performance of Dopamine Transporter (DaT)
      Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) Imaging for Movement
      Disorders.
AB  - This American College of Radiology and American College of Nuclear Medicine joint
      clinical practice parameter is for performance of dopamine transporter single
      photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging, for patients with movement
      disorders. Parkinsonian syndrome (PS) consists of a group of neurodegenerative
      diseases including Parkinson disease (PD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP),
      multiple system atrophy (MSA), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and dementia with
      Lewy bodies (DLB). Accurate diagnosis of PS is critical for clinical management.
      An important diagnostic dilemma is the differentiation of PS and non
      neurodegenerative disorders, such as essential tremor (ET) or drug-induced
      tremor, due to the overlap of clinical symptoms. The management approach to these
      conditions is distinctly different. An abnormal iodine-123 ioflupane SPECT scan
      suggests a decreased amount of dopamine transporter in the striatum, that is, a
      diagnosis of nigrostriatal neurodegenerative PS, whereas a normal scan suggests
      ET or other nondegenerative parkinsonism (drug-induced, vascular, or
      psychogenic).

PMID- 28922190
TI  - Spinal Metastasis Characterized on FDG PET/CT in Head and Neck Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma.
AB  - Spinal metastases are rare in head and neck cancer. We present a rare case of
      vocal cord squamous cell cancer that metastasized to the spinal cord and cauda
      equina. A 63-year-old man presented with acute back pain and bilateral leg
      weakness 5 months after having a surgical treatment for moderately differentiated
      vocal cord squamous cell cancer (T2 N0 M0). Restaging F-FDG PET examination
      demonstrated a soft tissue mass with intense hypermetabolism in the distal spinal
      cord and a hypermetabolic leptomeningeal metastatic deposit at the L3 level. The
      findings were confirmed on MRI prior to treatment.

PMID- 28922191
TI  - ACR-SPR-STR Practice Parameter for the Performance of Cardiac Positron Emission
      Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Imaging.
AB  - This clinical practice parameter has been developed collaboratively by the
      American College of Radiology (ACR), the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR),
      and the Society of Thoracic Radiology (STR). This document is intended to act as
      a guide for physicians performing and interpreting positron emission tomography
      computed tomography (PET/CT) of cardiac diseases in adults and children. The
      primary value of cardiac PET/CT imaging include evaluation of perfusion,
      function, viability, inflammation, anatomy, and risk stratification for cardiac
      related events such as myocardial infarction and death. Optimum utility of
      cardiac PET/CT is achieved when images are interpreted in conjunction with
      clinical information and laboratory data. Measurement of myocardial blood flow,
      coronary flow reserve and detection of balanced ischemia are significant
      advantages of cardiac PET perfusion studies. Increasingly cardiac PET/CT is used
      in diagnosis and treatment response assessment for cardiac sarcoidosis.

PMID- 28922192
TI  - Differentiation of Malignant Thrombus From Bland Thrombus of the Portal Vein in
      Patient With Hepatocellular Carcinoma on 18F-FDG PET CT.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma carries a high risk of invasion of the portal vein.
      Neoplastic and bland portal vein thrombi discrimination is of great clinical
      significance for determining the therapeutic approach, predicting survival, and
      assessing candidates for liver transplantation. F-FDG PET/CT may be helpful in
      discriminating between malignant and portal vein thrombi. We present the case of
      a 61-year old man who presented with hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein
      involvement. F-FDG PET/CT has a role in differentiating malignant from benign
      portal vein thrombosis.

PMID- 28922193
TI  - Update on second trimester medical abortion.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review recent literature on second trimester abortion with
      medical methods. RECENT FINDINGS: Across studies published in the recent past, it
      is apparent that women prefer shorter procedures and procedure times. Several
      randomized controlled trials have confirmed adding mifepristone to the second
      trimester medication abortion regimen results in shorter abortion intervals from
      first misoprostol administration to complete fetal expulsion. A study of
      simultaneous administration of mifepristone and misoprostol yielded shorter mean
      'total' abortion times, presenting several logistical advantages. Recent studies
      on the continuous dosing of misoprostol have produced critical evidence to
      support continued dosing until expulsion. These studies had a more practical
      design compared with previous protocols that capped the number of misoprostol
      doses. SUMMARY: Second trimester surgical abortion is well tolerated and
      increasingly expeditious. Further research is needed to refine second trimester
      medical abortion methods, specific to the mifepristone, misoprostol dosing
      interval. A 12-hour mifepristone to misoprostol interval may be the optimal
      interval balancing patient preferences and logistical considerations. Pragmatic
      dosing, including continuous dosing of misoprostol, could yield results that
      better inform clinical guidelines and reduce burden on patient, provider, and
      health facility.

PMID- 28922194
TI  - Benign Neonatal Sleep Myoclonus Evokes Somatosensory Responses.
AB  - PURPOSE: Benign neonatal sleep myoclonus is a common nonepileptic condition
      occurring in neurologically normal full-term newborns. During jerks, EEG has
      always been described as normal. The aim of this study was to describe EEG
      changes associated with the myoclonic jerks. METHODS: Polygraphic video-EEG
      recordings of four full-term neonates presenting benign neonatal sleep myoclonus
      were studied. Myoclonic jerks were analyzed regarding their topography,
      frequency, propagation pattern, and reflex component. EEG averaging time-locked
      to myoclonic jerks and to somatosensory stimuli (realized by tapping on palms and
      feet) was performed to study eventual EEG correlates of myoclonus and to asses
      somatosensory evoked responses-for the latter, two control newborns were added.
      RESULTS: Visual analysis of the EEG disclosed theta band slow waves on central
      and vertex electrodes concomitant to myoclonic jerks and jerk-locked back
      averaging disclosed a sequence of deflections, not preceding, but following the
      myoclonus. This response predominated on the vertex electrode (CZ) and consisted
      of five components (N1, P1, N2, P2, and N3), with only the three later components
      being constantly present (at 110, 200, and 350-500 ms, respectively). Back
      averaging locked to the tactile stimuli in four subjects and two control newborns
      showed similar components and were comparable to those described in the
      literature as late somatosensory evoked responses in full-term newborns.
      CONCLUSIONS: Myoclonic jerks in benign neonatal sleep myoclonus can evoke
      visually identifiable EEG potentials on vertex electrodes corresponding to
      somatosensory responses. This EEG aspect may be misleading and could give rise to
      an anti-seizure treatment that mostly worsens the condition.

PMID- 28922195
TI  - Dispositional Mindful Attention in Relation to Negative Affect, Tobacco
      Withdrawal, and Expired Carbon Monoxide On and After Quit Day.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mindfulness (or "Mindful Attention") has been described as the
      presence or absence of attention to, and awareness of, what is occurring in the
      present moment. Among smokers, greater mindfulness is associated with greater
      effect stability and reduced cue-induced craving. While studies have shown that
      mindfulness is associated with other smoking-related factors such as reduced
      withdrawal symptoms using cross-sectional data, relatively little is known about
      the associations between baseline mindful attention and future abstinence-related
      effect/withdrawal. The current study sought to examine whether levels of mindful
      attention before cessation predicts negative affect, withdrawal, and level of
      expired carbon monoxide (CO) on quit day, and also 3 and 7 days after quitting,
      during a self-quit attempt. METHODS: Data from 58 adults (mean age = 34.9; 65.5%
      male) participating in a self-quit study were available for analysis. Self-report
      measures of mindful attention, negative affect, and withdrawal symptoms were
      collected. Biochemical measurement of expired CO was also collected. Dependent
      variables were assessed on quit day, and also 3 and 7 days after quitting.
      Covariates included age, race, sex, self-reported level of cigarette dependence,
      and smoking status through 7 days. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate
      the association of baseline mindful attention in relation to the studied
      outcomes. RESULTS: Greater mindful attention predicted lower negative affect and
      reduced withdrawal at all 3 time-points. Mindful attention did not predict levels
      of expired CO. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that mindful attention before or
      during smoking-cessation treatment may help to reduce negative affect and
      withdrawal, which serve as barriers to cessation for many smokers.

PMID- 28922197
TI  - THE COMMENTARIES: A SUMMARY.

PMID- 28922196
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28922198
TI  - REPLY.

PMID- 28922199
TI  - LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

PMID- 28922200
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28922202
TI  - THE COMMENTARIES: A SUMMARY.

PMID- 28922201
TI  - Loosening the Gordian Knot1 of Governance in Integrated Health Care Delivery
      Systems.
AB  - A new organizational species is emerging-the integrated health care delivery
      system. Aligned with both the anticipated provisions of federal and state health
      care reform initiatives and emerging purchaser demands, integrated delivery
      systems could dominate many health care markets by the end of this decade.
      Integration is both the defining feature and key imperative of such systems.
      Because of the unique position of boards, governance is potentially the ultimate
      integrator. Yet little attention had been focused on integrated delivery system
      governance. Accordingly, this article will address the governance of integrated
      delivery systems through three questions: (1) What are the distinguishing
      characteristics of integrated health care delivery systems? (2) What are the
      distinctive issues and challenges associated with governing integrated delivery
      systems? and (3) What different forms of governance can be employed by these
      systems and what factors influence the effectiveness of these forms?

PMID- 28922203
TI  - Addressing Social and Economic Responsibilities through Governance.

PMID- 28922204
TI  - REPLY.

PMID- 28922205
TI  - Impact of Advanced Age on Survival in Patients Undergoing Resection of
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Report of a Japanese Nationwide Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The impact of age on survival after hepatic resection for
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been thoroughly examined. We reviewed the
      data of a nationwide follow-up survey to determine the outcomes of hepatectomy
      for HCC in elderly patients. BACKGROUND: Management of malignant diseases in
      elderly patients has become a global clinical issue because of the increased life
      expectancy worldwide. Advancements in surgical techniques and perioperative
      management have reduced age-related contraindications for liver surgery. METHODS:
      In all, 12,587 patients with HCC who underwent curative hepatic resection were
      included in this cohort study and classified according to age group [40-59 years
      (n = 2991), 60-74 years (n = 7576,), and >=75 years (n = 2020)].
      Clinicopathological features, long-term survival, and cumulative incidences of
      death after hepatic resection were compared among the groups. The cause-specific
      subdistribution hazard ratios for 3 types of death depending on age were also
      estimated. RESULTS: Preoperative liver function tests showed that the prothrombin
      activity and platelet count were higher in the >=75-year age group than in the
      other age groups. The overall survival was significantly lower in the elderly
      than younger patients. However, recurrence-free survival was almost identical
      among the 3 groups. The cumulative incidence of HCC-related or liver-related
      death was almost identical among the 3 groups; however, the cumulative incidence
      of other causes of death was significantly different. The 60-year subdistribution
      hazard ratio for other causes of death increased remarkably with increasing age.
      CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients in this nationwide survey had significantly worse
      overall survival after hepatectomy than middle-aged and young patients. The
      cumulative incidence of other causes of death in elderly patients was
      significantly different from that of HCC-related or liver-related death among the
      3 groups.

PMID- 28922206
TI  - Hidden Costs of Hospitalization After Firearm Injury: National Analysis of
      Different Hospital Readmission.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk factors and costs associated with readmission
      after firearm injury nationally, including different hospitals. BACKGROUND: No
      national studies capture readmission to different hospitals after firearm injury.
      METHODS: The 2013 to 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried for
      patients admitted after firearm injury. Logistic regression identified risk
      factors for 30-day same and different hospital readmission. Cost was calculated.
      Survey weights were used for national estimates. RESULTS: There were 45,462
      patients admitted for firearm injury during the study period. The readmission
      rate was 7.6%, and among those, 16.8% were readmitted to a different hospital.
      Admission cost was $1.45 billion and 1-year readmission cost was $131 million.
      Sixty-four per cent of those injured by firearms were publicly insured or
      uninsured. Readmission predictors included: length of stay >7 days [odds ratio
      (OR) 1.43, P < 0.01], Injury Severity Score >15 (OR 1.41, P < 0.01), and
      requiring an operation (OR 1.40, P < 0.01). Private insurance was a predictor
      against readmission (OR 0.81, P < 0.01). Predictors of readmission to a different
      hospital were unique and included: initial admission to a for-profit hospital (OR
      1.52, P < 0.01) and median household income >=$64,000 (OR 1.48, P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of the national burden of firearm
      readmissions is missed by not tracking different hospital readmission and its
      unique set of risk factors. Firearm injury-related hospitalization costs $791
      million yearly, with the largest fraction paid by the public. This has
      implications for policy, benchmarking, quality, and resource allocation.

PMID- 28922207
TI  - Sweet Sixteen: The Prospective Clinical Trials of John L. Cameron, MD-The
      Clinician-Scientist: From Alternate-allocation to Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - : The era of randomized controlled trials was ushered in by the British
      epidemiologist-statistician Austin Bradford Hill, with his work on the use of
      streptomycin in patients with tuberculosis. John L. Cameron, can be linked to 16
      prospective clinical trials over his career thus far, starting with alternate
      allocation trials and transitioning to prospective, randomized, placebo
      controlled trials. These trials studied various topics in surgery-from
      pancreatitis to surgical site infections, to drain trials, a trial in Crohn
      disease and multiple trials in pancreatic surgery and cancer. Herein are
      described the "sweet sixteen" prospective clinical trials of Dr Cameron.

PMID- 28922208
TI  - Patient-Centered Outcome Spectrum: An Evidence-based Framework to Aid in Shared
      Decision-making.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to develop an alternate construct for reporting
      anticipated outcomes after emergency general surgery (EGS) that presents risk in
      terms of a composite measure. BACKGROUND: Currently available prediction tools
      generate risk outputs for discrete as opposed to composite measures of
      postoperative outcomes. A construct to synthesize multiple discrete estimates
      into a global understanding of a patient's likely postoperative health status is
      lacking and could augment shared decision-making conversations. METHODS: Using
      the 2012 to 2014 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Program Participant Use File, we developed the Patient-Centered
      Outcomes Spectrum (PCOS) for patients >=65 years old who underwent an EGS
      operation. The PCOS defines 3 exclusive types of global outcomes (good,
      intermediate, and bad outcomes) and allows patients to be prospectively
      stratified by both their EGS diagnosis and preoperative surgical risk profile.
      RESULTS: Of the patients in our study population, 13,330 (46.4%) experienced a 30
      day postoperative course considered a good outcome. Conversely, 3791 (13.2%) of
      study patients experienced a bad outcome. The remainder of patients (11,617;
      40.4%) were classified as experiencing an intermediate outcome. The incidence of
      good, intermediate, and bad outcomes was 69.7%, 28.2%, and 2.1% for low-risk
      patients, and 22.0%, 48.9%, and 29.1% for high-risk patients. Diagnosis-specific
      PCOS constructs are also provided. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the goals of
      shared decision-making, the PCOS provides an evidence-based construct based upon
      a composite outcome measure for patients and providers as they weigh the risks of
      undergoing EGS.

PMID- 28922209
TI  - How Can Best Practices in Recruitment and Selection Improve Diversity in Surgery?

PMID- 28922210
TI  - Screening for DSM-5 Somatic Symptom Disorder: Diagnostic Accuracy of Self-Report
      Measures Within a Population Sample.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The new DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder was introduced to improve the
      diagnosis of persons experiencing what used to be called somatoform disorders. So
      far, it is unclear whether existing self-report measures are useful to detect the
      new somatic symptom disorder. This study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of
      three self-report questionnaires that measure somatic complaints (15 item Patient
      Health Questionnaire [PHQ-15]) and psychological features (7-item Whiteley Index
      [WI-7]; Scale for Assessing Illness Behavior [SAIB]), in detecting somatic
      symptom disorder. METHODS: A nationally representative general population survey
      was performed resulting in 250 participants (minimum age = 14 years. 12.8%
      participation rate). Assessment took place at baseline and 12-month follow-up.
      Individual and combined diagnostic accuracy of the PHQ-15, WI-7, and SAIB in
      detecting somatic symptom disorder was evaluated using the area under the curve
      (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic. RESULTS: Diagnostic accuracy was
      adequate to good for each individual questionnaire (PHQ-15: AUC = 0.79, p < .001,
      95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.73-0.85; WI-7: AUC = 0.76, p < .001, 95% CI =
      0.69-0.83; SAIB: AUC = 0.77, p < .001, 95% CI = 0.71-0.83). Combining the PHQ-15
      and the WI-7 slightly improved diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.82, p < .001, 95% CI
      = 0.77-0.88), as did the combination of all three questionnaires (AUC = 0.85, p <
      .001, 95% CI = 0.79-0.90). CONCLUSIONS: The PHQ-15, WI-7, and SAIB are useful
      screening instruments to detect persons at risk for somatic symptom disorder, and
      a combination of these three instruments slightly improves diagnostic accuracy.
      Their use in routine care will lead to improved detection rates.

PMID- 28922211
TI  - Acute Effects of Ammonia Inhalants on Strength and Power Performance in Trained
      Men.
AB  - Bartolomei, S, Nigro, F, Luca, G, Gabriele, S, Ciacci, S, Hoffman, JR, and Merni,
      F. Acute effects of ammonia inhalants on strength and power performance in
      trained men. J Strength Cond Res 32(1): 244-247, 2018-The aim of the present
      study was to investigate the influence of ammonia inhalants on lower body power
      and maximal isometric strength in trained men. Twenty experienced resistance
      trained men (age = 26.7 +/- 3.7 years; body weight = 80.59 +/- 9.0 kg; body
      height = 179.5 +/- 5.7 cm) were tested for counter movement jump power (CMJP),
      maximal force, and peak rate of force development (pRFD20) expressed during an
      isometric midthigh pull (IMTP). Assessments were performed using either an
      ammonia inhalant (AI), a placebo (PL), or no inhalants (N). One-way analysis of
      variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was used to compare strength and power
      performance between the different trials. A significant (p < 0.01) increase in
      pRFD20 was detected following the use of AI. No significant effects of trial were
      noted for CMJP and IMTP maximal force (p = 0.251 and p = 0.075, respectively).
      Results of the present study showed a potential ergogenic effect of AI on rate of
      force development (i.e., explosive force output), with a trend toward an
      improvement in maximal force production. The mechanism of action may be related
      to the stimulatory action of AI often reported by athletes as a "psyching-up"
      effect. The positive effect of AI on the rate of force development may represent
      an advantage in sports requiring high rates of force production.

PMID- 28922212
TI  - Equity of Physical Characteristics Between Adolescent Males and Females
      Participating in Single- or Mixed-Sex Sport.
AB  - Krause, LM, Naughton, GA, Benson, AC, and Tibbert, S. Equity of physical
      characteristics between adolescent males and females participating in single- or
      mixed-sex sport. J Strength Cond Res 32(5): 1415-1421, 2018-Policies on single-
      or mixed-sex junior sports participation continue to be challenged publically and
      legally. Often challenges relate to perceptions of size and performance
      variability between adolescent males and females, yet the evidence base behind
      these challenges lacks recent review and rigor. Physical performance was compared
      between males and females from 2 groups of younger (<13 years, n = 109, 67%
      females, 33% males) and older (>=13 years, n = 108, 43% females, 57% males)
      adolescents. Using a cross-sectional design, adolescents were tested for speed,
      strength, power, and endurance. No sex differences were found for most of the
      physical test results in the <13 years age group, although males showed greater
      endurance (p = 0.020) and upper-body strength (p = 0.010) than females. However,
      among adolescents aged >=13 years, males scored better than females in all
      physical tests, without exception (p > 0.05). Further explorations comparing how
      many females in the same age grouping shared test results equal to or greater
      than the top third of males were fewer in the older than younger age group.
      Equality of participation in mixed-sex sport becomes more difficult to guarantee
      for older adolescents when results from generic sport-related physical test
      performances are considered.

PMID- 28922214
TI  - A Home for Surgical Pain Management: The Perioperative Pain Service.

PMID- 28922213
TI  - Elastic Resistance Effectiveness on Increasing Strength of Shoulders and Hips.
AB  - Elastic resistance is a common training method used to gain strength. Currently,
      progression with elastic resistance is based on the perceived exertion of the
      exercise or completion of targeted repetitions; exact resistance is typically
      unknown. This study's objective is to determine if knowledge of load during
      elastic resistance exercise will increase strength gains during exercises.
      Participants were randomized into two strength training groups, elastic
      resistance only and elastic resistance using a load cell (LC) that displays force
      during exercise. The LC group used a Smart Handle (Patterson Medical Supply,
      Chicago, IL) to complete all exercises. Each participant completed the same
      exercises three times weekly for 8 weeks. The LC group was provided with a set
      load for exercises whereas the elastic resistance only group was not.
      Participant's strength was tested at baseline and program completion, measuring
      isometric strength for shoulder abduction (SAb), shoulder external rotation
      (SER), hip abduction (HAb), and hip extension (HEx). Independent t-tests were
      used to compare the normalized torques between groups. No significant differences
      were found between groups. Shoulder strength gains did not differ between groups
      (SAb p>0.05; SER p>0.05). Hip strength gains did not differ between groups (HAb
      p>0.05; HEx p>0.05). Both groups increased strength due to individual
      supervision, constantly evaluating degree of difficulty associated with exercise
      and providing feedback while using elastic resistance. Using a LC is as effective
      as supervised training and could provide value in a clinic setting when patients
      are working unsupervised.

PMID- 28922215
TI  - A Risky Proposition: Blood Transfusion and the Risk of Surgical Site Infections.

PMID- 28922216
TI  - Opioid-Free Analgesia in the Era of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery and the
      Surgical Home: Implications for Postoperative Outcomes and Population Health.

PMID- 28922217
TI  - Do Allogeneic Blood Transfusions Cause Infection?

PMID- 28922218
TI  - Not If, but How? Using Technology and Task-Sharing to Strengthen the Global
      Anesthesia Workforce.

PMID- 28922219
TI  - Trial Registration and Outcome Reporting: A Bait and Switch?

PMID- 28922220
TI  - Safe Driving on the Pharmacokinetic Highway.

PMID- 28922221
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Post-CABG Enzyme Elevations.

PMID- 28922222
TI  - In Response.

PMID- 28922224
TI  - THE COMMENTARIES: A SUMMARY.

PMID- 28922223
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28922225
TI  - REPLY.

PMID- 28922226
TI  - Effect of High Inspiratory Oxygen Fraction on Endothelial Function in Healthy
      Volunteers: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Pilot Study.
AB  - It has been suggested that high inspiratory oxygen concentrations during
      anesthesia may be associated with higher postoperative mortality due to
      endothelial dysfunction. A randomized controlled crossover study was conducted
      with 25 healthy male volunteers. They inhaled an oxygen concentration of 30% and
      80%. The endothelial function was assessed using noninvasive digital pulse
      amplitude tonometry (EndoPAT) supported by endothelial biomarkers. The difference
      in endothelial function between the 2 treatments was 0.05 (95% confidence
      interval, -0.36 to 0.27; P = .77). Endothelial biomarkers were unaffected.
      Inhalation of a high oxygen fraction in healthy volunteers did not result in a
      significant reduction of endothelial function.

PMID- 28922227
TI  - Incidence and Risk Factors of Coagulation Profile Derangement After Liver
      Surgery: Implications for the Use of Epidural Analgesia-A Retrospective Cohort
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatic surgery is a major abdominal surgery. Epidural analgesia may
      decrease the incidence of postoperative morbidities. Hemostatic disorders
      frequently occur after hepatic resection. Insertion or withdrawal (whether
      accidental or not) of an epidural catheter during coagulopathic state may cause
      an epidural hematoma. The aim of the study is to determine the incidence of
      coagulopathy after hepatectomy, interfering with epidural catheter removal, and
      to identify the risk factors related to coagulopathy. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective review of a prospective, multicenter, observational database
      including patients over 18 years old with a history of liver resection. Main
      collected data were the following: age, preexisting cirrhosis, Child-Pugh class,
      preoperative and postoperative coagulation profiles, extent of liver resection,
      blood loss, blood products transfused during surgery. International normalized
      ratio (INR) >=1.5 and/or platelet count <80,000/mm defined coagulopathy according
      to the neuraxial anesthesia guidelines. A logistic regression analysis was
      performed to assess the association between selected factors and a coagulopathic
      state after hepatic resection. RESULTS: One thousand three hundred seventy-one
      patients were assessed. Seven hundred fifty-nine patients had data available
      about postoperative coagulopathy, which was observed in 53.5% [95% confidence
      interval, 50.0-57.1]. Maximum derangement in INR occurred on the first
      postoperative day, and platelet count reached a trough peak on postoperative days
      2 and 3. In the multivariable analysis, preexisting hepatic cirrhosis (odds ratio
      [OR] = 2.49 [1.38-4.51]; P = .003), preoperative INR >=1.3 (OR = 2.39 [1.10
      5.17]; P = .027), preoperative platelet count <150 G/L (OR = 3.03 [1.77-5.20]; P
      = .004), major hepatectomy (OR = 2.96 [2.07-4.23]; P < .001), and estimated
      intraoperative blood loss >=1000 mL (OR = 1.85 [1.08-3.18]; P = .025) were
      associated with postoperative coagulopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Coagulopathy is frequent
      (53.5% [95% confidence interval, 50.0-57.1]) after liver resection. Epidural
      analgesia seems safe in patients undergoing minor hepatic resection without
      preexisting hepatic cirrhosis, showing a normal preoperative INR and platelet
      count.

PMID- 28922228
TI  - Anesthesia Capacity in Ghana: A Teaching Hospital's Resources, and the National
      Workforce and Education.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quality anesthetic care is lacking in low- and middle-income
      countries (LMICs). Global health leaders call for perioperative capacity reports
      in limited-resource settings to guide improved health care initiatives. We
      describe a teaching hospital's resources and the national workforce and education
      in this LMIC capacity report. METHODS: A prospective observational study was
      conducted at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana, during 4
      weeks in August 2016. Teaching hospital data were generated from observations of
      hospital facilities and patient care, review of archival records, and interviews
      with KATH personnel. National data were obtained from interviews with KATH
      personnel, correspondence with Ghana's anesthesia society, and review of public
      records. RESULTS: The practice of anesthesia at KATH incorporated preanesthesia
      clinics, intraoperative management, and critical care. However, there were not
      enough physicians to consistently supervise care, especially in postanesthesia
      care units (PACUs) and the critical care unit (CCU). Clean water and electricity
      were usually reliable in all 16 operating rooms (ORs) and throughout the
      hospital. Equipment and drugs were inventoried in detail. While much basic
      infrastructure, equipment, and medications were present in ORs, patient safety
      was hindered by hospital-wide oxygen supply failures and shortage of vital signs
      monitors and working ventilators in PACUs and the CCU. In 2015, there were 10,319
      anesthetics administered, with obstetric and gynecologic, general, and orthopedic
      procedures comprising 62% of surgeries. From 2011 to 2015, all-cause
      perioperative mortality rate in ORs and PACUs was 0.65% or 1 death per 154
      anesthetics, with 99% of deaths occurring in PACUs. Workforce and education data
      at KATH revealed 10 anesthesia attending physicians, 61 nurse anesthetists (NAs),
      and 7 anesthesia resident physicians in training. At the national level, 70
      anesthesia attending physicians and 565 NAs cared for Ghana's population of 27
      million. Providers were heavily concentrated in urban areas, and NAs frequently
      practiced independently. Two teaching hospitals provided accredited postgraduate
      training modeled after European curricula to 22 anesthesia resident physicians.
      CONCLUSIONS: While important limitations to capacity exist in Ghana, the overall
      situation is good compared to other LMICs. Many of the challenges encountered
      resulted from insufficient PACU and CCU provisions and few providers. Inadequate
      outcomes reporting made analysis and resolution of problem areas difficult. While
      many shortcomings stemmed from limited funding, strengthening physician
      commitment to overseeing care, ensuring oxygen supplies are uninterrupted,
      keeping ventilators in working order, and making vital signs monitors
      ubiquitously available are feasible ways to increase patient safety with the
      tools currently in place.

PMID- 28922229
TI  - MicroRNAs as Clinical Biomarkers and Therapeutic Tools in Perioperative Medicine.
AB  - Over the past decade, evolutionarily conserved, noncoding small RNAs-so-called
      microRNAs (miRNAs)-have emerged as important regulators of virtually all cellular
      processes. miRNAs influence gene expression by binding to the 3'-untranslated
      region of protein-coding RNA, leading to its degradation and translational
      repression. In medicine, miRNAs have been revealed as novel, highly promising
      biomarkers and as attractive tools and targets for novel therapeutic approaches.
      miRNAs are currently entering the field of perioperative medicine, and they may
      open up new perspectives in anesthesia, critical care, and pain medicine. In this
      review, we provide an overview of the biology of miRNAs and their potential role
      in human disease. We highlight current paradigms of miRNA-mediated effects in
      perioperative medicine and provide a survey of miRNA biomarkers in the field
      known so far. Finally, we provide a perspective on miRNA-based therapeutic
      opportunities and perspectives.

PMID- 28922230
TI  - Optimal Dose of Perineural Dexamethasone to Prolong Analgesia After Brachial
      Plexus Blockade: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perineural dexamethasone has gained popularity in regional anesthesia
      to prolong analgesia duration. However, uncertainty remains regarding the optimal
      perineural dose. Clarification of this characteristic is of significant
      importance as the administration of dexamethasone may lead to dose-dependent
      complications. The objective of this meta-analysis was to define the optimal
      perineural dexamethasone dose to prolong analgesia after brachial plexus blockade
      for adult patients undergoing upper limb surgery. METHODS: We followed the
      Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement
      guidelines and searched databases including MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE until
      January 2017, without language restriction. Only trials comparing perineural
      dexamethasone and local anesthetics with local anesthetics alone for brachial
      plexus blocks were included in the present meta-analysis. The Cochrane
      Collaboration's Risk of Bias Tool was used to assess the methodological quality
      of each trial and meta-analyses were performed following a random effects model.
      The primary outcome was duration of analgesia for each type of local anesthetic
      (short-/intermediate-acting and long-acting local anesthetics). A meta-regression
      followed by a subgroup analysis were performed to assess the impact of different
      perineural dexamethasone doses on duration of analgesia; for the latter analysis,
      trials were grouped in low (1-4 mg) and moderate (5-10 mg) dexamethasone doses.
      Secondary outcomes included the rate of neurologic complication and resting pain
      scores and morphine consumption within the first 24 hours. RESULTS: Thirty-three
      controlled trials, including 2138 patients, were identified. The meta-regression
      revealed a ceiling effect with a perineural dexamethasone dose of 4 mg when
      combined with short-/intermediate-acting (8 trials; 366 participants) or long
      acting local anesthetics (23 trials; 1869 participants). This finding was
      confirmed by subgroup analyses comparing low and moderate dexamethasone doses.
      With short-/intermediate-acting local anesthetics, the mean difference (95%
      confidence interval) of analgesia duration with low and moderate doses was 277
      (234-322) minutes and 229 (161-297) minutes, respectively. With long-acting local
      anesthetics, the mean differences with low and moderate doses were 505 (342-669)
      minutes and 509 (443-575) minutes. Perineural dexamethasone did not increase the
      rate of neurologic complications (risk ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.40
      [0.54-3.63]). The Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and
      Evaluation quality of evidence for the primary and secondary outcomes were very
      low, due mainly to limitations, inconsistency, indirectness, and publication
      bias. CONCLUSIONS: There is currently very low quality evidence that 4 mg of
      perineural dexamethasone represents a ceiling dose that prolongs analgesia
      duration by a mean period of 6 and 8 hours when combined with short-/intermediate
      or long-acting local anesthetics, respectively. Additional data are needed to
      explore the threshold for this effect, particularly with doses below 4 mg. The
      risk of neurologic complications is probably not increased (very low evidence).

PMID- 28922231
TI  - Use of Regional Anesthesia for Outpatient Surgery Within the United States: A
      Prevalence Study Using a Nationwide Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Regional anesthesia is of benefit for outpatient surgery given its
      demonstrated improvement in analgesia and decrease in complications, resulting in
      shorter average recovery room times and lower hospital readmission rates.
      Unfortunately, there are few epidemiological studies outlining the overall
      utilization of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) in this setting. Therefore, the
      primary objective of this study was to report the overall utilization of several
      types of PNBs among all candidate cases in the outpatient setting within the
      United States. METHODS: We identified all cases from the National Anesthesia
      Clinical Outcomes Registry that were performed as an outpatient surgery. We
      reported the frequency of various types of PNBs among all candidate cases,
      defined as cases that potentially could have received a PNB. Changes in
      prevalence of PNB utilization from 2010 to 2015 were analyzed by using logistic
      regression. RESULTS: Of the 12,911,056 outpatient surgeries in the National
      Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry, 3,297,372 (25.5%) were amenable to a PNB.
      However, the overall PNB frequency was only 3.3% of the possible cases. The
      overall utilization for PNB of the brachial plexus, sciatic nerve, and femoral
      nerve were 6.1%, 1.5%, and 1.9%, respectively. The surgical procedures generating
      the highest volume of PNBs were shoulder arthroscopies and anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstruction, in which 41% and 32% received a PNB, respectively.
      During this time period, there was a significant increase in overall PNB
      utilization for both single-injection and continuous PNB (P < .0001). However,
      the proportion of continuous PNB to single-injection PNB did not increase
      significantly. CONCLUSIONS: While the overall frequency of PNB is relatively low,
      there was a significant increase in its prevalence during the study period.
      Regional anesthesia offers significant positive impact for perioperative outcomes
      and hospital efficiency metrics; however, it is not clear what is limiting its
      widespread use. Future studies are necessary to identify barriers and disparities
      in care to implement methods to increase regional anesthesia volume nationwide
      where beneficial and appropriate.

PMID- 28922232
TI  - The "Ear-Sternal Notch" Line-How Should You Lie?

PMID- 28922234
TI  - Consensus Statement by the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society: Milestones for
      the Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship.
AB  - Pediatric cardiac anesthesiology has evolved as a subspecialty of both pediatric
      and cardiac anesthesiology and is devoted to caring for individuals with
      congenital heart disease ranging in age from neonates to adults. Training in
      pediatric cardiac anesthesia is a second-year fellowship with variability in both
      training duration and content and is not accredited by the Accreditation Council
      on Graduate Medical Education. Consequently, in this article and based on the
      Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education Milestones Model, an expert
      panel of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society, a section of the Society of
      Pediatric Anesthesiology, defines 18 milestones as competency-based developmental
      outcomes for training in the pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellowship.

PMID- 28922233
TI  - Endoscopic Versus Open Repair for Craniosynostosis in Infants Using Propensity
      Score Matching to Compare Outcomes: A Multicenter Study from the Pediatric
      Craniofacial Collaborative Group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The North American Pediatric Craniofacial Collaborative Group (PCCG)
      established the Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery Perioperative Registry to evaluate
      outcomes in infants and children undergoing craniosynostosis repair. The goal of
      this multicenter study was to utilize this registry to assess differences in
      blood utilization, intensive care unit (ICU) utilization, duration of
      hospitalization, and perioperative complications between endoscopic-assisted
      (ESC) and open repair in infants with craniosynostosis. We hypothesized that
      advantages of ESC from single-center studies would be validated based on combined
      data from a large multicenter registry. METHODS: Thirty-one institutions
      contributed data from June 2012 to September 2015. We analyzed 1382 infants
      younger than 12 months undergoing open (anterior and/or posterior cranial vault
      reconstruction, modified-Pi procedure, or strip craniectomy) or endoscopic
      craniectomy. The primary outcomes included transfusion data, ICU utilization,
      hospital length of stay, and perioperative complications; secondary outcomes
      included anesthesia and surgical duration. Comparison of unmatched groups (ESC: N
      = 311, open repair: N = 1071) and propensity score 2:1 matched groups (ESC: N =
      311, open repair: N = 622) were performed by conditional logistic regression
      analysis. RESULTS: Imbalances in baseline age and weight are inherent due to
      surgical selection criteria for ESC. Quality of propensity score matching in
      balancing age and weight between ESC and open groups was assessed by quintiles of
      the propensity scores. Analysis of matched groups confirmed significantly reduced
      utilization of blood (26% vs 81%, P < .001) and coagulation (3% vs 16%, P < .001)
      products in the ESC group compared to the open group. Median blood donor exposure
      (0 vs 1), anesthesia (168 vs 248 minutes) and surgical duration (70 vs 130
      minutes), days in ICU (0 vs 2), and hospital length of stay (2 vs 4) were all
      significantly lower in the ESC group (all P < .001). Median volume of red blood
      cell administered was significantly lower in ESC (19.6 vs 26.9 mL/kg, P = .035),
      with a difference of approximately 7 mL/kg less for the ESC (95% confidence
      interval for the difference, 3-12 mL/kg), whereas the median volume of
      coagulation products was not significantly different between the 2 groups (21.2
      vs 24.6 mL/kg, P = .73). Incidence of complications including hypotension
      requiring treatment with vasoactive agents (3% vs 4%), venous air embolism (1%),
      and hypothermia, defined as <35 degrees C (22% vs 26%), was similar between the 2
      groups, whereas postoperative intubation was significantly higher in the open
      group (2% vs 10%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter study of ESC versus
      open craniosynostosis repair represents the largest comparison to date. It
      demonstrates striking advantages of ESC for young infants that may result in
      improved clinical outcomes, as well as increased safety.

PMID- 28922235
TI  - Perioperative Inflammation and Its Modulation by Anesthetics.
AB  - Surgery and other invasive procedures, which are routinely performed during
      general anesthesia, may induce an inflammatory response in the patient. This
      inflammatory response is an inherent answer of the body to the intervention and
      can be both beneficial and potentially harmful. The immune system represents a
      unique evolutionary achievement equipping higher organisms with an effective
      defense mechanism against exogenous pathogens. However, not only bacteria might
      evoke an immune response but also other noninfectious stimuli like the surgical
      trauma or mechanical ventilation may induce an inflammatory response of varying
      degree. In these cases, the immune system activation is not always beneficial for
      the patients and might carry the risk of concomitant, harmful effects on host
      cells, tissues, or even whole organ systems. Research over the past decades has
      contributed substantial information in which ways surgical patients may be
      affected by inflammatory reactions. Modulations of the patient's immune system
      may be evoked by the use of anesthetic agents, the nature of surgical trauma and
      the use of any supportive therapy during the perioperative period. The effects on
      the patient may be manifold, including various proinflammatory effects. This
      review focuses on the causes and effects of inflammation in the perioperative
      period. In addition, we also highlight possible approaches by which inflammation
      in the perioperative may be modulated in the future.

PMID- 28922236
TI  - Efficacy Outcome Measures for Pediatric Procedural Sedation Clinical Trials: An
      ACTTION Systematic Review.
AB  - Objective evaluations comparing different techniques and approaches to pediatric
      procedural sedation studies have been limited by a lack of consistency among the
      outcome measures used in assessment. This study reviewed those existing measures,
      which have undergone psychometric analysis in a pediatric procedural sedation
      setting, to determine to what extent and in what circumstances their use is
      justified across the spectrum of procedures, age groups, and techniques. The
      results of our study suggest that a wide range of measures has been used to
      assess the efficacy and effectiveness of pediatric procedural sedation. Most lack
      the evidence of validity and reliability that is necessary to facilitate rigorous
      clinical trial design, as well as the evaluation of new drugs and devices. A set
      of core pediatric sedation outcome domains and outcome measures can be developed
      on the basis of our findings. We believe that consensus among all stakeholders
      regarding appropriate domains and measures to evaluate pediatric procedural
      sedation is possible and that widespread implementation of such recommendations
      should be pursued.

PMID- 28922237
TI  - Minimizing the Harm of Accidental Awareness Under General Anesthesia: New
      Perspectives From Patients Misdiagnosed as Being in a Vegetative State.

PMID- 28922238
TI  - Primary central nervous system lymphoma: time for diagnostic biomarkers and
      biotherapies?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare
      cancer with a somber prognosis in older patients, which it affects predominantly.
      Only in recent years have molecular alterations characterizing PCNSL been
      thoroughly described. This opens possibilities for the use of targeted therapies.
      Developments in imaging and biomarkers have also great potential to help
      clinicians faced with diagnostic and prognostic uncertainties. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Several biomarkers for PCNSL, such as different microRNAs, which could be tested
      in cerebrospinal fluid and vitreous fluid, and IL-10, which has been shown to
      have excellent sensitivity and specificity in the cerebrospinal fluid, have
      emerged in the last years. Methotrexate-based regimens remain the gold standard
      first-line treatment, with recent studies looking at the best adjunctive
      molecules to methotrexate, including rituximab, and at the role of autologous
      stem cell transplantation. As mutations leading to the activation of nuclear
      factor-kappa-B signaling are found in most PCNSLs, with mutations of MYD88 and
      CD79B particularly, ibrutinib is studied as molecule of great interest and
      encouraging results have been found in pilot studies. There is also great
      interest in the immunomodulatory drugs (lenalidomide) and immunotherapy (anti
      programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death 1 ligand 1). SUMMARY:
      Identification of molecular genetic and cytokine changes in tumor and liquid
      biopsies will have an increasing role in the diagnostic and follow-up of PCNSL
      but also in the treatment and management of the disease.

PMID- 28922239
TI  - Cleft Lip and Palate: An Experience of a Developing Center in Egypt.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cleft lip and palate is the most common congenital anomaly in the
      head and neck region. These clefts are not just a distortion of the normal
      appearance, but they may impose a major influence on the whole patient's life,
      both functionally and psychologically. Clefts affect feeding, teething, hearing,
      speech, and social communication. The incidence of cleft lip and palate is
      variable in different countries and different communities. The surgical
      correction of cleft lip and palate went through many evolutions, but still there
      is no single universal protocol of repair; however, many European countries have
      adopted national protocols and have established cleft centers for the management
      and follow up of affected population. PATIENT AND METHODS: In this study, the
      problem of cleft lip and palate in the area of upper Egypt was presented through
      the records of patients admitted to the Department of Plastic Surgery at the
      Sohag University Hospital in a 15-year period (2001-2015). RESULTS: A total
      number of 1318 patients, who were admitted and had been operated upon in our
      department, were included in this study. The majority of patients presented to
      the department with a primary disease, yet 14.7% (194 patients) of them were
      first presented for a secondary interference after being operated upon elsewhere.
      A total number of 1923 surgical procedures were performed.

PMID- 28922240
TI  - An Efficient Method for Hair Containment During Head and Neck Surgery.
AB  - The authors present a simple technique for operations around hair-bearing areas
      such as during a rhytidectomy. Hair surrounding the surgical field is twisted
      into bundles and clipped with duckbill clips. The authors repeat the procedure
      for each strand of hair. Between 5 and 7 duckbill clips may be required per
      surgery.The clippers are faster, easily applicable, and well performing. They can
      be used with different hair lengths, and they do not require any additional
      trimming or shaving; clips also keep the hair firmly in place, and they do not
      loosen up in the process.This technical note explains a very simple, economical,
      and less time-consuming method to control hair located around the surgical site.
      It may be applied to all procedures within the field of the hair-bearing scalp,
      including craniofacial and maxillofacial surgery.

PMID- 28922241
TI  - A Shift in the Orbit: Immediate Endoscopic Reconstruction After Transnasal
      Orbital Tumors Resection.
AB  - Endoscopic endonasal resection of orbital lesions is a safe and common approach.
      Nevertheless, medial orbital wall defects following the procedure are not
      routinely addressed, potentially leading to diplopia and enophthalmos. In this
      article, the authors propose a new technique for purely endoscopic endonasal
      reconstruction of orbital wall defects following endoscopic endonasal resection
      of orbital lesions.The patient, a 43-year-old male, suffering from right
      exophthalmos and diplopia due to a venous malformation of the right orbit
      underwent endoscopic endonasal resection of the mass. Excision was followed by
      immediate transnasal endoscopic reconstruction with a commercially available
      porous polyethylene mesh (Medpor).The postoperative course was uneventful. The
      patient did not report any residual orbital asymmetry or diplopia. No recurrence
      of the venous malformation, mesh infection, or reconstruction instability was
      reported during the follow-up.The authors believe that this new technique could
      spur head and neck surgeons in strategically rethinking their approach to orbital
      tumors, proposing reconstruction to patients on a routine basis, and developing
      even more reliable and manageable solutions.

PMID- 28922242
TI  - Long-Term Follow-Up of Osseointegrated Orbital Prosthetic Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osseointegrated implants have been used for craniofacial prosthetic
      reconstruction since 1979. The authors sought to review long-term outcomes of
      osseointegrated orbital reconstruction at the Institute for Reconstructive
      Sciences in Medicine (iRSM). METHODS: Twenty-six patients have undergone
      osseointegrated orbital prosthetic (OOP) reconstruction at iRSM since 1991. A
      retrospective chart review was performed and patient satisfaction assessed
      through a questionnaire used in previous osseointegration studies. Multivariate
      binary logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship
      between smoking, age, sex, and previous radiation treatment with the occurrence
      of skin reactions and implant failures. A chi test was used to assess the
      relationship between implant position within the orbit and development of a skin
      reaction or implant failure. RESULTS: Patients received an average of 5.8
      implants during the course of treatment. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 24
      years (mean = 10.6 years). A statistically significant correlation was found
      between skin reaction and age (P = 0.022), with younger patients more likely to
      develop a reaction. No variables in our model were significant for predicting
      implant failure. Overall, there were 39 failures of 155 osseointegrated implants,
      for a success rate of 74.8%. There was no relationship between skin reaction and
      implant failure compared to implant position within the orbit. Survey responses
      were received from 11 of 19 patients (58% response rate). Ninety-one percent of
      patients were overall satisfied with their prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS: There are
      minimal contraindications for consideration of OOP reconstruction. Patients find
      their prosthesis comfortable, report increased self-confidence, and are happy to
      have undergone reconstruction.

PMID- 28922243
TI  - Evaluation of the Changes in the Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing
      Orthognathic Surgery: A Multicenter Study.
AB  - Orthognathic surgery can affect patients' quality of life. The aim of the present
      study was to assess changes in quality of life during combined orthodontics
      surgery treatment and effect of orthodontist-surgeon teamwork on final patient's
      satisfaction. Twenty-six orthognathic patients who were referred to oral and
      maxillofacial department of 3 hospitals in Tehran were included in the study.
      Orthognathic quality of life questionnaire (OQLQ) was given to patients 1 week
      before, 4 weeks and 4 months after surgery. Two self-designed forms were used for
      evaluating mood and comfort of patients 1 week before surgery and 4 days after
      surgery. Self-designed forms were given to the orthodontists and the
      maxillofacial surgeons to assess quality of teamwork and difficulty of the
      procedure. Twenty-four patients (15 females and 9 males) with the mean age of
      22.62 +/- 3.57 completed the study. Quality of life increased from 1 week before
      surgery to 4 months after surgery (P < 0.013) and the difference was
      statistically significant between OQLQ score at 1 week before surgery and that of
      4 months postoperative. Esthetic and social domain showed significant changes
      during the studied period. Orthognathic quality of life questionnaire at 4 months
      postoperative was correlated with surgery difficulty and duration. It can be
      concluded that orthognathic surgery can improve quality of life, especially in
      esthetic and social aspects.

PMID- 28922244
TI  - Fibular Graft-Effective Panorama for Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Resected
      Mandible.
AB  - Surgical management of extensive tumors in the mandibular region leads to massive
      disfigurement of the face. Also the prosthetic outcome of such patients
      rehabilitated with free soft tissue flaps is very poor. Reconstruction of
      extensive defects to overcome the disfigurement is a challenging procedure and
      can be achieved with free fibula flap. Free fibula graft provides sufficient
      length of bone for the reconstruction of the postsurgical defects. Excellent
      vascularity of fibula flap allows for easy uptake of the graft and
      osseointegration of the dental implants. The addition of a skin island allows for
      absolute tension-free intraoral closure that enhances tongue mobility. Fibula
      graft allows proper tissue support after mandibular reconstruction. After
      rehabilitation with free fibula graft we can plan for prosthodontic
      rehabilitation with implant retained prosthesis leading to improved masticatory
      function. It also helps to improve speech outcome as a stable prosthesis can be
      delivered with the help of implants retained in the fibula graft. It is essential
      to assess the outcome of surgical reconstruction with fibula graft followed by
      prosthetic rehabilitation with implant retained prosthesis for their recognition
      as a treatment of preference. This article details the clinical report along with
      various clinical parameters for implant retained prosthetic rehabilitation of the
      patient who had undergone mandibular resection and reconstruction with free
      fibula graft.

PMID- 28922245
TI  - A Craniometric Analysis of Cranial Base and Cranial Vault Differences in Patients
      With Metopic Craniosynostosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The effect of synostosis is not confined to the immediate vicinity of
      the suture. The authors hypothesized metopic craniosynostosis results in
      migration of lateral structures from midline, and differences in segmental volume
      of the cranial fossa. METHODS: A retrospective case-controlled cohort analysis of
      patients with nonsyndromic metopic craniosynostosis was performed. Craniometric
      angles, distances to landmarks from midline, cephalic index, and segmented volume
      ratios were calculated. A comparison group consisted of patients without cranial
      pathology or with mild positional plagiocephaly. RESULTS: Twenty patients with
      metopic craniosynostosis and 19 controls were identified. The bifrontal angle was
      significantly more acute in metopic patients. Distance from midline to the medial
      carotid, the foramen ovale, and the hypoglossal canal were all significantly
      longer in metopic patients. Ratio of anterior third to total cranial vault volume
      was significantly smaller in metopic patients; however, ratio of middle third to
      total cranial vault volume was significantly larger. As the bifrontal angle
      decreased by 1 degrees , the volume of the anterior third of the cranial vault
      was observed to decrease by 0.17% (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with metopic
      craniosynostosis show a distinct and significant transverse lateralization of
      structures of the anterior skull base relative to midline, significant
      restriction of the anterior third of the cranial vault, and compensatory
      expansion of the middle third. There is a linear relationship between the
      bifrontal angle and the subsequent change in anterior third cranial vault volume.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV; Therapeutic.

PMID- 28922246
TI  - Immediate Dental Implant Placement After Removal of Complex Odontoma.
AB  - The aim of the authors was to report a clinical case about immediate implant
      placement after the removal of complex odontoma. A 35-year-old female patient
      presented to private service complaining about absence of lower right first
      premolar. The computed tomographic showed radiopaque attenuation, surrounded by a
      narrow radiolucency in the area of dental absence, suggesting a mineralized
      lesion. The surgical removal of lesion was performed by intraoral access with
      general anesthesia and the implant of 3.75 * 10 mm (Neodent) was placed with the
      aid of a surgical guide, following the drill sequence established by the
      manufacturer. No complications were observed after 1 year with the prosthetic
      rehabilitation.

PMID- 28922248
TI  - Maxillary Corticotomies With Bone-to-Bone Retraction and Mandibular Segmental
      Osteotomy for Correcting an Anterior Double Protrusion.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: This article presents maxillary corticotomies with bone-to-bone
      retraction and anterior segmental osteotomy (ASO) as an alternative to 2-jaw
      orthognathics in the bimaxilary protrusion patient with partially anchylosed
      maxillary anterior tooth. METHODS: The 18-year-old male, complaining of anterior
      protrusion, with a trauma history to the maxillary central incisor, and
      requesting rapid treatment, was treated with maxillary corticotomies in 2 stages
      and ASO in the mandible. The mandibular ASO and palatal corticotomy were done
      under local anesthesia and 2 weeks later, labial corticotomy followed. The
      anterior segment was retracted bodily using buccal C-tubes and a combination of
      the C-lingual retractor and palatal C-plate. RESULTS: Due to a concern about
      ankylosis of the maxillary right central incisor, retraction of the anterior
      bone/tooth segment was chosen over any attempt to move teeth through the bone.
      After bone-to-bone retraction, the remaining extraction space was closed by
      protraction of posteriors. The total treatment period was 18 months. There was
      good retraction of the anterior segment and retrusion of the lips. CONCLUSIONS: A
      combination of maxillary corticotomies with skeletal anchorage for bone-to-bone
      retraction and a mandibular ASO under local anesthesia might be an alternative
      treatment option for excellent profile change in a short treatment period.

PMID- 28922249
TI  - Impact of Septoplasty on Eustachian Tube Functions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of nasal septum deviation (NSD) and septoplasty
      on eustachian tube (ET) functions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was designed
      as a prospective controlled study and conducted in a tertiary referral center. A
      study group of 25 patients who were scheduled for septoplasty for NSD; and a
      control group of 25 healthy individuals having no ear or nose symptoms were
      formed. Tympanometric analysis of ET function, subjective and objective analysis
      of nasal functions with acoustic rhinometry and rhinomanometry were performed.
      Patients in study group underwent nasal surgery and tests were repeated at
      postoperative 1st and 3rd months. RESULTS: Eustachian tube functions of study
      group were significantly worse than the control group (P = 0.032). ET functions
      were found to be poorer as the nasal airway resistances increase which was found
      to be close to significance (P = 0.056). One and 3 months after corrective
      surgery, both nasal airway functions and ET functions improved significantly
      reaching to the level of control group. CONCLUSIONS: Nasal septum deviation was
      associated with higher rates of ET dysfunction, which could be improved by the
      nasal surgery. However, in some patients, nasal surgery itself caused ET
      dysfunction in the early postoperative period.

PMID- 28922250
TI  - Use of Pedicled Buccal Fat Pad for Midface Augmentation.
AB  - The pedicled buccal fat pad has occasionally been used for the closure of
      oroantral and oronasal fistulae. However, this versatile and convenient technique
      has not been used widely in the field of esthetic surgery. The main cosmetic
      interest in the buccal fat pads was to surgically extract them to reduce cheek
      prominence. Here, the authors introduce a novel operative technique using the
      pedicled buccal fat pad for midface augmentation in patients with deficient soft
      tissue volume, particularly in the anterior malar or paranasal region. This
      rather simple surgical method can be performed either individually or
      concomitantly with reduction malarplasty. The surgical outcomes include a natural
      appearance with reliable long-term stability.

PMID- 28922252
TI  - Clinical Predictors and Natural History of Disease Extension in Patients with
      Ulcerative Proctitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A proportion of patients with initial presentation of ulcerative
      proctitis (UP) progress to more extensive colitis. We sought to characterize the
      natural history and identify clinical predictors of extension in UP. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective cohort study of participants with a new diagnosis of UP
      from January 2000 to December 2015. We used Cox proportional hazard modeling to
      identify predictors of disease extension. RESULTS: We identified 169 new cases of
      UP with a median age of diagnosis of 40 years (range: 16-91 yr) and a median
      follow-up of 4.3 years (range: 3.3-15.1 yr). Fifty-three (31%) patients developed
      extension over the follow-up time. Compared with nonextenders, the need for
      immunosuppressive or biologic therapy was significantly higher among extenders
      (34% versus 2.6%, P < 0.001). In multivariable analyses, compared with UP cases
      with body mass index <25, the adjusted hazard ratios of extension were 1.75 (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.95-3.23) and 2.77 (95% CI, 1.07-7.14) among
      overweight and obese patients, respectively (Ptrend = 0.03). Similarly, patients
      with a history of appendectomy or endoscopic finding of moderate to severe
      disease had a higher risk of extension (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.74, 95% CI,
      1.07-7.01 and 1.96, 95% CI, 1.05-3.67, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In a
      retrospective cohort study, we show that appendectomy, body mass index, and
      endoscopic activity at the time of diagnosis of proctitis are associated with an
      increased risk of extension. In addition, our data suggest that extenders are
      more likely to require immunosuppressive or biologic therapy.

PMID- 28922253
TI  - Long-term Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of Biosimilar Infliximab After One
      Year in a Prospective Nationwide Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been previously shown that biosimilar infliximab CT-P13 is
      effective and safe in inducing remission in inflammatory bowel diseases. We
      report here the 1-year outcomes from a prospective nationwide inflammatory bowel
      disease cohort. METHODS: A prospective, nationwide, multicenter, observational
      cohort was designed to examine the efficacy and safety of CT-P13 in the induction
      and maintenance treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).
      Demographic data were collected and a harmonized monitoring strategy was applied.
      Clinical remission, response, and biochemical response were evaluated at weeks
      14, 30, and 54, respectively. Safety data were registered. RESULTS: Three hundred
      fifty-three consecutive inflammatory bowel disease (209 CD and 144 UC) patients
      were included, of which 229 patients reached the week 54 endpoint at final
      evaluation. Age at disease onset: 24/28 years (median, interquartile range: 19
      34/22-39) in patients with CD/UC. Forty-nine, 53, 48% and 86, 81 and 65% of
      patients with CD reached clinical remission and response by weeks 14, 30, and 54,
      respectively. Clinical remission and response rates were 56, 41, 43% and 74, 66,
      50% in patients with UC. Clinical efficacy was influenced by previous anti-tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF) exposure in patients with a drug holiday beyond 1 year. The
      mean C-reactive protein level decreased significantly in both CD and UC by week
      14 and was maintained throughout the 1-year follow-up (both UC/CD: P < 0.001).
      Thirty-one (8.8%) patients had infusion reactions and 32 (9%) patients had
      infections. Antidrug antibody positivity rates were significantly higher
      throughout patients with previous anti-TNF exposure; concomitant azathioprine
      prevented antidrug antibody formation in anti-TNF-naive patients with CD.
      CONCLUSIONS: Results from this prospective nationwide cohort confirm that CT-P13
      is effective and safe in inducing and maintaining long-term remission in both CD
      and UC. Efficacy was influenced by previous anti-TNF exposure; no new safety
      signals were detected.

PMID- 28922257
TI  - Endoscopic and Histological Assessment of Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease
      Over a 3-Year Follow-up Period.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Discrepancies between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
      endoscopic/histological extent are documented at diagnosis. It is unclear whether
      these differences persist through disease course, with potential impact on
      categorization and management. We aimed to analyze the progression of disease
      over a 3-year period. METHODS: Patients younger than 17 years, diagnosed between
      2010 and 2013 at Southampton Children's Hospital and followed-up for 3 years were
      eligible. Primary outcome was disease extent at diagnosis and follow-up. Data are
      presented as percentage of patients undergoing endoscopy. Paris classification
      (PC) and PC using histological, rather than endoscopic disease, were determined.
      RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-five patients were included, 66 boys; Crohn's
      disease (CD) 74, ulcerative colitis (UC) 40, IBD unclassified (IBDU) 11. All had
      endoscopy at diagnosis. One hundred and two patients underwent >=1 repeat
      endoscopies.Disease extent reduced from diagnosis to first follow-up endoscopy
      for both endoscopic and histological disease extent (CD/UC/IBDU, all P <
      0.00006). Histological extent remained greater than endoscopic in CD with
      significant differences in stomach, ileum, and large bowel at all follow-up
      points (P =  < 0.045). Endoscopic matched histological extent in UC/IBDU.
      Applying a modified PC resulted in significant changes for CD (L3 27.4%-53.2%, P
      = 0.006, L3 + L4A 21%-50%, P = 0.001, and upper gastrointestinal disease 50%
      80.6%, P = 0.0006) but not UC. CD height (-0.37 to -0.25) and weight (-1.09 to 
      0.19) standard deviation scores increased from diagnosis to follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Histological disease is greater than endoscopic extent at diagnosis
      and during follow-up in CD, although not in UC/IBDU. Classification of disease
      extent in CD should be based on both endoscopic and histological criteria.

PMID- 28922254
TI  - Obese Patients Undergoing Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis: Short-and Long-term
      Surgical Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the preferred surgical
      treatment for patients with chronic ulcerative colitis. Little is known about the
      impact of obesity on operative characteristics, short-term postoperative
      complications and long-term functional outcomes after IPAA. METHODS: A
      retrospective review of all patients undergoing IPAA for chronic ulcerative
      colitis at a single tertiary referral center between January 2002 and August 2013
      was performed. Thirty-day postoperative complications and long-term functional
      outcomes were analyzed according to body mass index. RESULTS: Nine hundred nine
      IPAAs (154 obese [body mass index >= 30] and 755 not obese [body mass index <
      30]) were performed during the study period. For 2-stage IPAA, obese patients
      were less likely to undergo laparoscopic IPAA (P < 0.0001), had greater estimated
      blood loss (P = 0.005), and longer operative times (P = 0.02). For 3-stage IPAA,
      obese patients were less likely to undergo a laparoscopic procedure (P = 0.03),
      had greater estimated blood loss (P < 0.0001), and longer operative times (P =
      0.0002). Postoperatively, obese patients had a longer length of stay after a 2
      stage procedure (P = 0.009), an increased rate of superficial surgical site
      infections (P = 0.003), and an increased rate of urinary tract infections (P =
      0.03). Of the 61% (n = 546) of patients with IPAA with long-term (median 5.0
      years) follow-up, there were no significant differences in functional outcomes
      including incontinence, frequency of bowel movements, pad usage, and pouchitis
      between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity impacts intraoperative complexity and 30
      day postoperative outcomes. Long-term functional outcomes are not affected. These
      findings underscore the need to counsel patients on preoperative weight loss
      before undergoing elective IPAA.

PMID- 28922258
TI  - Dietary Fiber Intake in Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to estimate intake of total dietary fiber,
      and its soluble and insoluble fractions, by children with inflammatory bowel
      disease (IBD) in comparison with healthy controls. METHODS: This was a
      prospective controlled study on children with IBD. Food consumption data were
      collected by using the 3-day diet record. For intake of soluble and insoluble
      fibers author's questionnaire was used. RESULTS: The study included 50 children
      with IBD (80% in clinical remission) and 50 healthy controls. There were no
      statistically significant differences in age, weight, height, and BMI percentiles
      between both groups. The mean disease duration was 3.5 +/- 2.5 years. The daily
      median dietary fiber intake in patients was 15.3 +/- 4.2 g, whereas controls
      consumed about 14.1 +/- 3.6 g/day; differences were not statistically
      significant. The median intake of soluble fiber in the study group was 5.0 g/day
      and in controls 4.7 g/day, whereas the intake of insoluble fractions was 10.2
      versus 9.7 g/day, respectively. The total fiber intake significantly increased
      with age and it was higher among boys in each age group. The boys better achieved
      adequate intake recommendations (P = 0.003). Both, children with IBD and healthy
      controls, did not meet the adequate intake recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Intake
      of fiber in patients with IBD and healthy controls was comparable; however, in
      both groups, it was lower than recommended.

PMID- 28922259
TI  - Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Food Challenge-proven Non-IgE Cow's Milk Allergy Are
      Dissipated by Early School Age.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the current well-being and
      dietary restrictions in children 6 years after food challenge-confirmed diagnosis
      of non-IgE cow's milk protein allergy, compared to peers with gastrointestinal
      symptoms but negative food challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic
      process retrospectively. METHODS: This is an Internet-based survey for mothers
      whose children underwent 6 years ago the double-blind, placebo-controlled food
      challenge for cow's milk (CM) because of gastrointestinal symptoms causing
      suspicion of non-IgE CM protein allergy. Concurrent dietary restrictions, overall
      well-being, medical history, and retrospective views on the food challenge were
      queried using a study-specific questionnaire, the Quality of life using PedsQL
      general score and parental stress with the Parenting Stress Index questionnaire.
      RESULT: Mothers of 42 children (23 girls), median age of 6.7 years (range 5.7
      8.6), participated in the survey, the response rate was 70%. All children now
      consumed cow's milk protein. The only food restrictions reported were empirical
      lactose-free diets in 7 children (17%). One-third of the children in both groups
      were presently reported to have eating-related issues such as picky eating.
      Quality of life was good and present parenting stress was average in both groups.
      The majority of the mothers (87%) felt positive or neutral about the food
      challenge performed in infancy. CONCLUSIONS: The non-IgE CM allergy with
      gastrointestinal symptoms diagnosed in infancy was a transient condition with
      good outcome. At an early school age, nearly all children have a good quality of
      life and a regular diet. The use of the double-blind, placebo-controlled food
      challenge was well-endorsed.

PMID- 28922260
TI  - Increased Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Population-based Cohort Study
      of Patients With Hirschsprung Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) has previously been associated with
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There are no data to show how common this
      association is. The aim of the present study was to assess the risk of IBD in
      individuals with HSCR in a population-based cohort. METHODS: This was a
      nationwide, population-based cohort study. The study exposure was HSCR and the
      study outcome was IBD. The cohort included all individuals with HSCR registered
      in the Swedish National Patient Register between 1964 and 2013 and 10 age- and
      sex-matched controls per patient, randomly selected from the Swedish Population
      Register. Individuals with IBD were identified in the Swedish National Patient
      Register. Data were validated by checking for relevant surgical procedures, and,
      or prescription of drugs for IBD registered in the Swedish Drug Registry.
      RESULTS: The cohort comprised 739 individuals with HSCR (565 boys) and 7390
      controls (5650 boys). The median age at diagnosis of IBD was not different
      between the groups; 19 years (5-34) versus 21 years (7-37), P = 0.21. Twenty of
      the 739 individuals with HSCR and 41 of the 7390 controls had IBD, odds ratio
      4.99, and 95% confidence interval 2.85 to 8.45. In the exposed group, 15
      individuals had Crohn disease and 5 ulcerative colitis at their latest admission
      compared to 18 individuals with Crohn disease and 23 with ulcerative colitis in
      the unexposed group, P = 0.030. CONCLUSION: There is an increased risk of IBD in
      patients with HSCR, which should be considered in clinical practice.

PMID- 28922261
TI  - The Effect of Gluten-free Diet on Clinical Symptoms and the Intestinal Mucosa of
      Patients With Potential Celiac Disease.
AB  - In this prospective study, we evaluated the effect of gluten-free diet (GFD) in a
      cohort of 65 children with potential celiac disease. Patients received GFD for
      signs/symptoms (N = 47) or parents' choice (N = 18). Most frequent signs/symptoms
      were low body mass index (36%), recurrent abdominal pain (34%), and diarrhea
      (19%). Of the 35/47 patients followed-up on GFD, only 54% (19/35) showed a
      complete clinical response. In 9 of 65 patients an intestinal biopsy was also
      performed after at least 1 year of GFD. No significant differences were observed
      in terms of Marsh grade (P = 0.33), lamina propria CD25+ cells (P = 0.80), CD3+
      (P = 0.9), and gammadelta+ (P = 0.59) intraepithelial lymphocytes density and
      intestinal anti-TG2 deposits (P = 0.60). In conclusion, caution is necessary
      before attributing all symptoms to gluten in this condition.

PMID- 28922262
TI  - Sugar in Infants, Children and Adolescents: A Position Paper of the European
      Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on
      Nutrition.
AB  - The consumption of sugars, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs;
      beverages or drinks that contain added caloric sweeteners (ie, sucrose, high
      fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates), in European children and
      adolescents exceeds current recommendations. This is of concern because there is
      no nutritional requirement for free sugars, and infants have an innate preference
      for sweet taste, which may be modified and reinforced by pre- and postnatal
      exposures. Sugar-containing beverages/free sugars increase the risk for
      overweight/obesity and dental caries, can result in poor nutrient supply and
      reduced dietary diversity, and may be associated with increased risk of type 2
      diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular risk, and other health effects. The term "free
      sugars," includes all monosaccharides/disaccharides added to foods/beverages by
      the manufacturer/cook/consumer, plus sugars naturally present in
      honey/syrups/unsweetened fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. Sugar
      naturally present in intact fruits and lactose in amounts naturally present in
      human milk or infant formula, cow/goat milk, and unsweetened milk products is not
      free sugar. Intake of free sugars should be reduced and minimised with a
      desirable goal of <5% energy intake in children and adolescents aged >=2 to 18
      years. Intake should probably be even lower in infants and toddlers <2 years.
      Healthy approaches to beverage and dietary consumption should be established in
      infancy, with the aim of preventing negative health effects in later childhood
      and adulthood. Sugar should preferably be consumed as part of a main meal and in
      a natural form as human milk, milk, unsweetened dairy products, and fresh fruits,
      rather than as SSBs, fruit juices, smoothies, and/or sweetened milk products.
      Free sugars in liquid form should be replaced by water or unsweetened milk
      drinks. National Authorities should adopt policies aimed at reducing the intake
      of free sugars in infants, children and adolescents. This may include education,
      improved labelling, restriction of advertising, introducing standards for
      kindergarten and school meals, and fiscal measures, depending on local
      circumstances.

PMID- 28922263
TI  - Prospective Side by Side Comparison of Outcomes and Complications With a Simple
      Versus Intensive Anticoagulation Monitoring Strategy in Pediatric Extracorporeal
      Life Support Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A continuous infusion of unfractionated heparin is the most common
      anticoagulant used for pediatric patients on extracorporeal life support. The
      objective of this study was to compare extracorporeal life support complications
      and outcomes between two large-volume pediatric extracorporeal life support
      centers that use different anticoagulation strategies. DESIGN: Prospective,
      observational cohort study. SETTING: The University of Michigan used simple
      anticoagulation monitoring, whereas the University of Alberta used an intensive
      anticoagulation monitoring strategy. PATIENTS: Pediatric patients on
      extracorporeal life support. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      The primary outcome measure was major bleeding per extracorporeal life support
      run defined as bleeding that was retroperitoneal, pulmonary, or involved the CNS;
      bleeding greater than 20 mL/kg over 24 hours; or bleeding that required surgical
      intervention. Secondary outcomes measured were patient thrombosis per run,
      circuit thrombosis per run, and survival to hospital discharge per patient.
      Eighty-eight patients (95 runs) less than 18 years old were enrolled at the two
      centers over 2 years. The two centers enrolled different extracorporeal life
      support populations; University of Alberta enrolled more postcardiac surgical
      patients (74% vs 47%; p = 0.005). The indication for extracorporeal life support
      support also varied by center (p = 0.04). The two centers used similar
      proportions of VA extracorporeal life support (p = 0.3). Median (interquartile
      range) unfractionated heparin doses were similar between University of Michigan
      and University of Alberta, 30 (21-34) U/kg/hr and 26 (22-31) U/kg/hr, p value
      equals to 0.3, respectively. Median (interquartile range) antifactor Xa was lower
      in the University of Michigan cohort (0.23 [0.19-0.28] vs 0.41 [0.36-0.46] U/mL;
      p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in major bleeding (15% University
      of Michigan vs 21% University of Alberta; p = 0.6) or in patient thromboses (18%
      University of Michigan vs 13% University of Alberta; p = 0.5). There was no
      significant difference in survival to hospital discharge (University of Michigan
      63% vs University of Alberta 73%; p = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Although this
      prospective cohort study compared different pediatric extracorporeal life support
      populations, the results did not identify a significant difference in outcomes
      between simple and intensive anticoagulation monitoring strategies.

PMID- 28922264
TI  - Validation of a Portable Coagulometer for Routine In-Hospital Use for Newborns.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To verify the reliability and clinical benefits of the coagulation
      tests made by a point of care device in newborn admitted to a neonatal unit.
      DESIGN: We made a statistical comparison between results obtained by the point of
      care device versus conventional laboratory analysis. SETTING: Level 3 neonatal
      unit. PATIENTS: Thirty-one infants admitted to the neonatal unit at the San
      Cecilio University Hospital (Granada, Spain) were recruited to this study.
      INTERVENTIONS: All underwent a double analytical determination: a small drop of
      blood was taken for analysis with a portable coagulometer (qLabs Electrometer
      Plus) and the rest of the blood sample was analyzed with conventional hospital
      laboratory equipment. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: According to the linearity
      test performed, the measuring methods presented a good linear regression fit.
      Lin's concordance coefficient showed a "good" agreement for activated partial
      prothrombin time and international normalized ratio (>0.61) and a moderate one
      for prothrombin time (0.41-0.6) for the sample of newborns. CONCLUSIONS: The
      portable coagulometer qLabs Electrometer Plus device has the potential to be an
      alternative to standard hospital coagulation autoanalyzers in a subset of
      patients where the amount of blood drawn can have significant risks. Our study is
      the first of its kind to analyze the use of this device with severely ill
      newborns.

PMID- 28922265
TI  - "Stuck in the ICU": Caring for Children With Chronic Critical Illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neonatal ICUs and PICUs increasingly admit patients with chronic
      critical illness: children whose medical complexity leads to recurrent and
      prolonged ICU hospitalizations. We interviewed participants who routinely care
      for children with chronic critical illness to describe their experiences with ICU
      care for pediatric chronic critical illness. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews.
      Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for themes. SETTING: Stakeholders came
      from five regions (Seattle, WA; Houston, TX; Jackson, MS; Baltimore, MD; and
      Philadelphia, PA). SUBJECTS: Fifty-one stakeholders including: 1)
      interdisciplinary providers (inpatient, outpatient, home care, foster care) with
      extensive chronic critical illness experience; or 2) parents of children with
      chronic critical illness. INTERVENTIONS: Telephone or in-person interviews.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Stakeholders identified several key issues and
      several themes emerged after qualitative analysis. Issues around chronic critical
      illness patient factors noted that patients are often relocated to the ICU
      because of their medical needs. During extended ICU stays, these children require
      longitudinal relationships and developmental stimulation that outstrip ICU
      capabilities. Family factors can affect care as prolonged ICU experience leads
      some to disengage from decision-making. Clinician factors noted that parents of
      children with chronic critical illness are often experts about their child's
      disease, shifting the typical ICU clinician-parent relationship. Comprehensive
      care for children with chronic critical illness can become secondary to needs of
      acutely ill patients. Lastly, with regard to system factors, stakeholders agreed
      that achieving consistent ICU care goals is difficult for chronic critical
      illness patients. CONCLUSIONS: ICU care is poorly adapted to pediatric chronic
      critical illness. Patient, family, clinician, and system factors highlight
      opportunities for targeted interventions toward improvement in care.

PMID- 28922266
TI  - Time to Asthma-Related Readmission in Children Admitted to the ICU for Asthma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the time to asthma-related readmissions between children
      with a previous ICU hospitalization for asthma and those with a non-ICU
      hospitalization and to explore predictors of time to readmission in children
      admitted to the ICU. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using a pan-Canadian
      administrative inpatient database from April 1, 2008, to March 31, 2014. SETTING:
      All adult and pediatric Canadian hospitals. SUBJECTS: Children 2-17 years old
      with a hospitalization for asthma. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: A total of 26,168 children were hospitalized 33,304 times during the
      study period. The time to readmission was shorter in the ICU group compared with
      the non-ICU group (median time to readmission 27 mo in ICU vs 35 mo in non-ICU
      group). Preschool-aged children (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02-2.14) and
      increased length of stay (hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.17-2.27) were associated
      with a shorter time to readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Children previously admitted to
      the ICU for asthma had a shorter time to asthma-related readmission, compared
      with children who did not require intensive care, underlining the importance of
      targeted long-term postdischarge follow-up of these children. Children of
      preschool age and who have a lengthier hospital stay are particularly at risk for
      future morbidity.

PMID- 28922267
TI  - The 1-Year Follow-Up Clinic for Neonates and Children After Respiratory
      Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: A 10-Year Single Institution
      Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish the effectiveness of a "1-year extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation follow-up clinic" and to characterize any neurodevelopmental concerns
      identified. DESIGN: Single-center retrospective cohort of respiratory
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors over 10 years. SETTING: Nationally
      commissioned center for neonatal and pediatric (> 28 d of life) respiratory
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. PATIENTS: Children attending the follow-up
      clinic 1 year after receiving respiratory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
      between 2003 and 2013. INTERVENTIONS: Standardized follow-up 1 year after
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In 10 years,
      290 children received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, 194 (67%) survived;
      all were offered 1-year follow-up, and 98 (51%) attended the clinic. Among these,
      51 of 98 (52%) had meconium aspiration syndrome, and 74 of 98 (75%) were on veno
      arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with a median (interquartile range)
      duration of 6 days (4-8 d). Neurodevelopmental problems were identified in 30 of
      98 (30%). The specific abnormalities noted included neurologic (seizures, motor,
      or vision abnormalities) (n = 8), hearing with/without language delay (n = 8),
      and behavioral problems (as reported by parents) (n = 6), with eight of 30 (27%)
      having difficulties spanning these domains. An acute neurologic event on
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was found to be the only risk factor for
      neurodevelopmental concerns (p = 0.006 with odds ratio 5.4 [95% CI, 1.63-17.92]).
      Despite having neither a cardiac arrest nor an acute neurologic event documented,
      18 of 74 (24.3%), 95% CI (15.1-35.7), had neurodevelopmental concerns at 1-year
      follow-up. Among the nonattenders, 30 (15%) had local follow-up, and 66 (34%)
      were lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: All extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
      survivors need follow-up either at the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation center
      or in their community, as evidenced by the 1-year follow-up data. Our 1-year
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation follow-up clinic provides an opportunity to
      engage with families, identify neurodevelopmental concerns, and signpost to
      appropriate services. Of concern, one third of survivors are lost to follow-up,
      some with an acute neurologic event on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a
      significant risk factor. A consensus-based standardized national follow-up
      program is vital.

PMID- 28922268
TI  - Early Exercise in Critically Ill Youth and Children, a Preliminary Evaluation:
      The wEECYCLE Pilot Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of conducting a full trial evaluating
      the efficacy of early mobilization using in-bed cycling as an adjunct to
      physiotherapy, on functional outcomes in critically ill children. DESIGN: Single
      center, pilot, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Twelve-bed tertiary care,
      medical-surgical PICU at McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
      PATIENTS: Children 3-17 years old who were limited to bed-rest with an expected
      PICU stay of at least 48 hours. Patients were excluded if they were at their
      baseline level of function, already mobilizing out of bed or expected to do so
      within 24 hours. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to early
      mobilization using in-bed cycling in addition to usual care physiotherapy
      (cycling arm) or to usual care physiotherapy alone (control). Usual care was
      according to institutional practice guidelines. The primary outcome was
      feasibility and safety. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thirty patients were
      enrolled (20 to the cycling and 10 to control) over a 12-month period, at a 93.7%
      consent rate. The median (interquartile range) time from PICU admission to
      mobilization was 1.5 days (1-3) in the cycling arm and 2.5 days (2-7) in the
      control arm. Total duration of mobilization therapy in PICU was 210 (152-380) and
      136 minutes (42-314 min) in cycling and control arms, respectively. Total number
      of PICU days mobilized was 5.0 (3-6) with cycling and 2.5 (2-4.8) with usual
      care. No adverse events occurred in either arm. The main threat to feasibility of
      mobilization was the availability of physiotherapists or research personnel.
      CONCLUSIONS: Early mobilization is safe and feasible in the PICU. In-bed cycling
      may facilitate greater duration and intensity of mobilization, in critically ill
      children. A full-scale randomized controlled trial is warranted to evaluate the
      efficacy of this intervention on PICU-acquired morbidities and functional
      outcomes in this population.

PMID- 28922269
TI  - Extubation Failure Is Associated With Increased Mortality Following First Stage
      Single Ventricle Reconstruction Operation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence, causes, risk factors, and outcomes
      associated with extubation failure following first stage single ventricle
      reconstruction surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis of neonates who
      underwent a first stage single ventricle reconstruction operation. Extubation
      failure was defined as endotracheal reintubation within 48 hours of first
      extubation attempt. SETTING: The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. PATIENTS:
      Data were collected for all infants who underwent a Norwood or Damus-Kaye-Stansel
      procedure between 2005 and 2014 at our institution. INTERVENTIONS: None.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Extubation failure occurred in 23 of 137 neonates
      (16.8%; 95% CI, 11.0-24.1%) who underwent a trial of extubation. Overall, 42
      patients (30.7%) were extubated to room air, 88 (64.2%) to nasal continuous
      positive airway pressure, and seven (5.1%) to high-flow nasal cannulae, though
      there was no major difference in extubation failure rates between these three
      groups (p = 0.37). The median time to reintubation was 16.7 hours (interquartile
      range, 3.2-35.2), and male infants failed extubation more frequently (63.2% vs
      87.0%; p = 0.02), although age, gestation, weight, cardiac diagnosis (hypoplastic
      left heart syndrome vs other single ventricle conditions), shunt type (modified
      Blalock-Taussig vs right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt), intraoperative
      perfusion times, preextubation mechanical ventilation duration, preextubation
      acid-base status, and postoperative fluid balance were not related to extubation
      outcome. Infants who failed extubation had a higher intensive care mortality
      (19.4% vs 3.5%; p = 0.03) and in-hospital mortality (30.4% vs 6.1%; p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of extubation failure following first
      stage single ventricle reconstruction, and this is associated with considerably
      worse patient outcomes. The high prevalence and also the wide variation in rates
      of extubation failure in reported literature provide with an opportunity for
      implementation of quality assurance activities to minimize this complication and
      improve outcomes.

PMID- 28922270
TI  - Decision-Making in Pediatric Transport Team Dispatch Using Script Concordance
      Testing.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to compare decision-making in dispatching pediatric
      transport teams by Medical Directors of pediatric transport teams (serving as
      experts) to that of Pediatric Intensivists and Critical Care fellows who often
      serve as Medical Control physicians. Understanding decision-making around team
      composition and dispatch could impact clinical management, cost effectiveness,
      and educational needs. DESIGN: Survey was developed using Script Concordance
      Testing guidelines. The survey contained 15 transport case vignettes covering 20
      scenarios (45 questions). Eleven scenarios assessed impact of intrinsic patient
      factors (e.g., procedural needs), whereas nine assessed extrinsic factors (e.g.,
      weather). SETTING: Pediatric Critical Care programs accredited by the
      Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (the United States).
      SUBJECTS: Pediatric Intensivists and senior Critical Care fellows at Pediatric
      Critical Care programs were the target population with Transport Medical
      Directors serving as the expert panel. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: Survey results were scored per Script Concordance Testing guidelines.
      Concordance within groups was assessed using simple percentage agreement. There
      was little concordance in decision-making by Transport Medical Directors (median
      Script Concordance Testing percentage score [interquartile range] of 33.9 [30.4
      37.3]). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between
      the median Script Concordance Testing scores among the senior fellows and
      Pediatric Intensivists (31.1 [29.6-33.2] vs 29.7 [28.3-32.3], respectively; p =
      0.12). Transport Medical Directors were more concordant on reasoning involving
      intrinsic patient factors rather than extrinsic factors (10/21 vs 4/24).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates pediatric transport team dispatch decision
      making discordance by pediatric critical care physicians of varying levels of
      expertise and experience. Script Concordance Testing at a local level may better
      elucidate standards in medical decision-making within pediatric critical care
      physicians. The development of a curriculum, which provides education and trains
      our workforce on the logistics of pediatric transport team dispatch, would help
      standardize practice and evaluate outcomes based on decision-making.

PMID- 28922272
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 28922271
TI  - The Impact of Telemedicine on Pediatric Critical Care Triage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between pediatric critical care
      telemedicine consultation to rural emergency departments and triage decisions. We
      compare the triage location and provider rating of the accuracy of remote
      assessment for a cohort of patients who receive critical care telemedicine
      consultations and a similar group of patients receiving telephone consultations.
      DESIGN: Retrospective evaluation of consultations occurring between April 2012
      and March 2016. SETTING: Pediatric critical care telemedicine and telephone
      consultations in 52 rural healthcare settings in South Carolina. PATIENTS:
      Pediatric patients receiving critical care telemedicine or telephone
      consultations. INTERVENTION: Telemedicine consultations. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: Data were collected from the consulting provider for 484 total
      consultations by telephone or telemedicine. We examined the providers' self
      reported assessments about the consultation, decision-making, and triage
      outcomes. We estimate a logit model to predict triage location as a function of
      telemedicine consult age and sex. For telemedicine patients, the odds of triage
      to a non-ICU level of care are 2.55 times larger than the odds for patients
      receiving telephone consultations (p = 0.0005). Providers rated the accuracy of
      their assessments higher when consultations were provided via telemedicine. When
      patients were transferred to a non-ICU location following a telemedicine
      consultation, providers indicated that the use of telemedicine influenced the
      triage decision in 95.7% of cases (p < 0.001). For patients transferred to a non
      ICU location, an increase in transfers to a higher level of care within 24 hours
      was not observed. CONCLUSION: Pediatric critical care telemedicine consultation
      to community hospitals is feasible and results in a reduction in PICU admissions.
      This study demonstrates an improvement in provider-reported accuracy of patient
      assessment via telemedicine compared with telephone, which may produce a higher
      comfort level with transporting patients to a lower level of care. Pediatric
      critical care telemedicine consultations represent a promising means of improving
      care and reducing costs for critically ill children in rural areas.

PMID- 28922273
TI  - Response from the Feature Authors.

PMID- 28922274
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 28922275
TI  - Indications for CT-Angiography of the Vertebral Arteries After Trauma.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project is to
      identify factors that predict vertebral artery injury (VAI) in an effort to
      assess risks and benefits of computed tomography angiography (CT-A) of the neck
      in the trauma setting. We seek to develop guidelines for practitioners to
      stratify patients at medium/high risk of VAI from those who are at low risk.
      SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: VAI and blunt carotid injury (BCI) together comprise
      blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI). More is known about risk factors for BCI
      than for VAI, but the neurovascular complications associated with VAI are
      similarly disastrous. With increasing frequency, trauma providers are using CT-A
      to screen for BCVI; this test carries risks that include radiation exposure and
      nephrotoxicity, in addition to higher cost of treatment and longer hospital stay.
      METHODS: Trauma patients seen over 4 months at an urban, level 1 trauma were
      analyzed. BCVI screening was conducted in 144/1854 (7.77%) patients. Presence of
      VAI and several clinical characteristics were recorded. Univariate analysis and
      binomial logistic regression analysis were conducted at a 95% significance level.
      RESULTS: VAI was diagnosed in 0.49% of the study population. Univariate analysis
      determined six factors associated with positive VAI screening. Regression
      analysis showed four factors that independently predicted VAI: female sex,
      decreased Glasgow Coma Scale, cervical spine (c-spine) fracture, and concurrent
      BCI. A positive c-spine physical examination trended toward predicting VAI
      without achieving significance. CONCLUSION: Several independent predictors of VAI
      were identified. This study highlights the importance of identifying patients at
      a higher risk for VAI and indicating CT-A of the neck versus those who are at low
      risk and can be evaluated without undergoing advanced imaging, as CT-A appears
      unnecessary for most trauma patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28922276
TI  - Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection After Posterior Lumbar Spinal Surgery.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to
      identify the independent risk factors for postoperative surgical site infection
      (SSI) after posterior lumbar spinal surgery based on the perioperative factors
      analysis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: SSI is one of the most common complications
      after spinal surgery. Previous studies have identified different risk factors for
      postoperative SSI after lumbar spinal surgery. However, most of the studies were
      focused on the patient and procedure-related factors. Few studies reported the
      correlation between laboratory tests and postoperative SSI. METHODS: A
      retrospective study was carried out in a single institution. Patients who
      underwent posterior lumbar spinal surgery between January 2010 and August 2016
      were included in this study. All patients' medical records were reviewed and
      patients with postoperative SSI were identified. Perioperative variables were
      included to determine the risk factors for SSI by univariate and multivariate
      regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2715 patients undergoing posterior
      lumbar spinal surgery were included in this study. Of these patients, 64 (2.4%)
      were detected with postoperative SSI, including 46 men and 18 women. Diabetes
      mellitus (P = 0.026), low preoperative serum level of calcium (P = 0.009), low
      preoperative and postoperative albumin (P = 0.025 and 0.035), high preoperative
      serum glucose (P = 0.029), multiple fusion segments (P < 0.001), increased
      surgical time and estimated blood loss (P = 0.023 and 0.005), decreased
      postoperative hemoglobin (P = 0.008), and prolonged drainage duration (P = 0.016)
      were found to be the independent risk factors for SSI. Multilevel fusion and a
      history of diabetes mellitus were the two strongest risk factors (odds ratio =
      2.329 and 2.227) for SSI. CONCLUSION: Based on a large population analysis,
      previous reported risk factors for SSI were confirmed in this study while some
      new independent risk factors were identified significantly associated with SSI
      following lumbar spinal surgery, including preoperative low serum level of
      calcium, decreased preoperative and postoperative albumin, and decreased
      postoperative hemoglobin. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28922277
TI  - Percutaneous Posterior Transarticular Atlantoaxial Fixation for the Treatment of
      Odontoid Fractures in the Elderly: A Prospective Study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study of 20 multimorbid patients older than 65 years
      undergoing minimally invasive surgical treatment for odontoid fracture.
      OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of percutaneous transarticular atlantoaxial
      screw fixation as a new minimally invasive treatment modality in this high risk
      group of patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Odontoid fractures are a common
      injury pattern in the elderly. These fractures typically present significant
      challenges as geriatric patients often have multiple comorbidities that may
      adversely affect fracture management. Despite numerous publications on this
      subject, with a trend toward primary operative stabilization, the appropriate
      treatment for this frequent and potentially life threatening injury remains
      controversial. METHODS: Between January 2013 and December 2015, 20 consecutive
      patients underwent posterior percutaneous transarticular atlantoaxial screw
      fixation for odontoid fracture type II. The two main inclusion criteria were age
      65 years or older and ASA score of III or IV. The screws were inserted
      percutaneously with the help of two fluoroscopy devices. Clinical and
      radiological examinations were regularly performed for a minimum of 18 months
      postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean age was 81 years, all of them with multiple
      comorbidities. Reduction of the fracture and screw insertion was possible in all
      cases. The mean operative time was 51.75 minutes and mean blood loss was 41.7 mL.
      Three patients died in the first 3 months after surgery. Healing of the fracture
      occurred in 15 patients (88.2%). Revision surgery was not necessary in any of the
      patients. Mean visual analogue scale (VAS) at the final follow-up was 2.4, and
      mean patient satisfaction score was 7.1. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transarticular
      atlantoaxial fixation in elderly patients offers a good minimally invasive
      operative treatment in this multimorbid group of patients. This new technique
      with short operative time is well tolerated by the geriatric patients leading to
      a healing rate up to 88%. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28922278
TI  - Defining the "Critical Elements" for the Most Common Procedures in Spine Surgery:
      A Consensus of Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Surgeons.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Survey. OBJECTIVE: To define the critical elements of common spine
      surgeries. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Despite significant relevance to the field
      of spine surgery, the term "critical element" of surgery has not been clearly
      defined. Every surgical procedure involves numerous steps, each with its own
      potential for complications and harm to the patient. Despite its crucial role in
      surgical training, billing, and the ethicality of concurrent surgery, the term
      "critical element" of surgery has not been defined. METHODS: A survey was
      administered to surgeons associated with AO Spine North America and the Society
      for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery to determine the critical elements for four
      common spine procedures: open lumbar laminectomy and fusion, microdiscectomy,
      anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), and posterior cervical
      laminectomy and fusion. Respondents were asked which steps necessitated their
      direct supervision. Surgical subspecialty, level of experience, and practice
      demographics were also recorded. RESULTS: For all applicable procedures,
      decompression, instrumentation, and fusion were designated as critical elements.
      Patient positioning and fascial closure were not. Radiographic localization was
      considered critical for all procedures, except posterior cervical laminectomy and
      fusion. Exposure was not considered critical for any procedures, except ACDF.
      Certain substeps of decompression in ACDF and open lumbar laminectomy and fusion
      were not considered critical. Orthopaedic surgeons considered exposure and fusion
      in ACDF procedures to be critical whereas neurosurgeons did not. Surgeons
      operating in private practice considered every step of these common procedures to
      be critical elements. CONCLUSION: Decompression, instrumentation, and fusion were
      considered critical elements of common spine surgeries. There were significant
      differences in responses according to surgical specialty and practice setting.
      Future research is necessary to determine the implications of these findings and
      guide the definition of the "critical portions" of surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1.

PMID- 28922279
TI  - Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Farsi Version of NIH
      Task Force's Recommended Multidimensional Minimal Dataset for Research on Chronic
      Low Back Pain.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Translation and cultural adaptation of the National Institutes of
      Health (NIH) Task Force's minimal dataset. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate validity and reliability of the Farsi version of NIH Task Force's
      recommended multidimensional minimal dataset for research on chronic low back
      pain (CLBP). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Considering the high treatment cost of
      CLBP and its increasing prevalence, NIH Pain Consortium developed research
      standards (including recommendations for definitions, a minimum dataset, and
      outcomes' report) for studies regarding CLBP. Application of these
      recommendations could standardize research and improve comparability of different
      studies in CLBP. METHODS: This study has three phases: translation of dataset
      into Farsi and its cultural adaptation, assessment of pre-final version of
      dataset's comprehensibility via a pilot study, and investigation of the
      reliability and validity of final version of translated dataset. Subjects were
      250 patients with CLBP. Test-retest reliability, content validity, and convergent
      validity (correlations among different dimensions of dataset and Farsi versions
      of Oswestry Disability Index, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, Fear
      Avoidance Belief Questionnaire, and Beck Depression Inventory-II) were assessed.
      RESULTS: The Farsi version demonstrated good/excellent convergent validity (the
      correlation coefficient between impact dimension and ODI was r = 0.75 [P <
      0.001], between impact dimension and Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire was r
      = 0.80 [P < 0.001], and between psychological dimension and BDI was r = 0.62 [P <
      0.001]). The test-retest reliability was also strong (intraclass correlation
      coefficient value ranged between 0.70 and 0.95) and the internal consistency was
      good/excellent (Chronbach's alpha coefficients' value for two main dimensions
      including impact dimension and psychological dimension were 0.91 and 0.82 [P <
      0.001], respectively). In addition, its face validity and content validity were
      acceptable. CONCLUSION: The Farsi version of minimal dataset for research on CLBP
      is a reliable and valid instrument for data gathering in patients with CLBP. This
      minimum dataset can be a step toward standardization of research regarding CLBP.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28922280
TI  - Time Demand and Radiation Dose in 3D-Fluoroscopy-based Navigation-assisted 3D
      Fluoroscopy-controlled Pedicle Screw Instrumentations.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective single-center cohort study to record additional time
      requirements and radiation dose in navigation-assisted O-arm-controlled pedicle
      screw (PS) instrumentations. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate
      amount of extra-time and radiation dose for navigation-assisted PS
      instrumentations of the thoracolumbosacral spine using O-arm 3D-real-time
      navigation (O3DN) compared to non-navigated spinal procedures (NNSPs) with a
      single C-arm and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scan for controlling PS
      positions. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: 3D-navigation is reported to enhance PS
      insertion accuracy. But time-consuming navigational steps and considerable
      additional radiation doses seem to limit this modern technique's attraction. A
      detailed analysis of additional time demand and extra-radiation dose in 3D
      navigated spine surgery is not provided in literature, yet. METHODS: From
      February 2011 through July 2015, 306 consecutive posterior instrumentations were
      performed in vertebral levels T10-S1 using O3DN for PS insertion. The duration of
      procedure-specific navigational steps of the overall collective (I) and the last
      cohort of 50 consecutive O3DN-surgeries (II) was compared to the average duration
      of analogous surgical steps in 100 consecutive NNSP using a single C-arm. 3D
      radiation dose (dose-length-product, DLP) of navigational and postinstrumentation
      O-arm scans in group I and II was compared to the average DLP of 100 diagnostic
      lumbar CT scans. RESULTS: The average presurgical time from patient positioning
      on the operating table to skin incision was 46.2 +/- 10.1 minutes (O3DN, I) and
      40.6 +/- 9.8 minutes (O3DN, II) versus 30.6 +/- 8.3 minutes (NNSP) (P < 0.001,
      each). Intraoperative interruptions for scanning and data processing took 3.0 +/-
      0.6 minutes. DLPs averaged 865.1 +/- 360.8 mGycm (O3DN, I) and 562.1 +/- 352.6
      mGycm (O3DN, II) compared to 575.5 +/- 316.5 mGycm in diagnostic lumbar CT scans
      (P < 0.001 (I), P ~ 0.81 [II]). CONCLUSION: After procedural experience,
      navigated surgeries can be performed with an additional time demand of 13.0
      minutes compared to NNSP, and with a total DLP below that of a diagnostic lumbar
      CT scan (P ~ 0.81). LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 28922281
TI  - Systematic Changes in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database
      Over the Years Can Affect Comorbidity Indices Such as the Modified Frailty Index
      and Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index for Lumbar Fusion Studies.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of changes in
      the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
      (NSQIP) database over the years on the calculation of the modified Frailty Index
      (mFI) and the modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (mCCI) for posterior lumbar
      fusion studies. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Multiple studies have utilized the
      mFI and/or mCCI and showed them to be predictors of adverse postoperative
      outcomes. However, changes in the NSQIP database have resulted in definition
      changes and/or missing data for many of the variables included in these indices.
      No studies have assessed the influence of different methods of treating missing
      values when calculating these indices on such studies. METHODS: Elective
      posterior lumbar fusions were identified in NSQIP from 2005 to 2014. The mFI was
      calculated for each patient using three methods: treating conditions for which
      data was missing as not present, dropping patients with missing values, and
      normalizing by dividing the raw score by the number of variables collected. The
      mCCI was calculated by the first two of these methods. Mean American Society of
      Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores used for comparison. RESULTS: In total, 19,755
      patients were identified. Mean ASA score increased between 2005 and 2014 from
      2.27 to 2.50 (+10.1%). For each of the methods of data handling noted above, mean
      mFI over the years studied increased by 33.3%, could not be calculated, and
      increased by 183.3%, respectively. Mean mCCI increased by 31.2% and could not be
      calculated respectively. CONCLUSION: Systematic changes in the NSQIP database
      have resulted in missing data for many of the variables included in the mFI and
      the mCCI and may affect studies utilizing these indices. These changes can be
      understood in the context of ASA trends, and raise questions regarding the use of
      these indices with data available in later NSQIP years. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 28922282
TI  - The GRIND Project: Get Ready to Initiate a Nursing Degree.
AB  - Numbers of students who declare a prenursing major and who enter a nursing
      program are vastly different. The GRIND (Get Ready to Initiate a Nursing Degree)
      research project, which operated for 3-week sessions from 2011 to 2015, exposed
      students to the nursing career through hospital tours and human simulation while
      instructing in study skills, dosage calculation, and standardized test
      preparation. Participants' understanding of nursing improved, and most felt at
      least somewhat to extremely prepared for nursing after participation. Student
      success in nursing is predicated on the tools learners acquire; investment in
      prenursing programs adds to student success.

PMID- 28922283
TI  - The Use of Phenomenology in Nursing Education: An Integrative Review.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this integrative review was to synthesize research to address
      two questions about phenomenology in nursing education: How has Husserlian
      phenomenology been used in nursing education? What is the importance of
      Husserlian phenomenology in nursing education? BACKGROUND: Phenomenology is
      utilized in nursing education to explore the experiences of faculty and students.
      METHOD: Whittemore and Knafl's integrative method guided the analysis of the
      research. Nine articles meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed. Studies
      addressed faculty student experiences. RESULTS: The reviewed research revealed
      that phenomenology is used in nursing education to understand, identify,
      describe, and explore various phenomena. CONCLUSION: New knowledge gained from
      this integrative review about phenomenology is beneficial to nursing education.

PMID- 28922284
TI  - Improving Program NCLEX Pass Rates: Strategies from One State Board of Nursing.
AB  - AIM: This article describes the response of the Illinois Board of Nursing to an
      escalating number of prelicensure nursing programs with low National Council
      Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rates. The response aligns with stipulations
      of the Illinois Nurse Practice Act and best practices. BACKGROUND: NCLEX success
      is crucial to launching the careers of nursing graduates and to maintaining
      approval status of prelicensure programs by state regulatory bodies. Boards
      strive to guide programs with low pass rates fairly and consistently. METHOD: The
      Illinois Board of Nursing created a tool and process addressing curriculum and
      resources, faculty, students, and administrative support in a programmatic
      approach to improving pass rates. RESULTS: Initial outcomes were positive.
      Anecdotal evidence of programs in good standing also confirmed the tool's value
      as a resource to promoting graduate success. CONCLUSION: A programmatic approach
      can provide guidance for boards of nursing to address low NCLEX pass rates in a
      consistent evidence-based manner.

PMID- 28922285
TI  - What, where and why: exploring fluorodeoxyglucose-PET's ability to localise and
      differentiate infection from cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the utility of FDG-PET imaging in detecting the
      cause of fever and infection in patients with cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: FDG-PET
      has been shown to have high sensitivity and accuracy for causes of neutropenic
      fever, leading to higher diagnostic certainty in this group. Recent advances in
      pathogen-specific labelling in PET to identify Aspergillus spp. and Yersinia spp.
      infections in mice, as well as differentiating between Gram-positive, Gram
      negative and mycobacterial infections are promising. SUMMARY: Patients with
      cancer are vulnerable to infection and fever, and the causes of these are
      frequently unclear using conventional diagnostic methods leading to high
      morbidity and mortality, length of stay and costs of care. FDG-PET/CT, with its
      unique complementary functional and anatomical information as well as its whole
      body imaging capability, has demonstrated use in detecting occult infection in
      immunocompromised patients, including invasive fungal and occult bacterial
      infections, as well as defining extent of infection. By demonstrating disease
      resolution following treatment and allowing earlier cessation of therapy, FDG-PET
      acts as a key tool for antimicrobial and antifungal stewardship. Limitations
      include at times poor differentiation between infection, malignancy and sterile
      inflammation, however, exciting new technologies specific to infectious pathogens
      may help alleviate that issue. Further prospective randomised research is needed
      to explore these benefits in a nonbiased fashion.

PMID- 28922286
TI  - Nocardia infections in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant
      recipients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Nocardia spp. is a gram-positive bacteria that may cause
      infections in humans. Nocardiosis has been described since the early years of
      transplantation. This review aims to provide an overview of present knowledge
      regarding posttransplant nocardiosis, with a focus on recent findings. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Nocardiosis is not rare among transplant recipients, especially after
      thoracic transplantation and/or in case of intense immunosuppressive regimen or
      use of tacrolimus. Low-dose cotrimoxazole is not effective to prevent
      nocardiosis. Although lung is the most common site of infection, more than 40% of
      organ transplant patients have a disseminated infection. As central nervous
      system involvement is frequent (about 1/3 of the patients) and possibly
      asymptomatic, brain imaging is mandatory. Diagnosis relies on direct examination
      and culture; molecular species identification is useful to guide treatment.
      Although cotrimoxazole is the drug for which we have the strongest clinical
      experience, other antibiotics such as linezolid, parenteral cephalosporins,
      carbapenems, and amikacin can be used to treat nocardiosis. Although treatment
      duration has historically been set to at least 6 months, shorter durations (<120
      days) seem associated with a good outcome in selected patients. SUMMARY:
      Physicians in charge of transplant patients should be aware of nocardiosis.
      Diagnosis and management of transplant recipients with nocardiosis require a
      multidisciplinary approach.

PMID- 28922287
TI  - Pregabalin Toxicity Manifesting as Reversible Encephalopathy With Continuous
      Triphasic Waves in Electroencephalogram.
AB  - A 74-year-old man with peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes presented with
      deliberate ingestion of 450 mg of pregabalin (PBG) over a period of 8 hours
      followed by altered mental status. A bedside electroencephalogram was performed
      to rule out nonconvulsive status epilepticus, which showed continuous triphasic
      waves (TWs) with slow background activity. He recovered after 48 hours of
      stopping PBG, and his repeat electroencephalogram after 72 hours did not show any
      TWs. We present a rare case of PBG-induced TWs thereby highlighting the extent of
      the etiologic spectrum of TWs and discussing the literature related to this
      association.

PMID- 28922288
TI  - Addition of Filgrastim (Neupogen) for Clozapine Rechallenge in the Case of
      Parkinson Disease Patient.

PMID- 28922289
TI  - Letter to the Editor About "Efficacy of Treatments for Infantile Spasms: A
      Systematic Review".

PMID- 28922290
TI  - Effectiveness of Low-Dose Aripiprazole Monotherapy in the Treatment for an
      Adolescent With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

PMID- 28922291
TI  - Population-based models of planning for palliative care in older people.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Health service planning requires demographic, clinical, and
      health systems data and is unique to each health system. Planning for palliative
      care in older people must include patients and their carers. This review explores
      literature from the last 24 months. RECENT FINDINGS: The proportion of people
      living in skilled nursing facilities is increasing and many residents require
      quality palliative care. Simultaneously, the complexity of care for older people
      is also increasing. Systematic approaches to improving palliative care in these
      facilities have shown benefits that are cost-effective.Although advance care
      planning is widely promoted, a randomized controlled trial failed to show the
      benefits seen in nonrandomized trials. This requires a reconceptualization of
      current programs that seek to increase uptake.Caregivers take on complex decision
      making which can be stressful. By contrast, patients are often very confident
      that the people who are close to them will make good decisions on their
      behalf.Specific subgroups considered in this review include carers (and the
      challenges they face), the 'oldest old' and people with dementia. SUMMARY:
      Excellent research is being done to improve the care of older people with
      palliative care needs. Ultimately, how can key findings be incorporated into
      clinical care?

PMID- 28922292
TI  - Advances in delivery of ambulatory autologous stem cell transplantation for
      multiple myeloma.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is generally
      performed in the inpatient setting in its entirety. Several centers have
      demonstrated the feasibility of performing ASCT for myeloma in the ambulatory
      setting. We review the safety, cost-effectiveness, complications and outcomes of
      outpatient ASCT for myeloma. RECENT FINDINGS: Published studies are heterogeneous
      but suggest that outpatient ASCT for myeloma is cost-effective and associated
      with a shorter or no initial hospitalization, albeit there is a high rate of
      readmission for complications. The transplant-related mortality rate is less than
      1%. Stringent patient selection criteria that include emphasis on functional
      status, caregiving support and psychosocial aspects for each patient are critical
      for identifying patients most appropriate for ASCT in the ambulatory setting.
      There exists considerable variability in outpatient transplant models and
      supportive care guidelines and data do not support preference for one delivery
      model over another. Survival and other transplant-related outcomes have not been
      reported widely and whether patients fare better with outpatient transplantation
      remains to be explored. SUMMARY: Outpatient ASCT for multiple myeloma is feasible
      and well tolerated in selected patients. Several care models for outpatient ASCT
      exist and can be implemented based on transplant resources and preference.

PMID- 28922293
TI  - The role of vitamin D in cancer cachexia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The possibility to use vitamin D supplementation to improve
      muscle wasting, with particular focus on cancer cachexia, is discussed. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Vitamin D exerts biological actions on myogenic precursor proliferation
      and differentiation, impinging on muscle regeneration. However, the effects of
      VitD supplementation in diseases associated with muscle atrophy, such as cancer
      cachexia, are poorly investigated. Data obtained in experimental models of cancer
      cachexia show that the administration of vitamin D to tumor-bearing animals is
      not able to prevent or delay both muscle wasting and adipose tissue depletion,
      despite increased expression of muscle vitamin D receptor. Not just vitamin D
      supplementation impairs muscle damage-induced regeneration, suggesting that
      upregulation of vitamin D receptor signaling could contribute to muscle wasting.
      SUMMARY: Vitamin D supplementation is likely beneficial to reduce or delay aging
      related sarcopenia and osteoporosis, although the available data still put in
      evidence significant discrepancies. By contrast, VitD supplementation to tumor
      bearing animals or to rats with arthritis was shown to be totally ineffective. In
      this regard, the adoption of VitD treatment in patients with cancer cachexia or
      other chronic diseases should be carefully evaluated, in particular whenever a
      regenerative process might be involved.

PMID- 28922294
TI  - Health professionals' quality of life in relation to end of life care.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Palliative care professionals are frequently exposed to
      stressful and demanding situations in the assistance of patients and their
      families, therefore research related to their quality of life is a relevant topic
      to provide evidence on interventions oriented to professional self-care. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Research about professionals' quality of life is having a profuse
      development with core concepts being under review. SUMMARY: Currently, burnout
      syndrome and compassion fatigue are considered relevant determinants of
      professionals' quality of life. Self-awareness-based interventions could bring
      positive influence on the context of a multidimensional approach to
      professionals' self-care. Self-care topics should be considered to be included in
      professional training programmes.

PMID- 28922295
TI  - Spiritual needs of patients with cancer in palliative care: an integrative
      review.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The experience of a life crisis, such as the experience of end
      of-life terminality whenever facing cancer can make the spiritual needs of
      patients clear. The goal of this revision was to synthesize the existing evidence
      regarding the spiritual needs of patients with cancer in palliative care. RECENT
      FINDINGS: An integrated revision of the literature was conducted regarding the
      database sources from PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, LILACS and Scopus, without
      publishing year restrictions. There were 16 primary studies included. A total of
      1469 patients have been evaluated, whereas eight groups of spiritual needs have
      been identified: finding the meaning and purpose of life; finding the meaning in
      experiencing the disease; being connected to other people, God and nature; having
      access to religious/spiritual practices; physical, psychological, social and
      spiritual wellbeing; talking about death and the experience of dying; making the
      best out of their time; being independent and being treated like a normal person.
      SUMMARY: It is essential to pay attention to patients' spiritual dimensions
      regarding palliative care. Therefore, patients' spiritual needs must be
      identified and remedied or mitigated. It is necessary to develop studies that
      find specific strategies and interventions for the treatment of these needs.

PMID- 28922296
TI  - Trajectories of Glycemic Change in a National Cohort of Adults With Previously
      Controlled Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individualized diabetes management would benefit from prospectively
      identifying well-controlled patients at risk of losing glycemic control.
      OBJECTIVES: To identify patterns of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) change among patients
      with stable controlled diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN: Cohort study using OptumLabs
      Data Warehouse, 2001-2013. We develop and apply a machine learning framework that
      uses a Bayesian estimation of the mixture of generalized linear mixed effect
      models to discover glycemic trajectories, and a random forest feature
      contribution method to identify patient characteristics predictive of their
      future glycemic trajectories. SUBJECTS: The study cohort consisted of 27,005 US
      adults with type 2 diabetes, age 18 years and older, and stable index HbA1c
      <7.0%. MEASURES: HbA1c values during 24 months of observation. RESULTS: We
      compared models with k=1, 2, 3, 4, 5 trajectories and baseline variables
      including patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, comorbidities, medications, and
      HbA1c. The k=3 model had the best fit, reflecting 3 distinct trajectories of
      glycemic change: (T1) rapidly deteriorating HbA1c among 302 (1.1%) youngest
      (mean, 55.2 y) patients with lowest mean baseline HbA1c, 6.05%; (T2) gradually
      deteriorating HbA1c among 902 (3.3%) patients (mean, 56.5 y) with highest mean
      baseline HbA1c, 6.53%; and (T3) stable glycemic control among 25,800 (95.5%)
      oldest (mean, 58.5 y) patients with mean baseline HbA1c 6.21%. After 24 months,
      HbA1c rose to 8.75% in T1 and 8.40% in T2, but remained stable at 6.56% in T3.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with controlled type 2 diabetes follow 3 distinct
      trajectories of glycemic control. This novel application of advanced analytic
      methods can facilitate individualized and population diabetes care by proactively
      identifying high risk patients.

PMID- 28922298
TI  - The Impact of Nondifferential Exposure Misclassification on the Performance of
      Propensity Scores for Continuous and Binary Outcomes: A Simulation Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the ability of the propensity score (PS) to reduce
      confounding bias in the presence of nondifferential misclassification of
      treatment, using simulations. METHODS: Using an example from the pregnancy
      medication safety literature, we carried out simulations to quantify the effect
      of nondifferential misclassification of treatment under varying scenarios of
      sensitivity and specificity, exposure prevalence (10%, 50%), outcome type
      (continuous and binary), true outcome (null and increased risk), confounding
      direction, and different PS applications (matching, stratification, weighting,
      regression), and obtained measures of bias and 95% confidence interval coverage.
      RESULTS: All methods were subject to substantial bias toward the null due to
      nondifferential exposure misclassification (range: 0%-47% for 50% exposure
      prevalence and 0%-80% for 10% exposure prevalence), particularly if specificity
      was low (<97%). PS stratification produced the least biased effect estimates. We
      observed that the impact of sensitivity and specificity on the bias and coverage
      for each adjustment method is strongly related to prevalence of exposure: as
      exposure prevalence decreases and/or outcomes are continuous rather than
      categorical, the effect of misclassification is magnified, producing larger
      biases and loss of coverage of 95% confidence intervals. PS matching resulted in
      unpredictably biased effect estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study
      underline the importance of assessing exposure misclassification in observational
      studies in the context of PS methods. Although PS methods reduce confounding
      bias, bias owing to nondifferential misclassification is of potentially greater
      concern.

PMID- 28922300
TI  - Recent advances in the field of warm ex-vivo liver perfusion.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Organ shortage remains a major obstacle for liver
      transplantation, resulting in an increased mortality on the liver transplant
      waiting list. The usage of extended criteria donors (ECD) is a strategy to
      increase the number of available donor organs, however, with the risk of a higher
      rate of posttransplant graft dysfunction. Novel preservation strategies, such as
      warm ex-vivo liver perfusion, could improve the outcome of liver transplantation
      with ECD grafts. The present review summarizes the advances in the field of warm
      ex-vivo liver perfusion over the last 12 months. RECENT FINDINGS: The feasibility
      and safety of warm ex-vivo liver perfusion has been determined in several single
      center clinical trials. Furthermore, a large phase III multicenter trial
      demonstrated decreased liver injury and improved graft function in warm perfused
      versus cold stored grafts. New strategies for graft assessment and modification
      during machine perfusion have been evaluated with promising results. SUMMARY:
      Warm ex-vivo liver perfusion has been successfully translated into the clinical
      setting. Recent research is focusing on graft assessment and graft modification
      during machine perfusion.

PMID- 28922301
TI  - Hypothermic liver perfusion.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review describes recent developments in hypothermic
      machine liver perfusion with a special focus on underlying protective mechanisms,
      and the role of this perfusion technique in high-risk donor-recipient
      combinations. RECENT FINDINGS: To maximize the number of transplantable donor
      livers, several centres are exploring new machine preservation techniques. In
      this context, hypothermic machine perfusion has been recently introduced into the
      clinical setting of human liver transplantation, and the effect of endischemic
      cold liver perfusion on posttransplant complications is currently under
      investigation in two multicentre, randomized controlled trials. In addition,
      current case series demonstrated promising results regarding the protection from
      intrahepatic biliary complications, particularly when livers from extended
      criteria donors including donation after circulatory death grafts were used.
      Hypothermic machine perfusion may, therefore, help to push the boundaries of
      acceptance criteria for high-risk donor livers. SUMMARY: In this review, we,
      first, describe the concept of hypothermic machine liver perfusion and present
      results from current clinical studies. Next, we provide details of our perfusion
      approach step-by-step and highlight novel pathways of reperfusion injury and
      protection. Third, we discuss the impact of this perfusion approach in different
      clinical scenarios. Finally, we report on recent clinical implementations and
      future aspects.

PMID- 28922302
TI  - Resident Knowledge, Surgical Skill, and Confidence in Transobturator Vaginal Tape
      Placement: The Value of a Cadaver Laboratory.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to examine the effect of additional
      cadaver laboratory use in training obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) residents on
      transobturator vaginal tape (TOT) insertion. METHODS: Thirty-four OBGYN residents
      were randomized into 2 groups (group 1, control; group 2, intervention; 17 in
      each group). Before and after the interventions, written knowledge and confidence
      levels were assessed. Both groups received didactic lectures using a bony pelvis
      and an instructional video on TOT insertion; group 2 participated in a half day
      cadaver laboratory. Surgical skills were assessed by placing 1 arm of the TOT
      trocar on a custom-designed pelvic model simulator while being graded by an
      Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) board-certified
      proctor. RESULTS: Demographics were comparable. Baseline knowledge and confidence
      level before interventions were similar. After interventions, knowledge scores
      improved for both groups (8.8% for group 1; 14.1% for group 2); TOT insertion
      scores were significantly higher in group 2 (6.76/15 +/- 2.54 group 1; 10.24/15
      +/- 2.73 group 2, P < 0.01); confidence scores improved in both groups. The
      pelvic model simulator was rated as the most useful method to learn TOT placement
      by group 1. Group 2 rated TOT simulation (47%) and cadaver laboratory (41%). All
      trainees reported that the pelvic model was highly realistic. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cadaver laboratory exposure, along with other educational interventions (lectures
      and video), improves OBGYN residents' confidence, knowledge, and surgical skills
      regarding TOT placement. The custom-designed pelvic model allows for a realistic
      simulation of TOT placement: it can be used to assess resident surgical skills
      and also aid the training of OBGYN residents.

PMID- 28922303
TI  - Perioperative Outcomes, Complications, and Efficacy of Robotic-Assisted Prolapse
      Repair: A Single Institution Study of 196 Patients.
AB  - : Abdominal pelvic organ prolapse repair is efficacious for uterovaginal and
      apical prolapse. We describe the safety and efficacy of robotic prolapse repair
      in a large teaching institution. METHODS: Consecutive robotic-assisted prolapse
      repairs at a single institution between 2006 and 2014 were retrospectively
      reviewed for patient characteristics, operative information, and outcomes.
      RESULTS: A total of 196 women (mean age, 61 +/- 9 years) underwent robotic
      prolapse repair (189 sacrocolpopexy, 6 sacrohysteropexy, 1 enterocele repair).
      Concomitant procedures included hysterectomy (88), midurethral sling (84), and/or
      Burch colposuspension (7). Mean odds ratio time was 242 +/- 69.9 minutes, and
      median length of stay was 1 day. Intraoperative complications were as follows:
      cystotomy (4), vaginotomy (4), conversion to open (2), bowel injury/aborted (1),
      adhesions/aborted (1), and ureteral injury (1). Women with complications had
      greater blood loss than those without complications (P = 0.0015). Immediate (<30
      days) postoperative complications were rare: port-site hernia (2), discitis (1),
      ileus (1), and ulnar neuropraxia (3). At median follow-up of 9 months (range, 0
      85 months), 14 women had recurrent grade 3 prolapse, and 4 had grade 2 apical
      prolapse. Nine of 14 women had additional prolapse repair at a mean of 9.5 +/-
      6.3 months. Vaginal mesh exposure was detected in 12 (6.3%) of 192 women. There
      were 6 procedures for mesh exposure and 2 procedures for exposed sutures. One
      mesh erosion into the bladder required open excision. CONCLUSIONS: In this large
      series of robotic prolapse repair, complications are infrequent. Short-term
      apical outcomes are excellent. Few women required additional compartment repairs
      within 1 year with 6% rate of mesh exposure.

PMID- 28922304
TI  - Estimated Blood Loss During Vaginal Hysterectomy and Adnexal Surgery Described
      With an Intraoperative Pictographic Tool.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We describe a novel way to calculate estimated blood loss (EBL) using
      an intraoperative pictographic tool in gynecologic surgery. METHODS: A
      pictographic tool to estimate sponge saturation was developed to calculate EBL
      during surgery. A prospective cohort of women 18 years or older undergoing benign
      vaginal hysterectomy with planned adnexal surgery at Mayo Clinic were consented
      for use of the pictographic tool. Demographic, preoperative, intraoperative, and
      postoperative data were abstracted. Estimated blood loss was compared among
      surgeons, anesthesia providers, and the pictographic tool and then correlated
      with change in hemoglobin. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients met inclusion with mean
      age of 45.3 +/- 8.7 years. Successful vaginal hysterectomy was achieved in all
      patients with successful completion of planned adnexectomy in 69 (85.2%). Mean
      EBL among surgeons, anesthesia providers, and pictographic estimates,
      respectively, was as follows: 199.4 +/- 81.9 mL, 195.5 +/- 152.2 mL, and 288.5 +/
      186.6 mL, with concordance correlation coefficients for surgeons and anesthesia
      providers versus pictographic tool of 0.40 (95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.51)
      and 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.79), respectively. The mean
      postoperative change in hemoglobin was -1.8 g/dL; there were no postoperative
      transfusions. Change in hemoglobin was more correlated with blood loss estimates
      from surgeons (r = -0.31, P = 0.008) and anesthesia providers (r = -0.37, P =
      0.003) than the pictographic tool (r = -0.19, P = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Use of a
      pictographic tool to objectively estimate blood loss demonstrated significant
      overestimations compared with both anesthesia providers' and surgeons' estimates
      because the pictographic tool was less correlated with postoperative change in
      hemoglobin than anesthesia provider and surgeon estimates.

PMID- 28922305
TI  - Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome With Bilateral Ovarian Sertoli Cell
      Tumors: Review of the Literature and Report of a Rare Case.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome are
      infertile secondary to hypoplasia or complete agenesis of the uterus, yet they
      remain at risk of primary neoplasms of the ovaries because embryologically the
      uterus and ovaries develop via separate mechanisms. CASE: A 72-year-old
      nulliparous woman with a history of primary amenorrhea underwent an exploratory
      laparotomy for a suspected uterine fibroid. In addition to the pelvic mass, the
      patient was found to have findings consistent with MRKH syndrome. Postoperative
      pathological examination demonstrated bilateral ovarian Sertoli cell tumors.
      CONCLUSIONS: The case presented is unique in that 2 rare pathologies, bilateral
      Sertoli cell tumors of the ovary and MRKH syndrome, developed concomitantly in
      the same patient.

PMID- 28922306
TI  - Do the Surgical Outcomes of Rectovaginal Fistula Repairs Differ for Obstetric and
      Nonobstetric Fistulas? A Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rectovaginal fistulas can occur from both obstetric and nonobstetric
      (eg, inflammatory bowel disease, iatrogenic, or traumatic) etiologies. Current
      data on factors contributing to rectovaginal repair success or failure are
      limited, making adequate patient counseling difficult. Our objective was to
      compare outcomes of transperineal rectovaginal fistula repair performed in a
      single referral center on women with obstetric and nonobstetric causes. METHODS:
      We performed a retrospective cohort study of women who had a transperineal
      rectovaginal fistula repair performed by a urogynecologist at the University of
      Michigan from 2005 to 2015. Data were obtained by chart review and included
      demographics, medical comorbidities, fistula etiology, history of a prior fistula
      repair, failure of current repair, time to failure, and operative details. Repair
      failure was defined as fistula symptoms with presence of recurrent fistula on
      exam or imaging in the postoperative follow-up period. Comparisons between the
      obstetric and nonobstetric cohorts were performed using chi, Fisher exact, and
      Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Relative risks were calculated to identify predictors of
      failure. RESULTS: Eighty-eight women were included-53 obstetric and 35
      nonobstetric fistulas. The overall fistula repair failure rate was 22.7% (n =
      20). Median follow-up was 157.0 days (range, 47.5-402.0). Of all the factors,
      only nonobstetric etiology was significantly associated with an increased risk of
      repair failure (relative risk, 3.53 [range, 1.50-8.32]; P = 0.004. CONCLUSIONS:
      Nonobstetric rectovaginal fistulas have a nearly 4-fold increased risk of repair
      failure compared with obstetric fistulas. Our results will help surgeons
      adequately counsel patients on potential outcomes of surgical repair of obstetric
      versus nonobstetric rectovaginal fistulas.

PMID- 28922307
TI  - Safe summers: Adapting evidence-based injury prevention into a summer curriculum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for those aged 0
      years to 19 years. St. Louis Children's Hospital created Safety Land, a
      comprehensive injury prevention intervention which is provided during summer
      months. This program uses a life-size board game to teach safety education to
      children in ages 5 years to 11 years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate
      the effect of Safety Land on safety knowledge in children that participated in
      the intervention. METHODS: St. Louis Children's Hospital identified ZIP codes
      with the highest use of the emergency room for injury. Daycares and summer camps
      within these ZIP codes were targeted for the Safety Land intervention. A multiple
      choice pretest and posttest survey was designed to measure knowledge change
      within program participants. Students were selected for testing based on site
      availably. Within these sites, a convenience sample of children was selected for
      pretesting and posttesting. Safety Land staff conducted the pretest a week before
      the intervention, and the posttest was administered the week after the
      intervention. A total knowledge score was calculated to determine overall
      knowledge change. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t tests were
      conducted to determine statistical significance of change in knowledge (p < 0.05)
      for each question. RESULTS: Between May 2014 and August 2016, 3,866 children
      participated in Safety Land. A total of 310 children completed the pretest and
      274 completed the posttest. Mean test scores increased from 66.7% to 85.1% and
      independent-samples t test of the total knowledge score was significant (p <
      0.05) between pretest and posttest values. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that this
      intervention is effective in increasing the knowledge of safety behaviors for
      children receiving the curriculum during the summer months. Further research
      should focus on long-term behavior changes in these youth.

PMID- 28922308
TI  - LARGE RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIAL RIP ASSOCIATED WITH BULLOUS RETINAL AND
      CHOROIDAL DETACHMENT.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a giant retinal pigment epithelium rip in a patient with a
      bullous retinal and choroidal detachment. METHODS: Case report with widefield
      imaging, fundus autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomography of the retina.
      RESULTS: This 62-year-old patient had a history of advanced glaucoma,
      trabeculectomy, blebitis, and endophthalmitis. He had cataract surgery 6 weeks
      before presentation. He was found to have a large bullous retinal and choroidal
      detachment with a large retinal pigment epithelium tear at the limit of the
      choroidal detachment. After vitrectomy for retinal detachment repair, the tear
      was observed to extend inferiorly at the margins of the choroidal detachment.
      CONCLUSION: This case report demonstrates that large retinal pigment epithelium
      rips can be found associated with large bullous choroidal and retinal
      detachments. These tears seem similar to tears that have been observed after
      trabeculectomy.

PMID- 28922309
TI  - Quantifying the Physiological Stress Response to Simulated Maritime Pilotage
      Tasks: The Influence of Task Complexity and Pilot Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantify the stress associated with
      performing maritime pilotage tasks in a high-fidelity simulator. METHODS: Eight
      trainee and 13 maritime pilots completed two simulated pilotage tasks of varying
      complexity. Salivary cortisol samples were collected pre- and post-simulation for
      both trials. Heart rate was measured continuously throughout the study. RESULTS:
      Significant changes in salivary cortisol (P = 0.000, eta = 0.139), average (P =
      0.006, eta = 0.087), and peak heart rate (P = 0.013, eta = 0.077) from pre- to
      postsimulation were found. Varying task complexity did partially influence stress
      response; average (P = 0.016, eta = 0.026) and peak heart rate (P = 0.034, eta =
      0.020) were higher in the experimental condition. Trainees also recorded higher
      average (P = 0.000, eta = 0.054) and peak heart rates (P = 0.027, eta = 0.022).
      CONCLUSION: Performing simulated pilotage tasks evoked a measurable stress
      response in both trainee and expert maritime pilots.

PMID- 28922310
TI  - The Astounding Reciprocity of Movement-Related Interactions.

PMID- 28922311
TI  - Motor Imagery Training After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of
      Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A number of studies have suggested that imagery training
      (motor imagery [MI]) has value for improving motor function in persons with
      neurologic conditions. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to
      assess the available literature related to efficacy of MI in the recovery of
      individuals after stroke. METHODS: We searched the following databases: PubMed,
      Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane, and PEDro. Two reviewers independently
      selected clinical trials that investigated the effect of MI on outcomes commonly
      investigated in studies of stroke recovery. Quality and risk of bias of each
      study were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 1156 articles found, 32 articles were
      included. There was a high heterogeneity of protocols among studies. Most studies
      showed benefits of MI, albeit with a large proportion of low-quality studies. The
      meta-analysis of all studies, regardless of quality, revealed significant
      differences on overall analysis for outcomes related to balance, lower limb/gait,
      and upper limb. However, when only high-quality studies were included, no
      significant difference was found. On subgroup analyses, MI was associated with
      balance gains on the Functional Reach Test and improved performance on the Timed
      Up and Go, gait speed, Action Research Arm Test, and the Fugl-Meyer Upper Limb
      subscale. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our review reported a high heterogeneity in
      methodological quality of the studies and conflicting results. More high-quality
      studies and greater standardization of interventions are needed to determine the
      value of MI for persons with stroke.Video Abstract available for more insights
      from the authors (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1,
      http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A188).

PMID- 28922312
TI  - Maximum Step Length Test Performance in People With Parkinson Disease: A Cross
      sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Maximum Step Length Test (MSLT), a measure of one's
      capacity to produce a large step, has been studied in older adults, but not in
      people with Parkinson disease (PD). We characterized performance and construct
      validity of the MSLT in PD. METHODS: Forty participants (mean age: 65.12 +/- 8.20
      years; 45% female) with idiopathic PD completed the MSLT while "OFF" and "ON"
      anti-PD medication. Construct validity was investigated by examining
      relationships between MSLT and measures of motor performance. The following
      measures were collected: Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest),
      Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, gait velocity, 6-minute walk
      test (6MWT), Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale
      subsection III (MDS-UPDRS III), and Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. A repeated
      measures analysis of variance tested for main effects of medication and stepping
      direction and the interaction between the 2. Pearson or Spearman correlations
      were used to assess the relationships between MSLT and motor performance measures
      (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Regardless of medication status, participants stepped
      further in the forward direction compared with the backward and lateral
      directions (P < 0.001). Participants increased MSLT performance when ON
      medication compared with OFF-medication (P = 0.004). Regardless of medication
      status, MSLT was moderately to strongly related to Mini-BESTest, TUG, and 6MWT.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: People with PD stepped furthest in the forward
      direction when performing the MSLT. Increased MSLT performance was observed in
      the ON-medication state compared with OFF-medication; however, the small increase
      may not be clinically meaningful. Given the relationships between the MSLT and
      the Mini-BESTest, 6MWT, and TUG, MSLT performance appears to be associated with
      balance and gait hypokinesia in people with PD.Video Abstract available for more
      insights from the authors (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1,
      http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A186).

PMID- 28922313
TI  - Lateral Perturbation-Induced Stepping: Strategies and Predictors in Persons
      Poststroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Falls commonly occur as weight is transferred laterally,
      and impaired reactive stepping responses are associated with falls after stroke.
      The purpose of this study was to examine differences in and the determinants of
      mediolateral (M-L) protective stepping strategies when pulled off balance toward
      the paretic and nonparetic sides. METHODS: Eighteen individuals more than 6
      months poststroke were pulled in the M-L direction by a lateral waist-pull
      perturbation system. Step type (crossover, medial, and lateral) and count were
      recorded, along with first-step initiation time, length, and clearance.
      Sensorimotor variables including hip adductor/abductor and ankle plantar
      flexor/dorsiflexor peak isokinetic torques, paretic foot plantar cutaneous
      sensation, and motor recovery were used to predict step type by discriminant
      function analyses (DFAs). RESULTS: Regardless of pull direction, nearly 70% of
      trials required 2 or more recovery steps, with more frequent nonparetic leg first
      steps, 63.5%. The step type was significantly different for pull direction (P =
      0.005), with a greater percentage of lateral steps when pulled toward the
      nonparetic side (45.1%) compared with the paretic side (17.5%). The M-L step
      length of the lateral step was increased (P < 0.001), with a reduced step
      clearance (P = 0.05), when pulled toward the paretic side compared with a pull
      toward the nonparetic side. DFAs revealed that nonparetic and paretic-side pulls
      could respectively classify step type 64% and 60% of the time, with foot
      cutaneous sensation discriminating for pull direction. DISCUSSION AND
      CONCLUSIONS: Balance recovery initiated with the nonparetic leg occurred more
      frequently in response to M-L perturbations, and paretic foot cutaneous sensation
      was an important predictor of the stepping response regardless of the pull
      direction.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see Video,
      Supplementary Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A190).

PMID- 28922314
TI  - Temporal Indices of Ankle Clonus and Relationship to Electrophysiologic and
      Clinical Measures in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Clonus arising from plantar flexor hyperreflexia is a
      phenomenon that is commonly observed in persons with spastic hypertonia. We
      assessed the temporal components of a biomechanical measure to quantify ankle
      clonus, and validated these in persons with spasticity due to spinal cord injury.
      METHODS: In 40 individuals with chronic (>1 year) spinal cord injury, we elicited
      ankle clonus using a standardized mechanical perturbation (drop test). We
      examined reliability and construct validity of 2 components of the drop test:
      clonus duration (timed with a stopwatch) and number of oscillations in the first
      10-second interval (measured via optical motion capture). We compared these
      measures to the Spinal Cord Assessment Tool for Spastic reflexes (SCATS) clonus
      score and H-reflex/M-wave (H/M) ratio, a clinical and electrophysiologic measure,
      respectively. RESULTS: Intra- and interrater reliability of clonus duration
      measurement was good [intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC (2, 1) = 1.00];
      test-retest reliability was good both at 1 hour [ICC (2, 2) = 0.99] and at 1 week
      [ICC (2, 2) = 0.99]. Clonus duration was moderately correlated with SCATS clonus
      score (r = 0.58). Number of oscillations had good within-session test-retest
      reliability [ICC (2, 1) > 0.90] and strong correlations with SCATS clonus score
      (r = 0.86) and soleus H/M ratio (r = 0.77). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Clonus
      duration and number of oscillations as measured with a standardized test are
      reliable and valid measures of plantar flexor hyperreflexia that are accessible
      for clinical use. Tools for objective measurement of ankle clonus are valuable
      for assessing effectiveness of interventions directed at normalizing reflex
      activity associated with spasticity.Video Abstract available for more insights
      from the authors (see Supplemental Digital Content 1,
      http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A179).

PMID- 28922315
TI  - Validation of Fear of Falling and Balance Confidence Assessment Scales in Persons
      With Dystonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Falls are problematic for people living with neurological
      disorders and a fear of falling can impact on actual falls. Fear of falling is
      commonly assessed using the Falls Self-Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) or
      the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. These scales can predict
      risk of falling. We aimed to validate the FES-I and the ABC in persons with
      dystonia. METHODS: We conducted an online survey of people with dystonia,
      collecting information on demographics, 6-month falls history, dystonia
      disability, and the FES-I and ABC scales. Scales were validated for structural
      validity and internal consistency. We also examined goodness-of-fit, convergent
      validity, and predictive validity, and determined cutoff scores for predicting
      falls risk. RESULTS: Survey responses (n = 122) showed that both FES-I and ABC
      scales have high internal validity and convergent validity with the Functional
      Disability Questionnaire in persons with dystonia. Each scale examines a single
      factor, fear of falling (FES-I) and balance confidence (ABC). At least one fall
      was reported by 39% of participants; the cutoff value for falls risk was found to
      be 29.5 and 71.3 for the FES-I and the ABC respectively. DISCUSSION AND
      CONCLUSIONS: The FES-I and the ABC scales are valid scales to examine fear of
      falling and balance confidence in persons with dystonia. Fear of falling is high
      and balance confidence is low and both are worse in those with dystonia who have
      previously fallen.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors
      (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A182).

PMID- 28922316
TI  - Barnes and Leahy Promotion of Doctoral Studies (PODS) 2017 Awards.

PMID- 28922317
TI  - Medical genetic services in a developing country: lesson from Thailand.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of the review was to give an example of how advances
      in medical genetics impact a developing country and how Thailand struggles to
      improve medical genetic services. RECENT FINDINGS: Thailand is an example of a
      developing country with limited resources and low geneticist-to-population ratio.
      The country formally followed decentralized healthcare system (even though
      practically centralized) and is a nation with growing public interest in medical
      genetic technology. Nonetheless, efforts have been and are still being made in
      expanding clinical genetics services, improving access to laboratory diagnosis,
      increasing rare disease medication in national formulary, and the training of
      medical genetics personnel. For an endemic genetic disorder such as thalassemia,
      a universal prevention and control program is available and has had some success.
      SUMMARY: Lesson learned in country like Thailand may be a useful model for other
      developing nations. Several strategies can be attempted to integrate the advances
      in medical genetics into medical practices in developing countries with
      relatively low income per capita and geographic discrepancy in healthcare
      distribution.

PMID- 28922318
TI  - Vaccination during pregnancy: first line of defense for expecting mothers and
      vulnerable young infants.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Maternal vaccination is a well-tolerated and effective way to
      protect mothers, their developing fetuses, and their young infants from
      infectious diseases. Although influenza vaccine and diphtheria, tetanus, and
      acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine are recommended for all pregnant women, uptake
      rates in the United States remain low. This review will focus on the rationale,
      scientific evidence, and perceptions of vaccination during pregnancy. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Recent studies show that administration of influenza and Tdap vaccines
      during pregnancy is well tolerated and provides protection to the pregnant woman,
      her fetus, and young infant. Studies have shown that many pregnant women look to
      their obstetricians to guide their prenatal care. A strong provider
      recommendation remains the greatest impetus to increase vaccine uptake. Both
      healthcare providers and expectant mothers should continue to be educated on the
      importance and safety of the influenza and Tdap vaccines during pregnancy.
      SUMMARY: Providers play a central role in advising patients and their families
      about the importance of maternal vaccination. The strong recommendation of
      providers and the availability of maternal vaccines in OB/GYN offices are keys to
      improve vaccine uptake. Attention must be paid to further development of
      intervention techniques that address unique barriers such as vaccine cost,
      storage concerns, and misinformation about vaccine safety.

PMID- 28922319
TI  - Disparities in access to care in marginalized populations.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current article reviews recent literature related to three
      groups whose health is affected by barriers to the healthcare system: refugee and
      immigrant populations; youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,
      or questioning; and those with mental health problems. RECENT FINDINGS: Refugee
      and immigrant populations are increasing worldwide, and recent work has focused
      on improving their access to mental, dental, and preventive care. Lesbian, gay,
      bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning youth have unique healthcare needs
      but frequently lack a support system and may not be forthcoming about their
      sexuality or sex identity. A rising number of children are being diagnosed with
      mental health disorders, but due to multiple factors, youth are not receiving the
      care they need. SUMMARY: Pediatric healthcare providers should be aware of the
      unique challenges faced by youth displaced from their country of origin, who are
      lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender or are questioning their sexuality or sex
      identity, and who struggle with mental health disorders. Toolkits, other
      educational resources, and novel technological advances can assist pediatricians
      in ensuring optimal health care of these at-risk groups.

PMID- 28922320
TI  - Autologous Fat Injection versus Lundborg Resection Arthroplasty for the Treatment
      of Trapeziometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various operative approaches exist for treatment of
      trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to compare the
      results of Lundborg resection arthroplasty with solely autologous fat injection.
      METHODS: Twenty-one patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the
      trapeziometacarpal joint (Eaton-Littler classification stages III/IV) underwent
      either a Lundborg resection arthroplasty (n = 12) or autologous fat injection
      into the trapeziometacarpal joint (n = 9). Both groups were comparable regarding
      demographic and clinical data. Patient records were evaluated retrospectively
      regarding operative time; Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand
      questionnaire score; postoperative time until resolution of symptoms; pain level;
      grip and pinch force; and satisfaction with the treatment. RESULTS: Both groups
      had similar length of follow-up of at least 12 months. The duration of the
      operation was significantly shorter in the fat group (13 +/- 5 minutes) compared
      with the resection group (31 +/- 5 minutes) (p < 0.05). The Disabilities of the
      Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire score (resection group, 21.9 +/- 6.2; fat
      group, 24.0 +/- 5.0) and the pain level at follow-up (resection group, 1.0 +/-
      0.7; fat group, 2.9 +/- 0.8) were comparable (p > 0.05). The time until complete
      resolution of symptoms was significantly shorter in the fat group (1.7 +/- 2.1
      months) compared with the resection group (5.7 +/- 3.1 months) (p < 0.05). Grip
      and pinch strength and overall satisfaction with the treatment were comparable (p
      > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both autologous fat grafting and Lundborg resection
      arthroplasty resulted in improved function of the operative hand and a clear
      reduction of symptoms, whereas autologous fat injection seems to have advantages
      attributable to a shorter time until resolution of symptoms and shorter operative
      times. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 28922321
TI  - Patient-Reported Outcomes following Breast Conservation Therapy and Barriers to
      Referral for Partial Breast Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the self-reported aesthetic
      outcome of breast conservation therapy in a generalized sample of patients, and
      to describe potential barriers to referral for partial breast reconstruction.
      METHODS: Consecutive breast conservation therapy patients completing radiotherapy
      over a 1-year period at a regional cancer center were identified. Eligible
      patients were contacted by means of mail/e-mail and invited to participate.
      Participants completed the BREAST-Q breast conservation therapy module along with
      a questionnaire examining feelings about breast reconstruction. Multiple
      regression analysis was performed using the satisfaction with breasts scale as
      the dependent variable. RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 185 of 592 eligible
      participants (response rate, 31.3 percent; mean age, 61 years) an average of 38
      months after lumpectomy. The mean score for the BREAST-Q satisfaction with
      breasts scale was 59 of 100. Younger age (p = 0.038), lumpectomy reexcision (p =
      0.018), and lumpectomy at a nonacademic center (p = 0.026) were significantly
      associated with lower satisfaction. Bra size, months from lumpectomy, and tumor
      quadrant/size were not significantly associated with satisfaction (p > 0.05). The
      most common statements regarding reconstruction were "I don't feel the need for
      it" (60.0 percent), "I don't like the thought of having breast implants" (22.7
      percent), and "I don't want any more surgeon/doctor visits" (22.2 percent).
      Before lumpectomy, only 1.6 percent had a consultation for reconstruction, and
      only 22.7 percent were aware of this option. If offered, 33.1 percent of patients
      would have attended this consultation. CONCLUSION: There is an unmet demand for
      partial breast reconstruction, with an opportunity to advocate and increase
      awareness on behalf of patients undergoing breast conservation therapy.

PMID- 28922322
TI  - Vectra 3D Imaging for Quantitative Volumetric Analysis of the Upper Limb: A
      Feasibility Study for Tracking Outcomes of Lymphedema Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Secondary lymphedema of the upper limb is a common sequela following
      lymphadenectomy during oncologic surgery. The gold standard for evaluating
      treatment outcomes in upper limb lymphedema is limb volume measurement. However,
      current techniques lack sensitivity to localized changes. In this study, the
      Vectra 3D imaging system was used to accurately and precisely obtain volume
      measurements of the upper limb in patients with lymphedema. METHODS: A
      feasibility study was performed in 11 patients with lymphedema and 22 upper
      extremities; 24 arms were evaluated in total. Three-dimensional images were taken
      of the upper extremities, and Vectra 3D software was used to calculate the volume
      of the hand, forearm, and upper arm. These measurements were compared to
      traditional circumference (tape) and water displacement measurements. RESULTS:
      The 24 arm volumes ranged from 1517 to 4050 cc. The Vectra 3D provided precise
      and accurate volume measurements (average SD +/- 1.0 percent of total volume).
      Measurements of the forearm and upper arm correlated with circumference
      measurements (R = 0.991) and were in good agreement, with the mean difference
      between measurement techniques being 2.8 +/- 2.0 percent. Three-dimensional
      measurements of hand, forearm, and upper arm correlated with water measurements
      (R = 0.990) and had a mean difference between measurement techniques of 2.6 +/-
      2.1 percent. CONCLUSIONS: The Vectra 3D system provides precise and accurate data
      comparable to those of the most commonly used technique to estimate limb volume
      (tape measurement) and gold-standard water volume measurement. Three-dimensional
      imaging also offers several advantages, including time efficiency and obtaining
      localized measurements with high spatial resolution. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Diagnostic, II.

PMID- 28922323
TI  - Face Graft Scaffold Production in a Rat Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As a route toward face bioengineering, the authors previously
      reported the production of a complete scaffold by perfusion-decellularization of
      a porcine ear subunit graft and partial recellularization. To extend the scaffold
      to the whole face and to down-scale it, they applied their findings to a rodent
      hemifacial graft model. METHODS: After the animals were killed, seven full
      thickness rat hemiface grafts were harvested with the common carotid artery and
      the external jugular vein as a pedicle, and cannulated. Grafts were
      decellularized by a detergent-based protocol: either by perfusion through the
      common carotid artery, or by mechanical agitation. After decellularization,
      samples were analyzed for DNA quantification and histology by hematoxylin and
      eosin, Masson trichrome, Sirius red, or Safranin O staining. Vascular tree
      patency was assessed by microangiographic computed tomography after contrast
      injection. Cell-friendly extracellular matrix was assessed by seeding of human
      adipose-derived stem cells and vital staining after 7 days of culture. RESULTS:
      Decellularization was effective in both groups, with a cell clearance at all
      levels, with the exception of cartilage areas in the agitation-treated groups.
      Microscopic assessment found a well-preserved extracellular matrix in both
      groups. Vascular contrast was found in all regions of the scaffolds. After the
      animals were killed, seeded cells were found viable and well distributed on all
      scaffolds. CONCLUSIONS: The authors successfully decellularized face grafts in a
      rodent model, with a preserved vascular tree. Perfusion-decellularization led to
      better and faster results compared with mechanical agitation but is not mandatory
      in this model. The rat face is an interesting scaffold model for further
      recellularization studies, in the final goal of human face bioengineering.

PMID- 28922324
TI  - Biological Properties and Therapeutic Value of Cryopreserved Fat Tissue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fat grafting frequently requires multiple treatments and thus
      repeated liposuction to achieve treatment goals. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate whether cryopreservation of adipose tissue may facilitate future fat
      grafting. METHODS: Lipoaspirates were harvested from six women and preserved
      using two cryopreservation methods: (1) simple cooling to -80 degrees C (cryo-1);
      or (2) programmed cooling to -196 degrees C (cryo-2). Fresh fat, cryo-1 fat, and
      cryo-2 fat were analyzed both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry
      of both types of cryopreserved adipose tissue revealed that most adipocytes were
      necrotic. The cell number and viability of stromal vascular fraction cells were
      significantly decreased in cryo-1 fat (1.7 * 10 cells, 42.6 percent viable) and
      cryo-2 fat (2.0 * 10 cells, 55.4 percent viable), compared with fresh fat (3.9 *
      10 cells, 90.6 percent viable). Although adipose-derived stem cells were cultured
      successfully from all fats, functional adipose-derived stem cells from
      cryopreserved fats were much fewer, with comparable multilineage differentiating
      capacity. In vivo studies using human fat grafted into immunocompromised mice
      revealed that, 3 months after transplantation, all of the cryopreserved fats
      maintained their volume to some extent; however, the cryopreserved fats were
      mostly filled with dead tissue and produced significantly lower engraftment
      scores than fresh fat. CONCLUSIONS: Most adipocytes were killed in the process of
      cryopreservation and thawing. Adipose-derived stem cells were isolated from
      cryopreserved fat, but the number of functional adipose-derived stem cells was
      very limited in both cryopreservation methods. After grafting, cryopreserved fat
      was retained as dead and fibrous tissue, suggesting a risk of clinical
      complications such as oil cysts.

PMID- 28922325
TI  - Metacarpal-Like Hand: Classification and Treatment Guidelines for Microsurgical
      Reconstruction with Toe Transplantation.
AB  - The metacarpal-like hand is a severe hand injury, never addressed before. It
      describes a hand that has lost a significant degree of prehension through a wide
      array of amputations, involving all digits proximal to the functional length
      except in one finger or in two digits, including the thumb. The thumb condition
      can be used to differentiate between two types. In type I, the thumb is intact or
      amputated at or distal to the interphalangeal joint (functional length);
      therefore, the reconstruction is focused mainly on fingers. In type II, the thumb
      is amputated proximal to the interphalangeal joint; therefore, the reconstruction
      is focused on both the thumb and fingers. Thumb amputation level, integrity of
      the first basal joint, and functionality of the thenar muscles can be used to
      subdivide type II. Functional reconstruction should consider the patient's desire
      and vocational needs. The finger left with adequate functional length is assessed
      for its location, level of amputation, and joint motion, especially the proximal
      interphalangeal joint. The goal is to use the reliable techniques of toe-to-hand
      surgery to reconstruct more opposable units, at least two fingers, whether
      adjacent to each other or not, and the thumb, when needed, to achieve a
      functionally and aesthetically better hand instead of a functionally adequate
      hand, with a more acceptable to ideally natural hand cascade. Strategic,
      individualized toe transfer(s) is the key element in fulfilling the goals of this
      operation whether single or multiple toes are transplanted.

PMID- 28922326
TI  - The Smile Index: Part 1. A Large-Scale Study of Phenotypic Norms for Preoperative
      and Postoperative Unilateral Cleft Lip.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unilateral cleft lip has a spectrum of disease morphology, but
      severity classifications are difficult given the absence of accessible, objective
      assessment tools or reference data. The authors characterize the spectrum of
      cleft morphology before and after surgical repair for a large, multi-ethnic
      population using easily identifiable facial landmarks collected through a novel
      smart phone-based application. METHODS: Anthropometric measurements and
      standardized photographs were prospectively collected in Morocco, Bolivia,
      Vietnam, and Madagascar during medical missions in 2015 using an application
      designed specifically for the study. After data collection, two experienced cleft
      surgeons and two laypersons subjectively ranked photographs based on the degree
      of deformity/aesthetics. RESULTS: One hundred forty-seven patients were analyzed.
      Mean preoperative cleft width ratio was 0.4 +/- 0.12. Nasolabial symmetry
      improved significantly from preoperatively to postoperatively for the following
      measurements: columellar angle (65 +/- 17 degrees to 87 +/- 8 degrees), nostril
      width ratio (1.7 +/- 0.68 to 1.0 +/- 0.22), philtral height ratio (0.8 +/- 0.14
      to 1.0 +/- 0.14), and lip length ratio (0.9 +/- 0.26 to 1.0 +/- 0.11) (p <
      0.001). Surgeon and layperson rankings showed high inter-rater reliability (r =
      0.64, p < 0.001). Preoperatively, multivariate regression showed that cleft width
      ratio, nostril width ratio, and philtral height ratio were predictive of rank (p
      < 0.01). Postoperatively, philtral height ratio was most predictive of rank (p =
      0.0097). Most cleft characteristics were not significantly different between
      countries. CONCLUSIONS: The authors present simpler, more straightforward
      measures to quantify preoperative and postoperative morphology/aesthetics and
      introduce a novel technology to streamline and standardize measurements to make
      data collection more accessible.

PMID- 28922327
TI  - Releasable Single Suture for Primary Pterygium Excision With a Conjunctival
      Autograft.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of a releasable single suture for pterygium
      excision with a conjunctival autograft (CAG). METHODS: Retrospective case series
      at a tertiary eye care center in central India was conducted. Medical records of
      150 patients, who underwent primary pterygium excision with a CAG secured by a
      single releasable 10-0 nylon suture in the last year were reviewed. The surgical
      duration was noted. The suture was released on the first postoperative day under
      topical anesthesia. Patients were followed up until 1 year. At each visit,
      factors studied were patient comfort [pain grading on a visual analog scale],
      graft apposition, complications, and recurrence. RESULTS: Mean age of patients
      was 39 +/- 11 years. Most patients in our study were female (58.7%). Sixty
      percent of pterygia were of Tan grade 2. The mean duration of surgery was 4.8 +/-
      1.3 minutes. The maximum size of the CAG was 6 mm (3-6 mm). The graft retraction
      rate was 5.3% (1 mm retraction in the CAG more than 5.5 mm) with no event of
      graft loss. Four percent of patients had grade 1 recurrence. CONCLUSIONS:
      Releasable single suture may offer a good and simple alternative, which uses the
      gold standard technique of the CAG with exclusion of suture-related
      complications.

PMID- 28922328
TI  - Minor Salivary Gland Transplantation for Severe Dry Eyes.
AB  - Dry eye is a multifactorial disease comprising a wide spectrum of ocular surface
      alterations and symptoms of discomfort. In most patients with aqueous-deficient
      dry eye, pharmaceutical tear substitutes are used to control symptoms and prevent
      ocular surface damage. However, in severe dry eye conditions caused by
      cicatricial disorders, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and ocular cicatricial
      mucous membrane pemphigoid, noninvasive treatments are insufficient, and patients
      are at risk of developing complications that can lead to blindness. The use of
      salivary glands as a source of lubrication to treat severe cases of dry eye has
      been proposed by different authors. The first reports proposed parotid or
      submandibular gland duct transplantation into the conjunctival fornix. However,
      complications limited the functional outcomes. Minor salivary gland
      autotransplantation together with labial mucosa has been used as a complex graft
      to the conjunctival fornix in severe dry eye with a good outcome. Our group
      demonstrated significant improvements in best-corrected visual acuity, Schirmer I
      test score, corneal transparency, and neovascularization after using this
      technique. A symptoms questionnaire applied to these patients revealed
      improvements in foreign body sensation, photophobia, and pain. Similar to tears,
      saliva has a complex final composition comprising electrolytes, immunoglobulins,
      proteins, enzymes, and mucins. We demonstrated the viability of minor salivary
      glands transplanted into the fornix of patients with dry eye by performing
      immunohistochemistry on graft biopsies with antibodies against lactoferrin,
      lysozyme, MUC1, and MUC16. The findings revealed the presence of functional
      salivary gland units, indicating local production of proteins, enzymes, and
      mucins.

PMID- 28922329
TI  - Conventional Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking Versus Transepithelial Diluted
      Alcohol and Iontophoresis-Assisted Corneal Cross-Linking in Progressive
      Keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes of conventional corneal cross-linking (C
      CXL) and diluted alcohol and iontophoresis-assisted corneal cross-linking (DAI
      CXL) for the treatment of progressive keratoconus (KC). METHODS: Ninety-three
      eyes of 80 patients with KC were treated by C-CXL (n = 47) or DAI-CXL (n = 46).
      Visual acuity, keratometry, KC indexes, pachymetry, and aberrations were recorded
      before treatment and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. The demarcation line
      was assessed 1 month after treatment. RESULTS: A significant improvement in
      visual acuity was observed at month 3 and month 6 after DAI-CXL and C-CXL,
      respectively. A significant decrease in maximum keratometry was observed in both
      groups at month 6. The front symmetry index significantly improved in both groups
      after 6 months, whereas the Baiocchi Calossi Versaci index significantly improved
      only after DAI-CXL at month 12 (P = 0.01). Average keratometry and other KC
      indexes were stable during 12 months of follow-up. Central corneal thickness
      decreased by 28.6 and 40.2 MUm after DAI-CXL and C-CXL at month 1, respectively
      (P < 0.01), and it reached baseline at the 12th month (P = 0.14) only in the DAI
      CXL group. Higher-order aberrations, coma, and spherical aberration significantly
      worsened at month 1 (P < 0.01) only after C-CXL; however, they improved
      significantly at month 12 compared with baseline (P < 0.05) in both groups. The
      demarcation line was visible in all cases at month 1 at a mean depth of 302 +/-
      56 MUm and 311 +/- 57 MUm after DAI-CXL and C-CXL, respectively (P = 0.7).
      CONCLUSIONS: The DAI-CXL protocol seems as effective as the C-CXL protocol in
      halting KC progression after 1 year of follow-up.

PMID- 28922330
TI  - Lamina Cribrosa Thickness in Patients With Keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the thickness and depth of lamina cribrosa (LC) in the optic
      nerve head region of the eyes in patients with nonglaucomatous keratoconus and to
      compare the thickness and depth with those of age-matched controls. METHODS: This
      was a cross-sectional, observational study comprising 45 patients with
      keratoconus and 56 healthy subjects. Analysis of LC imaging was performed using
      spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Data collected included spherical
      equivalent, central corneal thickness, axial length, intraocular pressure, and
      keratometry. RESULTS: Eyes with keratoconus had significantly thinner LC (174.9
      +/- 11.4 vs. 249.1 +/- 4.9 MUm, P < 0.001) compared with control group eyes.
      There was no statistically significant difference in the depth of LC between the
      keratoconus and control groups (P = 0.3). Multivariable analysis, controlled for
      age and sex, showed that the thickness of LC significantly correlated with
      central corneal thickness (P < 0.001). This association persisted (P < 0.001)
      after controlling for intraocular pressure in addition to age and sex. There was
      no significant correlation with other factors, including the spherical equivalent
      (P = 0.93) and keratometry (P = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study
      showed that optical coherence tomography measurement of LC revealed thinner LC
      for patients with keratoconus compared with healthy controls. The structural
      properties of the cornea may be related to the optic nerve.

PMID- 28922331
TI  - Descemet Membrane Thickening as a Sign for the Diagnosis of Corneal Graft
      Rejection: An Ex Vivo Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To disclose, using an ex vivo study, the histopathological mechanism
      behind in vivo thickening of the endothelium/Descemet membrane complex (En/DM)
      observed in rejected corneal grafts (RCGs). METHODS: Descemet membrane (DM),
      endothelium, and retrocorneal membranes make up the total En/DM thickness. These
      layers are not differentiable by high-definition optical coherence tomography;
      therefore, the source of thickening is unclear from an in vivo perspective. A
      retrospective ex vivo study (from September 2015 to December 2015) was conducted
      to measure the thicknesses of DM, endothelium, and retrocorneal membrane in 54
      corneal specimens (31 RCGs and 23 controls) using light microscopy. Controls were
      globes with posterior melanoma without corneal involvement. RESULTS: There were
      54 corneas examined ex vivo with mean age 58.1 +/- 12.2 in controls and 51.7 +/-
      27.9 years in RCGs. The ex vivo study uncovered the histopathological mechanism
      of En/DM thickening to be secondary to significant thickening (P < 0.001) of DM
      (6.5 +/- 2.4 MUm) in RCGs compared with controls (3.9 +/- 1.5 MUm). CONCLUSIONS:
      Our ex vivo study shows that DM is responsible for thickening of the En/DM in
      RCGs observed in vivo by high-definition optical coherence tomography and not the
      endothelium or retrocorneal membrane.

PMID- 28922332
TI  - Evaluation of Corneal Neovascularization Using Optical Coherence Tomography
      Angiography in Patients With Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency.
AB  - PURPOSE: Detection of the exact area of corneal neovascularization using slit
      lamp photography is often difficult. Thus, we evaluated corneal
      neovascularization in patients with limbal stem cell deficiency using optical
      coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: Five patients with 5 eyes
      showing partial or total limbal stem cell deficiency were enrolled. Three eyes
      had severe corneal scarring. Five 6- * 6-mm images (frontal, upper, lower, nasal,
      and temporal) were obtained by OCTA. Slit-lamp photography was performed for all
      patients on the same day. RESULTS: OCTA has 2 advantages over slit-lamp
      photography for clear demonstration of corneal neovascularization. First, OCTA
      can show neovascularization in cases with severe corneal opacification. Second,
      OCTA can detect not only large vessels but also small vessels that cannot be seen
      by slit-lamp photography. CONCLUSIONS: OCTA is a powerful tool for objective
      evaluation of vascularization in the anterior and posterior segments of the eye.
      We have demonstrated that OCTA can visualize corneal neovascularization in
      patients with corneal diseases more clearly than slit-lamp photography.

PMID- 28922333
TI  - ROCK Inhibitor (Ripasudil) as Coadjuvant After Descemetorhexis Without an
      Endothelial Graft.

PMID- 28922334
TI  - Common malignant brain tumors: can 18F-FDG PET/CT aid in differentiation?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evalute the metabolic
      characteristics of common malignant space-occupying lesions (SOL) of the brain
      and to determine the utility of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/CT in
      differentiating between the common types of malignant brain SOL. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: All patients with brain SOL who were referred for an F-FDG PET/CT scan
      by a multidisciplinary team were included in this retrospective study. The
      metabolic characteristics of the brain lesions in the form of maximum
      standardized uptake value (SUVmax) along with tumor-to-background activity ratios
      were determined and differences were compared using nonparametric statistical
      tests. Histopathological confirmation was used as the gold standard in all
      patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to find the
      optimal SUVmax cutoff to differentiate the tumor types. RESULTS: Glioblastoma
      multiforme (GBM; n=30), lymphoma (n=25), and metastases (n=46) accounted for most
      malignant tumors (95.2%). Lymphomas showed a significantly high metabolic uptake
      (median SUVmax=20.3, range: 8.1-46.3) compared with GBM ( median SUVmax=10.3,
      range: 2.6-21.7) and metastases (median SUVmax=11.5, range: 2.9-19.6) (P=0.00).
      The tumor-to-background activity ratios for lymphomas were also significantly
      higher. There was an overlap in the metabolic uptake of GBM and metastases, with
      no significant difference between their SUVmax values (P=0.245). A SUVmax more
      than 15.5 showed an 84% sensitivity and an 80% specificity to diagnose lymphomas
      (area under the curve=0.876, P=0.00). Four patients with brain lymphoma had
      extracranial disease on F-FDG PET. Lung cancer was the most common primary
      malignancy in patients with brain metastases. CONCLUSION: Central nervous system
      lymphomas can be differentiated from GBM and metastases by their higher metabolic
      activity. In addition, F-FDG PET/CT can potentially impact therapeutic decisions
      by detecting primary malignancy in patients with metastatic brain lesions and
      extracranial disease sites in patients with brain lymphoma.

PMID- 28922335
TI  - The role of 68Ga-PSMA-I&T PET/CT in the pretreatment staging of primary prostate
      cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the role of Ga-PSMA-I&T
      PET/CT in the primary staging of newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa), with a
      focus on the detection of metastatic nodal disease. Correlation of the rate of
      detection of metastatic disease by Ga-PSMA-I&T PET/CT with the Gleason score (GS)
      and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was performed to determine the GS and
      PSA criteria defining patients who would benefit from Ga-PSMA-I&T PET/CT imaging
      for staging, risk stratification and therapy optimization. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Patient data and images from 70 patients with a recent diagnosis of prostate
      cancer who had undergone Ga-PSMA-I&T PET/CT were analysed retrospectively. Data
      and images were analysed for the rate of detection of primary and metastatic PCa,
      and correlation with PSA and GS. RESULTS: The rate of detection of primary tumour
      by Ga-PSMA-I&T for patients with serum PSA less than 5 ng/ml was 73%. The
      corresponding rate was 90% for patients with PSA 5-10 ng/ml and 97% for patients
      with PSA more than 10 ng/ml. Metastatic PCa and/or infiltrative disease was
      detected in 24/70 study patients in total: 1/11 patients with PSA less than 5
      ng/ml and 23/59 patients with serum PSA at least 5 ng/ml. The rate of detection
      of metastatic PCa was greater in patients with GS 9 or more (48%) relative to
      those with GS 8 (32%) or GS <=7 (18%). CONCLUSION: A role for Ga-PSMA-I&T PET/CT
      in primary PCa staging of high-grade disease (GS 8 or more and PSA >10 ng/ml) has
      been shown. There was a low rate of detection of PSMA-avid metastases in low
      grade disease (GS 7 or less and PSA <5 ng/ml), suggesting that there is a limited
      role for this modality in such cases.

PMID- 28922336
TI  - Improving women's health in low-income and middle-income countries. Part I:
      challenges and priorities.

PMID- 28922338
TI  - Does the beta-receptor antagonist esmolol have analgesic effects?: A randomised
      placebo-controlled cross-over study on healthy volunteers undergoing the cold
      pressor test.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Esmolol may attenuate the sympathetic response to pain and reduce
      postoperative opioid consumption. It is not clear whether esmolol has an
      analgesic effect per se. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      analgesic effect of esmolol in the absence of anaesthetics and opioids. We tested
      the hypothesis that esmolol would reduce the maximum pain intensity perceived
      during the cold pressor test (CPT) by 2 points on a 0 to 10 numeric pain rating
      scale (NRS) compared to placebo. DESIGN: Randomised, placebo-controlled cross
      over study. SETTING: Postoperative recovery area, Orebro University Hospital.
      Study period, November 2013 to February 2014. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen healthy
      volunteers. Exclusion criteria included ongoing medication, pregnancy and
      breastfeeding and participation in other medical trials. INTERVENTIONS: At
      separate study sessions, participants received interventions: esmolol (0.7 mg kg
      bolus over 1 min followed by infusion at 10 MUg kg min); 0.9% normal saline bolus
      then remifentanil infusion at 0.2 MUg kg min and 0.9% normal saline bolus and
      infusion according to a random sequence. All infusions were administered over 30
      min. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perceived maximum pain intensity score, pain
      tolerance and haemodynamic changes during CPT, and occurrence of side-effects to
      interventions compared to placebo, respectively. RESULTS: Esmolol did not reduce
      perceived pain intensity or pain tolerance during the CPT. The NRS-max score was
      similar for esmolol, 8.5 (+/-1.4) and placebo, 8.4 (+/-1.3). The mean difference
      was 0.1 [95% confidence interval (-1.2 to 1.4)], P value equal to 0.83.
      Remifentanil significantly reduced NRS-max scores, 5.4 (+/-2.1) compared to
      placebo, [mean difference -3.1 (95% confidence interval (-4.4 to -1.8)), P <
      0.001]. Side-effects were seen with remifentanil but not with esmolol.
      CONCLUSION: No direct analgesic effect of esmolol could be demonstrated in the
      present study. The postoperative opioid-sparing effect demonstrated in previous
      studies, could therefore be secondary to other factors such as avoidance of
      opioid-induced hyperalgesia, synergy with coadministered opioids or altered
      pharmacokinetics of those drugs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: European clinical trials
      database, https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/, EudraCT no. 2011-005780-24.

PMID- 28922337
TI  - Role of the internet as an information resource before anaesthesia consultation:
      A French prospective multicentre survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Use of the internet as an information search tool has increased
      dramatically. Our study assessed preoperative use of the internet by patients to
      search for information regarding anaesthesia, surgery, pain or outcomes.
      OBJECTIVE(S): The aim of this study was to test whether patients used the
      internet prior to surgery and what kinds of information they looked for
      (anaesthetic technique, pain, adverse events, outcomes and surgery). Correlation
      between patient age and information sought about surgery from the internet was
      also explored. DESIGN: A prospective multicentre observational study. SETTING: In
      total, 14 French private and public institutions from May 2015 to January 2016.
      PATIENTS: In total, 3161 adult patients scheduled for elective surgery under
      regional or general anaesthesia. INTERVENTION(S): An anonymous questionnaire was
      presented to adult patients scheduled for elective surgery under regional or
      general anaesthesia for completion before the first meeting with the
      anaesthesiologist. The investigator at each centre completed specific items that
      the patient could not complete. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We defined the primary
      endpoint as the number of patients who searched for information about their
      anaesthesia or surgery on the internet by the time of the their preanaesthetic
      consultation. RESULTS: Of the 3234 questionnaires distributed, responses were
      received from 3161 patients. Within this respondent sample, 1304 (45%) were
      professionally active and 1664 (59%) used the internet at least once per day.
      Among 3098 (98%) patients who answered the question concerning the primary
      endpoint, 1506 (48%) had searched the internet for information about their
      health. In total, 784 (25%) used the internet to find information about their
      surgery and 113 (3.5%) looked for specific information about anaesthesia. Of the
      3161, 52% reported difficulty searching for appropriate information about
      anaesthesia on the internet. 'Daily use of the web' [odds ratio (OR) 2.0; (95%
      CI: 1.65 to 2.55) P < 0.001], 'use of the web on mobile devices' [OR 1.24; (95%
      CI: 1.02 to 1.50) P = 0.02] and 'asking general practitioner or surgeon about
      information' [OR 1.35; (95% CI: 1.11 to 1.64) P = 0.002] were significantly
      associated with the primary endpoint. CONCLUSION: The internet was not widely
      used by patients scheduled for elective surgery to search for information about
      anaesthesia and surgery in our French multicentre study. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02442609.

PMID- 28922339
TI  - Incidence and risk factors of anaesthesia-related perioperative cardiac arrest: A
      6-year observational study from a tertiary care university hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent decades, the incidences of anaesthesia-related
      perioperative mortality and adverse outcomes have decreased drastically. However,
      to date, data on perioperative cardiac arrest and risk factors of perioperative
      cardiac arrest from European countries are scarce. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      incidences of perioperative cardiac arrest and rates of anaesthesia-related and
      anaesthesia-contributory cardiac arrest. Identification of pre-existing risk
      factors leading to perioperative cardiac arrest. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort
      study. SETTING: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine,
      University Hospital of Cologne, Germany. INTERVENTIONS: Perioperative critical
      incident reports between 2007 and 2012 were screened, and reports on cardiac
      arrest within 24 h postoperatively were identified. Cardiac arrests were
      classified as 'anaesthesia-related', 'anaesthesia-contributory' or 'anaesthesia
      unrelated' by two reviewers independently. Univariate and multi-variate logistic
      regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with
      perioperative cardiac arrest. RESULTS: Analysis of 318 critical incidents from
      169 500 anaesthetics revealed 99 perioperative cardiac arrests. This is an
      overall incidence of perioperative cardiac arrest of 5.8/10 000 anaesthetics [95%
      confidence interval (CI), 4.7 to 7.0]. The rate of anaesthesia-related cardiac
      arrest was 0.7/10 000 (95% CI, 0.3 to 1.1), and the rate of anaesthesia
      contributory cardiac arrest was 1.7/10 000 (95% CI, 1.1 to 2.3). Most cardiac
      arrests related to anaesthesia were due to respiratory events. From the multi
      variate analysis, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status grade at
      least 3 [P = 0.007, odds ratio (OR) 2.59 (95% CI, 1.29 to 5.19)], emergency
      surgery [P < 0.001, OR 4.00 (95% CI, 2.15 to 7.54)] and pre-existing
      cardiomyopathy [P < 0.001, OR 17.48 (95% CI, 6.18 to 51.51)] emerged as
      predictors of cardiac arrest. CONCLUSION: These first available European data on
      perioperative cardiac arrest from a large unselected cohort indicate that the
      overall perioperative incidence of cardiac arrest at our institution was slightly
      lower than published in the literature, whereas rates of anaesthesia-related and
      anaesthesia-contributory cardiac arrest were comparable. Most cardiac arrests
      related to anaesthesia were due to respiratory events. American Society of
      Anesthesiologists physical status grade at least 3, emergency surgery and pre
      existing cardiomyopathy appear to be relevant risk factors for cardiac arrest.

PMID- 28922340
TI  - The impact of continuous non-invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring on blood
      pressure stability during general anaesthesia in orthopaedic patients: A
      randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients undergoing general anaesthesia, intraoperative
      hypotension occurs frequently and is associated with adverse outcomes such as
      postoperative acute kidney failure, myocardial infarction or stroke. A history of
      chronic hypertension renders patients more susceptible to a decrease in blood
      pressure (BP) after induction of general anaesthesia. As a patient's BP is
      generally monitored intermittently via an upper arm cuff, there may be a delay in
      the detection of hypotension by the anaesthetist. OBJECTIVE: The current study
      investigates whether the presence of continuous BP monitoring leads to improved
      BP stability. DESIGN: Randomised, controlled and single-centre study. PATIENTS: A
      total of 160 orthopaedic patients undergoing general anaesthesia with a history
      of chronic hypertension. INTERVENTION: The patients were randomised to either a
      study group (n = 77) that received continuous non-invasive BP monitoring in
      addition to oscillometric intermittent monitoring, or a control group (n = 83)
      whose BP was monitored intermittently only. The interval for oscillometric
      measurements in both groups was set to 3 min. After induction of general
      anaesthesia, oscillometric BP values of the two groups were compared for the
      first hour of the procedure. Anaesthetists were blinded to the purpose of the
      study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: BP stability and hypotensive events. RESULTS: There
      was no difference in baseline BP between the groups. After adjustment for
      multiple testing, mean arterial BP in the study group was significantly higher
      than in the control group at 12 and 15 min. Mean +/- SD for study and control
      group, respectively were: 12 min, 102 +/- 24 vs. 90 +/- 26 mmHg (P = 0.039) and
      15 min, 102 +/- 21 vs. 90 +/- 23 mmHg (P = 0.023). Hypotensive readings below a
      mean pressure of 55 mmHg occurred more often in the control group (25 vs. 7, P =
      0.047). CONCLUSION: Continuous monitoring contributes to BP stability in the
      studied population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02519101.

PMID- 28922341
TI  - 'Working toward understanding oligo and polymetastatic prostate cancer'.

PMID- 28922342
TI  - Drugs for cognitive loss and dementia.

PMID- 28922343
TI  - Tocilizumab (Actemra) for giant cell arteritis.

PMID- 28922344
TI  - Comparison table: drugs for Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 28922345
TI  - Tilianin Post-Conditioning Attenuates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via
      Mitochondrial Protection and Inhibition of Apoptosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the role of tilianin in
      modulating mitochondrial functions and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis during
      cardio-protection. MATERIAL AND METHODS Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)
      injury was induced by 30 minutes coronary occlusion followed by two hours
      reperfusion in Sprague-Dawley rats. To investigate the cardio-protective effects
      of tilianin, apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL. Mitochondrial ultrastructure and
      function were assessed by transmission electron microscopy, dynamics of
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening and ATP production in
      the myocardium; Ca2+ content and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured to
      evaluated the level of damage factors in the mitochondria. The related apoptotic
      proteins were analyzed through immunoblot. RESULTS Pretreatment with tilianin
      significantly reduced apoptosis after I/R injury in rats (p<0.05). In addition,
      tilianin could alleviate mitochondrial damage, markedly inhibited mPTP opening
      and improved ATP production (p<0.05). There was also a significant reduction for
      content of Ca2+ and ROS in the mitochondria (p<0.01). Apoptosis protein analysis
      found that treatment with tilianin led to the downregulation of apoptosis
      inducing factor (AIF) (p<0.01), and suppressed the leakage of cytochrome c and
      activation of caspase-3 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that tilianin can
      alleviate apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and protect myocardium, possibly via the
      protection of mitochondria and repression of mitochondrial apoptotic pathways.
      Mechanistically, inhibition of Ca2+ overload, mPTP opening, and ROS production in
      mitochondria may explain the observed tilianin-mediated treatment effects.

PMID- 28922346
TI  - GRID-seq reveals the global RNA-chromatin interactome.
AB  - Higher eukaryotic genomes are bound by a large number of coding and non-coding
      RNAs, but approaches to comprehensively map the identity and binding sites of
      these RNAs are lacking. Here we report a method to capture in situ global RNA
      interactions with DNA by deep sequencing (GRID-seq), which enables the
      comprehensive identification of the entire repertoire of chromatin-interacting
      RNAs and their respective binding sites. In human, mouse, and Drosophila cells,
      we detected a large set of tissue-specific coding and non-coding RNAs that are
      bound to active promoters and enhancers, especially super-enhancers. Assuming
      that most mRNA-chromatin interactions indicate the physical proximity of a
      promoter and an enhancer, we constructed a three-dimensional global connectivity
      map of promoters and enhancers, revealing transcription-activity-linked genomic
      interactions in the nucleus.

PMID- 28922348
TI  - Stem cell biology and regenerative medicine for neonatal lung diseases.
AB  - Lung diseases remain one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in
      neonates. Cell therapy and regenerative medicine have the potential to
      revolutionize the management of life-threatening and debilitating lung diseases
      that currently lack effective treatments. Over the past decade, the repair
      capabilities of stem/progenitor cells have been harnessed to prevent/rescue lung
      damage in experimental neonatal lung diseases. Mesenchymal stromal cells and
      amnion epithelial cells exert pleiotropic effects and represent ideal therapeutic
      cells for bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a multifactorial disease. Endothelial
      progenitor cells are optimally suited to promote lung vascular growth and
      attenuate pulmonary hypertension in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia
      or a vascular bronchopulmonary dysplasia phenotype. Induced pluripotent stem
      cells (iPSCs) are one of the most exciting breakthroughs of the past decade.
      Patient-specific iPSCs can be derived from somatic cells and differentiated into
      any cell type. iPSCs can be capitalized upon to develop personalized regenerative
      cell products for surfactant protein deficiencies-lethal lung disorders without
      treatment-that affect a single gene in a single cell type and thus lend
      themselves to phenotype-specific cell replacement. While the clinical translation
      has begun, more needs to be learned about the biology of these repair cells to
      make this translation successful.

PMID- 28922349
TI  - Cytochrome P450 and flavin-containing monooxygenase families: age-dependent
      differences in expression and functional activity.
AB  - BackgroundAge-dependent differences in pharmacokinetics exist for metabolically
      cleared medications. Differential contributions in the cytochrome P450 3A
      (CYP3A), CYP2C, and flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) families have an
      important role in the metabolic clearance of a large number of drugs administered
      to children.MethodsUnlike previous semiquantitative characterization of age
      dependent changes in the expression of genes and proteins (western blot
      analysis), this study quantifies both gene and absolute protein expression in the
      same fetal, pediatric, and adult hepatic tissue. Expression was then correlated
      with the corresponding functional activities in the same samples.ResultsCYP3A and
      FMO families showed a distinct switch from fetal (CYP3A7 and FMO1) to adult
      isoforms (CYP3A4 and FMO3) at birth, whereas CYP2C9 showed a linear maturation
      from birth into adulthood. In contrast, analysis of CYP2C19 revealed higher
      expression and catalytic efficiency in pediatric samples compared with that in
      fetal and adult samples. Further, CYP3A and FMO enzymes exhibited an unexpectedly
      higher functional activity in fetal samples not entirely explained by protein
      expression.ConclusionThese surprising findings suggest that CYP and FMO enzymes
      may encounter development-related differences in their microenvironments that can
      influence the enzyme activity in addition to protein expression levels.

PMID- 28922347
TI  - Pearl millet genome sequence provides a resource to improve agronomic traits in
      arid environments.
AB  - Pearl millet [Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone] is a staple food for more than 90
      million farmers in arid and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa, India and
      South Asia. We report the ~1.79 Gb draft whole genome sequence of reference
      genotype Tift 23D2B1-P1-P5, which contains an estimated 38,579 genes. We
      highlight the substantial enrichment for wax biosynthesis genes, which may
      contribute to heat and drought tolerance in this crop. We resequenced and
      analyzed 994 pearl millet lines, enabling insights into population structure,
      genetic diversity and domestication. We use these resequencing data to establish
      marker trait associations for genomic selection, to define heterotic pools, and
      to predict hybrid performance. We believe that these resources should empower
      researchers and breeders to improve this important staple crop.

PMID- 28922352
TI  - 60 years ago, Francis Crick changed the logic of biology.
AB  - In September 1957, Francis Crick gave a lecture in which he outlined key ideas
      about gene function, in particular what he called the central dogma. These ideas
      still frame how we understand life. This essay explores the concepts he developed
      in this influential lecture, including his prediction that we would study
      evolution by comparing sequences.

PMID- 28922351
TI  - Estimation of the mechanical properties of the eye through the study of its
      vibrational modes.
AB  - Measuring the eye's mechanical properties in vivo and with minimally invasive
      techniques can be the key for individualized solutions to a number of eye
      pathologies. The development of such techniques largely relies on a computational
      modelling of the eyeball and, it optimally requires the synergic interplay
      between experimentation and numerical simulation. In Astrophysics and Geophysics
      the remote measurement of structural properties of the systems of their realm is
      performed on the basis of (helio-)seismic techniques. As a biomechanical system,
      the eyeball possesses normal vibrational modes encompassing rich information
      about its structure and mechanical properties. However, the integral analysis of
      the eyeball vibrational modes has not been performed yet. Here we develop a new
      finite difference method to compute both the spheroidal and, specially, the
      toroidal eigenfrequencies of the human eye. Using this numerical model, we show
      that the vibrational eigenfrequencies of the human eye fall in the interval 100
      Hz-10 MHz. We find that compressible vibrational modes may release a trace on
      high frequency changes of the intraocular pressure, while incompressible normal
      modes could be registered analyzing the scattering pattern that the motions of
      the vitreous humour leave on the retina. Existing contact lenses with embebed
      devices operating at high sampling frequency could be used to register the
      microfluctuations of the eyeball shape we obtain. We advance that an inverse
      problem to obtain the mechanical properties of a given eye (e.g., Young's
      modulus, Poisson ratio) measuring its normal frequencies is doable. These
      measurements can be done using non-invasive techniques, opening very interesting
      perspectives to estimate the mechanical properties of eyes in vivo. Future
      research might relate various ocular pathologies with anomalies in measured
      vibrational frequencies of the eye.

PMID- 28922350
TI  - Stem cells and cell-based therapies for cerebral palsy: a call for rigor.
AB  - Cell-based therapies hold significant promise for infants at risk for cerebral
      palsy (CP) from perinatal brain injury (PBI). PBI leading to CP results from
      multifaceted damage to neural cells. Complex developing neural networks are
      injured by neural cell damage plus unique perturbations in cell signaling. Given
      that cell-based therapies can simultaneously repair multiple injured neural
      components during critical neurodevelopmental windows, these interventions
      potentially offer efficacy for patients with CP. Currently, the use of cell-based
      interventions in infants at risk for CP is limited by critical gaps in knowledge.
      In this review, we will highlight key questions facing the field, including: Who
      are optimal candidates for treatment? What are the goals of therapeutic
      interventions? What are the best strategies for agent delivery, including timing,
      dosage, location, and type? And, how are short- and long-term efficacy reliably
      tracked? Challenges unique to treating PBI with cell-based therapies, and lessons
      learned from cell-based therapies in closely related neurological disorders in
      the mature central nervous system, will be reviewed. Our goal is to update
      pediatric specialists who may be counseling families about the current state of
      the field. Finally, we will evaluate how rigor can be increased in the field to
      ensure the safety and best interests of this vulnerable patient population.

PMID- 28922353
TI  - Synthesizing developmental trajectories.
AB  - Dynamical processes in biology are studied using an ever-increasing number of
      techniques, each of which brings out unique features of the system. One of the
      current challenges is to develop systematic approaches for fusing heterogeneous
      datasets into an integrated view of multivariable dynamics. We demonstrate that
      heterogeneous data fusion can be successfully implemented within a semi
      supervised learning framework that exploits the intrinsic geometry of high
      dimensional datasets. We illustrate our approach using a dataset from studies of
      pattern formation in Drosophila. The result is a continuous trajectory that
      reveals the joint dynamics of gene expression, subcellular protein localization,
      protein phosphorylation, and tissue morphogenesis. Our approach can be readily
      adapted to other imaging modalities and forms a starting point for further steps
      of data analytics and modeling of biological dynamics.

PMID- 28922354
TI  - Reconstructing promoter activity from Lux bioluminescent reporters.
AB  - The bacterial Lux system is used as a gene expression reporter. It is fast,
      sensitive and non-destructive, enabling high frequency measurements. Originally
      developed for bacterial cells, it has also been adapted for eukaryotic cells, and
      can be used for whole cell biosensors, or in real time with live animals without
      the need for euthanasia. However, correct interpretation of bioluminescent data
      is limited: the bioluminescence is different from gene expression because of
      nonlinear molecular and enzyme dynamics of the Lux system. We have developed a
      computational approach that, for the first time, allows users of Lux assays to
      infer gene transcription levels from the light output. This approach is based
      upon a new mathematical model for Lux activity, that includes the actions of
      LuxAB, LuxEC and Fre, with improved mechanisms for all reactions, as well as
      synthesis and turn-over of Lux proteins. The model is calibrated with new
      experimental data for the LuxAB and Fre reactions from Photorhabdus luminescens
      the source of modern Lux reporters-while literature data has been used for LuxEC.
      Importantly, the data show clear evidence for previously unreported product
      inhibition for the LuxAB reaction. Model simulations show that predicted
      bioluminescent profiles can be very different from changes in gene expression,
      with transient peaks of light output, very similar to light output seen in some
      experimental data sets. By incorporating the calibrated model into a Bayesian
      inference scheme, we can reverse engineer promoter activity from the
      bioluminescence. We show examples where a decrease in bioluminescence would be
      better interpreted as a switching off of the promoter, or where an increase in
      bioluminescence would be better interpreted as a longer period of gene
      expression. This approach could benefit all users of Lux technology.

PMID- 28922356
TI  - Mathematical modeling and quantitative analysis of HIV-1 Gag trafficking and
      polymerization.
AB  - Gag, as the major structural protein of HIV-1, is necessary for the assembly of
      the HIV-1 sphere shell. An in-depth understanding of its trafficking and
      polymerization is important for gaining further insights into the mechanisms of
      HIV-1 replication and the design of antiviral drugs. We developed a mathematical
      model to simulate two biophysical processes, specifically Gag monomer and dimer
      transport in the cytoplasm and the polymerization of monomers to form a hexamer
      underneath the plasma membrane. Using experimental data, an optimization approach
      was utilized to identify the model parameters, and the identifiability and
      sensitivity of these parameters were then analyzed. Using our model, we analyzed
      the weight of the pathways involved in the polymerization reactions and concluded
      that the predominant pathways for the formation of a hexamer might be the
      polymerization of two monomers to form a dimer, the polymerization of a dimer and
      a monomer to form a trimer, and the polymerization of two trimers to form a
      hexamer. We then deduced that the dimer and trimer intermediates might be crucial
      in hexamer formation. We also explored four theoretical combined methods for Gag
      suppression, and hypothesized that the N-terminal glycine residue of the MA
      domain of Gag might be a promising drug target. This work serves as a guide for
      future theoretical and experimental efforts aiming to understand HIV-1 Gag
      trafficking and polymerization, and might help accelerate the efficiency of anti
      AIDS drug design.

PMID- 28922355
TI  - Image identification from brain activity using the population receptive field
      model.
AB  - A goal of computational models is not only to explain experimental data but also
      to make new predictions. A current focus of computational neuroimaging is to
      predict features of the presented stimulus from measured brain signals. These
      computational neuroimaging approaches may be agnostic about the underlying neural
      processes or may be biologically inspired. Here, we use the biologically inspired
      population receptive field (pRF) approach to identify presented images from fMRI
      recordings of the visual cortex, using an explicit model of the underlying neural
      response selectivity. The advantage of the pRF-model is its simplicity: it is
      defined by a handful of parameters, which can be estimated from fMRI data that
      was collected within half an hour. Using 7T MRI, we measured responses elicited
      by different visual stimuli: (i) conventional pRF mapping stimuli, (ii) semi
      random synthetic images and (iii) natural images. The pRF mapping stimuli were
      used to estimate the pRF-properties of each cortical location in early visual
      cortex. Next, we used these pRFs to identify which synthetic or natural images
      was presented to the subject from the fMRI responses. We show that image
      identification using V1 responses is far above chance, both for the synthetic and
      natural images. Thus, we can identify visual images, including natural images,
      using the most fundamental low-parameter pRF model estimated from conventional
      pRF mapping stimuli. This allows broader application of image identification.

PMID- 28922357
TI  - Analysis of nuclear and organellar genomes of Plasmodium knowlesi in humans
      reveals ancient population structure and recent recombination among host-specific
      subpopulations.
AB  - The macaque parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is a significant concern in Malaysia
      where cases of human infection are increasing. Parasites infecting humans
      originate from genetically distinct subpopulations associated with the long
      tailed (Macaca fascicularis (Mf)) or pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina
      (Mn)). We used a new high-quality reference genome to re-evaluate previously
      described subpopulations among human and macaque isolates from Malaysian-Borneo
      and Peninsular-Malaysia. Nuclear genomes were dimorphic, as expected, but new
      evidence of chromosomal-segment exchanges between subpopulations was found. A
      large segment on chromosome 8 originating from the Mn subpopulation and
      containing genes encoding proteins expressed in mosquito-borne parasite stages,
      was found in Mf genotypes. By contrast, non-recombining organelle genomes
      partitioned into 3 deeply branched lineages, unlinked with nuclear genomic
      dimorphism. Subpopulations which diverged in isolation have re-connected,
      possibly due to deforestation and disruption of wild macaque habitats. The
      resulting genomic mosaics reveal traits selected by host-vector-parasite
      interactions in a setting of ecological transition.

PMID- 28922359
TI  - A first linkage map and downy mildew resistance QTL discovery for sweet basil
      (Ocimum basilicum) facilitated by double digestion restriction site associated
      DNA sequencing (ddRADseq).
AB  - Limited understanding of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) genetics and genome
      structure has reduced efficiency of breeding strategies. This is evidenced by the
      rapid, worldwide dissemination of basil downy mildew (Peronospora belbahrii) in
      the absence of resistant cultivars. In an effort to improve available genetic
      resources, expressed sequence tag simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) and single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were developed and used to genotype the MRI
      x SB22 F2 mapping population, which segregates for response to downy mildew. SNP
      markers were generated from genomic sequences derived from double digestion
      restriction site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq). Disomic segregation was
      observed in both SNP and EST-SSR markers providing evidence of an O. basilicum
      allotetraploid genome structure and allowing for subsequent analysis of the
      mapping population as a diploid intercross. A dense linkage map was constructed
      using 42 EST-SSR and 1,847 SNP markers spanning 3,030.9 cM. Multiple quantitative
      trait loci (QTL) model (MQM) analysis identified three QTL that explained 37-55%
      of phenotypic variance associated with downy mildew response across three
      environments. A single major QTL, dm11.1 explained 21-28% of phenotypic variance
      and demonstrated dominant gene action. Two minor QTL dm9.1 and dm14.1 explained 5
      16% and 4-18% of phenotypic variance, respectively. Evidence is provided for an
      additive effect between the two minor QTL and the major QTL dm11.1 increasing
      downy mildew susceptibility. Results indicate that ddRADseq-facilitated SNP and
      SSR marker genotyping is an effective approach for mapping the sweet basil
      genome.

PMID- 28922358
TI  - Quantifying the effects of antiangiogenic and chemotherapy drug combinations on
      drug delivery and treatment efficacy.
AB  - Tumor-induced angiogenesis leads to the development of leaky tumor vessels devoid
      of structural and morphological integrity. Due to angiogenesis, elevated
      interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and low blood perfusion emerge as common
      properties of the tumor microenvironment that act as barriers for drug delivery.
      In order to overcome these barriers, normalization of vasculature is considered
      to be a viable option. However, insight is needed into the phenomenon of
      normalization and in which conditions it can realize its promise. In order to
      explore the effect of microenvironmental conditions and drug scheduling on
      normalization benefit, we build a mathematical model that incorporates tumor
      growth, angiogenesis and IFP. We administer various theoretical combinations of
      antiangiogenic agents and cytotoxic nanoparticles through heterogeneous
      vasculature that displays a similar morphology to tumor vasculature. We observe
      differences in drug extravasation that depend on the scheduling of combined
      therapy; for concurrent therapy, total drug extravasation is increased but in
      adjuvant therapy, drugs can penetrate into deeper regions of tumor.

PMID- 28922360
TI  - Comparison of background EEG activity of different groups of patients with
      idiopathic epilepsy using Shannon spectral entropy and cluster-based permutation
      statistical testing.
AB  - Idiopathic epilepsy is characterized by generalized seizures with no apparent
      cause. One of its main problems is the lack of biomarkers to monitor the
      evolution of patients. The only tools they can use are limited to inspecting the
      amount of seizures during previous periods of time and assessing the existence of
      interictal discharges. As a result, there is a need for improving the tools to
      assist the diagnosis and follow up of these patients. The goal of the present
      study is to compare and find a way to differentiate between two groups of
      patients suffering from idiopathic epilepsy, one group that could be followed-up
      by means of specific electroencephalographic (EEG) signatures (intercritical
      activity present), and another one that could not due to the absence of these
      markers. To do that, we analyzed the background EEG activity of each in the
      absence of seizures and epileptic intercritical activity. We used the Shannon
      spectral entropy (SSE) as a metric to discriminate between the two groups and
      performed permutation-based statistical tests to detect the set of frequencies
      that show significant differences. By constraining the spectral entropy
      estimation to the [6.25-12.89) Hz range, we detect statistical differences (at
      below 0.05 alpha-level) between both types of epileptic patients at all available
      recording channels. Interestingly, entropy values follow a trend that is
      inversely related to the elapsed time from the last seizure. Indeed, this trend
      shows asymptotical convergence to the SSE values measured in a group of healthy
      subjects, which present SSE values lower than any of the two groups of patients.
      All these results suggest that the SSE, measured in a specific range of
      frequencies, could serve to follow up the evolution of patients suffering from
      idiopathic epilepsy. Future studies remain to be conducted in order to assess the
      predictive value of this approach for the anticipation of seizures.

PMID- 28922361
TI  - Impact of four different recumbencies on the distribution of ventilation in
      conscious or anaesthetized spontaneously breathing beagle dogs: An electrical
      impedance tomography study.
AB  - The aim was to examine the effects of recumbency and anaesthesia on distribution
      of ventilation in beagle dogs using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). Nine
      healthy beagle dogs, aging 3.7+/-1.7 (mean+/-SD) years and weighing 16.3+/-1.6
      kg, received a series of treatments in a fixed order on a single occasion.
      Conscious dogs were positioned in right lateral recumbency (RLR) and equipped
      with 32 EIT electrodes around the thorax. Following five minutes of
      equilibration, two minutes of EIT recordings were made in each recumbency in the
      following order: RLR, dorsal (DR), left (LLR) and sternal (SR). The dogs were
      then positioned in RLR, premedicated (medetomidine 0.01, midazolam 0.1,
      butorphanol 0.1 mg kg-1 iv) and pre-oxygenated. Fifteen minutes later anaesthesia
      was induced with 1 mg kg-1 propofol iv and maintained with propofol infusion (0.1
      0.2 mg kg-1 minute-1 iv). After induction, the animals were intubated and allowed
      to breathe spontaneously (FIO2 = 1). Recordings of EIT were performed again in
      four recumbencies similarly to conscious state. Centre of ventilation (COV) and
      global inhomogeneity (GI) index were calculated from the functional EIT images.
      Repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni tests were used for statistical analysis
      (p < 0.05). None of the variables changed in the conscious state. During
      anaesthesia left-to-right COV increased from 46.8+/-2.8% in DR to 49.8+/-2.9% in
      SR indicating a right shift, and ventral-to-dorsal COV increased from 49.8+/-1.7%
      in DR to 51.8+/-1.1% in LLR indicating a dorsal shift in distribution of
      ventilation. Recumbency affected distribution of ventilation in anaesthetized but
      not in conscious dogs. This can be related to loss of respiratory muscle tone
      (e.g. diaphragm) and changes in thoracic shape. Changing position of thoraco
      abdominal organs under the EIT belt should be considered as alternative
      explanation of these findings.

PMID- 28922362
TI  - Early relapses after adjuvant chemotherapy suggests primary chemoresistance in
      diffuse gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Survival from gastric cancer remains poor, particularly in Western
      populations. Previous pre-clinical and subgroup analyses of clinical trials have
      suggested differing benefits from fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapeutics for
      diffuse and intestinal gastric cancer. This analysis examines patterns of relapse
      with and without adjuvant chemotherapy after curative resection for gastric
      cancer in these subtypes to explore the Lauren classification as a predictive
      marker of benefit for fluoropyrimidine-based adjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Gastric cancer patients enrolled in an ongoing tissue banking study were
      analysed, 164 patients who would currently be considered for adjuvant therapy
      after curative resection were included in the analysis. Patients who did and did
      not receive adjuvant chemotherapy were compared. The primary end point was
      relapse free survival. RESULTS: Approximately 50% of patients received adjuvant
      chemotherapy, the majority receiving a fluoropyrimidine-based regimen. The
      comparison of Kaplan-Meier curves for patients who did and did not receive
      adjuvant chemotherapy are different between patients with intestinal and diffuse
      gastric cancer, and suggest that there may be a benefit in intestinal gastric
      cancer. The hazard ratio for adjuvant chemotherapy for intestinal gastric cancer
      was 0.56, (95% CI 0.27-1.17), suggesting a trend towards benefit that was lacking
      in diffuse gastric cancer patients (1.26, 95% CI 0.70-2.38). The patterns of
      relapse after adjuvant chemotherapy also differed between diffuse and intestinal
      gastric cancer. More than 50% of diffuse gastric cancer patients who received
      adjuvant chemotherapy relapsed within 12 months of surgery despite similar
      surgical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Lauren classification is prognostic in gastric
      cancer. This analysis adds further evidence that it may also be predictive of
      benefit for fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapeutics, with lower chemosensitivity
      seen in diffuse gastric cancer. Treating diffuse and intestinal gastric cancer as
      separate entities, with identification of efficacious treatments for diffuse
      gastric cancer will help in improving outcomes from gastric cancer.

PMID- 28922363
TI  - Predictors of post-thrombolysis symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in Chinese
      patients with acute ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Predictors of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH)
      in Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with recombinant tissue
      plasminogen activator remain unclear. METHODS: Data from the Thrombolysis
      Implementation and Monitor of Acute Ischemic Stroke in China (TIMS-China) study
      were assessed to explore risk factors for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage
      after intravenous thrombolysis. Three candidate sICH definitions were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Among 1128 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous
      rtPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset, 23 (2.0%), 44(3.9%) and 61 (5.4%)
      experienced modified mSITS-MOST, ECASS II, and NINDS defined sICH, respectively.
      Multivariate logistic regression revealed independent risk factors for sICH were
      age?70 years-old(sICH per NINDS, adjusted OR = 1.73[95%CI1.02-2.95],p =
      0.04),diabetes(sICH per SITS-MOST, adjusted OR = 3.50 [95%CI1.34-9.16], p =
      0.01), serum glucose on admission >9.0mmol/L(sICH per ECASS II, adjusted OR =
      2.84[95%CI1.48-5.46], p = 0.002),NIHSS on admission>20(sICH per SITS-MOST,
      adjusted OR = 5.06[95%CI1.68-15.20], p = 0.004 or sICH per NINDS, adjusted OR
      2.81[95%CI1.42-5.57], p = 0.003) and cardioembolism(sICH per SITS-MOST, adjusted
      OR = 7.09[95%CI2.41-20.87], p<0.001 or sICH per ECASS II, adjusted OR =
      4.99[95%CI2.53-9.84], p<0.001)or sICH per NINDS, adjusted OR = 2.47[95%CI1.39
      4.39], p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Cardioembolism, NIHSS on admission higher than 20,
      serum glucose on admission higher than 9.0 mmol/L and age ?70 years were
      independent risk factors for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in Chinese
      patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen
      activator.

PMID- 28922364
TI  - Association of epicardial adipose tissue with serum level of cystatin C in type 2
      diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Accumulation of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is considered to be a
      cardiovascular risk factor independent from visceral adiposity, obesity,
      hypertension and diabetes. We explored the parameters related to EAT
      accumulation, aiming to clarify the novel pathophysiological roles of EAT in
      subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: We examined the laboratory values,
      including cystatinC, and surrogate markers used for evaluating atherosclerosis.
      EAT was measured as the sum of the adipose tissue area, obtained by plain
      computed tomography scans in 208 subjects with T2DM but no history of coronary
      artery disease. RESULTS: EAT correlated positively with age, body mass index
      (BMI), visceral fat area, leptin, cystatin C and C-peptide, while correlating
      negatively with adiponectin, estimated glomerular filteration rate (eGFR) and the
      liver-to-spleen ratio. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed serum
      cystatin C (beta = 0.175), leptin (beta = 0.536), BMI (beta = 0.393) and age
      (beta = 0.269) to be the only parameters showing independent statistically
      significant associations with EAT. When cystatin C was replaced with eGFR, eGFR
      showed no significant correlation with EAT. In reverse analysis, serum cystatin C
      was significantly associated with EAT after adjustment in multivariate analysis.
      DISCUSSION: EAT accumulation and elevated cystatin C have been independently
      regarded as risk factors influencing atherosclerosis. The strong association
      between EAT and cystatin C demonstrated herein indicates that EAT accumulation
      may play an important role in Cystatin C secretion, possibly contributing to
      cardiometabolic risk in T2DM patients.

PMID- 28922366
TI  - Optimizing information processing in neuronal networks beyond critical states.
AB  - Critical dynamics have been postulated as an ideal regime for neuronal networks
      in the brain, considering optimal dynamic range and information processing.
      Herein, we focused on how information entropy encoded in spatiotemporal activity
      patterns may vary in critical networks. We employed branching process based
      models to investigate how entropy can be embedded in spatiotemporal patterns. We
      determined that the information capacity of critical networks may vary depending
      on the manipulation of microscopic parameters. Specifically, the mean number of
      connections governed the number of spatiotemporal patterns in the networks. These
      findings are compatible with those of the real neuronal networks observed in
      specific brain circuitries, where critical behavior is necessary for the optimal
      dynamic range response but the uncertainty provided by high entropy as coded by
      spatiotemporal patterns is not required. With this, we were able to reveal that
      information processing can be optimized in neuronal networks beyond critical
      states.

PMID- 28922365
TI  - Isothiocyanate-enriched moringa seed extract alleviates ulcerative colitis
      symptoms in mice.
AB  - Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) seed extract (MSE) has anti-inflammatory and
      antioxidant activities. We investigated the effects of MSE enriched in moringa
      isothiocyanate-1 (MIC-1), its putative bioactive, on ulcerative colitis (UC) and
      its anti-inflammatory/antioxidant mechanism likely mediated through Nrf2
      signaling pathway. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute (n = 8/group; 3%
      DSS for 5 d) and chronic (n = 6/group; cyclic rotations of 2.5% DSS/water for 30
      d) UC was induced in mice that were assigned to 4 experimental groups: healthy
      control (water/vehicle), disease control (DSS/vehicle), MSE treatment (DSS/MSE),
      or 5-aminosalicyic acid (5-ASA) treatment (positive control; DSS/5-ASA).
      Following UC induction, water (vehicle), 150 mg/kg MSE, or 50 mg/kg 5-ASA were
      orally administered for 1 or 2 wks. Disease activity index (DAI), spleen/colon
      sizes, and colonic histopathology were measured. From colon and/or fecal samples,
      pro-inflammatory biomarkers, tight-junction proteins, and Nrf2-mediated enzymes
      were analyzed at protein and/or gene expression levels. Compared to disease
      control, MSE decreased DAI scores, and showed an increase in colon lengths and
      decrease in colon weight/length ratios in both UC models. MSE also reduced
      colonic inflammation/damage and histopathological scores (modestly) in acute UC.
      MSE decreased colonic secretions of pro-inflammatory keratinocyte-derived
      cytokine (KC), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, nitric oxide (NO), and
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) in acute and chronic UC; reduced fecal lipocalin-2 in acute
      UC; downregulated gene expression of pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6,
      TNF-alpha, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in acute UC; upregulated
      expression of claudin-1 and ZO-1 in acute and chronic UC; and upregulated GSTP1,
      an Nrf2-mediated phase II detoxifying enzyme, in chronic UC. MSE was effective in
      mitigating UC symptoms and reducing UC-induced colonic pathologies, likely by
      suppressing pro-inflammatory biomarkers and increasing tight-junction proteins.
      This effect is consistent with Nrf2-mediated anti-inflammatory/antioxidant
      signaling pathway documented for other isothiocyanates similar to MIC-1.
      Therefore, MSE, enriched with MIC-1, may be useful in prevention and treatment of
      UC.

PMID- 28922367
TI  - Perihematomal diffusion restriction as a common finding in large intracerebral
      hemorrhages in the hyperacute phase.
AB  - PURPOSE: There is growing evidence that a perihematomal area of restricted
      diffusion (PDR) exists in intraparenchymal hemorrhages (IPH) within 1 week of
      symptom onset (SO). Here, we study characteristics and the clinical impact of the
      PDR in patients with hyperacute (<= 6 hours from SO) IPH by means of apparent
      diffusion coefficient (ADC). METHODS: This monocentric, retrospective study
      includes 83 patients with first-ever primary IPH from 09/2002-10/2015. 3D
      volumetric segmentation was performed for the IPH, PDR, and perihematomal edema
      (PHE) on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, T2*/susceptibility weighted images,
      and ADC images. RESULTS: A PDR was seen in 56/83 patients (67.5%) presenting with
      hyperacute IPH. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed every 10-year
      increase of age (HR 1.929, 95% CI 1.047-3.552, P = .035) and male gender (HR
      5.672, 95% CI 1.038-30.992, P = .045) as significant predictors of the presence
      of a PDR, but not IPH size, IPH location, nor National Institutes of Health
      Stroke Scale Score (NIHSS) at admission. We found no difference in NIHSS at
      discharge, hematoma removal, or mortality rate in PDR-positive patients. ADC
      values of the PDR show a step-wise normalization with increasing time from SO.
      CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence of a PDR is a common finding in supratentorial hyperacute
      IPH, but shows no adverse short-term clinical impact. It may represent transient
      oligemic and metabolic changes.

PMID- 28922369
TI  - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus nucleocapsid protein has dual RNA binding
      modes.
AB  - Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, a zoonotic viral disease, has high mortality
      rate in humans. There is currently no vaccine for Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever
      virus (CCHFV) and chemical interventions are limited. The three negative sense
      genomic RNA segments of CCHFV are specifically encapsidated by the nucleocapsid
      protein into three ribonucleocapsids, which serve as templates for the viral RNA
      dependent RNA polymerase. Here we demonstrate that CCHFV nucleocapsid protein has
      two distinct binding modes for double and single strand RNA. In the double strand
      RNA binding mode, the nucleocapsid protein preferentially binds to the vRNA
      panhandle formed by the base pairing of complementary nucleotides at the 5' and
      3' termini of viral genome. The CCHFV nucleocapsid protein does not have RNA
      helix unwinding activity and hence does not melt the duplex vRNA panhandle after
      binding. In the single strand RNA binding mode, the nucleocapsid protein does not
      discriminate between viral and non-viral RNA molecules. Binding of both vRNA
      panhandle and single strand RNA induce a conformational change in the
      nucleocapsid protein. Nucleocapsid protein remains in a unique conformational
      state due to simultaneously binding of structurally distinct vRNA panhandle and
      single strand RNA substrates. Although the role of dual RNA binding modes in the
      virus replication cycle is unknown, their involvement in the packaging of viral
      genome and regulation of CCHFV replication in conjunction with RdRp and host
      derived RNA regulators is highly likely.

PMID- 28922368
TI  - A tree of life based on ninety-eight expressed genes conserved across diverse
      eukaryotic species.
AB  - Rapid advances in DNA sequencing technologies have resulted in the accumulation
      of large data sets in the public domain, facilitating comparative studies to
      provide novel insights into the evolution of life. Phylogenetic studies across
      the eukaryotic taxa have been reported but on the basis of a limited number of
      genes. Here we present a genome-wide analysis across different plant, fungal,
      protist, and animal species, with reference to the 36,002 expressed genes of the
      rice genome. Our analysis revealed 9831 genes unique to rice and 98 genes
      conserved across all 49 eukaryotic species analysed. The 98 genes conserved
      across diverse eukaryotes mostly exhibited binding and catalytic activities and
      shared common sequence motifs; and hence appeared to have a common origin. The 98
      conserved genes belonged to 22 functional gene families including 26S protease,
      actin, ADP-ribosylation factor, ATP synthase, casein kinase, DEAD-box protein,
      DnaK, elongation factor 2, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, phosphatase 2A, ras
      related protein, Ser/Thr protein phosphatase family protein, tubulin, ubiquitin
      and others. The consensus Bayesian eukaryotic tree of life developed in this
      study demonstrated widely separated clades of plants, fungi, and animals. Musa
      acuminata provided an evolutionary link between monocotyledons and dicotyledons,
      and Salpingoeca rosetta provided an evolutionary link between fungi and animals,
      which indicating that protozoan species are close relatives of fungi and animals.
      The divergence times for 1176 species pairs were estimated accurately by
      integrating fossil information with synonymous substitution rates in the
      comprehensive set of 98 genes. The present study provides valuable insight into
      the evolution of eukaryotes.

PMID- 28922370
TI  - Ileocolic resection is associated with increased susceptibility to injury in a
      murine model of colitis.
AB  - Ileocolic resection (ICR) is the most common intestinal resection performed for
      Crohn's disease, with recurrences commonly occurring at the site of the
      anastomosis. This study used an animal model of ICR in wild-type mice to examine
      immunologic changes that developed around the surgical anastomosis and how these
      changes impacted gut responses to minor acute injury. ICR was performed in adult
      129S1/SvlmJ mice and results compared with mice receiving sham or no surgery.
      Dextran sodium sulfate was given either on post-operative day 9 or day 24 to
      evaluate immune responses in the intestine both immediately following surgery and
      after a period of healing. Fecal occult blood measurements and animal weights
      were taken daily. Cytokine levels were measured in ileal and colonic tissue.
      Bacterial load in the neo-terminal ileum was measured using qPCR. Immune cell
      populations in the intestinal tissue, mesenteric lymph nodes, and spleen were
      assessed using flow cytometry. Cytokine secretion in response to microbial
      products was measured in isolated mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen cells. ICR
      resulted in an initial elevation of inflammatory markers in the terminal ileum
      and colon followed by enhanced levels of bacterial growth in the neo-terminal
      ileum. Intestinal surgical resection resulted in the recruitment of innate immune
      cells into the colon that exhibited a non-responsiveness to microbial stimuli.
      DSS colitis phenotype was more severe in the ileocolic resection groups and this
      was associated with local and systemic immunosuppression as evidenced by a
      reduced cytokine responses to microbial stimuli. This study reveals the
      development of an immune non-responsiveness to microbial products following
      ileocolic resection that is associated with enhanced levels of bacterial growth
      in the neo-terminal ileum. These surgical-induced altered immune-microbial
      interactions in the intestine may contribute to disease recurrence at the
      surgical anastomosis site following ileocolic resections in patients with Crohn's
      disease.

PMID- 28922371
TI  - The association between cigarette smoking and inflammation: The Genetic
      Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study.
AB  - To inform the study and regulation of emerging tobacco products, we sought to
      identify sensitive biomarkers of tobacco-induced subclinical cardiovascular
      damage by testing the cross-sectional associations of smoking with 17 biomarkers
      of inflammation in 2,702 GENOA study participants belonging to sibships
      ascertained on the basis of hypertension. Cigarette smoking was assessed by
      status, intensity (number of cigarettes per day), burden (pack-years of smoking),
      and time since quitting. We modeled biomarkers as geometric mean (GM) ratios
      using generalized estimating equations (GEE). The mean age of participants was 61
      +/-10 years; 64.5% were women and 54.4% African American. The prevalence of
      smoking was 12.2%. After adjusting for potential confounders, 6 of 17 biomarkers
      were significantly higher among current smokers at a Bonferroni adjusted p-value
      threshold (p<0.003). High sensitivity C-reactive protein was the most elevated
      biomarker among current smokers when compared to never smokers [GM ratio = 1.39
      (95% CI: 1.23, 1.57); p <0.001]. Among former smokers, each pack-year of
      cigarettes smoked was associated with a 0.4% higher serum level of hsCRP [GM
      ratio = 1.004 (95% CI: 1.001, 1.006); p = 0.002] and each 5-year lapsed since
      quitting was associated with a 4% lower serum level of hsCRP [GM ratio = 0.96
      (95% CI: 0.93, 0.99); p = 0.006]. However, we found no significant association of
      smoking intensity or burden with biomarkers of inflammation among current
      smokers. HsCRP appears to be the most sensitive biomarker of inflammation
      associated with cigarette smoking of those investigated, and could be a useful
      biomarker of smoking-related injury for the study and regulation of emerging
      tobacco products.

PMID- 28922372
TI  - Reduction of organelle motility by removal of potassium and other solutes.
AB  - There are surprisingly few studies that describe how the composition of cell
      culture medium may affect the trafficking of organelles. Here we utilize time
      lapse multi-channel fluorescent imaging to show that short term exposure of Huh-7
      cells to medium lacking potassium, sodium, or chloride strongly reduces but does
      not eliminate the characteristic back and forth and cell-traversing movement of
      fluorescent EGF (FL-EGF) containing organelles. We focused on potassium because
      of its relatively low abundance in media and serum and its energy requiring
      accumulation into cells. Upon exposure to potassium free medium, organelle
      motility declined steadily through 90 min and then persisted at a low level.
      Reduced motility was confirmed in 5 independent cell lines and for organelles of
      the endocytic pathway (FL-EGF and Lysotracker), autophagosomes (LC3-GFP), and
      mitochondria (TMRE). As has been previously established, potassium free medium
      also inhibited endocytosis. We expected that diminished cellular metabolism would
      precede loss of organelle motility. However, extracellular flux analysis showed
      near normal mitochondrial oxygen consumption and only a small decrease in
      extracellular acidification, the latter suggesting decreased glycolysis or proton
      efflux. Other energy dependent activities such as the accumulation of
      Lysotracker, TMRE, DiBAC4(3), and the exclusion of propidium iodide remained
      intact, as did the microtubule cytoskeleton. We took advantage of cell free in
      vitro motility assays and found that removal of potassium or sodium from the
      reconstituted cytosolic medium decreased the movement of endosomes on purified
      microtubules. The results indicate that although changes in proton homeostasis
      and cell energetics under solute depletion are not fully understood, potassium as
      well as sodium appear to be directly required by the motile machinery of
      organelles for optimal trafficking.

PMID- 28922373
TI  - Dynein light chain regulates adaptive and innate B cell development by
      distinctive genetic mechanisms.
AB  - Mechanistic differences in the development and function of adaptive, high
      affinity antibody-producing B-2 cells and innate-like, "natural" antibody
      producing B-1a cells remain poorly understood. Here we show that the multi
      functional dynein light chain (DYNLL1/LC8) plays important roles in the
      establishment of B-1a cells in the peritoneal cavity and in the ongoing
      development of B-2 lymphoid cells in the bone marrow of mice. Epistasis analyses
      indicate that Dynll1 regulates B-1a and early B-2 cell development in a single,
      linear pathway with its direct transcriptional activator ASCIZ (ATMIN/ZNF822),
      and that the two genes also have complementary functions during late B-2 cell
      development. The B-2 cell defects caused by loss of DYNLL1 were associated with
      lower levels of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2, and could be supressed by
      deletion of pro-apoptotic BIM which is negatively regulated by both DYNLL1 and
      BCL-2. Defects in B cell development caused by loss of DYNLL1 could also be
      partially suppressed by a pre-arranged SWHEL Igm-B cell receptor transgene. In
      contrast to the rescue of B-2 cell numbers, the B-1a cell deficiency in Dynll1
      deleted mice could not be suppressed by the loss of Bim, and was further
      compounded by the SWHEL transgene. Conversely, oncogenic MYC expression, which is
      synthetic lethal with Dynll1 deletion in B-2 cells, did not further reduce B-1a
      cell numbers in Dynll1-defcient mice. Finally, we found that the ASCIZ-DYNLL1
      axis was also required for the early-juvenile development of aggressive MYC
      driven and p53-deficient B cell lymphomas. These results identify ASCIZ and
      DYNLL1 as the core of a transcriptional circuit that differentially regulates the
      development of the B-1a and B-2 B lymphoid cell lineages and plays a critical
      role in lymphomagenesis.

PMID- 28922374
TI  - Fractional laser exposure induces neutrophil infiltration (N1 phenotype) into the
      tumor and stimulates systemic anti-tumor immune response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ablative fractional photothermolysis (aFP) using a CO2 laser
      generates multiple small diameter tissue lesions within the irradiation field.
      aFP is commonly used for a wide variety of dermatological indications, including
      treatment of photodamaged skin and dyschromia, drug delivery and modification of
      scars due to acne, surgical procedures and burns. In this study we explore the
      utility of aFP for treating oncological indications, including induction of local
      tumor regression and inducing anti-tumor immunity, which is in marked contrast to
      current indications of aFP. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used a fractional
      CO2 laser to treat a tumor established by BALB/c colon carcinoma cell line
      (CT26.CL25), which expressed a tumor antigen, beta-galactosidase (beta-gal). aFP
      treated tumors grew significantly slower as compared to untreated controls.
      Complete remission after a single aFP treatment was observed in 47% of the mice.
      All survival mice from the tumor inoculation rejected re-inoculation of the
      CT26.CL25 colon carcinoma cells and moreover 80% of the survival mice rejected
      CT26 wild type colon carcinoma cells, which are parental cells of CT26.CL25
      cells. Histologic section of the FP-treated tumors showed infiltrating neutrophil
      in the tumor early after aFP treatment. Flow cytometric analysis of tumor
      infiltrating lymphocytes showed aFP treatment abrogated the increase in
      regulatory T lymphocyte (Treg), which suppresses anti-tumor immunity and elicited
      the expansion of epitope-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes, which were required to
      mediate the tumor-suppressing effect of aFP. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated
      that aFP is able to induce a systemic anti-tumor adaptive immunity preventing
      tumor recurrence in a murine colon carcinoma in a mouse model. This study
      demonstrates a potential role of aFP treatments in oncology and further studies
      should be performed.

PMID- 28922375
TI  - Elevated IgG4 serum levels in patients with cystic fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G4 elevation has been associated with
      several pathological conditions other than IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). In
      cystic fibrosis (CF), an elevation of specific IgG4 has been associated with
      colonization and infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. IgG4 elevation may be a
      marker of chronic infection or inflammatory stimulation. The aim of this study
      was to explore the prevalence of elevated IgG4 levels in CF and its correlation
      with the major clinical and microbiological features found in CF patients.
      METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from a large cohort of
      adult CF patients attending the CF center of Lyon University Hospital. An
      elevated IgG4 level was defined as being above the cut-off value of 135 mg/dL.
      RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-five CF patients were analyzed. An IgG4 elevation
      was detected in 43 patients (26%). Compared with the control group (<= 135
      mg/dL), high IgG4 patients exhibited a greater prevalence of Staphylococcus
      aureus colonization and higher IgG, IgG1, IgG2 and IgE levels. No significant
      differences were observed in terms of pulmonary function, colonization with
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or the annual rate of bronchial exacerbations.
      CONCLUSION: An elevated IgG4 serum level was frequently detected in adult CF
      patients and did not appear to be associated with poor lung function. We suggest
      that IgG4 elevation is a marker of the activation of tolerance. Its clinical
      significance remains to be demonstrated.

PMID- 28922376
TI  - News trends and web search query of HIV/AIDS in Hong Kong.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The HIV epidemic in Hong Kong has worsened in recent years, with
      major contributions from high-risk subgroup of men who have sex with men (MSM).
      Internet use is prevalent among the majority of the local population, where they
      sought health information online. This study examines the impacts of HIV/AIDS and
      MSM news coverage on web search query in Hong Kong. METHODS: Relevant news
      coverage about HIV/AIDS and MSM from January 1st, 2004 to December 31st, 2014 was
      obtained from the WiseNews databse. News trends were created by computing the
      number of relevant articles by type, topic, place of origin and sub-populations.
      We then obtained relevant search volumes from Google and analysed causality
      between news trends and Google Trends using Granger Causality test and orthogonal
      impulse function. RESULTS: We found that editorial news has an impact on "HIV"
      Google searches on HIV, with the search term popularity peaking at an average of
      two weeks after the news are published. Similarly, editorial news has an impact
      on the frequency of "AIDS" searches two weeks after. MSM-related news trends have
      a more fluctuating impact on "MSM" Google searches, although the time lag varies
      anywhere from one week later to ten weeks later. CONCLUSIONS: This
      infodemiological study shows that there is a positive impact of news trends on
      the online search behavior of HIV/AIDS or MSM-related issues for up to ten weeks
      after. Health promotional professionals could make use of this brief time window
      to tailor the timing of HIV awareness campaigns and public health interventions
      to maximise its reach and effectiveness.

PMID- 28922378
TI  - Relationships of orientation discrimination threshold and visual acuity with
      macular lesions in age-related macular degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure visual acuity and metamorphopsia in patients with age-related
      macular degeneration (AMD) and to explore their relationship with macular
      lesions. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 32 normal subjects
      (32 eyes) and 35 AMD patients (35 eyes) were recruited. They were categorized
      into 4 groups: normal, dry AMD, non-active wet AMD, and active wet AMD. Best
      corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic
      Retinopathy Study protocol. Metamorphopsia was quantified with the orientation
      discrimination threshold (ODT). Macular lesions, including drusen, sub-retinal
      fluid (SRF), intra-retinal fluid (IRF), pigmented epithelium detachment (PED),
      and scarring, were identified with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography
      (SD-OCT). A linear regression model was established to identify the relationships
      between the functional and structural changes. RESULTS: BCVA progressively
      worsened across the normal, dry AMD, non-active wet AMD, and active wet AMD
      groups (P < 0.001), and ODT increased across the groups (P < 0.001). The
      correlation between BCVA and ODT varied among the groups. The partial correlation
      between BCVA and ODT was -0.61 (P < 0.001). Linear regression showed that ODT
      significantly depended on IRF (beta = 0.61, P < 0.001), SRF (beta = 0.34, P =
      0.003), and scarring (beta = 0.26, P = 0.050), while BCVA significantly depended
      only on scarring (beta = -0.52, P < 0.001), and IRF (beta = -0.36, P = 0.016).
      CONCLUSIONS: From dry AMD to active wet AMD, BCVA gradually worsened while ODT
      increased. The correlation between BCVA and ODT varied among these groups,
      indicating that AMD lesions affect them differently. ODT and BCVA should be used
      concurrently for better monitoring of the disease.

PMID- 28922377
TI  - C-reactive protein upregulates the whole blood expression of CD59 - an
      integrative analysis.
AB  - Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations in the blood are associated with
      acute and chronic infections and inflammation. Nevertheless, the functional role
      of increased CRP in multiple bacterial and viral infections as well as in chronic
      inflammatory diseases remains unclear. Here, we studied the relationship between
      CRP and gene expression levels in the blood in 491 individuals from the Estonian
      Biobank cohort, to elucidate the role of CRP in these inflammatory mechanisms. As
      a result, we identified a set of 1,614 genes associated with changes in CRP
      levels with a high proportion of interferon-stimulated genes. Further, we
      performed likelihood-based causality model selection and Mendelian randomization
      analysis to discover causal links between CRP and the expression of CRP
      associated genes. Strikingly, our computational analysis and cell culture
      stimulation assays revealed increased CRP levels to drive the expression of
      complement regulatory protein CD59, suggesting CRP to have a critical role in
      protecting blood cells from the adverse effects of the immune defence system. Our
      results show the benefit of integrative analysis approaches in hypothesis-free
      uncovering of causal relationships between traits.

PMID- 28922379
TI  - Elevating serotonin pre-partum alters the Holstein dairy cow hepatic adaptation
      to lactation.
AB  - Serotonin is known to regulate energy and calcium homeostasis in several
      mammalian species. The objective of this study was to determine if pre-partum
      infusions of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), the immediate precursor to serotonin
      synthesis, could modulate energy homeostasis at the level of the hepatocyte in
      post-partum Holstein and Jersey dairy cows. Twelve multiparous Holstein cows and
      twelve multiparous Jersey cows were intravenously infused daily for approximately
      7 d pre-partum with either saline or 1 mg/kg bodyweight of 5-HTP. Blood was
      collected for 14 d post-partum and on d30 post-partum. Liver biopsies were taken
      on d1 and d7 post-partum. There were no changes in the circulating concentrations
      of glucose, insulin, glucagon, non-esterified fatty acids, or urea nitrogen in
      response to treatment, although there were decreased beta-hydroxybutyrate
      concentrations with 5-HTP treatment around d6 to d10 post-partum, particularly in
      Jersey cows. Cows infused with 5-HTP had increased hepatic serotonin content and
      increased mRNA expression of the serotonin 2B receptor on d1 and d7 post-partum.
      Minimal changes were seen in the hepatic mRNA expression of various gluconeogenic
      enzymes. There were no changes in the mRNA expression profile of cell-cycle
      progression marker cyclin-dependent kinase 4 or apoptotic marker caspase 3,
      although proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression tended to be increased in
      Holstein cows infused with 5-HTP on d1 post-partum. Immunofluorescence assays
      showed an increased number of CASP3- and Ki67-positive cells in Holstein cows
      infused with 5-HTP on d1 post-partum. Given the elevated hepatic serotonin
      content and increased mRNA abundance of 5HTR2B, 5-HTP infusions may be
      stimulating an autocrine-paracrine adaptation to lactation in the Holstein cow
      liver.

PMID- 28922380
TI  - The Warburg effect as an adaptation of cancer cells to rapid fluctuations in
      energy demand.
AB  - To maintain optimal fitness, a cell must balance the risk of inadequate energy
      reserve for response to a potentially fatal perturbation against the long-term
      cost of maintaining high concentrations of ATP to meet occasional spikes in
      demand. Here we apply a game theoretic approach to address the dynamics of energy
      production and expenditure in eukaryotic cells. Conventionally, glucose
      metabolism is viewed as a function of oxygen concentrations in which the more
      efficient oxidation of glucose to CO2 and H2O produces all or nearly all ATP
      except under hypoxic conditions when less efficient (2 ATP/ glucose vs. about
      36ATP/glucose) anaerobic metabolism of glucose to lactic acid provides an
      emergency backup. We propose an alternative in which energy production is
      governed by the complex temporal and spatial dynamics of intracellular ATP
      demand. In the short term, a cell must provide energy for constant baseline needs
      but also maintain capacity to rapidly respond to fluxes in demand particularly
      due to external perturbations on the cell membrane. Similarly, longer-term
      dynamics require a trade-off between the cost of maintaining high metabolic
      capacity to meet uncommon spikes in demand versus the risk of unsuccessfully
      responding to threats or opportunities. Here we develop a model and
      computationally explore the cell's optimal mix of glycolytic and oxidative
      capacity. We find the Warburg effect, high glycolytic metabolism even under
      normoxic conditions, is represents a metabolic strategy that allow cancer cells
      to optimally meet energy demands posed by stochastic or fluctuating tumor
      environments.

PMID- 28922381
TI  - The operation of a Research and Development (R&D) program and its significance
      for practice change in community pharmacy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community pharmacy practice in Australia is changing and Research and
      Development (R&D) in community pharmacy plays an important role in contributing
      to the changes. A range of Cognitive Pharmacy Services (CPS) were developed from
      R&D programs, yet their implementation has been minimal indicating slow practice
      change within community pharmacy. Given the vital role of R&D, little is known
      about the operation and the extent to which it has been effective in supporting
      practice change in community pharmacy. METHODS: In depth, semi-structured
      interviews were conducted with 27 key stakeholders in the pharmacy and healthcare
      system in Australia. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed ad verbatim
      and analysed using an inductive approach. RESULTS: Participants perceived that
      the R&D program has played an important role in the advent of CPS. Furthermore,
      they considered that evidence generated by the R&D projects is a critical
      influence on policy formulation, funding and implementation of CPS into practice.
      However, policy decisions and subsequent implementation are also influenced by
      other factors associated with context and facilitation which in turn foster or
      inhibit effective Knowledge Translation (KT) in the community pharmacy sector.
      CONCLUSION: While R&D programs have been viewed as essential for supporting
      changes in community pharmacy practice through development and funding of CPS,
      the overall impact has been small, as contemporary practice continues to be
      predominantly a dispensing model. Given the complexity and dynamic nature of the
      community pharmacy system, stakeholders must take into account the inter
      relationship between context, evidence and facilitation for successful KT in
      community pharmacy practice.

PMID- 28922382
TI  - Formal comment to Soler et al.: Great spotted cuckoo nestlings have no
      antipredatory effect on magpie or carrion crow host nests in southern Spain.

PMID- 28922383
TI  - Timing and adequate attendance of antenatal care visits among women in Ethiopia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although ANC services are increasingly available to women in low
      and middle-income countries, their inadequate use persists. This suggests a
      misalignment between aims of the services and maternal beliefs and circumstances.
      Owing to the dearth of studies examining the timing and adequacy of content of
      care, this current study aims to investigate the timing and frequency of ANC
      visits in Ethiopia. METHODS: Data was obtained from the nationally representative
      2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) which used a two-stage
      cluster sampling design to provide estimates for the health and demographic
      variables of interest for the country. Our study focused on a sample of 10,896
      women with history of at least one childbirth event. Percentages of timing and
      adequacy of ANC visits were conducted across the levels of selected factors.
      Variables which were associated at 5% significance level were examined in the
      multivariable logistic regression model for association between timing and
      frequency of ANC visits and the explanatory variables while controlling for
      covariates. Furthermore, we presented the approach to estimate marginal effects
      involving covariate-adjusted logistic regression with corresponding 95%CI of
      delayed initiation of ANC visits and inadequate ANC attendance. The method used
      involved predicted probabilities added up to a weighted average showing the
      covariate distribution in the population. RESULTS: Results indicate that 66.3% of
      women did not use ANC at first trimester and 22.3% had ANC less than 4 visits.
      The results of this study were unique in that the association between delayed ANC
      visits and adequacy of ANC visits were examined using multivariable logistic
      model and the marginal effects using predicted probabilities. Results revealed
      that older age interval has higher odds of inadequate ANC visits. More so, type
      of place of residence was associated with delayed initiation of ANC visits, with
      rural women having the higher odds of delayed initiation of ANC visits (OR =
      1.65; 95%CI: 1.26-2.18). However, rural women had 44% reduction in the odds of
      having inadequate ANC visits. In addition, multi-parity showed higher odds of
      delayed initiation of ANC visit when compared to the primigravida (OR = 2.20;
      95%CI: 1.07-2.69). On the contrary, there was 36% reduction in the odds of
      multigravida having inadequate ANC visits when compared to the women who were
      primigravida. There were higher odds of inadequacy in ANC visits among women who
      engaged in sales/business, agriculture, skilled manual and other jobs when
      compared to women who currently do not work, after adjusting for covariates. From
      the predictive margins, assuming the distribution of all covariates remained the
      same among respondents, but everyone was aged 15-19 years, we would expect 71.8%
      delayed initiation of ANC visit. If everyone was aged 20-24years, 73.4%; 25
      29years, 66.5%; 30-34years, 64.8%; 35-39years, 65.6%; 40-44years, 59.6% and 45
      49years, we would expect 70.1% delayed initiation of ANC visit. If instead the
      distribution of age was as observed and for other covariates remained the same
      among respondents, but no respondent lived in the rural, we would expect about
      61.4% delayed initiation of ANC visit; if however, everyone lived in the rural,
      and we would expect 71.6% delayed initiation in ANC visit. Model III revealed the
      predictive margins of all factors examined for delayed initiation for ANC visits,
      while Model IV presented the predictive marginal effects of the determinants of
      adequacy of ANC visits. CONCLUSION: The precise mechanism by which these factors
      affect ANC visits remain blurred at best. There may be factors on the demand side
      like the women's empowerment, financial support of the husband, knowledge of ANC
      visits in the context of timing, frequency and the expectations of ANC visits
      might be mediating the effects through the factors found associated in this
      study. Supply side factors like the quality of ANC services, skilled staff, and
      geographic location of the health centers also mediate their effects through the
      highlighted factors. Irrespective of the knowledge about the precise mechanism of
      action, policy makers could focus on improving women's empowerment, improving
      women's education, reducing wealth inequity and facilitating improved utilization
      of ANC through modifications on the supply side factors such as geographic
      location and focus on hard to reach women.

PMID- 28922384
TI  - Effects of salinity and drought on growth, ionic relations, compatible solutes
      and activation of antioxidant systems in oleander (Nerium oleander L.).
AB  - Nerium oleander is an ornamental species of high aesthetic value, grown in arid
      and semi-arid regions because of its drought tolerance, which is also considered
      as relatively resistant to salt; yet the biochemical and molecular mechanisms
      underlying oleander's stress tolerance remain largely unknown. To investigate
      these mechanisms, one-year-old oleander seedlings were exposed to 15 and 30 days
      of treatment with increasing salt concentrations, up to 800 mM NaCl, and to
      complete withholding of irrigation; growth parameters and biochemical markers
      characteristic of conserved stress-response pathways were then determined in
      stressed and control plants. Strong water deficit and salt stress both caused
      inhibition of growth, degradation of photosynthetic pigments, a slight (but
      statistically significant) increase in the leaf levels of specific osmolytes, and
      induction of oxidative stress-as indicated by the accumulation of malondialdehyde
      (MDA), a reliable oxidative stress marker-accompanied by increases in the levels
      of total phenolic compounds and antioxidant flavonoids and in the specific
      activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR). High
      salinity, in addition, induced accumulation of Na+ and Cl- in roots and leaves
      and the activation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities.
      Apart from anatomical adaptations that protect oleander from leaf dehydration at
      moderate levels of stress, our results indicate that tolerance of this species to
      salinity and water deficit is based on the constitutive accumulation in leaves of
      high concentrations of soluble carbohydrates and, to a lesser extent, of glycine
      betaine, and in the activation of the aforementioned antioxidant systems.
      Moreover, regarding specifically salt stress, mechanisms efficiently blocking
      transport of toxic ions from the roots to the aerial parts of the plant appear to
      contribute to a large extent to tolerance in Nerium oleander.

PMID- 28922385
TI  - Metabolomics analyses identify platelet activating factors and heme breakdown
      products as Lassa fever biomarkers.
AB  - Lassa fever afflicts tens of thousands of people in West Africa annually. The
      rapid progression of patients from febrile illness to fulminant syndrome and
      death provides incentive for development of clinical prognostic markers that can
      guide case management. The small molecule profile of serum from febrile patients
      triaged to the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Ward at Kenema Government Hospital in
      Sierra Leone was assessed using untargeted Ultra High Performance Liquid
      Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Physiological dysregulation resulting from
      Lassa virus (LASV) infection occurs at the small molecule level. Effects of LASV
      infection on pathways mediating blood coagulation, and lipid, amino acid, nucleic
      acid metabolism are manifest in changes in the levels of numerous metabolites in
      the circulation. Several compounds, including platelet activating factor (PAF),
      PAF-like molecules and products of heme breakdown emerged as candidates that may
      prove useful in diagnostic assays to inform better care of Lassa fever patients.

PMID- 28922386
TI  - New carboxamide derivatives bearing benzenesulphonamide as a selective COX-II
      inhibitor: Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship.
AB  - Sixteen new carboxamide derivatives bearing substituted benzenesulphonamide
      moiety (7a-p) were synthesized by boric acid mediated amidation of appropriate
      benzenesulphonamide with 2-amino-4-picoline and tested for anti-inflammatory
      activity. One compound 7c showed more potent anti-inflammatory activity than
      celecoxib at 3 h in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema bioassay. Compounds 7g and
      7k also showed good anti-inflammatory activity comparable to celecoxib. Compound
      7c appeared selectivity index (COX-2/COX-1) better than celecoxib. Compound 7k
      appeared selectivity index (COX-2/COX-1) a little higher than the half of
      celecoxib while compound 7g is non-selective for COX-2. The LD50 of compounds 7c,
      7g and 7k were comparable to celecoxib.

PMID- 28922387
TI  - Epistemic beliefs' role in promoting misperceptions and conspiracist ideation.
AB  - Widespread misperceptions undermine citizens' decision-making ability.
      Conclusions based on falsehoods and conspiracy theories are by definition flawed.
      This article demonstrates that individuals' epistemic beliefs-beliefs about the
      nature of knowledge and how one comes to know-have important implications for
      perception accuracy. The present study uses a series of large, nationally
      representative surveys of the U.S. population to produce valid and reliable
      measures of three aspects of epistemic beliefs: reliance on intuition for factual
      beliefs (Faith in Intuition for facts), importance of consistency between
      empirical evidence and beliefs (Need for evidence), and conviction that "facts"
      are politically constructed (Truth is political). Analyses confirm that these
      factors complement established predictors of misperception, substantively
      increasing our ability to explain both individuals' propensity to engage in
      conspiracist ideation, and their willingness to embrace falsehoods about high
      profile scientific and political issues. Individuals who view reality as a
      political construct are significantly more likely to embrace falsehoods, whereas
      those who believe that their conclusions must hew to available evidence tend to
      hold more accurate beliefs. Confidence in the ability to intuitively recognize
      truth is a uniquely important predictor of conspiracist ideation. Results suggest
      that efforts to counter misperceptions may be helped by promoting epistemic
      beliefs emphasizing the importance of evidence, cautious use of feelings, and
      trust that rigorous assessment by knowledgeable specialists is an effective guard
      against political manipulation.

PMID- 28922388
TI  - Expression and prognosis analyses of the Tob/BTG antiproliferative (APRO) protein
      family in human cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite advances in early diagnosis and treatment, cancer remains the
      major cause of mortality in the world. The Tob/BTG antiproliferative (APRO)
      protein family is reported to participate in diverse human diseases. However,
      there's little known about their expression and prognostic values in most human
      cancers. METHODS: We performed a detailed cancer vs. normal analysis. The mRNA
      expression levels of APRO family in various cancers were analyzed via the
      Oncomine database. Moreover, the Kaplan-Meier Plotter and PrognScan databases
      were used to evaluate the prognostic values. RESULTS: We observed that the mRNA
      expression levels of TOB1-2 and BTG2 were decreased in most cancers compared with
      normal tissues, while BTG3 was upregulated in most cancers. In survival analyses
      based on Kaplan-Meier Plotter, TOB1, BTG1 and BTG4 showed significant
      associations with survival outcome of different subtypes of breast cancer.
      Decreased BTG2 was related with poor relapse free survival (RFS) in all subtypes
      of breast cancer. Especially, besides RFS, reduced BTG2 also indicated worse
      overall survival and distant metastasis free survival in breast cancer patients
      who were classified as luminal A. Significant prognostic effects of the whole
      APRO family were also found in lung adenocarcinoma, but not in squamous cell lung
      carcinoma. In addition, potential correlations between some APRO family members
      and survival outcomes were also observed in ovarian, colorectal and brain cancer.
      CONCLUSIONS: Some members of APRO family showed significant expression
      differences between cancer and normal tissues, and could be prognostic biomarkers
      for defined cancer types.

PMID- 28922389
TI  - Comprehensive metabolic characterization of serum osteocalcin action in a large
      non-diabetic sample.
AB  - Recent research suggested a metabolic implication of osteocalcin (OCN) in e.g.
      insulin sensitivity or steroid production. We used an untargeted metabolomics
      approach by analyzing plasma and urine samples of 931 participants using mass
      spectrometry to reveal further metabolic actions of OCN. Several detected
      relations between OCN and metabolites were strongly linked to renal function,
      however, a number of associations remained significant after adjustment for renal
      function. Intermediates of proline catabolism were associated with OCN reflecting
      the implication in bone metabolism. The association to kynurenine points towards
      a pro-inflammatory state with increasing OCN. Inverse relations with
      intermediates of branch-chained amino acid metabolism suggest a link to energy
      metabolism. Finally, urinary surrogate markers of smoking highlight its adverse
      effect on OCN metabolism. In conclusion, the present study provides a read-out of
      metabolic actions of OCN. However, most of the associations were weak arguing for
      a limited role of OCN in whole-body metabolism.

PMID- 28922390
TI  - Identifying novel transcription factors involved in the inflammatory response by
      using binding site motif scanning in genomic regions defined by histone
      acetylation.
AB  - The innate immune response to pathogenic challenge is a complex, multi-staged
      process involving thousands of genes. While numerous transcription factors that
      act as master regulators of this response have been identified, the temporal
      complexity of gene expression changes in response to pathogen-associated
      molecular pattern receptor stimulation strongly suggest that additional layers of
      regulation remain to be uncovered. The evolved pathogen response program in
      mammalian innate immune cells is understood to reflect a compromise between the
      probability of clearing the infection and the extent of tissue damage and
      inflammatory sequelae it causes. Because of that, a key challenge to delineating
      the regulators that control the temporal inflammatory response is that an innate
      immune regulator that may confer a selective advantage in the wild may be
      dispensable in the lab setting. In order to better understand the complete
      transcriptional response of primary macrophages to the bacterial endotoxin
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), we designed a method that integrates temporally
      resolved gene expression and chromatin-accessibility measurements from mouse
      macrophages. By correlating changes in transcription factor binding site motif
      enrichment scores, calculated within regions of accessible chromatin, with the
      average temporal expression profile of a gene cluster, we screened for
      transcriptional factors that regulate the cluster. We have validated our
      predictions of LPS-stimulated transcriptional regulators using ChIP-seq data for
      three transcription factors with experimentally confirmed functions in innate
      immunity. In addition, we predict a role in the macrophage LPS response for
      several novel transcription factors that have not previously been implicated in
      immune responses. This method is applicable to any experimental situation where
      temporal gene expression and chromatin-accessibility data are available.

PMID- 28922391
TI  - Impedance biosensor for real-time monitoring and prediction of thrombotic
      individual profile in flowing blood.
AB  - A new biosensor for the real-time analysis of thrombus formation is reported. The
      fast and accurate monitoring of the individual thrombotic risk represents a
      challenge in cardiovascular diagnostics and in treatment of hemostatic diseases.
      Thrombus volume, as representative index of the related thrombotic status, is
      usually estimated with confocal microscope at the end of each in vitro
      experiment, without providing a useful behavioral information of the biological
      sample such as platelets adhesion and aggregation in flowing blood. Our device
      has been developed to work either independently or integrated with the microscopy
      system; thus, images of the fluorescently labeled platelets are acquired in real
      time during the whole blood perfusion, while the global electrical impedance of
      the blood sample is simultaneously monitored between a pair of specifically
      designed gold microelectrodes. Fusing optical and electrical data with a novel
      technique, the dynamic of thrombus formation events in flowing blood can be
      reconstructed in real-time, allowing an accurate extrapolation of the three
      dimensional shape and the spatial distribution of platelet thrombi forming and
      growing within artificial capillaries. This biosensor is accurate and it has been
      used to discriminate different hemostatic conditions and to identify weakening
      and detaching platelet aggregates. The results obtained appear compatible with
      those quantified with the traditional optical method. With advantages in terms of
      small size, user-friendliness and promptness of response, it is a promising
      device for the fast and automatic individual health monitoring at the Point of
      Care (POC).

PMID- 28922392
TI  - Facial thermal variations: A new marker of emotional arousal.
AB  - Functional infrared thermal imaging (fITI) is considered a promising method to
      measure emotional autonomic responses through facial cutaneous thermal
      variations. However, the facial thermal response to emotions still needs to be
      investigated within the framework of the dimensional approach to emotions. The
      main aim of this study was to assess how the facial thermal variations index the
      emotional arousal and valence dimensions of visual stimuli. Twenty-four
      participants were presented with three groups of standardized emotional pictures
      (unpleasant, neutral and pleasant) from the International Affective Picture
      System. Facial temperature was recorded at the nose tip, an important region of
      interest for facial thermal variations, and compared to electrodermal responses,
      a robust index of emotional arousal. Both types of responses were also compared
      to subjective ratings of pictures. An emotional arousal effect was found on the
      amplitude and latency of thermal responses and on the amplitude and frequency of
      electrodermal responses. The participants showed greater thermal and dermal
      responses to emotional than to neutral pictures with no difference between
      pleasant and unpleasant ones. Thermal responses correlated and the dermal ones
      tended to correlate with subjective ratings. Finally, in the emotional conditions
      compared to the neutral one, the frequency of simultaneous thermal and dermal
      responses increased while both thermal or dermal isolated responses decreased.
      Overall, this study brings convergent arguments to consider fITI as a promising
      method reflecting the arousal dimension of emotional stimulation and,
      consequently, as a credible alternative to the classical recording of
      electrodermal activity. The present research provides an original way to unveil
      autonomic implication in emotional processes and opens new perspectives to
      measure them in touchless conditions.

PMID- 28922393
TI  - A set of nutrient limitations trigger yeast cell death in a nitrogen-dependent
      manner during wine alcoholic fermentation.
AB  - Yeast cell death can occur during wine alcoholic fermentation. It is generally
      considered to result from ethanol stress that impacts membrane integrity. This
      cell death mainly occurs when grape musts processing reduces lipid availability,
      resulting in weaker membrane resistance to ethanol. However the mechanisms
      underlying cell death in these conditions remain unclear. We examined cell death
      occurrence considering yeast cells ability to elicit an appropriate response to a
      given nutrient limitation and thus survive starvation. We show here that a set of
      micronutrients (oleic acid, ergosterol, pantothenic acid and nicotinic acid) in
      low, growth-restricting concentrations trigger cell death in alcoholic
      fermentation when nitrogen level is high. We provide evidence that nitrogen
      signaling is involved in cell death and that either SCH9 deletion or Tor
      inhibition prevent cell death in several types of micronutrient limitation. Under
      such limitations, yeast cells fail to acquire any stress resistance and are
      unable to store glycogen. Unexpectedly, transcriptome analyses did not reveal any
      major changes in stress genes expression, suggesting that post-transcriptional
      events critical for stress response were not triggered by micronutrient
      starvation. Our data point to the fact that yeast cell death results from yeast
      inability to trigger an appropriate stress response under some conditions of
      nutrient limitations most likely not encountered by yeast in the wild. Our
      conclusions provide a novel frame for considering both cell death and the
      management of nutrients during alcoholic fermentation.

PMID- 28922394
TI  - Sequence features of viral and human Internal Ribosome Entry Sites predictive of
      their activity.
AB  - Translation of mRNAs through Internal Ribosome Entry Sites (IRESs) has emerged as
      a prominent mechanism of cellular and viral initiation. It supports cap
      independent translation of select cellular genes under normal conditions, and in
      conditions when cap-dependent translation is inhibited. IRES structure and
      sequence are believed to be involved in this process. However due to the small
      number of IRESs known, there have been no systematic investigations of the
      determinants of IRES activity. With the recent discovery of thousands of novel
      IRESs in human and viruses, the next challenge is to decipher the sequence
      determinants of IRES activity. We present the first in-depth computational
      analysis of a large body of IRESs, exploring RNA sequence features predictive of
      IRES activity. We identified predictive k-mer features resembling IRES trans
      acting factor (ITAF) binding motifs across human and viral IRESs, and found that
      their effect on expression depends on their sequence, number and position. Our
      results also suggest that the architecture of retroviral IRESs differs from that
      of other viruses, presumably due to their exposure to the nuclear environment.
      Finally, we measured IRES activity of synthetically designed sequences to confirm
      our prediction of increasing activity as a function of the number of short IRES
      elements.

PMID- 28922395
TI  - An analysis of equine round pen training videos posted online: Differences
      between amateur and professional trainers.
AB  - Natural Horsemanship is popular among many amateur and professional trainers and
      as such, has been the subject of recent scientific enquiry. One method commonly
      adopted by Natural Horsemanship (NH) trainers is that of round pen training
      (RPT). RPT sessions are usually split into a series of bouts; each including two
      phases: chasing/flight and chasing offset/flight offset. However, NH training
      styles are heterogeneous. This study investigated online videos of RPT to explore
      the characteristics of RPT sessions and test for differences in techniques and
      outcomes between amateurs and professionals (the latter being defined as those
      with accompanying online materials that promote clinics, merchandise or a service
      to the public). From more than 300 candidate videos, we selected sample files for
      individual amateur (n = 24) and professional (n = 21) trainers. Inclusion
      criteria were: training at liberty in a Round Pen; more than one bout and good
      quality video. Sessions or portions of sessions were excluded if the trainer
      attached equipment, such as a lunge line, directly to the horse or the horse was
      saddled, mounted or ridden. The number of bouts and duration of each chasing and
      non-chasing phase were recorded, and the duration of each RPT session was
      calculated. General weighted regression analysis revealed that, when compared
      with amateurs, professionals showed fewer arm movements per bout (p<0.05).
      Poisson regression analysis showed that professionals spent more time looking up
      at their horses, when transitioning between gaits, than amateurs did (p<0.05).
      The probability of horses following the trainer was not significantly associated
      with amount of chasing, regardless of category. Given that, according to some
      practitioners, the following response is a goal of RPT, this result may prompt
      caution in those inclined to give chase. The horses handled by professionals
      showed fewer conflict behaviours (e.g. kicking, biting, stomping, head-tossing,
      defecating, bucking and attempting to escape), and fewer oral and head movements
      (e.g. head-lowering, licking and chewing) than those horses handled by amateurs
      Overall, these findings highlight the need for selectivity when using the
      internet as an educational source and the importance of trainer skill and
      excellent timing when using negative reinforcement in horse training.

PMID- 28922397
TI  - Acute exposure to blue wavelength light during memory consolidation improves
      verbal memory performance.
AB  - Acute exposure to light within the blue wavelengths has been shown to enhance
      alertness and vigilance, and lead to improved speed on reaction time tasks,
      possibly due to activation of the noradrenergic system. It remains unclear,
      however, whether the effects of blue light extend beyond simple alertness
      processes to also enhance other aspects of cognition, such as memory performance.
      The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a thirty minute pulse of
      blue light versus placebo (amber light) exposure in healthy normally rested
      individuals in the morning during verbal memory consolidation (i.e., 1.5 hours
      after memory acquisition) using an abbreviated version of the California Verbal
      Learning Test (CVLT-II). At delayed recall, individuals who received blue light
      (n = 12) during the consolidation period showed significantly better long-delay
      verbal recall than individuals who received amber light exposure (n = 18), while
      controlling for the effects of general intelligence, depressive symptoms and
      habitual wake time. These findings extend previous work demonstrating the effect
      of blue light on brain activation and alertness to further demonstrate its
      effectiveness at facilitating better memory consolidation and subsequent
      retention of verbal material. Although preliminary, these findings point to a
      potential application of blue wavelength light to optimize memory performance in
      healthy populations. It remains to be determined whether blue light exposure may
      also enhance performance in clinical populations with memory deficits.

PMID- 28922396
TI  - Biochemical and immunological characterization of a novel monoclonal antibody
      against mouse leukotriene B4 receptor 1.
AB  - Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor 1 (BLT1) is a G protein-coupled receptor expressed
      in various leukocyte subsets; however, the precise expression of mouse BLT1
      (mBLT1) has not been reported because a mBLT1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) has not
      been available. In this study, we present the successful establishment of a
      hybridoma cell line (clone 7A8) that produces a high-affinity mAb for mBLT1 by
      direct immunization of BLT1-deficient mice with mBLT1-overexpressing cells. The
      specificity of clone 7A8 was confirmed using mBLT1-overexpressing cells and mouse
      peripheral blood leukocytes that endogenously express BLT1. Clone 7A8 did not
      cross-react with human BLT1 or other G protein-coupled receptors, including human
      chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4. The 7A8 mAb binds to the second extracellular
      loop of mBLT1 and did not affect LTB4 binding or intracellular calcium
      mobilization by LTB4. The 7A8 mAb positively stained Gr-1-positive granulocytes,
      CD11b-positive granulocytes/monocytes, F4/80-positive monocytes, CCR2-high and
      CCR2-low monocyte subsets in the peripheral blood and a CD4-positive T cell
      subset, Th1 cells differentiated in vitro from naive CD4-positive T cells. This
      mAb was able to detect Gr-1-positive granulocytes and monocytes in the spleens of
      naive mice by immunohistochemistry. Finally, intraperitoneal administration of
      7A8 mAb depleted granulocytes and monocytes in the peripheral blood. We have
      therefore succeeded in generating a high-affinity anti-mBLT1 mAb that is useful
      for analyzing mBLT1 expression in vitro and in vivo.

PMID- 28922398
TI  - Role of the P2 residue of human alpha 1-antitrypsin in determining target
      protease specificity.
AB  - Alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is a serine protease inhibitor that mainly inhibits
      neutrophil elastase in the lungs. A variant of A1AT at the P1 position with
      methionine 358 to arginine (A1AT-Pittsburgh) is a rapid inhibitor of thrombin
      with greatly diminished anti-elastase activity. The P2 residue (position 357) of
      A1AT-Pittsburgh has been shown to play an important role in interactions with
      thrombin and kallikrein, but the role of P2 residue in wild-type A1AT has largely
      been unraveled. Here, we investigated the effects of P2 proline substitutions in
      wild-type A1AT on interactions with porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) and human
      neutrophil elastase (HNE). The mutant A1AT proteins (P357A, P357D, P357K, P357L,
      P357N, P357S, and P357W) were less efficient than the wild-type A1AT at
      inhibiting PPE and HNE. Among the mutants, P357D did not form a complex with PPE,
      whereas P357L, P357N, and P357W showed significantly reduced complex formation
      with PPE. Surprisingly, mass spectrometry analysis revealed that P357D had two
      cleavage sites after the P9 alanine and the P3 isoleucine residues. Our results
      indicate that the size and negative charge of the R group of the P2 residue
      influence the interaction with elastases. Specifically, the negative charge at
      the P2 residue is disfavored and the resulting conformational changes in the
      reactive center loop upon interaction with PPE lead to cleavage at new sites.
      Overall, the results of this study demonstrate a previously unknown role for P2
      residue in determining inhibitory specificity of A1AT.

PMID- 28922399
TI  - Probing eukaryotic cell mechanics via mesoscopic simulations.
AB  - Cell mechanics has proven to be important in many biological processes. Although
      there is a number of experimental techniques which allow us to study mechanical
      properties of cell, there is still a lack of understanding of the role each sub
      cellular component plays during cell deformations. We present a new mesoscopic
      particle-based eukaryotic cell model which explicitly describes cell membrane,
      nucleus and cytoskeleton. We employ Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) method
      that provides us with the unified framework for modeling of a cell and its
      interactions in the flow. Data from micropipette aspiration experiments were used
      to define model parameters. The model was validated using data from microfluidic
      experiments. The validated model was then applied to study the impact of the sub
      cellular components on the cell viscoelastic response in micropipette aspiration
      and microfluidic experiments.

PMID- 28922401
TI  - Rab11 family expression in the human placenta: Localization at the maternal-fetal
      interface.
AB  - Rab proteins are a family of small GTPases involved in a variety of cellular
      processes. The Rab11 subfamily in particular directs key steps of intracellular
      functions involving vesicle trafficking of the endosomal recycling pathway. This
      Rab subfamily works through a series of effector proteins including the Rab11
      FIPs (Rab11 Family-Interacting Proteins). While the Rab11 subfamily has been well
      characterized at the cellular level, its function within human organ systems is
      still being explored. In an effort to further study these proteins, we conducted
      a preliminary investigation of a subgroup of endosomal Rab proteins in a range of
      human cell lines by Western blotting. The results from this analysis indicated
      that Rab11a, Rab11c(Rab25) and Rab14 were expressed in a wide range of cell
      lines, including the human placental trophoblastic BeWo cell line. These findings
      encouraged us to further analyse the localization of these Rabs and their common
      effector protein, the Rab Coupling Protein (RCP), by immunofluorescence
      microscopy and to extend this work to normal human placental tissue. The placenta
      is a highly active exchange interface, facilitating transfer between mother and
      fetus during pregnancy. As Rab11 proteins are closely involved in transcytosis we
      hypothesized that the placenta would be an interesting human tissue model system
      for Rab investigation. By immunofluorescence microscopy, Rab11a, Rab11c(Rab25),
      Rab14 as well as their common FIP effector RCP showed prominent expression in the
      placental cell lines. We also identified the expression of these proteins in
      human placental lysates by Western blot analysis. Further, via fluorescent
      immunohistochemistry, we noted abundant localization of these proteins within key
      functional areas of primary human placental tissues, namely the outer syncytial
      layer of placental villous tissue and the endothelia of fetal blood vessels.
      Overall these findings highlight the expression of the Rab11 family within the
      human placenta, with novel localization at the maternal-fetal interface.

PMID- 28922403
TI  - The declining interest in an academic career.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that science & engineering PhD students lose
      interest in an academic career over the course of graduate training. It is not
      clear, however, whether this decline reflects students being discouraged from
      pursuing an academic career by the challenges of obtaining a faculty job or
      whether it reflects more fundamental changes in students' career goals for
      reasons other than the academic labor market. We examine this question using a
      longitudinal survey that follows a cohort of PhD students from 39 U.S. research
      universities over the course of graduate training to document changes in career
      preferences and to explore potential drivers of such changes. We report two main
      results. First, although the vast majority of students start the PhD interested
      in an academic research career, over time 55% of all students remain interested
      while 25% lose interest entirely. In addition, 15% of all students were never
      interested in an academic career during their PhD program, while 5% become more
      interested. Thus, the declining interest in an academic career is not a general
      phenomenon across all PhD students, but rather reflects a divergence between
      those students who remain highly interested in an academic career and other
      students who are no longer interested in one. Second, we show that the decline we
      observe is not driven by expectations of academic job availability, nor by
      related factors such as postdoctoral requirements or the availability of research
      funding. Instead, the decline appears partly due to the misalignment between
      students' changing preferences for specific job attributes on the one hand, and
      the nature of the academic research career itself on the other. Changes in
      students' perceptions of their own research ability also play a role, while
      publications do not. We discuss implications for scientific labor markets, PhD
      career development programs, and science policy.

PMID- 28922402
TI  - New insights into the metastatic behavior after breast cancer surgery, according
      to well-established clinicopathological variables and molecular subtypes.
AB  - Despite advances in treatment, up to 30% of patients with early breast cancer
      (BC) experience distant disease relapse. However, a comprehensive understanding
      of tumor spread and site-specific recurrence patterns remains lacking. This
      retrospective case-control study included 103 consecutive patients with
      metastatic BC admitted to our institution (2000-2013). Cases were matched
      according to age, tumor biology, and clinicopathological features to 221 patients
      with non-metastatic BC (control group). The median follow-up period among the 324
      eligible patients was 7.3 years. While relatively low values for sensitivity
      (71%) and specificity (56%) were found for axillary lymph node (ALN) involvement
      as an indicator of risk and pattern of distant relapse, nodal status remained the
      most powerful predictor of metastases (OR: 3.294; CL: 1.9-5.5). Rates of
      dissemination and metastatic efficiency differed according to molecular subtype.
      HER2-positive subtypes showed a stronger association with systemic spread (OR:
      2.127; CL: 1.2-3.8) than other subgroups. Classification as Luminal or Non
      Luminal showed an increased risk of lung and distant nodal recurrence, and a
      decreased risk in bone metastases in the Non-Luminal group (OR: 2.9, 3.345, and
      0.2, respectively). Tumors with HER2 overexpression had a significantly high risk
      for distant relapse (OR: 2.127) compared with HER2-negative tumors and also
      showed higher central nervous system (CNS) and lung metastatic potential (OR: 5.6
      and 2.65, respectively) and low risk of bone disease progression (OR: 0.294).
      Furthermore, we found significant associations between biological profiles and
      sites of recurrence. A new process of clinical/diagnostic staging, including
      molecular subtypes, could better predict the likelihood of distant relapses and
      their anatomical location. Recognition and appreciation of clinically distinct
      molecular subtypes may assist in evaluation of the probability of distant
      relapses and their sites. Our analysis provides new insights into management of
      metastatic disease behavior, to lead to an optimal disease-tailored approach and
      appropriate follow-up.

PMID- 28922405
TI  - Assessment on induced genetic variability and divergence in the mutagenized
      lentil populations of microsperma and macrosperma cultivars developed using
      physical and chemical mutagenesis.
AB  - Induced mutagenesis was employed to create genetic variation in the lentil
      cultivars for yield improvement. The assessments were made on genetic
      variability, character association, and genetic divergence among the twelve
      mutagenized populations and one parent population of each of the two lentil
      cultivars, developed by single and combination treatments with gamma rays and
      hydrazine hydrates. Analysis of variance revealed significant inter-population
      differences for the observed quantitative phenotypic traits. The sample mean of
      six treatment populations in each of the cultivar exhibited highly superior
      quantitative phenotypic traits compared to their parent cultivars. The higher
      values of heritability and genetic advance with a high genotypic coefficient of
      variation for most of the yield attributing traits confirmed the possibilities of
      lentil yield improvement through phenotypic selection. The number of pods and
      seeds per plant appeared to be priority traits in selection for higher yield due
      to their strong direct association with yield. The cluster analysis divided the
      total populations into three divergent groups in each lentil cultivar with parent
      genotypes in an independent group showing the high efficacy of the mutagens.
      Considering the highest contribution of yield trait to the genetic divergence
      among the clustered population, it was confirmed that the mutagenic treatments
      created a wide heritable variation for the trait in the mutant populations. The
      selection of high yielding mutants from the mutant populations of DPL 62 (100 Gy)
      and Pant L 406 (100Gy + 0.1% HZ) in the subsequent generation is expected to give
      elite lentil cultivars. Also, hybridization between members of the divergent
      group would produce diverse segregants for crop improvement. Apart from this, the
      induced mutations at loci controlling economically important traits in the
      selected high yielding mutants have successfully contributed in diversifying the
      accessible lentil genetic base and will definitely be of immense value to the
      future lentil breeding programmes in India.

PMID- 28922404
TI  - Eco-epidemiological analysis of rickettsial seropositivity in rural areas of
      Colombia: A multilevel approach.
AB  - Rickettsiosis is a re-emergent infectious disease without epidemiological
      surveillance in Colombia. This disease is generally undiagnosed and several
      deadly outbreaks have been reported in the country in the last decade. The aim of
      this study is to analyze the eco-epidemiological aspects of rickettsial
      seropositivity in rural areas of Colombia where outbreaks of the disease were
      previously reported. A cross-sectional study, which included 597 people living in
      246 households from nine hamlets in two municipalities of Colombia, was conducted
      from November 2015 to January 2016. The survey was conducted to collect
      sociodemographic and household characteristics (exposure) data. Blood samples
      were collected to determine the rickettsial seropositivity in humans, horses and
      dogs (IFA, cut-off = 1/128). In addition, infections by rickettsiae were detected
      in ticks from humans and animals by real-time PCR targeting gltA and ompA genes.
      Data was analyzed by weighted multilevel clog-log regression model using three
      levels (person, household and hamlets) and rickettsial seropositivity in humans
      was the main outcome. Overall prevalence of rickettsial seropositivity in humans
      was 25.62% (95%CI 22.11-29.12). Age in years (PR = 1.01 95%CI 1.01-1.02) and male
      sex (PR = 1.65 95%CI 1.43-1.90) were risk markers for rickettsial seropositivity.
      Working outdoors (PR = 1.20 95%CI 1.02-1.41), deforestation and forest
      fragmentation for agriculture use (PR = 1.75 95%CI 1.51-2.02), opossum in
      peridomiciliary area (PR = 1.56 95%CI 1.37-1.79) and a high proportion of
      seropositive domestic animals in the home (PR20-40% vs <20% = 2.28 95%CI 1.59
      3.23 and PR>40% vs <20% = 3.14 95%CI 2.43-4.04) were associated with rickettsial
      seropositivity in humans. This study showed the presence of Rickettsia antibodies
      in human populations and domestic animals. In addition, different species of
      rickettsiae were detected in ticks collected from humans and animals. Our results
      highlighted the role of domestic animals as sentinels of rickettsial infection to
      identify areas at risk of transmission, and the importance of preventive measures
      aimed at curtailing deforestation and the fragmentation of forests as a way of
      reducing the risk of transmission of emergent and re-emergent pathogens.

PMID- 28922400
TI  - Protein folding, misfolding and aggregation: The importance of two-electron
      stabilizing interactions.
AB  - Proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases are highly pleiomorphic and
      may adopt an all-alpha-helical fold in one environment, assemble into all-beta
      sheet or collapse into a coil in another, and rapidly polymerize in yet another
      one via divergent aggregation pathways that yield broad diversity of aggregates'
      morphology. A thorough understanding of this behaviour may be necessary to
      develop a treatment for Alzheimer's and related disorders. Unfortunately, our
      present comprehension of folding and misfolding is limited for want of a
      physicochemical theory of protein secondary and tertiary structure. Here we
      demonstrate that electronic configuration and hyperconjugation of the peptide
      amide bonds ought to be taken into account to advance such a theory. To capture
      the effect of polarization of peptide linkages on conformational and H-bonding
      propensity of the polypeptide backbone, we introduce a function of shielding
      tensors of the Calpha atoms. Carrying no information about side chain-side chain
      interactions, this function nonetheless identifies basic features of the
      secondary and tertiary structure, establishes sequence correlates of the
      metamorphic and pH-driven equilibria, relates binding affinities and folding rate
      constants to secondary structure preferences, and manifests common patterns of
      backbone density distribution in amyloidogenic regions of Alzheimer's amyloid
      beta and tau, Parkinson's alpha-synuclein and prions. Based on those findings, a
      split-intein like mechanism of molecular recognition is proposed to underlie
      dimerization of Abeta, tau, alphaS and PrPC, and divergent pathways for
      subsequent association of dimers are outlined; a related mechanism is proposed to
      underlie formation of PrPSc fibrils. The model does account for: (i) structural
      features of paranuclei, off-pathway oligomers, non-fibrillar aggregates and
      fibrils; (ii) effects of incubation conditions, point mutations, isoform lengths,
      small-molecule assembly modulators and chirality of solid-liquid interface on the
      rate and morphology of aggregation; (iii) fibril-surface catalysis of secondary
      nucleation; and (iv) self-propagation of infectious strains of mammalian prions.

PMID- 28922406
TI  - Loss of liver-specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression by aryl hydrocarbon
      receptor activation in C57BL/6 mice.
AB  - The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a highly conserved transcription factor
      that mediates a broad spectrum of species-, strain-, sex-, age-, tissue-, and
      cell-specific responses elicited by structurally diverse ligands including
      2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Dose-dependent effects on liver
      specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression were examined in male and female
      mice gavaged with TCDD every 4 days for 28 or 92 days. RNA-seq data revealed the
      coordinated repression of 181 genes predominately expressed in the liver
      including albumin (3.7-fold), alpha-fibrinogen (14.5-fold), and beta-fibrinogen
      (17.4-fold) in males with corresponding AhR enrichment at 2 hr. Liver-specific
      genes exhibiting sexually dimorphic expression also demonstrated diminished
      divergence between sexes. For example, male-biased Gstp1 was repressed 3.0-fold
      in males and induced 4.5-fold in females, which were confirmed at the protein
      level. Disrupted regulation is consistent with impaired GHR-JAK2-STAT5 signaling
      and inhibition of female specific CUX2-mediated transcription as well as the
      repression of other key transcriptional regulators including Ghr, Stat5b, Bcl6,
      Hnf4a, Hnf6, Foxa1/2/3, and Zhx2. Attenuated liver-specific and sexually
      dimorphic gene expression was concurrent with the induction of fetal genes such
      as alpha-fetoprotein. The results suggest AhR activation causes the loss of liver
      specific and sexually dimorphic gene expression producing a functionally "de
      differentiated" hepatic phenotype.

PMID- 28922407
TI  - Segmental arterial stiffness in relation to B-type natriuretic peptide with
      preserved systolic heart function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Central arterial stiffness has been shown to play a key role in
      cardiovascular disease. However, evidence regarding such arterial stiffness from
      various arterial segments in relation to B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) remains
      elusive. METHODS: A total of 1255 participants (47.8% men; mean age: 62.6 +/-
      12.3 [SD] years) with preserved left ventricular function (ejection fraction
      >=50%) and >=1 risk factors were consecutively studied. Arterial pulse wave
      velocity (PWV) by automatic device (VP-2000; Omron Healthcare) for heart-femoral
      (hf-PWV), brachial-ankle (ba-PWV), and heart-carotid (hc-PWV) segments were
      obtained and related to BNP concentrations (Abbott Diagnostics, Abbott Park, IL,
      USA). RESULTS: Subjects in the highest hf-PWV quartile were older and had worse
      renal function and higher blood pressure (all P < 0.05). Elevated PWV (m/s) was
      correlated with elevated BNP (pg/ml) (beta coefficient = 19.3, 12.4, 5.9 for hf
      PWV, ba-PWV, hc-PWV respectively, all p < 0.05). After accounting for clinical co
      variates and left ventricle mass index (LVMI), both hf-PWV and ba-PWV were
      correlated with higher BNP (beta coefficient = 8.3, 6.4 respectively, P < 0.01
      for each). Adding both hf-PWV and ba-PWV to LVMI significantly expanded ROC in
      predicting abnormal BNP>100 pg/ml (both P < 0.01), but only hf-PWV presented
      significant integrated discrimination improvement to predict risk for BNP
      concentrations (0.7%, P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: A significant segmental PWV
      associated with biomarker BNP concentrations suggests that arterial stiffness is
      associated with myocardial damage.

PMID- 28922408
TI  - The role of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in the developmental competence of
      bovine oocytes.
AB  - The ovarian follicle encloses oocytes in a microenvironment throughout their
      growth and acquisition of competence. Evidence suggests a dynamic interplay among
      follicular cells and oocytes, since they are constantly exchanging "messages". We
      dissected bovine ovarian follicles and recovered follicular cells (FCs-granulosa
      and cumulus cells) and cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) to investigate whether the
      PI3K-Akt signaling pathway impacted oocyte quality. Following follicle rupture,
      COCs were individually selected for in vitro cultures to track the follicular
      cells based on oocyte competence to reach the blastocyst stage after
      parthenogenetic activation. Levels of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway components in
      FCs correlated with oocyte competence. This pathway is upregulated in FCs from
      follicles with high-quality oocytes that are able to reach the blastocyst stage,
      as indicated by decreased levels of PTEN and increased levels of the PTEN
      regulators bta-miR-494 and bta-miR-20a. Using PI3K-Akt responsive genes, we
      showed decreased FOXO3a levels and BAX levels in lower quality groups, indicating
      changes in cell cycle progression, oxidative response and apoptosis. Based on
      these results, the measurement of levels of PI3K-Akt pathway components in FCs
      from ovarian follicles carrying oocytes with distinct developmental competences
      is a useful tool to identify putative molecular pathways involved in the
      acquisition of oocyte competence.

PMID- 28922409
TI  - Purification and characterisation of the yeast plasma membrane ATP binding
      cassette transporter Pdr11p.
AB  - The ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters Pdr11p and its paralog Aus1p are
      expressed under anaerobic growth conditions at the plasma membrane of the yeast
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae and are required for sterol uptake. However, the precise
      mechanism by which these ABC transporters facilitate sterol movement is unknown.
      In this study, an overexpression and purification procedure was developed with
      the aim to characterise the Pdr11p transporter. Engineering of Pdr11p variants
      fused at the C terminus with green fluorescent protein (Pdr11p-GFP) and
      containing a FLAG tag at the N terminus facilitated expression analysis and one
      step purification, respectively. The detergent-solubilised and purified protein
      displayed a stable ATPase activity with a broad pH optimum near 7.4. Mutagenesis
      of the conserved lysine to methionine (K788M) in the Walker A motif abolished ATP
      hydrolysis. Remarkably, and in contrast to Aus1p, ATPase activity of Pdr11p was
      insensitive to orthovanadate and not specifically stimulated by
      phosphatidylserine upon reconstitution into liposomes. Our results highlight
      distinct differences between Pdr11p and Aus1p and create an experimental basis
      for further biochemical studies of both ABC transporters to elucidate their
      function.

PMID- 28922410
TI  - Cesarean section without medical indication and risk of childhood asthma, and
      attenuation by breastfeeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that caesarean section (CS) may increase the
      risk of asthma in children, but none of them could preclude potential confounding
      effects of underlying medical indications for CS. We aim to assess the
      association between CS itself (without medical indications) and risk of childhood
      asthma. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study on childhood
      asthma with 573 cases and 812 controls in Shanghai. Unconditional logistic
      regression models in SAS were employed to control for potential confounders.
      RESULTS: Our study found that CS without medical indication was significantly
      associated with elevated asthma risk (adjusted OR = 1.58 [95% CI 1.17-2.13]).
      However, this risk was attenuated in children fed by exclusive breastfeeding in
      the first six months after birth (adjusted OR = 1.39 [95% CI 0.92-2.10]). In
      contrast, the risk was more prominent in children with non-exclusive
      breastfeeding or bottle feeding (adjusted OR = 1.91 [95% CI 1.22-2.99]).
      CONCLUSIONS: CS without medical indication was associated with an increased risk
      of childhood asthma. Exclusive breastfeeding in infancy may attenuate this risk.

PMID- 28922411
TI  - Cytokine-induced killer cell delivery enhances the antitumor activity of
      oncolytic reovirus.
AB  - Oncolytic viruses (OV) have recently emerged as a promising therapeutic modality
      in cancer treatment. OV selectively infect and kill tumor cells, while sparing
      untransformed cells. The direct cytotoxic effects combined with the capacity to
      trigger an immune response make OV an appealing combination partner in the
      burgeoning field of cancer immunotherapy. One of the leading OV therapeutic
      candidates is the double-stranded RNA virus reovirus. In order to improve the
      oncolytic activity of reovirus and allow for systemic administration despite the
      prevalence of neutralizing antibodies, cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells were
      explored as cell carriers for reovirus delivery. In this study, CIK cells were
      successfully loaded with reovirus ex vivo, and viral replication was limited in
      CIK cells. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that CIK cells
      retained reovirus on the surface. Moreover, CIK cells could promote reovirus
      infection of tumor cells in the presence of neutralizing antibodies; meanwhile,
      cytotoxicity of CIK cells was increased after loading with reovirus. These
      findings support further investigation of reovirus and CIK combination for
      antitumor therapy.

PMID- 28922412
TI  - Walker occupancy has an impact on changing airborne bacterial communities in an
      underground pedestrian space, as small-dust particles increased with raising both
      temperature and humidity.
AB  - Although human occupancy is a source of airborne bacteria, the role of walkers on
      bacterial communities in built environments is poorly understood. Therefore, we
      visualized the impact of walker occupancy combined with other factors
      (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, dust particles) on airborne
      bacterial features in the Sapporo underground pedestrian space in Sapporo, Japan.
      Air samples (n = 18; 4,800L/each sample) were collected at 8:00 h to 20:00 h on 3
      days (regular sampling) and at early morning / late night (5:50 h to 7:50 h /
      22:15 h to 24:45 h) on a day (baseline sampling), and the number of CFUs (colony
      forming units) OTUs (operational taxonomic units) and other factors were
      determined. The results revealed that temperature, humidity, and atmospheric
      pressure changed with weather. The number of walkers increased greatly in the
      morning and evening on each regular sampling day, although total walker numbers
      did not differ significantly among regular sampling days. A slight increase in
      small dust particles (0.3-0.5MUm) was observed on the days with higher
      temperature regardless of regular or baseline sampling. At the period on regular
      sampling, CFU levels varied irregularly among days, and the OTUs of 22-phylum
      types were observed, with the majority being from Firmicutes or Proteobacteria
      (gamma-), including Staphylococcus sp. derived from human individuals. The data
      obtained from regular samplings reveled that although no direct interaction of
      walker occupancy and airborne CFU and OTU features was observed upon Pearson's
      correlation analysis, cluster analysis indicated an obvious lineage consisting of
      walker occupancy, CFU numbers, OTU types, small dust particles, and seasonal
      factors (including temperature and humidity). Meanwhile, at the period on
      baseline sampling both walker and CFU numbers were similarly minimal. Taken
      together, the results revealed a positive correlation of walker occupancy with
      airborne bacteria that increased with increases in temperature and humidity in
      the presence of airborne small particles. Moreover, the results indicated that
      small dust particles at high temperature and humidity may be a crucial factor
      responsible for stabilizing the bacteria released from walkers in built
      environments. The findings presented herein advance our knowledge and
      understanding of the relationship between humans and bacterial communities in
      built environments, and will help improve public health in urban communities.

PMID- 28922413
TI  - Exploitation of stable nanostructures based on the mouse polyomavirus for
      development of a recombinant vaccine against porcine circovirus 2.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop a suitable vaccine antigen against porcine
      circovirus 2 (PCV2), the causative agent of post-weaning multi-systemic wasting
      syndrome, which causes significant economic losses in swine breeding. Chimeric
      antigens containing PCV2b Cap protein sequences based on the mouse polyomavirus
      (MPyV) nanostructures were developed. First, universal vectors for baculovirus
      directed production of chimeric MPyV VLPs or pentamers of the major capsid
      protein, VP1, were designed for their exploitation as vaccines against other
      pathogens. Various strategies were employed based on: A) exposure of selected
      immunogenic epitopes on the surface of MPyV VLPs by insertion into a surface loop
      of the VP1 protein, B) insertion of foreign protein molecules inside the VLPs, or
      C) fusion of a foreign protein or its part with the C-terminus of VP1 protein, to
      form giant pentamers of a chimeric protein. We evaluated these strategies by
      developing a recombinant vaccine against porcine circovirus 2. All candidate
      vaccines induced the production of antibodies against the capsid protein of
      porcine circovirus after immunization of mice. The candidate vaccine, Var C,
      based on fusion of mouse polyomavirus and porcine circovirus capsid proteins,
      could induce the production of antibodies with the highest PCV2 neutralizing
      capacity. Its ability to induce the production of neutralization antibodies was
      verified after immunization of pigs. The advantage of this vaccine, apart from
      its efficient production in insect cells and easy purification, is that it
      represents a DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) vaccine,
      which also induces an immune response against the mouse polyoma VP1 protein and
      is thus able to distinguish between vaccinated and naturally infected animals.

PMID- 28922415
TI  - Rewiring monocyte glucose metabolism via C-type lectin signaling protects against
      disseminated candidiasis.
AB  - Monocytes are innate immune cells that play a pivotal role in antifungal
      immunity, but little is known regarding the cellular metabolic events that
      regulate their function during infection. Using complementary transcriptomic and
      immunological studies in human primary monocytes, we show that activation of
      monocytes by Candida albicans yeast and hyphae was accompanied by metabolic
      rewiring induced through C-type lectin-signaling pathways. We describe that the
      innate immune responses against Candida yeast are energy-demanding processes that
      lead to the mobilization of intracellular metabolite pools and require induction
      of glucose metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and glutaminolysis, while
      responses to hyphae primarily rely on glycolysis. Experimental models of systemic
      candidiasis models validated a central role for glucose metabolism in anti
      Candida immunity, as the impairment of glycolysis led to increased susceptibility
      in mice. Collectively, these data highlight the importance of understanding the
      complex network of metabolic responses triggered during infections, and unveil
      new potential targets for therapeutic approaches against fungal diseases.

PMID- 28922416
TI  - Multi-level computational methods for interdisciplinary research in the
      HathiTrust Digital Library.
AB  - We show how faceted search using a combination of traditional classification
      systems and mixed-membership topic models can go beyond keyword search to inform
      resource discovery, hypothesis formulation, and argument extraction for
      interdisciplinary research. Our test domain is the history and philosophy of
      scientific work on animal mind and cognition. The methods can be generalized to
      other research areas and ultimately support a system for semi-automatic
      identification of argument structures. We provide a case study for the
      application of the methods to the problem of identifying and extracting arguments
      about anthropomorphism during a critical period in the development of comparative
      psychology. We show how a combination of classification systems and mixed
      membership models trained over large digital libraries can inform resource
      discovery in this domain. Through a novel approach of "drill-down" topic modeling
      simultaneously reducing both the size of the corpus and the unit of analysis-we
      are able to reduce a large collection of fulltext volumes to a much smaller set
      of pages within six focal volumes containing arguments of interest to historians
      and philosophers of comparative psychology. The volumes identified in this way
      did not appear among the first ten results of the keyword search in the
      HathiTrust digital library and the pages bear the kind of "close reading" needed
      to generate original interpretations that is the heart of scholarly work in the
      humanities. Zooming back out, we provide a way to place the books onto a map of
      science originally constructed from very different data and for different
      purposes. The multilevel approach advances understanding of the intellectual and
      societal contexts in which writings are interpreted.

PMID- 28922414
TI  - A nonrandomized trial of vitamin D supplementation for Barrett's esophagus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency may increase esophageal cancer risk. Vitamin D
      affects genes regulating proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation and
      induces the tumor suppressor 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (PGDH) in
      other cancers. This nonrandomized interventional study assessed effects of
      vitamin D supplementation in Barrett's esophagus (BE). We hypothesized that
      vitamin D supplementation may have beneficial effects on gene expression
      including 15-PGDH in BE. METHODS: BE subjects with low grade or no dysplasia
      received vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 50,000 international units weekly plus a
      proton pump inhibitor for 12 weeks. Esophageal biopsies from normal plus
      metaplastic BE epithelium and blood samples were obtained before and after
      vitamin D supplementation. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured to characterize
      vitamin D status. Esophageal gene expression was assessed using microarrays.
      RESULTS: 18 study subjects were evaluated. The baseline mean serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D level was 27 ng/mL (normal >=30 ng/mL). After vitamin D
      supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels rose significantly (median increase
      of 31.6 ng/mL, p<0.001). There were no significant changes in gene expression
      from esophageal squamous or Barrett's epithelium including 15-PGDH after
      supplementation. CONCLUSION: BE subjects were vitamin D insufficient. Despite
      improved vitamin D status with supplementation, no significant alterations in
      gene expression profiles were noted. If vitamin D supplementation benefits BE, a
      longer duration or higher dose of supplementation may be needed.

PMID- 28922417
TI  - Lingering single-strand breaks trigger Rad51-independent homology-directed repair
      of collapsed replication forks in the polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase mutant of
      fission yeast.
AB  - The DNA repair enzyme polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP) protects genome
      integrity by restoring ligatable 5'-phosphate and 3'-hydroxyl termini at single
      strand breaks (SSBs). In humans, PNKP mutations underlie the neurological disease
      known as MCSZ, but these individuals are not predisposed for cancer, implying
      effective alternative repair pathways in dividing cells. Homology-directed repair
      (HDR) of collapsed replication forks was proposed to repair SSBs in PNKP
      deficient cells, but the critical HDR protein Rad51 is not required in PNKP-null
      (pnk1Delta) cells of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here, we report that pnk1Delta
      cells have enhanced requirements for Rad3 (ATR/Mec1) and Chk1 checkpoint kinases,
      and the multi-BRCT domain protein Brc1 that binds phospho-histone H2A (gammaH2A)
      at damaged replication forks. The viability of pnk1Delta cells depends on Mre11
      and Ctp1 (CtIP/Sae2) double-strand break (DSB) resection proteins, Rad52 DNA
      strand annealing protein, Mus81-Eme1 Holliday junction resolvase, and Rqh1
      (BLM/WRN/Sgs1) DNA helicase. Coupled with increased sister chromatid
      recombination and Rad52 repair foci in pnk1Delta cells, these findings indicate
      that lingering SSBs in pnk1Delta cells trigger Rad51-independent homology
      directed repair of collapsed replication forks. From these data, we propose
      models for HDR-mediated tolerance of persistent SSBs with 3' phosphate in
      pnk1Delta cells.

PMID- 28922418
TI  - Detecting and confirming residual hotspots of lymphatic filariasis transmission
      in American Samoa 8 years after stopping mass drug administration.
AB  - The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) aims to eliminate the
      disease as a public health problem by 2020 by conducting mass drug administration
      (MDA) and controlling morbidity. Once elimination targets have been reached,
      surveillance is critical for ensuring that programmatic gains are sustained, and
      challenges include timely identification of residual areas of transmission. WHO
      guidelines encourage cost-efficient surveillance, such as integration with other
      population-based surveys. In American Samoa, where LF is caused by Wuchereria
      bancrofti, and Aedes polynesiensis is the main vector, the LF elimination program
      has made significant progress. Seven rounds of MDA (albendazole and
      diethycarbamazine) were completed from 2000 to 2006, and Transmission Assessment
      Surveys were passed in 2010/2011 and 2015. However, a seroprevalence study using
      an adult serum bank collected in 2010 detected two potential residual foci of
      transmission, with Og4C3 antigen (Ag) prevalence of 30.8% and 15.6%. We conducted
      a follow up study in 2014 to verify if transmission was truly occurring by
      comparing seroprevalence between residents of suspected hotspots and residents of
      other villages. In adults from non-hotspot villages (N = 602), seroprevalence of
      Ag (ICT or Og4C3), Bm14 antibody (Ab) and Wb123 Ab were 1.2% (95% CI 0.6-2.6%),
      9.6% (95% CI 7.5%-12.3%), and 10.5% (95% CI 7.6-14.3%), respectively.
      Comparatively, adult residents of Fagali'i (N = 38) had significantly higher
      seroprevalence of Ag (26.9%, 95% CI 17.3-39.4%), Bm14 Ab (43.4%, 95% CI 32.4
      55.0%), and Wb123 Ab 55.2% (95% CI 39.6-69.8%). Adult residents of
      Ili'ili/Vaitogi/Futiga (N = 113) also had higher prevalence of Ag and Ab, but
      differences were not statistically significant. The presence of transmission was
      demonstrated by 1.1% Ag prevalence (95% CI 0.2% to 3.1%) in 283 children aged 7
      13 years who lived in one of the suspected hotspots; and microfilaraemia in four
      individuals, all of whom lived in the suspected hotspots, including a 9 year old
      child. Our results provide field evidence that integrating LF surveillance with
      other surveys is effective and feasible for identifying potential hotspots, and
      conducting surveillance at worksites provides an efficient method of sampling
      large populations of adults.

PMID- 28922419
TI  - Global services and support for children with developmental delays and
      disabilities: Bridging research and policy gaps.
AB  - Pamela Collins and colleagues explain the research and policy approaches needed
      globally to ensure children with developmental delays and disabilities are fully
      included in health and education services.

PMID- 28922420
TI  - Stable C and N isotope analysis of hair suggest undernourishment as a factor in
      the death of a mummified girl from late 19th century San Francisco, CA.
AB  - The chance discovery of a 1.5-3.5 years old mummified girl presents a unique
      opportunity to further our understanding of health and disease among children in
      19th Century San Francisco. This study focuses on carbon and nitrogen stable
      isotope signatures in serial samples of hair that cover the last 14 months of her
      life. Results suggest an initial omnivorous diet with little input from marine
      resources or C4 plants. Around six months before death delta15N starts a steady
      increase, with a noticeable acceleration just two months before she died. The
      magnitude of delta15N change, +1.50/00 in total, is consistent with severe
      undernourishment or starvation. Cemetery records from this time period in San
      Francisco indicate high rates of infant and child mortality, mainly due to
      bacterial-borne infectious diseases, about two orders of magnitude higher than
      today. Taken together, we hypothesize that the girl died after a prolonged battle
      with such an illness. Results highlight the tremendous impacts that modern
      sanitation and medicine have had since the 1800s on human health and lifespan in
      the United States.

PMID- 28922422
TI  - Psychological effects of the intensified follow-up of the CEAwatch trial after
      treatment for colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate psychological effects of the
      state-of-art intensified follow-up protocol for colorectal cancer patients in the
      CEAwatch trial. METHOD: At two time points during the CEAwatch trial
      questionnaires regarding patients' attitude towards follow-up, patients'
      psychological functioning and patients' experiences and expectations were sent to
      participants by post. Linear mixed models were fitted to assess the influences
      and secular trends of the intensified follow-up on patients' attitude towards
      follow-up and psychological functioning. As secondary outcome, odds ratios were
      calculated using ordinal logistic mixed model to compare patients' experiences to
      their expectations, as well as their experiences at two different time points.
      RESULTS: No statistical significant effects of the intensified follow-up were
      found on patients' attitude towards the follow-up and psychological functioning
      variables. Patients had high expectations of the intensified follow-up and their
      experiences at the second time point were more positive compared to the scores at
      the first time point. CONCLUSION: The intensified follow-up protocol posed no
      adverse effects on patients' attitude towards follow-up and psychological
      functioning. In general, patients were more nervous and anxious at the start of
      the new follow-up protocol, had high expectations of the new follow-up protocol
      and were troubled by the nuisances of the blood sample testing. As they spent
      more time in the follow-up and became more adapted to it, the nervousness and
      anxiety decreased and the preference for the frequent blood test became high in
      replacement of conversations with the doctors.

PMID- 28922421
TI  - Effects of acute administration of donepezil or memantine on sleep-deprivation
      induced spatial memory deficit in young and aged non-human primate grey mouse
      lemurs (Microcebus murinus).
AB  - The development of novel therapeutics to prevent cognitive decline of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) is facing paramount difficulties since the translational efficacy of
      rodent models did not resulted in better clinical results. Currently approved
      treatments, including the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil (DON) and the
      N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist memantine (MEM) provide marginal therapeutic
      benefits to AD patients. There is an urgent need to develop a predictive animal
      model that is phylogenetically proximal to humans to achieve better translation.
      The non-human primate grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is increasingly used
      in aging research, but there is no published results related to the impact of
      known pharmacological treatments on age-related cognitive impairment observed in
      this primate. In the present study we investigated the effects of DON and MEM on
      sleep-deprivation (SD)-induced memory impairment in young and aged male mouse
      lemurs. In particular, spatial memory impairment was evaluated using a circular
      platform task after 8 h of total SD. Acute single doses of DON or MEM (0.1 and
      1mg/kg) or vehicle were administered intraperitoneally 3 h before the cognitive
      task during the SD procedure. Results indicated that both doses of DON were able
      to prevent the SD-induced deficits in retrieval of spatial memory as compared to
      vehicle-treated animals, both in young and aged animals Likewise, MEM show a
      similar profile at 1 mg/kg but not at 0.1mg/kg. Taken together, these results
      indicate that two widely used drugs for mitigating cognitive deficits in AD were
      partially effective in sleep deprived mouse lemurs, which further support the
      translational potential of this animal model. Our findings demonstrate the
      utility of this primate model for further testing cognitive enhancing drugs in
      development for AD or other neuropsychiatric conditions.

PMID- 28922423
TI  - Proprioception in patients with posterior cruciate ligament tears: A meta
      analysis comparison of reconstructed and contralateral normal knees.
AB  - Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction for patients with PCL
      insufficiency has been associated with postoperative improvements in
      proprioceptive function due to mechanoreceptor regeneration. However, it is
      unclear whether reconstructed PCL or contralateral normal knees have better
      proprioceptive function outcomes. This meta-analysis was designed to compare the
      proprioceptive function of reconstructed PCL or contralateral normal knees in
      patients with PCL insufficiency. All studies that compared proprioceptive
      function, as assessed with threshold to detect passive movement (TTDPM) or joint
      position sense (JPS) in PCL reconstructed or contralateral normal knees were
      included. JPS was calculated by reproducing passive positioning (RPP). Five
      studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The
      proprioceptive function, defined as TTDPM (95% CI: 0.25 to 0.51 degrees ;
      P<0.00001) and RPP (95% CI: 0.19 to 0.45 degrees ; P<0.00001), was significantly
      different between the reconstructed PCL and contralateral normal knees. The mean
      difference in angle of error between the reconstructed PCL and contralateral
      normal knees was 0.06 degrees  greater in TTDPM than by RPP. In addition, results
      from subgroup analyses, based on the starting angles and the moving directions of
      the knee, that evaluated TTDPM at 15 degrees  flexion to 45 degrees  extension,
      TTDPM at 45 degrees  flexion to 110 degrees  flexion, RPP in flexion, and RPP in
      extension demonstrated that mean angles of error were significantly greater, by
      0.38 degrees  (P = 0.0001), 0.36 degrees  (P = 0.02), 0.36 degrees  (P<0.00001),
      and 0.23 degrees  (P = 0.04), respectively, in reconstructed PCL than in
      contralateral normal knees. The proprioceptive function of PCL reconstructed
      knees was decreased, compared with contralateral normal knees, as determined by
      both TTDPM and RPP. In addition, the amount of loss of proprioception was greater
      in TTDPM than in RPP, even with minute differences. Results from subgroup
      analysis, that evaluated the mean angles of error in moving directions through
      RPP, suggested that the moving direction of flexion has a significantly greater
      mean for angles of error than the moving direction of extension. Although the
      level of differences between various parameters were statistically significant,
      further studies are needed to determine whether the small differences (>1 degrees
      ) of the loss of proprioception are clinically relevant.

PMID- 28922427
TI  - Knowledge evolution in physics research: An analysis of bibliographic coupling
      networks.
AB  - Even as we advance the frontiers of physics knowledge, our understanding of how
      this knowledge evolves remains at the descriptive levels of Popper and Kuhn.
      Using the American Physical Society (APS) publications data sets, we ask in this
      paper how new knowledge is built upon old knowledge. We do so by constructing
      year-to-year bibliographic coupling networks, and identify in them validated
      communities that represent different research fields. We then visualize their
      evolutionary relationships in the form of alluvial diagrams, and show how they
      remain intact through APS journal splits. Quantitatively, we see that most fields
      undergo weak Popperian mixing, and it is rare for a field to remain
      isolated/undergo strong mixing. The sizes of fields obey a simple linear growth
      with recombination. We can also reliably predict the merging between two fields,
      but not for the considerably more complex splitting. Finally, we report a case
      study of two fields that underwent repeated merging and splitting around 1995,
      and how these Kuhnian events are correlated with breakthroughs on Bose-Einstein
      condensation (BEC), quantum teleportation, and slow light. This impact showed up
      quantitatively in the citations of the BEC field as a larger proportion of
      references from during and shortly after these events.

PMID- 28922424
TI  - Deletion of the rodent malaria ortholog for falcipain-1 highlights differences
      between hepatic and blood stage merozoites.
AB  - Proteases have been implicated in a variety of developmental processes during the
      malaria parasite lifecycle. In particular, invasion and egress of the parasite
      from the infected hepatocyte and erythrocyte, critically depend on protease
      activity. Although falcipain-1 was the first cysteine protease to be
      characterized in P. falciparum, its role in the lifecycle of the parasite has
      been the subject of some controversy. While an inhibitor of falcipain-1 blocked
      erythrocyte invasion by merozoites, two independent studies showed that falcipain
      1 disruption did not affect growth of blood stage parasites. To shed light on the
      role of this protease over the entire Plasmodium lifecycle, we disrupted
      berghepain-1, its ortholog in the rodent parasite P. berghei. We found that this
      mutant parasite displays a pronounced delay in blood stage infection after
      inoculation of sporozoites. Experiments designed to pinpoint the defect of
      berghepain-1 knockout parasites found that it was not due to alterations in
      gliding motility, hepatocyte invasion or liver stage development and that
      injection of berghepain-1 knockout merosomes replicated the phenotype of delayed
      blood stage growth after sporozoite inoculation. We identified an additional role
      for berghepain-1 in preparing blood stage merozoites for infection of
      erythrocytes and observed that berghepain-1 knockout parasites exhibit a
      reticulocyte restriction, suggesting that berghepain-1 activity broadens the
      erythrocyte repertoire of the parasite. The lack of berghepain-1 expression
      resulted in a greater reduction in erythrocyte infectivity in hepatocyte-derived
      merozoites than it did in erythrocyte-derived merozoites. These observations
      indicate a role for berghepain-1 in processing ligands important for merozoite
      infectivity and provide evidence supporting the notion that hepatic and
      erythrocytic merozoites, though structurally similar, are not identical.

PMID- 28922425
TI  - Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha as a therapeutic target for primary effusion
      lymphoma.
AB  - Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma with poor
      prognosis caused by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Previous
      studies have revealed that HIF-1alpha, which mediates much of the cellular
      response to hypoxia, plays an important role in life cycle of KSHV. KSHV
      infection promotes HIF-1alpha activity, and several KSHV genes are in turn
      activated by HIF-1alpha. In this study, we investigated the effects of knocking
      down HIF-1alpha in PELs. We observed that HIF-1alpha knockdown in each of two PEL
      lines leads to a reduction in both aerobic and anaerobic glycolysis as well as
      lipid biogenesis, indicating that HIF-1alpha is necessary for maintaining a
      metabolic state optimal for growth of PEL. We also found that HIF-1alpha
      suppression leads to a substantial reduction in activation of lytic KSHV genes,
      not only in hypoxia but also in normoxia. Moreover, HIF-1alpha knockdown led to a
      decrease in the expression of various KSHV latent genes, including LANA, vCyclin,
      kaposin, and miRNAs, under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. These
      observations provide evidence that HIF-1alpha plays an important role in PEL even
      in normoxia. Consistent with these findings, we observed a significant inhibition
      of growth of PEL in normoxia upon HIF-1alpha suppression achieved by either HIF
      1alpha knockdown or treatment with PX-478, a small molecule inhibitor of HIF
      1alpha. These results offer further evidence that HIF-1alpha plays a critical
      role in the pathogenesis of PEL, and that inhibition of HIF-1alpha can be a
      potential therapeutic strategy in this disease.

PMID- 28922426
TI  - A DNA vaccine for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever protects against disease and
      death in two lethal mouse models.
AB  - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne virus capable of
      causing a severe hemorrhagic fever disease in humans. There are currently no
      licensed vaccines to prevent CCHFV-associated disease. We developed a DNA vaccine
      expressing the M-segment glycoprotein precursor gene of CCHFV and assessed its
      immunogenicity and protective efficacy in two lethal mouse models of disease:
      type I interferon receptor knockout (IFNAR-/-) mice; and a novel transiently
      immune suppressed (IS) mouse model. Vaccination of mice by muscle electroporation
      of the M-segment DNA vaccine elicited strong antigen-specific humoral immune
      responses with neutralizing titers after three vaccinations in both IFNAR-/- and
      IS mouse models. To compare the protective efficacy of the vaccine in the two
      models, groups of vaccinated mice (7-10 per group) were intraperitoneally (IP)
      challenged with a lethal dose of CCHFV strain IbAr 10200. Weight loss was
      markedly reduced in CCHFV DNA-vaccinated mice as compared to controls.
      Furthermore, whereas all vector-control vaccinated mice succumbed to disease by
      day 5, the DNA vaccine protected >60% of the animals from lethal disease. Mice
      from both models developed comparable levels of antibodies, but the IS mice had a
      more balanced Th1/Th2 response to vaccination. There were no statistical
      differences in the protective efficacies of the vaccine in the two models. Our
      results provide the first comparison of these two mouse models for assessing a
      vaccine against CCHFV and offer supportive data indicating that a DNA vaccine
      expressing the glycoprotein genes of CCHFV elicits protective immunity against
      CCHFV.

PMID- 28922428
TI  - Diminished neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation is a novel innate immune
      deficiency induced by acute ethanol exposure in polymicrobial sepsis, which can
      be rescued by CXCL1.
AB  - Polymicrobial sepsis is the result of an exaggerated host immune response to
      bacterial pathogens. Animal models and human studies demonstrate that alcohol
      intoxication is a key risk factor for sepsis-induced mortality. Multiple
      chemokines, such as CXCL1, CXCL2 and CXCL5 are critical for neutrophil
      recruitment and proper function of neutrophils. However, it is not quite clear
      the mechanisms by which acute alcohol suppresses immune responses and whether
      alcohol-induced immunosuppression can be rescued by chemokines. Thus, we assessed
      whether acute ethanol challenge via gavage diminishes antibacterial host defense
      in a sepsis model using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and whether this
      immunosuppression can be rescued by exogenous CXCL1. We found acute alcohol
      intoxication augments mortality and enhances bacterial growth in mice following
      CLP. Ethanol exposure impairs critical antibacterial functions of mouse and human
      neutrophils including reactive oxygen species production, neutrophil
      extracellular trap (NET) formation, and NET-mediated killing in response to both
      Gram-negative (E. coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) pathogens. As
      compared with WT (C57Bl/6) mice, CXCL1 knockout mice display early mortality
      following acute alcohol exposure followed by CLP. Recombinant CXCL1 (rCXCL1) in
      acute alcohol challenged CLP mice increases survival, enhances bacterial
      clearance, improves neutrophil recruitment, and enhances NET formation (NETosis).
      Recombinant CXCL1 (rCXCL1) administration also augments bacterial killing by
      alcohol-treated and E. coli- and S. aureus-infected neutrophils. Taken together,
      our data unveils novel mechanisms underlying acute alcohol-induced dysregulation
      of the immune responses in polymicrobial sepsis, and CXCL1 is a critical mediator
      to rescue alcohol-induced immune dysregulation in polymicrobial sepsis.